Welcome to Gospel-Spotlight.com!! GS NEWS ROOM, #1 FIRST WITH REAL NEWS     June 19, 2022 UPDATE!!...  Tyler Perry donates to the Apollo ......  Juan Winans unveils two new songs .......  The final trailer dropped for Jordan Peele’s “Nope” ..........  June 19, 2022 UPDATE!!... Marvin Sapp drops "Substance" ...........  News News News News News News News News News _______________________________________ Newly released surveillance footage shows the moment a 13-year old black teenager in Chicago was shot in the back by police when his hands were raised, prompting the family to file a lawsuit. The teen, identified as A.G. by his family, is seen running into a gas station parking lot while pursued by police officers at about 10.30pm on May 18. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/06/17/121221826610511374/480x270_MP4_121221826610511374.mp4 TWO actors have been killed and six other crew members have been injured after a van carrying crew from new Netflix series The Chosen One was involved in a turn-over crash. The vehicle ran off the road before flipping over on Thursday while traveling on a desert road near Mulege in Mexico, on the Baja California Sur peninsula, officials said. Raymundo Garduno Cruz and Juan Francisco Gonzalez Aguilar died in the accident, the Baja California Department of Culture in Mexico told the Associated Press. The other victims have not yet been officially identified. The cast and crew were filming the Netflix series in nearby Santa Rosalia along the Gulf of California. The Chosen One is an upcoming series about a 12-year-old boy who learns he’s the returned Jesus Christ and is destined to save humankind. President Joe Biden took a little tumble this morning while riding his bicycle with first lady Jill Biden. He toppled over during a complete stop … directly in front of reporters! Videos posted online show the moment he glides across the street and comes to a stop as he greets reporters. Seconds later, he’s seen falling over and onto the ground. The president, who has frequently been seen on a bicycle since taking up his post in the Oval Office, said he got his foot caught in the pedal when trying to take it out. “I’m good,” he said appearing in good spirits when immediately asked if he was OK. Meanwhile, in a statement to Fox News a White House official said, “The President said, his foot got caught on the pedal while dismounting and he is fine. No medical attention is needed. The President looks forward to spending the rest of the day with his family,” the official added. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce87OoXLcl6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tucker Carlson slated Joe Biden over claims the president shared a shower with his sex addict daughter when she was young – and slammed the FBI for probing a woman who found and sold a diary containing the revelation. Carlson shared his horror at the detail contained within Ashley Biden’s diary on his Fox News show Friday night, branding it ‘sick’ and ‘horrifying’ and questioning whether it was child molestation worthy of a visit from police. He also said the president was effectively using the Feds as his secret police force, after we revealed that Aimee Harris is being investigated over Ashley Biden’s journal, which details her sex addiction and showers she had with her president father. https://twitter.com/i/status/1537967841458020352 Louisiana woman is speaking out after the man she claims raped her was granted full custody of her teenage daughter. Crysta Abelseth told WBRZ that she met John Barnes at a bar in Louisiana in 2005 when she was 16, and he was 30. She claims Barnes offered to take her home but instead took her to his residence and raped her on his living room couch. The sexual assault resulted in pregnancy. “Everybody else just assumed it was from a boyfriend, and I just let them believe that,” Abelseth told WBRZ. When Abelseth learned about the child in 2011 he decided to pursue custody. https://youtu.be/xSjkBSArfVA Naomi Osaka has pulled out of Wimbledon this year, citing a ‘leg injury.’ The former world No 1 has previously admitted that she was unlikely to compete at the Grand Slam after it was stripped of its ranking points. Following the invasion of Ukraine, the WTA and ATP made the bombshell decision, with Russian and Belarusian players prevented from participating. Osaka, 24, has also been struggling to fully recover from an Achilles issue she sustained during the Italian Open, and admitted the problem ‘is being stubborn still.’ An update to the women’s withdraw list has now confirmed her absence, with Eugenie Bouchard also pulling out in another blow to the All England Club. ‘The decision (on ranking points) is affecting my mentality going into grass,’ she said last month. ‘I’m not 100 per cent sure if I’m going to go. Super-middleweight boxer Edgar Berlanga has been banned from the sport for six months after he sensationally bit his opponent Roamer Alexis Angulo during their fight at Madison Square Garden earlier this month. American Berlanga has also been hit with a £8,000 ($10k) fine for his shocking behaviour, which was not picked up by the referee at the time of the incident. The 25-year-old eventually won his match via unanimous decision, with scores of 98-92, 99-91, 99-91. As Americans get ready to celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, a young adult ministry leader is encouraging Christians to forgive their absent fathers and others who have inflicted harm in their lives. David Marvin, a pastor at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, gave a sermon Tuesday titled “How to forgive” before the church’s young adult group, The Porch, which ministers to thousands of young adults through live stream affiliations with 15 churches across 10 states. “Christians are not called to just have the title of Christians, but the lifestyle of Christians. And Jesus over and over said: ‘If you’re going to follow me, you will forgive people.’ And I know represented in this room there’s a lot of pain,” Marvin preached. https://youtu.be/qF3GxGHtjh4 A recent study indicates that Black women using hair and beauty products are at a high risk of developing breast cancer. These hair and beauty products explicitly marketed to Black women are said to contain a dangerous class of toxic chemicals that has been linked to an increase in breast cancer risk. Additionally, the chemicals fuel the spread of cancer cells more in Black women than in white women. The study will be presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta on Monday. The study analyzed the effects of parabens on Black women’s breast cancer cells, according to Business Insider. The same analysis was done on white women’s breast cancer cells. The experiment concluded that parabens increase the growth of breast cancer cells in Black women. Although it also increases the growth of cancer cells in White women, the rate is slower compared to Black women. https://youtu.be/HFb5chd1F64 Kanye West is ever on the lookout for a big idea to implement next. Through his many endeavors, West has managed to spread his wings over almost all of the human endeavors right now. But his recent moves, involving the things he is busy trademarking, could be a precursor to what he intends to do in the near future. For instance, Donda Sports has received attention for signing Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown. This has been partly interpreted to mean he is considering entering the amusement park game. On May 27, West, through his Mascotte Holdings, Inc. company, filed 17 new trademark applications based on his Yeezus name, according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben. This can only mean West plans to apply Yeezus name on stuff such as games, sporting equipment, buttons, clothing, bags, household items, and cosmetics, amusement parks, blockchain-based currencies, and non-fungible tokens (cryptocurrencies and NFTs), stores, toys, among others. https://youtu.be/gEi4JfTJKWw Earlier this week, Netflix released the “Beauty” trailer, a film that explores the dark side of fame. Set in the 1980s, the drama stars Gracie Marie Bradley as Beauty — a gifted singer struggling to maintain her voice and identity after she lands a lucrative recording contract. The recording contract triggered a fierce battle involving the label, her family, and her bosom friend over which of them should guide her as her singing took her to stardom. https://youtu.be/EbptKdhRXEo The 18-year-old accused of killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket last month apologized to his family for carrying out the mass shooting, writing in a note he “had to commit this attack” because he cared “for the future of the White race,” according to court documents. Payton S. Gendron‘s bedroom, were revealed in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday by prosecutors in the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, as the US Justice Department announced multiple federal hate crime charges against the suspect. Some charges carry the potential for the death penalty. “Gendron’s motive for the mass shooting was to prevent Black people from replacing white people and eliminating the white race, and to inspire others to commit similar attacks,” the complaint says. https://youtu.be/XoSUSr6JWDk Kit Harington is set to reprise his Jon Snow role in a spinoff series that will take place after the events in the original series. The news comes ahead of the series premiere of “House of the Dragon,” the new “Game of Thrones” prequel series that will debut on HBO in August. We previously reported that the series is set 200 years before the events in “Game of Thrones” “and will recount the height of the Targaryen empire in Westeros—specifically, chronicling what happened before and during the Dance of the Dragons, a destructive civil war between the Targaryens as they vied for the Iron Throne,” per Complex. https://youtu.be/Wg86eQkdudI Darrin Henson has been around for quite some time. In fact, for more than three decades the multi-talented choreographer, actor, director, producer and author has made audiences dance, laugh, cry, and feel every emotion in between. Fans gravitated to him when he played Lem Van Adams in the classic Showtime drama series Soul Food, and later as Grant, the dancing antagonist in the movie Stomp the Yard in the early 2000s. Fast forward to today, Henson is a star on the BET series The Family Business and the AllBLK action-drama Double Cross. He is also creating opportunities for other talented actors and creatives seeking to grow their careers. NeNe Leakes, when she started dating her new man Nyonisela Sioh, who is a fashion designer. The man’s estranged wife has sued her, accusing her of dating her husband while they are still married, causing the marriage to collapse, according to TheBlast. Leakes and Sioh confirmed their romance in December 2021, just three months after her husband Gregg Leakes died from colon cancer. It started when photos leaked of them holding hands while having a good time on Miami Beach. A source familiar with their relationship revealed at that time that, “She can’t stop smiling around Nyonisela. It’s still very new, but she’s almost like a teenager with him, just light and giggly and feeling those new relationship butterflies.” The relationship has been growing stronger ever since. https://youtu.be/2V04lvQh9Uc Remember the man from Houston that police arrested for allegedly murdering and dismembering a missing woman, well they are looking for him again. Houston police are searching for Chukwuebuka Nwobodo, 28, who is a murder suspect that googled ‘how to be a serial killer’ after they questioned and then released him. He is charged with murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the April 16 disappearance of 24-year-old Felicia Johnson. Felicia had traveled to Houston from San Diego for an audition at a local strip club. Investigators think that Nwobodo murdered and dismembered Johnson by luring her to his apartment after promising her $500. Houston Police Department executed a search warrant on the home of Nwobodo on May 13 and arrested him upon finding a mountain of evidence, including blood, weapons, receipts, and supplies in the suspect’s car and Johnson’s blood and DNA in his apartment. Ashley Mudge is powered by art. She finds meaning in the upcoming June 17-19 Women Of Color Art Expo (WOCAX) at the downtown lakefront in Columbia, Maryland, and the message of empowerment it conveys. “When you feel like giving up, push harder. Talk to other women and share experiences. Never be afraid to express your true self,” Mudge said. “As women, we must continue to motivate and inspire each other in order for our voices to be heard through creating. Together, we’re celebrating BIPOC visual artists and entrepreneurs as well as Juneteenth.” WOCAX is a collaboration of Art Vibez’s founder Marlon Powell and The 3rd’s founder Laura Bacon and will culminate on Juneteenth National Independence Day for African Americans, also known as Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day. John O. is on a mission to banish the term ‘old school’ from our vocabulary, and with his new album Tha Making of Johnollie, the Harlem-bred rapper known for his ‘classic flow’ may just have his way. With his gift for storytelling, the new 17-track album finds John O. exploring life from the other side of thirty with a broad collection of songs and skits featuring production by The Dopeboyz Muzic. On “Vacate” it’s a coast-to-coast party, while “Supposed to Be” finds him reminiscing about his first crush. https://youtu.be/mH6o2cf2L-c Kirk Franklin stop pass the Breakfast Club. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPj_WDRGutk Prolific singer-songwriter Juan Winans unveils two new songs for Black Music Month. Winans drops a hot new track, "Tell That" (featuring Mr. Talkbox), available on all digital platforms today. ?Simultaneously, he will release a special tribute to Father's debuting "ALWAYS" only on the Juan Winans YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxL997_C2HI&feature=youtu.be Today, GRAMMY Award-winning music group Maverick City Music and 16-time GRAMMY winner Kirk Franklin are bringing the injustices around mass incarceration – and the voices of 1,300 inmates – to center stage with the release of KINGDOM Book One, available everywhere via TRIBL Records and Fo Yo Soul Entertainment/RCA Inspiration. Maverick City Music recently received their first BET Awards nomination – the Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel/Inspiration Award for their song "Jireh." Five-time BET Award winner Franklin is also nominated for his song "We Win" in this same category. The group and Franklin are set to perform on the upcoming BET Awards show, as well as part of NPR Tiny Desk's Black Music Month (6.24), and they'll appear on The View on Monday, June 20. The Kingdom Tour continues this weekend with shows at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena (6.18) and Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena (6.19), with stops in Nashville, Los Angeles and more on the horizon. The final four performances on the tour – Kansas City, Cleveland, St. Paul, and Chicago – will be called "Kingdom Nights" and feature GRAMMY-winning artist Tamela Mann. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13PYVofBFRc&feature=youtu.be HBO announced its selection of finalists who will compete in ABFF’s 25th Annual HBO® Short Film Award. ABFF, now in its 26th year, will host its in-person event in Miami from June 15-19, followed by virtual events from June 20-30 on ABFF PLAY. The festival will provide a creative space for independent Black filmmakers and its attendees, as well as studio premieres, panels, and networking events. Formerly known as the HBO® Short Film Competition, the prestigious showcase will celebrate 25 years of HBO’s commitment to recognizing the next generation of diverse, artistic, and creative talent at ABFF. This year’s five finalists, Sherif Alabede (“Another Country”), Elisee Junior St Preux (“Aurinko in Adagio”), Gia-Rayne Harris (“Pens & Pencils”), Destiny J Macon (“Talk Black”), and Rebecca Usoro (“The Family Meeting”) are groundbreaking directors with diverse styles of filmmaking. Led by 34 points from Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 103-90 on Thursday night to claim their fourth NBA championship in the last eight seasons. The victory gives the trio of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green their fourth title together — all under head coach Steve Kerr — adding to their championships from 2015, 2017 and 2018. They’ve won 21 NBA Finals games together, having recently passed Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (19) for the most NBA Finals wins by a trio over the last 30 years. https://youtu.be/AOYACk7m7Fk TV One with iOne Digital announced that Ashanti will be the talent to re-introduce fans to its HelloBeautiful Interludes Live digital series, a cross-platform, original programming collaboration that brings the audience closer to talent, entertainment icons and influencers through intimate performances and candid conversations. https://youtu.be/gUPrnu3BEU8 Cam Newton is opening up about the cheating scandal that separated him from his longtime ex-girlfriend, Shakia Proctor. On the Pivot Podcast, he says that the entire situation changed him as a person and that it was a “humanistic mistake.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce12RDQpxQe/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A$AP Rocky says the internet is to blame for the lack of maturity in rap music. “Rap is in its adolescence, and it’s been stuck here since Soulja Boy,” said Rocky during a conversation with Jerrod Carmichael for Interview, Revolt reports. “Before, everybody looked 35 and up. When Lil Wayne and JAY-Z and T.I. and Jeezy and Ross was on, rappers looked old. Like we had Lil’ Bow Wow and that was it. That all changed with the internet and self-releasing. Now, rap is stuck in this braggadocious, adolescent space. It’s not as mature.” The New York native went on to say that for him, “there’s a responsibility” in rap “to put people on the right path.” https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5a3092d4-bef6-4004-97dc-5169a2daf084 Revlon, the 90-year-old cosmetics giant, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because of its crippling debt and mounting celebrity competition. The nail polish and lipstick maker said the move will allow it to “strategically reorganize” its finances, pointing to “liquidity constraints” sparked by supply chain disruptions and inflation. Revlon is receiving $575 million in debtor-in-possession financing to help support its day-to-day operations. “Today’s filing will allow Revlon to offer our consumers the iconic products we have delivered for decades, while providing a clearer path for our future growth,” said Revlon CEO Debra Perelman in a release. She added that its “challenging capital structure has limited our ability to navigate macro-economic issues in order to meet this demand.” If you’re a fan of the South Koren thriller series “Squid Game” on Netflix then you probably already expected a reality series based on the show was forthcoming. Netflix announced its cooking up a reality series based on “Squid Game.” Per the streaming giant’s description of the series, “Squid Games” centers on hundreds of players “who accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes.” Per Variety, the reality show titled “Squid Game: The Challenge” will see contestants compete in games inspired by the show — minus the death. A total of 456 contestants will compete for $4.56 million, the largest cash prize in the history of reality TV, as reported by Complex. https://youtu.be/oqxAJKy0ii4 R. Kelly’s sentencing will take place on June 29. According to @radaronline court documents revealed that one alleged victim said after subjecting her to physical and psychological abuse, Kelly required them to have sex with other women and even men! “Kelly regularly required Jane to have sexual contact with other men and woman at his direction, including the women living with him, his assistants …. And a man he referred to as “nephew” who she had never even seen prior to Kelly directing her to have sex with him.” Even with more information constantly coming to surface, R. Kelly’s team has been working overtime to try to convince a New York judge to only sentence him to 10 years in prison and not 25 years like the government has requested. Walter ‘Bart’ Rainey, 84, is one of the seniors slain at a church potluck dinner Thursday evening, by a 71-year-old suspect who attended the event, which also saw fellow attendee Sarah Yeager, 75, killed. The shooting, which saw another attendee injured, transpired just after 6pm, a meeting billed as a ‘Boomers’ Potluck.’ It was attended predominantly by seniors. Police said the gunman was in attendance at the church, located in Birmingham suburb Vestavia Hills, at the time of the shooting. About an hour into the dinner, he produced a pistol he had concealed on his person. The suspect, who police said was 71 and Caucasian, has not been named by police. Many people are unable to reflect about the college experience without remembering the impact of fraternities and sororities. From the parties to the homecoming step shows, men and women from Black-Greek Letter organizations have been making social and societal impacts for over a century. Referred to as the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) or “the Divine Nine,” the historical organizations have collaborated with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) to address the wealth gap through Black entrepreneurship. Head of the SBA, Isabelle Casillas Guzman, signed the Strategic Alliance Memorandum along with President Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq. (Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.) on behalf of the NPHC. Kevin Hart is uprooting the fast-food industry with sustainable, affordable and crave-able products in mind. The new quick service restaurant called Hart House is set to officially open its first location later this summer and will serve only plant-forward food while providing high quality jobs in an environment that’s accessible to all consumers and available within minutes of ordering. “Kevin sort of conceptualized this idea at the beginning of the pandemic,” CEO Andy Hooper told Los Angeles at a private tasting of the new concept. “If I were advising him at the time, I would say, ‘Don’t you dare ever start a restaurant, and don’t you ever start a restaurant in the middle of COVID,’ but after almost two years of really working on this menu and getting the food to a place where it can deliver on that promise, we’re ready to go and we’re excited to tell the world about Hart House and excited to serve the food.” The Hart House menu features 100 percent plant-based burg’rs, chick’n sandwiches, salads, nuggets, fries, tots and milkshakes that are completely free of hormones, artificial colors, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup. More importantly, Hart strives to ensure the quality of the product can appease even the biggest carnivores. HBCUs have collectively compiled a broad history that represents the level of excellence the schools produce. With notable alumni like Kamala Harris, Spike Lee, Wanda Sykes, Wale, Toni Morrison and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., there’s no doubt about the cultural and cross-industry impacts HBCU students have made on the world. HP is supporting the next generation of Black talent by providing opportunities for current HBCU students through intentional programming. AfroTech had the chance to sit with two Delaware State University graduates, Yazmin Harris and Brendon Li-A-Ping, to learn how HP’s HBCU initiatives benefited them. Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, announced the launch of its third Cultural Leadership Fund. This fund aims to assist the growth of Black wealth through the ownership of future technology companies. According to Forbes, other athletes a part of the fund are NBA player Blake Griffin, NFL running back Leonard Fournette, and WBNA stars Nneka Ogwumike and Maya Moore. Pharrell Williams surprised five NAACP youth leaders this Friday, by canceling their student debt entirely, according to the NAACP. Pharrell announced the good news during an NAACP panel about the Black student debt crisis at the St. Regis hotel in D.C. hours before the Something in the Water Festival. https://twitter.com/i/status/1537825387069186048 A venture capital firm has put together a dream team, and its new additions only add to its high-profile status. Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, announced the launch of its third Cultural Leadership Fund. This fund aims to assist the growth of Black wealth through the ownership of future technology companies. According to Forbes, other athletes a part of the fund are NBA player Blake Griffin, NFL running back Leonard Fournette, and WBNA stars Nneka Ogwumike and Maya Moore. An Alabama teen has been accepted to more than 15 universities, including Harvard and Johns Hopkins, and has been awarded more than $2 million in scholarship offers. Rotimi Kukoyi, a high school senior and the first Black National Merit Scholar at his school, is from Hoover, Alabama. He told ABC News he was inspired to apply to a number of places after appearing on the “Jeopardy!” Teen Tournament as a freshman in 2018, and meeting high achieving students from across the country. “It was really fun experience but also put me in contact with some pretty cool students from across the country,” Kukoyi said. “A lot of them are older and they’re like seniors or juniors that applied to many prestigious schools a lot of them are attending prestigious universities now. So that was kind of my original inspiration to apply to those universities.” For over a decade, Deborah Marion has been fighting for answers in the murder of her son, former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, who was found shot in 2010. “With Lorenzen, I’d be talking to his picture and sometimes his picture could look at me a certain way like it’s really him… He was a momma’s boy. Simple as that,” she said. “He would still be a momma’s boy if he was here now.” At the time of his death, Wright had retired from the league in 2009 where he had earned an estimated $55 million over the course of 13 seasons in the NBA. A Marietta family of three, including a 7-year-old girl, were killed in a car crash in east Georgia on Saturday. The accident happened June 11 in Taliaferro County on Interstate-20, according to WJBF. A Chevy Malibu left the road near mile marker 149 near the Crawfordville/Sparta exit around 3:30 p.m.. The car hit a tree head-on and burst into flames, according to the Georgia State Patrol. All three people inside the car were killed. They’ve been identified as 36-year-old Chanece Samuel, 29-year-old John Parker and their 7-year-old Bryanna Brewster. Two weeks after a woman was shot to death at an Amazon warehouse in Horn Lake, Mississippi, her family has retained nationally-prominent civil rights and personal injury lawyer Ben Crump, according to a press release from Crump’s office. Ebony Leshay Crockett, 44, was shot at least 3 times and killed at an Amazon warehouse in Horn Lake on June 3, according to the DeSoto County Coroner. Horn Lake Police said that Crockett was shot and killed by 45-year-old Corey D. Brewer who died later that day in a shootout with the Memphis Police Department near I-40 and Whitten Rd., according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Brewer knew Crockett through employment at the Amazon warehouse, according to Horn Lake Police. Now, Crump’s office is questioning why Brewer, a fired Amazon employee who had a restraining order against him from Crockett, was allowed at the warehouse in the first place. Plans to celebrate the newest national holiday, Juneteenth, are happening across the U.S. In North Texas, there are several events happening, but one in particular stands out in Fort Worth: Opal Lee’s Walk for Freedom. On Saturday, Lee will embark on her annual 2.5 mile walk to recognize the two and a half years it took for the news of freedom to reach all enslaved people in the United States. The “Grandmother of Juneteenth” said if she could do the walk today — she’d be in tip-top shape! She said the heat will not keep her from her mission. There will be simultaneous walks in cities from coast to coast. For those who are unable to join a walk near them, Lee said even walking in your neighborhood or on a treadmill can allow you to be part of the movement to raise awareness. Registration is still open. The walk starts at 10 a.m. and a breakfast will be held at 8 a.m. at 1050 Evans Ave in Fort Worth. Marta Kauffman is giving back to alma mater: The Grace and Frankie co-creator has pledged $4 million to establish an endowed professorship in the African and African American Studies Department at Brandeis University. The Marta F. Kauffman ’78 Professorship in African and African American Studies will support a scholar with a concentration in the study of the cultures of Africa, according to the university. The gift will also help the department recruit more scholars and teachers, while helping to give students more opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary scholarship. The Marta F. Kauffman ’78 Professorship in African and African American Studies will support a scholar with a concentration in the study of the cultures of Africa, according to the university. The gift will also help the department recruit more scholars and teachers, while helping to give students more opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary scholarship. Many gathered at the first Westminster Presbyterian Church in Steubenville on Friday to honor a man who lived a life of service. A blue sky and sunshine as the backdrop for Bishop Roy Dawkins’ funeral. Those who knew and loved him came from near and far to pay their respects. “The tone is a tone of celebration while there is great sadness and sorrow, but we’ve all come from around the country to celebrate our fallen brother as God has taken him home,” Bishop Theodore Brooks, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Dawkins made his home in Steubenville in 1985 when he began his ministry at the Greater Zion Temple Family Worship Center. A 1942 classroom with old-style wooden desks, a chalkboard, and a large, blown-up grade-school class photo showing Charles L. Blockson, one of only a handful of Black children in a predominantly white group, greets you early in the exhibition. Blockson looks shy and pensive in the class photo. But it was a fourth-grade history class that fueled Blockson, then just 9 years old, with anger and lifelong determination. The reconstituted classroom is part of the “Charles L. Blockson Exhibition: an African and Afro-American Collection,” opening Friday, June 17, at the Centre Theater Gallery in Norristown, which is the celebrated historian’s hometown and birthplace. Houston’s growing distillery business now has a new player — a Black-owned premium vodka company called General Orders No. 3. The vodka will launch Juneteenth weekend at the Juneteenth HBCU Alliance Music Fest, a concert and scholarship benefit at 8:30 p.m. June 18 at 713 Music Hall, 401 Franklin. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University National Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. General Orders was founded by 10 African American friends and entrepreneurs who are all graduates of Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University, University of Texas at Austin, Wiley College, University of Houston and Cornell University. Together, they wanted to produce a Houston-made vodka that celebrates Texas heritage and culture. The vodka takes its name from the birth of Juneteenth, when federal troops arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to order that all enslaved people be freed. “I wanted a comeback. Something with a different vibe and for me live goes to another place,” said Grammy Award-winning Tamela Mann about the July 22, 2022 release of her new album “Overcomer: Deluxe Edition” (The Orchard), which is a continuation of the original “Overcomer” project offering live versions of the original tracks and includes some new songs. “Even ‘Take Me to the King’ is a comeback – to do it live…would really touch the people,” Tamela said. “I’m excited about it though it was a few people in the room (when recorded live) it felt like there was a 1,000. I want to give hope.” The “Overcomer: Deluxe Edition” album’s arrival started with the release of the single “He Did It For Me,” which reached #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay Chart. The project features the assistance of Kirk Franklin, Tim Rogers and The Fellas, Yolanda Adams, Wyclef Jean and Todd Dulaney. Songwriters on the project include Travis Green (“Finished”) Residents in Baltimore are speaking out about being victims of SNAP scammers. Thieves are reprotedly stealing cash benefits given to families through federal assistance programs. According to WMAR-2 News, the transitions occur hours after the benefits are deposited onto their EBT cards. The state is reportedly seeing a spike in stolen benefits and the Maryland Department of Human Services is not reimbursing victims. https://youtu.be/Eje3kH0h6SY Mo’Nique has reached a settlement with Netflix related to a discrimination lawsuit she filed against the streamer in 2019. Mo felt she was slighted by the company after being offered pennies for a comedy special, which she turned down. She said at the time that Netflix offered comedian Amy Schumer $11 million for an hour-long stand-up special (she eventually got $13 mil), but only offered Mo’Nique $500,000 for a special. Netflix responded to Mo’s lawsuit in a statement: “We care deeply about inclusion, equity, and diversity and take any accusations of discrimination very seriously. We believe our opening offer to Mo’Nique was fair — which is why we will be fighting this lawsuit.” Dy’Shea Hall, star of the reality series “Bring It!” and member of the Dancing Dolls 4 Life (DD4L) dance team, was fatally shot in Atlanta on June 12. 16-year-old Hall and 17-year-old Javonte Wood were shot Sunday evening outside a Kroger in DeKalb County, Fox 5 News reports. Hall died and Wood was reportedly transferred to a local hospital in critical condition. Police say there was a “disagreement” between two groups of teens outside the supermarket at 4919 Flat Shoals Parkway. The two teens were shot when the group in one car fired at the other car, SandraRose reports. The two suspects fled the scene in a white sedan. The Atlanta Police Department released surveillance images of the suspects on Monday hoping the public can help identify the two Black males. Popular Brooklyn Rapper and reality TV star Maino is bringing Harlem and Brooklyn together in new music with ‘Capo’ Jim Jones, the criminal injustice system, and blowing up the internet a few months ago when he shared a fantasy of role-playing as a slave during sex with white women. In April, he told Lip Service podcast host Angela Yee, “I like to play like a disobedient slave with a White woman. It’s two of them. It’s like me getting whooped, right? ‘ It’s like, ‘Listen, you’re going to act like, you’re master’s wife, and I just got whooped by master for eyeballing you. But the whole time, you’ve been really, you know, you liked it. You’ve been eyeballing me.’ It’s some freaky sh*t.” https://youtu.be/m6DuUJSa3xU Danny Glover was spotted on a romantic getaway in Sardinas, Italy with his young love Regina Murray. Glover, 75, has been married to Eliane Cavalleiro since 2009, but he wasn’t wearing his wedding ring while he and Murray, 55, held hands and frolicked on the beach. The pair were also spotted together at the Filming Italy 2022 event over the weekend. Glover has not publicly announced a split from his wife. Danny and Eliane haven’t made a red carpet appearance together since 2018. The couple shares no children together. Congresswoman Karen Bass has taken the lead from billionaire Rick Caruso in the L.A. mayoral primary. Bass is reportedly leading by nearly three percentage points, according to LA Focus Newspaper. The outlet writes, “The latest numbers have Bass at 41.05% with 202,818 votes and Caruso—who spent a record $40 million—at 38.29% with 189,178 votes.” “We’re in a fight for the soul of our city and we are going to win the fight,” said Bass, who could be the first Black woman mayor if she wins a November runoff. “Going forward means that we have to bring together all of the people around the city and have the type of very diverse grassroots campaign that we always planned to have,” Bass added. “We started the first phase of it and now we’ll be able to become much bigger. It’s time for unity.” https://youtu.be/D7_zZbjxIpM Eric Holder is standing trial for the murder of #NipseyHussle, and on Wednesday, prosecutors began to reveal terrifying details about the tragic incident. According to @TMZ_tv, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney addressed the jury Wednesday, detailing Holder’s alleged actions following Nipsey’s death. McKinney alleged that after Eric gunned Nipsey down in the parking lot of his ‘Marathon’ clothing store, he walked over to the rapper and kicked him in the head. Holder allegedly addressed Nipsey saying, “You are through,” and Nipsey responded with, “You got me,” before the gunman fled the scene. In honor of Juneteenth, the global documentary streaming service curated a collection of powerful and informative documentaries and series that highlight some of the most important moments in Black history. MagellanTV is also making Bessie Coleman: The First Black Aviatrix available for FREE June 17 – 24, in celebration of the holiday (even those without a subscription can access the doc for free during this window). This gripping documentary details the life and impact of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman, who was the first Black woman to receive a pilot’s license. The manager of a California gas station who set fuel prices at 69 cents per gallon has been fired over the costly mistake. John Szczecina, who worked at a station, said he accidentally put a decimal in the wrong spot, causing the gas price to be 69 cents instead of $6.99, according to CBS station KOVR. “This is a nightmare,'” Szczecina said. “I put all three prices on there except the diesel, but the last one kind of didn’t go, you know, right.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1535279675404083209 Lovers of cinema gathered in Hollywood for the 21st Annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF). LALIFF was held June 1-5, 2022, at the TCL Chinese Theater and TCL Chinese 6 in Hollywood. The documentary Mija, about a Mexican American music manager in San Bernardino, California, opened the festival on June 1st. The film, directed by Isabel Castro premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The film is racking up accolades, as it resonates with audiences while traveling through the film festival circuit. Mija was also screened at Cleveland International Film Festival, Miami Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival. “The Sweetness of Doing Good!” The Lura’s Kitchen Inc. philanthropy program has added the restoration of the Bell Tower and Cross at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship Los Angeles to its program. 10% of every package of Madear’s Old Fashion Gourmet Premium Cookie Dough Mix sold thru the end of June 2022 will go towards the CCCF Tower project. Just in time for the Juneteenth Celebration, the Teacake Mixes can be ordered online at www.luraskitchen.com. Diddy has been an influential part of pop culture for more than 30 years, and now, he’ll have the hardware to prove it. The media mogul, 52, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 BET Awards on June 26, the network announced on Monday. The award, which has previously gone to the likes of Whitney Houston, Prince and more, honors those “who have not only significantly shaped culture through their extensive careers, but who have also been transformative leaders that consistently inspire generations by setting a true standard of excellence,” according to a press release. Diddy (born Sean Combs) founded his record label Bad Boy in the early 1990s, and it’s since gone on to become a hip-hop powerhouse, selling more than 100 million records worldwide. Silenced for two years, the Songwriters Hall of Fame is ready to party again, welcoming a diverse set of artists for its Class of 2022, including pop diva Mariah Carey, the weirdly cool producers the Neptunes, the British electro-pop band Eurythmics, psychedelic bluesman Steve Miller and the iconic Isley Brothers. The songwriters will be honored at a pandemic-delayed gala Thursday night at the Marriott Marquis in New York. While a list of performers and presenters has not been revealed, past inductees have been serenaded or hailed by the likes of Lady Gaga, Stevie Nicks, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Ed Sheeran. Lil Nas X will also be honored Thursday with the Hal David Starlight Award, which recognizes “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs.” After spending nearly two months in the slammer, Kirk Franklin’s estranged son Kerrion has been released from jail. The Bad Boys: Los Angeles star was let out of an Orange County facility on June 1, according to jail records. As it was previously reported, Kerrion was arrested by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department on April 10 and was initially held without bond due to warrants. One of the warrants was due to Kerrion failing to appear in court back in 2007 after being cited for 3 misdemeanors. Some of the charges included falsely representing self to officer, possession of purported government issued California driver’s license/California identification, and possession of alcohol under 21, per Radar Online. Kenan Thompson has officially filed for divorce. The Saturday Night Live star filed paperwork in May to end his marriage of 11 years to Christina Evangeline, according to documents obtained by TMZ. Per TMZ, the sealed filing includes a request for a 50/50 custody split for daughters Georgia Marie, 7, and Gianna Michelle, 3. In April, TMZ was also first to report news that couple had split. A source told the publication that Thompson, 43, and Evangeline, 33, separated close to a year ago, though they didn’t file paperwork at the time. The pair wed in a 2011 ceremony at the Georgia Aquarium. Seven years later when they welcomed Gianna, Thompson opened up to PEOPLE about parenthood. Mark Hubbard and The Voice drops new video "Now Cry Holy." Another song "Shining Brihgt" in The Gospel Spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywtAgJ-56WE A pregnant Illinois woman was found decapitated outside her apartment in the city of Alton and her ex-boyfriend has been arrested for the heinous crime. The victim, a white woman named Liese Dodd, 22, reportedly had an on-and-off two-year relationship with a 22-year-old Black man named Deundrea Holloway. Dodd’s mother Heidi Noel said he is not the father of the unborn child. Last week, Dodd’s family was planning her baby shower. Now, they’re planning the woman’s funeral. “We were planning her baby shower for the end of this month,” Noel told KMOV. “I had just sent out invitations the prior Saturday for the baby shower. We were just excited and gathering the items you need to have a baby. On Tuesday, First Repair hosted a panel discussion between: Executive Director Robin Rue Simmons, Chair of Michigan Democratic Black Caucus Keith Williams, California Reparations Task Force Member Dr. Cheryl Grills, and Reparations United founder Kamm Howard on the state of the local reparations movement. The talk, which was moderated by Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro Dr. Andre Perry, centered the practicality of reparations moving forward. “States like California, Maryland, as well as cities like Evanston, Illinois and Ashville, North Carolina are examining and passing policies that seek to redress the harms of slavery and anti-black discrimination. What we’re going to do is talk about those local efforts in context of the national movement.” In 1828, years before she took the name Sojourner Truth, a Black woman who had escaped slavery with her infant daughter won a court fight in New York’s Hudson Valley to bring her son, Peter, home from Alabama. It was a historic case of a Black woman seeking the release of her son from slavery prevailing in court against a white man. Isabella Van Wagenen, as she was known then, would gain enduring fame as an outspoken abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. As for her deposition and the rest of the court documents, they were boxed up and eventually stored among a million other records, unseen and unrecognized for their significance. Until 194 years later. An eagle-eyed state archivist searching for something else spotted the court records in January. Now, they will briefly be on public display Wednesday at the Ulster County Courthouse in Kingston, New York, the same building she walked into almost two centuries ago seeking justice. The eight hand-written pages offer new details about a significant turning point in her eventful life. It pays to honor billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry. After Whoopi Goldberg presented him with the Impact Award at the theater’s spring benefit on Monday, Perry was so “moved and inspired” that he gifted the famous Harlem music hall with a $500,000 donation. “I want to say, thank you… when you are honored by a legacy, a history that is as rich as the Apollo, you have to honor that,” he said. The famous theater has helped launch some of music’s biggest acts including Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Lauryn Hill and Stephanie Mills, who made a special appearance at the gala. Perry encouraged the crowd to “remember the history, and on this stage, and in this building, there have been some legends… don’t ever take this place for granted,” he said, before surprising the theater with the generous donation. The Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to create a way to track pastors and other church workers credibly accused of sex abuse and launch a new task force to oversee further reforms in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The vote came three weeks after the release of a blockbuster report by an outside consultant on the long-simmering scandal, revealing that Southern Baptist leaders mishandled abuse cases and stonewalled victims for years. Thousands of Southern Baptists are here in Anaheim for their big national meeting. They elected a new SBC president, Texas pastor Bart Barber, who is a staunch proponent of Southern Baptists’ conservative views but who says he has a track record of dialogue with those who disagree. He has called for an “army of peacemakers” amid bitter political battles in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The Southern Baptist Convention, holding its 2022 annual meeting in Anaheim, California, today explored the possibility of breaking ties with California’s Saddleback Church, according to news reports. The denomination considered establishing a committee to study whether the SBC should break with Saddleback Church, which ordained three women as pastors, The Tennessean reported. “The SBC statement of beliefs says the “office of pastor” is reserved for men,” the report states. Shad Tibbs, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Trout, Louisiana, made the request, Religion News Service reported. “They have ordained three ladies as pastors, and all other churches that would choose to follow this path. At the very least, I am asking that the validity of this matter be looked into,” Tibbs said, according to that report. “Ultimately, the motion was withdrawn by the credentials committee that had recommended it, with Linda Cooper, chair of the committee, saying they had heard the messengers,” The Tennessean reported. With a sea of raised yellow ballots, messengers to the 2022 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting overwhelmingly approved a set of recommendations to address sexual abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Those reforms included setting up a “Ministry Check” website to track abusive pastors, church employees and volunteers and appointing a task force dedicated to implementing systems to address abuse and serving as a resource to Southern Baptists in responding to abuse allegations and caring for abuse survivors. That abuse reform implementation task force will also look into creating a fund to assist survivors and setting up a “permanent committee or entity” to address abuse. Over the weekend, Russell Wilson added another accolade to his already-impressive collection, as he traveled to New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College to accept an honorary degree and deliver a commencement speech to the graduating class of 2022. Citing his accomplishments beyond just the boundaries of the football field, Dartmouth president Philip J. Hanlon awarded the degree to Wilson prior to his speech. “For your poise, leadership and sportsmanship, both on and off the field, for your commitment to improving the lives of others and for your belief in the power of positivity and helping people reach their full potential, Dartmouth is proud to award you the honorary degree of doctor of humane letters,” Hanlon said. The honor was a meaningful one for Wilson particularly because of the Ivy League university’s connections to his family; Wilson’s late father attended Dartmouth and three of Wilson’s uncles are also alumni, he said. Here is an exclusive clip of this week’s new episode of “Brat Loves Judy,” airing Thursday on WE tv. In the clip, Brat and Judy head to New Orleans to be honored in the Sidewalk Steppers Ball. Meanwhile, when an out-of-the-box marketing ploy for Kaleidoscope has an unexpected response, Brat and Judy decide to treat it as a sign that it’s time to have a baby. https://youtu.be/ZaEkYXfeA7k Here is an exclusive clip of this week’s episode of “Commit or Quit with Judge Lynn Toler,” airing June 16 on WE tv. Per press release, couples in crisis turn to Judge Lynn Toler for a life-altering decision to get married or break up for good. Judge Toler meets the couples, watches surveillance and interviews witnesses. Secrets are exposed, core issues uncovered, and family and friends give shocking testimony. Ultimately, Judge Toler decides—Commit or Quit! https://youtu.be/T1BPTnlEvi0 Megan Thee Stallion didn’t hold back in her latest Rolling Stone interview. In a candid and emotional conversation, Meg recounts the night of the alleged shooting by rapper #ToryLanez. The Plan B rapper disclosed that she had surgery on the night of the shooting, and that she required months of intense physical therapy. “What nobody knows is, I had to get the surgery the same night. I stayed in the hospital in California for maybe four days,” she says. “Then I was in New York for a while. Both of my legs wrapped up. I could not walk. I still have bullet fragments in my feet right now. I was very scared that I was not able to be Megan Thee Stallion no more.” Meg began physical therapy in New York before leaving for Tampa, Florida, where the entertainer regained her ability to walk. A Tennessee sheriff’s office has warned the public not to pick up folded dollar bills because they could contain fentanyl. The Giles County Sheriff’s Office noted in a Facebook post that on two occasions a folded dollar bill was found on the ground at a local gas station. “When it was found and picked up, the person discovered a white powdery substance inside,” the post said. The substance — which was tested — turned out to be methamphetamine and fentanyl, MSN reports. Per the report, “Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.” Terrence Howard led a discussion about science and STEM at the Morgan State University Institute of Urban Research event for the “Day of Conversation w/Terrence Dashon Howard” on Saturday. The event allowed students to chop it up with the actor “about the geometry of subatomic particles while building replicated models,” per Black Enterprise. The outlet writes, “students watched a Lynchpin Drone Stimulator demonstration, and participated in a Lynchpin Design and Construction Lab and a Shape Design and Construction Lab, according to Morgan State University.” Howard himself is a tech aficionado and inventor. He has applied for over 90 patents, including his design of a Lynchpin Drone, the Baltimore Times reports. An alleged Airbnb horror story has gone viral after an unidentified woman took to social media to explain that her guest refuses to leave her home. https://youtu.be/Jo4QF-dtTuA After 14 years on air, “The Wendy Williams” is officially coming to an end this week. “The final original episode of The Wendy Williams Show will air on Friday, June 17th, with a video tribute to the iconic host,” a spokesperson for the show told PEOPLE. “The series comes to an end after 13 successful years in syndication.” Wendy took an indefinite leave of absence from her beloved daytime talk show last year amid her battle with various medical issues. The show has been hosted by a slew of celebrity guests since the beginning of its 13th season in October 2021. A source told PEOPLE in February: “Wendy won’t be returning to the show for the rest of this season.” In May, she told rapper Fat Joe that she intends to return to TV. Her show was canceled earlier this year by production company Debmar-Mercury and replaced with Sherri Shepherd’s new show, set to debut this fall. When Fat Joe also asked about being replaced with Sherri’s show, Williams said: “I won’t be watching her because I know what she’ll be doing, and that’s not really my thing … you know what I’m saying?” Williams went on hiatus from her show in March 2018 and in May 2020, due to complications with her Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism. She currently remains embattled with Wells Fargo over access to her bank accounts. This one is for the history books and generations to come! Chart-topping singer Jody Watley and Vice President Kamala Harris showed their support for the LGBTQ+ community at 2022 Capital Pride in Washington, D.C. The two iconic superstars in their respective fields posed for the cameras at the event on Sunday, June 12. Known for combining beauty and style as integral aspects of her career as a recording artist and dynamic live performer, Watley’s list of accomplishments and achievements are massive. The GRAMMY® winning artist in music, video, fashion and style and long-time LGBTQIA+ ally headlined the official in-person music event and wowed the audience with her signature runway catwalk and energetic epic live performance. The international hit series The Chosen will film its third season from a state-of-the-art sound stage and detailed re-creation of Middle Eastern locales with the opening of its new home on 900 acres near the town of Midlothian in North Texas. https://youtu.be/0L33MDUn068 Those who admire the plays of Thomas Lanier Williams III (Tennessee Williams) are certain to enjoy five of his short offerings directed by Ward Nixon. Plays such as: “The Strangest Kind of Romance, ”Hello from Bertha,” “The Last of My Solid Gold Watches,” “Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen,” and “The Lady of Larkspur Lotion” are being presented at the Bernie Wohl Center, located at 647 Columbus Avenue in Manhattan. During a conversation with Gayle King as part of the Directors Series at the Tribeca Film Festival on Monday, Tyler recounted his shock after witnessing the now-infamous incident as he candidly discussed the aftermath of the situation that stunned not just Hollywood but millions of viewers at home. “I was there close up, I left early to go and check on Chris because it was wrong in no uncertain terms,” the 52-year-old expressed about the slap, adding that he made sure to tell Will that his actions were out of line. But it appeared that Will was just as stunned by his unusual outburst as his industry peers, with Tyler going on to mention how the father-of-three ended up feeling “devastated” by the fiasco. “He couldn’t believe what happened.” https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=03f60536-2b52-4280-9214-4f692aaf98de A captain with the NYC Department of Correction died after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift from an alleged bogus doctor in the Dominican Republic. Tandra Bowser-Williams, 49, suffered a massive stroke days after the surgery in Santo Domingo. Plastic surgeon Dr. Hector Cabral performed the procedure on May 13, New York Post reports. Per the outlet, “Cabral was previously indicted in March 2011 under former New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman on 10 counts of operating without a medical license and fraud and conspiracy charges.” Cabral allegedly charged potential clients for consultations and examinations at medical spas and beauty parlors in New York, per the report. He then took his operation to the Dominican Republic where he lured insecure women with bargain prices. Relatives of the half-brother of late rock superstar Prince are frustrated with a Kansas City cemetery. They say they are waiting for a headstone for Prince’s sibling Alfred Jackson Jr., who passed away in August of 2019. When Jackson’s family visits the Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery, they say they don’t know which plot is his because years after his death his headstone has not arrived. “All I have as a marker is this tree standing behind me,” Jackson’s brother Bruce Jackson said. “That’s the only marker I have is a tree. That’s sad. It’s unacceptable. When it comes to visiting, I’m playing the guessing game. I come out here, I don’t know where to put roses or flowers for my brother.” https://youtu.be/nnQ01n3-Llc Saucy Santana has clapped back at Beyonce’s fans who are coming for him over his shady comments about the singer’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. The several past tweets showed the openly queer rapper calling Beyoncé’s pregnancy glow “dry,” and young Blue Ivy nappy-headed. Santana also insinuated Blue Ivy wasn’t as cute as Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West. Fans were clearly not here for Santana targeting Bey, especially as he just dropped a new song sampling her 2003 hit “Crazy In Love.” Santana deleted his old tweets, but the BeyHive is still giving him hell. On this week’s episode of Access Hollywood‘s “Housewives Nightcap,” Kandi Burruss gets real about the drama ensuing on this season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Kandi slams her co-star Marlo Hampton for her “vile” remarks and shares why she was shocked over Sheree Whitfield “co-signing” with her. Kandi also admits that her feud with Marlo just gets “worse” as the season goes on and now that she is provoked, she won’t be holding back at the reunion! https://youtu.be/4ZjbAnJd35Y As was reported to The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity, the New Orleans Saints have promoted Dennis Allen from defensive coordinator to head coach to possibly replace Sean Payton. The Saints had not made their chosen replacement public as of the time of the leak to The Associated Press. The Saints chose to promote from within after also interviewing outside candidates, including former Miami coach Brian Flores, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, National Action Network Founder and President Rev. Al Sharpton, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation President and CEO Melanie Campbell, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, and National African American Clergy Network co-convener Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner requested the meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after some racial disparities in the league. The virtual meeting was called after former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores accused the NFL and three teams – the Giants, Broncos, and Dolphins – of racial discrimination in a proposed class-action lawsuit last week. The group of civil rights activists are calling for a replacement of the Rooney Rule. The 7th Annual Black Music Honors' highly-anticipated celebration of trailblazing music legends with exciting performances and must-watch moments is airing nationally on Bounce TV Saturday, June 25 during Black Music Month. The television special is energetically infused with the comedic and fashionable synergy of electrifying co-hosts Two-Time GRAMMY Winner LeToya Luckett and Comedian DeRay Davis. The 2022 Black Music Honors honorees displayed the excellence of Black music culture as they were commemorated by knockout performances that took them on a nostalgic journey down memory lane with anthems that shook the airwaves and raised them to stardom. The long-awaited reunions of Kid N’ Play and Dru Hill manifested on the Black Music Honors Stage. The legendary groups didn’t miss a beat and had the crowd partying like it was the 1990’s. Other music icons honored were Dynamic Gospel Duo Mary Mary who invited fans to worship and turn up at the same time; GRAMMY Winning Singer-Songwriter Keri Hilson for her pop sensibility and swag as a songwriter; and Five-Time GRAMMY Nominee Tevin Campbell who was honored with the R&B Icon Award. For their nearly six-decade career, The Whispers took home the Legends Award and Soulful Singer Jerry Butler was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his secular harmonies as the lead singer of the 1960’s group The Impressions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrbkL0EBOCk June is designated as African American Music Appreciation Month. This month is our opportunity to highlight the legacy, the evolution, and the cultural impact of music by black singers, songwriters, musicians, and creators. The inaugural Quartet Music Awards (The QMAs) will join this acknowledgment by celebrating the heritage and the future of Quartet music. Many genres of music, from Blues to Rock, built their foundations on the fundamental sounds, styles, harmonies and swagger of black Quartet Gospel music. You are invited to experience a historic night of Quartet music at the Quartet Music Awards Saturday, June 18 at Center Stage Theater, 1374 West Peachtree Street in Atlanta, GA. Justin Rufus and The Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones will host the night of legacy, ministry, musicianship, and showmanship. The awards show will feature performances by Jarrell Smalls, Souls of Creation, The McDonald Sisters, The Canton Spirituals, and more. 116 is on the MOVE again! After a successful first leg of the We Are UNASHAMED TOUR throughout mid-west, south, and southeast regions in the spring, part II of the We Are UNASHAMED tour is continuing onward to the west coast. Reach Records has announced 17 new cities to include San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Detroit, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville and more. The tour, branded We Are UNASHAMED, references Roman's 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes!” The verse developed from a mantra and into a movement for Reach Records, its artists and believers of the 116 Lifestyle. The lineup will include electrifying performances from Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, Tedashii, 1K Phew, Wande, WHATUPRG, and Hulvey! https://www.unashamedtour.com Apple Music today launched 'Juneteenth 2022: Freedom Songs, a specially-curated collection of music to celebrate and honor Juneteenth. Available to stream exclusively on Apple Music, the second annual compilation features an eclectic mix of originals and covers to celebrate the holiday from the likes of Alex Isley, Brittney Spencer, 6LACK, Bun B, Cautious Clay, Damien Sneed, Denzel Curry, Eladio Carrión, Elena Pinderhughes, Jlin, Koryn Hawthorne, Kranium, Lupe Fiasco, Moliy, SEB, and WSTRN. 'Juneteenth 2022: Freedom Songs’ is available now in Spatial Audio only on Apple Music. https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/pl.7c49c07dba3c4f9bb38141e0d85e16ed?ign-itscg=80009&ign-itsct=pla_variousartists_juneteenth22_053122 The influence of Black Music on America's history through centuries and decades is monumental, especially in the transformative decade of the 1960s. During Black Music Month, Andersen Corporation presents "Soul of the Sixties: A celebration of Black Music with Grammy award-winning Sounds of Blackness," a live musical event at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at The Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, Minn. Soul of the Sixties is an authentic reenactment and tribute to the greatest soul performers of the sixties: Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, and many more. Sounds of Blackness performs in full costume with original choreography and their ten-piece band. The Dakota is the stage for this second annual Black Music Month event. On June 18, Ain’t nothing going down, but the holy truth as Preachers’ Exes Reality TV Show cast host their viewing party in Houston, Texas. Four women and one gay man will give you drama and truth as the church bells ring. Based on the book 3 PM: The Preacher, The Power, The Penis & Me by Cheron K. Griffin, this reality show tackles holy shit from the pulpit to the pews. The diverse cast confronts their own demons of pain and hurt caused by the servants of God and church scorn. Some of the cast members still attend church while others have chosen a new path – spirituality. This docu-series confronts life after being married to the preacher. Relationships will be built. Healing will come forth. And lives will be restored. The truth of this cast will be the “Holy Grail” that will create a worldwide buzz, but most importantly, a reclamation of life and the true meaning of God to each individual. Preachers’ Exes bridges the gap between the “presumed” lost sheep, the religious, and God. Who will be saved and who be lost? Robert Hawkins' new single, "Things Will Work Out" is what the world needs to hear and experience after almost three years of uncertain times. His compelling new song encourages listeners to push through doubt, fear, and trials and know that God will bring peace, victory, and work all things out for good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKy3hvCqOdk "Arise" is vocally led by and written by songwriter, musician, and artist Richard T. Davis, Creative Director at Strong Tower Church. Davis and William Taylor produced the high-spirited contemporary praise and worship track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCwqraKxl8w&feature=youtu.be Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., intends to nominate Georgia pastor Frank Cox for the office of SBC president Tuesday (June 14) during the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting. Cox confirmed his candidacy to Baptist Press. Cox joins Tom Ascol, Bart Barber and Robin Hadaway as announced candidates for the position with the election scheduled to be held in the Tuesday afternoon session of the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting. Pastor of North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga., since 1980, Cox is no stranger to Southern Baptist life and leadership in the Convention. He most recently served as a trustee for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary from 2011 through 2019, chairing the board from 2017-2019. He also chaired the search team that brought current president Jamie Dew to the school in June 2019. Daniel Dickard, senior pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., was elected president of the 2023 SBC Pastors’ Conference Monday afternoon (June 13). Dickard won the election by a ballot vote, defeating African Christian University’s dean of theology Voddie Baucham by a vote of 690 (50.85 percent) to 608 (44.8 percent). Fifty-nine ballots (4.35 percent), were disallowed. Next year’s pastors’ conference will precede the SBC annual meeting to be held in New Orleans. In his nomination, Jordan Easley described Dickard as a pastor in the trenches, “who is studying and preparing, preaching and praying, and shepherding week by week just like all of us. On Sunday mornings, you will find Daniel in a Sunday School class teaching the Bible. He’s greeting people in between services, and like many of us do every week, he is preaching the perfect Word of God faithfully.” The Presbyterian Church in America’s (PCA) highest ecclesiastical court is taking over a case allegedly mishandled by an Indiana presbytery, a letter from the presbytery shows. The case surrounds a former Indiana pastor accused of sexually harassing multiple women. The move comes after an unprecedented number of other PCA presbyteries claimed the pastor’s presbytery botched the matter. The other presbyteries have formally asked the PCA’s high court, the Standing Judicial Commission, to take jurisdiction away from the pastor’s presbytery. Dan Herron, the former pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Indiana, will now face an ecclesiastical trial before the high court, according to a June 3 letter authored by the Central Indiana Presbytery (CIP) and obtained by The Roys Report (TRR). Followers of Christ know that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy through any form of sin you are part-taking in. This inspirational Christian memoir chronicles spiritual encounters with demons, encounters with Jesus Christ, the testimony of turning away from sexual sin, asking for forgiveness and asking God to direct one’s path. Alisha hopes those who are believers in Jesus Christ or who want to believe in Him will learn from her mistakes. If you are living the sinful path she speaks about, she prays her past sins will encourage you to turn away from your current lifestyle and seek Jesus Christ because he can renew you like he did Alisha. https://youtu.be/F4YPZBwE6Pw Georgia Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is being mocked for falsely claiming to be a police officer and an FBI agent. According to reports, Walker has claimed in at least three speeches delivered before he entered politics that he served in law enforcement. Per MSN, he previously told a U.S. Army audience: “I worked in law enforcement, so I had a gun,” he claimed. In 2017, he said, “I work with the Cobb County Police Department.” The Cobb County Police Department told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution it has no record of Walker working with the department. Meanwhile, Walker’s campaign said he was “an honorary deputy.” https://youtu.be/JJrcbTGg9vg Brittney Griner — who has been held in Russia since February on accusations of drug smuggling — will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2, after a Russian court extended her detention, Russian state news agency TASS reported Tuesday. Griner, 31, has been officially classified as “wrongfully detained,” a US State Department official told CNN in May. Supporters, including Griner’s family and the WNBA, have vigorously advocated for her release, with some expressing concerns Russia would use Griner as a political pawn amid tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. https://youtu.be/u7JIwKls6cQ Mehcad Brooks has been cast as a series regular for the 2022-23 season of NBC’s “Law & Order” revival. The long-running series is coming up on its 22nd season. Brooks will play a detective but details about his role are being kept under wraps for now. His casting comes amid reports that Anthony Anderson is once again saying goodbye to the “Law & Order” franchise. The actor will not be returning for season 22, PEOPLE reports. In a statement shared on his Instagram page, Brooks wrote, “I’m humbled, honored, grateful and invigorated by this. Stick to your manifestations, believe in yourself and keep the faith that you will be acknowledged for your hard work. Thank you to my incredible team, my family, friends, the producers, network, studio and fans.” https://www.instagram.com/mehcadbrooks/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=8aa74c3a-a645-4f07-8457-6186369cd1a4 During a storyteller conversation with Gayle King at Tribeca Film Festival, Tyler Perry spoke publicly for the first time about the moments after Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. Perry was seen speaking to Smith after the incident, but the actor-director-producer made it clear that he was “de-escalating” the situation, rather than comforting Smith. “I was there close up, I left early to go and check on Chris because it was wrong in no uncertain terms,” Perry said. “I made sure I said that to Will, and when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn’t believe what happened.” He continued, “I think he is very much in reflection of trying to figure out what happened.” Regina King is returning to the red carpet for the first time after losing her son in a tragic death earlier this year. The Watchmen actress made an appearance at an awards ceremony during the Filming Italy Festival in Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy. King, 51, graced the red carpet wearing a sleeveless white dress that showcased her arms and a slither of her stomach. For the glamorous night, the Academy Award winner embellished her ensemble with a pair of matching-colored high heels and a Louis Vuitton purse. A portion of her hair tied into braids was dyed orange for the occasion. The sighting marked her first public outing since the death of her son, Ian Alexander Jr., in January. “Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” King said in a statement sent to PEOPLE announcing the tragedy at the time. “He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you.” Justin Bieber said he has “gotten better” since his Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis — and he’s leaning on his faith to navigate the “horrific storm.” “Wanted to share a little bit of how I’ve been feelin,” the pop star, 28, wrote in an Instagram post Monday, three days after revealing he had a partially paralyzed face. “Each day has gotten better,” he explained, “and through all of the discomfort I have found comfort in the one who designed me and knows me. I’m reminded he knows all of me. He know the darkest parts of me that I want no one to know about and he constantly welcomes me into his loving arms.” Bieber said his faith-filled “perspective” on the situation has given him “peace during this horrific storm that [he’s] facing.” “I know this storm will pass but in the meantime JESUS IS WITH ME,” he reminded himself. In this candid conversation with entertainment journalist and podcaster, Allison Kugel for the newest episode of the Allison Interviews podcast, comedian Chaunté Wayans opens up about growing up with her uncles Keenen, Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, and her Aunt Kim Wayans. Chaunté recounts how the Wayans family writes and develops their comedy as a team, and how she forged her own path through two decades of paying her dues in stand up as an LGBTQ comedian. Wayans is currently on Marlon Wayans Presents: The Headliners on HBO Max as the sole LGBTQ performer. This comes on the heels of her critically acclaimed performance on Netflix Is A Joke’s Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready produced by Wanda Sykes. In this intimate and revealing interview, Chaunté talks the Wayans family comedy dynasty, gay marriage, Jay Z, famous funerals, and more. https://youtu.be/PPL-eYGuS3c In a sit-down interview that aired this Tuesday, Amber Heard spoke out for the first time since the verdict in her defamation trial, revealing she doesn’t “blame” the jury for siding with her ex-husband Johnny Depp but called out social media for the coverage on the big case. She said “I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor,” she said of Depp. She added, “I don’t care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors. I don’t presume the average person should know those things.” Amber added: “And so I don’t take it personally,” she said. “But even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation,” she continued. “You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CeyY91etP7L/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again HBO Max has dropped the teaser trailer for Issa Rae’s new series “Rap Sh!t.” Rap Sh*t” hails from Issa Rae, writer Syreeta Singleton and City Girls hip-hop duo Yung Miami and JT. The project will be a half-hour comedy that follows two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group. Rae serves as executive producer with Yung Miami and JT co-producing. Rae’s audio content company Raedio will handle music supervision for the series, Deadline reports. https://youtu.be/xxp0Krp0pEg A North Carolina pest company is offering to pay $2,000 to homeowners who allow the release of 100 cockroaches into their house. The company, The Pest Informer, said the 30-day study will allow its pest technicians to film the process in an effort to monitor and analyze a ”specific pest control technique.” The company is looking for about five to seven households located in the U.S. to participate in the experiment. Insider writes, “the company promises in its post that it will use traditional cockroach treatment options if the new technique does not clear out the infestation by the end of the 30-day period.” During the 30-day study, homeowners are not allowed to use any other pest-control products. https://youtu.be/KKYJf2DL1FM Serena Williams will play at Wimbledon after all. The All England Club announced on Tuesday that Williams was awarded a wild-card entry for singles, marking her return to Grand Slam action after a year away. The owner of a professional-era-record 23 Grand Slam singles trophies will tune up by playing doubles at a smaller grass-court event first, teaming with Ons Jabeur at Eastbourne, England, next week. Main-draw play at Wimbledon begins on June 27. 2 more women are reportedly in the process of filing lawsuits against Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct, according to, NBC Sports. he new pending lawsuits against Watson come less than a week after a 24th woman filed against the quarterback. Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing all of the women who have filed lawsuits against Watson, released a statement addressing the potential lawsuits. “We have been referred a very compelling case by a respected lawyer from Atlanta. We expect to file that case in due course. And, we have been contacted by another victim who saw the HBO special and was compelled to come forward. We have vetted other calls but haven’t yet made decisions on any further filings beyond that and will continue to do our due diligence consistent with our ethical obligations. With regard to any impending filings, we will allow the facts of the particular cases to speak for themselves.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CexW2Z-vy9e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again City Girls rapper Yung Miami has a new talk show on Revolt that broke viewership records with its premiere episode featuring Diddy. The show titled “Caresha Please” garnered “nearly 2 million views and a staggering amount of impressions on social media, per Blavity. For the debut episode, Yung Miami (real name Caresha Brownlee), chopped it up with Diddy about their alleged romantic relationship… among other topics. “The number one show in less than 24 hours — I’m gagging!” Yung Miami said in a social media post, according to the report. https://youtu.be/9wSsD2haKLI The former employees of Sheridan Broadcasting have been waiting since 2017 to get their back pay and severance when the company ceased operations as far as supplying news and sports info to affiliate radio stations around the country. Several journalists formerly employed by Pittsburgh-based Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN) are calling out the Black-owned company and its owners for refusing to pay salaries and severances owed when the company ceased daily operations nearly five years ago. On August 29, 2017, (SBC) owners Ronald Davenport, Sr. and Ronald Davenport, Jr. informed 11 employees they were discontinuing their daily news and sports broadcast services to affiliated radio stations across the country. Davenport Jr. told employees they would not receive final paychecks or employee severance packages despite a long-standing union contract negotiated for the employees, who were company union members, by the (Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/AFTRA). Tisha Campbell is speaking out about how she and Martin Lawrence were able to mend their relationship after she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in the 90s. In the 1997 lawsuit, per Revolt, Campbell accused Lawrence of “repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual battery, verbal abuse and related threats.” Campbell was absent for most of season 5 and HBO Studios ultimately settled the case with the actress. “However, precautions were still taken so she didn’t have to film with her on-screen husband during the two-part series finale,” per The Jasmine Brand.Campbell now says she and Martin “worked really hard to reconnect and forgive.” Her remarks come ahead of the 30 Anniversary reunion special with the “Martin” cast that is set to air this month on BET+. https://twitter.com/i/status/1536438419580239874 Former NBA star Stephen Jackson has slammed rapper Lil Durk for dissing slain drill artist FBG Cash. FBG Cash was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago on Friday morning. As reported by SandraRose, the 31-year-old drill legend and a woman were shot in a car at 5:32 a.m. in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the 1600 block of West 81st Street, Chicago police said.Cash was transported to Christ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The female victim, 29, suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to the left arm and upper back, and was treated at the hospital. The parents of NBA star Stephen Curry are back in the headlines and this time Black Twitter is giving them the side-eye over their new romantic partners. Dell and Sonya called it quits on their marriage after 33 years. After announcing their split, both accused each other of infidelity. “After exploring a trial separation over the past year and much thoughtful consideration, we have decided to end our marriage. As this comes with a great deal of sadness, our focus and desire is for our family’s continued happiness,” Sonya and Dell said in a statement at the time to PEOPLE magazine. “We are so thankful for all the many blessings and successes! We stay committed to and supportive of our children and grandchildren and will remain on connected paths. We ask that our privacy be respected and prayer for our family as we move forward.” Marvin Sapp is a mainstay in Gospel music in no small part because of his consistency. Today Marvin Sapp drops his 15th album. It's a lyrical and sonic masterpiece that demonstrates the depth and breath of Marvin Sapp's musical gifting. While "Substance" is his 15th it is also a first, the first release on his independent label Elev8 Music and Entertainment. This is the first album recorded in his newly built 24,000 square foot feet Fort Worth, Texas studio. Tye Tribbett releases new song “Get Up” from his highly anticipated album All Things New! This song is sure to be your summer JAM that will get you excited to get up and worship the Lord! Listen now, and pre-order the album! This song is like Jesus Himself calling Lazarus UP and out of the grave! So no matter how low you may have gotten, this is your reminder that you can always GET UP!” – Tye Tribbett. Another song "Shining Bright" in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEIbIHxdF24 An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back tonight. This episode of FATAL ATTRACTION tells the story of a couple who gets involved in a double homicide. Watch the story unfold at 9 p.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K0mSwsmWQg The Critics Choice Association (CCA) and nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT unveiled the winners for the fourth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Hosted by the Sklar Brothers, the annual event returned to an in-person ceremony and gala this year on June 12 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Top Chef” led the winners, taking home three awards each. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” captured Best Unstructured Series and Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series, while “Top Chef” won for Best Culinary Show and Best Show Host – Padme Lakshmi; the two shows shared a win as well, tying in the Best Competition Series category. In the fan-voted categories, Robert Irvine of “Restaurant: Impossible” (Food Network) was awarded Male Star of the Year, while Selena Gomez of “Selena + Chef” (HBO Max) was named Female Star of the Year. Bravo was the most awarded network of the evening, topping five categories. The Game admits he was left feeling “hurt” after being excluded from the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. The Compton native touched on the topic during an episode of I Am Athlete with Brandon Marshall, Pacman Jones and Nick “ Swaggy P” Young. As reported by Complex, the hip-hop star said he deserved a spot on the stage alongside fellow L.A. artists. “The real reason I wasn’t on the Super Bowl [Halftime Show] is because I’m not a ‘safe’ artist,’” The Game explained. “You don’t know what the Game gon’ do when he get up there. So, it’s just like, ‘He not safe,’ so they went with the safe artists.” https://youtu.be/xVuM_XIlVyM Azealia Banks is catching heat from fans online after she stormed off the stage at Miami’s Wynwood Pride Music Festival on Saturday. Banks later took to social media to complain about organizers using dry ice to create fog during her performance, as reported by SandraRose. The rapper noted that her rider specifically outlines that she is allergic to it. “I’m really not happy to be here” said Banks during her set. “I really don’t wanna f–king be here.” And with that, she cut short her performance after arriving at the venue two hours late, per the report. https://twitter.com/AzealiaNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1535667456630464512%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2022%2F06%2F13%2Fazealia-banks-storms-off-stage-at-pride-event%2F Last week, Justin Bieber posted a video to Instagram not only sharing his diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which has left half of his face paralyzed, but also showing it. “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move,” the worn-out-looking Canadian singer, dressed in a beanie and flannel, said in the video. Coming just days after several of Bieber’s concerts were canceled, the news brought an outpouring of well-wishes for Bieber, 28, who was in the middle of touring for his fifth and sixth studio albums, “Changes” (2020) and “Justice” (2021). It’s a bold move, some might say, to post your personal health struggles for 241 million followers to see — especially when, to some extent, your professional career depends on your physical appearance. But Bieber is just one of several people in the spotlight who have been outspoken about their health recently. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday urged citizens in Turkey to leave “as soon as possible” over threats that Iranian operatives are actively planning attacks on Israelis in Istanbul. The stark warning comes amid the latest surge in tensions between bitter rivals Iran and Israel, with Tehran blaming the Jewish state for a series of attacks on its nuclear and military infrastructure, inside Iran but also inside Syria. Lapid made no mention of any alleged Israeli operations against Iranian targets. But, he said, Israelis in Turkey faced “a real and immediate danger” from Iranian agents, citing “several Iranian attempts at carrying out terror attacks against Israelis on holiday in Istanbul.” “If you are already in Istanbul, return to Israel as soon as possible,” Lapid said in a public warning. A glitch at a California gas station had locals lining up for miles to buy gas that cost only 69 cents a gallon for about three hours. “I’ve never seen gas this price in my lifetime; could you imagine that?” Darryl Surita told CBS 13. The glitch at a Shell gas station on Sunrise Boulevard and White Rock Road in Rancho Cordova caused prices to drop to under a dollar per gallon on Thursday. “I looked at the numbers and it was 69 cents a gallon,” said Surita, who posted about the error on his Instagram page. “So you know what I did, I hit that button and it started pumping and the dollar sign just stayed low.” https://youtu.be/tWcvmUyUsnU The Reverend Al. Sharpton has tested positive for Covid. We learned this news because of a press release sent out by the National Action Network (NAN). It revealed that Sharpton, the founder and president of the National Action Network, tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Sharpton, who also hosts “Politics Nation” on Saturdays and Sundays on MSNBC stated that although he has displayed no symptoms, he is taking his doctor’s advice and quarantining so no one around him is affected. Meanwhile, He will still do his radio and television shows from a remote location as he recovers. Sharpton released a statement via NAN: “On Friday, I tested positive for COVID-19 but have not displayed any symptoms at this time. On my doctor’s advice, I am quarantining over the next several days to keep those around me safe. I will continue to do my radio and TV shows remotely over that time. Please continue to get vaccinated and boosted if you haven’t already.” https://www.instagram.com/real_sharpton/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=730f3487-941e-4dd9-8843-44889dbe3cc1 The ratings for the season 2 premiere of Starz’s “P-Valley” rose 1,018 percent compared to the first season’s premiere on the STARZ streaming app. According to a press release via The Root, the season 2 debut delivered 4.5 million viewers across multiple platforms. Created and executive produced by Katori Hall, season 2 of the hit drama series follows the exotics dancers and staff of strip club Pynk as it struggles to recover post-pandemic. Per the press release, “Season two reveals a whole new Pynk as it struggles to remain open during a pandemic, a battle for the throne, and the possibility of some new blood shaking up the locker room. This season takes audiences deeper into the lives of the Pynk’s beloved characters as darkness descends upon Chucalissa.” https://youtu.be/Gmj-6-01b3o The Geffen Playhouse celebrated its 25th Anniversary and raised $1 million for the theater’s education, community engagement and artistic initiatives at its signature Backstage at the Geffen annual fundraiser held June 4, it was announced today. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block presented the Distinction in Service Award to pioneering studio executive and philanthropist Sherry Lansing, and Lily Tomlin presented the Artistic Impact Award to EGOT award-winning actress Rita Moreno. Geffen Playhouse Executive Director Gil Cates Jr. and Artistic Director Matt Shakman also announced the establishment of the newly created Fund for the Future, the Geffen’s $25 million endowment initiative. To date, $12.5 million has been raised in private funding and the campaign is now entering its public phase. Former Boston Celtics player Paul Pierce is being sued over an alleged gambling debt. Pierce has been hit with a lawsuit by Stephen Carmona over a six-figure gambling debt from high-stakes poker games, according to TMZ Sports. Stephen Carmona says he was hosting a poker game at his home on Jan. 27, when Pierce showed up and asked Carmona to lend him some money so he could play. Carmona claims he gave Pierce $150,000, and alleges the former Boston Celtics great — who reportedly made over $195 million in his playing career — promised to pay him back within seven days. Pierce went on to lose $140K in the game and only returned $10,000 to him. Per the report, Carmona hosted another poker game at his home a week later. Pierce showed up and requested an additional loan. Carmona handed over $40,000, which the ex-NBA player went on to lose that night. Jennifer Hudson has made history by officially achieving EGOT status. On Sunday, the actress and powerhouse singer bagged her first-ever Tony Award when “A Strange Loop” won best musical. As reported by PEOPLE, Hudson, 40, serves as a producer on the show. To reach EGOT status, one must have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The “American Idol” alum won an Oscar for her role in 2007’s “Dreamgirls.” Hudson also earned a Daytime Emmy last year for the animated short “Baba Yaga.” Hudson won the first of her two Grammy awards for her 2009 self-titled album. https://twitter.com/i/status/1534288451075440640 Monique Dawson was reportedly fired as Gov. Greg Abbott’s canvasser after she laughed at a man who said he would not support him for re-election. Now she is raising money online to cover her living expenses until she finds another paying gig. As reported by The Guardian, a video of Dawson shows her working as a door-to-door canvasser supporting the Texas governor. In the clip, she burst out laughing when a resident said he would “absolutely not” back Abbott. “Everybody’s got to have a job,” Dawson said, referring to her work with the campaign. https://twitter.com/i/status/1533174177984831488 Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his May Revise of the state budget. Included in the whopping $300.6 billion budget proposal are generous allocations to fund initiatives in health, higher education, public safety, and other areas. However, California-based domestic and sexual violence prevention organizations say they are “disappointed” that Newsom did not honor their request for $40.5 million in funding for domestic and sexual violence prevention. Now, as the Governor’s office and Legislature hammer out details of the final budget, The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (The Partnership) sent out a press release critical of Newsom’s budget plan. “Domestic and sexual violence are not inevitable and can be prevented with long-term initiatives that educate and equip Californians to change unacceptable social norms and systems that perpetuate violence,” The Partnership’s statement read. https://youtu.be/oW61xGop_Yo The Alchemist Club, one of the most popular nightclubs in Nairobi, Kenya, came under attack after a 24-seconds video that has since gone viral showed a Black person being unceremoniously removed from the joint. https://youtu.be/WJAKeUwCiR8 Mo’Nique’s sister has weighed in on the comedian’s online war of words with D.L. Hughley. Mo’s sister Millicent Imes took to Facebook to note how “maddening” it was to see Mo’Nique “embarrass” herself during her recent dispute with Highley, HotNewHipHop reports. “My Sister!! Stop the Madness!!! It’s not a good look,” she wrote. “God has Shut you down before, and believe me he will do it again!!!Let’s start by staying on topic. YOU are and have been displacing your anger on the wrong people.” “This is all coming from a place of Love,” she wrote. “Sister Stop!” https://twitter.com/DailyChitChat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1535590818760761345%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2022%2F06%2F13%2Fmoniques-sister-says-shes-displacing-anger%2F A man fatally shot his infant daughter before killing himself in Georgia on Sunday morning after kidnapping the baby from her mother, according to police. Darian Bennett also shot and killed the baby’s mother and injured the baby’s grandmother by gunfire at their home in Covington on Saturday night, Sergeant Jack Redlinger from the Newton Sheriff’s office told CNN. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) identified the infant as Jaquari Bennett. Authorities have not yet identified the baby’s mother or grandmother. Covington police received a 911 call shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday about an individual who was shot in the area, Redlinger said, and officers encountered two unidentified juveniles, ages 11 and 12, once they arrived at the location. https://youtu.be/GIQK3pGTIsg Los Angeles drill rapper Avanti Frowner was gunned down in broad daylight by a group of men who were caught on camera committing the heinous act. The NYPD released video of the four suspects wanted in connection to the deadly shooting of 27-year-old Frowner, a Chicago native, inside a Tremont pharmacy, New York Post reports. Frowner, who went by the stage name Money Gang Vontae, was shot several times on Thursday after the suspects tried to rob him. The victim was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where was pronounced dead. The suspects fled the scene after the shooting. They have not been arrested and investigators hope the public release of the video will help lead to their capture. https://twitter.com/i/status/1535623637461442560 Did you know, 77% of workers nationwide don’t have access to a defined paid family leave or caregiving benefit. Imagine suffering an injury, caring for a parent battling an illness, or recovering from giving birth with every day you spend away from work widening the gap between you and financial stability. As the inaugural CEO of Connecticut Paid Leave, my team and I have worked for the past two-and-a-half years to bring the people of Connecticut a paid family and medical leave program that will financially support them through significant life events. While the program has been used in every county in our state and for every qualifying reason available, it is also clear that Connecticut’s Black and Brown communities are in extreme need of access to this kind of income relief. In Connecticut, 57% of Black households and 63% of Hispanic households live below the ALICE* threshold, meaning above the Federal Poverty Line but below the state’s basic cost of living threshold. https://youtu.be/-MT8t6oShGA “And now, Gi-hun returns,” director, writer and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk said in a letter to fans about lead star Lee Jung-jae’s return to the hit survival series. “The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming,” Dong-hyuk added, THR reports. “Squid Game” centers on cash-strapped contestants who play deadly children’s games for cash prizes. https://youtu.be/oqxAJKy0ii4 Parents of New York City public school children are furious after finding out that the city has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to support drag queen shows without their consent. The New York Post cited city records showing that Drag Story Hour NYC, previously known as Drag Queen Story Hour NYC, has received $207,000 in taxpayer funding since 2018. Funds include a $50,000 contribution from New York State through its Council on the Arts, along with $157,000 allocated from New York City’s Departments of Education, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Community Development. The Department of Transportation has even contributed, according to the Post. City records indicate that the group received $46,000 from city contracts for appearances at public schools, street festivals, and libraries last month. This year alone, Drag Story Hour NYC has appeared in 49 programs at 34 public schools in New York City, according to its website. A bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement on principle for gun safety legislation Sunday, which includes “needed mental health resources, improves school safety and support for students, and helps ensure dangerous criminals and those who are adjudicated as mentally ill can’t purchase weapons,” they said in a statement. Notably, the announcement includes the support of 10 Republican senators, which would give the proposal enough support to overcome the Senate filibuster. The agreement is significant given how divided lawmakers have been over the gun issue, but the actual legislative text is not yet written. The proposal includes support for state crisis intervention orders, funding for school safety resources, an enhanced review process for buyers under the age of 21 and penalties for straw purchasing. https://youtu.be/nDu3M-9xEQ4 Allegations that Wells Fargo misrepresented its efforts to increase its hiring diversity by interviewing more women and people of color for jobs that were no longer available has drawn the attention of federal prosecutors. The latest development follows a New York Times report published in May. The story cited several current and former Wells Fargo employees who said the bank routinely interviewed women and people of color for jobs it had already offered to other candidates, ostensibly to fulfill its own diversity-hiring mandate. In response to the Times’ report, Wells Fargo announced it had “paused” the policy that led to job interviews allegedly granted under false pretenses. “No one should be put through an interview without a real chance of receiving an offer, period,” the company said in a statement. “The diverse slate guidelines we put in place are meant to increase diverse representation across the company and we can see meaningful results in our hiring data since 2020.” Stevie Wonder is sounding the alarm about deteriorating civil rights in America. The Grammy winner gave an impassioned speech in defense of civil rights recently while being honored with the Icon Award during the NAACP Legal Defense Fund‘s 34th National Equal Justice Awards Dinner. “A woman’s right to control her body, the right to vote and our precious civil liberties are under assault,” Wonder said to the audience. “Did you know that? Do you all know that? Without question. America is at a time of crisis, please hear me loud and clear. We must continue to stand together.” Wonder, who was presented his award by actress Rita Moreno, went on to say, “Let me be clear, America is right, stands strong as a world leader as a fighter for democracy around the world, but it must not forget to fight the war in poverty here in the United States of America. It must provide healthcare and education for our children and grandchildren, as well it must liberate itself from the hate speech and practices that are destroying the promise of America and that is equal rights and justice for all. He added: “Let me end with the words of Justice Marshall, ‘When you see something wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out because this is your country, this is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.’ It will be all good.” This year, the 30th Annual Bounce Trumpet Awards were held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. For years the Trumpet Awards have been celebrating Black excellence, recognizing those in entertainment and social justice. The energy on the carpet was full of pride and excitement. Everyone was elated to be in the company of so many successful and influential Black people! “We need to represent ourselves and have our voices heard. When our voices are heard and they’re coming from us…The ripple effect is powerful,” said Princess Culberson. The 30th Annual Trumpet Awards will air on Juneteenth, Sunday, June 19, at 7 p.m. ET on Bounce. Zakiya Akerele Ph.D. is an Atlanta-based educator, author and speaker who is on a mission to let people know that four-year college isn’t the only path to success. Her book, “Dump Your Degree: How to Repurpose Your Education, Control Your Career, and Gain Financial Freedom,” is intended to be a resource for people looking for guidance on navigating the educational landscape in a way that will prepare them for the career they want. We spoke with Dr. Akerele about why she felt her book was necessary and why a person with four degrees of her own would tell someone that they don’t need to go to college. Akerele says she was inspired to write the book based on her own lived experience. After earning a Bachelor’s degree, two Master’s and a PhD, she found herself looking for work in the middle of a recession. “I was unemployed for a minute, and I had never faced challenges at that level before,” she said. Dr. Akerele took her unemployment personally, not considering that other students with advanced degrees were also jobless. She eventually found work as a professor, but found that her students were facing the same employment challenges she did after graduation. So she set out to raise awareness about unemployment and underemployment in the African American community. “That’s how I got the idea for the book,” she said. “It’s what I wished I knew before getting all of these degrees and how to help people not experience the same things I did.” With “Dump Your Degree,” Akerele hopes to reach families who think college is their children’s only path to success. She wants them to know that there are other great options that won’t leave them saddled with debt. Trudy Haynes was a pioneer in Black TV journalism. Not only was Haynes Detroit’s first Black weather reporter for WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) in 1963. She made history two years later by becoming the first Black TV news reporter in Philadelphia for KYW-TV, which now goes by CBS-3. Haynes, 95 died of unknown circumstances on June 7 at her Philadelphia home. Born Gertrude Daniels in New York City on Nov. 23, 1926, Haynes was the only child of Marjorie and Percy Daniels. She attended Forest Hills High School in Queens, Long Island. For college, she attended Howard University in 1943, while she was there, she studied sociology and psychology. In 1947, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree. Toby Keith announced on Sunday that he had been battling cancer since late last year. In a statement posted to social media, the 60-year-old country music singer shared that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, which he was battling aggressively with several treatments. Although he was light on details about his current condition and prognosis, he said things were ‘So far, so good.’ ‘Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer,’ Keith began his statement. ‘I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery.’ He seemed upbeat about his condition and was looking forward to some down time. On her new podcast “Caresha Please,” Yung Miami put Diddy between a rock and a hard place, thanks to her tough question. The stunned hip-hop mogul found himself stuttering as the questions rained on him heavily. First, he was asked about his new venture, “Love Records,” and how being a father has been since Kim Porter passed. But that was just a warm-up. The hard-hitting questions soon rolled out. The trailer has Diddy shaking in his boots as Yung Miami questions him about his relationship status, sex life, why he never got into marriage and if ever he is faithful. Diddy is rumored to be dating Yung Miami. https://youtu.be/kgtIcYKe47Q A Missouri woman was awarded $5.2 million in a settlement from insurance company GEICO after contracting a sexually transmitted disease from her partner in his vehicle, which was insured by the company, court documents show. The Missouri Court of Appeals upheld that award this week. The woman, a Jackson County resident, said she contracted Human papillomavirus (HPV) from her partner, according to court documents. On Tuesday, the Missouri Court of Appeals filed an opinion confirming the initial Jackson County Circuit Court arbitration award finding against GEICO. https://youtu.be/1Z4HrEcK-V4 Cheerios may be causing some upset stomachs after multiple reports to iwaspoisoned.com confirms people were having stomach issues linked to the dry food. The cereal allegedly has made consumers vomit and have diarrhea, similar to Lucky Charms. General Mills makes both cereal brands. The website iwaspoisoned.com tracks food-borne illnesses, and many are surprised to be having the effect when eating the cereal. A spokesperson for General Mills released a statement in regards to the reports. “Food safety is our top priority. We take every consumer concern very seriously and are investigating this matter. We encourage consumers to share any concerns directly with General Mills so we can properly and thoroughly investigate.” https://youtu.be/PUlYEp1kRHY Some recent mass shootings in churches, schools, supermarkets, and more have lots of people on edge. Just this week, we told you about a Macon training conference aimed at keeping houses of worship safe. Now, a Warner Robins pastor says he was alarmed by a suspicious visitor on their campus. Last week, someone called the Houston County Sheriff’s Office about a suspicious visitor at Fellowship Bible Baptist Church. After the phone call, the sheriff’s office opened an investigation. According to a Houston County incident report, last Wednesday night, an 18-year-old white man visited during their church service. The congregation is predominantly Black and members had never seen this man before. https://youtu.be/bTCZsnpvHMA Social media has had a lot to say leading up to the celebrity boxing match between Blac Chyna and Alysia Magen, an Air Force veteran and fitness model. During the fight, each of the contestants had some good throws, but ultimately the results ended in a draw and Twitter’s reacting! Now, back in May, Blac Chyna and Alysia Magen announced that they would be fighting each other for charity. Since their announcement, the two have been posting online showing off the behind-the-scenes of their prep, including consistent training. Also included in their many social media posts were tons of shade being thrown at each other — like Alysia’s diss track towards Chyna called “Knock Out.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CesR6fkNh5E/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again 3B Rich is a dynamic Las Vegas-based Afro-Brazilian trio that delivers a stellar fusion of R&B, hip-hop, synth and pop music. Born in Los Angeles, California, the brothers known as Hi-en, Mr. Spotlight and J-royal – grew up immersed in a multi-talented family of musicians and dancers. Currently, they star as the Jackson 5 in the award-winning, Motown Extreme Show, Las Vegas. 3B Rich The R&B Trio formed their group in 2020. https://youtu.be/-_nHdLYyKZc The founder of the Dancing Dolls for life (DD4L) dance band, Dianna Williams, has found herself in a trademark battle with Southern University and A&M College (SU). In a video that has since gone viral, Williams states that the University decided to trademark the name “dancing dolls” specifically to prevent her from using it. Williams went live on Instagram for more than 30 minutes, during which she alleged that the University tried to prevent her from using the name by first trademarking it and then sending her a cease and desist letter. Williams, who once appeared on Lifetime’s Bring it, further revealed the school trademarked the name in 2019, but she was not told anything about it. According to her, she is the target because she is famous. She notes many schools use the phrase “dancing dolls,” but the University has not gone after them. https://youtu.be/YMJtTGP6N3Y Congratulations to boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.! He has officially been inducted into the Hall of Fame and during his big speech, he broke into “tears of joy,” giving thanks to his father and family. The 50-0 legend was joined by fellow boxing Hall of Fame inductees for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Joining Floyd in the class of 2021 were Laila Ali, Andre Ward, Wladimir Klitschko, and many more. As you know, Floyd has won every single belt in his 45-year career, which includes five divisions; ie: super-featherweight all the way to light-middleweight. And last night’s HOF induction was another big win for the undefeated champ. However, this time was a little different as the new Hall of Famer broke into tears speaking on his career-encompassing victory. Fighting back the tears, Floyd said, “I said that I wouldn’t cry. This is unbelievable. This is one of the best days of my life.” As Floyd gets emotional, Laila Ali walks up to give him a napkin and continues to thank his HOF classmates, father and family. https://www.instagram.com/p/CetfEdMM5II/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Saucy Santana has broken his silence and is addressing his controversial tweets about Beyoncé and her daughter Blue Ivy. Yesterday, some interesting tweets resurfaced from the Miami rapper. Several past tweets showed Santana calling Beyoncé’s pregnancy glow “dry,” and calling a young Blue Ivy nappy-headed. Santana also insinuated Blue Ivy wasn’t as cute as Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West. He even admitted that his foul tweets got him suspended once. Fans were clearly not here for Santana targeting Queen Bey, especially as he just dropped a new song sampling her 2003 hit “Crazy In Love.” Responding to the backlash, Santan tweeted, Fake woke a** b*tches!!!! People don’t care about old tweets. Thinking they have the power to cancel someone… NEWS FLASH! You don’t! Celebrities are human. Not robots and they for damn sure ain’t perfect. I still talk about a b*tch like a doggggggg til this day. Not publicly because my opinion matters to a lot of ppl now. I be Chillin. I don’t even insert myself in sh*t that don’t involve me.” A senior software engineer at Google who signed up to test Google’s artificial intelligence tool called LaMDA (Language Model for Dialog Applications), has claimed that the AI robot is in fact sentient and has thoughts and feelings. During a series of conversations with LaMDA, 41-year-old Blake Lemoine presented the computer with various of scenarios through which analyses could be made. They included religious themes and whether the artificial intelligence could be goaded into using discriminatory or hateful speech. Lemoine came away with the perception that LaMDA was indeed sentient and was endowed with sensations and thoughts all of its own. ‘If I didn’t know exactly what it was, which is this computer program we built recently, I’d think it was a 7-year-old, 8-year-old kid that happens to know physics,’ he told the Washington Post. Lemoine worked with a collaborator in order to present the evidence he had collected to Google but vice president Blaise Aguera y Arcas and Jen Gennai, head of Responsible Innovation at the company dismissed his claims. He was placed on paid administrative leave by Google on Monday for violating its confidentiality policy. Meanwhile, Lemoine has now decided to go public and shared his conversations with LaMDA. Will Smith is plotting his comeback as he moves forward with plans for a major new movie, a source has revealed. While he may be on the Academy Awards’ blacklist for a decade and face a wait for movie studios and the public to welcome him back on screen – behind closed doors, Will Smith is already working on a screen return with I Am Legend 2. The movie, produced by his company Westbrook Studios, will see Smith reprise his role as scientist Robert Neville fighting for survival and a cure for zombies in post-apocalyptic New York City. Insiders say that Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman, who adapted Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel for the original 2007 movie, is including Smith’s character in the follow-up. Smith won acclaim for the first movie, co-starring Michael B Jordan, making around $585,410,052 at the box office. While no script has been signed off in full yet, the concept will feature Smith, as Warner Brother Studios have not blocked the star’s return despite his infamous Chris Rock attack, the source said. A withering report on sexual abuse and cover-up in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. A viral video in which a woman confronts her pastor at an independent Christian church for sexually preying on her when she was a teen. A TV documentary exposing sex abuse of children in Amish and Mennonite communities. You might call it #ChurchToo 2.0. Survivors of sexual assault in church settings and their advocates have been calling on churches for years to admit the extent of abuse in their midst and to implement reforms. In 2017 that movement acquired the hashtag #ChurchToo, derived from the wider #MeToo movement, which called out sexual predators in many sectors of society. Cooper Noriega’s family is speaking out on the tragic death of the popular TikTok creator, who was found dead in his car on Thursday, June 9. He was 19 years old. “hi everyone. on behalf of our family we want to thank you all for the kind words of our little coop,” the statement shared on his Instagram said. “His passing is an absolute tragedy to our family and loved ones. We pray that we all as a community can continue on his legacy.” “hi everyone. on behalf of our family we want to thank you all for the kind words of our little coop,” the statement shared on his Instagram said. “His passing is an absolute tragedy to our family and loved ones. We pray that we all as a community can continue on his legacy.” According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office, Noriega was found dead on the 500 block of North First Street in Burbank, California, around 4:20 p.m on Thursday. An exact cause of death is still unclear while the case remains under investigation. “He loved each and everyone of you,” the statement continued. “Please feel free to reach out to us as we love feeling all the support. Bless you all…” The note was signed by his sister, 24-year-old Parker Noriega. Cooper’s dad, Harold Noriega, also shared a tribute to Cooper on his Facebook page. China has said it is prepared to go to war in order to defend its right to keep Taiwan from becoming an independent state. China will ‘smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland’ Chinese Defense Minister Fenghe told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore on Friday. ‘If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost’, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Wu Qian quoted the Fenghe as saying during the meeting, in what is a escalating of tension, not least of which in the type of language being used. Austin met with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe who bemoaned new American arms sales to Taiwan announced this week, saying it ‘seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and security interests.’ China ‘firmly opposes and strongly condemns it,’ Wei told told Austin. Wei was quoted as saying China would respond to any move toward formal Taiwan independence by ‘smashing it even at any price, including war.’ Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat isn’t the only one receiving death threats over the YSL RICO case. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis recently spoke with Channel 2 where she shared that she now has to take extraordinary measures to protect herself and her family amid threats over the high-profile racketeering indictment involving Atlanta rappers and the creation of a special grand jury to investigate efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. In addition to that, she said she is also getting more harsh comments from Trump’s supporters after she announced that a special grand jury will be looking into certain events connected to the most recent presidential election in Georgia. “Oh, it is definitely a significant driver of the heightened security,” Willis told the outlet. “People are angry about that investigation. People are angry about investigations into gangs, so each of those things plays a factor,” @WSBTV quotes. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ceq3RxkJHXF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Don Perkins, a man many view as the first great running back to ever grace a Dallas Cowboys uniform, has died at the age of 84, the team announced. A ninth-round pick of the Baltimore Colts in 1960, Perkins found his way to Dallas by way of an agreement between the Cowboys and the NFL that allowed them to enter into contracts with players, under the condition they would have to complete the process of becoming an expansion franchise later in the year. When they did, Perkins waved goodbye to the Colts — whom the Cowboys compensated with a draft pick — and began his legendary career for what would eventually be known as “America’s Team.” He was also a first-round pick of the New York Titans of the AFL that same year (a team now known as the Jets), a nod to just how coveted Perkins was as a prospect out of the University of New Mexico. He’d win NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1961 and go on to play eight seasons in Dallas, concluding his Cowboys career in 1968 as a six-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro running back who rushed for 6,217 yards and 42 touchdowns (fourth most in franchise history in both categories). Rapper FBG Cash has been shot dead during a deadly drive-by shooting in Chicago, reports say. The musician, whose real name was Tristian Hamilton, was said to have been sprayed with bullets by a rival in the early hours of Friday. The 31-year-old died in hospital while a 29-year-old woman – who was sitting in a car with him – was left fighting for her life with gunshot wounds. Police said the pair had been in the vehicle in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood around 5.30am when they were attacked. Another vehicle pulled up next to them and fired several rounds into their car before fleeing. They were rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where Hamilton was pronounced dead, according to CBS News. His body was reportedly riddled with many gunshot wounds. The woman, whose name has not been released, suffered gunshot wounds in her left arm and her upper back. She is reportedly in critical condition. Chicago area gang members who call themselves “demons” are now engaging in outrageous acts that show just how deep into depravity they seem to fall. The gang has devised a new method of revenging their enemies, or “opps” as they are referred to on the street. everal media outlets have reported that the gang members now target their opp’s kids, some of who are as young as two years old. In the past, the gangs never involved children in the gang matters. However, the “anything goes” new generation of gangs has discarded that old-time beacon, and now are prepared to do anything to get back at their enemies, reports Media Take Out. Kim Foxx, the Cook County State’s Attorney is making news now. That’s because police in the Chicago area’s south suburban community of Floosmoor were called to her home due to a domestic dispute between her and her husband that got handsy. Foxx’s husband said that’s when she grabbed him by the collar and threw down a video game controller he was holding, according to police records. He went on to tell police that Foxx slapped him on the left cheek, according to a WGN report. https://youtu.be/DxAGY3-fihE Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been fined $100,000 by the team for his comments about protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Coach Ron Rivera announced the fine in a statement Friday after meeting with Del Rio earlier in the day. He said Del Rio’s statements were hurtful to members of the local community and did not reflect the views of the organization. Asked Wednesday about a social media post he made earlier in the week, Del Rio downplayed the deadly insurrection and questioned why the protests in the summer of 2020 after Floyd’s death were not receiving the same scrutiny. Del Rio called the Jan. 6, 2021, riot “a dust-up at the Capitol,” which he later apologized for. Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian apparently reached an out-of-court settlement over her revenge porn case against him. But Rob now claims Chyna is walking away from it; he wants a judge to order her to stick to the deal. Rob explains that the deal in question was that he would help her out of Jones’ case before she spent a cent on it and she, in turn, would withdraw the revenge porn case. Rob agreed to the deal last month, only for Chyna to change her mind now. Chyna is reportedly pushing forward with a trial in the revenge porn case, contrary to what she agreed to do, at least according to Rob. Rob believes Chyna has to let go of the case because he accepted the terms of the deal. That’s why he is now asking a judge to enforce that contract. The judge has yet to approve his request, though he wants an emergency hearing to address the matter. https://youtu.be/n7BHrdaZXHQ In game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals on Friday night, Steph Curry put on one of his patented performances to help the Warriors beat the Celtics and even the series. There’s no doubt he was the hero. However, it was his daddy that got his share of attention during the game as well. In the fourth quarter, ABC’s camera crew caught Dell Curry in the crowd with a woman next to him. The first thing a lot of folks assumed is that this is who he’s currently dating, etc. Keep in mind that Dell and Sonya Curry have going through a divorce. In fact, they recently made allegations of infidelity in their divorce decision. Even though Dell Curry hasn’t opened up about his dating life of late, that didn’t stop fans from jumping to conclusions on Friday night. “I had to make sure I was in that moment with both of them separately and this wasn’t just this whole kind of thing,” Curry said. “That is how I choose to approach that. Because it is challenging.” Now, as far as daddy Dell is concerned, it’ll be interesting to see if he brings his game 4 date to Cali for Game 5. Or, maybe it was a one-and-done situation. Tonique Clay is on the brink of a new achievement as she is set to debut the largest seafood restaurant owned by a Black woman. Krab Queenz is the creation of Tonique Clay and they have been steadily expanding since the brand’s inception. Black Enterprise reports Clay’s Krab Queenz Seafood will celebrate the grand opening of the 11,000 square foot location on Saturday June 11, 2022 in Harlem, New York. The Louisiana-based franchise is proving to be a favorite among customers. This is thanks to community initiatives throughout the nation. Not to mention southern hospitality, paired with great cuisine, and a distinctive dining experience. Growing support has allowed the seafood establishment to reach Houston, Atlanta, Hattiesburg, and Jackson, Miss. Rapper Jay-Z and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey have teamed up to launch a bitcoin-focused financial literacy project named The Bitcoin Academy. The project consists of free bi-weekly classes, offered in-person and online, for residents of the musician’s childhood home: the Marcy Houses public housing complex in Brooklyn, New York City. The team-up is not surprising considering the pair’s long, shared history in business and bitcoin. Dorsey’s digital-payments company Block (née Square) bought a majority share in Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming service in 2021, and the two have used their personal bitcoin holdings to fund a trust designed to promote the use of cryptocurrency in Africa and India. The Bitcoin Academy itself seems to have quite a bit in common with this latter project. The academy’s website promises that its classes will “empower the community with knowledge, and get rid of some of the barriers so that residents can learn more about Bitcoin specifically and finance in general.” The only named instructors are two bitcoin influencers, Lamar Wilson and Najah J. Roberts, who promise they will teach people “about Bitcoin, how it works, why you should care, and how to build your own financial future.” Tiger Woods is in the club with Nicklaus, Snead, and Palmer as one of the greatest golfers of all time. This week, he entered another exclusive group, joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only athlete billionaires. Just days after turning down a rumored high-nine figure offer from the Saudi-backed LIV Tour, Tiger Woods hit the ten figure mark on his own, with the 46-year-old valued at $1.8 billion according to Forbes. The golf legend has put together one of the greatest careers the PGA Tour has ever seen, racking up 82 career wins and 15 major victories. Despite his track record, Forbes reports less than 10% of Woods’ earnings have come from the golf course. Woods has won $120 million from his various PGA tour wins, with the majority of his income coming from his numerous and illustrious endorsement deals. Most notably, Gatorade, Bridgestone, and Nike have been longtime sponsors. Other big names paying Woods include TaylorMade and Monster Energy which are featured on his golf bag. The U.S. Air Force Academy has invited 2022 Olympic gold medal-winning speed-skater Erin Jackson to fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds on May 24 over Colorado Springs. The mid-morning flight originates from Peterson Space Force Base. Following her flight, Jackson will visit with Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark and congratulate Cadets from the Class of 2022 at the Academy on becoming new officers in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. Jackson is a native of Ocala, Florida and is the first black woman in history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport of speed-skating. She first began ice skating in 2017, earned a spot on her first Olympic Team in 2018 and then climbed international ranks before becoming the Olympic Champion at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Inviting a stand-out Olympian for a Thunderbird graduation flight began in 2019 with Mikaela Shiffrin and reinforces the collaborative relationship between the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Museum while highlighting Colorado Springs’ Olympic City USA brand. A great fight took place down under in Melbourne, Australia between George Kambosos Jr. and Devin “The Dream” Haney in a bout that was a case of history repeating itself. You see way back in December 1908 an African American fighter named Jack Johnson traveled to Sidney Australia to challenge Tommy Burns for the world heavyweight title at Rushcutters Bay. There were only half a dozen black people there amongst the crowd of some 40,000 people present when Johnson defeated Burns and became the first black World heavyweight champion. https://youtu.be/STCWx842HOc I’m inspired by working with different people,” said iconic saxophonist Najee about the motivation for his recent album “Savior Fair.” “We sent out a challenge to name the titled,” he said when I asked about the meaning behind the title. The new project also features Freddie Fox on guitar, Al Turner on bass, Jay Williams on drums and David Dyson on bass and keyboards. https://youtu.be/rya1cRctHyY Megan The Stallion has starred in Mugler’s spring 2022 collection video adorning blue jeans that are neither here nor there. The video was released on Wednesday, showing the Grammy winner twerking and twirling in a barely-there cut-out denim catsuit that highlights her cleavage, from her famous booty to the legs and abs. We’re talking butt-cut-out jeans! These jeans are the latest design version by Casey Cadwallader, a designer known for his inventive and unbelievably revealing take on the humble dungaree. This latest version also incorporates nude illusion tulle for a naked effect along with a built-in butt lift of sorts. https://youtu.be/CTeEbb0Up6Y In this episode of Doug Reacts, Pastor Doug Wilson reacts to a video from Abraham Piper where he addresses Pastor Wilson’s favorite question: “By what standard?” Doug Reacts is an apologetics reaction series presented by Canon Press. https://youtu.be/jzDLd_Clna4 After an allegation of sexual assault against a young pastor’s wife several years ago, and following a recent investigation, former Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny M. Hunt has been suspended as the pastor emeritus at First Baptist Church Woodstock in Georgia. Hunt, 69, had served as a pastor at the church for more than 30 years. Under Hunt’s leadership, the church grew from 1,000 to 19,000 members, according to the website Church Leaders. In a letter posted to the First Baptist Church Woodstock’s website on June 2, Lead Pastor Jeremy Morton and other members of the church’s leadership team said, “We have recommended to our former pastor, Johnny Hunt, a clear process of counseling, accountability, and restoration. We also believe it is in the best interest of FBCW to suspend his role as Pastor Emeritus.” Detractors and ex-members of La Luz del Mundo say its leader deserved a more severe punishment than the nearly 17-year sentence he received Wednesday (June 8) for sexually abusing young female followers who said he made them his sex slaves. In court, five young women the pastor was charged with sexually abusing called Naasón Joaquín García “evil,” a “monster” and the “Antichrist.” They urged the judge to impose a longer sentence after García abruptly pleaded guilty to three felonies just before his long-awaited trial was to start. García, 53, faced a sentence of 16 years and eight months after he pleaded guilty Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court to two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15. La Luz del Mundo, which claims 5 million worldwide followers, was founded in 1926 by García’s grandfather, Eusebio Joaquín González. The church rejects the concept of the Trinity and teaches that Jesus is God’s son and church leaders, like García, his father and grandfather, are his apostles. In an interview published Wednesday (June 8), Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga dismissed rumors circulating in the media that the pope might resign as nothing more than “a cheap soap opera.” According to Maradiaga, who advises the pope within the Council of Cardinals, news reports suggesting Pope Francis’ physical decline will soon lead to a new conclave are “fake news” perpetrated by outlets located primarily in the United States, where, he added, the pope notoriously faces “strong opposition.” “He has never thought about (resigning),” Maradiaga said in the interview with Spanish news outlet EFE. Maradiaga is coordinator of the Council of Cardinals, also known as the Council of Cardinal Advisers, who help the pope in the management of Vatican and church affairs, and he is considered to be in the pope’s inner circle. Numerous articles published recently in major news outlets have attempted to draw conclusions from a conflagration of scheduled events in August, namely a council of cardinals, new cardinal appointments and a visit to the basilica where Pope Celestine V, known for resigning from the pontificate in 1294, is buried. The first transgender bishop of the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States has resigned amid criticism over the decision to remove the pastor of a Latino congregation on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December. “The constant misinformation, bullying and harassment has taken too hard a toll in the Synod I love, my family and myself,” the Rev. Megan Rohrer, who presided over the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said in a resignation letter posted Monday (June 6) on Twitter. However, questions remain about the timing of the resignation. A New York Rangers fan has been arrested after sucker-punching a Tampa Bay Lightning supporter after Thursday’s game at Madison Square Garden. James Anastasio, 29, was identified by authorities as the man seen in a viral video launching an unprovoked attack against a Lightning fan after Thursday’s playoff game, which New York lost. Anastasio, a resident of Staten Island, is charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment, according to NYPD sources. He is now banned from the Garden, home to both the Rangers and the NBA’s New York Knicks, for life. The unidentified victim suffered pain and bruising, according to the New York Post. Anastasio is set to be arraigned on Friday night. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/06/10/6393286342932515382/636x382_MP4_6393286342932515382.mp4 A dog who chewed off her own leg to try and escape while she was tied up has found a loving home. Bella’s soon-to-be adopters, Kim Diehl and Jason Reding from Rockford, Illinois, visited the sanctuary in February. “She stole our hearts. That was how the story goes,” Diehl said. The couple adopted a senior pit bull named Roxanne from the sanctuary in 2015. https://youtu.be/gBAoIfaWvR8 Justin Bieber announced Friday that he is taking a break from performing because he is suffering from paralysis on one side of his face. In a video posted on his verified Instagram account, the singer explained that he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which has left him unable to move half of his face and unable to take the stage. https://youtu.be/4lhhTEzbuLM The final trailer has dropped for Jordan Peele’s upcoming horror movie “Nope” starring KeKe Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya. As reported by People, Palmer and Kaluuya’s characters work on Hollywood’s only Black-owned horse training ranch which seems to have a bit of a UFO problem. The story follows “residents of a lonely gulch of inland California who “bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery,” per the film’s release. https://youtu.be/HUgmq_8PlRY Anthony Anderson will not be putting up a fight in court with his estranged wife Alvina after agreeing to pay her backdated spousal support from March 1, even though his legal team initially insisted on payments to begin from June 1. As fans will probably recall, Alvina filed for divorce from the “black-ish” star on March 25, citing irreconcilable differences, but they had already separated at the end of February, after 22 years of marriage. “We date. We’re dating,” he said. “We go have dates. We’re friends. We go to exotic locations. We have great times.” When Yung Miami asked how he would define their relationship, Diddy said he is “single,” “dating,” and “just taking my time at life.” https://youtu.be/9wSsD2haKLI Kenya Barris has once again filed to end his marriage to his estranged wife, Dr. Rania “Rainbow” Barris, after more than 20 years together. Barris filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 1, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the separation, according to a court document obtained by PEOPLE. Barris inspired Tracee Ellis Ross’s character on Kenya’s hit ABC series “Black-ish”. The pair, who share six children, have been separated since September 2020, according to the report. Kenya is seeking joint and legal custody of their kids and has agreed to pay his ex spousal support. The Grand Rapids police officer who executed Patrick Lyoya has been charged with second-degree murder following a two-month review of the disturbing shooting. The Grand Rapid Police Department released footage showing the officer-involved fatal shooting of Lyoya. The 26-year-old Black man was fatally shot during an April 4 traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after Officer Christopher Schurr pulled him over for an issue with his license plate registration.Police Chief Eric Winstrom explained during a press conference that Lyoya attempted to flee during the encounter but there was a brief struggle before the victim was shot in the back of the head by the cop. https://youtu.be/oCp_MNW3qBM The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack held its first prime-time hearing Thursday evening, detailing the findings of the panel’s investigation and playing new video from closed-door depositions of members of former President Donald Trump’s team and depicting the violence at the Capitol. Thursday’s hearing was the first in a series this month that will highlight the findings of the panel’s investigation, which included interviews with more than 1,000 people about how Trump and his team tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election on multiple fronts. https://youtu.be/3_rYDtkFXOE Ever wonder what happens to the clothes you donate to your local Goodwill or the Salvation Army? According to a 2018 Nylon report, “less than 20 percent of clothing donations sent to charities are actually resold at those charities,” the outlet writes, adding that “the other 80 percent is sent to textile recyclers who then determine the next cycle of the garment’s life.” A majority of the donations are “exported and sold in developing countries,” while any leftovers “get recycled into rags and household insulation,” per the report. “There are just far more unwanted clothes in the United States than there is demand,” said Elizabeth Cline, author of “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost Of Fast Fashion.” According to a 2018 Nylon report, “less than 20 percent of clothing donations sent to charities are actually resold at those charities,” the outlet writes, adding that “the other 80 percent is sent to textile recyclers who then determine the next cycle of the garment’s life.” A majority of the donations are “exported and sold in developing countries,” while any leftovers “get recycled into rags and household insulation,” per the report. “There are just far more unwanted clothes in the United States than there is demand,” said Elizabeth Cline, author of “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost Of Fast Fashion.” Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have unveiled plans to make it easier to buy a home and close the racial homeownership gap. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have unveiled plans to make it easier to buy a home and close the racial homeownership gap. https://youtu.be/TgjHlvaS-mo Ever wonder why grilling meat seems to enhance the flavor of the food? One chemist has broken down the science behind cooking over an open flame. Kristine Nolin, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond, writes: “When you cook meat at higher temperatures – like over direct heat on a barbecue – the first thing to happen is that water near the meat’s surface boils off. Once the surface is dry, the heat causes the proteins and sugars on the outside of the meat to undergo a reaction called the Maillard Reaction. This reaction produces a complex mixture of molecules that make food taste more savory or “meaty” and adds depth to scents and flavors.” https://youtu.be/wUgcnAiaObo On the latest episode of The Kardashians, fans get to see how the family reacted to Tristan Thompson’s latest cheating scandal and how things unfolded. During the closing scenes of the ninth episode of the Hulu series, Kim interrupts her gym session to call her family about Daily Mail’s exclusive December 2021 report about the paternity lawsuit involving Thompson, 31, and Houston-based personal trainer Maralee Nichols, 31. She shared the news with Kourtney and Kylie, who branded Tristan “the worst person on the planet” for cheating on Khloe for the third time. Not only that but for fathering yet another child… a boy; something that Khloe always wanted. Kim shared that she was “team Tristan” but after embarrassing her sister for the umpteenth time, she says “f**k him!” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cele_alOzsq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The MC Hammer era in hip hop kicked into high gear on this day in 1990, when his third album, “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em,” started its record breaking 21-week run at the top of the U.S. album charts. It’s the longest uninterrupted reign of any album since the album charts became a thing. Produced by Felton Pilate and James Earley, “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em” was the first rap album to be certified diamond by the RIAA, meaning 10 million units sold in the U.S. To date, the album has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. And all of the album’s singles – “U Can’t Touch This,” “Pray,” “Have You Seen Her,” “Here Comes the Hammer” and “Yo!! Sweetness” (released in the UK) – charted. There were two singles released before “U Can’t Touch This.” “Help the Children,” released Jan. 10, 1990, and “Dancin’ Machine” the following month. https://youtu.be/EX3mEXWjJfU Four years ago, as a far-left activist, Amala fought for her trans classmate’s right to use the bathroom that matched his gender identity. At the time, she believed that trans kids’ wishes should be affirmed socially and medically. As we witness an epidemic of trans-identifying children and the widespread acceptance of “gender-affirming” ideology, Amala now asks whether the outcomes of these views cause more harm than good. https://youtu.be/XUZ_o5kX6u0 Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), the world’s leading live entertainment company, today announced that it has made a strategic investment in Everything Legendary, a black-owned and operated business that is the nation’s fastest-growing plant-based meat company. Through their partnership, Everything Legendary will now be the featured plant-based burger at many of Live Nation’s venues and festivals across the United States, including all House of Blues restaurants. Launched in 2021, Everything Legendary’s success has been fueled by its ability to create plant-based food with legendary flavor, developed by a chef in a kitchen not a scientist in a lab. In just 10 months, the company has placed its products in more than 3,000 grocery stores, including Publix, Target, Safeway, Ralphs, and more. Live Nation will also become an equity partner in Everything Legendary, investing as part of the company’s recently closed $6 million Series A funding round in February. Other investors in the round include CircleUp Growth Partners, General Mills and Mark Cuban. The U.S. Justice Department is opening a sweeping civil rights investigation into the Louisiana State Police amid mounting evidence that the agency has a pattern of looking the other way in the face of beatings of mostly Black men, including the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene. The federal “pattern-or-practice” probe announced Thursday followed an Associated Press investigation that found Greene’s arrest was among at least a dozen cases over the past decade in which state police troopers or their bosses ignored or concealed evidence of beatings, deflected blame and impeded efforts to root out misconduct. Dozens of current and former troopers said the beatings were countenanced by a culture of impunity, nepotism and, in some cases, outright racism. “We find significant justification to open this investigation now. … We received information of the repeated use of excessive force, often against people suspected of minor traffic offenses, who are already handcuffed or are not resisting,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the Justice Department’s civil rights division. She added there were also reports of troopers targeting Black residents in traffic enforcement and using “racial slurs and racially derogatory terms.” Christopher Schurr – a Grand Rapids, Michigan, police officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head on April 4 – has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Thursday. Second-degree murder is considered a felony offense. If convicted, Schurr could face a lifelong prison sentence with the possibility of parole. Becker said the second-degree murder charge was the most severe possible, given the evidence he reviewed – there was not any indication of premeditation from Schurr, he said, which prevented a first-degree murder charge. Schurr turned himself in, Becker said, and his arraignment could come as soon as Friday. He is likely to be tried in Kent County, with Becker’s office overseeing the case. “I wouldn’t charge it if I didn’t think I could prove it,” Becker told media gathered in the Michigan State Police precinct just northwest of Grand Rapids. As a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, Felix has proven to be one of track and fields best. Coupled with her accolades she is also a mother to Camryn, now three years of age. While entering motherhood can be one of the most beautiful life experiences, Felix’s introduction was abruptly shaken due to a severe case of preeclampsia. “You know, I had the perfect birth plan. I had everything in my mind, like this is how it’s gonna go and being a professional athlete, I just never imagined finding myself in the situation. I mean, I had a really great pregnancy up until that point. I felt really strong. I was running, I was lifting weights. I was in the gym. And so when I found myself going for a regular appointment and then being diagnosed with preeclampsia, it was just so scary,” Felix told ESSENCE. Jack Del Rio’s recent tweets and ensuing comments elicited strong reaction from those affiliated with the NFL and now a prominent civil rights organization. Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, called for the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator to resign or be fired for his comments comparing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to the racial protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. “It is time for Jack Del Rio to resign or be terminated,” Johnson said in a statement Thursday. “His comments could not have been more offensive and ignorant. The January 6th insurrection — an attempted coup — was far from a ‘dust-up.’ Each day we learn more and more on just how close our democracy came to autocracy. Downplaying the insurrection by comparing it to nationwide protests, which were in response to a public lynching, is twisted. You can’t coach a majority Black team while turning your back on the Black community. It’s time for you to pack up and step off the field.” Del Rio’s comments also were condemned by the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a diversity group that works closely with the NFL on its minority hiring. The cast of actors who played the beloved von Trapp children reunited this week to support their on-screen governess-turned stepmother Julie Andrews, who received the American Film Institute’s highest honor for a career in film at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Julie Andrews, 86, is a three-time Academy Award nominee, which included Best Actress for The Sound Of Music; winning once for her role in Mary Poppins (1964). But her role in the sound of music is arguably the most famous. The musical drama went on to become a bonafide hit, earning the distinction of being the first film to gross over $100 million. Adjusted for inflation, The Sound Of Music earned about $2.366 billion at today’s prices—placing it among the top ten highest-grossing films of all time. And while Julie Andrew’s and Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp, went on to become some of the most successful and acclaimed actor’s in Hollywood’s history the on-screen children had hugely varying careers. The von Trapp children formed their own little family over the months of making the musical and became known as The SoM 7. Four-times NBA champion LeBron James is ready to gamble his chips on a Las Vegas team after becoming the league’s first-ever active player to turn into a billionaire. ‘I wanna own a team,’ James said in a clip from his HBO television show ‘The Shop’ that circulated on social media on Thursday evening. ‘Yeah, I want a team…I want a, yeah, I want a team in Vegas. Yeah, I want the team in Vegas,’ he added. The episode is expected to air on Friday. The 37-year-old James is under contract with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season, after which he will be a free agent, though he has already begun to test the water of professional team ownership. In March 2021, the 18-times All-Star became a part owner of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Boston Red Sox, after he joined Fenway Sports Group (FSG) as a partner. FSG also owns English Premier League soccer club Liverpool. We know Koryn has an incredible range, a unique sound, and a few GRAMMY® nominations...and now she's got a new single! Listen to her latest release "I Need You Now" exclusively on Apple Music in honor of Juneteenth. The song, which is a cover of the Smokie Norful classic, can he heard on Apple Music's newly released playlist, Juneteenth 2022: Freedom Songs. https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/pl.7c49c07dba3c4f9bb38141e0d85e16ed?i=1628431539&ign-itscg=80010&ign-itsct=song_juneteenth22_korynhawthorne_053122 For Bennie Thompson, the invasion of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a significant moment of déjà vu. From his perch in the House gallery above the chamber that day, he couldn’t quite tell what was going on, until his wife phoned him to let him know what was unfolding on television. The Capitol Police came and instructed him — and other members — to crouch, and take off their congressional lapel pins, so they would not become targets for the intruders. Thompson refused. “People I know fought and died in this country for me to have the right to represent them and for them to have the right to vote,” Thompson told CNN. “I’m not going to let any insurrectionist, rioter, crazy person come here and take this pin.” Two North Carolina homes belonging to the Judge family were set on fire this year, both while family members were inside. The property belongs to a beloved matriarch of Duplin County, 88-year-old Rebecca Judge, whose family is well known in the area for their community service. However, the incidents were met with a lack of action from law enforcement and the family believes the arsons were racially-motivated. The Judge family are known for their work to better the community from volunteering to social justice. Alexander Lee Judge Sr. made a huge economic impact on the county with commercial farming and transporting crops. Rebecca Judge was honored with a plaque in the Duplin County Hall of Fame for her work as a school board member, nurse and civil rights activist. Though, after all their years working together, she never heard from Duplin County Sheriff Dalton Wallace regarding the fires. https://youtu.be/ O65TEpDXLHY R&B singer R Kelly should be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, when he appears before a New York judge later this month. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in September 2021 of all nine counts of racketeering, child exploitation and sex trafficking. The case hinged on accusations made by six women, but 45 people in total testified against him. On Wednesday, prosecutors said he should be sentenced on June 29 to at least 25 years, and a fine of between $50,000 and $250,000. ‘The government respectfully submits that a sentence in excess of 25 years is warranted,’ they stated. Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean – who successfully represented Bill Cosby when he had his conviction overturned – argued in her May 27 motion that the appropriate sentencing range was 168-210 months, or 14 to 17.5 years. She noted that the government had previously claimed that Kelly was eligible for a life sentence, but said that was not the case. Grammy Award-winning comedian Tiffany Haddish is getting serious about nurturing her mind. The actress has enrolled in courses at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Girl’s Trip star took to her Instagram story to let everyone know that she’s been getting her collegiate education. Standing in her presumed classroom, Haddish posted a video excitedly saying, “Hey, y’all. It’s your girl Tiffany Haddish. I ain’t been on here lately. That’s because I’m getting educated.” She added, “That’s right. I’ve been going to Harvard for the last three days. I’m a student now!” she yelled following up with a quick pan of the classroom. “Look, this is the class. Bam! Harvard!” Mary J. Blige now has her own key to the city! Atlantic City that is. On Saturday, the 51-year-old musician was presented with a key to the city by Mayor Marty Small Sr. during the after-party for the “Together We Rise” Inaugural Gala. Per The Press of Atlantic City, the gala is a charitable event, and proceeds benefit the Greater Atlantic City Youth Association, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports the city’s youth programs. Those programs include the Atlantic City Boys & Girls Club, the Empowerment Tools Coalition and the Omega by the Sea Foundation. Blige hosted the after-party at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, which included music by DJ Self from Power 105.1 FM and DJ Marty Geez. In a video posted by Kevin Hines (@kev1host), Mayor Small Sr. presents Blige with the key onstage. “As Mayor of the great city of Atlantic City, I saw that Atlanta gave you a day,” he said, referring to last month’s “Strength of a Woman Day” in Atlanta, which served as the lead into Blige’s “Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit” over Mother’s Day weekend. “I’m presenting you with a key to the city,” Mayor Small Sr. added, giving Blige a large plaque with the golden key. Gospel pioneer Kirk Franklin apologized to an audience of thousands at a concert in Florida for the lack of love displayed by his generation of the Church. Franklin kicked off a 37-city tour this month known as “The Kingdom Tour” with popular Christian music group Maverick City Music earlier this month. The tour has sold out shows in Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Atlanta, with over 50,000 fans flocking to stadiums in support of the worship experience in the first several days. One Southeast Florida school district is telling its teachers to withhold details about a child’s transition to another gender from their parents. Broward County Public Schools district’s “LGBTQ Critical Support Guide” states that it is now policy for educators to secretly ask transgender students how they want to be addressed and “assess the degree to which, if any, the parent(s)/guardian will be involved in the process.” The measure is supposed to “consider the health, well-being and safety of the transitioning student.” “Children typically begin expressing their gender identity between the ages of two and four years old. Around this age, transgender children often express their cross-gender identification to their family members or caregivers,” the guide claims. School staff are urged to respect a student’s choice not to share their desire to transition with family members. There’s a lot to blame Senator Joe Manchin for if you’re someone who cares about things like abortion rights or not going out in a massive climate apocalypse. But, Urban League President, Marc Morial, wants you to make sure that you add not being able to massively cut down on the number of Black children in poverty, to the top of your list. In an exclusive interview with The Root, Morial called the Senator’s nearly one-man crusade against the Build Back Better Act—which would have continued and grew pandemic relief policies, including continuing the expanded child tax credit–a major “setback,” for Black Americans. When you’re talking about a Black woman’s beauty routine, it all comes down to the products. From the shampoo we use in our hair to the moisturizer we use on our skin, we’re constantly looking for the best products on the market made to address our unique concerns. But while there are plenty of products made for us and by us, they aren’t always easy to find. And when we finally get our hands on them, we hold on for dear life. After years of shopping at traditional beauty supply stores for the products she needed, Brittney Ogike was frustrated. So in 2019, she decided to take matters into her own hands, and with an investment from her brother, NBA All-Star Khris Middleton, created experience that was more welcoming for women of color. “Oftentimes, women with textured hair have to go to local beauty supply retailers for specific products — hair gel, braiding hair, wigs, etc. These stores, historically, have poor customer service, inferior product offerings, and inherent discrimination. After years of being dissatisfied with my experiences shopping for proper hair care, I sought to create change in an industry that ignored us for too long. BEAUTYBEEZ merges the essentials of the traditional beauty supply with the customer experience of a prestige beauty retailer,” she said. The idea that everything is back to normal is tempting. Politicians on both sides of the political aisle have encouraged folks to toss off their masks, leave their vaccine cards at home, and push their way into crowded subway cars and return to equally crowded office spaces. It’s no surprise then that life-saving policies like the eviction moratorium and the child tax credit, which gave most families with children $250 to $300 a month, have also been shelved. The result is that Black families, and Black women, especially, have been left to face the continued economic fallout without a safety net. “Black women… are more likely to be experiencing food insufficiency. They’re more likely to be behind on rent and mortgage payments.” said Amy Matsui, Income Security Director at The National Women’s Law Center. “So, they have not at all recovered from the recession, and they’re still experiencing more hardship than the population overall.” Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, signed a proclamation on Monday that makes Juneteenth an official holiday in the city. During the signing ceremony, Garcetti stated that the recognition of Juneteenth is a necessary step in dealing with America’s racist history. “We need every Angeleno to learn the full story of our past, no matter the ugliness of some of its chapters, and that means recognizing the lasting legacy of slavery in our country,” Garcetti explained. Just last year, President Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday. By making it official in Los Angeles, it is now a paid holiday for all employees of the city. Councilmember Curren Price emphasized the importance of Juneteenth in a statement. NBA superstar LeBron James says he is opening up a medical facility in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. The LeBron James Family Foundation announced plans on Tuesday for the I Promise HealthQuarters – a multimillion-dollar facility that will offer a variety of services to students from his I Promise School and local community. “It takes a village to help raise a kid and make a true difference! Love my kids and their families!” the Los Angeles Lakers forward tweeted, as he shared news about the announcement. The community health and wellness center will provide medical, dental, optometry and mental heath supports as well as on-site pharmacy and lab services, the foundation said. It is set to open in 2023 and it will be within walking distance from the I Promise School and across from House Three Thirty, a hub that helps with job training and financial literacy. The medical facility is partnering with local health providers AxessPointe, Coleman Health Services and Peg’s Foundation. Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation, told CBS News in a statement that their “work continues to expand in ways we never dreamed of.” Harrison Wagner, a musician and the son of Melrose Place actor Jack Wagner, was found dead in a parking lot in North Hollywood Monday. He was 27. Wagner had struggled with addiction in the past. In July of 2016, he’d gone missing for nearly a week after a relapse. Harrison’s father Jack is a veteran actor and star of soap operas like General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful. His mother is When Calls The Heart actress Kristina Wagner. The couple divorced in 2006. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner said that Harrison was pronounced dead in North Hollywood at 5:14 a.m. local time and that his cause of his death is currently under investigation. Harrison’s last Instagram post was from May 22. He was seen sitting alone as his caption read: ‘Focus. YOU are left with YOU and your thoughts.’ Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley have been found guilty of running yearslong fraud conspiracy and hiding their money from IRS. A federal jury in Atlanta, Georgia convicted the ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ reality TV couple on Tuesday. They face up to 30 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later date. Todd Chrisley was found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud. The TV star has been married for 26 years to Julie, with whom he shares five children: Lindsie, 32; Kyle, 30; Chase, 25; Savannah, 24; and Grayson, 16. Julie Chrisley was found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax fraud, wire fraud. Their former attorney Peter Tarantino was also convicted Tuesday. He was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States and willfully filing false tax returns. Alicia Keys has defended her decision to perform Empire State Of Mind at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the UK on Saturday. The song choice was met with backlash because the song is about New York City and she was performing it in England – at the Jubilee which marked the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. However, 15-time Grammy winner, 41, claimed ‘every song was requested personally by the Queen.’ In a recording taken behind the scenes, Alicia she can be heard gushing to her sons Egypt, 12, and seven-year-old Genesis ‘that the Queen requested the songs’ she would be singing at the Party at the Palace. Darvin Ham, the new head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, believes God is the “master of all plans,” and he openly shared his Christian faith Monday during his first press conference. After general manager Rob Pelinka excitedly introduced Ham, 48, the newly-minted coach made first things first and immediately thanked the Lord before saying anything else. https://youtu.be/ WcVSL4ItOVs Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and several of her fellow female gymnasts are taking legal action against the FBI over the agency’s handling of the Larry Nassar case. Biles joins 90 claimants who are seeking more than $1 billion in damages. The Associated Press reports that the women allege the FBI failed to intervene when the sexual assault allegations against Nassar were made against him. “It is time for the FBI to be held accountable,” said Maggie Nichols, a national champion gymnast at Oklahoma in 2017-2019. “If the FBI had simply done its job, Nassar would have been stopped before he ever had the chance to abuse hundreds of girls, including me,” added former University of Michigan gymnast Samantha Roy. The NYPD has released surveillance footage of two men exchanging gunfire in a shootout in Queens on Tuesday. The incident occurred at the corner of 65th Street and Broadway in Sunnyside Gardens around 3:20 p.m., New York Post reports. The footage shows the suspects shooting at each other on the busy block. One of the males has been identified as 28-year-old Tenzin Norgyal. https://www.instagram.com/nypdtips/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=68c4a000-4b10-4e71-9328-3d8d5f97da81 A Bronx man was arrested days after he was caught on camera shoving a woman onto subway train tracks. The 52-year-old woman walking on the platform at the Jackson Ave Station over the weekend when Theodore Ellis, 31, pushed her onto the train track. Miraculously, no train was approaching the station at the time of the incident and witnesses helped the woman off of the tracks. NYPD investigators said the victim sustained multiple cuts on her arms and head. An MTA worker recognized Ellis returning back to the station on Tuesday shortly before noon and alerted police. He was arrested and charged with assault and reckless endangerment. The worker also told police that Ellis frequented the station and sold “illegal swipes.” https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ec4dae52-93e4-4d6d-9581-f0ce8e3e3228 A Chicago teenager has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a U.S. marshal and his K-9 dog on the Northwest Side this week. The incident occurred while the marshal was serving an arrest warrant on Thursday, according to Chicago police. Tarrion Johnson, 19, was arrested shortly after the alleged encounter. Johnson allegedly opened fire in the 5200 block of West Belmont Avenue around 1:20 p.m., Chicago Sun-Times reports. The arrest warrant was for a previously attempted murder charge against Johnson. https://youtu.be/UKXajMiGlAY South African boxer Simiso Buthelezi has died after being hospitalized on Sunday following a bizarre but scary incident during a boxing tournament in Greyville, Durban. Buthelezi passed away on Tuesday night at a hospital in Durban. He was 24 years old, TMZ reports. We reported previously that Buthelezi was put in an induced coma at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, South Africa after he became disoriented and started shadow boxing during a WBF All Africa title fight over the weekend. https://twitter.com/i/status/1533471844753453063 Pastor John Gray is at the center of more cheating allegations. Gray is being accused of being unfaithful to his wife, Aventer Gray, yet again, The YBF reports. The pastor recently took to social media and opened up about the childhood trauma he suffered which has caused him to live in a “dark place.” Gray spoke about his current struggles and said he’s taking time out to “heal.” ”I’ve been saying to my wife, I am not okay. I’ve been telling people close to me, I’m not okay. I am not well. In my heart, in my body, in my mind, in my body, in my soul. I am not well. This is when people put guns in their mouth,” he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeCY7VCq1Gx/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Snoop Dogg previously revealed that he hired a full-time blunt roller in 2019 but thanks to inflation, the rapper had to increase the person’s salary. When UberFacts tweeted that Snoop’s blunt roller made between $40,000 and $50,000 annually, the rapper responded: “Inflation. Their salary went up!!” he wrote, Complex reports. Snoop first revealed that he hired a personal blunt roller during an episode of “The Howard Stern Show” in 2019. “That motherf*cker is like Lurch from the ‘Addams Family.’ ‘You rang?’” he said of the employee always being prepared with a freshly rolled blunt, as reported by The Huffington Post. “That’s his J-O-B — his occupation. On his résumé, it says, ’What do you do? I’m a blunt roller. P-B-R, professional blunt roller,” Snoop told Stern. Meagan Good‘s divorce from ex-husband DeVon Franklin is finalized, and the actress has dropped Franklin from her legal name. The “Harlem” star, 40, will now be known as Meagan Monique Good, Radar reports. As we previously reported, DeVon, 44, filed for divorce in December 2020 citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the breakup. The ex-couple tied the knot in June 2012 and separated in August 2021. Their split was finalized on Thursday, June 2, and neither will be required to pay spousal support. Goode told PEOPLE in a May interview that she is now putting herself first. Queen Latifah appeared on “Red Table Talk” on June 8 and opened up to hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris about weight stigma in society. At one point, Latifah recalled being told to lose weight while starring on the popular 1990s show “Living Single.” “The word came down that we needed to lose weight,” she said, as reported by Pop Sugar. “We’re on the number one show among Black and Latino households in America and you’re telling us we need to lose weight. Maybe you’re the one with the problem.” She continued: “We’re also taught these ideas of beauty, you know — this is what you’re supposed to look like. But when you have these pictures painted for you and it’s implanted over generations, that’s the problem.” The premiere of A&E’s “Origins of Hip Hop” premiered Memorial Day weekend with an episode about venerable Bronx emcee Fat Joe. Produced by Brian Turner, Slane Hatch Phoenix Sky Maulella, and narrated by Nas, “Origins of Hip Hop” is a masterfully shot and earnest film experience that gives the viewer an intimate and detailed look into the circumstances that helped launch the careers of some of the most influential names in rap music and urban culture. https://youtu.be/AklBVvcBTU4 Hulu has released the teaser trailer for its limited series about Mike Tyson set to premiere this summer. The eight-episode series titled “Mike” stars Trevante Rhodes as the famed professional boxer, with Laura Harrier as Tyson’s ex-wife Robin Givens, and Russell Hornsby as Don King. According to Deadline, the streamer describes the series as “an unauthorized and no-holds-barred look at the life of Mike Tyson.” https://youtu.be/QR6kkR5UPRA Warner Bros. has dropped the trailer for DC’s “Black Adam” starring Dwayne Johnson. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the story, per THR, “follows what happens after Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed almighty powers of the Egyptian gods and immediately imprisoned. He is then ready to “unleash his unique form of justice” on the modern world. It marks Johnson’s first time starring in a live-action superhero movie,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/OAR8xBLhrXc The new BET original movie “Bid For Love” produced by Lawainna Patterson, London Williams, Shauna D. Balfour & Christina Cooper, stars lead actor Blue Kimble from Tyler Perry’s “Ruthless,” lead actress Dawn Halfkenny from “Saints & Sinners,” Adrian Lockett from Tyler Perry’s “The Oval,” Jermel Howard from 50 Cent’s “BMF,” Tami Roman, Nikki Dixon, Jayda Cheaves, Ptosha Storey, and Kwaylon Rogers. The film is directed by the talented Arthur Muhammad (known for “Carter High,” the movie). https://youtu.be/EECVpja78KQ Ciara is a mother of three. Uno. Dos. Tres. The 36-year-old singer is INELIGIBLE for “hot girl summers” and “THOTathons.” In a video she recently publicized on social media, Ciara can be seen “twerking” – rather skillfully – while she straddles the frame of her Ford Bronco truck … at a gas station. She’s joined by two other whores … I mean, women – who themselves appear to be experienced twerkers. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeT7sDAJrTE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “It’s a testimony, trouble won’t last. You suffer for a little while,’ said Pastor Donald Walker, Jr. about his latest inspirational single “It Won’t Last.” https://youtu.be/SekwdxrnVN4 The Celtics & Warriors go head-to-head in the NBA Finals and Guillermo (from ‘The Jimmy Kimmel Show‘) makes his triumphant return to media day to interview Steve Kerr, Gary Payton II, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Jonathan Kuminga, Damion Lee, Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Otto Porter Jr., Jayson Tatum, Draymond Green, Grant Williams, Jaylen Brown & Steph Curry. #GameNight. https://youtu.be/0Edt9ApWxP0 Grammy & Stellar winner BRENT JONES is back in a big way with his new smash hit single “Nothing Else Matters (INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, PRAISE HIM)”. Another song "Shining Bright" in the Gospel spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioxkmOW6jlE This iconic song was a chart-topper in 1981 for the rock band, Journey. This song was inspired by a phrase that keyboardist Jonathan Cain’s father would say to him. Anytime Jonathan would get discouraged about his musical career, his father would say, “Don’t stop believing or you’re done, dude.” “Just a small-town girl, livin’ in a lonely world She took the midnight train goin’ anywhere Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit He took the midnight train goin’ anywhere” https://youtu.be/z79o7Q_Dy1s Hamilton police have charged a former pastor of The Meeting House Church with sexual assault. Police say 57-year-old Bruxy Cavey was the primary teaching pastor at the church and worked there from 1996 to 2021. The Meeting House Church is headquartered in Oakville, Ont., but has locations throughout the province. It also streams its Sunday service at several cinemas in southern Ontario. Neither police nor the church confirmed which location or locations Cavey has worked at over the years. Det. Sgt. Jennifer Currie told CBC Hamilton in an email the allegation was reported in April and said the alleged sexual assault occurred in the city. “We will not provide any specific details in terms of dates or locations in order to protect the identity of the victim,” she wrote. Police say Cavey, of Hamilton, was arrested but released with some conditions. He will appear in court on June 27. The Meeting House’s communications pastor Jared Taylor said the church wouldn’t comment on the matter as it’s before the courts but said it is cooperating with police and encourages anyone who thinks they can help investigators to contact the police. A North Carolina sheriff’s office has settled a $3million civil rights lawsuit with the family of an unarmed Black man shot and killed by in his car by authorities last year. In 2021 the family of Andrew Brown Jr. filed a $30 million suit against the Pasquotank County sheriff’s department saying the 42-year-old died because officers showed ‘intentional and reckless disregard of his life.’ On April 21 of last year Brown was killed by Pasquotank County sheriffs deputies as they were serving drug-related warrants at his Elizabeth City home. Several deputies surrounded Brown in his BMW before his car backed up and moved forward. They fired several shots at and into his vehicle. According to an independent autopsy commissioned by the family, Brown was shot five times, including once in the back of the head. Bon Jovi founding member and bassist Alec John Such has died. He was 70. The band confirmed his passing on Twitter Sunday afternoon with a graphic including his year of birth and death with a “Bon Jovi forever” logo above his name. It’s unclear how the musician passed away. “We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such,” Bon Jovi posted on their Twitter account. “He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band. … To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him — He was a childhood friend of Tico [Torres] and brought Richie [Sambora] to see us perform. Alec was always wild and full of life. Today these special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. We will miss him dearly.” Senior citizens at two seemingly dilapidated apartment complexes in Memphis are speaking out about the deplorable living conditions. According to reports, the units are infested with rodents, there’s a black mold problem, and many residents are suffering during the sweltering hot days due to a lack of air conditioning. “We got Godzilla rat, mutant roaches, black mold is atrocious and the smell of rat urine and feces,” said Memphis Towers Tenant Gertrude Dennard, ABC 24 reports. The apartment’s management company, Millennia Housing Management, appears to not be concerned about the issues, as no efforts have been made to address the tenants’ concerns. Since April, renters have complained about the hot water being turned on and off. https://youtu.be/Tc5Zq6234v0 A new Sunday church service was offered at The Park Church in Elmira. The church’s congregation worshiped a little differently in honor of Pride Month with special appearances from two drag queens. This church worships with a progressive pulpit. Reverend James Brinn said the church wanted to try something new to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with a “Worship is a Drag” Sunday service. “Why not a drag show for the start of Pride Month,” he asked. Brinn’s sermon’s message was “God loves everyone.” Brinn said his caring congregation wants to make everyone feel like there is a special place for them in the church, including drag queens. President of the Park Church’s council, Jenny Monroe, said the church’s message is to be open and affirming. She said that message has been with the church’s congregation for over 20 years. “The affirming piece is the important part…that means that we affirm your choices of gender identity, or sexual preference, or who you love, or what you talk about, how you dress…all those things,” she said. “We affirm who you want to be at church.” Auctioneers are expecting a one-of-a-kind LeBron James trading card to fetch more than $6 million when it goes up for sale this week. The “Triple Logoman” card, a single-issue card featuring the 18-time NBA All-Star, includes patches taken from jerseys James wore while with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. Issued by Panini as part of its 2020-21 “Flawless” collection, the card set off a frenzied hunt among collectors including Canadian rapper Drake, who bought 10 cases of the pricey basketball cards in a failed attempt to locate it. “The best comparison that I can use for the modern reader is imagine Willy Wonka (and) the Chocolate Factory, looking for that gold ticket,” Ken Goldin, executive chairman of auctioneers Goldin, told Reuters. “And then imagine there was only one golden ticket instead of five.” The card was discovered after a year-long hunt among collectors during a live social media event. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrated their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday with the release of a new photo shared on social media. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex hosted a “casual, intimate backyard picnic” for close family and friends on Saturday at their Frogmore Cottage home, PEOPLE reports. Family friend Misan Harriman took the “candid, spontaneous photograph that the Duke and Duchess are pleased to share today,” a spokesperson for the royal couple said, per the report. Harry and Meghan “remain incredibly touched by the countless birthday wishes for their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor,” the couple’s spokesperson said. One of four defendants in a murder-for-hire case involving a star of the reality TV show "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" pleaded guilty Friday in federal court. Travell Hill, 30, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and another count of murder-for-hire in the March 2016 killing of Andre Montgomery Jr. Montgomery, who was 21 when he was killed, is the grandson of Robbie Montgomery, the founder of soul food restaurant Sweetie. On the day of the murder, Hill met James Timothy Norman, who is Andre Montgomery Jr.'s uncle and Robbie Montgomery's son, near the Clinton-Peabody Housing Complex south of downtown St. Louis for a "discussion." After the meeting, "it was Hill's understanding that Norman wanted Hill to kill Montgomery." Also on that day, Norman, 43, and Terica Ellis, who are both also charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire, bought and activated prepaid cellphones from a Walgreens in the Central West End neighborhood. Ellis told Norman to “initiate all further communication with her” using the newly purchased cellphone, according to the indictment. Buthelezi was in the final minute of a 10-round match for the WBA Africa lightweight title against Siphesihle Mntungwa on June 5. Buthelezi hit Mntungwa, which made him stumble backward between the ropes. Buthelezi then turned his back to his opponent and began to shadowbox in the corner of the ring, and shortly afterward, the referee stopped the fight and called for medical attention. Dr. Buyi Mabaso-Dlamini, who was ringside during the fight, told The Sowetan on June 7 that Buthelezi is “not in a good health condition at all; he is critical but stable.” https://twitter.com/ i/status/1533471844753453063 The singer and brother of R&B star Brandy posted a lengthy Instagram post on Monday (6 June) calling for greater solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. “A lot of n***as that’s straight, they don’t be trying to shout out the gay community and all my gay n***as the right way,” he said. “Listen, I just wanna say that it’s gay pride month. Shout out to all my gay n***as. Shout out to everybody in LGBT community. I told my n***as that there need to be more straight n***as giving love to the gay n***as.” Vivica A. Fox had a lot to say about Jada Pinkett Smith's first public reaction to her husband Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. On "The Wendy Williams Show" Thursday, Fox expressed disappointment in Pinkett Smith, saying that "there was no accountability" when she addressed the Oscars slap on Wednesday's episode of "Red Table Talk." Fox also said Pinkett Smith's comments were "self-righteous." "This is going to be difficult for me," Fox said. "These are my peers. I've done a movie with both of them. 'Set It Off' with Jada and 'Independence Day' with Will Smith, which absolutely changed my life." https://www.instagram. com/p/CeUMEx9hDRf/?utm_source= ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ video_watch_again Steve Harvey wishes Michael B. Jordan luck after his split from Lori Harvey. Lori's father confirmed reports about his daughter and the Creed star splitting up on The Steve Harvey Morning Show on June 6. When asked how he felt about the relationship ending, Steve quipped, "I feel fine. I'm fine." Steve further said, as per E! News, "I still gotta go to work...I still gotta take care of my family. I'm team Lori, 1000 percent," he added. "She's my daughter. I love her, I support her." Steve went on to say that having a successful relationship in the limelight is difficult. "He's still a cool guy...from what I know. It's a breakup. I'm pretty sure they'll be fine. People break up all the time." However, Lori, 25, and Michael, 35, fueled relationship rumors in late 2020, just before going Instagram official in January 2021. An earthquake is building in Tuesday's California elections that could rattle the political landscape from coast to coast. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the nation's most liberal large cities, voters are poised to send stinging messages of discontent over mounting public disorder, as measured in both upticks in certain kinds of crime and pervasive homelessness. That dissatisfaction could translate into the recall of San Francisco's left-leaning district attorney, Chesa Boudin, likely by a resounding margin, and a strong showing in the Los Angeles mayoral primary by Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer and former Republican who has emerged as the leading alternative in the race to Democratic US Rep. Karen Bass, once considered the front-runner. Linking both these contests -- as well as several Los Angeles City Council races and an ongoing effort to recall George Gascon, Los Angeles County's left-leaning district attorney -- is a widespread sense among voters in both cities that local government is failing at its most basic responsibility: to ensure public safety and order. It's a sentiment similar to the anxiety over urban disarray that inspired the "broken windows" policing theory during the 1980s, and contributed to the election of Republican Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Richard Riordan in New York and Los Angeles, respectively, amid the cascading violence of the crack epidemic in the early 1990s. https://gcdn.2mdn.net/ videoplayback/id/ 158370ef9992bb7c/itag/37/ source/web_video_ads/ctier/L/ acao/yes/ip/0.0.0.0/ipbits/0/ expire/3796118683/sparams/id, itag,source,ctier,acao,ip, ipbits,expire/signature/ 74DB48803766D92163586A3E0033CF DACA725625. 2A1CAAF493CE84633FEC54DA19A106 F7B9B586B6/key/ck2/file/file. mp4 It’s been 105 days since Brittney Griner detainment in a Russian prison on alleged drug charges and NBA superstar Carmello Anthony is voicing his support on her behalf. In an Instagram message, Anthony gave a public appeal for the release of the seven-time WNBA star. https://www.instagram.com/p/ CeUvHRwFStJ/?utm_source=ig_ embed&utm_campaign=embed_ video_watch_again The Rays’ organizational philosophy toward equality and inclusiveness extends toward the LGBTQ+ community, as evidenced by Saturday’s 16th Pride Night celebration at Tropicana Field. “Our Pride Nights continue to grow both in terms of visibility and participation,” Rays president Matt Silverman said. “By doing this, we extend an invitation not just for this game but for all of our games that the LGBTQ+ community is invited, welcomed and celebrated.” In an effort to make their commitment more visible, the Rays this year decided to follow the lead of the Giants and add rainbow-colored logos to their Pride Night uniforms, to the “TB” on their caps and a sunburst on their right jersey sleeves. An earthquake is building in Tuesday's California elections that could rattle the political landscape from coast to coast. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the nation's most liberal large cities, voters are poised to send stinging messages of discontent over mounting public disorder, as measured in both upticks in certain kinds of crime and pervasive homelessness. That dissatisfaction could translate into the recall of San Francisco's left-leaning district attorney, Chesa Boudin, likely by a resounding margin, and a strong showing in the Los Angeles mayoral primary by Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer and former Republican who has emerged as the leading alternative in the race to Democratic US Rep. Karen Bass, once considered the front-runner. Linking both these contests -- as well as several Los Angeles City Council races and an ongoing effort to recall George Gascon, Los Angeles County's left-leaning district attorney -- is a widespread sense among voters in both cities that local government is failing at its most basic responsibility: to ensure public safety and order. It's a sentiment similar to the anxiety over urban disarray that inspired the "broken windows" policing theory during the 1980s, and contributed to the election of Republican Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Richard Riordan in New York and Los Angeles, respectively, amid the cascading violence of the crack epidemic in the early 1990s. https://gcdn.2mdn.net/videoplayback/id/158370ef9992bb7c/itag/37/source/web_video_ads/ctier/L/acao/yes/ip/0.0.0.0/ipbits/0/expire/3796118683/sparams/id,itag,source,ctier,acao,ip,ipbits,expire/signature/74DB48803766D92163586A3E0033CFDACA725625.2A1CAAF493CE84633FEC54DA19A106F7B9B586B6/key/ck2/file/file.mp4 It’s been 105 days since Brittney Griner detainment in a Russian prison on alleged drug charges and NBA superstar Carmello Anthony is voicing his support on her behalf. In an Instagram message, Anthony gave a public appeal for the release of the seven-time WNBA star. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeUvHRwFStJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Today is Allen Iverson's 47th birthday. On this day in 8 years, Allen will finally inherit an infamous $32 million trust fund. The trust fund was established by Reebok back in 2001. The trust fund's distribution date is June 7, 2030. AKA, Allen's 55th birthday. Three abortion rights activists interrupted worship services at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas on Sunday morning. The protest was apparently in response to a leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that indicates the court is preparing to strike down the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion a constitutional right in America. First reported by Politico, that ruling could come down sometime this month. Birmingham Police are investigating a shooting that led to a man crashing into a building at 608 2nd Avenue North. Police were called to the scene just before 1:00 A.M. on Sunday, June 5, 2022. When they arrived, they found 18-year-old Rayshod Edwin Goldthwaite dead inside the vehicle. Goldthwaite had been shot. A Carver High School 2021 graduate with a bright future ahead of him, and a budding YouTube star, ABC 33/40 first got a chance to speak with Goldthwaite in 2019. He and his friends put a group together, and started feeding and clothing the homeless at Linn Park. It started much smaller. “We were all chillin in the house thinking about how we could help the community, so we took our last $30 to McDonald’s and bought 30 cheeseburgers, a case of water, and some bananas, and we drove around,” said Goldthwaite in a 2019 interview. He mentioned his friend Casey helped start the initiative. When others around Birmingham caught wind of the operation, donations started rolling in. A Baltimore City seventh-grader died during what was supposed to be a fun time away from home. Now an entire community—including his family members—are searching for answers. Officials say seventh-grader Athumani Brown died during a visit to a camp in Cecil County. Brown was a student at Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School. His devastated mother described her anguish on Twitter. https://cbsloc.al/3GXT0xy A building preserving a pivotal moment in our history is in the plans to be demolished. The Cathedral House in Newark, NJ was the site of the very first National Conference on Black Power in 1967 following the city’s unrest. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) plans to demolish the building for extra space needed for center operations, according to Jersey Digs. In July of 1967, our leaders of the Black liberation movement including Amiri Baraka, Rev. Dr. Nathan Wright Jr. and Jalil Al-Amin met at the Cathedral House in downtown Newark to discuss the issues hurting Black Americans. The meeting was just a few days after the Newark riots, to which some attendees arrived with bruises and injuries from altercations with police. Racial tensions were rising across the country but boiled over in Newark when a group of white NJ cops senselessly beat a Black jazz musician. Per the African American Registry, the meeting included 1,000 delegates representing 286 organizations who worked to develop resolutions to empower Black folks politically and economically. Re-examining unsolved murders. CBS 6 Crime Insider Jon Burkett has partnered with the Reopen the Case Foundation to highlight cold cases in Virginia with the hope that someone will see the story and provide police with the information investigators need to make an arrest. “It’s been four years. Nobody has said anything,” Sharie Harris said about the 2018 murder of her son Tahjmere Hopkins. “I don’t understand how nobody saw nothing.” Hopkins, 22, was found naked, with his hands and feet bound to a metal chair on the front porch of a home on St. Matthew Street in Petersburg. Mayor Ken McClure, on behalf of himself and the Springfield City Council, expressed his condolences for the passing of former City Councilman Denny Whayne. “It is a sad night,” McClure said. “Springfield has lost an icon who worked tirelessly to bring communities of people together.” Whayne was the first African American elected to City Council since it was formed in 1953 and served as the Zone 1 representative for two consecutive four-year terms. He was first elected in 2001 and served until 2009. Whayne was a member of the Finance, Plans and Policies, Administration, and Public Involvement committees. Whayne, who grew up in Springfield, joined the NAACP at 11 and later participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961. He continued his civil rights work in Tulsa during the 1960s when racial tensions were high. He returned to Springfield in 1972 and served as president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP from 1980 to 1988. The family of the author whose article inspired the 1986 Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun” on Monday sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement over this year’s blockbuster sequel “Top Gun: Maverick.” According to a complaint filed in C federal court, the Paramount Global (PARA.O) unit failed to reacquire the rights to Ehud Yonay’s 1983 article “Top Guns” from the family before releasing the “derivative” sequel. The lawsuit by Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, who live in Israel and are respectively Ehud’s widow and son, seeks unspecified damages, including profits from “Top Gun: Maverick,” and to block distribution of the movie or further sequels. Paramount said in a statement: “These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.” “Top Gun: Maverick” is this year’s biggest box office hit, generating $291 million in North America and $548.6 million globally in its first 10 days of release. The high-flying action film directed by Joseph Kosinski has received strong reviews, and has Cruise reprising his role as U.S. Navy test pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. It is already Cruise’s highest-grossing film domestically, surpassing 2005’s “War of the Worlds.” A federal judge on Monday rejected Kevin Spacey’s bid to dismiss a civil lawsuit in which fellow actor Anthony Rapp accused the Oscar winner of making an unwanted sexual advance during a party at Spacey’s Manhattan home in 1986, when Rapp was 14. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said there was a genuine factual dispute about whether the now 62-year-old Spacey forcibly touched Rapp’s “intimate parts” to gratify his own sexual desire. Kaplan said Rapp, 50, who is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, can pursue claims of battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The judge dismissed an assault claim because Rapp brought it too late. Amanda Seales isn’t pleased with being left off the farewell episode of the talk show, The Real. The actress took to Instagram on Saturday to respond to promotion of the finale, which didn’t include her. “So apparently The Real, in their finale episode, did promo,” she said in an Instagram video. “I am not featured in this thumbnail and I am not featured in the farewell episode, apparently. I’ll have some things to say about that.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CeZu4T1JpfR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Arizona senate candidate endorsed by former president Donald Trump has argued that America’s high rate of mass shootings is caused not by lax gun laws and easy accessibility of high-powered rifles, but by its Black population. Former tech investor and Republican senate candidate Blake Masters made the shocking remarks — first reported by The Daily Beast — last month during an interview for the Jeff Oravits Show podcast. Mr. Masters told the programmer presenter “we do have a gun violence problem in this country, and it’s gang violence” before leaning on the tired trope that gun violence is most frequently perpetrated by people in large cities with Democratic mayors “shooting at each other” rather than GOP-supporting gun owners. “It’s … people in Chicago, St. Louis shooting each other. Very often, you know, Black people, frankly,” he said, adding that he believes “the Democrats don’t want to do anything about that.” Continuing, the Republican senate candidate posited that the Biden administration’s limited efforts to crack down on untraceable “ghost guns” and “pistol braces” that allow handguns to be fired faster and more accurately are “all about disarming law-abiding people, like you and me.” “They care that we can’t have guns to defend ourselves,” he said, though he offered no evidence to support his claim. DLC Media Group, Jude 3 Project, and Cross Culture Studios announce the release of their powerful and transformative documentary, Unspoken. Directed by Christopher LaMark, produced by Lisa Fieldswith Don J. Carey III, and executive produced by Carey, Unspoken is an in-depth documentary that dispels the historical narrative that Christianity, one of the world’s most widely practiced religions, was created by and for white men. Unspoken is available for streaming at Unspokenmovie.com on June 19th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ced-NJz_RD4+&feature=youtu.be At least 50 people, many of them children, are feared dead after gunmen shot at worshippers and detonated explosives at a church in southwestern Nigeria on Pentecost Sunday. Legislator Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole said the attackers descended upon St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state just as people started to gather for worship. Bishop Jude Arogundade of the Ondo Diocese said gunmen invaded the church while other gunmen outside also killed churchgoers who were fleeing in terror. A priest was also reportedly abducted. In the wake of the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last week, a short film on lockdown drills released a few years ago is again going viral. The clip opens under the premise of an all-staff meeting being held at a school in National City, Calif., with the leader of the gathering sharing that they would be learning about “what to do in the event of an active shooter.” She notes that a “special guest” will be guiding the team-building exercise, before referring to her as an “expert” on the subject. In walks a young girl named Kayleigh. And almost immediately the faces on the educators turn from relaxed to strained. “If there was an active shooter, you would all be dead,” she tells them without hesitation. “When you talk out loud, the shooter can tell where you are, and where you’re hiding.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/following-texas-school-shooting-e2-80-98heartbreaking-e2-80-99-video-on-lockdown-drills-goes-viral/ar-AAY12h6?fullscreen=true&cvid=08f7c699a96949fe8ff2ed1b2e1c3a90#image=1 Four years and six days before a fourth-grade class was gunned down at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Rhonda Hart lost her teenage daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, in a shooting at a high school about 300 miles east. She’s a member of a tragic, steadily growing network: parents of children who were killed in mass shootings. “We call it, unofficially, the Dead Kid Club,” she said. So when she heard the news of yet another school shooting in Texas, Hart knew better than most what that will mean for the 19 families now missing young members. “If you look up the cycle of grief, it’s supposed to go around in a circle: denial, anger, whatever. But that circle is B.S.,” she said. “It’s not so much a circle as a pinball machine. They’re going to be bouncing around from all these different emotions. They’re going to think they’re fine, and then one little incident will set them off.” For Hart, one such incident came when she pulled up at the grocery store less than a year after her daughter’s death at Santa Fe High School. Kimberly, age 14, was one of eight students and two teachers shot to death; 13 others were wounded. Billionaire Republican Rick Caruso is running for mayor of Los Angeles and has received the endorsement of Snoop Dogg and Kim Kardashian. Caruso is facing off against progressive Democrat Karen Bass, who would be the first woman to hold the position if she wins on Nov. 8. As reported by Moguldom.com, Caruso has also received support from 88-year-old Watts community activist Sweet Alice Harris, founder of the charitable committee Parents of Watts. https://twitter.com/i/status/1530311403742998528 One of Instagram’s favorite couples has called it quits! According to PEOPLE magazine, Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan have ended their relationship after 1 year together. People details that the two decided to part ways because of their different views on their future. Michael wanted to become more official and stable (aka get married), and Lori wasn’t ready for that type of commitment just yet“ Michael and Lori are both completely heartbroken,” the source says. “They still love each other. Michael matured a lot over the course of their relationship and was ready to commit for the long term. He let down his guard with her, opening up emotionally in a romantic relationship for the first time,” adds the source. “They had great times together and brought out the best in each other.” A Texas woman was reportedly charged with abuse of a corpse after throwing her boyfriend’s mother’s ashes into a lake after finding that he allegedly cheated on her. According to Black Enterprise, Augustine Gladney is accused of dumping her boyfriend’s mother’s ashes into Lake Worth in 2020. Black Enterprise also reports that although the crime is alleged to have happened two years ago, a TikTok showing a woman doing essentially claiming to do the same thing——tossing her partner’s mother’s ashes into a body of water because they allegedly cheated——surfaced, bringing attention to the story. Black Enterprise reports that it is unclear if the woman in the video is Gladney, but that it remains unlikely as the incident occurred more than two years ago. https://www.dailydot.com/irl/boyfriends-mothers-ashes/ Many of us pride ourselves on being original, be it the way we dress, how we decide to style our hair or even what footwear we decide to stunt in during the hotter seasons. It’s for that reason, and maybe a few others we can think of, that it can be extremely annoying when someone confuses you for a whole different person. Veteran actor Jamie Foxx is arguably one of the most known people in the world, yet he recently reminisced on a time when one of his female Hollywood peers actually confused him for equally famous three-time NBA champion Rick Fox while high on drugs. The flicks seen above clearly show that Jamie, standing at 5’9, has little to no resemblance to Rick, who’s height clocks in at a towering 6’7. Still, the Ray actor described the incident with pure hilarity while visiting the new podcast by R&B singer Tank and his manager J. Valentine called R&B Money. “I ain’t saying no names, but I was in a hotel room with a very prominent actress and she was doing cocaine,” Foxx said during uncontrollable fits of laughter between him and the hosts, going on to add, “I don’t do that because of my religious beliefs, but she does the cocaine, she says ‘I’m a bad mother,’ and then she goes, ‘Wow, I didn’t think I would be in this room doing cocaine with Rick Fox.’” Jamie says his unnamed actress friend thought he was Rick Fox “the whole f*cking night,” with him even hilariously stating, “I’m not light skin with good hair like this n*gga.” As the conversation progresses, he goes on to explain how he ended up in that situation in the first place. “I’m pulling up in my limo [and] she jumps in my limo thinking it’s someone elses,” Fox humorously recalls, later attempting to mimic her intoxicated demeanor by adding, “F*cking God! What am I doing?!” Jamie replies, “I don’t know; I can’t believe you’re in here,” to which the actress then says, “Are you f*cking serious?! I can’t f*cking believe I’m with Rick Fox!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CedWLZXOuPS/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a94297b6-32d3-44f1-838c-7ebdcf93f580 Black man drowned in Arizona this weekend and police watched him lose his life while adamantly refusing to even try to rescue him, according to the officers’ own transcripts. Sean Bickings died Saturday after entering Tempe Town Lake, but Tempe police officers responding to reports of an argument had the opportunity to try to save the 34-year-old man, a press release from the Tempe city government suggests. As a result, all three officers who responded have been placed on paid leave while Bickings’ drowning is investigated. The incident unfolded when there was a reported instance of domestic violence between Bickings and his wife near the Tempe Center for the Arts, which is located near a bridge. Even though Bickings and his wife denied there was any domestic violence, the officers detained them while “running their names through a database used to check whether people have outstanding arrest warrants,” the Tempe press release said, calling that “a standard procedure.” The press release went on to say that “Bickings decided to slowly climb over a 4-foot metal fence and enter the water.” The press release says Bickings ignored police orders and “swam about 30-40 yards before repeatedly indicating he was in distress.” That’s when Bickings submerged and never reappeared, the press release says. Even before the mass murders in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, Stacey Abrams has been tying Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to bad policy on guns and safety. Calling the permitless carry law Kemp signed “criminal carry,” Team Abrams wants to send the message that the current governor is unfit to keep citizens safe. According to Abrams, a review of court records showed that 11,396 people had their conceal and carry permits denied or revoked in three years. Arguably, without a permit requirement, officials will not be able to track those individuals deemed too “dangerous” to be granted a permit or those requiring the permit be revoked. The campaign of Georgia congressional candidate Vernon Jones, the Black Republican who used to be a Democrat and is now in the running to be most confused and sunken-placed Black man in America. “Straight, white males deserve a Pride Month,” Jones tweeted on Thursday, apparently in reference to the fact that June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ community. “The Left won’t acknowledge it, but that group might just be the most discriminated group in America today.” Early Sunday morning news broke about Atlanta rapper #Trouble, whose real name is Mariel Semonte Orr, being murdered. According to WSBTV, Trouble was shot around 3:20 a.m. Sunday morning. Rockdale deputies arrived on the scene and found the rapper lying on the ground. He was then taken to a local hospital, where he died. Investigators have not made any arrests, but they have obtained an arrest warrant for 33-year-old #JamichaelJones, charging him with murder. Anyone with information that could assist investigators or lead them to Jones should contact them at 770-278-8188. https://youtu.be/0wkj-wI3UhQ The estranged wife of NeNe Leakes’ new boyfriend is suing the reality tv star for “alienation of affections” and “criminal conversation.” Leakes is at the center of a $100,000 lawsuit filed by Malomine Tehmeh-Sioh, the wife of Leakes’ boyfriend Nyonisela Sioh, Page Six reports. Tehmeh-Sioh claims Leakes and Sioh had an affair while they were still married, which ultimately led to the married couple’s separation. Leakes and Sioh went public with their relationship in late 2021. Tehmeh-Sioh claims she and Sioh officially separated on Dec. 17. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-06-03-060222-nene-leakes-1434931/ Abby De La Rosa is pregnant nearly a year after welcoming twins with Nick Cannon. On Thursday, the 31-year-old DJ shared the news on Instagram along with a photo of herself and letter balloons spelling out “BABY.” “IM PREGNANT,” she captioned a photo. “Another set of twins?!” she added. https://www.instagram.com/hiabbydelarosa/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9f6d98c6-9c41-4e81-a40f-181069614026 You know what makes happy hour happier? Bellying up to the bar with rapper Drake and knocking back shots with him - on his dime. Such was the lucky fate of Brittney Keara, who filmed the footage at a seafood restaurant in Detroit and spilled the details to TMZ last week. The “Certified Lover Boy” artist at first turned down the drink offer from Keara and her friend, explaining he had to catch a flight, she said. He then returned for a few shots - tequila for him - and seemed to be having fun as he toasted with the women. But he didn’t seem over the moon about Detroit when Keara asked if he was enjoying the city. The three reportedly made small talk and the four-time Grammy winner upgraded Keara’s whiskey order and covered the whole tab. “Appreciate you,” Keara says. “Welcome to the D!” https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-06-03-060322-drake-1435499/ A video has surfaced of an intoxicated passenger being escorted off a plane by Greek officers after the passenger peed on his brother and incited a mid-flight brawl. The incident occurred earlier last month on a Jet2 aircraft from London to the Greek island of Crete, but a smartphone recording of the brothers’ altercation finally surfaced on Wednesday. In the video, police are seen taking a man down the aisle towards the exit, but his face isn’t visibly seen. Instead, you could see that the passenger wearing a white tank shirt pulled up to his chest, revealing his back. According to a witness, the flight crew discovered one empty bottle of Ciroc Vodka and a half-empty bottle under the brothers’ seats. https://youtu.be/1L9VNqB9jQo D.L. Hughley’s daughter Ryan Nicole Shepard has clapped back at Mo’Nique amid the comedian’s online feud with Ryan’s dad. In case you missed it, Mo’Nique and Hughley erupted in a war of words on social media last week over a contract dispute related to their stand-up show last month at the Fox Theater in Detroit. Amid their back-and-forth, Mo posted a video of Hughley admitting that when his daughter (not Ryan) told him that she was sexually assaulted by one of his male friends, he initially didn’t believe her. “When I said ‘how can DL’s wife suck the d**k of a coward’, this is what I meant,” Mo’Nique wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram. Danielle McCleave has made history as the first Black woman to earn a Doctorate degree in Architecture from the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture. “When I first found out I would be the first Black woman to obtain this degree, I was hit with a variety of emotions. I was excited to be in this position of trailblazing, and I knew it would be encouraging for other Black women looking to get into design,” McCleave said, according to the University of Hawaii News. While Danielle was proud of her accomplishment, she was also partly saddened that in 2022, she was yet the first and only one. Her degree serves as a milestone within the industry where out of 116,242 architects in the US, only 2% are Black architects and 0.4% are Black females. “We have learned time and time again that representation matters, and how important it is to be able to see yourself in other people doing different things, so I hope that my journey can be an encouragement for other women and people of color to get into architecture and design,” she added. Danielle earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in sculpture and painting from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She then continued her studies at UH Manoa, where she won the Hawai’i Architectural Foundation award for her thesis on housing titled “Redesigning the Hood: Using Culturally Aware Wellness as a Tool to Inform Architectural Design.” On Thursday, June 2, STARZ celebrated the world premiere of “P-Valley” season two with an energetic, neon-filled premiere event at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. In attendance were series stars Nicco Annan, Elarica Johnson, Brandee Evans, Shannon Thornton and J. Alphonse Nicholson, as well as creator, executive producer, and Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall. Grammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion, who collaborated on a new original song featured on the soundtrack of the sophomore season, joined the celebration. Musicians the City Girls, actors Charlie Hunnam, Wendell Pierce, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Elvis Nolasaco, Savannah James, Tasha Smith and many more were also in attendance at the star-studded event. Additionally, talent from STARZ’s other hit series including “Gaslit,” “Run The World,” “Blindspotting,” “Power Book II: Ghost” and “Power Book IV: Force” came to toast the return of the critically acclaimed drama. Explore the history, meaning and significance of the Juneteenth holiday at Broward County Library’s upcoming Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom, a free online event scheduled for Saturday, June 11th from 1 to 2:30PM. This free online event features an afternoon of dynamic speakers, including the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" Opal Lee, who spearheaded the movement to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday: Dr. Brenna Wynn Greer, associate professor of history at Wellesley College, examines the history and significance of Juneteenth, the oldest-known celebration honoring the official end of slavery in the United States, in the event's first presentation, "Why Juneteenth Matters." Adrian Miller, soul food scholar, James Beard Award-winner, attorney and certified barbecue judge discusses the history of African American barbecue culture detailed in his book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. Alice Faye Duncan, National Board Educator and children's book author (Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free; Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop) will speak about the life and contributions of Opal Lee. Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," retired educator, counselor and activist, was instrumental in Juneteenth becoming an official holiday and was present at the Presidential signing. In recognition of her actions, 33 members of Congress nominated Lee for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Hear Lee's story in her own words and be inspired by her courage, wisdom and perseverance in the face of challenges. Museum of the Bible will premiere a one-night gala experience entitled “Blessing of the Elders” in the museum’s World Stage Theater from 7–10 p.m. ET on June 23. Blessing of the Elders will pay tribute to the faith-filled legacy of the Black Church and its historical and modern-day figures whose contributions have been foundational to America’s faith, culture and history. Harry Hargrave, CEO of Museum of the Bible said, “Our hope for Blessing of the Elders is to honor—past and present—Black pastors who have impacted America with their significant ministry.” The red carpet, invitation-only celebration will be led by a significant cast of presenters and gospel singers, including co-hosts Erica Campbell and Bebe Winans, Ambassador Andrew Young, Pastor Marvin L. Winans, Tramaine Hawkins, The Clark Sisters, Fred Hammond, Wintley Phipps, Lecrae and Denzel and Paulette Washington. Honorees on June 23rd will include seven of America’s most well-known pastors and leaders including: Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dr. Tony Evans, Bishop Charles E. Blake, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Dr. A.R. Bernard, Bishop Vashti McKenzie and Dr. John Perkins. Lakewood Church pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen have announced they will be returning to Yankee Stadium on Saturday, August 6 at 7:00 p.m. for "Come Home to Hope," an evening of inspiration and a time to refresh your spirit and gather together with hope and faith. This summer's "Come Home to Hope" event will be the Osteen's first large-scale public gathering outside Houston in more than three years and will include special guests, inspirational speakers, and praise and worship music from award-winning artists including Cece Winans and Tauren Wells. Since inception, these incredible events have been attended by more than 2 million people in stadiums around the world. "Victoria and I are looking forward to bringing this evening of inspiration back to Yankee Stadium and the amazing people of New York," said Joel Osteen. "It will be an exciting time for us to be together again. I believe now, more than ever, is the time for us to shine, to be a voice of peace and hope, and draw closer to God." "Come Home to Hope" marks the third time the Osteens have held services at the iconic stadium. The couple most recently hosted a "Night of Hope" at the stadium in 2014 and first held services at the venue in 2009, which notably marked the first non-baseball event ever held at the current Yankee Stadium. There are 12 Black Republicans running in statewide races across California this election year. Come June 7, when the primaries are held, many of them – already longshots without local or statewide political experience – will likely be eliminated from competing in the November general elections. Either way, it goes, some of the Black Republican candidates that California Black Media (CBM) has spoken with say they have already made a difference. They entered their races to represent Californians who are frustrated with the policies coming out of the Democratic-run Statehouse and Legislature in Sacramento and their ideas and opposition on problems from homelessness and affordable housing to education and the environment have already begun to influence political conversations at the state, county and municipal levels across California. “I really think 2020 woke up a lot of people to get involved in legislation — find out how a lot of things work,” said Pastor Brian Hawkins, a San Diego native and San Jacinto city councilmember who is a Black Republican candidate running to defeat U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz. A pride-month event at a Dallas gay bar inviting children to take the stage alongside drag queens was met with outrage and encouragement alike over the weekend. The event invited parents to bring their kids along for a morning drag show, and featured children dancing alongside men dressed in drag beneath a pink neon sign reading ‘It’s not gonna lick itself.’ Outraged protesters arrived to picket the event, while the shows promoters and participants defended the day as nothing more than an opportunity for people to share joy about who they are. The controversial event comes as debates rage across the country about how gender identity and children should interact. Photos and footage from the event showed adults sitting on stools surrounding a long narrow runway stage in the middle of the room. As parents sipped on drinks with kids seated at their side, drag queens in dresses and glittered leotards danced along the stage, at times inviting the children to walk down the runway with them. The drag queens snatched dollar bills from children’s outstretched hands, all beneath the glow of a pink neon sign reading ‘It’s not gonna lick itself.’ An online brochure for the event read ‘Mr. Misster’s Drag The Kids To Pride Drag Show provides the ultimate family friendly pride experience.’ It continued: ‘Do you want to hit the stage with the queens? We have FIVE limited spots for young performers to take the stage solo, or with a queen of their choosing! Come hangout with the Queens and enjoy this unique pride experience, fit for guests of all ages!’ The event was met with vitriol by some, who came out in protest and called after parents in line with their children, accusing them of ‘grooming’ and endangering their kids. ‘I only have one question, why do you want to put an axe-wound in between your son’s legs?’ one protester says through a bullhorn. The National Football League has hired its first openly transgender cheerleader. Justine Lindsay, 29, told the world in an Instagram post in March she made the Topcats, the cheerleading squad for the Carolina Panthers. In that same Instagram post, she also came out as transgender. ‘Cats out [of] the bag, you are looking at the newest member of the Carolina Panthers Topcats Cheerleader’s as the first transgender female,’ she wrote. ‘I would like to thank the beautiful and talented dancers who supported me along the way, alumni, TopCats family and friends for your love and support. I would not have gotten to this moment in my life if it wasn’t for the support.’ Lindsay will now represent the Carolina Panthers at everything from community events and fundraisers to business conferences. Though the NFL does not keep a record of its cheerleaders, Lindsay is believed to be the first openly transgender female in the league. And she told Buzzfeed News she is proud to take on that mantle, saying: ‘I think more people need to see this. It’s not because I want recognition. It’s to shed light on what’s going on in this world.’ She has now been pictured practicing for the upcoming 2022 – 23 season. In April, Florida’s Celebration Church released a bombshell report on its founding pastor, claiming he was a “narcissist” who belittled staff and treated them like servants while he and his wife enjoyed a luxurious, jet-setting lifestyle and multiple mansions. Now the embattled former megachurch leader, Stovall Weems, is waging a legal brawl against the organization he founded in 1998, claiming its board of trustees staged a “nefarious coup” to make him and his wife Kerri “pariahs” to their flock and destroy their ability to form ministries elsewhere. The non-denominational church, based in Jacksonville, has locations as far-flung as the Netherlands and Paris, and boasts about 20,000 members. The 52-year-old Weems, who for months has denied any wrongdoing, filed a defamation suit against Celebration, some of its trustees, and the church’s lawyer last weekend in the latest salvo of a months-long clash in the courts and in the press. https://youtu.be/SNlr_PLYW98 Pope Francis added fuel to rumors about the future of his pontificate by announcing he would visit the central Italian city of L’Aquila in August for a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V, one of the few pontiffs who resigned before Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013. Italian and Catholic media have been rife with unsourced speculation that the 85-year-old Francis might be planning to follow in Benedict’s footsteps, given his increased mobility problems that have forced him to use a wheelchair for the last month. Those rumors gained steam last week when Francis announced a consistory to create 21 new cardinals scheduled for Aug. 27. Sixteen of those cardinals are under age 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave to elect Francis’ successor. Once they are added to the ranks of princes of the church, Francis will have stacked the College of Cardinals with 83 of the 132 voting-age cardinals. While there is no guarantee how the cardinals might vote, the chances that they will tap a successor who shares Francis’ pastoral priorities become ever greater. In announcing the Aug. 27 consistory, Francis also announced he would host two days of talks the following week to brief the cardinals about his recent apostolic constitution reforming the Vatican bureaucracy. That document, which goes into effect Sunday, allows women to head Vatican offices, imposes term limits on priestly Vatican employees and positions the Holy See as an institution at the service of local churches, rather than vice versa. A flyer on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan was reportedly left on the steps of a mostly Black church in rural Mississippi. According to a community member’s Facebook post, the flyer is in support of “The Old Glory Knights of the Ku Klux Klan” and states that the group is “alive and growing” in 14 states, including Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. It was found May 29 on the steps of Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Hernando in DeSoto County, the post said. The Old Glory Knights are a Klan chapter that appeared sometime last year, Lydia Bates, a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center told The Commercial Appeal. They have distributed flyers in the past, but flyer campaigns, Bates said, do not always mean the group is active. “Flyering is such a low cost, low stakes way to get their messaging out there to intimidate people, to attempt to recruit people,” Bates said. “Them saying that they are growing in 14 states is pretty unbelievable. The Klan has been declining a lot in the last five to ten years. They are really losing a lot of members, not attracting new recruits. That is really just self aggrandizing.” Atlanta rapper Trouble has died at the age of 34. The rapper was reportedly shot and killed on Sunday morning (June 5) according to various Atlanta-based blogs, though the cause of death has yet to be confirmed, via Hip Hop N More. The news was confirmed by the rapper’s ex-girlfriend Alexis Sky in a heartfelt message on Twitter and Instagram. “Never would have imagined getting the call this morning. Lost for words. Sorry this happen to you Skoob…Praying for your kids and family,” she wrote. Trouble’s frequent collaborator Young Scooter also confirmed the news on his Instagram stories. He shared a photo of the late rapper and wrote “DAM SKOOB REST UP MY BOY.” Trouble’s last ever tweet was just after midnight. “Its toooooooo many 12 of for me tonight IM GOIN HOME… Yall move smoove outchea,” he tweeted. The rapper was signed to the Duct Tape Entertainment label where he collaborated with popular acts including Drake, The Weeknd, Migos, 2 Chainz, City Girls, and more. Rapper Lamar Jackson, aka “Hypo,” was stabbed to death Friday night at a party in East London. Police and paramedics were called to the scene and found him with stab injuries. The stabbing was the result of a fight breaking out at the event, according to reports. The emergency services workers pronounced the 39-year-old dead at the scene in the Woodford section. “This man was attacked at a party and we know that a large number of people would have been in attendance,” said a statement from authorities. “I would urge anyone who is yet to speak with us to come forward and let us know what you saw. It is possible that events leading up to the stabbing, and perhaps the murder itself, was captured on people’s phones. Please take a look and call us. It is vital that we establish what happened.” Hypo was part of the influential East London-based Mashtown collective of rappers. He had 23,500 followers on Instagram. The family of Master P (Percy Miller) is in mourning following the death of his daughter Tytyana Miller, as the police work to figure out precisely what caused her death. Initial reports point to overdose as the cause. According to a report by TMZ, law enforcement sources say they found drug paraphernalia at the scene of her death, and they suspect it might have killed her. However, they found no substances present on the scene. The autopsy is said to be completed, but it will take several weeks for toxicology results. Fentanyl has been identified by some reports as a silent killer in several OD deaths. While it has not been identified as the cause of this particular death, LAPD investigators are said to be prepared to go into overdrive to find who supplied Tytyana with it, should toxicology point at it. Master P announced the death of his daughter Tytyana over the holiday weekend. Speaking to TMZ, he said the family needs the truth to heal and grow from this devastating news. Tytyana, 29, was one of his 4 daughters. “The only way that we are going to heal and grow from this is with the truth. It has been a long and painful journey for our family, my daughter has been battling with this since 2015. Mental illness and substance abuse is a real issue and we hope to turn this tragedy into a testimony,” he quipped. https://youtu.be/SynUf-7ihMw Al B. Sure is looking for prayer support. Via multiple Instagram posts, we’ve learned from the entertainer that he’s currently hospitalized in Mt. Vernon, NY. He also revealed that he had surgery, but did not detail why. A posting from June 1 shows him laying down on a hospital bed as a nurse draws several vials of blood. The caption reads, “#albeez around the world. Just getting it right. Love & Light! #AllPraiseisDuetoAllah.” Later posts were apparently put up by Sure’s team after he announced he was going in for surgery. As one post reads, “The #HealthandWellnes journey is almost complete and back #InEffectMode! Note, Al B! says please forgive the graphic nature of the image(s) for those with weak stomachs. “His #TrueOnes #Family and #LoveOnes requested that we keep them abreast of his progress so that we are doing with pleasure. He will share more with you directly from the horses mouth when he’s able to do so! #HellBeRightBack BETTER THAN EVER and ready to fight @celebrityboxing1 #InRecovery.” Da Baby is always into something, and that “something” is usually violent. Now, we’re not the type to blindly correlate violent tendencies to young Black males. However, it is quite apparent that Da Baby, born Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, is a violent man. Now, don’t get us wrong, violent times call for violent reactions. Sometimes it comes down to ‘Do you wanna live or not?’ But, man, this is a bit extra by any measure. Let’s go to the proverbial whiteboard, shall we? In 2018, Da Baby killed a man in self-defense. Supposedly. In 2019, Da Baby beats up a NC rapper in a mall for allegedly mocking him. In 2020, Da Baby beat up a promoter who owed him money. In 2020, Da Baby smacked a fan who had their phone too close to his face. “When the Senate failed to act, [Sen. Cory Booker] and I went to the President and asked him to act,” Bass tweeted the day Biden signed the order. “We worked closely with the White House and came up with an executive order that will help bring transparency and accountability to law enforcement,” she said. The executive order establishes a new database for federal law enforcement officers, such as FBI or DEA agents, who have been fired for misconduct. On the second anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, President Joe Biden signed an executive order inspired by police reform legislation introduced in Congress called the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37), who is running for Mayor of Los Angeles, introduced the legislation that passed in the House of Representatives but has stalled in the Senate. On this episode of Underground Magnolia Podcast, Doctor Bob Lee discusses: His longstanding career at WBLS, one of the most influential radio stations in the nation and the Black community.. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1oAdCD5HcqCSmQngVnLZKj?go=1&sp_cid=ebf346e1437843f828934ddcb9d26314&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop Brad Johnson, who jumped from rodeo cowboy to portraying the Marlboro Man in cigarette spots and film and TV roles including Steven Spielberg’s “Always” and “Melrose Place,” has died. He was 62. Johnson died Feb. 18 in Fort Worth, Texas, of complications from COVID-19, his agent, Linda McAlister, said Saturday. Johnson played opposite Holly Hunter in 1989’s “Always,” a remake of a 1943 film (“A Guy Named Joe”) about firefighting pilots. He played a pilot again in the 2000 religious apocalyptic thriller “Left Behind,” starring Kirk Cameron, and was in its two sequels. He worked regularly on TV, including in the recurring role of Dr. Dominick O’Malley in “Melrose Place”; “Rough Riders,” “Soldier of Fortune, Inc.” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” Johnson was born in October 1959 to parents Grove, a horse trainer, and Virginia, in Tucson, Arizona. After competing in rodeos as a youth, he began his professional rodeo career in 1984 and was discovered by a movie scout, according to a family biography. Hollywood megastar Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife, Aquaman star Amber Heard, for defamation after describing herself in a 2018 op-ed as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp v. Heard has become a public phenomenon, with millions of people live streaming the testimonies and results and wondering what this trial will mean for both parties moving forward. The defamation case recently concluded, with the jury awarding Depp $15 million in compensation and punitive damages and Heard getting $2 million in damages. Heard is currently set to reprise her role as Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, for which she filmed most of her scenes in London during Fall 2021. Despite many fans siding with Depp regarding the trial, co-star Dolph Lundgren recently supported the actress after working with her for a second time under Warner Bros. Even though Heard was met with some cast member support, her time as Mera may quickly be coming to a close following this trial. According to reliable insider KC Walsh, Amber Heard’s scenes as Mera are set to be deleted from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom following a meeting between Warner Bros. higher-ups. Walsh’s rumor suggests Mera may die during childbirth at the start of the sequel, but its upcoming test screening will be telling. Heard admitted during the trial against Johnny Depp that her role had already been cut after being a leading star in the first film. Metro Boomin is mourning the loss of his mother. The super-producer’s mother, Leslie Wayne, was reportedly killed by her boyfriend on Saturday night (June 4), according to Hollywood Unlocked. The man then reportedly killed himself. More details are unknown at this time. Metro Boomin has not addressed the tragic report, but his friends took to social media to pay their respects. “Prayers up for Metro Boomin,” tweeted Juicy J, while DeJ Loaf commented, “Love + light to you @MetroBoomin.” Music legends led the BBC‘s Party At The Palace concert on Saturday night, with Diana Ross impressing the crowds as she belted out soul classics while Sir Rod Stewart and Queen and Adam Lambert also put on sensational shows. The highlight of the three-hour concert was Diana Ross, who took to the stage in an incredible black and white tulle gown at Buckingham Palace to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for her first UK performance in 15 years. The Supremes singer, 78, kicked off her performance with a rendition of Chain Reaction, which she sang backed-up by a talented choir while a glitter-ball was projected on to the Palace. In a sweet tribute to the Queen’s 70-year reign, Diana also belted out Thank You while the words flashed on the giant screen behind her and the crowds eagerly waved their Union Jacks in the air. The 22,000-strong crowd then erupted into deafening cheers as Diana launched into Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, with Kate Middleton seen looking equally impressed as she sang along from the Roy. As she closed the show, she said: ‘I am so proud and pleased to be sharing the evening with you!’ Two-time Academy Award winner and Hollywood darling Tom Hanks can seemingly do no wrong—unless, that is, you ask the actor himself. In a surprisingly candid interview with Radio Times, Hanks described himself as “a total idiot” for making a major health mistake that ultimately caused the star to be diagnosed with diabetes. Read on to learn which poor health habit the actor now deeply regrets, and how he surprised fans by following doctor’s orders. Appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2013, Hanks said the news of his diabetes came as a big surprise—though it arguably should have come as no surprise at all. “I went to the doctor, and he said, ‘You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you’ve graduated! You’ve got type 2 diabetes, young man,'” Hanks recounted. Up until then, the Sleepless in Seattle star had made only modest attempts to slow the progression of his pre-diabetes through his diet. “I thought I could avoid it by removing the buns from my cheeseburgers,” he told Radio Times. “Well, it takes a little bit more than that.” Hanks says his health habits were an indisputable cause of his rising blood sugar levels. “I’m part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady,” the actor told Radio Times. “I was heavy. You’ve seen me in movies, you know what I looked like. I was a total idiot.” Experts advise that if, like Hanks, you are diagnosed as pre-diabetic, losing between five and 10 percent of your body weight may help to reverse the course of your illness. In fact, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, doing so can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. A father and his two children have graduated together from a branch of Mississippi State University, each earning a master’s degree in education. Commondre Cole, son Ja’Coby Cole and daughter Iesha Gully were among the 153 graduates Thursday at MSU-Meridian’s spring commencement. Commondre Cole teaches at Northwest Middle School and Ja’Coby Cole teaches at Oakland Heights Elementary, both in the Meridian Public School District. Gully teaches at Northeast Elementary in the Lauderdale County School District. “This is a big accomplishment for our family,” Gully told WTOK-TV. “Just to keep driving and keep going forward and to lead by example and to show my younger siblings and the rest of my family that we can do it. We started strong, and we finish strong.” Ja’Coby Cole said he never thought he would become a teacher right away. “I knew I’d have to have a backup plan, so I thought about my mom, my dad’s and my sister’s footsteps,” he said. “They’re all educators, and I thought it’d be best for me to follow their footsteps.” Commondre Cole said his wife, Jessica Gully-Cole, also teaches. She encouraged him to return to college with their children. “We accomplished this and we’re all walking together,” he said at the ceremony. Surveillance video caught the moment a 12-year-old boy shot a gun while robbing a gas station in Hartford, Michigan. The store clerk spoke with News Channel 3 and said she honestly thought the boy was joking when he told her to put the money in the bag. “I thought he was a kid, not even 10 years old, he sounded way too calm. The clerk added: I seriously thought it was a prank until I heard the gun go off. Part of me wanted to hold the kid because he has so many problems, but then it’s hard to feel bad when he did something like this.” According to Hartford Police, the 12-year-old boy stole the gun used in the gas station robbery from his grandfather’s locked safe. The grandfather recently spoke with authorities and said he didn’t know his grandson could access the safe. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeZZlKnufP_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Taking pictures, make sure you can’t see no lace, that wig secure like the money in a safe.” So goes the Chloe x Halle song, Do It. And those lyrics signify just how normalized wig-wearing is for Black women. Growing up it was normal to see your mum, aunts and even grandmas wearing one. But the state of wigs have evolved a lot since they started wearing them. I was 17 when I first ventured into the world of wigs and these were the days of closures. A closure is your bog-standard wig that usually features clips or an elastic band to ensure it stays in place all day. In fact, they’re perfect for everyday use, because they’re so easy to put on and take off. Now we also have the frontal wig, which has really taken off in the past couple of years. When Chloe and Halle sing, “Make sure you can’t see no lace”, they are referring to the lace on a frontal wig. A frontal differs from a closure wig as it’s typically glued down to your hairline so it looks more like your own hair. As Martha O explains on the Natural Girl Wigs blog: “One way to identify frontals is that they are used to recreate the hairline from ear to ear, while closures are used to recreate the natural parting of the hairline.” Kevin Hart reprised his role as a “shark” on ABC’s popular television show, “Shark Tank,” flexing his investing prowess. During the season finale, the actor and comedian partnered with long-time shark and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, to make a $600,000 deal. The Transformation Factory was the only brand during the season 13 finale to receive an offer and the first-ever sea moss brand featured in the show’s history. “Like most teens, I believed that I was invincible,” Gibson explained. “I thought I would be fine and had time to get healthy later. It wasn’t until my doctor told me that I wouldn’t live to see my 30th birthday that I understood how serious I needed to be about living.” Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey have ended their relationship, People reported on Saturday. The 35-year-old Creed star and the 25-year-old model reportedly broke up after having dated for around one and a half years. A source close to the exes told the publication that they were ‘completely heartbroken’ about the split and they ‘still love’ each other. ‘Michael matured a lot over the course of their relationship and was ready to commit for the long term,’ the insider added. ‘He let down his guard with her, opening up emotionally in a romantic relationship for the first time.’ ‘They had great times together and brought out the best in each other.’ Neither Michael nor Lori have publicly commented on their split. Notable Black artists such as Billy Porter, Anthony Hamilton, Earth Wind & Fire, Jhené Aiko, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Lucky Daye, Killer Mike, The Roots, Robert Glasper, Michelle Williams, Mary Mary, Mickey Guyton are lined up for a once-in-a-lifetime Juneteenth show at the Hollywood Bowl on June 19. The Juneteenth show is being put together by Live Nation Urban in collaboration with Jesse Collins Entertainment to celebrate the 157th anniversary of Black American Independence Day. Adam Blackstone and Questlove will serve as musical directors. This is also the first time an all-Black orchestra will perform on the Hollywood Bowl stage. The Re-Collective Orchestra, the 68-piece all-Black symphony orchestra, will be conducted by Derrick Hodge and Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Thomas Wilkins. “This is the most important event we’ve ever produced at Live Nation Urban. It’s a moment to celebrate and reflect on black independence and the black experience,” said Shawn Gee, President of Live Nation Urban, in a statement. It’s also a moment to raise awareness and shine light on the miles we still need to travel to true equity. We hope to see you there.” He added that the celebration “promises to be an unforgettable celebration of Black culture and excellence brought to life and powered by Black creators.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics released THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION — MAY 2022. The key statistic was the economy added 390,000 jobs and unemployment was steady at 3.6% compared to the April numbers. The figures were considered modest compared to months since the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic battered the economy. Several industries did very well. These included leisure and hospitality and professional and business services. One group posted figures much worse than the national number. Unemployment among Blacks was 6.2%. This was 94% above the number for White Americans, which was 3.2%. Among other major demographic groups, the figure for adult males was 3.4%, which was the same as the number for women. Among Asians, the number was 2.4%. Among Hispanics, the figure was 4.3%. The Indianapolis Children’s Museum, aka the ‘world’s largest children’s museum’ is being called out for being racially insensitive for serving ‘Juneteenth Watermelon Salad’ on their menu ahead of the national holiday. Visitors were outraged when they noticed the $10 watermelon salad for Juneteenth – which many slammed as ‘racially insensitive.’ Jackson Moon, aka Jackson Adams, shared a picture of the salad on Twitter with the caption: ‘Racially insensitive salads. NOBODY BLACK ASKED FOR THIS!’ One of the most popular holiday songs of all time is being legally challenged by a country music songwriter who claims copyright infringement over “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Mariah Carey and co-writer Walter Afansieff are named in the lawsuit by songwriter Andy Stone, who claims his “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Vince Vance & the Valiants from 1989 is being infringed. Stone filed his papers in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. While the songs have the same title, there is only a hint of Carey’s melody or lyrics beyond the title call-out. Carey’s version of the song came out in 1994 and has become a holiday staple on radio, streaming, and the NBA’s annual slate of games on Christmas Day. Stone claims his song received extensive airplay during the 1993 holiday season. He is asking for $20 million in damages. Stone claims Carey and Afansieff “intentionally engaged in a campaign to infringe” his copyright on the work. Generations of American families have religiously gone to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, but this might change, thanks to the outrageous costs of admission, accommodations, and even spending inside the park. Many visitors now wonder if a vacation at Disney is really for the average American family or just for the rich. A family of four from NJ recently took a trip to Disney World and was shocked over how much they had to spend on their visit. Speaking to Fox News Digital, the family stated there are changes at the park, so it is not what it used to be in the past. For instance, there is no longer the Magical Express that used to serve as a courtesy shuttle. To deal with this new reality, the family forked out $200 for private transportation to get to and from the airport. For the five days they attended, they spent $2,550 on park hopper tickets. They spent $3,780 on lodging for the four nights inside the resort. That is for the parents and two kids. Inside the park, they spent $300 on Genie plus passes for their entire trip to skip lines so that they don’t waste much time waiting for rides. They further spent $950 on sit-down meals. For snacks and souvenirs, another $700 went out. In summary, the vacation gulped down $8,480 before including the airfare, which cost around $1600. https://youtu.be/rWlhgYl8HBk Nearly 500 women graduation candidates at North Carolina’s Bennett College received a pleasant surprise when Debt Collective offered to clear their debt. Debt Collective is a union of debtors rallying against consumer debt. The union contacted the president of the HBCU and proposed to come through for the current graduating students. It was a special congratulatory gift that the women almost missed because Suzanne Walsh, the president of the college, initially ignored the email coming from the Debt Collective, thinking it was a scam. Walsh reasoned that no one would simply come out of the blue and offer to clear such a huge debt, so she was skeptical. However, when Bennett College and Debt Collective officials finally had a conversation, the latter negotiated to clear $1.7 million of the unpaid student balances. The lucky women whose debt is canceled will not have a student balance, essentially having full access to postgraduate records. https://youtu.be/eJuBkz9RnBU Liveright Publishing Corporation and Glory Edim founder of Well-Read Black Girl announced a partnership for a literary series dedicated to debut fiction by women and non-binary authors, “with a focus on people of color and traditionally underrepresented voices.” The series is called “WRBG x Liveright” and stating in 2023 will publish two books a year. It continues a wave of recent imprints centered on diversifying the literary market, from Tiny Reparations at Penguin Random House to Black Privilege Publishing at Simon & Schuster. It also comes at a time when a wave of new laws and other actions have led to books being removed from schools and libraries around the country. “I founded Well-Read Black Girl in 2015 to serve as a one-of-a kind affirming space for Black women to encounter literature and engage in critical discourse with one another,” Edim said in a statement. Last fall, Liveright published “On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library,” for which Edim chose stories by Toni Morrison, Edwidge Danticat and Zora Neale Hurston among others. Edim’s affinity for Liveright’s parent company, W.W. Norton & Company, dates back to her years as a student at Howard University, when assignments often were drawn from Norton’s widely used anthologies. At first they will only accept submission from authors with agents, but will open up requirements in the future. LeBron James asked his 51 million followers on Twitter to “pray for our community” following the beating death Thursday night of an Akron teen on the campus of his I Promise School. Akron Police say 17-year-old Ethan Liming was beaten to death after he and his friends got into a confrontation with another group of males at the school’s basketball court. Officers responding to calls of a fight found Liming’s body in a parking lot near the basketball court at the school at 400 W. Market St. Akron Public Schools said Liming was a “rising senior” at Firestone Community Learning Center and was in the school’s Academy of Design. The death comes on the heels of a shooting at a vigil earlier in the week in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood that left one man dead and a teenager and another man wounded. Simone Johnson, daughter of wrestling star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson finally revealed her professional wrestling name, but to her disappointment, many of her father’s fans were not impressed. Many fans openly criticized Johnson’s name choice, saying it was not a nod to her father. Some critics were not satisfied with just registering their dissatisfaction; they went ahead to offer what they considered better alternatives. But Johnson shot back, maintaining her wrestling name was her choice. The WWE announced on its website in 2020 that Johnson had begun to train to become a WWE star at its performance center in Orlando, Florida. “Simone Johnson’s unbridled passion and incredible drive have earned her a coveted spot training with the elite athletes from around the world at the WWE Performance Center,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque, an executive VP for WWE, said in the statement. “Not only does Simone now have an opportunity to cultivate and display her passion for WWE within the Performance Center, but she’ll carry on the tradition of her incredible family lineage while creating her own impact as WWE’s first fourth-generation Superstar.” Wednesday, June 2, 2022, Jody Watley was showered with affection and admiration in Atlanta for “Jody Watley Day,” at the Georgia State Capitol. She was publicly recognized for her time, effort, and dedication to humanity in the form of the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony. “Today was incredible,” says the Grammy-winning trendsetting icon in music, video, fashion and style. “To be honored and recognized in this way with your own day and the presidential lifetime achievement award is absolutely surreal, and I’m truly grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey.” https://youtu.be/dflF38mJDuE Herschel Walker did an interview with Killer Mike on REVOLT TV’s Love & Respect. Walker suddenly wants people to know that Donald Trump never asked him to run for the Senate and his political views vary depending on who his audience is. “Why is the CRT (critical race theory) allowed to be—and even by you—used as a trigger word to…get votes and scare people, and how can we benefit by teaching white children the truth about this country?” Mike asked Walker. He also asked the candidate if he would “support something not called ‘CRT,’ but a truth-based teaching” of America. https://twitter.com/i/status/1531368499540398080 Marjorie Taylor Greene always says the quiet parts out loud. A clip shared by Right Wing Watch shows Greene trying to position herself as protecting children’s futures and helping families have economic opportunities under the guise of Christian Nationalism. Her attempted reframing of the ideology does not sound like a serious attempt at dialogue about the issue and sounds like the prelude to giving out marching orders. The rhetoric and tenor of her commentary and the policies Greene and others of her “movement” support are dangerous. https://twitter.com/i/status/1532724881523081216 Last month, we reported that a 911 dispatcher who got a call reporting the horrific and racist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, was set to be fired because she was accused of being rude to the caller, who ducked down behind a customer service desk and whispering, and she hung up on her. Well, now that dispatcher has been fired and she appears to be trying to blame the caller for what happened. According to the Buffalo News, Sheila E. Ayers worked for Erie County’s Central Police Services Department for eight years. Here’s what Latisha Rogers, an assistant office manager at the Jefferson Avenue Tops location where the shooting took place, said she experienced when she called 911 and Ayers picked up. “She was yelling at me, saying, ‘Why are you whispering? You don’t have to whisper,’” Rogers said. “And I was telling her, ‘Ma’am, he’s still in the store. He’s shooting. I’m scared for my life. I don’t want him to hear me. Can you please send help?’ She got mad at me, hung up in my face.” The News noted that when Rogers told her story to other news outlets, she mentioned that she had dropped her phone and when she picked it back up, she realized the dispatcher had hung up. This, of course, led to uncertainty about who hung up on whom. And it appears that because Rogers didn’t mention dropping her phone the first time she told her story, Ayers is claiming she has changed her story “multiple times.” Ayers insisted: “I’m being attacked for one side of the story.” An 8-year-old Black boy from Portsmouth, New Hampshire was shot and killed in Florence County, South Carolina on May 28, by a white man who was randomly shooting at cars driving by his house. The boy, who police identified as Quarius Dunham, was vacationing with his family in South Carolina when Charles Montgomery Allen shot the child and his father as they passed by in their vehicle. According to coroner reports, Dunham was shot in the neck and died the following day from his injuries. His father, who was shot in the leg, survived and is expected to make a full recovery. Allen was arrested and charged with one count of murder, nine counts of attempted murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Police say Allen shot at and hit multiple cars that passed by his home in Florence. Local law enforcement told ABC 15 News that they were familiar with Allen and that he had a history with Police. As previously reported, Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old who shot and killed 10 Black people at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, expressed his belief in the “Great Replacement Theory,” in an online manifesto that he published before carrying out his horrific and racist massacre. We also reported that the theory—which insists that there’s an intentional effort to replace white people with Black and brown people in America in order to influence political elections—has been promoted by white conservative pundits and politicians for years. The racist conspiracy has its origins in anti-Semitism but has since spread to Black and brown people, thanks to folks like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, former President Donald Trump and Texas Lt. Dan Patrick, who have all vehemently pushed the White Replacement Theory in one way or another. So, while Republicans have been scrambling to defend the Second Amendment by blaming mass shootings on everything from rap music to video games to cannabis use, they’ve conveniently ignored one possible cause for mass gun violence besides the guns themselves: White nationalism. Well, in April, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Tulchin Research conducted a survey “to examine the extent to which the extremist beliefs and narratives that mobilize the hard right have been absorbed by the wider American public.” Now, to be fair, the poll only included a sample size of 1,500 Americans. Still, the results are predictable and they indicated that the overwhelming majority of Republicans think white people are getting politicked out of their majority status and replaced by people of color. As the gun debate continues in America, some state leaders are taking the stand that more guns are needed to stop gun violence. In Ohio, Republican lawmakers approved legislation that will allow school workers, including teachers to carry guns without extensive hours of training. House Bill 99 comes just a week after 19 children and two teachers were killed in Uvalde, Texas when a gunman opened fire at an elementary school. Governor Mike DeWine is set to sign the bill into law later this month. DeWine also announced that he will provide $100 million for security upgrades in schools and $5 million for colleges. Republicans believe the bill could prevent school shootings, but Ohio Democrats think it sends the wrong message. The bill is opposed by major law enforcement groups, gun controls advocates, as well as the state’s teacher’s unions. Dr. Umar Johnson is denying the implications behind a viral video that shows the controversial Philadelphia-based psychologist who has been outspoken against interracial relationships appearing friendly with a white woman standing close to him. Johnson and the unidentified white woman amicably chatting with each other at a suburban Philadelphia shopping mall in New Jersey. The woman was smiling coyly while typing into a device as they shared a laugh and smiled at each other. While their words were not audible, their body language spoke volumes, according to the tweet that was the first to post the video. “Dr Umar was at the cherry hill mall boul wasn’t low,” the tweet said. A cynical voice coming from behind the camera can be heard during the recording: “Look at him.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1532462284928339968 Known to slay the carpet and bring beauty to the main screen, actress KiKi Layne is now lending her voice to “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.” The popular 90s Disney cartoon is now a movie. “From the moment that I read the script, I knew that this was something that I would enjoy being a part of,” Layne said. “The nostalgia of all the characters and I imagined how much fun I would have, and once I heard the vision for the film, I said, ‘Oh yes, absolutely sign me up,’ I want to be a part of this film.” The Cincinnati native stars in the new “Rescue Rangers” film as the voice of Ellie Steckler, a quirky and sassy fangirl of the Rescue Rangers and a rookie cop for the LAPD. “I was drawn to Ellie because I could personally connect with her quirkiness and excitement,” she explained. “I put myself in her shoes and just imagined what it would be like to meet them in real life. I thought about how I would feel and how I would act, and I felt as though I would have lost it a bit and fanned out meeting someone I grew up watching. So I had to lean into that emotion and channel that.” David M. Blake Jr., the son of LA rapper DJ Quik, has been arrested by Downey Police Department detectives on suspicion of murder. According to City records, Blake Jr., 27, works as a “council liaison” to embattled Compton City Councilman Isaac Galvan. Authorities confirmed that the suspect was booked after being arrested in Porter Ranch. Blake Jr. Was identified as a murder suspect following a fight and shooting that left a 33-year-old man named Julio Cardoza dead, according to an NBCLosAngeles report. The incident occurred along Carfax Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. Reached for comment, Compton officials responded in a short email stating, “the City is shocked to learn about this incident.” They then referred further questions to law enforcement. In August 2021, while Galvin was serving as a Councilman, the LA County District Attorney’s Office charged him with conspiracy to commit election fraud and bribery with the intent to influence an election. This was after prosecutors claimed he had fraudulently obtained votes in a June 2021 runoff election. Just a single vote decided the election. Rwandan-born French actress Sonia Rolland has been placed under formal investigation in France following her indictment in a probe into the huge fortune of the late Gabonese President Omar Bongo, which prosecutors allege includes ill-gotten assets. Rolland was the first African-born winner of the Miss France pageant in 2000, when she was age 22. In 2003, the beauty queen received an apartment in Paris as a gift from Bongo, with the real estate valued at about €800,000 (over $850,000), according to the French newspaper Le Parisien. The French National Prosecutor for Financial Crimes (PNF) confirmed to CNN on Thursday that Rolland has been put under formal investigation on charges of “concealment and embezzlement of public funds.” No warrant of arrest has been issued against Rolland, the prosecutor’s office said. https://youtu.be/Au3jHBr7lxk An 18-year-old Georgia man is reportedly facing nearly 24 felony charges for threatening to kill the Fulton County Sheriff. According to @fox5atlanta, Quartavius Mender was arrested on May 26th after he allegedly made multiple death threats to Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat over the arrest of Thugger and other members of #YSL. Mender reportedly made the threats in various comments on Instagram, which were discovered by authorities. Officials say the teen threatened to kill Sheriff Labat, his wife Jackie Labat, and Atlanta Public Schools Police Chief Ronald Applin unless at least one of the YSL defendants was released. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fulton-county-sherrif-death-threats-ysl-young-thug-arrest After spending nearly two months in the slammer, Kirk Franklin’s estranged son Kerrion has been released from jail. The Bad Boys: Los Angeles star was let out of an Orange County facility on June 1, according to jail records. As it was previously reported, Kerrion was arrested by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department on April 10 and was initially held without bond due to warrants. One of the warrants was due to Kerrion failing to appear in court back in 2007 after being cited for 3 misdemeanors. Some of the charges included falsely representing self to officer, possession of purported government issued California driver’s license/California identification, and possession of alcohol under 21, per Radar Online. In an IG post, he wrote, “James Chapter 1:2-4 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it all great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” In his caption, Kerrion also thanked “#TeamKerrion”: “my mother & my father.” Mariah Carey was sued on Friday over her 1994 Christmas classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by a songwriter who said he co-wrote a song with the same title five years earlier. In a complaint filed in New Orleans federal court, Andy Stone is seeking at least $20 million in damages from Carey, her co-writer and Sony Music Entertainment for copyright infringement and misappropriation, among other claims. Stone, who performs as Vince Vance with the country-pop band Vince Vance & the Valiants, accused the defendants of having illegally exploited his “popularity and unique style” and caused confusion by recording the newer song without his permission. Spokespeople for Carey and Sony Music did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Carey’s song appeared on her album “Merry Christmas,” and has long received widespread play on radio and in retail shopping environments during the holiday season. It has also topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart every year since 2019, despite having been recorded a quarter century earlier. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was Carey’s 19th No. 1 song, one fewer than the Beatles. Stone said his own song had received “extensive airplay” during the 1993 Christmas season, and also appeared on Billboard charts. It wasn’t clear from the complaint when Stone first learned about Carey’s song. The complaint said Stone’s lawyers first contacted the defendants in April 2021 about their alleged unauthorized use, but were “unable to come to any agreement.” A family of five murdered by a convicted killer on the run from Texan police have been named and pictured, after the shocking prison escape and its terrible conclusion. Mark Collins, 66, was staying in a remote rural cabin with his four grandsons when he was discovered by the convict on the run, Gonzalo Lopez, 46. Lopez murdered Collins and his four grandsons: Waylon, 18, Carson, 16, and twins Hudson and Bryson, 11. He then stole their car and AR-15, and drove off, eventually dying in a shootout with police. Waylon graduated from high school last week, according to the grandfather’s brother-in-law, who posted on Facebook about the murder. He described the loss of his family members as ‘unbearable.’ According to a Facebook post from the Tomball Little League, the oldest child was an umpire. The dean of the North Carolina Central University School of Law was found dead in her hotel room Thursday, the university announced. Browne C. Lewis was attending a conference at the time of her death. She joined the university back in 2020. Lewis died just a month shy of her 2-year anniversary with NCCU. She was an accomplished legal scholar, attorney and mentor. “Her vision was clear from day one in leading the school as one that provides unique opportunities for diverse, talented future attorneys to be practice-ready practitioners,” NCCU Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye said in a statement. Dean Malik Edwards said Lewis was just making her impact on the community. He was devastated to hear about her sudden death. “I think there’s definitely a hole. But the good thing is, she had a vision, and she put that vision into place. And luckily, we have structures that allow those pieces to move forward,” Edwards said. He said she spearheaded and created so many opportunities for minorities in the law field and those programs and lessons will continue in her honor. Popular American Idol star Drake McCain took to social media to share the heartbreaking news that his 19-year-old sister drowned in a Tennessee lake late Monday night. The young woman identified as Madison ‘Maddie’ Taylor had reportedly entered the water from a boat in the area of Watts Bar Lake to swim and did not surface, a Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) spokesperson said, ABC9 News reported. The Rhea County Sheriff’s Office and multiple rescue agencies and dive teams were searching late Monday night above the dam in Rhea County for the teen. Her body was recovered shortly after midnight on Tuesday, officials said. Her body was transported to the Rhea County Medical Examiner’s Office. In a Facebook post, McCain, 20, asked for prayers for his family and to respect their family’s privacy during this tragic time. A man claiming to be one of the seven jurors in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial has lifted the lid on their deliberations – saying they felt Heard was unreliable and a gaslighter and describing her as the ‘instigator’ of the marital violence. The alleged juror began his TikTok video by saying he wanted to remain anonymous. The names of jurors have been sealed for a year following the trial but jury members are allowed to come forward voluntarily and share their own experiences. He then proceeded to explain the jury deliberations, describing Heard as a poor witness and saying they found Depp far more credible. ‘What would you say was the moment that you were like NOPE.. if she’s lying about this she’s lying about everything?’ asked one TikTok user. He replied: ‘I would say the donation/ pledge to charity.’ Heard had promised to donate half of her $7 million divorce settlement from Depp to the ACLU, but Terence Dougherty, ACLU chief operating officer and general counsel, testified that she had failed to do so. When pressed about the lie, Heard claimed that she used the word ‘donated’ and ‘pledged’ synonymously – a comment that was met with incredulity from Depp’s lawyers and, according to the juror, the jury. Days after Jada Pinkett Smith finally spoke out about Will Smith‘s 2022 Oscars slap on her Facebook show Red Table Talk, Vivica A. Fox has shared her reaction to the highly anticipated and emotionally charged episode. While guest -hosting The Wendy Williams Show on Thursday alongside Carson Kressley, a choked-up Fox told the audience that talking about the incident was “going to be difficult” for her because of her relationship with the actors, who are both her former costars. “When I saw this video last night, it made me cry. I’ll be very honest with you guys,” Fox started. “We were all rooting for Will Smith that night. We wanted him to win. Will Smith that night, as far as I was concerned, was going to be crowned this generation’s Sidney Poitier, which is a huge honor.” https://youtu.be/LXq-pinbt6Y NeNe Leakes is defending herself — and her relationship! After being accused in a lawsuit of intimacy with boyfriend Nyonisela Sioh while he was still in a relationship with his wife, Malomine Tehmeh-Sioh, the Real Housewives of Atlanta alum, 55, is speaking out. On Thursday, Leakes addressed the situation on an Instagram Live, according to TMZ, where she told viewers to “show each other a little more love.” “I’m already out here a husband stealer and this is too much. And ain’t nobody out here stealing husbands. Are they? I would never,” she said. She continued, “Nobody wants to steal nobody else’s problems, honey.” The video comes just hours after the outlet surfaced the lawsuit, in which Tehmeh-Sioh claims that Leakes’ relationship with Sioh ultimately broke up her marriage. In the documents, Tehmeh-Sioh blames Leakes’ active social media presence — which features many posts of Sioh — for causing her emotional distress, humiliation and even loss of affection. Deshaun Watson is about to be hit with a 24th lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct. Attorney Tony Buzbee told Cleveland.com that another massage therapist will file the civil suit on Monday. The news comes less than a week after Buzbee’s client Nia Smith filed the 23rd lawsuit against the Browns quarterback on Tuesday. Attorney Tony Buzbee told Cleveland.com that another massage therapist will file the civil suit on Monday. The news comes less than a week after Buzbee’s client Nia Smith filed the 23rd lawsuit against the Browns quarterback on Tuesday. News of the lawsuit also came on the same day that Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, issued a statement clarifying the “happy ending” comments he made during a Houston radio interview. “I don’t know how many men are out there now that have had a massage that perhaps occasionally there was a happy ending, alright?” Hardin said. “Maybe there’s nobody in your listening audience that that never happened to. I do want to point out, if it has happened, it’s not a crime, OK? Unless you are paying somebody extra or so to give you some type of sexual activity, it’s not a crime.” Hardin issued a statement on Friday night clarifying his remarks. Charles Jackson was confined to prison walls for 27 years, six months, and 20 days for a 1991 murder he didn’t do. Decades of precious time lost, but Jackson knew his life wasn’t over. He stood up to the justice system and fought for his freedom. “I was 27 when I went to jail when I can home I was 54 and my daughter was 27 so I was gone a long time,” Jackson said. Everything is different, people change and even your family members, you don’t know people, you’re just a stranger now, and it’s just hard.” Jackson grew up in a poor and crime-ridden neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side, turning to drug dealing and doing what he could to survive, but never murder. “Being African American living in my community and the life choices, lifestyle I was living it was acceptable for me to see prison in my future,” Jackson said. “When I was locked up in prison and then I saw a whole different side of what life is because I was in prison for something I didn’t do.” A witness to the April 1991 murder said the shooter hung out in the neighborhood and drove a 1978 or 79 brown or maroon Monte Carlo, a classic popular in the 90s. Investigators had made a recent traffic stop with a car resembling that one, suspecting the driver of carrying drugs but found none in the car. They still took a picture of the driver, who was Jackson, and showed it to the witness who falsely identified him. A mass shooting is still under investigation after gunmen fired outside of a banquet hall more than a year ago. “It’s not easy, it’s not fair and it’s hurtful,” said Charlene Peterson whose daughter was one of three people killed during a mass shooting at a Northwest Miami-Dade banquet hall on Memorial Day weekend in 2021. One year later, Peterson told 7News she is still grieving an unimaginable loss. She’s also calling for an end to gun violence. “It’s nothing that I can do to bring her back,” said Peterson. “It’s nothing that I can do to bring her back,” said Peterson. Charlene Peterson, lost her then 32-year-old daughter, Shaniqua Peterson Harris, who died four days after she and 22 others were shot outside El Mula banquet hall. Surveillance video shows at least three shooters getting out of a Nissan SUV before opening fire on a crowd. Fighting for her life after the shooting with a bullet lodged in her head, Harris would lose the fight, leaving her son behind. Tuesday marks 20 years since 7-year-old Alexis Patterson disappeared in 2002. She went missing near the corner of North 49th Street and West Garfield Avenue, right outside of Hi-Mount Community School. Alexis was reportedly last seen by her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois. He told police he walked her to school on May 3, 2002. Alexis’ mother, Ayanna Patterson, held an event Tuesday to remember her daughter. “I’m going to continue to keep her memory going,” she said. “Alexis was a bubbly child, very bubbly. She was very happy. She loved to have fun.” She wants to continue to keep the story in the spotlight until she has answers. Alexis never made it to class and has not been seen since. Bourgeois died last year of a suspected drug overdose. Her mother said she knows Alexis is still alive. Brittney Griner has been able to receive written correspondence from friends and family during her detention in Russia, where she has been held for over 100 days, her agent tells CNN — but the WNBA star has not been able to speak with her loved ones back home in the United States. “While sporadic, written communication from her wife, family, friends and global sport community has been a source of comfort for BG during her wrongful detainment, going without real-time, regular contact with loved ones is inhumane,” Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent, told CNN, adding that it has been more than 105 days since the athlete “heard her wife or family’s voice.” “It remains clear that Brittney Griner is being used as a political pawn and it is imperative that President Biden do whatever is necessary to return Brittney home quickly and safely,” she said. https://youtu.be/nG5mrSadNdg In 2019, the superstar reggae and dancehall entertainer Shaggy told The Gleaner that he was born for greatness. “I come from a Rae Town tenement,” he added. “But I understood that you can’t form fool when you are ‘the chosen.’ Man is just a tool for that higher power, and you have to do what is great.” Last Saturday, Shaggy entered another level of greatness when he walked up to the podium to be conferred with the honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University, which is a highly respected Ivy League institution located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Shaggy delivered the oration to the Class of 2020 graduates who had missed their in-person ceremony because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He then got to singing, filling the auditorium with the dancehall and reggae vibes. He performed some of his hit songs, as the graduates sang along and danced. https://youtu.be/6W5pq4bIzIw Joe Biden’s popularity among black voters, a key part of his base, has taken a beating since spring of 2021, a new poll revealed Saturday. While African Americans still support the president at a much higher rate than the population as a whole, a Washington Post-Ipsos survey found that 7 in 10 black Americans approve of President Biden’s job performance — down 8% from the 78% approval rating recorded in April 2021. Fewer than one quarter in the demographic group — 23% — “strongly approve” of the Democratic president, 47% “somewhat” approve, while 28% disapprove, including 9% who do so “strongly,” according to the poll. Asked if Biden is “sympathetic to the problems of Black people in this country,” 66% of respondents replied yes — down 8% from the 74% who said yes to the same question in June 2020, the poll discovered. Thirty-two percent said no in the 2022 poll, compared to 23% who did so in 2020, the Washington Post survey found. Still, about 90% of black voters would support a Democratic House candidate if the November midterm general elections were held today, according to the survey. Given former Alabama Gov. Bibb Graves associaton with the Ku Klux Klan, some have voiced their apposition to placing the University of Alabama’s first black student Autherine Lucy Foster’s name next to his while renaming the three-story hall in honor of Foster. Foster herself expressed ambivalence, telling WIAT-TV she didn’t know much about Graves, who was considered a progressive, pro-education governor in the 1930s, despite having led the Klan in Montgomery during a period when it was at its strongest. “I wouldn’t say it doesn’t bother me, but I accept it because I didn’t ask for it and I didn’t know they were doing it until I was approached the latter part of last year,” said Foster, 92. “The board’s priority is to honor Dr. Autherine Lucy Foster, who, as the first African American student to attend the University of Alabama, opened the door for students of all races to achieve their dreams at the university. Unfortunately, the complex legacy of Governor Graves has distracted from that important priority,” the University said. The university also recognized Foster in 2017 with a historic marker in front of Graves Hall, which houses the college of education. It named a clock tower after Foster, and she’s a member of the university’s student hall of fame. The six Black members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet are meeting for a Black History Month event Thursday highlighting their roles in the administration, some of which are historic firsts. The six will take part in a moderated roundtable discussion to highlight the importance of Black leadership in the military, foreign affairs, the economy and other key policy areas. The six include Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black person in the post; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge; Environmental Protection Agency chief Michael Regan, the first Black man in that role; U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield; and Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. Rouse is the first Black woman to lead the council. Also scheduled to participate in the livestream event is Shalanda Young, acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Young is awaiting a vote by the Senate to confirm her as director. She would be the first Black woman to lead the office if confirmed, which is expected. Biden promised the most diverse Cabinet in U.S. history. Biden issued a proclamation in January designating February as National Black History Month. He wrote that the observance “serves as both a celebration and a powerful reminder that Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America — our faults, our struggles, our progress, and our aspirations.” The mother of a Black preschooler in Mississippi has expressed outrage over a teacher giving her preschool-age son a “Monkey Award.” Shemekia Ellis told NBC affiliate WMC on Thursday that she was “angry” about her son Braylen recently bringing the award home from Batesville Elementary School, while noting that South Panola School District officials had claimed that his teacher was unaware of the history of racist comparisons between Black people and monkeys. “We weren’t happy about it,” Ellis told WMC reporter Bria Bolden. “I’m still not happy about it. I’m angry because I don’t understand why my son got the monkey award when he received an award that he had completed Pre-K.” “[Braylen] was excited about the award but he had no idea what he was holding,” she added. “So, you know, it’s unacceptable to me.” Ellis later sent a series of emails to school officials to complain about the award and contacted WMC. She eventually secured a meeting with the school district superintendent and Batesville Elementary School Principal Amy Sutton, who told her the award was given for her son’s “energy.” “She stated that the teacher stated that she gave him the award for his energy,” said Ellis. “But the award doesn’t say anything about energy, it says ‘entertainment.'” Ellis reportedly said that school officials told her Braylen was given the award during an “animal-themed award ceremony” in class. Braylen was given a colorful certificate that features a cartoon monkey and praises him “for keeping others entertained.” Iga Swiatek has been nearly unstoppable this year — and now she has a second grand slam title to prove it. The Polish star won the French Open for the second time on Saturday as she defeated Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 in Paris, extending her unbeaten run to 35 matches. That equals Venus Williams’ 21st-century record for consecutive wins set back in 2000 and cements Swiatek’s status as the best player in women’s tennis at the moment. “Two years ago, winning this title was something amazing, I wouldn’t expect it ever,” the 21-year-old said during her on-court interview after the match. “But this time I feel like I worked hard and did everything to get here even though it was pretty tough and the pressure was big.” https://youtu.be/ygm80MT5cok Netflix has released a trailer for the highly-anticipated action-comedy “The Man From Toronto” starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson. Directed by Patrick Hughes, the film stars “Hart as a screw-up sales consultant who can’t seem to do anything right. When his latest mistake — showing up to the wrong Airbnb — results in a case of mistaken identity with the world’s deadliest assassin (Woody Harrelson), known only as the “Man from Toronto,” he’s forced to impersonate the contract killer … the only problem is, he can’t stand violence.” https://youtu.be/urqy8DrcGBs TikTok has announced that it will introduce a creator crediting tool that will enable users to tag and credit videos directly with a new TikTok button. The feature is expected to start rolling out in the coming few weeks. Black creators are expected to benefit hugely from this gesture. In the past, Black creators have often been sidelined when it comes to getting credited, yet they make significant cultural contributions on TikTok. The company recently revealed it has designed a new tool to make it easier to credit the original creator. TikTok thrives mainly on users’ ability to reuse audio clips from videos created by others. The social media site is best known as the platform where you can showcase your dances. The Black community leads in TikTok when it comes to creating original content. “Today, we’re introducing new tools to better enable creator credit and equitable attribution for our creator community and content originators,” reads a statement on the TikTok website. “These features are an important step in our ongoing commitment to investing in resources and product experiences that support a culture of credit, which is central to ensuring TikTok remains a home for creative expression.” https://youtu.be/L6d9cXi3MwM One year to the day since making its historic debut, the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans delivered its anticipated interim report to the California legislature. Responding to the release, Black reparations activists are encouraging Black Californians to read the report and share their reactions with the task force during a series of upcoming listening sessions scheduled both in Northern and Southern California. “This process is all about you and this is about Black America,” said Tiffany Quarles, co-founder of the National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants – Los Angeles (NAASD-LA). “These listening sessions are a way to tell your story and to let the task force know what your ideas, thoughts, and other recommendations should be put in forums.” https://youtu.be/WTbii54yIoM A new documentary is set to explore the work done by civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Civil, from Emmy-nominated director Nadia Hallgren, and producers Kenya Barris and Roger Ross Williams, takes on the challenge of profiling Crump as he takes on landmark cases. The documentary is described in a press release as “an intimate vérité look at the life of maverick civil rights attorney Ben Crump and his mission to raise the value of Black life in America.” In the documentary, which runs just over an hour-and-a-half, a year of Crump’s work in the cases of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Andre Hall is highlighted. Additionally, viewers get to examine Crump in a new light as layers are peeled back through behind-the-scenes looks at his upbringing and his balance of work and family life. Civil also touches on additional causes Crump is passionate about including environmental justice and banking while Black. https://youtu.be/ZI9_udV9RWQ Oak Lawn United Methodist Church on Sunday will self-appoint two LGBTQ staff members to pastor positions after their requests for appointments were rejected by the bishop of North Texas. The Rev. Rachel Baughman will appoint Isabel Marquez and Ryan Wager, staff members at Oak Lawn UMC who respectively identify as lesbian and gay, without the authorization of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. The act is considered “civil disobedience” and defiance against the church. Unlike other denominations, bishops within the Methodist Church traditionally appoint local and elder pastors to serve a congregation. The move comes as the Methodist Church formally splits over the issue of LGBTQ marriage. “While we may lack ecclesial authority to formally appoint Isabel and Ryan, we claim the moral authority to recognize the call of God upon their lives and celebrate and bless their work of pastoral ministry,” Baughman said. Wager and Marquez went through a certification and licensing process to serve as local pastors through the North Texas Conference. They applied with the intent of being appointed at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, located in the middle of Dallas’ LGBTQ neighborhood. The months long process involves mentorship, interviews and Methodist licensing school. For those who go through the process, the goal is to eventually be appointed as a pastor. Two sets of Wisconsin parents are suing the Kettle Moraine School District in Wales, Wisc., to challenge its policy that allows children to change their name and gender pronouns at school without parental consent. On Wednesday, a Wisconsin Circuit Court judge denied a motion by the school district to dismiss the case. Judge Michael P. Maxwell ruled that the parents’ lawsuit has merit, saying it “demonstrates a potential violation of their rights as parents to direct the upbringing of their child and is sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss. One of the couples in the case, identified in the lawsuit as T.F. and B.F., was forced to withdraw their 12-year-old daughter from the district to protect her mental health and preserve their parental role. They allege the school district violated their constitutionally protected parental rights by using a male name and male pronouns to address their daughter at school without their consent and over their objections, according to the complaint. Additionally, another couple joined the lawsuit against the district to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to their children. Running back Marion Barber III, who spent most of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, has died at the age of 38, the team said Wednesday. No cause of death was provided. However, police in the Texas city of Frisco — in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area — said they responded Wednesday to a welfare concern at an apartment believed to be leased by Barber. “Frisco Police along with the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating an unattended death at the location,” the department said in a statement. https://youtu.be/YQcPlG6Df0g Carmelo Anthony has turned his passion for wine into a full-on business endeavor. The NBA star and wine connoisseur announced the launch of a global wine estate brand, VII(N) – The Seventh Estate, according to Haute Living. Anthony’s new venture may come as no surprise to those who have previously tapped into his YouTube series “What’s in Your Glass?” — foreshadowing his dive into the industry. After acquiring knowledge of wine and expanding his palette, the entrepreneur felt it was the right time to further explore how wine, sports, and culture intertwine by contributing to the space. The decision for his brand’s debut release to be Oath of Fidelity Châteauneuf-du-Pape was based on him wanting to educate himself and “really go to a place that was untapped.” Respect, strategy, and disruption are all factors that Anthony is coming into with its launch in the fall. Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett is opening up about his struggles with mental health. In a series of tweets, he shared some of the problems that he has dealt with over the years and nearly led to him walking away from football. “2 years out of my 7 years in the NFL thus far I played through depression and anxiety and almost quit and had my best year,” he wrote Wednesday. “I played through trauma another year and had my best year. Moral of the story: Just keep going. You never know what’s waiting on the other side!” Lockett, a three-time 1,000-yard receiver, said he tried to fix it, like it was an injury, but that didn’t help matters. He realized it was a process that would take time. Azim Rashid’s beginnings in the music career were headlined by the emergence of his Dallas rap group, Nemesis in the 1980s. That career, leading him to commercial radio, music, retail and lifestyle promotion before forging a career in music and entertainment marketing. The UNT graduate has been involved in brand strategy for music icons such as Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, NE-YO, Katy Perry, MIGOS, Sean “Diddy” Combs, T.I., Jaden Smith, Russ, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Raphael Saadiq, The Carters (Jay-Z and Beyonce), Lil Nas X, Lil TJay, Polo G, John Legend, Tyler the Creator, Chloe x Halle, Adele and other legendary artists and influencers. “As a transplant of Dallas, when I got to the music business, it was definitely a foreign concept. It wasn’t New York or Los Angeles. Nobody made it from Dallas. I just kind of had that determination to make it,” Rashid said. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/former-dallas-rapper-music-exec-azim-rashad-uses-platform-to-inspire/2984310/ Steve Harvey has weighed in on the ongoing contractual dispute between D.L. Hughley and Mo’Nique. The comedian and TV host decided to comment to remarks Mo’Nique made about Hughley and Harvey during a recent stand-up show. “Let me just open by saying I could care less than a…about what you think about me because clearly—clearly—I’m not your problem,” Harvey said Wednesday during a “Steve Harvey Morning Show” discussion. “And you know what? Anyone who knows me, who really knows me, can’t even make that statement.” In case you missed it, Mo’Nique and D.L. Hughley are sparring on social media over a contract dispute related to their stand-up show last Saturday night at the Fox Theater in Detroit. https://youtu.be/6vzohPqd28g Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Charles Booker released a new campaign video Wednesday in which he appears wearing a noose. The stunt is an attempt to call out Senator Rand Paul’s opposition to a federal anti-lynching bill, as reported by TMZ. The video opens with a shot of a noose hanging from a tree. “The pain of our past persists to this day,” Booker is heard saying at the beginning of the clip. “In Kentucky, like many states throughout the South, lynching was a tool for terror. It was used to kill hopes for freedom.” “It was used to kill my ancestors,” Booker says as he appears on camera wearing a noose around his neck. “Now, in an historic victory for our commonwealth, I have become the first Black Kentuckian to receive the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1410568880628461570 A Chicago Alderwoman applied for affordable housing 29 years ago for herself and her son. She was finally approved last month. Alderwoman Jeannette Taylor said she first applied for affordable housing in 1993. She finally received an approval letter from the Chicago Housing Authority on May 31, Sandra Rose reports. The letter was dated May 20, 2022. She captioned her post: “I first applied for an affordable housing voucher in 1993. I finally got a call back in 2004 to tell me my son who just graduated high school couldn’t be on my lease. Today in 2022 I finally got a letter telling me I made it to the top of the waiting list. I have no words.” What’s incredibly glaring about this is the fact that the system would not allow a Black male, the woman’s own son, to live in the same home with his mother. https://twitter.com/taylorfor20th?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1531718663526653952%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2022%2F06%2F03%2Falderwoman-gets-approved-for-affordable-housing%2F The mother who was handcuffed by U.S. Marshals during the school shooting in Texas is speaking about how the incompetent police were “more aggressive” with parents than they were in attempting to rescue the children. Speaking with CBS Mornings, Angeli Gomez made headlines for defying orders from law enforcement when she rushed into Robb Elementary School amid the shooting to rescue her two sons. Gomez said when she initially arrived at the school, she was met by Marshals. https://youtu.be/qAppL1FpeuI At least 21 Black staffers have left the White House due to a work environment that offers them little support from their superiors and few opportunities for promotion. Black aides have adopted a term for the mass exodus: “Blaxit.” “We’re here and we’re doing a lot of work but we’re not decision-makers and there’s no real path towards becoming decision-makers,” one current staffer told Politico. “There is no real feedback and there’s no clear path to any kind of promotions.” “They brought in a ton of black people generally to start without ever establishing an infrastructure to retain them or help them be successful,” another current official said. “If there is no clear infrastructure of how to be successful, you become just as invisible in this space than you would be if you were not in it.” On the series finale of THE REAL airing Friday, June 3rd, hosts Garcelle Beauvais, Adrienne Houghton, Jeannie Mai Jenkins and Loni Love say farewell after 8 seasons and 1,360 episodes, reflect on breaking the mold of daytime television and discuss why they are proud and celebrating what they accomplished. https://youtu.be/Efh8diNxRdA Kim Kardashian is being called out for her new skincare line, Skkn by Kim, with critics noting that it is too similar to Lori Harvey’s Skn by LH line, which launched last year. “Sis just added a K and called it a day,” said one Instagram user, as reported by Page Six. Kardashian is slated to drop her nine-step product line on June 21, eight months after Harvey launched her five-step system, according to the report. “Anyone with a fully developed brain and a pair of working eyeballs can clearly see that S-K-N and S-K-K-N is the same,” one Instagram user noted. Pharrell Williams took to social media recently and admitted that he is not fond of one of the biggest songs of his career. When Twitter user @javroar noted his disdain for Pharrell’s track “Happy,” the artist agreed, Vibe reports. “No song annoyed me like Happy by Pharrell did,” said the initial tweet. Williams shared the post and replied, “Same.” https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs Anita Baker’s son Walter Bridgforth III, 28, has gone viral for dating a white woman that looks like a blow-up doll. Some bloggers are convinced the woman is not real but a pricey, custom-made, mail-order sex doll. Baker’s son is making headlines days after the music icon revealed during a live show that Chance The Rapper helped her gain control of her masters. “You should say hello to a friend of mine by way of the music industry and by way of helping me, helping me to get a hold and ownership of my master recordings,” Baker told the audience in a clip shared on Twitter. Chance stood up in the crowd as everyone clapped. Jasmine Davis, an openly transgender actress, reportedly quit the hit Showtime series “The Chi” after allegedly faking a COVID vaccination record. Davis, 30, took to social media on Tuesday and tweeted that she is planning to spill the tea on why she had to leave “that very toxic environment.” Meanwhile, insiders explained to Page Six that Davis quit the show after she was busted for submitting a fake Covid vaccination card. “Jasmine asked for a vaccination exemption when she submitted a vaccination card for the prior season,” said an insider. “This triggered an investigation and Jasmine then quit the show.” https://twitter.com/TheJasmineDavis J. Alphonse Nicholson portrays rapper Lil Murda in the STARZ hit drama “P-Valley.” At the end of season one, Murda’s star is on the rise, and fans watched as he found and ultimately lost love due to his inability to embrace his sexuality openly. However, using his relationship with the up-and-coming influencer and ex Pynk dancer Miss Mississippi as both cover and confidant, things are going to the next level in season two. https://youtu.be/9GB2TNk6_HI Meta is partnering up with Michael Korte, a skilled content creator known for making exciting Broadway-centric mashup videos, to create an inspiring series of Reels on Instagram in hopes to bring Broadway to social media and make it accessible to all. The Instagram Reels and full videos will feature a diverse, talented cast of non-classically trained theater artists from all genres. The three songs Korte selected from some of Broadway’s most memorable shows, Flesh Failures / Let The Sunshine from HAIR, Being Alive from Company and I’m Here from The Color Purple, originally crafted by very different Broadway composers, will be reimagined with undeniable soul, and made to come alive on the screen of your device. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd_ZeaDDq4_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In January Jeannie Mai and Jeezy welcomed their first child together, their baby girl Monaco Mai Jenkins. As Jeannie documented her postpartum journey as a first-time mother, she decided to wait until she shared her daughter with the world. On Thursday, she introduced her baby girl Monaco for the first time on her “Hello Hunnay,” YouTube series. Before the official introduction, Jeannie shared photos and videos of baby Monaco from the past few months. Monaco was brought out by Jeannie’s mom and looked adorable in her animal print outfit, which was accompanied by a mustard-colored turban. Before Monaco appeared on camera, Jeannie became emotional and said, “I got really scared, guarded, and protected. Please excuse the nerves. The new mom anxiety is real and I wasn’t prepared for the hit of it.” https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=11ec6ac5-4bb7-4d6f-9f1a-e780cc2d1480 Tony-nominated actor Danielle Brooks and her fellow award-winning peers Amber Iman and Jocelyn Bioh have announced the inaugural Black Women on Broadway awards ceremony is set to go down next week in New York City. For the past three years or so, the trio has been working to create a community to support Black actresses. Last year, they launched the Instagram account “Black Women on Broadway,” to celebrate the history of Black women in theater. The awards show is set to go down on June 6 at the rooftop lounge of the Empire Hotel with honorees Lynn Nottage, Qween Jean and Kara Young, Variety reports. https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenonbroadway/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3cf0c1e2-d60f-425b-8aab-87143715b619 Black Enterprise’s Entrepreneurs Summit featured a panel discussion with Black female entrepreneurs who shared valuable tips on brand leveraging. Per BLACK ENTERPRISE, the outlet’s Vice President/Deputy Chief Content Officer Alisa Gumbs sat with Miss Diddy, founder of The Brand Group LA and Milan Rouge, founder of clothing brand Milano Di Rouge, to discuss their personal journey of starting and growing their businesses. “Being a promoter is 100% entrepreneurship,” Miss Diddy told the audience, per the report. “Building from that place, that’s what took me to the next level and say I really got to start my own agency, my own company. I was working with my boys and promoters who I still love to this day but I knew that if I wanted to get the recognition for the hard work that I was doing I would need to create something that is mine and it would need to look like mine coming from me for people to identify with.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1528794536415268864 The Story County Sheriff’s Office says three people are dead in a shooting outside of Cornerstone Church on the eastern edge of Ames on Thursday night. tory County authorities provided new details in the shooting Friday morning. Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald identified the two women killed in the shooting as 22-year-old Eden Moriah Montang, of Boone, and 21-year-old Vivian Renee Flores, of West Des Moines. Fitzgerald identified the shooter as 33-year-old Johnathan Lee Whitlatch. Fitzgerald said Whitlatch fired several rounds from a 9mm handgun, striking Montang and Flores, then turned the gun on himself. A third woman who was with Montang and Flores was able to find safety and was not injured. https://youtu.be/Jj-UEmwcXRc A Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduate student sued the school Tuesday for civil rights violations after she was issued three “no-contact” orders involving peers who disagreed with her conservative and Christian beliefs. Maggie DeJong “suffered sleeplessness, anxiety, chest pains, feelings of sadness, loss of appetite, weight loss, lack of concentration, harm to her reputation, and future loss of employment and wages” because of the orders involving the art therapy counseling major, her lawyers said. Attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a public interest law firm representing Ms. DeJong, say the student’s views were “informed by her Christian faith and political stance” and were reported by at least three students to school officials. The governing body of the largest Mennonite denomination in the United States passed a resolution on Sunday (May 29) confessing to “committing violence against LGBTQ people” and committing to LGBTQ inclusion. In a separate vote, Mennonite Church USA also repealed instructions to pastors not to officiate at marriages between people of the same sex. The denomination’s official confession, which views marriage as between a man and a woman, remains unchanged. In a separate vote, Mennonite Church USA also repealed instructions to pastors not to officiate at marriages between people of the same sex. The denomination’s official confession, which views marriage as between a man and a woman, remains unchanged. Cora Jakes Coleman, the Daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, Addresses the Accusation That She Has Stolen Another Woman’s Child Through Manipulation After Her Ex-Husband Richard Brandon Coleman, aka SkiiVentura, Was Arrested for Alleged Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child, and Who Happens to Still Be in Jail in Waxahachie, Texas on $150,000 Bon. https://youtu.be/H3V4mrtU2bo Princess Meghan’s spotify podcast the “Archetypes” will focus on harmful labels and stereotypes applied to women. The series will feature interviews with historians and experts to “investigate the labels that try to hold women back,” according to a summary posted on Spotify. The streaming service on Thursday released a minute-long teaser that opened with clips of people using the words “slut” and “skanky” and talking about the stereotypes applied to women’s strength and intelligence.This is one of several high-profile deals the couple has, including one with Netflix. After much talk, nearly $100 million in development costs and some 500 employees assigned to the task, CNN+ is set to launch next Tuesday. The company on Thursday revealed a typical day’s schedule, with a news countdown hosted by Kate Bolduan, a deep-dive news hour hosted by Sara Sidner, a Chris Wallace interview show, and hours on politics, international news and the media topped by Wolf Blitzer’s evening newscast. CNN+ is a big swing, done at a tumultuous time in the company’s leadership, and there’s no shortage of skepticism in the industry about its chances. But CNN views streaming as the future, a way to engage younger consumers, and sees The New York Times as the model for a successful news subscription service. How much will it cost? It will cost $5.99 a month, but charter subscribers can lock in a $2.99 monthly charge in perpetuity if they act within a month of the launch. Singer Deborah McCrary of the McCrary Sisters died at the age of 67 Wednesday. McCrary’s death was confirmed by a spokesperson for the musical group, according to Rolling Stone. Her cause of death was not immediately released. McCrary and her sisters had released their own records in addition to providing gospel vocals for artists including Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton. The McCrary Sisters said in a statement: ‘It is with deep sorrow that we share the news of the passing of our beloved sister Deborah,’ People reported. A statement from Rounder Records stated condolences for the family: ‘We are saddened by the news of Deborah McCrary’s passing. Our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time.’ McCrary in 2013 had suffered a stroke that put her career as a singer in jeopardy. She told the Grand Ole Opry that her spirituality helped carry her through the tough times. Christian music superstars including CeCe Winans, Lauren Daigle, Michael W. Smith, Danny Gokey and Third Day’s Mac Powell shared wisdom for the next generation of CCM artists, highlighting the importance of following God’s lead and remaining scripturally sound in a rapidly changing culture. Christian music veterans and newcomers alike gathered at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House Sunday for the K-LOVE Fan Awards, a night defined by hope, inspiration and comradery. Ahead of the show, nominees, performers and guests spoke with The Christian Post on the red carpet about their hope for the future of Christian music and the next generation of believers. Waka Flocka brought in his 36th birthday with two celebrations as he was also awarded an honorary professor degree in Humanitarianism and Philanthropy from the Bible Institute of America, TMZ reports. “I remember at 26 i made a promise to God to stop taking xpills, stop drinking lean and start cleaning out my heart 10 yrs later i’m 36 with degrees, a daughter, financially free, and a lot of people that look up to me shawty i’m beyond grateful…. i been preparing my whole life for what’s about to happen. THANK YOU FATHER GOD,” Flocka wrote on Instagram ahead of the ceremony. A New York appeals court has upheld Harvey Weinstein’s conviction on rape and sexual assault charges, rejecting arguments that the trial judge effectively rigged the outcome in favor of the prosecution. In a unanimous ruling issued on Thursday, a five-justice appellate panel found that the judge did not make errors that would warrant overturning the conviction or the 23-year sentence. “We reject defendant’s arguments, and affirm the conviction in all respects,” wrote Justice Angela Mazzarelli, on behalf of the court. TASHA COBBS LEONARD RECORDS LIVE IN CHICAGO, FRIDAY, JUNE 3RD Recording Live at Greenwood Oasis on the Campus of New Life Covenant Church. Special Guests Include: Mary Mary, Natalie Grant, The Walls Group, Ricky Dillard, Kierra Sheard-Kelly and Donald Lawrence. “BET AWARDS” 2022 OFFICIAL GOSPEL NOMINATIONS: Marvin Sapp, Kanye West, Kelly Price, Fred Hammond, H.E.R. & Tauren Wells, Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music and Lil Baby X Kirk Franklin Nominated for Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award The Robert Randolph Foundation is pleased to announce the second annual JUNETEENTH UNITYFEST, a national, multicultural experience, uniting diverse voices and communities in commemoration and celebration of Juneteenth and Black culture. Broadcast live around the world from Brooklyn, NY, UNITYFEST 2022 will include multiple entertainment, arts education and community activism events, including the JUNETEENTH UNITYFEST Concert taking place at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park. Falling on Father's Day Sunday, the event will feature performances by some of the world's leading gospel artists, including Tye Tribbett (in photo), Deborah Cox, Israel Houghton, Mali Music, and more, and celebrate themes of inspiration, faith, and fatherhood in Black culture and beyond. "Juneteenth is a day to remember America's past, recognize the resilience and strength of Black people, and celebrate the progress we have made," commented Robert Randolph, founder of the Robert Randolph Foundation. "This year, given that Juneteenth falls on Sunday and on Father's Day, we also wanted to celebrate the role that gospel music and the church have had in uplifting the Black community over the years, and celebrate the stories of Black fathers who are working to uplift their own communities and families at home." Juneteenth Gospel Concert & Health Fair Saturday, June 18, 2022 @ 3pm – 7pm At Virginia Union University Gia Wyre! Drops new single "It's On The Way" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5tUfGylTVw The 18-year-old suspect in the Buffalo, New York, supermarket shooting that killed 10 people pleaded not guilty to the 25-count indictment against him, his attorney said in court Thursday afternoon. Peyton Gendron, who was dressed in an orange jumpsuit and shackled at his hands and feet, was asked by the judge if he understood the charges against him and he nodded and said “yes, ma’am.” Erie County Supreme Court Judge Susan Eagan agreed with county prosecutor John Feroleto and remanded Gendron until his next court date on July 7. Gendron was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime and three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime, according to the indictment made available Thursday. He also faces a domestic terror charge and a weapons charge, the indictment shows. Authorities allege ample evidence indicates the White teen was motivated by race and that he targeted a supermarket in a predominantly Black community. Yesterday (06-01-22) we reported on the shooting that took place at Tulsa, OK hospital. More information regarding the tragedy has been released. The Tulsa Police Department identified the victims as Dr. Preston Phillips, Dr. Stephanie Husen, Amanda Glenn and William Love. They also identified the suspect as Michael Louis. It appears that Louis targeted Dr. Philips who was an orthopedic surgeon. According to a statement made by Tulsa police Chief Wendell Franklin, Louis underwent back surgery performed by Dr. Phillips on May 19 and complained of pain after being released from the hospital. Louis contacted Phillips’ office several times over the coming weeks and met with Phillips for additional help. On May 29, Louis bought a semi-automatic handgun at a pawn show, according to Tulsa police. He also bought an AR-15-style rifle around 2 p.m. from a Tulsa-area gun store. Police officers found a letter on Louis making it clear that he wanted to kill Phillips and anyone who got in his way. He blamed Phillips for causing the pain following the back surgery. https://youtu.be/leHBlm4bbwk As the world still continues to grieve the heartbreaking loss of 21 people in the mass shooting that occurred in #Uvalde, Texas, increasing criticism is being directed towards local law enforcement, specifically the Uvalde School District Police Chief. While approached by CNN cameras for a statement regarding the lack of initial response and follow-up in the Uvalde mass shooting, the school district police chief, Pete Arredondo, refused to answer any questions about the matter. @CNN reports, that despite the mounting public outrage and harsh criticism, Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, the Uvalde School District Police Chief, has avoided the public eye since the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary—and he continued to avoid answering questions about the shooting when CNN approached him on Wednesday. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeSBuoGleZn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again One of America’s most prolific slave-trading ports is to open as a museum after more than two decades of planning in Charleston, South Carolina. The International African American Museum will open the weekend of January 21, 2023, the museum announced Wednesday. The 150,000-square-foot facility will be at the former site of Gadsden’s Wharf. About a mile from City Hall, Gadsden’s Wharf is where slave ships docked for years and unloaded at least 100,000 slaves. Up to 800 enslaved Africans “quarantined there died during the cold winter of 1807 and were unceremoniously thrown into a mass grave nearby,” according to a report from the Post and Courier newspaper. “Committed reckoning with history is a necessary stop on the road to healing and reconciliation,” Tonya Matthews, who was named as the museum’s president and CEO last week, said in a news release. https://youtu.be/TzL4MYXNKgk A 10-year-old girl Orlando girl is in police custody after she fatally shot a woman who got into a fight with her mother on Memorial Day. The girl and her mother, Lakrisha Isaac, 31, were taken into custody following the killing of their neighbor, 41-year-old Lashun Rodgers, New York Post reports. The incident occurred Monday night outside the Jernigan Gardens Apartments on Mercy Drive, according to the Orlando Police Department. Rodgers was grilling outside her unit Monday night when Isaac, who neighbors claimed was drunk, walked up to the woman and slapped her, according to WIFR. The girl allegedly told police that the victim physically assaulted her mother and threatened to have her family beat up Isaac. “She did not deserve that. It was a simple argument,” said the victim’s aunt Arlene Mathis. “What mother does that? That’s the part that angers me. It’s not the actions of a child, it’s the actions of the mother.” https://youtu.be/eINrTk98tn8 Church leaders across the UK have praised the Queen for her 70 years of service to the country. As celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee begin, the heads of the main Christian denominations in the UK have issued statements celebrating her life of dignity, respect and commitment to the nation. The head of the Church of England, Most Rev Justin Welby, who will miss all celebrations due to testing positive for Covid, took to Twitter to share his gratitude for her service. He said: “We pray and give thanks for Her Majesty The Queen. May she know the depth of our gratitude for her service. May she know our love for her. May she continue to reign with grace and wisdom.” Meanwhile, Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales described Her Majesty’s service as “astonishing”. “Today we thank God for all the years of astonishing service that have been given by Her Majesty The Queen from that day of her solemn anointing, through times of peace and great sadness, suffering and joy. “God bless Her Majesty. May we pray for her always. The World Health Organization on Wednesday confirmed more than 550 monkeypox cases across 30 countries as the virus continues to spread across the globe. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the sudden appearance of monkeypox in multiple countries across the world indicates the virus has been spreading undetected for some time outside the West and Central African nations where it is usually found. Tedros said most of the cases have been reported by men who sought care at sexual health clinics after they’ve had sex with other men and developed symptoms. He emphasized that anyone can catch monkeypox through close physical contact, warned against stigmatizing people and called on countries to increase surveillance to identify cases in the broader population. A Southern Baptist task force has asked the denomination to set up a “Ministry Check” website to track abusive pastors, church employees and volunteers and to spend millions on reforms to prevent abuse and care for survivors. Most of the suggested reforms are voluntary. Some could involve years of study and preparation, prompting a skeptical response from some abuse survivors and advocates. Those requests for reforms, released Wednesday (June 1), would also include hiring a national staff person who would receive reports of abuse and forward them to church leaders for a response; increasing training for churches; doing background checks on the trustees who oversee Southern Baptist entities; and encouraging state conventions to consider hiring staff to respond to abuse allegations. Those requests are part of a series of recommendations from the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse task force, which oversaw a recent investigation into how leaders in the 13.7 million-member convention have responded to abuse. That investigation found that leaders of the SBC’s Executive Committee had shown callous disregard for abuse survivors — often demonizing or ignoring them — while working at all costs to protect the denomination from liability. President Biden is reported to be closing in on a plan to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt per borrower, but some advocates are concerned about the impact it will have on Black borrowers, who data shows are likely to owe more to cover the costs of education. Many Democrats at the helm of student loan forgiveness efforts have promoted broad-based cancellation as a way to advance racial equity, often citing data showing the disproportionate burden faced by Black borrowers, especially women. But, as more reports surface of Biden’s plans narrowing in on a decision on some student debt forgiveness, advocates are dialing up the pressure. “The impact that $10,000 would have would be so minor, that it wouldn’t really address the real issue for Black borrowers,” said Wisdom Cole, national director of the NAACP Youth & College Division. Black Lives Matter have appointed to straighten out their finances an Atlanta-based activist who has been declared bankrupt three times, was ordered by a court to attend financial management lessons, and has more than $120,000 in unpaid debt. Cicely Gay’s appointment was announced by BLM’s Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) on April 27, as the group struggles to combat accusations that the money donated has not been wisely spent, or properly accounted for. The 44-year-old was one of three people appointed to the board, the organization said in a tweet. She subsequently was described as being chair of the board. She told The New York Times she had been appointed to straighten out the organization’s finances, after BLMGFN faced intense scrutiny over its spending of donor cash. ‘No one expected the foundation to grow at this pace and to this scale,’ said Gay. ‘Now, we are taking time to build efficient infrastructure to run the largest Black, abolitionist, philanthropic organization to ever exist in the United States.’ On Wednesday, it emerged that Gay has been declared bankrupt three times, according to federal reports obtained by The New York Post. Amber Heard called the ruling of $15million in damages for ex-husband Johnny Depp in his defamation trial a ‘setback for women’ and a loss for freedom of speech. Heard, in a statement following the verdict in Virginia Wednesday, expressed disappointment at a number of consequences from the jury’s ruling. ‘The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,’ Heard said in a statement after the ruling Wednesday. For 23 days, the world was glued to the courtroom drama between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard as their $100 million defamation trial revealed shocking and disturbing details about the showbiz couple’s marriage. Viewers revealed the livestream testimonies and created memes as they took sides between Depp, who sued his ex-wife for $50 million for defamation, and Heard, who filed a countersuit for $100 million. Among the most memorable moments were images of Depp pouring himself what Heard’s attorney described as a ‘mega pint of red wine’ as he smashed up his kitchen, photos of poop on Depp’s bed that he claimed were Heard’s, Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez becoming a pop culture icon as internet users speculated about a budding romance between the two, witnesses vaping as they gave their deposition and Kate Moss delivering a bombshell testimony in under four minutes refuting one of Heard’s key claims. Hollywood has never seen a blockbuster quite like it – a charismatic leading man, his former leading lady and a racing rollercoaster that enthralled a global television audience for more than six weeks. The one-time golden couple fought viciously for their reputations – and their careers – in a stunning sequel to the original two years ago, when the High Court in London had ruled that Johnny Depp was a wife-beater. Last night, it was Depp who emerged victorious – and the key to his victory may well have been the three minutes of evidence by his former girlfriend, Kate Moss. Beaming in over Zoom from her home in the Cotswolds, Moss – who had been Depp’s partner for four years to 1998 – coolly rubbished claims repeated by Amber Heard that Depp had once pushed her down the stairs. LeBron James is officially a billionaire – and still breaking records on court. The LA Laker, 37, is now the second-highest scorer of time in the NBA after passing legendary forward Karl Malone. James passed the milestone after scoring 36 points in a 127-119 March defeat to the Washington Wizards, taking him past Malone’s NBA total of 36,928. Malone – known as the Mail Man – formed a terrific duo with John Stockton during a glittering career at the Utah Jazz. He averaged 25 points-per-game over a near-two decade stretch from 1985 to 2004. It might have been another loss in a dismal season for the Lakers, but James continues to thrive on and off the court despite his team’s struggles. State law prohibits betting on New Jersey college teams, as well as on any collegiate game played in New Jersey — even if they feature teams from other states. That same law is preventing fans of Jersey City-based Saint Peter’s University from betting legally on their Cinderella team’s Sweet 16 game Friday. BetMGM took less than $100 worth of bets last year on New Jersey college basketball games that weren’t supposed to be wagered on. Now, it will pay a $25,000 fine. New Jersey voters had a chance to change this law last November, but overwhelmingly defeated a referendum that would have allowed such bets. The original ban stemmed concerns from some lawmakers about maintaining the integrity of college athletics. If New Jersey fans want to bet legally on the Saint Peter’s game, they will have to travel out of state to do it, with New York and Pennsylvania being close options. Russian Olympic athletes are under investigation for supporting a concert and entertainment program supporting Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Olympic champion swimmer Evgeny Rylov is under investigation from the sport’s governing body, known as FINA, for attending the event. Rylov also lost his endorsement deal with swimwear manufacturer Speedo because of his involvement in the pro-Putin rally. He is facing a disciplinary investigation. The remainder of Rylov’s sponsorship fee will be donated to UNHCR, the United Nations agency caring for refugees. Most of the athletes, including Rylov, were pictured wearing jackets with a “Z” on the chest at the rally. The letter isn’t part of the Russian alphabet but has become a symbol of support for Russian troops after it was used as a marker on Russian armored vehicles operating in Ukraine. Historian David Hackett Fischer, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington’s Crossing, has been writing history books since 1965, and his latest, African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals, is an encyclopedia of enslaved people’s experiences in the United States from the 17th century to the 19th century. The book, which came out May 31, is organized by region to show how the experience of slavery differed around the country—and to show its impact in local cultures today. Fischer draws heavily on writings and oral histories by enslaved and formerly enslaved persons. The topic of Fischer’s book is especially timely. The latest chapter of the culture wars is in large part focused on how much of America’s worst moments to teach its youngest students, sparked by the New York Times’s 1619 Project, a series of articles published in 2019 reframing the country’s origins around the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia 400 years ago. Here, Fischer talks to TIME about how he worked to strike a tone that celebrates the achievements of African Americans while acknowledging the darkest parts of this history and the legacy of enslavement. He also shared his opinion on the 1619 Project. The very first copy of the Marvel comics was auctioned off for more than $2.4 million. Known as the Marvel Comics #1 “pay copy,” it’s “arguably one of the top three comic books in the world of comics collecting,” said Vincent Zurzolo, chief operating officer of ComicConnect. The New York-based auctioneer sold the book Thursday night for a bit under $2,427,800. The very well-preserved “pay copy” is especially sought-after because it bears the publisher’s handwritten notes recording how much the multiple writers and artists were paid. The buyer’s name has not been disclosed. He is “an extremely passionate comic book collector and investor” who also collects other items, Zurzolo said. A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré” will be published November 8th. The book will show a more personal side of the late John le Carre. His son Tim Cornwell edited the book and includes correspondence with Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Laurie and Alec Guinness, the actor famed for playing le Carré’s fictional spy, George Smiley, in adaptations of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and other classic thrillers. The letters cover his teen life, his first marriage, his relationship with his fraudster father, and letters to his children. A suspect has been arrested in connection to the murder of a Dallas street minister, police announced Wednesday. The Dallas Police Department said 50-year-old Anthony Brown was arrested Tuesday, May 24, for the murder of 38-year-old Karl Hollins. On April 7, police said Hollins was shot and killed as he was working a security detail. Two weeks after Hollins’ death, WFAA spoke with his family, who were asking for justice for the father of six. “I didn’t see my son get into any fights with nobody,” Hollins’ father, Karl Hollins Sr. said. “Y’all took my baby.” There are only nine miles between the Crenshaw parking lot where Nipsey Hussle was shot to death in 2019 and the downtown Los Angeles courtroom where his alleged killer will stand trial this month. But to some, the two places might as well be worlds apart. “King Richard” star Aunjanue Ellis is opening up about being bisexual. Ellis, 53, told Variety that she didn’t publicly discuss her sexuality while promoting the film because “nobody asked.” “How do you work that into the conversation, in the middle of me talking about this movie?” she shared. “I’m not that chick. My job was to talk about King Richard, the Williams family, these wonderful young women I worked with, Will Smith’s incredible work in that movie.” She added: “I wasn’t going to be like, ‘And by the way, in case you ain’t heard yet…’ Because that’s artificial.” Ellis continued, “There is an assumption made of me — a presumption made of me. Is it because I’m a Black woman from Mississippi? Is it because I’m older? I don’t know what the mechanics are that goes into them not processing, or them not just being able to believe that in the same way I am Black, I am queer. This is who I am." https://www.instagram.com/aunjanue_ellis447/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f844d564-c083-4353-843d-c451e66479a0 The mother of rapper NBA Youngboy wants to be in a Tyler Perry production Sherhonda Gaulden took to Instagram to share a screenshot of a message that she sent Perry, asking him to cast her in one of his movies. As reported by The Jasmine Brand, the message reads, “Dear mr Tyler Perry’s I think you should put me in a movie I have no acting skills [or] nothing like that but you should just take a [chance] on me.” In a follow-up post, Gaulden noted that some critics called too “gangster” to be in a Perry flick so she tagged 50 Cent, writing: “Ok they say I’m too gangster for Tyler Perry but I’m not stopping until I’m in a movie. @50Cent f with yo girl.” 50 Cent commented under the post, saying “you so gangsta, this sh*t might work.” https://eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/tpig.jpg Kanye West’s marketing agency Donda Sports has signed three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and 2021 NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown. “We’re told Donda eyed the Eastern Conference champ because of his intelligence, social activism and charitable work … as well as his success on the court,” TMZ reports. “On top of that, the deal was especially important to Ye because Jaylen is a God-fearing man … and his mother emphasized the importance of education at a young age, just like Donda. We’re told Ye thinks Brown is underappreciated … and wants to bring him to ‘superhero’ status during his career and long after his playing days.” Brown spoke to The Boston Globe about how his activism is part of any potential business agreement he enters into. “If you want to sign Jaylen, you have to look at what I do off the court as well and try to magnify that platform as well, whether it’s my foundation, whether it’s social activism, charity, whatever,” Brown told the Globe. “That needs to be included. These brands, they talk but they don’t want to include anything that I want to do off the court. It sounds good but when it really comes down to it, they don’t really care.” https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1531686663042306048%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2022%2F06%2F02%2Fjaylen-brown-and-aaron-donald-sign-with-kanye%2F Here is an exclusive clip for the season finale of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” airing Thursday, June 2 on WE tv. https://youtu.be/U69zFo2jorQ At least four people were killed Wednesday in a shooting on a hospital campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma, police said in a news conference Wednesday evening. The gunman is also dead, police said. Authorities believe the shooter’s gunshot wound was self-inflicted, Tulsa Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish said in the news conference. Dispatchers received a call about an active shooter at the Natalie Medical Building, a physicians’ office building on the St. Francis Hospital campus, at roughly 4:52 p.m. local time, Dalgleish said. Officers responded to the scene at roughly 4:56 p.m. and made contact with victims and the suspect roughly five minutes later, Dalgleish said. The officers who arrived could hear shots inside the building, which directed them to the second floor, according to the deputy chief. “The scene is fairly limited to one section of that floor, on the second floor,” Dalgleish said. No officers were injured, he added. Investigators are interviewing witnesses that were in the building, Dalgleish said. Police said they are “getting close” to identifying the suspect, who Dalgleish said had one rifle and one handgun with him. https://youtu.be/QsUmJIZDmcc Former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III was found dead inside his Frisco apartment Wednesday, the team confirms. The team told NBC 5 that Barber, 38, was found unresponsive. Further details are not yet known and a cause of death has not been provided. Frisco police said Wednesday afternoon that officers were out on a welfare call, but provided no other information. Barber, who would have turned 39 on June 10, played for the Dallas Cowboys from 2005 to 2010 before spending his final season with the Chicago Bears and was known for his hard-hitting, punishing style of running out of the backfield. Throughout his NFL career, Barber rushed for 4,780 yards on 1,156 attempts, an average of 4.1 yards per attempt, and scored 53 touchdowns on the ground. As a receiver, he caught 179 passes for 1,330 yards with six TDs. A verdict has been reached in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial. On the third day of deliberation, the seven-person jury at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Virginia agreed that Heard defamed her ex-husband and awarded Depp $15 million in damages. Heard was awarded $2 million dollars in her counterclaim. Depp, 58, sued Heard. 36, for $50 million over her 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as a domestic abuse survivor. She did not name Depp in the piece, but the veteran actor has maintained that the article negatively impacted his career. The actress countersued Depp for $100 million. https://youtu.be/wUtjCcZa4Bs The Kansas City Police Department is under fire after an unarmed Black woman was shot multiple times while officers were trying to conduct an arrest. According to witnesses on hand, Hale, a 26-year-old pregnant Black woman was allegedly shot five times while she was unarmed. She also reportedly informed the cops that she was pregnant before they gunned her down. There are also reports that Hale may have been shot before she was cuffed and that a gun was within close proximity to her during the encounter. Those facts are still being investigated. https://youtu.be/1muhpuQgKD8 Former NFLer Herschel Walker has won the Republican Senate primary in Georgia and he is feeling some way about his pal Donald Trump taking credit for it. The Senate candidate appeared on the PBS interview show “Love & Respect With Killer Mike” this past weekend and called out the former president for falsely taking credit for his primary win. “One thing that people don’t know is is President Trump never asked me,” Walker said of Trump previously claiming that he is the reason why Herschel entered the political arena in the first place. “I need to tell him that he never asked. I heard it all on television that he’s going to ask Herschel, saying Herschel is going to run,” he continued. “President Trump never came out and [said], ‘Herschel, will you run for that Senate seat?'” Walker added. “So, I’m mad at him because he never asked but he’s taking credit that he asked.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1531608994657316864 Some residents of a low-income high-rise building in Trenton, New Jersey, are saying they haven’t had air conditioning for weeks, making the recent heat wave in the area even more unbearable. On Tuesday, temperatures at the Kingsbury Apartments soared to 80 and 90 degrees inside the units, according to some residents. Aaaliyah Jackson’s daughter is immunocompromised and is relying on fans. “My daughter had four organ transplants. She has a trach (tube). She has a feeding tube and nursing care. They have a lot of older people in there who don’t have air. They need to have people come out here and fix this,” said Jackson. A North Carolina lottery winner of $10 million back in 2017 has been sentenced to life in prison over the fatal shooting of his girlfriend. Michael Todd Hill, 54, was convicted on Friday of the first-degree murder of Keonna Graham, 23, who was reported missing on July 20, 2020. Her body was eventually found in a hotel with a gunshot wound to the head, NBC News reports. Hill had reportedly been dating Graham for more than a year at the time of the killing, News & Observer and WECT report. “Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Hill as the only individual in the hotel room with Graham,” prosecutors said in the release, according to the publication, noting that the former nuclear plant worker “was later arrested by law enforcement in Southport, North Carolina and confessed to shooting Graham after she had been texting other men while at the hotel.” The newest Scripps National Spelling Bee host sat down with Newsy to discuss his bee duties, his incredible Hollywood career and hosting, err, NOT hosting a certain iconic TV game show named “Jeopardy!” The Scripps National Spelling Bee has a new host this year: Actor and author LeVar Burton. Ahead of the Spelling Bee finals, he sat down with Newsy’s Christian Bryant for a wide-ranging candid conversation about his career, getting the call to host the Bee, and recent controversy around who would host the popular TV game show Jeopardy! In an exclusive interview with Newsy’s “In The Loop,” Burton tells host Christian Bryant he was “not just disappointed, but wrecked” by losing the bid to become the host of “Jeopardy.” Burton also talks about hosting this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, broadcasting live on ION and Bounce from 8-10 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 2. https://youtu.be/oWXoTjvMqMs CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, continues this Wednesday, June 1 at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYov216--P4 CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX is back ?with the second half of season two tonight, June 1 at 9:30 P.M. EST/8:30C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells is back with the remix, as he serves up international cuisine in the series' condensed, 30-minute format. This week, viewers will see how to make food for the gram! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjJraq9HdXY For months, folks have been waiting for members of the Smith family to address the slap that happened the night of the Oscars in detail. Though all parties involved have not spoken too much about the situation, #JadaPinkettSmith did address the situation in the latest episode of “Red Table Talk,” as the show focused on alopecia. Jada said, “This is a really important Red Table Talk on alopecia. Considering what I’ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars, thousands have reached out to me with their stories. I’m using this moment to give our alopecia family an opportunity to talk about what it’s like to have this condition and to inform people about what alopecia actually is. ”While speaking about the infamous moment at the Oscars, Jada continued, “Now about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile. The state of the world today, we need them both.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CeRTolzl5ld/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again MTV stars Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford to dish about season 8 of “Catfish: The TV Show,” which returned following a brief hiatus with all-new episodes on May 31. Per press release, Schulman and Crawford are back traveling the country, boosted by their boots-on-the-ground powers to track down leads as they dive deep into murky depths to uncover how far catfishing goes in 2022. This new batch of episodes will debut the series’ 200th episode, including a long-awaited special guest appearance from former co-host Max Joseph for the first time in four years. https://youtu.be/oggrcMjVkrY Rickey Smiley is weighing in on the fallout between Mo’Nique and D. L. Hughley as the two comedians are publicly sparring over a contract dispute. “It’s hurtful personally because talking about somebody that I started out with vs. somebody that [I] mentored with,” said Smiley. “Sometimes it comes down to common sense courtesy. What do I have to sacrifice to keep down confusion and beef?” she added, as reported by RadioFacts. https://youtu.be/hzphwigRCvo Anthony Anderson is once again saying goodbye to the “Law & Order” franchise. Anderson will not be returning for season 22 of the NBC drama series, PEOPLE reports. The original “Law & Order” returned to television in February after more than a decade off the air, and several series regulars reprised their roles in the beloved cop drama. “Law & Order” ended in 2010 at the end of its 20th season. Anderson, who appeared in 50 episodes during the final seasons from 2008 to 2010, returned for the revival as Detective Kevin Bernard. Mo’Nique and D.L. Hughley are sparring on social media over a contract dispute related to their stand-up show Saturday night at the Fox Theater in Detroit. Both comedians took part in The Comedy Explosion, with both claiming over the weekend to be the headliner of the event. It all started when Mo’Nique said she was supposed to co-headline the event with Hughley, but it didn’t work out that way. They have since been going back and forth on social media, with Mo posting a screenshot of the alleged contract she claims that D.L. didn’t honor. D.L. responded by sharing his contract and the schedule for The Comedy Explosion line-up. As reported by Vlad TV, he captioned the post, “RECEIPTS > OPINIONS. I GOT EVERYTHING THAT WAS STATED IN MY CONTRACT… EVERYTHING. BUT LET’S SAY I DIDN’T, MY BEEF WOULDN’T BE WITH ANYONE BUT THE PROMOTER AND/OR MY TEAM AND I DAMN SURE WOULDN’T MAKE IT PERSONAL. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, TAKE IT UP WITH MANAGEMENT AND BY THAT I MEAN YOURS???” https://www.instagram.com/realdlhughley/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=43a63f93-0988-4bc4-b4fb-92d9f9d4f832 Another woman has filed a lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, bringing the number of civil suits accusing the Cleveland Browns quarterback of misconduct, including in some cases sexual assault, to 23. Nia Smith, a professionally licensed cosmetologist in Texas, alleges she had three encounters with Watson starting in 2020, whose behavior, she said, “grew worse during every massage,” according to a civil suit filed Tuesday. Watson allegedly asked the plaintiff to massage inside his anus, exposed his erect penis, tried to grab the plaintiff’s buttocks, touched her between her legs and repeatedly requested sex in incidents spanning three sessions, the lawsuit alleges. Smith alleges that she was completely traumatized by her interactions with Watson and quit her job at the salon. https://youtu.be/xt8zWLsSsrw A petition calling for DC Warner Bros to drop Amber Heard from the role of Queen Mera in Aqaman 2 has topped 4.4 million signatures as the jury in the blockbuster defamation trial with her ex Johnny Depp continue their deliberations. The petition alleges that Heard has been ‘exposed as a domestic abuser by Johnny Depp’ during their multimillion-dollar court battle. So far, over 4.4 million people have signed the petition, which is just short of the target of 4.5 million signatures. If the petition reached 4.5 million signatures, it will become one of the ‘top signed on Change.org’. The White House press office’s chief of staff, Amanda Finney, is departing the West Wing the day after a damning report suggests there is a ‘Blaxit’ where black staff are leaving the administration en masse. Finney is moving to the Energy Department for a senior communications post there – following her boss White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki‘s departure. ‘Amanda is a brilliant leader whose skills have strengthened our team since the first days of the administration,’ President Joe Biden‘s new Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement to Bloomberg on her departure. ‘We call her ‘Mayor Finney’ for a reason — her passion, dedication and insight drives our team forward and have been critical to our success.’ Jean-Pierre has not yet named anyone to fill Finney’s former role. Biden’s press shop is facing a big turnover, with a number of junior aides expected to leave in coming weeks for more senior roles in the federal government. California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations for African Americans will release a report Wednesday documenting in detail the harms perpetuated by the state and recommending steps to address those wrongs, including expanded voter registration, making it easier to hold violent police accountable and improving Black neighborhoods. It also recommends the creation of a special office that would, in part, help African Americans descended from free or enslaved Black people in the country at the end of the 19th century document their eligibility for financial restitution. The report, which runs 500 pages, will be the first government-commissioned study on harms against the African American community since the 1968 Kerner Commission report ordered by then-President Lyndon Johnson, task force Chair Kamilah Moore said. Monkeypox infection cases have reportedly risen to 14 people across 8 states. As we reported, more than 200 people in Massachusetts are being tracked for monkeypox after coming in contact with the first confirmed patient in the US. Per TMZ, “the first case of monkeypox in the United States this year was detected on May 17 when a Massachusetts man tested positive after coming back from Canada … the Massachusetts Department of Public Health says he’s hospitalized in good condition.” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the level-2 alert advising people to “practice enhanced precautions” — and warning that it “is fatal in as many as 1 to 11% of people who become infected.” https://youtu.be/cb8DcAgMPYE Singer M.I.A. recently disclosed she became a Christian after seeing a vision of Jesus — and she’s not concerned about how these revelations might impact her career. The rapper and performer, whose real name is Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, told Zane Lowe of Apple Music the vision unfolded in 2017 and it totally transformed her life, according to The Christian Post. In fact, it convinced Arulpragasam, who was raised Hindu, to embrace the Bible. “Since then, my head has been in a totally different place. Being a Tamil and being a Hindu, I was very comfortable that I’d arrived finding myself,” she said. “Which is, I think, going to be weird for America to process. But I had a vision, and I saw the vision of Jesus Christ.” Before the vision, Arulpragasam wasn’t swayed by the Christian faith or biblical worldview. But she said the experience “turned [her] world upside down” and has profoundly impacted her. Hollywood actress Octavia Spencer is mourning the death of her beloved nephew. The 52-year-old Self Made star shared the heartbreaking news on what she dubbed ‘the second-worst day of my life.’ The screen icon uploaded a snapshot of a pink floral arrangement in a jar on her Instagram account alongside a caption that read: ‘Grief. You wouldn’t know it by this picture that today was the second-worst day of my life.’ ‘My family lost the first of the next generation of us, and we’re gutted. Grief is the most terrifying of emotions because I can’t laugh my way out of it. ‘I have to feel. Right now, I’m feeling for my sister who lost her only son. Her only child. If you’re praying people, pray for her and my brother-in-law.’ Bridgerton” actress Ruby Barker is stepping back from the hit Netflix series as she receives treatment for mental health issues. Barker shared a video on Instagram Thursday saying she’s been “really unwell,” and wanted to be transparent with her followers. “I am better. I’ve been really unwell for a really long time. And I just want to be honest with everybody. I have been struggling, you know? So I’m in hospital at the minute. I’m gonna get discharged soon and hopefully get to continue with my life,” she said. https://www.instagram.com/rubybarker/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=61278c40-e4d5-44ef-9e6c-a7f5bb2e7a03 The Force is especially strong with Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s Darth Vader, now that franchise icon James Earl Jones is confirmed to be voicing the Sith Lord on the Disney+ series. Jones made his Obi-Wan debut in this week’s third episode, uttering his first ominous words during a holo-conference with Reva the Inquisitor (played by Moses Ingram), who is hot on his longtime rival’s trail. Jones of course originated the voice of Anakin Skywalker’s masked alter ego in 1977’s Star Wars (aka Episode IV), then did same for Episodes V, VI and IX, as well as in the animated Rebels and in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (amongst other projects/theme park attractions). Jones’ involvement in the Disney+ series was not to be taken for granted, as his casting had not been announced up to or on last month’s Star Wars Celebration Day, he has only acted intermittently in recent years (most recently reprising his role as King Jaffe Joffer in Coming 2 America), he is 91 years old, and both Matt Sloan and Scott Lawrence have been known to lend their pipes to Lord Vader in occasional Star Wars projects. Production on Halle Berry‘s upcoming action thriller “Our Man From Jersey” was shut down in London after crew reportedly found live ammunition on set. “Police were called to reports of an item, described as a bullet casing,” Scotland Yard confirmed in a statement, Ace Showbiz reports. “It was found to be a crushed balloon gas canister and was disposed of by officers.” A source told the Daily Mirror that the incident occurred in late May, “It was quite alarming and there was no hesitation in phoning the police, who arrived quite promptly.” Berry’s new film “revolves around a construction worker who is roped into the spy world by his former high school girlfriend Roxanne, played by Berry, for an intelligence mission,” the outlet writes. The Oscar-winning actress will star opposite Mark Wahlberg in the upcoming movie. Wednesday and some of our favorites are up to snag an award this year! Leading the pack is Doja Cat who earned a total of six nominations. The chart-topping performer is up for best female R&B-pop artist, best female hip-hop artist, album of the year for her hit “Planet Her” and BET Her for “Woman.” Her hit song “Kiss Me More” with singer SZA is also nominated for video of the year and best collaboration. Following behind the female MC is Drake and Ari Lennox who snagged four nominations each! Drizzy’s nominations include best male hip-hop artist; best collaboration and video of the year for “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug; and album of the year for “Certified Lover Boy.” Lennox’s nods include best female R&B pop artist; a BET Her nomination for “Unloyal” with Summer Walker; as well as video of the year and BET Her nods for her smash “Pressure.” Bobby Brown has revealed he suffered two heart attacks after pushing himself to the brink following the deaths of ex-wife Whitney Houston and two of his seven children. R&B legend Houston was 48 and enjoying a career renaissance when her body was discovered in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel – hours before her scheduled appearance at the 2012 Grammy Awards. The tragedy, an accidental drowning exacerbated by cocaine abuse and heart disease, would later be echoed by daughter Bobbi Kristina, who was placed in an induced coma after being found facedown in a bathtub at her Georgia home in 2015. It was dad Bobby who made the devastating decision to turn off the 22-year old’s life-support after being told her brain function had ‘significantly diminished.’ And he admits the double tragedy resulted in him drinking so heavily that he almost killed himself – and suffered two consecutive heart attacks in the process. At this years EDC Las Vegas ZASH Global Media partnered with Snoop Dogg and Grimes. Both dropped exclusive ZASH NFTs for all in attendance during their set in a drop from space via satellite. In addition to the exclusive NFTs, ZASH gave away one Bored Ape NFT worth nearly $300,000. During Snoop’s performance an unprecedented hologram appeared and drone show hovered above the audience. The drone show replicated the Bored Ape above the stage, which was minted and turned into its own NFT. Returning for the 11th year to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, EDC is the world’s largest dance music festival and one of Insomniac’s most anticipated festivals of the year. Late actor Ray Liotta will be honored in his hometown of Union Township, New Jersey, according to Mayor Manuel Figueiredo. Figueiredo on Tuesday told TMZ that plans are being made to honor the actor, who died last week at the age of 67 in the Dominican Republic, where he was working on the film Dangerous Waters. The Newark, New Jersey-born actor graduated from Union High School in 1973 – he was inducted into the high school’s Hall of Fame in 1993 – before going on to study his craft at University of Miami. Officials in Union Township are considering naming a youth baseball field in honor of his performance as Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 1989 classic Field of Dreams, TMZ reported. Figueiredo said plans would not be finalized until Liotta’s family has had time to grieve his passing. Kathie Lee Gifford has become a grandmother for the first time after her son Cody welcomed a baby boy with his wife Erika – revealing that they have named their newborn son Frank after his late grandfather. The former Today host, 68, shared the news of her family’s latest arrival in a touching Instagram post on Wednesday, revealing a sweet snap of her son and daughter-in-law with their newborn baby boy, who was born on May 31. ‘My heart is bursting. Frank Michael Gifford is here, confirming that our God is good and merciful and faithful. And he loves us!’ she wrote alongside the snap, which shows proud new father Cody posing with his wife and son in the hospital. Baby Frank’s arrival comes just four and a half months after Kathie revealed that Cody and Erika – who wed in September 2020 – were expecting their first child together. High school graduations are always special and whether kids choose a school close to home or move away the time is the unofficial transition into adulthood. No one knows that better than a young lady graduating on May 31 from Cedar Hill High School and she has more than one reason to celebrate. Carah Allen has never broken stride in her time at Cedar Hill High. “I’ve been the same rank all four years,” she said. “So, my family is like ‘it’s just another thing that Carah did.'” But make no mistake, Carah graduating as Cedar Hill’s valedictorian is not the same old song. It’s a tune of triumph to say the least. “Me and my mom were running around saying ‘How am I going to pay for school? How is this going to happen?’ And then, April 20th came and I finally got a scholarship. Because we’ve been struggling financially, so to have that… it really was a blessing.” On April 20 Carah received a letter that will forever change her life. She was one of 300 students in the country (out of 37,000 applicants) to receive the Gates Scholarship… as in Bill and Melinda Gates. It’s a scholarship for outstanding minority high school seniors from low-income households. Hampered by border entry bureaucracy, it turned out to be a four-day mission. But an animal rights group brought to safety Simba, an adult male lion, and Akyla the gray wolf from a zoo in war-torn Ukraine. They were brought to safety in Romania. Two men from the U.K. who volunteered to enter Ukraine to rescue the animals and drive them to safety. “If there is something this war brought on is incredible cooperation between organizations,” said Sebastian Taralunga of the animal rights group Animals International, one of several that was involved in planning the animals’ extraction. The adult male lion and the gray wolf, who were fully awake during the dangerous journey due to lack of tranquilizers in Ukraine, arrived Monday at a zoo in Radauti, from a zoo in Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine. The animals will now spend time in quarantine at their new enclosure and children and other visitors can see them at the zoo, after which they’ll eventually be relocated to sanctuaries. People should reduce their number of sexual partners to help fight the spread of monkeypox, the World Health Organization has urged. Dr Hans Kluge, the head of WHO’s European division, has warned the current outbreak of the tropical disease ‘may not be containable’. He warned Europe had become the new epicentre of the virus, with the outbreak linked to sexual transmission at raves and festivals on the continent. Dr Kluge insisted the virus ‘will not require the same extensive population measures’ as Covid but said ‘significant and urgent’ action was needed to prevent more cases. The WHO stopped short of calling for contacts of known cases to be quarantined but called for ‘critical’ twice-daily temperature checks and ‘close monitoring’. Dr Kluge said that while cases have been concentrated in men who have sex with men, there was nothing stopping it from spreading to other groups. The WHO earlier this week upgraded the global threat level to ‘moderate’, warning that community spread could lead to vulnerable patients or children catching the virus, which also spreads from touch, or interaction with contaminated surfaces or clothes. Tye Tribbett is BACK! He’s announced his upcoming album All Things New releasing July 8th. You can pre-order the album today and listen to his brand-new song “New!” This album includes music that everyone will love, you won’t want to miss it! Here's another hit "Shining Bright" in the Gospel spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruFGLcCtvOM&list=PLKwuyy4s7OcXPAoySLXXSE2vHfoaRAxEK&index=2 Evvie McKinney just released your new summer anthem, “Church”! This song is all about starting your week right at church, no matter how that may look for you. Music "Shining Bright" in the Gospel spotlight!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IanfZTK4oLs Isabel Davis drops new tune... "I Will Rejoice." https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ihae79gtqdgm0gu889n62/h?dl=0&rlkey=7jd51232fp1v9dd9gc273bql9 Announcing the new "GODKORE" Hip Hop Pioneer Declaration Anthem "WE DA' BLESSED!!" By The Legendary Hip Hop Apostle B.B.Jay Now Streaming On Spotify, Apple Music, Distrokid & A Host Of Other Streaming Platforms!! https://open.spotify.com/album/0kC1sR2T5DdiGnLcAWBPGO GRAMMY® Award-winning Gospel music maven Tamela Mann announced the upcoming release of a new deluxe edition of her sensational Tillymann Music Group album, Overcomer. Tamela also makes history this week as the first gospel artist to chart nine No. 1 singles on the Gospel Airplay chart, with her most recent single “He Did It For Me” is now no. 1. Tamela Mann Announces Release of Overcomer: Deluxe Edition! Available July 22nd. The Florida Gospel Music Hall of Fame honoree, DeWayne Harvey, coined the Renaissance Man of Gospel, returns to the Gospel forefront with his latest offering, the smash hit “So Much I Can Do”. “So Much I Can Do”, is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed and chart-topping single “What The Lord Allows” which featured Fred Hammond. So Much I Can Do is a merging of Gospel and Christian Music and is designed to be a music staple for generations to come. Written by DeWayne Harvey himself, and produced by DeWayne Harvey & Étienne "EJ" Porter, this song entices you to remember and understand the awesome power of God. DeWayne states “this is my best work ever, and an emotional one at that, it touches on so many things that I love for it is music that does way more than just sound, it touches the heart and changes lives”. So Much I Can Do is a single from DeWayne’s upcoming album entitled DeWayne Harvey & Friends. Radio is already requesting the song. The Princess of Gospel, Angela Spivey, already proclaimed, “DeWayne, you have another hit on your hands.” Nikki Berry brings dynamic vocals in this message of inspiration; while shining a light on God’s amazing Grace and Mercy. Her thought provoking lyrics bring you to a place of pure gratefulness! Nikki’s music and genuine personality has started to make an impact around the world. She has had four singles to hit the Billboard charts including “Show Me Your Glory", “Higher”, “Restore Remix” and her original Christmas song “Celebrate The King”. Nikki has been nominated and won several awards for her work as a recording artist and continues to go higher touching the heart of millions. This new single is accompanied by an uplifting live video portraying Nikki’s true excitement for God. The new video for “Grace & Mercy” will move you to join in on the praise party! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxZU-89BFdY Anita Baker recently took a moment during a live performance to thank Chance the Rapper for helping her acquire her masters. “You should say hello to a friend of mine by way of the music industry and by way of helping me, helping me to get a hold and ownership of my master recordings,” Baker told the audience in a clip shared on Twitter. The Chicago native stood up in the crowd as everyone clapped. Chance later responded to the video, writing on Twitter, “I saw one of THE greatest performances of my LIFETIME last night! Thank you so much @IAMANITABAKER for being an inspiration and an icon to so many of US.” https://twitter.com/3LWTV/status/1530842496636289026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1530953376300617728%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2022%2F05%2F31%2Fanita-baker-thanks-chance-the-rapper-for-helping-her-acquire-her-masters-video%2F Drai’s Beachclub • Nightclub will continue to be a guaranteed hot spot on the Las Vegas Strip throughout June with full-length Drai’s LIVE concerts by music icons Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz and more. Located on the rooftop of The Cromwell, Drai’s Nightclub is open from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday through Sunday; Drai’s Beachclub is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday; and Drai’s Resort Pool is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. From 11 stories high surrounded by breathtaking views of the Las Vegas Strip, the sweeping 35,000-square-foot Drai’s Beachclub is famous for sensational pool parties, luxurious cabanas and bungalows, and live performances. In addition to two full-service bars, Drai’s Beachclub offers more than 75 luxurious VIP tables under an awning of towering palms. Drai’s Beachclub transforms to Drai’s Resort Pool and is open to the public at no charge. The sports world has lost another star. Jeff Gladney, a former first-round pick who played for the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, has died. According to Clarence Hill Jr. and Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Gladney died in a car accident. The NFL player’s girlfriend, Mercedes Palacios, was also killed in the accident. Gladney and Palacios, both 25, were trapped in an overturned G-Wagon. They died in the burning wreckage. Cardinals wrote in a statement published on Twitter: “We are devastated to learn of Jeff Gladney’s passing. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and all who are mourning this tremendous loss.” John Johnson, famously known as Grandmaster Jay and the leader of a Black militia group, was found guilty Friday on two counts of federal charges. Johnson, 59, had been charged with assaulting a federal task force officer and brandishing a firearm during racial justice protests in downtown Louisville in the wake of Breonna Taylor’s death. The incident reportedly occurred the night before the 2020 Kentucky Derby. https://youtu.be/89UMqLO3zLI Cops have shot a 26-year-old black woman who claimed she was pregnant as they searched for a vehicle involved in an armed car jacking. Kansas City police fired at Leonna Hale five times after she told them there was a gun in the car and as a man who was with her fled Friday. Horrified witnesses claimed the suspect had been trying to cooperate before she was gunned down and handcuffed on the ground as blood seeped through her white t-shirt. She was rushed to hospital after suffering serious injuries but was in a stable condition. The man, who was said to be her boyfriend, was also taken in by medics on an unrelated medical issue. Cops said a gun was recovered from near the car – but it was not clear if the woman had been holding it – and they had launched a full investigation while the two officers involved were put on administrative leave. Dramatic footage shows Hale being cuffed on the ground as she started to bleed from gunshot wounds at a Family Dollar store in Kansas City. Onlookers wailed as they repeated claims from the woman that she was pregnant, with one claiming: ‘She did not pull out a weapon on them.’ Talk about Black Girl Magic! At age 11, Sarah Rector, the daughter of freedmen in 1902, reportedly become the wealthiest black girl in the nation. By the time she turned 18, Rector was worth an estimated $1 million, or about $11 million today, per the report. Rector’s notoriety reached global status. Her wealth was often written about in numerous newspapers. Her fortune prompted endless requests for loans, money gifts, and several marriage proposals from white men. At the time, a law required the child’s guardianship to be switched from her parents to a white man named T.J. Porter. Per the report, NAACP leaders fought to protect her fortune.In 1922, she married Kenneth Campbell, who owned an auto dealership, and they had three sons. They divorced in 1930 and Rector remarried in 1934. Rector reportedly lost most of her wealth during The Great Depression. She died at age 65 on July 22, 1967. https://youtu.be/_uu9L28GGWQ Tory Lanez and Madonna were spotted watching the Gervonta Davis fight together on Saturday, May 28. Their ringside conversation shocked fans because the pop star previously slammed the rapper for “illegal usage” of one of her original classic songs. Back in December, Madonna hit up the comments section of Tory’s Instagram, accusing him of using her hit 1985 song “Into the Groove” on the track “Pluto’s Last Comet” from his new 80s-inspired album, “Alone at Prom.” Meanwhile, George Michael’s estate has also accused Tory of plagiarism. The late singer’s estate accused the hip-hop star of illegally using his 1985 hit “Careless Whisper” for the rapper’s song “Enchanted Waterfall”. https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ae6f5371-ed91-4989-a910-a46be2023ad2 Kevin Hart has announced a two-part documentary coming to A&E this summer that will explore the history of Black comedians. Per press release, “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution,” executive produced by Hart’s HartBeat Productions and Time Studios, will trace the history of Black comedy and its under-appreciated legacy of driving social change across the 20th and 21st centuries. From Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley and Dick Gregory during the civil rights movement, Richard Pryor in the 70s, Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg in the 80s, to the power of In Living Color and Def Comedy Jam in the 90s, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle in the 2000s and groundbreaking modern-day comedians and creators like Key & Peele, Issa Rae, Amber Ruffin and Tiffany Haddish. https://youtu.be/_si4tVjSEmo Cardi B shared a short clip on social media showing her reaction to a yacht sinking outside her vacation villa. “What the f—. Oh my … It’s sinking! Y’all see that? Y’all see that?” she exclaimed in the clip. “Oh my God, they can’t do nothing about it. There ain’t no big boat that can save it? It’s gone! It’s gone! Bye bye! Bye … Oh my God, it’s gone!” Cardi clarified that the boat was unoccupied as it sank. “A whole yacht sinked in front our face. Luckily no one was in there,” she captioned the video on her Instagram Story. https://twitter.com/i/status/1530685995305279489 Snoop Dogg is scrapping all international dates from his 2022 calendar, blaming “unforeseen scheduling conflicts”. The rap star had postponed his forthcoming tour of Australia, what was to be his first visit there since 2014. Those shows are “looking likely” to be rescheduled to February 2023, say the promoters for that planned outing, TEG MJR. In a statement posted to his Instagram account, Snoop confirms he’s “canceling all upcoming non-U.S. tour dates” for the remainder of 2022, citing “family obligations and upcoming tv and film projects” among factors. The official social media accounts for Star Wars late Monday issued a statement, defending Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram from vile online attacks. “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist,” began the message from Disney accounts. “We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.” Ingram plays Reva Sevander, aka the Third Sister, who is hunting Obi-Wan Kenobi for Darth Vader in the new Disney+ series, shared on her Instagram stories several of the absolutely horrendous online messages aimed at her, some of which included the N-word. Mo’Nique went off on fellow comedian D.L. Hughley and he fired right back. The war of words between the two comics started Saturday over who was the true headliner when they shared the same stage at Detroit’s Fox Theatre. Mo’Nique told fans in a profanity-filled monologue she was supposed to headline the show, that is until Hughley joined the lineup. “Y’all don’t understand the fight a b–ch had to go through to stand in front of y’all tonight,” Mo’Nique told the audience in a video posted on YouTube. “Y’all don’t understand I was getting ready to walk the f–k up out of here, but I said, ‘I can’t let the people down’.” “The motherf–ing contract says that a b–ch is the headliner. The headliner. That’s what the motherf–ing contract says,” she told fans. “’Mo’Nique is to be the last (expletive) person on the (expletive) stage. She is the headliner.” She then called Hughley a “b–ch,” the N-word and a “coon” in front of the crowd. It didn’t take long for Hughley to go nuclear on Mo’Nique. “All you have to do is check the order of names on the ticket stub from last night and you’ll see who’s confused. Against my better judgment, over the objections of my team and 4 other occasions where I said NO, I decided to take a chance and work with Monique,” he wrote. https://youtu.be/cPW6yZ-VYc0 Three people were shot after a high school graduation ceremony Tuesday on the campus of Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, officials said. One of the victims, an elderly female, has died, New Orleans Police Department Chief Deputy Superintendent Christopher Goodly told reporters. Multiple people were detained at the scene for questioning, police said. A suspect and motive are still under investigation. No arrests have been made, police said. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell spoke at the graduation ceremony, but left before the shooting occurred, her press secretary Melissa Newell told CNN. https://youtu.be/YsZqWXKo0wI Actor Kirk Cameron has said American schools are becoming breeding grounds for far-left progressive agendas, such as critical race theory and gender ideology. The actor made the comments while referencing his upcoming film ‘The Homeschool Awakening’, written and directed by Caleb Price. The movie follows the journey of 17 homeschooling families who respond to misconceptions and stereotypes. ‘The problem is that systems have become so bad,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s sad to say they’re doing more for grooming, for sexual chaos and the progressive left than any real educating about the things that most of us want to teach our kids.’ Cameron shared his own experience with home-schooling his six children with his wife, Chelsea. The jury in Johnny Depp defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard resumes deliberations on Tuesday after a three-day weekend. Heard is being sued by Depp for $50m for implying he abused her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Although she didn’t name him, he claims her allegations impacted his ability to work. She is pursuing a counterclaim of $100m. https://youtu.be/X8bTpN_2oxA Wynonna Judd is sharing her thoughts on how she is doing a month after her mother, Naomi, died by suicide at the age of 76. In a moving message on Instagram, Judd writes, “Checking in. There is so much happening in the world right now. So before I sat down to write this, I thought, ‘No…I just don’t know what to say.’ Then, I heard the words from my life coach asking me, ‘What do you know?’ And I began to cry.” In a moving message on Instagram, Judd writes, “Checking in. There is so much happening in the world right now. So before I sat down to write this, I thought, ‘No…I just don’t know what to say.’ Then, I heard the words from my life coach asking me, ‘What do you know?’ And I began to cry.” Former Bennett College scholars will be able to step into the next chapter of their lives without carrying the weight of student debt, thanks to a major boost from a collective of activists. The North Carolina-based HBCU received a $1.7 million donation to eradicate outstanding balances for hundreds of students. The gift was provided by the Debt Collective and the Rolling Jubilee Fund. Both entities—which have strong ties to the Occupy Wall Street movement—have a shared mission of cultivating a society that provides publicly funded higher education, guaranteed housing and universal healthcare. Letitia Wright spoke to Variety on Sunday to update fans about the status of “Black Panther 2,” as well as discuss her controversial vaccine stance. The outlet caught up with Wright at Kering’s Women In Motion dinner at the Cannes Film Festival, where she made clear that she has no regrets about the media firestorm she endured amid the COVID pandemic. In 2020, Wright caught heat after sharing an anti-COVID vaccine video on social media. When asked by Variety what she learned from the criticism that came from pro-vaxxers, she said, “I’ve learned that in life, you just have to keep going strong with what you believe in, in terms of your talent, in terms of your desire to impact the world with your art, and that’s exactly what I’m doing and I’m so proud of myself and the movie that’s coming out this year. I’m so proud of it.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1528476445470777349 Jemele Hill revealed during a recent appearance on Revolt TV’s Assets Over Liabilities that while working at ESPN she was paid $200,000 less than co-host Michael Smith, “though we were doing the same job,” she said. “It’s not so much about what you’re worth, it’s about what you will negotiate. I started at ESPN at such a low salary to begin with. One of those, ‘We’ll see how it works kind of contracts. A 2-and-2 contract: two-year deal with a two-year option, one of the worst contracts I ever signed,” she explained, as reported by MadameNoire. “My first year was $120,000, but that’s as an independent contractor, so that means I had to pay my own taxes and no health insurance. The lesson that I learned, you can’t sell out for a name,” she added. https://youtu.be/cmGudhpanWU Nick Cannon took some time over the weekend to visit his 102-year-old great-grandmother in North Carolina, according to WCNC. The Cannon family matriarch Corinne Cannon’s alma mater, Barber-Scotia College, and other local leaders including Mayor Vi Lyles honored the centenarian for her community work at a Kannapolis, North Carolina event, WCNC reports. Corinne was a staunch supporter of civil rights and was the first Black woman hired at the segregated Cannon Mills Plant in 1963, according to the Independent Tribune. From Wayne Chaney Jr.’s Instagram: I’ve always done my best to lead a life of openness and authenticity. In honoring my family I have attempted to be patient and thoughtful about when, and how, to share these changes. But there has been a continuing tug on my spirit, and I believe the most thoughtful way to move forward is with transparency about this difficult chapter in our family’s life.As you read the above statement, please do so with care and the understanding that this decision was the most difficult one we have ever had to make. I am grateful in advance for your love, prayers, and support. https://www.instagram.com/waynechaneyjr/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f5b59804-4c98-462f-82c1-3e055918d053 The married church pastor publicly accused of taking a 16-year-old girl’s virginity on his office floor began grooming her as early as 14, her family have alleged to DailyMail.com. And victim Bobi Gephart, now 43, was held in a Svengali-like grip by 65-year-old preacher John Lowe II for at least eight years as he had sex with her ‘many, many’ times, they add. Lowe – forced to quit the large church he built from scratch in Warsaw, Indiana, because of the storm – was so desperate to keep his illicit lust secret that he verbally blackmailed her into staying silent, her mother has claimed in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com. Branded a ‘predator’ by Bobi’s mom Karen Wolfe, the pastor was confronted Sunday on the stage of the packed New Life Christian Church after he confessed to his congregation that he had ‘sinned’ by committing adultery 20 years ago. He did not name the woman or her age – and received a standing ovation after begging the church’s forgiveness. But Bobi then stormed towards the stage with husband Nate, 37, grabbed a microphone and said it wasn’t just adultery and it was 27 years ago. Speaking directly to the pastor – and recorded in a Facebook video clip that went viral – she revealed: ‘For 27 years I lived in a prison. It was not 20 years. I lived in a prison of lies and shame… I thought I was a horrible person, having suicidal thoughts… Charitable efforts make the world a better place, and one person that lives by this principle is Keith Leaphart, a founder who launched a fintech startup to empower individual givers. Nearly two decades ago while attending medical and business school in the Hamptons, Leapheart came up with Philanthropi. During the time, he also had a commercial cleaning business to financially support his educational pathway geared toward becoming a physician. Charitable efforts make the world a better place, and one person that lives by this principle is Keith Leaphart, a founder who launched a fintech startup to empower individual givers. Nearly two decades ago while attending medical and business school in the Hamptons, Leapheart came up with Philanthropi. During the time, he also had a commercial cleaning business to financially support his educational pathway geared toward becoming a physician. One of Leaphart’s earliest clients was Suburban Cable, which at the time was led by Gerry Lenfest. Cleaning the office of the late billionaire philanthropist and businessman ultimately led to a friendship spanning decades long and exposed Leaphart to the importance of philanthropy. Master P announced the tragic death of his daughter Tytyana Miller at the age of 29 on Sunday. ‘Our family is dealing with an overwhelming grief for the loss of my daughter Tytyana,’ the 52-year-old musical artist, whose real name is Percy Robert Miller Sr., said on Instagram. ‘We respectfully request some privacy so that our family can grieve. We appreciate all of the prayers love and support. Master P announced the tragic death of his daughter Tytyana Miller at the age of 29 on Sunday. ‘Our family is dealing with an overwhelming grief for the loss of my daughter Tytyana,’ the 52-year-old musical artist, whose real name is Percy Robert Miller Sr., said on Instagram. ‘We respectfully request some privacy so that our family can grieve. We appreciate all of the prayers love and support. Her brother Romeo Miller, 32, also spoke about the tragic passing on social media, saying, ‘Our family is dealing with an overwhelming grief for the loss of my little sister Tytyana. It’s no secret that this Rico case concerning Young Thug and several YSL associates is very serious! Listed among the 56-count-indictment is a claim that Young Thug granted Georgia inmates (incarcerated YSL associates) permission to kill rapper Lucci who is also incarcerated at the same facility. Columnist George Chidi, who studied the indictment, says there aren’t many ways that the Feds could know about this alleged phone call unless they had a wiretap. During an interview with VladTV he stated: “How did the police know that conversation took place?” Chidi went on to say that there may have been a phone that was smuggled into the jail that was used by the inmates to contact Young Thug. “That phone call was intercepted,” he continued. “If they had that phone tapped, why would they think they were safe having that phone call?” https://www.instagram.com/p/CeMUP2fJIxl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Paul McCartney has played a clip of Johnny Depp from an old music video during a concert in Orlando – prompting speculation about whether the singer has given his support to the actor amid his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. The former Beatles singer, 79, played the 2012 music video for his track ‘My Valentine’ – which features Depp, 58, and actress Natalie Portman – as he performed the song at the Camping World Stadium on Saturday night. The visual, which features Portman lip syncing to the music while Depp strums an acoustic guitar, showed on the big screens at McCartney’s ‘Get Back’ tour. McCartney did not address Depp’s $100million court case against Heard directly during the concert but as soon as the images of the actor appeared on stage, the crowd cheered. Johnny Depp left his libel trial against ex-wife Amber Heard and jetted to England where he surprised concertgoers by performing with Jeff Beck at the guitar legend’s show on Sunday. Depp spent Sunday night onstage after apparently flying straight to Sheffield City Hall to rock with Beck, performing a cover of John Lennon‘s ‘Isolation,’ according to MSN. After the show, the Hollywood star met fans outside the venue, posing for photos and signing autographs. In 2011, Jonathan Cahn’s first book The Harbinger exploded onto the world scene. Now, more than 10 years later, “The Harbingers of Things to Come” has been turned into a hard-hitting documentary loaded with warnings for America. Fathom Events reports that nearly 100,000 people saw “The Harbingers of Things to Come” during its limited theatrical release over two nights around the nation last week. Cahn says this prophetic film reveals a mystery that is determining America’s future — and yours. In The Harbinger, he revealed an ancient biblical mystery behind everything from 9/11 to the economy, to the housing boom, to the war in Iraq, to the 2008 crisis on Wall Street. God used The Harbinger to send a prophetic message on which America’s future hangs. Reality star Ms. Juicy Baby of Lifetime’s “Little Women: Atlanta” has officially been discharged from the hospital following a stroke she suffered in late April. “I am not at 100%, but I am still healing,” the TV and radio personality, whose real name is Shirlene Pearson, began on Instagram Saturday before summarizing her terrifying ordeal and confirming she suffered a stroke. “I want to say thank you for all of the love and support … and I appreciate y’all being concerned,” she went on. Juicy, 50, specified that the type of stroke she had “entailed a brain bleed,” which “can cause different things for different people,” before detailing the daunting toll it took on her basic motor functions and cognitive abilities. “I had to learn how to walk, learn how to talk, learn how to eat, learn how to swallow,” she said, mentioning that she’s currently still going to speech therapy. The leader of a Black militia group that took part in Louisville protests in the wake of Breonna Taylor’s death has been found guilty on two counts of federal charges. John F. Johnson, 59, the leader of NFAC and better known as “Grandmaster Jay,” had been charged with assaulting a federal task force officer and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Johnson and his militia came to Louisville twice, including the day of the Kentucky Derby in September 2020. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on Sept. 4, Johnson “forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with a federally deputized task force officer who was performing official duties” when Johnson aimed a rifle at him. Prosecutors say he pointed a rifle at two deputized task force officers positioned on the roof of a building near Jefferson Square Park. Both are detectives with the Louisville Metro Police. The sister of a man who was shot dead in Brooklyn told The Post on Sunday that she was on the phone with the sibling when the fatal shots rang out. Pashona Davy, 31, said she heard the gunfire that mortally wounded her older brother, Donovan Davy, in East Flatbush while speaking to her brother on the phone early Sunday morning. “I heard gunshots — about three or four,” she told The Post of their last phone call. “After that, I didn’t hear anything. I was like, ‘Donovan, Donovan.’ I kept saying it, and he wasn’t responding.” Donovan, an employee at the Transportation Security Administration, was shot in the neck and right leg. The 45-year-old was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Matthew McConaughey returned to his hometown of Uvalde on Friday, to pay respects for the victims of the elementary school mass shooting. The Oscar-winning actor posed for a photo with members of the Uvalde School District three days after an 18-year-old gunman opened fire on a Robb Elementary classroom, killing 19 children and two teachers. The 52-year-old did not talk to the press during his visit, according to other media outlets. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), whose district covers Uvalde, expressed his gratitude for McConaughey, saying in part that he appreciated him “helping to heal our community.” “Your visit brought so many smiling faces to Uvalde,” Gonzales wrote. McConaughey was born in Uvalde and spent his early years in the small southwest Texas community. A few weeks back on May 14 (2022), an anonymous user on the online forum 4chan wrote, “just 20 mins ago I just witnessed a mass shooting at a tops supermarket live on twitch with like 20 other viewers.” The hate-filled forum 4chan, where all users post anonymously, appears to be at the center of the made-for-the-internet massacre that took place in a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday — from discussion on the platform apparently helping inspire the alleged attacker to spreading the gruesome video of the shooting. https://youtu.be/h0BGonbpYXI As details of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, continue to unfold, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler on Friday wrote that he is “not okay with the state of this country” and that he “felt like a coward” for not protesting “the lack of delivery on the promise of what our national anthem represents.” Kapler told reporters before Friday’s series opener at Cincinnati that, moving forward, he doesn’t plan on taking the field for the national anthem “until I feel better about the direction of our country” and that he needs more time to consider specific actions he might suggest be taken to prevent more tragedies of this type, such as stronger gun control laws. “I don’t expect it to move the needle necessarily,” Kapler said of his decision to not take the field for the anthem. “It’s just something that I feel strongly enough about to take that step.” A 10-year-old boy has been arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot up his school in Florida. Daniel Issac Marquez was charged with making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting after sending a text about Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral. Cops slammed the 5th grader for acting ‘like a little delinquent’ and said he was now ‘experiencing real consequences.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/05/30/6806181238013774249/636x382_MP4_6806181238013774249.mp4 Tampa police arrested a Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ wide receiver for DUI early Monday morning. Tampa officers spotted the driver of a vehicle speeding, straddling lane markers, and weaving in and out of lanes, they said. According to police, the driver was 25-year-old Travis Jonsen. Officers said Jonsen stopped at 1505 North Dale Mabry and showed signs of impairment. A former TCU football standout who became a first-round NFL Draft pick has died. Jeff Gladney was killed in a car accident early Monday morning, his agent Brian Overstreet confirmed. Gladney was 25. “We are asking prayers for the family and privacy at this most difficult time,” said Overstreet, who was admittedly shocked and devastated. The fatal crash happened around 2:30 a.m. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. A female passenger also died in the crash, per a source. Several of Gladney’s former college teammates offered condolences on social media Monday. “Lost my Brother, my best friend, my right hand man… ain’t too much more I can take,” Jalen Reagor wrote on Twitter. “R.I.P Jeff Gladney, brother watch over me please.” A prayer vigil was held this weekend for missing 14-year-old Tyreke Walker, who was swept into rough waters in Orange Beach, Ala. last weekend and has not been seen since. Family members along with folks from the Orange Beach community came out to show their support on Saturday, May 28. Walker had just finished 8th grade at McKinley Middle School and was headed to Liberty High next year. “We were blessed that local community came out and helped us,” said Cantan Nguyen, Tyreke’s mom. “Pastor Fred asked two of his ministers to help lead in prayers. Mrs. Leslie and her husband came out to show local support. Mr. and Mrs. Carswell family who is in contact with the mayor came out to show support with some more locals. Family came in from Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana, drove and flew in just for the vigil, and left the same day.” Dallas police are asking for the public’s help finding a missing woman they said may be in serious danger. On May 29, Alyana Rachael Clark placed a 911 emergency call for help. Police believe her life could be in danger. Clark is described as an 18-year-old Black woman with gray hair and brown eyes. She weighs 125 pounds and is 5’6" tall. She was last seen with Deonty Washington, a 20-year-old Black man, in a 2011 blue Nissan Altima with temporary tags 45035Y5. Anyone with information is asked to call the Dallas Police Department at 911 or contact Detective Zambrano, #10783 at 972-841-9212. Happy birthday to Gladys Knight! In celebration of her 78th birthday on Saturday, fans, friends, and family came together to wish the Empress of Soul a happy birthday. As a result, the “Neither One of Us” singer posted a photo on Instagram thanking everyone for all the kind words. “I am blown away by the amazing outpouring of love and well wishes on this Birthday,” Knight wrote in the caption. “Thank you so much!” “I appreciate and love each and every one of you. I am grateful for another beautiful year of life and looking forward to continue to share my talents with you, my amazing fans, supporters and loved ones! ??????????Happy Birthday to Me! #xoMsGladys.” The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is a seven-time Grammy award winner and has recorded nearly 40 albums during a career spanning more than 60 years. Her biggest hits include the first released version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.” This couple just took the words “Black love” to a whole new level as they’ve graduated from medical school and tied the knot all within one week, Black Enterprise reports. On May 15, they became husband and wife. By May 21, the two earned their degrees from the Tennessee historically Black Meharry Medical College. Now, they can be called Mr. and Mrs. Johnson plus Dr. Dwight Johnson II and Dr. Taylor Brooks (what a feat, huh?). According to their wedding registry, the pair met during their time at school through a mutual friend and it was love at first sight. Their connection led them to dates that ranged from library connections as well as dinner and bowling before Dwight finally popped the question, asking Taylor to be his girlfriend. At the time, he also asked her to accompany him to their med school prom in a “Love and Basketball” inspired proposal, which featured tunes from Ginuwine in the background. Mick Schumacher suffered a horrific crash as his car broke in half during the Monaco Grand Prix. The 23-year-old German lost control of his car on lap 27 of the Monte Carlo race. And as he spun around he clipped the barriers before shunting the car into the wall and splitting it in half. WNBA star Liz Cambage reportedly directed a racial slur at Nigerian national team players during a scrimmage prior to the 2021 Summer Olympics, according to an investigation by The Daily Telegraph. The report includes details of a stunning video showing the Australian center incite a brawl after elbowing an opponent in the head and slapping another player in a closed-door scrimmage against Nigeria prior to last summer’s Olympics. Anonymous Nigerian players interviewed by The Daily Telegraph claim Cambage, 30, called the Nigerian players “monkeys” and told them to “go back to your third world country” during the fight. Cambage’s outburst led to the end of practice after Australian officials called the game off before the end of the second quarter. The Daily Telegraph reported Cambage, whose father is Nigerian, apologized to the Nigerian team a day later but it “wasn’t well received by every player.” Teenager Coco Gauff reached the French Open quarter-finals for the second year in a row when she destroyed Belgian Elise Mertens 6-4 6-0 in the fourth round on Sunday. The American needed a set to adjust before steamrolling the 31st seed with aggressive returns to set up a meeting with compatriot Sloane Stephens. The 18-year-old Gauff, who clinched her maiden clay court title at the Emilia-Romagna Open last year, has been growing fond of playing on the slow surface. Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany Matthews are adding another teammate to their family. The longtime couple announced Sunday that they’re expecting their second child together, two months after tying the knot. In a photo post shared on Instagram, Mahomes is seen sitting beside Matthews and their 1-year-old daughter, Sterling Skye, who holds a sign that reads, “Big sister duties coming soon.” Child golf phenom Xavier Perez has scored a major NIL deal before even becoming a teenager. The 12-year-old, who has won more than 250 tournaments since he began playing golf competitively nine years ago, landed a name, image and likeness deal with Cobra Puma, the company announced Friday. “Xeve’s personality, talent and love for the game is inspiring, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the Cobra Puma Golf family,” Dan Ladd, the president of Cobra Puma golf said in a statement, according to ESPN. “He is a fantastic talent and role model, which aligns with our mission to push the game forward and inspire the next generation of golfers. We’re excited to be part of his journey.” A North Carolina preschool teacher has been caught using unapproved LGBTQ flash cards – which include images of a pregnant man – to teach 3- and 4-year-old children colors. The teacher, who has not been identified, was found out to have used them on the preschoolers after a constituent of State Representative Erin Pare contacted the Republican about the cards at Ballantine Elementary School in Wake County. Paré contacted the principal of the school to see if she was aware of the use of the cards, which showcase LGBTQ relationships and also go through what each of the colors in the Pride Flag mean. The cards are made by a now-defunct company called ByUs Box, which also made sets of flash cards showcasing non-binary and transgender animals, gender neutral nursery rhymes and a ‘Blackness Collection.’ The company was created by two women who said they were inspired by the murder of George Floyd. Real Madrid became European champion for a record-extending 14th time after beating Liverpool 1-0 in a Champions League final that started 37 minutes late because of disturbing crowd issues outside the Stade de France on Saturday. Fox has decided to cancel “Our Kind of People” after only one season, according to the network’s press release on Friday. The story’s plot revolves around a single mom who relocates her family to the vineyard while nursing the hopes of expanding her natural hair care business by partnering with wealthy African Americans in Oak Bluffs. https://youtu.be/ZWka8QcNxGA President Joe Biden on Sunday faces the grimly familiar task of comforting families after another mass shooting, this time at an elementary school in Texas, as a weary nation grapples with an endless spate of gun violence. Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived mid-morning Sunday in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers last week. Their armored black limousine arrived to a makeshift memorial outside Robb Elementary School around 11:15 a.m. Central Time, pulling to a stop next to the sea of flowers, stuffed animals and photos that has grown since the day of the massacre. The first lady carried a large bouquet of white roses to place in front of the brick Robb Elementary School sign. The Bidens, both dressed in somber black, stood quietly for a moment and the President made a sign of the cross. https://youtu.be/PfTTIf6f-qQ Texas Governor Gregg Abbott was booed and greeted with cries of demands for help as he arrived at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to grieve the 19 children and two teachers shot dead in the massacre. Biden hugged the school’s principal Mandy Gutierrez and touched photos of the slain children as he arrived on Sunday to mourn with the community ravaged by the worst elementary school mass shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. https://youtu.be/R67BSeaQyHQ California Gov. Gavin Newsom has tested positive for Covid-19 and is taking antiviral medication, his office announced Saturday. “This morning, the governor tested positive for Covid-19 after exhibiting mild symptoms. The governor will continue to work remotely,” the Democrat’s office said in a statement, noting that he will be in isolation until at least June 2. “The Governor has also received a prescription for Paxlovid, the antiviral that has been proven effective against COVID-19, and will begin his 5-day regimen immediately,” the statement read. Newsom, 54, is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and has received two booster shots, according to his office. https://youtu.be/FOeA45EB62w This week’s explosive (political) drama comes from Portsmouth, VA, after city councilwoman Lisa Lucas-Burke went viral for cussing out her fellow council members on a decision she felt was unjust. At the meeting, the City Council voted 4-3 to fire city manager, Angel Jones. The decision came without reason, which sparked a lot of tension between the members. In the now-viral video, councilwoman Lucas-Burke made sure to let her fellow council members know that they were dead wrong for firing Jones without cause. She claims that the reason they let her go is because she (Jones) had dirt on them that they did not want to be revealed. “She got a lot on this council, and that’s why they want to get rid of her. And I hope that y’all [are] seeing what’s happening, and I hope you make your decision when November comes,” Lucas-Burke said. “I’m pissed that the [expletive]…. yeah, I’ma say it. I’m mad as a [expletive], I am. Because I know what’s been going on.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CeHNnYdJo6Q/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Senegal President Macky Sall, who chairs the Africa Union organisation, on Sunday called for dialogue between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda as tensions escalate between the two countries over a resurgence of the M23 rebel group. Congo on Saturday summoned Rwanda's ambassador and suspended RwandAir flights to Congo in response to what it says is Kigali's support for M23 rebels carrying out a military offensive in its eastern borderlands. Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of the latest offensive by the rebels, citing the rebels' heavy firepower as evidence of outside support. Rwanda has denied this, calling the fighting an intra-Congolese conflict. A black swastika was painted on the outside wall of an historically Black church in southwestern Missouri and police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime. Pitts Chapel United Methodist Church in Springfield reported that the swastika was spray painted on the building on May 18 or 19. The NAACP and the Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the vandalism. A county parks crew removed the swastika. During a news conference with the NAACP at the church Friday, the pastor, the Rev. Tracy Wolff, said her congregation was particularly disturbed that their church was targeted given recent violent hate crimes nationwide, including the deadly mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, that investigators have said was racially motivated. “I want to be clear that this is not simply tagging. This is not graffiti. This is not vandalism," Wolff said. "This was a hate crime, and it is unacceptable.” Wayne Black was one of the few African Americans in the crowd as about 100 people gathered recently at the Republican Party headquarters near Columbus, Georgia, to hear from U.S. Senate candidate and football legend Herschel Walker. A member of the Muscogee County Republican Executive Committee, Black said he found a certain promise in Walker's candidacy, a GOP voice who could appeal to African Americans and others in Georgia who have traditionally voted Democratic. “They identify with him from the standpoint of the American dream,” Black said. “You can start from nothing and if you work hard, you can achieve the American dream.” But that optimism ran into headwinds about 100 miles to the north. As she left an Atlanta polling site, Wyvonia Carter said her choice in what might be the most competitive Senate race this year was not particularly complicated. “You know I’m Black, right?” the 84 year-old said. “I’m a Democrat. That’s it.” Georgia still struggles with its history of slavery, segregation and racial injustice, but voters in the Deep South state have for the first time selected two Black candidates to represent the major parties in a U.S. Senate race. The horrific mass shooting that took place in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas has rocked the nation and stirred up more pleas for gun control. But right-wingers – including the governor of Texas – are using a racist trope about the city of Chicago to deflect from the issue. Right-wing politicians and media have begun to use a misleading and racist trope about gun violence in the city of Chicago as a way to deflect from the grisly Tuesday (May 24th) mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. At a press conference held in Uvalde on Wednesday (May 25th), Texas Governor Greg Abbott said: “I know people like to try to oversimplify this…There are ‘real gun laws’ in Chicago. There are ‘real gun laws’ in New York. There are real gun laws in California…[T]here are more people who were shot every weekend in Chicago than…in schools in Texas.” Other right-wing pundits and figures soon began to parrot the same trope about Chicago online. It has long been considered a racist dog whistle against Black people. It also is a way to ignore the heavy influence of groups like the National Rifle Association blocking gun control laws. Many have pushed back against that narrative, like Brian Tyler Cohen who displayed statistics on Twitter about the fact that lax gun laws in Republican-led states have fueled the rise in gun usage in Chicago. “Gun laws in red states enable gun violence in places like Chicago. This is why we need *national* gun reform. Don’t let Greg Abbott distract you,” he wrote. https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1529550698446213120%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackamericaweb.com%2F2022%2F05%2F26%2Ftexas-gov-greg-abbott-chicago-uvalde-shooting%2F Meghan Markle’ is said to be battling to end her four-year rift with her estranged father after he was today discharged from hospital five days after suffering a potentially deadly stroke after a fall. Sources claimed to the Sunday Mirror that Princes Harry and William are having weekly video calls to mend their feud ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Queen, 96, is planning to make a show of resilience that by making two appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony on Thursday, according to the Mail on Sunday, and – It has been claimed Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, are likely to stop plans to film their appearances at the Jubilee for an upcoming documentary they are making as part of their multi-million deal with Netflix. In a series of “Peanuts” comic strips that ran in mid-April of 1956, Charlie Brown grasps the string of his kite, which was stuck in what came to be known in the long-running strip as the “kite-eating tree.” In one episode that week, a frustrated Charlie Brown declines an offer from nemesis Lucy for her to yell at the tree. “If I had a kite caught up in a tree, I’d yell at it,” Lucy responds in the last panel. The simplicity of that interaction illustrates how different “Peanuts” was from comics drawn before its 1950 debut, said Lucy Shelton Caswell, founding curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University in Columbus, the world’s largest such museum. “The idea that you could take a week to talk about this, and it didn’t have to be a gag in the sense of somebody hitting somebody else over the head with a bottle or whatever,” Caswell said. “This was really revolutionary.” New exhibits on display at the Billy Ireland museum and at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California, are celebrating the upcoming centenary of the birth of “Peanuts” cartoonist Schulz, born in Minnesota on Nov. 26, 1922. Schulz carried the lifelong nickname of Sparky, conferred by a relative after a horse called Sparky in an early comic strip, Barney Google. Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, most of them from continents other than Europe — which dominated Catholic hierarchy for most of the church's history — and further putting his mark on the group of people who might someday elect the next pontiff. Sixteen of those who will receive the prestigious red cardinal's hat from Francis in a consistory ceremony at the Vatican on Aug. 27 are younger than 80 and thus would be eligible to vote for his successor if a conclave — in which pontiffs are secretly elected — were to be held. Francis read out the names of his choices after delivering traditional Sunday remarks from an open window of the Apostolic Palace to the public in St. Peter's Square. Among those tapped by the pontiff for elevation will be two prelates from India and one each from Ghana, Nigeria, Singapore, East Timor, Paraguay, and Brazil, in keeping with Francis' determination to have church leaders reflect the global face of the Catholic church. A 127-year-old $2 million jeweled tabernacle was stolen from a Brooklyn church by a cruel crook who also decapitated an angel statue and stole the head, police said Sunday. The thief got inside the church on Sixth Ave. near Sterling Place and cut open an ornate altar, stealing the pure 18-karat gold tabernacle, cops said. The crook also made off with the severed head of an angel statue. St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Park Slope was closed for construction when the burglar struck sometime between 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Saturday, police said. Shocking footage shows a 30-foot ship completely engulfed in flames after its engine exploded at an Illinois marina on Saturday, while 17 people were on board. The Illinois State Conservation Police said several families were on board the boat, about to get ready to head out on the water, when the ship exploded at the Spring Brook Marina in Seneca, Illinois. The ship was apparently having engine problems at the time, and went to the marina to refuel, ABC 7 reports. But after refueling, the families tried to restart the engine, when there was an explosion, according to Sgt. Phillip Wire. In the aftermath, 13 people on board the ship were transported to local hospitals – and another was airlifted to an area hospital with ‘serious injuries. Activist and athlete Colin Kaepernick has been an influential voice of change, and he’s inspiring the next generation of leaders to uplift and elevate their communities. Kaepernick was bestowed with an honorary degree from Morgan State University for his transformative social justice efforts. Whether it’s through leading programming and initiatives designed to directly support those significantly impacted by injustice or the creation of literature and media projects that center Black and Brown stories, the former NFL player has stayed true to his mission of amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and fighting for liberation. He’s led these efforts through his imprints the Know Your Rights Camp, Kaepernick Publishing and Ra Vision Media. Kaepernick was granted a Doctor of Humane Letters. During a virtual speech at the HBCU’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, he spoke about the institution’s rich legacy of activism and community empowerment; reminding scholars that they stand on the shoulders of revolutionary changemakers. At the beginning of this month, the police shooting of 29-year-old Jalen Randle in Houston. Since then, the account by Houston police on what led to the shooting, which occurred on April 27, hasn’t changed. Police said they were trying to arrest Randle on three felony warrants when he got into an SUV someone else was driving. The driver failed to stop when the police tried to pull the vehicle over and Randle exited the vehicle holding a bag. That’s when an officer immediately shot him in the back of his neck. Randle later died at the hospital. Well, according to ABC 13, the cops aren’t indicating that there’s any story missing here. But this story, as egregious as it is, is easily defendable, according to the president of the Houston Police Officer’s Union, Doug Griffith. https://video.forf1-4.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t42.1790-2/281994368_421118856199621_2564640070659262655_n.mp4?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=985c63&efg=eyJybHIiOjU1NCwicmxhIjo1MTIsInZlbmNvZGVfdGFnIjoic3ZlX3NkIn0%3D&_nc_ohc=Jely_BprGcsAX_L2m7S&rl=554&vabr=308&_nc_ht=video.forf1-4.fna&edm=ACRN2rcEAAAA&oh=00_AT-sOuvRmV69nrMnJH1HDWLTcHBYnZCHEbtCspQqlW0dZw&oe=62942F2B "He loves me and my children in a way that has changed my life and my heart,” Shaunie said. Congratulations are in order to newlyweds Shaunie O’Neal of Basketball Wives fame and pastor Keion Henderson! The two united in marriage on Saturday with a Carribean ceremony attended by almost 200 guests, during which Shaunie was escorted down the aisle by her three sons, Shareef, Shaqir and Myles, according to PEOPLE. “I just lost my dad in February, so, I really struggled with how I was going to get down the aisle,” Shaunie told the outlet. “Losing my dad in the midst of planning this wedding was a lot, so my sons handed me off.” Also in attendance at the event in Anguilla were Shaunie’s daughters Amirah and Me’Arah, who along with Shareef and Shaqir, are fathered by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. The couple separated in 2011 after a nine-year marriage. Henderson, 41, proposed to O’Neal, 47, in November 2021 after the two dated for nearly two years, as previously reported by theGrio. https://www.instagram.com/iamshaunie/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=408dad09-f650-46c8-89a6-4011675c5043 Janeek Brown, who was once Sha’Carri Richardson’s girlfriend, has now come out to admit she indeed abused her. Sha’Carri, an Olympic track star, first opened up on the abuse in an Instagram post. She explained she is healing emotionally from the emotional trauma, including homophobia, that she experienced while in a relationship with Janeek, a Jamaican hurdler. https://youtu.be/DuQS0tpXDUg Victor George Spirits, a Black-owned distiller, has released a new bourbon brand named after Fort Mose, Florida, which is the first US town to allow Black people to live free legally. The town located two miles north of St. Augustine was started in 1738. The company on Friday announced the nationwide release of the “Fort Mose 1738” brand. There is already popular demand for the new bourbon; hence the inaugural edition will first be available online and to select retailers across the United States. The company, which is owned by African American spirits maker Victor G. Harvey, is known for its vodka production. However, it has been growing steadily; it acquired a majority stake in Palm Beach Distiller in late 2021, and that’s where Fort Mose is now being produced. “The single is doing so well,” said David Spencer about the new single “It’s Already Done” (IndieBlue Music) from multi-award-winning Gospel duo David and Tiffany Spencer. “We wanted to pay homage to our roots in North Carolina. They still use washboards and tambourines. We wanted to capture that.” https://youtu.be/MIiqbFTO_j8 Five-time world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, boxing’s hottest young attraction, added to his fast-growing highlight reel and retained his WBA Lightweight Title with a sensational knockout victory over previously unbeaten Rolando Romero Saturday night in the main event of a SHOWTIME PPV in front of a sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a Premier Boxing Champions event. For Davis, it was a return to the venue where he won his first world title via a star-making 2017 KO of Jose Pedraza. Saturday’s event was the highest-grossing and most-attended (18,970) boxing event in the venue’s history. “We did it again in New York City baby,” said Davis. “Thank you New York City. I won my first belt here and it was great to come back to Brooklyn and do it again.” https://youtu.be/ktluMBr4VXM Lupe Fiasco is to teach Hip-Hop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/MIT, according to a recent announcement by the school. The Chicago rapper will join the institution’s MLK Visiting Professor Program for the 2022-23 academic year. According to an MIT statement on its website, Lube, 40, will work with MIT professor Nick Montfort to “engage the MIT community at the intersection of rap, computing, and activism,” On Friday, Lube (real name Wasalu Muhammad Jaco) shared the news about his new calling on Twitter after MIT made the announcement. “I been holding this for a while. I’ll put together something more sophisticated later that really captures the nuance and gravity but for now, I’ll just say it straight and raw: I’m going to teach Rap at @MIT,” tweeted “The Show Goes On” and “Daydreamin'” rapper. Six people were shot, and two of them suffered life-threatening injuries, following an altercation between two groups of people in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Saturday night, police said. Patrolling officers heard gunshots around 11 p.m. in the Cherry Street area and arrived at a scene of "multiple parties exchanging gunfire and numerous people fleeing the area," said police. "Two individuals from one group started firing upon the other group," Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy said in a news conference Sunday. "They believe that there wasn't one intended target -- at least in that other group -- and all of the other victims that were shot were unintended." Investigators believe the shooting was not gang-related, Murphy said. https://youtu.be/GdXfK7sHPOQ A stampede Saturday at a church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 people dead and seven injured, police told The Associated Press, a shocking development at a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. One witness said the dead included a pregnant woman and many children. The stampede at the event organized by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal church in Rivers state involved people who came to the church’s annual “Shop for Free” charity program, according to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman. Such events are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where more than 80 million people live in poverty, according to government statistics. Saturday’s charity program was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko said. Somehow the locked gate was broken open, creating a stampede, she said. Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said first responders were able to evacuate the bodies of those trampled to death and bring them to the morgue. Security forces cordoned off the area. The mother of a teenager killed in Savannah earlier this month is begging witnesses to come forward. Friday marks three weeks since someone shot and killed Desaray Gilliard, 15, in the Yamacraw Village complex. There have been no arrests in the case. Detraya Gilliard, Desaray’s mother, told WJCL 22 News that she went looking for her daughter on May 6 after she missed her 9 p.m. curfew. “Where I found her was a few rows down from my apartment, directly behind a tenant’s apartment,” Detraya Gilliard said. “Desaray was literally on her back porch and the apartment was full of people but yet nobody claimed to know anything. But, I found my daughter and she was dying behind this apartment.” “I could tell she was still fighting because her eyes were moving like she was trying to communicate with her eyes to me, but she could not speak because she had already lost a lot of blood by the time I had found her,” Gilliard said. Desaray Gilliard was a freshman at Groves High School. Andre Mackneil ran into the Jefferson Avenue Tops location on May 14 to pick up a birthday cake for his 3-year-old son. He was one of the 10 victims of a racially motivated domestic terrorism attack on May 14. Thirteen people in total were shot. Friends and family gathered at Antioch Baptist Church on Fillmore Avenue on Friday to celebrate his life and lay him to rest. There were hugs and tears outside the church steps as people filed outside after the service. At the request of the family, the media did not enter the church so the service could be private. Mackneil was born in Buffalo but lived in Auburn, New York, about two hours away near Syracuse. https://youtu.be/pHQxg97vARI The eldest victim of the Buffalo supermarket massacre was laid to rest Saturday. The family and friends of 86-year-old Ruth E. Whitfield held visitation and funeral services at a Buffalo church two weeks after police say a White supremacist killed Whitfield and nine other people. Authorities say the gunman targeted the Tops Friendly Markets store because it was in a predominately Black neighborhood. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, met with Whitfield’s relatives ahead of the services, according to the White House, and she spoke at the funeral. https://youtu.be/8fTFWDQHc6Y A former Virginia Tech football player was acquitted of beating his male Tinder date to death after claiming the hook-up had lied about being a woman then performed oral sex on him. Isimemen Etute, 19, was found not guilty of a charge of second-degree murder in the 2021 death of Jerry Smith, 40, of Blacksburg, Virginia. Etute says he visited the victim last year to engage in oral sex with a woman he believed to be named ‘Angie,’ but who was actually Smith. Etute told police Smith was hiding his face during the intercourse, and paid him $50 at the end. The athlete also said he stopped messaging Smith after the interaction because he wasn’t sure ‘Angie’ was telling the truth about their identity. But a month later, Smith reached out to him again and invited him over, telling him to bring some friends. He then went back to Smith’s downtown Blacksburg apartment to find out whether Smith was a male or a female, police said. He used his phone’s flashlight in the darkened apartment to get a better look at Smith. Prosecutors told the jury earlier that Etute, then 18, became enraged and fatally beat Smith when he discovered ‘Angie’ was actually a man. The linebacker reportedly groped Smith before allegedly beating him to death in what Etute said was self-defense. In his testimony Thursday, Etute had testified that Smith reached for what Etute thought was a gun. Smith did not own a gun, but police reported finding a knife between the man’s mattress and box spring. Etute said he punched Smith five times and kicked him to gain time to escape the apartment. As the football player was leaving, prosecutors say, Etute heard ‘bubbling and gurgling’ coming from Smith but did not call the police. The mother of Salvador Ramos, the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooter, is speaking out to ask for forgiveness. While speaking with @CNN affiliate @Televisa, the mother, Adriana Martinez, became emotional as she tried to explain what made her son carry out the horrific attack. She said, “I don’t know what he was thinking. He had his reasons for doing what he did. And please don’t judge him. I only want the innocent children to forgive me.” Martinez then shared a message to the families: “forgive me, forgive my son. I know he had his reasons.” The 18-year-old gunman killed 21 people at the elementary school on Tuesday; 19 children and two teachers. He also shot his grandmother who was in critical condition but is expected to survive. Ramos was shot and killed following a standoff with police. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeEWm0_rAYE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The State Department has been pushing to have regular contact with Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia for close to three months. Last week, a consular official managed to meet Griner when her pre-trial detention was extended by one month. U.S. officials maintain she is wrongfully in detention, which began in February after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage at an airport in Moscow. Grinner, 31, faces drug smuggling charges and could be jailed for a maximum of 10 years if found guilty. https://youtu.be/f2L-qeAHaTM Joe Biden is reportedly planning to cancel $10,000 for student loan borrowers, and not everyone is happy about it. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, criticized Biden’s plan — a $10,000 write-off for those making less than $150,000 per year, according to The Washington Post — on Twitter. Johnson suggested that the plan does not address a meaningful amount of debt, especially for Black borrowers, who are typically burdened by more of it. “Canceling $10,000 in student loan debt is like pouring a bucket of ice water on a forest fire,” he said, tagging Biden’s @POTUS Twitter account. Johnson has previously urged Biden to forgive at least $50,000 in loans per borrower, saying that student debt is an economic and racial justice issue that grows worse with inflation. It is “the single best way you can drastically reduce the racial wealth gap, all with the stroke of a pen,” he said in April. Irving High School graduation was a big day for all its graduating seniors, but it was also a big day for the school. Madelyn “Maddie” Moore spoke as valedictorian, the first Black female student at Irving High School to hold the honor. “I knew immediately she was exceptional,” Moore’s college prep teacher Liliana Middlebrooks said. “She jokes about being a ‘try-hard,’ and it’s like, you’re right; when smart people try hard the world is their oyster.” “Right now we are at a crossroads. The world as we know it is no longer,” Moore said during her valedictorian speech. “We have the opportunity to rebuild it, to make it better. Now is the time. We must disobey and ask questions. Question your purpose and place in the world. Question if you are doing what is important to you, or what is expected of you. And most importantly, question the structures and systems of society.” Moore said it was important for others to see her as the school’s first Black female valedictorian. “To see somebody that looks like you, who has done things that you don’t believe to be possible, kind of just opens your eyes to a new reality that you can pursue,” Moore said. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/irving-high-school-valedictorian-makes-history/2980026/ Earlier this week we shared the news with you that DeVon Franklin, Hollywood producer, author, spiritual coach and relationship advisor, would be joining the upcoming 15th season of Married at First Sight. The 44-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday evening to share insight into how he came into the role. What he offered was a transparent message about how he almost let shame over the fact that his marriage didn’t work out keep him from being able to help others. “Moment of Truth: Last year, Married At First Sight (@mafslifetime) invited me to come on the show. I agreed to do it … and then the divorce hit,” he wrote. “They came to me and said that didn’t matter to them because they still felt like I could help their couples. I was going to tell them ‘No’ because I felt shame and that voice in my head said, ‘you’re a failure, how can you help anybody save their marriage when yours didn’t work out.’” Franklin said that he was initially concerned about what people would think, but he realized that he couldn’t let the opinions of others dictate anything in his life. “That voice in my head also had me thinking about what would ‘people’ say? Would ‘people’ approve or disapprove? And then I had to ask myself: Is this how I’m going to live the rest of my life? In fear about what ‘people’ say? And who are ‘people’ anyway? So I went back to the @mafslifetime team and told them YES, I’ll still come,” he said. “I REFUSE TO LIVE IN FEAR OR SHAME!” Jamie Foxx criticized lawmakers over their lack of legislative action after shootings like the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas earlier this week. In an emotional message posted to Instagram on Thursday, the actor — who is from Terrell, Texas — shared his condolences to the families of the 19 students and two teachers who were shot and killed after a gunman entered Robb Elementary on May 24. But Foxx also had harsh words for lawmakers and “so-called Christians,” who he charges have failed to make changes to laws that would prevent a mass shooting event like the one that took place on Tuesday. “Little angels my heart goes out to ur families,” he began. “Never thought I would live in A society a ‘Christian Society’ where they would let little children die over and over again and still not change any laws.” On June 1, the Detroit Tigers will host a special “Pride Night” game dedicated to “celebrat[ing] our Pride community partners, friends, and families” at Comerica Park. It’s not the first time the team has hosted a Pride Night — it began hosting a “Pride Pack Day” in 2018, originally scheduled on June 26 to commemorate “the 4-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage and the 6-year anniversary of the decision declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional in the case of Windsor v. United States,” Outsports reported. But what’s noticeable about this year’s event is that the Tigers website offers “a chance to support a local Pride organization of your choice” when users purchase tickets at the checkout page for the event: In an earlier era, “Pride Night” could feasibly be pitched as a basic gay-acceptance event, meant to celebrate the integration of same-sex couples into American public life. But LGBT activism has galloped to the left in recent years, and the groups that the Tigers are aligned with are no exception. Many of the groups that the Tigers are funneling ticket money to are actively promoting transgender identification — or even medical transitions — for children. A few examples: PFLAG of Detroit’s “Policy Statements” page writes that “teaching there are only two genders may make youth of different identities, genders or orientations not feel included,” and sponsors a “Public Library Project” that “is dedicated to donating Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender-positive books to public libraries for a greater understanding of the real lives of our children.” Demond George, a truck driver, posted on Facebook a photo of him posing with over 20 children he admitted were biologically, and the photo soon went viral. He thanked the mother of his children for organizing the gathering. “The LEGEND The Legacy WILL LIVE FOREVER,” the post read. “I want [to] thank my kids mothers for helping me make dis day possible…with 9 missing it still turned out good I’m truly blessed.” But what seemed to shock many people, even more, is his other admission that he had nine other children who were not around when the photo was taken. Some viewers commented that many of the children seemed to be agemates, leading them to point out that their mothers must have been pregnant at the same time. “33 children. This is so irresponsible and nasty,” tweeted an infuriated woman. Many social media users also criticized the photo, causing George to post a hot response, not by typing, but by going live on social media. One comment that seemed to have hurt his ego alleged that he must be having a “weak pull-out game. https://youtu.be/g80DJVM3O30 For the next three months, #Hulu is hoping to attract new members with a new special deal that offers its ad-supported streaming plan for just $1 per month. Starting Friday, new and qualified returning Hulu users can sign up for a three-month subscription to Hulu with commercials for $1 per month. That’s an 86% savings over the standard monthly fee of $6.99 for the US-only subscription. The offer will be valid until May 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Hulu’s new deal is reportedly scheduled for May 20, National Streaming Day, a fictitious holiday invented by Roku to commemorate the launch of its first streaming device in 2008. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdyXBKpPfD0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Gervonta Davis called Rolando Romero “a dumbass fighter” during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for tonight’s (05-28-22) fight. Romero countered by mocking Davis’ “big head for me to hit,” saying “He’s scared of me” and vowing “to hit him with one punch, and we’re going to be done.” Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) enters his fourth straight pay-per-view event on Saturday against Romero (14-0, 12 KOs) with a 96-percent knockout ratio that ranks second among world champions to that of IBF/WBC 175-pound titleholder Artur Beterbiev (17–0, 17 KOs). https://www.instagram.com/p/CeE89XxpRg9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again People who got an early jump on their Memorial Day barbecue shopping may have noticed something alarming: Prices are up. Way up. Sticker shock is everywhere, from burgers to buns, from ketchup to mustard. The good news is there’s some price relief at stores now. In the four weeks through May 15, the price per package of ground beef rose 14.7% compared to the previous year, according to the market research firm IRI, which tracked total US multi-outlet retail sales at US supermarkets, big-box retailers, convenience stores and other locations. Ground beef wasn’t the only item that became more expensive in that time period. The price of frozen meat packages, not including poultry, popped 15.7% while frozen sausage prices jumped 24.4%. Hot dogs got 14.5% pricier. Packaged hamburger and hot dog buns got 11.2% more expensive. Ketchup spiked 15.8%, mustard popped 10.4% and carbonated beverage prices increased 13.9%. https://youtu.be/Q3_cL2a-ATA Meet Sekou Andrews (born November 13, 1972) also known as Sekou (Tha Misfit), is an American actor, writer, producer, and innovator of “Poetic Voice.” Sekou Andrews has been performing spoken word poetry professionally since 2002. In that time, he has won two National Poetry Slams, two Independent Music Awards, and six CLIO Awards. In 2019, Sekou became the first spoken word poet in over 12 years to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. https://youtu.be/8uzth-FT7W4 To start conversations about periods at home, a menstrual-themed breakfast with womb-shaped cereal has been released.? INTIMINA, a personal wellness brand, has created Period Crunch, a distinctive uterus-shaped breakfast cereal, to highlight the absence of period talks among friends and family.? Every raspberry-flavored cereal piece is shaped like a uterus and is bright red, giving the milk a distinct red color.? The cereal box will also contain conversation starters and a diagram of the female reproductive system to help individuals locate the uterus in the body.? https://youtu.be/1zsI5s0Fwqo On Wednesday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens launched a Midnight Basketball League to help curb crime. “You can get people out of a lot of trouble if they are in an activity that they love and people are watching, and they have games, and prizes and music to go along with it. The competitive spirit will keep it indoors instead of outdoors,” said Mayor Dickens, in an interview outside the C.T. Martin Recreation Center. City officials said in organizing this league, they looked at the metrics of where crime was happening in Atlanta, who was involved and at what hours of the day. The league in west Atlanta will run on select nights through June with games played between 7-11 p.m. https://youtu.be/61PBErsE3RE A video obtained by WJZ appears to show squeegee workers assaulting a driver at a red light off of Mount Royal Avenue in Baltimore. The video was taken Thursday afternoon from a camera inside a car behind the incident. The video appears to show a squeegee worker banging on the car and opening the car door. After the driver shuts it, the worker opens it again, appearing to hit the person inside of the car. The owner of the video, who wants to remain anonymous, gave it to the police who encouraged them to share it publicly to help identify the suspects. https://youtu.be/KKV6ViUvZ9k A study conducted by Tenga found that most people in relationships masturbate an average of 10 times per month. But they do it a lot less than single people who allegedly masturbate 16 times per month. “It is important that couples discuss it as often one or both people in the relationship define masturbation as cheating,” Sexologist and author Dr. Nikki Goldstein told Bustle in 2016. Dr. Goldstein added: “Masturbation in a relationship can be very healthy but to get to that point there needs to be a certain amount of discussion first.” In a 2019 TENGA Global Self-Pleasure Report, 38% of men and 34% of women said they have lied about their masturbatory habits. Meanwhile, masturbation can be one of the best forms of self-care. https://youtu.be/GU3JqoUDkjA GRAMMY® Award-winning Gospel music maven Tamela Mann announced the upcoming release of a new deluxe edition of her sensational Tillymann Music Group album, Overcomer. Tamela also makes history this week as the first gospel artist to chart nine No. 1 singles on the Gospel Airplay chart, with her most recent single “He Did It For Me” is now no. 1. Tamela Mann Announces Release of Overcomer: Deluxe Edition! Available July 22nd. On Friday, June 10, R&B's newest viral star Darius James will release 'Life As We Know It', an 8-track EP full of classic rhythm & blues vibes. The EP is available now for pre-order/pre-save and includes instant gratification with tracks Empty and By My Side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU48xpP29ak An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back on May 30. Next week's episode of FATAL ATTRACTION unpacks the story of a family being burned alive. Watch the story unfold on Monday, May 30 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. When a woman, her mother and young daughter die in a house fire, police wonder if a faulty heater caused the tragedy. After the autopsies show signs of arson and other injuries, police are left to determine if this was a targeted attack. Find out on Monday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQ4APAdMDA Naomi Raine is best known as one of the breakout stars from GRAMMY® Award-Winning supergroup, Maverick City Music. Whether songwriting, singing or playing the guitar, she has always found it easiest to communicate to people through lyrics and melodies. Raine’s signature vocals have been heard on the Maverick City Music #1 singles, “Jireh,” and “Promises,” plus the holiday classic, “Revelation 19:1.” Available today, Raine's debut TRIBL Records solo single, “Not Ready,” showcases the Urban Inspirational sound of Naomi Raine over transparent and vulnerable lyrics – Raine sings of a yearning for the love of God and touches on her silent battle with mental health and struggle in longing for personal change. Raine’s, “Not Ready” is a nod to 90’s feel-good music and will quickly become a fan favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEiWmYFsxo4 RAY BADY delivers a soon to be hit teaming up with the award winning Shekinah Glory Ministry for He Always Wins. This high energy song effortlessly reminds the listener of Jesus' consistent track record, and how He will come through just when you need him to. The incomparable vocal stylings of Jazmine Lynn Jones is the icing on the cake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xy1vlvuG_E While a gunman was inside adjoining classrooms with children at a Texas elementary school, a group of 19 law enforcement officers stood in a hallway outside and took no action as they waited for room keys and tactical equipment, a state official said Friday. “The on-scene commander at that time believed that it had transitioned from an active shooter to a barricaded subject,” Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Col. Steven McCraw said. “From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision. There’s no excuse for that,” he said. While officers waited outside adjoining classrooms at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, children inside the room repeatedly called 911 and pleaded for help, he said. “The belief was there isn’t anybody living anymore and that the subject is now trying to keep law enforcement at bay or entice them to come in” and shoot them, he said. https://eurweb.com/2022/05/27/uvalde-police-commander-made-wrong-decision-not-to-breach-classroom-doors-during-school-shooting/ A former Georgia inmate has been arrested by DeKalb County authorities in connection to the death of 57-year-old Rev. Marita Harrell. Christopher Griggs, 27, allegedly stabbed Harrell at his home last week. The beloved pastor was mentoring the man as part of her work for a local church, MadameNoire reports. According to investigators, after fatally stabbing the woman, Griggs transported Harrell’s remains in a van to a remote location, where he set the vehicle on fire, PEOPLE reports. Griggs is charged with one count of malice murder and one of first-degree arson, according to the report. He’s currently in police custody at Dekalb County Jail. https://youtu.be/vELKtQJPXDs A Chicago news station was conducting a live report about gun violence when a man appeared to point a gun toward the crew. Fox-32’s Joanie Lum was reporting for “Good Morning Chicago” when the unidentified man appeared during her live on-air report around 7 a.m. local time. The hooded man pointed the firearm a few feet behind the reporter before walking away. https://youtu.be/FEnPmPGF4aY The Los Angeles Police released a video showing four teenagers attacking and fatally stabbing a man in broad daylight. The brutal attack was captured on video and investigators are hoping someone will recognize the killers and come forward with information leading to their arrest, per Patch. https://youtu.be/Q12Kad0vRhc Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention published a 205-page list Thursday evening of hundreds of ministers and other church workers it described as being “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. The list’s public release is one of the first definitive steps the denomination’s leadership has taken in the wake of a nearly 300-page report about its handling of alleged sexual abuse over the last 20 years. The list’s publication on the denomination’s website was “an initial, but important, step towards addressing the scourge of sexual abuse and implementing reform in the Convention,” Rolland Slade, the chairman of the denomination’s executive committee, and Willie McLaurin, the committee’s interim president and chief executive, said in a statement. “Our prayer is that the survivors of these heinous acts find hope and healing, and that churches will utilize this list proactively to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us.” A Florida pastor who was cited in a Southern Baptist Convention investigative report worked at churches in Oak Cliff and the Dallas suburbs of Richardson and Garland. Jacksonville pastor Darrell Gilyard, who is a registered sex offender, spent the first and formative years of his preaching career in North Texas. Nearly everywhere he has preached, accusations of sexual abuse and misconduct have followed him, according to local media reports and investigations by The Dallas Morning News and The Houston Chronicle dating back to the 90's. Gilyard was also the mentee of prominent SBC leader Paige Patterson, who was aware of allegations against Gilyard back in the 90's. Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention — America’s largest Protestant denomination — stonewalled and vilified survivors of clergy sex abuse for two decades while trying to protect their own reputations, according to a bombshell 288-page investigative report released on Sunday. Yesterday, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) General Counsel Douglass Selby confirmed that lawyers hired by the church filed a lawsuit against former AMEC Department of Retirement Services Executive Director Rev. Dr. Jerome Harris (“Dr. Harris”) and ten other individuals and entities some of which were involved in a sophisticated scheme to embezzle funds and defraud the AMEC’s Ministerial Retirement Annuity Plan. Other defendants named in the complaint are cross-defendant Symetra Financial Corporation, and third-party defendants Robert Eaton, Jarrod Erwin, Randall Erwin, Financial Freedom Group, Inc., Motorskill Asia Venture Group, Motorskill Asia Ventures 1, LP, Motorskill Venture Group, Motorskill Ventures 1, LP, and Rodney Brown & Company. The nine-count complaint (2:22-cv-02136) was filed in United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Memphis. Nearly two years after it established a fund to make reparations for systemic racism and slavery, the Maryland Episcopal Church awarded $180,000 in grant money Thursday to its inaugural class of organizations doing the work of “restoring African American and Black communities.” The six organizations, awarded $30,000 each, include nonprofits, church-affiliated initiatives and youth centers committed to providing economic, education, housing, and environmental and health-care resources to Black children and families. The grant winners included the Samaritan Community, St. Luke’s Youth Center (SLYC) and Next One Up, based in Baltimore City; Calvert Concept Charitable Corp., a start-up in Calvert County; I Believe In Me in Frederick; and Anne Arundel Connecting Together in Anne Arundel County. Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, president of Huston-Tillison University in Austin, Texas, is embracing a new professional title: president and CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields (aka Newfields). “I’ve seen the nurturing and transformative power of cherished institutions like Newfields. I am thrilled to become part of a team driven to meet Newfields’ mission of enriching lives purposefully and intentionally through exceptional experiences with art and nature,” Dr. Burnette, a Harvard-educated native of said Cleveland, in a statement. “I believe strongly in service, and I am excited to lead Newfields at this unique moment to make it a place every person in Indianapolis and beyond is excited to visit, and every team member is proud to work,” she added. The 139-year-old museum announced the news just over a year following the departure of Charles L. Venable, who led Newfields for 9 years. On Thursday, the 22-year-old Grown-ish star graduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Per the institution’s website, commencement for the 2021-2022 academic year was held in person on Wednesday and Thursday. Shahidi’s father, Afshin, commemorated the occasion by sharing a selfie of the pair at Harvard. In the shot, the actress wore her cap and gown. “Beautifully surreal moment seeing our delicate petal in full bloom,” he captioned the photo. Shahidi has been anticipating the milestone for several days on social media. On Tuesday, she shared a photo of herself as a kid putting up two fingers, adding the caption: “Officially graduating in ??? days.” Can a white woman be responsible for branding and recruitment at an all-male HBCU? Morehouse College seems to think so. On May 6, Paula Resley was hired as the school’s Chief Brand Officer and Vice President of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Admissions. If that title sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. In her role, Resley will “direct brand and messaging strategy, as well as targeted recruitment and digital engagement.” Prior to her position at Morehouse, Resley was Senior Director of Marketing for the U.S., Latin America and Canada at Carestream Dental, an Atlanta-based dental imaging and software company. Although Resley is not Black and has no previous experience in higher education, Morehouse hopes to use her marketing background to help expand the school’s recruitment strategy. In a news release, David A. Thomas, Ph.D., Morehouse College President said, “Morehouse is fully committed to leveraging technology and targeted communications strategies to build our brand, expand our impact, and fulfill our mission. Paula’s experience and expertise, particularly in digital engagement, will help Morehouse continue to expand its international visibility and amplify its crucial voice.” A teacher at Louisville Male High School used “racially insensitive language” with a student in an incident caught on video, Jefferson County Public Schools officials said Thursday, after a Twitter post earlier that morning accused the educator of calling a Black student a racial slur. William Foster, Male’s principal, released a statement to families on Thursday acknowledging the school was aware of the incident and taking action. Newly disclosed documents have shed a crack of light on secret executive branch plans for apocalyptic scenarios — like the aftermath of a nuclear attack — when the president may activate wartime powers for national security emergencies. Until now, public knowledge of what the government put into those classified directives, which invoke emergency and wartime powers granted by Congress or otherwise claimed by presidents, has been limited to declassified descriptions of those developed in the early Cold War. In that era, they included steps like imposing martial law, rounding up people deemed dangerous and censoring news from abroad. It has not been clear what is in the modern directives — known as presidential emergency action documents — because under administrations of both parties, none have been made public or shown to Congress. But the newly disclosed documents, which relate to the George W. Bush administration’s efforts to revise the draft orders after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, offer clues. Zion Williamson has been cleared to return to play progression without any restrictions, the New Orleans Pelicans said Thursday. The announcement clears Williamson to go through offseason workouts unrestricted this summer as he prepares for the 2022-23 season. Williamson missed the entire 2021-22 season after he broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during workouts last summer. There was hope Williamson could have played this season but setbacks prevented that from happening. There was an outside chance Williamson could have returned if the eighth-seeded Pelicans made a deep run in the playoffs, but they fell in six games to the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. The update comes after the Pelicans said recent imaging showed “continued improvement” in Williamson’s right foot. Williamson just completed his third NBA season but has played only 85 games in those three years because of injuries. He played 24 during his rookie season after his debut was delayed by a torn meniscus in his right knee. Justin Timberlake has sold his entire music catalog to London-based firm Hipgnosis Song Management in a deal reportedly worth $100 million dollars. The company has purchased Timberlake’s copyrights on tracks he wrote or co-wrote — a total of around 200 songs, CNN Business reports. “Justin Timberlake is not only one of the most influential artists of the last 20 years but he’s also one of the greatest songwriters of all time,” said Merck Mercuriadis, founder and CEO of Hipgnosis Song Management, in a press release, PEOPLE reports. “His hit songs including ‘Cry Me A River,’ ‘Rock Your Body,’ ‘SexyBack,’ ‘My Love,’ ‘What Goes Around… Comes Around,’ ‘Suit & Tie,’ ‘Mirrors’ and ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’ are amongst the most iconic of the period.” “Putting this deal together has been a complete labor of love,” he added. “I’m delighted to welcome them all to the Hipgnosis Family. This is the beginning of what we believe will be an incredible relationship important to us all.” https://youtu.be/DksSPZTZES0 Sherri Shepherd has released the trailer for her new daytime talk show that will debut this fall. In the promo, Shepherd promises to take viewers “on every step of this journey… behind the scenes, on the road, in the studio, rehearsals, interviews and so much more,” she said, as reported by Page Six. “This is my time,” she added. “It is my lifelong dream to have my own show and it is finally happening,” said Shepherd. https://twitter.com/i/status/1527721667111358465 “Top Gun: Maverick” passes the litmus test I use to rate a film. “Top Gun: Maverick” is definitely a film I would pay money to see—and that’s saying a lot. In “Maverick,” Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is a courageous test pilot. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission, he encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his late friend. Confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears. https://youtu.be/giXco2jaZ_4 Disgraced actor Jussie Smollett is set to make his directing debut with a film titled “B-Boy Blues,” which will air on BET+ on June 9. “B-Boy Blues” is the film adaptation of James Earl Hardy’s novel, and stars Timothy Richardson (“David Makes Man”), Ledisi (“Selma”), Brandee Evans (“P-Valley”), Heather B (“The Real World”), Marquise Vilson (“Tom Swift”), Jabari Redd (“Goals”), Broderick Hunter (“Insecure”) and Thomas Mackie. Besides directing, Smollett wrote the script to “B-Boy Blues” with Hardy and also financed the film with Cleveland-based radio broadcast investor Tom Wilson for A SuperMassive Movie. EPs also include James Earl Hardy for It’s All Jood Productions, Madia Hill-Scott for Winnienoah Productions and Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie Gayle for Monami Entertainment. Frank Gatson is also an EP. Sampson McCormick and Stephanie Frederic are co-EPs. HBO is reviving “True Detective” with Barry Jenkins attached to exec produce the anthology. Now comes word that veteran actress Jodi Foster will lead the fourth season titled “True Detective: Night Country.” Foster will play Detective Liz Danvers in the series, according to Deadline. She will also exec produce the project from director Issa López. Season 4 of the hit crime drama is currently in development, according to THR. Per the report, Anonymous Content will once again produce the series with Jenkins serving as exec produce via his Pastel banner. The company’s Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak are also on board as EPs. Prominent Black activist Francia Márquez could become Columbia’s next vice president. Márquez has “faced death threats, racist tweets — even an assassination attempt,” per The Washington Post, also noting that “the president of Colombia’s senate accused her of links to one of the country’s most violent guerrilla groups,” the outlet writes. “What really makes the president uncomfortable,” she said, “is that today, a woman who could have been the woman in his house, working as a maid, could now be his vice president.” Márque, 40, is an Afro-Colombian single mother of two who has never held political office. She is also an award-winning environmental activist and “one of the most visible candidates in the election,” per the report. https://youtu.be/u3ap2g4H7Bs Actress Niecy Nash is reflecting on the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The TV personality took to her Instagram with a powerful message about school shootings in the U.S. Niecy Nash, 52, admitted that the murder of 19 children and two teachers in Texas saddened her, and noted that her brother, Michael Ensley, was killed on his high school campus ?? “I’m so sad…my brother was killed on his high school campus. It hits different cuz school is a place you should feel safe. I don’t wish it on anyone.” According to reports, Michael Ensley was shot and killed at 17-years-old in Reseda, California in February of 1993 ????His murderer, Robert Lee Heard Jr., is currently serving a life sentence for murdering his wife years later. Former President Barack Obama took to Instagram on Friday to congratulate Jacob Philadelphia, the boy who famously touched Obama’s head in an iconic 2009 White House photo, on his high school graduation. Philadelphia, the son of then-National Security Council staffer Carlton Philadelphia, was 5 years old when he visited the Oval Office and asked Obama, “Is your hair like mine?” Obama then bent down and told him to touch his head. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’ve got,” Obama recalled Philadelphia saying. The moment was captured by White House photographer Pete Souza, and the photo, which Souza later named “Hair Like Mine,” was celebrated for highlighting the importance of representation. Obama reconnected with Philadelphia on Zoom before the now teenager’s graduation from the International School of Uganda. https://youtu.be/0BInAW_Gx1Y Kanye West has lost a fourth attorney in his divorce battle with Kim Kardashian. According to new legal documents, obtained by The Blast Samantha Spector has filed to withdraw from the case. In the filing, Spector says there has been an irreconcilable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship. Interestingly, there is not a lot more information as to why Kanye is losing his premiere lawyer, except the case will be handled by one of his other lawyers…for now. The person listed in the documents is an out of the state attorney from Pennsylvania that is not a divorce attorney. https://youtu.be/DMF53Rrs3ug Kourtney Kardashian revealed that a doctor advised her to drink Travis Barker’s semen to help with fertility.? The reality star made the cringy revelation during the latest episode of “The Kardashians” on Hulu. As she opened up about the couple’s journey to have a child together, she said a fertility doctor gave her the bizarre advice.? “He told me that the thing that would help it was drinking Travis’ cum, like, four times a week,” she explained.? Barker seemed ecstatic about the recommendation during the episode, though the couple admitted they had not yet tried the semen diet. Instead, Kourtney Kardashian has begun a Panchakarma cleanse, which will rid her body of toxins and keep her eggs healthy.? While semen does contain several beneficial components, including oxytocin, melatonin, progesterone, and antioxidants, there has not been much research to suggest drinking it can improve baby-making chances.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CeEucgNOk-j/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again DeVon Franklin is speaking out ahead of his television debut as one of two experts joining season 15 of Married At FirstSight, per @essence. Less than a year after filing for divorce from Meagan Good, Franklin plans to use what he learned in love to help other couples succeed in their marriages. Apparently, the expert offer was made prior to his filing in December 2021. The relationship advisor nearly rejected the offer after his divorce was decided. He described feeling “shame” for his failed marriage, but he says the show executives still thought he could help their couples. So, he decided not to live “in fear or shame” and continued forward with the offer. “…When I went to do the show, something powerful happened. Everything I’ve been through, I was able to draw upon to help a couple successfully sort through their issues…,” DeVon wrote on Instagram. “A lot of times that voice in our heads is our worst enemy. It tries to talk us out of what God is trying to talk us into.” Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell was harassed recently at a gym in Las Vegas by a white woman who accused him of not being an America. Powell recorded the bizarre encounter with the unnamed Karen for his Instagram Live audience. “She came here the first time and was saying she got in a fight,” Powell said in the video, as reported by NewsOne. “We told her to leave out the back. She left, she was gone for about 15, 20 minutes, came back, staying in the gym calling us un-American, saying we need to go back, calling us p***y, a whole bunch of s**t.” “We was trying to get her to leave and then she was trying to take her pants off and take a s**t or piss on the floor,” he continued. “And that’s when we pulled her out like, we can’t have that.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1529215081321574403 The U.S. Navy is investigating a catastrophic string of suicides aboard the USS George Washington while the aircraft carrier was docked in Newport News, Virginia, undergoing extended maintenance. Meanwhile, sailors stationed aboard the carrier are now being offered increased mental health services. Many are also now being allowed to live off the carrier such as in Navy barracks at nearby Naval Station Norfolk, rather than being confined to the carrier during the lengthy overhaul that’s been going on almost five years. Navy Chaplain Louis Lee told CBN News that it can be easy for young sailors to become despondent due to extremely challenging circumstances in the armed services. He says that’s why it’s critical they know Jesus. The non-profit social welfare organization Equal Justice Now (EJN) is announcing additional honorees for The 2nd Annual Benjamin Crump Equal Justice Now Awards, taking place on Friday, June 10, 2022, at the LAX Marriott in Los Angeles, CA. Included in this year’s notable list of honorees will be Mario Van Peebles (actor & director), whose late father Melvin Van Peebles (actor, filmmaker, playwright, novelist, & composer) will also be honored posthumously for his activism through his work. The poet Amanda Gorman used the power of words to illustrate the harsh reality of living in the U.S. amid the onslaught of mass shootings: “The truth is, one nation under guns.” After the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday that left at least 19 children and two teachers dead, Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, took to social media to call for an end to gun violence. Shortly after the shooting, the 24-year-old shared a poem on Twitter that she had written in light of the news. Twenty-eight years ago today, Neverland and Graceland suddenly merged. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, exchanged vows and drew a collective global side-eye. The “King of Pop” and daughter of “The King” first crossed paths in the 1970s at a concert in Las Vegas. They were reacquainted nearly 20 years later during dinner with a mutual friend in Los Angeles, and reportedly had a platonic relationship in the early 90s. She was married at the time to Danny Keough. https://youtu.be/m2ccdPi4w8s Less than 48 hours after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker was asked on Fox about the nation’s gun violence problem — and what to do about it. “Cain killed Abel and that’s a problem that we have. What we need to do is look into how we can stop those things. You know, you talked about doing a disinformation — what about getting a department that can look at young men that’s looking at women that’s looking at their social media. What about doing that? Looking into things like that and we can stop that way. But yet they want to just continue to talk about taking away your constitutional rights. And I think there’s more things we need to look into. This has been happening for years and the way we stop it is putting money into the mental health field, by putting money into other departments rather than departments that want to take away your rights.” https://youtu.be/h-ull4RC7P4 Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorized charges against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey for sex offences including assaults on three men following an investigation by police in London, said on Thursday. Police said the alleged offences had taken place between March 2005 and April 2013, with four incidents taking place in the capital and one in Gloucestershire. They involved one man who is now in his 40s and two men now in their 30s. “The CPS has authorized criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 62, for four counts of sexual assault against three men,” Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said in a statement. “The CPS has also authorized one charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The authority to charge follows a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation.” Spacey will be charged if he is arrested in England or Wales, a CPS spokesperson said. Disgraced reality TV star Josh Duggar was jailed for more than 12-and-a-half years Wednesday for downloading a vile trove of ‘the sickest of the sickest’ child porn. US District Judge Timothy Brooks handed down the 151-month prison sentence at the Western District of Arkansas Federal Courthouse in Fayetteville at the end of a day-long hearing on Wednesday. Duggar, 34, has been in custody since December when a federal jury found the 19 Kids and Counting alum guilty of possession and receipt of child pornography. Actor Johnny Depp is suing ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million for defamation in connection with Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed, in which she spoke out about being the victim of domestic violence. Heard’s article did not specifically name Depp as her alleged abuser, but according to Depp’s lawsuit, it relied “on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.” Amber Heard is counter-suing Depp for $100 million. The defamation trial began Monday in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, with jury selection completing on the same day. There is a possibility of celebrity witnesses testifying, including James Franco and Elon Musk. Tune in to the Law&Crime Network for daily coverage of this high-profile trial. https://youtu.be/QlTNO3UgAs8 Actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey took to social media Wednesday to address the shooting in his hometown. In a lengthy statement, he offered prayers to those affected and urged Americans to reassess their values, saying “we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us” without specifically mentioning guns or reforms. “This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better,” he wrote. “Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before have endured.” McConaughey has publicly considered running for Texas governor in recent years, without specifying which political party he would align with. He announced in November that he would explore other forms of service instead. The oft-profane comedian Ricky Gervais is drawing the ire of the left with his latest Netflix special. In the new stand-up show, “Ricky Gervais: SuperNature,” the English celebrity made explicit jokes about the transgender movement, pointing to the confounding nature of claims that clearly contradict scientific fact. Women — I mean, the old-fashioned women,” Gervais began. “You know, the one with wombs. Those [expletive] dinosaurs! I love the new women. They’re great, aren’t they? The new ones we’ve been seeing lately. The ones with beards and [expletive]. … They’re as good as gold. I love them.” Victor Oladipo and the Miami Heat faced a tough challenge entering Game 5 of Wednesday’s Eastern Conference Finals at the Boston Celtics’ TD Garden. Boston won that game 93-80 and now leads the series 3 games to2 Game six is Friday night. It’s not as if the Silver Spring, Md., native hasn’t faced adversity before. The 6-foot-4 guard described his journey during a recent edition of the Pivot Podcast. The wide-ranging interview was hosted by former NFL players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. Overcoming serious injuries was among the topics discussed with Oladipo, a 2013 alumnus of Indiana University. https://youtu.be/y3z_gCizdWQ Richard Brandon Coleman known by the stage name Skii Ventura is a famous rapper from Dallas, Texas. Richard Brandon is also best known as the husband of T.D Jakes daughter Cora Jakes, whom he married in 2011. However, in January 2022, Cora Jakes announced via social media that she and her husband Richard Brandon were divorcing. In the same January 2022, many were of the view that Richard Brandon Coleman could be facing charge as there was a police report had been reportedly filed against him. This was after his ex-wife Cora Jakes posted on Instagram claiming that she is worried about her children’s well-being. https://youtu.be/edzSB0Qzmj4 Graduating college at the age of 14 is one thing but graduating from two schools is another. Shania Muhammad will be walking across the stage for her graduation ceremony at Oklahoma Community College and Langston University. What’s more, the teen will graduate with honors, News 9 reports. It appears intelligence runs in Shania’s DNA as the family home is adorned with achievements. So, her two degrees will be in good company. “We have over 150 medals, over 50 trophies, we have over one hundred academic awards as well,” said Shania’s father, Elijah Muhammad, according to News 9. At 21-years-old, Zindzi Thompson will reportedly make history as the youngest Black female to graduate from Meharry Medical College. The celebratory moment was pre-meditated for the South Carolina native as — from an early age — Zindzi was set on becoming a doctor. “I have always wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember, there’s nothing else that I wanted to be,” Zindzi said, according to News Channel 5. Ten years later, Zindzi went to Mary Baldwin University in Virginia to obtain a four-year degree through a gifted program open to 20 women. Although the five-hour move was difficult for her parents, they refused to get in the way of their child’s dream. “A big part of the process has been letting her go and achieve her goal. And that’s been the hardest part. The academics for her and knowing that she was going to do it was easy, but not having your daughter through those years was the hard part,” Samuel Thompson said to News Channel 5. Like anyone else who’s had a lifelong love affair with movies, Maya Cade struggles to name which films from her vast personal collection she would grab if she could only fit three in a bag on an extended trip out of town. “Oh, shoot,” she began during a video call in a cozy, one-hour reserved room on a jam-packed work day. “'Carmen Jones.’ Well, actually, I’m going to take it back. Let me think.” Like many cultural trends and events these days, the nascent stage of the archive began on Twitter in June 2020. “I started the process of collecting these films in a thread,” Cade recalled, “when we were seeing Black Lives Matter marches and conversations about ‘Black films are only this. They’re only that.’ I just knew that there was a whole other world that people weren’t seeing.” An Instagram account titled “Black Bay Area” re-posted two troubling photos on their page this weekend, accusing the initial post of racism. The pictures show what appear to be members of the California High School varsity cheer team posing with a Black mannequin head and they refer to it as their mascot — which they named Kareem. “That is not something that we can accept, nor will we tolerate,” said San Ramon Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dr. John Malloy. He said he’s deeply concerned as the district has been expanding its on-campus sensitivity training and was shocked to see the team share something that seems so obviously insensitive. “We don’t accept this. We understand that it’s wrong, and we also understand that it’s harming some members of our community more than others – especially those who may identify as Black or African American,” said Malloy. There’s a quarterback controversy in the DMV, but it doesn’t have to do with the Washington Commanders. The Commanders have their quarterback for 2022, and that’s Carson Wentz. The other NFL team in the area, the Baltimore Ravens, also have their quarterback for 2022, and that’s Lamar Jackson. But in 2023 … things are up in the air. Lamar Jackson is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he’s holding out of Ravens OTA’s this week to express his frustration about his contract situation. The Commanders, while happy with Wentz, wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade him with Jackson. Considering the fact the Commanders had their eye on Russell Wilson before adding Wentz, it’s clear that there’s room for improvement. Colin Kaepernick, who last played professional football in 2016 — the year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice — worked out Wednesday for the Las Vegas Raiders, a league source told ESPN. It marked Kaepernick’s first workout with an NFL team since being exiled, and it was the first time the former star quarterback visited with a team since he flew to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks in May 2017 before they passed on the opportunity to sign him. Kaepernick played at the University of Nevada, Reno, the only school to offer him a scholarship. Currently, the pro team in Nevada is the only one in the NFL that has given the civil rights activist another opportunity. Raiders owner Mark Davis is following in the spirit of his late father, Al Davis, who provided many opportunities, such as hiring the NFL’s first Black head coach (Art Shell) and its first woman chief executive (Amy Trask) in the modern era. He also was the first owner to draft a Black quarterback in the first round and the second owner to hire a Hispanic head coach, Tom Flores. A Nevada judge ruled in favor of former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden on two motions Wednesday, opening the possibility of a jury trial on his “tortious interference” claim that the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell selectively leaked Gruden’s emails to force his removal on Oct. 11. Judge Nancy L. Allf denied the NFL’s motion to compel arbitration as well as the league’s motion to dismiss the case outright. The suit will now go to trial unless a settlement is reached. Allf gave no timeline, though, for the next proceeding. The NFL said in a statement given to multiple media outlets that it would appeal. Snoop Dogg stunned hip hop and sports fans recently when he revealed that he turned down $2 million to DJ an event hosted by Michael Jordan. During an appearance on the latest episode of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, Snoop Dogg explained that he had to turn down the gig due to prior business obligations, Complex reports. “One of the craziest deals I turned down was $2 million to DJ for a Michael Jordan event, and I turned it down. And I’ve never met Michael Jordan, and I wanna meet him. ’Cause I was doing some other shit, I had shit to do and I had way more customers before I get to you,” he explained. “Nah, but I never met Michael Jordan, and I wanna meet him, and I wanna meet him on a different—I don’t wanna meet him on no DJing. I wanna meet him as a fan, as a boss.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd9YZeSMMGB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again There will be no mass school shootings playing out on “Abbott Elementary.” While the show has been used to address some societal problems, its creator, Quinta Brunson, said Hollywood can’t fix an issue as serious as the scourge of shootings in American schools. Brunson shut down the concept in the wake of the mass school shooting that left 19 children and two adults dead at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school. In a series of tweets, Brunson made it clear that it’s not happening and for those who are asking, that energy should be used toward elected officials and gun laws. “wild how many people have asked for a school shooting episode of the show I write. people are that deeply removed from demanding more from the politicians they’ve elected and are instead demanding “entertainment.” I can’t ask “are yall ok” anymore because the answer is “no.” Many see Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial start of summer. But, if you are planning outdoor events, you may want to read this first. Otherwise, you could find yourself overheated without the proper iced cocktail, trying to barbecue in winter weather conditions — or running for cover from what you might think is “an unexpected storm.” https://youtu.be/5uiRCS1mD58 More heartbreaking news coming out of Texas. The husband of teacher Irma Garcia, one of the school shooting victims, has also passed away. According to @tmz_tv , Garcia’s husband of 24 years Joe Garcia, sadly died of a heart attack. Their family announced the tragic news this Thursday. Garcia’s nephew, John Martinez, posted, “EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma’s husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn’t easy.” Local reporter, Ernie Zuniga, also reported that Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack and that the two had 4 children together. Bobby Brown’s sister Leolah Brown Muhammad recently took to social media to slam the singer’s wife Alicia Etheredge. The couple, who share three children, speak candidly about their marriage in the new A&E documentary entitled “Biography: Bobby Brown.” As reported by The Jasmine Brand, during a recent interview to promote their new projects, Etheredge touched on Brown’s previous marriage to the late Whitney Houston. “Bobby and Whitney were their time. I also came from a place. So knowing that he loved hard and came out the other end and somehow we were meant to be and found each other again, that’s what I focus on,” she said. https://youtu.be/pztgn6JykZ8 Former NFL star Ricky Williams has legally changed his last name to his wife’s last name. During an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Ricky explained that he changed his name to Errick Miron to adopt the last name of his wife Linnea Miron, who is a successful attorney. “I did it probably a year and a half ago, made it official,” said Ricky, who played 11 seasons in the NFL. “Something I’ve been thinking about and talking about, and I finally went through the steps.” “I went to the social security office with my marriage certificate, and I went through the process,” he added. “It was quick and easy, and it felt meaningful. Really meaningful.” Ricky said the move was intended to add more balance in his marriage, as reported by PEOPLE. Actor Ray Liotta is dead at the age of 67, according to Deadline. As of this posting, the cause of death has not yet been disclosed. According to the report, he passed away in his sleep. He was in the Dominican Republic filming the upcoming movie, “Dangerous Waters.” He is survived by his daughter. Liotta was most recognized for his role in the 1990 film “Goodfellas.” His other film credits include “The Many Saints of Newark,” “No Sudden Move,” and “Marriage Story.” “Dangerous Waters” was one of several upcoming projects of his, including “El Tonto,” “Cocaine Bear,” “The Substance,” and “April 29, 1992.” On the TV side, his credits include “Hanna,” “Shades of Blue,” “The Simpsons,” “Young Sheldon,” and “Texas Rising.” He has also completed filming on “Black Bird,” the Apple TV+ series set to premiere on July 8. https://youtu.be/zsWtNVCR0BI Kendrick Lamar fans can’t get enough of his new album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” as every song has entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The set soars in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 295,500 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate – the biggest weekly total for an album this year. Lamar concurrently sends all 18 tracks from the new release onto the Billboard Hot 100, plus his non-album single “The Heart Part 5.” Of those 19 entries, four debut in the top 10: “N95” (No. 3); “Die Hard,” with Blxst and Amanda Reifer (No. 5); “Silent Hill,” with Kodak Black (No. 7); and “United In Grief” (No. 8). Lamar ups his career total to 12 top 10 hits on the chart. This marks Lamar’s sixth week at No. 1 on the Artist 100, “passing Future for the third-longest reign among rappers, after Drake (36 weeks) and Post Malone (14),” per the report. https://youtu.be/uAPUkgeiFVY Bobby Shmurda wants the newly passed “Rap Music on Trial” bill in New York to be adopted throughout the nation. New York’s state Senate passed the bill that would limit the use of “creative expression” as evidence of a crime in court. The bill, however, will not ban song lyrics from being used as evidence, BET reports. According to Pitchfork, Senate Bill S7527 which was sponsored by senators Jamaal Bailey and Brad Hoylman, “would not ban prosecutors from presenting lyrics or other material to a jury, but would require them to show that the work is “literal, rather than figurative or fictional.” Bobby Shmurda joins Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Killer Mike, Fat Joe, Robin Thicke, and several other artists who have each publicly supported the bill. https://youtu.be/PSONFPl4Qvc One of the top OB/GYN physicians in the nation has developed a panty wash designed to reduce vaginal infections. “Maybe you don’t have vaginitis, maybe you don’t have yeast, maybe you have simply dirty panties that are irritating you because you are washing them with everything that your vagina hates,” said Dr. Tosha Rogers, who created the hypo-allergenic, non-GMO, no parabens, and organic Clean & Cute™ delicate panty wash, as reported by Black Enterprise. The Philadelphia native encourages women to follow her advice to maintain vaginal health. https://youtu.be/mipUUi5fwoY Former NFLer Brendan Langley is speaking out about his brawl with a United Airlines employee at the Newark Liberty Airport. Langley’s attorney tells TMZ Sports that the employee “harassed him, called him names, and got physical first,” the outlet writes. “Brendan Langley was minding his business walking through the airport with his bags when he was accosted by a United Airlines employee who claimed to ‘run the airport,'” Alan Jackson, Brendan’s attorney, said in a statement. “When Brendan tried to ignore him, the assailant followed and harassed Brendan, calling him a ‘d***’ and a ‘p***y’ and challenging him to fight.” https://youtu.be/wOoeJwf_6QY Will Smith is still laying low following the infamous Oscars slap in March. The veteran actor missed out on a recent “Bel-Air” event with the cast of the revamped version of his beloved sitcom “Fresh Prince.” NBC continued its FYC event in Hollywood Tuesday, a promo for the network’s shows and to create some Emmy buzz. Jabari Banks, who plays a young Will Smith in the show, Coco Jones, Adrian Holmes and more all attended the event … but Will, who is an Executive Producer on the show, was nowhere to be seen. The prom proposal was viewed over two million times. When Jermel Jones got home, he was asked to read notes. On his way up, each note tugged at his heartstrings a little more. A trail of notes led him to his daughter, Janel, holding a sign that said, “Will you go to prom with me?” It was a promise Janel made years ago, and it was a promise she wanted to keep. “I’ve always told her- I’m that guy she doesn’t need nobody and you know as she got older you start to lose that by the wayside her getting older and thinking. And when she asked me to the prom it was just wow- I’ve never been to the prom,” Jermel said. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump intends to sue everyone who was an accomplice to the white supremacist who fatally shot ten Black people at a Buffalo supermarket this month. We absolutely intend on going after the gun manufacturers, the gun distributors and anybody else who was an accomplice to this young 18-year-old white supremacist,” Crump said during a press conference outside the Antioch Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York Post reports.“We intend on going after everybody that was an accomplice to this young monster killing these innocent people,” including the killer’s parents, he added. https://youtu.be/PTgxX4xVPmsGSN-An 18-year-old gunman on Tuesday fatally shot 19 children and two adults at a Texas elementary school before he was killed by law enforcement officers, officials said. The shooter — identified by Texas officials as Salvador Ramos, of Uvalde — also shot his grandmother before crashing a vehicle near the school, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada said. She is in critical condition, he said. The gunman is believed to have acted alone, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo said. https://youtu.be/eejjbgbMOc8 A heroic 10-year-old girl shot dead as she tried to call 911 is among 19 child victims of America’s latest school mass shooter, as devastated relatives recount their loved ones’ horrifying final moments. Amerie Jo Garza, a fourth grader at Robb Elementary in the city Uvalde, Texas, was killed in cold blood Tuesday morning by 18-year-old ‘loner’ Salvador Ramos, who strode into the school carrying a handgun and a rifle before opening fire on classrooms full of children in an attack that also killed two teachers. Berlinda Irene Arreola, Amerie’s grandmother, said that Ramos told the class ‘you’re going to die’ before he began his massacre – shooting her granddaughter dead as she tried to call 911. Amerie was sat next to her best friend who was left ‘covered in her blood’, Berlinda told the Daily Beast. ‘So the gunman went in and he told the children, “You’re going to die.” And [Amerie] had her phone and she called 911. And instead of grabbing it and breaking it or taking it from her, he shot her. She was sitting right next to her best friend. Her best friend was covered in her blood,’ Berlinda said. Also killed in the attack were two boys – Xavier Lopez, 10, and nine-year-old Uziyah Garcia – and three more girls – Makenna Elrod, 10, Eliahana Torres, also 10, and Ellie, whose age and surname were not immediately available. Eva Mireles, 44, and Irma Garcia, a mother-of-four, were the two teachers shot and killed. The Biden administration has tapped Pentagon spokesman John Kirby to fill a senior communications role but the specifics about the gig remain unclear. According to the New York Post, citing the Washington Post, “Kirby will be heavily involved in White House communications and work alongside the National Security Council,” the outlet writes. Kirby is expected to make regular appearances in the White House briefing room, but will not share duties with the new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The Biden administration insisted Kirby is not replacing Jean-Pierre, but that how a lot of people are interpreting the move. “John understands the complexities of U.S. foreign and defense policy, and he will ably represent the Administration on important national security issues,” Biden said in a statement, CNN reports. https://youtu.be/Ug3gD-cVd2M More than 200 people in Massachusetts are being tracked for monkeypox after coming in contact with the first confirmed patient in the US. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention  released the level-2 alert late Monday, advising people to “practice enhanced precautions” — and warning that it “is fatal in as many as 1 to 11% of people who become infected.” “Some cases were reported among men who have sex with men,” the health authority said on the same day another expert said, as reported by the New York Post. According to numerous reports, several monkeypox cases stem from sexual activity at raves in Europe. https://youtu.be/Up2m6Y5-4nE A Chicago woman who had been held captive in an abandoned house was rescued by police on Saturday (May 21). The woman’s cries for help were heard by a nearby resident in the south side neighborhood who alerted the authorities, Revolt reports. https://youtu.be/mDWcVf9QGBIGSN-Rapper Lil Kim has confirmed that she has a biopic in the works. Speaking with The New York Post, the rapper revealed that a biopic about her life and rise to fame is “absolutely” on the way. When it comes to the actress who will play Kim, the hip-hip icon said, “I don’t know… We’ll have to see”, she told the publication. Kim previously said she wants singer Teyanna Taylor to play her in a biopic. https://www.instagram.com/lilkimthequeenbee/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a058364f-a30d-480f-b808-bcbe8a675f53 Jada Pinkett-Smith was brought to tears in the latest episode of Red Table Talk, where she candidly discussed dealing with “a lot of stressful adult things at a young age,” and how her upbringing as a child led her to believe that showing emotion meant she was weak. A preview of Wednesday’s episode was posted to the official RTT page on Tuesday as the Matrix actress explained how being raised to simply “buck up” and get on with her problems later resulted in her struggle to deal with emotions stemming from the pressures of life, who was joined by her daughter Willow Smith, mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and guest panelist Kelly McDaniel, admitted: “I had to deal with a lot of stressful, adult things at a young age. I didn’t have the ability to deal with the emotions that were coming with it. I just had to ‘buck up.’ And so those women you see that you think are so strong, there’s this terrified little girl underneath. And that’s me.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd-7CMkt-5K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again While attending the Most Powerful People in Media event on Monday, King explained why she had to wear mismatched shoes. “I went to bed on Saturday, and I woke up Sunday to go pee … the minute I touched the floor, I crumbled. I think it’s my Achilles,” she told Page Six. As reported by PEOPLE, a visit to the doctor to get an x-ray and an MRI showed she had tendonitis. “Diagnosis just in, I am here with Dr. Nadia Levy. What’s the diagnosis?” she reported on Instagram from the examination room. https://www.instagram.com/gayleking/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=76c526fe-f72c-449f-aec5-f6cbe70230a0GSN-“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will air its final episode this week and the talk show is wrapping up its 19 seasons with some major star power. Oprah Winfrey paid DeGeneres a visit on Tuesday. Winfrey said it made her emotional to think about the final days of her own daytime talk show, which she wrapped in 2011. “I got a little emotional backstage because I saw your entire staff is back there. And I said to everybody, ‘I know what this feels like with only a couple of days left,’ and just was really applauding your team for making this show what it’s been for 19 years,” Winfrey said. Lady O added: “Obviously, you’re the face out front, but it’s everybody back there that actually makes it work. I was just really tearing up saying, ‘Guys, what a great job you’ve done.” https://youtu.be/vrYokiFvJnAGSN-Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina recently shared some of the lessons they have learned after three years of marriage. “You just want to be at peace together and have that be sort of a continuous motion,” said Elba to PEOPLE of he and Sabrina’s dynamic.  “I also love the idea of seeing what changes. We’ve been together six years now, and we both changed so much. I like seeing that,” she added. “Generally if we have an argument, I don’t like to go to bed angry, and I think he’s the same,” Sabrina shared. “That’s probably the one thing that we always try not to do.” Alec Baldwin has shared his opinion about the viral video of a United Airlines employee fighting with ex-Denver Broncos cornerback Brendan Langley at the Newark Liberty Airport.Baldwin took to social media to call out ‘workplace abuse’ and many online found that ironic given that he fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film “Rust” in November.  “The guy working at the airport is the victim,” Baldwin wrote on Instagram Tuesday. “He came to work to do a job. “The other guy, with his big mouth, is guilty of workplace abuse, where people come to work with an expectation of safety, even civility. This a**hole who hit the guy should be put on a no-fly list.” Georgia Republicans have nominated former football star Herschel Walker to take on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, CNN projects, in what’s expected to be one of the most important US Senate races of the 2022 midterm elections. Walker, 60, who was urged to run by former President Donald Trump, is a political newcomer — but a celebrity in the state where he won the 1982 Heisman trophy as one of college football’s greatest running backs of all-time at the University of Georgia. His Senate run opened the candidate to scrutiny of his personal life, including the resurfacing of allegations of domestic violence and threats against former romantic partners.  Still, Walker breezed through the primary, skipping debates and forums that would have forced him to take clear policy positions and answer tough questions. His main competitor was Gary Black, the state’s longtime agriculture commissioner, but Black did not raise enough money to run a serious television advertising campaign that could have exploited Walker’s vulnerabilities. https://youtu.be/blh5LBIVcT4 Students will now have a chance to pursue higher education without the burden of crippling debt, and it’s all made possible thanks to a new partnership between award-winning mobile application Scholly and American actor Jesse Williams. According to a press release provided to AfroTech, the initiative — Pay It Off Fund — will allow four students to secure up to $25,000 each to pay off their student loan debts. GSN-Jacob Rush III has officially graduated from Abeka Academy in Pensacola, Florida, though his journey to the commencement stage wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. As Blavity previously reported, Rush’s situation was brought to public attention back in March after his mother — Latrenda Rush — blasted the virtual academy for not allowing the straight-A student to walk at the in-person graduation due to his locs going against guidelines. https://www.instagram.com/iamlatrenda/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ed863f61-dcff-4f61-a260-56ec3540f51b The St. Augustine High School class of 2022 celebrates more than just their graduation. A viral tweet posted by a parent of a graduate shows the graduating class of 100 students dancing and rejoicing in the streets outside the church that held their commencement ceremony. According to Twitter user @Kay_Jeaux, the graduating class has received college acceptances and accumulated over 9 million dollars in scholarships. https://twitter.com/i/status/1527128328808894464 A masseuse sobbed as she recalled the moment she claimed saw NFL star Deshaun Watson shove his penis into her hand during a rubdown. Appearing on HBO’s ‘Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,’ Ashley Solis, one of 22 women who have sued Watson over allegations he behaved inappropriately with them, provided graphic details of an encounter with the three-time Pro Bowler. ‘He ends up exposing himself, and I hurried up and covered him with a towel and he said: ”oh but you don’t have to worry about the towel,” Solis says in the trailer for the new series. ‘ And I said: ”yes I do.” Solis has previously spoken of the harassment she says Watson meted out to her, but this is the first time she has gone on camera to do so. https://youtu.be/kGtnNPY6PPg New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson received a one-game suspension and must pay an undisclosed fine for a comment made to Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, Major League Baseball announced Monday. Donaldson admitted to calling Anderson, one of baseball’s ever-shrinking cohort of Black stars, “Jackie” during the Yankees’ 7-5 win over the White Sox on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The comment was an apparent reference to Jackie Robinson, who became the first Black player to play in the major leagues in 1947. Robinson endured unspeakable and relentless racism as he integrated a league that continues to struggle to make Black athletes feel at home 75 years later. Donaldson said he made the comment as a joke, saying he meant it as a reference to a 2019 Sports Illustrated story in which Anderson said he feels like “today’s Jackie Robinson” in that he is “getting to the point where I need to change the game.” He told reporters he and Anderson had joked about it in the past. According to the United States Census Bureau, only 2.2 percent of Oregon’s residents are Black. With such small representation, it is even more important for Black people to have spaces of community and safety. Bertony Faustin has one of the spaces as Oregon’s first Black winemaker. Based on a Forbes report, Faustin established his craft by turning his father-in-law’s hobby into a viable business. Abbey Creek is now a fully functioning business in the North Plains area. “People would walk in the door and always be surprised that I was the owner, or I was the winemaker,” Faustin told Forbes. He didn’t let the biases of people get to him. Instead, he fully leveraged that he was the first and championed his authenticity in the space. “I decided, you know what? I’m not going to try to fit in. I’ll just go ahead and take this and make it my own,” he explained to Forbes. Two years ago today, George Floyd’s passing changed the world forever. The viral footage of former police officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on George Floyd sent shockwaves around the globe. Variousvideos that showed everything in context were released but largely and deliberately ignored by the media. Also tied to the event of George Floyd’s death, a Marxist organization known as Black Lives Matter, which was launched in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin, came into exceptional prominence. The slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ is true. Of course the lives of black people matter.  Human life is a sacred gift from God. That is not the debate or the issue. The question that arises is: Do black lives actually matter to Black Lives Matter? The Beauty of Blackness, a documentary currently streaming exclusively on HBO Max, chronicles the rise — and revival — of one of the American beauty industry’s most historic brands: Fashion Fair Cosmetics. First launched in 1973 by Eunice Johnson, publishing executive and wife of Johnson Publishing Company CEO John H. Johnson, Fashion Fair Cosmetics was the first national makeup line formulated and designed specifically for Black women, an inclusive mission that is more recognizable in today’s market, but whose broad and rich shade range was impossible to find at the time. Joel Taylor, the CEO of Bethel Music, has announced he is stepping down as leader of the label and worship movement. Bethel Music originated out of Bethel Church in Redding, California in 2009 but it has only grown in popularity in recent years with songs such ‘King of my heart’ and ‘No longer slaves’ being sung in churches across the world. Taylor brought the group together with Bethel Church founders Brian and Jenn Johnson. He took to social media to share his decision: “After 13 wonderful and challenging years, I’ve resigned as CEO of Bethel Music.” “When we founded the label, we knew God was going to use us to build something special, but God’s plan was even bigger than our dreams… and we had big dreams,” he continued. Popular worship artists such as Cory Asbury and Sean Feucht have been part of Bethel Music. The father of two went on to describe the group’s humble beginnings and how they defeated the odds against them. This simple lawnmower may only have one horsepower but it does have the advantage of a free delivery fertilizer thrown in. The footage showing a horse pulling three mechanical lawnmowers was filmed at the Norderns Ark Zoo located on the west coast of Sweden, a short drive north of Goteborg and just minutes from the famous summer town of Smogen. It opened to the public in 1989 and has been showcasing and preserving local breeds ever since. https://youtu.be/8LTcshjGoLA As part of the 35-year anniversary of one of its most game-changing shoes, Nike invited MACHINA, an advanced smart techwear brand launched in 2011. The company is founded on the integral belief that fashion technology must be functional, intuitive, and aesthetic to enhance the lives of consumers rather than disconnect and distract. The brand has achieved a clothing aesthetic that is sustainable, disruptive, and continually pushes boundaries in the techwear realm. It made perfect sense for Nike to invite MACHINA to create a reinterpreted version of the air mixing sustainability, innovation and design using the Nike Air Max 1 as the main inspiration. The shoe design has become a favorite among urban subcultures and connoisseurs of retro aesthetics — while enjoying constant popularity among sneakerheads and impassioned collectors. A revolutionary innovation in its day, the Air Max 1 was the first shoe to feature translucent pouches filled with pressurized gas. https://youtu.be/EFGkSNoEjNM Will Smith has said that he hated being called a “soft” rapper for not cursing in his music —  a decision he made after receiving a heartfelt letter from his grandmother before his rap career had skyrocketed. The Pursuit of Happyness actor, who caused controversy after slapping Chris Rock across the face at the Academy Awards in March, spoke candidly about his personal life and his career in an interview with David Letterman’s “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” The episode — which can now be streamed on Netflix — was filmed prior to the Oscars incident, where Will recalled his incredibly successful rap career as a member of the hip-hop duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince in the mid-‘80s before venturing out as a solo artist. Together, the pair released a whopping five albums between 1987 and 1993, with some of their biggest hits including Summertime, Parents Just Don’t Understand, and Boom! Shake the Room. https://youtu.be/tewFxzW9G1I In her first interview since her wife Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia in February, Cherelle Griner has spoken about how she “laid on this couch and cried my eyeballs out” after first hearing the news. Earlier this month, a Russian court extended WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Griner’s pretrial detention until at least June following her arrest. According to Russian authorities, Griner had cannabis oil in her luggage and has been accused of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance — an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. “I was numb. I couldn’t move and then I said: ‘You’ve got to get up now,'” Cherelle Griner said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” about the moment she learned of her wife’s arrest. https://youtu.be/MvI1kPA9tAI The estate for late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. has announced plans to enter the metaverse with a new virtual world titled “The Brook.” The exciting project is a collaborative effort with Burst Live Inc. and Surreal Events to create a virtual world inspired by the rapper’s hometown of Brooklyn. Per Vibe, “The Brook” will feature a virtual model of Biggie himself. he exciting project is a collaborative effort with Burst Live Inc. and Surreal Events to create a virtual world inspired by the rapper’s hometown of Brooklyn. Per Vibe, “The Brook” will feature a virtual model of Biggie himself. https://youtu.be/blbBRYjiF8M At least 18 students and one teacher are dead after an active shooter opened fire in an elementary school in Texas on Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. Shortly after 12 p.m. local time, an active shooter opened fire inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, about 84 miles outside of San Antonio, school officials said. Police said the suspected shooter is also dead. The gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers, Daily Mail reports. Officials at Uvalde Memorial Hospital said they received more than a dozen children for treatment following the incident. Two children were transferred to another hospital in San Antonio and another is pending transfer. A second hospital, University Health, said it received two patients — one child and one adult. Hospital officials also said that two individuals arrived deceased. It was not immediately clear if the deceased were students or staff of the elementary school. https://youtu.be/-hERRqjZTKo A 65-year-old Indiana pastor has stepped down from his role in the church after admitting he had an affair with a 16-year-old girl in front of his entire congregation. Pastor John Lowe II stepped down from the New Life Christian Church after being confronted on stage by Bobi Gephart, a 43-year-old woman who came forward with a microphone to tell their church in Warsaw, Indiana, how he’d groomed her as a teen, starting when she was 16 – the legal age of consent in the state. Pastor Lowe II had just told the church that he ‘sinned’ 20 years ago by committing adultery, without mentioning how old the woman or girl was at the time. He begged for the church’s forgiveness, then received a standing ovation. Bobi then stormed towards the stage with her husband, Nate, to say it ‘was not just adultery’ because she was so young at the time.https://youtu.be/gZLXVLs5Krc At the start of this video, a young man named Dakota Striplin begins to sing and play guitar with the voice of an angel. A judge immediately turns around her chair and puts her hand on her heart. Suddenly, another judge says, “I need to see what’s going on here” and flips her chair. At the end of his song, one judge shares how excited she is that this young man is here. The judges are shocked that he not only sang, he was also playing. They ask him what caused him to choose that song and artist. Dakota responds that Elvis inspired him and his grandmother used to love going to the shows and there is a running joke that he could be his grandson. The judges laugh when they see the resemblance. https://youtu.be/u5YCV_I3wpg Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger have welcomed their second child together. On Sunday, the couple announced the birth of their second daughter, Eloise Christina Schwarzenegger Pratt. In an Instagram post shared by both Pratt and Schwarzenegger, the couple said Eloise arrived on May 21 and assured their followers that both Schwarzenegger and their newborn are “doing well.” “We feel beyond blessed and grateful,” their post read. Dwayne Haskins was legally drunk when he was struck by a dump truck on I-595 in Florida and killed on April 9, according to a toxicology report released by the office of the Broward County Medical Examiner on Monday. According to the toxicology report, two separate samples taken from Haskins’ body had alcohol levels of .20 and .24, both of which are above the legal limit in Florida of .08. According to the report, Haskins also tested positive for ketamine and norketamine, drugs that are used by medical professionals as anesthetics but that also have been known to be used recreationally. The medical examiner ruled Haskins’ cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries and the manner of his death as an accident. Queen Latifah is ready for some real talk about weight and wellness. “The Equalizer” star, who first entered the spotlight as a rapper in the 1980s, has experienced working in entertainment – and the public scrutiny that comes with it – in a range of sizes. She told CNN she’s aware that she’s been a positive role model to some plus-sized women, because she’s been so successful in a world that judges women, in particular, based on how they look. “I have felt the pressure of representation throughout my career,” she told CNN. “I’m glad that I decided to be me. She added: I’m glad I had parents who raised me with enough self-love and constantly filled me with self esteem.” https://youtu.be/VmMpp5ESymU Singer and musician Felton Pilate of ConFunkShun is speaking out about Silk Sonic’s cover of his group’s “Love’s Train” single. The remake was released as a bonus track on Silk Sonic’s debut album, “An Evening with Silk Sonic,” Vibe reports. “This is one of Silk Sonic’s favorite songs originally recorded by the group Con Funk Shun,” the duo explained when they announced the cover’s release on Instagram. “We love this song so much we wanted to sing it for y’all.” https://youtu.be/dNB0CbtoUpw The new Bobby Brown docuseries is of the “limited” variety, while it is hoped that the earnest and artful storytelling displayed in “Origins of Hip Hop” will carry the docuseries to evermore unexplored hip hop beginnings in seasons to come. On hand for the red carpet and panel discussion that followed were Bobby Brown, Ja Rule, “Origins of Hip Hop” executive producer Slane Hatch, Grandmaster Caz, and Bobby Brown director Kevin Swain. During a lively talkback discussion moderated by famed NYC DJ and radio personality Angie Martinez, Bobby addressed a statement/question posed by Martinez regarding the love she felt group members expressed while complaining about him, as was expressed by a clip of an N.E. member describing working with Brown during their time together as a group. https://youtu.be/F8KYjSFJs-s Walmart is pulling its Juneteenth ice cream after fierce backlash on social media. The “Celebration Edition” ice cream, sold as a pint under Walmart’s Great Value brand, is a swirled red velvet and cheesecake flavor. The packaging features an image of two Black hands with a yellow, green, red, and black background, per IBT. The “Celebration Edition” ice cream, sold as a pint under Walmart’s Great Value brand, is a swirled red velvet and cheesecake flavor. The packaging features an image of two Black hands with a yellow, green, red, and black background, per IBT. The ice cream label reads, “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope.” Juneteenth marked the end of slavery for Black Americans and was made a federal holiday in 2021. This year it will be observed on Monday, June 20. The ice cream label reads, “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope.” Juneteenth marked the end of slavery for Black Americans and was made a federal holiday in 2021. This year it will be observed on Monday, June 20. Winston-Salem State student and NASCAR driver Rajah Caruth will debut a new race car on May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Per HBCU Gameday, Caruth will get behind the wheel of a WSSU-themed race car in the ARCA Menard’s series General Tire 150. This will mark the second time that he has driven an HBCU themed race car in a NASCAR event, according to the outlet. Virginia State University sponsored a car for Caruth in April for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond. WSSU began a motorsports management program in 2007 and remains the first and only HBCU to do so. According to a new survey, Americans who shared a bed with their cats and dogs claim it helps them sleep better at night. Many of the survey’s participants said that sleeping alongside their pets reduced their stress and anxiety levels. https://youtu.be/NDt-_F_CBHQ Ice T and Coco‘s parenting decisions are theirs to make, but that isn’t stopping people from weighing in online. Coco recently shared some vacation photos of the family on her verified social media accounts. In one of the photos, her 6-year-old daughter, Chanel is sitting in a stroller, looking a little bored.She’s smiling in the next photo, showing her posing with her mother in front of what appears to be a sculpture that resembles ice shards. “A stroll through the @atlantisbahamas shops…,” the caption reads. “Chanel is so over it unless there’s something cool to see.. Her face transitions instantly.” Lucasfilm is aware that many “Star Wars” fans are racist so the production company behind the franchise is expecting backlash over the non-white stars in the new “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series. John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran were harassed by the racist fandom following their respective roles in the recent Skywalker trilogy. Now the studio has reportedly warned Moses Ingram, who plays a villainous Inquisitor in the upcoming Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi, to expect the same harassment. As reported by IndieWire, Ingram plays Reva, an Inquisitor working to hunt down surviving Jedis at the behest of Darth Vader. The series premieres May 27. https://youtu.be/3Yh_6_zItPU Here is an exclusive clip of the premiere episode of “Commit or Quit with Judge Lynn Toler,” airing May 26 on WE tv. https://youtu.be/NwPs1QrmiRw In Alabama corrections officer was arrested last week for smuggling contraband to inmates at the Mobile Metro Jail. Frederick Johnson is facing 21 counts of promoting prison contraband at Mobile Metro Jail, ABC News reports. Johnson allegedly smuggled in flash drives of pornography, phone chargers, a camera, and a camera watch, according to a spokesperson for MCSO. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office arrested Johnson Tuesday. https://youtu.be/Jdj1VT51ZFk Dwyane Wade returned to Milwaukee recently to receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Marquette University and serve as the school’s commencement speaker. On Sunday, Wade spoke to nearly 2000 new graduates at American Family Insurance Amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds, PEOPLE reports. “Today, we celebrate what you have accomplished as we should,” Wade said. “Tomorrow, wake up to begin the next leg of your journey. Your passion. I repeat your passion lies on the journey.” https://youtu.be/TXPYHIaaj2Y A new book takes wisdom from late Chicagoan and comedian Bernie Mac, who had his own show hit show on Fox. His wife teamed up with friends for the project. https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/11887021_052322-wls-bernie-mac-7p-guest-vid.jpg?w=800&r=16%3A9 Checked out the new Katt Williams special on Netflix? Well it seems like people are not here for it. Katt Williams took the stage as he released his first standup special in four years. Netflix’s Katt Williams: World War III, a follow-up to his Katt Williams: Great America. https://youtu.be/2CgSFQ12YJY Veteran actress Rosie Perez says she was overwhelmed with emotions when she reunited with her “White Men Can’t Jump” costars Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes at the Oscars in March. “Oh, my God — I almost burst into tears,” she told EW during an interview for her new bilingual drama series on Apple TV+ called “Now and Then.” “I was so shocked, in total happy tears. But I don’t remember what I said. My husband told me I yelled out, ‘What?!’ Which I don’t think I did, but I was in shock. It was amazing.” As reported previously, the original film, written and directed by Ron Shelton, starred Harrelson and Snipes as two street basketball hustlers who at first try to hustle each other before they team up for a bigger score. Perez played the longtime girlfriend of Harrelson’s character, whose dream is to appear on Jeopardy! https://youtu.be/NHRvNAENaxk Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the rise around the country.? Just when we thought we were in the clear, something keeps pulling us back every time we try to leave. Will everything be all right?? Mask mandates have been relaxed, more and more cities are easing their #COVID19 safety restrictions, and people aren’t just visiting the outside; people are staying outside.? All of the reasons and more are why COVID-19 cases have steadily been increasing. According to Yahoo! Sports, in the last month, COVID-19 infections have risen by more than 168 percent. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd03gLqtRKc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Watch Anna Golden - "Take It To Jesus" Performance Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu8f6rW5bZc An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back tonight. This episode of FATAL ATTRACTION unpacks the story of a missing person in a quiet town. Watch the story unfold at 9 p.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntz3qGAEGJA Today, Yamaha announced the 2022 performance lineup to light up the Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage at NAMM. This two-night concert series for all attendees will be the first NAMM concert in person since January 2020, emphasizing the power and importance that in-person music connection offers. Performances kick off on Friday, June 3, at 6 p.m. with a Night of Worship for all to experience live worship music at its finest. On Saturday, June 4, at 6 p.m., Yamaha reprises its All-Star Concert on the Grand that has thrilled and surprised The NAMM Show crowd for years. “Yamaha and Yamaha artists have delivered great musical events with magical ‘only at the NAMM Show’ moments to NAMM Show audiences year after year,” said Tom Sumner, president, Yamaha Corporation of America. “After two years of silence, we are excited to bring back Yamaha Night of Worship and the Yamaha All-Star Concert on the Grand for NAMM 2022. Both can’t miss events feature amazing artists and legendary Yamaha instruments and sound.” Samuel L. Jackson was allegedly banned from “Saturday Night Live” nearly a decade ago and the Oscar winner previously claimed that Kenan Thompson was to blame. As reported by Vibe, Jackson appeared on one of Thompson’s sketches called “What Up With That?” and the actor reportedly said “f**k” twice. Jackson blamed Thompson for not cutting him off before he dropped the F-bomb. Thompson recently explained to “Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon” that Jackson’s cue card only read the letter f, not the entire word. “I don’t have the authority to do that,” Thompson said about Jackson’s alleged ban. https://youtu.be/sqpnRyfz_aY David Letterman’s new interview with Will Smith on season four of his Netflix series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” was filmed prior to Oscar slap in March. The beginning of the interview makes clear to viewers that the interview was recorded before Smith violently assaulted Chris Rock at the Academy Awards for telling a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. At one point, the veteran actor tells Letterman that he has a fear of losing everything at any moment. “Life is so exciting to me right now, because I can reach people differently than I’ve ever been able to reach people, largely because of my pain,” Smith explains. He added: “I’m really ready to dive into my heart in a way that I think will be, hopefully, fulfilling for me and helpful for the human family.” https://youtu.be/1Ey8_TyU_OY The first trailer for “The Real Housewives of Dubai” is out, with Phaedra Parks (Real Housewives of Atlanta alum) making an unexpected cameo. “Give me the tea. I’m very thirsty today,” Phaedra jokes to Caroline Brooks while sipping on a cocktail. “Phaedra, I missed you,” Brooks replies, laughing. https://youtu.be/kDignq3wgJg The new BET+ Gospel-themed drama “Kingdom Business” held its private premiere in Hollywood. Stars from the series, including gospel music icons Yolanda Adams and Kirk Franklin as well as newly minted author and executive producer DeVon Franklin, and actors Serayah, Michael Jai White, and more were on the scene to celebrate the new series. “Kingdom Business” is the story of Denita Jordan (Yolanda Adams,) the Queen of Gospel Music at First Kingdom Church and Kingdom Records in Atlanta. A superstar determined to guard her family and its many secrets at all costs. Her husband, Calvin Jordan (Michael Beach), is the Bishop at First Kingdom. https://youtu.be/0nMUOrrMKxE Russell Simmons has been a devout vegan for 25 years so it’s no surprise that he is calling out KFC and Popeyes for “poisoning our people.” On Saturday (May 21), Hollywood Unlocked posted about rapper Kodak Black liking KFC over Popeyes’ fried chicken, XXL reports. “I Like KFC Over Popeyes,” he wrote along with a person shrugging emoji. KFC’s official Twitter replied, “So do we Yak.” Kodak appeared to be surprised that the fast-food eatery saw his tweet, as he responded, “I’m Dead,” along with a skull emoji and a cry-laughing emoji, per the report. Simmons, 64, slid in the comment section of Hollywood Unlocked’s post and noted that both Popeye’s and KFC are enemies of the culture. The Def Jam founder previously urged his fans to consider veganism. “You see them on every corner, lurking, waiting to take your money for unhealthy products that can ruin your life and put you in the hospital. Fast-food restaurants are everywhere,” said Simmons in a 2014 radio ad campaign for PETA. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdsfalkpIYJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Los Angeles man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle onstage during his set at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival said he was “triggered” by the comedian’s jokes about the LGBTQ community. “I identify as bisexual … and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering,” Isaiah Lee, 23, said in an exclusive jailhouse interview with The Post. The is currently incarcerated at Twin Towers Correctional Facility. “I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.” Lee attended the May 3 “Netflix is a Joke” show in Hollywood and somehow made it inside the highly secured venue with a replica gun that had an ejectable knife blade. Lee reportedly didn’t use the weapon to attack Dave, and for this reason, he will not face felony charges. Netflix recently announced that commercials will soon be introduced on the platform. The New York Times reports that executives informed staffers of the impending change in an internal memo. According to the outlet, a less expensive subscription tier with ads could be introduced and the end of 2022. The company also intends to crack down on password sharing around the same time. The news comes amid reports that Netflix laid off 150 of its “wokest” employees on Tuesday, many of whom were Black, Asian and queer content creators — including Strong Black Lead, Golden, Con Todo and Most, all of which catered to marginalized communities, Variety reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday alerted gay and bisexual men that monkeypox appears to be spreading in the community globally, cautioning people to take precautions if they have been in close contact with someone who may have the virus and to be on the lookout for symptoms. Dr. John Brooks, a CDC official, emphasized that anyone can contract monkeypox through close personal contact regardless of sexual orientation. However, Brooks said many of the people affected globally so far are men who identify as gay or bisexual. Though they may have greater chance of exposure to monkeypox right now, that doesn’t mean the risk is limited only to the gay and bisexual community, he said. “We want to help people make the best informed decisions to protect their health and the health of their community from monkeypox,” Brooks said. Brendetta McDonald, the girl’s mother, said there was a rally scheduled for Saturday afternoon to support the continued efforts to find her. When her phone rang early Saturday morning, she thought it was someone calling about the event. “I received the call around six,” McDonald said. “They said, ‘we have your daughter.'” The call was from Arlington police. The department confirmed to WFAA that the missing teen went into one of the substations Saturday and identified herself to officers. McDonald said she was taken to Medical City Arlington before being transported to Children’s Hospital in Dallas, where she received an exam from a sexual assault nurse examiner. “She said she was forced into a lot of things she should not have had to endure,” McDonald said. McDonald said her daughter’s hair was dyed, and she’s lost weight. She said she couldn’t stand to be in the room to hear and see her daughter go through the process of being examined for sexual assault. An Aliso Niguel High School prom invitation made regional headlines over the weekend for its reportedly racist message, NBC Los Angeles said Friday. Two parents of an Aliso Niguel High School student told NBC Los Angeles their daughter showed them a photo of the prom invitation on social media Thursday night. They said the post shows an Aliso Niguel High School student holding a prom invite that reads: “If you went to prom with me, it would take my breath away,” next to a photo of George Floyd. Capistrano Unified School District responded to the social media post in a statement, NBC Los Angeles reported. “The sign is disgusting, lacks cultural sensitivity, is deeply offensive, and does not reflect the values we strive for in our school district,” the district said in a statement. “We serve a diverse community and we value all of our students and families. This is heartbreaking and in instances such as this, we work with school leadership to address the situation.” The organization founded by disgraced evangelical Christian minister Ravi Zacharias can be sued by donors seeking a refund of their contributions, a federal district judge in Georgia has ruled. Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Inc., will confront charges they secured donations “by fraud or deceit” because the ministry did not disclose that gifts were used to allegedly pay off women who said Mr. Zacharias had sexually abused them. The Indian-born Canadian-American minister died in 2020. Margaret Zacharias, his widow, was dismissed as a defendant in the action, according to the order signed last week by senior Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Mr. Zacharias’s spirited defense of evangelical Christianity drew lecture audiences around the world, spawned numerous best-selling books, and launched a ministry organization that raised $25 million in 2015 — the last year the nonprofit filed information with the IRS. Johnny Hunt, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and well-known Georgia preacher, has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman weeks after his presidential tenure ended in 2010. The allegations are among the most explosive contained in a historic, nearly 400-page investigation into allegations that top SBC leaders mishandled, committed, ignored or concealed sexual abuses dating back to 2000. Requested by SBC church delegates last summer and made public on Sunday, the independent investigation found denominational leaders downplayed years of warnings about sex abuses from survivors and ignored expert advice on policies to protect children, among other shortcomings by SBC executive committee members. Hunt is accused of entering the condo of the woman, who he knew and was staying next door to Hunt while on vacation in Panama City Beach in July 2010. The woman, who is more than two decades younger than Hunt, was home alone. She told Guidepost that, after prodding her with inappropriate questions such as if she was “wild growing up,” before eventually pinning her down, groping her and pulling at her clothes. Gunna’s attorney, Steve Sadow, has released a statement to XXL regarding the rapper’s denied bond. “The Court was obviously concerned about threats and intimidation of witnesses,” the statement reads. “We believe when the Court hears evidence, not just the words of the prosecutor, it will find that Sergio’s release on bond will not, directly or indirectly, pose a significant risk to witnesses. We look forward to having an evidentiary hearing on this as soon as the Court permits.” Gunna has been denied bond once again after prosecutors claim he holds a “command” role among YSL. Bill Cosby is facing another trial beginning this week in Los Angeles over accusations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl in the 1970s. Jury selection in the civil case is likely to start Tuesday in LA Superior Court, and could last up to a week, a rep for Cosby told The Post on Sunday. The fallen funnyman, who is 85 and legally blind, won’t be present in court for the proceedings, the spokesman said. Opening arguments are expected to begin June 1, and the trial itself is expected to last around seven days. The legal battle comes less than a year after Cosby was freed from prison when Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual-assault conviction in the drugging and molesting of Andrea Constand in 2004. Colin Cantwell, the longtime Hollywood concept artist who designed several iconic spacecraft for the ‘Star Wars’ franchise – most notably the X-Wing Starfighter and the Death Star – died this weekend at his Colorado home. He was 90. Sierra Dall, Cantwell’s long-time partner, confirmed the news on his official Instagram page on Saturday. In the final years of his life, Cantwell had reportedly been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was perhaps best known for designing the prototypes for the X-wing Starfighter, TIE fighter and Death Star. He also created lesser known spacecrafts in the science-fiction series, such as the Y-wing, the Star Destroyer, the Tantive IV (which was supposed to be the Millennium Flacon), the landspeeder and the sandcrawler. He further worked on other classic films, including ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind,’ ‘WarGames,’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ Amber O’Neal Johnston likes to say, “In my house, Charlotte Mason has an Afro.” Johnston is among generations of homeschooling parents inspired by the 19th-century Christian educator. She believes in Mason’s philosophy that children should be treated as full-fledged people and that educators cooperate with God to create a learning environment rich with books, nature, experiences, and ideas. But as Johnston claimed her Black heritage over the years, things changed. Her once “bone straight” hair is now worn natural. “It’s big. And I love it,” she said during a Zoom interview, showing off a heavy mass of curls behind a white and patterned headband. Johnston wants her four kids to claim and love their Blackness too—but she noticed how the books on Charlotte Mason reading lists, full of white authors writing about white characters and history, taught a different lesson. It was her eldest daughter who shifted Johnston’s view when she remarked, “You said we study important things at school. We study only white people.” Johnston was stunned. Brooklyn-born and bred Nia Hooper-Mason is no newbie to the fashion scene. The Howard University graduate has over two decades of experience in the fashion industry. She’s worked in corporate fashion for Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, Bally, Furla and the Banana Republic, to name a few. Nia also had her own company as an image stylist and has worked on films such as Just Wright, Next Day Air, Notorious, and more. It wasn’t until she gave birth to her triplets Cole, Amaya, and Noah in 2014, whom she affectionately refers to as her LOVE JOYs, that she found her true purpose. Nia realized that she couldn’t find culturally affirming clothing for her triplets and wanted to create a brand that not only made high-quality essentials for children but also affirmed them. Kanye West has announced he is redesigning food packaging for McDonald’s. The rapper, 44, returned to Instagram on Monday after being suspended from the platform for 24 hours back in March with a photo of the crisp and clean new design. ‘Ye teams up with legendary Muji industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa to reimagine McDonald’s packaging,’ he captioned the photo. ‘Next week it’s the fries,’ he wrote on his Instagram Stories, referencing his 2005 track Gold Digger where he rapped, ‘This week he moppin’ floors, next week it’s the fries.’ McDonald’s has yet to comment on the collaboration on their Twitter or Instagram accounts. An airline passenger and a United Airlines employee went at it in the terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport. We don’t know what precipitated the confrontation, but witnesses say the 2 began arguing before pushing, slapping and ultimately punching each other. The passenger, Brendan Langley, 27, was arrested on Thursday, May 19 after trading blows with the unnamed United Airlines worker. Videos show the pair sparring, but almost all of the footage shows the airline worker throwing the first punch. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd53F56lVJL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Cardi B is among the celebrities that appear in the new season of David Letterman’s Netflix series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” During their wide-ranging interview, the hip-hop star touches on various moments pertaining to her life and career. She also opens up about her stance on political matters. “I don’t really put a lot of political things in my music, but I used the f–k out of my platform,” she explains. Cardi added: “And I have used my platform even when I was a dancer. Because you might think that people are not looking, but they are.” https://youtu.be/hACvw-ezyVk Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka exited the French Open in the first round on Monday as she lost 7-5 6-4 against Amanda Anisimova. The 20-year-old Anisimova, a surprise semifinalist at Roland Garros three years ago, has now beaten Osaka in back-to-back grand slams after her third-round victory at the Australian Open in January. In their latest clash at Roland Garros — arguably the pick of the first-round matches in the women’s draw — a close, seesawing first set featured five breaks of serve, including the first three games of the match. Anisimova seized the advantage when she broke Osaka at 5-5 and went on to take the first set in 48 minutes, while in the second, she broke at 3-3 and twice held serve to wrap up the win. https://youtu.be/vqKXVwKNx1s The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) today announced its lineup of 12 spotlight screenings from its studio and network partners. The screenings include premieres and previews of feature films, documentaries and episodic series. Regarded as the preeminent showcase for quality Black content, the festival will take place live in Miami Beach June 15-19 and continues virtually June 20–30 on ABFF PLAY, https://abffplay.com/, the festival’s custom-designed online platform. https://youtu.be/cMGG0_odFkY An arbitrator in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has called for a police detective’s administrative leave to be reversed after he and another officer were suspended for allegedly mishandling cases in which two Black women were found dead in their apartments. According to the WTNH, the independent arbitrator was “not convinced” that Bridgeport police could justify suspending Detective Angel Llanos. A grievance has also been filed by the officers’ union concerning Detective Kevin Cronin, the other officer involved accused of mishandling the case. The families of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls believe the officers never notified them promptly after the Black women were found dead. The decision comes months after Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim announced their suspensions. Mayor Ganim has not commented since the arbitrator decided to allow the suspended deceived to return to the job. The mayor of Bridgeport made the announcement after the family and friends of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls alleged that the city police department didn’t do enough to look into the two Black women’s unrelated deaths. Smith-Fields’ family specifically claimed the reason was, at least in part, because of her race. A recent move by the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) raises questions about whether the group values young Black leadership in Congress. Earlier this week, DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney announced he was going to run for election in the newly proposed 17th Congressional District. Just one problem, the district is already represented by Rep. Mondaire Jones. As reported by Politico, DCCC Chair Maloney didn’t give Jones a heads up before he announced on social media. Next school year, Lupe Fiasco is gearing up to teach a “sophisticated” rap class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Grammy award-winning rapper has been selected to take part in MIT’s MLK Visiting Professor Program, which recognizes the contributions of outstanding scholars. The program also honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by striving to increase the presence of minority scholars at MIT. This cute giraffe calf has been given a new lease of life after having her crooked legs corrected with innovative brace treatment. Msituni, just three months old, was born at San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California with a disorder that made her front legs bend improperly and prevented her from standing or walking. The zoo said an expert team managed to correct the “abnormalities that threatened the calf’s survival.” https://youtu.be/ahaYXLeFS-M The Gran Canarian pride festival attended by 80,000 from Britain and across Europe is being investigated after being linked to numerous monkeypox cases in Madrid, Italy and Tenerife. Held between May 5 and May 15, Maspalomas Pride attracts visitors from across the continent. It was attended by people who have tested positive for the monekypox virus afterwards, with public health services from the Canary Islands now investigating the any links between the cases and the LGBT+ celebrations. ‘Among the 30 or so diagnosed in Madrid, there are several who attended the event, although it is not yet possible to know if one of them is patient zero of this outbreak or if they all got infected there,’ a health source told El País. There are two suspected cases in men in the Canary Islands, one with links to the LGBT+ festival. Josephine Baker stepped down from the train carriage, resplendent in her furs: every inch a superstar. She swept along the platform of Canfranc Estacion, the border crossing into Spain from France, giving directions for the unloading and reloading of her luggage. The effect was electrifying. French and Spanish policemen and customs officers stopped dead. Railway workers gasped in star-struck amazement before dashing to call wives and daughters. They crowded around Josephine, desperate to see, to feel, to touch, to bask in the radiance of that famous smile. The awe-struck officials barely glanced at the mountain of luggage she’d brought with her: piles of trunks carrying hidden, secret contents that might change the course of the war. It was 1940 and Josephine was among the world’s most famous women. As a black American singer and dancer facing segregation in her home country, she had emigrated to France in the early 1920s, only 19, seeking fame and fortune. And she would find these things in France, becoming a global star of stage, screen and song. Josephine set Paris alight with her sexually charged, ‘exotic’, semi-naked dance routines, which scandalised, provoked and captivated her audiences. The prevailing image of this icon was of her stalking the Paris streets, together with her cheetah, Chiquita, held on a diamond-studded leash. Comedian and actor Sam Jay returns to HBO for the second season of the late-night talk show “PAUSE with Sam Jay.” The series presents a nuanced conversation with a unique mix of guests and a few well-placed sketches. This season, topics include; Sam’s journey to make homosexuality more inter-sectional, re-calibrating racism, and understanding addiction through Sam’s current journey with alcohol. https://youtu.be/WdjVK4i66SM A husband and wife are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in Lynn, the Essex District Attorney’s Office said Friday. Officers responded to a home on Mudge Street around 1:20 p.m. on Thursday. A man and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene. According to the D.A., Jessie Mitchell, 46, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Yajaira Suarez, 31, was fatally shot. “She got a restraining order about a month ago and the police came and escorted him out. Yesterday he just showed up and it happened,” said Aury Suarez, Yajaira’s sister. The two were former Marines going through a tense separation and custody battle over their two children. In Suarez’s own writing she told police she was afraid of Mitchell and the multiple guns he owned. https://youtu.be/PBAPvOyFIJk “Replacement theory” is the product of a strategy by wealthy White nationalists to enter the mainstream. It is based on ideas — honed over decades in the racist publications and conferences they funded — that stayed mostly on the margins until 2014, when through a strange twist of events it crashed into the internet’s biggest meme factories. https://youtu.be/eidisPTsMyE Boxing legend Mike Tyson is breaking his silence about his confrontation last month on a JetBlue flight. Speaking on the plane passenger’s bloody beatdown, Tyson blames it all on the fact that … “he was f***ing with me!!”Since the beatdown, Tyson is finally addressing the confrontation and took to his Hotboxin’ podcast to open up. Tyson said, “He was f***ing with me, man. I took pictures wit this n***a.” Like many people wondering why Tyson was even on a public flight, he goes on to explain that his wife has also urged him for a while to stop doing so. Tyson said, “I shouldn’t even be taking public planes. My wife gets mad that I take public planes. What I’mma do on a f***ing plane with my friends, and a bodyguard and f***ing yes men. What I’mma do on a plane? It triggers me.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd3crd-Oaan/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Steve Harvey, the Family Feud Show host, loves being in the know – it gives him control. However, when he doesn’t, which rarely happens, things can get a little tense which was the case recently. The host asked the contestants to name something about Miss Piggy that other pigs make fun of. Linda from the Morrow family instantly hit the red buzzer and gave her answer – bows/hair – followed by Shardae from the Estep family, whose answer was “her husband.” However, the last answer didn’t sound right with Steve Harvey, who went into a brief moment of shock before confessing that he didn’t know that Miss Piggy had a husband. https://youtu.be/vTF0E1fjR_0 Regina Taylor, two-time NAACP Image Award-winning actress, playwright and activist, plays the role of Marian Shields Robinson, Michelle Obama’s, mother in the 10-week anthology series THE FIRST LADY. Each new episode airs on SHOWTIME Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Taylor said it is a great honor to be working with such an astonishing cast of actors in the widely anticipated series. The woman who was caught on camera allegedly taking a dump in the middle of an aisle inside a Mid-K Beauty Supply store earlier this month; damaging numerous wigs in the process, has been identified. (However, something stinks ’cause her name has still not been released.) Witchita police had announced in a social media thread that they’ve been looking for the woman responsible for the disgusting act. The woman who was caught on camera allegedly taking a dump in the middle of an aisle inside a Mid-K Beauty Supply store earlier this month; damaging numerous wigs in the process, has been identified. (However, something stinks ’cause her name has still not been released.) Witchita police had announced in a social media thread that they’ve been looking for the woman responsible for the disgusting act. A black trainee vicar was blocked from becoming a Church of England priest after a white bishop voiced concerns about his belief that Britain was not institutionally racist. In the latest storm to hit the Church, Calvin Robinson, a TV presenter and political commentator, accused senior figures last night of torpedoing his planned ordination because of his conservative and anti-woke views. Internal emails obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveal that Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby asked to be shown examples of Mr Robinson’s tweets amid mounting alarm within the Church over his criticism of ‘bleeding-heart liberal vicars’ and the Church’s race policy. In one, The Rt Rev Rob Wickham, Bishop of Edmonton, voiced his fears to senior church leaders after Mr Robinson insisted that Britain was not riven with racism. ‘Calvin’s comments concern me about denying institutional racism in this country,’ he wrote. Mr Robinson also claimed that the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, lectured him about racism in the church, insisting that ‘as a white woman I can tell you that the Church is institutionally racist’. Mr Robinson, a former teacher who has trained for two years to become an ordained member of the clergy, has been told that plans for him to serve as a deacon at a parish in London have been axed. The 7th Annual Black Music Honors took place in Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. The celebration of music included dynamic performances, surprise celebrity appearances and a program dedicated to honoring legends in the music industry. Two-time GRAMMY Winner LeToya Luckett and comedian DeRay Davis hosted the ceremony. National Broadcast Syndication will air June 4 - July 3 and on Bounce TV on June 25. Performers that graced the stage included Kid N’ Play, Carl Thomas, Zonnique, Dondria Nicole, Dionne Ferris, Amber Riley, Eric Bellinger, Avery Wilson, PJ Morton, Jade Novah, Keedron Bryant, Ahjah and Rhea Walls from The Walls Group, Tasha Page-Lockhart, Crystal Aikin, Sheléa, Kevin Ross and Eric Roberson. Other celebrity appearances included Tammy Rivera, Angela Yee, Raz B, Tiny Harris, Pastor Mike Jr., Trina Braxton and more! Here is another song "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin ...https://youtu.be/13PYVofBFRc Four-time tennis grand slam champion Naomi Osaka returned to the French Open to meet the media on Friday — a year after her sudden withdrawal from the major tournament. Twelve months on from refusing to speak to the media during the event, citing mental health reasons, Osaka met the press with reflection, humor and caution. With a smile on her face, Osaka told reporters she was “worried about this press conference because I knew I’d get a lot of questions about this.” Last year, Osaka was visibly stressed and emotional while addressing the media during an obligatory news conference at Roland Garros. https://youtu.be/yBtV2c9-Ads This past Thursday night (05/19/22) at “MJ the Musical” on Broadway a very special guest was in the audience and it was his birthday. Stevie Wonder attended the Broadway musical to celebrate his 72nd birthday, which was on May 13. Of course, the cast of the Tony-nominated musical couldn’t wait to serenade their special guest and music legend by singing Wonder’s iconic “Happy Birthday” to him! Feeling good about the event and all, Wonder also went backstage to meet and greet the cast. https://youtu.be/ou4ChSxAKuo This is NOT what parenting is supposed to be about. Nope, not the route taken by a mother and her adult daughter. Here’s the story. In South Carolina, authorities are investigating a case involving two female family members and an assault at a middle school. Mamie Smith and Whitley Smith were identified by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office as entering Ebenezer Middle School on Wednesday and confronting a student in a hallway. The mother and daughter are accused pushing the student against a wall and hitting the juvenile in the head and face. Two other students were also pushed and hit in the incident, as reported by WIS-TV. One of the students was taken for medical treatment by their parents, with the other two released to their families. https://youtu.be/-XzTYJ0R62Y The trailer has dropped for Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming Netflix documentary film, titled “Halftime.” Directed by Amanda Micheli, “Halftime” is directed by Amanda Micheli and will debut on the streamer on June 14. In doc centers on the creation of the JLo’s co-headlining 2020 Super Bowl performance with Shakira. The preview also shows Lopez’s journey through the 2018-2019 awards season, and her disappointment when she didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for her performance in Lorene Scafaria’s crime drama “Hustlers.” “It was hard. I just had a very low self-esteem,” Lopez admits while her voice plays over an image of her crying in bed. “I had to really figure out who I was and believe in that, and not believe in anything else.” https://youtu.be/rpMZOZTqcQw The crime-fighting chipmunks return in Disney’s “Chip ‘N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.” It’s been a few decades since the last Chip ‘N’ Dale movie and a lot has changed. The infamous duo seemed to have gone their separate ways. Dale lives the high life, while Chip has left that life behind him. Dale seeks to find Chip as he is in need of help to protect their fellow cartoon characters. They can’t protect them alone. They need police assistance and this is where the live-action comes in. Actress Kiki Layne plays detective Ellie, who is ecstatic about working a case with her idols Chip and Dale. https://youtu.be/F4Z0GHWHe60 Trevor Reed, an American citizen and former Marine recently freed after two years in a Russian prison, detailed his harrowing experience surviving a psychiatric treatment facility in the country in an exclusive interview with CNN. “The psychiatric treatment facility, I was in there with seven other prisoners in a cell. They all had severe, psychological health issues — most of ’em. So over 50% of them in that cell were in there for murder. Or, like, multiple murders, sexual assault and murder — just really disturbed individuals,” Reed told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a newly released clip from the upcoming CNN Special Report, “Finally Home: The Trevor Reed Interview,” which airs Sunday night. “And inside of that cell, you know, that was not a good place,” he added. “There was blood all over the walls there — where prisoners had killed themselves, or killed other prisoners, or attempted to do that,” Reed continued. “The toilet’s just a hole in the floor. And there’s, you know, crap everywhere, all over the floor, on the walls. There’s people in there also that walk around that look like zombies.” After reports swirled online that a New York judge appointed someone to oversee #WendyWilliams’ Wells Fargo accounts, her attorney says Wendy is against it.In a statement exclusively obtained by The Shade Room, Wendy’s attorney, LaShawn Thomas, wrote, “Please be advised that Wendy is not in agreement with the appointment of a financial guardian by the court.” Thomas continued to say, “Wendy has been very clear that she does not want a financial guardian to tell her what she can and cannot do with her money.” Thomas added that the 57-yr-old talk show host “feels that she is capable” of hiring her own team who would work for her “and not the court.” Thomas went so far as to suggest that Wells Fargo may have leaked the report “in an attempt to lessen the public outcry and regulatory scrutiny mounting around” the bank. An NYC patient has tested positive for the same genus virus as monkeypox sparking calls from the health department for residents to wear masks indoors – just as New Yorkers were finally returning to mask-free normalcy after COVID-19. The CDC is still waiting for confirmation that it is monkeypox, after the patient tested positive for orthopoxvirus – the genus of viruses that includes smallpox, cowpox, horsepox, camelpox, and monkeypox. The health department is encouraging New Yorkers to wear face masks to protect against the new virus outbreak, as well as COVID-19 and the flu. Monkeypox primarily spreads through physical contact but can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets in the air. Meanwhile, the CDC issued an alert Friday urging doctors and health departments to be ‘vigilant’ for cases of monkeypox amid increased global spread. The World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent ‘unprecedented’ outbreak after over 100 cases were confirmed or suspected in Europe. The San Francisco archbishop that banned Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from Holy Communion after she voted to codify Roe. V Wade was previously arrested for a DUI and reportedly refused to condemn sexual predators. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone Said in a statement on Friday that Pelosi will not be admitted to communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and cannot present herself to receive the Eucharist, until she backs away from her support for abortion. It is the latest development following the leak of the Roe v. Wade draft abortion decision earlier this month and the latest bid by the church to hit back at liberal politicians who say they are Catholic but back terminations. Cordileone, however, has made some morally questionable decisions himself which have sparked outrage amongst members of the Catholic faith. The minister was arrested and jailed on a drunk driving charge in August 2012 shortly after having been appointed as archbishop. He later joked about the arrest. He also came under fire in 2021 when he refused to release an official list of clergy who were ‘credibly’ accused of child sexual abuse. He also filed a motion, along with other California bishops, asking a judge to throw out a 2019 law that allowed accusers of clergy sexual abuse to sue even if they were molested decades ago. The barbershop has always been a sacred place in the Black community, and now they’re helping reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. “The haircut’s gonna be the one way to make you feel good, but we’ve gotta go deeper than that,” Willis the Barber tells NY1. Willis is the owner of the Well Connected barbershop located at 66 Rivington St in New York’s Lower Eastside. The establishment’s name can be connected to A$AP Rocky lyrics from the song that put him on the map, “Peso.” Well Connected was just a spot to get a fresh cut, but with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became essential to go beyond skin deep and focus on the local community’s mental health to break past that tough exterior. Willis was with the movement and connected with The Confess Project — the nation’s first mental health barbershop movement — to make it easier for shopgoers to open up. “That idea was to train barbers to become mental health advocates. Utilizing some of the same skills that counselors use, and while it’s not counseling, we believe these skills can ultimately change our community and extend the lives of Black and brown men,” says Dontay Williams, CEO of The Confess Project. A group of Black Georgia students who were suspended for wearing Black Lives Matter shirts have filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against a northwest Georgia school system. Channel 2's Tom Jones was in Floyd County, where students say it’s hard to learn when their White classmates are hurling racial slurs at them and running around wearing Confederate symbols. Lawyers for the students, who attend Coosa High School in Rome, said that during a protest surrounding the death of George Floyd, Black students were made to turn their Black Lives Matter T-shirts inside out, While white students were allowed to carry the Confederate flag and wear belts, hoodies and hats with Confederate imagery. The group of five students and their mother filed the complaint with the U.S. District Court in Rome Tuesday, saying the racism and discrimination at Coosa High School is nonstop. Junior Desirae Turner told Jones that the school system has been insensitive to their complaints about how they’re treated. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing one family of a victim of the Buffalo supermarket shooting, called on Thursday to hold accountable anyone who was an “accomplice” to the attack. Crump said that includes gun manufacturers, in response to a question at a press conference at the Antioch Baptist Church. Crump, other attorneys, and Reverend Al Sharpton held the conference along with four families of victims of the shooting. “We absolutely intend on going after the gun manufacturers, the gun distributors, and anybody else who was an accomplice to this young, 18-year-old white supremacist,” Crump said. Under federal law, gun makers have historically been shielded from liability when a crime is committed with one of their products. But the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting recently won a $73 million settlement from Remington by arguing that the company’s marketing of the AR-15 that was used in the massacre violated Connecticut consumer law. When a reporter asked if Crump would “go after the parents,” Crump responded, “We intend on going after everybody who was an accomplice to this young monster killing innocent people.” The nation’s oldest civil rights organization said it will propose a sweeping plan meant to protect Black Americans from white supremacist violence in response to a hate-fueled massacre that killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York, last weekend. In a plan first shared with The Associated Press, the NAACP suggests a policy approach to stopping future acts of anti-Black domestic terrorism that involves law enforcement, business regulation and gun control. The proposal points to measures that could be taken up immediately by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Specifically, the plan calls for holding accountable any corporation that is complicit in the spread of bigotry and racism through news media and on social platforms, for enacting gun violence prevention measures that keep mass-casualty weapons out of the hands of would-be assailants and for reforming police practices so Black Americans experience the same de-escalation tactics often used to peacefully apprehend murderous white supremacists. Saturday’s premeditated attack by an avowed racist on Black shoppers at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo made it clear that “democracy and white supremacy cannot co-exist,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said. He is scheduled to meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday, a spokesperson for the civil rights group said. A federal judge on Tuesday heard a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against a biotech company by the family of Henrietta Lacks. The judge’s deliberation could take weeks. Henrietta Lacks is a Baltimore woman whose cells were taken without her permission decades ago, and they are still being used for medical research today. “These cells were taken away from her body like she was a lab rat, an experiment and no one even reached out to the family to let them know anything has taken place. Lacks’ family is represented by nationally-renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Chris Seeger, who filed suit against Thermo Fisher Scientific last October. The lawsuit alleges the company knowingly mass-produced and sold tissue taken from Lacks by Johns Hopkins doctors. Lacks went to Johns Hopkins in 1951 for cervical cancer treatment. When her cancer cells were biopsied, doctors realized that instead of dying, her cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours. University of Central Florida Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Charles Negy is to be reinstated after an abrupt termination last year involving claims of misconduct. Article 16.7 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement notes a tenured appointment, or any appointment of definite duration may be terminated during its term for just cause. The arbitration award stated the university violated article 16.7 (of the collective bargaining agreement) in that there was not just cause to terminate Dr. Negy on January 29, 2021. It says the remedy is full reinstatement, with tenure, compensation and benefits fully restored to that in effect as of the termination date. After being fired, he took his case to an arbitrator, who ruled in his favor. I’ve done nothing wrong,” Dr. Negy said. He received this termination letter listing the reasons he was being fired. “I tweeted some things that offended people and so the mob, the social [media] mob descended upon UCF demanding I be fired,” Dr. Negy said. Brian B. Wedgeworth seemed to have a persuasive way with women. Purporting to be a medical doctor who had attended prestigious universities, he persuaded women he met on dating websites to send him large sums of money, luxury items — and even bank account information. But Mr. Wedgeworth only played a doctor on Match.com, ChristianMingle, Elite Singles and other dating websites, federal prosecutors said. And they said he had not actually attended those universities. Rather, Mr. Wedgeworth, whom the authorities are calling “the Casanova Scammer,” developed romantic relationships with women across the United States by presenting himself falsely, federal prosecutors said. He defrauded more than 30 women out of at least $1.3 million from about October 2016 to March 2021, prosecutors said. They said he used the money from the scheme to buy items like Rolex watches — and even tickets to a 2018 Sugar Bowl game between Clemson and Alabama. A good follow-up to the news that the Georgia election law that Joe Biden compared to Jim Crow has been followed by record early voter turnout: Not only is the overall early voter turnout higher than ever before, but the early vote among minorities is higher than ever before. According to figures released by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, as of yesterday, May 18, 102,056 more black voters have cast early votes in this year’s primary elections than in 2018 — this is more than three times the number of blacks casting early votes in 2018. (Georgia requests the race/ethnicity of voter registration applicants, and the secretary of state “maintains robust voter registration and turnout data by race/ethnicity.”) Of the voting electorate, black voters make up 2.75 percent more of the total electorate than 2020. This is not the result that one would expect if the legislation was aimed at voter suppression, and “makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle,” as President Biden put it. The Georgia NAACP says it is taking a look into the stop and search bus incident involving members of the Delaware State University women’s lacrosse team last month in Liberty County, Ga. Gerald Griggs, state president of the Georgia NAACP, told NPR he was “disturbed” by what took place with the athletes on Interstate 95. He says the Georgia chapter of the NAACP is at the beginning of conducting its own investigation into what happened on April 20. “My [initial] thoughts were, ‘I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.’ Once I watched the full bodycam, I was just disturbed by what appeared to be an unnecessary search of their belongings,” Griggs told NPR. He says the state chapter of the NAACP was concerned to hear about the news of the team’s traffic stop in Liberty County considering the county sheriff, William Bowman, is Black. “But this is, you know, not anything new that’s happening on I-95. That corridor is known for racial profiling,” Griggs said. Beloved Dallas funk, jazz and R&B performer Bernard Wright died Thursday at the age of 58, according to a statement shared Friday on Facebook on behalf of Wright’s family by fellow musician William S. Patterson. Born in Queens, New York, Wright rose to national prominence with the release of “Who Do You Love,” the lead single off his 1985 third LP, “Mr. Wright,” and a song prominently sampled in LL Cool J’s 1995 hit single, “Loungin’.” “Mr. Wright” would go on to peak at No. 25 on Billboard’s U.S. R&B Albums chart, while “Who Do You Love” would reach as high as No. 6 on the Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 44 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. The godson of powerhouse R&B singer Roberta Flack, Wright released his first album, “‘Nard,” at just 18 years old. That first LP set the table for his later successes, reaching No. 116 on the Billboard 200, No. 53 on the Billboard U.S. R&B Album chart and No. 7 on Billboard’s U.S. Jazz Album chart. Billionaire actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Tyler Perry delivered Emory University’s commencement address on Monday, where he also received an honorary doctorate of letters degree. In his speech, Perry acknowledged that students today have many advantages that can lead to a false sense of reality, but emphasized how dedication is the key to success. “You were born into the age of the internet, where everything you need is right there on your phone,” he shared with Emory University’s class of 2022. “But I believe that this time that you have grown up in has given some of you a false sense of reality. As your commencement speaker, I hope I can help you prepare for what’s beyond your college years. Most dreams do not appear in your life without hard work, struggle, and sacrifice.” “I raised enough money to put on my first play. I was expecting 1,200 people to come over the course of the weekend. Only 30 people showed up for six performances. I was devastated… I tried to play in different parts of the country, and still nothing for seven years.” BET+ premiered the original series “Kingdom Business” on Thursday, featuring gospel legend Yolanda Adams in a role where she goes head-to-head with an upcoming singer who happens to be an exotic dancer. In the eight-episode drama produced by Kirk Franklin, DeVon Franklin and others, the creators sought to give viewers an unfiltered look at the drama that unfold behind the scenes in the gospel music industry. He also suggested that failure is a crucial part of success, mentioning the hardships he faced while trying to break into the entertainment industry. https://youtu.be/0nMUOrrMKxE The Primetime Emmys are sticking with continuity for its production team: Done+Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment will return to produce this year’s Primetime Emmys together, Variety has learned exclusively. The news is set to be announced Friday by NBC and the Television Academy, which jointly confirmed that D+D and Hudlin would reconnect for another go-round. The 74th Emmy Awards take place Sept. 12 on NBC. This marks the third consecutive year for the Done+Dusted and Reggie Hudlin collab. And it marks the fifth consecutive year for D+D, which had already been producing the Emmys telecast for two years when it was paired with Hudlin in 2020 to handle the unconventional, no-audience COVID-impacted Emmys. At the time, Hudlin made history as the first Black executive producer of the Primetime Emmys. In their first two years at the helm, D+D and Hudlin have managed hold ratings steady in a time when most awards shows numbers are collapsing — and have also earned high marks for two unique shows that have reinvented the show’s look and feel (partly out of necessity due to the pandemic). What’s more unique is the stability of the production team despite the fact that the Primetime Emmys are telecast on a broadcast wheel. The 2020 show, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and produced in a mostly empty Staples Center, aired on ABC, while the 2021 show, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer from a tent on the L.A. Live Events Deck, ran on CBS. Courtney Spears and her husband, Everett Jones, welcomed twins, Eva and Camryn, into the world on May 10. Their third set in just 2 years! Yup, the girls join twin brothers, Ethan and Curtis, born in 2020, twin sisters, Emory and Cassidy, born in 2021, and their oldest sister, 5-year-old Emanie. Eva weighs 4 pounds, 15 ounces and is 17½ inches long. Camryn is 3 pounds, 11 ounces and 16½ inches long. They were born 36 weeks into Spears’ pregnancy. Although Spears has come home, the babies remain at the hospital. Spears expects Eva to come home later this week. Camryn still needs to gain more weight before being discharged, Spears said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdzQS6tpZkU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kenya Moore had a sit-down with Michael Rapaport who was guest-hosting on “The Wendy Williams Show” and she was pretty turned the wrong way when she was told by the host that Hampton, her “Real Housewives of Atlanta” castmate, had claimed she is jealous because Hampton has finally earned her peach and will become a full cast member. “Jealous? That’s really silly,” said Moore, giggling. “I’m an icon, she’s an ex-con.” Whoa! Damn. She actually went there without skipping a beat. Her comment quite shocked the audience as Moore, 51, continued to dig in. “Why would I be jealous?” she asked. https://youtu.be/WcgQmQ4v0xE The mass shooting in East Buffalo last weekend has left many consequences on its trail, one being the re-emerging of a food desert now that supermarket Tops remains closed. Before Tops Supermarket opened in 2003, residents of the predominantly Black community in the area had to either travel to other non-Black areas to buy healthy food or bear with the less healthy options from the nearby corner stores and gas stations. Now that it is closed, things are back to 2003. Churches and local organizations have come out to help deal with the food crisis. They have set up a makeshift food bank near the Tops location. An organization such as the Buffalo Fridge has received substantial monetary donations and has since distributed some funds to other local organizations, reports The Black Wall Street Times. https://youtu.be/FW5tBFRqUL0 A biology teacher at a Michigan private school for gifted students is on administrative leave after distributing an assignment worksheet last week in which a picture of former US President Barack Obama was included among pictures of several animals, including primates. The teacher’s choice to use the curriculum with the “disturbing racial offense…was inconsistent” with the school’s mission and philosophy, the Roeper School said in a statement to CNN. Roeper’s middle and high school campus is located in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb north of Detroit, and is described on its Twitter page as “a uniquely personalized, coeducational school for gifted and talented children in preschool through grade 12.” “We sincerely apologize for its use and the harm it has caused,” the school said in its statement. “While the teacher has taken responsibility and admits the mistake of not properly vetting the resource, we know that is not enough and she has been placed on administrative leave until further notice.” https://youtu.be/uxykuJksvfI Jay-Z and Damon Dash are in a stalemate over their unending back and forth regarding the rights to Jay’s classic album, “Reasonable Doubt.” The stand-off began when Dash claimed he had rights to Jay’s June 1996 debut album as an NFT. Both of them are former founders of Roc-A-Fella Records. Dash claims that he owns 1/3rd of the album, together with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records’ other co-founder, Kareem “Biggs” Burke. In June 2021, Dash attempted to sell his rights, but the auctioning was stopped by Jay-Z and his lawyers, who then filed a lawsuit against Dash.According to Jay-Z and his lawyers, Dash is just a shareholder in the company RAF, Inc., which owns and controls the “Reasonable Doubt” asset. Dash had no right to sell company property. Before things went south, the pair and their lawyers tried to solve the issues, but their efforts didn’t bear fruit. https://youtu.be/cSg08OuFvNc In the latest episode of Hulu’s “The Kardashians,” fans get a glimpse of Kanye West’s softer side as he spends quality time with his children. West enlists two firemen from the Hollywood Fire Department to give his children North West, 8, 6-year-old Saint, 4-year-old Chicago, and 3-year-old Psalm a lift to school in a fire truck. “I think sometimes people are kinda bashful to be super-dads,” Ye explains in the clip. “Everyone wants to be a cool dad and sometimes you gotta wear the fire hat. Sometimes you gotta wear the Easter Bunny costume.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1527151960528457728 This is the moment Jaguar the pit bull collects the mail at the front gate, carries it across the garden, and brings it upstairs to his impressed American owner. The adorable clip is captioned with the message: “We trained our dog to fetch all our packages and it’s officially the cutest thing ever.” The video was shared on the ‘Jaguar the Pit Bull’ Instagram page by his owner Dakota, 25. https://youtu.be/27d-bL-iC5A The first funeral will be held Friday for one of the victims in the Buffalo supermarket massacre. The family of 67-year-old deacon Heyward Patterson will say their final goodbyes. At the request of his widow, Civil Rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver his eulogy. A prayer vigil was held Thursday for the victims and their loved ones, who are still coming to grips with their grief. At a press conference, Patterson’s 12-year-old son covered his face as his mother cried. “I need a village to help me raise and be here for my son, because he has no father,” Tirzah Patterson, his ex-wife, said. Others will soon follow behind, as they too prepare for their loved ones’ funerals in the coming days. Robin Whitfield said her 86-year-old mother, Ruth, was her best friend and the two had been planning an evening out. The funerals for several victims of the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, are starting to take place. Ten people, all of whom were Black, were killed in a mass shooting at a Tops supermarket in an attack authorities are calling a “racially motivated hate crime.” The victims included four grocery store employees as well as six customers, several of them regulars at the store, according to the Buffalo Police Department and those who knew them. Deacon Heyward Patterson’s funeral will begin at 12 p.m. on Friday at Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church. Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton and other community leaders are expected to make an appearance at the service. Patterson’s family described him as a loving person. “An honorable man. A family man. A working man. A community man. An honest man that was at a grocery store in a parking lot,” a relative of Patterson in an interview with ABC-affiliate WKBW. He leaves behind a wife and daughter. The family of Roberta Drury will hold her funeral on Saturday at the Church of the Assumption in Syracuse. Her sister Amanda Drury described her as a “vibrant and outgoing” woman who could “talk to anyone” in an interview with ABC News. An online obituary says Drury “couldn’t walk a few steps without meeting a new friend. She made sure every single person in the room was having a great time, ready to laugh and hug at a moment’s notice.” As the last living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre continue their fight for reparations, a New York philanthropist gifted them $1 million hoping it begins to account for the wrongs they have faced. Ed Mitzen, co-founder of the New York-based nonprofit Business for Good, presented the donation to Viola Fletcher, 108, Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107, and Hughes Van Ellis, 101, at the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa on Wednesday. “We made this donation directly to the family so that we could help make their lives a little bit easier. And also to tell them that people do care and that their struggle matters,” Mitzen, 54, told CNN. Behind every Black-owned business is a story rooted in resilience. The creation of these ventures is often inspired by the legacies of ancestors and fueled by the vision of a brighter future. As the anniversary of the harrowing Tulsa race massacre nears, Oakland-bred educator and founder of HBCU Prep School Claudia Walker is using her family-owned multimedia education company to empower youth through amplifying the narratives of the Black entrepreneurial trailblazers who cultivated Black Wall Street. For Walker, the different facets of Black history were largely omitted from textbooks and class curriculums while growing up. Her parents—both educators who were raised in the deeply-segregated South amid the Jim Crow era—curated a home environment that was celebratory of the richness of Black culture. She vividly remembers reciting Langston Hughes sonnets during church recitals and attending stage plays like Sarafina! that provided a lens into the experiences interwoven in the African Diaspora. Walker credits her mother—who was passionate about poetry and theater—for elevating her awareness of the activism and artistry that birthed the Black Arts Movement. Businessman and philanthropist Robert F. Smith has been a fierce advocate for equity in higher education and through his latest project, he’s putting the focus on empowering scholars at his alma mater. The Vista Equity Partners founder has gifted Cornell University’s College of Engineering with a multi-million dollar endowment. The $15 million donation will support the cultivation of scholarship initiatives for students from underserved communities and underrepresented groups who are charting paths in STEM. The institution will develop three grant programs—including the Robert F. Smith Graduate Fellowship Fund, the Robert F. Smith Undergraduate Scholarship Fund and the Robert F. Smith Student Success Fund—to eradicate barriers to entry within engineering and ultimately diversify the industry which has historically been plagued by the lack of racial and gender representation. Research shows Black students earned 7 percent of STEM bachelor’s degrees and make up 9 percent of the industry’s workforce. Will Mancini, one of the co-founders of the church consulting agency Future Church Co., has resigned due to adultery, according to a message sent to the company’s clients. The statement from Kelly Kannwischer and Dave Rhodes, the two other co-founders of the company, read that “as leaders of Future Church Co., we are grateful to serve the faith-based community in empowering followers of Jesus to maximize their God-given potential and develop God-inspired plans for the future. Today we need to share news that Will Mancini has resigned from the Future Church Co. due to infidelity.” According to the company’s website, “Future Church Co. will be closing as of the end of June 2022.” The Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board has terminated most of their agreements with Mancini’s companies due to his resignation over adultery. According to the About page of his now inaccessible website, Will Mancini holds a Master’s Degree in Theology and Pastoral Leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary. He was a pastor at Clear Creek Community Church and FaithBridge in Houston, Texas, until 2001, when he began church consulting and coaching full-time. He began working at John Manlove Communications for their church clients in 2001. He 2004, he founded the church consultant company Auxano and worked there until August 2020, when he left to found Future Church Co. He has also written several books and was a speaker at various church events. Will lived in Houston with his wife Romy and their four children. His name did not appear on his art. Most of the millions who have seen it do not know who he is. But Fred Carter’s art is unforgettable. He drew bodies that were heavy—weighted with humanity and the possibility of redemption. He painted biblical characters who seemed real enough that their struggles and stories could be the viewers’ own. He depicted sin so that it was tempting; salvation so it mattered. And his art was reproduced by the millions. It was distributed across the country and around the world while he remained in anonymity. Carter—an African American artist who drew gospel tracts, evangelical comic books, and Black Sunday school curricula—died on May 9 at the age of 83. He was the close collaborator of Jack Chick, pioneer of the popular evangelistic cartoons known as Chick Tracts. According to Christian Comics International, more than half of Chick Tracts were drawn by Carter. Viola Davis is not the help. The Oscar, Tony and Emmy winner has revealed that an unnamed filmmaker — a friend of nearly a decade — slipped up and called her by his maid’s name. Davis, 56, dropped the bombshell claim during the “Women in Motion” event Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival: “He called me Louise — and I found out it was because his maid’s name was Louise.” The diss went down when the now-revered “The First Lady” star was just starting out in the film biz. Davis added that it was not an isolated incident — but the sort of disturbing occurrence that happened repeatedly. “I knew him for 10 years,” said Davis, clad in a scarlet suit. “I was maybe around 30 at the time, so it was a while ago — but what you have to realize is that those micro-aggressions happen all the time.” Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick has reportedly agreed to play in the Fan Controlled Football league during the final week of its regular season on May 28. The dual-threat quarterback agreed to join FCF after seeing his friend, former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, find success in the league, per Pingue. Vick was one of the most electrifying players in NFL history during his prime with the Atlanta Falcons. His combination of a rocket arm and the ability to make game-changing plays in the running game helped lay the groundwork for the modern quarterback. His football career went on hold when he was sentenced to 23 months in prison in 2007 for his role in an interstate dogfighting ring. Frank Pingue of Reuters reported Friday that Vick, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who’s now 41 years old, hasn’t been assigned to a team ahead of next week’s official announcement. More fan violence broke out in a series of pitch invasions last night where Patrick Vieira was seen kicking an Everton fan who repeatedly taunted him and Swindon Town players were attacked by Port Vale supporters celebrating their playoff semi-final victory on penalties. The Everton supporter involved in the skirmish had filmed himself abusing Mr Vieira and giving him the middle finger before the Crystal Palace manager eventually kicked out, sending the moron tumbling to the ground. Thousands of people had ran on to the pitch a Goodison Park last night after Everton’s extraordinary 3-2 win over Crystal Palace helped Frank Lampard’s team avoid relegation. But Palace’s players and manager were left totally exposed and were not properly protected by stewards or police. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/05/20/3345525311915146131/636x382_MP4_3345525311915146131.mp4 Flavor Flav has apparently just discovered that he has a 3-year-old son with his former manager, making him a father for the eighth time at age 63. A paternity test proved confirmed he is the father of a boy named Jordan, according to TMZ. The child’s mother is Kate Gammell, who worked as Flav’s manager in 2017. Gammell has several photos of her son posted to her Instagram profile. Apparently, Flav reportedly asked for a DNA test because he did not believe the child was his. After confirming the paternity results, he has since been active in the boy’s life and made child support and custody arrangements with Kate. According to TMZ, Jordan will legally take Flav’s last name, which is Drayton. Flav also has seven other children from previous relationships. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdcGMh0proB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Former President Barack Obama is urgently throwing himself into the fight against disinformation, taking a yearslong private fascination into the open as he makes addressing the issue a key pillar of his post-presidency. More than a decade after the false and infamous “birther” conspiracy theory was promulgated by his political opponents, including by the then-private citizen Donald Trump, Obama is hoping his personal experience with disinformation and his knowledge of its ramifications can help determine the best way to regulate social media platforms that promulgate disinformation and find ways to address what he calls the “demand for crazy on the internet” that has filled a void as local news outlets have diminished. Obama’s effort has been sweeping, say the former President’s confidants and outside advisers with experience in the tech industry, with Obama convening meetings and conversations with academics, activists, researchers, tech sector leaders, media executives, former government officials and former regulators. https://youtu.be/B998-9DmecM The untitled documentary will chronicle her rise to stardom and some of the self-esteem challenges she’s faced along the way. The project was announced at the 2022 Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront held on Wednesday (May 18), Vibe reports. Lizzo said in a statement, “Growing up I never dreamed I’d get to experience all of the things I’ve accomplished in my life, and I’m just getting started. I’m so excited I get to share and relive my journey with my fans and HBO Max. From ‘Cuz I Love You’ to my dramatic world tour, losing and gaining love, and creating my new album ‘Special,’ y’all get to see the amount of time, patience, blood, sweat and tears that went into this process. It takes ten years to become an ‘overnight success,’ and hopefully I can inspire other young creatives to keep going.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1518593469547094016 Nick Cannon returns with new music with his new project “Raw & B,” a mixtape that’s set to drop Friday. The cover art features Cannon and his ex Jessica White, who is fully nude. Cannon recruited Rick Ross, Chris Brown, Brandy, Ty Dolla $ign, K. Michelle, 42 Dugg, Jacquees, Hitman Holla, and more big names for Raw & B. Nick’s caption for the first cover says he has another announcement coming soon, while Jessica’s caption says “Nick and I have a very special announcement coming Friday.” Cannon fans have concluded that White is pregnant by the artist. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdqbZd1LXyW/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3ecc8058-4729-43b9-8d02-0d02d96e4aeb Ford is advising the owners of 39,013 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs to park their vehicles outdoors because they could spontaneously catch fire. The specific full-sized SUVs in question were all built during a four-month period between December 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, according to a Ford statement on Thursday. So far, 16 of the SUVs have caught fire while parked and turned off. Fourteen of the vehicles were in rental fleets while two were owned by retail customers. The automaker said it is aware of one injury apparently resulting from the issue, but provided no further details about the extent of the injury or its circumstances. Twelve of the fires happened while the vehicle was parked and turned off, one while the vehicle was parked and turned on and three while it was in motion, according to the company. Kerry Washington has revealed how her previous comment about not being fond of kissing either one of her Scandal co-stars, Tony Goldwyn and Scott Foley, had left the actors feeling “pissed for years” while filming the former ABC drama. The actress appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show on Thursday, where she reminisced on her six-year run playing Olivia Pope, a crisis management expert who specializes in fixing political situations and controversies. But when chat show host Ellen Degeneres once quizzed her guest on who she liked kissing the most — Tony or Scott — Kerry had coyly admitted that she actually didn’t like making out with either of them — a remark which had gotten her into a little trouble when she returned to set. https://youtu.be/Sj1YgYVDre4 Social media users are blaming Nick Cannon and KeKe Wyatt for the baby formula shortage. Cannon is currently expecting his eighth with Bre Tiesi. R&B singer KeKe Wyatt, 38, is expecting her 11th child. That’s a combined total of 19 children. ?? All jokes aside, as we reported earlier, via CNN, supply chain issues and product recalls have sparked the nationwide shortage of infant formulas. As of early April, seven states reported that between 40% and 50% of baby formula products were out of stock. Manufacturers have said they are producing at full capacity to make as much as they can, but this week 43% of baby formulas were out of stock, according to a new report from Datasembly. The US Food and Drug Administration is working with Abbott Nutrition, the company involved in the recent recall, to safely resume production and find tools to support the supply of infant formula, according to an FDA spokesperson. https://youtu.be/4FNpOm6jNKA A 7-day challenge is reportedly going viral that sees people getting ahead of their finances and saving money in a big way. This challenge may help you pay off debts faster, buy that new home you’ve been saving for, take a vacation or plan for retirement. Per The Penny Horder, below are seven things you can do in seven days to get your finances under control. https://youtu.be/rLnHx5Ojq3c Charles Mattocks has harnessed a multi-faceted career that entails music, film, video, writing, producing, culinary arts, and health advocacy. His early passion for music resulted in being signed to Tommy Boy Records. Charles had a hit single and even worked with Redman, PMD, Russell Simmons and L. L. Cool J. Charles Mattocks has harnessed a multi-faceted career that entails music, film, video, writing, producing, culinary arts, and health advocacy. His early passion for music resulted in being signed to Tommy Boy Records. Charles had a hit single and even worked with Redman, PMD, Russell Simmons and L. L. Cool J. https://youtu.be/rJQ0amhPw6A Comedian Michael Che joined “Saturday Night Live” in 2013 and became the first Black co-head writer of the long-running sketch comedy show. Earlier this year, Che said during a comedy show in Minnesota that 2022 would be his last year on the series. He later took to social media to clarify his comments, writing, “to comedy fans; please stop telling reporters everything you hear at a comedy show. youre spoiling the trick.” In a new interview with the New York Times, Che discussed his future with the paper. “My head has been at leaving for the past five seasons,” he said. “I do think that I’ve been here longer than I’ll be here. This show is built for younger voices and, at some point, there’ll be something more exciting to watch at the halfway mark of the show than me and dumb Jost.” https://youtu.be/6NZrXaytHmA An old photo of Rihanna holding a newborn baby has surfaced amid news that she has welcomed her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky. A Rhianna fan page on Instagram posted a photo of the artist bottle-feeding a newborn. Many fans are convinced the baby in the picture is RiRi’s newborn son, but savvy social media users noted that the photo has been circulating for years and that the baby is actually the singer’s niece. “That’s her niece lol,” one fan member commented, as reported by The Blast. This fan wrote, “y’all this isn’t her baby ????????.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CdtfTmKPhx3/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=bd0d01e9-0cef-44af-af6a-18fef29256db A June 2 trial date has been set for a man charged with murdering Nipsey Hussle outside the rapper’s clothing store in Los Angeles three years ago. Eric Holder Jr., 32, was originally scheduled to face a jury on January 5th, 2022, but the high-profile case has repeatedly been delayed by the COVID pandemic. Holder is accused of fatally shooting the beloved rap star outside his clothing store in Los Angeles in March 2019. According to reports, Holder became enraged when Nipsey talked back to him after he fired off two shots that hit the L.A. native. https://youtu.be/ou8FAbw4YTs Four more people in England have allegedly been diagnosed with monkeypox. Per the BBC, symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash that develops on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. https://youtu.be/yKzdhvd3TTM A #TikToker revealed that she got a vibrator stuck up her butt, requiring emergency surgery. The woman who goes by the username of #sophzaloafs says that she used the 3-inch sex toy anally. At some point during her pleasure session, the vibrator got stuck inside her anus. Unable to fish it out, the woman tried sleeping with the object still inside her. However, it continued to buzz, making for an extremely uncomfortable night. The following morning, she finally sought medical attention, but that was not the end of the saga. Doctors at the hospital struggled to remove the sex toy, leaving surgery as the only option. Following the procedure, she awoke to find the vibrator placed conveniently next to her inside a plastic bag, providing easy access in the event that she wanted to proceed with her self-love action. To her surprise, the toy was still intact and ready for use. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdv2DKbh7i7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A coalition of California educators, civil rights groups, religious leaders, parents, students and other concerned citizens are calling on elected officials in Sacramento to do something about the continuing underperformance of Black students on California state standardized tests. We are in California, the Golden State, where Democrats hold a supermajority in the Legislature and where the governor is a Democrat. People that call themselves progressive have the authority and license to rectify the wrongs that have been served to African American Californians for generations,” said Dr. Margaret Fortune, an education advocate and founder of a network of seven charter schools in Sacramento and San Bernardino that focuses on closing the African American achievement gap and preparing students for college. https://youtu.be/0kq6G27eubA SpaceX, the aerospace firm founded by Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, paid a flight attendant $250,000 to settle a sexual misconduct claim against Musk in 2018, Insider has learned. The attendant worked as a member of the cabin crew on a contract basis for SpaceX’s corporate jet fleet. She accused Musk of exposing his erect penis to her, rubbing her leg without consent, and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage, according to interviews and documents obtained by Insider. The incident, which took place in 2016, is alleged in a declaration signed by a friend of the attendant and prepared in support of her claim. The details in this story are drawn from the declaration as well as other documents, including email correspondence and other records shared with Insider by the friend. https://youtu.be/pSacQaXAs3c Tiffany Haddish appeared on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live earlier this week to promote her new children’s book “Layla the Last Black Unicorn.” While talking to SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen, Haddish discussed the guys in her DMs. Andy Cohen: You and I have spoken before about DMs and that you are receptive to a guy reaching out to you on DMs. Is that still, are you, are you, are you still feeling that? Tiffany Haddish: Not as much. I mean guys, some guys, when they send things that are like, you know, intriguing, it’s cool. I don’t like when they send the D pics, that are unsolicited. If I don’t ask to see it. https://youtu.be/_wNi29Bql2o Anson Dawkins and Eric Dawkins are songwriters, producers, musicians, and vocal arrangers who have contributed to an unprecedented list of platinum-selling, award-winning artists including Commissioned, Mary Mary, Tyrese, Quincy Jones, Mary J. Blige, CeCe Winans, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, Tamela Mann, Toni Braxton and many more. As the super duo group Dawkins & Dawkins, they are Dove Award and Stellar Award-nominated artists known for their timeless FROM NOW ON album and "Need To Know" and "Wrapped Up" hit singles. After a 10-year hiatus of releasing their music, the brothers returned in 2021 with an epic series of EP's called NEVER GETS OLD Vol. 1 & 2 and NEVER GETS OLD HOLIDAY. Vol 1: LOVE & LIGHT features the hit and YouTube video hit "In My Feelings". Vol 2: FAITH & FAVOR features their newest hit, "Come By Here". "Come By Here" is now #1 on the Mediabase Gospel Radio Chart, has risen to #3 on the Billboard/BDS National Radio Airplay Chart and is #1 on the Gospel Indicator Chart. New Jersey based singer songwriter Penelope (Shanice Robinson) has just been announced as a performer at New Day Associates & John Blassingame’s Fashion Show, Music Event and celebration of Hype Magazine’s 20 Year Anniversary along with Deja Marie, and Just Jay. “John has been a major fashionista for 40 + years. I’m super honored to be a part of this celebration as he has the who's who in the house. This will be a phenomenal time, there’s always food, drinks, fashion and great entertainment. I didn’t hesitate to accept this show. See you there.” This extraordinary event and celebration will take place on May 21st at the Marriott Hotel on Hotel Road near Newark International Airport at 7pm. The uncompromising, urban inspirational gospel-soul band, SENSERE THE BAND, hailing from Miami, Florida is known for combining electrifying elements of Funk and Soul with their exquisite harmonies and full-bodied sounds. Lauded as one of Gospel music's only authentic bands, SENSERE desires to share their personal testimonies and songs to all who will listen. Since the launch of their career in 2003, SENSERE THE BAND, maintains a show-stopping demeanor and an encapsulating sound while spreading the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. One of Sensere’s biggest musical inspirations are Soul and R&B Group, Earth, Wind, and Fire. Sensere decided to remake “Fantasy”, a song recorded by Earth, Wind, and Fire, which reached #12 on the Billboard charts in 1977. Sensere aspires to encourage those who struggle with the adversities of life, to never stop believing in themselves. Sensere hopes to make Earth, Wind, and Fire proud with their elaborate rendition of “Fantasy.” The single is scheduled to release Friday, May 29, 2022 on all digital outlets. CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, continues tonight, May 18 at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enmT2VbxxcI CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Global Gourmet, is back tonight, May 18 at 9:30 p.m./8:30C. Hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, the show highlights the joys of delicious food and stories of wanderlust travel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUKODtIXGsE HULU has dropped the trailer for the documentary “Look At Me: XXXTENTACION, which premieres on May 26th. Per press release, the film explores how Florida teenager Jahseh Onfroy became SoundCloud rapper XXXTENTACION, one of the most streamed artists on the planet. Through frank commentary from family, friends and romantic partners, and unseen archival footage, director Sabaah Folayan offers a sensitive portrayal of an artist whose acts of violence, raw musical talent and open struggles with mental health left an indelible mark on his generation before his death at the age of 20. https://youtu.be/uJVgJFzgdJU Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation and the Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund have announced $1 million in scholarships for 100 students graduating from HBCUs this year. The soon-to-be grads are each getting a $10,000 scholarship from Travis’ previously-established Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund … and the recipients finished their final semester with at least a 3.5 GPA. Among the scholars … Florida A&M University pharmacy major Nisha Encarnacion, who is from the U.S. Virgin Islands and paid her own way through college while supporting her mother and daughter, Fisk University computer science major Chisom Okwor, whose goal is to help transform developing countries in Africa, and North Carolina Central University broadcast journalism major Jordan Massey, who took on a ton of debt to get his communications degree. This is Scott’s second year offering the award, which will be distributed to students at 38 different schools. The white supremacist who fatally shot 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York wrote a 180-page manifesto about “replacement theory” … which is a narrative being pushed by racists that white people are being outnumbered by people of color. The gunman, identified as Payton Gendron, 18, maintained a digital journal and said his exposure to the online message board 4Chan allowed him to interact with racist extremists which kept him motivated to stick to his deadly plans. “My current beliefs started when I first started to use 4chan a few months after covid started,” Gendron wrote in the diary, as reported by New York Post. The publication obtained a copy of Gendron’s manifesto from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation. An employee at Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York was working on May 14 when a white supremacist gunman opened fire and killed 10 Black shoppers. The employee identified only as Latisha has spent the last 13 years working at Tops as an assistant manager. She called 911 as the suspect, 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron, began shooting. Latisha said she hid out of sight while whispering to the dispatcher as she feared the shooter would hear her, as reported by MadameNoire. “When I whispered on the phone to 911, the dispatcher would start yelling at me saying ‘Why are you whispering? You don’t have to whisper.’ and I’m trying to tell her ma’am he’s in the store, he’s shooting, it’s an active shooter, I’m scared for my life,” told Black Information Network. “She said something crazy to me, and she hung up in my face. I had to call my boyfriend to tell him to call 911.” This is the second massacre that Latisha has witnessed. Her brother was killed during City Grill shooting in 2010. https://youtu.be/qxnEJBn-AIo Patrisse Cullors, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, paid her brother and baby daddy over a million combined, and both were BLM’s highest-paid employees, according to a new tax filing. Cullors’ reportedly paid her son’s father, Damon Turner $970,000 for “creative services” for Black Lives Matter. She also paid her brother, Paul Cullors, over $840,000 for security services. As reported by SandraRose.com, a consulting firm run by former Black Lives Matter board member Shalomyah Bowers received over $2.1 million for consultation services. Bowers says he was paid after he was no longer a board member. The new tax filing was shared with the Associated Press and it shows that BLM reportedly took in $90 million in donations for social justice causes in 2020 The organization invested $32 million in the stock market. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdoNL-LJ_RK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Los Angeles mayoral race has been rapidly narrowing into a heated contest between Rep. Karen Bass and shopping mall developer Rick Caruso, and that dynamic intensified on Tuesday as city attorney Mike Feuer said he was dropping out of the race and backing Bass. Many voters have already received vote-by-mail ballots for the June 7 primary as they weigh who should replace outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as his ambassador to India. Caruso, a one-time Republican turned Democrat, has flooded the airwaves with ads and blanketed the city with mailers since he entered the race earlier this year — upending a race where Bass had once been seen as the clear front-runner. The ratings for the 2022 Billboard Music Awards were less than stellar and host Sean “Diddy” Combs has been dubbed the worst host ever. As reported by Deadline, “the 2022 Billboard Music Awards delivered an average 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.11 million viewers across its three-hour broadcast on NBC, slipping even lower from the previous year’s fast affiliates (0.7, 2.8M),” the outlet writes. Meanwhile, following Sunday’s awards ceremony at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Diddy is catching heat for plugging his own products and music during the show. Usher made a surprise visit to a volunteer training workshop hosted by Usher’s New Look (UNL), the youth development foundation he launched 23 years ago to provide access, training, mentorship, and support of Black youth. Since then, UNL has evolved into one of the nation’s leading charitable organizations, having helped transform the lives of 50,000 young people around the world through its comprehensive financial literacy and education programs as well as mental health, wellness, and professional development initiatives. For the first time in 10 years, Atlanta vocalists Anthony David and Algebra Blessett come together on record for a spine-tingling, emotional version of the huge BeBe & CeCe Winans Eighties hit “Heaven.” Back in 2011 the two singers combined on “4 Evermore,” the biggest song that either of them have enjoyed in their careers – and also now a very popular wedding song in the US – which went Top 20 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart and reached #2 on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. My new single was an inspiration; all my songs are inspired. It’s all about family,” said Smooth Jazz singer Kathy Sanborn about her “I’ll Do Anything” single recently released around Mother’s Day. “It’s really a story about a mother and child, children and grandparents. Children are gifts and we have to treat them well.” https://youtu.be/94Q6sYPyUZc Rapper Lil Keed complained to his friends and family that was having serious stomach pain in the days before his death.? His pains got so bad that he went to the hospital.? Sources close to the rapper said the 24-year-old YSL label rapper had his battles with alcohol and drugs but had been clean and sober for some time.? ?He began experiencing severe stomach pain before going to an L.A. hospital to get checked out, TMZ reported.? From there, sources say things got worse, and Keed’s organs, both his liver and kidneys started failing which lead to his death. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdrGmbQthPf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson says she is “healing” after breaking up with a female hurdler from Jamaica. Richardson, 22, has revealed on social media that she was in a relationship with the abusive unnamed athlete, whose family didn’t approve of their same-sex union. “I was in a relationship with a Jamaican athlete that never cared about me from jump,” she wrote in a post on social media. “I was abused and stole from yet protected her from the judgment of her country & family while they dragged me. I had to deal with homophobic [sic] and so much more that I’m still healing from,” Richardson added. “She said it just spoke to her, the fact that it was just so loud and vibrant,” Richardson said of her hair color in an interview with USA Today. “She felt like [orange] was loud and encouraging and, honestly, dangerous… That’s who I am. She just wanted me to be able to make a statement — let’s continue to show the world I’m a force to be reckoned with.” A New York City model is taking legal action after she was wrongly committed to a psychiatric ward, stripped naked, and drugged. Abeba Davis, 39, says she visited the emergency room at Queens the Hospital Center in January 2021 to obtain medication for her treatment following a sexual assault. When she reported the attack to the NYPD and filed charges, the department assigned her to the social worker. As reported by Daily Mail, after speaking with the social worker at the hospital, Davis was escorted by staffers to the facility’s psych ward, made to take her clothes off, given unknown pills, and ultimately committed for at least 10 hours. “I’m begging. ”Please, I’m not crazy.” And they’re like, ”Yeah, yeah,” because the person next to me is also saying they’re not crazy,” Davis told the New York Daily News. Have you noticed that time seems to speed up as you get older? Scientists have several theories about why this is, with Psychology Today, noting that “children’s brains “beat” faster than adult brains, thus allowing them to have more conscious experiences in a given unit of objective time. This, in turn, leads to the subjective passage of time moving more slowly for children than it does for adults,” the outlet writes. PerMSN, “in his memoir, “Summer of a Dormouse,” written at the age of 75, the author John Mortimer noted: “In childhood, the afternoons spread out for years. For the old, the years flicker past like the briefest of afternoons. The playwright Christopher Fry, now ninety-three, told me that after the age of eighty you seem to be having breakfast every five minutes.” https://youtu.be/7P3Ous2IjiQ One of the oldest Catholic dioceses in the United States announced a settlement agreement Tuesday to resolve a bankruptcy case in New Mexico that resulted from a clergy sex abuse scandal. The tentative deal totals $121.5 million and would involve about 375 claimants. The proposed settlement comes as the Catholic Church continues to wrestles with a sex abuse and cover-up scandal that has spanned the globe. Some of the allegations in New Mexico date back decades. The chairman of a creditors committee that negotiated the agreement on behalf of the surviving victims and others said it would hold the Archdiocese of Santa Fe accountable for the abuse and result in one of the largest diocese contributions to a bankruptcy settlement in U.S. history. Philadelphia’s School District encouraged its staff to attend the largest free transgender wellness conference in the world, where extremely explicit content was shared in the name of breaking down barriers. The annual event was held online, organized by the Mazzoni Center, which under the leadership of Sultan Shakir works to improve health and wellbeing among the LGBTQ community in Philadelphia. The School District, led by Superintendent William Hite, emailed teachers and school staff on their mailing list in July 2021 to invite them to attend, describing it as an opportunity to ‘learn more about the issues facing the trans community.’ Over the course of three days, virtual sessions were held on topics including gender realignment surgery, ‘prosthetics for sex’, adult toys, and consent. Christopher Rufo, a journalist specializing in school districts, wrote in his story for City Journal that attendees included adolescents. Earnest McEwen Jr.’s story is one of pain and triumph. Institutional repentance and ultimate redemption. A historical aberration and life-changing experience that should resonate with each of us. After all, his is the story of an American dream – one initially stolen from a young Black man. It would only be rectified posthumously. Yet it is one that must give us hope in perseverance. In family. In accomplishment. In fight. And in healing. McEwen received an honorary doctorate on Saturday from Alcorn State University – a degree he didn’t earn academically but one he richly deserved. It took 65 long years for him to be recognized by the university that once shunned him. Five students at Coosa High School in Rome, Georgia, along with their mothers, filed a federal lawsuit against the Floyd County School district claiming continued racial discrimination at the school and continued violations of their first amendment and equal protection rights. “The Plaintiffs, who are African-American, challenge Coosa High’s deliberate indifference to acts of racial animosity toward Black students perpetrated by White students and teachers; as well as the school’s viewpoint discrimination in its dress code and the inconsistent administration of disciplinary policies to the detriment of Black students,” the lawsuit says. “This case is a reminder that we are still fighting in the South over just who and what we are as a region,” plaintiff attorney Artur Davis said in a statement to CNN. “Cases like this are necessary to show how far we still need to go in the South to be one community.” A 2018-2019 Georgia Schools report said the school district was 78% White and 7% Black. About 4% of students were identified as multiracial. CNN has reached out to the school district and board members named in the suit for comment. In a statement to the Rome-News Tribune, Superintendent Glenn White said, “Floyd County Schools looks forward to presenting the facts in court.” One Dillard graduate had a monumental weekend. Jada Sayles’ plans for commencement were put on hold when she went into labor the night before the Saturday morning ceremony. “I thought I was gonna walk across the stage to get my degree, instead I got my baby,” Sayles writes on Twitter. “My sweet face decided to make his way on my big day (now his).” https://youtu.be/30oHZ1SGYEo When Melissa Riley looks at her 13-year-old son, she sees a talented artist, a funny kid who likes playing pranks, and a gamer who spends a lot of time playing Fortnite with friends. She sees a young man who’s excited about playing football, and maybe taking some architecture and engineering courses when he starts high school next fall. But that’s not what the teachers and leaders of her son’s Virginia middle school see, she said. When they look at her son, she believes they see one thing first and foremost: a black kid. Growing up in the Charlottesville area, Riley said her son never really saw himself as different from the other kids in school. Sure, his skin tone was a little darker — his dad is black and Riley is white and Native American — but Riley never thought it was appropriate to box him in with stifling racial classifications. “He looks Hawaiian,” she said of her son. “He’s beautiful.” But she said her son’s views on race and his conception of his own complex identity have been tossed in a blender and mixed up ever since the Albemarle School District adopted an “anti-racism” policy, with an explicit goal of eliminating “all forms of racism” from the local schools. But that’s not what the teachers and leaders of her son’s Virginia middle school see, she said. When they look at her son, she believes they see one thing first and foremost: a black kid. The family and church community of 86-year-old missionary Ruth Whitfield, who was the oldest of 10 mostly black people executed during the racially-motivated massacre at Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo by an avowed white supremacist on Saturday, is grieving her as a strong woman of faith who was the glue of her close Christian family. “She was a member of this church for over 50 years. She did it all. From the choir to missionary work, a loving, gentle giant in the faith who we are proud of. [She] Lived a very great and gracious life. We will miss her,” Rev. Kevin Coakley, senior pastor of Durham Memorial A.M.E Zion Church, told The Christian Post on Tuesday. “We are saddened. We are hurt. We are just devastated, distraught, but we are powerful people who trust in God and we will pray for added strength to aid this family … and other families in buffalo who are suffering from this heinous act of crime and terrorism and act against humanity.” Bobby Brown is sharing things he never thought he would. The hit R&B singer sat down with PEOPLE ahead of his new A&E documentary Biography: Bobby Brown, premiering May 30, to discuss the biggest triumphs and tragedies of his life, including his battle with addiction, the loss of two of his children and a traumatic secret he’s kept hidden for over 40 years. Brown, 53, grew up in a rough section of Boston and says that his first great loss was that of his innocence. In the documentary, he recalls being a young child and witnessing his mother being beaten and arrested by police after trying to intervene in the arrest of some neighbors. In the aftermath, he says in the series, “I was sent to a temporary custody by social services which was supposed to be a religious place but it wasn’t a very nice place to be for a child. One of the priests tried to molest me. He tried to touch my private parts … At that time, I was a young boy. I didn’t know what sexual boundaries were. I just knew I didn’t like being touched. Some things are hard to forget.” “That really, really bothered me as a child, and as a grown adult,” Brown tells PEOPLE of being touched inappropriately before fighting back and fleeing the religious facility. In hindsight, he says, “I think it was part of the reason I did things, other things, drugs, alcohol, why I abused myself.” (Brown has now been free of narcotics for 20 years.) Pop star Katy Perry revealed she’s recently been living in Kentucky and the experience has been “amazing.” Perry, 37, appeared on the May 12 episode of comedian Chelsea Handler’s podcast, “Dear Chelsea,” and spoke about the importance of remembering “Hollywood is not America” — something she has been reminded of in recent weeks while living in the “Bluegrass State.” “I’m like, living in Kentucky, and I have for almost a month now. And that’s quite an amazing experience,” Perry said. “Because it reminds you that Hollywood is not America.” By getting beyond her entertainment bubble, Perry said it was helpful, as a celebrity, to see life outside the box. “You need to remember that, because I think you can understand people better,” she said. “Yeah, I mean they’re living in a bubble of sorts. We’re living in a bubble. Our bubbles are completely opposite. … It’s interesting.” Perry’s fiancé, actor Orlando Bloom, is currently filming a movie in Kentucky called “Red Right Hand” alongside Andie MacDowell, which is likely why the singer is with him in the state. Forest Whitaker was the proud recipient of one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry on Tuesday night – the honorary Palme d’Or. The Academy Award-winning actor received the accolade from French journalist Pierre Lescure during the opening ceremony for the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival, held at Palais des Festivals. Forest, 60, was decked out in a navy suit for his big night, complete with a crisp white shirt and navy tie. The Palme d’Or is the highest prize awarded at the two-week annual event and was introduced in 1955 by the festival’s organizing committee. The award replaced the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film as the highest prize, which was in place from 1939 to 1954. Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford are joining the “Yellowstone” universe in the upcoming series “1932” for Paramount+. “1932,” which is the show’s working title, is an origin story introducing a new generation of the Dutton family. It’s set to explore the early 20th century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain West and the Duttons who call it home,” the streamer said in a release. Netflix (NFLX.O) on Tuesday said it has laid off about 150 people, mostly in the United States, as the streaming service company faces slowing growth. The layoffs represent approximately 2% of the company’s workforce in the United States and Canada. “These changes are primarily driven by business needs rather than individual performance, which makes them especially tough as none of us want to say goodbye to such great colleagues,” the company said in a statement. “We’re working hard to support them through this very difficult transition.” The job cuts come as Netflix reported its first loss of subscribers in more than a decade and forecast deeper losses in the coming quarter. It said the war in Ukraine and fierce competition contributed to the loss of customers. As a result of its declining growth, Netflix said it would introduce a cheaper, ad-supported tier and look more closely at its spending. “We’re trying to be smart about it and prudent in terms of pulling back on some of that spend growth to reflect the realities of the revenue growth of the business,” Netflix Chief Financial Officer Spencer Neumann told investors during the company’s most recent earnings call. The former Minneapolis Police officer who held down George Floyd‘s legs during his fatal restraint pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter Wednesday as part of a plea deal, attorneys said. Thomas Lane, 39, was one of three former officers to face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder related to Floyd’s death in May 2020. https://youtu.be/QcGaHXooazE Here is an exclusive clip for the new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” airing Thursday, May 19, at 9pm on WE tv. https://youtu.be/qQgYAPabtBI A coalition of Los Angeles civil rights and gang intervention activists will hold a vigil and press conference for the homeless man who was shot last night outside McDonald’s and call for the public’s help in capturing the 2 women suspects who allegedly shot him. “The shooting of a homeless and disabled man in a wheelchair is a cowardly and cruel act. These individuals are the most vulnerable in our society and should be protected not shot at. It’s critical we have the public’s help in bringing these individuals to justice,” stated Najee Ali Director of Project Islamic Hope. https://youtu.be/WTx6QLGbWPM Sales of electric cars in the U.S. are said to be on the rise. After a decade of slow but steady sales growth, electric vehicle registrations in the U.S. shot up 60 percent in the first quarter of 2022 even as overall new car registrations dropped 18 percent. It’s the latest indication that domestic EV acceptance may have turned some important but invisible corner recently. The sharp increase in electric-vehicle registrations at the start of this year meant that the EV share of the overall market hit a historic 4.6 percent. One big reason we’re seeing more EVs in people’s driveways is the explosion in exciting new models, from the Ford F-150 Lightning to the Kia EV6 to the Hyundai Ioniq 5. https://youtu.be/0flRWnQIQmA While out there on the promotion trail for the A&E special shows, “Biography: Bobby Brown” and “Bobby Brown: Every Little Step I Take,” Alicia Brown, the wife of R&B singer Bobby Brown, recently shared an interesting story about his and Whitney Houston’s wedding day. According to the celebrity manager, the “My Prerogative” singer Bobby Brown experienced wedding jitters his first time marrying. The former New Edition member famously wedded international singing icon Whitney Houston back in 1992. The celebrity couple were married 14 years before their infamous relationship ended in 2007. Atlanta Black Star reports, that during a press tour for his upcoming docuseries “Biography: Bobby Brown,” Bobby’s current wife Alicia Brown shared details of his rocky nuptials day to Whitney. President Joe Biden on Tuesday did not hesitate to call the deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, an act of domestic terrorism, condemning the racist ideology of the suspected shooter. “White supremacy is a poison. It’s a poison … running through our body politic,” Biden said, adding that silence is “complicity.” “And it’s been allowed to grow and fester right before our eyes,” he continued. “No more, no more. We need to say as clearly and as forcefully as we can that the ideology of White supremacy has no place in America. None.” https://youtu.be/a7QVhbsagWc President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the memorial site for a mass shooting in which 10 people were killed in an act of violent racism, a devastating reminder to the President of challenges he ran to address. https://youtu.be/qH88fVJNgZ4 Katherine Massey, a Buffalo native, spent her life fighting for her community and rebuilding the area surrounding Cherry Street, where she and her relatives lived. A mural was added to the neighborhood, and front yards are decorated with giant trees because of her. In her spare time, she went around picking up trash and donating supplies to schools. After she retired five years ago from Blue Cross Blue Shield, she became the Cherry Street block club president, a title she took seriously. “She did a lot, never stopped. She had a task a day,” niece Dawn Massey, 30, said. “She was so prevalent in the community. She was so adamant about her community, where her family resides.” Former Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant told The Buffalo News that Katherine Massey was a “powerful, powerful voice.” The black community is grieving, and they are scared after 10 people – now named by officials – were gunned down in a racially-motivated attack in a New York supermarket. The victims, aged between 32 and 86, were shot dead by the suspected gunman on Saturday afternoon. Three others were injured. Among those killed were a former police officer, a woman who helped feed the poor and a man who drove shoppers to and from the market. Eleven out of the 13 people killed or injured at Tops Friendly Market were black, and Buffalo’s police chief has described the attack as a “racist hate crime”. The neighborhood where the attack was carried out is predominantly black. Lakisha Chambers lives a few blocks away from the Tops grocery store – one of the few markets available to residents in the area – and walked over to the scene for the first time since the shooting on Monday. Three juveniles who escaped from the Ware Youth Center in Coushatta, Louisiana with help from a guard have all been arrested in Houston, Texas. The group escaped before 3 a.m. on Saturday, state police said, CBS News reported. According to KTBS 3, Tyjuan Lafitte, 17; Na’varaya Lane, 17; Jeremiah Durham, 15; and security guard Victoria Tune, 21, were reportedly apprehended at a motel room in Houston, Texas by the Houston Police Department’s Midwest Crime Suppression Team. The Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the three juveniles were driven out of the facility by Tune. They were detained without incident a day after the daring escape. https://youtu.be/LhSjOVa492E Former First Lady Michelle Obama sparked debate on an Instagram post after she ‘used the term womxn’ when voicing her support for a women's right to choose. Obama took to Instagram on Saturday to encourage voters to take part in the midterm primary elections, especially in states where a potential Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade overturn would likely lead to abortion bans. ‘State lawmakers will have the power to strip womxn of the right to make decisions about their bodies and their healthcare,’ one of the slides Obama shared read. The term ‘womxn’ is intended to be inclusive of transgender and non-binary people who identify as women, but critics say using the phrase erases the experience of cisgender women. Obama used the traditional spelling in the caption of the post: ‘It’s been a tough couple of weeks since we saw the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion on abortion.’ A federal district court Monday temporarily blocked the enforcement of two Biden administration mandates forcing both nonprofit and for-profit religious employers and health care providers to pay for and perform transgender medical procedures and counseling even if these measures violate the employers’ or providers’ religious beliefs. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor of the U.S. District Court of North Dakota ruled that the Christian Employers Alliance “has shown a likelihood of success on the merits” in its case. “No government agency ought to be in the business of evaluating the sincerity of another’s religious beliefs,” Traynor wrote. “HHS Guidance encourages a parent to file a complaint if a medical provider refuses to gender transition their child, of any age, including an infant,” the judge noted. “The thought that a newborn child could be surgically altered to change gender is the result of the Biden HHS Notification and HHS Guidance that brands a medical professional’s refusal to do so as discrimination. Indeed, the HHS Guidance specifically invites the public to file complaints for acting in a manner the Alliance says is consistent with their sincerely held religious beliefs.” The man authorities say opened fire in a Buffalo grocery store Saturday (May 14), killing 10 mostly Black shoppers, was an avowed white supremacist. But his agenda went far beyond Blacks. In the 180-page manifesto posted online two days before he carried out his attack, the 18-year-old gunman wrote that he chose the Tops Friendly Market on Buffalo’s east side because it is in an area with many Black residents. Eleven of the 13 people shot there were Black, law enforcement officials said. Blacks, wrote Payton Gendron, come from a culture that sought to “ethnically replace my own people.” But at the root of this xenophobic plan, known as replacement theory, are Jews to whom the alleged shooter devotes as much vitriol. Traditionally, Jews are depicted as stealth invaders who manipulate Western elites to disempower and replace white Americans. Both Blacks and Jews are bound together in white supremacy, watchers of the movement say. Fort Hood late Sunday announced PVT Brendan Lush, who had been missing since Monday, May 9, had been located and was being returned to his Army unit with the assistance of law enforcement. “As he returns to the care of his leadership this evening, he will no longer be considered AWOL. We are exceedingly thankful for the community’s support and will issue another statement shortly,” officials on post said in a Facebook post. Several social media groups had been raising awareness about the soldier’s disappearance for days before the Army post acknowledged the disappearance Sunday evening. The soldier’s leadership team reportedly remained in “consistent communications with his mother” throughout the search, the post said. A 17-year-old boy was killed early Friday while he was attending a party after his junior prom in East Baltimore, his family said. His aunt, Jessica Hair, identified him as Jasmine “Jay” Brunson Jr. “I want my son back,” his mother, Tiffany Hair, told FOX45’s Keith Daniels. “He was a great kid … stayed in the boxing ring, wanted to be a pro to take care of me and his sister.” Baltimore police said Brunson was killed sometime before 3:30 a.m. inside a home in the 1700 block of East Lafayette Avenue in the city’s Broadway East section. He was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries. Brunson was a student at a Carver Vocational-Technical High School in West Baltimore, his English teacher Christian Miller said. After years of declining enrollments, budget deficits, and deep faculty and staff cuts, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has decided to sell its 102-acre main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts. The historic evangelical seminary plans to relocate to Boston, where many of its students live already, while continuing to operate satellite campuses in Florida and North Carolina and offering online degree programs. President Scott Sunquist told CT that if the bold move is successful, the seminary will be “on better financial ground than it has been in 30 years.” The Hamilton campus—a hilltop property just outside the metro area that was previously owned by Carmelite Catholic monks—has an assessed tax value of about $54 million. Gordon-Conwell is set to begin discussions about amending its zoning with the Hamilton city council on Tuesday. If the town agrees to put the property into a commercial overlay district, the value could significantly increase. Maggie Peterson, an actress who made a lasting impression as the sweet-natured, occasionally flirtatious mountain girl Charlene Darling on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s, died May 15 in Colorado, her family has announced. “It is with great sorrow that we report that our dear Aunt Maggie died yesterday afternoon,” the family posted on Facebook today. “She passed peacefully in her sleep with her family present.” Although she appeared on only five episodes of the classic rural sitcom in the Charlene role, Peterson was among the show’s most familiar and memorable recurring cast members, often joining her onscreen family The Darlings (played by real-life bluegrass group The Dillards, along with actor Denver Pyle as patriarch Briscoe Darling) in singalongs. Peterson developed a catchphrase with her repeated entreaties about the sentimental impact of outrageously titled song suggestions, as in the following exchange with Pyle’s character: Briscoe: “How ’bout ‘Don’t Hit Your Grandma with a Great Big Stick’?” Charlene: “No, Paw! That one makes me cry!” Other songs that made Charlene cry: “Slimy River Bottom,” “Boil that Cabbage Down” and “Keep Your Money in Your Shoes and It Won’t Get Wet.” Zara Phythian, the martial arts stuntperson and actress who appeared in 2016’s Doctor Strange, has been sentenced to eight years of prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl. According to the Nottingham Post, BBC News and U.K.’s The Times, the 37-year-old was sentenced in the U.K.’s Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, while her husband Victor Marke was sentenced to 14 years in prison, as Judge Mark Watson said Marke, 59, was a “driving force behind the abuse.” “Whilst you denied in cross-examination that you were besotted with Victor Marke, on the evidence I have heard I am in no doubt that your deviance was shaped by the influence that he had upon you from an early age,” Watson told Phythian, per BBC News. Phythian was convicted on Wednesday of 14 charges of sexual activity with a child between 2005 and 2008, starting when the girl was 13 years old. In addition to the same 14 counts, Marke was found guilty of an additional four counts of indecent assault against another girl from 2002 to 2003, when she was 15. According to the BBC, a police interview with the first victim was played last month at Nottingham Crown Court, in which she said, “I knew it was wrong, but I just didn’t know how to get out of the situation or say anything.” The Grammy-nominated Wynonna Judd — one half of “The Judds” duo of the 1980s — praised the “Pentecostal” God on primetime television Sunday night. Wynonna Judd, 57, alluded to her Christian faith during CMT’s “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration,” a star-studded event held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville honoring her mother, Naomi, who died by suicide April 30 at 76 years old. https://youtu.be/OnOie_rNvpk Skillet frontman John Cooper recently met up with CBN’s Studio 5 while on tour to promote the group’s latest single “Surviving The Game.” He shared about a time when he was told to “disassociate from Christianity” if he wanted to become truly successful in his career. He chose to stay the course for Christ. During a recent interview with Focus on the Family, Cooper revealed that a decade ago, a businessman tried to explain how much potential Cooper had, but the caveat was that he should stop focusing on Jesus. “After a gig, we were on tour with some mainstream acts … very popular acts. We were opening,” Cooper told Focus on the Family. “And we were just beginning to kind of hit a little bit. This guy, in his defense, was being very nice. I mean, he singled me out and he pulled me aside and said, ‘John, I wanna tell you this ’cause no one else was gonna tell you. You guys, I believe, could be the biggest band in the world. I think you could be the next biggest band in the world. You guys have the look. You’ve got the sound. You’ve got girls in your band.'” Then the gentleman warned Cooper about his Christian faith, which the man contended was holding him back from real fame. Russian members of the International Olympic Committee can take part in this week’s IOC session despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the Olympic body saying on Monday they are not representatives of their country. Russia currently has two members on the IOC with former pole vault Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva and Shamil Tarpishchev. Longtime former member Vitaly Smirnov is an honorary IOC member. “Under the Olympic Charter, the IOC members are not representatives of their country within the IOC,” an IOC spokesperson said in response to questions by Reuters on the eligibility of Russian IOC members at the session. “They are on the contrary elected as individuals by the IOC and then delegated as ambassadors of the IOC to the sports organizations in their country.” The spokesperson said Isinbayeva, who sits on the IOC’s athletes’ commission among others, did not participate in the latest commission calls, without providing further details. The IOC is holding its executive board and session from Wednesday to Friday with members either attending in person in Lausanne, Switzerland, or joining online. Jamie Foxx took to social media to pay tribute to the victims in the racially-motivated shooting at a Buffalo, N.Y. supermarket that killed 10 people Saturday. In the caption of his post on Instagram, Foxx expressed outrage for the tragedy in a predominantly Black neighborhood carried out by white supremacist Payton S. Gendron, 18, of Conklin, N.Y. “So many emotions are running through me right now…,” Foxx wrote alongside photos of three of the victims. “sadness… Hurtful… and angry AF!!! Cannot understand why the color of our skin makes people so angry… “He continued, “Who knew they just being born black would be such a torturous journey… our condolences go out to the victims in Buffalo… And I just wonder how many more times you gonna have to say this ??????” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdn3zITDSiG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Days after dropping his first album in five years, Kendrick Lamar celebrated by playing street soccer with the locals in Ghana. TMZ writes, “Kendrick’s been hanging out in the West African nation since dropping his latest hit album, “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” last week … and new video shows him playing a little soccer in a street setting.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CdlIpRDouK0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Miami Heat star and two-time NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo sat down for a wide-ranging interview on the latest episode of “The Pivot Podcast” just days before the Heat step back onto the court for game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics Tuesday night. In talking with the show’s co-hosts and former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, Oladipo went into great detail describing his years-long journey recovering from various serious injuries and how he’s been able to mentally handle that burden. https://youtu.be/YtFaCPEFuvI Does anyone know HOW to protect Black women in this current social climate?” That’s the question you may find yourself haunted by after watching the latest interview between Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Hollywood Unlocked CEO Jason Lee. During the exclusive sit-down Cullors, who has been the target of increasing scrutiny over the last couple of years, seems at ease while sitting on the couch with Lee and wastes no time explaining why she specifically chose to speak to him above anyone else. “I love how you talk to Black people,” she began, going on to explain that as a queer woman, she felt it would be powerful to sit with someone who also understood the intersections of being both Black and gay. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdoNL-LJ_RK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Shaunie O’Neal and “Basketball Wives” are back! After a year’s hiatus, the show returns for its 10th season! “Basketball Wives” first aired introducing us to Evelyn Lozada and Jennifer Williams and reintroducing Tami Roman. Over the years we have seen wives and girlfriends come and go. There are a few OG’s returning this season like Jackie Christie, Malaysia Pargo, and Jennifer Williams. And Brandy Maxiell, DJ Duffy, Angle Brinks, British Williams, and Broke Bailey are making a comeback. It has been years since these ladies have been a part of the show. ASAP Rocky stopped by the Drink Champs podcast and opened up about his relationship with Rihanna. During the conversation, Rocky praised co-host N.O.R.E. on his decade-long marriage to Neri Santiago. “I could see the realness between both of y’all and sh*t like that and I could really tell, like, y’all been through some sh*t together, y’all been through a journey and it’s real. It’s not fabricated, it’s actually real,” Rocky said. “And that’s what I aspire to keep, just genuine real sh*t, just f**k what the outside world got going on, f**k what the outside world think and sh*t like that. It’s really about an understanding between two components, you and your significant other.” Rocky did not speak on his April 20 arrest but he did respond to comparisons between him and Travis Scott. https://youtu.be/gwZfCvr_GK8 In March 2021, famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to promote his book, “Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going.” Tyson kicked off the conversation by discussing how the universe will end — and essentially said the sun will eventually expand and burn up the planet. “The Big Rip,” as Tyson called it, will end the universe as we know it, he claimed. “The Big Rip,” Tyson explained, will “outstrip all gravitational forces currently holding things together.” https://youtu.be/DZy-gYGgV2Q The livestream service Twitch has deleted the video posted by the 18-year-old white supremacist who fatally shot 10 Black people and wounded three others Saturday at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the company removed the killer’s livestream less than two minutes after the shooting began at the Tops Friendly Market. “We are devastated to hear about the shooting that took place this afternoon in Buffalo, New York,” read a statement from Twitch. “Our hearts go out to the community impacted by this tragedy. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against violence of any kind and works swiftly to respond to all incidents. The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content.” https://youtu.be/nyeAWS78c_4 Rapper Trina was given the key to the City of Miami for the first annual “Trina Day.” During the block party held Sunday in her neighborhood of Liberty City, Trina also received a plaque in memory of her late mother. “Miami product, Liberty City product,” Mayor Francis Suarez told the crowd, Complex reports. The mayor was on site to present Trina with the key to the city. “There are not enough words in the vocabulary to express our deep appreciation for everything you’ve done for this community. Never forgetting about this community. The one that loves you, that will always love you and will always take care of you as you’ve always taken care of us. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdn30PZlWbz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Pinkston High School in Dallas, Texas has a new iconic name from a native daughter to rename its fine arts department after: The Regina Taylor Fine Arts Wing. On Saturday, April 30, 2022, the brand-new L.G. Pinkston High School honored multiple Emmy-nominated actress Regina Taylor and Dallas ISD graduate with a building dedication and ribbon cutting. The naming celebration included remarks and appearances by District 5 Trustee Maxie Johnson, The Honorable Omar Navarez, the Pinkston family, alumni and other distinguished guests. Performances were by The Pinkston Varsity Dance Ensemble and Varsity Band. Taylor, who currently stars in Showtime’s “The First Lady,” returned to her alma mater to commemorate the occasion. Following the illustrious ceremony, Ms. Taylor toured the new building and enjoyed a reception in her honor. Boost Mobile is giving its customers a way to lower their bills: play a game or watch some ads. If you could lower your phone bill by just playing games or watching some ads would you do it? Now Boost Mobile customers have that very chance. The phone company has introduced “BoostCoins,” a “blockchain-backed” form of payment that can be earned through ad watching or playing games. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdqU5mSDY9v/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Johanna Mazibuko of Johannesburg is the world’s oldest person who reportedly turned 128 last week. Born on 11 May 1894 in the farming community of Ottosdal in the North West, Johanna was the eldest of 12 children. During her time alive, she has witnessed both apartheid and democracy, British colonialism, and the country’s independence as well as two world wars. The Klerksdorp resident revealed to News24 that she married an older man named Stawana Mazibuko, although she cannot reveal at what age or during which year. The couple had seven children, two of whom are still alive. After the death of her husband, she moved to Jouberton with her son, Tseko, just as apartheid was beginning. Johanna has a total of 50 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. https://youtu.be/FDA5Oqkgm_s ”Top Gun: Maverick,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun” has finally arrived after more than 30 years. The anticipation for this movie has grown since the movie got its release date of May 27, 2022; just in time for your Memorial Day plans. After over thirty years of service, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is asked to train a new group of Top Gun recruits for a very specific and specialized mission, and his unique set of experiences makes him the only qualified person to accomplish this goal. Spearheaded by orders from his former rival, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Maverick is thrust into a situation that he may or may not be able to actually come back from. First reactions to early screenings say the movie is phenomenal, a blockbuster and a worthy sequel to the original film. It will thrill fans of the original movie and will entice a whole new generation of Top Gun fans to want to learn to fly, join the Navy, and all become fighter pilots. Jenesse Center announced its “Heroes” campaign launching this month to spotlight and honor individuals and organizations who have made a significant impact in Jenesse’s success for 42 years in the city of Los Angeles. The individuals presented as “Heroes” are recognized for their contributions to Jenesse Center through volunteerism, donations, advice, guidance and support, which made it possible for Jenesse to successfully achieve more than 40 years of service to the LA community. Every Friday in May 2022, Jenesse will spotlight four (4) “heroes” who have made a significant impact in the organization’s sustainability and success. The Heroes book will be presented in volumes. Volume 1 launches this Friday, May 6, 2022 on Jenesse social media platforms. To view the flipbook: Click here Please share! https://youtu.be/02Vv3r97eMg With so many social issues that negatively affect the Black community it can be hard to agree on the best strategy to address them. Some people subscribe to a non-confrontational, subtle strategy. But that’s NOT the New Black Panther Party‘s way of getting things done. For them, it’s about speaking up and speaking out! https://youtu.be/TriKHY8iUTk Tyscot Records – America’s oldest, operating gospel music label – has earned nine nominations for its various artists in the upcoming 37th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards – the biggest night of the year for the gospel music industry. Louisville, Kentucky’s Jason Clayborn (best-known for writing songs such as Hezekiah Walker’s GRAMMY® Award nominated, Billboard No. 1 smash, “Better”) and The Atmosphere Changers earned four nominations for their debut album, God Made It Beautiful (JayClay Music / Tyscot). The project earned nods in the categories of Traditional Album of the Year, Praise & Worship Album of the Year, and Choir of the Year. Their “You’re All I Need” collaboration with Hezekiah Walker also earned them notice in the Music Video of the Year category. Crooner Jason Nelson broke out of his musical shell on his first album in three years “Close” (Jaelyn Song / Tyscot / FairTrade). Aside from playing bass on various tracks, Nelson also showcased more up-tempo songs with a variety of musical colors. His slick, uptown groove “Residue” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart this past November. It’s now in contention for statuettes in the categories of Urban Inspirational Song of the Year and Praise & Worship Song of the Year. Bri Babineaux ( who recently gave birth to a son named Eli with her husband, Keeslon) won two nominations in the categories of Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year and Contemporary Female Artist of the Year. The nods came because of her best-selling album “The Encounter Continues” (Bri Babineaux Music / Tyscot) that featured her first Billboard Gospel Airplay No. 1 hit, “He’s My Rock,” which has racked up over 3 million global streams. Finally, Deitrick Haddon teamed up with producer Zaytoven for “Sick World” (Black Own Black Entertainment / DH Visions / Tyscot) which revolved around the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trap music track is nominated in the Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year category. The winners of the 2022 Billboard Music Awards are being revealed Sunday. Heading into the show, which is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, The Weeknd led among finalists with nominations in 17 categories. The Awards kicked off without a hitch Sunday night, May 15 live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las, Vegas with Sean “Diddy” Combs hosting the 29th edition of the show. The Weeknd is the top contender for the 2022 Billboard Music Awards He’s a finalist in 17 categories. Meanwhile, Doja Cat is nominated for 14. https://youtu.be/SPbA4QtiiXI Doja Cat address swerving Jack Harlow.....https://youtu.be/s7WU1G_cphY Spotlighting a cross section of history's most influential Black artists, entertainers and icons, the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame (BMEWOF) Crown Jewel of Excellence Black Music Month Class of 2022 Induction and Juneteenth Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 18. Today, the Black American Music Association (BAMAssoc) and the Georgia Entertainment Caucus (GEC), collaboratively announced the ceremony and plans for the Black Music Month Class of 2022 Induction. BMEWOF Founders Catherine Brewton (GEC), Demmette Guidry (BAMAssoc), Erica Thomas (GEC), and Michael T Mauldin (BAMAssoc) are proud to unveil the names and categories of this year's Black Music Month Class of Inductees, which includes the legendary PRINCE as a Legacy Inductee. In honor of Prince's one of a kind greatness, his June 7th birthday and 25 years of Emancipation, the closing ceremonies will end with a spectacular fireworks display, featuring one of his more popular mainstream songs "Let's Go Crazy." A full list of all 16 legendary Inductees are as follows: Cathy Hughes (Foundational), Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (Foundational), Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff (Foundational), Robert Smith (Foundational), RUN DMC (Foundational), T.D. Jakes (Foundational), Charlie Wilson (Mainstream), Donnie McClurkin (Gospel), Tamela Mann (Gospel), The Clark Sisters (Gospel Group), NAS (Hip Hop), Angela Bassett (Actress), Steve Harvey (Mogul), Bob Marley (International), Patti LaBelle (Legacy), and Prince (Legacy). HezHouse Entertainment has received its first Stellar Award nominations. Chorale favorite Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling are nominated in the Traditional Choir of the Year and Choir of the Year categories for the 37th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. These are also the first Stellar nominations for Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling. Hezekiah Walker, founder of HezHouse Entertainment, says: “The Stellar Gospel Music Awards are very special to choirs, as most awards shows don’t even have choir categories anymore. I am ecstatic for Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling to be nominated this year, and grateful for the role that HezHouse Entertainment is able to have in keeping the choir tradition going strong in Gospel music.” The nominations were received for Kevin Lemons and Higher Calling’s HezHouse release Third Round. The lead single, “For Your Good,” peaked at #3 on the Billboard’s Gospel Digital Sales Chart and garnered over 100,000 streams. Third Round features 11 soul-stirring tracks, including the latest single, “I Owe You”. The history of Gospel music includes an incredible list of singers, groups, and songwriters who have laid the foundation and sculpted this music classification that all other music genres have incorporated elements of its style, rhythms, and lyrics. Quartet music remains the heartbeat of Gospel music. One of Quartet's most iconic living legends is Spencer Taylor, Jr. Spencer Taylor, Jr (born 1928) first sang in The Holy Wonders group. He joined the Highway Qualified Christians (QC's) group in 1956. Since the launch of The Highway QC's, the group has included iconic members Sam Cooke, Marvin and Charles Jones, Creadell Copeland, Curtis and Lee Richardson (founders), Lou Rawls, Johnnie Taylor, and Chris Flowers. Spencer Taylor, Jr is still with the QC's and is one of Gospel music's longest-living legends. An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back on May 16. This week's episode of FATAL ATTRACTION unpacks the mysterious death of a young husband and father. Watch the story unfold tonight at 9 p.m. ET/8C. When a man with a troubled past is found bleeding out on the floor, police race to find who would want him dead. They are faced with great difficulty determining fact from fiction. As the investigation unfolds, it reveals a trail of lies and infidelity. Was it a tragic accident, or was this a jealousy-fueled murder? Find out on the next heart wrenching episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bhwNvSFt38 Shaunie O’Neal will share details about her fiance during season 10 of the VH1 reality series “Basketball Wives,” which kicks off May 16. O’Neal will televise her upcoming nuptials to Pastor Keion Henderson for a limited series for VH1. According to The Jasmine Brand, some of O’Neal’s former and current castmates from the “Basketball Wives” will be in the bridal party. Last summer, O’Neal confirmed that she’s boo’d up with the Houston-based pastor. Keion and Shaunie were on a tropical baecation when he popped the question on November 11 (11/11), at 11:11pm. https://youtu.be/aPra3KyuUao Loaded with memorable lines, scenes and stars, it’s been 30 years since 1992’s “White Men Can’t Jump,” resulted in classic status and a place in the hearts of movie fans who still can’t get enough of the funny streetball stylings of lead characters Sidney Dean and Billy Hoyle. And while a good part of the film’s success came from Wesley Snipes, who played Sidney, Woody Harrelson, who played Billy and Rosie Perez, who left a memorable impression as Billy’s “Jeopardy!”– obsessed girlfriend Gloria Clemente, additional laughs were supplied from supporting players that many times stole the show. Among those players was the late Reynaldo Rey, a comic genius who made the most of his brief time onscreen as Tad, a convenience store worker who ends up calling the shots on a guy who tries to rob him. Rey’s scene is one of a few that stood out for “White Men Can’t Jump” by director and writer Ron Shelton. https://youtu.be/oO0ngAsQ2gs Atlanta restaurant owner Aisha “Pinky” Cole, CEO of The Slutty Vegan, is helping recent graduates of Clark Atlanta University launch their own businesses. During Saturday’s commencement ceremony, Cole surprised over 800 graduates of her alma mater by announcing she was gifting each 2022 graduate a limited liability company, or LLC, Black Enterprise reports. “I have partnered with Varo Bank to provide every single graduate in this audience with a new LLC and a path to entrepreneurship,” Cole said. “Every single graduate in this audience will leave this stadium as a business owner,” she proclaimed. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdizcFvAzcY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again From labor leader César Chávez’s decades of activism, to Roberto Clemente’s boundary-breaking career in Major League Baseball, to the “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz’s music with a message, the tales of notable Latinos who made history will be on display in a new Smithsonian exhibit. From labor leader César Chávez’s decades of activism, to Roberto Clemente’s boundary-breaking career in Major League Baseball, to the “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz’s music with a message, the tales of notable Latinos who made history will be on display in a new Smithsonian exhibit. The National Museum of the American Latino will debut its inaugural gallery in the National Museum of American History on June 18. The new American Latino museum likely won’t open in its own building for at least another 10 years, but the Smithsonian will roll out exhibits until the museum finds its permanent home. The initial exhibit, called “¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States,” aims to “illuminate US Latinos’ historical and cultural legacies,” the Smithsonian said in a statement. Inside the interactive gallery, which is named for the family of late Smithsonian donor David Molina, artifacts are organized by themes like “colonial legacies” and “immigration stories.” Atlanta based Power Choir David Walker and High Praise come with grateful hearts to offer praise to God with this infectious single. This song definitely speaks to the sentiments of most of us. Having endured and still navigating through this pandemic and everything that has come along with it, we have a reason to say, Thank You! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQqs5K_zqQM The story previously shared about a young white boy terrorizing a Black family has escalated! A Texas man, identified as Bryan Thomas Brunson — and the boy’s father, has been arrested after shooting at the family who tried to confront him over his son harassing them with a whip. Earlier this week, we shared a disturbing clip of a young white boy, 9, in Nashville, Texas walking up to a door with a whip in hand. The entire ordeal was captured on the family’s Ring doorbell camera. The clip showed the boy whacking and cracking the whip at the door and banging on it as if he were the police. It’s said that the young boy was coming to confront the family’s young Black daughter, 9. The mother, identified online as Carissa Nash, opened the door and yelled at the boy to get off of her porch and leave the property immediately before she called the cops to report the harassment. The boy then walked off the porch. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdlpKS_rs9w/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Last week, the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency, San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, and the Riverside County Workforce Development Board held a summit at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside to discuss persistent employment and labor challenges. The main challenge, they say, is achieving equity. “A vital component for the equitable economic and sustainable future of California will be determined on the vision and strategic investments in fast-growing regions like the Inland Empire,” said Angelo Farooq, Chair of the California Workforce Development Board. “We are proud of the multitude of High Road apprenticeship grants for employers/workers that our board has been making in the region and its continued impact to support quality jobs for the local economy, ” Farooq added. https://youtu.be/juAXERBRolM If you’ve ever wondered why there are 10 hot dogs in a pack but only 8 buns, well, guess what? It all comes down to the weight of the package. Per Reader’s Digest, “hot dogs are sold by the pound, and standard-sized hot dogs sold in stores weigh 1.6 ounces, so of course, ten is the perfect number for a package.” This trend reportedly started in 1940 and continues today. When it comes to buns, it’s not a weight issue but the baking process. https://youtu.be/9g3wDafZKU4 The former head of the Federal Reserve says the US is heading toward a period of high inflation and low economic growth as the head of Goldman Sachs and other global banks warn that a recession is coming. Ben Bernake, who led the Fed through the 2008 financial crisis, says ‘stagflation’ may be on the horizon. The term, coined in the 1960s, refers to low economic growth combined with high unemployment and high prices. The phenomenon was a notable feature of Jimmy Carter’s presidency in the 1970s, when the US experienced a ‘supply shock’ after oil-producing nations raised their prices. Economists use three variables to measure it: gross domestic product (the market value of all goods and services made in a country) unemployment and inflation (a decrease in the buying power of money.) Stagflation happens when the first is down and the last two are up. Meanwhile, the chairman of Goldman Sachs says the risk of the US falling into a recession is ‘very, very high.’ The congregants of an Orange County church are being hailed as heroes after they managed to hogtie a gunman who went on a shooting spree on Sunday afternoon in what authorities are describing as an act of ‘exceptional heroism and bravery.’ One person was killed and five others were shot at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, about 55 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Six people at the house of worship were struck by gunfire after the shooter, said to be an Asian male in his 60s, opened fire at around 1:25 p.m. That man is now in police custody. About 40 parishioners witnessed the violence – but those who were present also helped to prevent further bloodshed by overpowering the shooter and tying him up. The group reportedly confiscated his weapons and restrained him until police arrived on the scene. Police say those involved ‘showed exceptional heroism and bravery in detaining the suspect.’ A teenaged gunman who allegedly murdered 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket planned the attack for months before he drove for three hours to carry out the vile ambush that was believed to be motivated by his hated of black people. Federal agents interviewed the parents of Payton Gendron, the teenager accused of firing a barrage of 50 shots at the supermarket that killed 10 people, a law enforcement official said on Sunday. Gendron, 18, of Conklin, NY, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder following Saturday’s attack. He is being held without bail and faces life in prison. Gendron, who is due back in court on Thursday, is currently on suicide watch and is being held in a separate unit from other inmates, the sheriff of Erie County, John Garcia, said at the news conference Sunday. Gendron’s parents were cooperating with investigators, the official – who asked to remain anonymous – said. Police say a rambling text of a 180-page manifesto that Gendron posted before going on his rampage included a plan of the attack which detailed driving several counties away to carry out the shooting at the Tops Friendly Market. Gendron identified himself as a white supremacist in the document as he explained his fears white people are being replaced by other races, police said. ‘The shooter traveled hours from outside this community to perpetrate this crime on the people of Buffalo, a day when people were enjoying the sunshine, enjoying family, enjoying friends,’ Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said at a Saturday evening news conference. Justin Bieber shared a prayer and a message against racism on Sunday, after the Buffalo, NY leg of his world tour. The 28-year-old musician posted a minute-long video clip as he prayed in a huddle with his team on Saturday night, after a white gunman took the lives of ten Black people at a Buffalo grocery store. He also shared a snippet from his set in which he asked the audience to join him in a moment of silence to honor the lives lost. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/05/15/6616219620564290186/636x382_MP4_6616219620564290186.mp4 Tika Sumpter and Nicholas James are married. The Hollis, New York native, 41, and 38-year-old actor exchanged vows Saturday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at the Auberge Resorts Collection’s Chileno Bay Resort, according to Brides. ‘We’re excited to be together and continue the journey,’ Sumpter told the outlet of the nuptials. ‘We both walked down the aisle with clear eyes, knowing that the wedding wasn’t just for the party. It was really for us.’ She posted on Instagram Sunday: ‘I got to marry my best friend yesterday. My heart is so full. Friends and family are everything. All involved made a girls dream come true.’ Sumpter, who shares daughter Ella-Loren, five, with James, first met the actor when they worked together on the OWN show The Haves and the Have Nots. Comedian Chris Rock tore into Amber Heard after a witness at her defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp testified that she admitted to defecating in a bed she and Depp shared. During a set in London on Thursday evening, Rock, 57, joked that we should believe all women, except those who defecate in beds like Amber Heard, 36. ‘Believe all women, believe all women except Amber Heard,’ Rock joked. ‘What the f*** is she on? She s*** in his bed! She’s fine, but she’s not s***ting fine. She s**** in his bed!‘Once you s*** in someone’s bed, you just guilty of everything. What the f*** is going on there? Wow. And they had a relationship after that.’ Rock was riffing on the testimony of Depp’s chauffeur and security guard, Starling Jenkins III, who in court on April 28 said that Heard had left ‘a surprise’ in her and Depp’s bed after a fight in 2016. Legendary NFL quarterback Drew Brees will not return to NBC after just one season as a studio and game analyst, according to sources. The decision seemed mutual as Brees preferred doing games over the “Football Night in America” studio show, and NBC didn’t have many NFL games to offer him. NBC soured on Brees’ potential after originally believing he could develop into the heir apparent to Cris Collinsworth on “Sunday Night Football” games. On the air, Brees, 43, had an up and down rookie season that was highlighted by a poor performance in his biggest broadcast of the year, the Bengals-Raiders playoff game.While Brees is done with NBC, there is still a possibility he could end up in an NFL booth next year as Fox still has to fill its top game analyst positions for this year as Tom Brady won’t start until after he finishes playing. Finished scoring touchdowns, Frank Gore scored his first professional knockdown. Or, rather, knockout. Gore won his professional boxing debut Saturday by landing a right cross that knocked out Yaya Olorunsola, who fell to the canvas in the fourth round of the co-main event of Gamebred Boxing 1 in Mississippi. Gore shared a video of the final seconds of the fight plus his initial celebration to Twitter, with the caption “Today was a great day!!! Want to thank my team for all the hard work!!” and a praying hands emoji. Saturday also marked Gore’s 39th birthday, so he had another reason to bask in victory. Olorunsola, 29, is 0-2 in his career. Gore previously boxed (and lost a split-decision to) former NBA All-Star Deron Williams in an exhibition bout in December. After earning more than $62 million during a 16-year NFL career, he reportedly was paid $300,000 to fight Williams. A day after one of the deadliest racist massacres in recent US history, law enforcement officials in New York descended on the home of the accused gunman and probed disturbing hints into his behaviour, as Gov. Kathy Hochul promised action on hate speech that she said spreads “like a virus.” The sense of grief was also mixed with outrage. Local Black religious leaders pleaded with their white brethren in other parts of the state and country to do their part to counter racism and white supremacy. “Don’t tell me you’re a friend of our community and you don’t address this today at your pulpit,” said Bishop Darius Pridgen of the True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo, adding, “If you do not stand behind those holy desks and acknowledge that there are still people who hate Black people, you can go to hell with the shooter for all I care. Because at the end of the day, if you’re silent right now, you are not a friend of mine.” https://youtu.be/1qJzO8MpFFo President Joe Biden will travel to Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday to meet with the families of victims after a racially motivated mass shooting Saturday at a grocery store left 10 people dead, the White House announced Sunday. Biden told reporters earlier Sunday he had “not yet” spoken with victims’ families and was “trying to work out the schedule” to make a trip to the area. He also spoke by phone with Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday. Biden expressed condolences for the families during remarks Sunday at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service and said he was receiving regular briefings from his team. “We’re still gathering the facts, but already, the Justice Department has stated publicly that it’s investigating the matter as a hate crime, racially-motivated act of white supremacy and violent extremism. As they do, we must all work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of America. Our hearts are heavy once again, but our resolve must never waver,” the President said Sunday. The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans will submit its first report to the California legislature in June. The 13-chapter document will detail the committee’s findings so far and include recommendations related to them. Taskforce member Donald K. Tamaki said the “comprehensive report connects the dots between past racism and its current consequences.” He also inferred that the report presents a “landmark opportunity” to shape the national conversation around reparations. “I think the report will not only attract California publicity but will also be looked upon nationally,” Tamaki said before the task force approved the report. “With the report, we can go out to the people to develop an allyship and (generate) support for it.” R Kelly has reportedly befriended the accused Brooklyn subway shooter in jail. According to a new report from the New York Daily News, Kelly and Frank James have reportedly hit it off at Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park. The disgraced R&B singer is awaiting sentencing related to his sex trafficking and federal racketeering case in Brooklyn. James is currently awaiting trial for the April mass shooting on a subway. Jailhouse sources told the Daily News that the pair “sit[s] together and eat[s] together” and go “out to rec.” https://youtu.be/cS5acTDTAJQ According to TMZ, the GoFundMe going around that’s for Kevin Samuels’ funeral expenses is 100% fake! (And it’s raised $50,000!!) When the unexpected death of Kevin Samuels was confirmed, the GoFundMe page was created claiming to be for his funeral expenses. Many people on the internet called Kevin a hypocrite for not having life insurance to cover his funeral because he always preached about financial literacy. Even Pastor Jamal Bryant made a whole sermon around this fake GoFundMe account, that he has sense apologized for. After all the debates and back and forth, turns out the GoFundMe is fake! The ladies of Xscape and SWV are set to receive the reality show treatment when they reunite for a Bravo special that “promises to reignite their music careers.” According to the Deadline, the show is tentatively titled, “XSCAPE/SWV” and hails from Mona Scott-Young/Monami production. The report describes the series as follows:Following their epic Verzuz performance, the ladies of Xscape and SWV reunite once again to prepare for a show that promises to reignite their music careers. There is much at stake for these powerhouse women as they navigate different stages in their lives, both personally and professionally. From celebrating the power of collaboration and sisterhood to pushing to overcome obstacles, there is no shortage of wonder in watching two of the most iconic female R&B groups of the ’90s come together for this multi-part limited series. https://youtu.be/wfxU63pPCsA Insecure” actor Jay Ellis is speaking out about why his character Lawrence Walker on the hit HBO series was truly meaningful. “I’m most proud of the fact that in all honesty, people who look like me connect to the characters I play,” Ellis, 40, told PEOPLE at CultureCon Atlanta on May 7. “I’m most proud of the fact that people walk up to me, and they are pissed off at Lawrence.” “Insecure” ran for five seasons from October 9, 2016, to December 26, 2021, and garnered universal praise and several awards. Ellis credits Black viewers for making the series an instant cult classic. https://www.instagram.com/jayrellis/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=810f9b54-9bfa-4ee2-ba6f-d5df43d98be7 FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform, is expanding its programming with a brand new hour-long special, Crime & Hip Hop hosted by Lisa Evers, Fox5 New York’s crime and investigative reporter. The special is set to premiere on Tuesday, May 17 exclusively on FOX SOUL. 25 years after the biggest hip-hop murders in history, Tupac and Biggie, rap artists are still being gunned down in the streets of America. The special episode investigates three killings that sent shock waves through hip-hop between 2019 and 2021: Young Dolph lost his life in Memphis, Pop Smoke was gunned down in what cops called a home invasion robbery in Los Angeles, and Nipsey Hustle was shot to death, also in Los Angeles. Audiences will see the connection between crime and hip-hop artists, street culture, who these artists are as human beings and also learn why these awful murders continue to happen in today’s world. One person is dead and five others were wounded – four critically – after a gunman entered a Southern California church during a luncheon and opened fire, authorities said Sunday. https://pbs.twimg.com/semantic_core_img/1525955949931835392/FlevGcCU?format=jpg&name=900x900 A teenaged gunman who allegedly murdered 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket planned the attack for months before he drove for three hours to carry out the vile ambush that was believed to be motivated by his hated of black people. Federal agents interviewed the parents of Payton Gendron, the teenager accused of firing a barrage of 50 shots at the supermarket that killed 10 people, a law enforcement official said on Sunday. Gendron, 18, of Conklin, NY, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder following Saturday’s attack. He is being held without bail and faces life in prison. Gendron, who is due back in court on Thursday, is currently on suicide watch and is being held in a separate unit from other inmates, the sheriff of Erie County, John Garcia, said at the news conference Sunday. Gendron’s parents were cooperating with investigators, the official – who asked to remain anonymous – said. Police say a rambling text of a 180-page manifesto that Gendron posted before going on his rampage included a plan of the attack which detailed driving several counties away to carry out the shooting at the Tops Friendly Market. https://youtu.be/L5ErYD9CAVQ A woman who headed a food pantry and mother of the former Buffalo fire department head were among the ten killed in Saturday’s mass shooting allegedly committed by a white supremacist teenager who live-streamed his rampage. Pearly Young, 77, who for 25 years fed needy Buffalonians in the city’s Central Park neighborhood, was shot dead during the massacre, reporter Madison Carter tweeted. “She loved singing, dancing, & being with family,” Carter, a Buffalo native, added. “She was [a] mother, grandma, & missionary. Gone too soon.” “YOU DID NOT DESERVE THIS!!!!” mourned Jimmie Smith on Facebook with a broken heart emoji and a picture of Young. “You were so sweet and beautiful on the inside and out!” A retired police officer, the 86-year-old mother of a former fire commissioner and a longtime missionary were among the 10 people shot and killed in Saturday’s racially motivated attack at a Buffalo supermarket. A total of 13 people were shot, 11 of them Black. Authorities arrested Payton Gendron, 18, of Conklin, N.Y., in connection with the shooting. A manifesto allegedly written by Gendron describes the Zip code where the supermarket is located as having “the highest Black percentage that is close enough to where I live.” Police have identified the victims of the shooting at a Tops Friendly Markets store and notified their families, but haven’t released any names publicly. Family members and colleagues of some of the victims have begun to share their stories with the media and online. The victims include: Retired cop Salter was working as a security guard at the Tops supermarket on Saturday and exchanged gunfire with the shooter before being fatally wounded. Salter, who worked for the Buffalo Police Department for three decades, was called “a hero” by his son in an interview with The Daily Beast. A Wisconsin mom shared her horror after her 13 year-old son was accused of sexual harassment for refusing to refer to a non-binary schoolmate with ‘they/them’ pronouns. Rosemary Rabidoux hit out after her son Bradon became one of three eighth grade schoolboys at Kiel Middle School subjected to an ongoing probe. It was triggered after they chose not to use the gender neutral pronoun for their unidentified classmate, who they instead referred to using ‘she’ and her.’ Things appear to have escalated quickly with the school district now filing a Title IX complaint against the students, accusing them of sexual harassment for using the ‘incorrect’ pronouns. Bradon’s mother, Rosemary said that the district had taken things too far by filing such a complaint. The Kiel School District sees the refusal of students using particular pronouns to address their fellow pupils as a form of bullying. Destiny Taylor, born in Lubbock, will soon be headed to Harvard. Destiny was born in Lubbock, but being in a military family, had to move around some. She has lived in London, Los Angeles, New York and Arizona. She says there is no place like the Hub City, and it will forever be the place she calls home. “My friends always ask, ‘How do you go from like LA, London, and then you’re back home?’ But this is my home,” Taylor said. At the end of every summer, she cried, not wanting to leave Lubbock. Taylor says living in big cities made her really appreciate being home because of how friendly everyone is. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to pursue at first and did everything from modeling to managing an art gallery. Then she decided to attend Texas Tech, because it let her do everything she loved. “Texas Tech allowed me to combine all my passions and that’s why I chose to be here,” Taylor said. When she started thinking about what she wanted to do after college, she knew she wanted to go to a prestigious school. So, she applied to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. A pregnant Baltimore woman and her fiancé were fatally shot in Baltimore, with the 38-year-old woman’s baby delivered in the moments before she died. That baby boy is now in critical condition according to the police, due to the emergency delivery rather than any shooting injury. The woman has since been identified as Angel Morgan Heather Smith. She was about seven months pregnant at the time of the killing. Her partner was identified as Yahmell Montague. Both victims were rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where the man was immediately pronounced dead. Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the man was in the driver’s seat of his car and the woman was his passenger when another car pulled up next to them as they parked on East 23rd Street around 8pm on Thursday night. The driver of the other car then got out and fired while someone else fired from the passenger window. While the convenience of ride share apps like Lyft and Uber have helped tens of millions of people around to world get to where they need to go, there have been a number of horror stories emerging from the app over the years, specifically with female passengers who have been attacked by male drivers while using these services. Lyft, Uber, and similar applications perform background checks for drivers who are looking to use their own vehicles to make some money, but it’s not a perfect system by any means. While it’s impossible and unrealistic to expect these companies to stop every instance of criminal activity or assault with its current business model, Uber and Lyft have been criticized for not having a more stringent employee vetting processes. A harrowing story from TikToker Mikaila Simone (@mikailaisawesome) is another instance of a lone female rider being subjected to what she says was a potentially life-threatening situation with a male Lyft driver. A nine-year-old white boy was filmed storming over to his black neighbors’ house and cracking a whip on their door while trying to find their nine-year-old daughter. Shocking footage shows the unnamed child cracking the weapon on Dee and Carissa Nash’s front door just outside of Dallas Friday, allegedly in search of the couple’s young daughter. The clip shows mom Carissa answering the door to confront the child, who she says was upset with and planned to attack her daughter. ‘Little boy, you better get your a** up and off my porch before I call the police, beating on my door like this!,’ Carissa can be heard saying in the video. ‘I will call the police – you need to leave. Don’t you ever beat on my G*ddamn like that – go!’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/05/14/2773004927056953455/636x382_MP4_2773004927056953455.mp4 Police say a single gunman was behind 11 drive-by shootings in south and west Phoenix during the last six months and they used “advanced technology” to catch him. Officers arrested 24-year-old Manuel Sierra on Wednesday in the Buckeye area. https://youtu.be/au82Iir0_Ec A man has been found guilty of shooting a fellow man he was playing a game of Uno with on December 13, 2020, at a house party in Marietta. A Cobb County jury recently found Taylor Grant, 34, guilty of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of the felony. A report by the investigators has established that as the group played Uno, the accused and his to-be victim got into an argument. It is during this argument that Grant shot the 37-year-old man and then stood over him while threatening to kill him. Grant then fled from the scene before police arrived. At first, the shot man claimed he had been injured during a drive-by shooting. But he later revealed to the police that he had been shot by someone he knew while playing Uno. Britney Spears and Sam Asghari announced in a joint Instagram post on Saturday that they “have lost” their baby. “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we have lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy,” they wrote in the post. “This is a devastating time for any parent. Perhaps we should have waited to announce until we were further along, however we were overly excited to shared the good news.” “Our love for each other is our strength. We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family. We are grateful for all of your support. We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult moment,” the couple concluded. A Texas woman is making history this weekend. Haley Taylor Schlitz, 19, is graduating from Southern Methodist University this Saturday. “It’s just it’s too perfect, I’m excited,” Schlitz said. “It feels really real now.” The North Texas native is making national history. “This image of this young Black woman in America, in the state of Texas, getting ready to walk across the stage and make history, not as just the youngest Black law graduate in the history of this country, but also as the youngest woman in this country to walk across the stage and get her JD,” father, William Schlitz said. Haley has been making national headlines since her story was shared through the University, from CNN to the Tamron Hall show. https://youtu.be/BHJoIQfzGGY KCEN on Monday, May 2, introduced a new lineup for “Texas Today“ that consisted of three Black women. With this, the news station which is affiliated with NBC has made history as the first news outlet to have an all-Black and all-female team of news anchors, according to a My San Antonio report. The station serves Waco, Temple, Killeen, and the vicinity. The three women forming the first-ever all-Black, all-female crew are Taheshah Moise, Jasmine Caldwell and Ashley Carter, who is a meteorologist. Towards the end of last month, Caldwell shared the unmatched news on Twitter. She let it out that she never expected to see an all-Black team of anchors one day. “I knew there was always room for one,” she posted. “But I didn’t think that I would see three African Americans — male or female — permanently, all at one time. No way.” Malia and Sasha, the daughters of Barack and Michelle Obama, are now both residents of Hollywood. On Wednesday afternoon, TMZ reporters caught the Obama daughters at the airport (LAX) where the younger sister had driven to pick up the elder sister. TMZ reports that it was easy to tell the sisters were happy to see each other again, judging by the reunion dance they performed as they came face-to-face. The hawk-eyed photo-journalist captured the pretty sweet occasion, including the moment Sasha loaded her sister’s luggage in the hatchback she’d driven to the airport. While it is not clear how long the pair had been away from each other to be so happy to meet again, TMZ reported that Malia had been gone for over a week, having flown out of LAX on May 2. https://youtu.be/FTNTdFL5sA8 Steph Curry is succeeding on and off the court. Thirteen years after he left Davidson College to enter the NBA Draft, the basketball superstar is finally set to graduate today with his bachelor’s degree, according to a tweet from the college. Curry, 34, only needed to complete one semester of coursework to complete his degree, Davidson explained. He matriculated at the college in 2006 and quickly made a name for himself playing for the Davidson Wildcats, before opting out of his senior year and being drafted by the Golden State Warriors. “Stephen Curry has on many occasions emphasized the importance of education, how much he valued his Davidson College experience and that he is committed to earning his degree,” wrote the college on Twitter. Symone Sanders, whose show debuted to low numbers on MSNBC this past weekend. According to Nielsen ratings released after the first show, Sanders only managed to attract 361,000 viewers for her “Symone” show that aired at 4pm (Eastern) last Saturday. https://youtu.be/08k7hEWq7Ig Republicans are watching conservative candidate Kathy Barnette‘s sudden rise in their party’s upcoming Pennsylvania US Senate primary with a mix of unease, wonder and dread. Barnette’s late surge in the closely watched contest has turned what was broadly seen as a two-person race between celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick into a chaotic three-person affair, with Barnette seen as a wild card who has grassroots momentum mere days before the Tuesday contest. https://youtu.be/9z21eJQk52c In celebration of the launch of its new Chef’s Chicken Sandwiches, Panera is teaming up with NTWRK, the leading North American livestream shopping platform, for its first-ever Day of Craveable Drops – one full day featuring eight of the most crave-able products from the most crave-able creators, including Panera. NTWRK tapped charismatic and food-obsessed rapper/producer T-Pain (T-Pain’s School of Business, The Masked Singer/Monster) to host the full day of drops, airing exclusively on the NTWRK app on May 4th. From art prints and apparel to collectibles and footwear, NTWRK’s Craveable Drops are a curated assortment of the world’s most hyped brands and products. T-Pain collaborated with Panera to create a tentpole drop of the day, the Deliciously Luxe Drip Kit, an ultimate and premium kit of cozy essentials that are anything but basic. The set features heavyweight French Terry crew and athletic pants with T-Pain’s signature and is paired with custom T-Pain x Panera luxury headphones. NTWRK will be doing a drawing for the Deliciously Luxe Drip Kit and winners will be notified. The New Orleans Saints have reached a three-year, $33 million deal with $18 million guaranteed with the All-Pro safety, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Language in the contract still needs to be finalized before the deal is officially signed, sources said. Mathieu, who turns 30 on May 13 and starred at LSU during his decorated college career, visited with the Saints at their team facility in April after he was not re-signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent. He also met virtually with the Philadelphia Eagles. But New Orleans’ need for an impact safety increased when it did not select one during the NFL draft over the weekend. Also, free agents who sign after Monday afternoon will no longer factor into the NFL’s compensatory draft pick formula — which could help boost the market for other big names who remain unsigned. The Saints lost both of their starting safeties this offseason when Marcus Williams signed with the Baltimore Ravens and Malcolm Jenkins retired. But they have now replaced both after signing former New York Jets safety Marcus Maye earlier in free agency. The New Orleans Saints are continuing to revamp their wide receiver corps, as five-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry is joining the team. Landry confirmed the homecoming by posting a social media video Friday with highlights of himself and the team, and the Saints tweeted a video Sunday of the wide receiver signing his contract. “HOME !!! WHO DAT NATION SEE YOU SOON,” Landry wrote in an Instagram post. Landry, a former LSU star from just outside the New Orleans area, is the second local icon to join the Saints in the past two weeks after they signed safety Tyrann Mathieu last week. The Saints finished last in the NFL in passing yards in 2021 because of a barrage of injuries. Wide receiver Michael Thomas missed the entire season with an ankle injury, while quarterback Jameis Winston missed the final 10 games with a torn ACL. World number one Iga Swiatek retained her Italian Open title after overwhelming Ons Jabeur 6-2 6-2 in Rome on Sunday, clinching her fifth consecutive WTA crown and winning her 28th match in a row. Having swept the titles in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami, Swiatek has now won every WTA 1000 tournament she has contested this season and will be the favourite to add to her 2020 French Open success when the Grand Slam tournament begins next week. Swiatek outmanoeuvred Jabeur to snap the Tunisian’s 11-match winning streak, which began in her title run in Madrid, to level their head-to-head record at 2-2 after having lost both 2021 meetings at Wimbledon and Cincinnati. “Today I’m going to celebrate with a lot of tiramisu, no regrets,” said Poland’s Swiatek, who collapsed on the red clay at Foro Italico and broke down in tears after securing the title. World number one Novak Djokovic claimed his first title in over six months after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0 7-6(5) to win the Italian Open on Sunday. Djokovic did not drop a set en route to the final in Rome, having picked up his 1,000th tour-level victory by beating Casper Ruud in the semi-final to book a clash with Tsitsipas – a repeat of last year’s French Open final, which the Serb won. A sixth-successive win for Djokovic over his Greek opponent looked inevitable as he stormed through the first set with a blistering display of hitting, to which Tsitsipas had no answer. Tsitsipas’s name rung around Campo Centrale in the fourth game of the second set, however, as an unforced error from Djokovic gave the Greek player two break points, the first of which he converted to take a 3-1 lead in the set. After Tsitsipas held to make it 4-1, Djokovic then upped it a gear, winning five of the next seven games to take it to a tiebreak before sealing his sixth Italian Open title, and first since winning the Paris Masters in November. It has been the perfect week for the 34-year-old, who became only the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the 1,000 wins milestone after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rafa Nadal, ahead of the start of the French Open next Sunday. “It Girl” Lori Harvey is always trending over her great looks but fans can’t seem to get over how stunning she appeared for the 2022 Met Gala. Lori attended the May 2 event solo but graced the red carpet wearing a custom-made Michael Kors gown that highlighted her super ripped abs. Her man Michael B. Jordan also loved her look as he shared a pic to his IG Story at the time. He captioned it, “Probably my fav pic.” He added, “The composition says so much. Bird’s eye view of a moment you’ve dreamed about for so long finally manifested & you didn’t disappoint! Way to shine babygirl. I love you.” During an interview on the carpet, Lori also dished on her athletic physique and revealed that she’s been doing pilates. But of course, that made fans want to know even more about her workout routine. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdizJgiLgs3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Australian cricket great Andrew Symonds has died in a single-car crash at the age of 46, throwing the sport and the nation into mourning. The retired all-rounder died at about 10.30pm on Saturday in Hervey Range, 50km west of Townsville in far north Queensland, when his vehicle left the road and rolled. ‘Emergency services attempted to revive the 46-year-old driver and sole occupant, however, he died of his injuries,’ Queensland Police said on Sunday morning. The accident is under investigation. Symonds was on Hervey Range Road near Alice River Bridge when the accident occurred, and was removed from the vehicle to be treated by paramedics, who were on the scene when officers arrived. He was the only person in the car but the keen hunter’s dogs were also in the vehicle. Photos show skid marks at the scene of the crash. Inspector Gavin Oates said there was no suggestion alcohol was involved, and said nearby residents were at the scene. ‘I think they provided the assistance they could at the time and called 000 and emergency services,’ he added. Babetha Neliman and her partner Waylon Townson were on the scene just minutes after the crash and said that Symonds was unresponsive when they arrived and they couldn’t find a pulse. She said the cricketer’s loyal blue heelers were with him. YSL is having a really tough week. Lil Keed, a member of the record label, has passed away. On Saturday morning, news broke about the rapper’s death. Around 1:30 a.m, Keed’s brother, Lil Gotit, confirmed the tragic news on Instagram. A rep of Keed also confirmed his death with XXL https://youtu.be/2qbMBncJ8Ng Kendrick Lamar appears to be letting fans in on his personal life. On the 34-year-old’s new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, the rapper allegedly talks about his relationship to fiancee Whitney Alford. Kendrick and Whitney got engaged in 2015. They have two children. He adds: “Intoxicated, there’s a lustful nature that I failed to mention/Insecurities that I project, sleepin’ with other women/Whitney’s hurt, the pure soul I know, I found her in the kitchen/Askin’ God, ‘Where did I lose myself? And can it be forgiven?'” LeBron James of the LA Lakers earned a whopping $121 million in 2021, according to a just-released Forbes report. He came second behind Lionel Messi in the Forbes’ “Top-10 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World” annual report. Messi earned about $130 million. According to Forbes, LBJ earned that much thanks to his high-paying Lakers contract, ventures with the new “Space Jam” flick, and his talk show “The Shop: Uninterrupted.” Moreover, he benefited from various endorsement deals, according to TMZ. LBJ is now the 10th athlete ever to garner more than $100 million within a span of 12 months. On the other hand, he has become the first NBA player to earn $121 million in a year. Interestingly, he was previously the holder of this record when he earned $96.5 million. https://youtu.be/olXYZOsXw_o A white supremacist has shot 10 people dead in a supermarket in a predominantly-black area of upstate New York, and live-streamed the horrific massacre. Payton Gendron, 18, of Conklin, NY, apparently scrawled the n-word on his rifle before carrying out Saturday’s massacre at Tops Friendly Supermarket in Buffalo. A total of 13 people were shot, 10 fatally. The other three are being treated for their injuries, and cops say 11 of those shot were black. The gunman lived-streamed the assault as he opened fire inside the Tops Friendly Supermarket. Gendron, filmed wearing a military uniform, has been taken into custody by the Buffalo Police Department. He has been described as ‘heavily-armed.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/05/14/3298323757448934662/636x382_MP4_3298323757448934662.mp4 Former Food Network star Ariel Robinson, winner of “Worst Cooks in America,” has been sentenced to life in prison for the beating death of her 3-year-old foster daughter. Robinson was found guilty of homicide by child abuse by a Greenville County, South Carolina jury on Thursday, PEOPLE reports. Robinson claimed at her bond hearing in February 2021 that her foster daughter, Victoria Rose Smith, died after drinking too much water. Robinson was charged last January along with her husband, Jerry Robinson, in the death of the child. Ariel reportedly told first responders that Smith drowned from drinking too much water and that the bruises on her body were likely caused by the failed Heimlich maneuver performed on her amid fear the girl was choking, according to WYFF4. https://youtu.be/fFV1M3sVkF8 A Russian court has extended the pretrial detention of US basketball star Brittney Griner — held since February on accusations of drug smuggling — for another month, Russian state news agency TASS reported Friday. Griner, who the US government has said is being wrongfully detained, now can be held in pretrial detention at least until June 18, a court in Khimki outside Moscow ruled Friday, TASS reported, citing the court’s press service. Leaving a hearing Friday in the Khimki court, she was handcuffed, wearing an orange hooded pullover with her head down, an Associated Press photo shows. An official from the US Embassy was able to talk with Griner on the sidelines of her hearing Friday morning, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. Griner, who the US government has said is being wrongfully detained, now can be held in pretrial detention at least until June 18, a court in Khimki outside Moscow ruled Friday, TASS reported, citing the court’s press service. Seventeen people were shot Friday night in downtown Milwaukee just two hours after three were shot a few blocks away, near the arena where the Milwaukee Bucks were playing in the NBA Playoffs. Ten people were taken into custody in the shooting downtown, and nine firearms were recovered, according to Milwaukee Police Capt. Warren Allen. The 17 people shot ranged in age from 15 to 47, Allen said. All victims in both shootings are expected to survive, he said. In a video captured by someone at the scene of the downtown shooting, multiple shots and people shouting can be heard. “We were waiting for a Lyft, walked through that intersection like three minutes prior and knew something was off so we ordered it to pick us up down the road,” the person who shot the video told CNN. “People were in the middle of the street being just loud and obnoxious,” he added. “People yelling at each other back and forth.” https://youtu.be/BS_kTw7sI1o The youngest daughter of Rodney King was arrested recently on suspicion of burglary after she had been reported missing two weeks ago. The family of Tristan King, 29, said she was last seen in Santa Monica, Calif. on April 28 and was missing for 11 days until she turned up on Tuesday in Lynwood. King had been visiting Los Angeles from Las Vegas. Per Fox LA, in a now-deleted Facebook post on Monday, Lora King said her sister has been found safe. https://www.foxla.com/news/rodney-kings-youngest-daughter-arrested-in-lynwood Atlanta rapper Lil Keed, a member of the YSL record label founded by Young Thug, has died at the age 24 according to social media posts by his brother. It was not immediately clear how the rapper might have died. On Instagram, his brother Lil Gotit – also an Atlanta rapper affiliated with YSL but not signed to the label – posted: “Can’t believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that’s go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy.” Naychur is Lil Keed’s young daughter. In an Instagram story tagging his brother’s account, Lil Gotit also posted: “Whyy bra whyyy u leave me bra.” Jerry Jeudy, a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, was taken into custody in relation to a criminal case in Colorado on Thursday. He’s being held on charges of second-degree criminal tampering with a domestic violence enhancer, a misdemeanor. Jeudy was admitted into the Arapahoe County Jail sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. He remained in custody on a no-bond hold on Thursday afternoon. Investigators said that Jeudy was involved in a dispute involving property with the woman with whom he shares a 1-month-old child. The property included the woman’s wallet that was locked in a car. She claims the Jeudy wouldn’t give her those items. With an early-season heat wave searing much of Texas over the weekend, the nonprofit that manages power to more than 26 million customers wants them to turn up their thermostats. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) made the appeal in a statement Friday, saying that soaring temperatures increased demand and caused six power generation facilities to trip offline. That resulted in the loss of about 2,900 megawatts of electricity. “We’re asking Texans to conserve power when they can by setting their thermostats to 78-degrees or above and avoiding the usage of large appliances (such as dishwashers, washers and dryers) during peak hours between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. through the weekend,” interim CEO Brad Jones said in the statement. The appeal comes as record temperatures across most of the southern US this weekend are expected to worsen a deepening drought. https://youtu.be/mm9AMzeVjp0 Wanda Sykes is still traumatized by Will Smith’s Oscar slap to the point “she can’t talk about it.” According to People, while on a comedy tour stop in Orlando, Florida, Wanda revealed that she remains unsettled after Smith slapped Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards in March. “I’m still traumatized,” Sykes, told the audience members at the event. She adds: “I can’t talk about it. I get emotional.” Wanda continues by saying, “I couldn’t believe he was still sitting there, like an assh—,” referring to how Smith remained seated during the ceremony, before later winning the Best Actor award. “Shouldn’t you be sitting there with a lawyer or LAPD, motherf—–?” “I hope he gets his s— together. Until then, f— him.” If y’all recall Wanda has previously spoken out about the Oscars incident in the past. During an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show days after the slap, the star said that she “physically felt ill” watching the occurrence. A painting that served as the cover for one of legendary soul singer Marvin Gaye‘s albums has sold at auction for almost $15.3 million. Ernie Barnes‘ joyous depiction of a frenetic scene in a dance hall, titled “The Sugar Shack,” sold to Bill Perkins, a hedge fund manager and entrepreneur, after 10 minutes of bidding by more than 22 bidders, confirmed Christie’s auction house. According to Christie’s, the final sale price for “The Sugar Shack” was 27 times higher than the most expensive Barnes work to sell before it. It also blew past its estimated sale price of $150,000 to $200,000. Barnes, who died in 2009, was born in North Carolina in 1938 and often drew upon his own experiences growing up in the American South during the Jim Crow era in his depictions of social moments and images of quotidian Black life. https://youtu.be/-Y_-AxpEFj4 NBC Sports said Thursday that Maria Taylor will be the new host of Football Night in America, NBC’s weekly studio show that leads into the network’s Sunday Night Football. Taylor, who joined NBC from ESPN less than a year ago, had been a co-host of the Sunday primetime program alongside Mike Tirico, who is joining the SNF booth this upcoming season alongside Cris Collinsworth. He replaces Al Michaels, who exited after the end of this past season and is moving to Amazon to call its nascent slate of Thursday night NFL games. In addition to the FNA role, Taylor is executive producing an eight-part documentary series on the history of the Black quarterback in the NFL. It eventually will stream on Peacock. Tisha Campbell has removed “Martin” from her name, an act that has essentially returned her back to her maiden name two years after she divorced Duane Martin. Campbell recently broke the news on Instagram, announcing she will no longer use his (Martin’s) last name after visiting the social security office where she reclaimed her maiden name. “Okay, I just got my divorce decree. I know that took forever,” the 53-year-old actress posted on Instagram. “And I just went to the social security office and I changed my name back to Tisha Campbell—on my dad’s birthday nonetheless!” In the same breath, Campbell mentioned her dad. “Nothing else to say???? My dad just saw this post and said, ‘My baby girl is back. Best birthday gift EVER.’ Awww dad! BTW Hey #instagram Can you to help me out and change my name pleaseeeee ??” she added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdJfxCWDZZX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Dave Chapelle doesn’t care if you’re mad. Apparently, neither does Netflix. The trailblazing streaming service issued a new corporate memo this week, telling employees it will not censor or end partnerships with entertainers just because some staffers deem their work personally offensive. “If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you,” reads the memo, which is part of a new “artistic expression” section of the company’s policy, according to Variety. Netflix’s updated internal language comes several months after Chapelle sparked the ire of some employees who claimed his latest special on the platform, “The Closer,” was “transphobic” due to a handful of jokes he made during the 70-minute performance, Time reported at the time. The entertainment brand statement indicated employees could be required to work on projects they “perceive to be harmful” and — if that is too difficult a cross to bear — such staffers might be better suited for a different jobs. “Entertaining the world is an amazing opportunity and also a challenge because viewers have very different tastes and points of view,” reads the statement. “So we offer a wide variety of TV shows and movies, some of which can be provocative.” It continues, “We support the artistic expression of the creators we choose to work with,” adding, “We let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices.” Kevin Samuels’ words continue to resonate with people even far after his death! Even New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s pastor, #JamalBryant, has something to say. In a recent clip from a sermon going around, Bryant called out Kevin for comments about women over 35 and pointed out that the relationship expert’s family allegedly had to create a GoFundMe account to pay for his homegoing service. The gofund me is unverified. https://youtu.be/K4FGtXR_6Ug Surging Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Kathy Barnette has a history of anti-Muslim and anti-gay statements. In many tweets, Barnette also spread the false conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama is a Muslim. In one speech uploaded to YouTube in 2015, Barnette forcefully argued it was OK to discriminate against Muslims and compared rejecting Islam to “… rejecting Hitler’s or Stalin’s worldviews.” In comments on her radio show, she said accepting homosexuality would lead to the acceptance of incest and pedophilia. One post she wrote called a transgender person “deformed” and “demonic.” Barnette surged in recent polls in the upcoming Pennsylvania Republican US Senate primary, putting her in a dead heat between Donald Trump-endorsed former TV star Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager David McCormick. https://youtu.be/9z21eJQk52c During an interview on Wednesday, May 11, Jack Harlow took many hip-hop and R&B fans by surprise when he let it out that he’s unaware that Brandy and Ray J are siblings. Harlow was hosted by Ebro Darden at Hot 97 in New York. The host and other radio station’s crew challenged Harlow to a game in which the rapper was to guess the song they were playing, reports Billboard. https://youtu.be/BjG11lkM74U Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert is quitting Hollywood. The actress, who famously played Laura Ingalls Wilder in the beloved historical drama, has traded in her glamorous lifestyle for a ramshackle cottage in the mountains. She and her husband, Timothy Busfield, recently purchased a $98,000 14-acre property in the Cat Skill mountains in upstate New York – only 20 minutes away from the famed Woodstock location – so that she can enjoy a much more relaxed lifestyle and escape the pressures of being in the public eye. Gilbert famously starred in the 1974 Western show when she was just a child – but how did she go from a dazzling Hollywood starlet to a sequestered woman living in the secluded mountains? In honor of her making the move, FEMAIL has decided to take a look back at everything she – and the rest of her Little House castmates – have done since the show ended nearly 40 years ago, and it turns out, some of them did not have the easiest journey. From tax evasion to struggles with addiction, the Little House on the Prairie cast has certainly had their fair share of controversies. The sheriff of Bleckley County (Georgia), Kris Coody, is facing charges of sexual battery after he was accused of groping the breast of former TV judge Glenda Hatchett earlier this year at a convention. Hatchett had been invited by former DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown. Brown spoke to WSB-TV about the incident, explaining that he turned away for a moment after introducing Hatchett and it was while focusing back that he witnessed it. “As I turned to my left to focus back on the two of them, I saw his hand go down on her left breast,” Brown said. “I grabbed his arm threw it off of her chest and basically said, ‘What do think you’re doing?’ and that’s basically where it ended.” He added that the misconduct angered him. He said Coody was intoxicated. But he pointed out he was more concerned about Hatchett, for she was visibly shaken after that. She decided to press the charges because she feels it is right for the story to be told. Travis Scott is being sued by yet another Astroworld attendee. An Ohio woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Travis, Live Nation and others. She says she attended the Astroworld festival back in November and was unfortunately trampled during a crowd surge. She claims to have suffered injuries so severe that they resulted in a miscarriage. In documents obtained by @tmz_tv #ShanaziaWilliamson and her husband #JarawdOwens, claim that the defendants’, “failure to plan, design, manage, operate, staff, and supervise the event was a direct and proximate cause of Shanazia’s injuries and death of her and Jarawd’s unborn child.” In addition to the miscarriage, Shanazia sustained injuries to her shoulder, back, chest, leg, stomach and other parts of her body. It remains unclear just how far along Shanazia was in her pregnancy. An album is in the works,” said platinum-selling Freda Payne (“Band of Gold”). “Haven’t finished…We have 3 or 4 more songs to do. One of the songs (“Do You Still Dream About Me”) is on Mitchell’s (Coleman, Jr) album as well.” The single Freda is referring to is on the most recent album of bass player Mitchell Coleman, Jr. titled “Dedication” (out in June). On his album she is a featured vocalist. “It’s my song. It was recorded by Nancy Wilson. It was written by a very dear friend of mine Sammy McKenny,” Payne informed me. “It’s on my CD released in 2006 but recorded in 2002. I wanted to redo it again. I am working with Michael Sutton of The Sound of LA, Mitchell (a bass player) played on it.” https://youtu.be/jU374Ne9bGg The founder of the Black Math Genius program explains why Black people are broke by design and what we can do to combat this. The program, created by Assata Moore and Freddie Taylor of Urban Intellectuals, puts “Black children at the center of their learning, teaching the true origins of mathematics and making sure that the lessons are meaningful,” per Black Enterprise. When unpacking why Black students are performing at the bottom of every mathematical metric, Assata noted that “Black people have been broke for a very long time, and we’re getting broker! This is not by accident, it’s by design. And please believe that the designers have no desire to help dismantle this fortress of despair and disenfranchisement they have built,” she said. She continued, “We need only to review history and look at our present conditions to know there will be no help in saving our future from outsiders. Look at the drug industry. To criminalize Black people, cannabis was made illegal even though the government was encouraging farmers to grow more. After WWII, white veterans were given the GI bill and homeownership; Black veterans were given denials and the projects.” “Lenders and insurance providers redlined our communities to deny the biggest wealth driver for families — homeownership. Today, after spending decades demonizing Black people for selling cannabis, white establishments own over 98 percent of all cannabis businesses,” Assata explained, as reported by Black Enterprise. “Of course, our governors helped to orchestrate both the criminalization of Black people and then turned around and wrote legislation to make sure the wealth landed in white hands. Since the 1960s, the Black homeownership rate has been stagnant, and the wealth gap is growing.” Sean “Diddy” Combs is trying his hand at hosting and executive producing this year’s Billboard Music Awards, vowing to “un-cancel the canceled” in an era steeped in the latter. “The mood of the show is about love and forgiveness,” he recently told Billboard. “As a musical family, none of us are saints; none of us are without things that happen to them in life. So one of the things I’m doing directly is un-canceling the canceled. That’s breaking news, because people haven’t been about un-canceling. But canceling is a trend that needs to stop.” At least two of the artists performing at this year’s Billboard Music Awards show, airing Sunday, have drawn scorn from the public. Country singer Morgan Wallen was caught on video using the N-word while he was visibly intoxicated and stumbling back into his residence. And rapper Travis Scott has been embroiled in controversy since his Astroworld festival in November of last year, where 10 people were killed when the crowd stampeded toward the stage. Combs said neither Wallen nor Scott should be canceled over their errors, calling the horror linked to Scott’s festival performance last fall “a tragedy.” “People make mistakes,” said Combs. “Now we’re moving on with love and respect for everybody that was hurt or affected. It’s time to forgive. To have Morgan and Travis be able to come back and touch the stage again with the mindset of getting a second chance at life. Everybody in the room is getting a second chance at life, you know, because we’re back inside with no masks on. We need love and I’m excited about celebrating that.” According to an Instagram post by Combs, he “demanded” NBC allow Scott to perform. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWQE8CJF1Q/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The 24-year-old tennis star Naomi Osaka is starting her own sports agency after six years with IMG, according to Sportico. Osaka is partnering with her agent, Stuart Duguid, in the venture, named Evolve. Each will hold equity stakes in the company, said Sportico, which first reported the news Wednesday. “I’ve spent my career doing things my way, even when people told me that it wasn’t what was expected or traditional, Evolve is the natural next step in my journey as both an athlete and businesswoman,” Osaka told Sportico. Melania Trump has described the shortage of baby formula nationwide as ‘heartbreaking’ – using her first interview since leaving the White House to say the crisis was down to ‘leadership.’ The former first lady sat down with Fox News’s Pete Hegseth for an interview to be aired in full on Sunday. https://twitter.com/i/status/1525266880319004672 Bette Midler sparked outrage on Friday by responding to the nationwide shortage of baby formula with the message: ‘TRY BREASTFEEEDING! It’s free and available on demand.’ The tweet sent by Midler, 76, was immediately met with a wall of criticism from figures as diverse as Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s hardline speechwriter, and John Oliver’s executive producer. In response to Midler’s tweet, many pointed out that a significant percentage of women are unable to breastfeed, despite their best attempts – one lactation consultant and author, Diana Cassar-Uhl, put the figure at 12-15 percent of all mothers. Others noted that some babies have specific dietary conditions, and do not respond well to breastmilk. Others still pointed out that tens of thousands of babies are adopted, and others born via surrogates. And gay men – who comprise a huge faction of Midler’s fan base – were also angered by Midler’s remark, highlighting that a gay male couple wouldn’t be able to breastfeed their baby or toddler. Tim Carvell, the executive producer of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, tweeted: ‘Imagine having a large gay fanbase, many of whom are raising kids in two-dad households, and thinking this is a good suggestion.’ Hero cops lassoed and rode a rogue alligator prowling outside a school in an astonishing rodeo-style capture in South Carolina. The trio of officers had been called to Daniel Island School in Charleston after the ferocious beast had been spotted close to the gates. Modest police chiefs later shrugged off the drama as “not your everyday arrest.” https://youtu.be/nm8UshCMLQc A tattoo loving mother is being slammed online for putting fake ink designs all over her one-year-old baby – with critics accusing her of raising him to be a ‘gangster’ and a ‘thug.’ Shamekia Morris, a fashion designer from West Palm Beach, Florida, first started putting temporary tattoos on her son Treylin when he was just six months old. She often covers the tot, who has become well known on social media under the username NuggerWorld561, from head to toe with tattoos – placing intricate body arts on his stomach, arms, back, and legs. Although the tattoos aren’t real, many people online have blasted the mom-of-one for covering her toddler with the designs, with some branding her a ‘bad mom.’ ‘I get a lot of backlash, people say I’m raising my son as a “gangster,” a “thug,” they’re not used to seeing a baby with tattoos,’ she told Truly during a recent interview. The online backlash started before Treylin was even born, when she did a maternity shoot in a tattoo parlor, in which she showed off her own ink designs. ‘When I was eight months [pregnant] I did a maternity shoot with my brothers at a tattoo shop,’ she recalled. Reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley are set to face trial on charges of fraud and evading $2 million in tax fraud. Prosecutors allege that the couple submitted fake documents to banks when applying for loans, and Julie submitted a fake credit report and fake bank statements when trying to rent a house in California. The couple then allegedly refused to pay rent on the property for a few months after they started living there in October 2014. Additionally, the Chrisleys are accused of using a film production company to hide their income in an effort to keep the IRS from collecting $2 million in unpaid taxes Todd owed the federal government. The couple is now believed to be worth an estimated $9 million. They are now charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of tax fraud. Julie is also charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, meanwhile, is charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of willfully filing false tax returns. He is set to stand trial alongside the Chrisleys. Both the Chrisleys and Tarantino have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been free on bond. Today, MNRK Music Group, announces the signing of GRAMMY, Soul Train, & 7x NAACP Image Award-nominated triple-threat, MAJOR. Affectionately known as “Mr. Why I Love You,” MAJOR., returns to his roots with his Urban Inspirational single debut, a reimagined version of the classic, “Whole World In His Hands.” The new single will be available everywhere music is sold and streamed on Friday, June 3rd exclusively via MNRK Music Group. GRAMMY® Award-winning artist and songwriter Brandon Lake latest full-length album, HELP!, is available now. This timely collection of songs depicts Lake’s heart cry in the battle against depression, anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health struggles—acting as a declarative prayer amidst the processing of his personal emotions. The EP's lead single, "HELP" and the accompanying video are available on Lake's Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwPLO78_JaA Russell Wilson and Ciara are being called out by PETA after recently purchasing a dog. On Mother’s Day, the couple welcomed a new puppy to the family named Bronco. The NFL star and the musician took to social media to announce the new addition to their fam, showing off the adorable, four-legged friend in a sweet Instagram video. “Meet… BRONCO ??,” Ciara said of the new dog. “The kids call her Bronco Love Brownie :)” Ciara was thrilled about her gift and even thanked her hubby for the surprise, “The sweetest surprise. I love you, baby.” While fans loved her new dog post, PETA was just not here for it. Per @tmz_tv, PETA believes it’s abundantly clear that the Wilson family’s new pup is purebred and from a breeder. PETA describes breeders in an unflattering light, stating: “mother dogs are often locked inside filthy cages and bred over and over until their bodies give out.” PETA continued to take a tackle at the Wilsons who recently secured their $25 million Denver home. https://www.instagram.com/p/CddWWRmDdio/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Broadway theater where Jesse Williams’ nude scene in the “Take Me Out” revival was filmed by an audience member and leaked is stepping up security. The Helen Hayes Theater has installed a new infrared camera system facing the audience so attendees can be monitored by the venue’s security team, PEOPLE reports. “This will allow us to focus on an audience member who looks like they’re doing something suspicious, and assess whether they’re just going through a purse to get a breath mint or pulling out a phone,” Peter Dean, director of production for Second Stage, told The New York Times. https://youtu.be/zbcJR3WtyJE The cast of the original “The Best Man” film is currently underway on production for a 10-episode limited series based on the popular franchise. Peacock, the NBCUniversal streaming platform, has ordered the series titled “The Best Man: Final Chapters,” which will follow the life events of the eight main characters in “The Best Man” and “The Best Man Holiday.” The original cast will reprise their roles, including Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau. Writer-director, Malcolm D. Lee, is also back to write and executive produce the series with Dayna Lynne North, per THR. https://www.instagram.com/malcolmdlee/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=16fb44e3-bcd8-47e5-ac66-fec3cc4c21b1 “I’m a Black guy, I’m just not dancing for you. It’s not gonna happen,” the former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star, 50, told Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday. Alfonso Ribeiro said he gets asked to do the signature dance move “every day of my life if I go outside.” “What makes you think that you just gonna ask a random person to dance for you, and they’re gonna be like ‘Oh my God, I’ve been waiting for you to ask! Hold on a second, let me get into character,'” Ribeiro explained. “It’s not — I don’t get it. It’s not gonna happen.” https://youtu.be/UGeh1_BfVHI Mariah Carey has reportedly purchased a multi-million dollar mansion in Atlanta. The music icon is said to have copped a “colonial estate in an off-market transaction in November 2021 for $5.65 million,” per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to Buckhead.com, the 16,202 square-foot home was built in 1992. It boasts six bedrooms, five bathrooms and six half bathrooms. https://www.instagram.com/mariahcarey/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=23b8e519-e4e9-4939-9530-51223498fdff The women’s lacrosse team at Delaware State University, a historically Black university, was heading home last month after it played three games in Florida when Georgia authorities interrupted their journey — with a drug-sniffing dog. Liberty County sheriff’s deputies pulled the bus over, citing a traffic violation, and then entered the vehicle to inform the team that their luggage would be searched for narcotics. One deputy, speaking to the students before the search, emphasized that marijuana is illegal in Georgia for recreational use. “If there is something in there that is questionable, please tell me now,” the officer said in a video recorded by team member Sydney Anderson. “Because if we find it, guess what? We’re not going to be able to help you.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/delaware-state-universitys-womens-lacrosse-team-pulled-georgia-searche-rcna28212 The United States is in a maternal health crisis. Maternal mortality and morbidity rates across the country have increased steadily over the past 20 years, even as rates in all other developed countries have decreased significantly. New government data shows that US maternal deaths jumped by 14% during the first years of the pandemic, to 861 in 2020 from 754 in 2019. The rate of maternal deaths for Black women in the US was nearly three times higher than it was for white women over that time frame. Goldman Sachs wants to change that. Mahmee, a six-year-old maternal healthcare startup, has announced the closing of a $9.2 million Series A funding round led by Goldman’s Growth Equity Business. https://youtu.be/1HIvYpZAdu0 Megan Thee Stallion is once again being accused of lying about the circumstances surrounding her allegedly being shot by Tory Lanez. A portion of a LAPD report of the incident has leaked online, via Mob Radio, and it seems to imply that the Houston rapper was “treated by Dr. Lofferedo for lacerations to her left foot” at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following the alleged shooting in 2020, MadameNoire reports. The screenshot of the “Continuation Sheet” notes that “Dr. Lofferedo confirmed laceration due to stepping on glass.” Megan has maintained that Tory shot at her feet during an argument and TMZ posted photos of her injuries. https://twitter.com/i/status/1524503872236146688 Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) blasted Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for his stance on abortion rights and several other issues facing the court. “Let me ask this question of brother Thomas,” Jeffries said during a House Judiciary Committee hearing this week. “Why are you such a hater? Hate on civil rights. Hate on women’s rights. Hate on reproductive rights. Hate on voting rights. Hate on marital rights. Hate on equal protection under the law. Hate on liberty and justice for all. Hate on free and fair elections. Why are you such a hater?” According to a leaked draft opinion published earlier this month, Thomas is one of several conservative judges in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, which made abortion a federally protected right. https://twitter.com/i/status/1524444222497169411 On Sunday, (Calvin Klein) launched its latest campaign in honor of Mother’s Day. The campaign featured a series of photos that featured a transgender couple. CK captioned the Instagram slide, “Today, in support of women and mothers all over the world, we’re spotlighting the realities of new families.” The pregnant trans man, Robert Bete, posed alongside his transgender girlfriend Erica Feeha, wearing the brand’s signature underwear. Robert didn’t shy away from letting his baby bump be visible in the pictures. He also says: “We can reproduce biologically or from the heart..our role in the world is to love and be loved.” Of course, it didn’t take long for Twitter users to get ahold of the photos and express their opinions. Earlier this year it was announced that former NBA player and coach Isiah Thomas invested $3 million into One World Pharma, the largest Black-controlled, licensed hemp and cannabis producer in Colombia. Thomas, who currently serves as One World’s vice chairman and CEO, and AMUNAFRO, “the National Association of Mayors of Municipalities with Afro-Colombian populations, announced Thursday that they have entered into a partnership to control over one million acres in Colombia to focus on industrial hemp production,” per MSN. “Our expanded partnership with AMUNAFRO represents a historic shift for the Indigenous farmer and grower communities and the Afro-Colombian population,” Thomas stated in a press release. “As an ascendant international hemp and cannabis company focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, our consortium will now control over one million acres of land in Colombia focused on the licensed production of industrial hemp for integration into sustainable, carbon-reducing products made throughout the world.” In a preview clip of a new A&E Network documentary, obtained by the Daily Mail, Bobby Brown opens up even more about the deaths of his ex-wife, legendary singer Whitney Houston, and his daughter, Bobbi Kristina. In the new doc, Bobby Brown says he suffers from daily heartbreak. The R&B icon also says that he believes his ex-wife would still be alive today had they stayed together – and fought their hard drug addictions. “I think we could have helped each other out. I think she would still be here if we hadn’t divorced. I wasn’t there. I beat myself about it because I wasn’t there. I wish I could have been there for her,” the Daily Mail quotes. “We had made our beds and had to lie in them. We always felt that our love was strong enough to overcome any obstacle put in front of us. We would still be together if it wasn’t for drugs. Drugs got the best of us.” President Xi Jinping is suffering from a deadly brain aneurysm, reports claim – as he faces a coup over China’s devastating Covid lockdowns. The Chinese president, 68, reportedly wanted to be treated with traditional medicine rather than undergo major surgery after he was rushed to hospital. According to news agency ANI, Xi suffered the “cerebral aneurysm” at the end of 2021. Rumours about the state of Xi’s health have been swirling for years, with fresh speculation sparked by his unexplained absence from the Beijing Winter Olympics. In March 2019, during a visit to Italy and France, Xi was spotted with a noticeable limp and needing help while trying to sit down. And addressing the public in Shenzhen in October 2020 – at the height of the Covid pandemic – observers noted his slow speech and coughing. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that his country is “not favorable” toward Finland and Sweden joining NATO, indicating Turkey could use its membership in the Western military alliance to veto moves to admit the two countries. “We are following developments concerning Sweden and Finland, but we are not of a favorable opinion,” Erdogan told reporters. The Turkish leader explained his opposition by citing Sweden and other Scandinavian countries’ alleged support for Kurdish militants and others whom Turkey considers to be terrorists. He said he also did not want to repeat Turkey’s past “mistake” from when it agreed to readmit Greece into NATO’s military wing in 1980. He claimed the action had allowed Greece “to take an attitude against Turkey” with NATO’s backing. Grammy-winning singer Naomi Judd shot herself dead in an upstairs home of her Tennessee farmhouse that she seemingly loved. Naomi showed off the 1,000-acre farm during an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s Where Are They Now? in 2016. The Country Music Hall of Famer owned the Nashville-area property for nearly three decades. Her daughters, actress Ashley Judd and singer Wynonna Judd, also had houses on the property. ‘Ashley lives right up over that hill, right up the road,’ Naomi said in the interview, pointing toward her daughter’s house. She shared that it took her exactly one minute to get from her house to Ashley’s front door, adding: ‘I timed it the other day.’ ‘And Miss Wynonna lives right over that hill,’ she said, noting it took about six minutes to get to her elder daughter’s house. Trevor Noah is mourning a beloved member of his family. The Daily Show host announced the death of his grandmother Frances “Gogo” Noah at age 95. Noah’s tribute posted to Instagram Thursday included a brief, silent video of the pair posing for a photo. The emotional tribute also led with a quote from Gogo: “How can I smile for a photo when I don’t have teeth?” “This morning our family laid to rest the oldest member of our clan Frances Noah, or as most of us referred to her, Gogo,” wrote Noah, 38. “My grandmother was born in 1927 and even though she was 95 years old, she still had the best memory of us all. Every moment spent with her felt like a magical journey through time where she would recount all of the family’s greatest joys, losses, achievements and milestones.” Country music superstar Naomi Judd died of a self-inflicted firearm wound on April 30, daughter Ashley Judd said on ABC’s Good Morning America today. “Mother used a firearm,” Judd told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an emotional interview this morning. “That’s the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand that we’re in a position that if we don’t say it, someone else is going to.” Actress Judd added, “She obviously was suffering, and, as such, her days up until that moment were hurtful to her.” She said she had been authorized by the Judd family to discuss Naomi’s death in order to spread awareness of the disease of mental illness and available treatments. “There are some things that we would just like to retain as a family,” she said. “Both sister and Pop [Judd’s stepfather Larry Strickland] have sort of deputized me in certain ways to speak on behalf of the family at this early time before things about the 30th of April become public without our control. Former Mumford & Sons banjo player Winston Marshall is staying busy with new projects since leaving the band a year ago. Now he says it’s clearer to him that move was the “right decision,” as painful as it was. Marshall officially left the band in June of 2021 after taking a break from the group when he faced intense backlash from the left for tweeting that he enjoyed reading journalist Andy Ngo’s book, “Unmasked,” which explores the dark side of Antifa. CBN’s Faithwire reported at the time that the 34-year-old, “failed to foresee that my commenting on a book critical of the far-left could be interpreted as approval of the equally abhorrent far-right.” Marshall apologized at first, then explained in a post on Medium that he was leaving the band in order to, “speak my mind without them suffering the consequences.” During a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Marshall revealed how much his life has changed since departing Mumford & Sons. Louisiana prosecutors have charged three state police troopers accused of beating a black motorist, hoisting him to his feet by his hair braids and bragging in text messages that the ‘whoopin’ would give him ‘nightmares for a long time.’ The misdemeanor simple battery charges in the 2020 arrest of Antonio Harris come amid mounting scrutiny of the state’s premier law enforcement agency over allegations of excessive force – particularly against black people – and an institutional instinct to cover it up. Jacob Brown, Dakota DeMoss and George ‘Kam’ Harper, who are white, were seen on body-camera video piling onto Harris following a high-speed chase that ended next to a cornfield in rural Franklin Parish. The three former state troopers slapped and punched Harris even though he had surrendered face down with his arms and legs splayed. The family of a 10-year-old girl who choked herself to death as part of a TikTok challenge is suing the video platform for negligence and having a ‘defective design.’ Nylah Anderson of Philadelphia was found unconscious in her mom’s bedroom closet on December 7. She hung herself from a purse strap after seeing videos related to the ‘blackout challenge’ on the app’s ‘For You’ page, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Pennsylvania. The challenge encourages users to asphyxiate themselves, pass out and regain consciousness on camera. Nylah’s mother Tawainna says the company is to blame for her death because the content ‘was thrust in front of’ her. ‘I cannot stop replaying this day in my head,’ Tawainna said at a press conference Thursday. ‘The unbreakable bond in our family is now shattered and void.’ Last year, a 12-year-old boy died after using a shoelace to choke himself for the same challenge, his family says. A mother in Dallas is asking for the community’s help in locating her missing daughter. Brendetta McDonald has been placing fliers in areas across Dallas and posting her daughter’s photo on a variety of social media sites. McDonald said her 15-year-old daughter has been missing since April 27. Thursday, May 12, the Dallas Police Department upgraded her case to “critical missing”. “Just come home baby,” McDonald said as she cried. “Do whatever you’ve got to do to get home. I miss you.” After five months of searching, investigators in Michigan believe they are one step closer to solving the death of Zion Foster, a 17-year-old girl whose sudden disappearance not only rocked the small town of Eastpointe but also drove a family apart. On Thursday, police zeroed in on the spot where they believe the teen’s body is buried 100 feet beneath the surface, WXYZ reported, possibly providing crucial answers after Foster’s cousin offered a sensational story about her death. Foster was last known to be hanging out with a cousin, 23-year-old Jaylin Brazier, who picked her up from her house on Jan 4. Brazier was sentenced on March 30 for initially giving false statements to police related to Foster’s disappearance. During the sentencing, Foster’s mother, Ciera Milton, testified that she was incredibly close with her daughter. A Black truck driver shared the story of his night in Vidor, Texas, a notorious “sundown town.” Sundown towns are all-white parts of the United States considered to be unsafe for Black people after dark. The term goes back to segregation-era signs that said “colored people” had to leave by sundown but continues to describe communities that retain a wholly or predominantly white population by systemically keeping out minorities. Vidor was a haven for the Ku Klux Klan in the 1990s. When a federal judge ordered the county to desegregate public housing in 1993, the KKK held rallies in Vidor, prompting Texas Monthly to run a cover story calling it “Texas’ Most Hate-Filled Town.” Vidor is 98.4 percent white and 0.1 percent Black, according to census data. “My night in a sundown town,” Black truck driver Gideon captioned a video about his stop-over in Vidor. His TikTok from May 3 has been viewed over 875,000 times. RCA Inspiration celebrates multiple nominations for the upcoming 37th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Eighteen Stellar Award nominations for Mali Music, Kelontae Gavin, Travis Greene, Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling and Kirk Franklin includes Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, Album of the Year, and Choir of the Year, along with nominations in Contemporary, Traditional, Urban/Inspirational, and Praise and Worship categories. Garnering seven nominations for a live EP collaboration is Mali Music. Jonny x Mali: Live in LA project include: Artist of the Year, Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, Contemporary Album of the Year, Special Event Album of the Year, and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year. Separately, Mali is also named with singer Amethyst on her song “Redeemed” (ft. Mali Music), nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year. Garnering five nominations is Kelontae Gavin for his album The N.O.W. Experience. His Stellar Award nominations include: Male Artist of the Year, Traditional Male Artist of the Year, Traditional Album of the Year, Praise and Worship Album of the Year, and Praise and Worship Song of the Year for his hit single “Great.” Garnering two nominations is Travis Greene for his album Oil + Water. His Stellar Award nominations include: Male Artist of the Year, and Contemporary Male Artist of the Year. Garnering two nominations is Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling, Third Round. Their Stellar Award nominations include: Choir of the Year, and Traditional Choir of the Year. Separately, Kirk Franklin received a nomination in the Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year category, as a co-performer on the Lil Baby x Kirk Franklin track “We Win.” The 37th Annual Stellar Awards will be taped in Atlanta, GA, July 15th-16th, 2022. With its impending return after a 10 year hiatus, How Sweet The Sound is poised to electrify the gospel music industry on June 4th 2022, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, as it selects the best gospel choir, soloist, and dance performance. The live, in-person gospel music competition also marks the start of a multi-dimensional partnership with the Ad Council on their Sound It Out Campaign – an initiative to help parents and caregivers discuss mental health with their children. The collaboration between the Ad Council and How Sweet The Sound seeks to encourage and equip people in the Black community to have more conversations about their emotional wellbeing, which has been further impacted by the pandemic. Black parents more often than white parents have reported that COVID-19 has negatively impacted their children's education, their ability to care for their children and their relationships with family members.[1] How Sweet The Sound and the Sound It Out campaign both showcase the unifying role music can play in bringing people together. Their partnership helps empower parents through music, using it as a powerful tool to start conversations with kids about their emotional wellbeing. The Sound It Out campaign is focused on showing how music can be used to explore difficult emotions and experiences with middle schoolers (ages 10-14), with a particular emphasis on reaching students through parents and caregivers. Sound It Out is a joint effort of the Ad Council and Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by philanthropist Melinda French Gates. June 3rd 2022 from 7 to 10pm, for its sixth year, Tim Reid Productions will present a Cultural Fashion Showcase at The John Marshall Ballrooms, Richmond, VA. International and regional designers will reveal a glamorous mix of colorful styles and fashions. Among the brands confirmed are designers from Panama, Cameroon, Europe, Ethiopia, Washington, DC and Virginia, including: Tatiana Cole, Derrick Sellers & Orlando Ortiz, Hiari Strong, and Richmond’s own Ronald Lee. Our special guest is renowned artist Toni Scott, introducing her collection of wearable art. We also welcome back our international host, producer, and designer, Salome Seifu who will be showing her Ethiopian collection, which highlights her work with the women of Ethiopia who produce the collection using the outstanding fabrics for which her country is known. “We are very proud to have these outstanding designers join us for this, our 6th season of fund raising, as well as our being an important platform for a growing number of new designers,” says Tim Reid, the founder of Legacy Media Institute and its’ annual Fashion Showcase. Netflix has announced the acquisition and premiere of the compelling documentary “Bigger than Africa” by African Filmmaker, Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye. The new documentary dives in to how the culture tradition and the religion of the Yoruba’s of west Africa survived the transatlantic slave trade and remain the most prominent African culture in the New World. Bigger Than Africa documents the journey of enslaved Africans through the lens of these surviving West African cultures. This historical documentary takes you through 6 countries, Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, The United States and back to where it all began in West Africa. The well-researched documentary will expose the international audience to how Yoruba culture transcends continents and connects the Black diaspora. New details have emerged from the 88-page indictment against rappers Young Thug and Gunna, along with over two dozen people associated with Young Slime Life (YSL). Lil Wayne, Dwayne Carter is listed as a victim in the indictment because YSL associate allegedly Jimmy Winfrey shot at the hip-hop star’s tour bus in April 2015, according to the New York Times. After Young Thug’s arrest, his lawyer, Brian Steel, said his client had “committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” The Guardian reports. Kendrick Lamar on Sunday night (May 8) dropped the visuals for “The Heart Part 5,” which samples Marvin Gaye’s 1976 classic record “I Want You,” and the rapper uses deep fake technology to transform into several famous Black men. https://youtu.be/uAPUkgeiFVY A rapidly moving brush fire destroyed at least 20 homes and forced emergency evacuations in Orange County, California, on Wednesday in a foreboding sign of the new normal for the parched region. The fire in the city of Laguna Niguel started Wednesday afternoon and grew to about 200 acres as it ripped through mansions along hillside streets in one of California’s richest neighborhoods. Flames swallowed entire homes and burned through to their interiors in one neighborhood, while firefighters hosed down nearby houses on the same street hoping to save them, footage from CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL showed. https://youtu.be/8ItyM72dTzA We caught up with the cast of ALLBLK’s new dramedy series “À La Carte,” which is centered around the Black millennial dating experience and one girl’s journey to the place she never thought she’d end up – on the side. Per press release, the series is created by Breanna Hogan and is directed and executive produced by Dijon Talton and The Talton Company. Hogan also serves as executive producer, alongside Meagan Good and Katrina Y. Nelson (ALLBLK’s Lace) for The Talton Company, and Christopher O’Conner in association with Prodigi Arts Entertainment. Angela White serves as producer with Brett Dismuke and Nikki Love as executive producers for ALLBLK. https://youtu.be/1wmi0a9yrSI James Earl Jones was reportedly paid $7,000 to voice Darth Vader in the first “Star Wars” film. Jones explained in a resurfaced clip from the American Film Institute that director George Lucas cast him to voice Darth Vader, a character actually played by the late David Prowse. “George wanted, pardon the expression, a dark voice,” Jones said in the clip. “So he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that’s the voice. That’s me.” Jones also admitted that he was quite excited about his $7000 paycheck. “I lucked out, from all these so-called handicaps, for a job that paid $7,000! I thought that was good money,” Jones told AFI. “And I got to be a voice on a movie!” Jones also revealed that he and Lucas disagreed on how Darth Vader should sound in the film’s sequel, “The Empire Strikes Back.” https://youtu.be/RAJgnUix2kI The cousin of Regina King hit up Instagram on Mother’s Day to share an update on the actress who has been lowkey since losing her son to suicide earlier this year. Twitter user with the handle @LawrenceCainJr posted a selfie he snapped of King during their Facetime call. “Seeing Cuzo smile made today complete ???? continue to pray for the mothers who are living without their children,” he captioned the tweet. https://www.instagram.com/desdunemjv/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=03c01356-1ce3-4dba-b9d4-c9f7a163f43a Deaths from COVID-19 are on the rise again after several weeks of upward ticking case rates sparked by Omicron variants. Driving the news: The U.S. averaged roughly 365 daily deaths, up 7% from about 342 two weeks ago. That’s still a fraction of where things stood several months ago when the daily average was in the thousands. This week, the U.S. will likely reach 1 million deaths from COVID. As the milestone nears, President Biden said that “we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible.” Yes, but: The increase in deaths comes after several weeks of declines. While increasingly transmissible Omicron variants have generally not appeared to cause more serious illness, some people are still dying. Waning immunity and low booster uptake has also meant a growing share of the deaths are among the vaccinated, officials warn. THERE are fears that this summer will bring wild west-like gun violence in US cities where even good kids feel pressure to carry guns. This feeling of an impending storm follows Monday’s CDC analysis of shooting deaths during the pandemic, which reached levels America hasn’t seen since 1968 and disproportionately impacted black men. Firearms were involved in 79 per cent of all homicides in 2020 – a 35 per cent increase from 2019 – according to a May 10 report published by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There were 19,384 gun murders in 2020, which surpassed the previous high of 18,253 recorded by the CDC in 1993. The sky high number of firearm murders coincided with the pandemic-fuelled spike in gun sales, according to Pew Research. “In 2020, the number of monthly federal background checks for gun purchases was consistently at least 20 percent higher than in the same month in 2019,” Pew Research said in its September report. “It’s about to be a crazy summer. You can feel it in the air,” Damon Jones told The Sun. Jones, who spent three decades in law enforcement, is New York State’s representative of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America and publishes the local newspaper Black Westchester. Southern Baptist congregations saw a rebound in the number of baptisms and an increase of $304 million in overall giving in 2021, both hopeful signs congregations are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Southern Baptist congregations baptized 154,701 in 2021, a 26 percent increase from 123,160 reported in 2020, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions. Although baptisms are not back to pre-COVID levels, Southern Baptist leaders rejoice that numbers are moving in the right direction. “I am incredibly proud of local churches that have stayed steady with evangelism during the pandemic,” said Willie McLaurin, SBC Executive Committee interim president and CEO. “The increase in baptisms highlights that local pastors and churches prioritize soul-winning, evangelism and discipleship. However, while we rejoice with the uptick in baptisms, more individuals still need to hear the life-changing Gospel of Jesus.” An earthquake struck Wyoming in the area of Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday morning, according to the University of Utah’s Seismograph Stations. There were no reports of damage or injuries. The 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck just after 7:30 a.m. local time at a depth of 8.7 miles, the University of Utah said. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “The Yellowstone region is one of the most seismically active areas in the United States.” The area sees an average of 1,500 to 2,500 quakes a year, but most are too small for humans to detect — 99% of them are below magnitude 2. However, USGS has about 50 seismographs, which capture and measure earthquakes, located throughout the park. The park is situated on top of a “supervolcano,” with the potential to unleash a cataclysmic eruption. But the volcano has only had three major eruptions in the last 2.1 million years, according to the National Park Service. The first eruption spewed ash as far away as present day Missouri and ejected 6,000 times the volume of material ejected from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, NPS said. The most recent major eruption occurred 631,000 years ago. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has told a lower appeals court to take another look at the controversial illegal voting conviction of Crystal Mason, who was given a five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while she was on supervised release for a federal conviction. The state’s court of last resort for criminal matters on Wednesday ruled a lower appeals court had wrongly upheld Mason’s conviction by concluding that it was “irrelevant” to Mason’s prosecution that she did not know she was ineligible to cast a ballot. The ruling opens the door for Mason’s conviction to ultimately be overturned. Students graduating from a historically Black college in East Texas were told at their commencement ceremony that an anonymous donor had paid their balances, officials said. Wiley College said in a news release that over 100 students were gathered for graduation Saturday when the school’s president made the announcement. “We are constantly communicating with donors to assist students in these ways so that they can begin their after-college experience with less debt,” Herman J. Felton Jr., Wiley’s president and CEO, said in the news release. The college said in the news release that the estimated total for the balances owed to the college by the graduating class of 2022 was about $300,000. The 2007 movie “The Great Debaters” starring Denzel Washington was inspired by the 1935 debate in which Wiley prevailed over the University of Southern California’s nationally-known, powerhouse team at a time when the nation was heavily segregated. Black content creators have been outspoken about the disparities they face on various social media platforms. At The Root, we’ve reported on Black TikTok creators who have grown increasingly frustrated with white creators’ ability to earn more money and receive more sponsorship deals. These issues have led to Black creators striking and looking for alternative platforms where their voices will be heard and valued. But Isaac Hayes III believes he has developed a solution that will help folks who create viral social content get the credit they are due. Hayes III spoke with The Root about his idea and why he thinks it will change the game. As the name implies, Fanbase is a social media platform that allows you to follow any user for free. A fee of $4.99 per month allows you subscribe to exclusive content. Users can also unlock one post at a time. The business model lets users make money by placing video, photos, or long-form pieces behind a paywall for fans to access. The idea is catching on. The Instagram account currently has over 103,000 followers. The blood-alcohol level of the man shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer last month was more than three times the legal limit, according to a Kent County Medical Examiner’s autopsy and toxicology report released Monday to The Detroit News under a public records request. Lyoya’s blood ethanol was 290 mg/dL, according to the report. That converts to a 0.29 BAC, more than three times Michigan’s limit of 0.08 and higher than 0.17, which the state classifies as super drunk. The seven-page report confirms the results of an independent autopsy last month: that Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head. The time of death is listed as 8:33 a.m. Other than alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and the antihistamine diphenhydramine, no other drugs were found in Lyoya’s system, according to the report. Michigan State Police officials are still waiting for forensic evidence before concluding its investigation into the April 4 traffic stop in which Lyoya was killed by Grand Rapids police Officer Christopher Schurr. Schurr is on administrative leave pending the results of the Michigan State Police investigation into the death of Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant. A man passed away from a heart attack while burying his dead girlfriend, who he killed.? According to reports, karma hit a #SouthCarolina man like a ton of bricks after he suffered a heart attack while burying his girlfriend, who he reportedly strangled to death. The man was identified as 60-year-old Joseph McKinnon and his girlfriend was 65-year-old Patricia Dent.? According to Fox News, officers from the #EdgefieldCounty Sheriff’s Office went to the Trenton home on Saturday after receiving reports of “an unresponsive male lying in his yard.” Police found McKinnon’s body when they arrived at the scene. Next to McKinnon’s body was a pit that had just been dug up and in it was a second body, Fox News reports.? An autopsy determined that the McKinnon strangled the woman and then suffered a “cardiac event” while trying to cover up his crime. Fox News reports investigators believe McKinnon strangled the woman inside the home and then prepped her body to be buried.? “Mr. McKinnon then bound her and wrapped her in trash bags before putting her in the previously dug pit,” the sheriff said. A Texas mother has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for turning a blind eye to her 13-year-old daughter being sexually abused by a 47-year-old man whom she allowed the child to marry. Cherry Payton, 43, has been found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a young child in Fort Bend County, Complex reports. She claimed a child marrying a grown man is “a normal part of their religious beliefs.” https://youtu.be/3-KstvDRB74 Misinformation about how families can get through the infant formula shortage is fueling concern among pediatricians like Dr. Tanya Altmann. The California doctor has been getting phone calls, emails and social media messages — not just from her patients but from families all over the United States — along with photos of empty store shelves that once held infant formula. Parents say they’ve been to a dozen stores and looked on a hundred websites and can’t find their baby’s infant formula, and they want to know what to do and whether some of the so-called alternatives they’re hearing about are legit. “It’s scary for these moms and their babies, and it’s becoming a real issue,” Altmann said. https://youtu.be/FQSR3ZfHTsQ After more than 150 years, Lincoln College in central Illinois is closing its doors after significant challenges from Covid-19 and complications stemming from a recent cyberattack. The college is a predominantly Black institution, as designated by the U.S. Department of Education, and according to the Lincoln Heritage Museum, was the only college named for Abraham Lincoln while he was still living. It opened in 1865. “Lincoln College has survived many difficult and challenging times — the economic crisis of 1887, a major campus fire in 1912, the Spanish flu of 1918, the Great Depression, World War II, the 2008 global financial crisis, and more, but this is different,” part of a statement posted to Lincoln College’s website read. “The economic burdens initiated by the pandemic required large investments in technology and campus safety measures, as well as a significant drop in enrollment with students choosing to postpone college or take a leave of absence, which impacted the institution’s financial position,” the statement continued. But it also singled out a cyberattack in December 2021 that “thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data, creating an unclear picture of Fall 2022 enrollment projections. All systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were inoperable.” Eric Holder, the man accused of being the triggerman in the murder of late rap star Nipsey Hussle, has been given a trial date of June 2, according to the Los Angeles Criminal Court calendar. The hearing will be held at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. Holder, who was arrested in 2019 after a two-day manhunt, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of felony possession of a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting. If convicted, he faces a life sentence in prison. Don’t expect an “Emancipation” for Oscar winner Will Smith in 2022. Originally expected to drop on the fall festival circuit later this year, the actor’s next film from Apple, and co-produced by his production company Westbrook Studios, is planning to delay the film’s release to sometime in 2023. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”), the movie would have been the first release for Smith following his assault on comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Oscars. As a result, he was banned from attending the Oscars and other Academy-related events for 10 years. Though the studio did not officially date “Emancipation,” it was expected to be the streamer’s next potential awards project this year after winning best picture for “CODA.” While Apple has not shared an official date, one source familiar with the situation said “it’s the unspoken truth” that the action-drama will not hit the platform in 2022. However, the same source also revealed there have been ongoing internal discussions between Apple executives and the filmmakers on how a release in the fall could move forward, but it seems highly unlikely. Actor and producer Viola Davis will be honored with the 2022 Women In Motion Award bestowed by Kering Group and the Cannes Film Festival. Davis currently appears on screen in the Showtime series “The First Lady,” where she plays Michelle Obama. She recently published her autobiography, “Finding Me,” written during lockdown, that recounts her childhood experiences in an underprivileged environment in Saint Matthews, S.C. The book, which has rapidly become a bestseller, also highlights harassment and abuse faced by the most disadvantaged people in society. Accordingly, Davis was praised by the award’s organizers both “for her acting roles and her commitment to the rights of women and minorities,” they said, calling her in a statement “one of the most influential American actresses and producers of her time.” “Her talent, hard work, choice of roles and the way she interprets them have earned her the very highest recognitions in the film industry,” the statement underlined. It noted that Davis “is one of the few Hollywood personalities to have won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, four SAG Awards, and what Hollywood calls the Triple Crown of Acting: two Tony Awards, an Oscar and an Emmy, for her roles in the stage play “King Hedley II,” in “Fences” and its remarkable film adaptation, and in the TV series “How to Get Away with Murder.” Two months after the moment has passed Steve Harvey has spoken about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. During a speaking engagement at Georgia State University (with initial reporting by Atlanta Journal-Constitution who covered the event), Harvey mentions how the slap was a “punk move” and he’s “lost a lot of respect for him.” He didn’t hold back his feelings about the situation and mentioned how faith has helped him solve problems in a non-violent way. “I’m a Christian, but I’m really undeveloped. I don’t have high-level Christianity. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m like a 2. That’s the level of Christianity I can work on,” Harvey said. “You slap T.D. Jakes, he’ll turn the other cheek. You slap me? If you sit back in your seat, Jada [Will’s wife] would have to move out of the way. That’s the type of Christian I am.” Bono is set to release a memoir titled Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story this November. The book, named after a song on U2’s 1983 album War, will be composed of 40 chapters – all named after the band’s hits – and will each feature original drawings by the musician. Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, will chronicle his childhood growing up in Dublin – including the death of his mother when he was 14 – as well as his rise to fame with U2 and his activism against HIV/AIDS and poverty. In a statement, he said: ‘When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I’d previously only sketched in songs. ‘The people, places, and possibilities in my life. Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. ‘Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept. Over 700 people sustained injuries requiring notable medical attention after the fatal crowd rush at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston last November, according to a new court filing filed in Harris County on Monday. Jason Itkin, Richard Mithoff and Sean Roberts, the attorneys acting as plaintiffs’ liaison counsel for the suits, divided the thousands of claims by number of deaths, number of injuries that required “extensive” and “less extensive” medical treatment or other unspecified injuries where the severity is still to be determined. Along with the 10 deaths, the attorneys reported 732 claims tied to injuries that required extensive medical treatment, 1,649 tied to less extensive treatment, and 2,540 claims for injuries where the severity is still under review, totaling over 4,900 claims for deaths and injuries at the festival. It is to date the most extensive number of injuries reported since the tragedy; early reports estimated over 300 injuries. When Kevin Hart fires up his grill this summer, there won’t be any beef. Just in time for National Burger Month, the comedian is teaming up with the folks at Beyond Meat to launch a summer grilling ad campaign for the plant-based protein brand. In the ad, Hart tries to convince comedian Spank Horton to try a Beyond Burger by convincing him that change is better for the planet. And because it’s Kevin Hart, he drives the point home by dressing in cringeworthy outdated outfits from the 70s, 80s and 90s that are better left in the past. Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal and Common are just a few of the celebrities who have signed on as Beyond Meat investors or ambassadors. Hart became an investor in Beyond Meat back in 2019. And since that time he has been outspoken about the health benefits of a plant-based diet and his decision to remove red meat from his diet. On a May 2020 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Hart revealed that he had converted to a plant based diet, a decision that has helped him live a healthier lifestyle and achieve his fitness goals. Comic book superheroes have been a fascination with kids and adults for decades. But some of the characters have grown darker and darker through the years, causing serious concern over evil themes that glorify sorcery and occultism. Now, millions of young children and even many Christians are being indoctrinated with the idea that it’s normal to channel other realms and entities which are ultimately demons. In fact, witchcraft and the occult have become so mainstream that people no longer seem to be shocked by their blatant presence. Joe Schimmel, senior pastor of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley, CA told CBN News that Marvel’s latest flick, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is “pushing the envelope” by “making satanists the heroes.” Schimmel said Marvel mixes in Christian themes to make the movie seem ok, “Making the bad guys have elements of Christ. Many Christians are putting their guards down, not realizing the darkness.” The pastor, who is also a documentary filmmaker, explained that the anti-God focus and the evil messages in Marvel films and DC comics are obvious. Disney has shared the first trailer for Rise, the biographical sports drama the ascent of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his two brothers, Kostas and Thanasis. The trailer for the movie, which debuts on Disney+ next month, tells the story of the hardship the Antetokounmpo family faced after emigrating from Nigeria to Greece. Even though they faced the almost constant threat of deportation in Greece, the brothers became the first trio of siblings to all win an NBA championship when the Milwaukee Bucks won the Finals last year. https://youtu.be/numzJtJWT8c Bill Fitch, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 for his accomplishments as a coach, died Wednesday, his daughter Marcy Ann Coville confirmed via Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. Fitch was 89. “I am sad to announce that NBA Hall of Famer Bill Fitch passed away Wednesday evening,” Carlisle, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said, per Marc Stein. “He died peacefully surrounded by his loving family in Lake Conroe, Texas.” Fitch spent time with five different franchises: the Cavaliers, Celtics, Rockets, Nets and Clippers. Throughout his 25 years of coaching in the NBA, he took home two Coach of the Year honors, in 1975–76 (with Cleveland) and in ’79–80 (with Boston). He led the Celtics to the NBA title in the ’81 season and later lost to the Celtics in the ’83 Finals while coaching the Rockets. Tom Brady will join Fox Sports as its lead NFL analyst when his playing career ends. Fox did not disclose terms of Brady’s deal, but the New York Post reported that the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has agreed to a 10-year, $375 million contract — the most lucrative in sports broadcasting history. Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the news Tuesday during a corporate investor call. Brady will call games alongside lead play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and will work as an “ambassador” for Fox with a focus on “client and promotional initiatives.” “We are delighted that Tom has committed to joining the Fox team and wish him all the best during this upcoming season,” Murdoch said. A West Side baker with a mission to inspire young people to be their own boss. CBS 2’s Steven Graves with an inside look at how she’s taking her lessons from the kitchen to the classroom. At this shop for sweets in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, you’ll find a different type of flavor. “S-C-H-W-E-E-T Schweet! It just has a nice ring to it!” So, Chamille Weddington named her newly opened, pandemic-born business after it – ‘Schweet Cheesecake.’ https://youtu.be/6dXW3yASK5k Atlanta is celebrating iconic singer Jody Watley with Jody Watley Day event inside the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, June 2, 2022 from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The legendary singer will also be publicly recognized for her time, effort, and dedication to humanity in the form of the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony. She is confirmed to attend the event. “We are so excited to designate June 2nd as Jody Watley Day in Atlanta, Georgia,” says Georgia representative Billy Mitchell.” “She is truly the epitome of grace, excellence, class, and a gifted songstress and songwriter.” Dr. Jacqueline Mohair, founder of Trinity International University of Ambassadors adds, “There is not a more deserving recipient to receive this honor than Dr. Watley who has paved the way for so many others.” MNRK Music Group is elated to announce its 16 nominations for the 37th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The powerful night of faith and music will take place in Atlanta on July 15 and 16. MNRK’s very own Jonathan McReynolds, James Fortune, Todd Dulaney and Josh Copeland collectively bring in 16 nominations. With several nominations across the Stellar Awards categories, hit-makers Jonathan McReynolds and Todd Dulaney lead with 7 nominations each. Award-winning artists James Fortune and Josh Copeland follow with their own respective nominations. Today, the nominations for the 37th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards were announced and TRIBL Records, one of the trailblazing labels in the Christian, Gospel, and Inspirational music, received 6 nominations. TRIBL’s GRAMMY-winning super group Maverick City Music earns six nominations including Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for the Billboard Gospel #1 single, “Jireh.” Co-Founder & President of TRIBL’s Records, Stephanie Valcarcel, says, “Our artists and creative teams work effortlessly all year to share the gospel in new and inspiring ways both sonically and visually. We are honored to have our work recognized by the Stellar Gospel Music Awards and its voting members.” The Stellar Awards, which are the most prestigious awards in Gospel music, will take place on Saturday, July 16th in Atlanta, GA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edaA71kMKgg Meet Jessica Toni. She loves God with all of her heart and sings his praises daily for all the world to hear. For a couple of months now you've seen her and heard her on social media as she covered a wide spectrum of music This young lady is a North Carolina native who bears the reside of inspiration from Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Daryl Coley, Twinkie Clark and Rev. John P Kee has also crafted a very special gift and the world is taking a listen. Rhyme & Reason Production in conjunction with Enon Music Group is proud to present Jessica Toni as she celebrates her Identity in Jesus Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACF3Kph6Xt8 T.D. Jakes' annual International Leadership Summit, held at the Charlotte Convention Center on March 31-April 2, brought fireworks and some 10,000 attendees to their feet as guests like Denzel Washington, Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, Van Jones, Janice Bryant Howroyd and more shared their advice on how to revolutionize the future of leadership. Numbers just finalized calculated that the event brought in $9.2 million in economic impact for the city of Charlotte with revenue for hotels boasting a 74% increase than the previous week.The 2023 International Leadership Summit will be held in Orlando from May 4-6. Jakes will next host one of the nation's most popular conferences for women—Woman, Thou Art Loosed! in Atlanta Sept. 22-24. Like in Charlotte, the conference will bring a wealth of income to the Atlanta area. The conference that helped turned Jakes into a household name will take its final curtain call. Coming "home" to Atlanta after being in Dallas for several cycles, this year's Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Homecoming is set to pay homage to the women who've ignited this movement the past few decades. For years, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! has highlighted challenges and unique nuances hidden from the global narrative, emancipating women and their families from generations of being contained. The outcome of those moments from Woman, Thou Art Loosed! is still reverberating around the world today. CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, continues tonight, May 11 at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl4RZ1jKteA CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Global Gourmet, is back tonight, May 11 at 9:30 p.m./8:30C. Hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, the show highlights the joys of delicious food and stories of wanderlust travel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo2Re0zk1SY The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Lisa Cook to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, becoming the first African American woman to be a member of the panel. The final vote was 51-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie. All Republicans opposed Cook, with several complaining that she is not qualified for the position, despite having a doctorate in economics and being a professor at Michigan State University. “Professor Cook has no proven expertise in monetary economics at all, much less fighting inflation,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said before the vote. “Professor Cook is a proven partisan who has promoted left-wing conspiracy theories and called for a fellow academic to be fired because that person did not support defunding the police.” As Prince Charles stared at the Imperial Crown on Tuesday morning, which was seated on a velvet cushion rather than his mother’s head, he looked morose and a little lost. Charles is certainly passionate about fulfilling his destiny and ascending to the throne. And his appearance in the Houses of Parliament Tuesday, tasked with carrying out the most important constitutional duty of the British monarch in his mother’s place, opening the new legislative session of Parliament, was an invitation to him—and the world—to cast their minds forward to how his reign will look and feel. But between now and then, there is the unavoidable fact of the death of his mother. And the consequent unavoidable question, following her last minute decision not to appear in London Tuesday for that ceremony, is how soon that will be. The Chinese military deployed forces all around the island of Taiwan over the weekend in a set of large-scale military drills that one Chinese military analyst called a “rehearsal of possible real action.” On Monday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced its Eastern Theater Command organized maritime, aerial, conventional missile and other forces around Taiwan and carried out drills around the island from Friday to Sunday. The Eastern Theater Command said the drills were intended “to test and improve the joint operations capability of multiple services and arms.” While Taiwan governs itself as an independent nation, China considers the island a part of its territory and Chinese officials have repeatedly discussed “reunification” with the island, including by means of military force. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has told a lower appeals court to take another look at the controversial illegal voting conviction of Crystal Mason, who was given a five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while she was on supervised release for a federal conviction. The state’s court of last resort for criminal matters on Wednesday ruled a lower appeals court had wrongly upheld Mason’s conviction by concluding that it was “irrelevant” to Mason’s prosecution that she did not know she was ineligible to cast a ballot. The ruling opens the door for Mason’s conviction to ultimately be overturned. Mason’s lawyers turned to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals after the Tarrant County-based Second Court of Appeals found that her knowledge that she was on supervised release, and therefore ineligible to vote, was sufficient for an illegal voting conviction. Mason has said she did not know she was ineligible to vote and wouldn’t have knowingly risked her freedom. On Wednesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the lower court had “erred by failing to require proof that [Mason] had actual knowledge that it was a crime for her to vote while on supervised release.” They sent the case back down with instructions for the lower court to “evaluate the sufficiency” of the evidence against Mason. Grace Christian Academy responded after a video shared on social media Wednesday showed a student wearing a white hood commonly associated with the Ku Klux Klan while shouting a racial slur. The video starts with one person unfolding a metal chair that shows Grace Christian Academy’s logo, with ambient music playing in the background, along with another person’s laughter off-camera. He then ushers another person into the room, telling him to sit down. In the video, this person was wearing a white hood and carried a wooden staff with a container of what appeared to be hardwood floor cleaner. A person off-camera then screamed and commanded the person wearing the hood to talk. He shouted “who do we hate?” before screaming a racial slur. Throughout the video, people off camera are heard cackling and laughing. Officials with Grace Christian Academy said they were aware of the video and were taking disciplinary steps, but did not specify what those steps were. Flint City Councilwoman Eva Worthing is addressing what other members of council are saying was a racist remark during a meeting earlier this week. Worthing says she didn’t realize what she was saying until it was too late. “I was actually just shocked it came out of my mouth in the first place. I don’t normally talk that way. It was just frustration.. pure frustration,” she said. Eva Worthing says things took a turn for the worst when a motion was not brought to the council floor. She tells Mid-Michigan NOW Councilwomen Jerri Winfrey-Carter was in charge of that meeting and referenced that Winfrey-Carter would “go all out on you” when she addressed Worthing. After nearly 50 years in prison, Sundiata Acoli is finally going home to spend his remaining days with his daughter and loved ones. The New Jersey Supreme Court released its decision Tuesday morning granting Acoli’s bid for freedom. Setting aside any political concerns underlying Acoli’s case, the state Supreme Court determined the parole board’s continued denial was “not supported by substantial evidence in the record or by a reasonable weighing of the relevant factors in N.J.A.C. 10A:71-3.11(b) that govern parole.” “Even under the most deferential standard of review, the Board has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that there is a substantial likelihood that, if released on parole, Acoli will commit a crime,” read the decision. “Acoli must be released because the statutory standards for granting parole have been met, without regard to extraneous factors like sympathy or passion or public opinion.” Bob Lanier, an eight-time All-Star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, died Tuesday, the NBA said. He was 73. Lanier, who played for 14 years in the NBA, died after a short illness, surrounded by family, the NBA said in a statement. "Bob Lanier was a Hall of Fame player and among the most talented centers in the history of the NBA, but his impact on the league went far beyond what he accomplished on the court," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in the statement. "His enormous influence on the NBA was also seen during his time as President of the National Basketball Players Association, where he played a key role in the negotiation of a game-changing collective bargaining agreement." Lanier also served as the league's global ambassador for more than 30 years, "traveling the world to teach the game's values and make a positive impact on young people everywhere," Silver said. "We send our deepest condolences to Bob's family and friends," Silver added. Here is an exclusive clip for the new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” airing Thursday, May 12, at 9pm on WE tv. https://youtu.be/53dSTxxwC8E ABC has pulled the plug on the music drama “Queens” starring Brandy, Eve, Naturi Naughton, and Nadine Valazquez. The show centered on the estranged members of 90’s rap group Nasty Bitches, who reunite in their 40s and rebrand themselves as Queens. Eve’s character was written out midseason so she could give birth to her first child with husband Maximillion Cooper. Sean “Diddy” Combs has launched a new R&B record label called Love Records that will be dedicated to R&B music. According to reports, the label will release singles and collaborative projects from artists, producers, and songwriters, as well as Diddy’s own forthcoming fifth studio album, his first since 2006’s “Press Play.” The announcement comes amid reports that Diddy inked a record deal with Motown Records. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdMjaCVDYQO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In 1995, Tyrone Brooks Jr. was the founder of SuperB Music Inc, a production company he started prior to the surge of the Atlanta music scene. At the time, he was a rap artist named “SuperTy” in a group called SuperB, and a savvy businessman who had other rappers working for him. He toured with legendary acts like Outkast, Master P, Goodie Mob, and Ludacris during his brief but successful career. In 2001, he had a top 10 hit on the Billboard charts. Fast forward to 2022, and the 44-year-old Brooks is a candidate for Lieutenant Governor for Georgia. It may seem like a drastic leap, but Brooks Jr. has been involved in political and social justice work dating all the way back to his childhood. Brooks Jr. is the son of Civil Rights champion and Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks, who was an aide to Dr. Martin Luther King and was mentored by historic figures Hosea Williams and Ralph David Abernathy. At age 5, Brooks Jr. walked the halls of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the State Capitol soaking up their rich history. https://youtu.be/Up3YfSN6p74 Young Thug was arrested and booked into the Fulton County Jail Monday as he’s being accused of being the leader of a prominent Georgia gang, Young Slime Life, records show. He’s also among 28 people listed in an 88-page indictment filed on Sunday in Fulton County Superior Court. Jail records reveal that Thug, real name, Jeffery Lamar Williams, is facing a gang activity charge from 2018 and a 2013 charge of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Young Thug is currently being held without bond. His fellow collaborator, rapper Gunna, whose legal name is Sergio Kitchens, is also listed in the indictment. He’s facing similar charges and is listed as an associate of the Young Slime Life Gang. Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors recently denied accusations that she has misused organization funds. BLM has raised nearly $100 million since 2020 when donations began flooding in amid racial justice riots after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. “On paper, it looks crazy,” Cullors told the Associated Press. “We use this term in our movement a lot, which is we’re building the plane while flying it. I don’t believe in that anymore. The only regret I have with BLM is wishing that we could have paused for one to two years, to just not do any work and just focus on the infrastructure.” https://youtu.be/CK3qJGB3uMU Despite Wendy Williams’ claims that she’s planning a return to televisions, insiders claim it’s “logistically impossible”. Over the weekend, Wendy told rapper Fat Joe that she intends to return to TV on her own show. Her beloved daytime talk show was canceled earlier this year by production company Debmar-Mercury and replaced with Sherri Shepherd’s new show, set to debut this fall. “Where’s she gonna go? It’s done. Logistically, it won’t work. Sherri has her time slots,” the insider tells Page Six. Fat Joe has regularly guest-hosted on the “Wendy Show” and the source says Debmar-Mercury “is not happy” that the hip-hop star interviewed Williams. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdRJ1KPJVKv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Vivica A. Fox has weighed in on the untimely passing of controversial YouTube star Kevin Samuels. Fox said in a new episode of “Fox Soul” that his death is “karma” for having “insulted” Black women “on a consistent basis,” HotNewHipHop reports. “This man was a hypocrite, in my honest opinion. He really was. I didn’t find anything about him to be healing. He insulted African-American women on a consistent basis,” she said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdXWClaALRh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Charlotte woman says she is being evicted from her high-rise apartment because her 21-year-old daughter and a friend twerked in the pool. The friend also cursed at the concierge during a dispute over the family’s gathering at the outdoor pool. It seems the concierge took issue with the number of Black people occupying the area at the time. As reported by the Charlotte Observer, the incident occurred at Element SouthPark on April 30. Marshette Foster said the concierge approached her daughter and told her someone had reported the twerking. The woman’s daughter, Alanah Foster, apologized, but her friend took issue when the concierge said they had too many guests at the pool that afternoon. The friend reportedly became angry and cursed at the concierge. Here is an exclusive clip of the premiere episode of “Commit or Quit with Judge Lynn Toler,” premiering May 12th on WE tv. https://youtu.be/XIlkig49m5E 50 Cent came through on his promise to put actress/comedian Mo’Nique “back on” amid her alleged blacklisting in Hollywood. The rapper/actor/entrepreneur took to Instagram on Monday to reveal that Mo’Nique will join the cast of the upcoming season of Starz’s “BMF.” “Guess who i got in BMF this season GOLDIE!” the mogul wrote, introducing Mo’Nique’s new character. “GLGGreenLightGang I don’t miss, THE UNDER DOG’s BACK ON TOP.” The news comes weeks after 50 called on Oprah and Tyler Perry to apologize for allegedly “blackballing” Mo in the industry. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWzpT1jBr2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The 7th Annual Black Music Honors announces its incredible roster of performers for a star-studded celebration of influential music legends with a live studio audience taping at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Ga. on Thursday, May 19. There will be a special Juneteenth highlight recognizing the national federal holiday. Performers gracing the stage at this year’s power-packed televised show includes Kid N’ Play, 112, Carl Thomas, Raheem DeVaughn, Amber Riley, PJ Morton, Eric Bellinger and Avery Wilson. Gospel artist Tasha Page-Lockhart and Crystal Aikin. Sheléa, Kevin Ross and Eric Roberson round out the talent. Kicking off the 2022 BMH Honorees is Keri Hilson who is tapped to receive the Music and Songwriter Icon Award. Multi-Award-Winning Gospel Duo Mary Mary will be presented with the Gospel Icon Award; Five-Time GRAMMY Nominee Tevin Campbell is set to receive the R&B Icon Award; Award-Winning Supergroup Dru Hill to be recognized with the Urban Music Icon Award and a planned special performance in celebration of their 25th anniversary; NAACP Image Award-Winning Singer Karyn White is being honored with the Soul Music Award; and the Legendary R&B Group The Whispers will take home the Legends Award for their incredible nearly six decade music career. Two-Time GRAMMY Winner LeToya Luckett and Comedian DeRay Davis are co-hosting the show. Lisa Collins, publisher of L.A. Focus and founder of the First Ladies High Tea hosted the L.A. Focus 24th Annual First Ladies High Tea with presenting sponsor the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the County of Los Angeles, on Saturday, May 7, 2022, ¡at the Beverly Hilton Hotel was a grand time! Co-hosts, Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game, Insecure, Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story) and Apostle Beverly “BAM” Crawford, Pastor, Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church kept the event moving and in a joyful mood. Emmy Award-Winning Actress Loretta Devine received the Legacy Award; Cookie Johnson, NY Times bestselling author, founder of CJ, a premium denim line, and wife to Earvin “Magic” Johnson received the Spirit Award; renowned Dr. Jerry Abraham, a visionary leader in increasing vaccination rates for the most vulnerable received the CDPH Community Award; and LADWP Board President Cynthia McClain-Hill received the Corporate Award. PJ Morton drop new album "Watch The Sun" and a hit song "The Better Benediction. Here is another song "Shining Bright" in The Gospel Spotlight!!! The Better Benediction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7pADRPG4b4 The Wonder Woman Virtual Conference presented by My Sister’s Keeper Ministries will take place Tuesday - May 10, 2022 through Friday – May 13, 2022 at 6:30 pm PST and on Saturday – May 14, 2022 at 7:30 am PST. The virtual conference will feature four dynamic speakers and six workshop speakers. Confirmed conference speakers include Dr. Medina Pullings, Prophetess Melissa Smith, Co-Pastor Tawanda Usher, Apostle Rahson Jordan, and hosted by My Sister’s Keeper Ministries CEO, Dr. La Shawn Denise Witt “The Global Strategist.” Confirmed workshop speakers include Attorney Michelle J. Miller, Apostle Gigi Palmer, Dee Edwards, Gisele Marcus, Elder Leandra Green, and Pastor Miki King. With the COVID-19 pandemic still continuing, we decided it would be better for attendees to participate from the safety of their own homes,” said Dr. La Shawn Denise Witt. The lineup for this year’s Tribeca Festival was released on Monday. The festival is scheduled to take place June 8 -19, in New York, with keynotes, panel discussions, and film screenings as some of the items in the program. Big names such as Tyler Perry, Cynthia Erivo, Pharrell Williams, Dream Hampton and W. Kamau Bell will be in attendance to talk about their work over the years in various Directing and Storytelling discussions. https://youtu.be/IN0Nrftr8a0 Avatar: The Way of Water” is set to hit theaters in December, 13 years after the original film starring Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington. The first teaser trailer has dropped for James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel, which is currently playing in front of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” now in theaters nationwide. https://youtu.be/tDersMldOI0 The news season of the hit HBO Max series “Made for Love” has kicked off and we caught up with star Billy Magnussen to dish about what fans can expect from this modern tale about love and divorce. Per press release, the series is based on the novel by Alissa Nutting. Season one of “Made for Love” followed Hazel Green (Cristin Milioti), a thirty-something woman on the run after ten years in a suffocating marriage to tech billionaire Byron Gogol (Magnussen), as smart as he is insufferable. After discovering that her husband implanted a monitoring device – the Made for Love chip – in her brain, allowing him to track her, watch her and know her “emotional data,” Hazel fled to her desert hometown to take refuge with her outcast father Herbert (Ray Romano) and his synthetic partner, Diane. https://youtu.be/sIuxY6c91cA Former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams is currently starring in the Broadway show “Take Me Out,” and folks are going wild because footage has leaked of him naked on stage. An audience member snuck pictures and video of a recent performance and allegedly captured a full frontal of Williams during a shower scene of the play. Some fans have suggested that if his acting career fails then he should turn to OnlyFans. The play “Take Me Out,” per the New York Post, “tells the story of a gay professional baseball player dealing with coming out to his teammates and in the press,” the outlet writes. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdXGuiMFJl_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Bobby Brown is detailing some of his sex chronicles and let’s just say…he’s telling us the good, bad, and the illegal sh**! In an upcoming “A&E episode of Biography: Bobby Brown,” the singer shared a frightening experience with a pedophile-priest. “When my mother was arrested, I was sent to temporary custody by social services which was supposed to be a religious place,” he explained. “One of the priests tried to molest me,” he continued. “He [the priest] tried to touch my private parts. There was no penetration or anything. He touched my privates and I didn’t like that. I punched and kicked and punched some more until he got away from me; so I ran away from there as quickly as possible.” In a sit-down interview with Fat Joe, Wendy Williams admitted that she only has $2 and she will not be watching the new Sherri Shepherd show. The rapper was able to hook up an interview with Williams after she was spotted attending an after-party for the Met Gala on May 2. She revealed that she enjoyed watching the rapper host her show and how she will not be tuning into the (Sherri Shepherd) show that is taking over her slot. She says she doesn’t want to talk about money, but “unfortunately, I only have $2,” but she typically knows how much she has. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWmQMFj6lY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Katie Wright, the mother of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, is calling for the firing of a Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer who she says tried to arrest her for filming a traffic stop. Daunte Wright was shot and killed by Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter in April 2021 during a traffic stop. Potter was convicted of first and second-degree manslaughter in Wright’s killing and sentenced in February to two years in prison. Less than three months after the sentence, Katie Wright says she saw a “high police presence” for a vehicle on Wednesday that was pulled over with at least one person in it. She estimated the person to be 20 or 25 years old. So she pulled onto the highway shoulder and began to film on her cell phone. According to the ACLU of Minnesota, “You have the right to record police actions as long as you do not interfere with their activities and are not breaking any other law.” https://youtu.be/whsA3jVZBqQ A Detroit drug dealer has been arrested after authorities discovered he was selling marijuana from a vending machine outside his home. Marcellus Cornwell was reportedly earning $2000 a day with his weed vending machine that he operated for nearly four years, according to Vlad TV. Per the report: “The vending machine featured a navigation system complete with a touch screen, anime characters, a voice command option, and a slew of drugs for its paying customers. The machine even accepted credit card payments along with Apple Pay,” the outlet writes. Once the ATF (The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) caught wind of Cornwell’s activity, they arrested him. https://youtu.be/Yy1sLXKdDVU A Florida truck driver has been charged with attempted murder after he attempted to set a 1-year-old baby on fire at a gas station in New York. Jamie Avery, 25, was arrested and charged with attempted murder after New York police responded to a call about a baby found doused in a flammable liquid at an upstate gas station, New York Post reports. Another unnamed man was said to be involved in the disturbing incident and he too was detained at the scene and is expected to face charges. https://youtu.be/pQ2wGP_lDS0 On Sunday, MMA light heavyweight Joel Bauman won his match at Fury FC 61 against Reese Forest. While celebrating his victory with an interview, he opened up about a fight that didn’t go his way earlier this year. Bauman looked back on how far he’s come after taking the W last night but he made a jaw-dropping revelation in the process; blaming a recent loss on NFTs and herpes! https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWWkXLlRKo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Queens woman who was crushed between parked cars in a horror hit-and-run crash on Mother’s Day died early Monday, her family told The Post. Florence Ngwu, 49, who was pinned in front of her daughter in South Jamaica early Sunday when an out-of-control stolen truck slammed into a car, died at Jamaica Hospital, a niece said. “This is the third time and they weren’t able to revive her,” said the 29-year-old niece, who asked to be identified as Nnenna B, on Monday. “We’re all just devastated,” she told The Post, saying the family was “in shock, grief — everything seems surreal.” The Mother’s Day horror came around 8:30 a.m. when a Ford F-550 slammed into a car while doing a U-turn at 167th Street and 120th Avenue, pinning the nurse as her daughter screamed in horror. Bishop Demetrius Sinegal, the founder of an advocacy organization that works to expose clergy abuse, flew in from Texas and called for a full investigation into the November 15th marriage of Des Moines Bishop Dwight Reed and Jordan Reed of the Christ Apostolic Temple. Dwight is 63-years-old and Jordan is 19. “This marriage tears at the very fiber of the social construct of the African American family. Children are taught to respect their grandparent contemporaries not to marry them,” said Sinegal. On April 6, 2022, the newlyweds and the Christ Apostolic Temple began protecting the marriage in the court of law by filing a lawsuit together in Polk County against Bishop Sinegal and the Kingdom Church seeking $1.5 million in damages from libel. “If it were to come to that, no statement that we have made is without witnesses,” Sinegal said. https://who13.com/news/metro-news/63-year-old-bishop-defending-marriage-to-teen-in-iowa-court/ Vicky White, the Alabama corrections officer who scandalized the country by allegedly walking a murder suspect and convicted felon out of the Lauderdale County Jail last month, has died. She was 56. After spending 11 days on the run, traveling north from Florence, Alabama up to Evansville, Indiana, a U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force caught up with White and the convict, Casey Cole White, kicking off a high-speed chase that ended in a car wreck. Facing arrest, she shot herself in the head, according to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding, whose deputies assisted the Marshals in the chase. She was hospitalized in serious condition and succumbed to her wounds Monday evening. Actor and comedian Kel Mitchell experienced incredible success in Hollywood, yet personal struggles clouded his life and perspective and brought him to the brink of suicide. Mitchell, author of “Blessed Mode: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith” and star of Nickelodeon’s “All That” and “Kenan & Kel,” grew up in a Christian household but fell away from his faith after achieving fame. “I grew up in the church,” he told CBN’s Faithwire. “My grandfather was a pastor, but there is a difference between basically knowing God and having a relationship with God.” After landing hit TV and movie roles, Mitchell battled intense depression and frustration before hitting a turning point that transformed his perspective. https://youtu.be/Wwzw5JzUeAA There’s a Chadwick Boseman-sized hole on the set of “Black Panther 2.” Boseman is best remembered for his iconic role as King T’Challa in the 2018 theatrical debut of the first black superhero. Following his untimely death in August 2020, fans have campaigned for his character not to be recast in the sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” out later this year. “Black Panther” cast member Martin Freeman, who will reprise his role as the superhero’s government agency ally Everett K. Ross, discussed what it was like to film the second film without the “Marshall” star. In a new interview, Freeman, 50, told Collider that coming back to the set “was strange.” “On the one hand, you’re making the film that you’re there to make, and there are scores and scores of people on set, joined in this endeavor to make the film,” the “Love, Actually” star added. “But there’s also no question that, at the heart of it, there’s quite a gap now, and you felt it.” Erica Campbell is taking the high road against critics who say she dresses too scandalously for a curvy gospel singer. “There is always pressure for any woman, especially in the public eye,” Campbell told Page Six, adding, “I am a woman with curves that sings gospel. “When you get to a certain level of life things get uncomfortable so — to whom much is given, much is acquired.” But she says being in the public eye, you have to learn to ignore what people say about you, “You can’t say, ‘watch my show, support me on social media, buy my music,’ and then say, ‘but don’t bother me any other time.’ You do want your privacy at certain times. I want the liberty to be my full self.” In October 2020, Campbell — who is in the group Mary Mary — posted a photo of herself on her Instagram page to announce her Grammy nomination for “A Little More Jesus,” wearing a form fitting white dress. Sherri Shepherd responded to Wendy Williams’ diss over the weekend by saying she’s “truly concerned” about the former daytime talk show host. Williams appeared on Instagram Live with rapper Fat Joe recently and said she wouldn’t watch Shepherd’s takeover of her show because it’s not her “thing.” In response, the former “The View” co-anchor said she was not bothered by Williams’ comments. “I did hear Wendy say she will not watch me on the new show. And that’s OK. You know, I understand,” Shepherd said on her own Instagram Live on Saturday. The “30 Rock” alum, 55, also asked fans to “pray” for Williams, whose health has been the subject of a ton of speculation. “She’s going through a lot,” Shepherd shared. “I’m truly concerned for her.” Anthony Anderson is officially a college graduate. “Black-ish” alum, 51, shared an inspiring message Sunday on Instagram celebrating his graduation from Howard University this weekend. “To quote Biggie, ‘IT WAS ALL A DREAM!'” he wrote. “Words can’t begin to describe the emotional roller coaster I’m on right now. It’s literally been 30 years in the making.” “This spring I was finally able to complete the work to graduate from Howard University with a BFA degree from the Chadwick A Boseman College of Fine Arts!” Anderson continued. “Yesterday was a full circle moment. It’s never too late! Things happen when they’re supposed to happen!” The “Law & Order” star went on to thank the people who helped him accomplish this milestone, including Phylicia Rashad, with whom he shared a photo in the slideshow. Adreian Payne, a big man who starred at Michigan State and played four seasons in the NBA, died at 31 on Monday. Chris Solari, who covers Michigan State for the Detroit Free Press, confirmed the news.Payne died as a result of a shooting that took place at 1:30 a.m. in Florida, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Payne was shot in a townhome community in the Econ Landing neighborhood. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead. The suspected shooter, 29-year-old Lawrence Dority, remained on the scene and cooperated with authorities. Dority was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder. The Ohio native played at Michigan State under Tom Izzo from 2010-14. Payne was Second-Team All Big Ten in his junior and senior seasons. During his final campaign with the Spartans, he entered the season on the Wooden and Naismith award watch-lists and proceeded to average 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has won the Red Auerbach Trophy as NBA Coach of the Year, the league announced Monday. Williams won by a landslide, landing 81 first-place votes and finishing with 458 points overall in balloting by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins (17 first-place votes, 270 points) and Miami Heat counterpart Erik Spoelstra (1, 72) finished second and third, respectively. This is Williams’ first NBA Coach of the Year Award, and he joins Cotton Fitzsimmons (1988-89) and Mike D’Antoni (2004-05) as Phoenix head coaches to earn the honor. It comes a year after Williams finished second in voting, just 11 points behind winner Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks. Under Williams, the Suns finished with an NBA-best 64-18 regular-season record and earned the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Along the way, they won a franchise-record 18 consecutive games and also went 16-0 in November, which was tied for the second-most wins in a month without a loss in league history (the Atlanta Hawks went 17-0 in January 2015). Formula One world champion Max Verstappen won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday, slashing Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc’s overall lead from 27 to 19 points after five races. Leclerc finished a fighting second, 3.786 seconds behind after starting on pole position, with Spanish team mate Carlos Sainz completing the podium at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium. The victory was the Dutch driver’s third of the season, and second in a row, and he made it happen with a crucial overtake around the outside on Sainz at the start to seize second place before blasting past Leclerc on the ninth of the 57 laps. Verstappen, who also made sure of the bonus point for fastest lap, had looked to be cruising to victory until McLaren’s Lando Norris collided with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and crashed on lap 41, triggering the safety car. That allowed Leclerc to close the gap and get back into contention over the final 10 laps. Young Joc was recently arrested on charges of child endangerment, which was later switched to child abandonment. During Monday’s “Streetz Morning Takeover,” radio show, Joc spoke about the incident to clear his name. “I’m innocent, motherf*cker!” he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWadQCDHiZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tonight The Washington Mystics Welcome Gospel Artist Andrea Rene Williams To Sing National Anthem. It’s graduation season and as recent grads try to determine what career path to take, one agency headquartered here in Washington, D.C. wants them to consider looking at federal government careers. As part of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, along with other agencies across the department, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association are reaching out to recent HBCU grads. Roxanne Griffith, a regional administrator with the Women’s Bureau, says they’re looking for HBCU grads with all types of degrees. “For example, if someone happens to go to school for women’s studies, that would be beneficial to the Women’s Bureau,” Griffith says. She also says political science is also a great degree to have when entering into a career with the federal government, but they’re also looking for people with business, economics and STEM degrees. Vice President Kamala Harris packed a lot into her nearly 19-minute speech at Tennessee State University’s commencement ceremony on Saturday. Along with praising graduates for their accomplishments, she acknowledged the long-standing struggles that many of those who attend historically Black colleges and universities and their families have faced. Harris also talked politics, warning graduates of the challenges she anticipates they will face, and that she hopes they might solve, in what she called the “unsettled” world they are entering. “It cannot be denied also that your class has traveled a stony road,” Harris told the class of 2022. The world you graduate into is unsettled, she added. “We see this in Ukraine,” Harris said, referencing the now 10-week long war that began when Russia invaded the Eastern European country on Feb. 24. The war — and the Biden-Harris administration’s response to it has captured the nation’s attention. Harris said Russia’s invasion threatens “international rules and norms.” An elderly woman died in a hot car outside a Nevada VA hospital while her husband was having a blood transfusion after she was banned from going in due to COVID rules. Lear Litt, 75, was killed by hyperthermia – overheating – in her car in 110 degree heat after officials at the North Las Vegas VA Hospital said she could not accompany her husband, David Litt, while he went underwent a blood transfusion in August 2020. David, a military veteran, has now spoken out of his anguish over his wife’s death, and says he doesn’t know why she didn’t keep the engine running and its air-conditioning on. Lear told one passer-by she feared the car would run out of gas, but David said he never let its tank get below half-full. https://youtu.be/Z--76GQSqb8 Julissia Batties was crying hysterically and begging her grandmother not to send her for a court-ordered weekend visit with her mom, Navasia Jones. The Bronx girl, who was killed at age 7 under mysterious circumstances in Jones’ apartment last August, sobs in a heart-breaking audio recording obtained by The Post. “I don’t want to go with mommy,” Julissia repeatedly told her grandma Yolanda Davis, who was also her foster parent. Asked in another recording what the police could do, the doomed girl said simply: “Help me out.” Despite her pleas, Julissia was sent to visit her mother, who lost custody of the girl at birth, along with four sons, due to alleged negligence and physical abuse. Against objections by her grandmother and court-appointed lawyer, the city Administration for Children’s Services last June 21 finally returned Julissia to live with her mother, without supervision, for the first time. Less than two months later, on Aug. 10, Julissia was dead. The mother claimed the little girl fell and hit her head on a desk. Her eldest son, 17, told cops he punched his half-sister eight times in the face, though officials decided those blows did not kill her. Hours later, Julissia started throwing up and passed out. Her mom called 911. The brutally-injured girl was rushed to Lincoln Hospital but could not be saved. Haley Taylor Schlitz is old enough to vote, but not old enough to drink. Soon, though, she could be representing clients in court. At 19 years old, Schlitz is about to become the youngest African American to graduate law school, according to a news release from the university. Taylor Schlitz was accepted into nine different law schools across the country when she was 16 — but she chose to attend Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. Taylor Schlitz is set to graduate May 13, and hopes to work on education policy issues for an elected official or nonprofit organization, according to the release, and find ways to expand opportunities for gifted and talented girls and students of color. Her path to law school wasn’t conventional. When her previously high grades began to slide in the fifth grade, according to Essence, her parents went to the school to get to the bottom of the swift change. When her mother suggested she was bored and needed more advanced courses, the administration disagreed. Disappointed in the school’s response, her parents decided to home school her. “I was just being taught to pass the end-of-the-year test to get to the next grade,” she told the Birmingham Times. “I wasn’t being taught to learn.” Schlitz said on her website she was also not allowed to take the test to enter the gifted program in public schools. Her parents had her privately tested and found she was gifted. Taraji P. Henson had the honor of delivering the commencement address for the class of 2022 at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. The actress, 51, also received an honorary doctorate from the historically black institution, nearly 30 years after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 1995. Saturday’s commencement ceremony proved to be a star-studded affair, with the likes of rapper Travis Scott and comedian/actor Anthony Anderson seated in the audience. During her time at the podium, Henson donned a simple black graduation robe, as well as a large gold medal. She glammed up her appearance with a ruby red lip and by accessorizing with a pair of large silver hoop earrings. While an honorary doctorate doesn’t actually come with the title ‘doctor,’ Henson made it clear that she was going to use the title – at least during her commencement speech. ‘I would like to take this moment to reintroduce myself: My name is Dr. Taraji Penda Henson, Howard class of 1995,’ the Hidden Figures star said to the crowd of graduates and attendees. https://vimeo.com/707400398 A freshman cheerleader at Southern University took her own life after posting a heart-wrenching suicide note. Arlana Miller, 19, took to her Instagram Wednesday to address to her friends and family why she decided to take her life. She detailed that she hasn’t been mentally strong for the last few years of her life, and felt like she couldn’t bear the pain anymore. She says from catching COVID to tearing her ACL to almost failing all of her classes, she felt this was the end of her journey. “May this day bring me rest and peace. I have fought this urge since my early teenage years… I gave this life all the fight I had. To everyone who has entered my life I’m so grateful and I can only imagine how this may find you, I have been surrounded by people who may have honestly thought that I was okay, but I havn’t been okay for a while,” the note read. “’I struggled so much through just this year alone. From covid, to tearing my acl, to nearly failing all of my classes. To the people in my life I pray you learn to vocalize your feelings and get help always!!! I failed at that and I’m afraid it’s too late. I have written so many suicide notes my life but finally, I’ve reached my end” Three Americans died of unknown causes Friday at a Sandals resort on the Bahamas’ Great Exuma island, and police are investigating, officials said. Two men and a woman died at the resort, and a fourth American — a woman — was airlifted to a hospital in Nassau, the Bahamas’ capital, Bahamian Acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper said Friday. Though police are investigating, Cooper has been “advised that foul play is not suspected,” he said. Cooper did not name the resort. But Sandals Resorts, operators of more than a dozen all-inclusive centers in the Atlantic and Caribbean, said three guests died Friday at Sandals Emerald Bay resort on Great Exuma. Sandals did not mention a fourth hospitalized person. A woman recently shocked the mourners who turned up at her funeral reception when she banged on the lid of her own casket. Rosa Isabel Cespedes Callaca, a 36-year-old Peruvian, was believed to have died in a fatal crash in Lambayeque, Peru. But when the cemetery caretaker took off the casket lid, the deceased’s family members realized she was still alive because her eyes were wide open. They quickly recovered from their shock and rushed her (while still in the casket) to the Referential Hospital Ferrenafe in Lambayeque, where she had been pronounced dead earlier. Once they got to the hospital, the doctors quickly came forth and did their best to resuscitate the woman’s vital signs. Unfortunately, she was pronounced dead again soon after. https://youtu.be/9vCWxz8Szew To mark National Teacher Appreciation Day today, Disney Imagination Campus revealed there are four inspiring black teachers among the 50 from across the country who will be the guests of honor for a magical celebration of America’s education heroes at Walt Disney World Resort as part of its 50th anniversary. Carlanda Williams from Fresno, CA, Coquestia Ladd from Oklahoma City, Timothy Moore from Memphis, TN and Quandrell Claybrooks from Atlanta were among the educators chosen to participate in the celebratory event at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, which launched “The World’s Most Magical Celebration’’ in October to mark the resort’s 50th year. https://youtu.be/-dMFTivVzFs?list=PLflf8xbnbx66yh8vYBtdCj9Qls2HjZ37d Country singer Mickey Gilley, whose namesake Texas-sized honky-tonk bar was the birthplace of the “Urban Cowboy” music and fashion fads of the 1980s, died at age 86 in Branson, Missouri, his Facebook page announced on Saturday. Gilley, a first cousin of both rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, “had just come off the road … having played 10 shows in April,” his Facebook page said. An employee at the Mickey Gilley Theater in Branson confirmed he had died but did not know the cause of death. Gilley’s country hits included up-tempo honky-tonk songs such as “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time” and “The Power of Positive Drinkin'” and ballads like “A Headache Tomorrow (Or a Heartache Tonight).” But he was best known as owner of the bar that inspired “Urban Cowboy,” the 1980 film starring John Travolta who danced with Debra Winger and rode a mechanical bull that bucked and tried to throw him off. It was June 12, 2021, the night before the K-LOVE Fan Awards, at a special event entitled “An Evening with the Smallbones.” There were a couple of thousand people in the audience (and more who would watch the filmed event later) who wanted an up-close look into our musical family, sometimes referred to as the “Australian von Trapps.” We have been a touring family for the past 27 years, with much of it in the spotlight in some way or another, including Grammy wins for three of our children. It was a very sweet night, sharing a glimpse into our family dynamics. Then, when the cameras were turned off, our son Joel addressed the audience. He announced that he and Luke (their band is for KING & COUNTRY) had been writing a new album, and they wanted to premiere a song they had written for me: “Unsung Hero.” The boys had first played the song for me on Mother’s Day a few weeks earlier. I could tell both Joel and Luke were proud of the piece and keen to see my reaction. They had written it from a deep place and were presenting it to me as a thank-you gift for being their mum. https://youtu.be/pOcXcvoy5HI Sydney McLaughlin, who sprinted her way to two gold medals and a new world record at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said “I do” to her longtime love, former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr., Friday. The couple, who have been going strong since 2020, held their nuptials at Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, Va. “We’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time, so just excited that it’s finally here and we can say we’re married,” McLaughlin told People. The bride, 22, wore a gown by Pallas Couture featuring an elaborate matrix of flowery appliqués and see-through lace sleeves, complementing the sumptuous number with a Vera Wang veil, Jimmy Choo heels and Zales jewelry. The groom, 27, wore a bespoke Brian Alexander suit with Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. South Carolina State Athletics launched a major gifts fund-raising initiative in 2018 to raise money to increase student-athlete scholarship support and upgrade some of the current athletic facilities. On April 21st, the university and friends celebrated surpassing the fund-raising goal of $1.78 Million by raising a total of $3 Million over the past four years. The celebration coincided with the, “A Night of Celebration with The Champions”, honoring the 2021 HBCU National Champion SC State Football Team. During the event, Director of Athletics, Stacy Danley and Campaign Co- Chair and Board of Trustee, Douglas Gantt, presented a check in the amount of $3 Million to Board of Trustee Chairman, Mr. Rodney Jenkins and SCSU President Col. Alexander Conyers. “Our coaching staff and our athletes work extremely hard to be competitive and to win,” said Trustee Gantt, Pfizer Senior Representative, and campaign co-chair. “What they have needed is financial and fan support. This additional funding will allow us to close financial gaps created by university budget constraints, and most importantly, it will help us to become more competitive within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and regain our championship ways. Our coaches and athletes deserve our very best as alums, fans and supporters.” Victoria Crawford, a coach with long-term HBCU experience will lead the women’s basketball program at Fisk University. The Fisk University announced today their new coach for women’s basketball in former University of Memphis star Victoria Crawford. The Birmingham, Alabama, native takes over a program that went 9-19 overall for the season. Crawford coached this past season at Lincoln (IL.) College, Lincoln announced that the school will cease operations after this semester. “We are happy to welcome Coach Crawford to the Fisk family,” said Fisk Athletic Director Dr. Larry Glover. “She has an impressive resume. We look forward to her being an asset to the university.” Crawford was a prolific scorer in high school leading the state of Alabama as a senior in scoring with a 27-point average per game earning her a scholarship to Memphis. As a senior at Memphis, she was named the Conference USA Sixth Player if the Year award in 2004. That year she also set the school’s single season steals record. Ashanti played a significant part in some of Jennifer Lopez’s biggest hits, but she was never acknowledged. the singer contributed to Lopez’s songs such as “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny,” but she was not properly credited. The songs featured Ja Rule, who was Ashanti’s Murder Inc label mate. For years, Ashanti’s involvement in the hits remained shrouded in mystery. There were even rumors she had a disagreement with Lopez. What came out was that it was Ashanti who actually wrote the remix for “Ain’t it Funny.” The remix was released in 2002. However, she didn’t sing in the final version. Furthermore, she recorded the demo for “I’m Real” as a reference for Lopez (52) to sing along. Lopez released “I’m Real” in 2001. https://youtu.be/Tuf-RMRplOY There’s a heavy dose of what-ifs in this edition of News and Notes. But we start with one thing Cowboys fans now know for sure: Mike McCarthy will make his return to Lambeau Field in 2022 as the coach of the visiting Cowboys. It’s sure to be sure a surreal day for the former Packers skipper and a contentious game on the (possibly) frozen tundra. There’s also concrete video evidence of the car accident that involved team owner Jerry Jones this week. It doesn’t prove what caused the wreck, but it suggests Jones is lucky he wasn’t injured. Now for those hypotheticals. We’re exploring ideas like whether the Cowboys might be smart to bring former rival Odell Beckham Jr. aboard as a one-year mercenary, and whether the city of Dallas could support a second NFL team the way New York and Los Angeles do. We’re also doing some serious crystal-ball gazing with the first mock draft of the 2023 season, and we’re still imagining what Von Miller and Micah Parsons as position mates might have looked like. We’re wondering what went wrong with DeMarcus Ware’s Hall of Fame invite, and we’re going inside the nerve-wracking life of an agent on day 3 of the draft. All that and more, like schedule leaks and Matt Waletzko’s big upside, coming right up… With this week’s announcement that the Cowboys will not be headed to London to play either the Jaguars or the Packers, it means domestic road trips to both Jacksonville and Green Bay in 2022. And that means the Cowboys coach will be on the sidelines of Lambeau Field once again, for the first time since he was fired by the Packers in 2018. Anyone anticipating a return to normalcy in the Kentucky Derby got a dose of crazy on Saturday when an 80-1 shot came charging up the rail to win at Churchill Downs. As favorite Epicenter and Zandon engaged in a duel at the front, Rich Strike stole the show with the second-biggest upset in the Derby’s 148-year history. The chestnut colt beat 4-1 favorite Epicenter by three-quarters of a length. Zandon finished another three-quarters of a length back in third. “I about fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire,” winning trainer Eric Reed said. “I about passed out.” Rich Strike paid $163.60. Only Donerail in 1913 had a higher payout of $184.90. “What a crazy Derby,” said trainer Kenny McPeek, whose horses finished eighth and ninth. Rich Strike wasn’t even in the Derby until Friday when Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas scratched Ethereal Road, making room for the chestnut colt that had just one previous win in his career. “We found out about 30 seconds before the deadline on Friday,” owner Rick Dawson said. “It put us in the race and really we always felt if we just got in we’ve got a shot.” Jackson State University recently landed a commitment from class of 2022 three-star quarterback Jackson Jones out of Oregon. Jones has been praised for his dual-threat ability and is currently the top-ranked signal-caller in Oregon. He currently attends Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Oregon. The quarterback held offers from Linfield College and the Pacific Boxers. He received an offer from Jackson State University in mid-April. He then announced his commitment to the Tigers the first week of May. “I am an ambitious and dedicated person ready to take on my dreams of playing in the collegiate level for sports,” Jones wrote in a personal statement on the NCAA recruiting site. The State Department has now classified WNBA star Brittney Griner as wrongfully detained in Russia and her case is being handled by the office of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) Roger Carstens, a State Department official confirmed to CNN Tuesday. https://youtu.be/sUOc_u2mO7s An an upcoming biography about famed golfer Phil Mickelson, author Alan Shipnuck turned to Charles Barkley for some insight on not only Mickelson, but also his once bitter rival, Tiger Woods. In the forthcoming biography, “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar,“–which will be released on May 17. Shipnuck writes about Barkley’s take on Tiger Woods as he’s one of the few people who has been in the inner circles of both Mickelson and Woods. Shipnuck writes what Charles Barkley said. “One of the reasons Phil has lasted so long is because he’s had a joyful life. Tiger won a bunch of tournaments, but there wasn’t much joy in it…Sure, Tiger is a better golfer. You’re just in awe of his talent. But it’s not fun to be around him. Everyone in his world is uptight and sh-t, afraid to say or do the wrong thing.” Each year, part of a Springtime ritual, hundreds of thousands of music aficionados and foodies gather at the Fairgrounds to experience the culture that is the world-famous New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, presented by Shell. Jazz Fest is the unparalleled presentation of American roots music, international rhythms and of course, Louisiana culture that has made the festival endure and flourish for half a century. This year’s edition was significant in that this was the first in-person gathering after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The ‘R” word was thrown around throughout the festival. Return, rebirth, revival, re-ignited or re-emerged as it relates to the pandemic delayed hiatus. Regardless of how one views or expresses it, it all comes down to Jazz Fest is back, y’all! I was fortunate to be in attendance for the first weekend of jazz fest. The weather Gods looked down favorably upon the festival. It was sunny, warm with a slight breeze. A thunderstorm moved through the area Sunday morning, resulting in a 30-minute delay in the opening of the gates. The pandemic has changed the way we worship. Mask mandates are receding, COVID-19 cases are declining, and more houses of worship are going back to in-person services. But attendance at those in-person services has not risen over the past six months, Pew Research found. About one-third of Americans said they typically attend religious services once or twice a month. Among them, 43 percent reported their houses of worship are currently open and holding services the way they did before the pandemic — an increase of 14 percentage points in the last six months and up 31 points since March 2021. Only 5 percent said their houses of worship are still closed to in-person worship, about the same since September 2021. Coronavirus-related restrictions, such as wearing masks, are being rolled back in houses of worship. As of May 31, 41.2 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and CDC guidelines changed in mid-May to allow fully vaccinated Americans to “resume activities that [they] did prior to the pandemic,” reports Religion Unplugged. The Biden administration is warning the United States could see 100 million coronavirus infections and a potentially significant wave of deaths this fall and winter, driven by new omicron subvariants that have shown a remarkable ability to escape immunity. The projection, made Friday by a senior administration official during a background briefing as the nation approaches a covid death toll of 1 million, is part of a broader push to boost the nation’s readiness and persuade lawmakers to appropriate billions of dollars to purchase a new tranche of vaccines, tests and therapeutics. In forecasting 100 million potential infections during a cold-weather wave later this year and early next, the official did not present new data or make a formal projection. Instead, he described the fall and winter wave as a scenario based on a range of outside models of the pandemic. Those projections assume that omicron and its subvariants will continue to dominate community spread, and there will not be a dramatically different strain of the virus, the official said, acknowledging the pandemic’s course could be altered by many factors. Several experts agreed that a major wave this fall and winter is possible given waning immunity from vaccines and infections, loosened restrictions and the rise of variants better able to escape immune protections. Weather conditions described as potentially historic were on tap for New Mexico on Saturday and for the next several days as over 1,400 firefighters and a fleet of airplanes and helicopters worked feverishly to bolster lines around the largest fire burning in the U.S. Many families already have been left homeless and thousands of residents have evacuated due to flames that have charred large swaths of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in northeastern New Mexico. Residents on the fringes of the shifting fire front were holding out hope that all the work done over recent days to clear brush, install sprinklers, run hose lines and use bulldozers to scrape lines will keep the fire from reaching the small city of Las Vegas and other villages to the north and south. “There’s uncertainty and there’s fear about how the winds are going to affect the fire from day to day,” said Elmo Baca, chairman of the Las Vegas Community Foundation. “Once the people are evacuated out of an area, they can’t go back, so they’re just stuck worrying.” Las Vegas was like a ghost town earlier in the week, with restaurants and grocery stores closed, schools closed or pivoting to remote-only options, and the tourist district empty but for resting firefighters. By Saturday, after the days of work to protect the city of 13,000, some businesses had reopened as residents remained apprehensive while trying to return to something resembling regular life. Bishop Demetrius Sinegal, the founder of an advocacy organization that works to expose clergy abuse, flew in from Texas and called for a full investigation into the November 15th marriage of Des Moines Bishop Dwight Reed and Jordan Reed of the Christ Apostolic Temple. Dwight is 63-years-old and Jordan is 19. “This marriage tears at the very fiber of the social construct of the African American family. Children are taught to respect their grandparent contemporaries not to marry them,” said Sinegal. On April 6, 2022, the newlyweds and the Christ Apostolic Temple began protecting the marriage in the court of law by filing a lawsuit together in Polk County against Bishop Sinegal and the Kingdom Church seeking $1.5 million in damages from libel. “If it were to come to that, no statement that we have made is without witnesses,” Sinegal said. https://who13.com/news/metro-news/63-year-old-bishop-defending-marriage-to-teen-in-iowa-court/ TBN, CAMFAM Studios and Fathom Events announce the debut of the new documentary, KIRK CAMERON PRESENTS: THE HOMESCHOOL AWAKENING, coming to theaters this June for two nights only on Monday, June 13 and Tuesday, June 14 at 7:00pm local time (both days). The documentary highlights the exciting journey of homeschooling and the necessity of parents regaining control of their children’s education. “The pandemic made parents grossly aware of what public schools are teaching our kids,” said Cameron. “It’s up to us, the parents, to cultivate the hearts, souls and minds of our children, and today’s public-school systems are not working for us, they are actively working against us. Public education has become Public Enemy No. 1.” https://youtu.be/wQeZDjxK5T8 Patrisse Cullors—co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has faced heavy criticism over the last couple of weeks following a report that alleged the organization “secretly bought a $6 million house.” Cullors issued a statement back in April to address these big claims. he said at the time, “I have never misappropriated funds, and it pains me that so many people have accepted that narrative without the presence of tangible truth or facts. Nevertheless, this will soon be made clear upon the release of the BLM 990s.” In her statement, she also clarified the intentions of the estate: “the property the reporter addressed was purchased in 2020 as a space where those within the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and broader movement community could work, create content, host meetings, and foster creativity.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CdQ_rOHPlAT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Dallas Police Department says a former University of Oklahoma football player was shot and killed Thursday night. Police say they responded to a residence around 10 p.m. to find 25-year-old Du’Vonta Lampkin lying on his back with a gunshot wound. A preliminary investigation determined he was found after someone who tried to contact him went to check on Lampkin, police say. Lampkin was with the Sooners from 2015-17. Most of his playing time came as a redshirt sophomore when he played in 12 of Oklahoma’s 14 games and picked up 23 tackles and one sack. He declared for the 2018 NFL Draft but went undrafted. Lampkin ended up spending time in Baltimore Ravens rookie mini-camp prior to a short stint with the Tennessee Titans. He later played with the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League. Investigators say he was staying at the rented location while waiting to move into a new apartment. Dallas police are asking for the public’s help to find out any information related to the case. Former Death Row Records singer Jewell Caples, who worked with 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre, has passed away at age 53. An official cause of death has yet to be confirmed. The former head of Death Row security, Reggie Wright Jr. announced the news of Caples’ death, which occurred Friday morning (05/06/22). It was just two months ago that Caples relayed that she’d been hospitalized and was found to have eight pounds of fluid in her heart, lungs, and legs. She was readmitted to the hospital on March 16 and ultimately released on March 21 after receiving treatment, an experience she shared with fans via an Instagram post. “I was Hospitalized on March 2, 2022. Released on March 5, 2022, went home, 8lbs of fluid on my heart, lungs, and legs,” Caples wrote. “Went back to hospital March 16th until Today March 21, 2022. I Almost Died! Was supposed to be Airlifted to another facility. GOD reverse my symptoms extended me some GRACE! And gave me more time with my Family and Friends! Thank you JESUS for saving my life again! GOD IS REAL!” The man who tried to take Dave Chappelle out during his show earlier this week has pleaded not guilty. According to @tmz_tv, the man who hopped on stage with a wielding knife and attacked the comedian was identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee. Lee made his first appearance in an L.A. courtroom Friday morning to face 4 misdemeanor charges. Pictures taken by Backgrid show him looking very much hurt after he received a beatdown at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday night. Mr. Lee’s right arm was in a cast and a sling as he entered the courtroom and entered a not guilty plea on all charges. Isaiah Lee’s bail has been set at $30,000. Now, if he’s able to come up with bail, Lee will be under a protective order. He will be required to stay at least 100 yards away from the Hollywood Bowl, Dave and any other venue at which the comedian performs, TMZ notes. So what was the reason for all of this? Dave Chappelle actually spoke with the guy and asked why he attacked him. His answer was very strange. Chappelle says Lee told him this was all about getting attention for his grandmother … who he said had been forced out of her neighborhood because of gentrification. Those who watched the ’90s sitcom “Family Matters” can remember the Winslows were a warm, watertight bunch. However, it now turns out there was more than met the eye; there was some drama behind the scenes. JoMarie Payton, who starred as matriarch Harriette Winslow for nearly all of the series’ nine seasons, was interviewed by ET’s Rachel Smith as part of the Mother’s Day celebration of Iconic TV Moms. Payton revealed some previously-unknown details about the show. She says Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel in the Family Matters, may have been affected by the fame his role afforded him. The young star developed a rough attitude. “There was one time he actually wanted to physically fight me,” Payton said, recalling the season 9 episode, “Original Gangsta Dawg,” in which White also played Steve’s “gangster” cousin, OGD. “[There was a scene where] I said we can’t do that, standards and practices will not let that pass, it’s not gonna happen. He wanted to do it anyway… He was so mad, he started kicking and screaming and stuff.” “He said something about, ‘She must want to melee.’ I said, ‘What’s a melee?’ He said, ‘a fight.’ I turned around — if he wanna fight, I would,” she continued. “Darius [McCrary] grabbed me. I was gonna whip his behind.” https://youtu.be/pgibwLZy2fw Blac Chyna is back in the news. This time it’s because she’s been accused by a woman who claims her phone was damaged and Chyna kicked her in the stomach. Now BC is the subject of a criminal investigation. Blac Chyna is named as the suspect in a battery report filed Friday, and cops are investigating, according to a TMZ report. Sequoya King, is the alleged victim and says she and Chyna got into a verbal dispute which turned physical. King says the incident allegedly happened early Friday morning at a bar in Los Angeles. She says Chyna took her phone out of her hand and slammed it to the ground, damaging it. She also claims BC kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall down. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdQyNI5O58b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Against the backdrop of the water crisis in the Colorado River Basin, where the country’s largest reservoirs are plunging at an alarming rate, California’s two largest reservoirs — Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville — are facing a similar struggle. Years of low rainfall and snowpack and more intense heat waves have fed directly to the state’s multiyear, unrelenting drought conditions, rapidly draining statewide reservoirs. And according to this week’s report from the US Drought Monitor, the two major reservoirs are at “critically low levels” at the point of the year when they should be the highest. This week, Shasta Lake is only at 40% of its total capacity, the lowest it has ever been at the start of May since record-keeping began in 1977. Meanwhile, further south, Lake Oroville is at 55% of its capacity, which is 70% of where it should be around this time on average. “Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness,” directed by Sam Raimi and produced by Kevin Feige, stops at nothing to captivate the imagination of moviegoers, and hold them hostage with stunning visuals. But more importantly, and to all our benefit, superhero Doctor Strange aka surgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), has a much more meaningful purpose. That is to serve the greater good and fight evil. In “The Multiverse of Madness,” Doctor Strange sets out to save America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teenager with a superpower of her own. https://youtu.be/aWzlQ2N6qqg Bel-Air,” which premiered on February 13, has broken records for subscribers, usage, and upgrades since it debuted on Peacock, quickly becoming the streaming service’s most successful original series. All episodes of the first season are currently available to stream. It is so popular that work on its second season is in the making, thanks to public demand. It is expected out in 2023. On Monday, Peacock announced that at least 8 million accounts had viewed the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reboot. https://youtu.be/rQ1uG91Bbls HBO has dropped the super exciting first teaser trailer for “House of the Dragon,” the new “Game of Thrones” prequel series that will debut in August. the series is set 200 years before the events in “Game of Thrones” “and will recount the height of the Targaryen empire in Westeros—specifically, chronicling what happened before and during the Dance of the Dragons, a destructive civil war between the Targaryens as they vied for the Iron Throne,” per Complex. George R. R. Martin’s 2018 novel “Fire & Blood” serves as the basis for the new series. He wrote in a March blog post that he watched snippets of the 10-episode season and “loved” it. https://youtu.be/Wg86eQkdudI The Met Gala wrapped this week and the buzz is still going strong as media continue to spotlight the dazzling and innovative fashions, celebrities, and love couples that marked the star-studded event. But the elite event masks a story of discrimination and inequality. The theme itself “gilded glamour and white tie,” was designed to inspire guests to pull from an era that championed the elite’s excessive wealth. However, as Insider’s DeArbea Walker reported, the Gilded Age’s grandiosity was often underscored by rampant inequality. For Black people, the gilded age was characterized by brutal and cruel oppression, strict segregation, KU Klux Klan violence and lynching's, and a post-slavery world where African Americans suffered under Jim Crow laws that affected every aspect of their lives. Gabrielle Union, Questlove, and actor Cynthia Erivo highlighted the oppressed who were victimized by America’s Gilded Age. Gabrielle Union used red crystals to honor the “blood spilled” by people of color during that era. Union said she was inspired by the Black and brown people who helped build America. Former NBA player Stephon Marbury blasted Stephen A. Smith for being an “Uncle Tome” after Smith’s rant about Kyrie Irving on ESPN’s “First Take” last week. “We are witnessing one of the most delusional athletes in American history,” Smith said about Kyrie. Marbury responded, “We are witnessing one of the biggest uncle Tom’s on the planet in @stephenasmith.” Smith clapped back on “First Take,” saying: “I’m not going to insult Stephon Marbury. I will say Stephon Marbury has had a problem with me since 2009 because we thought he was a bit bizarre when he was eating Vaseline, literally on video — like it was a bunch of cheeseburgers. Like, gobbling Vaseline.” Marbury caught wind of his remarks and made clear in a tweet that he has had a problem with Smith ever since the media personality “was calling yourself a source after Larry Brown was feeding you information which were lies that you reported to build your reputation,” Marbury tweeted. “You never put your name on the lies. You break down black athletes for gain and fame,” he added. Smith often catches heat for his harsh criticism of Black NBA players. Addressing his critics last week in a tweet, Smith asked, “I’m only supposed to be complimentary?” he said in response to Jamie Foxx’s condemning his take on Nets player Ben Simmons. https://twitter.com/stephenasmith/status/1520185244837724166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1520829703824752641%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2022%2F05%2F06%2Fstephon-marbury-blasts-stephen-a-smith%2F Antonio Brown is weighing in on #ColinKaepernick saying he hasn’t been mistreated.? The former wide receiver recently sat down for an interview with ‘This Is 50.’ During the show, the free-agent spoke about his life outside of the #NFL.? Host June Archer asked Brown to give his perspective on the NFL following his release from the Buccaneers. While speaking on the matter, Archer brought up Colin Kaepernick’s situation, seemingly trying to compare the two.? However, AB quickly interjected to dismiss the comparison.? “Colin Kaepernick, not AB,” the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer said. “Colin Kaepernick, not even from the hood. He’s not even from Liberty City, so I don’t even wanna mention his name. AB is a valuable football player. AB had stats last year, touchdowns.”? Archer then says he wants to discuss the way Kaepernick was being treated by the NFL.? In another interview, Brown’s hateration for Kaepernick was on display again. He said the banned QB is “trash” on the field. https://wwinstagram.com/p/CdM5mWrvtYY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton will race in Sunday’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix after Formula One swerved a showdown with the Mercedes driver over their ban on piercings and jewellery. Race director Niels Wittich had issued a reminder to all teams and officials that wearing body piercings and metal neck chains was prohibited during competition for safety reasons and could be checked. Hamilton, the sport’s most successful driver and biggest name in America, has said he cannot remove some of his piercings and had suggested on Friday that he could face a ban from racing. “If they stop me (racing) then so be it. We’ve got a spare driver,” he said. “There’s lots to do in the city anyway so I’ll be good either way.” But Hamilton’s team did produce the documentation to the FIA saying they were in compliance with the rule and a source told Reuters that the driver would not wear any jewelry and had been given a two-race exemption for his body piercing. The Briton must have the piercing removed before the Monaco Grand Prix on May 29, the source added. Hamilton had given no indication that he was in the mood for a compromise when he attended the pre-race press conference wearing rings on every finger, three large watches (set to different time zones), a bangle, strings of thick necklaces and studs in both ears. A further nose piercing was hidden by his face mask. “I couldn’t get any more jewelry on today,” he said, adding that he felt the clampdown was almost a backward step at a time when the sport and governing FIA should be focused on its latest big breakthrough in America. “This is such a small thing,” he said. “It seems unnecessary for us to get into this spat.” Asked what the solution might be to an apparent impasse, Hamilton indicated there was only so much he could do. Karine Jean-Pierre will become the new White House press secretary when Jen Psaki departs her role in the coming weeks, President Joe Biden announced in a statement Thursday, becoming the first Black and out LGBTQ person to hold the position. Jean-Pierre currently serves as the White House’s principal deputy press secretary. “Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people,” Biden said in a statement, adding that “Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room.” Jean-Pierre will formally begin following Psaki’s last day, which will be May 13. CNN reported in April that Psaki was planning on leaving her role for one at MSNBC. Marlon Wayans was introduced to a white cousin he didn’t know he had during a recent interview with Big Boy. Sean Valentine is allegedly Wayans’ fourth cousin and one of the radio hosts for Valentine in the Morning. He made a surprise appearance during the comedian’s recent interview with Big BoyTV. Valentine was brought on as a guest during the segment about family legacy, with Big Boy saying, “Marlon, this is your cousin, bro. Valentine, this is your cousin, man.” Valentine added, “We’re fourth cousins.” “Are you crazy? No way,” Wayans replied. https://youtu.be/ iXfZtTDLoc8 The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office will not pursue felony charges against Isaiah Lee, the man accused of leaping on stage and attacking comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance a the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night. Lee was, however, charged with four misdemeanors, including battery and possession of a weapon, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced in a press release and video message posted to Twitter on Thursday afternoon. DA spokesperson Greg Risling said in a statement to CNN: “After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct.” According to L.A. County inmate records, Lee remains in police custody. https://youtu.be/ 1zXFFPuOmR0 Keyshia Cole suffered a health scare recently that sent her to the hospital and she shared the experience on social media. Cole revealed in an Instagram Story that she visited the emergency room for chest pains, only to learn that she was experiencing severe anxiety. “I’m so proud of getting a few hours sleep, literally have been getting None!” she wrote. “So not ok. SMH. And, have been having the worst anxiety attacks. When I can literally feel my heart hurting. Had to take my ass to the emergency room. They gave me damn medicine for anxiety [face palm emoji] I didn’t KNOW wtf was happening to me.” Kevin Samuels, the YouTuber who became known for his controversial relationship advice, has indeed died. His mother confirmed the tragic news to NBC. Rumors of his death first circulated on social media Thursday night, sending users into a frenzy. However, multiple outlets claimed that Atlanta Police confirmed his passing in a statement. One police report stated that a woman “met Mr. Samuels last night, came to his apartment, and spent the night with him. That early morning. Mr. Samuels complained of chest pain, and she attempted to help him, but he fell on top of her and proceeded to notify 911.” The woman “also said she requested the 911 operator to contact the front desk for a defibrillator to keep Mr. Samuels responsive until Grady arrived because she is a nurse. Grady bus #741. Mr. Samuels was later transported to Piedmont Hospital by Grady bus #741.” Samuels was taken to Piedmont Hospital, police said. https://youtu.be/ WwGsSj558d0 A white teacher in Rochester has been placed on leave after his slavery lesson had his class of predominately Black students picking cotton and wearing handcuffs. The incident occurred during Patrick Rausch’s social studies class at the Rochester School of the Arts, according to CNN. Rausch allegedly gave pieces of cotton to all of his seventh-grade students last week and instructed them to pick the seeds out of the cotton as part of an assignment, according to two parents of students in the class. Rausch allowed White students in the class to throw their cotton away and forgo the assignment to work on their Chromebooks, Precious Morris, mother of a 13-year-old student, told CNN on Sunday. https://youtu.be/ 3NXC4Q_4JVg Marvel’s most anticipated film of the year hits theaters Friday (05-06-22)! If you are a Marvel fan you have been waiting for this movie since “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” The Hollywood premiere of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” was recently held at the famous Dolby Theater. Fans lined up along Hollywood Boulevard to get a glimpse of their favorite characters. Marvel fans were in attendance dressed as their favorite characters. The excitement of the premiere was felt all throughout Hollywood. If you saw “Spider-Man: No Way Home” then you know the Doctor Strange cast opened a portal to the multiverse. Which is a parallel universe with different versions of the same people. Benedict Cumberbatch was asked if he had the power to cast a spell in real life – what would it be? “I would make it possible to give the power to diplomats to turn reactive anger, distrust, and anxiety into love, empathy, and understanding,” said Cumberbatch. It is a good thing Doctor Strange didn’t cast such a spell, or else there would be no movie. Paramount+ keeps beaming up “Star Treks” whether needed or not, but its latest, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” draws more heavily on the original series than perhaps anything in the fleet. A direct prequel populated by younger versions of characters like Spock and Uhura, it’s hardly a bold construct but it’s mostly an entertaining one. The series is built around previous USS Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), who of course would meet an unfortunate fate during the original series (the actual product of a passed-over TV pilot, but never mind). https://youtu.be/XL4iCAB6MFo Apollonia Kotero is famously known for co-starring in Prince’s 1984 film “Purple Rain,” and she also had a longtime friendship with the late music star. Kotero is speaking out about her bond with Prince, which was never romantic but she admits to having a brief crush on him at one point. “I had a little mini crush one time,” she told PEOPLE. “He was performing ‘Computer Blue’ and he was oily and shirtless and for a moment I was like, ‘He’s really sexy,’ but then I got myself together. We had great chemistry. But our romance was only onscreen.” Prince and Apollonia were friends for nearly four decades after first meeting when she auditioned for the romantic lead in “Purple Rain.” The memories they created together she will forever cherish. “I got to a restaurant and ‘Purple Rain’ comes on or I get in my car and ‘Take Me with U’ comes on,” said Kotero of her and Prince’s biggest hits. “No matter how much time goes by, he’s everywhere. I see him in everything.” She tells PEOPLE that Prince was a “prankster” but he was also “very gentle and very shy,” said Apollonia, who now hosts a podcast, Apollonia Studio 6. Since the birth of his first child, #RomeoMiller has gotten a lot of hate mail from his female fans.? In February, the rapper-actor announced the birth of his daughter with his fiancée, #DrewSangster.? On Instagram, Miller has shared a series of photos of his baby girl, who he refers to as Baby R.? “I have lost a lot of fans,” Miller told PageSix. “Many females sent me to hate mail when I had my daughter because a lot of people felt like it was supposed to be them. And as crazy as that sounds, I kind of felt that pressure growing up.”? https://www.instagram.com/p/ CdMZjsePTW8/?utm_source=ig_ embed&utm_campaign=embed_ video_watch_again For her next big-screen role, Janelle Monáe will play Josephine Baker in the upcoming TV series “De La Resistance.” The series is based on the upcoming Damien Lewis book “Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy,” according to Deadline. The story will “focus on Baker’s accomplishments as an entertainer, which include being the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture in the 1927 silent film Siren Of The Tropics,” the outlet writes. As reported by the AV Club, the TV series will also show “Baker’s role as a spy for the Allies during the French resistance helping defeat the Nazis.” Monáe’s production house Wondaland is producing the series with A24. The Premier of the British Virgin Islands and the territory’s ports director were arrested Thursday in Miami on charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering in the US, according to a criminal affidavit filed in the US District Court’s Southern District of Florida. Premier Andrew Alturo Fahie and BVI Ports Authority Managing Director Oleanvine Pickering Maynard were arrested at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, the affidavit says. Maynard’s son Kadeem Stephan Maynard was also arrested. According to Sky News, Fahie claims he is immune from prosecution for the alleged crimes “because he is an elected, constitutional head of government of the British overseas territory,” the outlet writes. Fahie and the Maynards are being held on charges of conspiracy to import 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to launder money, the affidavit says, per CNN. https://youtu.be/Zde34_rkDFI In her new memoir, “Love Me as I Am,” Garcelle Beauvais recalls her 2015 audition for “The View” — and the unpleasant experience of serving as co-host. The former model also spills some hot tea about Whoopi Goldberg and her “cringeworthy” behavior on set. “I was shocked and appalled to see how testy Whoopi was with the show’s producers,” Beauvais, 55, writes, Page Six reports. “I was embarrassed and disappointed, to say the least. It was cringeworthy!” Beauvais briefly filled in as co-host following Rosie O’Donnell’s exit from the ABC series. https://twitter.com/i/status/1513856652495183880 Antonio Brown is weighing in on #ColinKaepernick saying he hasn’t been mistreated.? The former wide receiver recently sat down for an interview with ‘This Is 50.’ During the show, the free-agent spoke about his life outside of the #NFL.? ?Host June Archer asked Brown to give his perspective on the NFL following his release from the Buccaneers. While speaking on the matter, Archer brought up Colin Kaepernick’s situation, seemingly trying to compare the two.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CdM5mWrvtYY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again CeeLo Green has revealed that he used to rob people during his youth and was later confronted by some of his victims. “I was robbing people by myself. You have to understand, I didn’t have any friends and I was not in school. My mom did not know. I dropped out of school, so I was fronting like I was [still] going,” the singer, 46, tells Page Six exclusively. “So I would leave in the morning when school started at the same time every day. I used to ride the train all day. I was like 13, 14, 15 then. I was young.” CeeLo says he robbed people to get by, and would later encounter some of his victims. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcLSyKoLkC5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Drew Sidora opened up to Page Six about how she and her husband Ralph Pittman are moving past their marital issues. Pittman was reportedly caught up in an inappropriate text exchange with a former female assistant that deeply affected his marriage. “I thought we were in a better place. Then, last summer, there were some things that happened,” Sidora tells Page Six in a new interview. “I went to Chicago with the kids for a while. And he ended up showing up in Chicago to say, ‘OK, I need my family back, stop playing.’” https://www.instagram.com/drewsidora/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=883a440d-fcc8-4dd6-9c73-d4d35f204dd4 President Vladimir Putin will send a “doomsday” warning to the West when he leads celebrations on Monday marking the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, brandishing Russia’s vast firepower while its forces fight on in Ukraine. Defiant in the face of deep Western isolation since he ordered the invasion of Russia’s neighbor, Putin will speak on Red Square before a parade of troops, tanks, rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles. A fly-past over St Basil’s Cathedral will include supersonic fighters, Tu-160 strategic bombers and, for the first time since 2010, the Il-80 “doomsday” command plane, which would carry Russia’s top brass in the event of a nuclear war, the Defense Ministry said. In that scenario, the Il-80 is designed to become the roaming command center for the Russian president. It is packed with technology but specific details are Russian state secrets. The 69-year-old Kremlin leader has repeatedly likened the war in Ukraine to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Adolf Hitler’s Nazis invaded in 1941. The rolling crises of the past few years rendered visible so many vital commodities that plenty of us never gave much thought — nickel, silicon chips, lumber. The latest entrant into this camp: Fertilizer. Why it matters: Skyrocketing fertilizer costs — like those made from nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) — are driving up food prices and, worse, threatening food security around the globe. State of play: Prices for NPK were up 125% in January from a year before, and rose another 17% from the beginning of the year to March, according to data compiled by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). A judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit demanding reparations for survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and their descendants can move forward. The ruling comes more than 100 years after the massacre killed as many as 300 Black people, injured 800 and left more than 10,000 without homes in one of the worst incidents of racist terror violence in U.S. history. In a standing-only courtroom, Tulsa County District Judge Caroline Wall ruled, in part, against a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which calls for the city to redress the ongoing harm and damage caused by the massacre in the all-Black Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa. “This is absolutely amazing,” said civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, the lead attorney in the lawsuit. “We all stood on the shoulders of ancestors who started fighting for Greenwood” in 1921. As two men, Thomas and Kevin, take turns singing, it is obvious that this is going to be a difficult competition. They are contestants on The Voice, a show where you experience a blind audition – contestants are judged solely on their voice and talent. As they move through the competition, contestants choose a vocal coach and are put onto teams. In order to narrow down the competition, singers battle it out in duets, where their coach chooses a winner and sends the other singer home. Both young men have phenomenal voices and unique styles. As they sing, each judge looks very impressed with their individual solos. Then, the boys take things up a notch during the key change. The judges are wowed. The two singers harmonize together beautifully. They have a powerful performance. They know when to bring power and when to pull back and sing softly. At the end of their song, the crowd cheers, and the two competitors hug. All of the judges are standing out of their chairs. https://youtu.be/Qkfll-BAN50 A 23-year-old Los Angeles man accused of rushing onto the Hollywood Bowl stage and tackling comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl was in court Friday to face misdemeanor charges in the attack. During the initial court appearance in the Los Angeles courtroom, Isaiah Lee pleaded not guilty and was ordered by a judge to stay 100 yards away from Chappelle, any venue where he is performing and from his residences. He also was ordered to stay 100 yards away from the Hollywood Bowl. Lee appeared in court with his right arm in a sling. An attorney representing him Friday said he suffered a broken arm and facial injuries during an on-stage struggle with members of the security team and others who intervened after Chappelle was tackled. Photos taken after the Hollywood Bowl incident showed Lee on a stretcher with his arm at an odd angle. Lee’s bond was set Friday at $30,000. A bail review hearing was set for next week. A pretrial hearing was set for later this month. Kevin Hart said on the May 5 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that it was more or less important for the man who attacked Dave Chappelle on stage to get beaten up for the world to see. Chappelle was performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival when a man ran up on stage and tried to tackle him. It was later revealed the man was carrying a plastic replica gun containing a knife. Chappelle’s security team then tackled the attacker. Video footage revealed the attacker had broken his arm. “Somebody ran onstage and got their ass whooped,” Hart said. “Not scary. It’s one of those things that needed to happen, though…do you want people to continue to think that they can cross that line and break the barrier of entertainer [and audience]? Somebody getting their ass whooped sends a message out to other people that was like, ‘You know, I was thinking about doing that. But after seeing that, I don’t really want to do that.’” Terry Crews is explaining some thoughts he expressed on social media nearly two years ago. Crews talked to Trevor Noah on Thursday about controversial tweets he wrote in the summer of 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. The tweets were perceived as warning of “Black supremacy,” but he said that was not his intention at all. “What I meant was, if we don’t start this movement with the idea of reconciliation, we are just postponing a greater war,” the actor told the host of “The Daily Show.” “My whole thing is, I didn’t hear a lot of reconciliation. Reconciliation doesn’t mean agreement. https://youtu.be/PmbXC3dlK_s Shohei Ohtani left his mark on Fenway Park with the finest two-way performance since Babe Ruth himself. Pitching at the historic ballpark for the first time, Ohtani struck out 11 in seven shutout innings and added two hits — one of them a 109 mph line drive that banged off the Green Monster so hard that it knocked his No. 17 out of the pitcher’s slot on the manual scoreboard. “I hope you don’t start taking that for granted. Like it’s old hat,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said of Ohtani’s skills. “It’s just so unusual. It’s otherworldly, on this level of this game.” The display came during Los Angeles‘ 8-0 win over Boston on Thursday that included a five-run eighth inning in the ballpark where Ruth debuted in 1914 and played six seasons before the Red Sox sold him to the Yankees. The list of millionaires (and billionaires) interested in buying the Denver Broncos is growing. Five-time NBA champion Earvin “Magic” Johnson is joining a group led by Josh Harris that’s bidding to buy the Broncos, according to a report from Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico.com. Harris is a co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers. Johnson is already a co-owner of MLB, MLS and WNBA teams. Interestingly, Johnson is part of the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group with Todd Boehly, who is also leading a group bidding for Denver’s NFL franchise. The fact that Johnson’s not joining Boehly’s group is presumably a sign that the ex-NBA star believes the Harris group has a better chance of winning the bid. That might be because Boehly is considered the favorite to buy English soccer club Chelsea. If Boehly’s bid for Chelesea is successful, it might be difficult to also pay a record-breaking price for the Broncos. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is fortunate to have walked away from his car crash without any significant injuries. Video of the crash shows a scary scene, in which Jones’ car collided with another car in the middle of an intersection. https://youtu.be/E_1X5Vmhmt0 On Jan. 20, around the midpoint of this past season, members of the Texas Southern women’s basketball team received an email from the university’s student conduct coordinator, Dontia S. Warmack, informing them that the school was instituting a limited-contact order between the players and their head coach, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. That order stipulated that players could not have one-on-one meetings with Cooper-Dyke and could not communicate with her “via text, phone, social media or email” as the school conducted “a safety-risk assessment.’’ Nearly a month later, on Feb. 16, Warmack, via email, elevated that order to no-contact and extended it to include assistant coaches Carlos Wilson and Atallah McKinney. It prohibited any “in-person contact, telephone calls, emails, texts, other forms of electronic communication, social media-based messaging or postings, and third-party communications, including communications through proxies.” Outside of practices and games, the coaches and players were to have no contact at all – coaches couldn’t even shag rebounds for players getting in extra shooting. College basketball teams are, traditionally, close-knit operations. Coaches are surrogate parents at the best of places, looking after players, meeting with them regularly, helping them navigate their college experience. Yet at Texas Southern for the second half of the season, school officials took the extraordinary step of separating the paid leaders of the program from the women they were supposed to be leading. Former Liberty University Quarterback Malik Willis was selected to play for the Tennessee Titans during last week’s third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Surrounded by his friends and family, Willis was overcome with emotion following Friday’s announcement. Moments later, the 22-year-old tweeted how grateful he was for the opportunity and gave God all the glory. CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, continues tonight at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. In this episode, Dominique and Dre meet with return client, Mico, to go over the design for Philadelphia’s first ever, “selfie” content room. Meanwhile, Dominique’s mom Dawn has been helping out around the studio but Dominique feels it’s time to hire an assistant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_NkiJ6B1RM CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Global Gourmet, is back tonight at 9:30 p.m./8:30C. Hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, the show highlights the joys of delicious food and stories of wanderlust travel. In this episode, it’s all about the heat! Essie brings it in with her love of spices. First, she prepares an authentic spicy African bean dish called “Red Red.” Then, she cooks up a T-bone steak seasoned with Suya Rub. She tops it all off with a tasty side of spinach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdLqPMArBHA In honor of this year's National Day of Prayer, a Congressionally sanctioned event held on the first Thursday in May, Pray.com announced the release of its first non-fungible token (NFT). Pray.com is the first faith-based company into the metaverse, launching the original prayer NFT as part of its Web3, Crypto and Metaverse educational initiative, PRAY TEAM. This launch is for Christians who want to learn about cryptocurrency. Anyone who participates in the National Day of Prayer livestream will receive the NFT, a National Day of Prayer coin. "This is a unique opportunity for the Christian community to be at the forefront of technology and help shape it for good," said Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Pray.com, Ryan Beck. "Crypto, Web3, NFTs and the Metaverse are reshaping the future of technology, and Pray.com is leading the charge for Christians around the world to be a part of it by building the first global community for Christians to learn about crypto, and by creating new technologies for faith-based content." Stone Mountain Park’s milkshake continues to bring all the white nationalists to the yard. On Saturday, around 200 members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans gathered at the Georgia park to celebrate Confederate Memorial Day. But a funny thing happens when white people try to hold an “I heart slavery” convention in a city that’s almost 80 percent Black—counter-protesters show up and ruin all the white supremacist fun. According to AL.com, when the SCV crowd was gathered in front of the racist eyesore that is Stone Mountain Park’s big-a** rock carving of Confederate leaders, more than 100 counter protesters showed up to shout and drown out the speaker at the Klan-like “bring back negroes in chains” rally. “These protesters are against our Christian faith. They are anti-Christ,” SCV member Kenneth Buggay said after he tried to lead a prayer over the commotion. “We have been fighting this war since 1861. We will be victorious.” Meet Tracey Kay McKee. McKee, 64, is a registered Republican in Arizona who has been vocal about the widespread voter fraud that cost Donald Trump his re-election—the same widespread voter fraud that, by the way, never existed. But this isn’t the whitest part of this story. According to the Associated Press, on Friday, McKee was sentenced after being found guilty of—*checks notes*—voting illegally by using her dead mother’s ballot during the presidential race of 2020—you know, the election with all the election fraud McKee was purportedly against. Still, this is not the whitest part of this already insufferably white story. “Your Honor, I would like to apologize,” McKee told LaBianca. “I don’t want to make the excuse for my behavior. What I did was wrong and I’m prepared to accept the consequences handed down by the court.” So, a white woman who intentionally voted illegally cried and made excuses while claiming she wasn’t going to make excuses and then said she was “prepared to accept the consequences handed down by the court—because she knows how white she is, so she knew those “consequences” would be light work. In the end, she was sentenced to two years of felony probation, fines, and community service. I wonder how hard Crystal Mason, a Black woman from Fort Worth, Texas, cried when she was sentenced to five years in prison for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election while on supervised release for a federal conviction. Stevie Wonder will receive the inaugural Icon Award at the 34th National Equal Justice Awards dinner next week. The event is set to take place on Tuesday, May 10, at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, Billboard reports. The music icon will be honored for “his steadfast work throughout his illustrious career, spanning over half a century, which embodies LDF’s values and demonstrates his commitment to confronting the barriers that face Black Americans and other marginalized communities,” according to a statement. In addition, other honorees include Nikole Hannah-Jones, journalist, professor, and author of The 1619 Project, as well as Sherrilyn Ifill, LDF’s outgoing President and Director-Counsel. The evening will also include programming from former First Lady Michelle Obama and civil rights activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, per press release. The event is set to take place on Tuesday, May 10, at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, Billboard reports. The music icon will be honored for “his steadfast work throughout his illustrious career, spanning over half a century, which embodies LDF’s values and demonstrates his commitment to confronting the barriers that face Black Americans and other marginalized communities,” according to a statement. In addition, other honorees include Nikole Hannah-Jones, journalist, professor, and author of The 1619 Project, as well as Sherrilyn Ifill, LDF’s outgoing President and Director-Counsel. The evening will also include programming from former First Lady Michelle Obama and civil rights activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, per press release. Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant and his father Tee have been subjected to harsh criticism about the young athlete’s recent in-game behavior. As reported by Vlad TV, Tee “stated that Ja played like “trash” after the Memphis Grizzlies knocked off the Minnesota Timberwolves to advance to the second-round of the playoffs,” the outlet writes. Per the report, one Twitter user commented, “Hating on Ja Morant for being an active Twitter user just like you and having fun on the court is so weird but hating on his dad for just vibing, watching his son play basketball, and respecting other NBA greats is even weirder. Sports fans just want something to be mad about.” When Ja caught wind of the tweet, he responded, “f* em we ball.” https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1521330896502198272%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2022%2F05%2F04%2Fja-morant-reacts-to-criticism-about-his-father-f-em-we-ball%2F The man who took legal action against CNN’s Don Lemon, claiming he was groped by the news anchor in a Sag Harbor bar three years ago, has dropped his lawsuit. “After a lot of inner reflection and a deep dive into my memory, I have come to realize that my recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon were not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit,” plaintiff Dustin Hice said in a statement, New York Post reports. Hice filed the lawsuit against Lemon in 2019, accusing the openly gay media personality of assault in the summer of 2018, as reported by Fox News. It was back on March 19 that Houston-area fashion store owner Matthew Achield was shot to death during an attempted robbery at his business, Newly Acquired Wealth & Fashion, according to Harris County deputies. On Tuesday, Achield’s family, along with local authorities, made a plea to the public to help identify the three suspects involved in his murder, reports ABC13/KTRK. It was back on March 19 that Houston-area fashion store owner Matthew Achield was shot to death during an attempted robbery at his business, Newly Acquired Wealth & Fashion, according to Harris County deputies. On Tuesday, Achield’s family, along with local authorities, made a plea to the public to help identify the three suspects involved in his murder, reports ABC13/KTRK. Former President Donald Trump took aim at LeBron James during a recent political rally in Nebraska. “I’ll say this to LeBron James who I don’t like very much,” Trump said during his speech when the subject turned to transgender athletes, Fade Away World reports. “I’ll say, ‘LeBron, did you ever have thoughts about going woman? Because if you did I’d love to have you on my basketball team.’” https://twitter.com/i/status/1521159381546684416 For Wande, moving differently also means creating her lane! The first and only female artist signed to Reach Records, Wande is pushing the boundaries for pioneering women of faith! “Being on the only female artist on Reach Records and a woman in the male-dominated Christian Hip-Hop genre is not a hindrance, but rather a way to empower more women to be bold and go after their goals,” shares Wande. The lyrics in Wande’s new single, “They Didn’t Know II,” celebrate young, bold, and unashamed Christians and talks through personal challenges she experienced early in her faith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qsHlfx2WEY Here is an exclusive clip for the new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” airing Thursday, May 5, at 9pm on WE tv. Per press release, this season stars Hip Hop superstar K. Michelle (K. Michelle: My Life) and Kastan, Rich Dollaz and Mariahlynn, (Love & Hip Hop: New York) Lyrica and A1, (Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood) and Gangsta Boo (First Female Member of Three 6 Mafia) and Emmet as they head to Marriage Boot Camp to face the music. Dr. Ish & Judge Toler help them confront lies, betrayal, and bitter rivalries, but when secrets are exposed, will their relationships survive? https://youtu.be/ztkZMI8hk60 Lil Jon’s new home improvement series premiered Monday on HGTV, titled “Lil Jon Wants to Do What?” The show will follow the Atlanta rapper and his co-host Anitra Mecadon as he “offers skeptical homeowners startlingly unconventional renovation ideas that seem impossible to execute,” according to a press release. “His undaunted team can take Lil Jon’s creative vision — to maximize features that homeowners overlook or never considered — and make it a reality,” adds HGTV. https://twitter.com/i/status/1521323757117321217 The Memphis Grizzlies evened their second-round Western Conference series with the Golden State Warriors with a 106-101 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday, with Ja Morant pouring in an incredible 47 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists — finishing the game with “one good eye.” While Morant’s performance had the world agog with wonder, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was focused on an incident early in Game 2. Kerr insisted that Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks “broke the code” after he hit Gary Payton II in the head from behind as Payton II was going up for a lay-up just under three minutes into the game. The Warriors guard suffered a fractured elbow after the incident. https://youtu.be/OXC7ILlL4ec New York COVID-19 hospitalizations topped 2,000 for the first time since late February on Tuesday, rising nearly three-fold in just a month as highly contagious subvariants of omicron trigger pleas for renewed caution from officials locally and nationally. The upward trend continued Wednesday. As of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s latest update, 2,119 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID across the state’s 10 regions, a 153% increase since April 3 alone though still well below the nearly 13,000 admitted during the variant’s January surge peak. The rate of COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 New Yorkers has more than doubled in the same period, from 4.25 to 9.84, state data shows, with the Finger Lakes fueling the latest increases at a regional rate of 28.04 COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling basis. And while just 47% of hospitalized patients with COVID statewide were admitted for that reason, the numbers bear monitoring. Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church now facing European sanctions over Ukraine, is a fervent supporter of President Vladimir Putin who once described his rule as a “miracle”. A key pillar of Putin’s ruling apparatus, the 75-year-old Kirill has championed conservative religious values and buttressed the Kremlin’s authoritarian tendencies by denouncing opposition protests. In recent weeks he has backed Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, calling on supporters to rally to fight Moscow’s “external and internal enemies”. In February he spoke of a struggle against the “forces of evil” opposed to the historic “unity” between Russia and Ukraine. His comments have drawn a rebuke from Pope Francis, who told Kirill in a video meeting in March that religious leaders “must not use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus.” Francis later announced that a meeting of the two men set for Jerusalem in June had been scrapped. A jury on Friday convicted a man of capital murder for the 2018 death of a 7-year-old Black girl in a drive-by shooting that her family initially believed was racially motivated. Following the jury’s guilty verdict, Larry Woodruffe, 27, was given an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole. Woodruffe was one of two men charged with killing Jazmine Barnes on Dec. 30, 2018, as she and her family drove to a grocery store in Houston. The other man, Eric Black Jr., 23, pleaded guilty last month as part of an agreement with prosecutors that reduced his charge to murder. He is awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors say Woodruffe and Black mistakenly thought they were firing at rival drug dealers when they shot at the girl and her family. “The death of little Jazmine Barnes devastated our entire community, and everyone connected to this case worked very long and very hard to ensure her killers were brought to justice,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. Jazmine’s family had described the shooter as a white man driving a red pickup truck, prompting concerns that her death was a hate crime. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office circulated a composite sketch based on the family’s description, but a later tip implicated Woodruffe and Black, who are both African American. https://youtu.be/l41iJ1I8738 An Oklahoma judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre can proceed, bringing new hope for some measure of justice for three survivors of the deadly racist rampage who are now over 100 years old and were in the courtroom for the decision. Tulsa County District Court Judge Caroline Wall ruled against a motion to dismiss the suit filed by civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons in 2020. The Tulsa-based attorney said after Wall announced her ruling that it is critical for living survivors Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107, Viola Fletcher, 107, and Hughes Van Ellis, 101. “We want them to see justice in their lifetime,” he said, choking back tears. “I’ve seen so many survivors die in my 20-plus years working on this issue. I just don’t want to see the last three die without justice. That’s why the time is of the essence.” The packed courtroom, which Wall noted may have been over capacity, erupted in cheers and tears after she handed down her ruling. A 23-year-old man has been charged with trying to attack Dave Chappelle last night after storming on stage armed with a knife and tackling the comedian at his Hollywood Bowl show. Isaiah Lee is now being held in the LA County Sheriff’s custody on a single felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. His bail has been set at $30,000. Lee’s motive for the attack remains unclear. Police have not yet established where he lives, and if he attended the show alone. He stormed the stage while Chappelle joked that he’d had to increase his security in light of his trans jokes at the Netflix is a Joke festival. The attacker was armed with a gun that contained a hidden knife, according to the cops. It’s unclear if he was searched on his way into the venue, or how he was able to gain access to the stage. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/05/04/3766585213086577666/640x360_MP4_3766585213086577666.mp4 Amber Heard’s lawyers made a last-ditch effort to have the case dismissed, only for the judge to deny their request. Before starting their case, Amber Heard’s lawyers asked Judge Penney Azcarate to dismiss the case, saying Johnny Depp had not proven his claims. Judge Azcarate denied the request regarding two statements in the Washington Post op-ed because there was a ‘scintilla’ of evidence a jury may find that they were defamatory. The judge held off ruling on a third statement in the op-ed because the relevant evidence had not been brought in yet. The request sparked angry exchanges in court with both sides strongly making their arguments. Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rotternborn said that if the court agrees that Depp abused Heard ‘even one time, she wins – it’s that simple.’ Rottenborn said that the evidence Depp abused Heard physically and verbally was ‘overwhelming and undisputed.’ As Rottenborn argued, the defamation claim should be stricken because Depp failed to establish ‘falsity of statement’ during his case in chief. A new TV special celebrating Mother’s Day and featuring characters from the beloved “Peanuts” comic strip will reportedly also commemorate same-sex families. The trailer for “Snoopy Presents To Mom (and Dad), with Love,” set to premiere on Apple TV this Friday, includes a line about “two moms.” The Christian Post reported the special is the “latest example of children’s programming incorporating LGBT-related content.” The trailer mostly surrounds Peppermint Patty’s uncomfortableness with Mother’s Day, as she notes she misses her mom and never really had one. “My dad does all that mom stuff for me,” Peppermint Patty proclaims. “For Mother’s Day, I’m going to celebrate my dad.” https://youtu.be/NXdFlyFwCCc All that “gilded glamour” brought in some real gold. This year’s Met Gala earned a record $17.4 million, museum officials said Tuesday. The annual gala is a fundraiser for the self-funding Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The money pays for operating the institute and putting on annual blockbuster exhibits like the current “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” which was launched at the gala Monday night and opens to the public May 7. That exhibit is part of a broader two-part exhibit exploring the roots of American fashion. The gala is traditionally held the first Monday in May, but because of the pandemic, the 2021 version was held last September. The two galas together brought in $33.7 million, the institute said. The theme of Monday’s gala was “gilded glamour.” Monday’s gala brought together about 400 guests — some of the biggest names from fashion, entertainment, sports and beyond. Justin Bieber revealed he suffered a ‘little bit of an emotional breakdown’ after tying the knot with Hailey Baldwin and realizing marriage wasn’t going to ‘fix’ all his problems. ‘It’s a journey,’ Justin, 28, said during an interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, according to People. ‘I remember when I first got married, I hit a little bit of an emotional breakdown because I thought marriage was going to fix all my problems and it didn’t.’ ‘It just kind of was a reflection of like, man, you’re a bit of a hypocrite, man.’ ‘You want your wife to do something that you’re not doing and it’s like, it’s hard sometimes to look in the mirror and really have to realize, man, maybe you’re not the person that you necessarily thought that you were,’ he added. ‘And that’s just a result of trauma and life circumstances.’ Justin and Hailey tied the knot twice after rekindling their romance in 2018; first at a courthouse in New York City in 2018, followed by a second ceremony with friends and family present at Bluffton, South Carolina in 2019. In the four years since tying the knot, the couple have faced their fair share of challenges, most recently overcoming Hailey’s health scare. In 2021, Hailey revealed she turned to her mother Kennya during a difficult time in their marriage. A lawyer for a Black NFL coach who sued the league alleging racist hiring practices told a judge Monday that arbitration is the wrong way to resolve the lawsuit in part because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would be the arbitrator and that would be “unconscionable.” Attorney Douglas Wigdor said the league was trying to force “behind closed doors” the claims of Brian Flores and two other Black coaches. None of the coaches was present for the Manhattan federal court hearing. It was the first hearing for a lawsuit Flores filed in February, when he claimed the league was “rife with racism” even as the NFL publicly condemns it. Flores was fired in January as head coach by the Miami Dolphins after leading the team to a 24-25 record over three years, with two straight winning seasons including the most recent, when a 9-8 record left them out of the playoffs. He has been hired since as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His lawsuit was joined last month by two other coaches, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton. There are six minority head coaches currently in the NFL, a league where the majority of the players are Black. The Arizona Cardinals are going to have to figure out a way to score points and win games without their top receiver. Three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins has been suspended without pay for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, the league announced Monday. Hopkins issued a statement on social media Monday night, saying he was “confused and shocked” to learn he tested positive for a banned substance. “I am very mindful of what I put in my body and have always taken a holistic approach, so I am working with my team to investigate how this could’ve happened,” the statement said. “But even as careful as I have been, clearly I wasn’t careful enough. For that, I apologize to Cardinals fans, my teammates, and the entire Cardinals organization. I never want to let my team down.” It’s a stunning blow for the Cardinals, who finished with an 11-6 record last season but faded down the stretch when Hopkins was out of the lineup because of injuries. Arizona had an 8-2 record when Hopkins was in the lineup and just a 3-5 mark, including the playoffs, when he was not. Now they’ll be without the 29-year-old receiver — who turns 30 next month — for a big chunk of the upcoming season. The New Orleans Saints and Tyrann Mathieu have agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract, reuniting the All-Pro safety with his hometown team, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person confirmed the contract, first reported by ESPN.com, on condition of anonymity because it was not yet signed. It includes $18 million guaranteed, a sizable investment for a safety who turns 30 next week. The Saints had been searching for help at the position after Marcus Williams signed with the Ravens in free agency and Malcom Jenkins announced his retirement in March. The only defensive back they drafted was Tennessee’s Alontae Taylor in the second round, but he is expected to remain at his natural cornerback position. By signing Mathieu after Monday’s deadline, he will not count against the Saints in the formula for compensatory picks. Mathieu spent the past three seasons in Kansas City, where he helped the Chiefs make three consecutive AFC title games, reach two Super Bowls and win their first championship in 50 years. And the two sides had discussed an extension during last offseason, but they were never close to reaching an agreement, leaving Mathieu’s status uncertain last season. It became clear he would not return when the Chiefs signed former Texans safety Justin Reid early in free agency. Three years after Robinson Canó returned to New York, his ill-fated marriage with the Mets is over. Canó was cut Monday with nearly $45 million remaining on his contract, possibly signaling the end of his decorated major league career. The veteran slugger wants to keep playing ball — but he’ll have to catch on elsewhere. “I don’t think it’s over for Robbie,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “But we’ve got to think about what’s right for the Mets right now.” A slumping Canó was designated for assignment in a move announced about an hour before teams were required to trim their active rosters from 28 players to 26. Relegated to a part-time role this season, Canó was a casualty of the crunch as the first-place Mets chose to keep younger, more versatile bench players instead. The NFL said Monday that an independent review found “no evidence” to substantiate allegations made by former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson that the the team intentionally lost games in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Jackson was fired by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam eight games into the 2018 season with a 3-36-1 overall record in two-plus years. In February, Jackson indicated in a series of posts on social media that the team paid him bonuses incentivizing him to lose and that he was set up to fail. Jackson later softened those allegations. The NFL announced that after a 60-day review, independent investigators led by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White “determined that none of the allegations could be substantiated.” The league said that Jackson initially agreed to meet with the investigators, but ultimately did not. Investigators, however, did have access to public statements and filings he had previously made, as well as his testimony in a prior arbitration proceeding. A lawyer for three Black coaches accusing the National Football League of racist hiring on Monday told a federal judge their case should not be sent to arbitration because the designated mediator, league commissioner Roger Goodell, was biased. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and two other coaches are suing the league and its 32 teams for alleged discrimination when filling coaching and senior management jobs. The NFL last month said the claims lacked merit, and asked U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan to either dismiss the case or send it to arbitration. In a hearing on Monday, Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Flores and fellow coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, said NFL bylaws provide for Goodell to arbitrate the coaches’ claims, leading to “unconscionable bias” because Goodell was employed by the teams. “It would be impossible for plaintiffs to effectively vindicate their rights if Commissioner Goodell were to oversee this arbitration process,” Wigdor said, pointing to Goodell’s $120 million in salary in the past two years, paid by the teams. Loretta Lynch, a former U.S. attorney general now representing the NFL, said the league considers its arbitration process “neutral.” Former Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist Kevin Anderson announced his retirement on Tuesday aged 35, bringing to an end a career that showed immense promise but was derailed by injuries. The big-serving South African, who stands 6-foot-8 and towered over his opponents, achieved a career high ranking of fifth in the world in 2018 before sliding out of the top 100 following a succession of knee, shoulder and ankle injuries. “I’ve experienced so many different challenges and emotions, this sport can be exhilarating and at the same time lonely. I’ve had ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he said in a statement on Twitter.“ My journey helped me become the man who I am today. Today I finally arrived at the difficult decision to retire from professional tennis. “As a kid, my dad used to tell me that success isn’t defined by results, but by the effort and sacrifice you make along the way in becoming the best you can be. I gave it my best.” The bat used by Jackie Robinson during the 1949 MLB All-Star Game in Brooklyn sold for $1.08 million (including buyer’s premium) at auction Saturday, collectibles marketplace Goldin announced. While it’s not the most expensive baseball bat ever sold at auction — that record belongs to the bat Babe Ruth hit his first Yankee Stadium home run with in 1923, at $1.265 million — it’s exceedingly rare to cross the $1 million threshold. The bat was purchased by Hunt Auctions, which most recently made waves conducting auctions of Bill Russell’s memorabilia, on behalf of a private buyer. The bat includes a letter of authenticity from Robinson’s wife, Rachel, who wrote: “The bat has been in the Robinson family archives since the day it was first used by Jackie.” Seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Seattle Seahawks in the first National Football League regular season game played in Germany, the league said on Wednesday. The NFL also announced the matchups for four other international games for the 2022 season with three in London and another in Mexico City. Brady, who retired at the end of last season but then reversed his decision in March, will provide a marquee name when the Buccaneers take the field on Nov. 13 at Munich’s Allianz Arena as the NFL expands its European footprint. The league has scheduled back-to-back games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London with the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 2 and the Green Bay Packers against the New York Giants the following Sunday. London will be familiar ground for Saints, Vikings and Giants who will all be playing in the capital for a third time while it will be the first trip to England for the Packers. TRIBL is more than a group of individuals or space, it’s the point of genesis of a new worship sound. The Tribl Nights Anthologies series is a compilation of those moments. A series of covered songs with inspired worship moments and new songs featuring traditional Gospel and CCM artists who would otherwise never meet in a room. Tribl Nights Anthologies includes TRIBL artists, Maverick City Music, JJ Hairston, Jekalyn Carr, Bryan & Katie Torwalt, DOE, Melvin Crispell III, Amanda Cook and more TRIBL family and friends, coming together for this live worship series during the Summer of 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqAkq_8LoR0&feature=youtu.be It's another song "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! Ernest Billups "Through It All." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GMpN-Fka_0 Chris Byrd and True Victory, and had his first national album release GLORY GLORY HALLELUJAH, via Tyscot Records in 1993. Today, his catalog of albums, collaborations, and production work is vast and impressive. His anointed and excellent music ministry work are ever-flowing. He has now released a new single, "Supernatural Harvest". Supernatural Harvest" is available on all digital music outlets now and features Tom Allen and Steve Allen of the Rance Allen Group who are brothers to the late Bishop Rance Allen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNQFfCJWvi4 Today, Black members of more than forty orchestras announced the Black Orchestral Network (BON), a collective of Black orchestral musicians dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for Black people in the orchestral field. The group was built on the motto, “if we increase our connection to one another, we can harness our creativity and develop initiatives that benefit Black musicians.” Seven Black musicians founded the Black Orchestral Network—Jennifer Arnold, Alexander Laing, David A. Norville, Joy Payton-Stevens, Shea Scruggs, Weston Sprott, and Titus Underwood. BON will galvanize the industry, break down barriers to inclusion, and confront long-standing inequities in treatment and process. “Believe For It” was the surprise song of the year for 2021. After a twenty year break from CCM radio airplay…to have an artist hit Top 5 at radio, accumulate close to 50 million audio streams, win 5 Dove Awards, and receive 3 GRAMMY nominations is nothing short of extraordinary. The biggest question we’ve been getting asked lately is, “what’s next for CeCe Winans?” Well we’re glad you asked…“‘I’ve Got Joy’ is a powerful song written by Phil Wickham and Kyle Lee with a message everyone needs to hear – that we’ve got joy! As believers, we have that joy that surpasses all understanding – that unspeakable joy – the joy of the Lord as our strength. The only reason we can have that joy in the midst of sorrow is because we have Jesus. It’s the joy of Jesus that shines bright within us. In our darkest hour, we can rejoice because of Jesus. Because of what He accomplished on the cross, I’ve got joy now and I’ll have joy forever.” -CeCe Winans. Fair Trade and CeCe Winans are excited to present “I’ve Got Joy” – impacting May 13! Bad Boy Records is still in business and Diddy’s Motown deal is said to be unrelated to his own label. The move comes as Diddy is currently working on his fifth studio album, his first since 2006’s Press Play. As reported by Vibe, no additional details regarding Diddy’s deal with Motown have been released. Bad Boy Records is still in business and Diddy’s Motown deal is said to be unrelated to his own label. Combs will host and executive produce the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. “This will be unlike any awards show – I’m bringing the love and setting the frequency at an all-time high,” said two-time BBMA winner Combs in a statement, per Billboard. “The Billboard Music Awards truly represent the artists and where music is today, so I’m excited to curate the biggest live performances and surprises. The world has to tune in to see.” The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will go down May 15 and will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The ceremony will also stream on the Peacock service. Memphis radio WDIA DJ Bobby O’Jay died at age 68 Tuesday morning. Radio host Bev Johnson confirmed to WREG that O’Jay passed away while he was at work. When O’Jay would open the phone line at 9 a.m., the radio station was only playing music. O’Jay’s cause of death is currently unknown. WREG was first to speak with O’Jay’s niece, Wanda Thomas, who said the family is in shock. “We’re doing as well as can be expected,” Thomas said. “We just listened to him this morning, you know, and he sounded like the picture of health. It’s a process.” https://youtu.be/FxEyuSR6ZlY Wendy Williams has teased her return to daytime TV several times this year, but now she’s letting fans know the exact month of when she will possibly be back on our television screens. @tmz_tv reporter @seleahsimone caught the talk show host and our very own Hollywood Unlocked CEO Jason Lee on Monday as they hit the Standard Hotel for a Met Gala after-party hosted by Cardi B. Strutting down the street in a stunning red gown, Wendy was asked “when can we see you back? You look so healthy!” The 57-year-old replied with a smile, “The Wendy Williams show lives forever.” When Wendy was asked if she will be back in September, she replied, “yes!” Despite conflicting reports, Wendy has been in great spirits even as she’s still dealing with a lot including her medical care and financial battle. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGbpjptxs0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Millions of women in more than 25 states face an abortion ban if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized the procedure nationwide. For many of those women, employers’ benefit packages may be the only way they can soon afford a legal abortion. Amazon became the latest corporation to cover employees’ travel costs to seek abortion care. The company told staff it would pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for medical treatments including abortions, according to a message seen by Reuters. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the nature of the Reuters report to CNN Business. The company’s announcement echoes similar moves by Citigroup, Yelp, Uber and Lyft to help employees bypass Republican-led efforts in several states to effectively ban abortion. And it comes just hours after a bombshell report by Politico indicated the Supreme Court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade. CNN has not independently confirmed the Politico report, and a Supreme Court spokesperson declined to comment. Season 3 of the courtroom drama “All Rise,” starring Simone Missick, returns for a third season on Tuesday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Per press release, Missick returns as ‘Judge Lola Carmichael,’ along with Wilson Bethel as Judge Carmichael’s best friend, Deputy District Attorney ‘Mark Callan,’ Jessica Camacho as public defender ‘Emily Lopez,’ J. Alex Brinson as bailiff-turned-public defender ‘Luke Watkins,’ Ruthie Ann Miles as Lola’s J.A. ‘Sherri Kansky,’ Lindsay Mendez as court reporter ‘Sara Castillo,’ Lindsey Gort as defense attorney ‘Amy Quinn’ and Marg Helgenberger as ‘Judge Lisa Benner.’ Recurring cast also includes Samantha Marie Ware as law clerk Vanessa “Ness” Johnson, Emmy® winner Paul McCrane as Judge Jonas Laski, and Suzanne Cryer as Deputy District Attorney Maggie Palmer. https://youtu.be/4ga1LL4NbE0 In a stunning breach of Supreme Court confidentiality, Politico has obtained what it calls a draft of a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that would strike down Roe v. Wade. https://youtu.be/ShfWkRpA8xQ President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday that the leaked Supreme Court opinion on overturning Roe v. Wade could pave the way for decisions undermining various other policies, including same-sex marriage. Earlier in the day, Biden vowed to oppose the ruling whenever it is handed down, called for voters to elect “pro-choice” lawmakers, and asked Congress to pass legislation codifying Roe, the 1973 decision legalizing abortion nationwide. “It concerns me a great deal that we’re going to, after 50 years, decide that a woman doesn’t have the right to choose,” Biden told reporters on his way to a visit to the Lockheed Martin facility in Troy, Alabama. “If this decision holds, it’s really quite a radical decision.” “It concerns me a great deal that we’re gonna, after 50 years, decide a woman does not have a right to choose.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1521514365865836546 The judge presiding over Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit rejected Amber Heard’s motion to toss out the case. Penny Azcarate said that sufficient evidence had been presented by Depp’s lawyers to keep the case ongoing. Heard’s motion to strike is almost a formality after plaintiffs’ wrap up their case, and it was expected that Azcarate would reject such an effort.Attorneys for both sides presented oral arguments on the motion on Tuesday morning, without the jury present. For Heard’s legal team, the motion’s primary point is to assure certain appeal rights to the defense if necessary. Depp sued his ex-wife over a 2018 Washington Post op ed headlined, “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” Heard wrote that “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.” Tory Lanez was arrested at #LasVegas airport this past weekend for having a substantial amount of weed in his luggage. On Sunday, the rapper attempted to leave Vegas when the #TSA agents found the weed. He was detained for a short amount of time before being released. After being released, Lanez uploaded a series of photos to his Instagram Story, promoting an event at Drai’s nightclub that he attended the same night. “Vegasssss I’ll be in the f—ing city tonight!!!!!!’ he said in one post, as he added in another: “Vegasssss @DraisLV Letssss f— thiiissss upppppppp tonighhhttt.” Lanez’s alleged detention comes about a month after being arrested and released on bond for breaking court restrictions related to a shooting incident he reportedly had with Megan Thee Stallion in July 2020. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdD0RtqNgih/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Jimmy Kimmel has tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, the late-night host took to social media to announce his diagnosis. “Our daughter brought us COVID (even though we specifically asked her not to),” Kimmel tweeted. “All feeling fine, I am double vaxxed and boosted but the show must not go on. Apologies to @TomCruise & @iliza and thanks to Mike Birbiglia @birbigs who’ll be filling in for me starting tomorrow night.” Naomi Judd, iconic country star and one-half of the mother-daughter duo The Judds, took her own life on Saturday following a longtime battle with mental illness at 76 years old, multiple sources confirm. A rep for the late singer hasn’t commented. Naomi’s daughters, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd, announced their mother’s death in an emotional statement obtained by PEOPLE on Saturday. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public,” the statement read. “We are in unknown territory.” An additional statement from Naomi’s husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, read: “Naomi Judd’s family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time.” Naomi was a longtime advocate for mental wellness, and she wrote an open letter for Mental Health Awareness Week in 2018, shared exclusively with PEOPLE. Researchers from the Alabama Historical Commission will study the remains of the last U.S. slave ship, buried in mud on the Alabama coast since it was scuttled in 1860. Most of the wooden schooner remains intact, including the pen that was used to imprison African captives during the brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean, reports the Associated Press. The researchers have announced they will undergo a 10-day evaluation of the sunken remains of The Clotilda, per CBS News. https://youtu.be/EMLz6WqOnEE Janet Jackson is unpacking her luxury NYC home of 25 years, listing it for $8.9 million, according to reports. The 2,094 square foot condominium is located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and boasts three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. The home was built in 1996 and the music icon purchased it for $2.8 million in 1998, according to the Wall Street Journal. “Whenever entering my apartment of 25 years, I always treasured my home’s wonderful location and the breathtaking views that capture the magic and excitement of New York. Stepping through its threshold instantly made me feel so tranquil and at peace—so many memories,” she told the outlet. The home was built in 1996 and the music icon purchased it for $2.8 million in 1998, according to the Wall Street Journal. The home was built in 1996 and the music icon purchased it for $2.8 million in 1998, according to the Wall Street Journal. French entrepreneur Géraldine Guyot, co-founder of the Paris-based accessories firm Destree, has revealed that Beyoncé, Rihanna, Reese Witherspoon, and supermodel Gisele Bündchen are among the list of investors for the fast-growing company. Guyot launched Destress in 2016 with co-founder Laetitia Lumbroso. “Destree tells the story of a colorful and singular passion, of a Parisian yet different style, drawing its beauty from the visual dissonances it evokes and which it translates through a graphic and structured aesthetic,” reads the brand’s website. https://twitter.com/i/status/1521372218617335809 The Kardashian-Jenners will NOT have to fork over any compensation to Blac Chyna. That’s because No damages were awarded to her in the defamation trial she brought against the Kardashian clan. Blac Chyna filed a lawsuit against Kris, Kim, Khloé and Kylie for $40 million for loss of earnings and more than $60 million in future earnings, claiming the family used their influence to tarnish her reputation and prevent financial opportunities after they allegedly “conspired” to cancel the second season of “Rob & Chyna” … a charge which they denied. Singer/rapper Anderson .Paak has partnered with Budweiser for its new Tomorrow is Yours to Take global campaign. Anderson .Paak has shared the new track “Tomorrow is Yours to Take” that he wrote and produced for the campaign.“ Are you sure you can be like them?” he asks at the start of the song. “Do you have what it takes to win?” Elsewhere, he states: “We can book a show on the moon, but my band ain’t playing no EDM / I’m in the Sunshine State but they’ll be the shadiest / Young, Black, gifted and dangerous / Don’t play with us.” https://youtu.be/aZBn0HkVQK4 Charlamagne tha God appeared recently on Ziwe Fumudoh’s late-night talk show, during which he was grilled about his hatred for Black women. “So, you’ve had beefs with Lil Mama, Mo’Nique, Cassie, Azelia Banks, your own co-host Angela Yee, the list goes on and on and on and on,” Ziwe said, to which Charlamagne responded, “Beefs is a strong word.” “You’ve maligned Black women,” Ziwe said. “So, why do you hate Black women, exactly?” she asked. https://twitter.com/i/status/1520822177125253120 Teyana Taylor has announced dates for her final tour, The Last Rose Petal 2… Farewell Tour, which kicks off August 3rd at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA. Produced by Live Nation and Femme It Forward, the 18-city tour is also making stops across the US in Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami and more before performing in Europe and wrapping up on Thursday, September 8th in Paris, France at the Bataclan. In September of 2021, Taylor took to Instagram to announce her retirement from music. At the time, she shared her stats on Spotify’s “2020 Artist Wrapped” list and thanked fans for their support. She also called out the music industry for making her feel underappreciated as an artist. Mike Tyson recently had another strange encounter with a fan following his physical assault on a male fanatic aboard a JetBlue flight. Tyson — who was in Vegas attending events ahead of the Shakur Stevenson’s unanimous decision win over Oscar Valdez at MGM Grand Garden Arena — was taking photos with fans when a woman stuck her finger close to his face from behind. Tyson wasn’t having it, and instantly turned around to confront the woman when her pink fingernail came close to nose. His security appeared to rush over to the woman to de-escalate the situation, and Tyson’s entourage escorted him away from the crowd. https://youtu.be/Ow9Q4mOacSo Former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes claims Bravo execs blacklisted her, making it challenging for the reality star to pursue a racial discrimination lawsuit against the network. https://youtu.be/EXKM0-IXT0w Danielle Bregoli, famously known as the “cash me outside” girl, AKA Bhad Bhabie, recently revealed that she copped a multi-million dollar home in Florida that she paid all cash for. The Florida native, 19, who rose to fame five years ago after appearing on the Dr. Phil show, closed on a seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom estate on March 3, according to New York Post. Per the report, the property is located in “a gated Palm Beach County community on an acre of land, and features a two-story guest house, hurricane impact windows and porcelain tiles throughout.” Bregoli was able to pay all cash for the six million dollar home thanks to the $55 million she claims to have earned via the pornographic OnlyFans apps. When fans gave her the side-eye, she shared receipts on social media. After releasing his album “Isolated Sessions” to streaming services in 2020 as a way to stay creative amidst living in a pandemic. “This album is going to be great,” Thompson said. “I’m just super excited because we went through several evolutions with this album. It really turned into this beautiful amalgamation of music. I finally came to a settled point where I was like, this is it. This is what the people are going to get. This is me. I love these songs.” https://youtu.be/UY9b-cQ12xY As we all know, in just about every major city in the US, the rent is beyond too damn high! And of course, the Bay Area is no exception. There, renting is just straight up unaffordable for many people, especially if they’re starting a new job or working as an intern. Help is on the way. Actually, it’s arrived in the form of a new concept. We’re talking sleeping in small, individual pods in a shared house. According to @bbc, half of the single men surveyed admitted to changing their sheets once every four whole months. Out of 2,250 people surveyed in the UK, almost half of the single men who participated stated that they don’t wash their linen for up to four months at a time. Only 12% said they wash sooner if they remember. As for as single women, they changed their sheets more often with 62% washing their linen every one to two weeks. Couples stated they changed their bedding once every three weeks. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdAEN0QFfGH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Award-winning artist and songwriter Brandon Lake releases his latest full-length album, HELP!, on May 13th, 2022. This timely collection of songs depicts Lake’s heart cry in the battle against depression, anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health struggles—acting as a declarative prayer amidst the processing of his personal emotions. Available now, is the EP's lead single, "HELP." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnZ8KvtuxQg&feature=youtu.be Great Worship Music From Tribl! Never Lost comes to reassure you that Victory is OURS because we know the Captain and His Name Is JESUS. From the powerful team that brought us Maverick City comes another great song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brnlnjYe52o An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back tonight. This week's episode of FATAL ATTRACTION unpacks the mysterious death of a loving mother and wife. Watch the story unfold at 9 p.m. ET/8C. Erica Powell, a Snellville mother of six, was found with a gunshot wound in her head. Her 12-year-old son found her body in her bedroom on July 20, 2017. Who is responsible for this mother and wife’s death? Find out tonight! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QprXuXK-g2Q ”P-Valley” star Tyler Lepley and his girlfriend Miracle Watts are reportedly expecting their first child together. Sources tell The Jasmine BRAND exclusively that Watts is pregnant and expecting Lepley’s third child. The actor has two children (ages 4 and 1) from his previous relationship. This will be Miracle’s first child. The couple recently announced on social media that they copped a new home together. Tyler and Miracle have yet to confirm the rumored pregnancy news. Earlier today, actress and author Viola Davis took part in SiriusXM’s TODAY Show Radio Town Hall to discuss her new book, Finding Me: A Memoir. During her conversation with Hoda Kotb, Davis shared the importance of authenticity and how her industry should be more accepting of people who are less than perfect. https://youtu.be/JVXi8IfHaCw Museum of the Bible will premiere a one-night gala experience entitled “Blessing of the Elders” in the museum’s World Stage Theater from 7–10 p.m. ET on June 23. Blessing of the Elders will pay tribute to the faith-filled legacy of the Black Church and its historical and modern-day figures whose contributions have been foundational to America’s faith, culture and history. Harry Hargrave, CEO of Museum of the Bible said, “Our hope for Blessing of the Elders is to honor—past and present—Black pastors who have impacted America with their significant ministry.” The red carpet, invitation-only celebration will be led by a significant cast of presenters and gospel singers, including co-hosts Erica Campbell and Bebe Winans, Ambassador Andrew Young, Pastor Marvin L. Winans, Tramaine Hawkins, The Clark Sisters, Fred Hammond, Wintley Phipps, Lecrae and Denzel and Paulette Washington. Honorees on June 23rd will include seven of America’s most well-known pastors and leaders including: Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dr. Tony Evans, Bishop Charles E. Blake, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Dr. A.R. Bernard, Bishop Vashti McKenzie and Dr. John Perkins. A bus driver from the St. Helena Parish School District in Louisiana was arrested last week after physically assaulting a student. A video circulating on social media shows bus driver Jerome McNabb, 72, repeatedly beating child during his Friday bus route. As reported by WBRZ, the St. Helena Parish Sheriff’s Office said they immediately launched an investigation once they became aware of the disturbing video. https://streamable.com/xp9l1n Terry Crews appeared on “The Daily Show” recently to promote his latest memoir “Tough: My Journey to True Power.” In an attempt to get Black book lovers interested in supporting him, the actor also made time to apologize for slamming the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. After the police killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, Crews took to tweeter to take aim at BLM and pro-Black social justice activists. “Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy,” wrote Crews on Twitter on June 7, 2020. “Equality is the truth. Like it or not, we are all in this together.” https://youtu.be/PmbXC3dlK_s Vanessa Bryant and her daughter Natalia Bryant hit up social media to celebrate Gianna “Gigi” Bryant’s 16th birthday. As you know, Gigi and her father, Kobe Bryant, perished in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles in 2020. To mark what would have been her 16th birthday on May 1st, both Vanessa, 39, and Natalia, 19, shared touching tributes to the late teenager. In an Instagram post, Vanessa shared a video she narrated featuring cartoon sketches of Gigi playing basketball. “Dear Gianna, from the first time you imagined winning a WNBA championship, I knew one thing was real — you were special,” Vanessa said in the voiceover. “You came from greatness, but it was never about what you inherited. It was about what you gave to others.” She continued, “When someone stands up for gender equality, I see you standing up alongside them. And every time someone plays her hardest, I know that’s you on the court. Love you always, basketball.” In the caption of the clip, Vanessa wrote, “Love you always! Happy Birthday, Gianna. ?????? #Mambacita #2 ????.” Meanwhile, Natalia shared a throwback photo of herself kissing Gigi’s cheek. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdBMzV-rmSa/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e9ee444a-0791-4ac9-8f26-4ad4ae6866e3 Megan Thee Stallion is developing a Netflix series that will be based on her life. “It’s very early,” Netflix’s head of comedy Tracey Pakosta told Deadline about the project. “She came in and she pitched something loosely based on her life growing up, and we got very excited about it. We think she’s special.” The series is part of the deal Megan inked with the streaming giant last year to create and executive produce various projects. “I’ve always had a passion for telling creative and entertaining stories, so I’m thrilled about this partnership with Netflix,” Megan said in a statement in December when the first-look deal was announced. “Venturing into production is the next step in my journey as an entrepreneur and I can’t wait to bring all my ideas to life and for my Hotties to watch.” https://youtu.be/AtjzVI5bFao An Indianapolis mother has died after a botched Brazilian butt lift left her immobile and unable to breathe. As reported by WRTV, Shacare Terry traveled to the Dominican Republic on April 11 with her childhood friend, Carlesha Williams, to get plastic surgery procedures, including a tummy tuck. Shacare was a mother of a two-year-old and the owner of the Minnie Blessings in Paradise daycare located on the city’s east side. Her twin sister, Sharae Terry, said she knew something wasn’t right when she Facetimed with Shacare a few days after her surgery, and she didn’t look well. “I knew something wasn’t right. I knew it in my heart,” Sharae said. “She was definitely healthy, everything that went wrong happened there.” https://youtu.be/PHvh9FTGdCE Oprah Winfrey admits that she did not leave her home for over a year amid the COVID pandemic. Speaking to LA Times about her new documentary, “The Color of Care,” which debuted on Smithsonian Channel, the media mogul also noted that she still supports the mask mandate. “I didn’t leave home for 322 days — literally did not leave the house,” Winfrey, 68, told the publication. Winfrey acknowledged that her privilege as a celebrity afforded her a staff who risked their own health amid the pandemic to cater to her every need while she isolated herself from the world. https://youtu.be/AwgNH2XsbKU Patti LaBelle is set to join the hit CBS comedy “The Neighborhood” as the mother of Cedrick the Entertainer’s character. Per TVLine, LaBelle is set to portray, Marilyn who is described as “the oft-mentioned but never-before-seen mother of Cedric the Entertainer’s Calvin.” https://youtu.be/xTCa5yuHF2c Pete Davidson is learning from his alleged girlfriend Kim Kardashian that if he wants to stay relevant then it’s best if keeps a Black man’s name in his mouth. In this case… that Black man would be Kanye West. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FRnRlLwVcAA5k7Z?format=jpg&name=360x360 A Juneteenth soul food festival planned in Little Rock, Ark. has been canceled after the all-white panel of hosts was revealed. The event was set to go down on June 17, and BET notes that the poster announcing the festival showed photos of the three white people who would host the event that was organized by a Black man. “I got a rope around my neck and I’m tarred and feathered over an event that’s already dead,” organizer Muskie Harris, a former University of Arkansas football player and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, told the Arkansas Times. A Black Republican turned to white people to host his Juneteenth event? In Texas, community activists and Dr. Kent Scribner, the superintendent of the Fort Worth Independent School District are calling for a high school English teacher to be fired after a video showed her allowing a student to repeatedly use a racial slur during a class presentation. https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-isd-on-paschal-high-school-video-showing-student-using-racists-words/287-cf45cb7d-ed5a-45b1-bd79-b01310bf3dc0 Teairra Mari was in court for a debtor examination, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson‘s lawyers shot questions at her for over three hours, according to Radar Online. Mari has been trying to avoid paying 50 Cent for some years now. For starters, she incurred the debt following an unsuccessful revenge porn lawsuit against 50 Cent and her ex-boyfriend. She took 50 Cent to court specifically for sharing an explicit image from her leaked sex tape. However, and to her disappointment, no doubt, a judge ultimately sided with the “Power” executive producer and dismissed the lawsuit. The G-Unit leader and multi-platinum selling rapper won $30,000 to cover the fees of his attorney. But he is yet to get a single penny ever since the judge made the ruling because Mari has refused to obey it. Consequently, her debt has now jumped up to $50,000, thanks to court sanctions. Israel lambasted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday for claiming that Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins, saying it was an “unforgivable” falsehood that debased the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust. In a signal of sharply deteriorating relations with Moscow, the Israeli foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and demanded an apology. “Such lies are intended to accuse the Jews themselves of the most horrific crimes in history that were committed against them,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. “The use of the Holocaust of the Jewish people for political purposes must stop immediately,” he added. Lavrov made the assertion on Italian television on Sunday when he was asked why Russia said it needed to “denazify” Ukraine if the country’s own president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was himself Jewish. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday morning that Boston violated the free speech rights of a Christian group by refusing to fly a flag with the image of a cross at City Hall. While the decision sparked religious controversy, the case brought by Harold Shurtleff, conservative activist and director of Camp Constitution, centered on Constitutional protection free speech. The court said the city created a public forum, open to anyone, when it offered groups the chance to use its flagpole. Denying that for a Christian flag violated free speech rights, it said in its 9-0 ruling. ‘When the government encourages diverse expression — say, by creating a forum for debate — the First Amendment prevents it from discriminating against speakers based on their viewpoint,’ Justice Stephen Breyer, who is on on the liberal wing of the court, wrote in the decision. Three conservative justices wrote a concurring decision, although they said they disagreed with Breyer’s reasoning. While cryptocurrencies have typically been a vehicle for wealth creation for white men, an increasing number of black investors are getting involved with the industry. According to a survey by J.P Morgan Chase (JPM), about 65% of Black Americans said they bought Bitcoin in 2020. That is double the share from 2019. Cryptocurrency, in case you’re not aware, is digital money that can be used to buy goods or services online. You can buy crypto with a credit card and trade it on exchanges, where people can buy and sell it like stocks or bonds. The value of cryptocurrencies fluctuates based on supply and demand. Dr. Dare Adewumi was thrilled when he was hired to lead the neurosurgery practice at an Atlanta-area hospital near where he grew up. But he says he quickly faced racial discrimination that ultimately led to his firing and has prevented him from getting permanent work elsewhere. His lawyers and other advocates say he’s not alone, that Black doctors across the country commonly experience discrimination, ranging from microaggressions to career-threatening disciplinary actions. Biases, conscious or not, can become magnified in the fiercely competitive hospital environment, they say, and the under-representation of Black doctors can discourage them from speaking up. “Too many of us are worried about retaliation, what happens when you say something,” said Dr. Rachel Villanueva, president of the National Medical Association, which represents Black doctors. “We have scores of doctors that are sending us letters about these same discriminatory practices all the time and seeking our help as an association in fighting that.” Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver the 2022 commencement address at Tennessee State University, a historically Black university, on May 7, according to a White House official. TSU President Glenda Glover expressed her excitement over Harris — who is the first HBCU graduate to serve as president or vice president — joining the graduation ceremony. “Commencement marks a major milestone in our students’ lives, but to have the Vice President of the United States as your guest speaker makes this moment even more special for our students and their families,” Glover said in a press release first obtained by CBS News. The commencement ceremonies will also include Birmingham, Alabama, Mayor Randall Woodfin. Jeannine Cook has been fascinated with Harriet Tubman ever since she picked up a book about the abolitionist in her school library as a child. Cook, 38, learned everything she could about Tubman’s life and how she led over 100 enslaved people to freedom before serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. In Tubman, Cook saw the embodiment of what women, Black people and people with disabilities could achieve at a time when equal rights for all had not yet entered the American lexicon. In February 2020, just before the pandemic hit, Cook opened Harriett’s Bookshop, a Philadelphia bookstore named after Tubman that sells books by female authors. Now seeking to honor Tubman on a grander scale, Cook is campaigning to make her the first American woman to be honored with a federal holiday. Cook has collected more than 7,800 signatures on a petition calling for the designation, and she distributes blank postcards in her bookstore that customers can use to write their representatives in support of the effort. At least one politician has taken notice. Last month, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., introduced a bill in the House that would establish Harriet Tubman Day as a federal holiday sometime after Presidents Day. The mother of a Black, autistic teenager who was tackled Monday in a Target store by a Saratoga County sheriff’s deputy says her son did nothing to prompt the confrontation and was a victim of racial profiling. The 14-year-old’s mother, Chante Ware, said he was waiting for his siblings and cousins to check out with purchases bought with Easter money, and was thrown to the ground after his sister screamed, “What the (expletive) are you doing? Get the (expletive) off my brother” and “He has autism, he has autism.” The chaotic scuffle, caught on video by a bystander, escalated with the teen brought to the floor after his 17-year-old sister tried to push the deputy away from him. She was eventually arrested. Another child could be heard crying in the background. As the scene unfolds, the teen’s sister repeatedly tells the deputy and men who appear to be plainclothes officers that her brother has autism. She grows more enraged as the situation unfolds and at points grabs the deputy. https://youtu.be/KgRH462iRS4 Amid a national conservative push to remove lessons about racism from school curricula, a San Francisco teacher’s use of a cotton plant to illustrate the hardships of slavery has left parents divided over the teaching method itself, given the sensitive subject, and the backlash that followed. The social studies teacher at San Francisco’s Creative Arts Charter School brought in cotton plants, or bolls, to class on March 3 so her eighth-grade students could feel the sharp edges that had pierced hands while picking cotton and pulling out the seeds. The lesson was about the cotton gin and the impact it had on slavery and the Industrial Revolution. Within 24 hours, the leadership at the school had launched an investigation into the classroom exercise — what some described as an inappropriate simulation of slavery. On March 4, the school’s director apologized in a letter to families for the “unacceptable, harmful” and “inappropriate” teaching that did not reflect the school’s “anti-racist, progressive-minded curriculum.” The teacher was not at the school for five weeks after the controversial class. The school declined to confirm whether or how she was placed on leave or disciplined during the investigation, but parents attributed her absence to disciplinary action. When the teacher returned on April 15, she issued a written apology to families. The teacher declined to be interviewed for this story and is not being named by The Chronicle. As she exits her hometown’s only restaurant clutching an order of cabbage and hush puppies, Carolyn Suggs Bandy pauses to boast about a place that stakes its claim as the oldest town chartered by Black Americans nearly 140 years ago. “It is sacred to me,” says Bandy, 65. “We got roots in this town.” Yet Princeville, on the banks of the Tar River in eastern North Carolina, is one hurricane away from disaster. The land has flooded many times. Two hurricanes 17 years apart created catastrophic flooding in the town, which was built on swampy, low-lying land in a bend in the river. And weather is hardly the only thing buffeting Princeville through the decades. It has endured racism, bigotry and attempts by white neighbors to erase it from the map, and from existence. Now, with a changing climate, the future is more uncertain than ever. Hurricanes are likely to be more intense. Melting glaciers are causing sea levels to rise, making more flooding inevitable. With each calamity comes a suggestion: Maybe the town should pick up and relocate to safer ground. Many residents, though, say Princeville should — must — stay put. On this land, they see connections — to both a shared history and a continuing fight for survival. “These are sacred African-American grounds,” says Bobbie Jones, Princeville’s two-term mayor, using words that echo Bandy’s. “How dare we be asked to move our town?” On a residential block in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a nondescript eatery has become all the rage by putting an inventive twist on a New York staple. The Black-owned Cuts & Slices on Howard Ave. attracts celebrities and regular crowds alike thanks to its unusual pizza toppings: oxtail, jerk chicken, jerk shrimp, chicken and waffles and black truffle alfredo shrimp. The white and red pies sell from $21 to $100. Opened in 2018 by Randy Mclaren, a former high-end sneaker “concierge,” the shop has over 100,000 followers across social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter, and has catered to such celebs as model Chanel Iman, hip hoppers Pharrell Williams, Lil Yachty, The Lox and Jim Jones, as well as pro football stars Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard. Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates has warned there is a ‘way above five percent’ risk the world has not yet seen the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tech mogul and philanthropist said he did not want to sound ‘doom and gloom’ but warned there was a risk an ‘even more transmissive and even more fatal’ variant could be generated. ‘We’re still at risk of this pandemic generating a variant that would be even more transmissive and even more fatal,’ Gates told The Financial Times on Saturday. ‘It’s not likely, I don’t want to be a voice of doom and gloom, but it’s way above a 5 percent risk that this pandemic, we haven’t even seen the worst of it.’ It is not the first time he has made such a prediction. In December 2021, he warned his millions of Twitter followers to brace themselves for the worst part of the pandemic having previously cautioned in 2015 that the world was not ready for the next pandemic. Saturday night was a big deal in Washington because celebrities, journalists, members of Congress and top Biden administration officials, including the president and First Lady Jill Biden, showed up to a full house for the return of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner/WHCD. https://youtu.be/7L6R7zDOo5I In states like Florida, the intent to sweep Black voting power under the rug of white supremacy is clear. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said blatantly multiple times that he’s seeking to redistrict Florida’s congressional map to make it “race-neutral,” knowing it only affects areas where the populations are largely Black people and people of color, not where the non-race-neutral areas are predominately white. In Georgia, where the congressional map has already been recently rearranged (likely because it went blue in 2020), at least two Black communities are facing the very real possibility of being represented by none other than Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. If you’re a Peach State resident, you might be aware that the suburban communities in Powder Springs and Austell, Ga. are Black. According to the New York Times, shops and restaurants in Powder Springs are owned almost entirely by Black people. The city also elected its first Black mayor in 2015 and voted for Joe Biden by 14 percentage points in Cobb County, which used to be Republican-controlled. A teenage girl was filmed being viciously beaten by two other girls – one of them her best friend – after her supposed pal lured to a Texas park late at night, according to police and the shocking video. Maya Tremillo, 17, suffered a concussion, several cuts to her face and a sprained ankle after the shocking beating at Clifton City Park on April 18 by Savannah Walker, 17, and 17-year-old Ahliah Vestal, the Clifton Police Department said. The two girls were charged with aggravated assault. A third unidentified suspect, who filmed the beatdown and posted it to Snapchat, was also taken into custody and charges are pending. The girls attend the same high school in Clifton, about 35 miles northwest of Waco, and Maya was attacked by the other teens because of a spat over a boy, her distraught mother said. A funeral service was held Saturday for a teenager who was stabbed to death in Mount Vernon. The service for 16-year-old Kayla Green was held at the Macedonia Baptist Church. The cheerleader was stabbed on April 8 after a parade celebrating the basketball team’s state championship. Police say a 15-year-old girl stabbed her in the neck and side. https://youtu.be/BoNFeKZ-2LI 23-year-old Morgan Scott speaks out after surviving a horrific attack during her morning commute. Morgan is recovering after suffering life-threatening injuries from being hit and then run over 3 times in a road rage incident that took place in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The attack reportedly started when Scott and Vincent Jean got into a dispute over a minor traffic incident. As Morgan tried to take photos of Vincent’s license plate, his SUV suddenly went into reverse and went right at her multiple times. Morgan suffered a broken femur and underwent surgery to place a rod in her leg. Both of her knees were split open. Her ribs were broken on both sides, and her neck was broken in three places. Her liver is also lacerated, and she must shield her face from the sun to reduce scarring from road rash. The suspect, Vincent Jean, was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder and third-degree assault by auto. He is due back in court in June. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc_W-bllcuf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Oprah Winfrey criticized a court ruling earlier this month that lifted mask mandates for public transportation, saying ‘it’s too soon’ to remove certain COVID-19 restrictions and that she will continue to wear a mask inside planes. Discussing her new documentary ‘The Color of Care’ with the Los Angeles Times, the veteran talk show host revealed she was so fearful of becoming infected that she spent 332 days without leaving her home during the peak of the pandemic. Oprah, who quarantined at her ‘$40million’ mansion in Santa Barbara, California, told the outlet she is not quite ready just yet to let go of precautions. ‘I personally think it’s too soon to be removing masks from planes. But that’s what people choose to do. And if I were on a commercial plane, I would be one of the people who would still be wearing my mask,’ Oprah told the Los Angeles Times. She continued: ‘And I would be one of the people still wearing my masks in an enclosed building with people who I didn’t know if they were or were not vaccinated. But that is just me. And I certainly accept that there are other people who disagree. I’m OK with that as long as I can wear mine.’ A seven-month-old girl was shot in the chest and killed during a drive-by shooting in Toledo, Ohio, while she was sitting next to her father in his car. Desire Hughes was shot on Wednesday night and treated for at least one gunshot wound to the chest before succumbing to her injuries, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office reported. Her father, Jeremiah Hughes, 20, was grazed by a bullet in the shooting and has since been released from the hospital, mourning his daughter’s death. Cops believe the shooting to be drugs or gang-related. ‘I was a happy dad, you feelin’ me? She was gonna change my life, man,’ Hughes told the Toledo Blade after coming home on Thursday. ‘That was the one that was gonna change my life. ‘That’s why I’m so sick, I don’t even know what to do,’ he added. ‘My baby… they really took that girl from me.’ Remains discovered during a Houston-area search in December have been identified as those of Taylor Pomaski, the missing girlfriend of former NFL player Kevin Ware, authorities said Saturday. The identification was made by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Harris County Sheriff’s Office Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland said by email. “The investigation is still open and active and homicide investigators are diligent on bringing this case to a close,” Gilliland said. Pomaski, 29, was last seen April 25, 2021, at a party at her home in Spring, Texas, the sheriff’s office said. Her disappearance was described as suspicious. The remains were found Dec. 10 at a site in north Harris County that had been identified during the investigation, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at at the time. Ware, former tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, was questioned about her disappearance in June, authorities said. The sheriff’s office has not named any suspects or persons of interest. The former player has been in Montgomery County Jail north of Houston, for 10 months, according to inmate records. His residence is in nearby Spring. Ware was being held without bail after allegedly violating conditions of bond for a case involving drug and weapons charges unrelated to the disappearance, according to NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston. More than 200 men in Harlem celebrated a huge accomplishment Saturday. https://youtu.be/zgNlD6X7Ro8 Netflix has dropped Meghan Markle’s animated series as part of a wave of cutbacks prompted by the streaming service’s drop in subscribers. Pearl, the working title for Markle’s show, has been officially cancelled, Deadline reported Sunday. The show, which was created by the Duchess of Sussex through Archewell Productions, was still only in the development stage. Markle and Prince Harry established Archewell Productions in autumn 2020 in an effort to create scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, features and children’s programming. Pearl was expected to be the first animated series created by the production company. Despite dropping Pearl, insiders allege Netflix remains optimistic about the Archewell deal and has a number of projects planned including a documentary series called Heart of Invictus, which follows the recent Invictus Games. The Walt Disney Company’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Geoff Morrell is throwing in the towel just months after taking on the position, according to reports. Morrell served in the role during a turbulent three-month period, after the company failed to condemn Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Disney found itself in hot water after initially failing to speak out publicly against the Florida legislation, which was signed into law by Gov Ron DeSantis on March 28. “It has become clear to me that for a number of reasons it is not the right fit,” Morrell wrote in an email to his staff, according to Fox News. “I have decided to leave the company to pursue other opportunities.” The touring company of the Tony Award-winning musical “Tootsie The Musical” has made its way to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where performances will run through May 15, 2022. I attended opening night and didn’t know what to expect from a musical created based off a climate that has changed since the original movie was made in 1982. https://youtu.be/EHCYFZNmYLQ The wait is finally over for Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, who was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the second of their two third-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft. The Titans moved up Friday night to select Willis at No. 86 overall after sending a third-round pick (No. 90) and a fifth-round pick (No. 169) to the Las Vegas Raiders. Willis was widely projected as a first-round pick and was invited to Las Vegas by the NFL to be on hand for the draft. That honor is typically reserved for a player that’s likely to be selected in the first round. Despite the wait, Willis remained in Las Vegas until he was selected and was elated when he heard his name called as he celebrated with his family. Willis said he didn’t pack a second suit so he and his group of 100 friends and family decided to go to a bowling alley to celebrate when he was selected. “I’m just blessed to have somewhere to call home and appreciative for the opportunity to play at the next level,” Willis said. “It hasn’t really been difficult. At the end of the day when you don’t have control over something, it’s not something that you can really get mad at. I’m just grateful to be here and to be a Tennessee Titan.” Legendary women’s basketball pioneer C. Vivian Stringer is retiring after 50 years and 1,055 wins as a head coach, she announced Saturday. Stringer, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, guided her teams to 28 NCAA tournament appearances and four Final Four berths across her storied career at Cheyney State, Iowa and most recently Rutgers. Stringer’s retirement will be effective Sept. 1. “My life has been defined by coaching and I’ve been on this journey for over five decades. It is rare that someone gets to do what they love for this long and I have been fortunate to do that,” Stringer said in a release. “After recently celebrating the first women’s Final Four team at Cheyney State University, where it all started, it sat with me that I have been at this for a long time. It is important to step aside and challenge others to step up and take this game forward. “This was the hardest decision of my life, but I thank God he has allowed me to do the thing I love most. I am ready to start my new journey and spending more time with my family, children, and grandchildren. I am truly blessed to have had so many wonderful people in my life.” The school said a national search for Stringer’s replacement will begin immediately. Charles Young, the first Black US Army colonel whose groundbreaking military career was hampered a century ago by the racism of the era, was posthumously promoted on Friday to brigadier general. Young’s promotion retroactively makes him the first Black American recognized with that rank, the Army said. The honorary designation, following years of efforts to posthumously promote him, was the focus of an official promotion ceremony at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Friday. After Young was passed over for promotion before his death in 1922, a Black service member wouldn’t join the general officers rank in the Army until Benjamin Davis Sr. was promoted to brigadier general in 1940. https://youtu.be/07robjEqIaM Looking for a juicy alternative to oat bran and milk? Tropicana is introducing a new cereal that’s made specifically for orange juice. Tropicana Crunch, a crispy honey almond cereal, will be available starting May 4, which also happens to be National Orange Juice Day. “Prepare your mind and cereal bowl for an unforgettable breakfast experience,” the juice company says on its website. The cereal box features a smiling orange holding a spoon and orange juice being poured into a bowl of almond cereal. It also comes with a paper straw. https://youtu.be/aHq1D25w27Q “I got my daughter together….and had my son record it” said Ellen Hayes about the title track to her new Christian album of the same name, “We Owe It All to You” (Song & Melodies Records). “I had songs I recorded in 2018…used a few of those songs on the album. The title song spearheaded the album. It was a song I had written in 2006. It was titled ‘I Owe It All to You,” because of the big healing that’s needed the Lord put the song back in my Spirit, so I changed ‘I’ to ‘We’.” https://youtu.be/Dos53qK5e88 Two-time GRAMMY®-Award winner Jason Crabb is known for being one of the most encouraging and inspirational voices in Christian music, sharing songs full of hope.Today, he continues encouraging the listener with the driving, hope-filled, new song, "Good Morning Mercy." Written by Crabb, Jay DeMarcus, Caleb Ward and Jordan Ward, the song reminds the listener that God is always working things out for our good - even the messes we make ourselves. https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=xcjzxo4-kSY&list=RDAMVMxcjzxo4-kSY DJ Kay was buried on April 24 after succumbing to Covid-19 complications a week earlier. However, his being laid to rest has not marked the end of his larger-than-life legacy. The Hip Hop star will continue to inspire many generations through his music, radio show Straight Stuntin’ Magazine, family and numerous friends. To ensure his contributions to the culture will always be remembered, Van Silk (veteran New York City Hip Hop promoter) has made several moves that will keep him relevant for generations. This is according to his promoter Jarrod “General” Whitaker, according to HipHopDx. Shaq is the latest guest on the new episode of “The Pivot,” and during the show, he opened up about his divorce from ex #ShaunieONeal, and took accountability for their breakup. He said, “I wasn’t protecting her and protecting those vows. Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up. So I’m not gonna say it was her, it was all me.” Shaq continued to explain that Shaunie did everything that she was supposed to in their marriage and that he was at fault for what went wrong. By now, ya’ll know both Shaq and Shaunie have both moved on in their romantic relationships after divorcing back in 2011.Shaunie is now engaged to Pastor Keion Henderson. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcieXXwlKKK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again DL Hughley is NOT happy with the way folks on social media are coming for Megan Thee Stallion after her interview with Gayle King. “I got a chance to see Megan Thee Stallion and Gayle King‘s interview. I like everybody else don’t know what happened I wasn’t there I just speculate like everybody seems to be doing but there are some things I know for sure. One is that that young lady was shot. The other thing that I don’t understand is what are people so angry with her about I mean she is actually the victim.” https://youtu.be/nVPEhobyuhI Tyga finds himself in the middle of another lawsuit. This time, his sneakers’ creativity is at the center of confusion.? #Billboard reports that #NewYork based design studio MSCHF is going at it with Vans’ legal team to determine if the rapper’s “Wavy Baby” sneakers are illegal knockoffs. MSCHF is the same company responsible for Lil Nas X’s Satan blood-drawn shoes.? MSCHF claims the “Wavy Baby” shoes that look similar to the original Vans “Old Skool” collection are free speech, and Tyga is protected under the First Amendment.? Tyga says the shoes sold out within 10 minutes.? DaBaby is now facing criminal charges over an alleged attack on a man during a music video shoot. According to @tmz_tv, DaBaby has been hit with felony battery by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office over the incident that went down in December last year. The alleged victim, Gary Pagar, was left with serious injuries. https://youtu.be/jVUHqaKu9yo The parents of Tyre Sampson — the teenager who fell to his death at a ride in Florida — now claim the 14-year-old should not have been allowed to get on board the “Free Fall” ride in the first place. Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson have filed a wrongful death suit against ICON Park, via attorneys Michael Haggard (the managing partner of Harrard Law Firm) and Ben Crump. The suit is also against ICON Park’s pertinent associates and the operators of the free-fall ride itself. The parents claim negligence caused their son’s death, reports TMZ. According to the lawsuit details, the parents allege the park had height and weight restrictions that their son violated because he never saw the signs or the staff at the site never pointed out these. The parents say there were no signs to guide people and nobody working there said anything either, hence Tyre Sampson got in on the assumption all was safe. “You didn’t want to miss a dollar. But you stripped me of my son. So yeah, it’s disgusting,” Dodd said at a press conference, sitting with the lawyers. Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed on Friday that he would make Florida a so-called constitutional carry state, which would allow people to publicly carry firearms without permits. “The legislature will get it done,” DeSantis said during a news conference in north Florida. “I can’t tell you if it’s going to be next week or six months, but I can tell you that before I am done as governor, we will have a signature on that.” In Florida, people must obtain concealed weapon permits in order to carry hidden guns in public. About 2.5 million people have permits, more than any other state where they are required. The permit can be obtained by taking a gun training course and submitting proof of competency. In most cases, gun owners in Florida cannot openly carry firearms without permits, either, except in certain circumstances, like while hunting. https://youtu.be/DFINEAzqvWI In 1992, years of frustration and angst literally exploded to the surface in many of the Black communities of Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict saw the four officers who violated the civil rights of King got off on all the most serious charges. A young man by the name of Keith O’Derek seized the opportunity to wade into the void of misinformation, fearmongering and general mainstream dereliction with nothing but his wits and a video camera. Like many, he did witness the looting, the burning, and the screams of despair. But unlike most of us, he was able to capture firsthand the deeper communal mindsets as articulated by the likes of Jesse Jackson, Denzel Washington, Ice Cube, Ice T, Dick Gregory, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, gang leaders representing most of the crews south of Wilshire, community activists in the streets and a myriad of other community leaders on the local, state and national level. The result of his works would become known as “Straight from the Streets” for the most obvious of reasons. https://youtu.be/0MkEmT2np6o Russia and the West are closer to nuclear war than during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev has said. Nina Khrushcheva, an academic whose great-grandfather was leader of the Soviet Union during the 1962 standoff, warned the conflict in Ukraine is more dangerous because neither side appears prepared to ‘back off’. Ms Khrushcheva said despite a ‘war of words’ during the period of Cold War brinkmanship, both President John F Kennedy and Khrushchev agreed to de-escalate as soon as there was a real threat of nuclear action. Speaking on the Today program, she said it was ‘clear’ the current conflict was a proxy war between the West and Russia in which Ukraine is ‘to some degree a pawn’. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/04/30/2686731966760531362/640x360_MP4_2686731966760531362.mp4 Russian state TV has brazenly simulated how Vladimir Putin would launch a nuclear strike on three capital cities in Europe, declaring there would be ‘no survivors’, in response to comments made by the UK’s Armed Forces Minister supporting Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure. Hosts on Channel One’s 60 Minutes programme announced the cities of London, Paris and Berlin could be hit within 200 seconds of nuclear missiles being launched, as tensions ramp up amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. It comes as ex-Nato chief Richard Sherriff warned the West must ‘gear itself up’ for a ‘worst case scenario’ war with Russia in Ukraine, amid reports the Russian president could use the country’s victory day parade on May 9 to declare ‘all-out war’ on its neighbor. On Thursday’s show the chairman of the nationalist Rodina party, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, pondered what would happen if Russia launched nuclear weapons against the UK, saying: ‘one Sarmat missile and the British Isles will be no more.’ In January, author and founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries Lysa TerKeurst announced she’d filed for divorce from her husband, Art. The couple married in 1992 and have been separated since November 2020. North Carolina, where the TerKeursts live, requires that a couple be separated for a continuous year before instituting a divorce proceeding. In February, Art filed a response to the petition for divorce, asking for post-separation support, alimony, an equitable division of property, damages, and the rescission of a post-nuptial agreement which he says was unconscionable and based upon fraud. According to the court filings, Art asserts the post-nuptial agreement was executed under duress at a time when he was suicidal and about to enter a treatment facility for alcoholism. He says, based on the harassment and demands of his wife, friends, and family, he signed the agreement without “the opportunity to consult with counsel.” After he finished the treatment, he and Lysa renewed their vows and Art claims he believed the post-nuptial agreement was invalidated as part of their “fresh start.” Oprah Winfrey spoke out about how medical racism and access to healthcare impacted her own life — including the time a doctor misdiagnosed a thyroid issue that caused heart palpitations. “And she said, ‘What was I gonna do? You’re Oprah Winfrey, and I wasn’t going to have you die on me without having done everything I thought I could do,'” Winfrey told The Los Angeles Times. Winfrey said she thought the doctor had acted “irresponsible.” “And I also thought, for the first time, ‘I can see now that when you show up and you’re a known person, although everybody seems excited to see you, they’re also nervous because they’ve got to also cover themselves,'” Winfrey said. Winfrey spoke about her experiences as a Black woman when dealing with the healthcare system. The 68-year-old talk show legend said being a celebrity accessing healthcare had its drawbacks, but also its advantages. “I noticed that things change for you when you are a person who is known. You get the doctor’s appointment. You don’t have to wait in line. You don’t have to deal with a lot of excess delays that other people have. And so I have lived this life of privilege and advantage, and then been exposed to the best of healthcare. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro is currently headed by a black CEO. Damola Adamolekun, 33, has been at the top of the US-based, popular Asian casual-dining restaurant chain since 2020. Damola has been instrumental in the success of P.F. Chang’s, one of the largest and most popular restaurant chains across many countries worldwide. He believes the company should not rely on its strong brand alone; instead, it should continue to embrace change to prepare for the uncertain future. Damola is a partner at Paulson & Co. that became one of the principal owners of P.F. Chang’s in 2019 after the latter was bought at $700 million. Additionally, he was part of the International Tower Hill Mines LLC board of directors. Adamolekun attended Brown University for his bachelor’s degree in economics and got his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. It is not an easy task pulling off a successful wedding on a budget, but one Los Angeles couple did just that. Kiara and Joel Brokenbrough devised simple ways to lower costs on their big day, managing to hold a reasonable wedding for only $500. According to a report by The Knot, a wedding-planning website, that is a fraction of the over $30,000 spent on most weddings nationally. “Our goal was to just be as minimal as possible,” the bride explained to “Good Morning America.” “And to spend the least amount of money as possible.” So why did they spend that less? They said they were able to have a less expensive wedding because they focused on not getting into debt while starting their marriage. Kiara, on her part, kicked off their low-cost wedding by going for an affordable wedding dress, which she found and bought on Shein’s website (digital fashion retailer) for just $47. https://youtu.be/aZMzCt7le7g Tyrese is getting candid about managing his grief following the death of his mother in February after a battle with COVID. In a lengthy Instagram post, the singer/actor also admits he’s still mourning the loss of his “Fast & Furious” co-star Paul Walker as well as director John Singleton, and songwriter LaShawn Daniels. His ongoing divorce battle with ex Samantha Lee is also weighing him down. “Paul I promise you I got you bro,” his IG post begins. “#FASTX I think I need more therapy I’m still not over losing my mom, Paul, John Singleton, and Lashawn Daniels. When people pass on? They just leave us all here to deal with it. That’s really painful stuff pray for me y’all….. lately I’ve e been unraveling, painfully processing this all… This divorce has to end she has dragged this all out for a year and 8 months. I just want peace and to be left alone.” Naomi Judd — the Grammy-winning country star and one half of the mom-and-daughter duo The Judds — has died … this according to her kids. Wynonna and Ashley Judd released a statement Saturday, saying … “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.” They add, “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.” ER actress Jossara Jinaro passed away on Wednesday, April 27, after a battle with cancer. Her husband Matt Bogado announced the sad news in a Facebook post along with a family photo. ‘With great sorrow, I announce the passing of my wife, Jossara Jinaro on this date, April 27, 2022,’ he wrote. She was 48-years-old. In a bitterly divided Congress, music brought together Republicans and Democrats to honor Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and lobby for laws to protect artists. “We are celebrating 20 years of advocacy. We passed a music omnibus bill that would make things better. During the pandemic, we pushed for health and Congress provided unprecedented assistance through the Save Our Stages Act, the biggest investment in the arts in American history. We’re all here united in our belief that music can change the world. It serves the hopeful, it brings people together providing the common language for justice and peace. Music has the power to unite, enrich, heal and change the world,” Mason declared. Fans of the Michael B. Jordan-produced superhero drama series “Raising Dion” will be sad to know that Netflix has canceled the series. The news comes less than three months after the series’ second season premiered, EW reports. “Sad to say that Raising Dion is CANCELED,” series star Sammi Haney announced on Instagram Tuesday. “Thank you for all of the amazing support we got from all of our wonderful fans! Season 2 was a success, equal to Season 1, even if just looking at how many people watched all of it and wanted a season 3!” https://youtu.be/CnORv97hCDM The “Jurassic Park” franchise is still going strong as the new trailer for “Jurassic World: Dominion” has arrived. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the film picks up four years after the end of the previous movie and sees stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard joined by the original “Jurassic Park” cast Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. As reported by Complex, the trailer also gives fans a glimpse at the Giganotosaurus that terrorizes the team throughout the film. “I wanted something that felt like the Joker,” Trevorrow said of the dinosaur to Empire. “It just wants to watch the world burn.” Goldblum told PEOPLE recently that he and the original cast “fell back into step.” https://youtu.be/k-RY-1UPFgQ During a recent interview, Lizzo said she would be open to going head-to-head against Saweetie in a food-themed ‘Verzuz’ to let everyone know she is not to be played with. @Billboard reports, while appearing on Los Angeles radio station Power 106, Lizzo was asked by the show’s hosts if Saweetie could hang with her when it comes to her unusual food concoctions—and she made it clear that in reference to Saweetie, “We not the same!” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc6O2mfFpno/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Rapper Coi Leray and her father, Source founder Benzino, have been sparring online recently, which spilled over into a war of words with 50 Cent and trans model Shauna Brooks. Leray and Benzino have put their dysfunctional father-daughter relationship on full display for public consumption, and the criticism to his style of parenting seems to have prompted Zino to take a social media break. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcrAfd5Jxm5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Soon after Snoop Dogg took ownership of the Death Row Records catalog, he had all the music pulled off Spotify and the other streaming music services. His explanation was that he wanted to transform Death Row into the “first major label in the metaverse.” “Death Row will be an NFT label,” he said during a Clubhouse chat shortly after acquiring the label. “We will be putting out artists through the metaverse. Just like we broke the industry when we was the first independent [label] to be major, I want to be the first major [label] in the metaverse.” https://youtu.be/pggrScDSSrg A young man by the name of Keith O’Derek seized the opportunity to wade into the void of misinformation, fearmongering and general mainstream dereliction with nothing but his wits and a video camera. Like many, he did witness the looting, the burning, and the screams of despair. But unlike most of us, he was able to capture firsthand the deeper communal mindsets as articulated by the likes of Jesse Jackson, Denzel Washington, Ice Cube, Ice T, Dick Gregory, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, gang leaders representing most of the crews south of Wilshire, community activists in the streets and a myriad of other community leaders on the local, state and national level. The result of his works would become known as “Straight from the Streets” for the most obvious of reasons. https://youtu.be/0MkEmT2np6o Downton Abbey fans have revealed that they were left in ‘tears’ after watching A New Era, the much-anticipated sequel film to the period drama. Viewers flocked to Twitter to share their emotional reactions after watching the film, which was released in cinemas on Friday. Many fans admitted that they were left both laughing and crying as they went through a ‘rollercoaster of the emotions’, while others expressed their surprise at how ‘sad’ the storyline was. One fan wrote: ‘Just watched Downton Abbey A New Era. As expected – absolutely loved it! Such a feel-good film (a few tears too!)’ Another penned: ‘Just wow! There was laughter and there was tears. A new era indeed #DowntonAbbeyANewEra.’ A third tweeted: ‘Watched this evening laughter and tears thank you.’ And a fourth said: ‘Back with old friends from #DowntonAbbey tonight. South of France, Hollywood, laughter & tears…felt like the closing chapter of a beloved story. Bloody Marvelous!’ It’s been several years since Colin Kaepernick played in the NFL, but that has certainly not stopped those who still hope to see him back on the field one day—and that now includes the owner of one of the top teams in the league. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis recently stated that not only would he love to have Colin Kaepernick be part of the team, but that he “deserves” it. @Deadline reports, while being interviewed earlier this week by NBC Sports, Raiders owner Mark Davis had extremely kind words and high praise for Colin Kaepernick—while sounding hopeful that he would one day suit up wearing the team’s black and silver colors. “I believe in Colin Kaepernick. He deserves every chance in the world to become a quarterback in the National Football League. I still stand by it. If our coaches and general manager want to bring him in or want him to be the quarterback on this team, I would welcome him with open arms,” he said. However, he wasn’t done speaking about Kaepernick, adding that he’s “misunderstood”: “I think Colin is a very misunderstood human being. I’ve gotten a chance to talk to him. I never really knew Colin, and I didn’t understand him. I didn’t understand the kneeling, what that meant initially. Over time, I have learned a little bit more about it. Before the Jaguars selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker was involved in a “serious” car accident in Athens, Ga., according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Walker crashed into two parked cars but sustained no injuries, per Rapoport, and no citations were issued. After being selected in the draft, he said the accident was a “fender bender” and took place two weeks ago. Walker shot up draft boards in recent weeks after it was believed for much of the offseason that edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux would be selected with the first and second picks. The 21-year-old had six sacks and 37 total tackles on his way to a national title with the Bulldogs in 2021. A 71-year-old woman is behind bars after slapping a 17-year-old Little Caesar’s employee and calling him the n-word for not having any crazy bread. Rachel Scheuerman went to an Oklahoma Little Caesar’s in hopes of getting her hands on some crazy bread, but became crazy herself when the worker told her they were out. She then called him the n-word. When the worker was not phased by the slur, she got the car and smacked him in the face! https://youtu.be/ViQnh_Lb2Tw Snickers has responded to social media rumors that it removed the "veins” from the popular candy bar. The Mars-owned brand tweeted, “contrary to what’s trending on Twitter… THE VEINS REMAIN!” It seems rumors about the vein removal started when a photograph circulated on social media that showed a Snickers bar without its distinct “veins.” The fact-shaking site Snopes.com concluded that the smooth bar could possibly be due to a manufacturing error, and noted: “Mars has not removed a ‘dick vein’ from candy bars after being pressured by a ‘woke mob.’ In fact, we find no calls for this ‘vein’ to be removed.” "This song came from finite beings not having the verbiage or vocabulary to accurately describe an infinite and extraordinary being. What else could you call a move of God? He leaves us completely floored most times. He’ll tell you to go where no one else can or will. He’ll tell you to say something that may seem out of order, or do something that nobody, including you, will understand at the time. All for his intended purpose and design, and it always works out for the good of them who love God and are called according to His purpose. That’s CRAZY! He asks for your complete and utter devotion and commitment, and that in itself is deemed CRAZY by the world, but for believers it’s just our normal. It’s actually our necessity and the truth is that anybody who experiences what it is to be in relationship with Christ would rather be looked at as CRAZY for living for the King, than be outside of the Kingdom." It's another song "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! The Walls Group "Crazy" https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/v0msu2a5b4sge2a6e552l/h?dl=0&preview=The+Walls+Group+-+Crazy.mp3&rlkey=slzfjepxdiazecg2tuq0p4yyl "OUTPOUR" is a song crafted for anyone who is expecting more from life and knows it will take something greater than them to provide it! Coming through a global pandemic, "Outpour" serves as a reminder that while rough times can touch us all so can the blessings of God! Here is another song "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! GARY SWINDELL, JR. drops "Outpour" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49CIVT6OGmY Jehovah Jireh is one of the most widely used names for God. Jehovah Jireh means "the Lord will provide" and through faith, believers trust God on this promise. Stellar Award-nominated choir Zak Williams and 1AKORD (Zak & 1A) have given us a simple praise chant sweeping across the country called "Jehovah Jireh". His single is a steadfast reminder of this promise. The Gospel Spotlight is on Zak Williams. The rags to riches journey of R&B veterans SWV will be the focus of a biopic courtesy of Lifetime. An insider to the project said they are “working on the script,” according to The Jasmine Brand. Hailing from New York City, the Sisters with Voices consists of Cheryl “Coko” Gamble, Tamara “Taj” Johnson, and Leanne “Lelee” Lyons. As reported by MadameNoire, SWV released their first album, “It’s About Time,” in 1992. After they released their third album, “Release Some Tension,” they disbanded in 1998 due to personal issues within the group. The ladies reunited in 2005 and released the albums “I Missed Us” in 2012 and “Still” in 2016. https://www.instagram.com/therealcokoswv/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=2496548e-6748-41a2-9a65-3efdbda890ba Malcolm X reminded the world on May 22, 1962, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman.” Nearly 70 years later, POLITICO has offered the latest confirmation of the civil rights icon’s truthful words by publishing an article not only having the audacity to question Vice President Kamala Harris‘ choice of treatment for COVID-19 but also for referring to the most powerful Black woman in the free world by only her first name. It was announced on Monday that Harris had tested positive for the virus. But it was also the latest disrespect shown to Harris, the first Black and woman vice president in the nation’s history, and carried on a very American tradition of doing discourtesies to Black women, to put it mildly. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1519454344248274944/4fxk6ltA?format=jpg&name=small Some may think that’s a bit of an overstatement—there are white people who appear to get it for the most part, after all—but, by and large, trying to explain the nuance, the implicit and explicit ways in which systemic racism operates, is like tossing balls of styrofoam at a brick wall hoping to have an eventual breakthrough. That’s the only way to explain why Greg Kelly, a host at Newsmax, thinks the existence of interracial relationships disproves the existence of white supremacy. It might blow Kelly’s mind to know that interracial relations have existed throughout America’s history. Mixed race people who existed during slavery and Jim Crow weren’t cloned in some miscegenation lab, they existed because, at a time when systemic racism couldn’t plausibly be denied, Black people and white people were having relations (also slavers were raping slaves, but that’s another post for another day). So, Kelly thinks white supremacy is all a lie because negroes aren’t regularly getting lynched for hunching with the whites—but that only shows his understanding of systemic racism is as remedial as his understanding of race in general. https://twitter.com/i/status/1519296359484084232 The Supreme Court justices this week expressed sympathy for a white high school football coach who was fired from his job for kneeling and praying on the field following games, drawing a stark contrast to the country’s collective reaction to Colin Kaepernick‘s controversial kneeling protest before NFL games. While not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, critics wonder what would have become of Kaepernick and his career had his plight to raise awareness about police brutality against Black people been viewed through the same empathetic filter that the Supreme Court employed on Monday, when it heard the football coach Joseph Kennedy’s case. Three Texas Black men were arrested and charged with felony drug possession in Clay County, Texas after police accused the men of having edibles in their car during a traffic stop. According to ABC 13 the men, Dandre and Dante Burroughs, and their roommate, Samuel Serrano-Griffiths, were driving home from Colorado after celebrating one of the boy’s 21st birthday when Clay County officers stopped them for speeding and making an unsafe lane change. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office has not released the exact amount of drugs they claim to have found in the vehicle, but the boys are each being held on a $50,000 bond. Raquel Burroughs, Dante and Dandre’s mom told ABC 13 that she believes the boys are good people and the punishment far outweighs the crime. A doorbell camera showed the moment a couple was chased into their home by a black bear while walking their dog in Apopka, Florida. The shocking occurrence took place on Tuesday night when the couple was walking their dog near a neighbor’s home when the angry animal approached them. According to the Daily Mail, local police weren’t notified about the incident. In the clip, the couple is seen running and yelling at their dog as the dog looks back and barks at the bear before entering the home. ‘We were letting the dog out to potty and a bear charged us from our next-door neighbor’s house. We made it safely into the house, and closed and banged on the front door,’” the woman said in an interview with Viral Hog. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc7LivXDw9M/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Migos rapper Quavo is set to star in a new feature-length action thriller, “Takeover,” that has been greenlit for production by entertainment content and technology house Trioscope in partnership with Quality Films (Ice Cold, How High 2). In the film, penned by acclaimed screenwriter Jeb Stuart (Die Hard, The Fugitive, The Vikings) and directed by Trioscope Chief Creative Officer Greg Jonkajtys (The Liberator), Quavo plays Guy Miller, a recent parolee who’s attempting to rehabilitate his life, when circumstances propel him back into Atlanta’s thriving and dangerous takeover scene. He must live up to his reputation as one of the slipperiest street operators in a lethal, head-long race against time. Per press release, set and filmed in Atlanta, a hotbed of the street takeover car culture, “Takeover” will underscore the fascination and controversy surrounding “sideshows,” which Trioscope will bring to stunning life by fusing live-action performances with animation. https://www.instagram.com/quavohuncho/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=16821d43-ce1b-4997-b7f7-37a14d8b6e25 Simone Biles is ready to be a wife! The Olympic gold medalist chatted with Access Hollywood’s Scott Evans about planning her wedding with Houston Texans player Jonathan Owens! “So far the wedding process has been pretty seamless but now it’s getting towards the stressful part. I’ve already picked out my dresses and stuff. They are in production right now. It is kind of like whenever I met Jonathan. You had a feeling and you went with your gut. When I tried on the dress I had my Maid of Honor and Mom there with me, and we just started balling. I just knew. https://youtu.be/yU2mLepFp4A A former U.S. Marine was killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces after the private security firm he worked for sent him to war. The family of Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, of Orange County New York, confirmed that the husband and father of a seven-month-old son had died in the Ukraine fighting Russian forces on Monday, CNN reported. He is survived by his wife Brittany, who he married in July 2019, as well as the couple’s seven month-old son Anthony. Cancel’s mother, Rebecca Cabrera, said her son was working for a private military contracting company when he agreed to take up a job to fight in the Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February. ‘He wanted to go over because he believed in what Ukraine was fighting for, and he wanted to be a part of it to contain it there so it didn’t come here, and that maybe our American soldiers wouldn’t have to be involved in it,’ Cabrera told CNN. The circumstances of Cancel’s death remain unclear, including how and where he was killed. His mother added that those fighting alongside Cancel were not able to retrieve his body during the conflict that killed him. LaDonia Boggs, 39, was found unresponsive by police in the doorway of her DC apartment around 3am on Wednesday with ‘an apparent stab wound.’ Carl Jones, 44, who shares a child with Boggs, reportedly stabbed her during a ‘domestic dispute,’ authorities reported. She was awaiting trial in November for allegedly killing the pair’s son Kyon Jones after accidentally rolling on top of him while high on angel dust. After discovering her son was dead, she allegedly wrapped him in a blanket and threw him in the trash. She was originally charged with murder and evidence tampering, but the murder charge was dropped after authorities were unable to locate the body. People who want South Carolina to become the 49th U.S. state to pass a hate crimes law have explained, bargained and begged Republicans in the state Senate to just hold a debate on the bill. On Wednesday, with just days left before the measure dies, they turned to one of the survivors of one of the most heinous racist attacks in modern America seeking to persuade senators to at least take a vote on the bill. They showed a two-minute video of Polly Sheppard to the Senate chamber, where the bill has been stuck for months with eight Republican senators objecting and only eight more legislative days to take action. The racist gunman who killed nine of Sheppard’s church friends in 2015 pointed his gun at the woman, but said he would spare her life so she could let people know he was killing Blacks because he hated them. One of the dead from the attack was Sheppard’s pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, whose portrait hangs in a place of honor in the Senate chamber. “Eight members of the South Carolina Senate are giving a safe haven to hate. Every time you look at senator Pinckney’s photograph, you should be reminded that hate killed him,” Sheppard said. NAACP President Derrick Johnson on Tuesday tweeted at Elon Musk, inviting him to an open conversation on the social media platform one day after the Tesla CEO purchased the site. “If you believe in free speech on your platform, let’s talk openly on Twitter Spaces. People have a few questions and a few recommendations,” Johnson tweeted. His invitation was in response to an earlier tweet from Musk on Tuesday saying that “the extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all” after his acquisition of the site. “Let’s have a conversation about our democracy,” Johnson said in another tweet. The Tesla CEO on Monday reached an agreement with Twitter to purchase the company for approximately $44 billion. A Michigan man accused of terrorizing residents by leaving nooses and racist handwritten notes around his community to stop people from supporting Black Lives Matter has been charged with hate crimes, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Kenneth Pilon, 61, was charged with six counts of interfering with federally protected activities for incidents dating to June and July 2020, the height of nationwide protests following George Floyd’s death. Floyd, a Black man, was killed May 25, 2020, after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than 8 minutes. Authorities allege in an affidavit that Pilon went to stores in Saginaw leaving nooses attached to a note that read: “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!” The messages were found in several places, including a Goodwill parking lot, inside a beverage cooler at a 7-Eleven and in a Walmart parking lot. He also left a noose and a note in a vehicle owned by Regina Simon and her then-husband, Donald Simon, according to the affidavit. Regina Simon said she thinks her family was targeted after Pilon drove by and saw her in her yard wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt her son made. They found the note and the noose the next day when her husband went to get coffee. Regina Simon is Mexican and white, and her ex-husband is Black. The former Grambling State University volleyball players who were cut earlier this month by the team’s new coach are telling their own stories in a new piece from USA Today. Chelsea Lucas was hired to coach the Louisiana school’s volleyball squad in February; she had come from the University of Arkansas at Pine-Bluff after posting a sub-.500 record after three seasons. That below-the-line performance didn’t dissuade her from feeling she needed to make big changes to her new roster, though. By the end of March, Lucas had cut all 19 players. Not only did that mean they no longer had a uniform or a role to play on the court, but they no longer had scholarships to pay for their education. The former players now tell USA Today that they felt something was off from the very beginning. Nothing makes Dyree Williams feel more like himself than his hair, which he has proudly worn in twists, braids and locks all his life — it’s part of his identity and a direct connection to his ancestors. But Williams’ locks became an issue after the 17-year-old moved from Cincinnati, Ohio, to East Bernard, 50 miles outside of Houston, Texas, in February. His new school’s dress code policy stated that “braided hair or corn rows will not be allowed,” a policy that went against his very sense of self. “Once you cut that hair off, you cut off your line to your ancestors, you cut off your lineage, you cut off everything,” Williams’ mother, Desiree Bullock, said. “And just it’s not an option … We don’t consider them dreadlocks because we don’t dread them we love them.” The school’s student handbook, where the district’s policy on hair is spelled out, states that “Boy’s hair may not extend below the eyebrows, below the tops of the ears or below a conventional standup shirt collar, and must not be more than one-inch difference in the length of the hair on the side to the length of the hair on top.” Bullock told CNN that having Williams change hairstyles to comply with the policy is not an option for either of them. Kim Kardashian’s ex-boyfriend Ray J is denying her claims that Kanye West retrieved a hard drive containing their infamous sex tape. On Thursday’s episode of The Kardashians, Kim, 41, was crying uncontrollably after claiming that ex-husband Kanye, 44, had got hold of ‘unseen footage’ from the 2002 incident preventing another leak. However, Ray J – real name William Ray Norwood Jr., who dated Kim for three years – has branded the whole narrative of the story as ‘lies.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/04/28/194550279811514825/636x382_MP4_194550279811514825.mp4 The appeal of this song reminds us that no matter what we have done, no matter how broken we may feel, God will continue to come after us and love us with his redeeming, unconditional love. She wanted a song that conveyed how God is always fighting for us. The song’s lyrics remind us how we aren’t hidden, we aren’t forgotten, and we aren’t without hope. They share the message of how God hears the S.O.S. cries of our souls and will send out an army to find us even in the middle of the darkest night. When Kelly opted to sing this song on her show, the audience was stunned by her emotional and pitch-perfect performance. Kelly has also never shied away from sharing her faith on her daytime talk show and it’s easy to see how God is on the move, even in Hollywood. And what a beautiful way to reach others for Christ. https://youtu.be/WQs5mvPEe7M Kim Kardashian has been slammed as ‘disgusting’ and ‘unhinged’ for seemingly ‘darkening’ niece Stormi’s skin to match other niece True’s in a Disneyland snap which she recently admitted to doctoring. The reality star, 41, recently sparked outrage on social media after finally admitting she Photoshopped her niece True’s face onto her other niece Stormi’s body in a series at the theme park because it suited her Instagram ‘aesthetic’. But Kim now faces fresh controversy as eagle-eyed Reddit users have spotted that Kim went as far as altering Stormi’s hand with a darker tone to match True’s skin color, in a bid to fool people into believing that it was indeed Khloe Kardashian’s child in the snap. Taking a generous amount of Black excellence and mixing it with two parts fantasy, chef Nyanyika Banda managed to come up with an entire Wakanda cookbook. “The Official Wakanda Cookbook” is one of Marvel’s latest projects and was carefully crafted by the Malawian American chef over the course of three months. More than 70 recipes inspired by the superhero Black Panther’s fictional nation fill the book’s pages, which hit shelves on April 12. Banda dug deep into her imagination in order to whip up the flavorful lineup of dishes which include items like market food, desserts and even gluten-free and vegan meals. The experiences of panicked concertgoers who couldn’t breathe and had no clear path to escape a massive crowd surge at last year’s deadly Astroworld music festival in Houston are featured in a documentary set for release Friday. But lawyers for Live Nation, which is being sued for its role as the festival’s promoter, say they’re concerned that publicity from the documentary, “Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy,” could “taint the jury pool.” A gag order has been issued in the case, but Live Nation’s lawyers say an attorney who filed lawsuits related to the tragedy also co-produced the documentary. Charlie Minn, the film’s director, said he believes he has made a balanced and fair film that tries to show the public what happened. “My job is to make the most truthful, honest, sincere documentary from the victim’s point of view … We need to know about these stories to prevent it from happening again,” Minn told The Associated Press. Around 500 lawsuits have been filed following the Nov. 5 concert headlined by Scott, a popular rapper. Ten people died and hundreds of others were injured during the massive crowd surge. Scott is also being sued. The documentary, opening in 11 Texas cities including Austin, Dallas and Houston, includes interviews with several people who survived the crowd surge. The film also features cellphone video shot by concertgoers in which people can be heard repeatedly screaming for help. “It’s hard to explain to friends and family what we saw and what we actually went through and I think (the documentary) will give a lot of people the opportunity, if you weren’t there, to understand,” said Frank Alvarez, who attended the concert but does not appear in the film. The film highlights what concertgoers experienced and what led to the tragedy, said Minn, who has also made documentaries about the deadly 2018 shooting at a suburban Houston high school and violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The film suggests Scott could have done more. One of the cast members of the hit TV show Little People: Atlanta is in such poor health she is receiving professional care. Shirlene ‘Ms Juicy’ King Pearson, 50, has been placed in the ICU – the intensive care unit – in a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, according to her agency which made a post on her Instagram page. It is not known what is ailing the reality TV star – who calls herself The Queen of Atlanta – but the news comes as a bit of a shock to her fans as Baby has been on a health kick lately, according to TMZ. Hailey Bieber has revealed how she underwent a procedure to fix a hole in her heart after suffering a ‘mini-stroke’ last month, while she was having breakfast with her husband Justin Bieber. In a new video, posted to her YouTube Channel on Wednesday afternoon, the 25-year-old supermodel recalled feeling a ‘weird sensation’ in her right arm and numbness in her fingertips before she was admitted to hospital. After explaining to her fans that she wanted them to hear about terrifying incident in ‘own words,’ the Vogue cover girl said her spouse noticed that something was off and repeatedly asked if she was okay. https://youtu.be/665iGAG-ZqU Talk show host Tamron Hall is entering May sweeps with a COVID-19 diagnosis. “I wanted to share the news with you that I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Hall informed her “Tamron Hall Show” staffers Tuesday in an email obtained by Page Six. “I am following CDC guidelines, staying home and taking every precaution to ensure everyone’s safety,” she wrote. Just days before, Hall, 51, was posting Instagram videos with Elmo and Cookie Monster to celebrate her son Moses‘ 3rd birthday. The family also welcomed a new dog, Exodus, whom they gifted the toddler for his b-day. Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst is being honored by her family and loved ones. Kryst’s family has released a statement ahead of what would have been the Extra correspondent’s 31st birthday on Thursday. “On April 28, Cheslie would have turned 31 years old,” wrote parents April and David Simpkins. “As that date approaches, we are already experiencing a remarkable outpouring of love and support for our Cheslie, for which we are tremendously grateful.” “Many have asked how best to honor Cheslie’s memory on her birthday,” they continued. “This is an individual decision, and we would not presume to decide how any fan, friend, or former colleague should remember Cheslie or memorialize her on her upcoming birthday.” However, they noted there are only four “approved organizations that are set up to receive charitable donations in her honor.” Those organizations are Dress For Success – The Cheslie Kryst Women’s Advancement Fund; Wake Forest University School of Law – The Cheslie C. Kryst Social Justice Scholarship; University of South Carolina – The Cheslie C. Kryst Scholarship Fund; and The Dean’s List – The Cheslie C. Kryst Woman In Media Award. Her parents said no other groups are currently authorized to use Kryst’s name and likeness for advertising or trade, warning against those “seeking to profit improperly from our daughter’s memory.” Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker was today jailed for two years and six months for flouting the terms of his bankruptcy by hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts. The former world number one tennis player was led to the cells at Southwark Crown Court in London as his girlfriend Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro blew him a kiss, after he was blasted by a judge for showing no remorse. Becker, 54, was declared bankrupt in June 2017, owing creditors almost £50million over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain. The BBC pundit transferred around £390,000 from his business account to others, including those of his ex-wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Becker. He also failed to declare his share in a £1million property in his home town of Leimen, Germany, hid a bank loan of almost £700,000 – worth £1.1million with interest – and concealed 75,000 shares in a tech firm, valued at £66,000. Becker – who got a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion worth £1.4million in Germany in 2002 – was found guilty on April 8 of four Insolvency Act offences between June and October 2017. Each count carried a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. This afternoon, Judge Deborah Taylor sentenced the six-time Grand Slam champion to 30 months’ imprisonment, of which he will serve at least half. The United States is out of the Covid-19 pandemic phase, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden‘s chief medical adviser and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “We are certainly, right now, in this country, out of the pandemic phase,” Fauci said on PBS NewsHour Tuesday. “Namely, we don’t have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. We are at a low level right now. So, if you’re saying are we out of the pandemic phase in this country? We are,” he said. Covid-19 cases in the US have tumbled dramatically over the past couple of months as the Omicron wave receded. Attorneys representing the families of Floyd and Amir Locke — another Black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police — praised the findings as “historic” and “monumental.” “We hope this leads to placing the city and the police department under a state-ordered consent decree, which would give us assurance, at last, that real change in policing is possible, and Minneapolis can become a safer city for its Black residents,” said the statement from Ben Crump and co-counsel Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms. “We are grateful and deeply hopeful that change is possible and is imminent. We call on city, state, and Police leaders to accept the challenge of these findings and make meaningful change at last to create trust between communities of color in Minneapolis and those who are sworn to protect and serve them.”The Minnesota Department of Human Rights said on its website that it will “meet with community members, MPD officers, City staff, and other stakeholders to gather feedback on what should be included in a consent decree to address racial discrimination in policing in Minneapolis.” https://youtu.be/RVpUlQI-A7Q The federal government has labeled as “unconstitutional” Mississippi’s Parchman State Prison‘s treatment of inmates. In a 59-page report that calls out inadequate mental health treatment, failure to roll out sufficient suicide prevention measures, or protect inmates from prison violence, the Department of Justice blasted the state prison as much as Jay-Z and Yo Gotti had done. The report concludes Parchman’s conditions “violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.” The amendments bar state prisons from meting out cruel and unapproved punishment. https://youtu.be/zFkH-J7Baiw Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has signed a bill forbidding the use of nonbinary gender markers on state birth certificates. People who are nonbinary do not identify with traditional male or female genders. Experts say it’s the first ban of its kind written into law in the nation. The new law made permanent an executive order from Stitt who last year blocked the Oklahoma State Department of Health from issuing nonbinary birth certificates. It went into effect immediately when the governor signed it on Tuesday. The bill followed a flap last year over the Department of Health’s agreement in a civil case allowing a nonbinary option. The birth certificate, in that case, was issued to an Oklahoma-born Oregon resident who sued after the agency initially refused the request. A 49-year-old woman in London has tied the knot with … her cat. Deborah Hodge has been forced to give up three pets — two Huskies and one cat — and she is refusing to do it again, according to the New York Post. To circumvent her landlord’s no-pet policy, the British woman has elevated her cat India from pet to spouse. She apparently has no religious qualms about the unorthodox union. “I do not want to lose another beloved pet,” Hodge told the South West News Service. “I vowed in sickness and in health, in death do us part, and I meant it. I don’t believe in organized religion; however, I do have faith. India always came back, even after losing a leg. I am her universe and that is why I married her.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1518684085337694211 Vladimir Putin has vowed to use nuclear weapons against any country that dares to ‘interfere’ with Russia’s war in Ukraine in his latest chilling threat to the West. The despot, addressing legislators in St Petersburg today, said his response to anyone who ‘threatens’ Russia will be ‘lightning-fast’ and deadly. ‘If someone intends to interfere in what is going on from the outside they must know that constitutes an unacceptable strategic threat to Russia. They must know that our response to counter strikes will be lightning fast. Fast,’ he said. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/04/27/5914288705355102553/636x382_MP4_5914288705355102553.mp4 President Joe Biden is considering reneging on a campaign promise to cancel limited amounts of student debt, and is now mulling far more substantial coverage of the $1.6 trillion owed by 43 million people. Biden alluded to his plan during a meeting on Monday with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where he told Rep. Tony Cardenas, a California Democrat, that he had plans that would please the group. The president previously supported canceling up to $10,000 of debt per student, but is now said to be open to forgiving a larger, unspecified amount. It also remains unclear exactly how many students could be affected, although Biden has indicated that he’d be willing to forgive debts owed to public and private colleges. The DeKalb County School Board fired Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris at a meeting on Tuesday. The board approved a separation agreement, effective immediately. No reason was stated for the termination. “I want to thank Mrs. Watson-Harris for her service to DeKalb County School District and we wish her the best in her future endeavors,” Board Chair Vicki Turner said during the meeting. A statement released after the meeting said the board’s relationship with Watson-Harris had been “deteriorating for some time to the point the association became irreconcilable.” “The Board lost confidence in Mrs. Watson-Harris’ ability to provide the leadership the district needs in the face of significant challenges,” the statement said. Nearly 60 years after his conviction on what he claimed were racist and retaliatory federal charges, the first Black U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to a presidential detail has been pardoned by President Joe Biden. Chicagoan Abraham Bolden, 87, who served on the security detail for President John F. Kennedy, was among 78 people granted pardons or commutations of their sentences on Tuesday as part of Biden’s first use of his executive clemency powers. Bolden, who’d warned about lax security practices around the president, was charged in 1964 with attempting to sell a copy of a Secret Service file to a ring of counterfeiters. His first trial ended in a hung jury, and after he was convicted in a retrial, key witnesses said they lied at the prosecutor’s request. A longtime resident of Chicago’s South Side, Bolden served about three years in federal prison. He has long maintained his innocence and wrote a book in which he argued he was targeted for speaking out against racist and unprofessional behavior in the Secret Service. Bolden on Tuesday recalled when Kennedy asked him to join his security detail. He said he was denied to see the president but Kennedy approached him, asking if there had ever been a “Negro” on the White House detail. President Joe Biden marked “Second Chance Month” on Tuesday (04-26-22) at the White House by issuing three full pardons and 75 commutations for non-violent drug offenders. The Biden-Harris administration also announced a comprehensive set of plans to support formerly incarcerated persons re-entering society. In a statement released by the White House, Biden wrote, “During Second Chance Month, I am using my authority under the Constitution to uphold those values by pardoning and commuting the sentences of fellow Americans.” He also stated, “As I laid out in my comprehensive strategy to reduce gun crime, helping those who served their time return to their families and become contributing members of their communities is one of the most effective ways to reduce recidivism and decrease crime.” https://youtu.be/EPunPRQ3v7Y R&B crooner Usher recently hit up Rockefeller Center to host the opening of Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace. Some of his celebrity pals also turned out for the event, including Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Jermaine Dupri, Michael Strahan, Floyd Mayweather and Meek Mill, Page Six reports. “Ya’ll see me in the studio, yeah, yeah, yeah ya’ll see me in the studio and you also see me skating,” the singer told his fans on his Instagram live. “Ya’ll know what time it is, it’s getting that music right now so to get the buzz right, the energy. Ain’t nothing like skating ya’ll know this.”As reported by Yahoo, the performer has reportedly added skating to his Las Vegas residency concerts when he performs “Don’t Waste My Time.” “Now imagine how hard it is to skate and sing!” Usher told Essence. “But looking at artists like Gene Kelly as a kid, I managed to be able see these things that became inspiration to me. I don’t know if I could even see myself in those characters because they were white. But there was something amazing about what they were doing that made me say, one day I’ll have the opportunity to be that.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1516878535205433344 The Proud Family is back. The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is streaming every Wednesday night on Disney+. Executive Producer Bruce Smith, creator of The Princess and the Frog, and Executive Producer Ralph Farquhar of the popular television series Moesha, starring singer and actor Brandy, and The Parkers starring comedian and actor Monique, teamed up once more to bring the updated version of The Proud Family into your living room. The animated series, which originally graced screens nearly 20 years ago, keeps the focus on the main character Penny Proud and her everyday adventures navigating family life and friendships. The series addresses issues that families face every day, including societal biases, the complicated dynamics of friendship and racial issues. Take for example a recent episode guest-starring Tiffany Haddish whose character is that of a homeless teacher. The debate surrounding teacher pay is an ongoing and unsettled issue for educators throughout the country. Megan Thee Stallion clapped back at critics who have too much negative to say about her new interview with Gayle King for CBS Mornings. during the conversation Megan addressed the 2020 shooting involving rapper Tory Lanez. Lanez pleaded not guilty to an assault charge related to the incident. Several fans of Tory take issue with Meg being able to discuss the case publicly, while Lanez has been prohibited by a judge from speaking on it. “Crazy how Meg gets to speak on whomever platform or song about the situation but tory or he goes to jail being its still an open investigation,” one hater tweeted. To which Megan responded: “So A man can shoot me, chop up horse legs in music videos to taunt me, pay blogs to spread false information from what’s happening in court, record studio albums and make diss tracks … but when I talk to gayle king that’s the last straw? F*CK YALL.” https://youtu.be/AtjzVI5bFao Andrew Woolfolk, a longtime saxophonist for Earth, Wind & Fire, has passed away at age 71. His death was announced Monday on social media by lead singer Philip J. Bailey. “We lost him today, after being ill of over 6 years,” Bailey wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of the two. “He has Transitioned on to the forever, from this Land of the dying to the Land of the Living.” As reported by USA Today, it’s unclear what illness Woolfolk was battling. “Great memories. Great Talent. Funny. Competitive. Quick witted. And always styling. Booski… I’ll see you on the other side, my friend,” Bailey concluded his post. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcwT90tJPtH/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=0112f60c-a75b-4ea1-a407-f9bc656eb7ec Ne-Yo remarried his wife, Crystal Renay, Sunday night in Las Vegas. The couple’s wedding went down on the rooftop of the new Resorts World complex in Las Vegas, TMZ reports. The event comes two years after their brief separation. According to Page Six, wedding guests included former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes and “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” alum Tammy Rivera. TMZ shared footage of Ne-Yo and Crystal dancing to Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” and Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” https://youtu.be/AvHFYTuCcRk Last week, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton, California’s only Black D.A., joined the state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta and Acting Richmond Police Chief Louie Tirona to announce that they have identified the man who killed 28-year-old Meekiah Wadley in 1999. During an emotional news conference, a representative of the three agencies said Jerry Lee Henderson murdered the Contra Costa Community College student inside her Richmond home. Tirona said Henderson died 11 days after the killing. He was identified through DNA left at the scene. “I know it’s been a long 22 years since this heinous crime was committed, and justice doesn’t always come swiftly,” said Becton. “Today’s announcement is a major testament to the determination of our law enforcement partners, forensic scientists, and investigators who continued to work on this case for over 20 years and who never gave up the search for the truth.” Investigators solved the murder using California’s familial DNA search program. https://youtu.be/yLda_AzA60g Keke Palmer has a message for fans who feel entitled to harass her in public and film her without permission. “No means no, even when it doesn’t pertain to sex,” Palmer wrote on Twitter on Saturday. Her comments come after she had an unpleasant encounter with a fan who the actress said filmed her against her will after Palmer wouldn’t take a picture with her. Palmer explained in a post shared on Twitter that a fan she met at a bar wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. “I was at the bar the other day and this girl asked me three times for a picture and I told her three times nicely that I did not want [to] take one with her. She still preceded to film me against my will.” “If I went off on her I would’ve been wrong, so I just nervously laughed while my privacy was invaded upon,” the actress continued in a follow-up tweet. Palmer later noted in an Instagram post that she’s still “upset about it,” she wrote in the caption. “I hated that I smiled, but that is my defense mechanism to laugh or joke in an uncomfortable situation and it misleads people every time.” Today, multi-platinum, award-winning superstar Lil Nas X has unveiled that he will embark on his first-ever tour – check out the announcement video HERE. Produced by Live Nation, the Long Live Montero tour will make stops across North America and Europe this fall. The North American leg kicks off at The Fillmore in Detroit on Tuesday, September 6th, and will make stops in Chicago, Nashville, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping up in San Francisco, CA at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Sunday, October 23rd. The European leg begins Tuesday, November 8th in Amsterdam and concludes Thursday, November 17th in Barcelona, Spain. https://youtu.be/Awk5nTdt9rg Damon Thomas has one goal: reclaim his narrative. In an interview with VladTV, the award-winning songwriter and producer shared his side of the narrative of his brief marriage to #KimKardashian. He said he’s proud of Kim and her family, but also clarified that he had no knowledge or involvement in her allegedly being high on ecstasy when they eloped. Damon is Kim’s first husband. The pair eloped in Las Vegas in 2000 and divorced in 2004. In addition to calling her blanket statement “irresponsible,” he also labeled her comments “unfair,” especially now that they both have children. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc0kmuSlJAW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Netflix has canceled a number of animated shows and reportedly fired several executives following the company’s highly publicized subscriber loss. The streaming service recently announced a loss of 200,000 users over the first three months of 2022. It was reported earlier, via CNN, that the streaming giant, whose stock had already dropped more than 40% year-to-date, blamed the attrition on increased competition for viewers and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Netflix said its decision to pull out of Russia cost the company 700,000 subscribers. This has prompted Netflix to cancel certain animated shows, such as the highly anticipated adaptation of the “Bone” comic series. https://youtu.be/Llgg8dSkBiA The legendary and honorable Judge Greg Mathis, Sr. and his family are ready to share their unfiltered lives with the world. The Judge might rule the courtroom, but at home he is just “Dad.” Judge Mathis and his wife, Linda Mathis and their four grown children – Jade Mathis, Camara Mathis Webb, Greg Mathis, Jr., and Amir Mathis – along with their own careers, relationships, personalities, and off the wall dynamics are ready to take Los Angeles by storm. The family docu-series offers a rare look into the Mathis’ exclusive Hollywood lifestyle and family fun. “Mathis Family Matters” premieres with back-to-back episodes on Sunday, June 19 at 10:00pm and 10:30pm  ET/PT on E!. https://youtu.be/99yoNvEMojM This video – viewed a whopping 14 million times in five days – shows a shrewd car owner using a handheld massager to whip up piles of hidden dirt in his car carpet. This video – viewed a whopping 14 million times in five days – shows a shrewd car owner using a handheld massager to whip up piles of hidden dirt in his car carpet. The video was shared on TikTok by netizens ‘Queenfirecrotch’, better known as Lanie Green, 19, from Houston in Texas, where it has been viewed 13.9 million times in less than a week. In the footage, Lanie’s boyfriend William Vaughan is seen using a massage gun to whip up huge amounts of hidden dirt in his car carpet before scooping it up with a vacuum cleaner. https://youtu.be/Og__uImKRpU Kanye West is turning his pain into art. The Yeezy founder, 44, seemed to compare himself to Jesus and referenced being away from his four children—North, 8, Saint, 6, Psalm, 2, and Chicago, 4—who he shares with ex-wife Kim Kardashian on Pusha T‘s newly released album, It’s Almost Dry. “Born in the manger, the son of a stranger/When Daddy’s not home, the family’s in danger,” Ye rapped on the track “Dreamin of the Past.” The lyrics echoed the Donda rapper’s sentiments from earlier this year when he called out Kim for allegedly keeping the children away from him. In March, he shared a picture of North’s backpack, which was decorated with three pins—one of her mother, one of an alien and one of her father. “This was on my daughters back pack when I was ‘allowed’ to see her last week,” he captioned the now-deleted post. “This is why I go so hard for my family I am wired to protect my family at all cost. As the priest of my home Don’t worry Northy God is still alive.” A clinical psychologist hired to review Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s turbulent relationship told jurors the actress suffers from two personality disorders and ‘grossly exaggerated’ her PTSD after the couple’s bitter split. Depp’s legal team called expert witness Dr. Shannon Curry to the stand on Tuesday as the Hollywood star’s highly publicized defamation trial against his ex-wife entered its ninth day. The clinical and forensic psychologist told the court she concluded Heard had traits consistent with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) – two conditions found in people with patterns of emotional instability and attention-seeking behavior. Dr. Curry testified that she was initially hired by Depp’s lawyers early last year to review files in the legal battle between the two feuding exes and identify behavior in their relationship that may be consistent with ‘intimate partner violence’. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/04/26/7306313208823826398/636x382_MP4_7306313208823826398.mp4 Nicolina Bozzo stunned “American Idol” judges with her powerful performance of “Hallelujah” on season 20 of “American Idol.” The 18-year-old Canadian singer has been wowing viewers all season with her powerful vocals. But on Sunday, Bozzo reached new heights after singing a song with deep emotional meaning to her. Bozzo dedicated her performance of Leonard Cohen’s track “Hallelujah” to her grandmother who battled cancer. https://youtu.be/dU-Bq_3Irkc Alisha’s Testimony, is a new memoir written by author, Alisha L. Boykin that can start you on a healthy journey of healing in Jesus name! Followers of Christ know that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy through any form of sin you are part-taking in. This inspirational Christian memoir chronicles spiritual encounters with demons, encounters with Jesus Christ, the testimony of turning away from sexual sin, asking for forgiveness and asking God to direct one’s path. Alisha hopes those who are believers in Jesus Christ or who want to believe in Him will learn from her mistakes. If you are living the sinful path she speaks about, she prays her past sins will encourage you to turn away from your current lifestyle and seek Jesus Christ because he can renew you like he did Alisha. D’Aundre Holmes-Wilfork pleaded guilty to theft of property greater than $300,000, according to court documents reported on by the Galveston Daily News. Holmes-Wilfork, the son of former Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, was arrested in 2021 on the charge of stealing valuable sports memorabilia from his father, including two Super Bowl rings Wilfork won playing in New England. Earlier in April, he pleaded guilty and received a deferred judgement. It means that Holmes-Wilfork will face five years of probation, with the promise that the conviction will be vacated if he avoids any violations in that time. District Court Judge Jared Robinson also ordered that Wilfork’s stolen property be returned to him. Beyond the Super Bowl rings, Holmes-Wilfork stole two AFC championship rings, a college football national championship ring (from Wilfork’s time at the University of Miami), and other jewelry. Lauren Bernett, a standout James Madison University softball player who helped the school to a historic run to the Women’s College World Series last year, died suddenly at the age of 20, officials said Tuesday. The death of the sophomore catcher, who was third on the team in home runs and second in RBI, was announced by JMU president Jonathan Alger. “Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes,” Alger said in a statement. “Lauren Bernett was a high-achieving member of our softball team and a great ambassador of JMU and our athletics program.” Here is an exclusive clip for the new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” airing Thursday, April, 28, at 9pm on WE tv. Per press release, this season stars Hip Hop superstar K. Michelle (K. Michelle: My Life) and Kastan, Rich Dollaz and Mariahlynn, (Love & Hip Hop: New York) Lyrica and A1, (Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood) and Gangsta Boo (First Female Member of Three 6 Mafia) and Emmet as they head to Marriage Boot Camp to face the music. Dr. Ish & Judge Toler help them confront lies, betrayal, and bitter rivalries, but when secrets are exposed, will their relationships survive? https://youtu.be/gzZHVXlescA Ja Morant exploded into life during the fourth quarter — including an acrobatic game-winning lay-up with one second remaining — to lead a dazzling comeback from the Memphis Grizzlies as they stunned the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 series lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The star guard scored 18 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter and sealed the deal with his dramatic lay-up to wrap up the game. “‘Go get a bucket, Ja,'” Morant said when asked reporters what the plan had been ahead of the last play of the game. Ahead of her 50th birthday next month, actress Lavern Cox is reflecting on life. On Tuesday, the Orange Is the New Black star shared a sexy black and white video of herself to Instagram, wearing a cute lingerie set. Below the post, she wrote a lengthy caption about her life. The award-winning star said, “In a little over a month on May 29th I turn 50 years old. It’s hard to believe I’m still alive, that I’m almost 5 decades old. This body has been through so much, both inside and outside: traumas, transition, classical ballet, successes, failures, abuse, injuries, healing, weight gain, weight loss, illness, pleasure, ecstasy. This body has been through a lot of negative self talk about it from me. I’ve been cruel, abusive, punitive in the ways in which I have talked to and treated to this body.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc28iGuMO_i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Central City Productions announces the 7th Annual Black Music Honors live tapping at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Ga. on Thursday, May 19. The star-studded two-hour event will honor artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music. This year’s remarkable group of honorees include Multi-Platinum, Award-Winning Supergroup Dru Hill who will receive the Urban Music Icon Award; Five-Time GRAMMY Nominee Tevin Campbell who will be honored with the R&B Icon Award and Multi-Award-Winning; Gospel Duo Mary Mary will be presented with the Gospel Icon Award; NAACP Image Award-Winning Singer Karyn White will also be recognized with the Soul Music Award; Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter Keri Hilson will be honored with the Music and Songwriter Icon Award for her accomplishments penning songs for some of the biggest names in music and the Legendary R&B Group The Whispers will take home the Legends Award for their incredible nearly six-decade music career. Mobile carriers claim 5G technology is the preferred and most effective method to connect with everyone and everything. As reported by Qualcomm, 5G is the 5th generation mobile network “meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/_CTUs_2hq6Y Rick Ross hit up The Breakfast Club recently to dish about building his brand and he also shared details about his sex life. Ross claims no woman has ever faked an orgasm with him, as he explained to co-host Angela Yee. “Imma tell you this. I can’t tell you what somebody did, but when Rozay in the zone … You can’t fake that mess they make for Rozay! That splash! You woulda thought the fire alarm come on the way that splash come out. You can’t fake that. You feel me? That’s what I look forward to,” the rapper shared. He then asked Yee if she is a squirter. https://youtu.be/HWQd1Qb0SWY YOLANDA ADAMS AND SERAYAH HEADLINE THE NEW BET+ SERIES “KINGDOM BUSINESS” AVAILABLE MAY 19TH ON BET+ Michael Beach, Michael Jai White & Chaundre A. Hall-Broomfield Star As Series Regulars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nMUOrrMKxE CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, continues on April 27 at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. In this episode, Dominique meets with her sister Christina, a realtor, to stage a client’s home, only to discover a tiny budget and short timeline. Challenged to be frugal and creative, Dominique’s ideas and unexpected discovery turn a dated home into a show-stopper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBW3F1wLoY8 CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Global Gourmet, is back on April 27 at 9:30 p.m./8:30C. Hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, the show highlights the joys of delicious food and stories of wanderlust travel. Essie gets in the kitchen in this episode and shows us a few recipes that she and her foodie friends love. She starts with a creamy and delicious Lobster Mac and Cheese. Then she cooks up tender and juicy Oxtail Curry, best described in one word “Yum!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5WLv2sKTL4 As a continuation of a breakout year for TV One Networks, an Urban One Company, Austyn Biggers joins the network as the new Senior Vice President of Programming and Production. Before joining the TV One team, Biggers was the Head of Unscripted Programming at GET LIFTED FILM Company led by Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning producer Mike Jackson, EGOT recipient and award-winning producer John Legend, and CEO of Friends At Work, Ty Stiklorius. Before joining Get Lifted Film Co. in May of 2019, Austyn developed and produced a variety of shows for MTV, LOGO, & VH1 and from 2008 to 2016 served in various original series development and production roles at BET Networks. Julia VanTuyl has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Advertising and Sales for TV One and CLEO TV. VanTuyl has been a notable leader in the advertising, sales and marketing industries, joining TV One Networks in 2010 as a Sales Account Executive. Her trajectory then took her to Sales Director in 2014, advancing to Vice President of National Advertising Sales and Marketing in 2020. She is a four-time President’s Award recipient, an honor acknowledging her accomplishment of being the highest sales performer across Urban One. Prior to joining TV One, Julia held positions at NBCU Comcast and Universal McCann WorldWide. She earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from George Washington University. The French Quarter Festival presented by Chevron returned after a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Boasting twenty stages, fest goers were able to immerse themselves into the full spectrum of music genres presented at the French Quarter Festival presented by Chevron: traditional jazz, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, New Orleans funk, brass bands, folk, gospel, Latin Jazz, Cajun and Zydeco and more. French Quarter Festival presented by Chevron offered the best of both worlds, good food, music and vibes. Pharrell Williams has announced the return of his summer music festival “Something in the Water,” produced by Redrock Entertainment and Live Nation. The festival will take place in Washington, DC on Juneteenth weekend (June 17-19) with the rapper and producer included on a lineup that also features Lil Baby, Chloe x Halle, Lil Uzi Vert, Tierra Whack, Run the Jewels, Pusha T, Dave Matthews Band, and more. The festival first opened its stages in Williams’ hometown of Virginia Beach back in 2019, however, the festival has since been relocated to Washington, D.C. In a press statement released last October, Williams shared that the festival would not take place in Virginia due to “toxic energy” from local authorities. The fallout was a result of the March 2021 death of Donovon Lynch, Williams’ cousin, who was killed by a Virginia Beach police officer, Solomon Simmons, not wearing an active body camera amid other alleged affairs. Rapper Trina was profiled on the recent episode of TV One’s original docu-series “UNCENSORED,” and revealed that her raunchy lyrics have complicated her love life over the years. Trina dropped her debut album “Da Baddest Bi–h” in 2000, and rose to fame with hit singles such as “Da Baddest Bi–h,” “Pull Over,” and “Here We Go.” As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, Trina explained how potential partners couldn’t separate her rap persona from her real personality. “The song is the streets, that’s what it is. But when I’m with you, it’s a whole different person. That’s the Katrina person. The song is my alter ego. You can lust and do all of those things with that, but when it comes to me, it has to be real,” she said. https://youtu.be/wmTqjg5O-Rc After Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion, former President Donald Trump says he will not return to the social media platform if his account is reactivated. Trump officially releases a statement after Elon Musk wins a $44 billion bid for Twitter In a statement provided to Fox News, Trump said he will not return to Twitter if his account is restored and plans to officially join his own social media platform, Truth Social. “I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on Truth, I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth. The bottom line is, no, I am not going back to Twitter,” his statement reads. Last year, Twitter permanently banned Trump’s account after citing concerns about his influence surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection of the Capitol building. Truth Social was originally scheduled to be released in February of this year but the app for iOS was temporarily unavailable for unknown reasons as reported by Tech Crunch. A community in northwest Atlanta has reportedly been littered with flyers claiming to be from the Ku Klux Klan. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the flyers have appeared in numerous driveways, prompting the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the disturbing incidents. A community in northwest Atlanta has reportedly been littered with flyers claiming to be from the Ku Klux Klan. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the flyers have appeared in numerous driveways, prompting the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the disturbing incidents. “I just didn’t think it would happen in 2022 let alone in our neighborhood,” resident Andy Zirger said, per the report. “It was really disheartening especially as a mom of two black boys. It really unsettled my nerves,” Lenice Williams said. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/flyers-ku-klux-klan-in-atlanta-neighborhood Will Smith is said to be on a “spiritual tour” of India with his family amid the fallout from his Oscars slap. Per Page Six, the trip is part of Smith’s vow to do “the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.” According to theJasmineBrand, the Smith family getaway to India had been planned before Will slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars last month. An insider tells the outlet that “Will and Jada have taken the family on [a] vacation that was already planned…There had been talk of canceling [the trip] but Jada insisted.” One insider tells Page Six, “Will’s ‘spiritual journey’ to India for yoga and meditation seems cynical and ridiculous, given that he hasn’t apologized personally to the one person he assaulted in front of millions. Russia’s top diplomat has warned that NATO is now fighting a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine and there is a ‘very serious’ risk the conflict could turn nuclear. Sergei Lavrov, speaking on Russian state TV last night, accused western leaders of risking a third world war by supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine with the goal of ‘wearing down the Russian army’ – an aim he described as an ‘illusion’. Accusing NATO and its allies of attempting to bully Russia on the international stage, Lavrov said that tensions between east and west are now worse than during the Cuban missile crisis at the height of the Cold War. Asked directly about the possibility of a nuclear war, he replied: ‘The risks are very significant. I do not want the danger to be artificially inflated [but] it is serious, real. It cannot be underestimated.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/04/26/757147659882613531/636x382_MP4_757147659882613531.mp4 Mankind is set to face natural disasters on an increasingly frequent basis as a result of the impact humans are having on the earth, according to a UN report released Monday. The report, produced by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), said humanity has experienced between 350 to 500 medium or large scale disasters each year globally in the past two decades. But the UNDRR expects to see this number increase to about 560 catastrophes a year by 2030. By comparison, the world suffered just 90 to 100 medium to large scale disasters a year between 1970 to 2000. If the assessment proves to be accurate, it means disasters such as fires and floods, but also other hazards such as pandemics or chemical accidents, would occur at a frequency of 1.5 per day by 2030, putting millions of lives in danger. Climate change is causing more extreme weather events, the report said, adding that humans have made decisions which are too narrow in focus and have been over-optimistic about the risk of potential disasters, leaving them unprepared. The impact of disasters has also been heightened by growing populations in areas more prone to natural catastrophes. Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for Covid-19. Her press secretary Kirsten Allen said in a statement Tuesday that Harris – who is fully-vaccinated and double boosted – received positive rapid and PCR test results after returning from a week in California. ‘She has not been a recent contact to the President or First Lady due to recent travel schedules,’ Allen said. The vice president initially took two rounds of the Moderna vaccine and took her second booster shot on April 1. Harris, 57, is not currently experiencing symptoms. Her husband Doug Emhoff contracted the virus in mid-March. Harris returned from a week-long trip to her home state Monday night. The last time she was at a public event with Biden was at the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 18. It is unlikely the Senate will be able to pass anything this week without Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who both also tested positive on Tuesday, and without Harris as the tie-breaking vote. Harvard University is setting aside $100million for an endowment fund and other measures to close the educational, social and economic gaps that are legacies of slavery and racism, the university´s president has said. The email from Lawrence Bacow included a link to a 100-page report by his university´s 14-member Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery. The panel was chaired by Tomiko Brown-Nagin, a legal historian who is dean of Harvard’s interdisciplinary Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The move comes amid a wider conversation about redressing the impacts of centuries of slavery, discrimination and racism. The report laid out a history of slaves toiling on the campus and of the university benefiting from the slave trade and industries linked to slavery after slavery was outlawed in Massachusetts in 1783 – 147 years after Harvard´s founding. The report also documents Harvard excluding Black students and its scholars advocating racism. Stymied in their calls for a renewed investigation into the killing of Emmett Till, relatives and activists are advocating another possible path toward accountability in Mississippi: They want authorities to launch a kidnapping prosecution against the woman who set off the lynching by accusing the Black Chicago teen of improper advances in 1955. Carolyn Bryant Donham was named nearly 67 years ago in a warrant that accused her in Till’s abduction, even before his mangled body was found in a river, FBI records show, yet she was never arrested or brought to trial in a case that shocked the world for its brutality. Authorities at the time said the woman had two young children and they did not want to bother her. Donham’s then-husband and another man were acquitted of murder. Make no mistake: Relatives of Till still prefer a murder prosecution. But there is no evidence the kidnapping warrant was ever dismissed, so it could be used to arrest Donham and finally get her before a criminal court, said Jaribu Hill, an attorney working with the Till family. “This warrant is a stepping stone toward that,” she said. “Because warrants do not expire, we want to see that warrant served on her.” There are plenty of roadblocks. Witnesses have died in the decades since Till was lynched, and it’s unclear what happened to evidence collected by investigators. Even the location of the original warrant is a mystery. It could be in boxes of old courthouse records in Leflore County, Mississippi, where the abduction occurred. A relative of Till said it’s long past time for someone to arrest Donham in Till’s kidnapping, if not for the slaying itself. “Mississippi is not the Mississippi of 1955, but it seems to still carry some of that era of protecting the white woman,” said Deborah Watts, a distant cousin of Till who runs the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. Now in her late 80s and most recently living in Raleigh, North Carolina, Donham has not commented publicly on calls for her prosecution. Jeremiah Daniels IV may technically be the second in his class, but he made history as the first African American male to be named salutatorian at Boca Ciega High School. His mother, Brittney Daniels, says it’s something that he always wanted to do. “He told his father and I four years ago that he wanted to be the salutatorian and we knew that he could achieve, it in the end. For him to work at it, year after year, straight As, since third grade,” Daniels said. Jeremiah always had a propensity to learn. “He’s very academically inclined. As a kindergartner, he taught himself how to get on a laptop, get on a computer and go onto programs by himself,” said Daniels. Novak Djokovic will be eligible to defend his Wimbledon title after event organizers at the All England Club said players will not need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to compete at the 2022 tournament. In a press conference Tuesday, All England Club CEO Sally Bolton said that while vaccinations are encouraged, unvaccinated players can compete and will not need to quarantine upon arrival in England for the tournament, which begins June 27. “The requirements set up do not include mandatory vaccination,” Bolton said, per ESPN. “It will not be a condition of entry for the championships this year.” Djokovic, a 20-time Grand Slam winner and defending champion at Wimbledon, missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from the country because he had not received a COVID-19 vaccination. He also missed tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami because he couldn’t travel to the United States due to his unvaccinated status. All signs had been pointing to Ben Simmons making his Brooklyn Nets debut in Monday’s Game 4 against the Boston Celtics. But then the Celtics beat the Nets in Game 3 on Saturday night to go up 3-0, and all of a sudden, Simmons reported more back soreness and now won’t play in Game 4. This move has led to a cacophony of criticism across NBA Twitter and from major media personalities. TNT’s Reggie Miller went hard at Simmons, calling him out for lacking competitive fire. Fellow TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley also reacted to the Simmons situation, with Shaq blasting the decision as a “punk move” and Chuck agreeing with this sentiment: https://twitter.com/i/status/1518462075927900160 Viola Davis is aware that not everyone loves her portrayal of Michelle Obama in the Showtime series, “The First Lady.” She told BBC News that it is “incredibly hurtful when people say negative things about your work” but comes with the territory. “How do you move on from the hurt, from failure?” she said. “But you have to. Not everything is going to be an awards-worthy performance.” Some on social media have criticized Davis for her performance, focusing on what they viewed as her exaggerated facial expressions. Davis told the media outlet that “Critics absolutely serve no purpose. And I’m not saying that to be nasty either.” https://youtu.be/GA70FUpMXm4 The chief of police in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday identified Christopher Schurr as the officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya earlier this month. Lyoya’s shooting took place on April 4 after Schurr pulled him over for an allegedly unregistered license plate. Rev. Al Sharpton calls for authorities to release the name of the police officer involved in Patrick Lyoya’s death. Police Chief Eric Winstrom previously declined to release Schurr’s name, arguing the city had a long-standing policy not to release the names of employees under investigation even as the officer’s name was circulating publicly. Winstrom said he decided to identify Schurr “in the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion.” Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey issued a statement regarding Elon Musk’s $44 billion dollar takeover of the company. Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey issued a statement regarding Elon Musk’s $44 billion dollar takeover of the company. Dorsey called Twitter the “closest thing we have to a global consciousness.” Per CNN, Twitter has agreed to sell itself to Musk in a deal valued at around $44 billion, the company said Monday. Under the terms of the deal, shareholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own, matching Musk’s original offer and marking a 38% premium over the stock price the day before Musk revealed his stake in the company. “The Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon’s proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing,” Twitter independent board chair Bret Taylor said in a statement, calling the deal ” the best path forward for Twitter’s stockholders.” Comedian Kevin Hart reportedly raised $100 million from private equity firm Abry Partners to launch a new media company HARTBEAT. The new venture is a combination of his two production companies, Laugh Out Loud and HartBeat Productions, per The Hollywood Reporter. According to the outlet, Hart plans to use use the funding to grow the brand, hire more employees, and develop new content. “The creation of HARTBEAT and our capital raise with Abry represent a new era in comedy,” Hart stated. “This all started out with a mission to keep the world laughing together, and I’m so proud our teams have delivered on that, putting in the hard work to build the most innovative and inclusive comedic storytelling company.” Terry Crews claims Chris Rock “saved Hollywood” by keeping his composure after Will Smith slapped him at the Academy Awards last month. While promoting his new memoir “Tough: My True Journey to Power” in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Crews also weighed in on the Smith/Rock dynamic and the fallout from the infamous Oscars slap. “Both Will Smith and Chris Rock are dear, dear friends of mine,” he told the THR. “I love them both as brothers, but there was a time in my life [where] I was Will Smith at that moment, and let me tell you, I’ve done worse than Will.” Crews went on to explain why Rock “saved Hollywood” after being slapped by another Black man in a room full of their white colleagues, on live television. “When I look back, by what Chris did, by just deciding to hold everything together, it actually, I think in a lot of ways saved Hollywood,” Crews explained to THR. “Because if there would’ve been a brawl on that stage, I don’t know if Hollywood would’ve ever gotten any respect again, you know? It’s hard to even imagine what would’ve happened.” Breakfast Club host Angela Yee is set to teach millennials and Gen Z about financial literacy via her new YouTube show. The new online series titled “The Up and Coming with Angela Yee,” was made in partnership with the saving and investing app Acorns, per Black Enterprise. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1517618107837296640/8I4enljB?format=jpg&name=small Last week, the Biden Administration submitted its first National Drug Control Strategy to Congress, as the drug crisis continues to soar. The administration’s plan places a large emphasis on harm reduction tools and proper funding to help drug enforcement shut down trafficking in affected areas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been nearly 100,306 drug overdose-related deaths in the United States for the 12-month period ending April 2021. That represents a 28.5 percent increase from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before. States like Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Wisconsin have been hit hard by the drug epidemic. A Jackson State University alum is paying it forward by empowering the next generation of scholars at his alma mater who will shape the world of business. Attorney Joe N. Tatum donated $50,000 to the institution’s College of Business. Tatum—who has practiced law for over two decades—graduated from JSU cum laude, earning a degree in accounting. After working in the industry at top firms throughout the city of Detroit, he transitioned into law and received his Juris Doctorate from the Mississippi College School of Law. Throughout his career, he’s worked on over 3,500 consumer bankruptcy cases and has provided counsel for medical malpractice and personal injury cases. He credits the Mississippi-based HBCU for helping him nurture his passion for serving others and equipping him with the skills to thrive in business and law. Tatum hopes his contribution will inspire other HBCU alums to invest in the colleges and universities that have transformed their lives. Beyond his music, lyricist Chance the Rapper is known for leading philanthropic efforts centered on supporting underserved communities within Chicago. In celebration of his birthday, the Grammy award-winning music artist—whose real name is Chancelor Bennett—distributed thousands of free meals in the city, People reported. Bennett hosted a food giveaway on April 16 through his organization, SocialWorks, a nonprofit that interweaves arts education and civic engagement. SocialWorks strives to eradicate socioeconomic issues that cause homelessness and food insecurity. The organization also ensures youth from impoverished communities have access to mental wellness and academic resources. SocialWorks teamed up with the Conscious Alliance, Taste for the Homeless, Gyrls In The Hood, Discover and Ben & Jerry’s for the effort. Acts of generosity like the one led by Bennett for his 29th birthday are needed as food insecurity remains an issue within the city of Chicago. Feeding America reported nearly half a million people in Cook County live in food-insecure households. Whether it’s cultivating youth empowerment initiatives through his Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation or backing historically Black colleges and universities, NBA star Stephen Curry has displayed his dedication to uplifting underserved communities and underrepresented groups. For his latest project, the Golden State Warriors guard has set out to diversify the world of golf. The sport has historically lacked representation and remains white-male dominated. Research shows that 9.5 percent of professional golfers are Black, and 14 percent are Latinx. Women account for only 8 percent of golf professionals. Cognizant of the racial and gender disparities and barriers to entry, Curry uses his lifestyle brand Underrated to make the sport more accessible. Through the company—which he founded in 2019—he’s leading a project dubbed Underrated Golf that is centered on creating pathways in the sport for youth through education and equity. Student-athletes who are part of the program will have access to exclusive golf courses and will have the opportunity to network and foster connections with power players and leading corporations to learn about career paths within the sport. The top youth golfers will compete in the brand’s upcoming Underrated Golf Tour for a Curry Cup. Called “Bookchella” by some, the L.A. Times Book Festival showcased authors from many different genres and communities. Scenes from the book festival showed a mixture of panel discussions and live book talks on the University of Southern California’s campus. The book festival brought together a meeting of minds and good vibes. A two-day event, the festival was the first major in-person event for some authors since the start of the pandemic. While virtual opportunities opened a new way for authors to connect with their audience, being in person with colleagues and readers offers a different experience for authors. The presence and energy of several Black authors stood out in the pictures and clips from the weekend’s festivities. Pictures from the festival’s official photo studio captured the radiant fierceness of Stuart K. Robinson, author of “It All Begins With I” and “Pleasantville” author Attica Locke. Singer, songwriter, and pastor William Demps is the manifestation of the living word. Demps is bridging the gap between the church and the people of deferred faith with the intention to call them back to love and the love of God. Through his music, Demps challenges his listeners to put hope before everything and love unconditionally to find themselves on the other side of adversity. Now signed to Los Angeles-based record label Legacy Music Group, Demps has released a fresh new single, "Alright" that conveys the hope of the Gospel with the bold, energetic sound of Urban Inspirational music. Here's another song "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMIJi3UBMv0 Sing In Unity is a new Global choir created during the pandemic to unify, inspire, and promote peace. Dove nominated Japan Mass Choir director, Jenna, has formed this group of voices. Having created a buzz with the Japan Mass Choir and charting on the Gospel Sales chart at #3 with their "Powerful" EP, Jenna was poised to create another international movement. Sing In Unity will touch the hearts of Gospel music lovers. The new single “My Faith Has The Final Say” is available for pre-order wherever music is sold and will officially release for consumption on 4.29. It's another song "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlRqt2mKfVg The deal caps off a whirlwind news cycle in which the Tesla and SpaceX CEO became one of Twitter’s largest shareholders, was offered and turned down a seat on its board and bid to buy the company — all in less than a month. Under the terms of the deal, shareholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own, matching Musk’s original offer and marking a 38% premium over the stock price the day before Musk revealed his stake in the company. “The Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon’s proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing,” Twitter independent board chair Bret Taylor said in a statement, calling the deal ” the best path forward for Twitter’s stockholders.” https://youtu.be/oDIKXhV-8oY The father of USC Basketball recruit Aaliyah Gayles says she will return to the court despite being shot multiple times last weekend. Gayles, 18, was wounded by gunfire at a North Las Vegas house party on April 16 after someone started shooting. https://youtu.be/wMbwYiJBwws A New Jersey teacher has gone viral over a clip showing her saving the life of a third-grader who was choking on a water bottle cap. The incident occurred at East Orange Community Charter School, where veteran educator JaNiece Jenkins has been working for the last five years. As reported by Because of The We Can, one of her third-graders apparently attempted to open the bottle with his teeth and got the cap got lodged in his throat. Realizing he couldn’t get it out, he ran directly to Jenkins for help. Jenkins quickly sprang into action and potentially save the child’s life. https://youtu.be/qQqJIERZ_jY The family of a 24-year-old woman last seen in Houston on April 15, is pleading for help in finding her after her bloody cell phone was discovered near a park in West Houston following her disappearance. According to community activist Quanell X, who is the leader of the New Black Panther Nation in Houston, Felicia Marie Johnson traveled to Houston from California, hoping to gain employment at the Cover Girls Night Club. Johnson reportedly called an Uber after leaving the club, but when the Uber was taking too long to get there, a man at the club offered to give her a ride to where she needed to go, Quanell X said. “Felicia has not been seen since. No cell phone activity, no credit card activity, no social media activity. She has absolutely just vanished off the face of the earth,” Quanell X said at a press conference on Wednesday in Houston. Quanell X said his organization has been looking into the disappearance, along with a private investigator hired by the family. The Houston Police Department (HPD) says Johnson’s disappearance is considered a missing persons case, though they couldn’t say whether foul play is suspected. Police did not comment on the details about Johnson’s disappearance provided by Quanell, but said they have been in touch with Johnson’s family, and anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to contact HPD’s missing persons unit. Jill Scott shut down a recent conversation on Twitter that compared her to singer Lizzo. It all started when pro-Black conservative Charrise Lane tweeted a side-by-side photo comparison of Scott and Lizzo. She captioned the pic: “Your size isn’t the reason Men won’t date you. It’s the level of class you have. For instance, let’s compare Jill Scott to Lizzo. Men, which one would you date?” And with that — it wasn’t long before Jilly from Philly caught word of the comments under Lane’s post and responded as well. The late-great George Michael will narrate a documentary about his personal life that will premiere in theaters this summer. The singer-songwriter was “heavily involved and dedicated” in the production “George Michael Freedom Uncut,” making it “an incredibly special posthumous release and a poignant and moving tribute to his legacy,” reads the movie’s press release, per EW. The new documentary was narrated and co-directed by Michael before his death in 2016. The project will be released in theaters worldwide three days before his birthday on June 22. https://youtu.be/kDXtCEMPsEc Dark & Lovely’s virtual Masterclass, A Black Girl’s Guide To Mentorship, is taking place TODAY, April 25th at 5:30 pm ET. Per press release, the event will be hosted by Symone Sanders, author, advocate and host of the upcoming show, SYMONE on MSNBC and MSNBC’s streaming platform, Peacock. Dark & Lovely Brand ambassador, actress and producer, Storm Reid will offer key advice and takeaways for young Black women who are navigating their academic and career journeys, alongside NAACP Chief Strategy Officer, Yumeka Rushing. There will also be a musical set by DJ Kiss along with prizes and giveaways. The event is open to everyone and free of charge. Two white people who are said to be advocates for “diversity and inclusion” falsely accused the Scottsdale Unified School District’s Hopi Elementary PTA of hiring a DJ to perform in blackface at a charity event. As it turned out, the DJ named Kim Koko Hunter, 56, was actually a Black man, Black Enterprise reports. Per the outlet, Stuart Rhoden and Jill Lassen saw a photo online of Hunter with three white men at the ’70s-themed party and assumed the DJ was donning blackface. Lassen fired off an angry email to the PTA accusing them of hiring a DJ in blackface. “The DJ that the Hopi PTA hire[d] was, in fact a Black man,” Hopi PTA president Megan Livengood wrote in response, according to the report. “It is insulting that you feel myself or PTA condone racist behavior or encourage it by posting on social media.” https://youtu.be/pqlD-eZm1ck Cuba Gooding Jr., who recently pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman, has been hired by Sapphire strip club to host a party. The party is set to go down next month at the club’s location in Times Square, Page Six reports. Manhattan is the same city where the Oscar winner was charged with three counts of forcible touching after he grabbed a woman’s breast at the Magic Hour Rooftop. Gooding has been accused of inappropriately touching several women in Manhattan bars. The actor recently entered a plea of guilty to a misdemeanor charge of forcibly touching a woman at the LAVO nightclub in 2018. Gooding admitted to kissing the waitress at the club on her lips without consent. He also admitted to two other incidents of non-consensual contact in October 2018 and June 2019. https://youtu.be/b2ezHnn2liM It’s art with a purpose. Damon Lamar Reed has spent the past year creating vibrant murals of Black women and girls who have been missing from the Chicago area for some decades. One of them is Jerrica Laws, who has been missing now for six years. Her loved ones are still searching and hoping. The murals will be on display inside the Cultural Arts Center for two months. Basing the murals off family photos, the artist uses bright hues and distinct lines in an effort to honor the women and girls who have been missing.https://youtu.be/Igh9QVtJIBA Couples in crisis turn to the honorable Judge Lynn Toler for a life-altering decision to get married or break up for good in the new WE tv series, “Commit or Quit with Judge Lynn Toler,” premiering Thursday, May 12 at 10pm on WE tv. In the eight, one-hour episodes, eight couples are under Judge Lynn Toler’s microscope. Secrets are exposed, core issues uncovered, and those closest to them give shocking testimony. When it’s all said and done, ultimately, it’s up to the Judge to have them…Commit or Quit! New episodes become available on popular AMC streaming service ALLBLK, every Monday following their premiere on WE tv. https://youtu.be/MM0pkvXNa1o CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most significant developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched. CNN+ customers “will receive prorated refunds of subscription fees,” the company said. The decision was made by new management after CNN’s former parent company, WarnerMedia, merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month. Via the video below, CNN‘s Brian Stelter breaks down the decisions behind the CNN+ streaming service being shut down and how it ties into the streaming industry’s landscape. Donald Trump has said that the Queen should strip Meghan Markle and Prince Harry of all their royal titles. The former US president previously claimed the actions of both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex caused pain to the monarch. It comes after the royal couple flew from their home in the US and stopped off in England to visit the Queen before heading to The Hague in the Netherlands for the Invictus Games. Their attendance at a reception at the games marked their first public appearance together in Europe since quitting as senior working royals more than two years ago. In an upcoming interview, Piers Morgan asked Trump if the Queen should strip them of their titles, it was reported by The Sun. The hole in Sylvia Scarbrough’s living room floor appeared in a spot near the front door five years ago when Hurricane Harvey tore through Houston. It’s through this hole that a couple of feet of water came rushing into her home. In February, Scarbrough, who’s in her 70s, pointed at the hole. “Look at that down there, that’s the earth,” Scarbrough said. She keeps it out of sight by covering it with a brightly-colored rug. If you move a rug or peek behind a picture frame, remnants of the hurricane, which went down as the heaviest rainstorm in US history, can be found hidden all over Scarbrough’s home. Located in the residential Kashmere Gardens neighborhood of northeast Houston, Scarbrough’s home looks like an ordinary single-story three-bedroom home built in the 1950s. Wind chimes sing from her front porch. Inside, a golden portrait of Cleopatra hangs in her living room. There’s a warm and inviting ambiance. A few piles of paper and a large, clear filing cabinet are stacked on top of Scarbrough’s coffee table. They offer a window into what the last five years have been like for her. The papers include every document she submitted and all correspondence she’s had to secure money to fix her house. Up until now, she’s been awarded $1,800, which is a fraction of what she believes she’s entitled to. It’s also far less money than she needs to make all the repairs to return her home to its pre-Harvey state—which is why there’s still a hole in her living room floor. A former New England Patriots linebacker reportedly died in a car accident this weekend at the age of 62. Clayton Weishuhn, a longtime NFL linebacker, reportedly died in a car accident near his home town of Wall, Texas on Friday. The former Patriots linebacker was reportedly ejected from his vehicle in a one-car rollover accident, per the Texas Department of Public Safety. The San Angelo Standard Times first reported the news. Former MTV “Making The Band” star Chopper has been arrested as the feds accuse him of being a pimp! According to @tmz_tv, Chopper was arrested earlier this month in Maryland on drug trafficking charges. New legal docs obtained by the news site states that an undercover vice detective in Nevada posed as a sex worker and was talking directly to Chopper on Instagram. Apparently, he messaged them on IG with an apparent offer to make money through prostitution. The undercover cop says they searched Chopper’s IG account and noticed several posts related to prostitution and pimping, including posts where Chopper flaunted wealth and made references to being a pimp. Last week, Mayor Curtis Hayes, a Black recipient of an NAACP diversity award, signed a proclamation delegating April Confederate History Month in Livingston, Tennessee. During the announcement, mayor Hayes was joined by six white members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). According to the Daily Mail, there is no party affiliation on record for Mayor Hayes. While the SCV’s website condemns racism while commemorating the history of the Confederacy, it is clear that the Confederacy fought loud and proud in support of slavery, sought to continue slavery, and left the U.S. after the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. Southern states saw slavery as a material interest and were heavily dependent on a plantation system of enslaved Africans to pick cotton. The Confederacy suspected President Lincoln would free the slaves, which he ultimately did. Tennessee joins a larger body of states already commemorating the Confederacy. According to News4Jax, Apr. 26 legally remained Confederate Memorial Day in Florida last year. Georgia removed the holiday from its official state calendar in 2016 after the Charleston, S.C. church shooting—though it remains a state holiday. Recently, disgraced former national security advisor Michael Flynn—a man who, for various reasons, should be shutting up about all things Russia-related at this point—made an appearance on Emerald Robinson’s show on Mike Lindell TV where he was asked what he thought about Malcolm Nance. A snippet of the interview was posted on Twitter, and that clip is all one needs to hear to know that all Flynn did was reach into a bag of generic right-wing platitudes in denouncing Nance. https://twitter.com/i/status/1516881638948491266 A 21-year-old Zambian has been arrested in Russia for twerking in front of the World War II Memorial. She has been charged with “rehabilitating Nazism” under Part 4 of Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code. Russian investigators termed her behavior “obscene” and “insulting.” The Zambian native is named Rebecca Ziba; she was caught after posting a video of herself on Instagram. In the video, she can be seen dancing near a World War II memorial in Khanty-Mansiysk. She shared it with a funny caption. The Glory Memorial honors servicemen who perished during the “Great Patriotic War” against Nazi Germany. “Shaking arse for the dead, I’m sure they’re resting soundly tonight,” her caption read. https://youtu.be/ae3ml0O4dY0 Women and children are among the scores of people killed in an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in a border town in southern Nigeria, authorities say. “The fire occurred in an illegal bunkering site situated at the boundary between Rivers State and Imo State,” the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) said in a statement sent to CNN on Sunday. It said the fire had led “to the death of men, women and children in the hundreds,” adding that the remains of some victims “were burnt beyond recognition.” According to local media reports, emergency response teams have counted 109 bodies, while others remain missing. https://youtu.be/J_AJUsSgTAU After declining for years, the First Presbyterian Church of Des Moines in Iowa, which has been in operation since 1848, will gather for its final collective hallelujah on Sunday, unable to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic. “We were declining and the pandemic killed us,” Kathy Smith, who has been a member of the church since 1984, told the Des Moines Register. Already, the nearly 170-year-old church is offering up things for sale such as “hymnals, Bibles, communion sets, sanctuary furniture, choir music, tables, chairs, dishes, kitchen supplies” that will be available at the end of Sunday’s service, according to a notice published by the church. Some items will be available for pick up earlier. The church property is also expected to be sold to another church, business or commercial developer according to KCCI. Riz Nwosu was a huge fan of Tesla’s products and a big fan of Tesla owner Elon Musk. So much so that when Tesla released its Cybertruck in 2019, Nwosu began developing a backpack based on the vehicle. Nwosu developed the Cyberbackpack and even pitched it to Musk and Cybertruck designer Franz von Holzhausen. The Cyberbackpack comes with a bevy of features, including a TSA-approved lock, a USB charging port, and an extra-wide opening. https://youtu.be/gUsJqzDTdPE The judgmental world of social media can’t stop talking about Dwyane Wade’s daughter Zaya Wade openly kissing her boyfriend as seen through posted pics. The Wades shared highlights from their Easter celebration through a series of photos posted by Zaya and Gabrielle Union, Zaya’s stepmom. The two are close. Union helped Dwyane come to terms with Zaya, who was born a male, wanting to transition to living as a female. But social media is debating over the intimate photos Zaya posted with her boyfriend, who attended the Wade’s Easter festivities. Union was the first to share a family photo showing her and Dwyane smiling proudly next to their three kids and two plus-ones. Dwyane’s eldest son Zaire, 20, was seen cuddling alongside his girlfriend while Zaya, 14, did the same with her boyfriend. Little Kaavia James held onto Daddy Dwyane while beaming from ear to ear. Zaya followed up Gabrielle’s post with her own praising how she spent her Easter surrounded by love. The University of Wisconsin campus is mourning the death of a beloved track and cross country star. Sarah Shulze, 21, died by suicide on April 13, her family announced. “Balancing athletics, academics and the demands of every day life overwhelmed her in a single, desperate moment,” Shulze’s family said. “Like you, we are shocked and grief stricken while holding on tightly to all that Sarah was.” The California-born runner was a junior and member of the cross country, indoor track and outdoor track teams at the University of Wisconsin. Wisconsin officials released a statement Friday regarding the beloved student, who was described as a gentle soul and decorated student-athlete. Tomorrow (04/25/22) on CBS MORNINGS, music megastar Megan Thee Stallion sits down exclusively with CBS MORNINGS co-host Gayle King for her first TV interview addressing the 2020 shooting allegedly involving rapper Tory Lanez. Tory Lanez pleaded not guilty to an assault charge related to the alleged shooting. https://twitter.com/i/status/1518220810095316993 Chris Rock’s mother is breaking her silence on the Will Smith Oscars slap. In a new interview with South Carolina’s WIS 10 News, Chris’ mother, Rose Rock, a Carolina native, opens up about family life and her work as a motivational speaker, family and youth advocate and author. Nearly a month ago, the Chris and Will confrontation went down at the Oscars and set the internet on fire for weeks to come. Will eventually apologized to Chris, but only after the Academy of Motion Pictures condemned him and threatened to revoke his ‘King Richard’ Best Actor award and remove him from the Academy. Chris remained silent while his brother Tony Rock slammed Will and his wife Jada at his own comedy show in Raleigh, North Carolina. Meanwhile, another Rock brother, Kenny, spoke out in his brother’s defense as well. Chris eventually broke his silence on the incident, but only to say that he’s not saying anything until someone cuts the check for the exclusive. https://www.instagram.com/p/CctksicujJj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Barack and Michelle Obama’s podcast contract with Spotify Technology SA is coming to an end in October, and they will not renew it. Bloomberg reports that Higher Ground, the Obamas’ production company, failed to strike an agreement with Spotify. The former First couple wanted the popular streaming service to expand coverage so that the show could reach a larger audience, but it seems Spotify is not willing to do that. Higher Ground signed a three-year deal with Spotify in 2019 but the terms of the agreement made it hard for the project to reach a wider audience. This didn’t go down well with the Obamas. For that reason, there will be no renewal of the contract. Already, their media company is reported to be in talks with other alternatives such as Amazon’s Audible and iHeartMedia, among others. https://youtu.be/vMtCIBJ4n1E Russell Wilson and Ciara have decided to sell their stunning lakefront home in Seattle now that the NFL QB has been traded to the Denver Broncos. The home is going for $36 million, according to a report by PEOPLE. The 6-bedroom, 5¼-bathroom estate sits on two acres and has been listed by Windermere Real Estate. The glamorous mansion is just meters away from Lake Washington and provides a perfect view of the city’s skyline as well as stunning views of the lake. The home was built in 2007. It has amenities such as a yoga studio, a professional gym, a play structure, and a sports court. A dock was constructed there three years ago. There is also a double Jet Ski lift, according to People. https://youtu.be/TtpGOg4vqvQ Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner is scheduled to appear in court on May 19, and the upcoming case could determine her fate in Russia. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is currently being held on drug charges in the war-torn country and if convicted, she could face up to 10 years in a Russian prison. Legal experts say that investigators may request to extend the basketball player’s time in detention in order to gather more evidence, while others speculate that Russian officials will formally bring charges against the 31-year-old. Back in March, Russian authorities opened up a criminal case against Griner stemming from her arrest at Sheremetyevo Airport in late February. The WNBA player was detained after the Russian Customs Service found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner’s defense team will have the opportunity to object or request additional evidence in the case during May’s court appearance, according to Yahoo Sports. An official trial will be scheduled after. Thursday, Carlson went on live air to share a theory with his viewers about why traffic accident deaths rose in 2020 and why Black people were disproportionately represented in those deaths. His insightful conclusion? He thinks police officers stopped pulling over Black drivers because they were afraid of being accused of racism. https://twitter.com/i/status/1517295111910080513 The Independent Office for Police Conduct recently released a report on the stop and search tactics performed by the Met Police. According to Mirror, the police watchdog organization laid out a laundry list of discriminatory and racially biased police practices while warning that such practices are eroding public trust in London police. But perhaps the most disturbing revelation in the report revolved around a 17-year-old Black male who said that between February 2018 and May 2020, he was stopped and searched by police officers more than 60 times. So, basically, while he was between the ages of 14 and 16, he couldn’t walk to a corner store without wondering if another patrol car was going to pull up on him for walking while Black. Vice President Kamala Harris enjoyed a brief reprieve with family and friends over the Easter Holiday weekend. Stepping out in a stunning ensemble, Harris and her husband, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff joined the congregation at Kingdom Fellowship A.M.E. Church for Resurrection Sunday. Harris and Emhoff entered to cheers and applause from attendees. This is the first time the vice president was able to attend an Easter service in person due to COVID-19. “Never know what’s gonna happen in church,” Sr. Pastor Matthew L. Watley said. Tennis powerhouse Serena Williams has been a fierce advocate for equity within the realm of sports and beyond, and she’s furthering her efforts to ensure individuals from underrepresented groups have a seat at the table across different industries. For her latest project, Williams has joined forces with the cloud technology platform Karat to increase the representation of Black engineers in tech. The athlete and entrepreneur is supporting the company’s Brilliant Black Minds initiative. The program was cultivated to eradicate barriers that aspiring Black engineers often face when trying to launch their careers in the technology industry. After conducting research, Karat discovered Black developers lack access to practice interviews and the company has pledged to use its Interviewing Cloud technology to fill the gap. Through the project, Karat is providing engineers of color with free access to technical interviews, mentorship support from an ecosystem of experienced engineers and tech-focused career development workshops. A new poll shows most #Americans want people to wear masks on planes, trains and other forms of public transportation. Mask on, mask off? Back then, they didn’t want them. Now they’re protecting them, and they want to keep them. Since mask mandates have been implemented, people have been going back and forth between whether or not they want them to be required. Well, according to a new poll, most Americans want them, at least on transportive vehicles and aircraft. The poll was conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Relations Affairs Research, and in it, they found 56 percent of Americans prefer having mask mandates on planes, trains and public transportation. Twenty-four percent were against mask mandates for those locations, and 20 percent said they were neutral on the matter. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcvOzLZDwLr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Rick Ross is busy preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in 2024. The rapper revealed this during an interview with the Full Send Podcast, where he was talking about his future plans. But why is he not climbing this year, or next year? He has a ready answer. “For the rest of this year I’m getting ready, prepared mentally,” he explained. “Next year I get prepared physically.” He added that he believed when he put his heart to something, he could do anything. “I make my mind up, it’s not really that big. I just gotta get it done. And what you gotta realize, if you notice I said 2024. So for the rest of this year, I’m getting prepared mentally, next year I get prepared physically.” https://youtu.be/AGMZeA-h-d0 The Rev. Al Sharpton on Friday demanded that authorities reveal the identity of the Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop earlier this month. “How dare you hold the name of a man who killed this man?” Sharpton said at the funeral for Patrick Lyoya, held at a crowded Renaissance Church of God in Christ in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Every time a young Black man or woman is arrested in this town, you put their name all over the news. Every time we’re suspected of something, you put our name out there.” Both Sharpton and attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented the families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Michael Brown and other high-profile victims of police violence, called for justice for Lyoya during the service. Sharpton additionally called on the Department of Justice to investigate the shooting. Welcome to the Coachella stage, Harry Styles and Lizzo! While headlining weekend two of Coachella on April 22, Styles recruited Lizzo for a crowd-pleasing duet of Gloria Gaynor's “I Will Survive” as well as the One Direction calling card, “What Makes You Beautiful.” The best part? The pair hit the stage in matching hot pink outfits complete with oversized feathered coats. Underneath the campy outerwear, Styles wore a hot pink jacket, strawberry-embellished vest, and matching pants, while Lizzo paired her own lace-up fuchsia pants with a ripped t-shirt. For her beauty look, Lizzo opted for complimentary pink eyeshadow, a holographic lip, and adorable pink hearts affixed to her hair. In 1984, Tracey Meares was on her way to becoming her Illinois high school’s first Black valedictorian, with the highest academic ranking at Springfield High. Instead, she was declared “top student” – alongside Heather Russell, a white student. Thirty-eight years later, Meares is valedictorian at last, after she was finally presented with the title last Saturday after a screening of the documentary No Title for Tracey. Directed by Maria Ansley, an Illinois film-maker, it tells a story of systematic racism in America. For Meares, now a legal scholar at Yale College of Law, the hurt is still fresh. “It was incredibly upsetting when I was 17. I remain angry about it today, and sad,” she said. Meares recalls odd events in the lead-up to graduation. She says a white assistant principal was caught removing her file from a cabinet in the school counselor’s office. “I was called to my counselor’s office, and she told me what had happened. She said she put a lock on the file cabinet to keep anyone from getting in there again and tampering with my school record,” Meares has said. Several national law student associations are calling for Amy Wax, a University of Pennsylvania Law School professor who for years has espoused openly racist rhetoric, to be suspended from campus and prevented from speaking to students. The National Black Law Students Association, the National Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, and the North American South Asian Law Students Association jointly released a letter on Wednesday, shared first with NBC Asian America, condemning Wax’s comments. In recent interviews, Wax has said that the U.S. would be “better off with fewer Asians,” and that “Blacks” and Asians are resentful of Western success. “That Wax has been permitted to teach, supervise, and ridicule minority law students for over twenty one years is alarming,” the letter said. “Few understand how much more burdensome law school is for students who continuously receive the message that they are ‘less than’ or do not belong.” The message, co-written by student leaders, enumerates action Penn can take to remedy the situation, including removing Wax from all teaching duties and investigating if her grading of students of color has been fair during her two decades at the school. The investigation should be completely transparent to students, the letter says, and Wax should be suspended from campus grounds during the process. According to the law school’s website, she’s currently teaching two courses. Kurt Russell, a history teacher from Oberlin High School in Ohio, has been named the 2022 National Teacher of the Year. He was selected out of four finalists by the non-profit Council of Chief State School Officers. His students say he is known for emphasizing cultural relevance and representation through his classes. “He’s enthusiastic and relates his curriculum to real-world experiences,” Oberlin High School Senior Nia Mitchell said. “He does a really good job of fostering conversations where everyone can have a perspective,” another student said. Russell told “CBS Mornings” that he is proud of the school district he works for and that he gets his inspiration from his students. In December, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted the first federal Maternal Health Day of Action at the White House, where she issued a call to improve health outcomes for parents and infants in the U.S. Months later, she is still using the vice presidential bully pulpit to push for policy and structural changes aimed at saving lives. “In our nation, we are looking at the fact that more women are facing death because of childbirth than in any other developed nation,” Harris told journalists during a call on Thursday during Black Maternal Health Week. “We are looking at the likelihood that Black women are three times more likely to die in connection with childbirth, that Native women are twice as likely to die, that rural women are one and a half times more likely to die.” Black Maternal Health Week is an education and advocacy campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance that is observed each April. The White House officially recognized the designated week in 2021, and President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for it this year. In 2018, then-Senator Harris introduced the first congressional resolution recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, along with Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C. In 2019, Adams co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus with Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., a nurse who recently said the issue should be elevated “as a national priority.” “The maternal health crisis demands urgent attention and serious action to save lives and advance birth equity across the country,” Underwood said. A 4-year-old girl in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has died after her grandmother forced her to drink whiskey, police say. The girl’s blood alcohol content was 0.680%, a “lethal dosage,” according to the arrest warrant. A level of .25% can cause alcohol poisoning, and anything higher than .40% can lead to a coma or death, according to a University of Notre Dame chart. Roxanne Record, 53, and the girl’s mother, Kadjah Record, 28, were booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for first-degree murder, according to inmate records. It is unclear whether either woman has an attorney. The two women became angry with the child on Thursday because she “may have drunk from a Canadian Mist bottle” that was on a counter, the warrants said. The grandmother then forced the girl “to consume the remainder of the bottle which was possibly over half full while on her knees in the hallway,” the warrants said. The mother was present and didn’t try to intervene, according to police, according to police. A Black Kansas City police sergeant claims in a lawsuit that two officers racially profiled him when they stopped his car and falsely accused him of misconduct. Sgt. Herb Robinson, a 30-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, said the two officers yelled at him as they approached his unmarked police car on March 11, 2021. He alleges in the lawsuit that officers Cole Modeer, who is white, and Marco Olivas, who is Hispanic, stopped him because of his race, The Kansas City Tar reported. They let him go after he stepped out of his car and identified himself. Robinson, 59, who was a detective at the time he was stopped, is suing Olivas, Modeer and the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, which oversees the department. “If they treat one of their own this way, I’m afraid to see how they are treating minorities who are not cops,” Gerald Gray, an attorney representing Robinson, said Thursday. The officers are also accused in the lawsuit of falsely accusing Robinson of misconduct and other violations, and urging others to do the same. Robinson said he reported the encounter to the police department but no action was taken. Capt. Leslie Foreman, a police spokeswoman, said the department generally does not comment on pending litigation. Florida’s Department of Health (DOH) has rebuked the guidance issued by the Biden administration on gender dysphoria treatment for children and adolescents, releasing its own guidelines instead. The Sunshine State said on Thursday that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones should not be used to treat gender confusion in children. “The federal government’s medical establishment releasing guidance failing at the most basic level of academic rigor shows that this was never about health care,” State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said in a press release. “It was about injecting political ideology into the health of our children. Children experiencing gender dysphoria should be supported by family and seek counseling, not pushed into an irreversible decision before they reach 18.” The department crafted the state’s new guidance using published and peer-reviewed data that calls into question the motives of the federal Health and Human Services Department. Guidance of this magnitude requires a full, diligent understanding of the scientific evidence, Florida’s DOH said. A middle school in San Marcos, Texas is hosting a “Queer Week” this week, encouraging students as young as 11-years-old to celebrate the four-day LGBTQ+ event, which could be in direct violation of Texas state law based on an assessment by the state’s attorney general. Doris Miller Middle School (MMS) is urging children as young as the sixth grade to dress in “pride” colors, wear nametags with preferred names and pronouns, and “protest” LGBT discrimination, according to The Federalist. “The goal of the week is to provide a school culture that values diversity, equity and inclusion,” MMS Principal Saumnya Hart told parents in a school email which was forwarded to the news outlet. According to the “Miller Queer Week” schedule, the school set aside four days in April “to provide support for students in the LGBTQIA+ community, their allies, and the greater student and staff body,” The Federalist reports. The night after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Pope Francis lay awake in bed at the Vatican thinking about what he could do to prevent “one more death in Ukraine. Not one more,” he told the Argentine daily La Nacion in an interview published Thursday (April 21). The next day he jumped on a papal white utility vehicle to meet with the Russian ambassador to the Holy See to voice his concerns about the war in a last-ditch attempt to preserve the last remnant of peace in Ukraine. The war, of course, continues today, and the pontiff’s hope for a meeting between the pope and Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has been shelved. For all his peacemaking efforts, the media’s primary takeaway about Francis regarding the war is that he refuses to call out President Vladimir Putin directly as the aggressor. In his interview with La Nacion, the pope said: “I am willing to do everything” to prevent further bloodshed, explaining why he believed mentioning Putin was inappropriate. “A pope never names a head of state, much less a country, which is superior to its head of state,” Francis said. A California man threatened to bomb Merriam-Webster’s HQ over the dictionary’s definition of the word female as ‘a gender identity that is the opposite of male.’ Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, California, faces a federal charge of interstate communication of threats to commit violence. Hanson’s alleged antics forced the firm to shutter its offices for five days. He could now face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, and is also said to have been upset over the firm’s definitions of the words girl and woman. Woman is defined by the site as ‘an adult female person,’ while a girl is described as ‘a female child from birth to adulthood’ or ‘a person whose gender identity is female.’ In October 2021, Hanson is alleged to have sent threatening messages to the Massachusetts-based Merriam Webster headquarters over specific gender identity definitions through the site’s ‘Contact Us’ page, as well as in the comment sections for various words. And on October 2, 2021, Hanson allegedly used the handle ‘@anonYmous’ to write on the page for the word ‘female’: ‘It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda. There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.’ As a child growing up in Richmond, California, the future held one of two possibilities in Darrell Jobe’s young mind: play for the NFL or become a microbiologist. But at 13, everything changed when he became homeless, dropped out of school and joined a gang. That he celebrates Earth Day on Friday as the owner of Vericool, which produces environmentally safe packaging products, speaks to his unpredictable journey. He says it also speaks to his never-wavering interest in protecting the earth, even after he’s served short stints in prison. “I love animals and if you do, you care about the environment because that’s how they live,” Jobe, 42, said. “All the stuff that went on in my life, that respect for the earth never left me. To get beyond all that and to be able to do something to protect the environment is rewarding.” He invented the world’s first recyclable or biodegradable ice chest cooler in 2017 and developed a compostable and recyclable thermal solution for shipping Covid-19 vaccines in place of environmentally unfriendly Styrofoam coolers. According to the latest updates on the airline beat down, the man Mike Tyson repeatedly punched on a JetBlue plane has lawyered up, and possibly looking to file a lawsuit. Attorney Matt Morgan from Morgan & Morgan, who reps Melvin Townsend III, tells @tmz_tv, “Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan. When Mike Tyson boarded the plane, he became overly excited. At first, their interaction was cordial.” He goes on to say, “At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner. This situation could have been avoided simply by contacting the flight attendant. Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson.” Tennessee is cracking down on drunk drivers and giving them more than just a prison sentence for fatal crashes caused by their incompetence! According to (news outlet) WGCL, the state has passed a bill requiring someone convicted of vehicular homicide due to intoxication to pay child support if they kill a parent. The Bill was introduced following a tragic case where Janet Hinds fatally struck police officer Nicholas Galinger as a result of driving while intoxicated. Although Hinds fled the scene, footage from the bar she visited that night, showed that she consumed 5 drinks. Galinger’s family and two children requested $50 Million in their wrongful death suit and it appears that the state understands. The money will be used to care for the children. House Bill 1834, will assure that other children forced to face this kind of tragedy, will be taken care of monetarily by the person who causes it. Thoughts? https://youtu.be/lioYatbygro Radio personality Angela Yee is lending her talents to a new show to teach millennials and Gen Z all about financial literacy. Dubbed “The Come Up With Angela Yee,” the YouTube show was made in partnership with the saving and investing app Acorns to normalize conversations around money and sharing diverse success stories. The series welcomes some of the biggest names in entertainment to have honest conversations about money, so everyone gets a little more comfortable talking about it on their come up. Each week, Yee will lead conversations with celebrities and industry professionals who will provide exclusive takes on financial literacy. Celebrity guests include comedian and TV Host Nick Cannon, rapper Remy Ma, and Vice President of Roc Nation, Lenny S, to name a few. https://youtu.be/sccia_2f4ZA Jasmine Guy Breaks Down in Tears as She Opens Up About Problems She Faced After Painful Divorce With Tamron Hall. Jasmine Guy knows first-hand that strength and love is what helps us get through our struggles. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=937557120477723 For T.C. Stallings, acting wasn’t always the plan. Known for his roles in faith-based movies like “Courageous” and “War Room,” Stallings has carved out a niche for himself in the entertainment industry. It wasn’t until he landed a very small featured extra role in the 2010 film “Secretariat,” though, that he even knew he wanted to make a career out of acting. Stallings’ original plan was football. But, as is often the case, God had something different in store. The 44-year-old actor explained this week on “The Prodigal Stories Podcast” that acting was something he was always interested in, but wasn’t sure it would pan out. Regardless, Stallings — a Christian — said his No. 1 priority is using his work, wherever it might be, as a vehicle to share his faith. “For me, when I read Scripture, I realize that’s why I’m here,” he said. “Once I realized that, I want to live out my God-given purpose — and I trade in what I want for what He wants — that’s why I just try to use all my gifts and talents for Him.” Acting, he continued, “just gives me an opportunity to reflect all the glory toward Him.” While Stallings is known for starring in faith-based films — including the upcoming Christian movie “No Vacancy” — he wasn’t raised in a devoutly Christian home, though his mother was a strong believer who kept him in church. Sinqua Walls will star in the remake of “White Men Can’t Jump” according to Deadline. He is set to take over the character originally played by Wesley Snipes. The original movie recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and that’s why talk of a remake is in order. The movie’s original cast recently reunited briefly at the Oscars to present an award. Walls is having a busy schedule. He recently starred in “Resort to Love,” a Netflix movie. He will also appear in “Nanny,” a horror film by Nikyatu Jusu. He has also appeared in shows such as MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” BET’s “American Soul,” and VH1’s “The Breaks.” Most of the conversation surrounding the Oscars incident involving Will Smith walking on stage during the televised event and slapping Chris Rock after the comedian made a “joke” about Jada Pinkett Smith have considerably died down. Though, now people are hyper-fixating on Jada and Will amid new rumors that the two might be heading towards a rather ugly divorce. Following the Oscars incident, Will publicly apologized for his actions and was banned from the event for the next ten years. After some time, Jada also issued a statement regarding the slap, posting a simply graphic on Instagram, which read, “This is the season for healing, and I’m here for it.” However, it has been reported that following the altercation, Will and Jada have barely spoken to one another. In a statement to Heat Magazine, a source revealed that Will and Jada have not been getting along following the slap. “Ever since the Oscars scandal, the tension between them is palpable. There have been problems for years, but they’re barely speaking right now.” The source continued, saying the impending divorce would be incredibly messy. “If they were to split, Will has a fortune of $350 million that Jada would be entitled to under California law. It could be one of the ugliest divorces in showbiz history and drag on longer than Angelina [Jolie] and Brad [Pitt’s] did.” Will Smith was all smiles as he landed in India where he was seen for the first time since the infamous Oscar’s slap. Smith was pictured touching down in a private airport in Mumbai on Saturday where he was greeted by adoring fans who he took snaps with. Smith is reportedly in India to meet spiritual leader Sadhguru, who Smith and his family met with back in 2020 in Los Angeles. Dressed casually in a white t-shirt, dark grey shorts over white compression tights and a pair of Nike sneakers, Smith looked relaxed and happy after landing in the South Asian country. As staff helped him unload his things from his vehicle nearby fans excitedly scream ‘Will, Will Smith!’ Smith then takes a couple of selfies with security and turned to the fans yelling his name, giving them a wave while flashing a smile before continuing to take a few more selfies and entering a building where he gives someone a hug. This is the first time Smith has been spotted in public nearly a month after slapping master of ceremony and comedian Chris Rock on live TV and in front of his co-stars after he n made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s buzzcut. The Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah says the Grammys can do more than entertain; It can address some serious issues such as what is taking place in the Ukraine right now. Noah believes some music artists will express their thoughts on what is taking place in the Ukraine along with other serious things through song. “It’s one of those interesting balances in life we try to achieve, which is acknowledging what’s happening in the world whilst allowing yourself the grace to celebrate some of the moments that are also going on,” said the comedian and host of “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Comedy Central. Noah said most of his show’s coverage has focused on Ukraine, so he’s looking forward to an entertaining night at the Grammys — a place where world issues can be acknowledged as well. This will be his second year hosting the Grammys which will air live on CBS and Paramount+. Last year, the Grammys had a music festival vibe with parts of the show held outdoors in an intimate in- person setting with music artists mixed with pre-taped performances. But for the upcoming ceremony, Noah anticipates a hybrid model that includes fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Stephen A. Smith doesn’t want to hear anything about Colin Kaepernick‘s new attempts to rejoin the NFL. Smith says he is sick and tired of hearing about it. “…utter nonsense. I’m sick of it,” Smith said in an episode of his ESPN show “First Take.” Kaepernick is reportedly desperate to join NFL to the point he says he is willing to accept a backup quarterback position. In 2016, Kaepernick was so disappointed when he lost his QB position with the San Francisco 49ers that he refused to stand during the national anthem preceding the start of the game. https://youtu.be/8oItBT0yBz8 Kendrick Lamar is finally back after five years, and with a bang! He announced he is dropping a new album named “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.” Lamar revealed the album’s title and release date on his Oklama website link he tweeted. The 34-year-old rapper also shared the news on his Instagram with a “appreciate your patience” note. The new album is set for release on May 13. Lamar last released a full album in 2017, with his tracklist entitled “Damn.” Lamar is a native of Compton, California. He is partly well-known for the hit album “To Pimp a Butterfly.” https://youtu.be/AUEI_ep9iDs Around the United States in different locations, you can see statues of musical icons in their hometowns or cities where they have made a major impact. Musical legends like Elvis Presley (Tupelo, Memphis, Las Vegas, etc.), Louis Armstrong (New Orleans), Billie Holiday (Baltimore), Ray Charles (Albany), James Brown (Augusta), Jimi Hendrix (Seattle), and Michael Jackson (Las Vegas) have all been immortalized with statues bearing their likeness. So, why has this same honor not been bestowed upon her Royal Highness, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in the City of Detroit? Aretha Franklin is known to many, as the greatest singer that ever lived in any genre. She is worthy of being honored with a life-size bronze statue, in the City of Detroit, for all the world to see. A major push to make this a reality is coming from the Founder/CEO of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Foundation and American Basketball Hall of Famer, LaMont “ShowBoat” Robinson, who also has plans to build a state-of-the-art, permanent facility, dedicated to the legacy of rhythm and blues music. Coachella fans roared when hip hop icon Chuck D stepped on stage earlier today, making a surprise appearance during DJ Lord’s set. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performed electrifying versions of his classics “Bring The Noise” and “Fight The Power” with DJ Lord, Public Enemy’s longtime turntablist, marking his first return to the festival since 2009. A solo artist in his own right, DJ Lord has been Public Enemy’s DJ for more than 20 years and was a member of Prophets Of Rage alongside Chuck D and former members of Rage Against The Machine and Cypress Hill. He has been a finalist in the DMC World DJ Championships twice and has embarked on over 100 worldwide tours. PushaT kept it crystal clear on where he stands with Drake since their 2018 exchanges, when Pusha T revealed that Champagne Papi fathered a child. Pusha T told #TheBreakfastClub that it’s “really good” that Kanye and Drake resolved their issues, but when it comes to him he’s “still outside.” “Me personally, I don’t really stand anything to gain from like squashing anything,” Pusha T said. “I’m not entertaining it, but there’s nothing I want from the situation. I don’t want to do a record, I don’t want to do none of that.” In his words, “there’s nothing to talk about” because they’ve “been through it and that’s just that.” He clarified that he’s really purposeful right now about his music and who he wants to work with and Drake doesn’t fall in those lines. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccp9Js7Fn5g/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A media watchdog is warning parents about the apparent ramping up of pervasive sex and inappropriate content on HBO’s hit show “Euphoria,” warning the second season is “more deranged than before.” The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC), a non-partisan advocacy group working to protect kids and families from violence, sex, and profanity in media, has been actively breaking down the most troubling content embedded in each episode of the show. And the results are nothing short of disturbing. PTC recently noted on its website reports indicating season two of “Euphoria,” which premiered Jan. 9, would be “darker” than season one — a point raising alarm bells with the organization due to the show’s younger audience. “When the dark, depraved, degenerate and nihilistic program ‘Euphoria’ first premiered, its creator, Sam Levinson, proudly proclaimed that ‘there are going to be parents who are going to be totally f***ing freaked out,’” PTC wrote. “His omen was correct, and unsurprisingly so, because Euphoria centers on the lives of high school children, and features a Disney Channel starlet as the lead actress.” PTC believes the series poses an “imminent threat to the health and well-being of children.” In the first few months of season two, PTC has tracked some truly shocking content, finding 13 instances of sex shown with nudity, 21 instance of male nudity, and 19 moments including female nudity. Netflix shares plunged this week after the platform reported its first subscriber loss in more than a decade. One factor the company pointed to as hurting revenue: widespread password sharing. It could mean that Netflix subscribers around the world may have to pony up to keep their kids, friends or colleagues on their accounts. For years, Netflix has allowed subscribers to share their passwords with little interference. In fact, the service admitted in its letter to investors Tuesday that the policy likely helped fuel its growth by “getting more people using and enjoying Netflix.” Yet that growth has severely stalled, and Netflix said Tuesday that it’s now looking into how “best to monetize sharing.” The company noted that of its 222 million paying households around the world, it estimates that “Netflix is being shared with over 100 million additional households.” Dwayne Haskins was laid to rest on Friday by his widow. The memorial service for the NFL star, who died after being fatally struck by two cars on April 9, was attended by friends, loved ones, teammates and coaches, including former teammate Ryan Shazier, former Ohio State University coach Urban Meyer and OSU’s current coach Ryan Day. Other guests included Steelers’ defensive tackle Cam Heyward, offensive coordinator Matt Canada, team president Art Rooney II, general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin. Haskins’ widow Kalabrya welcomed these attendees to the Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pittsburgh, where Steelers chaplain and pastor Kent Chevalier delivered the eulogy, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Tribune-Review also reported that three white doves were released into the air at the conclusion of the service, and guests were handed yellow roses as they exited the church. Steelers beat reporter Noah Strackbein shared the program from Friday’s memorial. Guy Lafleur, a longtime Montreal Canadiens player, died on Friday at the age of 70, his family said in a statement on Facebook. The cause of death was not revealed but recently he had been struggling with lung cancer. “Guy I love you, you are done suffering we will miss you greatly,” his sister Lise Lafleur wrote on Facebook. Lafleur won the Stanley Cup five times between 1973 to 1979 with the Canadiens and was named of the “100 greatest NHL Players” in history by the league in 2017. He played 14 seasons for the Canadiens after being drafted as the first overall pick in 1971, and played there until his first retirement in 1985. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 before coming back to the NHL the same year. He played one season for the New York Rangers and two seasons for the Quebec Nordiques before his final retirement in 1991. On a late summer night two years ago, Tiburon police asked Yema Khalif to prove he owned Yema, the local clothing store that bears his name. At the time, Khalif and his wife, Hawi Awash, were the town’s only Black business owners. The fallout from that August 2020 encounter shoved the quiet coastal enclave to the center of a racial justice moment that began just months earlier with George Floyd’s murder. But after initially threatening a $2 million lawsuit in federal court, the couple says they were able to achieve meaningful reforms by staying out of the courtroom and directly engaging with town officials. On Tuesday, the couple stood in front of their store in Tiburon’s casual but tony downtown to announce those reforms. Changes include police policy and training updates as well as the formation of a Citizen’s Advisory Panel to provide a forum between residents and police; one of the store owners is expected to serve as a member. The couple also received a $150,000 payment, a portion of which they say will go to a scholarship fund they run through the store. Khalif and Awash haven’t reached a settlement with the neighboring city of Belvedere, which also had an officer at the store that night. David Anderson, one of their attorneys, said Belvedere’s leaders weren’t up for the conversation that those in Tiburon were. A message left with the city manager wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday. Khalif said he and his wife never wanted to involve the courts. In 2011, former NBA star Al Harrington founded Viola, one of the nation’s leading producers and licensed wholesalers of premium quality cannabis products. Now he’s on a mission to create 100 millionaires in the industry. “Viola produces a range of cannabis products catered to individuals’ palates and needs. From cultivating premium flower to processing butane extracts, Viola manages every aspect of their production process, applying the latest and most proven technologies to ensure the consistency and quality of their products,” per press release. The cannabis industry generated $25 billion in legal sales last year, but only 2% of companies are Black-owned. Harrington is looking to change that now that marijuana is legal in some form in 37 states. Serena Williams and Lewis Hamilton have joined Martin Broughton’s bid to buy Chelsea. Their offer is one of three being considered by Roman Abramovich, club executives and the US bank Raine, which is overseeing the sale. Williams, the winner of 23 tennis grand slam singles titles, and Hamilton, a seven-times Formula One world champion, have pledged what are understood to be small sums of money relative to a bid of more than £200m. Broughton’s partners also include the World Athletics president, Sebastian Coe, and the owners of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team, Josh Harris and David Blitzer. Harris and Blitzer also have stakes in Crystal Palace and they will need to sell those to become shareholders at Chelsea. U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu and her father Arthur Liu were among those targeted in a spying operation that the Justice Department alleges was ordered by the Chinese government. The father is a former political refugee. The Justice Department announced charges against five men accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese government in a series of brazen and wide-ranging schemes to stalk and harass Chinese dissidents in the United States. Arthur Liu said he and his daughter were included in the criminal complaint as “Dissident 3” and “family member,” respectively. China has denied these allegations saying it was “not aware of the specifics” and that China is “firmly opposed to the U.S. slandering by making an issue of this out of thin air.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters, “China always asks Chinese citizens to abide by the laws and regulations of host countries, and we would never ask our citizens to engage in activities that violate local laws. The so-called transnational harassment schemes are just trumped up.” The father said he agreed to let his daughter compete in the Olympics after receiving assurances from the State Department and U.S. Olympic Committee that she would be closely protected while competing in China, with at least two people escorting her at all times. He did this to show China that they will not “silence me from expressing my opinions anywhere.” “They are probably just trying to intimidate us, to … in a way threaten us not to say anything, to cause trouble to them and say anything political or related to human rights violations in China,” Arthur Liu said. “I had concerns about her safety. The U.S. government did a good job protecting her.” Former NBA player JR Smith has scored a name, image and likeness deal with apparel brand Lululemon that will make him the brand’s golf ambassador. Smith, who went straight from high school to the NBA in 2004, has been a walk-on on the North Carolina A&T golf team after returning to school in 2021. Smith currently is in the second semester of his freshman season at the HBCU. He is the first male golfer to sign a brand ambassador deal with Lululemon. And his standing as a 16-year NBA veteran has made him one of the most popular college athletes in the sport. In January, Smith signed with Excel Sports Management for NIL representation. Smith’s agent, Lance Young, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski at the time that there was high interest from golf apparel and equipment manufacturers in sponsoring Smith. Last year was the first time college athletes could profit off their name, image and likeness via sponsorships. Number 1 songstress, KARIMA, returns with the new song “It’s Alright To Cry,” released to digital outlets today. The heartfelt ballad is KARIMA's follow-up to her DARE Records debut, chart-topping song “Redeemer.” “It’s Alright To Cry” showcases a different side of Karima’s artistry and ministry, giving listeners easy and effortless vocals. Here is another song that's "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=UDEok19kUIo&list=OLAK5uy_n_hmHD9uxI_aHap6pHszY99odyTQKGiSc SEMAJE releases his exciting new single "YOU." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ymNKzxAOTQ Diverse audiences with hearts focused on worship join together to experience the presence of God and the experience is captured in TRIBL NIGHTS. Jesus reigns supreme in "Never Lost" as the worshipers gather en masse declaring a secured victory based on track record, Jesus has never lost a battle and He never will. Here is another song that's "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brnlnjYe52o Refreshing, bold, and innovative; “The Flow,” ReFresh Worship’s debut album takes listeners on a journey that inspires a deeper connection with God. Recorded live in New York, “The Flow” features a breakout single, “Cry Out” - a passionate declaration featuring GRAMMY award-winning artist Naomi Raine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfz2g4WDB-M Lifetime's Seven Deadly Sins Anthology movie installment, Greed, from executive producers T.D. Jakes, Derrick Williams and Shaun Robinson continue this Saturday, April 23 at 8/7c. Based on the series of books by Victoria Christopher Murray, Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Story is headlined by Monique Coleman (A Christmas Dance Reunion), LisaRaye McCoy (A House Divided), Eric Benét (Real Husbands of Hollywood) and Nathan Witte (Merry Liddle Christmas Baby). Below are the movie descriptions and premiere dates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gckr-jxcu0 3x Grammy Nominee, Brian Courtney Wilson stops by the Wendy Williams Show today to celebrate guest host Sherri Shepherd’s birthday! Wilson performed his #1 song “Still.” An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back on April 25. This week's episode of FATAL ATTRACTION unpacks the mysterious death of a young woman on a busy highway. Watch the story unfold on Monday at 9 p.m. ET/8C. After a young woman is found dead on the side of a Nashville highway, questions swirl about who could have killed her. Was it an angry ex, a jealous love interest, or was greed the motive? An unexpected source will reveal the truth. Find out this Monday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCqhCoXGRM If Zendaya's goal when she attended the HBO Max FYC Euphoria event this week was to simultaneously freak us out and make us want to chop our hair off, well, achievement unlocked. On April 20, the actor, model, and all-around untouchably cool specimen of a human walked the red carpet at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures alongside her Euphoria costars Alexa Demie, Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, Barbie Ferreira, and Sydney Sweeney. Every last one of them was serving serious lookage—that Betty Boop hair on Demie, oh my goodness—but our jaws dropped when we saw the Dune star with what appeared to be significantly shorter hair than what she had during her last public appearance, at the Oscars and Vanity Fair after-party. It's not that we haven't seen Zendaya wear a short hairstyle before. Remember her red baby bangs and wavy bob at the 2018 Met Gala? Or when she went through a pixie phase in 2015? Hell, she even tricked us into thinking she'd chopped it off just last fall. It's just that we're so used to seeing it long—and friggin' stunning—lately thanks to Euphoria and Zendaya just generally existing in a perceptible way that it's a shock to the system when it seems to have been chopped off. All-new episodes of TV One’s original docu-series, UNSUNG Presents: The Decades and UNCENSORED, are back this Sunday, April 24. UNSUNG: The Decades leads with the influential music from the early 2000s at 9 p.m. ET/8C, followed by the season finale of UNCENSORED, which features female rap music pioneer, Trina at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Each episode will also be published on TVOne.tv and TV One’s social media platforms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5-wC6xmXwA Pope Francis has said he has dropped plans to meet in June with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has backed Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Francis, who has several times implicitly criticized Russia and Putin over the war, told Argentine newspaper La Nacion in an interview that he regretted that the plan had to be ‘suspended’ because Vatican diplomats advised that such a meeting ‘could lend itself to much confusion at this moment’. In Moscow, the RIA news agency quoted Metropolitan Hilarion, a senior Russian Orthodox Church official, as saying the meeting was postponed because ‘the events of the last two months’ would have created many difficulties in its preparation. Activist Pamela Moses will not face a second trial over illegal voting registration accusations, the Shelby County District Attorney announced Friday. Moses was sentenced to six years by a judge in January, after she was found guilty of making or consenting to false information on an election document. But that same judge later granted her a new trial, saying information about a previous conviction should not have been considered by the jury, and that a document from probation officials was not disclosed at trial. A trial had been set to start April 25. A Black Lives Matter activist has slammed New York City’s black mayor for his alleged failure to combat the city’s skyrocketing crime rates. ‘Let’s get back to Eric Adams. This mayor who’s a Democrat but he spews conservative and Republican talking points,’ Hawk Newsome, co-founder of BLM Greater New York, told Fox News Thursday morning. ‘At the end of the day, we have a name for someone like this, and this is someone we call a c**n.’ ‘He’s a white man in black face, and a very conservative minded white man, at that.’ Newsome blasted Adams’ efforts to combat crime in NYC, alleging the mayor’s new policing model was a ‘monumental failure’ and accused him of ‘deflecting’ by questioning BLM’s role in condemning bloodshed. ‘What we have is a man with hundreds of people on the city’s payroll, billions of dollars in budget and 40,000 police officers. He has 10 victims in one night. The night before he had 16 shooting victims on the train,’ the activist said. ‘[He’s asked] rd what are you going to do about policing and he says, “what about BLM?” Is America not smart enough to see him deflecting?’ Adams last week slammed BLM for failing to act after a series of shootings ripped across NYC, leaving two dead and 13 injured. All the victims were black. Rapper Archie Eversole was shot in the face and died before he could tell cops who killed him. Arthur ‘Archie’ Eversole, 37, who recorded We Ready, was found with a gunshot wound at a Chevron gas station just east of Atlanta on March 25, and died at a hospital April 3, DeKalb County police said. It is unclear how he got to the gas station from his bed or whether his home is nearby. Eversole’s brother, Alexander Kraus, 41, was arrested at a home near the gas station on assault charges before those were upgraded to murder, Lt. Shane Smith from DeKalb County police said. Kraus was also charged with possession of more than an ounce of marijuana. He is being held without bail at Dekalb County jail. A$AP Bari claims another member of the entertainment group snitched on A$AP Rocky, which led to his arrest at LAX earlier this week. A$AP Rocky was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday morning, fresh off his vacation in Barbados with pregnant girlfriend Rihanna. The hip-hop artist, 33, was detained at LAX by the Los Angeles Police Department and charged with assault with a deadly weapon (firearm) in connection to a November 2021 shooting, the LAPD said in a news release. As reported by thejasminebrand, in a recent Instagram story, A$AP Bari, 30, posted a picture on social media of the group’s video director, A$AP Relli, along with the caption: “This rat a** n****a told on rocky F****g rat” The passenger that was aboard the same flight as Mike Tyson, and seen on video bothering the boxing legend, has an extensive criminal record. The man, identified as Melvin Townsend III, has had a few encounters with cops. As @tmz_tv reports, Mr. Townsend has been convicted of fraud, grand theft, burglary, possession of controlled substances and trafficking in stolen property. The 36-year-old once broke into a property back in 2018 and allegedly stole a trailer that he hitched to his pickup. As for the drug possession offense, that was reportedly for oxycodone. Official docs don’t mention other specifics, TMZ notes. Now, it was said that he served time in the slammer… twice! One for 20 months and another time for 15 months. The parents of the late Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins say they will skip his funeral services in Pittsburgh on Friday after he was fatally struck on a Florida highway earlier this month, saying they’ve never met his widow and do not wish to under those circumstances. ‘We have never met or spoken to the wife, and we didn’t want our son’s funeral service to be the place we met her for the first time,’ Dwayne Sr. and Tamara Haskins said in a statement, referring to their son’s widow, Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins. The Haskins family will still honor their late son at a memorial service in his native New Jersey on Saturday and then again on Sunday in Potomac, Maryland, according to Scott Abraham of Washington DC’s ABC affiliate. DailyMail.com’s attempts to reach Dwayne Sr. and Tamara Haskins have been unsuccessful. Arabian Prince, a founding member of hip hop’s N.W.A. is reinventing the American healthcare system through the metaverse. The Compton, California native is building a “photo-realistic digital twin” of the U.S healthcare system, where patients can access affordable doctors, feedback from healthcare professionals as well as fill prescriptions, NFT Evening reports. “We didn’t want to do something that looks like the other metaverses, that looks very cartoony,” Arabian Prince, born Kim Renard Nazel, told MarketWatch. “And we knew with health care, you have to be serious about it. You can’t have somebody that looks like Luigi from Mario Brothers talking to you as a doctor.” Blac Chyna was questioned about her finances during her testimony for the ongoing trial between herself and Kardashian-Jenner family. On Thursday, Kardashians’ defense lawyer, Michael Rhodes grilled the former stripper about her taxes and Chyna (born Angela White) admitted she hadn’t filed since 2018 or 2019. She says the last filing was for her businesses — Lashed LLC, 88 Fin, and Blac Chyna Inc. … she tells Rhodes the last time she personally filed was back in 2015. She also said she doesn’t have any personal bank accounts. Chyna also revealed she’d made about $2 million in 2020, 2019 and 2018 … and makes money through celebrity appearances — like $25k for an upcoming celebrity boxing match. However, her main moneymaker seems to be OnlyFans, on which she claims she’s made $1 million. https://youtu.be/eQcUwobZXIE Trey Songz is being accused once again of sexual assault and this time the act was caught on camera. A woman is accusing the R&B crooner of forcibly removing her breast from her bikini top, and video of the incident has gone viral on social media. Per TMZ, the woman in the clip, Megan Johnson, says the incident occurred in August 2013 during a party at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. A new letter from attorneys George Vrabeck and Ariel Mitchell on Thursday claims the R&B star came up behind Johnson, pulled the top, and chanted “titties in the open” four times. (The video appears to feature him saying “titty in the open.”) Her team says she was embarrassed by the incident and is seeking damages over lasting emotional distress and self-harm. Stephen Curry is putting down the basketball and picking up the golf clubs for a good cause. The professional basketball player is launching his own golf tour, aimed at providing access and opportunity to underrepresented student-athletes. The tour, called Underrated, announced the launch citing its commitment to balancing participation in the sport “to truly reflect our society.” “Our passion is rooted in statistics. Today there are only two Black men in the top 100 worldwide rankings and only one Black woman in the top 300,” Underrated Golf wrote on its website, adding, “Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, who is recognized as the most important golfer of all time, is of Thai, White, Black and Native American descent. Although his reign on the sport is celebrated, the number of professional golfers coming up in his shoes continues to be less and less.” Janelle Monáe wants you to know that she identifies as non-binary. The queer artist discussed her gender identity with Jada Pinkette Smith in the season 5 premiere of Red Table Talk, co-hosted by Jada’s daughter Willow Smith, and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris. “I’m nonbinary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely,” Monáe told the hosts. “I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything. I am everything. But I will always, always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything that I am—beyond the binary.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=725592481787414 Rapper/actress Eve shared a new photo on Instagram of her cradling her 11-week-old son, Wilde Wolf, along with the caption, “Never been this tired. Never been this happy.” Last month, she shared a video of her newborn son with her husband Maximillion Cooper. The couple welcomed their first child together in February, and the footage shows her sleeping newborn cozied up on her chest. “Wilde, my precious baby,” Eve says in the clip. “This is heaven. This is heaven right here.” https://www.instagram.com/therealeve/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c6495038-a98b-4ab0-a02f-657568218437 The Russian army is planning to establish full control over the Donbas and Southern Ukraine and to ensure a land corridor to the Crimea, according to Rustam Minnekaev, deputy commander of the Central Military District. He also warned taking back control over Southern Ukraine will provide Russian troops with another outlet to Moldova’s pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniestria, which borders Ukraine. Kyiv fears this could be used as a launching pad for new attacks. Minnekaev said at the annual meeting of the Union of Defense Industry Enterprises of the Sverdlovsk Region: “Since the beginning of the second phase of the special operation, it has already begun just two days ago, one of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over the Donbas and Southern Ukraine. “This will provide a land corridor to the Crimea, as well as influence the vital facilities of the Ukrainian military forces, the Black Sea ports, through which agricultural and metallurgical products are supplied to other countries. “Control over the South of Ukraine is another outlet to Transnistria, where there are also facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population. As Russian troops tighten their grip on the strategic port town of Mariupol, their strategy is finally becoming clear. Russian military commander Rustam Minnekaev now says the second phase of President Vladimir Putin’s “special operation” is focused on establishing a “land corridor” from the Donbas all the way to Moldova, which would cut off the rest of Ukraine from the sea. “One of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over the Donbas and southern Ukraine. This will provide a land corridor to the Crimea, as well as influence the vital objects of the Ukrainian economy,” Minnekaev said Friday at a meeting with the Union of Defense Industries, as reported by the Russian state-owned Interfax. “Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out to Transnistria, where there are also facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population.” Transnistria is a separatist region of Moldova that has so far not been officially involved in the war despite hosting a Russian military base since the 1990s. The general’s words suggest that Moldova’s sovereign borders would also come under threat from further Russian expansion. Phony efforts to protect Russian-speaking peoples have often foreshadowed Putin’s imperial invasions. In reality, Russian speakers have been struck down in the hundreds in eastern Ukraine during the brutal invasion. Pope Francis has said he has dropped plans to meet in June with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has backed Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Francis, who has several times implicitly criticized Russia and Putin over the war, told Argentine newspaper La Nacion in an interview that he regretted that the plan had to be ‘suspended’ because Vatican diplomats advised that such a meeting ‘could lend itself to much confusion at this moment’. In Moscow, the RIA news agency quoted Metropolitan Hilarion, a senior Russian Orthodox Church official, as saying the meeting was postponed because ‘the events of the last two months’ would have created many difficulties in its preparation. Reuters reported on April 11 that the Vatican was considering extending the pope’s trip to Lebanon on June 12-13 by a day so that he could meet with Kirill on June 14 in Jerusalem. Kirill, 75, has given his full-throated blessing for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since it began on Feb. 24, a position that has splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church and unleashed an internal rebellion that theologians and academics say is unprecedented. Francis, 85, has used terms such as unjustified aggression and invasion in his public comments on the war, and has lamented atrocities against civilians. This must be the most unlikely place you’d expect to see a member of her super-rich family, but pop star Janet Jackson has been spotted at a pawnbroker’s in Chelsea. The American singer, 55, who has an estimated fortune of £150million, was seen leaving Prestige Pawnbrokers where a Hermes handbag can cost up to £29,000 and is said to have become something of a regular there. Janet seen leaving clutching a blue jewelry box under a sign which read ‘Posh Pawn’ and got into a Range Rover parked outside – and apparently it wasn’t her first visit. Jada Pinkett Smith says her family is “focused on deep healing” in the aftermath of her husband Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock on the stage at this year’s Oscars. Pinkett Smith didn’t talk about the incident directly on her show Red Table Talk on Wednesday, but in the opening titles she hinted that the show would address the subject at a later date. “Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focused on deep healing,” the title cards read. “Some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls. Until then… the table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring and healing testimonies like that of our incredibly impressive first guest.” That guest was singer Janelle Monáe. Shares of Netflix lost more than 35% of their value in New York on Wednesday, after the streaming giant announced it had lost more than 200,000 subscribers in the first three months of the year and said it and expects to lose 2 million more over the next quarter. The sharp drop wiped $50bn off Netflix’s value and comes as subscribers rethink their commitment to streaming services that grew their numbers sharply during the homebound months of peak lockdown. Netflix had anticipated it would add 2.5 million customers in the first quarter. A number of rival services, including Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount, often with deeper content libraries to draw on, have also entered the market. Netflix stock, which was already down 40% for the year, has now dropped from $700 in November to $244 when the market opened, a fall approaching two-thirds. The company said on Tuesday that it had experienced “revenue growth headwinds”. It recently raised subscription prices despite signs that consumer growth was slowing, with a basic monthly package now costing US customers $15.49. Duane Chapman, star of the A&E series, Dog the Bounty Hunter sang a touching rendition of Amazing Grace to the surprise of many of his fans. Chapman recently performed on the Fox series, The Masked Singer, dressed as an armadillo. https://youtu.be/JSgZvfT2vh4 A Texas junior college baseball conference has suspended a pitcher for four games after he tackled an opposing batter after a home run, and the batter also was suspended for two games because he was ejected for taunting. The North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference announced Thursday it suspended both players and many more from both teams due to the resulting brawl. Online video of the play showed North Central Texas College’s Josh Phillips rounding third after his sixth-inning home run, only to have Weatherford College pitcher Owen Woodward charge off the mound and level him with a violent blow to the midsection. Several players then charged on to the field. Weatherford officials have said Woodward could face expulsion from school as the play caught widespread online attention. But the league office handed out most of its punishment for the North Central Texas program because of the players who ran onto the field after the hit. The league suspended for two games ‘all team members for NCTC that were in the dugout or bullpen’ and any assistant coaches who stepped onto the field. It also suspended four additional Weatherford players and assistant coaches for two games. It was reported today that CNN’s new paid streaming service, CNN Plus will be going bye-bye after just a few weeks (3, actually) of life. The news of the service’s demise comes via m Variety and The New York Times, which cited multiple anonymous sources. The New York Times reports that the service will shutter on April 30. CNN Plus launched on March 29: For $5.99 each month, the service offers access to a library of new and old shows starring well-known faces from the cable news channel. Thirteen women who were sexually abused by disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar each filed claims against the FBI for $10 million, saying the agency failed to properly investigate his crimes. Attorney Jamie White, who is representing the women, said the FBI’s mishandling of the Nassar case is ‘a law enforcement failure of historic proportions,’ with the women’s claims totaling $130 million. White says agents ignored early reports of Nassar’s abuse, and left him free to continue molesting victims on an industrial scale. ‘We spend so much energy and resources encouraging children to come forward when they have been abused, so the fact that people came forward to the most powerful law enforcement agency in the world and were rebuffed – it’s a slap in the face,’ White said. ‘This is the largest failure on the part of law enforcement in the history of the world as it pertains to the protection of children, and there must be institutional accountability to make sure this doesn’t happen again.’ Nassar was convicted and sentenced to 40 to 125 years in prison in 2018 for sexually abusing hundreds of young female athletes, with many of the victims, including gold medalist Simone Biles, slamming the FBI in a series of hearings last year for allegedly turning a blind eye to his abuse since 2015. The Kardashians’ attorney requested that she not be allowed in court due to “veiled physical threats” against them online. “She can’t be in the courtroom,” the famous family’s attorney Michael Rhodes said ahead of opening statements that day. Chyna’s lawyer, Lynne Ciani, then argued that while she has no control over Tokyo, she also told the mother that the behavior was “unacceptable:” “I can’t control her mother,” Ciani said. “My client wants a fair trial. I already told her it was unacceptable, and she can’t be in the courtroom.” In a series of videos, Tokyo Toni talked about how she felt and in one clip, she shared her displeasure with the judge: “I’m gonna get that judge,” Tokyo said. Now, this could be a problem for Tokyo because even a small threat against a judge is taken seriously by law enforcement,TMZ reports. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cck1DsmAXXF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Center Theatre Group presents Blues For An Alabama Sky, now playing at The Mark Taper Forum. Opening night brought out the usual galaxy of stars, Debbie Allen, Norm Nixon, Dawn Lewis, Kiki Shepherd, Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us) and many more. As the lights rose, the audience was transcended to Harlem, New York in the 1930’s due to the clever writing of Pearl Cleage. The characters in the story weave a delicate balance of ambition, danger and reality. Angel (played by Nija Okoro) dreams of being a famous entertainer and has swapped seeking love in lieu of any man who can support her ambitions. Guy (played by Greg Alverez Reid) dreams that his fashion designs will finally be admired by Josephine Baker, to whom he has been writing in Paris. The demure but strong-willed Delia (Kim Steele) is on the front lines for women’s rights and family planning. Meanwhile Leland Cunningham (Dennis Pearson) and Sam (Joe Holt) anchor the story as two men with opposing values of faith, family and women’s reproductive choices. An entertaining relational debacle ensues as each moment unfolds thanks to the skillful eye of director Phylicia Rashad. NeNe Leakes is taking legal action against Bravo, Andy Cohen and the production companies behind “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” accusing all of racism and fostering a hostile work environment. “NBC, Bravo and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated — if not, encouraged,” the complaint alleges, which was filed in an Atlanta federal court, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Leakes, 53, names the Bravo network, her former boss Cohen, NBCUniversal and production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original as defendants. She also notes that her former costar and friend Kim Zolciak-Biermann, 43, often made racist comments which were largely ignored by Cohen and the most white Bravo executives. Leakes claims when she complained about Kim’s racism, she herself was punished. A&E Network has announced the documentary series “Origins of Hip Hop” will explore the rags-to-riches journey of some of the genre’s most celebrated stars. Per press release, the series, produced by Mass Appeal (“Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men,” “Rapture”), will unpack the origins of Busta Rhymes, Eve, Fat Joe, Grandmaster Flash, Ice-T, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, and Uncle Luke as they reflect on their personal and artistic journey. “’Origins of Hip Hop’ expands our boundary-pushing nonfiction programming slate and celebrates the artists and sounds that have helped define a genre and culture,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming for A&E. “Alongside our partners at Mass Appeal, we are excited to elevate the voices and stories of this incredible group of artists who helped create and continue to shape the genre today.” According to @tmz_tv, Mike Tyson lost his cool on his flight from San Francisco International Airport to Florida when a fan allegedly kept annoying him. The news site reports that the incident between him and another passenger went down at around 10:30 PM PT. A witness shared that Tyson was initially cool with them and the other passengers, and even took selfies with a few of them. However, one passenger got a little too excited and kept trying to talk to the 55-year-old fighter as he sat behind him. It was said that Tyson eventually got super frustrated with the guy behind him who kept talking in his ear off and even asked him to chill. When the man didn’t, that’s when the witness said Tyson started to throw several punches at the man’s face. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcncW8LLL0x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Former First Daughter Sasha Obama got herself a new beau. He’s none other than Clifton Powell Jr. He is the son of veteran actor Clifton Powell and he’s also a former college basketball player. Sasha, now 20, apparently hooked up with Powell Jr., 24, after she made the switch to USC last fall from the University of Michigan, where she had been a student for two years. That’s according to The Daily Mail, which broke the story. Powell Jr., a former hoops star was awarded a four-year basketball scholarship at the University of California at Santa Barbara … he’s now jumped into the world of commercials … working with big brands like Peloton and Nike. GSN-Thandie Newton is said to be smitten with a young musician amid the split from her husband of 24 years. According to The Post, Newton has a close friendship with 23-year-old musician Elijah Dias, who goes by the name Lonr. Per the report, the LA-based artist is only two years older than Newton’s oldest daughter, Ripley. His song “Save My Love” appears on the soundtrack for Newton’s 2021 film “Reminiscence.” “From the relatively short time I’ve been fortunate to spend with her, I know Thandie and Oliver care deeply about the welfare of their children,” Lonr. told The Post. “That’s all I care about right now.” Shahid Khan, the billionaire who has been financing the Black News Channel since 2018, will loan the network funds so the media outlet can keep operating. The Black News Channel/BNC has run desperately low on funds and is on the verge of shutting down entirely. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is now operating on a smaller scale. The BNC had a staff of 230 — a vast majority of whom are people of color — and most are now out of work. Many of them still haven’t been paid for work done just before the bankruptcy, Bloomberg reports. During a hearing Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Karen Specie said the television network can borrow about $1.6 million from an entity affiliated with Khan while it searches for a buyer. The cash will let BNC pay vendors and a few remaining employees. Prior to this latest development, Khan (the owner of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars) reportedly decided to stop investing in the news outlet. Omarosa Manigault Newman — a former staffer on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign who then worked for Trump’s White House — was awarded more than $1.3 million in attorney’s fees and costs this week after previously prevailing in a dispute over whether she had violated a Trump campaign non-disclosure agreement. The award was handed down Tuesday and determined by Andrew Brown, of the American Arbitration Association, who had served as the arbiter in the dispute. The Trump campaign filed the lawsuit in arbitration in August 2018, on the same day of the release of Manigault Newman’s book “Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House,” her behind-the-scenes look at working for Trump. https://youtu.be/tl3KzFw4Egg Stevie J has officially been dropped by his legal team amid his divorce from his estranged wife Faith Evans. Per RadarOnline, court documents show that Stevie J’s now-former attorney Kimia Klein of Fox Rothschild LLP filed a motion to no longer represent him. Attorney Klein wrote in the motion that there was a breakdown in the relationship between the two parties and they couldn’t reach a resolution. “There has been an irremediable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship such that a genuine conflict has arisen between Fox and Steven,” said Klein. “Despite several attempts by my office to informally resolve the issues with Steven, we have been unsuccessful in resolving the issues.” Kid Cudi wants fans to know he’s done making music with former friend Kanye West. West and Cudi fell out earlier this year allegedly because of Cudi’s friendship with Pete Davidson, who is allegedly dating Kanye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian. Cudi’s remarks come amid the release of Pusha T’s new album “It’s Almost Dry,” produced by Pharrell Williams and West, which includes a song titled “Rock N Roll,” featuring Kid Cudi alongside Ye. Cudi took to Twitter on Tuesday (April 19) to clarify that he and Ye are still not on good terms and that the song will be the last the two make together. Apple TV+ has landed “Hijack,” a new seven-part thriller starring Idris Elba, who will also serve as executive producer. The series marks the first project under Elba’s first-look deal with Apple TV+. According to Deadline, Elba will produce global series and feature films for the streaming service through his Green Door Pictures production company. The company is behind such titles as Ricky Staub’s Concrete Cowboy, the comedy In The Long Run, and Quibi’s Elba vs Block. Green Door also produced the Netflix comedy series Turn Up Charlie, per complex. Lil’ Wayne has settled an ongoing legal case involving a nightclub doorman who says the rapper assaulted him after the BET Awards in 2016. The alleged victim filed a battery report with LAPD. The bouncer, Andrew Nunemacher — who is white — was working the door at Hyde nightclub on Sunset, where Weezy and 2 Chainz were hosting an after-party. Law enforcement sources said things got heated when several members of Lil Wayne’s entourage were turned away at the door. Per TMZ: “We’re told Wayne and the bouncer started arguing about who was getting in, and the bouncer says that’s when Wayne uncorked a punch to his face. The Hyde staffer went to a hospital for treatment, and called police.” Wayne’s camp denied the punching, and said there was “a brief altercation, but only because the bouncer mistakenly grabbed Wayne by the arm … not realizing who he was. He later apologized, according to our Wayne sources,” the outlet writes. https://www.instagram.com/liltunechi/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ff3827c6-84aa-4eb5-a82a-ac44063e7586 With the premiere of “Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story” arriving soon, the cast is discussing all things, Mahalia! Ledisi, Keith David, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Janet Hubert, Corbin Bleu, and Columbus Short, all star in “Remember Me” portraying the life events of Mahalia Jackson’s career. n the film, David plays a label executive who in the beginning wants the best for Jackson but as time goes on, becomes worried about the label and making money or the lack thereof. “He has his own best interest at heart,” said David. “I think initially he cares about Mahalia as someone who can be nurtured through but once she decides she’s only going to sing spiritual music – and that’s not selling – he’s like, ‘I’m not interested.’ Because he’s interested in numbers and the money.” David also shared his love for Jackson, even as a child, when his father would play her music. https://youtu.be/VXyLBHcJ1MY Last week, in Redlands — a San Bernardino County city about 63 miles east of Los Angeles — U.S. military vets joined Assemblymember James Ramos (D-Highland) at a rally in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 1623. The legislation would implement a statewide tax exemption for military retirees. Jeff Breiten, a Marine Corps veteran who lives in Redlands, says this bill would be a way to give back to service members. “California’s military retirees appreciate the fact that Assemblyman Ramos has stepped forward to carry this bill,” said Breiten. “This legislation will not only provide a well-earned benefit to those who served our country for 20 years or more, it will also help retain and attract to California these retirees who will lend their skills during second careers in a variety of key industries and professions across the great state of California.” Ramos, who is the only Native American in the California Assembly, introduced the bill in January along with Assemblymember Kelly Seyarto (R [1] Murrieta). https://youtu.be/yKOo9bk3X7Y Blac Chyna took the stand today in her case against The Kardashians. She said she was joking when she pointed the Glock at Rob Kardashian’s head…and wrapped (an) iPhone cord around his neck. Blac Chyna detailed the night from her view. She said she and Rob were celebrating their show being picked up for a second season. They were fooling around doing some lil ratchet stuff in the house…having fun. Blac Chyna’s lawyers showed the jury a clip from the night she allegedly put the paws on him, which showed Rob with a lil’ torn shirt on. Despite years of lofty commitments and massive pledges to diversify the tech industry, not only has progress not been made but in some cases, previous gains have been undone, according to a new report from the non-profit Kapor Center and the NAACP. “Unfortunately, it didn’t shock me,” Rachel Goins, Director of Implementation at the Kapor Center and a co-author of State of Tech Diversity: The Black Tech Ecosystem, told The Plug. Russian state TV hosts giggled uncontrollably as they discussed nuking New York City with one of Vladimir Putin’s new intercontinental ballistic missile. The television hosts laughed as they talked about striking the US city of eight million people with the Sarmat missile, also known as Satan 2. A presenter laughed on a state-owned Russian television channel Russia 1 as he spoke of how New York would be ‘completely gone’ if Moscow decided to launch the nuclear weapon. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/04/21/3437728861201911583/636x382_MP4_3437728861201911583.mp4 Queens mother Orsolya Gaal and her lover had been having an on-off affair for two years before he murdered her with a kitchen knife in her basement last week while her 13-year-old son was upstairs. David Bonola, 44, was arrested on Thursday in the early hours of the morning. He was spotted by police on Wednesday night and brought in for questioning then confessed to murdering Gaal in her home on April 16 shortly before 1am. As he was put in a police car on Thursday in front of journalists asking why he killed her, he screamed: ‘F**k you motherf****r!’ The pair started seeing each other in 2020 after he worked in the family home where Gaal lived with her husband Howard and two sons. It was an on-off relationship which they rekindled in April, but which had recently ended again. On Friday night, not long after midnight, Gaal let Bonola into her home. It’s unclear if she had invited him over, or if he showed up unannounced. They went inside and down to the basement because her youngest son, Leo, was upstairs at the time. Her husband Howard and oldest son Jamie were out of town looking at colleges. A pastor’s wife faces life in jail after she was convicted of hiring a hitman who’s said to be her toyboy lover – to kill her husband after tiring of his demands for orgies. Kristie Evans, 48, admitted the March 2021 first-degree murder of her husband David Evans at a court in Ada, Oklahoma, on Monday. The killer – who has a grown-up daughter with her late husband – will be sentenced in August. Evans was arrested in March 2021 along with Kahlil Square, 26. Square had threesomes with Evans and her late husband David, 50, at David’s behest. David, the late pastor of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church in Ada, is said to have branded his wife a ‘frigid bitch’ for her inability to match his voracious appetites for group sex. Evans allegedly asked Square to shoot David dead to free her from the domestic violence she says he’d inflicted. She and Square had their own affair behind David’s back. Square has denied charges filed against him, with his lawyer saying there are no plans to amend the plea until Evans is sentenced. Kristie is now at risk of facing a maximum sentence of life incarceration but her lawyer, Joi Miskel, said on Monday that the mother-of-two ‘understands there has to be accountability for her actions’ but that she also ‘wants the court and the public to know the reasons behind her actions.’ The effects of a deepening pension scandal that has rocked the nation’s oldest Black church group are still being assessed by local church officials, though they’re hopeful that a federal investigation could help recoup about $90 million missing from its pension fund. Experts are concerned the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s pension problems could become the norm for many nonfederally protected pensions as the aging population retires in larger numbers. In early March, the AME Church suspended its pension payments to retirees after new leadership found significant financial irregularities. News of the pension crisis has spread to AME churches across the country, including in Chicago, where church leaders say they’re waiting to receive more information about the pending investigation. John F. White, presiding bishop of the AME’s Fourth Episcopal District, headquartered in Bronzeville, said he has not heard from any area retirees hurt by halted pension payments, but expressed confidence church leadership that took over last year will fix the problem. Veteran actor and Mad Men star Robert Morse has died at the age of 90. Morse’s son Charlie confirmed his father’s death to ABC7 on Wednesday, and declined to reveal a cause of death. He died in Los Angeles, where he owned a $1.8 million three-bed, three-bath bungalow situated in the leafy Sherman Oaks neighborhood that Morse bought in 1992. The actor’s talent agent, David Shaul, told Entertainment Weekly that the actor died ‘peacefully at home yesterday after a short illness.’ Rich Sommer, who played Harry Crane on Mad Men, was among the first to pay tribute. He tweeted: ‘Just about every person working at MM came down to watch him do this. ‘We were all a mess. It was beautiful and strange, and so was he. RIP Bobby.’ Sommer had attached a video showing Morse singing and dancing to The Best Things in Life are Free during his final appearance on the show. Morse’s acting career spanned six decades on stage and screen. Born on May 18, 1931 in Newton, Massachusetts to father Charles, who managed a chain of movie theaters and mother May, a pianist. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was struck by at least two vehicles, and not just a single dump truck, when he was killed along a Florida highway in the early hours of April 9, it has been revealed. In addition to the dump truck, which was previously reported to have collided with Haskins, the 24-year-old was also ‘partially’ struck by a Subaru Outback, according to a crash report provided to DailyMail.com by Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). The dump truck struck Haskins in the center lane of the highway, sending him into the path of the Subaru, which hit him in the left-hand lane, the report explains. One witness told FHP investigators that a third vehicle may have also been involved. Haskins was declared dead on the scene minutes after being struck. Both drivers stopped immediately after striking Haskins, according to investigators. Neither driver was tested for drugs or alcohol. Investigators determined that Haskins was improperly in the roadway and did not find the drivers culpable. It’s not yet clear why Haskins was walking alongside the highway, but a FHP investigation is ongoing. The wife of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins called Florida 911 dispatchers shortly after he was fatally struck by a dump truck earlier this month, saying his car had run out of gas and she was worried because he wasn’t answering the phone, according to recordings released Wednesday. Kalabrya Haskins, who was calling from Pittsburgh and unaware of the accident, told a Florida Highway Patrol dispatcher on April 9 that her 24-year-old husband had called from near Fort Lauderdale to say he was walking to get gas and would call her back. When the former Ohio State star didn’t, she told the dispatcher she tried to call him but he wasn’t answering. “I just want somebody to go in the area and see if his car is there and if he’s OK and if anything happened to him,” she said, her voice breaking. “It’s not like him” to not call back, she said. The highway patrol had already received numerous panicked calls about the accident that happened about dawn on Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. But the dispatcher did not appear to know yet that paramedics had arrived and found Haskins dead. He had been in South Florida training with Steelers teammates. Carolina Panthers linebacker Damien Wilson was arrested in Frisco, Texas, last week after his ex-girlfriend said he threatened to kill her, according to the Dallas Morning News. Wilson, 28, who was signed last month by the Panthers, faces a charge of assault with bodily injury of a family member, Frisco Police Sgt. Stephen Byrom said in an email to the newspaper. Wilson’s attorney, Toby Shook, denied the allegations. “Damien Wilson did not commit any type of assault,” Shook told the newspaper. “We look forward to all the facts coming out so his name can be cleared.” Byrom said he had no information about on whether Wilson had bonded out. Jerry West’s legal team wants an apology and retraction for his portrayal in HBO’s Los Angeles Lakers-focused series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. In a statement obtained by ESPN, which the outlet states was sent to the network and executive producer Adam McKay, representatives for the former Lakers player, coach and general manager said the series “falsely and cruelly portrays Mr. West as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic.” The series, centering on the Showtime era of the storied Lakers franchise during the 1980s, includes Jason Clarke as West and John C. Reilly as then-team owner Dr. Jerry Buss. “The portrayal of NBA icon and LA Lakers legend Jerry West in Winning Time is fiction pretending to be fact — a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family,” said the statement from attorney Skip Miller of law firm Miller Barondess, LLP. “Contrary to the baseless portrayal in the HBO series, Jerry had nothing but love for and harmony with the Lakers organization, and in particular owner Dr. Jerry Buss, during an era in which he assembled one of the greatest teams in NBA history.” West’s team is asking that the show issue a retraction within two weeks, according to ESPN. “Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA’s success,” the message continued. “It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him.” Ron Summers wants you to believe what the scriptures say. So he's penned a fun feeling song of actualization. It is So features the vocals of Elements and the incomparable Tasha Page Lockhart. Its a bold testament to what God will do when we align ourselves with the Word. We are going for adds today. This song is "Shining Bright" in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUvOY0gh7cg An independent autopsy performed by a world-renowned forensic pathologist not only confirmed that Patrick Lyoya died from being shot in the back of his head by a police officer but also that the officer “pressed” his gun into the unarmed Black man’s head before firing the “contact shot” in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Werner Spitz said Tuesday during a press conference in Detroit that Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese refugee, was also “conscious and aware that a gun was being held to the back of his head” at the moment before he died on that fateful morning of April 4. Those findings based on scientific evidence only bolster claims that lethal force was used in a situation in which it was not merited because the officer clearly had control over Lyoya, civil rights attorneys said during the press conference. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/patrick-lyoya-shot-in-back-of-head-independent-autopsy-confirms/ Monday, a federal judge gave a group of Georgia voters the Greene light to move forward with legal efforts to disqualify congresswoman and sentient (white) trash compactor Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for re-election. Now, there are plenty of reasons why Greene shouldn’t be anybody’s lawmaker. She’s racist, outwardly Islamaphobic, and transphobic, and she has at least subliminally threatened Democrats with deadly violence, which she got called out for after she went full KK-Karen on Jimmy Kimmel for his Will smith joke, which she erroneously claimed amounted to “threats of violence” against her. She’s also a serial misinformation spreader and a QMoron conspiracy theorist whose relationship with reality is akin to Donald Trump’s relationship with comprehensive sentence structure (also his relationship with reality). But, according to the New York Times, none of that has much of anything to do with why the group represented by Free Speech for People—which describes itself as “a national non-profit non-partisan organization,” and “a catalyzing leader in the country challenging big money in politics, confronting corruption in government, fighting for free and fair elections, and advancing a new jurisprudence grounded in the promises of political equality and democratic self-government”—is seeking to bar Greene from running for re-election. Instead, the group is claiming she played a role in the Jan 6 Riot at the U.S. Capitol. Rapper A$AP Rocky was taken into custody Wednesday morning at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting in Hollywood last year, authorities said. The performer, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement Wednesday. Mayers, 33, was wanted in connection with a Nov. 6, 2021 shooting after an argument escalated, authorities said. Mayers is accused of firing a handgun at an acquaintance, who sustained a minor injury and later sought medical treatment, police said. Mayers and two other men ran after the gunfire, police said. Officers were also seen outside of his LA home, smashing into the gate with a battering ram, before apparently raiding the property. Detectives seized multiple boxes of evidence from the house. Mayers was taken to LAPD headquarters for questioning and will be booked soon, according to TMZ. He is said to have requested the presence of his lawyers. The LAPD issued a statement saying officers ‘worked to diligently’ to investigate the November 2021 shooting, which left the victim with minor injuries, and ‘identify the suspect(s) involved.’ If convicted, Mayers could face up to one year jail time, a $1,000 fine and misdemeanor probation, per California Penal Code. If he received a felony assault with a deadly weapon conviction, Mayers could spend up to four years in state prison, be fined up to $10,000 and have mandatory probation. The rapper was arrested shortly after he arrived at LAX on a private plane, NBC News first reported. He was returning home from a vacation in Barbados with his pregnant girlfriend, Rihanna. The couple recently denied rumors of a split and cheating. Do you remember Maurice Symonette? The Black guy who used to stand behind trump at all his rallies holding the sign “BLACKS FOR TRUMP,” while dawning a T-shirt imprinted with the words, “TRUMP & Republicans Are Not Racist.” (Some folks said he was in a cult.) On Sunday, April 17, a 22-year-old man was killed while attending an Easter party at the Florida home of Maurice Symonette. According to Newsweek, one man was shot dead and three others were wounded after a confrontation over a cell phone. One of the wounded was a 14-year-old, who was hit by shrapnel. About 50-60 people attended the event. Symonette claims that although the Jet Ski party was at his house, it wasn’t his event and if it was he would have had better security. “If I was throwing a party, I would have security, first of all. We wasn’t throwing anything, people just came to the house. It was Easter,” said Symonette in an interview with Local 10. Symonette uses his Miami-Dade home, which is known as the ‘Boss Mansion,’ to regularly host parties that he says are to promote racial harmony. Florida lawmakers have voted to strip Disney of its special status as a self-governing area as the war between Governor Ron DeSantis and the company rumbled on. The Republican-led Senate decided to end the Reedy Creek Improvement District, meaning the firm will no longer be able operate as a self-contained government. They backed the measure by 23-16 and it will go to the state House before being passed to the governor – with it potentially coming into effect on June 1, 2023. It rips up the 55-year-old deal that allowed Disney to regulate land, enforce building codes and treat wastewater – and could cost the company millions in lost local taxes. But it could also see two Florida counties saddled with $1billion of debt currently owed by Walt Disney World. Orange and Osceola counties may end up shouldering the huge sum amid the toxic fallout between DeSantis and the firm over the Parental Rights in Education bill. It comes amid claims Disney could turn to former CEO Bob Iger to steady the ship, which has become increasingly turbulent under Bob Chapek. If you thought now-former MSNBC foreign-policy analyst Malcolm Nance was just going to sit back where it’s safe and report the news about the Russian invasion of Ukraine—then you don’t know Nance. On Monday, the combat veteran-turned-journalist revealed that he has returned to his roots as a soldier and left the world of news reporting in order to join the fight against the Russian forces. Nance, who served as an intelligence collections operator for the Navy, made the announcement during an interview with Joy Reid on The ReidOut saying that he joined Ukraine’s international legion about a month ago. “The more I saw of the war going on, the more I thought, ‘I’m done talking, all right? It’s time to take action here,’” Nance said while suited up in full uniform and gripping an assault rifle. “I am here to help this country fight… what essentially is a war of extermination. This is an existential war and Russia has brought it to these people and they are mass murdering civilians, and there are people here like me who are here to do something about it.” https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1516194469967659009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1516205215267102724%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4322473%2Fmalcolm-nance-joins-fight-in-ukraine%2F The man who fatally shot #Jacqueline Avant, wife of famed music executive #Clarence Avant, was sentenced to life in prison. #AarielMaynor, 30, of #LosAngeles, pleaded guilty in March to one count each of murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of residential burglary with a person present. An L.A. County judge handed down his sentence Tuesday. Maynor opened fire on the 81-year-old philanthropist after breaking into the Beverly Hills home last December. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcizKiEDRot/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Justice Department has reached a settlement to settle four lawsuits by protesters who were forcibly cleared out of Washington’s Lafayette Square during a racial justice protest outside the White House in 2020. The US Park Police and the US Secret Service have agreed to revise their policies toward demonstrations and crowd control, according to a settlement filed in DC’s federal court. “The federal government is committed to the highest standards for protecting civil rights and civil liberties in any federal law enforcement response to public demonstrations,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement Wednesday. “These changes to agency policies for protest responses will strengthen our commitment to protecting and respecting constitutionally protected rights.” https://youtu.be/AeZ1inTSzOs The killer who stabbed Queens mother Orsolya Gaal left a ‘sloppy’ crime scene which suggests he did not plan the attack, police sources revealed. The murderer stabbed Gaal in a frenzy in her home in Forest Hills, puncturing her neck, torso and arm 58 times before eventually killing her. He then stuffed her body in a bag and dragged it less than a mile through the quiet neighborhood where she lived, before dumping it on the side of a road to be found the next day. It left a trail of blood that police sources followed back to her home like a ‘trail of bread crumbs’. As crime scene investigators work through the scene, processing DNA evidence and gathering tips, sources say it’s likely they will find a match to the suspect through what was left in the house. ‘He left a blood trail for five blocks from the house. It was like a trail of bread crumbs. ‘If you want to kill somebody, you try to make it a little cleaner, be a little more prepared. He didn’t go with something to move her body. He took something from the house. A growing band of Kremlin insiders fear their Russian leader will resort to nuclear weapons to defeat Ukraine and halt a palace coup, reports say. Some elite members in Moscow are also questioning President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of its neighbor and its economic and political impact. Putin’s critics are spread across senior positions in government and state-run business, according to Bloomberg who cited ten sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Putin’s opponents believe the war against Ukraine has been a terrible blunder and will set Russia back decades. The sources shared the concerns previously expressed by US intelligence officials that Putin could use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. During an interview on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov didn’t give a direct answer to repeated questions on whether Russia might use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Michelle Obama’s brother Craig Robinson, and his wife Kelly, have filed a lawsuit against an elite private school in River Hills, Milwaukee, alleging racial bias in the curriculum. The lawsuit claims the University School of Milwaukee expelled the couple’s two sons after the Robinsons called out the racial and socioeconomic bias in the school’s curriculum and the conduct policies, per Blavity. “As a lot of parents, we heard what was going on in the classroom because of COVID and there were repeated use of racial and ethnic stereotypes that were in actual assignments,” said Craig on “Good Morning America” this week. “The use of the word plantation and things of that nature. In addition to the racial and ethnic stereotypes, there was an insensitivity to socio-economic status and as well as a disregard for the children who weren’t physically in the classroom,” he explained to host Robin Roberts. https://twitter.com/i/status/1516385714895740937 For the 30th anniversary of the LA riots Tavis Smiley and Dominique DiPrima will co-host a special on KBLA Talk 1580 live from Los Angeles. “Historic anniversaries, to my mind, are only worth pausing to commemorate if our reflections are instructive, informative and empowering for how to make America a nation as good as its promise,” said Smiley, as reported by Radio Facts. “We want to take this opportunity to amplify the voices of the African American community in this moment of solemn reflection and continue the quest for accountability,” added DiPrima. The police-involved beating of Rodney King in 1991, and the subsequent acquittal of four LAPD officers on charges of assault — ignited the Los Angeles riots that lasted for days. Nearly 100 people were reportedly killed during the riots, more than 2,000 people were injured, and more than 11,000 were arrested. The civil disturbances occurred in Los Angeles County from Apr 29 to May 4, 1992. Shaquille O’Neal opens up about his divorce, relationship with Penny Hardaway and what really went on between him and Kobe Bryant in a rare look back into his life as he shares with the guys what keeps him up at night. For the most part, Shaq says how he’s lived life his way but as he’s become older, he looks back with a couple of regrets, the main one being his divorce and the other never reaching out to Kobe after they finished playing together. As Ryan leads the conversation about family and all of them making mistakes at one point or another over the years- the men discuss the point of coming to a realization that sometimes mistakes become decisions that can be difficult to come back from. The conversation takes a somber tone as Shaq shares how he is to blame for his marriage ending and the struggles he faced after not having his family with him everyday. Channing lightens the mood, by talking shit with Shaq about his reputation of missing free throws, his eyes being close together and can’t resist asking about the sexual challenges Shaq faces by being such a large human and curious to how it all goes down. https://youtu.be/m3vozVLCYwo Music executive Art Rupe, whose Specialty Records was a premier label during the formative years of rock ’n roll and helped launch the careers of Little Richard, Sam Cooke and many others, has died. He was 104. Rupe, who was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2011, died Friday at his home in Santa Barbara, California, according to the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation. The foundation did not release his cause of death. The Greensburg, Pennsylvania, native was a contemporary of Jerry Wexler, Leonard Chess and other white businessmen-producers who helped bring Black music to a general audience. He founded Specialty in Los Angeles in 1946 and gave early breaks to such artists as Cooke and his gospel group the Soul Stirrers, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, John Lee Hooker and Clifton Chenier. “Specialty Records’ growth paralleled, and perhaps defined, the evolution of Black popular music, from the ‘race’ music of the 1940s to the rock n’ roll of the 1950s,” music historian Billy Vera wrote in the liner notes to The Specialty Story, a five-CD set that came out in 1994. Errol Spence declared “I’m the best fighter at 147 pounds and arguably the best fighter in the world” before Saturday’s 10th-round technical knockout over Yordenis Ugas in front of nearly 40,000 spectators at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Remaining undefeated at 28-0 with an equally impressive 22 KOs, Spence made his case once again in the ring. The Desoto, Texas, resident nicknamed “The Truth” added the Cuban’s WBA crown to his IBF/WBC versions by out-landing Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) by more than 2 to 1 in both power shots (192 to 77) and overall punches (216 to 96) with a 24-19 advantage in jabs. Viola Davis, may have a lot of similarities to her former character on ABC’s ‘How to Get Away with Murder,’ Annalise Keating. In her memoir ‘Finding Me’ the 56-year-old actress details her life in poverty as a child living in Central Falls, Rhode Island: Davis endured trauma and heartbreak: being so hungry she and her five siblings had to dumpster-dive for food; incessant bullying from boys who threw rocks at her for being Black. In her interview with People, she reflects on her tactics to survive, “How you react is based on survival.” “The key is to survive. I did what was at my hand to do at eight years old. I fought. And that fighting served me because I’m still on my feet.” On the Tuesday, April 19 edition of “Daily Blast Live,” NBA legend Magic Johnson joins “DBL” co-hosts to talk about why now is the right time to share his story in the new Apple TV+ documentary, “They Call Me Magic,” and opens up about how his son’s coming out changed his life. Johnson shares a hilarious story about his unlikely friendship with Larry Bird and his thoughts on HBO’s “Winning Time” which was made without his input. https://youtu.be/2z1iyRCKAxE The winners of the recent Baltimore “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference’s National Talent Competition via Zoom included Illinois’ rapper King Moosa for “ULMII Best Songwriter” (29 years-old), Florida’s Adiah Ford for “ULMII Best Vocalist” (11 years-old) and New Jersey’s Kah’Ni Myers-Rich for “ULMII Best Actor” (5 years-old). Celebrating 23 years the “ULMII” Entertainment Conference was presented by The Baltimore Times and Security Square Mall. TNT has announced it will be airing a special presentation for the basketball series “The Pathway” TONIGHT at 10:30pm PT / 1:30 a.m. EST. The special is set to air during TNT’s first round coverage of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Directed by James D Stern, The Pathway is produced by Endgame Entertainment (Last Chance U and Last Chance U: Basketball), Film 45 (Being Serena), and executive produced by two-time NBA Champion and Inside the NBA’s Kenny “The Jet” Smith; and prolific producer/director Deon Taylor (The Intruder). In its entirety, The Pathway, is a seven part series. https://youtu.be/3BTEZE7lHvY Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story” is a film recalling the events that took place in Mahalia Jackson’s life and career. The movie has a stellar cast including Janet Hubert, Ledisi, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Keith David, Corbin Bleu, and Columbus Short. https://youtu.be/VXyLBHcJ1MY Looks like Benzino is ready to hit 50 Cent where it hurts… hits pockets! The former reality star recently appeared on @rocktopics’ podcast “It’s Tricky” where he talked about his feud with the rapper. As many know, 50 has been trolling Benzino after he made headlines over claims that he had been with transgender actress Shauna Brooks. While speaking with Harper, Benzino said 50’s latest comments are disrespectful, especially after he claims he helped the Power executive producer and star early in his career in connection with a stabbing incident at the Hit Factory in 2000. Although Benzino said he didn’t want to talk about 50 Cent that much during the interview, he suggested that he has lawyered up, and “it’s about to go down.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CciHZi3PWoc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Master P is ready to lead the Los Angels Lakers after team owner Jeannie Buss fired head coach Frank Vogel on April 11. During a chat with TMZ on Sunday (April 17), the hip-hop icon, entrepreneur and the No Limit Records founder said he would tap former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neil to coach the team with him. https://youtu.be/dLaJ7GUSHGI CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, continues tonight, April 20 at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNLVVkAdKks CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Global Gourmet, is back on April 20 at 9:30 p.m./8:30C. Hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, the show highlights the joys of delicious food and stories of wanderlust travel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdT8ebGOKt4 The boyhood home of late Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton is officially a historical landmark after the Maywood Village Board voted unanimously to approve the designation Tuesday night. Hampton’s son, Fred Hampton Jr., and his mother, Akua Njeri, led an effort to preserve the two-story building at 804 S. 17th Ave. in Maywood with the hopes of turning it into a museum where the works of the Black Panther Party can be displayed for visitors. “The fight to save and maintain the Hampton House is bigger than a building and more significant than a structure,” Hampton Jr. said in a statement. “Amongst other purposes, it serves as a major aspect of preserving the extraordinary legacy of Chairman Fred Hampton, the Black Panther Party, and that of service to the people in general.” Columbia University will add historical markers to four residence halls to acknowledge legacies of slavery and racism and to commemorate African American students, a university professor said on Tuesday. The markers, part of a university-wide project initiated by President Lee Bollinger after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, include signs at residence halls John Jay Hall and 50 Haven Avenue, formerly Bard Hall, noting that slave owners John Jay and Samuel Bard had close ties to the university. A marker at Furnald Hall will tell the story of a morning in 1924 when men in Ku Klux Klan robes and hoods burned a seven-foot-tall wooden cross near the dormitory. Furnald was home at the time to law student Frederick W. Wells, the first Black student to live on-campus at Columbia during the academic year. While the cross burned, students ran outside his door shouting racist insults. The high percentage of students of color, among them poet Langston Hughes, who lived at Hartley Hall in the early 20th century will be commemorated with a plaque there, according to Columbia Professor Thai Jones, who taught a “Columbia & Slavery” course and has led the effort to erect the markers. Columbia will join Harvard Law School, Rutgers University, the University of Mississippi and the University of South Carolina in erecting plaques in recent years acknowledging the institutions’ relationship to slavery. Three years after an arsonist torched three small Black Baptist churches in rural Louisiana, rebuilding is well under way. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas is months from reopening, with visible progress at St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre and Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas, The Daily World reported. “We began in a dark moment, but it’s getting brighter and brighter every day,” said the Rev. Gerald Toussaint of Mount Pleasant. “Now it’s a bright day as we’re looking forward to being back together in the church.” A would-be “black metal” musician pleaded guilty in 2020, saying he set fire to the churches in late March and early April 2019 to promote himself in the heavy metal subgenre. Holden Matthews is serving simultaneous 25-year federal and state sentences in federal prison. The first fire occurred March 26, 2019, at St. Mary. Greater Union burned down four days later, with Mount Pleasant set ablaze two days after that. Toussaint holds fellowship, prayer and Bible study via conference call and preaches live on Facebook, as he has since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, the congregation gathered in the Equine Center in Opelousas. A judge has ruled Amazon must reinstate a former warehouse employee who was fired in the early days of the pandemic, saying the company “unlawfully” terminated the worker who led a protest calling for Amazon to do more to protect employees against COVID-19. The dispute involving Gerald Bryson, who worked at an Amazon warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island, has stretched on since June 2020, when Bryson filed an unfair labor practice complaint with The National Labor Relations Board, claiming Amazon retaliated against him. Later that year, the NLRB said it found merit in Bryson’s complaint that Amazon illegally fired him for workplace organizing. Amazon didn’t accept the findings, and the federal board filed a formal complaint against the company, triggering a lengthy administrative court process. On Monday, administrative law judge Benjamin Green said Amazon must offer Bryson his job back, as well as lost wages and benefits resulting from his “discriminatory discharge.” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement that the company will appeal the ruling. Syracuse police are under fire over a viral video that captured three white cops taking an 8-year-old black boy to a patrol car after he allegedly stole a bag of Doritos from a convenience store. The footage shot by Kenneth Jackson and widely shared on social media shows the crying boy being detained by the officers on Sunday, the Post-Standard reported. “What is y’all doing?” the bystander asks an officer holding the little boy by the arms. “Guess. Take a guess what I’m doing,” the cop replies, but Jackson continues to question them. “He looks like a baby to me. I don’t know what you’re doing. So what’s going on, then?” Jackson says. Another officer tells him the boy “was stealing stuff.” “Nah, man, so he’s stealing a bag of chips, you’re treating him like an old cold—– killer?” Jackson says, swearing at the officers as they put the child in the car. Lil Kim teamed up with streetwear brand Supreme for a capsule collection that sold out in minutes. The collaborative line pays tribute to the rapper’s debut album “Hard Core,” and features the iconic image from the promotional poster for the project. The full poster shows Kim squatting in a leopard print bikini and high heels. As reported by Revolt TV, the image has been emblazoned on a T-shirt, a short-sleeve button-down, and a skateboard. “Wowwww! Everything sold out in 2 and a half minutes! God is Good! Thank U so much for your support,” Kim shared via Instagram. In a recent interview with Essence, the Queen Bee said she started working with Supreme on her capsule collection during the COVID quarantine. Tiffany Haddish appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” this week and poked fun at her own DUI arrest. Back in January, Haddish was arrested by Peachtree City PD officers in Georgia after cops responded to a call about a driver who’d fallen asleep at the wheel. Officers had a description of the vehicle and were on the lookout for it when they spotted Haddish pulling into a neighborhood, reports TMZ. They stopped her and arrested her for DUI and improper stopping on a roadway. Cops believe she was also buzzed on that chronic. Haddish was in police custody for a few hours. According to records, obtained by TMZ, she posted $1,666 to bond out of jail. While guest-hosting Ellen’s show on April 15, Haddish, 42, cracked a few jokes about her arrest. She told the audience that since her break up with Common in November, she had been praying to God to send her a good man. https://youtu.be/agJgArpS0lc Blac Chyna has reportedly landed a new reality show that will give viewers a glimpse of her busy day-to-day as a single mother. Chyna (born Angela White) is currently in production for a new reality series that will show viewers how she earns her own money. Per theJasmineBRAND, the series will focus on “different aspects of the media personality’s life, from working on her album to her attempt at finding true love.” https://www.instagram.com/blacchyna/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f90e6def-02e4-4069-9f62-7d905fe4fdd4 Jaden Smith revealed during a 2018 interview with Big Boy that late rapper Tupac Shakur proposed to his mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, but she turned him down. The old interview was uploaded to YouTube recently and shows Jaden speaking about his musical journey and living up to the success that his famous parents. “Once I went out into the world and I saw how people feel about my parents [I felt pressure],” Jaden said. “I didn’t understand, and I’m still understanding more and more every day that they’re just a staple in the world and they made people feel a type of way that nobody has ever made anyone feel.” “So I just didn’t understand just how deep-rooted they are in hip-hop as well,” he added. https://youtu.be/9R67QOOH_6w It was the wedding that went viral and cost less than a used car. Joel and Kiara Brokenbrough did not want to go into debt by tying the knot, so they got creative planning their February wedding on a scenic turnoff on Angeles Crest Highway. The Brokenbroughs spent about $500 on their wedding, including $42 for Kiara’s dress and $100 for Joel’s suit. The wedding party at the ceremony was less than 30 people, so they did not require a permit to congregate on the side of the road. The couple did not break the bank with their reception either, because guests paid for their own food and drinks. Family and friends helped pay for some costs, but overall, Kiara said, it was her plan to have not a dream wedding, but one done with the available resources. “We knew that it would not be wise for us to go into debt over a wedding or to spend a lot of money just to have a wedding,” Kiara said. Even the dress will live to see another day. Kiara, 28, plans to cut a slit into the gown and use it again. “I’ve just seen how, culturally, how we’ve gotten so far away from how weddings were something so simple as bride and groom coming together, vowing to God to stay together and vowing to each other to stay together and in front of witnesses,” Kiara told The Times. “I’m not going to go into debt over this. I’m not going to spend a whole bunch of money, or stress and get in people’s pockets over such an event that’s going to last one day.” Oreology: The study of the creme-filled cookie sandwich. Haven’t heard of it? Well, you’ve probably studied it — experimenting with dunking, twisting and separating to find the best Oreo eating experience. Whether you prefer the filling intact on one half of the cookie or spread evenly when you open it up, researchers have asked the long-plaguing question: How do you make sure you get the Oreo just the way you want it every time? “When I was little, I tried twisting wafers to split the cream evenly between wafers so there’s some on both halves — which in my opinion tastes much better than having one wafer with a lot of creme and one with almost none. This was hard to do when I was trying it by hand,” said Crystal Owens, lead author of a study published Tuesday in the journal American Institute of Physics and a researcher in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://youtu.be/XskGHoqYBtE Black women love cycling too, and one national organization is striving to reinforce the sentiment. Founded by diehard cyclist Monica Garrison in 2013, the Black Girls Do Bike organization is a bustling community dedicated to uniting women of color who love cycling from all walks of life. The group, which initially started in Pittsburgh, has since expanded to include more than 100 chapters across the U.S. and has connected over 180 women with its thriving network of passionate cyclists. Garrison and other BGDB group leaders organize a number of activities for members including group rides, skill-sharing, and bike advocacy programs. For Chyri McLain-Jackson, the founder of BGDB’s Indianapolis chapter, it was a chance to promote a space for Black women in her community to participate in “fitness, freedom, and fun.” Her passion for the sport sparked after training for her first triathlon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. “As I was biking, I realized that no one really looked like me in those groups I was going out biking with; there were not very many women, there were not many women of color,” McLain-Jackson, who launched the Indianapolis chapter in 2014, told the IndyStar. omen of all ages come out to ride amongst their BGDB counterparts and while the group is inclusive of all races and genders, Garrison hopes to shine a special light on Black women and women of color. Highly-regarded music executive Phil Thornton has been appointed Senior Vice President of Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG), it was announced today by the company’s co-presidents, Brad O’Donnell and Hudson Plachy, to whom Thornton reports. In his newly created position, Thornton will focus on New Business development, signing talent and the development of label, media and touring partnerships on behalf of Capitol CMG artists. Thornton assumes his new position on May 3, and will be based at Capitol CMG’s headquarters in Nashville. “Dancing with the Stars” is headed to streaming. Disney announced Friday that the series, in which celebrities compete to be named the best ballroom dancer, will exclusively air on Disney+ in the US and Canada starting in the fall. It’s the first live series to debut on the streaming service, and it will no longer appear on ABC. Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, cited “the show’s broad appeal, as well as the overwhelming popularity of its Disney-themed competition nights,” saying the move will help Disney+ “expand our demographic reach.” “Dancing with the Stars” premiered in 2005 on Disney-owned network ABC, and since then it’s garnered a loyal following and solid viewership for 30 seasons. In its announcement, Disney noted the show’s most recent fall season’s viewership put it in the top five most-watched unscripted series for adults age 18 to 49. Famed television producer Carlos King has been tapped to host a new late-night show on OWN. The Oprah Winfrey Network announced Wednesday that King will lead a new series titled “The Nightcap with Carlos King,” per Urban Hollywood 411. Here’s the official description of OWN’s new show: “In each episode of The Nightcap with Carlos King, Carlos will welcome guests from OWN’s most popular shows to let their hair down and break down their juiciest storylines. The half-hour series will also feature surprise guests from Carlos’s ‘little black book’ of celebrity friends who will dish on pop culture headlines and participate in fun games and revealing challenges.” “The Nightcap with Carlos King” will premiere on OWN Saturday, May 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT immediately following the series debut of “Love & Marriage: D.C.” (9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT). ”Star Wars” conductor Anthony Parnther — whose credits include “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” and ‘”bi-Wan Kenobi’— will make his Carnegie Hall debut with an all-Black orchestra. Per THR, on April 24, Panther will serve as guest conductor and lead the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra in performances of works by composers George Walker, Florence Price and Jon Batiste. According to the report, Batiste will join the orchestra on piano for the premiere of his new work “I Can.” https://youtu.be/OhwSFtTPWHA Lisa Collins, publisher of L.A. Focus and founder of the First Ladies High Tea announces the 24th L.A. Focus 24th Annual First Ladies High Tea on Saturday, May 7, 2022, @ 11 AM, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Emmy Award-Winning Actress Loretta Devine will receive the Legacy Award; Cookie Johnson, NY Times bestselling author, founder of CJ, a premium denim line, and wife to Earvin “Magic” Johnson will receive the Spirit Award; renowned Dr. Jerry Abraham, a visionary leader in increasing vaccination rates for the most vulnerable will receive the CDPH Community Award; and LADWP Board President Cynthia McClain-Hill will receive the Corporate Award. Amber Rose has reached out to her fans with a plea for help raising money so she can continue her annual Slut Walk in Los Angeles. On April 18, Rose, 38, revealed via her Instagram account that she needs sponsors to assist with her efforts, as reported by thejasminebrand.com. “To be clear this is not about money for me. Never was. I personally have never made one dime off of The Amber Rose Slut Walk we’ve donated so much. I love helping women in anyway I can, I love protesting against injustice,” wrote Rose on IG. She continued, “But, to be honest with you guys… I personally can not do slut walk by myself anymore. I just can’t. Like, I need a lot of sponsors, I need a lot of money to put it on.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccf_GrbJY_R/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The police department in Stockton, California is under fire after an officer fired more than 30 bullets into the car of an unarmed Black woman on Feb. 22. As reported by NBC News, body cam footage released April 7 shows Tracy Gaeta, 54, is fatally shot after officer Kyle Ribera emptied multiple clips at the grandmother’s vehicle. The fatal shooting occurred after the victim backed her car into a police patrol car. “No matter what was going on with her — even if she had committed a heinous crime — he didn’t have the right to shoot her. She never threatened him,’ said Gary Gwilliam, a lawyer for the family, as reported by Black Enterprise. “The excessive force is shocking,” Gwilliam added. https://youtu.be/ArUpkxUb3hY After a federal judge in Florida struck down the Biden administration’s mask mandate for airplanes and other public transport methods, airlines are starting to act. Several US airlines announced Monday that masks are now optional on their aircraft — Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue. Delta Air Lines says it is making masks optional, and warned travelers they “may experience inconsistent enforcement during the next 24 hours as this news is more broadly communicated.” “Given the unexpected nature of this announcement, please be aware that customers, airline employees and federal agency employees — such as TSA — may be receiving this information at different times,” the airline said. The Department of Education is making more changes to the federal student loan system that will help bring millions of borrowers — some of whom may have previously been in forbearance — closer to receiving debt forgiveness. The Department of Education is making more changes to the federal student loan system that will help bring millions of borrowers — some of whom may have previously been in forbearance — closer to receiving debt forgiveness. https://youtu.be/tIabHobRXII Veteran actress Sheryl Lee Ralph is speaking out about the massive success of ABC’s mockumentary-style comedy series “Abbott Elementary”. Created by Quinta Brunson, per Deadline, “Abbott Elementary” follows “a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal —as they navigate the Philadelphia public school system. Despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life, and though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.” In the series, Ralph plays Barbara Howard, a God-fearing kindergarten teacher. The Tony-nominated actor dished with HuffPost about this role and the importance of valuing real-life educators. https://youtu.be/_RObnudYWk8 While many assumed that Will Smith’s career was over after his infamous Oscars outburst last month, it appears as if Hollywood studios are keeping the door open to continue their working relationship with the actor. After reports claimed that Netflix had halted Will’s forthcoming projects on its platform following the controversy stemming from the incident involving Chris Rock, it’s now being reported that despite his 10-year Oscars ban, the 53-year-old will continue to remain booked and busy. According to the Daily Star, Will is being “flooded with offers” from studios and streaming giants eager to work with the Hancock star, with one source insisting that the altercation at the Oscars ultimately wasn’t going to leave the Philadelphia struggling for his next acting gig because Hollywood “loves nothing more than a redemption story.” Joseline Hernandez allegedly shouted “Gucci Gang” during the physical assault on four contestants on her reality show “Joseline’s Cabret: Las Vegas.” per @tmz_tv and Hollywood Unlocked, that Hernandez is being sued for $25M after several dancers from her show claimed Joseline and her boyfriend Ballistic Beatz attacked them on set. A total of four women have filed a $25 million dollar lawsuit against Joseline, Ballistic and the Zeus Network. In docs obtained by the news outlet, one woman claims Joseline violently kicked her in the ribs, while another claims Joseline dragged her during the reunion show taping. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcdRK9EPrmG/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b21b3ae9-b7bf-460a-8596-f6311e3792a7 Keith Grayson, better known in the entertainment industry and culture, as #DJKaySlay has passed away (from COVID) at age 55. Harlem-raised, DJ Kay Slay relied on his grind and talent to create his own lane! ?? He made records, spun them, sourced new artists, gave popular hits their stamp, built a decades-long home at Hot 97 and ran the hip-hop magazine Straight Stuntin’. The Drama King had a lot to give and definitely gave it. DJ Kay Slay reportedly succumbed to complications of COVID-19 after being hospitalized with the disease in December and put on a ventilator, the Sun reported. The NY Post reports that the week prior to his death, Wack 100 had revealed on Instagram that the musician was “still fighting” and needed all the prayers he could get. Recently it was announced that longtime Bloodstone lead singer Charles McCormick has died. He was 75 years old. Initially formed as a high school act called the Sinceres, Bloodstone would grow to world acclaim over the course of 50 years with such hits as “Natural High,” and “We Go A Long Way Back.” McCormack initially played bass while Charles Love played guitar, Melvin Webb was on drums, Harry Williams on percussion and Willis Draffen on guitar. https://youtu.be/f8KSxB4oiq8 Roderick “Pooh” Clark, an original member of Hi-Five, has passed away. The news was confirmed by Marcus Sanders, a fellow Hi-Five member, who spoke with @tmz_tv. Sanders told the news site that Clark died on Sunday from complications from an infection and pneumonia at a hospital in Waco, TX. Clark was involved in a car crash 30 years ago in Florida that left him paralyzed from the neck down. The news site notes that he was unable to walk and later developed an infection that spread through his body; one that persisted for some time. Sadly, he also developed pneumonia over the last 2 weeks and had been in and out of the hospital up until his death. https://youtu.be/vF3MB0U6DO8 Gayle King is catching heat for not asking author Alice Walker about her past remarks about Jewish people. King and Walker sat down for a candid conversation on CBS Mornings to discuss the release of Walker’s new book, “Gathering Blossoms Under Fire,” but some viewers were left disappointed that King didn’t grill the author about her views on the Jewish community. https://www.instagram.com/gayleking/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d1f855fe-d058-4c64-b623-e6a1b27fdb13 Robin Roberts has officially been at “Good Morning America” for 20 years! Access Hollywood’s Scott Evans visited her on set for her anniversary celebration, and they chatted about her career, her friendships with Gayle King and Hoda Kotb, and the advice she’d give her younger self. Plus, Robin revealed her thoughts on Chris Rock after the Oscars slap. “I respect the fact that he [Chris Rock] has not spoken to this point. I respect the dickens out of that.” https://youtu.be/WQdBFMURYDk Eight-time NBA All-Star Stephen Curry is about to experience a taste of the most terrifying movie of the summer … exclusively on ESPN and ABC. Today Universal Pictures, Monkeypaw Productions and Disney CreativeWorks announced an exclusive new spot for Oscar® winner Jordan Peele’s new horror epic, Nope (in theaters July 22), featuring Curry in an homage to the film’s trailer. https://youtu.be/-8YfMhCJcAE Dwayne Wade’s transgender child Zaya Wade (who was born male but identifies as female) is allegedly dating a white girl who identifies as a boy. D. Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union celebrated Easter with Zaya’s significant other, Hudson. Unison shared several pictures of the family on social media. The images also include the couple’s 3-year-old daughter Kaavia, and Wade’s other son Zaire Wade along with his girlfriend, Lola Ann Clark. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccdva-VP7w0/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=721c65b0-19df-484d-ad09-f35fb62891ea Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms took to Twitter last week to call out the Capital Grille after turning her away for wearing leggings. “I was just turned away at @CapitalGrille at Perimeter Mall because I have on leggings,” she tweeted Friday. Several of her followers noted that the restaurant has a dress code, but Bottoms said it was “odd” that the eatery would not allow mall attire since it’s located inside a mall. Many Twitter users were also quick to agree with comedian and Washington Times columnist Tim Young who tweeted, “The irony of someone who wanted to force people to show vaccine status to enter a restaurant being upset at a restaurant for setting a standard with a dress code.” Cities and towns in eastern Ukraine have been rocked by fresh explosions as Russia stepped up its all-out assault on the Donbas region last night. After weeks of having their assaults on Kyiv thwarted at every turn, Putin’s commanders are now refocusing their efforts on the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, along with other regions of Ukraine’s eastern flank, in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday dubbed ‘The Battle of the Donbas.’ Ukrainian media outlets and Telegram channels reported a series of explosions along the front line in the Donetsk region, with shelling taking place in Marinka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk throughout the evening. Local officials and media also said explosions were heard in Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine, Mykolaiv in the south and Zaporizhzhia in the southeast. ‘We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time. A large part of the Russian army is now dedicated to this offensive,’ Zelensky said in his daily presidential address last night. An ex-Ukrainian MP has urged Vladimir Putin to use weapons of mass destruction against his own country amid growing fears that Russia could resort to using nukes. Ilya Kiva, an opposition politician banned from parliament for supporting Russia’s invasion, posted the appeal to his Telegram channel on Sunday – just a day after Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Putin could go nuclear. Underneath the image of a nuclear explosion, Kiva wrote: ‘REMEMBER!!! – THEY ARE AFRAID AND RESPECT ONLY POWER!!! ‘Zelensky, his entourage and Western curators, are most afraid of a [Russian] pre-emptive strike [with] weapons of mass destruction. ‘This is what can put an end to today’s confrontation, not only with the Ukrainian authorities, but with the entire West which actively and already openly takes part today in the military conflict in Ukraine… ‘If anyone thinks that this is not according to the rules, remember: the West wrote these rules in its own interests and only in order to more effectively destroy you.’ He spoke out after President Zelensky sat down for an interview with CNN in which he warned that the West needs to prepare for the possibility that Putin will resort to using nuclear or chemical weapons against his country. The leader of an alleged polygamist cult has been arrested on rape, and false imprisonment, police said. The man identified as Eligio Bishop, 40, who often refers to himself as ‘3God’ and ‘Nature Boy’ of the cult ‘Carbon Nation,’ was arrested on April 14, officials said. The arrest follows a Wednesday night raid at Bishop’s Georgia home in Decatur, Georgia. Officers from the Dekalb County Police Department and detectives executed search and arrest warrants, a spokesperson the Dekalb County Police told DailyMail.com. An investigation was launched by the ‘special victims unit’ after they received a complaint concerning Bishop on March 30, according to a police spokesperson. He has been arrested for numerous charges including rape, false imprisonment, and prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions. Josh and Leona Kimes, the co-pastors of Hillsong Boston, announced on Monday (April 18) that the two have “made the difficult decision to resign.” The announcement of their departure comes a week after the results of an investigation into Hillsong New York City, where the couple worked previously, were leaked to a Christian online news outlet. The Kimes’ departure is the most recent in a slew of upheavals at the global megachurch and multimedia empire, including the resignation two weeks ago of its global senior pastor Brian Houston after allegations of sexual misconduct. Co-founded by Houston in Australia nearly 40 years ago, the church had grown to some 30 locations before scandals closed three of its U.S. churches. The couple, who helped launch Hillsong NYC under now-disgraced former pastor Carl Lentz before planting the Boston campus, were “ready for a fresh start,” Kimes said in an Instagram post featuring photos of the two with their young children. “It was never our plan to ever leave Hillsong Church. It’s been home for 22yrs of my life. It’s where I’ve pastored for the last 16yrs,” Kimes wrote, noting that many of his life’s milestones had occurred while he worked for the church, including meeting and marrying his wife, having kids and moving to the U.S. Kimes did not give a reason for their resignation but apologized for any part he played in “perpetuating a culture that at times valued the building of the church at the expense of those building it.” Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to deliver the eulogy on Friday for Patrick Lyoya, the motorist killed by a Grand Rapids police officer following an April 4 traffic stop, Lyoya family attorney Benjamin Crump said Monday. The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at Renaissance Church of God in Christ in Grand Rapids. Sharpton heads the National Action Network and has “vowed” that he and the network will pay for the funeral costs of Lyoya, 26. Crump said he will “make a call to action” during the services. The announcement came on the same day that Crump and Metro Detroit attorney Ven Johnson said they planned to hold a Tuesday press conference in Detroit to detail the independent results of an autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Werner Spitz. The medical examiner has not released the results of his autopsy of Lyoya. Originally from South Carolina, the Rev. Marvin Youmans is not about to call himself an expert on the city of Detroit. However, there is one section of the city that Youmans is proud to claim. “You can say the North End is my area,” said Youmans, who for the past 25 years has been the pastor of Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church located on Oakland Avenue in the North End. “What I know about Detroit is the North End, and the North End is where I got my grounding in this city.” On Sunday, Youmans, 77, and his congregation will come together — to celebrate their faith and spiritual sense of place — for the first in-person Easter services in the Mt. Carmel sanctuary since 2019, before the pandemic took hold. It is a scene that is likely to be echoed across churches in Detroit, but few will have the distinct North End flavor that will be felt at Mt. Carmel. Youmans’ strong ties to the North End can be traced back to 1977 when the former Northern High School principal came North to pursue a career in education. Taco Bell has announced the return of its Mexican Pizza, thanks to rapper Doja Cat. The Mexican Pizza was discounted in 2020 and prompted pleas for the menu item’s return via a Change.Org petition that received 200K+ signers. “Like many Indian-Americans who grew up vegetarian, we had limited access to the ‘fun’ fast food, so Taco Bell became a bridge to belonging in American culture for many kids like me who grew up in immigrant households,” said the organizer of the Change.org petition, superfan Krish Jagirdar. “That’s what made it especially devastating when the Mexican Pizza was pulled from menus in 2020, but fast forward two years later and I found myself on a conference call with the Taco Bell team as they shared news of the return of the Mexican Pizza, showing that listening to their fans is clearly embedded in their DNA. It’s one of the many reasons Taco Bell is more than just another fast-food restaurant.” 50 Cent has compared Jay-Z to late-great artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 2019, Jigga signed a deal with the NFL to head the league’s musical entertainment, which includes the Super Bowl Halftime show. 50’s remarks about the hip-hop star are in response to claims made by N.O.R.E., who said on the Drink Champs episode with Snoop Dogg that Jay-Z told him Eminem only agreed to perform at the halftime show if Fiddy also agreed to hit the stage, Complex reports. “[Jay] said to me—and I’m sorry for everybody who don’t understand—and he said, ‘the white guy called for 50 Cent.’ I said, ‘Who is the white guy? Jimmy Iovine?’” N.O.R.E. recalled, per HipHopDX. “And he said, ‘No, Eminem called directly for 50 and he said I can’t do it if I can’t bring 50 with me.’” 50 claims it didn’t quite go down that way. He took to Instagram over the weekend to refute N.O.R.E.’s claims and compared Jay-Z’s hairstyle to that of Basquiat’s. https://www.instagram.com/50cent/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5ce9abd8-f82a-4147-b3f6-2040259ac14e Meet Jessica Toni. She loves God with all of her heart and sings his praises daily for all the world to hear. For a couple of months now you've seen her and heard her on social media as she covered a wide spectrum of music This young lady is a North Carolina native who bears the reside of inspiration from Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Daryl Coley, Twinkie Clark and Rev. John P Kee has also crafted a very special gift and the world is taking a listen. Rhyme & Reason Production in conjunction with Enon Music Group is proud to present Jessica Toni as she celebrates her Identity in Jesus Christ. The Gospel Spotlight is on Jessica Toni, "Shinning Bright." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACF3Kph6Xt8 An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back tonight. This week's episode of FATAL ATTRACTION unpacks the mysterious disappearance of a young college woman. Watch the story unfold at 9 p.m. ET/8C. When a young college student vanishes near campus, police move quickly to locate her. As the mystery unfolds, reinforcements are called in. While they went through a myriad of suspects, investigators finally uncover the truth – but will a jury agree? Find out tonight! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33vNO2Lh73A Monday marks two weeks since a still-unidentified police officer shot an unarmed Black man in the back of his head following a pretextual traffic stop over a nonviolent moving violation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Monday will also be the fifth day since graphic video footage from the police shooting showed the Grand Rapids officer never tried to de-escalate the encounter and instead was the aggressor up until he shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of his head at point-blank range. Lyoya was driving with a passenger on the morning of April 4 when the officer initiated a traffic stop because the car had license plates registered to a different vehicle. Lyoya did not comply with the officers’ commands, but it was unclear whether there was a language barrier that prevented the driver from fully understanding what was happening. That may have prompted the officer’s apparent frustration and subsequent physical contact with Lyoya, who ran away slowly before the two struggled outside a home on the residential street as rain fell from the sky. The officer pulled out his Taser and tried to deploy it as Lyoya pushed it aside, scrambling to get away. But the officer managed to wrestle Lyoya to the ground, place him face-down and shoot him in the back of his head. The killing was recorded by Lyoya’s passenger as well as a doorbell camera across the street. The officer’s bodycam was deactivated seconds before the single shot was fired. It was in that context that Kent County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher R. Becker was expected to make a decision in the case, although it was not clear when that would happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwv4vPin5WY Black women are dying at an alarming rate during childbirth. Along with disparities in reproductive health and post-care, Black maternal health requires direct intervention beyond a week of action. Last week, Tufts launched the Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice, spearheaded by professor Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha. Amutah Onukagha is the Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health at Tufts University School of Medicine. “The country is in a crisis around maternal health. The majority of Black maternal deaths are completely preventable,” Amutah-Onukagha, dean of the university’s Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, said in a statement. “The vision of the center is to protect the Black birthing experience by advocating for quality, equitable, and respectful care in childbirth.” https://www.instagram.com/blackmamasmatter/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9a880511-697c-4128-9f1b-eeed523052ac Black women are changing the narrative surrounding diversity in higher education and making history in the process. Amongst those breaking barriers in academia is Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby. She has been selected by the University System of Maryland Board of Regents to serve as the next president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The appointment is historic as it marks the first time in the institution’s history that a woman will be at its helm. Ashby—who currently serves as the dean of Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences—has been a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion. The North Carolina native—who earned her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and led her postdoctoral research in Germany—has dedicated her work to increasing underrepresented groups within the STEM space. Before her tenure at Duke, she was the chair of the University of North Carolina’s chemistry department. Ashby was also part of the institution’s Research Advisory Council and Arts & Sciences Foundation Board of Directors. She also served as the chair of the university’s College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Diversity Task Force and led the UNC National Science Foundation Alliance for Graduate Education. Twenty-five years ago, Howard University alumna Denique Graves made history by becoming the first player from an HBCU to be selected in the WNBA draft. Over two decades after that monumental moment, Jackson State University grad Ameshya Williams-Holliday is now carrying the torch. According to CBS Sports, she became the first HBCU scholar to be drafted by a WNBA team in 20 years. The Gulfport native, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was the No. 25 overall pick and is taking her talents to the Indiana Fever. The prevalence of food insecurity is one of the nation’s most pressing issues. The creators behind the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary are using the show’s platform to spread awareness about the disparities surrounding food injustice. According to Variety, the show’s team joined forces with Disney-ABC TV and Warner Bros. Television to donate thousands of meals to the nonprofit Feeding America. Child hunger is a critical matter that the pandemic has exacerbated. Feeding America—an organization dedicated to eradicating food insecurity—reported that 12 million children live in food-insecure households throughout the country. Due to systemic racial inequities, Black, Native American and Latinx communities faced higher hunger rates. Staying true to using Abbott Elementary to underscore the lived experiences of students and educators at underfunded public schools, the show’s team partnered with the production companies to contribute 150,000 meals to Feeding America. The show also created the ‘Think Outside the (Lunch) Box’ campaign in which it dedicated its social media platforms to amplify the transformative work being led by the nonprofit. Dr. Thomas W. Cole, Jr., who oversaw the consolidation of the two higher learning institutions in the late 1980s that would become Clark Atlanta University died Thursday. He was 81. Cole was born on January 11, 1941, in Vernon, Texas, the second of four children to Eva and Thomas W. Cole Sr. While attending public school during his childhood, he watched and was mentored by his father who was President of Wiley College from 1958 to 1971. Cole would become an Eagle Scout and graduated from high school in 1958, He then attended Wiley College where was active in the Kappa Chi and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor societies. Cole would graduate summa cum laude in 1961, receiving a Bachelor’s of Science and the Southern Regional Fellowship. He then attended the University of Chicago where earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1966. Dr. Cole would then head to Atlanta in 1966 after accepting an assistant professor position at Atlanta University Center. He would rise the rinks during his tenure there. From 1970 through 1979, Cole served as the chemistry department chair. From 1969 through 1979, he served as the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Chemistry, and in 1979 he was named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs until 1982. The City of Philadelphia was sued Saturday by a group of business owners and residents alleging its upcoming mask mandate is illegal, court documents show. Philadelphia is the first major US city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate, which went into effect last week, with enforcement beginning today. The new mandate comes as the city announced Level 2 Covid-19 response levels, which were triggered when the city saw an increase in confirmed Covid-19 cases more than 50% than the previous 10 days. Level 2 precautions mean masks are required in all public indoor spaces in Philadelphia, including schools, businesses and restaurants. Businesses can stay mask-free if they require everyone to provide proof of vaccination. A pair of Arizona diversity, equity and inclusion ‘experts’ have been blasted for falsely accusing an African-American DJ of wearing blackface at an event. Jill Lassen and Stuart Rhoden, who advocate for diversity at the Scottsdale Unified School District in various capacities, wrote scathing letters of complaint after DJ Kim Koko Hunter appeared at a PTA event, and they mistook him for a white man. Stuart and Rhoden have since apologized, with some noting the irony of ‘diversity and inclusion’ activists rushing to such false conclusions. But Rhoden also sought to double down on his initial allegation, and speculated as to whether Hunter may have used cosmetic products to make his skin appear darker. ‘When you are so hell bent on pointing out everyone as a racist, only to uncover yourself as the racist,’ one person tweeted. Hunter, the Scottsdale school district and the Hopi PTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com. The PTA at Hopi Elementary in Phoenix hired Hunter to entertain the crowd at its largest fundraiser of the year on April 9. THIS is the chilling moment one of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear bombers was caught flying close to the Ukrainian border in a major military escalation. The TU-160 strategic bomber was seen in the skies over Western Russia amid huge pressure on the Kremlin over the sinking of the Moskva flagship in the Black Sea. Videos today caught four aircraft – one used to carry nuclear bombs – over Kaluga region, between Moscow and the Ukrainian border. The Defence Ministry in Moscow had not immediately announced the purpose of the mission. Larger Tu-95s have been used a number of times to strike targets in Ukraine with non-nuclear weapons, notably Kh-55 and Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles. Latest attacks by Russia have concentrated on major cities including Kyiv and Lviv. Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Israel grant his country control of the Alexander Courtyard in Jerusalem as the previous Israeli government had promised, in a letter delivered to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday. Putin’s letter came barely a day after the Foreign Ministry in Moscow slammed Foreign Minister Yair Lapid for accusing Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, saying that Israel is using Ukraine to cover up for its own conflict with the Palestinians. The Russian Foreign Ministry also summoned Israeli Ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi for a reprimand on Sunday. Transferring the ownership of the church land could cause diplomatic trouble for Israel at a time when its Western allies have been sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The Alexander Courtyard, also known as the Alexander Nevsky Church and the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Putin that Russia could take over the landmark in 2020, as one of a series of gestures meant to help free Naama Issachar, an Israeli woman held in a Russian jail on drug charges. Soon after, Israel’s Land Registry commissioner listed the Russian government as the owner of the church. According to a report from Bloomberg.com, the Food Bank for the Heartland in Ohama, Nebraska had to cut its food-spending budget. That, of course, resulted in about 2 million fewer pounds of food for the people in the 93 counties it serves. In another situation, the Open Door pantry in Eagan, Minnesota, is handing out 4 pounds less per person, on average. The news outlet also reports that for the first time in its 35-year history, the West Alabama Food Bank is having to cap the amount of food it gives out. Fresh off his five Grammy wins including Album of the Year, Jon Batiste has joined the cast of “The Color Purple” musical movie. the project’s executive producers include Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Quincy Jones. Per Deadline, “Batiste will make his big-screen acting debut as Grady, a debonair, sweet-talking piano man who is the epitome of charm and eloquence and husband of Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson). Bennet Guillory played the role in the 1985 feature,” the outlet writes. Oscar winner Batiste has served as band leader and musical director on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” since 2015. Serena Williams says she is open to several “King Richard” sequels that focus on her and her sister’s journey to global tennis champions. “King Richard had a perfect ending with Venus on the tennis court. Venus goes in her direction, and I go in my direction,” Williams explained in an interview with Insider. “It’s two completely different stories,” she said. Williams views “King Richard” as an origin story. “I had a rough journey,” she said. “I didn’t do well and then I did. It’s a lot of drama. It’s a telenovela.” Based on the true story and starring Will Smith, “King Richard” follows the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever. On Monday (04/18/22), “The Talk” the hosts were surprised live on air with news that the Daytime Emmy-winning show is renewed for Season 13! Natalie Morales announces, “The producers are just telling me there is some breaking news. This is just coming in right now, ‘The Talk’ has been renewed for Season 13.” After the cheers and confetti, Akbar Gbajabiamila reacts, “That was crazy, this feels so good.” Jerry O’Connell jokes, “Now I know why all our bosses showed up today.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1516118031323303942 Tattoo Artist, Television Personality and Entrepreneur, Katrina “Kat Tat” Jackson has signed a First-Look, Development and Executive Producer deal with Paramount, it was announced today. Included with the agreement, Jackson will develop and Executive Produce original content for Paramount in collaboration with her production company, Enigma Entertainment Group. “I couldn’t feel more blessed and I’m excited to partner with Paramount as they continue to bolster a new generation of BIPOC and women creators,” said Jackson. “I’m thrilled to not only return to TV, but to also create and produce new, fun, fresh, compelling and impactful content across all platforms.” https://www.instagram.com/kattatgirl/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=8d4c9f4b-004f-4b0e-b0ea-6a5baf358ec5 A white nationalist reporter had a meltdown during a recent broadcast over all the Black people who attended this year’s Country Music Awards. “I don’t know who this Black guy is who’s hosting it. It’s supposed to be country music,” Patrick Howley whined about CMT host Anthony Mackie. “No offense. I mean, y’all have Hip Hop and basketball. You know what I mean,” Howley continued. As reported by NewsOne, he then mocked Black people by using a racist blaccent while touching on the historic influence that Blacks have had on all aspects of popular music. https://twitter.com/i/status/1514245363309457414 An upcoming episode of Donald Glover’s hit drama series “Atlanta,” hilariously depicts an office scene of two white people discussing reparations for slavery. “It’s cleared the way for personal litigation. Now they can look you up and force you to pay the price,” one of the white males says, as reported by TheWrap. The two continue, “Yeah, it’s scary. I’m looking at my family tree right now to make sure I’m in the clear. Everybody else is, too.” Per the outlet, the men then glance over at their Black coworkers who are laughing. “Lucky them. Not a care in the world.” https://youtu.be/pSc_xuRHju8 Viola Davis is being mocked on social media over her portrayal as Michelle Obama in the Showtime series “The First Lady,” which debuted Sunday. Some folks on Twitter are questioning why the actress seems to constantly purse her lips on camera. One scene in particular has drawn a lot of eyeballs, and people are having a field day with memes and jokes over Viola appearing to constantly put on an exaggerated duck face while she talks to TV Barack Obama. Per TMZ, another scene in the series that seemed to annoy viewers shows Viola-as-Michelle posing for a photoshoot, and she’s making the duck-face. https://twitter.com/i/status/1515754557728567297 A federal judge has slashed the $137 million dollars in damages awarded to a former Tesla employee who successfully sued the company last year for racial discrimination. A San Francisco federal court awarded former Tesla worker, Owen Diaz, 53, about $137 million after he sued the auto-maker, claiming he endured racist abuse working as an elevator operator at the production facility in Fremont, California. He came forward with the allegations in 2018, two years after he reportedly quit his job. https://youtu.be/lJyUF5ZoOdk The man who fatally shot Angela Simmons‘ ex-fiancé in 2018 has been sentenced to life. Michael Williams fatally shot Sutton Tennyson, 37, outside of Sutton’s garage in southwest Atlanta. Tennyson, who has a child with Simmons, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside the garage in an upscale southwest Atlanta community, police said. As most of you know, Simmons, 34, is the daughter of Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons, one of the founding members of the rap group Run–DMC. Days after the killing, Williams surrendered to police and was charged with murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during a felony. Lizzo served as host and the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend and performed two songs from her forthcoming album “Special.” During her opening monologue, the singer joked about online rumors, her crush on actor Chris Evans, and her obsession with posing semi-nude on Instagram for her fans. “While I’m here, I do want to address some rumors,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot of gossip online that I’m dating every little white boy in Hollywood? They think I’m collecting members of One Direction like Infinity Stones.” She continued, “I even heard a rumor that I’m pregnant with Chris Evans’ baby?? I have no idea where that one started. It could be the TikTok I did where I said, ‘I’m pregnant with Chris Evans’ baby.'” “It’s called manifesting,” Lizzo concluded. https://youtu.be/9B75B-kkYGI Joe Budden’s former podcast co-host Rory has compared singer Trey Songz to disgraced artist R.Kelly. Songz, like Kellz, has been accused of a slew of sexual assaults on women, and he’s facing a $20 million dollar lawsuit. “In 15 years however f**k long it’s gonna be, that Trey Songz doc is gonna be crazier than the R.Kelly one,” said Rory during an Instagram Live session, cassiuslife.com reports. “Trey Songz is the most nasty, abusive, rapey, beats the sh*t out of women. Like he’s the scum of the f***ing Earth. Trey Songz is fucking disgusting. Like, his doc is going to surpass, if you ever thought you could surpass an R.Kelly doc, I promise you in 15 years Trey Songz will. He’s an awful human being, like a terrible, terrible f***ing human being. Somebody is going to knock him the f*** out.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7prl2KdgF1k For the 47th year, Long Beach CA was the place to be for what is now the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The week was filled with thrills, spills and excitement! After the last few years of dealing with the Covid pandemic, the racing world is again drawing crowds who are eager to hear and feel the roaring engines of Indy Cars racing through the famous streets of Long Beach. Colton Herta #26, the pole sitter for the race, took the lead from the start. However, after the first pit stop, Herta found himself in second place behind 2021 Indy Champion Alex Palou #10 who was in the lead. Two young people were fatally shot and at least nine others were injured by gunfire overnight in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood, officials said early Sunday morning. The shootings stemmed from a large party at a short-term rental property where as many as 200 people had gathered, the city of Pittsburgh said in a news release. Many of those at the party were underage, the release said. As officers responded to the scene, they saw several young people running from the area, officials said. “As many as 50 rounds were fired inside, prompting some party-goers to jump out the windows, sustaining injuries such as broken bones and lacerations. Several more shots were fired outside the home,” the news release said. The two victims who died were male juveniles, city officials said. On Saturday at a crowded South Carolina mall, a gunman opened fire near the food court, shooting 10 and leaving two others injured when they were trampled in the chaos. Fortunately, there have no fatalities reported. Three “persons of interest” were detained by police after they were seen with firearms in the mall, said Columbia Police Chief W. H. “Skip” Holbrook at a press conference. At least one of the three fired a weapon, but he said police were still sorting out exactly how the gunplay unfolded. None had yet been arrested and it was not yet clear how many shots had been fired. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=529318535394290 50 Cent has never hidden his recently acquired distaste for the STARZ network, which, interestingly, is home to his successful TV shows “Power Book II: Ghost,” “Power Book IV: Force,” and “Black Mafia Family.” 50 is frustrated by the current state of things at Starz, where he is still producing the Power universe of TV shows. Only recently, he vented his feelings on social media about the treatment he was getting from STARZ. He even went as far as to threaten to move his shows from the network because of its refusal to announce any renewal for the next few seasons of the “Power” spinoffs currently showing. https://youtu.be/GK-FsdSMeno Today is April 17, Easter Sunday. April is also National Brunch Month and Easter is one of the best days to have brunch! With that in mind, we’d like to ask, if you’re down for cream cheese stuffed French toast with caramel, pecans and blueberries? If your mouth is watering just thinking about it, then the “Culinary Cutie” has just the recipe for you. The Culinary Cutie, by the way, is Tracy Williamson, a Chicago native and a self-taught chef with a passion for food, cooking and sharing real food with real people in real life. Tracy is the owner of Peppers Cuisine & Flavo and has been featured on the syndicated national radio show, “Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell.” She has also been the featured chef for the ABC7 Chicago staff’s Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and was the featured chef for the Nordstrom-Oakbrook Black History Month Celebration. https://abc7chicago.com/11759635/ Vernon Jones, a Republican congressional candidate, has said that being gay is a choice and that LGBT rights should not be compared with civil rights for Black people. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Jones in February for Georgia’s 10th congressional district race. This was only ten days after Jones bowed out of the Peach State gubernatorial race. Jones spoke on Friday in an interview with Steve Bannon, a former aide to Donald Trump. He stated that “civil rights for Blacks, and gay rights for gays, are two different things.” When Bannon pointed out that “they say it’s the same thing,” Jones shot back that “but it’s not the same thing,” https://youtu.be/bS6vRuzTvhc A man who witnessed the struggle between Patrick Lyoya and the Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot him told CNN on Friday he knew the incident wouldn’t end well. “I knew when the tussle began,” Wayne Butler said. “If you tussle with a White man with a gun, and you’re Black in America, you end up dead.” Lyoya was fatally shot April 4 in the Michigan city after he and the officer — who has not been identified — had a physical encounter. Lyoya’s family has called for the officer to be prosecuted; the officer is on paid leave while Michigan State Police conduct an investigation. Butler, was outside his home watching the scene unfold and can be seen with his identity blurred on some of the videos released by police. “It’s just a regular, regular neighborhood. I mean it’s not super fancy, we’re just regular folk,” said Butler, who has lived there a few years. Unfortunately, most folks have to drive to get from one place to another. As a result, burning gas is inevitable, but the speed at which you burn it can be decreased. Obviously, you can buy a more fuel-efficient car or drive less to save money. For folks in California, the state has incentive programs for drivers looking to switch to electric vehicles. Unfortunately, that’s not an option for everyone. The reality for most is that you’ve got to do the best you can with what you already have. CNN spoke with David Bennett, Repair Systems Manager at AAA, about ways all of us can try to be a little more fuel-efficient while gas prices are at record highs. https://youtu.be/84pViT82A08 DJ Khaled was honored with the 2,7119th star on the Hollywood Hall of Fame this past Monday at a ceremony attended by Jaz-Z, Fat Joe and Sean “Diddy” Combs, among others. https://youtu.be/DvA9uAqFz3E A devastating NBA playoff debut from Anthony Edwards powered the Minnesota Timberwolves to a shock 130-117 Game 1 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. The 20-year-old scored a game-high 36 points to stun the Western Conference’s number two seed in their own backyard at the FedExForum, dazzling in a statement win for a T-Wolves team that only reached the playoffs via the play-ins. Adding two rebounds and six assists, Edwards became the third-youngest player in NBA history — and only one of four under the age of 21 — to score 35 points in a playoff game, according to ESPN Stats and Info. https://youtu.be/zJaeiDk8osY It looks like Thandie Newton may be heading to rehab following her dramatic departure from the film “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.” The “Mission: Impossible 2” actress had been in London filming the third installment of the ‘Magic Mike’ series with Channing Tatum when staffers on set became worried about her health and behavior. Reportedly, her behavior caused such a concern that her agent flew in from Los Angeles in hopes of rectifying the issue. However, on Tuesday ( Apr.12), Thandie Newton was flown back to the States to hopefully check into a facility. According to sources, the 49-year-old “Westworld” actress has been battling both emotional and family problems after separating from her husband Ol Parker. They have been married for 24 years and have three children. A source on set said: “Thandie had been acting strange on set, she has been very highly strung. Her apparent breakdown caused so much disruption, it became clear she couldn’t play the role…There is a lot going on in her personal life, she and her husband have separated. She seemed so stressed, she even brought her two pet rabbits to her hotel for emotional support.” The source went on to confirm that Newton’s team wants the actress to go to rehab. Prime Video released the official trailer for the second season of the highly anticipated hit YA series “The Wilds.” All eight episodes of the Amazon Original series will premiere on Friday, May 6 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The trailer gives a sneak peek at the even higher stakes the girls face as they remain trapped on a mysterious island, and a look into what has been part of the experiment all along: the boys. https://youtu.be/k76fRx1iW5w Power couple Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert are on the cover of Ebony’s April issue. The couple got open and honest about their life and love and how fame intersects with these. The cover photo also features their two daughters, June 6, and Rose, 1. The couple has extensively talked about their family and legacy. You may recall that in February, there were widespread rumors triggered by TikTok about the couple’s marriage. There were claims the marriage was going south, with Teyana abusing drugs after learning that her husband was allegedly cheating on her around the time he was starring in the Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars. According to these rumors, her drug use got her hospitalized, forcing her to cancel one of her tour dates in November 2021. “These types of rumors and lies hurt the most because I take pride in being a mother and would never be that irresponsible. I’ve never used drugs a day in my life, nor do I smoke, and only drink occasionally. My health issues were never a secret. We actually outwardly shared them with the world on our reality tv show, We Got Love,” Teyana explains to Ebony, pointing to the cancer scare and surgery she underwent to remove small lumps discovered in her breast. https://www.instagram.com/teyanataylor/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=bde11d8a-0284-4cb4-96d6-3c074aeb1ff7 Pope Francis implicitly criticized Russia for dragging Ukraine into a “cruel and senseless” conflict and urged leaders to strive for peace as he marked what he called an “Easter of war” on Sunday. The 85-year-old pope made the comments in his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) address – traditionally an overview of world conflicts – to about 100,000 people in St. Peter’s Square. It was the first Easter since 2019 that the public was allowed into the square to hear the twice-yearly address following two years of COVID-19 restrictions. Francis dedicated much of the message to Ukraine, comparing the shock of another war in Europe to the shock of the apostles when the gospel says they saw the risen Jesus. The hilltop compound housing the mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam, while it is the holiest place for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. The competing claims to the site have sparked numerous rounds of violence. This year the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Christian holy week culminating in Easter Sunday and the week-long Jewish Passover are all occurring at the same time, with tens of thousands of visitors flocking to the city after coronavirus restrictions have been mostly lifted. Israeli police accused Palestinians of “defiling and desecrating” a holy site, while Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to divide the sensitive holy site. “What happened in Al-Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous escalation, the repercussions of which are to be borne by the Israeli government alone,” said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Police said they entered the compound to facilitate the routine visit of Jews to the holy site. They said Palestinians had stockpiled stones and set up barriers in anticipation of violence. Omer Barlev, the Israeli minister in charge of the police, said it was important to ensure freedom of worship “but we will not compromise when violence and terror take place.” The police cleared Palestinians out of the sprawling esplanade outside the mosque itself early Sunday, while dozens of Palestinians remained inside the building chanting “God is Greatest.” Video released by police showed small groups of youths throwing stones, as well as fireworks being fired from inside the mosque. It’s quite an academic accomplishment to be accepted to all eight Ivy League schools. It’s another to be enrolled in medical school and law school at the same time. That’s the case for Victor Agbafe, a 2015 graduate of Cape Fear Academy. The Wilmington native completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University. Now, two years into medical school at the University of Michigan, he’s also enrolled in law school at Yale University. “What happens is it’s like a staggered structure for me,” Agbafe said. “Last year during my M1 year in med school, I applied to law school. I was lucky to have some options and chose Yale and I decided to defer the beginning of it for two years. So, after my third year of med school, I’ll head over to New Haven — do those three years — and then I’ll come back for my last year of med school.” Agbafe found himself thrust into the media spotlight his senior year at Cape Fear Academy in Wilmington. The straight A student who also played on the basketball team was newsworthy after receiving acceptance letters from all eight Ivy League schools. Agbafe quickly found his passion early on in medical school — surgery. He says he’s drawn to the exceptionally challenging ones. As the largest bank home mortgage originator, and largest bank originator of home loans to minorities over the last decade, Wells Fargo believes it has a responsibility to develop solutions that help close the gap. As a next step in meeting that responsibility, Wells Fargo announced a new initiative to help advance racial equity in homeownership across the country. The company will develop a Special Purpose Credit Program (SPCP) to help minority homeowners, whose mortgages are currently serviced by Wells Fargo, refinance those mortgages. Initially, through the program, Wells Fargo will identify eligible Black homeowners who could benefit from a refinance product, according to a press release. Wells Fargo will commit $150 million to lower mortgage rates and reduce the refinancing costs to help these homeowners further benefit from refinancing. This program goes beyond the usual lending programs and puts the company’s own money to work refinancing minority families’ homes. The company will assess its progress and will publicly disclose it annually. On the 75th anniversary of Major League Baseball’s Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in the sport, however America’s favorite pastime has been failing to gain traction amongst Black youth players. An Atlanta-based mentoring program however, has been working to change that narrative. Headed by Atlanta native and former Chicago Cubs outfielder CJ Stewart, L.E.A.D., which stands for launch, expose, advise, direct, aims to assist low-income Black youth by igniting the spark of playing hardball. Stewart, equipped with a history of coaching major league players like Jason Heyward and Dexter Fowler, is doing all he can to keep the spirit alive despite rising inflation costs. The Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education (CAFE Group)—will award five $1 million grants to Black leaders in education during the 1954 Project Luminary Awards on Apr. 28. Actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer, whose mother was an educator, kicks off the 2nd annual event. Musician and education advocate Pharrell Williams and actress Vanessa Bell Calloway are featured presenters in the virtual awards show. The 1954 Project has raised nearly one-third of its $100 million goal through contributions from its founders, Don and Liz Thompson; the Walton Family Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and many other donors. A beloved Texas television news anchor has died after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Shatanya Clarke, 27, was “bigger than life” and optimistic despite being diagnosed with the tumor in 2020, her television station family at KFDX said. Her spirit will live on in Wichita Falls along with fundraisers she helped spearhead. She died at her home on Thursday, April 14. Through a series on Clarke’s YouTube channel, she revealed her battle with the Myxoid Mesenchymal tumor she was diagnosed with at 25. The Jamaica native underwent major brain surgery, chemotherapy and treatments for the tumor that was initially thought to be a severe headache. According to KFDZ, Clarke remained optimistic about treatments prior to her death. BL Grocery, founded by couple Ursula Martin, 44, and Jerrell Spencer, 45, is located at 1464 Valse Road in the Hamilton neighborhood. They aim to bring fresh produce and hot meals to the neighborhood. “We wanted to provide access to food in a food desert,” Martin said. “We’re not at all saying that we won’t provide traditionally what you will see in a corner store. We will, but you will also be able to come in and buy an apple, buy a bell pepper, an onion, one pound of ground beef. That kind of old-school grocery store feel is what our vision is.” In February 2018, Kroger closed two of its locations in South Memphis. Martin noted the impact the grocer’s absence has had on the community and hopes BL Grocery can help mend that gap. “South Memphis lost their Kroger right before COVID, and it was a big blow,” Martin said. It was a big blow because now you have people having to travel. If you live in South Memphis and you want to go to Kroger, you can either go to Whitehaven or Midtown.” The Timberwolves aren’t done with protesters delaying their games. An animal rights activist chained herself to the basket stanchion Saturday during Game 1 of the Timberwolves-Grizzlies playoff series in Memphis, Tenn. The woman, wearing a T-shirt that read: “Glen Taylor Roasts Animals Alive” — appeared during a stoppage of play in the second quarter with yellow chains and attempted to secure herself to the stanchion after throwing flyers on the floor. https://twitter.com/i/status/1515431857717858304 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is warning that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons during its invasion of Ukraine – and cautioned that it was a matter grave concern for the entire world. ‘Not only me – I think all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried because it can be not real information, but it can be truth,’ Zelensky said, speaking in English. ‘We should think not be afraid, not be afraid but be ready. But that is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine but for all the world, I think,’ he said. Zelensky was responding to a question by CNN’s Jake Tapper about CIA Director William Burns warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin might use a tactical nuclear tactical weapon as a desperate act amid military setbacks in its invasion, which has continued for 50 days. He mentioned nuclear weapons as well as chemical weapons as a potential threat. ‘Chemical weapons, they should do it, they could do it, for them the life of the people [means] nothing. That’s why,’ Zelensky said, speaking in sometimes imprecise English. His dire comments in the interview come as it was reported Zelensky personally asked President Joe Biden to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism – a move with substantial implications for trade and sanctions. A top trans psychologist who has helped hundreds of teens transition has warned it has ‘gone too far’ amid fears many youngsters are making life-changing decisions because it is ‘trendy’. Dr Erica Anderson, who has worked as a clinical psychologist in the US for 30 years, has raised concerns that the rise in trans or non-binary children is the result of peer pressure. The 71-year-old, who is transgender, said clinicians are failing to carry out thorough mental health evaluations before recommending hormones or surgeries to teenagers. She is a former clinical psychologist at the University of California San Francisco Child and Adolescent Gender Center, where she provided support for hundreds of young people transitioning. ‘For a while, we were all happy that society was becoming more accepting and more families than ever were embracing children that were gender variant,’ she told the Los Angeles Times. In 1950s Air Force parlance, a pilot who crashed and died was said to have ‘bought the farm.’ The euphemistic saying could also be applied to boxing sensation Errol Spence Jr. were it not for two things: He miraculously survived his horrifying single-car crash in 2019, and instead of a farm, he technically bought a ranch. ‘A ranch has livestock and [you’re] raising animals – a farm is more like you have a green house or crops, and things like that,’ Spence told DailyMail.com, clarifying the distinction between the two. The novice rancher and undefeated welterweight champion will face WBA title-holder Yordenis Ugas in a unification bout on Showtime pay-per-view this Saturday from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – just his second fight in the 30 months since he nearly killed himself by rolling his $300,000 Ferrari over a median. Much of that time has been spent on his 60-acre Texas ranch with his new Ferrari, a horse ironically named for the Italian sports car he totaled. The property has served as unexpected therapy for a city guy who was born on Long Island and raised in the Dallas suburbs without any notion of country life. Now the 32-year-old is raising horses, cattle, and chickens along with his 17-month-old son, Errol III, and six-year-old twin daughters, Ivy and Violet. ‘It didn’t start out with me wanting a ranch,’ he said. ‘It was more about trying to find some peace of mind, away from the city life, away from people. I just wanted a big property so I can go outside with my kids and play and not be bothered. It just so happened that I found this ranch on Zillow.’ And it’s not just therapy for Spence, who admitted to having some post-traumatic stress since his wreck. The rigors of ranching have also helped him mature, albeit incrementally, ‘I still have some ways to go,’ he laughed. ‘It’s still tug of war a little bit.’ May Edward Chinn made history as the first black woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1926. She also was the first black woman to intern at Harlem Hospital, but because of her race could not go on to a hospital residency. Now an activist is pushing to honor Chinn, who went on to do pioneering work despite the racial discrimination she faced, by naming a street for her near her alma mater, which is now the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Michelle Deal Winfield, a retired educator, is gathering support to name the corner of East 29th Street and First Avenue for Chinn. Chinn eventually opened her own practice in Harlem and was the first woman to join New York City ambulance crews on emergency calls. Hampton University made several announcements regarding student tuition and fees on Thursday. “In keeping with the University’s efforts to help our students, there will be no increase in tuition, fees, room and board for the 2022-2023 academic year,” said Dr. William R. Harvey, Hampton University President. “In addition, on behalf of the University, I am pleased to announce that all outstanding balances for the Spring 2022 semester will be erased. We hope that this action will continue to assist our students and their families at our Home by the Sea.” University officials say the decision was made in light of ongoing financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Florida teen says he is celebrating after being accepted to 27 colleges and universities, including Harvard, Stanford and MIT, and receiving over $4 million in scholarship money. “It was just a surprise just to see that they were interested in me and they wanted me to attend their institution, that they were offering me admission… it was just a ton of excitement,” Jonathan Walker said during an interview with ABC News’ Linsey Davis. Walker, a high school senior from Panama City, Florida, said he found something he liked at every school and only applied to schools where he could be “happy.” https://youtu.be/afWXsyz0nLM The NAACP called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate years of allegations of widespread welfare fraud and misspending in Mississippi totaling over $94 million, according to a letter obtained exclusively by ABC News. NAACP President Derrick Johnson called on the Department of Justice “to aggressively investigate and prosecute those responsible for the massive theft of federal funds that apparently took place in Mississippi in fiscal years 2017 through 2019.” He noted that “funds from these programs are to be used for the neediest and most vulnerable in our society.” Mississippi State Auditor Shad White alleged that money set aside from the federal government for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs were misappropriated under the leadership of John Davis, then-head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, according to the letter. The fraud allegations were first revealed in 2020 by state prosecutors in one of the largest cases involving embezzlement claims in state history. Six people have been indicted on state charges, including Davis. Davis has pleaded not guilty, court records show. His trial, which was supposed to start last year, has been delayed several times. An attorney for Davis did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. Though medical research, knowledge, and technology continue to advance year after year, there is still little known about the root cause of uterine fibroids—a.k.a. noncancerous growths that present themselves inside or outside of the uterus. What is clear, however, is the fact that those benign tumors disproportionately affect Black women. According to the Black Women’s Health Imperative, Black women are 2-3 times more likely to have fibroids, to develop them at younger ages, to have bigger fibroids, to have more fibroids, and to have more symptoms. By age 35, nearly half of Black women will have experienced them. That number jumps up to 80 percent by age 50. Black women are also hospitalized three times more than white women are when it comes to dealing with fibroids. (I would know, I was one of them.) And on top of all of that, fibroids can also negatively impact a woman’s fertility, potentially cause pregnancy complications, and project a negative outlook when it comes to Black women’s prospects for bearing children. And it’s for those exact reasons that, in honor of Black Maternal Healthcare Week, The Root talked with a handful of women to discuss their journeys with fibroids and fertility and how they came to be at peace with their bodies, their wombs, and ultimately themselves. When Oprah talks, people listen. So hopefully, her latest partnership with the Smithsonian Channel will get people to listen to the cries for better access to quality healthcare for people of color. On April 14, the network announced its Color of Care campaign, which is focused on equity in health care across racial lines. The highlight of the year-long multi-platform campaign is “The Color of Care,” a documentary produced by Winfrey’s Harpo Productions that will premiere on May 1 on the Smithsonian Channel. The film, directed by OSCAR®-nominated and Emmy® award-winning director Yance Ford, explores the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the fact that people of color often receive second-rate health care. There will be a national screening of the film at various nursing schools, medical schools, nonprofit organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country. The celebration of Jackie Robinson continues! Yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson becoming the first African American baseball player to play in Major League Baseball. The man is not only an example and legend in the sports world, but he was also an icon and leader in the world of social justice and activism as Robinson faced a lot of racism and scrutiny during his 10-year career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Although he was the first African American to play for The Show, he for sure was not the last. He opened the door for a wave of talented young Black players to showcase their skills on baseball’s biggest stage and many of them became some of the greatest baseball players of all time. Per a press release sent to The Root, on Saturday, June 18, The HISTORY Channel is set to premiere the two-hour documentary, “After Jackie,” in association with MLB. It will tell the untold story of the second wave of Black players who took the majors by storm and continued the fight for racial equality. Five young women at North Carolina’s Saint Augustine’s University are making history. They will compete as the first historically Black university women’s crew team, ever. “We are trailblazers. We are literally Black history,” sophomore Breanna Dorway said. “I’m just really excited for what’s in store for us.” Saint Augustine’s is a small liberal arts university established in 1867 by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Rowing first came to Saint Augustine’s as a virtual sports program in the School of Business, Management & Technology. There, Professor Mark Janas has introduced students to golf, motorsports and cycling that may have otherwise been unavailable at the school with an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students. Rowing is not a cheap sport to participate in, which is why it’s more common at Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Yale. That is until the Howard University men’s crew team made history as the first HBCU crew team in the mid-1960s. Saint Augustine’s women do not pay to participate in the sport and will rely on fundraising to obtain the money they need to compete. On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, forever changing baseball and society. Robinson was Black, and the integration of all-white major league baseball was perhaps the most important story about civil rights in the years immediately following World War II. The integration, Jules Tygiel wrote in his groundbreaking book “Baseball’s Great Experiment,” “captured the imagination of millions of Americans who had previously ignored the nation’s racial dilemma.” As Martin Luther King Jr. famously put it, Robinson “was a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides.” Major League Baseball celebrates the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s historic career on April 15, 2022, in stadiums and ballparks across the nation. But in my view, those celebrations will fall short if they don’t address how Robinson confronted white supremacy with class and dignity during a time before he joined the Dodgers, when his own minor league manager once asked, “Do you really think a nigra is a human being?” I’ve written or edited four books about Jackie Robinson. When I give a lecture or a talk about him, I often mention that he was a Republican. Given the modern-day opposition that the Republican Party has toward civil and voting rights protections – and the teaching of racism in American history – this invariably provokes an audible gasp from the audience. Lawyers for the family of a California grandmother fatally shot by authorities accused police of excessive force Wednesday, saying that even though she backed her car into a law enforcement vehicle, she was unarmed and never threatened officers. Tracy Gaeta, 54, died after a K-9 officer in Stockton fired more than 30 shots into her car Feb. 22, according to body camera video released April 7. A lawyer for the family, Gary Gwilliam, said that the officer acted against policies adopted by many departments that bar or discourage police from firing at moving vehicles. “No matter what was going on with her — even if she had committed a heinous crime — he didn’t have the right to shoot her,” he said in an interview. “She never threatened him.” “The excessive force is shocking,” he added. In a statement, Angelina Austin, a lawyer with Gwilliam’s firm, added: “Like too many Black women across this country, Tracy Gaeta is yet another victim of preventable police violence.” In a video statement released last week, the police department said the incident began after Gaeta — who was initially identified as a Black male — was captured in surveillance video striking a police SUV that was stopped at a red light. Nearly nine months after authorities found an 18-year-old dead at a metro Atlanta park, police have secured warrants for felony murder and aggravated assault in the case. Gwinnett County Police said 20-year-old Austin Ford was already in jail in another jurisdiction for an unrelated matter. Now, he is facing charges in Tori Lang’s death. “I believe that he was actually a friend of Tori’s at one point and that is how they knew each other,” said Gwinnett Police Sgt. Jennifer Richter. On July 28, 2021, authorities were called to Yellow River Park around 6:30 a.m. and found the teen dead from a gunshot wound. Her car was found a week later burned and hidden in a wooded area of Hidden Acres Nature Preserve in DeKalb County, about five miles from the park. Last year, her friends told 11Alive they didn’t now why Lang would be in the Gwinnett County park; they sent their condolences to the family. https://youtu.be/xmm0Icf_9sI The Prairie County sheriff claims he is not racist and said nothing wrong after a recorded phone line captured him responding to news of a shooting with a comment about black people living in the area. The call was made by the county’s communication center to Sheriff Rick Hickman after a triple shooting left three people dead. The call, first shared on social media and requested under the state’s public-record law, lasted about 90 seconds. The dispatcher can be heard describing where the shooting happened. “The house next to the apartments,” the dispatcher told Hickman. The sheriff replied, “Oh, really. Black people then.” Jimel Brown has lived in Des Arc all his life and said the sheriff’s comments are concerning. “It doesn’t sit right with me,” Brown said. “That’s not somebody you would want representing your town, protecting the people, serving the people.” https://www.kark.com/news/working4you/prairie-co-sheriff-says-he-said-nothing-wrong-about-black-people/ Luke Dixon, a long-time Los Angeles resident, respected community leader, and successful businessman passed away peacefully at the age of 109 years old on March 14, 2022. Life Celebration services for Mr. Dixon will be held Friday, April 15, 2022, 11am, at Crenshaw Christian Center, 7901 South Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA. Born in Mound, Louisiana, November 29, 1912, Mr. Dixon was a World War II veteran. He was a student at Arkansas Baptist College before being drafted into the U. S. Army in 1941 and was celebrated by his Alma Mater in 2018 in a special ceremony honoring him as their oldest living student. Following his discharge from the U. S. Army to Los Angeles, California, Mr. Dixon and his wife, Mary, began achieving notable milestones that changed the course of their lives and endeared them to their community. Always eager to learn and improve his life, Mr. Dixon began a career at the Los Angeles Post Office (Terminal Annex) in 1947 where he remained for over a decade. Actress Liz Sheridan, famed for playing Jerry Seinfeld’s sitcom mom and telling all about being James Dean’s 1950s lover, has died at the age of 93. The star passed away from natural causes around 2:30 a.m. on Friday, TMZ reports. Sheridan starred as overprotective mom Helen Seinfeld in 21 episodes of “Seinfeld” from 1990 to 1998. She is the only “Seinfeld” star — apart from the four main leads — to be featured in all nine seasons of the hit sitcom. Seinfeld paid tribute to his “TV mom” on Twitter Friday afternoon. “Liz was always the sweetest, nicest TV mom a son could wish for,” he wrote. “Every time she came on our show it was the coziest feeling for me. So lucky to have known her.” Her death comes less than two weeks after the passing of Estelle Harris — another famous “Seinfeld” star, who played George Costanza’s mom. Like Sheridan, Harris was also 93. The actress also had a recurring role as Raquel Ochmonek in the NBC smash sitcom “ALF,” which ran from 1986 – 1990. Sheridan, who was born in New York, first began her career working as a dancer in Big Apple nightclubs, where she met Dean in her early twenties — shortly before his massive “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant” film fame. The 30th Anniversary Bounce Trumpet Awards has been rescheduled for April 23, 2022, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and will air on Juneteenth, Sunday, June 19, at 7 p.m. ET. Produced by Magic Lemonade Production Company, the gala event will be televised on Bounce, the nation’s popular entertainment television network serving African Americans. The event was rescheduled from January because of COVID-19 concerns. “It’s fitting that we will honor Black excellence and achievement on a day that is a commemoration of such a significant moment in our history as African Americans,” said Cheryle Harrison, head of Bounce. “We appreciate everyone’s patience in our having to adjust this year’s schedule. Health and safety are a priority for our guests, honorees, and staff.” Broadway is awash with Tony award-winning musicals where protagonists stop at nothing to achieve their dreams. But there has never been a dream-fulfilling musical like “A Strange Loop,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning story by Michael R. Jackson. “‘A Strange Loop’ is a musical about a young Black gay man (Usher) who is working as an usher at a Broadway show and writing a musical about a young Black gay man who is working as an usher at a Broadway show,” Jackson, a Detroit native, said. The production didn’t begin as an ensemble musical about his self-perception. Instead, he looked through a first-person singular lens for the show. “It started off as a monologue, a thinly veiled monologue that I wrote right after I graduated from undergrad in 2002 or 2003. That was at that time something for me because I was 22 or 23 years old and not sure of my place in the world. I just wanted to sort of try to give myself a little bit of a life raft to sort of understand what was going on with me,” Jackson recalled. “I never expected to go to Broadway. In the earlier stages of working on ‘A Strange Loop,’ I was ushering at Broadway theatres. So, I saw what was onstage. I couldn’t imagine that my sort of punk rock kind of musical could ever be on the stage.” In 2021, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Lifetime joined forces to bring audiences “A Seven Deadly Sins Story.” The series began with “Lust” starring Keri Hilson and “Envy” starring Serayah and Kandi Burruss. Due to the success of both films, the network green lit Jakes’ next two films. “Wrath” follows Chasity Jeffries (Michelle Williams), a lawyer who falls head over heels for a guy she meets, who soon becomes obsessed with her. https://youtu.be/RriZzZZqhac STARZ releases the new teaser trailer for season two of its critically acclaimed series “P-Valley,” a kaleidoscopic story of a little strip club that could located down deep in the Mississippi Delta, and the big characters who enter its doors. The hit drama from creator and executive producer Katori Hall, premieres Friday, June 3 at midnight on the STARZ app, STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms and internationally on the STARZPLAY premium streaming platform across the UK and Latin America. On linear, it debuts on STARZ at 9pm ET/PT in the U.S. and Canada. The upcoming sophomore season reveals a whole new Pynk as it struggles to remain open during a pandemic, a battle for the throne and the possibility of some new blood shaking up the locker room. https://youtu.be/RhOKJM_pDBM Atlanta’s own Ludacris is about to “Roll Out” of the spring season with a new degree. Georgia State University announced Monday they are granting Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges with an honorary degree during their commencement ceremony on May 4 after the University System of Georgia Board of Regents made an approval. The actor, entrepreneur, and Grammy award-winning rapper once took classes at GSU in the early 1990s before he signed a record deal with Def Jam. “We are proud that Chris Bridges got his start at Georgia State,” Georgia State President M. Brian Blake, who nominated the multi-platinum artist, wrote in a statement. According to a statement from the university, Ludacris is receiving the honor for his “support of Georgia State’s creative media arts and law programs, his substantial commitment to the metro Atlanta community and his nationwide philanthropic endeavors.” Jackson’s production will be on the stage of the Lyceum Theatre on the Great White Way beginning Tuesday, April 26, 2022. As the playwright, lyricist, and composer of “A Strange Loop,” he promises music that’s spicy and ear warming. In addition to being the best in the series of “Fantastic Beasts” magical adventures, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” is a feast for our taxing times. When the cast returned to its old New York stomping grounds prior to a screening of “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” it was like a breath of fresh air. They came the same day a mad man smoke bombed a train and shot numerous riders. That, coupled with a non-stoppable maniac allowed to perpetuate unimaginable atrocities on the people of Ukraine, and the never-ending assault and murder of people of color, who wouldn’t want to escape into the magical world of “Fantastic Beasts?” https://youtu.be/Y9dr2zw-TXQ “Stranger Things” 4 Vol. 1 premieres May 27th, only on Netflix. It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down. https://youtu.be/4DUZAtoTO4c Tope Awotona, the forty-year-old Nigerian who founded the Calendly app, has joined the club of the richest immigrants in the US. The Calendly, scheduling software for streamlining work-life, meetings, and appointments, is now worth $3 billion after it took Silicon Valley by storm. This windfall has made Awotona one of the richest immigrants. Forbes has estimated his personal net worth at $1.4 billion. He is also the CEO of Calendly. https://youtu.be/Hit7SXi1Ccs We have heard of all sorts of “bad” relationships, but Patti LaBelle’s was what many considered the “perfect” relationship, so its ending took many by surprise. For starters, LaBelle used to be a wife to a man called Armstead Edwards. They married way back in 1969. It was a perfect marriage because they never argued. They had been good friends before they married, and perhaps they were meant for each other. However, one day Patti decided they might as well go their separate ways, according to ILoveOldSchoolMusic. What is gradually coming out is that long-lasting marriages are a thing of the past. These days it is hard to come by marriages that last over 10 years, especially in the entertainment industry. Yet Patti remained married to Armstead for over 30 years. Armstead was actually her manager before they even fell in love. He asked her to marry him three times, and she turned him down three times. But one day, she caved in. It was her turn to ask him. https://youtu.be/fU-faNkf_qU Naturi Naughton wedded in Atlanta and she took to social media to share her joy with her fans and followers. She was joined at the huge wedding party by some of her former co-stars from the Power show. They stood alongside her and Two Lewis, the groom. There were 11 groomsmen and 8 bridesmaids. The best man happened to be Omari Hardwick, her onscreen husband. La La Anthony and Angela Yee were among the bridesmaids. https://youtu.be/0PQAzew9XlY Rihanna became a trending topic yesterday, not for her fashionable maternity wear, or any new music tease, but because a wild rumor began circulating about her and A$AP Rocky. The story that went viral claimed Rihanna called it quits with the New York rapper after she caught him cheating with Amina Muaddi — the shoe designer for Rihanna’s Fenty brand. A Thursday tweet from fashion blogger Louis Pisano read: “Rihanna & ASAP Rocky have split. Rihanna broke up with him after she caught him cheating with shoe designer Amina Muaddi.” He continued: “Amina was responsible for designing Fenty’s footwear offering and Rihanna is often seen in custom shoes from her own label. ASAP & Amina is not new though as she was seeing him years ago and also collaborated with him on a collection of shoes. Things apparently hit the fan at Craigs in LA.” While those claims weren’t confirmed as the stars did not comment on the matter, it didn’t stop Twitter from going into a meltdown. Joseline Hernandez was recently accused of beating down some girls on her show and now it looks like she will have to beat her way through court! According to @tmz_tv, the reality star is being sued for $25M after a bunch of dancers from “Joseline’s Cabaret” claimed she put the paws on them on set! A total of four women are accusing her of ambushing them while trying to film. In docs obtained by the news outlet, the dancers claim they showed up in high heels for the reunion show taping, but Joseline had other plans for them. One woman claims Joseline violently kicked her in the ribs, while another claims Joseline dragged her by her hair and kicked her in the back. A third dancer alleges Joseline grabbed her by the neck and shoved her to the ground, TMZ reports. The fourth woman said Joseline pushed her and only threatened to beat her up. As his death date draws near, a South Carolina death row inmate has chosen to be executed by firing squad. Richard Bernard Moore became the first prisoner in the state forced to choose how he wanted to die. The electric chair is South Carolina’s default, but inmates may also choose to be shot to death. Moore has spent over two decades on death row for the murder of James Mahoney, a Spartanburg store clerk, in 1999. Moore’s attorney’s argued that he entered the store unarmed with only the intent to rob it. However, during a scuffle with Mahoney, he took hold of the clerk’s gun and shot him with it. Moore was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to die for the slaying. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcbHiEvDRxN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Walden University, a for-profit school, deliberately put up a scheme to lure and trap students in a cycle of debt and despair, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland against the institution. The scheme targeted mainly Black and female students. The class-action suit was filed by the National Student Legal Defense Network in January on behalf of several ex-students who allege that the school went against consumer protection laws and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by targeting minorities and women when it misrepresented the costs and credits required to acquire an advanced degree. Aljanal Carroll joined Walden University in 2017 for a doctorate in business administration. At that time, she was told she could complete her course in 18 months. She easily made it through the coursework hoping for timely graduation. But she ran into many issues when she got to her “capstone project.” That is her dissertation. https://youtu.be/Ss_5fucqlIs Officials in Sacramento and Washington frequently point to the low unemployment rate in the state and around the country as proof that the U.S. economy has recovered from the downturn experienced during the global COVID-19 crisis. But the total unemployment rate for Black Californians seems stuck at almost three times higher than the national rate – despite steady increases in overall hiring of African Americans in the state. A sharp drop in the national unemployment rate for all Americans – down to 3.6 % in February — brings the number of people without jobs across the United States to just one tenth of a point above the pre [1] pandemic level of 3.5% (February 2020), according to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor. https://youtu.be/f7oqefnQJCQ Low-income Americans who missed signing up for 2022 Affordable Care Act coverage can now enroll in plans with $0 premiums through the federal exchange’s website. Those with incomes less than 150% of the federal poverty level — $19,320 for an individual and $39,750 for a family of four — can select policies on healthcare.gov through a special enrollment period, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told CNN exclusively on Monday. Most people will be able to select plans with no premiums, while others may have to pay a few dollars. The agency is launching advertising and outreach campaigns to spread the word about the new special enrollment period, which lasts for the rest of the year. The effort will also target those experiencing certain life changes, such as losing job-based coverage, getting divorced or aging out of a parent’s policy, which have always allowed them to sign up for Obamacare policies during the year. https://youtu.be/YEGpriv2TAc Rapper Bankroll Freddie was in an Arkansas jail Friday after being arrested on federal drug and weapons charges, officials said. The 27-year-old performer, known off stage as Freddie Demarus Gladney of Conway, Arkansas, was arrested about 6:30 p.m. Thursday during a traffic stop for speeding on Interstate 55 in Marion, Arkansas, almost 20 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, according to the Arkansas State Police. A search of Freddie’s pickup truck yielded a gun, 21 pounds of marijuana and 171 grams of the prescription sedative promethazine, said Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler. Freddie was booked into the Crittenden County Detention Center on state drug and weapons charges and held for the FBI on equivalent federal charges. Jail and court records list no attorney for him. Emma Raducanu won on her Billie Jean King Cup debut to give Britain a crucial point in their qualifier against the Czech Republic with a hard-fought 7-5 7-5 win over Tereza Martincova in windy conditions in Prague on Friday. U.S. Open champion Raducanu, 19, was playing her first professional match on clay and gradually adjusted to the surface as she battled back in both sets to level the best-of-five tie after Harriet Dart lost 6-1 6-0 to Marketa Vondrousova. Raducanu was trailing 4-5 and saved a set point before winning three games on the bounce to take the opening set. She then found herself 1-4 down but rallied to win six of the last seven games to close out the win. “This one means so much to me because it is my first match in the Billie Jean King Cup and representing the team in my first match on clay,” said Raducanu, whose last match on clay was at the 2019 junior French Open. “Playing on clay took some adjusting even now. With the wind and some tricky bounces, to adjust and adapt in the situation was very challenging but I’m proud of how I dug in.” Tiger Woods has added another start to his itinerary. The 15-time major champion, who tied for 47th in last week’s Masters in his first official start in more than 500 days, will play in the JP McManus Pro-Am, a two-day event in Ireland beginning 10 days before The Open Championship. Following the final round at Augusta National Golf Club, Woods told Sky Sports he would play in the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews, the Home of Golf. However, Woods did not commit to playing the PGA Championship in May at Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma; Woods won the 2007 PGA there. Woods said he’d try to play. A Brazilian man is celebrating the end of his country’s mask mandate by having both of his ears removed as his latest body modification. Michel Faro do Prado (a/k/a Human Satan) added the newest modification to a long list of tattoos and piercings to fit his “devil” image. According to The Sun, his teeth were even customized to appear satanic-like. Prado aka “Diabão” posted images of his new modification on social media where commentators on Reddit were shocked by the ears removal. One user mentioned how ears are not only used for masks but serve other purposes. https://youtu.be/ylvhg9ATW64 A New Jersey man was sentenced to 375 years in prison for the 2016 murders of two children and a college student and the stabbings of three others — crimes so heinous the judge called the bloody scene a “house of horrors.” On Friday, Judge Ronald Wigler sentenced Jeremy Arrington, 32, to three consecutive life sentences for fatally stabbing Ariel Little Whitehurst, 7, and her brother, Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, and fatally shooting college student Syasia McBurroughs, 23, a friend of the family who happened to be visiting their home on November 5, 2016, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a release. Arrington, who had known the victims for years, attacked the family after he became enraged about a Facebook comment, prosecutors said. One of the stabbing victims had reposted an alert on Facebook about Arrington being wanted in connection with a previous shooting and sexual assault, NJ.com reported. Furious, Arrington broke into the Whitehurst’s apartment in Newark with a loaded firearm. A troubling video has struck a nerve amongst African Americans in the Plymouth Canton community. The recording appears to show a white high school student threatening to shoot and lynch African-Americans—while calling them a number of racial slurs. Plymouth Canton Community Schools Superintendent Monica Merritt addressed the video during a board meeting and in a letter to parents and students Monday night, saying, “We do not condone or tolerate reprehensible acts of this nature.” “I am not able to give details, there is not an active threat I will say, at our school at this moment,” Merritt said Tuesday night. https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/students-racist-video-threatening-to-kill-black-classmates-leaves-plymouth-canton-community-shaken When Peter and Dorcas Lyoya moved their family to the United States eight years ago to escape violence in their home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, they believed they had found “a safe land,” Dorcas Lyoya said. That notion was shattered earlier this month, when their eldest child, Patrick Lyoya, was fatally shot by a Grand Rapids, Michigan, police officer during a traffic stop. “I’m surprised and astonished that it is here that my son was killed with a bullet,” Dorcas Lyoya said Thursday through a language interpreter. The family’s native language is Swahili. In their first comments since videos of the deadly encounter were released to the public, the Lyoyas called for “justice for Patrick” and demanded that the officer who shot him be held accountable. They also said they were shocked that their son had died in their adopted home country. “I didn’t believe in this country that there is genocide,” Peter Lyoya said. “I didn’t know that in America there can be an execution style to kill someone with a gun and be a police officer.” Lyoya, 26, was killed on the morning of April 4 after he was pulled over by an officer, who told him his license plate didn’t match the car he was driving. Four videos of the encounter, released Wednesday, showed Lyoya and the officer struggling before Lyoya was shot. Lyoya, a Black man, was facedown on the ground when he was fatally shot in the back of the head, one of the videos showed. Russia accused the Biden administration of ‘adding fuel’ to the conflict in Ukraine and warned there could be ‘unpredictable consequences’ if it continued to supply the most sensitive weapons to the war-torn nation, according to details of a diplomatic message published on Friday. It came after Washington stepped up its support to Ukrainian armed forces with an $800 million package that for the first time included 155 mm howitzer long-range artillery, as well as armored vehicles, and coastal defense drones. The supply of weapons – particularly anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems – has been credited with thwarting Russian efforts to seize the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. A two-page diplomatic note or démarche, dated Tuesday, was sent to the State Department by the Russian Embassy in Washington. It accused the U.S. and N.A.T.O. allies of trying to force Ukraine to ‘abandon’ negotiations with Russia ‘in order to continue the bloodshed,’ while pressuring other countries to end military and technical cooperation with Moscow. ‘We call on the United States and its allies to stop the irresponsible militarization of Ukraine, which implies unpredictable consequences for regional and international security,’ the note said. Shanghai’s residents are rebelling against draconian curbs brought in as part of the Communist regime’s failing zero-Covid policy. Chilling videos show outraged citizens in China’s biggest city scuffling with hazmat-suited police who have ordered them to surrender their homes to Covid patients. Dozens of buildings in the city have been converted to make-shift isolation hubs as local officials struggle to contain record daily infection rates, which have breached 25,000 in recent days. Separate clips posted online seems to show police pinning angry protestors to the ground and forcibly restraining them in both Shanghai and Haining, located 125km southwest. Residents stuck in Shanghai, which has been locked down since April, have flooded social media with complaints of food shortages and over-zealous officialdom which has forced them into an ineffective state quarantine. Footage has even shown desperate citizens bursting through barricades demanding food. Israeli security forces entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem before dawn on Friday as thousands of Palestinians were gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, setting off clashes that medics said wounded at least 67 Palestinians. Israel said its forces entered to remove rocks and stones that had been gathered in anticipation of violence. The holy site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has often been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions were already heightened amid a recent wave of violence. Clashes at the site last year helped spark an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. In a gray sharkskin suit and aviator sunglasses, Pastor Christopher Benek stands on a patch of astroturf at the edge of the First Miami Presbyterian church parking lot. “Here’s the thing,” he says. “Right now this is a parking lot.” A developer has a plan to make it much more than that, and Benek is buying in. Benek was hired in 2018 as a “crisis-management specialist” to lead First Miami Presbyterian, the oldest congregation in the city, away from what seemed like impending ruin. The church has been a fixture in the community since 1896, peaking in membership at about 1,400 in the late 1980s before dwindling to 140 in the early aughts and continuing to decline. “They’ve been a financial wreck for years,” Benek says. “Those problems don’t get solved overnight.” With the church facing over $7m in back taxes, Benek has negotiated a potential deal to sell 2.2 acres of its 3.4 acre lot to a local developer for $240m. (Just four years ago, it was valued at $66m – a symptom of the rental market’s blistering recent inflation.) This last slice of undeveloped waterfront property in downtown Miami’s financial district has been coveted by developers for years. Most Black Americans consider race to be central to their identity, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. Over three-fourths, 76 percent, of Black Americans said that being Black is either extremely important or very important to their identity, the survey found. Thursday’s report comes roughly six months after the Pew Research began its online survey in which 3,912 Black Americans responded. The survey is also the latest installment in a series of studies from the center on the diversity of Black Americans. Out of the survey respondents, 54 percent said that being Black was extremely important to their identity while 22 percent said it was very important. That sentiment was even stronger among non-Hispanic Black Americans, the survey found, with 78 percent of those respondents reported that being Black is very or extremely important “to how they think about themselves.” Anthony Parnther was on a mission. When chatting via Zoom in late March, the conductor and bassoonist was calling in from a hotel room in Kansas City. “I actually came up here to buy a very specific contrabassoon, which is sitting right over there,” he said, pointing to the cumbersome woodwind behind him. “I grabbed it this morning and I’ll be heading back to L.A. with it now.” As soon as he returned, Parnther would play the instrument on the score for the highly anticipated Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi (premiering May 27). The contrabassoon seems especially fitting: It looks like a Star Wars weapon, and its tone is as deep and otherworldly as Jabba the Hutt’s voice. “I think it was played in the cantina band [from 1977’S Star Wars],” Parnther said, without missing a beat. “That’s a rather bassoon-y looking instrument.” Allyson Felix, who finished last year’s Tokyo Games with more Olympic medals than any US track and field athlete in history, has announced her intention to retire after the 2022 season concludes. ‘This season isn’t about the time on the clock, it’s simply about joy,’ Felix said in an Instagram post Wednesday. ‘If you see me on the track this year I hope to share a moment, a memory and my appreciation with you.’ At age 35, Felix won a bronze medal in the 400 meters last summer in Tokyo, then followed it up with a gold medal in the 4×400 relay. Those were her 10th and 11th Olympic medals, which helped her pass Carl Lewis in the US record book and left her behind only one runner in history, Finland’s Paavo Nurmi, who won 12 medals between 1920 and 1928. ‘As a little girl they called chicken legs, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I’d have a career like this,’ read Felix’s post. ‘I have so much gratitude for this sport that has changed my life. I have given everything I have to running and for the first time I’m not sure if I have anything left to give. I want to say goodbye and thank you to the sport and people who have helped shape me the only way I know how—with one last run.’ In an interview with Insider, actor and entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg expressed that it has been difficult to find a church he can attend without being subject to movie pitches from other parishioners. “I mean, I would literally move around from church to church because I would get pitched a lot,” Wahlberg, who is Catholic, said. “Yeah. I’m not at church looking to find material. I’m trying to find some peace and quiet to be able to worship.” Ironically, it was a priest who pitched Wahlberg the idea for his latest film, “Father Stu,” a biopic about a boxer turned priest named Stuart Long. Wahlberg compared the circumstances of the pitch to a “bad joke,” according to RNS, as he was out to dinner with “two priests and a bottle of wine.” Chart-topper William Murphy releases a brand-new single “Just Us,” which is available now at digital music providers, and marks his lead single going out to Gospel radio. A powerful new anthem from his upcoming new album Worship & Justice, the three-time GRAMMY® nominated, Stellar Award-winning artist, songwriter and pastor also releases the music video for “Just Us.” Creating an uplifting atmosphere of communal purpose on “Just Us,” William Murphy delivers a potent live performance with a message of unifying to seek change, justice, and hope on the music video. The music video had its broadcast debut on the BET Gospel network, and showcases Murphy’s performance from his live album recording for Worship & Justice, which was filmed in December 2021 at his church, The dReam Center Church of Atlanta. Encouraging listeners in their faith, Murphy calls forth on the power of our voices and being able to make a change when standing together as a community, finding strength together with the choral refrain “Even if it’s just us, there’s still enough of us. We gon’ change the world.” Written by William Murphy, Dontavious Ladson, and Wendell Donald, “Just Us” is produced by Kenneth Leonard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blFREvx0Szc Lifetime's Seven Deadly Sins Anthology movie installment, Wrath, from executive producers T.D. Jakes, Derrick Williams and Shaun Robinson continues this Saturday, April 16 at 8/7c. Based on the series of books by Victoria Christopher Murray, Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story stars Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child), Tina Knowles-Lawson (Profiled: The Black Man), Romeo Miller (Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection) and Antonio Cupo (Blood & Treasure). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-X-nJAWWU&feature=youtu.be Stellar, GRAMMY, Dove, and American Music Award winner, PDA delivers a hot new up-tempo single titled "We Go Hard" featuring J Moss. Teaming up with long time collaborator J Moss, on this new offering will proven to be just what your Spring/Summer playlist needs. "We Go Hard" is sure to inspire, invigorate, and spark excitement in Gospel music listeners. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/i7wfepzy9k39w60ansbp9/h?dl=0&preview=We+Go+Hard+PDA+ft.+J+Moss.mp3&rlkey=y08d5l8d66k193ijhtkbl06oc BET Sunday Best Season 9 Winner, Melvin Crispell, III took to social media to announce the launch of his new YouTube Series, Mel's Music Hall! https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTJTUrLqhC/ Too many people have had to endure the incredibly faith-shaking emotions from a life-threatening diagnosis or injury. For songwriter and singer Ken Gober, music powered by the word of God is a weapon to fight with and bring peace to emotionally charged situations. His new single, "Either Way" is a wonderfully written and emphatic glimpse into the very heart of these emotions. "Either Way" is written by Ken, Samuel Hart, and Jackson Michelson. Ken delivers this inspiring message over a soothing and impelling rhythm. The single is impacting radio now and will be available on all digital music platforms on April 22. https://www.dropbox.com/s/mpwwvr7j4tw8re0/Either%20Way%20-%20Ken%20Gober.mp3?dl=0 To recap, an apparently deranged gunman who detonated smoke bombs before indiscriminately opening fire on a subway train at the height of rush hour at a busy station was able to escape while wearing bright orange clothing and eluded capture for more than a day until a tipster alerted the cops. Yet the NYPD was readily taking credit for capturing Frank James, the alleged Brooklyn subway shooter who injured nearly two dozen people when he pulled out a gun on the N train on Tuesday morning and shot 10 people before fleeing and remaining at large until Wednesday afternoon. That’s why a growing number of memes mocking and ridiculing the NYPD in subways have been hitting social media in the day since James launched his attack at a train station in Brooklyn that was seemingly absent of any police presence during the attack. Nor was there any police officer reported to be on the train in question despite new Mayor Eric Adams assigning a “record” number of transit cops to patrol trains and stations as citywide crime surged. One single sentence written by the New York Times about police responding to Tuesday’s shooting sums up the NYPD’s role in apprehending James: “A uniformed officer approached, said his radio was not working and asked passengers to call 911.” That further explains why it shouldn’t really be a surprise that it wasn’t actually the NYPD that caught James, for all intents and purposes; it was Zack Tahhan, a man who works in a bodega — a convenience store of sorts, for the uninitiated — and recognized the 62-year-old prime suspect before taking the initiative to contact law enforcement, which had been scrambling ever since it became clear they were absolutely clueless where James was. https://twitter.com/i/status/1514302417399128064 New York City Mayor Eric Adams is once again reminding us that he used to be a cop. He’s doing that thing only cops and white people do when a Black person is killed by anyone other than a cop or a white person—he’s calling out the Black Lives Matter movement out of nowhere. “Where are all those who stated ‘Black lives matter?’” Adams said Wednesday on NY1 after multiple shootings were reported out of Brooklyn and the Bronx, according to the New York Post. “Do an analysis of who was killed or shot last night. I was up all night speaking to my commanders in the Bronx, in Brooklyn. The victims were black.” Three people were killed and at least 13 others were wounded in a series of shootings that rocked parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn late Tuesday and early Wednesday, police and sources said. The fatalities included a 23-year-old woman and two men, 22 and 21, all killed in separate Bronx shootings. At least five other shootings were reported in New York City during a roughly six-hour span, authorities said. “The lives of these black children that are dying every night matter,” Adams said. “We can’t be hypocrites.” President Joe Biden‘s Thursday address to the nation from one of the most prominent HBCUs in the country was expected to detail his plan to fight the current inflation issues the country is facing. The scene at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro will paint an interesting picture since Black students in higher education are some of the most heavily impacted individuals by the inflation crisis. A huge reason for that is because of the higher likelihood for Black students to be saddled with student loan debt. According to the Education Data initiative, Black and African American college graduates owe an average of $25,000 more in student loan debt than white college graduates. Hulu has ordered an eight-episode limited series exploring the life of #SammyDavisJr. The series, set to star Elijah Kelley, is told through the lens of Sammy’s racial identity and relationship with the Black community. #LeeDaniels will serve as co-writer and executive producer on the series and will even direct the first two episodes. Lee has worked to develop this project for years, with reports going back to 2013 that he was developing it as a movie for HBO. In addition to starring in the series, Elijah will produce and collaborate on some of the show’s original music. This will be the third time Lee and Elijah have worked together. The pair previously teamed on Lee Daniel’s “The Butler” and Fox’s “Star.” Cardi B and Offset have finally shared with fans the name of their 7-month-old son whom they welcomed on Sept. 4. Meet Wave Set Cephus, and he is the spitting image of his older sister, 3-year-old daughter Kulture. Offset is also dad to daughter Kalea, 7, and sons Kody, 7, and Jordan, 12, from previous relationships. On Thursday, Cardi B, 29, and Offset, 30, also announced the name of their son and shared photos of their adorable baby boy in the latest issue of Essence. https://www.instagram.com/iamcardib/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=94530635-2cbf-484a-9fcc-dec7ddf178ae Wendy Williams is reportedly planning a big return to television after her talk show was canceled and replaced by a new talker hosted by Sherri Shepherd — which will air this fall. While out in NYC on Wednesday night, Williams was overheard telling friends she’s ready to make a “big comeback on TV,” per Page Six. According to the outlet, Williams, 57, was spotted having dinner with financial expert and TV personality Baruch Shemtov at Fresco by Scotto. “Wendy was talking to Baruch about her situation with Wells Fargo and she confidently said ‘I’m getting my money back very soon,’” the unnamed source reported. Another witness claims Wendy looked “vibrant” and “No one was helping her.” “It was very different from the person who we’ve seen in the wheelchair,” the source said. “She was walking by herself. No one helped her get in her car. She climbed right in and it was a Suburban.” The president of the WNBA Players Association believes Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner is imprisoned in Russia “because of a gender issue.” The seven-time WNBA All-Star has been detained in Russian since February. She was arrested in the country after arriving at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on a flight from New York. Officials found multiple vape cartridges containing “significant amounts” of cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner, 31, is reportedly charged with smuggling “narcotic drugs” into Russia. She faces five to 10 years in prison if convicted, according to CNN. Griner has played in Russia during the offseason since 2015. She is “a member of the UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian basketball team that competes in the Russian Premier League and FIBA Europe’s EuroLeague Women,” per PEOPLE. Her arrest came several weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA Players Association, appeared on “Good Morning America” Tuesday to discuss Griner’s situation. https://youtu.be/15AaEFucyUk Atlanta rapper #ArchieEversole, best known for his ‘We Ready’ song, has died at age 37. #DeKalbCounty police said Thursday Eversole was shot on March 25, and his brother is being charged with his murder, WSB-TV Atlanta reports. Officers responded to a shooting at a Chevron gas station, where they found Eversole suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital and succumbed to his injuries on April 3. Police say Eversole’s brother, Alexander Kraus, shot him. At just 17, Eversole recorded his first album, “Ride Wit Me Dirty South Style,” which features the song ‘We Ready.’ The 2002 hit is a game-day anthem at football games and other major sporting events to this day. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcVlbUSrmAs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Comedian and former SNL star Molly Shannon is speaking out about how she was sexually harassed by Gary Coleman early in her career. Shannon previously mentioned her encounter with the late actor but her tale largely went ignored by the media. In a new interview on the Howard Stern Show to promote her memoir, Shannon recalled what went down when the “Diff’rent Strokes” actor invited her to his hotel room via his agent, who was also her agent at the time. As reported by Complex, Shannon said when this agent led her up to Coleman’s room, the agent suddenly “disappeared.” “I think he was like, ‘Sit down [on the bed].’ It was very sweet,” she said of Coleman. “And then he’s, like, tickling me a little. This and that.” https://youtu.be/uLOu0u3_jAo Alfonso Ribeiro and Will Smith remain lifelong friends since starring together on the hit 90’s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” just don’t expect the actor to read Smith’s memoir anytime soon. “For many, many, many years, people speculated about them as a family. They are laying it out there in a way that is their truth. I don’t know if I’ll read the book because I know the people,” Ribeiro explained to People. Smith’s memoir, published by Penguin Press in November, is an “inspirational tale of how [Will Smith’s] true self-knowledge helped to propel him to extraordinary success, and then evolve further to a place of deeper peace – with himself, his loved ones, and the world,” according to the press release, as reported by PEOPLE. There’s currently a bidding war underway to turn the memoir into a biopic. Kerrion Franklin, the estranged son of Kirk Franklin and reality star on Bad Boys: Los Angeles, has reportedly been arrested and is being held without bond. According to court documents from Beverly Hills Police, Kerrion was arrested around 7:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, April 10. He was allegedly driving a car belonging to a woman who was reported missing and is presumed to be dead. A gun was also discovered in the automobile, but the 33-year-old insists the firearm isn’t his and that he has no connection to the woman in question. Larry Reid of Larry Reid Live—an Atlanta-based entertainment news talk show—reported that Kerrion was “wrongfully detained” and was initially stopped by local authorities because of his taillight. However, it appeared the arrest stemmed from charges filed in Texas, but Kerrion feels the charges were piled on after officers claimed he resisted arrest. Kerrion spoke to Reid from jail. “I’m just keeping my mind positive. I really do aim to live a righteous lifestyle, all of this is unnecessary. I just want you guys to keep me in your prayers,” said Kerrion according to Reid. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s marriage counselor said Thursday that the actress initiated physical fights more than once, but that the couple engaged in ‘mutual abuse.’ Dr. Laurel Anderson, a marriage counselor who worked with the former spouses for a total of 21 sessions beginning in October 2015, gave revealing video testimony during Depp’s $100million defamation trial in Virginia. ‘I know she led (the fights) on more than one occasion and started it to keep him with her because abandonment and having him leave was her worst nightmare,’ Dr. Anderson said. ‘Miss Heard reported that it was a point of pride to her, if she felt disrespected to initiate a fight. Her father had beaten her, she was not going to end. ‘If he was going to leave she would strike him to keep him there. She would rather be in a fight than have him leave.’ Asked if it was her assessment that while Depp said he wasn’t violent with any of his other partners, there was violence from him towards Heard, she said yes. She said: ‘He had been well controlled for almost 20, 30 years and both (Depp and Heard) were victims of abuse in their homes. I thought he’d been well controlled for decades and with Miss Heard he was triggered and they engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse.’ The Grand Rapid Police Department has released footage showing the officer-involved fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya. Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black man, was fatally shot during an April 4 traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after an officer pulled him over for an issue with his license plate registration. Police Chief Eric Winstrom explained during a press conference that Lyoya attempted to flee during the encounter but there was a brief struggle before the victim was shot in the back of the head by the cop. https://youtu.be/oCp_MNW3qBM The head of the World Health Organization has blasted the world’s focus on the horrific invasion of Ukraine, saying it shows the lack of ‘equal attention to black and white lives’. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus claimed other crises such as in his home country of Ethiopia do not receive the same concern as Putin’s war which has had major geopolitical consequences. The health boss said current emergencies in Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria have only received a ‘fraction’ of the attention of Ukraine. Tedros said: ‘I need to be blunt and honest that the world is not treating the human race the same way. ‘Some are more equal than others. And when I say this, it pains me. Because I see it. Very difficult to accept but it’s happening.’ He acknowledged that the situation in Ukraine was globally significant, but questioned if other crises were being accorded enough attention. Tedros, who is from Tigray, said the siege of the region by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces was one of the longest in modern history and noted that a recent truce had still not allowed in significant amounts of humanitarian aid. He said an estimated 100 trucks per day of life-saving aid are needed in the region after the war broke out in November 2020. Vice President Kamala Harris, a long-time champion of tackling the Black maternal health crisis in the United States, brought that focus to the White House on Wednesday to convene the first-ever Cabinet meeting to specifically address maternal health. The meeting comes during the fifth annual Black Maternal Health Week; which was created to bring national attention to the alarming maternal mortality rate among Black women and birthing persons. Harris described the meeting as a follow-up to a number of initiatives from the administration, including expanding postpartum coverage and creating a “birthing friendly” designation for hospitals. https://youtu.be/sJuCQ9Mt12k In February, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Omishakin, 44, makes history as the first African American to serve in that cabinet-level position responsible for overseeing all state agencies that regulate and support transportation and administer services related to the sector. “@CAgovernor want to express gratitude for new appt to Cabinet Secretary @CA_Trans_Agency,” Omishaken thanked the Governor in a Twitter post after his nomination was announced in February. https://youtu.be/gyan5INi-H0 The Republican-controlled legislature in Kentucky voted Wednesday to override Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of legislation that would prohibit transgender athletes from competing in sex-segregated sporting events from sixth grade through college. The expected move came after Beshear refused to sign Senate Bill 83 last week and claimed it was most likely unconstitutional. He said the legislation “discriminates against transgender people” and therefore would not hold up in court. The measure is now law in the state after the Republicans overrode the veto of the legislation, which originally passed through the state House with a 70 to 23 vote and the state Senate with a 26 to 9 vote. Under the new law, a student’s gender will be determined by the “biological sex” indicated on the student’s certified birth certificate “as originally issued at the time of birth or adoption.” This means individuals who transitioned to female later in life could not participate on sports teams designated female in the state. Republican Sen. Robby Mills, the bill’s lead sponsor, has said the measure would ensure girls and women compete against other “biological females.” Immigrants arriving in Britain in search of a better life will be packed off to Rwanda without the right to return under plans unveiled by Boris Johnson today. Under a £120million agreement with Kigali, economic migrants arriving in the UK illegally will be refused asylum and detained in a former military base before being flown directly to the African nation. In a speech this morning – as more migrants arrived on the south coast – the Prime Minister invoked the spirit of Brexit in support of the scheme, saying: ‘The British people voted several times to control our borders.’ He said that while the UK’s compassion may be ‘endless’, its capacity to host people was not, adding: ‘We cannot expect the UK taxpayer to write a black cheque.’ But he immediately faces criticism over the cost of the scheme – which critics said could reach £1.4billion – and Rwanda’s dubious human rights record, after he said the nation was ‘dynamic’. Rwanda is best known in the West for a 1994 ethnic genocide that left up to 800,000 Tutsi people dead and it still has a mixed human rights records. Amnesty International says there are still concerns over ‘enforced disappearances, allegations of torture and excessive use of force’. Earlier this month the Refugee Minister Lord Harrington said there was ‘no possibility’ of migrants being sent there. A youth pastor has been arrested on several charges of sexual assault against a child, according to the Mesquite Police Department. Conner “Jesse” Penny, 32, was arrested on April 5 and booked into the Dallas County Jail for charges that include aggravated sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child with sexual contact and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, court records show. According to a press release from MPD, an investigation revealed that Penny had sexual contact with a female victim under the age of 17 on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2018. “Since his arrest, additional victims have made outcries of abuse by Penny occurring between 2013 and 2021 with arrest warrants also obtained,” police said in the release. Penny worked as a youth pastor at Inspiration Church, formerly known as Mimosa Lane Baptist Church, in Mesquite, at the time of his arrest. He has previously worked at the City of Mesquite and as a teacher’s aide at the Mesquite Independent School District, where he was also a counselor through the Recreational After School Program. Yaya Mayweather has pleaded guilty to stabbing one of NBA YoungBoy’s baby mamas. Mayweather stabbed Lapattra Lashai Jacobs at the rapper’s Houston home in 2020. As reported by Complex, she appeared in court in Houston on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The stabbing occurred when Jacobs made the mistake of showing up at Youngboy’s home while Mayweather was there and things allegedly went south. The two women reportedly had an argument. Jacobs told Mayweather to leave and Mayweather allegedly responded by saying she was Youngboy’s fiancee and that Jacobs should leave. Mayweather and Jacobs ended up coming to blows in the kitchen, with Mayweather allegedly charging at Jacobs with two knives and stabbing her. A Houston woman days away from giving birth was found shot to death in her car Friday morning, authorities said. According to a Houston Police Department news release, 27-year-old Amber Butler was discovered in the driver’s seat of her white Chevrolet Malibu “parked in the main lane of traffic and the engine still running.” She suffered from a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead on the scene. Shortly after her death, loved ones paid tribute to the young mom on social media. “We love you! Watch over us,” one post read. “Rest In Peace, beautiful,” said another. Police in Miami have arrested a 41-year-old woman in the deaths of her two young children after officers responded to repeated hang-up 911 calls from her apartment where they found their tied-up bodies. “Come get them, I don’t want them anymore,” Odette Lysse Joassaint told officers who responded to the scene on Tuesday night, according to the arrest report. Police said she appeared to be irrational. The officers entered the apartment and found a 3-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. The children were lying in a prone position on the bed with their arms, legs and neck tied, a police report said. They tried to resuscitate the children until a Miami Fire Rescue crew arrived and pronounced them dead. Authorities have not released information on how they were killed, but the woman has been charged with two counts of murder. It is not yet clear how many calls were made to 911 or whether she spoke to a dispatcher. Miami police spokesperson Michael Vega said the father was not living there at the time but said there had been at least four calls made to the address in the past year over domestic violence, trespassing and disturbance. None of the incidents involved the children and no arrests were made, Vega said. Vincent Jean, a New Jersey man who repeatedly ran over a woman in a bizarre and horrifying road-rage attack. And it was all caught on video. Witnesses captured the harrowing scene on Tuesday in Elizabeth (NJ) and it shows Jean, 56, driving his silver Mitsubishi SUV over the 23-year-old victim after they had a minor traffic accident nearby, Union County authorities said Wednesday. https://youtu.be/tHtTl9mstrE Following the arrest of the Brooklyn Subway shooting suspect, his YouTube rants began to surface on the internet. Frank James — who made a video last month warning viewers that he was “entering the danger zone” — rented a U-Haul van fastened to the N train attack in Sunset Park and is being sought for questioning, police said at an evening conference. “Mr. Mayor, I’m a victim of your mental health program,” James said in one prolonged video. “I’m 63 now full of hate, full of anger, and full of bitterness.” He also chastised the mayor for not doing more to withstand homelessness. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcUX_hSg-e4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Summer Of Soul, the Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson-directed film that won the Oscar and the Grammy for documenting 1969’s now-famed Harlem Cultural Festival, has inspired a reboot of the landmark music event. Ambassador Digital Magazine editor-in-chief Musa Jackson, who attended the 1969 event and appeared in Summer of Soul, said Tuesday that he, BNP Advisory Group strategist Nikoa Evans and event producer and Captivate Marketing Group president Yvonne McNair are teaming to launch the Harlem Festival of Culture in the summer of 2023. The multi-day outdoor concert event will be a reimagining of the 1969 fest and take place in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park, where the original took place when it was known as Mount Morris Park. Official dates have not yet been announced. Organizers told Billboard that a series of events leading up to the HFC kicks off Friday with an open-mic night at the Museum of the City of New York to pay tribute to the 25th anniversary of the film Love Jones. Other musical events are being planned throughout the year featuring contemporary R&B, soul, hip-hop, gospel, jazz, reggae and Latin artists, along with community events and panel discussions. Game of Thrones actor Joseph Gatt has been arrested for allegedly having sexually explicit chats online with a minor across state lines. The 50-year-old British actor was arrested and served with a search warrant at his Los Angeles, California home on April 6, TMZ reports. LAPD sources have said Gatt was taken into custody and arrested on an outstanding felony warrant for ‘contact with a minor for a sexual offense.’ The LAPD’s Juvenile Division, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, are now seeking to identify any additional victims after the arrest. On Thursday (04/14/22), Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter and take the social media company private. According to an SEC filing, Musk has made a “best and final offer” to buy up all existing shares at a valuation of $43.4 billion, representing a 38-percent premium over the company’s closing price on April 1. Musk, who calls himself a “free-speech absolutist,” has tweeted about plans to “transform” Twitter and make “significant improvements.” He’s been a vocal critic of efforts by companies like Twitter and Meta to moderate platform content and restrict the spread of hateful and threatening speech and disinformation. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks has reportedly spread his vast fortune across multiple bank accounts. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks has reportedly spread his vast fortune across multiple bank accounts. Antetokounmpo has reportedly earned a total of $146,344,870 from playing basketball since 2013. Born and raised in Greece, Antetokounmpo previously dished with The Undefeated about his Greek heritage and Nigerian parents. The history-making athlete says his upbringing was more rooted in the Nigerian culture and heritage because of his strict parents. The popular Tyler Perry’s “Ruthless” on BET Plus is being renewed for another season. It tells a riveting story of Ruth, who becomes entangled in a scandalous cult of powerful sex-crazed fanatics led by a handsome but violent madman. She finds herself having to play along with the “Highest” who leads the cult until she can find a way to free herself and her young daughter. https://youtu.be/chYVtf87ofM Meet Paulo Goude, the 42-year-old son of Grace Jones who is also a model and a music artist like his famous mother. Goude’s father is Jones’ ex-husband, celebrity photographer Jean Paul Goude. Goude famously shot Kim Kardashian’s naked photo spread in Paper Magazine. Grace Jones touched on this in her book, “I’ll Never Write My Memoirs,” writing: “I asked him [Jean Paul Goude] why he was giving her [Kim Kardashian]– a basic commercial product – his ideas? This seemed to contradict his spirit of integrity, which he has protected for so long. Why was he repeating himself, just to give her a little flare of publicity, quickly absorbed by the next puff of self-promotion?” Grace said Goude’s responded: “Well, he replied, ‘I got the feeling that if I didn’t do that photograph, she would have simply copied the idea anyway. I might as well copy myself.’ His ideas are are so powerful that repeating them decades later still causes a hell of a fuss, however temporary…He might have done it to wind me up a little as well. Which he did.” https://www.instagram.com/nappymogul/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=02e582a8-8a85-4dc5-b340-4f3b3db29630 Garcelle Beauvais recently reflected on her brief romance with Will Smith back in the 90s and why they ultimately called it quits. “I was an ingenue [and] he was single and a TV star so we went out a couple of times — it wasn’t a long-lasting relationship,” Beauvais said on the Las Culturistas podcast about her history with Smith. Smith and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star met on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” set after his divorce from Sheree Zampino, with whom Will shares a son, Trey Smith. “I remember one day calling him and he was in the car. And his son, with Sheree, [they] were in the back,” Beauvais said. “So you know, he picked up on the car or Bluetooth or whatever it was back in the day, or speakerphone — whatever it was — and he said, ‘Hey how are you doing?’ And I said, ‘I’m great.’” “And I heard this little voice in the background go, ‘Is that Miss Jada?’ And that’s when I was like okay — I’m not the only one. Exit stage left,” Beauvais shared with a laugh, adding, “If a kid knows somebody then that person’s a little bit more important, right?!” And the rest is history… as Will would go on to marry Jada and together they have two adult children, Willow and Jaden. A billboard in San Antonio, Texas promoting the critically acclaimed multi-season series about the life of Jesus Christ titled “The Chosen” appeared to have been defaced with a message of hate towards the show. However, it is a marketing scheme by its distributor, Angel Studios. The billboard in San Antonio shows an image of the actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in the series, next to the words “ChosenSux.com. Binge Salad (eww).” The URL directs users to a website called “The Chosen Is Not Good.” The website features a satirical video titled “Stop watching the Chosen…It’s not good.” The video depicts an actor playing Satan teaching a classroom of demons and saying, “Hello class. Wellcome to hell,” in front of the words “Intro to Damnation” written on the chalk board. Julia Roberts, 54, has three children with her husband of 20 years, cinematographer Danny Moder, 53. And now the two eldest ones – 17-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus (who goes by Finn) – are heading to college in the fall, she shared with Extra as she plugged her new series Gaslit. The Hollywood power couple, who are now based in San Francisco, also have 14-year-old son Henry Daniel. ‘I mean, it makes me a little lightheaded. You say that, I mean, I’m completely excited for them. It’s really thrilling and I wasn’t lucky enough to have a college experience,’ said the Pretty Woman actress. At age 18, Julia was already landing small parts as an actress; she got her break in 1988’s movie Satisfaction with Justine Bateman, Scott Coffey and Liam Neeson. ‘And so to see how it’s happening for them is really fascinating. And yeah, I’m just, I’m excited for them.’ Roberts also said she loves living in San Francisco after moving there two years ago. Thandie Newton denies she was booted from “Magic Mike 3" after sparring with Channing Tatum over the Will Smith Oscar slap. Newton reportedly exited the film after 11 days of filming. Per Daily Mail, a Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson said: “Thandie Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal with family matters.” The Sun reports that the alleged argument between the actors took place on location in Paddington, London, and was described as “unimaginably vicious.” A source said: “Channing Tatum is the producer and number one on set. Thandie Newton is the number two star. But 11 days into shooting and it’s all over. They fell out over the debacle at The Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation.” Music legend Mary J. Blige will be honored with the Icon Award at this year’s Billboard Music Awards! It was announced earlier this morning. The ICON Award recognizes entertainers who have achieved excellence on the Billboard Charts and have made a lasting mark on the music industry. Blige who has 10 BBMA wins in total, will join the class of honorees including Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, Garth Brooks, Cher, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Prince, and Stevie Wonder. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcVWKXYAmCn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again An exclusive clip for the new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” airing TONIGHT, April 14 at 9pm on WE tv. Per press release, this season stars Hip Hop superstar K. Michelle (K. Michelle: My Life) and Kastan, Rich Dollaz and Mariahlynn, (Love & Hip Hop: New York) Lyrica and A1, (Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood) and Gangsta Boo (First Female Member of Three 6 Mafia) and Emmet as they head to Marriage Boot Camp to face the music. Dr. Ish & Judge Toler help them confront lies, betrayal, and bitter rivalries, but when secrets are exposed, will their relationships survive? https://youtu.be/4uC9UduMSoE Music legend Patti LaBelle rocked a stylish red suit for her recent performance in St. Louis. Apparently, the outfit has sent fans into a frenzy. According to BET, LaBelle was styled by Angela Dean in the custom dress suit designed by Deanzign. https://www.instagram.com/crazy_handz/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a4e28255-8e7a-41eb-8b5b-682c57bf22fa Brooklyn rapper Maino wants y’all to know that he was only joking about enjoying slave-sex role-playing with white women. But we don’t believe it was a joke. During an interview on Angela Yee’s Lip Service, Maino revealed that he likes to role play as a disobedient runaway slave while having sex with white women. “I’ve never talked about this before,” he explained. “I play like they whooping me, but most of them don’t even wanna play like that.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CcS3Kbwu3OB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. entered a plea of guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of forcibly touching a woman at a New York City nightclub in 2018. Gooding admitted to kissing the woman, a waitress at the club, on her lips without consent. He also admitted to two other incidents of non-consensual contact in October 2018 and June 2019. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Gooding is to continue alcohol and behavior modification treatment for six months and have no new arrests. After that time, he can re-plead to harassment and potentially have his case sealed. If he successfully follows the terms and re-pleads to the lesser charge, Gooding can face a sentence to time served. If he does not comply with the terms, he could face up to one year in jail. “Cuba Gooding Jr. entered into a re-pleader today whereby in six months his case will be disposed of with a violation, which is not a crime, resulting in no criminal record,” Gooding’s attorney, Peter Toumbekis, said in a statement to CNN. https://youtu.be/TpRE-neDNeg The Pan African Film and Arts Festival will kick off its 30th year with a world premiere opening night showing of “Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story.” The Pan African Film and Arts Festival will kick off its 30th year with a world premiere opening night showing of “Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story.” https://youtu.be/VXyLBHcJ1MY New York Democratic Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned Tuesday, the state’s governor said, after being arrested and indicted on charges in connection with his alleged participation in a scheme to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for securing a state grant. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had “accepted Brian Benjamin’s resignation effective immediately.” “While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. https://youtu.be/sgFU475deS8 The 62-year-old man suspected of shooting 10 people on a subway train in Brooklyn on Tuesday was arrested by patrol officers in New York’s East Village neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, three law enforcement officials told CNN. Frank James, who police initially described as a “person of interest,” was taken into custody hours after officials declared him a suspect in the shooting. His status was elevated after investigators determined he purchased the gun recovered at the scene, law enforcement officials said. He was the target of a manhunt for less than a day and was captured in Manhattan about five miles from the shooting location. James was arrested after police got a tip on its Crime Stoppers hotline. “My fellow New Yorkers, we got him. We got him,” Mayor Eric Adams said. https://youtu.be/YuAXzUhpN4k It’s been nearly two years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer and while the most concerning aspects of his case have been resolved—because Derek Chauvin has been thoroughly brought to justice—the story isn’t concluded because the fates of three more officers are still up in the air. On Monday, prosecutors revealed that they offered plea deals to former officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, according to NBC News. The specifics of the deals were not revealed by lead prosecutor Matthew Frank outside of the fact that all three defendants received the same deal, that the deals were offered on March 22—after the trio was convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights in a federal trial— and that they all ultimately rejected the deals. This was all revealed during a hearing that was mostly about Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill deciding if whether he has the authority to allow live video coverage of the upcoming state trial in which the three officers are charged with aiding and abetting manslaughter and murder in Floyd’s case. That trial is set to begin in June. Miya Ponsetto was famously dubbed “SoHo Karen” in 2020 after she physically assaulted a Black teenager she wrongly accused of stealing her cell phone at a hotel in New York City. On Monday, Ponsetto, 23, pleaded guilty to a felony — unlawful imprisonment in the second degree as a hate crime — for accusing 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. of stealing her phone and then attacking him. Per The Washington Post, via MSN, under New York state law, second-degree unlawful imprisonment is to “interfere substantially with [a victim’s] liberty by moving him or her from one place to another, or by confining him or her.” Several other charges were reportedly dropped in Ponsetto’s plea agreement, but if she gets into legal trouble within the next two years, she faces up to four years in a state prison in New York. https://youtu.be/b5N8THIOwyc It’s a tale of two GoFundMes. Two Black men who were each killed in recent brutal slayings for which there has been no accountability are receiving different monetary responses to their deaths as both of their families grieve, demand justice and seek financial assistance for mounting posthumous costs. Online donations via GoFundMe to the family of Christian Toby Obumseli have soared since his girlfriend — a white woman named Courtney Clenney who models on Instagram under the moniker Courtney Tailor — stabbed him to death on April 3 in Florida, where she remains a free woman and has not been arrested for the grisly act that her lawyer claims was committed in self-defense. That was a far cry from the GoFundMe that was set up following the police shooting of Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which happened one day after Obuseli was killed. A family spokesperson who claims to have seen the dashcam footage from the April 4 shooting said an officer shot Lyoya in the head following a “lengthy struggle” stemming from a traffic stop over an unregistered license plate. The National Urban League released its annual report on the State of Black America on Tuesday, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9 percent of the American pie white people enjoy. While Black people have made economic and health gains, they’ve slipped farther behind whites in education, social justice and civic engagement since this index was launched in 2005. A compendium of average outcomes by race in many aspects of life, it shows just how hard it is for people of color to overcome systemic racism, the civil rights organization says. “These numbers change so little and so slowly. What it tells me is that this institutional disparity based on race seems to be built into American society,” National Urban League President Marc Morial said in an interview. The index shows not only that median household income for Black people, at $43,862, is 37 percent less than that of white people, at $69,823. Black people also are less likely to benefit from home ownership, the engine of generational wealth in America. Census data shows Black couples are more than twice as likely as whites to be denied a mortgage or a home improvement loan, which leads to just 59 percent of the median home equity white households have, and just 13 percent of their wealth. A Fort Worth toddler who has been on a respirator for most of her life has been sent home following a legal battle to keep her alive. Tinslee Lewis has been at Cook Children’s Medical Center since 2019 after she was born with a rare heart condition. Her mother, Trinity Lewis, announced that the child had returned home on social media on Tuesday. The post did not go into detail about whether Tinslee was still on a respirator, but her mother said she was doing well. “I am truly blessed I was able to do everything I can to bring her home,” Lewis said in the Facebook post. “She’s doing so good.” Viola Davis says that it was stressful playing former first lady Michelle Obama, 58, in Showtime’s new series The First Lady — because high expectations come with portraying a person that is beloved by so many. Davis, 56, took on the role in the ten-part series, which she also produced, but she admits now that she is relieved the production is finished. I’m glad it’s over!’ she said on Monday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. ‘I mean, the stress. Because everybody likes — loves — Michelle Obama. They know what she sounds like, they know what she looks like. ‘And I’m like, “I don’t want Michelle Obama calling me, cussing me out.” ‘The First Lady premieres Sunday, but Kimmel and his wife already got a sneak peak — and he sang Davis’ praises on his show. ‘That’s crazy how good you are at this,’ he told her. ‘It’s not just the voice you have down, it’s [also] the walking? It’s crazy how much you became Michelle Obama,’ Jimmy Kimmel said. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/02/17/387205901312936375/1024x576_MP4_387205901312936375.mp4?_=1 Viola Davis has released a new memoir titled Finding Me. In the book she shared that she grew up so poor in Rhode Island that she had to dive into dumpsters to find food with her five siblings. The actress also shared that she had rocks thrown at her by racists. And worst of all, she saw her father Dan physically and emotionally abused her mother Mae Alice. In an interview with People magazine, the 56-year-old actress explained why she was able to eventually forgive her father, who passed away due to pancreatic cancer in 2006. ‘I wanted to love my dad,’ The First Lady star told the magazine. She continued, ‘And here’s the thing: My dad loved me. I saw it. I felt it. I received it, and I took it. ‘For me, that’s a much better gift and less of a burden than going through my entire life carrying that big, heavy weight of who he used to be and what he used to do,’ the Hollywood veteran added. ‘That’s my choice. That’s my legacy: forgiving my dad.’ Trail-blazing San Francisco Giants assistant Alyssa Nakken made major league history on Tuesday night by becoming the first woman to serve as an on-field coach during a regular-season game. The 31-year-old Nakken took over at first base in the third inning of San Francisco’s 13-2 win over visiting San Diego after Giants assistant Antoan Richardson was mysteriously ejected. Later, Richardson said he was tossed over an altercation with Padres third base coach Mike Shildt, whom he accused of using racially charged language. Cedric McMillan, a champion American bodybuilder, has died at the age of 44, sponsors confirmed. McMillan reportedly suffered a heart attack while on a treadmill, according to fitness network Generation Iron. The champion strongman had been open about suffering from long-term Covid-19, which had caused him heart issues, as well as pneumonia, the network has also reported. It was unclear exactly what heart issues the athlete suffered from. Black Skull USA, a supplement company that sponsored McMillan, confirmed his passing Wednesday on Instagram. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/04/13/8399072054118823741/1024x576_MP4_8399072054118823741.mp4?_=1 Whoopi Goldberg is taking a long break from “The View” while she is off in Scotland filming a new project. “If you’re wondering where Whoopi is, the girl’s got a movie she’s making and she will be back when she finishes whatever she’s doing,” Joy Behar announced during Monday’s episode of The View. “So she’s gone for a while.” Goldberg is reportedly starring in Amazon’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “Anansi Boys,” which is currently filming in Scotland. According to Variety, Goldberg is playing the “menacing” Bird Woman from the novel, and she is described as: Bird Woman is the God of Birds and a key antagonist in the series. She’s the embodiment of birds. Not just beautiful stately birds in flight. Anyone who’s had a close encounter with a seagull knows that some birds are more dangerous than others, and Bird Woman is the most dangerous of them all. Long ago Anansi did her wrong. Now may be her chance to turn the tables. Gilbert Gottfried’s last Instagram post invited people to weigh in on “the slap.” The comic, whose family announced Tuesday that he died at the age of 67 after a long illness, shared a photo of him and fellow comedian Chris Rock. Rock was slapped by Will Smith while presenting at the Academy Awards after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. “Which is the worst crime?,” the caption on the photo of Gottfried and Rock read. “Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?” Black content creators continue to speak out about racial inequity on social media. Last summer, Black TikTokers began exploring what the app would be like without their contributions. Many are major influencers on the app but white users tend to go viral and reap all the rewards for ripping off trends set by Black TikTokers. Per Yahoo Lifestyle, “a Forbes list of TikTok’s highest paid creators, released in January 2022, confirmed that the issue persists. Among the top five biggest earners were both Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, Addison Rae and Josh Richards, with the only person of color being Bella Poarch — despite the platform being chock full of trends originated by Black creators,” the outlet writes. “The issue is how we are indoctrinated to value Black labor,” Conscious Lee, a Black content creator/educator, tells Yahoo Life. “There’s an issue with fungibility of Black people’s labor throughout the Western world and social media created a new realm within our reality to make it worse.” According to Zillow’s latest Consumer Housing Trends Report, Black and Latino renters typically pay more in security deposits and application fees than white applicants. The typical white renter pays $35 in application fees, while Black, Latinx, and Asian renters all reported paying a minimum of $50 on application fees. Chance the Rapper appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night to perform his new song “Child of God.” Chance showcased the evocative track seated in front of the companion painting by global artist and collaborator Naila Opiangah. The new project explores the relationship between music, cinema, and contemporary art redefining the concept of ‘album art.’ Prior to the performance, Chance sat down with host Stephen Colbert to discuss his collaboration with Opiangah, who he met while visiting Ghana. Click HERE for the interview and HERE to watch the performance. Chance the Rapper appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night to perform his new song “Child of God.” Chance showcased the evocative track seated in front of the companion painting by global artist and collaborator Naila Opiangah. The new project explores the relationship between music, cinema, and contemporary art redefining the concept of ‘album art.’ Prior to the performance, Chance sat down with host Stephen Colbert to discuss his collaboration with Opiangah, who he met while visiting Ghana. Click HERE for the interview and HERE to watch the performance. https://youtu.be/13qwuPdE6DA All-new episodes of TV One’s original docu-series, UNSUNG Presents: The Decades and UNCENSORED, are back this Sunday, April 17. UNSUNG: The Decades leads with the influential music from the 90s at 9 p.m. ET/8C, followed by UNCENSORED, which features gospel music pioneer, Erica Campbell, at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnFUqf4X1Cs After a twenty year break from CCM radio airplay…to have an artist hit Top 5 at radio, accumulate close to 50 million audio streams, win 5 Dove Awards, and receive 3 GRAMMY nominations is nothing short of extraordinary. The biggest question we’ve been getting asked lately is, “what’s next for CeCe Winans?” Well we’re glad you asked…“‘I’ve Got Joy’ is a powerful song written by Phil Wickham and Kyle Lee with a message everyone needs to hear – that we’ve got joy! As believers, we have that joy that surpasses all understanding – that unspeakable joy – the joy of the Lord as our strength. The only reason we can have that joy in the midst of sorrow is because we have Jesus. It’s the joy of Jesus that shines bright within us. In our darkest hour, we can rejoice because of Jesus. Because of what He accomplished on the cross, I’ve got joy now and I’ll have joy forever.” -CeCe Winans. Fair Trade and CeCe Winans are excited to present “I’ve Got Joy” – impacting May 13! ”The cross , you did not have to do it…but I’m grateful that you did.” These words express the theme of "Grateful," new music from Gospels leading gentleman Earnest Pugh as he offers praise to God for Calvary, “Grateful” is the 3rd Single from the “The Outpour Experience” project released in 2000. Recorded LIVE in Richmond, VA and Produced by two award winning producers: Michael Bereal and Keith Williams. A noteworthy accomplishment: The first two singles: “God Wants To Heal You" (2021) and “Thank You So Much” (2022) reached #1 on Billboard Gospel Airplay and Mediabase charts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u21qBkJf-YY Actress/singer Amber Riley has called off her engagement to Desean Black. During an appearance on the Nice & Neat podcast, Amber dropped a bombshell about her relationship status. “I am a single Black female. I am, but I’m not a crazy one like in the movie,” she responded when asked about her love life, The YBF reports. In December 2020, the “Glee” alum revealed her engagement to Black, but things have since cooled off. Riley said their breakup was “amicable”. “I’m recently single,” she said, adding “I wish him the best. I don’t have anything horrible or bad to say.” Riley went on to note that she has “learned lessons from every relationship I was in and I thank them and leave them with love and light.” https://youtu.be/05yDdVtGOIw Vice President Kamala Harris has often spoken in personal terms about the impact of medical debt; having witnessed firsthand the burden it imposes during her mother’s battle with cancer. In keeping with her advocacy around medical debt, Vice President Kamala Harris convened several senior officials at the White House on Monday to announce steps the Biden-Harris administration is taking to alleviate the burden of medical debt on American families. The steps range from reducing the impact of medical debt in the calculation of creditworthiness, to helping veterans get access to medical debt forgiveness, and more. https://youtu.be/t7H-37NVtSM The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans will hold its ninth meeting this week on April 13 and April 14 at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco. On both days, sessions begin at 9 a.m. During the meeting, the task force plans to discuss the challenges some members say the committee has been having with communications organizations it has hired to develop public information campaigns and handle public relations. The firms — the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Young Communications Group, a Los Angeles-based PR firm; and A/B Partners, a national social impact firm — are contracted to work with the task force through the California Department of Justice. https://youtu.be/cKNPYrngKX4 Rihanna opens up about her pregnancy in Vogue‘s May cover story. The singer and beauty mogul is expecting her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky, and she previously shared that she intends to be an overprotective mom to her child. Now RiRi is sharing her pregnancy cravings, which include tangerines sprinkled with salt, something commonly eaten in her home country of Barbados. “It has to be with salt and only with salt, because in Barbados we take our fruits to the ocean and soak them,” she told Vogue. “Trust me, it really is a thing.” https://www.instagram.com/badgalriri/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=90628ccf-4b46-4802-95cf-a83ce8a12cae Will Smith’s longtime pal and music collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff speaks out about the controversial Oscars slap on March 27. As you know, Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards last month over a joke the comedian made about Jada Pinkett’s Smith’s bald head. “Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of. It was a lapse in judgment, you know?” said Jazzy Jeff, 57, during a Closed Sessions Legend Conversation at Dorian’s Through the Record Shop in Chicago last week, New York Post reports. “I think the thing that I’ve realized is I don’t know too many people that has had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him,” he continued. “I can name 50 times that [Smith] should’ve smacked the s – – t out of somebody and he didn’t,” Jeff continued. “So for him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”https://www.instagram.com/p/CcFtuympfq8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Today, TV One Networks announced its comprehensive slate of programming across linear and digital networks at the 2022 virtual Upfront presentation. The presentation was led by Michelle Rice, President, TV One and CLEO TV, Susan Henry, Executive Producer in Charge of Production and Senior Director, Original Programming and Production, and Walter Evans, Vice President, Advertising Sales and Marketing. Executives were joined by network talent including Grammy-winning artist Ne-Yo (URBAN ONE HONORS), Jake and Jazz Smollett (LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ), Taste Award winner Chef Jernard Wells (NEW SOUL KITCHEN) and Taste Award winner Chef Bren Herrera (CULTURE KITCHEN). Cam Newton is probably not in the best position to be telling anyone they need to know when to be quiet. And yet, here he is showing the world that he has learned nothing from the time he got dragged and lost endorsements over sexist remarks he made to a female reporter in 2017. Now, in 2022, Newton is out here denigrating women—who he essentially says are not women, but “bad b*****”—who “can’t cook,” and “don’t know when to be quiet.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1513556750657589254 A male train passenger put on a gas mask, deployed a gas canister and then opened fire, shooting 10 commuters as a Manhattan-bound subway train headed into a station in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday morning, authorities said. Five of the 10 people shot are in critical but stable condition and six others were injured in the attack during the morning rush, FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh said. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening, NYPD commissioner Keechant Sewell said. https://youtu.be/BL4G82gm0Bw A Kentucky police officer is being sued for running over a Black man accused of trespassing at a hotel. The suit says Officer Justin Skaggs used excessive force and violated the civil rights of Anthony Gray, Black Enterprise reports. Last September, Radcliff, Kentucky police were called on Gray, 32, after he was accused of trespassing on the property of the Gold Vault Inn and refused to leave. When the police arrived, Gray reportedly tried to flee and Skaggs used “his vehicle to run over Anthony Gray, an unarmed Black man, who was suspected only of a violation punishable by a simple fine,” read the federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court, WDRB reports. Gray‘s attorney, Aaron Bentley, said his client suffered a shattered left tibia and other injuries, according to the Courier-Journal. The suit says Officer Justin Skaggs used excessive force and violated the civil rights of Anthony Gray, Black Enterprise reports. Last September, Radcliff, Kentucky police were called on Gray, 32, after he was accused of trespassing on the property of the Gold Vault Inn and refused to leave. When the police arrived, Gray reportedly tried to flee and Skaggs used “his vehicle to run over Anthony Gray, an unarmed Black man, who was suspected only of a violation punishable by a simple fine,” read the federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court, WDRB reports. Gray‘s attorney, Aaron Bentley, said his client suffered a shattered left tibia and other injuries, according to the Courier-Journal. The family of Christian Tobechukwu “Toby” Obumseli speaks about the hateful and vile tweets he wrote about Black American women which surfaced following his death. Nigerian-born Obumseli was fatally stabbed by his white girlfriend inside their luxury high-rise apartment in Miami in what authorities described as a domestic dispute.? Obumseli was pronounced dead after being rushed to a local hospital.? His girlfriend, OnlyFans model and Instagram influencer Courtney Clenney, 25, was detained after the fatal stabbing, and while at the police station, threatened to kill herself.? She was briefly hospitalized before being released on bail less than a week after her arrest in connection to the killing. As reported by MadameNoire, Clenney was spotted at the Grand Beach Hotel in Miami on April 8, having a drink, just days after she was released from suicide watch. Now the victim’s family speaking out about her white privilege while condemning Obumseli’s hatred for Black American women. https://youtu.be/oi606IgaDnE A pregnant woman who was found shot to death inside her car last week in southwest Houston has been identified, according to police. 27-year-old Amber Butler was found unresponsive in her Chevrolet Malibu on Friday morning. What makes the story even more heartbreaking is that Butler was just days from giving birth to her second son, according to her aunt, Phyllis Brown. Brown says the family has never experienced anything like this and is too upset to talk on camera right now, reports ABC13. Brown also said Butler was a college student and a mother of a 5-year-old boy who was anxiously awaiting the birth of another boy. Vladimir Putin today warned his enemies in the West they will face ‘consequences’ if they ‘worsen the situation’ in Ukraine, as the Russian strongman threatened to create ‘waves of migrants’ in Europe. Putin, speaking in front of dozens of rockets at the Vostochny space launch facility in Russia’s Far East, insisted that his faltering invasion of Ukraine would prevail as he warned of world starvation as a result of Western sanctions against Moscow. The Russian President claimed Russia’s economy and financial system withstood the blow from what he called the Western sanctions ‘blitz’ and insisted the move would backfire by driving up prices for essentials such as fertilizer, leading to food shortages and increased migration to the West. Despite Putin’s faltering invasion, which saw Russian troops retreat from Ukrainian cities and instead focus on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, the leader said his war effort is going to plan as he vowed Russia would triumph in all of its ‘noble’ war aims. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey Friday signed two bills targeting transgender youth, setting up the state for at least one round of lawsuits. Ivey signed SB 184, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, which would subject doctors to 10 years in prison for providing puberty blockers and hormones to transgender youth. Ivey also signed HB 322, sponsored by Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, which forces transgender children to use bathrooms of their birth sex and bans discussions of “sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through fifth grade that is “not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” “There are very real challenges facing our young people, especially with today’s societal pressures and modern culture,” Ivey said in a statement. “I believe very strongly that if the Good Lord made you a boy, you are a boy, and if he made you a girl, you are a girl.” The Walt Disney Company will soon be airing an ad on all of its channels featuring the mother of a trans-identified child lambasting supporters of bills banning genital mutilation surgeries for children and the teaching of LGBT ideology in schools. The mother accuses these Americans of trying to “tear our families apart.” The LGBT advocacy organization GLAAD released the public service announcement called “Protect Our Families” last week. The 60-second ad profiles the Briggle family, which includes Amber Briggle along with her husband and her two children. The ad focuses on her trans-identified daughter, who now identifies as a boy and goes by the name Max. https://youtu.be/xbad3efCic8 Beloved comedian Gilbert Godfried has passed away. He was 67. Gottfried’s family confirmed his death in a statement on Twitter. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor.” Although Gottfried’s family said the comedian died of a “long illness,” the exact cause of death has not been made immediately clear. It was reported in 2020 that Gottfried had heart issues, according to TMZ.Gottfried kicked off his comedy career in the 1970s as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” He also became a standout character on “The Cosby Show” and “Beverly Hills Cop II.” Gottfried is also the voice of the Aflac duck and Iago in Aladdin. Lizzo is back at it — showing her bare essentials and this time she’s doing it to promote her new shapewear line called Yitty. The singer shared a clip on social media in which she is seen wearing a revealing two-piece in black from her garments collection. Per PEOPLE, the barely-there outfit features “a classic bra top and high-waisted leggings with both hip and derrière cut-outs.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CcL0O6shkfU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In the wake of this recent divorce from actress Meagan Good, Hollywood producer and bestselling author DeVon Franklin is offering a personal twist on the African proverb that says “It takes a village to raise a child” — It Takes a Woman. In this riveting and soul-stirring Audible Original, Franklin’s first audio-only memoir, he introduces us to the women who raised him: a “village of love” that selflessly came together to shape DeVon into the man he is today. It Takes A Woman is available on Thursday, April 21 at Audible.com. For the first time publicly, Franklin and his family discuss the aftermath of his father’s untimely death and the despair that could have destroyed their future. It Takes a Woman offers listeners an emotional journey of tragedy, triumph, and healing as Franklin, his mother, and his five living great-aunts recall how the women heeded the call to help raise him and his two brothers. The candid conversation—covering everything from marriage, death, divorce, and regret to colorfully frank advice about dating, sex, and money—uncovers old wounds that are still fresh and pain that is still piercing, as well as a family bond that is unbreakable. Veteran actress Nia Long is speaking out about being “ageless” in youth-obsessed Hollywood. “…there’s so much pressure in this industry to stay beautiful and to stay young. And I’m really not interested in leaning into this idea of perfection,” Long, 51, says in an interview with PEOPLE. “I am a proud 51, and eventually I’m going to age in a way where it’s obvious and I want it to happen beautifully and gracefully. I don’t really want the pressure of feeling like I have to be beautiful and perfect because I think beauty comes at any age,” she said. https://www.instagram.com/iamnialong/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c334e85c-cc9d-4f72-b747-03c354c0dde9 After two years of virtual worship services due to the Covid-19 pandemic, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is reopening its doors on Good Friday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. with internationally renowned faith leader and best-selling author Bishop T.D. Jakes and award-winning gospel artist John P. Kee. New Birth's reopening activities, called 'The Return', will culminate on Resurrection Sunday, April 17, with Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant and celebrated gospel artist VaShawn Mitchell beginning at 9:30 a.m. All planned events will take place at New Birth, located at 6400 Woodrow Rd in Stonecrest. "We are beyond thrilled to return to in-person worship services, to re-engage with our congregation and to welcome visitors who are thirsty for an extraordinary encounter with the Lord," said Dr. Bryant. "Bishop T.D. Jakes is a global force and one of the most prolific voices in ministry. We are truly blessed to have him join us for our Good Friday service with the legendary John P. Kee. We are equally excited that gospel sensation VaShawn Mitchell will join us as our guest psalmist on Resurrection Sunday." Gospel’s “Prince of Praise”, Byron Cage scores his second #1 single with the smash hit, “You Are” on Gospel Airplay Billboard and Mediabase! This is the second single from his most recent album, Isolation, to reach #1 status and fourth for his career overall (preceded by “The Presence of the Lord is Here”, “I Will Bless the Lord” and “I Can’t Give Up”). Cage has been in the gospel music industry for over thirty years, and we can see there’s no slowing him down! When asked of this amazing accomplishment, Cage says, “I am so grateful that God still allows me to put life changing music into the earth. ‘You Are’ is a passionate song reminding us that everything we stand in need of, ‘You Are’.” He continues, “I would also like to thank the entire team that has worked this project. Thank you Eboni Funderburk for all of your hard work on this along with Tommy Couch, the entire Malaco team, and my manager, David Robinson, for your unwavering support. None of this would be possible without you. I'm also so grateful to the song's producer Dontaniel Jamel Kimbrough for Keyemup Music and the writers Clarence Singleton, Eric Davis, and Damon Whitehurst for creating such an anointed song that is ministering to the hearts of people around the world. You all are the best!” CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, continues tomorrow night, April 13 at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16xPOSsfsn8&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Global Gourmet, is back on April 13 at 9:30 p.m./8:30C. Hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, the show highlights the joys of delicious food and stories of wanderlust travel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msokYJ8duto The 2022 Proud Family revival is louder & prouder thanks to an all-star cast and numerous celebrity guest appearances. This Wednesday (April 13) Tina Knowles will make her debut as a no-nonsense beautician named “Ms. Gina,” who will style Penny Proud’s frenemy, LaCienega’s for her quinceañera. https://youtu.be/VbUD08lzLHY Michael Jackson’s estate has revealed that the outfit the late singer wore in the “Bad” music video is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. In a recent accounting document, the estate noted that Jackson continues to bring in “in excess” of two billion, money that provides for his three children, and his mother. “Michael Jackson provided the sole financial support for his children and was Mrs. Jackson’s primary source of support. The Executors have endeavored to continue to meet the financial needs of Mrs. Jackson and the children. The Executors have done so through a family allowance for Mrs. Jackson and the children as well as various other means,” the document states, according to the report. It continues, “Mrs. Jackson resided in the Estate’s real property on Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino, California (“Hayvenhurst”) for more than thirty years. At the time of Michael Jackson’s death, the mortgage on Hayvenhurst was in default. The Executors paid the mortgage in full. The Executors made and continue to make from time to time necessary repairs and improvements to Hayvenhurst to address maintenance and other issues. The Executors have continued to provide for the maintenance of Hayvenhurst, including estate management, security, and staff.” https://youtu.be/Sd4SJVsTulc Walmart tycoon Rob Walton is expected to outbid billionaire Robert F. Smith to buy the Denver Broncos. According to Forbes, Walton, 77, is worth more than $70 billion. He is expected to submit a bid worth more than $4 billion on Friday. Per the New York Post, the bid is “the highest price ever paid for a professional sports team, according to sources close to the situation.” Meanwhile, private-equity tycoon Robert F. Smith — the nation’s richest African American — could potentially become the NFL’s first Black team owner as he has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the team. It’s unclear, however, if he will submit an offer to buy to Broncos. Former Source owner Benzino was arrested for punching the truck of the man who went on a date with his ex/baby mama. Bodycam footage has surfaced showing the “Love And Hip Hop” star being arrested this weekend for taking his frustration out on the truck of Althea Hart’s new man. https://youtu.be/Mzs7N9i0Ans Reality star Amara La Negra gave birth to premature twin girls in March, and she reportedly left the hospital over the weekend without her babies. As reported by SandaRose, the “Love & Hip-Hop: Miami” star, born Diana Danelys De Los Santos, explained in a now-deleted Instagram livestream why her newborns have to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for a few more days. The singer reportedly named her babies YourMajesty in Spanish (SuMajestad) and YourHighness (SuAlteza). La Negra previously suffered a miscarriage. She announced in November that she was expecting again with her Dominican business partner Allan Mueses. The pair are reportedly no longer a couple but plan to co-parent their twins. https://www.instagram.com/lasroyaltwins/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=bd763e2d-f1c0-4581-88d1-56dca1dfff6a This episode of Underground Magnolia Podcast features Lorraine Lionheart, a singer and songwriter heating up the global music scene. Hailing from Botswana in Southern Africa and based in the UK, she boasts a sound that fuses traditional African music with contemporary Afropop. The sexy singer already has four independent albums and several singles under her belt that explore a new-ish African beat called amapiano. https://youtu.be/ZGYbCuJRugs The Biden Administration has quietly tapped a ‘racial equity czar’ to work in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, charged with carrying out the agenda laid out in one of President Joe Biden’s first executive orders. Adjoa B. Asamoah is HUD’s first ever senior adviser for racial equity and currently the only Black woman in federal government whose role is advising a Cabinet secretary, in this case HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, on how public policy contributes to structural inequity and how to mitigate those impacts. News of her appointment comes on the 54th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Fair Housing Act into law. The appointment comes at a crucial political moment for the Biden Administration, which needs Democrats to maintain control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections in order to continue pursuing its agenda. New York City Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, according to a statement from a spokesperson. “This morning, Mayor Adams woke up with a raspy voice and, out of an abundance of caution, took a PCR test that has now come back positive,” press secretary Fabien Levy said in the statement Sunday. “At this time, the mayor has no other symptoms, but he is already isolating and will be canceling all public events for the remainder of the week,” the statement said. “He is also going to immediately begin taking the anti-viral medications offered for free to New York City residents and encourages all New Yorkers eligible for these medications to take them as well.” https://youtu.be/SaN5i0Ie5FM A Republican official in Virginia refuses to resign after his racist social media posts surfaced. The Republican Party of Hampton, Virginia is calling on Hampton Electoral Board Chair David Dietrich to resign after his Facebook post surfaced in which he used the N-word and suggested “lynching” several “vile and racist” Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., including secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, MSN reports. Dietrich condemned Austin for wanting to weed out white nationalists in the military, calling his efforts a ploy “to remove conservative, freedom-loving Americans from the roles.” He described Austin and other Democratic leaders as “stinking” N-words. The death of Patrick Lyoya, a Black man killed by a white police officer during a traffic stop in Grand Rapids, has drawn national civil rights attorney Ben Crump’s attention. “Justice for Patrick!” shouted Crump, holding a clinched fist high in the air, inside the Renaissance Church of God in Christ in the Family Life Center in Grand Rapids. “Justice for Patrick!” the packed crowd responded. Crump — who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Trayvon Martin — was one of half a dozen speakers to take part in a community conversation forum Sunday, April 10, at the Grand Rapids church. The forum, organized by Kent County Commission Robert Womack, featured Black clergyman from all over Grand Rapids and other Black community leaders. Womack reached out to Crump the days following Lyoya’s death and shared the news. “This is about a broken-hearted family,” Crump said, standing side-by-side with members of Lyoya’s family. “A broken-hearted Black family, who yet again has lost a loved one unjustly at the hands of the individual who was supposed to protect her son.” https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/sync/C4D27AQG6__eN6b43GQ/articleshare-shrink_800/0/1649720941855?e=1649811600&v=beta&t=dIFSNXt10wa0Cpnpj7xlSuA-wZuWAKM-pTEPB1fZ7ro April 11 – 17 is Black Maternal Health Week, a campaign founded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to create awareness and inspire activism around issues related to maternal health and reproductive justice for Black mothers. These issues are more important than ever as Black women continue to die at disproportionate rates during childbirth. Now Tufts University in Boston, MA, has launched a pioneering new initiative dedicated to helping find solutions that lead to positive outcomes for Black mothers. “The country is in a crisis around maternal health,” says Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, the Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health at Tufts University School of Medicine. “The majority of Black maternal deaths are completely preventable.” Amutah-Onukagha, an associate professor and assistant dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, will lead the new Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice (CBMHRJ) at Tufts University. “The opportunity to create and launch a national Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice at this critical time will not only honor the work around maternal health equity but also position Tufts as a leader in this field,” she says. “The vision of the center is to protect the Black birthing experience by advocating for quality, equitable, and respectful care in childbirth.” The 30th Anniversary Bounce Trumpet Awards will feature a tribute to The Warriors of Justice honoring those institutions and their leaders who have been on the front lines fighting for social, political, legal, educational, and economic equality for people of color. The group includes: Rev. Jesse Jackson, Founder/President - Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Derrick Johnson, President/CEO – NAACP, Marc Morial, President/CEO, National Urban League and Dr. Charles Steele, Jr. President/CEO - Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) The event will also feature appearances from Honorees, including Courtney B. Vance, Senator Raphael Warnock, Stan Lathan, Princess Sarah Culberson, Senator Jon Ossoff, and Zaila Avant-Garde. Presenters and special tributes will includes Tamron Hall, Xerona Clayton, Caroline Wanga, Wendell Pierce, Sanaa Lathan, and more. Special musical performances by Dru Hill, Mary Mary, Tank, PJ Morton, Avery Wilson, and more. The 30th Anniversary Bounce Trumpet Awards will take place on April 23, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will air on Juneteenth, Sunday, June 19, at 7 p.m. ET. Produced by Magic Lemonade Production Company, the gala event will be televised on Bounce, the nation’s popular entertainment television network serving African Americans. TV One announced today that filming for its Marvin Sapp biopic is underway. Chaz Lamar Shepherd (“Marvel’s Luke Cage” “The Game”) will take on the lead role as Marvin Sapp. Joining Shepherd is Ambre Anderson (“Power Book II” “Manifest Evil”) who is cast as Sapp’s wife, MaLinda Prince Sapp. The film is scheduled for an August 21 release on TV One. “It is an honor to tell Marvin Sapp’s life story,” said TV One’s Executive Producer Jason Ryan. “His vast contributions to gospel and American music are undeniable. We know this film will resonate with our viewers.” An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back tonight! This week's episode of FATAL ATTRACTION unpacks a young woman's unfortunate demise when she is found dead in a car. Watch the story unfold at 9 p.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WADxK2_2JBI David E. Johnson, Jr. is a singer, songwriter, and actor born and raised in Memphis, TN. David entered Gospel music as a new artist last year with the release of his Go-go Gospel single, "Shake Em Off" and official music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW4buW93YNc Jesse Williams has had his monthly child support payments drastically reduced. A court ruled that the former “Grey’s Anatomy” star would no longer have to pay his ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, $6,413 a month instead of the $40,000 he was paying monthly in child support payments, Entertainment Tonight reports. The new payment arrangement is due to changes in his finances. Williams can pay half on the first of the month, and the other half on the 15th, and will continue until further court order. Last month, Williams explained in court documents obtained by Radar Online that his income from January 2021 to November 2021 was reduced to $660k. He is currently starring in a Broadway play Take Me Out and claims he makes only $1,668 from the show. He asked the courts in Los Angeles to reduce his child support payments, which his ex is fighting against. The actor is no longer pulling in a six-to-seven figure income following his exit from “Greys Anatomy,” and Aryan allegedly has no interest in getting a job. Chris Rock served up a stand-up show at the Fantasy Springs Resort-Casino in California on Friday, where he briefly touched on getting slapped by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars. “I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back,” Rock joked, per Deadline. Rock also discussed the incident days prior during a comedy club performance in Boston. “How was your weekend?” he started his set. “I don’t have a bunch of shit about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that shit. And it will be serious and funny.” Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged — again, and the singer/actress shared a video on social media of her engagement ring. Lopez shared a video of her green engagement ring in her newsletter “On the JLo.” “So this happened. Love you @jlo @ben affleck,” her sister Lynda Lopez captioned photos from the video on her Instagram Stories. Ben and Jen met in 2001 on the set of the romantic comedy “Gigli”. The film flopped, and Affleck told Entertainment Weekly in January that he didn’t regret working on the project because he “did get to meet Jennifer, the relationship with whom has been really meaningful to me in my life.” Jen’s engagement ring, a green stone set on a silver band, has a special meaning to her. “I always say the color green is my lucky color,” Lopez, 52, previously wrote about the iconic Versace gown she wore to the 2000 Grammys. “Maybe you can remember a certain green dress.” “I’ve realized there are many moments in my life where amazing things happened when I was wearing green,” she continued. A white Stanford educator has been nicknamed “Professor Karen” after threatening to call the police on a Black UC Berkeley teacher who shared her home address online. The man also shared her $5,000 hourly consultation rate in a Twitter post, and now claims her reaction to his antics was racially motivated. The Stanford professor, Jo Boaler, has been sparring with Jelani Nelson — a computer science professor at UC Berkeley — over how to teach math to California’s K-12 students. According to numerous reports, Boaler, 58, is catching heat from Nelson over her support of a potential new math program in California’s schools. The “Fantastic Beasts” franchise is back, with its latest addition, “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” and fans can expect a lot more adventure, fun, and magic! In the new film, Jessica Williams reprises her role as Eulalie Hicks/Professor Lally Hicks who she said has an even bigger role this time around. “In “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the second film, Lally is in it for one second,” said Williams. “That took me like an hour to film. That was a few years ago and in this movie, I’m in it for the entirety of the film, so that took like seven months. You really learn a lot about Professor Hicks. She’s really brilliant, she’s really formidable, she’s really confident and you get to see that in this film. https://youtu.be/Y9dr2zw-TXQ Cynthia Erivo stars in episode four of “Roar.” She portrays a wife, mother, and career woman. Her episode tells the story of a woman who has it all and does it all with a suspenseful twist. Erivo taks about her reaction to her character and the way this story was told. “What drew me to the series is it allows people to see the differences and complexities of the lives different women live,” said Erivo. “In this particular episode, I thought it was really well done. And that it physicalized something many women feel and experience.” Erivo’s character begins to feel the pressure of trying to be a successful career woman and a good mom to her daughter. Trying to be everything to everyone. That pressure can make anyone feel as if they’re being swallowed whole. Her character randomly begins to experience mysterious bites on her body. As if she doesn’t have enough to worry about now she has to focus on what’s going on with her body and why. Many times women often neglect themselves in the process of taking care of their loved ones. The cause of the bites will shock you! Tune into “Roar” on April 15th on Apple TV. When Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor died by suicide in November, her mother alleged that the 10-year-old Black and autistic student at Foxboro Elementary in Farmington, Utah, had been bullied because of her race and disability. When Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor died by suicide in November, her mother alleged that the 10-year-old Black and autistic student at Foxboro Elementary in Farmington, Utah, had been bullied because of her race and disability. https://youtu.be/bZJIUUBfa2U Legendary “Ad Man” Jo Muse of Muse Communications will be inducted into the 71st American Advertising Hall of Fame. The live annual gala and award ceremony is Tuesday, April 26, 2022, in New York City. Because of Covid, the ceremony for the Class of 2020 was delayed. This story has a lot of local flavor. Jo Muse has been creating ad literary magic in the LA area for decades. His learning disability also didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream. Jo crafted a company that has worked with some of the biggest fortune 500 companies in the country. This is an inspirational feel-good story. The award is just a small part of the story. “New Hollywood is a place where you don’t have to have to act, you can just be yourself,” shares Reach Records artist, WHATUPRG, about his forthcoming album of the same name! His trademark combination of Latin rhythms, trap music, flawless lyricism, and captivating storytelling has enshrined him as an artistic elite amongst his peers. With his second album, New Hollywood, releasing shortly, WHATUPRG is emerging from the Christian music scene and onto the world stage. Through his new song and video, “KIDS,” he sends a message on the behalf of the unaccompanied migrant children being kept in cramped government detention facilities on the US southern border with Mexico at the time of the song's recording. "I want them to be released from physical captivity and I want all kids freed from the expectations that they be anything other than themselves." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4bjW2t3enw Hip-hop veteran Master P has called out the fake love showered on the late Nipsey Hussle, as the rapper was under-appreciated while alive. Speaking to HipHopDX, Master P said many rap fans don’t appreciate an artist until it’s too late. “I just think in our culture, it just natural that people just self-hate,” he told the outlet via Zoom. “They don’t want to see somebody else make it until they gone. You don’t want to tell somebody they great while they alive. That’s the thing that I just couldn’t understand about Nipsey is that he was talented.” Nipsey was murdered by a known gang member in Los Angeles in 2019 outside his Marathon Clothing store in South LA. Master P had a close friendship with the LA artist. He recalled how Nipsey worked hard on his 2018 debut album, Victory Lap, only to have it seemingly ignored by the rap community. “He put the same record that sold millions of copies only sold 50,000 when he was alive and he couldn’t get it,” Master P said. “He was like, ‘Man, I put my all into this project.’ He was like, ‘Boss, I did it. This is it.’ And then when it didn’t happen, and just watching the people, this guy don’t know that his funeral was at the Staples Center. He didn’t know that he had that type of love. Let’s be honest, he was still in Inglewood and Crenshaw trying to figure it out […] People would tell him, ‘Well, I don’t think that you got it.’ What happened? I mean, it’s the same album. The same album that people love now. That’s the part that I don’t understand. That’s why we got to celebrate us while we here. Stop it with the fake love.” ESPN’s Malika Andrews and WNBA player turned analyst Chiney Ogwumike are speaking out about representation in professional basketball news. “We know that every time we step in front of a camera, we’re not just doing it for ourselves,” explains Ogwumike, 30, who co-hosts the daily ESPN show NBA Today with Andrews, in the March/April 2022 issue of Essence. “We’re doing it for the next generation that looks like us, who grew up not seeing those faces, and now they know they can do this, too.” As two fearless Black women, Andrews and Ogwumike bring a unique and rarely seen voice to major sports. “Representation matters,” Andrews, 27, says. “Diversity of roles for women is just as important as diversity as a whole.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1512166835038392334 Comedian Lauren Knight says there’s no bad blood between herself and rapper T.I. after he was recorded going off on her during a comedy show in Atlanta last week. Knight brought up the sexual assault allegations made against the rapper and his wife Tiny during her routine at a comedy club. “As many times as you joke on that shit n*gga, I’m gon check yo mother f*ckin ass as long as it takes,” T.I. (a would-be-comedian himself) told the on-stage comedian. “When you stop playing with me and mine, Ima stop saying something,” he continued speaking on the mic. “There ain’t no mother f*cking case. Ain’t never been no mother f*cking case. I ain’t did nothing wrong and my wife ain’t did nothing wrong. And if you keep on playing wit me n*gga, I’m going to continue to confront (you) publicly– verbally,” he said. “First of all, I think he overreacted,” Knight told TMZ, noting that “the beef is squashed” between them. “This is just about good comedy etiquette—if you’re a comedian you already know what we do is difficult,” she added. “So coming to a show as a comic, which he is, he’s already famous as a rapper. But you’re here as a comedian and heckling me, it’s just bad comedy etiquette… I mean look, everybody laughs at every Bill Cosby joke, every R. Kelly joke, all those jokes as long as they’re being told by men.” https://youtu.be/nKaphKwHo5o Before launching his infamous Death Row Records, Suge Knight worked as Bobby Brown’s bodyguard during the late 1980’s. According to I Love Old School Music, Bobby once had a hit placed on him and Suge stepped up to save the day. In an interview with Vlad TV, ex-LAPD officer Reggie White Jr. explained how Bobby’s non-payment of hefty cocaine purchase prompted a drug dealer to turn to some local gangster's to deal with the artist. https://youtu.be/1gDmB6foM2I The personal care and beauty industry is a trillion-dollar business, one that has many of us hooked on products that keep our hair, nails and skin on point. But while we’re spending a lot of money to look and feel our best, some of our favorite products may be doing much more harm than good. A new documentary is coming to HBO MAX, which explores some of the hidden dangers found in some of the everyday personal care products many of us use. Not So Pretty is a four-part series directed by Academy-award nominated filmmakers, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. Actress Keke Palmer narrates each 30-minute episode that puts the $140 billion-dollar global skincare market on blast. https://youtu.be/cDcs6N44Aok Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Tomlin announced that the “Good Friday Nashville” concert will return to Bridgestone Arena on April 15. The event, which began in 2017, had to be postponed for the last two years due to the global pandemic. “After two years of having to worship together virtually due to COVID, I am so excited to be coming back to Bridgestone Arena, live and in person, for Good Friday Nashville,” Tomlin shared in a press release. “What an incredible opportunity to gather again as a church and as a local community to remember the hope we have in Jesus because of His sacrifice on the cross.” Good Friday Nashville benefits the non-profit foundation For Others which was established by Tomlin and his wife Lauren. The organization aims to raise awareness about the thousands of American children and youth involved in the foster care system. It’s over for Billy Ray Cyrus and wife Tish — again. The country singer, 60, and Tish, 54, are divorcing after more than 28 years of marriage, marking the third time they have gone their separate ways. Tish filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee on Wednesday, citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. She also said that the couple have not lived together in more than two years. Reps for the pair did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. TMZ was first to report the news. The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer and Tish married in 1993, and share five children: daughters Miley, 29, Noah, 22, and Brandi, 34, and sons Trace, 33, and Braison, 27. Dolly Parton has revealed one of the secrets to her longtime success, confirming that she starts her day at 3 AM. The 76-year-old musician and businesswoman was promoting her new line of Southern deserts with Duncan Hines in a new interview with Insider. She not only revealed that her work day starts at 3 AM, but she also insists that’s when she does some of her best work. ‘I don’t need a whole lot of sleep. I go to bed pretty early, but even if I’ve been up late — it’s just kind of like a little clock inside of me that says “It’s 3 o’clock!”‘ she said. ‘I do some of my best work there, but I get enough sleep. I don’t require as much sleep as a lot of other people do, that’s kind of a Parton family trait,’ she added. The country music legend added that her early rising traits were passed down from her father, Robert Lee Parton. Scottie Scheffler looked like a Masters champion even before he slipped into his green jacket, the model of calm as he methodically worked his way around the most stressful course in major championship golf. Sunday morning was different. That turned out to be the toughest test he had all day. “I cried like a baby this morning. I was so stressed out. I didn’t know what to do,” Scheffler said after winning his first major. “I was sitting there telling [wife] Meredith, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for this’ … and I just felt overwhelmed.” And then he capped off his torrid two-month stretch with his grandest feat of all, leading the entire weekend and strolling to a 1-under 71 — with one lapse in concentration at the end when it didn’t matter — for a 3-shot victory over Rory McIlroy. Tiger Woods said Sunday he will go to St. Andrews in mid-July and play the British Open. It’s unclear if he’ll play anything before then — including the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in May and the US Open at Brookline in June. “I am looking forward to St. Andrews,” Woods said in his post-Masters interview with Sky Sports. “That is something that is near and dear to my heart. I’ve won two Opens there. It’s the home of golf. It’s my favorite golf course in the world. So, I will be there for that one. But anything in between that, I don’t know. I will try. There’s no doubt.” Woods won British Opens at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005. He played when the Open was last there in 2015 but missed the cut by eight strokes. Gary Brown, who spent seven seasons as the Dallas Cowboys‘ running backs coach, died Sunday after being treated for cancer. He was 52. “Gary Brown had a big heart partnered with a big smile and a big personality. His energy and spirit were infectious,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. “He lit up every room he walked into and touched the lives of those who knew him in such a positive way. Everyone who knew him, loved him. He meant so much to the players he coached and the coaches he coached with. “His love for his family, football and life was evident each day. He continued to fight, and he never gave up.” Brown was with the Cowboys from 2013 to 2019 and had three different running backs reach 1,000 yards, including DeMarco Murray, Darren McFadden and Ezekiel Elliott. Murray (2014) and Elliott (2016, 2018) won NFL rushing titles under Brown’s tutelage. “Great Father, Husband, Coach, and Mentor. Appreciate you and your family more than anything GB,” Murray tweeted. “Thank you for teaching me the way on the field and in life. Appreciate you Gary Brown.” After Seeing the Beautiful Picture of this Young Lady, Natalia Bryant, It Would Be Nice if Kobe Bryant Was Here to See his Beautiful Daughters Grow Up. Pray for his Wife and All of his Daughters: Kobe Bryant’s daughter Natalia stuns in a blue gown at Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s star-studded wedding in Palm Beach. Not only did it not go well when he recently went at female comic Lauren Knight, but rapper and fledgling comedian T.I. ran into his first tough crowd during a performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn over the weekend at a comedy show featuring actual comedians who are really funny such as Eddie Griffin, Tony Roberts, Bruce Bruce, Michael Blackson, and Joe Torry. https://twitter.com/i/status/1512982344264826880 According to Tyre Sampson’s mother and brother, YK Osiris “didn’t pay a dime” for his funeral after telling the world he would, and allegedly blocked them! Nearly two weeks ago, the Jacksonville, Florida rapper/singer took to his Instagram and said, “If anybody knows his family, tell them to dm me because I want to pay for his funeral cost.” While it appeared that Osiris got in touch with the family, apparently that wasn’t the case as Tyre’s brother, known on social media as JRocc Jr., claimed they’ve yet to hear from him. A few hours after sharing photos from his brother’s burial, JRocc shared, “YkOsiri or whatever dude name is canceled. Used lil bro for pure clout. Didn’t pay a dime but told the world otherwise. Even posted a fake screenshot of a GoFundMe donation. Stop pretending you about giving back to the community just to get your sales up. Lame as hell.” Reposting his message, Tyre’s mother, Nekia Dodd, added, “And he blocked me on IG too??” On Saturday in St. Louis Family, friends and former teammates said goodbye to the teenager who was killed in March after falling to his death from a tower ride in Orlando, Florida. The homegoing service for 14-year-old Tyre Sampson was attended by hundreds and was held at Saint Louis University. “There’s a lot of love here,” Kelly Southhall, a family friend said. “There’s a lot of support. No mother should have to go through this.” Sampson stood 6’4, 325 pounds. He was on the path to greatness on the gridiron before this tragic accident cut his life short. His older cousin, Reggie Rice, said he will always carry Tyre in his heart. “He was always asking me: What I wanted to do when I got older; who did I want to be like,” Rice said. “I said, ‘I don’t know. Who do you want to be like? He said nobody. I just want to be myself.’” The only thing bigger than his stature was his larger-than-life personality A man allegedly carjacked a woman’s car in Atlanta with her 9-year-old son still inside on Monday morning, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement. Officers spoke with Jerrica Moore, who said she’d parked near Ralph David Abernathy Blvd and got out of her car, leaving her keys and son inside. After leaving her car, a man “jumped into her vehicle and sped away from the location with her child still in the car,” the department said in a statement. Police were able to locate the vehicle with the 9-year-old boy inside using iPhone’s tracking abilities in real-time, police said. Once officers caught up to the stolen vehicle, they were able to arrest the suspect “without incident.” “Not all heroes wear capes. We thank all the officers and agencies involved in apprehending this suspect and getting this child to safety. We are happy to report the child and his mother have been reunited,” the APD said in a statement. https://youtu.be/5jzHi6Xs0Qc Body cam video of a police encounter in Illinois that left a man with severe facial injuries was recently released. Police say the video shows the officers were justified when they tased the man, but his mother believes there’s more to the story than they are letting on. Officers stopped Tahir Kelly while searching, they say, for armed offenders in a vehicle. Police say Kelly initially gave them a false name. The exchange that followed can be heard in the video. Officer: “Son, what’s your real name? Because now you’re working your way into something else.” Kelly: “My last name’s Kelly, but that is my date of birth…” Officer: “So you still lied. Your name is Benson or Kelly?” https://youtu.be/bUsQvYHTegY A Louisiana woman who thought she was experiencing stomach pains actually gave birth in her hotel room during a business trip. Victoya Venise started experiencing stomach pains during a business trip in Atlanta, Georgia. Initially, she assumed she caught a stomach bug from her four-year-old daughter and went to use the bathroom. Moments later, Venise realized she was in labor after seeing her son, Rocky, on the toilet and quickly called 911: ‘I found a towel and I wrapped him up. I was sitting on the toilet and I called my mom. I was like, “Mom, I just had the baby.” I was like “he fell in the toilet,”’ ‘She was like, “Call 911, call 911.”’ According to the news outlet, Venise gave birth on April Fool’s Day and considered putting him up for adoption but changed her mind. ‘I feel like the experience made me connected to him and made me want to keep him. So I’m going to keep him,’ she added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcKG70LP43i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Police are investigating after a man was fatally stabbed at a Miami high-rise over the weekend in what officials are calling a domestic dispute. The incident happened Sunday night at the One Paraiso luxury building at 3131 Northeast 7th Avenue in Edgewater. Miami Police officials said officers responded to a report of a man stabbed at the building and found the 27-year-old victim, who was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officials said a woman was detained at the scene and later taken for a mental health evaluation. Her identity wasn’t released. Police haven’t released the victim’s name, but friends identified him as Christian Toby Obumseli. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi606IgaDnE Americans are not reading the Bible as regularly as they used to do. The American Bible Society has released a report indicating there has been an “unprecedented drop” in the number of Bible users in the United States. The report dubbed “The 2022 State of the Bible” was released earlier this week. It is the 12th annual report by the society. The survey that was conducted in January is based on responses from 2,598 U.S. adults. In its preface, the report has also highlighted gradual changes in the percentage of Bible users across the United States. According to the American Bible Society, Bible users are “those who use the Bible at least 3-4 times each year on their own, outside of a church setting.” The status of Bobbie Houston, the long-time co-pastor and co-founder of Hillsong, the troubled global megachurch based in Australia, is uncertain after the church’s board and her husband, the church’s former head pastor Brian Houston, traded feuding online messages this week. Brian Houston, who co-founded Hillsong with his wife in Australia in 1983, resigned from his position as global senior pastor on March 21, less than a week after the board released a statement revealing he had sent inappropriate text messages to a staff member and spent time in a woman’s hotel room. No formal announcement has been made regarding Bobbie Houston’s role with the church. In addition to her role as co-global senior pastor, Houston is also the founder and leader of Hillsong’s annual women’s gathering, Color Conference and the Color Sisterhood, a “global movement of women united around a mandate to make the world a better place,” according to the church’s website. On Friday (April 8), her husband posted a message on Instagram claiming his wife was being “made redundant” by Hillsong. The Instagram post included a screenshot of a text message exchange that appeared to be between Bobbie Houston and a church leader, discussing her employment. Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) highly drive box office revenue, according to a study of the top 252 English-language movies released last year. The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report chronicles the significant rise in on-camera representation in highly-rated movies in the past ten years. The finding is in the ninth installment of the respected group. The same report also documents a slow growth in behind-the-scenes participation by people of color, especially Latino women. “Last year, every time a big movie exceeded expectations or broke a box office record, the majority of opening weekend audiences were people of color,” said Ana-Christina Ramón, co-author of the report and the director of research and civic engagement for UCLA’s social sciences division. “For people of color, and especially Latino families, theaters provided an excursion when almost everything else was shut down. In a sense, people of color kept studios afloat the past couple of years. Studios should consider them to be investors, and as investors, they should get a return in the form of representation.” https://youtu.be/EEgEGJYL13I African American developers Victor MacFarlane and R. Donahue Peebles said Monday that city planning officials in Los Angeles have approved their Angels Landing project, a $1.6-billion hotel-housing-retail complex that will be among L.A.’s tallest buildings. The project will be located in downtown’s Bunker Hill area and have two towers and a plaza next to the historic Angels Flight funicular railway.The project will encompass 1.2 million square feet (111,484 square meters) and include two hotels, condominiums, apartments, restaurants and retail. Angels Landing project will bring thousands of new jobs to the city. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha announced Wednesday plans to create 150 “Little Town Libraries” around Oakland to encourage neighborhood book sharing and childhood literacy. The initiative is a partnership between Eat. Learn. Play., a nonprofit founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry, and Little Free Library, a network of nearly 150,000 tiny libraries in front yards of homes and businesses around the globe for people to share books, according to organizers. The mini libraries will be constructed and maintained in under-resourced parts of Oakland, such as East and West Oakland, Fruitvale and Chinatown, with more than 50,000 free books also being distributed as part of the program. She’s a little girl with a big voice! Meet Victory Brinker, the world’s youngest opera singer. According to Guinness World Records, Victory is well on her way to become the next star. Adopted as a baby, the Latrobe, Pennsylvania opera singer is one of 11 children. From the age of a toddler, it was very clear Victory was special. Two days before her sixth birthday, she asked her mom to help her discover who could sing the highest notes, sparking a passion for opera singing. “I love the challenge of the difficult arrangements, the technique required to sing, all the runs, and the different languages all the arias are written in,” said Victory. In 2019, at the age of seven years and 314 days, Victory made history as the world’s youngest female opera singer, participating in eight professional performances at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre’s Lights and Legends show. Now 10 years old, the elementary student is just getting started, working overtime to maintain her voice and technique. https://youtu.be/vrRfBmMWpLY 10-year-old Marley Dias was sitting in a diner with her mom when they shared a conversation that would change the course of her life—and countless others. “My mom asked me what I thought I could do to improve or fix the issues that I was observing in school,” Dias, now 17, says. She told her mom, that day in the diner, that most, if not all, of the required reading in her school’s fifth- and sixth-grade curriculum centered around white male protagonists. She thought that students should be exposed to books that featured diverse voices and unique experiences. Her solution was a grassroots campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks. The initial goal of the campaign was to collect 1,000 physical books that centered around the stories of Black girls. It eventually expanded to include the creation of a searchable database that would make it easier for teachers, parents, and students to find those stories. “We review all of the books to make sure they have Black girls as protagonists, characters of African descent, or the stories of Black women and girls,” Dias says. “I thought that this lack of literary diversity just existed in my town. But my mom challenged my thinking and encouraged me to research more,” Dias says. That’s when she learned that less than 10 percent of the books published in 2015 had Black main characters. The statistic would drive her as she expanded her vision not just to change her own school district, but “districts across America and across the world.” A statue of Earl Lloyd, the first-ever African American basketball player in the NBA, was unveiled in Alexandria this past weekend. The City of Alexandria honored Lloyd, a longtime Alexandria resident, on the anniversary of his birthday on April 3. The statue is located in the Charles Houston Recreation Center, the former location of Parker-Gray High School, where Lloyd attended. Lloyd made history when he became the first African American to play in the NBA in 1950. https://www.localdvm.com/news/virginia/alexandria-unveils-statue-of-first-african-american-nba-player-earl-lloyd/ A Democrat-turned Republican politician and staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump has come under fire for saying that civil rights protections shouldn’t extend to the LGBTQ+ community. Vernon Jones, 61, served in the Georgia State House of Representatives as a Democrat from 1993 to 2001 and 2017 to 2021, said that gay people ‘can actually change’ in a podcast interview with ex-Trump advisor Steve Bannon. ‘Let me tell you, civil rights for blacks and gay rights for gays are two different things,’ Jones, who once called himself the ‘black Donald Trump,’ said on an episode of Bannon’s ‘War Room’ podcast. ‘I don’t know what you are unless you tell me what you are if you’re gay, but when I walk into that room, you can tell that I’m Black,’ he added. ‘I’m Black from cradle to grave. Let’s not get that confused, but they can actually change.’ https://twitter.com/i/status/1512544594512302093 A legislative panel voted Friday to confirm a Maine judge who could become the first African American to serve on Maine’s highest court. Maine Gov. Janet Mills nominated Rick Lawrence to serve on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He is a two-decade veteran district judge. Lawrence, 66, faced a confirmation hearing before the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Judiciary before the vote. Representatives from Mills’ office said during the hearing that Lawrence’s ascendance to the high court would be a milestone for the state, and that his long background in law makes him qualified for the job. The panel agreed, confirming him unanimously. Lawrence, a Portland resident, said during the hearing that his broad range of experience in law and business make him a strong candidate. He currently serves as deputy chief judge of the District Court. Before becoming a judge, he worked as an attorney at Pierce Atwood and as an in-house counsel for disability insurer Unum. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will not file charges in the controversial shooting deaths of an Inglewood couple who were gunned down by police inside their car in 2016, according to a report made public Wednesday. Prosecutors said they had insufficient evidence to charge the five Inglewood police officers who opened fire on Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin in February 2016. The office’s legal conclusion laid out in the 36-page document is largely centered on the determination that prosecutors could not disprove that the officers had a reasonable fear that either Michael or Sandlin would reach for the loaded gun that officers saw inside the car. In a separate report also made public late Wednesday, prosecutors said they would not charge the Pasadena police officer who shot and killed Anthony McClain as he fled from a traffic stop two years ago. The Aug. 15, 2020, shooting spurred protests by Black Lives Matter in the streets of Old Pasadena and gained the attention of nationally renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. The decisions could engender political backlash against George Gascón, the embattled Los Angeles County district attorney, who is facing the threat of a recall and who was elected on a promise of holding police accountable in cases where they used deadly force in unnecessary situations. Will Smith is facing a 10-year ban from events held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for slapping Oscars presenter Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards in March. But the reaction to the film academy’s decision Friday was met with mixed results, ranging from disbelief to accusations of racism. While the “King Richard” star has repeatedly apologized and accepted the academy’s decision, the organization contended that its ban was “a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the academy.” But many people on social media didn’t see it that way (and celebrities were mostly silent). Some critics characterized the academy’s ruling against the “Fresh Prince” veteran as racially motivated, while others saw it as the group making up for lax repercussions for past transgressors. They cited inappropriate behavior by the likes of Oscar winner Adrien Brody, who planted a kiss on presenter Halle Berry in 2003, or that of comedian Jim Carrey, a critic of Smith who made live-show advances on an unwilling Alicia Silverstone at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. “The ten year ban they gave Will Smith feels very ‘make a lesson of this Black person,'” tweeted author Frederick Joseph. “This is 100% racially motivated,” wrote Twitter user Somari, replying to a news story about Smith’s punishment. “Jim Carrey sexually assaulted a woman live on stage and she was visually distressed. Will Smith slaps a dude for mocking an illness and gets banned for a decade.” Jada Pinkett Smith looked glittering in gold on Saturday evening as she made her first public outing since her husband Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. The Emmy-Award winner, 50, was attending the grand opening of The Rhimes Performing Arts Centre in Los Angeles and used the star-studded event to show off her style. Jada wore a strapless gown that spotlighted her toned arms and she accented the elegant ensemble with a subtle red lip and gold earrings. The actress boosted her sophisticated frame with a pair of killer gold heels which were the perfect complementation to her look. Jada was later seen concealing her striking gown with a thick white dressing gown as she watched the night unfold from the crowd. Saturday night’s event celebrated the opening of Bridgerton producer Shonda Rhimes ‘ latest project, at The Rhimes Performing Arts Centre. Viola Davis, who is one award away from becoming an EGOT recipient, is also weeks away from the release of her in-depth memoir, Finding Me. Though the pioneering, history-making actress will first appear in an intimate Super Soul Sunday-esque special on Netflix with Oprah. As described in a press release, “for the first time Viola shares memories of her childhood marked with unimaginable poverty, disturbing abuse and ‘all the things that cause you pain.’” Additionally, in the nearly two-hour special, “Viola reveals how ‘giving up hope that the past could be different’ has brought her peace, forgiveness and a sense of self. Viola also explains how she manifested the loves in her life and what it took to become one of the most celebrated and talented actresses of our time.” Both the book and onscreen sit-down will shed light on the Fences star’s upbringing and journey toward discovering her purpose. Davis considers the book to be a “deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self.” A veteran actor and member of the Motion Picture Academy blasted Will Smith’s 10-year Oscar ban, calling it a ‘toothless penalty’ and says the star should voluntarily return his best actor award. In a scathing Variety op-ed, Harry Lennix, 57, compared Smith’s punishment for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on March 27 to ‘an extended time out for a playground bully’ that ‘lays bare the shallowness of Hollywood morals.’ Lennix wrote that Smith needs to ‘come to grips with the gravity of the offense he committed’ and express-mail his golden trophy back to the Academy. The most ‘galling’ part of the ordeal, Lennix wrote, was Smith being allowed to accept his best actor trophy for his role in ‘King Richard,’ less than an hour after the violent onstage incident, and his reference to the ‘will of God’ in his speech. Less than an hour earlier, Smith slapped Rock on-stage after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head. Pinkett-Smith has been open in the past about her struggles with alopecia. After the slap, Smith returned to his seat and screamed ‘keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth.’ He the then won the Oscar for Best Actor in his role as Serena and Venus Williams’ father Richard Williams, in the film King Richard. He used his speech to apologize to the Academy and to Rock, and he later posted an apology on Instagram. Rock has not yet addressed the incident and declined to press charges against Smith. ‘Smith’s brutality stripped the entire evening of its prestige,’ Lennix wrote in the op-ed piece. ‘That was proven when stunned Oscar attendees gave a standing ovation to someone who’d just committed an assault in front of their eyes.’ A woman who recently accused Snoop Dogg of sexual assault is dropping her lawsuit for now, federal court documents show. In a motion filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court, attorneys for the unnamed Jane Doe accuser asked a judge to dismiss the case “in its entirety.” But the request was “without prejudice,” meaning she could refile the case later. The filing did not explain why she was dropping the case. It came two weeks after Snoop moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it was full of “innuendo and irrelevant statements” but devoid of valid legal accusations. The accuser’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Snoop for told Billboard: “It is not surprising that the plaintiff dismissed her complaint against the defendants. Her complaint was full of false allegations and deficiencies.” In her lawsuit filed on Feb. 9, the Jane Doe accuser alleged that both Snoop Dogg and Bishop Don “Magic” Juan separately assaulted her over a 24-hour span in May 2013. She also says she was not hired again because she rebuffed their advances. After T.I. insulted a comedian who made jokes about the sexual allegations against him and his wife during a comedy show on Monday (4th April), his wife Tiny Harris came out to defend him and set the record straight. The hip-hop star reacted when an Instagram user suggested her husband had been “speaking figuratively.” “He really was,” the 41-year-old Xscape singer replied to the post by The Neighbourhood Talk. She clarified that T.I. didn’t actually refer to the comedian as a b**h because he didn’t directly call her a b**h, reports AceShowbiz. “If u notice when he was speaking directly to her he was calling her ‘n***a.’ Consciously restraining himself from calling her a b***h. Not worth a million,” Tiny further explained. However, that didn’t mark the end of her reactions because one Sabrina Peterson chimed in, accusing the couple of sexual assault and saying she was “triggered” by T.I.’s video with the comedian. “Lmao she should be a comedian too!” Tiny shot back on reading that. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcB5SqNJrHJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Gladys Knight was threatened at gunpoint by a racist. The 77-year-old singer refused to sit back when a petrol attendant refused to fill up her car because of the color of her skin, but when she spoke up against him, he pulled out a weapon. She told Britain’s OK! Magazine: “The bravest thing I’ve ever done [was] early in my career, when I was travelling on the road with the Pips, we stopped at a gas station and the man behind the counter refused to fill our car, even though we’d paid upfront, because I was black. “I was very outspoken in those days and started to argue with him, and he pulled a gun on me. “I hate to think what might have happened if my friends hadn’t pulled me away.” Former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt is under fire for ‘disgraceful’ comments about the death of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Ohio State standout Dwayne Haskins. The 24-year-old football star was killed on Saturday morning after he was hit by a dump truck on Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale. Later on NFL Radio, Brandt went viral after he was asked about Haskins death. The 90-year-old Hall-of-Famer made several ‘disgraceful’ and ‘completely inappropriate’ remarks on the subject. ‘I hate anytime anybody is killed or anybody dies. But he was a guy that was living to be dead,’ Brandt told Vic Carucci and Dan Leberfeld of Sirius XM NFL Radio. ‘They told him don’t, under any circumstances, leave school early. You just don’t have the work habits. You don’t have this, you don’t have that. What did he do? Left school early,’ he said. https://youtu.be/_mlUGQ0a4f0 Gil Brandt, a longtime former executive for the Dallas Cowboys, has apologized for his immediate reaction to the death of NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins. “This morning while learning of Dwayne Haskins’ passing, I reacted carelessly and insensitively on a radio interview,” Brandt tweeted on Saturday. “I want to apologize to Mr. Haskins’ family and anyone who heard my poor choice of words. I truly apologize. My heart goes out to his family at this difficult time.” Haskins, the former quarterback of the Steelers and Washington Commanders in the NFL and the Ohio State Buckeyes, died on Saturday morning after being struck by a dump truck while walking on a highway in South Florida. Washington went 3-10 in games started by Haskins in 2019 and 2020. He was signed by the Steelers in 2021 as the third-string quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph, but was only active for one game this past season and did not appear on the field. Brandt, who is 90 years old, spoke on SiriusXM on Saturday morning in the immediate wake of the news. He said that Haskins was someone who “was living to be dead, so to speak.” Brandt said that Haskins ignored the advice of NFL draft evaluators who told him to remain an extra year at Ohio State, allegedly telling him that he did not have the work ethic. For over a decade, there has been a debate that Idris Elba should become the next lead actor in the James Bond movie series. The discussion heated up after Daniel Craig left the franchise. Craig played James Bond in the last movie. The search for his replacement is ongoing, and that’s where Elba comes in. Many say he could easily step into the role, thus becoming the first Black man to play the legendary special agent. However, Elba now says he is too old to play James Bond. He has not entirely given up hope on securing the role, but he thinks playing Bond for an extended period of time may not favor his old age. “I am 50 this year. Let’s say you sign up for three films – nobody wants to see Bond giving chase or beating up guys when he is 60,” Elba explained. “I am probably too old to take on the role now.” You may not hear country music booming out of the speakers of many cars in the inner cities of New York, Chicago or Detroit. But a new generation of country artists like Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton and Jimmie Allen are here to show the world that the genre isn’t just music by and for white people who wear cowboy hats. And an Amazon Music Original documentary wants viewers to know that country music has been Black music all along. On April 7, Amazon Music announced the release of For Love & Country, a documentary that shines a light on the complicated relationship Black musicians and artists have had with the country music industry throughout history. For Love & Country is directed by acclaimed director and photographer Joshua Kissi. “My hope is for people to watch this beautiful piece of film while having a different appreciation for the genre of country music and the artists who so boldly choose to stand in the light,” Kissi said. Washington got a crash course in risk-reward ratios after several big names tested positive for the coronavirus this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. got it. D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser got it. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine all announced they got it after attending the exclusive Gridiron Club dinner on April 2. Some 450 people packed into the National Gallery of Art for Thursday’s opening of “Afro-Atlantic Histories,” a groundbreaking exhibition of Black art and artists at the city’s most prestigious art museum. Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated during the day after presiding over the landmark confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, and then at night by touring the show and addressing the crowd. “A lot of history is being made today,” said Harris with a broad smile. “Tonight is exceptional because it is unlike any other in the National Gallery’s history.” The exhibit, she added, is “so extraordinarily significant and important. It tells the story of our shared past but also our shared future.” Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson marked her historic confirmation to the Supreme Court with a moving speech from the White House on Friday, in which she celebrated the “hope and promise” of a nation where it was possible for her family to go from living under segregation to a Supreme Court appointment in one generation. https://youtu.be/5x9oIvt_Gx8 China has accelerated an expansion of its nuclear arsenal because of a change in its assessment of the threat posed by the U.S., people with knowledge of the Chinese leadership’s thinking say, shedding new light on a buildup that is raising tension between the two countries. The Chinese nuclear effort long predates Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the U.S.’s wariness about getting directly involved in the war there has likely reinforced Beijing’s decision to put greater emphasis on developing nuclear weapons as a deterrent, some of these people say. Chinese leaders see a stronger nuclear arsenal as a way to deter the U.S. from getting directly involved in a potential conflict over Taiwan. It was a veneer of acceptance embraced by every GOP president from Reagan to Trump, and even the strongest abortion foes, that a woman should not be required to carry a rapist’s child. Just as states may be on the verge of regaining expansive authority to outlaw abortion, eliminating rape and incest exceptions has moved from the fringe to the center of the antiabortion movement. In 2019, Alabama gained national attention by passing a state law banning all abortions with exceptions only for lethal abnormalities and serious health risks to the patient. There was a brief backlash to Alabama’s law, but over the last four years, 10 states have enacted abortion bans in early pregnancy without rape or incest exceptions: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. All were blocked by the court, except Texas’ law, which is in effect. A large worm-like cloud materialized this week over Alaska’s Lazy Mountain, igniting conspiracy theories and prompting an investigation — and explanation — from Alaska State Troopers. It happened around 7 a.m. Thursday, April 7, and photos show the streak of smoke resembled everything from a falling meteor to a burning aircraft. Social media explanations included talk of an eruption, a crashing UFO and a Russian weapon linked to the ongoing conflict over Ukraine. “We saw this on the way to school this morning as well. Very eerie!” Christy Hronkin Swift wrote on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook page. “Looks like a meteor. I wonder where it landed,” Cassi Joi posted. “Could it be a satellite? It’s so strange,” Shannon Del Vecchio Watson said. “No wings,” Susie Kuke Martin noted. Rayfield Wright, the longtime Dallas Cowboys right tackle and two-time Super Bowl champion, died Thursday, his wife Di told the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 76 years old. Wright had reportedly been hospitalized for several days after a severe seizure. The Griffin, Georgia native was a major player in the Cowboys’ rise to America’s team, joining them as a seventh-round pick in the 1967 NFL draft. Before that, Wright had been more interested in a basketball career as a three-sport athlete at Fort Valley State, but a call from Cowboys executive Gil Brandt changed the course of his life. Wright began his Cowboys career inauspiciously. He recalled in his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech fighting for a roster spot in training camp as one of 137 rookies invited, with only five making the team. An injury to starting right tackle Ralph Neely opened up a starting spot for Wright in 1969, the third season of his career. A Canton-worthy career would follow, blocking for Roger Staubach on the way to two Super Bowl rings. A Hampton, Va. man was arrested Thursday in Orlando in connection with the death of Joshua Owusu-Koramoah, 23, the older brother of Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Hampton police announced Thursday night. Ronald Ivan Scott, 33, was charged with one count of murder and one count of arson, and remains in custody at the Orange Country jail. Joshua, a former linebacker at William & Mary, was found dead inside his burned residence in Hampton on Tuesday. He earned his degree in chemistry in 2020, and was a science teacher at Hampton Christian Academy. Jeremiah was in Ghana conducting youth football camps at the time of his brother’s death, and flew home. Drew Barker, a former high school teammate of Joshua’s, described how close Joshua and Jeremiah, 22, were. They also have an older brother, Jerry Brooks, and were raised by their single mother, Beverly Mabson. “I don’t know of anyone who would be closer than those two,” Barker told the Associated Press. “And if Josh wasn’t at (a Browns game), he was watching it on TV or sending in prayers before the game and talking to him after the game.’’ The Real is coming to an end. After eight seasons on the air, Warner Bros. and Telepictures — who produce and distribute the daytime talk show — have canceled The Real, a rep for the series confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday. Co-hosts Loni Love and Garcelle Beauvais also confirmed the news, sharing messages about the cancelation on their respective social media pages. “In the end The Real cast & crew did everything we could to scale the show down,” Love, 50, explained in her post. “We shot 7-8 shows in 3 days, no audience, made a conference room into a studio, but in my opinion Covid costs killed this show.” “It’s been a great ride and thanks to the viewers for 8 great seasons!” she added. In a tweet of her own, Beauvais, 55, wrote of the series’ cancelation: “It as a fun ride!! Got to work with an [sic] group of amazing women and crew.” She also added three praying hand emojis. Fellow co-hosts Adrienne Bailon Houghton and Jeannie Mai Jenkins have not yet publicly commented on the news. Actress Vanessa Hudgens believes she has a “gift” and can see and hear spiritual things. “The Princess Switch 3” star made the revelation this week on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” explaining that she has “accepted” this supposed talent and has visited at least one graveyard in an attempt to connect with spirits. The conversation turned to the spirit realm when host Kelly Clarkson asked Hudgens if she’s newly “obsessed with ghosts,” to which the actress said her interest isn’t all that new. “It’s not really a new passion. You’re just kind of, like, finding out,” she said. “Yeah, I feel like I’ve accepted the fact that, like, I see things, and I hear things.” The actress, whose career exploded in 2006 with Disney’s “High School Musical,” shared a spiritual experience she claims to have had while growing up. “I remember getting ready for school when I was 8 years old, and there was, like — you know those ducks that, like, is like the duck thing that you pull?” she said. “It’s a toy. There was one of those on the dining room table, and I started walking, and it just started, like, going alongside me.” https://youtu.be/Sg-evdJ15ag Carrie Underwood became a household name after winning the fourth season of American Idol back in 2005. She won over the hearts of America with covers of songs such as Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Bless The Broken Road” from Rascal Flatts. https://youtu.be/2BuDJVEHyG4 Tennis great Boris Becker could face a prison sentence after being found guilty Friday of illicitly moving thousands of dollars from a bank account after he was declared bankrupt. A jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court convicted Becker on four charges under the Insolvency Act, including removal of property, concealing debt and two counts of failing to disclose estate assets. The German star was found to have transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds after his June 2017 bankruptcy from his business account to other accounts, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker. He was also convicted of failing to declare a property in Germany and hiding an 825,000 euro ($895,000) bank loan and shares in a tech firm. Amid the Oscars slap drama involving Will Smith, 53, Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, and Chris Rock, 57, a 2018 clip of Jada on her ‘Red Table Talk’ show has resurfaced and includes her admitting she “never” wanted to marry the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ star. In the exhumed snippet from her Facebook series show, Jada said, “I was under so much pressure, you know, being a young actress, being young, and I was just, like, pregnant and I just didn’t know what to do.” Jada says her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, 68 and also known as “Gammy,” forced her and Will to tie the knot after becoming pregnant with their first son together, Jaden Smith, 23. With her husband, mom and daughter Willow Smith, 21, at her side, Jada added, “I really didn’t wanna get married. We only got married because Gammy was crying. It was almost as if Gammy was like, ‘You have to get married, so let’s talk about the wedding.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CcHd297vdXm/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kandi Burruss is clapping back at comments her ex made about their daughter. In a recent interview, Russell “Block” Spencer suggested that Riley Burruss, 22, — he and Kandi’s adult daughter — is “jealous” of his other children. He also expressed frustration over having to pay child support because Kandi makes more money than him. “Every last one of my kids lives with me from when they’re born until they graduate except Kandi’s [daughter],” Block said, as reported by The YBF. “I’ve got an accomplished name, [and I gave my kids who lived with me] a lot of stuff. And I think it’s a lot of jealousy because Riley wasn’t in that situation because her mom put me on child support.” https://youtu.be/KpYOBTf0x30 In March, Cardi B and her lawyers asked that a permanent injunction be placed on Tasha K to force her to take down all the defamatory posts on the rapper. Cardi B also wanted YouTube to be ordered not to repost them. Cardi B emotionally explained that Tasha’s lies almost drove her into suicide. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper’s litigation has now borne fruit after the presiding judge over the case on April 4 ordered Tasha K to remove the over 20 defamatory videos. Tasha K, a YouTube vlogger and social media personality, has also been banned “from ever posting again about the rapper on a range of specific subjects” relating to the inaccurate information she broadcast about Cardi. Tasha K had already admitted that she deliberately posted lies about Cardi B, such as claims that the rapper has STIs, is a prostitute, cheated on her husband, and used cocaine, among other unproven lies or half-truths. A jury declared that Tash K is guilty of defamation of character, an invasion of privacy through portrayal in a false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Cardi was awarded $4 million in damages and attorney fees by the courts to be paid by the vlogger, after winning her federal defamation case in January. But the saga continues, for she has not called off the legal battle against the vlogger. Talking to Nija Okoro, it’s clear that she loves what she’s doing. You can hear the joy emanating from her voice when she talks about the theater, her acting career, and her latest show. Up next for the talented actress is the lead role of Angel, in the Pearl Cleage drama, Blues For An Alabama Sky, now playing at the Mark Taper Forum through May 8, 2022. Opening night is April 13, 2022. The character, said Okoro, has a lot of issues and has even more layers that she’s able to peel back and explore. She enjoys that process. “That’s the good stuff,” she said. Since taking on the role, Okoro has enjoyed the process of developing a rich, complex character, and is excited about sharing her with the audience. One look at the photo Tahir Kelly and it’s hard for some to believe that his injuries were caused by a fall on concrete and not at the hands of police officers who arrested him. In the wake of the incident, police in Michigan City released bodycam video of the officer-involved incident that left Kelly seriously injured. Police said the incident began Tuesday because Kelly matched the description of someone involved in a report of a suspicious vehicle. “It’s about who is worth it,” said singer/songwriter Terrill Paul about the meaning of the title to his new single “Worth It” (OLHO Entertainment. “I’m a married man. My first marriage, I picked. This one, I let God be in on it. It takes work and compromise. A lot of people don’t want to talk about it.” https://youtu.be/Lhcuz6CS36s Snoop Dogg acquired the Death Row Records brands plus many of its iconic albums. Over the past weeks, he has been busy trying to complete the collection as some vital releases such as his own “Doggystyle” and Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” were missing. As he negotiated the terms of the acquisition, these albums were unavailable for streaming. Initially, there was also confusion over the ownership of “The Chronic” but it seems the sticking issues have been ironed out, and Dr. Dre’s debut album is now back under the Death Row banner. So far, no word on “Doggystyle,” but Snoop Dogg shared a photo on Instagram captioned “The Chronic Is Bac Home.” This revelation fired up Snoop’s fans and fellow rappers, who expressed their excitement. “Something good coming from this,” predicted 50 Cent. Snoop had previously shown he planned to make Death Row the first “major in the metaverse.” He was to re-release the studio’s collection of seminal hip-hop hits as NFTs. Meanwhile, Snoop is still busy negotiating publishing profit shares for Tupac albums under Death Row. https://www.instagram.com/snoopdogg/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=18b79dba-dd91-43fa-bf05-d23558378654 TMZ recently chopped it up with rapper Fat Joe to get his thoughts on the wild Oscars slap. While speaking with reporter @seleahsimone Thursday in NYC, the rap star said he believes the crazy moment between Will Smith and Chris Rock makes minorities look bad. However, unlike other entertainers, Fat Joe did not slam Will Smith for defending his wife Jada Pinkett Smith by smacking Rock. In fact, he praised him for being a great person but says this situation is very unfortunate, especially for the former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star who recently had to resign from the academy. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcGG6Bwrq4V/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kit Kat has announced its new flavor inspired by yummy blueberry muffins. The new Kit Kat blueberry muffin candy bar rolled out at retailers nationwide Wednesday. Per PEOPLE, “The bar promises blueberries and cake batter-like muffin flavors with graham cookie pieces folded into the bar. And it lives up to expectations.” https://youtu.be/MUF9cjHwIew Season three of the Emmy-winning sketch comedy series “A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW” is headed back to HBO. The show stars Robin Thede, Gabrielle Dennis, Ashley Nicole Black, and Skye Townsend. Thede also serves as creator, executive producer, writer, and showrunner. She said season three is the biggest yet and contains epic moments. One look at the all-star guest list featured over six episodes says that’s an easy bet. https://youtu.be/RNSpoKoW078 Alice (Keke Palmer) yearns for freedom as an enslaved person on a rural Georgia plantation under its brutal and disturbed owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). After a violent clash with Paul, she flees through the neighboring woods and stumbles onto the unfamiliar sight of a highway, soon discovering the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned political activist named Frank (Common), Alice quickly comprehends the lies that have kept her in bondage and the promise of Black liberation. Inspired by true events, Alice is a modern empowerment story tracing Alice’s journey through the post-Civil Rights Era American South. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5CHq89MPnE&feature=youtu.be On Wednesday, Greene got her Klan-taloons all in a bunch over possibly one of the most basic and relatively harmless jokes ever told by late show host Jimmy Kimmel. “Marjorie Taylor Greene—this woman, ‘Klan mom,’ is especially upset with the three Republicans who said they’ll vote ‘yes’ on Ketanji Brown Jackson who’s nominated for the Supreme Court,” Kimmel said. “She tweeted, ‘Murkowski, Collins and Romney are pro-pedophile. They just voted for KBJ.'” “Wow, where is Will Smith when you really need him, huh?” Kimmel continued. Now, come on, y’all—if Chris Rock’s joke directed at Jada Pinkett-Smith that prompted Will Smith to smack him was harmless, then so was Kimmel’s. And yet, MTG got so sensitive about it that she’s calling Kimmell out for “threats of violence” against her and, in turn, threatening legal action against the comedian for, well, being a comedian. https://twitter.com/i/status/1511816972610244615 It’s 2022 and there are still cops out there who don’t realize that their online activities can lose them their jobs. And that’s a wonderful thing because honestly, we need them to reveal themselves. Now, I know too many of us, calling a cop a white supremacist is like calling Bambi’s mother a deer (RIP *sobs*), but one now-former Illinois police officer has been outed as a Klan-ish cop in the most explicit sense. He told us who he is, and now he’s done patrolling Springfield, Illinois, streets because of it. Meet now-former Springfield Police Department Officer Aaron Paul Nichols. According to HuffPost, Nichols, 46, joined the police department in 2004, which means for the better part of two decades, a man who proudly hates Jewish people, Black people and, well, basically anyone who isn’t an Anglo-Saxon with cross burning, seasonless food and minimal showers in their blood, was tasked with enforcing the law without prejudice. Fortunately, Anonymous Comrades Collective (ACC), an organization HuffPost described as “a group of anti-fascist researchers,” exposed the cop—who would likely trade handcuffs for nooses and make the first day of the Holocaust an international holiday if he had his way—by unearthing social media posts Nichols made while having a job that allowed him to carry a deadly weapon. It its peak, the Confederate-era proved to be one of the most racially-segregated periods in American history. It’s for that very reason and countless others that many Confederate statues have either already been or are in the process of being removed across the nation. Unfortunately, we can’t erase all traces of the Confederacy, including the annual Confederate Memorial Day primarily celebrated by The Sons of Confederate Veterans. Even with current efforts from various activists to right the wrongs of America’s past, this organization still managed to get approval for a CMD event at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia by the park officials themselves. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association granted permission for the Confederate Memorial Day event to go down based on the reasoning that it’s a yearly tradition for the gathering to occur in front of a Mount Rushmore-style rock carving of Confederate Civil War leaders Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. The association’s CEO Bill Stephens refers to the yearly gathering as “small and respectful,” but it’s hard to ignore what each of those men represent when it comes to slavery, segregation, and racist ideologies in general. All-new episodes of TV One’s original docu-series, UNSUNG and UNCENSORED, are back this Sunday, April 10. UNSUNG leads with hip-hop pioneers, Das EFX, at 9 p.m. ET/8C followed by UNCENSORED, which features singer, actor and record producer, CeeLo Green, at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Each episode will also be published on TVOne.tv and TV One’s social media platforms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry70KR59b8w Head coach Eddie George and his Tennessee State University Tigers will be making history next year when they become the first football team from a historically Black college or university (HBCU) to play against Notre Dame’s storied program. The game will be nationally televised on NBC and provide great exposure for Tennessee State when the team travels to take on the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept. 2, 2023. With football, in particular, all HBCUs play in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), which is considered a lower tier of competition, often resulting in lopsided losses from the “payout games.” The announcement of the game earlier this week has drawn attention to the ongoing conversation about HBCU sports teams playing against typically mightier Power Five level competition in so-called “payout games” that offer generous financial compensation in return. The game will also be the first time Notre Dame plays a team from the FCS. Next time a white person tries to absolve themselves of any and all accusations of racism by declaring that they have a Black friend, remind them about Morgan Daniel Barnhill. Barnhill, 27, is currently a resident of Mobile County Jail in Mobile, Alabama. According to WTVY News 4, late last month, Barnhill killed a Black man by beating him over the head with a shovel and a large pipe. He told the police he did it because he believed his victim to be a burglar breaking into his shed. First, let’s acknowledge that catching a man breaking into a shed shouldn’t justify beating him to death if the owner of the shed isn’t in any immediate danger. Burglary, in and of itself, shouldn’t come with a death sentence. (Of course, this happened in Alabama, so this might not be a very popular opinion in that particular state.) CNN+ host Chris Wallace has interviewed/debated “1619 Project” author Nikole Hannah-Jones, challenging her claim that the generation of Americans that fought in World War II were guilty of ‘brutally suppressing democracy’ for black Americans. Wallace interviewed Hannah-Jones for his new series on CNN’s new streaming service and while the discussion was civil he admitted that it got a ‘little heated’ at times. During the interview, Wallace read Hannah-Jones a passage from her Pulitzer-winning New York Times series, which aimed to ‘reframe the country’s history to focus on the consequences of slavery, the DailyMail reports. They’re not taking his recently won Oscar away, However, Will Smith will not be allowed to attend the Academy Awards for the next 10 years, as a result of his slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage during this year’s Oscar ceremony, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences announced in a statement obtained by CNN. “The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement on Friday. The decision was made during a Board of Governors meeting held earlier in the day in Los Angeles. The meeting, initially scheduled for April 18, was expedited after Smith announced his resignation from the Academy last week. The decision came following “tons of debate” on what the consequences of his on-stage slap should be, a board member tells CNN. The Academy’s letter added: “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.” The Black male accused of killing a white female Uber driver appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom for the first time Wednesday. Calvin Crew, 22, is accused of using his girlfriend’s Uber account to order a ride in February. When driver Christi Spicuzza, 38, picked him up, he held a gun to the back of her head. The startled Uber driver said, “Come on, man. I’ve got a family. What are you doing?” Crew answered, “I got a family too. Now drive.” https://youtu.be/cbdpI28XH30 21 Savage‘s immigration status has been delayed due to the rapper’s ongoing criminal case in Georgia. in 2019, Savage –real name She’yaa Bin Abraham Joseph — was detained by ICE officials for living in the US illegally for years on an expired visa. According to the report, there are currently no pending court dates for the criminal case, and the artist is allowed to travel domestically, but he can’t leave the U.S. Recalling the moment of the arrest, the Atlanta-based artist said in 2019: “I was just driving. And I just seen guns and blue lights. And, then, I was in the back of a car. And I was gone. “They didn’t — they didn’t say nothing. They just said, ‘We got Savage’. It was definitely targeted,” the hip-hop star added. 21’s legal team said he “won his freedom” after he was released from detainment. Magic Johnson and his gay son Earvin “EJ” Johnson are speaking out about their bond and how EJ coming out changed the NBA icon. “It wasn’t new for me, but they had to really take that in and digest it,” EJ, 29, told Variety about his parents’ initial reaction to his sexuality. “Especially my dad, because he was really the last person to talk to. I think it was just a lot for him to swallow in that conversation. A lot of just going back and forth. And he just was rattling off about things that weren’t particularly nice. But he’s not somebody who works great being cornered or surprised,” he continued. https://youtu.be/jfKkvnbvZ-E Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins has died at the age of 24 following an automobile accident. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shared news of the tragedy in a statement Saturday. "I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins," Tomlin said. "He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community." Haskins was involved in a "fatal vehicle vs pedestrian crash" early Saturday morning at around 6:30 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol in West Palm Beach. The football player was walking on "a limited access facility for unknown reasons" as he tried to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 when there was oncoming traffic, Lt. Indiana Miranda told NBC News in an email. That's when he collided with an oncoming dump truck. Haskins was pronounced dead on scene, Miranda said, adding that the incident remains an open traffic homicide investigation. The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court! She becomes the first Black woman and only the third Black person to ever sit on the highest court in America. Jackson is also the first former public defender to joint the Court. Her confirmation fills a gap left after Justice Thurgood Marshall retired in 1991, bringing the perspective of someone who has done indigent defense back to the bench. Jackson will join Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan on the liberal side, replacing Justice Stephen Breyer, who will be retiring from the Court this summer. The 51-year-old also becomes the second-youngest member of the Court, behind Justice Amy Coney Barrett who is 50. Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney were the only three Senate Republicans who voted to confirm Judge Jackson. All three senators made it clear that they don’t always agree with Jackson’s ideas but said she was extremely qualified, which outweighed the differences in beliefs. Prosecutors declined to file charges against the Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Amir Locke or any other officers involved in the no-knock warrant service that led to the 22-year-old Black man’s death in early February. An officer shot Locke within a few seconds of entering the apartment after prosecutors said Locke emerged from a couch with a handgun and raised it toward an officer. The officer, and others on the Minneapolis SWAT team, were there serving a warrant in a homicide investigation. “After a thorough review of all available evidence … there is insufficient admissible evidence to file criminal charges in this case,” according to a statement from the county attorney and state attorney general released Wednesday. At the time Locke was shot, he was in legal possession of the firearm, inside the apartment, according to prosecutors, but they said that wasn’t relevant to the investigation. According to the statement from prosecutors, Locke’s actions after officers entered the apartment “on a judicially authorized search warrant” constituted a “specifically articulable threat.” Security industry pioneer Mary Parker, CEO of ALL N ONE Security Services is breaking new grounds and rebuilding communities in the process. In fact, she recently purchased Junction 2800, formerly called Campbellton Road Community Center. This investment will help revitalize southwest Atlanta communities. “I believe revitalization without gentrification is possible,” Parker states. The newly named development, Junction 2800, is a multi-purpose use property equipped with co-working space and will include a technology hub with construction and entrepreneurialism programs. The 30,000 square foot property is also a verified vaccination site and voting poll. Parker is passionate about these issues as well. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens recently announced that Junction 2800 in conjunction with the Mary Parker Foundation will serve as one of the five newly resourced small business incubators as the city’s economic arm satellite office through Invest Atlanta as part of its ATLinBusiness program. For weeks, we’ve been watching Republican legislators line up to tell demonstrable lies about Jackson’s judicial record and bend themselves into white nationalist pretzels to link her to whatever they think critical race theory is. But it’s the arguments themselves that would be embarrassing to Republicans if conservatives knew shame. This brings us to Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R). As HuffPost reported, on Tuesday, Cotton during a Senate hearing use Jackson’s common AF surname to draw the stupidest parallel imaginable in insinuating that she’s a Nazi sympathizer based on her record as a public defender. “You know, the last Judge Jackson left the Supreme Court to go to Nuremberg and prosecute the Nazis,” Cotton said, referring to Robert Jackson, who was appointed by President Harry Truman to lead cases against German war criminals. “This Judge Jackson may have gone there to defend them.” Cotton’s absurd leap echoes a GOP theme dwelling on Jackson’s stint as a public defender representing Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of terrorism. As a public defender, Jackson did not pick her clients. https://twitter.com/i/status/1511442180497416197 Thankfully for Stacey Abrams, Democratic hopeful in the upcoming 2022 Georgia governor election, her riches have come the honest way by abiding by the law while also putting herself in a position of power to make positive changes within it as well. The recent headlines surrounding Abrams’ millionaire status aren’t to solely gloat on her behalf. The matter of her current financial standing actually shows great potential for a win in the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election being that her lack of funds was negatively thrown against her during the 2018 run. As AP News reports, Abrams faced criticism from then-opponent and current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp for owing $54,000 to the IRS in self-employment taxes she didn’t pay on time — the money was used instead to help her parents raise a granddaughter and medical bills relating to cancer treatments. There also was $96,000 in student loan debt and $83,000 in accumulated credit card debt. Thankfully she was able to pay it all off in 2019. “Seth Bringman, an Abrams campaign spokesperson, said she gave 37 paid speeches in 2021, including a 12-stop fall tour of stand-alone appearances. She’s written, co-written, or reissued six books since 2019, with another reissue on the way later this year. Abrams was also paid more than $700,000 over three years as executive director of the Southern Economic Advancement Project, an affiliate of the Roosevelt Institute that seeks to improve economic equity in the South. Abrams has reported no income from Fair Fight Action, the voting rights group she founded and formerly chaired. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbiXH4IldGz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Veteran rapper The Kidd Creole of Grandmaster Flash fame has been convicted for the fatal stabbing of a homeless NYC man. On Wednesday, a New York Supreme Court jury found Creole, born Nathaniel Glover, guilty of first-degree manslaughter, ABC 7 reports. The 62-year-old Bronx native was arrested in 2017 for allegedly stabbing 55-year-old John Jolly, a homeless man he thought was hitting on him, the New York Daily News reported. Glover allegedly stabbed the man on the streets in Midtown, Manhattan. Police described Jolly as a level 2 sex offender. The incident occurred before midnight as Creole was walking to his maintenance job. “They had no prior relationship,” a source told the Daily News at the time of Glover’s arrest. “They had words. Things got out of hand. It was some sort of diss.” https://youtu.be/PI6Hy7ISAjE Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors is clapping back at a report by New York Magazine that claims the organization purchased a $5.8 million Southern California home with BLM’s donation funds. Cullors calls the story is a “racist and sexist” attack on the movement. The article accused BLM figureheads– Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Melina Abdullah of buying the 6,500 square foot home that reportedly consists of “more than half a dozen bedrooms and bathrooms, several fireplaces, a soundstage, a pool and bungalow” in addition to “parking for more than 20 cars.” The activist explained that the property was purchased in 2020 to house the organization’s Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, where Black creatives, dancers, filmmakers, and musicians could come together and “work, create content, host meetings, and foster creativity.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb-DRkXA18h/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Lawyers for former Miami Dolphins‘ head coach Brian Flores, who is suing the NFL for racial discrimination in its hiring practices, added two more longtime NFL coaches to an amended complaint Thursday. Steve Wilks, who was the Arizona Cardinals‘ head coach for one season in 2018, and Ray Horton, an NFL assistant since 1994 who interviewed for the Tennessee Titans‘ head-coaching job in 2016, are now part of the lawsuit filed against the league, the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants, the Houston Texans, the Titans and the Cardinals, plus 26 other “John Doe” NFL teams. The Titans, Cardinals and Texans were added to the suit as part of the amendment as well. Flores’ attorneys allege in the amended complaint that the Texans “retaliated” against Flores by removing him from consideration for their head-coaching vacancy “due to his decision to file this action and speak publicly about systemic discrimination in the NFL.” The amended lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York. It asks for, among other things, increased transparency in NFL hiring, incentives for hiring lack coaches and increased visibility for Black assistant coaches. Lawyers say that Wilks was discriminated against as a “bridge coach” who was “not given any meaningful chance to succeed.” Wilks was 3-13 in one season with Arizona before being fired and replaced by Kliff Kingsbury. Lawyers wrote that while Kingsbury has been successful, “Mr. Wilks, given the same opportunity afforded to Mr. Kingsbury, surely would have succeeded as well.” Easter weekend 2022, AURN Inspirational Network and some of the top Gospel and Urban stations in the country will broadcast an Easter Special hosted by recent Grammy Award-winning Gospel Artist CeCe Winans. “The CeCe Winans and Friends Easter Special” will feature inspirational music and messages of hope and faith from some of the most celebrated stars in the Gospel community. Along with words of praise from AURN Inspiration’s syndicated radio hosts Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Dr. Bobby Jones and Tye Tribbett, other celebrated contributors will include Anthony Brown, Bishop Leonard Scott, Byron Cage, Earnest Pugh, Fred Hammond, Isabel Davis, J.J. Hairston, Jabari Johnson, James Fortune, Jekalyn Carr, Kirk Franklin, Martha Manuzzi, Pastor Mike Jr., Renee Spearman, Rudy Currence, Tamela Mann, The Walls Group, Travis Greene and Vashawn Mitchell. Winans is fresh off of her multiple Grammy wins taking home three including Best Gospel Album for “Believe For It” as well as Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song “Believe For It” as well as “Best Gospel Performance/Song” for “Never Lost.” Chris Rock told the crowd during his surprise set at Comedy Cellar in New York Tuesday night that he would not talk about the Will Smith slap. “He literally only addressed it as the crowd was going wild for his surprise appearance, and he got on stage and said, ‘Lower your expectations. I’m not going to address that s–t,’” an audience spy tells Page Six. Meanwhile, Rock’s brother Kenny has been speaking out about the Oscar slap. “It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Kenny, 42, told the Los Angeles Times. https://youtu.be/hd6WS-1p4j4 After a long wait, Tiger Woods is back in his natural habit — the professional golf arena at the Masters at Augusta National. For one of golf’s greats, it’s been an uphill struggle for Woods following a car accident in February 2021 when he suffered serious leg injuries requiring surgery. His only prior appearance on the golf course had come with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship in late 2021, but a rare sighting of Woods’ private jet landing at an airport near Augusta last week caused speculation to circulate that the 15-time major winner could be in line for a stunning return to action. After some practice rounds, Woods is indeed making his return to competitive golf. http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=33692169 Russell Wilson the #DenverBroncos quarterback sat down with the crew of “Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Radio” show in February and revealed how he got with the “Body Party” singer. During his interview on the SiriusXM show, one of Hart’s co-hosts asked Wilson what the one line “that made him bag Ciara was.” Wilson confessed that he used his old tattered wallet to attract Ciara, but it’s not what you think. “First of all, I had this wallet, and it was broke down; it was kinda tore up. I had it for a while, you know?” he told the panel. Wilson continued, “First day we met— and we had been talking for two-and-a-half hours, hanging out — she saw the wallet sitting on the table. She said, ‘What the hell is that? You’re losing with that.’” The NFL star said he made it clear to Ciara that he never lost and proceeded to school her on the value of his torn-up wallet. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcBiWKpDHXL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has apologized for his criticism of LeBron James for acts he considers “embarrassing.” Per The Spun, the acts he takes issue with are the “celebratory dance LeBron displayed during a game earlier this season in addition to the superstar’s Instagram post in which he questioned the difference between COVID-19 and the common flu or cold,” the outlet writes. Abdul-Jabbar apologized for his recent comments about the LA Lakers star during an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Monday night. “All I have to say is this: I was there to give Carmelo Anthony the NBA Social Justice Champion Award. I’ve been talking to the press since high school, that’s 60 years of making statements. And I haven’t always gotten it right. And Sunday was one of those nights,” Abdul-Jabbar said, via ESPN.com. “It wasn’t my intention to criticize LeBron in any way. He has done so much for the Black community as well as for the game of basketball. We may not always agree, but I want to wholeheartedly apologize to LeBron and make it clear to him that I have tremendous respect for him. And if he can accept that, I’ll be very happy,” he continued. Kenan Thompson and his wife Christina Evangeline are reportedly calling it quits after 10 years of marriage. The Saturday Night Live star and interior designer are getting a divorce, a source close to the couple told TMZ. The pair — who were together for 15 years — have reportedly been separated for more than a year but no official documents for divorce have been filed. Representatives for Thompson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Thompson, 43, and Evangeline, 33, dated for four years before tying the knot in November 2011 in a private ceremony at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The comedian and actress are parents to daughters Georgia Marie, 7, and Gianna Michelle, 3. Though their marriage has been fairly private, Thompson opened up last year about his wife’s initial reaction to the plot of his sitcom, Kenan, during an appearance on The Tonight Show. After a two-year hiatus, “Late Late Show” host James Corden has returned with his Carpool Karaoke segment and Nicki Minaj joined him in the passenger seat. Corden and the “Queen” rapper sang her 2014 hit “Anaconda,” and Minaj also served up an impression of British songstress Adele. “It’s felt over the past year — very, very slowly, in one sense or another — like we started to get our show back,” Corden said recently, as reported by the New York Post. “But this was, this is obviously a big part of our show — this segment. The entire pandemic … there [were] so many things that we couldn’t do, and I think that’s true of every show. But for us, our show is very much about getting out there, whether that’s running out into the street and doing musicals in a crosswalk or big taped bits or having all the guests together on a couch at the same time.” https://youtu.be/HD4kk7tA6D8 Here is an exclusive clip for the new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” premiering Thursday, April 7 at 9pm on WE tv. Per press release, this season stars Hip Hop superstar K. Michelle (K. Michelle: My Life) and Kastan, Rich Dollaz and Mariahlynn, (Love & Hip Hop: New York) Lyrica and A1, (Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood) and Gangsta Boo (First Female Member of Three 6 Mafia) and Emmet as they head to Marriage Boot Camp to face the music. Dr. Ish & Judge Toler help them confront lies, betrayal, and bitter rivalries, but when secrets are exposed, will their relationships survive? https://youtu.be/CKLwhSWgVA0 A&E has green-lit an Ol’ Dirty Bastard documentary that chronicles the late rapper’s life and career. The project is being made with the approval of ODB’s estate, and “will include interviews with the artist’s family and closest friends, as well as never-before-seen personal archival footage from his wife, Icelene Jones,” per Complex. https://youtu.be/XXTzm5GtqVo The end of an era is slowly upon us, as it has been officially confirmed that popular crime-drama #Snowfall is coming to an end. FX network made the announcement that ‘Snowfall’ has been renewed for a sixth season, which will also be the series’ last. Starring #DamsonIdris and created by the late John Singleton, the finish line for critically-acclaimed 1980s drug drama series ‘Snowfall’ is officially in sight. @Deadline reports, FX just renewed the series for season six, but unfortunately for the show’s legion of devoted fans, season six will be the very last one. The return of One Chicago has arrived with the return of “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” Fans can tune in games, special interviews and so much more throughout the day as they get ready for a blockbuster Wednesday to remember. The yearly tradition continues in 2022, as this year’s. Today, One Chicago Day will be presented as a one-hour virtual event for fans across the world. After the event, viewers will be greeted with brand new episodes of all three “Chicago” series on NBC, ending the franchise’s mid season hiatus. https://youtu.be/NcPvLCe5iJo Angel Studios describes itself as a “community-driven movie studio” with a mission to amplify stories of light. One of its first projects, The Chosen, is one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in Hollywood history, earning hundreds of millions of views around the world. Dry Bar Comedy was another successful project launched by brothers Neal and Jeffrey Harmon. And there are even bigger projects in the works. But it hasn’t always been easy. The brothers sat down with CBN’s Studio 5 to discuss a former lawsuit with Disney that nearly took the family business down. CBS had a conference, I was at the same table as the V.P. of BSO…found out we want to entertain in each others’ arenas,” said Wordsmith about his partnership with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra that lasts until 2024. Baltimorean Wordsmith, born Anthony Parker, rewrites classical pieces bringing that urban flavor or as he said bringing the pieces, “to current times.” “I wrote tons of music for television and games…now I’m a part of the classical realm…rewriting older pieces,” he humbly stated. Aside from his partnership with the BSO Wordsmith is an entrepreneur via Wordsmith Music and NU Revolution Entertainment and a philanthropist through his non-profit Rise with a Purpose. Currently, Wordsmith’s non-profit is raising funds for the people of Ukraine. It so happens that his label has a Ukrainian Punk-Rock band on its roster. Over the last two months, Gov. Gavin Newsom has met with some of the state’s counties to promote CARE Court. CARE Court – the acronym stands for Community, Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment – is a mental health framework the state created to help people who are suffering from mental illness and Substance Use Disorder by providing alternatives to arrests and jail if they have run-ins with the law. Newsom announced the initiative at a press conference in San Jose last month. At the event, the governor said the new statewide initiative will receive funding from his administration’s multi-year mental health budget proposal totaling nearly $10 billion per year in behavioral health programs and services. https://youtu.be/eUcvYHvTvPY Ed Sheeran is keen to keep the chapel being built on his £3.7million Suffolk estate under cover as construction continues. New photographs taken this week of the build, which started in January, show the church, which includes a burial crypt, being constructed under a giant white tarpaulin. Ed is continuing work on his huge estate after winning his high profile copyright court case this week, which saw a judge rule his hit track Shape Of You was not a copy of Grime artist Sami Switch’s song. Photos of Ed’s estate taken on April 5 show the huge white scaffolding structure which is covering the chapel and tower, now dominating the local landscape. It was revealed in February that Ed had been granted permission to build a burial chamber as part of the church. Traditional broadcast television will die with its audience, experts have warned, saying young people prefer interactive forms of entertainment like the metaverse. This is a loose collection of virtual worlds, gaming platforms and other forms of interactive media, including Minecraft, Roblox and Meta Platforms. Frederic Cavazza, co-founder of Sysk, a French firm specializing in digital transformation, said young people have evolved from passive spectators of television, to active players in interactive mediums. ‘They’ve turned away from screens to smartphones,’ Cavazza explained, adding ‘TV channels are going to die with their audiences,’ unless networks adapt. Older people tend to be more wedded to broadcast television, with middle aged people leaving for streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. But viewership of network television among the under 35s has halved in the past decade, and is expected to drop further as the metaverse continues to develop. If they want to compete with the metaverse, and gaming platforms like Roblox, Fornite and Minecraft, broadcasters will need to adapt. The Groove with Carl Brister and special guest Bri Blvck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybWfh0tzKRM When former President Barack Obama walked into the White House on Tuesday, it was his first time in the building since he welcomed then-President-elect Donald Trump for coffee on the morning of Trump’s inauguration. That friendly greeting at the North Portico — including the awkward handoff of a blue Tiffany’s box the Trumps had brought as a gift — couldn’t foretell the acrimony that would lie ahead, as Trump shattered the relative amity that had once existed between former and current presidents. Obama’s return to the White House didn’t include any of that ugliness. Instead, he was celebrating one of his signature achievements, the Affordable Care Act, alongside the man who served with him in the building for eight years. “It feels like the good old days,” President Joe Biden said alongside his onetime boss, whose return to the East Room resembled a reunion of his top allies, many of whom are now serving in Biden’s Cabinet or in Congress. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/connectedworld/obama-returns-to-the-white-house-for-aca-expansion/vi-AAVTDIq Police have arrested a third suspect in connection to a mass shooting in downtown Sacramento, California, this weekend that left six people dead and a chaotic crime scene littered with more than 100 shell casings. The suspect was taken into custody for “being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm,” police said. The 31-year-old was seen carrying a gun in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police said, but they believe that gun was not fired in the melee. Earlier Tuesday, Smiley Martin, 27, was taken into custody. He was found at the scene of the shooting early Sunday with “serious injuries from gunfire” and taken to a local hospital, the Sacramento Police Department said in a news release. Police “quickly identified” him as a “person of interest” and kept him under police supervision at the hospital, the release said. https://youtu.be/f46gOOQGc_I A former Yale University administrator pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Hartford, Conn., for stealing the school’s electronics and reselling the items. Jamie Petrone, 42, has been charged with two counts of wire fraud and a tax offense for her role in the nearly decade-long scheme to steal millions of dollars of computers and iPads from Yale University’s School of Medicine, as reported by NPR. Starting in 2013, Petrone would order, or have a member of her staff order, computers and other electronics, which totaled to thousands of items over the years, from Yale vendors using the Yale School of Medicine’s money. She would then arrange to ship the stolen hardware, whose costs amounted to millions of dollars, to a business in New York, in exchange for money once the electronics were resold. Investigators said Petrone would falsify documents about the fraudulent purchases and used the money she received from resells to buy real estate and travel. She was busted in August 2021 when Yale officials received an anonymous tip that Petrone was ordering “suspiciously high volumes of computer equipment,” court records state. That’s when Yale auditors began to investigate her purchases and scour her emails and ultimately turned over their shocking findings to law enforcement. As part of her guilty plea, Petrone agreed to forfeit her luxury vehicles, several homes in Connecticut and Georgia, and more than $560,000 that was seized from her bank account, according to the report. Federal prosecutors say her scheme resulted in a loss to Yale totaling $40,504,200. Joe Biden has canceled more student loan debt than any other President — a notable fact that’s flown under the radar. Taking a piecemeal approach, the Biden administration has expanded existing loan forgiveness programs for borrowers who work in the public sector, those who were defrauded by for-profit colleges and borrowers who are now permanently disabled. Those moves have delivered significant relief to more than 700,000 borrowers, totaling more than $17 billion. Yet some voters feel misled by the President, who had supported canceling $10,000 for each of the 43 million federal student loan borrowers while on the campaign trail. “He’s not delivering on his promise,” said Jennifer Lewis, a 57-year-old nurse practitioner in Washington state who has about $80,000 in student loan debt. https://youtu.be/bsVrUpkgKGs The top US military officer told lawmakers Tuesday that the world is becoming more unstable and the “potential for significant international conflict is increasing, not decreasing.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin appeared before the House Armed Services Committee in their first testimony before Congress since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The two Pentagon leaders said the threats from both Russia and China remain significant, while they defended the US approach to the war and the flow of arms the US is sending to Ukraine. Milley said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “the greatest threat to peace and security of Europe and perhaps the world” in his 42 years serving in the US military, but added it was “heartening” to see the world rally around Ukraine. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine is threatening to undermine not only European peace and stability but global peace and stability that my parents and a generation of Americans fought so hard to defend,” Milley said. “We are now facing two global powers: China and Russia, each with significant military capabilities both who intend to fundamentally change the rules based current global order,” Milley added. “We are entering a world that is becoming more unstable and the potential for significant international conflict is increasing, not decreasing.” Hundreds of workers at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., say they are planning a one-day strike next week over complaints of low wages. The District of Columbia Nurses Association (DCNA), the labor union representing over 300 nurses, pharmacists and social workers, said the workers are understaffed and underpaid — and as such, they are demanding a fair contract and safe staffing in order to protect patients. The union argued that nurses and other licensed healthcare professionals working at the hospital have also been understaffed throughout the pandemic. The strike is scheduled for April 11 at 7:30 a.m., according to DCNA. “It really comes down to treating us with dignity and respect. They are understaffing in the hospital, and they are taking from us as costs continue to rise,” nurse Jeanette Ethridge said in a release regarding the upcoming strike. “Allowing us to maintain our financial dignity reflects respect. Providing enough staff so we can care for our patients the way they deserve to be cared for reflects respect.” Chris Rock‘s brother would like to see Will Smith stripped of his new best actor Oscar. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kenny Rock discussed his feelings about his brother being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars. “It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Kenny Rock told the Times. “Every time I’m watching the videos, it’s like a rendition that just keeps going over and over in my head.” “My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment,” he added. “You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show.” Smith hit Chris Rock after Rock joked about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s close-cut hairstyle. Kenny Rock said his brother didn’t know about her medical condition and told the Times he would like to see the the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences take back the best actor Oscar Smith won that night for his performance in “King Richard.” Days after the Oscars, the Academy announced that it had “initiated disciplinary proceedings” against Smith. https://youtu.be/UE-ySzM5jhQ Chris Rock ‘doesn’t want the Will Smith slap to define him’ and ‘the rest of his career’ so it doesn’t seem like he will be accepting Will’s apology anytime soon. Just like the rest of us, Chris Rock is still reeling from when Will Smith slapped him at the Oscars. In fact, the 57-year-old comedian doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to accept the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air star’s apology. “He can’t imagine forgiving Will, being friends with him. It is just a very weird thing to fully envelope,” a source close to Chris EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife. Chris also knows that it’s not something people are going to forget about anytime soon. “Chris Rock doesn’t want the Will Smith slap to define him and the rest of his career. It sucks that it is now part of his life forever,” our insider divulged. Magic Johnson admits he wanted to physically assault shock jock Howard Stern during their disastrous 1998 interview. “So many times, I wanted to say something and hit [Stern] at the same time — on air,” Johnson recalled in a Variety cover story. He added, “I was mad when they booked him. But there’s nothing you can do. When people look for ratings, this is what happens.” The interview went down on Johnson’s former talk show “The Magic Hour,” during which Stern made several racist comments and sexist remarks to bandleader Sheila E., and told Johnson, “At least you had fun getting AIDS.” As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Stern pressed Johnson for details about his sex life, and when the ex-NBA star clarified that he had HIV, not AIDS — and that “nobody has fun” contracting the potentially deadly disease, Stern replied, “Believe me, brother, you did. It sounds like fun to me.” Stern went on to offer Johnson some unsolicited advice. https://twitter.com/i/status/1511448538118512643 Singer August Alsina, the ex-lover of Jada Pinkett Smith, released a new song called “Shake the World” on Tuesday that appears to address his “entanglement” with the actress. “Well, of course some s— is bound to go down when you tangled up with the world’s favorite,” Alsina sing in a video shared on Instagram. At the beginning of the song, he alludes to being canceled, singing: “I heard I was canceled. Well, let’s not speak on that. Red dot on my back, I became a target. And I’m flawed but flawless. That’s what makes me August.” Fans were quick to assume that the phrase “tangled up” referred to how Jada described her affair with Alsina as an “entanglement.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb9OGIWjoK0/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b856fed4-ab13-40f4-a697-e7b6c09fd18b A UK man has been indefinitely detained at a hospital after strangling his grandmother to death before having sex with her corpse. Donovan Miller, 31, choked his grandmother, Phyllis Grant, 76, and beat her over the head with a vase at their shared home in East London’s Plaistow area. He then had sex with her body multiple times. Ms Grant, who had recently been released from hospital after recovering from COVID-19, has been described as a “matriarch of the community” and regular churchgoer by her neighbors. Miller reportedly called police and confessed to the crime on March 25, 2021. He told the paramedic on the night of his arrest: “I raped her as well for what it’s worth, yesterday and today.” A Georgia State University professor has sparked outrage after allegedly calling the police on two black students who were late for class by only two minutes. Student and TikToker Bria Blake, 20, shared a video about the incident last week that has since been viewed over 400,000 times.In the footage, Bria explains that her black classmates Taylor and Kamryn were two minutes late for an English class and that the police were called as a result. Bria said the students had “paid to be here” and refused to leave. The professor then left the class and came back with two armed cops. She says: “Stuff like this cannot keep happening to black youth in America. Stop weaponizing the police against black people.” Bria, who has 137,000 followers on TikTok, named the professor as Carissa Gray, and Georgia State University (GSU) said it is investigating the incident. Boris Johnson jumped two-footed into the row over trans rights today as he said biological males should not be allowed to compete in female-only sports events. The Prime Minister also said that parents should have ‘involvement at the very least’ in decisions made by children to alter their gender. He made his weightiest comments so far on the issue as he faced a Tory split over a ban on conversion therapy. The PM backs making the ‘abhorrent’ practice of trying to force gay people to become heterosexual illegal. But he has refused to extend the proposed ban on the practice to trans people – despite opposition from backbench MPs and the Scottish Tories. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/04/06/7596938370540878770/636x382_MP4_7596938370540878770.mp4 A Chicago church has announced it will be ‘fasting from whiteness’ for Lent by abstaining from performing any hymns composed or written by Caucasian musicians. The First United Church of Oak Park announced that for 2022 the church would do a mix of ‘giving something up’ and ‘taking something on’ for Lent by not using music written or composed by white people but instead focus on music from other cultures. ‘In our worship services throughout Lent, we will not be using any music or liturgy written or composed by white people. Our music will be drawn from the African American spirituals tradition, from South African freedom songs, from Native American traditions, and many, many more,’ the church’s website said. ‘For Lent, it is our prayer that in our spiritual disciplines we may grow as Christians, united in the body of Christ with people of all ages, nations, races, and origins.’ First United has even erected an outdoor sign to promote their choice for the 40-day religious observance despite the fact that the church’s lead pastor, Rev. John Edgerton himself white. E-40 has announced he’s expanding his Good With the Spoon brand by launching a line of ice cream products. The rollout includes six flavors: Cookie Dough, Bourbon Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Strawberry, Mint Chocolate, and Salted Caramel, Complex reports. “Ice cream has been 4 years in the making but the vision is now a reality!” the rapper captioned an Instagram post. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb29yuCpKDP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again There’s a city buried under Lake Lanier (Georgia’s biggest lake), and submerged with it is a secret: An American horror story filled with terror, death, genocide, and ghosts. If you spend any time in or around Atlanta, you’ve heard tales of Lake Lanier. There are the eerie accounts of fishermen seeing ghostly kayaks floating on the water, or women with no hands roaming the Jerry D. Jackson bridge. Every so often, someone loses their life at the lake and leaves behind stories of good swimmers being snatched under the water, unexplainable boating accidents, or vehicles crashing into the lake without cause. Many folks who live close by will tell you straight up, “Don’t go to Lake Lanier.” And its death toll certainly validates their point. There have been well over 500 deaths since the lake’s inception and more than 200 since 1994. Whether the lake is cursed or not is entirely up to you. But, one thing’s for certain, its horrifying past adds a much-needed perspective to understanding its haunting present. It’s been a rough week for right-wing propaganda ministries. On Monday Donald Trump‘s Truth Social app had put nearly 1.5 million users on an access waiting list because the platform for MAGA minions who think Google is a government conspiracy has been experiencing technical difficulties since its launch in February and no one seems to be able to figure out why. Now, DirecTV is set to drop One America News Network, which is basically the Walmart brand version of Fox News. According to Bloomberg, DirecTV said it’s ditching OAN starting on Tuesday despite pressure from the “news” outlet and its supporters. Of course, conservative outlets and talking heads have been trying to bully DirectTV into changing its mind. In March, Herring Networks—which owns OAN and A Wealth of Entertainment (AWE), which the satellite TV giant is also dropping—sued AT&T and DirecTV alleging there was a breach of contract and that “the economic consequences of losing carriage with DirecTV could be devastating to OAN.” The same month, Republican attorneys general in six states sent a letter to DirecTV whining that it was “highly troubling and disappointing” that the platform was bowing down to “powerful left-wing voices.” We want to thank Jeff Bezos for going to space because while he was up there, we were signing people up.” – Christian Smalls. Chris Smalls, the fired Amazon worker who is quickly becoming the corporation’s worst nightmare, is currently on the winning side of a union battle most thought couldn’t be won, but he and his group of former and current Staten Island, New York, warehouse workers still have a road ahead of them before they can claim success. As the Associated Press reported, Smalls helped lead a victory for the Amazon Labor Union Friday, when Amazon workers voted 2,654 – 2,131 in favor of the union despite Amazon executives spending millions on a campaign to quash the whole thing. Amazon pr-union employees in other states weren’t so fortunate. A super-pissed-off TI was recorded going off on a comedian who (brought up) the sexual assault allegations made against the rapper and his wife Tiny at an Atlanta comedy show Monday night. “As many times as you joke on that shit n*gga, I’m gon check yo mother f*ckin ass as long as it takes,” T.I. (a would-be-comedian himself) told the on-stage comedian Lauren Knight. “When you stop playing with me and mine, Ima stop saying something,” he continued speaking on the mic. “There ain’t no mother f*cking case. Ain’t never been no mother f*cking case. I ain’t did nothing wrong and my wife ain’t did nothing wrong. And if you keep on playing wit me n*gga, I’m going to continue to confront (you) publicly– verbally,” he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb-5LusjRQi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Paula Patton has responded to the outrage over her strange fried chicken recipe. The actress shared the clip on Instagram last month, where she shows fans how she cooks her mother’s famous fried chicken recipe. The clip is only now going viral thanks to a TikToker who called out Patton for not washing the meat long enough and for adding the seasonings to her grease and not the chicken. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb-4H9LD2sM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again LisaRaye McCoy is currently promoting her new Lifetime movie “Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Story”— and she’s speaking out about the challenges of navigating Hollywood. “Not to be confused with your ego, being too big — you’re in a business where you hear more no than yes, and you still got to feel like you want to go back to another audition,” she tells Page Six. “You will be told that you were not right, that you are too short, or you weren’t strong enough for this character or your look wasn’t right. So you got to find a way to be able to move on and go on confidently,” the veteran actress explained. “Hollywood will tear you down. It is not for everybody that’s for sure,” McCoy continued. https://youtu.be/7gMmtByDffA A 101-year-old Black man has finally received his high school diploma. Merrill Pittman Cooper attended Storer (then a Normal School) as a high school student from 1934 to 1938. His schooling took a detour however when he moved with his mother to Philadelphia for financial reasons during his high school senior year. He lived in Philadelphia for the next fifty years, pursuing a career in transportation and rising to the position of union vice president, per press release. In 2018, Cooper visited the former Storer College campus and expressed regret over never earning his high school diploma. “As time went on, I thought it was probably too late, so I put it behind me and made the best of the situation,” said Cooper, who grew up in Shepherdstown, W.Va., near Harpers Ferry, and now lives in Union City, N.J., per The Washington Post. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqIEL2OA2x/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ca7ad672-1400-4f43-b171-7f0a59e582e2 Several tattoo artists are speaking out about customers wanting permanent ink of the Will Smith /Chris Rock Oscars slap. “I thought, let’s do it. It’s hilarious,” Tattoo artist Jon Arton of Birmingham told SWNS about one request he received, New York Post reports. “It’s quite small and discreet – if it wasn’t I probably wouldn’t have done it.” Meanwhile, New Jersey tattoo artist Oscar Aguilar Jr. also received a request for the Will Smith slap tattoo. He shared a video on his Instagram of the finished product, which commenters called “unnecessary,” “childish” and “so dumb,” per the Post. Italian tattoo artist Giovanni Bracciodieta also posted a picture on Instagram of an Oscar slap tattoo, along with the caption, “Violence is never justified. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbp-OaOh904/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again For the first time in her long career, Rihanna has made Forbes’ annual billionaires’ list. The singer and beauty and fashion mogul reached billionaire status in 2021 with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion, thanks to her stake in her Fenty Beauty cosmetics line—which makes up the majority of her wealth. “It’s tricky because it’s hard to even accept that’s where you’re at because I know where I’ve come from,” she said to the New York Times in September 2021 about reaching the milestone. “At the same time, it feels good to be able to inspire young women and boys, who like me, come from humble beginnings, who come from parents who are immigrants or who are immigrants themselves, to be able to do this.” According to Forbes, Rihanna is ranked No. 1,729 out of the 2,668 billionaires in the world who have a collective net worth of $12.7 trillion. Tech mogul Elon Musk topped this year’s list with $219 billion. Jeff Bezos takes the No. 2 spot with $171 billion; followed by LVMH owner Bernard Arnault with $158 billion. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet take the 4th and 5th spots $129 billion and $118 billion, respectively. Tennis superstar Serena Williams has opened up about her harrowing childbirth experience — and how “being heard and appropriately treated was the difference between life or death for me” — in a new essay for Elle. According to Williams, who shares 4-year-old daughter Olympia with husband Alexis Ohanian, her pregnancy was largely uneventful. Though she won the Australian Open early on in her pregnancy, she otherwise enjoyed being able to take some time off from her rigorous schedule, and basked in the positive media attention her pregnancy brought about. “I guess I’m one of those women who likes being pregnant; I enjoyed the positive attention. I’m used to getting negative attention from the press and critics, but this was different. I settled into a whole new way of being. I was relaxed not playing: My life was just sitting at home, and it was wonderful,” she wrote. She even enjoyed the labor cramps, something many moms describe as being one of the hardest parts of delivery. “It was great! I know that’s not what people are supposed to say, but I was enjoying it, the work of labor. I was completely in the moment. I loved the cramps. I loved feeling my body trying to push the baby out,” Williams, 40, shared. Bobby Rydell, the popular teen heartthrob singer who rose to fame in the 1950s and ’60s, has died at 79. The singer died Tuesday of pneumonia, Variety reports. Rydell’s biggest musical success came in 1960 with the release of his singles Volare and Wild One, though he would also branch out into acting as his career progressed. The singer, who was born Robert Louis Ridarelli in Philadelphia in 1942, got his big break when he was still a child in 1950 after he won a contest put on by jazz bandleader Paul Whiteman. He appeared on Whiteman’s TV Teen Club talent show for multiple years and eventually changed his name to Bobby Rydell. Sunday Best alum and Uncle G Records recording artist Keyla Richardson is set to make her acting debut in the upcoming BET+ film ‘Due Season,’ which will premiere on April 14th. Written and directed by Cecil Chambers, the film also stars Vivica A. Fox, Barry Shabaka Henley, Dorien Wilson, Rolonda Watts, BeBe Winans and Justiin A. Davis. The film follows Keyla’s character Vicky Waters, who’s been accepted into the conservatory of her dreams but now must win a competition to stay. To do so, she'll need a secret weapon that she finds through an unexpected source: gospel music. Fox plays “Vicky Waters’” mom “Gwen Waters.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSOsr51hPzE Juan Winans reaches the top of the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart, with “Never On My Own,” entering this week at Number 1. This is Winans' second consecutive Number 1 song, previously hitting Number 1 with his first single, "It Belongs To Me," last year. "Never On My Own" hits the peak slot this week after spending a few weeks in the Top 5. This week, the groovy R&B-tinged duet with sister actress Deborah Joy Winans is Number 2 on the Mediabase Gospel Airplay Chart. The Warryn Campbell produced tune has connected with audiences thanks to the pair's soulful vocals and the old-school R&B feel. Winans, who was thrilled when heard the news, said, "For the first two songs off my debut solo album to go number #1 feels incredible!" "Ultimately it's a testament to my incredible team at Dare Records! They have tremendous belief in the work I'm doing and, as an artist there's no better feeling. I'm sharing this with my sister Deborah Joy Winans which is amazing. I specifically wanted to do "Never On My Own" with her because we've always had each other's backs. We are keeping it in the family! Thank you to all the radio stations and program directors across the country for this support. I'm deeply grateful.” CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Decor Remixed, premieres tomorrow night, April 6 at 9 p.m./8C. Hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, the hot new show shines a spotlight on the art of decorating and transforming dull spaces into new, fresh and innovative environments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71BfeamDpnI CLEO TV's new lifestyle series, Global Gourmet, premieres tomorrow night, April 6 at 9:30 p.m./8:30C. Hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, the show highlights the joys of delicious food and stories of wanderlust travel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzg_Rtu_KsU Fashion always plays a leading role during “Music’s Biggest Night,” as the creative expressions of artists from every genre are front and center on the red carpet. This year, Jekalyn Carr was a standout head turner, and she is making the rounds in the press for the show-stopping red carpet look that she chose, in collaboration with stylist J Bolin. Jekalyn Carr was nominated in the Best Gospel Album category; it was her fifth nomination. Additionally, the singer recently launched Jekalyn Beauty Skincare and Jekalyn Beauty Haircare, offering a suite of products to simplify the needs of women of all ages. Products can be purchased at www.JEKALYNBEAUTY.com. Jekalyn Carr is a featured performer on the third annual Stellar Music of Hope Easter Special airing in syndication later this month. A nearly unified wall of G.O.P. opposition to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson cracked slightly on Monday as two more Senate Republicans said they would side with Democrats in supporting her, paving the way for her confirmation as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined a third Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, in lending their support to Judge Jackson, defying deep resistance in their party to the nominee. The G.O.P. opposition was underscored anew on Monday when all 11 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee voted against the nomination. That prompted Democrats to use an unusual procedure to force the nomination out of the deadlocked panel with a vote of the full Senate, which agreed to the move by a vote of 53 to 47. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Rep. Matt Gaetz got into a heated argument during Tuesday’s House Armed Services hearing after the Florida Republican accused the Pentagon of being too focused on “wokeism” and not defense. Austin charged that Gaetz appeared to be “embarrassed for his country” by questioning the US military’s capability, and the two men shouted over one another at several points. “This is the most capable, most combat critical force in the world, it has been and it will be so going forward, and this budget helps us to do that,” Austin said. “Not if we continue down this path. Not if we continue to embrace socialism,” Gaetz charged. https://youtu.be/zwUkLLN84v8 Ukraine’s president said that over 300 people had been killed and tortured in a Kyiv suburb. As he prepared to speak to the Security Council, U.S. and European allies vowed to hold Russia accountable for the killings. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was preparing to address a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday as the United States and European allies demanded accountability for alleged atrocities by Russian forces, amid signs that Moscow was shifting the focus of its seven-week war to Ukraine’s east and south. Britain, France and the United States were expected to use the Security Council meeting to present evidence of atrocities that some officials, including President Biden, have described as “war crimes” in northern areas that Russian troops abandoned amid fierce resistance. In one of those places, Bucha, a suburb of the capital, Mr. Zelensky said that more than 300 bodies have been found since Russian forces pulled back last week, some with their hands bound or shot in the back of the head. The leaders of the Black Lives Matters organization allegedly laid out a whopping $6 million that was donated to the activist group to buy a 6,500-square foot Southern California mansion, according to published reports. News of the 2020 purchase was first reported by New York Magazine on Monday, as the organization allegedly hoped to keep the house’s existence a secret – despite three of its former leaders reportedly filming a series of videos dining and drinking Champagne outside the estate last spring. It’s unclear exactly where the opulent property is located because it is hidden hidden behind an LLC purchase. But according to New York Magazine, it boasts more than half-dozen bedrooms and bathrooms, multiple fireplaces, a soundstage, a pool and bungalow and parking for more than 20 cars. The news comes as the foundation continues to face federal scrutiny for the alleged misuse of donated funds – and comes on the heels of widespread criticism for BLM’s co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who resigned last May in the wake of revelations she had spent millions on a slew of lavish homes. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed an $11 billion relief package to assist Californians struggling with the skyrocketing costs of gas, food and other commodities. …Direct payments to individuals; suspension of public transportation fares tax rebates; and support for state, county and municipal programs that align with the governor’s goal to make California a zero-emissions state by 2035. The state will provide about $9 billion in funding to cover $400 direct payments to car owners whose vehicles are registered in the state — with a limit of two rebates per person. The payments will be sent to car owners on debit cards. “We’re taking immediate action to get money directly into the pockets of Californians who are facing higher gas prices as a direct result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Newsom. https://youtu.be/RWOvhNm8nw4 Kansas beat North Carolina 72-69 in the NCAA men’s basketball title game in New Orleans on Monday, the program’s 4th national championship and the second for longtime coach Bill Self. But this was far from a surefire win for the No. 1 seed against the No. 8 seed. Kansas jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead to start the game, but North Carolina soon settled in, going on a 16-0 run late in the half. Kansas trailed UNC by as many as 16 points in the first half and was down 15 at halftime. According to the NCAA, the 16-point comeback is the largest in title game history. Additionally, per the NCAA, the previous record for largest halftime deficit overcome in a men’s title game was 10, by Kentucky against Utah in 1998. https://youtu.be/yXGw0bfKDNM Dawn Staley is known for her no-nonsense coaching style. But she’s also sentimental. After the Elite Eight, she scooped confetti into a cup to cherish later. After the 2017 national championship, she delivered a piece of the net she cut down to Carolyn Peck, the first Black woman to win a championship. Peck had given Staley a piece of the white nylon she had saved from when Peck won the title with Purdue in 1999. Four years after Staley won her first championship, she mailed another snippet of the 2017 net to every Black woman coach in the nation. Sunday night in Minneapolis, she stuffed a slice of that first net into her pocket as she coached top-seeded South Carolina against No. 2 seed UConn. A few hours later, she was adding to her collection. South Carolina beat UConn 64-49 for Staley’s second national title. She ascended a ladder under the Target Center nets, cut the last dangling parts of rope her players and assistants had not yet chopped off, then put the whole thing around her neck, savoring the moment as she danced on one of the top rungs to Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine.” NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber is turning his memoir “By God’s Grace” into a TV series by Picturestart. The book is being considered for the small screen ahead of its official release on November 15. Per Deadline, the project is currently being shopped to networks and streamers. “I’ve been waiting over 25 years to tell my story and I’m honored to partner with Erik Feig and Picturestart,” Webber said in a statement to Deadline. “This series offers a unique opportunity to provide perspective on my upbringing, to explore the nuances of high school sports, and share details from my career and personal events that shaped my life. I’m so grateful for all of the thrilling peaks and challenges throughout my journey and for the platform to convey my narrative to both new and established audiences and viewers.” https://www.instagram.com/realchriswebber/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3a853677-0c8e-46b9-875e-3c20460a1a5c Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is once again criticizing Los Angeles star LeBron James and the way he uses his platform. “Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see,” Abdul-Jabbar said Sunday before the Lakers’ 129-118 loss to the Denver Nuggets, TMZ reports. “Some of the great things that he’s done, he’s standing on both sides of the fence almost, you know? It makes it hard for me to accept that when he’s committed himself to a different take on everything. It’s hard to figure out where he’s standing. You’ve got to check him out every time.” Abdul-Jabbar went on to say he has high expectations for James “because he understands the issues and [has] spoken to them quite forcefully and eloquently. I think he has so much going for him in terms of respect and accomplishment and he shouldn’t stoop to those moments,” Abdul-Jabbar said. Kanye West has backed out of headlining Coachella, a source close to the artist confirmed to CNN Monday. West, who now goes by Ye, had been set to be one of the headliners of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival along with Billie Eilish and Harry Styles. The source said that West did not want to take the stage in the midst of his divorce battle with Kim Kardashian and in the wake of his one-sided feud with “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah. https://youtu.be/83ci7enAGG4 LL Cool J has announced his hip-hop festival Rock the Bells will go down this summer in his native Queens, New York. The hip-hop icon is set to perform along with a stellar line-up that includes Rick Ross, Ice Cube and Lil’ Kim, with Roxanne Shanté hosting the event, Complex reports. https://youtu.be/9PdBKSm9cOw Tosin Cole and Courtney B. Vance star alongside each other in the upcoming AMC series “61st Street.” The series follows Moses Johnson (Cole), who is a high school athlete destined for greatness, however, things take a turn for the worst when he gets caught up in Chicago’s corrupt criminal justice system when they accuse him of being a gang member following a drug bust gone wrong. Franklin Roberts (Vance) steps in to defend Johnson as his lawyer and to seek out justice. https://youtu.be/QQpfF9trmi4 En Vogue singer Cindy Herron and her MLB star husband, Glenn Braggs, are calling it quits after being married for almost three decades. According to new legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Cindy Herron-Braggs filed for dissolution of marriage in Los Angeles County Courts citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. The former couple shares four children together Donovan, Jordan, Natalia, and Solomon. It should be noted, that three of the kids are now adults, so it won’t factor in the divorce. The couple has been married for so long, that it is unclear if they signed anything like a prenuptial agreement going into the relationship. But, since they were together for so long, most likely they will split everything financially down the middle. Betty Maxwell shows her sash that she humorously got dirty from spray tans. Betty says that she sang opera as her talent and she has been singing since the age of three. Her biggest dream is to be the voice of a Disney princess. She shares her voice impersonations of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Roz from Monster’s Inc, and Ariel from the Little Mermaid. https://youtu.be/Ss9dJEVeRtk A DJ Khaled look-alike was spotted at a Waffle House and the footage has gone viral on social media. On Sunday (April 3), Instagram user @st.mark85 shared a video of himself with the DJ Khaled doppelgänger who appears to be ordering food at a Waffle House. The man looks amazingly similar to the Miami-based super producer.” St. Mark, who is filming the look-alike with his cell phone, tells the faux DJ Khaled to drop one of the artist’s signature ad-libs. “Hey bro, hit ’em with that shit,” St. Mark tells the doppelgänger, who then looks into the camera and says “Another one.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb545OhATd3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Bosses at Will Smith’s talent agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), are divided over what to do with the Oscar-winner following his shocking on-stage slap of presenter Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards. Smith smacked the comedian in the face after he made a joke about his wife’s hair loss. Jada Pinkett Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, a disease which often causes bald spots. The incident immediately thrust CAA chiefs Bryan Lourd, Richard Lovett and Kevin Huvane, who represent countless A-list stars throughout media and sports, into a quandary: their bankable star was a pariah, despite picking up the industry’s biggest award. According to an account of the incident’s aftermath in The Daily Beast, a furious debate took place within the agency over whether Smith should be dropped. A Black male Law professor and author penned an editorial for the NY Post titled “Why more black women should consider marrying white men.” The writer of the piece, Ralph Richard Banks, believes “Black women should not be held hostage to the struggles of black men.” “Rather than partner with men of other races, many heterosexual black women either don’t marry or marry black men with whom they are not especially well matched,” Banks writes. According to Banks, Black women should “marry out” not “marry down.” In the article, Banks, co-founder & faculty director of the Stanford Center for Racial Justice, cites his book “Is Marriage for White People?” and writes: “I explained in the book why black women should not be pressured to sacrifice their own chances for happiness out of some misplaced loyalty to black men. Nor should black women feel beholden to black men under the guise of advancing the race. If the price of racial solidarity is a bad intimate relationship, then the cost is too high. Black women should not be held hostage to the struggles of black men.” Albert Pujols announced Monday that he and wife Deidre are splitting up, days after she underwent successful surgery to remove a brain tumor. “I’ve been asked a lot of questions over the past few days regarding what’s been going on at home and sadly, after 22 years of marriage, I have made the decision to file for divorce from my wife, Deidre,” Pujols said in a statement released by his agent, Dan Lozano. “I realize this is not the most opportune time with Opening Day approaching and other family events that have recently taken place. These situations are never easy and isn’t something that just happened overnight.” This offseason, Pujols signed a one-year deal to return to the Cardinals, where he previously played from 2001 to 2011. He and Deidre had been married since 2000. “As a devout Christian, this is an outcome that I never wanted to see happen,” Pujols continued in his statement. “For many long days and nights, I prayed, asking the Lord for His guidance.” The metro Atlanta housing market has officially been classified as unaffordable. According to the Federal Reserve Bank’s 2022 index, “the average metro Atlanta resident can no longer afford to buy a house inside the perimeter,” per WSBTV. “You’ve got to be willing to pay more than you think you should… probably more than what the house is worth right now,” said realtor Eric Decker. https://youtu.be/TrRwu6fXF60 ”iCarly” the original influencer is back for season two! The 10-episode season picks up right where the first season ended, with Carly refocusing her attention on her friends and family after her romantic complications, all while working to boost her revived web channel. Laci Mosley says she’s “excited for people to see Harper achieve a lot more in her fashion design career as she works with some amazing drag queens from “Rupal’s Drag Race” and is designing for bigger artists.” Miranda Cosgrove said “it feels great” to find out iCarly is considered the template on how to reboot a show. “It was really exciting for all of us when it came out and it had mostly positive reactions. It was just really an amazing feeling,” said Cosgrove. https://youtu.be/37psnSqExY8 Pioneering Black American pilot Bessie Coleman will appear on quarters in 2023 as part of the U.S. Mint’s four year series celebrating the contributions of women in the United States. Along with Coleman, next year’s diverse honorees include Jovita Idar, Edith Kanaka’ole, Eleanor Roosevelt and Maria Tallchief, according to a press release. “The range of accomplishments and experiences of these extraordinary women speak to the contributions women have always made in the history of our country,” said Mint Deputy Director Ventris Gibson of the latest round of honorees. https://youtu.be/4fSwHryVWZE A Minnesota TV station has unearthed archival footage of the late, great music icon Prince at 11 years old. Staffers at WCCO, a CNN affiliate station in Minneapolis, discovered the footage of young Prince being interviewed about local public school teachers on strike in 1970. The footage was found while reporters were pulling old footage to include in a piece about a recent strike. In the video, the interviewer asks young Prince if most of the kids gathered at the strike scene were in support of their teachers’ picketing. The future hitmaker replied, “Yup.” “I think they should get some more money because they work extra hours for us, and all that stuff,” little Prince said in the clip before walking away. https://cbsloc.al/36LHSGJ On Monday, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee met to discuss Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the US Supreme Court and were deadlocked 11-11 along party lines on whether to send her nomination to the full Senate floor for consideration, per Reuters. According to The Associated Press, Democrats have planned a vote to "discharge" Jackson’s nomination from the committee on Monday evening and then will launch "a series of procedural steps in the coming days to wind it through the 50-50 Senate. https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1vAGRkNLbaNJl CECE WINANS' three (3) Grammy wins last night was nothing short of AMAZING!! Last night's wins marked the 15th GRAMMY AWARDED to Cece, sliding her closer to the TOP FIVE MOST GRAMMY AWARDED FEMALE ARTIST OF ALL TIME (All Genres)!!! This is Absolutely Remarkable!! JEKALYN CARR, who was also nominated for BEST GOSPEL ALBUM (!!) last Night, Looked absolutely STUNNING on the Grammy Red Carpet, showing the world that GOSPEL has CLASS & BEAUTY!! She is featured on several major outlets this morning like E! News, VARIETY, ESSENCE, PEOPLE, Deadline and many more!!! Multi-platinum super group Maverick City Music today have become GRAMMY Award winners after taking home the award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Old Church Basement with Elevation Worship. The moment was punctuated with a very special performance of their No. 1 smash hit “Jireh” from the top of the MGM Grand. Of the win, co-founder of Maverick City Music Tony Brown says, “Maverick City Music started with a dream to make the most segregated hour in America, Sunday mornings, an ancient past time. Breaking barriers by being nominated in every inspirational GRAMMY category is only the beginning. The empowerment of every unlikely voice is what’s next for Maverick City.” Maverick City Music recently announced their largest co-headline arena tour to date with Kirk Franklin. The tour, dubbed Kingdom, begins on June 1st and will make stops in 37 cities in North America including Atlanta, Toronto, Nashville, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Denver, CO at Ball Arena on July 31st. They will be joined by Jonathan McReynolds and Housefires on all dates. https://youtu.be/byDt2bsFFOA Today, CLEO TV announced the premieres of two, new lifestyle series that shine a spotlight on the joys of delicious food, the art of decorating and stories of wanderlust travel, with “Decor Remixed'' and “Global Gourmet”. “Decor Remixed”, hosted by interior designer Dominique Calhoun, and “Global Gourmet”, hosted by the renowned Chef Essie Bartels, debut with back-to-back episodes beginning Wednesday, April 6 at 9 p.m./8C on CLEO TV. Grammy Nominated songwriter, Grammy and Dove Award-winning producer, and chart-topping recording artist Rudy Currence and Grammy-winning songstress Chrisette Michele have released the official music video for “No Greater Love” on Friday (March 25). Written by Rudy, “No Greater Love” is the #1 song in the country on the Mediabase Gospel radio chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3vjDj5mMBg The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has joined forces with actor Harry Lennix and prominent national community organizations to increase awareness about prostate cancer among Black men during National Minority Health Month (NMHM) in April. Through social media outreach, the National Black Church Initiative and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., will encourage men to understand their personal risks and to take proactive measures to protect their health. Lennix will be a guest speaker for a special webinar about prostate cancer disparities. Lennix is one of PCF's celebrity ambassadors who lends his voice to encourage men to know their numbers and their risks. "Men, especially Black men must be on high alert for prostate cancer. It disproportionately affects Black men who are about 75 percent more likely to develop the disease than white men and are more than twice as likely to die from it," said Lennix. "That is why it is important for Black men to be informed and proactive about their health, such as taking proper preventative lifestyle measures and receiving regular screenings. Taking those small, impactful steps can help save lives." Ricky Dillard Drop a song shinning bright in the Gospel Spotlight!!! Keep Going (Live At Family Christian Center, Munster, IN / July 9, 2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07ORYeVvBgk Being the only Black person in a predominately white space can put one in the spotlight and with a target on their back if anything goes wrong. In the case of Emanuel Fair, it was that reality that cost a Black man more than eight years of his life—which he spent in lockup without a single conviction. Fair is now suing everyone involved with his imprisonment. According to Rolling Stone, Fair attended a Halloween party at the Valley View Apartments in Redmond, Washington, in 2008. It was essentially a small block party where numerous residents had their apartment doors open to party-goers. But Fair was not a resident. Fair had been staying with a friend, Leslie Potts. Fair didn’t know anyone else at the party, which he had no idea was taking place as he had just begun his stay in Potts’ apartment. So a few of Potts’ neighbors helped him pull together a “construction worker” costume to celebrate the festivities. Rolling Stone’s report noted that others who attended the party said he was relatively quiet—which makes sense if he knew next to no one—but mostly, he was referred to as “the Black guy,” as he was apparently the only Black man there. And that’s exactly what made him the one and only suspect arrested when 24-year-old software engineer Arpana Jinaga, one of the party’s hosts, was found beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death in her apartment on November 1 of that year. While Fair, who had been charged with first-degree murder, was being held in King County Jail on a seven-figure bail his family couldn’t afford, he had his first trial in 2017. The jury deadlocked and he was tried again in 2019 when a jury found him not guilty. It was a crime in which there were no witnesses, no confessions, and, ultimately, no justice for Jinga. And now Fair wants everyone involved in his imprisonment to say “I’m sorry” with their wallets. Tucker Carlson, a host at Fox News is for whatever reason, randomly circling back to an old gripe he has with rapper Cardi B. Yes, Carlson is just being weird at this point. No, Cardi did not send for Carlson before he decided to come for her. Yes, it is as clear as day that Carlson’s love life is a case study for the ultimate definition of “vanilla sex.” (Actually, Ben Shapiro has been holding that spot down longer than he’s ever held down any of his wife’s spots, but for the purposes of this article, it’s Tucker.) Anyway, apparently, Carlson is big-fake mad that Cardi will be making an appearance on an episode of Baby Shark’s Big Show! on Nickelodeon. “So you’re a fuddy-duddy if you note that American culture is becoming, like, not really culture anymore,” Carlson said on his show, the Daily Beast reported. “It’s like a lot of growling and sexless talking about sex. And if you think it’s an overstatement, check out this song from someone calling herself Cardi B.” On March 19, Jada Davis made history after she was crowned “Miss Milwaukee.” The bustling law student and business owner became the first Black woman in the state to be honored with the prestigious title. “It was an incredible moment,” Davis shared of the big accolade to Wisconsin’s Afternoon News. “To have a piece of history be a part of my life, during Women’s History Month, is one of the most special things about this experience,” she added. Due to the pandemic, the state held its first virtual Miss Milwaukee Competition. Davis competed against eight other beautiful contenders for the title. According to Fox 6, the 23-year-old was awarded a $700 scholarship and earned an additional $100 upon winning “the top talent award.” Davis performed a contemporary dance piece to a spoken word poem called “Dear Black Girl” by Candice Nicholas. Now, Davis is preparing to advance to the Miss Wisconsin Competition in Oshkosh in June, which is a state preliminary to the Miss America Competition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8FbpWijb-E Police on Monday said they have arrested one man who is a suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting in Sacramento that killed six people and wounded 12 others. Dandre Martin, 26, was identified as a “related suspect” and was booked on assault and illegal firearm possession charges, according to a release from Sacramento police. CNN is seeking comment from legal representation for Martin. During the initial investigation, detectives found more than 100 shell casings and discovered at least three buildings and three cars that had been hit by bullets. Police served search warrants at three homes and at least one handgun was recovered. Authorities said they have received more than 100 video or photo files in a tip portal. An alleged hitman was captured on video counting stacks of cash he received for the killing of a Transportation Security Administration agent, “Another day in the office,” Javon Carter says in the brief video footage as he flips through the $100 and $20 bills, per NBC Miami. Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 3, the California Abolition Act, has one more hurdle to clear before voters can approve or reject it in the General Election in November. The state Assembly voted 59-0 to approve the legislation on March 21, which would amend the Constitution of California to end involuntary servitude in the state. Should the Senate vote in favor of ACA 3 before the end of June of this year, it will go to the voters for a final decision. Article 1, Section 6 of the California Constitution currently allows the practice of involuntary servitude as a means of punishing crime. Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), who authored ACA 3 in 2020 while serving in the Assembly, says involuntary servitude is a euphemism for forced labor, a practice she says is much more nefarious and is comparable to slavery. Tommy Davis, a two-time National League batting champion who won three World Series titles with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died. He was 83. He died Sunday night in Phoenix, the Dodgers announced Monday. They did not provide a cause of death. They were informed of Davis’ death by his daughter, Morgana. Davis was an athletic standout at Boys High School in Brooklyn, where he was a basketball teammate of future Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens. Davis also played baseball and was a long jumper on the school’s track and field team. Davis was set to sign with the Yankees in 1956 when a phone call from Jackie Robinson changed his mind. Robinson was playing what would be his final season with the Dodgers that year when he called Davis’ house and encouraged him to sign with the Brooklyn organization. Scouting director Al Campanis knew Davis’ mother was a Dodgers fan. “My mother wondered who was calling,” Davis said in 2019. “I pointed to the receiver and mouthed the words, ‘It’s Jackie Robinson!’ I couldn’t believe I was speaking to one of my heroes, although I don’t remember doing much talking.” Colin Kaepernick was invited to Michigan’s spring game on Saturday where he threw to undrafted receivers at halftime for NFL scouts. Kaepernick was invited to Michigan by coach Jim Harbaugh, who mentored the athlete during his time with the San Francisco 49ers. Kap served as honorary captain for the spring game, where he also delivered a message to prospective NFL teams, ESPN reports. “I can help make you a better team, I can help you win games,” Kaepernick said during an interview with told WXYZ. “I know right now the situation likely won’t allow me to come in, step into a starting role. I know I’ll be able to work my way to that though and show that very quickly. “So to the teams that have questions, more than anything I would say I’d love to come in for a workout. I’d love to sit down with you and have that conversation about how I could help you be a better team.” https://youtu.be/iQ8PE3P7iSc Tiger Woods will make a “game-time decision” on competing at next week’s Masters, the five-times champion said on Sunday as he continues his recovery from the serious leg injuries he suffered in a car crash in February 2021. Woods said six weeks ago that he had a “long way to go” in his recovery but speculation mounted with each passing day that his return could come at the April 7-10 Masters as he refrained from removing his name from the field of competitors. “I will be heading up to Augusta today to continue my preparation and practice. It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete,” Woods said on Twitter. Chris Rock is reportedly being showered with lucrative offers following the Oscars slapping incident with Will Smith. “Chris has handled the situation with Will with such grace and poise – and it is paying dividends. Hollywood just can’t get enough of him and while people are turning away from Will in droves, they’re queuing up to see Chris,” a source said, as reported by Bang Showbiz. Tickets for Rock’s new comedy tour have surged since he was slapped by Smith at the Oscars. The insider told The Sun newspaper: “His comedy tour is now sold out for months in advance and he has added more dates on thanks to the increase in demand.” https://youtu.be/GHB7IlUeZ3w Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah set up expectations moments into Sunday night’s show: Music’s biggest night is essentially one big concert where awards happen to be given out. It was that, but because of a mid-show appearance from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke of Ukrainian musicians in body armor and appealed for support, everything landed in a context that seemed to escape last week’s Oscars. For a moment, the night of music and celebration stopped and the focus turned to the ongoing invasion and the plight of the Ukrainian people.“ It was a big night for three artists in particular, who walked away with the night’s four biggest honors. Jon Batiste won album of the year for “We Are,” Silk Sonic won record and song of the year for “Leave the Door Open” and Olivia Rodrigo walked away with best new artist. Doja Cat and SZA also scored a memorable win — both for Doja Cat’s emotional response and her ill-timed bathroom break that almost robbed her of her moment. It all worked out, though, for the new winners of the best pop duo/group performance award. https://eurweb.com/2022/04/03/grammy-awards-2022-all-the-highlights-including-silk-sonics-wins-performance-videos/ During an interview with Fox News on Friday, actor-director Mel Gibson spoke about faith, ego, and redemption, while promoting his latest film Father Stu. As CBN News has reported, Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson teamed up for the new biographical movie that’s filled with grit, faith, and redemption. It’s scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on Wednesday, April 13. Father Stu has been a project of Wahlberg’s for the past six years, according to The Hollywood Reporter‘s exclusive story. The actor wanted to make a movie about the boxer-turned-priest’s life after he died almost seven years ago. Both Wahlberg and Gibson are professed Catholics. The pair formed a friendship when Gibson was hired to play Wahlberg’s father in the 2017 comedy Daddy’s Home 2, according to MovieGuide. Wahlberg will portray Long in the new movie and reportedly gained 30 pounds for the role. Gibson will play Long’s father. https://youtu.be/DHREzAdyCPs Sources say that days after the Oscar slap flap, Will was flown by his BFF, the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, aka “Fazza,” to the middle Eastern kingdom so he could cool out while his bad press burns like a California wildfire. The 39 year old Fazza, as he is known, is a good looking 39 year old entrepreneur, sports man, and businessman. He was married off to a cousin in 2019 and now has a set of twins. When the babies were born, Smith sent custom made gifts to them. Fazza posted a picture of Will with the gifts to his Instagram account. The children call Smith Uncle Will, according to reports. Zaila Avant-garde, is only the first Black American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee which happened last summer, she’s also a serious basketball prodigy. Not too long ago, the 14-year-old rising star met her basketball idol, Dallas Wings guard and former UConn star Moriah Jefferson. Avant-garde, who hopes to one day play in the WNBA, and Jefferson got together and even though the pro was able to show the youngster a lot of stuff, it was Jefferson who also got schooled by Avant-garde. https://youtu.be/nSDYIjer6X0 There is much controversy surrounding the book titled “The 1619 Project” – a book created by author and Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine. The origins of the book began when the Times ran two publications of Hannah-Jones’ story and concept in 2019. Ultimately, the Times staff embraced the concept and “ran with it” to help create the book which was released in 2021. Today’s narrative of White Americans, that Black Americans vote democratic because they want a “free lunch” does not hold up when you read how enslavement provided free labor enforced by the whip and other cruelties. The profit from the production of cotton in the 1800’s is comparative to the value of oil in today’s market. Historian Joshua Rothman wrote in his book Flush Times and Fever Dreams, “Americans built a culture of speculation unique in its abandon” [That culture would drive cotton production up to the Civil War, and it has been a defining characteristic of American capitalism ever since. It is the culture of acquiring wealth without work, growing at all costs, and abusing the powerless. It is the culture that brought us catastrophic downturns, like the Panic of 1837, the stock market crash of 1929, and the recession of 2008. It is the culture that has produced staggering inequality and undignified working conditions. https://youtu.be/Q14BTdS6BRc Former NFL player Channing Crowder went viral over the weekend after saying Ciara is only with her NFL star husband Russell Wilson because he’s a “square.” Crowder made the shocking statement during his recent podcast “The Pivot,” and claimed Ciara, who used to date rapper Future and shares a young son with him, would not be married to a “square” like Wilson if he was not wealthy. “If Russell didn’t have that bread Ciara wouldn’t be with him…Russel is square…Ciara has a good situation, but you don’t leave Future and get with Russell Wilson,” said Crowder. “You’re going to leave Future for Russell Wilson? He’s so goddamn square, I love him on the field…he’s a square. He’s a f*cking square,” he added. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-04-03-040322-channing-crowder-1387938/ The Montero artist showed up at the 2022 Grammys in a look from Balmain, telling Live From E!‘s Laverne Cox that the ensemble was chosen because he wanted “eat the whole night up.” As he put it, “We gonna knock it out tonight.” Lil Nas X had good reason to go all out: He’s nominated for Best Music Video, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year, a truly impressive feat considering Montero is his debut studio album. And though he previously won a Grammy alongside Billy Ray Cyrus for “Old Town Road,” the star noted that people a/k/a haters didn’t think he’d attend another Grammy ceremony: “A lot of people did not expect me to be back here,” he said. “But I’m here, baby. Five nominations—let’s take some home!” https://youtu.be/jRP7cq6vfhM BIZARRE footage circulating online appears to show mourners raving alongside the rapper Goonew at his funeral. An event titled The Final Show Goonew was held at Bliss nightclub in Washington DC on Sunday – weeks after the star, 24, was shot dead. Pictures circulating online shows what appears to be the rapper standing up at the event. Speculation online suggests his embalmed body was erected inside the club but The Sun has been unable to verify the claims. It’s not known if it is his embalmed body or a mannequin. https://youtu.be/4HvRVim2xAc Diana Ross celebrated her 78th birthday on March 26 and her daughters partied in style by rocking custom-made t-shirts to honor the music icon. Tracee Ellis Ross shared a post to Instagram on Thursday that featured photographs of herself and sisters Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Chudney Ross wearing “Straight Outta Diana Ross” to-shirts, a play on N.W.A’s 1988 album “Straight Outta Compton.” https://www.instagram.com/traceeellisross/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=03824dda-8e68-48af-8e2a-eb222371f6e7 Saweetie is going with the flow! On the red carpet at the 2022 Grammys, the rapper chatted with Access Hollywood’s guest correspondent Emily Orozco about her glamorous look and confessed that she actually got dressed in the parking lot of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. https://youtu.be/AOr3vIE1O_E Blac Chyna is moving forward with her lawsuit against the Kardashian family, claming they got her reality show with Rob Kardashian canceled after one season. Chyna shared an update Saturday regarding her upcoming trial against the Kardashian/Jenner klan, which is set for later this month. “I plan to re-focus my attention on my trial against Kris Jenner and her daughters Kim, Khloé, and Kylie which starts in 13 days,” she wrote in the statement on Twitter. “When they got my No. 1 hit show killed back in January 2017, that not only hurt me financially and emotionally, that hurt my beautiful KIDS.” When Will and Jada’s daughter Willow Smith was a young girl she wrote a letter to deceased rapper Tupac Shakur begging him to come back so her “mommy can be happy.” MTO News unearthed the letter Willow wrote when she was just 11 years old, which has gone viral following Will’s Oscar slap. Social media influencer Kevin Samuels has questions for the Smith family after he read the letter on his podcast. “You could become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, squeaky clean image, women love you around the world — and this is what’s going on in your house? Your wife is in love with a dead man,” Samuels said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. Samuels then read Willow’s letter: “I know you are alive someplace. I think that my mommy really misses you. Can you please come back? Can you come back so me and my mommy can be happy? I wish you were here. I really do.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbysHnYgXAJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Sacramento police are asking the public’s help in finding whoever opened fire downtown Sunday morning, killing six people. Another 10 people were injured in the melee near 10th and K streets, Sacramento Police Chief Katherine Lester said. “9th St to 13th St is closed between L St & J St as officers investigate a shooting with multiple victims,” Sacramento police tweeted. “Conditions unknown at this time. Please avoid the area as a large police presence will remain and the scene remains active.” A large crowd was gathered in the area when gunfire erupted around 2 a.m., Lester told reporters Sunday morning. https://youtu.be/nbgGmQKNxFE Recently, hundreds of protesters demanding justice in the death of Donnell Rochester marched through Baltimore. Rochester was shot dead by a police officer on 9th Feb. The march started in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello neighborhood, East Baltimore, right where Rochester, 18, was shot. According to WBFF FOX45, the protesters made attempts to enter Baltimore City Hall to have a conversation with Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. The hall has been out of reach to the public because of the COVID-19 regulations. https://youtu.be/n_-qBcuqcg8 Gloria Williams requested the court to have her 18-year prison sentence reduced for kidnapping Kamiyah Mobley in 1998, however, a Duval County Circuit Court judge didn’t rule in her favor. Williams made a plea in hopes of reassuring the judge that she is working hard to improve while (serving her) prison sentence–which has already been four years after she was convicted of stealing an hours-old infant from a Jacksonville maternity ward. The motion to cut her time in half was not filed on time, Judge Jeb Branham stated and his one-page response issued on Tuesday also said he declined to address the motion’s merits. “The court commends the defendant for her efforts to rehabilitate herself and sympathizes with Ms. Mobley’s perspective,” Branham wrote. “However, even if the motion was filed on time, the court would not find a basis to undo the original sentencing judge’s decision.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb28auMjZgB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A man accused of killing a Queens nurse he met on a dating app was extradited to New York City from California Thursday to face a murder charge in the nearly 4-year-old case, police said. Danueal Drayton, 31, was hauled to a Queens Village police station and charged in the strangulation death of Samantha Stewart, 29, who was found dead at her Jamaica home on July 17, 2018, police said. Drayton also faces charges including grand larceny, identity theft and sexual misconduct, according to the NYPD. Drayton had an alleged history of violence against women that he met online, in both the tristate area and in Los Angeles, authorities said. Five young people were jailed on murder charges Friday in the March 25 fatal drive-by shooting that claimed the life of an 8-year-old boy on the east side of Warner Robins. In a statement posted on Facebook late Friday, Houston County sheriff’s officials announced four arrests in the death of Jermarrion Pachino Cherry. On Saturday, officials announced a fifth arrest. At least three of the suspects, who range in age from 17 to 21, have criminal records. Cherry was shot in the head while he was in a parked car with some other children at a home in a neighborhood near Robins Air Force Base. He died Monday at an Atlanta children’s hospital. Sheriff’s investigators have said a car rode past the automobile that Cherry was in and that “multiple shots were fired” from the passing car. An adult with the children had “just stepped away” from their car and “was several feet away” when the barrage began. A 17-year-old business owner was shot and killed outside of the barber shop he ran with his mother in Clayton County Saturday night. Police said Anthony ‘China’ McClain was just an innocent bystander who got caught in the crossfire when gunshots broke out at a shopping center off River Station Boulevard. A witness told Channel 2's Justin Carter that he was doing maintenance in the area when he saw a man start shooting at a white car, and someone started shooting back. Employees at the Wayfield Food grocery store next door said a bullet pierced a window. Family members gathered outside the store Saturday afternoon as Clayton County police blocked off the area to investigate. McClain’s cousin, LaShawn Hood, said she believes it all started because of a fight inside the shop that spilled into the parking lot. “He was just standing outside the barber shop, and there was some commotion and something happened and a stray bullet is what,” Hood said. A five-year-old Florida girl died after her mother kidnapped her and led police on a high-speed chase that ended with her vehicle crashing into a retention pond. Pamela Tereza Cabrera, 32, led police on a 30-mile pursuit through North Jacksonville on Thursday night, reaching speeds of 90 mph, before she crashed her vehicle into the pond as she tried to exit the interstate. Officers pulled Cabrera out of the water, but were unable locate her daughter, Vanity, WJAX reported. A dive team eventually found the five-year-old dead at the bottom of the pond. Throughout five explosive seasons and one film, Bounce TV’s “Saints and Sinners” has been a fan favorite. On Sunday, April 3rd, the final season kicks off. The series stars Vanessa Bell Calloway and Clifton Powell. Michael Anthony joins the cast this season as the infamous Uncle Ray Ray, alongside Tray Chaney, Jasmine Burke, Keith Robinson, Donna Biscoe, J.D. Williams, Christian Keyes, Karlie Redd, David Banner, Dawn Halfkenny, Lisa Wu, Ashani Roberts, and Kaye Singleton. https://youtu.be/dZw_D1k-qBw If this were a presidential contest, Chris Rock would be winning in most states, according to an article published on The Hill. As of now, he has 41 states under his belt against Will Smith’s 9 states. This is about the Oscar ceremony incident where Will Smith ended up slapping the comedian. The sports gambling company BetOnline.ag on Tuesday released a map based on geotagged Twitter data that shows most Americans support Rock over the “Men in Black” star. Most Twitter users in the 41 states think Will Smith was wrong to slap Rock, while only 9 states have many siding with Will Smith on the public drama that took many by surprise, including Rock himself. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina and New Hampshire sided with Smith. Now you already knew the moment the “The Slap” happened, “Saturday Night Live” was gonna go in on it and that’s exactly what happened last night. The skit my have been kind of uncomfortable to watch and hilarious at the same time. https://youtu.be/nTRng89HjJw After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock and Sunday night’s Oscars, Denzel Washington was seen comforting Smith. Now, 6 days later, he’s speaking his mind about the mind-blowing situation. “Well, there’s a saying, ‘When the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong,’” was what Washington said Saturday (04-02-22) morning during a discussion about his career and faith with author and bishop, T.D. Jakes during his (Jakes) leadership summit, according to Variety. “The devil goes, ‘Oh no, leave him alone, he’s my favorite,’” he continued. “Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something, right? And for whatever reason, the devil got ahold of that circumstance that night.” https://youtu.be/2mTKPoQAoNs Today BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) celebrated the best and brightest in gospel music at the 2022 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards held at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. BMI’s Gospel Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and the top 20 songs of the previous year were all honored at the private event hosted by BMI’s President & CEO, Mike O’Neill and BMI’s Vice President, Creative-Atlanta Catherine Brewton. BMI’s Gospel Songwriter of the Year was a four-way tie between Aaron Lindsey, J Drew Sheard II, Kierra Sheard and Jeshua “TedyP” Williams. GRAMMY, Dove and Stellar Award-winning songwriter, Aaron Lindsey was honored for two chart-topping songs, “It Belongs to Me,” co-written and performed by Juan and Lisa Winans (feat. Marvin Winans) and “Thank You for It All,” co-written by Jarmone E. Davis and Marvin Sapp. J Drew and Kierra Sheard were honored for co-writing “His Love” and “It Keeps Happening.” GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter/producer Jeshua “TedyP” Williams was honored for his work on “Hold Me Close” and for co-writing “Trouble Won’t Last” with Keyondra Lockett, who won her first BMI award for the hit single. Throughout the ceremony, the music continued with featured performances by gospel greats and BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Icons Marvin Sapp and Kirk Franklin, as well as rising gospel star DOE. After being honored with his sixth BMI Gospel Award for “Thank You for It All,” Sapp gave a moving performance of the chart-topping single. Sisters Alexis Jones and Arin Jackson‘s desire for more diverse children’s music has led to a Grammy nomination. The duo, known as “The Magic Jones,” contributed to the 1 Tribe Collective, whose “All One Tribe” is up for best children’s album. Neither Jackson nor Jones are new to the music industry. Jackson is a member of the previously Grammy-nominated R&B group Brownstone, and Jones has performed as a member of Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir. She also acts, with credits that include Tyler Perry’s “A Madea Christmas.” They told CNN they began thinking about representation in children’s music during the pandemic and their desire for children of color to “be able to see themselves.” https://youtu.be/z1_RDbhslWo Estelle Harris, who played George Costanza’s (Jason Alexander) mother Estelle on the iconic NBC sitcom Seinfeld, died Saturday evening of natural causes in Palm Desert, California, just weeks before her 94th birthday. “It is with the greatest remorse and sadness to announce that Estelle Harris has passed on this evening at 6:25pm,” her son Glen Harris, who held her as she drew her final breath, told Deadline. “Her kindness, passion, sensitivity, humor, empathy and love were practically unrivaled, and she will be terribly missed by all those who knew her.” Born Estelle Nussbaum in New York City on April 22, 1928, Harris appeared on 27 episodes of Seinfeld between 1992 and 1998. (The character had been named Estelle before she landed the part.) She began pursuing acting at assorted amateur community theaters while raising her children, and went on to find incredible success both on stage and on screen, also featuring in such series as Futurama, The Looney Tunes Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, iCarly, ER, Mind of Mencia, Phil of the Future, Dave the Barbarian, Kim Possible, The Proud Family, House of Mouse, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Godzilla: The Series, The Wild Thornberrys, Hercules, Cybill, Living Single, Moesha, The Mask, Night Stand, Star Trek: Voyager, The Tick, Aladdin, Good Advice, Mad About You, Married… with Children and Night Court. A man nearly lost his penis after injecting it with #cocaine, which left it black and rotted.? While not much is known about the male’s identity, The Sun reported that doctors at the #BronxCareHospitalCenter were stunned when the 35-year-old turned up in the emergency room in complete agony. He told staff that he spent three days in excruciating pain after he injected cocaine directly into the dorsal vein of his penis, which runs the full length of the shaft. ?The patient admitted to injecting at the sight multiple times. However, this was the first time the penis injection was nearly fatal. The man had a longstanding drug problem and resorted to injecting cocaine into his penis once all other injection sites were damaged.?? https://www.instagram.com/p/CbxhXktDbBH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Raven-Symoné has lost whopping 40 pounds and she has her wife to thank for it, plus sticking to a sugarless diet. She says she decided to take her health issues seriously after it became a concern to her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday. https://youtu.be/pv_lGzRcWE4 It looks like we won’t be seeing Kanye wilding out on Instagram any time soon. According to @pagesix, Kanye told Kim he was “going away to get help” after all the online drama. Kanye has been open about his mental health issues before, but his recent behavior on Instagram towards Kim and her new boo Pete, had fans wondering if he was okay mentally. Now, according to a source close to the family, he has agreed to stop harassing the couple and stop making public appearances so he can fully heal and move on. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb3WHJOJjcf/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3dbd3056-f428-478a-a68c-41f1064e656a Todrick Hall, choreographer and former “Celebrity Big Brother” contestant, once announced he bought a home, meaning he would not be paying rent to anyone anymore. But this might have been, well, just for the cameras. It turns out he rented a Sherman Oaks (CA) home. The truth wouldn’t have come out if not for the fact that he can’t pay the rent on time, for he has been sued by Avi Lavian for $60k after falling 60 days behind schedule. The lawsuit details indicate that the accused should be paying a rent of $30k each month for the Sherman Oaks home but is now 60 days behind, reports TMZ. https://youtu.be/--oMuijqP1M Denzel Washington broke his silence Saturday on Will Smith’s Oscars slap, addressing his conversation with Smith immediately following the actor’s assault of Chris Rock onstage at the ceremony. Smith shocked everyone when he walked onto the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. During the commercial break after the slap, Washington and Tyler Perry were seen talking with Smith and seemingly encouraging the actor ahead of his first Oscar win for Best Actor. Washington appeared with producer and author T.D. Jakes at the mega pastor’s Leadership Summit on Saturday (the livestream of which TheWrap hosted exclusively) for a conversation about his career and faith, and he addressed what happened at the Oscars. “You stepped in the middle of World War III,” Jakes said, asking Smith about what occurred. “There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong,” Washington began. “The devil goes, ‘Oh no leave him alone, he’s my favorite’ (laughs). Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something right. And for whatever reason the devil got a hold of him that night.” Washington declined to say what he specifically discussed with Smith and Perry, but revealed that they prayed. https://twitter.com/i/status/1508273120473325573 The Delaware Department of Justice is searching for additional victims of a former Ellendale pastor who has been accused of attempting to use scripture to coerce female parishioners into sexual relationships. According to the DOJ, Major Foster, of Lincoln, was employed as a pastor at Ellendale’s Philadelphia Pentecostal Holiness Church between 2013 and 2020. While there, the Attorney General’s Office said it received multiple reports he was inappropriately touching female parishioners. “I am grateful to the women who have come forward to the Delaware State Police and our prosecutors,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “We have reason to believe that Foster’s alleged years long pattern of abuse includes as yet unreported, additional instances. We ask that any additional victims or witnesses with information come forward. We will be there to support you.” In November, a Sussex County Grand Jury indicted Foster on three counts third-degree unlawful sexual contact and offensive touching. In addition to using scripture to corrupt women in his congregation, the DOJ also alleged Foster made inappropriate comments, and “instigated prolonged hugs” during which he would make inappropriate sexual contact with the victims. The offensive touching charge comes from an alleged incident where Foster is said to have pushed a victim’s husband when he was confronted. The state is asking any additional victims to call the Delaware State Police at 302.752.3813. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the internationally known televangelist Perry Stone nearly two years after allegations of sexual harassment and assault surfaced against the Cleveland, Tennessee-based faith leader. The TBI has interviewed at least five people who claim to be victims or who are connected to Stone’s ministry, according to three people who were present for the conversations. The state’s investigative agency is in possession of a list of at least nine alleged victims as well, according to a recording of a phone conversation obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. A TBI spokesperson confirmed by email the agency is investigating Stone at the request of Steve Crump, district attorney general for Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties, and that as of this week, the investigation is active. No further details about the nature of the investigation were provided. Crump confirmed by phone he requested the investigation but said he would not provide further comment as the investigation is ongoing. The results of the investigation, if approved by the TBI, would be given to Crump to decide whether to press charges. Mel Gibson’s handler abruptly shut down an interview with Jesse Watters on Friday after the Fox News host asked the veteran actor, who is no stranger to onstage conflict, about the confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars. ‘You understand it probably better than a lot of people, with your career,’ Watters told Gibson, referring to Smith slapping the comedian after he made a joke about his wife last Sunday. ‘And I was wondering if, you know, you had been the one that jumped up out of his seat and slapped Chris Rock, if you would have been treated the same way. Mel?’ Gibson points his finger into the camera, grimaces and shakes his head, then waves his other hand. ‘Hello, Jesse? Um, thank you, that’s our time,’ cuts in a female voice from off-camera. Gibson continues to smile awkwardly, looking sideways off-camera and then into his lap. But Watters pressed further. ‘Have you ever thought about that?’ Russian prosecutors warned Western companies that criticism of Moscow’s war on Ukraine could lead to arrests of corporate leaders or seizure of assets in the country. Companies that received the warning included Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, IBM and Yum Brands, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. The threats came in the form of calls, letters and visits threatening to take legal action against the companies and seize assets including their trademarks, the newspaper reported. Sources told the Journal that the threats prompted at least one of the companies to limit communications between its Russian business and the rest of the organization. Since Moscow attacked Ukraine, many private companies – ranging from oil companies and retailers to sports organizations and media – have cut ties with Russia as the country becomes ever more isolated from the global economy. “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an act of aggression which is having tragic consequences across the region,” Helge Lund, chairman of BP, said in a statement at the time of his company’s withdrawal last month, noting it worked with “brilliant” Russian colleagues over 30 years in the country. A former high school football champion whose lawyer said he disarmed a gunman during a fight at a California restaurant and was shot by police remained hospitalized Thursday. Attorney Adante Pointer called K’aun Green, 20, a “hero” who prevented a shooting inside the La Victoria restaurant early Sunday before a San Jose police officer opened fire, striking Green. “The police yelled ‘drop the gun,’ and without giving my client a second to understand it was the police, or turn around and see what was going on, or even to drop the gun, he was shot multiple times,” Pointer told NBC Bay Area. Green was shot in the abdomen and leg and twice in the arm, Pointer said. San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata on Tuesday said that Green did not respond to repeated orders to drop the weapon, which he described as a “ghost gun,” as he backed out of the restaurant’s front door. Mata said the shooting occurred roughly one block from a homicide scene that involved a gun. Fleeing customers told officers that a fight with a firearm was happening inside the restaurant, and police believed an “active shooter scenario [was] unfolding or about to unfold,” Mata said. The 12-year-old boy who was shot to death in Brooklyn on Thursday night was remembered by friends in East Flatbush on Friday as a polite and quiet youngster – as police probed the possibility he and his family were targeted in a case of mistaken identity, law enforcement sources said. The boy’s barber and a co-worker of his mom at the Faith Beauty Salon in the neighborhood told The Post they were heartbroken by the news of his killing. The slain 12-year-old was identified by sources and a family member as Kade Lewin, who lived in Flatlands with his mother. “I’ve been cutting his hair for the last three years. He was here three weeks ago,” said the barber, a 52-year-old man who did not give his name. “He is a nice little boy — intelligent, always well-groomed,” the hairdresser said, adding that the boy used to wear his hair in a mohawk. Kade was shot in the head while he was sitting in a car. The House has voted with a slim bipartisan majority to federally decriminalize marijuana. The vote was 220 to 204. Republicans Tom McClintock of California, Brian Mast and Matt Gaetz, both of Florida, joined the majority of Democrats in supporting the bill, while Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire voted against. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, will prevent federal agencies from denying federal workers security clearances for cannabis use, and will allow the Veterans’ Administration to recommend medical marijuana to veterans living with posttraumatic stress disorder, plus gains revenue by authorizing a sales tax on marijuana sales. President Joe Biden is naming actor Taraji P. Henson and the NBA’s Chris Paul to a presidential advisory board on historically Black colleges and universities. They are among nine men and nine women Biden is appointing to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the White House announced Thursday. Several HBCU presidents, the president of United Airlines and the first Black woman to become administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency are among Biden’s selections. They will join Tony Allen, the president of Delaware State University, and Glenda Glover, the president of Tennessee State University, who are serving, respectively, as chairperson and vice chairperson of the board, which was established during the Carter administration. Henson is a Washington, D.C., native who studied acting at Howard University, a historically Black school and the alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris. Paul is a 12-time NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Besides Allen and Glover, the presidents of five other HBCUs will also join the board. They are Virginia State University, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Alabama State University, Prairie View A&M University in Texas and Dillard University in New Orleans. Lisa Jackson, who became the EPA’s first Black administrator in the Obama administration, and United Airlines President Brett Hart will also join the board. A Winston-Salem State University student will represent the entire HBCU community in the world of NASCAR this Saturday. 19-year-old Rajah Caruth will compete in his first NASCAR race in the Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway this weekend. Caruth will become only the third Black driver currently racing in a major NASCAR series. The HBCU student will be driving a Virginia State University-themed car with the number 44 on it. The car will be decked out in Virginia State’s orange and blue color scheme and represent all the proud Trojans out there. Virginia State University is sponsoring the car managed by Alpha Prime Racing in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on Saturday. The race is the first of several that Caruth has signed with Alpha Prime Racing for this upcoming season. The sponsorship is a huge step for HBCUs and minorities in the racing community. A Houston area student who was allegedly harassed and bullied by her teachers for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance has won a $90,000 settlement, according to the civil rights organization American Atheists. The Texas Association of School Boards paid to resolve the case after the Klein Oak High School student’s 12th-grade sociology teacher agreed to settle before things went to trial, the organization announced in a Tuesday news release, which was first reported by the Houston Chronicle’s Rebecca Hennes. In the 2017 suit, the nonreligious student says she was discriminated against and harassed by several teachers after choosing to abstain from saying the pledge out of objection to the words “Under God” and her belief that “liberty and justice for all” is not guaranteed for people of color in the U.S. New Orleans Public Schools now has a new superintendent and the choice is a historic one. Dr. Avis Williams will be the first black woman to serve as superintendent and the first woman to permanently serve the position in the city. She was unanimously voted by the school board to lead the district. Williams was one of 50 candidates overall and one of 15 interviewed by the board. She will now enter into contract negotiations with the board. Williams was previously the superintendent of Selma City Schools in Alabama. In Selma, schools during her tenure increased their State Report Card score by 8 points, from 68 to 76, and one letter grade. Graduation rates also increased by 6 percent, reading scores by 6 percent, and math by 8 percent. Dr. Williams started her professional career serving as a sergeant in the United States Army before becoming a teacher and physical education coach in Huntsville, Ala.; an English teacher and assistant principal in Salisbury, N.C.; a principal in Huntsville, an adjunct education college professor in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and the Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction in Greensboro, N.C. These roles have afforded Dr. Williams the unique privilege of serving as an elementary, middle, and high school principal, as well as a college professor – giving her a full perspective of what it takes to lead at all levels. They say no pain, no gain – and is seems Chris Rock stands to earn a veritable fortune after being slapped in the face by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars. The 57-year-old comedian was given a sharp smack to the face by 53-year-old actor Will while presenting the Best Documentary award at last weekend’s event after he made an ill-judged joke about 50-year-old alopecia sufferer Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald head. And while Hollywood has been divided over whether Will – who received a Best Actor gong and a rapturous standing ovation just minutes after his violent outburst – did the right thing, it could be Chris who ultimately gets the last laugh. Reports have suggested talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and rival talk show host and Hollywood villain Ellen DeGeneres are battling to secure a chat with Chris following the global headline grabbing incident. And Chris could even bag himself as much as £2 million as ticket sales to his current tour have skyrocketed and interview offers are being lined up. A source told The Sun: “Chris has handled the situation with Will with such grace and poise – and it is paying dividends. “Hollywood just can’t get enough of him and while people are turning away from Will in droves, they’re queuing up to see Chris. ESPN is going all out to honor the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier. Per a press release provided to The Root, the sports network will launch Jackie 75, a season-long project that will “honor Robinson’s lasting legacy, as well as showcase the continued work of Robinson’s wife Rachel as she approaches her 100th birthday on July 19.” The programming starts April 4 with the 10 episode video series Jackie to Me, featuring interviews with civil rights leaders, entertainers and athletes like Ruby Bridges, Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, Rev. Jesse Jackson, tennis great Billie Jean King and hockey pioneer Willie O’Ree “speaking about Robinson’s many legacies and lasting impact across generations.” Every day a video premieres on SportsCenter, Get Up and First Take, with the last video debuting on the April 15 anniversary as part of the network’s all day celebration. Robinson’s impact on professional sports is well-known and immeasurable. However, hearing how he influenced other athletes and artists could lead to fascinating new discussions. It’s more important than it’s ever been that everyone really understands the full scope of how Black people have shaped the history of America. Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods, who is trying to come back from serious leg and foot injuries he suffered in a car wreck about 14 months ago, played 18 holes at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday, sources told ESPN. Woods, 46, played all 18 holes with his son, Charlie, and PGA Tour pro Justin Thomas, his close friend, sources said. “He played every one of them,” a source told ESPN. “He looked good to me.” Woods and his team arrived Tuesday morning at Augusta Regional Airport on his Gulfstream private jet, stirring anticipation on social media that he was preparing to play in the Masters. Augusta National, because of its many hills and length, is considered one of the most difficult walks in competitive golf. This past weekend, a since-deleted video emerged of Woods playing at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. Woods is listed among the expected 91 participants for next week’s Masters, the first major championship of the season. But he’s yet to officially say whether he’s playing. There’s no better way to learn history than from the people who lived it. And for years, Betty Reid Soskin — a.k.a. Ranger Betty — brought her invaluable perspective to work at the National Park Service, sharing experiences that otherwise would have been gone unacknowledged. “What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering,” Soskin, who turned 100 last fall, has said. For years, Soskin was the oldest active ranger in the park service, leading public programs at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif. That chapter of her rich life has finally come to a close: She retired on Thursday, capping a career that saw her enrich histories of the World War II home front with her own experience as a woman of color facing segregation and hours of toil. While Rosie the Riveter was the famous public face of women’s industrial work during the war, Soskin literally had to create the space to tell stories like her own. “That really is a white woman’s story,” Soskin said of the iconic bandanna-wearing worker, in a 2014 interview with NPR. Jessica Chastain won the best actress Oscar on Sunday night for her portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” In her acceptance speech, she said she was inspired by the televangelist’s radical love towards all people, including members of the LGBT community. Chastain was honored at the 2022 Oscars ceremony for her performance in the film that follows the rise and fall of Jim and Tammy Bakker and their “Praise the Lord” empire. In her speech, the actress thanked everyone that helped her accomplish the task, including director Michael Showalter and co-star Andrew Garfield. She also thanked the film’s hair and makeup team, which also scored an Oscar for transforming Chastain into the colorful televangelist. https://youtu.be/4Rso0yrwO2s Bill Maher dived into the Oscars controversy in his show on Friday, saying that Jada Pinkett Smith should ‘thank God’ that alopecia is her biggest medical concern. ‘If you are so lucky in life as to have that be your medical problem, just say ‘thank God,” the HBO Real Time host joked to his panelists, attorney Laura Coates and former presidential and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. ‘I mean, alopecia, it’s not leukemia, OK?’ Maher said at the start of the show. ‘Alopecia is when your hair falls out, there are worst things.’ https://youtu.be/W34ueQvL938 Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe spent an entire season relentlessly chasing and pulling down seemingly every rebound that came his way — and plenty that didn’t, too. “I want to be the greatest rebounder I can be,” Tshiebwe said. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound junior put up better rebounding numbers than anybody in Division I in decades. And it’s a big reason why he is The Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of the year. Tshiebwe was the clear choice for the award announced Friday, receiving 46 of 60 votes from AP Top 25 voters. Johnny Davis, a 6-5 sophomore who averaged 19.7 points and led Wisconsin to a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, was second with 10 votes. Iowa sophomore Keegan Murray (three) and Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn (one) also earned votes. Tshiebwe, a West Virginia transfer and native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is only the second player in the history of the storied history of the Wildcats program to win the AP’s top honor. The other was one-and-done star Anthony Davis, who led Kentucky to its eighth NCAA title a decade ago before becoming the No. 1 NBA draft pick. Terrell Owens, one of the greatest receivers in NFL history, has agreed to come out of retirement and will return to professional football with startup league Fan Controlled Football, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The 48-year-old Owens, whose NFL career ended in 2010, is in great shape and wants to show he can still play at a high level, according to the source who said an official announcement is expected next week. Owens, whose talent and athleticism on the gridiron were undeniable, became famous for his entertaining touchdown celebrations during a 15-year NFL career that earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The charismatic Owens is by far the most high-profile player to join Fan Controlled Football, a league that includes former college standout Johnny Manziel, whose much-hyped NFL career fizzled after two seasons. According to the source, Owens will likely join the Zappers team alongside Manziel, who recently announced his return to Fan Controlled Football for the second season. The source said Owens will be mic’d up and wearing a helmet camera for games. He will also provide content for streaming provider fuboTV by interviewing team owners and players during games when he is not playing. Hope Solo, the former goalie for the US Women’s National Team, was arrested for alleged DWI in North Carolina on Thursday. Police told TMZ that Solo, 40, was taken into custody in the parking lot of a Walmart in Winston-Salem, and processed in the Forsyth County jail. Solo allegedly had two young kids in the car at the time. She is married to former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens and they have 2-year-old twins. It was not immediately clear if it was the twins who were in the car with her at the time, but TMZ says it was “likely” the case. “On the advice of counsel, Hope can’t speak about this situation, but she wants everyone to know that her kids are her life, that she was released immediately and is now at home with her family, that the story is more sympathetic than the initial charges suggest, and that she looks forward to her opportunity to defend these chargers,” her lawyer, Rich Nichols, said in a statement that Solo tweeted out. In addition to DWI, Solo is charged with resisting arrest and misdemeanor child abuse. In 2014, Solo was arrested for alleged domestic violence against her sister and nephew while intoxicated. Those charges were dropped in 2018 after the city of Kirkland, Wash., ruled that the incident was “unlikely to recur.” Jerry Jones has paid nearly $3 million to the woman who says she is his biological daughter, including her full tuition at SMU and a $70,000 Range Rover on her 16th birthday, and to her mother, according to the Little Rock, Arkansas, lawyer who delivered the payments on behalf of the Dallas Cowboys owner. Lawyer Don Jack told ESPN on Thursday that he made regular payments on Jones’ behalf to Alexandra Davis, the 25-year-old congressional aide who filed a paternity lawsuit against Jones on March 3, and her mother, Cynthia Spencer Davis, whom Jones met in 1995 when she was a ticket-counter agent for American Airlines in Arkansas. “On numerous occasions I have made payments on behalf of Mr. Jones to Cindy and Alex Davis,” Jack said in a statement. A longtime friend of Jones, Jack said he struck an agreement on Jones’ behalf with Spencer Davis in 1995, paying her $375,000 and providing “for monthly payments for child support which ultimately totaled over $2 million.” Jones has not acknowledged that Davis is his biological daughter. Asked why he used the term “child support” in his statement, Jack said, “I used the term child support because that’s what the agreement calls it.” Asked if the “child support” payments indicate that Jones is Davis’ father, Jack paused for five seconds before saying, “I am not going to answer that one. My statement speaks for itself.” Asked why Jones paid millions to Davis and her mother if Davis was not his daughter, Jones spokesman Jim Wilkinson declined to comment. Venus and Serena Williams’ stepmom has filed for bankruptcy in a last-ditch bid to keep the now crumbling home where estranged husband ‘King’ Richard turned his daughters into tennis legends, DailyMail.com can reveal. The move by Lakeisha Williams, 43, is another twist in the often bitter saga of her marriage to the 80-year-old former coach – including new divorce court papers revealed by DailyMail.com in which she claims they have reunited and enjoy regular steamy sex. It’s also one more bizarre turn in events surrounding ailing dad-of-nine Richard Williams, the focus of hit movie King Richard whose star Will Smith sensationally slapped Chris Rock before picking up a now controversial Oscar for best actor. Bruce Arians is stepping down after three seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ head coach and moving into a front-office role with the organization, the team announced Wednesday night. Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace Arians as head coach. A league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Bucs finalized a new, five-year head-coaching contract with Bowles earlier Wednesday. Arians told ESPN he doesn’t see the change as a retirement. “No, moving to the front office,” he said in a text message. “I’m still working.” Arians played a key role in evaluating draft prospects, and a move to the front office ensures that will continue. His new job title will be senior football consultant. Despite multiple health scares throughout his career, Arians, 69, said this move was in no way motivated by his health. Arians and the Buccaneers had been working on a succession plan over the past several weeks, and Arians informed players and members of his coaching staff of the news before the team’s announcement. Arians went 31-18 (.633) in three campaigns with Tampa Bay, the highest win percentage of any coach in Buccaneers history, and led the team to victory in Super Bowl LV following the 2020 season. He won five playoff games with the Bucs; the previous Tampa Bay coaches won six combined. I knew that this was the way to get me to the next stage of my career,” said Grammy-winning Jackie’s Boy, who just released a new single titled “Recipe” (Houla Entertainment), about his songwriting success as Carlos Battey that garnered him 12 #1 Billboard songs for such artists as Justin Bieber (“Down to Earth”), Charlie Wilson (“I’m blessed”) and Madonna (“Revolver”). “They’re songs not fit for me.” Jackie’s Boy was part of a duo writing team called The Jackie’s Boyz (Universal Music Publishing) with Steven Battey (his brother) which ended in 2017. He has so much talent that I had to ask which skill is closest to his heart and he said, “It’s singing, though it’s hard to choose because I love songwriting too, but I love to perform and connect to the audience.” As a performer his last single “No Lifeguard” peaked at #2 on the Indie R&B Streaming Chart. Jackie’s Boy’s last three EPs were titled “The Show,” “The After Party,” and “The Hotel.” https://youtu.be/7tsL_09IjBw Tyre attended middle school in the St. Louis area but was practicing at his future high school across the river with Gregory and his players at East Saint Louis High School in East St. Louis, Illinois. Smith’s mother, Victoria, also took notice of Tyre, who she said was always respectful and well-mannered and that, despite his tall stature, “you had to lean in to hear him cause he talked so softly.” “As a mother, it hurts. As a football family, it hurts,” she said. “It’s a loss for all of us.” “He had a great future ahead of him, he was so amazing, so respectful,” she added. “He was the first one to support my son when he’d get done with a practice or a drill or something like that, so I was thankful.” Jerrod Carmichael’s latest stand-up special might be his most revelatory yet. The acclaimed comedian comes out as gay in his new HBO special, “Rothaniel,” a few years after he first referenced relationships with men in a previous film for HBO. In the intimate special, filmed by fellow comic Bo Burnham at a New York jazz club, Carmichael said he’d been “feeling like a liar” after his father’s infidelity came to light within his family. He called his identity a “secret” that he kept from his immediate family, friends, colleagues and fans because he didn’t want it to change others’ perception of him. “I thought I’d never, ever come out,” he said in the special, which debuted Friday night (04-01-22). “At many points in my life I thought I’d rather die than confront the truth of that, like, to actually say it to people.” https://youtu.be/N7nmHDJN_8k Erica Mena is finally officially single, and she is celebrating it. She let the news out during a club appearance in Tampa, Florida. “I said I’m officially divorced,” she screamed on the mic. “We celebrating life, we celebrating freedom and we celebrating that we bad b******.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CTdzTrOHmdY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again All-new episodes of TV One’s original docu-series, UNSUNG and UNCENSORED, are back this Sunday, April 3. UNSUNG leads with one of the greatest hip-hop duos of all time, P.M. Dawn, at 9 p.m. ET/8C followed by UNCENSORED, which features actor turned director, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Each episode will also be published on TVOne.tv and TV One’s social media platforms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn3cL4a38Zo President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus package, the American Rescue Plan, has allocated $2.7 billion in funding to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The White House released a detailed breakdown of the funding,“showing the funds that were provided by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) over the past year, according to a press release. As reported by per moguldom.com, the White House touted the “infusion of federal funding” as “among the largest ever in the country’s HBCUs.” However, not everyone is pleased with the amount Black educational institutions received compared to other groups. The Kardashians sat down with “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts to dish about their romances and new Hulu series. Roberts grills Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian about their relationships in an ABC primetime interview set to air this month. Roberts, 61, probes Kim, 41, about her whirlwind romance with Pete Davidson and ongoing divorce from Kanye West, Khloé 37, about her current status with adulterous on-off beau Tristan Thompson and Kourtney, 42, about her PDA-packed engagement to Travis Barker. “I’m excited for you. A new love in your life. So, will we see Pete a lot in the show?” Roberts asks Kim in a trailer published by People Thursday. https://twitter.com/i/status/1509504766686154755 Eddie Murphy is reportedly in talks to play George Clinton in an upcoming biopic. The project will chronicle Clinton’s early life in North Carolina up until the formation of his famed funk group Parliament and Funkadelic, Variety reports. Murphy will star and serve as a producer on the biopic which is said to be a passion project for the actor/comedian. In related news, Murphy will reprise his role as Alex Foley in the fourth installment of “Beverly Hills Cop.” Netflix picked up the rights to expand the franchise with Jerry Bruckheimer reportedly set to produce. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project comes after a one-time licensing deal between Netflix and Paramount to produce another installment of the hit cop franchise. Viacom CEO Bob Bakish said the licensing deal “will produce a new film based on an iconic IP and further expands our relationship with this important original production client.” Like many people who watched the encounter that ended with Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on stage Sunday at the Academy Awards ceremony, Oscars lead producer Will Packer thought it was a planned bit. But as Smith — angered by a joke Rock told about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith — yelled obscenities from the audience before he walked on stage to confront Rock, Packer realized it was real. “Once I saw Will yelling at the stage with such vitriol, my heart dropped,” Packer told ABC’s “Good Morning America’s” TJ Holmes in an exclusive interview that aired Friday. “And I just remember thinking, ‘Oh no. Oh, no. Not like this.'” “And Chris was keeping his head when everybody else was losing theirs.” Packer gave insight into what swiftly has become one of the most famous and controversial moments in Academy Awards history. https://youtu.be/PPNOv8j5Zps According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, synthetic opioids are now the drugs most commonly involved in the United States. As of 2017, nearly 60 percent of opioid overdoes were caused by fentanyl-compared to only 14,3 percent in 2003. Oftentimes, certain social ills are purposefully overstated in order to scare folks into compliance, but fentanyl is exactly what they said it was, death incarnate. Peter Piraino, CEO of Burning Tree Programs treatment facilities says As far back as 2009 we saw fentanyl being abused. It was a prescribed medication and just like Percocet and Vicodin, people started using it on the street because it was much stronger. At least in Texas, we noticed that it became a drug of choice, where people were solely using and abusing fentanyl, around 2017. Waka Flocka Flame has confirmed he and wife Tammy Rivera have called it quits. “That’s my best friend, that’s my dawg,” Waka said of the “Love and Hip Hop star” on TMZ’s podcast, “It’s Tricky With Raquel Harper,” on Thursday. “People evolve for the better,” he added, telling Harper, “We ain’t nasty. It’s love, though.” Waka and Rivera were married for nearly eight years before they separated. While he has no kids of his own, the hip-hop star helped raise Rivera’s daughter Charlie from a previous relationship. https://www.instagram.com/wakaflocka/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=89c96aef-9ee0-49f3-8638-3baba4232500 Disney has responded to Florida’s controversial “Don’t Groom Kids” bill (aka Don’t Say Gay/Parental Rights in Education bill) by announcing that half of all its characters going forward will represent LGBTQIA or racial minorities. In other words, parents of young children can expect to see queer characters (mostly likely of color) in more Disney titles — from live-action to animation. The Walt Disney Company, a powerful player in Florida politics, halted political donations in the state as the Don’t Say Gay bill moved through the legislature. After Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law on Monday, Disney released a statement saying, “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.” https://youtu.be/sw3_LZDTi78 A Florida high school student who was sucker-punched during a track race is not pressing charges over the incident. The assault occurred during a 1,600-meter race at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee on Saturday, as reported by Canadian Running Magazine. https://twitter.com/i/status/1508925010483814400 Jada Pinkett Smith has been publicly sharing her hair loss battle due to alopecia for years now. Per the Mayo Clinic, “Hair loss (alopecia) can affect just your scalp or your entire body, and it can be temporary or permanent. It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it’s more common in men.” The disease causes the immune system to attack hair follicles, causing hair loss. Prior to the Oscars debacle that saw Jada’s husband Will Smith smacking presenter Chris Rock over a joke the comedian shared about Jada’s bald head, the actress shared a video update about her hair battle with alopecia. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYB7dMppvjk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In celebration of Women’s History Month, Live Nation Urban has partnered with Polly Irungu’s Black Women Photographers Organization. Together, they’ve launched a first-of-its-kind contest to spotlight the work of up-and-coming black female and non-binary photographers. Irungu and the Live Nation Urban team will select a handful of photographers to be paid to officially shoot one of Live Nation Urban’s 2022 music festivals. Their photos will be amplified on various social media channels, yielding to an unprecedented amount of visibility that could land the photographer even more work. Going live today, established, and emerging photographers may apply to shoot at LiveNationUrban.com, BlackWomenPhotographers.com, or submit their work via Instagram by posting their photography with the hashtag #BWPLIVE22 and reposting the competition flier. The deadline for submissions is April 15th, 2022. Creatives can apply at https://blackwomenphotographers.com/live-nation-urban The House returns with its much anticipated second season, exploring topics relevant to the Black LGBTQIA+ experience. Episode 1 features Funky Dineva, the vlogger turned host, exploring his journey from corporate America to living authentically by using his gifts to create his own success. Friday, April 1st at 6:00 PM PT / 9:00 PM ET https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=707675150273138 Jim Carrey is planning to take a step away from Hollywood. While discussing his new film with Access Hollywood’s Kit Hoover, the funnyman revealed that he’s “probably” retiring from his career and is “fairly serious” about it. “I am retiring. I am being fairly serious. It depends – if the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink, that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might. I might continue down the road, but I’m taking a break. I really like my quiet life, and I really love putting paint on canvas, and I really love my spiritual life, and I feel like – and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists – I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.” https://youtu.be/6-uk66ko1Nw Jon Batiste goes into THE 64TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS® on Sunday with 11 nominations, more than any artist this year. But for Batiste, who is also the bandleader and a producer on CBS’ THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT, success is not without challenges. Batiste and Suleika Jaouad, whom he calls the love of his life, talk about his music, her battle with leukemia and more, in an emotional and revealing interview with Jim Axelrod for CBS SUNDAY MORNING, to be broadcast Sunday, April 3 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. https://twitter.com/i/status/1509513419149516801 Veteran actor Omar Epps dish about his latest film “The Devil You Know.” The gritty crime-thriller drama about family, morality, and redemption centers on once-incarcerated Marcus Cowans (Epps) who trying to turn over a new leaf with the support of his loving family. Upon discovering that one of his brothers (Will Catlett) may have been involved in a horrific crime, Marcus grapples with the limits of brotherhood and loyalty. He and his family, increasingly weary of the justice system’s failings, end up in the crosshairs of a seasoned but jaded detective (Michael Ealy). https://youtu.be/eb_ZpN98pg8 HBO has announced the “Game of Thrones” prequel series, “House of the Dragon,” will premiere on August 21. The series is set 200 years before “Game of Thrones” “and will recount the height of the Targaryen empire in Westeros—specifically, chronicling what happened before and during the Dance of the Dragons, a destructive civil war between the Targaryens as they vied for the Iron Throne,” per Complex. George R. R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood” serves as the basis for the new series. He wrote in a March blog post that he watched snippets of the 10-episode season and “loved” it. https://twitter.com/i/status/1445373212079140864 Thursday (03-31-22), marks the three-year anniversary of the shooting death of Grammy-award-winning rapper and Los Angeles native Nipsey Hussle, who was killed outside The Marathon, his clothing store in South L.A. Yesterday, fans on social media have already started paying tribute to the late star by looking back on some of his greatest hits and most memorable quotes and moments. Fans are also sending extra love and prayers to his family online. One fan said, “Long live Nipsey Hussle the great. Three years ago, we lost a man who stood on principle and embodied his community. His message stands the test of time and his impact sparked so many brains and inspires us still. ????” Another added, “thinking of Lauren London and the rest of Nipsey’s family today??????” A third fan said, “Nipsey, That’s all we listenin’ to today. Celebrating the life of the GREAT.” FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform serving unapologetically Black, consumable by all content 365 days a year, announced today that they will bring on platinum-selling recording artist, Maino’s Kitchen Talk series on their streaming platform. Co-hosted by Platinum-selling recording artist, Maino along with Georgie and Hala, Kitchen Talk is not a cooking show or a love show; it’s a show that provides a vibe with in-depth conversations about life. Sometimes the stories are funny, sometimes the stories are motivational, but at the end of the day, it’s stories for the culture. https://youtu.be/SEwC2jgzoZ0 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that Disney’s woke ideology is a significant threat to the state and he threatened to strip the company’s privileges, including its right to build anything it wants in its theme park. The governor’s comments on Fox & Friends Friday come after some Republican legislators in Florida are considering punishing Walt Disney World for taking a public stand against the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill by repealing a 55-year law that allows the company to govern itself. ‘They have gotten incredible treatment from the Florida legislature and are treated on a pedestal, this one corporation is treated differently than anybody else,’ DeSantis said. ‘That is not something I’ve ever supported. In the legislature you see a move to reevaluate the special privileges.’ Florida House Rep. Spencer Roach tweeted on Wednesday that lawmakers held two meetings this week to discuss revoking the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which he said ‘allows Disney to act as its own government.’ Spencer, a Republican, added: ‘If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County.’ Fox News announced it has hired Olympic champion and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner as a paid contributor, with her first appearance set for Thursday on Sean Hannity’s program. Jenner, 72, the former Olympic decathlete, ran an unsuccessful campaign for California governor last year as a Republican. She was defeated by incumbent Gov Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, finishing 13th in the recall election. The network said Jenner, who is a transgender woman, will offer commentary and analysis across various Fox News Media platforms. ‘Caitlyn’s story is an inspiration to us all,’ said Suzanne Scott, Fox News Media CEO. ‘She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience.’ Jenner wrote on her Instagram page, which is followed by 12.7million users: ‘I am humbled by this unique opportunity to speak directly to @foxnews millions of viewers about a range of issues that are important to the American people.’ Last month, when Mayor Eric Adams’s decision to hire three people with histories of homophobic views and statements was met with outrage from members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, he agreed to meet to hear their grievances. Some attendees described the meeting as productive, but Mr. Adams dug in on his appointments and refused to fire the three appointees, political allies whom he said deserved a second chance. On Tuesday, the mayor found himself under renewed scrutiny, after it was disclosed that the Rev. Kathlyn Barrett-Layne, one of Mr. Adams’s appointees to the Panel for Educational Policy, a board that advises the chancellor, had written a book that called homosexuality a sin. In the book, Ms. Barrett-Layne, a pastor from Staten Island, equated homosexuality to pedophilia, stealing and lying. Hours after The Daily News reported on the book, City Hall officials forced Ms. Barrett-Layne to resign. Amaris Cockfield, a spokeswoman for Mr. Adams, said that the administration was unaware of Ms. Barrett-Layne’s remarks before she was appointed to the board. A ‘genius’ black Harvard professor was forced out of his $600,000-a-year job after colleagues angered by his anti-woke views trumped up sexual harassment claims against him, a new documentary claims. Roland Fryer, 44, came under fire after it emerged in 2018 that he’d made inappropriate comments to two former assistants, with six of their complaints against him upheld, Rob Montz’s documentary claims. And his refusal to kowtow to common woke doctrines put him in the sights of Harvard’s social studies dean Larry Bobo and African-American studies scholar Claudine Gay. They ignored recommendations that Fryer be given workplace sensitivity training following a 2019 investigation into his behavior, and effectively ended his career. Fryer’s career was trashed after he escaped an impoverished and abusive childhood to become Harvard’s youngest tenured professor ever in 2007, aged just 30. https://youtu.be/m8xWOlk3WIw A TikTokker who used to work at a Cracker Barrel in Arizona has revealed a “code word” that some of her fellow employees allegedly used to refer to Black customers. In a video viewed over 237,000 times, @cinnamnhoney shared her experience working as a hostess at the popular restaurant chain. “a waitress used to complain SO MUCH if i sat ‘canadians’ in her section & i was so confused bc i thought canadians were stereotyped as nice,” she wrote in her caption. In the video itself, she looks pensive, as the on-screen caption reads, “me, a hostess at cracker barrel, wondering how every employee knew a table was full of canadians even though they didn’t have a telling accent.” After a few seconds, the video cuts to a new caption: “‘canadian was a code word for black people”. Cracker Barrel told Newsweek that while it was initially unaware of the video, it “will be looking into the matter further.” UNT received a federal grant to digitally preserve audio and video recordings from the archive of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, representing more than 40 years of Black cultural expression. The grant, totaling $126,989 from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission, will fund the library’s efforts to digitize over 1,800 pieces of archival media from the TBAAL archive. The recordings will be publicly available to stream through the Portal to Texas History. Works by artists Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, Dee Dee Warwick, Jennifer Holliday, and Margaret Walker are among those proposed for digitization. The two-year project is already underway and projected to be completed by summer 2023. “These are unique recordings,” Head of Special Collections Morgan Gieringer said. “They don’t exist anywhere else. They only exist in this collection.” Gieringer highlighted the importance of archiving the works of marginalized artists. A Louisiana police officer injured when violence broke out over the police killing of a Black man in Baton Rouge in 2016 has grounds to pursue a lawsuit against a protest organizer, Louisiana’s Supreme Court said Friday. The 6-1 opinion was not a ruling in a case, but an answer to questions posed by a federal appeals court considering whether an officer identified as John Doe, can continue his federal lawsuit against Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson. The case has freedom-of-speech implications, involving questions of who is liable for damages that occur during activities protected by the First Amendment. But the questions before Louisiana’s highest court involved whether state law could be read to place a duty on a protest organizer “not to negligently precipitate” a crime. The majority said it can. And it also said state law does not bar police officers from collecting damages under such circumstances. The officer suffered serious head and facial injuries when someone threw a hard object at him as protesters blocked a highway in 2016. The protest arose from the police shooting death of a Black man, Alton Sterling. A Georgia high school senior has received acceptance letters from 49 colleges and over $1 million in scholarship offers. Makenzie Thompson, 18, didn’t originally plan to apply to over 50 universities. But after attending college fairs and receiving fee waivers, she ended up applying to 51 schools. So far, she has been accepted to 49 — and is still waiting to hear back from one more. “It was a very, very good experience, just to see your hard work paying off and getting to see them just pile up in a folder,” she told CNN. “My family is ecstatic,” she said. “Getting 49 acceptances and over 1.3 million, they’re like ‘wow, you’re going places.'” Thompson has been a star student throughout high school, which she credited to strict time management. “Without time management, or knowing how to multitask, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” she said. Thompson serves as her senior class president at Westlake High School in Atlanta, the co-captain of the Blue Reign dance team, the vice president of Beta Club (a community service organization) and a varsity baseball manager. She’s also a member of the national honor society and the honor society of dance and arts. The Central Library in Downtown Indianapolis is home to the Center for Black Literature & Culture (CBLC), but you don’t have to even be in the State of Indiana to access one of its newest community resources. On Tuesday, the CBLC debuted interactive kiosks that allow uses to see videos, 3-D images and more relating to Black history, Black literature, Black culture, the Black diaspora and Black librarianship. The CBLC also has a new website, bringing users artifacts, videos, photo galleries and more. Users can learn about local Black leaders such as Amos Brown and Tamika Catchings, literary figures like Mari Evans and Etheridge Knight and more. “One thing I’m particularly excited about is the aspects that we’ve been able to 3-D scan … those are able to be turned around in 3-D space,” Amira Malcom, project manager, said. A white teacher has been pulled from Whitney Young Magnet High School after he hung a Black doll by its neck from a cord at the front of his classroom then argued with a Black colleague who was offended. Principal Joyce Kenner said Chicago Public Schools officials have taken over the investigation of the incident and removed the history teacher from the school as the latest scandal to roil one of the district’s selective enrollment high schools plays out. Kenner declined further comment Wednesday. In an email to the school community earlier in the afternoon, the principal said administrators and CPS’ Title IX office are working together “to not only investigate and respond, but to elevate student voice in the process.” Students later packed the school theater for a listening session in which students could ask questions of district officials and express concerns. “This session represents just the first step in our ongoing partnership,” Kenner wrote.“ They will be back in our building in the coming days to ensure due process and resolution.” A petition calling for the teacher’s removal said he had long been a problematic presence at the school. It had over 400 signatures by Wednesday evening. He could not be reached for comment. Jeff Avelar-Yanes, a Salvadoran American costume designer, has lived with his parents and his sister in Amityville, Long Island, since he graduated from college in 2017. Avelar-Yanes, who attended college in California, says the struggle of finding a steady job and student loans forced him to move back home. “I didn’t have a choice to stay where I was,” Avelar-Yanes said. “I put it all together and I was like, how am I going to pay off the student loans … and still be able to work and pay for an apartment? Like even having roommates, it’s still stressing me out. I don’t even think I’d be able to split and still have enough.” Now, Avelar-Yanes, founder of Vibe Costumes, who is just a few months away from his 25th birthday, hopes he can make enough money for his own apartment. “I’m pretty sick of being at home,” he said. New York’s high rents, however, keep him at home. “I want to get out so badly. I’ve been trying to for a while.” Like Avelar-Yanes, a report published Thursday by Pew Research Center found nearly 4 out of 10 men between the ages of 25 and 29 live with older relatives, including 26 percent of Hispanic, as well as Black Americans and 24 percent of Asian Americans, compared to 13 percent of whites. Researchers say people of color are more likely to live in multigenerational households due to financial reasons or caregiving for a relative. If you really concentrate, you can imagine the town that this community’s elders describe. There was the grocery store on the highway, and the gas station. There were the shops where children walked to buy lunch for 50 cents on school days. There was Ms. Sadie’s chicken shack and Dr. Minn’s office. All of that’s gone now. In their place, either vacant lots or dilapidated buildings. Today, you’re more likely to see loose dogs than people on Lincoln Street, the town’s main drag. There are a couple of horses in a yard just across from the town hall, which used to be the center of a bustling commercial district. Now, Lincoln Street has a handful of homes, the low-slung cinder-block town hall, two churches and just one storefront, Bates Barbecue. The once-thriving all-Black town of Tallahassee was ravaged by government policies that divested it and other Black communities, said Mayor Keisha Currin. And she says the city is owed reparations to get back on its feet. Last year, Currin joined Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a group founded by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. It counts more than a dozen mayors across the country as members, and its goal is to become a laboratory for new reparations programs that address slavery and the decades of explicitly anti-Black government policies that followed. The Recording Academy has announced that 12-time Grammy-winner John Legend will be honored during its Black Music Collective event taking place during Grammy Week. Legend will be receiving the first-ever Recording Academy Global Impact Award for his personal and professional achievements in the music industry. Fast-rising R&B singer Summer Walker will perform and D-Nice will be spinning music throughout the night, with MC Lyte as the voice of the evening, Adam Blackstone as the musical director and legendary producer Jimmy Jam making remarks. Additional special guests to be announced at a later date. The inaugural Black Music Collective event, which has been on the Grammy Week calendar for several months, is taking place at Resorts World Las Vegas on Sat, April 2, 2022, the evening before the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. “It is our distinct honor to celebrate John Legend as the inaugural recipient of the Recording Academy Honors’ Global Impact Award,” said Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Co-President of the Recording Academy. “John is one of the most important artists of our time, someone who leads by example and pushes important boundaries consistently across music, philanthropy and activism. His contributions and impact to music and our culture are unparalleled.” Will Smith was not formally asked to leave the Oscars ceremony Sunday after slapping Chris Rock onstage, contrary to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences saying he was, sources close to the situation told The Hollywood Reporter. Instead, the sources said Academy leadership spoke with Smith’s reps backstage following the incident about potentially asking Smith to leave the Dolby Theatre. A rep then went out to speak with Smith about the matter, but didn’t relay any kind of official edict, according to the two sources who spoke Thursday to THR on condition of anonymity. However, Oscars producer Will Packer came out around the same time and said Smith should stay. There was never a chance for Smith to “refuse” to leave, the insiders said, nor did anyone in the Academy directly speak to the actor about such a request. Reps for Smith couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Reps for Packer and reps for the Academy declined to comment Thursday. A day earlier, the Academy issued a statement saying Smith was asked to leave the show following the slap, but that he refused. The statement didn’t provide details, but did say they also “recognize we could have handled the situation differently.” In Florida, a cop’s zeal in poking his chest out and unleashing his rage on a Black man who was already in handcuffs got so bad that he ended up choking out another cop who tried to intervene. This was an ugly scene and the cop who tried to stop it, a woman, was a victim of police violence who attempted to deescalate things before a Black man became the same. According to HuffPost, police officers in Sunrise, Florida, responded to a call about a man accused of attacking people outside a convenience store last November. The suspect, a Black man identified as 25-year-old Jean Similien, according to the Miami Herald, was already cuffed by the time Sgt. Christopher Pullease arrived at the scene, but since officers had apparently struggled to get him in the back of the patrol car, Pullease decided he needed to lose his absolute sh** on the Black man who appeared to already be under control. https://twitter.com/i/status/1506800253504266243 As reported by CNN, an interview was published Tuesday in which Trump called on his Russian BFF to spill the tea on Hunter citing unproven claims (the only types of claims Trump ever cites on literally anything) about his business dealings in Russia. “I would think Putin would know the answer to that,” Trump said, referring to questions about Hunter, Russia, and corruption there’s zero evidence of. “I think he should release it. I think we should know that answer.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1508955848298704901 Will Smith’s assault of comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, continued to be felt around the world Wednesday as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences told members its leaders are “upset and outraged.” In a letter cited by CNN ahead of a meeting to decide what “appropriate action” will be taken against the star for slapping Rock, which has led to intense and diverse reactions, Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said that decision could take “take a few weeks.” While the world waits to see what happens, however, some Christian leaders have weighed in on the behavior of the actor, who just a few months ago firmly acknowledged he was a man of faith who loves the Lord. “You can’t get how I get if you don’t love the Lord,” Smith said in an interview with producer, author and motivational speaker Devon Franklin last November. “You don’t get to sit how I sit and move how I move if you don’t love the Lord. You’d be seeing a whole lot of other repercussions.” While Smith’s affirmations may be true, his reaction to Rock’s joke about his wife on Sunday was seen as a “letdown” by some Christian leaders, like civil rights activist Rev. Jeff Moore. “It was such a letdown and such a letdown for us as black men,” Moore told KPIX 5, a San Francisco-based news outlet. “I would have hoped that if anything he would have walked up and maybe said, ‘Hey man, just apologize to my wife.’ But to go to violence was not the answer.” Will Smith was asked to leave the Oscars after hitting Chris Rock but refused, the Academy said on Wednesday – also declaring that he had violated their code of conduct. The 53-year-old actor marched onto the stage on Sunday and hit Rock, after Rock told a joke about Smith’s wife. Shortly after, Smith was announced as the winner of the best actor award and went up to collect his statuette to a standing ovation from many of his peers. On Wednesday the Academy said it had launched ‘disciplinary procedures’ against Smith, and confirmed he ignored their request for him to leave his seat. They also apologized to Rock. Smith was asked to leave by David Rubin, the president of the Academy, and CEO Dawn Hudson, TMZ reported. Two sources told the site Rubin and Hudson were ‘furious’ at Smith, and there was plenty of ‘yelling’ and ‘heated conversations’ backstage with his reps after the incident. Verzuz is gearing up for more battles between artists—and, for the very first time, a label matchup. The music series took to Instagram this week to share some details about its forthcoming competitions, with Mary Mary versus BeBe & CeCe Winans slated for Easter on April 17. The next bout will take place on May 8, celebrating Mother’s Day, though Verzuz blurred out the names, making it anyone’s guess as to who’s performing. Verzuz did the same for its May 14 “Fight Night Music” boxing special, later announcing that Cypress Hill and Onyx would be sharing the stage. At this point, the Memorial Day Weekend special, the series premiere of its V-Series Live Show, its Juneteenth special, and its July and August battles are unknown, with the label matchup set to take place in July. Tammy Williams is majority owner of a new television studio in Atlanta. Up until now, Tyler Perry was the only Black person to own studio space in the state, but this deal makes her the first Black woman to own a $135 million studio and post-production facility. According to Black Enterprise, has worked on making this happen for over ten years. She says, “We’ve been patient,” she said. “This has not been an overnight thing, this vision for us.” Williams has over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry producing and directing mostly Christian based content. She has collaborated on this deal with business partner Gary Guidry who is CEO of G-Square Events founded Cinema South Studios. Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington and Danielle Brooks are set to star in the Broadway revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Tony Award nominee LaTanya Richardson Jackson is attached to direct the staging, making her Broadway directorial debut. She will also become the first woman to direct a Wilson play on Broadway. Arriving more than 30 years after its Broadway debut at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 1990, The Piano Lesson will begin performances at the St. James Theater this fall on Sept. 19. The show will run for 16 weeks. The production marks Washington’s Broadway debut in the same role Samuel L. Jackson originated at Yale Repertory Theatre in 1987, later serving as understudy in the role during The Piano Lesson’s Broadway run. Jackson last appeared on Broadway in the 2011 production of The Mountaintop, starring opposite Angela Bassett. Brooks co-starred with Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson in 2015’s Tony-winning revival of The Color Purple. “August Wilson dedicated his life and devoted his talent to dramatizing our stories and our experience,” Richardson said in a statement. “In doing so, he forever changed what it means to be Black in America. His plays built empathy, created community and showed us the power of representation. The Piano Lesson is one of his most enduring, profound and consequential masterpieces, and I am reveling in this opportunity to present it to Broadway audiences for the first time since its premiere.” For her championing of so many authors over the past quarter century, Oprah Winfrey is herself receiving a literary honor. The PEN/Faulkner Foundation is giving Winfrey its inaugural Literary Champion award, a lifetime achievement prize for contributions to literacy and for inspiring younger readers and writers. PEN/Faulkner is otherwise known for the annual fiction prize it has presented since 1981. “Oprah Winfrey is a literary force field,” PEN/Faulkner Board Vice President Mary Haft said in a statement Tuesday. “She has been like a lighthouse, standing sentry and shining a beacon of light onto literature and into the lives of writers and readers.” Winfrey, who has boosted the sales for dozens of authors through the book club she founded in 1996, received an honorary National Book Award in 1999. She will accept her PEN/Faulkner award during a virtual ceremony to be held May 2. By day, Rada Griffin works long hours as a software engineer for NASA, toiling away at the agency’s top-secret project that will send the first woman to the moon in 2024. By night, the Huntsville, Alabama-based space worker uses her spare time to expand her bustling wine business, Anissa Wakefield Wines. “It’s a big responsibility for us to ensure that everything goes perfectly,” Griffin told The Cornell Chronicle. “Whenever I can find the time, I do my thing with wine.” Griffin, who also works as a personal chef, explained that she’s been obsessed with wine ever since she could remember. “Wine to me is food. The same way you view food when a chef puts a plate in front of you and it’s beautiful and you can’t wait to taste it, that’s the same way I think about wine. So I just wanted to do more,” Griffin added. “It’s a big responsibility for us to ensure that everything goes perfectly,” Griffin told The Cornell Chronicle. “Whenever I can find the time, I do my thing with wine.” The nation’s justice system is flawed, between the United States having one of the highest recidivism rates globally and the school-to-prison pipeline continuing to have a destructive and disproportionate impact on youth of color. But what happens when we build physical spaces centered on peace rather than punitive measures? How can we envision justice beyond confinement? Architect and activist Deanna Van Buren—co-founder of the Oakland-based nonprofit Designing Justice + Designing Spaces—is using her passion for design to promote social change. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the incarcerated population in the U.S. has increased by 500 percent within the past four decades, with 2 million people behind bars throughout the country. The criminalization of Black and Brown youth often starts within the classroom as suspensions and expulsions funnel the school-to-prison pipeline, pushing students out of the education system and into the throes of an inequitable criminal justice system. Cognizant of the disparities, Van Buren has dedicated her career to developing architectural projects that counteract mass incarceration and centers healing, reconciliation and peacemaking. Conservative America has treated Kenosha killer Kyle Rittenhouse like he’s a celebrity, and now this fool, who is famous only for killing two people, injuring a third, and getting away with it all, thinks he is the one. Mans thinks that because he’s toured all the white nationalist platforms while swearing up and down he’s not a white nationalist, and because he was able to sit down with Donald Trump—a man who would sit down with James Earl Ray’s corpse if it made for a good photo-op—he thinks he can just dial up the sitting president of the United States for a chat. And now the teen killer with the cop haircut is big mad President Joe Biden ain’t even hitting him back. ccording to Newsweek, Rittenhouse made an appearance on The Jenna Ellis Show podcast in an episode published Tuesday to complain that he’s been reaching out to Biden, but Biden has not been picking up his phone. https://twitter.com/i/status/1508923482087821319 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has condemned Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars telecast on Sunday. According to TMZ, Rock allegedly had no idea Jada’s hair loss is due to alopecia — even though she’s been speaking publicly about it for years. In a blog post titled “Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote that “with a single petulant blow, (Smith) advocated violence, diminished women, insulted the entertainment industry, and perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community.” The NBA legend went on to say that Smith’s act of violence perpetuates negative racial stereotypes. “One of the main talking points from those supporting the systemic racism in America is characterizing Blacks as more prone to violence and less able to control their emotions,” Abdul-Jabbar, 74, wrote. “Smith just gave comfort to the enemy by providing them with the perfect optics they were dreaming of. Many will be reinvigorated to continue their campaign to marginalize African Americans and others through voter suppression campaign.” Abdul-Jabbar said “Smith’s tearful, self-serving acceptance speech” was “about justifying his violence… Those who protect don’t brag about it in front of 15 million people. They just do it and shut up. You don’t do it as a movie promotion claiming how you’re like the character you just won an award portraying.” Abdul-Jabbar said “Young boys — especially Black boys — watching their movie idol not just hit another man over a joke, but then justify it as him being a superhero-like protector, are now much more prone to follow in his childish footsteps,” Jabbar wrote. Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” season 14 premieres Sunday, May 1st at 8pm ET/PT on Bravo. Catch all prior seasons on Peacock. Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Shereé Whitfield and Drew Sidora return. Former friend Marlo Hampton is back, and this time, holding her very own peach. Newest Housewife Sanya Richards-Ross joins as a four-time Gold Medal Olympian, mother, wife, and businesswoman. One of Kandi’s longtime pals, Monyetta Shaw appears this season as a friend. Monyetta is a mother to two children and a recent newlywed to her husband, Heath. https://youtu.be/MZ8eL3enorg Jimmy Kimmel is calling for Jada Pinkett Smith to host a Red Table Talk with hubby Will Smith and Chris Rock to allow both men to settle their differences. The late-night host discussed the Oscar slap during Monday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and noted that Rock didn’t deserve to be assaulted. “The weirdest part was that Will Smith initially laughed at that joke. But then he must have looked over and noticed that Jada was not amused and he was like, ‘uh oh, I better do something,’ and boy did he do something,” Kimmel said. By now you know that during the show, Chris made a joke about Jada’s bald head. The actress suffers from alopecia, so Will was not amused that Rock mocked her. The veteran actor walked on stage and slapped the comedian before returning to his seat in the audience and yelling “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!” https://youtu.be/g2Al27LJ5-0 Chris Rock briefly addressed being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars Sunday during his show Wednesday at The Wilbur Theatre in Boston. After a standing ovation that lasted minutes, Rock asked the roaring crowd, “how was your weekend?” and said he was still “processing what happened” at the Academy Awards. For those that thought he was gonna go all out as far as the Oscars incident, well, that wasn’t the case. Variety reported that Rock explained he was going to do the act he’d planned before the Oscars. “I don’t have a bunch of s*** about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” he said. But what about the performance overall? Well, since NO cameras (phones) were allowed (by the public) in the theater. President Joe Biden is announcing an unprecedented release of oil from US reserves and taking steps to punish oil companies for not increasing production from unused leases on federal land, the White House says. The steps are an attempt to reduce gas prices while also putting an onus on oil companies to increase supply. The dramatic step, which Biden was set to announce from the White House later Thursday, confronts what has become a looming political problem months ahead of the midterm elections. “After consultation with allies and partners, the President will announce the largest release of oil reserves in history, putting one million additional barrels on the market per day on average — every day — for the next six months,” the White House said. “The scale of this release is unprecedented: The world has never had a release of oil reserves at this 1 million per day rate for this length of time. This record release will provide a historic amount of supply to serve as a bridge until the end of the year when domestic production ramps up.” https://youtu.be/DNF43_FKEdg There’s a new drug on the street that is said to be 20 to 100 times stronger than Fentanyl. The new drug is called Isotonitazene, or “Iso,” and, as reported by Vlad TV, the narcotic is spreading like wildfire in Florida, where several overdose deaths have been linked to it. Per the report, “ISO is 20 to 100 times stronger than Fentanyl, which is already dangerously strong. The opioid is reportedly being mixed with other drugs and popping up in the drug market, allegedly showing up in pill or powder form,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/t5d3dBbHP40 Toni Braxton is still trying to come to grips with the loss of her sister — but she’s grateful for the time she got to spend by her side. During an appearance on Tamron Hall on Tuesday, Toni spoke publicly for the first time since her sister, Traci, died this month, opening up about how she’s been coping since. “I wake up every morning and I go, ‘Did I dream it? Did I dream it?’ and I have to remind myself ‘No, she’s gone but she’s been here with us for 50 years,’ ” Toni, 54, said. “So I try to relish in that moment and try to smile about it and just be grateful for the time you have and you have to always remember to be kind to one another.” https://youtu.be/jQRMu-GCYak Chris Rock issued an apology to Oscars 2022 host Wanda Sykes after he was slapped by Will Smith during Sunday’s ceremony. “I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but I saw Chris at Guy [Oseary’s] party,” Sykes said in a sneak peek of Wednesday’s “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” “And as soon as I walked up to him, the first thing he said was, ‘I am so sorry,’ and I’m like, ‘Why are you apologizing?’” Rock, 57, told Sykes, 58, that “it was supposed to be” her night, along with fellow hosts Amy Schumer, 40, and Regina Hall, 51. “Y’all were doing such a great job,” Rock continued. “I’m so sorry this is now gonna be about this.” Bruce Willis’ family has announced the actor is retiring from the profession after being diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder caused by brain damage that affects a person’s ability to communicate. Willis’ family members posted a joint statement to social media announcing the actor’s retirement. “To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the statement reads. “As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.” “This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the statement continues. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.” Data from the Florida Department of Education shows that Black students in Florida are reading at much lower levels than white students. The data from the 2020-21 school year shows a gap of 29 percentage points between the reading levels of white and Black students across the state. And in Duval, St. Johns and Alachua county school districts, the gap is even wider. The Florida Department of Education tracks English Language Arts achievement and other subjects for all students and breaks it down by race each year on its website. It shows that in Duval and St. Johns county schools, the gap is even wider than the state average with a 32-point gap. Alachua County Public Schools has the largest disparity of reading levels between Black and white students in the state, with white students reporting 72 percent achievement and Black students reporting just 25 percent. In all other area school districts, the gap is below the state average. A black man who said he was stopped and searched by police officers in London for wearing a coat in hot weather has again been stopped and searched by officers only days later. Eric Boateng-Taylor, who also goes by Carter Jr, was stopped by police in Croydon on Wednesday and was accused of not dressing appropriately for the climate. Less than a week later, Mr Boateng-Taylor was stopped again by Metropolitan Police officers in South London around 9.45pm on Monday as he and a friend drove home through Thornton Heath after going to Nandos for dinner. “I’m very scared right now, I don’t feel like anywhere, I’m scared to go out, I don’t know how to explain my feelings but I’m scared right now,” he told The Independent. Mr Boateng-Taylor said he was stopped by three police cars who told him there was a section 60 in the area for drug misuse. He was then handcuffed while he and his friend were searched as well as the car they were in. “I was thinking what is going on, the way they came it was like they’re coming for some big guy. If it was a section 60 why is it me being stopped,” Mr Boateng-Taylor said. Two news stories dominated the headlines this week. The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine reached its one month mark. And the Senate hosted confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to join the Supreme Court. It’s with the Jackson confirmation hearings that we begin our statistical journey into the news of the week. Jackson in the court of popular opinion Five recent surveys have indicated strong support for President Joe Biden’s decision to nominate Jackson for the Supreme Court seat retiring Justice Stephen Breyer is vacating. According to an average of polls by Gallup, Fox, Monmouth University, Quinnipiac University and the Pew Research Center, about 53% of Americans supported her confirmation, with about 26% of Americans opposed. This is good for a +27-point net popularity rating. If Jackson’s ratings hold up through her likely confirmation, she would be the most popular nominee to be confirmed since John Roberts in 2005. Jackson’s popularity should only help her in the confirmation process. https://youtu.be/1Fwl3tKaGjw New evidence has emerged suggesting that Vladimir Putin and his high command are based some or all the time in top-secret nuclear bunkers as the bloody war unfolds in Ukraine. Since Putin launched his ruthless invasion of Ukraine last month (February 24), his whereabouts have been unknown. But movements of planes used by top Kremlin officials show Putin may be in a hideaway near Surgut in western Siberia, it is claimed. His defense minister Sergei Shoigu – who has been mysteriously absent for several weeks sparking rumor's about his health – is believed to be in a bunker near Ufa in the Urals, 725 miles east of Moscow, said investigative journalist Christo Grozev. This theory is backed by his daughter Ksenia Shoigu, 31, visiting Ufa – where she was pictured – for up to three days from March 22 as speculation was rife that the defense minister had suffered heart problems. She also abruptly barred public access to her Instagram where she had posed with her baby in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine. President Joe Biden on Tuesday will sign into law the first federal legislation that would make lynching a federal hate crime after the U.S. Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent this month. The legislation is named for 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in a racist attack in Mississippi in 1955 – an event that drew national attention to the atrocities and violence that African Americans faced in the United States and became a civil rights rallying cry. The bill would make it possible to prosecute a crime as a lynching when a conspiracy to commit a hate crime results in death or serious bodily injury. “After more than 200 failed attempts to outlaw lynching, Congress is finally succeeding in taking a long overdue action by passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said when the chamber passed the bill. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 422-3. The 94th Academy Awards featured one of the most shocking moments in the show’s long history. It also included a significant ratings bump for ABC. The show drew an average of 15.3 million viewers for ABC on Sunday, according to early Nielsen numbers. That’s a 56% increase from last year’s show, the lowest-rated Oscars ever, which brought in just under 10 million viewers. That’s welcome news for the Academy and ABC, but Sunday’s ratings was still the second-smallest audience for the show in history. Just eight years ago, the Oscars brought in more than 40 million viewers. After years of slumping ratings the Oscars were desperate to craft viral moments that would get people to tune in this year, like anniversaries of classic films and lots of musical acts. But no one could have predicted the Oscars moment everyone would be talking about on Monday: Will Smith striking Chris Rock on stage after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith is now “going to have to work hard to kind of redeem himself,” says one Academy member following Sunday’s slap incident at the Oscars. As reported earlier, during the show, Chris Rock made a joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. The actress suffers from alopecia, so Will was not amused that Rock mocked her for this. The veteran actor walked on stage and slapped the comedian before returning to his seat in the audience and yelling “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!” “Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke,” said Rock — to which Will replied once again, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!” “I’m going to, okay?” Rock replied, before adding, “That was the … greatest night in the history of television.” According to TMZ, Rock had no idea Jada suffers from alopecia. Roots drummer and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson can tick off another box on his achievement list after Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony: Oscar-winning director. Questlove took home the award for best documentary feature for Summer of Soul (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), beating out fellow nominees including Attica and Writing with Fire. Available for streaming via Hulu, the film details the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which lasted for six weeks and saw performances from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Sly and Family Stone, among others. Questlove gave an emotional speech in which he thanked his parents, getting choked up as he referenced his father, musician Lee Andrews who died in 2016. “This is about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain,” Thompson said in his acceptance speech. https://youtu.be/IPbOF4wpEVw Anthony Anderson’s wife of 22 years has decided to pull the plug on their marriage, and the move comes after the couple previously separated but reconciled. In documents filed last Friday, Anderson’s wife Alvina Anderson cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split, PEOPLE reports. She is seeking spousal support and wants Anderson to pay for her attorney fees. “All gifts and inheritance, all assets, earnings, accumulations, and debts acquired by Petitioner prior to the date of marriage and after the date of separation, the exact nature and extent of which are unknown,” the documents reportedly state. Alvina initially filed for divorce in 2015 but dismissed the petition and they appeared to be reconciled, E! News reported. However, the marriage remained rocky. Anthony and Alvina were high school sweethearts and got married in September 1999. They share two adult children: Nathan, 22, and Kyra, 26. When Stewart first filed for divorce, she listed April 1, 2014, as the separation date. In the latest filing, she claims the date of separation is “TBD.” For Will Smith’s mother, Sunday night was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for several reasons. Amid her joy over her son’s win for best actor, Caroline Smith admitted she was taken aback when her second-oldest child slapped presenter Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald hairstyle. “He is a very even people person,” she said of her son in an exclusive interview with Philadelphia’s 6abc news station. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime… I’ve never seen him do that.” Not long after the smack, Will Smith acknowledged his mother as he tearfully accepted an Oscar for his work in “King Richard,” explaining she didn’t want to come to L.A. for his big night. “To my mother, a lot of this moment is really complicated for me, but I — she didn’t want to come out,” he said. “She’s had her knitting friends. She has a knitting crew that she’s [with] in Philly watching with.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ‘strongly considered’ kicking Will Smith out of the Oscars ceremony after he slapped Chris Rock onstage, and revealed on Monday that it has launched a formal review into the incident. The film academy released the statement Monday afternoon, condemning the actor’s violent actions. ‘The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,’ a spokesperson for the organization said. ‘We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.’ Academy leadership strongly considered removing Smith from last night’s broadcast following the incident, a source told CNN. ‘There were immediate discussions but the Academy decision makers were seated in various spots in the Dolby Theater and couldn’t mobilize to make a decision before he won best actor,’ the source said. Smith, 53, could face some type of disciplinary action or sanction, but it’s unlikely he would be made to hand over his Best Actor award for King Richard, Variety reported. The Academy states in its standards of conduct, it is ‘categorically opposed to any form of abuse.’ The fallout from Smith’s onstage assault continued Monday, as Hollywood and the public continued to wrestle with a moment that stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home, and may have passed all others in Academy Awards infamy. Tomorrow on CLEO TV, Chef JJ welcomes wine connoisseur Camillya Masunda to the season finale of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ. Tune in to the flavor-filled episode on March 30 at 9:00 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjXVwfE_EDw CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX will conclude tomorrow, March 30 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard wraps the season with a tasty meal tip for parents! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdVezoMAdWI Colton Pete Norsworthy from Okeechobee, Glades, FL was captured on camera going on a racist tirade in Popeyes. In the clip, Norsworth, a white man is seen hurling the N-word at several Black employees at a Popeyes location in Okeechobee, FL., as reported by told TMZ. In the video, Norsworth enters a Popeyes and demand a refund at the register before threatening to beat and lynch a Black woman. “I’m white. That means I’m automatically better than you, b****,” he says. The woman tells Norsworthy to “suck a d*ck” and called him a “fat-ass cracker” before he exits the restaurant. Popeyes officials said the company has zero tolerance for “hateful aggression” at its restaurants. The famed fast-food fried chicken chain is also working with the franchise owner to provide support for employees. No police report was filed over the incident. https://twitter.com/i/status/1506298703472054273 The parents of Tyre Sampson, the 14-year-old who died on an Orlando amusement park ride, have hired famed civil rights attorney attorneys Ben Crump and Bob Hilliard to take legal action against ICON Park. Sampson fell to his death on the Orlando Free Fall ride on Thursday night, and the tragic incident was filmed and shared on social media. Sampson’s father said he learned of his son’s death online. “I wish I was there to tell him I love him. That I’m sorry. For him to lose his life. So young, and I wish it was me,” Yarnell Sampson said in an interview with WESH 2. “I want to know what happened to my son. I want to know why my son is in a white bag, having to get shipped back home. He walked there. Why he can’t walk back? I want answers from everybody. Who all was involved in that?” https://youtu.be/fxSIouRAOUQ International singer/songwriter Maurice Griffin wowed the crowd with his rendition of the National Anthem on Saturday, March 12, 2022. Griffin sang his rendition of the National Anthem a-cappella ahead of Saturday night’s (March 12) matchup between South Bay Lakers and the Stockton Kings. He received a resounding standing ovation along with an invitation to return April 2, 2022, for their Family & Friends Day. Griffin is considered one of the most successful independent singers in the United States. His latest singles, including “Prove Me I’m Yours” and “Love Peace Happiness,” hit over 5 million streams collectively. “Love Peace Happiness” was incredibly well-received by the international community, further proving the universal appeal of its message. His latest release, “God of Miracles” currently has over 200 thousand streams across all digital platforms since its release last week. Maurice is currently on tour promoting his single “God of Miracles” and is accepting bookings for the remainder of 2022. Today, GRAMMY-nominated, Billboard Music Award-winning, platinum-selling, multi-racial, multi-cultural, and genre-bending collective Maverick City Music and 16-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist, songwriter, producer, and cultural icon Kirk Franklin have announced the Kingdom Tour featuring special guests Jonathan McReynolds and Housefires. Produced by Live Nation and Undivided, the 37-city tour kicks off on June 1st at FTX Arena in Miami, FL making stops across North America in Atlanta, Toronto, Nashville, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping up in Denver, CO at Ball Arena on July 31st. At the conclusion of the Kingdom Tour, a collaboration album, Kingdom, will follow featuring Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin. Today, MNRK Music Group announced the Risk Takers Tour featuring special guests Randy Weston, Crystal Atkin and Jabari Johnson. Tickets are on sale now RiskTakersTour.com. Produced by MNRK Music Group, the 8-city tour kicks off on April 19 at All Nations in Baton Rouge, LA making stops across the south in Durham, Memphis, Columbia, and more before wrapping up in Atlanta at Relentless on April 29. The tour is designed to encourage people of faith to trust God's promise, defy the odds and take risks in order to make their dreams happen. The father of Venus and Serena Williams is speaking out to condemn violence after Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony on Sunday. Richard Williams, via his son Chavoita LeSane, told NBC News, “We don’t know all the details of what happened. But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.” LeSane, who has been serving as Richard William’s spokesman since his 80-year-old father had a stroke, declined to go beyond his statement when asked for comment on Smith’s Oscar acceptance speech, the news outlet notes. During the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, Chris Rock made a “G.I. Jane 2” joke directed at Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, which she shaved because she’s battling alopecia. The joke caused Will to sock Chris Rock in the face out of anger, something he has since apologized for twice. Jada Pinkett Smith posted a message on her verified Instagram account Tuesday, her first since her husband Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars for joking about her. The post was only words with no accompanying caption. “This is a season for healing and I’m here for it,” it read.https://www.instagram.com/jadapinkettsmith/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d59b1879-ba68-4e3f-89d3-a5a57bc2edf1 Jim Carreyy held absolutely nothing back when asked to share his thoughts on Will Smith’s viral moment with Chris Rock. While speaking with CBS’s Gayle King, Carrey criticized Hollywood stars for giving Will Smith a standing ovation when it was announced at the Oscars that he won the best actor for “King Richard” following his shocking moment with Chris Rock. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbsmvkTJv6T/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tickets for Chris Rock’s upcoming comedy tour have reportedly surged since he was slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars on Sunday night. The comedian will kick off his Ego Death World Tour on April 2. Rock has teased that he will perform “all new material” at his Ego Death World Tour that starts this month in Boston, and will conclude in Los Angeles in November. This is his first major comedy tour in at least five years. “Lauded by peers and critics alike, Chris Rock is one of our generation’s strongest comedic voices,” reads the announcement of the tour from Live Nation, via Ticket News. “With a career spanning more than three decades, Rock has enjoyed ongoing success in both film and television as a comedian, actor, writer, producer and director.” As reported by New York Post, tickets prices for the tour rose from $46 per ticket on March 18 to $341 on secondary market platform TickPick since the Academy Awards slap incident. TickPick posted on Twitter, “We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined.” Rock will be joined on his Ego Death World Tour by Kevin Hart as a co-headliner in July. The joint effort is titled Only Headliners Allowed, and Complex reports that the five-date tour will see the two comedians perform consecutive nights at venues across New York and New Jersey. The performances will start at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh on July 21, and conclude at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on July 25. Live Nation presales kick off the day before tickets go on sale on Friday, March 11 at 10 a.m. ET. The seat of a teen who fell to his death from an amusement park ride in Florida last week was still locked, according to an accident report from the state. Tyre Sampson, 14, fell Thursday from the FreeFall drop tower that takes riders up 430 feet and then drops at speeds of up to 75 mph, according to ICON Park in Orlando, where the incident happened. Sampson came out of the seat when the magnets engaged to slow the ride during the descent, according to the report, which was based on ride employee witnesses and was obtained by CNN. “Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped,” said the report filed by the operator with the Fair Rides division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The report named three witnesses, all listed as employees. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/29/seat-was-locked-says-accident-report-in-florida-teens-tower-ride-death-video/ Dr. Carolyn Roberts, a professor at Yale University, agreed with the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. The study will have detailed descriptions, both verbal and visual, of the horrific experiences Africans endured during the transatlantic slave trade. A historian of medicine and science, Roberts said the trauma descendants of enslaved Africans suffered during transportation to the United States was only the beginning of a “broken relationship” between African Americans and the United States’ healthcare system. “It is important for us to recognize that many critical issues that we are wrestling with today have long, old, and deep historical roots,” Roberts said. “These include racial bias and disparate medical treatment, race-based medicine, and medical exploitation. In our historical analysis, we must consider not only American slavery and its afterlife, but also the transatlantic slave trade.” https://youtu.be/X-bJrCAB_Y4 Jesse Williams and his ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee are sparring once again over monthly child support payments. Williams has reportedly requested the courts decrease his $40,000 monthly child support payments, which his ex is fighting against. It seems Williams is no longer pulling in a six-to-seven figure income following his exit from “Greys Anatomy,” and Aryan allegedly has no interest in getting a job. Williams explains in documents obtained by Radar Online that his income from January 2021 to November 2021 was reduced to $660k. He is currently starring in a Broadway play Take Me Out and claims he makes only $1,668 from the show. “My current income is far from sufficient to maintain a $40,000 per month child support number, especially since I still pay one-half of the children’s private school tuition, the children’s extracurricular activities, medical care, and all of their expenses when they are with me including child-care and my own expenses,” the actor writes. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill into law which prohibits classroom instruction around sexual orientation and gender identity. Opponents say the vague law is intended to intimidate teachers, suppress gender topics, and target LGBTQ students. “The bill’s intentionally vague language leaves teachers afraid to talk to their students and opens up school districts to costly and frivolous litigation from those seeking to exclude LGBTQ people from any grade level,” said state Rep. Carlos G. Smith, a gay Democrat, as reported by The Associated Press. “Even worse, #DontSayGay sends a hateful message to our most vulnerable youth who simply need our support.” Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, said the Don’t Say Gay bill (aka “Parental Rights in Education” bill) “is based on a falsehood, and that falsehood is that somehow we’re teaching kids inappropriate topics at an early age, and clearly we’re not,” Spar said. https://youtu.be/sw3_LZDTi78 Los Angeles County officials have announced a 6-month investigation into “deputy gangs” in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The move comes following “numerous reports” about rogue cops who operate like street gangs, CNN reports. “Numerous reports” show deputy gangs exist, but “their scope and impact is unknown,” said the county Civilian Oversight Commission, in a statement. The COC says the gangs have existed for 50 years, and that they “create a shadow-system of supervision and leadership” and create an “us-against-them culture.” “Deputy gangs have fostered and promoted excessive force against citizens, discriminated against other deputies based on race and gender, and undermined the chain of command and discipline,” said Loyola Law School’s Center for Juvenile Law and Policy commission chair and executive director Sean Kennedy. “Despite years of documented history of this issue, the Department has failed to eliminate the gangs.” https://youtu.be/p1zHwAy60KI Joe Rogan’s adopted daughter Kayja Rose has reportedly reemerged on social media after she allegedly went MIA weeks before his N-word scandal. Kayja Rose, 23, is the daughter of Joe’s wife Jessica and late H-town singer, Keven A. “Dino” Conner. After Joe and Jessica tied the knot, he adopted Rose. Over the weekend, Rose posted a series of photos on her Instagram, and it seemingly marked her return to the platform since December 12. As reported by RADAR, she captioned one self-photo: “Everything beautiful in the world is within you. No one really feels self-confident deep down because it’s an artificial idea,” she wrote. Kayja continued, “Really, people aren’t that worried about what you’re doing or what you’re saying, so you can drift around the world relatively anonymously: you must not feel persecuted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching you.” https://www.instagram.com/ggoldencurlss/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6f3ce580-859d-4f86-8ee6-46a724f68ed0 Earlier today (Mar. 28), rapper Jim Jones brought his Instagram-famous character “Weavahman Jim” to live TV and gave his iconic “Drip Report.” In 2019, Jim first started reporting the weather on his IG and it became recurring by 2020, during the pandemic. While appearing on FOX 5 New York to promote his ‘Drip Report’ series on REVOLT (which returned earlier this month), Jim gave his iconic report to FOX’s audience at home. Decked out in some fresh Air Forces, a white long sleeve thermal shirt (aka Long Johns), a green beanie hat, and black stunna shades with an iced out neck, wrists and fingers, Jim “did the weavah.” In the clip that’s gone viral, Jim scans the country, and calls out NYC for still being in the 20s while Miami remains in the 60s, despite it supposed to be having “beach weather.” To the girls in NYC tryna rock their hair out, he tells them, “Babygirl cover that lace front up, might get a lil’ chilly.” #Socialites, are you here for Weavahman Jim on live TV? https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqcuawMhWj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again NFL owners voted Tuesday to amend the playoff overtime rule in order to allow both teams to possess the ball regardless of whether a touchdown is scored on the first possession of the extra period. The change came over two months after the 2021 NFL playoffs, which saw six of the final seven games decided by three points or less. The previous rule came under renewed scrutiny after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills by scoring a touchdown on the first possession in overtime of their classic playoff game this past winter. Under the previous playoff overtime rule, each team was allowed to possess the ball in extra play unless the club that received the opening kickoff scores a touchdown. If the opening drive resulted in a field goal, the opposing team would get an opportunity to match the score or win with a touchdown. If there was a turnover, the first team to score would win. This rule is still in effect for the regular season. The NFL last modified the regulation, called Rule 16, in March 2012, when the league expanded the format from the playoffs to the regular season. Since 2010, Atlanta Falcons CEO Rich McKay – chairman of the NFL’s Competition Committee – noted there have been 12 postseason overtimes and the team winning coin toss has won 10 times. Seven of those victories came on the first drive, including the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Bills in January. Former motor racing boss and privacy campaigner Max Mosley died of a gunshot wound in the bedroom of his London home last May after being told his cancer was terminal, an inquest heard on Tuesday. His family had said at the time that the 81-year-old, youngest son of prominent 1930s British fascist Oswald Mosley, died after a long battle with cancer. British media said the remote inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court revealed Mosley had been informed he had only weeks to live. A neighbor and his housekeeper summoned the emergency services after finding a note on his bedroom door saying ‘do not enter, call the police’. The inquest heard Mosley told his long-time personal assistant Henry Alexander a day earlier that he intended to take his own life. The BBC quoted coroner Fiona Wilcox saying she was ‘satisfied’ Mosley had intended to kill himself. A woman who was reported missing to the Fairburn Police Department is dead after an incident late Saturday night. According to the South Fulton Police Department, they responded to a home on Sable Chase Lane near Buffington Road in southwest Atlanta around 11 p.m. regarding a person deceased. Upon arrival, they discovered 30-year-old Teante Jones had been shot and killed. The suspected shooter, identified as 43-year-old Kenneth Southern, was barricaded in the attic of the home. South Metro Regional SWAT responded and crisis negotiators contacted Southern. However, he refused to surrender and shot and killed himself. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/video/1050719 Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly pressed White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in a series of urgent text exchanges in the critical weeks after the vote, according to copies of the messages obtained by The Washington Post and CBS News. The messages – 29 in all – reveal an extraordinary pipeline between Virginia Thomas, who goes by Ginni, and President Donald Trump’s top aide during a period when Trump and his allies were vowing to go to the Supreme Court in an effort to negate the election results. On Nov. 10, after news organizations had projected Joe Biden the winner based on state vote totals, Thomas wrote to Meadows: “Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!…You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.” Co-hosts of The View slammed actor Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars Sunday night, calling his shocking outburst ‘immature and childish,’ but Whoopi Goldberg broke ranks to defend the actor, saying ‘sometimes you behave badly. The 53-year-old actor who won an Oscar later that evening marched onto the stage and hit Rock in the face, then returned to his seat and yelled, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!’ after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. The bizarre outburst led to swift backlash from millions of viewers, including The View co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro who discussed the ordeal on Monday, calling it ‘toxic masculinity’ and a ‘crime of assault.’ But co-host Whoopi stepped in with a different take. ‘I think he overreacted…I think he had one of those moments where it was like G.D. it, just stop,’ Whoopi said. ‘I get it, not everybody acts the way we would like them to act under pressure. And he snapped.’ Meanwhile, on the Today show, host Craig Melvin slammed Smith for aiding ‘this long-held perception that men of color can’t control their rage and anger.’ ‘It was really disappointing,’ Melvin said. ‘If you’re rearing a boy, especially in this country, you spend so much time talking to our kids about keeping your hands to yourself and this long health perception that man of color can’t control their rage and their anger and to see someone who’s been that beloved for decades – it was troubling on so many levels.’ Ever wish life granted second chances? What would you do with them? The Mulligan movie uses the game of golf to get you to ponder possibilities. The Mulligan cast features Pat Boone (Journey to the Center of the Earth, State Fair); Eric Close (Nashville, American Sniper, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit); Tanya Christiansen (I Still Believe, The Hate U Give), and Charmin Lee (Just Mercy, The 5th Wave). The film is based on the novel, The Mulligan: A Parable of Second Chances, by former PGA touring pro Wally Armstrong and author/business executive Ken Blanchard. Candace Cameron Bure is celebrating the baptism of her oldest child, Natasha, on Instagram. The “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” star, 45, shared a video of Natasha, 23, being baptized in a pool by Dudley Rutherford, senior pastor at the California Shepherd of the Hills Church in Los Angeles. “My heart is overwhelmed by God’s goodness and grace ??????. Congratulations @natashabure !!!!” the proud mom wrote in the caption. “Thank you @dudleyrutherford and @shepherdchurch. As a mama, there’s nothing that tops this day. Nothing!! My three adult children have now all professed their faith, love, service and devotion to Jesus Christ; Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Savior of the world.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbVi9K0FWe9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died Friday in Colombia, had a heart that weighed double the average for men his age, according to a new report. Forensic experts during an examination found Hawkins heart weighed “at least 600 grams,” double the average of 300 to 350 grams, the Daily Mail reported Sunday. Hawkins, 50, was found dead Friday in a hotel room at the Four Seasons Casa Medina in Bogota. In his room, there were multiple drugs found, according to a report that cited Colombia authorities. “Colombian authorities found: marijuana, antidepressants, opioids, heroine [sic]. At least 10 different substances found,” journalist Luis Carlos Velez tweeted Saturday afternoon, citing Fiscalia Colombia, the national attorney general’s office. Velez initially reported that Hawkins, a California native, had overdosed, but later backtracked in a follow up tweet. Phil Collins bade an emotional farewell to Genesis fans alongside bandmates Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks in London on Saturday – as the iconic band played their final ever concert. London’s 02 provided the backdrop for the band’s last show on their The Last Domino? Tour – with frail frontman Phil, 71, telling the crowd he will now have to get a real job. Phil, who performed the show sitting down due to suffering from a number of different health conditions in recent years, later joined Mike, 71, and Tony, 72 for a standing ovation. The band first found fame in the 1970s and have sold more than 100million records. Phil told the crowd ‘It’s the last stop of our tour, and it’s the last show for Genesis. After tonight we all have to get real jobs.’ Lin-Manuel Miranda, one of this year’s most prominent Oscar nominees, will sit out the ceremony after his wife tested positive for COVID-19. Miranda shared the unfortunate news on Twitter Saturday afternoon. He said that even though he has tested negative himself, he will stay away from Sunday’s ceremony out of caution. “Made it to Hollywood,” Miranda wrote. “This weekend, my wife tested + (positive) for COVID. She’s doing fine. Kids & I have tested – (negative) but out of caution, I won’t be going to the Oscars tomorrow night.” The Oscar-nominated composer added he was “cheering for my TickTickBoom & Encanto families w my own family, alongside all of you, ALL of you.” Miranda is up for an Oscar for best original song for “Dos Oruguitas” from the animated film “Encanto.” Should he win, he would attain rare EGOT status, meaning he’d be an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner. The “Hamilton” creator also will be missing the first live performance of his hugely popular song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” also from “Encanto,” a film about a Colombian clan with magical powers. The addictive tune became the highest-charting song from a Disney animated film in more than 26 years. Hollywood actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher reached their goal of raising $30 million to help send relief supplies to the Ukrainian people. The couple shared the message on Instagram last week saying that they were “overwhelmed with gratitude” for the show of support. In total, $35,275,700 was donated toward the cause. “With your help, we have reached our $30 million goal,” the couple wrote. “While this is far from a solution for the problem, our collective effort will provide a softer landing for so many people as they forge ahead into their future of uncertainty.” CBN News previously reported that Kutcher and Munis launched the GoFundMe campaign as a way to assist refugees and humanitarian aid efforts. The campaign aims to benefit Flexport.org and Airbnb. Flexport is an organization that sends relief supplies to refugee sites in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova; Airbnb.org is providing free, short-term housing to refugees fleeing Ukraine. Will Smith issued a formal apology to Chris Rock after slapping the comedian on the Oscars stage Sunday night in front of the whole world. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Smith wrote. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.” The post continued: “I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.” https://www.instagram.com/willsmith/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=471148eb-9e1c-4c97-9b1b-162e6c5c0445 Call it the slap heard ’round the world. At least, that’s what it appeared to be after Will Smith confronted comedian Chris Rock after the 2022 Oscars host made a joke about the Academy Award-winning actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The version that American viewers saw Sunday night was censored, though not enough to keep people from seeing Smith march from the front row up on the stage to deliver five fingers of fury to Rock’s face after the comedian mocked Pinkett Smith’s acting career.https://twitter.com/i/status/1508270345819672582 Viewers in Japan, in particular, and likely elsewhere outside of the continental United States, heard the raw, uncut version of the exchange following Smith’s confrontation of Rock. “Will Smith just smacked the shit outta be,” Rock remarked in the unedited version that played live on Japanese TV. It was also revealed that among the things Smith said to Rock was, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth!” https://twitter.com/i/status/1508270345819672582 Will Smith ended up winning the best actor Oscar for “King Richard” and delivered an emotional acceptance speech without a single mention of Rock. “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family, Smith said through tears about his role playing tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams’ father in the film. “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.” Describing Rock’s treatment as “abuse” celebrities must endure when “people talk crazy about you,” Smith said, “I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people, and to be a river to my people.” Smith added: “You gotta smile, you gotta pretend like that’s OK.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1508283023099248646 Will Smith and Chris Rock reportedly agreed to make amends after Smith slapped the comedian on stage during the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night. As reported exclusively by Page Six, both were expected to attend the annual Vanity Fair Oscars bash, “but it’s unclear if they’ll make amends before or during that soirée,” the outlet writes, adding “We’re also told Diddy talked to both Smith and Rock who agreed to make amends later in the evening.” Will eventually apologized for his actions and a rep said Chris Rock has decided not to file charges. So, where do the comedians stand with each other now? Well, Diddy aka Brother Love exclusively spoke with @pagesix and said they settled their beef after the wild moment: “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that” Diddy, 52, told the outlet without elaborating on further details of how Smith, 53, and Rock, 57, had reconciled. “It’s all love,” he added. “They’re brothers.” Following the wild awards show, Smith attended the Vanity Fair bash with his family and was clearly unfazed by the drama that ensued hours earlier. The former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actor was seen dancing and rapping along to his song “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbpiQyJjXbd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Despite the histrionics, Rock and Smith were expected to try to resolve their differences following the eventful Oscars ceremony Sunday night. New York Post’s Page Six gossip page reported that Sean “Diddy” Combs played the peacemaker by speaking with both Rock and Smith, “who agreed to make amends.” Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington also reportedly spoke to Smith, according to a tweet from entertainment journalist Scott Feinberg. https://twitter.com/i/status/1508273120473325573 A video of a Rihanna look-alike went viral over the weekend and the seemingly pregnant woman was spotted in Brazil taking pictures with fans of the singer. n the video, Rihanna fans surround the mystery woman, with one fan hugging the doppelganger’s fake baby bump. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbk9XkLpwZH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Galveston County, Texas, challenging its redistricting plan for the Commissioners Court. The move comes following the county’s decision to adopt a new map after data was published about population growth in the 2020 Census. As previously reported, the agency found that between 2010 and 2020, communities of color had grown by 95 percent. On March 24, representatives from the DOJ filed a lawsuit alleging the county’s plan violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, noting how the new map did not give Black and Hispanic voters “the opportunity to elect a candidate of choice to the county’s governing body.” The DOJ also argued that the new provision intentionally excluded Black and Brown community members from the political process. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on Thursday. Black women are charting historic paths in spaces where they are significantly underrepresented. Amongst this generation of trailblazers is Aliyah Griffith, who recently became the first Black student to earn a graduate degree in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina, the Daily Tar Heel reported. Although diversity is a crucial component of innovation and progress within STEM, the industry is plagued by racial and gender disparities. Studies show 2.5 percent of marine biologists are Black. Griffith is using her journey to show people of color that there’s room for them in the space. The scholar developed an interest in aquatics as a youngster following a trip to Sea World at the age of five. Throughout her childhood, she visited marine parks and aquariums. After connecting with a dolphin trainer at the Baltimore Aquarium, she decided she wanted to pursue a career in marine biology. Staying true to her passion, Griffith went on to study marine sciences at Hampton University. After earning her undergraduate degree, she advanced her education at UNC, becoming the first Black student to be accepted into the school’s marine sciences program, which has been in existence for 50 years. MOBE, the Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment Symposium, the leading advanced marketing conference and one of the longest-running marketing and business accelerating platforms, is proud to announce its first annual summit for K-12 educators, institution builders, and educational influencers. The “Independent Educational Narrative: HBCUs & Beyond” will be held virtually via the HOPIN platform on Thursday, April 21st. The inaugural education day event will be introduced by Sheryl Lee Ralph (ABC’s Abbott Elementary). https://youtu.be/IN4pv8qbqVU Rooted in historic systemic inequities, the ever-widening racial wealth gap has been a longstanding issue within the United States. Florida Memorial University and the Institute of Black Wealth have joined forces to move the needle forward in eradicating the economic disparities that disproportionately impact disenfranchised communities. Research conducted by the Federal Reserve System shows Black families hold a mere 2.9 percent of wealth. The median white household has a net worth ten times higher than African American households. To address the inequalities surrounding wealth creation, music mogul and philanthropist Ted Lucas teamed up with real estate developer Fabiola Fleuranvil to create the Institute of Black Wealth. The initiative strives to use education, technology, cooperative economics, financial literacy and civic engagement to empower the Black community. Michael Che has reportedly revealed that this is his last year serving up the “Weekend Update” segment on NBC’s long-running sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live.” “This is my last year,” Che, 38, said during a set at a Minnesota salon, according to the Star Tribune. “You know my tie is a clip-on, right? What man wears a clip-on tie to work for eight years — that’s embarrassing.” Che became the first Black co-head writer in “SNL” in 2017. It’s not clear if he will remain a writer on the show or exit the series entirely. https://youtu.be/9X_HgJ3KMvY R&B superstar K. Michelle is excited to release the video to her new single “Scooch,” which premiered today on BETHer and BET Soul. Produced by Lil Ronnie, the video is directed by Derek Blanks and gives fans a feel-good visual that brings this new love anthem to life. K. Michelle treated fans to a YouTube Livestream last night in anticipation of today’s release. https://youtu.be/YL0ZWPJJhPY Anthony Anderson recently shared a hilarious video showing him hitching a ride with a couple of strangers he met at Best Buy in Manhattan. In the video, Anderson explains that he walked to the electronics store to buy some TVs for his new NYC apartment but after the purchase, he realized he had no way of transporting them back to his pad. That’s when a man named Alex who was ahead of him in the checkout line offered to give the actor a ride home. Watch Anderson explain what happened next. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYUkVNB-bQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The young daughter of late rapper Nipsey Hussle is at the center of a custody war involving family members and the child’s mother. According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, the teenager’s mother, Tanisha Foster is objecting to the guardianship currently in place for 13-year-old Emani Asghedom. The guardianship consists of Nipsey’s family including his brother, Sam, according to the report. Nipsey was reportedly in a longtime relationship with actress Lauren London at the time of his death. However, in her filing, Tanisha claims she and the west coast artist had been in a “loving relationship” since the birth of their daughter in 2008. After Nipsey was murdered by a known gang member in Los Angeles in 2019, Tanisha “allowed a guardianship to take hold giving several of Nipsey’s family members custody of the child,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/NGjXSBjLSo0 Tiffany Haddish has responded to the slap heard around the world on Sunday night. We’re talking about Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards, which Haddish has called a “beautiful” moment. “When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me,” Haddish, 42, told PEOPLE at the Governors Ball following the Oscars ceremony. Haddish and Pinkett Smith starred together in 2017’s “Girls Trip.” In case you missed it, during the show, Rock made a joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. The actress suffers from alopecia, so Will was not amused that Rock mocked her. The veteran actor walked on stage and slapped the taste of Rock’s mouth before returning to his seat in the audience, and yelling back at the comedian, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!” “Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke,” said Rock — to which Will replied once again, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!” Songstress Ciara is expanding her imprint in the acting industry. According to People, the Texas native will join the cast of The Color Purple musical film. The movie is inspired by the Broadway adaptation of novelist Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning project. The book, which was released in 1982, delves into the story of Celie Harris as she traverses through life in the South during the early twentieth century. Trae Young is in the midst of a historic season. Trae Young is in the midst of a historic season. It’s flown under the radar due to the other powerhouses (and storylines) in the conference, as well as the underwhelming nature of the Atlanta Hawks’ season. And to be fair, Young’s less frequent but still-problematic apathy on defense has contributed to the Hawks’ issues this year. But as of this writing, Young leads the NBA in total points (1915) and assists (649). If it holds, he’ll become the first player since Nate “Tiny” Archibald in 1972-73 to lead the league in both categories. https://streamable.com/kzarxv President Joe Biden went directly after Vladimir Putin in an emotional speech on Saturday, where he said the Russian president ‘cannot remain in power’ and and warned if Putin’s ambitions went unchecked it could lead to decades of war in Europe. ‘For god’s sake this man cannot remain in power,’ he said of Putin, describing the Russian president as having a ‘craving for absolute power and control.’ The Kremlin reacted furiously at the quote and the White House moved quickly to clear it up, saying Biden was not calling for a regime change in Moscow. ‘The President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change,’ a White House official said. The Biden administration has taken care to not call for a regime change in Russia, knowing Putin would see it as an escalation. ‘This is not to be decided by Mr. Biden,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response. ‘It should only be a choice of the people of the Russian Federation.’ https://youtu.be/gV3pkCXpA54 Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly pressed White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in a series of urgent text exchanges in the critical weeks after the vote, according to copies of the messages obtained by The Washington Post and CBS News. The messages – 29 in all – reveal an extraordinary pipeline between Virginia Thomas, who goes by Ginni, and President Donald Trump’s top aide during a period when Trump and his allies were vowing to go to the Supreme Court in an effort to negate the election results. On Nov. 10, after news organizations had projected Joe Biden the winner based on state vote totals, Thomas wrote to Meadows: “Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!…You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.” Like any awards show, the Oscars are built on the inherently self-absorbed notion that what happens in the room and who takes home the trophies matters, in what should be a welcome distraction from the outside world. During the televised era three events particularly stand out: The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and the onset of the Iraq war in 2003. In the first two instances, the awards were postponed briefly, and there was discussion of doing so in 2003. (The Oscars were delayed one other time because of flooding in 1938.) https://youtu.be/_thW3N98cFQ In 2014, Tracy Morgan was involved in a car accident that killed his best friend. A Walmart truck driver crashed into the Limousine vehicle that Morgan and his entourage were traveling in. The “30 Rock Star” immediately went into a coma. The comedian later settled with Walmart. He didn’t disclose the amount. “I didn’t think I was going to walk again, and I did. I just fought,” Morgan says. “I fought to come out of the coma. I’d seen my daughter in the coma saying ‘daddy come back’ and she was only ten months and I fought and came out of the coma. Then I just wanted to be better. I wanted to be better at my life. I wanted to be a better person, a better human being to others, and that’s all I wanted to be. I know he spared my life for a reason.” https://youtu.be/BPfJatrGAJk The Foo Fighters longtime, charismatic drummer, Taylor Hawkins, has died at the age of 50. Hawkins was found dead in a hotel room in the north of Bogota, Colombia where the band were due to play at a festival on Friday night. No cause of death was immediately announced. Shortly after Hawkins’ death was announced, dozens of fans together with journalists and videographers began to gather outside the hotel where the band had been staying. Many appeared to be in complete shock at the news with some lighting candles. Ambulances and police cars could be seen stationed outside of the property. Later on Friday night, Hawkins’ body was finally brought out of the hotel, placed into a coroner’s van and driven away. The group had been scheduled to play at the Festival Estéreo Picnic in the Colombian capital where an announcement told concert-goers that the band would not be playing due to a ‘serious medical condition.’ The father of the teenage boy who fell to his death from a theme park ride is speaking out and demanding answers. In an exclusive interview with @fox35orlando, Yarnell Samson said his son knew he was in danger — and he wants to make sure no other child feels like that again. His son Tyre Sampson, 14, was visiting ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, as part of an American football program and joined his friends on the “Orlando Free-Fall” ride. The father explained to the outlet that “when the ride took off, that’s when [his son] was feeling uncomfortable. He was like, ‘this thing is moving,’ you know what I’m saying. And he was like, ‘what’s going on?’” Samson told Fox 35. “And that’s when he started freaking out,” the dad continued. The teen then told the friends beside him: “If I don’t make it down, tell … Please tell my mama and daddy I love them.” The father said, “for him to say something like that, he must have felt something,” Samson told the outlet. Sadly, his son tragically plummeted from the ride when it was about halfway down its 430-foot descent on Thursday. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. The heartbroken father is now demanding to know why his 6-foot-5, 340-pound son was allowed on the ride after he was stopped from getting on other rides due to his size. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbkqrEmrkWN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again GOP lawmakers in Utah pushed through a ban on transgender youth athletes playing on girls teams Friday, overriding a veto and joining 11 other states with similar laws amid a nationwide culture war. The ban previously received support from a majority of Utah lawmakers, but fell short of the two-thirds needed to override it. Its sponsors on Friday flipped 10 Republicans in the House and five in the Senate who had previously voted against the proposal. A dozen states now have some sort of ban on transgender kids in school sports. Utah’s law takes effect July 1. Republican sponsor Rep. Kera Birkeland, who is also a basketball coach, welcomed the decision and said conversations with female student athletes compelled her to act. ‘When we say, `This isn´t a problem in our state,´ what we say to those girls is, `Sit down, be quiet and make nice,” she said. A Black pedestrian fatally shot by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy earlier this year was hit four times during the altercation in a busy North Carolina street, according to an autopsy released Thursday. The autopsy released by North Carolina’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said that 37-year-old Jason Walker had wounds to his head, chest, back and thigh in the Jan. 8 shooting in Fayetteville. “The cause of death is listed as multiple gunshot wounds,” the report said. The report noted that no alcohol or illegal drugs were found in his system. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, was arrested with probable cause at a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting in 2018, a federal jury found Thursday after a two-day trial, siding with the city in her lawsuit alleging wrongful arrest. Abdullah, a Cal State L.A. professor and fixture at Police Commission meetings, was arrested on suspicion of battery against a police officer after an officer said she grabbed his arm, but the charges were dropped by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office. She sued the city and former LAPD Chief Charlie Beck in 2020, about six months after the charges were dropped. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning its verdict that Abdullah was not wrongfully arrested by then-LAPD Det. Jason Curtis. “I’m in shock,” Abdullah said outside the courtroom Thursday. “Just like the shock I felt when I was arrested.” In her lawsuit, Abdullah alleged she was singled out because she is a prominent Black activist. Her attorney, Carl Douglas, told the jury Abdullah attended hundreds of Police Commission meetings to criticize Los Angeles Police Department policies and the killing of unarmed civilians. As detailed in The Washington Post, Kamala Harris‘ team has been making a significant effort to change her political path in recent months. The US Vice President hired Jamal Simmons as her communications director. Simmons is a long-time democratic analyst. This incident happened when many people talked about her office inconsistency. People wanted to know her political wins and her daily duties. On several occasions, Kamala’s office was accused of dysfunctional communication. Political analysts have characterized this as unfair media coverage of the first female VP of Black and Indian roots. According to Politico, the vice president felt slighted by the white house staff, who didn’t stand when she entered a room. These kinds of perceived snubs are part of a book by Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, the New York Times correspondents. The book, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future,” states that an uneasy relationship exists between president Biden’s West Wing and Kamala Harris’ staffers. A woman filed suit Wednesday alleging that her Black son has undergone repeated racial harassment at his junior high school since the U.S. Justice Department last fall punished the district for a pattern of discrimination and harassment. The civil rights complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, alleged, for instance, that Nicole Sieger’s son, a ninth grader, was called a “cotton picker” and was asked to give out an “N-word pass” so students could freely aim racially derogatory comments at him. The suit did not identify which school was involved, but the three staff members named in the suit are listed on the North Layton Junior High School employee roster. The district has been battered since September, when a two-year Justice Department investigation found “serious and widespread racial harassment” of Black and Asian-American students in district schools. In a settlement agreement with the district, the federal agency ordered a sweeping program to correct the problems. The department’s Civil Rights Division cited persistent failures to respond to reports of race-based harassment by district staff and other students. The investigation began in 2019 and covered the period of 2015-2020. The coronavirus pandemic ruined everyone’s future plans, especially prospective college students who might have been the most severely affected. But more than anyone, Black and Latino college students disproportionately canceled their plans to pursue a degree at a college or university, all because of COVID-19, according to a study. In a report by the Latino Policy & Politics Initiative at UCLA, almost a third of Black and Latino students had their plans ruined to pursue post-secondary education at a rate a lot higher than white students. The report used data from the Census Bureau to analyze and try to understand how the coronavirus pandemic affected (and still is) households across the country. During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, before vaccines were readily available, 11% of Latino students planned to cancel their plans for college in the Fall of 2021. Black students were 10% more to cancel their college plans. Only 6.4 percent of the total population canceled their postsecondary education plans, according to the study. But if you’re thinking, “things got better when the vaccine came along right?” you would be mistaken. Donald Trump is taking legal action against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and 26 other people and entities for falsely accusing him of Russian collusion. The federal lawsuit was filed this week and accuses a wide cast of characters of conspiring to undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. Named in the lawsuit are FBI Director James Comey, retired British spy Christopher Steele and several of Clinton’s campaign advisers, CNN reports. https://youtu.be/x0ZBWUqlWvo West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he plans to vote for President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, a move that all but guarantees she will be confirmed. In a statement outlining his decision, Manchin said, “I met with Judge Jackson and evaluated her qualifications to be a Supreme Court Justice. After meeting with her, considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court.” Manchin’s announcement is notable since he is a closely-watched moderate Democrat and key swing vote in the Senate. His decision to vote “yes” helps solidify the vote math for Senate Democrats to confirm the nominee. Some serious craziness went down at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Tuesday after a man was arrested punched a Southwest Airlines employee. As you can see from the social media video of the incident (below), a shouting Courtney Drummond approaches the Southwest Airlines ticket counter and immediately punches an employee. What led to that incident was that Drummond refused to comply with flight attendants as his Southwest flight was being taxied from the gate to the tarmac. Police say the plane returned to the gate/terminal and Drummond was asked to leave the plane due to his “aggressive behavior.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1506704624090329093 It’s likely that before this month, many sports fans had not heard of Saint Peter’s, a university in Jersey City, New Jersey, with an enrollment of 2,637. That’s all changed now if you’ve been following the men’s NCAA tournament. The Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team has made history by becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, upsetting the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers 67-64 in Philadelphia on Friday night. That’s all changed now if you’ve been following the men’s NCAA tournament. The Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team has made history by becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, upsetting the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers 67-64 in Philadelphia on Friday night. The Peacocks, the third No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16 in history, will face North Carolina in the Elite Eight on Sunday. This is the program’s fourth NCAA tournament appearance overall. https://youtu.be/oCpMehfhJs0 On the Friday, March 25 edition of “Tamron Hall,” Rachael Ray, Kandi Burruss and James Beard award-winning chef Aaro´n Sa´nchez join Tamron in the kitchen with delicious recipes for the most important meal of the day during a special show entitled, “Breakfast at Tamron’s!” Following her house fire in late 2020, celebrity chef and TV host, Rachael Ray, discusses how much more her kitchen means to her now following the incident. Reality TV star, Kandi Burruss details the meaning of family for her Atlanta restaurant, “Old Lady Gang” and Aaro´n Sa´nchez tells Tamron about working on the new season of “MasterChef Junior.” https://youtu.be/GBsvyUPUujE Hollywood has people of color to thank for keeping the movie businesses afloat during the pandemic because of their presence on screen and in the theater, According to a study from UCLA. It was found that most of the domestic tickets sales on opening weekends for six of the top 10 films in 2021 were bought by people of color. But also, households with people of color were overrepresented for streaming audiences for the top 10 films last year. The study, which is taken yearly, took the top 252 performing films that had theatrical and streaming releases in 2021 and looked for representation of women and people of color. It was found that both groups made significant gains when it came to directors and film writers while staying the same with actors in leading roles. Howard University will invest $785 million to build three new academic buildings and renovate other campus buildings in what it calls its largest construction real estate initiative in the school’s history. Howard, which has received record-breaking philanthropic giving and Wall Street’s blessing for a strong financial position, calls this expansion a watershed moment. “Because of the tremendously enhanced financial posture we have worked so hard to achieve, the state of the University has never been stronger,” said president Wayne A. I. Frederick. Howard University had record-breaking fundraising totals last year, with $170 million in philanthropic contributions in fiscal 2021. The university has also raised $120 million in gift commitments so far this fiscal year. In February, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s raised their ratings on $300 million in Howard-issued bonds from stable to positive. It will be the first time Howard has constructed new buildings on its D.C. campus since 1984. New construction will account for $670 million of the new investment. Howard University administrators and the union that represents faculty members have reached a tentative three-year agreement to negotiate fairer working conditions, averting a strike. After the early Wednesday deal, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500, agreed to call off the planned three-day walkout, the university said. The tentative pact still needs a vote of ratification by union membership, which is set to take place in the coming weeks. Faculty members in the union had been fighting for an agreement for about three years. Adjunct professors and full-time non-tenured professors were seeking better pay, the ability to teach enough courses to access Howard’s health insurance and ending a rule under which non-tenure track faculty are let go after seven years. The union had originally planned to strike from Wednesday to Friday if an agreement had not been reached. Faculty in the union would have not held their classes or taken part in other academic responsibilities. History was made in Birmingham on Tuesday after city leaders approved a massive project headed by an all-African American development team, which includes the general contractor. Mayor Randall Woodfin and the city council approved an ordinance Tuesday authorizing the $1.5 million sale and development of a 222-acre property with Green Meadow Apartments, LLC. In a press release, the city said “with over $2 billion, to date, this is the largest transaction led by African Americans in the city’s history.” “This is a great day for the city of Birmingham,” Woodfin said. “Not only because of the jobs, the homes, and the economic impact, but because of the history that is being made.” The land is located near Lakeshore Parkway at 1911 Tiger Walk to Green Meadow Apartments. CEO Michael German, former Alabama representative for HUD, is leading the multi-phased project with plans to develop the area into single-family, multi-family and senior housing, with an estimated 900 residents residing in the area. There are also plans for a commercial town center, a grocery store and commercial and retail office spaces. ”Black Panther,” a Marvel Studio production, is set to make a big comeback. On “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” celebrated actress Angela Bassett has given hints of the “Black Panther” sequel. The Hollywood veteran speaks passionately about the film and the cast. Although Basset didn’t want to reveal the nitty-gritty of the film, she confirmed the film date. “November. Look for it in November. It will be amazing,” Bassett said. “It is going to be amazing. It is going to top one.” She said that “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” would exceed the original “Black Panther” hype. She said, “It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to top the first one. Can I say that?” https://youtu.be/l32yiyGW0NI Donald Glover is singing Malia Obama’s praises after giving the former First Daughter her first post-college job as a writer on his new Amazon series, gushing that the 23-year-old is ‘amazingly talented’ and ‘really focused.’ The multihyphenate, who is also known by his stage name Childish Gambino, was at the season three premiere of his FX series ‘Atlanta’ on Thursday when he confirmed reports that he had recruited the Harvard University graduate to work in the writers’ room on his latest project. ‘She’s just like, an amazingly talented person,’ Glover, 38, told Vanity Fair of Obama. ‘She’s really focused, and she’s working really hard.’ The actor is writing and executive producing the upcoming Amazon series — potentially titled ‘Hive’ — that is reportedly about ‘a Beyoncé-type character.’ Glover did not reveal how Obama — who interned on Lena Dunham’s HBO series ‘Girls’ in 2015 and at The Weinstein Company in 2017 — landed the job after she graduated from college last year. Halle Berry had all but counted herself out. It was a cool March night in Hollywood in 2002, and she was just excited to have been nominated for her first Academy Award, in the best actress category, for her role as a waitress who has an affair with her convicted husband’s executioner in Marc Forster’s dark drama “Monster’s Ball.” Up against Nicole Kidman (“Moulin Rouge”), Judi Dench (“Iris”), Sissy Spacek (“In the Bedroom”) and Renée Zellweger (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”), Berry was only the seventh African American actress ever nominated. A win would vault her into the annals of history as the first Black winner. But Berry never thought it would happen. “Back in those days, if you didn’t win the Globe, you really didn’t get the Academy Award,” Berry, 55, said in a recent phone conversation, referring to the Golden Globe that she had lost to Spacek. “So I’d pretty much resigned myself to believing, ‘It’s great to be here, but I’m not going to win.’” But then the previous year’s best actor winner, Russell Crowe, opened the envelope and read her name, the camera zooming in on her teary, shocked face. She took a moment to collect herself, then walked to the stage in her now-iconic Elie Saab gown, the voluminous burgundy train trailing behind her, as the applause went on, and on, and on. “Oh my God,” were her first words when she finally had breath enough to speak, tears still rolling down her cheeks, hands trembling as she clutched the statuette. She hadn’t prepared a speech. She had no list of people to thank either. Music duo Kenny and Claire has spent the last several years modernizing and rewriting classic hymns as a way to reintroduce them to the Church. Yet for the married couple, their own musical journey is deeply connected to how these hymns helped them through times of deep suffering. Kenny and Claire Hilliard met in college at North Greenville University, where they quickly bonded over their love of music. Soon, they were writing music and traveling to various events to play together. Following the shocking documentation of his toe amputation earlier this month, NFL/MLB legend Deion Sanders is still going hard in the sports world as head football coach at Jackson State. One of his current priorities is the 2022 NFL Draft in April, especially after no HBCU players were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s hopeful that will change after hosting a HBCU Pro Day this past Monday (March 21), although the two-time Super Bowl champ took some time to call out 10 teams in specific that didn’t feel it was necessary to send out a representative. The event consisted of players not only from Jackson State but also Mississippi Valley State and Alcorn State. Out of the 32 teams in the NFL, a total of two dozen showed up for the presentation. Jumping on Instagram (seen above), Sanders called the day “phenomenal” while tipping his hat to the students that participated and 24 teams that came out to witness their greatness. However, that’s where his feelings shifted to those that were no-shows, adding, “The Dolphins, the Broncos, the Texans, the Bills, the Buccaneers, the Ravens, the Panthers, the Browns, the Vikings, and the Eagles — where art thou? You could have sent somebody man. You could have shown up just a little bit.” While some Oscar-nominated movies are still playing in theaters, odds are if you want to catch up on the nominees, you’ll be going to Streaming Land. Streaming services backed a number of movies that secured key nominations on Feb. 8, in advance of the 94th annual Oscars, which will be televised March 27 on ABC. This means many of them are available to watch now, including “The Power of the Dog,” which led among nominated films with 12 nods, and “Coda.” Netflix-Best picture: “Don’t Look Up,” “The Power of the Dog.” https://youtu.be/LRDPo0CHrko Streaming services backed a number of movies that secured key nominations on Feb. 8, in advance of the 94th annual Oscars, which will be televised March 27 on ABC. This means many of them are available to watch now. Apple TV+ Best picture: “Coda.” Best actor: Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”). https://youtu.be/0pmfrE1YL4I Scientists have reportedly developed a new male birth control pill that is said to be 99 percent effective… in mice. According to research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on Wednesday, human testing of the nonhormonal male contraceptive could begin this year, per The Hill. Per the research, the pill “plummeted” the sperm count of mice for up to six weeks, without side effects, as reported by New Scientist. https://youtu.be/r_ZVuyfHW1w For the second time this month, a grand jury in Texas has declined to indict Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson over allegations of sexual assault. A grand jury in Brazoria County, south of Houston, announced Thursday that it would not be filing charges against Watson, who previously avoided prosecution over accusations from nine other women in Harris County on March 11. In Brazoria County, Watson was accused of touching an unidentified female masseuse with his penis and ejaculating on her arm and hand, according to a heavily redacted police report. His accuser in Brazoria County was one of 10 women who filed complaints against Watson in neighboring Harris County last year, but her case was relocated when it was determined that it fell out of Houston’s jurisdiction, according to a source familiar with the case. The Black News Channel will shut down today at 5 p.m. The Los Angeles Times broke the news the day after an email was sent to employees that they would not be getting their payroll checks on Friday. Majority stakeholder and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan had invested about $50 million into BNC, but audience and revenues failed to meet the company’s hefty cost structure. He decided he couldn’t keep throwing more money at the operation, which has 230 employees, mostly people of color, the Times story said. Biggest names on the channel included Mike Hill and former CBS46 anchor Sharon Reed during the morning, and an evening lineup that featured academic Marc Lamont Hill, New York Times columnist Charles Blow and former Fox News anchor Kelly Wright. Reed was based in Atlanta. The network has been based in Tallahassee, Florida, but hired dozens of employees in Atlanta, where CEO and former CNN executive Princell Hair had ambitious plans to eventually move its headquarters. Earlier this week, The Christian Post contributor Mark Creech wrote an op-ed, “Andy Stanley’s tweet about the Bible is seductive and harmful,” referring to a now-deleted tweet by Rev. Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church, which said: “The Christian faith doesn’t rise and fall on the accuracy of 66 ancient documents. It rises and falls on the identity of a single individual: Jesus of Nazareth.” Like Creech, I was involved in the “Conservative Resurgence” in Southern Baptist life in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. While it was true that moderates and liberals were badly overrepresented in the denomination’s organizational and educational apparatus, the vast majority of rank-and-file Southern Baptists believed that the Bible was inerrant and had “truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.” Russian leader Vladimir Putin made an unlikely reference to J.K. Rowling in his latest speech. During a televised address Friday on state TV, Putin cited the Harry Potter creator, who has come under fire for statements she has made relating to transgender issues, as proof the West likes to “cancel” people, adding that this was something Russia was now facing. Putin said that Rowling was canceled because she “didn’t satisfy the demands of gender rights.” He added: “They are now trying to cancel our country. I’m talking about the progressive discrimination of everything to do with Russia,” and likened “cancel culture” to Nazis trying to burn books in the 1930s. A Florida couple was arrested after their toddler died, but numerous reports of abuse and neglect are raising questions. Rashid Bryant, 22 months old, was pronounced dead at Miami Jackson North Medical Center in 2020. Police say that Rashid stopped breathing, but his mother allegedly didn’t call 911 until 83 minutes later. Police say that Bryant had foam coming out of his mouth and the coroner listed the toddler’s death as “homicide caused by complications of acute and chronic blunt force injuries associated with parental neglect.” Bryant’s parents, Christopher Bryant and Jabora Deris, were charged with manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. However, reports say that the parents were the subject of at least 24 investigations of abuse or neglect reports, 16 times by the Department of Children and Families concerning the couple’s eight children. Reports say Rashid suffered a fractured femur, a broken rib, and multiple cracks on his skull over the course of his life. Killeen Police are investigating a shooting at a cemetery that left a 52-year-old woman dead and a second victim suffering from minor injuries. The shooting occurred Tuesday, March 22 at the Calvary Baptist Church Garden of Memories Cemetery. KWTX spoke with the victim’s ex-husband, Kineh N’Gaojia, who identified the slain woman as Yolanda N’Gaojia. The couple, now divorced, had three children together. The husband said his ex-wife was visiting their son Amir’s gravesite on what would have been Amir’s 22nd birthday when she was struck by gunfire. Amir died on New Year’s Day 2022. Images captured at the scene by KWTX show a bullet-riddled, late-model Chevrolet Camaro taped off with yellow police tape. Cooler heads have prevailed. After a contentious split last year, Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, and Nike have renewed the partnership for Kobe’s shoes. “We’re excited to announce our partnership with Nike is going to continue!” she wrote on Instagram Thursday. “I am so proud that my husband’s shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remain so desired by his fans around the world.” Bryant said that Nike will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from her late daughter Gianna’s shoes to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. “I am also grateful that Nike and I will work together to establish a youth basketball center in Southern California that will share the Mamba Mentality with youth athletes for generations to come,” her Instagram post continued. “I know this is an inspiring moment for my husband and daughter’s global fans, and I am very appreciative of each and every one of you!” Group Black Inc., a next-gen collective aimed at deepening the pipeline of Black-owned media companies, has attained a nine-figure media investment from consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble. The new business accelerator launched last June with an initial ad-spending target of $75 million from the media investment company GroupM. While its debut racked in a hefty advertising spend, co-founder and CEO Travis Montaque confirmed that the P&G commitment is the largest single investment the company has secured. This latest pledge will drive the 30-person team to advance its mission of building Black-owned media businesses that embrace diversity in their organizations and audiences. According to Adweek, Group Black is striving to redistribute $500 million in Black-owned media. Kayla Michele, a Disney Dreamer of the 2013 class, is the Co-Founder and COO of PeduL, a diversity recruiting marketplace that enables employers to source and attract a curated pipeline of competitive, diverse candidates whose skills match job requisitions. The meaning behind the business name admirably incorporates the organization’s mission; at the center of their work is education, which Michele and her team believe is the bridge between ‘P’ – purpose and ‘L’ – life. PeduL wants to close the gap to access to education and create the link to career opportunities for all job seekers. The idea for PeduL developed from a conversation that Michele had with a college friend Chisa Egbelu while they were students at Rutgers University. They witnessed their friends struggle to land gainful employment at notable organizations like Google and NBC Universal. At the same time, those companies found it challenging to recruit diverse talent. Driven to spotlight the ingenuity and continued resistance of Black entrepreneurs, Citi has launched a new large-scale ad campaign to do just that. Known as “New Black Wall Streets,” the ad by one of the nation’s largest banks features Brian Tyree Henry, star of the FX series Atlanta. Produced by a mostly Black creative team, the ad shows how Citi is committed to doing its part to support and help build Black businesses. Tina Davis, Citi’s interim chief marketing officer, shared these insights about the ad with BLACK ENTERPRISE. Davis said the campaign highlights Citi’s Action for Racial Equity initiative. Exerting over $1 billion, Citi and the Citi Foundation announced the pledge to help close the racial wealth gap and boost economic mobility in the U.S. JPMorgan Chase commits $5 million to a fresh effort to help underrepresented businesses gain potentially new lucrative deals. The Diverse Supplier Grant Initiative launched by the nation’s largest bank aims to provide businesses owned by Blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos access to needed capital to obtain corporate contracts. The New York-based bank reported small and diverse businesses “often find it cost-prohibitive to meet industry requirements like cyber security, insurance, and bonding when bidding for new corporate business.” Fulfilling those conditions can cost a typical small business between $100,000 and $500,000. The bank added it can create a “very real barrier to entry to doing business with the financial services industry.” Hampton University is offering free tuition, room and board to Ukrainian and international students displaced by the ongoing Russian invasion of the Eastern European nation. University President William Harvey announced last week that up to 100 students displaced from Ukraine can continue their education free of charge at Hampton this summer. Additionally, they will have the option to stay at Hampton after the summer and pay regular rates for tuition and fees. “The collective Hampton University faculty, staff and students are heartbroken because the war-torn country of Ukraine must deal with atrocities like the bombing of maternity wards, hospitals and other civilian areas,” Dr. Harvey stated. “I think this partnership is something that can be beneficial to a great number of students and families,” he stated. “My entire career has been focused on helping people to achieve and meet their goals.” Angela Blocker-Loyd began figure skating at 9 years old. She was one of the youngest skaters at the Berkley Ice Arena and Recreation Center at the time, so another young skater decided to take her under their wing. “Angie was the little skater and I was the big skater,” said Candice Tamakloe, who was 14 at the time. “We were also only two of a few African American skaters at Berkley, and I had been skating there for a few years, so I took her on as a little sister.” Now, Blocker-Loyd and Tamakloe have decided to take on all the young, aspiring figure skaters as their little brothers or sisters. On Saturday, Dream Detroit Skating Academy (DDSA) launches the city’s first female-owned figure skating academy. Currently, DDSA is the only Black-owned figure skating club in the state of Michigan, Blocker-Loyd said. The academy will be run by Blocker-Loyd, Tamakloe and Crystal Stewart. It will provide classes for skaters with no experience all the way up to advanced skaters. Things will kick off from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Adams Butzel Recreation Center-Jack Adams Memorial Ice Arena, 10500 Lyndon St., on the city’s west side near the Littlefield neighborhood. A beach that was once a haven for Black music and celebrations will now be a place for anyone to come and learn about Black history along the Chesapeake Bay. That five-acre piece of waterfront land on the Bay, Elktonia Beach, will turn into a park with access to the water. “It’s a dream come true,” said Vince Leggett, the founder and president of Blacks of the Chesapeake. The land, he said, was purchased for around $7 million. The City of Annapolis, Blacks of the Chesapeake, Chesapeake Conservancy and the state of Maryland entered into an agreement with the Conservation Fund to acquire the property through a patchwork of funding, including federal, state and city Program Open Space funds. On Thursday, with the support of U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, the fiscal year 2022 spending bill also included $2 million in congressionally directed spending to the City of Annapolis, to support a state and local partnership effort to establish and develop a city park. The “Godfather of Funk” George Clinton is being honored in his native New Jersey this week as he celebrates his 80th birthday. The town of Plainfield, where Clinton worked for many years, was renaming Passaic Street after the music legend. A bronze plaque was being erected where the Silk Palace barber shop once stood and Clinton formed the Parliaments. The group started as doo-wop and evolved into Parliaments Funkadelic, incorporating funk, R&B, Gospel, rock, and more, with outlandish fashion and fantastic stage props like the Mothership. Love & Hip Hop star Apple Watts is fighting for her life after a serious car accident that left her vehicle in flames. Watt’s Mercedes flipped several times and burst into flames near Interstate 15 in Baker, California, after colliding with a Ford pickup truck, TMZ reported. She was ejected from the window of her burning car and airlifted to a hospital in Nevada with ‘life threatening injuries.’ The 36-year-old model and rapper is reportedly unresponsive and suffered a broken spine and fractured skull. Watts was on a road trip, driving from LA to Las Vegas when the horrific crash took place, her sister confirmed to The Shade Room. It is unclear if any of the passengers involved in the crash were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A source told TSR that it could be difficult for Watts to do daily functions such as walking and eating by herself because of the degree of her injuries. While many people are still rebounding from forces like the dire job-loss impact of COVID-19 and inflation at a 40-year high, there is some uplifting news for Black professionals. More than 1,000 jobs will be available from 16 different companies for qualified Black professionals in various fields at the Black Virtual Career Fair. The event today is hosted by the African American Employee Network (AAEN) and Onyx Community Connection (Onyx). Homeownership is not only a source of wealth for Black families, it is a source of pride. It goes without saying how hurtful it is for Black families to be forced to “whitewash” their homes in order to obtain the most accurate and highest appraisal value. At a Tuesday event convened by Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House, several Black families recounted their horrific but all too common experiences with appraisal bias. Their stories underscored the urgency of the newly announced Biden-Harris administration’s action plan. The plan ranged from higher accountability in the appraisal industry to cultivating a diverse and better training appraiser profession. Homeownership is not only a source of wealth for Black families, it is a source of pride. It goes without saying how hurtful it is for Black families to be forced to “whitewash” their homes in order to obtain the most accurate and highest appraisal value. At a Tuesday event convened by Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House, several Black families recounted their horrific but all too common experiences with appraisal bias. Their stories underscored the urgency of the newly announced Biden-Harris administration’s action plan. The plan ranged from higher accountability in the appraisal industry to cultivating a diverse and better training appraiser profession. The vibe was much more positive on the court and off following Naomi Osaka’s latest tennis match. After defeating Australian Astra Sharma 6-3, 6-4 in her first-round match at the Miami Open, the four-time grand slam champion told reporters she was feeling better. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells. It only took like a year after French Open,” Osaka said, referencing when she was heckled by a fan at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on March 12, and when she withdrew from Roland Garros in Paris last year after opting not to speak to the media at the grand slam event, citing her mental health. “I realize how helpful it is,” Osaka said of talking to a therapist. “I’m glad that I have people around me that told me to go in that direction.” https://youtu.be/dlzoPQsU7-M Veteran comic/actor Scoey Mitchell, best known for the TV version of “Barefoot in the Park” died on March 19. He was 92. Mitchell died from kidney failure at a long-term care facility in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mitchell – who also was credited as Scoey Mitchlll – got his biggest break on the ABC sitcom version of “Barefoot in the Park,” which at the time was the first network sitcom in almost two decades to have a predominantly Black cast. The problem was the show’s writers were all white, which upset, understandably, upset Mitchell. He was so committed to getting more Black people behind the scenes that ABC fired him and canceled the show after a single 12-episode season. https://youtu.be/1o4pJ8LMVqo When Jerome Featherstone Jr. made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Matt Semelsberger in October 2018, he entered the ring feeling as if he had the strength of two men. The Frederick, Maryland-based Semelsberger felt the full force of that power as Featherstone scored a third-round knockout in his inaugural berth in Shogun Fights XX at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. Featherstone’s 170-pound triumph over a fighter whose 3–1 record included three appearances at Shogun and two stoppage victories came 14 years after the death of Jerome Featherstone Sr. in January 2004 at the age of 43. “I’m still hurting over my father’s death. It was during such an important and pivotal time in my life,” said Featherstone Jr., 37, twice an All-Metro First-Team selection by The Baltimore Sun before graduating from Boys Latin High in 2003. https://www.instagram.com/_handsofstone/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=1110a76c-1d7e-4f3d-bf9f-150b20a06ea2 No one is born a racist. People must learn to hate. But if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom. Systematic racism is engrained in world societal culture. The debilitating effects of racism against people of color, specifically against Black people continue to the present day, with startling frequency and fervor. The pain of racism has always been expressed through music, poetry and art to make a poignant statement against systemic racism. Artists such as Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone and Curtis Mayfield have always expressed protest against racism in their sensibilities and compositions. The historic project “Black Lives – from Generation to Generation,” a conglomerate of 25 musicians from the United States, Caribbean and Africa seeks to pick up in 2022 where their predecessors left off. https://youtu.be/vEH_gmM2x3c “Forget New York, I’m just trying to survive 7th Grade!” Sometimes following your dreams can feel hopeless and tiring but we’ll see just how far dreams can take you when “Better Nate than Ever” premiers on Disney Plus April 1st. Damon Dash disagrees with the #Grammys removing #KanyeWest from their lineup, claiming they have no right to judge him or any other hip-hop artist. According to TMZ, Dash told the outlet that artists should cancel the whole awards show and “We make our own Grammys.” Even though Kanye is still allowed to be in attendance at the show, he can no longer perform. Dash suggested that Ye not even attend the show and skip it altogether. Despite being previously nominated for a Grammy, Damon admits he did not attend because he believes the Grammys are outdated and out of touch with hip hop. According to Dash, he is tired of Academy execs deciding who’s hot and who’s not in the hip hop industry. “They gotta respect our culture,” he said. Many people have come to Ye’s defense, including Grammys host Trevor Noah, who Kanye chastised online and said he wanted the rapper to be “counseled rather than canceled.” In addition to Dash’s support, J. Prince called on hip-hop artists, including Ye, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, to protest against the Grammys and host an anti-Grammys concert on Tuesday. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbffoobugsp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Lizzo, Jerrod Carmichael and Jake Gyllenhaal have been tapped as hosts of Saturday Night Live in April. Carmichael and musical guest Gunna will kick things off on April 2. Gyllenhaal will host the long-running sketch comedy show for the second time on April 9, with Camila Cabello as the musical guest. Lizzo will serve as both host and performer on April 16. Meanwhile, her new reality series “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” premieres on Amazon on March 25. https://youtu.be/tgNq_0bsTPU Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen was blasted by a Miami judge this week after he failed to show up to jury duty. Allen, 46, was ordered to pay a fine for his no-show, New York Post reports. He was selected as one of 14 permanent and alternate jurors in a deadly carjacking case. The trial was scheduled to begin on March 14 but was postponed by a day per Allen’s request as he had to attend Kevin Garnett’s jersey retirement ceremony in Boston, according to the Miami Herald. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke issued a show-cause order after Allen failed to show up. https://youtu.be/y93e5cAR_jc Jennifer Hudson‘s ex-fiancee, former WWE wrestler David Otunga, has auctioned off her engagement ring for $45,000, according to reports. Per TMZ, “David had Neil Lane design the 5-carat cushion cut diamond ring for Jennifer back in 2008, which has an estimated retail value of $45K.” After they called it quits in 2017, JHud returned the ring to David. David auctioned off the ring through IDoNowIDont.com and plans to give a portion of the proceeds to a fathers’ rights org, according to TMZ. In 2017 that after ending their engagement, Hudson filed a protective order against the former pro wrestler, alleging he was abusive with her and their son. Jennifer and David share a 12-year-old David Daniel Otunga Jr. “Today, Jennifer requested and received a protective order against her ex-fiancé. Jennifer’s actions are solely taken in the best interest of their son,” Hudson’s rep told PEOPLE in a statement at the time. Raven-Symoné and the cast and crew of her show “Raven’s Home” walked off the set in protest of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. As reported by Aljazeera.com, the “Parental Rights in Education” bill limits “classroom instruction” on “sexual orientation or gender identity”. Classroom instruction regarding adults’ views on sex and gender “may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards,” per the bill. The bill reportedly does not specify what age is considered appropriate for children to be groomed by their teachers, some of whom are sexual predators. According to the report, it prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner.” “The bill allows parents to sue a school district, at the school district’s expense, if they believe the measure is not being enforced,” per Aljazeera.com. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbalBdRpf8e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In case you’ve been wondering what Tawatha Agee of the ’80s R&B group Mtume is up to these days, the “Juicy” singer has been earning her coins by lending her voice to TV and radio commercial jingles. As reported by I Love Old School Music, Mtume is best known for their hits, “Juicy Fruit” and “You, Me and He,” while Tawatha has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Sting and R. Kelly. While in elementary school at Bragaw Avenue School in Newark, Agee, 67, received voice lessons from Whitney Houston’s mom, Cissy Houston. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwlHwjbDfyy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Rapper Ice-T shared a post on Twitter describing his experience with the high gas prices at the pump. “I was robbed at a gas station in NJ last night,” Ice-T tweeted. “After my hands stopped trembling.. I managed to call the cops and they were quick to respond and calmed me down….. My money is gone.. the police asked me if I knew who did it.. I said yes.. it was pump number 9…” As reported by Uproxx, within hours, Ice-T’s tweet went viral and prompted hundreds of responses from people who can relate to the pain at the cost of gas. The White House has quietly assembled a team of national security officials to sketch out scenarios of how the United States and its allies should respond if Russian President Vladimir Putin — frustrated by his lack of progress in Ukraine or determined to warn Western nations against intervening in the war — unleashes his stockpiles of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. The Tiger Team, as the group is known, is also examining responses if Putin reaches into NATO territory to attack convoys bringing weapons and aid to Ukraine, according to several officials involved in the process. Meeting three times a week, in classified sessions, the team is also looking at responses if Russia seeks to extend the war to neighboring nations, including Moldova and Georgia, and how to prepare European countries for the refugees flowing in on a scale not seen in decades. Those contingencies are expected to be central to an extraordinary session here in Brussels on Thursday, when President Joe Biden meets leaders of the 29 other NATO nations, who will be meeting for the first time — behind closed doors, their cellphones and aides banished — since Putin invaded Ukraine. Russian propaganda claims Vladimir Putin will unleash his nuclear weapons early if NATO peacekeepers are put on the ground in Ukraine – which would spark World War 3. The Russian president’s tightly-controlled state TV went into overdrive to warn alliance leaders against deploying any troops even acting to maintain peace. The latest threats from the Kremlin came as footage showed the funeral with full military honors of deputy commander of the Black Sea fleet, Andrei Paliy, 51, killed during fighting in Mariupol on March 20. The broadcast saw blunt and concerted warnings from Putin’s propaganda mouthpieces on state television worrying that if NATO sends peacekeepers to Ukraine they will initiate World War 3. Olga Skabeyeva, host of state-owned Rossiya 1’s show 60 Minutes, said: “If NATO members send peacekeepers to Ukraine… “They should understand that this will represent a direct clash between the armed forces of Russia and NATO. The senior pastor of Celebration Church, one of the largest churches in Jacksonville, took a moment during Sunday morning service to address a legal dispute between the church and its founding pastors. Tim Timberlake, who was installed as Celebration Church’s senior pastor in September 2021 to succeed Stovall Weems, acknowledged the civil court case that involves allegations of financial misconduct and fraud. https://youtu.be/j0gpPELTmuU Ohio University is investigating an incident in which a racist note attached to a large garbage bag was left outside a dorm room. The note, handwritten in black ink on lined notebook paper, includes the words trash, two racial slurs directed at Black people and a vulgarity directed at women. The stuffed black trash bag was left outside a room in Sargent Hall, two doors down from the dorm room of Naomi Hamner, a 19-year-old freshman who is Black. “It was kind of a scary moment, I can’t lie, because I have never dealt with anything like this before, and quite honestly I never thought I would have to deal with something like this,” Hamner said. A Tuskegee University football player was shot to death Friday night, and a suspect is now charged in his slaying. Authorities identified the victim as Reginald Tyrone Summage Jr., 20. He was a graduate of Jeff Davis High School in Montgomery and was a sophomore wide receiver at Tuskegee University. Tuskegee Police Chief Jennifer Jordan said officers responded at 11:50 p.m. to a report of a person shot at Washington Plaza in the 700 block of West Martin Luther King Highway. When they arrived, they found Summage wounded in the parking lot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Jordan said the incident began as a fist fight and ended in gunfire. Summage is believed to have been trying to break up the fight at an off-campus party when he was shot, but Jordan could not yet confirm the circumstances surrounding the deadly shooting. The Rev. David Kennedy remembers well what it was like growing up in Laurens, South Carolina, during the Jim Crow era. He lived in an apartment with his grandparents marked “C” for “colored” and was forced off sidewalks when white people would pass. He recalls going into a shop one day as a kid to buy a collar for his dog, only to have an employee ask him, “Do you need one to fit your neck, too?” He tells the stories of Black people killed after being falsely accused of wrongdoing — including his great-great uncle Richard Puckett. “August the 11th of 1913 is when they killed him,” Kennedy said, detailing what unfolded that day: Puckett, who could not read or write, was delivering a letter from his roommate to a young woman who turned out to be married. The woman’s husband saw the note and turned his wrath on Puckett. Puckett was taken to jail. In the decades that followed, white residents would sell photos of Puckett’s lynching at the shop and give them to Black Laurens residents, telling them, “Stay in line if you don’t want this to happen to you,” Kennedy recalled. Five Pittsburgh police officers will be fired after an internal investigation of the death of a man following police use of a stun gun on him in connection with an alleged bicycle theft last fall, officials said. Director Lee Schmidt of the city’s public safety department said Wednesday afternoon that three other officers will retain their jobs. He declined to release names of officers or details of the investigation per the collective bargaining agreement that affords each officer the opportunity to use arbitration to challenge the discipline imposed. All eight officers were suspended with pay and faced disciplinary hearings after the death of 54-year-old Jim Rogers the day after police used a stun gun on him multiple times in October in the Bloomfield neighborhood. The medical examiner in January ruled the death accidental and resulting from a lack of oxygen to the brain. Mayor Ed Gainey said, “First and foremost, my heart and my prayers go out to the Rogers family, their friends and the entire city. My hope is that today is a day when we can move one step closer to healing his family and for our city.” The Black Future Co-op Fund, Washington state’s first Black-women-led philanthropy, recently announced $1.05 million in grants to 21 Black-woman-led organizations in their second round of statewide funding. These “We See You” grants represent the commitment the Black Future Co-op Fund has to investing in Black women who have invested in the wealth, health, and well-being of Black communities for generations. “Black women have long been at the forefront of our collective liberation — strategizing, organizing, leading, and caring for our communities,” says Fund architect and State Senator T’wina Nobles. “With these grants, the Black Future Co-op Fund recognizes Black women who are champions and vital shapers of Black self-determination.” The Black Future Co-op Fund was founded on the premise that Black communities know best what they need. Each grantee will receive $50,000 in unrestricted funds as an acknowledgment of and support for their work. Grants were made barrier free, intentionally breaking down obstacles to accessing needed resources. Black people and women were more likely to be dismissed from the Maryland Army National Guard Officer Candidate School than their white and male counterparts over the last five years, according to data provided to Congress and obtained by Military.com. The data has prompted seven Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation to ask the National Guard‘s inspector general to investigate bias within the Maryland National Guard. “We are concerned that there may be a systemic issue within the MDNG OCS [Maryland National Guard Officer Candidate School] and that a thorough, independent examination is necessary to identify any root causes of inconsistencies in their implementation of United States Army and National Guard policies and regulations,” Reps. Anthony Brown, Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin and David Trone wrote Friday to National Guard Bureau Inspector General retired Maj. Gen. Laurie Hummel. From 2017 to 2021, 34 out of 85 Black candidates, or about 40%, were dismissed from the Maryland Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School, which provides training to become a commissioned officer, according to a letter the Maryland National Guard sent to lawmakers in December. By comparison, 32 of 153 white candidates, or about 21%, were dismissed during that time, according to the letter. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Showtime’s Attica) is teaming up with Jacqueline Olive (Lincoln’s Dilemma) to direct the feature documentary, The Color of Cola. The film now in production is based on Stephanie Capparell’s 2008 book, The Real Pepsi Challenge: How One Pioneering Company Broke Color Barriers in 1940s American Business. It sheds light on the experience of the all-Black sales team at Pepsi, which was the first of its kind for any major corporation—following their journey through the Jim Crow South after being tasked with tapping its African American market. The Color of Cola is being co-produced by the Los Angeles Media Fund under the leadership of co-founders Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman, in association with Pepsi’s in-house content studio. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon are exec producing under their JuVee Productions banner, alongside Michael Karbelnikoff and Peter Kline for Alldayeveryday, and Mark Landsman. CAA Media Finance arranged financing and will handle sales. Bob Saget allegedly said he didn’t feel well and that his hearing was “off” before performing a comedy set on the night of his death. “I did hear him say, ‘I don’t feel good but I’m ready to do the show. This is what I do this for.’ He seemed to be talking himself up,” showrunner Rosalie Cocci told Orange County police in an interview conducted after the actor’s death, according to audio obtained by Page Six. Cocci, who runs errands for talent and staff at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Florida, added, “He said that his hearing had been off and that was the case that night. He was asking the sound guys to turn everything up.” The showrunner further alleged that Saget said he hadn’t been feeling well the night before, and that in addition to his hearing being “off,” he had “a sore throat” and was “happy he had lozenges for the stage.” A grand jury in Brazoria County in Texas is considering evidence related to a 10th accusation of sexual misconduct against Deshaun Watson, the former Houston Texans quarterback who was traded to the Cleveland Browns just days ago, according to a lawyer for the complainant. A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, where Houston is, rejected nine criminal cases against Watson earlier this month. But a 10th criminal complaint filed with the Houston Police Department described an alleged incident outside the jurisdiction of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The case, in Brazoria County, south of Houston, is the last known criminal case pending against Watson. The complainant told police that Watson ejaculated on her in a November 2020 massage appointment. Her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, said he expects the grand jury to deliberate and issue a decision on Thursday or Friday. Neither the Browns nor Rusty Hardin, Watson’s lawyer, were immediately available for comment. Shahem Mclaurin knows that it is difficult for people of color to find mental health professionals who look like them. And the licensed social worker is well aware that it is one of the main reasons many people of color don’t get the care they need. So, Mclaurin is one of a growing number of Black mental health professionals who are championing the cause of representation in the field of mental health and trying to reach people who need help where they are, on TikTok. “I am a Black, queer therapist, and I want to showcase myself being fully that,” Mclaurin said. “I always say, ‘My durag is part of my uniform.’” In that durag, Mclaurin keeps it real, answering tough questions and sharing raw personal stories. According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black Americans are more likely to report lasting feelings of emotional distress, including sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness, than white Americans. However, only one in three African Americans who need mental health care are actually getting it, which is likely due to the lack of diversity in mental health. According to the American Psychological Association, only 4 percent of psychologists in this country are Black. Five-time GRAMMY® nominated and Stellar Award-winning collective, Maverick City Music, celebrate earning their first #1 Billboard Gospel National Airplay single, “Jireh,” (Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music). “Jireh” is lifted from the 2021 album Old Church Basement, in collaboration with Elevation Worship and was written by Steven Furtick, Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine and Chris Brown. This Summer, Maverick City Music, with 16-time GRAMMY Award winning icon Kirk Franklin, have announced the largest tour of their career in support of their forthcoming collaboration album, Kingdom. Produced by Live Nation and Undivided, the 37-city tour, KINGDOM, kicks off on June 1st at FTX Arena in Miami, FL making stops across North America in Atlanta, Toronto, Nashville, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Denver, CO at Ball Arena on July 31st. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC-zw0zCCtg KT Ellis makes his Blacksmoke Music Worldwide debut with Proof. This Rhythm of Gospel Award nominee has made a name for himself in quartet circles around the southern part of the United States and brings together the elements of Soul music, rich Quartet and Contemporary Gospel for a song you will love to hear again and again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx-8R8RidEA Groove with Carl Brister tonite. Special Guest Nestor Martinez. https://live.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fb029947e67a57efb42b1ca96&id=fc26f4a217&e=e0b38f4f81 Over the weekend, xoNecole teamed up with Toyota USA for our Made For Me: ATL event. The two-day event took place on March 19th and 20th in honor of Women’s History Month. Attendees participated in workshops and wellness experiences that focused on the mind, body, and spirit. Special guests included astrologist Dani Simone, Christian psychologist Dr. Alduan Tartt, financial consultant, and yoga teacher Dr. Nicole Garner Scott, entertainment host Gia Peppers, and Meagan Good, who was the keynote speaker. Meagan is a veteran actress who is often admired for her beauty, style, and down-to-earth personality. But what stands out about the Harlem star is her spirituality and her connection with God. The 40-year-old actress took to the stage alongside Gia and opened up to the xoNecole audience exclusively about her faith, how she deals with rejection and how she really feels about the recent social media attention she’s been receiving since announcing her divorce from DeVon Franklin. Republicans Senators seem to be following a party strategy that is less about fitness and facts and more about grandstanding for the base. It’s one thing to disagree with and clarify points of contention with a given nominee. It Is entirely different to inject debunked claims and distortions into the confirmation process. At several points during Tuesday’s more than 12-hour confirmation hearing, Republican senators pushed an agenda clearly outside the scope of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson‘s professional background and judicial experience. People seeking to reach the highest Court in the country should be able to handle tough questions about their record, character, and other reasonable and relevant concerns. Continuing to distort the nominee’s record and experience, Republican senators echoed GOP talking points riddled with disinformation undermining the integrity of the confirmation process. As Politico reported, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said during a Tuesday press conference that the U.S. Supreme Court had legalized federal policies that should be left to states to decide. They’ve also spent generations being loud and demonstrably wrong in whitesplaining that the issue of state’s rights, not slavery, was the cause of the Civil War. Now, right-wingers are going to argue that Braun was hit with a “gotcha question,” but the fact is, it isn’t a “gotcha question” just because the question “gotcha.” Maybe Braun doesn’t know every piece of case law ever established off the top of his head. Maybe he wasn’t immediately familiar with Loving v. Virginia. But, in the end, he was asked a simple and direct question: “You would be okay with the Supreme Court leaving the issue of interracial marriage to the states?” And he said “yes.” Then later he essentially said, “Nah that’s not what I meant. I was just confused.” Pfizer has issued a recall for a high blood pressure medication distributed under three names, according to the company. Pfizer has issued a recall for a high blood pressure medication distributed under three names, according to the company. The recall is voluntary, and stems from the tablets containing higher levels of nitrosamines, which pose a cancer risk, although Pfizer said in a news release “there is no immediate risk to patients taking this medication.” https://youtu.be/FaY79MAzEaM In Kenosha, Wisconsin, the place where police brutality against a Black man led to protests which led to riots which led to a white killer getting away with slaughtering people with an assault rifle—the father of a 12-year-old Black girl wants prosecutors to charge an off-duty police officer who was seen on video pressing his knee into his daughter’s neck while handcuffing her after a school fight. On his Facebook page, he likened the encounter to that of George Floyd writing, “TELL ME WHATS THE DIFFERENCE LUCKILY HE AINT KILL MY BABIE.” Jerrel Perez told the Associated Press that Officer Shawn Guetschow “needs to be charged” over the March 4 incident at Lincoln Middle School. “This is a grown man we are talking about,” he said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ObTqyXMKM Here is an exclusive clip of this week’s episode of “Growing Up Hip Hop,” which finds Tanice receiving a message from Sakoya asking if they can sit down and talk about what previously happened (Sakoya was going to throw a drink at her). But does Tanice want to make peace with Sakoya? Hear what she has to say. https://youtu.be/dhgHEHJjZ7A Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall have been tapped to host this year’s Academy Awards, and Sykes has already warned that she may not be sober throughout the entire event. Sykes was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday and the two discussed the pay that Oscar hosts receive. “Out of all the jobs that I have, this one is actually going to cost me money,” Sykes told Kimmel, admitting she didn’t know how much she’s earning for the hosting gig. Kimmel hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018 and revealed that he was paid $15,000 to host. https://youtu.be/4V2HtyWZTQM Regina King has been tapped to serve as a co-chair at this year’s Met Gala. The Academy Award-winning actress will host alongside actors Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Met Gala will take place in NYC on the first Monday in May. The event is expected to be King’s first public appearance since the death of her son in January. As reported by MadameNoire, Vogue’s Anna Wintour, fashion designer Tom Ford and Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, will continue as honorary co-chairs. Vogue announced Thursday that theme of this year’s exhibit, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” is the second part of “the Met’s thoughtful homage to our country’s history.” Morris Chestnut has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony took place Wednesday morning and was streamed on the Walk of Fame’s website. Chestnut is best known for his roles in films such as “Boyz n the Hood,” “The Brothers,” “The Perfect Holiday,” “Think Like a Man,” “The Best Man” and its sequel, “The Best Man Holiday.” Most recently it was confirmed that he will reprise his “The Best Man” role in “The Best Man Wedding: The Final Chapters,” a 10-episode limited series set to stream on Peacock. Chestnut’s star is the 2,716th on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his gas rebate plan, which would send California car owners up to $800 from the state to help offset record high gas prices. Registered owners would get $400 per vehicle, capped at two vehicles. Even people who own electric vehicles or others that don’t use gasoline would also qualify. On the other hand, most businesses with fleets of vehicles would not be eligible. A TikTok user has revealed that R. Kelly and her father are incarcerated together, which led to the disgraced singer reportedly serenading her over the phone. “R. Kelly did me the favor and [sang] for me because he and my dad are serving time together,” TikTok user @Jizzlezoldykk, from New York City, told The New York Post. “[It wasn’t] for any other weird reason,” she said of the moment, video of which she shared online. “And it wasn’t for money,” she added. “I got him on the phone, and I just asked him if he could sing for me,” the woman said. “He did sing for me. It wasn’t for commissary, it wasn’t for money. He’s just a really nice dude [and a] genuine guy.” Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, released her second book earlier this year titled “Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Change Yourself and the World,” and she recently spoke to MADAMENOIRE on a segment of I GOT QUESTIONS about why and how we all should be abolitionists. “I’m interested in readers really being able to show up for the conversation and their lives around abolition. How do you practice it every day?” she tells the outlet. “… this word abolition or abolitionist or abolitionism or the concept of the abolitionist movement will probably make people think about the abolition of chattel slavery, the abolition of human beings being property. And that’s true. This movement, this modern-day abolitionist movement is actually a part of the legacy of the abolitionist movement to stop chattel slavery. But the problem is that we didn’t actually fully stop chattel slavery,” Cullors continued. Stacey Dash is set to make her TV return with a new reality series. Dash is to star in “A New Thing – with Stacey Dash,” which will show the actress leaving her Los Angeles home for New Hampshire to start her new life as an interior designer at Debbe Daley Designs, Deadline reports. The series from Michael Holstein and The Content Farm is currently in pre-production and is reportedly being shopped to broadcasters and streamers. “This has been a work in progress since I became clean and sober five and a half years ago,” Dash said. “Interior design has always been a personal passion and a dream of mine. This may not be easy, but it’s ‘a new thing,’ and I am excited to embark on this journey, work with top designers and inspire others to learn from their own mistakes and pursue their dreams, too.” “The first one we recorded is my favorite,” said vocalist Marsha Bartenetti about the upcoming release of the “Marsha Bartenetti Sings McNealy & Kuhns” album on Lo-Flo Records. “‘Why Does the Sky Keep Changing’ was the first song we recorded…then bam the covet pandemic. We were so happy (about recording the album) then everything shut down.” Marsha is the voice on songs written by veteran Jazz/Soul songwriters Jane McNealy and Alice Kuhns that will be released on McNealy’s record label Lo-Flo Records. The label was established in 2015 to release archive songs of the dual songwriters. McNealy and Kuhns met after Jane moved to Los Angeles, where she met then veteran Jazz musician and composer six-time Grammy Award-winning Harold Battiste, Jr. (Sonny & Cher musical director, Sam Cooke) who signed her to his publishing company At Last Publishing. Battiste, Jr. also launched AFO (All for One) Records. https://youtu.be/GLrzlK7hb3g The storm system that spawned deadly tornadoes across Texas and Louisiana this week will continue to push east Wednesday, leaving a large swath of the country under the threat of more severe weather. About 50 million people from Florida to Michigan and east to the Virginia coast are at risk of severe weather Wednesday, including the possibility of large hail, gusty winds and tornadoes. Cities in the threat area include Columbus, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Savannah, Georgia; and Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro in North Carolina. The system already cut a path of destruction in Texas, where 31 tornadoes were reported Monday, including two that damaged about 1,000 homes in Williamson County, near Austin, officials said. A 73-year-old woman was killed in Grayson County, north of Dallas, when her home was destroyed in the storm, local officials said. https://youtu.be/lEXZxy1ugvY During Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson‘s Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz pressed Jackson about critical race theory, an academic theory of racism’s systemic impact that has been assailed by conservatives. Not too much later in the exchange, Cruz held up books that he said were used at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., where Jackson is a board member. An aide displayed posters showing enlarged pages from one of them — “Antiracist Baby” by Ibram X. Kendi — behind him. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/22/her-pause-said-it-all-breaking-down-the-jackson-cruz-exchange-watch/ The Chicago Police Department is lowering hiring standards for new recruits by dropping the college credit requirement for some candidates, as the agency like others in the country continues to face Covid-related staffing shortages and national and local reckoning that’s driven potential new police officers away from the profession. Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown announced last week that the department would waive a college-credit requirement for recruits who have two years of military or peace officer experience, or three years in corrections, social services, health care, trades, or education. Under the old policy, those candidates were required to have 60 hours of college credits. About 3,800 people took the Chicago police department’s entrance exam over the four months it was offered last year, compared to as many as 22,000 in recent years. At least two other big-city police departments have made similar moves in recent years. https://youtu.be/sJM_6ss15No The owner of an Alabama liquor store is suing the city of Decatur after he was physically assaulted by law enforcement responding to his robbery call. Kevin Penn, who is Black, called police after tapping a shoplifter inside his liquor store. He held the suspect at gunpoint while waiting for officers to arrive. According to ABC 7, surveillance video shows Penn unloading his gun and setting the gun magazine down as cops approach. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=725642861521085 Three former athletes and a former employee of U.S. Ski and Snowboard have accused former longtime head coach Peter Foley of sexual misconduct including sexual assault, unwanted kissing and touching, and coercing them into taking nude photos, according to interviews and documents obtained by ESPN. The women lodged their complaints last week with the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a watchdog organization authorized by Congress to police issues related to sexual abuse in U.S. amateur sports. SafeSport then temporarily suspended Foley on Friday, pending its investigation. On Sunday, U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced that Foley was no longer employed by the organization. “Any allegations of sexual misconduct being made against him are false,” Foley’s attorney, Howard Jacobs, told ESPN on Sunday. “Mr. Foley has not engaged in any conduct that violates the SafeSport Code, and he will cooperate with the U.S. Center for SafeSport when and if they contact him.” Foley, the head coach of the U.S. snowboard team since its inception in 1994, led the national squad to seven Olympics, including the most recent Beijing Games. His athletes, male and female, won a combined 35 Olympic medals. Pierce County, Washington, has reached a settlement agreement of more than $4 million with the family of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was heard crying out “I can’t breathe” before he died in police custody in March 2020. The Pierce County Council formally approved the $4,010,000 settlement agreement Tuesday afternoon, the council said in a statement. “As always, litigation settlements are made with risk management principles in mind. We recognize that the family and friends of Manuel Ellis are grieving, and we hope this settlement will give them some measure of closure,” said Adam Faber, a spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, named as defendants the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, six Tacoma officers — three of whom face criminal charges — and two Pierce County sheriff’s deputies. In a blistering social media post, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now a top Kremlin security adviser, lashed out at Poland for its support of Ukraine, reviving and escalating decades-long tensions between Moscow and Warsaw. Poland’s surprisingly spirited defense of Ukraine would prove “expensive and pointless,” Medvedev predicted, ominously adding that he was confident that Warsaw would “make the right choice” and embrace Russia again. Medvedev is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and served a four-year placeholder presidency when Putin was facing term limits. Medvedev went on to serve as Putin’s prime minister and is now deputy chairman of the Kremlin’s security council. Putin is the chairman. Hillsong megachurch founder Brian Houston has resigned amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. Houston was the subject of two complaints, including a 2013 incident involving inappropriate texts sent to a staffer. The second incident involved a 2019 complaint regarding a hotel room encounter with an unnamed woman. Brian Houston, the founder of the Australia-based Hillsong megachurch and also one of its pastors, has resigned following the church’s revelations that he behaved inappropriately with two women. “We would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation,” said the church’s board in a statement on Tuesday. In New Orleans, police have arrested Black four minors in connection with a deadly carjacking where an elderly White woman was dragged to death Monday afternoon. Superintendent Shaun Ferguson says that a 17-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, and two 15-year-old girls were arrested. He further added that they will be facing charges of second-degree murder in what Ferguson called a “senseless and violent incident.” The broad-daylight incident took the life of Linda Frickey, 73. The four suspects carjacked her vehicle and sped off while she was still attached to it by her seatbelt, say witnesses. https://youtu.be/gwW-DpIhi4k TikTok has become a megaphone for a lot of people all over the world. One of those people who needed that microphone to get her story out is Stephanie under the account name @inverted_yogi. Stephanie put out a series of TikTok’s blasting her husband, who is an associate pastor, for abandoning their family after the death of their daughter. Stephanie explained the situation in a TikTok that was apparently flagged for harassment and bullying but appears to be back up on her TikTok. In the original TikTok, Stephanie explains that the nurse that her husband was now in a relationship with had changed her profile picture to be one of her and Christian Gray, Stephanie’s husband. https://youtu.be/WWnNNhCQ5RM Actress Kerry Washington, who starred in Disney-owned ABC’s hit drama Scandal, is the latest celebrity to slam the company for not publicly opposing Florida‘s so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. Washington posted a statement to her social media Tuesday that she ‘does not condone the actions or inactions of Disney in this moment’ – adding that she supports Disney employees who chose to walk out this week to protest the company’s slow response to the controversy and its political donations to the legislation’s architects. ‘I wholeheartedly support the LGBTQIA+ employees, and stand with them in this walk out today. Please know that you matter. Your rights matter. Your voices matter. I encourage you all to help their voices ring louder today.’ Last week, actress Gabrielle Union also criticized Disney for its response to the bill while she was attending the ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ premiere. Bravo has announced that “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Karen Huger is getting her own spinoff that will offer viewers a glimpse into her family’s history. The spinoff titled “The Real Housewives of Potomac: Karen’s Grande Dame Reunion” is a two-part special that centers on Huger, who is an ambassador of Surry County, her husband Ray, and daughter Rayvin at the first Wooden family reunion, per Urban Hollywood 411. In the teaser trailer, Huger reveals her ancestors were slaves and listed as “property” on official documentation. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbNh5c6ltY6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Cinema is unique in its ability to bring together groups of people who may otherwise not commune naturally. When The Passion of The Christ hit theaters in 2004, it was a monumental success, raking in more than six-hundred-and-twenty-three million dollars worldwide. The film was the most well-made and brutal depiction of the crucifixion ever committed to film. It is regarded as the most successful faith-based film of all time for many. It does what any great piece of cinema should do; it moves and makes us think. It challenges audiences to reconcile one of the most iconic images of our culture, a bleeding, tortured man nailed to a cross with a crown of thorns atop his head. The film also inspires the imagination in the realm of miracles, celestial beings, good and evil, and the meaning of loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness. For all these reasons and more, regardless of world view, we anticipate Mel Gibson’s next installment with curiosity, fear, love, excitement, pity, and shame; choose your emotion. According to actor Jim Caviezel who read a recent draft of the script, we’re in store for Mel Gibson’s magnum opus. The Empire Strikes Back of Christianity is apparently a masterpiece and must be seen to be believed. During a company-wide staff meeting on Monday, Walt Disney Company executives reportedly announced the company is planning to fight the state of Texas over its order to investigate transgender medical procedures on children as child abuse. In an exclusive story, The Daily Wire reported Disney’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Paul Richardson, announced the company is planning to “take action” against Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate those performing some sex-change surgeries or puberty-blocking efforts on children. “Because of our presence in Texas,” Richardson reportedly said, “we want you to know that we’ve signed on to the Human Rights Campaign’s letter opposing the Texas bill that criminalizes parents who provide for their transgender children gender-affirming care.” Ben Shapiro, the editor emeritus of The Daily Wire tweeted a warning to parents on Tuesday. Ciara has joined the cast of the upcoming “The Color Purple” movie musical starring Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson. The Grammy winner, 36, will play Nettie, the younger sister of Celie (played by Barrino), Entertainment Weekly reports. “Honored to be a part of this beautiful ensemble and historic film, The Color Purple,” Ciara tweeted following the announcement. “Truly grateful.” As reported by Variety, the forthcoming Warner Bros. movie musical is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical from Marsha Norman, Brenda Lee, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning epistolary novel by Alice Walker. Beyoncé is set to perform at the 2022 Academy Awards on Sunday, alongside Billie Eilish, Finneas, and the other artists nominated for Best Original Song. The music icon is nominated for “Be Alive,” which she recorded for the “King Richard” soundtrack. The project stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venis and Serena Williams. It’s unclear if Bey will be performing the song live from Dolby Theatre at Ovation in Hollywood, or if it will be pre-taped performance from the tennis courts where the Williams sisters used to train in Compton, Variety reports. The other Original Song nominees will also perform their nominated singles during the awards show, including Sebastián Yatra delivering “Dos Oruguitas,” Billie Eilish and Finneas performing “No Time to Die,” and Reba McEntire singing “Somehow You Do.” Van Morrison is also nominated for his song “Down To Joy” but is unable to attend the show due to his touring schedule. The new entrepreneur-focused podcast Mining Diamonds created by Steve Stoute’s UnitedMasters, has released their latest informative episode featuring A Donahue Baker & Vin Rock titled “Real Estate & Financial Development.” The podcast’s theme derives from 235 plus years of Black innovators and entrepreneurs being unrepresented and discredited in America, despite many of their contributions continuing to shape modern society. https://youtu.be/6a3W_YkLsjM Never one to hold back an opinion, Stephen A. Smith shared his thoughts on numerous topics, from James Harden partying to taking over “First Take” from Skip Bayless, during a stirring conversation on the latest episode of “The Pivot Podcast” with the show’s co-hosts and former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. In a new episode debuting today at 12 p.m. ET on “The Pivot Podcast” YouTube Channel, Smith is joined by his ESPN colleague Clark, along with Crowder and Taylor, inside Smith’s home as he explained his feelings on his astronomical level of fame in the sports world. https://youtu.be/tBzQyiTPZ28 It’s no secret that Trey Songz is one of the latest male entertainers to be accused of sexual assault and according to Radar Online, his accuser is comparing him to one of his favorite artists…but it has nothing to do with singing! The alleged victim, Jauhara Jeffries, says Trey Songz “victimizes women of color, just like R. Kelly, because he knows no one will care or protect them.” If you can recall, she says Songz assaulted her after she met him at Diddy’s New Year’s Eve party. When they left to continue partying at a club, Jeffries says Songz inserted his fingers under her dress and into her vagina while she was standing on a couch. She also claims that his team has offered her $200K to change her story. However, his legal team denies her claims and says she’s upset because she was caught secretly filming Songz and was instructed to delete the video. https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=dbc319bf-ab70-4731-a0ec-21c0a1e6150d A video obtained by @tmz_tv shows the moment a guy pulls a gun out in front of Mike Tyson and while most people would be terrified at that moment, the boxing legend didn’t seem startled at all! In fact, the chaotic moment ended with a hug…It all happened at a small comedy show Tuesday night on a rooftop bar in Hollywood, and Mike was in attendance with a few friends, a source shared with TMZ. The show was reportedly interrupted by a random guy who approached Mike and attempted to chat him up, completely disrupting a comedian’s set. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdCoyDtICR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tonight on CLEO TV, Chef JJ is making spicy gumbo that is full of flavor! JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ has returned for season 4. The popular cooking show airs March 23 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, Chef JJ cooks up some of his favorite, flavorful dishes. On the menu this week is JJ’s version of delicious gumbo and he brings it home with a miso mushroom ramen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFCcxn3mNeg LEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX continues tonight, Wednesday, March 23 at 9:30 P.M. EST/8:30C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells is back with the remix, as he serves up international cuisine in the series' condensed, 30-minute format. This week, viewers will get Chef Jernard's quick BBQ snapper sandwich! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wngLVYAUy5w Jamaicans appear to be over the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, as the government is reportedly in the process of removing her as head of state. The move comes amid Prince William and Duchess Kate’s royal tour, “which palace sources have described as a “charm offensive” to win over people of the Caribbean, where the queen remains the reigning monarch of eight countries,” per Harpers Bazaar. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Jamaica on March 22, as part of an eight-day Caribbean tour. They were greeted by protesters who are calling for reparations for the slave trade. “Good Morning Britain” reporter Noel Phillips, who is in Jamaica covering the visit, said: “I’ve been speaking to a source within the Prime Minister’s Government who has told me that as soon as they leave, Jamaica will begin the process of removing the Queen as head of state. Erica Campbell has shared her take on Kanye West’s latest online antics that have seen him calling out everyone from his ex-wife Kim Kardashian to comedian D.L. Hughley and “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah. When a TMZ reporter asked the gospel singer her opinion on Ye’s “erratic,” social media posts, Campbell replied, “I just think if you’re trying to be like God on Sunday, then you should be like him on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday [and Saturday] as well.“ “Does that mean perfection? Not at all,” she noted. “It means your choices should be governed by what you believe. If you believe in faith and being kind and being gracious and understanding and being patient, then you have to be that way all week long.” “But you know, we all go through things. We don’t always get it right so prayers up for Kanye,” she added. https://youtu.be/sN6Eq6PcnUs Season 2 of the hilarious comedy “Millennials” is back and we caught up with some of the cast members to dish about what fans can expect. The ALLBLK series centers around the lives of four 20-something roommates and their neighbor across the hall as they navigate the chaos of being young, finding success, and finding themselves in the city of angels. In the new season, the crew is back with a new roommate, new love connections, and a fresh set of challenges as they strive to go from no money to mo’ money, per press release. https://twitter.com/i/status/1505934557274640389 Kanye West recently tapped popular Instagram blogger Jason Lee, founder of Hollywood Unlocked, to serve as his social media manager and rumor has it that Lee is to blame for the rapper getting temporarily banned on Instagram. Lee spoke about joining forces with Ye in an interview with Variety prior to the official announcement. “I think after the interview on Hollywood Unlocked, it was clear that we had an aligned vision for leveling the playing field in media,” Lee says. “Ye voiced a vision for a company he was building, and that media was an arm of that, and he felt I could be an asset.” Lee made headlines recently when he falsely reported Britain’s Queen Elizabeth was dead. West’s online antics have seen him call out everyone from his ex-wife Kim Kardashian to blogger Perez Hilton and comedian D.L. Hughley.” Producers of this year’s Grammy Awards dropped him from the lineup of performers after he referred to “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah as a “Koon-Baya” on Instagram. That post prompted IG to ban him from the platform for 24 hours for violating its policy against bullying and harassment. Megan Thee Stallion and the boss of her record label Carl Crawford continue to trade jabs amid their ongoing legal battle over her contract. As reported by Vlad TV, Crawford took to social media to clap back at the rapper’s accusation that he is addicted to prescription pills. Crawford called Megan a “bonafide alcoholic,” and warned that she should expect a new defamation complaint very soon. The 1501 Certified Entertainment CEO recently told Megan to “Stop playing the victim” amid their strained professional relationship. A countersuit has been filed in Megan’s legal battle with Crawford. In the new complaint, the label refuses to acknowledge her 2021 effort “Something for Thee Hotties” as an album and therefore wants a judge to agree that it should not be counted toward their contractual agreement, Complex reports. In a bizarre FOX Business phone interview, former US President Donald Trump says Russian President Vladimir Putin loves the “n-word.” But, not that one — nuclear weapons. While phoning into ‘Varney & Co,’ No. 45 not only alleged that current US President Joe Biden has done very little to halt fast-rising gas prices and save lives in the Russian-Ukrainian war, but also spoke on his relationship with Putin. In the conversation, Trump also advised Biden on how to stop Putin from gaining additional momentum and prevent him from accessing his nuclear weaponry. On his call, Trump said, “I listen to him constantly using the N-Word. That’s the N-Word and he’s constantly using it, the nuclear word…We say, ‘Oh, he’s a nuclear power,’ but we’re a greater nuclear power. We have the greatest submarines in the world, the most powerful machines ever built and they got built under me. The most powerful machines ever built and nobody knows where they are. [Biden] should say, ‘If you mention that word [nuclear] one more time, we’re gonna send over and we’ll be coasting back and forth, up and down your coast. You can’t let this tragedy continue. You can’t let these, these thousands of people die.” #Socialites, thoughts? https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYl9ppPJhg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Master P is speaking out about why so many rappers die young. In a conversation with HipHopDX, P said “it’s because of the drugs and people not being held accountable.” “As a young person, we always say, ‘Oh, he’s young, but she’s young. Let them go, do. They going to figure it out.’ Everybody don’t figure it out,” Master P explained. “You either going to be a tragedy or testimony. A lot of people don’t get to be a testimony. It normally don’t work like your situation, my situation, it don’t happen that often.” The hip-hop veteran said many young rappers lack “the right leadership or the right older people around us to tell us that we wrong.” “Even the parents end up being friends. One thing I love about my parents and my grandparents, they never was my friends. When I went to them, I know that I got the real. I think that people as parents, if you got a young person that’s in Hip Hop, or just in general, in life, stop trying to cheat the game… Stop trying to just have fun with your kids,” he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbVUhDuls45/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Sasha and Malia Obama were spotted hiking in the Hollywood Hills on Mar. 16. In pictures obtained by the Daily Mail, the siblings are seen dressed in black fitness attire while walking along a scenic trail in Los Angeles. As reported by MadameNoire, the images damn near broke the internet, with one Twitter user commenting, “I love how Malia look like Obama if he was a babe and Sasha look like 87% Michelle, 13% Obama. Gorgeous girls them East African genes strong asf.” Another wrote, “Will always love Michelle Malia & Sasha for being black women in the public eye who took all that shit in stride, minded their business and never let the haters see them sweat. And also serving looks. Dr. Bill Winston presents The 2022 Business & Leadership Conference (BLC), a multi-day hybrid experience that will equip entrepreneurs and leaders with strategies and tools to create their own economies and dominate their industries. From March 24 - 26, 2022, attendees from all over the world will enjoy this hybrid experience of in-person and virtual networking opportunities. With many of the COVID-19 restrictions recently lifted in Chicago, more than 2,000 people have already registered to attend in person, while thousands more are expected to attend online. Byron Allen, history maker, media mogul, and founder of Allen Media Broadcasting and Entertainment Studios – the first African American owned multi-platform media studio – has been added as a featured speaker on Saturday, March 26. Mr. Allen will share how he launched his career in media, how he amassed his more than $450 million fortune, and why now is the right time to become a business owner. Fresh from his 4th Number One Radio single to hit the BDS charts comes Earnest Pugh placing a new twist on an old favorite. The award winning singer, psalmist, author, teacher and worship leader has joy in his heart and praise on his lips as he wants the world to know that God Did It. Earnest revels in the release of the song, "I can't find anyone on this planet who doesn't love the inimitable Momma Evelyn Turrentine Agee's powerful declaration. The song became extraordinarily meaningful to me as I experienced a bout with Covid-19 last year. My body was attacked with a vengeance, but God gave me victory and I felt compelled to give sound as my response to God's faithfulness, that sound was simply God Did It! I want this song to be a blessing to the body of believers everywhere that a Sovereign God will take care of you and even sustain within the midst of something that other people die from. I am ever grateful." Rapper Pusha T penned the“I’m Lovin’ It” marketing campaign for McDonald’s back in 2003 and now he’s speaking out about not getting paid for the iconic jingle. Pusha T recently shared with Rolling Stone that he and his brother Malice, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams worked on the campaign together but claims he and Malice were only paid a one-time fee, and no royalties.“I am solely responsible for the ’I’m Lovin‘ It’ swag and the jingle of that company,” he shared with Rolling Stone. “That’s just real. I am the reason.” He added, “I did it at a very young age at a very young time in my career where I wasn’t asking for as much money and ownership,” Pusha told the publication. https://youtu.be/GApPXZAvkRI The Kansas City Chiefs traded six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks: a 2022 first-round pick (No. 29), second-round pick (No. 50) and fourth-round pick, plus fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2023 draft on Wednesday. The Dolphins also are giving Hill a four-year, $120 million extension, including $72.2 million guaranteed and also including $52.535 million at signing, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN. The deal, which is pending a physical, makes Hill the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. The $72.2 million total becomes fully guaranteed at the start of the 2023 league year. The three-year total of the deal is $72.5 million. Malik Willis brought electric energy and a cannon of an arm to his Liberty pro day Tuesday, where all 32 NFL teams were in attendance. The Flames quarterback, who turns 23 next month, showed off deep throwing ability and quick footwork to go with precise field vision, as he appeared to impress Steelers brass. Willis, a red-shirt senior at Liberty University and a top quarterback prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft, was all smiles after hitting a 65-yard target while on the move. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert, in particular, appeared to enjoy the show in viral videos. Willis opted out of running the 40-yard dash and any other testing Tuesday. After his stellar workout, Willis said he had dinner with Tomlin on Monday night. “He was eating chicken wings,” Willis said. “He’s like a normal dude.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3vpcx3Sv20 At least six people reportedly died and many more were injured after a small ferry collided with a cargo ship and sank on Sunday on the Shitalakshya River in central Bangladesh. According to reports, dozens of passengers on the packed ferry remain missing in the horrific accident that was captured on camera. As reported by TooFab, the small ferry was carrying around 50 people to Munshiganj, when it crossed the path of the gargantuan Rupshi-9. Several passengers are seen in the footage jumping from the ferry as the cargo ship forced them underwater. https://youtu.be/p2PHjj7JLoM Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson‘s writings, remarks and decisions as she wrestled with the highly sensitive issue of child pornography crimes are the focus of a new GOP line of attack on President Joe Biden’s pick for the Supreme Court. Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley zeroed in on that area of Jackson’s record, with a Wednesday night Twitter thread highlighting examples that he sensationally described as “a pattern of letting child porn offenders off the hook for their appalling crimes” — including a law review note she published as a law student, her work on the US Sentencing Commission and her approach to cases as a judge. “Every parent in America cares about child porn offenders. I do,” Hawley told CNN on Thursday. “I think everybody watching these hearings is gonna want to hear these questions asked.” https://youtu.be/mzahfYNuV60 Billy Turner was indicted in 2017 on a charge of first-degree murder related to the 2010 slaying of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright. On Monday, the Tennessee man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Wright, who was 34-years-old when he died, played for the Memphis Grizzlies and four other NBA teams as a forward and center over 13 seasons before retiring in 2009. His badly decomposed body was found in Memphis on July 28, 2010, 10 days after his family reported him missing. He was visiting Memphis from his home in the Atlanta area in the summer of 2010 when he disappeared. Fox News reported that the father of six was last seen on July 18, 2010, as he left the home of his ex-wife, Sherra Wright. According to an affidavit, Sherra told police she saw him leave her home carrying money and a box of drugs. She also claims to have overheard her ex-husband on the phone telling someone that he was going to “flip something for $110,000.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1506040547823259650 Mayor Eric Adams has tapped former Brooklyn Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo as his cultural affairs commissioner. Cumbo confirmed to THE CITY on Wednesday that at the time she was unclear about what her role would be. “All I have done is filled out paperwork to be onboarded in a position in the Adams administration. It has not been confirmed to me which position at this time,” she said in a phone interview last week, Patch reports. Cumbo told the outlet that she is ready to “assist in achieving the goals and positions for Mayor Eric Adams,” she said. Cumbo previously came under fire for comments made about a bill to allow non-citizens to vote in city elections. “Where do African American voters fit in?” she asked at the time, as reported by New York Daily News. “This particular legislation is going to shift the power dynamics in New York City in a major way.” In 2015, Laurie Cumbo expressed concern over what she called “blocs” of Asian residents moving into public housing in her district, as reported by Documented NY. Baby Cino, whose real name is Timothy Starks, was fatally shot multiple times after being let out on bond from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Wednesday. According to WSVN, “Starks was picked up in a red Nissan — still wearing an inmate wristband — that was gunned down just minutes later, the news outlet adds. The shooter reportedly began firing at least 40 shots from another vehicle as Starks’ car entered Palmetto Expressway during rush hour. The Nissan hit a wall on the ramp, and Starks suffered several gunshot wounds, including one to his head, according to the Herald. He was 20.” Stark’s friend, Dante Collins Banks was also shot and taken to a local hospital after receiving injuries to his abdomen. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZA23grpas/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again It wouldn’t be a Senate hearing without some self-righteous histrionics and political theater from Lindsey Graham. And that is exactly what happened on the second day of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson‘s confirmation hearing Tuesday after the South Carolina Senator argued with Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin over the release of Guantanamo Bay detainees following his line of questioning of the Supreme Court nominee. https://youtu.be/Rqd-3llo63o Horrifying footage shows the Boeing 737 jet’s final seconds after it plunged 29,100ft in around a minute and a half. The passenger jet flown by China Eastern Airlines came down in Guangxi, China, on Monday, state media said. https://youtu.be/U6pA53Vk1Fw An Alabama liquor store owner has sued after a police officer responding to a robbery call at his store punched him in the face and broke his jaw in March 2020. The Decatur Daily reports that Kevin Penn sued the city of Decatur and police officer Justin Rippen on March 11 in federal court. Penn is Black and Rippen is white. The suit alleges the incident is an example of systematic use of “excessive force” by the Decatur Police Department that the city often ignores. The lawsuit alleges Penn’s constitutional rights were violated by illegal seizure, false arrest and excessive force, seeking money damages. City Attorney Herman Marks said Thursday his department hasn’t yet received the lawsuit and declined comment. Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling said he regrets a lawsuit has been filed but referred questions to Marks. Prosecutors in California say a man and a woman accused of shooting and stabbing to death a Black Navy veteran at a gas station on March 15 committed a hate crime. Police say Justin Peoples, 30, was shot once and stabbed multiple times at a Chevron gas station in Tracy, California, shortly after 9 p.m. Christine Garner, 42, and Jeremy Jones, 49, were arrested and charged with murder the next morning. Images released by the San Joaquin County prosecutor’s office show what appear to be white supremacist tattoos on Jones’ body. Garner’s Facebook page indicates she and Jones are “in a relationship.” A third person, Christopher Dimenco, 58, was charged with accessory to murder for allegedly helping Garner and Jones “avoid or escape” arrest. Delane Gordon, a DoorDash driver, was a few hundred yards from his delivery destination when a police officer passed him, hooked a U-turn and pulled him over for speeding. On the side of the road in Collegedale, Tenn., Gordon “politely and repeatedly” asked to speak to the police officer’s supervisor, Gordon’s attorney says. But the situation escalated as the police officer demanded that Gordon get out of the car while Gordon refused, video of the March 10 incident shows. https://wapo.st/3NaF5a6 When Daye Covington visited her doctor for a routine physical last year, she expressed concern about weight gain in her belly that she said made her look seven months pregnant. But she knew she wasn’t pregnant, and she had a healthy lifestyle. An MRI revealed that she had multiple uterine fibroids — non cancerous growths in the uterus — the size of cantaloupes. “First, I was relieved to know that I was not pregnant because I was not trying to be pregnant,” she told NBC News, “and then I was scared, because I didn’t know much about fibroids.” Uterine fibroids are rarely discussed, despite being a common condition, particularly for Black women. Experts say that by age 35, about half of Black women have had them, and by age 50, 80 percent of Black women have them, compared to 70 percent of white women. Black women are also more likely to have higher fibroid growth than other racial groups. While most cases require no treatment, in some instances, they can cause weight gain, heavy periods, frequent urination or pelvic pain, and they may require surgery. When Mauise Ricard III paid a $560.43 application fee to Wells Fargo & Co. on Valentine’s Day in 2020 to refinance his mortgage on a four-bedroom brick colonial in a leafy suburb of Atlanta, he had every reason to expect an easy ride. The Microsoft Corp. engineer is married to a doctor and has a credit score north of 800, putting him in America’s credit elite. The loan officer at the bank even told him he was probably eligible for a fast-track appraisal. It didn’t take long for problems to appear. Ricard’s house—an investment property that was his home before he moved to another Atlanta suburb in 2017—is in a predominantly Black neighborhood, and in April, the loan officer emailed to say that “perhaps the area is not eligible” for a rapid valuation. By May, she was writing to say the underwriter had more questions. Soon after, Ricard was told he would have to pay a higher 4.5% rate, even though the Federal Reserve had slashed rates to historic lows. Within weeks, Wells Fargo had denied his application. “They kept moving the needle,” Ricard says. “They didn’t want to move forward for whatever reason.” Ricard wasn’t alone. Nationwide, only 47% of Black homeowners who completed a refinance application with Wells Fargo in 2020 were approved, compared with 72% of White homeowners, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of federal mortgage data. Brandon Manning and his wife were both born in the U.S. South and had been itching to return, but Manning didn’t want to go back to his native Atlanta because of the traffic, housing costs and sprawl. So, when he was offered a job teaching at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, the couple decided to give the smaller city a chance. They weren’t alone. The largest African American population growth in pure numbers over the past decade didn’t take place in Atlanta or Houston, long identified as hubs of Black life, but rather in less congested cities with lower profiles: Fort Worth; Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Each gained between 32,000 and 40,000 new Black residents from 2010 to 2020, according to 2020 census figures. Meanwhile, Black residents left the nation’s largest cities, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, by the tens of thousands. William Byron should not have felt comfortable as the leader with 10 laps remaining Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The leader typically has trouble controlling the race when the drivers behind him have the ability to use the aerodynamic draft to get a run from behind and a push to challenge for the lead. Bubba Wallace knew that and pretty much relinquished the lead to Byron. But the Hendrick Motorsports driver had a fast car, the drivers behind him failed to execute the move many expected, and Byron earned his third career Cup victory and first of 2022. Byron became the first winner at the newly configured Atlanta, a 1.54-mile track now designed to race like Daytona and Talladega, as the increased banking requires NASCAR to reduce horsepower to keep speeds manageable. “Captain America” star Anthony Mackie has reportedly purchased 20 acres of land in New Orleans East which he intends to use to build a new film studio. As reported by nola.com, the land is right off of the I-10 Service Road and Read Boulevard. The location will be the base for Mackie’s new production company, East Studios LLC, and he intends to buy more space nearby. The New Orleans native is a graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), and is best known as Marvel’s The Falcon. Mackie has been tapped to star in the fourth installment of the Captain America film franchise for the studio. Mackie fans can currently catch him in the “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” series on Disney+. “Storage Wars” stars Rene and Casey Nezhoda uncovered some legendary memorabilia from an Olympic star during a Season 14 episode. According to TMZ, Rene dropped several thousand dollars on the memorabilia that he acquired eight years ago in the San Diego area. He initially planned to sell the items on eBay or to an auction house but once he made contact with the late athlete’s family, he decided to return the items to Flo Jo’s husband, Olympic gold medalist, Al Joyner. Al Joyner let two of his lockers go for auction upon Flo-Jo’s sudden 1988 death, due to suffocation in her sleep in an epileptic fit. He didn’t realize the amount of gems that were still left inside. He knew he had to reach out to Nezhoda and buy them off of him. https://youtu.be/-yp_icNCumg Rapper Theophilus London revealed over the weekend that he confronted D.L. Hughley about his recent comments regarding his friend Ye. In a recent interview with VladTV, Hughley clapped back at the artist formerly known as Kanye West (now known simply as Ye) after the rapper threatened to “hurt” the comedian for accusing the artist of stalking his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. London, who appears on Ye’s 2015 track “All Day,” hopped on his Instagram Story and posted a series of photos and clips in which he claimed he approached the comedian to directly demand that he apologize to West. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYh8DdlpQW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund hosted day one of its 25th Annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit, on Monday, March 21 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. The Summit kicked off with the Labor & Ministers Breakfast, hosted by legendary Radio and TV Personality G. Keith Alexander, followed by the session Wall Street Project’s Impact Then and Now: Expansion and Utilization of Diversity Broker-Dealers and Asset Managers. The Wall Street Project Business Luncheon honored John W. Rogers, Jr., Chairman, Co-CEO & Chief Investment Officer, Ariel Investments, Dr. Alan Greenspan, Former Chairman, Federal Reserve System, and BNY Mellon’s Pershing who received the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award in recognition of its Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Council. Representing the voices of diverse clients, members who bring real-time experience and collaborate with Pershing on ways to engage MBE Broker-Dealers and Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) to support their success in the marketplace. https://youtu.be/9cSC8-x3hAo Last week, Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) announced the introduction of Assembly Bill (AB) 1655, legislation that would make Juneteenth a paid holiday in California. AB 1655 is co-authored by Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-South Los Angeles) and Mia Bonta (D-Oakland). Weber, Bonta and Jones-Sawyer are all members of the California Legislative Black Caucus. “It is time that June 19th has the status it deserves in California to honor the significant contributions of Black Americans to our nation and reflect on the long struggle for freedom,” Weber said, speaking during an Assembly session Jan. 15. “By making Juneteenth an official state holiday, California would demonstrate its commitment to celebrating the emancipation of all slaves.” If the Legislature approves AB 1655 and Gov. Newsom signs it into law, it would amend current statutes to include June 19th as an official state holiday for public schools, community colleges, and California State University systems. It would also grant paid time-off to all state employees. The cause of death for Walking Dead actor Moses J Moseley could not be determined. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the investigation was unable to resolve whether the shooting was intentional or accidental. In January, Moseley’s body was found in his car. Family and friends believed something was going on. They thought he was kidnapped or murdered; however, Georgia police were investigating the incident as a possible suicide. TMZ reports, “The death certificate states Moses shot himself, but the doc also says the intent behind the fatal gunshot is unknown.” President Biden offered his condolences to the family in a letter. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYGHYrBCGw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again After releasing an electrifying music video supporting the new red-hot single “Bakin,” hip hop artists Desiigner, DJ Whoo Kid, and Slushii are still on a roll – and they took the late actor-comedian Bob Saget along for the musical ride a few weeks before his death. The video, shot in Los Angeles this past December, stars Saget as a master chef. He hilariously switches the word “Bakin” – the song’s title – with the word “bacon,” the food. With Desiigner squarely upfront with his smooth rap style, DJ Whoo Kid and Slushii add to the hot video with timely antics and visual energy. Scantily-clad women – one of whom is porn star Kendra Sunderland, are in the video, with co-star Sunderland standing next to Saget while his bacon sizzles. https://youtu.be/xtgt2PI7roA Last night, on his 42nd birthday, Jamal Crawford announced his retirement from the NBA. Crawford is one of eight players in NBA history to play for 20 seasons; only Vince Carter (22), Robert Parish (21) and Kevin Willis (21) had a longer career. Crawford will go down as arguably the greatest sixth man of all-time, and he’s one of just two players to win the Sixth Man of the Year award three times. He was known for creating instant offense off of the bench, and he was one of the league’s best ball-handlers — consistently coming up with new moves and wowing fans with his handles. He scored the second-most points off the bench in NBA history (trailing only Lou Williams), per StatMuse. https://youtu.be/rG_DUD-cKFE After seven years—Multi-Stellar Award Nominated Gospel Recording Artist Alexis Spight is being released from her recording contract assumed by Uncle G Promotions and Entertainment in 2015. Following Ms. Spight’s successful run on season five of BET’s Gospel Music competition “Sunday Best” in 2011, Alexis was signed to Music World Gospel in 2012 and further released to Uncle G Promotions and Entertainment in 2015. Miss Spight’s sophomore album—, executively produced by Greg “Uncle G” Lyons—“Dear Diary” debuted at the top of the Gospel Album Chart. After record breaking success with Hit singles “All The Glory” which was No. 1 on the Gospel Indicator charts for three consecutive weeks, No. 5 on Mediabase and No. 7 on the Gospel National Airplay charts and “It Will Be Alright” was a success, Alexis recognizes the hard work and dedication Uncle G Promotions put in to working her first and second albums and how that collaboration was an essential part of Alexis’ personal and professional growth after her time on Sunday Best. “I am thankful to God for the opportunity and am looking forward to all that God has in store for the future of my career. Thank you Mr. Lyons for all that you taught me. I’m so grateful for you. I wouldn’t be who I am today had it not been for all of your significant contributions. May God continue to bless you.” After a seven year anticipation, Spight is finally gearing up to get back in the studio, soon to record her comeback single. Just shy of her thirtieth birthday July of next year, Alexis is excited to catch listeners up on her growth as well as illuminate God’s faithfulness by way of expression through her highly anticipated new music. Jason Crabb, 2-time GRAMMY winner, 2018 inductee in the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and an internationally renowned male vocalist, author, actor, TV host, and musician visited Western Kentucky last week to announce his partnership with Relevant Church of Paducah and the Kentucky Dream Center. Crabb along with Pastor and NY Times best-selling author, Jentezen Franklin of Gainesville, GA, and the disaster relief group, God’s Pit Crew, made a significant donation of toys, bicycles, and household items to aid in a Christmas in July event planned for Western Kentucky families in tornado affected counties. Joel Cauley, lead pastor at Relevant Church, is planning a “Christmas in July” event this July to distribute toys to children and families affected by the tornadoes. He said there would be multiple days planned in different communities so that families did not have to travel far to get donations. “This was just an incredible response to the need,” Cauley said of the toy donations that arrived Monday. “And so now, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of kids [are] gonna get an amazing second Christmas here in just a couple of months.” The specialty footwear and lifestyle chain, The Athlete’s Foot, (TAF) announced GRAMMY-winning gospel artist turned entrepreneur, Tasha Cobbs Leonard as the first female recipient of TAF USA’s new signature program, StAART which stands for Strategic African American Retail Track. The program was founded by TAF, in the summer of 2020 at the height of the Black Lives Matter Movement to generate awareness and promote change for one of the great disparities in the footwear industry. "Grateful is the word that comes to mind when I explore my feelings about my new venture with The Athlete's Foot. I'm grateful that I have an opportunity to be a leader and an example that black and brown girls need in order to believe they can be whatever they want to be," shares Tasha Cobbs Leonard about her next chapter as a franchise owner. The multi-award-winning singer currently owns several successful lifestyle brands and with a passion for the fashion and clothing industry, the self-professed "sneakerhead" is now taking on the footwear world. As a new franchise owner of The Athlete's Foot, Cobbs-Leonard is currently scouting locations for her store which will be located in her hometown of Greenville, S.C. and giving the city its first TAF. The family says the trailblazer of The Anointed Pace Sisters, Lashun Pace has died. The gospel singer-songwriter was 60 years old. Pace was on dialysis for five years waiting for a kidney and died of organ failure Monday morning, her sister, Lydia Pace told 11Alive’s Shiba Russell. The Atlanta native was part of the renowned sibling gospel group The Anointed Pace Sisters. Born in Atlanta’s Poole Creek community, the Grammy-nominated group made up of nine sisters first shared their family melody in church and local talent shows before rising to gospel stardom. Known for her hit songs “I Know I’ve Been Changed” and “Act Like You Know,” Pace also carved out her own career and released solo albums. A snippet of LaShun’s 1996 hit ‘Act Like You Know’ recently became a TikTok trend, which Lydia said LaShun was so excited about, encouraging her to start working on another album. The Gospel Spotlight's LaShun Pace.... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lashun_pace.htm Bringing something new and diverse to music is Reach Records artist WHATUPRG, whose name is synonymous with innovation and authenticity. His trademark combination of Latin rhythms, trap hip-hop, flawless lyricism, and captivating storytelling has enshrined him as an elite amongst his peers. When hip-hop artists express their faith, they're often confined to the CHH genre. RG's art is prolific, progressive, and challenges the culture in a way too eclectic way for any subgenre's limitations. His new single, "KIDZ," the first from his forthcoming album, New Hollywood, is about setting new standards. He punches over 808 drums and haunting synths while chanting the album's theme, "We don't pretend more" and "kids don't die we go up high." In this case, high means higher to God, an exalted level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ03T_bo3xI Will Smith continues to pick up awards for his performance in the biopic “King Richard,” in which he stars as Richard Williams, the father of tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams. During his acceptance speech for the Best Actor win at the National Board of Review gala in New York City, Smith showed some love to fellow actor Bradley Cooper. “We all have that thing in us. We have a dream, and it seems crazy, the thing that you want to do,” Smith told the attendees, according to People. “I look at Bradley Cooper. I’ve seen pictures of him when he was young — he didn’t look like this! He grew into that,” he added. “He let the dream blossom inside of him. I can’t even concentrate; he’s so beautiful.” Some might say Smith fueled gay rumors about himself by gushing over Cooper’s beauty. Later in the event, Cooper, who is said to be openly gay in Hollywood, was presenting awards to “Licorice Pizza” film’s stars and replied to Smith’s comment about his looks, saying, “I’m not gonna forget that, Will.” Kanye West has been pulled from performing at this year’s Grammys due to “concerning online behavior,” three sources close to the artist confirmed to CNN. The decision, which was first reported by The Blast, comes days after West, who now goes by Ye, was temporarily banned from Instagram after using a racial slur directed at “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah. Noah is also the host of next month’s Grammy Awards. West’s derogatory social media post was in response to Noah expressing concern over the artist’s recent treatment of his former wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, “SNL” star Pete Davidson during an episode of his show last week. A source close to Noah told CNN that he had nothing to do with West’s performance being canceled and that he has not had any conversations with producers or the Recording Academy, who produces the show, about West. “Trevor never asked the Grammys to ban Kanye from performing. He was not offended by Kanye’s Instagram post and Trevor responded on Instagram. The notion that Trevor or his team asked the Grammys to ban Kanye is ridiculous,” the source said. CNN has not yet received comment from the Recording Academy and West has not commented publicly. https://youtu.be/KWvr0biy0Kw Lisa Bonet’s ex Lenny Kravitz shared a photo on Saturday of him and her current husband Jason Momoa enjoying a motorcycle ride. Ride or die. Brothers for life,” the “Fly Away” Kravitz captioned the photo. Lenny’s daughter with Bonet, actress Zoë Kravitz, commented under the photo: “Well isn’t this just adorable. love you both so much.” Bonet and Momoa are said to be working on their marriage after the “Aqua Man” star announced in a since-deleted Instagram post in January that they were separating after 17 years together. https://www.instagram.com/lennykravitz/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=cfe5c929-27f3-4119-8628-b62c89f31b79 Former rapper turned-preacher Ma$e called out Diddy in a recent Instagram post in which he shed more light about artists being mistreated under Bad Boy Records. Diddy signed Ma$e more than two decades ago and after they parted way, Ma$e claims Diddy refused to accept his $2 million dollar offer to buy back his music publishing. Diddy allegedly purchased the publishing rights for $20,000 in 1996, per Complex. Ma$e said he’s speaking out on behalf of all the Bad Boy alum who were mistreated by Diddy. “When I see the hurt and the pains of other people on Bad Boy, that motivates me to say something, so I don’t be deemed as a person who just made a bunch of money and turned a blind eye,” he said via Instagram Live. “I’m not going to be like the rest of the people around Puff that don’t tell him he’s wrong. I’m not gonna be like the ‘yes’ men around him that see him ruining people lives and never tell him he’s wrong. More people on here will tell me I’m wrong, but won’t say anything to him. They’ll judge my beliefs, they’ll judge my Christianity, and they’ll say nothing to Puff. They’ll say nothing about it’s a concert for Biggie, and Biggie own daughter couldn’t get in. They don’t say nothing about that. But all of his friends got 50 and 60 tickets. We’re done with your games.” Tammy Williams is set to become the first Black woman to own a multi-million dollar film studio in Georgia. Tammy is an entertainment industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. She has written, developed, or produced several documentaries, network news biographies, and other film varieties. “We’ve been patient. This has not been an overnight thing, this vision for us,” Tammy said to AJC earlier this month. She added that she has wanted to build her own studio space for the past 12 years. The facility, named Cinema South Studios, will be located in Fayetteville, just a few miles from Tyler Perry Studios, which is in Atlanta. She has partnered with investor Gary Guidry to build the facility. It will cost $135 million. Guidry, who is also her business partner, said that the demand for soundstages is, “happening globally and the ownership rarely looks like us, let alone an African American woman.” “When I choose to invest, I evaluate the need of the business and the ownership,” Guidry added. “Investing in Tammy Williams and her team of professionals convinced me that buying the land in Fayetteville, GA was a sound decision with the talents of her at the helm.” https://youtu.be/LuDfLbEN4Us Will Smith recently made clear that he and wife Jada Pinkett Smith do not have an open marriage. Industry insiders and folks who claim to know the couple personally are speaking out about their Hollywood marriage. One industry source told The Post: “Look at all the A-list couples on the red carpet — who knows what goes on with them. At least with Jada and Will, there is no pretending.” “Their love is deeply rooted and it goes to the core and neither one is going anywhere,” said a Smith family source. “But just because that love is present does not mean that every need is necessarily met within the marriage. An outside experience is occasionally desired or, one would say, needed.” One insider who knows the couple told The Post: “It’s not true to say they were never monogamous to begin with — this is the evolution of a marriage.” In 2020, the couple admitted to being on a break when Jada began an “entanglement” with R&B singer August Alsina. The following year, Will told GQ that he and Jada had “given each other trust and freedom” because marriage “can’t be a prison.” He added: “Jada never believed in conventional marriage.” Will told GQ last September that he and Jada’s relationship had evolved beyond monogamy. Will Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson Make History as the First Black Woman on the Supreme Court? The Senate confirmation hearing for Harvard law grad and DC native Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51 gets underway today. She is the first Black woman under consideration and has gone through the Senate confirmation process three times previously. She has served less than a year in her current role on the DC US Circuit Court of Appeals. Before that, she was a judge on DC’s federal trial court for eight years. Raised in Miami, she was also vice-chair of the US Sentencing Commission between 2010 and 2014. All three roles required Senate confirmation testimony, yet those were not as high profile as the SCOTUS position, a lifelong job. https://youtu.be/k7aupVWHM7c The “People’s Convoy” in DC was disrupted on Saturday by a lone cyclist who brought the truckers’ protest to a standstill, as seen in viral videos shared on social media. The convoy was inspired by Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” of truckers. Per Newsweek, “Hundreds of truckers and other motorists made their way to Washington D.C. earlier this month after traveling across the country to voice their frustration at COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other grievances.” The truckers are against Biden’s vaccine mandates. The D.C. protest has disrupted traffic and angered residents, including one man who responded by hopping on his bike and moving at a snail’s pace in a lane of traffic in front of the truckers. https://twitter.com/i/status/1505312396839206912 A new lawsuit filed against Google accuses the company of systemic bias against Black employees. In a lawsuit filed on Friday, April Curley, the plaintiff, alleges that the tech giant puts Black staffers in low-paying, low-level positions. According to Reuters, the lawsuit claims Google maintains a “racially biased corporate culture” that favors white men. The complaint is seeking class action-status and notes that Black employees “make up only 4.4 percent of employees and only 3 percent of leadership,” per the report. Additionally, Curley said “Google subjected Black people to a hostile work environment, often requiring them to show identification or be questioned by security at its Mountain View, California campus,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/ugxqbE832Jw Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC, on Friday evening “after experiencing flu-like symptoms,” the court’s public information office said Sunday evening. “He underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection, and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics,” the court’s press release said. “His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two. Justice Thomas will participate in the consideration and discussion of any cases for which he is not present on the basis of the briefs, transcripts, and audio of the oral arguments,” it added. https://youtu.be/9z_KMC_X8T8 Virginian-Pilot newspaper reporter and former CNN news assistant Sierra Jenkins was among the individuals shot and killed in an early Saturday morning shooting that left one more person dead and three others injured, Norfolk, Virginia, police said. She was 25. Jenkins was leaving a downtown Norfolk restaurant, Chicho’s Pizza Backstage, when an argument started outside the establishment, followed by gunfire. Officers responded to the scene around 2 a.m. and found Jenkins and two men with life-threatening gunshot wounds. One of the men, 25-year-old Devon M. Harris, was pronounced dead on scene, and the second was transported to the hospital, police said in a news release. Jenkins was also transported to the hospital, where she later died, police said. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/20/news-reporter-sierra-jenkins-killed-in-norfolk-va-shooting-video/ This is the shocking moment a passenger plane with 132 on board nosedives vertically into a mountain at 350mph. Horrifying footage shows the Boeing 737 jet’s final seconds after it plunged 29,100ft in around minute and a half. The passenger jet flown by China Eastern Airlines came down in Guangxi, China, on Monday, state media said. https://youtu.be/U6pA53Vk1Fw Ukraine’s president on Sunday called on Israel to take a stronger stand against Russia, delivering an emotional appeal that compared Russia’s invasion of his country to the actions of Nazi Germany. In a speech to Israeli lawmakers over Zoom, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was time for Israel, which has emerged as a key mediator between Ukraine and Russia, to finally take sides. He said Israel should follow its Western allies by imposing sanctions and providing arms to Ukraine. “One can ask for a long time why we can’t accept weapons from you or why Israel didn’t impose sanctions against Russia, why you are not putting pressure on Russian business,” he said. “It is your choice, dear brothers and sisters.” As Coloradans celebrate Black History Month, a trailblazer among Black aviators is working to make sure more young Black Coloradans have opportunities to take to the skies. United Airlines Captain M’lis Ward, a Denver resident, said she is working with her employer to make sure those in marginalized communities can access a future in the airline industry. “In 1998 I became the first Black woman to become captain at United Airlines,” Ward said. Ward was not only the first Black woman to become a captain for United, but she was also the first Black woman captain for any commercial passenger airline in the United States. However, even nearly 25 years after she made the historic move to being a captain, there are few Black women working as pilots in the profession. Black women entrepreneurs are using their businesses as vessels to drive change within their local communities. Amongst those impactful founders is Forty Acres Fresh Market creator and CEO Elizabeth Abunaw who recently received a multi-million dollar grant from the city of Chicago to advance her business. Although Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, when it comes to securing capital for their ventures they’re faced with barriers that stem from an unleveled playing field. Research shows they receive a mere 0.27 percent of all U.S. VC funding. Despite the odds, women like Abunaw are rising above the inequities and charting transformative paths in the realm of entrepreneurship. A Bronx mother of two who days ago told relatives she was scared of her boyfriend was found dead in her apartment, police and family members said. Bjana James, 37, was found dead in her apartment in the Bronx’s Betances Houses on Friday, with her throat slashed, according to police sources, who said James’ death will likely be investigated as a homicide. There were no signs of forced entry or robbery, an NYPD spokesman said. Family members who gathered to light candles outside James’ apartment on Saturday said she had expressed concern to a family member earlier in the week that her boyfriend was acting unusual, and possibly going to hurt her. James stopped replying to texts on Wednesday night, the relatives said. The family of James Williams, a Black man who was fatally shot without warning by a white Ohio police officer minutes into the New Year, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the officer and the city of Canton in federal court. Williams, 46, had been firing celebratory gunfire skyward from behind a 6-foot-tall (1.8-meter-tall) privacy at his home when officer Robert Huber fired multiple rounds through the fence as smoke rose into the air. Footage from Huber’s body camera showed him shouting “Get down!” after he had shot Williams, who died at a hospital. Canton Police Chief Jack Angelo on the day of the shooting said the officer was outside his vehicle and confronted someone who began shooting a firearm. Angelo said the officer feared for his safety and fired his duty weapon at the person, striking him. Jajuan Henderson is seeking a jury trial and damages after he was allegedly ambushed, shot and ultimately paralyzed from the chest down by plainclothes police officers last month after he went to his car to get an iced tea from his car. Henderson, 29, was visiting the mother of his daughter on Centre Street in South Trenton on February 12 when a dark vehicle pulled up alongside him as he fetched the drink from his car, according to a civil suit filed by attorney Derek Demeri of Zeff Law Firm. According to the lawsuit, a group of masked men wearing dark clothes ‘jumped out of this mysterious vehicle and started yelling at [him]’ and began banging on his driver’s side window. Henderson allegedly picked up his cellphone and called the mother of his child for help – then, ‘appearing as any other group of dangerous criminals from a horror movie,’ the masked men broke his car window and shot him four times, at least once in the spinal cord. https://youtu.be/T42KfVz1Fvg R&B singer Keke Wyatt is a perfect example of a woman who has successfully pursued motherhood and a career. Her journey in parenthood, though, hasn’t always been easy. The mother of 10 is expecting her 11th child, whom she recently announced during a concert has been prenatally diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a genetic disorder that can cause severe intellectual disabilities and physical abnormalities. Wyatt, 40, tearfully sang about her unborn baby’s diagnosis during a March 13 concert.While the rhythm-and-blues singer was met with an outpouring of love from many fans, she also faced cruel comments from some Instagram users who saw the clip of her riffing as she shared the heartbreaking news, according to Us Weekly. After 14 seasons and becoming the best quarterback in franchise history, Matt Ryan is moving on from the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta traded Ryan on Monday to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2022 third-round draft pick, the team announced. The Falcons moved quickly to add Ryan’s possible successor, agreeing to a two-year contract with quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is familiar with coach Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme from their time together with the Tennessee Titans. Smith and Mariota worked together in multiple capacities in the five years they were together with the Titans, including Mariota’s six games as a starter during the 2019 season. That was Smith’s first year as the Titans’ offensive coordinator. The Colts were desperate for a quarterback after they traded Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for third-round picks in 2022 and 2023. Ryan will be the Colts’ seventh different Week 1 starter in as many years and the fifth different starting quarterback in coach Frank Reich’s tenure. An all-new episode of TV One’s True Crime Mondays is back this Monday, March 21. FATAL ATTRACTION documents a thrilling love story gone bad at 9 p.m. ET / 8C. When a woman goes missing, police are reluctant to jump on the case because of her past. When they begin investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, detectives find alarming evidence, leading to an even more disturbing crime. Find out how this story ends this Monday, March 21 at 9 p.m. ET / 8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6CZx85pS3A All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series, UNSUNG and UNCENSORED are back this Sunday, March 20. UNSUNG leads with Grammy-award-winning singer, Thelma Houston at 9 p.m. ET/8C followed by UNCENSORED, which features hit-making producer and entrepreneur, Master P, at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Each episode will also be published on TVOne.tv and TV One’s social media platforms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwMvE9jqpsQ With the launch of Skims swim, Kim Kardashian is officially here to revamp your vacation mood. The cult-favorite shapewear brand has expanded its empire into swim with a highly anticipated drop of bikinis, one-pieces, and sarongs. The new collection includes 19 pieces in seven colors, including the brand's signature skin and earth tones, plus seasonal hues like periwinkle and cobalt. As much as Republicans love pointing out the Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan, it is an undeniable fact that here in the 21st century (and at least half the 20th for that matter) KKK members identify strongly with today’s Republican party. KKK members are showing up at GOP campaign rallies forcing the Republican candidates they’ve taken selfies with to work themselves up into a “wait, I don’t even know buddy” frenzy. Republican lawmakers are out here defending the Klan as protectors of law and order, and former grand wizard David Duke, who has run for office multiple times as a Republican, wanted credit for basically being a white supremacist template for Donald Trump’s presidency. According to an investigation launched by CBS46, Chester Doles, 61, is a former Klan leader-turned self-described “white civil rights activist.” On March 8, Doles filed an affidavit to qualify to run for Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners District 3. CBS46 said it “received the signed document from the county when they confirmed that he qualified,” but after reporters from the network started poking around and asking local and state elections officials questions about Doles and his felony record, the Georgia Republican Party “confirmed they started looking into it after we brought it to their attention.” According to Georgia code, for a convicted felon to run for office they need two things—their civil rights restored and 10 years since their last prison stint. Doles had the latter locked down, but according to the Georgia Republican Party, his rights “were not restored in time for the qualifying deadline,” which was March 8. Members of Howard University‘s faculty have threatened to go on strike over complaints of their working conditions. During a demonstration Wednesday that saw multiple Howard professors in attendance along with students, some university faculty threatened to execute a strike starting next week if they could not reach an agreement with the university by this Friday. https://twitter.com/i/status/1504120837921820673 In Dumas, Arkansas, a heartbroken and apologetic Wallace McGhee spoke about the Saturday (03/19/22) shooting that left one person dead and 24 others – including several children, injured – said that the event was being held to promote nonviolence. He added that Delta Neighborhood Empowerment Youth Organization had been holding the “Hood-Nic” event for 16 years without any previous incident. McGhee said that the group was standing behind the community and sharing their condolences with those injured. “We the hood, the committee, and we very send our deepest, our deepest condolences to the family or the tragedy that took care of today. It was some, some shooting that happened in the day, man. And we don’t really know what happened, you know what I’m saying? But we just wanna send our prayers, all our condolences to our friends and community. We here with y’all man, the ‘Hood Nic’ is here and we apologize for all this to happen. This had never happened with us in our event ever.” Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a groundbreaking nominee, appears before senators Monday for a seat on a Supreme Court that itself has been moving in reverse. The court has allowed Texas to ban abortions since September and appears on the cusp of obliterating a half-century of reproductive rights nationwide. It has retrenched on voting rights protection and racial remedies. And it has increasingly sided with conservative believers in disputes over the separation of church and state. Jackson’s hearings will showcase her status as the first Black woman nominated to the high court. Yet the televised sessions will also bring into national focus the trajectory of America’s highest court, now controlled by a conservative supermajority. Solidified by the 2020 succession of Amy Coney Barrett to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat, the majority is likely to produce an even greater sea change in American law by the summer when its current session ends. https://youtu.be/m4vn5tGW4qE A man died after he was shot and then struck by a car and two others were wounded in an unrelated shooting at an East Oakland sideshow early Saturday morning (3-19-22). The initial call to police said that a person had been injured after being hit by a vehicle at 2:45 a.m. Saturday near 42nd Avenue and I-880, officials said. With the sideshow attracting an estimated 500-600 vehicles, delayed police from reaching the victim, they said. They found an Oakland resident with “massive trauma” to his body, police said. After taking him to a hospital, it was discovered that the man had also been shot. The AME Church has halted making payments to retired ministers on its pension plan after it unearthed possible payment irregularities. The denomination is one of the largest Black Protestant churches, having as many as 2.5 million members, according to a Wall Street Journal report. According to the same report, the church had approximately $120 million in retirement assets in 2017. The church has released a press release stating that an independent investigation agency is handling the case. It’s also working with law enforcement to investigate a possible crime. “The AME Church takes this crime severely,” read the release. “We’re additionally dedicated to creating each fund participant complete by restoring their full funding plus curiosity.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he is ready to sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to try and end Moscow’s brutal invasion — adding that a failure to negotiate peace could result in World War III. ‘I’m ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war,’ Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. Kyiv’s wartime leader said he is prepared to meet Putin in whatever format it takes to get the autocrat face-to-face on the same day the United Nations announced more than 900 civilians have been killed since the attack began. Months before Disney CEO Bob Chapek tiptoed into a roiling debate in Florida and before the legislation that opponents would call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was even filed, Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered a threat to business leaders who got in his way. “If you are in one of these corporations, if you’re a woke CEO, you want to get involved in our legislative business, look, it’s a free country,” the Florida Republican said last June. “But understand, if you do that, I’m fighting back against you. And I’m going to make sure that people understand your business practices, and anything I don’t like about what you’re doing.” DeSantis this month made clear he wasn’t bluffing. A day after Chapek publicly condemned a controversial Florida bill that would ban classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity before fourth grade, DeSantis ripped Disney in a room of supporters. He called Disney a “woke corporation” and criticized its business interests in China. Fox obtained and posted a video from the private event, and DeSantis and his staff helped spread it on social media. https://youtu.be/IunmML9Ghr4 This is the shocking moment a personal trainer flew into a fit of rage after finding his wife cheating on him with a homeless man. CCTV shows Eduardo Alves walk up to a parked car and peek through the windscreen, only to see his partner inside with another man. Enraged, he slams his fists on the glass before opening the car door and climbing inside to give the man a beating. The wife, a churchgoer, later told a friend she had received a ‘message from God’ to ‘help’ the rough sleeper. The incident took place in the neighborhood of Jardim Roriz in Brazil’s Federal District, in the early hours of March 10. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/03/19/7671041948977286634/636x382_MP4_7671041948977286634.mp4 Fans of the 57-year-old media maven have been eagerly awaiting her return to her Fox TV hit daytime talk series The Wendy Williams Show, but the former Hot 97 personality’s health has struggled to recover since contracting a breakthrough case of COVID-19 in early September, now it appears as though Wendy’s health is on the mend. Back in February, the star became embroiled in a tough legal battle against Wells Fargo after her former financial advisor Lori Schiller told the institution that she wasn’t of “sound mind” to handle her own finances. Schiller feared the TV pioneer would become a victim of “exploitation, dementia or undue influence,” Page Six noted. The bank swiftly froze Williams assets, citing her as an “incapacitated person.” https://youtu.be/qrluEgiy45s On February 12, 2020, Jacque Hollander sat in a conference room on the third floor of an Atlanta courthouse and told prosecutors she thought James Brown had been murdered. District Attorney Paul Howard listened, took notes, and accepted a green plastic bin full of items that Hollander said were corroborating evidence. The DA said his investigators would look into her claims about Brown’s death. But it seems not much was done, according to a CNN review of internal documents released in recent weeks. Potential evidence went untested. A key witness died without being interviewed. There is no indication that anyone tried to obtain Brown’s medical records. And when the DA’s office returned Hollander’s property in a cardboard box in March 2022, she said all the most important items she’d handed over were missing, without explanation. https://youtu.be/ETNWrulIDic A Nevada father was arrested on an open murder charge after allegedly beating his 5-year-old son who later died, according to police. Gerald Oglesby, 33, was arrested Wednesday after he whipped his son (General Sema’j Oglesby) with an electrical cord and punched him in the stomach after he became frustrated with the child for “not listening to him and talking back to him,” according to an arrest report obtained by CNN affiliate KTNV. In the report, Oglesby said he knew “something was wrong” after the incident because his son “was not acting normal.” The boy began to vomit, was unable to walk properly and had trouble breathing, the report states. Oglesby attempted compressions and rescue breaths on the child but couldn’t get him to start breathing on his own, according to the report. The father said he didn’t want to call the police for help because he was worried about losing custody of his child, adding that officers “would not understand his method of discipline,” the report says. After Oglesby realized his son was dead, he texted his sister and told her that his son “had died because he had whipped him too hard,” the report noted. https://youtu.be/wQS4sSSbNpg On the First Monday in May, the Met Gala will return to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The annual event will celebrate the Costume Institute’s exhibition on American fashion, titled In America: An Anthology of Fashion. Every year, the glitzy affair—which provides the Costume Institute with its primary source of annual funding—welcomes a red carpet full of A-list actors, singers, designers, and models. At this year’s event, Regina King, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lin-Manuel Miranda will host as the evening’s official co-chairs. Designer Tom Ford, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, and Vogue’s Anna Wintour will continue their roles as the event’s honorary co-chairs. The 2022 theme and exhibition, In America: An Anthology of Fashion, is part two of the Met’s thoughtful homage to our country’s history. Part one, titled In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, opened in September last year due to the pandemic. Still on view at the Anna Wintour Costume Center, the exhibition includes pieces from American standard-bearers such as Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein. (The 2021 Met Gala was also held in September, but this year, both the exhibition and gala mark a return to their usual May calendar spots.) Later this month, more than half of the pieces in the Lexicon exhibition will be rotated out in order to include garments by designers not yet featured, as well as designers whose work appeared in the first rotation. These additions will reflect the vitality and diversity of contemporary American fashion. Seven people have been charged after an armed robbery was staged last month on the French film set of hit Netflix series ‘Lupin’. Around twenty hooded thieves attacked the film crew by launching fireworks at them, a Netflix spokesperson said. They stole more than €300,000 (£250,000; $330,000) worth of equipment during the heist, in broad daylight. None of the cast or crew who were on set – reported to include the show’s star Omar Sy – were injured. The crew were attacked while they were filming in the Nanterre district, west of central Paris, forcing production to briefly pause. Marvel’s newest ‘Captain America’ and New Orleans native Anthony Mackie has reportedly purchased 20 acres of land in New Orleans East with the intention of building a new film studio, sources tell The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate. Sources close to the situation say the purchase of the land was finalized last Friday, according to land records. The land is right off of the I-10 Service Road and Read Boulevard. The negotiation has reportedly gone on for months. Mackie plans to base his new production company, East Studios LLC, at the new facility and is looking to buy more space nearby. Mackie is a graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), and has maintained a close relationship to the city, even into his ascent into becoming a Hollywood mainstay. Perhaps best known for his role as The Falcon in the Marvel anthology films, Mackie has also had major roles in films like “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Notorious,” “Eagle Eye,” and “The Hurt Locker,” among countless other credits. Another syndicated daytime talk show is coming to an end: NBCUniversal’s veteran tabloid talker Maury, hosted and executive produced by Maury Povich. The show will end original productions at the end of this season, when Povich plans to retire. Original episodes will air through September, after which repeats of Maury will continue to air in syndication. This is the second show canceled by NBCUniversal this spring, joining Judge Jerry. Other syndicated daytime talk shows that recently got the ax include Sony TV’s The Good Dish as well as Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon and The Wendy Williams Show, the latter to be replaced by a new talker, Sherri. The Maury Povich Show was launched in 1991 by Paramount Domestic Television. It shortened its name to Maury in the mid-1990s. In 1998, Studio USA took over the program. The company was subsequently acquired by NBCUniversal. The National Women’s Law Center has been blasted for dismissing critics of controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas as ‘misogynists.’ In a tweet published Friday, the non-profit wrote: ‘Lia Thomas deserves all the celebration for her success this season, but instead is being met with nationwide misogyny and transphobia. Lia, we need people like you. Not only as a swimmer, but to inspire women athletes—cis and trans—everywhere.’ The message also contained a link to a supportive Newsweek op-ed written by swimmer Erica Sullivan, who won silver in the 1,500 meter freestyle at Toyko 2020. Many users took issue with tweet, as Nigel Betteridge suggested that the organization ‘need to change their name…’ A parody account of twentieth century American composer Sam Barber pointed out that ‘allowing Thomas to compete against women IS misogyny. Allowing Thomas to colonize women IS misogyny.’ Another user, going by ‘Dame Squiggs’, suggested in her tweet that The National Women’s Law Center should ‘cis off.’ Warriors star Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in left foot that will sideline him indefinitely, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. X-rays on the foot returned negative Wednesday night – meaning no fracture or major damage. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry underwent an MRI on his injured left foot following the team’s 110-88 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. https://youtu.be/eDo0Npsz67U March Madness indicates many things. Upsets, the overuse of the term bracketology, the start of spring. But for NBA fans, it’s also a friendly reminder that the playoffs are only a stone’s throw away. At BasketballNews.com, they figured it was time to start preparing you for the game’s second season. Almost three years ago, the Toronto Raptors infamously built a wall in front of Antetokounmpo’s path to the rim. The following season, the Miami Heat reinforced this structure on their way to a 4-1 gentleman’s sweep. Last season, however, Antetokounmpo was able to overcome his postseason demons on route to an NBA championship and Finals MVP award, prompting some to wonder whether past defensive tactics were growing outdated. https://streamable.com/zh7pqo A few days ago, Mary J. Blige made a virtual appearance on E! News’ Daily Pop to share details about her latest album and the Super Bowl performance. That’s something a lot of folks and Mary’s fans are still excited about. Justin Sylvester, the show’s host, and self-proclaimed MJB fan, had something else on his mind that he wanted Miss Mary to respond to: motherhood. Here’s how he set things up. In his mind, He saw Mary as a mom with who he described as, “the cool aunty … that comes with the bags for Christmas,” the Mary he aspires to be in the future because he “ain’t havin’ no kids.” “Do you ever think you’re gonna get to the day where you’re like, ‘Damn, I maybe shoulda done it?’” Sylvester asked to open the chat. https://youtu.be/ke1DlUkrEvk Bounce TV presents a new crime thriller titled “Don’t Hang Up,” which stars Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Suits”), Lauren Holly (NCIS), and Eden Cupid. Inspired by a true story, Chris Daniels (Pierce) is a college professor, husband, and father whose world is turned upside down when he receives a phone call claiming that his daughter has been kidnapped and demanding a ransom. The series of events takes him into a twisted 24-hour odyssey where he must complete several missions to save his daughter’s life while staying on the phone with the menacing kidnappers. Meanwhile, as the hours race by, the growing number of unanswered texts and calls from his wife Tracy (Holly) leads to escalating fear and even police interference – which unwittingly puts the safe return of their daughter in even greater jeopardy. https://youtu.be/ascmA20xPxU Yea, I’m an alumnus,” said Country music’ rising star Ian Flanigan about being on Team Blake Shelton on NBC’s “The Voice,” making it to third place in the 19th season. “It does feel good, it’s a great group.” Still riding high on his hit single “Grow Up” featuring Blake Shelton, Ian is currently promoting his new single “Under a Southern Sky.” Flanigan is opening act for Blake Shelton’s Ole’ Red concert series, taking place during the month of March. https://youtu.be/wHCVDAw96pM While Quinta Brunson is enjoying the success of her hit sitcom, “Abbott Elementary,” it looks like there is a previous job that she isn’t too fond of. According to Brunson, the job description was looking for someone to “Play a character for someone to call you up and have a good time” — which sounded “fun” to her. She was given the name Crystal for her persona, and was sent a picture of video vixen “Buffie the Body.” https://youtu.be/by5wL2TbNzs The Rams and Matthew Stafford have reached agreement on a four-year, $160 million extension that includes $135 million guaranteed and should allow the veteran quarterback to finish his career in Los Angeles, sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Stafford is cashing in on his spectacular debut season with the Rams after 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, who traded the 2009 No. 1 overall pick to Los Angeles a year ago. Stafford would be 38 years old in the final season of the extension. Stafford is headed into the final year of his previous five-year, $135 million deal signed in Detroit, but he repeatedly said he had no interest in going anywhere. His new deal also is clearly calculated to allow the Rams to retain more of their championship core while adding new pieces, since Stafford almost certainly could have received more money at the top of the quarterback market. Aaron Rodgers‘ new deal with the Packers is essentially a three-year, $150 million contract. Lakers forward LeBron James climbed to second all-time on the NBA’s points list with a drive to the basket and a lay-up that earned him a standing ovation from the crowd at Capital One Arena. James, with his lay-up, had put up 21 points against the Wizards in a brilliant second quarter. At the time of his historic basket, he’s totaled 36,930 career points. It was good enough to pass Hall of Famer Karl Malone for sole possession of second place. Earlier in the quarter, he moved into a tie for second place with a 3-pointer and a hand in his face in part of a ridiculous stretch where he scored 15-straight Los Angeles points to open the frame. The last points of that stretch were the points that moved him into second place. A Dominican drug trafficker who was jealous of David Ortiz and felt disrespected by him had him shot at a Dominican nightclub in 2019, according to private investigators the Red Sox slugger hired to look into the attack that nearly killed him. The findings by former Boston police commissioner Edward Davis reported by the Boston Globe on Saturday contradict the theory of the crime developed by Dominican prosecutors. Davis told the newspaper that he identified the drug-trafficker César Peralta as having orchestrated the shooting by placing a bounty on Ortiz and sanctioning the hit squad that tried to kill him. Dominican authorities did not cooperate with the private investigation. Peralta is being held in held without bail in Puerto Rico on unrelated charges of conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin. The U.S. Treasury designated Peralta a drug kingpin in 2019 and he was extradited to the U.S. territory in December. Ortiz’s spokesperson, Joe Baerlein, told the Globe that Davis’ findings were withheld for Ortiz’s safety until Peralta was in U.S. custody. There’s another must-see Juwan Howard video from a handshake line. Howard, Michigan’s basketball coach, wrapped his arms around sobbing Tennessee star Kennedy Chandler after the No. 11 seed Wolverines upset the No. 3 Volunteers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16. https://twitter.com/i/status/1505333962130227202 A 13-year-old boy drove the pickup truck involved in a fiery head-on collision in Texas that killed nine people, including six University of the Southwest golfers and their coach, a National Transportation Safety Board official said Thursday. The 13-year-old died in the wreck, along with an adult who was riding with him in the pickup. Investigators were able to identify the remains of the driver by his size, NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said. Preliminary information indicates the left front tire of the pickup was a spare that failed, causing the vehicle to pull hard to the left into oncoming traffic of a two-lane roadway, Landsberg said. Both vehicles were probably moving close to the posted speed limit of 75 mph, he said. In Texas, a minor can begin the classroom part of a driver education course at 14 but must be at least 15 to apply for a learner license, according to the public safety department website. A ‘depressed’ Vladimir Putin is ‘set to hold a nuclear evacuation drill’ having ‘moved his family to a ‘secret underground city’ with the Kremlin’s doomsday plan, insider sources have claimed. One source that previously said Putin is suffering from multiple and serious medical problems, and also claimed that Russian death toll in the Ukraine war was higher than even Kyiv’s estimates with over 17,000 casualties in 23 days of fighting. Putin ‘often pours his anger out on those close to him,’ the latest account said from the source – a Telegram channel supposedly linked to an ex-Kremlin intelligence insider who claims to retain close links to those in Putin’s circle. ‘He has no deep conversations with almost anyone, and limited contact even with his children – not only his [adult] daughters but also his [undisclosed] children with [Olympic gold medal winning gymnast, 38] Alina Kabaeva’. The source said that Putin shocked his top generals recently by demanding nuclear drill be undertaken, increasing fears he is preparing for a nuclear conflict. Vladimir Putin has deployed the use of deadly hypersonic missiles in Ukraine for the first time ever, as the conflict in Ukraine takes a dark turn. The Russian military says it used the Kinzhal hypersonic missile to destroy an underground ammunition depot in Delyatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, according to local news outlet Zvezda. Details about the operation remain scarce, but Russia has previously bragged about its hypersonic weapons arsenal. Missiles such as the 3M22 Zircon are said to be so fast and able to fly so low that they evade traditional anti-missile defense systems. Such weapons are believed to have a range of around 1,000 kilometers, military.com reports. House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill banning race-based discrimination on hair, specifically textures or styles associated with a particular race or national origin such as dreadlocks, Afros and braids. The bill, known as the CROWN Act, was co-sponsored by Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, among others, who cited research showing that Black students were significantly more likely to face school detention, often for dress code violations based on their hair. “I want my two girls to grow up in a world where they know they will not be discriminated against because of their hair or the way they look,” Omar said in a press release on Friday after the vote. “Natural Black hair is often deemed ‘unprofessional’ simply because it does not conform to white beauty standards,” Representative Watson Coleman, a co-sponsor, said. “Discrimination against Black hair is discrimination against Black people.” The legislation attracted derision from some Republicans, including Representative Lauren Boebert, who referred to it as “the bad hair bill.” The CROWN Act passed with some bipartisan support in the House and will now move to the Senate, where it is sponsored by Democratic Senator Cory Booker. It will need to secure 60 votes in the evenly divided chamber to pass. A Florida high school came under fire last week for prohibiting a Black honors student from walking across the stage at his high school graduation without cutting his dreadlocks. Abeka Academy in Pensacola issued an apology on Tuesday after the student’s mother launched a Change.org petition in protest, gaining over 53,000 signatures. “Abeka Academy apologizes for the insensitive rule of ‘no dreadlocks’ in the dress and hair guidelines for our optional homeschool graduation,” the school said in a statement posted to Instagram and Facebook. “This does not reflect our desire to respect and serve the broad diversity among ABA students. Therefore, we have removed this reference from our requirements.” In screenshots shared with Black With No Chaser, Latrenda Rush revealed how the school had denied her straight-A son Jacob Rush the opportunity to participate in his graduation ceremony without removing his dreadlocks. “I noticed that Jacob’s hair does not meet the requirements for marching at graduation,” said an email from administrator Karen Northrop last week, according to a screenshot. “As a reminder, for the graduates participating in the ceremony, we ask the gentlemen to have hair tapered and may not come over the ears, eyebrows, or collar [no braids, dreadlocks, buns, or ponytails].” The “King of Staten Island” will no longer be making his first out-of-this-world appearance. “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson was scheduled to fly to the edge of space next week on a rocket and capsule by Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. However, the company announced Thursday night that the flight, originally slated for Wednesday, was being rescheduled to March 29. “Pete Davidson is no longer able to join the NS-20 crew on this mission,” a company spokesperson said in a written statement. “We will announce the sixth crew member in the coming days.” Davidson, 28, had been slated to travel to space with Party America CEO Marty Allen; philanthropist and real estate mogul Marc Hagle and his wife, Sharon Hagle, the founder of the nonprofit SpaceKids Global; explorer and University of North Carolina professor Jim Kitchen; and Dr. George Nield, the president of Commercial Space Technologies and former manager of the Flight Integration Office for NASA’s space shuttle program. An aspiring Miami rapper was shot and killed just moments after he was released from jail. Baby Cino, whose real name is Timothy Starks, was released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Wednesday after being arrested on a gun charge, the Miami Herald reports. Starks was picked up in a red Nissan — still wearing an inmate wristband — that was gunned down just minutes later, the news outlet adds. The shooter reportedly began firing at least 40 shots from another vehicle as Starks’ car entered Palmetto Expressway during rush hour. The Nissan hit a wall on the ramp, and Starks suffered several gunshot wounds, including one to his head, according to the Herald. He was 20. Dante Collins Banks, Starks’ friend who picked him up from jail, was also shot in the abdomen and treated at a local hospital. The identity of the shooter is not known; however, Miami-Dade Police Department detectives said, per the publication, that “a dark-colored vehicle was seen fleeing the area at a high rate of speed.” Police sources added that they are investigating to determine if the shooting is connected to previous incidents with a possible link to street gangs. Merri Dee was described by the late performer Nancy Wilson, in her 2013 memoir. with the words “trailblazing TV and radio icon,” and “girl-next-door” in Dee’s “Merri Dee: Life Lessons on Faith, Forgiveness & Grace.” Having spent 43 years in Chicago broadcasting, primarily at WGN-Ch. 9, Dee was an on-air reporter and anchor for WGN from 1972-1983 and was director of community relations until 2008, when she retired. But these are just a few of the titles for Dee, born Mary Frances. Also from her memoir: “I’ve been a bag girl in a grocery store, computer demonstrator, runway model, auto show commentator, disc jockey, newscaster, radio and TV talk show host, editorial spokesperson, mistress/master of ceremonies, broadcast administrator, AARP Illinois state president, commissioner on the Illinois Human Rights Commission, U.S. Army ambassador, successful fundraiser, adoption advocate, children’s champion and one of Chicago’s first African American females in the broadcast business.” Dee died this week at the age of 85. Her death was reported Wednesday by WGN and family members, who said she died overnight in her sleep at her home. A judge in Chicago has ruled that an attorney for Jussie Smollett might have defamed two Black brothers who testified that they participated in a fake racist and homophobic attack on the actor when she suggested they had been wearing “whiteface.” The Chicago Tribune reported that U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland’s ruling centers on comments Tina Glandian made on NBC’s “Today” show in March 2019, shortly after the Cook County State’s Attorney announced it was dropping charges accusing Smollett of lying to police about the incident two months earlier. Discussing how Smollett had told police that one of his attackers was white, Glandian said the very dark-skinned brothers might have “put makeup on” to disguise their color. Further, she criticized Chicago police for their alleged failure to investigate an online video showing one of the brothers “in whiteface doing a joke monologue with white makeup on.” Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo filed a defamation lawsuit, alleging that the comments were part of a effort to portray them as racist, homophobic and violent men who truly attacked Smollett. Kanye West will not be performing at the Grammys this year. The move by the folks who run the show was because of what insiders are calling YE’s “concerning online behavior.” Sources close to West and his team and his team say he received a phone call Friday evening, informing him he has been pulled from the line-up of performers for the show, reports The Blast. The Grammy situation spread to other artists, including rapper The Game, who defended Kanye West on his social media. “Time & time again they show us that they only want to STEAL the culture, not allow you to ever be their equals. In a more than obvious move for reasons of minuscule actions…. The Grammys have at the last minute decided to pull (Kanye West) from performing on the show as if we didn’t know it was coming,” Game wrote. He continued, “Could be because (Trevor Noah) is hosting and there was a conversation held amongst his team & the academy that led to the decision or because Ye’s account was suspended just days ago for reasons unknown, especially in a world where all the negativities of the world can be found on the same app with no repercussions or suspensions…. We’ll just say it’s all of the above & a continuous disrespect for us & all that we have brought to the table in entertainment, media & sports over the last 100 years especially.” Former President Donald Trump, RayJ, and Kodak Black were under one roof as they attended dinner Thursday evening at Donald’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. The dinner was a fundraiser for Vernon Jones. According to @PageSix, Ray brought Kodak as his plus one and introduced the two after Trump issued him a commutation in the final hours of his presidency in 2020! Ray spoke to Page Six, stating, “It was the right thing to do. Trump pardoned him.” Other attendees included #RudyGiuliani, Pastor #DarrellScott, and former NYPD Commissioner #BernardKerik. Ray's take on politics, ” I support many of the policies and positions of Vernon Jones, President Trump, and others who are committed and fighting for the soul of America. Every child should have a right to attend a performing school and receive a quality education.” He continued stating, “The middle class want and need good jobs with fair wages. Starting a small business is part of the American dream. Education and economics are non-partisan and go hand in hand. I support individuals who fight for these causes.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQ534EJPaZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again It is been a decade since the tragic death of Whitney Houston, and CBS is out to put in an hour-long special in commemoration. Houston accidentally drowned in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room. The toxicology reports pointed to her multiple drug use. The special titled “Whitney, A Look Back” will air on CBS on Saturday, April 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT to mark the 10th anniversary. It is produced by Entertainment Tonight and contains footage from ET’s own vault. It will also livestream on Paramount+ but via an on-demand basis. Erin Johnson is the Executive Producer, while Leslie Kawaguchi and Whitney Wallace serve as Co-Executive Producers. https://youtu.be/6J538b-OLRU The legendary Denzel Washington joins us for the Season 4 premiere to talk about his latest project “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” growing up in Mount Vernon, controversial pizza toppings, his late mother (and her appreciation for Billy Dee Williams), coming up in the theater, and always keeping “an attitude of gratitude.” https://youtu.be/eCt8dF2temY The Cleveland Browns have agreed to trade for Houston Texans‘ quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to ESPN and NFL.com. Watson posted an edited picture of himself in a Browns uniform on Instagram Friday with a caption saying, “Cleveland, LETSSSS GOOOO!! #DawgPound Ready To Work!” Last week, a Harris County grand jury declined to charge Watson over allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct. Watson still faces 22 civil lawsuits, many of them alleging sexual assault and misconduct. The NFL is also investigating the accusations and if Watson is found to have violated league rules, he likely would be suspended. https://youtu.be/p46vDvSgmoQ New York Times best-selling author Carl Weber is taking “The Black Hamptons” to BET. Based on Weber’s novel of the same name, the new four-part original limited series takes place in the town of Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY, also known as “The Black Hamptons.” As reported by BET, the star-studded cast includes Lamman Rucker, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Elise Neal, Brian White, Karon Riley, Mike Merrill, Blac Chyna, Aaron Spears, Daya Vaidya, Cameo Sherrell, Franklin Ojeda Smith, Jordan Smith, Jennifer Freeman, David Andrews, and more. The story follows the brewing feud between old money families the ‘Brittons’ and the ‘Johnsons,’ per the report. Rapper/actress Eve took to social media on Friday to share a rare video of her newborn son Wilde Wolf, with husband Maximillion Cooper. The couple welcomed their first child together last month, and the new footage shows her craddlign her sleeping newborn on her chest. “Wilde, my precious baby,” she says in the clip. “This is heaven. This is heaven right here.” Eve and Cooper welcomed their son Feb. 1. https://twitter.com/i/status/1504843794163843078 Pixar’s forthcoming Toy Story prequel Lightyear has decided to put a same-sex kiss back in following an internal backlash to Disney’s handling of Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The movie, which is out June 17, features Chris Evans as the voice of the character Buzz Lightyear. One of Buzz’s colleagues on his mission is a character named Hawthorne, voiced by Uzo Aduba. It was stated that Hawthorne is in “a meaningful relationship with another woman.” While that was always a part of the story, a kiss shared by the couple had been cut from the film. Now that came to a head in recent weeks as the company was revealed to be funding government officials who supported Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill which is soon expected to be signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The legislation would limit what teachers can say about gender and sexuality in the classroom. It was said that the company ignored those allegations until its own Pixar employees called them out! They claimed that Disney execs cut “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection… regardless of when there is a protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.” The bold move forced CEO Bob Chapek to acknowledge the controversy and, finally, put an end to the political funding. The letter clearly worked as the kiss to Disney’s upcoming summer blockbuster was also restored, Variety reports. The Queen of Basketball, a best documentary short Oscar nominee, received some good news on Wednesday, a week ahead of the start of final voting for the Oscars, The Hollywood Reporter has learned: Stephen Curry, the NBA star, has joined Shaquille O’Neal, the retired NBA legend, as an executive producer of Ben Proudfoot’s New York Times Op-Docs film about Lusia ‘Lucy’ Harris, a trailblazing women’s basketball player who died in January. “We’re honored to join the talented team behind The Queen of Basketball and play a role in uplifting the story of the trailblazing Lucy Harris,” Curry and Erick Peyton, co-founders of Unanimous Media, said in a statement. “Lucy, a true pioneer in the game of basketball and an inspiration for many, deserves to be recognized for her achievements. Through this compelling short subject documentary, her legacy will continue to live on and impact audiences all over the world.” Added O’Neal: “Stephen Curry is one of the NBA’s most iconic players whose voice speaks volumes on and off the court. I’m thrilled to have him join the team to help immortalize Lusia Harris, aka ‘The Queen of Basketball.’” https://youtu.be/vPFkcoTfr7g SNL's Chris Redd may be treading lightly around the volatile situation involving cast member Pete Davidson and Kanye West, but Davidson’s “SNL” castmate Chris Redd has some jokes ready when the time is right. “I think Pete’s handling it well and you know, he’s starting to talk again, and he is handling that well,” Redd, who has impersonated West on the sketch comedy show, told Sirius XM’s The Jess Cagle Show this week. “So, I think these jokes gonna start flying soon.” Davidson is currently dating West’s ex-wife, Kiim Kardashian. In recent alleged text exchanges between West and Davidson, posted to Instagram by Davidson’s longtime friend and comedian Dave Sirus, Davidson stated that he was the driving force behind “SNL’s” decision to avoid jokes aimed at West. “You have no idea how nice I’ve been to you despite your actions towards me,” Davidson’s text read. “I’ve stopped ‘SNL’ from talking about or making fun of you which they’ve wanted to do for months. I’ve stopped stand up comedians from doing bits about you cause I don’t want the father of my girls kids to look bad out there.” Redd added that some angles of the conflict are, however, off-limits. Steve Harvey has issued a warning to Kanye West after the rapper said he “can afford to hurt” D.L. Hughley. Kanye’s threats came after Hughley called him a stalker in a recent interview with VladTV. “He’s stalking her,” Hughley said of West’s antics amid his divorce from Kim Kardashian. “You can think it’s cute. If it was my daughter, I’d do something about it. I don’t think it’s funny… If you want your family back, stop doing the shit you did that made her leave.” Ye responded in a post on social media, saying “…DL Hughley is a pawn Yeah I know a king not supposed to address a pawn but I address everything and find addresses DL So don’t speak on me or my children I can afford to hurt u.” He also uploaded a video of Hughley passing out onstage in 2020 amid his battle with COVID-19. “We gone stop letting practicing drug addicts be used by leftist to Willie Lynch our Future Black people with our own opinion are not allowed to speak in public,” the hip-hip star captioned the clip. “I am the glitch DL God does not like you You have no favor Your family hates you I would hate to be related to somebody who used to be famous Now you just known as a broke pawn at least Oprah got billions ‘allegedly’ Come on leftist Y’all gotta do better than DL This Ye Bring the real smoke baby.” During a new episode of the “Steve Harvey Morning Show,” the host defended his fellow comedian by issuing his own threat to Kanye. “Pull up, it ain’t what you want. If y’all do get to scrapping, all my cash on D.L., cause you have no idea. You been a lil politically, socially conscious rapper—we from a ass-whoopin’ era. … We from a whole ’nother era,” Harvey, 65, said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbNNGSgg5_k/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A woman who was shot and killed after a dispute at an #Atlanta bowling alley was the mother of one of Young Thug’s children. The Atlanta Police Department responded to #MetroFunCenter last night after receiving a report that a 31-year-old woman had been shot. When authorities arrived, they found #LaKeviaJackson dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Cops said Jackson was involved in a dispute inside the venue over a bowling ball which eventually escalated to gunfire in the parking lot. Jackson’s mother confirmed her death to a local reporter, saying LaKevia was at the bowling alley to celebrate a friend’s birthday when the dispute started. She also said the alleged shooter waited in the parking lot for at least 20 minutes to confront the woman again as she left the celebration. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQaR2RNGbs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Some people with pain, anxiety or depression who obtain medical marijuana cards may overuse marijuana within a short time frame, leading to cannabis use disorder while failing to improve their symptoms, a new study found. Cannabis use disorder, also known as marijuana use disorder, is associated with dependence on the use of weed. People are considered dependent on weed when they feel food cravings or have a lack of appetite, irritability, restlessness, and mood and sleep difficulties after quitting, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Heavy use of marijuana by teens and young adults with mood disorders — such as depression and bipolar disorder — was linked to an increased risk of self-harm, suicide attempts and death, according to an earlier study published in 2021. A collection of letters from Black Americans to their former enslavers provide a rare firsthand glimpse into the lives of enslaved men and women and the people who controlled their lives. The letters were published by The Washington Post, with the spelling standardized and paragraph breaks added for readability, the outlet noted. Per the publication, “Three of these five letters were written by formerly enslaved people directly to their onetime enslavers.” One was written by famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and another was written by an enslaved woman searching for her daughter. Lincoln was never a slaveholder, but as president during the Civil War, he held the fate and freedom of millions of Black Americans in his hands. As such, he received hundreds of letters from Black Americans, both free and enslaved, many of which are collected in a new book. When Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, he did not free enslaved people in slave states that remained in the Union, like Maryland, where Annie Davis was held. Belair, Aug. 25th, 1864 Mr. President, It is my Desire to be free. To go to see my people on the Eastern Shore. My mistress won’t let me. You will please let me know if we are free and what I can do. I write to you for advice. Please send me word this week, or as soon as possible, and obliged. Annie Davis Belair, Harford County, MD. There is no evidence Lincoln responded. However, the state of Maryland ended slavery months later, a move the president had urged. The board of directors of Hillsong, the global megachurch and music empire co-founded by Australian pastor Brian Houston, released a statement Friday (March 18) addressing two complaints about Houston, including an accusation that the married pastor had spent time alone in a hotel room with a woman in 2019. In the statement, which came as the story was breaking in the Australian press, said the Hillsong board has been “dealing with two complaints made against Pastor Brian over the last 10 years,” and said each was investigated by a board member, or “a body appointed by the global board,” and dealt with confidentiality. The other complaint related to an accusation that Houston had flirted with a staff member over text message a decade ago. Prior to the statement being released, Hillsong reportedly held a video meeting with 800 Hillsong staffers around the world in which interim senior pastor Phil Dooley, who is leading the church while Houston is on leave due to ongoing legal troubles, discussed the complaints for the first time with the church at large. Dooley explained the texts, according to Australia’s ABC News, as being to the effect of, “‘If I was with you, I’d like to kiss and cuddle you,’ words of that nature.” A Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said, just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and has over the past two years stepped up its military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims, alarming Taipei and Washington. A source with direct knowledge of the matter, who was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the carrier Shandong sailed close to the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen, which sits directly opposite the Chinese city of Xiamen. “Around 10:30 a.m. the CV-17 appeared around 30 nautical miles to the southwest of Kinmen, and was photographed by a passenger on a civilian flight,” the source said, referring to the Shandong’s official service number. The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, shadowed the carrier at least partly on its route. The Shandong did not have aircraft on its deck and sailed north through the strait, the source added. Taiwan also sent warships to keep an eye on the situation, the source said. Jussie Smollett’s release from jail on Wednesday night has spawned a wave of disbelief, outrage and mockery of the entire case against Empire actor, with many considering it the latest episode in a long-running farce that began when he falsely claimed he’d been beaten up. Smollett was convicted of five counts of felony disorderly conduct in December after a jury found he did lie to police in January 2019 and repeatedly since then by claiming he was attacked up by two white, homophobic Trump supporters in January 2019. In reality, the men were two black brothers who say Smollett paid them to carry it out in an attempt to raise his celebrity profile. Justin Bieber shared with fans during his latest “Justice” tour stop how his wife, Hailey Baldwin, is doing after her recent health scare. “Most of you probably know or have seen the news about my wife … but she’s OK, she’s good, she’s strong,” the “Peaches” singer, 28, said during a vulnerable moment at his concert in Denver Wednesday night, which he later posted on Instagram. “But it’s been scary, you know, it’s been really scary,” he added. “But I know for a fact that God has her in the palms of His hands, and that’s a good thing.” Baldwin, 25, revealed on her Instagram Story last Saturday that she had been hospitalized after suffering a medical emergency that included “stroke like symptoms.” “They found I had suffered a very small blood clot to my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own and I recovered completely within a few hours,” she wrote. A black child was subjected by police to a strip search at her London school that involved exposure of intimate body parts, according to an official investigation which found racism was likely to have been an “influencing factor” in the officers’ actions. No appropriate adult was present during the 15-year-old girl’s ordeal, described by a senior local authority figure as “humiliating, traumatizing and utterly shocking” and which took place without parental consent and in the knowledge that she was menstruating. Details of her treatment in her secondary school’s medical room have emerged in a child safeguarding review initiated by Hackney council after the incident in December 2020. The child was made to bend over, spread her legs and use her hands to spread her buttocks while coughing, and she is now in therapy and self-harming, according to family members’ statements to the inquiry. The damning report said: “Having considered the context of the incident, the views of those engaged in the review and the impact felt by Child Q and her family, racism (whether deliberate or not) was likely to have been an influencing factor in the decision to undertake a strip search.” Parenting is hard for everyone, and for people of color, the challenge of raising children can also stir up racial trauma that goes back generations. When Yolanda Williams got pregnant at 36, she was confronted with a host of emotions. She never really wanted children — partly because of how she felt when she was a child. “I didn’t like children and I didn’t want to be around them, and I realized, it wasn’t until after I had my daughter Gia, I realized that was because of how I was raised,” she says. “I felt like I was a burden. And so I saw children as burdens. I didn’t see them as the wonderful teachers that they are, that now I can see them as.” While pregnant, Williams went through all sorts of emotions and began a journey of studying up on childhood development and getting to the bottom of her own childhood trauma. https://youtu.be/BDWocIBc26s A white high-schooler has been charged with a hate crime after being caught on video throwing cotton balls at a Black student and whipping him with his belt, authorities said Wednesday. The 15-year-old freshman at Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma was arrested Tuesday on battery and hate crime charges after authorities reviewed a recording showing what happened inside the cafeteria on March 9. The video shows the white student walking up behind a Black student sitting in the crowded lunchroom. He throws a handful of cotton balls at him, and then whips him repeatedly with his belt until the Black student stands and pushes him, news outlets reported. “I’m very pleased that the school took a front stand on this,” Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet said in a news release. “When we received the complaint, we immediately put our detectives on it. They worked through the weekend so we could get to this point,” Soignet said. “My officers did a good job handling it and working with the school to get this case to where it is now.” News outlets reported that the victim is one of only a few Black students at the school. Authorities didn’t identify the students, and it wasn’t clear if the arrested teen has a lawyer who could speak for him. The FBI once again called attention to the case of Jelani Day, reminding the public on Thursday of a $10,000 reward for information related to the Illinois State University graduate student’s death. Day, 25, was reported missing on Aug. 25 after he failed to return messages from his professor and family. His car was located a day later, and his body was found Sept. 4 floating in the Illinois River in Peru. The LaSalle County coroner identified the body as Day’s weeks later. His case went national following media coverage of Gabby Petito, 22, the subject of global attention after she was reported missing Sept. 11 and found dead eight days later. Critics noted that missing people of color often don’t get the same kind of media attention. Authorities said Day was last seen the morning of Aug. 24 at Beyond/Hello, a cannabis dispensary in Bloomington. Surveillance video showed Day wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt, a Detroit Lions baseball hat, light-colored shorts, and black shoes at the dispensary. His clothing was found in his car, police said. The FBI initially announced the $10,000 reward in December. It was a part of a nationwide, multiplatform social media campaign through the Jelani Day Joint Task Force to seek new leads “regarding Day’s final hours leading to the identification of new witnesses or evidence in this case.” Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower said Tuesday that he will be taking control of the finances of Mason, Tenn. a majority Black town of about 1,500 people located within five miles of the future site Blue Oval City, the Ford electric truck and battery plant that represents one of the largest manufacturing investments in the state’s history. “I’m sad for the taxpayers of Mason,” he said. “We will be working hard to step in and get their finances in shape.” The Comptroller’s move comes over the objections of Mason’s elected officials, who have been fighting to maintain control over their town since Mumpower issued an ultimatum last month: either cede control of Mason’s 153-year-old charter or face a financial takeover by the state. Relinquishing its charter would have placed the majority Black, majority Democrat town under control of largely White and Republican-led Tipton County. On Monday night, the town’s Board of Aldermen, in an emergency meeting, passed a resolution to keep their charter, Vice Mayor Virginia Rivers said Tuesday. It was that decision that the Comptroller said led him to act. Mumpower’s staff will likely finalize their takeover plans by the end of the week. She's back! Erica Campbell drops "Positive." This song is in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XBGhhdEuzA The stage is being set for the biggest night in Gospel Quartet music. The inaugural Quartet Music Awards (The QMAs) will take place on Saturday, June 18 at Center Stage Theater, 1374 West Peachtree Street in Atlanta, GA. The ceremony will be a history-making night of electrifying performances and memorable moments. The QMAs will showcase the rich legacy the genre of Quartet has contributed to the landscape of Gospel, Soul, Blues, Rock, and R&B music. The award show will be hosted by 'the hottest host on the east coast' Justin Rufus and The Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones. The Quartet Music Awards is the vision of D. Chubbs Morton. Morton is a songwriter, musician, and front-man for the popular group D. Morton and Gifted. The QMAs will not only recognize today's most talented Quartet artists, groups, and rising stars but will honor the icons and legends who have helped lay the footprint and have kept the genre thriving. The first class of QMA Honors (living and posthumous) will be presented to the late Lee Williams (Lee Williams and The Spiritual QC's), Tiffanie Tutu Agee (The Truthetts), George Dean (The Gospel 4), Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, Harvey Watkins, Jr. (The Canton Spirituals), the late Cleve Graham (The Pilgrim Jubilees), Spencer Taylor (The Highway QC's) and the late Percy Griffin (The Swannie Quintet). Your Girls, Adriann, Ashley, Aundrea, and Kanika are back with a BANG! The 2x Stellar Award winners have managed life, marriage, school, and children to reunite to share with you their new music ?“He’ll Be There!” Here is another song in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6963671?date=20210324&user_id=668306&signature=0gOlHR-Zbw8CtpInlsXQq6Omk-4%3Ae9gjy6Yg US basketball star Brittney Griner‘s legal team has seen her several times a week throughout her detention in Russia and they reported that she is well, a source close to the situation told CNN Thursday. News of Griner’s condition comes after a Moscow court announced it extended the arrest of Griner until May 19, according to Russian state news agency TASS. “The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the US citizen Griner until May 19,” the court said, per TASS. The source added that the Russian investigation is ongoing, and a trial date has not been set. According to Russian authorities, the two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested on allegations of drug smuggling significant amounts of narcotic substance at a Moscow airport. US Rep. Colin Allred of Texas said she was arrested on February 17. https://youtu.be/FD6uXV8V6rM Moderna announced Thursday that it’s asked the US Food and Drug Administration for authorization for a second Covid-19 booster shot for everyone 18 and older. Moderna is seeking an amendment of the FDA’s emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine to allow a fourth vaccine dose for any adults who’ve gotten an initial booster of any of the authorized or approved vaccines. “The request to include adults over 18 years of age was made to provide flexibility for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and healthcare providers to determine the appropriate use of an additional booster dose of mRNA-1273, including for those at higher risk of COVID-19 due to age or comorbidities,” the company said in a news release. “This submission is based in part on recently published data generated in the United States and Israel following the emergence of Omicron.” https://youtu.be/hhJx2oymsZ8 An employee with the Walt Disney Company has filed a $20 million dollar lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department for racial profiling. According to legal documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Ernest Simon Jr., who is Black, was working on a location shoot for “Grey’s Anatomy” in Tarzana, California as a driver for the series’ production crew. Simon claims he was stopped by police on suspicion of stealing the Ford van he was driving. The involved officers reportedly mistakenly matched the plates of the van with a BMW sedan that was reported missing. Kanye West is set to headline the 2022 Coachella music festival but a petition has been launched calling for organizers to drop him from the lineup. The new Change.org petition says organizers “should be ashamed of themselves” for giving West “a platform” amid his latest rants toward his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, and her alleged new boyfriend, Pete Davidson. “We have watched Kanye harass, manipulate, and hurt Kim, Pete, and others for over a year now,” reads the petition, which has amassed more than 5000 signatures by Friday morning. “No one seems to want to stand up to him, and the ones that do, he puts under fire as well. This is ridiculous that he is allowed to freely do this." Former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has been hired by the NFL to help defend it against a major class-action lawsuit. We reported earlier that the case, brought by ex-Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, has him suing the league for racial discrimination after being overlooked for job openings. There are only 2 Black head coaches in the NFL which is made up of 32 teams and 70 percent of the players are Black. When news broke that the NFL had hired Lynch, HBCU Pride Nation posted on Instagram Feb. 17: “This feels like betrayal and we don’t understand why she would take on this case.” Lynch, 62, is a Harvard grad and the first Black Female Attorney General in US history. She was appointed by former President Barack Obama. https://youtu.be/PluS6codECM Boosie Badazz posted a video on Instagram Thursday in which he defends using a magnifying glass to examine women’s genitalia with his 18-year-old son. This incident reportedly occurred during a pay-per-view event hosted by Boosie. In select footage shared online, the rapper can be heard the video, saying, “Look at the p*ssy, son. Look at that pearl. Her f*cking turtlehead is sticking out.” Boosie moves on to another woman: “Let me see your p*ssy. Let me see this muthaf*cka.” The clip has infuriated many who have shared their criticism of his parenting style on social media. Boosie hopped on social media and responded to the outrage by asking online users, “if it’s wrong for his son to look at a woman’s private part, what is the right thing for him to look at.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbN4a65JX4R/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Rihanna is opening up about impending motherhood as she enters her third trimester. The singer is expecting her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky, and in a new interview with ELLE, RiRi noted that she is a fan of “The Real Housewives franchise,” so her parenting style will be similar to that of series star Teresa Giudice. “Teresa from Jersey does not play about her kids. She will flatten you about those kids. And that resonates with me a lot because I feel like that’s the type of mom I’m going to be,” Rihanna told the outlet. “Psycho about it.” Meanwhile, a source told PEOPLE that Rihanna is “excited to be a mom” and “couldn’t be happier.” Everybody’s favorite funkateer, George Clinton, is being honored in his native New Jersey this week as he celebrates his 80th birthday. As an example, the town of Plainfield, where Clinton worked for many years, is renaming Passaic Street after the music legend. A bronze plaque was being erected where the Silk Palace barbershop once stood and Clinton formed the Parliaments. For those not up on their music history, George and the crew started as doo-wop and evolved into Parliaments Funkadelic, incorporating funk, R&B, Gospel, rock, and more, with outlandish fashion and fantastic stage props like the Mothership. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/17/new-jersey-honors-george-clinton-80th-bday/ Tamron opened up today’s show with a message of encouragement and healing for Wendy Williams in the wake of her ongoing health issues on the heels of T.J. Holmes’ interview with Williams on this morning’s “Good Morning America.” Later in the Thursday, March 17 edition of “Tamron Hall,” Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis sat down with Tamron to discuss her critically acclaimed role in “King Richard.” Set to star in AMC’s upcoming drama “61st Street” opposite Courtney B. Vance, Ellis opened up about her journey to becoming an actress after growing up in a small town in Mississippi, and why she made it her mission to bring Oracene Williams’ story to life. Also on today’s show, Hall took a dance break with renowned dancers and siblings Julianne and Derek Hough, who taught Tamron how to salsa. https://youtu.be/fGTWEEph9yM An exclusive clip of this week’s all new episode of WE tv’s “Love After Lockup,” which finds Tiffany calling Kevin to tell him her getting out has been postponed due to hooking up with another inmate. https://youtu.be/SJSN6F6sYFw Following months of reports and rumors about her mental and physical well-being, Wendy Williams is speaking out to set the record straight and to share when she will be returning to her show. Wendy began her exclusive phone interview with @goodmorningamerica letting her fans know that she is doing very well after her health struggles kept her from returning to her show for a 13th season. “Health is very well. And I’ve actually had a few appointments. You know, I’m 57 now. And I have the mind and body of a 25-year-old.” Wendy, who has been battling Graves’ disease went on to talk about her big problem with Wells Fargo bank and how they allegedly stopped her from accessing her account: “They say that I need somebody to handle my account and I don’t want that. I want all my money. I want to see all my money that I’ve worked hard for my entire life. My entire life. I don’t lie, I don’t cheat and I don’t steal. I am an honest, hard-working person.” Further, into the conversation, Wendy discussed if she was well enough to return to her show. She said, “Well, give me give me about three months. There are private things that I have to deal with and then I’ll be ready to come back and be free and ready to do my thing.” She then shared a message to her fans: “This is what I would love to say to my Wendy watchers. Keep watching because I’m going to be back on the Wendy show. Bigger and brighter than ever.” Kandi Burruss says she and her former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star NeNe Leakes no longer keep in contact because Leakes allegedly called her a ‘coon.’ “I don’t know what her problem is with me. I’ve seen her say all kinds of stuff,” Burruss said on TMZ’s “It’s Tricky with Raquel Harper” podcast Thursday. “This right here pissed me the f–k off … when she said somewhere calling me a ‘c–n’ or something,” she claimed. “That right there, that’s when I was like, ‘OK, you know what …’” Burruss said Leakes likely has issues with her because she’s jealous of her ongoing relationship with Bravo. Leakes and the network parted ways when she exited RHOA ahead of Season 13 in 2020. In growing anticipation of high school basketball’s most iconic annual showcase this year, McDonald’s has announced that hip-hop star Lil Baby will perform live during halftime of the 2022 McDonald’s All American Games on March 29 at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Games, which brings together 48 of the most elite boys and girls high school seniors in the country. The Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum artist with chart-topping hits like “Drip too Hard” and “Yes Indeed” will grace the court with a high-energy performance for fans and players to enjoy. Tickets for the POWERADE® Jam Fest on March 28 and McDonald’s All American Games on March 29 are on sale now at mcdaag.com and through Ticketmaster. When asked about this year’s performance, Lil Baby shared the following quote: “I’m excited to perform the Halftime Show, especially because I’m a big basketball fan and have respect for these players, knowing what it’s like to go hard in the paint on your craft and chase your dreams to be the best. The McDonald’s All American Games are legit and I’m proud to be a part of it.” https://www.instagram.com/lilbaby/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d1776e43-67d9-41e4-b183-b7bd3289b825 Last summer, the NCAA introduced Name Image and Likeness deals that allow college athletes to accept payment from sponsors and brands — including anything from endorsement deals to TikTok sponsorships. In this episode, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu sits down with Roy Wood Jr. to discuss what this means for college athletes, the future of compensating players, and how she is involved with navigating deals for students at her alma mater, University of Oregon. #DailyShow #BeyondTheScenes https://youtu.be/6SKskqttDPQ The BA.2 variant is spreading fast in the United States, with infections nearly doubling every week, according to CDC data. — BA.2’s prevalence is the highest in the Northeast of the country. In the region spanning New York and New Jersey, the CDC estimated 39 percent of circulating viruses were BA.2. Early studies showed that BA.2 may be up to 30 percent more transmissible than the original Omicron. But so far it does not appear to cause more severe diseases. The BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant now makes up nearly a quarter of new COVID-19 infections in the United States, according to the latest data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This data is up from around 1 in 10 new cases just a week prior. The BA.2 variant is spreading fast in the country, with infections nearly doubling every week, according to CDC data. BA.2 accounted for only 1 percent of new cases in the week ending Feb. 5, rising to 2.2 percent in the week ending Feb. 12, and 4.1 percent in the week ending Feb. 19, and 7.1 percent in the week ending Feb. 26, CDC data showed. The variant was responsible for 23.1 percent of coronavirus infections in the country in the week ending March 12, up from 13.7 percent in the previous week ending March 5, according to the CDC estimates. Russia warned the United States on Thursday that Moscow had the might to put the world’s pre-eminent superpower in its place and accused the West of stoking a wild Russophobic plot to tear Russia apart. Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said the United States had stoked “disgusting” Russophobia in an attempt to force Russia to its knees. “It will not work – Russia has the might to put all of our brash enemies in their place,” Medvedev said. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the United States and its European and Asian allies have slapped sanctions on Russian leaders, companies and businessmen, cutting off Russia from much of the world economy. President Vladimir Putin says that what he calls the special military operation in Ukraine was necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Russia had to defend against the “genocide” of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine. When money takes precedent over morals, bad things tend to happen. Monica Cannon-Grant, CEO and founder of the nonprofit Violence in Boston, found that out the hard way after she and her husband were indicted then charged with federal fraud crimes. The couple allegedly used money from their nonprofit organization for lavish spending and personal expenses. According to officials, the husband-and-wife tandem used public and private funding for hotels, groceries, gas, car rentals, food deliveries, Uber rides, and vacations instead of supporting their organization. The two also kept employees in the dark, hiding their fraudulent crimes from bookkeepers and financial auditors. Monica Cannon-Grant and her husband’s elaborate scheme to use their social justice organization to enrich themselves took advantage of people on so many levels. Court records show the couple had been stealing money through their nonprofit for years. Officials say the couple collected $100,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Vice President Kamala Harris and the U.S. Department of Education are setting aside resources to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that have been impacted by the recent slew of bomb threats. The Department of Education announced Wednesday that HBCUs that experienced bomb threats could apply for grant funds and other resources as a part of the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) program. This program will provide $50,000 to $150,000 per school along with access to a plethora of resources across the federal government. The goal of the program is to try to restore a safe environment and could be used to help increase mental health resources and enhance security on campus. The announcement of the program comes after dozens of threats were made to some of the most prominent HBCUs in the nation during the first few months of the year. As the Washington Post reported, the front runner in the Republican Senate race to represent Georgia made an appearance at an event at Sugar Hill Church in Sugar Hill, Ga. (No, this is not the same Sugar Hill where Wesley Snipes and Eddie Kane were high-profile drug dealers, and I really wish y’all would stop asking me that.) During the event, Walker appeared to think he was really on to something when he asked Chuck Allen, the lead pastor at the church a common question asked by creationists who think faith should supersede peer-reviewed science. “At one time, science said man came from apes. Did it not?” Walker asked. “Every time I read or hear that, I think to myself, ‘You just didn’t read the same Bible I did,’ ” Allen responded. “Well, this is what’s interesting, though,” Walker said. “If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1503831932693528585 Nine people have died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, including six students and a coach from a New Mexico university who were returning home from a golf tournament, authorities said. Those killed in the Tuesday evening crash included University of the Southwest students from Portugal and Mexico. Two Canadian students were hospitalized in critical condition. A pickup truck crossed the center line of a two-lane road in Andrews County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the New Mexico state line and crashed into a van carrying members of the university’s men’s and women’s golf teams, said Sgt. Steven Blanco of the Texas Department of Public Safety. The agency later identified the deceased as: Golf coach Tyler James, 26, of Hobbs, New Mexico; and players Mauricio Sanchez, 19, of Mexico; Travis Garcia, 19, of Pleasanton, Texas; Jackson Zinn, 22, of Westminster, Colorado; Karisa Raines, 21, of Fort Stockton, Texas; Laci Stone, 18, of Nocona, Texas; and Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portugal. Also killed were Henrich Siemans, 38, of Seminole County, Texas, and an unidentified 13-year-old boy who had been traveling with him in the 2007 Dodge 2500 pickup. Kanye West has been suspended from Instagram after he posted a racial slur directed at “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah, a spokesperson for Meta confirmed to CNN. West violated the platform’s policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment, according to Meta. He is restricted from posting, commenting and other actions for 24 hours and the company will take further action if necessary, the spokesperson said. West posted a slur directed at Noah on Wednesday after the talk show host had addressed the rapper’s treatment of his former wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend comedian Pete Davidson in a “Daily Show” segment Tuesday. “You may not feel sorry for Kim because she’s rich and famous,” Noah said in the segment. “But what she’s going through is terrifying to watch and shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave.” https://youtu.be/DEZdsisM8ZI On Wednesday, Kanye West hopped on Instagram and posted a screenshot of Trevor Noah’s Google panel with the caption “All in together now… *oon baya my lord *oon baya *oon baya my lord *oon baya Oooo’ lord *oon baya.” IG later suspended his account for 24 hours claiming the rapper violated its policies. Comedian Trevor Noah has responded to Kanye West in a lengthy post admiring him while also expressing concern. He said: “There are few artists who have had more of an impact on me than you Ye. You took samples and turned them into symphonies,” Noah began. “You took your pain and through the wire turned it into performance perfection. I thought differently about how I spend my money because of you, I learned to protect my child-like creativity from grown thoughts because of you, sh*t I still smile every time I put on my seatbelt because of you.” He added, “You’re an indelible part of my life Ye. Which is why it breaks my heart to see you like this,” Noah continued. “I don’t care if you support Trump and I don’t care if you roast Pete. I do however care when I see you on a path that’s dangerously close to peril and pain.” Noah continued, “Oh, and as for Koon…clearly some people graduate but we still stupid,” Noah added. “Don’t ever forget, the biggest trick racists ever played on black people was teaching us to strip each other of our blackness whenever we disagree. Tricking us into dividing ourselves up into splinters so that we would never unite into a powerful rod,” Yahoo quotes. Jussie Smollett was ordered released from jail Wednesday by an appeals court that agreed with his lawyers that he should be released pending the appeal of his conviction for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack. The ruling came after a Cook County judge sentenced Smollett last week to immediately begin serving 150 days in jail for his conviction on five felony counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police. In an outburst immediately after the sentence was handed down, the former star of the TV show Empire proclaimed his innocence and said “I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.” The appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, said Smollett could be released after posting a personal recognizance bond of $150,000, meaning he doesn’t have to put down money but agrees to come to court as required. It was unclear late Wednesday how soon he may be released. Instagram is rapidly becoming the go-to source of Jussie Smollett defenders. Today, Smollett’s fellow Empire castmate Taraji P. Henson took to the service to plead for home confinement rather than jail for Smollett, who was sentenced Thursday to 150 days incarceration for his role in creating a hate hoax. She posted a stark black and white message with the hashtag #FreeJussie and a full-throated call for his release. Smollett is reportedly in Cook County Jail’s psych ward where high-profile prisoners are kept. “I am not here to debate you on his innocence,” Henson wrote. “But we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime. Emmett Till was brutally beat and ultimately murdered because of a lie, and none of the people involved with his demise spent one day in jail, even after Carolyn Bryant admitted that her claims were false. Henson added, “No one was hurt or killed during Jussie’s ordeal. He has already lost everything, EVERYTHING! To me as an artist not able to create that in itself is punishment enough. He can’t get a job. No one in Hollywood will hire him and again as an artist who loves to create, that is prison. Former NBA star Michael Beasley broke down in tears during an emotional interview with former NFL players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor on “The Pivot Podcast,” where he got candid about his trust issues. Beasley revealed that his mother, his financial advisor and several others have stolen money from him. “I don’t know no one that ain’t stole from me,” Beasley said. “Everybody except for my kids stole from me.” “Every step of the way, I asked for help.” The distrust he has for those around him has forced him to isolate himself from the world. https://youtu.be/v_YLK2VcNGc Kelly Rowland is speaking out about reuniting with her estranged father after 30 years, and she did so on the advice of rapper JAY-Z. Rowland opened up about her journey in a recent episode of “Today” with Hota Kotb. She was joined by her father, Christopher Lovett who spoke about his attempts to have a relationship with his famous daughter during a period when she wasn’t ready to meet him. The singer was raised by her mother and had “feelings of abandonment” due to her father’s absence. When Destiny’s Child took off, Rowland instructed security to ban her father from certain events. https://youtu.be/jN1xdkL-EoQ It’s been 20 years since Al Roker had gastric bypass surgery and the longtime TODAY weatherman is marking the occasion by looking back on his former self. “Hard to believe it was 20 years ago today, I wore these size 54 Levi jeans to my #gastricbypass at 340 lbs and here I am today,” he captioned pictures him holding the oversized pants. “It’s still a struggle but I’m never going back. I have setbacks and struggle every day, but I never forget how far I’ve come.” https://www.instagram.com/alroker/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=847d9bb8-931e-4ebe-8b5f-1ad6fad72326 Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex will launch her first Spotify podcast series this summer. Meghan and her husband Prince Harry inked a multi-year partnership with the platform and their production company Archewell Audio in 2020 with the goal to “build community through shared experience, narratives and values.” The couple debuted their first podcast in December 2020, and welcomed a slew of celebrity guests including Elton John, Tyler Perry, Stacey Abrams and James Corden. Adele, the British singer who now calls LA/Beverly Hills home, stopped by The Graham Norton show, where Norton pointed out the large diamond on Adele’s finger and probed for a relationship update. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/17/adeles-big-ol-diamond-ring-brings-her-a-lot-of-questions/ This year’s nominees for the only entirely fan-voted award show in country music are in! The 2022 CMT Music Awards announced the artists that’ll go head-to-head on April 11, and country’s best and brightest are all represented, including Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean. “Lose It” singer Brown leads the pack this year with four nominations, including video of the year, male video of the year and CMT performance of the year. Trailing him with three nominations each are co-host Kelsea Ballerini, Mickey Guyton, BRELAND and Cody Johnson, with the latter two artists each notching their very first CMT nominations. Elsewhere, a whopping 12 acts are up for the coveted video of the year award, including Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean, Brandi Carlile, Cody Johnson, Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson, Kacey Musgraves, Brown, Ballerini feat. Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift feat. Chris Stapleton. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 26 points apiece and the Boston Celtics’ defense suffocated the Warriors well before Golden State lost Stephen Curry to a foot injury in the second quarter of a 110-88 nationally televised blowout Wednesday in San Francisco. Marcus Smart chipped in with 20 points for the Celtics, who held Golden State to a season-low 32 points in the first half. Boston earned its sixth win in seven games. Curry got hurt in the second quarter when Smart landed on the back of his left leg while diving for possession. He exited with what the Warriors labeled as left foot soreness. The two-time league MVP was due to undergo an MRI exam, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said postgame. Jordan Poole led all scorers with 29 points for the Warriors, who saw their four-game winning streak end. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who have teamed together for 20 NFL seasons in the broadcast booth, have signed multiyear agreements to join ESPN as the new voices for Monday Night Football, it was announced Wednesday.The duo, who both have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will also contribute content to ESPN+. “When you have the opportunity to bring in the iconic, longest-running NFL broadcasting duo, you take it, especially at a time when we are on the cusp of a new era in our expanding relationship with the NFL,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Disney’s chairman of ESPN and sports content. “The NFL continues to ascend, and we now have more games than ever before, providing additional opportunities for Joe, Troy and our deep roster of commentators.” In 2022, Buck and Aikman will match the legendary broadcasting duo of Pat Summerall and John Madden with their 21st season together in the booth. Buck and Aikman have called six Super Bowls, surpassing all other pairings/booths except for Summerall and Madden. https://twitter.com/i/status/1504127666630275073 Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong’o, a documentary about a forgotten female army, is heading to Smithsonian Channel. The Paramount Global-owned cable network will launch the doc, which was originally commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK, in the U.S. on Monday March 28. It will also air on its network in Latin America later this year. It forms part of its Women’s History Month programming. In the one-off film, the Black Panther star journeys across Benin, West Africa to uncover the ‘Agoji’ – or as Europeans labelled them, the ‘Amazons’ – who helped inspire the Dora Milaje of Marvel’s film. Actor Stephen Baldwin says he has “been on his knees before my God” after his daughter, Hailey Bieber suffered a frightening health scare last week. The model and wife of pop star Justin Bieber was admitted to the hospital on March 10 after experiencing stroke-like symptoms. Doctors determined she had suffered a blood clot in her brain. Baldwin asked his followers to continue to pray for Justin who is on tour while Hailey is now home recovering. “Thank you so much for all the prayers for the wonderful … Hailey. Lets keep praying for … JB on tour so love, peace, & joy may touch this world. God Bless to You All,” the actor wrote. He concluded the post glorifying God, saying, “He is my father … love Him so much as always, He’s a good father.” Keke Wyatt is expecting her 11th child and the singer revealed this week that her unborn baby has been diagnosed with the genetic disorder Trisomy 13. The announcement came during an emotional performance at the City Winery on March 13, 2022. She sang, “When the doctors told me that my son Rajjah had Leukemia cancer …I said Hallelujah. And recently I found out the doctor say my baby has Trisomy 13… Hallelujah.” Sadly, several social media users reacted to the news with rude comments, prompting Wyatt to fire off a lengthy response on Instagram. “I’d like to send a special prayer out for the rude, cruel people that took time out of their day to get on social media and make disparaging and morbid comments concerning my pregnancy,” Wyatt, 40, captioned a Wednesday, March 16, Instagram video of herself singing. “This past weekend at my show I was very transparent with my amazing fans (who I see as family) about the status of my pregnancy. I explained to them, the day after my maternity photo shoot my husband, [Zackariah Darring], and I received the news that our baby tested positive for Trisomy 13 per the doctor.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbMCIK6jUff/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Rapper Tory Lanez was previously called out by Madonna for sampling her music on his new album. Now the estate of late-great George Michael is speaking out against Lanez for the same reason. As reported by Uproxx, Lanez uses part of Michael’s “Careless Whisper” on his ’80s-themed album “Alone At Prom.” The sample appears on the song “Enchanted Waterfall” and the estate wants it removed, noting that it previously rejected Tory’s request to use the song. “It was brought to our attention that the song ‘Enchanted Waterfall’ by the artist Tory Lanez incorporated an unauthorized sample of ‘Careless Whisper’ written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley,” reads a statement given to Variety. “Requested permission for this use had been declined in June 2021 so we took immediate action on behalf of the writers, in collaboration with our publishers Warner Chappell Music, to prevent further exploitation as we will not tolerate any unauthorized use of any songs within the catalogs of George Michael and/or Andrew Ridgeley.” https://youtu.be/izGwDsrQ1eQ In Chicago, a good-hearted businessman and former mayoral candidate, Dr. Willie Wison, made a lot of folks very, very happy on Thursday because he donated $200,000 in gas at select locations. Dr. Wilson’s much-appreciated generosity comes as prices spiked to as much as $4.55 for regular and $5.32 for premium in Illinois, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Starting at 7 a.m., each customer at 10 different locations received $50 in gas until the $200,000 was exhausted. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/hundreds-of-cars-line-up-for-chicago-businessman-willie-wilsons-dollar200k-free-gas-giveaway-thursday/vi-AAVbTLT LaKeith Stanfield is speaking out for the first time about his battle with alcoholism. In a new interview with GQ Hype, admits that he realized he had a problem while shooting the Netflix western “The Harder They Fall,” in 2020. “This is something I never really had talked about before, but I think it’s something that I need to talk about, because I want people to understand that it’s something that you can get through, that it’s something that you can get past,” Stanfield told GQ. “And I want people to feel empowered by the fact that the person they’re looking at on that screen has gone through addiction and survived it.” “I just got up, canceled the massage, and told [the masseuse] to leave,” he recalled. “And she was probably like, What the hell is going on? And I didn’t really know what was happening either. I just thought, I’m anxious, let me just drink some wine. As soon as I drink the wine, the anxiety goes away.” Stanfield added, “I had become completely dependent upon it. To the point where I wasn’t able to move or function a whole day without having it.” Amazon.com Inc on Thursday said it had closed its $8.5 billion deal to buy MGM, combining the fabled moviemaker behind “Rocky” and James Bond with the online retailing giant as it looks to draw consumers through more streaming video. In a statement, Amazon said it would welcome all MGM employees to the company and work with the studio’s leadership, indicating there would not be layoffs. Its decision to close comes after a deadline passed for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to challenge the deal. The Seattle-based retailer announced the transaction in May 2021, saying MGM offered a trove of content to draw consumers to its fast-shipping and streaming club Prime, which costs $14.99 per month in the United States. On Saturday, March 26, 2022, iconic singer-songwriter-businesswoman Jody Watley is set to receive her first “Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy” from T.I.U.A School of Business. The honorary degree recognizes successful leaders in entrepreneurship. Ms. Watley will accept the honorary doctorate on March 26th at 2 pm EST, virtually. TIUA School of Business offers the Entrepreneur Honor’s Program for entrepreneurs who have shown leadership and integrity in the world of business. TIUA School of Business is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. “I am extremely honored to receive this recognition from the TIUA School of Business,” says the iconic singer. “I feel privileged to be considered in the same company as the incredibly talented individuals who have also received this distinction over the years.” Mikaela Shiffrin claimed the overall World Cup title with two races to spare when she took second place in the final super-G of the season in Courchevel, France, on Thursday. The American opened an unassailable 236-point lead at the top of the standings over second-place Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who finished in 17th place outside the points. Shiffrin, who now has four overall World Cup titles to her name and three Olympic medals, recovered from a disappointing outing in the Beijing Winter Games to finish the season in style. The 27-year-old unexpectedly won Wednesday’s downhill to take a major step towards winning the overall title, which she secured with a precise performance on Thursday. She finished just 0.05 seconds behind race winner Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway, who clocked one minute 13.68 seconds. Swiss Michelle Gisin was third, 0.13 seconds off the pace. Shiffrin, who won three consecutive overall World Cup titles from 2017-19, is now level with fellow American Lindsey Vonn on four, two shy of the women’s record of Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell, winner from 1971-75 and in 1979. Voiceover actor Eric Hollaway is said to have the lowest voice of any human on earth. Hollaway is an oktavist, and as reported by Voice Shop Coaching, he is often booked as “The Voice of God.” Per Oktavism.com, “the term oktavist is most precisely used to refer to basses that sing down to contra B flat and lower in a choral setting.” https://youtu.be/PkryVvAf3Sk A tsunami advisory was issued by Japanese officials Wednesday following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, where a 2011 quake caused a disaster at a nuclear power plant. The tsunami advisory was made for Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures in eastern Japan following the quake that had a preliminary epicenter depth of 60 kilometers (37 miles), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The advisory warns of tsunami heights reaching up to 1 meter above normal tidal levels, with the initial waves reaching shore around midnight local time (11 a.m. ET). According to the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a Pacific-basin-wide tsunami is not expected at this time. Vladimir Putin said today that the West’s ‘attempt to have global dominance’ is coming to an end and its ‘economic blitzkrieg’ of sanctions will only ‘strengthen Moscow’ in a bombastic televised Kremlin address. The Russian President, speaking in a televised government meeting in Moscow, insisted the ‘military operation’ in Ukraine is going to plan despite his troops’ advance remaining largely stalled on the outskirts of Kyiv. Putin claimed that the conflict was merely a pretext for the West to impose sanctions because ‘they just don’t want a strong and sovereign Russia’ and said that its economic measures were short-sighted as ‘most countries do not support sanctions.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/03/16/5115875380954481087/636x382_MP4_5115875380954481087.mp4 Russia may have already started World War III, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday. The outcome of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has yet to be decided, but it’s possible the decision has already begun a path to a full-scale global war, Zelenskyy told “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt when asked whether he understood concerns from President Joe Biden about escalating provocations. “Nobody knows whether it may have already started. And what is the possibility of this war if Ukraine will fall, in case Ukraine will? It’s very hard to say,” Zelenskyy said. “And we’ve seen this 80 years ago, when the second world war had started … nobody would be able to predict when the full scale war would start.” He further emphasized that the outcome of this war has the “whole civilization at stake.” Zelenskyy gave a virtual address to both chambers of Congress on Wednesday morning, reiterating his push for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He appealed for more aggressive support from lawmakers and Biden in his speech, saying this is a “terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years.” “I have a dream. … I can say, I have a need, a need to protect our sky,” he told Congress, invoking Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech. “I need your decision, your help, which means exactly the same, the same you feel when you hear the words ‘I have a dream.'” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is going through its own version of September 11th and Pearl Harbor every day since Russia invaded and he urged the US to protect his skies while invoking Martin Luther King and the Founding Fathers in a heart-wrenching speech to Congress on Wednesday morning. He also confronted President Joe Biden and told him to become the ‘leader of the free world’, demanded more sanctions for Russia to stop the ‘war machine’, asked for fighter jets and shared devastating footage of civilians being maimed in Kyiv as he called on lawmakers to ‘do more’ to protect his country. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/03/16/9183742502490817309/636x382_MP4_9183742502490817309.mp4 Antony Blinken claims U.S. sanctions on Russia will only be reversed when Vladimir Putin totally withdraws from Ukraine and warned China to avoid getting involved in the conflict as the U.S. sent thousands of troops to Australia because of the threat posed from Beijing. 'China’s already on the wrong side of history when it comes to the Ukraine,’ the State Department secretary told NPR in an interview published Wednesday. He added: ‘If China actually provides material support in one way or another to Russia in this effort, that would be even worse, and that’s something we’re looking very carefully at.’ The warning comes after President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with his Chinese counterpart in Rome on Monday – and as the U.S. reveals Russia requested equipment and economic assistance from China after the invasion. “Women at Christianity Today were touched at work in ways that made them uncomfortable,” according to the CT news story. “They heard men with authority over their careers make comments about the sexual desirability of their bodies. And in at least two cases, they heard department heads hint at openness to an affair.” Eight women alleged that Mark Galli touched them inappropriately, including one former employee who said Galli caressed her bare shoulder during an event in the early 2000s, while another said Galli’s hand got “stuck under her bra” when he rubbed her back. According to the report, Galli was reprimanded in 2019 after three women in three days reported to human resources that he’d inappropriately touched them — allegedly hugging a woman from behind, grabbing another woman by the shoulders and shaking her and putting a hand on another woman’s butt. According to the report, more than half a dozen employees reported harassment from Galli or Olawoye between the mid-2000s and 2019. But none of those reports resulted in a formal write-up, warning or reprimand. In a phone interview with Religion News Service, Galli said he was deeply troubled by the allegations in the story, which he denied. Several of the incidents in the story were taken out of context, he said, or were simply false. After all the attention the Black Lives Matter-led racial justice movement generated after George Floyd’s death in 2020, new data show that the number of Black people killed by police has actually increased over the last two years. According to data collected by The Washington Post, police shot and killed at least 1,055 people nationwide last year, the most since the newspaper began tracking fatal shootings by officers in 2015. That is more than the 1,021 shootings in 2020 and the 999 in 2019. Black people, who account for 13 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for 27 percent of those fatally shot and killed by police in 2021, according to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit group that tracks police shootings. That means Black people are twice as likely as white people to be shot and killed by police officers. “It’s bad and it’s sad, but it’s not shocking that we’re still being killed at a higher rate,” said Karundi Williams, the CEO of re:power, a national organization that trains Black people to become political leaders. “When we have moments of racial injustice that is thrust in the national spotlight, there is an uptick of outrage, and people take to the streets. But then the media tends to move on to other things, and that consciousness decreases. But we never really got underneath the problem.” Almond Brewer attempted to deposit a $3,200 check at the Pinal County Federal Credit Union in Apache Junction in October. While he was waiting, the bank manager called the police. The check, the manager told the police, was fake. In fact, the bank would later admit that the authenticity of the check was “inconclusive.” But the manager didn’t tell police that when he called 911. Brewer had just sold a boat to a woman on Facebook Marketplace. She paid with a check. His own bank suggested he take the check to the woman’s bank to get faster access to the funds. He said when he gave that information to the credit union teller, she “kind of looked surprised.” The Pinal County Federal Credit Union told 12 News the bank manager called 911 after running Brewer’s check through a 3rd party verification system. The results came out inconclusive. The credit union also stated that the manager was able to get ahold of the customer who wrote and verified the check while officers were on their way. The death of a young Black man who was found hanging from a tree in Indiana nearly 100 years ago has finally been ruled a lynching, officials said. Even though 19-year-old George Tompkins’ hands had been bound behind his back, the Indianapolis slaying was ruled a suicide in 1922 and no one was ever arrested. The record was corrected Saturday as Marion County Deputy Chief Coroner Alfie McGinty displayed a new death certificate that listed Tompkins’ passing as the result of homicide. “We will bring justice to something that was unconscionable to me,” McGinty said. “We are proud to be a part of this history some 100 years later, and we will remember George Tompkins.” Activists with the Indiana Remembrance Coalition had been pushing for Tompkins’ death certificate to be changed. Phil Bremen, a volunteer administrator with the group, said Tompkins’ case stood out because it was so casually brushed aside with no follow-up by local authorities. “It got written off in two days as a suicide. His lynching was buried before his body was, if you can fathom that,” Bremen, a retired Ball State University communications professor, said Monday. Two former HBCU football coaches are joining NFL coaching staff, hires that observers say are a small but significant step toward filling the NFL’s coaching pipelines and bolstering Black colleges’ reputations for preparing pro-level coaching talent. The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Tuesday that they hired Isaac Williams as assistant offensive line coach. Williams coached North Carolina Central University’s offensive line in the 2021 season, when the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference school went 6-5. From 2018 through 2020, he coached tight ends, offensive linemen and was the run game coordinator for Morgan State University, another MEAC program. Williams played college football at Alcorn State, another HBCU which if famous for producing the late Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair. In the United States, the average amount of student loan debt is $39,591, a price tag that has many students asking if higher education is really worth it. This number is even higher for Black students, with the average African American bachelor’s degree holder having $52,000 in student debt. Though Black students are increasingly questioning the value of college, there are several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) where alumni see higher median salaries than other Black graduates in the same state, according to recent data from OnlineU, a higher education resource for aspiring students. Famous for their rich culture, historic significance and family-like campus community, some HBCUs have significantly lower tuition rates than other four-year institutions. Through grants, scholarships, and other financial aid resources, HBCUs are often able to better help their students with college costs. OnlineU identified that Xavier University, in New Orleans, Louisiana, offers the highest financial payoff for Black graduates. The median salary for XULA graduates is $52,582 compared to the $36,962 median salary for other Black graduates with the same level of education in Louisiana, a $15,619 difference. The untold story of Reverend Jesse Jackson is to be made into a theatrical documentary feature and limited TV series, with Jackson’s son Yusef D Jackson set to co-exec and Peabody Award-winning Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed director Shola Lynch attached. Expanded Media and Lawrence Elman/Nick Fraser’s Docsville Studios are behind the as-yet-untitled big-budget project, which will include exclusive access to the influential U.S. heavyweight figure and his family, along with unseen archive footage over a period of 60 years. The producers described the film and series as “Reverend Jackson’s personal story, in his own words, for the first time.” The civil rights leader and two-time Democratic presidential candidate was born in 1941 in the segregated south and the film will explain and explore what drove him and continues to drive him, detailing his omnipresence wherever civil rights, human rights and injustice are present. Tennis star Novak Djokovic won’t be able to compete at this week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the existing COVID-19 regulations would remain in place. Djokovic, who was the number 1 men’s tennis player in the world, has been banned by other countries and events because he’s unvaccinated. The 34-year-old got bumped down to the number 2 spot as other tennis players won championships he wasn’t allowed to compete in. He is a vocal skeptic of COVID vaccines and has refused to say if he got the shot, according to Sporting News. Scott Hall, legendary WWE wrestler, has died. He was 63. The World Wrestling Entertainment website shared the news in a statement on Monday, writing, “WWE is saddened to learn that two-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall has passed away.” Earlier on Monday, pro wrestling newsletter PW Torch reported that Hall was on life support in a Georgia hospital following complications from hip replacement surgery earlier this month. He reportedly suffered three heart attacks over the weekend, according to the outlet. Hall’s friend and former pro-wrestling colleague Kevin Nash wrote on Instagram Sunday night that Hall would be taken off of life support once “his family is in place.” Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant can’t seem to make sense of New York City’s vaccination rules, which allow his teammate Kyrie Irving to attend but not play in games. Durant’s frustration came after Irving was granted near total freedom inside Barclays Center, except the ability to play on his team. Durant then called out just how illogical the rules are. Irving earned media attention Sunday for sitting court-side in the Barclays Center when the Nets competed against the New York Knicks. Irving was able to attend the game because New York lifted its vaccination mandate but was not allowed to participate in the game because New York City has not removed its vaccine mandate on the private sector. “It’s ridiculous; I don’t understand it at all,” Durant said, visibly frustrated. “They lifted all of that in the arena, right? I don’t get it. It just feels like, at this point now, somebody’s trying to make a statement or point to flex their authority.” Polo Ralph Lauren has created some conversation amongst the HBCU Community in their latest release involving Spelman College and Morehouse College. The well-known HBCUs and famous fashion company announced their partnership to create a limited-edition collection that is inspired by these institutions’ history, culture, and traditions. The partnership is the first-ever creative collaboration that the brand has established with collegiate institutions. Spelman and Morehouse’s students were photographed with the clothes that were a part of the licensing agreement. The students had their photographs taken at some historic places on campus to try to recreate some of the iconic shots of students from as far back as the 1920s. James Jeter is the man who is largely responsible for the new collection. As one of the company’s design directors in New York who also graduated from Morehouse in 2013 has spent his full professional career at the brand. He is the one who educated Ralph Lauren on the significance of Morehouse. https://youtu.be/pghBWnm5NeA Working mothers in today’s world have a tremendous amount of challenges on their plate, from the global COVID-19 pandemic to the soaring costs of child care and education. It’s a lot to juggle and some moms don’t have extra support from family or a partner to help balance all of the ups and downs of raising children. However, this week, Ursula Burns, the first Black CEO of XEROX, argued a different stance. The 63-year-old businesswoman said during an interview with CNBC Make It, that moms shouldn’t be expected to do it all in today’s society. “I would not be able to be CEO of the company unless I outsourced the caring for my kids,” Burns, who became the first Black CEO of the Fortune 500 company back in 2009, explained. “I was not a believer that you had to go to all your kids’ games. I just don’t understand what that’s all about.” Even when she did make time to attend her children’s games, the busy CEO admitted that she didn’t watch “every second” of it. Burns said she would use some of the free time to do a crossword puzzle instead, according to CNBC. This year’s installment of Equal Pay Day comes as the nation tries to dig itself out from a recession that is giving way to a full-fledged inflation crisis in a collision of unfortunate economic circumstances that is making the racial wealth gap is even more pronounced than it was when the pandemic first hit. The recovery has been especially elusive across certain demographics, including Black women, who have historically borne the brunt of the earning disparities across the U.S. Nowhere is this more clear than in a couple of damning charts that underscore where Black women rank on the wage gap totem pole. The NCAA tournament is arguably the biggest event in all of college athletics. The craziness of this tournament on both the men’s and women’s sides has led to heartbreak, joy and unforgettable moments for everyone involved. It also brings a sizable payday for many conferences. Some more than others. HBCU conferences like the SWAC and the MEAC find themselves on the lower end of the spectrum. According to USA Today, from 1997 through 2018, the Big Ten Conference has been paid the most at $340.4 million, while the SWAC got only $25 million which is nearly the minimum amount that a conference can receive during that time. Where are all of the anti-critical race theory warriors when school lessons make Black students uncomfortable? Because that’s what all of this anti-CRT hoopla is supposed to be about, right? Legislators are falsely claiming that CRT teaches that certain races are inferior to others or that white people, at the individual level, are inherently racist. So, Republicans trot out these anecdotal instances where educators separate their classrooms by race and/or single out white students to tell them they experience white privilege (which is true, but whatever) and they cite these instances as reasons to ban what they think CRT is from the classroom. One can only wonder why they never have the same energy when time and time again, teachers trivialize the institution of slavery through class activities where students are instructed to reenact Black oppression. Where are all these concerned legislators when mock slavery auctions are happening in the classroom? According to The News & Observer, a mock slave auction recently took place at J.S. Waters School in Goldston, North Carolina. During the “lesson,” Black students were reportedly “sold” by white students presumably to demonstrate what went on during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But why though? While Black history in America is often whitewashed and satirized for Caucasian consumption, one fact is so universally recognized as indisputable: Black people were slaves and white people owned them. No one needs a slavery show and tell to be educated on that much. Keturah Herron, a former lobbyist with the ACLU of Kentucky, is one of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year, for her significant impact in the community. Herron, the first openly LGBTQ state representative, fought for justice for Breonna Taylor and was integral to getting no-knock warrants banned in Louisville, Kentucky, following the killing of Taylor, 26, in March 2020. The emergency medical technician was fatally shot in a botched raid when three officers with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department entered her home with an illegal no-knock warrant. Per The Louisville Courier-Journal, Herron hopes her story resonates with people “who don’t know what to do or are looking for somebody to look up to.” Jocqui Smollett shared the news Monday night with TMZ while thanking people on social media for their support in the “Free Jussie” movement. He told the outlet that Jussie’s removal from the psych ward is a big step forward and gets him out of a restrained bed and into a normal one. “Cook County doesn’t really move until they get bad publicity … keep continuing to call Cook County Jail checking in on him and keep saying that you believe he should be free,” he added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbIi2GCpk7f/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Cardi B is being sued by a female security guard who claims the rapper spit on her, called her racial slurs and physically attacked her back in 2018 in Los Angeles. Cardi responded to the allegation in new legal documents in which she argued that her actions were “reasonably necessary” to protect herself from the “assault.” According to the report, Cardi B commented on the case in a now-deleted tweet, saying, “Why don’t you guys post the part where the doctor’s office said that that’s not what happen? and if I assaulted why she didn’t press charges? Why would I put my hands on some1 twice my size by myself while I’m experiencing sharp pain 4 months pregnant?” However, Cardi admits in the new filing that it “was reasonably necessary for her self-defense and safety and was justified by (the security guards) assault. A federal judge has ruled against former Trump administration official Omarosa Manigault Newman and ordered her to pay more than $60,000, in a lawsuit the Justice Department brought against her after then-President Donald Trump fired his former apprentice. The case found that Manigault Newman hadn’t complied with federal ethics requirements that public officials file financial disclosures when they leave a government job. Though it revolved around a compliance matter, over the last few years, Manigault Newman’s departure and litigation spun into a juicy drama between the powers of the Trump White House and a combatant, well-known personality once in its fold. https://youtu.be/mwKqm0euSBA A new teaser has dropped for “The Kardashians” on Hulu, which is set to premiere on April 14th. In the clip, Kris Jenner is chatting with daughter Khloe and Scott Disick, Kourtney’s baby daddy, when she tells them, “Never go against the family.” While the show was filmed months ago, fans are convinced Kris was issuing the warning to Kanye West amid his post-marital drama with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbFeAozsL-g/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again BET HER, in partnership with producer Tressa Azarel Smallwood of MegaMind Media who is serving as Executive Producer for the series, announces four original 20-minute dramas which will premiere during Minority Mental Health Month (July 2022) and during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October 2022). Dedicated to telling stories that support and celebrate Black women in front of and behind the camera as well as bringing awareness to important issues directly affecting the Black community, producer Smallwood spearheads the Health Initiatives under the “Her Stories” banner, which spotlights women-centered short films and highlights the next generation of Black women filmmakers. Special invited directors include a who’s who list of TV and film icons including Meagan Good (Harlem), Naturi Naughton (Power), Tichina Arnold (Martin), and LisaRaye Mccoy (The Family Business). Dolly Parton, one of popular music’s most beloved stars, is taking herself out of the running for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2022 class of inductees. In a statement shared to her social media accounts, the country chanteuse said that while she was “extremely flattered and grateful” for the nomination, she didn’t feel she’d “earned that right.” “I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out,” she said. Parton was the sole country star on this year’s ballot, which also included Eminem, A Tribe Called Quest and Dionne Warwick. She said she hoped the hall of fame would consider her again one day if she’s “ever worthy.” https://youtu.be/3na9XpddoPs Mike Tyson took a memorable bite off Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 heavyweight match, and now the boxing legend has announced ear-shaped cannabis gummies called “Mike Bites.” The marijuana edibles are the latest product from Tyson’s cannabis company, and the gummies will be sold at dispensaries in Massachusetts, California, and Nevada, Complex reports. In a 2019 episode of his Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson podcast, Tyson and Holyfield discussed the idea of ear bite cannabis gummies while recounting their infamous moment in the ring. https://youtu.be/zKPMVex-UKk Deion Sanders, head football coach at Jackson State University, is being sued by the organizers of the Southern Heritage Classic for calling the game “a hustle.” Sanders and the university are named in the lawsuit filed by Summitt Management Corporation, which runs the event, after the ex-NFLer ripped the game and pulled his team from participation in the annual event. “It’s a hustle,” Sanders said recently on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, via Football Scoop. “We’re losing money, tremendously. This particular classic that you’re talking about, first of all, why would two colleges need a promoter? You’re two colleges and you have A.D.s, why would you need a promoter, that’s No. 1. “Secondly, I think the fee was like over 30 years, $6 million. That’s peanuts. So by the time you take seven buses for the band, four buses for the players, couple (buses) for people, assistants, hotel accommodations, food, you’re out of that. That $180-200 grand, you’re out of that. So you didn’t make nothing. You really came up there on a blank trip. We gotta stop that foolishness. The first thing we need to take care of as HBCUs is the business aspect of everything, and that’s something we’re changing right now. We’re taking care of business,” he added. The gas thieves are “drilling holes into the tanks … catching the fuel before it hits the ground,” per TMZ. As reported by Complex, there have been reports of gas theft all over the country. “There have been reports of people siphoning gas directly out of the tanks putting a hose down into the gas tank, sucking out,” said gas station technician Emery Shen. “We are also hearing reports of people drilling right in the gas tanks, taking gas out of cars directly.” Per WSILTV, Washington state police have urged drivers to purchase lockable gas caps. “We often discover these thefts later when the owner goes to the gas station to fill up and finds all the fuel dumping out under the vehicle from the cut filler line,” said Hoquiam Chief of Police Jeff Meyers. https://youtu.be/xgP6SsU2dH8 Neyo White, the man who went viral after a trip to a chemical peel from Georgia spa, turned into a nightmare, said he’s ready to take legal action. According to TMZ, White claims this ordeal that began when he went into a spa in Buckhead for a chemical peel on February 17th was not a stunt for clout. White said he had gone to the Spa before to get other procedures to help with discoloration and evenness in his skin, but he wanted to try something a little more substantial, so he went in for a chemical peel. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-03-04-030422-neyo-white-burns-1373458/ President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week to meet with world leaders and discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. The President will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in a NATO summit on March 24 and will also join a European Council meeting, Psaki told reporters at a White House briefing. The trip, which will be one of the most closely watched visits to Europe by an American president in decades, comes weeks after Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Biden will “discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts,” during the NATO summit and reaffirm the US’ commitment to its NATO allies, Psaki said. Young Dolph was shot 22 times in the hail of gunfire that ended the famed rapper’s life at a Memphis bakery last November, new autopsy results reported by WHBQ-TV reveal. The findings from the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center say that the musician, born Adolph Thorton Jr., was shot in his left chest, left abdomen, right chin, right neck, right shoulder, both arms and multiple times in his back, the station reported. The Senate on Tuesday passed a measure that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the United States. The Sunshine Protection Act passed the chamber by unanimous consent. The bill would still need to pass the House and be signed by President Joe Biden to become law. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a sponsor of the legislation, said he doesn’t have any assurance the House will take it up, but “it’s an idea whose time has come.” https://youtu.be/QqXedKcZhDg Thirty million people in 13 cities across China have been put back into a Covid-19 lockdown with hazmat-wearing officials back on the streets on a scale not seen since the pandemic began. China reported 5,280 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, more than double the previous day’s tally, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant spread across a country that has stuck tightly to a zero-Covid strategy. That approach, which pivots on hard localized lockdowns and has left China virtually cut off from the outside world for two years, appears stretched to the limit as Omicron finds its way into communities. At least 13 cities nationwide were fully locked down as of Tuesday, and several others had partial lockdowns, with some 15,000 infections reported nationwide in March. Scenes of closed neighborhoods, panic buying and police cordons cast back to the early phase of the pandemic, which first emerged in China in late 2019. A Fox News cameraman was killed in Ukraine on Monday, when the vehicle he was traveling in alongside correspondent Benjamin Hall was struck by incoming fire, the network confirmed Tuesday. Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, had been covering Russian’s invasion of Ukraine with Hall when their vehicle was hit in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in an email to staff. ‘It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news this morning regarding our beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski,’ Scott wrote. ‘Pierre was killed in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. Pierre was with Benjamin Hall yesterday newsgathering when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire.’ The network announced on Monday that Hall, the reporter with Zakrzewski, had been injured in the attack, and remained hospitalized, but added they have a ‘minimal level of details.’ News of the attack comes after American reporter Brent Renaud was killed on Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle. A Wells Fargo Economic Group report shows Black Americans have made significant economic progress in recent years, taking control of their financial futures. According to Wells Fargo, 35% of Black women in the U.S. owned a business in 2019, 15% higher than the share of female-owned businesses in the overall U.S. economy. Additionally, Black women have made gains in corporate board seats and even though just 4% of Black women are on corporate seats today, that is an increase of 25% from 2019, double the rate of women overall. Black women have taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, using their skills to start businesses in numerous disciplines including lingerie, beauty, and even feminine products. Additionally, a number of brands have made pledges to help Black women-owned businesses including Sephora, Target, Walmart, and other retail brands. Rodney Priestley, a well-celebrated engineer, professor, and mentor, has been named dean of Princeton University’s Graduate School. He is expected to assume his new role on June 1st. According to a press release, the Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering has been promoted from his 2020 appointed role as vice dean for innovation. He has now been entrusted to lead the university’s Graduate School of nearly 3,000 enrolled students. “My interest in becoming dean of Princeton’s Graduate School originates with my own personal experience of graduate school,” said Priestley, as per the press release. “The mentorship, encouragement, and support I received has enabled every goal I have reached throughout my career. My advisers’ belief in me has always inspired me to give back to others to whatever extent possible.” Cynthia Bailey can still remember the physical and mental drain from having fibroids — even though it’s been a decade since they were treated. The former Real Housewives of Atlanta star says that having the benign tumors growing in her womb left her in a “dark place” mentally and impacted so many aspects of her life that she felt like a “disaster.” “It’s very hard to be in a good space mentally when you’re bleeding all the time and when you don’t have any energy, and you’re anemic and you don’t have the sex drive you used to have,” Bailey, 55, tells PEOPLE. “Mentally, I found that I was just in a dark place without really knowing I was in a dark place. When I look at photos of myself during that time, it was like the light was gone because I was bleeding to death in a lot of ways.” The former model is reflecting on that time of her life during Women’s History Month for a special reason. She has teamed up with USA Fibroids Centers to educate women about a non-invasive, non-surgical way to treat the condition that plagued her for 14 years. In a video that has swept the internet, sparking outrage at how a substitute teacher in Dallas, Texas, was treated, a student is seen throwing a heavy classroom metal chair and striking him on the head. A letter from Dr. Larry Lewis, interim superintendent of schools at the DeSoto Independent School District of Texas, confirmed the DeSoto West Middle School altercation that occurred on Wednesday between several students and the substitute teacher. Video and pictures are making their rounds on social media of the incident, where after the chair is thrown at the teacher’s head, he retaliates by throwing two chairs of his own, both missing the student, MEAAWW reports. The teacher then goes to sit down while the students attacking him leave, to wipe the blood streaming down his face. Amidst the chaos, the rest of the kids in the classroom are heard screaming and laughing. https://twitter.com/i/status/1502099362993696771 Cora Faith Walker, the former Missouri representative from Ferguson who then served as St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s policy chief, has died at 37. The cause of death has not been announced. The Missouri Democratic Party said Thursday that “we are devastated to learn of Cora Faith Walker’s passing.” “She was a perfect example of a dedicated public servant who deeply cared for the St. Louis community,” it said. “We’ve lost someone very special and too soon.” First elected in 2016 to represent the House’s 74th District, the Democrat in 2019 resigned to take the job with Page’s administration. Her county biography says she had overseen government relations, regulatory affairs and public policy operations. Among other things, Walker served on a task force studying women’s participation and advancement in the workforce. On behalf of Page, she had also commented on efforts to bring Afghan refugees to St. Louis. She also had worked on Medicaid expansion and health reform, the county biography said. Last spring, a math teacher at a middle school in Fort Riley, Kan., called a student “miss” to get the student’s attention at the end of class, court records state. After class, another classmate emailed the teacher, Pamela Ricard, to let her know that the student now used he/him pronouns and a different first name. But the next day, when Ricard used the student’s last name — avoiding the new name or any pronouns at all — the classmate grew frustrated, leaving a note on Ricard’s desk accusing the teacher of being “transphobic.” The note ended with a remark on the classmate’s own gender identity: “my pronouns are he/they btw.” In a lawsuit, Ricard — who is Christian — says she was uncomfortable with referring to the students by names and pronouns that were different from what was listed in the district’s enrollment system. After some disagreement with school officials on how to handle the situation, Ricard was suspended and later issued a written reprimand for her refusal to comply with the district’s policies on diversity and inclusion. Now, Ricard is suing Geary County Schools Unified School District board members, the superintendent and Fort Riley Middle School’s principal, alleging that they violated her First Amendment rights by forcing her to use language and implementing policies that breached her personal and religious beliefs. A member of Russia’s parliament called for reparations from the United States on Sunday — including the return of historic settlements in Alaska and California — over the west’s vast economic sanctions. The Kremlin has been flooding the airwaves of its state-run channels with pro-war propaganda that paints a vastly different portrait to reality and shields the Russian people from the horrors of Vladimir Putin’s bloody invasion of Ukraine, the Daily Beast first reported. Moscow’s TV pundits and show hosts have also begun endorsing the idea of publicly hanging Ukrainians who are standing against Russia — something the Kremlin has reportedly already mulled, according to Bloomberg. Putin’s ‘spin doctor,’ Duma member Oleg Matveychev, appeared on Russian state news on Sunday, outlining a series of demands for both Washington and Kyiv ‘after Ukraine’s demilitarization is completed.’ It comes as Russian and Ukrainian officials meet for another round of peace talks Tuesday. Jane Campion is apologizing for a controversial comment she made about Serena and Venus Williams while accepting the best director prize at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards. The filmmaker said in a statement, “I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved. I did not intend to devalue these two legendary Black women and world-class athletes.” Campion continued, “The fact is the Williams sisters have, actually, squared off against men on the court (and off), and they have both raised the bar and opened doors for what is possible for women in this world. The last thing I would ever want to do is minimize remarkable women. I love Serena and Venus. Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring. Serena and Venus, I apologize and completely celebrate you.” Record-breaking Olympian Allyson Felix, who famously walked away from a contract with a major sponsor while standing up for maternity and post-partum rights, is now teaming up with Pure Leaf Iced Tea to support women saying “no” in the workplace. The partnership was announced in honor of Women’s History Month, along with the launch of the premium ice tea brand’s Say “No” grants. In addition to Felix, the SeekHer Foundation, a women’s empowerment and mental health nonprofit, has also joined in on the initiative, according to a press release. In addition, Pure Leaf is committing $1 million over the next three years to fund opportunities that will “support women who want to say “no” at work so that they can say “yes” to other personal, social, familial, and cultural things in their lives.” “Since its launch in 2020, Pure Leaf’s ‘No is Beautiful’ campaign has encouraged people everywhere to say ‘no’ to the things that don’t matter, so they can say ‘yes’ to things that do,” Julie Raheja-Perera, general manager, North America, Pepsi Lipton Partnership, shared in a press statement. The LADWP Board of Water and Power Commissioners has approved an agreement with Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) to help achieve diversity in the engineering workforce. AMIE, a nonprofit organization that develops industry, government and university partnerships, will coordinate technical and scientific research on behalf of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) with the 15 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Schools of Engineering. The universities are: Alabama A&M University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of the District of Columbia and Virginia State University. The Otis Redding Foundation is excited to announce the planned 9,000 square foot Otis Redding Center for the Arts and Amphitheater located in a place that is famous for its musical talent and heritage. It is envisioned as a central destination for youth educational programs in music and the arts. “There is no better place to be located, where musicians like a young Otis Redding, Little Richard, and Lena Horne started right here,” said Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller at the Mar. 1 announcement, according to a press release. The Center will feature two stories of art lab spaces, practice rooms and studio space for students to explore songwriting, production, performance and more. An outside amphitheater will open onto downtown Macon’s main thoroughfare and serve as a venue for student performances, a music-filled community gathering space, and a public face on the Otis Redding Foundation’s commitment to preserving Macon’s musical legacy and investing in the city’s next generation of artists. Four honorees for the 2022 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards were announced Wednesday ahead of the event being held March 24 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Nia Long (You People), 2022 Oscar nominee for best supporting actress Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard), Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) and Chanté Adams (A Journal For Jordan) will be celebrated at the ceremony that marks the 15th anniversary of the affair. This year, the Black Women in Hollywood Awards will be themed to “The Black Cinematic Universe” and hosted by Snowfall‘s Damson Idris. The gala will be featured in Essence‘s March/April print issue and a special digital issue. Additional talent is set to be announced soon for the event taking place in the lead-up to the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony on March 27. ABC on Monday announced that it has renewed freshman comedy Abbott Elementary for a second season after the series starring, created and written by Quinta Brunson has become a breakout for the Disney-owned network. The series, a co-production between Warner Bros. Television and Disney’s 20th TV, is tied with CBS’ already-renewed Ghosts as broadcast’s No. 1 comedy among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic. The cast and creatives announced the pickup with a cheeky “memo” from Abbott Elementary principal Ava Coleman (co-star Janelle James) encouraging fans to support schools via DonorsChoose.org as the show continues to support education. (Read it, below.) The series, it’s worth noting, is inspired by Brunson’s mother, a retired teacher. The workplace comedy has also drawn comparisons to NBC favorite The Office for its documentary-style format. New episodes return March 22 at 9 p.m. In honor of Black History Month, the authors of the book “The Little Black Book Of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women” have launched a social media campaign where they share career advice to help inspire, motivate, and propel women of color. As co-authors Marsha Haygood, Elaine Meryl Brown and Rhonda Joy McLean wanted to celebrate in an innovative way where they can reach their audience. They wanted to provide practical advice that can serve as support and mentorship to the next generation of Black women at every level of work and life. The social media graphics the authors push and promote on their social media platforms serve as sparknotes for the advice provided in their book, which offers invaluable insight for Black women who seek guidance on how to get to the next level. In 2019, Sonia Robinson opened SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service in Fort Mill, S.C., after more than six years working as a regional service manager for Mobility Works, a leading dealer of wheelchair-accessible vans. Robinson wanted to apply her industry experience to business ownership with an established brand. After researching different opportunities and meeting with some of the other franchisees, she knew SpeeDee was the right choice for her because it allows her to offer a full range of oil change and mechanical services that she wouldn’t be able to elsewhere. With Robinson’s background in customer service, owning her own shop lets her focus on building relationships and working with people, which she loves most about the business.She has seen excellent growth in her SpeeDee store since opening, reporting 17% growth year over year. But women have not always been so successful in business. In 1972, approximately 4.6% of businesses in the United States were owned by women. As of 2019, women own 42% of companies and that number continues. A MOM-of-two has revealed how she earned $100,000 in FIVE months with a simple side hustle. Tech-savvy Jasmine McCall decided to take a bad experience and use it as inspiration to keep on top of her financial affairs, while helping others along the way. The 30-year-old explained how she had a rude awakening after realizing how a poor credit history can hold you back. Forgetting to repay her first credit bill left her unable to open a bank account just as she headed to college at age 18 and with a bad credit score on her record. Raised by a single mother alongside five of her siblings, Jasmine was no stranger to financial hardship. She said: “At this point in my life, I’ve done really well for myself, but I will never forget the feeling of constantly being rejected because my mom had bad credit.” Her money mismanagement encouraged her to delve behind the digits – which would later form the basis for her spectacular side hustle. Not many 16-year-olds can say that they have a successful business under their belts, let alone two. Yet, that’s exactly what Paris Mckenzie is doing. This young lady is currently juggling a beauty supply store and a salon while tackling her education. What’s even better is that this is far from the end of her journey. It might not seem strange for Paris to open a beauty supply store when you know her history. According to her interviews, her mother opened a salon a few months after giving birth to her. As a result, Paris grew up helping around the store. From as early as the age of 10, she’d mastered cleaning the barber tools, wiping down the salon chairs, and shampooing the clients’ hair. Within a couple of years, her mother was asking her to color and install wigs, according to a press release. This start at the salon led to her working with clients when she wasn’t in school. Paris notes that she saved all the money she earned because she had no responsibilities to take care of. Since this money would be integral to the next step in her life, it’s a good thing that she did. When the Build Back Better Act passed the House of Representatives last year, there was some excitement about a provision in it authorizing a payroll tax credit for local news organizations. If the bill had not died in the U.S Senate last month, it would have provided tax savings for local media outlets amounting to nearly $1.7 billion over 10 years. Supporters of the bill in the U.S Congress have vowed to bring it up again this year with the hope of funding a range of social, economic, education health and national security priorities. Researchers at the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Media and Journalism found that there are at least 200 counties in the U.S. lacking a local newspaper and the Pew Research Center reported a decline from 71,000 journalism positions in 2008 to 31,000 in 2020, a 57 % drop. The dismantling of local news reporting has diminished its role in providing important public oversight that holds our government accountable; promotes fairness, honesty, equity and justice; and preserves the integrity of our democracy. https://youtu.be/JHjwwRmag5o Last week President Joe Biden signed an executive order on digital assets that “helped lift the price of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies,” Forbes writes. “The executive order is really a call for coordination—playing quarterback to ensure that regulators are working together to feed into a clear and consistent framework for crypto regulation rather than engage in disparate work streams,” said Ari Redford, Head of Legal and Government Affairs at TRM Labs. https://youtu.be/_suSLXMifzA A KTLA reporter was doing a live report about one of LA’s most dangerous streets about car crashes when the segment was interrupted by car a crash. KTLA reporter Gene Kang was reporting on a deadly hit-and-run in South Los Angels, in the area of Hoover and 84th streets, when he was interrupted by a car wreck Thursday afternoon. According to KTLA, the site is known for it’s has many traffic incidents, “with double the number of traffic collisions occurring in the area since the onset of the pandemic,” the outlet writes. Kang was in the middle of his report when two sedans slammed into each other behind him and one appeared to speed away. https://youtu.be/2W-Rx2NLTO8 You are invited to attend the inaugural MILLIONS. BILLIONS. TRILLIONS. SUMMIT on March 31, 2022, in metro Atlanta, GA. Organizers promise a power-packed day of inspiration, information, and networking. The Summit, themed "The Courage It Takes To Be Great", aims to empower budding entrepreneurs and leaders and those who want to elevate their mindset. The MILLIONS. BILLIONS. TRILLIONS SUMMIT is the brainchild of Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and fashion entrepreneur Travis Malloy. The day will feature exclusive performances and appearances from today's leading culture influencers, thought leaders, executives, and entertainers. Presenters include Malloy, award-winning actor Malik Yoba, pastor and recording artist Bishop William Murphy III, motivational speaker Ivy McGregor, celebrity photographer Derek Blanks, Grammy Award-winning singer Q. Parker, and more. Instagram is now blocked in Russia amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The move came after the platform reportedly changed its hate-speech policy to allow Ukrainians to share messages such as “Death to the Russian invaders,” as reported by New York Daily News. Prior to the shutdown, a Russian communications regulator suggested users remove all their photos and videos from the platform before they are no longer accessible, per the report. “We need to ensure the psychological health of citizens, especially children and adolescents, to protect them from harassment and insults online,” regulator Roskomnadzor said. The Instagram block affects 80 million users on the platform. Loni Love has shut down reports saying “The Real” is getting canceled. Rumor has it that the syndicated daytime talk show will end after its current 8th season. Love has revealed that “No official decision has been made.” “It’s been a busy few days but I got a call from the studio,” she wrote on Twitter Sunday. “No official decision has been made about #TheReal …I will be OK but please give grace to the 150 crew members this may affect… we will finish Season 8 and wait for official word.” Love co-hosts “The Real” with Adrienne Houghton, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, and Garcelle Beauvais. The show, which launched in 2013, has recently been struggling in the ratings, according to Urban Hollywood 411. Reports about potential cancellation following news of Nick Cannon’s showing getting the ax. Tyrell Zimmerman is a man on a mission to address the wave of mental health challenges impacting urban youth, many of whom are struggling with trauma, childhood PTSD, and depression due to the harshness of their environments. With the COVID-19 pandemic still lingering, the mental health battle has only gotten worse as schools seek solutions. One of the ways Zimmerman is making a difference is through his children’s book, “Carter: My Dream, My Reality,” which promotes literacy and serves as a powerful guiding tool, assisting children with positive coping mechanisms, healing and recovery. https://youtu.be/8I_ARVr4Ycg 50 Cent says he’s ready to give Mo’Nique a second chance in Hollywood and he has called on Oprah and Tyler Perry to apologize for allegedly “blackballing” her in the industry. “I’m sure Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry would not want to continue to allow there influence to damage @therealmoworldwide career and this has went on for way to long,” 50 wrote on Instagram, Complex reports. “So now would be a great time to apologize because i’m gonna put her back on. ??GLG??GreenLighGang ??I don’t miss! #bransoncognac” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbGY1L_jg0U/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Will Smith is being open about his relationship with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, saying the two have never cheated on one another during their marriage.? The couple’s relationship has been a hot topic ever since Pinkett told viewers during a 2020’Red Table Talk interview that she had an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina.? But the “Bad Boys” actor isn’t concerned with people talking about his marriage.? “I have decided that chatter about my life can be of a benefit to people,” the Oscar-nominated actor told Gayle King during an episode of CBS Sunday Morning. “Chatter is the first stage to having a real conversation and to be able to truly explore if some of the things in your heart are loving or poisonous.” ? Timmy Thomas passed on March 12. He was 77. Thomas was best known for creating one of the most enduring songs of the 1970s – a song whose meaning still resonates in 2022. Thomas topped the charts in 1972 with the mesmerizing plea for peace, “Why Can’t We Live Together.”No cause of death has been given. His family wrote on his Facebook page: “With appreciation and gratitude, the family extends a thank you for the prayers, support, precious words and other expressions of love and kindness during this time.” https://youtu.be/zJ38KmkQPik Longtime Chicago-based radio man Pervis Spann is now broadcasting from the great beyond. Spann, a legendary broadcaster, died Monday at age 89. A one-time disc jockey for WVON-AM – who ended up buying the station – was a voice for Black Chicago during a time when many were fighting to be heard. “Pervis Spann was very much involved in the community and he had a lot of love for his people,” said Dorothy Tillman, WVON talk show host and former Chicago alderman. Mike Mora who married singer/chef Kelis 8 years ago, after a battle with stomach cancer, has passed away. He was 37. A rep for Mora, who was a professional photographer, confirmed the death on Monday, March 14, which comes 6 months after he learned of his cancer diagnosis. “Sadly, it’s true that Mike Mora has passed away,” Steve Satterthwaite of Red Light Management said. “We would ask all to respect Kelis and her family’s privacy as of right now. Thank you.” Mora made the public aware of his cancer diagnosis in October last year. https://youtu.be/MQIL8YHjtB0 Casting Director Dr. Veryl Howard makes her Hollywood ALLBLK acting debut in ‘Double Cross!‘ Now adding acting to her long list of credits, Howard stars in the third season of the hit series finale, alongside Samira Baraki, Ashley A. Williams, Jeff Logan and Darrin D. Henson, Judi Johnson, Faith Malonte, Tremayne Norris, Candice Van Beauty, Lisa Renee Marshall and Gabriela Smith. Howard’s standout EPIC performance in episode 6 as a “Madam” is one of the most talked-about episodes in the series. North Point Community Church Pastor Andy Stanley tweeted a message to his 40,000-member church that has since been deleted:There is one glaring flaw that must be pointed out upfront: everything we know about Jesus is from the Bible. Everything we know about the identity of Jesus is relayed to us in the scriptures. If they are not infallible and inerrant, giving us the absolute truth about Christ and what he did and who he is, including his resurrection, we would have nothing. Stanley explains, however: “The truth is, Christians are not expected to believe what we believe based on a collection of ancient manuscripts written by men who never met each other over the course of hundreds of years in a time when everybody was superstitious, and everybody believed in the gods and there was no modern science…The foundation of our faith is far more substantial than that. It’s far more sustainable than that. https://youtu.be/F125Ccfu13U Family members of Emmett Till gathered at the Mississippi State Capitol Friday to call for justice for his murder 66 years later. “We will bear witness to the hatred that has been embedded in our DNA since the slave ships arrived,” said Deborah Watts, a cousin of Till and co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. “We made a promise to Mamie (Till) that we would persist and that’s why we’re here today.” They are asking for murder charges against Carolyn Bryant Donham, whose false accusations led to the 14-year-old’s kidnapping and lynching in the Delta region. She is the only living accomplice in the crime, they said. Bryant, then 21 in 1955, was working at the grocery store Till went to with family. On their way out, he whistled at her. She told her husband Roy Bryant that Till grabbed her and made advances against her. After being beaten, shot and dumped into the Tallahatchie River, Till’s face was unrecognizable. His mother Mamie’s decision to have an open casket funeral helped launch the civil rights movement. On Friday, Watts said Donham has not reached out to the Till family to apologize. Watts said she doesn’t have hatred for the woman and said charges will help hold her accountable for Till’s death. Five Florida middle school students were charged with hate crimes after allegedly attacking a group of children while exclaiming “brown power!” — an incident police are calling a racially motivated crime. The five juveniles, who were in sixth to eighth grade at Lyons Creek Middle School, were arrested on charges of battery and evidence of prejudice while committing a battery, a third-degree felony. In Florida, evidencing prejudice while committing an offense is considered a hate crime. The arrest reports list four victims. According to the arrest reports, the students approached the victims, yelled “It’s Opposite Day!” and “brown power!” and beat them. The arrest reports noted that the comments were made before and during the alleged attack. For a long time, Dawn Ison was hesitant to talk about the deep personal loss that shadowed her early life in Detroit. Her first-grade teacher relayed the tragic news that her 5-year-old cousin had been run down by a drunk driver. The skid marks left in the street are seared into her memory still. At 9, her father was murdered, a devastating consequence she attributes to an “unhealthy” lifestyle. Ison is recalling those painful moments more frequently now because as the newly-confirmed U.S. attorney and chief federal prosecutor for her beloved hometown – the first Black woman to hold the office – her life experience resonates in a community long-scarred by similar losses. “I’ve been both a defense attorney and a prosecutor, but it’s this lived experience that brings value to this job,” Ison said. While the historic nomination of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court has drawn much of the national spotlight, the Biden administration has been quietly moving to install one of the most diverse classes of U.S. attorneys in recent history. Of the 43 chief federal prosecutors nominated so far to lead the 93 federal districts, 48% are Black, including 16 people of color who represent firsts for their districts, according to the Justice Department. The numbers represent a dramatic pivot from the Trump administration. A 2020 analysis by the Associated Press found that 85% of Trump’s Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys were white men. Denver police announced on Friday that they found a large supply of various illegal drugs at two homes in the Denver metro area and arrested a 59-year-old man who was allegedly planning to deal them. Arthur Mills was arrested on Thursday. The homes where the drugs were found were in Denver and Aurora. https://youtu.be/QGVuUGwdFrA Several celebrities and organizations tried their best to keep Jussie out of jail by writing letters to the judge pleading with him to take it easy. Samuel L. Jackson and Alfre Woodard were among the few who went to bat for Jussie, according to Daily Mail. Samuel and his wife LaTanya Richardson begged the judge not to throw Jussie in the slammer, and said they were ‘incredulous’ about the entire case against him. “My husband, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and I have known Jussie since he was a baby living down the street from us in New York City. We have often broken bread with this young man as we discussed the right and wrong ways to live,” she reportedly wrote. “It is incredulous to Sam and to me that this entire criminal situation even exists. Jussie has already suffered a great deal of punishment, as this situation has destroyed his career and impugned his reputation.” Actress Alfre spoke about meeting Jussie in South Africa years ago in her letter to the judge. There’s a bidding war currently underway to turn Will Smith’s memoir into a biopic. A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Some feared that Will’s brutal honesty in his book could harm his reputation. But it’s done the opposite and helped him connect with his audience like never before. When he signed his book deal he did so with an accompanying biopic in mind. Now all the streaming services are clamoring to pick up the rights.” Smith’s memoir, published by Penguin Press in November, is an “inspirational tale of how [Will Smith’s] true self-knowledge helped to propel him to extraordinary success, and then evolve further to a place of deeper peace – with himself, his loved ones, and the world,” according to the press release, as reported by PEOPLE. “The idea is to communicate visually the evolution of a person, from childhood through adulthood, and at major stages of their life in between.” Film director Jane Campion is receiving a lot of backlash after (weirdly) mentioning Venus and Serena Williams in her acceptance speech for best director, in which she beat out a category full of men. “I’d also just like to give my love out to my fellow — the guys, the nominees,” she said during her speech. “And Serena and Venus, you are such marvels. However, you do not play against the guys like I have to.” The camera then cut to Venus, who looked very uncomfortable by the statement, and Serena, who was visibly less bothered by the remark. Multiple Twitter users quickly condemned her comments calling her a white feminist, and lowkey racist. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbF5aBsA759/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Country music pioneer Bobbie Lee Nelson — the sister of Willie Nelson, and a vaunted pianist in her own right — died Thursday at age 91. Her death was announced by her family via social media. They did not reveal the cause of her death, but said that she had died “peacefully and surrounded by family.” Nelson was the first member of her younger brother’s band, performing as a pianist and singer. Like her brother, she grew up in Abbott, Texas, where they were raised by their gospel music-loving grandparents. Their parents, Myrle and Ira, divorced early; Myrle left when Willie was six months old, and Ira departed soon after, handing the children to the care of their paternal grandparents. Born Jan. 1, 1931, Bobbie Nelson learned to play the piano by reading four-part shape-note harmonies in hymn books. And she fell in love with boogie-woogie, which she played for her school classmates. In his 2015 autobiography, It’s a Long Story: My Life, Willie Nelson wrote: “Bobbie became accomplished at an early age. I lagged behind — and remain so to this day. Bobbie is a musician in the true sense of being able to play with great facility in any style. She learned to read beautifully and was known far and around Hill County as a genuine piano prodigy.” Kassidy Parnell a high school student from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been accepted to 106 colleges and awarded a total of $4.5 million in scholarships! With a 4.1 GPA, Kassidy is graduating at the top of her class at Tara High School, and while in high school. Miss Parnell is not just a high school student. She’s also enrolled at Baton Rouge Community College where she’s taking computer science classes. Kassidy received acceptance letters from several colleges including Southern University, Saint Louis University, Butler University, Oklahoma State University, Marquette University, Seton Hall University, Loyola University Chicago, University of Kansas, and Kent State University. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaTMAJAolPv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again All-new episodes of TV One’s True Crime Mondays are back tonight, Monday, March 14th. "Fatal Attraction" leads the night with a thrilling love story gone bad at 9 p.m. ET / 8C. "Sins of the City" follows with the season finale, telling the story of the late Breonna Taylor at 10 p.m. ET / 9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWDYJBvBAHg Rihanna continues to flaunt her growing baby bump and sexy maternity style. The Bajan beauty, 34, had her belly on full display on Saturday for the launch of Fenty Beauty at Ulta Beauty in Los Angeles. Per Page Six, “Rihanna wore a cropped, criss-cross silver top that accentuated her bust for the outing. She paired it with a sparkly silver skirt and a bedazzled chain that draped around her burgeoning belly,” the outlet writes. “Right now I’m really into pushing the idea of sexy. When women get pregnant, society tends to make it feel like you hide, hide your sexy, and that you’re not sexy right now [but] you’ll get back there and I don’t believe in that s—t,” Rihanna told Refinery29 about her maternity style in February. “So I’m trying stuff that I might not have even had the confidence to try before I was pregnant. The strappiest, the thinnest, and the more cut-outs the better for me.” An Instagram influencer is suing the New York Police Department for mistakenly using her photo on a ‘wanted’ poster for a hooker who was robbing clients. Eva Lopez, 31, filed a $30 million lawsuit against the NYPD “for defamation, libel, slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress.” The New York Post reports. The Queens native found out she was a wanted woman last August when a friend texted her about the poster. “I thought it was something fake. I really couldn’t believe the police would put me on a wanted poster,” she told the New York Post. D.L. Hughley has clapped back at Kanye West (now known simply as Ye) after the rapper threatened to “hurt” the comedian for accusing Ye of stalking his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. In several posts shared online, Ye also called out Charlamagne Tha God and Perez Hilton. West took to Instagram on Sunday morning (March 13) and shared a screenshot from a TikTik video of Kim in Goth face paint along with daughter North West, the eldest child they share together. In the video, Kim and North sing Machine Gun Kelly’s “Emo Girl.” “I told y’all before about this tik tok stuff Now my 8 year old on here singing she fell in love with an emo girl,” West wrote. “Leftist don’t want fathers to have no say in our childrens lives I don’t want my kids at godless Sierra Canyon school I got a voice and I’m not having this And Perez Hilton you still ain’t answer my question And never put my name next to the word abuse Don’t play with my name like that I’m a real person who wants the best for my children.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbDKDADlPau/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Dallas Cowboys agreed to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday. The deal is pending a physical and should be finalized by the middle of next week. The Browns entered this offseason on the hunt to rebuild Baker Mayfield‘s wide receiving corps, which was a massive disappointment last year. The Browns had high hopes that Odell Beckham Jr. could return to being a No. 1 wide receiver after suffering a season-ending injury in 2020. Instead, he was released by the team in early November. OBJ went on to win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, while Cleveland’s passing game cratered on the way to a disappointing 8-9 finish. The Browns, in fact, didn’t have a single wideout top 600 receiving yards, and only Jarvis Landry had more than 35 receptions. The Dallas Cowboys have finalized a five-year deal, $62.5 million deal with wide receiver Michael Gallup, according to sources. The deal includes a $10 million signing bonus. Gallup’s return comes a day after the Cowboys agreed to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That deal is pending a physical and can’t be announced until the start of the new league year on Wednesday. Cooper’s $20 million base salary would have been fully guaranteed by March 20, but the deal has instead opened up $16 million in salary-cap room. Gallup was set to hit the free-agent market next week, but he opted to remain with the team that drafted him in 2018 and rehab with the athletic training staff he trusts after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January. Gallup, who turned 26 on March 4, had surgery in February to repair his ACL, but the expectation is he would be ready for game action in September. Damien Sneed, the multi-talented bandleader, composer, musician, and vocalist, finishes the final week of his 25-city sold-out North American tour, A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul. Presented by IMG Artists, this dynamic presentation celebrates the amazing musical legacy of the late Ms. Franklin, arranged and musically directed by Sneed, and features an accomplished cast of jazz, gospel, and soul musicians and vocalists. The tour kicked off Thursday, February 3, 2022, at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and concludes on Sunday, March 20, 2022, at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College in Flushing, NY, where both Karen Clark Sheard and Valerie Simpson will be featured as special guests. After announcing the March 11th premiere of his forthcoming music video on social media earlier this week — along with dropping the trailer, chart-topping recording artist Bryan Popin takes time to appreciate his blessings like only he can with the release of his official music video for “So Good 2 Me,” featuring Steven J Collins (H.E.R./Rodney Jerkins/Snoop Dogg/DaniLeigh). This song is in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsqB4pvtKlk Psalmist Kim Washington is elegantly poised with a powerful presence and God-inspired confidence. Her gifting as a singer, songwriter, and composing musician has blessed and enriched the lives of people who experience her in worship. God's word inspires her music, and an endearing passion fuels her delivery to promote healing and hope. Over the past few years, Kim's spirit-filled anointing through worship has been experienced throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas region. She was also a part of the Emmy Award-winning production Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons" presented by Jimmy Kimmel. She released her high-octane single "I Will" featuring James Fortune in 2020 and has now returned with an all-new single of inspiration, "I See It". This is another song that shines bright in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSY0fLskrs Fred Jerkins drops I believe featuring Bishop Paul S. Morton. This is another song that shines bright in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxslkwKkvyI Breonna Taylor is more than a hashtag. Two years after Louisville Metro Police killed Breonna, it’s still tough to process. Breonna deserved better from authorities in Louisville and the state of Kentucky as a whole. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made a mockery of accountability. As writer Hannah Drake explains, “there is no glass half full” when thinking about Breonna Taylor’s life and legacy. The Louisville-based truth-teller sums up the feeling of memorializing Breonna. “Louisville has reminded me that it is yet another city in the long line of cities where the lives of Black women are expendable,” wrote Drake. “This city has reminded me that Black women will be asked to labor to transform this city with little to no reward. Daily I am reminded that leaders will ask for our labor, disregarding the laborious undertaking that Black women shoulder trying to right a city that still refuses to face the historical and current ramifications of racism.” No one has been held accountable for Breonna’s killing. And it’s possible none of the officers ever will be held responsible given the lack of moral willpower on behalf of people in positions of decision-making power. https://twitter.com/BerniceKing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1502990320191090695%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4303690%2Fbreonna-taylor-life-mattered-because-she-deserved%2F According to new data, the number of Black people killed by police has increased over the last two years, following the death of George Floyd. According to data collected by The Washington Post, at least 1,055 people were killed by police nationwide last year. Black people accounted for 27 percent of those fatally shot in 2021 by law enforcement, according to the nonprofit group Mapping Police Violence. In other words, Black people are twice as likely as white people to be killed by police officers. Rashawn Ray, a senior fellow at the think tank Brookings Institution, said bringing attention to police brutality will not result in less police brutality. This month, McDonald’s launched “Future 22,” a new creative campaign that celebrates the work of 22 young, gifted, and Black leaders whose passion and talent are creating meaningful change in communities across the country. The integrated campaign launched for Black History Month and will run through summer, featuring TV and radio spots voiced over by award-winning actress, singer and entertainer, Keke Palmer. McDonald’s Future 22 campaign elevates the unique stories of 22 Black heroes and the impact they are having on their communities. Marveon Mabon of Watts, CA has been selected as a Future 22 honoree, highlighted for his teaching kids about health food options by building community gardens, which also serve as safe spaces for neighborhood kids and a home base for his anti-bullying program. Mabon joins the likes of other young Black leaders focused on creating a better future for the next generation. https://youtu.be/DmjgBMxHqSA Bismack Biyombo is expanding his efforts to advance healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Phoenix Suns center—who hails from the country—has pledged to donate his entire 2022 NBA salary to build a hospital there, CBS Sports reported. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has endured a multitude of setbacks that impact access to healthcare treatment. According to The Borgen Project, there are only 0.28 physicians and 1.19 nurses and midwives for every 10,000 people. The remote locations of villages in the country’s rural regions have also contributed to limited access. Aware of the state of healthcare in his home country, Biyombo—who inked a $1.3 million deal with the Suns and returned to the court in January after taking time off—was determined to cultivate a solution. In honor of his late father Francis—who passed away last year—he wanted to develop a medical facility that would significantly impact people’s lives. Biyombo is building the hospital through his philanthropic imprint, the Bismack Biyombo Foundation. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1502685737782702080/lxybLfjh?format=jpg&name=small As New Edition makes tour stops throughout the country, members of the collective are giving back to communities in need. According to WLWT, singer Ronnie DeVoe recently visited a Salvation Army in Cincinnati to donate gifts to local residents. The Boston native provided children with school supplies, bikes and helmets. He also donated laundry carts and other essential items to senior citizens. DeVoe says the impact and influence that the Salvation Army had in his life while growing up inspired him to pay it forward. “Any time that I am able to provide somebody some type of that feeling I got as a child and keep them away from negativity, that’s what this is all about,” he said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “To be blessed, to be a blessing to others.” Social good efforts like DeVoe’s are needed in Cincinnati as the city’s poverty rate is one of the worst in the country. Research shows one out of every 3.5 residents lives below the poverty line. https://t.co/tc0rLFL0DA Whitney Houston poured her heart out when she re-created Dolly Parton’s timeless classic “I Will Always Love You” in 1997. Last year, rapper Lil Nas X attempted to land the high pitch cadences of the country singer’s hit “Jolene.” Now, Parton says she would love to hear a rendition of her 1974 classic sung by none other than Queen B herself, Beyoncé. This week, the 76-year-old revealed the particular tidbit during an interview on “The Daily Show.” “I think she’s fantastic and beautiful, and I love her music,” Parton told the show’s host Trevor Noah. “I would just love to hear ‘Jolene’ done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney [Houston] did my ‘I Will Always Love You,’ just someone that can take my little songs and make them like powerhouses,” she continued. “That would be a marvelous day in my life if she ever does do ‘Jolene.'” Noah asked the country music icon if Beyoncé was aware of her request, to which she replied: “I don’t know if she’s even got the message, but wouldn’t that be killer?” https://youtu.be/KRdJaoM5KvI Yesterday, Lady Gaga attended two major awards shows in one night! First at the BAFTAs in London, where she was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani in “House of Gucci.” Then at the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles, where the 35-year-old was also nominated for Best Actress for her role in “House of Gucci.” Gaga lost both noms – Joanna Scanlan won the BAFTA for “After Love” and Jessica Chastain won the Critics Choice Award for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” https://youtu.be/9ZWqa9kPSi4 Apple TV+ has released the trailer for its four-part documentary series chronicling basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Per the network’s press release, “They Call Me Magic” offers a rare glimpse into the incredible real-life story of Johnson, who left his mark on history through his work—both on and off the court—and continues to impact our culture today. The series features intimate, never-before-seen interviews with Magic, his family, and an all-star lineup including Cookie Johnson, EJ Johnson, Larry Bird, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neil, President Obama, Fred Stabley Jr., Dwayne Wade, Jerry West, Michael Wilbon and more. https://youtu.be/7sgS3SssDX4 In Regina Hall’s upcoming film “Master” she’s tapping into the horror space. Hall stars as Gail Bishop the master of dorms at a fictitious prestigious PWI (predominantly white institution). Gail is the first Black woman to hold the position at the school. She will soon learn why there hasn’t been a Black person in that role before. The school is located in a town with a history of witches who died during a witch hunt and the community still has people practicing the traditions. The atmosphere around the school is very weary and Gail begins to experience strange events happening around the campus. She also slowly begins to realize the sinister energy isn’t just from the city being on old witch town. The three main characters are dealing with their own issues but are all connected by the one thing they have in common…Discover what that is when ”Master” starts streaming on Prime Video and in select theaters on March 18th. Showtime has released the first five minutes from its upcoming sci-fi series “The Man Who Fell to Earth” starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as an alien on Earth who works as a tech titan. The series is based on the 1963 novel by author Walter Tevis. The book spawned the 1976 film starring David Bowie and directed by Nicolas Roeg. In the film, the late singer played an alien stranded on Earth who turns to alcoholism. “Chiwetel Ejiofor’s stage and film career are staggering in their bravery, commitment and quality,” co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet said in a statement. “He’s everything we could imagine and a million things we can’t. We couldn’t be more thrilled.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_M-Dh_jl-w Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy almost co-starred together as Batman and Robin for a feature film. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Murray discussed the Batman film that would have been helmed by director Ivan Reitman, CBR reports. “I talked to Eddie Murphy about it, and Eddie wanted to play Batman… That’s as far as that conversation went,” he explained. When asked if he would have taken on the role of Robin, Murray stated, “I don’t wanna be the Boy Wonder to anybody… Maybe much earlier when I was a boy. But it was too late for that by the ’80s. Also, I couldn’t do the outfit. Eddie looks good in purple, and I look good in purple. In red and green, I look like one of Santa’s elves. There was just a lot of vanity involved in the production. It wasn’t gonna happen.” https://youtu.be/mqqft2x_Aa4 An exhibition at the New York Historical Society showcases hundreds of Black dolls made from the 1850s to today. Specifically, the exhibition explores handmade cloth dolls made primarily by African American women between 1850 and 1940 through the lens of race, gender, and history. The exhibition immerses visitors in the world of dolls, doll play, and doll making while examining the formation of racial stereotypes and confronting the persistence of racism in American history. It features more than 100 cloth dolls, alongside dozens of historical photographs of white and Black children posed with their playthings and caregivers. https://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2022/02/25/fa034ddc-b0bf-4385-993f-846e2579b2bf/thumbnail/1280x720/32433e521c66aa011fd9e4cf0379cfe9/4c49b0457c6bb7a83476d25a5ea53b50.jpg Tyrese Gibson announced on Instagram last month that his mother, Priscilla Murray, died after a battle with pneumonia and COVID-19. On Friday, the actor/singer shared a condolence message he received from R. Kelly, who is currently incarcerated following his conviction for sexual sex crimes against women and young girls. The “Fast & Furious” star took to Instagram to share the comforting words from Kelly in response to the death of Tyrese’s mother. […] Hey Lil Bro,” the message began. “My Condolences To You About Mom… She Is In A Better Place With My Mom & They Both Smiling Down On Us.. I Pray For You & Keep It Going On Love. I know it a lot having to deal with this in the limelight but keep ya head up ~Rob~.” Tyrese said he “broke down” after receiving the message. In the caption of the post he wrote, “Yup….. just broke down in my trailer took me 45 mins to recover love you Kellz damn he is on the inside and still took time to get Condolences out to me and my family…” He added, “Love you Kellz……. No comments needed…” “Selfishly I wish they could sneak a protools rig and a mic in your jail cell so that you can unload all of those ideas cause I know you don’t write all of your hits have been freestyled off the top,” he continued. “But that’s just me…. R&B King!” Tyrese caught some heat from fans over this. Per Love B. Scott, “Some things are meant to be kept private,” one user noted, while another said, “Weird flex.” A third fumed, “We excuse pedophiles because they send condolences? Gtfoh.” ERNIE HAASE & SIGNATURE SOUND joined MICHAEL W. SMITH for an epic version of his iconic hit, “Friends.” The group released the video collaboration on Friday, March 11, 2022 via their Facebook and YouTube channels. Haase says: "We've crossed paths with Michael W. Smith many times during the years and I’ve always wanted to connect and collaborate but with all of our schedules, it just never worked out. During the pandemic, when no one was really traveling, we were able to make this a reality. This really was a dream come true.” EHSS & MWS will reunite once again for an Alaskan cruise this July 2022. A Franklin County, Ohio, jury declined to indict the police officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant, a Black teenager, last April, state Attorney General Dave Yost said in a news release Friday. Yost also released investigative materials in the case, including more than a dozen interviews, crime scene and evidence photos and other records. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which was called in to investigate the officer-involved shooting, completed its probe and referred the case to the prosecuting attorney in July, the attorney general’s office said. Bryant, 16, was fatally shot by police officer Nicholas Reardon on April 20, 2021, outside her foster home, after an argument with two other young women over housekeeping escalated, Ma’Khia’s foster mother previously said. https://youtu.be/eh-IxPNI2Pw Former President Barack Obama tested positive for COVID-19, the former president announced on Sunday. “I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative,” Obama wrote on Twitter. “It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down,” the former president urged. Obama has been a strong proponent of vaccines since they’ve become available. He has also been a strong proponent of public health measures like masking and social distancing meant to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Obama is among a number of high-profile politicians who have contracted the virus at some point throughout the pandemic. Nearly 200 members of Congress have caught the disease, according to GovTrack, a public accountability project. William Hurt, the Oscar-winning actor of Broadcast News, Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71. Hurt’s son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died Sunday of natural causes. He said Hurt died peacefully, among family. Deadline first reported Hurt’s death. In a long-running career, Hurt was three times nominated for an Academy Award, winning for 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman. After his screen debut in 1980’s Paddy Chayefsky-scripted Altered States as a psychopathologist studying schizophrenia and experimenting with sensory deprivation, Hurt quickly emerged as one of the 1980s’ foremost leading men. In Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 steamy neo noir Body Heat, Hurt starred alongside Kathleen Turner. In 1983’s The Big Chill, again with Kasdan, Hurt played the Vietnam War veteran Nick Carlton, one of a group of college pals who gather for their friend’s funeral. Having started in New York theater, Hurt then returned to the stage to star on Broadway in David Rabe’s Hurlyburly, for which he was nominated for a Tony. Shortly after came Kiss of the Spider Woman, which won Hurt the best actor Oscar for his performance as a gay prisoner in a repressive South American dictatorship. Vladimir Putin will ‘destroy the world’ if he is left unchecked and is ‘crazy enough’ to use nukes, a Russian opposition politician has warned. Leonid Volkov, the former chief of staff for Alexei Navalny’s 2018 presidential bid, said ‘We can expect unfortunately everything’ from the Russian President. And his fears have been echoed by Poland’s premier, Andrzej Duda, who believes Putin could use ‘anything’ right now. Mr Volkov told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on the Sunday program an ‘enormous cost’ must be paid to stop the war. ‘There are all the sanctions, of course, they also create a burden on the European economy that is quite clear. ‘But this cost has to be paid because otherwise Putin will just destroy the world. ‘He is clearly not winning the war against Ukraine and he might think about other solutions, more powerful weapons, more powerful solutions to change the course of this war which is now not so successful for him.’ And he described the war as ‘enormously painful’, adding: ‘This is Putin’s war, not my war. This is not our war, not in our name. He is doing it. Not in our name.’ Explosions have been heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more. According to Ukrainian sources, Vladimir Putin’s forces had launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning. Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing 35 people and injuring 134. The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and housed foreign military instructors, but Nato has said none of its personnel were on the base at the time. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov renewed calls for a ‘no-fly zone’ over the country following the attack.’ Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security near Lviv,’ he wrote on Twitter. Roughly two months after announcing his retirement, quarterback ?Tom Brady? announced Sunday he will return to play for his 23rd season and do so "in Tampa." https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNxAUm7WQAANYOO?format=jpg&name=small According to a reliable United Nations climate report, tens of millions of people across the African continent are at risk of a looming drought, famine, displacement, and diseases in the coming decades. The report released on Monday forecasts immense effects of global warming across the continent in the future. The findings are a section of the far-reaching reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The latter is a team of hundreds of scientists and thousands of contributors from 195 territories and countries. The team is split into three working groups and the second one recently studied the dangers of climatic change and how societies should adapt to them. The findings from the second group show that rising temperatures will affect the whole world. Still, Africa will be immensely hit compared to other continents considering that most African countries are already approaching the limits of coping with climate-related issues. Saturday night, the City of Atlanta highlighted the life and achievements of civil rights leader Andrew Young, who is celebrating his 90th birthday. A gala was held in his honor to raise money for the Andrew Young Foundation, which supports and promotes education, leadership and human rights. The gala was held at the Georgia World Congress Center. Young has been a civil rights leader, Georgia congressman, U.N. ambassador, mayor of Atlanta and businessman. From barrier-breaking pioneers like Alice Ball, who was one of the first Black women to earn a master’s degree in chemistry, to modern-day trailblazer Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, who played an instrumental role in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, African American women have historically shaped the world of STEM. Spelman College is on a mission to contribute to the legacy of excellence by educating and empowering the next generation of innovators in the space through a new partnership. The Atlanta-based HBCU is joining forces with the nonprofit SMASH—an organization centered on eradicating socioeconomic barriers around access to education—to increase racial and gender representation within the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Through the multi-year initiative—dubbed SMASH x Spelman—25 high school students will have the opportunity to participate in an immersive STEM-focused program. Mary McLeod Bethune walked into the White House, carrying an urgent message about the plight of Black Americans. The year was 1943, and the country was roiling with racism, segregation, Jim Crow laws and terror lynchings. Bethune, the only woman in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet,” a council of African American presidential advisers, had demanded a meeting with the president. Bethune was widely considered a shrewd political organizer and an architect of the early civil rights movement. She was a Black woman with power, with access to the White House, when few Black people were allowed in. She was often greeted on her White House visits by her friend, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who would embrace Bethune warmly at the White House gate. The two women would walk arm in arm down the circular drive, into the White House, past the hostile stares of White Southerners, many of whom made up the White House staff. Inside, Bethune would talk privately with the president about “the problems of my people.” “I discussed with him the problems of my people in many an off-the-record private talk held in the President’s study in the White House,” Bethune wrote in an article titled “My Secret Talks With FDR,” which was published in 1949 in Ebony magazine. “I often expressed to him my impatience with the slowness of the democratic process.” Naomi Osaka was brought to tears by a heckler during her defeat at Indian Wells on Saturday, sparking an extraordinary and at times unprecedented series of incidents in which the four-time Grand Slam champion was left in clear distress. Osaka, who is ranked 78th in the world after her third-round exit at the Australian Open, was taunted in the first set by someone in the crowd yelling ‘Naomi, you suck.’ The 24-year-old, who took a break from tennis last year to focus on her mental health, went on to lose the match against Veronika Kudermetova 6-0, 6-4 and addressed the crowd afterwards to explain exactly why the incident had upset her so much. The loser of a match addressing the crowd after a match is almost unheard of in tennis outside of major finals. Osaka was trailing just 0-1 to Kudermetova when the heckle came from the stands. The Japanese star, 24, was visibly upset by the incident and instantly began to cry. She immediately approached the chair umpire to ask for something be done. But, the umpire explained that she didn’t know who it was and could not take any action. As a result, Osaka asked if she could use the umpire’s microphone during the match to address the crowd herself as it was ‘weighing’ on her heart. However, the chair umpire, who sought the advice of the court supervisor, denied Osaka’s request – despite the fact the 24-year-old, who had tears streaming down her face, promised not to ‘curse.’ Jussie Smollett has been placed in the psych ward at the Cook County Jail. His brother Jocqui Smollett says it’s because the official paperwork says Jussie is at risk of self-harm. “So Jussie is currently in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail. What’s very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today saying that he’s at risk of self-harm,” Jocqui said via Instagram on Saturday. However, Jussie’s brother is calling it BS: “I want to make it clear that he is in no way, shape, or form at risk of self-harm. He wants to let folks know that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy and ready to take on the challenge that… has been put up against him.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CbB3TgJl2_M/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Jussie Smollett believes he was sent to jail because … he’s black?! According to TMZ, sources connected, and in constant communication, with the star said Jussie knew going into his sentencing that the judge wasn’t going to be on (his) side based on the energy he was giving him in the courtroom. Jussie apparently told his defense team that he felt his sentencing was going to be more severe than other defendants convicted of a non-violent crime … because he’s black. Jussie told his defense team after the sentencing that he was right, and has called the situation “sad.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca9rYbxDOKh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kanye YE West is not happy with Kim Kardashian again. Now he’s pleading with his ex to stop “antagonizing” because she’s allowing their 8-year-old daughter, North, to post videos on TikTok. YE is again taking issue with North’s presence on the video-sharing app. He has a problem with the “Emo Girl” TikTok Kim K and North filmed with Kourtney Kardashian’s daughter, Penelope Disick. “I told y’all before about this tik tok stuff,” West captioned an Instagram post on Sunday, referencing the video of the trio lip-syncing to the Machine Gun Kelly song. “Now my 8 year old on here singing she fell in love with an emo girl Leftist don’t want fathers to have no say in our childrens [sic] lives,” he continued. West, 44, also shared a video telling fans he raised the issue with Kim as well. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbDPwEkLfdW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Mary J. Blige recently released a studio album dubbed “Good Morning Gorgeous.” Besides the launch, the singer was also part of the performing team at Super Bowl LVI — the audience enjoyed an exciting and dramatic performance from the singer. The two events brought Mary J. Blige a significant wave of attention that she has been riding on for the past few weeks, creating an ideal opportunity to Executive Produce an upcoming Lifetime Movie inspired by “Real Love” – one of her iconic songs. Tanya Lopez, EVP Scripted Content, Lifetime, describes Mary as one of the most phenomenal and all-around talents that can do it all. Lopez added that they were thrilled to partner and work with the singer once again on the upcoming project bringing Mary’s music to life through a movie – a unique idea that the audience will love. Featured on Blige’s 1992 debut album, What’s the 411?, “Real Love” was certified gold just two months after its release. https://youtu.be/90c9pEtZquw For years, people have debated whether Tevin Campbell is gay or not. The debate may have come to rest, thanks to his own recent tweet. The 45-year-old singer, actor and songwriter revealed something about his sexuality when he responded to a tweet by a fan. His response even trended on Twitter. A fan tweeted: “My mom continues telling me Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, and Tevin Campbell were gay.” Tevin, in responses, clarified that “Tevin is” and then added a rainbow flag, which is an LGBTQ community used to demonstrate Pride. He also used a chill emoji. He has since deleted the tweet, but not before many fans screenshotted it. Throughout his entire career, the RnB singer had never addressed his sexuality until now. https://youtu.be/aL4Ah6qbdj8 In the month leading up to the Fall-Winter shows in Paris, it was widely believed that the event would mark a significant return to business as usual — a celebration for the fashion world after two years of pandemic-related disruptions. Coronavirus cases were relatively low, international travel to and from France had opened up and more brands were scheduled to stage physical instead of virtual shows. But days before Paris Fashion Week was due to begin, the optimistic mood shifted. On February 24, the world watched in disbelief, then in horror, as Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his brutal attack on Ukraine. In Kyiv, a three-hour flight from Paris, pictures of families camped out in subway stations were akin to historical images of people in London seeking shelter below ground during bombing raids in World War II. https://youtu.be/_M3TGGGBJS4 Most young teens are nagging their parents to teach them how to drive or searching for the perfect homecoming dress. But 15-year-old Tamia Hawkins-Coleman has accomplished most of her entrepreneurial goals already — and she plans to keep her foot on the industry’s neck. Standing alongside your grandmother or parents while they cook seems like a stepping stone for all talented culinary connoisseurs and Tamia’s journey starts out the same. She reminisces on helping her grandmother make lasagna. Although she was constantly in the kitchen, her journey began a few years later. https://youtu.be/XNFYNFjXx6o Short films made by kids and for kids from around the world are being submitted for the 6th annual “Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Fest” (ILICFF), to be held via Zoom Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 1 – 3pmEST. Shorts from India, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States – to name a few – have been submitted in hopes of being selected to be screened at ILICFF 2022. The deadline for short film submissions is May 31, 2022, with a late submission deadline of June 30. Notification of selected shorts will be July 31. https://youtu.be/7MLDvQnnyFo The poet, activist and educator Sonia Sanchez is this year’s winner of the Edward MacDowell Medal, a lifetime achievement honor started in 1960 and previously given to Robert Frost, Toni Morrison and Stephen Sondheim among others. “I had tears in my eyes as I learned about this award,” Sanchez, 87, said in a statement released Sunday by MacDowell. “When I consider my dear friend, Sister Toni (Morrison), and so many others who have been given this award, I feel so welcomed to be part of that group. It is a great honor to be this year’s awardee. MacDowell has such a great herstory and history of caring and concern for artists; it is a joy this place exists to keep the world on a path toward re-civilization, peace, and humanity.” MacDowell is an artist residency founded in 1907, with fellows over the past century including James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Louise Erdrich and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Sanchez was a prominent figure in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and is known for such poetry collections as “Homegirls and Handgrenades” and “Shake Loose My Skin.” Novelist Walter Mosley will present Sanchez her medal on July 10 on the MacDowell grounds in Peterborough, New Hampshire, the first in-person ceremony since 2019, the year before the pandemic. After being incarcerated himself, a local man is on a mission to keep prisoners connected to loved ones and educate former convicts, so they can make a possible difference in the community. Marcus Bullock was raised in both Northeast D.C. and Prince George’s County. At 15-years-old, he was arrested for carjacking. That really changed my life.” He said he didn’t truly understand the ramifications of his actions at the time. “It wasn’t until two years into me not only getting arrested, and then getting sentenced to eight years in adult maximum-security prisons as a 15-year-old kid when things started to shift for me,” Bullock said. Stevie J agreed to do an interview with Leah A. Henry for Leah’s Lemonade and he decided to go raw so to speak and do the interview while in bed at Diddy’s Star Island crib. Anyway, all the while he’s shirtless speaking to Henry from his phone. As Henry was about to start the interview, Stevie J requested oral sex from a mystery woman who was in his room while on camera. In the video, he looked away from the camera and said “Yo, come suck me off” to whoever was in his room. That didn’t stop Miss Henry, she went on with the interview and questioned him about being so authentic during his early days on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. https://youtu.be/H_zLwdiSuFM Once more, the Sacramento Kings are toiling in the NBA’s version of no man’s land. On the verge of missing the playoffs for the 15th straight season, when will a light finally shine at the end of this franchise’s depressing tunnel? After the Kings traded away very promising second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for All-Star center Domantas Sabonis at last month’s trade deadline — a blockbuster deal for both sides — they decided the time was now to push some chips into the middle of the table. With the long-standing postseason drought still in full effect, the Kings are trying to capitalize on the new Play-In era of the Association. Although Sacramento is 20 games below .500 at 24-44, the team is within shouting distance of the final Play-In slot at No. 10 in the Western Conference. https://twitter.com/i/status/1500255932294434817 A powerful winter storm is bringing heavy and blustery snow to the Northeast and hammering the nation’s eastern third with strong winds — and it’s about to usher freezing temperatures that could trouble crops in the South. About 4 to 8 inches of snow are forecast from the southern Appalachians to New England Saturday into early Sunday. However, areas of high elevation in the interior Northeast could see up to a foot of snow. Eight inches or more already had fallen by late Saturday morning in parts of eastern Kentucky, southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Russia has made dire threats to the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as ‘legitimate targets’, prompting fears there could be an escalation of conflict that could suck in other countries. Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US ‘that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets’. The warnings came after Joe Biden personally intervened to stop a shipment of Polish MiG fighter jets to Kyiv, fearing the move could lead to ‘World War Three’. But Volodymyr Zelensky has slammed the West for its inaction, saying today he ‘doesn’t see any bravery from NATO’ as he pleaded for more involvement from allies in peace negotiations and offered to pay for more anti-missile systems. In response, the US made lukewarm promises of taking ‘diplomatic steps’ to help the Ukrainian government. Zelensky, who claimed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far and 500 Russians surrendered yesterday, also said Putin’s forces can only take Kyiv if they ‘raze the city to the ground’, with Kremlin troops inching closer to the capital and conflict raging nearby today, endangering attempted evacuations. A top Ukrainian adviser and an Israeli official on Saturday pushed back against a media report suggesting Israel tried to nudge Ukraine into caving to Russian demands during talks. Israel has been engaged in diplomatic efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. A report carried by Israel’s Walla news, the Jerusalem Post and U.S. news site Axios had suggested, citing an unidentified Ukrainian official, that Bennett had urged Ukraine to give in to Russia. Israel, “just as other conditional intermediary countries, does NOT offer Ukraine to agree to any demands of the Russian Federation,” Ukrainian adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “This is impossible for military & political reasons. On the contrary, Israel urges Russia to assess the events more adequately.” A senior Israeli official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, called the report “patently false.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are condemning vaccine inequity and are urging “world leaders to do what is necessary to end this crisis and unite behind a People’s Vaccine.” Meghan Markle and Prince Harry joined “more than 130 world leaders, scientists, faith leaders, humanitarians” who signed an open letter titled The People’s Vaccine in which they call for an end to “vaccine monopolies,” PEOPLE reports. “Two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic – and faced with disturbingly unequal access to COVID-19 vaccines – we urge world leaders to do what is necessary to end this crisis and unite behind a People’s Vaccine,” the letter begins. Yara Shahidi is one step closer to her college degree. The Grown-ish actress revealed in a sweet Instagram video Wednesday that she finished her very lengthy thesis at Harvard University. In the clip, the 22-year-old is standing outside in the snow, announcing the accomplishment in a format similar to a boxing match introduction. “Weighing in at 32,508 words and 136 pages, is this thesis writer, Yara Sayeh Shahidi! Let’s go,” she celebrated with a laugh, flexing her muscles while decked out in her Harvard gear. “YOUR FAVORITE THESIS WRITER IS OFFICIALLY DONE WRITING ????? TRY NOT TO BE INTIMIDATED BY MY STATS #ThesisComplete #Harvard #classof2022#LESSSGOOO” she captioned the post. Followers of Shahidi raved about the jaw-dropping length of her thesis in the comments. She also received a number of congratulatory messages from fellow celebrities like Lena Waithe, Jennifer Garner, Teyana Taylor, Tika Sumpter, and more. Alec Baldwin filed legal papers Friday denying any responsibility for shooting dead Halyna Hutchins — even blaming the late cinematographer for giving him the directions that led to the deadly accident. The 63-year-old actor insisted that every single mistake leading to the Oct. 21 shooting on the New Mexico set of “Rust” was “performed by someone else.” His filing Friday also revealed that Baldwin made an “exhaustive effort” to get the crew back together to finish the doomed movie even after a flurry of lawsuits blamed him for Hutchins’ death. “This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences,” the star’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, wrote in an arbitration filing Friday shared by Deadline. Jussie Smollett, the actor sentenced to five months in prison for faking a hate crime in Chicago, will serve his time in protective custody, officials said. Smollett, who ranted that he was not “suicidal” as he was hauled away after sentencing, will be housed in his own cell, and will be under video monitoring at all times, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office told The Post. Smollett also shouted his innocence on Thursday during his sentencing. “I did not do this and I am not suicidal and if anything happens to me when I go there, I did not do it to myself and you must all know that,” he yelled. The protective custody arrangement was requested by Smollett and his legal team, TMZ reported. Hailey Bieber has been released from the hospital after being admitted for a brain condition. The model, 25, was hospitalized in Palm Springs for a medical emergency earlier this week, PEOPLE can confirm. Bieber was admitted to the hospital with stroke-like symptoms caused by a blood clot in her brain, she shared in a statement on Saturday. “On Thursday morning, I was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke like symptoms and was taken to the hospital,” Bieber posted in a statement on her Instagram Story. “They found I had suffered a very small blood clot to my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own and I recovered completely within a few hours,” she continued. “Although this was definitely one of the scariest moments I’ve ever been through, I’m home now and doing well, and I’m so grateful and thankful to all the amazing doctors and nurses who took care of me!” Bieber added, “Thank you to everyone who has reached out with well wishes and concern, and for all the support and love.” Keshia Knight Pulliam and Patti LaBelle are the latest screen team for an upcoming Lifetime Holiday film, “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime.” The duo has signed up for their 2022 roles in the film “A New Orleans Noel,” Whoopi Goldberg is the executive producer. Besides the two stars, the film will also feature Brad James, Pulliam’s husband, and veteran actor Tim Reid. The film is Goldberg’s second project to EP for the cable over the past few years after “Caught in His Web,” which will be released by the end of the year. ”It is with the utmost regret that we inform you of the passing of our sister, Traci. Needless to say, she was a bright light, a wonderful daughter, an amazing sister, a loving mother, wife, grandmother and a respected performer. We will miss her dearly. Traci passed this morning as the snow was falling, our angel is now a snowflake. We ask that you respect our privacy as we plan to send her home with love, celebrating her life. We are family forever. Love, The Braxton Family.” “We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatments for Esophageal cancer our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory,” Traci’s Husband Kevin Surratt told TMZ. Traci has been battling cancer for a year, doing so very quietly. She lost her battle Friday. Traci’s sisters and mom Evelyn were by her side when she passed, the site also reported. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-03-12-031222-traci-braxton-last-time-1377367/ On “Tamron Hall,” NBA veteran and radio/TV personality Jalen Rose joined the Tam Fam to discuss his widespread career and how his late mother Jeanne continues to inspire him to help others. Rose also gets a surprise video from one of his students at his public charter school, the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. https://youtu.be/K-SQme6rP0c HBO is debuting their new late-night sports talk show that aims to inform you while also making you laugh. “Game Theory with Bomani Jones” features the Emmy award-winning journalist discussing timely issues in the world of sports. ESPN fans first became familiar with Jones through his appearances on “Around The Horn” and later as the co-host of “Highly Questionable” and “High Noon.” Jones is also currently a contributor on HBO’s “Back on The Record with Bob Costas.” https://youtu.be/tVmXz1RCDHo Bill Maher has fascinating and hilarious takes on America’s view of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The way he sees it knuckle-headed Americans are making the war about them. As the “Real Time” host said on Friday night: “Everything proves what we already believed and everything goes back to the thing we already hate.” As he puts it … Biden supporters blame Trump’s policies for the war, and vice versa. He hilariously references a comment Trump made about the war, saying it wouldn’t have erupted but for a rigged American presidential election. Maher’s reaction … “Kanye thinks less about Pete Davidson than Trump thinks about the rigged election.” BTW … it wasn’t rigged. https://youtu.be/mXdzAZvid0E “This is a new role,” said actress Marita de Lara about her current role on ABC’s “General Hospital” where she previously had a role. “This is a different role from the one I had in 2017 (which ran until 2021); she was the head of Pediatrics.” The Baltimore native plays Dr. Maria Fleming, a neonatologist, in the soap-opera “General Hospital” which is about life in upstate New York in a town called Port Charles. De Lara said growing up with a mother who was an OB/GYN doctor helped her prepare for her medical roles. “It was 5 or 6 episodes. It was fun to do. I love it, a great group of people,” she said about her experience on the “General Hospital” set. Currently residing in Los Angeles Marita is an in-demand actress whose credits are long and include “Hawaii Five-O,” “The Shield,” “This is Us,” NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” CBS’ “Bold and the Beautiful,” and ABC’s “Port Charles.” “I have a role on ‘Now and Then’ on Apple TV+. I shot it in Miami. It was a bi-lingual set, the director is Spanish, so I had to listen really hard,” she said lovingly. “It was nice.” https://youtu.be/mMExR0_6S8U WWE star Big E said Saturday he was recovering from what he called a broken neck, suffered during the live WWE Smackdown show in Alabama the previous night. Wearing a neck brace on a hospital bed in Birmingham, the wrestler whose real name is Ettore Ewen tweeted in a video his C1 and C6 vertebrae were both fractured, but he had “some really good news … all things considered.” He said he suffered no displacement of the spine nor spinal cord or ligament damage and did not need surgery. “And a pro tip: if you’re going to break your neck, do it in Birmingham,” he said in a video posted on Twitter. “They’ve been great, everyone here at UAB (Hospital) has been great. But for real, it’s meant a ton to me that so many of you have been so kind and reached out, stopped in to see me, texted me. I know I sound like a broken record but I feel very grateful and I’m going to be alright.” https://youtu.be/aCeVrmrYBKA Academy Award winner H.E.R. will co-host this year’s Women in Film (WIF) pre-Oscars party with producer and the organization’s board president emerita Cathy Schulman. The 15th annual event will take place on March 25 at Bar Lis at the Thompson Hollywood hotel. The party honors all 60 women who have been nominated for an Academy Award this year. H.E.R. earned her first Oscar last year for original song for “Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah.” She is set to make her acting debut as Squeak in the feature adaptation of “The Color Purple” movie musical. Directed by Blitz Bazawule, the movie is currently shooting in Atlanta. Founded in 1973 as Women in Film, Los Angeles, WIF advocates for and advances the careers of women working in the screen industries, to achieve parity and transform culture. Membership is open to all screen industry professionals. A Las Vegas judge agreed Thursday to postpone hearing evidence in the criminal case accusing ex-Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs of driving drunk and causing a high-speed crash that killed a woman last November. Ruggs’ defense attorney, David Chesnoff, asked for more time to examine evidence that police say shows Ruggs was driving 156 mph (251 kph) with a blood-alcohol level twice the Nevada legal limit before the fiery rear-end crash early Nov. 2 that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor in her vehicle. Prosecutors did not oppose the delay. Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman set a new date, May 19, for the hearing at which she’ll determine whether Ruggs will stand trial in state court on felony driving under the influence and reckless driving charges. Ruggs faces a mandatory two years in prison and maybe more than 50 years if he’s convicted. He also is charged with misdemeanor gun possession after police reported finding a loaded handgun on the floor of his demolished Chevrolet Corvette. The 23-year-old former first-round NFL draft pick didn’t have to appear with Chesnoff in court. He remains on house arrest with electronic GPS and alcohol monitors. Ruggs and his girlfriend, Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, were hospitalized after the crash. The extent of their injuries has not been made public, although Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said prosecutors were told Ruggs suffered a leg injury and Kilgo-Washington underwent arm surgery. Kilgo-Washington’s attorney is fighting in court to prevent prosecutors from obtaining her medical records, which prosecutors need to prove the crash caused substantial bodily injury. Ruggs wore a neck brace and remained seated in a wheelchair during his initial court appearance the day after the crash. By then, the Raiders had released him from the team. YE, formerly known as Kanye West, appointed Jason Lee, founder and CEO of Hollywood Unlocked to its executive team as the Head of Media and Partnerships. As YE builds out various entities committed to amplifying narratives and humanizing black voices in media and storytelling, Jason in this new role, will work to bring in like-minded institutions and content that will further expand YE’s media empire. As head of media and partnerships, Lee will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of all media content, providing insight for the operation and management of the media department and streamlining partnerships and networking efforts to increase the visibility and credibility of YE’s new brand. Most recently, Lee helped launch YE’s Stem Player and Donda 2 album release which has grossed more than $3 Million since its release on February 22, 2022. Christopher Coleman appeared on a recent episode of “Wheel of Fortune” alongside other contestants Laura Machado and Thomas Lipscomb. However, things took a different turn after none guessed the correct and obvious answer to the puzzle: “Another feather in Your Cap.” Coleman and his team were immensely trolled on social media for their ignorance, and eventually, the contestant has had enough of the trolls. Coleman opened up about the ridicule, telling TMZ about the widespread hate that followed the episode’s airing. He said he learned the idiom (“Another feather in Your Cap”) at around 6 or 7 years of age but hasn’t heard it in over 30 years, which explains he wouldn’t get it right. Combined with the pressure and scrutiny that accompanies production on the show’s set, it is reasonable to forget even the simplest things. It is easier for viewers comfortably seated on couches in their homes, relaxed, to scream and yell at the contestants on TV, forgetting that the latter are in real-time and moment struggling to find answers to the puzzle. Coleman adds that it is sad how everyone is treading on (him and his team’s) intelligence and belittling their college degrees without thinking of the surrounding circumstances at the time. https://youtu.be/-tjYgh8TFVw #CardiB has pulled out of her first lead acting role, putting the highly anticipated film on the shelf, at least temporarily. Last January, it was announced that the “Be Careful” star had landed the starring role as Amber in the Thembi Banks directed comedy, “Assisted Living.” The film would follow Amber as she goes on the run inside a retirement home, disguising herself as her grandmother. However, just a week before filming began, the 29-year-old backed away from the flick due to an “overextended” work schedule. The #Grammy-award-winning rapper is hard at work on her highly anticipated sophomore album, slated to be released this year. In addition to music, she also stars in her Facebook Watch docu-series titled “Cardi B Tries,” which follows her as she tries different occupations and hobbies. She is also the visionary behind her popular Reebok collaboration and the first-ever creative director at Playboy. Her schedule is jam-packed, so an abrupt pause on her acting endeavor is understandable. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-CF32sMOH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again This is what Virgil Grant, owner of California Cannabis, has to say about Cat Packer resigning as Director of the Department of Cannabis Regulation. “Cat Packer should have stepped down as the Director of the Department of Cannabis Regulation a long time ago. Cat stepping down is not going to fix all of the problems. Everybody else in that department needs to go as well. They should revamp the whole department because everybody participated in the destruction and the demise of LA’s cannabis market. LA should have been the number one cannabis market in the world. LA looks like the biggest joke in the world because of everyone in that department — Michelle, Rocky, and Jason Killeen. https://youtu.be/PFhYbTJoI4w Kyle Thomas, a pop culture astrologer, has penned a lengthy article for the New York Post about Oprah Winfrey’s birth chart. Thomas writes, “One of the strongest features of her astrological aspects is that her sun is in the exact same place as her Venus. This brings her a charming and cheerful persona, but also makes her beautiful inside and out. She’s deeply invested in the arts and her relationships and can connect with people in a soft, yet empowering, way.” Thomas adds, “Her sun links gorgeously with her moon, representing that she’s innately very balanced and confident, while her moon smiles upon Venus, making her especially popular. “With her sun under siege from Saturn, she was blocked by a significant lack of love and support in her life, but this caused her to find her perseverance,” Thomas writes. A father of seven is finally back home in New Mexico after spending 549 days in the hospital battling COVID-19. Donnell Hunter, 43, was treated at nine different hospitals after he contracted COVID-19 in Sept. 2020, PEOPLE reports. Hunter, 43, was “heavily sedated and on a ventilator for most of that first year,” the outlet writes. https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/roswell-man-who-spent-more-than-500-in-hospital-for-covid-returns-home/6410837/ Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to create a ‘man-made catastrophe’ at Chernobyl which he plans to blame on Ukrainian ‘saboteurs’ in order to justify further escalating his war against the ex-Soviet country, Kyiv’s intelligence service has claimed today. Ukrainian spies say the ‘terrorist attack’ will be carried out by Russian operatives who moved in yesterday amongst a group of ‘specialists’ sent by Belarus to take over safety operations at the partially-destroyed nuclear power plant, which was seized by Russian forces in the opening days of the invasion. Belarus sent the team in after Putin’s men disconnected Chernobyl from monitoring systems which report the status of its nuclear safety systems to UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and cut power to the plant – meaning water used to keep its fuel rods cooled will no longer automatically top itself up. The Ukrainian warning comes against the backdrop of western governments saying Russia appears to be laying the groundwork to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine – an attack that would also be blamed on Kyiv with the aim of justifying a further increase in violence. The 2020 census undercounted Black people, Latinos and Native Americans, and overcounted people who identified as white, according to estimates from a report the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday. Latinos — with a net undercount rate of 4.99% — were left out of the 2020 census at more than three times the rate of a decade earlier. Among Native Americans living on reservations (5.64%) and Black people (3.30%), the net undercount rates were numerically higher but not statistically different from the 2010 rates. People who identified as white and not Latino were overcounted at a net rate of 1.64%, almost double the rate in 2010. Asian Americans were also overcounted (2.62%). The bureau said based on its estimates, it’s unclear how well the 2020 tally counted Pacific Islanders. The report notes that the census has long undercounted Black people, Latinos, and Native Americans. https://youtu.be/Eq-FMB4epyw Major League Soccer has joined forces with several Black-owned banks in an effort to help economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. MLB has reportedly taken out a $25 million loan “facilitated by the National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF), a network of Black-owned retail financial institutions that seeks to close the racial wealth gap by helping underserved communities gain access to capital,” per Boardroom TV. “Major League Soccer’s partnership with the National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF) is a tangible step in the efforts to close the racial economic gap in the United States, and it’s the right business decision for us,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a release. “In order to make a genuine impact, economic justice must be part of the equation. It is our hope this will raise awareness of the importance of Black-owned banks and their impact on the economy.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1502079357380018178 On Tuesday, Travis Scott announced the launch of Project HEAL, an initiative that aims to make events safer and protect youth. He wrote on Instagram: “Over the past few months I’ve been taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community. Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change.” He added, “This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family.” The philanthropic effort will also provide $5 million for community-based initiatives in Scott’s home state of Texas. The big move comes months after the tragic Astroworld Festival festival where 10 fans were crushed to death and hundreds were injured. Travis faced major backlash following the horrific event. However, he says “I feel as a leader in my community, I need to step up in times of need,” he wrote. “I will always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever,” he added. It’s not every day that a defending NBA champion loses its starting center and doesn’t miss a beat, but like its superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks have long proven to be successfully unorthodox. From the drama surrounding Ben Simmons and James Harden, to the struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, there have been a number of interesting storylines to focus on this NBA season. The defending champs not skipping a beat, though? It’s not a headline that would necessarily sell newspapers, so the Bucks have managed to somehow fly under the radar. https://youtu.be/NcpNAnzjL08 Starz has renewed ”Power Book IV: Force” for a second season. “Fans have been eagerly awaiting Joseph’s return as the iconic ‘Tommy Egan’ and from the show’s record-setting debut, it was clear right away that they want to see another season of him taking on this new city,” Jeffrey Hirsch, president and CEO at STARZ, said in a statement, as reported by Urban Hollywood 411. “We are thrilled to have Joseph back in the ‘Power’ Universe and to be expanding the world with a new tapestry of power players brought to life by our fantastic cast.” https://youtu.be/Ivdy4VzQY_U Kim Kardashian is catching heat over comments made in a new interview with Variety. The publication’s latest cover story on the Kardashians unpacks their new TV series at Hulu titled, “The Kardashians,” and how it will differ from their former E! Series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”. Kim said the new series will showcase different sides of the Kardashian clan, such as highlighting their business ventures. “I have the best advice for women in business. Get your f***ing a** up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days,” Kim said (peep the YouTube clip below). “You have to surround yourself with people that want to work. Have a good work environment where everyone loves what they do, because you have one life. No toxic work environments and show up and do the work.” https://youtu.be/XX2izzshRmI Mikaila Murphy doesn’t care if you don’t like her “twerk” videos. She also gives zero f*cks about that guy she used to date – ol what’s his name. The douchebag. It’s a familiar story – relatable to most girls in her age group (she’s 22). “He cheated, I caught him in a lie,” Murphy recalls, sounding as if there might still be some leftover agitation at the thought of what happened. “I even spoke to the girl he cheated with. We’re friends now.” https://youtu.be/jnJHOzPLymc During Thursday’s episode of his eponymous daytime talk show, Nick Cannon reacted to the talker being canceled after one season. “This is show business, right? And we know the biggest word in that is ‘business’, and this is a business,” he explained. “As a businessman, I know that as much fun as we have on the show, business is the thing that makes this whole thing tick and operate.” Honestly, I show up each and every day bright and early to give you a show, but I’m also a businessman, and you understand when there’s certain forms and certain platforms,” he said. “This has been a dream come true for me to be able to do this for you each and every day, but my business mind, I want to expand and elevate in a way.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca7eW0uo7i7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) are working with the State Department to get WNBA star Brittney Griner released from Russia. The Phoenix Mercury basketball player was arrested in the country on February 17 when she arrived at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on a flight from New York. Per SandraRose, “A drug sniffing dog alerted customs officials to Griner’s carry-on bag. Officials found multiple vape cartridges containing “significant amounts” of cannabis (weed) oil in her luggage.” https://youtu.be/AXo_fvpG3vA One of the biggest, long-standing historical debates in American history has been that of education, especially as it pertains to underserved, minority communities. However, educator, entrepreneur and consultant Tiffany Ford, known as “The Childcare Guru,” believes she has the answers to giving urban youth the academic spark they need to flourish. With COVID-19 impacting the mental health of children and young adults, she says curriculums that embrace the arts are crucial. A native of Philadelphia, Ford has worked passionately in the fields of childcare and education for the last 15 years. She is the owner of Little Leaders Learning Academy, co-owner of Stages Community School, and the founder of Leaders and Legends Performing Arts Academy, which teaches Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Modern Dance, Drama, Karate and vocal classes in southwest Philadelphia. Ford’s curriculums have thrived since 2009, offering both students and parents exposure to various resources and setting them up for success. A grand jury on Friday declined to indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson following a police investigation sparked by lawsuits filed by 22 women who have accused him of sexual assault and harassment. The grand jury’s decision came about a year after the women first filed their suits, accusing Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis or kissing them against their will during massage appointments. One woman alleged Watson forced her to perform oral sex. Houston police began investigating Watson in April 2021 after a criminal complaint was filed. The FBI also was reviewing the allegations. A federal appeals court on Thursday said the pop superstar Katy Perry and her team were not liable to a hip-hop artist who claimed they copied her No. 1 hit Dark Horse from his Christian rap song. In a 3-0 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Flame, whose given name is Marcus Gray, did not deserve damages for copyright infringement over a musical pattern he said Perry, 37, borrowed from his song Joyful Noise. The Pasadena, California-based court said the eight-note pattern, known as an ostinato, consisted ‘entirely of commonplace musical elements’ that lacked the ‘quantum of originality’ needed for copyright protection. A Los Angeles jury had in July 2019 awarded Flame and two other plaintiffs $2.79 million, including $550,000 from Perry and $1.29 million from her label Capitol Records, part of Universal Music Group. The CMT Music Awards will have country star Kelsea Ballerini returning as co-host, joined this year by actor Anthony Mackie, CBS announced Thursday. Ballerini is taking on hosting duties for a second straight year. In 2021, she co-hosted with fellow country star Kane Brown, who was then in his second year in the role. Mackie, best known for his roles in Marvel’s “Avengers” franchise, most recently as the co-lead in the Disney Plus limited series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” is a surprise choice to host a country awards show, although he did present an award on last year’s telecast. The CMT Awards have primarily been hosted by country music figures in recent years, but the show does have a long history of bringing in actors to share the duties. Sarah Hyland co-hosted with Brown and Ashley McBryde in 2020; prior to that, Brittany Snow, Kristen Bell, Pamela Anderson and Kathy Najimy had been drafted at various points. On the ACM Awards stage Monday night in Las Vegas, Dolly Parton said she would rather pass a kidney stone than get political at an award show. But that didn’t stop the Country Music Hall of Famer and show host from dedicating this year’s Academy of Country of Music Awards to “our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.” In her opening monologue, Parton said: “I do want us before we start all our fun to take a serious moment. … I want us to send our love and hope to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.” She continued, earning applause from onlookers: “Why don’t we just dedicate this entire show to them? And pray for peace around this crazy ‘ole world.” Matthew Carnahan (House of Lies), Emmy nominee Nadia Hallgren (Becoming), and Ben Crump are developing the legal series Stokes, based on Crump’s life and work as a civil rights attorney. The series will also follow Crump and his team as they travel the country fighting to change the problems within the justice system. Carnahan, creator and showrunner of Stokes, developed the script with Hallgren. Crump and Carnahan’s producing partner, Joel Ehninger, will executive produce. “Working with Ben Crump is a stark rebuttal of the old saying about never meeting your heroes. Three years in, through a documentary and this wonderful scripted series, Stokes, Ben is more my hero than ever, and his work has undoubtedly changed the culture,” said Carnahan in a statement to Deadline. Added Hallgren, “Ben Crump is one of the most nuanced, complex, and interesting characters I’ve ever met. The last two years I’ve spent documenting Ben during this historical time, gave me a front row seat to his singular perspective. Ben brings together the history of America with the present moment in unimaginable ways and I’m thrilled to be working with Matthew Carnahan to share this story through a scripted narrative format.” Today, GRAMMY-nominated, Billboard Music Award-winning, platinum-selling, multi-racial, multi-cultural, and genre-bending collective Maverick City Music and 16-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist, songwriter, producer, and cultural icon Kirk Franklin have announced the Kingdom Tour featuring special guests Jonathan McReynolds and Housefires. Produced by Live Nation and Undivided, the 37-city tour kicks off on June 1st at FTX Arena in Miami, FL making stops across North America in Atlanta, Toronto, Nashville, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping up in Denver, CO at Ball Arena on July 31st. At the conclusion of the Kingdom Tour, a collaboration album, Kingdom, will follow featuring Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR-D3bvi-4E&feature=youtu.be The single, "Who Hurt Who?" written and produced by Kameron Corvet is the first song he has released since his Kathy's Basement EP (2020). Written, arranged, and produced by Corvet, "Who Hurt Who is an ode to the classic post break-up songs of the 60s and 70s. Rooted in guitars and Corvet's signature vocal blend of falsetto and natural melodies, he uses his Grammy Award-winning songwriting to address failed relationships from the man's perspective. " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv4hk-q-OLM Semaje drops new single "Lovely Day." This song is in the Gospel Spotlght!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xb88KfQk5k Accomplished, TigerBeat-featured new artist and 20-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist Coby James releases “Shackles (Praise You)” to radio and digital / streaming outlets everywhere today from Centricity Music. The song features Motown Gospel / Capitol CMG’s Evvie McKinney and pays tribute to Mary Mary as a new version of their career-launching debut single released at the turn of the century. With John Mayer, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes and other influences apparent in his music, James infuses his popular music stylings with soul, urban gospel vibes on “Shackles (Praise You).” This song showcases his rare talent alongside McKinney, winner of the inaugural season of the TV singing competition The Four: Battle for Stardom on FOX. This song is in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pd35RuRdAE Gold-selling, Dove Award-winning pop recording artist and songwriter Jordan Feliz releases Say It (Deluxe) worldwide today (March 11) via Centricity Music. The 18-track deluxe version of Feliz’s acclaimed, third full-length album Say It features the celebratory radio hit “Jesus Is Coming Back” and its remix version featuring both GRAMMY Award-winning Mandisa and Motown Gospel/Capitol CMG artist Jonathan Traylor. Hitting No. 7 and No. 4 on the Billboard NCA Monitored and AC Indicator charts respectively this week and continuing to climb, the multi-format radio single “Jesus Is Coming Back” points to the hope of Christians around the world, giving voice to those longing for a home other than ones built on earth. Here is another song in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/user/jordanfelizmusic Actor and rapper Kaalan “KR” Walker is accused of raping over 30 teens and women that he allegedly met via social media while posing as a photographer. per MadameNoire, that the rape and sexual abuse allegations date back as far as 2013. Walker pleaded not guilty to 6 counts of rape and 2 counts of unlawful intercourse with a minor, in addition to multiple felonies, AceSHowBiz reported. Walker’s attorney argued that all the encounters with the alleged victims “was in consensual and voluntary contact.” “There’s no abduction rape. There’s no forced rape. Purportedly, he is giving them information like, ‘Hey, I could put you in a movie. I could put you in a rap video. I could create a star.’ And that’s what gets them to do things they might not normally want to do,” the attorney continued. During a hearing on Tuesday (March 8), prosecutors described Walker as a “digital age” serial rapist who used the “little blue checkmark” on his social media accounts to “hunt” for his victims, according to Rolling Stone. A former business partner of Akon has described the artist’s Senegal city plans to a Ponzi scheme. As reported that Akon is not only building a futuristic city in Senegal, the former singer is also developing a similar cryptocurrency-based system of living in Uganda. Per Complex, the Ugandan government has allotted Akon one square mile of land to build Akon City. Akon has reportedly bagged a $6 billion contract to build a cryptocurrency-themed city in Senegal. He shared the exciting news in a post on Instagram, writing, “KE International awarded US $6 Billion construction contract for Akon City.” Former First Lady #MichelleObama and #NBA superstar #ChrisPaul kicked off the VOTE LOUD HBCU Squad Challenge — When We All Vote’s first-ever #HBCU campaign. The Squad Challenge’s goal is to empower HBCU students to take a leading role in voter registration, education and mobilization efforts on their campuses and their surrounding communities ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Baller Alert, along with other partners such as BET, Watch The Yard, HBCU Buzz and Xceleader’s Vote HBCU program are among the founding partners of the Squad Challenge. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5MvaqjCBC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Smokey Robinson has made clear that he does not prefer to be called an “African American.” The Motown legend explained during a recent appearance on “The View,” that he prefers to call himself “Black” and “Black American.” “I resent being called African American … I think that when you do that, you’re disclaiming all the things, all the contributions that Black people have made to America. I consider myself to be a Black American and I enjoy being called Black,” Robinson, 82, told the hosts. https://youtu.be/MsAYHxjjLzg Another day, another senseless killing. In Chicago, a 17-year-old boy and his 22-year-old brother have been charged with first-degree murder after a security guard (Salena Claybourne, 35) was shot and killed Monday afternoon. She had just left work and stopped for gas in the South Shore neighborhood before the shooting. Dameonte Watson, 17, and his 22-year-old brother Gregory Watson are both charged with first-degree murder. Dameonte Watson is charged as an adult. Claybourne’s mother organized a GoFundMe to pay for funeral costs, and to support Claybourne’s 15- and 14-year-old daughters. Donors gave more than $12,500 toward the fundraiser’s goal of $30,000 as of Wednesday afternoon. Details surrounding the arrest of former “Basketball Wives” star Royce Reed’s arrest are a bit shocking! Royce was arrested for child neglect and it appears it’s because her son sexually molested her boyfriend’s child. According to police records, “The incident occurred at Braylon’s (Royce’s son) home. It’s unknown if Braylon, who is around 13-years-old and the other child resided in the same home at the time of the incident. Braylon has a history of sexual behaviors. He is currently in treatment at TrueCore Behavioral Solutions. He has been in treatment for 8 months. Officer Chamberlin responded to Braylon’s residence where he met with Braylon’s mother, Royce Reed. She explained Braylon recently revealed new information about a sexual incident between the two boys that occurred approximately one year ago. Royce notified her son’s sexual treatment counselor, who in turn contacted CF. For years, the girls have held down the title of “bad”, while the fellas have stood on the sideline -- but now, it’s the guys turn to lay claim to the crown. Reality star Milan Christopher, celebrity hairstylist Jonathan Wright, notorious offspring Kerrion Franklin, and Insta-famous stars Relly B and Andrew Caldwell, join a cast of some of today’s biggest personalities to establish a “brand”, start some mess, and take over LA! While the girls may be baddies, the boys are setting out to prove that they are the baddest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Au9dDNSEQ The Biden administration’s swift declaration of temporary protected status (TPS) for Ukrainian refugees spotlight the anti-Blackness within the American immigration system. Before his election, President Biden promised to undo harms caused by his predecessor, yet immigration groups point to his continuation of the same policies he said he would undo. Speaking with NewsOne, UndocuBlack’s National Director of Policy and Advocacy Haddy Gassama says that comparatively, Black people have a higher threshold to prove their worth when seeking asylum or refuge. In the past year, the Biden administration deported or expelled at least 20,000 Haitian migrants. UndocuBlack and other Black-led immigration organizations also point to the dire condition for Cameroonian nationals as needing protection afforded under TPS. She cited a Human Rights Watch report documenting abuses of Cameroonians after they are deported back to their home country. Words are not always harmless. Sometimes they can be the catalyst to violence, especially if those words are derogatory and demeaning. Two Florida men had to learn this the hard way after an altercation left one dead and the other charged in his death. Corey Pujols pleaded guilty to felony battery this week for throwing the punch that killed Vonelle Cook in a Tampa Dunkin’. According to authorities, Cook, who was a regular at the Dunkin’, became upset at the service while trying to order coffee from the drive-thru. Dunkin’ workers claimed they had problems hearing the 77-year-old man which made him even more upset. Employees then asked Cook to leave, but instead, he parked his car and headed into the Dunkin’ to continue to harass the staff.Corey Pujols, who was an employee of Dunkin’, urged his co-workers to call the police, but the altercation continued to escalate. Cook continued his verbal tirade towards Pujols and his co-workers eventually calling Pujols the n-word. Pujols immediately took offense and warned Cook not to use the disgusting word again. When angry white men are asked not to say the n-word, we all know what happens next. Cook defiantly called Pujols the n-word a second time, completely set him off. Pujols reached over and punched Cook square in the jaw knocking him off his feet. The punch resulted in Cook hitting his head on the floor with nothing to support his fall. Three days later he was pronounced dead. Pujols was originally charged with manslaughter, but charges were reduced to felony battery after prosecutors took into account Cook’s behavior and actions during the incident that resulted in his death. Vice President Kamala Harris sought to reinforce cooperative ties between the United States and Poland as she met with the country’s President in the wake of an apparent disconnect between the two NATO members over providing Ukraine with fighter jets. “I want to be very clear. The United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop,” Harris said alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda during a joint news conference. The Biden administration is set to cancel over $6 billion in federal student loan debt. On Wednesday, the U.S. Education Department announced that 100,000 borrowers are eligible for $6.2 billion in student debt forgiveness. The move expands upon the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program — which “forgives student debt for various public servants who make 10 years of monthly payments,” per Complex. PSLF was created about 15 years ago with the intention of helping borrowers who worked in education, health care, emergency services, and more. However, the Biden administration expanded the program back in October, after it was criticized over its strict and confusing requirements that resulted in a 98 percent denial rate for applicants. https://youtu.be/_ujHke2gF5k A spokesperson for Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black said in a statement, according to 11 Alive, that “Herschel Walker isn’t smart enough to debate anybody,” and that “He and his team know he’d be humiliated.” Black is one of Walker’s opponents in the Republican primary race to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate. But Walker doesn’t seem to understand that he has to campaign against his primary opponents before he can go up against Raphael Warnock, the Democrat who currently occupies the Senate seat he’s aiming for. “It’s time for Herschel Walker to get out and discuss these issues and we’re going to help him with that in the coming weeks,” Black said. Black was asked by reporters if Walker had accepted any debate challenges and he answered, “No. And if I was his consultant, I’d keep him hidden as well.” Walker was asked if he was willing to debate any of his opponents in the GOP primary and he answered, “I’m thinking about debating with Raphael Warnock. That’s who I need to be debating right now.” “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler was detained by police in Atlanta after being falsely accused of robbing a bank. Police are now calling the incident a “mistaken arrest.” https://youtu.be/s8wOnkEbWyI The woman who accused Chris Brown of drugging and raping her on a yacht docked outside of Diddy’s home in Miami in December 2020 has withdrawn a lawsuit she filed against him after several of her explicit text messages to the singer were leaked. According to TMZ, Ariel Mitchell, an attorney representing the woman (only identified as Jane Doe) wasn’t aware of the messages she sent to Brown in the wake of the assault allegations. Brown put the woman on blast on Instagram where he shared an old voicemail from her in which she said, “I just want to see you again … just let me know. If you want me to leave you alone, I will. But I really just wanna f*ck the shit again.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca3DIyCpsWf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Jussie Smollett after being sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation for making false reports to police of a hate crime, actor Jussie Smollett said to the courtroom: 'I am innocent, and I am not suicidal' https://youtu.be/81cLAL6plUo https://youtu.be/81cLAL6plUo Some Black students reportedly were “sold” by classmates at a recent “slave auction” at a Chatham County school, prompting the superintendent to send a letter to families condemning “recent unacceptable incidents.” In a letter sent Tuesday night, Chatham County Superintendent Anthony Jackson told families that the district had “become aware of recent incidents involving students using racially insensitive language and offensive imagery.” Jackson’s letter doesn’t specifically describe the incidents. But a Chatham County parent who has been in contact with district officials detailed in Facebook posts about the “slave auction” and a video that used the N-word. “Our son experienced a slave auction by his classmates and when he opened up we were made aware that this type of stuff seems to be the norm so much that he didn’t think it was worth sharing,” Ashley Palmer wrote in a Facebook post Friday. “His friend ‘went for $350’ and another student was the Slavemaster because he ‘knew how to handle them.’ “We even have a video of students harmonizing the N word. Since when were children so blatantly racist?” When Tamika Huston went missing in 2004, Rebkah Howard went into overdrive trying to get media attention for her niece. Nearly 20 years later, the world can finally hear Tamika’s story in the new Audible Original series “Finding Tamika.” Released Thursday, “Finding Tamika” is a neo-noir true-crime drama that tells Tamika’s story through the voices of friends, family and Tamika herself. Narrated, co-written and co-produced by actress and writer Erika Alexander, “Finding Tamika” provides an intimate insight into Tamika’s life. In an interview with NewsOne, Howard shared her disappointment in the lack of media interest in Tamika’s disappearance. After high-profile cases of missing white women like Laci Peterson and Chandra Levi, she assumed outlets would pick up Tamika’s story. As a lawyer and PR maven, Howard knew how to craft the right pitch for her niece’s case. But she had difficulty getting outlets to pick up Tamika’s story. It was Black media and Black journalists that kept Tamika’s story alive. Paybill announced that “Emmett Till, A New American Opera” will be premiering at New York City’s John Jay College on March 23. The show was written by a white woman and has a white woman as its main character. Many people expressed that the show’s framing is inappropriate and disrespectful on Twitter. “Emmett Till, A New American Opera” was written by Claire Coss and follows Roanne Taylor, a white woman who “is against Jim Crow laws, segregation and the racial inequality that she sees around her but remains silent,” according to Playbill. Taylor is also the show’s only fictional character; the opera mainly features Coss’ adaptations of real people involved in Till’s story, including his mother Mamie Till and Carolyn Bryant, the white woman who said Till whistled at her, which led to the teenager being lynched. The show is also presented in conjunction with John Jay College, Opera Noire International, the Harlem Chamber Players, and Harlem Arts Alliance, as reported by Playbill. Coss has also written other works about Till’s story. While Playbill’s tweet announcing the premiere of the show has less than 200 likes at the time of publication, it had more than 2,000 retweets and quote tweets, the latter of which shed light on how many people of color feel about Coss’ take on Till’s tragic story. A Santa Clara County judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against Palo Alto by six police officers who claimed harassment and discrimination for being “forced” to walk past a street mural in 2020 depicting 1970s Black Liberation Army member and fugitive Assata Shakur. The civil complaint against the city — filed last year in Santa Clara County Superior Court by Palo Alto police officers Eric Figueroa, Michael Foley, Christopher Moore, Robert Parham, Julie Tannock and David Ferreira — claimed in the lawsuit that they were “forced to physically pass and confront the mural every time they entered the Palo Alto Police department.” The officers described it as “offensive, discriminatory and harassing iconography” that fostered a “hostile” and “retaliatory” work environment. The work — which was painted on Hamilton Street across from city hall — was commissioned by the city in June 2020 to commemorate protests against the police killing of George Floyd. The mural featured several images inside each letter of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” and included a quote from Shakur within the letter “E” of the word “Matter” — “We must love each to support each other” — and a re-creation of the cover of her autobiography. The five officers suing the city were seeking physical, mental and emotional damages, including health care services, economic damages, attorney fees and court costs yet to be determined but “in excess of $25,000.” The discovery of human remains that could possibly be victims of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre in Oklahoma shows that the search for mass graves should continue, researchers said. A report submitted to Tulsa’s committee overseeing the search said one body, believed to be a Black male in his mid-to-late 20s, is a possible massacre victim and had three gunshot wounds with two bullets recovered from the remains, including one from the head. Forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield said Wednesday that DNA could provide circumstantial evidence linking the remains to the massacre. But she said that it likely can never be confirmed with certainty that any remains were massacre victims. The man was shot, Stubblefield said, but when and the circumstances of the shooting will never be known. “The person had a death that involved another human, so that part is clear, but when that death occurred, there are no definitive indicators and the exact context of … how did the bullets get introduced, there’s no indications under the earth for that,” Stubblefield said. A Florida father was crushed to death in a porta-potty when a coworker accidentally ran it over in a bulldozer. The incident occurred Friday evening at the North Central Landfill, according to authorities. TooFab reports that Aaron Henderson was employed as a spotter, who provided “traffic control for the incoming and outgoing dump trucks,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/uMg4jVPdJL0 Tiger Woods cried. Woods’ 14-year-old daughter, Sam, as she presented him as a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday night at the PGA Tour’s sparkling new headquarters, said, “Dad, I inducted you into the Dad Hall of Fame long time ago.” The 46-year-old Woods, joining his daughter on stage, melted into her arms and lost it. The same Woods who used to sear burn marks into his competitors. https://youtu.be/eZQie5HFeUg A 25-year-old congressional aide who grew up in North Texas has sued Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, alleging he is her biological father. Attorneys for Alexandra Davis filed the lawsuit Thursday in Dallas County, saying that Jones and her mother had a relationship in the mid-1990s from which she was conceived. According to court documents, Jones and Davis’ mother, Cynthia Davis, reached a settlement to financially support the mother and child as long as they didn’t publicly identify Jones as her father. Alexandra Davis is asking a court to find that she isn’t legally bound by the agreement between Jones and her mother if she were to attempt to legally establish that he is her father. She doesn’t want to be sued or lose her financial trusts. She is also seeking declaration from the court that such settlement agreements should be “unenforceable” in Texas. The lawsuit was temporarily sealed Wednesday ahead of a hearing scheduled for March 31, court records show. The Dallas Morning News obtained the lawsuit through the county’s online court records system before the file was sealed. Apple TV+ has landed the rights to a new feature documentary about the groundbreaking life and career of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton, who has broken both records and barriers to become one of the greatest Formula One drivers in history. The documentary will feature full access to Hamilton and his team, on and off the track, and an all-star cast of guest interviews. Hamilton has blazed an uncharted trail professionally, socially, and culturally, and transformed the sport on a global scale. Coming from a working-class family, Lewis succeeded in a sport where the odds were stacked against him but where his talent shone through, allowing him to dominate the sport for over a decade. Hamilton is currently the only Black driver to race in the Formula One series. He embraced what made him different and his rise to the top of his career has made him fiercely committed to using his platform to influence positive change for future generations. Russian Daniil Medvedev and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka called for peace amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine that caused tennis officials to strip any mention of their home countries from the Indian Wells tennis tournament. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in the biggest assault on a European state since 1945. Russia calls the action a “special military operation”.“ My message is always the same – I want peace in all of the world,” world number one Medvedev told reporters on the eve of the first round of ATP action in the Southern California desert “I think every tennis player is going to say the same.” Indeed, support for the Ukrainian people has been pouring out from the tennis community. Former world number ones Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray have pledged to support relief funds for children affected by the invasion. Two million people – mostly women and children – have now fled Ukraine. Zoë Kravitz is calling out clickbait journalism after she was quoted saying she wanted to audition for a role in “The Dark Knight Rises,” but was rejected because she was too “urban.” Kravitz has previously spoken out about not being able to audition for the film because of her race. “I don’t know if it came directly from (director) Chris Nolan,” she said in a recent interview with The Observer. “I think it was probably a casting director of some kind, or a casting director’s assistant,” Kravitz explained. “Being a woman of color and being an actor and being told at that time that I wasn’t able to read because of the color of my skin, and the word ‘urban’ being thrown around like that, that was what was really hard about that moment,” she added. Nicki Minaj chopped it up with Joe Budden for an in-depth discussion on Wednesday, during which she dished about her legacy and influence on women rappers and having plastic surgery. ”I was one of the first people to be shitted on on social media,” she explained to Budden. “It wasn’t acceptable to have surgery at all or anything. At that time, I didn’t have surgery. I had a** shots, which till this day I realized…even what I did and even with me not consulting with anyone to do something like that…how insane that was. It’s not like you’re going to a doctor, a professional person. No. It’s some random person, comes in. I was in Atlanta at the time.” At that time, Nicki hung around Lil Wayne who surrounded himself with a bevy of big-bootied beauties that Nicki described as his muses. She said Wayne and the Young Money crew always talked about big booties, which made her insecure about her own body. https://youtu.be/LSmMQEsBzmE From the streets of New York City to the Coachella stage alongside songstress Beyonce´, violinist Ezinma has used her artistry to change the narrative around representation within classical music. The Nebraska native is introducing youth from underrepresented groups to the art form through the creation of her foundation Strings by Heart, ABC7 reported. She recently launched Strings by Heart; an organization designed to make music education accessible to youth in underserved communities. Through the nonprofit, youngsters will have the opportunity to participate in music lessons led by accomplished educators, attend cultural events that will broaden their perspectives and have access to quality instruments and supplies. The program was created to use music as a vessel to teach youth lessons they can apply in other areas of their lives. After only six months on air, Nick Cannon’s eponymous daytime talk show has been canceled due to low ratings. Enough episodes have been pre-tapped so the show will run through May, according to Variety. “It’s never easy to cancel a production with clear potential, but after a great deal of deliberation and examining various options, we have made the difficult business decision to end production on Nick Cannon,” Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, co-presidents of the chat show’s producer/distributor Debmar-Mercury, said in a statement. “We plan to offer viewers original episodes of the daytime talk show through the remainder of this season. Our thanks go to the very talented Nick Cannon and our wonderful production team, and we wish Nick continued success with his many hit ventures.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca2wgD5lgz8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again There’s talk on the street that daytime talk show “The Real” is getting its cancellation orders. If true, the news comes on the heels of Nick Cannon’s show getting the axe. News of the cancellation of “The Real” was first reported by theJasmineBrand. However, the site is not specifying why the show is allegedly ending after 8 seasons in production. The show has seen a few different hosts over the years but currently, Adrienne Bailon, comedian and actress Loni Love, television host and fashion stylist Jeannie Mai, and actress and model Garcelle Beauvais do the hosting honors. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca4_-24Aijm/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again March 9 marked the 25th anniversary of the murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G. To memorialize the celebrated hip-hip icon, his estate has announced the first-ever official The Notorious B.I.G. NFT (non-fungible token) collection. The collection is an exclusive partnership with the Quincy Jones-backed NFT platform OneOf, Stereogum reports. “We are excited about our partnership with OneOf and their expertise to memorialize my son Christopher with this first official NFT drop to give his fans an opportunity to participate in and honor their love of him and his music,” says Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace. Today, BET+ announced the return of “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless,” available now exclusively on BET+. Season 3 picks up with even more drama, jealousy, and deception as The Highest plans to grow the Rakudushis cult. While a growing number of his flock are trying to escape paradise, the FBI infiltrates the cult. Bodies begin to pile up in the pursuit of all of the deserters and agents are jeopardized. All the while, Ruth tries to gain power in the compound, with her number one mission being to get Marva out of power. “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” stars returning cast Melissa Williams, Matt Cedeño, Lenny D. Thomas, Baadja Lyne, Blue Kimble, Colin McCalla, Stevie Baggs, Jr., Alise Willis, Michelle Nuñez, and Samantha Thomas. This season, new cast members joining the series, include Josh Adeyeye and Nadège Augu. The one-hour drama will drop three episodes on its premiere date, with new episodes launching every Thursday exclusively on BET+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoOPUbB47vo After a two-year hiatus, the incomparable, soul-stirring Festival of Praise is set to kick off its fifth nationwide tour in March 2022. The 30-city tour will be headlined by Gospel music icon Fred Hammond, along with Gospel superstars Marvin Sapp and Hezekiah Walker. Produced by Face to Face, Inc. and booked exclusively by Jeff Epstein and Adam Zagor of Universal Attractions Agency (UAA), the renowned Festival of Praise Tour follows in the footsteps of 1997's The Tour of Life, which saw Hammond sharing the stage with Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams in front of crowds of more than half a million people. Festival of Praise Tour once again promises to be an unforgettable "Hand clapping and foot stomping, get up out your seat" worship explosion with production and stage sets unmatched in any gospel tour. For the first time in Gospel music history, 2022's Festival Of Praise will offer a talented local choir in each city of the tour the opportunity to perform on the show. All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series, UNSUNG and UNCENSORED are back this Sunday, March 13th. UNSUNG leads with the trailblazing British rapper, Monie Love at 9 p.m. ET / 8C followed by UNCENSORED, which features hit-making producer, Stevie J, at 10 p.m. ET / 9C. Each episode will also be published on TVOne.TV and TV One’s social media platforms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrJQtWKYytY An exclusive clip of this week’s episode of “Growing Up Hip Hop,” which finds Jojo Simmons surprising his wife with a romantic dinner in order to address why they’ve “been off.” https://youtu.be/pllPDV0QoVQ Tonight at CLEO TV, Chef JJ is taking our taste buds on a trip to Italy! JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ has returned for season 4 on CLEO TV. The popular cooking show welcomes serial entrepreneur Tyra Myricks tonight, Wednesday, March 9th at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmcmiZ4VQ2c CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX continues tonight, Wednesday, March 9th at 9:30 P.M. EST/8:30C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells is back with the remix, as he serves up international cuisine in the series' condensed, 30-minute format. This week, we're getting a spicy taste of Jamaica! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpX3X7QxCs0 Dolly Parton has dropped a few names of artists that she’d like to collaborate and among them are Cher and Cardi B. “She’s a character,” Parton told E! News’ Daily Pop of Cardi. “I know she’s an original.” And when it comes to music icon Cher, Parton said: “I would love to do something with [Cher] sometime, a TV show, or a movie. We’ll have Cardi B on that same show, let Cher host it, and me and Cardi B will be the entertainment.” https://youtu.be/_IBDHa0yrY8 Kanye West’s new album “Donda 2” is only available via his $200 Stem Player, so Billboard has decided that the release is not eligible for inclusion on its official charts. “That’s because the album is being sold with a device that can be used for other means besides the playing of the album,” according to Billboard. “As such, the Stem/Donda package would fall within Billboard’s latest merch bundle policy, where albums sold with merchandise are not chart eligible.” Meanwhile, controversial NFL star Antonio Brown, who was recently named head of Kanye’s Donda Sports, said he and Ye are “extremely serious” about buying the Denver Broncos. https://youtu.be/p-CGBj8OXiY Jada Pinkett Smith took to Instagram this week to praise Rihanna for wearing sheer Black lingerie to the Dior Autumn-Winter 2022 fashion show. “She’s a queen that loves helping other women find and hold their own crowns. As women, it’s important that we seeeee one another, help heal one another, love one another and support one another. Here’s to one more of my favorites for International Women’s Month.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Caz6mPaBCNt/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d879cc9a-a124-436c-9335-1a1e35004092 Sean Combs appears to have responded to a viral video by former Da Band member Freddy P who blames the hip-hop mogul for making him suicidal. In the video, Freddy P trashes Diddy for allegedly “sending him back to the hood” and not paying the group members after featuring on MTV’s “Making the Band” reality show back in the day. During an interview with The Neighborhood Talk, Freddy, 41, said he despises Diddy for making “me hate life so much.” He added, “I don’t care about death.” “Puffy you ain’t never had a talent in your life, man. Somebody gave you opportunity to open the door and find talent,” Freddy said in reference to Diddy’s Making the Band program. https://www.instagram.com/p/Camy3dvK1Hh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again This week on episode #4 of The Big Hit Show’s second chapter — the series unpacks the mastermind of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and how the song viral ALRIGHT was used to galvanize protesters. The song ALRIGHT quickly became a defining protest song amidst the Black Lives Matter movement, but the backstory of the song’s creation was wrapped in Kendrick’s self-criticism following the Ferguson protests. The episode goes on to detail the initial studio sessions with Pharrell, and how the hit song almost didn’t make the album. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/09/kendrick-lamars-alright-blm-movement/ GSN-As Russian troops tear through Ukraine, swathes of Africa are gearing up to bear the brunt of a potentially drawn-out conflict between the ex-Soviet republics — two of some of the continent’s most cherished trading partners. African economists sound the alarm over a looming and likely catastrophic lowering of trade volumes between the continent and its warring partners if Russia’s widely condemned incursion into Ukraine isn’t short-lived. Russia and Ukraine are key players in the global agricultural trade, with both nations accounting for a quarter of the world’s wheat exports, including at least 14 percent of corn exports in 2020, and a joint 58 percent of global sunflower oil exports in the same year, analysis show. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/08/the-russia-ukrain-war-could-plunge-africa-into-hunger-higher-food-prices-predicted-v McDonald‘s and Starbucks are shutting their restaurants and cafes in Russia, and Coca-Cola is suspending its operations there in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. PepsiCo is also pulling some products from the country. “McDonald’s has decided to temporarily close all our restaurants in Russia and pause all operations in the market,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement Tuesday. There were 847 locations of McDonald’s in Russia at the close of last year, according to an investor document. A Wisconsin woman reportedly told police that they “were going to have fun trying to find all of the organs” of the dismembered 25-year-old man she killed during sex while high on meth. Taylor Schabusiness, 24, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and third-degree sexual assault after admitting to severing the head of Shad Thyrion while high during sex. The New York Post reports that the victim’s mother discovered her son’s severed head in a bucket in the basement of her home. Police also recovered a “male organ” in the bucket and an upper torso inside a storage tote. “The investigation very early on led us to another location … where officers took a person of interest into custody,” said the police chief. https://youtu.be/ntW27oZgsLs Richard Sherman will avoid jail time after pleading guilty Monday to two misdemeanor charges and a traffic violation related to a July domestic incident in a Seattle suburb. As part of a plea arrangement, Sherman pleaded guilty to negligent driving in the first degree, criminal trespass in the second degree, and the infraction of speeding in a roadway construction zone, according to King County Court documents. Sherman was arrested on July 14 after attempting to break into his in-laws’ home in Redmond, Washington. https://youtu.be/Eyap2FkSJco The Chernobyl plant in Ukraine is disconnected from the grid due to damage inflicted by Russian occupying forces, sparking concerns of radioactive contamination if the cooling of spent nuclear fuel stops. The 750 kV Chernobyl-Kyiv high-voltage line is currently disconnected “due to damage by the occupiers,” Energoatom, or the state-run National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine, said Wednesday. The Chernobyl station and all nuclear facilities of the Exclusion Zone are without electricity. The regulator explained that there are about 20,000 spent fuel assemblies stored at the facility that require constant cooling. Without electricity to cool the pumps, the temperature in the holding pools will increase, prompting the release of radioactive substances into the environment. The Kremlin on Wednesday said that the U.S.has declared an “economic war” on Moscow with its actions in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov came after President Biden announced on Tuesday that the U.S. would no longer import Russian oil, Reuters reported. “The situation demands a rather deep analysis — those decisions announced by President Biden,” Peskov said. “If you are asking me what Russia is going to do — Russia is going to do what is necessary to defend its interests.” “The United States definitely has declared economic war against Russia and is waging this war,” he added. Along with the recently announced ban on Russian oil, the U.S. has imposed harsh economic sanctions on many aspects of Russia’s economy and sanctioned at least 26 high-profile politicians and oligarchs. And the ACM for album of the year goes to… Morgan Wallen. Wallen, 28, took home the award for album of the year for Dangerous: The Double Album at the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday. “When I started this album, I was a kid. By the time I put it out, I was a father,” Wallen — who is dad to 20-month-old son Indigo Wilder with ex-girlfriend KT Smith — began in his acceptance speech. “That’s become more important to me than anything else,” he continued. “To my son, this album and this award will signify that his daddy was a fighter, and he chased his dreams and worked hard to make them a reality.” Wallen added, “I want to say a special thank you to all of the songwriters, producers and musicians that played on this album. I wish you were standing here next to me now. This project would not be complete without each of them.” “I’d also like to thank my good lord and savior Jesus Christ, my family, my friends, my team in Nashville, country radio and everyone who has shown me grace along the way,” he said. “Most importantly, I have to address my fans personally and directly: thank you, thank you, thank you!” Kanye West has posted another bizarre poem in which he wrote that he was murdered and even references Kim Kardashian owning the family home amid their divorce. The 44-year-old rapper took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to share his latest piece of writing which was titled DEAD. In it he references many of his recent struggles which left him deceased but did not realize it until now. At one point he appears to reference his 41-year-old estranged wife keeping the $60million Hidden Hills estate they once shared as he wrote: ‘My kids would dance for me in a home I once led.’ It was reported that the two had negotiated a buyout price over the mansion back in October as their divorce process has rolled on. Paramount Pictures actress Laurel Goodwin has passed away at the age of 79, her family revealed in an obituary. Goodwin, who has worked with the likes of Elvis Presley and Jackie Gleason, died on February 25 in Cathedral City, California. ‘If she knew you, you quickly became family,’ read a line from her obit. Laurel was born in 1942 in Wichita, Kansas and signed a contract with Paramount when she was just 19 years old. She would go on to co-star with Elvis Presley in the 1962 musical comedy Girls! Girls! Girls! as Laurel Dodge. Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson helped fund a 1960s prison experiment when a group of majority-black Pennsylvania prisoners were injected with asbestos to determine whether the substance was safe to use in talcum powder. Documents confirming the company’s involvement were obtained by Bloomberg, tying the New Jersey-based company to controversial experiments led by Dr Albert Kligman, a University of Pennsylvania dermatologist whose human experiments have widely condemned as brutal and unethical. He died in 2010 aged 93. Inmates at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were offered $10 to $300 – equivalent to between $100 to $2,500 in today’s money when adjusted for inflation – to take part in the study – though they were likely unaware of the significant risk they were undertaking. A mother of a Chicago Public School student who CTU said died from COVID-19 after her daughter was quarantined due to an outbreak at her school actually died from chronic ethanolism, the Cook County Medical Examiner confirmed Monday. Denisha Henry, 32, was the mother of a student at Jensen Elementary — located in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. In a press release from last September, the Chicago Teachers Union said, “We are in mourning with the Jensen school community, with COVID claiming the life of one 47-year-old school mother last Thursday, and a second 32-year-old mother on Friday. Both mothers had children sent home from quarantined classrooms. One mother complained bitterly on social media that she was never contacted by a contact tracer. Within a week she was dead.” Henry died on Sept. 24. Deion Sanders had two toes on his left foot amputated because of blood clots stemming from a previous surgery. The Jackson State coach and NFL Hall of Famer revealed the severity of his foot injury in an episode of his “Coach Prime” documentary series that will air Tuesday night on Barstool Sports. Sanders was hospitalized for around a month in the middle of last season. The Tigers finished 11-2. He had a dislocated toe along with an inflamed nerve. His initial procedure was in September and he later returned to the field for practice using a golf cart and crutches. He roamed the sideline for a game with the help of a push scooter. As he healed, his toes began to darken under the bandages. “They were talking about the amputation of toes,” Sanders said. “Then they were talking about the amputation of my leg from the knee down. Then, they were trying to ensure I had life.” Sanders, 54, underwent several surgeries. He developed a femoral arterial blood clot. He also had compartment syndrome, which meant his leg swelled, and doctors had to flay open his leg to drain fluid. Sanders later had his left foot’s big toe and second toe amputated. At the 142-year-old Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey, the 1,500-member congregation has learned that tending only to spiritual needs is not enough. So, the predominantly Black church works together through its nonprofit Shiloh Community Development Corporation to address spiritual, physical and mental health, said the Rev. Darrell Armstrong, who leads the church and is executive director of the corporation. “You don’t find in most schools of religion an intense focus on bridging religion and mental health,” said Armstrong, who arrived at Shiloh in 2000 and has a particular interest in strengthening family health. His mother was addicted to cocaine, and he spent most of his childhood in foster care or living with relatives in Los Angeles. Armstrong, mindful of the effects of family disruption and dysfunction, is pursuing a doctorate in social work with a focus on developing trauma-informed, resilient houses of worship. A series of historic NFTs (Non-fungible token) created by Wendell Scott Ventures will be introduced and sold to commemorate the iconic and groundbreaking life and legacy of Wendell Scott. On December 1, 1963, Scott broke NASCAR’s color barrier by becoming the first African American NASCAR driver to win a Grand National race, NASCAR’s highest level. Until Bubba Wallace’s win on October 4, 2021 there had never been another Black driver to win a NASCAR race. To this day, Scott is the only Black NASCAR team owner. Despite his triumphant victory, he was never awarded a trophy for this win. It wasn’t until August 28, 2021, nearly 60 years after his Jacksonville win that his trophy was posthumously awarded to his family. Black and Latino soccer players were heckled with monkey noises and barking during a championship game in California — behavior condemned by the state’s high school sports governing body as “unacceptable” and the players’ coach as “blatant racism.” The jeers took place Saturday during the Northern California championship between Buchanan High School in Clovis and Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills. The “high-pressure game” resulted in a penalty shootout, Buchanan girls soccer head coach Jasara Gillette said in a statement, and that’s when the heckling was heard coming from the stands. “Our third kicker, who is of African American descent, was subjected to monkey noises and gestures that came from the Oak Ridge stand as she took her PK (penalty kick). The player before her who is Hispanic was also barked at,” Gillette said. The harassing noises came from “one individual in the Oak Ridge side of the stands,” the El Dorado Union High School District, which oversees Oak Ridge High School, told NBC News in a statement. Gillette called out the Oak Ridge High School administration, saying they “stood by and did nothing to address the problem. No fan was removed, and the stands were not cleared.” The coming of age story can lead to a beautiful destination. Datreese Thomas dived into a journey of self-discovery after experiencing growing pains during her freshman year at the University of Houston. Datreese Thomas’ season of becoming led to her first business venture, The Melanie Dolls. The student turned entrepreneur wanted to empower Black girls in their journey of becoming. “I wanted to help Black girls feel beautiful, gain courage, and just develop self-love. I do that by providing a product that helps young Black girls individually see themselves better. I truly believe the company I created is a clear reflection of the journey that I had to go through with myself,” Datreese Thomas told AfroTech. The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to trade Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “Denver is trading its 2022 first-round pick (No. 9 overall), its 2023 first-round pick, its 2022 second-rounder (No. 40 overall), another second-round pick in 2023 and a 2022 fifth to acquire Wilson,” per CBS Sports. Wilson agreed to waive his no-trade provision and passed his Broncos’ physical on Tuesday night, sources told ESPN. These moves clear the way for the Seahawks to send him to Denver, ending his historic 10-season run in Seattle that included nine Pro Bowl selections, one Super Bowl title and more wins than any quarterback ever has posted during his first 10 seasons in the league. The Broncos were Wilson’s preference, if he was traded, sources told ESPN’s Brady Henderson. On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain put together arguably the greatest performance in NBA history, scoring 100 points in the Philadelphia Warriors’ 169–147 win over the New York Knicks. The game wasn’t televised, and only 4,124 people were in attendance. Sixty years later, no player has seriously challenged Wilt’s 100 points. Kobe Bryant came the closest, dropping 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. https://youtu.be/-GnTgEHjFpQ Wilt Chamberlain has a number of NBA records that are seemingly unbreakable; in addition to the single-game scoring record, he once averaged a ridiculous 27.2 rebounds per game in the 1960-61 season and played 48.5 minutes per game during the 1961-62 campaign. To celebrate Wilt’s historic 100-point outing, Sarah Kustok hosted a special episode of “NBA Flashback” — a podcast produced by the NBA in partnership with iHeart that revisits some of the best moments in league history. https://youtu.be/og9s2PhTcYs?t=5 Rosario Dawson goes to battle in a fictional American civil war in a trailer for “DMZ.” The HBO Max four-part limited series is based on a DC Comic and is produced and directed by Ava DuVernay. In the show, the United States enters a second civil war when a group called Free States of America battles the remainder of the country. New York City has no government and is overrun with criminal gangs. https://youtu.be/aDsrZk9yxwk “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” starring Samuel L. Jackson on Apple TV+, is based on the acclaimed novel by best-selling author Walter Mosley, and follows an ailing man (Grey) forgotten by his family, friends, and even by himself. https://youtu.be/5UBs9K9CmJk Russell Westbrook and his wife Nina are speaking out about the death threats they are receiving from Lakers fans. On Monday, Nina unleashed a series of tweets about the harassment and death threats directed at her family. The hate seems to stem from Lakers fans being disgruntled over Westbrook’s issues on the team. Nina revealed in a series of tweets Monday that she’s been “harassed on a daily basis.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1501062643880136705 Nicki Minaj‘s “Queen Radio” will return to the airwaves thanks to a new partnership with Amazon. On Apple’s App Store today, Amazon’s new live audio app will stream the radio show, according to Rap-Up. In addition to DJing, the app lets users access “tens of millions” of songs from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and independent labels. Initially, Amp will be invite-only and require an access code, which Amazon will distribute via a waitlist, social media, and email. Pusha T, Tinashe, Lil Yachty, Big Boi, Travis Barker, and Lindsey Stirling are among the creators of the Amp show. Nicki is reportedly expected to make the official announcement on Instagram Live later today. https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f5bbf2c8-c17a-44dd-8bf5-922ab0186868 Season three of “Good Trouble” left us with so many unanswered questions! Finally season four is premiering Wednesday, March 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform. Season three of “Good Trouble” left us with so many unanswered questions! Finally season four is premiering Wednesday, March 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform. https://youtu.be/IXA7x5iWWes Black Panther director Ryan Coogler was mistaken for a robber while trying to withdraw money from his bank. According to @tmz_tv, the incident happened back in January at a local Bank of America in Atlanta. The news site reports that Coogler walked into the bank wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a mask and asked the cashier to “discreetly” withdraw $12,000 from his account. He reportedly passed the cashier a note which read: “I would like to withdraw $12,000 CASH from my checking account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet.” That spooked the teller and cops were called for an attempted robbery. When officers arrived, they detained 2 people waiting outside for Ryan in an SUV and then went in and brought him out in handcuffs. Following an investigation, cops eventually realized it was a big mistake and everyone was released, with Ryan reportedly asking for the badge numbers of all involved. Addressing the situation to @metro.co.uk, he said: “This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.” Dr. Mehmet Oz’s family feud with his sister is making headlines amid his battle over their late father’s estate. Dr. Oz claims that his sister, Nazlim Oz — who lives in Turkey– has stolen thousands of dollars from their dying father and took over his estate without permission, according to Page Six. She is also accused of forging their father’s will to make her the beneficiary of a majority of the money. “Dr. Oz ceased the distributions because he, Seval, and their mother (Suna Oz) uncovered evidence that Nazlim had been stealing her father’s money,” Dr. Oz’s lawyer, Michael J. Cohen, wrote in court papers. Starting a foundation is no easy feat for anyone, especially for a teenager, but the injection of a little youthful exuberance is exactly what is needed in the nonprofit section. Starting a foundation is no easy feat for anyone, especially for a teenager, but the injection of a little youthful exuberance is exactly what is needed in the nonprofit section. The Destiny Education Project is a BIPOC-led 501(c)3 founded in the fall of 2021 by 16-year old Burbank-CA based Destiny Helligar as a solution after being attacked with racist slurs in her middle school in 2018. Thanks to her bravery and compassion, several school districts are taking a closer look at their curriculums, their policies, and themselves. Facebook user Kimberly Manning had a skydiving excursion that left her questioning her own sanity. “I was boosting myself to be hype until we jumped. Then I lost MY MF MIND YALL. I cried, snot flew everywhere and then I died and woke up and started crying again. Save ya money y’all DONT DO IT!!! Im gone stick to jumping for a leap of faith before I EVER jump out am other [sic] plane,” Manning captioned the collage of photos showing her skydiving. https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/274290224_10101452862419041_4016926128498585565_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s370x247&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=110474&_nc_ohc=Hqjq7Wc76ioAX_eHnkU&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&edm=AN6CN6oEAAAA&oh=00_AT9PFlGeiNNWpb520slqP4meLZ10jhpGIAPNq9iL7OHbdA&oe=622D763C The Senate passed the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act of 2022 on Monday night by unanimous consent. The bill, which would make lynching a federal hate crime, now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. The legislation was approved by the House of Representatives last week by a vote of 422-3. Passage of the bill is a long-sought goal of advocates, who have been working for years to secure its approval in Congress. “After more than 200 failed attempts to outlaw lynching, Congress is finally succeeding in taking the long-overdue action by passing the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. Hallelujah. It’s long overdue,” said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in remarks on the Senate floor after the bill’s passage. https://youtu.be/GU_9x3upz90 President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his administration is banning Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports to the US in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy. We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,” Biden said in remarks from the White House. “That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.” The US expected to make the move unilaterally, without its European allies, due to disagreement among European nations about whether to ban Russian energy imports. EU countries have significantly more exposure to Russian energy than the US. Not long before Biden’s announcement, the United Kingdom announced that it planned to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year. https://youtu.be/kZ1xazDfcws President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil, a major escalation in the international response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The move came as Western-allied nations work to sever Moscow from the global economy to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked aggression. “Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy. We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,” Biden said at the White House. “That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.” “This is a step we’re taking to inflict further pain on Putin,” Biden said. Maria Baronova resigned as editor-in-chief of Russia Today, a state-run media operation also known as RT, last week after condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. She’s well aware that anyone who speaks out against the Kremlin could be in danger – but personal safety is the least of Baronova’s concerns. “The problem is, I know these people very well. They never send threats, they just kill, so there is kind of [a] weird silence around me, but I really think we’re on the brink of a nuclear war right now. I’m not exaggerating,” Baronova told Fox News Digital from Moscow, via a WhatsApp call. “I have a son, I can’t leave because his father won’t allow me to leave with him, and so I just prefer to stay in Moscow … It seems like we’re either in North Korea or we are going to be killed by a thermonuclear mushroom,” she said. “I wouldn’t quit, and I wouldn’t lose my salary and job if I was sure that we are going to be alive for many years, but I really don’t know what is going to happen to all of us next.” While many around the globe are gravely concerned Putin would resort to nuclear weapons, Baronova is worried his behavior will make Russia the target of a catastrophic attack. “I suspect the Western world will use it,” Baronova said. “This is a very dangerous situation.” President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil, a major escalation in the international response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The move came as Western-allied nations work to sever Moscow from the global economy to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked aggression. “Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy. We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,” Biden said at the White House. “That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.” “This is a step we’re taking to inflict further pain on Putin,” Biden said. A conservative Christian beauty queen plunged to her death from an upscale Miami condo building after taking a mystery cannabis substance and suffering a ‘breakdown,’ DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. Zoe Sozo Bethel, the 2021 winner of Miss Alabama for America Strong, began ‘acting strange’ before she ran at ‘full speed’ towards a third-floor balcony railing, according to police. Zoe, who has a five-year-old daughter, was overheard praying in the seconds before her February 10 fall and an eyewitness told officers she saw the 27-year-old jump. However Zoe’s brother contradicted that account of her final moments, insisting in a police interview that his sister did not see the railing and simply slammed into it and toppled over accidentally. Tragic Zoe, an aspiring media personality from Loxley, Alabama, was in a coma for more than a week before her family announced she had succumbed to devastating brain injuries. Cops ruled out foul play and investigated her death as a suicide attempt before later determining it was a ‘tragic accident’. Zoe’s family also pushed back against suggestions she would have meant to kill herself, insisting in a statement that the ‘devout believer in Jesus’ would still be alive ‘if she had a choice.’ A police report obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that Zoe took an ‘unknown amount of unknown suspected narcotics’ while she was at a restaurant with her brother, Santiago Roman. ‘The victim ingested a small amount of the substance. Mr Roman asked what’s that substance and she replied that it was a form of cannabis that helps her relax given to her by a friend,’ the report states. The pair headed back to Roman’s apartment at the seven-story La Piazza Navona condo building in Miami’s waterfront Edgewater neighborhood where Zoe complained she was feeling hot. Florida Atlantic University has made an effort to decrease the number of students dropping out due to financial issues, found the Hechinger Report. The students who have dropped out from the school between freshman and sophomore year has decreased from 25 percent to 18 percent, the report found. The administration has implemented resources to intervene in situations when a student is at risk of discontinuing their education. According to the Hechinger Report, half of the FAU Black and Hispanic student population comes from low income families. The administration had taken a look into how to resolve this issue by realizing the faults of the institution. Instagram announced Monday that it will introduce a special tag for professional accounts and influencers that ensures they receive credit for their content, an attempt to address complaints that Black users are not credited for starting trends or are shut out from profiting from them. The tag is available to business and creator accounts, and comes on the heels of nationwide discussions and content strikes by Black content creators who pushed out viral posts saying they do not receive credit for their work. Alexis Michelle Adjei, a data analyst, and Cameryn Boyd, an engineer, envisioned and created the label with these disparities and Black creators in mind, particularly that creators make a living off producing social media content and that Black creators should share equally in that, too, they said. Adjei said, “Black creators and addressing that inequity in the creator ecosystem” was top-of-mind when developing the new feature. A former Kansas City, Mo., police detective who fatally shot a man who was in a truck at his own home in 2019 was sentenced Friday to six years in state prison. Eric DeValkenaere received a three-year sentence for involuntary second-degree manslaughter in the death of Cameron Lamb, 26, and a six-year sentence for armed criminal action. The sentences will run concurrently. Prosecutors said Lamb was chasing his girlfriend’s convertible in an allegedly stolen pickup on Dec. 3, 2019. Police initially said they tracked the truck to a home, and two officers confronted Lamb who was in the pickup in the driveway. DeValkenaere, who opened fire, said in court that he feared for the life of his fellow detective because Lamb pointed a gun at him. Prosecutors said DeValkenaere shouldn’t have confronted the suspect on the property of his own residence without a warrant. They also questioned police evidence by asserting that Lamb had his left hand on the truck’s steering wheel and his cellphone in his right hand before the shooting. An officer who was at the scene after the shooting said in court he didn’t see a gun near Lamb’s body, even though it was later seen in police photographs. The victim’s left hand was hanging out the pickup’s driver’s side window, the officer testified. Historian Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs, founder of the More Than a Fraction Foundation (MTAFF), announced recently that The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation has awarded MTAFF with a $10,000 grant for its heritage program, the Merry Tree Memorial – renamed “1872 Forward.” The More Than a Fraction Foundation is presenting the “1872 Forward: Celebrating Virginia Tech” series of events in partnership with the Council for Virginia Tech History. The three-day event, happening on March 24-26, 2022 at Virginia Tech (VT), is celebrating 150 years of Virginia Tech history, which includes recognition of the Merry Tree’s importance to the enslaved African community, and it’s continued importance to the local community today. The Merry Tree fell from a storm in 2020. The event will also recognize the culture and history of the communities that make the history of the site that is today Virginia Tech University (Indigenous, European, and African). #Nas is in hot water after posting a picture of him and #2pac to social media. Photographer #AlPereira is suing the rapper for sharing an infamous photo of himself and 2pac on Instagram. In 1993, Pereira took a photo of the two rappers hanging out in New York. However, in 2017, Pereira republished and had the picture copy written. According to the lawsuit, in 2020, Pereira noticed the image on Nas’s Instagram account. He claims the rapper posted the picture without permission or licensing the work. The photo hitting social media didn’t sit well with Pereira since he says he makes a living off of selling licenses to his images. He also adds that the photo’s value has decreased since it’s on the internet now. On top of that, Pereira is accusing Nas of posting the picture to heighten his social media stats and gain profit from his work. Pereira is suing for unspecified damages plus an injunction against the rapper for using his work. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cazhbc5DCk1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again On the Monday, March 7 edition of “Tamron Hall,” R&B star K. Michelle, reflected on the plastic surgery that almost took her life and how the experience led to her new show, “Killer Body.” K. Michelle on her decision to get the injections: “Before I even got into the business, I had this perception of how I should look, what it was supposed to be. So before my first record deal, I was determined – ‘Oh I need to get my teeth done and I needed a bigger butt and all of this.’ I was already super curvy and had a butt. I just looked at certain people and felt like I needed more. So I was able to find a person – a known person within the music industry that a lot of my favorites had used — For the silicone injections. So for me, it was just part of the package of getting into the industry, so I never thought about any consequences. You know, I never heard of any consequences. So I did it. And years and years pass. Like I didn’t have any health issues that I knew of, until probably about seven or eight years later.” https://youtu.be/SsE1cN-rSio Dr. Dre’s lawyer has issued a statement regarding ownership of the rapper’s “The Chronic” album amid reports that Snoop Dogg had acquired Death Row Records. Snoop Dogg suggested in a recent interview with Tidal that the iconic west coast label had secured ownership of Dr. Dre’s debut album. However, Dre’s lawyer is setting the record straight. “There are false reports out regarding ownership by Death Row of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic,” attorney Howard King said in a statement to Complex. “Dr. Dre owns 100 percent of The Chronic.” Snoop Dogg rose to fame during the ’90s on Death Row Records, now he has acquired the label from MNRK Music Group, which is controlled by a private equity fund managed by Blackstone, per Variety. Richard Saghian, owner of the online fashion outlet Fashion Nova, has reportedly copped a mega-mansion in Los Angeles worth $141 million. The 105,000-square-foot house on a Bel-Air hilltop – also known as “The One,” is the largest home in LA, the Los Angeles Times reports. “The One Bel-Air is a once-in-a-lifetime property that can never be duplicated. There is nothing else like it. As a lifelong Angeleno and avid collector of real estate, I recognized this as a rare opportunity that also lets me own a unique property that is destined to be a part of Los Angeles history,” Saghian said Sunday in an emailed statement. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNN4zi8XwAE5t-N?format=jpg&name=small "To Thee I Pray" new from Howard Hewitt. This song is in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mHSitOERRE To say Jekalyn Carr has been busy is an understatement. Between ministry appearances, hosting her radio show and launching the skin care line for her Jekalyn Beauty brand, the young music and business mogul is making the most of every minute. This week, the fruits of Jekalyn Carr’s labor take her to new platforms, as she makes her daytime television debut on THE REAL and ends the week at the State Farm Arena where she will sing during halftime and postgame of the Atlanta Hawks v. LA Clippers. Carr talked to the ladies of The Real about her beauty line, her fourth Grammy nomination and more. She also gave a spine-tingling performance of her latest single “My Portion” The segment airs Tuesday, March 8. Entrepreneur and Hip-Hop legend JaRule has been busy at staying ahead of the curve. JaRule took to a SOLD-OUT crowd at NYC’s Sony Hall for a once in a lifetime fan experience where he unveiled his VIBES Concert Series. The crowd was able to hear JA perform tracks off of his # 1 Billboard Hot 200 chart-topping PAIN IS LOVE album. This was also in celebration to the 20th Anniversary of this album. “This was not only the first time for fans but a first time for me as an artist. There were tracks that I hadn’t ever performed live before, so it was certainly a treat for both me and my audience!” the legacy artist explained. Future plans to release the album PAIN IS LOVE LIVE FROM SONY HALL will be on Ja’s new ICONNicSound label as an NFT. Seven time Stellar Award-winner and gospel legend, Byron Cage, is releasing the newest talk show everyone will be talking about on Thursday, March 3 at 9pm. This show will inspire lots of thought-provoking topics that leave viewers empowered, inspired, and entertained by Byron Cage and his incredible guests. Special guests include Mumen Ngenge (OWN's Ready to Love), Palmer Williams Jr. (Tyler Perry's House of Payne), TC Carson(Living Single), Bebe Winans (Multi Grammy-winning recording artist), Trina Braxton (Braxton Family Values) and more! "The Byron Cage Show" will air weekly on Cage's Instagram Live (74K Followers), Facebook Live (140K Followers), and Malaco's YouTube channel (600K Followers) at 6pm PST/ 9pm EST. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFOasU98gek Bestselling author and “wellness queen” Queen Afua Helen Robinson claims a landlord tricked her elderly mother into signing over the deeds to her Brooklyn home, now the family with the support of the community is fighting to prevent the landlord from taking over the property. The Robinson family claim their landlord, Menachem Gurevitch, took over the home in 2015 after telling 98-year-old Ida Robinson he would help refinance the property and then forging the deed. The Robinson family was the first Black family on the block when they moved in in 1951, they said. Gurevitch’s latest attempt to evict the Robinson family has been in the works since at least January 2020, based on a claim at the time that the tenants owed him $279,000, records show. The Robinson family say he has been trying to evict them since 2016. https://youtu.be/kGVtye47wq0 The arrest of WNBA superstar and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner over alleged drug charges in Russia has left family members, friends and supporters with little information about her well-being and anxious for her safe return. And the heightened tension between the US and Russia over the latter’s invasion of Ukraine means that a resolution may prove difficult to reach. Griner’s wife, Cherelle, wrote on Instagram on Monday, “People say ‘stay busy.’ Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from wondering if you are safe. Kandi Burruss has revealed that she and Marlo Hampton had an explosive fight while filming “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Season 14. “Marlo, first of all, me and her bumped heads,” Burruss tells Page Six. “Child, she was throwing peaches at people!” Burruss was left quite stunned by the on-set tension because the singer pushed for Hampton to join the latest installment of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” as a full-time “Housewife.” “I was like, ‘Of all people, why is she coming for me?’” Burruss tells Page Six while promoting her new reality show “Kandi and the Gang.” “Like, we’re supposed to be on the same page! I don’t even know what happened,” she added. Hampton has appeared on RHOA for the past ten seasons as a “friend of” and she joins the show following the departures of veteran cast members Cynthia Bailey and Porsha Williams. Chris Rock will be joined on his Ego Death World Tour this year by Kevin Hart as a co-headliner this July. The joint effort is titled Only Headliners Allowed, and Complex reports that the five-date tour will see the two comedians perform consecutive nights at venues across New York and New Jersey. The performances will start at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh on July 21, and conclude at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on July 25. Live Nation presales kick off the day before tickets go on sale on Friday, March 11 at 10 a.m. ET. “Chris has forever been a mentor of mine and more importantly a brother and a friend to me in this comedy game,” wrote Hart on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Caz0yCKB-Kf/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5f85ddee-d16b-470a-80fd-ba1d2008daaf Rapper Jack Harlow has been cast as the lead in the remake of the 1992 sports comedy “White Men Can’t Jump.” The film will making the acting debut of the Grammy-nominated artist. The remake was first announced in 2017 with NBA athletes Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil attached as producers along with “Black-ish creator Kenya Harris as co-writer and producer, Screen Rant reported. Doug Hall, story editor on “Black-ish,” has joined Barris in writing the script for the remake. he original “White Men Can’t Jump” starred Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as basketball players who hustle money from other players in street games. The film also starred Rosie Perez, Tyra Ferrell and Kadeem Hardison. https://youtu.be/NHRvNAENaxk DaBaby is speaking out about the bowling alley fight involving him and DaniLeigh’s brother, and the reported lawsuit stemming from the incident. During a “Breakfast Club” interview on Monday, the rapper jokingly said the’s “still scared of that situation.” “Yeah man, I don’t know how the world works today,” DaBaby said. “I’m still scared of that situation now,” he added. “I heard it was gonna be rough for me so I don’t really speak on that. N***a might pop up downstairs.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cazl8LzjYDY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Snoop Dogg has revealed that JAY-Z threatened to end his partnership with the NFL unless they allowed Dr. Dre to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. This year’s Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show was headlined by Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and 50 Cent. NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVI averaged 99.2 million viewers, while 1.9 million tuned in on Telemundo. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, the total number of viewers who watched the game across the small screen as well as streaming and digital platforms climbed to 112.3 million, according to Nielsen. The highly-anticipated halftime show averaged 103.4 million viewers, per the report. Snoop Dogg said JAY-Z, whose company Roc Nation co-produced the show, faced many challenges in getting Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Blige, and Lamar to perform at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. GRAMMY® winner Toni Braxton returns to Lifetime this April to executive produce and star in the Fallen Angels Murder Club anthology movie series as Hollis Morgan, an ex-con turned amateur sleuth set out to investigate a series of murders at her book club. The first movie, Fallen Angels Murder Club: Friends to Die For premieres on Saturday, April 2 and will be followed by the second installment, Fallen Angels Murder Club: Heroes and Felons on Saturday, April 9. The movies are based on the books Fallen Angels Book Club by R. Franklin James. Marvin Sapp is an artist of vast repertoire and style, and he is a singer with an undeniable musical signature. There is a certain way that Sapp punctuates songs with unbridled, deeply felt emotion that beckons from a place of someone who knows what they are singing about. It is the place where tested faith resides - a place where most people have been, are or will be going. Demonstrating through song that there is victory in that faith-tested place is Marvin Sapp’s signature, and it shows up in stunning fashion on his new single “All In Your Hands,” which is available today everywhere digital music is sold. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-lUJWwjAO4 Vincent Bohanan & SOV had the honor of not only being the headlining choir, but teaching a new generation of singers some of the ensemble’s most enduring songs during Ohio State University’s Gospelfest. The event was held recently in Columbus, Ohio as part of the city’s African American Heritage Festival, now in its 44th year. Bohanan and two of SOV’s lead singers – Bre Holly and Carlton Ellen – taught “Oh Give Thanks,” “Any Day Now,” “Jesus Saved the Day,” and “I Believe God” to enthusiastic university choir members, who delivered outstanding performances of the songs. https://vincentbohanansov.lnk.to/LiveInChicagoWE!VB. ; Grammy® Award Nominated, Billboard chart-topper and Stellar award-winning producer, songwriter, and musician Bart Orr celebrates his first win at the 53rd NAACP Image® Awards. As a co-songwriter (Justin Pearson, LaTia Mann, Phillip Bryant, Tamela Mann, Tiffany Mann) he was awarded for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song for Tamela Mann’s Billboard #1 hit song “Help Me,” featuring The Fellas. The song hit the #1 spot on the Gospel Airplay Chart in September 2021, spent 4 weeks in that position and to date has generated over 5.4 million audio streams. The Memphis, Tennessee native who’s insanely famous on his Instagram and YouTube social media platforms kicked off 2022 on a high note with his contemporary jazz instrumental album NO FEAR. Released on January 31 via Anderson Music Group, the 10-track project is produced by Bart Orr and Jonathan Anderson. Marketing efforts powered by BMo Designs and publicity by HARDY PR. For Bart, music represents an all-encompassing surrender, a pledge to self-honesty or what he calls Barthology, the truth that’s too good to be true. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com 17-year-old New York based R&B/Pop Singer-Songwriter Asha Maclean released the acoustic video for her debut single “Serial F Boy” following an exclusive premiere with Atwood Magazine. This acoustic music video is the next taste of what’s to come from this talented young R&B/Pop singer-songwriter and highlights Asha’s sultry voice stripping back the song to just her and a guitar. The Fall 2021 release of “Serial F Boy” was a slow burn that has carried into 2022. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE93TYiW5rAIisISrubmLUA Vice President Kamala Harris walks across the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge to mark the 57th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday commemorates when, in 1965, 600 people began a march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama, demanding an end to discrimination in voter registration. At the Edmund Pettus Bridge, state and local lawmen attacked the marchers with billy clubs and tear gas, driving them back to Selma. Seventeen people were hospitalized and dozens were more injured by police. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/06/kamala-harris-walks-across-edmund-pettus-bridge-on-bloody-sunday-anniversary-watch/ Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended indefinitely for gambling on NFL games during the 2021 season, the league announced Monday. The suspension will last at least through the conclusion of the 2022 season, the NFL said. Ridley, 27, may petition for reinstatement on or after February 15, 2023. In a letter to Ridley notifying him of his suspension, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote, “Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL. “For decades, gambling on NFL games has been considered among the most significant violations of league policy warranting the most substantial sanction. In your case, I acknowledge and commend you for your promptly reporting for an interview, and for admitting your actions.” https://youtu.be/Sa8m7uaU-Mw A team of artists and writers from “diverse racial backgrounds” have been tapped to edit a series of unseen sketches drawn by Dr. Seuss that are set to be published for the first time. The group of rising authors and illustrators will create “inclusive” storylines inspired by the drawings that will “represent a diverse cross-section of racial backgrounds to represent as many families as possible,” according to reps for Dr. Seuss Enterprises, a company founded by the family of the children’s book author. “We look forward to putting the spotlight on a new generation of talent who we know will bring their unique voices and style to the page, while also drawing inspiration from the creativity and imagination of Dr. Seuss,” Susan Brandt, the president and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, said in a statement. Russian forces are firing rockets at a physics institute in the city of Kharkiv that contains nuclear material and a reactor which could lead to a ‘large-scale ecological disaster’ if hit, according to Ukraine’s national security service. The service said on Facebook on Sunday that the Russians were firing at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology from Grad launchers. Missiles fired from Grad launchers do not have precise targeting, raising concern that one could damage the reactor and release deadly radiation across Europe. The science institute houses the Neutron Source nuclear research facility and contains 37 nuclear fuel cells in its core, according Ukrainian foreign minister Emine Dzheppar. The Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up the sexual assault case against comedian Bill Cosby, leaving in place a decision by Pennsylvania’s highest court to throw out his conviction and set him free from prison. The high court declined prosecutors’ request to hear the case and reinstate Cosby’s conviction. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year threw out Cosby’s conviction, saying the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor´s agreement not to charge Cosby. As is typical, the Supreme Court did not say anything in rejecting the case. The case was included in a long list of cases the court said Monday it would not hear. Cosby’s spokesperson Andrew Wyatt released a statement on Monday saying he was grateful for the decision. ‘On behalf of Mr. & Mrs. Cosby and the Cosby family, we would like to offer our sincere gratitude to the justices of the United States Supreme Court for following the rules of law and protecting the Constitutional Rights of ALL American Citizens of these United States. ‘Mr. Cosby’s Constitutional Rights were a “reprehensible bait and switch” by Kevin Steele, Judge Steve T. O’Neill and their cohorts. British rapper Dizzee Rascal was convicted Monday of assaulting his former girlfriend, then smashed a press photographer’s camera outside the courthouse minutes after a jury found him guilty. The 37-year-old musician, whose full name is Dylan Kwabena Mills, had denied headbutting Cassandra Jones at a home in south London in June. Prosecutors said he pressed his forehead against hers and pushing her to the ground during a “chaotic” argument that began over custody arrangements for their two children. When police, called by neighbors, arrived, Mills said “I’m the aggressor,” but later gave a prepared statement in a police interview, denying the allegations and claiming Jones had assaulted him. After the guilty verdict, Mills left Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court, grabbed a camera from Press Association photographer James Manning and threw it across the street, before walking away. Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample and his wife, Angelina, are trying to extract family members from Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion into the country extends into its second week. Angelina, who goes by Ang, was born in Ukraine. In an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” she revealed that she still has her maternal grandparents, an aunt and their families, as well as her paternal grandmother and uncles and their families, stranded in the city of Chernivtsi, which is in the southwestern part of the country. Before Zoë Kravitz sunk her claws into Catwoman for Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” the actress said she was told she didn’t have the right look for a role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” due to her skin color. After attempting to audition for the film back in 2012, she was told she was too “urban” to star in the movie. “I don’t know if it came directly from Chris Nolan,” Kravitz recently told The Guardian. “I think it was probably a casting director of some kind, or a casting director’s assistant.” Kravitz, who is of Black and Jewish descent, added, “Being a woman of color and being an actor and being told at that time that I wasn’t able to read because of the color of my skin, and the word ‘urban’ being thrown around like that, that was what was really hard about that moment.” An “American Idol” contestant’s heartwarming relationship with his sister has touched fans and the show’s judges. Cole Hallman, 22, showed up recently to try out for the show and was accompanied by his mom and his sister Katie, who has a chromosomal deletion that has impacted her developmental and behavioral skills. “She has a chromosomal deletion. It’s just like a small part of her chromosome is not there,” Hallman said during his “American Idol” interview. “I’m grateful to have her here. She keeps me calm.” https://youtu.be/MNOjRsagUSk Whether it’s as a bat cave scavenger — the task chronicled in the first episode of his hit television series “Dirty Jobs” — or revealing what it’s like to be a journalist in flyover country — the subject of a recent episode of his viral podcast “The Way I Heard It” — Mike Rowe has a knack for telling stories. Over the years, Rowe has worn many hats. He’s been an author and an actor, a show host and a commentator. The nucleus of all these roles, though, is the same: Mike Rowe is a storyteller. When asked how best to teach Americans the value of hard work and integrity — particularly in a smartphone era when everyone is accustomed, and even conditioned, to expect instant gratification — Rowe said storytelling is at least part of the answer. https://youtu.be/rqnPHeWD9F8 There’s a good chance that you’ve never heard the music of singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist Khari Rhynes. He is not an R&B, soul, or hip-hop artist but has creative flavors that touch and totally recreate music from those genres. So who is Khari Rhynes, and what kind of music does the artist play? would call my music alternative rock,” Rhynes told Lee Bailey in a recent interview. “There is a certain element of that, but I understand when someone hears my music, and my voice is a little bit different. People hear me, and it’s something different from what they’ve heard before.” Alternative rock is a category of rock music that emanated from independent underground music that began in the 1970s and morphed over the decades. https://youtu.be/bNwI8k7oHm8 Peacock’s critically-acclaimed drama series ”Bel-Air” has reunited with original “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” stars Daphne Maxwell Reid (Frank’s Place, Snoops) and Vernee Watson-Johnson (General Hospital, Bob Hearts Abishola). Both will guest star in the new hit series. Daphne Maxwell Reid will play “Helen” and Vernee Watson-Johnson will play “Janice,” members of the Art Council Board of Trustee. The two will guest star in episode 109 of BEL-AIR, streaming March 24 on Peacock. Maxwell Reid played Aunt Viv and Watson-Johnson played Viola “Vy” Smith in the original The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series. Bel-Air is currently streaming on Peacock. New episodes are released every Thursday. The season one finale will stream on Thursday, March 31 on Peacock. https://youtu.be/_-_P9DPMuy8 Insider has learned that police knew a 3-month-old baby was in the front seat of a car when they opened fire on the vehicle during a confrontation with the boy’s father last May. Last month, Insider reported on the May 2021 death of La’Mello Parker, which at the time was under investigation by Biloxi Police. Just a day after Insider published our story on La’Mello’s death, Biloxi Police announced that they had completed the investigation and turned the case over to the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office, which will take the case to a grand jury. The DA’s office did not return Insider’s request for comment on whether the case had been presented to a grand jury yet on Tuesday. La’Mello’s cousin, Lashunda Parker, told Insider that the family has been given little to no information about the shootout — including whether it was an officer’s bullet that fired the fatal shot. As Insider previously reported, Eric Derrell Smith kidnapped his son after murdering La’Mello’s mother and her nephew at a home in Louisiana on May 3, 2021. Drake has reportedly purchased a mansion in Beverly Hills that was previously owned by British singer Robbie Williams. The artist dropped around $70 million for the Tuscany-style Beverly Crest mansion, according to Hip Hop DX. Originally listed for $85 million, the massive 20,000 square foot estate is one of the most exclusive luxury pads in the city of L.A., sprawling out over more than 20 acres — which is the most land of any property in the Beverly Hills area code of 90210. Other amenities include 10 bedrooms, 22 bathrooms, an 11-car garage, an elevator, wine cellar and a private orchard. Meanwhile, according to a recent report, Drake was one of the top earners in Hip Hop in 2021. The actor-turned rapper bagged $50 million last year, Forbes reports. https://www.instagram.com/housesofcelebs/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c410ad87-9a4b-47c6-a18b-916d189e21c1 Desiree Lindstrom, the fiancée of the late hip-hop icon DMX, is speaking out about how she is managing her grief following the rapper’s death last April. “I haven’t moved on. It’s hard, you know? It’s really hard. I just take it to minute by minute,” said Lindstrom during an interview on the It’s Tricky with Raquel Harper podcast. DMX died on April 9 following complications stemming from a drug-induced heart attack. “Some people say you could take it day by day, but it’s second by second. My life changed so fast [in] the blink of an eye,” added Lindstrom, who shared 5-year-old son Exodus with the hip-hop icon. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQV0CWJlIST/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Brittney Griner‘s wife is speaking out about the WNBA star being detained in Russia on drug charges. Griner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was arrested after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow. Her wife, Cherelle Griner, hopped on IG Sunday to post a photo of the pair together along with a caption that read … “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life.” She adds, “I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.” Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, 72, who represents Griner’s hometown of Houston, is “demanding” that Russia release the two-time Olympic basketball champion from custody. “Let me be very clear, Brittney Griner is a United States citizen. She was a guest in Russia … I will be demanding her release,” she told the crowd at Saturday’s press conference aired by FOX 26 Houston. “Please, allow Miss Griner to leave. Allow her legal representation to handle her matters,” Lee said before calling on Russia to release all prisoners. https://youtu.be/AXo_fvpG3vA Several conservative critics have taken to social media to express their annoyance that “The Batman” starring Robert Pattinson is too “woke.” One problematic scene is “when Batman and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) are chatting about who the Riddler is targeting … rich, corrupt politician types … all in the name of social inequality and justice,” per TMZ, and Catwoman calls them “white privileged a*****es”. Another criticism is the number of Black actors cast for significant roles, including James Gordon and the Mayor-elect. As reported by TMZ, a handful of critics are calling it “woke casting.” There’s also LGBT representation, as Kravitz revealed that she played her version of Catwoman as bisexual. https://youtu.be/mqqft2x_Aa4 British actor Daniel Kaluuya has reportedly fired his agents and publicists and is said to be taking personal and professional advice from a “life strategist,” and the move has those closest to him concerned. The woman calls herself Heir Holiness and describes herself on social media as “Head Mistress” for “The International Alma Mater, Blessed University,” as reported by Page Six. “To be honest, we can’t quite figure out who she is…we really have no clue as his team has shifted camps,” said a well-placed source, per the outlet. According to The Post, Heir was by Kaluuya’s side as he filmed “Nope” with director Jordan Peele and her behavior on set allegedly had many on the production scared of her. “People on the ‘Nope’ set were very concerned that Heir had ‘taken over’ DK’s life and all decisions had to go through her,” said an industry insider. “I’ve heard there were multiple blow-ups and the production people were afraid of her.” Mary J. Blige and Pepsi proudly announce the inaugural “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit” in partnership with Live Nation Urban. The festival will take place in the vibrant city of Atlanta, GA with three days devoted to music, comedy, and community building between May 6-8th, 2022. Presale tickets go live Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 10am ET, while general on-sale begins on Thursday, March 10th at 10AM ET. https://youtu.be/wIYdAstSG_g WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner is currently detained in Russia after being arrested last month at a Moscow airport for having vape cartridges in her luggage. “The Olympic gold medalist spends her WNBA offseasons competing for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg,” per Business Insider. WNBA players earn higher salaries overseas than in the US, according to the report. For the last seven years, Griner has played in Russia in the winter, earning over $1 million per season. “This year, Griner is set to take home a league-maximum $227,900 annual salary from the Mercury, but only in recent years has her payday climbed into the six-figure range,” per Business Insider. According to The New York Times, Griner’s arrest is possibly linked to Russia’s effort “to create leverage for a potential prisoner exchange with the American government or a reduction in sanctions related to the [Ukraine] invasion.” https://youtu.be/2_Jfx9rOfic Jason Momoa is speaking out about “separating in the public eye” following his brief split from wife Lisa Bonet. The pair are said to be working out their marital problems after announcing their separation last month. The “Aquaman” actor took to Instagram on Thursday to share photos of himself with the two kids the shares with Bonet, Nakoa-Wolf and Lola at the premiere of “The Batman.” The film stars Momoa’s stepdaughter Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman. As you know, Kravitz is Bonet’s daughter whom she shares with rocker Lenny Kravitz. “Mahalo to the fans and press for being generous and giving us space for the children,” he captioned the post. “It’s hard enough separating in the public eye. We appreciate the continued privacy through these times.” https://www.instagram.com/prideofgypsies/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=17220703-6493-447b-974e-c4db1127e090 Sherri Shepherd is “so thankful” for Wendy Williams after announcing her new talk show will takeover Williams’ timeslot as “The Wendy Williams Show” has been given the ax. “I’m so thankful to Wendy for letting me fill in for her and letting me fill the gap to support her as all the other co-hosts have also done,” Shepherd told Deadline. She added: “I’m thankful because if it wasn’t for Wendy the eyes wouldn’t have been on me. I’m so thankful to her. We’re all praying for her.” Williams has not hosted her eponymous talk show since last summer when she went on a health-related hiatus. The show has since used a lew of celebrity guest hosts, including Sherri. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaS8Y-rJ1LQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again D.L. Hughley is not impressed with Ye stalking his ex-wife on social media. The comedian chopped it up with DJ Vlad recently and shared his thoughts on the rapper’s Instagram posts in which he takes aim at Kim Kardashian and her alleged new boyfriend Pete Davidson. Most recently, Ye dropped a disturbing video showing a claymation version of Davidson being buried alive. The rapper has also shared private messages between him and Kardashian online. https://youtu.be/CI3qoLDcMBc Gas prices continued to climb Monday, rising to just short of a record high. At their skyrocketing pace, the price per gallon record of $4.11 will probably be broken in just a day or two. The average price of a gallon of regular gas hit $4.07, according to AAA’s survey taken Sunday at 140,000 stations nationwide. That’s up 6 cents from the previous day’s average. The average price hit $4 a gallon over the weekend for the first time in 14 years. The record high was set in July 2008. “It is conceivable that we’ll see price moves of 15 cents to 35 cents a gallon this week, and it’s difficult to predict even one day where prices might dip,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service, the firm that tracks gas data for AAA. “Most stations are on auto-pilot, they are buying as much product as they can as soon as they can and this can inspire another round of crazy increases.” If you are a part of the 2nd Amendment community in your local area, you probably have been searching for a way to connect with 2A advocates in the Black community nationwide! Calibr Magazine could be that missing link in the 2A community chain. The premiere hard copy issue was distributed nationwide a few weeks ago. But it’s also available in digital format. Gwen Witherspoon is Executive Editor. She appeared on 2nd Amendment Sis podcast with Eurweb correspondent Steffanie Rivers to discuss the premier issue and why this magazine was overdue. https://youtu.be/WBlgQO1hiDI Connie Boatman-Tate grew up in Cabrini-Green and had an unconventional path, but ended up as an inventor. “When I was growing up, I couldn’t really afford to get my hair done,” said Boatman-Tate. “I spent many years being a DIY stylist.” Her experience struggling with one style led her to create Kwik Fingers. It is a dual-sided comb with a retractable parting tail. “I had this prototype, and it worked,” said Boatman-Tate. The comb is supposed to serve as a detangler, while also protecting fingers. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/07/eurvideonews-chicago-woman-creates-kwik-fingers-for-hairstyling-watch/ Nearly 70 years ago, John S. Chase became the first Black person in Texas to become a licensed architect. Inspired by his late father’s legacy, his son—entrepreneur and educator Tony Chase—has set out to empower the next generation of innovators in the architecture space. According to the Houston Chronicle, Chase, and his wife, Dr. Dina Alsowayel, have gifted the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture with a $1 million endowment. The donation will go towards creating the John S. Chase Family Endowed Graduate Fellowship, a program designed to recruit HBCU graduates in an effort to diversify the architecture industry. A portion of the endowment will be allocated for the John S. Chase Family Endowed Professorship in Architecture, which aims to cultivate a community of educators that can contribute to the evolution of the school’s program. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1499518895077703681/uI1llrMj?format=jpg&name=small "This is a compelling musical pictorial of The Resurrection Story by saxophonist Mel Holder and vocalist Michelle Brooks-Thompson. It’s the first single from the Mel Holder album, Phenomenal - Music Book Volume IV." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni6CHwcHf1A Hip Hop music has been a male-dominated genre. However, there are incredibly talented and elite female rappers and Emcees who have broken barriers to become some of the most respected and successful artists in music. Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Missy Elliot, Lizzo, Wande, HeeSun Lee, Jacki Hill Perry, and A.I. The Anomaly are of the giant and iconic women who flow on the mic and create rhyme and beats topping the charts. Add another name to the list of women rappers making an impact in Hip Hop music - Brea Miles. Brea delivers commanding lyrics on top of banging tracks with a fearless stage presence. She is transparent, inspiring, and rooted in the Word of God. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_kEAUNfLDA Shelia D drops "He Will Make A Way." Check out this song in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.dropbox.com/s/lixmnovf2qaxqeb/He%20Will%20Find%20A%20Way%20Video_with_lyrics.mp4?dl=0 Alexia Curry delivers on her debut single entitled "Hear His Voice," a message that is undoubtedly straight from God. When asked what the song reminds her of when singing it, Alexia said, “It reminds me of the old gospel hymn Yes, Jesus Loves Me.” Check out this song in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7rW82Ks_p0 Russian forces are firing rockets at a physics institute in the city of Kharkiv that contains nuclear material and a reactor which could lead to a ‘large-scale ecological disaster’ if hit, according to Ukraine’s national security service. The service said on Facebook on Sunday that the Russians were firing at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology from Grad launchers. Missiles fired from Grad launchers do not have precise targeting, raising concern that one could damage the reactor and release deadly radiation across Europe. The science institute houses the Neutron Source nuclear research facility and contains 37 nuclear fuel cells in its core, according Ukrainian foreign minister Emine Dzheppar. The attack comes two days after Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, sparking fears of a nuclear disaster similar to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Americans around the country, including legal scholars and Black women, are praising President Joe Biden’s announcement last week nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Associate Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, Jackson would make history as the first Black woman and the first former federal public defender to serve as a Supreme Court justice. https://youtu.be/JoFQEMc99uc According to reports, Meghan Markle is being sued by her half-sister, Samantha Markle for defamation after the duchess and Prince Harry’s, 37, explosive tell all interview with Oprah Winfrey last March. Samantha, 57, claimed in court documents Meghan, 40, lied about her and their family during the sit-down. She also accused her sister of making up stories about growing up in “virtual poverty” and claims Meghan publicly bashed their father, Thomas Markle, 76, in an attempt to sell a false “rags-to-royalty” narrative of her life and gain sympathy. The complaint reads, “Meghan falsely claimed that: (a) she essentially raised herself from virtual poverty; (b) she was forced from the age of 13 to work in a series of low-paying jobs to ‘make ends meet.’” The lawsuit goes on to accuse Meghan Markle of misleading the public regarding her father’s absence from her 2018 royal wedding. Tristan “Mack” Wilds strives to bring to light all misconceptions associated with the Black man through “Profiled: The Black Man,” his new Discovery + show. The star was featured in “The Wire” and he recently appeared on “TMZ Live” where he addressed the false beliefs – misconceptions and stereotypes – attached to Black males from leaving their families to devaluing the Black women, among others. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-02-23-022322-tristan-wilds-1369046/ Actor Tim Reid was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended Norfolk State University. He was the writer of “WKRP Cincinnati,” among other great shows. Together with his wife Daphne Maxwell- Reid, they opened New Millennium Studios in 1997, where they have been doing film production since. He is now launching a streaming service dubbed “The Legacy of A People.” The platform is exclusively designed for sharing the Black experience among Africans in the diaspora. Reid, who has more than 40 years of experience in acting, production, and comedy, with more than 100 credits to his name, told NBC 12 that “Legacy of A People” would cover all aspects of Black entertainment from music to science, culture, and history. https://youtu.be/3u20po-_GFc Donald Glover and his colleagues – writers for the FX series “Atlanta” recently opened up about being racially harassed in London during the show’s final season shoot. During a TCA press conference, Stephen Glover, the show’s executive producer and Donald’s younger brother recounted how they were approached by a group of blokes while filming and engaged them in what initially seemed like an innocent conversation. According to Stephen, 31, a group of white people walked up to them and seemed to notice or recognize Donald. She had to stop what she was doing, and the group – a girl and about two or three guys — started asking for a good place they could get a drink. During the short conversation, one of the guys said that the crew could probably break into a bar since they (crew) all carry hammers around– slang for guns. Sadly, since all the ‘Atlanta’ writers are Black, that meant that – in the stereotyped reasoning of the white people – every crew member owns a gun and can easily break into the place for a drink. Despite being insulting, they ignored the ugly remarks. However, when the team didn’t take the remarks too severe or personally, the bully in the white group became more specific and told that team that they had probably gone to jail for unlicensed weapon ownership, theft among other crimes. The bully kept doubling down on his totally unfounded accusations, and another guy (from the bullies) even told their female counterpart to run away because she could probably be raped. The girl was dragged away amidst her “I am sorry” remarks, and Stephen described the situation as pretty bad. A Black Lives Matter activist serving more than six years in prison for voter fraud has been released after new evidence in the case shows state officials admittedly made an error. The Tennessee judge who sentenced Pamela Moses said the activist knew she was not qualified to vote but “tricked” officials into giving her clearance. New evidence unveiled by reporters shows state officials did not check their own files and were responsible for the error. It is one of several errors the state made in the handling of Moses’ quest to restore her rights. Moses registered to vote in 2019 but had permanently lost her right to vote because of a 2015 conviction. Tennessee officials corresponded with Moses throughout her restoration process, but Moses said she was never told that she could never vote again, according to reports. The state never removed her name from the voter rolls. “The Batman,” the most anticipated film of the year, lives up to the hype. The compelling Caped Crusader had some big shoes to fill and he filled them superbly. Matt Reeves’ Batman iteration strikes all the right chords cinematically and emotionally. Batman and Catwoman’s (Zoe Kravitz) charged relationship is a conduit for some of the movie’s most magnetic scenes. https://youtu.be/u34gHaRiBIU Better Brothers Los Angeles (BBLA), the most prominent Black LGBTQ+ organization, in association with award-winning actress/activist Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary) and her non-profit organization, The DIVA Foundation, announces that the 8th Annual Truth Awards will be co-hosted by Emmy-Award-winning host Loni Love and Scott Evans along with a live musical performance by R&B sensation, Kelly Price in Hollywood at the Taglyan Complex on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at 6:00 pm. This year’s award honorees includes Colman Domingo (Candyman), who is the recipient of the History Maker Award, AMAAD Institute (LGBTQ+ Community Based Organization), who will receive the Advocate Award, and TEA-G-I-F (Claudia Jordan, Al Reynolds, Funky Dineva) with the Media & Arts Award. Additional honorees, presenters will be announced next week. https://youtu.be/C5k2sS3h5Q0 Jeannie Mai is back to reality, this time about breastfeeding, saying it’s harder than childbirth. The talk show host opened up about the challenges she’s having trying to produce enough milk to feed her young daughter, Monaco. “Been tackling this breastfeeding thing for two months,” she wrote alongside photos of herself using a breast pump. “Listening to a lactation nurse, reading advice online, and getting so much help from other moms. Hands down, it’s been the most difficult part of this entire mom journey. I already HEARD it was gonna be, but I never imagined this. For me, it’s was even more difficult than giving birth.” “It’s groundbreaking…like Porky & Bess was,” said Soprano opera singer Cheryl Warfield about her role in the Terence Blanchard opera based on the life of New York journalist Charles M. Blow titled “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” to premiere at the Lyric Opera House of Chicago March 25 – April 8, 2022. “Being specifically about Black people like ‘Porky & Bess’ which was by a New York Jewish composer.” Five-time Grammy-winning and two-time Academy Award nominee Terence Blanchard, a Jazz trumpeter, pianist/keyboardist and composer, stars in the opera along with Kasi Lemmons (Director of Harriet and Eve’s Bayou). The musical takes the audience on a journey through the life of Charles Blow, his life as a youth in Louisiana dealing with a traumatic experience. Daniela Candillari is the conductor. https://youtu.be/IIDG4GkqrhE If you are between the ages of 13 to 19 or know someone within this age group, the Disney Dreamer’s Academy educational mentorship program is worth learning more about. Each year Walt Disney World selects 100 students and teens throughout the country to participate in a coveted opportunity. The annual program is four days long but packs decades of career training, networking, and career education within that timeframe. Applying to the Disney Dreamers program is worth the effort. https://youtu.be/OCp821hYDWw Tom Fleischman, an Oscar-winning rerecording mixer best known for his decades-long collaboration with Martin Scorsese, has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over its controversial plan not to present eight categories live during the broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. A move that has been met with a storm of criticism, the Academy plans to present Oscars in documentary short, film editing, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live-action short, and Fleischman’s own discipline, sound, inside the Dolby Theatre in the hour before the March 27 broadcast commences, recording and editing these into the subsequent live telecast. Lamar Odom, 42, is a former professional basketball player. Most people were used to seeing him on the court, but he intends to break the norm after retirement. During an interview with his “Entertainment Tonight” this week, the former NBA- player disclosed his intentions to take over the Rhodes Island head coach ship. https://twitter.com/i/status/1496483215346962440 As more clips from his ‘Drink Champs’ interview surface, The Game continues to cause more controversy! In a new clip, the LA rapper changes his stance on a rap battle with Eminem, the Detroit legend. Game says, “Eminem is Eminem. I like Eminem, he’s one of the good emcees–great emcees. I used to think Eminem was better than me. He not. He not. He’s not. Challenge it.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CavhLCmtqh8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again As “Gangsta Grandma,” Evelyn Wilson nurtures troubled men and women in a way that not many are capable of doing. A Harlem, New York, native, Wilson says she became addicted to alcohol and cocaine following the deaths of both her parents before her 13th birthday. Now 80, Wilson is an ordained minister in the Unity movement and will mark 50 years of continuous sobriety in May. Wilson is a former prison counselor who was known by the inmates as “Gangsta Grandma.” She now lives in Savannah, Georgia, and operates two sober-living homes — one each for men and women. A Chicago Public school mom wants to know why her daughter came home from school with a broken collarbone and she was never called! CBS 2’s Marissa Perlman reports from Parkside Elementary School. https://cbsloc.al/3ICPoRM Cindy Parlow Cone won re-election as U.S. Soccer Federation president on Saturday in a narrow vote over her predecessor and said she has plenty of work left to do after “righting the ship” during her first two years in the position. Parlow Cone secured 52.9% of the weighted vote taken by the federation’s membership during their annual general meeting, earning 785.12 of the votes compared to the 698.26 that went to Carlos Cordeiro. “I am really proud of what I’ve done in my first two years as president, I think we’ve accomplished a lot, but there is a lot more left to do,” Parlow Cone told reporters after being elected to a four-year term as president. Former national team player Parlow Cone had served as vice president of the national governing body until taking over the top job in 2020 when Cordeiro resigned under pressure after a legal filing that was widely condemned as misogynistic. Guillermo Rigondeaux lost roughly 80% of his vision following an accident involving a pressure cooker late Thursday afternoon at his Miami home, the former champion’s manager, Alex Boronte, told ESPN. The 41-year-old was cooking Cuban black beans when something went awry, causing the pressure cooker to explode. The boiling water splashed into his eyes, his manager said, leaving him with two severely burned corneas. His chest was burned as well. The two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba was transported to Kendall Regional Medical Center, Boronte said. Rigondeaux’s eyes were injected with anesthesia and bandaged before he was released Friday. “He’s only done it a million times,” Boronte said of one of Rigondeaux’s favorite meals to cook. “They make bombs out of [pressure cookers]. If one of those beans clogs up where the steam is going to go out, it’s like a bomb. It could have killed him.” Black retired football players who were denied payments for dementia in the NFL’s $1 billion concussion settlement can seek to be retested or have their claims rescored to eliminate racial bias in the testing and payout formula, under a revised plan finalized Friday. Outrage over the use of “race-norming” in the dementia testing — which assumed that Black people have a lower cognitive baseline score, making it harder for them to show mental declines linked to football — forced the NFL and players’ lawyers back to the negotiating table last year. The revisions could allow many retired players to resubmit their claims and add $100 million or more to the NFL’s legal tab. The NFL, through the fund, has paid out more than $800 million to date, nearly half for dementia claims. The dementia awards average about $600,000. “Thousands of Black players stand to benefit from these changes to the settlement,” said lawyer Cyril V. Smith, who represents former players Najeh Davenport and Kevin Henry, whose 2020 race discrimination lawsuit brought the issue to light. President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Western sanctions on Russia were akin to a declaration of war and warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would lead to catastrophic consequences for the world. Putin reiterated that his aims were to defend Russian- speaking communities through the “demilitarization and de-Nazification” of the country so that Russia’s former Soviet neighbour became neutral and no longer threatened Russia. Ukraine and Western countries have dismissed this as a baseless pretext for the invasion he launched on Feb. 24 and have imposed a sweeping range of sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow. “These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that,” Putin said, speaking to a group of flight attendants at an Aeroflot training center near Moscow. He said any attempt by another power to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be considered by Russia to be a step into the military conflict. Such a step he said would have catastrophic consequences for Europe and the world. The NATO military alliance has rejected Kyiv’s request for a no-fly zone, on the grounds it would escalate the war beyond Ukraine into a far wider conflict, potentially pitting the United States against Russia. WNBA star Brittney Griner is in some serious trouble in Russia. She was reportedly detained after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow. The detainment comes amid the escalating conflict created by Russia attacking Ukraine. USA Basketball said it is monitoring the situation. “Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and wellbeing are our primary concerns,” the tweet read. The man arrested for the #LA home invasion and shooting death of #JacquelineAvant, wife of famed music executive #ClarenceAvant, has pleaded guilty.? #AarielMaynor, 30, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of robbing a home with a person present, according to CBS Los Angeles. He also admitted to shooting at the Avant’s security guard, who was unharmed during the home invasion.? Maynor faces up to 170 years to life in prison.? “This crime continues to shock the conscience. Mrs. Avant’s death was a tragic loss felt by our entire community,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “In this case, the defendant is facing 170 years to life in prison and is ineligible for elderly parole. Our Bureau of Victim Services will continue to be in contact with the family and their representatives to offer trauma-informed services.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CaqacbtMphS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Human remains discovered in the area where white residents slaughtered Black Oklahomans in the 1921 Tulsa race massacre may be the bodies of more victims.? #CBS News reports that one of the bodies found is believed to be a Black male in his mid-to-late 20s, according to a report submitted to a committee overseeing the search. The news outlet reports the male may be a Tulsa, Oklahoma race massacre victim; three gunshot wounds along with two bullets were recovered from the remains.? The bullets were from a .38 caliber and are believed to have come from a Colt revolver.? On Wednesday, Phoebe Stubblefield, a forensic anthropologist, said there is no way to confirm if the remains can be confirmed as a Tulsa race victim. However, DNA could provide some evidence connecting the remains to the massacre.? “The person had a death that involved another human, so that part is clear, but when that death occurred, there are no definitive indicators and the exact context of … how did the bullets get introduced, there’s no in dications under the earth for that,” Stubblefield said, CBS News reports. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaqLes2PvIM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again While the pandemic is not over, experts say the US may be in for, at the very least, a “near normal” spring and summer, based on new US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. “I think the move from pandemic to endemic appears to be accelerating,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the division of infectious disease at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. According to the CDC’s updated data on Covid-19 community levels, the number of counties with “high” Covid-19 levels dropped from about 1,200 on February 24 to 472 on March 3. The CDC recently switched how it measures community levels. Actor Johnny Brown, who played building superintendent Nathan Bookman on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” has died, according to an Instagram post from his daughter, Sharon Brown. He was 84 and died on March 2, his daughter said. “It’s too terrible. It will never not be. It’s a shock. He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet,” Sharon Brown, an actor and composer, wrote Friday. “So, there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.” https://youtu.be/lXUmjMo-N6k Australian cricketer Shane Warne, one of the finest leg-spin bowlers of all time whose talent and personality transcended the sport, died aged 52 on Friday. Warne, who ended his spell-binding international career in 2007 with a remarkable 708 test wickets, died from a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand, his family confirmed in a statement. “Shane was found unresponsive in his Villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement read. “The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.” Thai Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious. Warne’s associates staying in the same villa tried unsuccessfully to revive him, police added. His death comes hours after another former Australian cricket great, wicket-keeper Rod Marsh died on Friday at the age of 74. Warne’s last post on Twitter, 12 hours before his death was reported, was a tribute to Marsh. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s creeping authoritarianism got a lot more overt on Friday when he signed a censorship bill into law making it impossible for news organizations to accurately report the news in or from Russia. The law, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, makes it a crime to disseminate “fake” information about the invasion of Ukraine, with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison for anyone convicted. The definition of “fake” is, of course, left up to the Russian government. The New York Times reported that the law, which could take effect as soon as Saturday, could make it illegal to merely refer to the Ukraine war as a war. The law prompted urgent meetings inside news outlets on Friday and pushed them to make difficult decisions. The BBC, bluntly saying that the law “appears to criminalize the process of independent journalism,” said that it had no choice but to “temporarily suspend the work” of its journalists and staff in Russia as it assesses the “full implications of this unwelcome development.” CNN said the network “will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward.” The three men who cornered and killed Ahmaud Arbery will spend most of the rest of their lives behind prison bars, but what about the officials accused of misconduct? In May 2020, the Georgia Attorney General’s office requested the state’s Bureau of Investigation (GBI) determine whether Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill and former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson’s actions in the case amounted to prosecutorial misconduct. Johnson was initially appointed to investigate Arbery’s murder. However, four days later, she wrote the District Attorney of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit and asked for the appointment of another prosecutor because Greg McMichael, one of the men convicted of Arbery’s death, was a former investigator in her office. With the surprise announcement by Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton that he will not seek a traditional second term, speculation has quickly turned to who will run for the leadership post within a deeply fractured denomination. Less than 24 hours after Litton’s announcement, a pastor quite similar to Litton in many ways announced his candidacy. Willy Rice, pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Fla., said he will run for the post. Rice currently serves as a trustee of the North American Mission Board, is a past president of the Florida Baptist Convention, served as president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2015, chaired the 2010 SBC Committee on Committees and chaired the 2016 SBC Committee on Nominations. He delivered the convention sermon at last summer’s SBC Annual Meeting where Litton was elected. In that sermon Rice said Southern Baptists can sometimes be “jerks” by opposing the right things in the wrong way. A seriously pissed-off New Jersey man is behind bars after police say he poured gasoline in a barbershop filled with people while in a fit of rage. It happened at The Zone barbershop on 61st Street in North Bergen. Police say 30-year-old Humberto Vanegas walked into the shop with a 5-gallon gasoline can and started yelling as he poured the fuel in the entryway. HBO recently has an upcoming show based on the Showtime Lakers. Unexpectedly, however, the Lakers organization and the players from the era have become the biggest loathers of the show, and you are probably wondering why. A report released earlier discloses why they feel the way they do. According to Lacey Rose of The Hollywood Reporter, the HBO series dubbed “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” is set to premiere on Sunday, March 6. The series retells the Los Angeles Lakers 1980s era experience. https://youtu.be/7DdH2Z5WyGU Davontae Stewart, a man with 75% body scarring keloids, recently opened a GoFundMe account asking for financial support to help him get the necessary medication. Despite having health insurance, Stewart can’t get the surgery he needs because his insurance coverage doesn’t include Keloid surgery – it is considered a cosmetic procedure by the insurer. Sadly for Stewart, he says that people don’t even understand what he is dealing with. Fox 2 Detroit reports that the condition began when Stewart was a kid, similar to chickenpox, which he scratched off, but woke up to tiny bubbles on his whole body the following morning. A Detroit-based doctor at the time suggested to Stewart’s mother to have all the keloids removed at once – a step that worsened the situation. The keloids came back in stitch form, on his whole back, and keep growing every day. https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/mans-keloid-scarring-growing-over-75-percent-of-body-but-insurance-wont-cover-surgery CNN announced today that CNN+ will debut this spring with an exclusive content offering that will be available for purchase at $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Early subscribers that sign up within the first four weeks directly will have access to the “Deal of a Lifetime,” or 50% off the monthly plan – for life – as long as they remain subscribers. “We’re thrilled to offer CNN+’s world-class journalism, premium storytelling and Interview Club platform at this attractive price,” said Andrew Morse, CNN EVP, Chief Digital Officer and Head of CNN+. “Nothing like CNN+ exists. There is no news and non-fiction streaming subscription offering available today, and only CNN can create and deliver a global news product with this kind of value to consumers.” https://youtu.be/93cqvt-gOW4 Wearing single-use masks was extremely critical in curbing the spread of coronavirus. Sadly, these masks have become a significant pollution threat as the world dumps 129 billion facemasks every month – about 3 million masks per minute. These masks are discarded everywhere, from city sidewalks to significant niches of the internet. The shores of Hong Kong deserted Soko Islands, and coasts of France are filled with this filth, depriving them of their beauty. The growing waste mountain explains why environmental advocates and scientists expressed alarm about the potential effects from the jump … dire ecological ramifications. The filth has made its way into the world’s waterways affecting aquatic life besides other animals. Will Smith is set to star in a sequel to “I Am Legend,” nearly 15 years after the release of the original post-apocalyptic thriller. Warner Bros. is developing a follow-up with Smith starring opposite Michael B. Jordan, who will co-produce the movie alongside his co-star, Complex reports. Akiva Goldsman adapted the 2007 film from Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel and is returning to pen the sequel script. “I Am Legend” was released theatrically on Dec. 14, 2007, and reportedly earned $585 worldwide. https://youtu.be/dtKMEAXyPkg ? Ciara guest-hosted “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Thursday and was joined by her husband Russell Wilson who surprised his wife with an unexpected proposal. As reported by PEOPLE, the Seahawks quarterback, 33, asked Ciara, 36, if she wanted to have another baby. The couple is already parents to 19-month-old son Win Harrison, daughter Sienna Princess, 4, and Ciara shares son Future Zahir, 7, with her ex, rapper Future. During the segment, Wilson asked Ciara: “I have a question for you. Serious question. Can we have more babies?” https://youtu.be/vfKSXqsEi00 Grammy-award-winning artist, Kelly Rowland was on hand yesterday (03/03/22)for the kickoff of the 15th annual Disney Dreamers Academy program. The Disney Dreamers Academy is a mentorship program for students in underrepresented communities. 100 Black and underrepresented high school students and teens throughout the United States are selected each year to participate. The goal of the program is to expose those students to opportunities and access to mentors that would likely not be available to them. The program aims to broaden career awareness and create exclusive enrichment opportunities for those selected. Rowland is this year’s program ambassador, one of its mentors, and an advocate for the 2022 Dreamers: “Mentorship is an experience I treasure, and the opportunity to invest my time into these students is incredible,” Rowland said. “I’m excited to work with them and watch how they grow throughout the program.” When it’s all said and done, ironically, the biggest winner of the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade might be neither James Harden nor Ben Simmons. The Beard will make his home debut for the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, while Kevin Durant prepares to return from a six-week absence on Thursday. And it stands to reason that Durant and Simmons will eventually find themselves flanking Kyrie Irving — the biggest beneficiary of them all. Kyrie has long been the most interesting man in the NBA, and that was true even before we’d ever even heard of a thing called “COVID.” https://youtu.be/yZtzqA62TBw “I was about 5, and my father bought me a wonder horse,” said Emeline King. That horse was a mustang – and who would have thought that years later, another Mustang would be Emeline King’s claim to fame. It was King who designed the 1994 Ford Mustang interior. “It also won car of the year,” she said. Emeline King was Ford’s first Black woman designer – hired in 1983. She also worked on the 1989 Thunderbird – the wheel program, the 2000 Thunderbird, and designed cars in Europe. https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/fords-first-black-woman-car-designer-writes-book-about-blazing-a-trail-in-auto-industry On a recent segment of The View, The Nation’s Justice Correspondent Elie Mystal shared a feeling many Black people share about the constitution. ‘The Constitution is kind of trash,” Mystal said. Six simple words carry the weight and fire of those who spent generations trying to push through the limitations built into a system that never considered their humanity in the first place. Speaking about his new book, “Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution,” Mystal told the ladies of The View that his book offered a commonsense approach to the constitution and understanding democracy. “This document was written without the consent of Black and Brown people in this country and without the consent of women in this country,” he explained. “If that is the starting point, the very least we can do is ignore what those slavers and colonists and misogynists thought and interpret the constitution in a way that makes sense for our modern world.” Isn’t it curious how before white conservatives discovered critical race theory in 2020, legislators were not commonly proposing and signing bills into law that limited discussions on race in the classroom? It’s almost as if this relatively obscure academic study that has existed in academia since 1989 suddenly became a mainstream conversation once Republicans figured out it was a galvanizing tool for white grievance propaganda and we’re all supposed to believe that, by some huge coincidence, there’s suddenly a massive influx of educators teaching white students that they’re inherently racist and directly responsible for America’s racist past. Well, one day after the West Virginia Senate voted 21-12 to pass the bill and send it to the House, Mississippi’s Republican-controlled House voted 75-43 to pass Senate Bill 2113, another anti-CRT bill that includes nearly the same language as that of West Virginia. The Bluest Eye is one of the late Toni Morrison’s most iconic bodies of work and surprisingly has become one of her most controversial as well. Following a longstanding lawsuit that saw the book taken off shelves at libraries throughout the Missouri School District, a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union has now resulted in the book being returned to its rightful place. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPleJP_B-8b/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c2a36f4a-bafd-4e1d-9812-c928dd178ffc With the raging debates surrounding critical race theory and efforts to remove noteworthy pieces of literature penned by Black authors from school bookshelves, the absence of truthful and authentic African American narratives from curriculums across the country have prompted many parents to step up and fill in the gap when it comes to educating children about the fullness of Black history. Amongst those is author and educator Andrea Stephenson who is using literature as an avenue to show youngsters of color that they come from a lineage of excellence. A study conducted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Oberg Research revealed merely 9 percent of time in history classes throughout the U.S. is allocated to highlighting Black history. Further research illustrated some schools omit covering the topic at all. For Stephenson, teaching her children about Black innovators who have contributed to shaping the landscape of American history was an intentional decision early on. Now, she’s set out on a mission to empower others to do the same through her latest book Our-Story Black History for Kids: Scientists. Celebrating Black History Month, TV One will air The Soul of the Nation Gospel Concert, featuring remarks by First Lady Jill Biden and performances by top Gospel artists such as JJ Hairston and Tamela Mann. The prerecorded event will re-air on Sunday, March 6 at 5 pm EST/4C on TV One. The celebration will be hosted by Grammy-nominated Juan Winans and will feature musical performances by Madeline Howze, Tamela Mann, JJ Hairston and The Morehouse College Glee Club. Closing the event is Bishop William Murphy, III, the founder and lead pastor of The Dream Center Church of Atlanta, one of the nation’s most influential ministries leading the way in worship and community outreach. The program celebrates the history and impact of Gospel music and is sure to bring warmth and solace to both American and global viewers alike. On the heels of last year’s popular Lust and Envy movies seen by over 9.4 million viewers in their airings, Lifetime announces the next two Seven Deadly Sins Anthology movie installments, Wrath and Greed, from executive producers T.D. Jakes, Derrick Williams and Shaun Robinson. Based on the series of books by Victoria Christopher Murray, Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story stars Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child), Tina Knowles-Lawson (Profiled: The Black Man), Romeo Miller (Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection) and Antonio Cupo (Blood & Treasure) while Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Story is headlined by Monique Coleman (A Christmas Dance Reunion), LisaRaye McCoy (A House Divided), Eric Benét (Real Husbands of Hollywood) and Nathan Witte (Merry Liddle Christmas Baby). Below are the movie descriptions and premiere dates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWysL_YYvvw The legendary R&B group, The Whispers, are back with a new Steppers Remix of their 2009 gospel gem, "Praise His Holy Name." The breezy, feel-good track is perfect for springtime worship as the foursome praises the Lord atop an infectious new rhythm by the GRAMMY Award winning Chicago-based DJ Maurice Joshua. https://capitalentertainment.disco.ac/track-new/75643224?user_id=187292&signature=9x72Z6tluH8u-oydQKtjBxs3zvg%3AMoX6PDGr Zeke Locke & Nu Experience drops I'm Walking...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDtc-UcwZxQ Danielle Sunny Bryant is that powerhouse singer who kicks off her shoes and belts out a dynamic performance that turns the room into a sanctuary of unrestricted praise. Danielle's "churchy" and effortless voice ushers you into a one-on-one spiritual session with God. "Don't Give Up is our anthem of motivation and encouragement during these difficult times," Danielle says. "It's a song that everyone can listen to and enjoy. Whether you are at the gym, studying and doing schoolwork, or hanging out with the family, this is that song to get you through!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8E7Ruy5hzE&feature=youtu.be AT&T continues to recognize Black culture shapers and futuremakers who empower our global community, including Kirk! To celebrate, they had an epic IG Live with Kirk Franklin, Tobe Nwigwe, Devale Ellis, and Terrence J. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cai3-nCFPUe/ Catch DOE’s docuseries. There was a powerful moment when DOE spoke on your value not being connected to your gift in the third episode. This is sure to be a blessing to you and anyone you feel led to share it with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjWminq6stM Melvin Crispell, III partnered with MultiTracks Gospel and spoke on the future of Gospel music. Enjoy this snippet from him and drop a comment on the post sharing how we can stay focused on spreading The Good News. https://www.instagram.com/p/CailKIRFOB9/ “Cry Out” by Refresh Worship is a simple song of prophetic-spontaneous worship by ReFresh Worship led by Naomi Raine of the Fresh Start Christian Center (Mt. Vernon, NY). Pastor G. Morris Coleman serves as the Senior Pastor of Fresh Start Christian Center. “Cry Out” is a song of celebration and triumph that encourages believers to remember the goodness of God despite the challenges in the world. Refresh Worship consists of six to sixteen diverse millennials who call Fresh Start Christian Center their home church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZsgdEHSQs4 Samuel L. Jackson is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars, appearing in the “Star Wars” and Marvel franchises, commercials and more. Yet, his latest project, the limited series “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey,” took 12 years to get made. Jackson talks about the new series, his career and more in an interview with Kelefa Sanneh for CBS SUNDAY MORNING, to be broadcast Sunday, March 6 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. https://youtu.be/C_T1IqlQba4 Bozoma Saint John joined Netflix in 2020 as the streaming giant’s Chief Marketing Officer. Less than two years later she and the company are parting ways and Marian Lee has been tapped to take over the position. “Marian is a strategic marketer with deep experience not just in entertainment but also more broadly having worked at fashion and media brands,” Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and chief content officer, said in a statement. “When she joined Netflix last year, she had an immediate impact on the marketing team and has demonstrated that she’s an exceptional leader, who understands how to drive conversations around brands and popular culture.” https://youtu.be/t7NZ3-HORpo President Vladimir Putin was denounced for his “recklessness” after Ukraine said that Russian forces attacked a nuclear power plant, raising the stakes in the nine-day-old war and prompting calls for an even more robust response to the Kremlin’s aggression. NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Friday condemned what Kyiv described as an assault on the Zaporizhzhia facility in southeast Ukraine, Europe’s largest atomic generator. If confirmed, it would be the first time an operating nuclear plant has been deliberately targeted by military forces. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that “all channels” had been used to communicate to Russia that it shouldn’t commit such an act. “There are rules in this world, even for the Russian president,” she told reporters. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its forces have held the nuclear plant since Feb. 28 and accused Ukraine of a “provocation.” While Ukraine’s nuclear agency said that radiation levels at the site were normal, stocks dropped and commodities pushed higher as investors digested the implications of such an attack for the course of the war. The United Nations Security Council is due to hold an emergency session later on Friday. A big party for Spice went down in Atlanta last night and some of the cast from “Love & Hip-Hop” were in attendance and possibly filming. Videos posted online showed Karlie Redd, Lil Mama, and Safaree performing as they celebrated the Jamaican artist and the success of her music. Sources told say that Mena abruptly interrupted the event, “yelling at Safaree” while attempting to serve him: “In the middle of the event, she could be heard yelling at him: ‘You’re being a f*cking coward!’“ Sources also told The Jasmine Brand that LHH cameras were there and captured the whole moment. (So far, neither party has publicly spoken out to deny or clarify these claims.) Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is being sued by a former attorney for the city after she allegedly berated him during a meeting over the removal of the Christopher Columbus Statue. George Smyrniotis, 65, who served as First Deputy General Counsel for the district, is suing Lightfoot for defamation and claims she used obscene language ver a Zoom call. Under Lightfoot’s orders, the Columbus statue was removed in July 2020 amid unrest over the murder of George Floyd, during which protesters attempted to topple the monument. https://youtu.be/GpIQ2E4gXj0 Hundreds of international students trapped in the Ukrainian city of Sumy by Russia’s invasion have appealed to the world: “Help us, we are stranded.” Vivian Udenze, 21, a Nigerian medical student at Sumy State University told CNN: “This is the 8th day since the crisis began. A lot of places have been evacuated. There are more than 600 of us who are foreigners and students.” She said most of the group are medical students, and they are from Nigeria, Morocco, Tanzania, Congo and India, among other countries. Sumy lies in the northeast of Ukraine, only around 30 miles from the border with Russia. https://youtu.be/q7yBa2MlXu8 Three-month-old La’Mello Parker was killed by police during a shootout involving his father in May. Police call log related to the car chase show officers knew the baby was in the front seat when they opened fire on the vehicle. Biloxi Police launched an investigation into the shooting and turned the case over to the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office. It’s unclear whether the case had been presented to a grand jury yet. A bystander video was shared online showing the moment the car came to a stop, and officers circled the vehicle before opening fire. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, while La’Mello died at a hospital the following day, per the report. https://youtu.be/TRVCAP7KJeU Over a year ago news broke about two California brothers who went missing while under their adoptive parent’s supervision. At the time, the adoptive parents denied having anything to do with their disappearance. However, they were arrested TUESDAY on suspicion of killing the toddlers. Trezell West, 35, and his wife Jacqueline West, 32, are currently locked up at the Kern County Jail. They both have been hit with several charges from two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of willful cruelty to a child and making a false report of an emergency. “This morning I’m saddened to announce that the investigation has revealed that Orrin and Orson West are deceased,” Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said at a press conference. “The investigation has also revealed that they died three months before their adoptive parents reported them missing.” The bodies of Orrin and Orson West have not been found. (DA Zimmer) declined to provide further details, due to the criminal trial. https://www.instagram.com/p/Can-mn7AKy0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Florida woman was left outraged after Gov. Ron DeSantis told students during a press conference to remove their facial masks. Gov. DeSantis met with students at the University of South Florida recently and before giving his speech he told a group of boys standing on stage to remove their face masks. “You do not have to wear those masks,” DeSantis said, as reported by WFLA-TV. “I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.” One mom put DeSantis on blast in an interview with WFLA-TV, as her son is one of the high schoolers who immediately removed his mask at the suggestion of DeSantis. https://twitter.com/i/status/1499188095736025091 Weeks after Miss Alabama Zoe Sozo Bethel died from injuries sustained after a mysterious “fell” off a third-story balcony on Feb. 10 in Miami, those closest to her are speaking out about the dark past she so desperately tried to keep secret. Bethel, 27, was the daughter of two radical preachers, Orlando and Glynis Bethal, who called themselves “The Apostle” and “The Prophetess,” as reported by the New York Post. “They took their kids all over the South, having them participate in inflammatory homophobic rhetoric and wear T-shirts reading “God Hates Gays” or “God Hates Whores,” sources said,” per the report. “Zoe tried to remake herself so no one would know she was the kid from Baldwin County (Alabama) who yelled ‘God hates you’ to people,” her sister Kezia Bethel, 26, told The Post. “She was able to keep it a secret on a national level. No one knew who she really was unless she came back to Baldwin County.” Her parents’ views were so extreme that Westboro Church threw them out. “My parents were too extreme even for them,” Kezia said. Incarcerated rapper YFN Lucci claims his life is in danger in jail as he awaits trial in his murder case. According to new legal docs, a fellow inmate at the Fulton County Jail stabbed YFN Lucci last month while on a video call with someone on the outside, TMZ reports. Lucci also says “he’s been told there’s a bounty on his head among inmates,” per the report. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, YFN Lucci claims an inmate used a homemade shank to stab him from behind on Feb. 9. He now reportedly fears his life is in jeopardy if he remains in custody. Per TMZ, the hip-hop star is “asking the judge to grant him bond so he can get the hell outta jail … and he says he would be down with 24-hour home confinement and wear a monitoring device.” Philadelphia police provided more details Wednesday on a deadly incident, in which officers chased and shot a boy after a shot was fired into the officers’ car. Police identified the boy as 12-year-old Thomas Siderio Jr., and said in a statement he was shot in the back by an officer during a foot chase and he had a gun. Immediately following the shooting in South Philadelphia on Tuesday night, police said they believed the boy who was shot was a teenager. The shooting happened around 7:24 p.m. as four officers dressed in plain clothes were inside an unmarked car on a surveillance assignment related to a gun investigation, Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Naish said Wednesday during a virtual news briefing. Music legend Morris Day claims the Prince estate is prohibiting him from using “Morris Day & the Time” as a band name. Day has been the group’s frontman for four decades. “Now that Prince is no longer is with us, suddenly the people who control his multi-million-dollar estate want to rewrite history by taking my name away from me,” Day wrote on Facebook, accusing the estate of “impacting how I feed my family.” As reported by Star Tribune, representatives of Prince’s estate say Day’s claims in posts Thursday on social media, including Instagram, are “not entirely accurate.” “Given Prince’s longstanding history with Morris Day and what the Estate thought were amicable discussions, the Prince Estate was surprised and disappointed to see his recent post,” the estate said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “The Estate is open to working proactively with Morris to resolve this matter.” SiriusXM radio host Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo joined Stephen A. Smith Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take” and the two got into a screaming match over NBA star Steph Curry. Russo went ballistic when Smith said Curry is among the top 10 NBA players of all time. “No he’s not! Are you kidding me?!?” Russo yelled before rattling off names of legendary players who deserve more credit than Curry. https://twitter.com/i/status/1499107077381402625 Louisiana’s Supreme Court will decide whether the man who killed former NFL running back Joe McKnight in 2016 can be tried again for murder after his conviction on a lesser charge was overturned, the Associated Press reports. Ronald Gasser shot McKnight in a road rage killing. Prosecutors argued Gasser was the aggressor, while his attorneys argued he shot McKnight in self-defense. Authorities in the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson Parish originally charged Gasser with second-degree murder. The jury instead convicted Gasser of manslaughter. That verdict was overturned by a United States Supreme Court ruling in 2020 that outlawed split-jury verdicts. The jury in Gasser’s trial convicted him in a 10-2 vote. Quinta Brunson was able to make a difference in the lives of real teachers with her elementary school comedy, Abbott Elementary. Brunson, 32, who is creator and showrunner of the hit ABC sitcom, revealed during a recent interview with NPR’s Fresh Air that she shifted some of her show’s marketing money to donate supplies to teachers. “We chose to put the marketing money toward supplies for teachers,” Brunson said, explaining that the production team and network agreed to reallocate some of the money. “It’s about being able to make those kinds of decisions that really excite me, things that can really materially help people.” Brunson also opened up about the inspiration behind her series, in which she stars as a second grade teacher at an under-resourced, predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. She explained to Fresh Air that she has strong ties to the education system as the daughter of a teacher; the school in Abbott Elementary is not unlike the school where her own mother taught years ago, she said. “Despite it getting harder, despite teachers not having all the support they need, despite kids growing even more unruly than they’ve been in recent time … she still loved the job,” Brunson said of her mom.” The beauty is someone being so resilient for a job that is so underpaid and so underappreciated because it makes them feel fulfilled.” Yasmine S. Murray has been named chief operating officer at H.J. Russell & Co., making her the first Black woman to fill the role in the company’s 70-year history. Based in Atlanta, Russell told BLACK ENTERPRISE the company projects 2022 revenues of $274 million, up from over $170 million in 2021. The company attributes the expected growth to expansion this year into new markets like Boston and New York and boosting its number of standalone projects in the Southeast and other growth markets it is pursuing, stretching from Texas to Massachusetts. Russell is one of America’s largest Black-owned construction companies. It last ranked No. 25 on the BLACK ENTERPRISE BE 100s list, an annual ranking of the nation’s top Black-owned businesses. In honor of Women’s History Month, the National Youth Foundation (NYF) presents the almost uncaptured history of Hettie Simmons Love — the first African American to graduate from the preeminent University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Students from the Philadelphia, Pa. area interviewed Mrs. Love, who is 98-years old, and wrote and illustrated an original picture book entitled “Hettie Simmons Love: Penn Pioneer” that chronicles her life. The story begins in Jacksonville, Fla. in the 1920s, where a young girl, less than 60 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, attended the prestigious Boylan-Haven Boarding School. After graduating from Boylan-Haven, Hettie Simmons enrolled at a top HBCU, Fisk University, where she excelled in mathematics and joined the renowned Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. The year former NFL player Jason Brown stepped away from the game, he took a leap of faith to start a farm. Just over a decade ago, Brown made a name for himself as the highest-paid center in the NFL. He began his football career as the fourth draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens and later signed a five-year deal with the St. Louis Rams franchise in 2009 worth $37.5 million. Inspired by the life and service of his late brother Lunsford B. Brown II, the ex-St. Louis Rams player believed that there was something greater in store for him, TODAY reports. His brother passed away in 2003 while serving in Iraq, so he was determined to discover his calling in a new light. Visa announced Frank Cooper III will join the multinational financial services company as its chief marketing officer in May. According to a BusinessWire release, Cooper will also serve on the company’s Executive Committee and report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Al Kelly. Cooper will lead Visa’s global marketing organization to help drive demand for its products, services, and solutions. The Harvard Law School alumnus will also guide all facets of the brand from ad campaigns to global sponsorships. New Profit, national venture philanthropy organization has announced Shawn Dove has joined the non-profit as a managing partner. In his role Dove, the former CEO of the Campaign For Black Male Achievement (CFBMA), will be part of a leadership team member and advisor to social entrepreneurs across New Profit’s network. He will also use his experience in community organizing to co-curate New Profit’s efforts to create a new era of justice, opportunity, trust, and collaboration among minority entrepreneurs. Dove is part of New Profit’s accelerating its effort internally and across its partner network, which focuses on addressing systemic injustices exposed by the pandemic and the 2020 deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. Dove said in a statement he’s excited to join New Profit and support the role it plays in helping social entrepreneurs. The NFL and NFL Players Association have suspended all leaguewide COVID-19 protocols effective immediately, pausing two years of largely successful efforts to play through the pandemic. Teams received a memo Thursday morning detailing the decision, which was “based on current encouraging trends regarding the prevalence and severity” of the coronavirus. Many of the league’s most severe protocols had been dropped by the end of the 2021 season, including mandatory testing for asymptomatic players and staff, requirements to wear contact tracing devices and distancing limitations in weight rooms and cafeterias. There is no football activity underway at club facilities at this point in the offseason, and the earliest it can begin is April 4 for teams that have hired new coaches. But Thursday’s change will still affect coaches and other staff members who are attending this week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis or who work year-round in local markets. Those employees will no longer face surveillance testing, regardless of vaccination status, or mask requirements. Teams can choose to impose their own mask policies if desired, and the memo does leave open the possibility of reverting to a level of protocols if circumstances warrant. “NHL Bound,” a four-part series about two Black coaches interning with the Arizona Coyotes, premiered at the 2022 Truly Hard Seltzer NHL Fan Fair Friday. The first episode of the weekly series, which followed Duante Abercrombie and Nathaniel Brooks when they participated in the Coyotes’ inaugural coaching internship program at the team’s development camp in September, aired at the Ticketmaster at the Fan Fair, according to a press release. Abercrombie, Brooks and Arizona president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said they hope the series not only serves as a launching pad for the two coaches involved, but for other Black coaches who dream of being behind an NHL bench. Everybody has a go-to sneaker that they can’t live without. Maybe it’s the adidas Stan Smith’s or perhaps it’s a pair of PUMA Suede Classics – no matter what, everyone has a certain sneaker that encapsulates their personality and personal style. For Jasmine Jordan, it’s the Jordan Ones. “You can’t not have AJ 1’s. I feel like I could sleep in my Ones,” she laughed. “They could be house shoes, out shoes, whatever I want to be and I love them for that.” Between her Air Jordan Ones and a pair of Jordan x Billie Eilish Air Jordan 15s from the brand’s collaboration with the “Bad Guy” singer, Jordan always keeps a fresh pair handy when she’s on the move. As the daughter of legend Michael Jordan, Jasmine isn’t new to the sneaker game but that doesn’t mean that she’s taken the power of her platform lightly. While serving as a field rep in the Jordan Brand’s sports marketing division, Jasmine makes it a point to unapologetically shine a well-deserved light on Black female athletes in the WNBA. Jasmine’s primary goal for the Jordan Brand is to not only promote inclusion, diversity, and equity but to practice it and show Generation Z why the Jordan Brand’s legacy has skin in the game far beyond sneakers. NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal made waves recently when he suggested that the Cowboys should hire former star player and current Jackson State coach Deion Sanders. Sanders responded to that notion in a recent interview with The Spun: “First of all, it shows he’s watching and is well-aware of what we’re accomplishing at Jackson State. That’s a tremendous blessing not just for me, but for us. He’s a friend, and I’m thankful for him. We didn’t even discuss it. I’m thankful he mentioned me, but I have no desire to coach in the NFL.” The UN human rights chief slammed Russia’s attack on Ukraine on Thursday and cautioned that heightened nuclear threat levels showed all of humanity was at risk from Putin’s invasion. Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Michelle Bachelet warned that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched a week ago, ‘is generating massive impact on the human rights of millions of people across Ukraine.’ ‘Elevated threat levels for nuclear weapons underline the gravity of the risks to all of humanity,’ she added. Her comments, during an urgent council debate on the Ukraine conflict, came after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered Russia’s nuclear forces be put on high alert. Earlier on Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western politicians of fixating on nuclear war. China is using survey ‘scanning ships’ to stake disputed claims in the South China Sea, a US think tank has claimed. Fears are rising that China may be plotting an invasion of Taiwan, which China has long claimed sovereignty over. Data analyzed by the think tank shows an increase in Chinese vessel activity, which are being used to detect deposits of oil and gas and identify potential hiding places for enemy submarines. The increase in activity shows China is more active in conducting maritime surveys than previously thought, with some concerned the survey operations could be linked to a possible invasion of Taiwan. The think tank analysis showed the increase in Chinese vessel activity, which is said to be a tool used by China to assert control over the strategic sea lanes of the South China Sea. Katie Meyer, the goalkeeper and captain of the Stanford women’s soccer team, has died, the university announced. Meyer was 22 years old. Her death occurred in an on-campus residence, according to the university, but a cause of death was not provided. A senior studying international relations and history, Meyer made two key saves in a penalty shootout to help Stanford win the national championship in 2019. “Her friends describe her as a larger-than-life team player in all her pursuits, from choosing an academic discipline she said ‘changed my perspective on the world and the very important challenges that we need to work together to overcome’ to the passion she brought to the Cardinal women’s soccer program and to women’s sports in general,” Stanford said in a statement. The family of the 22-year-old star soccer player who was found dead in her dorm room at Stanford University on Tuesday said they are ‘brokenhearted’ by her loss. Katie Meyer’s sister Sam Perez posted on her Instagram Stories honoring her sister, a goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team who majored in international relations and minored in history who was found dead in a residential building the day before. "There are no words,’ Perez wrote on Instagram. ‘Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family. I’m not ready to post anything big yet. We are broken-hearted and love Kat so much.’ Perez also shared a link to a GoFundMe page to help pay for Meyer’s memorial costs. It has raised almost $41,000 of it’s $60,000 goal in just two hours. A jury in Louisville, Kentucky, has found Brett Hankison, the former police officer charged with recklessly shooting into a neighboring apartment during the course of the raid that ended with the death of Breonna Taylor, not guilty on all three counts. Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing multiple shots into a neighboring apartment that endangered the lives of three people on March 13, 2020. The jury deliberated for just three hours before returning its verdict. Hankison fired 10 shots into the neighboring apartment, where a man, child and pregnant woman were living, according to prosecutors. The prosecution delivered its closing arguments Thursday. “This is not a case to decide who is at fault for the tragic death of Breonna Taylor,” prosecutor Barbara Whaley told the court. “This is not a case about civil rights violations under federal law or the United States Constitution. And this is not a case about Kenneth Walker. Whether what he did that night was right or wrong, this is not your decision.” Married Republican Rep. Van Taylor dropped his bid for reelection Wednesday after apologizing for having a nine-month affair with the so-called ‘ISIS bride.’ ‘Today I am announcing I will not continue my campaign to seek reelection to Congress,’ Taylor emailed supporters, according to The Dallas Morning News. ‘About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world. I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life.’ Taylor had been headed to a runoff against former Collin County judge Keith Self, when he didn’t hit the plus-50 percent threshold in Tuesday’s Texas GOP primary, after his nine-month affair with Tania Joya was exposed by conservative news outlets. Joya, born in London to a Muslim Bangladeshi family, became radicalized at age 17 after the September 11 terror attacks. In 2004, she married an American Muslim convert named John Georgelas, who went by Yahya al-Bahrumi. Georgelas took her and their three children to Syria against her will in 2013. She says he was the ‘highest-ranking American’ in the Islamic State. After three weeks, she reported him to U.S. authorities and fled Syria to the United States. She’s since lived in Plano, Texas – her now ex-husband’s home state – and works to reprogram those who’ve been radicalized. This work, according to the Morning News, is how she was introduced to Taylor. Jinger Duggar has revealed that she came down with COVID-19 in December of 2020, just weeks after giving birth to her second child — and over a year later, the former reality TV star still doesn’t have her sense of smell back. Jinger, 28, made the shocking health confession on Instagram on Tuesday, telling followers that she had COVID 14 months ago but still has not regained her ability to smell almost anything. The mother-of-two called her ability to just slightly smell coffee ‘a gift from God,’ but admitted that the few other things that her nose can detect ‘stink.’ ‘So last December, I lost my smell after having COVID,’ she began, later clarifying that she meant December 2020. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/03/02/7038308908444594579/636x382_MP4_7038308908444594579.mp4 Prominent Republicans are starting to come to glory on the fact that they have a serious issue when it comes to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her white nationalist ways. Of course, they didn’t come to their revelation after the congresswoman filmed herself ranting about an “Islamic invasion” of the U.S. government because Muslims were being elected to office; or when she referred to Muslim members of Congress as the “Jihad Squad” and claimed Congress members weren’t official unless they were sworn in on the Bible, or when she referred to Black people as “slaves” to the Democratic party and compared Black Lives matter to the KKK; or when she claimed white Jan. 6 Capitol riot suspects were being discriminated in jail “because of the color of their skin;” or when she denounced the celebration of Kwanza. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com It turns out the law is designed in a way that as long as you have the complexion for the protection, a hate crime doesn’t have to be a hate crime—it can also just be a placeholder while a racist is granted time to do better. Miya “Soho Karen” Ponsetto, the woman who left her phone in an Uber, accused Keyon Harrold Jr., the first Black teen she spotted, of stealing it then tackled him to the ground after he and his father refused to bend to her will and prove to her he wasn’t a thief? The woman who has shown no real remorse for traumatizing the minor she assaulted and has been so rude and entitled that she once interrupted the judge presiding over her case to demand that she doesn’t get any jail time? According to the New York Post, it was revealed Monday that Ponsetto has struck a plea deal that will allow her to avoid jail time as long as she can “live a law-abiding life” for the next two years. “Under the agreement, the 23-year-old would cop to the top count against her, unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime,” the Post reported. “She’d then be required to ‘live a law-abiding life’ for the next two years, continue with her therapy and abide by the terms of her probation in California, where she lives, Assistant District Attorney Sarah Marquez said.” The GOP has shown us once again that they only care about racial “discomfort” or “divisiveness” when it comes to white people and their fragile feelings. All this time, Republicans have been performing all manner of mental gymnastics to frame their war against critical race theory as a fight for unity in post-racial America, but on the last day of Black History Month, they had a chance to vote in favor of a simple thing to end what Black people consider “divisive” because it causes us racial “discomfort”—hair discrimination. According to HuffPost, On Monday, “the Crown Act failed to pass the House with a needed two-thirds majority as part of an expedited voting process, with 235 votes for and 188 votes against the bill, the latter all by Republicans.” This was actually the second time Republicans blocked the bill prompting a pledge from Democratic members of Congress to bring the legislation back up for another vote. President Joe Biden delivered a strong, middle-of-the-road State of the Union address on Tuesday night seemingly aimed at galvanizing moderate, bipartisan support that still managed to be glaringly devoid of any real mention of issues specifically facing Black America. It was tantamount to making a U-turn from the pro-Black lane Biden has been cruising in since the 2020 campaign trail after he made repeated appeals for support from the Black voters who ultimately secured his election. The speech even included language espoused by the same Republicans who have tirelessly and repeatedly blocked legislation that would address the very issues polling shows are of the utmost importance to Black America. https://youtu.be/wxBHHGgO494 Autherine Lucy Foster, the first Black student to enroll at the University of Alabama, has died at age 92. Foster’s daughter, Angela Foster Dickerson, confirmed her mother died Wednesday morning, The Associated Press reports. University officials also announced her death in a statement. “Dr. Foster will always be remembered as one who broke barriers, reminded us of the respect due to every individual and lived a life of strength in steadfast service to her students and community,” University President Stuart R. Bell said in a statement. Former President Donald Trump and a right-wing lawyer were part of a “criminal conspiracy” to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot alleges in a court filing Wednesday. The filing is part of an attempt to convince a judge to allow the panel access to emails from lawyer John Eastman, who is claiming attorney-client privilege. The committee said he helped to orchestrate the plot. The filing is the most extensive release to date from the House’s January 6 investigators as they try to obtain Eastman’s emails — and comes well before the House select committee releases its final report on its findings on Trump. House members have also signaled they may make a criminal referral to the Justice Department about Trump, depending on their findings, and the House’s arguments Wednesday could be seen as a preview of a case that could be made by federal prosecutors. A white woman appeared to be very angry during a dispute at a #Georgia gas station. The woman seen sitting behind the wheel of her car was caught on video telling a black man, “this is why we want to take back Buckhead.” In the viral clip circulating on #Twitter, a black man records the woman in the middle of her meltdown. “You just mad I’ve got more money than you,” the man responds. No word on what sparked the argument, but at one point in the 90-second video, the white woman accuses the black man of “attacking white women.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ0VMH8jzq7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tucker Carlson‘s racism is once again on display for the world to see in the wake of President Joe Biden’s nomination Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Black woman to the Supreme Court to replace retiring justice Stephen Breyer. And with that in mind, Carlson wants the White House to release Brown Jackson’s Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score. And the bottom line question is for WHAT?! After Biden described Jackson as “one of our nation’s top legal minds” during his State of the Union address, Carlson questioned her credentials. After all, last month, after Biden announced he was nominating her, Carlson commented that Jackson was chosen “on the basis of appearance.” Carlson’s request/comment got the attention of a lot of people including Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison wrote on Twitter: “Judge Brown Jackson graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, Cum Laude from Harvard Law, & was the editor of the Harvard Law review. She is the real deal. I’ve never heard ‘Tie Too Tight’ ask about lsat scores for other nominees, but typical of those who feel a bit ‘inadequate.'” https://twitter.com/i/status/1499191856948662272 #KimKardashian‘s request to be declared legally single amid her divorce proceedings with #Kanye “Ye” West was granted by a judge in a Wednesday morning hearing. The ruling also concluded that the reality tv star will be dropping her “West” last name. While Ye did not appear at the virtual hearing, his lawyers were present and did not object to restoring Kim’s single status, but did list out his requests before she was declared single. He asked that any right to get reimbursement of money that’s supposed to be divided up will be preserved in case either of them dies, which the judge granted. However, the judge rejected two other requests which included Kim would not transfer any assets she had in trust and that if Kim remarries she would waive the “marital privilege,” TMZ reports. https://www.instagram.com/p/CanMpsWrp3u/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again As a NASCAR co-owner, Michael Jordan reportedly has a new financial model he wants the sport to explore. Jordan’s financial advisor, Curtis Polk, claims the former NBA star wants “NASCAR teams become less reliant on sponsors and find revenue through additional avenues, such as media,” per The Spun. Polk says he, along with Jordan and his 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, have discussed how to shake things up for the future of NASCAR. https://youtu.be/Pvdc2bNQSzU Target announced Monday that the starting wage for some workers at stores and distributions centers will increase from $15 to $24 an hour. The increase will apply to hourly workers at its discount stores, supply chain facilities, and headquarters in the most competitive markets, such as New York. The Minneapolis-based retailer said currently pays a universal starting wage of $15 an hour. “The market has changed,” said Target CEO Brian Cornell in an interview. ”We want to continue to have an industry-leading position.” On March 11, Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz lead Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Batman.” Pattinson stars as Batman – in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire. Kravitz stars as the enigmatic, fan-favorite – Catwoman. Evenly matched with Batman, she is initially at odds with him, presenting another puzzle for the superhero to solve. https://youtu.be/1knRCqhG4f4 The inaugural “Black Movie Hall of Fame” is launching this March in the historic Vine District of Kansas City. The event is part of the Critics’ Choice Association’s Celebration of Black Cinema, which has partnered with the Kansas City Film Fest International to elevate Black cinema icons who have roots in the area and show the deep and unexpected connections to Hollywood. https://youtu.be/ohIKVtq4qrw The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) held the 13th Annual AAFCA Awards tonight in Los Angeles at the SLS Hotel. As previously announced “King Richard” and “The Harder They Fall” each won four AAFCA Awards with “King Richard” taking top honors for Best Actor (Will Smith, whose award was accepted by presenter Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Mr. Smith was unable to attend in person), Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Breakout Actor (Saniyya Sidney) and Emerging Director (Reinaldo Marcus Green) and “The Harder They Fall” winning Best Picture, Best Ensemble, Best Music (Jeymes Samuel, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z) and Best Director (Jeymes Samuel) honors. Other winners included Best Actress Jennifer Hudson (“Respect”) who was unable to attend and accepted via video, Best Supporting Actor Corey Hawkins (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”), Best Screenplay (“Don’t Look Up” written by Adam McKay), “Who We Are” for Best Independent Feature and “Summer of Soul” for Best Documentary. The ceremony was presided over by AAFCA president Gil Robertson, and co-hosted by Charlamagne Tha God and Alesha Reneé. The Mocha Podcasts Network (MPN) is proud to announce and celebrate the groundbreaking win of the “Two Funny Mamas” podcast hosted by veteran comedienne and actress Kym Whitley and actress, comedian, author, and television personality Sherri Shepherd NAACP Image Award. During the 53rd NAACP Image Awards’ Virtual Experience presented by Wells Fargo and hosted by actor and comedian Affion Crockett, the show won Outstanding Podcast in the Lifestyle and Self-Help category. “What a magical moment to win my very first NAACP Image Award on the most unique day (2/22/22) of the century. Sherri and I are truly honored that people enjoy our chaotic journey through motherhood,” exclaims Whitley. Tyler Perry released his latest film “A Madea Homecoming” on Netflix last week, and the end of the movie includes a Beyoncé skit that even the singer found amusing. “A Madea Homecoming” follows the last installment in the hit franchise, “A Madea Family Funeral,” which debuted in 2019. At the time, Perry said that he was retiring the character after nearly 20 years. Perry uploaded a video on Instagram last June announcing Madea would be coming out of retirement. “Madea’s coming to Netflix. We need to laugh, man. Too much is going on in the country,” Perry said in a video he posted on Instagram at the time. https://www.instagram.com/p/CafJKCgp3GI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Here is an exclusive sneak peek clip from the all-new season premiere episode of WE tv’s “Love After Lockup,” premiering March 4. https://youtu.be/qJrzvDyx6Dw The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to host a special evening celebrating the life of legendary Motown superstar, Mary Wilson. The program will consist of a panel discussion featuring Mary Wilson’s daughter Turkessa Babich, Claudette Robinson, and other family, friends, and celebrities. The event will be held on March 4, in celebration of Mary’s birthday on March 6 and the release date of Mary Wilson’s The Motown Anthology, a deluxe 2-CD set that marks the first-ever comprehensive overview of Wilson’s Motown discography. Attendees will have a chance to purchase a copy of The Motown Anthology as well as Mary’s book, Supreme Glamour, in the GRAMMY Museum’s Retail Store during the program. https://youtu.be/_UFH__W9uhU Nia Long, Quinta Brunson, Aunjanue Ellis and Chanté Adams are among the honorees at the 2022 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards. The 15th annual event is honoring the four “phenomenal ladies who are making and have made their marks on screen in unforgettable ways,” per Essence. This year’s theme is The Black Cinematic Universe. Actor Damson Idris will host the 15th Annual ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards, set to take place on Thursday, March 24, in Beverly Hills, CA. The virtual awards show will stream Monday, March 28th, from 7-10 P.M. (ET) via ESSENCEStudios.com and ESSENCE.com. Viewers can access the exclusive Black Women In Hollywood red carpet & pre-show livestream, beginning at 11:30 a.m. PST/2:30 p.m. EST. Wendy Williams‘ ex-husband, Kevin Hunter, is suing the production company of her eponymous daytime talk show for wrongful termination. In 2019, Hunter was terminated as executive producer on “The Wendy Williams Show” amid reports that he fathered a child with his mistress (Sabrina Hudson). Williams filed for divorce and Hunter says his employment status changed days later, PEOPLE reports. Hunter’s new complaint claims he was fired “on the basis of his marital status, which is barred by the New York City Human Rights Law.” In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Hunter is suing Debmar-Mercury, claiming he received a notice from the company’s founder Ira Bernstein informing him that his firing was “effective immediately,” after Williams filed for divorce in April 2019. “Grey’s Anatomy” star, Jesse Williams and his ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee have reached a child custody agreement — after Aryn sought to strip her ex of joint custody. Their new amended agreement will allow Williams’ children to visit him while in New York to do a Broadway play. He will also have the power to veto COVID-19-related issues with their two kids, TMZ reports. Per Radar Online, that the actor’s ex wanted primary custody of their children and accused Jesse of failing to follow a custody schedule they originally agreed on. As a result, she wanted a court order to strip Williams of joint custody and award her the primary caregiver of the children. She also accused Williams of threatening to call the police on her over their custody disputes. As part of the DISH promise to “tune in to you,” USDISH went and found out. They asked one thousand American adults what they think of movie reviews, nominations, and awards. Here’s what they said.A sizable majority (69%) of our filmgoers said they care about tuning in to movie awards shows each year, with nearly half that group saying that their interest depends on a specific actor or movie nomination. Of the remainder, about half still care enough to get the scoop after the show. Over 80% of our survey takers find movie awards shows offensive or at least distasteful—64% cited concerns about politics and diversity, and 21% want classier jokes. Most viewers aren’t as bothered by the running time, with only 15% citing length as the main issue. Movie nominations influence the movie choices of a good 70% of our survey takers—the same percent that cares about watching the awards ceremonies. Only 30% said an award nomination doesn’t affect what they watch on movie night. Most of our moviegoers (59%) consider the timing of the awards show when watching nominated movies, with preferences for before and after split right down the middle. The remaining 41% may not care to watch at all, or they just don’t care about watching at the same time as everyone else. Nearly half of our survey takers (48%) value movie scores and ratings most, because they believe reviews better reflect the average viewer’s taste. Only 15% put more stock in movie nominations, while a sizable remainder of survey takers (37%) trust both sources equally or not at all. “Access Hollywood” is teaming up with the Black and Missing Foundation to call attention to missing persons of color, with monthly on-air segments. These true crime segments, led by correspondent Zuri Hall, will also be promoted on Access’ social/digital platforms. This continues “Access Hollywood’s” work with the Black and Missing Foundation from January when “Access” highlighted the case of 39-year-old missing mom, Cynthia Bah-Traore. Now, with the committed goal to highlight one on-air story a month, “Access” is reporting on Tiffany Foster. Tiffany is a mother of three who went missing in Georgia last year. “It is my honor and privilege to play even a small role in highlighting the cases of missing Black men, women, and children in America. The fact that Black cases remain unresolved four times longer than those of our white counterparts is heartbreaking proof that there is so much more to be done in this fight for equity, parity and justice. Our lives matter. The work that the Black and Missing Foundation does is so vital to protecting, fighting for, and honoring these lives. I’m grateful to be a part of a show that is dedicated to amplifying our stories — including the painfully important ones — in such a meaningful way,” said “Access Hollywood” correspondent Zuri Hall. Usher has revealed that he regrets not dating late singer Aaliyah back in the day. While speaking with Daily Pop, the singer spoke about his friendship with fellow music legend Aaliyah, and how he should have taken their relationship more serious. “Somebody that I was really good friends with that I wish I would have taken more serious, ’cause she was a really, really close friend of mine for a small amount of time, and then we just kind of disconnected—it was Aaliyah,” Usher explained. “And we just didn’t get around to it, we just kinda talked but didn’t do it,” he added. https://youtu.be/YyvdWVyw7J8 Kanye West (AKA Ye) has taken his vitriol for SNL star Pete Davidson to the next level by releasing a disturbing video showing a claymation version of the actor being buried alive. West 44, took to his Instagram account on Wednesday to drop the visuals for his song “Eazy”, featuring rapper The Game and the footage finds him taking aim at Davidson, 28, who is allegedly dating the rapper’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. In the video, a claymation Davidson is kidnapped, tied up, and buried alive. A garden of roses then grows around the grave that West is then seen standing on top of as the lyrics, “God saved me from that crash, just so I could beat Pete Davidson’s ass” are heard. https://www.instagram.com/kanyewest/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=38a5fcf9-a45e-4fc7-954b-03f5d362012e Indiana was lauded for a deadline deal that swapped Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton. But lost in the shuffle of this major deadline deal is Malcolm Brogdon. It’s understandable that Haliburton, a 21-year-old averaging 20.7 points and 10.0 assists per game in only his sophomore season, attracts serious attention. But as recently as last season, it was Brogdon who was seen as the team’s future point guard. The former Rookie of the Year is quietly averaging 18.5 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game this season. Granted, he’s shooting poorly (31% on three-pointers), but he leads the Pacers in assists, and he’s their third-leading scorer (prior to the trade) – not too shabby. https://youtu.be/NcatlluCcwU President Joe Biden sounded an optimistic note in wrapping his first State of the Union address, citing the response of the American people and lawmakers in the House chamber to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a reason to be confident in the face of a critical moment. In a speech that focused on the war in Ukraine before pivoting to domestic challenges, Biden said the American people are ready for the task ahead of them in keeping the world united in the face of autocracy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVIXLQrC9rE Russia faces the specter of a full-blown financial meltdown. Punishing sanctions leveled by the West have sent the ruble crashing to record lows, shuttered Moscow’s stock market and made Russian assets toxic on the world stage. The White House has even taken aim at Vladimir Putin’s financial fortress, removing access to at least a chunk of Russia’s $630 billion rainy-day fund that was designed to cushion the economic blow of this very crisis. Now comes the big question: How will Putin — who is also facing sanctions on his personal wealth from the West — fire back in what is rapidly morphing into economic warfare? There is growing concern that Putin could retaliate by using not just natural gas but also crude oil as a weapon against the West. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/02/if-putin-slashes-the-wests-oil-supplies-all-bets-are-off-videos/#:~:text=00%3A13,01%3A35 Bodies of the five victims of a rocket strike on Kyiv’s television tower were on Wednesday morning piled into a van and removed from the site by police – as the capital’s mayor Vitali Klitschko warned that Russian forces were ‘getting closer’. Klitschko also today defiantly vowed ‘we will fight’ to defend the city, amid fears it could soon be battered by artillery fire from a 40-mile long death convoy parked nearby. An opening salvo on Tuesday night struck the Ukrainian capital’s largest TV tower and damaged a nearby Holocaust memorial, killing five bystanders in the process. Hours later, US intelligence said the huge Russian convoy appears to have stalled near Kyiv though it could just be regrouping for a more-determined attack. Klitschko said that fighting is still ongoing in the cities of Bucha and Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where a large number of destroyed Russian vehicles were pictured on Wednesday. He implored people in the city ‘not to lose endurance’, saying all critical infrastructure is still running and humanitarian supplies are being handed out. ‘I ask everyone, for security reasons, not to go outside unnecessarily. At the alarm – go to the shelters,’ he said. ‘The enemy is gathering forces closer to the capital… We are preparing and will defend Kyiv!’ Watch the sickening moment a man with possible links to the Proud Boys calls a young black woman the n-word before punching her straight in the face. Andrew Walls, 26, handed himself in after a video emerged of the thug calling the 23-year-old Cameron Morgan racial slurs before hitting her in Akron on Sunday night. Morgan’s father, a high-school English teacher and author, said on social media that his daughter was walking in Highland Square with friends before she was attacked. The assailant turns around to attack another bystander before two men jump in to stop him. The video shows Morgan with a split lip after the attack, which the father said was unprovoked. After the video ended, the attacker dragged Carmen into the street by her hair, her father told Huff Post. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/03/02/8730142099075974199/640x360_MP4_8730142099075974199.mp4 An Estée Lauder executive who was earning $10 million a year was swiftly fired after he posted a racist meme that included rapper Chingy’s name. “It doesn’t mean much to me because I think it was just an honest mistake the guy made,” Chingy reportedly said after John Demsey was dismissed for posting a since-deleted meme on Instagram that showed Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus along with a racial slur and a joke about COVID-19. Demsey served as executive group president of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and claimed he did not read the meme prior to sharing it on his account. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FMtO3xlX0AER0Yz?format=png&name=small The vice president of student life at the University of Alabama has resigned from his position after he was arrested Thursday on a charge of soliciting prostitution. Very few details were released Friday afternoon, but Tuscaloosa Police Spokeswoman Stephanie Taylor confirmed 50-year-old Myron Pope was arrested by members of the multi-agency West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force. Pope was released from jail after posting his $1000 bond. UA President Stuart Bell said the university would only be releasing the following statement on the situation: “I have difficult news to share today. Vice President of Student Life Myron Pope has resigned from the University following his recent arrest. We understand this news will be difficult for our community. I will appoint an interim Vice President of Student Life and that person, along with the many professionals in the division, will remain available to all of us. Please continue to take care of yourselves and one another.” Tuscaloosa police said no officers employed by the university were involved in the arrest. Broadway’s Cort Theatre is getting a famous new name. The venue on W. 48th Street, which has been called the Cort since the day it opened in 1912, will soon be renamed for the venerable actor James Earl Jones, the Shubert Organization announced Wednesday. Beyond appearing in more than 100 films such as “Star Wars” and “Coming to America” during his storied career, Jones, 91, has been on Broadway in 21 shows. The man with one of stage and screen’s “most memorable voices” made his main-role debut in 1958’s “Sunrise at the Campobello” — in the very theater that will soon bear his name. “For me, standing in this very building 64 years ago at the start of my Broadway career, it would have been inconceivable that my name would be on the building today,” Jones said in a statement. “Let my journey from then to now be an inspiration for all aspiring actors.” The gentleman burglar of Paris just got a taste of his own medicine. Netflix’s hit international heist-thriller “Lupin” had $330,000 of equipment robbed from its set in France while filming for a third installment Feb 25, Variety reported Wednesday. The news comes on the heels of another Netflix production, the royal drama “The Crown,” falling victim to a similar, $200,000 jewel, silverware and antique theft Feb. 24. Those pricey props in England were stolen while the show was producing its 10-episode fifth season, which will cover the life of the British monarchy in the 1990s. About 20 masked robbers reportedly busted onto the “Lupin” set, throwing mortar fireworks while the show was filming with lead actor Omar Sy — who plays Assane Diop, a goodhearted thief inspired by Maurice Leblanc’s character Arsène Lupin — in the Parisian outskirt of Nanterre, according to news outlet AFP. They also noted that local police have launched an investigation into the coordinated robbery. Netflix — which confirmed the “incident” in a statement to Variety — also noted that “cast and crew are safe and there were no injuries” as a result of the violent theft. Tougaloo College announced a $10 million donation to fund scholarships for low-income students from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife Patty Quillin as part of the pair’s efforts to financially support historically Black colleges. The donation will be shared equally with Brown University, Carmen Walters, Tougaloo’s president, said at a press conference on Monday. Tougaloo will use its portion to bolster its $22 million endowment and set up a need-based scholarship for low-income students. The remaining $5 million will create a scholarship fund at Brown University in Rhode Island to support students who participate in the long-running academic partnership between the two colleges. Hastings’ donation is the largest that Brown-Tougaloo Partnership has received in its 58-year history. The partnership began in 1964 after state lawmakers attempted to revoke Tougaloo’s charter during the civil rights movement. The $5 million scholarship fund will support at least 10 undergraduate students and four graduate students will benefit from the scholarship fund each year, Walters said. Roman Abramovich is selling Chelsea Football Club after almost two decades of ownership amid unrelenting scrutiny over his ties to Russia. The billionaire, who transformed the team’s fortunes since his 2003 purchase, said he’s instructed the board to set up a charitable foundation that will receive all net proceeds from the sale. “The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine,” Abramovich said in a statement on the Chelsea website. “Please know that this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it pains me to part with the club in this manner.” The extraordinary disclosure came hours after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson fielded questions over why Abramovich hasn’t yet been sanctioned. While the U.K. has sanctioned more than 100 Russian individuals and entities in response to the invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich, 55, has so far remained off the list. The five major Hollywood studios are taking a stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Universal, Paramount, and Sony have joined Disney and Warner Bros. in halting the releases of their upcoming films in the territory. Most of them had tentpole debuts on the docket. Disney was the first to make moves on Monday, as Pixar’s Turning Red, which is going straight to Disney+ in the U.S., was once scheduled for distribution in Russia on March 10. “Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming Turning Red from Pixar,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to EW. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.” Warner Bros. followed suit shortly after. Days before the release of Robert Pattinson-led The Batman, which was scheduled to open in Russian theaters this Friday, the premiere plan has been pause. Hearing LeBron James’ famous call for “Taco Tuesday” is like clockwork on his social channels. It’s a time that brings the taco lover and his family and friends together. For the next venture of the NBA star and his LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF), the same feel of communing over meals is set to be taken to families across his hometown of Akron, OH. The Foundation and Old El Paso will be opening their first-ever restaurant, The Taco Shop by Old El Paso, according to a press release. The new dining venture is an extension of LJFF and Old El Paso’s ongoing partnership, where they’ve held taco Tuesday nights and donated meals for James’ I PROMISE School. The Taco Shop — located in LJFF’s House Three Thirty — will have a menu that features meals from Old El Paso and selections “inspired by taco dishes created in the James household.” “We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with LJFF and the House Three Thirty community, because we know that meaningful connections are created while enjoying good food together,” said Maria Jaramillo, General Mills Business Unit Director for Old El Paso in a statement. “Our hope is that the opening of the first-ever Taco Shop by Old El Paso restaurant will foster a new Taco Tuesday tradition among I PROMISE families and become something that they can look forward to with family and friends.” On THE REAL airing Wednesday, March 2nd, award-winning recording artist H.E.R. talks about being cast in the musical film adaption of “The Color Purple,” her first acting role. https://youtu.be/tbaf1gJ1HE8 50 Cent has taken to his Instagram account to once again to slam Starz as his contract with the network comes to an end. The hip-hop star help build up the network with his “Power” franchise, so he is understandably frustrated that the cabler renewed the drama “High Town” for a third season while overlooking Power Book IV: Force, the highest-rated show on Starz. Fif shared several images of suitcases in separate posts, and in each one the expressed his eagerness to part ways with Starz. In one post of a gif, a man is seen stuffing a bag with clothes — symbolizing 50 Cent’s exit from Starz. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cakl_CODBvh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A popular TikTok user has been linked to a string of robberies across Detroit after Federal agents connected the shoes he wore in his viral videos to each crime. As reported by the Detroit News, Chozen Terrell-Hannah, 22, confessed to crimes after he was arrested by FBI agents on Wednesday. Terrell-Hannah is accused of robbing four convenience stores over a three-month period. https://youtu.be/FzR7KMDwzR4 Kanye West appears to have gone Instagram official with his new bae who happens to be a Kim Kardashian clone. The Shade Room shared a recent paparazzi photo of Ye with IG model Chaney Jones and a caption that reads, “It appears #Ye and his new boo #ChaneyJones are going strong.” The rapper shared the same screenshot to his Instagram on Tuesday and in his own caption, West included a black heart emoji. He also added a black heart emoji in the comments section of The Shade Room‘s post. Jones also wrote, “My love,” alongside a black heart emoji and a fingers crossed emoji. Fans of the artist lit up the comments section of his post with praise that he’s dating a clone of his ex. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cak_jZ4uroY/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d2f7e1ff-3f7f-43e4-82f8-5fefb49ed7c0 This Friday, fans and stans will have a chance to geek out over the Warner Bros. Pictures Matt Reeves’ written “The Batman.” Set in Bruce Wayne’s (Robert Pattinson) second year of fighting crime. Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family, while facing a serial killer. A trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot aka Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Carmine Falcone crime lord (John Turturro). https://youtu.be/9xzpkpBIRuo Skip Bayless, host of FOX Sports’ Undisputed, and hip-hop star Lil Wayne have an unlikely friendship that fans of the rapper seem to be quite intrigued with. Bayless and his wife made time on their vacation to hang out with Weezy for a night at his Los Angeles mansion, Hip Hop DX reports. “Ernestine and I drove out to visit our friend Lil Wayne,” Bayless wrote on Instagram on Sunday (February 27). “Great time, lotta laughs, talking sports, music and life. Ernestine took this and didn’t quite get the LeBrons I was wearing just for Laker fanatic Wayne. (OK, I was being a little sarcastic since his squad is five under .500.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CagQ-xLLMpm/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c5300de3-5b21-4805-a116-fc9a685dd8c3 Reggae hitmaker Skip Marley, born to the late Bob Marley’s daughter, Cedella Marley and David Minto, was thrown into the deep end of the Marley music legacy when, at thirteen, his Uncle Stephen Marley brought him up on stage to sing his grandfather’s iconic hit, One Love in front of tens of thousands of fans. From that moment on, music wasn’t an option, but a family imperative for the now twenty-five-year-old singer-songwriter. The Marley family dynasty crowned its new prince in Skip Marley. https://youtu.be/JjVym7YatCQ Nspyre Music Group International Recording Artist Lisa Bellamy is known in Gospel circles as a consummate vocalist, a gifted interpreter of song and a psalmist who creates an atmosphere of worship. The BET Gospel Diva Search Competition Finalist, who has toured with greats such as the late Edwin Hawkins and Liz McComb, is not only known for her stirring sacred vocals but for her jazz stylings and her classical training. isa, a Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate, captured the hearts of music fans and radio programmers alike with her track, “Nothin’ But The Spirit,” from the EP, What Will It Take, which featured R&B vocalist Tony Terry and legendary guitarist Jonathan Dubose. More recently, Lisa hit the airwaves – and the charts – again with a new song, “In This House.” https://youtu.be/8xYo_oSydqo After the Philadelphia 76ers crushed the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Joel Embiid said he felt his partnership with the newly acquired James Harden was “unstoppable.” It’s hard to blame the big man for feeling confident. Philly is 2-0 with Harden in the lineup, having blown out both opponents by a combined 45 points. https://twitter.com/i/status/1489287381031297027 In the future, everyone will likely be able to obtain a digital identity card for their smartphone alongside their traditional identity card. So, what does the term “digital identity” actually mean? Digital identity, which has the potential to change these processes, is both the ability to authenticate who we are online safely and seamlessly – and the tools and services that make it happen. This can make it easier to navigate the digital world, reduce the costs to buy and sell online, and help people who lack formal proof of their identity access essential services, powering economic gains across the globe. Some countries, companies and organizations have already adopted digital identity services to make this happen. https://youtu.be/dZ813bu0Q-E Following the week-long virtual experience, tonight the NAACP celebrated the stellar achievements of the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” winners during a special LIVE broadcast on BET hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards winner Anthony Anderson and presented by Wells Fargo. Watch an encore presentation of the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” on BET. Internationally, the show will air on BET France on March 2 at 8:45 pm CEST, and MTV Brazil on Thursday, March 3. #NAACPImageAwards. Winners of the night included Jennifer Hudson (Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture – “Respect”), Angela Bassett (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - “9-1-1”), Will Smith (Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture - “King Richard”), Sterling K. Brown (Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series – “This is Us”), Issa Rae (Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – “Insecure”), Anthony Anderson (Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – “black-ish”), Nikole Hannah-Jones (Social Justice Impact) and “The Harder They Fall” (Outstanding Motion Picture). During the ceremony, NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, presented the President’s Award to Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex who together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the U.S. and around the world. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Two-time Academy Award winner and 2022 nominee Denzel Washington will be speaking at the 2022 International Leadership Summit, which is taking place March 31 through April 2 in Charlotte. The annual conference was founded by T.D. Jakes and brings together aspiring and tenured entrepreneurs, leaders and influential change agents to revolutionize the future of leadership. At this year's event, Washington will join Jakes for a master class discussing Hollywood, faith and life in the spotlight. Washington, who is also a producer and director, is considered one of the greatest actors of his generation and holds the title as the most Oscar-nominated Black man of all time. Washington has 10 Academy Award nominations under his belt, including one this year for his work in The Tragedy of Macbeth. In 2019, Washington was honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award, one of the highest honors for a career in film. At the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, he received the Cecil B. deMille Award for lifetime achievement, which is bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. In addition to the Academy Award nomination for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Washington expanded his directorial portfolio in 2021 with A Journal for Jordan, starring Michael B. Jordan. Washington has previously directed the films Antwone Fisher (2002), The Great Debaters (2007) and Fences (2016). All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series, UNSUNG and UNCENSORED debut this Sunday, March 6. UNSUNG leads with Soul For Real at 9 p.m. ET / 8C followed by the season debut of UNCENSORED, which features the platinum-selling R&B singer, Keyshia Cole, at 10 p.m. ET / 9C. Each episode will be published on TVOne.TV and TV One’s social media platforms. We're doubling up the flavor tonight at CLEO TV, thanks to Chef JJ! JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ has returned for season 4 on CLEO TV. The popular cooking show is airing an all-new episode tonight, Wednesday, March 2nd at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCcfumlxdWo CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX continues tonight, Wednesday, March 2nd at 9:30 P.M. EST/8:30C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells is back with the remix, as he serves up international cuisine in the series' condensed, 30-minute format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dau_TB-_3Rc The Atlanta Hawks today announced that they will host its Faith & Family Night during the team’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, March 11. As part of the entertainment, the dynamic and multiple award-winning Gospel artist Jekalyn Carr will perform at both halftime and postgame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpQqFD008HE Tyler Perry’s “A Madea Homecoming” is one of the most popular movies on Netflix right now. The film premiered on the platform on Feb. 25 and is already the #1 movie on Netflix’s ‘Top 10’ list in the U.S. Per Urban Hollywood 411, the comedy is the #2 program overall in the U.S. after the drama series “Vikings Valhalla.” Perry posted Saturday on his Twitter account: “Well!! Y’all still got this old broad’s back!! What a blessing after all these years. Still number one! #AMadeaHomecoming” Perry stars in, directed, and wrote the film that centers on Madea’s great grandson’s college graduation, “but family drama and surprise guests cause some funny revelations,” per the outlet. “Atlanta” star LaKeith Stanfield has raised eyebrows with his latest photo spread for Replica Man Magazine. One photo in particular has fans giving Stanfield, 30, the side-eye, as the actor is seen in an all-black ensemble, sporting a durag and high heel platforms with lacey high knee socks. His chest is exposed in a plunging V-line tank top and he is sitting with his legs crossed — which many social media users claim is a no-no when it comes to seemingly heterosexual males. Stanfield stares off into the distance, appearing to bask in his feminine energy as he blurs gender lines. Many of his fans call the image “artistic.” The photo will appear in Replica Man’s Spring 2022 issue. https://www.instagram.com/p/CahyedytbUv/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fd784d20-7534-410f-879f-bab14ef28b3e Kimora Lee Simmons‘ estranged husband Tim Leissner, a former Goldman Sachs banker, admitted in court Friday that he faked two divorces – one in the U.S. and the other in China. Leissner said he submitted fake documents to marry Judy Chan, a former analyst at Goldman, in 2000 while married to another unidentified woman, the Daily Mail reports. Leissner also photoshopped divorce documents to marry Simmons in 2014. He and Kimora share one son, Wolfe Lee Leissner. The former model also shares two daughters with disgraced music mogul Russell Simmons and a son with actor Djimon Hounsou. Leissner’s admission comes as he testified in the trial against former colleague Roger Ng, who is accused of helping defraud billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. Leissner is charged for helping Ng and Malaysian financier Jho Low steal hundreds of millions of dollars in the Malaysia 1MDB corruption scandal. “I photoshopped the divorce document,” Leissner told the jury, according to Bloomberg. He admitted that Chan was aware of the forgery but Simmons did not know he faked a divorce to marry her. “We’ve all been locked down for quite some time and I thought it would be wonderful to remind us of the silver linings of life’s obstacles…it will get better,” said Jazz guitarist Norman Brown about the meaning of the title to his newest solo album “Let’s Get Away,” on Shanachie Entertainment. “‘We’ will get better.” https://youtu.be/o3ZxhT5P09I Art Briles informed Grambling State University on Monday that he’ll no longer be the school’s offensive coordinator, saying in a statement obtained by ESPN that he did not want to be a “distraction” to the football team. Briles’ decision comes after the hire by first-year coach Hue Jackson was met with a wave of backlash. Briles was fired by Baylor in 2016 after a campuswide sexual assault investigation led to an independent investigation and his subsequent dismissal. Briles thanked Grambling State for the opportunity to be part of the staff in his statement and added: “Unfortunately, I feel that my continued presence will be a distraction to you and your team, which is the last thing that I want. I have the utmost respect [for] the university, and your players.” Briles’ hiring on Thursday was met with sharp criticism, including from former Grambling State star and coach Doug Williams, who told ESPN’s John Keim that he “can’t support it” and that late Grambling State coach “[Eddie] Robinson is turning over right now.” The father of New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson III has been found safely. Robinson III took to his Instagram story last week to express concern regarding his father, Mitchell Robinson Jr., who had gone missing on Feb. 11. He had been urging anyone with information to reach out and word quickly spread nationwide. Escambia County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office chief public information officer Amber Southard reported that Robinson Jr. has been located safely. He was found by the Clayton Police Department in Clayton, Missouri. The Clayton Police Department says Robinson Jr. was found during a routine traffic stop. When they ran his name through the system, he was shown to be a missing person in Escambia County. Investigators with the Clifton Heights Police Department (near Philadelphia) are searching for an Amazon delivery driver who they say shot a man Sunday afternoon. Witnesses say they saw the two men arguing before the altercation got physical. If you’re wondering about the driver having a gun in his truck, in a statement, Amazon said its drivers are not allowed to carry a firearm even if they are legally licensed. The victim, 58, was transported to the University of Penn Hospital, where he is in critical condition. Police have identified Anthony Jones of Philadelphia as the Amazon delivery driver and shooter. A warrant is out for his arrest. https://eurweb.com/2022/03/01/warrant-issued-for-amazon-driver-in-road-rage-shooting/ In the speech given on behalf of the CBC/Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas.) will discuss the implications of the President’s agenda and the way forward on behalf of Black America. https://youtu.be/3_kLOD92HKU Since President Biden and Vice President Harris were inaugurated, their administration has taken historic action to create jobs, provide immediate pandemic relief for Black Americans, invest in Black communities and businesses, and create a government that looks like America. https://youtu.be/uRTMfBu6zLg While taking to her Instagram, Amanda Seales calls out and condemns global racism amid the current war between Russia and Ukraine. In addition to a series of videos showing global racism, she also reposts a statement that says, “Racism. Always. Has. Time.” Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reports surfaced of Africans being stopped from leaving the country. Among many celebrities speaking out, Amanda took to her Instagram to share tweets and videos showing the harsh reality of global racism. In several reposts, Amanda called it out and later shared an original video of herself, condemning the situation. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaiofLqloWt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Donald Trump appeared at Saturday’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida where the weighed in on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. During his speech, Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “playing Biden like a drum,” The Guardian reports. “We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine,” Trump said in his speech. “God bless them all. As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president.” https://youtu.be/RnEaa6a8qXg RUSSIA today issued a chilling warning for Ukrainians to flee parts of Kyiv NOW ahead of another massive bombardment. At least five people were killed after Russian missiles rained down on the city, hitting a Holocaust memorial and the biggest TV mast in the Ukrainian capital. The attack on the Babyn Yar memorial, the site of one of the Nazis’ deadliest individual war crimes, sparked outrage across Ukraine. Between September 29 and 30, 1941, the Nazis and their collaborators murdered more than 33,000 Jews, dumping their bodies in a ravine. It was the largest single massacre in the history of the Holocaust up to that point. Decrying Russia’s apparent indiscriminate targeting of a non-military site in Kyiv, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: “To the world: what is the point of saying ‘never again’ for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? “At least 5 killed. History repeating…” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko appears to have indicated Vladimir Putin’s forces have plans to invade Moldova. Putin’s war-mongering sidekick addressed security officials today while standing in front of a battle map that seems to show a planned operation from southern Ukraine into its tiny neighbor. The map also showed proposed battle plans for Russian troops across the country. It detailed Russian lines of attack heading into Ukraine, some of which have materialized in the first few days of the invasion – such as forces storming towards Kyiv from the north, and towards Kherson from Crimea. But they also showed off several attacks that have yet to come to pass – with one even appearing to point from the port city of Odessa into Moldova, suggesting Russia plans to march troops into Ukraine’s neighbor. Benton County sheriff’s deputies have completed an initial search of the Hanford site building where shots were reported fired Tuesday morning. They have found no evidence of shots fired and no one injured. Law enforcement will continue to do additional searching in the building. The Department of Energy contracts with Benton County for law enforcement services at the nuclear reservation. Hanford officials say they still have no reports of anyone injured. Teams of law enforcement officers continue to methodically search the two-story office building where shots were reported at 10:40 a.m. Ukraine’s president has given Boris Johnson a ‘shopping list’ of weapons that are needed in the fight against Vladimir Putin’s forces, it was claimed last night. A source told The Sun that Volodymyr Zelensky ‘made specific requests for military hardware during near daily phone calls, and we are working round the clock to get them into Ukraine.’ Boris Johnson responded by saying that the latest batch of weapons would be flown to Poland within ‘hours and days’ before being driven to Ukraine. The PM will today fly to Poland to visit British troops manning Nato’s eastern border with Russia. The UK has already shipped 2,000 Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapons (NLAW) to Ukraine, whilst the U.S., Germany, and Belgium are among other countries that have sent or are set to send weapons. It comes after Russia promised that it would hit back against the EU following its support of Ukraine and warned the West against supplying weapons. A spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry said the steps the bloc has taken against it following its invasion of Ukraine, which include sanctions, will ‘not go unanswered’. The Castroville city council placed their police chief on administrative leave Tuesday night, days after he was accused of repeatedly using the N-word at a murder scene earlier this month. Jackson, who is accused of saying the racial slur at least three times, was recorded on a body camera worn by a Medina County Sheriff’s Office deputy, a source familiar with the incident confirmed Monday. Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown told the KSAT 12 Defenders late Monday that he contacted several Castroville city officials after hearing inappropriate language in the footage. Brown declined to discuss the exact nature of Jackson’s comments and referred additional inquiries to Medina County District Attorney Mark Haby. Haby was in court Tuesday morning and unavailable for comment. Morgan Freeman and his producing partner Lori McCreary have been brought on as executive producers of the new documentary: 2 Richards! The African Company. The film tells the story of America’s first black theater company, established by William Alexander Brown in Greenwich Village in 1821, 44 years before the passage of the 13th Amendment. 2 Richards! The African Company will be produced under Freeman and McCreary’s production company, Revelations Entertainment. It will be directed by Kamilla Blanche. “Just a Kid from Akron” is about to get his own museum in his hometown. The LeBron James museum will be part of the transformation of the former Tangier entertainment complex in Akron, which is being completely reshaped and rebranded into the House Three Thirty. The museum will occupy much of the basement of House Three Thirty, which also will be home to restaurants, bars and retail space when it opens next year. No exact date is set for the opening of the museum, which will charge an admission. Details about the various exhibits are being worked out with Upper Deck Sports, the trading card and collectables company that is the title sponsor for the museum. Maurice “Mo” Creek, a former college basketball player at Indiana University Bloomington and George Washington University, is making his way out of Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion into the country. On Monday, the American athlete, 31, shared an update on social media that he was traveling out of the war-torn region after getting stranded in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, while playing for Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague. Creek retweeted Chris Kubecka’s post which stated, “@Mo_Creek just called, sounded like he was in a car because he’s in a car on the way to the border leaving #Ukraine! Mikhail arranged a driver by some miracle. If I had anymore tears left, I’d be crying with joy right now. A rare glimmer of hope during a war” and added his own message, writing, “GLORY TO GOD.” The athlete posted about his situation on Twitter on Sunday, writing “NEVER FELT SO HOPELESS IN MY LIFE” before attempting to exit the country. The basketball player had initially planned to leave Ukraine on Saturday but was delayed due to air raid sirens sounding in the area, according to a tweet. Texas has adopted new certification standards for teachers that some education advocates fear will make it more difficult to staff classrooms and find diverse candidates. Before its vote Feb. 11 to move forward with the new requirement, the Board for Educator Certification heard from both sides of the issue with speakers and board members agreeing the current certification test, the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities, needs improvement. Unlike the PPR, the replacement certification, edTPA, is not a one-time test. Developed by Stanford University faculty and staff at the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity, edTPA involves student teachers preparing a portfolio of materials during their clinical experience. The portfolio involves a written reflective measure from the candidates in which they analyze whether their students are learning and how they adjusted their instruction to be more effective. Candidates are also required to submit unedited videos of themselves at work in a classroom. The price of edTPA is $311 for the initial submission, $195 higher than the PPR. If students fail certain elements of the edTPA assessment, they can resubmit that portion with fees varying from $100 to $300, depending on how many tasks they are resubmitting. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is launching a program called the Autopsy Initiative, a service designed to give families of those who die in police-related deaths a second, free autopsy with full access to the findings of the report. The program will work with “board-certified pathologists” to perform the autopsies, according to Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp website, which states, “The Initiative seeks to be a resource to victims’ family members by providing confidence in the forensic procedures and comfort in knowing the pathologists will conduct the autopsy with neutrality.” Several cases in recent years have been substantially impacted by the conducting of multiple autopsies, including the cases of Ronald Greene in 2019 and Cedric Lofton late last year. Greene’s second autopsy contradicted the police report that claimed Greene died on impact in a car accident, when in reality he was wounded and later died because of injuries suffered when officers removed him from his car and had a physical altercation with him. Lofton, who died in September following an altercation in a juvenile intake facility, sustained life-threatening injuries that staff in the facility did not initially report and were revealed during a second autopsy in December. Kaepernick’s initiative defines police-related deaths as those that occur “when an individual is harmed by police officers while using deadly force which results in the individual’s death. A police-related death includes in-custody deaths. In-custody deaths include deaths that arise during contact with law enforcement officers during arrest, pursuit, booking, transport, or incarceration.” On the second anniversary of her son’s death, Wanda Cooper-Jones wants the world to think of one thing: Change. “Laws changing is just the beginning,” she said. “Next we must change the minds and the perception of Black men in this country.” Cooper-Jones established The Ahmaud Arbery Foundation in hopes no other family will endure the pain hers has since Ahmaud, then 25, was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020. Three white men were convicted of state murder charges last year and this week were also convicted of federal hate crimes charges. Speaking at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta on Wednesday, Cooper-Jones said that the nonprofit foundation will award six $3,000 scholarships to students at Brunswick High School, where Arbery graduated in 2012. The recipients will be announced on May 8, which would have been Arbery’s 28th birthday. “We believe in helping to create opportunities for young Black men to further their education, to start a business, to simply build a life. Something Ahmaud did not have the chance to do,” Cooper-Jones said. “Justice goes beyond judgment made in the courtroom. Justice ensures every child, no matter what their skin color, his socioeconomic situation, is safe and has equal opportunities to realize their dreams.” The Black men who drove horse-drawn carriages through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia were both everywhere and invisible during the Jim Crow era. Their wooden coaches helped conjure up the late 18th Century for visitors including Queen Elizabeth, Sir Winston Churchill and then-Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. And yet the men were forced to use separate bathrooms and water fountains, among the many other sanctioned indignities of segregation. “These guys were resilient,” said Paul Undra Jeter, the living history museum’s director of coach and livestock. “I tell my young (Black) drivers that they face nothing compared to what they faced back in the day because (racism) was okay.” Colonial Williamsburg has begun to honor the coachmen by naming a new carriage after one of them, with hopes that more will follow. The first is for Benjamin Spraggins, who was sometimes said to be the most-photographed man in Williamsburg — although few captions bore his name. A carriage processional and ceremony will also celebrate Spraggins on Saturday. The tribute is part of the museum’s ongoing reckoning over race and its past storytelling about the country’s origins and the role of Black Americans. Colonial Williamsburg tells the story of Virginia’s late 1700s capital and includes more than 400 restored or reconstructed buildings. Black hair care and beauty products just became more accessible for students of color on the University of Michigan’s campus. Youniversity, a new vending machine at the Michigan Union, sells black hair care and beauty products, making them more accessible to students on campus. It sells beauty products like hair oil, durags, and bonnets. Founders Mia Wilson and Rico Ozuna-Harrison have been friends since middle school, but they came up with the idea more recently; in 2020. “I feel like the idea stemmed from social unrest that the country was kind of in,” Ozuna-Harrison said. “I remember the beauty supplies were closed,” said Wilson. “The only things that were open were like essential stores. Even during that time, it was really hard to get certain products for my hair type.” https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/two-students-open-a-vending-machine-that-sells-black-beauty-products-on-u-of-ms-campus Rumor has it that Jeannie Mai could be replacing Kandi Burruss on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Mai, co-host of “The Real,” is said to be joining the RHOA cast next season, as Burruss may not return. Filming for Season 14 has reportedly wrapped and will air later this year. Per Black America web, Sources say that the cast will be shaken up with Cynthia Bailey and Porsha Williams leaving, Shereé Whitfield returning, and Marlo Hampton promoted finally getting her peach. The returning housewives Kandi, Kenya Moore, and Drew Sidora will be joined with newcomer track and field athlete Sanya Richards-Ross. Mai is rumored to be taking Kandi’s spot due to Kandi being “boring” in this season’s filming. Teyana Taylor is deadening all speculations about infidelity in her marriage and says she doesn’t do drugs. After fans assumed that a viral TikTok video – allegedly detailing the infidelities of a reality tv family with two daughters and a husband (Iman Shumpert) featured on Dancing With The Stars – was based on Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert, Teyana responded denying anything from the story was related to her. Earlier this week, a Tik Tok account that reenacts “unconfirmed stories and parodies”, posted a story allegedly submitted by an anonymous celebrity assistant – that extremely resembles recent life situations of R&B singer Teyana Taylor. After social media users quickly put two and two together and put Teyana’s comments in “shambles”, the 31-year-old singer/actress addressed the story denying all allegations and offering sensible rebuttals as to why the alleged story is fabricated. Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter served up her musical talents when she auditioned for “American Idol” during Sunday’s episode. Grace Franklin, 15, also paid tribute to her late grandmother by performing Aretha’s classic “Ain’t No Way” and the Lauryn Hill version of “Killing Me Softly,” to judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. “Stop right there. That is your grandma?” said Richie before revealing that he has kept voicemails from the Queen of Soul, who was his longtime friend. After Grace performed, Richie and Bryan voted “no” while Perry gave her a “yes,” and urged her fellow judges to change their vote. https://youtu.be/_-w15cQwIgI Laverne Cox had an awkward moment with Jada Pinkett Smith when she mentioned Jada’s extramarital “entanglement” in front of Will Smith on the SAG Awards red carpet. Cox was referring to Pinkett Smith’s intimate relationship with singer August Alsina, which allegedly occurred when she and Will briefly split. The actress made the bombshell confession on a July 2020 episode of her show “Red Table Talk,” calling it an “entanglement.” Cox brought up Jada’s “entanglement” on the Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet on Sunday. “Thank you for all the years of joy you’ve brought us, thank you, we can’t wait for more ‘Red Table Talk’ and more entanglements,” Cox said to the couple. “No more of those,” Pinkett Smith replied as both she and Smith laughed. Jada Pinkett Smith was overcome with emotion while filming her hair cutting scene in the 1996 movie “Set It Off.” The drama centers on four close friends in Los Angeles who plan to rob a bank. Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film stars Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Smith’s character cuts her hair after the robbery when she escapes to Mexico, and the actress recalled the emotional moment in a new interview. “That particular scene, I had already had so much loss and I had already, like, lost so many friends, and so I really reflected on those that I loved that I had lost, you know, and how everybody doesn’t make it and how you can be sitting with great fortune and have so much loss, have so much pain,” Pinkett Smith said. She described the film as “a real easy movie to make as far as being able to dredge up all that emotion.” Grammy® Award-Winning Recording Artist Tamela Mann is celebrating wins at the 53rd NAACP Image® Awards for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album for Overcomer and Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song for “Help Me,” featuring The Fellas. The award-winning, Billboard Gospel music charting album, Overcomer, features the single, “Help Me,” which added to Tamela’s bank of personal bests; the track was her eighth No. 1 on Billboard's Gospel Airplay chart. The public and NAACP members cast this year's award votes, and industry and fans showed their support of Tamela by honoring her with these prestigious awards. “I am so thankful to God, the NAACP, and the fans for recognizing my album and song. This is the most important musical body of work I’ve ever done. To be recognized for the project is a big blessing,” said Tamela. Compton rapper The Game paid a visit to N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s “Drink Champs” podcast and he stirred up some controversy by taking shots at Dr. Dre. Wearing a black ski mask and sunglasses, Game implied Dre has barely had an impact on his hip-hip career after he signed to the famed producer’s Aftermath Records. “It’s crazy that Ye did more for me in the last two weeks than Dre did for me my whole career,” said Game, who recently collaborated with Ye on “Eazy” and performed with him at his DONDA Experience in Miami last week. The Game also addressed being kicked out of G-Unit, saying: “I’m kicked out the group… Well, guess what, you don’t fu**ing kick me out the group. I’m the G in G-Unit. F**k you mean?” The full “Drink Champs” interview drops later this week. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cahl4voswuq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Ten brothers and sisters have followed in their mother and father’s footsteps, and now they’re making history in the state of Texas. Specifically, that North Texas family believes they have made history as the first Black family in the state to race Quarter Horses. The bottom line is that the Hatley family has been getting a lot of attention thanks to their horse named “Black Lives Matter.” That name certainly got our attention. ?? According to CBSDFW.COM, they won their first race at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, but they say the best part is hearing the name called over the loudspeakers. That moment soon went viral on TikTok. Russia appears to have used banned cluster munitions to indiscriminately shell civilian areas in Ukraine’s east that had stood up to Vladimir Putin’s invasion in what would constitute a war crime. Kharkiv, which has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the war so far, was hit by rockets fired from Russian positions on Monday – with video showing a shopping centre in the Serpnia area blanketed by explosions. A military source told MailOnline that the videos showed ‘cluster’ munitions had been used. ‘The BM-21 Grad is a multiple launch rocket system used for ‘area denial’, dropping cluster bombs on a concentrated area,’ the expert said. ‘It’s mainly used on enemy troops before an offensive. Used against civilians, it’s not only a war crime, but has only one purpose – to spread terror and alarm among the civilian population.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/02/28/2655489926843315752/636x382_MP4_2655489926843315752.mp4 The Biden administration on Monday dispatched former senior defense officials to Taiwan in a show of support as the world wonders whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could trigger a Chinese invasion of the self-governing island. The visit will be led by Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a senior administration official. It comes after months of Chinese aggression directed at Taiwan, including nine Chinese aircraft entering its air defence zone on the day Russian troops invaded Ukraine. At the same time President Tsai Ing-wen ordered Taiwan’s military and intelligence security apparatus on to high alert, amid warnings that China could sense Western weakness after failing to prevent Russia’ attack. Kurt Campbell, Biden’s Asia czar, described the delegation as ‘unofficial’ during an online discussion with the German Marshall Fund on Monday. Cops on Saturday arrested a male cousin of the 35-year-old Manhattan mother found dead inside of a storage container in The Bronx, police and sources said. Khalid Barrow, 21, of The Bronx, was slapped with a murder charge in the death of Nisaa Walcott, of East Harlem, after her body was found Friday afternoon in a plastic container that was left across the street from a storage unit at 950 University Ave. in the Highbridge section, sources said. The woman was reported missing earlier this week, the sources said. Barrow is additionally charged with concealing a human corpse, cops said. Barrow was grilled by NYPD detectives at the 23rd precinct in Harlem on Saturday after police obtained video of Walcott going into her East Harlem apartment building with Barrow on Friday — but only Barrow was seen leaving, sources said. Sources said the video also showed the cousin at Walcott’s building, removing a plastic container early Friday. The record for most expensive collectible sports ticket was set twice with Heritage Auctions early Sunday. Concurrently, a ticket stub from Jackie Robinson’s 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and a full ticket from Michael Jordan’s 1984 debut with the Chicago Bulls, both graded by PSA (Professional Sports Authenticators), sold for $480,000 and $468,000, respectively. The previous record for the most expensive collectable sports ticket was $264,000, a ticket stub from Jordan’s NBA debut — the same game, albeit a checked ticket — is now the third-most-expensive collectible sports ticket ever. Mike Cole, the director of admissions for operations at Quinnipiac University, was a freshman at Northwestern University in 1984. A lifelong Bullets fan, his father surprised him with two tickets to an October Bulls-Bullets matchup. “I was only a month or two into school,” said Cole, who asked multiple classmates to attend. “I wasn’t that surprised or disappointed no one could go with me.” Cops are searching for a man behind the nauseating and sickening crime that recently happened at a New York subway station. A video obtained by The New York Post shows a 43-year-old woman sitting on a bench on the southbound platform of the Wakefield–241st Street station Feb. 21 when a man walks up to her holding a black plastic bag filled with human feces. He then smashes the bag and smears the poop on the back of the woman’s head. The assailant took off after the attack and as of Monday morning, cops are still looking for him. Police are now asking anyone with information to contact NYPD’s Crime Stoppers. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cahw6E4ssPO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again T.I was a guest on Godfrey’s Youtube series/Podcast, ‘In Godfrey We Trust, so two could clear the air over the rapper’s newfound career in stand-up comedy. T.I. has seemingly embarked on a new career journey as a stand-up comedian and comic veteran Godfrey is not impressed. In a recent interview, Godfrey spoke about being the headliner at a recent stand-up show and after his set, T.I. went on after him “and that’s a no-no, according to Godfrey,” per HotNewHipHop, so Godfrey opted not to watch the rapper’s set. https://youtu.be/LLTld0HXviM Samuel L. Jackson has weighed in on Joe Rogan’s past use of the N-word, which the podcaster claims have been taken out of context. In a statement posted on Feb. 5, Rogan admitted, “most regretful and shameful thing I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.” Meanwhile, Jackson, 73, claims “there is no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, never mind publicly on a podcast.” In a new interview with the Sunday Times, Jackson gave the side-eye to Rogan’s claim that his words were taken out of context. “He is saying nobody understood the context when he said it,” Jackson told the Times, which describes him as rolling his eyes over Rogan. “But he shouldn’t have said it. It’s not the context, dude — it’s that he was comfortable doing it. Say that you’re sorry because you want to keep your money, but you were having fun and you say you did it because it was entertaining.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZlnH8MAb8L/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A&E has announced a docuseries about the life and legacy of James Brown that will premiere next year. Directed by Deborah Riley Draper, the four-part documentary event titled “James Brown: Say it Loud” is timed to coincide with what would have been Brown’s 90th birthday, Urban Hollywood reports. Executive producers include Mick Jagger, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Peter Afterman, David Blackman, Victoria Pearman, Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter, Shawn Gee, Zarah Zohlman and Charlie Cohen. https://youtu.be/7PtI_xVfuUM Nicole Scherzinger sent the Internet on fire when she showed off her fit body in a blue bikini in a video shared with fans on social media. The clip shows her “rolling her hips to the classic Pussycat Dolls song “Buttons” with a slight twist. This is the Showmusik TikTok Remix of the song,” per The Blast. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaaTKjWuT9f/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Will Smith took home the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for his part in “King Richard” at the 28th Annual Screen Actor Guild Awards on Sunday. After his win, the actor made time to appreciate his close relationship with “mentor” Denzel Washington. “We’ve spent a lot of time together. So we’ve been talking, he’s always been a mentor for me and he grabbed me and he said, ‘This is your year,’ ” Smith told PEOPLE (the TV Show!) host Kay Adams after he won his award. “He just hugged me and he said, ‘I’m so happy for you. Just love who you’re becoming,’ ” he said. Continued Smith: “He knew me years ago, I would go to Denzel for advice so he’s seen me through the years and he was just telling me how proud he is of who I’ve become and what I’ve become. He was saying that he felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders somehow.” https://youtu.be/8yESxnS34b8 Atlanta, aka ‘ The Hollywood of the South’ just welcomed its newest addition to the entertainment industry. Wendy Schofield made history as the first Black woman to become director of Operations at West End Production Park Film and TV Studios. Schofield, who owned her marketing and production company, had WEPP studios as one of her clients for a year before being hired. It’s something that she never expected to happen. “We were just talking and they just said, ‘Hey, you know what? We need somebody to be over the WEPP. You’ve got a great history, a background in broadcasting and in production. We’d love for you to take this position,’ and so that’s how it happened,” she said. Schofield joins the small percentage of women in the entertainment space in the U.S. According to the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, women account for 25% of those working in key behind-the-scenes roles on the top 250 grossing films in 2021. This includes directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors and cinematographers. https://blackchristiannews.com/2022/02/wendy-schofield-makes-history-as-first-black-woman-to-become-director-at-atlantas-west-end-production-park-film-and-tv-studios/ Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has just landed his next main role. Per Deadline, the actor has boarded the cast of the upcoming movie Jesus Revolution, a collaboration between the Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate that’s “inspired by the true story of a national spiritual awakening in the early 1970s and its origins within a community of teenage hippies in Southern California.” Grammer joins the cast with Anna Grace Barlow, Jonathan Roumie, and Nicholas Cirillo, with the film also starring Joel Courtney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ally Ioannides, Julia Campbell, Nic Bishop, and Jolie Jenkins. The synopsis reads: “In the 1970s, young Greg Laurie (Courtney) sets out to redefine truth through all means of liberation, and instead, meets Lonnie Frisbee (Roumie), a charismatic hippie street preacher. Laurie and Frisbee, along with Pastor Chuck Smith (Grammer), open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to an unexpected revival by way of rock and roll, newfound love, and a twist of faith leading to a Jesus Revolution that changed the world. Laurie went on to start Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the largest churches in America, and the Harvest Crusade events, which have been attended by over six million people.” “The movie is set in a very specific time and place, but the theme of finding a deeper meaning to life, in the midst of a fractured and broken world, is timeless,” said Erwin. “In his iconic performances, Kelsey has a proven ability to connect with audiences in a real, vulnerable way, which will make him a tremendous presence in this film.” A month after announcing their shocking split, Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet have reunited. Momoa, 42, has reportedly moved back into the family home with Bonet, 54, as they’ve decided to pump the brakes on ending their marriage. “Jason moved back in with Lisa about two weeks ago and they are very much back together,” an insider tells HollywoodLife. “They decided to work on things rather than throw in the towel because they have so much invested in each other.” Momoa announced his separation from Bonet on January 12. The couple shares two children, 14-year-old daughter Lola and 13-year-old son Nakoa-Wolf. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Megan Thee Stallion claims she’s receiving death threats after DJ Akademiks tweeted there was “NO DNA” from Tory Lanez found on the weapon used in the 2020 shooting incident involving the former lovers. Megan alleged she was shot by Tory in July 2020 during an argument following a party with “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” star Kylie Jenner. Lanez was arrested and ultimately charged with felony assault, and nearly two years later, the case is still ongoing. On Wednesday (Feb. 23), Ademiks tweeted there was “NO DNA” from Lanez found on the weapon and Megan was quick to clap back. She accused Akademiks of spreading fake news. “Y’all got breaking news 15 minutes before court started, and nobody has even been called in yet??” Megan said on Instagram. She even tagged Ademiks directly and asked, “Why are you lying?” “What did you gain?” Tory Lanez reportedly interjected to note in a now-deleted post that he is only guilty of “f*cking 2 best friends” — not shooting Megan Thee Stallion. The largest dating app for Black singles called BLK recently conducted an in-app survey on whether or not Gen Z/Young Millennial Black women feel safe dating online, and some readers may find the results surprising. Here’s a breakdown of the results via MSN citing BLK Survey: Dating as a Black Woman: 78% of respondents ages of 18-34 don’t feel safe as a Black woman in America, 34% of respondents ages 18-34 don’t feel safe on mainstream dating apps, 67% of respondents feel safer dating on BLK, 64% of respondents don’t feel safe as a Black woman in America, and 29% of respondents don’t feel safe dating on mainstream dating apps. Per the survey, “64% Of Respondents Don’t Feel Safe As A Black Woman In America.” 25 musicians from the United States, Caribbean and Africa each compose a song to fight against systemic racism in the world. Global musicians, singers, poets, spoken word, rap, hip hop, funk, world music, classical and jazz composers on this special music project: Cheick Tidiane Seck – Immanuel Wilkins – David Gilmore – Marque Gilmore – Sharrif Simmons – Stephanie McKay – Andy Milne – Kokayi – Sonny Troupé – Reggie Washington – Alicia Hall Moran – DJ Grazzhoppa – Adam Falcon – Jeremy Pelt – Grégory Privat – Marcus Strickland – E.J. Strickland – Oliver Lake – Jacques Schwarz-Bart – Gene Lake – Tutu Puoane – Yul – Marvin Sewell – Jean-Paul Bourelly – Terence “Sub Z“ Nicholson. https://youtu.be/vEH_gmM2x3c David Frazier is the musical genius behind iconic Gospel hit songs "I Need You To Survive", "Power Belongs To God", "Release", and many more. The Grammy®, Stellar and Dove Award-winning songwriter and producer has now teamed up with BET's Sunday Best season 2 winner and powerhouse vocalist Y’Anna Crawley to recreate one of his classic Gospel hit songs “2nd Chance.” "2nd Chance" was initially recorded by Bishop Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Choir in 1997 released on the LIVE IN NEW YORK: BY ANY MEANS... album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdTS90BKhCo Rick Ross previously made clear that he cuts his own grass in an effort to save money – which is exactly why he took on a massive landscaping project at his Atlanta estate over the weekend. The hip-hop star took to his Instagram Stories to explain to fans that he needed to chop down 10 oak trees on his property to make room for his farm animals. But when an outside contractor gave him a quote of $10,000—$1,000 for each tree, Ross decided to take on the task himself. “Instead of me paying $10,000 to an outsider, went to Home Depot and bought two new saws for $2,000,” Ross said. “Was really only $5,000 worth of work. You take the $5,000, give that to your homies… You still got $3,000 for ya pockets. Come on, man, you could go get Wing Stop, man.” https://youtu.be/ee8D5lLQPr8 The Lakers have enough going on with their performance on the court. But all of the negative media surrounding the team has just made things more complicated, and things have reached uncomfortable levels. LeBron James fueled a lot of that fire with comments he made during the All-Star break. James openly said that he wouldn’t close the door on a potential return to Cleveland at the end of his career. That led many to believe he was taking a subtle jab at the Lakers. But this latest report could really change up the dynamic. Ric Bucher of Fox Sports reported that GM’s he spoke to suggested that Bron wanted Rob Pelinka out of the front office role. That would be huge, if accurate. Time truly slowed down during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Entertainers and musicians alike were hit hard by the deadly spreading virus, which halted performances, canceled tours and changed the creative process for better and worse. Technology took center stage, while release dates were forced to be pushed back. Grammy-nominated R&B star J. Holiday worked diligently to compose a masterpiece. His album “Time,” released on Feb. 7, focuses on the nuances that come along with time. A calculated play on words, this album highlights the one word that we were all forced to pay closer attention to at COVID’s peak: time. https://youtu.be/2-FcTsHYYKg Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood has a serious food insecurity problem – and it is only getting worse. As CBS 2’s Steven Graves reports, free food is going in minutes at giveaways. https://eurweb.com/2022/02/28/grocery-giveaways-begin-amid-food-insecurity-in-chicago/ As Covid-19 deaths and George Floyd protests swept the country and world in the summer of 2020, journalists Lauren Williams and Akoto Ofori-Atta discussed the urgency of the times. The women saw an opportunity to expand the media landscape and become catalysts for meaningful change. “The moment felt apocalyptic,” Williams told NBC News. “Raw and filled with unknowns. It seemed like a time to make a difference. We both thought, why not?” Leaving behind their respective jobs, the two friends began laying the groundwork for what became Capital B, a nonprofit local and national news organization centered on Black voices. The name is a nod to the B in Black, the team says, and “the argument that capitalizing it indicates the importance and singularity of Black people in America.” The newsroom launched in late January with a national website, and a virtual newsroom in Atlanta, the first of other planned bureaus across the country. And Capital B Live, its events program, will allow audiences to experience journalism through yet another medium. The overarching goal is to reach a multi-generational demographic of Black audiences nationwide. Scores of African migrants (and students) in Ukraine are being blocked from fleeing to safety as Russian attacks continue to devastate the country, those trying to make border crossings have told The Independent. Black people living in the region say they have been left to languish with some taking to Twitter in recent days to share accounts of abandonment. Speaking to The Independent, Osarumen, a father-of-three, said he and his family members were waved away from the border on Saturday and told “No blacks.” https://youtu.be/rHtZ1Ch8bNE Cities across the United States have seen rallies in support of Ukraine this weekend as the invasion by Russian forces continues. Crowds gathered on Saturday in cities including Atlanta, Washington, DC, and New York — where Olga Ladygina told CNN at a rally in Times Square that she hasn’t slept for the last three nights. Her friends in Ukraine have stayed up, too, Ladygina, who is from Kyiv, told CNN. But they’re making homemade bombs to try to stop Russian tanks. Ladygina has been up crying, watching the news and trying to call her loved ones who remain in Ukraine. It’s a stark contrast to what she sees in New York, she said. On Saturday, she saw people sitting and eating in restaurants who “don’t think that the war can come to their houses,” she told CNN. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko tonight issued a chilling threat that the West’s sanctions on Russia are pushing the Kremlin into a Third World War, after Vladimir Putin put his nuclear deterrent forces on ‘alert’. Lukashenko’s comments came as Kyiv and Moscow agreed to hold peace talks at the border with Belarus – though Volodymyr Zelensky admitted he wasn’t confident of a positive resolution, adding that he owed it to his people to at least try and engage. This evening also saw the EU unveil a fresh package of sanctions against Putin’s regime, closing off its airspace to all Russian planes and banning Kremlin propaganda outlets Russia Today and Sputnik. ‘Now there is a lot of talk against the banking sector, gas, oil, SWIFT,’ Lukashenko said. ‘It’s worse than war. This is pushing Russia into a Third World War. We need to be restrained here so as not to get into trouble. Because nuclear war is the end of everything.’ Ukraine’s health ministry said on Sunday that 352 civilians, including 14 children, had been killed since the beginning of Russia’s invasion. It also said that 1,684 people, including 116 children, had been wounded. Ukrainian President Zelensky’s office had earlier said the two delegations will meet ‘without preconditions’ near the Pripyat River, to the north of Chernobyl, in a deal brokered in a phone call with Lukashenko himself. A spokesperson added that Lukashenko has taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remain on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s travel, talks and return. Zelensky described his discussion with Lukashenko as ‘very substantive’, adding that he had made it clear he did not want troops to move from Belarus to Ukraine and Lukashenko ‘assured him of this’. After reports of him being in critical condition after being shot in the neck in Houston, it’s being confirmed by family and friends that Memphis rapper Snootie Wild has sadly passed. Yesterday, ABC13 reported that the rapper was left in critical condition after authorities found him in a ditch, next to an SUV, with a gunshot wound to his neck. After receiving CPR at the scene, Snootie was rushed to the hospital with a 50/50 chance of surviving. Taking to social media to update on his critical condition, family shared that the rapper was fighting for his life on a breathing machine. Several hours later into Saturday (Feb. 26), family and close friends began updating that the rapper had sadly passed from his injuries. https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e198b7e1-134a-4f62-b2ea-182e61fb3282 Police found the bodies of two girls and their parents during a welfare check at a North Texas home Thursday afternoon in what authorities suspect to be a murder-suicide. Marcus Buchanan, 36 and his wife, Rita Buchanan, 34, were discovered next to two girls – aged 13 and 3 – fatally shot in their home, police said. A neighbor who lives directly across the street says the adults worked from home, and that all four had moved to Granbury from Las Vegas about six months ago. ‘None of us heard anything. Nobody in the neighborhood heard any gunfire whatsoever, especially four rounds,’ Crystal Blanchard told KDFW. ‘Marcus was the happiest guy. He always talked. He always hung out with us.’ Police have not made a final determination, but investigators at the scene found evidence pointing to a murder-suicide. ‘Who does that to a child? Those children were innocent. They didn’t deserve that,’ Crystal said. Marcus didn’t have a criminal background, but Rita was charged with disorderly conduct in Henderson, Nevada in 2014, KDFW reports. Child Protective Services did not clarify if the family had a history with them. The Granbury Police Department told DailyMail.com there are no updates on the investigation as of Sunday morning. The 2022 NAACP Image Awards, which honor achievement by people of color in culture and entertainment, were presented on Saturday. Jennifer Hudson and Will Smith were among the night’s big winners. Hudson earned the event’s awards for Entertainer of the Year and outstanding actress in a motion picture for her performance as Aretha Franklin in the film “Respect.” https://youtu.be/bvFjz5tVhxA Will Smith was named Outstanding Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard” at The 2022 NAACP Image Awards https://youtu.be/3VfzKnIWrKI Winners from some of the more than 80 categories were also announced in virtual ceremonies throughout the week, with Regina King, Kevin Hart and Taraji P. Henson among the artists recognized pre-telecast. Check out Mary J. Blige from The 2022 NAACP Image Awards https://youtu.be/p7l2WuCxvZ4 Winners from The 2022 NAACP Image Awards include Prince Harry and Meghan Markle https://youtu.be/HTODFDEBQpw DEN-ZEL Washington, the Academy Award-winning powerhouse actor recently took the internet by shock through a re-surfaced video interview in which he was correcting his name’s pronunciation. The video originates from the actor’s appearance on the Graham Norton show in 2013. Interestingly, it only went viral recently, causing an uproar on the internet and trending on multiple high-profile social media pages. Expectedly, most internet users were shocked and amazed by the Training Day actor’s explanation. As reported by Black Enterprise, the video clarifies that his name is actually Denzil and not DenZEL, as everyone calls him. https://youtu.be/ZwULdrDijbI On Wednesday, #ColumbiaUniversity’s top psychiatrist was suspended after suggesting that a black model’s dark skin made her a “freak of nature.” “Whether a work of art or freak of nature, she’s a beautiful sight to behold,” tweeted Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of the school’s psychiatry department, in response to a photo of South Sudanese-American model #NyakimGatwech. So far, Columbia has not issued a statement in response to Lieberman’s remarks. However, the Manhattan school said he was removed as the psychiatrist-in-chief at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital and was suspended from his department chair role. https://www.instagram.com/p/CacupqRjvvo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Throughout history, trailblazers in Black media have used the power of storytelling to reclaim their narratives as mainstream publications gave a narrow lens into the American experience. Howard University received an endowment to preserve and honor the voices of these Black writers, editors and publishers who instrumentally shaped the landscape of journalism. The $2 million grant—provided by the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation—will be donated to the Howard University Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. The gift will support the digitization of the HBCU’s Black Press Archive; a vast collection that features over 2,000 newspaper titles from the United States and Africa, 2,847 microfilm reels of newspapers and over 100,000 newspaper issues. The digital conversion of these pieces of journalism will make them accessible to the masses and ensure they are etched in history for generations to come. The endowment will also be used to fund scholarships for students, hire staff and purchase supplies and equipment for the digitization process. Camille Henderson said she was asked to move to the back of the plane mid-flight to make room for two passengers who claimed to have first-class tickets, but couldn’t produce them to flight attendants. Henderson traveled to Atlanta with her boyfriend to visit her family in late January. Her mother had only met her boyfriend in passing, so this was the big meet and greet. Atlanta is a major Delta hub. Henderson said she flew exclusively with the airline, but that all changed with this most recent trip. “I just want them to acknowledge that they made me feel powerless and they can’t do that to customers moving forward,” she said in an interview with ABC7 News. On Henderson’s return flight on February 3, she said she experienced what amounted to a game of mid-flight musical chairs. She was ticketed a window seat in row 15, but by the end of the flight, she would be sitting in row 34. Henderson said the two women seated in the row next to her in the aisle and middle seats, who appeared to be flying together, complained to flight attendants about their seat assignment. “They felt like they were ticketed first-class seats, but they couldn’t provide the tickets,” said Henderson. CBS 2’s Marissa Perlman reports the Parker family Ring video showed the terrifying moments as Taneisha Parker and her two daughters pull up to park outside their South Calumet Avenue home in Chicago. They were soon to be victims of carjackers. “As soon as he walked up, he had his hand in his pants, and he was like ‘I don’t want to kill you’… He immediately started grabbing for my purse, so we started tussling,” Parker said. The mother says she’s lucky the suspected carjackers didn’t have a weapon. Within minutes, the two ran off without anything but Parker’s house keys. She credits her daughters for stepping in and scaring off the attackers. NFLer Travis Kelce has recently been drooling over girlfriend Kayla Nicole through her latest social media posts. Recently, the Strong is Sexy creator posted a new collection of photos on her Twitter and Instagram accounts. From the photos, she rocks a pair of black tights and black halter top with a keyhole in the middle, accessorized with black heels and a football-shaped Judith Leiber clutch – an admirable sexy look captioned “A lot to handle.” The awesome post didn’t go unnoticed by Kelce, 32, on both platforms –Twitter and Instagram, reports Page Six. Kayla is the girlfriend to Travis Kelce, Chiefs tight end, and the two have been linked together since 2017. Besides Travis, who commented with heart-eyed and drool face emojis on Twitter and “I’m tryin to handle ALLLLLL THAT!!!” on Instagram, Patrick Mahomes – Chiefs’ quarterback fiancée, Brittany Mathews responded with “AHHH HELL ????????.” Black women and beer may not be top of mind when thinking of likely pairings, but Celeste Beatty and other Black women brewers like herself are working hard to change that. Enter Harlem Brewing Company founded in 2000, the brewery that made Beatty one of the first, if not the first Black woman to launch one. The North Carolina native moved to New York in 1993, and began a home brewing business in Harlem shortly after. And while she has yet to open a taproom in the Black mecca, she is soon to launch Harlem Brew South, that is, if she manages to get enough financial backing. Beatty and her team are currently crowdsourcing funds to open a space that will serve not just as a taproom, but as an educational center as well. “The project we’re working on in Rocky Mount is really a digging-in kind of project where we want to create the Brewers Village to try to create a space where people in the community — many of whom I meet day to day — have never imagined they’d be brewing beer. So we’re about to start our first class for people who want to just learn some basics about brewing and give them an opportunity to do that intergenerationally.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told President Joe Biden ‘I need ammunition, not a ride,’ when offered the chance of a US-backed evacuation. Zelensky said in response to the offer of refuge: ‘The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,’ according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation, who described Zelensky as upbeat. He spoke as Biden authorized the release of $350million of military assistance to Ukraine after taking his latest weekend break to Delaware as Russian troops began to invade Kyiv. https://twitter.com/i/status/1497462778013102081 Ukraine’s armed forces were engaged in a fierce battle for Kyiv on Friday night, with footage on social media showing explosions close to a metro station in the western center of the capital by the zoo; a battle ongoing for control of a thermal power plant to the north; and multiple reports suggesting fierce fighting 20 miles south, near a vital airbase. In Kyiv, footage shared on social media showed a bombardment close to Beresteiska metro station, in the west of the city, which is near the zoo. More than 50 explosions and heavy machine gun fire were reported in the district of Shulyavka, near Beresteiska metro and the zoo, according to The Kyiv Independent. A bridge near the metro was blown up, according to reports. It was unclear whether the explosion was caused by artillery or by Ukrainian forces intent on stopping the Russian advance. The district is under the control of the 101st Independent Security Brigade of the General Staff. The Russian Grand Prix has become the latest big ticket sporting event to be canceled in Russia, after the UEFA Champion’s League Final, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, Formula One, the sport’s governing body, revealed that the Russian Grand Prix, due to be held in Sochi on Sept. 25, has been cancelled following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after a meeting on Thursday. “The FIA Formula 1 World Championship visits countries all over the world with a positive vision to unite people, bringing nations together,” Formula One tweeted on Friday. “We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation. On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.” The three men convicted of murder and hate crimes in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery will spend the rest of their lives in prison. But Arbery’s mother says this isn’t the end of the battle and the family will continue to fight for justice in the name of their son. Former Glynn County DA Jackie Johnson was indicted by a grand jury in September on a felony a charge of violation of oath of a public officer and a misdemeanor for obstruction of a police officer. According to the indictment, Johnson tried to use her prominent position of power to protect the men who killed Arbery. Greg McMichael, one of the men convicted in Arbery’s death previously worked for Johnson as an investigator for the district attorney’s office. Evidence presented in the state trial for the death of Arbery introduced phone records that show McMichael called Johnson shortly after his son shot and killed Arbery. Arbery family attorney Ben Crump believes Johnson is just as responsible for Ahmaud’s death as anyone. A GOP congressional candidate forgot about the whole “back the blue” thing when he got pulled over by a Sarasota, Florida, police officer who stopped him for speeding. Actually, a better lede would be: A white man in Florida got pulled over and tried to give a cop his white privilege card instead of his license and registration and he got all pissy when that didn’t work so he threatened to call her boss and get her fired. Then when that also didn’t work, he chided her for being an immigrant. https://twitter.com/i/status/1496486028936364036 An East Boston Municipal Court judge has reminded us how racism-friendly America often is. On February 15, 2020, a 46-year-old Latino woman and her 15-year-old daughter were walking home from the mother’s birthday dinner when rabid white women caught them speaking Spanish to each other,” according to 10 Boston. Now, we all know white women tend to suffer from severe allergic reactions after being exposed to the mere concept of minding their own business, but in this case, things went well beyond garden-variety Karen nonsense. Prosecutors said the two women shouted, “This is America,” and told the victims to “speak English” and “go back to your f****** country” as they punched, kicked, and bit them. One of the women admitted to the attack, which, again, involved a 15-year-old child, but she won’t be doing any jail time because of the way whiteness is set up in America, even racists who attack children don’t deserve to have their freedom taken away. “Jenny Leigh Ennamorati admitted to sufficient facts to five charges last week in connection with the February 2020 incident, and a judge in East Boston Municipal Court continued the case without a finding for a 15-month probationary period,” 10 Boston reported. “That means the charges could be dismissed if Ennamorati complies with the conditions of probation, the Suffolk district attorney’s office said in a statement Thursday.” The mother of Trayvon Martin used the 10th anniversary of the teen’s death Saturday to say she’s “standing strong,” while urging others to continue fighting with her for social justice. “We have to continue to hold people accountable for killing our loved ones,” Sybrina Fulton, while speaking at a meeting of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in Harlem. “We have to continue to support our children, our families … We can’t give up. We’ve come too far.” “If you don’t do anything else, don’t give up – that’s my message,” Fulton added. “Don’t ever give up. Ten years later, I’m still standing strong.” The unarmed black teen was shot dead by George Zimmerman while walking in a Florida neighborhood in 2012. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the 17-year-old’s death in July 2013, on grounds of self-defense. The acquittal led to widespread protests, national debates on the use of force and helped spur the Black Lives Matter movement. Jenice Hodge, a Black woman, was delivering food in 2019 when Calvin Pham, a Minneapolis Parks (Minnesota) traffic cop, pulled her over for what she thought was a routine stop. The body camera footage from the incident shows the cop telling the woman that he had pulled her over for not wearing her seatbelt and being on her phone. Hodge, however, clarified to Pham that she had never been pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt, and she was also using her phone’s GPS to make a food delivery. The officer then asked the woman for her license. Talking to KSTP, Hodge says that she hadn’t even retrieved the license from her purse, and a gun was pointed at her head. In less than a minute after pulling her over, the cop commanded Hodge to step outside her car – which left her confused, scared, and unaware of what to do. Eventually, she chose to raise her arms through the car’s sunroof, but she didn’t leave her car amidst the cop’s threats of ripping her out. https://youtu.be/DPvEspNifIY WARNING! This story contains GRAPHIC Photo/Video … Talmika Bates, a Black woman, was severely bitten by a Brentwood (CA) Police K-9 in 2020, gruesome photos and video shows. Bates, who was 24 at the time, (now 26), was suspected of shoplifting Ulta Cosmetic products worth $10000, an incident that led to the vicious attack that left her scalp and braids ripped off. https://youtu.be/8nUNEKp6ygw Jussie Smollett wants to have a do-over in court and is asking for a new trial in Chicago. Smollett’s defense team filed new documentation requesting the judge to reverse his verdict and change his guilty verdict of disorderly conduct for falsifying a police report. If not, his legal team is also asking for a new trial. As previously reported, Smollett was found guilty of five out of six felony counts. According to TMZ, the new legal documents claim the court violated Smollett’s constitutional rights by preventing his defense team from actively participating in the jury selection process. Additionally, Smollett states his lawyers were not allowed to ask potential jurors questions and believe the jury pool for his case was corrupted. He also accused prosecutors of being racist based on the selection of jurors. The judge was also blamed for barring the media and public from the courtroom. Denzel Washington is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. He is also a fantastic human professionally, and his Thursday radio interview on Nova FM’s breakfast show with Fitz and Wippa proved why. “The Equalizer” actor revealed that it is habitual for him to go out with his leading actresses, grab some coffee together and get to know each other ahead of the exotic and sex scenes. He reveals that when he did the first scene of Flight with actress Nadine Velazquez, the latter was supposed to be naked. So, he felt that it would have been appropriate to go out, have a little chat while eating something, probably a turkey sandwich and familiarize with each other before walking around naked all day with each other. Nestled in communities across the country are storied landmarks that provide a lens into Black history. Amongst these pillars is the Bray School—the nation’s oldest standing schoolhouse for African American children—which recently received a $5 million preservation grant. Founded in 1760, the school—which is located in Williamsburg—served as a learning institution for free and enslaved Black youth. Under the tutelage of educator Ann Wager, over 400 children learned the fundamentals of reading, writing and religion. Although the students were equipped with literacy skills, the school’s curriculum incorporated problematic doctrines by “directing the enslaved to accept their circumstances as divinely ordained,” the College of William & Mary shared. The Bray School shuttered following the death of Wager in 1774. It was acquired by William & Mary in 1930 and utilized by the college as a hub for its military science department. As decades passed, the structure’s history faded into obscurity. In 2003, retired English professor Terry Meyers unearthed the structure’s forgotten legacy and brought attention to its existence. It took 20 years for researchers to confirm the 260-year-old building on William & Mary’s campus was indeed the Bray School. Last year the college sold the structure to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; the country’s largest outdoor living museum. On THE REAL airing Friday, February 25, actor Anthony Anderson reveals that he’s only 15 credits away from getting his degree from Howard University and will graduate this spring. https://youtu.be/qTdorg-ZXkk Mick Jagger and Questlove are exec producing a four-part docuseries about “I Got You (I Feel Good)” star James Brown for A&E. The cable network has ordered James Brown: Say It Loud (w/t), directed by The Legacy of Black Wall Street helmer Deborah Riley Draper. It is the latest doc on the Godfather of Soul after Alex Gibney directed Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown for HBO in 2014. Jagger was a producer on that project. James Brown: Say It Loud is set for a 2023 release, marking what would have been Brown’s 90th birthday. It will explore Brown’s legacy with interviews with friends, family, collaborators and proteges as well as his beloved music catalog and includes never-been-seen-before archival footage. It will trace his life from a seventh-grade dropout arrested for armed robbery in the Jim Crow-era South to an entertainment legend. The happiest place on earth becomes one of the most soulful ones during February in celebration of Black History Month as Disneyland Resort kicked off its “Celebrate Soulfully” showcase. For two weekends in February, new interactive experiences highlighting Black heritage and culture will be available throughout the resort through music, food, and art programming. 2022 marks the first time the event has taken place at Mickey’s west coast headquarters – the event has taken place at the Walt Disney World resort in previous years. There are concerts and installations in Downtown Disney and the park. Stroll through and see artwork from Black artists inspired by the Disney and Pixar Academy Award-winning film “Soul,” which stars Jamie Foxx. Emerging Black artists featured included Bee Harris, Bianca Pastel, Arrington Porter, and Cory Van Lew. It might be tough finding a nice place to settle down in the U.S. as a family, especially when there are so many factors impacting the world, from high rent prices and inflation to safety and job security. Luckily there are a few sweet nooks around the good ole U.S. of A that are still affordable and might be great for first-time parents or married couples looking to expand their family trees. These states offer great rent prices and a few of these locations are emerging into booming hubs that will provide a wealth of thriving entrepreneurial and economic opportunities for families and couples. If you fancy warm weather or prefer the changes of the season, these four states are perfect for Black families or couples who are on a mission to find a new safe place to call home. San Antonio, TX, Orlando, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia and Raleigh, North Carolina are the hot spots. The California Task Force to Study and Development Reparations Proposal for African Americans is holding its seventh meeting this week. During the two-day virtual conference, the task force will pay homage to Black History Month as well as African American heroes who initiated the fight for reparations – and kept it alive over the years — in the United States. “Happy Black History Month! The first-in-the-nation California Reparations Task Force met again on Wed-Thurs Feb 23-24,” tweeted Kamilah Moore, chair of the task force. The tweet added: “Join us as we celebrate past and current reparations efforts!” Moore, a Los Angeles native, is an attorney and activist whose scholarship and work has focused on the study of reparations. https://youtu.be/lc_3Pir6Bjo On February 16, 2022, Dream Corps JUSTICE recognized that it received a $500,000 donation from the Sony Music Group Global Social Justice Fund. As a recipient, Dream Corps developed an advocacy training cohort program, spanning 17 states, and was based on teaching organizing tools that Dream Corps JUSTICE used to lead passage of the First Step Act in 2018 and pass bipartisan criminal justice legislation in states across the country. Within the program, twenty formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted individuals were given a six-month training program to develop organizing, legislative, campaign, and media literacy skills. As a result of the advocacy cohort, participants have already become nonprofit leaders, media spokespersons, and leaders of grassroots advocacy campaigns that reimagine justice, create alternatives to mass incarceration and make communities safer. https://youtu.be/TI2IXNiiyU4 Former Auburn and San Diego Chargers running back Lionel James, who made a name for himself for being unstoppable despite his small stature, died Friday after a lengthy illness, the university said. He was 59. Auburn announced the death of James, a 5-foot-6 player nicknamed “Little Train,” but provided no additional details. James played five seasons with the NFL’s Chargers, who have since moved to Los Angeles, after being drafted in the fifth round in 1984. He set an NFL record with 2,535 all-purpose yards in 1985 after leading the Chargers in rushing, receiving and kickoff and punt return yardage. He led the AFC in receptions that season with 86 while setting the NFL record for receiving yards by a running back with 1,027. One of the rarest Kobe Bryant cards in existence recently sold for $2 million, setting an all-time record for a Kobe card and placing it among the most expensive basketball cards of all time. The card was a 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald Kobe Bryant, and the deal was brokered by PWCC Marketplace. Why did this rare card command a record price? The Emerald variations of the Precious Metal Gems issue are highly coveted, as there are only 10 of each issue in existence. While the Kobe card is numbered 004-of-100, there are only nine other Emerald versions (as the remaining 90 cards are the Red version and they aren’t worth as much). In its February 18 issue, The Baltimore Sun’s editorial board finally apologized for 185 years of racist coverage. The authors wrote that the newspaper had “sharpened, preserved and furthered the structural racism that still subjugates Black Marylanders in our communities today.” For its culpability, “We are deeply and profoundly sorry.” The Sun’s half-performative apology contributes to the normalization of whiteness in U.S. culture, even while the magazine profits from the cultural capital it gains for (partially) apologizing for racism. Full disclosure: I got my start as a journalist for The Sun in 1997 when I was 19 years old writing for the Metro Section. I enjoyed working in that newsroom and had a great rapport with reporters and editors. The editors even allowed me to step beyond my reporter role to write pieces for the Op-Ed section said Stacey Patton. In fact, my first opinion piece carried the following headline: “Apologize for slavery? Yes – with deeds.” Over the years as a journalism professor, I’ve proudly watched a few of my HBCU students work on collaborative projects and as interns for the paper. Actor Quinton Aaron, star of “The Blind Side,” has shed almost 100 pounds. Quinton, 37, tells TMZ that he gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic by pigging out on sugary snacks and junk food. “I used the new year as a way to get a new me,” he told the outlet, revealing that he dropped from 559 pounds to 462 pounds. Aaron is now all about walking and stretching, eating Cobb salads for lunch and following a keto diet. His goal is to drop another 64 pounds by May 10 to honor his late mom on her birthday, per the report. The Queen Bee has paid adequate attention to maintaining her sexiness for the longest time, which explains the stylish ensembles she rocks all the time. She is famous for rocking the biggest brands in the market, from Versace to Marc Jacobs and the Notorious K.I.M., known for her exquisite taste. So, it would be natural for Lil’ Kim to serve her ample assets in the sexy Savage X Fenty lingerie. https://www.instagram.com/lilkimthequeenbee/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=26af2158-8cfb-4d50-b414-e48db940b090 Remember last month when Snoop Dogg exposed his UberEats driver for not delivering his food? Well now, that driver says he plans on suing Snoop Dogg because he fears for his safety after Snoop shared his information to his millions of followers! The driver, Said, spoke with KCAL LA to share how much Snoop Dogg’s post has affected his life. Said claims because Snoop shared his picture and his license plate numbers, he has extreme anxiety whenever he goes out. “There’s my picture there and also there is my first name,” said the driver. “After I see the video, I’m kind of like…I have anxiety and I fear for my family’s safety.” Sayd says he didn’t even know he was delivery to a celebrity and followed the right protocols before eventually driving away. He says since the video has been posted he hasn’t returned to work and feels like he’s been thrown into a spotlight that he didn’t ask for. https://www.instagram.com/p/Caadnetgq8P/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Planet YAHWEH, formerly known as YMMG, just signed the latest hot Latina music sensation, Wilkenia C. Pujols, also known as “Ecstrah” to the label. Ecstrah is the first cousin to Albert Pujols, a Major League Baseball player. Ecstrah previously released “Aim to Please” in 2021 and is scheduled to release an EP in Fall 2022. https://youtu.be/dWq9Y-6BZW8 The Texas governor has called on citizens to report parents for abuse if they have a child(ren) undergoing Gender-Affirming Care. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on “licensed professionals” and “members of the general public” to report the parents who approve of their minor children to receive gender-affirming medical care, NBC News reports. Abbott laid out the directive in a letter sent Tuesday to the Department of Family and Protective Services, urging it to “conduct a prompt and thorough investigation” of reported cases of minors undergoing “elective procedures for gender transitioning.” Abbott has warned teachers, nurses, and doctors that they could face criminal penalties for failing to report “such abuse.” A woman in Mexico who was crushed to death while trying to lift a 400-pound barbell. On top of that, it happened right in front of her daughter. Viral video of the incident, which happened last Monday ()02-21-22), shows the mother attempting to raise the massive weight in front of her daughter at the Club Fitness Sport gym in Mexico City. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well because she simply was not strong enough to keep the barbells from falling on her. The 400 pounds of weight slammed her neck into the bench and the woman died on the spot. https://youtu.be/R8ONYQYJ6cE President Joe Biden will reportedly announce Friday his pick for the forthcoming supreme court vacancy will be Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Jackson is expected to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer, who is set to retire. If confirmed, Jackson, 51, will be the first Black woman to serve on the court. https://youtu.be/2FLz6BfNeDw Quintez Brown, a prominent BLM activist, was charged last week with firing a gun at a mayoral candidate in Louisville. Brown, 21, is charged with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment after allegedly firing shots inside the campaign office of Craig Greenberg. “It’s all been since he started college,” his mother Cecilia Brown told The Post about her son, “who was once honored by President Obama and appeared on MSNBC to push gun control,” per the publication. “I haven’t really heard from him. He’s always busy. He’s been living with his dad. I don’t know what was on his mind. Only God can judge that.” Louisville Metro Police do not yet have a motive to explain the shooting, but Chief Erika Shields told reporters that Craig Greenberg, the victim, “is Jewish, so there’s that. We don’t know if it’s tied to the candidates or is political or if we are dealing with someone with mental issues or is venomous,” Shields said. “We are looking at this from all angles.” The United States ambassador to the United Nations (UN) urged the intergovernmental organization to take immediate action as Russia invaded Ukraine in what the president called an “unprovoked” attack. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned that the UN’s peace-keeping arm needed to draft an emergency resolution amid dwindling diplomatic options in what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to convince Russia to stop its attack that had already begun Wednesday night. The UN Security Council was expected to hold an emergency meeting Thursday after Thomas-Greenfield referred to the military conflict as a “message of war” sent by Russia to the entire world. Plummeting Covid-19 case counts across the United States are leading to lifted mask mandates and more conversations about steps toward normalcy — but more people are dying of the coronavirus now than during most points of the pandemic. Before Omicron became the dominant coronavirus strain in the US, there were only about 100 other days when there were more than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The only other time that deaths have been this high for this long was during the first winter surge, before vaccines were available. The Omicron wave has also been deadlier for longer than the Delta surge: In September, when Delta was dominant, average daily deaths topped 2,000 for half as long. More than 120,000 people in the US have died of Covid-19 since Omicron became the dominant variant in December, and Covid-19 has accounted for more than 1 in 5 deaths reported in 2022. Nations that build walls to keep their people separated usually end up on the wrong side of history. But that hasn’t stopped the Dominican Republic from beginning construction on a border wall with the neighboring country of Haiti. The 13-foot tall structure will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology including more than 70 watchtowers, drones, movement sensors, cameras, and much more. It will also stretch over 120 miles of the Dominican-Haitian border. Ex-NFL player Zackary “Zac” Stacy has been hit with five more criminal charges stemming from a domestic attack on his ex back in August. According to court records, Stacy was hit with three misdemeanor domestic violence battery charges last week, as well as two misdemeanor criminal mischief charges. In court documents, officials say the charges stem from an Aug. 16, 2021 incident with his ex-girlfriend, Kristin Evans — the same woman Stacy was seen on video brutalizing in November 2021. The beating was captured on hidden cameras in Evans’ studio apartment in Oakland, Florida. https://youtu.be/lZM-Nsvxhnc Katrina Cooke Brownlee retired last year as one of the New York City Police Department’s top-ranked detectives. That she is alive is a miracle. In her first primetime television interview, Brownlee shares her emotional story of being shot by an abusive ex-fiancé, then pleading for help from the police, who she says ignored her, and how she used that experience to become a top police officer, in 48 HOURS: “Katrina Brownlee: The Good Cop” to be broadcast Saturday, Feb. 26 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) and streaming on Paramount+. Anchored by Michelle Miller, co-host of CBS SATURDAY MORNING, “Katrina Brownlee: The Good Cop” takes viewers inside Brownlee’s inspirational journey from survivor of a horrific attack to top-ranked detective in the NYPD. Brownlee opens up about the abuse she says she suffered, how she met the so-called blue wall of silence, how she fought to live, and how she vowed to be a good cop. https://youtu.be/v0CSof8rASs Wendy Williams is said to be considering taking legal action against Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein over being replaced by Sherri Shepherd. A Williams insider tells RADAR, “Wendy has been reading the news where Chris Cuomo is suing CNN for $60 million and Megyn Kelly get $60 million when she was kicked out of NBC. Knowing Wendy, she will think she can get the same amount too. This is going to get ugly. She was hired because of her big mouth, well now that big mouth is going to bite the hand that fed her.” Earlier we reported that “The Wendy Williams Show” is set to end in June and the timeslot will be filled by the new talk show “Sherri” with Sherri Shepherd as host. In the wake of that announcement, Williams responded earlier this week via her rep, Howard Bragman. Sherri’s takeover of Wendy’s timeslot has reportedly left the former radio shock jock angry. “Wendy is on sick leave and has basically been fired. This isn’t right and Wendy isn’t going to take this,” sources tell RADAR. “She is considering legal action again her producers and is also deciding on what to do about Sherri Shepherd. Sherri was supposed to be a friend filling in for Wendy while she was sick, but instead, Sherri stabbed Wendy in the back. If anyone thinks Wendy is going to disappear without a fight they are a fool.” Mary J. Blige recently chopped it up with the hosts of The Breakfast Club and revealed she has a memoir releasing soon and she’s working on a new album with hip-hop icon Dr. Dre. https://youtu.be/6BW-xNymEZc Former “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” star Apryl Jones and actor Taye Diggs are apparently the Internet’s favorite new couple. Rumors of the two being an item were initially sparked when the pair was spotted attending a holiday party together in Hollywood late 2021,” per MadameNoire. The pair haven’t publicly confirmed their relationship but both Apryl, 35, and Taye, 51, have posted several photos and videos of each other on their respective social media accounts. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZcGAphFRp5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Actor Olly Sholotan, who plays Carlton Banks on the new “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reboot, is clapping back at trolls who are mocking his appearance on social media. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FMEtBFbVQAAGATS?format=jpg&name=small An exclusive clip from the new episode of “Power Book IV: Force” airing Sunday, February 27th on Starz. In “Storm Clouds,” when Tommy’s (played by Joe Sikora) former foe turned friend is at the mercy of a notorious criminal organization, who resurface to reclaim what’s theirs, loyalties are tested. https://preview-g.starz.com/p/promos/new/vers0236431_pbf1_104_press_clips_approved_pbr_36792_22_169_get_mines___tune_in___no__2000k.mp4 An African American woman (Victoria Coleman) has become a wine industry trailblazer in the famed Napa Valley. As John Ramos reports, she is not only making great wine, she’s making history. https://cbsloc.al/3scjoyg On the final “Future Made” on Facebook and Instagram will be an intimate conversation between WNBA basketball star Candace Parker and her daughter Lailaa. Featuring six multi-generational family groups, “Future Made” is a new interview series and Reels challenge on Instagram and Facebook capturing intimate conversations between public figures and their children. Recent “Future Made” public figure interviews include YouTuber and actress AmbersCloset with her father, former NFL football star Arthur Whittington; WNBA basketball player Lexie Brown with her father Dee Brown. Billboard chart-topping singer, rapper and actress Monica Arnold with her son Rodneyy. https://www.instagram.com/candaceparker/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c07d6b76-960e-483f-8ac3-5fdd56abccdf Christine Taylor ‘never even dated other people after they separated’ before becoming a couple again, it has been claimed. The pair announced their split in 2017 but remained friendly through the years, then resumed their romance after self-isolating together in the COVID-19 pandemic. Now a People insider shared that Ben, 56, and Christine, 50, are ‘the kind of couple that friends hoped would get back together. They were never estranged.’ The source divulged: ‘Ben just had such a busy career for years. It drove them apart a bit. They didn’t spend much time together. But when they did, it was always obvious that they loved each other.’ Harry Styles’ stalker has been charged by police for allegedly forcing her way into the singer’s home three years after being hit with a restraining order. Diana Tarazaga-Orero, 28, previously known as Pablo, is said to have assaulted a woman who was working at the star’s home in north London during the incident last Wednesday. The transgender woman shouted ‘I’m not going to hurt him, I love him’ before she was remanded in custody on Friday. Tarazaga-Orero, originally from Spain was wearing a dirtied cream sweater and made continuous outbursts in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.’ Sally Kellerman, who was Oscar nominated for her supporting role as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s “M*A*S*H” feature film, died Thursday in Woodland Hills, Calif. She was 84. Her publicist Alan Eichler confirmed her death. Among her other roles were a cameo in Altman’s “The Player,” a professor in Rodney Dangerfield’s “Back to School” and a Starfleet officer in the “Star Trek” episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” The willowy blonde actress with the characteristically throaty voice appeared in two Altman films in 1970; the other was the more experimental “Brewster McCloud,” in which she starred with Bud Cort and Michael Murphy. In this film, which did not have a conventional narrative, Kellerman played Louise, the mother of the bewinged Cort character, Brewster. DeVon Franklin is staying put at CBS Studios. The producer, motivational speaker and bestselling author, who is executive producing CBS’ Early Edition drama pilot, has re-upped with the studio with a multi-year overall deal. Franklin has multiple projects in development in addition to executive producing the recently ordered CBS drama pilot Early Edition, a reboot of the Kyle Chandler-starring late-‘90s fantasy newspaper drama co-produced by CBS Studios and Sony Pictures Television. Franklin, who has been under a deal with CBS Studios since 2020, serves as President and CEO of Franklin Entertainment production company, which is under a first-look film deal at Paramount Pictures and a first-look television deal at CBS Studios. Jenna Nicholson runs Franklin Entertainment’s TV division as Vice President of Television and Alexander Mosby was recently promoted to Manager of Television. Franklin most recently produced the inspirational films Breakthrough starring Chrissy Metz for Disney/Fox, and Sony’s The Star and Miracles From Heaven. A college student from Euless, Texas has landed a national award for her activism while away at school. Channing Hill is the 2021 NAACP Youth Activist of the Year. She’s in California to be part of the nationally broadcast award show celebrations. “It makes me feel incredible,” Hill said. “I am just so proud of myself and my friends, and the conviction we displayed in the last semester.” Hill is currently the president of the NAACP Howard University Unit. She’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree before heading to law school. Hill led a 34-day peaceful sit-in protest at Howard last semester about housing conditions. Hill said it’s just the start of being a voice for others. Art Briles, who was fired as Baylor‘s head football coach in 2016 following the university’s investigation into campuswide allegations of sexual assault, has been hired as Grambling State‘s offensive coordinator, athletic director Trayvean Scott confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. Former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson was hired as Grambling State’s head coach in December. Briles, 66, has been out of college coaching since May 2016, when Baylor officials suspended him with intent to terminate for his role after sexual assault allegations were made against students, including football players. He later reached an undisclosed financial settlement with Baylor, where he coached from 2008 to 2015, posting a 65-37 record and winning a share of back-to-back Big 12 titles in 2013 and 2014. Former Baylor coach Art Briles has been the subject of controversy for years since his departure from the program. Now, according to an ESPN report, Briles is on his way back to the college ranks and has been hired as the offensive coordinator at Grambling State. And it didn’t take long for the backlash to begin, with former Grambling quarterback and NFL Super Bowl winner Doug Williams firmly speaking out against the hire. “I’m not a fan at all,” Williams told the Washington Post. “I’m very, very disappointed in Grambling, I really am.…I talked to the A.D. a couple times. They knew where I stood, but they did it and if that’s what they want to do, that’s fine. I’m out.” Odell Beckham Jr. just added another title to his resume — father! The L.A. Rams star and his girlfriend — model and fitness instructor Lauren Wood — welcomed their first child together, baby Zydn, just four days after the Rams won Super Bowl LVI. OBJ announced the news Wednesday on Instagram with an adorable photo of the lovely couple bundled up in bed while the footballer, now recovering from knee surgery, cradles the newborn. The Super Bowl champ also posted a lengthy caption on his post that read in part, “2-17-22, 0605. THE biggest blessing I’ve ever had in my life arrived here on earth! The words, I can’t even put together for the overwhelming emotions that ran thru me … a moment I will never forget and cherish forever. Zydn was born n at that moment I knew my life changed for the better.” https://www.instagram.com/obj/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4939cb08-eaaa-41e1-bec6-5674fdd1feaf Deion Sanders’ daughter, Shelomi Sanders, is headed to college, but she won’t be going far. Shelomi, a 5-foot-7 shooting guard at Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, has committed to Jackson State. She joins her father and siblings Shedeur and Shilo at JSU. “Shelomi Sanders, guard for Rockwall-Heath in Texas and daughter of JSU football head coach Deion Sanders, announces her commitment to the Jackson State women’s basketball team,” one fan tweeted. Today, platinum-selling Tauren Wells released his new single, “Fake It” Feat. Aaron Cole, via Capitol Records/CCMG, marking the 10-time GRAMMY® nominee’s first release on the label. On this upbeat, infectious track Wells celebrates the joy that comes from being loved as you are, freed from any need to “fake it”. Listen to “Fake It” HERE. Wells and Cole wrote “Fake It” with Chris Stevens – who produced the track with Tedd T. – and Emily Weisband. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRYoOB1cQh8&feature=youtu.be CHART-TOPPING CHRISTIAN HIP-HOP ARTIST KB has a new track “King Jesus,” a co-artist release recorded with hit Christian rapper nobigdyl. The new track is available now on digital music platforms, and the official music video for “King Jesus” was also released. The music video also made its broadcast premiere on the BET Gospel network. ON THE FIERY TRACK, WHICH IS ALSO INSPIRED BY A SAMPLE OF VICKIE WINANS’ HIT “LONG AS I GOT KING JESUS,” KB AND NOBIGDYL. TRADE VERSES WITH THEIR DISTINCTIVE LYRICAL PROWESS. THE TWO Billboard-charting hitmakers deliver energetic performances hyping Jesus and celebrating the freedom and blessings to be found in serving Him. The music video stars KB, nobigdyl. and actor/comedian Kel Mitchell. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=4-F9I5UNXHO Last year, Chloe picked the song "Miracle" on Elle Magazine's Song Association, and this year she performed it with Mali Music at the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. Look what the Lord has done! https://www.instagram.com/p/CaP3GhUJz9P/ The All-Star Gospel Celebration (ASGC) kicked off NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio with an unforgettable celebration in its 15th year during the NBA All-Star Weekend! The celebration hosted by 3x NBA All-Star host Jacinda Jacobs and NBA Veteran & former National Basketball Players Association Vice-President Maurice “Mo” Evans was the most anticipated event during the weekend. NBA Chaplains rocked the stage after an electrifying opening by Kierra Sherard-Kelly. Special appearances by Maverick City Music and DOE wowed the crowd, and the new artist showcase was one to remember with Anthony Hall & Keyla Richardson both giving a championship performance. Saxophonist Angella Christie, took the entire audience to church, while the Red Hand Band had the crowd on their feet. Mali Music delivered the SLAM DUNK performance to end the show. Following the show, guests enjoyed a post-reception catered by Pearl's Kitchen. Catch the 15th All-Star Gospel Celebration Encore Presentation Sunday, February 27, 2002 4pm EST/1pm PT. A winter storm bringing heavy snow and ice to parts of the Northeast on Friday is causing rough road conditions after prompting school closures and hundreds of flight cancellations. Some 40 million people remain under weather alerts. In areas north of Interstate 90, up to 8 inches of snow could fall, with extra ice expected in some places, creating hazardous travel. The storm will begin moving out of the northeast late Friday afternoon into the early evening. Earlier Friday, with heavy snow falling in the Boston area, a commuter train hit an unoccupied snow plow, affiliate WFXT reported. No one was injured. State police said two lanes are closed on the Mass Pike east in Auburn after a tractor-trailer rolled over, the station said. And affiliate WFXT reporter Vicki Graf tweeted video of a minor crash, also without injuries. Officials have urged people to avoid driving if possible. https://eurweb.com/2022/02/25/northeast-struggling-with-rough-driving-conditions-in-winter-storm-video/ WE tv’s “Love During Lockup, finds Emily telling Haley she has feelings for her but doesn’t want to cross a boundary. “Love During Lockup” is the latest installment of the “Love After Lockup/Life After Lockup” franchise. This season follows even more riveting firsts through the early stages of love, with plenty of romance, suspicion, and investigation, all long before a scheduled prison release. https://youtu.be/U2CyS5fFJWs Homelessness is a longstanding national issue that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and an 8-year-old from South Carolina has set out on a mission to support individuals facing housing insecurity. Taji Johnson is paying it forward by providing tents for those who have been displaced, WJBF reported. In January, the youngster launched Taji’s Tents; a fundraiser created to purchase tents for people facing homelessness in his local community. Within 10 days, Taji garnered $2,700 in donations and was able to buy 34 tents. He and his family traveled to Columbia, South Carolina to distribute the tents to people in need. For the first time ever, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a condom specifically for anal sex. “The risk of STI transmission during anal intercourse is significantly higher than during vaginal intercourse. The FDA’s authorization of a condom that is specifically indicated, evaluated and labeled for anal intercourse may improve the likelihood of condom use during anal intercourse,” said Courtney Lias, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Office of GastroRenal, ObGyn, General Hospital, and Urology Devices in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The risk of STI transmission during anal intercourse is significantly higher than during vaginal intercourse. The FDA’s authorization of a condom that is specifically indicated, evaluated and labeled for anal intercourse may improve the likelihood of condom use during anal intercourse,” said Courtney Lias, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Office of GastroRenal, ObGyn, General Hospital, and Urology Devices in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Shaquille O’Neal’s generosity knows no bounds. Shaq is one of the wealthiest players in the NBA, having amassed a small fortune during his career in the NBA as a superstar. On top of that, he made a lot of smart business decisions and investments and is reaping the reward for that these days. Shaquille O’Neal is clearly a very wealthy man. But unlike a lot of wealthy people, Shaq uses his money to give back to the community. O’Neal has been very generous on numerous occasions. When he once bought a bike for a young kid, he explained that every time he leaves the house, he wants to bless someone and help the needy. https://www.instagram.com/thecollinskids/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d7e66b7a-fd9c-4450-9d28-5079f897eb41 Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine could drive prices even higher at a moment when inflation is already rising at the fastest clip in decades. Economists are racing to assess the impact of the attack, which could spark the biggest war in Europe since 1945. The conflict is unlikely to tip the global economy back into recession, they say, but market tumult, the threat of punishing sanctions and potential supply disruptions are already pushing up the wholesale price of energy and some agricultural products. Consumers will pay more for gasoline and food as a result. “Inflation is likely to peak at higher levels that we were envisaging just a few days ago,” said Ben May, director of global macro research at Oxford Economics. https://eurweb.com/2022/02/24/russias-attack-on-ukraine-means-even-higher-prices-for-us/ Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and gave a chilling warning to its allies in the West in an early Thursday morning address in Moscow. Explosions were heard in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, as Putin announced that Russia was launching a military attack on Ukraine. ‘To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside – if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history,’ he said on a television broadcast around 6am Moscow time. The United Nations Security Council had just convened an emergency meeting Wednesday night when Putin took to Russian airwaves to announce the invasion at 5:50am Moscow time.Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, had urged Putin to stop his tanks. ‘If indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart,’ said Guterres. ‘President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.’ Putin ignored the plea, going on TV to describe the invasion as a ‘special military occupation’ and said he wants to ‘demilitarize’ and ‘de-Nazify’, not occupy, the country. Ukraine was under siege on Thursday after Vladimir Putin announced he was invading in what he termed a ‘special military operation’ – sending in tanks from the northern border with Belarus in a combined Russian-Belorussian offensive, and launching attacks from the east and south, including on the capital Kiev. Hundreds of Ukrainians were killed in the onslaught, the interior ministry said, and videos on social media showed the scale of the invasion. Five Russian jets and one helicopter were shot down over the east of the country, near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s military said. Percy L. Julian, an African American inventor, once said, “I have had one goal in my life, that of playing some role in making life a little easier for the persons who come after me.” As the holder of 130 patents – including industrial chemicals used in firefighting – Julian, who died in 1975, certainly has made a difference in society. He is just one of a wealth of Black inventors – some of them former slaves or the sons or daughters of slaves – whose devices, inventions, processes, and innovations have made our lives better. To compile a list of some of them, 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous sources including History, Biography, Parents, and Invent (the website for the National Inventors Hall of Fame). Many of the creations of these inventors were new devices or improvements on existing ones found in the home. These include the portable ironing board, the dustpan and the eggbeater. To maximize space in small apartments, one woman created a bed that could fold into a cabinet. For greater convenience, a man reduced treks to the post office by inventing the street letter box. A Black inventor developed a refrigeration system in long-haul trucks that revolutionized the grocery industry. Others invented ways to improve safety outside the home, such as the three-way traffic light and automatic doors on elevators. An African-American’s development of a process for separating plasma from blood, allowing it to be stored for up to a week, has helped save countless lives. Social media is celebrating iconic singer Jody Watley with #JodyWatleyAppreciationDay on February 28, 2022! For fans in the States and across the globe, Watley set the standard as a trendsetting pioneer in music, video, fashion and style. She is one of the architects of 21st-century pop, and one of music’s most versatile song stylists. Telling her story in her own words whether in interviews, social media or in her sold-out concerts, the iconic singer always remains true to herself. https://youtu.be/Xy493_HBqAk The wait has ended. Yeezy Gap revealed the first look at its highly anticipated collaboration with fashion powerhouse brand Balenciaga. The 25-piece collection includes a denim jacket paired with jeans, logo tees and hoodies, with some of the items featuring a dove motif representing “hope.” Eight of the items went on sale Wednesday at 9 am ET, but five of the limited-edition unisex styles sold out within minutes after they were posted online. Prices range from $120 to $440 for the eight pieces, which are available for purchase on YeezyGap.com and Farfetch.com. Gap said the collection reflects “timeless silhouettes translated through the lens of Kanye West and Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna’s, shared vision of utilitarian design.” Detroit Police have arrested two teenagers for the “execution-style” killings of a 5-year-old boy, his mother, and his stepfather in a home invasion on Sunday evening. Caleb Harris was shot multiple times in the face. His mother Lashon Marshall, 28, and her boyfriend Aaron Benson, 32, the boy’s stepfather, were also shot dead, TooFab reports. https://youtu.be/ReFJle5ePCQ Alexia Curry delivers on her debut single entitled "Hear His Voice," a message that is undoubtedly straight from God. When asked what the song reminds her of when singing it, Alexia said, “It reminds me of the old gospel hymn Yes, Jesus Loves Me.” Alexia is a devoted Christian with a genuine love for God, a woman of prayer, an entrepreneur, wife, mother, and now a new gospel artist. She believes that throughout her life God was preparing her for such a time as this, and now He has manifested her dreams into reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7rW82Ks_p0&feature=youtu.be Multi-genre recording artist Damien Sneed returns to his Gospel roots with the release of his brand-new project, Damien Sneed UNPLUGGED on Friday, February 25, 2022, on his boutique label, LeChateau Earl Records. UNPLUGGED is a collection of soulful and inspirational songs, recorded in a free-form, spare studio setting with Sneed on piano and vocals alongside several noted vocalists, including Chenee Campbell, Linny Smith, Tiffany Stevenson, and Matia Washington. The album’s first single, “Jehovah God, You Are My All” has recently been serviced to Gospel radio. UNPLUGGED is available on all digital retail and streaming platforms. The physical release of UNPLUGGED also coincides with Sneed’s special guest appearance at the Hammond Organ Summit at Berklee College of Music’s Piano and Voice departments today, February 24. He will lead two sessions titled Gospel Keyboard Techniques and Band Rehearsal Techniques, which are open to the Berklee community. While in Boston, Sneed will continue to headline his 25-city North American tour, A Tribute to Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul featuring special guest singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson at Berklee Performance Center tomorrow, Friday, February 25. The tour also features Gospel legend Karen Clark Sheard, who is not featured on this Berklee date. TV One announced the premiere date of its four-part documentary special UNSUNG PRESENTS: THE DECADES, an examination of the music and social consciousness of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Following on the success of TV One’s groundbreaking ‘Music and the Movement’ special, these four ‘Decades’ episodes put a spotlight on songs that were chart hits, while also showing how they became signifiers for what was going on in the wider culture of Black America, from politics to fashion to business. UNSUNG PRESENTS: THE DECADES kicks off a night of back-to-back episodes on Sunday, February 27 starting at 9 p.m. ET/8C, beginning with the 1970s, immediately followed by the 1980s episode at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHl4hjMjtf8 For those wondering, yes, even one of America’s most decorated modern actresses still gets butterflies when stepping into a new role, especially when she’s playing one of the most iconic women in American history. In a conversation with media on Wednesday, Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis said playing former first lady Michelle Obama in Showtime’s upcoming limited series “The First Lady” involved “a huge amount of fear.” “You don’t want to insult them by your portrayal,” she said during a panel for the show at the Television Critics Association press tour. https://youtu.be/j36nGWGC5FI Veteran actress Victoria Rowell is set to recur on the CBS medical drama “Good Sam.” The actress and creator/star of the “Rich & The Ruthless” took to Twitter to share the details along with a photo of herself with the show’s director, Oz Scott, and series actor Evan Parke. She captioned the image, “To my loyal ??@CBS @YandR_CBS @diagnosismurder medical drama fans pls join me on NEW Series @GoodSamCBS Wednesdays! It was a joy reuniting w/consummate Director @OzScott @ArimatheaMedia? #TinaKingsley #drama starts March 2nd!” Growing Up Hip Hop,” finds Tee Tee having a meltdown over having to get married under an ugly red tent on a rainy day. Meanwhile, her fiancée Shawn is not being as helpful as he can be. https://youtu.be/_DfIlZjmZ5U Hip-Hop icon Da Brat and her lady-love Jesseca “Judy” Dupart tied the knot at the Horse Mansion in Fairburn, Georgia on Feb. 22. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CaXbjuaDRUN/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c791e0c8-b5a6-4e04-b636-5d245607ca4b Wendy Williams has informed her spokesman, Howard Bragman, that he is not authorized to make any statements on her behalf. Following news that her beloved talk show is being canceled and her time slot will be filled by Sherri Shepherd‘s new show simply titled “Sherri,” Bragman released a statement Tuesday saying Wendy “understands” the business decision and expressed her “gratitude” to Shepherd, SandraRose reports. Wendy clapped back in a statement shared on her new Instagram page, informing Bragman that he is not “authorized” to speak for her. “Mr. Bragman although I appreciate your concerns and respect you immensely I have not authorized you to make any statements on my behalf regarding my current status with Debmar Mercury. Again thanks for your continuing concern and support.” In his written response to PEOPLE, Bragman suggested someone other than Wendy may have posted the statement. He wrote: “I’m not honestly convinced of the source of that social media post, so when my old friend Wendy FaceTimes me personally and we alone have a chance to discuss recent events, together we can figure out the best path forward.” Hip-hop icon MC Lyte admits she was “very distraught” after her marriage to John Wyche ended with a divorce in 2020. The rapper’s ongoing separation from her ex was initially hard to navigate emotionally, MC Lyte said while as a co-hosting on “The Real” on Feb. 21, MadameNoire reports. “I’m actually still going through it,” Lyte told the ladies of “The Real.” “When the press got a hold of it, I think people thought we were [divorced]. I had just filed and so we’re still going through it right now.” https://www.instagram.com/mclyte/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c4cf78c1-952a-4398-baf8-ae3d1df5c968 Over the recent All-Star weekend, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James hinted at the possibility of returning to Cleveland, something many sports fans think is a mistake. Apparently, LeBron is unhappy with his current team and “said he would play his final season alongside his son, Bronny — all of which reportedly came as a surprise to the Lakers,” per New York Post. James played his 18th consecutive All-Star Game on Sunday night in Cleveland and stated that he plans to sign with whichever NBA team drafts his son Bronny James when he becomes eligible to play in 2024. The teenager is currently a junior in high school. The vibe between James and the Lakers is comparable to “the early days of war,” one source told The Athletic. James and Rich Paul are reportedly putting pressure on the organization, with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka wanting to avoid engaging. Clearly, James wanted Pelinka to make a trade at the deadline, which he did not do. The report goes on to note that the Lakers “want to do everything possible to keep James, but if that means pushing Pelinka — Kobe Bryant’s former agent — out of his job, then it’s not clear whether that would be a step too far.” The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has announced that media king Charlamagne Tha God (The Breakfast Club) and actress Alesha Reneé (The Rich & the Ruthless) will host the 13th AAFCA Awards on March 2 in its first live gathering since 2020. Winners of this year’s AAFCA Awards include “King Richard” stars Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, as well as “Respect” star Jennifer Hudson for Best Actress and “The Harder They Fall” for Best Film. Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois teenager who was acquitted of all charges in the shooting deaths of two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., was seen on Tucker Carlson on Monday where he disclosed plans to sue individuals who publicly called him a murderer. Rittenhouse revealed he and his team have initiated the Media Accountability Project to fundraise and plans to take media corporations and individuals to court. In his interview, he named one of the people that he’s coming for and name-dropped The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg. “Right now we’re looking at quite a few,” Rittenhouse said. “Politicians, celebrities, athletes. Whoopi Goldberg’s on the list. She called me a murderer after I was acquitted by a jury of my peers. She went on to still say that. And there are others. Don’t forget about Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks. He called me a murderer before the verdict and continues to call me a murderer.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CaTwwkuNAe3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The family of Zoe Sozo Bethel previously said she died of serious head injuries sustained from an unspecified accident on Feb. 10. The Miami Police Department initially investigated her death as an attempted suicide but clarified Tuesday that it was a “tragic accident,” and ruled out foul play, The Daily Mail reports. Bethel, 27, Miss Alabama who represented the Cotton State in the 2021 pageant, reportedly fell from a third-floor window of a residential building and was transported by Miami Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition, police say. She died on Friday (Feb. 18). https://www.instagram.com/p/CaOUZjADXxB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In Houston, Henry David Cossette was given a $1,200,000 bond for his alleged part in the murder of Sara Goodwin, who was reported missing in early February. Cossette, 27, is accused of strangling Goodwin, 18, before dismembering her body and hiding the remains. Police say Cossette then set fire to his apartment in a suicide attempt. https://eurweb.com/2022/02/23/houston-man-accused-of-dismembering-18-year-old/ Black trans woman in Atlanta was just awarded $1.5 million after she spent six months in jail on trumped-up cocaine charges, and her story reminds us of two things: The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t complete unless it involves all Black lives, and cops lie just like anyone else, only their lies tend to have bigger consequences. According to WSB-TV 2, in October 2015, Ju’Zema Goldring was walking with a group of friends when two Atlanta police officers stopped the group and arrested Goldring for jaywalking, which she said she didn’t do. Now, already, this is a story about racist cops profiling Black people and then fishing for reasons to put them in handcuffs. Besides the fact that Goldring said she wasn’t guilty of it, who sees jaywalking as an immediately arrest able offense? Can it be dangerous? Sure. But, at best, it’s worth a citation, not putting someone behind bars. “During the arrest, an officer searched Goldring’s purse and found a stress ball. He cut it open and tested it for cocaine,” WSB-TV reported. “Defense attorneys said that despite the fact that the test was negative, the officer charged Goldring with trafficking cocaine.” Recently, Kenosha killer Kyle Rittenhouse sat down with Tucker Carlson to talk about his list of politicians, celebs, and media organizations he plans to sue for what he describes as “lies” told about him after his acquittal. “We’re looking at quite a few politicians, celebrities, athletes,” Rittenhouse said before specifically calling out Whoopi Goldberg and Cenk Uygur from the Young Turks. “Whoopi Goldberg is on the list, she called me a murderer after I was acquitted by a jury of my peers. She went on to still say that,” he said. “And there’s others, don’t forget about Cenk from the Young Turks. He called me a murderer before the verdict and continues to call me a murderer.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1495938071396855816 Russia’s audacious military mobilization in and around Ukraine is the first major skirmish of a new order in international politics, with three major powers jostling for position in ways that threaten America’s primacy. The challenges are different than those the U.S. and its network of alliances faced in the Cold War. Russia and China have built a thriving partnership based in part on a shared interest in diminishing U.S. power. Unlike the Sino-Soviet bloc of the 1950s, Russia is a critical gas supplier to Europe, while China isn’t an impoverished, war-ravaged partner but the world’s manufacturing powerhouse with an expanding military. In deploying a huge force against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that the West rewrite the post-Cold War security arrangements for Europe and demonstrated that Russia has the military capability to impose its will despite Western objections and economic sanctions. Ukraine’s security council has declared a nationwide state of emergency, a top security official has said, as Vladimir Putin boasted of the battle-readiness of Russia’s armed forces and Joe Biden warned of an impending full-scale invasion of the country. Council secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that Ukraine would introduce a 30-day period of emergency in a ramping up of precautions as Russian troops and blood supplies headed to frontlines in what US officials said were ‘plans for war’. It came as Russia began evacuating diplomatic staff from Ukraine after President Putin boasted of Russia’s preparedness and ‘advanced weapons’ including hypersonic missiles in a saber-rattling speech. As President Biden is due to deliver his first State of the Union address, new polling data suggests that many Black Americans aren’t happy with the direction of the U.S. economy. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies published results of a poll which found 65 percent of Black Americans rated the economy as just fair or poor, while 61 percent said their personal economic situations were also just fair or poor. The center polled 600 Black Americans between Feb. 12 and 15, ranging in age from 18 to 64. About 50 percent of Black Americans surveyed said they think things in the U.S. have gone seriously off track, while 45 percent indicated they think things are going in the right direction. A majority of Black Americans surveyed, 73 percent, agreed that up to $50,000 of student loan debt should be forgiven, while 76 percent agree with forgiving all student loan debt. When it came to racism and discrimination, 81 percent of Black Americans surveyed said they believe it’s the federal government’s responsibility to reduce the impact on Black Americans, while 51 percent currently disapprove of the job the federal government is doing on this matter. A new short documentary and exposé published by Vanity Fair accuses Jerry Lewis of sexual harassment and assault. The interviews with actresses such as Karen Sharpe and Hope Holiday were conducted by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, the duo who tackled Mia Farrow’s allegations against Woody Allen in the HBO documentary series “Allen v Farrow” and the directors of the Oscar-nominated “The Hunting Ground.” Lewis was one of the most popular performers in the world in the 1950s and ’60s, first as part of a comic team with Dean Martin and later as the star of hits such as “The Nutty Professor” and “Cinderfella.” He died in 2017 at the age of 91. Sharpe met the actor during his commercial zenith. She was cast as Lewis’ love interest in the 1964 comedy “The Disorderly Orderly.” The actress said she was being fitted for costumes in Lewis’ office when he ordered everyone but her out of the room. Lewis allegedly “started moving in on me,” Sharpe said. “He grabbed me. He began to fondle me. He unzipped his pants. Quite frankly, I was dumbstruck.” “I put my hand up and said, ‘Wait a minute. I don’t know if this is a requirement for your leading ladies, but this is something I don’t do,’” Sharpe added. “I could see that he was furious. I got the feeling that that never really happened to him.” Sharpe could not quit the film because she had already signed a contract. When she returned to set days later, the entire crew was asked not to speak to her except the director and assistant director. The actress said Lewis also mandated he not rehearse with her. The comedian did not interact with her or acknowledge her unless they were on camera together for a scene. My Unorthodox Life star Julia Haart has been accused by her estranged husband, Silvio Scaglia, of having ‘a boob job’ and charging it to their company, Elite World Group. In new court documents, Scaglia, 63, and Haart, 50, are battling it out over whether or not she misused company resources prior to getting fired, Page Six reported on Tuesday. Earlier this month, Silvio sued Julia for ‘illegally’ withdrawing $850,000 from a company account and she fired back by accusing him of ‘bullying’ and seeking a restraining order. These latest accusations are part of the couple’s acrimonious divorce following just a few years of marriage. Haart allegedly had her breasts enhanced in December 2021 and the company she co-owned with husband Silvio is said to have footed the bill, according to Page Six. Scaglia previously fired Haart as CEO of Elite World Group, a talent agency founded by Silvio in 2011, and in court documents claims she ‘abused her role of CEO and overspent on the company’s dime.’‘Julia had a boob job in Westchester over Christmas,’ a source revealed to the outlet. ‘Her assistant Robert Brotherton also had a big makeover, all followed by the cameras for Netflix [and paid for by Elite].’ Several of the 23 categories which were presented live on the air during last year’s 93rd Oscars telecast will not be presented live on the air during the 94th Oscars telecast on March 27, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. In a move that is already causing tension within the leadership of the Academy, but is likely to be well received by the general public, the presentations and acceptance of eight awards — documentary short, film editing, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live action short and sound — will take place inside the Dolby Theatre an hour before the live telecast commences, will be recorded and will then be edited into the subsequent live broadcast, a variation of a controversial approach that the Academy first adopted and then abandoned in 2018. (The Tony Awards employ a similar model.) The Academy declined comment. The move comes less than a year after the lowest-rated Oscars telecast ever provoked considerable consternation within the ranks of the Academy’s longtime broadcasting partner ABC, which owns the exclusive rights to air the ceremony through 2028, and the fees from which largely finance the operations of the Academy. The family of former America’s Got Talent star Jane ‘Nightbirde’ Marczewski has shared their ‘devastation’ over her death, after the talented singer passed away at age 31 following a four-year-long battle with cancer. The singer, from Ohio, died on Saturday, six months after she revealed that the disease had spread to her lungs, spine, and liver – forcing her to leave the singing competition show mid-way last August. Her family has now spoken out about their ‘unimaginable loss,’ while paying tribute to Marczewski’s ‘larger-than-life personality.’ ‘It is with the deepest heartache that we confirm that after a four-year battle with cancer, Jane Marczewski, known to many of you as Nightbirde, passed away on February 19, 2022. We, her family, are devastated by her passing and unimaginable loss,’ they said in a statement to DailyMail.com ‘Many remember her from America’s Got Talent, where she performed her song It’s OK and inspired millions of people around the globe with her messages of faith and never giving up. "Those who knew her, enjoyed her larger-than-life personality and sense of humor. She had a witty joke for every occasion – even if the joke was on her. A former Tesla construction manager has filed a lawsuit against the electric car company, alleging he was fired in retaliation for reporting a multitude of safety violations, shoddy oversight, and racial discrimination at Tesla’s factories. The lawsuit, filed by former employee Marc Cage in Alameda County court on Friday, marks the latest in a string of lawsuits filed by individual employees or government regulators against Tesla, revolving around allegations of racial or sexual harassment and discrimination. In his lawsuit, Cage, who is African American, alleges that he “witnessed and reported countless violations to dozens of Tesla personnel in various departments, including to the highest levels of the company” during his roughly two years working for Tesla, according to a statement from his attorneys issued Tuesday. Rather than address the issues he brought to the fore, the company fired him, the lawsuit alleges. Cage reported violations to several superiors, including a welding violation that could have led to “catastrophic, fatal explosions” at the company’s battery factory in Nevada, according to the lawsuit. Labeled as a would-be murderer, 15-year-old Martell Williams said he spent two nights last week in lockup at Waukegan’s police department. He was wrongly accused of shooting a local Dollar Store employee in the face on Feb. 4. Surveillance photos of the suspect were released by the police department in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. “The officers said that multiple people came to him and said it was me,” said Martell Williams, the teen wrongly accused of shooting the employee. The high school freshman, who is also on the basketball team, was confirmed to be at a game in Lincolnshire at the time of the shooting. A time-stamped photograph provided by the family helped to clear him. Jackson Mahomes appears to be at the center of yet another internet controversy. Rare Munchiez, a retailer that specializes in exotic food and drinks, recently called out the younger brother of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, alleging he “scammed” the company. In a video recently posted to Rare Munchiez’s TikTok page, the business claimed Jackson had reached out to them, with the company agreeing to send him a care package. The clip also features what appears to be direct messages between Jackson and Rare Munchiez, who asked the TikToker to tag them on social media upon receiving the treats. Rare Munchiez said in the alleged exchange with Jackson that the package was sent on Feb. 1, with the parcel apparently being delivered days later. In follow-up messages, Rare Munchiez asks, “did you receive it,” “when will you be posting us on your story,” and “so are you ignoring us or just haven’t received the box. A simple answer would be nice.” Jackson, who has been at the center of a few controversies this past NFL season, replied to Rare Munchiez’s post in the comments section, stating: “Never received anything from these guys…” Bodycam video of Jon Jones’ arrest in September shows the UFC star headbutt a police car during a verbal tirade with officers. Jones, the former light heavyweight champion, was arrested in Las Vegas on charges of misdemeanor battery domestic violence and injuring or tampering with a vehicle just hours after he was honored by the UFC Hall of Fame. https://youtu.be/7ejDXG4OcjY A Florida gymnast earned a perfect 10 with a sky-high floor routine set to the Squid Games theme song – after overcoming two ankle injuries that forced her to stop training for the 2020 Olympics. https://youtu.be/hhBhinIFQaU Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard has been suspended for the remaining five games of the regular season and fined $40,000 by the Big Ten Conference for slapping a Wisconsin assistant coach and igniting a brawl following Sunday’s loss in Madison. The Big Ten Conference also on Monday suspended three players one game for the altercation following the Badgers’ 77-63 win on Sunday: Michigan’s Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams II, and Jahcobi Neath of Wisconsin. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was fined $10,000 for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy, but was not suspended. Howard is expected be back for the Big Ten tournament, which begins March 9 in Indianapolis. ‘After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many,’ Howard said Monday in a statement released by the university. ‘I am truly sorry.’ Phil Martelli will serve as Michigan’s interim coach in Howard’s absence. Michigan’s final five regular-season games are home contests with Rutgers on Wednesday, No. 15 Illinois on Sunday, Michigan State on March 1 and No. 25 Iowa on March 3 plus a visit to No. 22 Ohio State on March 6. ‘Big Ten Conference coaches and student-athletes are expected to display the highest level of sportsmanship conduct,’ Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. ‘I am grateful for the partnership with Michigan Athletics Director, Warde Manuel and Wisconsin Athletics Director, Chris McIntosh,’ Warren continued. ‘Our expectation is that the incident yesterday will provide our coaches and student-athletes with the opportunity to reflect, learn and move forward in a manner that demonstrates decorum and leadership on and off of the court.’ Maurice Griffin announces, “Life After Sunday”. Life After Sunday is a reality-based television show about arts and culture of the black community. Filmed on location in Los Angeles, CA, Houston, TX, and Atlanta, GA, Maurice has laid the groundwork for what will be a long running hit show. After being a finalist in the second season of BET’s Sunday Best, Maurice realized that there was much more to life than just being a contestant. After gaining new friends and comrades, Maurice assessed the different areas of growth in those that came before and after him in the series. Maurice said, “I’ve seen so many accomplishments of my fellow Sunday Best alumnus, they should be celebrated and have a spotlight to show their amazing careers to date.” Maurice has tapped into Kefia Rollerson, Shontelle Norman-Beatty and Alexis Spight, along with other extras for the first few tapings. The episodes are strategically crafted around each artist, where they are in life as well as their current projects. No reality show goes without its cliff hangers, and this one doesn’t disappoint. This reality show is one to look out for. Atlanta-based record label, Pebble Street Records proudly signs a new artist to their roster, Pastor Michael Lampkin. Lampkin, both a talented pianist and vocalist is known for finishing as a Top 3 Finalist on Season 5 of BET’s Sunday Best. In 2020 he released his First Ep “The Right Time” featuring notable songs, “Better” and “The Fight is Over.” Pebble Street Records was founded and launched by E. Dewey Smith at the end of 2021 and already experiencing expansion! When asked about signing his new artist, E. Dewey had this to say, “I became familiar with Michael Lampkin as a contestant on 'Sunday Best'. When I heard his voice I knew immediately that he was special! We developed a brotherhood almost four years ago and I’ve been working on signing him to the label for quite some time! He will be a mainstay in the Gospel Music industry for years to come! I’m absolutely overwhelmed with excitement about the music that we will produce together.” Followers of four-time best-selling author, financial expert, and money motivation coach, Ash Cash, will not be surprised to discover that he has released a new single, "Living In Abundance" featuring Fedarro. Ash Cash who recently released his memoir, From The Block To The Bank, is taking a few pages out of his own book, "Do Whatever You Feel (As Long As It Feels Good)" available on all music streaming outlets on February 22nd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeWFBu-fxP0 Tonight, the NAACP celebrated the second night of the 53rd NAACP Image Awards announcing the next round of winners in the non-televised award categories, which featured categories short form series, directing and writing across film and television, as well as the esteemed Activist of the Year Award, which was presented to Scot X. Esdaile. The winners were revealed tonight during the NAACP Image Awards’ Virtual Experience presented by Wells Fargo and hosted by Affion Crockett at naacpimageawards.net and YouTube. Tonight’s winners included Issa Rae for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, “When The Sun Sets (Lakutshon' Ilanga)” for Outstanding Short-Form (Live Action), Shaka King, Will Berson, Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas- (Judas and the Black Messiah) for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture, Bashir Salahuddin & Diallo Riddle - “South Side” – “Tornado” (208) for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series, Shaka King- “Judas and the Black Messiah” for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture, Samantha Knowles, Yoruba Richen, Geeta Gandbhir, Nadia Hallgren- “Black and Missing”- Ep 103 for Outstanding Directing in a Documentary, Us Again for Outstanding Short-Form (Animated). Kerry Washington is honoring Rosa Parks by recreating the civil rights activist’s famous 1955 mugshot. “A lot of people think that Rosa’s activism started with her refusing to give up her seat on the bus,” Washington wrote Monday in an Instagram post of the side-by-side photo. “But she lived a life of activism long before that. Fighting, boycotting, marching, and even working as an investigator for the NAACP, advocating against sexual assaults on Black women.” “It was Rosa Park’s act of civil disobedience on that bus that sparked a revolution,” she continued. “She took that seat in order to take a stand. That seat on the bus was her fighting stance – and so we continue the fight today, in whatever way we can!” Washington’s post continued. “Lets ask ourselves, what can we do! Sit. Stand. March. Make calls. Volunteer. Talk to your family and friends. Do whatever you can and however you can. Rosa taught us that. And we are forever grateful. It was an honor to honor her. ????????????????????????????,” she added. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said team owner Stephen Ross offered him millions of dollars to keep quiet after he was fired in January. In his first interview since joining the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff, Flores, who is suing the Dolphins, the NFL and other teams alleging racial discrimination, told HBO Real Sports’ Bryant Gumbel he refused to sign a nondisparagement agreement (NDA) so he could speak out about his experience. Flores’ attorneys, Doug Wigdor and John Elefterakis, joined him on the show. https://youtu.be/zB4iYQAIKSs Antiracist libraries are surfacing throughout the Bay Area to in an effort to push back against the current banning of Black-themed books by conservative school boards across the country. The Walnut Creek-based nonprofit, Rise Up Against Racism, builds “Little Free Antiracist Libraries” from the ground up, filling each structure with books for children and adults that center on historically marginalized perspectives, reports the Bay Area’s ABC7. https://eurweb.com/2022/02/23/antiracist-libraries-popping-up-throughout-bay-area-amid-nationwide-school-board-whitewashing-video/ Idris Elba is ready to put his acting career on hold and focus solely on his music career. Speaking to Vanity Fair for the magazine’s 2022 Hollywood Issue, the Hollywood hunk said he hopes to “lean away from the acting work” and dedicate more time to music-making. “Some may think, ‘Well, it will be the death of your acting if your music’s s—.’ I’ve dealt with the internal struggle of that over the years. So now I’m at peace and I’ve chosen: This is what I’m doing, and I’m going to do it. Some will love it and some will hate it,” Elba said of pursuing music. He added, “The thing about making music is it’s a very consuming process. It’s very difficult to shoot a movie and then go off into the studio or make a song. It’s like trying to build a soufflé while making a brick wall.” https://youtu.be/lBA9ckGyKcw Chad Ochocinco has reacted to the news that singer KeKe Wyatt is expecting her 11th child by admitting he is ready to compete with her. On Sunday (Feb. 20), Wyatt announced on social media she’s adding another addition to her family. Keke shared the exciting news on her Instagram with a series of pictures of her baby bump and her family. In the caption, the 39-year-old wrote, “My husband, Zackariah David Darring and I are proud to announce that our family will be adding a ‘plus 1’ to the Wyatt Bunch!” She also mentioned her fourth child who was a stillbirth, adding, “Our other daughter @0fficial.kaylaaaa wasn’t available for the picture but you’re with us in spirit Shuga! #Baby11.” Upon seeing Keke’s announcement, Chad tweeted has made clear that Wyatt will not outdo him in having babies. “KeKe Wyatt really think she finna outdo me….,” the former NFL star wrote. Per Ace Showbiz, “Chad has at least eight children with seven different women. His youngest child and his first with fiancee Sharelle Rosado was born in January this year.” https://www.instagram.com/keke_wyatt/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4611d30f-ae55-4064-bc61-b4eb1c41d4c1 Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliot took to Instagram with a video showing off the bling, made by B&B Jewelry and featuring white and yellow diamonds on the chain. The pendant that represents one of her looks from the song’s video, itself an iconic visual kaleidoscope from director Hype Williams and visual designer Ron Norsworthy. The most iconic part of the video is that patent leather blow up suit, aka the “trash bag” outfit she wears during a fisheye lens shot. https://www.instagram.com/missymisdemeanorelliott/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ee00ed4e-ab31-4109-a2e8-796b2a3311d0 Megan Thee Stallion is “still in court” battling with 1501 Certified Entertainment CEO Carl Crawford over her music and contractual obligations. The rapper’s legal team “filed a petition last week asking for her 2021 project “Something for Thee Hotties” to be considered an album under her recording agreement,” per Complex. In court documents obtained by Complex and filed on Friday, Megan’s legal team at Holland & Knight claimed 1501 didn’t classify the 21-track Something for Thee Hotties as an “album,” and that the label said it didn’t satisfy her “minimum recording commitment.” Meg’s lawyers now say that, given the label’s argument, “1501 wants to tie [Megan Thee Stallion] down to release more albums under the Contract to the financial benefit of 1501.” Per Complex, “Megan owes one more album on her contract if Something for Thee Hotties gets counted as an album.” Cardi B has responded to Tasha K admitting that she does not have the $4 million dollars a judge ordered her to pay after losing a defamation case against the rapper. In a recent interview (see clip below), the blogger was asked about the case and if she had millions to pay Cardi B. “I ain’t got it,” said Tasha K in an interview with @kendallkyndall and @kendragmedia. “Listen, I ain’t got it. Don’t ask me for no money. I ain’t got it. But listen, we have business things in place that takes care of things like this.” Tasha added that she doesn’t intend on paying Cardi as the suit is headed to an appellate court. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaQhIGQgB1j/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records acquisition won’t include 2Pac and Dr. Dre albums, according to reports. he new owner of Death Row Records, the rapper has revealed plans for it to be the first NFT record label. “Death Row will be an NFT label,” Snoop said in a Clubhouse room on Feb. 15. “We will be putting out artists through the metaverse. Just like we broke the industry when we was the first independent [label] to be major, I want to be the first major [label] in the metaverse.” Snoop Dogg rose to fame during the ’90s on Death Row Records, now he has acquired the label from MNRK Music Group, which is controlled by a private equity fund managed by Blackstone, per Variety. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. An unnamed young man in New England is making headlines after suffering organ failure and undergoing multiple amputations from eating a leftover lo mein noodle meal. The curious case of the 19-year-old (identified only as JC) was documented in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2021 and went viral recently on the YouTube channel Chubbyemu, which created a fictional portrayal of the incident, narrated by a licensed medical provider called Dr. Bernard. https://youtu.be/EqHpnoV00j4 White “beauty influencers” on TikTok have taken tanning to a dangerous new level, and it appears to be gaining in popularity. Forget tanning lotion, beds and the ol’ fashioned UV rays from the sun. Melanin-deficient girls are now into “tanning nasal sprays,” which claim to increase production of melanin in the skin upon inhalation. Dermatologists are appalled. The sprays reportedly contain dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate, “a self-tanning ingredient which helps increase melanin production when used topically.” However, the ingredient has not been approved for inhalation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Also, “There’s no proven safety of ingesting dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate at all,” dermatologist Dr. Nancy Samolitis told Allure magazine. “Whether or not it works, we don’t know.” Dr. R. Peter Manes, a rhinologist with Yale Medicine, told Everyday Health that inhaling unapproved substances can result in a number of serious side effects that could last indefinitely. “Nasal use of medications can affect things like one’s sense of smell. They can also potentially be toxic to the cilia of the nose, which allow the nose to move mucus through it normally,” he stated. “They reached out to our manager two years ago, with the pandemic things have been postponed and push back. We’re glad to return,” said trumpeter Rodney Marsalis about his upcoming concert in Fort Myers at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on March 3, 2022. https://youtu.be/VfCVKBw6UhU T.I. has embarked on a new career journey as a stand-up comedian and comic veteran Godfrey is not impressed. In a recent interview, Godfrey spoke about being the headliner at a recent stand-up show and after his set, T.I. went on after him “and that’s a no-no, according to Godfrey,” per HotNewHipHop, so Godfrey opted not to watch the rapper’s set. “As a headliner, no one is supposed to go up after you,” he said on an episode of his In Godfrey We Trust podcast. https://youtu.be/0LuAFHz5KY0 An elite group of entertainment industry professionals to speak on the panel of the 23rd annual Baltimore “Uplifting Minds II” (ULMII) Entertainment Conference via Zoom Saturday, April 16, 2022 between 1-3pmET/10-12noonPT. The free event offers a Q&A Session with the panelists, a Professional Talent Showcase and a National Talent Competition where 10 acts – singers, songwriters, dancers or actors – compete for the Los Angeles ULMII Best Artist Award and over $17,000 valued in products ad services. The panelists consist of legendary Jazz saxophonist Dr. Marion Meadows (Shanachie Entertainment); Houston Judge Dedra Davis, a veteran entertainment attorney and current circuit court judge for the state of Houston (www.MusicLW.com); artist manager Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs, whose client is a multi-award winning SAG/AFTRA actor and filmmaker (www.Anthony-Michael.com); Consul Paul Gardner, II, Founder and General Manager of The Gardner Law Group and Entertainment Contract Specialist (www.TheGardnerLawGroup.com); Soprano Opera Singer Cheryl Warfield, who has performed on Broadway and at the Metropolitan Opera House (www.MoreOpera.com); Digital Magazine Publisher Dr. Lee Bailey (www.EURweb.com), who began in entertainment as a pioneering syndicated radio show jockey; Performing Arts Specialist Nadiyah Kareem (Super Star Entertainment), who managed Talib Kareem to include co-writing/producing Solange Knowles first album/single “Solo Star” and joining the Jive Records Pop group Imajin, and Multi-Award winning Anthony Michael Hobbs (www.ImaginationLunchbox.com), whose credits as an actor include Emmy nominated PBS series The Abolitionist and a project for DreamWorks and as a filmmaker he has garnered over 20 awards for his short films. Atlanta’s 11Alive is streaming live from Brunswick, Georgia where a federal court announced at 10:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 22 guilty verdicts for all three hate crime defendants in the trial of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Watch above, courtesy of 11Alive. The trial sought to determine if father and son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, violated Arbery’s civil rights, which is a hate crime. The three men also faced an attempted kidnapping charge. The McMichaels faced additional charges for using and carrying a firearm during a violent crime, with Travis specifically being charged with discharging his weapon. According to 11Alive, the lone Black man on the jury shed tears during the verdict. https://youtu.be/EvOQScTjTgU Miss Alabama 2021 Zoe Sozo Bethel died Friday, eight days after she sustained serious head injuries in an undisclosed accident. “On Friday, February 18, 2022, at approximately 5:30AM Eastern time in Miami, Florida, our beloved Zoe Sozo Bethel passed from this life into the next as a result of succumbing to her injuries,” her parents wrote in a Sunday post to her Instagram page. As reported by the New York Post, Bethel’s family previously disclosed that she’d been in an accident, writing: “Zoe had an accident Thursday night, February 10th, & sustained severe damage to her brain/brainstem & is in a coma.” “Unfortunately the doctors are saying the damage cannot be repaired & that she may not have much time left,” they added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaOUZjADXxB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again President Joe Biden speaks on the Russia and Ukraine situation, a day after the White House said the United States, in coordination with allies and partners, will announce severe new sanctions and export controls against Russia in response to Moscow’s decision to recognize two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent and send troops there. President Biden spoke from the East Room at the White House on Feb. 22, making remarks about sanctions in response to Russia’s deployment of troops into two pro-Russian separatist regions of Ukraine. https://youtu.be/9yGINzJHKao As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to boil to a potential tipping point, evangelist Franklin Graham is encouraging his followers to pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin — and he’s facing rebuke as a result. “Pray for President Putin,” Graham wrote on Twitter and Facebook, noting his request could spark frustration. “This may sound like a strange request, and I might get some angry comments, but we need to pray that God would work in his heart so that war — and the loss of thousands of lives — could be avoided at all cost.” The evangelist went on to ask for wisdom for the world leaders involved in the dispute, noting prayer could have a life-saving impact. “Our prayers might make the difference between life and death,” Graham said. But some took immediate issue with Graham’s call. As The Christian Post noted, Democratic congressional candidate Scott Huffman lambasted the evangelist’s prayer call. “Franklin Graham asks his followers to pray for Putin. Guess he forgot about the Ukrainians and our NATO allies,” he wrote. “It’s almost like he supports the enemy who is about to declare war and kill people.” Democratic operative Jon Cooper added his dismay into the mix. “Trump-loving evangelist Franklin Graham just told his followers: ‘Pray for President Putin today,’” he tweeted. “Unreal. The shooting death of Walking Dead actor Moses J. Moseley – initially believed to be a suicide – is now being investigated as possible foul play due to new evidence, as family members suspect he was kidnapped and murdered with his death made to look like suicide. The 31-year-old Moseley, who who appeared on the Walking Dead from 2012 to 2015 playing the armless and jawless Mike, a pet zombie, was found dead in his car late last month in Stockbridge, Georgia, a city on the outskirts of Atlanta, with a bullet to the head and a gun on his lap. Relatives said they hadn’t heard from the actor since January 23. They filed a missing person’s report on on January 26, TMZ reports. They then contacted car security company OnStar, which tracked his vehicle to where his body was found that day. Cops originally suspected that Moseley took his own life. On Sunday, @bscott broke the news that “The Wendy Williams Show” will be coming to an end. Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the producer-distributor of The Wendy Williams Show, is now confirming the report. A daytime syndicated talk show hosted by Sherri Shepherd (The View, Dish Nation) will succeed The Wendy Williams Show, according to Deadline citing a statement. “Sherri” will make its syndication debut on the Fox Television Stations and broadcasters nationwide in fall 2022 and will inherit the Fox O&O time slots of Wendy. “Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panelist on The View, on Fox’s Dish Nation and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy,” Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said. “Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live ‘Hot Topics’ segment, her creativity, and interactions with our guests. Her love for the content and daytime fans is obvious, and we are excited to partner with her to create another long-term talk franchise.” Shepherd said, “OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show SHERRI in the fall. I can’t wait until I return to NY to host the show and merge everything I love…pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy. I am thankful to Debmar-Mercury and FOX for partnering with me on this show and look forward to this new journey.” “The Wendy Williams Show” had been canceled and will be replaced by “Sherri” with Sherri Shepherd as host. In the wake of that announcement, Wendy Williams released a statement through her rep, Howard Bragman. “It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues. She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time,” Bragman said in his statement to Deadline. “She, more than anyone, understands the reality of syndicated television — you can’t go to the marketplace and sell a show that’s The Maybe Wendy Show,” Bragman added. “She understands why this decision was made from a business point of view, and she has been assured by Debmar-Mercury that should her health get to a point where she can host again and should her desire be that she hosts again that she would be back on TV at that time.” https://youtu.be/k8Uz6fOv1g8 Boosie Badazz sat down for a lengthy interview with VladTV about the backlash to his controversial remarks about the LGBT community. The Louisiana rapper has released his latest album “Heartfelt,” and revealed that the project lacks features from fellow artists because many have stopped associating with him “after all the gay sh*t.” Boosie tells the outlet that his past comments about the LGBT community and openly gay rapper Lil Nas X and Dwyane Wade’s transgender daughter, Zaya, have rappers in the industry giving him the side-eye. https://youtu.be/OIdHSOHzSrY Gabrielle Union opens up in the latest issue of PEOPLE about her haircare journey and the relaunch of her product line, Flawless by Gabrielle Union. Speaking to the publication ahead of her participation in Sally Beauty’s first-ever roundtable discussion, with host Taraji P. Henson, Union said she began using chemical treatments on her hair, such as relaxer, in order to “fit in” with societal standards when it comes to beauty. Per People, “Union began using the treatment, starting at age eight and not stopping until 15 years later.” vhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CZze1EojIME/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Halle Berry’s daughter was shocked to see her mother kiss a woman in her film Bruised. The actress, 55, plays mixed martial arts fighter Jackie Justice who is making a comeback to the sport after falling from grace while battling some personal issues. And Jackie enjoys a short romance with trainer Bobbi Buddhakan, played by Sheila Atim, 31, prompting Halle’s 13-year-old daughter Nahla to demand a conversation with her mother about love on screen and sexuality. Halle said, according to The Sun: ‘So Nahla watches the love scene (with a man). She’s looking at me and she’s like, “Oh, whoa, mum. Really? Wow!” So then, my editor, who’s sitting next to me not really realising my daughter is there, says, “Go to the second love scene, I want to see what that looks like.” Well, that’s a love scene with a woman. ‘My daughter’s like, “Whoa, Mum, we need to have some conversations. You didn’t tell me.” The sister of actress Lindsey Pearlman, who was discovered dead in Los Angeles last week days after being reported missing, is now advocating for suicide prevention by sharing the link of a hotline that helps those struggling with thoughts of self-harm. Pearlman, 43, was known for her work on television series such as Chicago Justice, General Hospital and Empire. She was the subject of a desperate five-day search after abruptly disappearing February 13. Her cousin, Savannah Pearlman, posted a tweet Saturday on behalf of the actress’s sister, Marni Pearlman ‘Please know that you are never truly alone,’ she tweeted. ‘Lindsey’s sister has asked that we share the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255.’ Her older sister Marni, 46, posted a brief statement Saturday on Facebook, saying: ‘Thank you to everyone who helped spread the news to search for my sister. She’s been found. She is gone. We are broken. Please respect our privacy at this time.’ Justin Bieber has tested positive for COVID-19. The 27-year-old learned about the diagnosis on Saturday and is feeling OK, a representative for the Baby singer told TMZ. Justin’s concert at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, set to take place today, has now been postponed to the summer. It is unknown when exactly Justin contracted the virus, and it remains to be seen whether or not his shows in Arizona and Los Angeles – both scheduled for this week – will also be rescheduled. It was revealed the Las Vegas show had been postponed to June 28 in a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday. Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy is an Amazon Original three-part docuseries now premiering exclusively on Prime Video. Stand-up comics remember the urban comedy explosion of Phat Tuesdays. In the words of Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish, Steve Harvey, Regina King and more, Phat Tuesdays tells the unbelievable story of how one man, Guy Torry, moved mountains to launch an all-Black comedy night at The Comedy Store. What started as an experiment in 90’s Los Angeles, turned into a breeding ground for today’s greatest comedians, elevating Black voices to have their turn on the stage which helped changed the trajectory of their careers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnoyUIwJb68 If “walk it like I talk it” was a person, it would be Robin Rue Simmons. The former alderman in Evanston, Illinois, made history in 2019 when she successfully instituted a reparations program specifically geared toward her city’s Black constituents who are linked to earlier generations of racist discrimination. Simmons’ efforts have unequivocally helped bolster interest in pending legislation for a national reparations program. But even with the pomp and circumstance of cultural observances like Black History Month, the Martin Luther King federal holiday and things like honorary street naming's helping to raise awareness of the movement for reparations, Simmons cautioned that any rejoicing from her program was premature. “We have still not done the work to repair past harm that was intentionally anti-Black,” Simmons said. Being a respected news outlet comes with much responsibility, especially one that heavily covers race relations — take it from us! One of the longest-running publications that also happens to serve a predominately Black audience is the Baltimore Sun, and it recently drew public attention to a past history of racism that’s gone ignored for the newspaper’s entire 185 years in print. That is, until now. Lifting the paywall that usually requires readers to subscribe to read online articles, the Baltimore Sun editorial board released a lengthy apology in article form last week to call out its own legacy rooted in its founder, Arunah S. Abell. https://www.instagram.com/baltimoresun/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=1686fa2d-be1c-48e9-ad83-82735930362d According to #KTLA, #SugeKnight‘s former lawyer has been permanently disbarred from practicing law after pleading guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy and perjury charges.? #MatthewFletcher, 57, who represented Knight when he faced murder charges in 2016, pleaded no contest to conspiracy and perjury charges.? During Knight’s murder trial, Fletcher was accused of bribing potential witnesses.? Prosecutors charged Fletcher with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit subornation of perjury, conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, and accessory after the fact after obtaining a warrant to listen in on Fletcher and Knight’s jailhouse phone calls.? It is alleged that Fletcher attempted to pay witnesses to testify that there were guns near the scene of the 2016 incident when Knight struck two men with his truck, which would corroborate his claim that he acted in self-defense.? Fletcher also allegedly told Knight it would cost him “$20,000 to $25,000” to obtain his freedom. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaIuZaLr97b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The CIAA basketball tournament is one of the biggest events in all of HBCU sports every year. The historic all-HBCU athletic conference crowns a champion in front of some of the most unique fans in the country. Yet, the play on the court is far from the only thing that sets this nearly week-long spectacle apart. The CIAA tournament holds a significant place in HBCU culture and there are usually a plethora of events and activities that span every age demographic. That includes famous musicians showcasing their talents at some of the marquee events. This year will be no different when artists like The Magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Legendary DJ Kool, DJ Kid Capri, Chubb Rock, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, YoYo, Monie Luv Rakim, and Michel’le pull up and show out in Baltimore from Tuesday through Saturday. While the lineups rock year, the true essence of the CIAA tournament isn’t in the music or basketball — it’s in the camaraderie, tradition and legacy passed down from generation to generation in the HBCU community. https://twitter.com/i/status/1495443354837991424 The legendary Mo’Nique recently joined TS Madison and did she bring the heat! She opened an interview about the falling through of her past shows, her Netflix lawsuit, and drama with Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey. The Queen of Comedy said that Tyler Perry agreed to meet with her on two conditions: she would have to come without Sidney Hicks – her husband and manager – and publicly apologize for accusing them (Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey) of being responsible for the demise of her thriving career. https://youtu.be/AOiXBlG7gsA Kim Kardashian’s sisters Kourtney Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner have unfollowed Kanye West on social media after Kim deleted him from her follow list. Their mother, Kris Jenner, still follows the rapper, as insiders claim she allegedly owns a great percentage of his royalties and brand. Kanye (aka Ye) has spent several weeks harassing his estranged wife and her new boytoy Pete Davidson online. He took to Instagram recently to ask fans for divorce advice amid his co-parenting drama with Kim and has expressed his concerns over their eldest daughter North West having a TikTok account. “SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST DIVORCE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT MY DAUGHTER BEING PUT ON TIK TOK AGAINST MY WILL ?” Ye captioned a screenshot of one of North’s TikTok videos. Actor and director Kadeem Hardison is known for his iconic TV role as Dwayne Wayne on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom A Different World, which aired for seven seasons, from 1987 through 1993, and highlighted the lives and relationships of Black college students attending the fictional HBCU, Hillman College. The show also starred Lisa Bonet, Marisa Tomei, Jasmine Guy, Sinbad, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cree Summer and Darryl M. Bell among others. Actor and director Kadeem Hardison is known for his iconic TV role as Dwayne Wayne on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom A Different World, which aired for seven seasons, from 1987 through 1993, and highlighted the lives and relationships of Black college students attending the fictional HBCU, Hillman College. The show also starred Lisa Bonet, Marisa Tomei, Jasmine Guy, Sinbad, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cree Summer and Darryl M. Bell among others. https://youtu.be/EtvG9mBJJO4 Dr. Dre‘s “Still D.R.E.” music video featuring Snoop Dogg has hit one billion views on YouTube. The two hip-hop icons performed the track as part of a melody of Dre’s hits during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, alongside Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and special guest 50 Cent. https://youtu.be/_CL6n0FJZpk Pepsi has decided to no longer sponsor the Super Bowl Halftime Show but will remain a sponsor of the National Football League. “The rights to the halftime show are being pitched with an annual price tag of $40-50 million, with one of the factors being whether the brand already serves as a league sponsor. Contenders mentioned by SBJ include Verizon and Amazon. Yes, that’s a lot of money for fewer than 15 minutes. But it’s a massive audience,” per Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter previously explained that the league is looking for ways to make the halftime show bigger by “taking different aspects of it making it stand way outside of the 12 minutes.” The extra content could include, “documentary footage around the preparations for the show or behind-the-scenes access, or footage from dress rehearsals or bonus performances.” The bonus content would result in more value for the sponsor. Meanwhile, we reported earlier that NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVI averaged 99.2 million viewers, while 1.9 million tuned in on Telemundo. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, the total number of viewers who watched the game on TV as well as streaming and digital platforms climbed to 112.3 million, according to Nielsen. Ricky Dillard has released a new collection of songs following the release of his recent album Breakthrough: The Exodus! Listen to the Begins With Me https://rickydillard.lnk.to/BeginsWithMeEM?utm_campaign=177782_MOTG%202.21_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,3T6E,4SQSQ,I39Z Tye Tribbett drops We Overcome which including songs like “If He Did It Before… Same God,” “You Are Everything” and more, this collection of songs from Tye Tribbet are certain to get you in the worship mood. Listen to We Overcome now! https://tyetribbett.lnk.to/WeOvercomeEM?utm_campaign=177782_MOTG%202.21_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,3T6E,4SQSQ,I3AJ,1 Inspirational, Christian, and Gospel recording artist Greg Monk has released another warm, full-hearted, relatable song. We all have dreams and plans, but somehow they don't always work out the way we think they would, and we eventually come to realize God has a "Better Plan." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8mykhV7EJ8 Vladimir Putin ordered a ‘peacekeeping mission’ in Ukraine’s eastern breakaways of Donetsk and Luhansk after Joe Biden hit the two regions with sanctions following Russia declaring them ‘independent republics’. Putin’s decrees declaring DPR and LPR as sovereign states also included so-called ‘peacekeeping’ missions – the first real step toward a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Biden immediately issued on Monday economic sanctions on the two regions, which was met with criticism that the punishment did not extend directly to Russia or Putin. Jim Scuitto, a CNN national security who served as chief of staff to the U.S. Ambassador to China under Obama, said of the sanctions: ‘Is this really it?’ White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki assured in her Monday statement that there will be further measures taken in coordination with U.S. allies and partners if Russia further invades Ukraine. ‘We are continuing to closely consult with Allies and partners, including Ukraine, on next steps and on Russia’s ongoing escalation along the border with Ukraine,’ she wrote. Racism within fire departments is not new. But firefighters at a Pennsylvania fire department sunk to a new level after getting caught making racist statements about an eight-year-old Black child killed last summer. Caught on tape, a member of the Briarcliffe Fire Company mocked Fanta Bility, who three police officers killed in Sharon Hill, a town near Darby Township. This isn’t the first time firefighters at Briarcliffe have been accused of racist misconduct. Tim Eichelman, president and deputy chief of the township’s Goodwill Fire Company, told WHYY News that the company has received complaints of racism for years. The two-hour-long call, which Eichelman recorded, only shined a small light on a long history of racial injustice embedded within the squad. “Letters have been written to the township before about their behavior, and their racist remarks, but there was no action taken because nobody ever heard it,” Eichelman told the outlet, noting how some firemen would refuse to service Black areas of Darby Township. Former NFL player and coach Charley Taylor passed away Saturday at the age of 80. Taylor first joined the NFL in 1964, playing for the Washington team. According to ESPN, Taylor played in eight Pro Bowls and still has the most receptions in league history. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984, Taylor spent 14 years with the Washington team first as a halfback and then wide-receiver. He later transitioned from player to scout to member of the coaching staff. While his cause of death was not released, news reports indicate he had been in an assisted living facility in Virginia at the time of his death. Born in Grand Prairie, Texas in 1941, Taylor is best known for football but was an all-around athlete also playing baseball in high school and college. He went on to attend Arizona State University and was the number three pick in the first round of the 1964 NFL draft. His hall of fame profile highlights, he was the first rookie player in 20 years to finish in the NFL’s top 10 in rushing and receiving. “He had those great, smooth, classical moves that you just don’t teach,” Arizona State head coach Frank Kush said in a prior interview with NFL Films. “I still feel very strongly that he would have to be one of the all-time greats. He had it all. He was poetry on a football field.” A member of the Arizona State inaugural Sports Hall of Fame, Taylor still holds the Washington franchise record for total touchdowns. https://twitter.com/i/status/1495214370800177152 A Mississippi-based dentist is on a mission to eradicate socioeconomic barriers that impact access to quality dental care. Dr. LaMonica Davis Taylor has launched a mobile dentist facility to serve underprivileged youth in her community. Dr. Taylor—who founded Smiles on Broadway Dental Care in Jackson—has taken her practice on the road to bring dental services to schools in neighborhoods where health care shortages exist. She and her team provide emergency and preventative dental care for nearly 100 students at each school. The Spelman alumna—who holds a degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Dentistry—says her awareness of the inequities prompted her to use her practice as an avenue to develop a solution. An East Cleveland police officer was caught on camera kicking a black man in the back while he was complying with the officer’s demands. According to Police Chief Scott Gardner, the officer has been placed on administrative leave but will stay on police payroll through a collective bargaining agreement. The incident began when officer Ian McInnes approached the black man outside of Best Steak N Gyros House in East Cleveland. He ordered the man to get on the ground or he would get tased. But the viral video, as well as the police bodycam show the man complying with the officer’s demands. Once the man was knelled to the ground, Officer McInnes kicked him in the small of his back, jolting him forward until his face smacked against the concrete. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ-jOmHDufg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A white teacher in Queens, NY was arrested Thursday after he was accused of brutally throwing a Black student into a wall, then slamming him to the ground. Colin McNally, the PE teacher and Varsity Boys tennis coach at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, was caught on video during a physical altercation he had with a 14-year-old student. According to reports, McNally approached the student after he was playing basketball in the gym. Officials say McNally took the ball from the student, when the young boy tried to take the ball back from McNally, he grabbed the boy by the shirt, tossed him against the wall with one hand, then flipped him on the ground. McNally continues his assault on the student, holding the boy’s head between his legs until another student comes to break it up. https://twitter.com/i/status/1494429639971856399 Now-former NBC Sports reporter Michele Tafoya has recently left the world of Sunday Night Football with big plans to enter the political arena. According to the New York Post, she’s “co-chairing the Minnesota gubernatorial campaign of Republican candidate Kendall Qualls.” In an interview with Fox News hostTucker Carlson, she described herself as someone with a “middle-ground moderate viewpoint,” but that’s not who she is. Tafoya is a white woman with a white viewpoint who is joining an infinite chorus line of white conservatives who are denouncing critical race theory without having a clue what CRT is. Juan Williams of FOX News recently published an opinion piece in which he slams drill music and blames it for America’s racial problem. In the article titled “Rap and drill music is part of America’s racial problem,” Williams writes, “Gangsta rap,” said the senior political analyst, “has grown even more deadly, evolving into drill music.” “And make no mistake, the person doing the ‘drilling,’ is a young Black man firing at another young Black man,” Williams wrote. “There are real world consequences coming from these celebrations of Black-on-Black violence.” The 67-year-old journalist noted that “most of the bloodshed is among young Black men and in Black communities.” The handshake line after Sunday’s Michigan-Wisconsin game erupted into chaos and culminated in a Michigan coach Juwan Howard hitting a member of Wisconsin’s coaching staff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHb7vjieEis One of the suspects in the murder of rapper Young Dolph is missing after he was released from an Indiana jail in January. U.S. Marshals arrested Shundale Barnett along with accused killer Justin Johnson on Jan. 11 in Indiana. Barnett was a passenger in the vehicle driven with Johnson when he was captured. Officials in Indiana say Shelby County told them to release Barnett. Barnett was charged with being an accessory to a role in helping Johnson flee from Memphis, officials said. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Barnett also faced charges of criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and theft of property. He was held in Indiana and was supposed to be extradited to Memphis with Johnson but officials say that did not happen. He is now wanted by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Clay County Sheriff Paul Harden said they have “no idea” where Barnett is. Music pioneer Jamal Edwards has died at age 31. As reported by PEOPLE, Edwards helped launched the careers of various British artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Rita Ora. Jamal’s mother, Brenda Edwards confirmed his death in a statement shared on social media Monday. “It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness,” she wrote on Twitter. “Myself, his sister Tanisha and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the center of our world.” “As we come to terms with his passing we ask for privacy to grieve this unimaginable loss,” Brenda — a host on the UK daytime show “Loose Women” —continued. “I would like to thank everyone for their messages of love and support.” Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski, the singer whose breakout performance as a contestant on the latest season of “America’s Got Talent” made her a fan favorite, has died at 31 after battling cancer. Show host Terry Crews shared the news on social media Monday. Crews shared a photo of Nightbirde to Instagram, writing, “We are saddened to learn about @_nightbirde’s Passing. Our Condolences goes to her Closest Family & Friends in such of This difficult time. We Love you, Nightbirde.” USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Marczewski and “AGT” for comment. TMZ first reported the news of the singer’s death. Ohio singer Marczewski had to withdraw from the NBC competition show midway through the 16th season in August, revealing at the time her health had “taken a turn for the worse” since her audition. The singer-songwriter’s exit came just after she captured America’s heart during her emotional performance of her original song about being more than her cancer, titled “I’m OK,” which earned her a Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell. “I am so sad to announce that I won’t be able to continue forward on this season of AGT,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “Life doesn’t always give breaks to those that deserve it — but we knew that already.” Kanye West (aka Ye) could face criminal charges for allegedly punching a fan seeking an autograph. Per TMZ, “… cops have nearly completed their investigation into the case, and will soon ship their findings off to the L.A. City Attorney’s Office, who will decide on whether to file any criminal charges against Kanye.” According to the report, paparazzi video of the January incident and witness statements is enough evidence for a criminal charge. The rapper’s busy schedule is the reason why he has not been interviewed by the police, according to the report. https://youtu.be/W3IvQ68Fk2s Ne-Yo recently appeared on “The Cruz Show” on Real 92.3 in Los Angeles and called out “super misogynistic” music that he is urging women to stop embracing and dancing to. “It’s gotten super misogynistic, which I don’t understand,” the singer said of R&B music, as reported by Black Enterprise. “And, mind you, I can only blame us men halfway for that. Because as a woman, if a man sings the word ‘bitch’ to you and you smile at him, then he’s probably going to do it again.” “The more misogynistic the lyrics get, the more y’all accept it, the more it’s gonna happen,” Ne-Yo added. “That’s just kinda what that is. So, ladies, I love y’all to death but if y’all want men to stop calling you ‘bitches,’ stop dancing to them records.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CaD-MT8Fk0_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A rodent infestation at a Family Dollar warehouse in Arkansas has prompted the discount chain to recall a wide range of products and temporarily close more than 400 stores in six states. The states include Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Per the report, “more than 2,300 rodents were collected between March 29 and Sept. 17, 2021, according to the FDA.” The contaminated products include “human foods (including dietary supplements (vitamin, herbal and mineral supplements), cosmetics (skin care products, baby oils, lipsticks, shampoos, baby wipes), animal foods (kibble, pet treats, wild bird seed), medical devices (feminine hygiene products, surgical masks, contact lens cleaning solutions, bandages, nasal care products) and over-the-counter (OTC) medications (pain medications, eye drops, dental products, antacids, other medications for both adults and children).” Per the report, “rodent contamination may cause salmonella and infectious diseases,” the FDA said. https://youtu.be/PHsJaY3rWxc Millions of people around the world rely on GPS technology every day to navigate roadways, the sky and the oceans. What was once relegated to large paper maps, or sometimes multiple small maps, now works seamlessly on tiny smartphones or navigation devices at the touch of a finger. And the development of that technology is thanks in large part to the intellect of one trailblazing Black woman. Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed and originally used for military purposes, but these days the technology is used in ways that few could have predicted decades ago, including one of the developers herself, innovator and pioneer, Dr. Gladys Mae West. West programed large-scale computers in the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and worked as a project manager for data-processing systems used for information gathered by satellites. The results of the work she did eventually led to the creation of GPS. https://youtu.be/McIemoQWv64 With AT&T’s 3G network shutting down next week, and other carriers following suit later this year, a range of products are about to stop working, including some home alarm systems, medical devices such as fall detectors, and in-car crash notification and roadside assistance systems such as General Motors’ OnStar. Just as many mobile carriers have urged customers to swap their older 3G iPhones, Android phones, e-readers and other handheld devices for newer models ahead of the shutdown, other businesses are urging customers to upgrade or replace some of the everyday products and services in their homes and cars before they drop connectivity. Award-winning actress Viola Davis plays Michelle Obama in Showtime’s new drama series “The First Lady.” The cast also features Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaFmxhdgelF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Beyoncé and Zendaya are in talks to join forces to remake Douglas Sirk’s classic 1959 drama “Imitation of Life.” The original film starred Lana Turner, Juanita Moore and Sandra Dee. The film “is based on the best-selling novel by Fannie Hurst, revolves around a white woman who takes in an African-American widow and her daughter, Sarah Jane, whose fair skin allows her to pass as white,” per New York Post. The film deals with issues of race, class and gender, and was nominated for two Academy Awards. If the project moves forward with the two stars, Beyoncé is reportedly interested in producing while Zendaya will star. https://youtu.be/HaanE7v6uJI Two generations of GOAT's shared an embrace at the NBA All-Star Game Sunday evening and instantly went viral, before one of them went on to go viral again for his last second shot to win the game … on his hometown court. After the presentation of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Michael Jordan and LeBron James had a moment. Jordan was the last player introduced, surprising many by flying up from Florida following his appearance at the Daytona 500. The former Chicago Bulls star and the current Lakers star shared a hug on the floor, as cameras soaked it in. https://youtu.be/mt3FT14IOTM Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, Tabitha Brown and many more Black actresses have had to deal with the horrors of the beauty trailer on set because stylists were not trained on how to do Black hair or makeup. Luckily, Black Beauty Roster, a platform for diverse hair and makeup education, has partnered with WarnerMedia to train professional stylists how to treat Black hair and skin. This partnership aims to increase the diversity of beauty professionals in the media industry as well as improve the ways in which Black characters are styled and costumed for the screen. BBR Co-founder Simone Tetteh said BBR was inspired by the racial reckoning of summer 2020. While reflecting on the value of Black life and Black talent, she realized one group that needed advocacy were Black beauty professionals. “I think we’ve all seen the stories and the tweets and heard about these horror stories that happened when there is just a lack of diversity behind the camera. We’re in a really interesting place where for the first time, I think in my lifetime, I’m able to turn on any channel or any streaming service and see someone who looks like me. And as great as that diversity is, we recognize that at same diversity is not in the hair and makeup chair,” said Tetteh. The partnership with WarnerMedia was a result of their summit held last year. The WarnerMedia team reached out to BBR and they joined them in a panel, learning more how they can be a better ally and advocate. Tamar Braxton has responded to artist and influencer Todrick Hall calling her a drag queen on a recent “Celebrity Big Brother” episode. “It’s so funny because I think her personality sometimes supersedes her talent and sometimes people focus on that,” he told fellow housemates on the show, as reported by Shine My Crown. “She is deemed ‘extra’ and stuff. She’s basically, like to me, a gay man or drag queen trapped in a woman’s body. She’s hilarious. She’s so funny to me.” Hall continued, “She can cook. Her voice is out of control. Her range … she can sing so high. She can belt so high. There’s not a note I know of that she can’t sing.” Following his comments, Braxton made clear that there is no love lost between the two. A Chicago elementary school has unveiled a new sign letting people know it is leaving behind the name of a racist and will instead honor a woman known for helping Black people escape slavery, Harriet Tubman. The sign comes about a year after a group of parents successfully pushed for the school — long named after Swiss American biologist Louis Agassiz — to change its name to the Harriet Tubman Elementary School. Officials at Chicago Public Schools are letting other schools in the city change their names after the Chicago Sun-Times reported in late 2020 that 30 of its schools were named after slaveholders and others were named after racists such as Agassiz. The Board of Education could vote on an updated policy for school name changes next week, the Sun-Times reported. CPS said in a statement that the new name is “more inclusive and representative” of the district’s values. Delta Air Lines is bringing Hampton University as its first HBCU to be a part of their Propel Collegiate Pilot Career Path Program in an effort to “broaden diversity and build upon the significant legacy people of color have contributed to aviation.” The program launched in 2018 to groom the next generation of pilots. According to the press release, The Hamptonites are now eligible to join the program and will have the opportunity to receive a job offer after the program once passing the airline’s rigorous standards. “Adding Hampton University as a Delta Air Lines Propel partner evokes a myriad of thoughts and emotions,” said First Officer Monique Grayson, an interviewer for the Propel program. “Delta says connecting the world requires that we first respect the world through seeking diversity, promoting inclusion, creating equity, and driving accountability towards these goals. Considering the history of HBCU’s and that of Delta, I am proud to see the company doing just that. I am grateful to the individuals who have worked behind the scenes to provide opportunities to a group that has been underrepresented in this field for far too long.” Actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae is furthering her efforts to empower her hometown. The California native recently teamed up with Airbnb and Nasdaq to gift the Los Angeles-based nonprofit LeadersUp with a donation. Since its inception in 2014, LeadersUp has been dedicated to advancing economic equity. With a focus on addressing youth unemployment, the organization leads initiatives to eradicate socio-economic barriers standing in the way of educational and career opportunities. The nonprofit aims to bridge the gap between untapped talent and corporate America. Over the past eight years, LeadersUp has served 60,000 young adults and supported 200 companies in diversifying their talent pools. The $100,000 donation will create more impactful and effective career development programs and job creation in South L.A. According to a study conducted by USC, there are nearly 73,000 opportunity youth living in the city of Los Angeles. The endowment will also support the creation of a community impact fund that will help provide those from marginalized communities with access to mental health services, enrichment opportunities and tech tools. LeadersUp will join forces with organizations that include the Brotherhood Crusade and Central Neighborhood Health Foundation for these efforts. Stephen Curry got another 3-point record. LeBron James got another All-Star win. Not a bad night in Ohio for the two All-Stars from Akron. ‘It’s right on the nose of how it should go,’ Curry said. Curry turned boos to oohs and aahs with the greatest long-distance shooting performance in All-Star Game history, then James made a turnaround jumper that gave Team LeBron a 163-160 victory over Team Durant on Sunday night. Curry made 16 three-pointers and scored 50 points, two off Anthony Davis’ record. He was clearly hunting it, asking on the sideline during a sizzling third quarter how many points it would take. On a night both players were among the greats of the game who were honored during a half-time ceremony celebrating the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, Curry and James showed why they continue to stand out among today’s best. A Virginia high school senior who was born with no right leg and a left leg that ends at the middle of his thigh took home a state wrestling championship, surprising everyone but himself. “Really if you work hard, you can do anything — even win a state championship without legs,” Adonis Lattimore said Saturday, after winning first place in the Virginia High School League Class 6, 106-pound weight class at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. The Virginian-Pilot reports that the Landstown High School senior, who also has just one finger on his right hand, had Eagles coach James Sanderlin cheering wildly while the crowd roared its approval during the final seconds as he defeated his opponent. “Amazing,” Sanderlin said. “He did all the work. I just get to be a part of the journey. It’s an amazing feeling to watch him do it and have the support of the crowd. It was awesome. He’s a hard-working young man. I’m just speechless.” Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine, intelligence sources in the US claimed on Sunday afternoon. Sources alleged Russian commanders on the ground have received orders to proceed with an invasion of Kiev and they are now making specific battle plans on how they will attack. No less than 75 per cent of Putin’s conventional forces are now poised at the Ukrainian border, it emerged tonight, as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that ‘we are on the brink of an invasion’. It is thought Moscow will start the invasion with a cyber-assault before unleashing a campaign of missile and airstrikes before ground troops attempt to take Ukrainian cities and towns, reports CBS News. The invading Russian force reportedly has the ability to invade and take much of the country. The dire warnings come as Putin and his ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko extended military drills in Belarus that were due to end on Sunday, meaning an estimated 30,000 Russian troops will remain there. The Queen has tested positive for Covid, Buckingham Palace has said. The monarch is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms” but expects to continue “light duties” at Windsor over the coming week, the palace said. “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,” it added in a statement. The Queen, 95, had been in contact with her eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales, who tested positive last week. It is understood a number of people have tested positive at Windsor Castle, where the Queen resides. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “I’m sure I speak for everyone in wishing Her Majesty The Queen a swift recovery from Covid and a rapid return to vibrant good health.” Ukraine’s president has called on the West to stop their ‘appeasement’ of Russia and warned sanctions will not work on Moscow once the bombing starts, to a standing ovation from world leaders. Volodymyr Zelensky told a security forum in Munich that his country deserves stronger international support after acting as a buffer against Russian expansion. The conference had echoes of the 1938 summit in Munich in which leaders agreed a policy of appeasement against Adolf Hitler’s Germany in an effort to prevent an imminent war. Zelensky said today: ‘Ukraine has received security guarantees for abandoning the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. We have no weapons. And no security … ‘But we have a right – a right to demand a shift from a policy of appeasement to one ensuring security and peace.’ He added: ‘For eight years, Ukraine has been a shield. For eight years, Ukraine has been holding back one of the greatest armies in the world.’ Boris Johnson has warned an invasion of Ukraine appear to be ‘in motion’ and could cause ‘the destruction of a democratic state’ and ‘the shock will echo around the world’. The Prime Minister said that aggression in separatist-held areas in the east of Ukraine had the potential be a ‘prelude to bigger action’, with the West fearing a so-called ‘false flag’ operation that could give Moscow cover to wage war on Kyiv. Mr Johnson made the comments to broadcasters following his speech to the Munich Security Conference, where he is meeting world leaders to discuss the tension in eastern Europe. Speaking at the summit today, Mr Johnson said the ‘omens are grim’ from Russia on the possibility of an invasion in the coming days, and that the world could not ‘underestimate the gravity of this moment’. While in Munich, Mr Johnson has held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – to whom he offered the UK’s ‘unequivocal support’ – and has met German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the leaders of Latvia and Estonia. A helicopter crashed into the ocean just off Miami Beach on Saturday afternoon, law enforcement said. The crash happened around 1:10 p.m. near 10th St. The video footage was shared by the police department showing the helicopter falling out of the sky rapidly as beachgoers were having a regular day in the sun. According to authorities, no casualties were reported, but two people who are in stable condition were transported to the hospital. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaLoWDNlV9n/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again According to scholar Dr. Gerald Horne, former President Barack Obama‘s father was Africa’s Central Intelligence Agency asset. The scholar who holds the Moores Professorship of History and African Studies at the University of Houston believes that the Kenyan- born U.S. – educated Barack Husein Obama Sr. worked for the CIA. Dr. Horner is an author of 17 books, including “Black & Brown: Africans and the Mexican Revolution, 1910 – 1920.” The publication ConvertAction by Horne explains that Barack Obama Sr. was recruited by the CIA and served as a protégé of Tom Mboya. The latter was a Luo- Kenyan anti-communist and pro-capitalist who served as a representative of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions – ICTFU. The union received convert CIA funding via the AFL- CIO – the leading American federation of unions. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations comprises national and international unions. According to the scholar, the U.S. was grooming Mboya to replace Jomo Kenyatta, who was more radical, according to Moguldum. From legendary draft picks to a Grammy Award-winning music lineup, the buildup to the 71st NBA All-Star game has reached a fever pitch. The game, which will air live Sunday on TNT at 8 p.m. ET, will see LeBron James and Kevin Durant face off at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the second consecutive season in which team Lebron and Team Durant will go head-to-head. Skills Challenge. https://youtu.be/UeMz945EdpU From legendary draft picks to a Grammy Award-winning music lineup, the buildup to the 71st NBA All-Star game has reached a fever pitch. The game, which will air live Sunday on TNT at 8 p.m. ET, will see LeBron James and Kevin Durant face off at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the second consecutive season in which team Lebron and Team Durant will go head-to-head. 3- Point Contest. https://youtu.be/ueC9Tem-Qag From legendary draft picks to a Grammy Award-winning music lineup, the buildup to the 71st NBA All-Star game has reached a fever pitch. The game, which will air live Sunday on TNT at 8 p.m. ET, will see LeBron James and Kevin Durant face off at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the second consecutive season in which team Lebron and Team Durant will go head-to-head. Slam Dunk https://youtu.be/0JQja8EHblg Actress Joey King, who played a little girl afflicted by the supernatural in the demonic-themed horror film, “The Conjuring,” recently shared strange details from her time making the movie that still make her “shudder.” King, 22, said earlier this month in an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” that she developed a strange blood disorder while playing Christine, one of the Perron children in “The Conjuring.” The condition was so severe that she had to go to the hospital for treatment before and after filming each day. “It was pretty intense. Some weird stuff happened on the set, along with the movie being scary,” she told fellow actress Drew Barrymore. “It’s true, I developed this bizarre, rare, out-of-nowhere blood disorder, and basically, my body, like all the red platelets from my body were like drained. They were just gone.” https://youtu.be/cqjhqa3kFRs The Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals will not require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests for attendees. Neither of the California festivals will require masks for their April events either, though face coverings are recommended for the dust. Stagecoach, which will be held after Coachella’s two-weekend run at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, posted on social media Tuesday that the country festival had updated its attendance policies to reflect local guidelines. The health and safety page of the festival’s website further explains that there is an inherent risk of exposure to the contagious disease in any public place and that the event does not guarantee that those in attendance will not catch COVID-19. “By entering the festival, attendees voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19,” the site reads, noting that those exposed are expected to self-quarantine based on local and CDC guidelines. When Brittney Johnson floated on stage in a magic bubble Monday night, she got a standing ovation. Johnson also got a two-minute ovation at the close of the show. As the full-time Glinda in the Broadway musical “Wicked,” Johnson made history on Monday as the first Black woman to play the lead role in the Broadway production. (She previously performed as Glinda in the understudy position in 2019.) “Wicked” opened in 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre in New York. The show focuses on the unlikely friendship between the witches of Oz Elphaba and Glinda. The show has earned several Tony awards and a Grammy. Atlanta‘s fourth season will be its last, FX chairman John Landgraf revealed during an executive session on Thursday. News of the comedy’s fourth and final season comes a little more than a month before season three is set to drop on FX on March 24. “After a four year absence, we’re graced with the return of Atlanta. Donald Glover and his team have shot the final two seasons of the series,” Landgraf said. The 10-episode third season marks the first time Atlanta will be available for in-season streaming on Hulu. He continued, “The fourth and final season is slated to debut in the same manner in the fall. The new season is everything you’d expect from Atlanta – which is to say expect the unexpected. Sit back and enjoy the trip.” Lauren London recently became a trending topic on Twitter after some gross men tried to body shame her after pics/clips from an upcoming Netflix film were released. Most people indeed have an audacity today, but men who body shame women are more annoying. Netflix recently revealed a huge trailer of 28 films set to premiere on the platform (streaming) in 2022. One of these films is a comedy film that will be starring Lauren London, Nia Long, Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill, Deon Cole and Mike Epps, among others. The film features an interracial couple visiting each other’s families and is directed by Kenya Barris (Black-ish). After the death of Nipsey Hussle, and the birth of her second-born Kross, Lauren has been trying to find her way into the acting world. Sadly, the internet hasn’t been friendly to her, especially her current looks. Despite being gorgeous in her current body, some men took to the internet to body shame her after releasing the 2022 comedy trailer by Netflix. The internet soon gathered the body-shaming culprits. The disgusting behavior – publicly disrespecting a woman’s body – shows more about the kind of men, which applies to Lizzo and the rest. Erykah Badu recently dropped a limited-edition version of her Badu Premium Incense dubbed “Underwater P*ssy.” The release comes ahead and in honor of her debut album “Badsuizm.” The latest drop was released on Feb 11, 2.22 p.m. CST and comprises handmade and sundried incense made from herbs and essential oils as described on Badu World Market – the mystical artist’s website. The incense packaging also features art by Jackie Musial, a reputable multidisciplinary illustrator. Each incense pack costs $60 and comes with 20 sticks for every box. In a video posted last Friday, Badu showed her fans the incense’s packaging ahead of the big launch. The front of the box shows the songstress in a beautiful camo-print headwrap, while the back has an inscription ‘Baduizm 25” – highlighting the artist’s award-winning album at the 1997 Grammy. The album remains a cultural reset to date due to its iconic songs popular among the young and old fans, such as Next Lifetime, On & On and Otherside of the Game. https://www.instagram.com/erykahbadu/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f1e983c5-8681-41bf-aead-ef24b790dff6 According to reports obtained by @NBC6, the Miami Beach Police are investigating assault allegations made by a second woman who claims she was involved in a 2020 Incident with #ChrisBrown. If you recall, we reported recently that the first initial woman filed a lawsuit last month after she claimed she was drugged and raped by the singer while at a party on a yacht that was docked near #Diddy‘s home on Dec. 30, 2020. Police reports obtained Wednesday show the second victim was at the same party but decided to leave because she was not comfortable. The report continued stating two days later, the same woman, along with a friend, was invited to meet at Chris’ Miami Beach hotel suite when he approached her and allegedly shoved one of his fingers in her mouth, which had a white powdery substance on it. The woman said after that, she blacked out for several hours and woke up in the suite without her friends or cellphone. Following the incident, the woman filed a report with Miami Beach Police after learning about a lawsuit filed in January by the initial woman who was at the same party she left. Attorney #ArielMitchell is representing both women in a lawsuit. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaIq7jWFihl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has vowed to end tenure for new hires at public universities and colleges in an attempt to stop the teaching of critical race theory. Patrick spoke at a press conference Friday where he responded to a resolution by the Faculty Council at the University of Texas this week that affirmed the “fundamental rights of faculty to academic freedom,” including the teaching of race and gender theory. “Hiding behind this academic freedom argument just doesn’t work,” Patrick said. “We believe in academic freedom, but everyone has guidelines in mind. Everyone has barriers, everyone has boundaries, everyone’s held accountable to someone.” https://youtu.be/svj_6w0EUz4 As reported by Page Six, the former “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star Rob Kardashian filed to dismiss his assault lawsuit against Blac Chyna without prejudice for the sake of their daughter, and a judge has approved the motion. “My love for Dream far outweighs my desire to proceed with my claims against her mother in a public trial,” Kardashian told the gossip site on Friday. “Now that the court has ruled that there is sufficient evidence to warrant a jury trial on my claim for assault, for our daughter’s sake, I am dismissing the action and focusing on my co-parenting relationship with Chyna.” Well, that’s all and well for Mr. Kardashian, but apparently, Blac Chyna isn’t ready to let him off that easy according to her attorney, Lynne M. Ciani. In an email sent to EURweb, the lawyer outlined what Rob and the Kardashian clan can look forward to from her client – Angela White a/k/a Blac Chyna – on the legal front. https://youtu.be/eaUELxqVndg “Uncharted” is the new Sony Entertainment film starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. Based on the popular video game series of the same name. The movie takes viewers on a quest for five billion in gold treasure that includes lots of high-powered action along with a global backdrop. We meet Nathan Drake (Holland), a streetwise pickpocketing bartender, and a mysterious stranger, Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Wahlberg). The duo battles a vicious treasure hunter, Mocanda (Antonio Banderas) with vast resources. https://youtu.be/4wCH1K-ckZw A hairstylist by the name of “Millie” is calling out singer K. Michelle for not paying her and being unprofessional during their session. She asks, “Why would you get your hair done naked?” Taking to her IG Story, the stylist shared a DM with the singer, where she asked “Do you travel.” The stylist responded, “No I don’t travel. I’ve done your hair before through my other hair business (Closure Perfection) and I wasn’t happy with the experience. Sorry for the inconvenience ??. ” K says, “You’re the girl that burnt me up huh? Good rebranding! These pictures are beautiful. Good day beauty ??.” The stylist fires back, “Yeah that’s me. You was naked. That made me nervous. And since you want to take it there. You still owe me $1,000 ?? rather you was burn or bleeding. But thank you for still admiring everything I do. You will hear about me some more. Good day to you also Beauty ??. China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong made sure the Beijing Games’ controversial figure skating competition ended in celebration on Saturday by winning the pairs title for the sport’s final gold medal to the rapture of local fans. Xi Jinping watched the Winter Olympics closing ceremony on a velvet cushion from inside Birds’ Next stadium as the curtain comes down on a games that has been tarnished by a doping scandal, grim looking food, barren venues and human rights concerns. Much fanfare was given to the common man as two weeks of acrimony, secrecy and bitterness, which were sugar-coated with moments of breath-taking athletic prowess, ended. China‘s President XI Jinping and his reverential followers banded together inside the iconic Birds Nest Stadium to parade 365 ‘ordinary people’ to mark the closing of the games. This, they said, was not about ‘stars, professional singers, dancers or actors;’ but about your average Joe getting his moment. They were a small number from China’s 1.4 billion population who were ferried into the ground, showcased to the watching world as prime examples of the ‘harmony’ among the Chinese people. But as he sat back on his velvet cushion and watched the fireworks spectacle, Xi and China believed they had got away with it. Sunday (02-20-22), Juwan Howard got physical with another coach after his team’s bitter loss in a basketball game and ended up in a nasty fight. Not a good look. https://youtu.be/aHb7vjieEis Juwan Howard, the University of Michigan’s men’s basketball head coach got into it Sunday while shaking hands with Wisconsin Badgers‘ head coach, Greg Gard. The Badgers beat the Wolverines 77-63 in a hard-fought game.During a post-game press conference, Howard said he was expressing his frustration to Gard about a late-game timeout he’d taken — at which point, Gard started to touch him in a way that Howard felt was totally unnecessary. It certainly sounds like Howard’s claiming self-defense, but the reality is he’s the one who took the swipe well after Gard was removed from the situation. Don’t be surprised if a suspension against Howard is announced shortly. https://youtu.be/yUrfIIJoULo Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James on Saturday reaffirmed his plan to play his final season in the NBA with his oldest son, Bronny, on a team he ultimately lands with. LeBron has said numerous times that a long-term goal of his is to play with Bronny in the NBA. He is in his 19th season in the NBA and signed with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season when Bronny is scheduled to graduate high school. Based on the current rules by the NBA, Bronny wouldn’t be eligible for the draft until 2024. However, the league could eventually allow players to declare for the draft straight out of high school, which would be next year when LeBron can be a free agent. Whenever Bronny can enter the NBA, LeBron plans to play with him. “My last year will be played with my son,” James said in an interview with Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.” #KekeWyatt just announced she’s adding another addition to her family! Keke shared the exciting news on her Instagram with a series of pictures of her baby bump and her family. “My husband, Zackariah David Darring and I are proud to announce that our family will be adding a “plus 1" to the Wyatt Bunch!” Together, the little one will be KeKe and her husband Zackariah’s second child. The couple welcomed their first child, Ke’Riah Darring, in January 2020. However, this baby will be making Keke a mom for the eleventh time. Nevertheless, congratulations to Keke and Zackariah on their newest bundle of joy! https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNmVtMJ17C/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Vladimir Putin is putting on a show of military strength today with new nuclear drills as he sends a MIG armed with a hypersonic missile over the Mediterranean amid increasing fears of an imminent invasion of Ukraine. The Russian leader is personally overseeing the nuclear exercises involving ‘strategic forces’ which will include practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko is joining Putin in the situation room in the Kremlin to watch over the strategic drills. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today’s drills ‘should not cause anyone concern’ and said Russia had informed the proper channels. Russia holds huge strategic drills every year but today’s manoeuvres include the Black Sea Fleet, based on the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Meanwhile, top Ukrainian military officials came under a shelling attack during a tour of the front of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and were forced to flee to a bomb shelter before leaving the area. President Joe Biden for the first time on Friday said he believed President Vladimir Putin had made up his mind to invade Ukraine. He delivered his verdict at the end of an intense week of diplomacy and amid reports of explosions in territory held by pro-Russian separatists which officials believe could be false-flag attacks and a precursor to an invasion. After delivering an update on the crisis, Biden was asked if Putin had made up his mind. After delivering an update on the crisis, Biden was asked if Putin had made up his mind. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/02/19/368820733250485373/636x382_MP4_368820733250485373.mp4 Another black woman has fallen victim to the injustices and cruelty of the United States Corrections system. #TaNeashaChappell’s family is asking for justice after she was killed while in the custody of an #Indiana jail. Chappell- who was being held on charges stemming from an alleged theft and high-speed chase—died July 16, less than two hours after being taken from the county jail to the Schneck Medical Center. For hours, The 23-year-old pleaded with the staff of an Indiana jail for medical care. She repeatedly vomited blood, became dehydrated, and asked to be taken to the hospital several times. On Thursday’s episode of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, the family of Ta’Neasha Chappell shared the disturbing last words of their loved one while she was in custody. Martin also shared the heartbreaking audio recording of Chappell crying out for help while guards disregard her. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ9vghKDnKm/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Amazon reportedly suspended Black Lives Matter from their charity platform claiming that it failed to disclose what the millions of dollars in donations were used for. AmazonSmile said in a statement that they had to temporarily suspend the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation after it failed to comply with their policies. “States have rules for nonprofits, and organizations participating in AmazonSmile need to meet those rules. Unfortunately, this organization fell out of compliance with the rules in several states, so we’ve had to temporarily suspend them from the program until they come into compliance,” a spokesperson said. According to the New York Post, the company also plans to hold additional funds that were donated to Black Lives Matter until they are “back in compliance.” #RockmondDunbar sues Disney and 20th Television over vaccine mandate. The ‘9-1-1’ actor is accusing the studios of discrimination based on race and religion. You may remember back in November reports surfaced that the star was leaving the popular series indefinitely over COVID vaccine regulations. Dunbar later explained that “[He] applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by [his] employer.” According to the suit, Rockmond claims he submitted paperwork seeking both a religious and medical exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine. He says producers assured him they wanted him to remain on the show, and that his schedule would be adjusted to accommodate him being unvaccinated. But according to the suit that never happened. Rockmond claims that the studios not only refused to accommodate his vaccine exemption requests, but they went on to deliberately make it sound like he was an anti-vaxxer. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Ava DuVernay’s Array has parted ways with Spotify and will no longer be making podcasts for the audio giant, a spokesperson for Array confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. Last year, Array and Spotify had announced a multiyear first-look deal for Array to produce scripted and unscripted podcasts with Gimlet, the studio owned by Spotify. Though no podcasts or shows had yet been released under the pact, multiple projects were in development, according to the Array spokesperson. A Spotify representative declined to comment. Array’s exit from Spotify comes as the streaming company has faced continued scrutiny over its marquee podcaster, Joe Rogan, who hosts the Spotify-exclusive The Joe Rogan Experience show. Prominent musicians like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have pulled their music from the service in protest of COVID misinformation that has spread on Rogan’s show, while other artists like India.Arie have condemned the host for repeatedly using a racial slur about Black people in past clips that circulated on social media. (Rogan has apologized for using the N-word, calling his actions “regretful and shameful.”) Cary Grant. Frank Sinatra. Tracy Morgan. Three very different men, each among the very few recipients of the Friars Club’s top honor. On May 26, Morgan is set to become only the ninth winner of the Entertainment Icon Award by the private New York roast-house. Other past recipients are Douglas Fairbanks, Tony Bennett, Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro and, most recently, Billy Crystal. “The Friars is a legendary part of New York City and Comedy, two of my favorite things,” said Morgan. “Some of my biggest influences were in and out of there…I’m following in the footsteps of greatness…I’m humbled and looking forward to a crazy night.” The event is set for an in-person gala at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom, with Al Roker and George Lopez among early attendees announced to honor the comic. Little Richard, the late Rock N’ Roll icon, led one of the most interesting lives. He publicly confessed to struggling with a range of challenges from church sermons to angel dust, alcoholism, orgies, Bible sessions, cocaine and same-sex attractions. However, his love for the stage didn’t change regardless of the life circumstances. In an interview with GQ Magazine in 2010, the artist revealed numerous details about his life: entertaining, straight up and others tragic. His Good Friend Killed His Father for Kicking Him (Richard – 19 Years) Out of The House. Born Richard Wayne Penniman on 5 Dec 1932 in Macon, he was the third born among the 12 children. His father, Bud, sold moonshine and put him out of the house at 19 years for being gay. He said he wanted seven boys, and he (Richard) had spoiled it. His best friend Frank shot Bud outside a local bar and went to jail for the incident. However, he was released in a week, and they never knew what happened. https://youtu.be/Q0cBzyYlJuo The iconic ‘90s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” has made its return to TV. The reboot “Bel-Air” will look a lot different from the original. “Bel-Air” has the same characters and storyline but this time the show will be an hour drama versus a 30-minute sitcom. The new show allows for the story to be told with a more serious and dramatic tone. The show also has more focus on real-life drama young urban adults face today. https://youtu.be/rQ1uG91Bbls Dave Chappelle is still very much on Netflix’s home team. The streamer announced Friday the release of four upcoming comedy specials executive produced and hosted by the controversial comic. The series of specials is dubbed Chappelle’s Home Team, and each will feature a different comic introduced by Chappelle. The first to be featured is Earthquake (real name Nathaniel Martin Stroman), and his special, called Earthquake: Legendary, premieres on Feb. 28. Another special will spotlight Donnell Rawlings. One similarity shared by all the featured comics is they’ve been in the stand-up game for at least 30 years. “I’ve been doing this a long time and comedians like Quake and Donnell are not only friends but have inspired my own career,” Chappelle said. “Anyone in the comedy community knows these names and knows their time to shine is long overdue. I am proud to be a part of this moment.” Martin Lawrence and the surviving cast of his hit comedy series Martin are set to reunite 30 years later as part of a BET+ reunion special, hosted by Affion Crockett. Taping will take place February 20 and the special will air later this year. Announced participants also include Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II. Thomas Mikal Ford, who played Martin’s best friend Tommy in the series, died in 2016 at the age of 52. “To be able to sit here 30 years later with this amazing cast that has had such an impact on pop culture is truly a blessing,” Lawrence said. “I am always humbled that the fans still want more of the show and its characters. I am looking forward to the reunion special.” BET+ also teases the participation of “surprise guests,” and the streamer surely has a wide array of big-name series guest stars to choose from. Throughout the Fox series’ five-season run from 1992-1997, the show featured appearances by Tracy Morgan, Kim Coles, Tommy Davidson, Jackie Chan, Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg, Billy Dee Williams and Mr. T among others. Actor Mark Wahlberg is opening up more about his turn toward faith in Christ and its impact on his work. In recent years, he’s acknowledged that movies he made earlier in his career did not honor God, but now he’s working to change that. Wahlberg says his faith played an integral role in his latest project, a new film called Father Stu. While reading the movie script, Wahlberg, who is a devout Catholic, said he reflected on his own past, the present, and his life’s purpose. “God has continued to bless me and put me in this situation,” he told Fox News‘ Raymond Arroyo. “Not to continue to grow and work on Mark Wahlberg the person, but to do His work and finally giving me the skills and tools to go out there and articulate the message that He wants me to articulate.” The biographical movie is based on the life story of boxer-turned-priest Father Stuart Long. A biopic of Afeni Shakur — the late mother of rapper Tupac and a prominent member of the Black Panther party — is in the works from Amaru Entertainment and the Shakur Estate. Titled “Peace, Love & Respect; the Afeni Shakur/Panther 21 story,” actor/writer/director Jasmine Guy and writer/director Jamal Joseph — who was arrested as one of the “Panther 21” with Afeni — are on board as executive producers, while Dina LaPolt, who worked with the estate for many years, is a producer. The film, titled “Peace, Love & Respect, the Afeni Shakur/Panther 21 story,” is the first to have the full backing and approval of the Shakur estate. The film will span a pivotal two-year period — from April 2, 1969, when she and 20 other Black Panthers were arrested and charged with conspiracy to bomb police stations in New York, through June 16, 1971, the day Tupac was born — along with flashbacks to childhood and teenage years. LaPolt — who worked for many years with Afeni to settle Tupac’s estate, ultimately releasing nine posthumous albums as well as books and a documentary — says the story is close to her heart, as Afeni was a hero to LaPolt’s activist mother. “My mother was very much a part of the civil rights movement — she taught me about Afeni and how she was arrested as a member of the ‘Panther 21.’” Born in North Carolina as Alice Faye Williams in 1947, Afeni Shakur moved to the Bronx with her mother as an 11-year-old. She joined the Panthers after hearing Bobby Seale speak in 1968, and married fellow Black Panther member Lumumba Shakur soon after. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is perhaps best known for his accomplishments on the basketball court. But when he was a middle school student, Abdul-Jabbar thought the contributions of Black Americans went underrepresented in the classroom — and now, he’s hoping to rectify that with a new documentary. “We aren’t taught in schools about Black soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary and Civil wars in defense of their country, a country who continued to mistreat them when the wars were over,” the NBA Hall of Famer and bestselling author told HuffPost. “Yet, even that did not dim the intensity of their patriotism. Now we have a chance to set the record straight and Black children can take pride in their heritage.” “Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War,” a one-hour documentary set to premiere Feb. 21 on the History Channel, drops viewers into the heart of the Civil War and takes a comprehensive look at the lives of relatively unknown heroes. Abdul-Jabbar narrated the film and executive produced it alongside Deborah Morales of Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment. https://youtu.be/RmN7o6eqISY The family of the black New Jersey teen who was handcuffed and pinned to the floor by cops who let the white boy he was brawling with sit on a couch has retained civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump. The famed attorney — who has repped the families of George Floyd, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery — confirmed Thursday that he has been retained to help 14-year-old Z’Kye Husain. Crump insisted that the now-viral video of the seventh-grader’s arrest Saturday at Bridgewater Commons mall showed the aftermath of him trying to protect a pal from “being bullied by a much older 11th-grader.” “It is evident that officers immediately assumed that because of the color of Z’Kye’s skin, him acting nobly was not even in the realm of possibility,” Crump said. “That video says it all,” he said of the incident being investigated by the police department with the help of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office’s Internal Affairs Unit. The video caught two Bridgewater cops breaking up the fight — then allowing the older, lighter-skinned boy to sit alone on a couch while they pinned Z’Kye to the floor. One of the officers placed a knee near the back of the black teen’s neck as the two handcuffed him. Last weekend was a blast for many fans who supported Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl LVI, played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. A lot of fans, celebrities, and other athletes were in attendance for the big game. Besides the Los Angeles favorites LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard, another star with California links made it to the game. Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors also watched the Rams beating the Cincinnati Bengals live, but while he was having a great time at the stadium, some criminals broke into his house. TMZ reports that the 3x NBA champion’s house was burglarized while he watched the big game. They stole jewelry, watches, and more stuff worth over $1 million. The Faculty Council at the University of Texas approved a nonbinding resolution Monday defending the academic freedom of faculty members to teach about race, gender justice and critical race theory. The resolution, approved 41-5 with three members abstaining, states that educators, not politicians, should make decisions about what to teach, and it supports the right of faculty members to design courses and curriculum and to conduct scholarly research in their fields. The UT Faculty Council is an organization that represents the faculty members at the university. Faculty members approved the resolution partly in response to legislation around the country seeking to limit discussions involving race in schools, colleges and universities. The resolution expresses solidarity with K-12 teachers in Texas who are seeking to “teach the truth in U.S. history and civics education.” State lawmakers approved GOP bills last year limiting classroom discussions of race and gender amid a conservative backlash against critical race theory, a framework of scholarship to examine racism. The Legislature has not, however, targeted the teaching of critical race theory and related topics in Texas universities. “State legislative proposals seeking to limit teaching and discussions of racism and related issues have been proposed and enacted in several states, including Texas,” the resolution says. “This resolution affirms the fundamental rights of faculty to academic freedom in its broadest sense, inclusive of research and teaching of race and gender theory.” The DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic pairing have been cooking lately. Since Jan. 1, DeRozan and Vucevic have been the NBA’s most frequent ball-screen partnership, per Second Spectrum. The Chicago Bulls have scored 1.11 points per possession on trips featuring a DeRozan-Vucevic ball screen — the second-best mark among high-volume pairings. It makes sense that the duo works. DeRozan is a downhill savant with mid-range guile that reminds you of a former Los Angeles Laker. Vucevic can get busy as a roller, a short-roller and a pick-and-pop threat. That type of versatility makes life difficult for a defense, as we saw during the Bulls’ 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. https://streamable.com/9mlu17 If you ever wondered what happened between NFL star Cam Newton and Kia Proctor, the mother of four of his children, he decided to open up about it during a recent interview between himself and fitness model/Instagram influencer Brittany Renner. Both parties came together for his ‘Funky Friday‘ YouTube series to set the record straight about themselves. During their chat, when Renner posed the question to him about why he didn’t marry Proctor, he didn’t shy away from answering. “That’s a great question…The thing is that person that I was while we were having children together, I couldn’t be the best husband,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared to be a husband then.” The couple started dating in 2013 before reportedly breaking up in early 2020, and Newton says she did make it clear that she wanted to be married. As he put it, “the hourglass was shrinking” for Proctor. But he’d seen successful marriages and wasn’t ready to commit in that way. #KanyeWest has had a lot to say about his pending divorce on social media as of late, but it looks like he might be warming up to the idea of Kim K being declared single amidst their proceedings–so long as things are done on his terms. According to @TMZ_tv, Kanye is worried about the fate of him and Kim’s assets if she’s considered legally single, and has reportedly filed legal documents outlining his conditions for her to be back on the market. TMZ reports Ye’s lawyer fears Kim might remarry and move some of their assets to different accounts once she is declared single, and is asking the following: if either Kim or Kanye pass away, According to Kanye’s legal team, his requests have already been rejected by Kim’s attorneys, which wouldn’t be odd given that the two have a prenup in place that keeps all of their property separate, reports Radar Online. Several states are dealing with severe autopsy backlogs due to staffing issues, and the situation has reached a critical level in Maryland. As reported by Black Enterprise, the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has turned a parking garage into a makeshift morgue where hundreds of bodies are being stored and awaiting autopsy. “The backlog is holding up funeral services, criminal investigations, and prosecutions,” per the outlet. The state’s backlog is expected to hit 300 by the end of the month, Washington Post reports. Per the report, New Hampshire, Georgia, New Mexico, and New York City are also dealing with autopsy backlogs. https://youtu.be/3lpsQToGdUQ This vacation went from fun to tragedy! A woman on a Carnival cruise ship jumped to her death after being detained by the cruise ship security guards for allegedly getting into a fight with a man in the hot tub. According to a video of the accident, the cruise security guards had the as yet unidentified passenger detained with her arms behind her back following a fight. She was not handcuffed, despite some reports from other passengers. While detained she started screaming the name ‘Alicia’, before getting escorted off the dock of the ship. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaIOPKPp2Ob/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Louisiana school teacher who admitted to lacing cupcakes with her ex-husband’s sperm and feeding them to school children now faces nearly 40 years in prison, according to a report. n 2019, Louisiana sheriff’s lieutenant Dennis Perkins and his wife Cynthia Perkins were arrested and charged with creating child pornography, video voyeurism, and first-degree rape. A report from The Advocate said Cynthia Perkins had worked as a school teacher at the time for Westside Junior High School in Walker, Louisiana. Per the agreement, Cynthia admitted to helping her ex-husband sexually assault a juvenile, film a juvenile bathing, and lace cupcakes with sperm from her ex-husband, which were fed to school children, the report added. Cynthia allegedly filed for divorce after the couple was arrested and charged. Cynthia’s attorneys said she was manipulated by her ex-husband into committing child sex crimes. Her attorneys called Dennis the “mastermind” behind the couple’s criminal activity. Magistrate James Lammey, on Feb 8, handed down a 51-year prison sentence to Shanynthia Gardner. In her mid-30s, the Tennessee woman was sentenced to prison five years later after she stabbed and killed her four small children. Fortunately for her eldest son, who was seven years old at the time, he escaped and survived. Despite pleading for insanity, Lammey dismissed the claim leaving her to serve her sentence before eligibility for parole. During the bench trial of Dec 21, the magistrate found Gardner guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, child endangerment, and child abuse. https://youtu.be/D7QfbnyGCLM NBC has dropped the trailer for the much-anticipated return of “Law & Order” — which sees former cast members Anthony Anderson (Kevin Bernard), Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy) and Camryn Manheim (Kate Dixon) reprising their roles. Per PEOPLE, franchise newcomers include Hugh Dancy (Nolan Price), Jeffrey Donovan (Frank Cosgrove) and Odelya Halevi (Samantha Maroun). According to a statement from series creator Dick Wolf and his Wolf Entertainment, the series will return to NBC for Season 21, and “will continue where the show left off in 2010, with the classic format that explores two separate, yet equally important groups: ‘the police who investigate crimes and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.’ “There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true,” Dick Wolf said in the statement. “This is mine.” https://youtu.be/fLAoM6Oaaqs The Emmy-winning comedy “Atlanta” will come to an end after its fourth season, FX confirmed Thursday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. “Death is natural,” said series star Donald Glover at TCA, per Variety. “I feel like when the conditions are right for something, they happen, and when the conditions aren’t right, they don’t happen. I don’t feel any longevity. Because then things start to get weird.” The award-winning comedy-drama will return March 24, 2022, kicking off with a two-episode premiere on FX, and streaming on Hulu the following day. The second season finale aired on May 10, 2018. Production on season 3 was shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Both seasons 3 and 4 resumed filming in Paris and Amsterdam in January 2021. https://youtu.be/nynDxkGWnh4 Patrick Mahomes has blasted a report that he banned fiancee Brittany Matthews and his controversial TikTok influencer brother Jackson from attending his Kansas City Chiefs games. The 26-year-old superstar quarterback took to Twitter on Friday to write ‘Y’all just be making stuff up these days [three laughing while crying emojis]’ in response to a series of tweets from former NFL lineman and current radio host Rich Ohrnberger. The 36-year-old former professional athlete had eyebrows raised as earlier that day he posted: ‘Another interesting note… I’ve been told, Patrick Mahomes had a sit down following the season with his brother and fiancé. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has a new home. The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the hire of Flores, who is suing the NFL and three teams, as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach Saturday. “I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a news release. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.” Flores’ hire significantly boosts a defensive unit that recently saw the promotion of Teryl Austin to defensive coordinator following the retirement of Keith Butler, who also coached the team’s outside linebackers. Flores spent the past three seasons as Miami’s head coach, compiling a 24-25 record before he was fired last month. And prior to that, he was the defensive playcaller for the New England Patriots, including in Super Bowl LIII. In the UK, A West Midlands zoo hired a Marvin Gaye impersonator to do his thing in hopes that his crooning of “Let’s Get it On” and “Sexual Healing” will inspire its endangered monkeys to ‘get busy’ for mating season. The soul singer, Dave Largie, was enlisted by the staff at Trentham Monkey Forest in Stoke-on-Trent to sing some of the late soul legend’s greatest hits to the Barbary macaques. And would you believe that keepers reported seeing some classic Barbary macaque ‘lovey dovey’ action as a result of the impromptu concert? ?? https://youtu.be/jXGkMd676jU The GOAT debate is something that has not yet been settled to this day. While Michael Jordan is viewed as the GOAT by a lot of people, a lot of younger fans believe that LeBron James is the GOAT, as basketball continuously evolves, and LeBron James is clearly the best player of this generation. Charles Oakley has recently stated that Michael Jordan is the GOAT, and stated that he “put the bar so high” when it comes to that debate. There is definitely some truth to that, as it’s hard to beat an undefeated Finals record and two separate three-peats. Oakley added that LeBron James “passed” Kobe Bryant, but hasn’t “passed” Michael Jordan. Jon Greenberg of The Athletic relayed the news. Ex-police officer Kim Potter, who was convicted of manslaughter in December for shooting and killing Daunte Wright in the Minneapolis area, has been sentenced to two years, 16 months of which will be served in prison. The remaining eight months will be on supervised release. Judge Regina Chu said that this was the case of a “cop who made a tragic mistake. She drew her firearm thinking it was a Taser and ended up killing a young man.” The court approved a downward departure from the typical sentence, as Chu said Potter never intended to use her firearm and the scene was chaotic. https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2022/02/18/kim-potter-sentenced-daunte-wright/ A superintendent, school principal, assistant principal and two coaches at a $13,000-per-year Texas Christian school were arrested for failing to report an attack that saw a ninth-grade boy raped with a baseball bat by an older student on ‘freshman initiation day’ as other students looked on and cheered. Midland Christian School Superintendent Jared Owen Lee, 41, secondary school Principal Dana Elizabeth Ellis, 42, assistant secondary school principal Matthew David Counts, 27, athletic director Gregory Neal McClendon, 55, and baseball coach Barry Lee Russell, 62, were all charged on Wednesday with failure to report with intent to conceal neglect or abuse, a felony in the state of Texas. All five employees were released on $5,000 bonds on Wednesday. The tenth-grade student who carried out the attack, who was not named due to his status as a minor, was arrested on Thursday, police said. The beloved comedian was speaking with his wife during an October episode of his podcast “Bob Saget’s Here for You.” Months before he was found dead, comedian Bob Saget made a haunting comment during an episode of his podcast. “I don’t have long to live. I’m going to be found dead in bed,” he told his wife, Kelly Rizzo, during an October broadcast of “Bob Saget’s Here for You.” Three months later, he was found dead in a Florida hotel room. https://youtu.be/bXDSejxQzzo Earlier this month, actor Columbus Short was arrested for domestic violence. Short, 39, has now been charged with one charge of domestic violence and one charge of child endangerment, both misdemeanors. Per People, “The child endangerment charge was filed because the incident allegedly took place in front of a child, per the outlet. The charges were issued by L.A. City Attorney Michael N. Feuer this week.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams has blamed the “drill” rap genre for contributing to the city’s sharp uptick in violence this year – and late Tuesday night, he met with some of those rappers to talk about solutions to the problem. Adams previously said he wanted to meet with prominent drill rappers to talk about the gun violence on the city’s streets. Through last Sunday, shootings year to date are up 37% versus the same period in 2021 – an average of nearly 4 people shot every day. A video posted to Instagram by the Brooklyn rapper Maino shows the mayor in a City Hall office, gathered with more than a dozen other men. Maino indicated it was being recorded at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. “There’s been a lot of talk about drill rap, drill music in New York City, connecting violence with the culture, and I just wanted to create a conversation with the mayor,” Maino says. Artists including Fivio Foreign, B-Lovee, CEO Slow, Bucksy Luciano and Bleezy joined the meeting as well. Brad Pitt is suing his ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling her share of a jointly owned estate and winery to a Russian businessman. The actor, 58 filed a lawsuit against the actress, 46, after she offloaded her share of the French estate Château Miraval the Correns, France winery to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler. Shefler is the owner of S.P.I. Group which produces and sells more than 300 brands of alcohol including Stolichnaya vodka and he has a net worth of around $2.5 billion, according to Forbes. Brad said in court documents he and Jolie initially purchased the winery in 2008 for $28.4 million, at which time she put down about 40 percent of the funding (about $11.36 million). Joseph H. Rainey, who was born into slavery in 1832 and went on to become the nation’s first Black congressman, was honored at the U.S. Capitol last week. “Study the history. Know their history,” said Representative Jim Clyburn in an interview with CBS News. Clyburn noted that when he was elected in 1992, he was only the ninth Black American from South Carolina elected to Congress. “The problem is there are 95 years between No. 8 and No. 9,” said Clyburn, who is now the Majority Whip and third-most powerful member of Congress. “Anything that’s happened before can happen again. Jim Crow happened once and it can happen again. Study the history.” Rainey’s great-granddaughter Lorna Rainey said in an interview that her great-aunt, Rainey’s daughter, used to tell her about him since he was in very few history books. Lorna Rainey said her great-aunt would say “Lorna, you’re going to be the one to tell everyone about the Congressman.” She said that Rainey’s father, Edward, worked as a barber, one of the few other professions that slaves were allowed to take on, even though law required them to give the master part of their earnings. Over the years, he saved enough money to buy the family’s freedom. Soft-drink giant PepsiCo has announced it will create a new North American organization dedicated to accelerating efforts to help address inequalities for historically underserved businesses and communities. It is part of PepsiCo’s racial equity initiative announced in 2020 that will invest $570 million over five years to increase Black and Hispanic representation and create more financial opportunities for both. The new Multicultural Business and Equity Development Organization will be led by Derek Lewis, the first president of PepsiCo’s Multicultural Business and Equity Development. Lewis has been with the soft-drink company for more than three decades, and in his new role, he will address end-to-end business inequalities. There are 2,755 billionaires in the world, but only 15 are Black and of that 15, only two are women and nine are American. Forbes tallies a list of the world’s billionaires annually using a snapshot of financial information including stock prices, exchange rates and more. Aliko Dangote is currently the richest Black man on Earth. Dangote, who was born in Kano, Nigeria, is worth more than $10 billion according to Forbes and is overseeing the construction of what will be one of the world’s largest oil refineries, which is expected to end the country’s dependence on foreign refined oil. Once completed, the refinery is expected to produce 650,000 barrels of refined oil per day. Sports apparel giant Nike has pledged $140 million to its Black Community Commitment, which invests in organizations focused on increasing economic and social justice opportunities. Nike’s Black Community Commitment will invest the money over the next 10 years to national and local organizations, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black Girls Code, Black Girl Ventures, and Black Voters Matter. Nike will also invest an additional $2.75 million to support 44 local organizations in seven U.S. cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and Memphis as part of its commitment. “NIKE, Inc.’s purpose is to move the world forward, breaking barriers and building community to change the game for all,” Karol Collymore, senior director of Inclusive Community for Social & Community Impact, said in a statement. “Our Black Community Commitment embodies this belief and drives how we are showing up to advance racial equality for Black people.” Kanye West infuriated fans as he revealed his new Donda 2 album will only be available on his own device Stem Player. Instead of being able to listen to the album on Apple Music, Spotify or other streaming services, fans will be required to shell out $200 to listen to the album on the music gadget. Fans took to Twitter in their droves expressing their disappointment the rapper, 44, who boasts an estimated £1.8billion net worth, is charging an extortionate amount which many won’t be able to afford. One wrote: ‘I love Kanye West, but I’m sorry capitalism that I can’t afford to make rich people richer. I ain’t gonna buy the new Stem player just for DONDA 2, even if he emailed it to me personally. If he wants to put it out on, perfect, if not, then hope his album makes numbers.’ (sic). Another fan added: ‘very, very, very sad that Donda 2 has to be purchased with that speaker, $200’. Byron Allen, head of a major media company that includes the Weather Channel, TV stations, cable networks and more, says he sees his company as leverage to affect real change in the way corporate America does business, in an interview with Lee Cowan for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast Sunday, Feb. 20 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. Allen is planning to bid for the Denver Broncos, which, if successful, would make him the first Black majority owner of an NFL franchise. He tells Cowan his media company is worth billions, but he won’t sell it. He sees it as a powerful tool to help not only increase Black issue-oriented programming – but also to demand more widespread inclusion in all areas of the business world. https://twitter.com/i/status/1494415305564733448 In 2019, Robyn Crawford dropped a memoir about her friendship with late singer Whitney Houston. Crawford, rumored to be Whitney’s longtime lover, describes Houston’s wedding to Bobby Brown in the book as well as the chaotic and abusive years that followed. Her book reportedly fails to mention the extortion plot against Whitney over her secret same-sex relationship with Crawford. As reported by I Love Old School Music, highly-redacted FBI files were released a few years ago about an investigation into an extortion plot against Whitney. The docs include claims made by the singer’s former bodyguard, Kevin Ammons, and author Ian Helperin, about Whitney’s alleged romance with Crawford. Quinta Brunson, writer of “Abbott Elementary,” is speaking out about the massive success of her hit ABC mockumentary series that is based on her high school years. Speaking to PopSugar about her new show, the actress said: “I would love to be able to make this show for a very long time because I enjoy making it and I enjoy being with these people,” Brunson explained. “I enjoy our crew, our writers room, [and] honestly, the partnership we have with WB and ABC. It’s really respectful and strong. And for all those reasons, I would like to continue to make this show and tell these stories with these teachers, for sure. So hopefully it can just keep going.” https://youtu.be/cO-_7oi-61Y In 2018, he came in second place at his first Daytona 500 and this Sunday he’s back on the track for the NASCAR Cup Series motor race in Florida – Bubba Wallace. The only full-time Black driver in NASCAR’s three national series also has a Netflix docuseries dropping two days after his 500-mile long race. “Race: Bubba Wallace” chronicles the personal and professional life of the stock car racing driver. With exclusive access to Wallace during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, his first with Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, the six-episode series also traces the turbulent aftermath that followed his decision to speak out about racial injustice. https://youtu.be/smOImnuSnEE After the Lakers were embarrassed by the Bucks at home recently (before LA lost to a bad Blazers team missing half their roster), a reporter asked LeBron James how his squad stacks up against Milwaukee and the league’s other elite teams. When asked if he believed the Lakers could eventually reach the Bucks’ level this season, James replied, “Where they are right now? I don’t know. Do I think we can reach the level where Milwaukee is right now? No. Is that what you want to hear from me? No.” James continued, “We can’t get to where they are right now. They’re the defending champions for a reason and I guarantee you if you would’ve asked teams coming out of the bubble if they could get to the level that we were playing at when we won a championship, they would’ve said the same thing.” Let’s flashback to the championship group for a second, shall we? It may seem like it’s been 16 years or so since LeBron led LA to a title in the bubble, but, incredibly, it’s been less than 16 months. The Lakers beat the Heat in Game 6 of the Finals on 11 Oct., 2020. The team’s two cornerstones, Anthony Davis and LeBron James, remain, but the rest of the rotation has been turned over completely. So, how did this team go from raising the Larry O’Brien trophy, to being four games under .500 and fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament just a year-and-a-half later? https://youtu.be/K7qakbUAR9w The national anthem has never sounded better – thanks to Grammy Award-winning iconic singer Jody Watley. She delivered a rousing rendition of the National Anthem to a packed crowd where the Los Angeles Lakers played the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, February 16 at Cypto.com Arena. The celebrated trendsetting pioneer in music, video, fashion and style is one of the architects of 21st-century pop, and one of music’s most versatile song stylists. https://youtu.be/_BJjLUHq04o 50 Cent has clapped back at haters and trolls who fat-shamed him following his performance at the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI halftime show on Sunday. As reported by AceShowbiz, 50 Cent wore a white tank top and black pants while rapping his hit “In Da Club.” Many social media users were quick to call out the rapper for packing on the pounds. “Dr. Dre looks old as s**t, and 50 Cent is fat as f**k,” one person tweeted, while another said, “50 cent is too fat to hang upside down pls.” In the meantime, someone else wrote, “Yo 50 cent got fat AS F**K.” Per the report, one Twitter user defended the rapper, writing, “Am I the only one who doesn’t think the 50 Cent fat jokes/memes are funny? Like, we fat shaming folx for gaining weight during the panny? Not cool.” In the meantime, another fan said, “People calling 50 cent fat and can’t even do a pull up.” On Thursday, 50 Cent took to Instagram to respond to the critics by promoting a line of G-Unit tank tops and headbands. “Get your G-Unit Tank tops & Headbands Now,” he tweeted. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ8fwznjC14/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again During an appearance on The Language of Love podcast with Dr. Laura Berman on Wednesday, Nick Cannon shared his views on monogamy and was asked if he planned to have eight children. *During an appearance on The Language of Love podcast with Dr. Laura Berman on Wednesday, Nick Cannon shared his views on monogamy and was asked if he planned to have eight children. https://www.instagram.com/drlauraberman/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=76f59473-f390-4817-8cd7-5cf02d421183 Amazon Prime Video has dropped the trailer for Lizzo’s new dance competition series, “Watch Out For the Big Grrrls” “It’s hard to love yourself in a world that doesn’t love you back,” Lizzo tearfully tells the cast in the preview. “You were created specially in your image for you to enjoy.” As the camera cuts to a contestant, they add, “You don’t have to be light-skinned. You don’t have to be skinny. You’re just beautiful the way you are.” https://youtu.be/tgNq_0bsTPU Russian figure skating sensation Kamila Valieva appeared devastated to have missed out on first place at the Beijing Games yesterday after the 15-year-old found herself at the centre of a doping scandal that shocked the world. And now the Olympic chief Thomas Bach has blasted Russia‘s figure skating coaches for the ‘chilling’ treatment of the Moscow school girl after her error-strewn long program and failed quest for gold at the Beijing Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Bach hit back at the coach, saying: ‘I was very disturbed yesterday when I watched the competition on television. I saw how high the pressure must have been on her. ‘This pressure is beyond my imagination. In particular for a girl of 15-years-old. To see her struggling on the ice, seeing how she tries to compose herself again and finish her program.’ His remarks came hours after the 15-year-old’s controversial coach was heard on microphones at the skating rink berating the Moscow schoolgirl who failed a doping test and found herself the main story of the Winter Olympics. LeBron James told U.S. Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski to “fix that motherf–ker” Kobe Bryant during a particular game in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, according to an SI.com excerpt from the new book on Krzyzewski’s career by New York Post sports columnist Ian O’Connor. In an exhibition victory over Australia in Shanghai — O’Connor reports in his new book “Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski” — Bryant took some low-percentage shots that didn’t fit the team-first culture Krzyzewski was trying to install. The Duke coach was trying to ensure the Americans didn’t relive their disastrous Olympic experience in Athens four years earlier under then-Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown. layers noticed, including James. “Everyone knew it,” one Team USA staffer says in the book. “They know when another player is being selfish. Players can police themselves, but in this instance, as LeBron was coming out of the game, he said to Mike, ‘Yo, Coach, you’d better fix that motherf–ker,’ as he walked by. He was talking about Kobe.” The following morning, Krzyzewski asked Bryant for a meeting. “Coach was nervous,” says one of his staffers. “He knew he had to do it.” During the meeting, Krzyzewski pulled out a laptop, and showed Bryant video examples of his “bulls–t shots,” before telling him, “There has to be more movement.” “Bryant just looked right at him and said, ‘I got it, Coach. I got it. Don’t worry about it. Sorry about that,’” a team source told O’Connor. The US would go on to win its first of three Olympic gold medals under Krzyzewski. Ciara took to Instagram Wednesday to share images and clips of her family’s time Saturday at the Super Bowl Breakfast in Los Angeles, where her husband Russell Wilson was presented with the 2022 Bart Starr Award. The Texas-born singer, 36, captioned a series of shots, ‘That Proud Feeling,’ with an emoji of a trophy as she tagged Wilson, 33, into the post with the hashtags, #BartStarrAward and #Family. The Grammy-winning songstress shared a clip on the site of the Seattle Seahawks quarterback as he was joined by his family as he received the trophy at the event. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/02/17/4902731935257836788/1024x576_MP4_4902731935257836788.mp4?_=1 Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson and his wife, Samaria, introduced their newborn son on the Today show on Wednesday after welcoming him the night of the Super Bowl. Samaria, 24, went into labor in the middle of the game and gave birth later that evening. Van, 25, didn’t learn she had gone into labor until after his team beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. The high school sweethearts, who are also parents to a five-year-old daughter, Bella, revealed they are stuck between two names for their son after Van suggested a moniker inspired by his Super Bowl win. ‘When he was born, Van walked into the room and he said, “I have a great idea for a name…Wynn Jefferson,”‘ Samaria shared, explaining they would spell the name W-Y-N-N. ‘So, we’re torn between Wynn and Miles Jefferson.’ https://youtu.be/W17h0VF80tc A postgame handshake line erupted into a two-team fracas in Fargo when Oral Roberts University men’s basketball coach Paul Mills confronted North Dakota State over some perceived showboating. The incident took place after Mills’s Golden Eagles fell, 77-59, to an NDSU team that punctuated its victory with an emphatic, celebratory dunk as time expired: Guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes stole the ball from Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas with the game in hand and only a few seconds on the clock before cruising in for an uncontested dunk just after the buzzer. Although the basket didn’t count, some NDSU players celebrated as if it had, while others lined up to shake hands with the defeated Golden Eagles. Michael Masi has been removed from his position as F1 race director after the investigation into his handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. Masi botched the finish of the title decider between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton last year. The race was settled by a one-lap sprint, which saw Verstappen pass Hamilton to win the title after the safety car restart rules were incorrectly applied by Masi. Masi created that last-lap showdown when he only let a certain amount of lapped cars overtake Hamilton, moving Verstappen right up behind him on brand new tyres, before restarting the race one lap before the regulations said he was supposed to in that situation. On Thursday, new FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem confirmed that Masi had been removed from the position and replaced by an overhauled system of controlling and officiating F1 races. The decision is effectively an admission by the FIA that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix should not have been restarted in the way it was. Jekalyn Carr believes in well-rounded self-care, which includes caring for and enhancing our God-given beauty. With that belief in mind, the inspirational powerhouse will release JEKALYN BEAUTY SKINCARE this Friday, February 18, followed by the release of JEKALYN BEAUTY HAIRCARE by the end of the month. Products can be purchased at www.JEKALYNBEAUTY.com Featuring natural ingredients that Carr uses herself, JEKALYN BEAUTY’s haircare and skincare lines are for women who want a streamlined system of effective products to meet their beauty needs. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com MAVERICK CITY MUSIC SET TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ON THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR-D3bvi-4E&feature=youtu.be Motown Gospel, a division of Capitol CMG/Capitol/Universal Music Group, announces the signing of South African singer, songwriter, and television personality HLE to an exclusive recording agreement. The partnership is the first of its kind, representing the only direct signing of a global artist in the famed label’s 23-year history. Today’s announcement comes after a whirlwind season of success for HLE, spurred on by her acclaimed Your Kingdom on Earth. The project peaked at the #1 position on Apple Music’s Gospel Albums chart in 7 countries and landed key positioning in the U.S. & Canada across various streaming platforms. Among the many accolades that followed were 3 South African Music Award (SAMA) nominations, including Female Artist of the Year and Best Live Audio Visual Recording, ultimately winning the honor for Best Contemporary Faith Album. In addition to her thriving solo career, HLE recently began hosting VIP Invite, an uplifting television series that offers viewers a front-row seat to entertaining and uplifting musical experiences each week. Season 2 of the popular program will premiere this Sunday, February 20th at 17:00 CAT on Mzansi Magic Music DSTV channel 321. Today, the I Stand With Immigrants initiative celebrates To Immigrants With Love (TIWL), an annual effort around Valentine’s Day to share messages of love and support for immigrants from people across the country - including artists, activists, and public figures. The #ToImmigrantsWithLove campaign honors each of our families’ sacrifices, struggles, and successes because America’s strength is reflected in our diversity built over generations. The campaign includes both online and in-person art and letter-writing components to show positivity and support for all immigrants across the United States. A number of artists, activists, and public figures are all lending their voices to the campaign, including Aimee Carrero, Alyssa Milano, Bambadjan Bamba, Cara Santana, Carolina Sandoval, Debra Messing, Emily Tosta, Estelle, Hailey Sani, Hari Kondabolu, J.R Martinez, Jenna Ushkowitz, Julissa Calderon, Karan Brar, Marlene Favela, Paola Mendoza, Phillipa Soo, Piper Perabo, Reshma Saujani, and Tatyana Ali. Apparently, the education system in Indiana is struggling with its honoring of Black History Month. Just Tuesday, we reported about a teacher in Indianapolis who thought it was a good idea to create a BHM assignment that involved having students draw pictures of Black people picking cotton. Now, it appears that another educator is giving parents the option of exempting their children from participating in BHM-related lessons altogether. Obviously, this is an excuse for white parents who think BHM is critical race theory to shelter their children in white purity and keep them away from learning evil in school. And by “evil,” I mean “all things Black history and white fragility-inducing.” According to a screenshot of the form shared on social media, a Sprunica Elementary School councilor aptly named Benjamin White authored the letter to parents essentially saying that while “February is a time for caring and growing for our students,” it doesn’t necessarily need to be a time for white parents to care about their kids growing to know anything about Black achievement in America. Almost no one outside of academia knew of CRT before Republicans discovered it was a good and scary base-galvanizing issue they could bring up to keep red states red and possibly swing the racism in swing states all the way to the ballot box. But now that it’s out there and when we’re debating around it, we’re talking very publicly about systemic racism and white privilege as we’re seeing those concepts unfold in real-time. We’re seeing white legislators—who have not even remotely demonstrated knowledge of what CRT is and are instead using it as an umbrella term for all things that make the whites uncomfortable (*gestures widely towards everything Black*)—proposing and passing laws specifically designed for white people’s comfort that everyone of every other race will be affected by. White people aren’t ending the fight against white supremacy by banning CRT, they’re fueling it. Anyway, in Texas—where banning Blackness from education is as American as apple pie, baseball, and hanging negroes from trees then pretending it didn’t happen—the “Faculty Council at the University of Texas approved a nonbinding resolution Monday defending the academic freedom of faculty members to teach about race, gender justice, and critical race theory,” according to the Austin American-Statesman. Rev. Al Sharpton on Thursday spoke to thousands at the funeral of 22-year-old Amir Locke, who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police during a no-knock warrant search. “Amir was not guilty of anything but being young and Black in America,” Sharpton said, according to The Associated Press. Locke was shot by a member of the SWAT team that carried out a no-knock search warrant at the beginning of this month. Sharpton on Thursday spoke out against the no-knock searches in Minneapolis, arguing that had they been banned “we wouldn’t be at a funeral this morning,” the news outlet noted. In his remarks, Sharpton also spoke on Black History Month and connected the history of slaves being forced to take on names their masters gave them to Black people today being seen as “nameless suspects,” according to AP. Milwaukee has moved closer to electing its first Black mayor in city history following a special election on Tuesday. Cavalier “Chevy” Johnson, who is currently the acting mayor of Milwaukee, advanced to April’s general election following Tuesday’s primary that whittled down the field of candidates to two. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Johnson won 42% of the vote, the highest share of any of the seven candidates, four of whom are Black. He will face off against former city Alderman Bob Donovan, who is white and nabbed 22% of the vote in a city where nearly 39% of the population is Black. In the interim, Johnson will continue to run Milwaukee with one caveat: He was appointed and not duly elected. Milwaukee will have a chance to change that in less than two months. Ironically, Johnson is not the first Black acting mayor in Milwaukee. It appears as though officers with the Rialto Police Department in California have nothing better to do than to harass and physically abuse teenage girls. The department has issued an apology after a video went viral showing two officers kneeling on a Black teen girl and gripping her neck for the crime of riding a bike. After viewing body-camera footage, Police Chief Mark Kling claimed that the girl appeared to have resisted arrest but also said that the department was looking into the “officer’s decision to trip the juvenile to the ground” and put his hand on her throat during the arrest. The teen was later released to her family at a detention center. https://twitter.com/i/status/1493780849669591040 Singer-turned-actress LeToya Luckett’s latest starring role is in Lifetime’s “Line Sisters” — and it’s a project she hopes will change the perception about her journey since leaving Destiny’s Child. “I’m never annoyed when somebody brings up Destiny’s Child. I’m so blessed and grateful for the experience of everything,” she tells Page Six. “I was a little girl, I was 11 years old when I became a part of that group. But when they overdo it and make me feel like that’s my only accomplishment, then it’s like, ‘Now wait a minute.’” She adds: “I feel like I’m in a place in my life, in my career, where people [aren’t saying], ‘The former member of Destiny’s Child’ … and that’s because of my present work.” Luckett, 40, was with Destiny’s Child for 3 years and sold millions of records with the hit R&B group. She and LaTavia Roberson departed the DC in 2000. https://www.instagram.com/letoyaluckett/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=eb30a10b-b393-475b-9439-20baf33302cd Wendy Williams has shared a 5-minute video in which she gives an update on her health, but fans are convinced the clip is old. The video was uploaded to Wendy’s new Instagram page Wednesday. In the clip, Wendy is walking along the beach in Miami. Her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., appears to be the one recording the video, as the two are reportedly living together in Miami. In the video, Wendy makes clear that she intends to return to her show. “I want to be all I can be and then get back to New York and get on down with ‘The Wendy Williams Show,'” she says. “I’m doing okay, ya know?” she adds. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaC_bE5pPVG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=invalid&ig_rid=b53b1d36-aea0-4cf5-89e7-462510f30979 OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced season three of courtroom drama “All Rise” returns in June with Roger Guenveur Smith and Christian Keyes joining the cast led by Simone Missick, who serves as an executive producer this season alongside showrunner and executive producer Dee Harris-Lawrence. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, Smith (Do the Right Thing and Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker) will portray Judge Marshall Thomas, OWN announced in a recent press release. Keyes (All the Queen’s Men and The Boys) will play Robin (previously played by Todd Wiliams), Lola Carmichael’s husband who has stepped away from the FBI to become a full-time dad. MTV Entertainment Group today announced that Comedy Central’s Tha God’s Honest Truth with Charlamagne Tha God, created and hosted by multimedia mogul Lenard “Charlamagne” McKelvey and executive produced by Stephen Colbert and Aaron McGruder, has been renewed for a second season and slated to premiere this summer. Leading up to the series return, Charlamagne will host a special series of exclusive, intimate one-on-one interviews as an extension of Tha God’s Honest Truth, which will feature notable names in entertainment, politics, comedy, publishing, and more. Married professional wrestling stars Cody and Brandi Rhodes are leaving All Elite Wrestling, with Cody said to be eyeing a move back to WWE. As reported by TMZ, AEW CEO Tony Khan said “Cody and Brandi Rhodes were integral to the launch of All Elite Wrestling.” “Sources tell us there was a fallout between Cody and Tony recently … as Khan’s visibility within the company grew. Of course, Cody — who served as Executive VP of the company — was pretty much the OG face of AEW when it debuted in 2019.” “Cody’s ability combined with his boldness and his passion for our industry and his love for community outreach helped AEW deliver on our mission to give fans what they needed for far too long — something new, innovative and lasting,” Khan added. “I have immense respect and appreciation for Cody and Brandi, and I wish them both the best as they move on from AEW.” David Lee Smith, A.K.A. Bigg Feva, was born with a musical spirit. At the young age of five, Bigg Feva began singing, for friends and family with an enormous amount of passion. At the beginning stages of his musical career school talent shows were an outlet for his high-energy performances. Bigg Feva captivated the audience. As he won first place in every talent show his confidence grew and he became determined to attend every musical opportunity that life had to offer. As a Hip Hop Artist producers are constantly amazed by his ability to arrange vocals as well as his vocal range. Bigg Fev is also a talented writer who writes R&B and Gospel zealously for himself and other artists. The mixture of formal musical training, passion for writing, and a love for quality music transfers to a live performance that is forever remembered by audiences that Bigg Feva captivates while performing across the United States. Most recently Bigg Feva won The Las Vegas Black Music Awards Best Hip Hop category. https://youtu.be/YxoI-TLx1a0 W. Kamau Bell seems concerned that defenders of Bill Cosby think more about protecting one man’s legacy than supporting the Black women he allegedly victimized. “I know some black people say, ‘Don’t tear down this black man,’” Bell tells Page Six. “But a third of the survivors are black women. Why are we prioritizing one man over all these black women?” Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 and sentenced to three-10 years in prison. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated his conviction last June and Cosby was released. https://youtu.be/qVr0xrvGK1Q Mary J. Blige stopped by the Hot 97 studio this week to dish about her Super Bowl LVI Halftime performance alongside Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. “I was nervous until I got on the stage,” she told Ebro Darden. “I was nervous in all the rehearsals—everybody was nervous. Everyone. But that was a huge moment.” Blige then reacted to conservative viewers who expressed outrage over the all-Black halftime show. https://youtu.be/xGaZqLw6yNI Showing no sign he will allow tensions to subside, Vladimir Putin demanded on Thursday that the U.S. remove all of its forces from Eastern and Central Europe and expelled U.S. Deputy Ambassador Bartle Gorman from Russia. Soon after President Biden told reporters he believes Putin will invade Ukraine ‘in a matter of days,’ while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the shelling of a kindergarten in Eastern Ukraine was a ‘false flag’ operation designed to give Russia a pretext for an attack. Taken together the diplomatic and military moves represent a new, dangerous phase in the crisis. A day earlier the U.S. accused Russia of lying about its intentions. A senior administration official said it was talking deescalation but ‘privately mobilizing for war.’ Thursday began with shelling in Eastern Ukraine, with Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces accusing the other of being responsible. Pictures soon emerged of a rubble-strewn kindergarten just behind the Ukrainian side of the frontline. Kanye West took to social media Wednesday to ask for God’s help after admitting to harassing estranged wife Kim Kardashian. ‘God…please watch over me and keep mind sane,’ West, 44, said in an Instagram post. ‘I could use it right now. To anyone who feels alone, im with u and I love you.’ West, who shares children North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two, with the reality star, captioned the post, ‘Love you family.’ West on Tuesday took to the social media site and erased past posts he had made on the topic, with a contrite message after sharing screengrabs of discussions he’d had with Kardashian and Davidson. Tom Hanks – who is widely considered ‘America’s Dad’ and a beloved ‘normal guy’ in Hollywood – has been criticized by his own son. Chet, 31, claimed he did not have a ‘strong male role model’ during his teens while he was struggling with the pressures of having celebrity parents. Hanks and Rita Wilson – who have been married 33 years – have two sons together – Chet and Truman, 25. The Forrest Gump star also has a son Colin, 43, and daughter Elizabeth Ann, 38, from a previous relationship. Although Chet assured the public that ‘I love my parents’ and ‘wouldn’t want any different parents,’ he confessed having a famous family is ‘a double-edged sword.’ He said many people had ‘contempt’ for him as a movie star’s child, and while trying to navigate the ‘s***-talking’ and the ‘d***-riders,’ he lacked ‘a strong male role model’ who could have told him: ”Hey, bro, f*** these people. They are just jealous of you.” He shared that ‘my experience was even more complicated because on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous. You know, I was just the son of somebody famous so I hadn’t even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition and that created a lot of contempt, a lot of contempt for me.’ Chet shared that while his father was ‘on this pedestal,’ he himself was ‘assumed’ to be ‘a really arrogant, entitled spoiled brat even though I really wasn’t.’ Discovery Plus has unveiled the trailer for its three-part docuseries “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,” an investigation into the church made famous by its celebrity congregation, such as Justin Bieber, various Kardashians and other stars. All three episodes will drop on the streamer on March 24. The series explores the rise of Hillsong, which was founded in Australia by Brian Houston as an offshoot of his father Frank’s Sydney-based Pentecostal church. Hillsong stood out by putting an emphasis on music as a part of worship. Later, Houston decided to export Hillsong internationally, and recruited pastor Carl Lentz to lead its New York City chapter. Lentz became famous in his own right — and was often photographed alongside Bieber and other celebrity congregants — until Houston fired him in November 2020 for “moral failures,” among other issues. https://youtu.be/5iU5OVH33as Today, the NAACP and BET revealed the performers and presenters for the “53rd NAACP Image Awards.” Nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer and two-time Academy Award-nominated actress and producer Mary J. Blige will take the stage to perform at this year’s show. The “53rd NAACP Image Awards,” hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards winner Anthony Anderson, airs Saturday, February 26 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on BET. Presenters for the LIVE show include Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, LL Cool J, Michael Strahan, Morgan Freeman, Paula Patton, Questlove, Simu Liu, Tiffany Haddish, Zendaya, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, and NAACP Board Chairman Leon W. Russell. As previously announced, actor Samuel L. Jackson will be presented with the NAACP Chairman’s Award and Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project, will be presented with the Social Justice Impact Award. Last night, BMI hosted a listening party for three-time GRAMMY® nominated Gospel singer/songwriter DOE in support of her full-length debut album Clarity. Gathered at Black Coffee Atlanta, BMI’s Catherine Brewton, and Life Room Label’s Jonathan McReynolds co-hosted the intimate event where fans and industry executives were treated to an early listen of the 11-track album featuring singles “When I Pray” and “So Good.” Clarity will be available February 18th on Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration. Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and David Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon have partnered with Netflix to produce the film adaptation of “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun.” Based on the upcoming book by British-Nigerian author, journalist and hair care educator T?lá Okogwu, “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” tells the tale of a teenager who learns she has powers and travels to Nigeria to learn more about her origins, where she discovers a threat to her newfound magical community. Described as “Black Panther” meets “X-Men” or “Percy Jackson,” the book is the first in an action-packed series for middle-grade children and will be published by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and U.K. this June. Okogwu is represented by CAA and Claire Wilson at RCW Literary Agency. Popular voiceover artist Cayman Kelly opened up to candidly discuss a catastrophic health event he recently suffered. This past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on January 17, Kelly began experiencing a rapid loss of feeling and sensation in his right hand. Throughout the day, as symptoms progressed to include a slowing down of motor-response time and cognitive impairment, Kelly tried to ignore what was going on because he had a busy work schedule. It was not until Kelly’s wife first noticed his symptoms that he was rushed to a hospital. The ER doctors confirmed what she suspected: the popular voice of Monday Night Football was suffering from an ischemic stroke due to a blood clot in the brain. It was absolutely unreal, that whole day,” said Kelly. “Early on, I had stretched out on the floor for a few minutes, so when my hand started going numb, I just figured I had laid on it too long. The symptoms got much more intense – I was trying to type an email on my phone and noticed how difficult it was to try to complete the message. Then, I started dropping my phone on the floor repeatedly. When I went to wash my hands, I started to notice how I was cognitively slowing down because I wasn’t actually washing my hands, although I was standing there with the water running. But even though the feeling in my fingers never returned, I ignored it and went about my day.” https://youtu.be/I93pLBqUgqw Nick Cannon says it was Kevin Hart who gifted him a condom machine as an early Valentine’s Day following reports that the “Masked Singer” host is expecting his 8th child with a new baby mama. “Looks like somebody just sent me an early Valentine’s Day gift!! Vending Machine full of Magnums,” Cannon wrote Feb. 7 in the caption of an Instagram photo of the machine packed full of Magnum condoms. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cannon said Hart’s prank did not go over well with the mothers of his children, who pressed him with “Who sent you that?” questions, he said. But once Hart admitted that he was behind the condom vending machine, “everybody relaxed,” Cannon added. Hart confessed to the prank in an Instagram post of the photo Cannon shared after receiving the condom vending machine. https://www.instagram.com/nickcannon/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=56b252b9-1902-453a-aecd-5f2bbb427820 Are you ready to go on a globe-trotting adventure to recover a billion-dollar fortune lost 500 years ago?! That’s the premise of the new Sony Pictures Entertainment film “Uncharted” starring Tom Holland (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”) and Mark Wahlberg (“TED”). The flick is based on the 2007 PlayStation video game of the same name. Holland plays street-smart bartender Nathan Drake, who is recruited by a mysterious treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Wahlberg). He makes an offer for the two to team up and recover a fortune in gold, with the bonus of potentially discovering what happened to his older brother Sam who disappeared years earlier. https://youtu.be/4wCH1K-ckZw Romeo Miller has welcomed his first child, a baby girl, with girlfriend Drew Sangster. The actor/singer and son of Master announced the exciting news on Instagram Monday. “It’s been hard to hold this in, but it was important for us to make sure our baby girl got here safe and healthy before making any announcements to the world during this sacred journey,” Miller wrote alongside a 39-second video of him and Sangster. “Psalms 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.” “My great granny always said if you live long enough, you’ll realize that everything (and the best things) are on God’s time, never yours,” he added. “The best Valentines ever. Been waiting for this moment my entire life. Thank you @drewsangster. ?? I’m a #GirlDad babbbbbyyy.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ-BL0aAJXh/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=091ebb53-57b0-4a32-a6ea-9c307dc8add1 Video has surfaced of blatant racial bias happening right before your very eyes at a New Jersey mall. Police are shown breaking up a fight between two teen boys – one Black and one white – at the Bridgewater Commons mall in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. Police pinned one teen to the ground and put a knee on his back while handcuffing him. Cops sat the other teen on a nearby sofa, left him uncuffed and did nothing as he stood over the arrested teen and talked smack as he was face down on the ground in cuffs. Needless to say, the Bridgewater Police Department is now under investigation over the blatant racial disparity of the arrest. Also, the town’s mayor and state governor have denounced the behavior of the two cops. https://www.facebook.com/609613641/videos/1104369650347055/ Retired New York Giants star Tiki Barber is catching heat for declaring that the NFL is “not racist” after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the league and several teams. Earlier this month, Flores sued the NFL, the Dolphins, the Broncos, and the Giants, alleging racist practices during the hiring process for coaches and executives. “This is about changing the hiring practices in the National Football League, and that’s what this lawsuit is about,” Brian said on CNN. “I want to coach football that’s what I’m called to do.” In the lawsuit, he alleges that the NFL “is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation.” Daily Show” host Trevor Noah will headline this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 30. It will be the first time the event will take place since being put on hold in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Trevor is an incredible talent who keeps us laughing — and thinking — four nights a week,” said a statement from Steven Portnoy, the association president and a reporter for CBS News Radio. “We can’t wait for him to help bring our 100-year Washington tradition ‘Back to Abnormal.’” The annual correspondent’s dinner raises money for scholarships and is normally attended by celebrities and prominent influencers such as journalists and politicians. The event traces back to 1921. https://youtu.be/HHckZCxdRkA Perhaps you’ve heard vinyl albums are making a big comeback, even as we stream music on our phones. A couple of African American entrepreneurs are riding vinyl’s renewed popularity to worldwide sales from their small store on Chicago’s Southside. CBS 2’s Jim Williams reports. https://cbsloc.al/3Jq7q9U The All-Star Gospel Celebration (ASGC) will kick off NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio with an unforgettable commemoration celebrating its 15th year during the 75th NBA All-Star Weekend! The celebration is slated to take place on Thursday, February 17th at Mt. Zion in Oakwood Village at 8 P.M. EST. ASGC will be hosted by 3x NBA All-Star host Jacinda Jacobs and NBA Veteran & former National Basketball Players Association Vice-President Maurice “Mo” Evans. There will also be special appearances and performances by Kierra Sheard-Kelly, Mali Music, Maverick City Music, DOE, saxophonist Angella Christie, Keyla Richardson, and Anthony Hall. The commemoration will honor doers and game-changers in the sports industry. Honorees include co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, Valerie Daniels Carter, with the Slam Dunk "Game Changer" award, former Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association, Billy Hunter, with the "Faith & Endurance" award, as well as father and son duo Pastor Larry Macon Jr. and Pastor Larry Macon Sr. with the "Living Legend" award. On the Tuesday, February 15 edition of “Tamron Hall,” iconic R&B group New Edition sat down with Tamron for a special hour-long daytime exclusive interview with all six members, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant the day before their new U.S tour kicks off in Columbus, Georgia. https://youtu.be/4LC-wLK_ttc A woman has hit Trey Songz with a $20 million sexual assault case, claiming he raped her at his home on March 24, 2016. The unidentified woman said she initially had a consensual relationship with the singer but Songz allegedly became a “savage rapist,” she said in the lawsuit, as reported by Complex. “Earlier today, the attorney who drafted this suit was credibly accused of trying to pay a woman to falsely accuse Trey,” the rep said in a statement. “Hours later, that same attorney has filed this suit on behalf of an anonymous client. It isn’t hard to see what’s happening here, and it is a shame for genuine victims of sexual assault.” Songz is also dealing with two additional sexual assault cases. We reported earlier that former UNLV basketball player Dylan Gonzalez has also accused Trey of raping her. Pray.com, the world’s No. 1 app for Christians, today introduced GRAMMY® Award-winning global entertainer and entrepreneur Lecrae as its latest brand ambassador. The collaboration with Lecrae will see the release of several new content series led by the artist on the Pray.com website and mobile app. “Transform Yourself,” a seven-part meditative prayer series, will guide listeners through messages of mindfulness in faith to reduce everyday stress and improve their relationship with God, while an additional seven-part motivational prayer series will aim to inspire listeners in the morning to lead a productive day. In addition, Lecrae has narrated “Hope in a Dark World,” a Pray.com Bedtime Bible Story centered around Noah’s Ark that helps parents and families share lessons with children about having faith in tough times. Award-winning gospel and worship singer-songwriter Maranda Curtis lends her voice to promote prevention of liver cancer in the African American community. The acclaimed music artist has partnered with Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association to create a new public service announcement (PSA) campaign and live cast with medical doctors and experts on Saturday, February 19 at 1:00 pm ET in partnership with the National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) for faith-based communities titled "Love Your Liver." The campaign and live cast aims to educate about the importance of liver cancer screenings, which can help at-risk populations catch and treat cancer in its early stages. Within the African American community, liver cancer is far more lethal than it is for the U.S. population. In fact, in 2019, chronic liver disease was the eighth leading cause of death for non-Hispanic black people ages 45-64. Often, liver cancer develops due to Hepatitis C, which is twice as prevalent in the Black community compared to the general population. Hepatitis C is the leading risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer in U.S. adults. However, in recent years, researchers have discovered that earlier interventions can make all the difference in saving lives. This week at CLEO TV, we're taking a trip to Puerto Rico with Chef JJ! JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ has returned for season 4. The popular cooking show highlights Chef JJ's roots, childhood memories and of course, his delicious cuisine on tonight's all-new episode, February 16th at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In tonight's episode, Chef JJ takes our taste buds on a beautiful tropical journey to the Island of Puerto Rico with his fun and tasty Pastelón recipe. He also shares some of his special memories of cooking, eating, and celebrating his Puerto Rican roots. Chef JJ starts by cooking up a layered Plantain Lasagna called Pastelón. He then serves a fresh bowl of soupy rice known as Asopao to compliment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvucIAEo5cQ Hot on the heels of the season three finale of CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN, Chef Jernard's condensed version of the show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX, airs tonight, February 16th at 9:30 P.M. EST/8:30C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells may be short on time in the kitchen, but he is not short on taste! One of CLEO's favorite chefs is back to cook up delicious homemade meals in 30 minutes or less! The best way to a person's heart is through their stomach and no one knows that better than Chef Jernard. In this episode, he puts his twist on Honey Crispy Shrimp and Tasty Rice Noodles! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A21O4gSYUYA&feature=youtu.be "Different Morning” is the first single taken from “Papillon de Nuit: The Night Butterfly”, the upcoming third studio album from two-time JUNO Nominated and two-time Polaris Prize listed, Toronto’s Soul/R&B powerhouse Tanika Charles. The single will be available on all digital platforms on February 18th. “Papillon de Nuit: The Night Butterfly” will be released worldwide on April 8th on Milan-based Record Kicks label on CD, LP and “Different Morning” sees the collaboration between Tanika and rising Toronto MC DijahSB, whose album “Head Above the Waters” was featured in Exclaim Magazine top 50 albums of the year and granted them a nomination and a performance at the Junos. According to Tanika: “So much of our days are spent dwelling on the same mistakes, the same misfortunes. That thing we wish didn’t happen, or what we wish we hadn’t done. “Different Morning” is about starting a new day without that baggage, about finding a way to correct course and move past it. What starts as a pitiful interior monologue evolves into a celebration of getting over that hump by being your biggest cheerleader. DijahSB is someone who was able to carry that triumphant spirit that the second half of the song needed. “I’m alive today” is enough of a blessing, enough of an accomplishment, and enough to be thankful for.” Naturi Naughton is set to tie the knot with her boo-thang Two Lewis, a man she has kept on the low until now. In a new interview with ESSENCE magazine, the “Power Book II: Ghost” star explained why she decided to keep mum about their relationship. She also shared details about her upcoming nuptials and her fiancee’s relationship with her daughter Zuri. “For me it was important to be cautious about sharing it, especially at the beginning of our engagement, so we could focus on that bonding time,” she told ESSENCE about her relationship with Lewis. “Sometimes in the industry people put their opinions on things and make you feel like you need their opinion, and I don’t.” Naturi and her fiancé met through her “Power” co-star Omari Hardwick. https://www.instagram.com/naturi4real/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=8428b760-b92f-4be5-a817-1035998863ca The Valentine’s Day Special Verzuz was held at a sold-out Avalon in Hollywood, California, one day after Valentine’s Day. The crooner from North Carolina (Anthony), and the neo-soul specialist from Philly (Musiq) went back and forth, showcasing song after song, including Anthony Hamilton’s hits “Can’t Let Go,” “You Made a Fool of Me” and “Charlene” and Musiq Soulchild’s hits “Love,” “Teach Me” and “BUDDY.” The evening had a litany of guests. Anthony brought out Raheen Devaughn, Kevin Ross, Donnell Jones and Leela James. Not to be undone, Musiq brought out Meelah (from the group 702) and Lucky Daye, who sampled Musiq’s “Half Crazy.” At the end of the evening, all of the guests joined Anthony and Musiq onstage, and a crowded stage it was. Anthony Hamilton... https://twitter.com/i/status/1493803720085282816 ; The Valentine’s Day Special Verzuz was held at a sold-out Avalon in Hollywood, California, one day after Valentine’s Day. The crooner from North Carolina (Anthony), and the neo-soul specialist from Philly (Musiq) went back and forth, showcasing song after song, including Anthony Hamilton’s hits “Can’t Let Go,” “You Made a Fool of Me” and “Charlene” and Musiq Soulchild’s hits “Love,” “Teach Me” and “BUDDY.” The evening had a litany of guests. Anthony brought out Raheen Devaughn, Kevin Ross, Donnell Jones and Leela James. Not to be undone, Musiq brought out Meelah (from the group 702) and Lucky Daye, who sampled Musiq’s “Half Crazy.” At the end of the evening, all of the guests joined Anthony and Musiq onstage, and a crowded stage it was. Musiq Soulchild... https://twitter.com/i/status/1493782795843375107 NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVI averaged 99.2 million viewers, while 1.9 million tuned in on Telemundo. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, the total number of viewers who watched the game across the small screen as well as streaming and digital platforms climbed to 112.3 million, according to Nielsen. “The Super Bowl once again delivered a massive audience, which included NBC and the unmatched power of broadcast television as well as first-ever presentations on Peacock and Telemundo, and led into our most-watched Olympics coverage in four years,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, in a press release. Per Nielsen data, via Variety, “this year’s Super Bowl telecast was up 8% from 2021’s showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, which drew about 91.6 million,” the outlet writes. The Los Angeles Rams are the new Super Bowl champions after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals on their home field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday. The highly-anticipated halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar averaged 103.4 million viewers, per the report. https://twitter.com/i/status/1493077429249847300 Longtime Cleveland radio personality Lynn Tolliver passed away Sunday after battling an undisclosed illness. As reported by Cleveland 19, Tolliver was credited with putting the rhythm-and-blues station WZAK on the map in the 1980s, and worked at the station until the early 2000s. While at WZAK, he hosted the shows “Three’s Company” and “Just the Two of Us.” After leaving the station, Tolliver started his own online radio station, Radio 9311, where he continued to host and promote R&B music. He was also a songwriter of tunes like “I Need a Freak,” in 1983. In 2011, Tolliver won a $1.2 million lawsuit against the Black Eyed Peas for copyright infringement, when the band sampled “I Need a Freak” in their hit song, “My Humps.” More recently, Kanye West had sampled another song that Lynn Tolliver wrote, “Extacy,” for one of his tracks. https://youtu.be/hK04Mo4EPdc The Roots Picnic will return to the Mann Center in Fairmount Park this June, with the multistage music and culture festival curated by the Philadelphia hip-hop band expanding to two days and featuring headliners Mary J. Blige, Summer Walker, Wizkid, Kamasi Washington, and Jazmine Sullivan. This year’s Picnic will take place on the Mann campus on June 4 and 5. It will be the first to be staged as an in-person event since 2019, when the festival drew a crowd of 25,000 as it made the move to the Mann after over a decade on the Delaware River at the Festival Pier, which no longer exists. The Picnic will feature two performers from Sunday’s Super Bowl telecast in Blige, who was part of the Dr. Dre-led hip-hop halftime show, and country singer Mickey Guyton, who sang the national anthem. At the Picnic, Blige will perform with The Roots as her backing band. The lineup is deep. The J. Period Live Mixtape, a showcase for MCs that is always a highlight, will feature Roots rapper Black Thought, plus Rick Ross and Benny the Butcher. A Soulquarians Jam Session will find Roots drummer Questlove and other neo-soul musicians backing Keyshia Cole, SWV, and Philly R&B singer Musiq Soulchild. Cops say that Bob Saget died after hitting the back of his head on his bed’s headboard – despite doctors saying that his injuries were so severe they looked like he had been hit with a baseball bat. Saget was found dead aged 65 of a brain bleed on January 9 in his hotel room at the Orlando Ritz-Carlton. His death was ruled an accident with no signs of foul play. Sources told TMZ that the electronic front door lock to his hotel room shows no one else entered the room after him. It was only opened again the next afternoon, when hotel staff found him dead. Police believe he most likely slammed his head on a wooden portion of his hotel headboard and was knocked unconscious, sources close to the investigation told TMZ on Wednesday. But his autopsy revealed that his injuries were severe and suggest a much more serious accident. One analyst even compared them to injuries consistent with being hit with a baseball bat or falling 30 feet. Saget’s family have since filed an injunction to prevent the release of further records about the tragedy. A Black Lives Matter activist and candidate for Louisville’s metro council has been charged with attempted murder, accused of opening fire on Monday on a mayoral candidate whose shirt was grazed by a bullet in his campaign headquarters. Quintez Brown, 21, also faces four counts of wanton endangerment, Louisville police spokesperson Aaron Ellis said. Brown, who is a student at the University of Louisville, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Tuesday and his bond was set at $100,000. A judge ordered him not to have contact with the alleged victim, 46-year-old Craig Greenberg, a Jewish Democrat running for Louisville mayor, or Greenberg’s campaign staff. Police said Brown appears to have acted alone and the motive remains under investigation. Brown remained in the Louisville Metro jail late Tuesday afternoon. After Brown briefly disappeared last year, family members said they were concerned about his mental health. His lawyer, Rob Eggert said Tuesday in court that ‘there are serious mental issues at play here’ and he will have Brown undergo a psychiatric evaluation. ViacomCBS Inc missed Wall Street profit forecasts on Tuesday as the company announced it will change its name to Paramount and unveiled a broad range of new programming in the battle for viewers in the crowded streaming market. Shares of the media conglomerate that owns CBS, Showtime, Comedy Central, MTV and other networks, which initially fell 3%, slipped to a 6% loss as the company’s two-hour presentation of its streaming strategy continued after the markets closed. ViacomCBS reported adjusted earnings per share of 26 cents for October through December, below analyst projections of 43 cents. Simone Biles, the most accomplished American gymnast in history, revealed she has a new piece of hardware for her large collection: an engagement ring. Biles, 24, announced her engagement to Houston Texans defensive back Jonathan Owens on social media Tuesday. “THE EASIEST YES,” Biles wrote in the caption on Instagram, adding, “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! let’s get married FIANCÉ” “Woke up this morning with a fiancé,” Owens said of the Valentine’s Day engagement. Both Biles’ and Owens’ posts show off the moment he got down on one knee, as well as a picture of him lifting her up. https://www.instagram.com/simonebiles/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=57c14984-3188-44ae-bfad-f5a6d5548402 National College Resources Foundation producers of the 23rd Annual Black College Expo™ is proud to present the expo IN PERSON this year Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90015 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Attendees can meet with colleges and participate in workshops from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an After Show from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Students can get accepted on the spot, get their college application fees waived, and receive millions in scholarships. This event helps high school seniors and college transfer students looking to transfer to a four-year college. In addition to getting connected to college recruiters, students will have access to motivating and informative seminars and workshops which includes Boomin’ Careers, How to Find Money for College, Internships and Careers, Why Attend an HBCU, a special seminar on Crypto Currency for Kids and Young adults, and new this year a President’s Forum featuring HBCU Presidents. The Black College Expo™ is open to students, educators, parents, and caregivers of all backgrounds. Black College Expo will have (48) scholarship recipients. This is the largest number of scholarship winners in the 23-year history. A Texas A&M women’s basketball assistant coach hit back after facing backlash for wearing pink leather pants and stilettos to a game. ‘I’m unapologetically myself every day, I could care less if anybody thinks that I’m being extra,’ Sydney Carter said in response to her critics. ‘I’m not gonna turn up turn my light off because somebody else is offended or intimidated by the fact that I embrace myself.’ The 31-year-old Aggies assistant coach believes race plays a major factor in the criticism. ‘I just think that people are uncomfortable with a black woman being in a power position,’ she told Yahoo. ‘When you see a black woman who is actually confident and embracing herself, I think that that’s very intimidating.’ The furor began when Carter shared photos of herself at the February 6 game against the Kentucky Wildcats. She was wearing the tight pink leather pants paired with a white turtleneck, clear heels and a pink breast cancer awareness pin at her chest. The Dallas Cowboys paid a confidential settlement of $2.4 million to members of their cheerleading squad after an alleged 2015 incident involving a team executive in their locker room, ESPN reported Wednesday. The suit followed allegations against longtime senior vice president for public relations and communications Rich Dalrymple, whom cheerleaders alleged stood behind a partial wall in their locker room with his iPhone extended toward them while they changed clothes. Dalrymple was also accused of taking “upskirt” photos of Cowboys executive vice president/chief brand officer Charlotte Jones, the daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, during the 2015 NFL draft. A fan signed an affidavit that he saw the alleged incident while watching a livestream of the team’s war room, ESPN reported. Dalrymple retired this month after 32 years with the organization. He told ESPN that allegations “had nothing to do with my retirement from a long and fulfilling career, and I was only contacted about this story after I was retired.” Dalrymple denied accusations that he took photos or video in either incident, saying his presence in the cheerleaders’ locker room was “accidental.” Serena and Venus Williams stunned in black swimsuits on the cover of the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar. The tennis superstars donned sexy one-shoulder one-pieces for the fashion magazine’s Legacy Issue and talked about life after future retirement in the accompanying interview. ‘From such a young age, all we’ve done is work,’ Venus, 41, told Harper’s. She continued, ‘So I think for Serena and I to explore that freedom is surreal. We’ve never been free.’ On the cover image, Serena rested her cheek on her sister’s toned bicep as they gazed down at the camera. Serena showcased her incredible figure in a Norma Kamali one-piece and accessorized with dazzling Cartier High Jewelry including diamond necklaces and large round earrings. Venus’s svelte physique was on full display in her Sara Christina swimsuit which she paired with diamond drop Panthère De Cartier earrings. The siblings sported similar hairstyles with their long locks braided back from their foreheads and down in voluminous waves. The four-time Olympic champions modeled the swimsuits as they struck identical poses with their hands on their hips for a photo inside the magazine. Following a racist bomb threat Jan. 11 that disrupted operations and terrified students, faculty and staff at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) in Los Angeles, Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) is calling on state and federal authorities to investigate. CDU is the only historically Black college in California. It is also designated a “Minority-Serving Institution” by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. “As I heard about the violent threat leveled against California’s current and future doctors, nurses, and first responders, I was utterly enraged and pissed off! How can anyone threaten to take the lives of those who have committed themselves to providing life-saving services? This makes me sick to my stomach,” said Gipson in a statement. The National Football League has hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to defend it in a high-profile race discrimination case filed earlier this month by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. Lynch, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is working with the law firm’s chairman Brad Karp on the litigation, according to four sources familiar with the situation. The Dolphins, also named as a defendant in the Flores case, and their real estate billionaire owner Stephen Ross have turned to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan litigator William Burck, the sources said. Bruce Beal Jr., president of the Ross-controlled Related Cos., has right of first refusal to take control of the Dolphins. Beal is being represented by Boies Schiller Flexner partner Joshua Schiller—who returned to the firm last year after a three-month leave of absence stemming from domestic abuse charges that were later dropped—said three sources knowledgeable of the matter. The NFL, Dolphins, Beal, and the three firms declined to comment.The National Football League has hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to defend it in a high-profile race discrimination case filed earlier this month by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. Lynch, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is working with the law firm’s chairman Brad Karp on the litigation, according to four sources familiar with the situation. The Dolphins, also named as a defendant in the Flores case, and their real estate billionaire owner Stephen Ross have turned to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan litigator William Burck, the sources said. Bruce Beal Jr., president of the Ross-controlled Related Cos., has right of first refusal to take control of the Dolphins. Beal is being represented by Boies Schiller Flexner partner Joshua Schiller—who returned to the firm last year after a three-month leave of absence stemming from domestic abuse charges that were later dropped—said three sources knowledgeable of the matter. Tens of thousands of Rams fans celebrated Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and the rest of the Super Bowl LVI champions for a curiously short victory parade in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Spectators lined up for the parade route that started at 11am local time and ran only a mile through the city, culminating in a noon rally just outside LA Memorial Coliseum, the club’s former home. Stafford, seated atop a double-decker bus with wife Kelly, was seen enjoying a cigar and a beer during the parade. At one point, retiree Tom Brady shared a word of advice for the Rams quarterback on Twitter. ”Mix in a water Matt…trust me,’ tweeted Brady, who was famously inebriated during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ victory parade a year ago. Also appearing with Stafford were his favorite target, Kupp, the Super Bowl MVP who was wearing a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey, and left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who appeared with his children atop the double-decker bus. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2022/02/16/5571394052117907289/1024x576_MP4_5571394052117907289.mp4?_=2 On Friday’s edition of The Young Turks, co-host Jayar Jackson condemned the racist firefighters of the Briarcliffe Fire Company Station 75 who were caught on tape mocking Fanta Bility, an 8-year-old girl who was killed by police. Volunteer firefighters from a Philadelphia-area station thought their Zoom call was disconnected and proceeded to use the N-word and other racist language to disparage an all-black fire company, and mock the name of Fanta Bility who was fatally shot by police last year. Three police officers are facing charges in connection with Fanta’s death. “A bunch of f*cking n*ggers down there,” one Briarcliffe firefighter can be heard saying in reference to the all-Black Darby Township Fire Company. The Briarcliffe firefighters also discussed there being too many African-Americans living in the area. “That’s the f*cking problem,” one Briarcliffe firefighter said. “Blacks are taking over sh*t.” They also mocked Fanta Bility, saying “Fanta soda, yeah, orange or Fanta grape,” one Briarcliffe firefighter reportedly said on the call while laughing. https://youtu.be/pYjwKckG5Pc A week after Tyrese Gibson asked fans to pray for his mother Priscilla Murray, who had been being hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia, the actor announced Monday that she has passed away. “On behalf of my family and everyone who ever spent anytime praying for my mother This is the saddest moment of my life………. My sweet Valentine just passed away…..” Gibson, 43, captioned a video of himself holding his mom’s hand in her hospital bed while crying. “May the lord Jesus Christ and his angels open the doors of heavens and embrace her………. We as a family are broken and just can’t believe this……. May the lord Jesus Christ honor your walk with him and embrace you into the heavens…….” he continued. “From here on I ask that you HOLD MY HAND MOTHER and never let my hand go………. Like you held my hand as a child and a teen never let my hand go mother…..” concluded Gibson, who is the youngest of four siblings in his family. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ-rfSYpIVc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In this first episode of “History Refocused,” we learn how a former slave’s story shows both the immense power of the vote and the community-shattering effects when it’s taken away by violence. Abby Phillip talks with CNN’s Brandon Tensley to discuss why federal intervention was key both in the Reconstruction years and still today. https://eurweb.com/2022/02/15/black-power-was-at-its-height-during-reconstruction/ After a week of backlash, the University of Alabama System’s Board of Trustees voted Friday to name a building after the school’s first Black student instead of having her share the name with a Ku Klux Klan leader. The trustees reversed a February 3 decision to name the building Lucy-Graves Hall after its first Black student and civil rights activist Autherine Lucy Foster and Bibb Graves, a former Alabama governor and a Ku Klux Klan leader. Students, faculty and community members cried out, saying it was wrong to recognize the legacy of these two people in one building. “This has been a challenging time. The work group in making its recommendations certainly intended for that paired name to generate educational moments that can help us learn from our complex and rich history,” trustee emeritus Judge John England Jr. said at the special called Friday meeting. “Somehow, the honoring of Autherine Lucy Foster sort of took the background and that’s not what we wanted,” England said. “We’ve heard enough from people whose opinion matter to us — students, faculty, staff — that we can do that in a better way than what we’ve done.” An all-clear was issued at Howard University on Monday afternoon following another bomb threat — the fourth since early January. Students and employees had been instructed to stay indoors until officials determined the campus was safe. The university tweeted around 1:15 p.m. that D.C. and campus police had issued an all-clear. It comes amid several other bomb threats targeting historically Black colleges and universities since Jan. 4. At least two dozen campuses said they have been threatened. Bombs have not found at any of the locations, officials said. Vincent Simmons, a Louisiana man who fought for 44 years to overturn his conviction on attempted aggravated rape charges, has had the judgment vacated and the charges have been dismissed, according to his attorneys Justin Bonus and Malcolm Larvadain. “He’s a free man. He was released a couple of hours ago from Angola State Penitentiary,” Larvadain said Monday. A judge had ordered a new trial because exculpatory evidence had not been turned over to the original defense team, Larvadain said. In 1977, it took just minutes for a jury of 11 White men and one Black woman to convict Simmons, who is Black, for the attempted sexual assault of 14-year-old twin sisters. “God. God kept hope alive in me,” Simmons said as he walked Monday through the courthouse in Marksville, Louisiana, according to CNN affiliate KALB. “God did this for me today.” Avoyelles Parish District Attorney Charles Riddle III said he dismissed any further charges against Simmons. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has determined that an Orange County sheriff’s deputy was justified in shooting and killing a homeless Black man who deputies stopped on suspicion of jaywalking in San Clemente. DA officials cleared Deputy Eduardo Duran of criminal wrongdoing in the Sept. 23, 2020, killing of 42-year-old Kurt Andreas Reinhold, according to a letter to Sheriff Don Barnes publicly released Friday outlining the results of an investigation into the fatal shooting that led to community protests in San Clemente. DA’s Office officials, as well as Sheriff’s Department leaders, say Reinhold was reaching for a deputy’s gun while struggling with Duran and his partner. “Based on the totality of all the available evidence, it is clear that Deputy Duran was justified in believing Reinhold posed a significant threat of death or serious injury to his partner, himself and the surrounding civilians,” wrote Steve McGreevy, an assistant district attorney and head of the office’s homicide unit. Neil Gehlawat, one of the attorneys representing Reinhold’s family, said the DA’s Office report is “disappointing but not surprising.” He described the police stop as “racially motivated,” saying the deputies had no reason to detain Reinhold in the first place. A Massachusetts Montessori school apologized and fired a teacher for instructing young children to make and wear Blackface masks as a Black History Month project. The incident, which happened in a classroom with toddlers, took place last Tuesday at IC Kids in Newton. When one mother, Nadirah Pierce, picked up her children and learned what had happened, she complained and pulled them out of the school. “This is unacceptable and don’t really understand the concept of this project,” Pierce told NBC10 Boston. IC Kids apologized about the incident in a Facebook post, which drew criticism, then posted a statement on a window at the facility. The statement said the school’s day care had closed over “safety concerns,” explaining that “hearing of protests happening at the center will put the children and staff at risk.” “To celebrate ‘black history month’, a teacher in toddler classroom [sic] at ICKids planned and carried out an activity that involved black masks ‘blackface.’ [sic] One of the parents brought it to our attention and was offended; The teacher apologized to the parent,” the statement read. https://www.nbcboston.com/on-air/as-seen-on/newton-school-apologizes-fires-teacher-over-blackface-masks-in-black-history-month-lesson/2645449/ The three white men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery had histories of making racist comments or using slurs in text messages that stunned their friends and colleagues, a federal prosecutor told jurors Monday as the trio stood trial on hate crime charges in the 25-year-old Black man’s death. During opening statements in the case, defense attorneys admitted their clients had each expressed offensive and indefensible opinions about Black people. But they insisted the trio’s pursuit of Arbery as he ran in their neighborhood was prompted by honest, though erroneous, suspicion that he had committed crimes — not by his race. “I’m not going to ask you to like Travis McMichael,” Amy Lee Copeland, the defense attorney for the man who fatally shot Arbery, told the jury. “I’m not going to ask you to decide that he had done nothing wrong. But I’m going to ask you to return a verdict of not guilty to this indictment.” McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael, armed themselves and chased Arbery in a pickup truck after he ran past their coastal Georgia home on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun. Arrests came only after the video leaked online two months later. All three were convicted of murder and a judge sentenced them to life in prison last month. Rosario Dawson and Sen. Cory Booker have called it quits after more than two years together. A source close to the New Jersey lawmaker confirmed to PEOPLE that the two remain good friends. Dawson and Booker first met at a political fundraiser in 2018 and went public with their relationship a year later. “I am just grateful to be with someone that I respect and love and admire so much,” said Dawson in an interview with TMZ at the time. “I mean, gosh, that night we talked for hours and hours,” Booker told The Washington Post in 2019 about the moment the and Dawson first met. “I had trouble asking for her phone number … I think I said something really stupid like, ‘Uh, how would I get in touch with you?’ And she mercifully said something like, ‘Oh, you want my phone number?’ And my insides were like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ ” LeBron James has never had a shortage of critics throughout his career. Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is facing the wrath of a high-profile Republican author, commentator, and activist in Candace Owens. In a recent interview on the Full Send podcast, Owens, who is also known to be a devoted Donald Trump supporter, went on an all-out attack on LeBron. The 32-year-old talk show host decided to take aim at James’ intellect level, which according to her, isn’t at all impressive: Owens went on to belabor her point against the Lakers star. Shed heaped praise on LeBron as a basketball player, but when it comes to matters outside the hardwood floor, Owens clearly believes that James should just keep his mouth shut. Brian Flores has another claim to add to his lawsuit against the NFL. The former Dolphins coach, suing the league for discrimination against black coaches and executives in its hiring process, is amending the lawsuit to add a retaliation claim against the Texans, Pro Football Talk reported Sunday. Flores was one of the reported finalists for the Texans’ head coaching job, but filed his lawsuit against the league while the interview process was ongoing. The team ultimately hired Lovie Smith, the veteran black head coach who had served as Houston’s defensive coordinator last season. During Smith’s introductory press conference, Texans GM Nick Caserio insisted that Flores’ pending lawsuit did not affect his chances of getting the job. “Speaking specific to Brian, I’ve known Brian a long time personally and professionally. I have a lot of respect for Brian as a coach and a person. He was a part of this process,” Caserio told media. “He’s been a good coach in this league for a number of years. Part of my responsibility was to spend time with as many quality candidates as possible and Brian was one of those.” People are trying to figure out why hundreds of birds in a particular species literally fell from the sky all at once in perhaps the creepiest thing you’ll see in all of 2022. Security footage in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua showed a flock of yellow-headed blackbirds suddenly falling to earth, the majority of them dead on arrival. According to the New York Post, the birds flew in from northern Canada and had been wintering in Mexico. Some speculate the birds may have been suffering from the effects of high pollution, which has plagued the region lately. https://youtu.be/sz9T0nQZXKc JT Brown and Everett Fitzhugh are about to make history. The duo is set to host the NHL’s first-ever all-Black television broadcast, taking place when the Seattle Kraken face the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Fitzhugh is usually the Kraken’s radio play-by-play announcer, and will be joining Brown, a regular Kraken analyst, on the TV side. Seattle’s incumbent television play-by-play voice, John Forslund, will be working on a different network Thursday night. That created an opportunity for Fitzhugh and Brown to collaborate in a truly meaningful way. “It all goes back to representation matters, that’s the overarching theme here,” Fitzhugh told NHL.com. “I didn’t have Black broadcasters [and] play-by-play people to look up to when I was growing up. I didn’t know play-by-play was an option until I got to college, as far as a career goes. So to have that stage, to have that platform with [Brown] and to show people that, ‘Hey, there are two Black men calling hockey games,’ is something that I think will hopefully inspire other people.” TMZ caught up with Dr. Dre Monday following his Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show performance at SoFi Stadium, where he was joined by fellow artists Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and special guest 50 Cent. Dr. Dre chopped it up with TMZ Live and admitted he was still “buzzing” about the show. He also revealed that Kendrick had to omit the “and we hate po-po” line from his song “Alright.” Dre said discussions were had about the opening line from the song, “m.A.A.d city,” where Lamar says, “If Pirus and Crips all got along. Dr. Dre chopped it up with TMZ Live and admitted he was still “buzzing” about the show. He also revealed that Kendrick had to omit the “and we hate po-po” line from his song “Alright.” Dre said discussions were had about the opening line from the song, “m.A.A.d city,” where Lamar says, “If Pirus and Crips all got along. https://youtu.be/BBovUo_OEHg Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall have been tapped to host this year’s Academy Awards. “Imagine having one of the funniest women in comedy today hosting the Oscars… Now, multiply that by three,” says Craig Erwich, president, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment in a statement. “I know the fun Regina, Amy and Wanda will be having will translate to our audience as well,” says Oscars’ show producer Will Packer. “Many surprises in store! Expect the unexpected!” https://eurweb.com/2022/02/15/regina-hall-wanda-sykes-and-amy-schumer-oscars-hostsreport/ Tubi is the Fox’s ad-supported streaming service (like NBC’s Peacock), and it’s celebrating Black History Month with a free offering of “Howard High,” a musical from former Immature singer Marques Houston and the group’s former manager-turned-filmmaker Chris Stokes. Houston executive produces and stars in the film about a high school musical group that must compete against a rival school in order to save their arts program, while also battling issues from the inside. Much like ABC’s brilliant “Abbot Elementary,” “Howard High” sheds light on the challenges schools face in underfunded neighborhoods. Houston, father of 2-month old daughter Zara with wife Miya, plays Howard High teacher Michael Kirsh, who spearheads his students’ effort to battle their rival school led by teacher Emit Turner, played by Keith Sweat. The Associated Press caught up with Sweat to talk about the film. https://youtu.be/HhpFyDzZDQ4 Tubi is the Fox’s ad-supported streaming service (like NBC’s Peacock), and it’s celebrating Black History Month with a free offering of “Howard High,” a musical from former Immature singer Marques Houston and the group’s former manager-turned-filmmaker Chris Stokes. Houston executive produces and stars in the film about a high school musical group that must compete against a rival school in order to save their arts program, while also battling issues from the inside. Much like ABC’s brilliant “Abbot Elementary,” “Howard High” sheds light on the challenges schools face in underfunded neighborhoods. Houston, father of 2-month old daughter Zara with wife Miya, plays Howard High teacher Michael Kirsh, who spearheads his students’ effort to battle their rival school led by teacher Emit Turner, played by Keith Sweat. The Associated Press caught up with Houston. https://youtu.be/Xf56pEUO4jM Photographer Jaimie Milner has released her must-have coffee table book “Gifted” on February 1. Through unseen images, raw unfiltered full-length interviews, and thought-provoking perspectives, “Gifted” showcases the voice of black men today.Photographer Jaimie Milner has released her must-have coffee table book “Gifted” on February 1. Through unseen images, raw unfiltered full-length interviews, and thought-provoking perspectives, “Gifted” showcases the voice of black men today. Featured in the book are remarkable men in the Arts, Business, Politics, and Finance including Kris Bowers (“Bridgerton”), David Oyelowo (“Selma”), Michael Strautmanis (Obama Foundation), Hisham Tawfiq (“The Blacklist”), Chris Lyons (Andreessen Horowitz), Nate Parker (“American Skin”), Dean Garfield (Netflix), and Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II”) and more. JUDITH CHRISTIE MCALLISTER returns with new music, GOD IS ON MY SIDE. As we kick off a new year, this upbeat, familiar mastery of PRAISE & WORSHIP is exactly what audiences need. Written by Dr. McAllister's daughter, Destiny, Judy delivers a splendid track that will definitely have praise teams singing and everyone on their feet while being reminded that God is for and with us. https://www.dropbox.com/s/vqf4c94o3vqcyw4/God%20Is%20On%20My%20Side.mp3?dl=0 During critical times in human history, great art and artists emerge! Rapper, pastor, and founding member of the 116 Movement, TRIP LEE, is back and this time it’s for good! In 2021, he surprised 116 fans with a new song, “You Got It,” a single released on Reach Records' Summer ’21 Playlist. He followed quickly behind with “Supernatural,” a warm-up song for a forthcoming album. He officially announces his return with a creative video which also reveals the album title, The End." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TgI1WADob8 “Silly Love Songs,” the Paul & Linda McCartney classic, has been released by 7-time Grammy Award Winners, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. in a new music video tribute from the couple’s bestselling EE1 BMG album, blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons, a “Civil Rights are Human Rights” recording project, honoring Black History Month. “We lift our voices in honor of those whose voices have been silenced. When people become iconic in death, we fail to appreciate the great loss of happy, loving moments. Their joy and laughter is forgotten,” said Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., who are named by Clive Davis as the ‘First Couple of Pop & Soul,’ in a joint statement. https://youtu.be/LCsDk6ptGNk Channing Tatum’s latest film, “Dog,” was inspired by his relationship with a four-legged friend. “Dog” is the story of two former Army Rangers who are linked up against their wishes for a life-changing road trip. Tatum stars as Briggs, a man recovering from a brain injury who receives an assignment to escort an unruly and anxious Belgian Malinois named Lulu to her former handler’s funeral. Along the way, things go awry in the craziest ways possible. https://youtu.be/V4tAtp-TyzQ #JuliaFox‘s rep confirmed the “Uncut Gems” star and #KanyeWest have officially called it quits.“Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators,” her rep said in a statement to E!, “but they are no longer together.” Before the breakup was confirmed Monday, Fox clapped back after Daily Mail reported she was seen tearfully leaving #LAX alone without #Ye. https://youtu.be/QSsGo9j61zs The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie “Rust” last year, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on Tuesday in New Mexico against crew members and producers, including Mr. Baldwin. The suit, filed by Ms. Hutchins’s widower, Matthew Hutchins; her 9-year-old son; and the personal representative of Ms. Hutchins’s estate, accused Mr. Baldwin and the other defendants of reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures that endangered the crew, including failing to follow basic industry standard safety checks and gun safety rules. “Halyna Hutchins deserved to live, and the Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present,” the lawsuit said, “instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations.” Ms. Hutchins, 42, was shot on Oct. 21 while the production was lining up camera angles for a scene in which Mr. Baldwin draws an old-fashioned revolver from a shoulder holster. Shortly before the gun went off, discharging a bullet that killed Ms. Hutchins and injured Joel Souza, the film’s director, the crew had been told that the revolver did not contain live ammunition and was safe to handle. Naomi Campbell is giving fans a glimpse of her 9-month-old daughter as the two grace the cover of British Vogue‘s March issue. Campbell, 51, gushes about motherhood in the issue, and her baby reveal comes after she announced back in May that she welcomed her first child via a surrogate. “She wasn’t adopted – she’s my child,” the model tells British Vogue, adding that not many people knew she was going to become a mom at the time. “I can count on one hand the number of people who knew that I was having her,” she shares. “But she is the biggest blessing I could ever imagine. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” To mark Megan Thee Stallion‘s 27th birthday on Tuesday, the rapper is announcing the launch of the Pete and Thomas Foundation — and she’s giving back in a special way. The foundation is a non-profit organization which generates awareness around campaigns and programmatic activities — while focusing primarily on education, housing and health and wellness, according to a press release. Meanwhile, she is also surprising a senior citizen, a student and a cancer survivor with financial assistance on her birthday. The foundation is named after her parents, Holly Thomas and Joseph Pete Jr., to honor the values they instilled in her. Under the education sector, the foundation will provide scholarships, school supplies, and resources to support students in high-need communities. Meanwhile, for housing, the foundation will aim to address housing issues for senior citizens, single mothers and families impacted by financial emergencies and natural disasters. Method Man is not impressed that Twitter users are using Photoshop to remove his facial hair. The rapper famously known for being a member of the Wu-Tang Clan took to Twitter on Friday to condemn the user who altered his image by digitally shaving off Method’s beard. This person then asked his followers if “y’all ladies still choosing.” Method Man caught wind of the post and called it “suckash*t,” he wrote. “u still hv time to delete it… Love and light my brother,” the hip-hop icon added. https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3c062a58-4f73-4468-a4f7-7e4a4e0d6af5 This past weekend, QC Sports, a full-service sports representation agency, held “The Pregame” event at the Highlight Room in Los Angeles in celebration of the Super Bowl LVI. QC Sports curated a one-of-a-kind experience for their clients and guests by merging the world of sports and entertainment to celebrate one of the biggest moments in football taking place in So Cal. The monumental afternoon featured an elevated experience including sponsored activations – on-site gaming with XSET, audio station by VIWONE, a cigar lounge curated by Escobar, crafted cocktails by Dano’s Tequila – and libations with some of the industry’s favorite celebrities and influencers including music trailblazers Quavo, Jamie Foxx, London On Da Track, Lecrae and more. Also spotted at the event was BMF actress Seraya, Love and Hip Hop star Princess Love, Wild “N Out comedian Dan Rue, Selling Tampa star Sherelle Rosado, and NBA All-Star Charles Oakley plus many more. The president of one of Africa’s wealthiest and most stable countries is bringing his international leadership and expertise to the International Leadership Summit. The annual conference, founded by T.D. Jakes, brings together aspiring and tenured entrepreneurs, leaders and influential change agents to revolutionize the future of leadership. At this year’s event, set to take place in Charlotte from March 31 to April 2, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo will participate in a “master class” conversation with Jakes, during which the two will discuss creating economic opportunities, technology and the future of both nations. Widely regarded as a model of democracy, Ghana is one of the wealthiest and most progressive of Africa’s 54 countries. The West African nation is the continent’s largest producer of gold and the world’s second largest producer of cocoa. Akufo-Addo was first elected in January 2017, and reelected in 2020 for a second and final term. Since becoming president, Akufo-Addo has worked to build strong economic and cultural ties between his country and Africans in the diaspora, particularly African Americans. Last year, Twitter announced it would be moving its African corporate headquarters to Ghana. Akufo-Addo is a lawyer and a champion of human rights, justice and democracy. He has worked on constitutional cases to help protect the independence of the judiciary, the rights of citizens to demonstrate without police permits, and for equal access to state-owned media for all political parties. Vladimir Putin played magnanimous peacemaker today insisting that he ‘of course’ doesn’t want war in Ukraine hours after announcing a theatrical ‘withdrawal’ of some of his forces while massing tens of thousands of troops along the border. The strongman, speaking at the Kremlin alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said he is ‘ready to go down the negotiations track’ and engage over issues such as arms control, transparency around military drills, and other measures aimed at reducing sky-high tensions between East and West. Russia’s apparent withdrawal is being treated with extreme scepticism in the West, where intelligence agencies suspect is could be part of a ruse to launch a smaller military operation in the regions of Eastern Ukraine where Russian separatists are fighting. Putin also insisted that the fate of two breakaway Ukrainian regions – where Moscow-backed rebels are fighting the government – should form part of talks because ‘genocide’ is underway there. And he again accused the West of ignoring his demand that Ukraine is banned from NATO, underlining how far apart the two sides still are. Is Nick Cannon pining for lost love this Valentine’s Day? The talk show host dropped a new song on Monday that serves as a love letter of sorts to his ex-wife, Mariah Carey. In Cannon’s new song “Alone” — which tellingly sample’s Carey’s 1990 single “Love Take Time” — the 41-year-old artist and TV personality belts out some particularly poignant lyrics that allude to him still having feelings for the famed diva. “I say I’m cool when I know I miss it/ I’d trade it all for the case/ If I could have you back/ If I could go back to where we started at,” an apparently emotional Cannon croons on the track. This is for anybody else who is #ALONE on Valentines Day… I had to come Raw from the heart on this one. #Broken #Shattered #Toxic #RAW&B #Alone https://t.co/nGrqLoZIem pic.twitter.com/TeRJCOa9jt— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) February 14, 2022. Cannon shared the song to Twitter and wrote in the post, “This is for anybody else who is #ALONE on Valentines Day… I had to come Raw from the heart on this one. #Broken #Shattered #Toxic #RAW&B #Alone.” While the song is described specifically as “an ode to Mariah Carey” in a press release for the single, some of Cannon’s lyrics are particularly specific, and autobiographical. For example, at one point Cannon sings, “As much as I want you back/ It’s probably better where you at/ ‘Cause I’m still running the streets/ I’m still all in the sheets/ Having babies, models and singers and actresses saying they pregnant by me.” Kyler Murray is well aware of what people have been saying about him and the ongoing drama with the Arizona Cardinals. The 24-year-old NFL star finally broke his silence on Monday evening with a newly-released statement. “I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to this position that believed in me & to win championships,” Murray wrote. “All of this nonsense is not what I’m about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go. “Love me or hate me but I’m going to continue to grow and get better.” The original movie premiere of Single Black Female did “crazy good” for Lifetime, luring in 1.8 million total viewers for Live +3. The movie ranked as TV’s top entertainment telecast across all key demos on premiere night and marks Lifetime’s best movie premiere since last year’s Wendy Williams: The Movie debut, garnering 730K A25-54, 551K W25-54, 598K A18-49, and 447K W18-49 in Live +3. The movie also accrued 116k video starts across Lifetime’s Everywhere On-Domain platforms. With all the telecasts on linear and video starting on digital, the movie was seen by over 5.1 million total viewers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wauBCtrcBeM&feature=youtu.be Alice” (Keke Palmer) yearns for freedom as an enslaved person on a rural Georgia plantation. After a violent clash with its brutal and disturbed owner, Paul (Jonny Lee Miller), she flees through the neighboring woods and stumbles onto the unfamiliar sight of a highway, soon discovering the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned political activist named Frank (Common), Alice quickly comprehends the lies that have kept her in bondage and the promise of Black liberation. Inspired by true events, Alice is a modern empowerment story tracing Alice’s journey through the post-Civil Rights Era American South. Multiple Award nominee and popular Gospel singer-songwriter KARIMA expands her growing business operations with the launch of the second label, "K A R I M A B R A N D." Giving a gift of hope and smiles to everyone, this Valentine's Day, KARIMA’s inaugural collection will feature a variety of activewear for every style from hoodies and tees to yoga pants and joggers, as well as windbreakers, biker shorts, and headbands. The comfortable and affordable line is versatile and stylish. She will also introduce options for men and a limited line of Mommy & Me items. Each piece is crafted with the person's inner beauty in mind. Made for an active lifestyle this first launch will present two collections in a range of sizes "Make It Rain Sunshine (M.I.R.S.)” and “Redeemed” which are available now on shopkarimabrand.com. JoJo Martin drops Never Left Alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RXz1iJBBv8&feature=youtu.be KT Ellis is a newcomer to the Blacksmoke family, but he is not short stopping on raising the sounds of praise. He is living proof of God's grace and favor and wants the world to bear witness to the truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx-8R8RidEA&feature=youtu.be Gospel superstar Zacardi Cortez is coming out strong with You've Been Good To Me and the reviews have been overwhelming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dEWFGEHiY0 Archie “Pastor Tré” McInnis III, is “Gen Z” worshipper for Christ. The Brooklyn, NY native grew up as preacher’s kid but is not confined to the “PK” stigma. Fresh Fire...https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/10121228?date=20220214&user_id=668306&signature=juvhIJeYWL0RxtMo6L0dCey3Kg0%3ApoOLUQKE Following his new album Breakthrough: The Exodus, Ricky Dillard releases a collection of songs from the album that have meant a lot to him this year. These songs will prepare you for an exodus this year! Checkout Get Ready! https://rickydillard.lnk.to/GetReadyEM?utm_campaign=175667_MOTG%202.14_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,3RJN,4SQSQ,HUWW,1 Black women are shattering glass ceilings in industries where they are often underrepresented. Susan M. Collins, Ph.D was recently appointed to serve as the president and CEO of The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, making her the first Black woman to sit at the helm of a Fed bank. Collins—a Harvard University alumna who holds a doctorate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—has led work that sits at the intersection of global economics and policy. The macroeconomist, who grew up in New York City, has held several roles in the realm of academia including working as an associate professor of economics at Harvard and teaching at Georgetown University. She also served as a senior staff economist at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Collins is currently the University of Michigan’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and the Edward M. Gramlich Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and Economics. https://twitter.com/i/status/1491488584590925831 Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) led a bipartisan letter to Congressional leadership calling for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act to be expeditiously considered by Congress. The MORE Act ends the federal prohibition on marijuana and seeks justice for those who have been convicted on marijuana-related charges. Ten of Strickland’s colleagues joined her in signing this letter. “To create a society that is just and secure, we must restore the lives of those convicted on marijuana-related charges,” Strickland said. “Cannabis being listed under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act has impacted our local and Tribal businesses, families, communities of color, and countless residents across the South Sound. It is time for Congress to decriminalize marijuana by passing the bipartisan MORE Act to promote racial justice, spur economic growth, and protect retailers and their employees.” Boris Johnson will lead a last-ditch diplomatic blitz this week to avert war in Ukraine. With the next 48 hours said to be crucial, the Prime Minister will make a whistle-stop tour of Europe as the world braces for an imminent Russian invasion. Intelligence suggests Vladimir Putin’s troops are planning to cross the border ‘at any moment’, possibly as soon as Wednesday. Mr Johnson warned last night that the crisis in Eastern Europe was at ‘a critical juncture’ and he and other allies will spend the coming hours and days attempting to pull Russia ‘back from the brink.’ Britain yesterday pledged ‘further economic support to Ukraine’ as more than 130,000 Russian troops stood massed at its borders. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will attend a meeting with his Nato counterparts in Brussels this week to prepare the security alliance’s response to any attack on Ukrainian sovereignty. US intelligence briefed by the Pentagon reportedly points to a detailed plan in which Moscow will launch a barrage of missile and bomb attacks this Wednesday followed by a full-blown ground invasion. Black Republicans in California are applauding the Feb. 8 election of Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) as the new Minority Leader of the 19-member Assembly Republican Caucus. Gallagher,40, succeeds Marie Waldron (R-Valley Center), who led the caucus from 2018 until last week. “James has always been a measured leader. He’s a good man. I know him and his family. He’s the right man for the position,” said Tamika Hamilton, a Black Republican, U.S. Air Force veteran and candidate to represent California’s sixth Congressional District (in the San Diego area) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Hamilton praised Gallagher for his “common sense” approach to politics, adding that the lawmaker believes in building consensus around important issues. Shocking video footage captured the live-or-die moment of two cars wrestling to keep the lead on the NJ highway before one of them lost control, veered off the road, and flipped over. The driver of a Honda Accord can be seen determined to have his way by aggression. The car tries to overtake a Ford F-150 Raptor, but it will not give way. The incident happened on the Palisades Parkway in New Jersey last month. Seeing that there was no way, the Honda driver now attempted to undertake and force the car between two vehicles that were driving at the same speed. This was the most reckless mistake the Honda driver made, for the car lost control and veered off the two-way highway. It crashed on the guardrail and flipped over on the roadside. https://youtu.be/idIBlnPB4tc Adrian Peterson was arrested during #SuperBowl weekend at LAX on his way out of Los Angeles. According to TMZ, the airport police received a call around 8:30 AM about a disturbance on an aircraft leaving LAX and en route to Houston, Texas. The publication reports that the aircraft had to turn around and link up with the gate again after a verbal and physical altercation between a man and woman. Peterson was arrested and booked for felony domestic violence. Sources say that the alleged victim sustained a small mark from the incident. The alleged victim has been said to be his wife, Ashley Peterson. After Adrian was arrested, the flight departed as planned with his wife on board with the other passengers. Peterson and his wife were in town during Super Bowl weekend for an event hosted by DIRECTV. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ71mgRjCux/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again About 130 children a year are arrested in schools, found an analysis by USA TODAY. Out of the three children they profiled, one of them was Kaia Rolle who was arrested at six years old. Though USA TODAY reported Black boys were more likely to be arrested than Black girls, there is a discussion to be had about the intersectional conflicts Black girls are exposed to before they finish elementary school. A survey by Education Week showed more teachers were in favor of police officers in schools, yet this aids the statistic that Black children are arrested at higher rates than their counterparts, according to USA TODAY. It was also reported that data from the National Center for Education Statistics found about 50,000 officers are employed at schools around the country. Additionally, USA TODAY shared a report from the American Civil Liberties Union that arrests at schools with police occurred at 3.5 times higher rate than schools without officers. The fence that once stood between protesters and the White House at Lafayette Park during the summer of 2020 (also known as the Black Lives Matter memorial), displayed hundreds of signs, posters and artwork left by protesters following the murder of George Floyd. While authorities took down the fence in early 2021, activists made it their mission to preserve every artifact — knowing that each sign represents a part of the nation’s history. Now, thanks to the help of activists and archivists, the pieces of artwork that once served as a memorial of the movement are being displayed in a new online exhibit on the Library of Congress’ website. According to the Library, more than 30 pieces of artwork are now available online. “[The Library] wants people to see those signs, the messages and contextualize them with other parts of our collection that talk about similar issues,” said Aliza Leventhal, head of technical services for the prints and photography division of the Library of Congress. At first glance, the construction along the Brooklyn streets appeared routine. “You wouldn’t think anything of it,” said Fabian Rogers, a community organizer in Brownsville, a majority Black neighborhood where construction began in 2017. It wasn’t until years later, in 2020, that he learned that the overturned streets were making way for a fracked gas pipeline. “It just felt like a big slap in the face – to have [a pipeline] in my backyard that I didn’t know about,” he said. Rogers and other residents have spent the last two years protesting National Grid’s 7-mile pipeline, which zigzags through predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, bypassing whiter, wealthier parts of Brooklyn. Formally known as the Metropolitan Reliability Project, the pipeline is often referred to as the north Brooklyn pipeline. They have blocked the pipeline’s construction at demonstrations and some have stopped paying part of their utility bills, in an effort to divert funding from the project. Last summer, they went a step further, filing a complaint against the utility and state that argues the pipeline has resulted in racial discrimination, violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (Title VI prohibits federally-funded entities from discriminating on the basis of race, gender, and other protected identities Sotheby’s has sold 200 pairs of sneakers designed by the late Virgil Abloh for a “record breaking” collective $25.3 million, the auction house said Wednesday — more than eight times the initial $3 million estimate. The special edition Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” sneakers were designed for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022, Sotheby’s said in a press release. The auction marked the first time the sneakers were released for sale, Sotheby’s said. A spokesperson told CNN Thursday that, as a collection, the sneakers had secured “a record auction total” for fashion. Individual pairs of sneakers have, however, commanded a higher price. This includes a pair of Nike Air Ships worn by basketball star Michael Jordan, which sold for $1.47 million in October. Abloh, who was the artistic director for Louis Vuitton menswear — and the fashion house’s first Black artistic director — died in November at the age of 41 after privately battling a rare form of cancer for two years. Hours after trending on social media for his rant against Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, 22-time Grammy winner Kanye ‘Ye’ West made it to his Sunday Service on time at noon in Los Angeles. The 44-year-old rapper-designer filmed his eight-year-old daughter North and six-year-old son Saint on Instagram Live despite blasting his estranged wife Kim Kardashian for creating a TikTok account for North. At one point, Kanye’s eldest child could be overheard telling him she had to step out of the performance because her ‘braces were hurting.’ While the kids ran around the weekly gospel gathering, West sang along with his choir as they chanted: ‘If not for your grace we would all be lost.’The separated father-of-four previously announced he was taking North and Saint to a Super Bowl party as their 41-year-old mother was last seen in New York Saturday with the 28-year-old comedian. As a black female country artist, Mickey Guyton has spent the past year breaking color — and gender — barriers in the predominantly white male genre. She gave a powerful performance of her song “Black Like Me” at the Grammys, was the first African-American woman to co-host the ACM Awards and rocked a supersize Afro when she did “Love My Hair” at the CMAs. Now, the 38-year-old singer — whose debut album, “Remember Her Name,” is up for three Grammys in April — will have another memorable moment when she performs the national anthem at the Super Bowl on Sunday. “It’s Black History Month, and a black country singer gets to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Wow,” Guyton told The Post. “This is a huge moment for me. It’s a huge moment for black people. And I want to represent that in the best possible way that I can.” Cielito Vivas is a Philadelphia-born-and-raised photographer with, as she puts it, a name most people can’t pronounce (it’s /sh’lee·tow/). This past Christmas season, she photographed the Chocolate Ballerina Company (CBC), which put on an all-Black performance of The Nutcracker, a historic first in Philadelphia. The company’s founder and artistic director, Chanel Holland, was a dancer herself, and her experience in the dance world led her to strike out on her own. “I walked into an institution where I had been accepted as a member of the corps de ballet,” Holland said in a 2019 interview with Philadelphia Dance. “I guess because of the way I was dressed — my ‘swag’ personality — they thought I was lost and looked at me like I was in the wrong place. I showed them my acceptance letter, took off my Adidas pants, and put on my pointe shoes. I was the only Black girl. And it didn’t matter to them, but it mattered to me. I walked out of that rehearsal and cried.” Holland founded her company in 2017 to offer free lessons, leotards, and rehearsals to empower and support young ballet dancers in Philadelphia. Destinee Lashaee, the first transgender cast member of the TLC reality hit “My 600-lb Life,” has died at 30. “No no no I’m sorry bro,” Destinee’s brother Wayne Compton wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “I accept you for who you are, I accept every flaw that come with you, I’m sorry you felt alone, I’m sorry you felt you had nobody else to turn too, I’m sorry you felt you had no other option Destiny wouldn’t of wanted this, lord why keep taking my siblings away, how much can I take????.” Destinee was born Matthew Ventress and raised in foster care. Her cause of death has not been revealed but according to reports, she had another sibling who died recently. https://youtu.be/-1s0TphTDk4 Black culture in Inglewood, Compton and South Los Angeles took the spotlight on the world stage Sunday, February 13, 2022, in a Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl LVI win, 23-20 over the Cincinnati Bengals in SoFi Stadium, located in the heart of the African American community. Many would say that Los Angeles is the womb that birthed West Coast Hip Hop and Super Bowl 56 did nothing to dispel that notion. The sporting extravaganza, NFL Football’s culmination of the season, the Super Bowl, which took place in Black History month, put a bright light on the achievements of African Americans and people of color in business, sports and entertainment. From the beginning of the game, the production was an easel that painted the many unheralded achievements of Black football players that shaped the game. As the players were taking the field for the game, Cameron Jordan, a defensive end for the New Orleans Saints, spoke of the contributions of some of the pioneers of football players of color, “The Forgotten First,” which included Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motely and Bill Willis. Prior to the game, Rams defensive end Aaron Donald, in an interview with former football star Rodney Harrison. https://youtu.be/Duf61SeoGd0 Issa Rae has made monumental strides throughout her career as a producer, actress, and businesswoman. Still, she’s always stayed true to her West Coast roots, often crediting the city of Inglewood for shaping her into the creative she is today. People reported that the “Insecure” star recently received a major honor from her hometown when she was bestowed with a key to the city. The honor is historic as Rae is the first person to be awarded a key to the city of Inglewood. She received the accolade at the Taste of Inglewood festival on Saturday. During the event, Rae reflected on her family’s history within the community and the influence it has had on her journey. School officials from Nyack High School are speaking out after a racist incident occurred during a varsity game. On Feb. 9, the Nyack RedHawks faced off against Peal River High School on their home court. Members from the Nyack team were outraged when they witnessed crowd-goers in the Peal River gym making monkey and ape noises as some of Nyack’s Black players prepared to make shots from the foul line. “It happened three different times,” Harrison Jordan, Nyack’s varsity basketball team captain, told Lohud. “You hear it, but you don’t believe it.” Another player named Kameron Kukielczak said he was “surprised” when he heard the racist chants from the crowd. “I wouldn’t think anyone would want to do that during the game, especially to young kids,” he said. The incident was shared on the RedHawks’ official Twitter account and has amassed over 138 thousand views and 200 retweets. “Allowing monkey noises to echo through a gymnasium while an African American player shoots free throws sanctions racism and hatred,” the post read. “Pearl River missed the mark to correct abhorrent behavior. Stop the Game. Remove the Offenders. Do Better!” The COVID-19 winter surge has impacted different age groups in different ways, as caretakers struggle to take care of the elderly during this pandemic and parents remain wary of their children returning to in-person classes. “It’s been here but it’s been everywhere for like the last 14 days,” said Los Angeles County resident Clarence Johnson whose wife, Tanesha Johnson, decided to shut down their daycare last year. Across the United States, 1,099 children under 18 have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In California, the state Department of Public Health reports that 47 children have died of the disease. This past December saw a four-fold increase of children admitted to hospital over the past year, according to the African American Wellness Project. https://youtu.be/gHJ1oY7BgUA RuPaul has been tapped to host the CBS reboot of the word-based game show “Lingo.” As reported by TV Line, there have been many international forms of “Lingo,” since the late 1980s, including the U.S. version that aired on Game Show Network in the early 2000s.“We give you a letter, and you guess the rest! The word game craze is sweeping the nation, and ‘Lingo’ will deliver a fast-paced, fun and addictive show for the whole family,” said Graham. “We’re all ready to have fun again, and Lingo is the answer,” adds host and executive producer RuPaul says in a statement. And Layla Smith, CEO of Objective Media, says, “We are O-V-E-R the M-O-O-N to be making Lingo for America with CBS and the amazing RuPaul.” Eminem took a knee (apparently to show support for Colin Kaepernick) during the star-studded Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday night. https://youtu.be/eQFBQjaYdlA Marvel has shared the official trailer for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” starring Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as the titular character. The trailer aired on Super Bowl Sunday and features Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) joined by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) as the three ponder on the mystery of an evil version of Dr. Strange. https://youtu.be/aWzlQ2N6qqg The Emmy-winning series “Killing Eve” is set to return for its 4th and final season in April. Per the network’s press release, after the emotional climax of Season 3, Eve (Golden Globe® winner Sandra Oh), Villanelle (Emmy® Award winner Jodie Comer) and Carolyn (BAFTA winner Fiona Shaw) are in very different places. Following Eve and Villanelle’s exchange on the bridge, Eve is on a revenge mission, while Villanelle has found a brand-new community in an attempt to prove she’s not a “monster.” Having killed Paul, Carolyn goes to extraordinary lengths to continue to chase down The Twelve and the person that ordered Kenny’s hit. This season follows extraordinary women, each driven by passion, revenge and obsession, building towards a messy, nuanced and totally glorious series finale. Jordan Peele tapped KeKe Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya for his upcoming horror movie “Nope” — and the first trailer dropped on Sunday. As reported by People, the teaser doesn’t reveal too much of the plot but introduces Palmer and Kaluuya’s characters as a pair who work on Hollywood’s only Black-owned horse training ranch. https://youtu.be/In8fuzj3gck Model icons Beverly Johnson, Veronica Webb and Gisele Zelauy were featured on the runway of Sergio Hudson during New York Fashion Week on Sunday, showing off vibrant, safari-inspired pieces with a cheeky twist and a nod to the hues favored by the Ndebeles of southern Africa, according to The Associated Press. “If Whitley Gilbert from ‘Different World’ or Cher Horowitz and Dionne from ‘Clueless’ were to go on safari, what would they wear? It’s just really fun, really cheeky, and clothes that girls can really, really wear and women can really, really wear,” Hudson told The AP. https://youtu.be/pVUkMeKeMVE Lately Mary J. Blige has been back in the spotlight because of her starring role on “Power Book ll: Ghost” and of course, her rousing appearance in Sunday’s Super Bowl hip-hop/R&B Halftime show. And lest we forget she just released her latest album, Good Morning Gorgeous. Blige recently performed “Rent Money” from the album with rapper Dave East, on an iHeart Radio special. https://youtu.be/-mKntauDD_c In a candid new interview with People, music icon Lionel Richie admits that his kids “turned me into my parents.” Richie is dad to reality TV star Nicole Richie, 40, his musician son Miles, 27, and model daughter Sofia, 23. “I don’t know why I’m so shocked with what my kids are doing. I scared my folks to death!” Richie told the publication. “Nicole was actually a godsend. She was a little girl who needed a shot,” he says of his daughter, whom he adopted at age 9 with his first wife Brenda Harvey prior to their divorce in 1993. “She was used to people coming and going. She looked at me and I’d say, ‘I’m not going anywhere.'” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2DkdysJ9x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Last week, Ye demanded that singer Billie Eilish apologize to him after he accused her of dissing Travis Scott — she didn’t, so therefore Billie did not oblige. Now Kanye has cut rapper Kid Cudi from the upcoming album “DONDA 2,” due to Cudi’s friendship with Pete Davidson, Page Six reports. Davidson and Ye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian wants us to believe that they are in a committed relationship. Meanwhile, many folks are convinced it’s all a PR stunt. Some folks across social media have noted that they believe the Kanye and Jeffree Star romance rumors before accepting that Kim and Pete are boo’d up. Super Bowl Sunday wasn’t the only big event yesterday! The highly-anticipated reboot of the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” titled “Bel-Air” premiered on NBC’s Peacock. “Bel Air” tells the story we all know – a kid from Philly moves to one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Los Angeles. But do we really know the story? “Bel Air” takes a different approach than its predecessor which was a 30-minute sitcom. This newly reimagined version is an hour-long drama that digs deeper into the backstory of the main character. Both new and old fans will experience this story in a fresh way. For fans of the original, you’ll get to see the experiences the character Will (Banks) went through living in west Philadelphia instead of just going off of your own imagination. This reboot has a bit more grit so get ready for this show to be your new favorite TV drama. In 2002, Michael Jackson famously and inexplicably dangled his son Blanket over a fourth floor hotel balcony in Berlin, needlessly and selfishly endangering the child’s life for the thrill of screaming fans below. Twenty years later, a woman in India has taken dangling a child over a high rise balcony to a whole new level of selfishness. But she did have a reason. In 2002, Michael Jackson famously and inexplicably dangled his son Blanket over a fourth floor hotel balcony in Berlin, needlessly and selfishly endangering the child’s life for the thrill of screaming fans below. Twenty years later, a woman in India has taken dangling a child over a high rise balcony to a whole new level of selfishness. But she did have a reason. https://twitter.com/i/status/1492113075256041472 Interwoven within the tapestry of history are stories about Black women that illustrate resilience in the face of systemic oppression. Many Black women have dedicated their life’s work to reclaiming their narratives and opening doors for generations behind them. Pioneers like journalist Ida B. Wells tapped into the power of storytelling to magnify ugly truths about racism in America. Trailblazers Carole Simpson made history as the first Black woman to anchor a major network newscast in the United States. Standing on the shoulders of these phenomenal women is entrepreneur Judith Jacques-Laguerre is using her platform Black Women in Media as a vessel to amplify the accomplishments and celebrate the brilliance of Black women. For Jacques-Laguerre—a first-generation Haitian American who hails from Long Island, New York—the importance of representation was made evident to her at a young age. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, she rarely saw herself represented in her surroundings. Jacques-Laguerre’s venture into the media industry was one of luck. Within her community, the perceived viable options for career paths included becoming a doctor, lawyer or engineer. As she navigated motherhood as a teenager, her loved ones wanted to ensure she pursued a career that provided financial stability. Vladimir Putin ‘doesn’t give a s**t’ about the risk of Western sanctions if his country were to invade Ukraine, Russia’s ambassador to Sweden said as US staff began withdrawing from eastern Ukraine amid warnings of an ‘imminent’ invasion. In an outspoken interview yesterday, Viktor Tatarintsev told the country’s Aftonbladet newspaper that ‘the more the West pushes Russia, the stronger the Russian response will be’. He claimed Russia had become more ‘self-sufficient’ amid the threat of sanctions and accused the West of not understanding his country. ‘We are more self-sufficient and have been able to increase our exports. We have no Italian or Swiss cheeses, but we’ve learned to make just as good Russian cheeses using Italian and Swiss recipes’, he said. His comments came as dramatic photos today showed U.S. staff members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has monitored the eight-year conflict in Ukraine’s separatist east, packing up and leaving the rebel-held city of Donetsk. They were fleeing as Britain’s Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis said a Russian invasion could be ‘imminent’ and Germany warned that tensions between Russia and Ukraine have reached a ‘critical’ point. There are an estimated 130,000 Russian troops and heavy firepower amassed along Ukraine’s border. A future variant of Covid-19 could be much more dangerous and cause far higher numbers of deaths and cases of serious illness than Omicron, leading UK scientists have warned. As a result, many of them say that caution needs to be taken in lifting the last Covid restrictions in England, as Boris Johnson plans to do next week. At the same time, demands are growing for Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance, the government’s most senior advisers on Covid, to hold a press conference to reveal what evidence there was to back the decision to end all pandemic restrictions. The dangers posed by accepting the widespread assumption that Covid-19 variants would continue to get milder in their impact was highlighted by epidemiologist Prof Mark Woolhouse, of Edinburgh University. “The Omicron variant did not come from the Delta variant. It came from a completely different part of the virus’s family tree. And since we don’t know where in the virus’s family tree a new variant is going to come from, we cannot know how pathogenic it might be. It could be less pathogenic but it could, just as easily, be more pathogenic,” he said. This point was backed by virologist Prof Lawrence Young of Warwick University. “People seem to think there has been a linear evolution of the virus from Alpha to Beta to Delta to Omicron,” he told the Observer. “But that is simply not the case. The idea that virus variants will continue to get milder is wrong. A new one could turn out to be even more pathogenic than the Delta variant, for example.” US speed skater Erin Jackson won the women’s 500m gold medal at the Winter Olympics in a time of 37.04 on Sunday. Jackson almost missed competing in the 500m at the Olympics after she had slipped during qualifying trials, but her teammate and friend Brittany Bowe gave up her own spot to ensure the world No. 1 was able to go to Beijing — and it paid off. The 29-year-old Jackson is the first US woman to win a speed skating gold at the Olympics since Bonnie Blair did so in 1994, as well as the first Black woman to win an individual medal in speed skating at the Olympics, according to Team USA. https://youtu.be/wSTMSOJPPy4 It’s another Power Universe hit! The premiere of “Power Book IV: Force” on Starz last Sunday was a monster smash as far as ratings. Specifically, it was the most-watched premiere in Starz’s history. We’re talking 3.3 million cross-platform viewers in the U.S., according to Nielsen. That’s a record number for the premium network. The crime drama also set a record on-air and delivered the highest-rated premiere ever on the channel. The third Power spinoff also set records in linear viewing alone, delivering the highest-rated premiere in Starz history. https://youtu.be/Ivdy4VzQY_U ”Space Jam: A New Legacy” is one of the films that got nomination into the controversial Golden Raspberry ‘Razzie’ awards. The goal of these awards is to honor the worst films and performances. Razzie recently announced its 42nd nomination, with some categories being the worst actor, worst actress, worst director, and worst remake. “Space Jam: A New Legacy” got nominations in all four categories. The Warner Animation Group production starring LeBron James will compete against Infinite, Diana the Musical, and The Woman in the Window, among other Razzie favorites. Besides James, other actors nominated for the worst actor- category include Scott Eastwood of “Dangerous,” Ben Platt of “Dear Evan Hansen,” Mark Wahlberg of “Infinite,” and Roe Hartrampf. https://youtu.be/olXYZOsXw_o Get ready for some California love. Five of hip hop’s biggest names are hitting the stage Sunday for the Super Bowl halftime show. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will headline what is sure to be a rousing rendition of their greatest hits. Ahead of their performance, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige spoke at a press conference and said the time has come for hip hop to take center stage. “This is what it’s about. This is what hip hop and the NFL is supposed to be about: representing about a change, about moving forward, so we appreciate the NFL for even entertaining hop hop because we know there are a lot of people who won’t [have] hip hop on stage,” Snoop Dogg said in part. The ‘Friday’ Star, Anthony ‘AJ’ Johnson, passed away in September 2021 at age 55. The cause of his death was previously unknown as the actor’s nephew told TMZ that the latter was found unconscious in a Los Angeles store in early September. His rep, LyNea Bell, confirmed the comedian’s death. The toxicology report done at the time did not identify any traces of drugs or alcohol in his system. However, the latest autopsy report obtained by TMZ shows that the actor passed away from chronic ethanol as he had been drinking heavily over the years. His widow, Lexis Jones Mason, recently launched a foundation to teach the youth about the dangers of alcoholism. Talking to TMZ, Mason said that she wants to use her late husband’s legacy to ‘inspire others to quit drinking.’ She further added that she has some close friends who have lost their children due to alcoholism, which is another thing that inspired her to begin the foundation. Since then, she has also constantly and vocally been talking to youths, especially at church, about this deadly reality (voluntarily). https://youtu.be/K-8Uowbadl0 New York City Mayor #EricAdams is working on tackling the violence in the city, and while doing so one of the methods he is working towards, is having drill music pulled from social media. According to @billboard, on Friday, during a press conference, Mayor Adams spoke about the music and the connections it has to violence, as he urged social media platforms to pull the music. He said, “I had no idea what drill rapping was, but I called my son and he sent me some videos, and it is alarming. We are going to pull together the social media companies and sit down with them and tell them that you have a civic and corporate responsibility.” He also spoke about Trump being banned from social media last year after the Capitol riots and continued, “We pulled Trump off Twitter because of what he was spewing. Yet we are allowing music, displaying of guns, violence, we’re allowing it to stay on these sites.” Billboard reports that Mayor Adams also mentioned a conversation with “very top known” rappers is in the works, though he did not provide information on the participating artists or when the meeting would take place. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ3Pw8SlPqf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again RNC National Spokesperson Paris Dennard was featured in an exclusive Newsweek cover story on the GOP’s growth amongst Black conservatives. The article mentions the numerous Black Republican candidates running for office like Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears and others that won elections in 2021. The article also highlights the Indiana GOP’s, Diversity Leadership Series Class, a training program for young diverse leaders within the party, and the RNC’s multi-million dollar Black engagement efforts at the ground level with the RNC Black American Community Centers. “2022 is shaping up as a breakthrough year for the GOP on at least one diversity front: Black candidates… a lineup of well-funded House and Senate candidates poised to break the record for the number of Black Republicans elected to Congress, a decade-long effort to broaden the appeal of the GOP is finally bearing fruit—and could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections.” “The GOP is an inclusive party making significant inroads and, with recent wins already, we are optimistic about our chances in having even more Black conservatives elected to serve in 2022.” https://youtu.be/IVIoC5ROaHk The first Black federal judge in Alabama spoke out against one of President Biden‘s potential Supreme Court picks in a letter addressed to the commander in chief that was obtained by NBC News. U.W. Clemon, a former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, urged the president not to consider Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the vacancy. The retired judge said that there are “several exceptionally well-qualified black female aspirants for the Supreme Court” but that he “strongly” believes Jackson should not be considered. Clemon referenced the case Ross v. Lockhead as reasoning for his opposition to Jackson, a class-action suit she presided over on behalf of 5,500 Black Lockheed Martin employees. Clemon wrote that Jackson refused to approve the settlement that was reached, which would have provided $22 million to the workers. “She refused to approve the settlement because in her view there were no common factual questions,” Clemon wrote. In protest of the streaming service Spotify for airing a podcast that featured a figure spreading misinformation about the coronavirus, Joni Mitchell is joining Neil Young and is pulling all her music from Spotify. “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” Mitchell said Friday in a message posted on her website. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.” Spotify, according to its policies, has removed more than 20,000 podcasts related to the COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Is it all about money? However, the main person in the controversy, Joe Rogan, whose podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” has not been removed. Rogan is one of the streaming service’s biggest stars, with a contract that could earn him more than $100 million. Rogan interviewed on one of his most recent podcasts Dr. Robert Malone, an infectious disease specialist who has been banned from Twitter for spreading COVID misinformation. Pop singer-songwriter Adele proclaimed, “We love being ****ing females” after coming under attack and being accused of transphobia for saying that she loves “being a woman” at the sex-neutral Brit Awards. “We love being females, we love being a ****ing female,” Adele proclaimed at G-A-Y’s Porn Idol event at Heaven in London, appearing to double down on her proclamation that she loves being “being a woman” after facing criticism over her Brit Awards acceptance speech on Tuesday. https://twitter.com/i/status/1491988913937948676 GAWVI, a Christian hip-hop rapper, has been booted from his record label following allegations from several different women that he sent a number of unwanted photos of his genitals to them. Reach Records announced it would no longer work with the rapper after the women came forward to complain he was filling their images gallery with photos of his penis. https://youtu.be/P0p9uDh17I4 Dementia is NOT what Wendy Williams is dealing with, so says her attorney, LaShawn Thomas. Attorney Thomas has notified various media outlets with statements saying that Wendy is only being treated for Graves’ disease and thyroid concerns — and she’s “fine,” according to LoveBScott. Here’s what Attorney Thomas wrote in response to Wells Faro Banks assertions that the ailing TV host needs someone to handle her financial affairs: “It saddens Wendy that Wells Fargo has chosen to believe the allegations of a former employee who is upset because she no longer has direct and unfettered access to Wendy’s financial affairs. Wendy had to, unfortunately, bring this action because Wells Fargo has refused to honor her Power of Attorney, granting her son authority to make inquiries to the bank on Wendy’s behalf.” “Wendy further believes that all of the false narratives currently making the rounds derive from this source and she is saddened that she once considered this person a friend. Wendy can’t believe that Wells Fargo has wrongly denied her access to her funds without justification. https://youtu.be/JMpsd9VVAZ4 Three people were shot at a Justin Bieber Super Bowl party last night. It’s now confirmed that rapper Kodak Black (pictured above) was one of that was hit, with him being shot in the leg. We shared that as Kodak, Lil Baby and Gunna were talking with fans near the street, a fight broke out and at least 10 shots were fired. We initially reported that three people were shot, and another was injured. It’s now being reported that the fight began with someone in Kodak’s crew being jumped by an unknown assailant. Kodak tried to intervene, allegedly swung on the person and that’s when a gunman opened fire — it’s unclear if it was the same assailant attacking his friend. Upon shots ringing out, Kodak was hit in the leg and rushed to a hospital, where he’s been treated and in stable condition. The identities of the other two people shot and the third injured from the incident have yet to be released. #Socialites, let’s pray for those injured. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ5FQMHgZO9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Former NFLer Antonio Gates and his wife Sasha are calling it quits after 11 years of marriage. As reported by The Blast, Sasha, who starred in the E! reality show ‘WAGS.’ filed for dissolution of marriage in Los Angeles County Courts. The couple tied the knot in June of 2011, and have two children together. Antonio reportedly has two other children from a previous relationship. Per the report, Antonio has opened up at the struggles of marriage and raising children while playing in the NFL. “It’s very difficult because of the demands of this profession,” Gates said. It was the trade that shook up the NBA world before Thursday’s deadline. The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers completed a blockbuster trade centered around former MVP James Harden and former No. 1 pick and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons, who had been disgruntled and holding out for the season. Brooklyn received: Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, 2022 first-round pick (unprotected) and 2027 first-round pick (protected) Philadelphia received: James Harden and Paul Millsap. https://youtu.be/SSa5RfJXeaY Singer, producer, songwriter and virtuoso guitarist Andre Cymone gives huge props to iconic singer Jody Watley. Cymone talked about Watley’s impact and influence on female artists such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, Selena, and future generations during a sit-down interview backstage at her recent sold-out 35th-anniversary blockbuster self-titled album and birthday celebration at Sycuan Casino and Resort in San Diego. Cymone says, “Her music and incomparable style is pure and stands the test of time still today, 35 years later.” When asked if he knew her debut album would reach its platinum status and beyond, Cymone responded, “Yes, I did. I knew we had something really special.” https://youtu.be/Fu7_9jdWElE Titus Showers reaches Billboard Gospel Most Added Chart with his latest chart-topping release, Name On It! He first made his mark in Gospel as the lead singer for the two-time Stellar Award-nominated family band, The Showers. He stepped out with his debut solo EP WHO in 2019 that debuted at #1 on Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart. https://youtu.be/qDEve4ncrB4 The highly-anticipated 23rd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration returns to television with faith, family and football during the biggest weekend in sports! Premiering with a brand new trio of distribution partners, Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will be simulcast today, Saturday, February 12 at 8pm ET/7pm CT on Bounce TV and for the very first time will stream on Prime Video and on IMDb TV, both without need of a Prime membership. The debut telecast will be followed by an encore on ION Sunday, February 13 at 12am ET/11pm CT, and will continue to be available to stream in front of the paywall on Prime Video and on IMDb TV throughout February in celebration of Black History Month. https://youtu.be/gH_20rFobGA In honor of Black History month in February, the Memphis-based studio, Stax Museum of American Soul Music and its music academy in Tennessee, are offering an online concert and a virtual tour. In its first online concert and virtual tours in 2021, more than 130,000 students and adults viewed the programs. This year’s online concert will have Stax Music Academy students performing videos featuring songs from B.B. King, the Pointer Sisters, Ike & Tina Turner, Rufus Thomas, Duke Ellington and Beyonce, Stax said. Study guides and other activities will accompany the productions. Registration is available at the Stax Museum website. The U.S. ordered most embassy staff to depart Ukraine after warning that a Russian military invasion could happen at any moment, while Moscow also began withdrawing its diplomatic presence. While Russia, which has massed some 130,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders, denies that it intends to invade its neighbor, Moscow Saturday said that it, too, had begun withdrawing diplomatic personnel. The developments further ratcheted tensions after Washington warned on Friday that Russia could launch a massive military operation against Ukraine, with tens of thousands of casualties, in the coming days. On Saturday, President Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for just over an hour in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to ward off military conflict. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia had decided on a “certain optimization” of staffing at the Russian Embassy in Kyiv and its consulates in Kharkiv, Odessa and Lviv because it feared “certain provocations by the Kyiv regime or third nations.” She said consular services will continue. In an earlier phone call Saturday, Mr. Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia had no intentions of attacking Ukraine and remained open to dialogue, according to a close aide to the French president. Mr. Macron, who recently traveled to Moscow for talks, told Mr. Putin that sincere dialogue was incompatible with an escalation, according to Mr. Macron’s office. The United States is set to evacuate its embassy in Kiev as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent. U.S. officials told AP the State Department plans to announce early Saturday that all American staff at the Kiev embassy will be required to leave the country ahead of a feared Russian invasion. The State Department would not comment. The department had earlier ordered families of U.S. embassy staffers in Kiev to leave. But it had left it to the discretion of nonessential personnel if they wanted to depart. The new move comes as Washington has ratcheted up its warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The officials said a limited number of U.S. diplomats may be relocated to Ukraine’s far west, near the border with Poland, a NATO ally, so the U.S. could retain a diplomatic presence in the country. Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine as early as next Wednesday, February 16 according to respected German publication, Der Spiegel. American intelligence services briefed NATO allies of a possible impending Russian invasion against its western neighbor in a series of secret briefings. The Secret Service, CIA and the Pentagon are said to have received credible information that was passed along to the federal government, reports the German newspaper. A fun night turned into chaos on Friday after a shooting went down outside of Justin Bieber’s big Super Bowl party in Los Angeles. According to @tmz_tv Bieber had performed in WeHo at the Pacific Design Center and had an afterparty nearby at The Nice Guy. A bunch of celebs showed up including Drake, Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Kendall Jenner, and Khloe Kardashian. However, at around 2:45 AM, as Kodak Black, Gunna, and Lil Baby were standing on the street and talking with fans, a fight broke out. In the clip obtained by the news site, Kodak can be seen taking a swing at someone, and then you hear gunshots. While it’s still unclear what exactly led to the fight and gunshots, law enforcement told TMZ that there were a total of 10 shots fired. Four people were hit and taken to the hospital. They are said to be in stable condition. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ4Z7BHMkiR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Three people were shot at a Justin Bieber Super Bowl party last night. It’s now confirmed that rapper Kodak Black (pictured above) was one of that was hit, with him being shot in the leg. We shared that as Kodak, Lil Baby and Gunna were talking with fans near the street, a fight broke out and at least 10 shots were fired. We initially reported that three people were shot, and another was injured. It’s now being reported that the fight began with someone in Kodak’s crew being jumped by an unknown assailant. Kodak tried to intervene, allegedly swung on the person and that’s when a gunman opened fire — it’s unclear if it was the same assailant attacking his friend. Upon shots ringing out, Kodak was hit in the leg and rushed to a hospital, where he’s been treated and in stable condition. The identities of the other two people shot and the third injured from the incident have yet to be released. #Socialites, let’s pray for those injured. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ5FQMHgZO9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Capital One continues its efforts in ensuring a more equitable society that celebrates the achievements of the Black community. As part of an initial $200 million multi-year pledge, Capital One announced that they will commit a next wave of its Impact Initiative grants to support underserved and underrepresented communities, according to a press release. An additional $10 million will be invested in existing and new partnerships to “address structural barriers to racial equity” and “promote socioeconomic mobility.” The organizations that will receive grants are: African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), Prosperity Now, Vera Institute of Justice, Braven, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), United Negro College Fund (UNCF), finEQUITY, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), Black Girl Ventures; Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), and Jobs for the Future (JFF). Among the world’s largest restaurant companies, YUM! Brands is kicking off a franchise accelerator fellowship that could help more women and minorities become their own bosses. Counting KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell among the brands it owns, YUM! Brands is uniting with the University of Louisville and Howard University to support underrepresented people of color and women interested in the franchise restaurant industry. YUM! Brands is introducing the Franchise Accelerator, a “one-of-a-kind MBA elective opportunity,” according to a news release. Ten second-year MBA students from the two universities were chosen to partake in a five-month fellowship where two of them will gain a chance to become future franchisees of Yum! Brands. The Louisville-based company reports it operates 52,000 restaurants in over 150 countries and territories. The company indicated the debut of the Yum! Franchise Accelerator follows last year’s rollout of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence at the University of Louisville College of Business. The Omaha-based construction software company Buildertrend fired an employee on Wednesday following the delay of a Delta Air Lines flight on Monday due to unruly and allegedly racist behavior by a passenger. A Buildertrend review found that an employee called a flight attendant the N-word when being asked to put on a face mask in preparation for takeoff. The flight was delayed more than two hours. Buildertrend CEO Dan Houghton apologized for the disturbance and said an investigation “with internal and external parties to learn as much as possible so that we can take appropriate action” led to the termination of one employee. The 3rd Annual Sports Power Brunch, presented by Champion, kicked off Super Bowl Week in Los Angeles. It was an epic, star-studded celebration of the most powerful women in sports held at the Beverly Wilshire. Created by LaTonya Story, the event honors leading women in sports who have made an indelible mark in the sports industry. This event is held every year at each Super Bowl host city. This year, the Los Angeles Rams are not only in the Super Bowl, but also making Los Angeles proud as people from all over the world descend on the city to celebrate sporting. This year, the 2022 Sports Power Brunch honored Vanessa Bryant, President of Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation with the ‘Be Your Own Champion Award’, Terri Hines, Executive Vice President, Communications at FOX Sports with the ‘Power of Spirit Award’, Denise White, CEO & Founder of EAG Sports Management with the ‘She-Mogul Award’ and Natalie White, Senior Vice President of the Los Angeles Sparks with the ‘Trailblazer Award.’ On Wednesday, Google Doodle continued its series of highlights for Black History Month by honoring the late baseball pioneer Toni Stone. Stone passed away in 1996 at the age of 75 after making history as a female professional baseball player. During her career, Stone was the first of three women to play professional baseball for the franchise and the first woman to play as a regular on an American big-league professional baseball team. The animated image, created by San Francisco-based artist Monique Wray, showed Stone playing for the Indianapolis Clowns as a male athlete runs past her on the field. Stone was recruited to the team back in 1953 as the second baseman and filler for future Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron. “The moving image not only draws inspiration from baseball action photography while incorporating Stone’s sense of humor and iconic curly hair, it also brings Stone’s legacy to life for new generations,” a Google spokesperson told People. For Gayle Jessup White, landing the job of Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer at Thomas Jefferson’s historic home, Monticello, was more than a chance to share her passion for American history. It was the result of a lifelong search for the truth about who she was, and America’s third president. It started when she was a young girl growing up in 1970s Washington D.C. “At the time Jefferson was my favorite president because he’d written the Declaration, and I believed and still believe in the principles put forth in that document,” says Gayle. She was thirteen when her sister shared a bit of family lore regarding the main author of the Declaration of Independence…they were related. Gayle recounts, “Well I was shocked. And I went to my dad first, ‘Daddy, how could we be descended from Thomas Jefferson? This doesn’t make sense to me.’ All Daddy said to me was, ‘That’s what they say.’” For years, Gayle would dream of one day finding out if what “they said” was true. She says, “I always felt that if I could determine my ties to Jefferson, I could find out more about my family. We are the sum total of our backgrounds of our ancestors, and I didn’t know who mine were. I needed to know that to feel whole.” Black creators say they were excluded from a TikTok event for Black History Month, which featured rapper Nicki Minaj and was dominated by non-Black voices. While some creators took direct issue with the non-Black TikTokers who were present at the event held on Zoom on Feb. 8 and accused them of monopolizing the space, others saved their criticisms for the platform itself. “I don’t see how inviting a celebrity or creating an event last minute and sending the invite to people who aren’t Black makes sense for a Black History Month event,” said creator Erick Louis, who has just under 1 million followers on TikTok. He told BuzzFeed News that he was not invited to the meetup. “I feel like there’s no due diligence and really catering to the Black creators on their app even when it comes to something as simple as setting up an event, paying respect to the culture, the architects, and the people who run the trends,” he said. TikTok had billed the event as “Black History Month Creator Meet Up x Nicki Minaj,” according to emails shown in a TikTok by creator Dessy Joseph. “We are kicking off Black History Month with an exclusive virtual TikTok Creator Meet Up with a very special musical guest,” the calendar invite read. Those in attendance said it missed the mark. Joseph recounted her experience to her 636,000 followers on TikTok, where she alleged that the capacity for the meetup was approximately 300 participants and that some Black creators were not given a link to join for up to 10 minutes after the event started at 6 p.m. “When we finally did get in, it was giving very 2% Black, honestly,” she said in a TikTok. “You also had non-Black people asking Nicki to say their name and shoutout.” “Knowledge of Self,” created by Indianapolis native Jamaal Nelson, is a trivia board game about black culture and history for all generations. “You might pick up a card about Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby,” laughed Nelson. Up to five people can play the game, guessing questions and the goal is not to get eliminated. https://twitter.com/i/status/1378453351730450436 Two public officials from DeKalb County are accused of using COVID-19 relief funds to line their own pockets. According to the Department of Justice, Jason Lary, the former mayor of Stonecrest (Georgia), and Lania Boone, a bookkeeper for the entity that administered COVID-19 relief funds awarded to Stonecrest, have pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft of pandemic relief funds. U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine says under the CARES Act, the federal government distributed $125 million in COVID-19 relief funds to DeKalb County. In July 2020, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted to disburse some of the relief funds to its municipalities, including a $6.2 million grant to Stonecrest. According to the Department of Justice, Lary, as Mayor, signed a resolution in September 2020 acknowledging the CARES Act requirements and adopting a funding plan for Stonecrest’s relief funds. The plan provided $1 million to the Stonecrest Cares Program for mask distribution, COVID-19 education and testing, and other purposes for churches and non-profit organizations in and around Stonecrest. The plan also provided $5 million to the Small Business Program. According to the #EssexCounty Prosecutor’s Office, a 75-year-old gospel singer from #Newark has been charged Thursday with criminal sexual contact, unlicensed practice of medicine, and luring of an adult.? A 41-year-old Congolese national claims Albert J. Lewis promised him a job with New Jersey Transit, then directed him to a specific address, which later was Lewis’s home.? Afterward, prosecutors claim the defendant told the victim he would have to undergo a physical to ensure his fitness for the job.? During the purported physical examination, the defendant allegedly instructed the victim to undress, after which he reportedly committed criminal sexual contact with the victim.? Ultimately, the victim alerted authorities to the incident, and Lewis was arrested without incident on Tuesday.? In Essex County, he was charged with third- and fourth-degree offenses and is expected to be released from custody pending trial. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ3PGRYMOf_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kenneth Branagh always has a way of bringing new meaning to the projects he takes on. Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile,” directed by Branagh is no exception. It’s infused with lush, opulent images of Egypt. Viewers will be swept away by the epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids. However, what is most notable about Branagh’s iteration, as with all his undertakings, is its diversity. Even in “Belfast,” written and directed by Branagh, there is a Black soldier. Some MCU fans lost their minds when Branagh cast Idris Elba as Heimdall, the Norse deity in “Thor.” https://youtu.be/dZRqB0JLizw As part of NBA All-Star 2022, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will work alongside local community organizations to provide programming and support that focus on youth, education, health equity, food insecurity and economic inclusion. Additionally, building off the success of NBA All-Star 2021, the league will again uplift the HBCU community as part of the weekend and empower the next generation of leaders. More than $3 million will be contributed to the Greater Cleveland and HBCU communities through these combined efforts. NBA All-Star Game Greater Cleveland-Based Beneficiaries – As part of the NBA All-Star Game format, every quarter will count to support two Northeast Ohio organizations, with Team Durant playing for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Team LeBron playing for Kent State University I Promise Scholars Program. Additionally, throughout the past six seasons, the NBA and State Farm have helped turn on-court assists into off-court assists in communities around the country through the State Farm Assist Tracker. For NBA All-Star 2022, the NBA and State Farm will donate $1,900 for every assist made during the game, with the total amount split between the two-Cleveland based beneficiaries. Bengals defensive back Michael Thomas has perhaps the most incredible overcomer story of all the players planning to hit the field on Super Bowl Sunday. Just consider that Thomas didn’t have a team when the season started — and now, just months later, he’s playing with Cincinnati in the NFL’s most important game of the year. Jason Romano, director of media at Sports Spectrum, an outlet covering the intersection of faith and sports, recounted Thomas’ remarkable faith and football journey. “Michael is an amazing individual,” Romano recently told Faithwire. “He’s a strong follower of Jesus.” Thomas’ journey to the Bengals was certainly unconventional. He came into the league undrafted back in 2012 and journeyed throughout the NFL as a special teams player. As of last summer, Thomas was without a team. Many players would be worried and panicked about the future, but Romano said Thomas patiently waited and relied on God. Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott just revealed the name of their newborn son. Welcome to the world, Wolf Webster! On Friday (Feb. 11), the billionaire beauty mogul announced her baby boy’s name via Instagram Story. The post simply read, “Wolf Webster” followed by a white heart emoji. Last week, Kylie announced she gave birth to her second child with the rapper on Feb. 2. “?? 2/2/22,” the proud mom captioned a black-and-white photo of her newborn’s hand on Instagram. TMZ reports that Kylie and Baby Wolf are doing great. The media outlet also revealed that 4-year-old Stormi Webster is excited to be a big sister. At this time, it is unclear what inspired the little one’s name. However, we are sure Kylie will give fans the deets in the future. The “Taken” star fell in love with a “taken” woman. Liam Neeson revealed during a press tour for his new film, “Blacklight,” that he fell for an Australian woman while filming on location. “I loved Melbourne, I loved our Australian crew,” the action star, 69, said on the Australian morning talk show “Sunrise” on Sunday. “Every department was superb but they were their own people, do you know what I mean?” “They had a great sense of humor,” he added. “I made a couple of pals and fell in love once while I was there, but she was taken.” Neeson did not disclose whether the unnamed woman was a co-star or someone else on set. However, “Sunrise” noted in their package that “Blacklight” was a $43 million production that created more than 500 local jobs for cast and crew, and 550 roles for extras. Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay Murder Trial Gets Starting Date. Karl Jordan and Ronald Washington are accused of conspiring to kill the turntablist at his recording studio over an alleged drug deal gone bad. https://www.bet.com/naacp-image-awards/video-clips/w5i0h9/jam-master-jay-murder-trial-gets-starting-date. Dave Chappelle has been trending these past few days after a video of him at a recent town meeting went viral. From the quick clip, his comments seem as though he’s “killing an affordable housing” proposal by local politicians in Yellow Springs, Ohio — but he says that’s not the case. FYI, the proposal includes over 100 single-family homes valued at $250,000-$600,000 — or a second option of building 64 single-family homes, 52 duplexes and 24 townhomes with 1.75 acres of affordable housing. at a later date. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ0LPFhLXXq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again All-time big names in the rap industry are teaming up with SAG-AFTRA to form a hip-hop union to help members receive benefits. Chuck D and Kurtis Blow, two of the rap pioneers, collaborated their new organization the Hip Hop Alliance with the SAG-AFTRA executives to make this dream come true. Kurtis Blow is the vice president of Hip Hop Alliance, while Chuck D is the president. It has taken Hip-Hop 50 years to have the union. Hip Hop Alliance is an affiliate of the United Coalition for Humanity. The union aims to “build a better future for hip hop artists, and the entire music industry. “Well, we are actually proud to announce the partnership with SAG-AFTRA and the Hip-Hop Alliance.” Said Kurtis Blow in an interview with Chuck Creekmur of AllHipHop. “The Breaks” rapper added that what they would like to do is join forces to promote fair wages and fair royalties, together with benefits such as mental health, physical health, and retirement benefits. ‘About Last Night:’ Stephen and Ayesha Curry Spice Things Up On New Relationship Game Show. Hosted by the Currys, the hilarious HBO Max show peels back the many layers of some of our favorite Hollywood couples. https://www.bet.com/naacp-image-awards/video-clips/a26i8g/about-last-night-stephen-and-ayesha-curry-spice-things-up-on-new-relationship-game-show Before her own Olympic career began, Canadian figure skater Vanessa James had seen Black Girl Magic on the ice. It was on display at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, when French skater Surya Bonaly leapt into the air, kicked into a backflip and landed on one leg. The thrilling move has neither been widely attempted since nor accepted by judges for international competitions, such as the Olympic Games, and thus “the Bonaly flip” has never become a big thing. Yet despite the move being controversial at the time, Bonaly’s tenacity in attempting it has inspired many who have followed her. “I wanted to do a backflip, but I was always really too scared to try it,” says James, who is skating in Beijing in her fourth Winter Games after representing France in Vancouver and Pyeongchang. The Salchow, the Biellmann, the Charlotte spiral — these figure skating standards are named after white people from the 20th century. And in a century-old sport that was largely European until just a few decades ago, some wonder: How can more Black athletes make the same lasting imprint on it? “If you don’t see yourself in the sport, how can you believe that you belong, how can you believe that you can be the best, how do you know that you can be creative or that you’ll be accepted for your uniqueness?” says James, who in 2010 was one half of the first Black French pairs skating duo with Yannick Bonheur. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said on Wednesday his refusal to throw games as a way to improve the football club’s chances of landing a top draft pick ultimately cost him his job. Flores, who was fired last month by Miami, alleged in a proposed class action complaint on Tuesday that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss in 2019 as incentive to help the team land a higher draft pick in 2020. Asked to comment on Flores’ accusations, the Dolphins referred Reuters to a statement the team issued on Tuesday that said “the implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect.” The order for drafting players is mostly determined by each team’s finish in the previous season, with the teams ranked lowest in the standings getting the first picks. This could be the hottest Super Bowl kickoff ever. An unseasonable wintertime California heatwave — with temperatures in the 80s, maybe even as high as 90 — is forecast to continue this weekend. The out-of-season heat prompted the National Weather Service to issue a rare heat advisory through Sunday evening. The current record for the highest temperature during a Super Bowl is 84 degrees set in 1973, a game that was also played in Los Angeles. However, it looks like this year’s game might pull off a quarterback sneak past that mark. The forecast high temperature for Los Angeles on Sunday is 84 degrees. In Inglewood, the site of the Super Bowl, the forecast high temperature is 82 degrees. This means cracking the top 3 hottest Super Bowls on record is almost a certainty. This year’s Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show will be one of its kind. A deaf Detroit rapper, Sean Forbes, 40, is designated to perform alongside several big names from the hip hop industry. The Detroit Free Press reports indicate that the rapper will have his life experience this weekend, where he is set to share the stage with Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige at the SoFi Stadium. The historic event will mark the first time the Super Bowl halftime show will feature Forbes, A.S.L. interpreters, and Warren (WaWa) Snipe, 50, another deaf rapper who will be performing sign-language interpretations of Sean Forbes’ music. https://youtu.be/HRtDjTQHG-g Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray made headlines this past Sunday when he removed several pictures from his Instagram account. On the latest edition of The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was asked about Murray’s situation in Arizona. His response was quite interesting. “He is definitely not happy about something,” Rapoport said. “I just don’t know what that is.” Rapoport reached out to Murray’s camp about his recent social media activity. It doesn’t sound like his camp saw this coming. “They’re asking questions too. I reached out to people close to Kyler Murray, and it didn’t seem like it was a planned strategy. It seemed more reactionary to me.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1492210985276301315 Nearly 45 years since he played his last game — and despite the sustained, almost two-decade run of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — Brazilian luminary Pele is still considered by many to be the greatest to ever play the world’s beautiful game. That sentiment was reiterated this week with his rookie card becoming soccer’s first to sell for $1 million. As early as Monday, fractional ownership company Rally Rd. will finalize the sale of a 1958 Alifabologet #635 Pele rookie card for $1.33 million. According to population reports, there are only six Pele cards of this kind that have received at least a nine grade (out of 10) by card grader PSA, and none higher. Last November, collectables marketplace Goldin brokered a $900,000 sale of a different PSA 9 Pele card, a then-record. This Pele card (matched by PSA serial number) was sold at a Goldin auction in November 2020 for $288,000. Now, it’s the most expensive soccer card of all time and soccer’s first million dollar card. Health chiefs are now officially keeping tabs on a Covid variant that is a hybrid of the Omicron and Delta strains and has been spotted in the UK. The super-mutant Deltacron is thought to have evolved in a patient who caught both variants at the same time but it is not clear if it was imported or originated in Britain. UK Health Security Agency officials also don’t know how infectious or severe the newly evolved virus is or whether it will impact vaccine performance. A source at the UKHSA insisted officials were ‘not concerned’ by the variant because case numbers are ‘low’. The agency has not revealed how many times it has been spotted. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that it ‘shouldn’t pose too much of a threat’ because the UK has huge levels of immunity against the original Delta and Omicron strains. Bobby Brown is hiding nothing from the cameras, including a rare visit to the gravesite of Whitney Houston and their daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. During the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, the R&B singer and his wife, Alicia Etheredge-Brown, opened up about filming that “emotional” experience for the upcoming A&E series Bobby Brown: Every Little Step. “When the cameras were following me, I didn’t want to let anything get in between my life and what I was doing,” Brown shared. “So, I just wanted the cameras to follow me wherever I was going. That day I happened to be going to the gravesite.” “We also did our best to make that moment his moment,” said Etheredge-Brown, who accompanied him during the visit. “It was very emotional for both of us.” https://youtu.be/jmTPN1sjKOY Rihanna is paying her respects to veterans in a special way. The pregnant singer, 33 — who is expecting her first baby with boyfriend A$AP Rocky — visited the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus in California on Sunday and surprised veterans who have been battling homelessness. Activist and Mr. Checkpoint app founder Sennett Devermont shared several photos from Rihanna’s appearance, thanking her for her “amazing heart, time and energy.” “Thank you @badgalriri for pulling up with all the love and support and most importantly your ears to listen to Veterans,” he wrote alongside Instagram photos of the two. One veteran later discussed the singer’s visit, noting that she brought supplies and listened to the stories of several vets. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxpVTCrsdO/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9d72dc10-2328-49ab-881b-4c139f81a83e A memorial service will be held in North Carolina for former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, relatives announced Thursday. The “public celebration of life” for Kryst — who jumped to her death from a Manhattan high-rise on Jan. 30 — will be held on Feb. 18 at Elevation Blakeney church in Charlotte. “The celebration will also be livestreamed,” a family spokesperson said in a statement to the Charlotte Observer. “The family will observe a private, invitation-only celebration prior to the public celebration, as they continue to ask the public to respect their privacy during this time.” In lieu of flowers, relatives encouraged mourners to make donations in the name of the 2019 Miss USA winner to Dress for Success, a global nonprofit that provides professional attire to low-income women. Kryst, 30, was a Michigan native who grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She was found dead in a Midtown street after jumping from a 29th-floor terrace at the luxe Orion building, where the North Carolina attorney lived on the ninth floor, law enforcement sources previously told The Post. Line Sisters follows four sorority sisters- Valerie (LeToya Luckett), Cassandra (Kierra Sheard-Kelly), Simona (Ta’Rhonda Jones;) and Dominique (Drew Sidora) – as they reunite at a Black Greek Weekend celebration held on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Having pledged the Alpha Beta Omega Sorority, Inc., they share more than the bonds of sisterhood, after the mysterious death of the dean of pledges 15 years prior. But the past comes knocking on their door as they arrive to the island and strange and inexplicable things begin to happen to each one of them, threatening to unearth the deadly secret that may tear them apart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2db5kvVD-E&feature=youtu.be Chart-topper William Murphy unveils a new live performance, with “Just Us,” giving a preview of his new music in the video. In this new release during Black History Month, the video delivers uplifting encouragement and a reminder of a greater purpose in the poignant musical number. Captured in Atlanta, three-time GRAMMY® nominee Murphy - who’s also the founder/lead pastor at The dReam Center Church of Atlanta - led this halftime live performance backed by his church’s worship ministry, at the Atlanta Hawks MLK Day game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 17th at State Farm Arena. Murphy’s live performance marked the first new song by the Stellar Award-winning recording artist/songwriter from his Worship & Justice album coming soon, his first new album following the 2019 release of his #1, GRAMMY®-nominated Gospel album Settle Here. William Murphy performs "Just Us" live at State Farm Arena on MLK Day (January 17, 2022) during halftime at the Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks game. https://WilliamMurphy.lnk.to/HawksvBucksHalftimePerformance Maverick City Music celebrates Black History Month 2022 with the release of the Breathe EP. The celebratory EP features the signature vocals of beloved Maverick City Music artist Joe L Barnes, Maryanne J. George, Naomi Raine, Chandler Moore and Dante Bowe backed by the Mav City Gospel Choir. The Breathe EP features live and studio versions of standout songs lifted from 2021’s Jubilee: Juneteenth album, including “Breathe,” “Joy of the Lord,” and “Make it Right,” plus three all-new original recordings. Israel Houghton, Jonathan McReynolds, Ahjah Walls, DOE and Todd Dulaney. The Breathe EP serves as a reminder to all who listen to take a moment to breathe and celebrate life and the legacy of black gospel music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR-D3bvi-4E Toronto based singer-songwriter Haley Smalls released the music video for her latest single “Do Better” today following an exclusive premiere with Amplify Music Magazine. This release follows a string of consistent singles over the last year from Haley, including Run-DMC influence track “Bass” that premiered with Hip-HopVibe & Rolling Out, as well as Summer 2021 buzz track “I Do.” “Do Better” is being released in the buildup to Haley’s 5th project set for release later this year. https://youtu.be/lB90Ll9PeF8 Gospel recording artist Yael Hilton has just released her brand new single, "Jesus" under Light Records/MNRK Music Group. Hilton has "no doubt in her mind" that Jesus will make a way. She proudly sings these lyrics on the new soulful track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwKvrOcOmU4 4x GRAMMY®-nominated duo The Baylor Project is thrilled to announce that their debut album The Journey, originally released in 2017, will be available on all streaming platforms February 11, 2022. The re-releasing of the 5-year old album comes amid Black History Month and days before Valentine’s Day as a nod to the couple’s celebration of love, community, family and faith throughout their musical and romantic journeys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eEB5_uY1ok Watch Mali Music, Chloe Bailey, CeeLo Green and more perform during the 2022 Gospel Super Bowl Celebration! Since 1999, this event is the ONLY Gospel concert sanctioned by the NFL. This year's event will be hosted by Sarah Jakes Roberts and DC Young Fly. Tune in on Saturday, February 12th at 8pm Eastern. The Gospel Spotlight's Tasha Cobbs Leonard https://youtu.be/sJHfHkDh5rE The 2022 Gospel Super Bowl Celebration! Tune in on Saturday, February 12th at 8pm Eastern. The Gospel Spotlight's Koryn Hawthorne and Lecrae. https://youtu.be/sRLtq06XrBI The 2022 Gospel Super Bowl Celebration! Tune in on Saturday, February 12th at 8pm Eastern. The Gospel Spotlight's Hezekiah Walker. https://youtu.be/1_8SCnfGN3A The 2022 Gospel Super Bowl Celebration! Tune in on Saturday, February 12th at 8pm Eastern. The Gospel Spotlight's Kirk Franklin. https://youtu.be/3OIH3NzXLnU Kierra Sheard Kelly on the Nick Cannon Show! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht0LEeq60ks DOE’s transparency fills her music and overflows to all her platforms. Her new album Clarity, releasing on February 18th. With her new docuseries, music videos, and travel tips, be sure to keep up with everything DOE. https://youtu.be/kQAu6WB-INc Just in time for Valentine’s Day, R&B superstar K. Michelle is sending lots of love to her fans with the release of her new single “Scooch,” out today via MNRK Music Group. Produced by Lil Ronnie, this mid-tempo feel good song and new love anthem will have you creating new connections in no time. K. Michelle will be premiering the new single with a performance on the Emmy-Award winning show The Real. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBB250nC1ak Sounds of Blackness released a song in 2021 about reparations that has been nominated in the Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song category for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. As reported by Moguldom, the track, “Time For Reparations” was released during Black History Month and “includes lyrics that depict the systematic racism, oppression and brutality Black Americans have been subject to in the U.S.,” the outlet writes. “Pay up, time to pay up. Right now reparations. Time for reparations. Right now time for reparations,” the vocalists sing. “300 years of free labor, we ain’t asking for no favors. … Reparations are overdue, 40 acres and a mule.” https://youtu.be/KBG3Uc_D5ac A&E’s new definitive documentary “Biography: Bobby Brown” and the new series “Bobby Brown: Every Little Step” provide an intimate look at the Grammy Award Winner’s past, present and future. Per press release, the two new upcoming projects feature exclusive interviews and fans get an up-close and personal look at Brown’s journey to superstardom, the fallout from his personal struggles with sobriety, the tragic deaths of his two children and first wife, Whitney Houston as well as his life as a devoted father and husband to Alicia Etheredge-Brown in present day. https://youtu.be/pSHaSeYCAgQ Volunteer firefighters from a Philadelphia-area station thought their Zoom call was disconnected and proceeded to use the N-word and other racist language to disparage an all-black fire company, and mock the name of an 8-year-old Black girl who was fatally shot by police last year. ABC Channel 6 reported that firefighters from Delaware County’s Briarcliffe Fire Company Station 75 thought their conversation following a virtual meeting in late January was private. But their colleagues from the Goodwill station were still in the call. And hit record. “A bunch of f*cking n*ggers down there,” one Briarcliffe firefighter can be heard saying in reference to the all-Black Darby Township Fire Company. The Briarcliffe firefighters also called Darby’s chief a racial slur and a “piece of sh*t,” complained about Black firefighters being lazy, and discussed there being too many African-Americans living in the area. “That’s the f*cking problem,” one Briarcliffe firefighter said. “Blacks are taking over sh*t.” They also mocked Fanta Bility, the 8-year-old Black girl killed by police in Delaware County in August 2021. Three police officers are facing charges in connection with Fanta’s death. https://youtu.be/tRBnfan0Bj0 On Thursday, February 10, “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King sits down with the parents of Bakari Henderson – Phil and Jill Henderson, for their first interview before they return to Greece for a retrial in their son’s murder case. Bakari Henderson was 22-years old and on a business trip in Zakynthos, Greece in 2017 when he was chased down by an angry mob and beaten to death following an altercation in a bar. None of the men were found guilty of murder in the first trial. The retrial is scheduled to begin February 21. https://youtu.be/rWx60fQBU4w We reported earlier that Wells Fargo has frozen accounts belonging to Wendy Williams because the bank suspects she is being financially exploited amid reports about her ailing health. Williams is an “incapacitated person” who needs guardianship, her bank claimed Thursday, Page Six reports. The outlet writes, “Wells Fargo sent a letter to New York Supreme Court Judge Arlene Bluth requesting a hearing to determine whether Williams needs a professional to intervene in her affairs.” “We are concerned about [Williams’] situation,” attorney David H. Pikus wrote on behalf of the bank in the letter, which Page Six obtained. “It is our hope that the Guardianship Part [of the court] will imminently appoint a temporary guardian or evaluator to review the situation and ensure that [Williams’] affairs are being properly handled.” Williams has not hosted her daytime talk show since July 2021 due to ongoing health issues. Video of a Purdue University police officer being extra violent while arresting a Black student has gone viral. The Feb. 4 incident took place after a woman called campus police to say she was being held against her will near Horticulture Drive. A witness video obtained by FOX59, apparently filmed by the student’s girlfriend, shows a Purdue police officer on top of a Black male student, pinning him into a mound of snow on the ground as the student yells repeatedly, “You’re choking me! You’re hurting me!” https://www.wrbl.com/video/youre-choking-me-purdue-police-conduct-review-after-viral-arrest-video/ NAACP California-Hawaii Conference President Rick Callender says he supports the decision of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) to slap automaker Tesla Motors with a discrimination lawsuit. The complaint accuses the company of “systemic racial discrimination and harassment.” Callender says “racism is rampant” at the electric vehicle manufacturer’s plant in Fremont, an East Bay city located about 44 miles east of San Francisco. “We demand a racist-free workplace. Business & Gov. orgs should know racist behavior is not tolerated in CA. Who thinks they should own a @Tesla now?” tweeted Callender after DFEH filed the lawsuit Feb. 9. “Segregation at the Fremont factory, along with the absence of Black and/or African Americans in leadership roles, has left many complaints of rampant racism unchecked for years,” says the lawsuit filed with the Superior Court of California in Alameda County. An exclusive clip of TONIGHT’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Love During Lockup,” which finds Indie and her mother driving all the way from Maryland to Harry’s halfway house, but she finds out that they don’t allow visitations. https://youtu.be/9Fn855obgrs #DaBaby and #DaniLeigh’s brother, #BrandonBills, finally crossed paths, and the interaction ended with a few punches being thrown. Early Thursday morning, a viral video of DaBaby having a violent brawl with his ex-girlfriend’s brother hit the internet. The two men reportedly got into a physical altercation at a bowling alley in #LosAngeles. The clip begins with DaBaby swinging a punch towards Bills’ face. The rapper and his crew then start taking turns hitting Bills while standing in the middle of a slippery bowling lane. https://youtu.be/Bt6-x3G8rnQ Dolly Parton, Eminem and Lionel Richie are among the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. The nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 also features Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Beck, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest, Kate Bush, Devo, Judas Priest, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, and Dionne Warwick. The nominees who receive the top votes will be announced in May and the induction ceremony is scheduled for later this year. Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks is said to be open to joining the Washington Commanders. On a recent episode of “The Kevin Sheehan Show,” Sheehan revealed Wilson “is not against being traded.” “I did talk to a few people in Vegas,” Sheehan said, via Audacy. “And the only thing that I will tell you is something that I feel confident in, based on the sources, and that is that Russell Wilson is not against being traded to Washington.” Meanwhile, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said a trade shouldn’t be ruled as it relates to Wilson’s future with the Seahawks. Globally-acclaimed label Motown Gospel is honored to announce the signing of legendary 4-time GRAMMY-winning singer, musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and First Lady of COGIC (Church of God in Christ) Karen Clark Sheard, in partnership with Karew Records, with plans to release her first new album in over half a decade later this year. It will follow Clark Sheard’s 2015 live album Destined To Win, her highest-charting album in her solo career and her 2010 studio album All In One, which earned GRAMMY, Stellar, Dove and BET Award nominations and remains the largest selling release of her solo career to date. “No other female vocalist in gospel music has had as broad an influence as the legendary Karen Clark Sheard,” say Monica Coates and EJ Gaines, Co-Executive Directors of Motown Gospel. “She uniquely brings generations of gospel and R&B music-lovers together with the power of her voice and the purity of her spirit. We are so honored to work with her and the Karew team.” Carl Brister interviews Dionne Warwick on The Groove Tonight...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CvljCc3M08&feature=youtu.be Join Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter-producer, PJ Morton, and Morton Records recording artist, Jojo Martin, for a special Facebook Live on The Set A Part and Chosen Facebook page. They are getting together to swap stories about life, Jojo’s near-death experience, and Jojo’s new “Never Left Me Alone” music video and forthcoming debut album. It all goes down on Thursday, February 10 @ 7 PM EST on https://www.facebook.com/setapartandchosen1 On February 11th and just in time for Valentine’s Day, internationally acclaimed Grammy-nominated vocalist SOMI will release her new single, “Love Tastes Like Strawberries,” featuring two-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter and vocalist Gregory Porter. The song is the third to be released from Somi’s fifth studio album, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, a deeply personal tribute to the legendary Miriam Makeba, and will be to be released on March 4th, which would have been Makeba’s 90th birthday. SOMI’s latest single, “Love Tastes Like Strawberries,” puts the jazz/soul singer in a shared spotlight with Gregory Porter. https://orcd.co/lovetasteslikestrawberries Watch KIERRA SHEARD-KELLY on THE REAL Thursday, February 10, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPahXjGGEbc&feature=youtu.be Rapper/actress Eve has welcomed her first child, a son, with husband Maximillion Cooper, she announced Thursday on Instagram. Our Beautiful boy was born Feb 1st 2022 ??,” Eve captioned a photo of her newborn, named Wilde Wolf Fife Alexander Somers Cooper. She added, “Words can’t describe this feeling ???.” Cooper shared the same photo and captioned it, “Let the wild rumpus begin!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZy7NR0MBrU/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a740bb4e-fe58-47f2-9433-abc4a64b1c9e Candace Owens announced Tuesday that she and her husband George Farmer are expecting their second child. Owens shared the news on social media with photos of her and Farmer and their son. “Family of 4. #July2022,” wrote Owens on Twitter. A separate post of the family on Instagram was captioned with the lyrics to “Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis. “Do what you love and call it work, Throw a little money in the plate at church, Send your prayers up and your roots down deep, And add a few limbs to your family tree… #FamilyofFour #July2022” https://www.instagram.com/realcandaceowens/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=02c60463-2ec5-4f4c-a2c1-b2ef3b56a667 Billionaire Bob Johnson is said to be frustrated with President Joe Biden’s lack of support of reparations for Foundational Black Americans (FBA).Johnson unpacked the Biden administration’s troubled Build Back Better plan during a Feb. 1 appearance on CNBC. Critics of the plan claim it fails to include initiatives and programs that aim to close the wealth gap between Black and white Americans. “Closing the Black wealth gap is not a job. It’s not giving us more consumption money to spend. It’s giving us more access to wealth sustainability,” Johnson, 75, said in an interview on “Squawk Box.” https://youtu.be/HpyVo5o2u-Y A key measure of inflation climbed to a near-40-year high last month. The consumer price index rose 7.5% in the 12 months ending January, not adjusted for seasonal swings, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. It was the steepest annual price increase since February 1982. Stripping out food and energy prices, which tend to be more volatile, prices increased by 6% between January 2021 and January 2022, marking the largest increase since August 1982. In January alone, prices rose 0.6%, including seasonal adjustments, the same rate as in December. That served up some bad news for people who hoped the monthly data would indicate a slowdown of the price hikes. Prices increased across the board, including for housing, furniture, used cars and medical costs. Food prices climbed 0.9% in January, compared to just 0.5% in December. The father of beauty queen Cheslie Kryst claims family dysfunction most likely led to her suicide last month. Cheslie’s father, Rodney Kryst, 62, tells the New York Post that his daughter suffered from depression. “She was pure as can be, she didn’t take any kind of drugs or prescription medication,” Rodney Kryst told The Post. “She never had any kind of substance abuse problem.” He added, “I think it had a lot to do with family dysfunction, but it will be awhile before we can talk more. She was sad.” https://youtu.be/O3FfeWgYIh8 New Edition sits down (remotely) with Tamron Hall for the full hour of her daytime talk show “Tamron Hall” on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Yes, all six members – Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant – will, according to the show, talk about “their incredible careers spanning decades, from the inception of the original New Edition group back in Boston to their solo careers to their comeback as New Edition once again.” “Tamron digs deep with the group as they get candid, discussing their personal and professional trials and tribulations throughout their careers, including stories they’ve never shared. They also give fans a special performance and sneak peek behind the scenes as they get ready to launch their 30-city “The Culture Tour.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1491437947198996483 Ask any Black person who sings the best version of the national anthem and you’ll get one of two answers: Depending upon their age, it’s either Marvin Gaye at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game or Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV. And while we at The Root will gracefully bow out of this debate, as part of its Super Bowl LVI coverage, ESPN’s E:60 will explore the impact of Houston’s unforgettable performance in Whitney’s Anthem. Premiering Friday, Feb. 11, the 10 year anniversary of Houston’s death, the half-hour documentary features interviews with musical director Rickey Minor, commentators and players from the game, as they discuss “the story of the anthem,” per a press release provided to The Root. Hands down, the most revealing insights will come from the NFL exec who almost rejected Whitney’s version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Seriously!? I need to know how you heard that voice sing that song, and didn’t want it to open your game. What logical reason could you possibly have? https://youtu.be/jatxPuM-v_4 Donny Gerrard, who scored a hit with “Wildflower” as the lead vocalist for the group Skylark, has died. He was 75. Gerrard died Thursday and had been under hospice care amid a battle with cancer, publicist Bill Carpenter told The Hollywood Reporter. “Our dear brother Donny passed away early this morning at home, peacefully, surrounded by family,” said Adam Ayers from Red Light Management in a statement released Thursday. Born in Vancouver, Canada, on March 19, 1946, Gerrard was the singer for the early 1970s band Skylark, which counted producer David Foster as a keyboardist. Their 1972 breakout ballad “Wildflower” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later sampled on Jamie Foxx’s 2005 platinum-certified hit “Unpredictable.” By 1975, Skylark had split up, and Gerrard focused on a solo career. He signed with Elton John’s Rocket Record Company and dropped the single “(Baby) Don’t Let It Mess Your Mind,” in addition to providing background vocals on John’s 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. The family of Bob Saget says that the comedian died of “head trauma” a month ago in his Florida hotel room. A statement from Saget’s family released Wednesday shared the conclusion from the medical examiner’s office investigating the Jan. 9 death of the “America’s Funniest Home Video” host and “Full House” star. “Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities’ investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us,” the statement sent by Saget’s longtime publicist Michael O’Brien said. “The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep.” “No drugs or alcohol were involved,” the statement added. Trauma surgeon Kari Jerge tells USA TODAY that a blow to the head can push the brain “up against the skull,” resulting in a concussion, a type of brain injury. Jerge says concussion can lead to two possibly fatal scenarios: “bleeding and bruising” of the brain or asphyxiation during unconsciousness. Tyrese Gibson is praying for a miracle as his mother continues to battle both COVID-19 and pneumonia. The “Fast & Furious” star, 43, asked fans to pray for his family when he revealed that his mom, Priscilla Murray, was in a coma in the ICU.“ The Doctor sat in this chair and just broke my heart by telling me there’s pretty much nothing else that can be done to turn things around,” he captioned a photo of a hospital hallway on Wednesday. Gibson said he asked the doctor, “You ever heard of a man name Jesus Christ?” adding, “Nothing is impossible for him…… Ha [sic] paused and couldn’t respond…!!” In a separate post, the singer pleaded with his mother to “keep fighting.” ”Love & Hip Hop‘s” Rich Dollaz, Yandy, Karlie Redd and Paris Phillips kick it with Radio & TV personality Jazmyn ‘Jaz’ Summers, host of EURweb.com Spotlight on a new TV project tracing their African roots. https://youtu.be/P75jlJ022JU Hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg rose to fame during the ’90s on Death Row Records, now he has acquired the label from MNRK Music Group. According to multiple reports, the rapper/mogul acquired Death Row Records’ brand from MNRK Music Group, which is controlled by a private equity fund managed by Blackstone, per Variety. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. In a statement, Snoop Dogg said: “I am thrilled and appreciative of the opportunity to acquire the iconic and culturally significant Death Row Records brand, which has immense untapped future value. It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and as one of the founding members. This is an extremely meaningful moment for me. I would like to personally thank the teams at Blackstone, MNRK and especially David Kestnbaum, who worked collaboratively with me over several months to make this exciting homecoming a reality. I’m looking forward to building the next chapter of Death Row Records.” Here is an exclusive clip of this week’s episode of “Growing Up Hip Hop,” which finds Tee Tee and Shawn sparring over their wedding venue. Elsewhere in this week’s episode, JoJo and Tanice find themselves in a marriage crisis when JoJo’s stood up on a group date. Tee Tee and Shawn’s wedding plans spiral out of control. Sam seeks guidance from Layzie. Danger strikes for Briana when police come knocking at her door. https://youtu.be/W_SXAsX4Ze8 “Scream” kicks “Spider-Man” from first place within a month debuting with $30.6 million in ticket sales. Paramount Pictures predicts it will total $35 million including Monday’s grosses. “Scream,” which cost about $24 million to make, added another $18 million in 50 international markets. Most notably, “Scream” is the first box-office success in a year that Hollywood hopes will see a return to weekly stability at movie theaters. January is typically a quiet period at the box office, but the surge of the omicron variant in COVID-19 has further upended release plans of some winter movies. Even though “Spider-Man: No Way Home” slipped to second place, it continues to rise in the record books. “No Way Home” grossed $20.8 million in its fifth weekend of release. Sony Pictures predicts that with another $5.2 million on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, “No Way Home” will reach a domestic cumulative total of $703.9 million Monday, edging “Black Panther” and moving into fourth place all-time. Is Dave Chappelle against affordable housing which would obviously help people who need it during what’s becoming a housing crisis all across the country? Based on what happened after the comedian called the Yellow Springs, Ohio Village Council “clowns” and threatened that his business ventures would be “off the table,” it certainly looks that way. Obviously, Chappelle has some serious leverage in the community where he lives because the Ohio village on Monday failed to approve a zoning ordinance that would have included dozens of affordable housing units after his threat. https://youtu.be/c8FfabxrYRY Netflix’s workforce grew to more than half women and half people of color in 2021 according to Netflix’s latest internal diversity report, which represents a small uptick in representation for both groups compared to 2020’s report. Women now make up 51.7% of Netflix’s global workforce, up from 48.7% in 2020, and women who are in leadership roles of director level and above now totals 51.1% women, a growth of 6.9%. Netflix also says that half of the U.S. workforce, which is the only location where Netflix collects and reports race and ethnicity data, is now 50.5% people from historically excluded ethnic and/or racial backgrounds, up from 46.8% in 2020. This includes growth for Black employees specifically, from 10.9% to 13.3% – and Black leaders at the director and above level, from 11.2% to 13.5%. This also comes as a result of Netflix growing its employee base globally overall, from about 8,000 to 10,000 employees globally in 2021, and adding about a thousand employees – from 6,300 to 7,300, in the U.S. Last year, Netflix admitted a need for more Latinx recruitment, and in 2021 there was some minimal growth in that area in the U.S., moving up slightly from 7.9% to 8.6%, but the percentage of Latinx employees at the leadership level barely budged. Denzel Washington’s nomination for best actor in the Joel Coen film The Tragedy of Macbeth marks him as the most nominated Black actor in Oscar history, with ten nominations and two wins. Throughout his career, he’s been nominated for various roles, starting with his first nomination in a supporting role for the 1988 film Crying Freedom for his role as Steve Biko. Washington was nominated in the same category two years later for his role in the Edward Zwick civil war film Glory–and came away as that year’s winner for best-supporting actor. In between his next win, he received nominations for best actor in the Spike Lee-directed biopic Malcolm X and the Norman Jewison film Hurricane. It would be ten years from his first win to his second for best actor in Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day. He is one of four Black actors to win the award along with Sidney Poitier, Jamie Fox, Forest Whitaker. If you’re fans of Cari Champion and Jemele Hill, we’ve got some good news for ya. The award-winning broadcast journalists are joining CNN+ as hosts of a weekly show for the much-anticipated streaming subscription service debuting this spring. On Cari & Jemele: Speak.Easy., the co-hosts toast and roast the stories that have everyone talking. From the biggest stories in sports, entertainment, politics, and culture, they’ll tell you how they see it. The show will contribute to CNN+’s slate of original, live programming and be available at launch. “I’m so thrilled to join CNN+. The beauty and authenticity of my friendship with Jemele has always been at the heart of our creative partnership,” said Champion. “I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the CNN family and share our brand of ‘speakeasy’ with the world.” Kanye West had made a plea for his family to come back together just days after a war of words with estranged wife Kim Kardashian on social media. The 44-year-old rapper took to Instagram to share a gallery of snaps from Vogue magazine of his 41-year-old estranged wife with their children and the caption: ‘GOD PLEASE BRING OUR FAMILY BACK TOGETHER.’ This comes just days after the former power couple squabbled on Instagram over their daughter North’s TikTok and after the reason for the standstill in their divorce was revealed. As the reality star has been trying to get her married status dissolved to single for months, the artist’s refusal to sign off on it is the reason the process has hit a snag according to a source for E! News on Monday. The insider told the publication: ‘Kim is still trying to get the “married” status dissolved to “single” before they finalize the divorce, but Ye has yet to sign. ‘Moving this divorce along isn’t something he’s acting quickly on, despite Kim’s efforts.’ A Carrollton church teacher and a church office assistant were arrested Tuesday and accused in the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in 2018. The men worked at Ministerios Bethania USA in Carrollton and they met the girl at the church, but the alleged assault did not happen on church property, police said. Carrollton police identified the suspects as church teacher Luis Escobar, 59, and office assistant Alvaro Jimenez, 71. who were living at the church, 2405 E. Belt Line Road in Carrollton. Jimenez handled various church office duties, while Escobar taught virtual church classes for adults, Carrollton police said. Officials at Ministerios Bethania USA did not return telephone calls Wednesday requesting comment. An investigation began in September 2021 when an 18-year-old girl reported the assault to a school counselor. The teen reported to Carrollton police that she was 14 when the sexual assault occurred. As we enter the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, it is the religious objections to routine vaccination that persist and perplex. In some religious circles, the rapid spread of the omicron variant is being taken as an antidote to medical arrogance. “These variants aren’t just variants,” the popular television preacher Tony Evans explains. “This is God showing medical science, politicians, people: ‘I don’t care what you come up with. I’m talking now.’” Opinions to start the day, in your inbox. Sign up. While conceding that “vaccines help,” Evans goes on to argue that “you should have a choice, whether it’s natural immunity or whether it’s therapeutics. You shouldn’t be mandated to put chemicals in your body. But you should be free to if you choose to. So our issue is against mandates, not against vaccinations if you choose to. … People don’t know what to do, so stuff keeps changing because God keeps messing stuff up. … So whatever decision you make, be able to trust God with it.” This position — which assumes that God introduces an element of uncertainty into the conclusions of science to expose human arrogance — is intended to justify a reasonable middle ground of personal choice on vaccination. The problem? It is a theological absurdity based on a bald-faced deception in service to a dangerous ideology. Ben Simmons got his wish, a trade out of Philadelphia. The 76ers got their second superstar, with James Harden coming over in a blockbuster multiplayer trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Sixers sent Simmons, their disgruntled star, guard Seth Curry and center Andre Drummond to the Nets in a deal for Harden. The Sixers also will get Paul Millsap and the Nets get draft picks, according to people with direct knowledge of the decision. The move was confirmed Thursday by the people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. The move came just five days after coach Steve Nash said the Nets wouldn’t trade Harden and only 13 months after they acquired the 2018 NBA MVP to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But Harden could have left this summer as a free agent and the Nets decided it wasn’t worth the risk to wait, ending their Big Three experiment after the trio played only 16 games together. Media tycoon Byron Allen is preparing a bid for the Denver Broncos, a move that if successful would make him the first Black majority owner of a National Football League team. “NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft came to me in November of 2019 and asked me to take a good look at buying an NFL team,” Allen, chairman and chief executive officer at Allen Media Group, said in a statement in response to inquiries about his interest in the Broncos. “And after serious consideration, I strongly believe I can effectuate positive changes throughout the league,” Allen said in a statement. “And for that reason, I will be making a bid for the Denver Broncos.” A representative for the NFL didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Allen, 60, is a Detroit native who came to prominence as a comedian appearing on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He went on to become a television producer and later founded Allen Media, which consists of the Weather Channel and more than 15 local network stations. Allen had recently bid for the regional television operator Tegna Inc., however acquisition talks are still ongoing. In a press conference earlier today (02/10/22), hip-hop legends Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige previewed the Super Bowl LVI halftime show, saying, “we’re going to do it so big.” CNN’s Chloe Melas reports in the video above. In other news from the presser, “This should’ve happened a long time ago,” offered Dre, who spent the most time on the mic at the packed event hosting well more than 100 reporters. “Hip-hop is the biggest genre of music on the planet right now, so it’s crazy that it took all of this time for us to be recognized. I think we’re going to go on and do a fantastic show and we’re going to do it so big that they can’t deny us anymore in the future.” Last offseason, the NFL saw unprecedented movement at the quarterback position. Between the Los Angeles Rams trading for Matthew Stafford, and sending Jared Goff back to Detroit as part of the blockbuster, and the Indianapolis Colts poaching Carson Wentz from Philadelphia, it was a groundbreaking offseason. To a lesser extent, the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mitchell Trubisky, Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyrod Taylor and Andy Dalton all changed teams. By signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, the Washington Commanders played a role in the sweepstakes. If you haven’t heard, they’re back in the market for a QB after Fitzpatrick suffered a dislocated hip in Week 1 and Taylor Heinicke underwhelmed as a backup. While Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr feel like pipe dreams at this point, Seahawks superstar Russell Wilson actually feels attainable. Cardiac lesions were found on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mario Lemina in medical checks by Confederation of African Football medical officials checking on their condition after contracting the coronavirus. Aubameyang is a striker for Arsenal in the Premier League, and Lemina is a midfielder with French club Nice. Both were released to return to their clubs where they will undergo more testing. They needed a John Deere Gator to reach the perimeter. Then, in the forested area behind a power plant in Williamsburg, Virginia, Colette Roots and her small expedition had to jump over ditches full of rainwater, where they could see tadpoles and mosquito eggs. They went in. The plot of land belonged to a Black congregation in the 1940s. The historic church, Oak Grove Baptist, is still active. Roots grew up in the congregation, and as a child, she helped her mother maintain the graves at the church’s main cemetery—a much larger plot roughly a mile from this one, with about 150 graves. The church lost access to this smaller graveyard decades ago, thanks in part to a massive land seizure by the federal government. By the summer of 2021, most everyone who knew the exact whereabouts of the Christians buried back here had died themselves. Hidden away like this, in the trees and brush, the graves remind Roots of the Sunday school song about hiding your light under a bushel. When she saw them that day, she had the same reaction: No. There were a dozen markers, some lying flat and others standing upright. The inscriptions showed that most of the deceased were children, and at least three were related to Roots by marriage. For a moment she was overcome with grief. The dead needed to be taken care of. They belonged with the other deceased saints at the main burial grounds. The World Health Organization (WHO) lamented Tuesday that half a million COVID-19 deaths had been recorded since the Omicron variant was discovered, calling the toll “beyond tragic”. The WHO’s incident manager Abdi Mahamud said that 130 million cases and 500,000 deaths had been recorded globally since Omicron was declared a variant of concern in late November. It has since rapidly overtaken Delta as the world’s dominant COVID-19 variant because it is more transmissible, though it appears to cause less severe illness. “In the age of effective vaccines, half a million people dying, it’s really something,” Mahamud told a live interaction on the WHO’s social media channels. “While everyone was saying Omicron is milder, (they) missed the point that half a million people have died since this was detected. “It’s beyond tragic.” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, said the sheer number of Omicron cases was “astounding”, while the true number of cases and deaths could be much higher than just those known about. “It makes the previous peaks look almost flat,” she said. Though considered milder than other coronavirus variants, omicron has infected so many people that it has driven the number of daily deaths beyond where it was last spring, before vaccines were widely available, according to Washington Post data. Omicron has been particularly lethal to people over 75, the unvaccinated and the medically vulnerable, according to doctors and public health officials. The soaring death toll also illustrates why experts pleaded with the public to beware of the highly contagious variant even though it is less virulent than others. “That feels quite jarring to people who may have assumed omicron is generally on a per-case level less severe and given the fact we have vaccinated at least some portion of the country,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Even if on a per-case basis fewer people develop severe illness and die, when you apply a small percentage to a very large number, you get a substantial number.” What to know about the omicron variant of the coronavirus Yet the seven-day average of deaths during the omicron surge has reached 2,600 in recent days, climbing past the late September peak of about 2,000 average daily fatalities during the surge of the more dangerous delta variant, according to Post tracking. The ranks of hospitalized patients with covid-19 reached record highs in January. Coronavirus deaths lag hospitalizations. Betty Davis, the ex-wife of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, died Wednesday. She was 77. Davis’ longtime friend Connie Portis confirmed the news in a Facebook post “It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of Betty Davis, a multi-talented music influencer, pioneer rock star, singer, songwriter, arranger, model, and fashion icon,” Portis wrote. “Most of all Betty was a friend, Aunt, niece, and beloved member of her community of Homestead, Pennsylvania, and of the worldwide community of friends and fans.” Davis was known for singing hits such as “Get Ready for Betty,” “It’s My Life,” “If I’m in Luck I Might Get Picked Up” and many more. Davis also wrote the Chambers Brothers song “Uptown (to Harlem).” Davis dropped her self-titled debut album in 1973 for Woodstock promoter Michael Lang’s Just Sunshine Records and two more records followed. She released “They Say I’m Different” in 1974 and a year later recorded the album “Nasty Gal.” https://youtu.be/b2B0FBdzGis Laugh Out Loud, the multi-platform comedy brand founded by Kevin Hart announced the addition of rapper-trying-to-turn comedian TIP “T.I” HARRIS along with Tony Roberts and special guest DJ Spinderella to the long-anticipated return of “All-Star Comedy Jam.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZuOTOUgo5i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Adele is being accused of transphobia for declaring at a woke gender-neutral awards show that she loves “being a woman.” The “Rolling in the Deep” singer made the remark at Tuesday’s Brit Awards as she collected the prize for Artist of the Year, a newly created category merging the old Best Male and Best Female Artist awards. “I understand why the name of this award has changed but I really love being a woman and being a female artist. I do!” she said to huge cheers. “I’m really proud of us, I really, really am,” she said. Despite support from the audience in London’s huge O2 Arena, her comments quickly sparked outrage online — making her the latest high-profile figure accused of being a TERF, or trans-exclusionary radical feminist. “Please, no, ADELE can’t be a TERF,” a “staunch feminist” performer named Jacob told his thousands of Twitter followers. “Who’d have thought Adele was a transphobe and would use her platform to call for the destruction of the trans community. Especially the confused teenagers,” another long-time Twitter user posted. We Are Messengers lead singer Darren Mulligan says he is “OK” and grateful to the Lord after his truck hit ice, lost traction, and flipped over, calling his survival “a miracle.” “It’s a miracle that I’m alive,” Mulligan wrote on the Christian band’s Instagram page. The singer shared photos of the accident and an account of the terrifying ordeal. He said he was in his truck driving when he hit ice last week and suddenly slid across lanes. Not wanting to hit another vehicle, he took swift action. “I couldn’t [bear] the thought of someone being hurt, so I did everything I could to flip my vehicle off the road, and that’s what I did,” he said. Mulligan said he is sore but that he walked away “without a scratch.” Perhaps most interesting is that he was praying just 10 seconds before the accident — and his invocation was about how his life is in God’s hands. “I guess God put that to the test, and He has once again proved Himself unbelievably kind,” he wrote. Mulligan also shared how a good Samaritan man named Efrain stopped on his way to work after seeing the accident to make sure the singer was OK. The man even drove Mulligan to the airport afterward to ensure he would make the band’s show in Greeley, Colorado. Three friends who have attended every Super Bowl are hoping for a memorable contest this year because it will probably be their final trip to the big game as a group. The three men are all in their 80s and have attended every game since the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game was held 55 years ago about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from this year’s venue, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. They are meeting at the game once again this year, but future meetings are in question. Don Crisman, a Maine resident and the eldest of the group at 85, said this is his last game. Gregory Eaton, 82, of Michigan, wants to keep attending but said his health concerns could get in the way. Even Tom Henschel, a football fanatic who spends the cold months in Florida, said Super Bowl LX in 2026 figures to be his last. The far-flung friends use the Super Bowl to meet up, spend time together and reminisce. But in recent years they’ve come to grips with the fact it must come to an end one day, said Henschel, 80. “I still think I have a few years left. I’m going to try to make it to 60. But old man age is catching up to all of us,” he said. The annual Super Bowl Breakfast is where faith and football meet. Sponsored by Athletes in Action, the event has taken place each year since 1988, drawing sellout crowds to hear from some of the biggest names in football. That includes Demario Davis, a lineman with the New Orleans Saints who is known for his faith as well as big plays on the field. “Ever since we came in the league, we learned about the Superbowl Breakfast, saw that it wasn’t just about the game, but it reflected a life of faith, a life of family and of football,” Davis told CBN News. Highlights of the outreach include messages of hope complete with a presentation of the gospel. The one-hour faith-filled event will be televised this weekend on the CBN News Channel. Donald Trump is urging Joe Rogan to stop apologizing for using the N-word. The ex-president issued a statement on Monday, saying, “Joe Rogan is an interesting and popular guy, but he’s got to stop apologizing to the Fake News and Radical Left maniacs and lunatics.” Trump continued, per the Hill, “How many ways can you say you’re sorry? Joe, just go about what you do so well and don’t let them make you look weak and frightened. That’s not you and it never will be!” Trump’s support comes after Rogan apologized over the weekend for repeatedly using the N-word. He also once described a movie theater packed with Black people as “planet of the apes.” Two teen boys were shot and killed within an hour of each other Tuesday in Chicago. A 15-year-old boy was killed in a shooting in Bronzeville Tuesday afternoon, Chicago police said. Chicago police said the teen was in the 3300-block of South Prairie Avenue around 3:15 p.m. when he was approached by someone who then pulled out a gun and opened fire. The teen was struck in the head and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. A Black FedEx driver says two white males fired multiple bullets into his delivery vehicle in Brookhaven, Miss., late last month. Luckily the 24-year-old was not injured. D’Monterrio Gibson of Utica, Miss., told the Mississippi Free Press that the incident occurred on the night of Jan. 24, when he saw a white pickup truck driving toward him while on his delivery route. “In my mind I’m thinking (the driver) is leaving to go to the store or something like that, but then they get extremely close to me and start blowing their horn,” Gibson said. “I proceed to leave the driveway. As I’m leaving the driveway, he starts driving in the grass trying to cut me off. My instincts kick in, I swerve around him, and I start hitting the gas trying to get out of the neighborhood because I don’t know what his intentions are. Gibson said the police chief, Kenny Collins (who is Black) “tried to emphasize how unracist the town was, which seemed odd to me.” Per the report, Brookhaven has a history of lynching Black folks. Gibson learned from police that the driver of the white pickup truck was Gregory Case and the man in the road was his son, Brandon Case. Both turned themselves in at the police station on Feb. 1, per the report. Gregory was charged with conspiracy and Brandon with aggravated assault. They posted bail, $75,000 and $150,000 bonds, respectively, the next day, the Mississippi Free Press reports. Moore wants the U.S. Department of Justice “to prosecute this as a hate crime,” he said. Bounce has announced that the sixth and final season of “Saints & Sinners” will premiere in April, and a new trailer has been released to tease what fans can expect. Per Bounce, the saints and the sinners will have a winner-take-all clash this spring. Bounce, the popular broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, will air the sixth and final season of its hit original drama series “Saints & Sinners” Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT, starting April 3. https://youtu.be/88590VgtTRU Wendy Williams is officially out for the rest of season 13 of her eponymous talk show, as producers prepare for a Sherri Shepherd takeover. “Wendy won’t be returning to the show for the rest of this season. Her healing is going slower than everyone had hoped. She continues to deal with a number of medical issues, including Graves’ disease, and she and her team are taking it one day at a time,” a source tells People. As reported by PEOPLE, “The Wendy Williams Show” announced a lineup of celebrity guest hosts for the entire month of February: Michael Rapaport, Sherri Shepherd, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Bevy Smith, and Terrence J. “But reports of a stroke, drugs or addiction issues or a dementia diagnosis are all false. Whether Wendy can return in the fall will depend on how her healing goes over the summer. Her health is the most important thing,” the source adds. This month, Apple TV+ announced “They Call Me Magic,” the highly anticipated four-part documentary event that takes an illuminating, holistic look into the life and career of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, one of the world’s most iconic figures, premiering April 22. “They Call Me Magic” offers a rare glimpse into the incredible real life story of Johnson, who left his mark on history through his work – both on and off the court – and continues to impact our culture today. https://www.instagram.com/appletvplus/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=94c523a7-9656-4519-9679-a4b5eaa413b7 Artist, musician and Compton, California native Gemaine is turning up R&B music to a new volume. His new single, “No Questions,” is a throwback to a previous age of romance and love songs. The 25-year-old singer/songwriter, who had viral success at 18 on TikTok predecessor Vine with his song “Freaky,” will be releasing his full-length debut album New Jack City sometime this spring- a collaborative project with super-producer DJ Charlie Heat, who has worked with Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert, Kehlani and Madonna. https://youtu.be/JScj4JgcTsI Angela Bassett is reflecting on her friendship with the late-great Whitney Houston as the tenth anniversary of the singer’s death approaches. Houston and Bassett co-starred in the 1995 film “Waiting to Exhale” and they formed a close friendship outside of filming. “You know, working with Whitney…we were all such a fan,” Bassett told Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier in 2020. “So to come to know each other, to play cards, to go bowling, to that regular simple joys of life stuff? It was great. It was an awesome opportunity.” Bassett is remembering the music icon’s legacy in an interview with InStyle, in which the actress also spoke about how she has dealt with Houston’s death. “The loss can be overwhelming, but I try to remain grateful for the moments I’ve had with them and for the contribution that they’ve made to my life and to culture. Instead of leaning into the loss, I lean into the blessing that their life was and will appear to be in spirit,” said Bassett. Jim Jones was not happy with the lack of customer service he received at a Gucci store, and took to social media to let everybody know. The Harlem rapper went off while walking around the luxury store. With COVID mask pulled down around his chin, Jones said that he and his crew were in “VIP” for an hour, and had yet to be greeted by an employee. “Haven’t nobody came and showed us no courtesy, no amenities, no nothing. Period. Not even a drink of water,” he said in the video. Jones, who said he asked to speak to a manager, appeared offended that the store sent out a Black employee to deal with him. “They got the Black guy racial profiling on Black people,” he fumed, not realizing that assuming the Black man was not a manager is also a form of racial profiling. https://twitter.com/i/status/1491212798860603394 During an appearance Tuesday on “CNN Tonight,” India.Arie told host Don Lemon that she has accepted Joe Rogan’s apology for his repeated use of the N-word on his podcast, which prompted her to request that her music be removed from the streaming platform. “I don’t think Joe Rogan is racist for using [the N-word],” she told Lemon. “I think he’s insensitive for using it.” “So just don’t,” she continued. https://youtu.be/lFPZ3V_hD8E Trevor Noah swung at the Joe Rogan controversy during “The Daily Show” Tuesday night, zeroing in on the podcaster’s N-word montage video that went viral last week. “He’s dropping the N-word like he bought it in bulk at Costco,” Noah said at one point. Rogan’s racist reel came on the heels of pushback against his allowance of coronavirus vaccine misinformation to be spewed on his show. Musicians such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and India.Arie requested that their music be removed from the streaming service – Young and Mitchell because of Rogan sharing COVID misinformation, Arie because of the racism. https://youtu.be/D5SYrX41BtA Nelly’s team claims his Instagram account was hacked and an NSFW video was posted of him receiving oral servicing from an unidentified woman. The rapper issued a statement to TMZ in which he apologizes to the woman involved in the video and her family for the “unwanted publicity.” “I sincerely apologize to the young lady and her family, this is unwanted publicity for her/them,” the statement reads. “This was an old video that was private and never meant to go public.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1491183496416481283 As part of Biden’s plan to “advance racial equity,” Blacks on crack and white methheads will have access to “safe smoking kits/supplies”. The program’s funds will be distributed to nonprofits and local governments that will provide crack kits to drug addicts in “underserved communities.” According to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for HHS said these kits will include pipes for users to smoke crack cocaine and crystal methamphetamine. The crack pipe kits will also “limit the risk of infection – typically users smoke out of glass pipes which can lead to cuts and sores that become infected,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/L6LXx_UoFk8 Cardi B has put the Instagram page of her 3-year-old daughter Kulture on lockdown after the account was flooded with hateful comments. Kulture has more than 2.3 million Instagram followers. After learning that trolls were calling her child cruel names in the comments, Cardi B set Kulture’s account to private on Monday. “Haven’t been checking my daughter account but now I’m going to lock her page,’ the mom-of-two fired on Twitter. “I don’t know wtf is going on but I hope y’all moms die for giving birth to you hoe a** weirdos.” https://www.instagram.com/iamcardib/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=72351682-f03a-4257-9b41-3c185a2c7e64 Musical artist, Tanya Nolan, known for her songs ‘Smile On My Face’ and ‘No Pressure,’ has recently released her latest R&B single, ‘Good Woman,’ to national radio and all satellite platforms. The emotional song debuted as the second most added song to R&B radio stations across the country, behind The Weeknd, who debuted at number one. In addition to National and local radio, ‘Good Woman’ was quickly picked up by Sirius XM’s Heart & Soul and the popular television network, Music Choice. https://soundcloud.com/user-88465534/good-woman-radio-edit-master A large crowd descended on downtown Los Angeles for the opening day of Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Saturday, February 5, 2022. Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s is the NFL’s interactive football theme park, leading up to Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium, Sunday, February 13, 2022 between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG) has promoted EJ Gaines to SVP Marketing/Co-Executive Director of Motown Gospel. Gaines has served as Co-Executive Director of Motown Gospel and Vice President of Marketing at CCMG since 2018, prior to his position as Motown Gospel’s Vice President of Marketing. Gaines reports to Capitol Christian Music Group Co-President Hudson Plachy. Here at CLEO TV, we're kicking off the love season in the kitchen with Chef JJ. JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ has returned for season 4 on CLEO TV. The popular cooking show welcomes Lifestyle influencer and Content Creator Tiffany Battle tonight, February 9th at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Eating well and feeling good is the winning combo for Chef JJ’s guest Tiffany Battle. Tonight, he's making Grilled Ahi Tuna with Soba Noodle Salad. He's also making Mushroom Kale Fonio Bowls with a Ginger Citrus Spritzer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xqFB14CTT8 The season three finale of the popular cooking show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN airs tonight, February 9th at 9:30 P.M. EST/8:30C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells is going out with a bang, as he serves up international cuisine in the series' extended, 30-minute format. The best way to a person's heart is through their stomach and no one knows that better than Chef Jernard. In this episode, he puts his twist on Asian Cuisine. He makes a delicious Korean BBQ complemented by his version of General Tso’s Chicken. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rip9cq_YC5I Today, actor-comedian Leslie Jordan and actor, CEO and producer Tracee Ellis Ross announced the 94th Oscars® nominations, via a global live stream on Oscar.com. The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. https://youtu.be/avbXw0kOlQc Bounce will premiere the highly-anticipated 23rd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration on Saturday, February 12 at 8 pm ET. The debut telecast will be followed by an encore on Bounce’s sister network ION Sunday, February 13 at 12 am ET, and will continue to be available to stream in front of the paywall on Prime Video and on IMDb TV throughout February in celebration of Black History Month. Themed “Catch the Light,” the groundbreaking praise and worship extravaganza is an annual highlight of Super Bowl weekend, hosted this season by inspirational figure Sarah Jakes Roberts and funnyman DC Young Fly. This unique annual praise fest highlights NFL players and their faith, with uplifting songs of joy and shout-worthy, never-before-seen performances and mashups. Viewers are offered a rare glimpse into the spiritual lives of their favorite NFL players, as well as what inspires them to greatness each day. The hour-long show was taped in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Dallas as a concession to the still ongoing COVID pandemic. Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is making a special presentation to the 2022 Lifetime of Inspiration Award recipient Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, sponsored by the Amazon Black Business Accelerator Program. The current head coach for Jackson State University’s football team, two-time SuperBowl champion, Pro Football Hall of Famer, and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year is being honored for his commitment to bringing more visibility to HBCU sports franchises and reinvigorating HBCU sports into high-profile must-watch events. Coach Prime is one of only four NFL Players to ever receive this prestigious award. Country music legend and trailblazer Charley Pride's 'The Best of Charley Pride Volume II' is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Debuted in 1972 on Billboard magazine's country albums chart, it spent 16 weeks at the No. 1 spot and was Pride’s best-selling album during his career. Included on the album are hits like "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'", "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone," "I'd Rather Love You," "I'm Just Me" and more fan favorites. In line with Black History Month, the celebration of this anniversary reminds us how Pride transcended racial barriers within the country music community and beyond. American Masters Charley Pride: I'm Just Me, a documentary about the life and career of the country music superstar was aired on PBS, BBC & CBC's documentary Channel and is available at PBS.com and Amazon.com. The documentary walks through Pride’s life journey, from his humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son on a cotton farm in segregated Sledge, Mississippi to his career as a Negro League baseball player and his meteoric rise as a trailblazing country music icon. Narrated by Tanya Tucker and featuring country music royalty, including Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, and Marty Stuart, I'm Just Me traces Pride's love for music and perseverance in the industry. The film also features many songs from his repertoire of classic country hits, along with more modern cuts like "Standing In My Way," from his latest album Music In My Heart, released in 2017. Since retiring from the NFL, Marshawn Lynch has stayed busy with his charitable endeavors, business ventures, and acting projects. Lynch’s post-retirement life has seen him appear in commercials for Subway, Frito-Lay and Uber Eats, and TV shows including season three of HBO’s “Westworld.” Lynch is back at showing off his acting (and improv) skills in Netflix’s new murder mystery comedy “Murderville,” which is now streaming on the platform. Per The Hollywood Reporter, here’s the conceit: Will Arnett plays homicide detective Terry Seattle. Arnett — along with the cast of other regulars including Haneefah Wood as Seattle’s boss slash ex-wife, Chief Rhonda Jenkins-Seattle, and Lilan Bowden as coroner Amber Kang — gets a script. Each episode, a guest star “trainee” is paired with Seattle and tasked with helping him solve a grisly murder. They do not get a script, and must react to Seattle’s prompts as they interrogate three suspects and examine the crime scene for clues, culminating in a lineup where they guess whodunit. It’s like one of those murder mystery dinner party games where the host is Lego Batman. https://youtu.be/4IBi7gN2THE Prior to this Sunday’s iconic Super Bowl half-time show, Mary J. Blige will be hosting her iHeart Radio Album Release Party for Good Morning Gorgeous exclusively on iHeart and FOX SOUL this Friday, February 11 at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT. Good Morning Gorgeous is Mary J. Blige‘s 15th full-length studio album following 2017’s Strength of a Woman. She also teamed up with H.E.R. on the album’s title track “Good Morning Gorgeous.” Good Morning Gorgeous showcases 13 new songs, including guest appearances from artists like DJ Khaled, Dave East, Usher, Anderson .Paak and Fivio Foreign. https://youtu.be/jr1CRMkBVs8 GSN-Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks have been tapped to star in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie musical “The Color Purple.” As reported by Variety, the forthcoming Warner Bros. movie musical is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical from Marsha Norman, Brenda Lee, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning epistolary novel by Alice Walker. The upcoming film follows the classic 1985 film adaptation from director Steven Spielberg and centers on Celie, a Black Southern woman who struggles to find her identity amid decades of abuse. Whoopi Goldberg played Celie in Spielberg’s film. Spielberg’s film was a box office success, grossing $142 million against a budget of $15 million. Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has started assembling vehicles in Nigeria beginning with the Land Trek, 3008, 5008, and the new 508. Business Insider reports that Dangote Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria Limited (DPAN) has started assembling vehicles at the new Greenfield Ultima Assembly Plant, located in the northwestern region of Nigeria. The plant will reportedly assemble 120 vehicles per day. “With the New Green Field Ultima Assembly Plant, a lot is being done by DPAN to ensure visibility of the Peugeot brand and availability of spare parts to the network and the generality of Nigerians,” management of DPAN said. “DPAN will be encouraged by our technical partner to reposition the brand in the short, medium, and long term as we ensure customer satisfaction and sustainability. https://youtu.be/XRBGX59O-gg Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson initially supported Joe Rogan, but has “become educated” since learning of Rogan’s use of a racial slur. Rogan has been the center of controversy over his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” where he has made inaccurate claims about vaccinations and Covid-19. Spotify has come under fire for the podcast and several artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have removed their music from the streaming service in protest. Last week Rogan posted a video on his verified Instagram account sharing his thoughts about the controversy and Johnson offered his support in the comments. “Great stuff here brother,” Johnson wrote in response to Rogan’s post. “Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.” https://eurweb.com/2022/02/08/dwayne-johnson-takes-back-support-of-joe-rogan/ Did you know that an enslaved chef named James Hemings created Mac and cheese but Thomas Jefferson, third president of the U.S., often gets credit for it? The story, passed down through the generations, goes that while traveling in Europe in the late 1700s prior to becoming president, Jefferson first tried a European version of macaroni pasta and cheese. He brought the recipe back when he returned to Virginia. But what is left out of that lore is that Jefferson was traveling with a slave who was his chef, and it was Hemings who came up with a version of mac and cheese for Americans’ taste. But Jefferson and his wife, Martha, took the credit. Hemings became the property of Jefferson at age 8, serving as the “valet, chauffeur, and chef,” according to the James Hemings Society. Jefferson allowed Hemings to hone his culinary skills under a French chef in Annapolis, and with chefs at the Chateau Chantilly, the “five-star kitchen of 18th century France.“ After completing his training, Hemings was made the head chef at Jefferson’s private residence in Paris, known as the Hôtel de Langeac. Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness Tuesday for any “grievous faults” in his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, but denied any personal or specific wrongdoing after an independent report criticized his actions in four cases while he was archbishop of Munich, Germany. “I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate,” the retired pope said. But Benedict’s lack of a personal apology or any admission of guilt was likely to rile survivors and further complicate efforts by German bishops re-establish credibility with the faithful. Demands for accountability have only increased as the church has come to terms with decades of sexual abuse by priests and cover-up by their bishops. Benedict, 94, was responding to a Jan. 20 report from a German law firm that had been commissioned by the German Catholic Church to look into how cases of sexual abuse were handled in the Munich archdiocese between 1945 and 2019. Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, headed the archdiocese from 1977 to 1982. A PhD student is today suing ‘Britain’s wokest university’ over claims they failed to protect her from trans activists who harassed her after she said only biological women can give birth. Raquel Rosario-Sanchez said she made the comment in response to a row over the word ‘maternity’ which diversity chiefs had branded ‘problematic’. Ms Rosario-Sanchez says bosses at Bristol University, called the country’s ‘wokest’ by a women’s rights group, didn’t tackle the transgender activists who subjected her to a two-year ‘hate campaign’. She said she was targeted for attending feminist meetings that opposed allowing men who identify as women into female-only spaces such as toilets and domestic violence refuges. Rosario-Sanchez says she was also harassed over her involvement with the campaigning group Woman’s Place UK. As part of her civil action, Ms Rosario-Sanchez claims she was told by diversity chiefs that the term ‘maternity’ was now ‘problematic’ and ‘exclusionary’. She said when she pointed out that only a biological woman can give birth, she was reported to human resources bosses for being ‘transphobic’, investigated by the university and ordered to apologize. Chicago soul treasure Syl Johnson, known as one of the most sampled artists ever thanks to his track “Different Strokes,” which has been used by a slew of notable hip-hop artists, has died at the age 85. His family announced the news in a statement Sunday, though they didn’t reveal his cause of death. “It is with extreme sadness that our family announces the passing of Soul & Blues Hall of Fame Legend, Syl Johnson,” his family said. “Dad, Brother, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Uncle, Friend & Artist, he lived his life as a singer, musician, and entrepreneur who loved Black music.” Mr. Johnson’s death is the third big loss for the blues community in the last eight days. His older brother, Blues Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Johnson, died Monday at his home in Harvey at age 93; and drummer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Sam Lay died Jan. 29 at 86. A Black FedEx driver in Mississippi said he was shot at while making deliveries by two white men who deemed him “suspicious.” D’Monterrio Gibson, 24, told the Mississippi Free Press on Friday that he was delivering a package on the evening of January 24 when he noticed a white pickup truck blocking a driveway. He presumed the truck’s driver was leaving the driveway, so he tried to move. “They get extremely close to me and start blowing their horn,” Gibson told the outlet. “As I’m leaving the driveway, he starts driving in the grass trying to cut me off. My instincts kick in, I swerve around him, and I start hitting the gas trying to get out of the neighborhood because I don’t know what his intentions are.” Gibson said as he drove down the street, he saw a man in the road. “There’s another guy standing in the middle of the street pointing a gun at my windows and signaling to me to stop with his hands, as well as mouthing the word, ‘Stop.’ I shake my head no, I hide behind the steering wheel, and I swerve around him as well. As I swerve around him, he starts firing shots into my vehicle,” Gibson told the outlet. As he fled, one of his FedEx managers called him, and when Gibson told her what had happened, she ordered him to return to the station. As he drove, Gibson noticed the pickup truck was following him. “I just went as fast as I could,” Gibson told the outlet. “He chased me all the way to the interstate.” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced his plans to invest $318 million into the long underfunded Nashville-based HBCU, Tennessee State University (TSU). On Monday, Lee unveiled the proposal during his State of the State speech, WTVF reports. If passed, it would become TSU’s largest investment in its history. “Back in November 2020, the Speakers appointed a Joint Land Grant Committee, chaired by Rep. Harold Love, to explore how the state can better understand the new needs of Tennessee State University,” Lee said. Some $250 million of the massive $318 million investment would be allocated to improve the school’s infrastructure through repairs and renovations for multiple buildings, a new library, and a new food science building. Another $60 million from the budget proposal would go toward a new state-of-the-art engineering building, and the remaining $8 million would be used for maintenance. TSU President Dr. Glenda Glover is working with government officials to get the proposal passed and says the school administration is pleased by the gesture. Whether forming business partnerships or serving on nonprofit boards, Victor Branch is known for stepping up to help make a difference for Black Americans in Richmond, Virginia. He is the first African American president of the Bank of America Richmond region. As such, Branch oversees nearly 2,000 employees at 25 branches in Richmond and several surrounding counties and cities along with a technology and operations center in Henrico County. He is a banker with a passion to help others. He has worked for Bank of America for 38 years, having evolved from its entry-level management training program to serving in multiple executive roles. His duties now include managing over $4 million in marketing sponsorships and grants statewide. Amid February being celebrated as Black History Month, Branch is all about helping Black Americans. For instance, he played an influential role in Bank of America’s decision in March 2021 to expand its five-year commitment to $1.25 billion to advance racial equality and economic opportunity in communities across the country where the nation’s second-largest bank operates. Dr. Mautra Jones makes history as the first Black woman to become president of Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC). She is also the first woman ever to lead the institution. Her appointment as the President of OCCC makes her the first Black woman to lead any higher education institution in Oklahoma that is not an HBCU. With a BA in journalism from the University of Oklahoma, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate of education from Vanderbilt University, Jones has years of experience under her belt. Jones currently serves as vice president of Institutional Advancement and External Affairs at Langston University, which is the only HBCU in Oklahoma. She is the site administrator for the University’s Oklahoma City campus and a member of the Board of Directors for BancFirst. Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the organization co-founded and first led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., issued the following statement today calling for Americans to support NFL Coach Brian Flores and other victims of racism and discrimination in all arenas. “The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the legendary civil rights organization co-founded and first led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stands with Miami Dolphins’ Coach Brian Flores who has exposed racism and discrimination in the National Football League. We are calling for our leaders in all industries and the American people to stand with Coach Flores and other former coaches and leaders in the NFL, who have not only called for an end to racism and discrimination in the NFL but in America, because as Coach Flores has clearly stated, this is bigger than football. And the SCLC agrees. Since the SCLC was established in 1957, the organization remains on the frontlines fighting to end racism, discrimination and other injustices every day in all arenas. Children who live in the Mississippi Delta can now experience state-of-the-art mobile dentistry provided by Dr. LaMonica Davis Taylor, a pediatric dentist with a private practice called Smiles on Broadway Dental Care located in the city of Jackson. She has been providing dental services to children in the Delta since 2015 and currently has students in Boyle, Shelby, Mound Bayou, Cleveland and Shaw. Dr. Taylor and her team at Smiles on Broadway Dental Care travel to schools where they provide preventive and emergency dental care to children. All of the schools are in a health care shortage area. Prior to purchasing the mobile clinic, she and her team would carry portable equipment to each school. The mobile clinic will allow them to treat more students in a safe environment. The students have enjoyed having Dr. Taylor and her team visit their school. Many of the parents have followed through with the recommendations and have taken their children to local dentist where more comprehensive treatment can be performed. The goal of the clinic is to serve the most vulnerable children in that area. There is a great need. Many of the students have either never been to a dentist or have been for emergency treatment only, causing heightened anxiety and long-term fear of the dentist. At the age of just 15, Kamila Valieva has emerged as the breakout star of the Winter Olympics. The Russian sensation, nicknamed ‘Miss Perfect’ and already anointed by many judges as the greatest female figure skater in history despite having scarcely started her senior career, has delighted viewers across the world with her dazzling skills. She made history yesterday as the first female figure skater in Winter Olympic history to land a quadruple jump – and has been setting records since making her figure skating debut just six months ago. But if that wasn’t already enough, the superstar, who started skating lessons before the age of five and dreamt about being an Olympic champion since she was three years old, also boasts a Vogue Russia photoshoot and a dog gifted to her by her fans. Meanwhile, Hollywood A-lister Alec Baldwin took to Instagram yesterday to congratulate Valieva on her achievements, saying: ‘Thank you, Kamila Valieva, for your gift of heart-stopping beauty to the world.’ Valieva, who has 320,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares glimpses of her training and lifestyle, has admitted, however, that she already feels a ‘burden of pressure’. ‘I do feel this burden a bit, this pressure, because this is my first season among adult skaters,’ Valieva said. ‘I believe that I’m coping with this pressure, and sometimes it even pushes me forward. It helps me.’ ‘I was little nervous going into the competition,’ said Valieva, one of three Russian skaters hailing from the famous Sambo-70 club in Moscow, before adding: ‘I am thrilled to be at the Olympic Games.’ ‘When I was three years old, I made a wish to become an Olympic champion,’ Valieva said after her free skate at Beijing’s Capital Indoor Stadium. ‘My childhood dream has come true.’ Fans were impressed by her skating at the Olympics – even one celebrity, with Alec Baldwin sharing a clip of one of Valieva’s performances to her Instagram account. Like many of Jordan Brand’s most loyal consumers, Craig Williams, who assumed the president role in January 2019, vividly remembers lacing up his first pair of NBA icon Michael Jordan’s signature shoes at the age of 17: a white Air Jordan 1, which he beat up on a basketball court not long after opening the box. And like his customers, he’s equally passionate about sports, community and culture, as Footwear News reports in an exclusive interview. On the photo shoot with FN last month, he was quick to debate the best NBA players and greatest rappers of all time. When the opportunity came about to lead the iconic label, he didn’t hesitate. And more than three years later, he has the same level of passion. “I don’t feel pressure. It’s excitement. I feel a great sense of responsibility. When I eventually pass the company off, I want it to be healthy and vibrant and have so much runway in the future,” said Williams, who previously spent nearly 14 years as a top exec at The Coca-Cola Company. That commitment is driving results. Jordan Brand reported sales for fiscal 2021 hit a new record of $4.7 billion, up from $3.6 billion in the previous fiscal year. For those who know Williams best, the president role is a natural fit. Jillian Tirath, the VP of consumer science and insights at Jordan Brand, worked closely with him at Coca-Cola and has seen Williams blossom as a person. “He has a huge amount of empathy,” Tirath said. “He is focused on the business, but there is a human element to him that during the course of my career, I have found to be super helpful. Craig first sees the person and then he sees the employee.” She continued, “At Jordan Brand, he’s in his element. It’s just great energy to be around. I can’t speak for him, but as an observation, he’s working on a brand that aligns with his interests, and he’s making a real difference.” The legendary duo of Ted & Sheri – Ted Winn and Sheri Jones-Moffet, are back together again after a sixteen-year recording hiatus! The Stellar Gospel Music Award winning pair have teamed up with the GRAMMY® Award nominated siblings, The Walls Group, to drop “Now I Know” (Ted & Sheri, LLC / Black Smoke). The soulful, feel-good groove releases to all digital music platforms on Friday, February 4th. https://fanlink.to/TedSheriNowIKnow AT&T announces an Instagram Live Dream Talk, “Representation Matters: I want to Feel Seen,” with newly revealed Black Future Maker and Gospel superstar Kierra Sheard-Kelly. She will join YouTuber and fellow 2022 Black Future Maker Terrell Grice as part of the campaign geared toward economic empowerment and access. The company is also revealing the second group of 2022 Black Future Makers including Kierra Sheard-Kelly; actress Erika Alexander; actor and content creator Devale Ellis; artist and photographer Kennedi Carter; musician VINCINT, and entertainer Peppermint. AT&T will also debut vibrant, stylized portraits of this week’s announced Black Future Makers including a living portrait of VINCINT inspired by the afro-futuristic artwork of Black Future Maker Georgie Nakima along with an exclusive interview with VINCINT revealing what it means to be a Black Future Maker. A caravan of about 50 vehicles drove through Minneapolis on Sunday to demand justice for the death of Amir Locke, the 22-year old Black man who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police while they served a no-knock search warrant. The caravan was organized by the Racial Justice Network and other police accountability groups, according to the Associated Press. Some in the caravan then gathered outside the home of interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman. They chanted the names of Locke as well as Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was killed by Kentucky police during a no-knock raid in 2020. https://youtu.be/H7yrVx3MzHY Travis Reinking, the man who fatally shot four people at a Nashville Waffle House in 2018, was sentenced on Saturday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Reinking was arrested after a manhunt on April 23 and later found guilty in the fatal shootings of Taurean Sanderlin, Joe Perez, Akilah DaSilva and DeEbony Groves. Police said he also injured Shanita Waggoner and Sharita Henderson. As reported by Associated Press, Reinking, 33, was found guilty on 16 charges, including eight counts of murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and four counts of unlawful employment of a firearm during the commission of or attempt to commit a dangerous felony. He was sentenced to 4 life sentences with no possibility of parole. https://youtu.be/Tcujc0_gkJ4 Tyrese Gibson is asking fans for prayer as his mom, Priscilla Murray Gibson, is in ICU with Pneumonia and COVID-19. Tyrese asked fans to “pray and even write out the prayers in the comments so that me and my family can read and be encouraged.” Gibson shared the news on Instagram on Saturday, writing: “In the middle of filming and just got the worst phone call I’ve ever gotten… I just had to ask the director let me pause for a second close my eyes and pray,” he began his message. “My mother is in a coma, in ICU, with Pneumonia and she caught Covid they got her so sedated she can’t breathe or even eat on her own,” he added. “This has been going on all week I haven’t posted [ I’m doing it this time cause I feel helpless this is my cry for help.” “I need prayers the most sincere prayers from you prayer warriors…. Hold on mother I’m there by your side in a few days….. God is able to do things, he’s pulled you OUT of a coma before,” the 43-year-old singer went on noting. “Oh God I seen the light things have been going so well…. Now this….” Whoopi Goldberg is catching heat from white-identifying Jewish people in America for calling them white. She has been suspended from co-hosting “The View” for two weeks for commenting on the Holocaust. Amid the backlash, Goldberg’s (born Caryn Johnson) recipe “Jewish-American Princess Fried Chicken,” has resurfaced, further pissing off the Jewish community, according to the Daily Mail. Goldberg wrote the recipe in 1993 for the charity cookbook “Cooking in the Litchfield Hills.” The New York Post obtained a copy of the book that contains recipes for Diane Sawyer’s “roasted potato skins with scallion dip” and Eartha Kitt’s “summer zucchini soup with nasturtium blossoms.” https://youtu.be/QF4xotY3BZ8 Wells Fargo bank has reportedly put an account belonging to Wendy Williams on lockdown as the bank suspects “financial exploitation, dementia or undue influence.” As reported by The Sun, Wendy, 57, is asking the court for an emergency order requiring Wells Fargo to unfreeze her accounts. In the filing, Williams claims the bank is in “possession of several million dollars’ worth of funds” that she has not been able to access for more than two weeks. Wendy’s former financial advisor has reportedly advised the bank that Wendy “was of unsound mind”, but Wells Fargo has denied her access to her accounts and statements, according to Wendy’s attorney. The move comes amid reports that Williams is battling dementia. Wells Fargo has reportedly cited its client agreement to justify freezing Wendy’s accounts. The bank has the authority to “pause or reject instructions for a proposed transaction,’ pending judicial or administrative remedies, should they suspect financial exploitation, dementia, or undue influence,” per the petition. https://youtu.be/JlJ5wOcSQqE Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars — better known together as Silk Sonic — have teamed up with Epic Games to bring their image and likeness to Fortnite. As reported by All Hip Hop, “the popular video game is adding Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars outfits as well as a Silk Sonic radio station to its digital world,” the outlet writes. The Silk Sonic Cup tournament launches February 7. “When Fortnite asked me if I wanted to create an outfit for the game, I asked, ‘Are CGI muscles off the table?’” Bruno Mars said in a press statement. “They said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Deal.’ I’ll see you on the Island.” Anderson .Paak added, “When Fortnite agreed to give Bruno CGI muscles, I said, ‘I’m in.’ He could use the help, so I support it. And it makes me cool. Win, win.” https://youtu.be/sELli-PsYYU In 1963, Duke University admitted its first five Black undergraduates. When I walked onto campus as a freshman 29 years later, most of my Black classmates and I were still the first in our families to attend the prestigious university. We—like many lower-income students across racial and ethnic backgrounds and first-generation college students—could not benefit from the legacy preference that was extended to our white, wealthier peers—a privilege bestowed upon applicants whose parents or grandparents are alum of the school. While the United States Supreme Court prepares to decide whether race-based affirmative action should persist, legacy admissions—essentially “affirmative action” for wealthy and white students—remain untouched. It’s time to demand colleges and universities end the unfair, unjust, and unearned privilege of legacy admissions that has excluded students of color and low-income students for decades. Among the top 30 universities, legacy students have a 45% greater chance of being admitted than non-legacy students and fill between 10% and 25% of all available slots in an incoming class. By definition, zero first-generation college students are admitted under a legacy preference, and virtually no legacy student attending an elite institution is low-income. At the top 10 universities, there have been more white students admitted who have benefited from an “alumni preference” than there have been Black or Latinx students admitted through affirmative action policies. The threat to voting rights may be different than what it was 40 or 50 years ago, but struggles remain. This came fully into focus with the failure of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The vulnerability of our democracy was on full display with the Jan. 6 attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol last year. But we’ve long noticed assaults on democracy given the 19 states that have introduced 34 laws to restrict voting in 2021 alone. The need to protect the franchise has also been crystallized with the redistricting process, which has at turns seen lawsuits on gerrymandered and racially discriminatory maps and state proceedings devoid of public involvement. In Florida, a sitting governor – one who is both up for reelection and rumored to be a 2024 presidential contender – submitted his own congressional map. Gov. Ron DeSantis tendered his plan on the eve of the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Even for someone who has governed with a strong arm, threatening school districts and employers that instituted mask and vaccine mandates, the move was unusual. There are now maps drawn by the Senate, the House and a sitting governor. This questionable power play should be challenged and reigned in. Governors typically do not insert themselves into redistricting. In addition to being bad form, DeSantis’ plan would enshrine Republicans’ stronghold on the state and adversely limit the number of congressional seats traditionally held by African Americans. A since-deleted tweet featuring photos of a mask-less Stacey Abrams posing among masked schoolchildren has prompted swift backlash from political opponents who chastised the Georgia Democrat for what they describe as hypocritical behavior after she championed more stringent masking policies in schools. The photos were originally tweeted Friday by the school’s principal, Holly Brookins, who wrote, “Extraordinary way to kick off the 3rd Annual African-American Read-In at Glennwood and Black History Month. Thrilled to host @staceyabrams author of Stacey’s Extraordinary Words!” Abrams, a prominent Democratic organizer running for governor in Georgia, quote-tweeted the photos and thanked the principal for hosting her. Both tweets have since been deleted, and it appears as though Brookins’ account has also been deactivated. The photos of the event at Glennwood Elementary School in Decatur, Georgia, prompted intense backlash from many who voiced frustration at masking policies — at a time when Covid-19 policies in schools have emerged as an intensely fraught issue in today’s politics. The city extended its indoor masking requirement on January 18 through February 22, and the City Schools of Decatur enforce similar masking rules. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbYc4BV9w4w The lead pastors of Hillsong’s London campus have announced their resignation. Robby Lewis and his wife Jenny are moving on after 12 years. Making the announcement, Robby said, “We’re standing here because of you, because of the encouragement, because who you are has rubbed off on us. We couldn’t be more grateful.” Hillsong UK youth and young adult pastors Daniel and Jo Watson have been confirmed as their successors. Commenting on his new role, Daniel said, “I’m expectant for what God is going to do in and through every single one of us. “There are more people who need to hear the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.” The Lewises did not say why they were leaving or what their future plans are, but their resignation came on the same day as Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston stepped down. Houston resigned as global senior pastor as he faces trial for allegedly concealing sex abuse committed by his father decades earlier. He denies the charges. A former pastor from Georgia who was conducting missionary work in Uganda when he sexually assaulted a girl under the care of his church has pleaded guilty to his crime in federal court. Eric Tuininga, 44, of Milledgeville, pleaded guilty to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places before Chief U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell. Upon entry of his guilty plea, Tuininga was taken into custody pending his sentencing. Tuininga faces a maximum 30 years in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release up to life and a maximum $250,000 fine. In addition, Tuininga will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 3, 2022. “Eric Tuininga used his trusted position as a pastor to sexually assault a young Ugandan girl in his care,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “This was a challenging case, but law enforcement worked diligently to ensure that Tuininga did not escape justice for his crime overseas. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our national and international law enforcement partners, will do everything in our power to catch child predators and hold them accountable for their crimes.” A gunman in Texas killed four people – including the four-year-old son of his ex-girlfriend – before turning the gun on himself as police approached Saturday. His ex-girlfriend was also injured in the mass shooting that began in Corsicana, 50 miles south of Dallas. Cops became aware of the massacre when gunman Kevin Milazzo, 41, called shortly after midnight to report that he’d ‘killed his family members.’ Police arrived to find his stepfather William Mimms, 68, and mother Connie Mimms, 61, dead. Two others suffered gunshot injuries, investigators said in a release. Meantime, the Navarro County Sheriff’s Department responded to another home in Frost – about 20 miles west of Corsicana – to find Milazzo’s son Joshua, 21, fatally shot. The body of Hunter Freeman, four, was also discovered. A woman with multiple gunshot wounds was rushed to a Dallas-area trauma center; a family friend identified the survivor as the boy’s mom Pattie Freeman and said she was in ‘stable’ condition. The founder of Black Lives Matter Memphis has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally registering to vote after pleading guilty to felonies in 2015. Pamela Moses, 44, voted illegally six times since she pleaded guilty to evidence tampering, forgery, perjury, stalking and theft under $500, seven years ago. The activist is now claiming she was unaware she was still on probation, which lasted seven years, and believed her voting rights were reinstated in 2019. ‘I did not falsify anything. All I did was try to get my rights to vote back the way the people at the election commission told me and the way the clerk did,’ she said at her sentencing hearing on January 26. Judge Mark Ward accused Moses of ‘tricking the probation department’ to illegally obtain the right to vote. He said: ‘You tricked the probation department into giving you documents saying you were off probation. After you were convicted of a felony in 2015, you voted six times as a convicted felon.’ However, Moses argued that when she pleaded guilty in 2015, no one told her she didn’t have the right to vote. Yet another controversial clip from Joe Rogan’s podcast has surfaced, as the media personality faces backlash over past racist comments on his show, and sharing misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. The latest video to pop up, from a 2011 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, shows the host cracking up at a guest who boasts of forcing female comics to give him oral sex if they wanted a performance slot at Los Angeles’ famed Comedy Store. Rogan, who recently apologized for repeatedly using the n-word on his podcast, is shown laughing uncontrollably as comedian Joey Diaz tells the story. “You think I’m f****** kidding? Yeah, you’ve got to suck my d*** to get up in the [Comedy Store’s] Belly Room. I’ll make a call for you. That’s the f****** gateway into coming to Hollywood, everybody knows that,” said Diaz. “How many girls did you have do that?”Rogan asked, prompting Diaz to respond: “Oh, 20 of them.” Rogan reared back and hollered. Diaz continued on, referring to a “little blonde open mic chick…that used to come up to the Comedy Store…and just take me up to the Belly Room and suck my d***, then go do her set. She was tremendous. https://youtu.be/LooqBE2tnRE As food insecurity remains one of the country’s most pressing issues, several grassroots efforts have been launched to provide relief for vulnerable communities. According to 11 Alive, Goodr recently opened a free grocery store for senior citizens in Atlanta. The Atlanta Community Food Bank reported 1 in 8 people in Georgia are facing hunger. Individuals who are over the age of 60 account for 8 percent of those who are food insecure. Aware of the alarming statistics Goodr—a company that uses technology to address hunger and food waste—opened a store within Midtown’s Lutheran Towers to provide the elderly with free healthy food options. The shop, which will serve over 300 seniors, is stocked with produce, canned goods, meat, beverages and other items. Many of the products included in the store are low-sodium and sugar-free. Shoppers can also find an array of medical necessities on the shelves. Jasmine Crowe, who serves as CEO of Goodr, says her own experiences working with senior citizens prompted her to cultivate the initiative. Yesterday, self-made billionaire, YE, invited 50 Black journalists to discuss the disparities in Black media, the importance of reclaiming the narrative and taking ownership in one’s brand at “The Future Brunch” in Los Angeles.Moderated by Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee, “The Future Brunch” was opened with a few words from YE and his mission on creating a movement rather than a moment during Black Future Month (a redefinition of Black History Month). “This is the future,” declared Ye. “There is no looking backward – only forwards.” Then a heartfelt video explaining how the visionary wants to start taking control of his narrative played. “Me and Virgil (Abloh) believed in Black design. Now we need to invest in Black media. God uses me as a vessel – we declare Black Future Month. The future – not the past,” proclaimed Ye. After the clip a town hall discussion lead by Meta’s Strategic Communities Program Manager, Media Partnerships, Michelle Mitchell, touched on elevating the culture, the importance of equity and having a seat at the table, redefining Black stories and humanizing how we’re portrayed in media, as well as the metaverse. Black journalists from Essence, Ebony, Vibe and EURweb connected with Black executives from Amazon Studios, FOX SOUL, BET and Spotify to see how Black media can build a brighter future for the next generation and unionize together to help amplify more Black voices. Awkwafina returned to Twitter over the weekend after a 2-year hiatus to address the controversy surrounding her Black accent in films. the Asian American actress is catching heat for using a “blaccent,” after making clear that she refuses to use Asian accents. “I refuse to do accents,” Awkwafina said in an interview with Vice. “I’m not OK with someone writing the Asian experience for an Asian character. I make it very clear, I don’t ever go out for auditions where I feel like I’m making a minstrel out of our people.” Chicago Black Restaurant Week has returned this year, featuring restaurants, bakeries and more during Black History Month 2022. Chicago Black Restaurant Week is set to return this year from Feb. 6 to Feb. 20. It’s the seventh year of Black Restaurant Week, founded by Lauran Smith, who decided that it was simply time for African American-owned food and beverage businesses to have increased visibility after realizing that there were so many in Chicago that were not heard of. “This idea actually blossomed out of learning that a very popular restaurant in Chicago was black-owned. It sparked my interest to not only patronize this particular establishment, but to also give other Black-owned restaurants, bakeries, mobile eateries, beverage companies the opportunity to have their businesses recognized on a larger scale,” Smith said. https://www.instagram.com/theblackveganchi/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9375d2d4-e0e6-4f85-bd6f-1a5872f411eb Stormi Webster is a big sister! Kylie Jenner, 24, welcomed her second baby with Travis Scott on Feb. 2, she announced on Instagram Sunday. The Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum shared the news with a black-and-white photo of the infant's hand. She also revealed the newborn arrived one day after Stormi's birthday with the caption, "?? 2/2/22." President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis to serve on the the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The White House said that, if confirmed, she would be first Black woman from Michigan to serve on the 6th Circuit and only the second Black woman ever to serve on the Sixth Circuit, which handles appeals from Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Davis, a former federal prosecutor from Farmington Hills, was appointed by former President Donald Trump nearly three years ago to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote in December 2019 and is based at the U.S. courthouse in Flint. “Judge Dawkins is a talented lawyer, an outstanding judge and a person of great integrity,” said former U.S. Attorney Barb McQuade, who has known Davis for 25 years and now teaches at the University of Michigan law school. “We could not find a better candidate to serve on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. In fact, she would make an excellent Supreme Court justice.” Former University of California at Berkley basketball legend Gene Ransom was killed as he was driving on a freeway during an apparent road-rage incident in the crime-ravaged Bay Area and the suspected gunman has been arrested. Ransom, 65, was found dead in his car after being shot, crashing into the median and coming to stop in the middle of Interstate 880 in Oakland around 5:15pm on Friday, the city’s Fire Department said. California Highway Patrol (CHP) arrested 25-year-old Juan Angel Garcia of San Francisco on Saturday and charged him with murder. A friend said Ransom was driving to pick up his girlfriend at the West Oakland train when the shooting occurred. Ransom’s girlfriend ‘was waiting for him to pick her up and not knowing that he had been murdered,’ said Doug Harris, former teammate and long-time friend of Ransom. CHP investigators said the motive appeared to be road rage and the shooting was targeted. They said Ransom was in a black Honda Civic and Garcia was traveling north on I-880 in a black Lexus. Garcia allegedly pulled up on his Ransom’s left side and opened fire at least once. Columbus Short was arrested for domestic violence. It went down this past Wednesday night when police were called to a home in the San Fernando Valley. Apparently, Short and his wife were arguing about something and the situation got so heated it became physical, reports TMZ. The actor claimed his wife punched him in the face … but he had no marks. On the other hand, cops say when they then spoke to his wife and noticed a minor injury. Even though the injury did not require medical attention, cops still busted Short for felony domestic violence … felony because of the injury. This isn’t the first time short and his wife got into it and cops had to be called. Back in 2018, he was arrested for domestic violence and ended up pleading no contest and serving 34 days behind bars. At the time of that arrest, he was already on probation for a bar fight in 2014. Regarding his latest arrest, Short spent about 12 hours locked up before posting a $50K bond. So far he hasn’t been charged. https://youtu.be/kIRgFgFn4jg The Bronzeville community in Chicago is mourning this week after police identified a woman tragically killed after getting caught in the middle of gunfire. Bobbye Johnson, 55, was leaving Chase Bank on Tuesday afternoon at 3500 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr when Victor Brown, a security guard at a nearby liquor store, allegedly grabbed another guard’s gun and wantonly fired 20 shots down the street, intending to hit a man who had just shot him in the leg during an argument. Instead, police said Brown’s bullets fatally struck Johnson in the chest. The 34-year-old is facing one felony count of first-degree murder and one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon in Johnson’s death, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said in media conference Friday following Brown’s arrest. Victor Brown was hospitalized before being taken to Cook County Jail for the injury to his thigh. “Chicago Police Department sincerely hopes the arrest and charging of the offender responsible, Victor Brown, who is charged with first-degree murder, brings some small measure of closure to her family during this unimaginable time,” Supt. Brown told reporters. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis on Saturday demanding justice in the fatal police shooting of a young Black man, Amir Locke, during a “no-knock” raid on his apartment earlier this week. The boisterous but peaceful crowd, chanting Locke’s name and the slogan “no justice, no peace,” rallied at Government Plaza in Minnesota’s largest city three days after Locke, 22, was shot on his couch by police. The day after the killing, police released video footage from the raid, which showed Locke was holding a gun as he twisted beneath a blanket on his sofa after being roused by officers moments before he was slain. Police have said the officers were exercising a “no-knock” search warrant, which authorizes police to enter private property without first alerting occupants or announcing their presence. The warrant was issued in relation to a homicide probe led by detectives from the neighboring Saint Paul Police Department. Locke was not named in the warrant, and Minneapolis police have acknowledged it was unclear how or whether he was connected to that investigation. You’ve seen the logo everywhere by now. You see it emblazoned on t-shirts and team shirts, billboards and surfboards, buses and bus stops. It’s everywhere. Black Lives Matter. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF), which is widely considered to be the umbrella for most BLM grassroots organizations, raised $90 million dollars in 2020. Now it may stand as one of the biggest charity scandals in recent memory. Founding BLMGNF member Patrisse Cullors didn’t waste any time in finding herself in a financial scandal and has since stepped down. Cullors, a committed socialist and a woman who once bragged she was a trained Marxist, suddenly found herself the proud owner of over $3 million in personal real estate holdings. Two of those purchases, making up the bulk of her real estate assets, came after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 — the same year her nonprofit exploded with donations. Cullors denies that any ‘organizational resources’ went toward the purchase of her properties. But regardless, it looks like social justice can be a very lucrative business. The father of a missing pregnant mother’s unborn child has been arrested and charged with killing them both — nearly five years after the Maryland woman disappeared. Investigators allege that Akia Eggleston — who was featured in a September 2021 PEOPLE cover feature on missing moms — was misled by her boyfriend, Michael Robertson, into believing they were on the verge of moving in together. She withdrew money for a down payment from a Baltimore Inner Harbor bank on May 3, 2017. Her social media activity abruptly stopped that day, according to a probable cause statement. Eggleston, then 22 and eight months pregnant, subsequently missed a May 7 baby shower she’d organized for herself, causing panicked friends and family to search and then report her missing. Neither she nor the child have turned up since then. Robertson, 41, was arrested Tuesday in Michigan, where he moved in late 2017 accompanied by another woman with whom he already had two children, authorities said. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been branded a hypocrite after old video resurfaced of the former wrester giving a racist impression mocking the Chinese language. Twitter users posted clips of the video after Johnson pulled his support for controversial podcaster Joe Rogan – just three days after he had back the host – when the Spotify star was called out for his repeated use of the N-word. ‘I was not aware of his N word use prior to my comments, but now I’ve become educated to his complete narrative. Learning moment for me,’ Johnson, 49, tweeted Friday after author and political activist Don Winslow called out the action movie star for his support of Rogan. https://twitter.com/i/status/1487805512561266688 Halle Berry has finally come out to clear the air about her prank that not only broke the internet but also backfired after it was taken for fact. Speaking on The Tonight Show on January 26, the ‘Catwoman’ star put all the blame on the people who do not flip images to see what’s next. https://youtu.be/pePMLmErvHE Halle Berry hopes her history-making Oscar win inspired other artists. The Moonfall actress, 55, became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress on March 24, 2002, for her performance in Monster’s Ball. Since then, no other Black woman has won in that category, which is disappointing to Berry. “You know, I’ve been asked this question so many times as if I should have the answer. But I don’t,” she said in ABC’s Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising special when asked her thoughts on whether doors were opened after the landmark win. “But I will say this: I do feel completely heartbroken that there’s no other woman standing next to me in 20 years.” “True, I thought, like everybody else, that night meant a lot of things would change, that there would be other women. I thought that I would have the script truck back up to my front door and I’d have an opportunity to play any role I wanted. That didn’t happen,” the Bruised actress/director added. “But what I do know happened that night is that so many people of color got inspired.” She continued, “When I look around and I see my brothers and sisters working and thriving and telling their own stories from their point of view. I’m proud of that, and I see the movement Queen Latifah has finally spoken out about the dismissal of Chris Noth from The Equalizer after a couple of sexual assault allegations came into the limelight last month. Days after these allegations came to the surface, CBS released a public statement to confirm that North, 67, will no longer be cast in the series. He had starred alongside Queen Latifah. Some of the allegations date as far back as the 1990s. “Chris Noth will no longer film additional episodes of The Equalizer, effective immediately,” the statement released on Dec. 20 announced. A month or so after the statement, Latifah, 51, has figured out it is now safe to say something. She talked on the People (the TV Show!) about her ex-co-star. https://youtu.be/CHAhRMTaZOs CBS has announced the new reality series BEYOND THE EDGE, which features nine celebrities trading their worlds of luxury to live in the dangerous jungles of Panama, where they face off in epic adventures and endure the most brutal conditions, as they push themselves to go far beyond their comfort zone. From the producers of “Naked and Afraid” comes the most intense celebrity adventure ever attempted, where only teamwork, perseverance and finding the inner strength they never knew they possessed can get them through another day and raise money for their chosen charities. BEYOND THE EDGE will premiere Wednesday, March 16 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. SHOWTIME Sports announcer Mauro Ranallo hosts. https://twitter.com/i/status/1489047922943561729 Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores is a disruptor. He is a man who understands his power and feels a responsibility to lift up his community. No doubt, many think Flores should be grateful just to be counted among the few Black coaches in the league. He entered the coaching ranks in 2008 and spent 11 seasons with the New England Patriots under coach Bill Bellichick before he was hired in Miami in 2019. He’s got Super Bowl rings to show for his work. No one expected Flores, who seemed to have a long career in front of him at the age of 40, to disrupt the NFL. But disrupt he did. Flo Anthony could not fall asleep and had to weep over and over. Reason? She had not seen her name in the list of the invitees to the opening night of the Michael Jackson musical on Broadway dubbed “MJ: The Musical.” The show started on Tuesday and tickets sold like hot cake. Anyone who ought to be there was there, except Flo Anthony, who believed she had the right to be there because Michael Jackson and many other members of the Jackson clan used to be her pals. She was close to them because she covered their careers as a reporter. She covered Jackson’s trials and tribulations for many outlets throughout the Eighties and Nineties. The gossip maven wept bitterly, soaking her bed with tears. According to her, she had been shunned from attending the first night of the show because she was just a press, not an influencer. Tired and sick of weeping, she took to Facebook early Thursday morning. “I normally don’t complain about anything, but it is almost 2 a.m., and I can’t go to sleep over the fact that I wasn’t invited to the opening night of ‘MJ: The Musical,'” she wrote. “I have been crying all day that I was not invited and was told, I was not an influencer or a community advocate and only press. I am so hurt.” https://youtu.be/M-WkcvyqDnA Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL will re-examine policies regarding head-coach diversity in the league, saying its efforts have yielded “unacceptable” results. In a memo sent to all 32 teams Saturday morning, he also said matters involving “the integrity of the game” must be addressed. Goodell’s memo comes days after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the NFL, charging an interview he had with the New York Giants was a “sham” intended to meet diversity hiring rules. Flores also alleged he had been offered money by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to intentionally lose games to secure a better draft position. Both teams have denied the allegations. Flores’ lawsuit got the attention of Goodell, however, even though a league statement said Tuesday that the NFL said the suit was “without merit.” “Racism and any form of discrimination is contrary to the NFL’s values,” Goodell wrote. “We have made significant efforts to promote diversity and adopted numerous policies and programs which have produced positive change in many areas, however we must acknowledge that particularly with respect to head coaches the results have been unacceptable.” After the January firings of Flores and David Culley with the Houston Texans, the NFL has one Black head coach – Mike Tomin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of the nine head-coaching vacancies, five have been filled so far, all by white men. Kanye West claims Kim Kardashian accused him of ‘putting a hit out on her’ in a scathing new post as the divorced couple feud over their oldest daughter’s TikTok use and the rapper having once been barred from his younger child’s birthday party. West, 44, has been lashing out at Kardashian’s parenting tactics for weeks, most recently criticizing her for allowing daughter North, eight, to use TikTok without his permission. The Grammy-winning musician – who has an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion by Forbes estimates – rehashed old family drama on Instagram in an all-caps rant. He reiterated claims he was barred from attending his younger daughter Chicago’s fourth birthday party. accused of stealing, and forced to take a drug test. In his latest Instagram tirade, he claimed Kardashian – worth $1.4 billion – accused him of planning a ‘hit’ on her. ‘These ideas can actually get someone locked up,’ West said. ‘They play like that with black mens’ lives weather [sic] it’s getting them free or getting them locked up. I’m not playing about my black children anymore.’ The couple called it quits last February although West refused to let go of the relationship, claiming God would bring them back together after his curvaceous reality star ex moved on last November with comedian Pete Davidson. Lata Mangeshkar, one of India’s best known cultural icons and a singer who defined music for generations of her countrymen, died on Sunday and was given a state funeral as politicians and personalities united in mourning. Mangeshkar, 92, made her name in the world of Bollywood and her voice has rung out on television sets, on crackly airwaves and from movie theatres for most of independent India’s three quarters of a century, earning her the name “the Nightingale”. “I am anguished beyond words,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter. “She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled.” Modi joined mourners at a packed open air state funeral late on Sunday after her body, wrapped in the Indian flag, had been paraded through the streets of her home city Mumbai on a truck decorated with flowers. Thousands of people gathered round Shivaji Park, where she was cremated, climbing walls and trees to get a glimpse of the proceedings and pay their own respects however they could, despite police erecting barricades and restricting public entry. When Jamhal Johnson started Moor’s Brewing last year, he joined a very small club — less than 1% of breweries are Black-owned, according to a 2020 study by the Brewers Association. “It’s very hard, right? When you don’t see anyone that looks like you … I think you kind of get discouraged,” said Johnson, co-owner of Moor’s Brewing. “We’re looking to be more diverse and bring more people into the space and grow the space, not just here in Chicago, but nationwide.” Johnson launched his brewery on June 19, 2021 — Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The brand has already seen a good amount of success: It is available in 130 retail locations, including Jewel Osco, and is sold in Wintrust Arena. Upon entering her final semester of high school, 17-year-old Imunique Triplett decided that would take her another step closer into the professional world—she earned a nursing degree before graduating high school! The Milwaukee teen is one of the first to complete the M-Cubed College Connections program, where she earned her nursing degree in December. The program is an innovative dual-enrollment initiative of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) that “allows eligible students to complete their high school graduation requirements while earning college credits from both MATC and UWM at no expense to the student.” The nursing track Triplett completed only reserved 36 spots out of generally 150 applicants. Students receive MCAT training and can earn their state certification as a nursing assistant (CNA) and possibly their license as a practical nurse (LPN). Recent reports show that 82% of Milwaukee’s public school system students are considered economically disadvantaged. Out of a 77,700 student population, 54% are Black, 27% are Hispanic, 11% are white, and 7% are Asian. Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal is joining the chorus of voices opposing vaccine mandates. Speaking on his show, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” O’Neal urged people to “be safe” and make wise decisions for themselves and their families, but argued no one should be “forced” to take the therapeutic shots. “There’s some people that don’t wanna take it,” the famous athlete said. “And you shouldn’t have to be forced to take something you don’t want.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1489421001918083073 Ulta Beauty CEO Dave Kimbell said it is not enough for stores to put Black-owned brands on shelves. Instead, he said, the retailer wants to make sure those brands gain a fan following and ultimately, have staying power. “It’s one thing to arrive on our shelves, but it’s another thing to thrive,” he said. “And that’s what we want, every brand that we carry — and certainly BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] founded brands.” On Thursday, Ulta said it plans to spend $50 million on diversity and inclusion initiatives this year, including investments to ratchet up support for emerging brands. The company plans to start an accelerator program to mentor entrepreneurs of color, invest $5 million in a venture capital fund for their early stage companies and lean into marketing efforts to get their products in front of more consumers. That includes putting $3.5 million toward in-store merchandising, such as displays that grab shoppers’ attention. About $25 million of the annual spending will go toward company ads, social media campaigns and similar investments to reach beauty consumers of diverse backgrounds. Ulta plans to spend an additional $8.5 million on ads and marketing for Black-owned, led or founded brands. A daredevil driver took a significant risk to perform a 26-point turn on a narrow, cliff-edge road, and the clip has gone viral. The driver boldly performs a 26-point turn, painstakingly maneuvering on just inches of space. The beauty of the video is how he utilizes every tiny piece of road available. https://youtu.be/lsFZwxW6_JQ Freestyle Skiing – Women’s Moguls – Final 3 – Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, China – February 6, 2022. Jakara Anthony of Australia celebrates after winning gold. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez Jakara Anthony of Australia won gold in the women’s freestyle skiing moguls event on Sunday, barreling down a steep course and landing backflips to earn her country its first gold medal at the Winter Games in over a decade. Host nation China nabbed its first gold medal on Saturday as dazzling performances on snow and ice nudged the political drama that has dominated the Beijing Olympics toward the sidelines. “You can always trust China” began trending in posts on social media platform Weibo after its short track skaters won the mixed team relay, an event making its debut at the Olympics and that the country has dominated in international competition. The golden dream was almost cut short in the semi-final when the United States crossed the finish line ahead of the hosts, only to be disqualified along with the Russian Olympic Committee, after a lengthy video review. “My heart was almost jumping out of my throat!” wrote “egg’s heartbeating diary” on Weibo. Six gold medals were up for grabs on Saturday as athletes overcame pandemic obstacles to shine on the world’s stage, even as political storylines continued to swirl around the Games. The City of Minneapolis has released body camera footage showing Wednesday’s deadly encounter between a police officer and a 22-year-old man inside a downtown apartment. Public information documents released Thursday evening confirm that Officer Mark Hanneman fatally shot Amir Rahkare Locke Wednesday morning at the Balero Flats apartment building. A handgun was recovered at the scene of the shooting, police say. The weapon was loaded with with 5.7mm rounds. Locke’s relatives say he was licensed to carry a weapon. He has no criminal history in Minnesota. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEjaULV59yk Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman and Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference Thursday night after the footage was released, which quickly turned contentious. Huffman said police went to the building just before 7 a.m. as part of a St. Paul Police Department homicide investigation, in which several suspects were identified, as well as three locations in Minneapolis. Huffman said her department’s SWAT team was asked to execute warrants on three apartments within “the building on Marquette.” Huffman said both a knock and no-knock warrant were obtained so that the SWAT team could make its best assessment. She said when Officer Hanneman saw Locke holding a gun, he had to make a “split-second decision” on if there was a threat of great bodily harm or death, and to protect himself and his partners. She said his decision would ultimately be examined by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office when it gets the case. https://youtu.be/Hqo6BRy-Qtg William Marcus “Marc” Wilson finally caught a break in his case. For months Wilson’s attorneys have been trying to get a new judge assigned to the case, alleging issues with bias and prejudice. A decision early Friday afternoon requires the judge overseeing the case to recuse himself. Senior Judge Michael L. Karpf issued a seven-page order for Wilson’s case to be rescheduled according to the usual procedures of the local court. While Karpf’s ruling did not make a finding of bias or inappropriate conduct on behalf of Judge Michael T. Muldrew, he found that there could be an appearance of bias against Wilson or his attorneys. “While the court does not ascribe actual bias or prejudice by the trial judge against defendant or his counsel, the series of events outlined above do create such an appearance,” wrote Karpf. The senior judge recounted the incident that gave rise to the request for recusal. He noted the prosecutor handed a notebook with evidence to Muldrew that had never been given to the defense team during the discovery process. The notebook was handed back to the defense by mistake prompting attorney Francys Johnson to request the clerk take possession of the notebook to “preserve a chain of custody.” Johnson was found in contempt and detained. During a conversation with Johnson’s co-counsel, both Black attorneys, Muldrew claimed that he had several lawyers express “concern about the quality of representation afforded to defendant.” Solano County (CA) District Attorney Krishna Abrams explains why she refused to investigate the fatal Vallejo (CA) police shootings of Sean Monterrosa, Willie McCoy. A local District Attorney who refused to investigate two fatal shootings by police is running for another term. Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams answered all of I-Team reporter Melanie Woodrow’s questions in a one-on-one interview. “It was clearly an execution,” said Kori McCoy referring to the body-worn camera video of the Vallejo police shooting that killed his brother, Willie McCoy. It’s some of the last images Kori has of his brother Willie. On February 9, 2019, six Vallejo police officers shot Willie McCoy more than 50 times at a Taco Bell drive-thru. “I am so hurt by the fact that he will not ever have that chance to complete his life and see what he could have become,” said McCoy. https://youtu.be/eZiu50AtuQE Comedian and Spotify’s premier podcaster Joe Rogan responded to an old clip that resurfaced from his podcast in which he used the N-word over 20 times, apologizing and calling it ‘the most regretful and shameful thing I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.’ Rogan, 54, has been under fire in recent weeks from progressives and others in favor of canceling the Joe Rogan Experience host’s $100million deal with the world’s most popular streaming service for what’s been called misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Singer/musician India Arie has also pulled her music from Spotify and Joe Rogan is partly to blame, again. Other music artists who have removed their music from the streaming service include Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Joe Rogan has made “Covid misinformation” statements, but that is not the main reason India is backing out. It has to do with Rogan’s “language around race.” Comedian Stewart Lee has said he also asked Spotify to remove his material. Spotify had hosted recordings of some of his stand-up routines. Neil was the first to pull out after Spotify paid Rogan $100 million in 2020 to his popular podcast laced with misinformation. “Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walkthrough,” wrote India. “I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons OTHER than his Covid interviews. For me, it’s also his language around race.” The temperature was turned up further when Grammy-winning R&B singer India Arie posted the problematic clips Friday afternoon, while explaining why she decided to part ways with the world’s most popular streaming service and calling for her followers to ‘delete Spotify,’ using the hashtag. ‘Hey ya’ll,’ the 46-year-old singer says in the first of a series of stories posted to her Instagram account. ‘I’m going to leave a short message here about why I decided to ask my music be pulled off of Spotify. ‘Check this out,’ Arie adds, before relaying a barrage of more than 20 clips of the longtime UFC commentator using the slur on his podcast – which then were posted to YouTube before Rogan signed with Spotify in 2020 – over the years, on several separate occasions, to her nearly 1 million followers. Rogan, in an Instagram video posted early Saturday, responded to the resurfaced clip by admitting ‘it looks f***ing horrible. Even to me.’ https://youtu.be/H9tRqUWssCg Venue Church Lead Pastor Tavner Smith denied having an affair or being “sexually involved” with a married church employee but acknowledged the two had kissed and planned to pursue a relationship after both finished divorce proceedings. The statements from the Chattanooga megachurch pastor came during a Dec. 17 meeting with more than 100 church volunteers just hours after nearly all staff quit citing a years-long alleged affair. Audio of the meeting, obtained by the Times Free Press, provides the first opportunity to hear Smith’s perspective as the church has declined interview requests and the pastor has been on sabbatical since Jan. 5. Smith says on the audio that the church’s board of directors quit over the alleged affair, and he acknowledged he paid for counseling, vehicles and vacations for people connected to the church without notifying church staff. The megachurch on Lee Highway, which was once among the fastest-growing churches in the nation, has been in crisis since mid-December. In the weeks since, the ministry has struggled to attract worshippers. Former members described to the Times Free Press an organizational culture focused on growth and money with little patience for dissenting views. During the Dec. 17 meeting, multiple volunteers said they were misled by the church or lied to as rumors of the alleged affair circulated for years. Smith apologized for not having been fully transparent with people in the past two years. https://soundcloud.com/user-883485745/question-to-tavner-smith-about Not enough food. Inedible meals. No training equipment. Some Olympic athletes unlucky enough to test positive for the coronavirus at the Beijing Olympics feel their quarantine conditions are making a bad situation much worse. “My stomach hurts, I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day. I’m very tired,” Russian biathlon competitor Valeria Vasnetsova posted on Instagram from one of Beijing’s so-called quarantine hotels. Her problem wasn’t with any symptoms of the virus. It was the food. Vasnetsova posted a picture Thursday of what she said was “breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days already” — a tray with food including plain pasta, an orange sauce, charred meat on a bone, a few potatoes and no greens. She said she mostly survived on a few pieces of pasta because it was “impossible” to eat the rest, “but today I ate all the fat they serve instead of meat because I was very hungry.” She added she lost a lot of weight and “my bones are already sticking out.” The quarantine hotels are increasingly the target of criticism from athletes and their teams, who are lobbying organizers for improvements. There’s a lack of transparency, too, with only some virus-positive athletes forced into quarantine hotels where their teams don’t have access, while teammates in similar situations are allowed to isolate within the Olympic village. The rules for athletes who test positive say those without symptoms go to a dedicated hotel for isolation. Anyone who has COVID-19 with symptoms will go to a hospital. In both cases, they’ll be unable to compete until cleared for discharge. A trend which involves people mourning the loss of a loved one by rapping, dancing and even pulling pranks at funerals and then uploading the videos to TikTok has sparked debate. While TikTok’s about grief are nothing new, with the #grief page filled with videos of people sharing stories of loved ones or reading poetry, things took an odd turn in 2020 when people began sharing clips from funerals. The trend erupted in popularity last September when Trinity Wright, 21, filmed herself and her 12-year-old sister rapping Soulja Boy’s ‘Rick & Morty’ meme song in front of their mother, Michelle Wright’s open casket after she died of COVID-19. ‘Day one of singing ‘Rick & Morty’ to our mom until she comes back from the d3@d,’ the onscreen caption on the viral video read. While Wright and others have said the moment served as a therapeutic way to laugh while coping with grief, others said it was crossing the line at what is appropriate. ‘If this is real, it’s really inappropriate. I hope this whole thing is a joke,’ one TikTok user wrote. Another one added: ‘This is wrong – really wrong.’ And another said: ‘ I don’t get what people find funny with this its just too far.’ Rescue teams have today confirmed they finally reached a five-year-old Moroccan boy who has been trapped more than 100ft underground for four days. Rayan Awram fell into a 32-metre (105ft) shaft outside his home in Ighran village, in the northern province of Chefchaouen, on Tuesday evening – sparking a rescue mission which has captivated the North African nation. The world watched on with bated breath as fears persisted that the cave could collapse at any moment. Medical teams were on standby after rescue crews finally reached the ‘motionless’ boy 96 hours after he became trapped on Tuesday. Moroccan media have reported that resuscitation specialists have entered the tunnel alongside rescue crews, fueling fears that the five-year-old requires potentially life-saving medical care. Experts have warned that it is ‘impossible’ to confirm if the youngster was still alive, having fallen into the well five days ago, as the rescue team finally reached the stranded boy on Saturday afternoon. Rayan’s condition remains unknown at present, but it is understood he will be rushed to hospital for urgent checks. Oxygen and water had been given to the child, but it is not known if he was able to use them. Onlookers applauded, sang religious songs and prayed. At one stage, they chanted in unison ‘Allahu akbar’ or ‘God is greatest’ as rescuers prepared to finally enter the cave. Spider-Man: No Way Home passed the $1 billion mark at the international box office over the weekend, as the Sony/Marvel film has made more than $1.74 billion at the global box office. The blockbuster is the 10th film in history to achieve the milestone, Deadline reported, after taking in $21.1 million over the weekend in global markets. The superhero movie is the sixth-highest grossing film all-time on a global level, and has not yet received a release date in China, making its international totals more impressive. The film, which stars Tom Holland and is directed by Jon Watts, took in $11 million in domestic totals in its seventh week of release, bringing its total domestic intake up to $735.9 million, according to the outlet. Spider-Man: No Way Home, which has been the top-earning movie for six of its past seven weekends, is moving toward Avatar’s mark of $760 million at the domestic box office, which is the third-highest domestic grossing film of all-time. The film prevailed in a sluggish weekend at the domestic box office due to a blizzard in the Northeast and surging numbers of the coronavirus omicron variant. Scream came in second with $7.4 million, while Sing 2 finished in third with $4.8 million. Redeeming Love made $1.9 million for fourth place, and The King’s Man took in $1.8 million for fifth place. Rounding out the top 10 included The 355 ($1.4 million), American Underdog ($1.2 million), Ghostbusters: Afterlife ($770,000), Licorice Pizza ($691,000) and West Side Story ($614,000). Movies slated to hit theaters next week include comedy Jackass Forever and the Halle Berry action film Moonfall. Other tentpole films slated for release later in the year include Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick. Issa Rae is giving fans a chance for a romantic stay at her South Los Angeles home over Valentine’s Day weekend. Teaming up with Airbnb, the “Insecure” and “Awkward Black Girl” star and creator even curated an itinerary for the lucky guests. Booking will open on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. EST for one stay at $56 a night from Saturday, Feb. 12, to Valentine’s Day on Monday, Feb. 14. The actor, writer, and producer, 37, revealed that the idea was to spotlight LA’s black culture, referring to herself as a “proud South LA native.” “I’m inviting guests to spend a weekend in my hometown to experience the culture, businesses and communities that influence my storytelling on screen,” Rae said in the Airbnb listing. “I can’t wait to show guests all the things that make black LA so special firsthand.” “The streets, sights and sounds of my hometown have long been a main character in my creative work. You may have heard that I’m rooting for everybody black — and this mission is inspired by my LA community. During this epic weekend, I hope you come to appreciate my community’s rich history and its many contributions to LA,” Rae continued. Candace Cameron Bure admitted she and her former “Full House” co-star Bob Saget had a trivial argument in their last text messages just two weeks before his sudden death. “We were going to have dinner. And we got into a little tiff. And his flight was delayed. We ended up not having dinner,” Cameron Bure, 45, emotionally said on the “Today” show Thursday. “But in Bob fashion, the next day he wrote me, like, what would be pages long of a text. And he was apologizing, saying he was cranky and he was just so sorry.” Saget then compared himself to his beloved mother, Dolly, who died in 2014. “He said, ‘Oh, now I feel even worse. I was so wrong. You’re, like, my favorite person on the Earth and I acted like Dolly. I was getting ready to take a late flight, and I was annoyed,’” Cameron Bure said of the actor. “Bob went on and on and on in the text. And he said at the end, ‘I love you more for the trouble you’re giving me, if that’s even possible.’” The actress began to choke up as she recalled texting Saget that she loved him. “I wrote back … ‘I could never be mad at you. Roll my eyes at you? Yes. But never mad,’” she shared, adding that she then told the actor, “‘And I love that [you’re being like] Dolly. That made me laugh out loud. I loved your mom.’” Saget replied, “I love you. My mom loved you too.” Dr. Malika Mitchell-Stewart, who began working at the Valley Oaks Medical Group in Houston, said she tried depositing her first paycheck of $16,000 at the bank, only to be met with skepticism as employees questioned the validity of her check and her job. According to the lawsuit filed against the bank and two employees, Mitchell-Stewart was ‘immediately treated like a criminal’ when she walked into the First Colony Branch in Sugar Land, Texas. ‘It was an unfortunate situation. They took my special moment away,’ Mitchell-Stewart told ABC 13. ‘I felt like a criminal. I’ve never done anything wrong.’ JPMorgan Chase has apologized for the incident and said they will be conducting an investigation on the incident. Eric Adams issued an apology Friday for a boast he made years ago about his time as a New York City cop. A video shows Adams speaking to a 2019 Harlem Business Association meeting, saying, “Every day in the police department, I kicked those crackers’ ass.” Adams said in a press conference Friday that the question he was answering had used the word and he echoed it in response. “But clearly, it’s a comment that should not be used and I apologize not only to those who heard it but to New Yorkers because they should expect more from me and that was inappropriate,” he said. The head of the Police Benevolent Association, the NYPD’s union, said, “Whenever a controversial video of a police officer surfaces online, we ask for fairness instead of a rush to outrage.” https://youtu.be/VKVKrMJBryU It’s been nearly three years since Ronald Greene died in Louisiana State Police custody, and the agency has not fired anyone for his death or the subsequent cover-up. But the organization did fire the trooper who blew the whistle on it. Trooper Carl Cavalier formally appealed his termination Tuesday, 24 hours after State Police fired him. Last June, Cavalier sat down with the WBRZ Investigative Unit to talk about what was going on at his place of employment. During the interview, Cavalier brought a portion of Trooper Albert Paxton’s notes which detailed a cover-up tied to the death of Ronald Greene. Greene led troopers on a high-speed chase through the Monroe area before he was stopped. When he exited his vehicle, he was alive and apologizing. That’s when body camera videos, which leaked two years after his death, show he was brutally beaten. Cavalier was fired Monday. State Police cited the WBRZ interview, his lack of “loyalty” to the department, making public statements and dissemination of information. “The message it sends is you can kill somebody, right, commit horrific acts—what the governor calls criminal acts—nothing will happen to you,” Attorney Jill Craft said. “But, the guy who says the emperor has no clothes… you’re fired.” Tuesday, Governor John Bel Edwards held a news conference distancing himself from the Greene case. During that news conference he said he had nothing to do with the cover-up. As a teenager growing up in Little Rock, Ark., Laquanda “Faye” Jacobs worked at Burger King, sang in the church choir and looked forward to college and a career beyond. But as the youngest in a blended family with 12 kids, one dream ranked above all others — to have a baby of her own one day. It’s a dream she birthed as a girl combing her Barbie doll’s hair. “It’s something I’ve always wanted,” she says. “I couldn’t wait to get older to have someone to love me, someone I can love and call my own. That’s what motherhood is for me.” That dream was suddenly shattered when Jacobs, at 16, was arrested and later convicted for a crime that she and others insist she did not commit: the 1992 shooting murder of a former elementary school classmate, 17-year-old Kevin Gaddy. Her nightmare began on Feb. 9, 1992, when Jacobs was driving with her mother near 29th and Jefferson streets in Little Rock and they stopped to check out a commotion. On the spot an officer asked Jacobs her name, then handcuffed her and took her to the police station. A test for gun residue on her hands was negative. But nine days later she was charged with killing Gaddy, allegedly because she wanted his Chicago Bulls jacket. “I couldn’t believe it,” Jacobs tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. Timberland is launching a new “From the Root” campaign for Black History Month to celebrate Black creatives. The campaign is focused on cultural unity and connections with nature as they bring together a collection of designers, craftsmen and storytellers to celebrate the month and amplify Black voices, per Timberland’s press release. To continue Timberland’s initiative for strong community building, this campaign will create an inclusive environment for Black creatives and entrepreneurs. Timberland says he aims to show the ways Black culture and style have influenced the brand and honor our contributions. “Timberland has an evergreen connection with Hip Hop and Black culture. From the craftsmanship, the design and the rugged individualism and spirit of adventure; the streets adopted this brand early and never looked back. Timberland understands the invaluable nature of this organic relationship,” said Chief Creative and Executive Director Dabo Che. Innovation has always been a natural gift for young Black minds. Opportunity on the other hand has always been more of a struggle to obtain. This is where the Propel Center, a new learning center created for HBCU students, will help fill the gap. The 50,000 square foot center based in the Atlanta University Center Consortium will assist Black students attending HBCUs by allowing them to gain key skills through innovation and professional teaching both virtually and in person. The Center was funded largely by $25 million investments from Apple and Southern Company and will look to expand its reach to other HBCUs in the future. The organization focuses on programs that give HBCU students the resources and inspiration to accomplish major feats in their respective industries. NewsOne spoke exclusively with new Propel Center CEO, Gene Wade, who has been a leader in education and social entrepreneurship for 25 years. He believes the Propel Center can play a significant role in providing students at HBCUs a chance to bridge the opportunity gap. A University of Alabama building named for a former governor who led the Ku Klux Klan a century ago will also bear the name of the first Black person to attend the school, trustees decided. Graves Hall, an academic building named for two-term Gov. Bibb Graves, a progressive who also was Grand Cyclops of the KKK before leaving the group in the late 1920s, will become Lucy-Graves Hall to recognize Autherine Lucy Foster, who in 1956 became the first Black person to enroll at Alabama. She briefly attended classes in Graves Hall but was expelled three days later after her presence brought protests and threats against her life. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university, where she had returned and earned a masters degree in education in 1992. Trustees voted to approve the change during a meeting Thursday, news outlets reported. Now 92, Foster expressed thanks for the honor. “I am so grateful to all who think that this naming opportunity has the potential to motivate and encourage others to embrace the importance of education, and to have the courage to commit to things that seek to make a difference in the lives of others,” her statement said. The student newspaper, The Crimson White, published an editorial saying Graves’ name doesn’t belong on the building beside Lucy’s, given his association with the violent, racist organization. A’Ziah King, the inspiration behind the successful 2020 film “Zola,” is not taking it lying down after A24 failed to invite her to this year’s Independent Spirit Awards for the film. A24 is the production company behind the film based on King’s series of viral tweets she posted on Twitter in 2015. The film has scored several nominations in this year’s awards show. The awards show is put together by an organization called Film Independent. King is disappointed and furious, judging by her latest Twitter thread. On Sunday, Jan. 30, she retweeted a Twitter post by Film Independent with a stern comment: “I think it’s hilarious ‘Zola’ is up for 7 awards and no one thought to invite me nor include me IN the writers award category. As if there would’ve been a film or a script to write if I didn’t um… write it?” https://youtu.be/wogwo8aqTfU While promoting her new film “God’s Country,” actress Thandie Newton apologized to dark-skin Black women for not representing them. As reported by Sky News, Newton said her role in the film allowed her to heal as a black woman. “God’s Country” was adapted from a short story by James Lee Burke – but the lead character has been switched from an older white man into a Black woman. Per the report, Newton plays a grieving professor who confronts two white hunters on her property. She was hesitant to take on the role because of colorism issues — believing she wasn’t “dark-skinned” enough for the role. “My internalized prejudice was stopping me from feeling like I could play this role when it’s precisely that prejudice that I’ve received,” she said. https://youtu.be/ZOt9NZITdLs Comedian, radio and TV personality Rickey Smiley has inked a new deal with Reach Media and Urban One to extend his highly-popular, award-winning and long-running morning show for another five years. The Rickey Smiley Morning Show has become the most compelling, engaging and inspiring radio show, thanks to Rickey’s genuine southern appeal, playful style of comedy and commitment as a community activist. The radio show, based in downtown Atlanta, is syndicated to more than 60 cities across the country. In November 2021, he won his second National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Person of the Year. Part of the new deal includes crating The Rickey Smiley Podcast Network meant to amplify voices in the black community. It will feature storytellers, from comedians to dramatists. https://youtu.be/TYcQ1GUnrkg A 21-year-old pregnant woman died after her hair became tangled in a machine during a job interview at a #Belarus plant, causing a portion of her scalp to be pulled off.? Despite being seven weeks pregnant, #UmidaNazarova applied for a job at the #Svarmet factory in #Borisov that makes welding wire and electrodes, according to East2West News.? As she was touring the facility, her hair got caught in one of the industrial machines.? “Her hair got wrapped around her neck, and she was pulled into the mechanism,” her mother, Olga, told the news outlet. “If her scalp had not been torn off, she would have been strangled there and then by her own hair.”? Nazarova never regained consciousness after being freed from the contraption and died from her injuries.? “They took two lives; she was seven weeks pregnant. They saw she had long hair, so why didn’t they give her something to cover it?” said her father, Dmitry.? According to the Belarus Investigative Committee, a factory employee who was showing Nazarova how the equipment worked paused while making a note in a register. https://youtu.be/AiO8nvxA_18 Claressa Shields has spent years turning calamity into relative serenity. Raised in an impoverished section of Flint, Michigan, where there has been a years-long water crisis, Shields witness her mother struggle with alcohol abuse. Her father was imprisoned until she was nine, two years later introducing her to pugilism. Today, Shields, 26, is arguably the most accomplished boxer in history, male or female, as well as the Greatest Woman Of All Time (GWOAT). “T-Rex” Shields is the only American amateur boxer to earn back-to-back gold medals at the Olympic Games, doing so in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. https://youtu.be/MANd3ZLsggE VH1 today announced Love & Hip Hop: Lineage to Legacy, a special two-part event celebrating Black history and African ancestry, will premiere Monday, February 7, 2022 at 9PM ET/PT. For the first time ever, cast members from powerhouse franchises Love & Hip Hop and Black Ink Crew will come together with host Dometi Pongo (MTV News) in this thought-provoking special that will examine the harsh effects of slavery and challenging stereotypes about Black culture, while also celebrating Africa’s rich history, music, craftsmanship, style, dance and food. https://youtu.be/bjhgIAUutrQ Kanye West took to Instagram this Friday morning to ask fans for divorce advice. He shared a screenshot of his daughter North West’s TikTok video and asked: “SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST DIVORCE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT MY DAUGHTER BEING PUT ON TIK TOK AGAINST MY WILL ?” the 44-year-old captioned the image.” Kanye previously expressed his concerns with North West using the platform in an interview with Jason Lee. He said at the time, “Don’t have my daughter wearing lipstick on TikTok or don’t have her on TikTok at all, if I’m not there to approve that,” Kanye told Jason. “It was done without me knowing,” West said in reference to his oldest daughter having an account. “I feel like it’s poking the bear, trying to antagonize me or create this ‘crazy’ narrative,” Kanye said of what he believed his estranged wife was doing by allowing their daughter to have a TikTok against his wishes. “To say someone is crazy, they’re trying to take the power away and do anything to get people to not pay attention to me,” Ye said. Kim (Kardashian-West) is now responding to all of this in a statement posted to her Instagram Story. She said this Friday: “Kanye’s constant attacks on me in interviews and on social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create,” she wrote. “As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision – because it brings her happiness.” Actress #AJJohnson detailed how she celebrated her 50th birthday with a “beautiful” #threesome. The ‘House Party’ actress revealed some risqué information about her sex life during her visit to Angela Yee’s #LipService podcast. The ladies were discussing the normalization of threesomes with one woman and two men. While on the topic, Johnson shared her experience. “Honestly, I’ve only done that, two men. They traded off. They were friends, and they traded off. It was the best 50th birthday ever. It was never like them together. They were flip-flopping me, and it was like, oh my goodness. It was like doing the salsa with two guys at the same time. Just romantic and sexy and never intertwined, but at the same time, it was two.” A.J. goes on to add more details about her birthday fling. She mentions that the two guys were black men from France and spoke French during their encounter. But Johnson wasn’t out of the loop because she speaks French fluently. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZkXwTgjS2C/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again AT&T Dream in Black’s signature program, Black Future Makers, returned with the unveiling of its 2022 inductees and a month-long program highlighting their continued commitment to economic empowerment in the Black community. Now in its fourth year, this celebration recognizes future-forward Black luminaries, including powerhouse musicians John Legend and Kirk Franklin, who are shaping culture, advocating for equity and creating pathways for the next generation of Black achievers. Throughout the month, AT&T is also shining a national spotlight on emerging artists and others to help them attain their wildest dreams. Featured in video portraits inspired by Nakima’s art are 2022 honorees such as award-winning actress and author Meagan Good, musicians Tobe Nwigwe and VINCINT along with Youtuber Terrell Grice. AT&T has and will continue to reveal inspiring static and video portraits of several Black Future Makers every week in February on AT&T’s IG and att.com/dreaminblack. https://vimeo.com/671834428/f940d0184e Gospel artist Jabari Johnson is in what many would call his "winning season" after winning a Stellar Award, performing "Try Jesus" with Tobe Nwigwe at the BET Awards, and earning his first #1 record on the Billboard Gospel National Airplay Chart for "Fixed Fight." Johnson's new album ONE TOUCH will be available this Friday, February 4th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwfQy1GeL1E&feature=youtu.be Today, the NAACP and BET announced that Academy Award-nominated actor and producer Samuel L. Jackson will receive the prestigious Chairman’s Award during the “53rd NAACP Image Awards.” The Chairman's Award is bestowed in recognition of individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change. Past honorees of the Chairman's Award include the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis and Ruby Dee, Danny Glover, Rev. James Lawson, Tyler Perry, then-Senator Barack Obama, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. It was also announced that Scot X. Esdaile will receive the Activist of the Year award and Channing Hill will receive the Youth Activist of the Year award. The “53rd NAACP Image Awards,” hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards Winner Anthony Anderson, airs Saturday, February 26 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on BET. "Samuel L. Jackson is an incredibly talented actor with a remarkable career in film and theater spanning over four decades," said Leon W. Russell, chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors. "Many might not know that prior to his acting career, Jackson was a staunch activist during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, even serving as an usher at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral. His continued public service and advocacy for social change make him an excellent recipient for the Chairman’s Award.” The “53rd NAACP Image Awards,” hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards Winner Anthony Anderson, airs Saturday, February 26 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on BET. UNPLUGGED reunites Sneed with singers whose careers he has seen grow over the years and with whom he has strong relationships. "This album contains songs that were previously recorded on my earlier albums, but they were not rehearsed by this new ensemble for this UNPLUGGED project. We wanted people to just hear the raw execution of what transpired in the studio. The lyrics of this song featuring Matia Celeste Washington, speak directly to what so many people have found to be true over the past 2 years." https://www.dropbox.com/s/yvahjh4b08cwn37/Jehovah%20God%2C%20You%20Are%20My%20All%20%28Radio%20Edit%29.mp3?dl=0 James Johnson is an award winning singer and songwriter and AGREE is the song that makes a statement on believing in the power of God in spite of the odds. James delivers a powerful Gospel message based on his own life experiences to encourage and uplift the hearts and minds of people everywhere to trust God and AGREE with what the Word of God has already said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYQXJvjp7e4 Reeling from the death of her beloved father and a difficult breakup, Monica (Raven Goodwin), is ready to move forward with her life as she tries to land the new hosting job for an afternoon talk show. When she hires a new assistant, Simone (Amber Riley), the two quickly become close friends as Simone moves in next door and completely immerses herself in Monica’s life. But underneath her sweet exterior, Simone harbors a dark secret and as time goes on cracks in her façade begin to appear. Monica decides to sever ties once and for all with Simone, but Simone has other plans and is determined to take over Monica’s life for good. K. Michelle also stars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvmb4bf2M9c Recording Artist Andrea Rene Williams To Perform Black National Anthem! 17-year-old New York based R&B Singer-Songwriter and Street Dancer, Asha Maclean, recently released her debut single “Serial F Boy” at the end of 2021. This debut single/music video is getting a taste of success as it has been added in rotation at MTV’s Spankin’ New Channels, MTVu, and is spiking up the BET SOUL Chart. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE93TYiW5rAIisISrubmLUA Fox News host Harris Faulkner clashed with political commentator/former reality star Wendy Osefo over President Joe Biden’s pick to fill the forthcoming Supreme Court vacancy, and whether his choice could make or break his political future. Osefo joined Faulkner on Wednesday for a conversation about Biden’s first-year performance in office. At one point, the conversation turned to the president’s pledge to nominate an African American woman as Justice Stephen Breyer’s successor. “Let me be clear on this because people have stated a black woman ‘Well we need someone that’s qualified,’” Osefo said. “Being a black and a woman and being qualified, those [three] things are not mutually exclusive.” Faulkner interjected to challenge her stance. https://youtu.be/i6qri9bDXJE Spike Lee will direct a documentary about Colin Kaepernick that will air across multiple nights on EPSN. The multi-part documentary features extensive interviews with the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and never-before-seen footage from Kaepernick’s archive to provide “a full, first-person account of his journey.” No title or release date for the docuseries has been announced, ESPN reports. Meanwhile, Kaepernick was heckled by a hater while on his way out of Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. As reported by TMZ, the ex-QB was called “bum,” with the troll adding “You could never throw a football.” “Get in that car,” the heckler added. Kaepernick never acknowledges the man as he walks to a waiting car. https://youtu.be/kJEnOXz5V7Y A man has been arrested after his two-day-old daughter went missing and her mother was shot to death in Memphis.? Wednesday Memphis police said Brandon Isabelle admitted to taking two-day-old Kennedy Hoyle out of her mother Danielle Holye’s car, driving to a Tennessee boat ramp, and tossing the baby into the water. He then threw the gun he used to shoot Danielle into the #MississippiRiver and Wolf River Delta.? According to police, Isabelle is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder in the perpetration of aggravated kidnapping and tampering/fabricating evidence.? https://youtu.be/fsQ5wW-pezM Two former pastors at the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in California are facing up to 20 years in prison for allegedly defrauding churches across the state out of $14 million. Sheila Quintana, 67, and Staccato Powell, 62, who were leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion), were arrested and indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges, the Los Angeles Times reports. The duo is accused of securing the loans under false pretenses, and using the funds for personal expenses, authorities said Tuesday. Powell and Quintana each face two counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of California. Powell also faces one count of mail fraud. Authorities claim Quintana and Powell allegedly falsified bank statements to scam the federal government out of $14 million. The scheme reportedly unraveled in 2019 when the loans on the churches began to default, per the report. The More Than a Fraction Foundation (MTAFF) announces an $8,000 grant from Virginia Humanities for its Merry Tree Memorial heritage program, currently titled “1872 Forward: Celebrating Virginia Tech” by Virginia Tech. The three-day event happening on March 24-26, 2022 at Virginia Tech (VT) celebrates 150 years of Virginia Tech history. Program activities include the “1872 Forward: A Cultural Arts Celebration” on Friday, March 25th at 8pmEST (Moss Arts Center) and on Saturday, March 26th tours of Historic Smithfield and the Solitude house as well presentations on “Contested Spaces: A Tri-Racial Conversation.” These programs are funded in part by this grant from Virginia Humanities. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia on the campus of the University of Virginia, Virginia Humanities is a state humanities council that aims to share the stories of Virginians and find ways for people to share their own stories. This focus is to connect Virginians with their history and culture. Virginia Humanities seek to help Virginians to know each other a little better. Virginia Humanities funding partners are the University of Virginia and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Last week, Actor Anthony Mackie and Kainon Jasper Co-Founders of Brew Brothers, LLC announced their commitment to investing in Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. – 1st Black-Owned craft beer brand in Inglewood, CA. The announcement came during the Crowns & Hops Investor Event held at The Miracle Theatre in Inglewood, CA. In August, Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. invited the community to own equity in the brand, and to date, they have over 980+ investors and raised over $700k towards their $1M goal. During the event, they were able to raise over $15k within only a few hours. On Jan 17th their equity raise will be closing, so time is running out to own equity in this historic brand. Crowns & Hops is on track to becoming one of the 1st Black-Owned, Female-Owned, and Veteran-Owned breweries to raise $1M dollars via equity crowdfunding. Twenty years ago on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there was one black head coach in the National Football League, Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin. Tony Dungy in Tampa and Dennis Green in Minnesota had been fired earlier that January. This year on MLK Day, the NFL had just one black head coach, Tomlin. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who had been fired in January, filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan Feb. 1, charging the Dolphins, Giants, Broncos and the NFL with discrimination against black head coaches and executives. This comes despite the league’s Rooney Rule, which was implemented in 2003. Crafted by civil rights attorney Cyrus Mehri along with the late Johnny Cochran, the Rooney Rule requires NFL organizations to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching vacancies. The rule is named after Dan Rooney, the former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers who pushed the adoption of the initiative in 2002. In honor of Black History Month, Madame Tussauds is spotlighting incredible icons and their contributions across entertainment, social justice and culture. The star-studded ensemble includes Angela Bassett, Beyonce, Billie Holiday, Jennifer Hudson, Maya Angelou and Serena Williams, among others. These figures will be on display at multiple Madame Tussauds locations across the country for consumers to enjoy and appreciate throughout the month. Madame Tussauds wax figures represent some of the most beloved and respected personalities within the Black community, ranging from actors and musicians to athletes and activists. Madame Tussauds strives to acknowledge those who have impacted society by celebrating their talents, efforts and achievements. Gospel singer Kierra Sheard-Kelly doesn’t allow her female friends to spend the night at her home so that her husband isn’t tempted to have sex with them. “My momma has already told me don’t have too many people around your house … I don’t care how good you trust them or whatever it is, I’m very mindful and careful. I would buy a friend a hotel room before I let them stay at my house,” she tells Page Six. Per the report, Sheard married landscaper Jordan Kelly in 2020, and she wants all her female pals to know that she’s not “sharing” him. “Am I supposed to let them into my home? Because we as believers, we believe that what we have we are supposed to share with others, but I’m not sharing my man,” she told Page Six. “Since I’m not sharing my man, I have to be cautious with everything else that I share as far as with him being there too.” “I think it’s such a thing as boundaries. Some friends don’t know that balance and can’t understand the balance,” she added. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZN8kmcpWRI/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a899cff8-76b1-40e7-9ca7-24e621c53d00 The newest and third installment of WE tv’s “Love After Lockup/Life After Lockup” franchise, “Love During Lockup,” returns with another new episode TONIGHT (2/4), and we have an exclusive clip of what fans can expect! The news season has kicked off and follows even more riveting firsts through the early stages of love, with plenty of romance, suspicion, and investigation, all long before a scheduled prison release. https://youtu.be/POQgeSy0lFE A #UK woman is speaking out after a horrific encounter she said she experienced after joining the metaverse. The #metaverse refers to 3D virtual worlds which simulate real life.? #NinaJanePatel, who serves as vice president of Metaverse Research at an immersive technology firm said she was sexually harassed and “virtually gang-raped” by other users in the virtual game Horizon Worlds developed by Meta, formerly known as Facebook.? “Within 60 seconds of joining,” she wrote in a Medium blog post, “I was verbally and sexually harassed by 3-4 male avatars, with male voices, essentially, but virtually gang-raped my avatar and took photos.”? The woman then described how she witnessed her avatar being assaulted by a group of male avatars who then sent her messages like “don’t pretend you didn’t love it.”? “A horrible experience that happened so fast and before I could even think about putting the safety barrier in place. I froze, ” she added. “It was surreal. It was a nightmare,” she said.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CZhFJttsVHi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Sean Penn appears to not be too fond of men wearing dresses. “There has been an absence of male behavior,” Penn, 61, said in an interview with British outlet iNews. “I don’t think that being a brute or having insensitivity or disrespect for women [has] anything to do with masculinity, or ever did. But I don’t think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them.” Speaking to the Independent about the same topic, Penn blamed “feminization” for men with “cowardly genes.” “I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminized,” he explained. “I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them. There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt.” https://youtu.be/zvkQ8xGDLqc ”Friday” star Anthony Johnson is getting a new tombstone on his grave … and it comes four months after his death in September. The guy who honored Eazy-E and Nate Dogg with grave markers designed Johnson’s new tombstone in honor of what would have been the actor’s 56th birthday on Feb. 1. In a statement, Johnson’s rep said, “Our BH Talent family is saddened about the loss of an amazing iconic legend in comedy, our client and friend Anthony “AJ” Johnson.” The rep added … “We are praying for all those that were touched by his comedy, acting, but most of all his life. We are especially praying for his beloved Wife, Children, Siblings and Manager.” https://youtu.be/gt6rQAzkEto A Wichita Falls woman arrested by Burkburnett police Tuesday was wanted for a death last November police say was caused by her sitting on another woman until she suffocated. According to an obituary from November 2021, the deceased woman, Gloria Farmer, was the mother of the suspect, Gloria Jordan. Gloria Jordan is jailed on a $150,000 bond on a manslaughter charge. The arrest affidavit states that on Nov. 21, 2021, police went to 1811 Las Cruces to investigate a death. It was initially handled as an apparent medical death. However, a few days later a family friend of the victim, Gloria Farmer, raised concerns, and a follow-up investigation was initiated. Police contacted the justice of the peace and an autopsy was ordered. Police interviewed the only other person who was in the home at the time of Farmer’s death other than Jordan. They say she told them she did not tell officers she suspected Jordan caused Farmer’s death that day because she was afraid of Jordan. She told officers that Jordan had been praying, and put her hand on Farmer’s forehead and pushed her back into a chair until the chair and Farmer fell over. She said Jordan then straddled Farmer’s body and sat on her chest while Farmer was yelling for her to get off because she couldn’t breathe. https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/police-wichita-falls-woman-dies-after-roommate-sits-on-her-to-pray-over-her/ The leaders of Russia and China pushed back against U.S. pressure on Friday, declaring their opposition to any expansion of NATO and affirming that the island of Taiwan is a part of China, as they met hours before the Winter Olympics kicked off in Beijing. Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping issued a joint statement highlighting what they called “interference in the internal affairs” of other states, as both leaders face criticism from Washington over their foreign and domestic policies. “Some forces representing a minority on the world stage continue to advocate unilateral approaches to resolving international problems and resort to military policy,” it read, in a thinly veiled reference to the U.S. and its allies. The two leaders are looking to project themselves as a counterweight to the U.S.-led bloc, as China shows growing support for Moscow in its dispute with Ukraine that threatens to break out into armed conflict. China and Russia are committed to “deepening back-to-back strategic cooperation,” Xi was quoted as telling Putin. “This is a strategic decision that has far-reaching influence on China, Russia and the world,” Xi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. A prominent German archbishop advocated loosening celibacy rules for Catholic priests in comments published Thursday before a meeting of a German reform assembly. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich, told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that “it would be better for everyone to create the possibility of celibate and married priests.” His comments come as his diocese has been shaken by an independent report on the church’s handling of sexual abuse cases over decades, which faulted Marx and predecessors including retired Pope Benedict XVI. Marx, a prominent reformist ally of Pope Francis, said last week that the church needs deep reform to overcome the “disaster” of sexual abuse. “For some priests, it would be better if they were married — not just for sexual reasons, but because it would be better for their life and they wouldn’t be lonely,” he said in the newspaper interview. “We must hold this discussion.” He insisted that celibacy won’t be scrapped altogether, but said he sees a “question mark” over “whether it should be taken as a basic precondition for every priest.” A 22-year-old man who was shot and killed in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday afternoon has been identified by police as Tahjay Dobson, a rising star in the Brooklyn hip-hop scene who goes by the stage name TDott Woo. Dobson was shot in the head outside his home on Avenue L in Canarsie, a residential area in Brooklyn, police told ABC News. EMS was rushed to the scene and he was transported to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The NYPD is investigating and no arrests have been made as of Thursday afternoon, police said. The up-and-coming rapper was friends with Pop Smoke, the late Brooklyn hip-hop star who was shot and killed on Feb. 19, 2020. Dobson was killed hours after signing a record deal with Million Dollar Records, which was announced on the record label’s Instagram stories earlier this week, according to a Complex report. The label confirmed Dobson’s death and shared a tribute to him on its official Instagram page, along with photos of the rapper. “It’s an honor to remain your friend until your last moments. Your memories will always stay with us no matter where we go & what we do Sleep in peace. #LongLiveTdott,” the message said. “Just know his legacy will always live, from his laugh to the dance everyone across the world does, some of us know him a friend, brother, cousin or just a fan but we all come together to tell you FLY HIGH.” The Library of Congress announced that pop singer Lionel Richie will receive the national library’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He will be bestowed the prize at an all-star tribute in Washington, D.C., on March 9. PBS stations will broadcast the concert on May 17. “This is truly an honor of a lifetime, and I am so grateful to be receiving the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song,” Richie said in a statement. “I am proud to be joining all the other previous artists, who I also admire and am a fan of their music.” Lionel’s other achievements include four Grammys, an Oscar and the distinction of MusicCares Person of the Year in 2016. He was a Kennedy Center honoree in 2017. New allegations of sexual harassment emerged Thursday about Washington Commanders team owner Daniel Snyder during a congressional roundtable investigating the team’s “toxic workplace” and what some members of Congress are calling the NFL’s “cover-up.” Tiffani Johnston, a former marketing and events coordinator for the team, told a congressional committee that she was “strategically” placed next to Snyder at a work dinner “not to discuss business, but to allow him, Dan Snyder, to place his hand on my thigh under the table.” “I learned that job survival meant I should continue my conversation with another co-worker rather than call out Dan Snyder right then in the moment,” Johnston continued. “I also learned later that evening how to awkwardly laugh when Dan Snyder aggressively pushed me toward his limo with his hand on my lower back, encouraging me to ride with him to my car. I learned how to continue to say no even though a situation was getting more awkward, uncomfortable and physical. I learned that the only reason Dan Snyder removed his hand from my back and stopped pushing me toward his limo was because his attorney intervened and said ‘Dan, Dan, this is a bad idea. A very bad idea, Dan.’ I learned that I should remove myself from Dan’s grip while his attorney was distracting him.” In an emailed statement from the team, Snyder apologized again for past misconduct that took place in his organization but denied the new allegations. As one of the very first celebrities to come forward with her personal health struggles after silicone injections nearly took her life, R&B chart-topper K. Michelle will help men and women desperate to correct plastic surgery procedures and get their lives back in "My Killer Body with K. Michelle." With the number of cosmetic surgeries on the rise and an alarming number of these procedures resulting in post-surgery suffering and trauma, each episode will follow two patients who desperately need help as well as K. Michelle’s ongoing personal story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-wsCJOHIjo&feature=youtu.be Singer and Musician Robert Jones Releases Lyric Video "I Still Believe" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNz2WYJML6c Six “tech savvy” juveniles have been identified as persons of interest by the FBI in threats to historically Black colleges and universities that appear to be racially motivated. More than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats on Tuesday, the first day of Black History Month. A law enforcement official says the FBI has identified six persons of interest around the country, all juveniles, who are suspected of making the threats. The official says they appear to be “tech savvy,” using sophisticated methods to try to disguise the source of the threats, which appear to have a racist motivation. Howard University was among the first to issue a shelter-in-place order early Tuesday — just a day after the school and several other historically Black colleges and universities received similar threats. A bomb threat against the university is being investigated,” an alert from Howard University said, according to NBC Washington. “All persons on campus are advised to shelter in place until more information is available.” The emergency alert was timestamped at 3:29 a.m. Tuesday, the first day of Black History Month. An all-clear was later issued for Howard following a probe. Several “drug crew” members have been arrested for allegedly being responsible for the deadly batch of fentanyl-laced heroin that killed actor Michael K. Williams. The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the NYPD announced that they arrested four men, including one who they allege sold the drugs to Williams, who was found dead in September after overdosing on the drugs. The criminal complaint claims to have video proof of a hand-to-hand drug transaction that allegedly included the fatal batch of heroin. “Today, along with our law enforcement partners at the NYPD, we announce the arrests of members of a drug crew, including Irvin Cartagena, the man who we allege sold the deadly dose of drugs to Michael K. Williams,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that was accompanied by still shots from video footage allegedly showing Williams buying the drugs. The Valdosta County Sheriff is offering half a million dollars of his own money as a reward for information leading to the arrest in the curious death case of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson. The Valdosta County Sheriff is offering half a million dollars of his own money as a reward for information leading to the arrest in the curious death case of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson. https://youtu.be/TlbzVazQ0ls The body of a 25-year-old Houston man, who had been missing since December, was found in the trunk of his vehicle in a different Texas city, police announced. The body of Taylour Young was discovered in the trunk of his car at an impound lot in Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 19, the Houston Police Department said Monday. His corpse was found in “an advanced state of decomposition,” according to the Dallas Police Department. Young was last seen Dec. 9 driving a 2019 Silver Honda Civic, according to police. It’s not clear how his vehicle got to Dallas. The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of his death. Investigations with Dallas Police Department and Houston Police Department’s homicide division are ongoing. https://youtu.be/B3fwwjft70I Fans of Motown icons Gladys Knight and Diana Ross may not know that they had a nearly 40-year feud that didn’t end until 2005. Knight spilled the tea in a prior interview with The Insider, claiming the feud stemmed from when Gladys Knight & The Pips were signed to Motown Records. As reported by I Love Old School Music, Gladys touched on their beef in her memoir. “Knight pretty much revealed that Diana was apparently hatin’ on her voice when they went on tour together during their Motown Days,” the outlet writes. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10153630077005480 A bombshell lawsuit accuses the NFL of racism in hiring coaches — and now former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores who filed it is speaking out for the first time on CBS MORNINGS. Flores was joined by his attorneys Doug Wigdor and John Elefterakis to talk about his race discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. The NFL says the claims are “without merit” and that it is “deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices.” https://www.cbsnews.com/video/former-dolphins-head-coach-brian-flores-on-his-lawsuit-alleging-race-discrimination-at-nfl/ ”black-ish” celebrates Black History Month as seen through the lens of a Black American family. The show has presented cultural topics in a comedic way, opening up dialogue for further discussions in families and communities. Some of the casts’ favorite episodes deal with dropping ‘Black Facts’, including the episode honoring Juneteenth Here is a video recap of the cast sharing their favorite Black History moments in black-ish fashion. https://youtu.be/o4jjO4tMZ1M In an exclusive clip of this week’s episode of “Growing Up Hip Hop,” we finds Tee Tee and Shawn discussing the logistics and cost of their wedding. https://youtu.be/xUUzw096kXE Diamond ‘Baby Blue’ Smith announced on Tuesday that he plans to begin his prison sentence next week for his role in a massive COVID-19 loan scheme. “Turning myself in to the Feds on Monday, February 7th. If you wanna write me or send me anything, see info below,” Smith wrote in an Instagram post. Smith, 37, was arrested in 2020 for using coronavirus relief money to fund a luxury lifestyle, such as splurging on a $96,000 Ferrari. Smith and his co-conspirator Tonye C. Johnson were charged in a $24 million dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scam. The duo is accused of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, per Complex. https://www.instagram.com/babybluewhoaaaa/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=34d3d0a0-5b92-4d53-bf28-8001ecbabceb Rihanna has officially confirmed she is expecting her first child following reports about the singer expecting her first child. On Wednesday, Rihanna took to Instagram to share her first post about her pregnancy, writing, “how the gang pulled up to black history month,” alongside a selfie of her baby bump. https://www.instagram.com/badgalriri/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b12228d0-9942-49d0-8e1c-f60e7ddaddd8 It should surprise absolutely no one that Virginia’s first Black woman lieutenant governor and resident Republican Winsome Sears appears to be out here trying to “all lives matter” Black History Month. On the first day of BHM, Sears tweeted a video message that seemed to be very careful about making sure “all people of all colors” were comfortable instead of just recognizing the month as a celebration by, for and about Black people and our historical achievements. https://twitter.com/i/status/1488571939773943813 Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst was suffering from depression before she committed suicide on Sunday — and her mother is speaking out about her daughter’s private battle. Kryst’s mother April Simpkins says … “I have never known a pain as deep as this. I am forever changed.” https://youtu.be/BzGligbbUNs It looks like Whoopi Goldberg is not sticking around to see how the aftermath of her recent suspension plays out. According to a source, Whoopi tells her co-host that she plans to quit the show. Whoopi Goldberg is apparently “livid” after she recently was suspended from “The View” over her claim that the Holocaust was “not about race.” Whoopi feels “humiliated” at being disciplined by ABC executives after she followed their advice to apologize for the ill-conceived comments. Whoopi thinks the ABC executives played her, ”She feels ABC executives mishandled this. She followed their playbook. She went on ‘The Late Show With Steven Colbert’ and then apologized again on ‘The View’ the next day. Following Whoopi’s apology tour, ABC News president, Kim Godwin, announced her decision to suspend Goldberg for two weeks late Tuesday,she expressed to the staffers that such decisions “are never easy, but necessary.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZfFguOJDNZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=560c17a5-712c-40b0-b8f9-d6ce9767741e In recognition of Black History Month, ABC News will air two primetime specials featuring exclusive interviews, in-depth profiles, and a celebration of Black culture. “While we remain dedicated to telling the impactful and important stories around the Black community all year long, ABC News will provide special coverage throughout February to salute Black excellence,” said Kim Godwin, president of ABC News. “We will celebrate and honor Black culture across all programs and platforms, taking an in-depth look at issues past and present while spotlighting those who have overcome significant obstacles and paved the way for a better future.” ABC News’ groundbreaking “Soul of a Nation” kicked off on Tuesday, Feb. 1 with the special “Screen Queens Rising,” exploring how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood, have in recent years begun to ascend to the top echelons of entertainment and American culture. Following the airing of “Screen Queens Rising,” the special X / o n e r a t e d – The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice will discuss the men who were wrongfully accused of killing the civil rights leader. “Soul of a Nation: Screen Queens Rising” airs Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC followed by “Soul of a Nation: X / o n e r a t e d – The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice” at 9 p.m. EST. https://youtu.be/8rMK-hLm7DU Power Book II: Ghost star Method Man is featured on ESSENCE.com’s February digital cover issue! In the cover story, The Man Means Business, the iconic rapper turned actor talks about his legendary thirty years in the industry, being taken seriously, his successful transition to acting and more. Check it out. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Actor Michael Ealy was a guest on SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Clay Cane Show” to promote his new Netflix series ‘The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window,’ and opened up about his thoughts on critical race theory and Black history. https://youtu.be/ufNyT_RDr6o Since breaking the NBA’s all-time three-point record on Dec. 14, Stephen Curry had been averaging a modest 24.1 points while converting a paltry 33.6% of his threes. He kept flinging ’em (11.4 attempts) and kept missing ’em. It didn’t matter if they were contested or open. Curry blew the roof off the building on Monday night. 40 points while converting 6 of his 9 two-pointers, and 7 of his 14 (!) three-pointers. But it wasn’t just the 40, it was also the 9 assists (with a single turnover). The Warriors had a 128.2 Offensive Rating in his 38 minutes, and scored just 104.8 points per 100 possessions in the 10 minutes he sat. He was simply unguardable. And because he was unguardable, so were the Golden State Warriors. https://streamable.com/58fixe Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, is catching heat for praising how Janet Jackson’s late father, Joe Jackson, is portrayed in the singer’s new A&E documentary. Despite family reports of Janet and her famous siblings being abused by Joe during their childhood, Knowles took to social media to applaud Jackson for choosing to speak highly of her father. “The first half was dedicated to her childhood which unveiled the curtain on how much, although a strict disciplinarian, Joe Jackson loved his kids, wanted the best for them, and was an extremely smart, strategic, and effective manager, unlike the villain that mainstream media have painted,” Knowles shared in his lengthy caption. “Janet, Randy, and Tito repeatedly said “if not for Joe, we would have not had the success,” Knowles added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZXOhOEuX2h/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=89724c49-cd42-48e5-bead-584d3c318813 Brandy admits she was quick to point fingers after her friend Whitney Houston’s untimely death. “It’s natural for people to want to place blame. I placed a lot of blame on a lot of people too, when it came to Whitney,” the “Boy Is Mine” singer, 42, writes in the foreword of journalist Gerrick Kennedy’s new book, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All: In Defense of Whitney Houston,” out Tuesday. “We loved her so much and needed something or someone to attach blame to because it was so hard to accept that she was gone.” Brandy notes she ultimately realized that only Houston herself knew what it was like to walk in her shoes. “We don’t really have the right to speak on anything that she had to go through in her life,” she writes. “No one knows what she was running from. No one knows what she was trying to overcome. No one knows the costs that came with being Whitney Houston. That level of fame, that level of expectation, that level of pressure.” The “I Will Always Love You” singer died at age 48 on Feb. 11, 2012, which was Brandy’s 33rd birthday. Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) recalled feeling unwelcome by many people in her church community in the aftermath of her 2016 breakup with Justin Bieber, who is now her husband. Before the model married the “Justice” singer in 2018 (and then again in a larger 2019 wedding), they briefly dated two years prior. Both practicing Christians, the couple regularly attended religious services at the same churches. When they broke up months into their relationship in 2016, Hailey, 25, said some of the church-goers’ behavior toward her shifted. “There were a lot of people in the church world that made me feel very outcast,” she told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Tuesday. “When did church become a social club? That was such a bad feeling.” In the years before Justin, 27, and Hailey reconnected at a 2018 church conference in Miami, some of the model’s longtime friends, such as Churchome pastors Judah Smith and Chelsea Smith, stood by her side throughout the fall-out, she explained. HBO Documentary will release the documentary Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches on February 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT via HBO and HBO Max, from executive producers Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Dyllan McGee. The project is inspired by David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. Actors Nicole Beharie, Colman Domingo, Jonathan Majors, Denzel Whitaker, and Jeffrey Wright will draw from 5 of Douglass’ speeches representing different moments from the tumultuous 19th century America and the anti-slavery activist’s long and celebrated life. Contextualizing Douglass’ writings are scholars David Blight, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Sarah Lewis and Keidrick Roy, artist Bisa Butler, poet Nzadi Keita, and Douglass descendant Ken Morris who offer perspective on Douglass’ modern relevance and the unprecedented level of fame and influence to which he rose. The speeches featured in the documentary are as follows: “I Have Come To Tell You Something About Slavery” (1841) performed by Denzel Whitaker. At an anti-slavery convention, Douglass recounts his story of being raised as a slave publicly for the first time. Hulu’s Black History Month series Your Attention Please is returning for Season 3, and The Root has an exclusive look at the premiere. Beginning Feb. 1, the four episodes debut every day, with all of them available on Feb. 4. Hosted by Craig Robinson from “the secret mountain lair known as the Fortress of Blackness,” Your Attention Please “takes us on a visual journey into the lives, ideas, and purpose of a diverse group of Black innovators and creators who are leaving their mark on the world.” This clip from Episode 1 features a look at the journey of NASCAR pit crew member Brehanna Daniels. https://youtu.be/lstuEKfNAb0 Country artist Mickey Guyton will sing the National Anthem, R&B singer Jhene Aiko will perform “America the Beautiful,” and gospel act Mary Mary will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” accompanied by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, as part of the pre-game ceremonies for the Super Bowl on Feb. 13, the NFL announced on Tuesday. Also, actress Sandra Mae Frank will perform the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful in American sign language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf, and veteran DJ-producer Zedd will act as the official pregame DJ during player warmups. The choices speak to the NFL’s recent moves toward greater diversity, announced when it first teamed up with Roc Nation as an entertainment consultant in 2019. Guyton is the first Black artist to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album and has been outspoken about the racism she has encountered from some fans while working in the genre. Six-time Grammy nominee Aiko, has a diverse background that includes grandparents who are Japanese and Creole/Dominican. Mary Mary is a long-running gospel duo from Los Angeles comprised of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell. Frank plays a deaf character in the show “New Amsterdam” and is also deaf in real life. Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” cast member Meghan King revealed she is dating again after splitting from her husband, Joe Biden’s nephew, Cuffe Owens, a little over a month ago. The mom of three, 37, joined the “Two T’s In A Pod” podcast with former “Real Housewives” co-star Tamra Judge on Tuesday to discuss life after reality television and her split from Owens. “I’m going on dates and stuff,” King told Judge. “I was married, but it was such a whirlwind, and from start to finish with him was only three months, which was just stupid of me to marry him, but I did.” King said the partnership with Owens did not feel like a marriage. “It feels like a three-month dating relationship that was an abrupt start and an abrupt end,” she shared. King said her therapist has helped her along the way. “I’m talking to my therapist about it, and she’s like, ‘Meg, you’re fine. It seems like it should be serious because you put the title ‘marriage’ on it, but it wasn’t,’” King said. Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis says the kinds of sham interviews that Brian Flores details in his lawsuit against the NFL have been going on for decades. Lewis said on ESPN today that in 2002 he saw media reports that the Panthers were going to hire John Fox as their next head coach, but the Panthers convinced Lewis to come in for an interview anyway. Lewis said he firmly believes then-Panthers owner Jerry Richardson just wanted to be able to say he interviewed a Black candidate, even though Richardson told him at the time it was a real interview and he hadn’t yet made up his mind to hire Fox. “I did interview with the Carolina Panthers before John Fox got the job,” Lewis said. “I ended up going down to Charlotte to meet with the Richardson family and they said that wasn’t true and so forth, and then they named John the head coach.” The National Football League will investigate an allegation by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores that team owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him $100,000 per loss in order for the team to tank and obtain a high draft pick, a person familiar with the matter said. The explosive allegation from Flores was made in a lawsuit he filed against the NFL and three teams that alleged Black coaches, such as himself, are discriminated against in the coaching market. The league plans to review various allegations Flores made in the lawsuit, the person said. But the allegation that an NFL owner attempted to financially incentivize his coach to lose may prove to be the most problematic for the league to grapple with. If true, it would undermine the competitive integrity of a billion-dollar industry and raise legal questions involving anti-bribery laws and sports. “His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory. We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully,” Ross said in a statement through a spokesman. “I welcome that investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims.” Former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson and the head of his foundation accused the Browns of paying Jackson to lose games during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The allegation came on the heels of Brian Flores suing the NFL and three teams — the Dolphins, Broncos and Giants — alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing last month by Miami. In the lawsuit, Flores also alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to incentivize him to tank, aka purposely lose games, shortly after he was hired in 2019, with Ross allegedly offering Flores $100,000 for every loss that season. Kimberly Diemert, who is the executive director of the Hue Jackson Foundation, which works to prevent human trafficking, claimed the Browns made a similar offer to Jackson when he was the head coach in Cleveland, tweeting that “we have records that will help” Flores’ case. Diemert said in a phone interview with ESPN that their proof is “well documented” and previously had been “presented to the league.” Diemert declined to say how much money was discussed. A spokesperson for the Browns called the charge “completely fabricated” and said that “any accusation that any member of our organization was incentivized to deliberately lose games is categorically false.” In the category of “You Knew This Was Coming,” two more Dallas Cowboys standouts are joining Dak Prescott in saying “no thanks” to this weekend’s Pro Bowl. Quarterback Prescott backed out of being an alternate on the NFC roster to instead take some time off after a year and a half of surgery, rehab and games. This decision was made right about the time Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb was named an alternate and apparently does plan to play in Sunday’s game in Las Vegas. And now comes the predictable part: The NFC Pro Bowl roster will have an alternate replacement for Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, and for Cowboys right guard Zack Martin. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ready to put The Money into NASCAR. The long-delayed debut of The Money Team Racing team is set for the Daytona 500 later this month, with Kaz Grala as the driver. The team secured sponsorship from sunglass company Pit Viper and Grala will drive the No. 50 Chevrolet for the retired boxing great. Mayweather is the latest A-lister on the grid and joins Michael Jordan and Pitbull as celebrities over the last two years who have become NASCAR team owners. UFC President Dana White struck a marketing partnership deal this week with Pitbull’s Trackhouse Racing starting with the exhibition Clash in Los Angeles. Mayweather’s team, though, does not have a charter that would guarantee it a spot in the field and will run Daytona as an open car. That means with some 42 teams hoping to qualify for a spot in the 40-car field, Grala will have to race his way into the field. “I love fast cars and I love to compete. I know NASCAR will not be easy, but anything easy isn’t worth doing to me,” Mayweather said. “With that being said, this move into auto racing seems to be a perfect fit for the Mayweather brand.” Team general manager William Auchmoody told The Associated Press on Tuesday the plan is for TMTR to run four races beyond Daytona with an emphasis on road courses. Auchmoody said the team would like to run up to 15 races. Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn pulled his name out of consideration for head coaching jobs to return to Big D in 2022. In his first comments since the decision last week, Quinn told CowboysSI.com that he wants to finish the deal in Dallas before potentially moving on. “I have unfinished business here,” Quinn said this week. “We have the right people in place to accomplish the things everyone in this building is working to accomplish. We’re doing that right now. We’re doing it today — grinding toward a goal.” The Cowboys finished 12-5, winning the NFC East, but were ushered out of the postseason in the Wild Card Round by the San Francisco 49ers. DOE has released a brand new single and official music video for “So Good,” available now. Announcing her upcoming new album CLARITY and unveiling the album cover, the three-time GRAMMY® nominee will release her album on Friday, February 18th, 2022. Released by Jonathan McReynolds’ Life Room Label in partnership with RCA Inspiration, the chart-topping artist/songwriter/producer’s new songs “So Good” and “When I Pray” are the first featured singles from her upcoming full-length album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQAu6WB-INc Luther Wardlaw has a captivatingly dynamic voice on stage, fluidly flows in worship, and pierces any atmosphere to make room for the presence of the Lord. He is one-fifth of the Dove and Stellar Award-nominated group The Wardlaw Brothers (TWB5). Today, Luther is premiering the official music video for his reassuring song on his YouTube channel. "On The Way" official music video is directed by Young Nina Films. The video captures Luther flowing in his genius at the piano. Through this visual experience, Luther personally shares his compassionate and uplifting song to remind us that God hears and sees all things. Whatever the need, desire or situation, it's on the way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReNQJWqAyDI Here at CLEO TV, we can't think of a better place to kick off Black History Month than in the kitchen. JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ has returned for season 4 on CLEO TV. The popular cooking show welcomes beauty & makeup guru Schenika Quattlebaum tonight, February 2 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Rice is culture and rice is love for Chef JJ! If you didn't know, Chef JJ has built the foundation of his career off of his passion for rice. Tonight, he shares his true love with beauty and makeup mogul Schenika Quattlebaum. JJ makes his Cast Iron Pantry Paella and then tops things off with his Three Cheese Chicken Risotto Balls with Basil Mayo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sFZU1G72As Season three of the popular cooking show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN continues with an all-new episode tonight, February 2nd at 9:30 P.M. EST/8:30C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells is doing what he does best by preparing even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. The heart and soul of many families can be found in the kitchen and no one knows that better than Chef Jernard. Chef Jernard shows us how he wows dinner guests in tonight's episode. He's pulling out all the tricks as he serves Creamy Collard Green Dip with Crostini, complimented by a Shrimp Cocktail, that’s out of this world! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doI25whb8pE Roland S. Martin, award-winning journalist, host of the daily digital program #RolandMartinUnfiltered, and CEO of the newly-launched Black Star Network, is premiering four new shows on his OTT channel this week with two launching this week just in time for Black History Month. Black Star Network is one of the only 100% Black-owned OTT networks targeting African American consumers with politics, news and culture content. Building upon the breakout success of his leading Black news and information-focused series #RolandMartinUnfiltered, Roland is curating and debuting streaming programs on Black Star Network representing a range of topics and interests: business series “Get Wealthy!” with America’s wealth coach Deborah Owens; health and wellness show “A Balanced Life” with Dr. Jacquie Hood Martin; an examination of Black issues with “The Black Table with Dr. Greg Carr;" and a daily news talk show, “The Culture with Farajii Muhammad.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9jpJd2z9Ck&feature=youtu.be AT&T Dream in Black’s signature program, Black Future Makers, returns with the unveiling of its 2022 inductees and a month-long program highlighting their continued commitment to economic empowerment in the Black community. Now in its fourth year, this celebration recognizes future-forward Black luminaries, including powerhouse musicians John Legend and Kirk Franklin, who are shaping culture, advocating for equity and creating pathways for the next generation of Black achievers. Throughout the month, AT&T is also shining a national spotlight on emerging artists and others to help them attain their wildest dreams. “At AT&T, we believe that access opens the door to opportunities that help create equality for all,” says Corey Anthony, SVP, Chief Diversity and Development Officer, AT&T. “That is why we will continue to invest in programs like Black Future Makers, that honor and elevate this community to support them in reaching their full potential.” Consumers can also visit AT&T retail stores to discover video portraits inspired by Nakima’s art of 2022 Black Future Maker honorees such as award-winning actress and author Meagan Good, musicians Tobe Nwigwe and VINCINT as well as YouTuber Terrell Grice. AT&T will reveal inspiring static and video portraits of several Black Future Makers every week in February on AT&T’s IG. Don't miss the Season 2 premiere of The Groove with special guest Kenny Bobien https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlTH47RLpQ4 President Joe Biden has offered Russian President Vladimir Putin access to NATO bases so that Moscow can verify the US does not have Tomahawk cruise missiles in Romania or Poland in a bid to avoid war in Ukraine. Sources close to Biden told Bloomberg on Tuesday the proposal would only come to fruition upon agreement with American allies, especially Poland and Romania. Russia would also need to share similar information about a number of bases housing ground-launched weapons. Biden’s proposal reportedly aims to diminish the Kremlin’s fears that the US could use the missiles to target Russia. News of the proposal comes as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to travel to Europe to attend a NATO defense meeting on February 16 and 17. The devastated father of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst who jumped to her death from a Manhattan high-rise Sunday revealed that he believed she may have been depressed due to ‘family dysfunction.’ Rodney Kryst, 62, broke his silence Tuesday from his Charlotte, NC, home Tuesday and said his daughter was ‘pure’ and that she didn’t have any sort of substance abuse problem. ‘She was pure, she didn’t take any kind of drugs or prescription medication,’ he told New York Post. ‘She never had any kind of substance abuse problem.’ Kryst, 30, was found on the sidewalk next to her luxury apartment building The Orion in Hell’s Kitchen at 7:15am on Sunday. She was last seen on a 29th-floor terrace of the building, where she lived alone in a ninth-floor apartment. Robert Kryst and Cheslie’s mother, April Simpkins, who have four children together, split up when Cheslie was young, he said. Gawvi, an artist and producer in the Christian hip-hop community, has been dropped by his label, Reach, and from an upcoming tour in light of a developing scandal involving his allegedly sending unsolicited sexually explicit photos to women. Gawvi had announced he was getting divorced on his Instagram account Saturday, saying he and his wife had separated back in 2020. His divorce announcement was shortly followed by a tweet from a visual artist who identifies herself as Cataphant. “Years ago I made album artwork for Gawvi,” tweeted the San Diego-based designer, also known as Catalina Bellizzi-Itiola. “For my next project I’m going to make a collage of all the unasked-for dick pics he sent to women while he was still married.” When another user admonished the designer that “dragging people in public is not scriptural,” and that any admonishment of Gawvi should have been kept to church circles, Cataphant responded, “Do u think I’d be doing this if he actually listened to his circle? They did address it, he cut them all off. He’s got like 3 friends left.” Cataphant also had exchanges on Twitter with other users who claimed to have had or know of similar incidents involving the rapper. The website Rapzilla posted a detailed story that originally included a series of TikTok videos from Gawvi’s estranged wife, Brianna Azucena, that the article said “seem to allude to infidelity, trauma, and healing,” but the TikTok account was made private after the story was posted. Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah are getting ready to work together once again. The Matrix Reloaded actress, 50, and the Last Holiday star, 51, will co-star in an upcoming episode of The Equalizer, Latifah’s hit television show. Smith is set to star as a character named Jessie Cook, a genius thief with a photographic memory. Her character will also have a history with Queen Latifah’s Robin McCall. The two worked together on a mission for the CIA. The CBS show is a reboot of the classic 1980s series, the 2014 film and its 2018 sequel. It is centered around a former CIA agent who helps out people in need who have no one else to turn to. It is currently in its second season which premiered on October 10 of last year. While the pair worked together on the 2017 movie Girls Trip, their work on The Equalizer will be their first opportunity to work on an intense action project since acting in the heist film Set It Off more than 25 years ago. An Alabama woman was charged with reckless murder in the death of another woman’s unborn child during an altercation, news outlets reported. Iveonna Samone Turner, 20, was arrested by Dothan police on Friday night. Evidence indicated Turner kicked and punched a 37-year-old victim in the stomach, causing her to lose the early-term fetus, police said. Turner was jailed with bail set at $500,000. Turner had filed a request in Houston County on Thursday seeking court protection from the woman, WTVY-TV reported. She alleged that the woman and her son, with whom Turner has an 8-week-old child, “jumped” her during a dispute while she was picking up the child. A hearing on the motion is set for Feb. 10. Roland S. Martin is teaming up with McDonald’s USA to help out Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). According to an official press release, the partnership will distribute over $100,000 in scholarships to shining juniors and seniors attending HBCUs. The contribution will celebrate Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and their 115 years of scholarship and Black excellence. The aim is to ensure the financial challenges impacting many HBCU students will be addressed by providing financial relief. “HBCUs and their students are vital to the fabric of our nation and I will always champion for their success,” said the media mogul and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Roland S. Martin, in a statement. “I’ve witnessed first-hand the financial struggle that impacts Black college students, especially those in their final semesters. So, I’m pleased to partner with McDonald’s and TMCF to celebrate my beloved fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and provide a resource that will help Black students graduate.” To create a more hopeful future for HBCU students, seven juniors and seniors will receive $15,000 scholarships for the 2022-2023 academic year through a joint effort from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The financial backing will support the fraternity and McDonald’s shared belief that students should receive relief to spearhead educational pursuits and find community. After an enrichment program at Sally Ride Elementary School, a young Jessica Watkins realized what she wanted to do when she grew up: study the geology of other planets. Today, at 33 years old, Watkins is training for a mission to do just that. This April, Watkins is set to become the first Black woman to live and work on the International Space Station for an extended mission. She will arrive there onboard a SpaceX capsule and then spend six months on the ISS as part of NASA’s Artemis program, a multi-billion dollar effort designed to return humans to the surface of the moon in 2025. “We are building on the foundation that was laid by the Black women astronauts who have come before me,” Watkins told NPR’s Morning Edition. “I’m definitely honored to be a small part of that legacy, but ultimately be an equal member of the crew.” Of the roughly 250 people who have boarded the ISS, fewer than 10 have been Black. Prior to the inception of the space station, Mae Jemison, an engineer and physician, became the first Black woman to travel to space in 1992. Other Black women have followed, including NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Joan Higginbotham. The Justice Department has said it will not reopen the federal investigation into the 2014 death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot to death by Cleveland police, notifying Tamir’s mother after she had participated in a federal training event for state prosecutors on investigating police misconduct cases. Attorneys for Tamir’s mother Samaria sent four letters to top officials in the Justice Department and met with them last October in the hope of renewing federal interest in her son’s death, and again in December. One of the letters was signed by 50 scholars on constitutional, criminal and civil rights law who wrote that they believed the case must be scrutinized. The decision comes as the Justice Department is being criticized by civil rights groups over a proposed plea deal on federal hate crimes charges in Georgia with the white men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, who was Black, that burst into the spotlight after a judge rejected the agreement for one of the men. Attorney General Merrick Garland has promised to refocus the department’s priorities around civil rights and police reform. Kristin Clarke, the head of the department’s Civil Rights Division, wrote that the 2020 decision not to charge the officers stood. She said in her letter to Tamir’s family that “by no means should you view the department’s 2020 decision as an exoneration” of the police officer’s actions. Lisa Cook, a Michigan State University economics professor, is one of President Joe Biden’s recent nominees to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. As expected, Cook is facing a racist smear campaign amid reports that she has called for Black Americans to receive reparations for years of economic discrimination and slavery, The Huffington Post reports. If confirmed, Cook would be the first Black woman to be part of the seven-person board. “Everybody benefited from slavery. Everybody,”? ?Cook? ?said in a September 2020 “EconTalk” podcast?, Fox Business reported?. “So, I think that we absolutely need some sort of reckoning with that. There are many proposals on the table to study the possibility of reparations, many economic proposals being put forward, and I think they should all be taken seriously?,” she said. https://youtu.be/TCigAU0fVyw Jarrion Walker a 4-year-old was fatally shot inside a parked car while two adults smoked marijuana in the front seats, according to Jefferson Parish, Louisiana deputies. The shooting happened Saturday (01-29-22). The youngster was in the back seat with his younger siblings, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Jason Rivarde. “Our initial investigation has led our investigators to believe that the child was injured not by a hostile act, but by a negligent one,” Rivarde said in a statement. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto believes the 4-year-old accidentally shot himself. He died at a local hospital. Initially, Lopinto said he thought Walker may have been shot by one of his siblings, but investigators learned the only other children in the car were a 1-year-old and 22-month-old. The mother and her friend sitting in the front seat told police they did not see the kids playing with the weapon in the backseat. Lopinto said, “The bullet did enter from the front into the back of the car, so it is more probable than not that it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound at this time.” Meanwhile, authorities say the mother and her friend are cooperating, but have not yet been charged with a crime. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=310721654417060 In the wake of Cheslie Kryst’s tragic death by suicide, Tamron Hall opened today’s show with a touching and emotional tribute to the former Miss USA. Tamron shares a clip of her interview with Kryst from December 2019 and encourages others who are struggling with mental health to reach out and receive support and help from others. https://youtu.be/MwR71l-RCow #RKelly and his legal team have been granted a two-week extension on his deadline to appeal his federal racketeering case after he tested positive for COVID on Tuesday. Kelly’s team has fought for his release on various occasions, and have even pulled the COVID card a few times before. According to. report by @RollingStone, U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly ruled that R. Kelly now has until Feb. 17th to formally appeal his September conviction of at least 10 years in prison. When Covid-19 began to sweep the country in February 2020, closures were a gut punch to the entire live performance industry. Opera companies looked for ways to keep afloat, engaged, and relevant until it was safe to stage live events once more. The waiting game frayed nerves and played havoc with schedules and incomes. How did the industry cope? “We were in the same sort of bizarre kind of mourning that all of our colleagues were all over the world, because we’re a live performing art company. And to lose that connection to our audience was devastating,” says Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director of Houston Grand Opera. “And all of us not knowing what the long-term effects on the art would be. We still don’t know that.” Taraji P. Henson has been tapped to star as Shug Avery in Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple.” As reported by Variety, the forthcoming Warner Bros. movie musical is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical from Marsha Norman, Brenda Lee, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning epistolary novel by Alice Walker. The upcoming film follows the classic 1985 film adaptation from director Steven Spielberg and centers on Celie, a Black Southern woman who struggles to find her identity amid decades of abuse. Whoopi Goldberg played Celie in Spielberg’s film. Spielberg’s film was a box office success, grossing $142 million against a budget of $15 million. https://youtu.be/KJKt0JEtq9w Whoopi Goldberg’s comments about Hitler and the Holocaust have gotten her suspended from “The View” for two weeks. As reported by Variety, the co-host of the long-running daytime talk show has been catching some major heat lately for stating on the show that the Holocaust was “not about race.” “Let’s be truthful about it because [the] Holocaust isn’t about race,” Goldberg said on Monday’s episode. “It’s not about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man.” She noted that the Holocaust was between two groups of “white people,” and that triggered many folks across social media who are calling for Whoopi’s ouster from “The View” altogether. The remarks drew immediate criticism from Jewish organizations. Jonathan Jackson, the middle son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Jacqueline Jackson, has announced his intention to run for the U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st congressional district. His formal announcement will follow shortly. “I have been fighting for working people my entire life and am dedicated to social and economic change,” Jackson said. “As a businessman, college professor and activist, I have been on the forefront of the struggle for civil and human rights.” If elected, Jackson, 56, said he would focus on creating jobs and increasing workforce skills, family economic security, improving public transportation, increasing access and affordability of health care and expanding daycare so parents can work without having to worry about their children. Nick Cannon announced he was sticking to celibacy in October, but following news that he is expecting his 8th child with a new baby mama, he is clarifying his celibacy journey. The actor and comedian, 41, shared on his eponymous talk show Tuesday that he started decided to be celibate after learning he and model Bre Tiesi are expecting a baby. https://youtu.be/vsq7t0VdxfQ Reality TV star Saaphyri Windsor, who appeared on Flava Flav’s dating show “Flava of Love”, allegedly dated the legendary Ron Isley for two years. As reported by I Love Old School Music, Windsor revealed in a past interview with Sister2Sister Magazine that she dated the music icon while he was dating his then-girlfriend (now his wife), Kandy Isley. The singer reportedly dumped Saaphyri right before his wedding. I was involved with a guy who was a celebrity, who was older than me – very wealthy. And he came to me in 2005 and told me that he was getting married to somebody else. … After we had been together for two years.” Saaphyri continued: …He got married in 2006. That really broke my heart. …Even though I was still like, ‘There is maybe somebody out there for me,’ it broke my heart to the point I didn’t know exactly how I was going to react in another relationship, or if I was even ready for another relationship. And this person. That’s the way love goes…the love for Miss Janet herself overflowed as Janet Jackson’s self-titled documentary event averaged 3.1 million total viewers across its premiere airings on Lifetime and A&E. Janet Jackson. is cable’s best non-fiction debut since ESPN/ESPN2’s The Last Dance (4/19/20 – 5/17/20) with total viewers, A25-54, A18-49, W25-54 and W18-49. The delivery on Lifetime marked the net’s best non-fiction performance since Surviving R. Kelly (1/3/19 -1/5/19) with total viewers, A25-54, A18-49, W25-54 and W18-49. On A&E, part 4 was the network’s most-watched telecast since Biography: WWE Legends with A25-54 (4/18/21). The doc also accrued 3.7 million video views across Lifetime and A&E TV Everywhere On-Domain platforms. With all the airings on linear and video views on digital, the documentary event reached over 15.7 million total viewers. https://youtu.be/nJ4OD76xUpA Jody Watley celebrated the 35th anniversary of her massive blockbuster self-titled album in true festive style coupled with a birthday balloon drop into the audience on Friday, January 28th at Sycuan Casino and Resort in San Diego. The sold-out concert began with a standing ovation from her fans when the Grammy award-winning iconic singer appeared on stage. Watley’s 90-minute set did not disappoint! She delivered a high-energy performance from beginning to end. https://youtu.be/QQ4NBnYpYJk “I wrote a song, a centerpiece for ‘A Man Born Black.’ Now it has become the main focus…writing something you’re passionate about,” said Mykal Kilgore about the new single “The Man in the Barbershop” from his “A Man Born Black” album. Mykal is on tour to promote that album in February and it arrives in my home state of Maryland at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis Friday, February 18, 2022. https://youtu.be/wK0uEzKK4OI President Biden was aware of the threats, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said at a news conference on Monday. “I will say that these are certainly disturbing,” Ms. Psaki said. “And the White House is in touch with the interagency partners, including federal law enforcement leadership, on this.” The F.B.I. said in a statement that it was “working with our law enforcement partners to address any potential threats.” The authorities have so far not described any of the threats as credible. But school officials at many of the universities took precautions, such as sweeping campus buildings and moving to remote instruction. Some of the H.B.C.U.s have received multiple threats this year. Representative Val B. Demings, Democrat of Florida and a former police chief, said on Twitter on Monday that the threats against historically Black colleges “demand a response.” “As a former law enforcement officer I’ll keep working to make sure our institutions and law enforcement have the resources they need to keep all of our students and communities safe,” Ms. Demings said. On Monday, at least seven H.B.C.U.s, including Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La., and Delaware State University in Dover, Del., received bomb threats. Jury selection has been rescheduled to Thursday in the trial of a former Kentucky police officer who was involved in the botched raid that killed Breonna Taylor. Brett Hankison’s trial was initially scheduled to begin Aug. 31, 2021, but was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Now Hankison’s trial is being delayed due to an unscheduled recent surgery. Hankison is charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into a neighboring apartment while serving a “no-knock” warrant on Taylor’s apartment on March 13, 2020. He and Louisville Metro Police Department officers Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly fired 32 shots into Taylor’s apartment. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has called Taylor’s death a “tragedy” but defended the officers’ decision to shoot. None have been charged with Taylor’s death. The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, on Tuesday urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to bring federal civil rights charges against the white Chicago police officer who fatally shot Black teenager Laquan McDonald. A letter to Garland, sent by NAACP President Derrick Johnson, comes days before former officer Jason Van Dyke is scheduled to be released from prison after serving less than half of his state prison term of six years and nine months. Van Dyke was convicted of murder in October 2018 in the killing of McDonald and is scheduled to be released from prison on Thursday. The 2014 shooting prompted massive protests in Chicago after a judge forced the city to release video that showed Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times. Many of the shots were fired when the 17-year-old was already on the ground. The police superintendent was subsequently fired, the county’s top prosecutor was voted out of office and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was widely criticized for his handling of the case, decided not to run for reelection. Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against the NFL and all 32 teams alleging discrimination against black head coaches and executives. The suit, filed in the Southern District of New York, claims the Giants interviewed Flores for their head coaching position, despite having already chosen Brian Daboll for the job. Flores maintains his interview was a “sham” in order to comply with the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” which compels teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and general manager jobs. “Mr. Flores was forced to sit through a dinner with Joe Schoen, the Giant’s new General Manager, knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll,” the suit reads. “Much worse, on Thursday, January 27, 2022, Mr. Flores had to give an extensive interview for a job that he already knew he would not get — an interview that was held for no reason other than for the Giants to demonstrate falsely to the League Commissioner Roger Goodell and the public at large that it was in compliance with the Rooney Rule.” “Sorry — I f–ked this up,” the alleged text from Belichick reads. “I double checked & I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I’m sorry about that.” The Giants denied Flores’ allegations. Two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, America’s death toll is closing in on one million. Federal authorities estimate that 987,456 more people have died since early 2020 than would have otherwise been expected, based on long-term trends. People killed by coronavirus infections account for the overwhelming majority of cases. Thousands more died from derivative causes, like disruptions in their healthcare and a spike in overdoses. Covid-19 has left the same proportion of the population dead—about 0.3%—as did World War II, and in less time. Unlike the 1918 flu pandemic or major wars, which hit younger people, Covid-19 has been particularly hard on vulnerable seniors. It has also killed thousands of front-line workers and disproportionately affected minority populations. It robbed society of grandparents, parents, spouses, sons and daughters, best friends, mentors, loyal employees and bosses. Those lost include a 55-year-old Rhode Island correctional officer; a 46-year-old Texas dental-office receptionist who helped care for her granddaughter; a 30-year-old Iowan who fatally overdosed; and an active 72-year-old and grandmother of 15 who was Nashville’s first female city bus driver. “It’s catastrophic,” said Steven Woolf, director emeritus at the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. “This is an enormous loss of life.” Many Americans don’t support President Joe Biden’s commitment to replacing Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer with a Black woman. According to a new ABC News poll conducted with Ipsos over the last two days with 510 adults, “76 percent of respondents said Biden should consider all possible nominees, while only 23 percent believe he should consider exclusively Black women for the nomination,” Biden pledged during his 2020 campaign trail to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, if elected. He recently reaffirmed that he will keep the promise. New York Mayor Eric Adams wants you to believe that the NYPD officers on his new anti-gun task force have been trained not to engage in misconduct and target Black people. “If you don’t follow the law, you’re not going to serve in my police department,” Adams said of his cops in an interview with WBLS 107.5FM. Police reform advocates have expressed concern that Adams’ anti-gun team will repeat the same mistakes as the controversial anti-crime unit of the past, New York Post reports. “We know what was wrong with the unit. It was an abusive unit. It targeted and profiled,” Adams said. https://youtu.be/1w1x6tJTQJs NFL Green kicked off Super Bowl LVI community greening projects last fall in Inglewood (CA), by planting 56 trees at Edward Vincent Jr. Park and concluded Green Week events in the City of Champions, Super Bowl Host City. On Saturday, January 29th, 9am-12pm, The City of Inglewood partnered with NFL Green, The Super Bowl Host Committee and Verizon for the Queen Park Improvement Project. A group of energetic, enthusiastic volunteers replaced soil and planted twenty raised gardens beds, planted camphor trees, painted picnic tables, benches, planter boxes, cleaned and beautified the quaint Queen Park Community Garden, on a nice, cool overcast day. Queen Park Community Garden is located 652 E. Queen Street, a half-block west of Prairie Avenue. Hillsong Church will be led by husband and wife pastors Phil and Lucinda Dooley, while its founder steps aside to focus on fighting a charge of illegally concealing child sexual abuse by his late father. Brian Houston, the church’s leader, said he had asked the Dooleys to take on the role of interim global senior pastors until the end of the year while he prepares to “vigorously defend” himself against the charge. The couple “are well-loved by many in our church, having successfully served as our youth pastors in Australia for many years,” Houston said in a statement posted on Hillsong’s website on Sunday. A mother-daughter duo behind the first Black-owned business at Downtown Disney started their symbolism-rich shop specializing in craftspeople of color as a tribute to the historic struggles and perseverance of Black businesses in America. Mother Juana Williams and daughter Blair Paysinger created Post 21 as a place where they would want to shop. The Post 21 premise: A comprehensive marketplace focused on design-forward apparel, decor, art, jewelry and beauty products made by Black creatives and businesses. The goal of Williams and Paysinger: Turn their favorite products made by Black craftspeople from exciting discoveries into household names — all while filling an untapped consumer gap and backing the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. “Our whole purpose is to advance Black businesses,” said Williams, 59, who handles the business side of the shop. “We’re bringing all the Black businesses that we work with along with us so they have the Disney opportunity as well.” Downtown Disney sought out Post 21 as the massive entertainment giant strives to introduce more diversity and inclusivity into its theme parks, workforce and company culture. Whoopi Goldberg stoked more controversy on Monday evening when she tried to apologize for saying the ‘Holocaust isn’t about race’ by asserting race is only about skin color and the Nazis ‘had to do the work’ to find out who was Jewish. During an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert after her comments on The View about the Holocaust caused international outcry, Goldberg, 66, said she understood why she had angered people. But she didn’t stop there, and instead tried to explain why she thought the killing of six million Jews by the Nazis was not about race because Jews are white. ‘When you talk about being a racist, you can’t call this racism,’ she said. ‘This was evil. This wasn’t based on skin. You couldn’t tell who was Jewish. You had to delve deeply and figure it out. My point is: they had to do the work. Actor Moses J. Moseley, who played a zombie on the hit show The Walking Dead, was found dead from a gunshot wound on Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a possible suicide. Moseley, 31, was found in the Hudson Bridge area of Stockbridge, a city on the outskirts of Atlanta, his family told TMZ, adding that he died of a gunshot wound. Law enforcement sources told TMZ they’re investigating his death as a possible suicide. The Henry County Police Department did not immediately respond to questions from DailyMail.com. Relatives said they hadn’t heard from the actor since January 23. They filed a missing person’s report on Wednesday, TMZ reports. They then contacted car security company OnStar, which tracked his vehicle to where his body was found that day. His representative, Tabatha Minchew, told The Wrap: ‘He wasn’t just a client for me. We have been best friends for 10 years. He was at my wedding. Historically, access to financial literacy education has not been equal to everyone. To address this inequity, Brandon Parkes, CEO and Founder of social impact consulting firm, Parkes Philanthropy and Hill Harper, Award-Winning Actor, Philanthropist and CEO and Founder of The Black Wall Street App are teaming up for a social media campaign that honors Black history by investing in Black futures. During Black History Month, this campaign will donate free premium subscriptions from the investment research platform Moby to youth of color through a partnership with a national financial literacy organization, which empowers youth across the United States to learn about, and become comfortable with, saving, investing, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. “These platforms can help solve the racial wealth gap and create cooperative economic solutions,” said Harper. “I helped create Moby in order to empower everyday investors with technology, data and content that will help them on their road to financial freedom. It is my privilege to be able to donate subscriptions to further complete our mission and educate America’s youth”, said Justin Kramer, CEO and Co-Founder of Moby. Today, labor economist Valerie Wilson took the helm of the National Economic Association (NEA), which was founded in 1969 to increase the representation of Black economists and other people of color within the profession. She takes on a one-year term as president of the NEA, which also produces and distributes knowledge of economic issues to promote economic growth among native and immigrant African Americans, Latinos, and other people of color. Wilson will remain as director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE), a nationally recognized source for expert reports and policy analyses on the economic condition of America’s people of color. Prior to joining EPI in 2014, Wilson was vice president of research at the National Urban League Washington Bureau, according to a press release. She has written extensively on various issues impacting economic inequality in the United States — including employment and training, income, wage and wealth disparities, access to higher education, and social insurance — and has appeared regularly in print, television, and radio media. Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement Tuesday after 22 record-breaking seasons. The 44-year-old posted a photo and statement to his social media accounts explaining his decision to stop playing football. Brady wrote he felt he could no longer make the commitment required to succeed in the NFL. “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” he said. “I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.” Brady steps away from the sport after winning seven Super Bowls and setting a bevy of league passing records. The quarterback’s unmatched success came with a dose of venom from opposing fans, who may have watched him too often dispatch their favorite team or associated him with allegations of cheating that dogged the New England Patriots during his long tenure with the team. In announcing his retirement, Brady posted a photo of himself playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he spent the last two seasons of his career after 20 seasons with the Patriots. He thanked the Buccaneers organization, the team’s head coach, Bruce Arians, and its fans, but not the Patriots or the team’s head coach, Bill Belichick. Brady and his Patriots coach won six Super Bowls together. Tom Brady announced his retirement from professional football after 22 seasons on Tuesday which ended his two year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Soon after his ex partner Bridget Moynahan supported the 44-year-old athlete with whom she shares 14-year-old son John Edward Thomas Moynahan. The 50-year-old And Just Like That… actress shared her thoughtful note on Twitter. Bridget tweeted, ‘So proud of @TomBrady. Yesterday and today and I know you will do great things tomorrow. Looking forward to the next steps.’ https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/01/19/53649831-10465167-image-a-10_1643743109131.jpg Bishop Noel Jones, the senior pastor of the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California and formerly one of the cast members of Preachers of L.A., has decided he is finally ready to marry his longtime lady love, Loretta. His decision comes after being in a relationship with his longtime partner for twenty-eight years and was made public during a recent church event. Standing center stage, Bishop Jones started to talk to the congregation about what it might look like when he gets older before surprising his congregation when he said, “I decided that I’m gonna get married.” After hearing cheers from the congregation, the 72-year-old then said “Loretta come up here please.” Once she arrived he then looked at the congregation and said, “I thought about should I give up my freedom coat for a straightjacket. She I get married to someone younger than me. I thought about should I give up not having to answer to anybody,” and he continued to question several other things he might have to give up if he gets married. But he later changed his tone when he said, But then when I look at her, and said, should you have to push a wheelchair when I can’t walk? Should you have to deal with an old man when you have had many suitors who were young? Should you have to listen to a man who was intoxicated with the exuberance of his own verbosity or who is set in his ways? He then said, if I keep on thinking about these shoulds, I won’t get this thing done. Bishop Jones then reached for a cracker jack box and pulled out a ring. While now holding the ring, he said, “I got away from all of the shoulds. “Should I? Should you? And I’ve decided simply to say”, as he folds to one knee, and puts the ring on her finger, “Will you marry me?” as he quickly stands back up. He then said, “I’m getting married.” After she excepted the ring and started to receive hugs from friends and loved ones, Bishop Jones said, “What did you say,” and she said “yes!” Singer-Songwriter, Bryan Andrew Wilson, best-known for songs such as “Overflow” and “Turning Away,” has dropped a music video for his current Top 30 single, “The Ride.” The city groove is a joint production by Awaz Beatz, and The Exclusives who are best known for their collaborations with DJ Khaled, Chris Brown, and August Alsina. The video recently premiered on BET’s Soul Channel and has also been featured on TIDAL’s New R&B Videos playlist and Vevo’s Incoming R&B playlist. “The song is about learning to let God lead us through this ride called life,” says Wilson. “The video itself is pretty simple. I’m just riding through the city in the backseat of a car and letting God lead the way.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5qUiaE5I6g Returning from the success of "It's Gonna Be Alright," from A&P Music's Billboard award-winning gospel artist, Titus Showers releases his new single, "Name On It," now available across all digital outlets. The song was produced by Lucius Hoskins and written by Titus Showers and Lucius Hoskins. The powerful lyrics of "Name On It" celebrate God’s blessings for his people: “He’s holding it for me. He tailored it for me, I got my name on it.” The Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports today announced Champion, an innovator at the intersection of lifestyle and athletic apparel, as the Presenting Sponsor at the third annual event and unveiled the complete list of distinguished honorees. The 2022 Sports Power Brunch presented by Champion will be held during the most exciting week in sports on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, in Beverly Hills, CA. Hosted by Eboni K. Williams, Executive Producer and Host of 'REVOLT Black News,' the event recognizes leading women who have made an indelible mark in the sports industry. This year, four groundbreaking women will be celebrated for their contributions to the field: Vanessa Bryant, President of the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation; Natalie White, Senior Vice President, Los Angeles Sparks; Denise White, CEO & Founder, EAG Sports Management; and Terri Hines, Executive Vice President, Communications, FOX Sports. Unfortunately it’s all over for Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman. After 8 years they’re going their separate ways. Kotb, a “Today” show co-host made the announcement at the top of the 10am hour of Monday’s show. “I wanted to address something that, I think a few of you maybe noticed. People have written in and asked why I wasn’t wearing my engagement ring,” Kotb, 57, began. “Joel and I have had a lot of prayerful and meaningful conversations over the holiday and we decided that we’re better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple.” She continued, “So we decided that we are going to start this new year and begin it kind of on a new path as loving parents to our adorable, delightful children and friends.” https://youtu.be/_uMYhdbGdzs Singer/songwriter Tamar Braxton is speaking out about mental health and sharing encouraging words with people who have “gone through a mental illness situation.” In an Instagram video captioned: “Ima take this down later. Cause some of y’all man….smh,” Braxton addresses some of the challenges she’s facing amid her own mental health struggles. In the 7-minute clip, she encourages others with similar experiences to “stay in a good safe place” to keep going, as reported by thejasminebrand. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZPud_5vPuK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “Secrets of Playboy” is a new 10-part docuseries on A&E that unpacks the “real truth” behind Hugh Hefner’s empire. In Monday’s episode, former Playboy “bunny mother” P.J. Masten alleges that “Soul Train” creator, the late Don Cornelius, sexually assaulted two Playboy bunnies decades ago. “It was probably the most horrific story I’ve ever heard at Playboy,” Masten said of Cornelius’ alleged actions, PEOPLE reports. “This story is the story of a massive cleanup that never hit the press.” According to Masten, Cornelius was a Playboy VIP, and one night he invited two new recruits (sisters) to go back to his house where he was throwing a party. “These two young girls got in his Rolls-Royce, went up to his house and we didn’t hear from them for three days,” Masten alleged in the episode. “We couldn’t figure out where they were.” That three-day silence was broken when one of the girls called a bunny mother at the Playboy Mansion, allegedly saying that she and her sister had been held at Cornelius’ house and she was finally able to get out. Joe Piastro, Playboy’s head of security, went to pick them up and found them “bloodied, battered [and] drugged,” Masten said. https://youtu.be/RY8z4BK61bQ Tisha Campbell recently took to Instagram to share a story about being nearly kidnapped by sex traffickers in Brownsville, Texas, while working on an independent film. When the Brownsville Police Department heard about her tale, they responded in a message shared on Facebook. “The Brownsville Police Department is committed to providing proactive, professional, and effective public safety. Regrettably, our department became aware of Ms. Campbell’s ordeal via social media and not through traditional reporting means as would be expected from a victim of an attempted heinous crime.” The police are giving the side-eye to Campbell’s claims by addressing the validity of the incident. “Upon reviewing facts presented by Ms. Campbell in her video, BPD Investigators quickly launched an investigation as such cases are not the norm in our city. Through numerous interviews and reviews of security camera footage, we could not validate Ms. Campbell’s stay in Brownsville hotels nor any other claims made in the video,” the department’s post states. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZRzsOvIhTv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Da Brat and her fiancé Jesseca Dupart are expecting their first child together. In a joint Instagram statement shared on Monday, the couple posted a photo of them cozied up along with the caption that they “are EXTENDING the family”. As reported by Complex, Brat previously opened up about parenting and what she’d name her child if she were to have a daughter. “My child will have all of my names, honey,” Da Brat said on Dish Nation. “Her name would be Legacy Shawntae Dupart. Shawntae is my first name and Dupart is my baby’s last name. Yes honey, carry on the legacy of your parents darling.” https://www.instagram.com/darealbbjudy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5468817f-8b5f-4242-a32f-dd46e957f05a This is what went down Monday (01-31-22) on the “Drew Barrymore Show” when Sheila E was a guest. She spilled the beans on how she pranked the crap out of Prince one time. https://youtu.be/MQOeDaDhygs This evening, lawyer, minister, and peace advocate, Dr. Bernice King, sat down with FOX SOUL’s Cocktails with Queens to explore her most recent achievements. The youngest child of civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, discussed her new children’s book, It Starts with Me. She also provided insight on how she continues to honor the legacy of both her parents and what she has learned from both of them while sharing childhood stories and experiences. https://youtu.be/m1s8QYTGBHg #AliciaKeys feels “some kind of way” after showing a screenshot from an article back in 2008 where #JanetJackson admits that if she were into women, then Keys would be the one.? In an Instagram post, the “Billions” singer screenshotted the article and captioned, “I always knew I was BAE but when @janetjackson says it ????????.”? Some fellow celebrities and artists responded. Gunna says, “For P she turn ???esbian !” Some fans admitted to also having a crush on the 15-grammy winning singer. ? https://www.instagram.com/p/CZaRO2KMKHt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again La La Anthony is a beauty entrepreneur! Today, Anthony, 39, introduces Inala, a leave-in hair-strengthening treatment, Inala ($55). Speaking exclusively to People, Anthony opens up about how the opportunity to practice self-care during the pandemic led her to create a “power potion” even her 14-year-old son Kiyan approves of. Prior to the pandemic, Anthony, like most, was always on the go. But when it forced her to slow down, she realized her self-care routine needed a reboot. “A lot of my hairstyles had been clip-ins or wigs or braids or weaves,” she tells PEOPLE. “And I realized how damaged my natural hair was because I wasn’t taking care of or paying attention to it.” When Anthony looked in the mirror, she saw damage all over, from thinning along her edges to breakage on her ends. “And I was like, ‘It’s not okay to just be happy when your hair looks good when you have all this other stuff in it,” she admits. That moment inspired Anthony to seek a solution. “I started researching and experimenting with rice water. I was even tweeting about it. I found a village in China where women have hair down to the floor.” Guy Torry came up with Phat Tuesday’s back in 1992. “Everything happened, and all the stars aligned at the right time, and at the right moment. [And the stories about it are] coming out at the right time now on Prime Video,” said Torry. He’s referring to Amazon Studios latest project “Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy.” The new docuseries is all about the comedy explosion and is bringing together all the big names in comedy, who we’ve laughed with over the years. Telling the story of when Black comedians were being shut out of many places in Hollywood and how Phat Tuesdays at The Comedy Store, gave them a voice to speak their truth and provide levity to the community in a very dark time. “I tell young comedians [now], tell your story. No one can tell your story, better than you can tell your story, and make it, but be honest, tell the story and make it funny,” said Torry. Torry, the executive producer of the series and Reginald Hudlin, the director, say now is a great time for comedians to rise again and utilize all the platforms and tools to be seen and heard. https://youtu.be/EnoyUIwJb68 Gangster rapper/actor Ice-T is now the face of Honey Nut Cheerios. The hip-hip icon has teamed with the cereal giant, which is owned by General Mills, on a new initiative called “Pour Your Heart Into It,” where Ice-T and the brand’s mascot Buzz Bee encourage people to improve their health. “This stuff doesn’t have to be hard. It can be as simple as a bowl of Cheerios and a walk around the block,” Ice-T explained. “That’s why I wanted to join Buzz to share some different ways to start to get your heart pumping regularly, and help make diet and exercise a happy part of your day.” To promote the message, limited-edition boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios’ happy heart shapes will hit shelves and in yellow-box original Cheerios, as well as its Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate and new Strawberry Banana flavors. https://www.instagram.com/cheerios/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=50d9af4f-9884-4e2b-8dea-731f353587a4 Cheslie Kryst, a former Miss USA winner, ended her life on Sunday by allegedly jumping from a Manhattan high-rise. “Cheslie wasn’t just my daughter; she was my best friend,” Kryst’s mom, April Simpkins, told Gayle King on Monday. “Months earlier, Cheslie had told me the exact same thing: Her mother was her best friend,” King wrote in an essay published Tuesday. Kryst opened up in an essay last year in which she discussed her struggle with turning 30, her pageant journey, and dealing with trolls on the internet. In the essay, which was published just weeks before her 30th birthday on April 28, Kryst reflected on aging. “After a year like 2020, you would think we’d learned that growing old is a treasure and maturity is a gift not everyone gets to enjoy.” Kryst wrote. Speaking about her Miss USA win in 2019, Kryst said “my reign ignited a heightened desire to commit myself to passion, intent, and authenticity.” She said noted that “pageant girls” are “supposed to be model-tall and slender, don bouffant hair, and have a killer walk.” “But my five-foot-six frame won with six-pack abs, earned after years of competing in Division I Track and Field, and a head of natural curls in a time when generations of Black women have been taught that being ‘too Black’ would cost them wins in the boardroom and on pageant stages,” she said. A federal judge on Monday rejected a proposed plea agreement for one of the Georgia men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, paving the way for a federal hate crimes trial. Under the proposed agreement, Travis McMichael — one of three white men convicted in the 2020 killing of Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was out jogging — would have avoided a trial on charges that he violated federal civil rights laws. The deal also would have allowed him to serve the first 30 years of his life sentence in federal prison, as opposed to a state facility in Georgia. Prosecutors had submitted court filings on Sunday formalizing the deal with McMichael and his father, Greg. Arbery’s family had denounced the agreement. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ayPBxudWbiw/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Federal prosecutors have reportedly reached plea agreements in the federal hate crimes case against two of the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery. Shooter Travis McMichael, 35, and his ex-cop dad, Gregory McMichael, 66, were both handed life sentences without the possibility of parole in a state court earlier this month in the death of the unarmed Georgia jogger. Their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, also got a life sentence, but with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years. But the three men face another trial on federal hate crime charges, accused in an indictment of violating Arbery’s civil rights by attacking him because of his “race and color.” GSN-The mayor of a Connecticut city has ordered two police officers be placed on administrative leave amid criticism over their handling of the deaths of two Black women. On Sunday, Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim said he is “extremely disappointed with the leadership of the Bridgeport Police Department,” specifically with their handling of the mysterious deaths of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls. “I want you to know that I am extremely disappointed with the leadership of the Bridgeport Police Department and find actions taken up to this point unacceptable,” Ganim said in a statement, CBS News reports. “After reviewing the matters even more closely and in the absence of the Police Chief, I have directed Deputy Chief Baraja to immediately put on administrative leave the two officers who are the subject of a Bridgeport Police Office of Internal Affairs (OIA) Investigation and disciplinary action for lack of sensitivity to the public and failure to follow police policy in the handling of these two matters.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XjItK9Roz58/hqdefault.jpg A documentary on civil rights champion and politician Tyrone Brooks is set for release in the fall of 2022, detailing the life and career of the lifelong activist who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and is responsible for banishing the racist Georgia Confederate flag. Scheduled for October, “Tyrone: The Story of An American Statesman,” will cover Brooks’ journey from the age of 15, when he entered a life of activism as a member of Dr. King’s SCLC organization, to becoming a social justice icon and respected Georgia State Representative. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/huIKbWxKHww/hqdefault.jpg Former President Donald Trump has teased plans to enter the presidential race in 2024 and if successful, he will pardon the white folks charged in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. “If I run, and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly,” Trump said at a rally Saturday in Conroe, Texas, New York Post reports. “And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons,” he added. “Because they are being treated so unfairly.” The House Select Committee is examining the events that prompted a Pro-Trump mob to storm the Capitol during the certification of the 2020 presidential election. The Department of Justice has charged more than 700 people in the riot. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uU5l5ZUegas/hqdefault.jpg A 61-year-old Brooklyn pastor was stabbed to death by her adult son in their shared Brooklyn home over the weekend, cops said. Tracey Sydnor, the executive pastor of Upper Room Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant, was stabbed multiple times in a domestic dispute with her 40-year-old son Kenji Francis inside their home on Wyona Street near Livonia Avenue in New Lots just after 2 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. Sydnor was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Francis was taken into custody on scene and charged with murder, as well as an unlawful activity-dangerous weapon rap, authorities said early Monday. He does not have a previous criminal or psychiatric history, according to police. No further information was known Monday about the dispute. Sydnor was appointed to the pastor role just two months ago, according to a post on the church’s Facebook page. GSN-Howard University and other historically black colleges and universities received bomb threats Monday morning, disrupting campus operations and launching police investigations. The schools, Southern University and A&M, Howard University, Bethune-Cookman University, Albany State University, Bowie State University and Delaware State University all received bomb threats Monday morning, according to campus spokespeople or social media posts. Five schools continue to investigate the threat and remain either on lockdown or have issued shelter in place orders. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nzsExhV3Fog/hqdefault.jpg Gas stoves and ovens emit more planet-warming gases than previously thought. According to new research from scientists at Stanford University, “the emissions from gas stoves in US homes have the same climate-warming impact as that of half a million gasoline-powered cars — far more than scientists have previously estimated,” CNN writes. “This new study confirms what environmental advocates have been saying for over a decade now, that there is no [such thing as] clean gas — not for our homes, not for our communities and not for the climate,” Lee Ziesche, community engagement coordinator for Sane Energy, a non-profit climate justice group that was not involved in the research, told CNN. “From the drilling well to the stoves in our kitchens, fracked gas is harming our health and warming the planet.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q_I8xc9hLoU/hqdefault.jpg Angola President João Lourenco has made good on his promise to the family believed to be the descendants of two of the first enslaved Africans in America. Vincent Tucker and his sister Wanda Tucker are the co-founders of The William Tucker 1624 Society. Born to Antoney and Isabella, William is known as the first child of African ancestry born in Virginia. Many of his descendants continue to live in the Hampton Roads area today. Antoney and Isabella are Angolan and believed to have been captured by the British off the Portuguese slave ship known as the San Juan Bautista, and eventually became servants on the plantation of Captain William Tucker and his wife. The siblings previously met President Lourenco at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Lourenco learned more about the Tuckers, their family, and promised to host them in Angola. Growing up in the South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles in the 1970s, Ghuan Featherstone only remembers riding a horse once as a child. His parents took him riding at nearby Griffith Park when he was eight years old. But ever since, he’s been chasing that sense of freedom and power he felt on the horse that day. “I felt like the Lone Ranger,” he said “I felt like I could conquer anything,” Featherstone, now 51, said in a StoryCorps interview last month with Jordan Humphreys, a 13-year-old horseback rider. After serving in the Army for eight years, Featherstone remained determined to realize his childhood dream of becoming a cowboy. When he returned to Los Angeles, he learned to ride at stables known as “The Hill” in Compton. Riders there would hop on their saddles and take their horses into the city streets. In 2012, a fire burned down The Hill. What had become a refuge for youth was suddenly gone. Sensing a void after the fire, Featherstone opened his own stables in the nearby city of South Gate. He founded Urban Saddles in 2019 to create a space where he could teach kids like Humphreys to care for and ride horses. Rihanna has confirmed that she is pregnant with her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky. As reported by PEOPLE, the couple was photographed out in New York City over the weekend, where Rihanna, 33, debuted her baby bump. Back in May, A$AP Rock, 33, told GQ about his romance with the Bajan beauty, calling her the “love of my life.” At the time, Rocky was asked by reporters how it felt to be in a committed relationship. “So much better. So much better when you got ‘the One.’ She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones. I think when you know, you know. She’s the One,” he said. Speaking about fatherhood, A$AP Rocky said starting a family is “in my destiny, absolutely.” “I think I’d be an incredible, remarkably overall amazing dad. I would have a very fly child. Very,” he said. Gayle King has no plans to part ways with CBS anytime soon amid reports that networks are expected to explode in a bidding war for the veteran journalist when her contract with CBS News expires in May. King, 67, reportedly earns around $9 million a year as an anchor on “CBS Mornings,” and Page Six reports that CBS sources said they “will do everything we can to keep King.” According to Urban Hollywood 411, King signed a new contract with the network on Friday, Jan. 28, and shared the news with listeners on her SiriusXM radio show. “I called my favorite daughter Kirby, favorite son Will, and called Oprah of course… and said I just signed with CBS today,” King shared. “I officially signed on the dotted line.” Amidst widespread reports that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will retire when the current term ends this summer, names for his replacement have already begun circulating. Biden vowed to put a Black woman on the Supreme Court on the campaign trail, which would be a historic first. In conjunction with Change Research, Higher Heights for America, the only national organization exclusively dedicated to harnessing Black women’s political power from the voting booth to elected office, conducted a poll this month of 500 Black women voters, according to a release. When asked about the future of the Supreme Court, 86% of Black women voters say they support prioritizing nominating the first Black woman to the Supreme Court when the next seat becomes available. There is a great deal at stake for this next Supreme Court nomination, and Higher Heights wants to ensure that the voices of Black women are at the forefront of these decisions. The suspects in the killing of rapper Young Dolph were arrested earlier this month and charged with first-degree murder. During their first two appearances before a judge, the two declined a court-appointed attorney. Judge Lee Coffee has now given them a week to find representation, Uproxx reports. “If you have a lawyer hired, that’s fine, but as I told you 10 days ago, I cannot allow you to sit in jail week after week, month after month, without a lawyer,” Judge Coffee told Smith and Johnson during the hearing. “If you don’t have a lawyer hired on Feb. 4, I’m going to hire a private attorney to represent both of you all.” We’re kicking off Black History Month in celebration of #BlackTikTok — an industry-defining community that is continuously originating, innovating, and trendsetting. Creators who have inspired the mainstream and continue to drive culture right now. We’re celebrating and honoring #BlackTikTok all month and beyond, with a billboard takeover of the Pendry West Hollywood, new in-app stickers, Black music playlists and TikTok LIVE programming that spotlights Black creators making waves on and off the platform. For the month of February, TikTok will host LIVES that will highlight Black creators, musicians, businesses and organizations. Kicking off on February 4th and every week this month, we will launch a variety of themed programming celebrating those who are making an impact in the entertainment industry and in their community. On February 23rd, TikTok will partner with iHeartRadio for iHeart Living Black!, a LIVE event celebrating Black Music on TikTok and beyond. Hosted by DJ Envy, the LIVE show boasts an all-star lineup of performances from A-List talent, including Lizzo, Big Sean, H.E.R., Lil Durk, Moneybagg Yo, and Ari Lennox, and will feature special appearances from Saweetie, radio personalities like Charlamagne and Angela Yee, actress Niecy Nash, and many more. Tune in on 2/23 @ 5pm PT/8pm ET on @iheartradio to view iHeartLivingBlack and help celebrate the culture. Gearing up for love day, VERZUZ—the streaming series launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland—reveals the details for its first-ever Valentine’s Day Special. Two of R&B’s most notorious crooners GRAMMY® Award winner Anthony Hamilton and GRAMMY® Award nominee Musiq Soulchild square off live from Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. This marks the first appearance by both Hamilton and Music Soulchild, and it also stands out as new territory for the series. On THE REAL airing Monday, January 31, co-hosts Garcelle Beauvais, Adrienne Houghton and Loni Love discuss Garcelle’s fellow “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’” castmate Erika Jayne having to potentially surrender $750,000 worth of diamonds after a bankruptcy trustee alleged they were bought with stolen money. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c5JqYti-1vg/hqdefault.jpg Jay-Z’s former mentor, rapper Jaz-O, recalled in a recent interview the time Jigga borrowed his gun and used it to shoot his own brother. As reported by Vibe, Jay was 12-years-old when the incident occurred. Speaking to Vlad TV, Jaz-O, explained: “Yeah, I can’t remember, but it was a shot to not fatally wound but just, you know… to be honest, I don’t think he was aiming to really hit him, in his defense.” The incident is documented on the song “You Must Love Me” from Hov’s 1997 album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Jaz-O noted, “And it was my gun.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pzls5R8lu8A/hqdefault.jpg The effort to support young athletes is crucial to their developmental journey, especially during their college career. Under Armour agrees. The Baltimore-based sportswear giant has announced new initiatives to “improve training and access to sports for teenagers, pledging to help millions of youths by 2030,” according to AD AGE. “Under Armour is committed to sports at all levels and will continue providing our innovative products to all athletes, while also continuing to offer events and experiences that recognize and elevate athletes as they work towards their daily goals,” a company spokeswoman said. “We understand that to get to the collegiate level, you need to have access to sport at a young age, which is why we are making this commitment to support more youth athletes on their journey to compete.” The world’s youngest billionaire is reportedly a 9-year-old Black boy from Lagos, Nigeria. As reported by the UK Mirror, Mompha Junior, whose real name is Muhammed Awal Mustapha, is a social media influencer with nearly 27,000 followers on Instagram. The kid owned his first mansion at the age of six and has a fleet of supercars. In one post of a photo captured from his private jet, Mompha Junior wrote, “Never look down on any broke nigga, Real Hustlers go broke but never stay broke ….. Hustlers are different from Ritualists!!! God Bless all Hustlers (Amin).” The kid’s father is Ismailia Mustapha, a multimillionaire who goes by the name Mompha Snr. He often shares photos of his family’s extravagant lifestyle with his 1.1 million followers on Instagram. KnowledgeWorks, a Cincinnati- based national education nonprofit, has named School District of Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite its new CEO and president, effective July 1, The Philadelphia Tribune reports. The leader in education transformation teams up with school districts, state education departments, and education agencies to “imagine, build and sustain vibrant learning ecosystems that allow each student to thrive,” as per its website. Last September, Hite announced that he would not renew his current contract at the end of the 2021-22 school year, according to the outlet. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the school district has long been peppered with financial troubles and may default on a massive $600 million in debt. While it is uncertain why Hite is leaving his post after serving for a decade, the Philadelphia Board of Education said in a statement on Friday that he will remain in his current role with the school district through the end of the school year. “We are grateful for his continued leadership and service to the school district, and we support his ongoing efforts to ensure a safe and consistent school year for the children and families of Philadelphia,” Board President Joyce Wilkerson wrote. “Dr. Hite will be instrumental in the plan to onboard his successor, and we look forward to collaborating with him to support a smooth transition to a new superintendent.” Due to behavior that is inconsistent with our core values, we have ended our professional relationship with GAWVI. This was a tough decision for us because of the level of complexity and because we invest in our artists not just for their talent, but also as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is something we have been processing for over a year and have wrestled with what would be the right way forward. New details that were provided made us realize today’s decision was necessary. We also want our actions to be a reflection of love, care, and concern for those who fail and those who are affected by our failures. Each of us needs God’s grace and we invite you to pray for the families and individuals whose lives are being impacted. This is not a chance to throw anybody away. We continue to hope for restoration to be the outcome. - Reach Records Phoenix Suns’ point guard Chris Paul is putting up points for a Black-owned wine company he has joined as an equity partner. Donae Burston, the founder & CEO of La Fête Wine Co., announced that the 11-Time NBA All-Star has joined as an equity partner. “I’m thrilled to partner with La Fête Wine Company and work with them to continue to grow the business and fulfill their brand vision,” said Paul in a written statement. “I fully support their efforts in creating a better and more equitable society by helping underserved youth, advancing racial justice, and making wine more inclusive.” According to a release, La Fête Wine released its flagship wine, La Fête du Rosé, in May 2019. Nick Cannon revealed that he suffers from insecurity and body image issues that have impacted his sex life during during Wednesday’s episode of his eponymous talk show. The 41-year-old host asked his panel guests including Jersey Shore’s Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, Marriage Boot Camp star Dr. Ish Major, comedians Chris DeStefano and Rip Micheals, if they have any insecurities in the bedroom. ‘I will tell you off top — I definitely have an insecurity when it comes to being intimate,’ Nick admitted. He continued, ‘I’ve been skinny all my life, therefore I never liked to be completely naked,’ said the ex-husband of Mariah Carey. ‘It’s usually like, I hide under the covers. As much as I boast about being in shape.’ When Micheals explained that he also experiences insecurity during intimate moments, Nick said, ‘Women don’t think about that. That’s when we are at our most vulnerable, when we are making love. Nick Cannon is reportedly expecting his EIGHTH child with the ex-wife of football star Johnny Manziel. As reported by The Blast, Cannon celebrated a gender reveal party with his newest baby mama, Bre Tiesi, and photos from the event in Malibu, California were shared online over the weekend. Cannon and Tiesi are expecting a boy, and the announcement comes a month after he lost his 5-month old son Zen – whom he shared with Alyssa Scott — to brain cancer. This will be Tiesi’s first child and Cannon’s eighth. https://www.instagram.com/jalanda39/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=2922cb19-d61d-4613-8d8a-e7344272982d Jason Lloyd of The Athletic takes a ruthless shot at former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after his Los Angeles Rams punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. Odell Beckham Jr. gets to do something the Cleveland Browns never have before in franchise history: Play in a Super Bowl. Beckham left the Browns midway through the season in dramatic fashion. He ended up with the NFC-contending Los Angeles Rams, helping offset their season-ending loss of Robert Woods in the receiving corps. While most people are happy about Beckham finally getting to play in a Super Bowl, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic is not. While Beckham may have left Cleveland on bad terms, now is not the time to dunk on him publicly. Los Angeles will be the second team in a row to host the Super Bowl in its own stadium. The Rams will take on the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. Should the Rams protect their home turf, it will be the second Super Bowl championship in franchise history, but only their first since they called Los Angeles home. The Bengals are in the Super Bowl for the third time overall and first since 1988. They are seeking the franchise’s first win. https://omny.fm/shows/stacking-the-box-an-nfl-podcast/chiefs-bills-classic-aaron-rodgers-debate-title-ga Dallas Cowboys fans are highly aware of the “cap hell” accusations hurled annually in the direction of team owner Jerry Jones’ club. Here we go again with the panicky accusations … And here we go again with the already-built-in solution. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s new $160 million deal, signed last spring, is part of the “problem” as presently constructed. But team sources tell CowboysSI.com that part of the construction of the deal, when executed, will give Dallas about $16 million in 2022 cap relief. This is a common bit of craftsmanship as performed by COO Stephen Jones’ “big calculator” people here inside The Star. It is a pre-designed “switch” that can (will) be “flipped.” It requires no renegotiation with Prescott. It requires no sacrifice from Prescott. It requires no approval from Prescott. Broadway’s longest running show, “The Phantom of the Opera,” now has a historic cast member. Emilie Kouatchou is taking over as the show’s first Black leading actress. At just 25 years old, Kouatchou is a part of Broadway history. “You are a first on Broadway. How do you feel?” CBS’ Danya Bacchus asked. https://cbsloc.al/3o1zXdQ The death of a Black teenager whose body was found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat at his Georgia high school in 2013 was an accident, the local sheriff announced this week, affirming a previous investigation’s finding that there was no evidence of foul play. The teenager, Kendrick Johnson, 17, most likely crawled headfirst into the mat to retrieve a pair of sneakers that he had thrown inside earlier and became trapped, Sheriff Ashley Paulk of Lowndes County said. “It’s a weird accident,” he said on Thursday, one day after he had released a 16-page report that detailed his findings and echoed the ruling made by a previous sheriff in 2013. For years, the case has confounded residents in Valdosta, Ga., a city of about 56,000 in southern Georgia. It inspired a 2021 documentary questioning the findings of law enforcement officials and prompted calls for murder charges by Kendrick’s relatives, who believe he was killed by two white students at Lowndes High School. Federal prosecutors began reviewing the case in 2013 after the family requested a separate investigation. The National Portrait Gallery, public home to the presidential portraits, has named Clive Davis, Ava DuVernay, Venus Williams and Serena Williams among its 2022 honorees for its annual Portrait of a Nation Award. The legendary record producer and music executive, the Oscar-nominated director and recording-breaking athletes-turned-producers will be awarded during the biennial Portrait of a Nation Gala, held on Saturday, Nov. 12. As part of the private event, which will feature a special performance, each honoree will be presented with their award by a person of their choice at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. The 2022 recipients’ portraits — commissions by notable contemporary artists — will also be on public display from Nov. 10 through Oct. 22, 2023, as part of the institution’s “Recent Acquisitions” exhibition. “These honorees are innovators in their respective disciplines and advocates for social causes who use their voices to care for and lift up others,” Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery, said in a statement. “The Portrait of a Nation Award reminds us that history is living and the choices people make have an impact on the nation’s legacy.” #PowerBookII: Ghost star #MichaelRaineyJr. wants to make it clear that Ghost won’t be rising up from the grave: “The n***a died.”? Power fans just can’t get over the legend that was James “Ghost” St. Patrick, who actor #OmariHardwick brilliantly played. The next chapter, Power Book II: Ghost, follows the life and happenings of Ghost’s son Tariq. And while this series is just as compelling and action-packed as its predecessor, watchers just won’t let go of their fan favorite. ?Whether we like it or not, Ghost ain’t coming back, and Rainey Jr. wants fans to understand that. ?“They asking me if Ghost will come back,” said Rainey Jr. during an Instagram Live. “The n***a died. Like, I don’t understand, y’all n****s think this is some fake show where n****s comin’ back from the dead. This is Power. It’s not that s**t. It’s not like when Kanan got set on fire and came back. He ain’t get set on fire, he caught a Figi [gunshot to the face].” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZTIfZ6NABQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=em bed_video_watch_again Rapper Lil Nas X has found himself in hot soup after another rapper alleged that he stole her promotion idea for his album “Montero.” Dana Dentata, a Canadian-born metal rap artist who once modeled for Kim Kardashian, says the “Industry Baby” rapper stole every part of the promotional campaign from her copyrighted video “Pantychrist.” As the release of the controversial album neared, Lil Nas X revealed he was pregnant and would give birth to the album. He created a promotional teaser that showcased a prosthetic pregnant belly. One of the videos was titled “Lil Nas X Gives Birth,” and it went viral, garnering 15 million views on YouTube. According to Dana Dentata, the pregnant prosthetic, format, style, and anything about the promotional video were her ideas. So she shot a cease-and-desist letter to Lil Nas X, demanding he takes down his pregnancy promotional material from social media. In the letter, she stated ‘Lil’ Nas X Gives Birth’ video is “essentially identical to the “Pantychrist“ music video and clearly used the work as its basis.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_SAGCe5oWTQ/hqdefault.jpg Last night in the Janet Jackson documentary on Lifetime, she spill the tea on why she and Jermaine Dupri split. In fact, both Janet and Jermaine spoke on their long-ago failed relationship. They were an item from 2000 to 2008. At one point in their relationship, Dupri, who was blazing hot as a record producer, proposed to Janet. Unfortunately, it seems distance played a part in their relationship ending in infidelity. When asked why they split, Janet’s response was: “I had heard he was cheating.” JD admitted that he had been reckless and that being with Janet had attracted even more women. Jackson also said that JD was “constantly working” and that she wasn’t “getting enough from him emotionally.” Naturally, social media had a lot to say about the news Miss Jackson delivered and it was mostly bad for JD. The other thing that Jackson revealed that was much more shocking than the details of her breakup with Dupri was her revelation that she’d spoken to Justin Timberlake just once after their infamous “wardrobe malfunction” incident at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show and advised him to remain silent. “I don’t want any drama for you,” she recalls advising him. “They’re aiming this at me. If I was you I wouldn’t say anything.” Black-owned boutique hotel is opening in the Haughville neighborhood of Indianapolis this summer to cater to the needs of guests looking for unusual accommodation experiences in the heart of the city. The hotel, Tiny Urban Escapes, is to be built using repurposed shipping containers. According to the hotel’s owner, travelers have grown tired of cookie-cutter hotels and are now seeking trendy and more intimate places to stay. A one-night stay in the suites will cost $179. Each suite will have access to wellness and culinary experiences and on-demand concierge service. The suites will be made using 20-foot high-cube containers. There will be a fifth building named The Scene for dining and events, and it will be made using a 40-foot high-cube container. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Mayor Joe Hogsett on Friday at the Haughville Indianapolis Public Library. https://cbs4indy.com/video/tiny-urban-escapes-breaks-ground-as-citys-first-container-boutique-hotel/7337461/ Who, or what killed Kendrick Johnson? After a second investigation, the question still hangs in the air because no answer has come forth. The Lowndes County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office reopened the case in March. However, the case is now closed. The 17-year-old boy’s body was discovered inside a wrestling mat at Lowndes County High School on Jan. 11, 2013. The federal investigation that started in 2016 has concluded there is ‘insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges’ according to a CNN report. It has now been ruled an accident by the office of Lowndes County Sherriff. The sheriff, Ashley Paulk, has said in a report there was nothing relating the found body to criminal activity. “Evidence and other information do not produce anything to prove any criminal act by anyone that would have resulted in the death of Kendrick Johnson,” he stated. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9x40iETsQ2s/hqdefault.jpg The founder of the Evangelical Hillsong Church in Australia, Brian Houston, dropped a bombshell on his worshippers today, announcing he was stepping aside from all church activities while he defends allegations he concealed his father’s child sexual abuse. The pastor for the powerful evangelical church was charged in October last year with one count of concealing the serious indictable offence of another person. Police allege Houston knew from September 1999 that his father Frank Houston had indecently assaulted a male in 1970. Frank Houston was a Pentecostal Christian pastor in the Assemblies of God in New Zealand and Australia. On Sunday, Brian Houston told the church’s congregation that the criminal charge came as a “complete shock” and he intends to “vigorously defend” it but this meant some changes. The woman who leaped to her death from a Midtown high-rise Sunday was former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, law-enforcement sources told The Post. The 2019 pageant winner and 30-year-old lawyer jumped from the 60-story Orion building at 350 W. 42nd St. around 7:15 a.m. and was found dead in the street below, sources said. “In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Cheslie,” the former beauty queen’s family said in a statement Sunday. “Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined. “Cheslie embodied love and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA and as a host on EXTRA,” her family said. “But most importantly as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor and colleague — we know her impact will live on.” Kryst, who lived on the ninth floor of the building, was alone when she jumped and was last seen on a 29th-floor terrace, sources said. A former Miss North Carolina, she won top honors at the 2019 Miss USA pageant, wearing a sparkly winged outfit for the National Costume competition, a nod to Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” A conservative commentator on Fox News once dismissed Robert Shine Sr. and the impact of the group of Black Christian clergy he led in Philadelphia with a wave of his hand. “They’re not kingmakers,” he said. “They probably lose more than they win.” But that wasn’t how Shine measured the ministers’ witness. That wasn’t how he understood the job. “We represent the kingdom of God,” he told a Philadelphia newspaper in 2002. “We are the voice calling for conscience, appealing to do the right thing.” Shine, who spoke out for “the least and the last and the lost” for more than 40 years, pastored a Black Baptist church in the East Germantown neighborhood for more than 30, and taught pastors and deacons at a Bible institute for more than 20, died at home on January 4. He was 82. Throughout the bitter winter, during rain and snow, Jon Vaughn has alternated between sleeping in a tent or a campervan outside former University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel’s house. A former University of Michigan and NFL football player, Vaughn is one of more than 1,000 people — mostly men — who says they were abused by athletics doctor Robert Anderson, who worked for the university from 1966 to 2003 treating students across sports including football, track, and wrestling. Anderson, who died in 2008, subjected students, 90% of whom were men, to “sexually abusive conduct” and invasive exams, including unnecessary genital and rectal examinations, according to a 2021 independent report commissioned by the university.  Many of Anderson’s victims were Black — and survivors say this has played a part in why the abuse was allowed to continue for decades. In his roles at the university, including director of its health service, team physician for the athletic department and a clinical instructor at the university’s medical school, Anderson abused men and women from different racial backgrounds, undergraduate and graduate students, student athletes — including a two-time Super Bowl champion and former world-class wrestler — and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, the report found. This month the university announced a $490 million settlement with over a thousand victims of Anderson’s alleged sexual abuse, pending approval by the Michigan Board of Regents and the claimants. Michael Phelps’ intersex ex-girlfriend has hit back against the decorated Olympian after he compared transgender women competing against people who are born female to those who use steroids. Speaking to CNN earlier this month, Phelps, 36, was adamant that something needed to be done about current NCAA guidelines that allow transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete against swimmers born female. ‘I think this leads back to the organizing committees again because it has to be a level playing field. That’s something that we all need. Because that’s what sports are. For me, I don’t know where this is going to go. I don’t know what’s going to happen.’ Phelps, the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals, said he simply wants to see fairness across the sport. ‘I believe that we all should feel comfortable with who we are in our own skin, but I think sports should all be played on an even playing field,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what it looks like in the future. It’s hard. It’s very complicated and this is my sport, this has been my sport my whole entire career, and honestly the one thing I would love is everybody being able to compete on an even playing field.’ But now his intersex ex-girlfriend Taylor Lianne Chandler, who was born with male genitalia with no testicles and a uterus but no ovaries, is calling those remarks ‘hypocritical’ and ‘hurtful,’ claiming the decorated athlete has his own inherit advantages due to his size and lung capacity. Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood has been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault following allegations on social media. Greater Manchester Police said it was made aware of “social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence”. It added “we can confirm a man in his 20s has since been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault.” He remains in custody for questioning and inquiries are ongoing. Manchester United earlier said the player would not return to training or matches until further notice. Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to hold talks with Germany, France and Ukraine as NATO fails to take action on the rising conflict in Eastern Europe and President Joe Biden’s announcement on Friday that he would deploy troops ‘in the near term’ without backing from NATO. The blow to NATO and exclusion of America in negotiation talks on the Russian-Ukraine crisis came after Putin accused the U.S. and NATO of ignoring the Kremlin’s ‘fundamental concerns’ over NATO’s growth during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday. During the call, Putin argued that the West had refused Russians demands of ‘preventing NATO expansion, refusing to deploy strike weapons systems near Russian borders’ and withdrawing allied forces to positions they held in 1997, prior to NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe, Politico reported. Rather than meet with NATO, Putin has agreed to discuss the issue with the European-led Normandy Format, a grouping that includes France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia. Their meetings center on the cease-fire agreement that the countries brokered in eastern Ukraine in 2015, and it also offers a path to a broader settlement. Afghanistan in 2021 and Ukraine in 2022 stand out for their profound shock and the strategic importance of President Biden’s failure in those two settings. Both are flashpoints in understanding what is fast coming together to be President Biden’s ‘America Last’ foreign policy. In national security, perhaps more than any other area, the impact of a single decision by an American president can be immediately felt and alter the very nature of a policy challenge, if not the broader geopolitical dynamics, as the aftermath of the Afghanistan and Ukraine crises might bring.In such settings, a president’s own judgment and instinct are brought to bear, and the quality of his advisors matters most. Biden and his advisors failed us in Afghanistan and appear to be heading in the same direction in Ukraine, as Putin’s Russia continues to mass military forces for a possible invasion. Unfortunately, the current administration’s view could not be more different from the one we had when President Trump was in the White House. Our America First plan did not mean ‘America Alone,’ but it did mean we would embrace a world view of what was good for America, first, and then how our actions affected the rest of the world. President Trump had the perfect background to marshal our actions, having had none of the baggage of a Washington politico and the needed experience of dealing with risk, profit and loss that his business background offers. Text messages obtained by The Associated Press show Louisiana’s governor was informed within hours of the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene that troopers engaged in “a violent, lengthy struggle” that ended with the Black motorist’s death. Yet Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards remained publicly quiet as police clung to a much different story: that Greene died from a crash following a high-speed chase. What the governor knew and when have become questions in the federal investigation of Greene’s death. The governor’s spokesperson says he’s not under investigation and that he’s been tight-lipped to avoid impeding the probe. Two south Texas teen brothers are in police custody following the death of their stepfather whom they are alleged to have beaten to death for sexually abusing their half-sister. 18-year olds Christian and Alejandro Trevino, together with their friend Juan Eduardo Melendez, beat the 42-year-old Gabriel Quintanilla and left him in a field in McAllen, where a farmer later discovered his body. Many media reports indicate that the body had what appeared to be severe blunt force trauma to the head when it was found. The investigation was handed over to the Pharr Police Department by McAllen Police Department. Meanwhile, Andy Harvey Jr., the Pharr Police Chief, told Fox News they are working on a press release, which is expected any time. Harvey, in an email, explained that there seems to be some misinformation surrounding this case. Hopefully, the press release will clarify everything. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lPkw2etHgws/hqdefault.jpg Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will announce his retirement after 22 seasons, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about announcement. The decision comes less than a week after the Buccaneers were eliminated in the divisional playoff round by the Los Angeles Rams. Brady, 44, said after the game that he hadn’t made a decision on retiring and would talk to his family concerning any decision. “I haven’t put a lot of thought into it,” Brady said. “So, you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at.” This season, Brady, a three-time NFL MVP, set a career high with 5,316 passing yards and led the league with 43 touchdown passes. Brady hangs up his cleats as the NFL’s greatest champion; winning six Super Bowl titles in 20 years with the New England Patriots and another last season with the Buccaneers. He left New England after the 2019 season in one of the most stunning free agency moves in NFL history, splitting with longtime coach Bill Belichick. Brady ends his career holding NFL records for the most career touchdown passes, passing yards (84,520) and completions (7,263) of any player in history, and his 15 career Pro Bowl nods and five Super Bowl MVP awards stand as all-time bests. His ultimate legacy, however, is likely his winning record, with his seven Super Bowl titles, 243 regular-season wins, 35 postseason wins all unparalleled. After dumping a half-foot of snow on areas from New York City to Maine — creating blizzard conditions in some regions — a powerful winter storm (Kenan) is bringing a mix of more heavy snow and strong winds to the East Coast Saturday. Winter weather will spread from the mid-Atlantic coast to the Northeast coast throughout Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. The conditions are expected to taper off by Sunday as the storm moves into Canada, the NWS said. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LKUvmLWm3-M/hqdefault.jpg The only criminal trial to arise from the botched police raid that left Breonna Taylor dead began on Friday, as hundreds of potential jurors gathered at a Kentucky courthouse in what activists see as a chance for some measure of justice. Individual questioning of jurors is scheduled to start next week. The former Louisville officer facing trial, Brett Hankison, was not charged in Taylor’s shooting death but is standing trial on three lower-level felony charges for allegedly firing his service weapon wildly into Taylor’s neighbors’ apartments during the March 13, 2020, raid. Whatever the verdict, the trial could leave a bad taste in the mouth of protesters who took to the streets of Louisville for months chanting, “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” as part of racial injustice demonstrations that exploded across the country that year. Officials in #LosAngeles are looking for answers after a Black teen girl’s lifeless body was dumped on the freeway.? In the early morning of Jan. 8, the body of 16-year-old #Tioni Theus was found dumped on a busy off-ramp in L.A. The teen was last seen on Jan. 7 when she was leaving her father’s Compton home on her way to a party. #CNN U.S. reports that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined Tioni died from a gunshot wound to the neck. According to the news outlet, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is leading the investigation.? During a news conference on Wednesday, CHP Assistant Chief Jesus Holguin said someone out there knows something. “There has to be an individual out there that witnessed at least a portion, if not the entirety, of this case. We know that people out there witnessed something that we can follow up on and hopefully get to the bottom of this crime as soon as possible,” said Holguin.? Local leaders in the community are asking the public help. A $110,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Tioni’s killers has been offered; the reward was gathered together by state, county and city officials. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZQijPLL0NA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Billionaire Robert F. Smith, a native of Denver, might just become the first Black owner of an NFL franchise in the 101 years history of the NFL. He is currently one of the leading bidders for the Denver Broncos, according to a report by Front Office Sports. The sale of the Broncos could net in a whopping $4 billion or even more. That alone would break the record as the wealthiest team sale in the history of U.S. sports. Smith founded Vista Equity Partners in 2000. He still serves as its chairman and CEO. The company had assets worth $86 billion as of last September. According to Forbes, the 59-year-old philanthropist and entrepreneur is worth around $6.7Billion, making him the richest Black American. Other bidders Smith is competing with include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Brittany Bowlen, who is one of the daughters of the late Pat Bowlen, who was the owner of the Broncos. During a recent episode of the “Daily Show” Noah, who was born in South Africa, reacted to Rogan’s take on the term “Black.” In case you missed it… during a recent podcast interview with conservative YouTuber Jordan Peterson, Rogan made remarks about racial identity and skin tone. At one point during the conversation, the two recalled the time author and academic Michael Eric Dyson described Peterson as a “mean, mad white man” back in 2018. “Depending on who you ask, either you’re a voice of reason and rationality and personal responsibility, or a voice of intolerance and bigotry and anger and hateful. … What did Michael Eric Dyson call you? A mean angry white man?” Rogan said. “Hilarious. You’re not mean at all. That’s what’s dumb about that statement.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bJ6SgJNE0sQ/hqdefault.jpg Suspense thriller “Dear Best Friend” is now available on BET and is streaming on BET+. The highly anticipated movie premiere of “Dear Best Friend” boasts an All-Star cast of familiar and new faces, including Asi’ah Epperson, Angel Love, Trina, Andra Fuller, Jeremy Meeks, Vernon Davis, Dennis “LA “White, Ashley Rios, and Genise Shelton. “Dear Best Friend” was written by former football player Deshon Hardy and produced by super film producer Tressa Smallwood’s MegaMind Media. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1qlJqkV6oCM/hqdefault.jpg Hip-hop artist Kanye West will have to be fully vaccinated if he wants to play concerts in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday, after media said the performer planned an Australian tour in March. The warning comes just two weeks after tennis superstar Novak Djokovic’s hopes for a Grand Slam title were dashed when a court upheld the government’s decision to cancel his visa over COVID-19 rules and his unvaccinated status. “The rules are you have to be fully vaccinated,” Morrison told a news conference. “They apply to everybody, as people have seen most recently. It doesn’t matter who you are, they are the rules. Follow the rules – you can come. You don’t follow the rules, you can’t.” Morrison’s remarks followed a report on Friday in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, citing industry sources, that said West planned to play stadium concerts in Australia in March. Representatives of West, who released his latest album, “Donda”, in July, were not immediately available for comment. read more. The vaccination status of West, a 2020 U.S. presidential candidate, is unknown. In a 2021 interview on social media he said he had received one vaccine dose, but in a 2020 interview with business magazine Forbes, he had called getting vaccinated “the mark of the beast.” Australia, one of the nations most heavily vaccinated against COVID-19, has been battling an explosive wave of infections in the past month driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, with about 2 million cases recorded. Until then, it had just 400,000 cases since the pandemic first hit nearly two years ago. Famed crypto investor and rap star Nasir Nas Jones has joined hands with the tech giant Google, Riot Games, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and others to raise $20 million for Carry1st, a South African mobile gaming startup company. The company now employs at least 35 people across 18 countries. Some of the games released by Carry1st are Mine Rescue, Football Clash, SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off, Match League, among others. Other investors who participated are Konvoy Ventures, TTV Capital, and Avenir. Based in Cape Town, Carry1st serves the gaming needs of the first generation of African smartphone users. Already, it has millions of users across the continent. We’re pleased to join with this world-class group of investors who provide expertise across gaming, fintech, and web3 in addition to capital,” said Cordel Robbin-Coker, co-founder and CEO of Carry1st, a company founded in 2018. Actress/singer Tisha Campbell recently found herself in a very strange situation right of some dark and dangerous looking, Hollywood production. The incident was so harrowing and over the top, Campbell took to social media to tell her story of being on the verge of being scooped up by what she thinks are human traffickers. The hyped-up and emotional actress says she was leaving a building when she asked them for a number to call a taxi. As she explains in very colorful detail, she called the number and a really sketchy vehicle with two equally sketchy-looking men pulled up and the driver told her to get in. She noticed the vehicle was dirty and busted so she told the driver she wouldn’t get in. That’s when he told her to get in the front seat. At this time, the second person in the backseat started motioning his body towards her. Campbell went back inside to the front desk but the man who gave her the number was gone. She spoke to a woman, who informed her that the number he gave her was NOT the usual number they use for taxis. Andrew Jones, a basketball standout at Texas who underwent treatment for leukemia earlier in his college career, will donate a portion of his NIL money to cancer research. Jones announced Friday that he will partner with The V Foundation, created by ESPN in former NC State coach Jim Valvano’s honor, and donate 10% of his name, image and likeness proceeds to the foundation. Jones was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2018. At the time, he was the Longhorns’ leading scorer. While undergoing chemotherapy, Jones missed a significant portion of two seasons. This season, Jones is averaging 10.1 points per game for the Longhorns. “The money donated to the V Foundation played a major part not only in my ability to receive proper treatment but maintain confidence in both my recovery and eventual return to basketball,” Jones said in a statement. “To be able to share my story on how this foundation has impacted my life while paying that forward to future families impacted by cancer is an honor.” Members of the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team pose for a photo before departing on Delta Airlines for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Getty Images for USOPCCOVID-19 is already throwing a wrench into plans for Team USA, a week before the 2022 Winter Olympics begin. Multiple members of the United States bobsled and skeleton team have tested positive for the virus, Yahoo Sports reported on Friday night. Bobsledder Josh Williamson announced Wednesday in an Instagram post that he had tested positive for COVID-19 last Sunday, but he is reportedly not the only one. There is at least one other athlete, in addition to multiple coaches and support staff, who tested positive, according to Yahoo. A team official confirmed to the website that there were multiple positive tests but did not specify details. A 35-year-old man has been found guilty of stalking U.S. Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu, British media reported on Saturday. Bromley Magistrates' Court convicted Amrit Magar on Friday after he was captured several times on door camera footage at the 19-year-old player's house in south London, where she lives with her parents. Magar, a former delivery driver, left Raducanu flowers, a love note and a hand-drawn map, picturing his 23-mile (37-km) walk from his house in northwest London to reach her, the court heard, according to the Daily Mail. He will be sentenced by the court next month. Deion Sanders has called attention to NCAA rules around social media activity in recruiting by tweeting at top recruit Shemar Stewart. The Jackson State coach responded to Stewart’s announcement of his top 3 schools being Georgia, Miami and Texas A&M, and his announcement set for Feb. 2, with a statement that Coach Prime’s Tigers should be in the mix as well. Sanders later deleted the tweet, but it was saved by a screenshot. Stewart is 6-foot-6 and 272 pounds from Opa Locka, Florida, and the 5-star is the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 defensive lineman in the Class of 2022, according to the 247Sports Composite. The issue for Sanders is it’s against NCAA rules to directly and publicly tweet at recruits. In a first for a high-profile ex-professional athlete, North Carolina A&T freshman golfer J.R. Smith — a retired 16-year NBA guard — has signed with Excel Sports for NIL representation, agent Lance Young told ESPN. Smith, 36, is beginning his second semester for the Aggies, and his emergence as perhaps the most well-known Division I golfer has inspired significant endorsement possibilities that could earn him well into the six figures under the NCAA’s new name, image and likeness legislation. There’s significant NIL interest among golfing equipment and clothing manufacturers and video game companies, Young told ESPN. Smith has expressed a desire to become a bridge to the sport of golf for underrepresented minority groups, and his matriculation as a full-time undergraduate at N.C. A&T — an HBCU in Greensboro, North Carolina — has captured significant attention. Smith has a considerable social media following, too, including 6 million followers on Instagram. Few players have accomplished as much as Patrick Mahomes, so early in his career, and he’s one win away from another unprecedented accomplishment. If the Chiefs beat the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl LVI, Mahomes will start in his third Super Bowl, and he will be the youngest quarterback in NFL history to start three Super Bowls. There’s no question that Jordan Myers is a hard worker. As a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, the 29-year-old typically works 12 to 13 hours a day, six days per week. During the business week, Myers works about five hours of overtime each day, and takes on even more on the weekends. Living in Memphis, Tennessee, Myers earns a base salary of around $41,000 per year. But with overtime, he’s able to bring in far more: In 2021, Myers earned over $90,000. Myers’ work ethic is especially impressive to Kevin O’Leary, O’Shares ETFs chairman and judge on CNBC’s “Money Court." “He’s delivering mail for over 12 hours a day. This guy knows how to work hard,” O’Leary says as he watches Myers’ episode of Millennial Money, which was published in November 2021. Most days, Myers walks around 14 miles. He delivers mail to up to 500 houses each day, and because he has a walking route, he’s outside all day, regardless of the weather. “Jordan [Myers] has a strong work ethic, and it’s important to have a work ethic, because it’s a discipline and you work for a reason,” O’Leary says. “You need money to live. No one’s going to take care of you if you don’t take care of yourself.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g43DRw1twwQ/hqdefault.jpg “I want to bring hope to the hopeless,” said rapper/singer/songwriter Deshawn White about his “Based on a True Story” Christian/Gospel project that consist of an EP titled “The Trailer: Based on a True Story” and the album “Deshawn White: Based on a True Story.” “Shout-out to Devine Jamz, they help me tell my story to a wider platform.” “I always felt my life was a movie. I’ve stepped over dead bodies – all that,” White pointed out. “The album is like my life, it’s like a movie and like a movie first is the trailer before the movie is released.” https://youtu.be/_y3L1aI4Tlk Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center say there are at least three cases of a new form of omicron, “stealth omicron,” in North Texas. Texas is one of a few states where stealth omicron has been detected. Along with the cases in North Texas, three cases have been identified in Houston. Stealth omicron cases have been found in 40 countries. In the U.S., there are about 100 cases. Stealth omicron is a subvariant of omicron. Why is it called stealth omicron? You cannot identify the type of variant through a PCR test like you can with omicron. Genomic sequencing has to be conducted in a specialized lab to identify the variant, which takes longer. In Denmark, where stealth omicron cases are rapidly increasing, it went from 20% of cases in December, to 45% of cases two weeks ago, and now it’s about 65% of cases. “It’s moving fast, it’s taking over the landscape,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist at University of California San Francisco. China’s ambassador to the United States issued a warning Thursday: The U.S. could face “military conflict” with China over the future status of Taiwan. In his first one-on-one interview since assuming his post in Washington, D.C., last July, Qin Gang accused Taiwan of “walking down the road toward independence,” and added, “If the Taiwanese authorities, emboldened by the United States, keep going down the road for independence, it most likely will involve China and the United States, the two big countries, in a military conflict.” It was an unusually direct statement about the U.S. and Taiwan. Observers say China more commonly speaks in more general terms, such as saying that the U.S. is “playing with fire.” Though American eyes may be focused thousands of miles away toward a threatened war in Ukraine, U.S. officials and analysts have voiced increasing concern about Taiwan’s ability to defend itself. This week, 39 Chinese military aircraft flew near Taiwan, the latest of several such demonstrations. It’s widely believed that the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of war, though no formal treaty requires it to do so. Ambassador Qin spoke of Taiwan at his official residence Thursday, where he welcomed NPR’s team to discuss U.S. relations with China and the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. He is a veteran diplomat who previously served as the chief of foreign affairs protocol for China’s President Xi Jinping. The Biden administration has allegedly canceled $15 billion in student loan debt, according to a press release from the Department of Education. According to the report, more than 675,000 borrowers have benefited from Biden’s loan forgiveness. Per the Education Data Initiative, over 43 million Americans still owe $1.75 trillion, or roughly $40,000 per student loan recipient. Late last year, Biden extended the pause on student loan debt payments until at least May 2022. “Given these considerations, today my Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments for an additional 90 days—through May 1, 2022—as we manage the ongoing pandemic and further strengthen our economic recovery,” he wrote, as reported by Complex. “Meanwhile, the Department of Education will continue working with borrowers to ensure they have the support they need to transition smoothly back into repayment and advance economic stability for their own households and for our nation.” A bridge has collapsed this Friday morning in Pittsburgh just hours before President Biden was scheduled to visit the city to talk about infrastructure. Around 6:50 a.m. Eastern, the city of Pittsburgh’s Public Safety Department tweeted there had been a confirmed bridge collapse in the area of Forbes and Braddock and that authorities were on scene: “There’s a bridge collapse in Pittsburgh. There is a strong smell of natural gas in the area. Please avoid if at all possible.” In a second update, the department tweeted, “Gas line has been cut. Updates on injuries will be provided once PIO is on the scene. Red Cross has been contacted for victim assistance.” A local area news station, “@KDKA, tweeted photos from the incident. Videos posted by local outlets also show the major damage. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZRrjWxqoEI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Three Houston police officers were shot Thursday afternoon by a suspect who fled, carjacked a white Mercedes and barricaded himself in a home for several hours before being taken into custody, authorities said. Houston police said that the officers are all in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. They are being treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital. One officer was hit in the arm, another was hit in the leg and the third officer was shot in the foot, the police said. The woman who was driving the Mercedes was unharmed. The family of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger who was chased by three white men in pickup trucks and gunned down in south Georgia in 2020, says that the men's federal hate crimes trial will do what the state court did not - reckon with race. The three men - a father and son and their neighbor - were convicted last November in a Brunswick, Georgia state court of murdering Arbery, 25, and sentenced to life in prison. "That's not enough," said Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery, who believes issues of race raised in the new trial may have an impact beyond the courtroom. "My son isn't coming back," but "maybe it'll save another Black son," he said. Civil rights activists say the new trial, which begins on Feb. 7, is a key moment in the country's reckoning with racial injustice. Arbery's murder was another example of deadly violence being used against a Black man, they say. Gregory McMichael, 66, a former police officer, his son Travis McMichael, 36, and William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, are each charged with interference with rights, a hate crime which carries a maximum of life in prison. All are also charged with attempted kidnapping, and the McMichaels face gun violations. All three have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their attorneys have declined to comment to Reuters. Charity auditors have expressed alarm at the management of Black Lives Matter’s $60 million in donations, after it emerged that people announced as leading the organization never took up the role, and no one seemed able to say who was handling the finances. The most recent tax filing for the charity, from 2019, gives an address in Los Angeles that does not exist, and the two remaining BLM directors identified by The Washington Examiner were not able to assist – with one even scrubbing BLM associations from his social media after he was contacted by the paper. They are yet to file a 2020 return, a Form 990, as required – which could see BLM fined by the IRS. Laurie Styron, executive director of CharityWatch, said the findings were deeply troubling, and said they should have filed their 2020 form by now. Camrin Williams, aka C Blu, was locked up in Brooklyn on gun and assault charges for shooting Officer Kaseem Pennant (right), 27, just a week earlier in the Bronx. Williams was arrested after officers responded to reports of unrest on January 18. He refused when officers asked him to take his hands out of his pockets and got into a scrap with the cops. During the battle, a gun Williams – identified as a member of a subset of the Crips – was holding fired and a single bullet struck and wounded Pennant and hit Williams in the groin. Williams, who is already on probation for a 2020 gun possession arrest, posted $250,000 bond to get out of the juvenile facility on Thursday, reportedly with an advance on his contract with Interscope Records. A man who spent nearly 20 years in prison for murder has been released after his identical twin brother confessed to the crime. Kevin Dugar was freed from the Cook County Jail in Chicago on Tuesday night after a motion for bond was granted, his lawyer, Ronald Safer, told The Post. “He is overjoyed to be free but is also adjusting to a world that is quite different from the world he left 20 years ago when he was arrested for this crime he did not commit,” the attorney said Thursday. Dugar had spent the last two decades in prison after being convicted in the 2003 fatal shooting of a rival gang member. But the case was called into question when his twin brother, Karl Smith, came forward in 2016 to issue the stunning confession that he was responsible for the deadly shooting. Four teenagers have been shot in less than 48 hours in Buffalo, and the community is reeling. Tuesday afternoon, a 17-year-old girl was shot and killed in a house on Koons Avenue, reports WKBW. A 19-year-old man was also shot. Then, at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy was shot on Grider Street. Police said the shooting occurred inside a home. 22 hours later, a 17-year-old girl was shot inside her home on Jefferson Avenue. Police said shots were fired outside the girl’s home, hitting her when she was inside. Police don’t believe the shootings were connected. “It’s very concerning when we have juveniles being shot. The unfortunate thing is there are a great number of those cases where they are targeted due to some activities they are involved with. We certainly have some cases of crossfire where they’re too close to other events going on,” Buffalo Police Deputy Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/st-HGVMahGc/hqdefault.jpg Two 76ers fans were tossed out of their court side adjacent seats at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center Thursday after hurling a racially offensive term at Los Angeles Lakers star Carmelo Anthony. During a stoppage in play in the fourth quarter, Anthony had heard enough and stepped to the two fans to address their chirping. A ref quickly intervened, and the officials and security eventually escorted the men out. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ciWr6VAkEr0/hqdefault.jpg ABC’s new primetime comedy, “Abbott Elementary” has made history as the network’s first comedy “quadruple its ratings” since its premiere. The Quinta Brunson created series debuted in December, and per ABC’s metrics, the show received a 0.6 rating in their target demographic, with only 2.71 million viewers watching, per Deadline. https://twitter.com/i/status/1487093186250088450 Hollywood actor Mel Gibson has stated that the Catholic Church needs to undergo “housecleaning,” after being mired in scandal over the years. The Catholic Church has faced a number of unflattering headlines recently, most prominently for its record of handling sexual abuse cases. And The Passion of the Christ director Gibson, who was raised a Sedevacantist traditionalist Catholic, believes a clean-up behind the scenes would greatly help the image of the church. Sedevacantists believe that since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958 (or, in some cases, the death of Pope John XXIII in 1963) subsequent popes have been neither true Catholics nor true popes, but rather heretics because they espoused Modernism. In an interview with Extra host Billy Bush, Gibson was asked if his decision to team up with fellow Catholic Mark Wahlberg for the upcoming faith-themed biopic Father Stu was part of an effort to “get back to the good” of the church. “Back to basics,” Gibson, 66, responded. “Of course, it’s lamentable all the stuff that’s gone on. Like any institution, it’s capable of being corrupt. And, you know, it is sad to see, but as always, I don’t think it’s the institution that’s at fault. In an interview with The Associated Press, Susanna Mälkki, after conducting the New York Philharmonic in a challenging program the day before the January 6 performance, said the following: “Of course, it’s always an honor to be mentioned in this kind of context. It’s really, really fun to be with the orchestra. But the `l’actualité,' as they say in French: This something that the orchestra will take their time. They will try out a lot of people.” Mälkki brought a “focused energy” to the podium, said Leelanee Sterrett, the acting associate principal horn. Sterrett called it “one of those performances where in the concert everything was kind of taken up a notch, dialed up a notch.” Mälkki is among five woman conductors at the Met this season. She is one of 21 to lead the Philharmonic, including four so far this season. TOUCHBBCA and Breastcancer.org announced the upcoming launch of When We Tri(al), a movement dedicated to empowering and educating Black women on the importance of clinical trial participation. The movement aims to change the devastating breast cancer mortality rates for Black women, who are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. Black women are drastically underrepresented in clinical trials; only 3% of clinical trial participants leading to FDA approval of cancer drugs between 2008 and 2018 were Black. The consequences are dire: too many Black women are missing out on access to newly emerging and often life-extending treatments. Until more Black women are included in the research, they will continue to face worse breast cancer outcomes. When We Tri(al) is focused on the urgent need to end these disparities. Wendy Williams is not returning to host her namesake talk show, as her health-related hiatus has been extended. As reported by PEOPLE, “The Wendy Williams Show” announced a lineup of celebrity guest hosts for the entire month of February: Michael Rapaport, Sherri Shepherd, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Bevy Smith and Terrence J. Rapper Fat Joe and Remy Ma will co-host through Feb. 7 – 11, Smith and Terrence J will team up between Feb. 14 – 18 and Shepherd will return as co-host between Feb. 21 – 25, per the report. A source close to “The Wendy Williams Show” revealed to The Sun that Williams has also stopped talking to production staffers. The insider said: “She hasn’t been talking to anybody, not producers, not senior producers- no one. She has disappeared and the only line of contact production has is through her manager.” https://www.instagram.com/wendyshow/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=df5d5122-8f73-4f13-8998-8dbfad9c24b2 Singer Chris Brown is back in the headlines for his alleged violence towards women. Brown has been hit with another sexual assault allegation and the accuser has hit him with a $20 million dollar lawsuit. According to the suit, the woman claims she also felt “disoriented, physically unstable, and started to fall in and out of sleep” … and that’s when she says Chris led her into a bedroom while she was “drugged” and “half-asleep.” In the docs, the woman claims Chris closed the bedroom door, barring her attempt to leave, removed her bikini bottoms and started kissing her. She says she mumbled for Chris to stop, but he persisted and raped her. After Brown ejaculated inside her, he announced he was “done,” and the next day he texted her and “demanded she take Plan B,” the outlet writes and she complied. The woman is suing the artist for $20 million claiming she is suffering from severe emotional distress. Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty are reportedly facing yet another lawsuit for allegedly physically assaulting one of their security personnel. The incident stems from a March 2019 show in Germany where Nicki allegedly became irate with a female security staffer over a male concertgoer getting onstage during her performance. Thomas Weidenmuller, head of security, decided to step in when the guard started crying after the rapper was yelling and calling her a “f**king bitch.” Per the report, Nicki turned her anger towards Weidenmuller and he claims she threw a shoe at him but missed. According to his lawsuit, Petty punched him in the face and broke his jaw. Weidenmuller allegedly recorded the interaction. According to the report, Weidenmuller is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, as well as coverage of his medical bills. In the Arizona desert, a new school model has Black parents driving across city lines to drop their children off each morning. Frustrated with what they say is their public schools’ failure to provide quality education and nurturing environments for Black children and fearing the persistent school to prison pipeline, a group of mothers, many public school teachers, have created a network of their own schools. Launched mid-pandemic just one year ago, the mothers’ goal is to grow the seven microschools into 50. “We could be advocating 24/7, and still not make the impact that we wanted to see. So, what do you do, do you go charter? Do you try to keep working in the public school system? Nope, nope, not us. We said, well, we can do it ourselves,” said Debora Colbert, executive director of the Black Mothers Forum, a Phoenix-based parent advocacy group. In mixed-grade classes, students learn at their own pace and are guided by two teachers. Restorative discipline techniques, not punitive strategies, are the norm. The Weeknd has reportedly dethroned Justin Bieber on Spotify — becoming the #1 artist with the most monthly listeners on the music app. As reported by TMZ, The Weeknd has about 85.6 million streams on the platform. Biebs had been holding the top spot since last year, when he claimed the top spot at 83.3 mil. Dr. Robin Holmes-Sullivan’s professional journey has been marked down in history as she now steps into a role she never expected. According to the college, after a six-month national search, Holmes-Sullivan will be the first woman and the first person of color to serve as Lewis & Clark’s 26th president in the college’s 155-year history. Holmes-Sullivan was a top choice of all three deans and President Wim Wiewel, out of more than 100 applicants. According to the college, her accomplishment is a product of the continuous support she receives from the faculties of all three schools. “I am humbled and thrilled at the opportunity to serve as Lewis & Clark’s next leader,” Holmes-Sullivan said in a press release statement. “I have the utmost respect and admiration for our students, staff, and faculty.” Last year, recording artist and philanthropist Ciara connected with Meta to support small Black-owned businesses. Due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on small businesses, Ciara committed to assisting Black entrepreneurs by nominating 10 enterprises to receive one-on-one mentorship from Meta. Now the singer has announced those 10 businesses. “The 10 businesses I’ve nominated are dear to me because they embody determination, community, empathy, and empowerment,” said Ciara in a written statement. “The success of Black-owned small businesses is key to wealth building in our community, which is why connecting Black owners to these opportunities is so important to me.” The small businesses taking part in the program to receive one-on-one marketing mentorship from Meta Elevate include: Round House Paper, Nicole Grace Collection, The Coil Brush, Boss Branding on a Budget, Aliyah Kamala Enterprises, The Self Care Suite, Manifest It, Sis, For Our Daughters Beauty, Kyra’s Shea Medleys, and Zion’s Greek Boutique. Not even a full day into his tenure as the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is already “deeply involved” in the team’s search for its next head coach, according to co-owner Mark Wilf. Speaking at his introductory news conference Thursday, Adofo-Mensah reiterated that the conversations he has had regarding candidates are only in the beginning stages but that the direction the franchise wants to go in is clear. “We know what we want to find,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We want leadership, we want somebody who is going to value the collective over the individual, we want somebody who has a vision, who can communicate, who has a solid football foundation, who understands how football is interconnected and what that means. That’s been our focus in these last few days honing in on what we want. In terms of specific names, we’re going to meet after this and talk about that further.” The Vikings’ search has been narrowed down to six candidates after sources confirmed to ESPN that the Denver Broncos had hired Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as head coach and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn withdrew his name from head-coaching searches, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini. When Gatorade told Shedeur Sanders he would be the first college football athlete to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with the national brand, he was at a loss for words.Sanders has been a part of other NIL deals with big brands, including Beats by Dre and famed quarterback Tom Brady’s new apparel line, but being the first to represent an iconic athletic sports drink, and to do it at a historically Black college and university (HBCU), meant Sanders’ plan was working.He’s proud to represent these companies, but he considers his path — playing quarterback for his father, head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State – a movement to help others around him and to continue making noise on a nontraditional route. “This whole HBCU thing that’s going on right now is bringing national attention,” Sanders said. “We got players from Power 5 actually coming to HBCU schools now, it wasn’t like that a couple years ago, so it’s just really exciting to see that competition will go up. Everything’s going to go up, and honestly, other players in HBCUs should get deals also.” A Minnesota gymnast earned herself a perfect 10 and viral fame after nailing her incredible floor routine set to an instrumental medley of songs from Beyoncé’s Homecoming. Mya Hooten, 19, wowed the judges with her flawless performance on Monday night when the University of Minnesota Gophers faced off against the University of Michigan Wolverines. Mya Hooten, 19, wowed the judges with her flawless performance on Monday night when the University of Minnesota Gophers faced off against the University of Michigan Wolverines. https://youtu.be/x6aH8rujEJA American skiing prodigy Kai Owens has made the U.S. Olympic team, giving the 17-year-old athlete the opportunity to return to her birth country of China and compete for America in the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Owens was abandoned as an infant at a town square in China before she was adopted when she just 16 months old by a Colorado couple, Amy and John Owens. Now, the blossoming moguls standout said she’s excited to return to China as she hopes to win a gold medal for Team USA in the freestyle competition that features lots of bumps and requires sharp turns and skills. She’s currently sponsored by Toyota, Oakley and Rocky Mountain Vision Group in Colorado. Now, the blossoming moguls standout said she’s excited to return to China as she hopes to win a gold medal for Team USA in the freestyle competition that features lots of bumps and requires sharp turns and skills. She’s currently sponsored by Toyota, Oakley and Rocky Mountain Vision Group in Colorado. ‘It becomes full circle when I step off that plane in China,’ Owens told The Associated Press on Friday after it was announced that she made the Olympic team. ‘When my skis touch the snow in China, it’s going to be a really special moment for me because I get to ski in the Olympic Games in my birth country. It’s crazy how life works.’ ‘It becomes full circle when I step off that plane in China,’ Owens told The Associated Press on Friday after it was announced that she made the Olympic team. ‘When my skis touch the snow in China, it’s going to be a really special moment for me because I get to ski in the Olympic Games in my birth country. It’s crazy how life works.’ Owens’ celebration draws parallels to Californian skier Eileen Gu, 18, a fellow Chinese-born athlete, who turned her back on Team USA to compete for China, who is hosting the Winter Olympics in Beijing next month. The New York Giants fired Coach Joe Judge a day after general manager Dave Gettleman retired. There was speculation that Gettleman and others would hire a new general manager who would decide Judge’s fate. Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said they felt it was best for the Giants to move in another direction after five straight seasons of double-digit losses. There was no doubt the Giants played hard under Judge. They never gave up. They just didn’t win enough, especially this season which was marked by at least a dozen season-ending injuries. The Giants did not seem to be one under Judge’s leadership. Judge demanded his players comply with the rules. Everything had to go his way. The Giants have already put together a list of nine GM candidates they plan to interview. President Joe Biden reportedly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday to brace his country for a certain Russian invasion. Biden told Zelensky that an invasion is virtually certain and to ‘prepare for impact,’ CNN reported. He said Kiev could be ‘sacked’ by Russian forces. He reportedly said Ukraine would not be getting significantly more military help, including reiterating that no U.S. troops would be deployed there, nor would there be preemptive sanctions on Russia or any progress with NATO. The warning was not part of a White House readout provided after the call. A leader of the Michigan GOP Party decided her anti-mask rhetoric would hit a little differently if she invoked the racist trope of the scary Black man. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, II Michigan GOP Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock quote tweeted a video Gilchrist made saying, “Show this video to a babies and watch them cry. Scary masked man should #StayHome.” There’s nothing scary about a Black man simply doing his job unless you’re a Republican who has to hate monger to stay in the club. Maddock’s response to Gilchrist posting about engaging Michigan communities, a unifying position, speaks volumes about her inability to connect with a broad section of the state. The family of Lauren Smith-Fields are demanding answers from the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, after the 23-year-old black woman was found dead in her apartment on December 12, 2021. According to news reports, that evening Smith-Fields met up with Matthew LaFountain, an older white man she met on the dating app Bumble. Police reports suggest LaFountain called authorities around 6:30 am on Dec 12 after waking up to Smith-Fields on the floor unconscious with dried blood around her nose. She was pronounced dead. According to the Chief Medical Examiner, Smith-Field’s cause of death was determined to be “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol,” and the manner to be accidental. But her family isn’t convinced that police findings thus far tell the whole story. According to the family attorney, Matthew LaFountain was never investigated or detained after he called the police. It seems as though the police just took his word for it. Apparently, some white supremacists have gotten so desperate that they’re going door-to-door in white neighborhoods to spread the good word and inform residents that it’s time to make America white again. A viral TikTok video shows two Caucasian men who introduced themselves as “white nationalists” when approaching residents to “talk to people about some things.” “We’re hoping to have a few minutes to talk to you about that,” one of the Jehovah’s white-nesses said. “Did you say you’re a white nationalist?” a man inside the home can be heard saying before a woman declared, “We’re not interested!” Then the Klan-ish duo had the caucasity to leave a bunch of whiny whites literature urging fellow melanin-nots to “End systemic racism” and “Be pro-white.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1485021067081138179 One doesn’t necessarily need to be white in order to be racist, therefore one doesn’t need to be a white woman to be a Karen. If you’re Black in America, there’s a likelihood that you’ve been followed around grocery stores, bodegas, department stores and the like by racists of multiple races because, unfortunately, anti-Blackness is a global phenomenon. But back in the day (I’m not old, you’re old…shut up) we didn’t have readily available cameras to record racial profiling incidents and businesses didn’t have to fear review sites that were open to the public. According to International Business Times, an incident between a Black woman model and an Asian cashier ended in yet another viral altercation involving a negro minding her own business and a non-negro…also minding the Black person’s own business. It all started when model Megan Milan was shopping at a beauty store in Los Angeles’ Santee Alley called Remy’s, and an Asian cashier started rifling through her coat pockets presumably looking for stolen items, which she did not find. https://www.instagram.com/p/CY7hAP6lfvp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again BET+ dropped the trailer for ”The Real Husbands of Hollywood” revival featuring Kevin Hart, Boris Kodjoe, Duane Martin, JB Smoove, Nelly, Nick Cannon, Robin Thicke, Cynthia McWilliams and Jackie Long. The original series debuted on BET in 2013 and ran for five seasons. The show was created by Hart, Chris Spencer, and Ralph R. Farquhar, and follows famous Hollywood men who are married, with each playing a fictionalized version of themselves, per Variety. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-E3_wNuLFfY/hqdefault.jpg Today (January 26, 2022) is the second observance of the tragic death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. To honor them and the seven others who lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Jan. 26, 2020, a temporary statue of Kobe and Gianna has been erected at the crash site by Dan Medina, an LA-based sculptor. The bronze statue shows Kobe Bryant dressed in his Los Angeles Lakers uniform and putting his arm around Gianna, who’s looking up at him while holding a basketball. Gianna Bryant, who was traveling to a youth basketball tournament with her father before their deaths, is also wearing hoops gear, reports CBS Sports. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com After news broke of the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer, Black liberals have taken to social media to call on President Joe Biden to fulfill his pledge to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court. “We are putting together a list of a group of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be in the court,” he said during the 2020 conference, as reported by CNBC. “I am not going to release that until we go further down the line of vetting them.” Meet five Black women who Biden is said to be considering to potentially fill Breyer’s seat, via CNBC. they are Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, Judge J. Michelle Childs, Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi and Judge Eunice Lee. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sENngsVci1Q/hqdefault.jpg Vachik Mangassarian, a character actor who appeared on “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “The Mentalist” has died of Covid-19 complications, according to his manager. He was 78. Mangassarian was vaccinated, his manager Valerie McCaffrey told NBC News. He had posted several anti-vaccine and anti-President Joe Biden memes on his Facebook in recent months. McCaffrey didn’t offer a comment on the posts beyond saying Tuesday: “Just be aware, Vachik had a sense of humor.” He had recently been filming the movie “Moving On,” starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, and had also shared photos of him and the actresses on his Facebook page. The Hyattsville Mayor reportedly shot himself dead in a Virginia park, authorities revealed. Kevin Ward, 44, a father-of-two, died on Tuesday from an ‘apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.’ His body was found in Fort Marcy Park in Virginia, roughly 20 miles away from Hyattsville, in Maryland, the Washington Post reported. Ward, who leaves behind two children and a husband, was elected in May as the first African American and strived to help his community rebuild after the pandemic and create a safe haven for undocumented immigrants and the LBGT+ community. Like the vast majority of comics over 40, W. Kamau Bell grew up idolizing Bill Cosby. Unlike most of his peers, he still wants to talk about him. Bell has a reputation for tackling controversial subjects, most notably as host of CNN’s “United Shades of America.” But his latest project, “We Need to Talk About Cosby,” ventures into particularly choppy waters. The four-part series, premiering at 9 p.m. Sunday on Showtime, chronicles how his one-time role model went from being “America’s Dad” to an alleged predator who spent three years in prison after more than 60 women accused him of crimes that ranged from sexual assault to rape. His conviction was vacated last June. Bell, who serves as narrator and director, spoke about his powerful docuseries: https://youtu.be/OOJVuHpDt_8 “This is unlike any project I’ve ever participated in; it’s a raw, emotional and completely transparent account of the events that took place throughout the 2020 and 2021 NASCAR seasons. With me, what you see is what you get. You’ll witness the peaks and valleys of the sport and see how one’s actions off of the race track are just as important as the ones on it. One of the most compelling pieces of the series is the additional insight the viewers will gain by hearing from my peers, family and some of my partners that played a role in this monumental journey. Join me as we break down barriers, confront controversy, and welcome a new fan base to the sport of NASCAR.” – Bubba Wallace https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l9n3z81fZ_Y/hqdefault.jpg Spike Lee will receive the lifetime achievement award for distinguished achievement in motion picture direction from the Directors Guild of America. The group announced Lee as the recipient of the organization’s top honor on Wednesday morning. “Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing,” said Lesli Linka Glatter, president of the DGA. “From his groundbreaking ‘Do the Right Thing,’ ‘BlacKkKlansman’ and everything in between — to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels. His bold and passionate storytelling over the past three decades has masterfully entertained, as it held a stark mirror to our society and culture.” Lee will be honored with the lifetime achievement award at the DGA’s 74th annual awards ceremony on March 12. This year’s nominations for outstanding directorial achievement in feature film will be announced on Jan. 27. Nominations for outstanding directorial achievement in television, commercials and documentary will be announced on Jan. 26. Anthony Mackie has set his feature directorial debut with Spark. The drama will star Saniyya Sidney as Claudette Colvin, an unsung pioneer of the Civil Rights era. Sidney is coming off a breakout performance as Venus Williams in King Richard. Mackie is producing with Kellon Akeem, Jason Michael Berman and Marc Ambrose. Colvin was 15-years-old when she bravely stood up to racism, getting arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a crowded segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This was nine months before Rosa Parks became a symbol of the Civil Rights era symbol for courageously doing essentially the same thing. Initially embraced by Civil Rights leaders for her courage, Colvin was brushed out of history when those same civic leaders decided a poor, dark-skinned teenage girl would not be the ideal face for their public campaign. The film will be a co-production between Make it with Gravy Productions, Mansa Productions, Mandalay Pictures in Association with Ambergreen Entertainment. Niceole R. Levy, who worked with Mackie on The Banker, is writing it. The filmmakers have the life rights of Colvin and are working with her family. They’ve also secured rights to Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose. Said Colvin: “67 years ago, when history glued me to the seat of that bus in Montgomery, I could never have imagined that standing up for my rights could spark a movement that would change the course of history. It is really an honor to have my story retold, by Mr. Mackie, for future generations to learn about our past so they can move forward knowing that progress is possible, and things do get better. I hope my story will inspire youth to continue to fight for civil rights and human dignity.” A 9-foot Harriet Tubman statue will be featured in front of Philadelphia City Hall’s North Apron through the end of March to celebrate the abolitionist’s 200th birthday, as well as Black History and Women’s History Months. Tubman had a strong connection to Philadelphia, making her way to the city in 1849 after escaping slavery in Maryland and even speaking at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church during her time in the city. Tubman would use the Underground Railroad’s network of homes and churches in Philadelphia to help free about 70 enslaved people from Maryland. Unveiled Tuesday, Wesley Wofford’s sculpture The Journey to Freedom gives a nod to Tubman’s Pennsylvania ties. “Philadelphia holds a specific relevance to Harriet’s story as the city she found safe harbor in after her escape from Maryland, as well as staging many of her returning raids to free others from the bondage of slavery,” Wofford said in a statement. For over a century, Morehouse College has served as an epicenter for groundbreaking research surrounding inequities that impact marginalized communities. The Atlanta-based institution is staying true to that tradition by creating a new project. The HBCU announced the launch of its Black Men’s Research Institute. Through the initiative, scholars will examine how the existence of global social and economic disparities shape the lives of Black men. The institute—which sits at the intersection of social sciences, creative arts and humanities—will explore the different dimensions of Black male identities through an intersectional lens, illustrating that men’s experiences within the Black community aren’t monolithic. The initiative also hopes to dispel preconceived notions about Black manhood, foster global conversations and generate research to inform public policies and civic engagement projects to create better life outcomes for Black men. Through the institute, scholars will engage in a myriad of learning experiences—including symposiums, workshops and lectures—focused on thought leadership, intellectual discovery, knowledge exchange and innovation. Author Ibram X. Kendi’s next book is “Goodnight Racism.” In the pages of this book, Kendi seeks to connect with children’s capacity to imagine a better world. It “is not about what is; it is about what can be,” Kendi said. “It is about the good morning of an equitable and just world after wishing racism goodnight.” Kendi’s accomplishments include winner of the National Book Award in 2016 for “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.” He has since published three books, including “How to Be An Antiracist” and a collaboration with Jason Reynolds, “STAMPED: Racism, Antiracism, and You.” He also helped edit “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019.” He is founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Justin Timberlake is rumored to appear in Janet Jackson’s Lifetime/A&E documentary premiering on Friday. “Justin is in it. I was told he is going to be in the documentary. It’s like this big secret. He’s the surprise, just like the Super Bowl,” the source told Page Six. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMqSMhq542/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Jennie Nguyen hit up Instagram Live Wednesday to speak out about being booted off the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” after her racist posts about Black Lives Matter resurfaced. For her Instagram Live on Wednesday, Nguyen, 44, rolled out her token Black friend Michael to join her as she addressed her past offensive posts. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZOipDIhs5U/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=46bafb0d-15ea-4b8c-932e-839dd517eb18 O’Shea Jackson Jr. who stars in the hilarious new TV Show “The Now” has a new boo and he spills the good news tea. O’Shea Jackson Jr. was most recently linked to actress Danielle Nieto and Jackie Garcia, the mother of his baby girl. He says his new boo is his good friend. “I got my lady, Jade. We been talkin’ for just about a year. She works in film. She works in costumes. The scheduling, because we both are on set, is a little off but that’s my road dog. We made sure we were friends before anything. I got her back and she got mine.” And he’s got a new TV show “The Now” streaming free on the Roku channel. https://youtu.be/-mHmDp_yjsQ On THE REAL airing Wednesday, January 26, co-host Jeannie Mai Jenkins – who initially announced that her newborn would be “gender fluid” – has now revealed that baby Monaco Mai Jenkins is a girl! https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UoxjtHhqfHw/hqdefault.jpg The sixth season of “Growing Up Hip Hop” has kicked off with 12 brand new episodes and its biggest cast to date! This week’s episode, which finds Tee Tee still not willing to reach out to her mother to help her plan the wedding. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g4h7670hzj8/hqdefault.jpg Meet Dr. Amber Robins, a medical doctor turned entrepreneur who is now the founder of Sanxtuary MD, a Black-owned brand committed to helping women learn about their bodies and manage their mensural cycles. The company’s new product line includes a “My First Period Kit” for young women and an innovative set of period panties that have been professionally crafted to celebrate womanhood. Ushering girls into puberty the right way, the kit empowers young women to learn about their bodies and conquer menstruation. Raedio, the audio company founded by Issa Rae, has inked an exclusive multi-project development deal with Audible for original podcasts. Working with Audible, Raedio will develop audio content across genres including scripted comedy and non-fiction, as well as seek out audio adaptations of existing shows and IP. Past projects produced by Raedio, alongside Tenderfoot TV and HBO, include We Stay Looking and Looking for LaToya, two scripted podcasts that satirize the true crime genre and how missing Black women are often overlooked in these narratives. Other music projects from Raedio include music direction for HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show and creating original music for Rae’s hit show Insecure. LisaRaye McCoy has never been under the knife, and she intends to keep it that way. “I am a natural woman,” the 54-year-old “Players Club” actress told Page Six Style. “I just take what Mother Nature has given me and what God has blessed me with and keep it [up with my] lifestyle.” That said, she doesn’t hold it against those who prefer a more invasive approach. “We know that science is evolving and people are taking care of themselves and getting a nip and tuck here and there, and I’m not judging. If that’s what you want to do, then that’s what you want to do,” McCoy said. “But what I am opposed to is the young, young girls doing it, because you’re not even developed yet.” The “Single Ladies” star often shares clips of her grueling workouts on social media, and said that fighting the aging process is futile. “You can’t stop Mother Nature; there’s no stopping the clock,” she quipped. https://www.instagram.com/p/CULoaU-J45M/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again New York actor and comedian Michael Rapaport flipped out in a Tuesday social media post that shows an alleged shoplifter brazenly walking out of a Manhattan Rite Aid. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this s—t,” the “I Am Rapaport” podcaster is heard saying over the video. “This f—king guy just filled his two bags up with everything in Rite Aid, right here on 80th [Street] and First Avenue is walking down the street like s–t is Gucci. I was watching him the whole time.” The purported thief is carrying bags as he strolls by a security guard and out onto the street. “Looking me in my face like ‘What’s good?,’” Rapaport claims. “My man just went Christmas shopping in January. He had the condoms, the shampoo.” The actor repeated the Christmas shopping comment and tagged Mayor Eric Adams’ account in a caption for the video, which had more than 132,000 views by Tuesday night. https://nypost.com/2022/01/25/michael-rapaport-films-alleged-shoplifting-at-nyc-rite-aid/ Welcome to the world of transformational marketing, a multi-billion-dollar industry dominated by women whose glamorous lifestyles are supported by a gritty, competitive world of selling products and events and self-branding at all costs. Million Dollar Hustle follows health and fitness influencer, author, entrepreneur and self-made millionaire Stormy Wellington and her elite group of unstoppable leaders, called the Circle of Bosses, including Dianna Williams (aka Coach D from Bring It!), Maniya Essence Canty (Stormy’s daughter), Nathalie Nicole Smith, Bawselady, Tammy Price, Bianca Shadai and Ana Cantera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT3zXMz78QI THINGS ARE GETTING HOT AND SPICY WITH CHEF JJ ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ TONIGHT, JANUARY 26 AT 9:00 P.M. EST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFNZ0bFz5I CHEF JERNARD IS GIVING US A TASTE OF HAWAII ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF NEW SOUL KITCHEN TONIGHT, JANUARY 26 AT 9:30 P.M. EST on CLEO TV! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIAKi4ij7xM 116 is on the MOVE! Reach Records kicks off 2022with the We Are UNASHAMED TOUR March 17th in Austin, TX and travels to 13 cities across Midwest, South, and Southeast regions ending April 10th in Orlando, FL. The tour, branded We Are UNASHAMED references Roman's 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes!” The verse developed from a mantra and into a movement for Reach Records, its artists and believers of the 116 Lifestyle. The lineup will include electrifying performances from Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, Tedashii, 1K Phew, Gawvi, Wande, WHATUPRG, and Hulvey! Ticket sales begin TODAY, Wednesday, January 26th. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Bill Owens, the first Black state senator in Massachusetts who fought for racial justice and economic equality, and was one of the first to call for reparations for the descendants of Black slaves, has died, his family said in a statement. Owens died in his sleep Saturday with family by his side after a period of declining health and three weeks after testing positive for COVID-19, the family said. He was 84. “We are fortunate to have had him for 84 years and to call him family,” the statement said. “His legacy will continue in those he has touched, laws he has changed and the children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews he has loved and influenced.” He helped secure funds to build Roxbury Community College, created the State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance, started a youth summer jobs program, and helped pass an assault weapons ban. He was first elected to the state House in 1972 and served two stints in the Senate starting in 1974 until 1992. Actor Peter Dinklage called out the supposedly “progressive” live-action remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." And Disney heard him. The “Game of Thrones” star, 52, appeared on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast on Monday where he slammed the new film, calling the use of dwarves “f – – king backwards.” In response, Disney said the filmmakers will be working with culture consultants to improve the story. “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” a Disney spokesperson told The Post. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.” The spokesperson declined to comment further on what the characters might look like instead. The film is still years from release. Dinklage singled out the casting of “West Side Story” breakout star Rachel Zegler. SPOTIFY is taking Harry and Meghan’s £18million podcast project “into its own hands” by hiring a host of in-house producers to finally help deliver content. The streaming giant has been waiting more than a year for the runaway royals to produce material as part of their mega-money deal. Spotify said it was looking forward to a “full-scale” launch of shows in 2021 – but nothing appeared. Now bosses at the streaming platform are stepping in to help Harry and Meghan deliver the goods. Meagan Good has opened up about her divorce from her husband DeVon Franklin. The couple was married for nine years. In a Twitter Spaces chat with XONecole, the actress said that she’s “grieving” her divorce. “Throughout life, I’ve always approached relationships as understanding that at some point, they’ll get to the place that they’re going to, and then they would be over,” Good said. “I’ve always had an attitude of like, ‘Alright, next chapter. We’ll see what’s next,’ and being okay with that and appreciating what you give to someone and what they give to you and sharing a moment in time and in life that you never get back regardless of how it ends.” However, she did think her marriage to Franklin would be different—assuming they would remain married for most of her life. Good said her divorce is “the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” but she is “still optimistic. I still am hopeful for the future. I still—maybe this isn’t a chapter, but I just feel that it’s my next act in life and I trust God.” Dr. Jeremy Coleman, Dr. Brian Dinkins and Dr. Jason Smith, all educators in Indianapolis, took their brotherhood that started out at Arlington High School and turned into a career mission to open the door for students and teachers of color. And they did it while earning doctorate degrees in educational leadership from Ball State University. “You can’t be what you can’t see, right?” Coleman, a Warren Township administrator, said. “There’s a cultural capital that you have and we fill it every single day. There are conversations I can have with students, teachers and parents because of what I bring, because of my background, because of my culture.” According to the Indiana Department of Education, 3,173 of the 75,174 teachers across the state are Black. Out of those who are Black, only 888 are males. “Black boys are the most expelled, suspended and incarcerated by demographic percentage wise, [compared to] any other subgroup in our nation,” Dinkins, an Indianapolis Public Schools administrator, said. “And so, if you think about a schooling experience for a Black male, why would they want to be a teacher, right? When 70% plus of the teacher population is white.” The three educators say their teachers at Arlington High School and throughout college inspired them to seek a career in education, which had a invaluable impact on them. The principal and a cafeteria worker at an elementary school in Ohio have lost their jobs a couple of months after they apparently lost their minds and made a 9-year-old Black girl eat food out of a garbage can after she had thrown it away. A lawyer for the girl’s parents said that were it not for a surveillance video capturing the incident, it might have been the girl’s word against theirs. According to Fox 8, the incident took place in November of last year at Palm Elementary School, which is in the Lorain City School District, but the video was just released by the district Wednesday for the family to view. What we see is a student finish with her lunch…again, a student finish with her lunch and she goes to throw the lunch away like hundreds and thousands of students across the country do every day,” Jared Klebanow, an attorney who is representing the unnamed student’s family in a federal lawsuit filed behind the incident. “We see in the video, this monitor, the named defendant, go ahead and grab the waffle out of the garbage and she appears to instruct the student to go get a paper towel, go back to her seat.” The whole thing reportedly started because the girl didn’t want to eat the waffles she was given so she threw them in the trash. https://fox8.com/news/surveillance-video-released-after-lorain-schools-staff-member-accused-of-forcing-9-year-old-to-eat-from-trash/ A 25-year-old Spirit Airlines employee was arrested after stealing passengers’ belongings from their luggage at Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport. Black Enterprise reports that Cush Karlson Joseph Vengeto was arrested while on the job on January 18. The charges against him come after Broward County Deputies and Spirit Airlines launched a probe after complaints of “thefts of personal items from the interior of luggage which belonged to customers who flew on Spirit Airlines.” Vengeto was released from Broward County Jail after his $1,000 bond was paid by Hailey Johnson on January 19. According to the bond release report, Johnson has the same home address as Vengeto. He is reportedly charged with third-degree felony theft of more than $750 and less than $5,000. Spirit has suspended Vengeto without pay. The World Health Organization warned this week that a sub-variant of omicron was on the rise. The global health organization does not consider the sub-variant, designated BA.2, as a “variant of concern” but is monitoring the situation as cases increase around the world. The sub-variant has been detected already in the U.S., but is believed to be rare. The sub-variant has, however, become more prevalent in the U.K. and Denmark, where it has been dubbed “stealth omicron,” but does not appear to be deadlier than previous mutations. Early studies conducted in the U.K. indicate it may be more transmissible. BA.2 has also been detected in more than 40 countries, including the Philippines, India, Sweden and Singapore. The husband of a Gulf Coast native and former Miss Mississippi is being mourned after he was shot over the weekend in Alabama. According to court documents, the shooting happened in front of the couple’s two-year-old son. According to WSFA, 37-year-old Thomas Hand Jr. died after being shot at a home on Texas Street in Montgomery. Hand and his wife, D’Iberville native and former Miss Mississippi Christine Kozlowski Hand, were residents of Montgomery. Authorities in Alabama arrested 17-year-old Jerimiah Walker of Montgomery, who is now charged with capital murder in the shooting death. According to authorities, the secondary crime needed to charge a suspect with capital murder in this case is shooting the victim in the presence of a child under the age of 14. Hand and the D’Iberville native married in 2016. Kozlowski Hand also recently announced that she is pregnant with the couple’s second child. In a Facebook post made the day after Hand was killed, the former beauty queen said the funeral services for her husband would be held in Metairie, La., where Hand is originally from. She also said she would be moving her Montgomery-based health business back to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to be closer to family. The white man in Connecticut who starred in a viral video that showed him using racist language while violently attacking teenage smoothie shop workers over the contents of a smoothie also threaded to kill them “multiple times,” according to one of the employees. Two of the three young workers at a Robeks shop in Fairfield who were subjected to the expletive-laden attack by James Iannazzo — a now-unemployed financial manager who was arrested and charged — spoke out for the first time to the press to provide some precious context to the unfortunate episode. Charli Hill, a high school student who filmed the video, told WSFB that the footage shared on social media did not include Iannazzo’s death threats and racist epithets he made toward Miranda and the others. “He started to call her racial slurs,” Hill said. “He threatened to kill us multiple times.” Hill added: “I understand and we are sorry on behalf of Robeks for how the smoothie was made, but it gives you absolutely no right to act out like that.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1485106239910690816 According to a study from researchers at The Ohio State University, Black people who were initially hesitant to take the experimental jab are now said to be more likely than white people to get the vaccine, according to Ohio State News. “From the start of the vaccine rollout, we began to hear about how Black Americans were going to resist vaccinations. Our study highlights that any emphasis on hesitance as the primary challenge to vaccination among Black Americans would be a mistake,” said study lead author Tasleem Padamsee of Ohio State’s College of Public Health. “We must not lose sight of the significant access barriers that persist, including distant vaccine sites, lack of transportation and inflexible work hours.” https://youtu.be/ebQIIuckBKc New York City has seen a rise in violent crime over the last year, and when crime rises in big cities like NYC and the mayors of said cities are tasked with doing something about it, the “answer” tends to involve putting more cops on the street and giving them significantly more rope to cross over the line in regards to violating the civil liberties of Black and brown people. MYC Mayor Eric Adams is a Black man—but he also used to be a cop. So it’s not terribly surprising that Adams’ solution to a rise in gun violence in NYC is to unleash a previously-dismantled special plainclothes police unit to target guns and street gangs. “The plainclothes anti-gun unit is going to zero in on guns and gangs,” Adams said in a statement, according to NPR. “We’re going to use precision policing to identify the gang members, the crews. We’re going to target them.”Yeeeah, but see the problem is this is a tactic that rarely works because when police officers are told to “zero in on guns and gangs,” they proceed as if the words “guns and gangs” are synonymous with “Blacks and Latinos.” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took one more step closer to bringing charges against Donald Trump and his acolytes for alleged interference in the Georgia 2020 election. Willis has been steadily building a case over the past year, giving Trump more consideration than a Republican Secretary of State trying to persecute non-partisan groups distributing water to people at the polls. As reported by the Associated Press, Willis submitted a request for a special grand jury to be impaneled. It will begin May 2 and could last up to a year. Her request was approved by most of the judges on the Fulton County Superior Court. The scope of Willis’ inquiry includes the call Trump made to the secretary of state after losing Georgia in the 2020 election and a November 2020 call Sen. Lindsey Graham made to Raffensperger to put pressure on him. Willis’ inquiry would also look at former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s false claims in efforts to overturn the election. Longtime WCMH-TV (Channel 4) meteorologist Bob Nunnally announced on air Tuesday morning that he is battling cancer. He had been missing from the morning broadcasts, and people had been “blowing up” his Facebook and Twitter wondering where he was, so he decided to let viewers know exactly what’s been going on in a conversation with anchors Matt Barnes and Monica Day on the NBC4 Today show. “I will tell you all that I have cancer and am going to be dealing with that in a pretty big way over the next, hopefully, month or so,” said Nunnally, a staple at the station for almost 25 years. Prior to joining Channel 4, Nunnally spent 14 years hosting the 3-to-7 p.m. weekday show at Sunny 95 (94.7 FM). “I’m not exactly sure how long the treatment is going to last. But I do have to have chemo to help fight this, and it looks good. My doctors say it looks good for me.” Nunnally had taken some time off last summer to tend to some medical issues and while he returned, he said that may have been what led doctors to discover the cancer early. A man who has served for 42 years in the St. Louis County Police Department was named police chief on Tuesday, becoming the first Black chief in the department’s history. Kenneth Gregory, 70, has served as interim chief of the department for the last six months. The St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners appointed him chief after a four-hour closed meeting, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police board chair Brian Ashworth said commissioners believe the department has stabilized and grown since Gregory was named acting chief on July 30. Gregory said that 42 years ago, no one would have considered “that a man that looks like me” would be the department’s chief. Gregory has worked in or led almost every St. Louis County police unit during his career. He was named interim chief after former Chief Mary Barton resigned Aug. 6 when she agreed to drop a discrimination complaint against the county in exchange for a $290,000 settlement. Wyoming’s first Black sheriff last year fired a White deputy who is accused of tormenting a Black subordinate for years with racist name-calling that led him to quit, a new federal lawsuit reveals. Albany County Patrol Sergeant Christian Handley once drove past and yelled a profanity and the N-word at Corporal Jamin Johnson while Johnson and his wife and children were walking out of their home, according to one example of racism alleged in the discrimination lawsuit filed last week. “Mr. Handley later apologized for having not realized that Mr. Johnson’s family was present, as if his vile racism was otherwise acceptable,” the lawsuit says. Johnson is suing Handley, seeking a jury trial if necessary and damages for the years of racism that he says led up to his decision to quit in 2017. The allegations put a new spotlight on the sheriff’s office in Laramie, the Albany County seat known for the murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in 1998, a crime that drew unprecedented attention to LGBTQ rights and hate crimes. The racism allegations come after Aaron Appelhans’ appointment as Wyoming’s first Black sheriff in the wake of an outcry in Laramie over a deputy’s 2018 shooting of an unarmed man who had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Kelly Price opened up about her close bond with disgraced singer R. Kelly, claiming she did not witness anything inappropriate, between the singer and underage girls. Speaking to Vlad TV, Price did note that she saw parents bring their daughters backstage to meet R. Kelly. “In this business, and nobody really wants to talk about it, in this business, that’s not odd, that’s actually the culture. It’s the culture… I’ve seen mothers bring their daughters backstage. And that’s the thing nobody wants to talk about,” Price said. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wCHVrg0IBSI/hqdefault.jpg When Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Los Angeles Rams in November, he opted to convert his $750,000 salary into Bitcoin. At the time, Bitcoin was worth $64,000 per coin. As reported by Hot New Hip Hop, the cryptocurrency is now worth around $35,000, which may not good for Beckham’s earnings. As reported by Darren Rovell, OBJ’s entire salary is now worth $413K as opposed to $750K. Not to mention, once you factor in taxes, he has only made around $35K, which is enough money for just one Bitcoin. Simply put, OBJ has not benefitted from this decision. Of course, Beckham could simply decide to hold on to his Bitcoin, and perhaps in a year from now, it will go back up. Regardless, nothing is guaranteed, especially in crypto. Adele’s refusal to perform in a pool reportedly led to the cancellation of her Las Vegas residency, according to The Sun. Last week, the British singer took to social media to tearfully explain that the COVID pandemic forced her to push back the dates for her Las Vegas residency, which was set to kick off on Jan. 21. She canceled 24 hours ahead of showtime. “Hi, listen I’m so sorry but my show ain’t ready. We tried absolutely everything that we can to put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you but we’ve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID. Half my crew, half my team are down with COVID — they still are,” Adele says in an emotional video shared to Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CY-AYtZAgp-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Patrick Mahomes’ fiancée Brittany Matthews said she’s being “attacked” on social media after her now viral champagne-spraying celebration following the Kansas City Chiefs’ 36-33 overtime playoff victory against the Buffalo Bills Sunday received a robust roasting. “I just wish I could do what I want without getting attacked every week,” Matthews tweeted Monday night. She also retweeted several local Kansas City reporters who defended her actions before once again tweeting, “Hate is a very strong word to just be thrown at someone you don’t even know,” on Tuesday. https://twitter.com/i/status/1485451080729309190 Kanye West has revealed he obtained a laptop from Ray J that contains unreleased footage of Kim Kardashian’s sex tape. Ray J’s former manager Wack 100 claims there is another sex tape of the singer and his ex-girlfriend. Wack made the claims on Bootleg Kev’s podcast, but as reported by Page Six, Kim’s attorney shot down the existence of a second sex tape. “The claim that there is an unreleased sex tape is unequivocally false,” attorney Marty Singer told Page Six. “It is unfortunate that people make these statements to try and get their 15 minutes of fame.” Wack said the second sex tape is “more graphic and better than” the 2002 video that catapulted Kim to infamy status. Valet of the Dolls,” the largest predominantly female private event valet parking service, owned by CEO Gillian Harris, who is African American, has experienced the cumulative effect of coronavirus, with her valet events going from an average of 600 parties per year down to just 9 over a 16-month period. However, according to Gillian Harris, clients “are becoming a thing again,” and “are paying thousands to have guests rapid-tested before they exit their cars.” Before her entrepreneurial life, Harris was in radio for several years and was an air-personality for KACE-FM, a staple of the Black community in Los Angeles until it was sold in 1999. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OqkgyU-Tu84/hqdefault.jpg Another “public comment” portion of a school board meeting has gone viral, this time for a white woman repeatedly using the N-word while venting frustration over her son’s suspension for using the epithet on Snapchat. During Monday’s livestreamed Grosse Pointe school board meeting in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the woman was baffled as to why her son was suspended, when the epithet in question was in the song he was quoting on the social media platform. A song, she said, introduced to him by his “dark chocolate auntie,” she added. The woman began her tirade by sharing her objections to a recent diversity meeting, then started complaining about her son’s suspension, saying: “So my boy got ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ he’s into all the old-school hip-hop … and says in parody on Snapchat, which essentially got him kicked out of South [High School] for four to 10 days.” The woman then complained about the backlash her family received. https://youtu.be/qcDcUc5q1hU Bravo has kicked “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jennie Nguyen to the curb after her racist posts about Black Loves Matter resurfaced. “Bravo has ceased filming with Jennie Nguyen and she will no longer be a cast member of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” the network said in a statement Tuesday on Twitter. “We recognize we failed to take appropriate action once her offensive social media posts were brought to our attention. Moving forward, we will work to improve our processes to make sure we make better informed and more thoughtful casting decisions.” Nguyen’s old Facebook posts were originally shared in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests, and the posts included phrases like “BLM Thugs” and “Violent Gangs.” The posts were also critical of the police-killing of George Floyd. Cardi B is speaking out after scoring yet another legal victory over blogger Tasha Kebe, a.k.a. Tasha K. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Cardi B reacted to the verdict, saying: “After almost four years of repeated libel and slander against me, being able to walk away from this victorious brings me great happiness. I appreciate Judge Ray for conducting a fair and impartial trial.” She added, “I am grateful for the jury and their careful deliberation over the past two weeks. I am profoundly grateful for the hard work and support from my legal team. Most importantly, thank you to my family and close friends who held my hand and helped me get the support I needed during this experience.” During the trial, the hip-hop star testified that Kebe’s remarks that the rapper is a drug-addicted hoe with STD’s caused her to be “extremely suicidal.” Janet Jackson is letting the world know that even though she and her late brother Michael were tight, she claims he always went in on her about her weight, and she says it impacted her to this day. In her upcoming documentary “Janet,” the singer/actress opens up about her brother: “There were times when Mike used to tease me and call me names. Pig, horse, slut, or hog, cow.” “He would laugh about it, and I’d laugh, too, but then there was some­where down inside that it would hurt,” she continued. “When you have somebody say you’re too heavy, it affects you.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UlEDkK4gbvU/hqdefault.jpg Netflix has won the bidding war for director Lee Daniels’ next movie starring singer Andra Day. As reported by Variety, the film does not have a title or official logline yet, but it will be based on a true horror story. Day will play an Indiana mother who believes her child has become demonically possessed. She will star alongside Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Rob Morgan, “Stranger Things” actor Caleb McLaughlin and “King Richard” breakout Aunjanue Ellis. Per Variety, “McLaughlin is expected to play Day’s character’s son, and Morgan is portraying Day’s love interest. Spencer has been cast as a clergy member who attempts to help the family work through the paranormal activity and eventual exorcism,” the outlet writes. Lee’s Netflix deal is said to be in the $65 million range. Daniels will direct and is writing the screenplay with David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum. The movie is expected to begin production sometime in 2022. Detroit’s The Carr Center at DSA will present the dynamic live concert titled To Stevie With Love on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at the Detroit School of Arts, Ford Theatre, 123 Selden Street, at 7:30 p.m. This jazz-inflected tribute to the music of Motown legend and 25-time Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder is part of the Carr Center’s Black History Month programming and continues its dynamic schedule of events celebrating its 30th year. Patrons can purchase tickets to the live event or the live stream at the Center’s website, thecarrcenter.org. The live stream will take place on the CarrCenterLive! YouTube channel. On February 1, 2022, The Intercept will launch “Murderville, Texas,” the second season of its acclaimed investigative podcast “Murderville,” headlined by award-winning reporters Liliana Segura and Jordan Smith. The podcast will be available to all listeners for free through Acast, the world’s leading independent podcast company, with new episodes released weekly across all podcast players, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Overcast, and more. https://thumborcdn.acast.com/wTah5V9PgSuxrutLO0KHSrneACQ=/350x350/https%3A%2F%2Fassets.pippa.io%2Fshows%2F61b77647169562a418e950d5%2F1642643342519-d7d46b96d1326958f152c189b03fb88b.jpeg Rapper Paul Wall got candid about his personal life on the latest episode of the FAQ Podcast, during which he explained his motivation for wanting to be the best husband and father he can be. “Growing up in a broken home, that was something that I always wanted,” he said. “My father wasn’t there, so that was something I always strived to be there for my kids. I couldn’t wait to have that opportunity to be there for my kids.” Wall’s father and mother divorced when he was young, and his dad would go on to marry a young girl that he allegedly kidnapped. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VaABH2nCc3Q/hqdefault.jpg GRAMMY-nominated vocalist, and songwriter Somi will release her new album, Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba, a celebration of the late Makeba’s invaluable musical contributions and messages of social justice. The album, which will be released on the artist’s Salon Africana label, features Somi’s renditions of some of Makeba’s best-known songs—both Makeba’s own compositions and covers. This updated release date honors Makeba on what would have been her 90th birthday. On March 19, Somi will celebrate the release of this monumental album at the historic Apollo Theater. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz9B0LT9EpA The spirit of the song entitled, “My All” is giving God everything, not just your worship, praise, mind, body and soul. But giving God your disappointments, heartaches, pain and confusion with every part of you! The Bible tells us in Matthew 11:30 that Gods Yoke is easy and his burdens are light. So that means if you give God every part of your life he will not only direct your path but he will deliver you! Jus Marcus drops "My All." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97KaU8Z2SCk LIFE COACH AJ JOHNSON HELPS A SUCCESSFUL PSYCHOLOGIST WITH ISSUES THREATENING HER MARRIAGE ON THIS WEEK'S EPISODE ON LIFE THERAPY ?TONIGHT, JANUARY 25TH AT 10 PM ET/9 PM CT ON TV ONE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTe6bcC5aN8&feature=youtu.be Lisa Bellamy the BET Gospel Diva Search Competition Finalist, has toured with greats such as the late Edwin Hawkins and Liz McComb. Lisa drops "IN the House." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xYo_oSydqo The idea behind the brand/statement Jolie Noire is that black is beautiful. Keyondra is a former member of the two-time Stellar Award-nominated group Zie'l and is a Billboard chart-topping solo artist. She and her sister Kimberly, a fashion stylist, have their own clothing line, Jolie Noire, in Target stores now as part of Target's 8th annual Black History Month collection. http://wwww.gospel-spotlight.com U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has made history as the first Haitian-American woman to represent the predominantly Democratic 20th District in Florida. She won the special election by a landslide and was sworn in on Tuesday, but her Republican opponent refuses to concede the race. Cherfilus-McCormick won the election on Jan. 11, however, Jason Mariner refuses to accept defeat and has filed a lawsuit alleging ballot issues, Yahoo reports. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vYWzgprLQqg/hqdefault.jpg President Joe Biden used a curse word to describe Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, who was among reporters shouting questions to him as a press event was wrapping up Monday at the White House. It’s common among the White House press corp to use any press event with the president to ask questions about more pertinent topics of the day. In this case, journalists attending Biden’s White House Competition Council meeting about the economy began barking about the Russia-Ukraine situation during the Q&A portion. https://youtu.be/15KPjTbP_u8 Vivica A. Fox spoke about her visit with longtime close friend Regina King Monday after the actress texted her with a request to come over following the tragic death of her son. With King’s blessing, the “Cocktails with Queens” host revealed that she spent Sunday night comforting King, whose son Ian Alexander Jr. committed suicide just days after his 26th birthday last week. Fights tears, Fox said that King wanted fans to know how “thankful” she was for the deluge of well wishes. “She said to tell everybody that she’s gotten y’all texts. The outpouring of love for her, her family, and her son…she appreciates it,” Fox said, adding that the community of Black actresses who came over last weekend to surround King was a source of pride. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZIuqqbBowW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Jeannie Mai and her husband Jeezy have welcomed their first child together, a baby they named Monaco who will be raised “gender fluid.” Per Industry Blitz, “Sources say Jeannie and Jeezy believe their child should decide what their gender will be. They say expressing one’s gender identity is a personal decision that a child should make on its own.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CZHys3CFV2F/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=7701947d-2477-464e-97ab-29beaccab768 Rapper Kodak Black has reportedly knocked up three women who are expected to give birth on or around the same day. He is already a father to a six-year-old son from a prior relationship. According to MTO, Kodak and his girlfriend Maranda Johnson have already made known that they are expecting their first child together. Kodak later proposed marriage to Maranda, but he’s also making sexy times with several other women, allegedly. CardiB was granted a victory in her defamation lawsuit against #YouTuber, #TashaK. The case was tried in an #Atlanta federal courtroom after the “Bodak Yellow” superstar filed a libel lawsuit in 2019 against the Youtuber, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, accusing her of spreading unsubstantiated claims and other falsehoods. Monday Kebe was found liable on 3 separate claims, and Cardi’s been awarded at least $1 million. Punitive damages will be determined at a later date. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZIQ8B_psGh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again NBA star Jaxson Hayes was hit with misdemeanor domestic abuse and resisting arrest charges today for a 2021 incident involving police. Authorities were called to the NBA star’s home after receiving a tip about domestic violence. Which led to Hayes getting tased outside his LA home because he questioned cops about having a warrant. he 6-foot-11 center for the New Orleans Pelicans is currently facing up to a year in jail, which also contains charges of vandalism, trespassing and battery against a police officer, Los Angeles city attorney spokesperson Rob Wilcox shared. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón refused to press felony charges on Hayes last year, which resulted in L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer’s office to seek the misdemeanor charges filed on today. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZIxXgaKWkp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again R. Kelly‘s former manager, Henry James Mason, will have his terroristic threats case dismissed after he agreed to stay away from R. Kelly’s girlfriend Joycelyn Savage and her family. The incident, which allegedly took place in May 2018, was reported by Timothy Savage to Henry County police. Savage claimed at the time that his daughter was being held against her will by Kelly and Mason threatened him for speaking out about it. In an incident report obtained by CNN, Timothy Savage stated that Mason said, “I’m gonna do harm to you and your family, when I see you I’m gonna get you, I’m going to f***ing kill you.” Joycelyn Savage’s family claimed she was manipulated by him into cutting off contact with the outside world. Joycelyn denied this and allegedly continues to be blindly loyal to the disgraced singer. Former UConn men’s basketball head coach Kevin Ollie was fired in March 2018 after the school reported numerous NCAA violations in his program. “The University of Connecticut has initiated disciplinary procedures to terminate the employment of Head Men’s Basketball Coach Kevin Ollie for just cause,” the statement said at the time. “The university will have no further comment on the matter until the completion of both the university’s disciplinary process and the ongoing NCAA investigation.” Following his termination, a grievance was filed on Ollie’s behalf by The University Of Connecticut Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The case went to an independent arbitrator who recently ruled that UConn improperly fired Ollie and must pay him more than $11 million, ESPN reports. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ExjpU0QZDEU/hqdefault.jpg Tiffany Haddish did a video drop-in on “The Tonight Show” Monday night and was gently asked about her recent DUI arrest in Georgia. The comedian, who was on the show to discuss her new Apple TV+ film “The Afterparty,” was asked by Fallon if she wanted to discuss the subject of her arrest. Haddish — who split from Common in November after a year of dating — replied: “I can say this, Jimmy… I’ve been praying to God to send me a new man. A good man. And God went ahead and sent me four… in uniform.” Once the laughter dwindled, Haddish continued: “And now I got a really great lawyer, and we’re going to work it out. I’ve got to get my asking of things to God a little better!” Haddish also spoke to Fallon about wanting to make 80 films by the time she is 50, winning a Grammy and going to Jay-Z and Beyonce’s Oscars after-party. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jbMo1_Fx-Gw/hqdefault.jpg Steve Harvey says his dream job has always been to serve as a judge on a courtroom TV show, and he’s over the moon that ABC made his dream come true. Harvey has been tapped to host a new courtroom series for ABC. Per the network, the “10-episode courtroom comedy series will feature real cases, with Harvey welcoming a variety of conflicts and characters to his courtroom – from small claims to big disputes and everything in between. Steve plays by his own rules, basing his courtroom on his own life experiences and some good old common sense.” “I came up with this idea 12 years ago and I just never told anybody,” Harvey told reporters at the Television Critics Association virtual winter press tour. “I’ve never sat in a pitch room about it. I never met with a network about it. I never discussed it with my team, my production company, nothing. I just had this idea.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cf7naeP17UA/hqdefault.jpg In a clip that has gone viral on TikTok, an unmasked Black man in an elevator films two masked white women as they verbally and physically attack him. The masked women scream, “Get out, get out! Do not touch me!” before hitting the man, apparently for not wearing a mask. However, one of the women pulls her mask down while screaming directly in his face. The women then for some reason yell, “Black lives matter,” while attempting to force him from the elevator … perhaps in a bid to tell him that their behavior is not due to his race, but because of his lack of mask? Who knows. The man tells them he was there first and is not moving. https://twitter.com/i/status/1485627344287109130 LeVar Burton is speaking out about the cultural impact of the “Roots” miniseries, based on Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. It aired on ABC across eight consecutive nights, beginning on Jan. 23, 1977. “I continue to be surprised by the enduring popularity of Roots worldwide,” Burton tells PEOPLE. “I’ve been to places on the globe like Suriname, where Kunta Kinte is a national hero and songs are literally written about him. Kunta Kinte is an international symbol of freedom and resistance, is something that I’m really, really proud of. And that’s something that has certainly grown over time. I don’t think I could be more proud.” Burton won the role of Kunta Kinte while he was a sophomore at the University of Southern California. He described his first day on set as “more inspiring than it was intimidating.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V4wgZ6NaQ0g/hqdefault.jpg A Connecticut man who went viral for hurling racist insults at employees of a smoothie shop has apologized after his wild antics got him arrested and fired from his job. James Iannazzo, 48, purchased a smoothie at Robeks on Black Rock Turnpike on Saturday afternoon and about 30 minutes later, his son suffered an allergic reaction, prompting Iannazzo to call 911. He then returned to the smoothie shop and unleashed his fury on the workers, calling them immigrants and throwing a drink at one of the workers, which hit her in the head. At one point, he even attempts to enter the employee area but the female workers blocked the door and called police. https://twitter.com/i/status/1485106239910690816 Mark Magsayo admired Manny Pacquiao as a youngster growing up in the Philippines, and upon signing “Magnifico” in 2020, “The Pac Man” said Magsayo “Reminds me of myself.” Magsayo (24–0, 16 KOs) joined his childhood idol as a champion with Saturday’s majority decision that dethroned southpaw WBC 126-pound titleholder Gary Russell Jr. (31–2, 18 KOs), ending “Mr.” Russell’s nearly seven-year reign. Targeted ads may be popping up on Roku TV but the good news is, you don’t have to watch them. The ads are reportedly popping up during live content on certain Roku-enabled televisions, such as the Sharp TV the Reddit, per the report. The Roku Ultra, Express, Streambar, or Streaming Stick devices are yet affected. https://youtu.be/oJX7XbMQV0s Coburn Kennedy got involved in Global Vision Bible Church in Mt Juliet, Tennessee and was influenced by Greg Locke. Greg Locke is a fundamentalist pastor known for being in denial about COVID. Locke allegedly threatened to assault a Dunkin Donut employee when asked to put on a face mask the next time he came into the store. Locke taught disinformation regularly including that taking the vaccine is to be injected with fetal tissue which is a lie. Coburn Kennedy turned down vaccination and then contracted COVID-19 and later died. https://youtu.be/kAfgkWgLF70 Becki Falwell, the wife of disgraced former Liberty University leader Jerry Falwell Jr., revealed in a tell-all interview released Monday that she used to make sex tapes with her much younger pool boy ex-lover, Giancarlo Granda. ‘I had a big Canon camera. A couple of times I put it on the dresser and Giancarlo agreed to it,’ Becki, 54, told Vanity Fair, alleging her husband did not know she and Granda, 30, had filmed them. Jerry’s time as president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, came to an end last year after Granda’s revelations about the years-long affair emerged. Granda claimed that Jerry enjoyed watching him have sex with Becki after they first met in Miami in 2012, when Granda was 21. He even claimed that they formed a ‘throuple’ – a polyamorous couple who invite a third person to join their relationship. Jerry, 57, denied that – but did admit to Vanity Fair that he’d once walked in on Becki and Granda in bed, and claimed to have been ‘traumatized’ by the sight of another man having sex with his spouse. Becki also claimed that in 2017 Granda, a former Miami pool boy, pressured her into having sex in her 25 year-old daughter’s Caroline’s bed long, after the relationship had ended. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/08/25/8257671387012550422/636x382_MP4_8257671387012550422.mp4 With his football future unsettled, Tom Brady plans to huddle with his family before deciding if he’ll return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd NFL season in 2022. ‘It’s not always what I want,’ Brady told SiriusXM’s Jim Gray on Monday. ‘It’s what we want as a family.’ The 44-year-old’s season ended Sunday when he and the defending-champion Bucs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams with a last-second field goal at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. But the 30-27 Divisional Round defeat aside, Brady was still his prolific self in 2021, leading the NFL in completions (485), touchdown passes (43) and passing yards (5,316). Discussing his wife, 41-year-old supermodel Gisele Bundchen, their children Ben, 12, and Vivian, 9, as well as his eldest son from a previous relationship, 14-year-old Jack, Brady stressed that he owes his family for the support they’ve given him. ‘She deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad,’ Brady said. Bundchen has expressed concerns for his safety over the years, and once enlisted Brady’s old college teammate, Jay Feely, to convince her husband to retire, the former NFL kicker told Sports Illustrated in 2018. ‘My wife is my biggest supporter,’ Brady continued. ‘It pains her to see me get hit out there.’ Brady previously said he wants to play until at least 45. He has one year and $25.4 million remaining on his contact with the Bucs. There’s just more than two weeks to go to Super Bowl LVI, but the NFL’s Big Game will have to be something very special to top the drama of the games over the weekend between the Los Angeles Rams and hosts Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, followed by the overtime thriller between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Almost blowing a sure thing, the Rams held on late to make their way to the NFC Championship Game, while the Chiefs came out on top in OT to clinch a spot in the AFC title game after a wild ride that saw both teams rally with what seemed like game-winning scores late in regulation. As far as TV ratings go, first place among Sunday’s four-game NFL divisional playoff lineup went to the Chiefs’ 42-36 primetime victory on CBS. Surging 20% over the comparable game of last year, the win for Patrick Mahomes and team pulled in 43 million sets of eyeballs. The game actual peaked at 52 million tuning in. For you statheads, the OT thriller secured the Chiefs’ fourth straight home AFC Championship Game berth. As one of the very first celebrities to come forward with her personal health struggles after silicone injections nearly took her life, R&B chart-topper K. Michelle will help men and women desperate to correct plastic surgery procedures and get their lives back in "My Killer Body with K. Michelle." With the number of cosmetic surgeries on the rise and an alarming number of these procedures resulting in post-surgery suffering and trauma, each episode will follow two patients who desperately need help as well as K. Michelle’s ongoing personal story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRTAHDNSPbE&feature=youtu.be 1K Phew and Lecrae released their third single and video, "MOVE," from their new collaborative album, No Church In A While. The album features 10 tracks including: “Wildin” “Ready Or Not,” “Move,” “One Call,” “What We Gon Do,” “Amen,” “Blockhead,” “Born Sinner” “Save Us,” and “No Church In A While.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2irDsH6-5_E&feature=youtu.be In a recent interview on the Deadline Podcast, Bond executive producer Barbara Broccoli confirmed Idris Elba is still being considered as the franchise’s next star. “Well, we know Idris, we’re friends with him, and he’s a magnificent actor,” Broccoli said. “And, you know, it’s been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat. I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has had its run and Daniel has been able to — well, we’ve all been able to savour, reap the benefits of Daniel’s wonderful tenure, we’re not gonna think about, or talk about anybody else.” Rumors of Alba playing Bond first started in 2014 when an email leaked from former Sony Pictures senior executive Amy Pascal noted that “Idris should be the next Bond.” As reported by Page Six, these performers are done with trading “free” time and skills for “exposure”– and their complaints come ahead of Dr. Dre’s star-studded Super Bowl Halftime show featuring Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar.Page Six has obtained copies of the alleged requests that went out to professional dancers — many of whom have years of experience — asking for “predominantly African American movers” to “volunteer” for halftime. The alleged screenshots from various recruiters and LA’s Bloc Talent Agency reveal that those volunteering are expected to attend mandatory rehearsals for up to nine hours a day, with no transportation provided. ‘ https://www.instagram.com/p/CY69ZfPvGYL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Hip-Hop producer Dame Dash has revealed that a sequel to “Paid in Full” is currently being shot in Newark, New Jersey. “It’s what happens after [they] put all that work on the street, and somebody had to get that money back,” said Dash, who produced the 2002 crime drama, in an interview with AllHipHop. “There’s a lot of perspectives that people don’t know. We chose three, really one. Now I’m showing all perspectives,” he continued. “So you’ll see a perspective from the stickup kids at the time, see a perspective of the younger dudes, I was a younger dude, the 16-year-olds. You’ll see perspectives from Kevin Childs, Jay Black, everybody, Lou Simms. It’s going to be off the hook. Trust me. A lot of other little stories will be told.” “Paid in Full” was inspired by the late Harlem drug lord Alpo Martinez, who was reportedly killed in a drive-by shooting in New York City in November 2021. He was 55-years-old. https://youtu.be/d9vC9gUnTTc Kanye West wants a cut of the earnings that the paparazzi make from his image. Ye explained as much over the weekend during a run-in with photographers in Miami, Complex reports. “Right now y’all get to shoot us without having to pay. I’mma change that,” he said as he was leaving the airport. “I’m not saying it in a negative way. It’s just like, right now, it’s just really one-sided. You guys can follow us, you guys can stand [outside] a hotel at any given time—you don’t give us any percentage of what you’re making off of us, off of our kids, and I’m gonna change that.” Kanye went on to explain that he owns his image, so he’s entitled to money made from his image. 50 Cent has teamed with “Love & Hip Hop” EP Mona Scott Young for a new docuseries that will try to solve some of rap’s most notorious killings. “Hip Hop Homicides,” is an eight-part series set to air on WeTV that will highlight unsolved murders, according to Deadline. It will also explore “the staggering number of unsolved murders in the hip hop community in an attempt to uncover details of what really happened,” per the website. “With this boots-on-the-ground investigative series, we will look to closely examine and explore leads surrounding these cases with the hope of finally providing loved ones with answers,” said Scott-Young. During the fourth quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs/Buffalo Bills’ epic war on Sunday, a Chiefs fan ran onto the field and charged players as they were getting set at the line of scrimmage. Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs wasn’t having it. Diggs took off toward the fella, lowered his shoulder and tackled the fan to the ground before security took over. The fan, sporting a Travis Kelce jersey, was all smiles as he was escorted off the field. Unfortunately, it might have been the highlight of the night for Diggs. The Pro Bowl wideout finished the game with three catches for just seven yards. The real Kelce for an 8-yard touchdown to cap off an overtime drive that lifted the Chiefs to a 42-36 victory. They’ll host the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday with a Super Bowl berth on the line. https://twitter.com/i/status/1485448850961833987 PeaceTech Lab (PTL), the award-winning non-profit organization founded by the United States Institute of Peace, announced today that renowned actor and activist Rosario Dawson will host the 2022 International Peace Honors. Dawson will lead the memorable lineup of special guests and musical performances coming together in celebration of an exceptional group of global leaders who make unique contributions towards building more just and peaceful communities around the world. The virtual ceremony airs Sunday, February 27, 2022, at 8:00 pm EST. Rosario Dawson is a trailblazer whose career spans two decades and multiple industries. She currently stars in the limited series Dopesick, now streaming on Hulu. Among her previous works, The Mandalorian, Sin City, and Rent are merely a few of the highlights. She’s a formidable businesswoman and an esteemed social activist who co-founded Voto Latino, a non-profit organization that has revolutionized voting access for LatinX and for which she also serves as chairwoman. She’s the recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award given by Barack Obama in 2011, for her valuable contributions to the community. During a pre-game presser on Sunday, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich called out senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for voting with Republicans to block the advancement of a sweeping voting rights bill that was supported by Democrats and President Joe Biden. It was all sparked by a question about Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday. “A lot of people didn’t want Martin Luther King Day either, that was that was a big struggle. It’s just been a part of our country, always has been,” he told reporters before his game with the Philadelphia 76ers. “As far as Juneteenth. I might be too cynical, or maybe I’m just realistic, but it sort of felt like a lot of politicians acquiesced to Juneteenth and basically, either blatantly, or between the lines said, ‘Now shut up. You’ve got that be happy. What else do you want?” He then pivoted to Manchin and Sinema refusing to change filibuster rules and dooming the passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. This comes as states around the country pass laws that restrict voting, a trend that civil rights groups say disproportionately impacts communities of color. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland wants communities to understand the positive impact of the bipartisan infrastructure legislation on addressing longstanding environmental inequities. As part of her mandate in the Department of the Interior, Haaland is committed to leveraging the funding outlined in the bipartisan infrastructure bill to help clean up legacy pollution. During remarks at the GreenLatinos Winter National Summit, Haaland shared how the bilateral infrastructure legislation would help address legacy pollution in historically marginalized communities. According to Haaland, the legislation helped further the Department of the Interior’s commitments to equity, justice and inclusion. Speaking with NewsOne, she described a collaborative approach between the federal government and states to address persisting funding gaps. Haaland has also emphasized the disproportionate impact on communities of color. Haaland says that one example of the legislation’s impact is funding to address orphaned oil and gas wells. Over $4 billion has been earmarked to address orphaned well sites across the country. As the first Indigenous person to lead the Department of Interior, Haaland said that remediating the impact on Black and Brown communities remains a significant priority for her Department. Stamps have become the new ground for honoring artistry figures who didn’t get their fair share of honor in their days. For over a decade, the U.S. Postal Service has gone out of its way to recognize these artists whom the mainstream art institutions have somewhat ignored. One such artist to posthumously benefit from this effort is Edmonia Lewis, who historians widely consider to be the first Black artist in her line of art to succeed in North America and Europe. She was of Haitian and Ojibwe descent. Her inclusion is part of the USPS’s “Black Heritage” series that has also included other unsung heroes such as tennis player Althea Gibson and playwright August Wilson, amongst others. By the late 19th century, Lewis had made her mark as a sculptor and was famous across the U.S. and beyond, thanks to her elegant, marble-made sculptures. Many of her contemporaries in sculptures are lost to history, so it is remarkable that she still stands out. The Biden administration will make N95 masks available for free to U.S. residents starting this week. The highly protective masks are recommended by the CDC to combat the omicron variant of COVID-19. You can find a health center near you here and within your state here. Each resident will be limited to three masks per person. “This is the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in US history,” a White House official told CNN. “To ensure broad access for all Americans, there will be three masks available per person. In addition to this program, thanks to the administration’s efforts, these high-quality masks are in ample supply and widely available to American consumers,” the official said. The nationwide upsurge in murders continues. The latest example happened early Sunday morning in the Southern California city of Inglewood where four people – age 25 and under – were killed. Another victim is in critical condition after a group of men walked into a birthday party near SoFi Stadium and opened fire, police said. The gunmen, unfortunately, remain at large. https://youtu.be/4_NJr1GrWeY Dwight Howard, the NBA star, would want to hang up his sneakers at some point, but he wants his legacy to live beyond his retirement or life. The Los Angeles champion who joined the league in 2004 hopes to leave behind a legacy of helping other still-invisible stars to rise and shine, just as he did. To achieve this dream, he has collaborated with Arrowhead Water. In the signed $500,000 deal, the company will sponsor Howard for years to come and commit $75,000 toward Howard’s “Grand Champions Foundation.” It’s Howard’s relentless efforts in trying to give back to the community that first caught the attention of Blue Triton, according to K.C. Blinn, the company’s marketing vice president. Blue Triton Brands used to be Nestle Waters North America. Its brands are Arrowhead, Ice Mountain, Poland Spring, Deer Park, among others. Ice Cube is scheduled to grace a sports event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 6. The hip-hop star will perform at the NASCAR race that will be shown live on FOX. NASCAR has confirmed the story, happily announcing that the rapper is set to perform during the race break of the Busch Light Clash. The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is the NASCAR Cup Series’ season-opening exhibition. This February event will be NASCAR’s first Clash held away from Daytona Beach, Florida. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president for strategy and innovation, said Ice Cube is more than a rapper, actor and entertainer. “He’s an icon who has risen to the top in all of his endeavors,” he added. “We’re honored to have him perform at this first-of-its-kind event in the heart of Los Angeles.” Sportscaster and TV personality Mike Hill has dropped some bombshell tea about his marriage to former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey. Hill revealed in an interview with Behind the Velvet Rope podcast that while celebrating their one-year anniversary, a misunderstanding lead to an argument that left him reconsidering the longevity of their marriage. “Sunday was our anniversary, and then I took Monday off and had to go back to work on Tuesday. We basically stayed in town and went to this great hotel that’s in town in West Hollywood, and we just chilled, went to dinner, and enjoyed each other’s company,” he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYaK-DBpOZ5/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4ad08195-6e2f-4f83-a5d6-d86ea8a4556f With how they seem to be flying under the radar right now, you would have never guessed the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Finals last season. Checking in with a 28-19 record, Milwaukee is only two games back of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The difference between the top six teams in the East is two-and-a-half games, and I’m here to stake my claim as to why Milwaukee should still be the favorite among that group. Honestly, the Bucks would probably prefer to stay under the radar anyways, but they’ll have everyone right where they want them once postseason play kicks off in April. Milwaukee has operated all season long without Brook Lopez, the team’s anchor on defense. However, the Bucks are actually carrying a better Defensive Rating compared to the last season (110.7), allowing opponents to score 107.6 points per 100 possessions. Lopez should actually be returning to the court soon for the Bucks as he begins to ramp up on-court activities. Once Lopez is officially cleared, Milwaukee will have another valuable weapon at its disposal in the playoffs. https://youtu.be/njIAeHmXyfY There are new questions regarding the police investigation into the dating app death of a young woman in Connecticut, as her family blasted the police department’s “careless” handling of the case from the very start. Aside from their anguish from losing a daughter and a sister, the family of Lauren Smith-Fields is outraged and disgusted at how they say the Bridgeport Police Department has investigated the mysterious death of the 23-year-old. “They wanted us to forget about our daughter, their sister, our loved one,” said mother Shantell Fields. “They thought they were just going to throw her away like she was garbage, like she wasn’t important, like she didn’t have family members who loved her. We’re fighting for her.” Smith-Fields’ brother, Lakeem Jetter, called the police department “careless” for how the case has been investigated, saying there was “no concern, no care for the family, about how we felt, our grief, our pain — none of that.” The I-Team obtained a police report of the response to a 911 call from Smith-Fields’ apartment on the morning of Dec. 12, from a white male identified as Matthew LaFountain. The investigator noted he was trembling and visibly shaken. Coach Andy Reid had some simple advice for Patrick Mahomes when the Kansas City Chiefs faced long odds to beat the Buffalo Bills in Sunday night’s divisional-round playoff game. “When it’s grim, be the Grim Reaper and go get it,” Reid said he told Mahomes right before the quarterback brought the Chiefs back for a 42-36 overtime win that sends them to next weekend’s AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals. “He did that,” Reid said. “He made everyone around him better, which he’s great at, and he just does it effortlessly. When it gets tough, he’s going to be there battling.” Reid’s words came after the Bills took a 36-33 lead with 13 seconds left in regulation. The Chiefs needed to go about 45 yards in those 13 seconds. Mahomes completed two passes, one of 19 yards to Tyreek Hill, the other for 25 yards to Travis Kelce, to set up Harrison Butker‘s game-tying, 49-yard field goal. Mahomes then threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kelce on the first possession of overtime to win the game. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-27, in Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game at Raymond James Stadium, sending Tom Brady home for the remainder of the playoffs and Matthew Stafford into his first conference championship game. And what a thriller it ended up. After Brady and the Buccaneers tied the score with less than a minute left, erasing a 24-point Rams lead, Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on 44- and 20-yard passes in the waning seconds to set up the game-winning kick from Matt Gay, the former Buccaneer who was cut by Tampa Bay and who had missed an attempt midway through the fourth quarter. The Rams will take on their NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, next Sunday at SoFi Stadium, the same venue that will host Super Bowl LVI two weeks later. This will be the first time in league history that a team will host a conference championship game in the Super Bowl stadium. Adele’s Las Vegas residency has gotten off to a bad start, and it hasn’t even begun yet. U.K. vocalist Adele shocked fans when she tearfully announced that some of her concert dates would be delayed, but sources are alleging that things were looking grim prior to the announcement. According to a few tipsters, it was clear that the singer’s Las Vegas residency was “heading for disaster” following “explosive arguments” with the set designer, Esmeralda Devlin. A source close to Adele claimed: “In spite of the set costing millions to put together, Adele was unhappy with the result, and she made her feelings very clear to Es.” They continued: “She [Adele] was already nervous and the falling out sent her spiraling into a panic because she was desperate that everything should be perfect.” Another source cosigned their statements, alleging that tensions flared between the two over “endless changes” to the show. “There was no real clarity around what Adele wanted for the show because of the endless changes being made to the production.” A 19-year-old entrepreneur has inked a deal with Mark Cuban on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” Tania Speaks was bullied at high school for her bushy eyebrows, but her bullies became her customers when she launched an eyebrow gel, and the massive success of the elixir allowed her to expand her organic beauty line, Tania Speaks Organic Skincare. The collection includes beard growth oil, cleanser, toners, and moisturizers. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uwc3LPUoOGc/hqdefault.jpg #DallasMavericks owner #MarkCuban is putting his money to work to help those who need lifesaving drugs by launching a low-cost online pharmacy. Cuban has launched the “Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company” (MCCPDC) a few short weeks after the company’s pharmacy benefit manager operation was created. Cuban has vowed that the goal of the online pharmacy is to be “radically transparent” regarding price negotiations with drug companies. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZC-iCcpbsy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kandi Burruss has a new reality series coming to Bravo reality called “Kandi & the Gang,” which will follow her family and the staff at her Old Lady Gang (OLG) restaurant. As reported by People, the series will center on Burruss, her husband Todd Tucker and the staff of OLG “as they face a much-needed change at the restaurant while juggling their career ambitions, larger-than-life personalities and personal lives,” according to a press release. “After being hit with a myriad of obstacles, Kandi and Todd step in with a plan to turn the tide. With tensions rising as family members don’t perform up to standards, a little tough love and a lot of restructuring will shake things up with the staff, whether they’re ready for it or not,” the release continues. https://youtu.be/5SgFD3PT6ec Former music mogul James “Jimmy Henchmen” Rosemond is currently serving multiple life sentences but a recent legal win could see him released as early as next month. Rosemond was a hip-hop manager who reportedly ordered the 1994 robbery and shooting of Tupac Shakur at Quad Recording Studios in New York City. He is serving nine life sentences after he was convicted of numerous drug offenses and ordering the murder of 50 Cent’s friend, Lowell “Lodi Mack” Fletcher. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XsPcZXE7I-Y/hqdefault.jpg Thousands gathered in Washington D.C. – a city that mandates vaccines – to protest vaccine mandates, with protesters blaring ballads by Meatloaf, a musician who is feared to have succumbed to COVID-19 complications at 74 after vocal hesitation about the jab. Robert F. Kennedy and Informed Consent Action Network founder Del Bigtree were among big names who addressed the rally Sunday morning. Around 20,000 people were expected to attend the demonstration. ‘Americans want democracy back, and this rally is a demand by Americans to get their democracy back,’ Kennedy said of the rally to WUSA9. Many of those who did so were not masked, despite DC Mayor Muriel Bowser mandating masks outdoors for people who have not had their COVID shot when gathered in large groups outside. The much loved star was vocally anti-vaccine mandate and mask. Rumors that he was killed by the virus itself would also make him one of its highest-profile victims. It is unknown if he’d had the vaccine prior to his death. Convicted drug dealer Devonne Marsh allegedly doused his 26-year-old girlfriend with lighter fluid and ignited her on fire after the pair had an argument. The woman, who was 27 weeks pregnant with twins, suffered burns to 60 percent of her body and remains hospitalized in critical condition. Marsh was granted a $5,000 bond, however, Wayne County DA Kym Worthy (left) is filing a motion to have his bail increased due to the severity of the crime. She said: ‘His original bond was woefully inadequate, and we will be seeking a more appropriate bond given these charges’. Marsh faces multiple counts including attempted murder, assault and battery of a pregnant individual, domestic violence and more. An #Ohio mother faces child endangerment charges after kicking her children out in the middle of a snowstorm. ?The fight started over a drink. #EvaHarris, 38, was arrested Monday for child endangerment and later released from custody. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and must appear in court on March 1. ?? Police responded to Harris’s home to a heated dispute with her teen daughter. Harris told her 17-year-old daughter to leave after her daughter poured a drink on her. By the time the police arrived, the teenager was outside with a trash bag of belongings and wearing a thin jacket.? The east coast received heavy snow this week, and Ohio received over 10 inches this past Monday with low temperatures. ? https://www.instagram.com/p/CZBgG5bs6MN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Georgia pastor and his wife have been charged with false imprisonment after eight people were discovered locked in their basement. The people were rescued when Griffin Fire responded to the home of Pastor #CurtisKeithBankston and #SophiaSimmBankston about someone having a seizure. Once there, they discovered a deadbolt on the basement door, and they could not reach the patient. Emergency personnel had to climb through a window to render aid to the person. That is when they found multiple people locked in the basement, all of which had mental and physical disabilities. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZDC_10JPxH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Dallas police officers and family members have located an 11-year-old boy who has been missing for more than 30 hours. The situation was upgraded to “critical” Thursday due to the cold weather, according to the Dallas Police Department. The department asked for the public’s help in finding Traveon Michael Allen Griffin. Traveon was last seen on Thursday at around midnight on the 5900 block of Naravista Drive near Hyman Elementary School. This is northeast of Joe Pool Lake and near Fox Hollow Park. Police said that Traveon voluntarily left the home and that his mother ran after him but could not catch him. He added this would typically be considered a runaway. Officers searched throughout the night and produced no new leads, nor any evidence that foul play is a factor, police said. https://youtu.be/Y0xO81gEeWw It’s been six years since the death of her fiancé. Now Downton Abbey star, Michelle Dockery appears to have healed her broken heart – and revealed her engagement to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brother. The 40-year-old actress, who played Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV drama, and Jasper Waller-Bridge made their happy news public yesterday with an announcement in The Times. It read: ‘The engagement is announced between Jasper, son of Michael Waller-Bridge of King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and Teresa Waller-Bridge of Battersea, London, and Michelle Dockery, younger daughter of Michael and Lorraine Dockery of Gidea Park, Essex.’ Last night Waller-Bridge’s father told the Daily Mail: ‘We could not be more delighted! ‘We have had a very happy time getting to know Michelle over the last few years and she’s an absolutely delightful person. We couldn’t be happier for them both. Ever since Kyrie Irving resumed playing games with his teammates, there have been hopes in Brooklyn that he would reconsider his stance on Covid-19 vaccination to play home games for the Nets. His earlier statements seemed to suggest he might change his mind at some point. But on Monday, he put the matter to rest, leaving no doubt about the road he has taken. After his team lost to Cleveland, he was asked by the New York Post and ESPN reporters if he wasn’t concerned his absence was hurting the team and wouldn’t he change his thinking on the vaccination mandate. His lengthy response dampened any hopes that he would soon return to the fold. He pressed on with his previous argument that he is against the vaccination mandate. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3M9GweKnPII/hqdefault.jpg Spring will be here before you know it. This is exciting news for the global community of music aficionados. The highly anticipated lineup for the pandemic delayed New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell was announced Thursday, January 20. Social media platforms were buzzing for this awesome lineup. One can find something on the lineup to satisfy a multitude of musical tastes. Lionel Richie, Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Ludacris, Nelly, CeeLo Green’s Tribute to James Brown, Kool & The Gang, Bettye LaVette, and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are just a few of the hundreds of artists that are scheduled to perform at this year’s Jazz Fest from April 29 – May 8 (2022). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d94RmAOyHHc/hqdefault.jpg Brown Skin Brunchin is continuing its expansion in several new cities across the U.S. and continues to be the go-to for women looking to find their new group of friends. With a social media presence of over 35k followers, the group has become very popular since its inception in late 2018. Despite the pandemic putting everyone’s social life on hold, the group continues to thrive and is currently active in 40 cities with over 600 women attending monthly brunches. Brown Skin Brunchin set out to create a network of women of color that would provide meaningful and beneficial relationships. The group creates a social and sophisticated atmosphere where the only expectation is great food and great conversation. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q-RtshjlwSE/hqdefault.jpg Comedian D.L. Hughley is working on a sitcom at Fox that is based on his life, according to Variety. On top of being its executive producer, writer and co-creator, he will also star in it. With this, Hughley hopes to make a comeback to the world of sitcom television and tell his story independently. Other executive producers are Owen Smith, Dave Becky, Sheila Ducksworth and Michael Rotenberg. Owen also doubles up as the show’s co-creator. The title of the multi-cam comedy series is yet to be revealed, but it has been confirmed that the “Cloud 9” actor will be the star. Fox has already given the project a script commitment with a penalty attached, so it is all system go. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mWv3Q696xhI/hqdefault.jpg Rap star Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free are to team up with the “South Park” co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to produce a yet-to-be-titled live-action comedy. According to Deadline, they have signed on for the Paramount Pictures film that is written by Vernon Chatman. Paramount Pictures is to manage theatrical distribution, home entertainment, and television licensing rights. The film is also set to stream on Paramount+. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pzFPKK_xQSo/hqdefault.jpg At a time when the perception of football coaching at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is being defined by the personality of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders at Jackson State, Bowie State’s Damon Wilson is a throwback. Wilson’s path to what has become legendary status at his alma mater has not been easy. But he has helped transform a program that was an also-ran when he played there in the late ’80s into a nationally ranked power in the NCAA Division II “It was a process,” said Wilson. “When I transferred from junior college, me and several teammates had a vision for this kind of success. We had only two years to impact the program as players and had some success, but once I graduated we were able to join the staff and help begin the process of moving things forward.” LeBron James is a big name on the basketball court, thanks to his remarkable achievements. But he is also admired for his warm personality away from the court. His fans also love him for how he has held on to his wife Savannah James with whom he started a relationship back in high school. The relationship keeps getting strong, not weak. He deeply loves his wife, and never misses an opportunity to show her off, whether on holiday, at an event, or home watching their son’s basketball games. He also expresses his gratitude for her, letting the world know what a pretty woman she is. Recently, Savannah, 35, set the Internet ablaze after sharing a cool, relaxed video on Instagram and Twitter. https://www.instagram.com/p/CY0ZG52JaXw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again If you are a “Euphoria” fan or any other hit HBO show, you must be on the lookout for less expensive ways to get HBO Max. Are you aware HBO Max has actually heard your wish and done just what you would love to hear: the streamer is out to spoil you this year, what with a 20% off promotion for the monthly subscribers! You have to take advantage of this offer fast enough because, like all such good things, it is not going to last for too long. It will only be available in the next four days. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YWq9dianCn0/hqdefault.jpg As the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games approach and COVID-19 concerns mount, NBC Sports will not send any of its announcing teams to China, a spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports Wednesday afternoon. “The announce teams for these Olympics, including figure skating, will be calling events from our Stamford (Conn.) facility due to COVID concerns,” Greg Hughes, senior vice president communications, NBC Sports, said in a phone interview. “We’ll still have a large presence on the ground in Beijing and our coverage of everything will be first rate as usual, but our plans are evolving by the day as they are for most media companies covering the Olympics.” NBC’s broadcasting teams for figure skating, Alpine skiing and snowboarding had been expected to be in Beijing, but those plans have been canceled. The network’s Olympic host, Mike Tirico, will still be in China for the Feb. 4 opening ceremony and the first few days of the Games, but will then leave for Los Angeles to host the Feb. 13 Super Bowl, which also is on NBC this year. The end. That’s what Saturday night looked, felt and sounded like at Lambeau Field. It was definitely the end of a Packers season that looked like it had potential to end in the Super Bowl a few weeks from now. Of much greater magnitude, though, the night very possibly marked the end for Aaron Rodgers. This postseason was always going to be about legacy for the Packers quarterback, whose pedestrian playoff numbers have never been commensurate with his remarkable personal accomplishments, nor is the one Super Bowl ring he owns. The Packers’ stunning 13-10 loss to the 49ers on the final play of this NFC divisional playoff game on a frigid and tense night put an abrupt end to Green Bay’s season and put the spotlight on the 38-year-old Rodgers’ future. A year ago, after Rodgers and the Packers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the NFC Championship and Rodgers was asked about his future, he famously called it “a beautiful mystery,’’ igniting all sorts of speculation that bled into the entire offseason. The Bengals were underdogs going into Saturday’s game against the Titans. Ultimately, they won 19-16 and advance to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1988. They’ll play Buffalo or Kansas City for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. They’ll be underdogs in that matchup too, but don’t tell Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. “I’m tired of the underdog narrative,” Burrow said after the Bengals’ win over the Titans. “We’re a really really good team. We’re here to make noise. Teams are gonna have to pay attention to us. Like I said, we’re a really good team with really good players and coaches and we’re coming for it all.” The San Francisco 49ers simply will not go away. The same Niners that were once 3-5 and headed for a long offseason full of questions are now headed to the NFC Championship Game for the second time in three seasons. To get there, San Francisco had to pull out the type of late-game magic that has been a hallmark of its late-season surge to the playoffs. The result was a wild 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Lambeau Field. The 49ers await the winner of Sunday’s NFC divisional game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams. After a disappointing offensive performance, the Niners pieced together the drive they needed at the biggest moment, with wide receiver Deebo Samuel taking a handoff nine yards for a first down on third-and-7 at Green Bay’s 38. Samuel’s run set up place-kicker Robbie Gould‘s winning 45-yard field goal as time expired. The ECHL has indefinitely suspended Jacksonville Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta, pending a hearing for what South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Jordan Subban said was a racist taunt Saturday night. The Icemen later announced that they are releasing Panetta. “To be clear, our core values as an ownership group include one love and zero tolerance for racism or any other forms of hate against any group whatsoever. The platform that is the Jacksonville Icemen is one that is more than just about hockey to us as a group. It is about using this platform to spread not only our love for hockey but our love for the community and for each other,” team CEO Andy Kaufmann said in a statement. “Though the investigation and review is ongoing at the league level, the Jacksonville Icemen will be releasing the player involved effective immediately and will continue our mission of sharing our love of community and hockey. On behalf of the entire Icemen organization, we apologize to any one who was offended and look forward to beginning the process of healing together as one. Thank you.” The announcement came hours after the team released an initial statement saying it was cooperating with the ECHL’s review of the incident. https://twitter.com/i/status/1485113627900272642 Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted and sentenced for the murder of George Floyd, and he’s pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights—but that doesn’t mean the “justice for George Floyd” fight has come to an end. Jury selection has concluded for the other three ex-police officers involved in Floyd’s death and accused of violating his civil rights—Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao—and, predictably, the 18 selected jurors are mostly white while two appear to be of Asian descent, according to the Star Tribune. The federal trial for the three officers, who also face state charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter, was recently pushed back from March 7 to June 13, but here’s a little of what we know about the 12 jurors and six alternate jurors so far. Ian Alexander Jr. who is the son of actress/director Regina King is dead from suicide which happened Friday (01/21/22), according to reports. “Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” King says in a statement. “He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you.” Ian, whose 26th birthday was on Wednesday (01/19/22) was King’s only child, whom she shared with her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKEvy4-hhfb/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=8769b671-68e8-4f43-a3a8-bb796d756fa1 New details now indicate that the Burger King robbery that left Niesha Harris-Brazel dead was a staged-robbery-gone-wrong. Harris-Braze, 16, is said to have been part of the cast, according to Milwaukee authorities. On the night of January, she was at work, stationed at the drive-thru window. A black Chevy Impala popped up and its driver leaned through the restaurant window and demanded cash while pointing a gun at Niesha. The driver asked her to hurry up as she turned to get the money from the cash register. While turning, she managed to signal to her workmates that things were not right and that she needed help. At that point, Derrick D. Ellis, a 34-year-old co-worker, reacted by producing a gun and firing twice at the robber. The stunned robber quickly got back into the driver’s seat and drove away fast without money. In the ensuing confusion, Ellis had accidentally shot Niesha, who collapsed to the floor saying she was shot. She later died in the hospital, where she was rushed after the incident. CCTV has shown Ellis hurrying to pick up the spent cartridges when he realized he’d shot his co-worker. He then surrendered the gun to a store manager who concealed it in the restaurant’s safe. Ellis is a convicted felon and is still on the run following this incident. Last week, prosecutors charged him with murder and felony gun possession, according to a Yahoo report. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6bIFkRuvlIE/hqdefault.jpg On Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, 53-year-old Kevin Troy Daniels, Sr., former pastor of New Jerusalem Church, pled guilty to the charge of Sex Assault on a Child. He was sentenced to a minimum of 2 years to life in the Colorado Department of Corrections with a stipulation of life time parole, if ever granted. Daniels will have to register as a Sex Offender for the rest of his life. According to court documents, the alleged crime occurred between February 1 and April 18 of 2021. There have been growing calls that the Justice Department open an investigation on the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department over systematic police misconduct. Team ROC, the social justice wing of hip-hop star Jay-Z‘s entertainment company, has added its voice to the growing calls. “There is no excuse to justify the DOJ’s silence,” Team ROC quipped in an open letter on Tuesday. The letter is addressed to Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. Also with Team ROC was the nonprofit Midwest Innocence Project. The latter added that there is sufficient evidence of systematic police misconduct in the department hence a “pattern or practice” investigation is the only way to review allegations of discrimination and wrongdoing. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WaeInfPwZWI/hqdefault.jpg Republican gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines is, apparently, pretty on-brand for what passes for leadership in the Lone Star State. Huffines recently found out one of his campaign staffers is a passionate advocate for white nationalism and could easily double as a grand wizard speechwriter, and his response to discovering he employs a loud and proud racist was basically, “Eh…he’s the homie though.” According to the Texas Tribune, the Huffines staffer, Jake Lloyd Colglazier, has previously done fieldwork for the GOP hopeful’s campaign. In 2020, Colglazier said on his YouTube channel that he wants to “restore historical American culture” by “maintaining a supermajority of the original stock of the United States, and maintaining a homogeneity.” In other words: Colglazier wants to make America white again and take the nation back to a time when whiteness reigned supreme and the coloreds were few, powerless and subjugated. https://youtu.be/pLVweodIHak A black pastor from Griffin, GA and his wife were arrested on Jan. 13 for false imprisonment after being accused of running an illegal group home. According to police, Curtis Keith Bankston allegedly imprisoned mentally and physically disabled people in his basement, while seizing control of their assets. Authorities say Bankston held 8 patients against their will in a group home that was unlicensed and disguised as a faith-based ministry called ‘One Step of Faith 2nd Chance.’ Bankston, the owner of the church, used a deadbolt to lock his patients in the basement during certain hours of the day. Authorities also allege Bankston and his wife controlled the victims’ finances, medications, and public aid. Victims were often denied medications as well as medical care. Police said in a post to their Facebook page, the patients were between the ages of 25 and 65 and all suffered from mental or physical disabilities. Black NFL head coach David Culley was fired from the Houston Texans last week. He is the second NFL Black head coach in a week to be fired from the job. Under Culley, the Texans went 4-13 but played the entire season without star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who did not play due to 22 allegations of sexual misconduct. After just 3 seasons, the Miami Dolphins fired Black head coach Brian Flores, who finished the season at 9-8, just missing the playoffs. The move came as a shock to fans because Flores did have some glimpses of success. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is the only remaining black head coach in the NFL. For almost a decade, the NFL has expressed it wants to become more diverse on the sidelines as well as in the front office. All 14 black Mississippi state senators, all Democrats, walked out before a vote on a bill that forbids teaching students at public schools and colleges that ‘that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.’ The bill later passed passed 32-2, with only two Democratic legislators – David Blount and Hob Bryan, both white – voting against it. It now heads to the Mississippi state House for approval. The unprecedented walkout on Friday followed a two-hour debate when Democratic lawmakers asked whether or not Critical Race Theory (CRT), which centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society, is actually taught in Mississippi schools. https://twitter.com/i/status/1484607927684059142 In 2022, you better watch out for shades of yellow, as far as the leading fashion trends are concerned. This includes everything from marigold to lemon to buttercup. The year has just started, and Tracee Ellis Ross has already confirmed this truth, thanks to her latest Instagram post. The Black-ish actress set Instagram on fire with her stunning, form-fitting, yellow dress. In a series of photos to her account, she wore the Galvan London knit design that has a crystal pleated hem (add an extra layer of dimension) and a square neckline. It is also long-sleeved, though there is a sleeveless design as well. She matched her lovely dress with pointed-toe yellow heels, products of Christian Louboutin. The heels have a height of about 4 inches, and they did justice to her bubbly attire. https://www.instagram.com/traceeellisross/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3b221f01-e8fa-4397-a769-cb0900eb7d42 Corey Hawkins is an actor that has shown a lot of range in the projects he selects. His latest Apple Original film, “The Tragedy of Macbeth,“ features him alongside Hollywood heavyweights. Based on the timeless Shakespeare play, the A24 production stars Academy Award winners Denzel Washington in the title role as the infamous Scottish king Macbeth and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth. Hawkins is featured as Macduff, Moses Ingram as Lady Macduff, and Kathryn Hunter as the witches. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ptqe7s6pO7g/hqdefault.jpg Are you ready for a Girl’s Trip sequel? Well, producer Will Packer said on Good Morning America that it’s 100% happening! Girl’s Trip, starring Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Tiffany Haddish, was an instant classic when it first premiered in 2017, grossing over $140 million worldwide. Now five years later, Will says it’s the perfect time for a sequel. Will says that the world is in need of a fun post-pandemic trip movie and all of the ladies are on board. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3uEntFNpMaY/hqdefault.jpg “Squid Game” is getting a second season on Netflix, and there’s rumors of a possible third season. Netflix’s co-chief executive Ted Sarandos confirmed the news Thursday during the streamer’s 2021 fourth quarter earnings interview, per Complex. “The Squid Game universe has just begun,” Sarandos said. The South Korean survival drama series became an international smash hit overnight after arriving on the platform in September. The title pulled in 1.65 billion viewing hours within its first 28 days. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oqxAJKy0ii4/hqdefault.jpg Emmy-winning producer, stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell, published an op-ed with TIME, where he elaborates on his decision to create the Showtime documentary series “We Need to Talk About Cosby,” which also released its official trailer, earlier. Bell touches upon growing up watching Bill Cosby’s rise and fall throughout his historic and much talked about career along with his fears of sharing this project with the world. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qVr0xrvGK1Q/hqdefault.jpg Josh Duggar, the former reality-TV star convicted last month on child pornography charges, has requested a new trial and sought to blame a former employee for the illicit videos and photos found on his work computer. Duggar’s attorneys filed a motion Wednesday evening asking the court to acquit Duggar of downloading and possessing child pornography, and complaining that their client was unfairly prevented from calling a “necessary witness” during the seven-day trial. That witness was a person who had worked at Duggar’s used car lot in Springdale, Arkansas, the location where federal authorities found a desktop computer that had been used to download numerous videos and photos of child sexual abuse. Duggar’s attorneys said in their motion that the former employee — who was also a registered sex offender — had “regularly used the desktop computer in the months and weeks leading up to May 2019.” The child sexual abuse imagery found on Duggar’s computer had been downloaded on multiple occasions between May 14 and May 16, 2019. Recently former NBA All-Star Lamar Odom took to social media to reveal the reason why he broke up with former fiancé Sabrina Parr, who he left at the W Hotel in Atlanta last year. “I received over 250 calls and text messages over the course of last December from her wanting to fix us,” he wrote. “We were toxic. Independently and collectively.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TXe_gVj7bi4/hqdefault.jpg Pete Davidson has recently been very famous due to his rumored relationship with Kim Kardashian and her estranged husband Kanye West’s reaction to the same. As Kim and Pete were spotted jetting off to the Bahamas for a trip together, it seems like their relationship is going strong and that has been irking West for the longest time now! In a track released last week, West rapped some pretty graphic lyrics concerning Kim and her boyfriend. The song, titled Eazy, has “God saved me from that crash/ Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s a**” in one of its verses which has garnered quite some attention due to Kim’s involvement with Pete. However, according to a report from Page Six, the Saturday Night Live star doesn’t seem to be bothered over West’s open threat in his song. Page Six’s insider has noted that “Pete thinks it’s totally hilarious,” referring to the new song and the lyrical threats in them. “Not just that — he thinks the whole [tabloid drama with him, West and Kardashian] is hilarious. He loves it,” Page Six’s report further added. The Fugees — Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel — have canceled their reunion tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of their 1996 blockbuster album “The Score.” “We anticipate and understand disappointment but our anniversary tour will not be able to happen,” the group wrote in a social media post. “The continued Covid pandemic has made touring conditions difficult, and we want to make sure we keep our fans and ourselves healthy and safe. An idea sparked to honor and celebrate this 25th anniversary of ‘The Score’ but we see now it may not currently be our time for revisiting this past work. We’re grateful for the special night we did get to share with some of you in New York, with that rare live moment. If opportunity, public safety, and scheduling allow, we hope to be able to revisit this again sometime soon. Thank you for all of your love and support throughout the years.” The tour — which would have been the group’s first in 25 years — was announced suddenly in September and quickly followed with a concert at Pier 17 in New York. The 12-city proper tour was to launch Nov. 2 at United Center in Chicago and cross the U.S. before concluding in Africa, with the final shows taking place in Nigeria and Ghana, but was postponed just three days before it was to begin. It’s told like this: Amanda Gorman performed at the inauguration, and the rest is history. The truth is I almost declined to be the inaugural poet. Why? I was terrified. I was scared of failing my people, my poetry. But I was also terrified on a physical level. Covid was still raging, and my age group couldn’t get vaccinated yet. Just a few weeks before, domestic terrorists assaulted the U.S. Capitol, the very steps where I would recite. I didn’t know then that I’d become famous, but I did know at the inauguration I was going to become highly visible — which is a very dangerous thing to be in America, especially if you’re Black and outspoken and have no Secret Service. It didn’t help that I was getting DMs from friends telling me not so jokingly to buy a bulletproof vest. My mom had us crouch in our living room so that she could practice shielding my body from bullets. A loved one warned me to “be ready to die” if I went to the Capitol, telling me, “It’s just not worth it.” I had insomnia and nightmares, barely ate or drank for days. I finally wrote to some close friends and family, telling them that I was most likely going to pull out of the ceremony. I got some texts praising the Lord. I got called pathologically insane. But I knew only I could answer the question for myself: Was this poem worth it? On Thursday, Baylor guard Kamaria McDaniel announced on Instagram that she is no longer apart of the Bears program. After transferring from Penn State, McDaniel played in 10 game at Baylor, most recently playing in the Bears’ game at Oklahoma on January 12th. With the departure, Nicki Collen’s team now has nine active players on the roster. Louie Anderson, the veteran comedian, game show host and three-time Emmy winner, has died. He was 68. The Baskets star died Friday morning in Las Vegas, where he had entered hospital this week for treatment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, a form of cancer, his longtime publicist Glenn Schwartz told Deadline. A constant presence on stage and screen since the mid-1980s, Anderson won the 2016 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Christine Baskets, the mother of the Zach Galifianakis-portrayed Chip and Dale on the FX series. The actor was nominated in the category over three consecutive years starting in 2016 for his Baskets performance. Anderson also won two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for Fox’s Life with Louie in 1997 and 1998. Meat Loaf, the legendary singer best known for his theatrical style of rock, has died at the age of 74. The artist’s family confirmed the news in a statement posted on his Facebook page early Friday morning. No cause of death was given. Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight surrounded by his wife Deborah, daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends. His amazing career spanned 6 decades that saw him sell over 100 Million albums worldwide and star in over 65 movies, including “Fight Club”, “Focus”, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Wayne’s World.” “Bat Out of Hell” remains one of the top 10 selling albums of all time. We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man. We thank you for your understanding of our need for privacy at this time. From his heart to your souls…don’t ever stop rocking! Born as Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas, Texas, on September 27, 1947, Meat Loaf (which was a family nickname) came from a family of singers. Naomi Campbell is mourning the loss of fashion icon André Leon Talley, who died Tuesday of an undisclosed illness at the age of 73. Campbell shared several photos of the pair on Instagram Thursday, along with a lengthy caption about their friendship. She began the post, “Words cannot describe what it feels like knowing you are no longer with us in the physical form, like everyone who loves you my heart skipped a beat. When I heard I reached out to @dvf [Diane von Fürstenberg] who let me know you went peacefully without pain.” https://www.instagram.com/naomi/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=54c0f61c-0d00-47d6-b672-ae71cbf50505 A 2.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Georgia overnight, and some people said they didn’t just feel it. Social media users also reported hearing the tremor. “I didn’t feel it but I heard it,” one person wrote on the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. “It was the first one while I was awake! I honestly thought it was a plane or something.” “I thought somebody set a bomb outside our bedroom window it was so loud,” another person wrote on Twitter. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at about 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20. It shook the ground roughly 10 miles northeast of Eton, a town near the Tennessee border. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Federal Reserve released a long-awaited review of the potential for creating a central bank digital currency Thursday, after months of delays. Ahead of making a decision, the Fed has asked the public to submit answers on 22 questions posed in the report. “The introduction of a CBDC would represent a highly significant innovation in American money,” the authors said in the report. “This paper is the first step in a public discussion between the Federal Reserve and stakeholders about CBDC.” Many in the industry have called for the creation of a U.S. CBDC, saying it could take the place of dollar-linked stablecoins and help connect fiat and crypto transactions. China has created its own CBDC, the digital yuan or e-CNY, and some observers suggest the U.S. needs its own to stay competitive and maintain the dollar’s dominant role in the world financial system. Adele on Thursday shocked and angered her fans by canceling her Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas residency at the last minute, leaving many stranded in the city out of pocket, and unsure whether they can afford the time and money to see her rescheduled show. Fans of the 33-year-old singer had shelled out up to $30,000 for resale tickets for the eagerly-anticipated show – her first live concert in five years. In a video posted to Twitter, Adele sobbed as she said that COVID-19 cases among members of her crew had made it impossible to bring the show to life in time. Adding to her woes were delivery delays that made it ‘impossible to finish the show.’ She added that she had been awake for ‘over 30 hours’ trying to solve logistical issues but had simply ‘run out of time’ to be ready on Friday. https://youtu.be/dNUkmfr03Bo In support of their latest album Perfect Union and their recent single “Pursuit of Happiness,” the legendary Kool & The Gang are heading to Las Vegas and Atlantic City in February. The Grammy award-winning band will be performing at the Westgate Resort and Casino’s International Theater in Las Vegas on Friday, February 4, 2022, and Saturday, February 5, 2022. Later that month they’ll hit the stage of Ovation Hall, located within the Ocean Casino and Resort in Atlantic City on Saturday, February 19, 2022. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EaVTDSeZzlM/hqdefault.jpg A Houston County deputy facing termination has resigned in the wake of uproar over a Facebook comment he made about the Ahmaud Arbery case. Earlier this month, Deputy Paul Urhahn left an offensive comment on a Macon television station’s Facebook post. He wrote, “that criminal Arbery still got the death penalty though” underneath a story about his three killers being sentenced to life in prison for his murder. That comment caught the attention of people on social media almost instantly. Dozens of people demanded disciplinary action against the deputy. On Monday, Jan. 10, Sheriff Cullen Talton wrote a letter to Urhahn notifying him that he was suspended without pay and had 10 days to appeal the decision before he would be terminated. According to a new poll, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are tied when it comes to approval and disapproval amid the end of their first year in office. The survey results follow a recent statement by the president that Harris will be his running mate in 2024. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted January 12 to 14 found that Biden and Harris each had a 44 percent approval rating, while 56 percent of respondents disapproved. The survey also found that Biden and Harris enjoy virtually the same approval rating among women, with 48 percent of women polled approving of Harris, and 47 percent approving of Biden. Fifty-two percent of women surveyed disapproved of Harris, and 53 percent disapproved of Biden. The margin of error on that question was +/-3.4 percent. Harris has suffered persistently low approval ratings, with many polls suggesting she is more unpopular than Biden. Yalancia and Michael Rosario, from Dallas, Texas, are proud parents to sons Jamel, Michael Jr., Angelo, Gimani, Armani, Sincere, and Khaza. Their fourth son, also named Armani, was stillborn. The couple, who has another baby on the way, learned they are having a boy during a gender reveal that was documented on ‘My Extraordinary Family.’ Yalancia has gotten into the routine of bulk meal prepping and setting out her sons’ outfits the night before to make mornings easier for them. For breakfast, she typically makes a dozen eggs and pancake sausages. The expectant mom said she spends roughly $400 a week on groceries, but her biggest challenge is managing the extra laundry and the housework. https://youtu.be/-PnyeeRPVRI The NFL fined Dak Prescott $25,000 for his postgame comments about the officiating in the Dallas Cowboys’ 23-17 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Some Cowboys fans threw their trash in the direction of the referees as they exited the field. Prescott mockingly told reporters, “Credit to them,” when alerted to the incident. “The fans felt the same way as us,” the two-time Pro Bowler said. “I guess that’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast. I think everybody is upset with the way this thing played out.” The Smithsonian Channel has dropped the trailer for “One Thousand Years of Slavery – The Untold Story,” a four-part docuseries produced by Angela Basset and her husband actor Courtney B. Vance. The Smithsonian Channel has dropped the trailer for “One Thousand Years of Slavery – The Untold Story,” a four-part docuseries produced by Angela Basset and her husband actor Courtney B. Vance. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6PSYzOjfT-A/hqdefault.jpg As the NAACP turns 113, look for its voice to grow louder on issues like climate change, the student debt crisis and the ongoing response to the pandemic — while keeping voting rights and criminal justice reform at the forefront of its priorities. The nation’s oldest civil rights organization’s birthday next month comes as it undergoes restructuring to reflect membership and leadership that is trending younger, to people in their mid-30s. As a result, it is adding endeavors like producing TV streaming content for CBS. The hope is that younger Americans see the NAACP has modernized beyond being Grandma and Grandpa’s go-to civil rights hub, good for much more than voter-registration drives and the star-studded Image Awards. TEGNA Inc. today announced “A Different Cry,” a three-part investigation into the rising suicide rates among Black youth in America, will make its digital premiere on TEGNA stations’ Fire TV and Roku apps and the Watch section of all stations’ websites beginning Sunday, Jan. 23. A special hosted by WXIA journalist Madison Carter and featuring guests from the series will debut on TEGNA stations’ streaming apps on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-VIEwjAprzk/hqdefault.jpg Tina Turner and her husband Erwin Bach have reportedly shelled out $76 million for a 10-building waterfront Swiss estate overlooking Lake Zürich. After the music icon wed German-born Bach in 2013, she renounced her US citizenship and lived in Europe before settling on living full-time in Switzerland after both obtained Swiss nationality. “[We] feel very comfortable in Switzerland,” Bach told local publication Daily Handelszeitung. “Due to the pandemic and its consequences we — like many other Swiss — unfortunately, are refraining from travel.” Bach and Turner will utilize the 240,000 square foot compound as a “new weekend retreat in the immediate vicinity,” he added. ESSENCE’s January/February 2022 Black History Month issue champions the power of Black love and business by featuring power couple Pinky Cole, CEO and Founder of popular vegan fast food chain Slutty Vegan, and Derrick Hayes, CEO and Owner of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. In the cover story, Hot in the Kitchen, ESSENCE talks to the business owners about everything from food, community, their love for each other, second chances and how they turned their multimillion-dollar businesses into a family affair. https://www.instagram.com/p/CY34ZccIBkV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The newest and third installment of WE tv’s ‘Love After Lockup/Life After Lockup’ franchise, “Love During Lockup,” has kicked off and follows even more riveting firsts through the early stages of love, with plenty of romance, suspicion, and investigation, all long before a scheduled prison release. https://youtu.be/9sO8EVLNb2c Actress Ion Overman is the latest celeb to be indicted on fraud charges related to a PPP loan scam. Overman, actor Dale Godboldo, media personality Shadi Powers and music producer Carlos Stephens are among 19 celebrities and entrepreneurs indicted in Georgia for scamming the Paycheck Protection Program out of $3 million, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Police in Northumberland County, Va, have reportedly located the body of 28-year-old Ahrea’l Smith, who went missing more than a week ago. Smith was last seen on the night of January 12, as she was captured on surveillance cameras closing up the Claraville Little Sue Food Store where she worked. NBC 12 reported that her car was found running by a co-worker the following morning. “After an extensive search operation throughout the day, search crews located a body, matching the description of Ahrea’l Smith, on a property in Heathsville,” Sheriff Johnny Beauchamp said Tuesday. “Her body will be sent to the medical examiner’s office in Richmond for an autopsy.” On January 15, authorities arrested 50-year-old Tyrone Samuel in connection to her disappearance. He has reportedly been charged with abducting Smith. Earlier this month, #AntonioBrown made headlines after he left the field while taking off his uniform during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the New York Jets. He was later formally released from the team, and many people have shared their thoughts about the situation.In a preview clip for the upcoming episode of #IAmAthlete, Antonio spoke about the moment. #BrandonMarshall explained how he would have handled things with Bruce Arians under the circumstances that Antonio previously described. Antonio responded and said, “That’s the mental health coming in right there. Everyone in the world got a different form of reaction to what happened to me. And it’s based upon where you from, how you feel, and no one only gonna know that regard of who you is.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CY9l_nnBGpQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Pardison Fontaine took to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday to address his breakup with rapper Megan Thee Stallion and rumors that the physically abused her. “Stop this cap nobody puttin hands on nobody (At least not in that way),” Fontaine wrote. “Been seein the break up rumors and was lettin y’all imaginations run. But y’all gettin too crazy. Ain’t give n***as a story so they made one. We really been on it double time.” The couple sparked break-up speculation in December after Megan removed all photos of Fontaine from her Instagram. Rumors then surfaced that the couple split due to Megan’s temper. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported early Thursday that Lonzo Ball has a small meniscus tear in his left knee. Hours later, the Chicago Bulls confirmed the injury, relaying that Lonzo will undergo arthroscopic surgery with a recovery period of 6-to-8 weeks. The Bulls are already missing Zach LaVine due to a left knee bone contusion, which will keep him out a least a few more games. And while that’s a short-term injury, Chicago suddenly has a thinning roster. Patrick Williams is expected to be out for the season with a dislocated wrist. Derrick Jones Jr. may be out another month with a bone-bruised knee suffered last week. Javonte Green is still working his way back from a strained groin. It’s Me, Julissa! reintroduces fans to entertainment sweetheart Julissa Bermudez after years in the industry's background hosting various shows and helping others tell their stories. Bermudez’s show airs on Fridays at 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT and is the first original series brought to CLEO TV by Kin x TV One Licensing Partnership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1yQTzbpdEM Chart-topper Koryn Hawthorne releases a new track “You (Remix)” feat. Big K.R.I.T., available on digital music providers now. Hawthorne teamed up with the chart-topping rapper/producer on the new digital single, creating a potent blast of musical inspiration with the mix of the song’s dynamic beats and her soaring vocals, along with Big K.R.I.T.’s acclaimed lyrical flow featured on “You (Remix).” https://korynhawthorne.lnk.to/YouRemixFtBigKRITPR!WW Catch William Murphy and the dReam Center's performance during the Atlanta Hawks Game. Bishop Murphy continues to reach the masses from the church pews to the court seats. Check out the snippet on the 'gram.https://www.instagram.com/p/CY2V3Zpqs8p/ Last Friday, DOE sang the National Anthem at the Golden State Warriors vs Chicago Bulls game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wonvn0qe0x4 There’s really no need to fear that Black people will become complacent in the fight against systemic racism and racism in policing. Anytime there’s even a chance we might become comfortable in thinking our lives are beginning to matter in America or that the tide is turning and brutal police officers are being brought to justice (e.g. the convictions of Derek Chauvin, Kim Potter and the men who lynched Ahmaud Arbery), it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing stories that remind us how easy it still is for things to go the other way. According to the Associated Press, ex-Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke is set to be released from prison next month, meaning he will be free after having served less than half of the 81-month sentence he got three years ago after he was found guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery for fatally shooting a Black teenager. Understand this: 81 months (or just under 7 years) was already a light sentence for a cop who shot a 17-year-old 16 times with many of the shots fired after Laquan’s body was already on the ground. Now, Van Dyke, who appealed his conviction but abandoned all appellate hope in 2020, is getting his time more than cut in half for *checks notes* good behavior. George Barnhill, the second district attorney to handle the murder case of Ahmaud Arbery, quietly decided not to run for re-election. Shortly after New Year’s and just before the sentencing of the three men found guilty of murder, an assistant district attorney in the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office announced he would be running for the seat. While much of the attention of the mishandling of the Arbery murder case has rested on former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson, Barnhill had his hands deep in delaying the arrest of Arbery’s killers. He was involved in the case, consulting with Johnson and local police, for a few days before being officially appointed to take over. From available information, neither he nor Johnson revealed his initial involvement when she reached out for a replacement. Three Sharon Hill police officers have been charged with the death of 8-year-old girl Fanta Bility, who was shot and killed outside a suburban Philadelphia high school football game in Sharon Hill. A grand jury determined that officers Devon Smith, Sean Dolan, and Brian Devaney fired 25 shots, injuring three and killing Bility. Each was charged with 12 counts of manslaughter and reckless endangerment. According to Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, the incident, which took place on Aug 27, 2021, at the Academy Park-Pennsbury football game, began when witnesses told police two teenagers had a verbal altercation that turned into a gunfight. As officers were helping bystanders exit the football stadium when they heard gunfire. The officers allegedly fired their weapons in the direction of the stadium, shooting four people, killing Fanta Bility. US Airlines have warned that the rollout of 5G at airports could cause a global “catastrophic” disruption in service. As reported by NBC News, the CEOs of major carriers warned that the launch could strand “tens of thousands of Americans” overseas and cause chaos for domestic flights. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3Azl9QiQ0b0/hqdefault.jpg On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee in Florida advanced a bill pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that, at the very least, tells it like it is. “An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, does not bear responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex,” the bill reads, according to the Associated Press. “An individual should not be made to feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race.” o basically, it’s a white fragility bill. Ron DeSantis has proposed a bill to protect white people from feeling discomfort, guilt, and anguish, and the rest of us are just supposed to pretend there aren’t white people who are offended by the very mention of racism. Lusia Harris, who won three national championships at Delta State and scored the first points in Olympic women’s basketball history in the 1970s, died Tuesday at age 66, her family announced. A cause of death was not given. Harris was the first Black woman inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in 1992. Her coach at Delta State, Margaret Wade, had been inducted in 1985. Harris was also drafted by the NBA’s New Orleans Jazz in 1977, making her the first and only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team. Harris, who had married her high school sweetheart while in college, didn’t try out for the Jazz because she was pregnant. However, she did briefly play in the Women’s Professional Basketball League in 1979-80. Sidney Miller Jr., a music industry giant has passed. Miller founded and ran BRE (Black Radio Exclusive) magazine for more than 40 years which culminated in an annual conference and other events. He was 89. As of this posting, we don’t have any specific details as to the cause of death. In establishing one of the first black music industry trades, Sidney Miller, Jr. earned his place as a pioneer in Black Music. His publication, Black Radio Exclusive (BRE), was founded on a dream, developed with perseverance, and brought to its leadership pinnacle through excellence. Under Miller’s leadership, BRE has contributed immensely to furthering the cause and importance of Black radio, promoting the significant impact that Black music artists and Black music have had in the world of contemporary music. America’s biggest businesses employed more female and Black finance chiefs in 2021 than ever before—albeit coming from a relatively low base—as company leaders and boards are under pressure to broaden their C-suite, a trend recruiters expect will accelerate in 2022. The number of companies in the S&P 500 and Fortune 500 with Black chief financial officers nearly doubled over the past year, to 20 in 2021 from 12 in 2020, based on new data from executive search firm Crist Kolder Associates. That’s 2.9% of 678 sitting CFOs, up from 1.8% in 2020. The percentage of female CFOs at those businesses also reached an all-time high at 15.1% in 2021, up from 12.6% in 2020, the data show. Among the firms that gained Black CFOs last year were telecommunications giant AT&T Inc., which promoted Pascal Desroches; sports retailer Foot Locker Inc., which hired Andrew Page; and investment firm Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, which recruited Dave Dowrich. Animal-health company Zoetis Inc. and industrial-supply company W. W. Grainger Inc. also hired Black finance executives. Meanwhile, companies such as Charter Communications Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Eli Lilly & Co. added female CFOs. A Black woman in Portland, OR, originally started her business, Royalty’s One Stop Shop, with the hope of helping others be “pretty and safe” with a line of fashionable self-defense accessories. Yet still operating a business can come with its challenges, especially as a Black entrepreneur. Two days ago, this Portland woman shared an email she received from a client demanding a cancellation and refund of an order after they found out she was Black, according to the Daily Dot. Royalty’s One Stop Shop owner, user @royaltysonestopshop, posted the email to TikTok, asking BIPOC entrepreneurs and the user community to respond. She read the email aloud and posed questions and concerns relating to its content. According to the email, the client followed up with a refund request while spewing racist stereotypes and antagonistic remarks. The video went viral, receiving well over 113,000 views. https://www.tiktok.com/@royaltysonestopshop?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackchristiannews.com%2F&referer_video_id=7054231231864786222&refer=embed Somos, Inc., a leading registry management and data solutions company, today announced the hiring of Antonio Anderson as its Vice President, Information Security & IT. Mr. Anderson will lead the information security program for Somos with a focus on implementing modern security policies and practices to safeguard the organization’s most critical information. “As a company underpinned by innovation built on trust, Somos is keenly aware of the importance of proactively identifying and mitigating risk,” said Daniele Levy, Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Antonio’s breadth of experience in information security, privacy, IT infrastructure and cyber risk management make him the perfect individual to help Somos deliver a secure, effective and engaging digital experience.” Ahead of Black History Month, National Geographic is launching a powerful new podcast, “INTO THE DEPTHS”, on January 27, 2022, that uncovers the deep history of the transatlantic slave trade as it follows a group of Black divers who are dedicated to finding and helping to document slave shipwrecks. The podcast series trailer is now available on Apple Podcasts and wherever podcasts are found, as well as on National Geographic’s website. The podcast will also be accompanied by a cover story in the March issue of National Geographic magazine, available online on February 7, and a National Geographic documentary special, “CLOTILDA: LAST AMERICAN SLAVE SHIP,” premiering Monday, February 7, 10/9c on National Geographic and available to stream next day on Hulu. An initiative to preserve historic Black churches across the country received a $20 million donation on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The large donation was made by Lilly Endowment Inc. a philanthropic organization supporting religious and educational endeavors, and went toward the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF). The multi-million dollar donation is part of the National Trust’s Preserving Black Churches initiative to help preserve, rebuild, and retell the stories of Black houses of worship across the country. From slavery though the civil rights movement, Black churches were one of the few safe havens for Black Americans. They served as community centers, provided a safe place for Black children, and were employment hubs and meeting spaces to plan and outline civil rights actions including protests and sit-ins. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen acknowledged the U.S. economy “has never worked fairly for Black Americans or, really, for any American of color” in an MLK Day speech. Yellen made the comment at Rev. Al Sharpton‘s National Action Network breakfast in Washington on what would’ve been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 93rd birthday. “From Reconstruction to Jim Crow to the present day, our economy has never worked fairly for Black Americans—or, really, for any American of color,” Yellen said in her speech. The civil rights activist and reverend was just 39 when he was assassinated in 1968 while participating in a sanitation workers strike in Memphis, TN. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was trending on Twitter Thursday morning for comparing, out loud, “African-American” to “American” voters. Reporter Pablo Manríquez asked McConnell what his message was for voters of color who are concerned about their voting rights ahead of November’s midterm elections. “Well, the concern is misplaced,” McConnell replied. “Because if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1484007688866566150 Amid a push by lawmakers to remove her, Rutherford County Judge Donna Scott Davenport has announced she won’t seek reelection. Davenport, whose term will conclude in August, made the announcement a day after Democratic lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly said they were seeking legislation to remove her from office, due to criticism she’s faced for creating fake laws that led to lawsuits and the incarceration of Black children. Tennessee Sen. Heidi Campbell (D), and Rep. Gloria Johnson (D), announced a joint resolution intended to remove Davenport Monday. Late last year, Rutherford County settled a $6 million federal civil court case related to the illegal arrests and jailing of children in 2016 at Hobgood Elementary after an off-campus school fight. Additionally, a student that was incarcerated for three days in 2016, filed a $15 million lawsuit against Davenport, which states the student was not present for the fight. Rapper Cardi B will cover funeral costs for the victims of a deadly Bronx blaze that killed 17 people earlier this month, the city said Wednesday. “The Bronx native and Grammy Award-winning artist has committed to paying costs, including repatriation expenses for some victims buried in the Gambia, through the Mayor’s Fund’s Bronx Fire Relief Fund,” City Hall said in a statement. The fund has raised more than $2.5 million to date, on top of more than $1.5 million raised through various GoFundMe campaigns. Showtime has dropped the official full trailer for the upcoming four-part documentary series “We Need to Talk About Cosby." Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 and sentenced to three-10 years in prison. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated his conviction in June and Cosby was released. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qVr0xrvGK1Q/hqdefault.jpg Fans of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak‘s incredible Silk Sonic hook up, have we got GREAT news for you. They’re bringing their 70s swag and soul to the Las Vegas strip for “An Evening with Silk Sonic.” The super duo announced on Wednesday that they are kicking a Vegas residency starting Feb. 25 at Park MGM’s Dolby Live. “It’s happening! The sexiest party of the year! Them Silk Sonic Boyz are performing Live in Las Vegas!” Mars tweeted. Rihanna caught some major heat from fans on MLK Day for using a photoshopped image of Martin Luther King as her Twitter header. The altered image shows the beloved civil rights icon sporting gold grills and diamond earrings. Rihanna has been using the banner since last February and refuses to change it. The photo sparked renewed outage on Monday, MLK Day. As reported by Meaww, one user tweeted, “Dear: @rihanna This is disrespectful. Take it down. As a non African American you have no idea what this man meant to us. He gave his life for ours. #mlk #MartinLutherKingJr” In honor of Black History Month, SHOWTIME Documentary Films is premiering the provocative new three-part docu-series everything’s gonna be all white, which explores the history of race in America from the perspective of people of color. From the ever-shifting classifications of racial identity to the generational effects of racism on housing, education, and healthcare, to the singular fight of Indigenous populations to reclaim their land from constant encroachment, the docu-series delves deeply into the root causes of racial inequities in this country. The first part of the docu-series will premiere on-air on Friday, February 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar have united like the Justice League to wreak havoc in this year’s Los Angeles-themed Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, taking place at LA’s SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13. All five appear in a new trailer fittingly helmed by “Straight Outta Compton” director F. Gary Gray. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h3NhX6-5mO0/hqdefault.jpg The sixth season of “Growing Up Hip Hop” has kicked off with 12 brand new episodes and its biggest cast to date! TONIGHT’s episode, which finds Sam asking for advice about readiness to fight/avoiding jail time. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VRuyM5x301M/hqdefault.jpg When Gayle King’s contract with CBS News expires in May, networks are expecting to explode in a bidding war for the veteran journalist. King, 67, currently earns around $9 million a year as an anchor on “CBS Mornings,” and Page Six reports that CBS sources said they “will do everything we can to keep King.” One TV insider said, “Gayle’s contract is up at CBS in a few months and the networks are gearing up for a bidding war for the ages.” Per the report, the insider noted that MSNBC “could possibly put in a huge bid to have Gayle take over Rachel Maddow’s vacant nightly slot.” Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his wife took to Instagram this week to announce they are having a baby. Kilpatrick shared the exciting news in a video posted Wednesday on his Instagram page. “Tonight we’re going to announce to everyone who is within earshot our great news,” he said during a nearly nine-minute long recording with his wife, sitting in front of a portrait of Rosa Parks. “Laticia and I are about to bring forth a brand new baby boy. We found out that we are pregnant.” Kilpatrick’s wife Laticia is about 20 weeks pregnant. The pair reportedly tied the knot last July. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYplO84j27H/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Prior to his death, “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek floated a few names of people who might replace him after his time on the long-running quiz show. Trebek himself reportedly recommended CNN’s Laura Coates but the show’s producers rejected her. “I actually was as shocked as anyone else was when he first said it … and I was thrilled when he said my name,” Coates told Tamron Hall on her talk show Monday. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jRQ6NdzWxBw/hqdefault.jpg Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott apologized Tuesday via Twitter for his postgame comments regarding fans throwing bottles and debris at the officials after Sunday’s wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers. A postgame question to Prescott on Sunday initially indicated the fans were throwing things at his teammates in anger, which he called, “sad.” However, when he was told the objects were directed at the officials, he said, “Credit to them then. Credit to them.” He was given a chance to walk the comments back at the end of his news conference and didn’t. On Tuesday, he tweeted three times to his 1.4 million followers to apologize, writing: “I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday. I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair. “I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs. The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter. “That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry.” NBC’s Tony Dungy was ice cold when it came to the Cowboys’ performance on Sunday against the 49ers. A lot of Cowboys fans are focusing on the final 14 seconds with the failed spike attempt but Dungy is focusing on everything that happened before that sequence. “Concerning the Dallas Cowboys—let’s forget the last play and the clock. How about giving up 169 yds rushing, giving up 5 sacks, completing less than 60% of their passes, running for only 77 yds, and committing 14 penalties?? That’s more concerning than the last 14 seconds,” Dungy tweeted. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians has been fined $50,000 by the NFL for swiping his hand at safety Andrew Adams‘ helmet during the wild-card game against Philadelphia on Sunday. Arians was attempting to move Adams, who was trying to pull a player out of a pile after a muffed punt by Jalen Reagor, which would have drawn a penalty. He can be seen slapping Adams’ helmet hard with an open hand and then elbowing him. Adams wasn’t penalized on the play. “I’ll appeal it,” Arians said Wednesday. “It ain’t got nothing to do with the game, so we’re good.” The owner of the Golden State Warriors said the quiet part out loud this week, when he asserted “nobody cares” about China’s genocide of its Uyghur population. “Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, OK?” NBA team owner Chamath Palihapitiya said during an appearance on the “All In” podcast. “You bring it up because you care and I think it’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care. I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1483125462880694273 Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell was arrested for public exposure and beating a police deputy in Florida after he wandered naked onto a preschool’s property while on probation for driving drunk and assaulting a cop in 2019. Video from the arrest on Monday shows the nude 6-foot-6, 295-pound McDowell surrounded by officers in the parking lot of the Deerfield Beach school known as the Learning Center. The 25-year-old is accused of exposing himself publicly, resisting arrest with violence, and battery on a law enforcement officer. McDowell allegedly punched a deputy with a closed fist after the officer approached the naked Browns player as he sat on a curb, according to a police report obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps weighed in on the debate over transgender athletes, telling CNN everyone should “feel comfortable” in their “own skin,” but said the sports world needs “to be a level playing field.” Phelps made the comments after CNN’s Christiane Amanpour asked the legendary Olympian about University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male who identifies as female. The question to Phelps comes as several UPenn athletes have spoken out about the fairness of allowing Thomas to compete on the women’s team. https://twitter.com/i/status/1481695827173298187 Mawa McQueen’s journey extends far beyond her migration to the United States. Aspen, CO, was where she would settle and establish her Ivory Coast and French roots as a creator in the kitchen. McQueen opened Mawa’s Kitchen nearly 12 years ago, having expanded from a traditional breakfast and lunch spot to a full-fledged restaurant. Culturally-inspired dishes range from a Thai noodle salad to handmade Middle Eastern dips for reasonable prices. Not only has the restaurant become highly-favored in Aspen, but it reigns as the area’s only Black-owned restaurant. These major accomplishments speaks to McQueen’s passion for cooking and determination. Multi-platinum-selling performer and award-winning songwriter Dante Bowe is closing out a record year with two GRAMMY Award Nominations. He is up for Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Voice of God” as well as “joyful,” the lead single from his critically acclaimed album, circles. Dante is also nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song with Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music for “Wait On You”, Best Gospel Album with Maverick City Music for Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album with Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music for Old Church Basement. The 64th GRAMMY Awards will air on CBS and Paramount+. “Honestly I just credit God and the support of my friends and family for the music and the quality of the music I’m able to make,” shares Dante. “They’re the motivation and, mostly, it’s their stories and my stories combined that I’m singing about. I’m just grateful.” Dante will join four-time GRAMMY Award winning duo for KING & COUNTRY on the road for the ‘What Are We Waiting For? – The Tour.” The 33-date trek will make stops in arenas throughout the United States beginning on March 31st in Southaven, MS before traveling through Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and more then wrapping in Franklin, TN on March 22nd. Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved 84 grants to theological schools across the United States and Canada to help them prioritize and respond to their most pressing challenges as they work to prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future. The grants, which total more than $82 million, represent the second phase of the Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. Ranging from $500,000 to $1 million, the grants are supporting efforts at 74 U.S. theological schools located in 28 states and 10 Canadian theological schools located in seven provinces. All of the schools are accredited by the Association for Theological Schools (ATS). “Theological schools have long played a pivotal role in preparing pastoral leaders for churches,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Today, these schools find themselves in a period of rapid and profound change. Through the Pathways initiative, theological schools will take deliberate steps to address the challenges they have identified in ways that make the most sense to them. We believe that their efforts are critical to ensuring that Christian congregations continue to have a steady stream of pastoral leaders who are well-prepared to lead the churches of tomorrow.” After a successful virtual conference in 2021, the International Leadership Summit for 2022 will be back in-person in Charlotte, from March 31-April 2. Founded by Bishop T.D. Jakes, this annual conference for visionaries, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and leaders will focus on becoming a “master builder,” providing participants with new tools and resources to construct a solid foundation and revolutionize the way they lead in an ever-changing world. The health and well-being of attendees is a priority, and every precaution is being put in place. Inspired by Jakes’ New York Times bestselling book, SOAR! Build Your Vision from the Ground Up, the International Leadership Summit continues to be one of the most transformative leadership conferences celebrated by the world’s brightest minds. Previous speakers at the conference include Tyler Perry, Craig Groeschel, Cynthia Marshall and Miles McPherson. This year, Jakes is joined by Dr. Dharius Daniels, Joel Osteen and Dr. Anita Phillips. More speakers and details about the event are forthcoming. RCA Inspiration and Provident Entertainment celebrate three NAACP Image Awards nominations for album and song releases in the Gospel/Christian categories. Recognizing these inspirational collaborations released in 2021, chart-toppers Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music, H.E.R. and Tauren Wells and Kirk Franklin each garnered nods for the upcoming 53rd NAACP Image Awards. Nominated in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album is the duet project released by hit-makers Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music, featuring their live performances on Jonny x Mali: Live in LA. Nominated in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song, are: the co-artist collaboration by hit-makers H.E.R. and Tauren Wells, who recorded the uplifting single “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)”and hit-maker Kirk Franklin, for his song “Overcome 2021” released on Apple Music in June 2021 for its exclusive “Juneteenth 2021 Freedom Songs” Playlist. The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will air live on Saturday, February 26th, 2022 at 8 PM/7C Today, the full list of nominees for the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” were announced in a special virtual event on NAACP’s Instagram channel hosted by actress and musician Kyla Pratt, “Black-ish” actor Marcus Scribner and singer-songwriter Tinashe (@naacpimageawards). The winners will be revealed during the two-hour LIVE TV special, which will be hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards Winner Anthony Anderson, airing Saturday, February 26th, 2022 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on BET. BET and the NAACP place the health and safety of attendees, staff, vendors, and partners first. Due to the ever-changing developments with COVID-19 and variants, the powerful night in Black excellence will move forward without an in-person audience. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mennonite Mission Network has relaunched "Stir Up Peace," a free nine-episode educational video mini-series that details how nonviolent direct action can be applied to create change. The relaunch includes the addition of a study guide to be used by individuals, churches, and groups. The project is a collaboration between Mission Network and husband-and-wife team Jonathan and Sarah Nahar with the aim of empowering congregations and individuals to address social problems nonviolently. The Nahars have many years of experience in peacemaking work. They live in Syracuse, New York, where Sarah is working on her doctorate and Jonathan works in Palestinian advocacy and with the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition. JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ returns for season 4 on CLEO TV. The popular cooking show will feature Freedom March NYC co-founder, Nialah Edari on Wednesday, January 19th at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In tonight's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ, Chef JJ brings out all the Caribbean vibes and unique flavors for Nialah Edari. He starts with his One Pot Rasta Pasta and then whips up Snapper Escabeche with Plantains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgydps6xOs4 Let's celebrate that "We've Made It" to 2022 with FM2 & Intentional. And let's make this year the beginning of our BEST years ever!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXt459b_oqA For years now, perhaps even decades, white America has engaged in a tradition reserved for the day we celebrate the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., in which they lie on his name and what he stood for to placate fragile white feelings. Every year, on the third Monday of January, the melanin-Jim-Crowed show off the boundlessness of their caucasity and take a man who was hated and opposed by the strong majority of white Americans until the day he was murdered by one of them and water him down to make him as palatable for white consumption as humanly possible. They isolate a single passage from a single MLK speech, completely remove the words “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” from the excerpt’s context and suddenly MLK goes from a pro-Black radical to a Caucasian-adaptable posthumous “Black friend” for the whites to invoke at will. A video that is more than a year old was going viral on Tuesday in an apparent attempt from political rivals to use the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s good name to smear the president as he pushes to secure voting rights in the face of bipartisan opposition. The video was essentially the briefest of expertly edited snippets to only show the 10 seconds that President Joe Biden compared Kings’ assassination to the police murder of George Floyd. Biden was speaking at an economic reopening roundtable in Philadelphia nearly one month after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to apply deadly pressure to Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. That was when and where the president was shown saying that King’s murder lacked the same global effects that Floyd’s did. https://twitter.com/i/status/1483151874224177157 Though the United States government has wrapped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s legacy in the American flag, waving his words to symbolize racial harmony and patriotic solidarity even as institutionalized White supremacy remains embedded in policies detrimental to the very Black community he tirelessly strived to uplift, very little is spoken of the fact that a Memphis jury found the United States government guilty of conspiring to assassinate Dr. King on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. After four weeks of testimony and over 70 witnesses in a civil trial in Memphis, Tennessee, twelve jurors reached a swift unanimous verdict on December 8, 1999 that Dr. King was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy, the NY Times reported at the time. The King family, who filed the civil suit, was awarded $100. They donated the minuscule amount to charity. An upstart U.S. Senate candidate from Louisiana challenging a Republican incumbent is making the decriminalization of marijuana a central part of his platform in his first campaign ad. Gary Chambers, a progressive Democrat who identifies in part as a social justice activist and advocate, released the new ad Tuesday, just about one week after he declared his candidacy. The ad is entitled “37 seconds” in a reference to the frequency with which marijuana-related arrests take place in the U.S. “Every 37 seconds, someone is arrested for possession of marijuana,” Chambers says in the ad with a voiceover that shows him sitting in a chair and lighting up what appears to be a blunt — marijuana rolled in cigar paper. “Since 2010, state and local police have arrested an estimated 7.3 million Americans for violating marijuana laws, over half of all drug arrests.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1483424500712673283 Fashion legend and former Vogue creative director André Leon Talley has died at age 73. According to reports, Talley had been in the hospital battling an unknown illness, prior to his death on Tuesday, TMZ reported. His death was announced on his official Instagram page in a lengthy message that states: “It is with great sadness we announce the passing of André Leon Talley on January 18, 2022 in New York. Mr. Talley was the larger-than-life, longtime creative director at Vogue during its rise to dominance as the world’s fashion bible.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CY5n_zVsLaR/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=0ddee3c8-e76a-401f-b704-d67679c26f9d Hollywood icon Sidney Poitier died from a combination of heart failure, Alzheimer’s dementia and prostate cancer, according to a death certificate. The screen legend and civil rights activist passed away on Jan. 6 at age 94. His death was announced by the Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Independent reported. The actor was a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Bahamas, and served from 1997-2007 as Bahamian Ambassador to Japan, per TMZ. In November 2020, University of Pennsylvania graduate student Mackenzie Fierceton, 24, won the Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. It’s a hard scholarship to win, but Fierceton was granted the coveted prize due to the adversity this brave young woman claimed she overcame. When the Rhodes Trust saw that she said she grew up in poverty and in the foster care system, that she was a survivor of child abuse and that she’s the first in her family to go attend college, it found her story so inspiring that the panel couldn’t think of a better candidate to be awarded the scholarship. According to Evening Standard, the Rhodes Trust and University of Pennsylvania received an anonymous tip that Fierceton was being “blatantly dishonest” when she described herself on her application for the scholarship as “a first-generation [to go to college] low-income student and a former foster youth.” A Mississippi man has been arrested for the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman who was able to identify her attacker before she died. A Mississippi man has been arrested for the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman who was able to identify her attacker before she died. As reported by Law and Crime, the Jackson Police Department arrested Daniel Cornelius Jones, 21, of Madison, Miss. on Tuesday, charging him with two counts of murder. The Clarion-Ledger reports that the victim was Brianna Carter, 20, who was eight months pregnant. She was shot multiple times and both she and her baby died at an area hospital. The shooting has been described as a “domestic aggravated assault,” according to Magnolia State Live. Four years after a woman’s Facebook post led to a spate of sexual and physical abuse allegations against Dallas megachurch pastor Rickie Rush, police have referred a criminal case to prosecutors, The Dallas Morning News has learned. The case, delivered to the Dallas County district attorney’s office in late October, involves multiple accusers, police said. Officials declined to identify them or specify the allegations against the 61-year-old evangelist and founder of Inspiring Body of Christ Church. For accusers and their advocates, the move marks a key step toward holding Rush accountable amid doubts about whether the probe had been stalled and police were taking it seriously. Last year, after Dallas police Chief Eddie García was hired, he sought to assure the public his department was serious about the case and urged anyone with information to come forward. Rush’s alleged abuse dates to the mid-1990s. Through his attorneys, Rush has denied all allegations and called them ludicrous. They said Rush’s accusers are trying to use law enforcement to buttress potential lawsuits. No claims have been filed. CNN’s Don Lemon went on a tear Tuesday morning toward folks refusing to get COVID vaccinations, as well as the two Democratic senators standing in the way of their party passing voting rights legislation in the 50-50 Senate. The “Don Lemon Tonight” anchor ripped Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day” program, calling them “hypocrites” and saying “they should be ashamed of themselves” for blocking such a vital part of protecting the rights of all voters. It’s a road trip Zoe Saldaña will never forget. Although it’s been nearly two decades since Crossroads hit the big screen, the actress still has fond memories working with Britney Spears, Taryn Manning and the entire cast. And as the movie prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Feb. 15, Zoe is looking back on the unique experience. “I was just so excited to be doing a movie like that about three friends,” Zoe exclusively shared with E! News. “I’m one of three sisters and we are best friends. Anything to do with female bonding, sisterhood…I’m consumed by emotion immediately. I get it. It’s easy for me. I yearn for it. I’m always looking for it.” Zoe said it was a thrill to work with writer Shonda Rhimes on the project and that filming alongside Britney was a treat. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnQoMn5D-Zo/hqdefault.jpg Jay-Z and Meek Mill are urging lawmakers to stop rap lyrics from being used in court. As reported by People, both rappers support a proposed New York State law that would block lyrics from being used during trials. The rappers have joined fellow artists Fat Joe, Big Sean, Kelly Rowland and Robin Thicke in calling on lawmakers to sign the “Rap Music on Trial” bill (S.7527/A.8681), which was first proposed in November and passed through the New York Senate Codes committee on Tuesday, according to Rolling Stone. Late in the second quarter of a January game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets, Joel Embiid is operating from his comfort zone of the left block. He faces up, drives baseline and transitions into a shot, but doesn’t quite find the edge to finish inside. As he pivots back toward the hoop and away from the baseline, Garrison Mathews is there to offer a soft double-team. A hook shot is still available for Embiid and would be a fine decision. He’s taller than both Mathews and his primary defender, Christian Wood. Extending over the top would present a clean release. But after Charlie Brown Jr. cuts to occupy Kevin Porter Jr., Furkan Kormaz, a career 36 percent three-point shooter, is wide open. So, in one swift motion, Embiid spins, stares down Brown to dissuade Porter from closing out and delivers a no-look pass to set up Korkmaz. https://streamable.com/qlozf1 CapitalExtra is reporting that a porn star by the name of Slim Danger claims she and Tristan Thompson hooked up at a swinger’s party in Los Angeles, injected her with some of that special sauce (Dumb!) and gave her $15,000 to terminate a pregnancy. https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/tristan-thompson-paying-slim-danger-have-abortion-tiktok-video/ The critics have spoken! The votes have been counted, and the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is excited to announce the nominees for its 25th annual film awards. The OFCS, which is comprised of nearly 300 film critics from around the world, will be announcing the final winners on January 24, 2022. Despite an unusual movie-going season with the pandemic still in play, OFCS handed out nods in a variety of categories, including Best Picture, Best Animated Feature, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress as well as Best Debut Feature. Leading the nominations are “Dune” and “The Power of the Dog,” tied with nine nods, respectively, followed by eight nominations for “West Side Story.” It seems a certain queen of talk could use some good vibrations. The wait for Wendy Williams’ most anticipated return to daytime television continues as sources close to Wendy offer reports that her condition is worsening. An alleged Wendy show affiliate spoke to the media this week with claims that the 57-year-old Jersey native is now struggling to identify close friends and faces she’s known for years. According to the Wendy show affiliate: “She doesn’t always recognize people whom she’s known for years. There are people who Wendy knows, who have worked closely with her, and there are days that she has no idea who they are.” The source also revealed that Wendy Williams, a talking titan famous for inviting millions to her kitchen table to shock or be shocked, is no longer able to even hold a conversation. Since her departure, Wendy has been spotted on a few occasions but has not addressed viewers directly regarding her conditions or possible return to television. The show affiliate suggests that fans will likely never get the satisfaction they may be seeking in that area. The source says: “She really can’t do a video. She’s been having a hard time holding a conversation.” Family members of late hip-hop icon DJ Jam Master Jay are taking aim at his daughter Tyra Myricks for allegedly being a hot mess who is tarnishing her father’s legacy with her wild antics. As reported by the New York Daily News, Myricks, 29, has “boasted in interviews of her executive position with hip-hop icon Drake’s clothing line, earned a reported seven-figure income as a rising young entrepreneur, and opened a Los Angeles pizzeria last year with the daughter of Brooklyn rap icon Notorious B.I.G.,” the outlet writes. In reality, Drake’s camp claims she has never worked for the artist. As reported by the New York Daily News, Myricks, 29, has “boasted in interviews of her executive position with hip-hop icon Drake’s clothing line, earned a reported seven-figure income as a rising young entrepreneur, and opened a Los Angeles pizzeria last year with the daughter of Brooklyn rap icon Notorious B.I.G.,” the outlet writes. In reality, Drake’s camp claims she has never worked for the artist. Meanwhile, Jay’s family remains divided on whether Myricks paternity claim is legit. “She’s living off Jay’s name for profit,” said Jam Master Jay’s cousin Doc Thompson. https://youtu.be/_t0vmWGahNM Epix has renewed “Godfather of Harlem” for a 10-episode third season. Per the network’s press release, the Forest Whitaker-led crime drama tells a story inspired by infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X – catching Malcolm’s political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. Shaquille O’Neal, known for his larger-than-life personality, philanthropic endeavors, legendary basketball career and entertaining, insightful analysis on TNT’s Inside the NBA, will use his business acumen to guide and mentor small business owners through “The Game Plan with Shaquille O’Neal” a docuseries set to debut on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. Produced by Turner Sports, Shaquille O’Neal, and OBB Pictures, the award-winning film and TV division of OBB Media, the weekly docuseries will highlight inspirational stories of Atlanta-based entrepreneurs as they receive business advice and identify new opportunities to sharpen their “game plan” from the NBA legend and some of his successful celebrity friends. An Atlanta restaurant is being accused of trans discrimination after video of the manager denying a woman service over the way she was dressed went viral. TikTok user @pakozolanski, who identifies as androgynous, wore a skirt to The Monticello in Atlanta on January 14th to celebrate her friend’s birthday, and was refused entry over her attire. The manager says in the clip, “Let me explain, if you go to some places, they say we can deny service to anyone. We are not denying him service. What we’re saying is he must dress his gender. If he dresses his gender, he is more than welcome to go inside.” As Zolanksi and the rest of the party stood shocked outside the restaurant, the woman filming is heard saying: “This is not acceptable. As a trans human being in America, he cannot go to Monticello.” https://p19-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com/obj/tos-useast5-p-0068-tx/8a6f74ba292147499c061249e5814033?x-expires=1642658400&x-signature=Vfca0URwQBDAJTxQBI%2BehbXDrJc%3D Earlier it was reported that the 2022 Grammys had been postponed due to the rapid spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The show will take place on April 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Recording Academy revealed the new date and location in a message sent Tuesday to academy members from Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. The ceremony, with “The Daily Show’s” Trevor Noah as host, will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+. The postponement marks the second year in a row that the Grammys have been delayed because of COVID-19. In 2021, the show was scheduled to take place Jan. 31 before being moved to March 14. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nZiYgsWVKXU/hqdefault.jpg Today, the full list of nominees for the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” were announced in a special virtual event on NAACP’s Instagram channel hosted by actress and musician Kyla Pratt, “Black-ish” actor Marcus Scribner and singer-songwriter Tinashe (@naacpimageawards). The winners will be revealed during the two-hour LIVE TV special, which will be hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards Winner Anthony Anderson, airing Saturday, February 26th, 2022 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on BET. BET and the NAACP place the health and safety of attendees, staff, vendors, and partners first. Due to the ever-changing developments with COVID-19 and variants, the powerful night in Black excellence will continue to move forward without an in-person audience in a not-to-be-missed event. Netflix leads nominations across motion picture and television + streaming categories. Insecure received the most nominations in the television + streaming categories. H.E.R. received the most nominations in the music recording categories. RCA Records received the most nominations across record labels. Amistad leads nominations across literary categories. TV One's popular show Life Therapy with AJ Johnson airs new episodes on Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT. This is a must-see life-coaching series that shares an intimate look at the stories of individuals' exposing their internal struggles in search of healing. Along with trained mental health professionals, Johnson taps into her natural instinct of nurturing people's suffering to exude positivity in a genuine approach to improve individuals' lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3KAUvLZvE Randy Weston & Judah Band burst onto the Gospel music scene with an eclectic style and vibrant energy with their Top 30 single "For My Good". They are returning with a hot new single titled "Making A Way". Weston & Judah Band are bringing an infectious sound and an ear grabbing hook with this new single. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gue8u2in92yn52c/AADelzCJII3q9OP-IURU5DE0a?dl=0 Big Daddy Weave lead singer Mike Weaver offered an emotional and encouraging update following the death of his brother and fellow bandmate Jay Weaver, who passed away on Jan. 2 due to complications from COVID-19. Weaver admitted that the band and family are “hurting more than you can put into words” and thanked fans for encouraging messages, stories, and love. He said these touching sentiments helped get him through tough moments in the wake of his brother’s death. “I was just crushed by his passing,” Weaver admitted, noting, though, the messages encouraged him as he struggled leading up to his brother’s service. “As the stories and other testimonies … and the love kind of came pouring in about how the Lord had just used my brother … it kind of changed everything on the trip down there.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2459125490890732 Plant Riverside District – Savannah, Ga.'s most exciting destination for dining, shopping and live entertainment – officially dedicated Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and unveiled a new commemorative bronze and granite memorial to the late Civil Rights leader on Jan. 15. The memorial bust, which was approved by the King family, is the first monument to honor Dr. King in the City of Savannah and is located in Savannah's first public park named in his memory. Dignitaries addressing the crowd included Dr. Naomi King, sister-in-law of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Savannah Mayor Van Johnson; Georgia State Representative and former Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson; Georgia State Representative Carl Gilliard; and Kessler Collection Chairman and CEO Richard C. Kessler. The event, which attracted several hundred attendees, included moving gospel performances by the Mass Choir of St. Paul CME Church and the Savannah State University Wesleyan Gospel Choir. "In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and on behalf of the entire King family, it is good to see your wonderful faces today," said Dr. Naomi King, who received a standing ovation from the enthusiastic audience. "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with us." The Obsidian Collection is evolving its consumer-facing digital photo portal, Obsidian Images, to offer NFTs of rare photographs of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his historic visit to Chicago in 1966. Captured by the legendary John Tweedle, the first African American photographer hired by a major metropolitan newspaper, the NFTs chronicle King challenging Chicago's slumlords, institutional racism, and Mayor Richard J. Daley himself, as well as King speaking to a crowd at Soldier Field and a fundraiser for the movement at Chicago's iconic International Amphitheatre that drew locals and celebrities alike, including Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Mahalia Jackson. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are digital images that can be bought and sold using blockchain technology. Obsidian initially will offer five images by Tweedle that are part of an extensive collection owned by author, entrepreneur and philanthropist Hermene Hartman, publisher of N'Digo magazine and NDigo.com, and the host of N'Digo Studio, a television show and podcast. The images were bequeathed to Hartman by Tweedle's widow following his death in 1981. The NFTs of King will be auctioned in the NFT marketplace. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Meghan Markle and Prince Harry honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day by providing meals for volunteers and staff organizing Monday’s MLK Day events at The King Center in Atlanta. People reports that the royal couple asked local Black-owned food trucks, Paige’s Pastries & Bistro and Parlay Savory Saloon to provide free lunches to those on-site. “Thank you, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for providing local Black-owned food trucks for @TheKingCenter’s King Day Community Service Project volunteers today,” Dr. Bernice King – daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., wrote in a tweet thanking the couple. “I’m so grateful for your graciousness in honoring my father. #MLKDay #BelovedCommunity.” The King Center said in a separate tweet: “Your care matters so much to those here to register and educate voters and collect items for our homeless neighbors.” When Grammy Award-Winning Violinist Miri Ben-Ari was invited to the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama to perform her violin song "Symphony of Brotherhood featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK)" she did not envision that a decade later she would be joined by Grammy Award-Winning International Super Star and business mogul Flo Rida and Entertainment Visionary Erik "E Smooth" Hicks to release a full lyrical version of this very song. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted our society in so many ways, music offers the power to heal, inspire, and unite. "Dr. King's message is just as powerful and relevant today, as ever, and it continues to stand the test of time. And for me personally, I'm deeply filled with gratitude to be a part of this incredible movement that I hope everyone will join," says Erik "E Smooth" Hicks. Flo Rida, who has sold over 100 million records worldwide, delivers a meaningful musical performance substantially different from his many hit songs. "It's a true honor to be a part of this song that was inspired by Dr. King. We did this to touch and activate people around the world to collectively promote peace, love & happiness, especially in these uncertain and tumultuous times because the world needs uplifting and positive energy more than ever." Oklahoma Pastor Michael Todd is facing criticism after he rubbed his spit on a man’s face as part of his sermon topic: “Receiving a vision from God might get nasty.” He is now apologizing. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-01-17-011722-michael-todd-1341712/ m Larry Miller, chairman of the Jordan Brand, previously revealed that when he was a teenager he killed a man and served prison time for the crime. Now he’s unpacking the crime and his incarceration in the upcoming memoir, “Jump.” Miller co-wrote the book with his daughter Laila Lacy, who urged him to speak his truth. Miller and his daughter spent hours talking about his life, which, per the report, was “challenging” for both of them. “Having her as the person I was talking to and sharing all this with kind of made it a little bit easier,” says Miller. “Because I felt like, ‘Hey, she’s going to love me regardless.’ You know what I mean?” An Ohio pastor is being investigated by police for running multiple illegal funeral businesses across the state. He is now facing a slew of new charges after investigators uncovered the remains of 89 people in boxes and bags at his abandoned church in Akron. In September, Shawnte Hardin, 41, pastor of the abandoned Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church, was charged with racketeering, tampering with records, identity fraud and abuse of a corpse in Lucas County after he was discovered to have been operating without a funeral license. On Tuesday, authorities reportedly found more than 80 cremated human remains while searching a building Hardin used for funeral services in Akron, Ohio. The search of the lot was part of the investigation into Hardin’s illegal funeral services. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HlENiFPfCh8/hqdefault.jpg The six-year legal battle over Prince’s estate has finally come to an end. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the IRS and the estate’s administrator, Comerica Bank & Trust, agreed to value the late singer’s estate at $156.4 million. Per the report, the artist’s wealth could be distributed to his family beginning next month. The six-year legal battle over Prince’s estate has finally come to an end. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the IRS and the estate’s administrator, Comerica Bank & Trust, agreed to value the late singer’s estate at $156.4 million. Per the report, the artist’s wealth could be distributed to his family beginning next month. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KQR4mMq5Ks4/hqdefault.jpg Wendy Williams insiders claim the beloved talk show host has gone missing amid her health-related hiatus from her daytime talk show. A source close to “The Wendy Williams Show” revealed to The Sun that Williams has also stopped talking to production staffers. The insider said: “She hasn’t been talking to anybody, not producers, not senior producers- no one. She has disappeared and the only line of contact production has is through her manager.” The source added, “Her manager is an ex-cop, so they like him because he can be a police man for her. He really has no control over her anyway.” Wendy Williams insiders claim she is “never coming back” to resume hosting her daytime talk show. Now comes word that her health-related hiatus will extend through at least February. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com “King Richard” and “The Harder They Fall” each won four AAFCA Awards with “King Richard” taking top honors for Best Actor (Will Smith), Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Breakout Actor (Saniyya Sidney) and Emerging Director (Reinaldo Marcus Green) and “The Harder They Fall” winning Best Picture, Best Ensemble, Best Music (Jeymes Samuel, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z) and Best Director (Jeymes Samuel) honors. Other winners included Best Actress Jennifer Hudson (“Respect”), Best Supporting Actor Corey Hawkins (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”), Best Screenplay (“Don’t Look Up” written by Adam McKay), “Who We Are” for Best Independent Feature and “Summer of Soul” for Best Documentary. Winners will be celebrated at the 13th Annual AAFCA Awards on March 2nd at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles with a limited capacity audience and other health and safety protocols in place. The announcement was made today by AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson. During an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Monday night, Denzel Washington was given a heartwarming gift from the ABC host – a woman from his past. With a 2017 viral video of the actor dropping by a Chicago neighborhood resurfacing recently, Kimmel surprised the actor with a remote appearance by the video’s real star, the then 87-year-old Juanita Hubbard. In the video, Hubbard is shown clinging onto Denzel’s arm, proclaiming happily, “I’m not gonna let him go!” after he hung out with a crowd of equally happy neighbors on her stoop. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7nlgMo-96eI/hqdefault.jpg Disney Dreamers Academy, an educational mentorship program created and hosted by Walt Disney World Resort, plans to return with a reimagined approach, March 3-6, marking its 15th year of broadening career awareness and creating exclusive opportunities for Black students and teens from underrepresented communities across America. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R3c_Obddzqw/hqdefault.jpg Before Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoops and Cheryl Miller, there was Lusia “Lucy” Harris. Most people have never heard of this women’s basketball phenomenon, who led her team to three straight college national championships during the 1970s, earning tournament MVP each time; scored the first points of women’s competition in the Olympic Games, after women’s basketball was finally added in 1976, and led the U.S. women to the silver medal at the Montreal games. Harris “held the distinction of being the [Olympic] team’s leading scorer and leading rebounder,” notes the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, where she is enshrined. “Lusia Harris-Stewart was big, relentless, and dominated the painted area like no woman before her.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vPFkcoTfr7g/hqdefault.jpg It just got colder in the crib! Congratulations are in order for “The Real” co-host Jeannie Mai and rapper Jeezy, aka Jeezy The Snowman who welcomed their first bundle of joy together this past week. On Tuesday, the TV personality and stylist, Mai Jenkins, posted a pic to Instagram of a bassinet and blanket with a small sign that read “Baby Jenkins”. “I asked God for a life of love and happiness. He sent me my family,” she captioned the post. “Baby Jenkins is here.” Mai Jenkins, who was married once before, has been open about previously not wanting children. She admits that her adamancy ultimately resulted in the divorce of her first partnership. Dior has ‘indefinitely postponed’ Travis Scott and Kim Jones’ Cactus Jack capsule collection, according to WWD on Tuesday. The French luxury fashion house decided to pull the collaboration between the hip-hop star and its men’s artistic director, intended for Summer 2022, ‘out of respect’ for those who died at Travis’ Astroworld Festival. In November a mid-concert crowd stampede killed 10 people and injured hundreds of others at the two-day festival while Travis and rapper Drake were on stage performing. ‘Out of respect for everyone affected by the tragic events at Astroworld, Dior has decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of products from the Cactus Jack collaboration originally intended to be included in its summer 2022 collection,’ read a statement from Dior given to WWD. ESPN host Stephen A. Smith says he rang in the New Year hospitalized with COVID – and that doctors told him he would died if he hadn’t been vaccinated. He shared details about his serious bout with the virus Monday after returning to the air on the network’s First Take, saying: ‘It almost took me out.’ The 54-year-old began the episode by revealing he feared he might die after he was hospitalized with a 103-degree fever and double pneumonia on January 1. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger says he’s ready for a new chapter in life with God at the helm. Following his team’s 42-21 NFL playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night in the AFC’s wild-card round, he told reporters in the post-game press conference that he’s been blessed to be able to play football, but he’s preparing to move on. “I’m going to do everything I can to be the best husband and father I can be and try to expand God’s kingdom,” he said. Even though he’s not yet uttered the word “retirement,” the six-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who returned the Steelers to prominence with a pair of Super Bowl wins, sounded like he had played his last game in the NFL. Meet Darrell K. Choates, Sr., his father, his son, and his grandson (that’s 4 generations), the owners of Choates G Contracting LLC, a Black-owned construction firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company has recently scored — not one or two — but seven new multi-million dollar contracts including a $30 million reconstruction project of JFK Airport’s Terminal 1 in New York City and a $25 million construction project in Ghana. With more than four decades of inimitable experience in the construction industry, Mr. Choates has garnered a laudable reputation as the CEO of the firm. As a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), they manage large-scale development projects, construct senior living residences, and provide technologically advanced SaaS platforms creating Smart Cities. The phrase “music to my ears” perfectly describes the sound of Pittsburgh native KELS. Kelsey Hillock, better known by her stage name, KELS is poised for a breakout year. Her jazz-influenced style, mixed with a melodic R&B sound, and pop-star look, has superstar written all over it. Her new EP, “Slow Ryde,” provides a sneak peek at the 26-year-old’s talent. KELS hopes to hit her musical stride this year, and “Slow Ryde” appears to be the first of many installments in her catalog. Her covers and live performances posted on social media continue to bring a new audience to her music. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EEzJFBo_AVc/hqdefault.jpg Up until recently, LaVar Ball has been REALLY quiet. As a matter of fact, he had been SO quiet that there was speculation as to whether Michael Jordan had a sit down with him regarding his mouth. Lonzo Ball, though not the second coming of Magic Johnson that he was purported to be, is having a very good season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his fourth season in the NBA. But we’ve always known that LaMelo Ball was the one who was going to be special. His size, ball-handling, shooting and, when inspired to do so, on-ball defense is something to behold. LaMelo is currently the man on the Charlotte Hornets, owned by consensus NBA GOAT Michael Jeffrey Jordan, who is also the GM. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pIOFDH9OblQ/hqdefault.jpg This year’s URBAN ONE HONORS to shine a spotlight on a superstar group of honorees including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspiration Impact; and Oscar, GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon. Hosted by GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, the two-hour telecast today, Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on TV One and CELO TV, a division of Urban One. Gospel Spotlight on H.E.R https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljuxLpvqJtc&feature=youtu.be This year’s URBAN ONE HONORS to shine a spotlight on a superstar group of honorees including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspiration Impact; and Oscar, GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon. Hosted by GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, the two-hour telecast today, Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on TV One and CELO TV, a division of Urban One. Gospel Spotlight on Tasha Cobbs Leonard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPa1-0TClG4 This year’s URBAN ONE HONORS to shine a spotlight on a superstar group of honorees including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspiration Impact; and Oscar, GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon. Hosted by GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, the two-hour telecast today, Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on TV One and CELO TV, a division of Urban One. Gospel Spotlight on Tank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8edhu3A6X0&feature=youtu.be As the nation celebrates the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday that lands on the third Monday of January every year. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983 when it was opposed by Republican senators like John McCain. It ultimately went into effect in 1986. However, the day wasn’t observed in all 50 states until the year 2000. There is still much more work to move Dr. King’s legacy forward. He famously said in 1967, “But tragically and unfortunately, there is another America. This other America has a daily ugliness about it that constantly transforms the ebullience of hope into the fatigue of despair. In this America millions of work-starved men walk the streets daily in search for jobs that do not exist. In this America millions of people find themselves living in rat-infested, vermin-filled slums. In this America people are poor by the millions. They find themselves perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” Federal Reserve economists explained that the wealth increase for Blacks and Latinos stemmed from the fact that they had far less wealth compared to Whites. Consequently, even small increases in minority wealth appeared disproportionately large. The median net worth of white households was $171,000. For Black and Latinos households, the median net worth was below $21,000. #MartinLutherKing III calls for the public not to celebrate #MLK Day. Instead, he asks everyone to join him in urging Congress to end a Jim Crow filibuster that blocks the voter’s right legislation. On December 15, MLK III took to Twitter to mention his plan for a day of action on January 17. Usually, the day is reserved for celebrating MLK Day, but the civil rights leader’s son is deciding to switch up the tradition next year. “No celebration without legislation. On January 17, join me to honor my father and the #MLKLegacy as we call on Congress and the White House to eliminate the Jim Crow filibuster and pass voting rights to protect millions of Black and Brown voters.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXo5bPDpQ7L/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tavis Smiley has done it all: Successful entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, co-host with Cornel West of radio’s Smiley & West; and star of the popular PBS TV series Tavis Smiley. ReelUrbanNews.com recently spoke with Smiley about his new book, “Death of a King: The Real Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Final Year.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/euqxu-pV1wk/hqdefault.jpg The burden that Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. and the Chamberlain family have carried has now hit a decade. Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. was fatally shot by White Plains police officers following an inadvertent Life Alert activation that led to cops being dispatched for a welfare check on him on Nov. 19, 2011. The film, “The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain,” produced and directed by David Midell, provides insights into the events that led to Chamberlain’s death. While the award-winning film sheds light on the situation, Chamberlain’s son and namesake continues to push for accountability from the city and the officers involved. No criminal charge was laid against the police officers involved. In June 2020, the Second Circuit of Appeals ruled a federal judge was wrong to dismiss parts of a lawsuit against the police for excessive use of force. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HI1XGFx4Vbc/hqdefault.jpg A disturbing video released on Friday shows a man in police custody dousing himself in hand sanitizer before bursting into flames after one of the police officers tased him. The incident occurred at a New York police station in October. Subsequently, the victim was in an intensive care unit for six weeks before dying (on December 15) after being taken off life support at Burn Center at SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Abo_J_wnlW8/hqdefault.jpg A lawyer for Baltimore’s top prosecutor Marilyn Mosby, who has been indicted on charges of perjury and making false mortgage applications to buy two summer homes in Florida, says she is the target of a racist witch hunt. ‘I remain confident that once all the evidence is presented, that [Mosby] will prevail against these bogus charges — charges that are rooted in personal, political and racial animus five months from her election,’ attorney A. Scott Bolden told NewsOne. On Sunday, Mosby, 41, attended church at the Empowerment Temple AME in Baltimore – and was promptly surrounded in a prayer circle, before being invited on stage to give an update. https://youtu.be/my2OvYBtFxQ Legendary White House Correspondent April Ryan hit a significant milestone on Jan. 13. The author and CNN political analyst celebrated 25 years as a White House correspondent, covering a number of historical events and five presidential administrations. “That is not something you see every day!” Ryan tweeted about the big achievement. “Thanking God and all of you for the support over these amazing years of reporting the news from the White House! 25 YEARS at the White House and 36 YEARS in media!” she added. https://twitter.com/i/status/1481597536414703622 Nearly 62 years ago, a then six-year-old Ruby Bridges bravely walked through the doors of the New Orleans-based William Frantz Elementary School, becoming the first Black student to integrate an elementary school in the South. It was an act of courage that served as a defining moment in the civil rights movement and would inspire generations to come. Her poignant story will be the focus of a new children’s book slated to be released this year. The book “I Am Ruby Bridges” intertwines poetry and vibrant imagery created by renowned artist Nikkolas Smith to capture Bridges’ pioneering story. In 1960, following a federal court order, the Orleans Parish School Board implemented a plan to integrate public schools. The school district created academic entrance exams for Black students to attend all-white schools, and Bridges was one of five students who passed the test. Despite their safety concerns, her parents decided to allow Bridges to attend William Frantz Elementary School so she could take advantage of educational opportunities that weren’t afforded to them. Angry mobs of white segregationists would torment Bridges and her mother to the point where they had to be escorted into the school by federal marshals daily. The harrowing encounters she endured as a child would later spark Bridges’ passion for social justice. “I Am Ruby Bridges” serves as a reflection piece as she recounts her experiences through the lens of her younger self. Issa Rae‘s Raedio label has partnered with Google to launch a new emerging artists program, Billboard is exclusively announcing on Thursday (Jan. 13). The Raedio Creators Program Supported by Google is designed to provide underrepresented independent artists with more resources as well as bring more representation of women of color in the music industry, which the actress critiqued in a now-viral Los Angeles Times interview. “It’s probably the worst industry that I have ever come across. I thought Hollywood was crazy. The music industry, it needs to start over,” Rae said. “Conflicts of interest abound. Archaic mentalities. Crooks and criminals! It’s an abusive industry, and I really feel for artists that have to come up in it.” She started Raedio — “an audio everywhere company” with a record label joint venture with Atlantic Records and four more branches dedicated to publishing, live events, music supervision and a music library — in October 2019. Rae’s venture into the music business has proven fruitful in breaking new, mostly female and/or POC artists in the R&B and hip-hop space, including Baby Tate and TeaMarrr. HBO Max is developing a series about one of the first Black millionaires in history with both Steven Soderbergh and Don Cheadle onboard as executive producers, Variety has learned exclusively. The drama series hails from writers and executive producers Carlos Foglia (“The Lost Symbol,” “Lore”), Ashley Nicole Black (“A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee”), and Keith Josef Adkins (“P-Valley,” “The Good Fight”). It is currently titled “The Other Hamilton” and tells the true story of Jeremiah Hamilton, a Haitian immigrant turned Wall Street tycoon in the 1800’s who became one of the first Black millionaires using questionable – often illegal – methods. By scamming insurance companies and capitalizing on others’ losses, he earns the moniker Prince of Darkness. The show is based on the book “Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street’s First Black Millionaire” by Shane White. Apparently, some thieves are going back to the old Wild West-style train robberies outside both the busy ports of #LosAngeles and #LongBeach. The robberies have delayed retail shipments of everything, this includes items like at-home Covid-19 tests, fishing lures, and parcels from Amazon, REI, and UPS, Forbes reported. Union Pacific reported that the thefts had targeted its trains at an increase of 160% within the past year in Los Angeles County. There‘s currently an average of 90 containers broken into daily over the last three months. The company estimate that the burglaries have cost $5 million of either damage, losses, and/or claims. Kwame Kilpatrick, the former Detroit mayor, has started a new business that he calls “a virtual ministry.” “We will be everywhere,” he told Deadline Detroit. But has he forgotten that he owes the city of Detroit and the IRS more than $4.7 million, thanks to his criminal past? Is he aware his profits will directly be channeled into his debts? Well, he must be tempting fate. “I think the citizens of the city of Detroit, especially the water department and the taxes, the IRS, and anybody else that is owed money from Kwame Kilpatrick would love to see him start a business,” observed legal analyst Charlie Langton to WWJ Radio in Detroit. Kwame had been sentenced to 28 years in prison but only served seven years because President Donald Trump commuted his sentence. But Trump only made it possible for him to walk out of prison, not out of his debts, so he still owes the city and the IRS a substantial amount. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CvWBZ1j9RXc/hqdefault.jpg Troubled 16 and Pregnant star Jordan Cashmyer who struggled with addiction and previously attempted suicide died Saturday at age 26. Her father, Dennis M. Cashmyer Jr., confirmed her death Sunday in an emotional Facebook post. He shared a black and white photo of Jordan, writing, ‘Last night I received a call no parent ever wants. ‘Our hearts are truly broken. No parent should ever have to go through losing a child, EVER.’ In 2014, Jordan was featured on the MTV reality series along with her boyfriend Derek Taylor and daughter Genevieve ‘Evie’ Shae Taylor. Cashmyer’s life was troubled; she admitted herself to a rehab facility in June 2016 at age 21 after she injured herself in a drunken stupor, TMZ reported at the time. An insider for the gossip site claimed that the incident – which left her with a concussion and black eye – made the reality star realize it was time to ‘get her life together.’ During her time on the hit show, crews documented the Baltimore, Maryland native’s struggles after she became pregnant while dating Taylor. The couple became homeless during the pregnancy after Cashmyer’s parents kicked her out of the family home and Taylor refused to get a job. The holidays proved to be an even more special time for JoJo, who is now engaged to her boyfriend, “Saved by the Bell” actor Dexter Darden. Page Six reports the 31-year-old “Leave (Get Out)” singer announced her engagement on Saturday (Dec. 25) while celebrating Christmas. JoJo captured the moment via a series of photos and videos on Instagram that show her and Darden, her engagement ring and a trail of rose petals that led to where the proposal took place. https://www.instagram.com/iamjojo/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c0172827-1915-4f75-834e-d700e532ad53 The NHL became the last major professional sports league to add Black players to its ranks when Willie O’Ree, then a 22-year-old forward, skated for the Boston Bruins in the late 1950s. Today, that achievement — and O’Ree’s lifetime of promoting the game in minority communities — is being recognized in Boston and on Capitol Hill. O’Ree, now 86, was playing Minor League Hockey in Quebec when he got the call. “January the 18th, 1958, the Bruins called the Quebec Aces and said, ‘We want O’Ree to meet the Bruins in Montreal to play two games against the Montreal Canadiens,'” he said. O’Ree did what Jackie Robinson had done 11 years earlier — integrated a White sport as a Black professional. “They sat me down and said, ‘Willie, we brought you up because we think you can add a little something to the club. Don’t worry about anything else about just going out and playing your game,'” he said. The speedy winger did, and after his debut, described it as the “greatest thrill of my life. … I’ll always remember this day.” O’Ree was talking about achieving his ultimate goal: playing in the NHL, not making racial history. “I didn’t recognize that I had broken the color barrier until I read it in the paper the next day,” he said. Hip-hop producer Pete Rock plans to sue rap star Nas for his unrewarded hard work on the rapper’s over-the-top, double-platinum album “Illmatic” released in 1994. The legendary producer claims Nas has not paid him a cent in royalties despite a contract they signed, which made it clear that Rock would get a portion of the proceeds from the celebrated track “The World Is Yours”. Rock is credited for helping to write the song apart from producing it. Moreover, he provided even the vocals. The track is the only single on the 25-year-old LP to have made it to gold. According to those in the know, it is also the song by Nas that most hip-hop artists have sampled. Some of the big names who have sampled it include Eminem, Jaz-Z, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne. The late Mac Miller is also said to be on the list. That’s not all: the song was also used in “Antwoine Fisher,” a film directed by Denzel Washington. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2rKJ-ayJXIM/hqdefault.jpg Novak Djokovic may not be allowed to defend his French Open title in May after the French government ruled that all athletes will have to be vaccinated in order to attend and compete in sporting events in France. The French sports minister, Roxana Maracineanu, has announced that athletes would not be exempt from France’s Covid pass, which will soon come into effect for over 16s. “The vaccination pass has been adopted. As soon as the law is promulgated, it will become mandatory to enter public buildings already subject to the health pass (stadium, theatre or lounge) for all spectators, practitioners, French or foreign professionals,” she wrote on twitter. Earlier in January, Maracineanu had suggested that athletes could be exempt from France’s vaccination requirements through a “bubble” system, but the government have now scrapped any such plans. Stanislas Guerini, the French MP and executive director for En Marche, said Djokovic’s behavior was “irresponsible” as he discussed the Covid pass in an interview with RTL on Monday morning. Coretta Scott King once said, “It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are indeed part of the problem.” Those sentiments are now shared by rapper Razzie, who at one-point defied positivity in his lyrics. Eventually, Razzie found himself in a bind that led him to the church to be saved, and he hasn’t looked back since. His life and his music changed, and he became a Christian rapper, spreading his message in a different tone and context. Christian rap is genre that has been picking up steam lately, and Razzie hopes the movement continues to spread, especially in his backyard of Broward County, Florida. The change wasn’t easy. Wanting to rid himself completely of his past ways of thinking, he chose to have his entire catalog from his rap past erased forever. Now the urgency to flood his supporters with positive and uplifting music is his primary goal. A Tulsa pastor is stirring controversy after he was seen wiping spit on a man’s face during his sermon Sunday. Pastor Mike Todd of Transformation Church made some people in the crowd and online uneasy during the demonstration as he wiped spit onto the face of another parishioner to show that “receiving God’s vision can sometimes be nasty.” After the move, a gasp from people in attendance could be heard. NewsChannel 8 has reached out to the church, but they say they have no comments at this time. https://twitter.com/i/status/1482903762565926912 Mike Rowe has developed a seriously devoted fan base — an audience that has followed him since the start of his “Dirty Jobs” show in 2003 — and Discovery has just rebooted the series that made him a household name. During the first iteration of the reality show, Rowe said the surprising element in each episode was always the job he was doing. Now, though, amid a serious labor crisis and an aggressively downturned economy, Rowe is more taken aback by the fact that so few people are applying for these jobs, many of which come with six-figure salaries. “It’s not the jobs that were surprising this time around,” the award-winning host told Fox News. “It’s something they all have in common, which is difficulty in recruiting. We just had four and a half million people quit their jobs in this country. We’ve got 11 million open positions right now.” While the hiring issue was present among blue collar work long before the pandemic, it has only worsened amid COVID-19. There are currently some 11 million blue-collar job openings, and all of them are in “dire” need of being filled. An undersea volcano that erupted in Tonga, triggering a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, was so large it was visible from space and sent tsunami waves crashing into the coast of the Pacific island, and left it covered in ash and cut off from aid. In the US, waves of up to 4.1 feet were recorded in Port San Luis on Saturday, and tsunami-effect waves were recorded along the coast in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Satellite images showed the spectacular eruption from space and despite the dire warnings, spectators flocked to the beaches to view the surging tsunami waves, while surfers threw caution to the wind to catch the powerful waves generated by the surge. https://twitter.com/i/status/1482073006205718537 Joyce Watkins, a 74-year-old Tennessee woman who was wrongfully convicted of murdering her great-niece has been exonerated after spending 27 long years behind bars. Watkins, and her boyfriend at the time, Charlie Dunn were convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated rape after Joyce’s niece reportedly passed away under their care. A report filed with the Davidson County Criminal Court states Watkins picked up her four-year-old great-niece, Brandi, on June 26, 1987. According to the report, Watkins found Brandi unresponsive the next morning and rushed her to Nashville Memorial Hospital. Brandi reportedly suffered from severe vaginal injury. The methodology used to date the time of the head injury Brandi sustained in 1987 “is not a legitimate method for dating pediatric head trauma,” Reddy’s report said, according to CNN. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/awrxvh9Bvz0/hqdefault.jpg Emmett Till was a Chicago teenager (14-years-old, to be sure) whose life was cut short in 1955 by White supremacists who abducted him from his great-uncle’s home and tortured him to death. Four days earlier, Till had allegedly whistled at a white woman at a white grocery store in Mississippi, which was why he was murdered. The Senate has now passed a bill to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. It’s what his mother did at the funeral that especially brought her to the limelight: she insisted on an open casket to vividly demonstrate the level of brutality her son endured while dying. “I want the world to see what they did to my baby,” she said. Jet Magazine went ahead to publish photos of Till’s severed, unrecognizable face. These photos triggered an outrage of Black Americans and fired up the civil rights movement of the 1960s. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4V6ffUUEvaM/hqdefault.jpg A cop in Florida finds himself on desk duty after he was seen via video footage grabbing A fellow (female) officer by her throat after she tried to deescalate a situation. In body camera video obtained by NBC News, Sunrise, Florida police Sgt. Christopher Pullease grabbed a female officer by her throat and pushed her up against a cop car. The incident began on Nov. 19 when officers responded to an emergency call about a man attacking people outside of a convenience store. https://youtu.be/OatUoZYEFC0 Johnny Walker’s family was told three weeks ago by authorities that he may have been killed in a stabbing, prompting his loved ones to search hospitals and morgues throughout the city in an effort to locate his body. But their hopes were renewed after spotting him, alive and well, in a news segment on Thursday where Walker was commended for being a Good Samaritan. Walker had pulled a Harris County sheriff’s deputy from a fiery crash on Thursday following a high-speed chase of a robbery suspect which killed a woman and injured two children, a five-year-old who is in critical condition and a two-year-old who is stable, police said. Five more vehicles were hit, according to authorities. Walker’s sister, Monica Collins told KHOU they ‘thought he [Walker] had passed away, and the fact that he helped save his officer’s life is…’ https://youtu.be/Kz30iWwsw-0 Rapper Wavy Navy Pooh was killed in a drive-by shooting outside Miami, according to reports. The 28-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Shandler Beaubien, was driving a Toyota Camry through Kendall, a suburb of Miami, at the moment of the fatal attack, The Sun reported. Two children — ages one and five — were sitting in the back with a woman, said Alvaro Zabaleta, a Miami-Dade Police Department rep. One of the children were celebrating a birthday, Zabaleta said. Novak Djokovic has been deported from Australia after his lawyers failed to convince three senior judges of his right to stay in Melbourne earlier this morning. The Serb, who arrived at the airport less than three hours following the judges’ ruling, left the country on an Emirates flight from Melbourne to Dubai shortly after 10.30pm local time (11.30am GMT) after he was spotted making his way through the departures lounge. Chief Justice James Allsop, Justice Anthony Besanko and Justice David O’Callaghan unanimously decided Djokovic did not have grounds to dispute Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s deportation order early this morning. Mr Hawke wielded his discretionary power on Friday afternoon to cancel the world number one’s visa and deport him, despite a court ruling last week in his favour, after the government’s lawyers argued he’d become an ‘icon’ for anti-vaxxers. The 20-time Grand Slam champion said he was ‘extremely disappointed’ in the outcome of the case, but that he ‘respected’ the court’s decision and would co-operate with authorities. A majority of Americans now believe democracy in the United State is in danger of disappearing, according to a troubling new poll. Just 26% of those surveyed said they felt US democracy would be secured for future generations, while 51% agreed with the statement, “U.S. democracy is at risk of extinction.” An additional 23% said they were unsure, according to data from Schoen Cooperman Research. The fear of extinction fell evenly along partisan lines with 49% of Democrats and 49% of Republicans agreeing the republic was in danger. They were joined by 54% of independents. The polling showed widespread pessimism and distrust had increased through 2021. Just 54% of Americans said they believed Joe Biden was the legitimate winner of the presidential election. That figure was 64% when the same pollsters asked the question in April. The December poll also showed that 47% of American believed “there were real cases of fraud in the 2020 election that changed the results.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com President Joe Biden has selected lawyer and television personality Star Jones Lugo to lead a U.S. government agency that identifies and protects sites of historic significance to the U.S. in Eastern Europe. The White House announced Friday that Jones will be the chair of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, which is tasked with safeguarding sites associated with groups impacted by Nazism, communism and the Cold War. Jones is a one-time prosecutor and former cohost of ABC’s The View, and will become a judge on the television show Divorce Court this fall. Biden, who picks seven members to the agency’s unpaid 21-person board, also selected Bill Shaheen, the husband of New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, to the commission. As the nation prepares to mark the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., some members of his family are spending it in conservative-leaning Arizona to mobilize support for languishing federal voting rights legislation. Martin Luther King III; his wife, Arndrea Waters King; and their daughter Yolanda Renee King, 13, took part Saturday in an on-the-ground campaign for voting rights in Phoenix. They marched with local activists and supporters from Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, a predominantly Black church, and speak about the importance of “no celebration without legislation.” “Our daughter has less rights around voting than she had when she was born,” King, the civil rights leader’s oldest son, said in an interview. “I can’t imagine what my mother and father would say about that. I’m sure they’re turning over and over in their graves about this.” Arizona is one of 19 states that have passed over 30 state voting laws in the last year — including a ban on giving water to voters in long lines, and stricter ballot signature requirements — that King called “draconian.” They make it harder for people to vote, especially people of color, he said. Another reason the family chose to appear in Arizona is to send a message to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat. Y’all wanna hear something crazy? Then tune in to comedian Ms. Pat‘s first hour-long Netflix special, directed by the legendary Robert Townsend. Ms. Pat recalls growing up poor in Atlanta during the Reagan era, what she learned spending five days in juvenile detention, how her mom made her get baptized at local churches to get money, and much much more. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SGTo-xKRbgk/hqdefault.jpg STARZ debuts the worldwide premiere of the music video for the “Power Book IV: Force” theme song, “Power Powder Respect,” performed by 50 Cent, Jeremih and Lil Durk. The video, directed by Eif Rivera, one of hip-hop’s most sought-after music video directors, debuts following the latest episode of “Power Book II: Ghost” giving fans an exclusive look at the newest installment in the “Power” Universe. The video unveils a visual sneak peek at the very first footage from the series set to premiere Sunday, February 6 across all STARZ platforms including on STARZ at 9 PM PT/ET following the finale of “Power Book II: Ghost.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ivdy4VzQY_U/hqdefault.jpg #Netflix plans to increase subscription prices by $1-$2 a month. The popular streaming service is raising its rates to help pay for programming costs, the company said. According to the Los Gatos, Calif.-based company’s website, the monthly cost for the basic plan increased to $9.99 from $8.99, while the standard plan is now $15.49 from $13.99 and the premium plan rose to $19.99 from $17.99 Netflix subscribers will receive an email notification 30 days before their prices change. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UMsv7tAdoc0/hqdefault.jpg Christian band Skillet released a new album today (Jan. 14) that lead singer John Cooper said represents a “positive rebellion,” against forces influencing Christians to live in fear. The album, titled “Dominion,” is the 11th studio release for the highly successful rock band. It was written during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cooper said he wasn’t sure if the band was even going to write a new album because they did not get to perform the songs from their previous album (released in 2019) for very long. Yet as the pandemic raged on, Cooper said the songs “just started coming out of me.” “There are times when you just get inspiration,” he said. “Something hits you and you know you need to say something. That’s really what this record was like. While we’ve been patiently waiting for #PValley to return. Legal representatives have taken notice of the show, and in a new lawsuit against Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. and Starz, reality TV star and singer #NicciGilbert is calling out the show’s creator for similarities. According to @yahoonews, Nicci, the plaintiff, alleges the show, which debuted in July 2020, has several notable similarities to her musical stage play, #SoulKittensCabaret (SKC), starring Nicci, #FaithEvans, and #Fantasia was released on DVD in 2011. Reports state the lawsuit alleges the series is a “veritable unauthorized 2020 knock-off of Plaintiff’s ‘Soul Kittens Cabaret.” In addition, she claims that the defendants “knowingly and illegally used her works to create the ‘P-Valley’ television series. Gwen and James Middlebrooks, both 82, celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on January 8. On that day in 1961, at 21, Gwen and James said “I do” in front of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., according to a tweet recently shared by the Middlebrooks’ grandson, CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, to celebrate their anniversary. Jimenez told Insider that he shared the tweet — which has 8,735 likes at the time of writing — because “it felt like a point of pride to be able to look at the matriarch and patriarch of our family” and to “see a shining example.” “It’s literally a lifetime that they’ve been together at this point and they’ve seen so much, especially growing up in the South,” Jimenez added. Jimenez said he also remembered his grandmother occasionally mentioning that she and James were married by the late King and he wanted to highlight how amazing that was with his tweet. A tsunami advisory is in effect for the entire US Pacific seaboard and Hawaii after a massive undersea volcanic eruption triggered a 7.4 magnitude earthquake near Tonga. ‘A tsunami capable of producing strong currents that may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures is expected,’ the National Weather Service said in a flash bulletin on Saturday morning. ‘If you are located in this coastal area, move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas. Do not go to the coast to watch the tsunami. Be alert to instructions from your local emergency officials,’ the agency warned. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2022/01/15/1881773236597799676/636x382_MP4_1881773236597799676.mp4 RUSSIA’S reported plot to justify a Ukraine invasion has sparked World War 3 fears as an expert warns escalating tensions may trigger a major conflict. Concerns are mounting after a US official reportedly revealed how intelligence suggests Russia has prepositioned a group of operatives to conduct a false-flag operation in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to create a reason to invade. Taras Kuzio, an associate research fellow at Henry Jackson Society, told The Sun US that a “major war” may erupt and said the “crisis is likely to escalate before it de-escalates.” It comes as a US official told CNN that intelligence teams found evidence that the operatives are trained in urban warfare and in using explosives to carry out a disguised attack against Russia’s own forces. The claims were echoed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Friday, saying Russian special services are preparing provocations against their own forces in an attempt to frame Ukraine. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted at the report during a briefing on Thursday. In the latest indication that some Republicans still loyally use former President Donald Trump’s “big lie” logic about nonexistent voter fraud to comfort their own bruised, fragile egos, one losing conservative candidate who was trounced this week by a progressive Black woman Democrat in Florida said he planned to sue over what appear to be very definitive election results. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was projected as the winner Tuesday night in the special election for Florida’s 20th congressional district to replace U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died last April. Conversely, Republican Jason Mariner was officially projected to lose the election. But it’s not just that he lost — it’s how he lost. According to CNN, Cherfilus-McCormick won nearly 79% of the vote while Mariner captured about 20%, trailing his opponent by more than 32,000 votes. Still, Mariner is refusing to concede defeat and is reportedly planning to sue over the election’s results. Scott Henry, a Texas school board trustee says he and his family have been the subject of death threats after comments he made at school board meetings falsely equating Black teachers and high school dropout rates. “Because I dared to disagree that it equates to high retention rates, there have been threats upon my life, and my wife and my children have been targeted,” Scott said during his first public meeting since the comment. “I will take responsibility for not saying it more eloquently.” Scott has been under fire from parents and other board members since a Jan. 10 school board meeting, where his racially insensitive comments went viral. During the meeting, Scott and his colleagues watched a presentation about diversity and equitable practices, and learning opportunities within Cypress Independent School District‘s middle and high schools. The presentation, which was given by Onika Mayers, the director of Millennium Learning Concepts, also noted academic achievement disparities among different racial and ethnic groups. Hundreds of students in Boston and Chicago walked out of classes on Friday in protests demanding a switch to remote learning as a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant disrupted efforts at returning to in-person education around the United States. In Chicago, the nation’s third-largest school district, the walkout came two days after in-classroom instruction resumed for 340,000 students who were idled during a five-day work stoppage by unionized teachers pressing for tougher COVID-19 safeguards. Protesting students said they were dissatisfied with the additional health protocols the teachers union agreed to earlier this week, ending its standoff with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “I think CPS is listening, but I’m not sure they’ll make a change,” said Jaden Horten, a junior at Jones College Prep High School, during a rally at district headquarters that drew around a thousand students. The demonstration followed student walkouts at various schools around the city. The family of a Cleveland girl who was tortured, raped, and murdered by a registered sex offender on her way to school five years ago has reportedly received a $1 million legal settlement after filing a lawsuit against the school and city. On Thursday, local outlet Fox 8 reported that their investigation team had obtained records filed in Cuyahoga County Probate Court asking a judge to approve a $1 million settlement in the wrongful death suit, filed after the murder of 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze (right). ‘Despite the incredible odds faced by Plaintiffs’ counsel, they were able to convince the settling Defendants (who still assert that they have no legal responsibility for the death of Alianna) to resolve this matter for a total of $1million,’ Attorney Allen Boseman reportedly wrote in the Thursday filing. ‘This is a tremendous settlement based upon the facts and the current state of the law in the state of Ohio.’ The parents of Alianna, Donnesha Cooper and Damon DeFreeze (left), filed the wrongful death suit back in 2019, alleging that the then-14-year-old’s school failed to notify the couple of her absence from class in January 2017, waiting more than 10 hours to tell them she had gone missing. At some point, racist white people are going to have to learn that throwing bigot tantrums in public spaces might not work out well for them in the digital age where literally everyone has a camera on them at all times. Two pigment-redacted New Yorkers were riding the train home from a basketball game when they were reportedly approached by a family of brown people with accents and apparently that was enough to trigger their hatred because they got themselves caught on camera shouting at them, throwing liquid at them and declaring that “these f**king foreigners ain’t taking over my f**king country!” (I mean, you would think residents of New York would be used to the melting pot by now, but it appears some people can’t be desensitized out of their bigotry.) https://twitter.com/i/status/1481414950211969026 Rays bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez, who passed away earlier this week, died by suicide, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Per the Tampa Bay Times, his body was found in a field near his family’s home in Fort Worth, Texas. He was 28. Ramirez spent three years in the Rays’ minor league system until he was released in 2018. He rejoined the team as their bullpen catcher a year later, a position he held until his passing. Former NFL defensive tackle Saousoalii “Junior” Siavii died in a Kansas prison while awaiting trial on federal gun and drug trafficking charges, records show. Siavili, 43, was found unresponsive Thursday in the US Penitentiary in Leavenworth just after 2:30 p.m., US Bureau of Prison spokeswoman Anna Armijo told The Kansas City Star. No details surrounding the ex-Kansas City Chiefs player’s death were immediately available. Armijo said no prison staff or inmates were injured and “at no time was the public in danger,” the Star reported. M&F Bank and The Harbor Bank of Maryland are two Black banks trending and smiling their way to the ‘bank’ after receiving a total of $7.5 million investment from HubSpot. HubSpot, the self-proclaimed customer relationship management (CRM) platform, explains that the amount is the final of the $20 million social impacts investing commitment set aside to support the Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TI72hJbTE20/hqdefault.jpg The family of Tupac Shakur has sued the late rapper’s estate trustee for allegedly “embezzling” funds and property from the estate proceeds. Sekyiwa Shakur (the late’s sister) and The Tupac Shakur Foundation have claimed Tom Whalley, the estate’s executor, has misappropriated millions of dollars for his own benefit. After the rapper’s death, his mother Afeni became the beneficiary of his estate. After the mother died in 2016, Whalley became the executor of her (Afeni’s) estate. In the lawsuit, Tupac’s sister states that she is now the rightful primary beneficiary of her mother Afeni’s estate; therefore, she should have been given a number of items and property that had belonged to the rap star. The sister and the Foundation say they are entitled to 10% of the estate’s annual income. Part of the lawsuit states: “Upon information and belief, Whalley has already received more than $5.5 million that he has paid himself in the last five years through Amaru…he has effectively embezzled millions of dollars for his own benefit well in excess of what would be reasonably necessary to retrain a property qualified third-party to perform such services.” Valerie Capers Workman, one of the highest-ranking Black employees and the head of human resources at Tesla Inc., is stepping down at the end of January to join Handshake, a career network firm. She is poised to become the chief legal officer at her new job. At Tesla, Workman’s voice has stood out on the electric vehicle company’s COVID-19 stance, according to the L.A. Times. Her presence and rank have also sent the signal that the company is eager to eliminate the race ghosts that have haunted some of its vehicle plants. Speaking to the Times, Workman stated she was sad leaving but also proud she was leaving the company in a better state than she found it. “I am proud of all that I was able to accomplish at Tesla with the support of truly excellent colleagues, especially the People and Legal teams,” she said, before adding that she needed to pass off the baton in a better place than when she received it. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iTP1bOs0tDg/hqdefault.jpg Kanye West admitted he punched out an autograph seeker who was allegedly egging him on outside a West Hollywood club earlier this week. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, West, 44, said he was outside the Soho Warehouse at 3 a.m. on Thursday when a man who had been tailing him in recent days for autographs allegedly provoked him. ‘I’m saying, ”You don’t know what I’m dealing with right now,” West said, referring to footage of him snapping at the unidentified man. ‘I just finished these two songs, I came from the studio, and this dude, he just had this real attitude, like, ”What you gonna do? And see that?” ‘Imma just tell you, that blue COVID mask ain’t stop that knockout, you know what I’m saying?’ He added that he was upset at the time with estranged wife Kim Kardashian, who filed for a divorce and is now dating Pete Davidson, and at a cousin who failed to tell Kardashian that he wanted to visit one of their children at school. ‘Security ain’t gonna get in between me and my children. And my children aren’t gonna be on TikTok without my permission,’ Kanye said as he reiterated his message to Kardashian. He also mentioned he was upset at her budding romance with Davidson. Dallas Cowboys standout rookie linebacker Micah Parsons was the latest star to join the rapidly growing “The Pivot Podcast” as he invited co-hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor into his Dallas home for an exclusive interview to discuss getting drafted by the Cowboys, his breakout rookie season and their upcoming playoff matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, all in a special episode AVAILABLE NOW. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/InQQEtDz3Qg/hqdefault.jpg HBO Max has announced that a new iteration of “Degrassi” is coming to the streamer next year. The 10-episode series, expected to launch in 2023, continues WildBrain’s franchise and hails from showrunners Lara Azzopardi (Backstage) and Julia Cohen (Riverdale). The series will follow a group of Toronto high school students and faculty as they navigate life’s highs and lows that bring them together and tear them apart. “Series after series, the ‘Degrassi’ franchise continues to make an indelible impact on young viewers looking for trustworthy and authentic storytelling,” said Amy Friedman, head of Kids & Family Programming at Warner Bros., per Deadline. “WildBrain continues to artfully capture high school life in a compelling format that can be experienced seamlessly on HBO Max.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYrkiZiLpvs/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f6ac5d80-076e-47ce-a28d-f08a23deeade A new teaser trailer has dropped for “Atlanta” Season 3, which shows the cast advertising strange products in Europe. The award-winning comedy-drama starring Donald Glover will return March 24, 2022, kicking off with a two-episode premiere on FX, and streaming on Hulu the following day. “We are thrilled to have Atlanta back with a new season on March 24th,” FX Entertainment President Eric Schrier said in a press release. “Once again, Donald Glover, the producers and stellar cast have delivered another signature season synonymous with the excellence that makes Atlanta so great.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nynDxkGWnh4/hqdefault.jpg The Temptations, often referred to as American Music Royalty, are world-renowned superstars of entertainment, revered for their phenomenal catalog of music and prolific career. The group is celebrating its 60th Anniversary. To mark this milestone, The Temptations’ 60th Anniversary campaign launched last summer and will run through June 2022, in a celebration befitting one of the most revered and prolific musical institutions of all time. What’s also happening and new from the Tempts is a brand new song written by group members Otis Williams and Terry Weeks along with Victor Carstarphen. “Calling Out Your Name” is a smooth ballad that builds into something more dramatic by the end. Weeks handles the lead vocals on the number, alternating vocals with Mario Corbino. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1r-ED1tp2XE/hqdefault.jpg GSN-For the first time ever, the #USArmy is offering a maximum enlistment bonus of $50,000 to highly skilled recruits who join the service for six years.? According to the #AssociatedPress, the Army is struggling to bring on recruits for specific critical jobs during the pandemic.? Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, head of Army Recruiting Command, told AP that the competitive job market and shuttered schools during the continuing pandemic had posed significant challenges for recruiters.? So as the Army heads into the most challenging months of the year for recruiting, the service is hoping that some extra cash and a few other changes will be enough of an incentive to entice qualified young people to sign up.? “We are still living the implications of 2020 and the onset of COVID when the school systems basically shut down,” Vereen explained. “We lost a full class of young men and women that we didn’t have contact with, face-to-face.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYpRbKwNHUM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_w atch_again Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter has teamed with secondhand marketplace Thrilling on a Vintage Studio Services program. The Oscar-winning costume designer has partnered with the Black and woman-owned online store to connect stylists, designers and production companies with vintage and secondhand items for film and TV projects, Deadline reports. “It’s thrilling!” said Carter — per a press release — who is also featured in a new Thrilling campaign. “I really want to know where this has been all my life? Seriously. I can’t tell you how many small vintage shops and back storerooms I have rummaged through. This idea not only brings the product to you, it cuts out all the sneezing!” Carter has pledged to use the Vintage Studio Services program in her own projects this year. In a sit-down interview with Jason Lee from the new Hollywood Unlocked Studios in Los Angeles, Kanye West gets candid about his recent encounter with a “fan” as well as a disagreement with his cousin that was viewed as another “meltdown,” and some of the obstacles he’s been facing while co-parenting with Kim Kardashian amid their ongoing divorce. During the interview, Ye also shares his honest feelings about Kim appearing on “SNL” and her relationship with co-star and new boo, Pete Davidson. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYuWz8dqzx1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Lifetime thriller, Safe Room, centers on recently widowed Lila Jackson (Nicole Ari Parker) and her 14-year-old autistic son Ian (Nik Sanchez). Since the death of her husband, Lila is grateful for their kind neighbor Neil (Boris Kodjoe), who looks out for them. After Ian accidentally witnesses a break-in in the house across the street and records the horrific murder of the homeowner, Lila becomes embroiled in a deadly struggle to protect her son from intruders Dominic (Mackenzie Astin) and Rocco (Drea De Matteo), who will stop at nothing to retrieve the video evidence of the crime and silence them. Hiding and trapped in a makeshift panic room created by her late husband, Lila and Ian must use all of their strength and intelligence to outsmart the intruders to save themselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ98s0NzkIg It’s Me, Julissa! reintroduces fans to entertainment sweetheart Julissa Bermudez after years in the industry's background hosting various shows and helping others tell their stories. Bermudez’s show will air on Friday's at 9:30 PM EST/8:30 PM CT and is the first original series brought to CLEO TV by Kin x TV One Licensing Partnership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrtNz7rDWuc Snoop Dogg in the hot dog industry sounds fun and funny, right? The prominent American rapper recently let go of dogs and stepped into the food industry specializing in hot dogs. The doggone truth shows that the rapper, in the urge to expand his business ventures in the food industry, launched his new hot dog line: Snoop Doggs, reports The Blast. Snoop’s attorneys applied for federal trademark registration in December at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the name “Snoop Doggs.” According to the legal team, Snoop intends to use the trademark in selling hot dogs, different sausage types, among other relevant food items. After interviewing the team of attorneys, Billboard found that even though Snoop hasn’t launched the brand yet, he is serious about the project, which is why he intends to lock down the name in advance. According to Snoop, being a rapper isn’t about exclusively music which explains his upcoming hot dogs business. “Snoop Doggs” Will Soon Hit Your Local Deli. Snoop is linked to a range of business ventures from the “Leafs By Snoop,” which was launched in 2015 and deals with cannabis, to “Indoggo Gin,” — a liquor line a reflection of his jam “Gin and Juice.” Besides, he is also a great cook with a great cookbook thus the many cooking shows appearances with Martha Stewart. Oakland-based artist and UC Santa Cruz assistant professor A.M. Darke is building a team of creatives who want to make Black hair more realistic in video games. As reported by Nylon, Darke has been recruiting Black artists for the Open Source Afro Hair Library, the first free database of 3D-modeled Black hairstyles. https://www.instagram.com/prettydarke/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=25b1e872-3ba4-486f-9e31-a41753770eda One of the suspects charged in the murder of Young Dolph appeared in a Tennessee courtroom briefly Thursday morning. Cornelius Smith was extradited from the DeSoto County jail, where he was being held on an auto theft charge involving the white Mercedes allegedly used as a getaway car in Dolph’s shooting. Smith was indicted by a Shelby County grand jury earlier this week and faces first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and felony weapon charges. The district attorney’s office said Smith was in court for a theft charge, and his case was moved to go with the murder charge on which he still has to be arraigned. No future court dates were announced. His identity was made public almost the same time as authorities in Indiana arrested suspect Justin Johnson, aka Straight Drop, in the Young Dolph case. Johnson was arrested with a passenger in his car, Shondale Barnett, who is also charged as an accessory. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been federally indicted on perjury charges related to a COVID loan application. Mosby allegedly falsely claimed a COVID-19 hardship on applications to withdraw $90,000 from her retirement account. The indictment was reportedly filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Mosby’s lawyer said in a statement that the charges were “bogus” and “rooted in personal, political and racial animus.” https://youtu.be/Q89QNZDj5iU A federal judge has thrown out a discrimination lawsuit filed by a retired white Louisville police officer against the Louisville Metro Government after he was demoted for using the “N-word.” Aubrey Gregory, Jr. was demoted last year from major to lieutenant for using the “N-word” in a training program. Apparently, he uttered the racial slut after two other Black people used the word and did not face repercussions. Federal District Court Judge Claria Horn Bloom dismissed Gregory’s lawsuit last month, saying he failed to prove “reverse discrimination.” “Gregory has failed to cite to anything that suggests [Louisville officials] discriminate against the majority,” Bloom wrote. The judge also pointed out that Gregory did not prove that officials conspired to deprive him of his rights. “The [lawsuit] does not even hint at, let alone mention, a conspiracy, or contain any allegations which could be construed in this manner,” Bloom said in her decision. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YQKJmpxFAos/hqdefault.jpg It was a double shock for Michigan State soccer player Farai Mutatu on draft day. During Tuesday’s MLS SuperDraft telecast, L.A. Galaxy coach Greg Vanney was about to announce his team’s first-round draft pick, when he revealed that two other people would be doing the honors. Suddenly, Mutatu’s parents, Jane and Washington, appeared on the screen … from his home country of Zimbabwe. He hadn’t seen them since 2014, when they moved back to Zimbabwe, seven years after the family moved from Africa to Haslett, MI. Due to visa issues, Mutatu (in 8th grade at the time) and his three siblings had to stay behind. We have no idea what his folks said when they appeared on-screen, because Mutatu and his family began screaming and jumping up and down at first sight of them. https://twitter.com/i/status/1481091060122198020 Sinéad O’Connor has been hospitalized following the disappearance and death by suicide of her teenage son last week. The singer, 55, said she was going to the hospital Thursday after posting a lengthy message on Twitter earlier that day saying she had “decided to follow [her] son.” In a Thursday morning tweet, the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer wrote, “There is no point living without him,” referring to her son, Shane O’Connor. “Everything I touch, I ruin. I only stayed for him. And now he’s gone. I’ve destroyed my family. My kids don’t want to know me.” In a follow-up tweet she shared late Thursday, Sinéad apologized, writing, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I am with cops now on way to hospital.” She continued, “I’m sorry I upset everyone. I am lost without my kid and I hate myself. Hospital will help a while. But I’m going to find Shane. This is just a delay.” Sinéad first shared the news of her son’s death Jan. 7. Shane, who was 17, died after going missing, Sinéad posted on Twitter last week. “My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God,” Sinéad wrote at the time. “May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.” Kevin Hart was a guest Shark on ABC’s “Shark Tank” last Friday, and he denied an offer from a company called Candi, a social network allowing fans to meet their favorite celebrities. Following the episode, Hart explained why he opted not to invest in the company, noting that “A lot of mistakes early on in my business career were made in that space,” Hart said, CNBC reported. “All based off of, ‘Oh, said person has this many followers. If we get them to do this, then this is going to be a success. That’s not true.” Jasmine Guy opened up about the Bill Cosby sexual assault scandal and how the case has affected the Black community. “I couldn’t really put the two images together,” said Guy of Cosby’s tarnished reputation. The two worked together on “The Cosby Show” spinoff “A Different World.” Accusations of drugging and sexually assaulting women eventually led to Cosby being convicted of aggravated indecent assault involving accuser Andrea Constand in September 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison. Last summer, Cosby was freed in June 2021 on a technicality after the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court vacated his conviction. Guy noted that the case is “heartbreaking because he meant a lot to the community,” adding, “It’s heartbreaking for those of us in the business that admire him, his talent and his mind.” The news comes after the pop star slammed her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, for “profiting” off of her career and “spreading lies” during yesterday’s Good Morning America interview. Though the Grammy winner was freed from her 13-year-conservatorship back in November, her relationship with her family remains shaky following years of alleged “abuse.” “Britney is deeply hurt and angry others, who claim to love her, keep attempting to tell her narrative when it’s her story to tell,” an insider close to the entertainer told The Sun. The source then claimed Britney, 40, will be sharing her story during a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey, 67, – something many fans have hoped would happen for years. “She will absolutely be speaking out on her own terms. Nothing is locked in yet but things are in play right now. “It’s happening this year, maybe sooner than fans think. She’s already talked to Oprah about doing a sit down and Britney wants an Oprah interview to happen. “Oprah wants it to happen too. It seems like it’s going to work out, so she’s focusing on starting her new life now.” The insider added that Britney is also “transitioning into a better house for her and very ready for her fresh start.” Fans have begged for the Queen of Daytime to sit down with the Princess of Pop for years after previously interviewing her back in 2002. Comedian Kevin Hart, rapper Meek Mill and Sixers limited partner Michael Rubin are teaming up to make a $15 million donation that will benefit 110 Philadelphia area schools that serve disadvantaged students, the trio announced Wednesday. The combined donation is the largest that any of the three men have made during their years of giving back to the Philadelphia communities where they grew up. Details about the planned donation were limited on Wednesday afternoon, but the funds are expected to assist thousands of underserved Philadelphia families during the 2022-23 academic year. A spokesperson said the funds will go to private and parochial schools across the Philadelphia region to cover tuition costs enabling lower-income students to enroll. The donation does not benefit the School District of Philadelphia. Meek Mill, who spent most of his upbringing in North Philadelphia, joined forces with Rubin in 2020 to create a $2 million scholarship fund to assist students during the coronavirus pandemic. Hart, another North Philly native, donated $250,000 to the School District of Philadelphia in 2020 for technology upgrades and previously has given $50,000 scholarships to local high school students in need. In 2018, Hart provided $600,000 in college scholarship funds to eight Philadelphia students. As an artist, it has to be one of the most endearing experiences to see a child embrace your work with high spirits and joy. For singer Ciara, after watching an adorable video of Aubrey English dancing to her hit song “Level Up” while undergoing cancer treatment, she wanted to send a positive message and a Disney surprise. On Jan. 3, Ciara surprised the young warrior with a teary-eyed message and a Disney World vacation while appearing on Good Morning America with her family. Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog was also invited to deliver the message that she will be seeing the family very soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBVoAUqE7JU Technology can be a sight to see, especially in this case, when it’s a site honoring a Hip-Hop great. LL Cool J will be honored in his hometown of Queens, New York with a new solar-powered bronze statue per reports from OkayPlayer. The rapper, born James Todd Smith, will be preserved in the likeness of his debut 1980s era and will be located in the middle of David Dinkins Circle located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Sculptor Sherwin Banfield is a Trinidadian-born, Queens-raised artist responsible for designing sculptures for legendary artists like Jam Master J, Phife Dawg, and Prodigy for the Queens Public Library in 2019. His latest work, titled “Going Back To The Meadows,” is a bronze statue of Hip-Hop royalty LL Cool J and will feature a solar-powered audio function that will play music between the hours of noon and 5 p.m. weekly with the exclusion of Tuesdays and Thursdays. In a 2007 interview with Collider, Will Smith compared his kids, Willow and Jaden, to Hollywood stars Paris Hilton and Johnny Depp while speaking about their Hollywood careers. Smith explained that Willow loved acting but that Jaden was the driving force that led to her Hollywood calling after she was inspired by his work in “The Pursuit Of Happiness.” “Jaden is Johnny Depp. He just wants to do good work, he doesn’t care what money he gets, said Smith at the time. “He doesn’t care if people see it or don’t see it. He loves acting, he just wants to make good movies. Willow is Paris Hilton. Willow wants to be on TV. We are managing both of those in our household.” In the same interview, when asked what it’s like working with his daughter, Smith offered the following lengthy response: “You kind of don’t work with Willow, you work for Willow. (laughs) It’s interesting, Jada (Pinkett-Smith), and I debate the age old debate of nature versus nurture. Is it because two actors went to Mexico and drank some tequila and made a baby? Does that make the baby an actor? Or, did she grow up in a house where that is what is in her house, that is just the life, and that’s the experience that she knows,” he said. #CardiB took the stand on Thursday morning in a federal court case, explaining to a judge and jury that she wanted to take her own life after blogger #TashaK made allegations about her personal and sexual life back in 2018. Tasha K made several video posts back in 2018 and 2019 about Cardi, claiming she had been a prostitute and had contracted multiple STIs as well as other salacious stuff which prompted Cardi’s lawsuit. According to @TMZ_tv, Cardi appeared in court and said, “I wanted to commit suicide,” after Tasha made multiple videos and allegations regarding Cardi claiming to have herpes hpv, among other things that Cardi says are false claims. She also stated, “I felt defeated and depressed and I didn’t want to sleep with my husband.” Cardi went on to explain that she didn’t feel she deserved to have her daughter Kulture. Cardi told the court she felt like “I didn’t deserve my kid.” When asked her thoughts on Tasha K for making the claims in the first place Cardi responded saying, “I felt like only a demon could do that sh*t.” After which she apologized to the judge for swearing. The newest and third installment of WE tv’s ‘Love After Lockup/Life After Lockup’ franchise, “Love During Lockup,” has kicked off and follows even more riveting firsts through the early stages of love, with plenty of romance, suspicion, and investigation, all long before a scheduled prison release. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tdFJsayfsm4/hqdefault.jpg Starring models Adut Akech, Amar Akway, Majesty Amare, Akon Changkou, Maty Fall, Janet Jumbo, Abény Nhial, Nyagua Ruea and Anok Yai in a striking fashion story shot by Rafael Pavarotti and styled by British Vogue’s Editor-In-Chief Edward Enninful OBE, it’s the first time Vogue has featured a group of black women this size on the cover. The issue celebrates the rise of the African model and talks to some of those ‘redrawing the map’. Explaining the inspiration behind shooting an all black, all African cover, Edward, who was born in Ghana and moved to west London as a child, said: ‘I saw all these incredible models from across Africa who were just so vivacious and smart.’ Olivia Culpo was made to “cover up” before boarding a flight to Cabo San Lucas with her family Thursday, according to her sister Aurora. In footage shared by Aurora on her Instagram stories, the concerned sibling revealed that Olivia was called to the front of their gate only to be told to put on a blouse, or risk being prohibited from flying, a move Aurora called “f–ked up.” The former Miss Universe, 29, is seen in the clip wearing a look from Naked Cashmere, including a long black cardigan, bralette and shorts, items her sister didn’t find “inappropriate” or “offensive.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Jessa Duggar’s latest YouTube video has been flooded with comments from what appear to be porn accounts. On January 11, the 29-year-old mother-of-four revealed that she and her husband, Ben Seewald, had purchase a new ‘fixer-upper’ and have been renovating it to move in. The video had earned nearly 300,000 views and scores of comments congratulating the former reality star, but not all of them belong to fans with a ‘servant’s heart,’ as the Duggars might say. About a dozen comments have come from users with names like ‘Sandy – F*** Me Check My Profile’ and ‘[Soffy] H0T Girl L!ve Cam,’ each of whom have profile pictures featuring scantily-clad women. The suspicious commenters’ names include ‘Mia _ T[A]P Me!! To Have [S]EX With Me’ and ‘Sussy – Go To My Live Channel.’ Several have a woman’s name plus the directive ‘F**k Me Check My Profile.’ UrbanGeekz has teamed up with Finance Savvy CEO in a new partnership to support women and minority-owned startups. The Atlanta-based firms are collaborating to boost the financial health of this growing demographic. It comes as research increasingly shows that founders who benefit the most from business financial literacy skills are also the same groups that face the biggest barriers. In this brand-new alliance, UrbanGeekz has will provide 5 full-ride scholarships to the Finance Savvy CEO™ 2022 winter cohort of Your Profit Playbook™. The hands-on program helps underserved founders build the financial roadmap for their business and provide them with a sustainable future for their ventures. “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Finance Savvy CEO,” said Kunbi Tinuoye, founder and CEO of digital news platform UrbanGeekz. “At the end of the day, the difference between a hobby and a business is cash flow. Every startup founder and savvy entrepreneur should be focusing on financial profitability to build a sustainable business.” Shawntia Lee, a former Admissions and Enrollment Counseling professional, has developed and launched the College Thriver Education app to help facilitate the college admissions process for students of color. Her Orlando, Florida-based non-profit organization aims to help minority students to reach their full potential. The college admissions process can be very daunting, especially for students do not have access to mentorship and advice. Moreover, research conducted by UNCF found that only 57% of black students have full access to college-ready courses. Sadly, those who are fortunate to secure a place often drop out before completing their course of study. In fact, a report published by Education Data, statistics revealed that students of color had the highest dropout rate at 54%. The report also revealed that one-third of those students dropped out before their sophomore year, with financial pressure cited as the top reason. Today is the day! DOE's new single "When I Pray" just dropped. You can stream the music and enjoy the official music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ9wQNCmJRo&list=PLpATftVE2odY2TqjvAfrKVBpdXw3zWDm5&index=2&t=71s Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp has just wrapped up an incredible season, earning the top honor for receivers in the NFL – the triple crown. During the NFL’s new extra-long 17-game schedule, Kupp surpassed all his fellow wideouts in all three columns of the record book with the most receptions, most receiving yards, and most receiving touchdowns. The NFL reports Kupp finished the regular season with 145 receptions, 1,947 receiving yards, and 16 receiving touchdowns, all of which led the league. According to a Peachtree City Police Department report obtained by HuffPost, officers responded to a 911 call around 2:30 a.m. about a driver allegedly asleep at the wheel. An officer then observed a vehicle matching the description and conducted a traffic stop. The driver in question turned out to be Haddish, who was then arrested for a DUI. She was transported to the Fayette County Jail without incident. TMZ reported that the arresting officers believed Haddish had smoked marijuana. Haddish was only in jail a short time, according to TMZ. She posted a $1,666 bond and was on her way by 6:30 a.m. A video has been released of West apparently having a heated exchange with two fans. Kanye West is under investigation as a suspect in a criminal battery for allegedly punching a fan early Thursday morning.The investigation stems from an incident allegedly involving West and a fan outside of members-only club Soho Warehouse in Los Angeles. A video was captured of West in a heated exchange, which was posted by TMZ. In the video, West is seen having a tense exchange with two people seemingly following him as he walks in a parking lot. The video captures West turning and yelling at the two, saying, “Did y’all say that or not? Did y’all say that or not? Cuz that’s what happened right f–king now.” He makes agitated hand gestures toward the fans as the exchange continues in the 40-second clip. https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/ye-formerly-known-as-kanye-west-suspected-in-alleged-battery-incident-in-l-a-130834501547 Isabel Davis drops news muisc "We Lift Our Worship." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tmmcl8n6v3137bg/AADSlA4RGsXLLOXtttl50CDda?dl=0 STRONGER LIFE MUSIC derives from Strong Tower Church located in Fredericksburg, Va. Strong Tower is one of the largest and most influential churches in the Central/Northern Virginia area with a heavy hand in its surrounding community. Stronger Life Music composes songs that represent diverse backgrounds, crossing thru generations to emerge as one body, one sound and one praise. Maurette Brown Clark is featured on this track. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8717421?date=20210928&user_id=668306&signature=E_XcWFFnsAMrytMTbLBMGBmxhf8%3A2ttO4d7e Prince Andrew was today stripped of his military titles and royal patronages by the Queen, who said he will have to face his sexual assault lawsuit as a ‘private citizen.’ The Duke of York will also be banned from using the styling ‘HRH’ in any capacity, according to a royal source, signaling his mother’s attempt to distance the Royal Family from the ninth in line to the throne as he faces a humiliating trial in the US. The move to shred Andrew’s ties with the military is likely to be particularly painful for the Royal Navy veteran, who served with distinction as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. It comes after a day after a US judge unequivocally rejected the prince’s bid to have his sex abuse case thrown out, leaving him facing the prospect of being cross-examined for seven hours on camera with embarrassing questions on everything from his sex life and ‘private parts.’ Andrew has been urged to settle out of court with his accuser royal’s accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre ‘for the sake of his mother’, who celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this year. But he could face difficulties given Ms Giuffre is said to be pushing for ‘her day in court.’ Ex-President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization are mad that New York Attorney General Letitia James is moving forward with her civil investigation into the former commander-in-lying-about-literally-everything’s finances, and they’re scrambling like rust-colored rats to put an end to it. So Trump’s attorney and his son have been making the right-wing media rounds, not to make any kind of a comprehensive argument as to why the investigation should end, but to throw ad-hominem-laced shots at James and claim Trump and his organization are being unfairly persecuted by an AG who is out to get them. https://twitter.com/i/status/1480735967208259586 Mayor Eric Adams has demoted his younger brother amid backlash over giving him a high-ranking post with the NYPD. Bernard Adams, a 56-year-old retired NYPD sergeant, will now serve as executive director of mayoral security, according to the New York Post, citing police officials. He will be paid a $210,000 salary, $30,000 less than what he would have been paid as deputy police commissioner. Adams tapped his brother for the job that comes with an annual salary of $242,000. Speaking about the gig on CNN’s State of the Union, anchor Jake Tapper asked Adams: “Is that true and if so, doesn’t that at least violate the spirit of the law in New York which says public servants’ friends and family members should not benefit from their positions?” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cyTqaGmdYA4/hqdefault.jpg The family of an unarmed Black man who was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in North Carolina over the weekend has retained the legal services of civil rights attorney Ben Crump as they demand justice for the shooting that took place under questionable circumstances. Eyewitnesses say Jason Walker, 37, was crossing a street when off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffrey Hash used the truck he was driving to hit the pedestrian before getting out and shooting him to death on Saturday in the city of Fayetteville. But the police narrative has seemingly already accepted Hash’s version of events that allege Walker jumped on the deputy’s vehicle. https://twitter.com/i/status/1480284018537025543 President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon to deliver speeches widely described as expressing the urgency for passing voting rights legislation ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. However, some of the leading voices who have long sounded the alarm about the need for Congress to advance any bills on voting rights will not be in attendance Tuesday, suggesting they are not in allegiance with related efforts from Biden’s administration. Errin Haines, the editor-at-large of the 19th, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering the intersection of gender, politics and policy, broke the news Monday night that a “coalition of Georgia voting rights groups is skipping Biden-Harris trip to Atlanta” in part because the Biden Administration is seemingly reacting way too late to an issue that advocates unsuccessfully sought to bring to the forefront months ago. A Las Vegas Black man is suing multiple police departments after he was arrested on a warrant that was issued for a 49-year-old white man with a bushy white beard and blue eyes. According to the lawsuit, on Jan. 8, 2020, 23-year-old Shane Lee Brown was driving home from work when he was pulled over by Henderson Police. He didn’t have his driver’s license so he told the officers his name and gave them his Social Security card. A records check by officers revealed a bench warrant for a 49-year-old man named Shane Brown, who faced a weapons charge associated with a prior felon who was arrested with a gun. The lawsuit revealed that the older Brown had been convicted of a felony in 1994, three years before Shane Lee Brown was born. The lawsuit also stated that during his arrest in 2020 officers, ”failed to perform even a cursory review of the warrant to determine if Shane Lee Brown was the person named in the warrant.” Brown was sent to Henderson Detention Center, where he pleaded with officers that he was not the Shane Brown in the bench warrant, but was ignored. The 23-year-old would spend four days in Clark County Detention Center before finally appearing in front of a district judge who released him after the two men’s booking photos were shown side by side in court. Brown would spend a total of six days in jail. When you think of an opioid overdose victim, you are likely to assume it is a white man from the mid-west, because that’s what we see on television and documentaries about drugs in America. But the truth is the opioid epidemic doesn’t see race and older Black men are losing their lives at an alarming rate. A recent study suggests that Black men 55 and older are causing the recent spike in overdose deaths among men older men. According to the study published in JAMA, opioid overdose deaths among older adults in the U.S. have increased fastest among Black men. Researches found from that 1999 to 2019, nearly 80,000 U.S. residents 55 or older died due to an opioid overdose. Nearly 80% of those deaths occurred among those between the ages of 55 and 64 and more than 58% occurred among men. By 2019 the average death rate among adults 55 years of age and older was 10.7 per 100,000 deaths per 100,000 population. But for Black men that rate was four times higher at 40 deaths per 100,000 population. A current report on homelessness in the United States breaks down which state has the highest population of homeless people and California tops the list. Comprehensive data on homelessness in the United States has been published by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 247wallst reports. The latest version is titled State of Homelessness: 2021 Edition, but the data does not reflect how the COVID pandemic has contributed to the homeless crisis. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aTZsJNj3sIE/hqdefault.jpg Candace Owens believes there could be a link between the death of comedian Bob Saget and the COVID-19 vaccine. Saget, most famous for starring as Danny Tanner in “Full House,” passed away Sunday (01-09-22) in his sleep at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando. The circumstances of his death are still unclear, and results from a final autopsy could take three months. In the meantime, Owens touched on his death during the Tuesday night broadcast of her self-titled online talk show. As reported by The Daily Beast, Owens asked whether she was a “conspiracy theorist” or “Nostradamus” when it comes to her anti-COVID vax stance. https://twitter.com/i/status/1481285964316221442 GSN-If you’re looking for what to watch/stream around the MLK Day holiday this year, you might want to consider MagellanTV’s “A Ripple of Hope” and their other offerings. “A Ripple of Hope” retells the events of April 4, 1968, the day that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated outside a Memphis hotel room. Advised against appearing before an inner-city crowd in Indianapolis, Robert Kennedy delivered an extemporaneous speech that brought a sense of peace to the city in the wake of tragedy. This documentary captures an extraordinary and often-misunderstood moment in American history. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BFSjk2zfWNs/hqdefault.jpg Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, and Paul Pierce are facing a federal lawsuit that alleges they deceived investors in a pump-and-dump cryptocurrency scam.? The lawsuit accuses executives at #EthereumMax of collaborating with the celebs to urge fans to buy the coins. The celebs were reportedly paid in tokens for their endorsement. The cryptocurrency crashed, but not before its creators made a lot of money. ?The lawsuit filed Friday in California claims the EMAX creators inflated the coin’s value before selling off their shares, making large sums of money. At the same time, investors were left with nothing once it crashed. ?“Defendants touted the prospects of the Company and the ability for investors to make significant returns due to the favorable ‘tokenomics’ of the EMAX Tokens,” the lawsuit reads. “In truth, Defendants marketed the EMAX Tokens to investors so that they could sell their portion of the Float for a profit.”? https://www.instagram.com/p/CYo4090vk2s/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_videoatch_again According to the Daily Beast, former Blaze TV host Jon Miller, who is Black and considered to be a conservative commentator was recently banned from the GETTR social media app. When former Donald Trump aide Jason Miller launched the social media site GETTR, he touted it as a “cancel-free zone,” but now the platform is moving to ban users. As reported by The Daily Beast, Jon Miller, a Black male, right-wing pundit, has been banned after using the N-word in his profile. Jon then took to Twitter to rant about it, saying, “The ‘free speech’ frauds at @GETTRofficial have suspended me for no reason. I didn’t even use it. I had no posts. Guess I was too critical of them for suspending others? What does it say when the 1st platform to ban me is the one that sells itself as the free speech alternative?” Communications director Ebony Boden clapped back, writing: “You did use our platform, and you included the N-word in your profile, a clear violation of our terms of service. Gettr does defend free speech but we’ve got no room for racial slurs. Bye,” Bowden wrote. Jon Miller responded, “Wow a black man can’t even refer to his own people freely if it makes a patronizing white woman mad! We ADOPTED that word as a term of ENDEARMENT because of racist Democrats (slave owners) like you.” Nominees for the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® honoring outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances for the past year were announced this morning by Rosario Dawson (Dopesick, Go-Big Show) and Vanessa Hudgens (tick, tick…BOOM!, The Princess Switch) via Instagram Live. The nominees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced by SAG Awards Committee Members Jason George and Elizabeth McLaughlin with an introduction by SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. A replay of today’s announcement is available for viewing on instagram.com/sagawards. Included in the list were Will Smith for playing Venus and Serena Williams’ father in “King Richard” which comes days after he won the best drama actor prize at the Golden Globes. Jennifer Hudson scored a surprise nomination for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in “Respect” and Denzel Washington who was nominated for “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYpbn8YFN6V/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors Foundation hosts its 20th Student Grant Awards, virtually on Friday, January 14, 2022, 7p.m. in Los Angeles. Hollywood actor, dancer and TV presenter (America’s Funniest Home Videos, Fresh Prince of Bel Air) Alfonso Ribeiro will host the affair. The Caucus Foundation Student Grant Awards has been bestowed upon six select grantees from colleges and universities across the nation who need assistance to complete their thesis student films. The recipients will receive grants totaling $100,000 in-kind services and funds. Dionne Warwick will kick off 2022 with the release of her “Power In The Name” single featuring rap star Krayzie Bone (from Bones Thugs-n-Harmony) and her son, NomaD (a.k.a. Damon Elliott) with proceeds going to various charities that provide shelter and clothing. “Power In The Name” delivers an uplifting message of hope for a bright future with this “life-affirming” theme and will be available through all the major streaming services through the label Kind Music Group. Dionne will be promoting the single with appearances on Good Morning America and Late Night With Stephen Colbert respectively on January 19 and January 20. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jZdT6TirneU/hqdefault.jpg Talented singer and Grammy-Award-winning musician India Arie decided to take on the 10YearChallenge on Tuesday. While sharing throwback pictures on Instagram, “The Truth” artist also vented about her experience in the music industry. In a series of posts, India said, “seeing old pictures remind me of how TRASH the music industry is. Sheer and utter TRASH.” India went on to say, “ The music industry is racist. sexist. deceitful. It steals from artists… Trash.” The 44-year-old star added, “I’ll never heal from all of it because some of it shaped my life in ways I can’t get back. BUT! I loooooove who I am. So, I imagine the journey was all meant to be.” Reflecting on the old pictures that she shared, India shared that “The industry made me feel like I WASN’T beautiful. I can tell you some STORIES HONEY! But in truth – I was just WAY ahead [of] my time.” The Atlanta home where Bobbi Kristina Brown overdosed and died has been sold for a little over $700K. Per Black Enterprise, the three-bedroom, four-bathroom townhouse was first listed for $599,000. It was taken off the market in 2020 and re-listed in November for $715,000. After being sidelined for more than two-and-a-half years — 941 days to be exact — Klay Thompson finally made his long-awaited return on Sunday as the Golden State Warriors faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. After being sidelined for more than two-and-a-half years — 941 days to be exact — Klay Thompson finally made his long-awaited return on Sunday as the Golden State Warriors faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. On NBA TV, the game averaged 844,000 viewers, making it NBA TV’s most-viewed regular-season game since 2016. Locally, NBC Sports Bay Area had a 12.7 household rating for the Warriors-Cavaliers game, which was their highest-rated regular-season game since 2016 as well. Fans of TikTok influencer Rory Teasley are mourning his death after his boyfriend of 10 years allegedly strangled him during a fight over a video game. According to Michigan’s Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, the killing occurred last Thursday at an apartment in Pontiac, a northern suburb of metro Detroit, People reports. Officers responded to the scene after Docquen Jovo Watkins called 911 to report the altercation between him and the victim. Their fight was over video games, and Watkins noted during the call that Teasley was now “sleeping” on the couch. Authorities discovered Teasley, 28, unconscious and not breathing. He was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead by medics. Watkins, 31, has been charged with homicide and is being held without bond. His next court appearance is set for Jan. 18. The sixth season of “Growing Up Hip Hop” has kicked off with 12 brand new episodes and its biggest cast to date! On TONIGHT’s episode, it finds Cree and Angela talking about Cree’s possible infertility and her abortion at 18. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Evs7Gx6qimk/hqdefault.jpg Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet are calling it quits after 16 years together and nearly 5 years of marriage. Their separation comes amid endless rumors of Momoa’s infidelity and that he has fathered at least one child with a mistress. The “Aquaman” star announced his separation from Bonet in a joint statement on his Instagram Wednesday. “We have all felt the squeeze and changes of these transformational times… A revolution is unfolding and our family is of no exception… feeling and growing from the seismic shifts occurring,” the joint statement read. “And so we share our Family news that we are parting ways in marriage.” It will soon mark two months since the unfortunate passing of Young Dolph, and although authorities have suspects in custody when it comes to his murder case. That does not heal the pain that his loved ones and fans are still experiencing following his passing. Recently Young Dolph’s life partner, and the mother of his children, #MiaJaye for an interview and expressed the grief she has been dealing with in his absence. In an interview with @abcnewslive, Mia said, “It has taken a long time to iron out the kinks being with a celebrity. Someone that is very busy, that’s on the road a lot, and family can kind of take a back seat. But he finally made the sacrifice and was present, and we were doing things like planning our wedding.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYrAmMjhq-q/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tia Mowry posted a video on Friday showing her natural curls before switching up to long, beautiful box braids. “From curls to braids, it’s still my crown. #BlackGirlMagic,” she captioned the post. The “Sister, Sister” star previously shared photos of her sporting a braided ponytail decked out with pearls. “When your braid has that drip,” she captioned the post. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYZBKfqFG1i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Dionne Warwick recently called out Oreo for its expanding list of cookie flavors and the company responded by shipping her an unwanted care package. It all started on Oct. 20 when Warwick sent a tweet asking for brands to reply to her. Oreo’s official Twitter account responded: “Well this is fun, hi everyone.” Warwick replied by calling out the company’s new line-up flavors that now include mint, lemon, birthday cake and carrot cake. “Hello, What is your weirdest flavor? Why are y’all doing the most?” she asked. “The one flavor was fine.” The cookie company replied, “The people want variety, variety is what they get!” Warwick later posted a TikTok video of her questioning why music icons such as herself are not being targeted for brand partnerships. “You know, I’ve been having so much fun talking to these brands on Twitter. All these children, babies, youngsters are grabbing on all of these wonderful commercials that they’re doing,” she explained in the video. “Something’s wrong with this picture. Why aren’t these brands coming after people with my age demographic?” she wondered. The clip shows her auditioning for a brand deal for multiple companies including Popeyes, Bush’s Baked Beans, Hellmann’s and Oreo . “Love Oreos, I really do. However, I think now is the time that you might consider doing a Dionne cookie,” she said. “I’d even sing the jingle for it. I might even think about writing it for you. Give it some thought.” Oreo appeared to react by sending her a package of java chip flavor cookies and Oreo lip balm. Warwick posted a picture of the products and wrote, “After asking @Oreo to stick to the original flavor, they sent me these outrageous items as a response.” In a follow-up tweet she said, “I will be retaliating at a later date.” Oreo replied, “So… you don’t like the lip balm?” “I will add it into my beauty regimen,” Warwick tweeted. Trey Songz is back in the headlines, this time for allegedly raping former UNLV basketball player Dylan Gonzalez. Gonzalez tweeted in December “Trey Songz is a rapist,” amid reports that he was hit was a $20 million dollar lawsuit by a woman who claims he sexually abused her in 2018 after attending a New Year’s Eve party at Diddy’s mansion. In a lengthy message shared on social media, Gonzalez detailed her allegation against Songz but did not make clear when the incident occurred. In a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 11), Gonzalez wrote, “With what seems like endlessly reoccurring news of the alleged sexual assaults committed by Trey Songz, I am forced to repeatedly relive in my mind, and suffer anew, the long-suppressed horror and unbearable PTSD of my rape by his very hands at a well known Las Vegas Hotel.” https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI2Y_e-agAIioR7?format=jpg&name=small North Carolina’s Fayetteville Police released the 911 call made by a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputy after he fatally shot 37-year-old Black man, Jason Walker, while off duty. Deputy Jeffrey Hash said he was driving around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 8, with his wife and daughter, when Walker suddenly ran into the street, jumped on top of his vehicle and began screaming as he pulled off the vehicle’s windshield wipers and began beating the glass with them. The deputy said he fatally shot the man, then called 911. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HZTCrDu9ilY/hqdefault.jpg The 23-year-old man accused of fatally shooting #YoungDolph was captured Tuesday in Indiana by US Marshals. According to the U.S. Marshal Service, members of the Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force captured #JustinJohnson around 3 p.m. in #Indiana. Just last week, authorities announced that Johnson was wanted in connection to the murder of Young Dolph (real name: Adolph Thornton Jr.) and offered a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to his arrest. The suspected took to social media over the weekend claiming his innocence and shared that he planned to turn himself in on Monday, but that did not happen. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYm46xeJmgS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Officials on Tuesday released the names of the 17 people who died in Sunday’s tragic high-rise fire in The Bronx. The victims include eight children ranging in age from 2 to 12 years old. The oldest fatality was a 50-year-old mother. All of the victims died of smoke inhalation, according to the medical examiner’s office, which has begun releasing some of the dead to funeral homes. Here are the people who died in the blaze and what we know about them: The Dukureh family: Five members of one family perished in the fire: Haji Dukuray, 49, his wife Haja Dukureh, 37, and their children, Mustapha Dukureh, 12; Mariam Dukureh, 12; and Fatoumata Dukureh, 5. Haja Dukureh’s uncle, who shares the name Haji Dukuray with the patriarch, said his family is originally from The Gambia and relatives are mulling whether to bury the family in New York or in the African nation. A six-year-old Chicago boy who was found dead in freezing temperatures in Indiana on Saturday morning was ruled to have been the victim of a homicide, a medical coroner said Tuesday. The postmortem examination for Damari Perry was conducted on Monday. He was found to have an extremely cold core temperature and partially frozen internal organs, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. The exam also found a scattered discoloration of the skin on the right leg and postmortem thermal injury or charring over the body, the coroner’s office said. The young boy’s body was found naked and wrapped in a plastic trash bag in an alley. He reportedly had been forced into a cold shower by three of his family members until he vomited and passed out. They allegedly then dumped his body near an abandoned house in Gary, Indiana. The boy’s mother Jannie Perry, 38, has been charged with first-degree murder with two of his siblings also facing charges for their involvement. A Florida man was chained and tortured by two people who tried to force him to admit infidelity. According to NY Post, Marie Dorsainvil, 51, and Occius Dorsainvil, 56, are facing kidnapping and attempted murder charges after they forced the man to drink bleach and threatened him that if he went to the bathroom he’d have to eat it or be killed. This went down back in December when Marie asked the victim for a ride to her place. She allegedly invited the victim upstairs, but he declined, saying that he and Marie were married. She reportedly told the victim that her husband was away in Haiti, and they ended up going in together. https://youtu.be/FIYw0mBL5VY Faith of Black Lives, a coalition of twenty-five faith leaders from across the nation, launched a hunger strike on the first anniversary of the insurrection, January 6, 2022 to urge Congress to protect democracy by passing voting rights legislation by Martin L. King, Jr. Day on January 17, 2022. Inspired by the "big lie", the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021 was an attempt to overturn democratic rule in the United States. This attempt continues across the nation as 19 states passed 34 laws impacting the right to vote, specifically targeting communities of color. States enacted laws to reduce early voting, restrict access to absentee ballots, and seize control of non-partisan election administration official functions. In addition, extreme partisan gerrymandering threatens access to Black political representation in state and federal elections for the next decade. "As faith leaders, we are called to speak truth to power and to raise the conscience of this nation through moral resistance", said Rev. Stephen A. Green, Chair, Faith for Black Lives, "this hunger strike reflects our deep commitment to radical love in action to redeem the soul of this nation. As we approach midnight for our democracy, the United States Congress must act urgently to pass voting rights legislation now." Elvis Costello said the song Oliver’s Army, written in 1979 about the Troubles in Northern Ireland (pictured inset: the song’s cover), references a term directed at his grandfather while he was serving in the British Army. Describing it as ‘a historical fact’, Costello, 67, says people now hear it and ‘accuse [him] of something [he] did not intend’. He said he will no longer perform the song and has urged radio stations to stop playing it as well. Ronnie Spector, singer of the 1960s hits “Be My Baby” and “Baby, I Love You” has died at the age of 78, her family said in a statement on Wednesday. Acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh tapped Zoë Kravitz to star in his latest sci-fi thriller “KIMI,” about an agoraphobic tech worker who sets out to solve a murder. The film also stars Rita Wilson, Byron Bowers, Jaime Camil, Erika Christensen, Derek DelGaudio, Robin Givens, Charles Halford, Devin Ratray and Jacob Vargas. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/67S8ru4K4x4/hqdefault.jpg Jeannie Mai and her husband Jeezy have welcomed their first child together. “The Real” co-host, 42, and rapper (real name Jay Wayne Jenkins), 44, have yet to share the newborn’s name or sex. “I asked God for a life of love and happiness. He sent me my family. Baby Jenkins is here ????,” Mai Jenkins captioned a photo of the newborn’s blanket on Instagram Tuesday. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYmzheeL3HE/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c8302a0d-8d1c-4d55-9f18-c1ca1dd03f83 JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ returns for season 4 on CLEO TV. The popular cooking show will kick off its premiere episode featuring popular television personality and Harlem native, Bevy Smith on Wednesday, January 12th at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SUz_09wL0c Rapper Fat Joe has launched a relief fund for victims of the deadly Bronx fire on Sunday. At least 19 people were killed and dozens were injured when a fire broke out in an apartment building in the Bronx borough of New York City. More than 200 firefighters responded to the 5-alarm blaze at the 19-story Twin Parks North West apartments, the New York City Fire Department said in a tweet. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYmR_myrYOH/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4ab7f307-a5ea-4392-828b-6bf333dbc0d9 Smart guns are making a comeback this year. As reported by Gizmodo, via a Reuters, smart gun makers LodeStar Works and SmartGunz LLC, both plan to release products later this year. The LodeStar version for “first-time buyers” could cost $895. “We finally feel like we’re at the point where … let’s go public,” LodeStar Co-Founder Gareth Glaser told Reuters. “We’re there.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n3pvZhLYegQ/hqdefault.jpg A $10 million grant from an anonymous donor will allow America’s Black Holocaust Museum to reopen in Milwaukee next month following years of struggles to remain viable. The museum was founded in 1988 and closed in 2008. In 2017, ground was broken for a new site for the museum in the Bronzeville neighborhood, but it struggled with a lack of artifacts, exhibits, staff and educational programming. But now, with a $10 million commitment made through the Greater Milwaukee Foundation the museum has been able to hire staff, finish the last three exhibits and purchase an additional building for educational space, said Dr. Robert Davis, president and CEO of the museum. “At a time of hyperpolarization, we are in dire need of safe spaces and opportunities created to bring us together to explore difficult issues, to learn and to celebrate our history,” Davis said. “The reemergence of the museum is critical at this time for Bronzeville, Milwaukee and nationally.” Looks like Antonio Brown has a little regret over his Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. He’s now admitting that his wild outburst was unnecessary and unprofessional. Paparazzi caught up with the former NFL Player in Los Angeles Monday night as he hit up hotspot Craig’s for a bite with his new pal, Kanye West. Before he went inside, the Super Bowl champ was asked about his departure. He admitted that taking off his shirt and walking off the field during the game “probably wasn’t necessary or professional.” https://www.tmz.com/videos/2022-01-11-011122-antonio-brown-1336485/ FX is moving forward with its adaptation of Octavia Butler’s classic sci-fi novel “Kindred,” starring newcomer Mallori Johnson. “Kindred” follows Dana, an aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and moved to Los Angeles to claim a future that for once feels all her own. Before she can get settled into her new home, however, she finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time to a 19th-century plantation with which she and her family are most surprisingly and intimately linked. An interracial romance threads through her past and present, and the clock is ticking as she struggles to confront the secrets she never knew ran through her blood. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e0UgiE8vYuI/hqdefault.jpg Kanye West has reportedly set his sights out east and is planning a trip to meet with President Vladimir Putin as he expands his business empire in Russia. The 46-year-old rapper will also perform his first-ever show in Moscow with his Christian Sunday Service gospel, likely at the Crocus City Hall theater or the Grand Sports Arena where much of the 1980 Olympic Games were held. West is looking forward to making Russia ‘a second home’ as sources told Billboard that Kanye, a longtime supporter of Putin, deflected issues with strict travel sanctions between Russia and the United States as tensions rise amid a conflict with Ukraine. Kanye’s strategic advisor, Ameer Sudan, and lawyer, Scott Balber, are coordinating the trip. Balber’s also acting as a liaison for his clients, Azerbaijani-Russian billionaire real estate developer Aras Agalarov and his son Emin Agalarov. The father-of-four ‘plans to invite Putin to attend the gospel performance as a special guest,’ and the performance is ‘something Ye’s been wanting to do since he debuted the Sunday Service project in 2019.’ Steve Harvey cites the loony cancel culture movement as the reason for not planning another stand-up comedy special anytime soon. “The only way I can do one more special is if it’s at the end of my television career because it will end my television career,” Harvey told media on Tuesday during the TCA panel for his ABC series Judge Steve Harvey, Deadline reports. The new primetime court show airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. The NHL was thrilled to have Kodak Black attend Tuesday night’s game between his hometown Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks. The league even tweeted out pictures of the rapper from his seats near the ice at FLA Live Arena, and he was shown on the center ice scoreboard several times during the second period. At some point, he was moved up to a luxury box. That’s when Twitter user and Panthers season ticket holder @David954Fla, who was filming the luxury suites, captured Kodak Black appearing to have sex with a woman. https://twitter.com/i/status/1481087164305788929 The NBA was cautiously optimistic entering the 2021-22 season. After two consecutive seasons were hindered by COVID, the league had reason to believe that this season would see a return to normalcy. More players were vaccinated, and most came back rested after a relatively normal offseason. But COVID is sneaky and resilient. Omicron, which is the most transmissible variant to date, mutated itself into existence and made its way to the United States in Dec. 2021. Since then, we’ve seen cases surge to new all-time highs, with the United States registering 759,218 new cases on Friday, Jan. 6, according to The New York Times – the most since the pandemic began in March 2020. And no, the NBA is certainly not immune. In total, over 300 players have entered health and safety protocols since December, and 11 games have been postponed and rescheduled. On the latest episode of the much-discussed and recently formed “The Pivot Podcast,” longtime former NFL head coach Marvin Lewis joined co-hosts Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder for a conversation in which Lewis expressed his desire to return to the NFL as a head coach after his 16-year run leading the Cincinnati Bengals ended following the 2018 season. Watch the episode NOW on “The Pivot Podcast” YouTube Page. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v96sTi9j6AY/hqdefault.jpg “Half my life I’ve been performing,” said Mya, one of three members of the new girl group Glam Squad with Star and Londyn. Glam Squad recently released a new single “Drippin’” (UEDMG/Orchard/Sony) featuring rapper King Harris. They have also toured with rapper Lay Lay of Nickelodeon’s “That Girl Lay Lay.” The group was formed by Londyn’s father Unique who owns UED Studios and UED Music Group. He is a celebrity choreographer (Mary J Blige, Ginuwine, Avant). His studio offers dance and vocal lessons, which is how the girls met each other. “I was there for voice,” said Mya about how she met Star and Londyn who were there for dance. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d2I2OuwqrjY/hqdefault.jpg Having been rehabbing a torn ACL and a torn Achilles’ tendon, it’s been 941 days since Klay Thompson has played an NBA game. But Sunday night was “Klay Day,” as he made his much anticipated return to the floor at the Chase Center for the Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The crowd erupted as Klay was being announced as a starter for the first time in over two-and-a-half years; you could see the focus on his face, and his teammates visibly wanted to see him get going. Less than a minute into the game, Thompson came off a screen for a floater on his first attempt. And a few moments later, he hit his first three-pointer to surpass 12,000 career points. When Black gamers booted up the shooter-RPG hybrid Outriders last April, only four of the 24 hairstyle options for characters could conceivably be considered a Black hairstyle. Even worse, all of them fell under the tired tropes of minifros and dreads. And even those were pretty atrocious: Textures were wrong, and patterns looked scraggily and unkempt. Then again, just a handful of years ago, programmers modeled afros on cauliflowers. “Black hair has been bad forever in games—from the worst box braids to the raggediest of dreads to even messing up naturals at this point,” said Kahlief Adams, host of the Spawn on Me podcast, which highlights people of color in the gaming industry. “Like, you’ll see a character and think, ‘Sure, you got a close fade, but I don’t know where your hairline is fam.’” Last year, Oakland-based artist and UC Santa Cruz assistant professor A.M. Darke had had enough. She started recruiting Black artists for the Open Source Afro Hair Library, the industry’s first free database of 3D-modeled Black hairstyles. The library, slated to launch on Juneteenth 2023, will function as a source for usable 3D assets for gaming, animation, and other ventures as well as an online gallery to inspire and normalize Black inclusion. HBCU students, faculty, and alumni are more than aware of the impact that studying while surrounded by those with cultural similarities can have on Black students as they advance their collegiate careers. With a new program aimed at increasing the number of Black, male teachers, North Carolina Central University is one campus in particular looking to make even greater strides in the representation Black students see in the classroom. In August of last year, NCCU launched The Marathon Teaching Institute as a part of the university’s School of Education. The program provides mentorship, training, and a $25,000 scholarship. Designed as a pipeline to funnel more Black men with an interest in education directly into the classroom, the new initiative additionally guarantees immediate job placement to participants upon completion. Chief recruiting and retention officer, Quentin Murphy, says the project has been two years in the making. “We want to make sure that we have that same strength towards preparing our teachers for their futures right here on this campus,” he said. The Propel Center, the global HBCU technology and learning hub intended to level the playing field and open greater doors of opportunity for their students, has announced the naming of respected social entrepreneur and education advocate Gene Wade as chief executive officer. Wade most recently served as Founder and CEO of Honors Pathway in Oakland, California, a social venture that enabled low-income students to attend their first year of college at no cost while receiving over 500 hours of in-person coaching and mentoring. He also serves on several non-profit boards, including the Pahara Institute, Portal Schools, and Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, ideal foundations for his new role with Propel Center. Over his 25-year career, Wade also co-founded and led several entrepreneurial social ventures, including UniversityNow, which developed a self-paced online learning management system designed to lower the cost of higher education that was acquired and is currently serving hundreds of thousands of online students; Platform Learning, which developed a network of free after school tutoring programs that served over 50,000 students; and LearnNow, the first national network of public charter schools founded and led by African Americans. Due to COVID-19, there has been an unprecedented shortage of teachers, including in 18 of the 20 largest U.S. districts. Between 1988 and 2018, the number of teachers of color hired by the country’s schools increased faster than the number of white teachers when it comes to diversity. However, on average, diverse educators also left their positions much more quickly. Now due to factors concerning racial stress and upper management, Black teachers are leaving the profession more than ever before, as an extensive report from Hechinger lays out. It’s been shown that students of color work better in the classroom if the facility is more diverse. Also, racism in the classroom has led to increased Black parents to home-school children. Yet the findings of the Rand Report show a troubling trend: Black teachers were more than twice as likely as other teachers in the winter of 2021 to say they planned to leave their jobs at the end of the 2020-21 school year, according to a report released by the RAND Corporation. And a slightly higher percentage of nonwhite teachers than white ones—45 percent vs. 42 percent—said that they were considering leaving their position last school year, researchers at the University of Arkansas’ College of Education & Health Professions found. (The gap was 30 percent vs. 22 percent, when teachers were asked if they were considering leaving because of reasons related to Covid-19.) Aiming to help small businesses, including women and minority-owned ones, Uber and Visa are launching a new program to help those firms get through difficult events. More precisely, the program, Grants For Growth, will supply $1 million in grant funding to small businesses in 10 U.S. cities that are now active on Uber Eats, based on a news release. It will be led by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), centering on restaurant recovery and entrepreneurship. The grants can be used for several urgent needs, including payroll, vendor debt, and upgrading technology infrastructure among them. Restaurants active on Uber Eats since Jan. 1 in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Miami, Detroit, the NYC metro/New Jersey area, the San Francisco Bay Area, Philadelphia, and Boston can apply for the program. Criteria used will give preference to veterans, minorities, women, and LGBTQIA business owners. CopperPoint Insurance Companies, a western-based super regional commercial insurance company, announced January 7 that Michael Mathias has been appointed to the CopperPoint Insurance Company Board of Directors, effective immediately. With a career spanning over 25 years, Mr. Mathias is a proven leader in the insurance industry. He recently retired from Blue Shield of California, a 4.3-million-member nonprofit health plan that serves the state’s commercial, individual, and government markets, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Before joining Blue Shield in 2013, Mr. Mathias held numerous technology leadership roles with Aetna in Hartford, CT. Rapper Kanye West shared a faith-filled message in the new video for his single, Heaven and Hell, which debuted Monday across social media. Rapper Kanye West shared a faith-filled message in the new video for his single, Heaven and Hell, which debuted Monday across social media. It’s the latest single off of West’s tenth studio album Donda, which was released last summer. The first part of the almost three-minute video shows a series of images, including a baby, in dark and dismal areas with people’s faces completely covered in black. It’s the latest single off of West’s tenth studio album Donda, which was released last summer. The first part of the almost three-minute video shows a series of images, including a baby, in dark and dismal areas with people’s faces completely covered in black. https://youtu.be/XKWcAsT8Sqc President Joe Biden abandoned his inclinations toward bipartisanship today, blasting Republicans in an Atlanta speech for a raft of new GOP led state voting laws. For the first time, he backed the idea of allowing voting rights legislation to pass with a simple Senate majority rather than a filibuster-proof 60 bipartisan votes. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gMCOV5t-G10/hqdefault.jpg Kyle Rittenhouse, the Kenosha killer-turned-white-right-hero and the poster child for white privilege, was acquitted of fatally shooting two people. Dominick Black, the then-18-year-old was charged with providing Rittenhouse with the rifle. As the Associated Press put it, “Judge Bruce Schroeder agreed to throw out one of the charges against Rittenhouse—that he unlawfully possessed a firearm as a minor,” because “the defense convinced Schroeder that an exception in the law allows 17-year-olds to possess rifles and shotguns, or at least left the law too vague to be enforceable.” Black was charged in November 2020 with two counts of delivering a dangerous weapon to a minor, resulting in death. But because Shroeder’s ruling on the weapons’ charge for Rittenhouse pretty much muddied the waters on whether Black’s charges even make sense anymore, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger filed a proposed plea agreement Friday that would simply require Black to plead no contest and pay a $2,000 fine, and then the felony counts would be dismissed. So now the ball is back in Shroeder’s court and on Monday, he is expected to decide whether to accept the plea deal, reject it or dismiss the felony counts against Black outright “based on his ruling about the minors-with-firearms law in the Rittenhouse case,” AP reported. A racist white man in Washington state is facing a felony hate crime charge after his allegedly racist daughter and her boyfriend got into a physical altercation with a Black student at their high school. The girls’ father is accused of threatening to kill the Black teen, calling him racial slurs and showing up with his daughter at the Black student’s job to follow and harass him. According to King 5, 39-year-old William Cunningham is expected to be arraigned in Snohomish County Superior Court on Jan. 19 to answer for a charge that stems from a Nov. 10, 2021, incident at Monroe High School during which his daughter “racially taunted” the Black victim, according to the Monroe Police Department. The incident reportedly started in the school parking lot when the Black teen got into a shoving match with the defendant’s daughter’s boyfriend. The shoving match started because the daughter allegedly shoved one of the Black student’s friends in the school hallway earlier that day. Part of the altercation was caught on camera. https://twitter.com/i/status/1461905549230886914 In the recent killing of Jason Walker by an off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff’s deputy in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville Police have been criticized by the community for seeming to immediately accept the version of events provided by the deputy. As reported by local news outlet WRAL, family members said the police narrative did not sound like Walker. WRAL reported that police claim the 37-year-old Walker was crossing the street on Sunday and at some point jumped on the deputy’s vehicle. However, law enforcement officials later on Sunday said the on-board computer in the unidentified off-duty deputy’s truck did not show any evidence of a collision with “any person or thing,” according to the local ABC News affiliate. That finding suggests the off-duty deputy was lying about the nature of his encounter with Walker. Elizabeth Ricks, the woman who rendered aid to Walker after he was shot, told the outlet she watched the entire scene unfold. “I did not see anyone in distress. The man was just walking home,” Ricks said. TikTok user ARonUNC pointed to Facebook posts from Ricks (who goes by Ellie Ash online) and Chase Holden Sorrell challenging the police’s official version of events. https://twitter.com/i/status/1480091440994680833 TV One 's popular show Life Therapy with AJ Johnson is back in 2022 with new episodes airing Tuesdays at 10:00PM ET/9C. This is a must-see life-coaching series that shares an intimate look at the stories of individuals' exposing their internal struggles in search of healing. Along with trained mental health professionals, Johnson taps into her natural instinct of nurturing people's suffering to exude positivity in a genuine approach to improve individuals' lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wOgkblSI6U&feature=youtu.be Newly-elected New York City mayor, Eric Adams, is already catching heat for claiming white supremacy is the reason behind his decision to appoint his younger brother as a deputy police commissioner. As reported by MSN, Adams tapped retired NYPD sergeant Bernard Adams for the job that comes with an annual salary of $242,000. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hVp8yMcLVM0/hqdefault.jpg Pretty soon instead of saying show me the money you say show me the Maya! Dr. Maya Angelou, the African American poet and activist, along with Sally Ride, the first female astronaut, would be featured on quarters, according to the US Mint. Angelou will have the double distinction of being the first woman and the first Black woman on the quarter. “Each time we redesign our currency, we have the chance to say something about our country — what we value, and how we’ve progressed as a society,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. To be sure, George Washington’s bust will still appear on the “heads” side of the coin while the other will pay tribute to the African American trailblazer’s iconic autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com After being booted from “Good Morning Britain” last year for criticizing Meghan Markle, Piers Morgan has launched a new column titled “Uncensored” in UK tabloid The Sun. “Effectively I was censored at my previous job and told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly held opinion, which obviously I wasn’t going to do,” he says. “Pushy little Princess Pinocchio tried her utmost to cancel me, and she will be in for a very unpleasant surprise when I emerge, like Lazarus, from my den.” He’s already kicking off his new job by taking jabs at Markle, his #1 obsession. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sG9rX6Ifzhw/hqdefault.jpg These young siblings thought a giant stuffed monkey was their Christmas present. But when the car with their expected car gift rolled up and one of the siblings opened the door, it was no stuffed animal. Seated in the passenger seat, holding the stuffed monkey in front of him to hide his face, was their older brother, home from the Army. https://www.usatoday.com/videos/life/militarykind/2021/02/18/soldier-sneaks-surprise-reunion-siblings/6799180002/ Ayesha Curry has clapped back at rumors that she and her NBA superstar husband, Steph, are in an open relationship. “Don’t believe everything you read,” Curry said on Monday in response to a fan comment on social media. “Do you know how ridiculous that is? Don’t disrespect my marriage like that. Please and thank you.” Rumors began surfacing a few weeks ago about Steph and Ayesha’s alleged open marriage. As reported by Complex, Instagram page @Deuxmoi initially cited an anonymous source for a report about a certain basketball couple who weren’t “as faithful in love as their social media and image make them out to be.” Folks quickly assumed the pair was Steph and Ayesha. https://www.instagram.com/ayeshacurry/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=23506055-1ada-4635-ad25-dee90ca496ba Dave East the East Harlem resident and former collegiate hooper has been building a very successful hip hop career for over ten years and has since segued into acting as Method Man in the highly successful Hulu series “Wu-Tang Clan: An American Saga.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EpQJ8EX6iXs/hqdefault.jpg Star Jones will make her daytime TV return later this year when she takes over as the new host and judge of “Divorce Court,” tv’s longest-running court show. Jones will replace Judge Faith Jenkins, who joined the court show in 2020. Judge Mablean Ephriam was the first person to host “Divorce Court’s” current run, from 1999 until 2006, when Lynn Toler took over. Toler hosted until March 2020, when Jenkins was announced as the new judge and host. “Before I was the legal correspondent for NBC News covering high-profile trials and conducting exclusive jailhouse interviews, I spent six years in a Brooklyn courtroom as a NYC homicide prosecutor and assistant district attorney,” Jones said in a statement. “Since the beginning of my TV career, it’s been my mission to serve as a voice for the voiceless; and after more than 30 consecutive years on television and in people’s homes, that remains true.” After exiting her gig as Vice President Kamala Harris’ senior adviser and chief spokesperson, Symone Sanders has announced that she will be hosting a weekend program and a new show on MSNBC’s political news channel, The Choice, on Peacock. According to People, Sanders will “appear across all MSNBC platforms, including streaming, cable and digital, and will also occasionally fill in as an anchor,” the outlet writes. “I wanted to be at a network that had an already established record in the streaming world and would have a show on streaming and on linear and was one that wasn’t just an experiment,” Sanders told Variety during a recent interview. Audie Cornish is joining CNN as an anchor and correspondent for CNN+, the much-anticipated streaming subscription service that is set to debut this spring. Cornish will host a weekly CNN+ show and contribute to CNN+’s slate of live programming. She will also host a new podcast for CNN Audio and will appear on CNN covering national, political and breaking news. “I am very excited to join CNN and the CNN+ team. There are fresh stories to be told and new ways to tell them,” said Cornish. “CNN has a dynamic system of reporters and storytelling channels. I am thrilled to be a part of it.” Cornish joins CNN after two decades in journalism, most recently as a recognized and trusted voice on the airwaves as co-host of NPR’s flagship news program, All Things Considered. Crystal Hefner has detailed how she lost thousands of social media followers after opting to have her breast implants removed. Sharing a black and white image with her fans on Instagram, the former Playboy Bunny and widow of Hugh Hefner, 35, gushed that she’d embraced her new ‘modest’ appearance, after removing ‘everything fake’ from her body. Crystal, who previously revealed she nearly died while undergoing a fat transfer in October 2020, also shared graphs demonstrating how her social media following was slowly recovering after choosing to focus on her natural appearance. Opera singer Maria Ewing, the ex-wife of theater director Sir Peter Hall and the mother of actress-director Rebecca Hall, died on Sunday at the age of 71 after suffering from a ‘brief illness’. Born in Detroit to a Dutch mother and an African American father, Ewing went to school in Detroit before making her debut in a Metropolitan Opera production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. A soprano and mezzo-soprano known for her intense performances, Ewing met Hall, a founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company and then director of the National Theatre, while performing at Glyndebourne in 1979 and the pair fell ‘madly in love’, despite Hall being married to his second wife at the time. They had daughter Rebecca, who recently revealed how her maternal grandfather’s experience as a biracial man who ‘passed’ as white and raised his children — including Ewing — as white, had informed her directorial debut, Passing, which tells the story about two light-skinned Black women who also ‘pass’. Cops suspect Full House legend Bob Saget ‘suffered a heart attack or stroke’ in his Orlando hotel and are exploring his revelation days before his death that he had recently battled Covid-19. Authorities believe Saget, 65, may have suffered a medical emergency because they found no evidence of foul play or drug use and have not yet carried out a toxicology report, law enforcement sources told TMZ. DailyMail.com revealed yesterday that Saget was found lying face-up on his bed ‘cold to the touch… His left arm was across his chest while his right arm was resting on the bed’. Sources told TMZ the position could be consistent with signs of a heart attack. Cops are also investigating Saget’s revelation during a podcast recording last week that he had recently battled Covid-19 and whether the virus may have caused blood clots or another side effect that played a part in his death on Sunday. In an appearance on ‘A Corporate Time with Tom & Dan’, Saget revealed he had recently battled Covid-19. He did not say exactly when he caught the virus, but mentioned the Omicron variant which was only discovered at the end of November, meaning his must have been infected in recent weeks. Four decades of pent-up emotion were unleashed Monday night as the Georgia Bulldogs snapped a frustrating national championship drought by vanquishing their nemesis, the Alabama Crimson Tide, 33-18 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game played in Indianapolis. Georgia’s top-ranked defense was widely credited with playing a pivotal role in the victory by slowing the Crimson Tide’s high-powered offense, according to Sports Spectrum. Even though Alabama’s Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young threw for 369 yards and a touchdown, he was intercepted twice by the Bulldogs’ defense. The second interception was returned 79 yards for a touchdown that sealed the win. The Bulldogs’ defense held the Tide to 399 total yards with only 30 rushing yards. “It was the defense who kept us in this game,” said Georgia QB Stetson Bennett in the postgame news conference. “While we were stumbling over our own feet the entire first half and then starting out in the second half. They won this game for us.” After Alabama lost the college football national championship to Georgia Monday night, a viral moment happened during the Crimson Tide’s post-game press conference. Just as the player portion of the presser was about to end with quarterback Bryce Young and Will Anderson leaving the podium, their coach (Nick Saban) – seated between them – literally stuck his arms out to stop them from standing and leaving. The pair sat back down. Saban had praise he wanted to share, and made sure the two players were there to hear it. https://twitter.com/i/status/1480904832949096461 LaVar Ball has taken aim once again at Lakers star LeBron James amid rumors of James being linked with a move back to Cleveland. In a recent fan video via Cameo, Ball advised James to leave the L.A. Lakers because the team was “too old,” and to finish his career in Cleveland. “The Lakers are having little problems over there with LeBron. Yeah, he has a team but it’s too old. But Cleveland fans want him back to Cleveland to finish up his career. Go to Cleveland, LeBron. Go finish up your thing and get game in your hometown, man,” Ball said. https://twitter.com/i/status/1479450618410450945 A workaholic, sports commentator Dan Patrick recently revealed it was his wife who helped him put things into proper perspective — and ultimately leave ESPN. Patrick told The Ringer’s Kyle Brandt he was on the precipice of signing a five-year deal with ESPN, until his wife, Susan, shared with her husband why that might not be the best choice to make. “My four kids were aged 9-15, and I was going to sign a new five-year deal at ESPN,” he recalled on Brandt’s “10 Questions” podcast. “I remember that morning, my wife said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ She said, ‘They’re all gonna be out of the house when you’re done with this.’ I’m not even thinking that.” Before hearing his wife’s perspective, Patrick was only thinking about one thing: the money. https://twitter.com/i/status/1479119211972599819 An Australian judge has reinstated tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa, which was canceled after his arrival last week because he is unvaccinated. Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly also ordered the government on Monday to release Djokovic from Melbourne hotel quarantine within 30 minutes of his decision. Government lawyer Christopher Tran told the judge after the ruling that the minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke, “will consider whether to exercise a personal power of cancelation.” That would mean mean Djokovic could again face deportation and could miss the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 17. The Australian government canceled 34-year-old Djokovic’s visa shortly after he arrived in Melbourne late Wednesday to play in the Australian Open because officials decided he didn’t meet the criteria for an exemption to an entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. In a statement released after Jacobs’ hearing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte said his criminal behavior occurred while he led two Charlotte churches. Plea documents say Jacobs led the Rock Worship Center Church from at least 2009 to 2018. The website of the southwest Charlotte congregation still lists him as pastor, crediting Jacobs with building the church from the ground up, and growing membership from the 11 who turned up for the first service to more than 1,500. In a 2009 story in the Observer, Jacobs — who at the time was doubling as a preacher and an executive with a pharmaceutical company — said his growing ministry had to balance its members’ spiritual and secular needs. ”The church should be a place that uplifts and encourages,” Jacobs said. “But it also should be a place that helps people find a job.” For much of his time at the Rock Worship pulpit, Jacobs apparently had trouble following the New Testament’s rendering advice. From 2009 to 2017, according to his plea documents, Jacobs filed one federal income tax return, and it was fraudulent. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4564703090323963 Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham, has asked for prayers for her daughter Rachel-Ruth. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Lotz explained her daughter was rushed to the hospital on Saturday after she suffered a heart attack. “Multiple times I have prayed Psalm 73:26 for people who were struggling with heart issues: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever,” Lotz wrote. “I am now driving the stake of my faith down deep into this promise for my daughter, Rachel-Ruth. She was rushed to the hospital on Saturday night with a heart attack, followed by a catheterization. Sunday afternoon, she had a second heart attack, followed by another catheterization,” she explained. It was previously reported that Ari Fletcher may have gotten the boot from Rihanna concerning her Savage X Fenty deal. If you can recall, Ari made some dismissive comments towards domestic violence victims who shared their stories while disagreeing with her wanting a man to pull a gun on her to stop her from leaving. Her exact words were “we don’t care, you’re ugly. You don’t have a man who wants to pull out a gun on you.” It looks like the ladies of Fox Soul’s “Cocktail Queens” agreed with Rihanna’s decision. “She’s immature,” stated LisaRaye. Raye went on to thank Rihanna for not tarnishing her brand with “foolishness” and says this is a prime example of the difference between a real celebrity and a social influencer. “It’s levels to this,” she continued. “I hope she apologizes. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYl2100KTm1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again On Sunday night’s episode of “Porsha’s Family Matters” we witnessed Porsha Williams brawling with her ex Dennis McKinley, and her fiancè Simon Guobadia could barely make sense of it all. Porsha and Dennis share a two-year-old daughter, Pilar Jhena, and the former couple was amicably co-parenting until her engagement to Simon in May 2021, after a month of dating. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYiG_ZuJ9Wa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again 50 Cent made time to troll rapper/actor Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr. after a woman claimed in a now-viral clip that the “Black Mafia Family” star smells “musty.” “I just want to say, you know, Lil Meech was very musty on Friday night,” said the woman. “He had went to six places, and he smelled like a pound of onions. I just wanna know what possessed him to put on that long sleeve shirt, and to be so musty like that. … He was musty, the hoes been talking he been musty for the whole past week.” After 50-Cent caught wind of the video, he wasted no time in roasting the 21-year-old who stars as his father Big Meech in BFM, executive produced by 50 Cent. “@llimeechbmf getting so fly the hating is starting,” said Fiddy. “She said you smelled like a bag of onion’s LMAO Nah dat’s Creed baby the gold bottle. LOL.” On Sunday (01-09-22), a small single-engine plane was struck by a speeding Metrolink train after the Cessna 172 aircraft crashed on tracks in Pacoima, California. Los Angeles Fire Department officials say the plane went down on the Metrolink Antelope Valley line train tracks nearby Whiteman Airport. The plane’s engine failed shortly after takeoff, leaving the pilot to make an emergency landing on the train tracks. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYidz7AKLni/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A suspect wanted for the murder of rapper Young Dolph is still on the run. Justin Johnson, also known as Straight Drop, posted on social media that he planned to turn himself in, saying he is innocent. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, 23-year-old Johnson allegedly shot and killed the rapper while he was buying cookies at Makeda’s on Nov. 17, 2021. Johnson posted on Instagram over the weekend that he planned to turn himself in Monday at 201 Poplar. The post reads, “Turning Myself in Monday @ 201 I’m Innocent I’ll Be Back Sooner Than You Can Blink.” The Grand Ole Opry, the country venue in Nashville, was criticized after allowing Morgan Wallen, a singer who was caught on tape last year using a racial slur, to perform on Saturday night. Wallen’s appearance sparked criticism on social media — from people including the singer-songwriter Jason Isbell — directed toward the Grand Ole Opry, which describes itself as “the show that made country music famous.” Holly G, the founder of Black Opry, a platform for Black country musicians and artists, said in a letter to the show’s talent organizers that Wallen’s attendance was confusing and “a slap in the face” to people of color. “You should know that our community is extremely disappointed, though many are not surprised,” Holly wrote. “A stage that was once a dream destination for many Black artists has now cemented itself as one of the many Nashville stages on which we know we are not respected.” She mentioned a tweet from the Grand Ole Opry from last June that said: “Racism is real. It is unacceptable. And it has no place at The Grand Ole Opry.” Wallen first performed at the venue in 2017. His performance on Saturday was part of the Grand Ole Opry debut of another country-music artist, ERNEST. A former minister of a Wylie church was arrested on Friday, Jan 7 on a charge of sexually assaulting a child after accusations surfaced last month. On Dec 12, 2021, a staff member of the First Baptist Church of Wylie contacted the Collin County Sheriff’s Office to report another staff member for alleged sexual assault. During their investigation, the Sheriff’s Office investigators identified a 15-year-old girl who disclosed that she had been inappropriately touched by First Baptist Church of Wylie Junior High Minister Timothy Wells. Sheriff’s Office investigators obtained a warrant for Timothy Wells’ arrest, charging him with indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony. Wells turned himself into the Collin County Detention Facility where he was booked and is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond. https://youtu.be/BmVNMROiZJA Today, Urban One announced Oscar and Grammy Award-winning singer H.E.R. will open this year’s URBAN ONE HONORS with an explosive performance. Hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, the two-hour telecast premieres Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One. H.E.R joins the previously announced lineup of performances by Inspiration honoree Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Kelly Price, Tyrese, Tank, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant with a special set by D-Nice. Jermaine Dupri, Marlon Wayans and Vashawn Mitchell are tapped to present. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspiration Impact; and Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon round out the superstar group of honorees for the annual showcase. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbM-BiOzxsc&feature=youtu.be Former first lady Michelle Obama is kicking off the new year with more efforts to fight back against voter suppression in 2022. Obama sent out a lengthy letter titled “Fight For Our Vote,” urging Americans to stay focused on democracy ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. “We’ve got to vote like the future of our democracy depends on it,” the message read. “We stand united in our conviction to organize and turn out voters in the 2022 midterm elections and make our democracy work for all of us.” Last year, state lawmakers proposed more than 500 anti-voter bills infringing upon the voting rights of Black, Brown, and working-class communities in addition to voters with disabilities. Through When We All Vote, Obama hopes to “recruit and train at least 100,000 volunteers throughout 2022 to register and turn out voters in their communities,” the letter noted. Spelman College received a $12 million endowment from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation to advance its arts programs. The gift will develop the Atlanta-based school’s Center for Innovation & the Arts. The facility will serve as a hub for students pursuing paths that intertwine the arts, technology and entrepreneurship. The state-of-the-art building will harbor community spaces, a black box theatre, a gallery that is part of the Spelman Museum of Fine Art and an atrium that connects the school to the greater community. Spelman’s Center for Black Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab will also live in the building. Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., who serves as president of Spelman, says the donation will help cultivate learning environments that foster creativity. An Oklahoma Housing authority that denied a Black mother and her daughter housing in 2015 finally settled with the Department of Justice. The Oklahoman reported a civil rights complaint was brought against the Lone Wolf Housing Authority, the former executive director and a former program assistant in December 2020. Announced last Monday, the settlement awarded the woman and her daughter $65,000. The local legal aid also received $10,000. The housing authority was also required to enter a consent decree for staff and board members to have nondiscrimination training, focusing on the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From NASA pioneer Katherine Johnson to civil rights trailblazer Rosa Parks, Mattel has paid homage to the legacies of influential women who sparked transformative change. The latest visionary to be celebrated by the toy brand is Ida B. Wells, BOTWC reported. Wells—who hailed from Holly Springs, Mississippi—tapped into the power of journalism to capture the injustices faced by African Americans in the South. Wells led groundbreaking investigative research around white mob violence and the lynching of Black men. She was one of the founders of the NAACP and played an instrumental role in the women’s suffrage movement. Her purpose was rooted in seeking truth and her legacy lives on through generations of journalists and activists. https://t.co/kkEk1WLH0c?amp=1 Alexia Curry delivers on her debut single entitled "Hear His Voice," a message that is undoubtedly straight from God. When asked what the song reminds her of when singing it, Alexia said, “It reminds me of the old gospel hymn Yes, Jesus Loves Me.” Alexia is a devoted Christian with a genuine love for God, a woman of prayer, an entrepreneur, wife, mother, and now a new gospel artist. She believes that throughout her life God was preparing her for such a time as this, and now He has manifested her dreams into reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7rW82Ks_p0 Celebrated vocalist KARIMA soars high claiming the Number 1 spot on several Gospel radio charts. The beautiful worship ballad "Redeemer," is KARIMA's DARE Records debut and its impressive rise speaks to the power of the song and KARIMA's exceptional performance of it. KARIMA’s first-ever Number 1 song, “Redeemer” is #1 on the Gospel Airplay Chart, is the greatest gainer on that chart, and is #1 on the Mediabase Gospel chart. Hear Karima In Her Own Words in The Gospel Spotlight...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/karima_kibble_intvw.htm Ricky Dillard releases his next song from his highly anticipated upcoming album Breakthrough: The Exodus! Check out “Making Room” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OenohrJsipQ Damien Sneed, the multi-genre composer, bandleader, musician and vocalist, announces a brand-new multi-media touring show for 2022, titled A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul. This dynamic presentation celebrating the amazing musical legacy of the late Ms. Franklin, arranged and musically directed by Sneed, will feature an accomplished cast of jazz, gospel, and soul musicians and vocalists. The North American tour kicks off Thursday, February 3, 2022, at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and concludes on Sunday, March 20, 2022, at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College in Flushing, NY. The production will feature Sneed on piano and vocals, along with two very special guests: Pop/R&B singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson, a Grammy Trustee Award and Songwriters Hall of Fame honoree; and Karen Clark Sheard, four-time Grammy and multiple Stellar and Dove Award-winning gospel vocalist and songwriter. Sneed has previously served as musical director for both legendary artists, who were thrilled to join him in this tribute. As of Jan. 1, mobile payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and Cash App will be tracking your payments over $600 and reporting these transactions to the Internal Revenue Service. This only applies to the earnings you make throughout 2022, which you’ll report when you file in 2023. https://youtu.be/YA4d7cOzpjA The View” is said to be looking for a conservative co-host that the other women on the show don’t currently dislike. The moderator job remains open six months after Meghan McCain’s exit and has since turned to recurring co-hosts to fill her seat. “It’s driving Whoopi crazy,” a former ABC News executive told The Post. “Having people come in and out with no one permanent interrupts the flow.” There are rumors that a conservative voice on the show would not be welcomed by the other women. “Don’t underestimate how mean some of the people at the table can be,” the former ABC executive said. “There are those who won’t want to sign on because of that.” Set in modern-day America, Peacock’s new one-hour drama series “Bel-Air” imagines the beloved sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air“ through a new, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. As these two worlds collide, Will reckons with the power of second chances while navigating the conflicts, emotions, and biases of a world far different from the only one he’s ever known. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_-_P9DPMuy8/hqdefault.jpg A year ago, Google fired AI researcher Timnit Gebru, who is Black, for criticizing the company’s lack of diversity. Now she is launching a new artificial intelligence institute after reportedly being awarded $3.7 million in funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Kapor Center, Open Society Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Her new organization, Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR), is “focused on the harms of the technology on marginalized groups, who often face disproportionate consequences from AI systems but have less influence in its development,” writes The Washington Post, adding that the DAIR “aims to both document harms and develop a vision for AI applications that can have a positive impact on the same groups.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PWCtoVt1CJM/hqdefault.jpg Former Parliament-Funkadelic member Calvin Simon has died at age 79. His cause of death has not been reported. His passing was confirmed by fellow artist Bootsy Collins, who wrote on Instagram on Friday (Jan. 7): “We lost another Original member of Parliament/Funkadelic. A friend, bandmate & a cool classic guy, Mr. Calvin Simon was a former member of Parliament/Funkadelic. He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen members of P-Funk! R.I.P Bootsy baby!!!” “Rest in peace to my P-Funk brother Mr. Calvin Simon,” a post on George Clinton‘s Facebook page said. “Longtime Parliament-Funkadelic vocalist. Fly on Calvin!” #BettyWhite’s cause of death has been revealed.? According to her death certificate obtained by TMZ, White’s cause of death has been revealed as a cerebrovascular accident. This means the famed-tv star suffered a loss of blood flow to part of the brain, resulting in brain tissue damage.? The certificate also revealed the #GoldenGirls actress had a stroke six days before her death. However, it’s unclear how the stroke affected her and whether she was conscious and alert before she died.? White, whose career spanned more than eight decades, died on December 31, just weeks before her milestone birthday. She was expected to turn 100 on January 17.? A movie special saluting the late actress, Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration, will air in theatres for one night only on January 17. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYkK0UNgfMO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again ? Denzel Washington says he was concerned about Chadwick Boseman’s health while filming “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” the late actor’s last film role. Boseman died in August 2020 after a private 4-year battle with colon cancer. “A man among men. He suffered quietly. He made the movie, and nobody knew. I didn’t know. He never said a peep about it. He just did his job,” said Washington in a new interview with Variety. “I wondered if something was wrong because he seemed weak or tired sometimes. We had no idea, and it was nobody’s business. Good for him, keeping it to himself.” In 2018, Boseman revealed that Washington paid for him to study acting at Oxford for a summer while he was attending Howard University. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Boseman recalled the moment when he finally got the chance to meet the legendary actor to thank him. https://youtu.be/qoRjRK8UkOo Did you know that a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the King Family concluded that Martin Luther King’s death was the result of a conspiracy involving multiple groups, including government agencies? Or the all-black police security detail, normally assigned to King, did not guard him on his final visit to Memphis? Instead, they were replaced by an all-white detail that left at 5PM and didn’t return at all the next day, April 4th, the day that King was murdered. These are just a few teasers of information being discussed on “MLK Tapes,” a new podcast from iHeart and Tenderfoot TV. The series, which is focused on unveiling information and shocking details surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, is set to premiere January 10. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-mlk-tapes-91141955/?keyid%5B0%5D=The%20MLK%20Tapes&pname=podcast_profile&sc=widget_share Happily, my first film review for 2022 is “The 355.” It is about fierce females saving the world from a deadly threat. My favorite is the kickass Marie (Diane Kruger). Described in the Production notes: “As fearless as Mace (Jessica Chastain) and even more deadly, Marie is a longtime operative for the Bundesnachrichtendienst, Germany’s answer to the CIA.” Mace is a military veteran and an experienced CIA operative who will stop at nothing to achieve her objectives and complete every mission. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SV0s2S9reT0/hqdefault.jpg In a special episode of the newly-launched “The Pivot Podcast,” star former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco joined hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor to discuss the recent controversies involving All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The episode is LIVE now on The Pivot Podcast YouTube Page. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DBJuBOjXlZY/hqdefault.jpg Former rapper Shyne is best known as Sean “P. Diddy” Combs‘ protege when he was an artist on Bad Boy Records label in the 90s. He served ten years in prison for his involvement in the 1999 Club New York nightclub shooting involving Combs that injured three people. Following his release from prison in 2009, Shyne was deported back to his native country as a noncitizen felon. Life after prison has seen him take a deep dive into politics. Shyne, whose real name is Jamal Michael Barrow, was appointed to be the new leader of the conservative opposition party in Belize. During an appearance on the latest episode of Drink Champs, Shyne discussed his political career and the infamous NYC shooting with Diddy. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYRcXmlBhfN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again World tennis No. 1 Novak Djokovic was back in practice hours after winning a court challenge to remain in Australia on Monday, thanking the judge who released him from immigration detention and saying he remained focused on his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam win in Melbourne. Erin Jackson is going to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, thanks to a generous gesture by her good friend Brittany Bowe. On Sunday, Bowe, who qualified for three events at the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Trials, gave her spot in the 500m to Jackson, the No. 1-ranked skater in the event. This will be the third Olympics for Bowe and the second for Jackson, who in 2018 became the first Black woman to make the U.S. Olympic long track speed skating team after just four months of serious on-ice training. “It’s the right thing to do,” Bowe told NBCSports.com. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that she wouldn’t do the same thing for me.” Jackson had an unfortunate bobble in the race Friday, watching her hopes for an Olympic gold medal slip away when she finished third behind Bowe and Kimi Goetz. Only two U.S. women are guaranteed Olympic berths, although a third spot is a possibility due to reallocation from other nations later. Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from a tournament just ahead of the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury. Osaka, 24, pulled out of the semifinals of the Melbourne Summer Set ahead of when she was scheduled to play Veronika Kudermetova of Russia. “Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took,” Osaka said in a tweet on January 7. “I’ll try to rest up and I’ll see you soon!” On the 10th and final public commitment of the All-American Bowl, the only surprise of the day went public. Kevin Coleman Jr., the top-ranked slot receiver recruit in college football’s class of 2022, took his time before making the announcement to pick Jackson State over the likes of Miami, Florida State, Arizona State and others. As the NBC broadcast urged him to make the pick between several hats on the table, Coleman donned a JSU hat and put on a navy blue blazer before confirming his plans to attend the 2021 SWAC Champion program. Shortly after the decision went public, Coleman confirmed to Sports Illustrated he made the selection without making a visit to campus. “I see everything he [head coach Deion Sanders] is doing and I want to be a part of it,” Coleman told SI All-American’s Matt Solorio. “Coach Prime, to be coached by a person who has done it before. Why not? He can teach me. He did it on both sides, he did it on special teams and he is a great person with great character. Grammy Award-winning artists Anderson .Paak and Maurice “Mobetta” Brown surprised Saturday night’s (01/08/22) Blue Note New York audience with an unannounced special performance at DJ Logic’s headline show. .Paak took a seat behind the drum set, showing off his impeccable skills and creating the perfect foundation for Brown to lay down some funky trumpet improvisation. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1480585232692752387/xRGSfaNA?format=jpg&name=small Antonio Brown has clapped back at Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Tom Brady after his contract with the team was terminated on Thursday. Brady called for compassion for Brown after the wide receiver removed his jersey during last Sunday night’s game against the Jets and walked off the field. “Tom Brady is my friend, why? Because I’m a good football player,” he said. “These guys call me to win a Super Bowl, not for the toilet bowl.” He Brown offered similar comments during a separate interview with Tapped in Daily on Clubhouse. “I mean, you can’t really expect anyone to be your friend in the business of football. The game is football but our business is winning,” Brown said Friday. “How I’ve been handled, how I continue to be handled, how I continue to be slandered, how I continue to be made upon as a bad guy — I know America love its bad guys — but I’m a great guy,” Brown added. “I just won a Super Bowl, I’m an American hero, I persevered through numerous adversities.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmK2mS5_TY Valentina Orellana-Peralta‘s funeral will be held on Monday, January 10 at 11am, at the City of Refuge Church, in Gardena, California. As we reported, the 14-year-old girl was killed last month in North Hollywood, California, by a police officer’s stray bullet. Rev. Al Sharpton will officiate the funeral and eulogize the teenager. The activist and Baptist minister’s National Action Network announced the girl’s funeral details on Wednesday evening. According to the report, the girl was hit by a stray bullet fired by a Los Angeles Police Department officer. The officer was on duty on December 23rd, responding to a distress call about a man alleged to be assaulting a customer in a clothing store in Burlington, which led to the sad incident. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LlHB0Y67bUk/hqdefault.jpg At least 19 people were killed and dozens were injured when a fire broke out Sunday in an apartment building in the Bronx borough of New York City, according to media reports and fire department officials. Among the 19 dead were 9 children, FDNY sources told ABC News. At least 13 other people have life-threatening injuries, according to the report. “This is going to be one of the worst fires we have witnessed here in modern times in the city of New York,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MR-qglv0NcI/hqdefault.jpg The woman accusing Michigan’s former House Speaker of repeatedly raping her for more than a decade admits she initiated contact with her alleged attacker – but says she only did so because she was ‘brainwashed’ and ‘groomed’ by the ex-lawmaker. Rebekah Chatfield, 26, came forward last week to detail her ordeal after filing the criminal complaint against Lee Chatfield last month. In the criminal filing, she accused Michigan’s youngest House speaker in more than a century of sexually assaulting her multiple times while she attended Northern Michigan Christian Academy, which was run by his family. Rebekah – who claims the abuse began when she was 15 – conceded in an interview with Bridge Michigan that she at times reached out to Chatfield, but claimed she was under his spell during the time. ‘It was never consensual, because it started when I was a minor – the brainwashing, the mentality, the manipulation, the psychological, the emotional – he groomed me into being who he wanted me to be,’ she told the outlet. Chatfield, 33, was elected in 2014 and served as the state’s House Speaker in 2019. The following year, he headed the delegation of seven Michigan GOP leaders who met with then-president Donald Trump at the White House as he tried to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s win in the state. A researcher in Cyprus has discovered a strain of the coronavirus that combines the delta and omicron variant, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, called the strain “deltacron,” because of its omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes, Bloomberg said. So far, Kostrikis and his team have found 25 cases of the virus, according to the report. It’s still too early to tell whether there are more cases of the strain or what impacts it could have. “We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail” against the two dominant strains, delta and omicron, Kostrikis said in an interview with Sigma TV Friday. He believes omicron will also overtake deltacron, he added. The researchers sent their findings this week to GISAID, an international database that tracks viruses, according to Bloomberg. A white #Kentucky high school teacher was fired after being captured on film fighting a black student. An investigation discovered he ‘escalated the situation when he told the teenager, who is a gunshot victim, he was ‘just another black boy who got shot.’ #William Bennet is now a former science teacher who taught at Marion C. Moore High School in #Louisville, #Kentucky. He wasn’t fired until last month for the August 24, 2021 incident – where he was filmed fighting the 16-year-old student. The details of that incident were revealed in the termination letter obtained by The Insider. https://www.instagram.com/balleralert/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5362245f-de65-4923-8b43-448c8a6c0f2e At one point last week, nearly one-third of the NBA was sidelined due to the league’s health and safety protocols. By the end of December, 247 players had been in the protocols at one point or another. It felt like a new athlete was being ruled out every few minutes, and teams scrambled to find replacement players via 10-day contracts and hardship exemptions. The on-court product suffered, and there was a lot of talk about whether the NBA should pause the season. While NBA commissioner Adam Silver shot down that idea, the league did ultimately adjust their protocols. Now, players who are vaccinated and asymptomatic can return to action five days after a positive COVID-19 test as long as their cycle-threshold level is above 30; previously, players had to sit out seven days and their CT level had to be above 35 to return. Drakeo The Ruler‘s death came as a shock to many. He had only just turned 28, and his untimely passing left his family and fans in mourning. However, his death made headlines for a different reason, namely, that he didn’t have enough money to pay for a funeral. Now, Drakeo’s family is asking a judge to allow them to dip into his assets to give their son the send-off they believe he deserves, according to TMZ. In papers filed in L.A. County Superior Court on Monday, the late rapper’s mother, Darrylene Corniel, described her son as “talented” and “productive,” saying that he released five mixtapes before he died at age 28 earlier this month. As such, she believes that her son had amassed at least $2 million in assets during his lifetime — assets that are currently frozen as part of an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Drakeo’s death. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7VzoVrL-SP0/hqdefault.jpg Christmas is always the season of giving and cheer. And Naomi Campbell was no exception as she gave her fans and Instagram followers a glimpse of her newborn daughter over the holiday weekend. MadameNoire reports the 51-year-old supermodel posted a family picture that featured her holding her daughter while sporting a pair of matching pajamas with her family. To prevent a clear look at Campbell’s daughter, a heart emoji was placed on the little one’s face. Noting the joyous occasion, Campbell posted the following message under the picture: “MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLINGS, THIS YEAR‘s PIC AND LAST, WITH AN ADDITION, BLESSED WTH MY ANGEL,” the former Victoria’s Secret fixture captioned the happy photo. “XMAS IS FOR OUR PRECIOUS ANGELS. LOVE TO YOU ALL. GOD IS THE GREATEST. THANK YOU JESUS.” https://www.instagram.com/naomi/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3a7975a7-6ac7-48e2-b4a6-d62f405a81aa In a statement about Sidney Poitier, who died on Thursday night in his Los Angeles home at age 94, his children said they were ‘so grateful he was able to spend his last day surrounded by his family and friends. To us Sidney Poitier was not only a brilliant actor, activist, and a man of incredible grace and moral fortitude, he was also a devoted and loving husband, a supportive and adoring father, and a man who always put family first,’ the statement read. Denzel Washington (inset) was also the latest celebrity to pay tribute to the actor, who he credited for his 2002 Oscar win because of Poitier’s historic Oscar win in 1964 as the first black man to win best actor. Poitier is survived by his wife, Joanna Shimkus, six daughters, eight grand children and a handful of great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Gina, who died in 2018. There will be no celebrities, no red carpet and no prime-time show from the American TV giant NBC. Most major PR firms, with the exception of Sunshine Sachs have blacklisted the event. The event will not even be live-streamed and Netflix has refused to allow the ceremony to air clips of its films, including The Power Of The Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, who is favorite for the Best Actor award, which will be couriered to him tomorrow if he wins. There are no presenters and the winners will be announced by press release at the end of a 90-minute ‘socially distanced’ event in the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Pictured second left: Olivia Colman, and right: Scarlett Johansson. TobyMac has debuted his special collaboration with Sheryl Crow with two new versions of his hit single “Promised Land.” Available across all DSPs today, the two-track single features the collab new version, produced by Paul Mabury, TobyMac and Micah Kuiper, as well as collab OG, produced by TobyMac and Kuiper. Written by TobyMac and Adam Agee, the track is the follow-up to the No. 1 hit “Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight),” which went No. 1 on five charts, including the Billboard Christian Audience chart, and held on to No. 1 at Hot AC for 13 consecutive weeks. “Promised Land” continues to climb, reaching top 10 on both the Christian Airplay and AC Monitored charts, and Top 15 on the AC Indicator chart so far. https://youtu.be/9bVMwIGkjAQ The history of humankind is marred by instances of brutality such as slavery, mass killing or genocide, bloody wars and racial discrimination. Many of these are now identified as crimes against humanity. However, in the world of Fat Joe, none of these inhumane acts is as outrageous as being a rat. For starters, being a rat (or snitching) is when one cooperates with the police to help them arrest another criminal. The 51-year-old Hip Hop artist was speaking on the “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” radio show. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xa_s3AEo-Zk/hqdefault.jpg Just who canceled The Pussycat Dolls‘ highly anticipated reunion tour? The international tour was supposed to launch in April 2020, but the Covid-19 challenges complicated everything, leading to postponements. The Pussycat Dolls dominated the pop scene in the 2000s with songs like “Don’t Cha” and “When I Grow Up”. After going underground for quite a time, they resurfaced in November 2019, announcing they were back again and preparing a reunion tour. They even released a single, “React.” After suffering repeated delays, the least their fans expected was a last-minute cancellation, but that’s just what came forth. Nicole Scherzinger, the group’s lead singer, issued a statement on Friday on her Instagram Story to the effect that the “tour dates had to be canceled” because of the “ever-evolving circumstances surrounding the pandemic.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KM3j_TXeqfc/hqdefault.jpg “Selling Tampa,” which is another of the latest additions on Netflix’s real estate series “Allure Realty,” has been a hit; after all, it took its time at number 1 on Netflix’s “Top Ten” list. However, not everyone is happy about it. The first criticism has been unleashed by radio personality and “The Breakfact Club” host DJ Envy, who insists the series is “embarrassing”. He is mainly infuriated by the fact that there is nowhere shown any home being sold, as he expected. It seems the climax was supposed to be selling a home, at least according to him, reports theJasmineBrand. https://youtu.be/PDaUhWXPwyg Bob Saget, who went from being a respected stand-up comedian to a successful star of Full House, has reportedly died at age 65. Sources close to the comic say he died Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, TMZ reports. Employees of the hotel reportedly found Saget in his room around 4 p.m., and Sheriff’s deputies and and the fire department arrived soon after. Few details are currently available about the circumstances leading up to Saget’s death, though sources say that he was pronounced dead in his hotel room. The comedian’s unexpected death comes amid his cross-country stand-up tour, which kicked off back in September 2021. He had recently played a string of dates in Florida, including a show in Orlando. Philadelphia-born percussionist James Mtume has reportedly passed away at the age of 76. Confirmed by Lisa Lucas on Twitter, his niece wrote, “So much loss. So much grief. Rest in power to Uncle Mtume. My late father’s partner-in-crime[.] The co-creator of the songs of my life (and about my birth!). He was [an] essential part of the life of the man who made me, therefore me too. Gone now. He will be dearly, eternally missed.” At the time of the report, there is no cause of death. Mtume is most notable for his 1983 song, “Juicy Fruit,” which was sampled by The Notorious B.I.G. for his first official single, “Juicy” in 1994. An all-around musician, Mtume had a knack for infusing consciousness into his music and delving creatively into the topics of politics, culture, and art. Mtume, who was born James Forman in 1946, grew up in a musical environment with jazz musicians frequenting his parents’ house. He learned to play piano and percussion, despite having an athletic scholarship for swimming to Pasadena City College in 1966. https://youtu.be/EYE5QEBOMA8 Country singer Morgan Wallen had the biggest selling album of 2021, despite being canceled after being caught using the N-word and getting banned from awards shows. Wallen’s album ‘Dangerous: The Double Album’ sold more than three million copies in 2021 since its release in early January, according to rankings from music analytics provider MRC Data released earlier this month. Wallen’s album beat out Adele’s ’30’, which was expected to be one of the highest-selling albums but only sold 1.4 million copies and came in at number six. He also sold more than Kayne West’s ‘Donda’, which sold less than 1 million copies. A month after its debut, Wallen, 28, was caught using racist language after a rowdy night out with friends. TMZ first revealed the video footage in February. He could be heard in video yelling from his driveway in Tennessee to another friend to ‘take care of this p***y a** n****.’ Wallen said he uttered the slur after a ’72-hour bender’ and had checked in to a 30-day rehab facility following the incident. Despite his remorse and apology, the musician was banned from the American Music Awards and the Country Music Awards, both of which he was nominated at. Rihanna is giving the people what they want: five Savage X Fenty brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC residents, you’re the lucky ones to get to experience this first in 2022. The singer-turned-mogul announced the news on her Instagram. “2022, we coming in HOT!” she wrote. “We bout to bring you a whole new #SavageXFenty experience with the launch of our brick-and-mortar retail stores! can’t believe it’s actually that time, and I can’t wait for you to have this experience irl….” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Rumors that The Weeknd and Angelina Jolie are dating have been circulating for months now. Both have remained mum on the subject, but did The Weeknd just confirm their relationship in his new song? Some fans are convinced. The new track, titled “Here We Go... Again”—off his new album, Dawn FM—contains lyrics talking about a “movie star.” And some think the “movie star” in question is Jolie. “And my new girl, she a movie star/My new girl, she a movie star,” The Weeknd sings on the track. “I loved her right, make her scream like Neve Campbell/But when I make her laugh, swear it cures my depressin' thoughts/'Cause baby girl, she a movie star/Baby girl, she a movie star/I told myself that I'd never fall/But here we go again.” “my new girl, she a movie star” me: ang—angelina jolie?" one fan tweeted. https://open.spotify.com/track/1NhjYYcYTRywc0di98xHxf?si=6e69ecc10b2045d5 Sinead O’Connor’s 17-year-old son, Shane O’Connor, died after he went missing earlier in the week, the Irish singer announced on Twitter Friday. “My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God,” she tweeted. “May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.” The death was confirmed by O’Connor’s management company. “Regrettably, we can confirm that Sinead’s son Shane has indeed passed. We would politely ask that the utmost respect and compassion be observed at this most difficult time for Sinead and family,” 67 Management said in a statement on Saturday. Shane had apparently been on suicide watch at a hospital in Dublin, according to tweets posted on Sinead O’Connor’s personal Twitter account. The singer blamed the hospital for letting the teen “out of their grasp.” “This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it’s not funny any more all this going missing. You are scaring the crap out of me. Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station,” she wrote. “If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety.” In another message, Sinead O’Connor pleaded with her son not to harm himself. “Shane, your life is precious. God didn’t chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing,” she tweeted. “My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don’t stop it from beating. Please don’t harm yourself. Go to the Gardai and let’s get you to hospital.” Ralph Neely, dubbed “one of the first great offensive linemen in team history,” died Jan. 5, according to the Dallas Cowboys. He was 78 years old. The team did not say what caused his death. Neely, who was born Sept. 12, 1943 in Little Rock, Arkansas and raised in Farmington, New Mexico, played his entire career with the Cowboys. Before Neely came to Dallas, he played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1962-64 under head coaches Bud Wilkinson and Gomer Jones. He joined the Cowboys as a starter in 1965 and played for 13 years, wearing the No. 73 jersey. After spending the first five years of his career at right tackle, Neely moved to the left side, where he played for the rest of his career. Ross Browner, former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end, has died. He was 67. Browner’s death was confirmed by his son, former NFL offensive lineman Max Starks, who shared the news of his father’s death on Twitter Wednesday. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my Father, Ross Browner,” Starks wrote. “The world has lost a Titan, @CFBHOF [College Football Hall of Fame] member, @Bengals Legend, but he was most proud of being an @NDFootball [Notre Dame Football] alumnus. Our hearts are heavy but he is at peace now.” As one of the highest-earning actresses in television, Angela Bassett is speaking out about being paid fairly in the industry. “Now, it’s good to be paid. That is one thing that I’ve said to myself since early on in my career. I mean, I literally would say, ‘I want to work in roles that can change me and change the conversation. I want to work consistently. And I want to be paid fairly,’” the actress explained in an interview with InStyle magazine published Wednesday. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JYh5Ft3a_yc/hqdefault.jpg Antonio Brown has revealed that he was asked to play hurt against the Jets, and a big spat with Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians led to him leaving MetLife Stadium the way he did. After that revelation, Brown found a new supporter in former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III. Taking to Twitter, Griffin said that he’s seen a lot of differing opinions on what led to Brown’s actions on Sunday. But he believes that the message of being forced to play hurt is being lost because of who Brown is. “A lot of people have opinions on Antonio Brown. His Mental State. His infamous exit from the field. His complaints about good customer service. But his message of being forced to play hurt or else is being lost because of who the messenger is,” Griffin wrote. Brown asserted in a statement that he was dealing with an injured ankle but was ordered to keep playing by Arians. When he refused, Arians effectively told him he was done, at which point Brown ripped off his pads and undershirt and dramatically left the stadium. According to DailyMail, Antonio Brown snuck an Only fans model into his hotel room the night before he stormed off the field in the middle of the Buccaneers game. The model that claims Brown snuck her in his room went viral on TikTok previously for licking a toilet seat. Reports say, Brown, 33, snuck the lingerie model Ava Louise into his hotel room despite the NFL’s covid precautions. Blonde Louise, who first was known in 2020 after she recorded herself licking a toilet seat in a skit to catch Covid, shared with the Daily Mail.com that she spent an hour with the Bucs wide receiver and got past security to join Brown and filmed pornographic sex videos. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYaJDjTqJba/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Baker Mayfield calls report that he and head coach Kevin Stefanski aren’t seeing eye to eye, and that he may request a trade “clickbait”. Chris Broussard explains why he doesn’t mind Baker pushing back at the media, but advises him to do it with ‘more class’. Plus, if there’s any truth to Baker looking for a trade, Broussard lays out why Baker may get his feelings hurt by what’s waiting for him on the market. https://youtu.be/jMCc-DGNKzA Ambulances in Kansas speed toward hospitals then suddenly change direction because hospitals are full. Employee shortages in New York City cause delays in trash and subway services and diminish the ranks of firefighters and emergency workers. Airport officials shut down security checkpoints at the biggest terminal in Phoenix and schools across the nation struggle to find teachers for their classrooms. The current explosion of omicron-fueled coronavirus infections in the U.S. is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services — the latest illustration of how COVID-19 keeps upending life more than two years into the pandemic. U.S. labor board prosecutors are trying to violate Whole Foods Market’s copyright and constitutional rights by forcing it to let employees wear “Black Lives Matter” masks at work, the Amazon.com Inc. subsidiary claims. In a Dec. 17 filing with the National Labor Relations Board, Whole Foods denied the agency general counsel’s allegations that the company violated federal labor law by banning employees from wearing “Black Lives Matter” insignia and punishing staff around the country who did. The filing is a response to the labor board’s accusation that by prohibiting Black Lives Matter messages at work, the company interfered with employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act to engage “in concerted activities for their mutual aid and protection.” Whole Foods counters that it’s the one whose rights are being violated. The company’s filing, obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, accuses the labor board’s general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, of trying to unconstitutionally “compel” speech by Whole Foods in violation of its First Amendment rights. The upscale grocer also accuses her of “unlawfully infringing upon and/or diluting WFM’s protected trademarks” by trying to mandate that it allow the display of a “political message in conjunction with” its trademarked uniforms and logos. The New York Police Department’s first black female commissioner has slammed newly elected Manhattan district attorney’s policy ordering prosecutors to downgrade serious crimes because it endangers the lives of New Yorkers – and puts police officer’s lives at risk. Newly appointed commissioner Keechant Sewell sent an email to NYPD officers on Friday saying she’s concerned about the effects of DA Alvin Bragg’s sweeping changes, which include ditching felony armed robbery charges and instead charging suspects with petty larceny – even when a weapon is involved if the firearm did not ‘create a genuine risk of physical harm.’ In a memo sent to his staff, Bragg announced that he will ‘not seek carceral’ sentences for criminals, unless they were guilty of murder or a handful of other crimes he deemed serious enough to warrant prison. ‘I have studied these policies and I am very concerned about the implications to your safety as police officers, the safety of the public and justice for the victims,’ Sewell wrote in the email obtained by the New York Post. Sewell wrote that among her biggest concerns included Bragg’s refusal to prosecute resisting arrest charges unless they part of a larger felony case. A 32-year-old Black veteran and father of three was shot and killed in Fayetteville, North Carolina, this week after a road rage confrontation with a white father and son riding in a pickup truck ended with the motorcyclist being shot in his chest. Stephen Addison was shot by 51-year-old Roger Dale Nobles Sr. as the biker argued with Roger Dale Nobles Jr. on Monday, Jan. 3. Police state Nobles Sr. fired at Addison from the driver’s seat on the inside of his 1992 Chevrolet pickup after his son got out of the vehicle at a stoplight to confront Addison. A bystander shot a video of the confrontation and sent it to local station WRAL. Shot from a distance, the footage only shows Noble Jr. standing outside of the passenger side of the truck and then walking toward Addison. The two appear to be arguing when the shotgun blast comes from the pickup. The video does not record the argument. After Addison falls to the ground from the blast, Nobles Jr. walks away without assisting him. Police and Cumberland County sheriff’s deputies later located Nobles Sr. at his home. After presenting him with a warrant, he and his son were apprehended. Nobles Sr. admitted to shooting Addison, authorities say. One neighbor said, “They put them in handcuffs, and then it went from there. They started searching the truck.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tviTN-oCVO8/hqdefault.jpg A lawsuit seeking to hold a former Collier County sheriff’s deputy accountable for the 2004 disappearance of a Naples man was denied on appeal Wednesday. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, whose firm is representing Terrance Williams’ family, said his team is pursuing other avenues for justice, including sharing information with the U.S. Department of Justice in hopes the agency will open a federal investigation. Terrance Williams was 27 when he disappeared on Jan. 12, 2004, after witnesses saw him get into Steven Calkins’ patrol car in North Naples. Marcia Williams, the mother of Terrance Williams, sued Calkins in a 2018 wrongful death action on behalf of her son’s estate and four children. But the Collier County suit came to an abrupt close in 2021 after Crump’s team missed a deadline to file for trial. Marcia Williams appealed to a Florida appellate court. https://www.naplesnews.com/videos/news/local/2018/09/04/video-tyler-perry-gives-update-case-missing-men/1195855002/ An eighth-grade Livonia Public Schools student who allegedly posted a video that is circulating on social media threatening to kill Black people while he held a gun is no longer in school and was visited by police at home, school officials said on Friday. The nine-second video shows the Emerson Middle School student holding a handgun and saying: “I am ready for the n——. Gonna kill them now because I want a lawsuit right now mother——.” As he speaks, the student adds a magazine to the weapon and racks the slide as if to load the weapon. A Confederate flag hangs on a wall behind him. Livonia police Lt. Charles Lister said his department was notified of the Snapchat video on Dec. 23 and made a visit to the child’s home that day. The gun shown in the video, which is a BB gun or airsoft gun, was confiscated, Lester said. Lester said the video, which was first posted in May, is “reprehensible” but it is not clear it violates any laws. “We currently have an open investigation. We are working with Livonia Public Schools,” Lester said. “At this point, we don’t believe we have anything that rises to the level of criminal activity to submit a warrant request to the prosecutor’s office.” A dozen Black lawmakers and leaders from metro Detroit sued Michigan’s redistricting commission Wednesday, arguing that recently approved state legislative and congressional maps are racially discriminatory and violate the Voting Rights Act. The group is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to order the commission to draw new boundaries that keep “minority-majority” districts intact. The new maps eradicate 17 of the 19 predominantly Black districts in Congress, the state Senate and the state House. “The new voting district maps drawn by the Commission will thwart the Black Civil Rights Movement that this nation is famous for; that this nation is proud of,” attorney Nabih H. Ayad wrote in the suit. “Should this Court not stop the Defendant from implementing their Plans, the Black voters of Michigan will be cast backwards in time to the days before Civil Rights heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks led the fight for the representation that Detroiter’s currently have. The community of interest that is the Detroit Black community, will go from one that can unite to become powerful enough to win the United States presidency for their chosen candidate to one that cannot even elect state congresspersons and senators; no matter what their voter turnout.” Without predominantly Black districts, the lawsuit argues, African Americans will lose representation in Congress and the state Legislature. An N.C. State University professor, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, says museums and researchers should change how they treat Black people and their remains. Ann Ross, a forensic anthropologist who has worked on many cold cases in North Carolina, teaches biological sciences at N.C. State. She and lead author Shanna Williams at the USC School of Medicine Greenville wrote “Ethical dilemmas in skeletal collection utilization: Implications of the Black Lives Matter movement on the anatomical and anthropological sciences.” The article was published in The Anatomical Record last month. “It’s a call to have that conversation,” Ross said in an interview. “These collections — that [forensic researchers] use a lot and have been using, you know, for training and everything — most of them were acquired by dubious means.” In anatomical and anthropological research, skeletal remains are key in and out of the classroom. They are used for training and to study how human societies and their bodies have changed. But Ross and Williams say many of these remains have been collected without consent, in ethically dubious ways, or to advance explicitly racist anthropological theories. “We’re at this tipping point where this discussion of race, and ancestry, and identity really has come to the forefront,” Williams said. “There’s always been those kind of rumblings, but now there’s more of a willingness to face or, perhaps more appropriately, a demand to face these types of issues.” Sabrina Lima said her mom, a nurse, inspired her to pursue a career as a doctor. “I’ve been on medical missionary trips with her, so seeing her in medicine — she’s this amazing woman,” she said. “I just love how she serves others, and I want to serve people in a similar way.” Lima, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, began classes at the Tufts Medical School in the fall. She is part of a small group of Black students pursuing careers as physicians, though that number is increasing as schools adopt new procedures to attract and reduce barriers for students of color. Among Tufts’ 195-member class of 2025, Lima is one of 26 students who identify as Black or African American — a major jump from nine the year before. And across the country, the number of first-year Black students is up 21%, an unprecedented spike since 2020. “We have never seen such an increase within a short amount of time,” said Norma Poll-Hunter, who leads workforce diversity efforts at the Association of Medical Colleges. She points to research that shows, across all races, patients are more likely to report satisfaction with their care when their doctors look like them. But only 5% of the country’s doctors are Black, according to the association’s latest data, released in 2019. “When Black physicians, male physicians are working with Black male patients, we see better outcomes in preventative care or on cardiac care,” Poll-Hunter said. “We’ve also seen that in terms of infant mortality, as well.” Black News Channel, the cable and streaming service aimed at Black audiences, has been hit with a gender discrimination lawsuit by 13 current and former women employees who claim they were paid substantially less than male counterparts and disciplined for being too aggressive in the workplace. The Tallahassee, Fla.-based outfit, which has about 300 employees, is also accused of terminating several of the women last month in retaliation for their complaining to the company’s human resources department. The amended lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Cook County, Ill., is an expansion of a suit filed on behalf of two former employees — Ashley Flete and Claudia Jean — last summer. It seeks class-action status and punitive damages of at least $1 million plus attorneys fees. Several plaintiffs in the suit state they were paid less than their male counterparts. In one case, a female supervisor was allegedly paid less than the men who reported to her. BNC, a privately held company with the majority stake held by Shad Khan, owner of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, denied the allegations raised in the suit. On CBS’s “The Talk,” Ava DuVernay and Kaci Walfall dish on The CW’s new superhero drama “Naomi.” On her character, ‘Naomi’, Walfall says, “She’s just cool, she’s confident, she’s loved because she isn’t afraid to be herself.” Seeing giant billboards of “Naomi” in Times Square, she admits, “It was really surreal and a dream to be there and to see myself. That was definitely like top five biggest pinch-me moments.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/story/the-talk-ava-duvernay-talks-naomi-normalizing-different-kinds-of-heroes/vi-AASxUIJ Kid Capri is among those dealing with COVID-19 these days. In fact, the legendary DJ Kid took to Instagram on Thursday (01-06-21) to let folks know that he is having a rough time battling the virus. He also urged people to avoid crowds and prioritize staying at home amid the ongoing spread of the virus. Kid Capri told viewers, “I’m sick as sh*t, man. Y’all gotta be careful out there, man. Y’all be careful ’cause it’s bad out there. I’ve been sick for the last three days. F**king head is pounding. Back hurt. I’m pretty far from good. I just wanted to pop on here and tell y’all take care of yourselves, man. F**k them parties. F**k hanging out. If you ain’t gotta be somewhere then don’t go. Just relax, ’cause this sh*t is no joke.” He added: “Force MDs, Jessie D died today,” referring to Force MDs lead vocalist Jessie Lee Daniels. https://www.instagram.com/kidcapri101/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ebede7ed-7e1a-4f82-8986-faefe1442727 #GreysAnatomy star #EllenPompeo accused #DenzelWashington of going “ham” while he directed an episode of the show. It took a while, but now the actor has responded to her comments.? Pompeo appeared on her “Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo” podcast last year, saying it was difficult for her to work with Washington when he helmed “The Sound of Silence,” which was the ninth episode of the 12th season of Grey’s Anatomy.? She also told Patrick Dempsey, who happened to be a guest on the podcast, that she and Washington “went at it” after she improvised a line of dialogue.? During Washington’s recent interview with Variety, he said that he doesn’t recall the incident and insists things are all good.? When asked about Pompeo’s comments, he replied, “No, no,” and then added that he cannot recall having a spat with Pompeo while on set. With a “slight grin,” as interviewer Clayton Davis noted, he then said, “But it’s all good.”? https://www.instagram.com/p/CYdAZDsNK7F/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Blue Ivy Carter the daughter of Beyonce and Jay Z turned 10 on Friday. Among the b-day salutes she received was this one from her grandmother, Tina Knowles-Lawson. “My beautiful Talented and super smart Grandaughter Blue Ivy turned 10 today,” the “Talks With Mama Tina” podcast host wrote on Instagram. “God it seemed like yesterday you came into the world running things. Blue is my little Capricorn Twin.” Lawson had even more to say about her beloved granddaughter. “I prayed for her to be born on my birthday, but she did what she always does, she came when she got good and ready ??three days later, but we still share the bond,” she shared. “She reminds me that ‘Grandma you are acting just like a Capricorn.’ Blue gives the best advice like a grown person I sometimes forget that she is so young!!!??!??. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mJLckxuk-f4/hqdefault.jpg ? Sally Moore’s belief in her power to “make magic” is unshakable. As Moore has faced challenges dished out by law school, high-stakes litigation cases and competitive entrepreneurial competitions, along with the destructive impact of breast cancer on her support circle, the magic has still been with her. Even during this present time of uncertainty for many, due to a global pandemic that does not seem to be lessening, Moore’s response is guided by her own magic, which in this instance involves opening a new business in the city she loves. “Energy is going to flood the space and we’ll watch what grows from having a collective group of individuals that are going in the same direction,” said Moore, four days before the grand opening of Parker Avenue in Rivertown, the only Black woman-owned yarn shop in the city of Detroit. A practicing attorney for 25 years and a self-described student of people for even longer, Moore has added “business owner” to her resume to “positively impact socioeconomic and racial disparity” in Detroit. More Black Americans are choosing plants. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 8% of African Americans identify as vegan or vegetarian compared to just 3% of the general population. Many people of color say they switched to a plant-based diet for the environment, animal rights and their health. Levi Tafari is the owner of The Good Life Food Truck in St. Petersburg. The business opened a little more than a year ago with a goal to veganize familiar foods. Tafari said he thinks more people of color are switching over to a plant-based diet because of the increase of information about nutrition currently available. “In this era, the age of information, I think people realize that it’s in the food we eat. It plays a role in our health.” Meanwhile, across the Bay in Tampa, Nick Alami is the owner of The Vegan Halal Cart with an all-vegan menu of gyros, wraps and shawarmas. He said about 40% to 60% of his clients are people of color. “It’s definitely growing in terms of people of color who want to participate more in a plant-based diet,” said Alami. Jean Oriol says he switched over to a plant-based diet four years ago to improve his health. “I could never forget my doctor, he was like, ‘you look like a Lamborghini with bad parts in it.’ And that changed my life,” said Oriol. According to Express, (via MSN) efforts have been made to eliminate private car ownership. A new measure in Southern California, the 2021 Regional Transportation Plan, was recently passed by the San Diego Association of Government’s board of directors. The Plan is a $160 billion initiative is an effort to boost public transportation for the metropolitan area. With such a price attached to the Plan, the question is how do officials fund it. Express notes of the options on the table, which is to levy a per-mile driving tax against citizens. Critics of the Plan and other fines and fees associated with it say that these options are designed to eliminate personal vehicle ownership for everyone but the wealthy. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eEDoITcc46Q/hqdefault.jpg On Friday, sentences for the three men who were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery have been handed down. The judge in the case, Timothy Walmsley, sentenced the three killers to life in prison, two of them without the possibility of parole. https://youtu.be/IQVA4uTBahk An NFL spokesperson recently said that the Super Bowl will take place in L.A. as originally planned, despite reports that replacement venues are being considered. The NFL is said to be eyeing a move to Dallas’ AT&T Stadium because of California’s strict mask mandate. But an NFL official said that Super Bowl LVI is still on for the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Feb. 13, per NBC Los Angeles. https://youtu.be/VdzUyYPN2S8 Screen legend and civil rights activist Sidney Poitier has passed away at age 94. His death was announced by the Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Independent reported. The actor was a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Bahamas, and served from 1997-2007 as Bahamian Ambassador to Japan, per TMZ. Poitier’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed. Tributes are pouring in on social media amid news of his passing. In a tweet, Emmy-winning actor Jeffrey Wright called Poitier “one of a kind” and noted his classic film “To Sir With Love.” Sidney’s legendary screen roles also include 1967’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and Detective Virgil Tibbs in “In the Heat of the Night” in 1967. “What a landmark actor. One of a kind. What a beautiful, gracious, warm, genuinely regal man,” Wright wrote. “RIP, Sir. With love.” Poitier was the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor for his starring role in “Lilies of the Field” in 1963. In 2009, President Barack Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Poitier for his tireless civil rights activism. Poitier is survived by his 6 daughters and wife of 45 years, Joanna. A savage attack captured on surveillance video shows a man suddenly and inexplicably strangling a woman with his shoelace, then pummeling her until a stranger comes to her rescue. The incident took place at a bus stop near Miami International Airport where riders pick up their rental cars. A woman was seated on the bench when a man who was tying his shoes, 27-year-old Aaron Quiñones, walked behind her with the shoelace and began strangling her. They struggled and fell to the ground. Quinones then began punching the woman repeatedly before a bystander carefully intervened, eventually grabbing him from behind before the video stops. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYXO1VXh08Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Peter Bogdanovich, the legendary director of “The Last Picture Show,” died shortly after midnight Thursday at his home. He was 82.The Oscar-nominated writer-director died of natural causes in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter, Antonia Bogdanovich, shared Thursday with The Hollywood Reporter (THR). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIb9OCCVgAANhHj?format=jpg&name=small Jessie Lee Daniels, founding member of the R&B group Force MDs, has died, the group announced via Facebook on Tuesday (Jan. 4). He was 58. No cause of death has been revealed at this time. “To one hell of a entertainer ‘Jessie D’ of legendary Force MDs. He ate, sleep and breathe music everyday,” read Force MDs’ message. “Please put a heart up for him. He was loved!!!!!!!!!! To the family, friends and fans today we lost a real talent. Our condolences goes out to his siblings, kids and the Force MDs….” Daniels was born July 4, 1963, in Staten Island, New York, where he and his nephews Stevie D. Lundy, Antoine “T.C.D.” Lundy and Rodney “Khalil” Lundy formed Force MDs — which stands for “Musical Diversity” — in 1981. Their friends “Trisco” Pearson and Charles “Mercury” Nelson later joined. Lawrence N. Brooks, the oldest World War II veteran in the U.S. — and believed to be the oldest man in the country, period — died Wednesday at the age of 112, reports the Associated Press. Born on Sept. 12, 1909, Brooks was known for his good-natured sense of humor, positivity and kindness. When asked for his secret to a long life, he often said, “serving God and being nice to people.” “I don’t have no hard feelings toward nobody,” he said during a 2014 oral history interview with the National WWII Museum (watch above). “I just want everything to be lovely, to come out right. I want people to have fun and enjoy themselves — be happy and not sad.” https://youtu.be/xbmAGqDA3ew On Thursday, former #NFL running back #ClintonPortis was sentenced to six months in prison and six months of home confinement after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.? Portis pled guilty in September to defrauding the program of nearly $100,000 by filing bogus medical equipment claims.? According to court documents, Portis permitted former NFL linebacker Robert McCune to make reimbursement claims for an oxygen chamber and a cryosauna on his behalf.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CYcBbi0lhOH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Gymnast Sunisa Lee recently revealed her new relationship to the world via an Instagram post. The Olympic gold medalist is now dating USC football player Jaylin Smith. The couple seemed very happy and comfortable with one another as they snuggled up from the gram. Smith, who plays defensive back for the Trojans was a standout Freshman who played in 9 games, had 11 tackles, a forced fumble, a sack, and inception. The former Bishop Alemany High star also appeared on Snoop Dogg’s Netflix show, “Coach Snoop.” After Suni Lee announced their relationship, she revealed that she’s been facing serious backlash from some of her fellow Hmong Americans because her boyfriend Jaylin Smith is black. https://www.instagram.com/sunisalee/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=01e35051-89e7-4d74-8ad4-b0f766c8bbd4 Last weekend, former Ohio State defensive back Marcus Williamson, who apparently retired from football before the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl game on Saturday, posted a lengthy Twitter thread recalling his experiences as a “young Black college athlete at the highest level.” Much of what Williamson had to say about the team was unflattering and had to do specifically with the exploitation of young Black athletes, an issue that has plagued college sports for some time now. And mentioned in the tweet-storm was former OSU football coach Urban Meyer, who left the team after the 2018 Rose Bowl and was fired as Jacksonville Jaguars coach last month. But there was one tweet from Williamson that stood out and sent Black Twitter into an easily understandable frenzy. Williamson revealed that in 2017, a team staffer used a photo of Trayvon Martin to illustrate a rule barring players from wearing hoodies in the football building. According to TMZ, On Sunday, Meyer denied the photo was used to enforce the rule and said Williamson’s tweets were way out of line. https://twitter.com/WW_Marcus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1477450297018654720%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4271922%2Fohio-state-football-team-staffer-used-a-photo-of-trayvon-martin-to-enforce-teams-no-hoodie-rule%2F The Karen videos keep getting wilder and wilder while offering more proof that Black people can’t mind their own business in peace without the entitled and privileged whites trying to assert their perceived authority over us. In the latest episode of The Wild And Washclothless, a white couple got all in their feelings when a Black man was served before them at a Hilton hotel in Rio de Janeiro on New Year’s Day, according to the Daily Dot. The Black man reportedly had priority as a Diamond member, but that fact didn’t stop an unhinged and violent white woman from attacking the Black man and getting her partner knocked out in the process. https://twitter.com/i/status/1477181245750755331 Dr. Dre could lose millions if his star-studded Super Bowl LVI halftime show is canceled due to COVID. As reported by TMZ, Dre is fronting the majority of the money for the show, which is scheduled to go down on Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The event is expected to feature Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. Since its creation, Amazon’s gender recognition software (“Rekognition“) has been on the wrong side of the radar for people of color. Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Serena Williams are experiencing first-hand how off the mark the company’s controversial system is, as it identified the women as men. Although the error is very hard to swallow, Sandra Rose cited MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini in revealing Amazon’s reaction, noting how the tech giant was dismissive in reiterating that its software is not “facial recognition, it’s gender recognition.” Still, Amazon’s gender and facial recognition software has more than enough critics who have put the system on blast for displaying gender and racial bias. A look at recent studies led by Buolamwini adds weight to the complaints as they found Amazon facial recognition software flawed with huge racial and gender bias on its part. https://youtu.be/NlJSDa_zLiQ Meagan Good says she is focusing on her continued therapy sessions following her divorce from pastor DeVon Franklin. Good and Franklin announced last month that they are calling it quits after nine years of marriage. The actress appeared on “The Real” on Wednesday where she opened up about her personal growth over the past year. “It’s been amazing, like so many transitions,” she said, as reported by People.”Projects that I prayed for, just health transitions, just taking a moment to really take everything in and get myself, my spirit, my soul ready for 40.” Good added, “It’s been a whirlwind with the show and the movies. It’s crazy. It’s a blessing.” https://youtu.be/XLEYKUlvQf0 The newest and third installment of WE tv’s ‘Love After Lockup/Life After Lockup’ franchise, “Love During Lockup,” premieres TONIGHT (Jan. 7), and follows even more riveting firsts through the early stages of love, with plenty of romance, suspicion, and investigation, all long before a scheduled prison release. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9hb5_ZA0jc0/hqdefault.jpg Larsa Pippen has finalized her divorce from NBA icon Scottie Pippen after more than 20 years together. “I can confirm that Scottie and Larsa Pippen are now divorced and that the divorce was finalized on December 15, 2021,” said Larsa’s attorney David Glass in a statement, EW reports. “All issues were resolved amicably. The parties are now focusing successfully co-parenting their remaining minor children.” Scottie initially filed for divorce in October 2016 and he and Larsa would go on to attempt a reconciliation. The divorce was called off until Larsa refiled two years later, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. We reported at the time that the former couple had multiple issues over the years — including reports of infidelity and spousal abuse. Prior to Larsa’s filing, cops came to their former family home for domestic disturbance calls, but no one was arrested. During one call, Larsa told cops Scottie scared her, TMZ reported. Rapper Jim Jones is trying to clean up a mess he created by running his mouth and saying crazy things that’s now come back to bite him. What he said about his mama Nancy showing him how to tongue kiss. Yep, he’s tryin’ to clarify his remarks once he became a trending topic on Twitter. “For the record, I love my momma more than anything in the world,” he said in an Instagram video. “And for the record, it was a joke. People take things way too far. It don’t bother us anyway, but let’s get it clear. That’s weak what y’all trying to project.” Jim Jones also tried to downplay the controversy in the post’s caption. “Knock it off enjoy the laugh stop takin life so serious,” he wrote. “Th media loves to take something so simple and tune into a head line smh lol. Stop it 5. My child hood was better than urs and I was raised to b a respectful young man by nothin but queens. But carry on don’t forget to stream. We set th trends Thnku for all th support.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYaFGVuqOtk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Singer-songwriter DOE, aka Dominique Jones, banks her second straight career-opening leader as a soloist on the Gospel Airplay chart, as “Brighter” hops from No. 5 to No. 1 on the list dated Jan. 8. In the tracking week ending Jan. 2, the single increased by 24% in plays, according to MRC Data. “Brighter” is DOE’s second solo Gospel Airplay entry and her first in a lead role. As featured on Travis Greene’s “Good & Loved,” she led for a week last May. (The song became Greene’s fifth No. 1.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykEUTNoFhaA One of the Dove Awards' highlights was an electric performance by Jonny x Mali. The seamless mash-up of "Best Thing" and "Jump Ship" was the experience we didn't even know we needed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK4rdlskLPM ONE MORE TIME: KORYN HAWTHORNE AT THE DOVE AWARDShttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6RR00sorE4 How can we best describe the meteoric rise of Blacksmoke recording artist Pastor Mike, Jr. other than AMAZING. In just a short time, this media influencer and celebrated life catalyst has admonished people from all walks of life to follow their passions and dream BIG, that was followed with the 'nu school" hymn of affirmation and actualization I Got It, today the 2021 Stellar Awards Artist of the Year echoes his awe inspiring Stellar Awards performance with the release of AMAZING. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8096502?date=20210730&user_id=668306&signature=aiYgZH8kf2zYq-8gYYCH7HhWavI%3AYE1IYNeq Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) and the Congressional Black Caucus released the reflections on the anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection: “We watched in horror as armed insurrectionists laid siege to the seat of our democracy. We feared for our lives and the lives of our staff. We bunkered down and sent prayers up — despite this, former President Trump refused to call off his sea of sycophantic supporters hoping to dismantle democracy as we know it. That infamous day is a painful stain that will resonate for years to come,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty. “January 6, 2021, is just one of the reasons why it is paramount we remain committed to ensuring voting rights are a priority. Passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act will fortify our democratic process, combat barriers to the ballot box, and targeted gerrymandering of our districts. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action so that we never see a day like January 6th, 2021 again.” Former President Jimmy Carter has warned democracy is in danger, that there is a risk of ‘civil conflict’ and urged Americans to ‘set aside their differences’. Writing in an op-ed in the New York Times as part of a series to mark the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, Mr Carter said that ‘our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss.’ He said he had hoped the breach of the Capitol would have ‘shocked the nation into addressing the toxic polarization that threatens our democracy’ but lamented that it had not. ‘Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss. Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy. Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late,’ he wrote. Last year, the 97-year-old joined fellow former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in denouncing the Capitol insurrection as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election. And on Wednesday, Mr Carter set out five steps ‘for American democracy to endure’ including that people ‘of all political stripes’ must agree on fundamental constitutional principles and the rule of law. He also called for the US to pass electoral reforms; resist the polarization of politics; recognize that violence has no place in politics; and stop the spread of disinformation. It comes as President Joe Biden prepares to mark the anniversary of the insurrection today with a speech blaming then-President Trump for the ‘chaos and carnage.’ The social media accounts Rosalind Page created are not easy to scroll through. On them, the names and photos of Black women and girls lost to violence appear one after another. There you will find the smiling face of Hope Cutts, a 43-year-old woman who was killed on Christmas Eve. There you will find the barrette-framed face of Aziya Matthews, a 3-year-old who was murdered on Dec. 20. There you will find the faces of 26-year-old Tabitha Collard, 54-year-old Jeazell Woodruff and 16-year-old Azariah Miller, all taken too soon from their communities. Page is a 52-year-old nurse who has been working in the health-care industry since she was 20 years old. She is also a Black mother of four daughters and someone who noticed about seven years ago that Black women and girls seemed to be dying at the hands of others at an “unacceptable rate.” “Not that any rate is acceptable,” she tells me on a recent evening. “But it was such a high rate I couldn’t understand why nothing was being said or done about it.” She also couldn’t understand why it wasn’t easier to find clear, accessible information about the victims. The numbers collected by federal agencies seemed an undercount to her, based on what she was seeing in the medical field and in the news. She also noticed the names and stories of the women and girls were scattered across news sites and often squeezed into briefs that said little about them. Several Midstate mayors were sworn in on Monday, but one is making history and that’s Gettysburg’s Rita Frealing. She’s the first African American and the first woman in the job. Frealing says there were many emotions in reaching this historic moment but also says it’s time to get to work. In position and set to be an ambassador for her community, Mayor of Gettysburg Rita Frealing says the community of Gettysburg molded her to who she is currently. https://www.abc27.com/news/local/breaking-barriers-first-african-american-and-woman-swore-in-as-mayor-of-gettysburg/ Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday formally pardoned Homer Plessy, the long-dead civil rights pioneer whose stand against racial segregation led to an infamous U.S. Supreme Court case. Edwards issued the pardon on the grounds of what is now the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, where Plessy bought a ticket for a train to Covington as part of an 1892 challenge to Louisiana’s racist Jim Crow laws. Plessy, a Creole man of African descent, was ultimately convicted of sitting in a Whites-only section of the train. Keith Plessy, his first cousin thrice removed, hailed the pardon as he stood near Edwards on Wednesday. “I feel like my feet are not touching the ground today, because the ancestors are carrying me,” Plessy said. After he was kicked off the train, Homer Plessy was charged in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. His case wound up in the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices said in the notorious 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson that Louisiana’s “separate but equal” laws were constitutional. Plessy pleaded guilty 125 years ago this month. He died in 1925, the conviction still on his record. The ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson stood until the Supreme Court reversed segregation laws, starting with Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Airbnb hosts in Oregon will soon be blocked from initially seeing the full names of guests, in an experiment aimed at curbing discrimination against Black travelers, the booking service announced. For two years, starting on Jan. 31, vacation landlords in Oregon offering houses and apartments for rent via the popular travel website will be able to see only the first initials of prospective guests. The guests’ full names will appear only after the booking is confirmed, Airbnb said. An Airbnb representative couched the policy change as an experiment in one state. “Given that the impact of this change is unknown, the implementation will be limited” to Oregon, Airbnb spokeswoman Liz DeBold Fusco said in a statement to NBC News on Tuesday. The COVID-19 Omicron variant is punishing small businesses across America, including those run by Black entrepreneurs. A fresh Alignable’s Omicron Pulse Poll shows that 69% of minority business owners are worried that the latest variant will affect their recovery and could hurt their business. That was the highest rate out of four different business segments surveyed. Minority businesses are not the only ones expressing concerns; 52% of women small business owners—or most of those firms—have similar sentiments. An online referral network for small businesses, Alignable’s poll last month of 5,632 small business owners reveals overall that 44% of small businesses are concerned about Omicron hurting their economic recovery, which was already challenging before the most recent poll. The latest figures show that minority businesses fear being hit harder by Omicron than some of their small business peers. Kanye West will headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, a source close to the artist said Wednesday. The news was first reported by Billboard. West (who now goes by Ye) is in the final stages of confirming festival-closing sets on consecutive Sundays, April 17 and 24. The April 17 set, which falls on Easter Sunday, would reportedly be a version of his Sunday Service gospel-themed show, which West brought to Coachella in 2019. An official announcement from Coachella promoter Goldenvoice is expected in the next few days. Other rumored headliners and top acts include Billie Eilish and the reunited EDM trio Swedish House Mafia. West recently performed at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 9 with Drake, in a benefit show for the imprisoned former Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover. He released his latest album, “Donda,” on Aug. 29, after a string of high-profile listening sessions. Global superstar, actress and activist Becky G released the latest episode of her Facebook Watch show, “Face to Face with Becky G.” She is joined by country singer and multi-Grammy nominee Mickey Guyton who shares her personal experiences confronting racism and sexism in the world of country music as a Black female artist. Guyton talks to host Becky G about how her destiny in music ultimately found her when meeting Nick Cannon’s DJ, DJ D-Wrek. “So, really, truly, your destiny finds you. And so of all the places, of all the people, I met this DJ,” Guyton shares on the show. “Like, Nick Cannon’s DJ, DJ D-Wrek. I ran into him and he said, ‘Hey, like, don’t you sing?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I do.’ He goes, ‘Well, what kind of music do you sing?’ This was a hip-hop DJ, okay? So I’m thinking, like, he has no connection to help me. And I was like, ‘Well, I sing country music.’ And he goes, ‘My boy, Julian, has been looking for a Black female country singer.’” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=601474704299405 Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o is the latest celebrity to test positive for COVID-19, a diagnosis which forced the star to cancel virtual interviews for her new movie “The 355.” Nyong’o shared news of her test results on social media, tweeting, “I too have tested positive for COVID-19. I’m fully vaccinated and taking care in isolation, so I trust I will be well. Please do all you can to keep yourself and others protected from serious illness.” The actor added the hashtag “#StayMaskedAndVaxxed” at the end of her message. Prior to testing positive, Nyong’o intended to join her co-stars Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing, Sebastian Stan and director Simon Kinberg for a round of virtual interviews promoting the espionage thriller, which lands in theaters on Friday. Nyong’o plays Khadijah, a former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist, in the fast-paced, globe-trotting movie which brings together a formidable foursome of top agents (Chastain, Kruger, Nyong’o and Cruz) as they try to retrieve a top-secret weapon that’s fallen into mercenary hands, all while staying one step ahead of the mysterious Lin Mi Sheng (Fan), who is tracking their every move. Things aren’t looking great for one of hip-hop artist 2Chainz‘s businesses. Workers at one of his restaurants in Atlanta have accused the rapper of hiring a manager who is a known sex offender and maintaining an environment that is harmful to the employees who work there. Also, the business is also accused of issuing bounced checks. An employee at Escobar Restaurant & Tapas posted the accusations and misdeeds to her Instagram account last week. Shalyse (playgirllysiee) posted on December 20 that the general manager, Lawrence Robertson, shot at her as she was leaving the restaurant. Shalyse didn’t know why he would attempt to shoot her but that he “fled the scene” before facing any repercussions. After stating that no one from management checked in on her, 2Chainz’s co-owner, Snoop (Mychel Dillard), actually rehired Robertson to work at the other restaurant the two co-own, Esco Seafood despite knowing what he had done that night. The Manhattan Theatre Club’s Broadway production of Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew starring Phylicia Rashad has canceled performances through Sunday, Jan. 9, due to breakthrough Covid cases within the company. The play’s opening night, originally scheduled for Jan. 19, will be moved to a later date. Previews are expected to resume the week of Jan. 10. Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Skeleton Crew began performances Dec. 27 at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The production marks the play’s Broadway debut. In addition to Rashad, the cast includes Chanté Adams, Joshua Boone, Brandon J. Dirden and Adesola Osakalumi. There are white teachers who have no business teaching Black students and then there are teachers who don’t belong anywhere near a classroom at all. One “educator” who was recently fired from a Louisville, Kentucky, high school appears to fit both descriptions. Meet William Bennett. According to Louisville Courier-Journal, Bennett was a teacher at Marion C. Moore High School up until December when he was finally terminated more than three months after being caught on video fighting a Black student back in August. Bennett can be seen in footage recorded by a bystander pinning the Black teen to the ground while other students attempted to pull him off. The video also shows Bennett forcefully grabbing the student’s hair and bending him over while the student swung blindly. https://twitter.com/i/status/1431243510695464968 The HBCU community received some disturbing news to start the New Year. Multiple institutions were on alert after receiving threats of potential violence on Tuesday. Howard University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Prairie View A&M University, Texas Southern University, Xavier University of Louisiana and other historically Black colleges and universities each received bomb threats on Tuesday. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com During a Tuesday press conference in which the mayor urged businesses to return to the office instead of working remotely so employees can better protect themselves from Omicron and the pandemic, Adams made a mistake one would usually expect from conservative Republicans—he referred to undervalued laborers as “low skilled.” Adams went on to say that businesses need to remind workers that they are part of the “ecosystem of this city” and that means contributing to its economy. “My low-skilled workers, my cooks, my dishwashers, my messengers, my shoe-shine people, those who work at Dunkin’ Donuts—they don’t have the academic skills to sit in the corner office,” he continued. https://twitter.com/i/status/1478455659054223366 Considering the mounting opposition to critical race theory, it’s important to put the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in its proper historical perspective and document the decidedly racist elements that helped fuel the riots and define that moment’s legacy. One year after the violent uprising that left five people dead, a glaring double standard along racial lines remains impossible to ignore for anyone paying attention. The purpose of the so-called “Stop the Steal” rally was to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden‘s presidential election based on “the big lie” that nonexistent voter fraud played a role in his victory over Donald Trump, a racist whose rhetoric is being blamed for helping to incite the rioters. But if you peel back a few layers of that racist onion, you might recall how Trump falsely blamed states with significant Black voting populations that provided the deciding electoral college votes to secure Biden’s win. https://twitter.com/i/status/1346920198461419520 Last Jan. 6, photographer Mel D. Cole had only recently turned his lens from musical events to political ones. That day, he simply planned to capture President Donald Trump’s rally near the White House. He had no idea how the day would unfold. His compelling images show rioters struggling with police, tending to their pepper-sprayed eyes, forcing their way into the Capitol and dragging an officer down the building’s steps. “In no way, shape or fashion did I expect people to do what they did that day,” he said. “Some people got in [to the Capitol], there were fights, there was craziness. It was the craziest day of my entire life. Cole remembers feeling panic set in as the rioters made their way to the Capitol after Trump’s speech at the rally. “Walking down to the Capitol building,” he said, “that’s when I started to fear for my life.” Before he began shooting protests and riots, Cole spent decades as a music photographer, capturing images of hip-hop and R&B stars, including Kid Cudi, Snoop Dogg, SZA and Kanye West. A suspect wanted in connection to the murder of rapper Young Dolph has been identified by U.S. Marshals. A warrant has been issued by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for 23-year-old Justin Johnson, Complex reports. Authorities and Crime Stoppers are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Johnson is facing a first-degree murder charge. “Johnson has ties to organized criminal gangs and should be considered armed and dangerous,” according to a statement posted Wednesday on the Twitter account of the Memphis Police Department in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. https://youtu.be/6GswayYSx-k Looking radiant, well-rested and sporting a sweatshirt with the words “Over It,” Whoopi Goldberg dropped into “The View” Wednesday to update viewers on her health after testing positive for COVID-19. https://youtu.be/VzlHCMu7_Io Jill Scott sparked pandemonium on Twitter Tuesday night when she became a trending topic on the platform over an explicit sex tape that doesn’t exist. “Jill Scott sex tape? Somebody link me please,” read one tweet, as reported by Rap-Up. Another Twitter user asked, “What’s this bout Jill Scott? And most importantly where.” A third joked: “If Jill Scott got a sextape ….. I’m calling out of work tomorrow.” That fact that there is no evidence that such a tape exists, Scott’s fans seem to be relentless in their pursuit of the clip, with one tweet reading: “The way we’re all searching for this link among these tweets and finding a whole lotta nothing…” “I sing/act out all kinds of stories. You should cum to my shows,” she joked at the time. “After a Jill Scott show, most people get splendidly laid by whoever they came with…They also usually go on 2happier, more productive, focused, wealthy lives.” https://youtu.be/dDCQbYplqRA Tampa Bay wide receiver Antonio Brown released a statement via his lawyer explaining why he removed his jersey during Sunday night’s game against the Jets and walked off the field. The move reportedly prompted Bucs head coach Bruce Arians to boot Brown from the team after he said he was too hurt to continue playing. Brown had missed several games due to an injured ankle and apparently, the athlete had not fully recovered ahead of Sunday’s match-up against the Jets. “Coach was telling me that if I didn’t play hurt, I was done with the Bucs,” Brown claimed. After his refusal to play because of his ankle injury, he claims Arians “threw me out like an animal,” Brown added. “I said, ‘Coach, I can’t.’ He didn’t call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, ‘YOU’RE DONE!’ while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn’t play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1477736729331343362 The team announced Thursday that Brown’s contract has been terminated effective immediately. In a statement, the Bucs claimed the wide receiver never indicated he was too hurt to play in last Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. Brown, on the other hand, claimed in a lengthy statement released yesterday that he did inform the club that he could not play, however, Coach Bruce Arians still wanted him in the game. “While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday’s game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game and at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play.” “We have attempted, multiple times throughout this week, to schedule an evaluation by an outside orthopedic specialist, yet Antonio has not complied. Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization,” the Bucs said Thursday. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYZfOCjJAvX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Model Chanel Iman and New York Giants player Sterling Shepard are divorcing after 4 years of marriage. As reported by Page Six, Shepard reportedly filed for divorce from Iman on June 7, 2021, citing irreconcilable differences that “existed for at least six months” prior to Shepard’s filing. The documents note there is “no reasonable prospect of reconciliation.” Shepard is requesting joint legal custody of their two children. https://youtu.be/dPm5bnz0GNo Don Lemon clapped back at his haters during a drunken rant while hosting CNN’s live New Year’s Eve celebration stream along with fellow anchor Alisyn Camerota and comedian Dulce Sloan on December 31. Lemon’s antics became meme material on social media. During the broadcast, he ranted about his “haters” and why they target him. “I don’t give a — what you think about me, what do you think about that. I am who I am,” Lemon said. “I’m a grown, successful black man who a lot of people hate because they’re not used to people seeing me – and people like me – in the position that I am. To be able to share what I…my point of view on television, it freaks people out. And you know what? You can kiss my behind. I do not care.” Lemon continued, “I don’t care. I really don’t care. I have one life and this is who I am and I feel very, um…” before Sloan completed his sentence by saying: “blessed”. “To be able to do this. So all the hate I get? It’s motivation to me. Bring it, I don’t care.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1477160183742840836 Urban One announced the superstar group of honorees for the upcoming URBAN ONE HONORS including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspirational Impact; and Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon. Hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, the two-hour telecast premieres Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at 8/7c, on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHkNV8xJuhE Line Sisters follows four sorority sisters- Valerie (LeToya Luckett), Cassandra (Kierra Sheard-Kelly), Simona (Ta’Rhonda Jones) and Dominique (Drew Sidora) – as they reunite at a Black Greek Weekend celebration held on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Having pledged the Alpha Beta Omega Sorority, Inc., they share more than the bonds of sisterhood, after the mysterious death of the dean of pledges 15 years prior. But the past comes knocking on their door as they arrive to the island and strange and inexplicable things begin to happen to each one of them, threatening to unearth the deadly secret that may tear them apart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2db5kvVD-E CLEO TV will air a the season finale of CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Wednesday, January 5th at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPzuwyXj8C4 Powerhouse real estate broker and designer Egypt Sherrod and her husband, builder Mike Jackson, know plenty about juggling booming property businesses, pleasing clients, managing a home and raising three daughters—and they make it look effortless and fun in their new HGTV series Married to Real Estate. In the eight-episode season, which premieres on Thursday, Jan. 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available to stream on discovery+, Egypt and Mike will marry their considerable complementary talents to help families land a perfect home in their ideal neighborhood. Egypt will leverage her knowledge of the housing market, financial prowess, and design sensibilities—skills she honed in her business life and as the star of her HGTV hit series Property Virgins and Flipping Virgins—to find affordable houses in desirable Metro Atlanta locations for her clients. And, with smart expenditures that yield breathtaking results, Mike and his team will renovate the properties to help increase their value and return on investment. Collide Distribution and Iconic Events announce the release of inspirational film TYSON'S RUN. Featuring Major Dodson ("The Walking Dead," "American Horror Story," LEFT BEHIND), Rory Cochrane (ARGO, "CSI: Miami"), Amy Smart (THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, JUST FRIENDS), Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi (CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, BLADE RUNNER 2049) and Reno Wilson ("Mike and Molly," "The Cosby Show"), TYSON'S RUN will release in select movie theaters nationwide on March 4, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEqSj5esw7k The Gospel Spotlight's "Firm Foundation (He Won't)" written by Chandler Moore, Cody Carnes & Austin Davis. This video was captured in Chicago, IL during Maverick City’s national tour, Welcome to Maverick City, October 1st, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOP4s8fOEm0 A conservative journalist for the Christian Broadcasting Network David Brody, didn’t even bother waiting for the subject of BLM to come up before he lashed out at the movement because *checks notes* he made the decision to drive in the snow Monday. “Today in DC. They knew a snowstorm was coming for days,” Brody tweeted accompanied by a photo he presumably took of the icy D.C. road he was driving on (which is a weird thing to do if one is concerned for their safety). “Apparently, ‘black lives matter’ but the lives of people driving in a snowstorm don’t.” Brody eventually tried to clear things up by pretending those responding to him were the ones who were lacking in logic. “Congratulations to those who have misunderstood my words,” he wrote. “Not surprising on Twitter. I’m not talking about black people. I’m talking about the BLM movement and the support they get from the DC Government. Settle down trolls.” Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet is now former Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet now that she has finally resigned following the fallout from an N-word-laced rant being caught on camera and going viral. First, let’s just acknowledge a tiny bit of sweet irony. A Black man allegedly tried to burglarize Odinet’s home setting off a series of events that led to a racist judge removing herself from the bench and away from a position to hold the lives or livelihoods of Black defendants in her hands. I’m not saying the Black man should have tried to rob her, I’m just saying the universe works in mysterious ways. https://twitter.com/i/status/1470957535675006979 Kamala Harris aide has said adios and joined the exodus of staffers leaving the vice president’s office amid claims of turmoil and dysfunction. On Wednesday, CNBC reported that Vincent Evans, Harris’ deputy director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs, has quit to take on a role on Capitol Hill. The now another ex-Harris staffer is departing the VP’s office to join the Congressional Black Caucus, which is chaired by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) and advocates for minorities. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yxDLKgO9jvw/hqdefault.jpg Manhattan’s new district attorney Alvin Bragg has ordered his staff to stop seeking prison sentences for a slew of low-level offenses, and to only seek bail in certain cases. Bragg’s prosecutors are to never seek life sentences for any crime, according to a memo sent to employees on Monday, the New York Post reports. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Q9Nfhp4eeg/hqdefault.jpg Teachers in the nation’s third-largest school district voted Tuesday for a temporary return to remote learning amid the omicron surge, and city leaders reacted by canceling classes for most of the district’s 330,000 students. The Chicago Teachers Union voted late Tuesday to pause in-person learning in the nation’s third-largest school district and work remotely until Jan. 18, or until the current surge in COVID-19 cases dips below a particular threshold. The move has angered Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who accuses the teachers of hindering the district’s 330,000 students unnecessarily. https://cbsloc.al/3HG4xRB George Floyd’s 4-year-old great niece Arianna Delane was hit by a stray bullet while asleep in her Houston bedroom, in what her father claimed was a targeted attack of their home. Arianna survived the shooting and is recovering following emergency surgery for a punctured lung and liver. She also suffered three broken ribs. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-sIWnZSRoSk/hqdefault.jpg A mother and Mississippi police officer was in for a terrible surprise after she was dispatched to respond to a shooting that had taken place Sunday night. Upon arriving to the scene, Officer Laquandia Cooley found her son dead. “We initially responded to the call, not knowing when I made it over there, the person was going to be my son that was laying there,” Officer Cooley told WLBT-TV. “As we get out, I look and I was like, ‘This is my son, this is my son.’ So, I literally just go into a break down you know? Like, why? Who would do this to my son?” “I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing,” she said. “I was seeing my own son laying there on the ground dead. It was pretty much a panic. It was just, it was too much.” Cooley’s 20-year-old son, Charles Stewart Jr., died from a gunshot wound to the head. The family says his death is traumatizing. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYWaX-sKYUS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Nicki Minaj has denied bribing the woman who was allegedly raped by the rapper’s husband in 1994. The woman, Jennifer Hough, is locked in a legal battle with the couple after accusing them of trying to intimidate, threaten, bribe, and harass her. She accused Kenneth Petty of rape when they were both 16. He was initially charged with first-degree rape but pleaded guilty to attempted rape, and he served more than four years in a New York state prison. Minaj addressed the accusations in a filing last month. “During the call, I never asked her to change her story; I never offered her any money in return for a statement, and I did not threaten her with any type of harm if she chose not to provide a statement,” Minaj reportedly claimed in legal documents, as reported by Complex. “In fact, I emphatically told her that I did not want her to lie about anything and to tell the truth about what she had just revealed to me only if she was comfortable with doing so.” Lil Wayne’s security guard is said to be considering taking legal action against the rapper for allegedly pulling an assault rifle on him during an argument. As reported by TMZ, the incident occurred at Weezy’s Hidden Hills, CA home in early December, and the altercation escalated to physical violence. The outlet writes, “We’re told the guard claims Wayne told him to get outta the house after the initial dispute, but the guard went to the bathroom first and he claims that’s when Wayne dramatically escalated things.” The hip-hop star allegedly brandished a firearm during the argument about accusations that the guard had leaked pictures online. The security guard reportedly called police and by the time authorities arrived, Wayne had fled, according to the report. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2IH8tNQAzSs/hqdefault.jpg A completely unsubstantiated rumor about an alleged sex tape of the celebrated soul singer, songwriter and actress Jill Scott went viral on Tuesday night and seemed to break the entire internet — or, at least, the portion where Black users log online. That was evidenced by Black Twitter, in particular, which, um, reacted, er, strongly, shall we say, with a wide range of virtual emotions expressed with the wittiest, timeliest — and most hilarious — memes and gifs. https://twitter.com/i/status/1478515920763039750 Maralee Nichols via her spokesman has released a statement reacting to confirmation that Tristan Thompson is the father of her child. ristan confirmed that he did father his third baby with Maralee while publicly apologizing to his ex-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian for his actions. He said, “Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols,” Thompson, 30, wrote on Monday. “I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established I look forward to amicably raising our son.” He continued, “I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both privately and publicly.” In a statement sent to @Pagesix, Maralee Nichols’ publicist said: “There was never any doubt that Tristan Thompson was the father of Maralee Nichols’ baby. Kanye West is the subject of a captivating new biography by author, professor and Hip-Hop culture analyst Dr. Joshua Wright. Scheduled for release on February 1st, it is entitled, “Wake Up Mr. West: Kanye West and the Double Consciousness of the Black Celebrity.” Wright, a professor at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., and host of the NPR One podcast Woke History, may have figured it out. “Kanye is the ultimate contrarian,” Dr. Wright said. “Whatever people say he should do, he will do the exact opposite. For example, when the norm was for rappers to wear baggy clothes and talk about drugs, hustling, and gangsta stuff, he came out with the pink Polo, backpack, and loafers saying, “I’m so self-conscious.” Then, when you fast-forward to the 2018 TMZ interview, and he’s wearing the MAGA hat and saying slavery is a choice, here is the contrarian again.” Dr. Wright indicates that his theories are solely to open the doors for more dialogue around one of the music industry’s first billionaires. He expects a broader discussion regarding black celebrities and the tightrope they must inevitably walk between two worlds – one black, one white. This dilemma is the double consciousness that the noted scholar W.E.B. DuBois spoke of in the late 19th century. Jamie Foxx is back as Electro/Maxwell Dillon in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” after last playing the role in 2014’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the first $1 billion grossing global title of the pandemic, and now there’s talk of an Electro solo project starring Foxx, Hip Hollywood reports. While we wait for confirmation on that, check out excerpts below from Foxx’s conversation with Marvel.com about reprising the role opposite Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6KLanif-F9k/hqdefault.jpg A slew of iconic Black music artists will be honored at the 2022 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame awards ceremony on Feb. 17 in Atlanta. The event is timed with Black History Month, with Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, Jr., Cicely Tyson and Ray Charles named 2022 foundational inductees. Per Billboard, “For the first time, the organization is unveiling its international fan favorite category, in which Bob Marley and Fela Kuti are in the running. The category enables fans to participate by casting votes for their favorite artist,” the outlet writes. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXuHvOlvASy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=2aa17a31-a494-4526-85c2-20921eca9d13 Dallas resident Thalía LeBlanc (@thalialeblanc on TikTok) has been making TikToks documenting her symptoms after getting infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Leblanc has talked at length about the disease after it killed her father, a north Texas pediatrician, in December 2020. Tulane University’s Dr. Susan Hassig also weighs in on the symptoms and how long LeBlanc should wait before getting her vaccine booster. The omicron variant of Covid-19 now makes up nearly all sequenced cases in the U.S., driving a massive increase of infections across the nation that threatens to strain hospitals and disrupt daily life. Omicron represented 95% of sequenced Covid cases in the U.S. during the week ending New Year’s Day, while the once-dominant delta variant is now only 4.6% of sequenced cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC regularly collects specimens of the virus that causes Covid and analyzes their genetic sequences to identify new variants and determine which strains of the virus are circulating in the U.S Soulja Boy claims he is done with rapping and is now focused on becoming a serious actor. “I’m an actor now,” he said while promoting a new TV show on Instagram Live. “2022, my new TV show coming out January 21 [with] Revolt TV, shout-out to P. Diddy.” The hip-hop star continued, “Being Draco, new TV show January 21, 2022, we going into the year with all positive energy, you know what I’m saying?” Soulja Boy also noted that he is no longer beefing with some of his rap rivals. “I ain’t got no smoke, no problems, no nothin,’” the Chicago native said. “All I’m doing is TV show and movies.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYPAD2tAyjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Snoop Dogg was tapped to help announce the nominees for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards in December and he hilariously mispronounced some of the names. He botched Ben Affleck’s name, director Denis Villeneuve’s name and Ciarán Hinds’ first name. Affleck laughed it off during his appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Monday. https://youtu.be/pBZuJ5zjtO8 Cher and Saweetie have joined forces for MAC cosmetic’s newest campaign, Challenge Accepted. Per Variety, the campaign dropped on Jan. 4 alongside an inspirational promo video. In it, Cher is seen wearing her iconic outfit from the 1975 cover of “Time.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bvhkrUkAu98/hqdefault.jpg The sixth season of “Growing Up Hip Hop” kicked off earlier this year with deep-seeded family heartbreak and broken relationships…ending mid-season with an explosive talent showcase where everyone was butting heads, per WE tv press release. Season 6 returns this week with 12 brand new episodes and its biggest cast to date! https://youtu.be/ogUQGPQWYXg A photo showing a 2-year-old Black boy mesmerized by his resemblance to a character in Disney’s “Encanto” has gone viral, with viewers pointing to the power of representation on screen. ABC News’ Will Ganss interviewed the family behind the image of 2-year-old Kenzo gazing at the character of Antonio, a young boy in the film who is gifted with the ability to speak to animals, and has an uncanny resemblance to Kenzo. “I truly believe that he thought it was him,” said the toddler’s mom Kaheisha Brooks. “He kept staring at the screen and looking back at us and smiling.” His father, Keith Brooks, added: “It did make me feel a little bit emotional, just to think that my son was able to see this and have this experience. And just for so many other Black and brown boys and girls to be able to have that same experience now, I think that is amazing.” https://youtu.be/YM7t6Pa5KOc Andrea Rene Williams Sings National Anthem For Georgetown Hoyas This Friday! TV ONE announced today that JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ returns for season 4 on CLEO TV. The popular cooking show will kick off its premiere episode featuring popular television personality and Harlem native, Bevy Smith on Wednesday, January 12th at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Chef JJ, one of the culinary world’s most sought after stars, invites you into his kitchen to experience his delicious delights with celebrity friends and influencers. In this season of the hot cooking show, Chef JJ will introduce exciting global cuisine to celebrity friends while turning up the heat with friendly cook-offs. This season welcomes guests Bevy Smith, LeA Robinson, Camillya Masunda, DJ Cool V and many more. January gives us time to refllect upon the life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who believed that collective efforts would help us to make the world a better place. Even through Black Lives Matter and Covid, we believe in the power of these words"Peace on that bright shore, where we'll study war no more" Someway, somehow, someday. Ryan Vincent Ford & Ministry drops Someday (Tribute to Edwin Hawkins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWC0vcfC5DE&feature=youtu.be James Johnson is an award winning singer and songwriter and AGREE is the song that makes a statement on believing in the power of God in spite of the odds. James delivers a powerful Gospel message based on his own life experiences to encourage and uplift the hearts and minds of people everywhere to trust God and AGREE with what the Word of God has already said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYQXJvjp7e4&feature=youtu.be Famed film and television producer Tracey Edmonds is speaking about her latest work as EP on BET’s hit drama series “Games People Play.” Based on Angela Burt-Murray’s critically acclaimed book, “Games Divas Play,” the series, per press release, is a sexy, stylized one-hour drama about the L.A. high life, featuring a cast of characters where everyone plays to win, including a basketball player navigating both his equally rocky personal life and NBA career, a newly appointed team marketing executive who’s got a lot to prove, a tenacious journalist desperately seeking the truth and a struggling actress with a scandalous past. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YerJNi4hEbQ/hqdefault.jpg The Recording Academy is seeking a new venue to host the 64th annual Grammy Awards amid the rise in the COVID-19 Omicron variant. “They’re having trouble finding a venue and they’re looking at the Hollywood Bowl because it’s outside,” one source said, Page Six reports. The telecast was originally set to go down live at the Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena, formerly the Staples Center, on Jan. 31, 2022. But on Monday Billboard magazine reported that the show will likely be postponed due to the pandemic. “They have to block off a venue for a week or like ten days to provide rehearsal time. That’s at least the requirement for the Crypto.com Arena, so that complicates things. They’re having a hard time getting it for that block,” one insider said. The top nominees for the 64th annual Grammy Awards are Jon Batiste (11), Justin Bieber (8), Doja Cat (8), H.E.R. (8), Billie Eilish (7) and Olivia Rodrigo (7). https://youtu.be/UrW352Kc1mQ Songstress and radio personality Alyson Williams, the first lady of Def Jam, has been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness but is said to be doing better, according to insiders with knowledge about her ailing health. Williams, host of Love Notes w/ Alyson Williams In The Chill Zone on WHCR 90.3 FM, reportedly has a long road to recovery, sources state. As reported by SoulTracks, her reps have indicated that “she is moving in the right direction but it will take some time” https://youtu.be/Tk32jv1mCrk La La Anthony says she wants to find love like married couple Ciara and Russell Wilson‘s. The actress and divorced mother of one son hit up her Instagram on Saturday to share a photo of her rocking brown lingerie. She captioned the image: “I brought in the New Year a little different this year. Kept things calm which is not my usual AT ALL lol but instead of being down about it I had to remind myself maybe that’s exactly what I needed.” “Time to myself & time with me & Kiyan just to reflect & be grateful for all the blessings in our lives,” La La added. “We wrote down some goals & manifestations for 2022 so cheers to that. Wishing everyone an amazing New Year with more LOVE more BLESSINGS, GOOD HEALTH and most of all HAPPINESS.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYNWB_Stjae/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=2f262547-6c1d-4d2d-8b57-1380aab0cec6 Rapper Eve kicked off the New Year by sharing photos on Instagram of her pregnancy journey. “Can’t believe how soon I’m gonna be meeting this little person ???????” she captioned a post of her herself showing off her baby bump. Eve and her husband Maximillion Cooper are expecting their first child together in February. The Grammy Award winner initially announced the big news in October. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYQ4EfxMXAP/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ffb13de7-54e2-4d89-ab24-abc231fbf887 During Lamar Odom’s 2019 interview with TV One’s “Uncensored,” the former pro basketball player revealed that he dated actress Taraji P. Henson back in the day, but dumped her for his now ex-wife Khloe Kardashian. “I met Taraji at [an] HBO party. I met her and we hit it off right away,” the retired NBA player explained, as reported by AceShowbiz. Odom said he “really, really started liking her,” and noted that he should have “done things [differently] with her.” “She was a little older than me but I learned a lot from her because that was the most significant relationship as a grown-up that I had with a black woman,” Lamar said. “I used to carry her picture on the road with me,” he added. “She gave me inspiration… A black woman working like that, that’s just as good at her craft as I am in my craft,” he continued. Lamar said he ended things with Taraji as he fell in love with Khloe. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cq07Gztz4A0/hqdefault.jpg Singer Omarion has been at the center of online jokes and memes amid the rise of the latest variant of COVID-19, Omicron. The R&B artist has heard all the jokes about his name compared to this latest variant, and he too seems to be having a bit of fun with it. “Hi, this is Omarion. I am an artist, not a variant,” he said in a TikTok video posted Saturday. “So please be aware, if you just so happen to run into me on the street, you don’t have to isolate for five days, nor do you have to have a negative test result to dance to my music.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1477339953961082880 It looks like #AndyCohen isn’t losing his holiday gig with #CNN, despite bubbling rumors! The television host went viral just a few days ago for his rant against former New York City Mayor #BilldeBlasio, along with additional unprofessional comments. His opinions of the mayor being “horrible” influenced calls for CNN to cut him loose from the holiday special. But, according to a statement provided to @people, we’ll be seeing Andy host ‘New Year’s Eve Live’ again. “Andy said something he shouldn’t have on live tv,” a CNN spokeswoman told People. “We’ve addressed it with him and look forward to having him back again next year.” The morning after saying “sayonara sucka” to Bill on live television, Andy admitted he might’ve had a touch too much drank. He wrote on Twitter saying, “um, I was a bit overserved last night.” Andy’s commentary about the former mayor centered on how folks, including himself, Democrats and Republicans, felt about Bill’s time in office. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYSu0fzB-OP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The lieutenant governor of Texas, a Republican who has attempted to politicize the pandemic along racial, age and party lines, tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to reports. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been isolating himself and has since tested negative after experiencing mild symptoms, his senior adviser Allen Blakemore said in a statement on Monday. He was being treated with Regeneron’s monoclonal antibodies, which the FDA granted emergency authorization because of the pandemic. It was unclear when exactly Patrick tested positive for COVID-19. However, critics are likely to wonder not only why Patrick wasn’t more forthcoming immediately following finding out his diagnosis, but also whether he knew how he was infected by the virus. A Little Rock police chief is on administrative leave after accidentally shooting a woman while aiming at a suspect. According to the Daily Mail, Chief Keith Humphrey was involved in the New Year’s Eve shooting after he encountered a disturbance in front of a Superstop in the 5100 block of Asher Avenue. Humphrey was arriving at the scene when he saw an altercation involving a man and a woman, identified as 22-year-old Kelecia Mayo. In a video shared on social media, a second woman identified as 29-year-old Taz Hayes is seen shooting into a crowd of bystanders in an attempt to defend the man, Black Enterprise reports. That’s when Humphrey pulled out his service weapon and aimed at Hayes – but he missed and injured Mayo. She was hospitalized in critical condition. https://youtu.be/S80rYTywZ5E Herschel Walker the ex-football player who is looking to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate brought in 2022 with a message for the American people—which is to say he mumble rapped through a bunch of generic right-wing talking points and called it “a few things to think about as we start the New Year.” Now, it’s not exactly easy to make out what all Walker was saying in the video because he was either drunk or there’s a noxious gas leak in the sunken place that whoever does maintenance down there needs to see about, but, according to The Guardian, he was attacking Democratic policies like that of his opponent Sen. Raphael Warnock and President Joe Biden. https://twitter.com/i/status/1477430332827869188 It’s always been clear that Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has made it her political goal to become the Donald Trump sequel. Well, Greene should be happy now that she’s followed in the ex-president’s footprints and gotten herself permanently suspended from Twitter for spreading dangerous misinformation—and yet she appears to be really salty about it. Greene said in a statement through her office on Sunday that she got her Twitter fingers chopped off for tweeting statistics from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). According to NBC News, “anyone can report an adverse event to the system, which operates under the Department of Health and Human Services.” In other words, any QMoron with a medical degree from the prestigious University of If It’s On YouTube It Must be True can post nonsense on the site, which is why the department has warned that VAERS is “not designed to determine if a vaccine caused a health problem.” But Greene’s suspension didn’t happen over one incident, according to Twitter, which said in a statement that “repeated violations” landed her on the permanently unfollowed list. “We permanently suspended the account you referenced (@mtgreenee) for repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy,” the statement read. “We’ve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy.” Dr. Ben Carson appeared on Hannity on Fox News last week where he touted the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as treatments against COVID-19. “The Biden White House – they downplay anything that is not ‘Get the shot. Boost, boost, boost,’” said Hannity guest host Pete Hegseth. “That’s pretty much all we hear time and time again. Why can’t they make a shift to the things that have actually worked or there’s evidence they are effective as well?” “It’s very sad because the rest of the world looks to the United States for leadership,” said Carson. “And we’re not providing it.” Carson continued, “Look around the world. “Nigeria, for instance. The mortality rate in Nigeria from Covid 14 per million. In this country, it’s 2,200 per million.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1476866423011962883 Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested on Monday for misdemeanor DUI following his team’s win against the Indianapolis Colts. As reported by TMZ, police found Hobbs, 22, asleep inside his car, which was parked on the exit ramp of a parking garage near The Cromwell Hotel in Las Vegas. He was arrested after failing field sobriety tests. Hobbs was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on January 3 on one count of misdemeanor DUI. A court date is set for May. A spokesperson for the Raiders told NFL.com: “The organization has been in communication with local law enforcement and is in the process of gathering more information,” the statement read, per NFL.com. “We will have no further comment at this time.” The Duggar family invited dozens of guests to their Arkansas home on New Year’s Eve. Jim Bob and Michelle were seen speaking to friends and praying together. Other family members in attendance included Justin and his wife Claire, Jason, Johanna, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Jana, who recorded the scene for Instagram. The festivities included a musical performance, drone play outside, and over a dozen boxes of Domino’s pizza. The Duggars’ oldest son Josh, 33, was found guilty on December 9 of receiving and possessing child pornography. He is in solitary confinement and is currently awaiting sentencing, which could land him up to 20 years behind bars. Jay Weaver, a musician with the contemporary Christian band Big Daddy Weave, has died following a battle with COVID-19, his brother announced. The bassist, who also performed vocals for the group, was 42. His brother, Mike Weaver, said in an Instagram video late Sunday that “Jay went to be with Jesus just a couple hours ago.” Jay and Mike Weaver helped launch Big Daddy Weave in 1998 in Mobile, Ala. Known for songs such as “Redeemed” and “Jesus I Believe,” the band has released eight studio albums that landed within the top 20 on the U.S. Christian music charts, including three that cracked the top 10. Mike Weaver, who is the band’s lead singer, praised fans for supporting his brother during an “uphill battle.” Jay, whose given name was Jason Weaver, was diagnosed with diabetes years earlier, and had both feet amputated in 2016 after he contracted an infection, according to the website Christian Post. “The Lord used him in such a mighty way out on the road for so many years,” Mike Weaver said Sunday. “Anybody who’s in contact with him knows just how real his faith in Jesus was. I believe that even though COVID may have taken his last breath, Jesus was right there to catch him.” Rapper J $tash, 28, allegedly shot his girlfriend of one year Jeannette Gallegos, 28, in the master bedroom of their LA home on New Year’s Day while Gallegos’ children were in front of the room’s door. The three boys, aged seven, nine and eleven fled the home after calling 911. They are unharmed and are now staying with other family members. Police said that the pair were having an argument before the rapper from Florida took his girlfriend into the master bedroom of their California home, before locking the door behind them. He allegedly killed himself after fatally shooting his girlfriend. Rapper Lecrae sparked a mixture of frustration, furor, and support with a simple tweet he sent Sunday about partaking in communion. “Just did communion at home with wheat bread and apple juice,” he wrote. “I hope this still counts.” Lecrae placed a shrugging man emoji at the end of his message. But what he possibly assumed was just a basic and light-hearted tweet about the eucharist turned into a heavy handed back-and-forth among his followers. Some supported Lecrae and said his at-home communion act passed muster. Others, though, had a starkly different take, pondering whether Lecrae was showing a “disregard” for God’s holiness. Lecrae tweeted: For clarity about my communion post. I learned a lot. Didn’t realize it was such a touchy subject. Thanks for grace. This link specifically resonated with me. Thanks for the dialogue. https://t.co/jATfKXbiI9 It was a loss for the Dallas Cowboys in their crucial Week 17 game against the Arizona Cardinals, but not only with the final score. Michael Gallup, one of the team’s game-breaking wide receivers, went down with a knee injury toward the end of the first half after reeling in a touchdown throw from Dak Prescott and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. This was ominous, yes, as was how he was quickly ushered to the locker room and later seen on crutches. Following the game, owner Jerry Jones dropped an unfortunate bombshell regarding one of his best receivers, in that Gallup is believed to have suffered a torn ACL that will end his 2021 season. The injury caps a brutal year for the 25-year-old, who suffered a calf strain following the regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — an injury that cost him half the season and one he did not return from until Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons — and sidelines him just ahead of the postseason. Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed that Lionel Messi has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Monday’s Coupe de France round of 32 clash with Vannes OC with the Ligue 1 trip to Olympique Lyonnais also now in major doubt. The French giants updated their medical bulletin on Sunday ahead of head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s pre-match press conference and the Argentina international is one of four players to have returned a positive test along with Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico, and Nathan Bitumazala. “The four players that tested positive for Covid-19 are Leo Messi, Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico and Nathan Bitumazala,” read the bulletin. “They are currently in isolation and are subject to the appropriate health protocol.” Bernat was with the squad on Saturday for the resumption of training so the possibility that this is not the final positive case is strong as Pochettino hinted during his press conference while also confirming that Messi will remain in the pair’s homeland until he tests negative. Kyler Murray can’t lose at AT&T Stadium. He grew up 44 miles from Arlington and won five high school games at Jerry World, one game during his freshman year at Texas A&M, one game at Oklahoma and the Cardinals beat the Cowboys 38-10 in Week 6 of the 2020 season before holding on for a 25-22 win Sunday. “Coming home, I feel like me personally, I can’t lose coming home,” Murray said. “That’s the mentality. That’s just how I feel. Again, though, it’s not just about the mentality. It’s about coming out and executing. I think the guys feel great, too, when they come back here. I don’t know what it is. A great stadium, the fans, I don’t know what it is. You know when you come back to Cowboys Stadium, it’s a big-time game, because that’s the feeling around here. I’m glad the guys had my back today.” Sometimes you are destined for greatness, then life brings you adversity. But the lesson isn’t in the adversity, it’s in how you respond to said adversity; that is what defines you as a person. On Oct 23, 2021, LiAngelo was drafted 14th overall in the Greensboro Swarm in the NBA G League draft and when getting chances he’s shinning. In his G-League debut, he scored 22 points. He’s also had a game when we scored 14 points in 15 minutes, going 6 for 8 from the field. Although he’s averaging 9.6 points per game, some insiders even believe he is ready for the league right now. It hasn’t been easy for LiAngelo Ball. One mistake almost ended everything, but he made it a journey, and with his father’s help he created a path that has been unique to his story. Adversity could have easily pushed him away from his dreams to be in the NBA, but he hasn’t stopped balling. https://twitter.com/i/status/1469682028425756676 Urban One announced the superstar group of honorees for the upcoming URBAN ONE HONORS including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspirational Impact; and Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon. Hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, the two-hour telecast premieres Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One. Wireless provider T-Mobile, America’s 5G leader with the largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network, serves as Presenting Sponsor of the celebration. Previously announced presenters included Jermaine Dupri, Marlon Wayans and Vashawn Mitchell, alongside performances by Inspirational Impact honoree Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Kelly Price and Tank. Additionally, TV & Radio Personality Eva Marcille will host a special backstage pass segment, featuring exclusive interviews with the show's honorees, performers and presenters. Tony McCuin serves as Director with Kim Burse on board as Musical Director. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com After a two-year hiatus, the incomparable, soul-stirring Festival of Praise is set to kick off its fifth nationwide tour in March 2022. The 30-city tour will be headlined by Gospel music icon Fred Hammond, along with Gospel superstars Marvin Sapp and Hezekiah Walker. For the first time in Gospel music history, 2022's Festival Of Praise will offer a talented local choir in each city of the tour the opportunity to perform on the show. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com RadarOnline is reporting that court documents have shown that Stevie J’s now-former attorney Kimia Klein of Fox Rothschild LLP filed a motion to no longer represent him. Attorney Klein wrote in the motion that there was a breakdown in the relationship between the two parties and they couldn’t reach a resolution. “There has been an irremediable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship such that a genuine conflict has arisen between Fox and Steven,” said Klein. “Despite several attempts by my office to informally resolve the issues with Steven, we have been unsuccessful in resolving the issues.” https://www.instagram.com/hitmansteviej_1/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fe246c4d-e6f6-4f33-8ef6-0c4282b6ca92 Jim Jones saved his photographer’s life when he suddenly collapsed while they were in Florida at a crypto event for his capo coin. The two sat down for an exclusive interview with Inside Edition to speak about the frightening incident. “We was just literally just hanging out on a break from work. Just hanging out,” photographer Jerry Flete said. “It just happened so fast. Basically, I woke up, Jim giving me chest compression and telling me, ‘Wake up. Wake up.’ He basically saved my life. I’m here today because of Jim.” Jim said he was on a phone call when his partner, Doug, screamed his name frantically, which prompted him to turn around and see what was going on. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYP6yCmK6jT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The actor, Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman, appeared on the game show’s celebrity version to raise money for Goodwill Southern California. Her competitors were Tori Spelling and figure skater Tara Lipinski. The category was “‘70’s Song Lyrics.” After Lipinski suggested an incorrect letter, Raven-Symoné was next. “I kind of want to solve it,” she said with a grin. Host Pat Sajak warned: “I’m just going to alert you to be real careful as you solve it. Go slow. Go ahead if that’s what you want to do.” Raven-Symone listened and spun the wheel several more times to bank more money. Finally, ready to complete the puzzle, she answered: “‘Ah ah ah ah stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive,'” from the Bee Gees classic “Stayin’ Alive.” That glaring wrong answer buzz sounded. Spelling, who was next, said, “Oh, I feel bad” and hesitated before giving the correct answer. “‘Ah ha ha ha stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive,.'” The “Beverly Hills 90210” star was correct. https://youtu.be/at1Aq26srZ4 A newly released study reveals that there is a 30% drop in aspiring teachers in Louisiana. Further alarming is the lack of diversity in the K-12 classroom —23.5% of teachers in Louisiana are Black and of that number only 5% are Black men. Research shows that just 1 Black male teacher in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade for young Black men substantially decreases his chances of dropping out of high school by 40%. This is the message of BE2T Co-founder and CEO, Larry Irvin Jr.’s TED Talk: A program to empower Black teachers in the US. Released last month, Irvin’s talk is at nearly 800,000 views. https://youtu.be/rX7XECKz9iY This episode of Underground Magnolia Podcast features a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. LaReesa Ferdinand, a board-certified OB/GYN for 20 years and the Founder and CEO of The Estrogen Doctor Company, LLC. After being in private practice for several years in the greater Orlando, Florida area, Dr. LaReesa, as she’s affectionately known as, wanted to focus more on than routine gynecological exams and obstetrician duties. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Wxv1G0Qrx2y1n0aJtq6wM Several Los Angeles-area groups are calling for the arrest and prosecution of the police officer who inadvertently shot 14-year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta to death while confronting a suspect inside a North Hollywood Burlington store. Demonstrators rallied outside of the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters downtown on Sunday, calling for the arrest of Officer William Jones – who was identified by police last week as the officer involved in the shooting. Najee Ali of Operation Hope told City News Service on Sunday that at a minimum, he would like to see Officer Jones charged with involuntary manslaughter, similar to the charge against former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who was convicted in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright. Potter said she mistook her gun for a Taser. A former Georgia school administrator was indicted on murder charges in early December for the 2019 death of his wife. As reported by Law and Crime, Edward Judie, 67, was indicted by Macon-Bibb County grand jurors on charges of felony murder after allegedly killing his wife with a lethal amount of cocaine. Judie served as Bibb County’s deputy superintendent of student affairs from 2011 to 2015. He and another woman, Aliyah Danielle Walker, were indicted for murdering his wife in November of 2019, local NBC affiliate WMGT reported. They also face charges of possession and distribution of cocaine. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rm2ErhbjNIY/hqdefault.jpg The late Desmond Tutu will undergo aquamation instead of cremation following his death late last month. As reported by The Blast, his body will undergo aquamation, an environmentally friendly method of cremation that uses water instead of fire. Aquamation is also known under its official name, “alkaline hydrolisis.” During this process, a deceased body is submerged in a mixture of water and a strong alkali in a pressurized cylinder for about three to four hours. During this process, the cylinder is heated to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The process causes skins, organs, and hair to liquefy until only the bones are left. These bones are then dried and crushed into a white powder. The remains are then placed in an urn, which can be given to relatives. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_L23UifKc9c/hqdefault.jpg The University of the District of Columbia is one of the latest institutions to receive a historic donation amongst the wave of support for HBCUs throughout the country. The institution closed out 2021 with a multi-million endowment from an anonymous donor. The $2.3 million donation—which marks the largest private gift the school has received in its 171-year history—will go towards the university’s Developing America’s Workforce Nucleus (DAWN) initiative; fostering the creation of scholarships for Black and brown students who are in need of financial support. UDC has used its DAWN program to build a pipeline of talent in the STEM industry. The DAWN Deans’ Scholarships by Degree and Programs initiative will provide aid for undergraduate students and workforce development programs under the school’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Business and Public Administration and College of Arts and Sciences. The Community College and Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning will also receive funding through the donation. Under the umbrella of DAWN is the Deans’ Community Leaders Scholarship initiative which was cultivated to support students who have displayed their dedication to civic engagement. It will be funded under the endowment as well. https://t.co/q9ZCj96EB7?amp=1 NBA Star Lonzo Ball partnered with one of the nation’s leading fatherhood initiatives based in Chicago, The Dovetail Project, and surprised two young hard-working fathers with $2,000 shopping sprees for the holidays. Rewriting the narrative of fatherhood for young Black and Brown communities, The Dovetail Project gives young fathers within marginalized communities a better understanding of the responsibilities of fatherhood and their importance in the lives of their children. The two young fathers are Kevin McNair (23), who is a father of 3, and Kawan Nicholson (21), who is a father of 2. Both are Chicago Bull fans and are recent graduates of The Dovetail Project’s 22nd graduating class where they experienced a transformative 12-week curriculum that emphasized the roles, rights and responsibilities of fatherhood, felony street law and how to maintain an active, engaged presence in their children’s lives. During the graduation ceremony and completion of the program, the fathers receive a stipend, are coached and are prepared for job opportunities, GED registration and completion, or enrollment in a trade training program. Kevin and Kawan were able to use the money to buy gifts for their children this holiday season. Historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country serve as pillars that sit at the intersection of education and culture, and this year a new institution will open in the city of Detroit. According to WXYZ Detroit, a former business school will be transformed into Michigan’s only HBCU. The school—dubbed the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design—was cultivated for emerging Black designers, engineers, business leaders and creatives. It was previously the Lewis College of Business; a historically Black institution founded nearly 94 years ago. It initially served as a secretarial school for Black women and emerged into a business school; producing Black leaders that would go on to work at companies that included Ford and Michigan Bell. The HBCU functioned in Detroit between 1939 through 2013; shuttering 26 years after receiving its historically Black college accreditation. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1477339676583337990/XmFW7HUo?format=png&name=small Rep. Val Demings is primed and ready to snatch Sen. Marco Rubio’s seat after the Florida senator tweeted a reckless comment about the latest pandemic surge. As COVID-19 cases surge in his home state of Florida, Rubio tweeted that widespread concern over the Omicron variant was “irrational hysteria.” Rubio downplayed the seriousness of the Omicron variant, as news reports warn of the speed at which the virus is spreading. But Rubio’s refusal to take the surge of the Omicron variant seriously could be an opening for Demings, his likely general election opponent. Demings used the opportunity to point out the simple facts of the current state of things. She tweeted about the number of people who have died since the start of the pandemic and encouraged voters to choose leaders who take their health and well-being seriously. Throughout the country there are physical structures embedded in the fabric of African American history; the walls of these spaces harbor stories that illustrate Black resilience and Black joy. The National Park Service is making a concerted effort to ensure these historic sites are around for generations to come. According to the Michigan Advance, the site of Vaughn’s Bookstore in Detroit has received a preservation grant from the NPS. The bookshop—which was operated by Michigan politician Ed Vaughn—was the city’s first Black-owned bookstore. Vaughn—who served in the state’s House of Representatives during the 70s and 90s—opened the store in the early 60s. In the midst of the civil rights movement, Vaughn’s Bookstore quickly emerged into a pillar within the community; serving as a space for Black authors and poets to share their work and also becoming the backdrop for meetings hosted by leaders within the local neighborhood. Over the course of its nearly 40-year existence, the store had many lives. It shuttered in 1967 following the civil unrest in Detroit, but Vaughn eventually reopened. No matter how many times he reinvented the bookshop, he stayed true to his initial mission of celebrating Black literature and making it accessible. Vaughn’s Bookstore shuttered during the late 90s. Representation matters and a Cincinnati social entrepreneur has set out on a mission to ensure that Black children see themselves reflected within the books they read. Arin Gentry, founder of the As Told By Foundation, is using her nonprofit as an avenue to empower youth through literature, WCPO reported. Although racial diversity within the pages of children’s books has increased, there remains significant room for growth. According to a study conducted by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, a mere 11.9 percent of books for youth featured a main character who was Black. Gentry realized the lack of representation was a generational issue. As a child, she noticed there weren’t many books that illustrated positive stories about Black characters. There were also limited books penned by Black authors. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1477959668299296769/FDXkXch4?format=jpg&name=small Rapper Kodak Black was arrested on New Year’s Day in Broward County, Florida, and charged with trespassing, according to local reports. Black, who was born Octave Dieuson and then legally known as Bill Kapri after he changed his name, was taken into custody in the early hours of New Year’s Day, his representatives confirmed. Broward County sheriff’s deputies said they “made contact with Bill Kapri” around 1:30 a.m. ET in the Pompano Beach area. Black is originally from Broward County. Black bonded out at about 4 a.m. The sheriff’s department did not immediately respond to a request for information about the circumstances of Black’s arrest and the trespassing accusations, which were not immediately clear. In a time where segregation was at the forefront of American issues, Betty White rejected attempts to keep a Black dancer off her show. The dancer, Arthur Duncan, was featured on “The Betty White Show” that aired in the 1950s. When she was encouraged to take him off because of the color of his skin, she politely declined. “I’m sorry, but, you know, he stays,” White said, according to a PBS biography. White died on Friday, just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday, news that prompted a look back on a career that included advocacy on many fronts. Duncan told Steve Harvey in 2017 that White gave him his first job on TV during the premiere of Harvey’s “Little Big Shots: Forever Young.” Actor and comedian Kenan Thompson is putting the focus on empowering creatives in the entertainment space to have ownership of their artistry through the launch of a new production company, Variety reported. The company—dubbed Artists for Artists—was cultivated to support creators in the content development process. AFA, which he co-founded with John Ryan Jr., will align artists and brands with global distribution platforms and ensure the creatives maintain the rights to the projects they develop. Thompson and Ryan’s company will also serve as an incubator for creators to produce an array of projects across different mediums. TS Madison is bringing entertainment to Fox Soul TV, as you have never seen before! The Social Media and LGBTQ icon will ‘turn-up’ her personality ‘loud, live and in color,’ in Turnt Out with TS Madison, a new variety talk show hosted by the darling media maven set to debut on Fox Soul TV’s programming, Tuesday, January 4th at 8 pm EST/ 5 pm PST. The much-anticipated variety show includes pop culture talk, comedic sketches, celebrity interviews and live performances. Turnt Out with TS Madison will not only have viewers laughing but also expose them to discussions on culturally and socially relevant topics. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMaZXdBvBA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The company that produced the “Ace Ventura” films has sued Netflix over the use of footage from “Ace Ventura 2” in its hit documentary series “Tiger King”. Morgan Creek Entertainment said in the Monday complaint, filed in Los Angeles federal court, that the first episode of “Tiger King” infringes its copyrights by using two clips of Jim Carrey’s title character with exotic animals without its permission. “Tiger King,” a true crime series set in the world of private zoos and their eccentric owners, became one of Netflix’s most successful releases when it first aired in March last year. The show’s second season premiered in November. The complaint says Morgan Creek contacted attorneys for Netflix and “Tiger King” production company Goode Films last June to negotiate an “after-the-fact license,” but the companies weren’t able to resolve the dispute. “Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls” grossed over $100 million worldwide after it was released in 1995, according to the complaint. Morgan Creek has also produced films including “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” “Last of the Mohicans,” and “Major League.” Morgan Creek asked the court to block Netflix from using the “Ace Ventura” clips and to award it damages, including $300,000 in statutory damages. Netflix didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Morgan Creek or its attorney David Berke of Berkes Law. Goode Films couldn’t be reached for comment. Berry shared a photo of her and Hunt kissing at an altar during their tropical vacation on New Year’s Day. She captioned the images, “well…IT’S OFFICIAL!” And with that, many fans assumed the couple tied the knot. However, Berry quickly set the record straight on Sunday. Halle Berry sparked a frenzy among her fans on social media on Saturday when she intentionally led many to believe she wed her boyfriend, singer Van Hunt. https://www.instagram.com/halleberry/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ba210f5b-bbfd-433a-a432-998ee63bd535 The Weeknd hit Twitter Monday (Jan. 3) with an announcement. A teaser trailer revealed that the crooner’s new album, “Dawn FM,” will be released on Friday featuring assists from Jim Carrey, Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, Quincy Jones and Oneohtrix Point Never. “Dawn FM,” his fifth studio album, will follow the March 2020 release After Hours, and will come with the “After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour,” traveling this summer to North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. https://youtu.be/u5IrGXTpSkc On the first 2022 broadcast of “The View,” it was announced that co-host Whoopi Goldberg has tested positive for COVID-19. Co-host Joy Behar broke the news at the top of Monday’s episode, sharing that Goldberg, 66, has mild symptoms after being vaccinated and receiving the booster shot. Behar and the rest of the panel, including Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and guest host Ana Navarro, were back in filming the talk show from their various homes, but Behar said she hoped it would be only temporary. “They say there’s no place like home for the holidays and that’s exactly where we are this year,” she said. “Happy New Year from all of our living rooms. As you can see we’re back in boxes and doing the show remotely — hopefully for just a week, I’m praying that it’s just a week but you never know because this omicron thing is all over the place.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1478041128071016450 DeVon Franklin says he is experiencing both “pain and peace” following his split from actress Meagan Good. Good and Franklin reportedly split months before they announced last month that they’re calling it quits. We reported earlier, Franklin filed legal documents in December in an L.A. courthouse. The date of separation is listed as Aug. 21, 2021, and the reason he cited for the divorce is “irreconcilable differences.” Good and Franklin tied the knot on June 16, 2012, and have no children together. They initially met on the set of the 2011 film “Jumping the Broom,” and got engaged in May 2012. Franklin rang in the New Year with a throwback selfie that he captioned: “I took this picture a few months ago, I’m not much of a crier so in a moment of deep pain and peace, I took this picture. It captures best how I feel,” the preacher wrote on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYNWulWpxZ_/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6dcaf033-8e9d-494c-8ace-cd891a772012 Oprah Winfrey celebrated the holiday season from the comforts of her own home, where a chef whipped up savory dishes that are popular in various cultures around the world. “Every night during holiday season we eat delicious foods from different countries,” Oprah captioned her Instagram video of chef Gregory Gourdet talking about the foods he’s cooking. “Tonight we had Haitian cuisine with Chef @gg30000,” she wrote. “To my Haitians friends everywhere, enjoy your soup joumou on January 1st!” As reported by The Blast, Oprahdaily, Oprah’s lifestyle account, commented, “We need to make a trip over to @kannrestaurant to try all this deliciousness!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CX2SuWwjGgk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and declining donations, the Potter’s House of Denver has decided to sell its $12.2 million, 137,000-square-foot megachurch in Arapahoe County, Colorado and go completely virtual, Pastor Touré Roberts has revealed. Roberts, who leads the multicultural church along with his wife, Sarah Jakes-Roberts, made the announcement in an interview with The Denver Post published on Monday. “COVID-19 forced every church in America to rethink how to best serve their parishioners and the broader community,” Roberts told the publication. “Due to the inability to gather and the economic instability of the pandemic, our church, like many other churches in the nation, experienced declining donations.” Instead of trying to do upkeep on an “old building that needed significant repairs,” which they have occupied for more than a decade, Pastor Roberts explained that selling the property and going fully virtual with their services made the most sense. “We decided that the best way forward would be to sell the property, continue our online offering that had proven a successful alternative and maintain our hands-on community outreach operations, which includes our food bank that feeds thousands of families per year,” he said. The shuttering of The Potter’s House of Denver comes as many churches nationwide are being forced to make the difficult choice of abandoning their buildings due to dwindling attendance — sometimes without the prospect of a virtual alternative. Janet Jackson hit up her Instagram account to share the extended trailer for her forthcoming documentary, “Janet Jackson Doc.” A+E Networks ordered a two-night, four-hour documentary event about the life and legacy of the music icon. The project coincides with the 40th anniversary of her debut album, which came out in 1982. Jackson also serves as an executive produce the doc with brother Randy Jackson, and it promises to offer unprecedented access to her life. The doc features cameos from Samuel L. Jackson, Teyana Taylor, Whoopi Goldberg, Q-Tip, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Ciara, Paula Abdul, and more. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMqSMhq542/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Katt Williams recently said that comic legend Eddie Murphy should NOT top your list of favorite comedians. As reported by The Blast, via Atlanta Black Star, Williams said, “Don’t tell me Eddie Murphy is your favorite comedian because Eddie Murphy hasn’t done comedy since the 80s. It just doesn’t make sense.” He added, “It’s about how much [of] the body of work you can put out. So, nobody knows was beefing with Mozart, because the guy beefing with Mozart didn’t put up any material. You know what I mean? That’s why history takes care of all of that.” “I’m only the greatest comedian living because I have more female fans than any comes on the globe,” said Williams. https://youtu.be/s8qwrdpd6rA Meet British Ghanaian graphic artist Peniel Enchill, the woman behind the icon “Black Woman Stepping Into The New Year” artwork. As reported by Buzzfeed, the image first appeared on the internet in 2014 and has since gone viral each year around New Year’s Eve. The artwork has “become synonymous on Black Twitter with the saying “New year, new me,” ” the outlet writes. “I did that artwork in hours. It usually takes me a while to finish up an illustration. But I had what I like to call these days a ‘download,’ where you literally see the picture in your mind and it’s just a matter of transferring that image from your mind to the paper. I rarely get that, but that was one of them,” Enchill, 29, told BuzzFeed News. https://www.instagram.com/p/xFOdc9oJEx/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=dcc33c27-287f-4b8f-a829-cbcb26582255 Antonio Brown’s latest messy departure from an NFL team, the Buccaneers, was not about an injury, coach Bruce Arians said Monday. Yes, the Buccaneers are moving on from Brown, whose NFL career is on hold yet again after another in a series of incidents, including two women accusing him of sexual assault in 2019. But Arians dispelled the notion that Brown stormed off the field Sunday — tossing some of his gear into the stands and waving to fans at the Jets’ MetLife Stadium — after refusing to go back in because of an ankle injury that had sidelined him for several weeks. https://twitter.com/i/status/1477733392611524616 2021 was the most violent year Chicago has experienced since the birth of the 21st century, according to recently released data from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. The office reported 820 homicides in the Windy City in 2021, the highest since 1995, when 828 murders were reported, according to the Sun-Times Media Wire. "We all know this has been a challenging year here in the city of Chicago," said Police Superintendent David Brown on Thursday. "Too many families are reeling from the loss of loved ones due to senseless gun violence ... Too many residents are dealing with the ripple effects of this trauma due to crime in our community." In late November, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office issued a report confirming that the number of homicides in the county had passed 1,000 by the end of Thanksgiving. Of the 1,009 confirmed homicides, 777 of them occurred in Chicago. It was the largest number of murders in the county since 1994, when the office reported 1,141 homicides. Prichard Police have arrested the woman accused of firing the shot that killed Grace Carter Tuesday night. On Thursday, police arrested Kaillyn Christine Howard Harris. Carter was hit by a stray bullet and died while attending bible study this week. Now, her husband Cecil Carter Sr. is speaking out after this tragic death. He feels it was a place where his wife should’ve been safe. “I just don’t think that people should be shooting in places where you don’t know where a stray bullet could do,” Carter said. Cecil Carter is pastor-elect at Sunlight Missionary Baptist Church, something he now won’t get to share with his wife of 35 years. “She was really looking forward to it. She was very proud, and very happy, and very proud of me,” Carter said. “But right now the emptiness of her not being here for the installation is going to be hard for me.” Carter says the thought of having to go on without her is something he never imagined, but he’s trying to find the strength. “Sweetheart I love you as always…right now my heart is empty because she’s not by my side but I know that she’s there spiritually,” Carter said. “Right now I’m getting strength from knowing that God is able and knowing that my wife is in a better place with the lord, and no doubt about it that she loved the lord. So I have to be strong for her, and myself, and for my family, my children and all.” Carter says the family plans on holding funeral services for Grace next Saturday. A man and his children grieving the loss of their wife and mother were blessed Christmas Eve by a Cincinnati church congregation who gave them presents, toys, and a $6,700 check to help pay utilities for the next year. Travis Feltner, a father of eight kids ranging in ages from three to 20, stood before the Compass Community Church congregation Friday to accept these surprise gifts. Joined by some of his young children, he visibly became emotional as he thanked congregants for coming alongside his family after his wife, Amber, died in September of COVID-19. “I just can’t believe all the things that this church has done … it’s amazing what you guys have done for us,” he said, as he began to tear up. “I had no idea what I was going to do. Thank you so much for reaching out and being there for us.” It has been a difficult time for the Feltners. Before Amber’s death, Travis was in a serious car accident after his vehicle was struck by a man fleeing police, WLWT-TV reported. Violence against women is insulting to God, Pope Francis said in his New Year’s message yesterday. Francis, 85, called for ‘greater efforts to promote mothers and to protect women’ as he celebrated a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on the day the Roman Catholic Church marks both the solemnity of Holy Mary Mother of God as well as its annual World Day of Peace. The pope has ardently spoken out against domestic violence since the pandemic began, last month telling a woman who had been beaten by her ex-husband that men who commit such acts engage in something that is ‘almost satanic’ during an Italian television program. He said in his homily: ‘And since mothers bestow life, and women keep the world (together), let us all make greater efforts to promote mothers and to protect women. ‘How much violence is directed against women! Enough! ‘To hurt a woman is to insult God, who from a woman took on our humanity.’ Europe has seen a deadly resurgence of violence against women since the pandemic began. Royal courtiers are discussing plans to strip Prince Andrew of his Duke of York title if he loses the lawsuit brought by sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, according to the Sunday Times. Other ideas allegedly being considered by the Royal household include sending the Duke into some form of ‘internal exile’ and asking him to relinquish any links he still has to charities. Ms Giuffre alleges that Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17, which he denies, and is suing for unspecified damages. The Duke stepped down from public duties in November 2019 ‘for the foreseeable future’ over his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in the wake of the disastrous News Night interview he had hoped would clear his name. A source said: ‘If [Prince Andrew] loses the case, the question is what do you do with him? You can’t make him resign like you would a normal person but he would be asked to put his dukedom into abeyance.’ Royal insiders said it would be difficult to persuade the Queen to remove the title of Duke of York as ‘it was held by her father, George VI, before he became king and she bestowed it on her favorite son. But he has disgraced that title’, the Sunday Times reported. A young pregnant woman has become the first person in the world to be infected with both Covid and the flu. The woman tested positive for both viruses in Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva city, Israel, on Thursday. She is suffering mild symptoms and Israeli health officials are studying her case to determine whether the combination causes any greater severity of illness. Her case is first documented in the world but doctors believe there could be more ‘flurona’ infections in the country. A recent article via Health Canal says that night sweats, one of the symptoms our friend is having, has been identified as one of the symptoms of the Omicron variant. It’s a key signal that our friend needs to get tested. Omicron is the latest Covid 19 variant that’s sent the world into a panic. Some of the highlights of the new strain are the new symptoms. According to Dr. Amir Khan, a UK doctor, night sweats are at the top of this list. This revelation by the doctor alerts people to watch out for bad night sweats. Dr. Khan, a physician with the UK NHS[1] (United Kingdom National Health Service), detailed that “those kinds of drenching night sweats where you might have to get up and change your clothes.” are part of the symptoms. Understanding the symptom is crucial, and health workers need to explain this to people. That way, if a patient experienced the drenching night sweats, they can get tested for the Omicron variant. Dr. Khan emphasized that “This is important, and it’s important that we keep on top of these symptoms. If we’re going to track Omicron and track it worldwide, we need to be able to test people with these symptoms.” Dr. Khan[2] was speaking with The Sun, a UK newspaper. Up to 1,000 homes have been destroyed and thousands of residents have left their homes as massive wildfires sweep through #Colorado. ? At least 580 homes and have been burned down and 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires damaged neighborhoods Friday morning, Fox News reports. Six people were sent to hospitals as a result of the fires. Winds were reportedly blowing at 105 miles per hour. ?“The end won’t come until the wind subsides,” Joe Pelle, the Boulder County sheriff, said, per Fox News. “This is the kind of fire you can’t fight head-on. We actually had deputy sheriffs and firefighters in areas that had to pull out because they just got overrun.”? The fires hit residents in Colorado’s front range between Denver and Boulder. Officials say the fires as “twice as destructive as the Black Forest Fire” that struck the state 10 years ago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYLH86NFclu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again U.S Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz made some interesting claims on Thursday that children are struggling to learn to speak because they can’t see their teachers’ mouths, as he criticized COVID restrictions for “hurting” children. “Issues like closing schools, which was not following the science, in my opinion, and I always said that on this program two years ago, is because causing other [indecipherable] published today an article from Brown showing that kids born during the pandemic are developmentally delayed.” He continued, “Think about that. We’re hurting our children with some of these policies. Kids who can’t see the mouths of their teachers move don’t learn to speak. Five percent of kids wear glasses. They fog up. They can’t read. These are the penalties we pay and we weren’t any safer because of these destructive, authoritarian restrictions. I believe we should empower the people of Pennsylvania. That’s what I [indecipherable] my whole career. I know what works. People are smart. They know what to do. What they want medicine is transparency and they want to make sure they know who their doctor is. We’re not doing either for them.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMYzOOqCtp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again It looks like the former POTUS and FLOTUS were feeling festive and spunky on the first day of 2022. On Saturday, former First Lady Michelle Obama, 57, rang in the new year with a pic of herself all up close and personal with hubby and former president Barack Obama, 60, during a New Year’s Eve celebration. In the snap shared to Michelle’s 48 million Instagram followers, the two wore 2022 novelty glasses as they literally got close for the camera. As you can see, Barack opted for dark pants, a short-sleeve black shirt with a gray print and black leather sneakers. Meanwhile, Michelle dazzled in an embroidered black blazer paired with a black top and shorts that showed off her sexy bare legs. Oh yeah, if you look closely you’ll see bright blue toenails peeking out from her strappy heeled sandals. “Happy New Year from me and my boo!” the Becoming author wrote. “Wishing you all a year filled with happiness, love and good health.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6qu4whgUVFs/hqdefault.jpg Actor Max Julien, who came to fame for his leading role as “Goldie” in the 1973 blaxploitation film “The Mack” has died in Los Angeles. He was 88. Julien died on New Year’s Day at Sherman Oaks Hospital, his wife of 30 years, Arabella, told The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death had not been determined, she said. In a statement to TMZ, Julien’s PR team paid tribute to the actor: “During Julien’s decades-long career, he was known for being bold, honest and straightforward. He would live and speak his own truth both professionally and privately. He was thought of as a rare ‘man among men.’” Comic book writer and film producer David F. Walker broke the news about Julien’s death in a social media post, honoring his friend. “I met Max back in 1996. He was a great human being, and we had so many amazing conversations. He was brilliant and hilarious and charismatic… R.I.P” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYNP8boPXHp/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d50be455-8087-4fbe-8bd1-5f244e2a139a Recently, rapper Fat Joe took to Instagram to give a beautiful happy birthday shoutout to his first born son Joey, who is on the autistic spectrum. For parents raising autistic children, the fight to ensure the safety and happiness of one’s child is paramount. “Life is full of surprises. I was just a kid at 19 years old when i had Joey. It was one of the scariest days of my life. Doctors said he wouldn’t be normal and kids like this are hard to deal with,” the 51-year-old rapper began his Instagram post. “He’s my jr.,” he wrote, adding that “it’s a lot of work and it’s constant sacrifice that parents make to keep their children happy and most of all safe.” Fat Joe, real name Joey Cartegena. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXgvdxqLQtw/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=154a8060-9255-481b-bb3f-cc7a62b9fd10 It has oftentimes been said that if you want something done, ask a black woman to do it; well, maybe it hasn’t been said often but it is the truth. Many times the thing that drives black women and serves as a call to action is trauma or hardship. This is exactly what drove entrepreneur Arion Long to create a brand that would support women during their most trying times, their period, and postpartum. Although we are living in a time in which white men in tacky blue suits have the power to police and make life-altering decisions about women’s bodies, no man could never know the pain of losing a child or being diagnosed with a reproductive disorder caused by feminine care products that are supposed to offer support. This is Arion Long’s short story, her why and the birth of Femly a menstrual care brand that offers natural period care. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYFi-AGFZK7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Journalist Paula Faris has had a fascinating career at ABC News, anchoring and hosting shows like “Good Morning America Weekend” and “The View.” But after leaving her broadcasting success behind, she’s now focused on more fully living out her mission to “love God” and “love people.” If this seems like a familiar clarion call, it should. These are the two central commandments Jesus gave to all believers, as evidenced in Matthew 22:36-40. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment,” Christ proclaims in these scriptures. “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Faris, who openly speaks about her Christian faith, has been on an exciting mission to live out these values in new and unique ways. https://youtu.be/p4QYRMOv_O0 The house that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones built continues to be the house that Alabama coach Nick Saban owns. In No. 1 Alabama’s seventh appearance in the College Football Playoff, the sport’s dominant power over the last decade defeated No. 4 Cincinnati, the playoff’s first non-Power 5 team, 27-6 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The win puts Alabama (13-1) in the title game for the fifth time in six years and one step closer to winning their fourth title since the introduction of the playoff system. The school will try for a seventh title since Saban became the program’s head coach against either No. 2 Michigan or No. 3 Georgia on Jan. 10. Behind Bryce Young‘s three touchdowns, as well as Brian Robinson Jr.’s 204 rushing yards (an Alabama bowl record), and a defense that held the ninth-best scoring offense in the nation to single digits, Alabama outgained the Bearcats 483-218 and controlled the pace of the game from start to finish. “We knew the battle in the trenches would be a big deal,” Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said. “That’s where the game was won.” Said Robinson Jr.: “We just proved we were the more physical team.” The Crimson Tide are now 6-0 at AT&T Stadium under Saban. We’ve got a rematch for the national championship. No. 3 Georgia put No. 2 Michigan away in the first half of the Orange Bowl on the way to a 34-11 win Friday night. Georgia’s win sets up a game with No. 1 Alabama for the national title on Jan. 10. Alabama beat Georgia, 41-24, to win the SEC title on Dec. 4 and take the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The rematch between the two teams is the first in the playoff era and just the second national title rematch since the BCS was put in place in 1998. The only other title game rematch in the BCS and playoff era came in January of 2012 when Alabama beat LSU for the national title after LSU beat the Crimson Tide in the regular season. Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones, the Boston Celtics’ “Mr. Clutch” whose sharp shooting fueled the league’s longest dynasty and earned him 10 NBA titles — second only to teammate Bill Russell — has died, the team said. He was 88. “Sam Jones was one of the most talented, versatile, and clutch shooters for the most successful and dominant teams in NBA history. His scoring ability was so prolific, and his form so pure, that he earned the simple nickname, “The Shooter.” He was also known as “Mr. Clutch,” the Celtics said in a statement Friday. “Only Bill Russell won more championships in his NBA career. The Jones family is in our thoughts as we mourn his loss and fondly remember the life and career of one of the greatest champions in American sports.” Dan Reeves, who won a Super Bowl title with the Dallas Cowboys and made four Super Bowl appearances as a head coach, died at age 77 on Saturday. Per the Associated Press, Reeves died of complications from dementia but passed away "peacefully and surrounded by his loving family at his home in Atlanta." winning team in 1971, as Dallas defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. After his playing career, Reeves moved up the coaching ranks in the Cowboys' organization. A protégé of Tom Landry, Reeves was the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys when they defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII in the 1977 season, spending four years in that role before earning his first head coaching job with the Broncos in 1981. Reeves spent eight years as a player in the NFL, all for the Cowboys, rushing for 1,990 yards and 25 touchdowns while also catching 129 passes for 1,693 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was part of the Cowboys' first Super Bowl. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is out for Sunday’s game against the Packers, after the team placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday. Cousins, who is unvaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero — who said the quarterback self-reported experiencing COVID symptoms to the team, and then tested positive. “I’m going to be vigilant about avoiding a close contact,” Cousins said during training camp. “I’ve even thought about should I just set up literally plexiglass around where I sit, so that this can never happen again. I’ve thought about it, because I’m gonna do whatever it takes.” The Vikings’ backup quarterback Sean Mannion is also out on the COVID-19 reserve list, but could return before Sunday’s NFC North matchup. He was placed on the list last Sunday. Rookie quarterback Kellen Mond is next up on Minnesota’s depth chart. Kyle Sloter is also available. Race alone cannot explain why pregnant black women born in the United States show higher rates of dangerous preeclampsia than black women who have immigrated to the country. Preeclampsia is a form of high blood pressure that during pregnancy can endanger both mother and baby. Preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. It affects 1 in 25 pregnancies in the United States, increasing the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease later in life. A new analysis of medical records shows that a combination of cultural, social and biological factors rather than race alone is responsible for high rates of preeclampsia among black women born in the United States. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, the research used 28 years of data from the Boston Birth Cohort study, which examined environmental and genetic characteristics linked to premature birth. Alphonso Ribeiro is a Broadway vet for his performance in “The Tap Dance Kid.” Actor for his stint as Carlton Banks on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” TV host for “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the GSN game show “Catch 21,” ABC Family’s “Spell-Mageddon,” and the TV show “Dance 360.” Dancer for winning Season 19 of “Dancing with the Stars “with professional partner Witney Carson. Yet for all of his achievements and work, the entertainer cannot escape the occasional jab. That was the case when Ribeiro posted a Holidays/Christmas picture of his family on Twitter. According to MTO News, the photo did not escape the sight of Black Twitter, who caught sight of the pic, which featured Ribiero’s wife, who is white, and their four fair-skinned kids. Needless to say, folks on Black Twitter had a field day roasting the former “In the House” star and calling his family the “whitest” Black family in history. https://www.instagram.com/p/CX6qxfwPLlZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=151fab0b-ef76-4bf2-bbc4-5ff7ed1280f8 Comedian Dulcé Sloan became a highlight of CNN’s live broadcast after she shared her personal New Year’s resolution. Comedian Dulcé Sloan became a highlight of CNN’s live broadcast after she shared her personal New Year’s resolution. While speaking with hosts Don Lemon and Alisyn Camerota from their celebration in New Orleans, Sloan shared that her resolution for 2022 was “no more broke dick.” Lemon and Camerota looked confused as they tried to figure out if she really said that. Sloan then hilariously clarified, “No more broke dick.” “Did you say broke dick?” “Yes!” Sloan confirmed again, before adding, “No more penis from a man who has no money.” ?? Sloan confirmed, adding in case of confusion, “To anyone who is acquiring male genitalia, it needs to be attached to someone who can also fly you to the Caribbean.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMXOCCKIzV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Singer Jack Harlow is calling for a Georgia police officer to be fired after footage showed him putting his hand around the neck of a Black female fan. As reported by TMZ, video shows the unnamed woman exchanging words with two cops who refused to let her inside the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta on Tuesday night, where Harlow was performing. Harlow caught wind of the video showing one of the officers putting his hands on the woman’s neck and issued a response on Instagram calling for the cop’s firing. Speaking of the video, Jack said, “… I was disgusted by that cop and all I wanted to do was make something good happen for this girl immediately…I told the world to help me identify her so I could find a way to give her a hug and give her as many tickets to as many shows as she wants.” https://www.instagram.com/jackharlow/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4b5fc448-8782-4a57-845c-1dd0ea68efa1 For two young girls, Christmas turned real, with an ugly experience in racism and discrimination. The experience, highlighted in a 2015 YouTube video titled “Parents Give White girls black baby dolls,” shows the girls, who are white, being given gifts from their aunt and uncle. As the 43-second clip plays, the girls open the gifts. Their reaction is less than positive. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hM5HtS_mMcc/hqdefault.jpg The veteran Los Angeles police officer who fatally shot a 14-year-old girl as she was shopping at a mall with her mother has been identified as 42-year-old William Dorsey Jones Jr. According to The Daily Beast, Jones is said to be known as a “community advocate and reformer,” the outlet writes. The Kentucky native launched an apparel line called “Use of Force Fitness” but dissolved it in December 2020, amid protests against police violence. Valentina Orellana-Peralta, 14, was killed in a Burlington Coat Factory dressing room (in North Hollywood) on Dec. 23 as LAPD officers shot recklessly at a suspect in a department store where she was trying on a dress. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ekdzNQxm57M/hqdefault.jpg Lashanda Lafaye Allison was cooking Christmas Eve dinner when she was fatally shot by her partner, Allison’s daughter-in-law Makayla Ridley told Channel 2 Action News in an exclusive interview. Looking on in horror, Ridley and Allison’s two daughters also became victims of the shooting at the Mansell Apartment Homes in Alpharetta. At least four people called 911 to report the shooting, which happened around 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to police. Gunfire filled the home after Allison, 41, got into an argument with her partner, 51-year-old Stephanie Francesca Agee, while she and Ridley were cooking, Channel 2 reported. It escalated and Ridley told the news station that Agee just snapped. “I seen her cop the gun, and she went over there and just start shooting with a straight face,” Ridley told Channel 2. The 21-year-old told the news station that Agee turned toward her and Allison’s two daughters after shooting Allison. Ridley is now recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest. “I seen her cop the gun, and she went over there and just start shooting with a straight face,” Ridley told Channel 2. The 21-year-old told the news station that Agee turned toward her and Allison’s two daughters after shooting Allison. Ridley is now recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Black Caucus, William Anderson, has been in constant communication with Spencer’s family. “This was a whole family that came to this country seeking a better life and their life is destroyed. It will never be the same … this is not America, and I am even further outraged that this is someone that came from another country and was slaughtered, shot nine times,” Anderson said. There are calls for an arrest after a Jamaican immigrant was shot and killed in western Pennsylvania earlier this month. The coroner in Venango County said Peter Spencer was shot several times. The Black Political Empowerment Project (BPEP) wants answers because no charges have been filed. A statement was released Monday, saying in part, “We demand the immediate investigation of this murder by the Venango County District Attorney, the U.S. Attorney General and the PA State Attorney General.” BPEP CEO Tim Stevens talked to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 about Spencer’s death. He says Spencer had a fiancée and an unborn child. https://youtu.be/UlA6E1tBmIk Pennsylvania will have a new acting secretary of the commonwealth beginning on January 8, according to an announcement Monday by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office. Leigh M. Chapman will assume the role of acting Secretary of the State, replacing Veronica Degraffenreid, who had to assume the same role following the sudden resignation of Kathy Bookvar in February. The secretary, among other things, oversees the state’s elections process, and Ms. Bookvar and Ms. Degraffenreid have been frequent targets of lawmakers — those loyal to former President Donald Trump — who have criticized the 2020 election and sought to overturn the results. Ms. Degraffenreid was thrust into the role after the February departure of Ms. Bookvar, who failed to advertise a constitutional amendment — one that would have appeared on the May ballot. The referendum would have allowed a two-year window for adult victims of childhood sex abuse to sue the perpetrators and institutions that covered up the crimes. The amendment had been fought for by advocates and followed a 2018 grand jury report that exposed child sex abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. A New Hampshire court ruled a woman violated the state’s civil rights law when she called a Black child a racial slur and threatened to kneel on his neck. As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Kristina Graper, 51, was accused of threatening a Black child in a New Hampshire park in May after he accidentally broke her son’s toy in a park. Graper called the 9-year-old boy a racial slur after he broke the toy. Additionally, “The court found that on May 10, 2021, Ms. Graper threatened physical force against the victim, a nine-year-old black child, when she threatened to “kneel on his neck” and called him a racial slur after he accidentally broke a toy that belonged to Ms. Graper’s son,” a New Hampshire Justice Department press release stated. “The court concluded that this conduct was motivated by the victim’s race and had the purpose to terrorize or coerce the victim. The court reached this conclusion after the defendant defaulted by not filing a response to the Attorney General’s complaint.” What started out as a genuine passion and curiosity about wine and its rich history has turned into a new wine label curated to enhance and educate the Black community. Howard University alum Aaron “Michael” Coad and Terrence “Lavelle” Low founded Michael Lavelle Wines, a luxury private wine label, on Juneteenth of 2020 after recognizing a void in culturally relevant wine craftsmanship offered to millennials and minority audiences. Aiming to change the way people of color experience wine, the founders partnered with Sommelier Devin Kennedy and Brandon Crump, a client service and operations specialist. Now, the four friends are working to disrupt the predominantly white-owned industry that, according to Bloomberg, had less than 1 percent of Black ownership (out of 8,000 winemakers, negociants, and brand owners) in the U.S. in 2020. “Out of passionate curiosity, we started to dive into wine and its rich history and noticed that our peer group’s appreciation for wine was growing, but there was also a lack of education around its offerings,” says Low, who serves as Head of House at Michael Lavelle Wines. In comparison to other spirits like tequila or vodka, “there wasn’t a real understanding of what premium wine actually is,” he told BLACK ENTERPRISE. There is a shortage of Black women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but this woman is on a mission to make a change that’ll make a difference. Diana Wilson created the nonprofit, Yielding Accomplished African Women (Yaa W) to discover and support Black collegiate women in tech and finance. Now, she’s raising $1 million to equip those same women with the resources that they need to be holistic leaders and achieve their STEM career goals. As a global women development skills center, Yaa W trains Black women across the diaspora while also giving them opportunities to work with renowned Fortune 500 companies. Within three years, Wilson’s organization has trained more than 700 young African women and she currently maintains a large following across social media. Yaa W has been backed by companies including Google, Bank of America, IBM, MTN, Corporate Finance Institute, and more. The city of Santa Monica, California, will start offering priority placement for its coveted affordable housing program to families and their descendants who were displaced by urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 60s. The new effort aims to repair some of the historical actions that predominantly hurt Black and brown communities, as aggressive construction projects and highway-building some 70 years ago resulted in hundreds of families being evicted from their homes in the southern California coastal city. “The city of Santa Monica is eager to share the new affordable housing priority for historically displaced households with families who were displaced from Santa Monica in the 1950s,” Constance Farrell, the public information officer for the city of Santa Monica, told ABC News on Monday. “We encourage our former residents and their descendants to learn more about the program and we look forward to working with you to access this new opportunity,” Farrell said. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has donated $3 million to fund a new research institute at Indiana University. It’s the the latest effort in Irsay’s campaign to raise mental health awareness. The Irsay Family Research Institute will be located on the university’s main campus in Bloomington and will focus on mental health and the complications it can create with other illnesses. “The stigma surrounding mental health is a matter of life and death, and we must do everything possible to lessen that stigma and remove this obstacle to people getting the help they need,” Irsay said in a statement. “Indiana University already has been one of the world’s leaders in studying mental health, and we’re so pleased this outstanding resource is in our home state so together we can advance this important conversation.” Betty White, the trailblazing television star whose more than eight-decade career saw her go from unforgettable roles on “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to becoming a cultural icon in her 80s and 90s, has died less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Mike Lopez told The Post that officers responded to a radio call Friday at about 9:30 a.m. concerning “a natural death investigation” at the 99-year-old’s home in Brentwood, Calif. Her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas later confirmed the news to People magazine. “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” Witjas said in a statement. “I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband, Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.” The eight-time Emmy winner had just spoken to People for this week’s issue celebrating what would have been her birthday and said that she was “in such good health.” “I try to avoid anything green. I think it’s working,” she quipped at the time. White held the record for the longest TV career of any entertainer — making her debut in 1939 when the medium was just an experiment and going on to appear as an actress, host and in-demand guest well into her 90s. Lil Nas X is one of the biggest music stars on the planet with the hit “Old Town Road” and his new album “Montero.” The singer-songwriter/rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, talks with Tracy Smith about reinventing himself, his childhood, and his love of social media, in an interview for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast Jan. 2 (9:00 AM ET) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r7qovpFAGrQ/hqdefault.jpg The dazzling widescreen adaptation and Spielberg’s first musical, “West Side Story” was one of the year’s most eagerly awaited titles. With a script by Tony Kushner and Rita Moreno returning to her breakthrough film 60 years later, the $100-million “West Side Story” epitomizes a grand-scale prestige film that Hollywood infrequently produces anymore. It hit theaters on a wave of glowing reviews and expectations that it could play a starring role in March’s Academy Awards. But despite critical acclaim and two years-worth of anticipation, Steven Spielberg’s lavish “West Side Story” revival did not pull the audience in as expected. It debuted a mere $10.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. And this is not good for the movie industry struggling to get back on the fast track. Although audiences have steadily returned to multiplexes in the second year of the pandemic, older moviegoers, who made up the bulk of ticket-buyers for Spielberg’s latest, have been among the slowest to return. “West Side Story,” too, is among the most beloved musicals. . If anyone could reignite moviegoing, the thinking went, it was Spielberg. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Dior has indefinitely postponed Travis Scott’s “Cactus Jack Dior” line amid the career hit the rapper has taken following his deadly Astroworld music festival last month. Scott’s line of products with the French luxury house was slated for release in January 2022. In a statement shared with Women’s Wear Daily, a Dior rep said: “Out of respect for everyone affected by the tragic events at Astroworld, Dior has decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of products from the Cactus Jack collaboration originally intended to be included in its summer 2022 collection.” The news comes after a Congressional panel launched an investigation into Live Nation, the organizer of the Astroworld Festival that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured when a crowd rushed the stage and trampled concertgoers. https://youtu.be/FS9SvGvbSgw Gilbert Arenas and Kwame Brown continue to trade jabs on social media, with Arenas now threatening to release a 54-minute video exposing Brown. The former NBA player posted a lengthy IG message in which he rips his former teammate both as a player and as a man. The contents of the video remain a mystery but Arenas claims it’s worthy of public viewing amid him and Brown’s latest argument over who is an “alpha male.” “@kwan_low I have 54 minutes of who u were as a wizard ?????? nothing but truth supported by facts and articles ???????so let’s not do this anymore OKAY?” Arenas began his post. Arenas and Brown played together for one season in Washington, with Arenas claiming Brown was “booed in every city.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYHco5Iv0d8/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=7f1ddeaa-a8fc-4eb1-b73c-1eacb34699ef #Quavo is in some legal trouble, according to a lawsuit obtained by @tmz_tv. Apparently, the Migos rapper is being sued by a Las Vegas limo driver for a physical assault that happened over the summertime. The driver said the beatdown happened because someone from Quavo’s crew was left behind during a scheduled pick-up. The lawsuit says the driver was hired to transport Quavo and his posse from a local nightclub to the Virgin Hotel. But after the driver accidentally left a passenger, the group immediately got active. When the driver tried to calm everyone, someone told him to “shut the f*ck up.” Then, he was reportedly hit with a bottle. The driver said up to five people were repeatedly punching and kicking him. His lawsuit states that hotel staff and security saw the violent interaction. However, instead of helping him, the driver says everyone fled inside of the hotel. The driver didn’t specify how much he’s seeking in damages, but he’s looking at Quavo, Migos Touring Inc., and the Virgin Hotel for a payout. Rapper T-Pain hit up social media to share a list of music streaming platforms that are not profitable for many artists. T-Pain took to Twitter on Tuesday (Dec. 28) with a list of how many streams it takes for an artist to make $1 on platforms such as YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify. Per XXL Magazine, Napster’s payout of $1 begins after 53 streams, while YouTube’s payout for a buck starts after 1,250 streams. Meanwhile, Amazon Music and Spotify give artists a dollar after 249 and 315 streams, respectively. https://twitter.com/TPAIN/status/1476032631255060490/photo/1 Madonna recently called out rapper Tory Lanez for allegedly sampling her music illegally. On Wednesday, the pop star hit up the comments section of Tory’s Instagram post, accusing him of using her hit 1985 song “Into the Groove” on the track “Pluto’s Last Comet” from his new 80s-inspired album, “Alone at Prom.” “Read your messages [for] illegal usage of my song get into the groove!” she wrote. Lanez hasn’t publicly responded to Madonna’s message. Madonna’s allegations come as Lanez is embattled in a legal case with rapper Megan Thee Stallion. He is accused of shooting the hip-hop star in the foot after a party last summer. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/52iW3lcpK5M/hqdefault.jpg Ice-T took to social media this week to urge his fans to use caution amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the Omicron variant. As reported by The Blast, the rapper and “Law & Order” star tweeted: “FYI: I’ve got 5 friends fighting Covid right now… 2 in the hospital,” he stated, adding, “I know it’s been a long run…… But it’s NOT gone. Stay safe people.” Around this time last year, Ice-T shared an update about the health status of his father-in-law Steve who contracted the virus last summer. Steve had to be hospitalized in Arizona in July 2020 due to the coronavirus. Ice revealed last December that Steve is now “on Oxygen indefinitely. “My father-in-law ‘Coco’s dad’ was a serious ‘No Masker’ COVID hit him,” he wrote on Twitter at the time. “Pneumonia in both lungs.. 40 days in ICU close to death.. Now he’s on Oxygen indefinitely.” Ice-T also shared a photo of his father-in-law wearing an oxygen mask, writing, “Ohhh he’s a Believer now.. #COVIDisNotAGame.” The Netflix series “Cheer” is set to return for a second season and the show will tackle the child porn charges against breakout series star Jerry Harris. Harris was arrested in late 2020 on child pornography charges. At the time, the U.S. Attorney’s Office released sexually-explicit evidence to support the case against him, including photos and screenshots of messages from Harris to his alleged victims. Harris admitted to exchanging photos and videos with underage boys (upwards of 15 boys) and repeatedly soliciting them to connect in person. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7SafV8n_saA/hqdefault.jpg Ice Cube claims religion is the reason why his “Friday” costar Chris Tucker turned down $12 million to reprise his role in the sequel. The actor and hip-hop icon claims the comedian refused to appear in the two sequels: 2000’s “Next Friday” and 2002’s “Friday After Next” because of “religious reasons.” “We were ready to pay Chris Tucker $10-12m to do Next Friday but he turned us down for religious reasons. He didn’t want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore,” Ice Cube tweeted Wednesday when someone asked whether Tucker “quit over money” reasons. Tucker recently spoke out about why he has no interest in reprising the role of Smokey for the “Friday” movie franchise. “It probably was good for me because it kept me moving to the next phase and next movies,” Tucker said in an interview with All Urban Central. “Back then, I gotta tell you, one of the reasons why I didn’t do the second one was because of the weed,” Tucker added. “Because I said, man, that movie became a phenomenon. I don’t want everybody smoking weed and I never really told people this because I kind of forgot about it, but it was one of the reasons why I didn’t do it. Because I said, ‘I don’t wanna represent everybody smoking weed.’ “ A 22-year-old female inmate is the latest to be dubbed #prisonbae by the internet. As reported by MadameNoire, Nyla Tomeka Murrell-French is currently serving a 7-year jail sentence for stabbing a teenage girl during an altercation at a gas station. She is now social media famous after sharing several jailhouse photos of herself on Facebook. She captioned the image “Merry Christmas from the Pretty Gangsta.” The pictures quickly went viral with men wondering how they can post her bail or send money to her commissary, with some even offering to help her find a better lawyer so she can get an early release. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2225808877572511&set=a.267742366712515&type=3 Former Miami coach Manny Diaz was hired as defensive coordinator at Penn State less than a week after he was fired by the Hurricanes. Diaz, 47, was a longtime defensive coordinator, with stints at Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, Texas and Miami before becoming the Hurricanes’ head coach after the 2018 season. He went 21-15 leading Miami but was let go on Monday and replaced with Mario Cristobal. “Manny is a veteran defensive play caller whose head coaching experience will bring tremendous value to our organization,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Saturday in a statement. “He has an innovative approach to complement his extensive Xs & Os knowledge which he developed through his stops at multiple Power Five conferences. Manny’s defensive philosophy is in line with our scheme and will help in the transition with our current team.” An Ohio high school football player who says coaches forced him to eat a pizza covered with pepperoni grease in violation of his religious beliefs is suing his former district and the ousted coaches. The former Canton McKinley High School athlete and his parents filed a federal civil rights suit this week seeking millions of dollars in damages and alleging violations of his religious freedom and constitutional rights. The athlete says in the lawsuit that coaches were notified he doesn’t eat pork or pork residue as a member of the Hebrew Israelite religious faith, but that they ordered him to eat the pizza as punishment for missing an offseason workout — and indicated his spot on the team was at risk if he didn’t. The coaches say the player chose to remove pepperoni and eat the pizza rather than an alternative food. They weren’t aware it violated his religious beliefs, according to a defamation case they filed previously against the teen’s father, his attorney and school officials. An attorney representing most of the coaches, Peter Pattakos, told The Repository newspaper of Canton that they have statements from over a dozen eyewitnesses that indicate the family’s allegations are false. Canton City School District Superintendent Jeff Talbert said in a written statement that the claims in the family’s lawsuit are meritless and the school board will address them through the legal process, the newspaper reported. The district suspended several coaches after the allegations arose. The board subsequently voted not to renew coaching contracts for four coaches and deemed three other assistant coaches as ineligible for future coaching positions. Tourists famously stand in front of British guards outside of London’s royal landmarks and do things to try and break their famous unflappable stands at attention. A kid unwittingly (or not) took things a bit further in a recent TikTok video that has amassed more than 5.7 million views, and counting. The youngster is seen getting in the way of two Queen’s Guard soldiers outside the Tower of London. One of the guards shouts “Make way!” before stepping over the child, knocking him underfoot in the process. The unidentified boy scrambles to his feet as soon as the guard walks past. Meanwhile, the guards have neither looked back to see if the boy is okay, nor broke sync with each other in their continued march. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eZ9xNgXajyQ/hqdefault.jpg The First Annual “Level Up Conference,” an inspirational virtual one-day event, took place Saturday, December 11 at 11:30 am ET (8:30 am PT). The conference was a collaboration between Earth Wind and Fire icon Philip Bailey’s Music Is Unity Foundation; The Felix Organization, co-founded by award-winning casting director Sheila Jaffe and Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniels; …and The Purple Project founded by former foster youth LaTasha Watts. Together, their mission with the “Level Up Conference” is to inspire, educate and prepare foster youth aging out of the foster care system. All foster youth, present and former between the ages of 14-24 were invited to participate in the FREE conference. Fred Jerkins drops "I Believe" featuring Bishop Paul S. Morton https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/9017342?date=20211014&user_id=668306&signature=8hbleNozjWudNc-Pk4piJDPlHAI%3ATxYLOoVW Danny Jones drops "Reach For The Stars." https://orcd.co/reachforthestar Brian Courtney Wilson to perform on GMA 3 Friday, December 31, 1pm ET/12CT The prime suspect in a deadly mass shooting in and around Denver has been widely described on social media as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer who also harbored hatred toward women. And the folks making these claims came with receipts. After keeping his identity secret for more than 24 hours following a shooting spree in multiple locations that claimed five lives on Monday night, law enforcement officials in Denver finally named Lyndon James McLeod as the gunman who ultimately died after a brief shootout with police. McLeod had been criminally investigated this and last year for unspecified suspicions, according to reports. However, no arrests ever came from the probes. He is accused of killing two people and injuring another at a tattoo parlor at around 5 p.m. Monday in Denver; firing shots at a Denver intersection and forcing his way into a home; killing a man at his Denver home; shooting at police while they tried to pull him over; driving to nearby Lakewood and killing another person there; and killing a woman who was in a hotel in Belmar before an officer shot him. Law enforcement, which said McLeod used to own a tattoo parlor in Denver, suggested he knew at least some of his victims and called the shootings targeted attacks. The Denver Post reported that McLeod may have been dressed as a police officer when he carried out the killings. The 47-year-old’s motive had not been publicly revealed as of early Wednesday morning, but a growing number of viral tweets suggested McLeod’s alleged history as a white supremacist may have had something to do with it. Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging Americans to “stay away” from large New Year’s Eve gatherings amid the rise in the omicron variant. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that omicron is highly transmissible but less severe than the delta strain of the coronavirus. “All indications point to a lesser severity of omicron versus delta,” said Fauci on CNN Monday. But “we should not become complacent,” he noted. “I have been telling people consistently that if you’re vaccinated and boosted, you can have a family setting in the home with family and relatives,” he said. “But when you’re talking about a New Year’s Eve party — we have 30, 40, 50 people celebrating, you do not know the status of their vaccination — I would recommend strongly stay away from that this year.” https://youtu.be/8cKvFRYaWsc NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has condemned NBA superstar LeBron James for posting a COVID-19 meme that appears to encourage vaccine hesitancy. The meme shows three Spider-Mans each labeled COVID, flu and cold, and pointing at each other. James’ captioned the meme, “Help me out folks” with a shrugging emoji, implying that there is no difference between COVID, the common cold virus or the flu. Pro-vaxxer Abdul-Jabbar took to his Substack page to slam LeBron. “The meme’s implication is that LeBron doesn’t understand the difference among these three illnesses, even after all the information that’s been presented in the press,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. One can only wonder if members of the Republican Party, which has essentially gone to war against Critical Race Theory, despite their abject inability to accurately define it, will have the same energy when it comes to a little thing call “Critical White Theory.” Actually, there’s nothing to wonder about there, because white conservatives have already shown their racism and hypocrisy by either ignoring or advocating for the decades-old “great replacement theory,” which generally revolves around white people’s paranoia that they’re being replaced by non-white immigrants and Black people, and also a theory that implies white people have an inherent right to be the dominant race in the Western world. There’s apparently now a homeschool curriculum being offered to Caucasian parents that includes a field of study titled “White Wellbeing.” According to the Daily Beast, a site called The School of the West recently launched an online “educational resource for homeschooling parents.” The course study, which is advertised for students as young as four, boasts that it will help children “understand the gift of being born a member of Westernkind and the qualities that separate us from the other races,” and then later clarified that “the White race is known as Westernkind.” “It also promises to teach them how to spot and respond to the ‘anti-white propaganda’ that supposedly suffuses modern life, why white people are the only true citizens of Western nations, and how ‘feminism destroys the family unit,’ the supposed backbone of all Westernkind, ‘thus weakening our societies,’” the Daily Beast reported. Last week Harvard Kennedy School released a scathing retraction of a paper their Shorenstein Center on Media had released in January of 2021 attacking the #ADOS or American Descendants of Slavery movement along with its leaders Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore. According to Science.org “… retractions appeared to be relatively rare, involving only about two of every 10,000 papers.” https://twitter.com/tonetalks/status/1476673903866966021/photo/1 The woman who slapped and spit on a man in a viral video allegedly has a history of mental illness and violence with her mother and step-father. They’re calling #PatriciaCornwall, 51, #DeltaKaren after video footage went viral last week. Since her arrest, other stories about the woman have come to light, including her allegedly threatening to kill her parents. Cornwall was accused of making death threats toward the couple while living in their Los Angeles home, the New York Post reports. This led her step-father, Robert Spoeri, to file a restraining order against her back in July 2020. Spoeri also claims Cornwall physically attacked him and her mother, Yolanda Spoeri.? “Patricia kicked me, punched me, threatened to kill me, jumped on me, pulled my hair very hard, pounded my head into the floor and more because I would not divulge where her mother was hiding,” wrote her step-father in the restraining order documents. “Her real goal was to do far greater injury to her mother,” he continued. “She threatened my wife a few weeks ago and my wife had to hide in the garage and flee and spend the night at a friend’s house.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYF2XI2l7qg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Florida family is demanding answers from law enforcement after a 13-year-old boy was killed during a traffic stop. The incident occurred Sunday afternoon after Stanley Davis Jr. filled up his dirt bike at a Chevron gas station. Surveillance cameras captured the moment the teenager noticed a police car turning to the same station, and the officer appears to follow Davis Jr. as he takes off, CBS Miami reports. The video does not show the actual crash and the footage has no audio. According to police, the boy’s dirt bike went down during the attempted stop, and Davis died. The police cruiser that was involved in the incident was “not equipped with a dashcam,” according to the Boynton Beach PD. https://youtu.be/838r6LRmRlE A Chicago 911 dispatcher has condemned Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of the city’s crime wave, calling her “a disgrace” for turning the Windy City into “a death zone.” Dispatcher Keith Thornton called out Lightfoot in a viral online rant last week and warned tourists about the dangers in the city. “If you are a Chicagoan, living here or doing business here, even just visiting as a tourist here, your safety is compromised and in jeopardy,” he said according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Thornton appeared on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday and noted that Lightfoot has failed to support cops, adding, “the blood is on her hands.” https://www.facebook.com/100001004167377/videos/274234451354849/ The inauguration of Ed Gainey as Pittsburgh’s new mayor — expected by many to be a boisterous and grandiose in-person celebration like inaugurations past — will instead be held virtually on Jan. 3 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, transition officials announced on Tuesday. The public can view a livestream of the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. on Jan. 3 on the city’s YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter, as well as its TV channel. City and transition leaders made the decision “in accordance with guidance from public health officials,” according to a release. There will also be an interfaith prayer event the day before the inauguration, Jan. 2 at 3 p.m., livestreamed on Mr. Gainey’s Facebook page and Twitter. Legendary firefighter Willie “Chick” Carter, one of the first black firefighters to integrate the Winston-Salem Fire Department, has passed away Wednesday. The WSFD tweeted as they mourned the loss of their fellow retired firefighter. He was a part of the original eight black men hired in North Carolina’s first integrated firehouse E-4. WSFD recognized Carter during a Black History Month Celebration in 2020. He courageously served with honor for 35 years, according to the WSFD. On March 1. 1951, Winston-Salem hired and formed the first integrated fire company in the city and the state of North Carolina on Dunleith Avenue. The eight firefighters were Raphael Black, John Thomas, Lester Ervin, John Henry Ford, Robert Grier, John Meredith, George Penn, and Willie Carter. By 1967, the fire department was fully merged, as mentioned by the city of Winston-Salem Fire Department website. https://www.wfmynews2.com/video/news/one-of-winston-salem-fires-first-black-firefighters-passes-away/83-ad367d73-4dcf-4baf-bd1c-0274a36f0ec7?jwsource=cl Hip-hop legend and overall pop culture superstar LL Cool J has tested positive for COVID-19 just days ahead of New Year’s Eve when he was scheduled to perform as a headliner at an annual show on network TV counting down until it turns 2022. The 53-year-old rap pioneer made the announcement on Wednesday and referenced the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” on ABC that he had to withdraw from because of his diagnosis. “I know it’s disappointing to the millions of fans but my test came back positive for COVID, which means I’ll no longer be able to perform as scheduled at NYRE,” LL Cool J said in a statement published by Deadline. “We were ready and I was really looking forward to ringing in 2022 in my hometown in a special way, but for now I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. The best is yet to come!“ A handwritten poem from Tupac titled “All Eye Was Was Lookin 4” is up for auction and going for $95,000, according to reports. Per TMZ, the auction house says the poem, dated Aug. 26, 1995, ended up in a private collection and it’s hitting the market 26 years later. Moments in Time, the autograph dealer, noted on its official website that the poem is billed as “the genesis for” the title track to Pac’s 1996 album “All Eyez on Me.” Earlier this year, Jada Pinkett Smith honored the late rapper on what would have been his 50th birthday by sharing a never-before-seen poem that Pac penned while incarcerated at Rikers Island. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJjmooHTjI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Dwayne Johnson has made clear that he will not set foot on the “Fast & Furious” set for the film’s tenth installment, and he seems to especially have zero interest in working again with the star of the franchise, Vin Diesel. Johnson has issued a response to Diesel who last month said he is ready to end his feud with Johnson, calling on the former pro wrestler to appear in the next and finale “Fast & Furious” movie. Johnson and Diesel have been feuding since wrapping production of “The Fate of the Furious” in 2016. While filming, Johnson referred to several of his male co-stars as “candy asses.” Diesel wants to put their differences behind them, as he made clear in an Instagram post in November. https://www.instagram.com/p/CV_M4NEhnvE/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4753bd47-2864-42d7-baa3-a85d6501a636 #SFGate reported that #DoorDash’s new program, WeDash, will require all non-delivery employees to dash at least one order each month beginning in January.? However, company employees are less than thrilled.? “What the actual f – – k?” said an employee in a viral post, which revealed the person’s yearly total compensation of $400,000. “I didn’t sign up for this, there was nothing in the offer letter/job description about this.”? On the anonymous social media service, Blind, techies and other white-collar jobs, received the complaint, which was titled “DoorDash making engineers deliver food.” The anonymous employee’s complaint drew over 1,600 responses from other employees who were enraged by the new corporate policy’s implementation and enforcement.? “This is not acceptable in any way,” wrote one user.? “I hope other companies don’t draw inspiration,” joked another. “Otherwise LinkedIn employees will be required to go job hunting once a month going forward.”? https://www.instagram.com/p/CYGS9dqsmPv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Dasani Williams, known as Tyger Booty on social media, flew to Accra, Ghana to visit a local billionaire and allegedly service him and his friends, according to reports and social media fodder. Williams was also there to promote an event, MTO reports. According to Ghanaweb, Williams, a single mother, was in the country to “give pleasure to the big men at the parties she was billed to attend during the holiday season.” https://twitter.com/Naija_PR/status/1476091846795350019/photo/1 Jada Pinkett Smith shared a video update this week about her hair loss journey and her battle with alopecia. “Now at this point I can only laugh,” she said in a clip shared on her Instagram page, pointing out line of hair loss on her bald head. Pinkett Smith said the line appeared “just all of a sudden one day.” “Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia,” she explained, adding, “look at this line right here…it just showed up like that. And this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide, so I thought I’d just share it so y’all not asking any questions.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYB7dMppvjk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Amanda Gorman is ringing in the new year with a new poem. The National Youth Poet Laureate, who is most famous for her poem “The Hill We Climb,” which she recited at President Joe Biden’s inauguration earlier this year, partnered with Instagram on the new poem “New Day’s Lyric.” Gorman shared a video of her reciting the poem on her Instagram, as did the platform, on their own account. In the clip, Gorman wears a a white dress and powerfully recites “New Day’s Lyric” in an empty theater. “New Day’s Lyric” reflects on 2021 and looks ahead to 2022. “May this be the day / We come together,” she says. “Tethered by this year of yearning, / We are learning / That though we weren’t ready for this, / We have been readied by it. / We steadily vow that no matter / How we are weighed down, / We must always pave a way forward.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CYEpCgxBTAf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tami Roman is back on the reality show that birthed her fame, and we are all the better for it. Just like old times, 28 years ago to be exact, the reality TV maven is driving the drama on Paramount+’s “Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles” series, and an exchange from this week’s episode has gone viral over her attempt to get the roommates straight on when they are allowed to say the N-word, which is never. Tami was in the corner taking a smoke break when Glen uttered the full epithet while explaining how someone used it against one of his friends. In her Bonnet Chronicles bonnet and cigarette dangling from lip, Tami explained to Glen that he shouldn’t even say the word in a second-hand context. https://twitter.com/i/status/1476190912338300934 The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has confirmed that it tracks the content posted to social media usage by Kenyans in an effort to enforce tax compliance. As reported by BBC, Kenya’s taxman uses communication technology such as “blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data mining technologies,” to monitor the lavish items, including gifts, meals, clothing, and vacation photos that taxpayers are posting on social media. “KRA has a dedicated team whose work, apart from other intelligence-led risk-based analysis, is to look at lifestyles of targeted taxpayers. “This may in some instances involve viewing the social media profiles of targeted individuals,” a KRA spokesperson shared with the outlet. The Today Show’s “Morning Boost” on Thursday featured video of a precious moment filmed in 2018, when Beyonce and Jay-Z were on the road with their On the Run II Tour, but posted to TikTok this past August. The clip featured a woman surprising her co-worker with tickets to the concert, which were nestled inside of her birthday card. The heartwarming part is that the co-worker began tearing up at the card alone, using the folded ticket printout as a means to fan her welling tears while reading the message written on the card. https://www.today.com/video/woman-surprises-her-coworker-with-beyonce-concert-tickets-for-her-birthday-129823813710 “Jeopardy!” contestant Amy Schneider was born a man, but she’s being toasted as the highest-earning woman in the show’s history, much to the chagrin of those decrying the accolade as an example of stolen female glory. The transgender trivia whiz hit $706,800 in total earnings with her Friday win, prompting NBC News and NBC OUT to declare her the show’s “top female earner,” surpassing Larissa Kelly, who won $655,930 during her run in 2008-09. “Schneider buzzed her way to victory, becoming the highest-earning woman contestant,” said Entertainment Weekly. From People magazine: “Jeopardy! contestant Amy Schneider just became the show’s highest-earning woman, beating Larissa Kelly’s previous record.” Among those who had a problem with the “top female” designation were Rachel Bovard, senior policy director of the Conservative Partnership Institute. The 2021 Grammy Awards, originally scheduled for January 31, 2022 has been postponed due to concerns of the increasing cases of coronavirus. No New Date has been set. However several sources are stating that a March 2022 date is being considered. The Gospel Industry Network Grammy Award Weekend has been postponed due to a rise in the Covid and Omicron variants. A March date is also being considered. The New York Film Critics Circle has announced it will postpone its 2022 awards ceremony, which was set to take place on January 10, 2022. The postponement comes after a rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the country. Hailing from the one of the most musical cities on the planet, Detroit - Don, Courtney, Drea, Trent and Amber are professionally known as Shelby 5. The family group first came to notoriety on the Oxygen network’s hit reality series, Preachers of Detroit, where their father Don Shelby, Jr., was one of the principal cast members. At the top of 2021, Shelby 5 was a part of the Grammy® nominated song “Come Together,” written by multi-platinum songwriter and producer, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. Jerkins was so impressed with their vocal prowess, that he signed the group to his Lifestyle Music Group label. Shelby 5 is a group of amazing young people who vow to deliver an inspirational, yet versatile sound to gospel music, which is evident on their upcoming single, BOOM, which features Hip Hop legend Lecrae. The song was written and produced solely by Shelby 5 and is most certainly a sound that is needed in today’s gospel music landscape. https://drive.google.com/file/d/15zxv7hjVF3OUt7WkBaBL_BmOrNgB6Cjm/view HelloBeautiful, the digital news, lifestyle, fashion, and beauty destination for today’s Black woman, releases its December digital cover themed “The Evolution of Sarah Jake Roberts.” In an effort to capture the true authenticity of the modern women of faith, best-selling author, wife, and mother, HelloBeautiful solicited the help of author Candice Marie Benbow, who is known for giving a voice to Black women and their shared experiences of faith, healing, and wholeness. The new issue pulls back the curtain and offers a glimpse into Jakes Roberts’s life beyond what millions witness through her social media platforms. Readers will learn from the monumental interview of Roberts as she explains her journey of showing up authentically for herself to Benbow, including how she navigates life as a wife, mom, daughter, and someone with influence. Roberts also shares with Benbow her call and responsibility to her ministry. This feel-good article exudes Robert's joy and gratitude and just in time for the holiday. Furthermore, Robert's longstanding friend and celebrity stylist, J. Bolin, styled her, bringing the epitome of Robert and the cover to life. London-based UK Music Apps Ltd has today launched the 'ultimate play along' app for iPad and iPhone: Jazz300 features over 300 professional jazz, blues, soul, funk and pop backing tracks aimed at practising and improvising musicians. The brand new app offers musicians of all abilities the opportunity to play along to a huge collection of tracks - including over 200 jazz standards - recorded by 21 of the world's finest musicians including twelve-time GRAMMY® nominated Kirk Whalum (Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross), seven-time Billboard #1 Chris Standring and jazz impresario Jason Rebello (Sting, Jeff Beck). The New Mayo Clinic Diet, the official diet developed by the Mayo Clinic, has launched nationwide. Through a medically-supported, scientifically rigorous and proven approach, The New Mayo Clinic Diet helps people lose weight to improve their health. Built by a team of weight-loss experts at the Mayo Clinic, the program is built on a powerful new digital behavior change platform. The New Mayo Clinic Diet is designed to help members reshape their lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones. The program includes Mayo Clinic-approved meal plans and recipes, based on a weight loss solution that consistently ranks on the US News & World Report Best Diet list and #1 on The New York Times bestseller list. Members can choose from flexible meal plans, vegetarian, Mediterranean, high protein, and a new healthy keto program. "The New Mayo Clinic Diet partners a whole-health weight loss program with an innovative digital platform." said Donald D. Hensrud, MD, MS, Medical Director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program." Fandom, the world's largest fan platform, announces the fan-favorite choices in TV, movies, video games - and more! - for 2021. With over 250,000 fan-powered wiki communities on every topic imaginable in entertainment and gaming, Fandom is the center of the pop culture ecosystem. Whether you venture to Fandom to discover facts about TV shows, movies or video games, to share knowledge with like-minded fans, or to immerse yourself in your favorite imagined world, Fandom is a place where every fan has a home. Fandom analyzed billions of first-party data points across its 40 million pages of content to uncover fun facts, fan-favorite movie scenes, and even the most popular superpowers of the last year based on web traffic. Want to know the state-by-state analysis of most popular movies, video games and TV shows according to fans? Fandom's got you covered! Soulful songstress Y'Anna Crawley just released her highly-anticipated EP "This Is Me" under her independent label Sassy Soulstress Music. The EP is available today wherever music is sold and streamed. “This Is Me” arrives just in time for the new year, during a time where everyone has much to be thankful for post-pandemic, reflecting on the trying year and preparing for a new one. The six-track EP is Crawley's latest and most vulnerable body of work to date. “This Is Me is authentically Me! I wanted to sing my heart’s position without constraint. It’s been a while since I released a body of work and I wanted to make sure I embodied the essence of me," says Y'Anna. "Every song has a specialty to it. Just give me 24 minutes of your time! Sit with the music and allow these songs to play as I tell a story through melodies and lyrics.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isCH1b-cc4I&list=OLAK5uy_l-pOOmHLDXY_s9F0JLHhqFRounApMMnrc&index=1 The family of a young teenage girl who was killed two days before Christmas as police in Los Angeles shot recklessly at a suspect in a department store where she was trying on a dress will be legally represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump as they seek justice for their loss. Crump and co-counsel Rahul Ravipudi announced on Monday that they had been retained by the family of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was reportedly killed in a Burlington Coat Factory dressing room. Orellana-Peralta’s parents were expected to appear Tuesday morning alongside Crump and Ravipudi for a news conference at LAPD Headquarters. https://twitter.com/i/status/1475694498667634689 The former minority leader of the Rhode Island legislature seems desperate for attention on social media. Legislator Karen, also known as Republican Rep. Patricia Morgan, claims her “Black friend” suddenly acts hostile and unpleasant. So instead of talking to the alleged Black friend, Morgan decides she should tweet about it and make a false point about racial division for political points. “I had a black friend,” Morgan tweeted. “I liked her, and I think she liked me, too. But now, she is hostile and unpleasant. I am sure I didn’t do anything to her except be white. Is that what teachers and our political leaders really want for our society? Divide us because of our skin color? #CRT.” Christian Walker, the son of Herschel Walker, the ex-NFL player and resident GOP “Black friend” who is campaigning to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate, is absolutely his father’s son. In fact, Herschel Walker’s son is such a staunch Republican bootlicker that he’s looking to be his generation’s Candace Owens after having told New York Magazine he wants to be “the face” of Gen-Z’s conservatism. On Tuesday morning, the Walker for young people whose parents think Jim Crow was a fine American who gets a bad rap because of Critical Race Theory took to Twitter to be loud and wrong about crime in blue states. “Blue states are literal hellholes,” Walker Texas Stranger tweeted. “Move to red states and vote red, or stay in your crime invested liberal utopias.” The fundamental foundation of journalism has always centered on the primary principle of accuracy. But as the Omicron variant fuels the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, far too many mainstream media outlets have been quick to erroneously assign carte blanche blame to the entire continent of Africa without doing their due diligence, according to a progressive civil rights advocacy group. Yes, it is true that Omicron was discovered by scientists in South Africa. But that doesn’t mean that’s where the exponentially contagious yet much less mild variant is from, let alone the part of the world where it is raging the most. https://twitter.com/ColorOfChange?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1475506263408713733%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4267429%2Fomicron-anti-black-news-coverage%2F Harry Reid, the former Senate majority leader and Nevada’s longest-serving member of Congress, has died. He was 82. Reid died Tuesday, “peacefully” and surrounded by friends “following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” Landra Reid said of her husband in a statement. “Harry was a devout family man and deeply loyal friend,” she said. “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support from so many over these past few years. We are especially grateful for the doctors and nurses that cared for him. Please know that meant the world to him.” Funeral arrangements would be announced in coming days, she said. Days after a fatal Learjet crash in San Diego County, audio featuring the last words of the pilot has surfaced. TMZ detailed the audio, stating that everything appeared normal before the crash. The pilot seems to be relaxed as he speaks to the tower. The business as usual atmosphere is soon disrupted as the panic abruptly sets in. The pilot is then heard screaming, “Oh s***, Oh s***, Oh S***!” The comments are then followed by a scream, which marked the pilot’s last transmission. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-12-28-122821-plane-crash-audio-1329806/ The murder case of Jam Master Jay is presenting a new chapter as one of the men accused of killing the Run-DMC founder plans to present a witness that will prove his innocence. AllHipHop.com cites a document it obtained that reveals the prosecutor’s case could be jeopardy, due to Karl Jordan Jr. having an alibi. Jordan, along with Ronald “Tinard” Washington have been charged with the October 30, 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell. According to the heavily redacted document, Jordan, also known as “Lil D,” was not near Jay’s recording studio the night of the murder. He was at an associate’s house. That associate is planning to testify on Jordan’s behalf when the case goes to trial. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ltRI11495wk/hqdefault.jpg A revolver fired by Baldwin during a “Rust” rehearsal on October 21st killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and left a projectile lodged in the shoulder of director Joel Souza which doctors later removed. Baldwin was told the revolver was “cold” and had no live rounds, investigators say. But new leads have come up as authorities searched the premises of an Albuquerque-based firearms and ammunition supplier. The search took place after a provider of firearms and ammunition to the ill-fated movie production for “Rust” told investigators that he “may know” where live rounds came from, describing ammunition he received from a friend in the past that had been “reloaded” by assembly from parts. Seth Kenney and his business PDQ Arm & Prop provided movie-prop ammunition and weapons to the “Rust” production. Kenney told a detective on October 29th that “a couple years back, he received ‘reloaded ammunition’ from a friend,” and that the ammunition stood out in his memory because of a star-shaped company logo, according to an affidavit from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office that is leading the investigation. As 2021 closes, TV viewers are looking towards 2022 and what it brings on the small screen. Among those things is an Ava DuVernay directed show for CW called “Naomi.” It’s the newest edition to the network’s roster of shows featuring superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Based on the 2019 comic book series of the same name, “Naomi” centers on the title character, a comic book-loving teenager, who sets out to uncover the origins of a supernatural event that shakes her hometown to its core while pursuing her hidden destiny. “Naomi” stars Kaci Walfall in the title role, Mary-Charles Jones as Annabelle, Cranston Johnson as Zumbado. Barry Watson as Greg, Mouzam Makkar as Jennifer, Alexander Wraith as Dee, Daniel Puig as Nathan, Aidan Gemme as Jacob, Will Meyers as Anthony, Camila Moreno as Lourdes and Stephanie March as Akira. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LsjoSlvT090/hqdefault.jpg The first full trailer for OWN’s juicy new drama, “The Kings of Napa,” has been uncorked. From acclaimed writer and executive producer Janine Sherman Barrois (“Claws,” “Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”) and Warner Bros. Television, the Napa Valley-set series follows an aspirational African American family whose wealth and status land them on the pages of design magazines and society pages. The wine business has brought them success and acclaim, but following the patriarch’s sudden exit from the company, his three children must grapple for the reins to the kingdom — as well as their own power, wealth, and legacy. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PPBXxgK3LcA/hqdefault.jpg Colin Kaepernick could be doing more harm than good in helping his SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) succeed in furthering causes he believes in. Awful Announcing (via the Wall Street Journal) reports the SPAC, Mission Advancement Corp., was close to finalizing a lucrative deal to acquire California-based lending firm The Change Company, but hopes were dashed, due to Kaepernick’s refusal to promote his work and do interviews. The Change Company is known for helping minority borrowers who have had difficulty getting loans from traditional banks. The firm’s mission statement is “To bank the underbanked, fairly and responsibly.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nA5YaN93cJE/hqdefault.jpg Roundabout Theatre Company has brought the musical masterpiece, CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, back to Broadway for a very limited engagement, with a cast led by London’s three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D. Clarke, who delivers “a performance that people will talk about forever” (Theatermania). This story of a Black woman working as a maid for a Jewish family in 1963 Louisiana—created by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner and Tony Award® winner Jeanine Tesori—pulses with the urgency and passion that’s shaping the world today. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tPKEvE-Eo_s/hqdefault.jpg “The Music Man” just cancelled all performances from now through January 1st. They’ll try and return on January 2nd. Hugh Jackman has tested positive– see his video below. Of course he got it. Star Sutton Foster and at least 8 other actors in the company have really gotten hit hard by COVID. What a shame. Losing the holiday season is very rough on the Broadway economy and psyche. Wishing everyone a speedy recovery! Friends of mine saw the show on the 26th and loved it even with Sutton out. But so many cast members being sick means they’ve got to take the time to regroup and re-set! “Michelle Obama … and they’re going to bring in (Vice President Kamala) Harris,” Rogan surmised Wednesday on his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “Harris comes back as the vice president and Michelle Obama is the president. We get a double dose of diversity.” https://youtu.be/z1qF9yQqBqA Remember when there were plans to put Harriet Tubman’s face on the front of the $20 bill? It was more than five years ago when news broke that the famed abolitionist and activist would replace former President Andrew Jackson as the new face of the $20. As it stands now, Jackson still occupies the $20. And Tubman’s family is making it known how disappointed they are that more of an effort has not been taken to honor Tubman in this way. “Our family has three nonagenarians — Women in their 90’s,” Michele Jones Galvin, Tubman’s great-great-great-grand-niece, told Spectrum News. “When this was talked about right out of the gate in the Biden Administration, they thought it would happen in their lifetime. We are hoping that is done.” The journey to having a Harriet Tubman $20 bill started on April 20, 2016, when then-Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced in an open letter to the American people that Tubman would be the first woman to have her face on the front of U.S. currency, replacing Jackson. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9yIeCuifJtI/hqdefault.jpg During an appearance on an episode of “Hollywood Unlocked Uncensored with Jason Lee,” Tiffany Haddish admitted that although she misses the rapper, she is “fine with it.” “I miss him,” Haddish confessed. “I miss him from time to time but that’s with, I think, any intimate relationship that you might have, you miss them. But I’m fine with it. It’s cool.” Haddish’s comments come after gave his take on the “Hollywood Unlocked” podcast earlier this month. According to the rhymesayer, it was a case of he and Haddish having different and busy schedules that caused the end of their relationship. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/z_kCdVSfq-s/hqdefault.jpg While speaking with Comedy Hype, actor Faizon Love revealed that he only made $2,500 as Big Worm in “Friday” and said he turned down reprising his role in the franchise’s sequels (“Next Friday” and “Friday After Next”). “See, it wasn’t really about the money then,” said Love on why he was willing to accept the deal. “I got to say I’m working, pay my rent, I ain’t out in the street doing no bulls—t.” He continued, “It wasn’t iconic when we did it.” Faizon went on to say, “Next Friday,” was not the case. “They wanted to give me double-scale. The scale was $2,500, right. So that was $5,000,” he added while acknowledging the payout was simply not enough to reprise his role. Instead, he accepted a role in “The Replacements” for $100,000. When it comes to boombap and classic rap, there isn’t anyone who does it like the trailblazers, name-makers, and ground-shakers like Arrested Development, and their newest single, “Vibe” — available now! The 2x GRAMMY Award-winning hip hops group credited with a culture-shaping 30 years of experience, Arrested Development was the first hip hop group to ever receive the GRAMMY for Best New Artist while also receiving one for Best Rap Single; the song of honour was their anthemic, prayer-like track, “Tennessee” — which has gone on to be named by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the Top 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DNLs7SrZtRY/hqdefault.jpg Nikole Hannah-Jones, project creator for the New York Times’s 1619 Project, shared she did not “understand this idea that parents should decide what’s being taught” in schools, during an interview on Meet the Press on Sunday. https://www.instagram.com/p/CYAjjU7KIA4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Oprah Winfrey, 67, hosted a grand welcoming party on December 23 for her best friend Gayle King’s grandson Luca, who was born three months ago, but she had a strict ‘policy’ for her guests to follow – one even her best friend failed to follow. ‘Everyone who is spending Christmas at my house has to be vaccinated, boosted, tested, and quarantined,’ the star said on Instagram. ‘Stedman [Graham] calls it “The Policy” cause I’m that serious about it. ‘This was release day for our bubble and we knew we had to throw a welcome celebration for Baby Luca, who none of us had met yet!’ she wrote on Instagram. It seems even best friends don’t get to bypass ‘The Policy,’ as King, 67, was forced to miss out on the Lion King-themed fun because she didn’t ‘complete the policy!’ It is unclear what step King didn’t meet, but she suggested she hadn’t received her test results back in time, writing on Instagram the following day: ‘Followed all the protocols…test results in! So [I’m] cleared to join the group…so happy!’ Even with rules in place that are designed to improve diversity, the NFL has struggled to build a pipeline for bringing Blacks and other minorities into coaching and front-office positions. The lead investigator for the latest NFL Inclusion and Diversity Report gives a nod to the less-than-satisfying nature of the numbers in that report by leading off his opening message with the reminder: “Progress is a process.” In 2021, the process produced these statistics: Black players make up about 70% of team rosters but the league has only three Black head coaches, while it had eight in 2011; Black coaches who fail in their first try in the jobs get inordinately fewer second and third chances than their white counterparts; the NFL this year recalibrated its much-celebrated Rooney Rule, which ensures minority candidates for front-office positions are identified and interviewed, to make sure teams talk to at least two such candidates for front-office positions and coordinator roles. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Tuesday. Arians is isolating at home. He told ESPN he is OK and is dealing with mild symptoms, mainly a cough. “I tested positive for COVID-19 this morning but have only experienced mild symptoms to this point,” Arians said in a statement issued by the team. Beyoncé’s name carries a lot of weight to it. No question. So much so that a realtor trying to use the former Destiny’s Child singer’s name to sell a lot in Houston. The vacant property in question is located on Rosedale Street, right next to one of Beyoncé’s childhood homes, according to TMZ. As for the cost, the lot was listed for $315k earlier this year but was pulled off-market in November. Those who are interested in buying the property are still welcome to do so by calling a number and asking about it. A house was previously on the lot but burned down in a fire four years ago, TMZ reports, noting that realtors are making more of the fact that Beyoncé lived next door to the property, despite that being many years ago. Not one to let opportunity slip by, a huge sign on the lot, which is about a tenth of an acre, says “Build On Beyoncé’s Old Block.” Thanks to her supportive husband, a social media influencer had the pleasure of becoming a stay-at-home mom. So she returned the favor by paying off his student loan debt for Christmas. Jayla Brenae went viral after sharing a post revealing her investment to help her husband go into the new year student loan debt-free. In a lengthy Instagram caption of a since-deleted post, Brenae explained the talk she and her husband had at the start of 2021 about going into 2022 with no debt. https://www.instagram.com/p/CX7RZXDjFNd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 3,000 career 3-pointers on Tuesday night in a game where the Denver Nuggets barely held off the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors 89-86. Denver’s Nikola Jokic blocked a potential game-tying shot by Jonathan Kuminga in the final seconds to preserve the win after his team nearly blew a 24-point halftime lead. The Warriors got one more chance to tie the game, but Andre Iguodala missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. “I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I thought Will Barton, down the stretch, made a couple of big, big plays.” Barton had 21 points, while Jokic led Denver with 22 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and four steals. ANTI-VAXXER kickboxing champion Frederic Sinistra has died from Covid complications after he discharged himself from the hospital. The 41-year-old, known as The Undertaker, died at his home in Ciney, Belgium, after deciding to treat the “little virus” himself at home. The three-times world champion who was forced to get medical help by his coach back in November shared pictures of himself in a hospital bed in intensive care breathing through an oxygen tube. Indiana University is faced with making a decision: Who should we rename this street after? a 19th century president? a black family? The president was part of the school and he supported eugenics. The black family rose to prominence after escaping the horrors of slavery. The IU Board of Trustees voted Friday to approve changing the name of Jordan Avenue to Eagleson Avenue. Generations of the Eagleson family, a black family, is cited for making significant contributions to the city, university, state, and nation, starting with Halson Vashon Eagleson Sr., who was born into slavery in 1851 and came to Bloomington in the 1880s. His family included Preston Emmanuel Eagleson, the first African-American to earn a master’s degree from IU, and Frances Marshall Eagleson, who was the first Black woman to graduate from IU and became a teacher and administrator at North Carolina Central University. Standing in the white-domed Capitol, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey presented Ashley M. Jones with a commendation for the honor, bestowed earlier this year by the Alabama Writers Cooperative for a four-year term that begins in January. Ashley M. Jones is being recognized as the state’s first black poet laureate. She is a creative writing teacher who delves into inequality and the difficulty of being Black in America. The ceremony will take place in the same building where Southern delegates voted to form the Confederacy 160 years ago. Jones’ most recent book, released earlier this year, is a collection of poems titled “Reparations Now!” In it, she writes about reparations not just in terms of money but in the fuller sense of rebuilding a society fractured by generations of racial violence, division, and prejudice. In an interview, Jones said she believes both poetry and history should tell the truth. “I’m hoping that through my position I can continue to spread that message and show that when we actually confront the truth it’s good for everyone. Hiding things doesn’t help at all. It actually hurts more than it helps,” she said. Jones teaches at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, which she also attended. A 13-year old boy died in Florida Sunday after crashing his dirt bike while police were trying to pull him over for driving recklessly. According to a Florida NBC affiliate, the boy has been identified as Stanley Davis Jr., who gained officers’ attention because he was driving erratically on Boynton Beach Boulevard. Video obtained by NBC shows Davis at a gas station and a police SUV follows him after he exits the station. Davis lost his life several minutes later when his dirt bike hit a curb, throwing Davis from the bike into a street sign. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene. “That’s the prejudice of the Boynton Beach police that we’ve been having problems for all these damn years.” Palm Beach County Attorney Michael Pike said the minimum age to ride a dirt bike in the state is 16. When the worlds of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and photography intersect, it becomes a space to help protect art and amplify its longevity. The stories behind the photos and the artist behind the lens are a part of what keeps history alive. It’s the power of storytelling through street photography that birthed visual artist Enrico Moses’ idea of how to help preserve historical moments within Hip-Hop. Flash Mints, an innovative NFT platform, features collections from legendary Hip-Hop and street photographers including Chi Modu, Jamil GS, T. Eric Monroe, Ricky Powell, and Yaasmyn Fula. “Hip-Hop is something that we as a culture we cherish. I think that we’re still learning so much more about the history of Hip-Hop because it’s so new,” Moses told AfroTech. “It’s something that was born recently in the 80s and really developed in the 90s. And here we are today in this multi-billion dollar industry. I think that these images are preserving this history that we’re all even discovering how much it means to us.” A Georgia man was released from prison on Monday after serving 23 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and 10 years after DNA evidence presented in court pointed to another man as the rightful suspect. Devonia Inman received a life sentence without parole after a Taco Bell night manager, Donna Brown, was shot and killed in the parking lot in 1998. The assailant stole $1,700 in that day’s cash receipts and fled in the victim’s car. When the car was found, authorities discovered a distinctive homemade ski mask left inside. There was no evidence to tie Inman to the crime and prosecutors relied on testimony from four key witnesses. Three of them later recanted, according to Atlanta Journal Constitution. After another man, Hercules Brown—no relation to the victim—allegedly confessed to the murder, Inman’s legal team wanted to have him testify in the case, but the judge refused to allow it. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y3O3UfUKBEY/hqdefault.jpg The Los Angeles Police Department released bodycam video footage and audio recordings Monday that shows the moments before and after an officer opened fire with a long rifle inside a North Hollywood Burlington store on Thursday, killing a 14-year-old girl and the assault suspect. The footage captures the suspect’s erratic movements in the store, his attacks on multiple customers and the moments the officer opened fire. It also shows that police didn’t give any commands to the suspect, who was shot down the aisle from his bloodied victim. Video showed that the officer who opened fire was told more than a dozen times by other responding officers to “slow down” before he fired. That officer has been placed on administrative leave. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YqAce3dubZE/hqdefault.jpg In an autopsy report released Monday, Kansas officials deemed the September death of Black teenager Cedric Lofton while in police custody a homicide, PEOPLE confirms. The report, obtained by PEOPLE, indicates Lofton, 17, died from “complications of cardiopulmonary arrest sustained after physical struggle while restrained in the prone position.” According to the report, Lofton had no pulse four minutes after being placed on the floor on Sept. 24, 2021, after an altercation with corrections officers at the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center in Wichita. The handcuffed, shackled teen had been placed face-down on the floor after allegedly assaulting a staff member. Police arrested Lofton on suspicion of four counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, and transported him to the facility early that morning for an assessment. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is telling young Republicans to “stop” wishing people a happy Kwanzaa. The controversial lawmaker, whose habit of stirring up controversy posted a holiday message to College Republicans via Twitter on the first day of the African American cultural celebration. “Wishing you a happy and prosperous Kwanza!” the political group wrote Dec. 26, misspelling the name of the holiday which was created in 1966 as an alternative to Christmas that embraces family, community and culture and is based on African traditions. “Stop. It’s a fake religion created by a psychopath,” Greene wrote in a reply tweet. “You aren’t bringing in new voters, you are turning them away. People are tired of pandering and BS.” Supply issues and the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have a stronghold, but the power of the shopper could not be denied. AP News references reports that holiday sales rose 8.5% in the last few weeks of the holiday season. Mastercard Spending Pulse, a company that tracks various types of payments, including cash and debit cards, revealed the percentage Sunday, adding that it expected an 8.8% increase. The rise, which was fueled by purchases of clothing and jewelry, covered the period of November 1 through December 24. Compared with the pre-pandemic 2019 holiday period, holiday sales were up 10.7% Breaking down further into categories, clothing sales rose 47%, followed by jewelry sales (32%) and sales in electronics (16%). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O_ihw_NyOmk/hqdefault.jpg ; Popular “woke” jail bond organization “The Bail Project” is under fire after they contributed to the bond of a man who was later arrested and charged with the murder of a man in a drug deal gone wrong. An Indiana mom is speaking out against the organization because she believes this could’ve been prevented. Nikki Sterling is the mother of Dylan McGinnis, who was murdered in October after going with a friend to get drugs. At the drug deal, McGinnis, who was not there for drugs only to go with a friend, was sitting in the car when Travis Lang opened fire on him and the female Friend over money. The female was shot in the leg but McGinnis, unfortunately, lost his life. Sterling was shocked to find out that The Bail Project helped free Lang for his previous offenses. Lang was originally arrested for possession of cocaine and three felony charges of breaking and entering but was bailed out with money from The Bail Project and other money raised by his family back in January. The Bail Project has released a statement claiming they aren’t responsible for Lang’s actions. Televangelist Perry Stone. He circled the room singing along to the music. He cracked jokes about gaining weight over Thanksgiving. That Tuesday night’s “special service” was supposed to be a joyous one for televangelist Perry Stone. He circled the room singing along to the music. He cracked jokes about gaining weight over Thanksgiving. But as Stone was describing to his followers how some people walked away from religion in recent years, the voice of a woman in the back brought the auditorium to silence. “Probably because you keep touching them, you nasty perv,” she yelled. “Why don’t you tell them the real reason why they left? Because you kept touching them.” But as Stone was describing to his followers how some people walked away from religion in recent years, the voice of a woman in the back brought the auditorium to silence. “Probably because you keep touching them, you nasty perv,” she yelled. “Why don’t you tell them the real reason why they left? Because you kept touching them.” “Ma’am, I’ll have you arrested, and I’ll bring a lawsuit against you for making statements like that,” Stone said, as his security guards rushed toward the woman. His voice held steady for a few more words before he began yelling, “You’ve talked to people who told 16 lies on my wife and I! That’s who you’ve been talking to.” Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began questioning people connected to Stone and his Cleveland-based ministries, according to five people with direct knowledge of the interactions. At least seven people connected to the ministry, including some couples, have shared information that investigators sought about sexual misconduct allegations against Stone as well as the evangelist’s connections to Bradley County law enforcement, according to the five people. For the second straight year, the COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on Diddy’s annual New Year’s Eve party. Sources with direct knowledge of the situation mentioned to TMZ that Diddy’s plans included having Miami as the place Friday night for 500 of the media mogul’s closest friends to invade the city for the bash. But, like many grand events, rising COVID cases in Florida and around the nation caused Diddy to cancel the event. The decision to cancel was made earlier this month. The cancellation mirrors the fate of the 2020 NYE bash, which Diddy cancelled, due to most of the people invited to the soiree not being vaccinated. The NYE bash is known for its high-powered guest list of celebrities. The Potter’s House of Dallas will be holding a New Year’s Eve celebration virtually due to COVID-19’s recent surge of cases. Founded by bishop T.D. Jakes, the Dallas megachurch will hold a service that people can watch live on the church’s platforms including its website and YouTube channel. The service will happen at 10 p.m. on Dec. 31. https://twitter.com/i/status/1475844144769732615 Dennis Rodman isn’t playing basketball, but he seems to have another, more troublesome game that he’s taken up. It’s one that didn’t earn him any new fans and relates to the federal mandate regarding face masks. TMZ reports the 60-year-old former Chicago Bulls forward was causing problems with JetBlue employees who approached him about adhering to the mandate The incident took place early last week on a JetBlue flight from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale. Rodman was repeatedly asked by flight personnel to place his face mask back on his mouth and nose during the flight after he took the mask off several times. Law enforcement sources provided more details on the situation, telling TMZ Rodman played a game of cat and mouse by initially placing his mask on, then repeatedly pulling it down, saying that he was having trouble breathing. Once the plane arrived last Monday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, Broward Sheriff’s Office Airport District deputies were on hand to greet Rodman, who was seated in first class. “Mr. Rodman cooperated with deputies and exited the airport grounds on his own with no issues,” according to a statement from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jpqMWiG6J_Y/hqdefault.jpg Not only did Houston Rockets center Christian Wood commit a turnover against the Hornets in Charlotte Monday night, he unwittingly committed assault on a Hornets fan in the process. During the final 10 seconds of the first half, Wood grabbed a defensive rebound and beamed a two-handed, cross-court pass intended for teammate Josh Christopher. Instead, it went way over Christopher’s head and hit an unsuspecting fan who was walking behind the courtside seats at Spectrum Center. She appeared to be OK moments afterward. Wood also took to Instagram to offer the fan courtside tickets to a Rockets game of her choice. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0jSMiI7bwOg/hqdefault.jpg HBO’s upcoming mini-series on the Los Angeles Lakers is churning up plenty of interest. Just not from Magic Johnson. The basketball icon and centerpiece of the 1980s “Showtime” Lakers who won five NBA championships got caught by TMZ’s cameras on Sunday. He was asked his thoughts on the upcoming show titled “Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty.” He’s not interested. “I’m not really looking forward to it,” Johnson told TMZ. “I’m gonna leave it at that.” Asked if he’s planning on watching, Johnson was succinct in his reply. “No.” “Ain’t Too Proud,” a jukebox musical about the Temptations that opened on Broadway in early 2019, will close on Jan. 16, the show’s producers said on Tuesday. The musical is the fourth Broadway show to announce a closing in the last eight days, as the spike in coronavirus cases from the Omicron variant has exacerbated the financial woes of an already pandemic-damaged theater industry. Last week, the musicals “Jagged Little Pill” and “Waitress,” as well as the play “Thoughts of a Colored Man” announced that they had closed without so much as a farewell performance — all were already on hiatus because of coronavirus cases among cast or crew. The Broadway production of “Ain’t Too Proud,” about the powerhouse Motown group, has not run since Dec. 15, citing coronavirus cases. It is planning to resume on Tuesday, Dec. 28, and hoping to run for three more weeks before closing for good. The musical also has a touring production that had to postpone shows at the Kennedy Center in Washington because of coronavirus cases; it is scheduled to have its delayed start on Tuesday night, as well. John Madden, the legendary NFL coach, announcer, and namesake for one of the greatest sports video games of all time died unexpectedly Tuesday morning at the age of 85, the league announced in a statement tonight. Madden was an absolute legend in everything that he did and his amazing life story was beautifully told just a few days ago in a must-watch documentary that aired on Fox before the Browns-Packers Christmas Day Game. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement: “Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today.” A BBQ restaurateur is moonlighting as a mechanic to help his community. Eliot Middleton fixes vehicles in need of repair and gives them away to people in need in his rural area — and his good deeds got the attention of WLTX, the CBS affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina. According to the station, Middleton — the owner of Middleton & Maker Village BBQ in Awendaw — created his own foundation to donate fixed cars to people who don’t have their own transportation. https://youtu.be/M31pnviEH9E Oprah Winfrey launched the mainstream career of Dr. Mehmet Oz (Dr. Oz), helping to propel him to a coveted status of universal name recognition across virtually all U.S. households. But after a nearly 15-year affiliation between the two that has blessed the good doctor with an estimated net worth of $100 million, he has effectively told Oprah to kick rocks, according to a new report. At least, that seems to be the sentiment being offered from the Republican U.S. Senate candidate running for office in Pennsylvania who is apparently looking to ramp up the conservatism and fend off any perceived guilt of Democratic allegiance by distancing himself from the all-world media maven. Oz said as much during a fundraiser in New York City last week that included the likes of renowned conspiracy theorist and disgraced former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It was there that Oz told the intimate gathering of Republicans that he told Oprah to fall back, the New York Post reported. “I asked her to stay out,” Oz reportedly told attendees. “Don’t support me because if you get involved in any way, you’ll get hurt and I don’t want my friends hurt.” https://youtu.be/YjJbQQZQcaA Right-wing outlets continue their war against critical race theory and “The 1619 Project” creator and New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones. After a recent appearance on MSNBC’s Meet the Press, outlets ran stories claiming Jones said she wasn’t an educator or that she didn’t think parents should have a say in their children’s education. Hannah-Jones tweeted Monday morning that it seems like such coverage is coordinated as if writers for these outlets and the people who follow them are simply waiting to pounce. https://youtu.be/PF6wuD9cJOo As the year comes to an end, the wave of support for historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country continues. Philander Smith College is one of the latest HBCUs to receive a historic donation. The Little Rock-based institution was awarded a $2.5 million endowment; marking the largest individual gift the school has received in its 134-year history. The donation—which was given by an anonymous donor—will help fund Philander Smith College’s Generational Access and Affordability Program (GAAP). The initiative is designed to eradicate socio-economic barriers that impact access to higher education. The program aims to take a holistic approach to addressing the individual needs of students, so they don’t have to rely on student loans to advance their education. Research shows HBCU students are disproportionately affected by loan debt burdens. Since its inception three decades ago, the National Action Network has been dedicated to evoking social change and providing resources for underserved communities. The nonprofit is continuing that tradition this holiday season. According to NY1, the organization provided hundreds of Harlem residents with free meals on Christmas. Food insecurity is a pressing concern that has plagued the city of New York, and the public health crisis has deepened the issue. According to City Harvest, 1.2 million New Yorkers were food insecure before the pandemic, and that figure has increased by 36 percent amid the crisis. Founded by the Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights organization wanted to ensure that individuals facing hardships didn’t go without a meal this holiday season and distributed food to Harlem residents. The NAN also used the meal distribution event to ensure COVID-19 testing was accessible amid the rise in Omicron cases. A testing site was set up outside of the nonprofit’s headquarters. Lieutenant Governor of New York Brian Benjamin and New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams were among the volunteers. Trailblazing actress Cicely Tyson and music legend Ray Charles played instrumental roles in shaping their respective industries, and the two will be posthumously honored for their contributions to the arts. According to WSBTV, Tyson and Charles will be inducted into the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022. Founded in 2021—by the Black American Music Association and Georgia Entertainment Caucus—the BMEWOF was created to celebrate and amplify the legacies of Black luminaries and organizations that have tapped into the power of the arts to uplift and empower. Nestled in the heart of Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood—along the sidewalks of Northside Dr. and Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.—the BMEWOF serves as an ode to Black visionaries who have broken barriers and inspired other innovators to follow suit. The 2022 inductees will include Black artists and music moguls whose work spans generations, including Tyson, Charles, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Prince, Ms. Lauryn Hill, TLC, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Lionel Richie. Entertainment visionary Tyler Perry will also be inducted. https://t.co/cSIuedSpxQ?amp=1 Meghan Markle was blessed with the ultimate Christmas gift over the weekend. The Duchess of Sussex recently won her privacy infringement case against the Associated Newspapers, the same publishers who produced the UK’s Mail on Sunday. According to PEOPLE, the publisher finally offered a public front-page apology to the 40-year-old mother of two, “as required” by multiple court rulings, buried in the holiday shuffle. In February 2019, The Mail on Sunday breached Markle’s privacy by printing a few sensitive experts from a five-page letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, shortly after her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. Season 5 came the final stretch of “Insecure” took us through a whirlwind of emotions, but it also taught us so much about life, love, friendships, careers, family and more. Season 1, Episode 1 begins on Issa Dee’s birthday. As she’s at work dodging insulting questions from inquisitively rude teenagers, she realizes that at age 29, she’s not doing what she loves, she’s in a 5 year potentially dead-end relationship, and she’s ready for something to change. She’s completely insecure about her current stage in life, and we get to watch her figure it all out. Over the course of 6 years, Issa Rae’s character grows and stretches in ways that catapulted her into the securely insecure boss we meet in season 5. For 5 seasons, we fell in love and identified with fictional characters that somehow represented an entire generation. Chef’s kiss to the show that single-handedly changed the way we were perceived on screen. Kudos to the series that showed the many ways a boss can look. From Molly’s HBIC lawyer energy to Dee’s entrepreneurial spirit, we got to see why the world needs both. There are so many reasons why this show is important to Black culture. “Insecure” is an alluring taste of the modern-day Black renaissance, as told through the eyes of Rae, her many talented writers, her director, and the actors and actresses who have now become our family. Bounce, the nation's popular entertainment television network serving African Americans, will present the 30th Anniversary Bounce Trumpet Awards -- a night of inspiration, history and crowd-rousing performances celebrating African American achievements and contributions -- on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m. ET. The 2022 Bounce Trumpet Awards will honor: Courtney B. Vance (Excellence in Entertainment Award), Stan Lathan (Living Legend Award), Tyrese Gibson (Luminary Award), Zaila Avant-garde (Rising Star Award), Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff (Xernona Clayton Award of Distinction) and Princess Sarah Culberson (Impact Award). Among the special guests paying tribute to this year's honorees are Wendell Pierce, Sanaa Lathan, JB Smoove and Tamron Hall. Musical performers and more presenters will be announced soon. The gala event will go down at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Saturday, Jan. 15. Tina Knowles-Lawson didn’t have to look far when seeking out a theme song for her new Facebook Watch series, Talks With Mama Tina. The 67-year-old mom of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles recruited her grandchildren for the special tune. Tina previewed the series and the song on Instagram Tuesday, posting a preview clip which included guests Kevin Hart, Zendaya, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, and Tiffany Haddish. The theme song starts off with Tina’s four grandkids — Solange’s son, Julez, 17, and Beyoncé’s children, Blue Ivy, 9, and twins Sir and Rumi, 4, shouting, “Let’s talk about it, grandma!” It then cuts to Beyoncé singing, “Whatever it is, we can talk about it. Tell me how you feel, we can talk about it. Say what’s on your mind, we can talk about it. Simple conversations with no limitations, come and have a talk with Mama Tina.” Tina was clearly appreciative of the special treatment, writing, “Thank you to my baby @beyonce and my beautiful grand babies for making this special theme song for the show.” Dallas Buyers Club and Big Little Lies director Jean-Marc Vallee reportedly died of a heart attack at his Quebec log cabin and is believed to have lost his life on Christmas Day. The filmmaker likely died of heart failure on December 25 while preparing to receive guests the following day, multiple sources told Deadline. Vallee won an Emmy for directing the hit HBO series Big Little Lies. His 2013 drama Dallas Buyers Club earned multiple Oscar nominations. The filmmaker died suddenly in the cabin outside Quebec City, Canada over the weekend, according to his representative Bumble Ward. He said Vallee’s death had been unexpected. The 58-year-old Canadian was a fitness buff and a teetotaler, meaning he abstained from drugs and alcohol, according to Deadline. Vallee’s family and close advisors are also reportedly ‘shocked’ by the death, with his producing partner Nathan Ross also confirming his passing and paying tribute in a statement. ‘Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy,’ Ross said. ‘Everyone who worked with him couldn’t help but see the talent and vision he possessed. He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me,’ Ross added. ‘The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.’ Jean-Marc Vallée died suddenly at 58 when in a cabin outside Quebec City on Sunday which his family said came as a big shock to them. And on Monday morning the tributes started coming in for the Hollywood director. Reese Witherspoon was one of the first as she said in an Instagram post that her heart was ‘broken.’ The Oscar-winning actress and the famed helmer worked together on the series Big Little Lies as well as the critically acclaimed movie Wild. Franklin A. Thomas, highly regarded for his work at the Ford Foundation and with the late, legendary leader Nelson Mandela, has died at 87. Thomas climbed from humble beginnings in Brooklyn to become the first Black American to lead a large-scale philanthropic organization in the United States. He did so as president of the Ford Foundation, the nation’s largest foundation supposedly for much of its history, from 1979 to 1996. He became an essential ally of the anti-apartheid movement and partnered with Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president. He helped support South Africa’s constitution, advocated for peaceful change, and led the opening of the foundation’s first office in that country. The Black Film Critics Circle has named Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” the best film of 2021. The drama that focuses on the rise of Venus and Serena Williams picked up three additional awards, including best actor (Will Smith), supporting actress (Aunjanue Ellis) and original screenplay (Zach Baylin). Denis Villeneuve, who helmed “Dune,” walked away with best director, his first precursor prize of the awards season, while the film also nabbed best cinematography for Greig Fraser. The critics’ group recognized Tessa Thompson’s powerhouse performance in “Passing” with the best actress prize, her second of the season so far. Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog” nabbed two prizes for supporting actor (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and adapted screenplay (Jane Campion). Along with recognizing films in 13 categories, the group also gave the Pioneer Award to “Zola” co-writer and director Janicza Bravo and the Rising Star Award to “The Harder They Fall” co-writer, director, producer and composer Jeymes Samuel, whose film was the runner-up for the top prize. Fortunately, for the most part when we go to church it’s mainly a peaceful experience. However, that wasn’t the case at a house of worship in Tennessee ’cause that’s where a dude out of nowhere attacked an assistant minister. It went down at the Olivet Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee Sunday, when suddenly one guy comes up to another sitting in the front row and starts swinging. The guy who was sitting instantly fully engages, and the 2 go off-screen as they continue punching each other, reports TMZ. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-12-27-122721-church-fight-1329521/ A Texas father of five killed the mother of his children and then turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide after the family returned from a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. Arsenio Gonzalez, 45, and wife Maria, 42, were found dead on the family’s front lawn outside their trailer home in Houston. Christmas morning, authorities said. Their five children, ranging in age from seven to 16 years old, were found inside the trailer home on the 5600 block of Daun Street. Police discovered their mother with significant head trauma and Arsenio with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A gun was recovered a the scene. ‘This couple, a man and wife were at a family function earlier. They came home and then this incident occurred, so the investigation is ongoing,’ said Sgt. Greg Pinkins of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. ‘None of the kids were injured, nor did they witness anything at the time.’ Chicago’s grim crime-ridden year continued its familiar path over the Christmas weekend and into Monday, with three people fatally shot and 22 injured in a city run by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Murders are at a 25-year high, with 793 recorded so far in a city with 2.7 million people. By comparison, New York City, which has a population of more than eight million, has had 479 murders to date. On Christmas Day, 24-year-old Giovanni Lozano was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in Logan Square on the Northwest Side. On December 26, Clifford Jeffrey, 37, was shot and killed in East Garfield Park. And Monday, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot as he walked on the sidewalk in Little Village on the Southwest Side. His name has not yet been released. A grand jury has accused a former Bibb County deputy school superintendent and another woman of killing his wife. The grand jury indicted Edward Judie on charges of felony murder and of giving cocaine to his wife in Nov. 2019. The woman, Aliyah Danielle Walker, now faces the same two charges. In July, the sheriff’s office said Judie poisoned his wife, Joyce Judie, who was being treated for dementia. Investigators said she had a lethal amount of cocaine in her system when she died, and that Edward Judie was the one who bought it that night. He spent two months in jail, but was released in September on a $220,000 bond. He was Bibb County’s deputy superintendent of student affairs from 2011 to 2015. https://youtu.be/rm2ErhbjNIY An Indiana-based bank has agreed to direct more housing loans to majority-Black neighborhoods in settling a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a fair housing organization. Evansville-based Old National Bank faced allegations in the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana’s October lawsuit that the bank engaged in housing discrimination against Blacks in Indianapolis in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The settlement agreement calls for Old National to originate more than $27 million in loans to qualified Black applicants and contribute more than $3 million to create programs to help Black home seekers secure mortgages and to invest in majority-Black neighborhoods, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported. Fair Housing Center executive director Any Nelson said the agreement will provide more mortgage opportunities, bank branches, neighborhood stabilization grants and fair lending education. A white woman who was shown on video harassing and attacking at least one passenger during a recent commercial airplane flight is reportedly being investigated by federal law enforcement officials. Patricia Cornwall was taken into custody last week after the plane landed in Atlanta in what is seemingly the latest example of a so-called “Karen” being brought to justice for flagrantly flouting the law. The fateful Delta Air Lines flight was one of the rare instances of a white woman trying to weaponize her privileges against a fellow white person. But still, the episode ended like most of the other viral Karen videos — with her being held accountable for her actions, albeit much more swiftly than those instances involving Black victims, but we digress… https://twitter.com/i/status/1474552407707242498 No answer is off-limits to the game show host’s reactions as viewers noticed Steve Harvey’s reaction to an answer he didn’t agree with during a recent “Family Feud” episode. The question: “Past or present name the greatest female singer of all time.” Harvey’s reaction was one of happiness, with Good Housekeeping noting his declared that in his 12 years on the show, it was the best question he’s ever read. For the contestants, answers came easily, with Tegi from the Ruffin family guessing Aretha Franklin, which ended up ranking second on the board. Although Tegi’s answer was a great one, it was the opposing side that hit the mark with the number one answer. Jaime from Team Makings hit the correct answer for his family when he answered with Whitney Houston. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W72kRKJ2lv4/hqdefault.jpg Kanye West recently dropped millions to buy a home right across the street from his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian. West, who shares four children with his ex, recently closed on the 3651 square-foot, 5-bedroom home in LA’s exclusive Hidden Hills. Kanye bought a $4.5 million home across the street from his estranged wife … so says the Daily Mail. He reportedly paid $421,000 over asking … proof the real estate bidding war in SoCal is alive and well. Aunt Fanny’s Cabin, an iconic World War II-era restaurant that attracted countless diners to Smyrna over several decades, appears set to fade into history. A city task force this week decided to demolish the 70-year-old cabin. Its decision was partly based on the decaying state of the aging building, which has a number of structural issues. The cost to renovate the cabin would likely have eclipsed $500,000, according to city estimates. Task force members were also unable to get past Aunt Fanny’s Cabin’s sordid history. The restaurant became world famous in the 1940s, hailed for its southern recipes and family-like atmosphere. But it was notorious as a themed diner that used racially demeaning stereotypes from the “Old South” to entertain guests. Black boys hired as servers wore wooden menu boards around their necks. There were reports that framed slave advertisements decorated the walls. And city officials recovered some racially derogatory relics from the past inside the cabin. “The story of Aunt Fanny’s Cabin was so troublesome to me, I just think it was time for it to go,” said task force chairman Travis Lindley, a Smyrna city councilman. LeBron James appeared to compare Covid-19 to both the flu and the common cold online Friday amid a nationwide outbreak of cases which are mostly being attributed to the Omicron variant. The Lakers star posted a Christmas Eve meme on Instagram which used the popular Spider-Man Points at Spider-Man meme format. The image shared by James showed three identical Spider-Man characters pointing one another, and it implied there is no distinction between Covid and the other illnesses. The star commented, “Help me out folks.” The post of course drew a mixture of condemnation and praise from prominent NBA fans on Twitter. Human rights activist Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa has died. He passed away on Sunday, December 26 at the age of 90. “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work towards ending apartheid. Ramaphosa said Tutu was a “patriot without equal.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nhAm0II-bpg/hqdefault.jpg RemyMa is making moves for the new year. The NY rapper is starting an all-female battle rap league called Chrome 23. Remy recently interviewed with OTFMZ Battle Rap Media where she shared her plans for her newest endeavor. Remy began by speaking on how women need a safe space within the battle rap community. “I just want all the women that have ever put their blood sweat and tears into this, [and] that’s been doing this for years to get a chance to really make some decent money,” Remy says. https://www.instagram.com/p/CX5miwoM8Yn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “I was not living my full potential, said Karima Trotter (Virtue) about coming out with a new solo single “Redeemer” (Dare Records), even though she had a very successful and lucrative career in retail and home furnishing design. “You get comfortable doing the same thing. I didn’t feel satisfied, there was still an emptiness…I said this can’t be it. So I asked God to open a door for me to do my music again. I reached out to a writing partner in Atlanta…to put some kind of music out, create cute videos with my pictures.” Well God answered Karima because doors started opening up. Her single “Redeemer,” produced by Aaron Lindsey, reached #5 shortly after its release on Billboard’s “Gospel Radio Chart.” She also recorded and released for the holidays “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “This Christmas,” and “My Favorite Things.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aSrA4NWBiHs/hqdefault.jpg Join 12-time Grammy winner, CeCe Winans along with her guest host/daughter, Ashley Phillips along with CeCe’s husband and son, Alvin Love II & Alvin Love III for a cozy conversation celebrating the meaning of Christmas. https://youtu.be/oQus0jO0s_8 What an amazing year gospel legend CeCe Winans has experienced. The classic quote of Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” can easily be used to explain the past 18 months, but the powerful music and voice of Winans was extremely instrumental in spreading love, hope and encouragement to millions this year and countless of others throughout her career. What comes from the heart finds its way to the hearts of others and makes a difference. All the awards, accolades and numerous testimonies the singer has received for her first live recorded album, Believe for It, speaks volumes. Included in Billboard’s Top 10 Gospel Labels, Pure Springs Gospel & Fair Trade Services couldn’t be more excited with the album’s impact. Jeff Moseley, Founder/President Fair Trade Services stated, “We had high hopes and dreams for our partnership with CeCe and have been overjoyed with the success that we’ve experienced. It’s an honor to partner with an icon like CeCe.” The year-end Billboard Charts listed Winans as Top Gospel Female Artist of the year with the single, “Believe For It” dominating the Gospel Digital Song Sales Chart and holding the #1 slot for 18 weeks. The Omicron variant is not a disaster and may even signal the end of the pandemic crisis, say two prominent physicians affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Speaking to international reporters on Zoom through Media Central, professor Zvika Granot and professor Amnon Lahad said the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is more infectious and less aggressive than previous variants — which is a good sign. “Usually, viruses that are very aggressive are not very infectious, and viruses that are very infectious are not very aggressive,” said Granot, who heads a developmental biology and cancer research lab at the university. “We have been living with corona for two years, and we’ve seen new variants appearing. By definition, a new variant is more infectious than the previous variant,” he said. “Omicron is indeed more infectious than Delta and is overtaking it — but is it more aggressive? This still needs more investigation but at least according to the World Health Organization, there were no deaths from the Omicron variant worldwide as of last week. I can only speak for myself, but it’s a little difficult to feel basketball right now. The game itself has seemingly improved — there’s somehow more physicality and a better game flow — but that progress has been derailed by absences. The injury bug has affected a multitude of stars this year. COVID has run roughshod through the league, with rosters looking like they’ve been through fantasy drafts. With these circumstances, you have to find joy where you can. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a consistent source of that, with their 19-12 start being one of the great surprises of the early season. Though Darius Garland isn’t getting to the rim as often as he did last season, he’s been much more successful when he gets downhill. He’s converting a career-best 64.8% from inside of three feet, an improvement of 6.2 percentage points. https://streamable.com/5yg20e #Tesla has updated its cars to allow vehicles to have the ability to work as a megaphone. If honking wasn’t enough, now you can’t tell someone to get out the way through a megaphone if you have a Tesla. The new feature is a part of Tesla’s annual holiday software update, which Electrek reportedly spotted. The Verge reports that external speakers were installed in newer Tesla models to meet U.S. regulations. With how quiet electric cars can be, regulations require them to be able to alert pedestrians of their presence while they are driving or operating at low speeds. When a driver is speaking into the speakers, their voice seems to distort when the audio goes through the vehicle. There are no details on whether or not the distortion can be changed. https://www.instagram.com/p/CX68RItsDPs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In the most recent interview on the Spout Podcast, host Tamara Dhia chatted with Grammy-winning superstar, Adele, about basketball, her friendship with Drake, and the one song on her long-awaited fourth studio album, 30, she will never perform live. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3irN7EPrmWj6omnPDyf5hV?si=nUn2ge3cTkm7z6Gre1AMZg In the latest episode Off the Record with DJ Akademiks, Hit-Boy joined a live conversation on the Spotify Greenroom app. He’s a multi-Grammy-winning producer that has worked with the likes of Kanye West, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Nas, Big Sean, and others. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4seGyFA3VqnXi78Z9CrO7S?si=yIqPAGMpSCqDVaCqCx3DcQ China launched three warships, including two for export, on Thursday, as it expands its naval construction strength. The vessels – a 071E landing platform dock (LPD) and two Type 054 frigates – were launched at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding yard near Shanghai, according to the China Maritime Safety Administration and Chinese media. The LPD was ordered by Thailand in Sept 2019, the first export contract for a ship of this class. The vessel can be used to deploy helicopters and is expected to perform patrol missions, logistics tasks and disaster relief operations. The Chiang Rai Times news site reported that Thailand would use the warship to conduct naval transport missions. It could also be used for civilian purposes, such as disaster relief and humanitarian rescue missions. Thousands of Russian troops are reportedly withdrawing from the Ukrainian border after conducting drills for roughly a month. Reuters reported on Saturday that more than 10,000 Russian troops were leaving a number of regions near Ukraine – including Crimea, Rostov and Kuban – and returning to permanent bases. The news service pointed to reporting from the Interfax news agency, which cited the Russian military. “A stage of combat coordination of divisions, combat crews, squads at motorized units… has been completed. More than 10,000 military servicemen… will march to their permanent deployment from the territory of the combined arms’ area of drills,” the Russian army is quoted as saying in the Interfax report, according to Reuters. Russia had amassed tens of thousands of troops in regions north, east and south of Ukraine, Reuters noted, which alarmed Kyiv and Western nations that Moscow may be planning an attack. U.S. intelligence earlier this year revealed that Russia was planning a military offensive against Ukraine as early as next year that would involve the deployment of 175,000 troops near the border. A family is seeking justice for their loved one featured in a newly released police body camera video that showed Norfolk, Virginia, police tackling a Black bicyclist, Derrick Rountree, for riding around without a headlight nearly three years ago on Christmas Eve. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper obtained the nearly 30-minute police body camera video, which they noted was submitted as an exhibit to the case a few weeks ago by attorney Christina Connell on behalf of Rountree’s family. In a 1:38 minute clip posted to YouTube, Norfolk cop Aaron Nkrumah Christie’s body camera shows him running at full speed toward Rountree, tackling him to the ground. The man is heard asking the cop, “Why you do that?” The audio was muffled, but Rountree asks, “Why you do that to me, bro? I ain’t do nothing.” Christie responds, “You have no light [on your bicycle]. We tried to stop you. You tried to run.” Seemingly shocked, Rountree fired back, “Is you serious, man? I didn’t know you had to have a light for a bike.” Rountree suffered a broken right tibia and fibula due to the tussle. The document stated that he was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for treatment, where he was hospitalized for several days. A 20-year-old man was fatally shot in an apparent road rage incident in southeast Dallas, police said. And now his mother is begging the public for help in locating the shooter. Officers responded about 7:30 p.m. Thursday to a report of a shooting on eastbound LBJ Freeway at the Haymarket Road exit, according to a police news release. When they arrived, they found the victim, Reginald Jeffery, inside his vehicle with a gunshot wound. Dallas Fire-Rescue took Jeffery to a hospital, where he died. “I’m just right now in disbelief,” his mother, Tilina Jeffery said. “I’m still trying to process this. In my mind, I keep telling myself this isn’t real. That’s how I’m getting through it.” https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/local/20-year-old-national-guardsman-killed-in-dallas-road-rage-shooting-police-say/287-027210f4-aa45-4931-881c-85ca8a0267ed?jwsource=cl Four men have been arrested and face charges of killing a Louisiana National Guardsman in his Terrytown home, according to a report from The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. Booked with first-degree murder, the four men are Myron Lee, Matthew Smith, Isaiah White, all 20, and Kewayne Edwards, 21, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office told The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. The four men allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old Jemond Cador on Dec. 6 in his apartment in the 200 block of Wright Avenue, the report said. JPSO deputies investigating the shooting after reports of gunfire at the complex said they found an apartment door kicked in. https://www.wwltv.com/video/news/local/4-arrested-in-terrytown-murder-of-louisiana-national-guardsman-report-says/289-dbdbeddb-d52d-4cb6-be7d-71efea5132f2?jwsource=cl A Black U.S. Navy veteran has filed a claim against the San Diego Police Department after being assaulted in 2020. The 32-year-old called the police after being attacked, but instead of receiving assistance, an officer knocked out his teeth and arrested him. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, on Oct. 11, Stephen Keith filed a claim against the department and is seeking over $25,000 in damages for injuries, pain and suffering, legal costs and lost wages, and unspecified punitive damages. Details of the incident, as recorded in the claim, state that a stranger approached him while he was on his property and asked him for a cigarette. When he refused to give him a smoke, the man attacked him — despite him being on crutches due to a recent knee surgery. Keith alerted authorities that he had been assaulted and waited for the law to arrive. When they did, four officers mistook him for the criminal and attacked him. The filing states, that “when the San Diego Police Department officers arrived on scene, they immediately tackled Mr. Keith to the ground and began brutalizing Mr. Keith. Prior to taking Mr. Keith to the ground, the officers did not direct any order towards Mr. Keith and Mr. Keith did not do anything to cause a reasonable peace officer to believe that any force used on Mr. Keith would be justified.” A distinguished military couple who were shot dead outside their Virginia home six months ago were allegedly targeted over their son’s suspected involvement in an earlier robbery, according to court records and witness testimony. US Army Colonel Edward McDaniel Jr, 55, and his wife, 63-year-old Brenda McDaniel, a retired colonel and nurse, were found shot to death from a point-blank range in the driveway of their Springfield, Virginia, home on May 26. A day later, police arrested two suspects, identified as Ronnie Marshall, 20, and D’Angelo Strand, 19, charging each with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Police at the time did not disclose a motive, but during a preliminary hearing earlier this month, Strand, who has agreed to testify against Marshall in exchange for having his charges downgraded, told the court that the two of them had gone to the McDaniels’ home to confront their son, Mike McDaniel, reported The Washington Post. According to Strand, Marshall was looking for Mike because he had been part of a group that had robbed Marshall a few days prior. All three men knew each other from working together at a FedEx warehouse. Meanwhile, prosecutors have downgraded Strand’s charges to a single count of accessory after a homicide, to which he is expected to plead guilty next month. According to court filings from Marshall’s former attorney, prosecutors claim that Mike McDaniel and two others attacked Marshall, stole money from him and called the police on him while he was at the McDaniel family’s home on May 24. Police in Virginia are investigating the scene of a car crash that killed Washington Football Team player Deshazor Everett’s girlfriend after they collided into a tree Thursday night. Everett, 29, was driving a 2010 Nissan GT-R, which has a top speed of 200 mph, along with his passenger, 29-year-old Olivia S. Peters of Las Vegas, when he crashed, according to TMZ. No arrests or charges have been made as of Friday and alcohol is not thought to be a factor, however authorities said the crash is still under investigation. Peters was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The outlet reported that Everett was also transported to an area hospital, where he remained as of Friday. His injuries are serious but not life-threatening. Everett’s girlfriend, Olivia, was the founder and owner of OSP Therapy in Las Vegas, according to her Facebook profile. A professional boxer from Maryland was killed in front of his girlfriend and three kids in a possible road rage shooting on Christmas Eve, according to police. Danny Kelly Jr., a 30-year-old resident of Clinton, Md., was driving to a holiday gathering with his children and gal pal in nearby Temple Hills on Friday afternoon when a suspect pulled up his vehicle next to the family’s SUV and someone inside the other car opened fire, according to the department’s preliminary probe. “At this time, detectives are looking into whether this was possible road rage,” local police said in a statement. Cops found Kelly unconscious in the driver’s seat of the SUV with multiple gunshot wounds, Prince George’s County Police Department announced Saturday in a statement. He was later pronounced dead. Neither his girlfriend nor three children were harmed in the shooting, police said. Joe Biden’s nephew Cuffe Biden Owens, 42, and Meghan King, 37, have split. LA-based attorney Owens, is the son of Joe Biden’s sister Valerie Owens, who advised his 2020 campaign. Reality TV star Meghan King, 37, had only revealed they were together in September a month after meeting on a dating app. The pair then got married in October, but Owens was rarely seen in King’s pictures with the last one seen on November 24, six weeks after their wedding. Earlier this month, King was asking for marriage advice as she confessed it felt as though the pair had been married for ‘a million years’ as she posted solo on a hotel bed. A new partnership can be timeless and just as rich as its traditions and core values. HBCU Morehouse College has announced its promising partnership with the London and New York-based elite fashion house, Huntsman Savile Row, to prepare enterprising business, mathematics, and computer science majors for success within their future careers. According to Morehouse news reports, “We are delighted to partner with Morehouse College on the new Huntsman Scholarship, and applaud the talented young recipients,” said Pierre Lagrange, owner of Huntsman. A new partnership between Purdue University, the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), and a consortium of minority-serving institutions is working to grow the number of underrepresented minority researchers in STEM fields. African Americans and Hispanics comprise 32% of the country’s population, but 7% of the science and engineering workforce, and 11% of U.S. academic faculty. Studies show that underrepresented minority students are just as likely as their white peers to enter STEM fields, but that there are significant gaps in the persistence rate of minority students completing these fields. “We call this a quiet crisis,” said Luciano Castillo, Purdue’s Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy and Power Systems in Mechanical Engineering, the program’s principal investigator. “It’s not just a matter of trying to raise numbers. Minority students feel that they don’t have the tools to succeed in science and engineering careers. We want to give these students every available opportunity to overcome those barriers, to solve the big problems of tomorrow.” The proposed program, called Blue Integrated Partnerships (BIP), has received a $2.8 million grant from ONR’s Mission Capable, Persistent and Survivable Platforms Department. In addition to Purdue, partners will include Tuskegee University; the University of Puerto Rico and its 11 campuses; the U.S. Naval Academy; NASA; and a growing list of industry partners, government agencies and universities. Spiraling to new heights, Renee Rhem has been named to the Subaru of America Executive Team. Her appointment makes her the first African American woman to hold a C-Suite position at Subaru. Vice president of customer advocacy and an executive team member, Rhem runs the Subaru customer experience across all channels. That ensures the Subaru Love Promise is present at all interactions with Subaru customers, the automaker announced. She reports directly to Thomas J. Doll, president and CEO at Subaru of America Inc. “Since joining our team in 2020, Renee has gone above and beyond to ensure the Subaru Love Promise Customer Commitment shines in all interactions with our valued owners,” Doll stated. “We’re proud to welcome Renee to the Subaru executive team and are confident she will deliver the strong results that keep Subaru best-in-class for our customer’s experience with our brand.” Rhem joined Subaru as vice president of vice president of customer advocacy in 2020. Before than, she held positions in operations, sales support, and customer service, including roles at Prudential Financial, Independence Blue Cross and Bank of America. She lives in Delaware with her husband and two sons. LeBron James is nicknamed The King. He even refers to himself as such. But he's now also the King of Christmas as he suited up for his 16th Christmas Day game, tying all-time leader Kobe Bryant, who played 16 times on Christmas during his 20-year career. That's not the only Christmas Day record of Bryant's that James chased down when the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the COVID-riddled Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. James entered Saturday only 13 points away from passing Bryant to become the all-time leading scorer on Christmas Day. He overtook Bryant's all-time record of 395 Christmas Day points during the second quarter. James also needed just two field goals to pass Bryant's 137 for the most-ever on Christmas Day, a feat he also accomplished by halftime thanks to a strong 7-for-11 showing from the field in the first half. They all wanted to catch it, and they all wanted to be the one to present the ball to Aaron Rodgers, but it was Allen Lazard who had the honor of catching the Green Bay Packers quarterback’s franchise-record-setting 443rd career touchdown pass. It happened in the first quarter of Saturday’s 24-22 win over the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field, when Lazard took a short out and drove for the right pylon. History was made. “My reaction was just like, ‘Oh, s–t, I caught it,'” Lazard said. “I wasn’t focused on it or anything. I didn’t have a plan after to do anything special for him or anything. But I think, once I caught it, I knew I was in and saw the ref signal it. It was a pretty great feeling. It was just being on that part of history. Jaden Rashada, one of the best quarterbacks in next year’s college football recruiting class, is already cashing in on his budding fame by signing his first endorsement deal, with a recruiting app company, this week. Rashada, who wrapped up his junior season in Pittsburg, California, as ESPN’s top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class, will be paid a four-figure sum to help promote the AIR (Athletes in Recruitment) app via social media posts. While some high school basketball players have signed endorsement deals in recent months, Rashada is believed to be the first high school football player to profit from endorsements since the NCAA changed rules this summer that previously would have made Rashada ineligible to play in college if he accepted money. “It feels pretty good,” Rashada told ESPN. “Maybe it can open up more opportunities for others and people can be more aware of it. It’s a blessing to be able to make some money and promote a good brand.” The coveted prospect said he plans to narrow down his list of potential college destinations to his six top choices at some point in the next couple of months. He doesn’t think that NIL earning potential will be a factor in where he decides to play. Lifetime has released the dates of two thrillers by two of your favs as Nicole Ari Parker and Tatyana Ali will appear in leading roles. “Safe Room,” stars Nicole Ari, “Safe Room,” is produced by Astute Films and directed by Nicole Ari Parker’s real-life husband Boris Kodjoe, it tells the story of Ian, who is on the autism spectrum. When Ian watches a break-in at his neighbor’s house and sees the murder, Lila does everything she can to keep her son safe from the intruders who are trying to take down the video evidence Ian has from his house. She hides both of them in a panic room her late husband built many years ago. “Safe Room” will air on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 8pm E/P. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UIWoeCKgSSU/hqdefault.jpg On Lifetime Tatyana Ali star in “Vanished: Searching For My Sister.” In “Vanished,” produced by Big Dreams Entertainment, Ali will play twin sisters. In “Vanished: Searching for My Sister,” twins Jada and Kayla couldn’t be any more opposite: Jada is a reserved office worker, while her sister Kayla is the wild one out of the two. After divorcing her husband (played by Justin Bruening), Kayla asks Jada to watch her daughter while she sets up her new apartment. It is slated to air on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 8pm E/P. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XTrmSiFTCBQ/hqdefault.jpg It looks like Tik Tok is no joke. The video social media app just proved it’s here to stay by beating out Google as the No. 1 most popular site this year. TikTok was founded in 2016 and has been climbing the social media ladder ever since. Mostly popular to the young crowd, millennials and Gen Z’s have pushed the app for so long. Now parents, teachers and even corporate America are all guilty of using the addicting app to pass some time in their long days. You could say TikTok has the pandemic to thank for its popularity. Millions, if not b millions of people have turned to TikTok to keep them entertained for hours! It even beat well-known domains like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b72HkiH0N4o/hqdefault.jpg Producing without much of your playoff rotation is a pain for anyone. Kyle Lowry’s 13.7 points and 8.3 assists – along with 4.7 rebounds per game – have come on just 42/33/83 shooting splits, it’s upticked to 16.0 points and 9.4 assists on 44/35/78 splits since Nov. 27, a 13-game stretch. As much as some people would like more 20-point games out of him, that’s not where Lowry needs to be at his best. The definition of a point guard is convoluted in the modern-day, but old-school floor generals were taught to make their teammates better, first and foremost. As the game has grown more perimeter-centric and with smaller guards being more ball-dominant, it’s more common to see guys accumulating 22 points and 5 assists at the position instead of what Lowry’s box scores look like. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Kd8TCvBPZA0/hqdefault.jpg Snoop Dogg isn’t here for a #Christmas classic created in his likeliness.? This holiday season, there has been a frenzy on the internet over a Snoop version of the wholesome Elf on the Shelf doll, which has been named Snoop on the Stoop, the New York Post reported.? Usually, the popular toy which is inspired by the eponymous 2005 children’s book looks like a cherubic, which is a white elf who is Santa’s best friend in the story. The rapper-inspired version features the 50-year-old smoking a blunt while wearing sunglasses and an elf outfit.? Now online retailers are selling different dressed takes on the elf. But the problem is, none of the concepts were authorized by Snoop, who also went on Twitter to say he does not endorse the novelty item.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CX4RDpJML89/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Karrueche Tran says she was triggered by DaniLeigh and DaBaby’s viral feud last month that resulted in DaniLeigh being charged with two counts of simple assault. per TMZ and a video posted by DaniLeigh, that Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD was called by DaBaby to his North Carolina home as he and DaniLeigh sparred on camera. The recording of their argument was posted online. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ktaS4hhUR6E/hqdefault.jpg It sounds like the plot of a bad sci-fi movie, but NASA really is recruiting a priest to help prepare for humanity’s contact with aliens. No, they aren’t being launched into space to fight a space demon. NASA is hiring the help of 24 theologians as part of a plan to work out how the world’s different religions would react to news about extraterrestrial life. Amongst them is British clergyman Reverend Dr Andrew Davison, a theologian at the University of Cambridge who also holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the rival University of Oxford. The Collins dictionary says: “A theologian is someone who studies the nature of God, religion, and religious beliefs.” The reason NASA is hiring the experts now is because of advances in humanity’s efforts to find life in the great unknown. A range of new missions is expected to further our understanding of space, including the James Webb Telescope, which is due to launch on Christmas Eve. Additionally, the European Space Agency’s Rosiland Franklin rover, built in Stevenage, takes off next year. The Rosiland Franklin will drill into Mars’ surface looking for fossilized microbes in a direct effort to detect traces of life. Meanwhile, scientists in Cardiff have indicated that ammonia found in Venus’s atmosphere could potentially have been put there by living organisms. The NFL’s chief medical officer claimed that players and coaches without symptoms aren’t responsible for spreading the Omicron variant in their facilities despite an outbreak that has forced the league to postpone games and sidelined some 300 players. Dr. Allen Sills contends the league ‘has its hands full’ because of symptomatic players, coaches and staff. ‘Can I tell you tonight that there has never been a case when someone without symptoms passed it on to someone else? No, of course, I can’t say that. But what I can say to you is that I think it’s a very, very tiny fraction of the overall problem, if it exists at all,’ Sills told ESPN. He also said ‘asymptomatic transmission inside our facilities just didn’t fit with what we were seeing.’ He told the NFL Network that the key to limiting the problem is ‘symptom recognition and prompt testing.’ Alex Rodriguez’s goals in business started as soon as he turned pro. Now on the other side of one of the most successful—and controversial—careers in baseball history, his ambitions are accelerating. “I came to a place of accountability,” Rodriguez said in an interview. “I had good moments and I had very tough moments [in baseball], but I have a clean slate when it comes to being a father, to being a partner, to being a businessman, to being a friend. So I draw incredible motivation from that.” During a series of wide-ranging interviews in Miami for the Quicktake Originals series “Athlete|Empire,” the 46-year-old Rodriguez laid out a vision for a network of businesses under his A-Rod Corp. umbrella that builds on his success in real estate dating back two decades and now includes private equity and venture investments, a SPAC and an ownership stake in two professional basketball teams. A tragic Instagram post this week from Emma Kelly, wife of Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly, revealed the loss of the couple’s unborn baby, Mary Katherine. The heartbreaking death has left the couple confused and struggling, but Emma wrote that their “faith is unshaken” amid the unthinkable. “I don’t think we’ll ever understand why God decided to call her home when he did but our faith is unshaken,” Kelly wrote. “He knows better than we [and] she was needed back home, in Heaven.” Kelly explained that she lost Mary Katherine last week when she was 19 weeks along in her pregnancy, just one-week shy of her halfway point. She said doctors are unsure why the baby’s heart stopped. Noting that women only have a 1% chance of losing a baby at this point in pregnancy, she said “somehow, here we are,” and proceeded to offer a vulnerable reflection on the tragic ordeal. At this point, it’s not even much of a controversial thing to say the GOP has a white supremacist problem. But to be more specific, the Republican party has an issue with MAGA-fied conservatives who don’t actually know anything about anything getting elected to office by MAGA-fied voters who also don’t know anything about anything. That’s how Georgia got stuck with Marjorie Taylor Greene, and if Michigan Democrats don’t stay on their toes, their state might get stuck with their own KK-Karen who insists on perpetuating the dumb blonde stereotype. Meet Republican state legislature candidate Mellissa Carone. Carone is most known for sitting beside former NYC mayor, disgraced attorney Rudy Giuliani while testifying to state lawmakers that ex-President Donald Trump‘s “big lie” regarding voter fraud was not a lie at all. Michigan Advance reported that on Tuesday, Carone posted a Facebook Live video during which she turned up the Republican notch on condemning Critical Race Theory while demonstrating that she has no earthly idea what CRT is. But Carone decided to ramp up the crazy with a new claim that public schools and the U.S. government are working to “eliminate” white people in America. https://www.facebook.com/100011127785440/videos/1133429143857914/ Christian Walker, the 22-year-old son of former NFL legend-turned Republican politician Herschel Walker, has built quite a name for himself; well, online, at least. The outlandish social media personality has used his platform to sound off on a number of controversial topics from soaring gas prices (which he has blamed President Biden for) to his undying devotion for former President Trump. During a recent interview with New York Magazine, the UCLA student said that he wanted to be “the face” of Gen-Z’s conservatism. https://youtu.be/RdJPdPQ17gc Jenna Ryan, the Jan. 6, rioter who thought her “blonde hair white skin” would get her out of jail time for storming the U.S. Capitol and was stupid enough to parade her white privilege around on social media? Well now, she is singing a different tune and whining about how her “social media” presence and negative media attention caused her to get a harsh sentence and she’s begging her fellow MAGA buddy's for their loose pocket change to cover her legal fees. “Hello, I am a woman who went to the ‘Stop the Steal Rally’ in Washington DC on January 6th,” Ryan posted to her fundraising site. “I got caught up in the crowd and entered the Capitol for 2 minutes and 8 seconds. I was sentenced to 2 months in prison yesterday.” Ryan added: “The Judge says that everything I said at the protest was considered free speech, and the harsh sentenced I received is because I have a social media presence. The problem is, that the attention I received on social media was due to the extreme amount of negative publicity I received from the Mainstream Media. So basically, I’m getting a worse punishment because they want me to serve as a deterrent to others.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1375307583100162048 Washington University is the latest to experience racism on its campus, this time in the form of vandalizing a prominent mural featuring historic Black icons that was defaced with symbols of white supremacy. Officials at the school in St. Louis have vowed to identify whoever is responsible. It appears the crime happened sometime over the weekend, with students at the St. Louis school reporting the racist symbols to university officials on Saturday night. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the markings appeared to be of a logo synonymous with a white supremacist hate group linked to the infamous 2017 “Unite the Right” rally. The football world is reacting to news that Deshazor Everett, a safety for the Washington Football Team, was reportedly involved in a fatal car accident on Thursday night. A 29-year old woman named Olivia Peters, his passenger in the car, was killed by injuries sustained in the accident, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. “The driver of a 2010 Nissan GT-R was traveling north when the vehicle left the right side of the roadway, struck several trees, and rolled over,” the report reads. Everett, for whatever reason, is not named in the sheriff’s office release, but has been confirmed as the driver by multiple reports, as well as the team. He is “being treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” according to the sheriff’s office. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QyFfaXpXLCI/hqdefault.jpg Baltimore Police Officer Keona Holley died Thursday one week after being shot in an ambush while she sat in her patrol car, the police department announced. Holley, a 39-year-old mother of four who joined the police department two years ago to make a difference, was shot in the head while working an overtime shift early in the morning of Dec. 16 in Curtis Bay. She had been on life support at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. The Baltimore Police Department said in a news release Thursday evening that her family, in consultation with doctors, made “the most difficult decision” to remove her from life support. She was pronounced dead shortly after, police said. Officials including Police Commissioner Michael Harrison and Mayor Brandon Scott offered their condolences Thursday. A week before Christmas, several staff members at Venue Church in Chattanooga quit over concerns about the conduct of the megachurch’s lead pastor, Tavner Smith, according to church members and others informed of the departures. Eight employees quit last week after confronting Smith about rumors he was having an affair with a longtime employee, according to two former employees and four volunteers or members connected to the church for between three and eight years. On Friday afternoon, staff and volunteers met with Smith in a series of meetings to discuss the allegations after a video surfaced showing Smith allegedly kissing a woman in North Georgia, according to two long-time volunteers who participated in a meeting. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=606677127226070 Rapper Diamond “Baby Blue” Smith has been sentenced to over a year after being arrested in a COVID-19 loan scheme. Smith, 37, was arrested late last year for using coronavirus relief money to fund a luxury lifestyle, such as splurging on a $96,000 Ferrari. Smith and his co-conspirator Tonye C. Johnson were charged in a $24 million COVID-19 relief fraud scam. The duo faced charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, per Complex. Smith, who was featured on “Love & Hip Hop: Miami,” allegedly falsified documents for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, for which he received $427,000. He’s also accused of fraudulently obtaining another loan worth almost $1 million. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/H0LdUPpRM-c/hqdefault.jpg A Congressional panel has launched an investigation into the organizer of the Astroworld Festival that left 10 people dead. The House Oversight Committee announced on Wednesday that it will launch a bipartisan probe into what caused the tragedy at rapper Travis Scott’s music festival. The committee sent a letter to Michael Rapino, CEO of LiveNation, requesting information about the concert promoter’s role at the event. “Concert attendees have provided firsthand accounts of being crushed within the crowd as it surged towards the stage,” the letter read, People reports. “Live Nation Entertainment (Live Nation) was the concert promoter reportedly responsible for ‘planning, staffing, putting up money, securing permits, finding vendors, communicating with local agencies,’ for Astroworld Festival.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LGXwJnZSIkQ/hqdefault.jpg Travis Scott, continuing a holiday tradition he started last year, distributed more than 5,000 toys for children around Houston as part of the second annual Cactus Jack toy drive. This was one of the rapper’s first appearances since the Astroworld Festival in November. Families showed up Thursday afternoon at various locations to snap up bikes, scooters, dolls and golf sets. The Cactus Jack Foundation, Scott’s nonprofit, also replaced several hundred toys that were stolen from a local church. The toy drive was expanded from last year’s inaugural event in Sunnyside that benefited students, family and staff at Bastian, Reynolds and Young elementary schools. Scott, Kylie Jenner and daughter Stormi helped pass out toys. A former Colleyville Heritage High School principal, who left his job amid backlash over critical race theory, is running for the State Board of Education. James Whitfield filed as a Democrat earlier this month to challenge Republican Pat Hardy to represent North Texas, according to state records. The District 11 seat, which includes parts of Tarrant, Parker and Dallas counties, helps shape what 5 million Texas public school students learn. Among the next major tasks the state board will undertake is a review of the social studies curriculum, which will put the fight over how race and racism should be addressed in classrooms further into the spotlight. Whitfield did not immediately return a request for comment. He gained national attention earlier this year as he decried the efforts of those in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD who tried to push him out as a school leader. Over the summer, a former GCISD trustee candidate said Whitfield wanted to introduce critical race theory into the district, which the principal denied. The controversy stretched for months, sparking student walkouts in support of Whitfield, who is Black. The Wendy Williams Show” and “The Nick Cannon Show” are on pause amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in New York City. Producers for both shows made the announcements Tuesday on social media. “Due to the growing number of new COVID-19 cases and to ensure a safe return for our crew members and staff, The Wendy Williams Show will now return with new live episodes on Monday, January 10, rather than Monday, January 3, as previously scheduled,” the show shared on Instagram. “@MichaelRapaport, @KymWhitley & @FinesseMitchell and @sherrieshepherd will guest host the shows as previously announced. We continue to observe all relevant New York City health and safety protocols, and wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season,” the statement continued. Nick Cannon posted a similar statement on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXw6Ktrrkxq/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=92068b12-3daf-4348-9558-427b3aa0fb5d Former President Donald Trump shocked right-wing media personality Candace Owens in an interview when he voiced support of the COVID-19 vaccines, saying vaccines “work” and that those who get sick with the virus “are the ones that don’t take the vaccine.” In a Tuesday episode of the Daily Wire show “Candace,” Trump takes credit for the “incredible speed” of how the vaccines were developed under his administration. “I came up with a vaccine, with three vaccines,” Trump told Owens, as reported by People. “All are very, very good. Came up with three of them in less than nine months. It was supposed to take five to 12 years.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tgZCljdh_sQ/hqdefault.jpg The transportation industry has been bracing for pre-pandemic-level crowds this holiday season, but now two major U.S. airlines have been forced to proactively cancel some Christmas Eve flights due to the fast-spreading omicron variant of COVID-19. As of Thursday evening, United Airlines has proactively cancelled 112 flights for Christmas Eve. “The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” United said in a statement. “As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport.” And it’s not just United that’s feeling the impact of the variant on crews. Delta Air Lines also proactively canceled around 90 flights for Christmas Eve. The airline says the “flight cancellations are due to a combination of issues, including but not limited to, potential inclement weather in some areas and the impact of the omicron variant.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tV8TZVbG0_A/hqdefault.jpg Apollo Nida, ex-husband of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks, has filed a petition to terminate his criminal probation after he was arrested earlier this year in Miami. According to court documents obtained by Radar, Nida was arrested on May 30, 2021, for a local ordinance violation after trying to enter his hotel. He was charged with resisting an officer, and resisting arrest without violence. Nida’s attorney is requesting his client’s probation be dropped as he has effectively “reintegrated into society” since his release from prison in 2019. While he was incarcerated, Nida filed for divorce from Parks after 5 years of marriage. They share two boys. Phaedra and Apollo were married in 2009 but called it quits in 2014, the same year he was sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to bank fraud and identity theft in May 2014. His sentence was reduced by one year in 2019. He checked out of prison on May 27, 2019, and was arrested for allegedly violating his parole just days after his release. The widow of former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson is speaking out about his Stage 2 CTE diagnosis following his death in February. Jackson was found dead on Feb. 15 at the Homewood Suites in Brandon, Florida, five days after his family had reported him missing. He was 38. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner said that the former NFL wide receiver died from chronic alcohol use, SI reports. The manner of his death was “natural.” The report comes days after the Concussion Legacy Foundation confirmed that Jackson was diagnosed with stage II chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the progressive brain disease associated with repeated head trauma. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fvSkeZBHS8k/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Motown Records has appointed Courtney Lowery as Executive Vice President of Media Strategy and Lifestyle. In this new role, Mr. Lowery will oversee media strategy and execution for the label and it’s diverse roster of artists. Additionally, he will play an integral role in a wide range of the label’s cultural and lifestyle initiatives. Mr. Lowery is based in Los Angeles and will report to Motown’s Chairwoman & CEO, Ethiopia Habtemariam. When a white model posted a TikTok in which she tearfully slammed the fashion industry’s body standards, a Black TikToker responded by pointing out her privilege as a white woman. She was then threatened with legal action. The initial video, which has since garnered over 28.7 million views, showed Anna Gantt tearfully talking about a hurtful experience with a casting director and producer. She explained in the TikTok that they told her to lose weight for a shoot in two months. Through tears, she said that she has been modeling since 2014 and used to be a size 0/2. Now, she says she’s a size 4/6 and healthy, after previously suffering from an eating disorder. Soon after Gantt posted this, TikTok user Sevyn Sativa (@sevynsativa) responded to the video and prefaced their commentary by expressing sympathy for Gantt’s experience. Then, she said, “Women of color, specifically Black women, have been pointing out this problem within this industry for years. Notice how you as a white woman were able to get on this app and tell us your experience, get over 10 million views, 2 million likes, and over 30,000 comments with immediate responses.” Alicia Keys has admitted her children get ‘a bit frustrated’ when she has to leave for work. The “No One” songstress, 40, parents two boys, Egypt, 11 and Genesis, six, with husband of 11 years Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Daoud Dean). And in a new interview with Ross King, which aired on Friday’s “Lorraine”, she spoke of how she handles tough questions from her sons such as ‘why are you always gone.’ ‘They get a little bit frustrated cos they’ll say things like, “why do you have to go?” or, “why are you always gone?” That’s the killer. No one wants to hear, “why are you always gone” – that’s not exactly what you want to hear,’ she told the LA correspondent. She continued: ‘But we talk about why, why is it you have to go. I try my best to tell them what’s coming up. “I’m here this week but next week I’m gonna be gone. It’s gonna feel kinda long but I’m gonna be back!”‘ Jada Pinkett Smith’s mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, is celebrating 31 years of sobriety. “I’m outside, and I just wanted to take a few minutes to be peaceful and still,” the 68-year-old “Red Table Talk” co-host said in an Instagram video. “Today is my anniversary, my clean date. 31 years. One day at a time.” Banfield-Norris said she “spent so many years in that insanity of active addiction,” which she remembered being a “revolving door” until she was ultimately able to get her “life back together.” “That surrender was a struggle,” she admitted. “But it was the surrender that was the beginning of the change in my life.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXy3VSpBJla/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Pastor Jamal Bryant states they have no choice. The reality is the majority, 76% of people now do their Christmas shopping online. So it is only the church that doesn’t understand the trends that are happening. Culture changes every four years; church culture changes every twenty years. So the average church is 15 years behind schedule. So imagine the average church is excited that they’re on Facebook, but all the children are on Snapchat. Yeah. So we’re going to have to really evolve and push to where technology is. https://youtu.be/JVnUgsU__ys An Atlanta UPS driver has gone viral for leaving a sweet message to a new mother using the home’s doorbell camera. Dallen Harrell, 24, was making deliveries at the home located in the area of Roswell earlier this month when he noticed a stork yard sign announcing the birth of a baby boy. After leaving the packages on the porch, Harrell used the doorbell camera to leave a message of encouragement for new mom Jessica Kitchel. “If this is the ‘It’s a Boy’ house … I hope all is going well with your newborn,” he said in the video. “I had a child around the same time you guys did and I just hope everything is going good. God bless and happy holidays,” he added. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vZ3eKvOeqwE/hqdefault.jpg Wild crimes continue in Los Angeles with a woman shoplifting with a pickaxe in broad daylight. The bizarre moment was captured on camera showing a woman dragging a basket full of merchandise across the floor of the Rite Aid, in Venice, California, on Thursday morning. In the clip you can see the woman walking around before stopping by the counter and telling an employee she’ll come back: “I’m not f*****g around,” she says to one employee who tried to ask her to stop as she grabbed beauty products. “I don’t want to smell like sh** when I’m knocking these b****** out,” she adds as she drops a spray into the basket. Before leaving, she tells everyone at the store, “Don’t say sh**. Shut the f*** up. Be quiet and follow suit.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CX4DVWdKedQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again An outcome has been reached in the trial of Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. Potter, 49, was later charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. Thursday, a Minneapolis jury found her guilty on all charges. Potter, who is white, killed the young Black man during a traffic stop on April 11, 2021. Although Potter believed she wielded her taser and yelled out, “Taser! Taser! Taser!” during the incident, she pulled her gun and fired a single shot, fatally striking Wright. Potter resigned days after the fatal encounter, was eventually arrested, and later released on $100,000 bond. https://twitter.com/i/status/1471918438449041408 What the local sheriff called a “major industrial accident” led to a huge fire early Thursday at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas, near Houston. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that “initial reports indicated some type of explosion occurred inside the plant.” CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reported that the flames were in the part of the facility that makes gasoline, but the rest of the refinery was still operating. The company said four people were injured and were in stable condition. Gonzalez’s office said three were airlifted out and one was removed by ambulance. No deaths were reported. Gonzalez said there didn’t appear to be any need for anyone to evacuate or shelter-in-place. Frank Reaves Jr. will become the first African-American mayor of Culpeper in the town’s 262-year-history when he is sworn into office at the start of 2022. He said he didn’t realize the milestone when he decided to run. “It feels good, real good,” Reaves said in a recent meeting at Raven’s Nest downtown. “Now I gotta get the board and everybody working together.” Saying he wants to bring people together is his tagline. The 69-year-old worked in law enforcement for most of his professional career, but he’s more like a diplomat. “I just wanted to run wanted to see this town survive,” Reaves said, asked about being the first African-American mayor. He added, “You can’t have special groups when you’re mayor, you gotta work with everybody, everybody’s gotta be special. Can’t show no favoritism.” A Culpeper native, Reaves started his high school education at the region’s African-American school at George Washington Carver and ended with the first integrated class at Culpeper High. He’s never been particularly political, but he noticed what happened in town the past few elections with local partisan candidates. “It just got out of hand,” Reaves said. “I want to get the people back together. This town right now is so much hate and we don’t need that.” A Georgia high school quarterback and class of 2022 recruit has died after complications from a routine surgery. Robbie Roper, 18, was hospitalized in Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday after experiencing undisclosed complications, his Roswell High School football coach Chris Prewett told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He died Wednesday morning, his family confirmed in a statement posted to his social media. “He was the biggest joy to our family,” the statement read. “We are proud of the young man he has become. He will be missed by his friends and family dearly.” Roper finished his last season at Roswell High School throwing for 3,010 yards and 37 touchdowns, according to ESPN. Earlier this month, he was named the Georgia Region 5 Class 7A player of the year. Following the news of his death on Wednesday, his coach shared condolences on Twitter, writing: “Heartbroken is a gross understatement.” “Robbie was a fantastic young man and a fighter all the way thru!! You will be missed in so many ways!! Prayers to this grieving family and our community,” Prewett added. Ben Carson, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who landed the position despite having zero experience in housing or urban development, recently made an appearance on conservative Fox News to give bad medical advice about COVID-19 testing despite being a certified doctor who was also a member of Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force. “I personally think we should seriously give thought to not testing people who are asymptomatic,” Carson said. “Like I said, we’re going to end up with a real problem. We’re going to have massive numbers of people who test positive. What are we going to do? We’re going to shut everything down? It just doesn’t make any sense, and, particularly, when you’re dealing with something that doesn’t make people very sick.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1473479257456209921 The University of Utah apparently has a uniquely elusive racism problem, because students keep reporting instances of potential racism and administrators who investigate the reports don’t seem to be able to find evidence that they happened. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, school administrators at the college are currently looking into two incidents: One where a Black student said they found feces spread over the door to their dorm room and, in the same building, an incident where students said they saw white students dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes. The two incidents reportedly happened in September and October, respectively (exactly one month apart, actually), but new attention was drawn to the problem Sunday after a student took to social media to question why the on-campus racism isn’t being properly addressed by school officials. In response, administrators said that security footage from both incidents was combed through and neither incident was caught on camera. Farming is what Wayne Swanson knows best. “That grass you see over there is money. The cows can eat that.” For years, he has owned and operated Swanson Family Farms in Georgia. Now, he is using his expertise to educate the next generation of Black farmers. Nineteen Black families from metro Atlanta who purchased together more than 500 acres of farm land in Toomsboro, Georgia, which is located two and half hours outside of Atlanta. It’s a part of the Freedom Georgia Initiative. Greg Mullins is one of the new owners. “It started off as one little thing but now it’s just this huge platform,” Mullins said. The initiative is a Black-owned innovative community for environmentally sustainable-living, health and wellness and agricultural development. Channel 2's Audrey Washington tagged along as Swanson and Mullins drove around portions of the sprawling property. “It’s not like moving a mountain, it’s pretty easy if we just do what we’re supposed to do,” Mullins said. Swanson is helping Mullins and other new land owners learn how to maintain the farm, both physically and financially. Dawn Ison, a Detroit native, is Southeast Michigan’s first Black female U.S. Attorney. “I graduated from Cass Technical High School. I’m a daughter of a single mother who worked at the post office and struggled to take care of her children. I’m the daughter of a father who was murdered on the streets of Detroit. I’m also the wife of a police, retired police officer,” Ison said. Ison has decades of experience as both a prosecuting and defense attorney. She has been a public servant her entire career. “I just hope to get out there and rebuild community trust between law enforcement and in prosecution and just work with community partners, work with our local and state law enforcement partners, and get back into community and build that trust,” Ison said. Ison said she also wants to look at violent crime. The process of making an arrest can be stressful for both the officer and suspect alike, and we all know that one wrong movement or assumption on either side can lead to fatal circumstances. Unfortunately, in many cases we’ve seen lately, authority figures have been the trigger-happy ones. That was the sad case for Damian Daniels, a Black military veteran who was shot to death in front of his home in Texas while suffering from a mental episode during his arrest. To make matters worse, the cop who killed him will not be charged after a grand jury on Monday chose not to indict Bexar County Deputy John Rodriguez. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry released a new holiday card on Thursday featuring the first photo of their daughter, Lilibet Diana, who was born on June 4. Photographer Alexi Lubomirski snapped the family photo at Harry and Meghan’s home in Barbara, California. The adorable image also features the royal couple’s 2-year-old Archie Harrison. “This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa’, and Lili made us a family. As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families – from those being relocated from Afghanistan, to American families in need of paid parental leave,” Harry and Meghan said in a statement. In an interview with ABC News Wednesday, President Joe Biden said he would run for re-election if he was “in good health” and he believed “fate” would help bring him a second chance for another term. If I’m in the health I’m in now – I’m in good health – then, in fact, I would run again,” Biden told “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir, adding that he would welcome a rematch with former President Donald Trump. “I’m a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many, many times.” “Why would I not run against Donald Trump if he were the nominee? That would increase the prospect of running,” the 79-year-old Democrat said. Researchers studying the wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship, buried in mud on the Alabama coast since it was scuttled in 1860, have made the surprising discovery that most of the wooden schooner remains intact, including the pen that was used to imprison African captives during the brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean, reports the Associated Press. While the upper portion of the two-masted Clotilda is gone, the section below deck where the captured Africans and stockpiles were held is still largely in one piece after being buried for decades in a section of river that hasn’t been dredged, said maritime archaeologist James Delgado of the Florida-based SEARCH Inc. At least two-thirds of the ship remains, and the existence of the unlit and unventilated slave pen, built during the voyage by the addition of a bulkhead where people were held as cargo below the main deck for weeks, raises questions about whether food and water containers, chains and even human DNA could remain in the hull, said Delgado. “It’s a stunning revelation,” he said in an interview. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OAlzo3ParMA/hqdefault.jpg Kimberly Bryant, the founder of the nonprofit Black Girls Code, has been removed as leadership head amid allegations of workplace impropriety. As reported by Black Enterprise, an email statement to Insider revealed that Black Girls Code’s board noted that Bryant remains on the company’s staff while “serious allegations of workplace impropriety are being investigated.” An interim executive director has been appointed in the meantime, according to the email. Bryant tweeted in response, “Press release: so it’s 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification.” A 911 operator in Philadelphia has been named godmother of a baby she helped deliver through the phone. As reported by Today.com, when Charlotte Fatoma suddenly went into labor while driving to the hospital, 911 operator Elyce Rivera calmly coached her through delivering her baby in her car by the side of the highway. The two women later met for the very first time live on air. Fatoma was working as a nurse at an assisted living facility when intense contractions prompted her to drive herself to the hospital which was 40-minutes away. She thought she could make it but got stuck in traffic, that’s when Fatoma called 911 and reached operator Rivera. “I just told her, listen, you’re gonna see your baby sooner than you think,” said Rivera. “She told me to position myself in the car, move the seat back, push yourself all the way to the edge of the chair, put your legs up, prop yourself and make a way for that baby,” Fatoma explained in an exclusive video interview. With Rivera coaching, Fatoma gave birth to a 7lb, 1oz baby girl on the side of Montgomery County’s Interstate 476. The ambulance arrived shortly afterward the baby was born, according to the report. Cardi B has scrapped plans to drop a new line of dolls, citing ongoing production delays and concerns over the quality of the product. TMZ reports that Cardi and fashion doll brand Real Women joined forces to make a limited edition Cardi B doll at $35 a pop. Pre-orders started in March, but when shipping deadlines were missed, Cardi fans accused the company of scamming and demanded refunds. Cardi B announced her new line of dolls earlier this year when she gushed about the project in an Instagram post. “BARDI GANG!! I’m dropping my own doll TODAY!” she captioned a photo of the dolls on IG. “Inspired by me. Created by me. Designed by me. Thank you @officialrealwomenare This means sooo much.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CMCt7b2As8F/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=cbab5c5f-0320-4dd1-8b82-6082ea9cba0f Season 18 “Bachelorette” Michelle Young and her fiancé Nayte Olukoya made their first public appearance as an engaged couple on the After the Final Rose special Tuesday night, during which they received a special gift from some of “The Bachelorette” producers. Young and Olukoya were gifted with $200,000 to put toward a down payment on a house in her home state of Minnesota. “That right there is from us in the Bachelor family,” said host Kaitlyn Bristowe as the couple received the check. “And that is a — I’m going to cry — that’s a down payment on your first home together.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3_9kY_CNjuU/hqdefault.jpg FX has announced the premiere date for the third season of “Atlanta.” The award-winning comedy-drama starring Donald Glover will return March 24, 2022, kicking off with a two-episode premiere on FX, and streaming on Hulu the following day. “We are thrilled to have Atlanta back with a new season on March 24th,” FX Entertainment President Eric Schrier said in a press release. “Once again, Donald Glover, the producers and stellar cast have delivered another signature season synonymous with the excellence that makes Atlanta so great.” The second season finale aired on May 10, 2018. Last month, Glover hit up Twitter to share a long-awaited teaser for Season 3. Big Sean is catching some serious heat online after his comments about Black women in a recent interview. During a chat with ESSENCE, the hip-hop star spoke about his role in the BET dramedy, “Twenties” and working with the all-female-lead show. The Detroit native said Black women “are magical” and that they’re “the closest thing to God.” “Y’all be creating life. It’s funny how this doctor broke it down to me. He was like we all come out of a Blackhole just like the universe was birthed and it’s really deep when you get down to it,” he continued. And with that – Black Twitter was quick to remind the artist about his dating history, most notably his girlfriends have been light-skinned, mixed-race women. https://twitter.com/i/status/1471542225045798924 A New Jersey woman has been collecting Black Santa dolls for over two decades, a tradition she started with her late husband. As reported by The Root, Crystal Kittles received her first Black Santa as a housewarming gift from her husband. After his death, she continued to build the collection and now owns hundreds of dolls. “So many different ones, but I’ve never taken the time to count them,” she said, as reported by WPVI. “To me, it’s not always about the gifts. It’s just about the gathering, just seeing each other enjoying each other.” https://eurweb.com/2021/12/23/new-jersey-woman-has-massive-collection-of-black-santas-video "The Real Santa" children's book images....https://youtu.be/lZyRSP01y4M Forest Whitaker has joined global economist and author Dr. Dambisa Moyo to become the latest among a group of African business leaders and ex-basketball players to invest in NBA Africa. They are strategic investors who bring money, brainpower and activism to the body. Whitaker’s Oscar came from The Last King of Scotland, playing the tyrannical former Ugandan leader Idi Amin. “The game of basketball is incredibly inspirational, and my decade working in Africa has shown me how sports can be a transformative method of helping to foster peace, as well as an economic engine for socioeconomic development in areas of conflict,” Whitaker said. “ I too deeply believe in the league’s commitment to youth empowerment and am so excited to work alongside the NBA Africa family. Last July, former President Barack Obama joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner. Strategic investors in NBA Africa also include a consortium led by Babatunde “Tunde” Folawiyo, Chairman and CEO of Yinka Folawiyo Group, and Helios Fairfax Partners Corporation (HFP), led by Co-CEO Tope Lawani. Additional investors in NBA Africa include former NBA players Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill, Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Joakim Noah (ties to Cameroon). Sherri Shepherd is sharing her thoughts on Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin’s split. On Tuesday, PEOPLE exclusively confirmed that Good, 40, and Franklin, 43, are filing for divorce, and Shepherd reacted to the news on her Instagram page later that day. “Not gonna lie … this news completely ***** me up,” the View alum, 54, began in the caption. “Just goes to show you – you can have all the tools and best intentions … you can post all day how happy you are on social media.” She continued, “At the end of the day nobody knows what goes on inside your home and how much work it takes to make a marriage actually work. I am sorry this Union didn’t work out … don’t know if I am in fairytale land, but I still hope it does.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXw67qcJzgF/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=35e61009-0df3-44ed-ba9d-1f6c865b67d5 Actress, Alicia Witt, 46, had asked a relative who lived in the area to check on Robert Witt, 87, and Diane Witt, 75, at their Worcester home after not hearing from them for ‘several days.’ ‘I reached out to a cousin who lives close to my parents to check on them. Sadly, the outcome was unimaginable,’ Witt said in a statement. ‘I ask for some privacy at this time to grieve and to wrap my head around this turn of events, and this surreal loss.’ Police said they had received reports that the couple, who a neighbor described as having been ill for ‘some time,’ had been experiencing ‘furnace problems’ and were using a space heater to heat their home, according to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. However, firefighters who responded to the scene reportedly checked the air quality inside the residence and detected no noxious gases. 'There were no signs of foul play. It is under investigation,' police said after the bodies were found in the Sussex Lane home Monday. As the NFL and the sports world is reeling due a surge in COVID-19 positive tests over the past couple of weeks, the Dallas Cowboys, who at one time led the NFL in players who missed games due to the virus, seem to be on the other side of the spectrum. Although defensive line coach Aden Durde and assistant special teams coach Matt Daniels tested positive over the past couple of days, the Cowboys have had no positive tests among their players this week. And the two players who missed last week’s game with COVID-19 are on their way back. Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuma returned to practice on Wednesday and Trysten Hill should be back Thursday or Friday. With three games left in the regular season and a trip to the playoffs on the horizon, the Cowboys are taking no chances. The team has gone to a fully virtual status at the team’s headquarters and has uniformly decided to cancel all Christmas visits with family and friends. At 10-4, the Cowboys can clinch the NFC East title with a win against the Washington Football Team Sunday night at AT&T Stadium. But more importantly, the Cowboys, who are riding a three-game winning streak, are still in the running for the No. 1 seed and the spoils that go with it — the lone first-round bye during the wild-card weekend of Jan. 15-17 and playing only home games until the Super Bowl in Los Angeles on Feb. 13. Mahogany Films in collaboration with Son of Oakland Films and Arise Media has released the trailer for the highly anticipated film “Entanglement.” The video features Jill Marie Jones (Girlfriends, Monogamy) as Layla, a wife still reeling from her husband’s past infidelity. As the couple tries to rebuild their marriage, they rent out the vacant unit in their duplex to a much younger man with a dark past, who becomes obsessed with Layla. https://youtu.be/ROzIpDuanZc Imagine being a dancer in an ensemble situation, believing you’ve got the routine memorized, only to find out in front of thousands of onlookers that you don’t. All of the dancers around you are in sync, and you are baffled. Horrified, wondering when the choreography changed and why no one bothered to tell you. This happened to Utah Jazz dancer Danielle Bush, who began looking around at the other dancers and half-heartedly trying to follow them to save face, all while believing she would be fired once the routine was over. But there would be a happy ending for Bush. As the music abruptly switched to “Marry You” by Bruno Mars,- and she began dancing along in confusion and horror with a painted on smile – her boyfriend, Brandon, entered the court and got down on one knee. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXu80SBs95p/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The most dynamic new duo in the game Lil Wayne and Rich The Kid reveal the music video for “Trust Fund.” It stands out as the latest single from their collaborative mixtape, Trust Fund Babies, out now via Young Money Records/Republic Records. In the visual directed by Mooch [Iann Dior, Trippie Redd], Wayne and Rich The Kid take over a skate park. As halfpipe shredding moves abound, they trade head-turning and hypnotic bars with the airtight chemistry of lifelong friends. The clip jumps between footage of them superimposed on mini-bodies and video game avatars as the frenetic action never stops. https://youtu.be/kSl8EwMrwjE In October, Alicia Keys appeared on The Morning Hustle show, where the hosts jokingly asked if the 15-time Grammy-winner ever forgave Lil Mama for crashing her performance with Jay-Z at the Video Music Awards. “Of course,” Keys answered at the time. “Listen, to this day, I truly never knew she was even on the stage—that’s the craziest part of the whole thing for me. I was on that stage, Jay was in the middle, she was on the other side of Jay, and I never saw her. Never.” The legendary rapper is finally speaking on the viral moment over a decade later and sharing his thoughts. In a recent conversation with Genius’ Rob Markman on Twitter Spaces, Jay recalled Lil Mama joining him and Alicia onstage in 2009 while they played their hit song “Empire State of Mind.” https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=810f9dd4-4a4c-461c-a880-b2eca8a1b94b Thirty-one poems fill the pages, packed with reflections and curiosities. In I am… a Young Black Man they reveal their hopes and dreams, greatest triumphs and deepest fears. The book features writing by youth who are a part of the Gentlemen’s Quest of Tampa Inc., an organization that mentors and supports Black teens through a variety of programs. “This book is an act of defiance,” the introduction reads. “This is a testimony for every Black boy that your worth is not defined by your toughness or your tendons. This world is for you and you don’t have to be a martyr to receive love. You don’t have to be a casualty to leave your mark on this world.” Each summer, the Gentlemen’s Quest runs a STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp. This past summer, executive director Tavis Myrick added a writing component. One of the exercises, called “I am,” was a 15-minute free write that the students would later present to the class. As Myrick and another teacher listened to the presentation, they thought about how the teens’ words deserved more than one moment. They’d capture them in a book, edited only for spelling, not grammar. “It was their words,” Myrick said. “The book really captures their stories.” TV ONE will presents REPRESENT OUR VOICE, a town hall episode that breaks down the year's pivotal moments including COVID-19, racial justice, politics, and the economy, and how they’ve impacted the African American community. CNN Commentator and Political Analyst Karen Finney will moderate the final episode of this year's series on Sunday, December 26, 2021 at 12 P.M. ET/11C. Featured speakers include Marc Morial, President & CEO, The National Urban League, Latosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, Dr. Reed Tuckson, Co-Founder of The Black Coalition Against COVID, and Michelle Singletary, Author/Award-Winning Columnist The Washington Post. The Biden administration has decided to extend the pause in federal student loan payments another 90 days. The President announced the extension in a Wednesday statement saying, “Now, while our jobs recovery is one of the strongest ever,” Biden said, adding, “we know that millions of student loan borrowers are still coping with the impacts of the pandemic and need some more time before resuming payments.” He went on to say, “Given these considerations, today my Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments for an additional 90 days — through May 1, 2022 — as we manage the ongoing pandemic and further strengthen our economic recovery.” The current pause on payments was set to expire on Jan. 31, and Millions of borrowers were set to resume payments starting in February after a nearly two-year hiatus. The president of Meharry Medical College in Tennessee announced Monday that all of its 956 students will be gifted $10,000 each, with no strings attached. Days later, the money began arriving via direct deposit into the accounts of the HBCU’s future doctors, dentists and health researchers, or via check that they could pick up on campus. The funds came from federal COVID relief funds in the CARES Act that was sent to higher learning institutions. Meharry President Dr. James Hildreth, also an infections disease expert, delivered the news via a video message sent to students just before Thanksgiving. “We’ll gift each of you $10,000 in cash. You heard me right,” he said, only asking that they be “good stewards” of the windfall. He said that scripture tells him to give thanks in all circumstances and to keep thankfulness in our hearts. He’s thankful for students and the future of healthcare, public health and research that’s entrusted to them. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pMYHTzJVHHM/hqdefault.jpg Kim Kardashian has added her voice to those of 4.6 million others who are calling for clemency for a 26-year-old truck driver whose brake failure caused a fiery crash that killed four people, and who was sentenced to 110 years in prison. Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was driving a semi-truck on April 25, 2019, along Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Colorado, when he slammed into two dozen vehicles – including four other transporters stuck in rush-hour traffic. The impact caused a fireball explosion that incinerated cars and trucks, killing four people. On October 15, a jury found him guilty, and on December 13 he was sentenced to 110 years by Judge A. Bruce Jones – the minimum allowed by Colorado’s sentencing laws. He was found guilty on 27 criminal charges and his harsh sentence drew criticism among millions of people – including a juror who found him guilty. A seventh member of Congress announced on Tuesday he tested positive for COVID this week. Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado, 44, of New York is the latest to announce a breakthrough case, saying he has mild symptoms which he credits to being vaccinated and boosted. ‘Yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19 and am currently experiencing mild symptoms,’ he said in a statement. ‘I’m grateful for the protection of a safe and effective vaccine and booster and encourage all who are able to get both.’ His announcement comes after two more lawmakers announced on Tuesday they tested positive for COVID – despite being vaccinated – as Washington D.C. surpassed all other states in the nation in its coronavirus infection rate. Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California and Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York announced their diagnoses, becoming the latest positive cases since Sunday. ‘This week, I received a breakthrough positive COVID-19 test result. Fortunately, I have only mild cold-like symptoms. I know it could have been much worse had I not been vaccinated and boosted,’ Lee said in a statement. ‘After experiencing mild symptoms and a slight fever, Congresswoman Malliotakis, who is vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. She is quarantining at home and is feeling well,’ her office announced. The announcements come as Washington D.C.’s COVID cases rose by 369% in the past week, the largest gain in the nation, as the Omicron variant spreads across the nation. The number is based on a seven-day rolling average of daily new cases per 100,000 residents. A labor strike is underway at a Kellogg’s plant in Memphis and two other cities that have been going strong for two months. As reported by MSN, workers are also striking in Battle Creek, Michigan, Omaha, Nebraska, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Memphis plant produces cereals including Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, and Rice Krispies. The labor dispute is over details of the company’s proposals for a two-tiered wage and benefit system. The growing frustration is over new workers permanently receiving lower pay and worse benefits than longtime employees who enjoy a good benefits package. The union said the strike will continue after workers rejected a proposed agreement. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yh8bilaGvpg/hqdefault.jpg W. Kamau Bell is serving up a four-part Showtime series that explores Bill Cosby’s falls from grace after accusations of sexual assault. Per press release, the doc titled, “We Need to Talk About Cosby,” hails from Emmy-winning director W. Kamau Bell (United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell) that offers an in-depth look at the revolutionary career and personal descent of Bill Cosby. “We Need to Talk About Cosy” will screen at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, ahead of its SHOWTIME premiere on Sunday, January 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 and sentenced to three-10 years in prison. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated his conviction in June and Cosby was released. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/raCuh_Q6Ve8/hqdefault.jpg On the (next) edition of “60 Minutes,” Trevor Noah sat down and spoke with Leslie Stahl. The comedian Trevor Noah, was asked about his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special “the closer” that had him trending for weeks. Noah shared his thoughts on the special when asked if Dave Chappelle crossed the line? “Did Dave Chappelle cross the line?” Noah asked. “Yes, no. It immediately puts me in a position where I have to choose a side when I think that the matter is a lot more complex than that. I think everybody is defining the line for themselves.” Stahl disagreed that “society defines the line,” and Noah respectfully pushed back while elaborating on how “there is no line.” A Pennsylvania family is warning parents about a dangerous TikTok challenge after their 10-year-old daughter died attempting to hold her breath until she passed out. Nyla Anderson, 10, passed away on December 12 in her bedroom at her family’s Chester home after attempting the viral ‘Blackout Challenge.’ The online dare, which has been linked to several child deaths, encourages participants to hold their breath until they pass out. While it predates social media, the deadly challenge has recently made the rounds on TikTok. Now, Nyla’s mother, Tawainna Anderson, is warning other parents about the deadly trend. ‘Make sure you check your kids’ phones,’ Tawainna told ABC 7. ‘You never know what you might find on their phones. You wouldn’t think 10-year-olds would try this. They’re trying because they’re kids and they don’t know better.’ Anderson’s family rushed her to a nearby hospital as soon as they found her unconscious, but despite their efforts, doctors were unable to save the tween. A gunman was caught on camera fatally shooting a New York City mother-of-two, 39, while she was getting in her car to go to work. The shooting happened when Dawn Peterson left her home on Foch Boulevard and 155th Street in Jamaica, Queens just before 6:30 a.m. on Friday to go to work. In the video, the shooter opens fire on Peterson multiple times from a distance, then fires from close range one time as they scamper away. Surveillance video showed the gunman driving away in a silver sedan. Peterson was found lying in the street with multiple wounds to her chest and back. She was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead after attempts to revive her. Her death has been ruled a homicide. Police have no details yet on the suspect, including whether or not they knew Peterson, who leaves behind an 18-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN2OzRf3ync A Florida mother was billed more than half a million dollars following the birth of her son – and the hospital offered to let her cover the tab in a dozen $46,000 monthly installments. Bisi Bennett, 38, of Orlando, Florida, welcomed her firstborn Dorian, now one, in the family’s Mitsubishi Outlander as her husband drove her to the hospital near midnight on November 12, 2020. Already a startling entrance to the world, as the baby boy was born premature in the breech position – meaning his head came out last – the new parents received an extraordinary bill of $660,553, with the patient responsibility being $550,134.76. The payment plan wasn’t any better, as the hospital Advent Health Orlando – an in-network facility that accepts Bennett’s insurance – offered to let the new family cover the bill in $45,843.73 installments over the course of a year. The offer was populated by the medical facility’s billing system, as all non-profit hospitals have to offer financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act. The financial assistance policy went into effect in 2010. ‘It was ridiculous, I don’t have $46,000 to pay a month,’ Bennett told CBS Mornings. The cause of the gigantic bill came down to miscommunication, as Bennett’s health insurance switched from United Healthcare to UMR the first of the year – a move Bennett made sure the hospital knew of in advance. The mother of Drakeo The Ruler is speaking out about his senseless killing amid claims that her son was “taken out” by an associate of rapper YG. the LA-bred rapper, 28, died after being stabbed at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. music festival on Saturday. In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, Drakeo’s mother, Darrylene Corniel, revealed that she plans to sue over the death of her son. She also said that he was attacked when a fight erupted backstage after forty to sixty people rushed Drakeo when YG appeared in the area. “He was hit in his neck. I saw him when I went to the hospital. They said it’s a homicide, so I wasn’t able to hug him or kiss him or anything like that. I had to look at him through a window,” said Corniel. “I need this to be out there. I need people to know. And I do want justice for my son. And I do believe that justice will be served. I will not rest until justice is served.” According to Black Twitter, YG’s crew clashed with members of Drakeo’s crew the rising star was stabbed during the melee. A woman has filed a $20 million lawsuit alleging that Trey Songz sexually abused her in 2018 after attending a New Year’s Eve party at Diddy’s mansion. The woman reportedly filed the lawsuit this week in Florida, and also names Diddy and E11EVEN nightclub as defendants. Jahuara Jeffries claimed in the suit filed this week in Miami-Dade Circuit Court that Songz, whose real name is Tremaine Neverson, “assaulted, battered and falsely imprisoned” her after the two attended Diddy’s bash in the early morning hours of January 1, 2018. The suit alleges that as Jeffries danced with friends on a couch at the club, Songz digitally penetrated her. “While Plaintiff was dancing on the couch, she noticed Defendant Songz standing on the floor next to her. She then felt fingers being inserted into her vagina, turned around, and saw Defendant Songz pulling his hand away from her bottom,” the suit says. Jeffries “immediately” got down off the couch and was left “in a state of shock,” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says after Jeffries left the club with her friends and Songz in Songz’s car — driven by his security guard — more bizarreness unfolded. Per the report, Songz took off his shirt once inside the car and Plaintiff began recording him “for her own safety,” the suit states. Songz attempted to take her phone, and when she refused, his driver, under direction from Trey, “grabbed Plaintiff and violently pulled her out of the vehicle, while Defendant Songz pushed her, and threw her onto the street,” the suit says. The suit alleges Songz “threatened and ridiculed” her in the process and “threw water in her face. The woman claims Diddy is liable because he and the servers at his New Year’s Eve party supplied Songz alcohol. ” A retired NYPD cop assigned to the cushy Yankee Stadium detail says her captain raped her “nearly every game day” for a year at the ballpark, according to a new lawsuit. Gillian Roberts says that Capt. Jeffrey Brienza, her boss at the 44th Precinct, even changed her schedule to make sure he would have more time with her, her suit filed in Bronx Supreme Court said. When she denied his advances or tried to avoid him, Brienza turned hostile, leveraging his power as her boss to give her undesirable posts and showing open hostility, according to the complaint. The situation turned so grave, the former cop says, she “felt that she was no longer there to perform the duties of a police officer, but to provide unconsented sex to the Captain.” Roberts, who had been a cop since 1998, is seeking $35 million in damages. Brienza is now stationed at the 25th Precinct, according to the suit and online databases. NeNe Leakes is reportedly dating a rich Liberian businessman named Nyonisela Sioh … and her new relationship comes three months after the death of her husband Gregg Leakes. As reported by TMZ, Sioh “owns a couture suit company in Charlotte, NC and he hails from Liberia, Africa … though it’s unclear how long they’ve been dating,” the outlet writes. Leakes’ former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Peter Thomas, the ex-husband of fellow ‘RHOA’ star Cynthia Bailey, introduced NeNe to Nyonisela, per the report. Sioh is said to be a married man with children. His wife is reportedly named Kweeta Tehmeh, and they share a son named Nyonisela Sioh Jr. Sioh is also a father to another son named, Michael Dannah, according to reports. Sioh allegedly has a net worth of around $5 million. He reportedly owns a men’s suit company named Nyoni Couture, based in North Carolina. His wife is said to be devasted by his alleged affair with NeNe. https://youtu.be/yWNy3gwMomw Meagan Good and her estranged husband DeVon Franklin says no one is at fault amid their divorce despite rumors of cheating. The couple released a joint statement confirming that they are heading for divorce after almost a decade of being married. DeVon Franklin filed the petition for divorce from actress Meagan Good on December 20, but the couple’s joint statement on Tuesday night said the pair who reportedly met on the 2011 romantic comedy Jumping the Broom both came to the decision to divorce after long contemplation and prayers.“ “We celebrate almost a decade of marriage together and a love that is eternal. There’s no one at fault, we believe this is the next best chapter in the evolution of our love. We are incredibly grateful for the life-changing years we’ve spent together as husband and wife. We are also extremely thankful to God for the testimony being created inside us both and for blessing our lives with each other.” “After much prayer and consideration, we have decided to go into our futures separately but forever connected,” Good, 40, and Franklin, 43, said. Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin continued that there is no one at fault for the divorce as millions of fans of the couple reacted to the news. The petition cites “irreconcilable differences” as the ground for divorce and says that the couple apparently split in August this year. Franklin also asked the court not to grant spousal to neither of them. Kate Winslet has revealed she ‘couldn’t stop crying’ when she reunited with her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. Kate, 46, and Leonardo, 47, who have known each other since their early 20s after working on the 1997 film, hadn’t seen each other for three years due to the pandemic. They met up while they were both in Los Angeles and Kate told The Guardian of that moment: ‘I couldn’t stop crying. I’ve known him for half of my life. It’s not as if I’ve found myself in New York or he’s been in London and there’s been a chance to have dinner or grab a coffee and have a catch-up.’ She added: ‘We haven’t been able to leave our countries. Like so many friendships globally, we’ve missed each other because of COVID. He’s my friend, my really close friend. We’re bonded for life.’ Kate also discussed her Emmy-winning lead role in Mare of Easttown star as she admitted she was unsure if there would be a second season. A Suge Knight biopic is officially in the works. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, producer Steve Whitney and his company TSW Films have purchased the rights to tell the authorized version of Suge’s life. “Over the last 30 years, there has been so much talk about Compton, me, the inner cities, and Death Row – A lot of talk. Even when it comes to making my movie there has been so many imposters saying they have my rights, or they got the deal – that was, and is, all talk,” Knight said in a statement, Deadline reports. “So when it came time to do a real movie and tell the truth about it he [Mike Klein] introduced me to Steve Whitney. Now, Steve, Mike, and I, and the woman that has my back, are making this movie. Taking it to the next level!” he added. According to the report, Nick Cassavetes(God Is a Bullet) will write the script alongside Anthony Thorne (After Exile). The release date has not yet been announced. Lifelong friends and now multi-award-winning filmmaking trio Samuel Ladouceur, Director and Producer (A Great Day in Harlem, Power, Boardwalk Empire, True to the Game, Flatbush), Harry Jeudy, Screenwriter and Producer (A Great Day in Harlem, The Sweetest Girl, Flatbush) and Yanatha Desouvre, Screenwriter and Producer (The Sweetest Girl, Flatbush) have signed with Crystal Ship Artists Agency for representation ahead of their long-awaited feature film, Flatbush, inspired by true events. Flatbush is a true-crime thriller written by prolific screenwriter Harry Jeudy and set in the unforgiving streets of 1990 Brooklyn, NY. The close and loving relationship between Haitian American teenager Harold and his mother are tested when they are caught between two worlds: survival or loyalty. Faced with insurmountable obstacles that put their lives in imminent danger, they are forced to find unorthodox ways to survive. Iman Shumpert believes LeBron James “ruined basketball.” The former Cavs guard said as much during a recent appearance on the “Bootleg Kev” podcast. Per The Spun, when the host suggested that Kevin Durant “ruined basketball” by jumping from OKC to The Bay in 2016, Shumpert said LeBron did it first. “It wasn’t KD. It was LeBron first going to Miami,” Shumpert explained. Adding, “[LeBron] knows he ruined basketball.” “He thought he was making it better,” Shump continued. “I get it. Me personally, I love the NBA for the loyalty that I thought was there. He basically knocked the fourth wall down.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HpuordGykBc/hqdefault.jpg Cedrick The Entertainer is speaking out about the cancel culture movement coming for Dave Chappelle in response to his controversial Netflix comedy specials “The Closer.” Chappelle took aim at the transgender community in his latest special, which triggered strong reactions on Twitter. “Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact,” Chappelle said in “The Closer.” “Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p—ies that they got… you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p—y, but it’s Beyond P—y or Impossible P—y. It tastes like p—y, but that’s not quite what it is, is it? That’s not blood,” he said. “That’s beet juice.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gyVjIKu4DHg/hqdefault.jpg “Love is messy, love is complicated,” said Lily Diaz, played by Emeraude Toubia in the TV series “With Love,” produced by writer and former producer of the 2017 remake of “One Day at a Time,” Gloria Calderón Kellett. Many complex issues of love in 2021, including love in the transgender community, are explored in “With Love,” a romantic comedy that premiered on Prime Video on December 17. One of the featured stars includes trans star Isis King, who shines in the role of Sol Lopez, illuminating the complexity of relationships in modern times. Indeed, while no one can explain what being in love and falling in love is exactly, we can all agree that love is exhilarating, joyous and soul-fulfilling, but also bewildering, complex, messy and complicated, especially when family and friends get involved. Most of us have experienced the joys and tribulations of being in love, and, in 2021, love is as complex as it’s ever been. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AUnONbLnkXM/hqdefault.jpg Kurt Warner, 50, true-life story is heading to theaters on Dec. 25, and he truly exemplifies the scripture Psalm 118:22 “the stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone.” he movie aptly titled “American Underdog” is a certified tear-jerker, inspirational, will induce goosebumps – the good kind and is entirely apropos considering the time of our nation, now entering year two of a global pandemic amidst economic strife. With its uplifting message, this film is what is needed in this trying season. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_6rn-6lKBJ8/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Mariah Carey recently filmed her family’s two dogs getting into the holiday spirit while singing the Yuletide tune that has made her the unofficial Queen of Christmas. In the clip shared on Carey’s Instagram page, she enters a festive room decorated with poinsettias, white lights and a bright Christmas tree and belts the song’s title. On the “is you” part, her twins with ex-husband Nick Cannon – Moroccan and Monroe – shout the two words and hold the final “youuuuuu” like they were Soulja Boy, prompting an excited response from the family’s two dogs. Carey gave a nod to the pets in the caption of her post, writing: “All I Want For Christmas Is… ????.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXxBd8oBCWS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again James Wright Chanel went viral in 2015 after his hilarious review of Walmart’s Patti LaBelle pies. Let James tell it, and he is the reason why Pattie’s pies flew off the shelves and sold out in the blink of an eye. He previously spoke to BET about why he almost had to “check” Patti when she failed to properly appreciate the impact he had on her pie sales. “The pie made 11 million dollars and sold 2.5 million pies in just two days. No Walmart in any county had a pie,” said James. People were even selling those pies for like twenty times the price, all because of…me.” In the same interview, he explained that Patti LaBelle took issue with him receiving all the credit for her pie success. As reported by I Love Old School Music, the iconic singer said at the time that she and she alone was the reason for the massive pies sales. Patti ultimately made things right. “She called my phone and was like, ‘James?’, revealed James. “And I was like, ‘Who is this?’ She said ‘It’s Patti LaBelle honey.’” “I sat that phone down, like the bishop just preached the word and shouted all over that house. And I was like, ‘Patti?’ …She was like, ‘James?’ And I was like ‘Hey girl!’And she was like, ‘That was an amazing thing you did with that video. I want you to come to my house for Thanksgiving.’” After bonding over Thanksgiving dinner, LaBelle and Chanel are now great friends. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eQRwFn7WPk8/hqdefault.jpg CLEO TV will air a new episode of CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Wednesday, December 22 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Season three of the popular cooking show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN continues with an all-new episode this Wednesday, December 22 at 9:30 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells returns to prepare even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The second season of “Games People Play” kicked off on Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. It becomes clear that the spiders have weaved a larger web and our crew finds themselves wrapped up further in that web than ever before. Marques must face the challenge of pursuing his own interests or the safety of those around him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VqlbPLSXnI Donald Trump has filed a retaliatory lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James and accusing her of trying to “harass, intimidate and retaliate against” him. The irony, of course, is that Trump’s lawsuit is quite obviously designed to in an apparent effort to “harass, intimidate and retaliate against” James, whose office has been making serious headway into its investigation of Trump and his investigation. Trump’s lawsuit aims to stop James’ against him and his company. The lawsuit screamed of desperation and came less than two weeks after James suspended her short-lived gubernatorial campaign in order to seek re-election as attorney general because, as she said at the time, “There are a number of important investigations and cases that are underway, and I intend to finish the job.” Monday marks the 35th year since a group of young white male thugs violently confronted three Black men who became stranded after their car broke down and brutally attacked them with baseball bats and chunks of wood, leaving one of them dead in the Howard Beach neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough in 1986. The person who died, 23-year-old Michael Griffith, was chased into highway traffic, where he was fatally struck by a vehicle driven by the son of an NYPD officer. The teens responsible had been shouting racial slurs at the Black men, one witness told the New York Daily News at the time. The death of Griffith, a Trinidadian immigrant who had been employed as a construction worker, was compared by then-New York City Mayor Koch to “lynching parties that existed in the Deep South.” He reportedly ran into traffic on the Belt Parkway while unaware of the road and trying to flee from his attackers. “The white guys were yelling, ‘Come here, n—–,'” John Patterson, said he was with Griffith moments before he was killed. Two full doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are not effective at all against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, but a third “booster” shot helps, said Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit at Sheba Medical Center, at a Dec. 11 press conference. In cooperation with the Health Ministry’s Central Virology Lab at Sheba, the study compared blood work from 20 Sheba healthcare workers who received two doses five or six months ago (but not a third dose) with another 20 who received the booster one month ago. “We compared the ability to neutralize the Omicron from these sets of blood, and we have good news and bad news,” said Regev-Yochay. Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have collectively spoken out over the allegations of sexual assault against actor Chris Noth. The three stars of new Sex And The City spin-off And Just Like That… posted a joint statement on Monday – their first reference to the historical claims made by two women. ‘We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth,’ the short announcement began. ‘We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.’ Noth’s famed character Mr. Big was killed off after suffering a heart attack in the first episode of the Sex and the City revival, titled And Just Like That…, earlier this month. Last week the actor, 67, was accused of rape by two women, who both shared details of their alleged assaults with The Hollywood Reporter. Chris Noth is off The Equalizer. The series regular has been fired from the CBS drama after sexual assault allegations against the actor. Noth played William Bishop on the Queen Latifah-fronted drama, which is produced by Universal Television in association with CBS Television Studios. “Chris Noth will no longer film additional episodes of The Equalizer, effective immediately,” Universal Television and CBS said in a short statement. It’s understood that Noth will be seen in one original upcoming episode of the drama series, which has aired seven episodes of its second season and is currently on hiatus, as well as future repeats of episodes that have already aired. The man who killed Nicki Minaj’s father in a hit and run has been formally indicted by a Nassau County, D.A. on two felonies. Charles Polevich, a white man from Mineola, was arraigned on December 17th and indicted for the death of Robert Maraj by a grand jury on November 16th. Polevich is charged with fleeing the scene after the accident and tampering with evidence. Robert Maraj, 64, died after being struck by Polevich, who fled the scene. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JhTAngyv5VE/hqdefault.jpg America has recorded its first death caused by the COVID Omicron variant, with the victim a Texas man in his 50s who was unvaccinated and had already been infected before. The news was announced by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday night, around the same time the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that Omicron is now the dominant COVID strain in the US, accounting for 73 per cent of all new cases. Hidalgo did not name the victim, who had undisclosed underlying health conditions, and who was treated with Regeneron antibody therapy in an unsuccessful attempt to save his life. Harris County health department said his death showed the importance of getting vaccinated, even if you have already been infected. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/12/21/8482749153804791894/636x382_MP4_8482749153804791894.mp4 Reports of racism and sexism at Google are not surprising, and even less shocking is the company’s alleged treatment of Black female workers. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing is taking seriously claims made by multiple Black women who have worked for Google’s parent firm Alphabet, and experienced incidents of harassment and discrimination, Business Insider reports. Reports of racism and sexism at Google are not surprising, and even less shocking is the company’s alleged treatment of Black female workers. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing is taking seriously claims made by multiple Black women who have worked for Google’s parent firm Alphabet, and experienced incidents of harassment and discrimination, Business Insider reports. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yt5CUCfEkWM/hqdefault.jpg The new Sony Pictures Entertainment film “A Journal For Jordan” stars Michael B. Jordan as First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq who begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child. The film is directed by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FOzrXqf5pvE/hqdefault.jpg The former Brooklyn residence of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. has been sold for the asking price of $2 million. The home, located in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, closed on December 14 — three months after it first hit the market for $1.7 million, The New York Post reports. Biggie lived in the home in 1994 with his wife, singer Faith Evans. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/phaJXp_zMYM/hqdefault.jpg The trailer for season two of HBO’s “Euphoria” is out, and Zendaya’s drug-addicted Rue appears to be in even more trouble than in season one. The two-and-a-half minute video begins with Rue rolling a suitcase into what appears to be a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Her sponsor, Colman Domingo’s Ali, whom viewers got to know in Rue’s holiday special from January 2020, is also in attendance. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JdwZwrs8Qt0/hqdefault.jpg Stephen A. Smith has tested positive for COVID-19, the ESPN personality announced Tuesday on “First Take.” Smith, 54, appeared virtually on the show and said his positive test result was the reason he missed Monday’s episode. The longtime broadcaster said he is experiencing mild symptoms and had a fever over the weekend. Smith noted that he has gotten two Pfizer vaccine shots, but has not yet received a booster. https://youtu.be/5YJpMEL-q3Y Michael Jordan and his son Jeffrey Jordan are looking to drive the six-time NBA champ’s legacy into the world of NFTs and next-generation entertainment. The Jordans have launched Heir Inc., a new holding company that plans to build a consumer-facing community platform for athletes to connect with fans — as well as other lines of business, including an entertainment studio and consumer products. (“Heir,” of course, is a play on the Air Jordan brand at Nike.) The company was co-founded by Jeffrey Jordan along with marketing exec Daniel George, founder of agency Limitless Creative, and Jeron Smith, former CEO/co-founder of Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media. Heir Inc.’s first tech product, called “Heir” (heir.app), is envisioned as a Web3 personalized community platform for athletes. For the Heir product, the startup closed a $10.6 million seed funding round led by Thrive Capital, marking the venture-capital firm’s foray into NFTs. Investments also came from Solana Ventures, the investment arm of public blockchain platform Solana, along with angel investors including tech entrepreneur and investor Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), New York Knicks EVP and senior basketball adviser William Wesley and Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball. Amid rumors that Angela Simmons is joining the cast of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”… as it turns out, she’s not. Meanwhile, celebrity insider and blogger B. Scott was first to reveal on “The Real” that Simmons would be joining the show. “Yes. Angela Simmons has been taping and the network loves her, but she’s under contract with someone else. So, we may not see her on the show. We will see her a little bit on the show,” Scott said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXtf2C8PFpb/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=49976add-a2ba-4715-963c-ade9796e8d5b Big Sean has responded to Kanye West dissing him during a recent episode of REVOLT’s “Drink Champs” podcast, where he said signing the Detroit rapper was the “worst thing I’ve ever done.” When Big Sean appeared on the podcast, which aired over the weekend, he said he initially thought Ye’s remarks were “hilarious,” but eventually took it “personal.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kA377Vrryvc/hqdefault.jpg Beyoncé’s mama Tina Knowles Larson has just launched a new Facebook Watch series called “Talks With Mama Tina,” and the theme song is belted by her famous eldest daughter, with an assist from her grandkids. Tina shared a teaser on Instagram Monday, which begins with her grandbabies Blue Ivy, Sir, Rumi, and Julez saying “Let’s talk about it, grandma!” Beyoncé then sings: “Whatever it is, we can talk about it. Tell me how you feel, we can talk about it. Say what’s on your mind, we can talk about it. Simple conversations with no limitations, come and have a talk with Mama Tina.” The promo also reveals future guests, including Zendaya, Kelly Rowland, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Storm Reid, Ciara and more. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Shaquille O’Neal recently moved to Miami after living in Orlando for 20 years, and the NBA icon reportedly dropped $16 million on a new home. The four-time NBA champion turned analyst for “NBA on TNT” shows off his new home the latest episode of his YouTube series, Shaw Life. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nl2z6_NyN4M/hqdefault.jpg Mike Tyson launched his U.S.-based cannabis brand Tyson 2.0 in October and now the company has explained to over 100 retailers across California. “With the launch of products in California, consumers throughout the golden state can now experience some of my favorite cannabis products and strains. Each Tyson 2.0 product has been personally tested and approved by me. I’m better today thanks to the healing powers of cannabis, and I’m eager to share what we’ve created so others can benefit from this magical plant the way I have,” said Tyson in a statement. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVjXfSEtjfB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Larry Buford writes, there has been much ado about abortion and Roe v. Wade with the passing of the unpopular and dangerous Texas law that prohibits the practice and enables citizens to become bounty hunters for offenders. Is there any difference between abortion and homicide? There are two sides to the coin of taking someone’s life. People are being killed with legal and illegal guns every day in America, but the outcry for gun control is falling on deaf ears. The Bible calls murder a sin. It does not specify born or unborn, so why can’t some church leaders and lawmakers who are bent on overturning Roe v. Wade have the same vigor for stemming the epidemic of gun violence? The world is hostile to life in general. Consider the outcry of pro-choice women and the outcry of mothers who have lost children to senseless gun violence: What’s the difference? Born or unborn, true democracy invites all parties, pro and con, to the table to reason and try to reach a consensus that everyone can live with. An Oklahoma legislator has proposed a bill that would essentially penalize schools for failing to lie about slavery in America. Specifically, the bill prohibits educators from teaching, among other truths, that white people were largely responsible for the institution of slavery in the U.S. and that Black people were largely the victims. Imagine trying to teach about the slave trade in America and having to start your lecture off by saying, “OK, class, listen: Some people held some other people captive for roughly 250 years, forced them into endless labor, forced their children to be born into servitude, separated families and erased entire heritages—but let’s not get into a whole racial who did what to whom kind of thing and just say there were very fine people on both sides.” according to NBC News, this month Republican state Rep. Jim Olsen filed House Bill 2988, which would prohibit teaching “that one race is the unique oppressor” or “another race is the unique victim in the institution of slavery.” https://t.co/mIKjBA8lAw?amp=1 It turns out that, despite what Anglo-America tends to believe, rioting and looting aren’t things that happen exclusively during Black Lives Matter protests. Of course, we already knew that after the angry whites rebellion at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, not to mention the unrest of the unseasoned that often happens after sporting events. But America far too often associates riots and specifically looting with Black people and Black neighborhoods. In Graves County, Kentucky, six people of the non-melanated persuasion were arrested Friday after they were accused of using a devastating storm as an opportunity to loot homes and vehicles and now officials in the area are warning that anyone caught engaging in that kind of activity will be prosecuted to the extent of the law. According to WPSD 6, deputies and state troopers made the arrests after a “caravan of suspects” were stopped at an intersection and all of the people in the vehicle were allegedly caught with stolen property taken from homes and vehicles that were ravaged during a recent storm. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068235378126&fref=nf Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has regained complete ownership of Sean John, the fashion brand he founded over 20 years ago. Combs sold a majority stake in the company to Global Brands Group in 2016. The company then filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York. The hip-hop star is now back in charge after winning a $7.55 million bidding victory on Monday, per Women’s Wear Daily. “I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced Hip Hop to high-fashion on a global scale,” Combs says in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. Infamous Lifestyle coach Kevin Samuels seems to never miss a beat when it comes to taking aim at Black women. In his latest rant, Samuels claims Black women’s biggest enemy is “Hispanic” women. “Your biggest enemy is the Hispanic women. She understands how to season food. She understands sensuality, feminity and she was raised in a patriarchal environment,” Samuels says. “The difference between feminity and fake feminity is amazing. Black women you have a problem– the Latina problem.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXr5q75APyF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The HBCU football community was in an uproar this weekend following the 31-10 beat down that South Carolina State gave Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl. The game stirred up conversation across Twitter and from multiple schools about who should be the Black College Football national champions. South Carolina State obviously won the game that is supposed to be branded as the HBCU National Championship but many around the country weren’t giving them their respect because of their early-season losses to SWAC opponents like Florida A&M, and Alabama A&M. They also lost to HBCU foe North Carolina A&T who is now in the Big South Conference. https://youtu.be/JjwNKjI9df0 Blac Youngsta, a longtime rival of late rapper Young Dolph, has taken disrespect to a whole new level after filming the music video for his new track “I’m Assuming” in front of a tombstone bearing the name “Thornton,” which is the family name of Young Dolph, born Adolph Thornton, Jr. Dolph was gunned down last month at his favorite bakery in Memphis. He’s had beef with fellow Memphis rappers Yo Gotti and Blac Youngsta over the years, including an incident five years ago where Youngsta allegedly fired 100 shots at Dolph’s car. Last Friday, Youngsta performed his 2016 Dolph diss track “Shake Sum” at the Aces of Dallas nightclub in Dallas. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXrWo8mAb1z/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again This week Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Morpheus! The 35-year-old is playing the wise and worldly guide to Neo (Keanu Reeves) in “The Matrix Resurrections.” Warner Bros. Pictures fourth installment of “The Matrix” franchise also stars Jessica Henwick (Bugs) – a hacker on a mission to discover the one who sacrificed himself for humankind. Before the films December 22nd premiere, we talked to Abdul-Mateen and Henwick about planets and retina burns. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AZv7s32tfO0/hqdefault.jpg Rapper Future, Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, caused an online stir on Friday when he went on a Twitter spree and claimed he was bigger than rap legend Jay-Z. ‘In the streets im bigger then jigga. Ima run me a B up easy,’ the Atlanta-born musician confidently declared to his 7M followers while referring to Jay’s status as hip-hop’s first billionaire. In another boastful statement Future, also known as Mr. Hendrix, writes, ‘I’m the only one can get YE to pull up whenever wherever..tuh’, referring to Kanye West’s surprise appearance during his Rolling Loud show. He continued to get things off his chest on the social media platform adding, ‘Everything I do legendary or it want get done. Tuh’, adding, ‘100M’s not the goal anymore.’ The statements were met with a wide range of reactions, but certainly caused an uproar with more traditional hip-hop heads who were outraged by the comparison. Jay-Z, Shawn Corey Carter, has over 125 million records sold, and regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists in history. The Brooklyn-born star has won 23 Grammy Awards in his career and is also the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2019 Forbes officially declared him hip hop’s first billionaire, and estimated that his art collection alone is worth roughly around $70 million. In comparison, Future has received one Grammy Award for his performance on ‘King’s Dead’ (with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and James Blake). As of 2021, his net worth is estimated to be $40 million. The NHL is beginning a leaguewide shutdown Wednesday amid a rise in positive COVID-19 test results among players, and with 10 of the league’s 32 teams’ schedules already paused and their facilities closed. The league announced Monday night that it will open its annual holiday break two days earlier than scheduled and have it run through Saturday. The decision, reached in coordination with the NHL Players’ Association, means five additional games scheduled for Thursday will be postponed, bringing the total this season to 49. Two games slated for Tuesday are still set to go on as scheduled. Teams will then report back for COVID-19 testing and practice on Sunday, a day before games are set to resume. Players and members of each team’s traveling party will be required to test negative before being allowed back in their respective facilities. The decision to begin the break early comes a day after the NHL and NHLPA issued a joint statement announcing they were attempting to avoid a leaguewide shutdown by making decisions on a team-by-team basis. The holiday break was previously supposed to run from Friday to Sunday. Of the 49 games postponed, 44 have occurred over the past two weeks with the delta and omicron variants spreading across North America. Vincent Dancy and Mississippi Valley State were among the most active HBCU programs in the country during the early signing period — receiving 16 commitments last week. The Delta Devils, however, landed a cornerstone acquisition in coveted junior college quarterback Jamari Jones, who ranks No.1 at his position in the nation. “Don’t Ask me Why Valley, Just Watch This … Like Deion said, Let’s Level The Playing, Field,” Jones wrote on Facebook Sunday night. https://www.facebook.com/100052224105319/videos/333988905208111/ Today, NPR Music premiered a special Tiny Desk Concert featuring GRAMMY-winning artists Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music. Coming off the release of their collaborative album, Jonny x Mali: Live in LA, and the Jonny x Mali Tour earlier this year, the two artists showcase their prolific talents in this holiday themed performance. The concert, which closes out the NPR Music series for the year, includes some Christmas classics and a high energy rendition of "Movin On," which earned Jonathan and Mali a GRAMMY for Best Gospel Performance / Song at the 2021 awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ta8ftzNvek&t=319s “Someday all our dreams will come to be. Someday in a world where men are free. Maybe not in time for you and me, But someday at Christmas time.” Get yourself in the holiday spirit with Brian Courtney Wilson’s EP, At Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz1WW8kppX0&list=PL1Fn3iTspOrpKQ5Q6KhMDo046-1gAHd_V&index=2 Tasha Cobbs Leonard blessed us with a new version of “The First Noel” available now, exclusively on Apple Music. https://tcleonard.lnk.to/firstnoelEM?utm_campaign=161564_MOTG%2012.20_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,3GNW,4SQSQ,GCQO,1 Ryan Vincent Ford & Ministry drops Someday (Tribute to Edwin Hawkins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWC0vcfC5DE&feature=youtu.be Recently, Pastor Mike Jr., of Birmingham, AL visited the Ronald McDonald House to present a monetary donation and surprise families with Christmas gifts. Pastor Mike Jr is one of five 2021 McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour artists, coming together to give $50,000 worth of gifts to Ronald McDonald Houses around the country. Other participating artists included Yolanda Adams, Kurt Carr, James Fortune, Stephanie Summers, The Walls Group and Brian Courtney Williams. The Ronald McDonald House is a charitable organization that helps families remain close to their children as they undergo necessary treatments and hospitalizations. Pastor Mike Jr presented a $10,000 check to Dale Thornton, Local McDonald’s Owner/Operator. Rep. Ayanna Pressley joined the chorus challenging Sen. Joe Manchin’s sudden about-face claiming he will not vote in favor of the Build Back Better Act. In a Sunday morning interview on Fox News, the West Virginia senator claimed he could not support the legislation, which has been the subject of negotiations most of the year. The legislation has been a core part of President Joe Biden’s agenda to get the country back on track after historic setbacks due to the pandemic and the economic crisis. Speaking with Jake Tapper on State of the Union earlier today, Pressley said she never trusted Manchin to do what was right. https://twitter.com/i/status/1472590148764377092 A Black scholar who made history last year as one of the youngest people to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston is continuing to break barriers at the institution. 18-year-old Salenah Cartier recently became the youngest person to earn a master’s degree from the Texas-based school. This fall she will graduate with a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction. For Cartier, the road to academic success has been far from an easy feat. She says she always had a passion for learning, however, was often bullied in school due to her intelligence and talent. The difficult experiences she encountered led her to be homeschooled. Through homeschooling, she was able to learn at an accelerated pace and ended up graduating from high school at the age of 14. Two years later, she graduated from Lone Star College with an associate degree in science and biology. On Dec. 18, the Senate confirmed President Biden’s 40th federal judicial nominee just in time for the holiday season–ushering in a new milestone for the administration. The New York Times noted that Biden has officially confirmed the most judges during a president’s first year in the last 40 years. As the president and White House officials gear up to take off for the holidays, lawmakers swiftly confirmed ten more district court judges. The news comes as Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pledged to diversify the judiciary process with candidates from different ethnic backgrounds and a bevy of professional experience. Chuck Schumer of New York. “It is no longer a bench that is simply prosecutors, partners in large law firms — but rather many, many others from walks of life with different and needed perspectives on the federal bench, such as public defenders, civil rights lawyers, election experts, and more,” he added. Some of the nominees chosen are making history this year. According to the White House’s website, Biden has chosen “three African American women” for Circuit Court vacancies, including the former sentencing commissioner, Kentaji Brown Jackson, and Judge Tiffany Cunningham. The diverse roster also includes “the first AAPI woman to ever serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of D.C., and the first woman of color to ever serve as a federal judge for the District of Maryland.” Back in June, Zahid Quraish became the first Muslim American federal judge under Biden’s legislative plea. Black women are making historic strides in the realm of sports. According to CBS News, diver Kristen Hayden recently became the first African American woman to win a U.S. national senior title. The New Jersey native competed alongside Quinn Henninger at the USA Diving winter national championships. The two came out victorious in the synchronized 3-meter, earning a collective score of 286.86 points beating Anne Fowler and Carson Tyler. Hayden—who has been swimming since the age of 10—says she was amazed she hit the milestone and hopes to use her journey within the sport to inspire Black youth to pursue diving. “I don’t think words can even describe the feeling,” the 23-year-old said in a statement. “You read about people like that, you watch Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, but when it’s yourself, it’s insane. I think the whole diving community is headed in the right direction, and I just want to be a good example for young Black Americans or any minority really for diving in the U.S.” https://t.co/eExt4ngISW?amp=1 Whether it’s through a song that celebrates Black entrepreneurship or an initiative designed to uplift underserved youth, music visionary Pharrell Williams has continually used his platform to inspire, and the Virginia native was recently honored by an HBCU. According to The Virginian-Pilot, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Norfolk State University. Williams served as the commencement speaker for the institution’s fall graduation ceremony. The Virginia Beach native spoke before nearly 400 graduates and reflected on the impact and influence the historically Black university, and the city of Norfolk has had on his journey. https://t.co/WEv0m0bQpT?amp=1 The Department of Justice announced earlier this month that it is closing the cold case investigation into the murder of Emmett Till. The move comes ahead of the release of a six-part limited TV series and documentary about the death of the teenager. Till was age 14 when he went to visit family in Mississippi and was killed after being accused of whistling at a white woman named Carolyn Bryant. Till was kidnapped by a group of white supremacists and viciously beaten before his body was dumped in the Tallahatchie River. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fjr6XLcCXgU/hqdefault.jpg Stacey Abrams is calling on Congress to act on voting rights, and has a plan on how to get the bill past the Senate, as the Democrat launches a second bid to become Georgia’s governor. Abrams’ close ally, Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock, and other senators have been arguing in recent days that the Senate must try again on federal voting standards, despite earlier setbacks. In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Abrams said senators need to override Republican opposition to new federal voting guarantees by weakening the legislation-blocking filibuster to allow the Democrats’ bare majority to pass new rules. Otherwise, Abrams said, more Republican-dominated state legislatures nationwide will adopt voting restrictions like Georgia did this year. https://youtu.be/IC7pmcmZ-lw Ex-cop turned security guard Gregory Livingston has been indicted with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Alvin Motley at a Kroger gas station in Memphis, Tennessee. Originally charged with second-degree murder, the grand jury decided to indict Livingston on this new charge after viewing surveillance footage and additional evidence and testimony. Livingston was only a security guard for two weeks, and repeatedly failed to get licensed as an armed guard, when he and a nearly blind Motley got into an argument over Motley’s music on Aug. 7. The argument continued to escalate, until finally Motley approached Livingston saying “Let’s talk about this like men,” and Livingston fired a fatal shot to his chest. According to the Commercial Appeal, Livingston is still in custody with a bail set at $1.8 million. Tallahassee-based Black News Channel announced it was laying off an unspecified number of its 300 employees, 75 of whom are based in Atlanta. The startup network, which has been heavily funded by Jacksonville Jaguars owner and billionaire Shahid Khan, has struggled to draw viewers. The Wrap tracked the Nielsen ratings of 124 basic-cable channels with Fox News at top. BNC came in 123rd with an average of 4,000 viewers at any given time. According to a memo that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution received, CEO Princell Hair broke the news Friday to employees: “I am reaching out to you today with some very unfortunate news about a reduction in our workforce. As you know, throughout the course of this year, we have been expanding at a rapid rate. At the same time, the U.S. economy is facing some tough challenges, several of which are heavily impacting the media industry and the revenue streams that fuel our emerging enterprise. STEVE on Watch is AVAILABLE NOW on Facebook Watch! In today’s new episode, couple Rosie and Duane Phillips share their beautiful love story of rekindling their love through Facebook. Steve Harvey highlights the lessons from their relationship and shares how his own wife, Marjorie, got him to agree on setting a wedding date. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2093252330813199 After two women came forward to accuse “Sex and the City” actor Chris Noth of sexual assault, an old National Enquirer article has resurfaced about Noth beating up his ex, former supermodel Beverly Johnson. The allegations were made in court documents filed by Johnson in 1995, who tried to get a restraining order against Noth after he threatened to kill her and her dog, The Daily Mail reports. No criminal charges were brought against Noth at the time. He and Johnson dated from 1990 to 1995. Noth’s alleged violence against Johnson comes in the wake of sexual assault allegations made against him by two unnamed women. Per The Daily Mail, the women, using the pseudonyms Zoe and Lily told The Hollywood Reporter that Noth raped them. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MiD2mNGm5aM/hqdefault.jpg Chris Noth has lost a $12million deal to sell his tequila brand after being accused of sexual assault by three women. Entertainment Arts Research, Inc., a Nevada-based beverage company that often buys into celebrity drink brands, said Sunday that it's immediately ending discussions to buy Noth's Ambhar tequila. 'At this point in time it doesn't make sense for us to move forward with this deal in light of the claims, which must be taken with the utmost seriousness,' said Bernard Rubin, CEO of EARI in a press release. 'That said, we continue to be on the lookout for spirits brands that fit EARI's ethos of social responsibility.' http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Bridget Moynahan, 50, reprised her role as Mr. Big’s ex-wife Natasha Naginsky in HBO Max’s And Just Like That. When asked about allegations against Noth – who has been accused of rape by two women – she said: ‘I don’t know anything about’ it. She added: ‘It would be inappropriate for me to comment on things I don’t have any knowledge of.’ However, she did say she thought it was ‘okay’ and ‘made sense’ that Big died because death is ‘part of the lives of women and men of a certain age.’ Last week, a report detailed allegations from two women who say that Noth, 67, raped them, with each sharing similar details of their assaults. Noth – who has been married since 2012 and has two children – has denied the allegations. Subsequently, another woman came forward to claim Noth assaulted her, while actress Zoe Lister-Jones called him a ‘sexual predator.’ The NBC show is set to return to TV screens January 3 2022! “Kenan” follows morning talk-show host Kenan Williams (Kenan Thompson) as he struggles to find a balance between being a high-profile working man and a widowed single father to his two preteen daughters (Dani and Dannah Lane). He’s also housing a strongly opinionated father-in-law (Don Johnson) and his hyper-imaginative brother (Chris Redd). The show beautifully sifts through tough subject matter like grief and loss while seamlessly interjecting humor in a real and grounded way. Djimon Hounsou is no stranger to having a significant role in some of the top action adventure franchises. His latest project, “The King’s Man” is a prequel to the hit “Kingsman” film franchise. “The King’s Man” gives the origin story of the very first independent intelligence agency. A collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions and the one man who must race against time to stop them. Hounsou plays Shola, a combination of caretaker, servant, and warrior. One that is always ready to fight! https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5zdBG-iGfes/hqdefault.jpg Tributes have poured in for Il Divo star Carlos Marin who died in hospital after his life support machine was turned off following a Covid battle last night. Bandmates praised the ‘beautiful soul’, 53, saying ‘there will never be another voice or spirit like Carlos’ after the singer died in Manchester Royal Hospital. The Spanish baritone, who had been vaccinated, fell ill with the virus on December 7 and was later placed in a medically induced coma. He had been in the intensive care unit and was intubated after having his oxygen ‘compromised.’ Confirming his death on Twitter, Il Divo said: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away. A newly-ordained pastor from Chicago is dressing up in drag in order to lead church services with children. Aaron Musser, who was ordained this summer, can be seen addressing children from a pulpit in his church dressed in a blonde wig, white dress, and makeup before spreading the word of the Lord to children at his parish at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square. The event took place last Sunday, and saw Musser read a religious book about Joy to a group of children. ‘I have an awesome story to share with you today,’ Musser could be heard telling the story as he tossed his hair either side reports The Post Millennial. ‘I am also a boy most of the time when I’m here, but today, I’m a girl,’ he explained. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/12/20/7456810363438909077/636x382_MP4_7456810363438909077.mp4 A Brooklyn-based photographer and graphic designer has earned over $200,000 in less than a year selling her art as NFTs, or nonfungible tokens. As reported by CNBC, Elise Swopes “lists her art on NFT marketplaces like SuperRare and Nifty Gateway. Her pieces depict animations of cityscapes that she photographs. She frequently adds elements of nature that she designs digitally to her photographs,” the outlet writes. “When I make a sale, I make sure that I’m giving back to the community that’s giving back as well,” Swopes says, “because there’s a cycle [of support].” “But I have also found quite a bit of difficulty with the [NFT] community as far as representation of people of color and Black women specifically,” she says. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWB972nDUpt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Lori Harvey partnered with the LA Mission to deliver Christmas gifts to nine young girls from the Dangerfield Institute of Urban Problems on Saturday. The 24-year-old socialite went to the foster home in Los Angeles with a sack of gifts from KimChi, Chic Beauty, Hammitt Handbags and even some products from her own line, SKN by LH. ‘It’s a blessing to give back,’ the LA Mission posted on their Instagram on Sunday as Lori shared the messages on her Instagram Stories. ‘We partnered with Lori Harvey to make a surprise visit to a girls foster home in mid-city LA. We are so grateful to be able to share joy this holidays and know that others want to join us in supporting those who may not always get special times like this,’ it was added. The Dangerfield Institute of Urban Problems was founded by Elouise Dangerfield in 1985. The former licensed vocational nurse became concerned about the growing number of drug addicted infants without quality rehabilitative care available. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Drakeo the Ruler was fatally stabbed at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. concert at Banc of California Stadium over the weekend. Meanwhile, fans, and celebrity friends have been sending tributes and prayers to Drakeo’s family and now Jim Jones is doing the same while urging other rappers to protect themselves. The 45-year-old took to Instagram Sunday to say, “Rip to this brother drakeo this is sad. To all rappers I urge u to protect urself start to move tactical. Preservation of life is everything they do not value our lives anymore we are targeted. They know who we are ‘cause of our fame but we don’t know who they are because of our fame. I pray every day I make it home to my family because it’s [that] serious out here for us. Feels like we lost a rapper every week this year. There was a time when we protected in [the] community[,] we were treated as super [heroes.] Not no more. Stay safe & stay dangerous. I pray I never have to make a decision. Say ur prayers n move sturdy. Rappers have [the] most dangerous job in [the] world. I stand on my statement.” ???? A judge has ruled that R. Kelly will sit for a videotaped deposition over allegations he broke up a Mississippi sheriff’s marriage. The disgraced singer has been sued by Kenny Bryant, a Mississippi sheriff, who claims R. Kelly ruined his life and his marriage when he began having an affair with his wife. Bryant will question the singer under oath as part of his lawsuit, according to court documents obtained by RadarOnline. In his legal docs, Bryant claims he was aware that Asia Childress had a relationship with Kelly prior to their marriage but was told it was over. Bryant and Childress tied the knot in 2012 and the marriage was good until Kelly returned. Bryant claims Kelly and Childress engaged in an intimate extramarital affair in October 2012. He accuses the singer of carrying out an affair with his wife for five years. He even says Kelly gave his wife Chlamydia. Kelly has denied having an affair with Childress. A never-before-heard Whitney Houston recording has broken NFT(Non-Fungible Token) sales after it was auctioned for $999,999 on the Tezos blockchain. According to the New York Daily News, the song was reportedly “uncovered” last year, and the late singer allegedly recorded the track at age 17. The title of the song has not been disclosed and the winning bidder has not been identified. “Whitney was 17 years old when she recorded the song. Both come from Newark, both have the same middle name. Whitney had the desire to always help others help themselves, especially young people,” Houston’s estate chief Pat Houston said in a statement. “She established the Whitney Houston Foundation in 1989 and she had events each year centered around young people, so it was a no-brainer when we were introduced to Diana.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LTAPlqF0uOM/hqdefault.jpg Trevor Noah is taking legal action against a doctor for a procedure that left him with “permanent, severe, and grievous” injuries, the legal complaint claims. As reported by PEOPLE, Noah filed a lawsuit against Dr. Riley J. Williams III and the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan for an alleged botched surgery he underwent in 2020. In the court papers, Noah says that the defendants “were negligent and careless in failing to treat and care for [him] in a careful and skillful manner.” It also accuses the defendants of “failing to use approved methods in general use in the care and treatment.” The comedian also alleges that the defendants failed “to prescribe proper medications,” failed to “discontinue certain prescription medications,” and failed “to use proper tests and examinations in order to diagnose the conditions” that he “was suffering” from. The lawsuit does not specify what surgery Noah underwent while he was a patient between Aug. 25, 2020, and Dec. 17, 2020. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qiyx_DPDOpA/hqdefault.jpg American Airlines has tapped Walton Isaacson as its new multicultural agency to help the company “better connect with Black travelers.” As reported by Black Enterprise, Walton Isaacson, led by CEO Aaron Walton, is one of the nation’s largest advertising agencies, previously ranked No. 1 on the outlets 100s list for advertising agencies. According to AdAge, the Los Angeles-based company will “advise the brand team on key developments, trends, strategies, and issues affecting the consumer target while providing POVs on opportunities relevant to the consumer and brand experience.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sZHSOjNozb4/hqdefault.jpg The world has not yet fully recovered from the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the past two years have not been particularly kind to the travel industry. In fact, travel restrictions, and to a greater extent, bans still exist for Americans in many of the world’s most popular destinations. Still, that did not deter 23-year old Issia Lee from taking the plunge and launching her company, Issia’s Traveling Co., which has become one of the fastest-growing travel agencies in the U.S. You might ask, how has this savvy millennial managed to succeed in such a volatile industry during what many would consider an inopportune time, and at such a young age? Well, how she got started is not how you would imagine. During the early stages of the pandemic, Lee was laying in her bed, sick and with a lot of time to think about her future. “I was feeling unproductive and bored, so I decided that I wanted to learn something new,” she said. “I came across this $69 course that was teaching people about the travel industry, and I thought to myself, why not? I had never even thought of working in travel, but that small investment ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. After taking the course, I continued to study and learn as much as I could about the subject and the rest is history. My big break came when I posted about a luxury mansion vacation in Las Vegas and it went viral.” That post accumulated more than 2 million views. Today, Issia’s Traveling Co. boasts more than 50,000 followers on Facebook, over 6 million page views and thousands of trips booked. Artur Beterbiev faced more adversity in Friday’s IBF/WBC 175-pound title defense against slick-boxing southpaw Marcus Browne than perhaps at any time in his career. The following night, David Morrell dropped and stopped Alantez Fox in a fourth-round TKO victory. The Russian-born Beterbiev trailed on two of the three judges’ cards and struggled to see through the mask of crimson while bleeding profusely from a gash in the middle of his forehead caused by a third-round clash of heads that also cut Browne over his right eye. A ringside physician granted Beterbiev “one more round” before the fifth, having examined the damage to both fighters and allowed their bloodbath to continue. Beterbiev would have lost a split decision had the fight been stopped with four completed rounds. YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul defeated UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a rematch on Saturday. The event followed a boxing match earlier this year, where Paul beat Woodley — leaving fans utterly stunned. As reported by PEOPLE, the most recent event took place over the weekend at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, where Paul, 24, knocked Woodley, 39, out cold during the sixth round in the rematch. https://twitter.com/i/status/1472454565937262592 Black women are making power moves in the finance industry. According to MarketWatch, Sharon Bowen has been appointed to serve as the New York Stock Exchange board chair. The appointment is historic as it marks the first time a Black woman has served in the role. Bowen has broken barriers and changed the narrative surrounding representation in the finance space throughout her entire career. She made history as the first African American to serve as the Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Before joining the CFTC, she was selected by former President Barack Obama to serve as vice-chair and acting chair of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Bowen, who holds degrees from the University of Virginia and Northwestern University, has focused on transactional and corporate law throughout her career. She’s also been a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion, serving on the boards of organizations centered on civic engagement. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG578IWXoAIP1BG?format=jpg&name=small The holiday break came for the U.S. Senate without passage of the Build Back Better Act or action on voting rights. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has finally found his voice regarding voting rights and the ever-present threat to Democracy, but it might be too little. Speaking at South Carolina State University’s commencement, a fired-up Biden talked about how a once bipartisan process has become a contentious, polarizing battle. “I’ve never seen anything like the unrelenting assault on the right to vote,” Biden said. “Folks, I was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee for a long time. At the end of my stint, before I became Vice President, I was able to pass the extension of the Voting Rights Act for 25 years — and guess what? — and convinced Strom Thurmond of South Carolina to vote for it.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1469396567060885505 Outgoing National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Dr. Francis Collins says the US could see one million COVID-19 cases per day as new shapeshifting variants take hold and cases snowball. Collins’ forecast comes as the highly-contagious Omicron iteration spreads like wildfire throughout the nation and the Delta variant continues to sicken masses of people ahead of the winter holidays. Confirmed cases of Omicron reached 830 as of Saturday morning – a 50 per cent increase from Friday – and the variant has been detected in nearly every state. During the week ending December 18, 127,692 overall cases were reported on average throughout the US, but Collins warned that figure could swell to one million per day. ‘We cannot afford to let down our guard,’ Collins told NPR. ‘Even if it has a somewhat lower risk of severity, we could be having a million cases a day if we’re not really attentive to all of those mitigation strategies.’ On average, 1,290 people have died from the virus daily during the past week; the virus has killed more than 800,000 Americans since the pandemic began. More than 50.7 million others have contracted the virus. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Under the cover of night, the Senate moved to confirm one of the most controversial nominees this year. Rahm Emanuel will officially become the U.S. ambassador to Japan. With many senators already departed for the holiday break, the Senate voted 48-21 to confirm Emanuel. Thirty-one senators did not vote. No deal on Build Back Better, which would extend the child tax credit, keeping millions of children out of poverty. There is no action on voting rights and democracy reform but it's Emanuel as ambassador in a late-night vote. ‘As we approach the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, we – all of us former senior military officials – are increasingly concerned about the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election and the potential for lethal chaos inside our military, which would put all Americans at severe risk,’ the generals penned. ‘We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time,’ they added. In such a polarized political atmosphere, ‘with loyalties split,’ the generals observed that ‘some might follow orders from the rightful commander in chief, while others might follow the Trumpian loser’. ‘In this context, with our military hobbled and divided, US security would be crippled. Any one of our enemies could take advantage by launching an all-out assault on our assets or our allies,’ the column read. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com McDonald’s has settled a racial discrimination lawsuit with former Oakland A’s outfielder and Black franchisee Herb Washington, who owned and operated 14 restaurants. Washington was previously the fast-food chain’s largest Black franchisee in the country — at one point owning 23 McDonald’s restaurants. When he filed his lawsuit, Washington owned 14 restaurants. According to CNBC, under the settlement, Washington will exit the McDonald’s franchise system and dismiss the pending litigation, and McDonald’s will purchase 13 of Washington’s restaurants for $33.5 million. In a statement, McDonald’s said it was confident in its defense, but the settlement allows the company to move forward. “The court did not find that the company violated any laws,” McDonald’s said in a statement. “Discrimination has no place at McDonald’s. While we were confident in the strength of our case, this resolution aligns with McDonald’s values and enables us to continue focusing on our commitments to the communities that we serve.” A man who is shown in a Santa photo at the Mall of Louisiana, in which the man appears to be holding a gun, has been apprehended on an outstanding warrant from the state of Texas, the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) said Friday. The photo shows two men holding large amounts of cash posing with Santa inside the mall located on Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge. One of the men also appears to be holding a weapon. The photo was circulated on social media with some questioning mall management about their security measures. ”How in the world would you allow something like this to even take place in the middle of your mall,” one person who posted the photo to the mall’s Facebook page asked. An independent autopsy for Glenn Foster Jr., the former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman who died while in custody in west Alabama, showed some evidence of neck compression strangulation, his attorney said on Friday. Foster was taken into police custody Dec. 4 after a speeding violation. He died two days later after being found unresponsive in the back of a police cruiser upon arrival at a medical facility. He had been held in the Pickens County Jail. Civil Rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and his team are representing Foster’s family. Crump obtained an independent autopsy by Dr. Michael Baden, who testified in the O.J. Simpson case, and claims Foster didn’t die from natural causes. “Glenn Foster Jr.’s death, while in the Pickens County Sheriff’s custody and care, was not from natural causes as the independent autopsy suggests there was some evidence of neck compressions and strangulation,’’ according to Crump’s Friday statement. “As we continue to investigate the case, we are learning that Mr. Foster’s death in Pickens County appears to be part of a disturbing trend of Black men dying while in the custody of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.” Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai said on Sunday that she had never accused anyone of sexually assaulting her, and that a social media post she had made early last month had been misunderstood. Peng's well-being became a matter of concern among the global tennis community and rights groups when she appeared to allege that a former Chinese vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her in the past. After that post, she was absent from public view for nearly three weeks. "First, I need to stress one point that is extremely important, I have never said or written that anyone has sexually assaulted me, I have to clearly stress this point," Peng said in the video posted by Lianhe Zaobao, a Singapore media outlet. Peng's remarks on Sunday marked the first time she had addressed the matter on camera in public. She spoke on the sidelines of a cross-country skiing event in Shanghai that she attended. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com From earning a Bachelor of Science degree in health administration from Texas Southern University to dropping chart-topping music, Megan Thee Stallion has had nothing short of an extraordinary year, and she recently was honored for philanthropic work. According to People, the Texas native, Megan Pete, received the 18th Congressional District’s Humanitarian Award in Houston. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1470403172095217665/V-laZFf5?format=jpg&name=small Rapper and activist Meek Mill is furthering his efforts to empower individuals whose lives have been significantly impacted by the flawed criminal justice system. According to Billboard, the Philly native, Robert Rihmeek Williams, teamed up with fellow leaders from the REFORM Alliance to treat youth from his hometown to a 76ers game this holiday season. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1471477352177618945/xEk0MAcl?format=jpg&name=small A white Michigan police officer has been reinstated, months after he was fired for an off-duty incident in which he followed and pointed a gun at a 19-year-old Black man who was delivering newspapers. An arbitrator reinstated Chad Vorce this month to the DeWitt Police Department, near Lansing, with no back pay but with his seniority restored, the Lansing State Journal reported. Vorce is required to undergo sensitivity training. Arbitrator Thomas Barnes cited mitigating factors, including Vorce’s clean record and lack of past citizen complaints. He wrote in his decision that while Vorce’s actions did have an impact on the department, it wasn’t to a degree that it “otherwise undermined or significantly impaired the otherwise good reputation of the department.” Barnes also wrote that Vorce “testified he was not a racist and was upset by any inference that he was.” Vorce, an 18-year veteran of the department, appealed after he was fired in May for using excessive force and violating other departmental policies and regulations. He told investigators he thought the 19-year-old man was a suspect in recent break-ins when he followed him on Jan. 14, and called 911 to report that he had seen a “suspicious” Black man parked near his DeWitt Township home. Vorce asked the man what he was doing. The man, who had been putting newspapers in bags, told Vorce, “I’m just doing me,” according to police reports. California’s civil rights regulator is investigating Google’s treatment of Black female workers following alleged incidents of harassment and discrimination, according to two people familiar with the matter and emails from the agency seen by Reuters. Attorneys and analysts at the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) have repeatedly interviewed several Black women who have worked at the Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) company about their experiences there, according to the documents and the sources. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing the work. Questions have centered on alleged harassment and discrimination in the workplace, according to the emails. Conversations have taken place as recently as last month, one of the sources said. The DFEH declined to comment. Google said it is focused on “building sustainable equity” for its Black workers and that 2020 was its largest year for hiring what it calls “Black+” workers, a designation inclusive of people belonging to multiple races. “Our goal is to ensure that every employee experiences Google as an inclusive workplace,” it said. “We’ll continue to focus on this important work and thoroughly investigate any concerns, to make sure our workplace is representative and equitable.” He was the only Black male teacher at a Boston public high school and he had to share an office with the school police. Charles Sherman Neal was at Boston Community Leadership Academy to start a gym program, an effort that began about a decade ago and earned him strong job reviews. But after he repeatedly raised concerns about being discriminated against — including in complaints with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination — school district leaders fired him. Now, after more than five years of legal fighting, a Suffolk Superior Court jury this week found that the headmaster and other school officials retaliated against him for exercising his legal right to raise concerns about workplace discrimination without fear of retribution, and awarded him $1.7 million. The jury, however, didn’t agree BPS discriminated against him. “What the Boston Public Schools did to him is despicable,” said the teacher’s attorney, Ilir Kavaja. “This is a man who had cancer and overcame it and went to work right away and he was put through the wringer. … They had no basis to believe that this person couldn’t fulfill the obligations of his job. They just got tired of his complaints and didn’t want to deal with him.” He said Neal was emotionally shattered by the termination, causing him to experience both depression and anxiety so severe at times he couldn’t leave his home or even focus on watching television. That swayed the jury, he said, noting that $436,500 of its award was specifically for the injuries he incurred. The remainder of the award broke down this way: $950,000 in punitive damages, and the rest for interest that accrued from when the case was initially filed. Cardinal Peter Turkson, seen by some as a candidate to become the first African pope in about 1,500 years, has abruptly offered his resignation from a key Vatican department, sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday. Turkson, 73, from Ghana, has been a key adviser to Pope Francis on issues such as climate change and social justice, and is the only African to head a Vatican department. According to the Vatican sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the pope has yet to decide whether to accept the resignation. Turkson heads a large Vatican department known as the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. It was formed in 2016 to merge four offices that dealt with issues such as peace, justice, migration, and charities. One source said Turkson, who is about two years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops, had become “fed up” with internal disputes. Another source said Turkson had told staff he would say more after the pope made his decision. His departure would leave the Vatican with no African heading a major department, following the retirement of Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea earlier this year. Ten days before Christmas, and Turquoise LeJeune Parker maybe the happiest elf in North Carolina. The Lakewood Elementary School teacher just pulled off her biggest foodraiser yet for her neediest students: $106,000. “Amazing, speechless. It leaves me speechless,” said Parker. “I’ve cried a little bit today. I cry a little bit every day.” They are tears of joy. Parker and her ever-growing list of donors and community partners donated over six figures for this year’s foodraiser. Parker and her small army of volunteers took the cash to the Costco on North Pointe Drive to buy non-perishable groceries for over 5,100 students from a dozen Durham public schools, whose families could go hungry over the holiday break. “Two weeks is a long time to be out of school without lunch or breakfast at school. Three meals. Children eat a lot. Food is expensive,” Parker said. Deion Sanders had a pretty incredible season as the head coach at Jackson State, but it ended in pretty disappointing fashion. Jackson State fell to South Carolina State, 31-10, in the Celebration Bowl on Saturday afternoon. While Sanders is naturally disappointed by the loss, he had a pretty classy postgame message for his opponent. “Congratulations to South Carolina State for a incredible win in the Celebration Bowl. They flat out kicked our butts and we WILL learn from this and prayerfully return next year. God bless,” the college football head coach tweeted on Saturday evening. The Athletics’ quest to build a waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal in Oakland took a big step Friday when the city released a 3,500-page Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf told ABC7 News’ Casey Pratt on Thursday that the EIR is “thorough and exhaustive, and it ensures that the project is environmentally safe and sustainable.” A’s team president Dave Kaval spoke to Pratt on Friday about what the EIR means for the club and the planned project. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Herschel Walker it turns out he’s been pretending to be a college graduate. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Walker’s campaign removed a false claim from his website Thursday that the U.S. Senate candidate “graduated from UGA with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.” Now, that’s a pretty explicit claim. It’s not the kind of innocent mistake borne from someone misconstruing a few facts—we’re talking about a very specific type of degree in a very specific field. It’s also not the first time the claim was made. AJC noted that his fictional educational credentials were “proliferated elsewhere, including in an online biography advertising Walker’s book, at a campaign rally for his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, and even during his introduction this year at a congressional hearing.” The falsehood is also included on Walker’s Amazon author site, his Speaker Booking Agency page and his New Georgia Encyclopedia entry. The Daily Beast published an explosive report Friday documenting the Republican influence behind the artist formerly known as Kanye West’s short-lived presidential campaign. Now going by Ye, the rapper’s campaign received services almost exclusively from Republican-affiliated organizations and operatives. According to the Daily Beast, FEC filings for Ye’s campaign conveniently failed to report payments to various individuals for services rendered to the campaign, including Jill Vogel, an attorney and Republican member of the Virginia State Senate. Vogel’s law firm is a fixture in Republican circles. The Daily Beast pointed out that Vogel’s firm was at one point representing both the Trump and West campaigns. But GOP involvement in Ye’s campaign wasn’t exactly a secret. Angela Lang, executive director of the Milwaukee-based Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC), wrote an op-ed for Up North News calling out the campaign. https://t.co/nvOUUMLCRQ?amp=1 Call it déjà vu all over again. Nearly one full month after the world saw killer Kyle Rittenhouse‘s acquittal following a perfectly times emotional outburst replete with “white tears” while testifying in his own defense, a former police officer trying to convince a Minnesota jury that killing a Black man was an honest mistake employed a similar strategy that she hopes will result in her own not guilty verdict. Kim Potter, who was a veteran Brooklyn Center police officer when she shot and killed Daunte Wright after she purportedly mistook her Taser for a gun — a flimsy theory in which prosecutors have already poked several holes — took the stand on Friday during the second week of her manslaughter trial and at first appeared relatively stoic as her lawyer questioned her. https://twitter.com/i/status/1471901837167112201 Russell “Maroon” Shoatz, a former Black Liberation Army soldier and ex-Black Panther who became an influential prison abolitionist while in solitary confinement for more than two decades during a nearly 50-year prison sentence, has died. He was 78 years old. The Abolitionist Law Center — a group that successfully worked to help get Maroon out of solitary confinement — confirmed the death. The Abolitionist Law Center said he died in his sister’s home 52 days after he gained his freedom from prison on Oct. 26 following a compassionate release because of his advanced stage of colorectal cancer, the presumed cause of his death. A father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Maroon was widely described as a political prisoner over the details of his murder conviction in 1970 for killing one police officer and injuring another in Philadelphia. https://youtu.be/4XF7_K1GoT8 A huge concert on Saturday in LA’s Exposition Park went down. That's were the news of the fatal stabbing of rapper Drakeo the Ruler happened. Drakeo was one of the dozens of billed performers at the huge all-day event that was headlined by Snoop Dogg and Fifty Cent. Drakeo was backstage around 8:30 PM when a fight broke out — and during the altercation, he got stabbed … according to law enforcement sources. LAPD, California Highway Patrol and the fire department responded, and Drakeo was rushed to a hospital — but multiple sources say he died from his injuries. There are reports he was stabbed in the neck, but that haven’t been confirmed yet. We’re told cops are investigating and will try to interview all artists and their entourages who were in the area when the fight started. After the fight and Drakeo’s stabbing, concert organizers shut down the festival. Snoop Dogg says he was informed about the stabbing while he was in his dressing room, and immediately left the grounds. In the same breath, he sent condolences to Drakeo’s family. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tu7jd_f-k7k/hqdefault.jpg The number of confirmed Omicron cases in the US has nearly doubled in a period of 24 hours, with the variant now confirmed in all but six states. As of Saturday morning, there were 830 cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant confirmed by DNA sequencing across the country, a 97 percent increase from Friday morning’s tally. In reality, the true number of Omicron cases is much higher, as only 1 to 2 percent of all cases are sequenced for variant markers, but the testing data shows a disturbing national trend. The CDC estimates that Omicron accounts for at least 13 percent of all new cases in New York, which on Friday recorded its highest single-day tally of new COVID-19 cases ever at 21,027. ‘The winter COVID-19 surge is here,’ warned New York Governor Kathy Hochul, urging everyone to get vaccinated and boosted. Though New York’s hospitalizations, which tend to lag new cases, remain below their peaks, they have climbed 25 percent in the past two weeks, straining the state’s healthcare system. Testing has now confirmed the presence of Omicron in every US state except for Oklahoma, Montana, North and South Dakota, Indiana, and Vermont, though the eventual confirmation of the highly transmissible variant in every state now seems assured. Almost exactly one month after Mayor Bill de Blasio triumphantly announced tens of thousands of fully vaccinated people could return to Times Square to celebrate New Year’s Eve in person this year, the state saw it’s highest single-day reporting of new COVID infections. The previous record, set 11 months ago on Jan. 14, crumbled when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced 21,027 new positive cases statewide Friday. The old record for most reported cases in a single day was 19,942, when reported hospitalizations were on the brink of 9,000. Now, the number of people admitted is down by more than half. New York reported close to the same number of tests taken last Friday, but of that batch (over 260,000), there were 10,000 less positive cases one week ago. Also, when you compare hospitalizations to one week ago, the number of people in hospitals for COVID-19 has risen by about 300, reflecting an increase of 8%. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/omicron-variant-in-the-tri-state-everything-you-need-to-know-for-dec-17/3457423/ The UK should go into lockdown before Christmas or it will be ‘too late’, a Sage adviser has warned as scientists call for a two-week ban on household mixing ‘very soon’. It is hoped a circuit breaker could stop Omicron hospitalizations peaking at 3,000 a day, according to Stephen Reicher, professor of social psychology at the University of St Andrews and a member of Sage, who spoke in a personal capacity. He said it was clear that Plan B measures alone would not be enough to stop the spiraling numbers of cases and that the Government needs to ‘act now’. He added: ‘Now, you could have it after Christmas, the problem is after Christmas it’s probably too late, it’s probably by then we will have had a huge surge of infections with all the impact upon society.’ The surging statistics came as Professor Neil Ferguson — whose projections have spooked No10 into lockdowns before — called for curbs to be tightened by New Year on the back of his latest modelling of the mutant strain. He told BBC 4’s Today Programmed hospitalizations could be overwhelmed by Christmas as Omicron cases rise in the next week with a ‘very large epidemic underway’. He added: ‘The level of protection against severe disease is not perfect and the very large case numbers may still translate into very large numbers of hospitalizations.’ During the Sage meeting on Thursday, the experts backed a ban on indoor social contact and hospitality. In what could be a blow to Britons planning New Year parties, they want fresh measures to come in before January 1. Leaked minutes from Sage, seen by the BBC, said scientists had told ministers that tougher measures need to be brought in ‘very soon’. Pastor Shane Vaughn recently told the congregants at First Harvest Ministries in Waveland, Mississippi that the COVID-19 pandemic would not end until Christians stopped wearing masks and placed their faith in God rather than vaccines. While the pastor of what appears to be a small congregation, Vaughn has a far reaching online presence, making headlines last year when he posted a video discussing what might happen if Donald Trump did not accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. That video earned him a fact check from USA Today. First Harvest Ministries has an active YouTube channel, on which they post sermon and worship clips, as well as a recurring program called “Toto Tonight.” Vaughn refers to himself as “Professor Toto” in the videos, because he sees himself as pulling “back the curtain on all those liberal lies,” in the same way that the dog Toto revealed the true nature of the wizard in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz.” https://youtu.be/xXOv-JcR6-c Chris Noth was dropped from his agency Friday following newly surfaced accusations of sexual assault against the Sex and the City actor. The Hollywood Reporter revealed Friday that Noth’s now-former talent agency A3 Artists Agency had parted ways with actor, a rep for the agency confirmed. News of the dismissal came after a third woman came forward with an allegation that she was sexually assaulted by Noth in 2010 when she was 18 years old and Noth was 55. Speaking to the Daily Beast, “Ava” said she was hired as a hostess and singer at a Times Square-area restaurant frequented by Noth. “I cannot remember in detail how many times we spoke, but with great familiarity, one night he told my boss I would sing with him even though I hadn’t filled the restaurant yet,” “Ava” said. After performing together, they talked about Noth’s career and Ava’s hometown of Toronto. “I love Canadian women,” she said Noth told her as he pulled her onto his lap, groped her and was “pressing me onto his erection.” After her shift, Ava went to her manager’s office for payment; Noth followed her but “acted as if we had intentionally snuck off together clandestinely.” Once there, Noth began kissing her and pressed her body against a desk. “At first, it felt as though I was the only person in the universe who could hear me saying no,” she said. Elon Musk has clashed with Joy Reid over his feud with Sen. Elizabeth Warren after the MSNBC host accused him of culturally appropriating the insult 'Karen' from black people. The Tesla CEO shot back that Reid was nothing more than a lobbyist for Warren. The argument began when Musk, 50, was named by Time magazine as the person of the year - leading Warren, who has long campaigned for higher taxes for the wealthiest, to say that Musk was unworthy because he had not paid enough tax. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10319469/Shes-lobbyist-Senator-Karen-Elon-Musk-turns-fire-MSNBCs-Joy-Reid.html#v-6208108433373742374 A judge has declared a mistrial in the Dayonte Resiles murder trial, and the move comes after the jury rescinded its manslaughter verdict when a juror later objected.“I don’t know what to expect honestly, I feel like the journey has just been nervewracking like being here every day and then being told okay you gotta come back tomorrow, you gotta come back tomorrow, and I’m just happy,” Dayonte Resiles’ sister, Amelida said after the announcement, WSVN reports. According to reports, the jury foreperson said three jurors were unwilling to convict Resiles based on his race. “[The three jurors] said, ‘I don’t want to send a young Black male to jail for the rest of their life or have him get the death sentence,’” said the foreperson. Resiles faces life in prison (or death penalty) for the murder of Jill Su, a 59-year-old woman that he allegedly tied up inside her home and fatally stabbed in September of 2014. His DNA was found on a knife and inside the home, according to reports. https://cbsloc.al/3ECxpsO In Little Rock, Arkansas the Black Chief of Police, Keith Humphrey, has been targeted by the police union and other old-guard officials to unseat him. Among a growing cohort of Black police chiefs, Humphrey has been gunning for substantial LRPD (Little Rock Arkansas Police Dept.) reforms since his appointment in 2019 by Mayor Frank Scott, the city’s first Black elected chief executive, according to an investigative deep-dive by The Intercept. As reported by Radley Balko, author of the best-selling book “Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces,” the feature also details a pattern of historic discrimination against Black officers and the influence of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). This is an epic tale about a police department riven by race and the strength of the forces arrayed against change — a tour de force of reporting that speaks to policing issues across the country. https://youtu.be/kDCMNpaDNsg Andre Olivas, from Buffalo, New York, is suing the Los Angeles Country Sheriff’s Department, after video footage revealed authorities holding the man down and beating him in the head during a traffic stop for expired tags in Long Beach, California. Olivas’ attorney, James DeSimone, documented the unnecessary force lawsuit on his behalf on Wednesday, Dec. 8, expressing to Fox 11 that the deputies’ procedures during the stop went “beyond excessive force.” “His explanation to me was, usually in his experience, if there’s an expired license plate or bad license plate, usually the truck is stolen,” Olivas explained. The man stated he told the deputies that he was uninformed that the tags were expired. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhqtQ6Fnfq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kamala Harris the Vice President had to make sure Charlamagne knew that the President of the United States is Joe Biden and NOT Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) when asked by the host to name the country’s “real president.” “It’s Joe Biden – and don’t start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he’s president,” Harris told the “Tha God’s Honest Truth” host on Friday in an interview on the weekly late-night program. “It’s Joe Biden,” Harris repeated, her voice escalating. “And I’m vice president, and my name is Kamala Harris.” “The reality is, because we are in office, we do the things like the child tax credit, which is going to reduce Black child poverty by 50 percent,” Harris continued, highlighting the administration’s efforts to lower the price of prescription drugs, lower the Black maternal mortality rate and enact police reform measures. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0y43hm8ceSw/hqdefault.jpg A Journal For Jordan is based on a true story. Deployed to Iraq, First Sgt. Charles Monroe King keeps a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, Dana Canedy revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to his family. To be released December 25, 2021 (USA). https://youtu.be/Nj4pK0s0Blo AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (AMC.N) said on Friday nearly 1.1 million people watched “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in its theaters in the United States, a record opening for a movie across the company’s theaters in December. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfVOs4VSpmA Spike Lee has inked a deal with Netflix that will see the acclaimed director produce and direct a number of narrative projects, while the streaming giant will provide financial support for his “ongoing mission to develop new talent and increase representation in the entertainment industry.” Lee previously collaborated with Netflix on a number of projects, including the film “Da 5 Bloods” and the TV scripted series “She’s Gotta Have It.” “There is no better way for me and my company Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks to begin the new year than renew our partnership with Ted, Scott, and Tendo—da fearless leaders of Netflix,” Lee said in a statement. “Besides my joints, we together will focus on the new diverse storytellers, YOUTH MUST BE SERVED. And dat’s da truth, Ruth. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RiFCL__8iZs/hqdefault.jpg The world-famous Rockettes have been forced to put their famed kick-line on ice for the remainder of their Christmas Spectacular shows at Radio City Music Hall after production members were hit with Covid-19 on Friday as cases in New York City continue to climb. ‘We regret that we are unable to continue the Christmas Spectacular this season due to increasing challenges from the pandemic,’ a press release stated. The Rockettes, who have been a beloved holiday staple enjoyed by kids and adults since 1933, are the latest not able to return to the stage anytime soon because of the resurgence of the virus and the new Omicron variant. Nearly eight percent of COVID tests are coming back positive and the positivity rate from December 9 to December 12 has doubled from 3.9 percent to 7.8 percent, Jay Varma, senior public health advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio, said. The pandemic forced the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes to cancel all shows last year. Earlier on Friday, the production said it was canceling just its Friday shows. ‘We regret to announce that the four shows scheduled for today, Friday, December 17 have been canceled due to breakthrough COVID-19 cases in the production. We apologize for the inconvenience, and will make announcements about future shows as soon as possible,’ MSG Entertainment said in a statement. The Christmas Spectacular is not the only production that has fallen victim to COVID, major Broadway shows – including Hamilton, Moulin Rouge The Musical, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Ain’t Too Proud – were forced to go dark this week after at least one of the members of the cast or crew tested positive for the virus, ABC 7 News reported. The hip-hop and music world is mourning the passing of the legendary Kangol Kid, who emerged as one of Hip-Hop’s earliest stars in the 80s from the group UTFO. He succumbed to his battle with colon cancer. He was 55. Kangol, born Shaun Shiller, learned of his diagnosis back in February. He took to Instagram (on 10-27-21) and revealed that he’s been hospitalized for cancer-related complications. His procedure was scheduled for Thursday morning (10/29/21) at the North Shore University Hospital in New York, according to Revolt. “Please forgive me for not returning calls and more,” he penned in his caption. “Things have become and are becoming a little more difficult than imagined. I’ve been admitted again for complications related to my condition. Thank you to those who have been instrumental in my latest ordeal. Your actions have been well received and greatly appreciated. I am blessed to have you by my side through this. I love you all. ~Kang. #kangolkid #kangol #utfo #roxanneroxanne #fu*ckcancer.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_AxN837LSLw/hqdefault.jpg Author J.K. Rowling walked the red carpet with ‘her’ Harry – actor Daniel Radcliffe – and noticed that the 12-year-old was trembling. She put her arms around the youngster to try to reassure him that he was going to be all right. My, how the tables have turned. Rowling, 56, created the boy wizard and has ruled over every aspect of his fictional life, not to mention his financial exploitation in films, on stage and in theme parks. The total worth of the Harry Potter empire today is estimated to be £180 billion. But she has now been repudiated by Radcliffe and the other young actors whom she turned into rich-beyond-dreams stars – all for daring to challenge the hard-line dogma of trans activists who insist biological sex does not exist. Denzel Washington fans have come to support the actor who’s mourning his late mother, Lennis Washington, after an emotional conversation during an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Lennis died in June at the age of 97, according to People magazine. During the conversation, Washington became choked up between his words as he reflected on his relationship with his mom. https://twitter.com/i/status/1471278372554686465 A surge in COVID-19 cases across the NFL and United States as a whole has resulted in the postponement of multiple Week 15 games. The league announced Friday that Saturday’s game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns has been moved to Monday, while Sunday’s meetings between the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams have been moved to Tuesday. Raiders-Browns will air exclusively at 5 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Washington-Eagles and Seahawks-Rams will air at 7 p.m. ET on FOX. “We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league,” the NFL announced in a statement. “We continue to make decisions in consultation with medical experts to ensure the health and safety of the NFL community.” The Brooklyn Nets are welcoming back seven-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving for games and practices in which he is eligible, after he missed the first two months of the season over his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Irving was ruled ineligible to play at home due to a New York City mandate requiring proof of vaccine to enter large indoor spaces and the Nets previously said the guard would not play or practice with the team until he could be a full participant. "We arrived at this decision with the full support of our players and after careful consideration of our current circumstances, including players missing games due to injuries and health and safety protocols," General Manager Sean Marks said in a written statement Friday, citing a need to balance the "physical demand" on the roster. The 29 year old, who averaged 26.9 points per game last season and joined Brooklyn in 2019, told ESPN in October that he was "being true to what feels good" by choosing not to get the vaccine. The streak is alive. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 34-28, in overtime Thursday night and extended their winning streak to seven games. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with tight end Travis Kelce for the 38-yard, game-winning touchdown just over minute into the first possession of overtime. The Chiefs spilled onto the field at SoFi Stadium in celebration after the “walk off” touchdown. “It was a battle,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “This was two heavyweights going after each other.” Mahomes threw a costly interception and misfired on a what looked to be a sure-touchdown in the second half. But he made up for it with late-game heroics as the Chiefs (10-4) solidified their spot atop the AFC West with a two-game lead over the Chargers (8-6). In May, the home shared by Erica Mena and Safaree Samuels was burglarized. Mena reportedly heard through the grapevine that a woman named Christy Mahone was spotted rockin’ her stolen jewelry and handbags and took to social media in a blistering tirade. “So this stripper Christy Mahone is now allegedly wearing my jewelry and has all my purses,” Mena wrote on Instagram. “Girl be smart and give up all my belongings. If anyone knows her please contact me. I got a cash reward on her as well. 10,000 in cash to anyone who can lead me to the arrest of this woman as well.” Last May, after our home was burglarized and some of my property stolen, I was informed by a number of sources that an individual named Christy Mahone had been seen in possession of my stolen property, under circumstances that suggested she knew it was stolen, and I posted statements to that effect on my Instagram account. I have since learned that the information I received about Ms. Mahone was not accurate, and so I now wish to take this opportunity to retract my earlier assertions concerning Ms. Mahone. To be clear, I no longer have any reason to believe that Christy Mahone was ever in possession of property she knew to be stolen from me, or that she had anything at all to do, directly or indirectly, with the robbery of our home. I apologize to Ms. Mahone. Mahone was not moved by Mena’s apology at all. She reposted it on her story and replied, “GIRL BYE!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXMa3z2hCwb/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=630ebdb7-aa15-42f7-9bd6-cdbf4613caef Saturday Night Live canceled their live audience for tonight’s show with Paul Rudd hosting, and also limited the cast and crew on set due to an outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases. The weekly sketch comedy show was on the verge of shelving the entire production after ‘four actors’ tested positive for coronavirus and ‘three others’ have called out because they are now ‘fearful’ about coming to NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Center, according to the New York Post. Insiders told the publication that executive producer Lorne Michaels had tested positive, adding that the ‘show must go on but don’t expect to see Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman or (Aristotle) Athari.’ Sources said the ‘cast and crew were currently in rehearsals at Studio 8H for the episode,’ but its unclear how tonight’s episode would proceed and that ‘everyone is fearful here.’ ‘Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight’s taping of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and the show will have limited cast and crew,’ a statement read. The insider revealed that Cecily Strong was one of the cast members ‘who has voiced concern over the outbreak.’ This week’s episode is set to star Paul Rudd and marks his fifth time hosting the popular comedy program. Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham was diagnosed with a concussion after being removed on a stretcher during a game against Kansas City on Thursday night. Parham appeared to lose consciousness and was helped off the field on a stretcher early in the first quarter. He was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he had further tests and stayed overnight. Friday the team announced Parham was resting comfortably and was alert. He will likely be discharged from the hospital later in the day. Parham, in his second year with Los Angeles, got his hands on a 5-yard pass from Justin Herbert in the back of the end zone on fourth-and-goal, but he dropped the ball when the back of his head slammed into the ground. A camera zoomed on his face showed his eyes closed and his mouth open. A teammate briefly tried to move Parham’s left arm, but it was frozen in a bent position. Trainers and medical personnel removed Parham’s facemask from his helmet and placed him on a backboard. The 24-year-old’s arms were shaking as he was wheeled off while concerned players from both teams watched. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a proposal for new anti-CRT legislation. In promoting the “Stop Wrongs against Our Kids and Employees Act,” DeSantis claimed CRT “violates Florida standards to scapegoat someone based on their race, to say that they are inherently racist, to say that they are an oppressor, or oppressed or any of that and that’s good and that’s important.” Of course, CRT does none of those things because examining the racism of institutions isn’t remotely the same as examining the inherent racism of white people at the individual level. But the causality train didn’t stop at DeSantis blatantly lying about CRT while claiming “we have a responsibility to stand for the truth.” He also went on to continue the Republican tradition of invoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s name in justifying racist white nonsense. https://twitter.com/i/status/1471126604189519873 The son of a suspected white supremacist judge in Louisiana who starred in a home video that showed her family repeatedly using the N-word has been revealed to be anti-mask amid reports his disgraced mother has stepped away from the bench — but not resigned. The latest developments in the racist controversy surrounding Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet came as Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday echoed increasing calls for her to quit while legal officials contemplated investigating the cases she presided over involving Black defendants. In case you missed it, Odinet and her family were shown on a video recorded in her home while they looked at security surveillance footage from an attempted robbery at the residence. The suspect was a Black man, a virtue that prompted the family’s commentary while watching the video of the attempted burglary. “And mom’s yelling n****r, n****r,” a voice that presumably belongs to Odinet’s son can be heard attributing to his judge mother before a woman’s voice, presumably belonging to Odinet herself, chimed in saying, “We have a n****r, It’s a n****r, like a roach.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1470957535675006979 Claudette Colvin was 15 years old when she got arrested for not moving to the back of that bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on that fateful day when she and another Black teenager didn’t realize they were sitting next to two white girls, a big no-no in the south during the time. Colvin’s arrest came about nine months before the Montgomery bus boycott began following the arrest of Rosa Parks for the same Jim Crow-era offense. MORE: Overshadowed By Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Catalyst Finally Recognized. Now 82, nearly 67 years later, a judge in Montgomery has granted Colvin’s petition to have her arrest record wiped clean, CBS News reported. “My record was expunged,” Colvin told “CBS Mornings” in an exclusive interview on Thursday. “And my name was cleared. And I’m no longer a juvenile delinquent at 82.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1471472077127495685 Kyle Rittenhouse has one claim to fame—he crossed state lines with an assault rifle he shouldn’t have been able to legally carry and he used it to shoot two people dead and seriously injure a third. In fact, Rittenhouse’s shooting spree represents the only reported deaths or serious injuries that happened during civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August of last year. However one feels about his acquittal and whether or not his actions were in self-defense, reasonable people would agree that he isn’t a person to be made into anybody’s hero. Not only is Rittenhouse set to speak, but he was invited to a private Dallas Cowboys club for a photo-op. Joy Reid ripped into hosts of Fox News for downplaying the deadly Jan. 6th insurrection on-air, while behind the scenes they frantically tried to convince former President Donald Trump to condemn the violence. Reid addressed the hypocrisy on her MSNBC show “The ReidOut,” saying, “Fox News, and particularly a number of their on-air hosts, acted as his unofficial advisors, and time and again tried to play defense for the autocrat president.” “No matter how they try to downplay or blame ‘antifa’ or the left, or provocateurs or whatever, their texts tell the truth. Only Donald Trump could call off the insurrectionists because they were his insurrectionists,” she said, Urban Hollywood 411 reports. “He is the one who called on those gullible, thugged-out MAGA fans to bring the fight to the Capitol that day, to try to overthrow a legitimate election. Period.” Wanda LaFaye Rogers, famously known as Wanda Young, co-lead singer of Motown group The Marvelettes, has died at age 78. No other details on her death have been publicly shared. Her passing was confirmed by Claudette Robinson of The Miracles. Motown’s first No.1 hit was The Marvelettes’ single “Please Mr. Postman.” “We were all surprised when ‘Postman’ hit so big,” member Katherine Anderson told the group’s biographer, Marc Taylor, as reported by udiscovermusic.com. “The most surprised was Motown.” “Motown became even more known once we hit with Please Mr. Postman.’ In my opinion, where Motown wanted to go. The Marvelettes came in and kicked the door open.” https://youtu.be/t524-6hd6LQ TV One celebrates the holiday season with iconic legend and "Godmother of Soul" Patti LaBelle this weekend with PATTI LABELLE'S HOLIDAY PARTY airing this Sunday, December 19th at 7 P.M. EST/6C. Viewers can join Ms. LaBelle along with fellow R&B singer Tamar Braxton, as they officially usher in the holidays. The night will be full of heartfelt conversations, mouth-watering dishes and soulful singing that is sure to lift the spirits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEbKuSo5qME&feature=youtu.be International gospel artist Maurice Griffin announces, “Life After Sunday”. Life After Sunday is a reality-based television show about arts and culture of the black community. Filmed on location in Los Angeles, CA, Houston, TX, and Atlanta, GA, Maurice has laid the groundwork for what will be a long running hit show. After being a finalist in the second season of BET’s Sunday Best, Maurice realized that there was much more to life than just being a contestant. After gaining new friends and comrades, Maurice assessed the different areas of growth in those that came before and after him in the series. Maurice said, “I’ve seen so many accomplishments of my fellow Sunday Best alumnus, they should be celebrated and have a spotlight to show their amazing careers to date.” Maurice has tapped into Kefia Rollerson, Shontelle Norman-Beatty and Alexis Spight, along with other extras for the first few tapings. The episodes are strategically crafted around each artist, where they are in life as well as their current projects. No reality show goes without its cliff hangers, and this one doesn’t disappoint. This reality show is one to look out for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6BfEytlVI4 Earlier this month, DOE participated in VOUS Basel honoring the late fashion legend, Virgil Abloh. Her unique sound and amazing range as a musician and artist continues to push boundaries. To see and hear more of DOE’s various projects and content, follow her on Triller. https://triller.co/@doejonesmusic VaShawn Mitchell and Chante Moore drop "Home With You." https://capitalentertainment.disco.ac/track-new/50656721?user_id=187292&signature=9EZvqJaW0kJ6V-v7RNApJf73ShI%3AZSDtKmK1 Bay Area-rapper Saweetie recently sat down with the Associated Press to talk about her Grammy nominations, her upcoming album “Icy Season” and the competitive nature that runs in her family. “I played football, track and volleyball,” Saweetie told The Associated Press, which has named her one of its Breakthrough Entertainers of 2021. “You might be invited to the playoffs, but you have to win. So I felt like I was invited to the Grammys, but have to win.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aRJewRW9SIs/hqdefault.jpg Aaliyah’s estate teamed with The Weeknd to serve a new track called “Poison.” The track comes courtesy of Blackground Records 2.0 and Empire, per Complex, and serves as the first single for Aaliyah’s upcoming posthumous album, “Unstoppable,” which will be shared in 2022. https://open.spotify.com/album/2t0AfNqhtlMnjFxbTzmPqO James Brown‘s estate has been sold to publishing and management company Primary Wave, for an estimated $90 million. The company now owns ownership over the late musician’s music rights, and how his name and likeness are used. The deal comes after Brown‘s family settled a 15 year legal battle over the late singer’s estate. Brown reportedly specified in his will that very little of his riches would go to his heirs, other than a $2million scholarship fund for his grandchildren. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c7lSDzsbrQQ/hqdefault.jpg According to a report from the medical examiner, the ten people who died at the Astroworld music festival last month died of compression asphyxia. As reported by Variety, one victim had a “contributory cause” of death on account of the “combined toxic effects of cocaine, methamphetamine and ethanol.” The report was issued Thursday by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houston. Rapper Travis Scott has so far been named in more than 200 lawsuits related to the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured at Houston’s NRG Park on Nov. 5. A $2 billion lawsuit was filed against Scott, Drake, Apple Music, Live Nation, and NRG Stadium, where the event was held, on behalf of the 282 victims who were physically or mentally impacted by the tragedy. https://youtu.be/Z4ydERoN_b0 The former manager and business partner of late rapper Biz Markie is said to have been an informant. As reported by Vlad TV, Lamont Wanzer “began working closely with the U.S. federal law enforcement agency once he was exposed for working with a drug organization that involved a drug lord named Richard Byrd and an attorney named Kenneth Ravenell,” the outlet writes, citing a warrant. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9aofoBrFNdg/hqdefault.jpg A story of the old west sets a new standard for nominations at the 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards. “The Harder They Fall” shoots down all the competition by racking up a record twenty nominations for awards this year. “The Harder They Fall” blasts past the previous record held by the phenomenal “Black Panther” which received 17 nominations in 2018 and become the first western to be nominated for Outstanding Picture and Outstanding Screenplay. Setting a record of its own, “Zola” receives a total of nine nominations, the most for any independent film. Director Jeymes Samuel ties with Radha Blank for the most individual nominations in a single year with seven for his work with “The Harder They Fall“. Most interestingly, all the nominees for Outstanding Director are receiving their first Black Reel nomination in that category this year. Police in New Mexico have issued a search warrant for Alec Baldwin’s phone, after the fatal October 21 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film, Rust. The search warrant, requested by Santa Fe sheriffs, authorizes police to review all text messages and photos on the actor’s iPhone, as well as any stored location data, as part of their investigation. Judge David Segura, a magistrate in Santa Fe, approved the request on Thursday afternoon. Allegations against the 67-year-old American actor were detailed in a new report from The Hollywood Reporter published on Thursday. Two women who don’t know each other approached THR separately and months apart with claims of being sexually assaulted by the actor. The alleged victims – using the pseudonyms Zoe, now 40, and Lily, now 31 – said recent promotions of the Sex And The City‘s sequel stirred up painful memories. The women say the incidents occurred in Los Angeles in 2004 and in New York in 2015, respectively; Noth married his wife Tara Wilson in 2012. Noth and Wilson met in 2001 – three years before the first alleged assault – and have two children together, sons Keats, one, and Orion, 13. In a statement to THR, Noth admitted that he had ‘consensual encounters’ with the two women, but vehemently denied any accusations that he ‘assaulted’ them. ‘The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false,’ he stated. Scarface actor Steven Bauer witnessed an alleged rape by a man now arrested in the suspected overdose deaths of a Los Angeles model and her designer friend, he has told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. And former Scorpions bassist Ralph Rieckermann also told DailyMailTV that the suspect, actor David Pearce, kept a stack of women’s IDs in his apartment which he handed out to young girls, as well as dozens of credit cards not in his name and several high-end laptops. Pearce, 39, a self-professed movie producer and club promoter, is allegedly one of the last people to see model Christy Giles and interior designer Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola alive. He and two other men allegedly took Christy and Hilda from an East LA warehouse party to his West Hollywood apartment in the early hours of November 13, according to the women’s phone location records. Bonner and Bernard Ziglor hoped to spend Christmas with their grandmother at the house on Janet Lane where they grew up. nstead, the brothers stood outside the smoldering brick home Tuesday morning and watched as DeKalb County firefighters came and went, attempting to rescue all 10 people trapped inside. Four were found dead, and a fifth died at a hospital. They were identified by family as Terryona Regular, her two daughters 6-year-old Aliyah and 3-year-old Angel, and her uncles Pedro Coney and Timothy Regular. Three others, including the Ziglors’ grandmother Octavia Cooper, were injured. Only two people escaped unharmed. “It’s tragic. Sad,” Bonner Ziglor said from outside his childhood home. “We’re trying to make it through.” The fire broke out around 12:20 a.m. According to a DeKalb fire spokesman, the first crews to arrive in the neighborhood off Glenwood Road did not know there were people trapped by the flames. The home was nearly fully engulfed, and they had to act fast. Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams joins New Day to discuss recent Covid-19 outbreaks on college campuses across the US. https://youtu.be/htTC5ohrQZU The family of former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson said Thursday he was battling stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he was found dead in a Florida hotel room earlier this year. Researchers at Boston University’s CTE Center posthumously diagnosed Jackson, 38, after his family donated his brain to be analyzed following the shock discovery of the three-time Pro Bowler’s body in a hotel room in Brandon on Feb. 15. “Vincent dedicated so much of his life to helping others,” his widow, Lindsey Jackson, said in a statement. “Even in his passing, I know he would want to continue that same legacy.” Jackson said she hoped to see advancements in CTE research following the revelation that came just days after the same researchers announced another former NFL player, Phillip Adams, who killed six people before taking his own life in April, also had stage 2 CTE. “There is still a lot to be understood about CTE, and education is the key to prevention,” Jackson’s statement continued. “The conversation around this topic needs to be more prevalent, and our family hopes that others will feel comfortable and supported when talking about CTE moving forward.” Megan Thee Stallion has inked an exclusive first-look deal with Netflix. The rapper has been tapped by the streaming giant to create and executive produce various projects, Urban Hollywood 411 reports. “I’ve always had a passion for telling creative and entertaining stories, so I’m thrilled about this partnership with Netflix,” Megan said in a statement. “Venturing into production is the next step in my journey as an entrepreneur and I can’t wait to bring all my ideas to life and for my Hotties to watch.” Tracey Pakosta, Netflix’s head of comedy, said: “Megan is a multi-talented creative force who has consistently made her mark on culture. She’s always growing and evolving as an artist, and we’re thrilled that she’s making a home at Netflix.” https://www.instagram.com/theestallion/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=51c68206-377e-40a6-95a7-2428628e5d46 Last year Netflix vowed to address systemic racism by shifting 2 percent of its cash holdings, or $100 million, to financial institutions that support Black communities in the U.S. Last week, the streaming giant confirmed that the cash was allocated to six financial institutions: Hope Credit Union, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), The Change Company, Enterprise Community Impact Note, OneUnited Bank and Calvert Impact Capital’s Community Investment Note. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mOHUA-wOT6I/hqdefault.jpg President Joe Biden is being called out for falling back on his promise to wipe out student loan debt. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed last week that student loan repayment will resume on Feb. 1 as scheduled. “We’re still assessing the impact of the [COVID-19] Omicron variant,” Psaki said. “But a smooth transition back into repayment is a high priority for the administration. The Department of Education is already communicating with borrowers to help them to prepare for return to repayment on February 1st and has secured contract extensions with loan servicers.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qWSh-vzB6Bw/hqdefault.jpg As we approach the New Year, this is the perfect time to look back at the last 12 months and celebrate the music that helped us all survive another abnormal year. Today, to give listeners a chance to check out the tracks he had on repeat this year, President Barack Obama unveiled an all-new playlist, curated for Spotify, sharing his favorite songs of 2021! The tracklist includes songs that defined 2021 for many of us – including Brandi Carlile’s “Broken Horses,” Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker,” The War On Drugs’s “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” Little Simz and Cleo Sol’s “Woman,” Parquet Courts’ “Walking at a Downtown Pace,” Cardi B and Lizzo’s “Rumors,” Nas and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s “Nobody,” Aventura and Bad Bunny’s “Volvi,” Courtney Barnett’s “Write A List of Things To Look Forward To,” and many more. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4ORnUUsfv3c Tristan Thompson’s alleged baby mother has finally spoken out after all the drama that has transpired over the last few weeks. In an exclusive statement she gave to E! news, Maralee Nichols says that she doesn’t want a relationship with Tristan but she wants her child taken care of. https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=33f7a24c-938b-4918-8a6d-c756dd860daf Swizz Beatz has responded to rumors that he’s cheating on wife Alicia Keys with actress LaLa Anthony. The famed hip-hop producer referenced the cheating rumors in a post on Instagram in which he noted that his wife’s song “LaLa (Unlocked)” “is the only ‘LaLa’ I’m rocking with,” he wrote. Check out the post below. Meanwhile, Swizz Beatz was suspected of cheating on his ex-wife Mashonda Tifrere with his current wife, but Keys has denied being the mistress-type. Mashonda has said otherwise. Most recently, Alicia Keys spoke out about the joy of watching her 11-year-old son Egypt in his first live performance at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. The 15-time Grammy-winner recalled sharing the stage with her son for her song “Raise a Man” during an interview with People (The TV Show!)‘s Kay Adams. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xMj8sFIuugs/hqdefault.jpg Several California restaurants and retailers are suing the state to block a new law from going into effect that could negatively impact the sale of pork. California is the nation’s largest market for pork, and the law that is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 could drive up the cost and create a shortage of pork, The Sacramento Bee reports. The lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court centers on Proposition 12, a 2018 ballot measure that prohibits the production or importation of pork raised from pigs kept in confined spaces. It requires in part that breeding sows be kept in a space no smaller than 24 square feet. The plaintiffs include the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the California Grocers Association, the California Restaurant Association, the California Retailers Association and Monrovia-based pork processor Kruse & Son. The lawsuit argues that while the liability portion of the Prop. 12 provision is set to go into effect in the new year, the state has yet to implement clarifying regulations that were supposed to be final in September 2019. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eBc-xAFAFcQ/hqdefault.jpg For chocolate lovers, there is nothing better than indulging in that culinary escape. For those who enjoy supporting Black-owned businesses as well as that sweet treat, you can find both with Askanya Chocolates, a Black Woman-Owned enterprise. Connoisseurs of the confection can get the taste of Haiti as Askanya Chocolates is the country’s first and only premier bean-to-bar chocolate company with delectable candies made exclusively with Haitian cocoa, which boasts as some of the highest-ranked chocolate in the world. The cocoa beans are then handcrafted into bars by women in Haiti. The company assures that their all-natural ingredients are directly sourced from a network of 3,000 Haitian Farmers who provide the necessary cacao, as well as sugar cane, limes, oranges, and cashew nuts. From an entrepreneurial side, the company provides direct revenue opportunities to Haitian farmers located in rural areas. With the price ranging from $7.65 and up, their gluten/soy/nut and preservative-free goodies are ideal for health-conscious chocolate lovers. There are also multi-sized dairy-free and vegan options. Earlier this week, Shams Charania reported that the Boston Celtics are expected to listen to trade discussions surrounding Dennis Schröder. It makes sense. Schröder is entering the prime of his career and producing with the Celtics to the tune of 17.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. He also signed a one-year contract in the offseason for just $5.89 million, and logic signals that he’s intending to turn that into a much larger payday next summer. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gYqGez_WUZo/hqdefault.jpg Mercedes has opted not to appeal the result of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen controversially beat Lewis Hamilton to the Formula One title Sunday. The decision removes any doubt about Verstappen’s status as 2021 world champion. Mercedes was furious at how the race finished, after FIA race director Michael Masi appeared to ignore certain parts of the sporting regulations in order to ensure the title battle was decided by one final lap of racing after several laps behind the Safety Car. The hasty restart gave Verstappen the opportunity to pass Hamilton on the final lap, helping him secure the championship with a race victory. Hamilton’s Mercedes team protested the race results after the chequered flag, with a focus on the articles of the sporting regulations that had been ignored to get racing back underway for one final lap. Those protests were dismissed, but Mercedes lodged its intention to appeal, giving the team four days to build a case. However, on Thursday, the team confirmed it will not be pursuing any further action. The team cited the FIA’s commitment to “a detailed analysis and clarification exercise” over what transpired over the final laps as key to dropping its appeal. KARIMA, celebrated vocalist and New Orleans native, marks her first solo Top 5 single this week with her DARE Records debut single “Redeemer.” KARIMA bridges the gap between Gospel and CCM while sounding effortless on “Redeemer,” which has connected with audiences across the country and sits atop the Billboard Gospel Radio Airplay chart at Number 5. Hear Karima In Her Own Words In The Gospel Spotlight... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/karima_kibble_intvw.htm Ricky Dillard releases another powerful song from his upcoming album Breakthrough: The Exodus coming this January. He's dropping a new song “He Won’t Fail” as well as other songs from the album “Breakthrough” and “All Of My Help” now! https://rickydillard.lnk.to/BreakthroughEM?utm_campaign=160567_MOTG%2012.13_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,3FW7,4SQSQ,G8JT,1 Welcome to the world of transformational marketing, a multi-billion-dollar industry dominated by women whose glamorous lifestyles are supported by a gritty, competitive world of selling products and events and self-branding at all costs. Million Dollar Hustle follows health and fitness influencer, author, entrepreneur and self-made millionaire Stormy Wellington and her elite group of unstoppable leaders, called the Circle of Bosses, including Dianna Williams (aka Coach D from Bring It!), Maniya Essence Canty (Stormy’s daughter), Nathalie Nicole Smith, Bawselady, Tammy Price, Bianca Shadai and Ana Cantera. WATCH TAMELA MANN THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17TH ON THE TAMRON HALL SHOW. TAMELA DROPS NEW SINGLE....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yz0iQID6yQ Who knew back in 1991 when JDI Records quietly released a simple unassuming 18-word song, to little fanfare, that "Emmanuel" would become such an enduring & beloved Christmas classic. Translated into 29 languages, "Emmanuel” by Norman Hutchins & JDI Christmas celebrates 20 years this season as a holiday classic that bridges the gap between cultures & denominations around the world as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. With over nearly 50 million views/streams, “Emmanuel” is one of the top selling Christmas CDs of all time. Produced by Jason White (Kanye West) and Professor James Roberson (Dr. Bobby Jones), “Emmanuel” is a collection of holidays gems including “Silent Night” featuring Aretha-protégé DeNetria Champ, “Go Tell On The Mountain” by Chester D.T. Baldwin, “Joy To The World” (Nikki Potts – Kurt Carr Singers) and so much more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5STFrnFl5k On this week’s two-hour season finale episode of WE tv’s “Life After Lockup,” Daonte crashes Nicolle and Tia’s wedding and all hell breaks out when he and Tia come to blows. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wv42zm2-YWU/hqdefault.jpg From the Emmy-award winning team from World of Wonder (RuPaul’s Drag Race), the new series Leave it to Geege follows Geege Taylor, an Atlanta area single mother of two whose life could be a Lifetime movie. The twice-divorced, breast cancer survivor is also an advocate for autism acceptance, hoping to educate and help others navigate their way through the ups and downs of raising a child with autism following her first-hand experience with her non-verbal 19-year-old son Pootie. Surrounded by her “family” consisting of her southern to the core mother Puddin’, daughter Harper and best friends Nicky, George and Tyler, Leave it to Geege provides a glimpse into the chaos and charm of this authentic modern family filled with love and laughter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9_At4N0BZs "Married at First Sight: Afterparty" is a talk show that airs following every new episode of “Married at First Sight" and is hosted by the incredibly talented, Emmy nominated, actor, host and MAFS fan, Keshia Knight Pulliam. Fresh off screening that night’s episode, Keshia dishes with the MAFS current cast to get the inside scoop on the action, romance, and behind the scenes drama. Whether it’s laughter, tears, conflict or exclamations of true love, there is never a dull moment! GSN-Wendy Williams’ son has reportedly told her to shape up or he’s shipping out! “Wendy’s relationship with Kevin Jr. has been strained,” a source told The Sun. “He gave her an ultimatum. He told her he won’t be in her life unless she fixes herself. Her son has been doling out the tough love, telling Wendy, ‘Get yourself help, mom.’” According to Wendy insiders, the beloved talk show host has relapsed and has been drinking alcohol daily. “Wendy drinks every day and the only time she was sober was when she was at the sober house,” they said. According to the report, Williams would also drink on the show and often smelled like booze. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xnGaO30kQmQ/hqdefault.jpg Kel Mitchell of “All That” and “Kenan & Kel,” fame is speaking out about his career shift from actor to pastor. “It’s a lot of ups and downs in life and a lot of emotional walls that a lot of people need to break through,” he said Tuesday during a visit to the 3rd hour of TODAY. “And that’s what happened in my life. In those down times, God was with me, and he was always there helping me get through. “In my times of going through depression, suicidal thoughts, all these different things, and working on shows at the same time, God was there.” Mitchell continued, “Similar to Robin Williams when he was doing characters and bringing happiness to us all, right, same way with the characters that I was doing. I was bringing happiness within it but going through my own battles, you know?” he said. “And it was really finding that joy despite the circumstances.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/suUHeIdfjL0/hqdefault.jpg Reality has apparently finally set in for Derek Chauvin, who on Wednesday officially pleaded guilty to a pair of federal civil rights charges stemming from his murder of George Floyd and another incident in which the former Minneapolis police officer injured a Black teenager. Previously, Chauvin — who was found guilty and convicted in April of murdering Floyd by kneeling on the unarmed, handcuffed Black man’s neck for nearly nine minutes last year. He had implausibly maintained his innocence in that case and was seemingly set to do the same in the upcoming federal case before he likely realized it was only a matter of time before a jury in that case found him guilty, as well. A Louisiana judge recently became the subject of a viral video in which she and members of her family can be heard repeatedly using the N-word following an attempted burglary of her home. No faces can be seen in the video, but the judge confirmed it was taken from inside her home. The man suspected of breaking into her property with the intent of robbing her happens to be a Black man, which is likely why the family members who were captured on camera let racial slurs fly through the air like some kind of white supremacist COVID variant. (O-merica?) According to The Advocate, Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet is asking for “understanding, forgiveness, patience, and prayers” for her and her son amid mounting calls for her resignation prompted by the video that appears to show her and her family watching security footage of the break-in, which 59-year-old Robert Handy is accused of committing. “And mom’s yelling n****r, n****r,” a voice that presumably belongs to Odinet’s son can be heard attributing to his judge mother before a woman’s voice, presumably belonging to Odinet herself, chimed in saying, “We have a n****r, It’s a n****r, like a roach.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1470957535675006979 Earlier this year, President Joe Biden put Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of addressing the border situation, according to senior administration officials. Since then, Harris has faced criticism for her handling the surge of migration at the border. In November, CNN published a behind-the-scenes exposé on Harris’, in which insiders alleged that the Biden and Harris teams continue to be at odds over tasks assigned to the vice president that put her in “no-win political situation[s]”. According to the report, the West Wing has been especially annoyed by her handling of the border issue, a job she did not want to be tasked with, per the report. Harris recently announced “$1.2 billion in private-sector investments in Central America as part of a program aimed at reducing migration from the region,” VOA writes. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/y5Opz94BoQs/hqdefault.jpg Letitia Wright suffered an injury while filming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in late August in Boston and had to be hospitalized. As she recovers, production on the highly anticipated “Black Panther” sequel was shut down. It was reported earlier that filming will resume in January 2022 in Atlanta, with Wright is expected to reprise her role of Shuri alongside actors Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett. Letitia Wright suffered an injury while filming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in late August in Boston and had to be hospitalized. As she recovers, production on the highly anticipated “Black Panther” sequel was shut down. NeNe Leakes is reportedly dating a businessman named Nyonisela Sioh … and her new relationship comes three months after the death of her husband Gregg Leakes. As reported by TMZ, Sioh “owns a couture suit company in Charlotte, NC and he hails from Liberia, Africa … though it’s unclear how long they’ve been dating,” the outlet writes. Leakes’ former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Peter Thomas, the ex-husband of fellow ‘RHOA’ star Cynthia Bailey, introduced NeNe to Nyonisela, per the report. NeNe was spotted getting cozy with her new boo at her birthday bash in Georgia. The event was held at NeNe’s Linnethia Lounge, and guests included Keke Wyatt and Porsha Williams. Leakes’ former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Peter Thomas, the ex-husband of fellow ‘RHOA’ star Cynthia Bailey, introduced NeNe to Nyonisela, per the report. NeNe was spotted getting cozy with her new boo at her birthday bash in Georgia. The event was held at NeNe’s Linnethia Lounge, and guests included Keke Wyatt and Porsha Williams. Kierra Sheard Kelly and her hubby Jordan Kelly celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary recently and shared photos and videos with fans on social media. As reported by The YBF, the couple wed last year in a lavish ceremony held at the Westin Cadillac in Kierra’s hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Per the outlet, Kierra “stunned in a custom white Eye Azenabor gown to marry the love of her life, who looked debonair in a tux designed by Times Square Custom Clothing,” The YBF writes. https://www.instagram.com/kierrasheard/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=788cf7f6-2062-422e-a4c2-5ba26e69c74a The nation’s number one college football prospect in the Class of 2022 has decided to attend Jackson State University and play football for the Tigers next fall. Travis Hunter announced on Wednesday that he switched his commitment from blue blood powerhouse Florida State University to sign with the current SWAC Champions and attend the historically Black university (HBCU). Hunter is one of the best athletes in the class of 2022 and has superstar-level talent as a defensive back. https://twitter.com/i/status/1471167268310888450 Televangelist Kenneth Copeland, the richest pastor in America, avoids paying an annual property tax bill of $150,000 by claiming that his massive lakeside mansion is a clergy residence, which qualifies it for a complete tax break. Copeland, 85, enjoys the spoils of his six-bed, six-bath house – with a sweeping spiral staircase, crystal chandeliers and a tennis court – without contributing a single dime to the area’s schools and first responders. The $7 million estate, located right outside of Forth Worth, Texas, is even driving distance from an airport bearing his name, from which he commands a fleet of private jets, including a Gulfstream V he bought from filmmaker Tyler Perry, according to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle. Copeland has previously said that God told him to build the home for his wife Gloria. ‘You may think that house is too big,’ he said at the 2015 Southwest Believers’ Convention in Fort Worth. ‘You may think it’s too grand. I don’t care what you think. I heard from heaven. Glory to God, hallelujah!’ Omicron cases in the US have soared by 32 per cent in 24 hours, with White House COVID tsar Dr Anthony Fauci warning of of the variant’s ‘extraordinary’ ability to spread, before revealing that cases will double every three days. Confirmed US Omicron cases jumped by a third overnight, from 241 on Wednesday to 319 on Thursday. But experts have warned those are the tip of the iceberg, and that American cases likely already number in the tens of thousands. Immunologists have also forecast a potential triple-whammy of Omicron, Delta and regular flu infections this winter. Two doctors interviewed by DailyMail.com said those who haven’t received a booster shot should consider returning to Spring 2020-style self-isolation, when COVID’s Alpha variant raged through the US, and no vaccines were available. Speaking on Good Morning America on Thursday, Fauci also confirmed Omicron was on track to be the dominant Covid strain in America within weeks. He said: ‘Certainly what [Omicron] is showing us in other countries [is that it spreads faster than other variants] and I believe soon in our own country. ‘It has an extraordinary ability to transmit efficiently and spread. It has what we call a doubling time of around three days. ‘And if you do the math on that, if you have just a couple of percentage of the isolates being Omicron, very soon it’s going to be the dominant variant. We’ve seen that in South Africa, we’re seeing it in the U.K. and I’m absolutely certain that’s what we’re going to be seeing here relatively soon.’ Kasinal Cashe White was at her brother’s bedside when the Army infantryman died in 2005 from severe burns he suffered while rescuing fellow soldiers from the flaming wreckage of their vehicle in Iraq. Sixteen years later, her late sibling on Thursday was awarded the government’s highest military decoration for acts of valor. Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, who served in the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia, became the first Black U.S. service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions since Sept. 11th. “My baby brother will go down in history,” White told the Ledger-Enquirer. “His name and his actions will be forever memorialized.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bu6qIDnzhBA/hqdefault.jpg Today Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock spoke with SiriusXM’s Joe Madison “The Black Eagle,” and said it was “irresponsible” for senators to head into a holiday recess without making progress on voting rights. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/o6AFX_Ijy0E/hqdefault.jpg Following a year of professional milestones born of her work on America’s history of slavery, Pulitzer Prize-winning Black journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones said she is clear-eyed about her mission to force a reckoning around the nation’s self-image. “I’ve gone from being just a journalist to becoming some sort of symbol for people who either love me and my work or revile me and my work,” she said in an interview with the Associated Press. Hannah-Jones spoke about the ongoing controversy over The 1619 Project, a groundbreaking collection of essays on race that first appeared in a special issue of The New York Times Magazine in 2019. Now in book form, the project has become a touchstone for America’s reckoning over slavery and the reverberations for Black Americans. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4-Ifu17U5Bk/hqdefault.jpg Denzel Washington‘s dear mother passed and he spoke about it last night (12/15/21) on the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Washington got very emotional as he shared just how much his mother, who passed away this year at age 97, meant to him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1471278372554686465 Justin Bieber was given a parking ticket as he attended a Churchome religious service in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. The singer, 27, cut a casual figure on the outing as he sported a white cardigan which he wore over a mauve T-shirt. The hitmaker also wore a pair of blue jeans along with a teal beanie heat and a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses. Justin added to his outfit with a multi-coloured necklace and completed the look with a pair of white trainers. A parking ticket was seen poking out of the star’s windshield as he attended the Christian church service. Khloe Kardashian’s NBA star ex Tristan Thompson has conceded that his ‘hook up’ with alleged baby mama number three was actually a months-long series of hotel sex sessions, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. The philandering Sacramento Kings center had previously admitted to sleeping with his former personal trainer Maralee Nichols, 31, although the paternity of the little boy she gave birth to on December 1 is yet to be established. But while Thompson said they had sex several times at his 30th birthday celebrations in March – around the time he was also publicly dating Khloe – he’s now conceding that the pair had been meeting up for months. In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Thompson said he communicated with Nichols via Snapchat under the username ‘blkjesus00,’ only discussing when and where they would meet up for sex. The music world has lost a bright beacon this week. Ken Kragen died of natural causes at age 85 at his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, California on Tuesday, his family shared in a statement. The personal manager was best known for organizing the hugely successful We Are The World song with Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie as writers and Quincy Jones as a producer. The chart-topping tune helped raise $64million for aid in Africa. The Harvard business school graduate also worked with top acts of the Seventies and Eighties including the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John and Kenny Rogers. He is also known for putting together the event Hands Across America where people held hands all the way from California to New York to help raise $34million to fight hunger and homelessness in the United States. ‘To have been married to someone of such character and loving goodness is the honor of my life,’ his wife Cathy Worthington said in a statement. They were wed for 43 years. The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired head coach Urban Meyer, ending a tumultuous tenure with the franchise after only 13 games. “After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone,” owner Shad Khan said in a statement released early Thursday. “I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen. “In the spirit of closure and recharging our players, staff and fan base, I will not comment further until some point following the conclusion of the NFL season.” Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season and GM Trent Baalke will remain in place, Khan said. In Meyer’s only season with the Jaguars, the team went 2-11, its 10th season with double-digit losses in the past 11 years, but issues off the field are what doomed him. From hiring a strength and conditioning coordinator who had been accused of making racist remarks and bullying Black players, to a video of Meyer with a woman who was not his wife at a bar, to tensions between Meyer and his staff and players, there was dysfunction almost from the moment Meyer was hired. he latest embarrassment was a report Wednesday in the Tampa Bay Times in which former kicker Josh Lambo alleged that Meyer kicked him in the leg while he was stretching in warm-ups before a practice during the week of the final preseason game. The Browns are dealing with a serious COVID-19 outbreak. Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield has tested positive for COVID-19, Adam Schefter reported Wednesday — a day after the team placed eight players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Mayfield reportedly “feels completely normal” despite the positive result. Cleveland also announced Wednesday that head coach Kevin Stefanski tested positive for coronavirus. According to reports, the team is expecting more positive tests throughout the day. Mayfield, per NFL health protocols, must submit two negative tests to return to the team. Backup Case Keenum is next in line to start Saturday’s game against the Raiders. Nick Mullens is the third-stringer. Racing driver Lewis Hamilton today received his knighthood – just days after his F1 championship heartbreak in Abu Dhabi. The Formula One ace, 36, was awarded the honor by Prince Charles at an Investiture at Windsor Castle this morning. He was accompanied at the ceremony by his mother Carmen Larbalestier, who along with his father, Anthony, has been an enthusiastic supporter of his racing career. Hamilton, a seven time F1 world champion, received the knighthood for services to motorsport. He joins Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham as the fourth F1 racer to be knighted. It comes just days after Hamilton lost out on his record-breaking eighth F1 world championship title – being pipped by Dutch driver Max Verstappen in controversial style in Abu Dhabi. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/12/15/4587439694111162287/1024x576_MP4_4587439694111162287.mp4?_=2 The importance of the superstar Black quarterback in major college football can never be understated especially if that star is attending an HBCU. It’s the most important and most recognizable position in American team sports. This not only makes him an integral piece of his respective team but often it makes him a key part of the culture as well. Over the years, the Black community has seen its fair share of electric talents dazzle audiences at PWIs and take their talents to the NFL but rarely have we seen a signal-caller at an HBCU be able to capture that same level of success in recent memory. The legendary GRAMMY® Award winning Chicago House Music DJ, Maurice Joshua (Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey), teams with the equally iconic, Shekinah Glory Ministry, to jettison their 2001 worship classic, "Reign Jesus," from the church sanctuary to the uptown dance floor with this brisk, electrifying House Remix. https://capitalentertainment.disco.ac/playlist-new/9582153?date=20211206&user_id=187292&signature=SbFkyl2yfls_wcaICUQ2kaGj4p0%3AsRz Nearly nine months after he was scheduled to be released, Bobby Sneed remains incarcerated. Louisiana parole officials refuse to release Sneed despite two separate court decisions ordering his release. Civil rights attorney Scott Hechinger tweeted a thread about Sneed’s case Monday, amplifying news of the latest injustice and highlighting the uncertainty of where the older man would be spending his 75th birthday this weekend. “A judge has twice ordered Bobby Sneed to be released,” Hechinger Tweeted. “Judge acknowledged warden & Parole Board are openly breaking the law. 3 days ago, finally, he was released. While waiting for pickup, parole issued an arrest warrant for a new fake contraband charge. Caged again.” A Monday morning visit to “The Breakfast Club” by Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to tout the Biden Administration’s dedication to historically Black colleges and universities left a lot to be desired as hosts Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy asked him questions about HBCUs. But when the topic turned to the recent student protests at Howard University over campus living conditions, Cardona — who explained that part of his job is to secure funding for institutions of higher learning — was all but stumped about one of the biggest storylines centered on HBCUs this year. o be sure, Charlamagne and Envy — the latter of whom is an HBCU graduate, himself — didn’t throw any so-called “gotcha” questions at Cardona to try to trip him up. They asked him fairly basic and straightforward questions that theoretically should have been anticipated, like why President Joe Biden has failed to keep campaign promises to cancel student loan debt. https://youtu.be/lIQ5CHsyACA Georgia Republican primary elections in 2022 are sure to be a white nationalist circus of ultra-MAGA proportions. David Perdue is still licking his wounds from his U.S. Senate loss last year, but that hasn’t stopped him from gunning for Gov. Brian Kemp’s office and it looks like he’s whipping out old, stale and thoroughly debunked talking points about a 2020 election rigged through absentee ballots despite his claim that he’s “trying to run a campaign not based on the past but on the future.” https://t.co/R8pw4MXgis?amp=1 Three central Florida residents are the latest examples of Republicans ‘do as I say and not as I do’ regarding alleged voter fraud. All three were arrested for allegedly casting ballots out of state while also voting in Florida during the 2020 election. An investigation by Orlando’s News 6 found that Jay Ketcik, Joan Halstead and John Rider all resided at The Villages and were registered Republicans in Florida. According to the outlet, Ketchik and Halstead had posts supportive of former President Donald Trump on their social media. Republicans are quick to use the alleged existence of voter fraud to justify restricting voting rights. Still, in many instances, alleged cases of voter fraud involve members of their own party. By all accounts, alleged voter fraud is extremely rare. It is not nearly prevalent enough to justify the fixation that Republicans across the country place on the issue. And on the rare occasion it does happen, built-in safeguards catch the alleged fraud, rarely impacting the outcome of an election. Terrence Howard is speaking out about his former “Empire” co-star Jussie Smollett being convicted of staging a hate crime. “It’s interesting, it’s an uncomfortable question because anyone that’s aware of the show or my relationship with Jussie would know that Jussie is, for six years, he was my son,” Howard explained in an interview on Mark Vargas’ Mark My Words radio show. “He was my son that I had the most difficulty with on that show as far as the character world goes. So you end up getting very close to individuals that you have the most struggle with. Whose characters you have the most struggle with.” Last week, Smollett was found guilty on five felony counts of disorderly conduct for making false police reports after he staged a hate crime attack against himself in Chicago in January 2019. The partial human remains of Frank “Frankie” Little Jr., guitarist for legendary R&B group The O’Jays, have been identified nearly 40 years after they were discovered in a garbage bag in Twinsburg, Ohio, in 1982. “Thanks to the genealogical research of the DNA Doe Project, unidentified remains discovered on February 18, 1982 have been identified as Frank ‘Frankie’ Little Jr., born in 1943, from Cleveland, Ohio. His identity remained a mystery for almost 40 years,” a press release from Twinsburg Police Department reads. Investigators took DNA from living relatives to help identify Little’s remains and his identity was “confirmed by Dr. Lisa Kohler of the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.” The circumstances surrounding his disappearance or murder remain unclear. Dr. Kohler confirmed the manner of Little’s death was homicide, per the press release. Let’s keep #FlavorFlav in our prayers. He was involved in a near-fatal car accident while driving today. According to @people Flav was on the road from Las Vegas to Los Angeles when rain caused a boulder to fall down a cliffside and land on the side of his car. The cliffside was in La Tuna Canyon, and once the boulder hit the side of his car, the impact caused Flav to lose control briefly. However, he was able to get to the other side of the road safely. Reports say another motorist saw the accident and pulled over to ensure the rapper was safe. A representative for Flav says if he had been driving just a few feet in a different direction, the incident might have killed him. The rep also stated Flav is doing okay. “Thank God he survived and is okay, although a bit emotionally shaken up,” said the rep. We’re wishing him a speedy recovery. Tory Lanez allegedly told Megan Thee Stallion to “dance, b*tch” before firing four shots at her during their wild night out together last July. He then offered her hush money to cover it up. According to testimony from a detective on the case, LAPD Det. Ryan Stogner, said in court Tuesday during a preliminary hearing that Megan told him Tory was intoxicated during the July 2020 incident, TMZ reports. The shooting reportedly occurred during an argument in the Hollywood Hills around 4:30 AM after a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. It happened in NBA’s unofficial Mecca, Madison Square Garden, with 3-point record holder Ray Allen looking on from the stands, previous record holder, Reggie Miller, calling the game for TNT’s national broadcast, and New York Knicks fan Spike Lee in his usual front row seat. The setting for Steph Curry to become the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers Tuesday night couldn’t have been more storybook. https://twitter.com/i/status/1470920281573236740 Incoming New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to announce on Wednesday that he is appointing a woman to serve as the police commissioner for the first time in the NYPD’s 176-year history. Keechant Sewell, 49, who currently serves as the Nassau County Chief of Detectives, will also be just the city’s third black police commissioner after Benjamin Ward served from 1984 to 1989 under Mayor Ed Koch, and Lee Brown served from 1990 to 1992 under Mayor David Dinkins. She is expected to take office on January 1, taking over for outgoing commissioner Dermot Shea, amid an increase in violent crime and low morale amongst police officers after years of outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s anti police reforms. ‘I’m here to meet the moment,’ Sewell told the New York Post, adding: ‘I’m very humbled to even be considered for this and it’s an extraordinary opportunity. ‘And I take it very seriously, the historic nature of this.’ According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe, the Philadelphia 76ers are garnering much more interest in potential two- or three-team deals involving Simmons as more than 85% of the NBA’s players will be eligible to trade next week. https://youtu.be/Y8kKtInDH-4 On THE REAL airing Wednesday, December 15th, TV personality and celebrity blogger B. Scott shares exclusive details about the upcoming season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” revealing to co-hosts Loni Love and Adrienne Houghton and guest co-host Cynthia Bailey that Angela Simmons and Monyetta Show will be joining the show. https://youtu.be/ByNpj78tPjg Comedians of “Yearly Departed” dish about the groundbreaking comedy special that returns to Prime Video on Dec. 23. Per press release, hosted by Yvonne Orji (“Insecure”) and featuring a lineup of emerging and all-star talent including Jane Fonda, Megan Stalter, Aparna Nancherla, Dulcé Sloan, X Mayo, and Chelsea Peretti, “Yearly Departed” bids a raucous, celebratory farewell to everything from Hot Vaxx Summer to Zoom to Ignoring the Climate Crisis. After another tumultuous year, the women of Yearly Departed invite you to reflect, rejoice, and raise a glass (or several) to everything we’re leaving in the past, capped off by a special performance by Grammy-winning pop star Alessia Cara. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CxWXTBqn8ss/hqdefault.jpg On Dec. 12, 2021, the New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) made its selections for the best in film for 2021. “The Power of the Dog” was awarded Best Picture. “Passing” garnered three awards: Debut Director (Rebecca Hall), Best Actress (Tessa Thompson), and Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Negga). Wins for “The Power of the Dog” also include Benedict Cumberbatch (Best Actor), Jane Campion (Director), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Supporting Actor), Jane Campion (Screenplay), Best Ensemble Cast, and Ari Wegner (Cinematography). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LRDPo0CHrko/hqdefault.jpg Billie Eilish has shockingly revealed that she started watching pornography when she was just 11 years old, and now believes it has ‘really destroyed’ her brain. The 19-year-old pop star made the alarming comments while appearing on the Howard Stern Show Tuesday and shared her thoughts on porn and its effect on her first sexual experiences. ‘As a woman, I think porn is a disgrace,’ Billie told talk show host Stern, 67. She continued, ‘I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest. I started watching porn when I was like 11.’ ‘I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn.’ The Happier Than Ever hitmaker explained that watching porn negatively impacted her first sexual experiences. ‘The first few times I, you know, had sex, I was not saying no to things that were not good. It was because I thought that’s what I was supposed to be attracted to.’ Chadwick Boseman’s brother Derrick is on board with his late sibling’s Black Panther role being recast so T’Challa can continue inspiring Black fans of the superhero films. Derrick told TMZ Tuesday that though Boseman didn’t specifically say before his death that he would want his role to continue with another actor, he is confident the actor was aware the character was bigger than himself. In November, Marvel VP of Development Nate Moore reflected on the decision not to recast Boseman’s character for the franchise’s future films during an appearance on the Ringer-Verse podcast. “I’m being quite honest: You will not see T’Challa in the MCU 616 universe,” he said at the time, referencing the primary timeline for the events in Marvel comics. “We couldn’t do it.” Moore added, “When Chad passed, it was a real conversation we had with [director Ryan] Coogler about, ‘What do we do?’ and it was a fast conversation. It wasn’t weeks, it was minutes of we had to figure out how to move that franchise on without that character. Because I think we all feel so much of T’Challa in the MCU on the screen… is tied to Chadwick’s performance.” An online petition, however, has attracted more than 43,000 people who want the role to continue on and not be retired. Derrick supports the Change.org petition, which was started by film critic Emmanuel “E-Man” Noisette. Jill Duggar’s husband Derick Dillard has written his most scathing criticism of Jim Bob Duggar yet, accusing the reality TV patriarch of lying, being verbally abusive, and using ‘manipulation and deceit’ that has led to ‘what is akin to human trafficking.’ Derick, 32, pulled no punches with his latest critique of his father-in-law, which he posted on Facebook just hours before Jim Bob, 56, suffered an embarrassing loss in his run for Arkansas State Senate on Tuesday, securing just 456 votes. ‘I used to have much respect for Jim Bob, as my father-in-law, and I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt for years,’ Derick wrote early Tuesday afternoon. ‘Unfortunately, it’s only become clearer to us over time just how deep this man’s manipulation and deceit will go for his own gain, at the expense of others. He has lied to my wife and I numerous times.’ A clean-living church pastor whose wife thought he had started drinking in secret discovered he has a rare condition which sees his gut turn carbohydrates into alcohol. Adam Stump, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, would become drunk, black out and slur his speech without drinking a single sip of alcohol, while he was forced to temporarily give up driving due to his symptoms. His bewildered wife Jana Stump, 37, was convinced he was leading a ‘double life’ and concealing a drinking habit after he regularly became belligerent and stunk of alcohol. But after visiting baffled doctors who believed he was a secret alcoholic and urged him to stop drinking, the church pastor was diagnosed with auto-brewery syndrome (ABS) in February. A Florida bride has gone viral for wearing a backless, apron style-dress and thong while serving up a lap dance to the groom. The bride, known simply as Rochelle, is seen in the clip, along with her bridesmaids, performing a choreographed burlesque routine that has amassed more than 2.9 million views on Twitter. https://twitter.com/i/status/1470165292382920710 How Sweet The Sound was originally established in 2007 and sponsored by Verizon. During its initial six-year run, the competition awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to promising artists, making it a critical destination and a springboard for successful careers. Now under the new ownership of Gentle Giant Music Ministries, How Sweet The Sound will continue to welcome a diverse array of up-and-coming gospel performers competing for cash prizes and recognition. Hosting and performing at the event will be distinguished songwriter/producer/composer Donald Lawrence, one of gospel music's biggest influencers. His numerous honors include over 30 Stellar Awards, four Dove Awards and a Grammy. He also led the beloved Tri-City Singers, widely acclaimed as one of the world's best choirs. The Music Ministry of Terri McConnell will certainly “Encourage your heart” and “Lift your Spirit” with a joy felt message of God’s love for all. She is an Inspiring and gifted Songstress and International Recording Artist, whose “warm smile” expresses her dedication and determination to spreading the Gospel to the world. With billboard charting songs, two European world tours including Italy and Switzerland, two-time Rhythm of Gospel Music Award Winner for Traditional Female Vocalist of The Year, VOGMA Award Winner to name a few, . Terri is no stranger to the Gospel Music Industry. With reports revealing over $9 billion spent on plastic surgery in 2020 alone just in the United States, Lifetime takes a deep dive into the darker side of achieving physical perfection with the premiere of the highly anticipated series, My Killer Body with K.Michelle on Thursday, February 3rd at 9/8c. Prior to the premiere, fans will be given an early look with a sneak peek of the series on January 28th at 10/9c. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI_nLIvOTLA&feature=youtu.be Azealia Banks claims her former manager pretended to be in love with her so he could steal from the rapper. According to Rolling Stone, Banks is counter-suing Prospect Park CEO, Jeff Kwatinetz, for breach of contract and fraud after she failed to get paid her share of the revenues from her debut album, “Broke With Expensive Taste.” In new paperwork obtained by Rolling Stone, Banks says Jeff Kwatinetz was 49 years old and single when he presided over an “egregious” dealmaking process in 2014 that gave his company a 15-year license to her album Broke with Expensive Taste – an album she already owned that had been produced and paid for by another record company, according to her recent filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Brandi Davis, the founding principal of LeBron James’ I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, has resigned after she allegedly slapped a student. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Davis’ resignation comes after an investigation that began in September, when she reportedly slapped a boy, 11, for swearing — busting his lip. The student was reportedly wearing a mask when the school official struck him. Davis called the child’s mother and told her about the incident. The mother allegedly asked why she physically assaulted her child, and Davis responded that she had “just reacted and slapped him.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1S5GkLUoX6s/hqdefault.jpg A brand-new episode of STEVE on Watch is AVAILABLE NOW on Facebook Watch! In this episode, Susan Ellis and Tia Wimbush were co-coworkers at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta when they discovered that they were both in similar situations with their husbands going through kidney failure and found they were kidney matches for each other’s spouses. Steve Harvey surprises-both couples with an all-paid vacation! https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=644532010058242 The second season of “Games People Play” kicked off on Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. Kareem tries his hardest to reconcile with family, but things may not be quite as they seem. Laila is faced with a difficult decision to keep hiding or rise-up and confront her past. Marques starts inching closer to the answers he’s been looking for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpFjpdJGa_8 Actress Letitia Wright suffered an injury while filming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in late August in Boston and had to be hospitalized. As she recovers, production on the highly anticipated “Black Panther” sequel has been shut down. Wright returns to reprise her role of Shuri. The “Black Panther” sequel has also been plagued by backlash about Wright’s alleged anti-vaxxer views. With the future of the franchise seemingly in peril as far as Marvel fanatics are concerned, MCU die-hards are calling on the studio to recast Boseman’s role. Marvel Studios has previously made clear that Chad’s role will not be recast. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige previously confirmed that “everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We’re going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud.” That would mean breaking Marvel’s vow to not cast another T’Challa following the actor’s tragic death. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k0V0h9WNUtU/hqdefault.jpg New Edition is gearing up to hit the road, as the iconic R&B band has announced their “Culture Tour,” kicking off in Columbus, Georgia on February 16. As reported by Soul Tracks, joining New Edition on the road will be a reunited Jodeci and legendary singer Charlie Wilson. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGgW7fhUYAkKCig?format=jpg&name=small Becky G just went live in a Live Audio Room on Facebook with actress, singer and songwriter Christina Milian, singer and dancer Normani and mental health and relationship expert Rhonda Richards-Smith titled “How We Manage Anxiety.” Becky G, Christina Milian, Normani and Rhonda Richards-Smith discussed how they recognize and manage anxiety. During the Live Audio Room, a “donate” button was available, with all proceeds going directly to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) which seeks to provide advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. On THE REAL airing Tuesday December 14th, actress and entrepreneur Shantel Jackson reveals why she and ex-boyfriend Nelly broke up after seven years together and explains to co-host Loni Love and guest co-host Julissa Bermudez why she considers it “a break.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BLmIPxzZK44/hqdefault.jpg ZacStacy said the savage attack on his ex-girlfriend, Kristin Evans, was “staged,” and that she set him up because he didn’t want to be with her and that she was “bitter.”? TMZ Sports obtained video of the former #NFL running back’s interview with police after he brutally attacked Evans in her Florida home.? In the video, you can hear Stacy detailing the events leading up to the attack on Nov. 13, claiming that the altercation was “all staged.”? “It’s just a case of just bitterness, man,” Stacy told the police. “That’s why she did this. The whole assault thing, she staged it. She set me up.”? Stacy continued, “The whole thing was staged. All she’s trying to do is get money out of me. She got a reaction out of me.”? Stacy claims that his ex-girlfriend, who’s also the mother of his son, was upset because he didn’t want to be in a relationship with her. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-12-13-121321-zac-stacy-1321486/ FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform serving unapologetically Black, consumable by all content 365 days a year, released its official trailer today of its original movie, WHERE HEARTS LIE, premiering December 18. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vveNECuebp8/hqdefault.jpg Do life’s challenges ever get you discouraged? NFL Hall-of-Famer Kurt Warner’s wild journey from castoff to superstar could inspire you to keep pursuing your dreams. In 1999-2000, quarterback Warner emerged from obscurity to lead the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. Named the league’s Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP, he set performance records en route to football’s summit. But five years earlier he was making $5.50 per hour stocking shelves nightly at the Cedar Falls, Iowa, Hy-Vee grocery store. Warner’s “bags to riches” story is the subject of Lionsgate’s compelling film opening Christmas Day (USA). Faith, family and determination fueled his rise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVK4hB1YC9Q The late fashion designer Virgil Abloh joined forces with Mercedes-Benz before his passing to design an electric concept car. Mercedes-Benz honored Abloh by unveiling their Project Maybach Design collaboration, an electric concept version of their Mercedes-Maybach luxury. Per Car and Driver: Mercedes says that every piece of the Project Maybach, which stretches nearly 20 feet in length, was built from scratch. The electric coupe is decked out for off-roading, with thick, knobby all-terrain tires and an exterior roll cage sprouting up and over the cabin. There are also tough metal skid plates at the front and rear and body cladding with exposed rivets over the wheel wells. https://youtu.be/kL3ti3_cCUo Donald Trump Jr. reportedly begged former chief of staff Mark Meadows to urge former President Donald Trump to stop the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. On Monday, Trump Jr.’s text messages to Meadows were read aloud during the House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. “He’s got to condemn this sh*t ASAP,” Trump Jr. texted Meadows, PEOPLE reports. “The Capitol Police tweet is not enough.” “I’m pushing it hard. I agree,” Meadows responded. “We need an Oval Office address. He has to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand,” Trump Jr. replied. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IvvOQy3yaYE/hqdefault.jpg New data from South Africa and Europe hint that Omicron cases are poised to explode in the U.S., where the vast majority of the population isn’t well protected against infection. A new analysis by South Africa’s largest private insurer paints a picture of Omicron’s clinical risk: Two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine appear to be significantly less effective against severe disease with Omicron than previous variants. The variant is less likely to lead to hospitalization in adults than the original version. Wearing a $1,200 Givenchy hoodie, Herschel Walker’s son Christian tried to go after the president for the high price of gas. And yet, local news outlets are running stories that gas prices are going down in the Peach State. A trend that is expected to continue. It seems like the Walker family is more focused on viral shenanigans and empty rhetoric instead of substance. Pro tip: if you’re going to try to make a relatable pitch about why your dad and his party need to govern, maybe don’t wear a hoodie the price of some people’s rent. And while Walker could be a Trump favorite, that doesn’t mean Georgia Republicans plan to send him to the Senate. It definitely doesn’t mean he’s heading to the Senate next year. In some ways focusing on Walker and his family is a bit presumptuous, considering he still has a hotly contested primary to overcome before facing Sen. Raphael Warnock in the general election. A quick glance at Ballotpedia shows seven candidates in the Republican primary, including the current Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black. Meanwhile, Warnock remains focused on making good on his promises to all Georgians. https://twitter.com/i/status/1470546065065750534 It turns out that there is a world where an incident involving a violent and overzealous school resource officer (SRO) body-slamming, manhandling and/or brutally assaulting a student results in immediate action that doesn’t include putting a victim on trial for their own attack—it’s the world where the officer is Black and the child is, well, not. A video taken from a classroom inside Proviso West High School in Hillside, Illinois, that was released by authorities on Friday shows a Black school employee grabbing and throwing a non-Black student to the ground. The video, which was published by ABC 7, is pretty grainy. But what is abundantly clear is a grown man treated a much smaller teenager like an amateur MMA fighter—there is no question as to whether he’s in the wrong. https://youtu.be/0uKU7-CuMSA Throughout the chaos of the deadly tornado that devastated a wide swath of Kentucky and other states over the weekend, a Black woman has emerged as one of the heroes from a candle factory that was hit hard by the extreme weather in the western part of the state. Kyanna Parsons-Perez made the media rounds describing her experience in harrowing terms while trying to calm co-workers during the storm late Friday night and into Saturday morning in the town of Mayfield, where they were all working for Mayfield Consumer Products when the tornado struck. But it was perhaps her own social media documentation of what happened inside the candle factory during the tornado that was most compelling as she went live via her Facebook account and streamed a pair of separate videos to her followers. https://twitter.com/i/status/1469684638062891017 Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin reportedly plans to change his not guilty plea to federal charges that he violated George Floyd’s civil rights. In April, Chauvin was convicted of second- and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. Under Minnesota law, the sentences are likely to run concurrently, meaning he would serve no more than 40 years in prison. Meanwhile, a new filing in U.S. District Court in Minnesota indicated that Chauvin will enter a new plea this week to charges that he violated Floyd’s civil rights. Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane also face a charge for failing to give Floyd medical aid while detained. Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump said he plans to move forward with a lawsuit against Louisiana’s agency overseeing child welfare over years-old allegations that Black children were sexually abused while in the state’s custody. Crump, who represents a woman claiming that she and her sibling were raped by “wealthy white men” when they were underaged, held a press conference to announce the lawsuit on Monday morning in Baton Rouge. While the contents of the lawsuit were not immediately made available to the media, it is all but guaranteed to take aim at John Mack, an accused child rapist stemming from separate allegations. Crump referenced Mack last week while announcing his intentions to take up the case on behalf of the unidentified alleged victims. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGfzsH3WQAMzyR_?format=jpg&name=small A teacher get's busted for having sex with a student. Her name is Ayanna Davis. She’s 20 and she used to be a substitute teacher at Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Florida. This past Friday (12-10-21) she was arrested on sexual battery charges, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release. An investigation was started on Dec. 3 after a student at the school reported to school resource officers the existence of a video on Snapchat showing Davis having sex with a student, the sheriff’s office said. The student told authorities the video was shown to a large group of LHS football players. Davis and the student, who is 16 or younger and has not been publicly identified, had unprotected sex on four occasions — twice at her Lakeland home and twice at the student’s home, according to the news release. https://www.wfla.com/news/polk-county/lakeland-substitute-arrested-after-alleged-snapchat-video-of-her-having-sex-with-student-deputies-say/ GSN-A Mississippi woman reveals she “cried for a week” after she mistakenly live-streamed herself having sex with her husband on Facebook. The woman, who goes by the TikTok name as @rroberson16, made the honest confession in a video shared to the social site on Saturday, reflecting on how dozens of her Facebook friends tuned in to saw the X-rated footage — including her own father. “Randomly remembering that one-time last year when I accidentally went live on Facebook while I was in pound town, and 46 people saw it, including my own father,” the brunette captioned her video. “I cried for a week straight.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXcz_0Ar9Bu/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a1b3f601-78f8-4430-acd3-7b094cf5043e GSN-Black African immigrants are more religious than U.S.-born and Caribbean-born Blacks, the Pew Research Center said this week in the results of its latest study of faith among African Americans. More frequently than Blacks born in the U.S. or the Caribbean, Black African immigrants attend church services, read Scripture and see a duty to convert nonbelievers. Black African immigrants also are more likely to view religion as very important, to believe in God as He is described in Scripture, and to believe that Scripture should be taken literally, Pew said in the findings released Wednesday (Dec. 8). Charles Grant, executive director of African American relations and mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, hailed the findings. “I am excited about the opportunities this report reveals for advancing the Great Commission in partnership with our SBC networks and ethnic fellowships of the entire African diaspora,” Grant said. “I praise God for the spiritual engagement level of our African brothers and sisters here in the U.S., and I thank the Lord for our U.S.-born and Caribbean-born Black adults who are expressing an obligation to practice the spiritual disciplines listed.” GSN-Snoop Dogg was tapped to help announce the nominees for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards on Monday and hilariously mispronounced some of the names. Snoop joined Helen Hoehne, new president of the Hollywood Foreign Press (HFPA), at the Beverly Hilton to read the nominations for the 79th annual Golden Globes, which recognizes the excellence in film and television. As reported by CNN, multiple media outlets, including NBC, have opted not to participate in this year’s award’s broadcast because of diversity issues within the HFPA. The organization announced in October that the show will go on as planned in January. The group caught major heat last year for snubbing Black films, so this year’s noms feature several Black performers, including Will Smith and his “King Richard” costar Aunjanue Ellis, Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”), Ruth Negga (“Passing”), and Mahershala Ali (“Swan Song”). Beyoncé landed her fifth Golden Globe nomination in the Best Original Song category for her song “Be Alive,” which appears on the “King Richard” soundtrack. Noticeably absent from the list of nominees are Jennifer Hudson’s performance as Aretha Franklin in “Respect.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1470422246573461507 GSN-“A Journal for Jordan” is the new Sony Pictures film directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams. It’s based on the true story of First Sgt. Charles Monroe King (Jordan). While deployed to Iraq, King keeps a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, New York Times Journalist Dana Canedy (Adams) revisits the story of her life-altering, once-in-a-lifetime relationship with King and his enduring devotion to his family. Charles gifts Dana with a CD filled with songs that symbolize their love in the film. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FOzrXqf5pvE/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Over the summer, Dre was ordered to pay his ex $3.5 million a year in spousal support. Dre also must continue to cover expenses for Nicole’s health insurance, security costs, and maintaining her two homes, the judge said. The order shall remain in place “until the party receiving support remarries or enters into a new domestic partnership, death of either party or until further order of the court,” Judge Powell ruled. Dr. Dre and ex-wife Nicole Young have reportedly reached a settlement in their bitter divorce battle. In recent filings, Dr. Dre claims he isn’t exactly as wealthy as many might believe based on new reports. In November, the legendary rapper disclosed his entire estate to the court which consisted of $183 million in cash, $269 million in property and assets, and over $6 million in stocks. Although the musician’s wealth is massive, it’s under half of what was after he sold his shares in ‘Beats’ headphones — which reportedly made him a Billionaire. As for the exact amount Nicole will receive from Dre, it’s not being revealed at this time. But, we’re told the amount is so substantial — Nicole will be a very, very wealthy woman. If you do the math, she is getting a large chunk of his fortune that is near $500 million. GSN-It is with heavy hearts that the Simon family announces the death of Bishop Joe Simon (former R&B singer), who passed away Monday, December 13, 2021. Joe Simon was best known as a Grammy Award-winning, rhythm and blues legend, and most recently as a celebrated gospel singer and minister. Joe Simon (known as the “Mouth of the South”) was born in Simmesport, Louisiana. He pursued a solo singing career, and in 1964 debuted his first major hit single with the song “My Adorable One.” This was quickly accompanied by other fan favorites such as “Teenager’s Prayer,” “Hanging On,” and “The Chokin’ Kind.” https://youtu.be/WTWYH96CX5k TV One recently announced the premiere date for the new original docuseries One Stage To The Next, starring R&B singer, actress and TV host, Syleena Johnson. The series will follow award-winning singer Syleena Johnson as she continues to navigate through life and the entertainment industry. One Stage To The Next is set to premiere this Tuesday, December 14th with back-to-back episodes at 10/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t600SR_DRfY&feature=youtu.be The Disney Resort is celebrating 2022 with the thrills, magic, fun and adventure that have made the "Happiest Place on Earth" one of the most popular family vacation destinations on the planet. In spring 2022, the imaginative "Main Street Electrical Parade" will light up Disneyland Park for the iconic parade's 50th anniversary year, and guests will be treated to the return of three nighttime spectaculars: "Fantasmic!", "World of Color" and the "Disneyland Forever" fireworks spectacular. Throughout 2022, the Disneyland Resort will be the place for friends and families to make memories together, for little ones to see a favorite Disney character, for foodies to savor a splendid meal or Disney treats, and for seasoned park-goers to begin their next adventures. The choices range from exciting attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to captivating entertainment, limited-time festivals and seasonal celebrations for Halloween in the Fall and for Holidays beginning in November. "Celebrate Gospel!": Disneyland Resort will celebrate the soulful spirit of Gospel music with the return of "Celebrate Gospel!" For 2022, "Celebrate Gospel!" will expand and feature live choir performances, each sharing its own distinctive style and inspiration. This powerful event moves to the Fantasyland Theater at Disneyland Park where guests will be able to enjoy uplifting choir performances on select days during the month of February. "Celebrate Gospel!" is offered as part of the Disneyland Park experience. More details will be shared soon on the Disney Parks Blog. A former teacher at Boston Community Leadership Academy won his lawsuit against the school district. The teacher, Charles Sherman Neal, was awarded $1.7 million according to coverage from the Boston Globe. As reported by the Globe, Neal’s journey for justice began several years ago when he began documenting his treatment at the school. Despite positive work reviews, Neal was pushed out of his position for raising discrimination concerns. Hired to start a gym program, Neal was the only Black male teacher on staff. He began working at the school in a part-time capacity starting in 2008 and was brought on full-time in 2012. But Neal alleged disparities persisted in the way he was treated as compared to his white colleagues. At least one person has died in the United Kingdom after contracting the Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, the first publicly confirmed death globally from the swiftly spreading strain. Since the first Omicron cases were detected on Nov. 27 in Britain, Johnson has imposed tougher restrictions and on Sunday cautioned that the variant could overcome the immune defenses of those inoculated with two shots of vaccines. Britain gave no details on the death or whether the patient had been been vaccinated or had underlying health issues. Deaths from Omicron may have occurred in other countries but none has been publicly confirmed yet outside Britain. “Sadly at least one patient has now been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” Johnson told reporters at a vaccination center in London. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told parliament the variant now accounted for around 44% of infections in London and would be the dominant variant in the capital within 48 hours. Anjanette Young, the social worker who was forced to stand naked before a dozen male Chicago police officers while they executed a search warrant at the wrong address, will get $2.9 million under a settlement unanimously advanced Monday. The voice vote by the City Council’s Finance Committee sets the stage for full Council approval on Wednesday, culminating a yearlong ordeal that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acknowledged breached public trust in her administration. “We all saw that horrific video. We all saw the way in which she was treated. … It’s a good thing that this matter is resolved,” Lightfoot said Monday. “Assuming City Council approval, this will provide her with a substantial amount of resources. That’s a good thing. It’s a good thing for our city. We need to heal from this and move forward.” Bodycam video of the February 2019 raid on Young’s home that the Lightfoot administration tried to conceal was so damaging, Corporation Counsel Celia Meza made the presentation to alderpersons during Monday’s hearing. Meza told the Finance Committee that officers were at Young’s home “executing a valid, legal search warrant” that turned out to be based on false information that a male with a gun was living at that address and that the officers “knocked and announced” themselves before entering Young’s home. A Kentucky-born man, Jim Finch, has been hailed as a hero after deciding to drive down to Mayfield and cook food for the people dealing with the aftermath of the tornadoes that struck the state over the weekend. The total loss of life due to the tornadoes is still unclear and it is feared there could be as many as 100 people dead. Journalist Victor Ordoñez posted two videos of him speaking with Jim Finch and praising him for the work he was doing for the community after the tornado. https://twitter.com/i/status/1470140177175781376 The grief-stricken Denver Broncos honored the late Demaryius Thomas with a coordinated demonstration on the first play of Sunday’s game after the 33-year-old retired receiver collapsed and died in the shower of his Georgia home last week. Following a moment of silence and a video tribute at Denver’s Empower Field, the Broncos took the field with just 10 men in honor of Thomas, a member of the club’s last Super Bowl-winning team six years ago. As the crowd chanted, ‘DT! DT!’ the Lions declined the delay of game penalty. Players knelt in tribute to his number 88 painted on their sideline and didn’t bother fighting back tears as a montage of Thomas highlights played on the scoreboard. ‘The best way to honor his legacy is to go out and play great football,’ quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said after the Broncos routed the Detroit Lions 38-10, a thrashing capped appropriately with an 88-yard touchdown drive. ‘He probably was out there with us,’ said choked-up receiver Tim Patrick. https://twitter.com/i/status/1470139359097765889 A pilot suspects he spotted UFOs flying over the Pacific Ocean at around 39,000 feet. The 53-second video was reportedly filmed on Nov. 24 and uploaded to a UFO tracking website. The footage was captured the same day the U.S. Defense Department announced the establishment of a UFO task force. In the video, you can hear the pilot who recorded the footage saying, “That is some weird s***!”. As reported by Complex, “the video shows three sets of mysterious light formations moving through the clouds near Hong Kong before quickly disappearing,” the outlet writes. “I don’t know what that is. That is some weird shit,” a person is heard saying in the video, before the lights vanish one by one. “Gone.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1468340361697402886 Before she became the first female vice presidency, Kamala Harris’ aides endured a “constant amount of soul-destroying criticism,” a former staffer said. Several former Harris aides spoke to The Washington Post about their experience working for her years ago. The Post writes: Critics scattered over two decades point to an inconsistent and at times degrading principal who burns through seasoned staff members who have succeeded in other demanding, high-profile positions. People used to putting aside missteps, sacrificing sleep and enduring the occasional tirade from an irate boss say doing so under Harris can be particularly difficult, as she has struggled to make progress on her vice-presidential portfolio or measure up to the potential that has many pegging her as the future of the Democratic Party. Several staffers said a major issue was Harris’s refusal to analyze briefing materials and then scolding her aides when she appeared to be unprepared. “It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work,” one former staffer told the newspaper. “With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you’re constantly sort of propping up a bully and it’s not really clear why.” Former Harris aide Gil Duran said the VP only has herself to blame for the high turnover in her office. Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu, is your new Miss Universe, and her crown came at the expense of becoming a viral meme. he 70th annual international competition took place in Israel on Sunday and featured 80 contestants vying for the tiara. India bested runner up Miss South Africa, and third place Miss Paraguay, whom Harvey mistakenly referred to as “Miss Portugal” (of course) just before announcing the winner. He alluded to his infamous 2015 blunder when correcting the mistake. https://twitter.com/i/status/1470193388301570050 “Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky” has flown onto Peacock to show kids the power of kindness and friendship. “Dragon Rescue Riders” follows twins, Dak (Nicolas Cantu) and Leyla (Brennely Brown), as they combine forces with their dragon friends to help rescue the people of their town and neighboring villages! In this special friendship, the five dragons – Aggro (Marsai Martin), Winger (Zach Callison), Summer (Skai Jackson), Cutter (Andre Robinson), and Burple (Noah Kaye Bentley) – all have incredible powers that are unique to their personalities; reminding us to embrace our differences! https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PieavGBCBTo/hqdefault.jpg The family of entertainer James Brown has reached a settlement ending a 15-year battle over the late singer’s estate, an attorney involved in the mediation said Friday. David Black, an attorney representing Brown’s estate, confirmed to The Associated Press that the agreement was reached July 9. Details of the settlement were not disclosed. Legal wrangling over the Godfather of Soul’s estate has been ongoing since his death at the age of 73 on Christmas Day 2006. The performer’s death touched off years of bizarre headlines, beginning with Tomi Rae Hynie — a former partner who claimed to be Brown’s wife — being locked out of his 60-acre (24-hectare) estate while photographers captured her sobbing and shaking its iron gates, begging to be let in. Brown was renowned for hundreds of iconic musical works including hits like “I Feel Good” and “A Man’s World,” and was known around the world for his flashy performances and dynamic stage presence. But years of drug problems and financial mismanagement caused his estate to dwindle. An Idaho church has replaced a stained glass window of Robert E Lee, George Washington and Abe Lincoln with the country’s first black Methodist bishop wearing an LGBTQ scarf. The late bishop Leontine Kelly, who passed away at age 92 in 2012, had lived in Richmond, Virginia with her family where monuments of former Confederate leaders, such as Lee, had lined Monument Avenue. The statue of Lee, a former Civil War general and slave owner, was later removed by the city on September 8. The call to remove the statue had been recommended by Governor Ralph Northam in June 2020 as Lee represented a time of racial injustice. The stained glass window at the Cathedral of the Rockies First Methodist Church in Boise, Idaho, which featured Lee was taken down in August 2020. The window, erected in 1960, featured Lee standing with Washington and Lincoln who were ‘selected to show historic and contemporary leaders of our nation,’ according to the Idaho Statesman. Sherri Shepherd won’t be filling in for Wendy Williams as host of “The Wendy Williams Show” for most of this week because she had to undergo emergency surgery for appendicitis! “Due to appendicitis, Sherri Shepherd underwent an emergency surgery yesterday. The procedure was successful and Ms. Shepherd is doing fine and resting,” Shepherd’s publicist said in a statement to Deadline. “She is absolutely devastated that she will not be able to guest host The Wendy Williams Show today, but she is following doctors orders and expected to make a full recovery. Thank you all for understanding and respecting her privacy.” While Williams recovers from complications of Graves disease, Shepherd has been among a rotating list of guest hosts for the show. Now that Shepherd is down for the count, it means someone will have to fill in for her. New York City natives and rap personalities Alec “Despot” Reinstein, Ashok “Dap” Kondabolu and Aleksey “Lakutis” Weintraub invite their famous friends to join them at the edge of nature in HBO’s “Chillin Island,” a six-episode unscripted series debuting Friday, December 17 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT). The series will debut on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The series features music industry icons including Young Thug, Lil Yachty, Rosalía, Gunna, Killer Mike, Ski Mask the Slump God, Lil Tecca, Coi Leray, and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koening. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k9PELxNum0A/hqdefault.jpg Travis Scott will reportedly no longer be performing at #Coachella, as the fallout continues in the aftermath of the tragedy of the #Astroworld festival. KESQ reports that an online petition calling for Scott’s removal from the festival was created last month. The petition has garnered nearly 60,000 signatures. The outlet cited the city of Indio and Community Services Manager Jim Curtis as sources of the report. However, the Desert Sun was unable to substantiate the report with the city of Indio. They were told by Director of Communications and Marketing Brooke Beare that “any confirmation about the festival lineup would come from Goldenvoice.” The outlet reached out to Goldenvoice, the organizers behind Coachella, and has not received a response. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXXPQ2IlQOh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Ashanti is speaking out about her decision to re-record her 2002 self-titled debut album now that she has control of her masters. “It’s so surreal,” Ashanti said during an appearance on the “Tamron Hall Show” in September. “I have an amazing legal team, and I got my first record deal when I was 14 years old, so understanding and seeing how things have changed so much from then to now and conceptually understanding what you’re singing is so imperative, it’s so important nowadays. The fact that I’ll be able to re-record my first album, and put everything together.” She dished further about the move during a recent interview on The Breakfast Club. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/59ogwEfop7U/hqdefault.jpg Former NBA All-Star Baron Davis is dropping a Black Santa Holiday Collection NFT via Crypto.com. Davis created his Black Santa character to celebrate diversity, and the move comes after he dressed up as Santa Claus one Halloween, Vibe reports. “My vision for Black Santa was to give children a magical world of untold possibilities filled with enchantment, adventure, and positive characters of color while imparting the importance of giving year-round,” said Davis in a press release. “NFTs offer a modern technology-driven platform for expanded Black Santa experiences for collectors and fans. With Crypto.com NFT, the Black Santa collectibles are not just possible—they truly capture the integrity and soul of the character.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cSpasTKqSL4/hqdefault.jpg Rappers Killer Mike and T.I. have teamed to renovate a popular staple of Atlanta culinary, Bankhead Seafood. “It’s been a part of my life as long as I’ve been on earth,” said Killer Mike. “If you’re writing a show or a book about Michael Render and his family, (Bankhead Seafood) would definitely be one of the characters.” According to WSB, Killer Mike and T.I. recently filed a building permit to start their rebuilding efforts. Bankhead Seafood first opened in 1968 and closed in 2018. Killer Mike and T.I. announced in 2019 their plans to resurrect the restaurant as part of their efforts to invest in their community. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EcmM16tNFL8/hqdefault.jpg The Black maternal health crisis is a pressing issue that is indicative of the racial disparities that permeate the public health system, and an initiative has been launched to address the inequities. Carol’s Daughter has teamed up with the Mama Glow Foundation to provide resources and support for ‘Black birthing people’ as they navigate their pregnancy journeys. Dr. Dre and Anderson .Paak are featured as characters in a new expansion for GTA Online. “GTA Online: The Contract” drops December 15th, and sees the return of GTA V character Franklin Clinton, as reported by Consequence Sound. The online expansion also features new music from Dre and Anderson .Paak, along with Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and DJ Pooh. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aLUGHQq2aek/hqdefault.jpg Madonna filmed what she called a “delayed clapback” to 50 Cent to address his apology to her for making fun of her recent bedroom photo spread on Instagram. And true to form, 50 has hit back twice as hard with clap back videos of his own. “Your apology is fake, it’s bulls–t, and it’s not valid,” Madonna said in her video response about a week after 50 cent apologized. Madonna shared a throwback photo of herself with 50 Cent. It was captioned: “Here is 50 Cent pretending to be my friend. Now you have decided to talk smack about me. I guess your new career is getting attention by trying to humiliate others on social media. The least elevated choice you could make as an artist and an adult. …You’r [sic] just jealous you won’t look as good as me or have as much fun when you are my age.” 50 followed by mockingly apologizing, saying: “I must have hurt Madonna feelings, she went and dug up [an] old MTV photo from 03. Ok Im sorry i did not intend to hurt your feelings. I don’t benefit from this in anyway [sic.] i said what i thought when i saw the picture because of where i had seen it before i hope you accept my apology.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXUx28nhYqt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A professor at Fordham University, who is white, was fired after mixing up the names of two Black students. Christopher Trogan, 46, called the incident an “innocent mistake,” but his students said he made matters worst when he emailed a nine-page explanation to his Composition II classes that detailed his “entire life” working on “issues of justice, equality, and inclusion,” the campus newspaper reported, per New York Post. “The offended student assumed my mistake was because I confused that student with another Black student,” Trogan wrote, according to a Nov. 29 article in the Fordham Observer. “I have done my best to validate and reassure the offended student that I made a simple, human, error. It has nothing to do with race.” https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1468711484356186125/dnlgnY6P?format=jpg&name=small GSN-Husband and wife, Ryan and Vernay O’Neal are still moonwalking on the clouds after attending the 7th annual “Thriller Night” charity costume party, held at the end of October at the famed Jackson family estate in Encino, California. Hosted by Prince Jackson, the oldest son of the late Michael Jackson, the O’Neils were among approximately 300-plus guests at the festive event. Proceeds raised from the donations for admission to the Halloween-themed affair went to Prince’s nonprofit Heal Los Angeles Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to empower the quality of life for Los Angeles’ inner-city youth. The famed Jackson house on Hayvenhurst Avenue was purchased in 1971 by Joe Jackson, father of the renowned Jackson family. It’s reported that Michael Jackson lived at the two-acre compound, from 1971 to 1988. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/csfcalcheJc/hqdefault.jpg In 2010, a Nigerian couple made global headlines after welcoming their newborn daughter who was born with blonde hair and blue eyes. “The first thing I said was, ‘What the flip?’ ” said the father, Ben Ihegboro. “We both just sat there after the birth staring at her for ages — not saying anything.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/K7Rsunl3N3A/hqdefault.jpg Recently, Tyler Lepley and Miracle Watts, who both starred in the hit series P-Valley, were hot and heavy at the premiere of the Prime Video series Harlem at the Magic Johnson Theater. This was their first red carpet appearance as a couple. The couple dressed to the nines and matched in all-black outfits, as seen in the snapshots. “My baby has a new show coming out,” Watts captioned photos of the night on Instagram. “We went to the premiere like this…..” https://www.instagram.com/miraclewatts00/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=93ca3372-ccbc-4042-9fd9-ef754720af80 TMZ is reporting that Nelson Thomas, star of “The Challenge,” is “challenging” a story given by the man who snuck him in Vegas at ARIA Resort and Casino. Supposedly, the anger management candidate husband of a woman he is alleged to have been flirting with punched him. “The criminal who attacked me lied to the cops because we tried to find her for questioning and he never showed up to a court date. The guy is a criminal. He snuck up on me, attacked me, then robbed me,” he told TMZ. He also claims the video shows him walking out of ARIA and simply asking for directions to where the Uber spot is and WHAMO! The assailant, Kevin Dixon, claims Nelson actually tried to talk to his wife on the elevator and, when Dixon exited, his wife STAYED ON THE ELEVATOR and continued to talk to him. Looks like Chad Ochocinco is ready to be a stay-at-home dad and his fiancée, Sharelle Rosado, doesn’t seem to be bothered by it one bit! Rosado is one of the new cast members in the upcoming “Selling Sunset” spinoff, “Selling Tampa.” Owned by military vet Rosado, this all Black, all-female real estate firm has its eyes set on dominating the Suncoast. These ladies are equally as fun as they are fiercely ambitious, with all of them vying to be on top of the lavish world of luxury waterfront real estate. Sharelle has big plans for her brokerage and won’t let anyone or anything get in the way of making her dreams a reality. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com When Chris Paul signed a 4-year, $120 million extension with the Phoenix Suns, many outside The Valley looked around in bewilderment. “$120 million for a 36-year-old point guard?!” Yes, you read that correctly, but the value of Paul with the Suns goes well beyond on-court metrics. Paul’s leadership and holding others accountable helped cement Phoenix into an instant contender last year in the loaded Western Conference. It reached an immediate goal that many felt was unrealistic, an NBA Finals berth. This was Paul’s first taste of a Finals run this deep into his illustrious career, plus the Suns had missed the playoffs for 11 years prior to his arrival. The marriage and instant chemistry between Paul and the Suns led to a seamless, easy negotiation regarding a new deal after the team’s disappointing Finals collapse against the Milwaukee Bucks. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ev9aQpopOs0/hqdefault.jpg Lewis Hamilton will receive his knighthood on Wednesday as the British driver comes to terms with controversially losing the Formula One world title. Hamilton is due to attend an investiture at Windsor Castle to be honored for services to motorsports. The 36-year-old was given his knighthood in the New Year Honors list in 2020 following pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to approve the accolade. Despite being one of the UK’s most successful sportsmen, Hamilton, who matched Michael Schumacher’s record seven world titles in 2020, had previously been overlooked. Hamilton’s knighthood was awarded in the overseas list as he relocated to Monaco in 2010. A change of uniforms hasn’t affected Tom Brady’s mastery of the Buffalo Bills. The 44-year-old quarterback beat his former AFC East rivals for the 10th straight time Sunday, becoming the NFL’s all-time completions leader and throwing his 700th touchdown pass for the winning score in Tampa Bay’s 33-27 overtime victory. The Buccaneers are on the brink of their first division title in 14 years. In his first game against the Bills since moving to Tampa Bay in 2020, Brady threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also scored on a quarterback sneak set up by the 7,143rd completion of an unmatched 22-year career that includes seven Super Bowl titles. U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss this week’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, it was announced on Monday. Raducanu is in the midst of preseason as she prepares for her first full season on the WTA Tour. She will also compete at the Australian Open in January, her first Grand Slam since claiming the U.S. Open title and the third major of her career. “I was very much looking forward to playing in front of the fans here in Abu Dhabi, but unfortunately after testing positive for COVID-19, I will have to postpone until the next opportunity,” Raducanu said. “I’m isolating as per rules and hopefully will be able to get back soon.” Organisers said that they are looking at “alternative top female competitors” to replace Raducanu at the event. Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been fined $25,000 for directing obscene language towards a fan during their last game in Atlanta, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Sunday. The NBA said the incident took place with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter of the Nets' 113-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Friday's game at State Farm Arena. Durant scored 31 points in that game as the Nets improved to an 18-8 record this season. They play at Detroit Pistons later on Sunday. A suspected white supremacist and drug addict who planted a bag of explosives at a Black Lives Matter protest in Pittsburgh last year had the privilege of avoiding any jail time, thanks to a lenient sentence that was apparently inspired out of sympathy for the convicted felon’s history of substance abuse. Pittsburgh man Matthew Michanowicz on Monday was sentenced to just three years of probation that included the first six months to be served at his home, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGBQCYlWQAE7RPP?format=jpg&name=small A man (identified by friends as Jay Black) shot his ex-girlfriend to death Saturday afternoon, and then went to his ex-wife’s apartment complex and killed her as well, and then turned the gun on himself. In between the shootings, the suspect got on Facebook Live outside of his ex-wife’s apartment complex and opened up about the custody issues he was dealing with both women and going through depression. “Anyway, I just did something crazy, man. I just shot my ex-girlfriend in the head,” he says. “Felt like a dream. I never thought I would be that guy. I can’t go to prison, so the person that really started my depression and all of this is my ex-wife. So, she next. Then I’m going to do myself too.” His ex-wife then comes out of the building, and he can be heard saying, “Oh, there’s my ex-wife right now,” and then it cuts. This is very very unfortunate situation all around. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXZBWEKgGRp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again While the artist formerly known as Kanye West is raising awareness around Larry Hoover’s case, a woman who previously served as his publicist made headlines for allegedly trying to coerce a Georgia election worker into confessing to election fraud. Reuters reported that 62-year-old Ruby Freeman received death threats forcing her to leave her home. None of the threats have been investigated by local, state or federal authorities. Claiming she wanted to help Freeman, Trevian Kutti offered to help the embattled election worker if she would confess to non-existent fraud. Two days before the Jan 6. Capitol attack and the day before the Georgia Senate runoff election, Kutti offered to move Freeman for her security and claimed to connect by phone with a person named Harrison Ford, a crisis professional, not the “Star Wars” actor. https://twitter.com/i/status/1469281995184168961 Black Panther actress Letitia Wright the 28-year-old who is best known for playing the role of Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe smash hit has been the center of controversy ever since last year when she made comments that got her labeled an anti-vaxxer. Now, inside sources are reporting that her alleged reluctance to get the shot has led her to toy around with the possibility of not returning to the MCU after she’s done filming Black Panther 2, a film that she’s set to star in as the new Black Panther. On Saturday morning, Megan, 26, graduated from Texas Southern University in Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration. “I know my parents are looking down on me so proud,” Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, wrote on Instagram. “?? Thank you everyone for all the love today.” In related news, the university has created a scholarship fund that is set up in Megan’s name, known as “Thee Megan Fund.” According to the university, donations that are submitted to the page will help other students succeed and graduate. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ND-D2D6gojk/hqdefault.jpg A push to free movement elders from prison is taking it up a notch on International Human Rights Day. The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement organized a virtual celebration to raise awareness around the case of political prisoner Mutulu Shakur as a part of broader efforts to free movement elders. Friday’s Fête for Freedom brings together a virtual audience to celebrate Shakur’s life and work and encourages people to join the fight for his release. Initially arrested in 1986, the Intercept reported it is over five years since Shakur was first eligible for release. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=875055279864741 The holidays are supposed to bring families together to share good times. But last year, Christmas changed the dynamic for LaRicha Rousell. Her 14-year-old son, Ja’ Mere Alfred, was gunned down outside a drugstore in New Orleans. Ja’ Mere is described as a fun-loving kid who loved his family, football and band. His life was cut short on Christmas Day 2020. The gunmen are still at large. To help cope with her grief and to help others going through similar situations, Rousell founded two nonprofits: the King Ja’ Mere Alfred Foundation, which focuses on kids who have lost siblings to gun violence; and Mothers Empowered For Justice, which helps families seeking justice stay abreast of their loved one’s cases. Rousell, for her part, refuses to give up on obtaining justice for Ja’ Mere and continues to uplift his memory. The family of convicted pedophile Josh Duggar have told of their anguish at his conviction, the day after the reality TV star was found guilty of downloading and possessing child sex abuse images. Duggar, a 33-year-old father of seven, faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced. On Friday, his parents Jim Bob and Michelle said they were devastated by the conviction. ‘This entire ordeal has been very grievous,’ their statement read. ‘Today, God’s grace, through the love and prayers of so many, has sustained us. ‘Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through CSAM (child sex abuse material).’ The couple, who starred on TLC’s reality show 19 Kids and Counting, continued: ‘In the days ahead, we will do all we can to surround our daughter-in-law Anna and their children with love and support. ‘As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. Larry W. Baraka, a pioneering jurist whose life traced a path from his childhood in the St. Louis housing projects to prominence as the first Black district judge ever elected in Dallas County, died Monday. He was 71. Baraka’s death was confirmed by his widow, Belinda, who said he died after an extended illness. Baraka was born Larry Wallace and grew up in the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis. In a 1990 D Magazine profile, he described the neighborhood as a “human garbage dump,” where “crime and drugs and murder were just part of life.” “Almost every time I went outside, I would get in a [fight],” Baraka said in the profile. “Other kids resented me because I wouldn’t join their gangs or go out and steal with them. There were some things I just wasn’t going to do no matter how many times people beat me up.” Baraka attended Cornell College in Iowa before enrolling at the University of Houston to study law. After graduating, he was offered a job as an assistant prosecutor by then-Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Black parents and students at East Bernard High School are calling for disciplinary action to be taken against a group of white students who took part in racial comments posted in a text thread. The social media group chat with white students has Black students at the school fearing for their lives. “I mean, I couldn’t believe it. My stomach dropped,” said parent Tiffany Seydler. Seydler’s 16-year-old daughter, Tyra, got wind of the text thread after a friend showed it to her. “I was at the lunch table and my friend showed me,” Tyra recalled. “She was in the group chat and saw everything going on. It was supposed to be about prom, but it just ended up being racist.” ABC13 blurred the names of the students posting in the text thread, as well as the language used. Tyra said the group was discussing a party bus for their prom coming up on Feb. 5. In the chat, one student responded to the thread saying, “No Black people” were allowed on the prom bus. Another student responded by saying, “Amen.” A follow-up message from another student responded saying, “All (expletive) must hang.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/racist-texts-from-white-students-at-east-bernard-hs-has-black-students-afraid-for-their-lives/ar-AARFBjo A former San Diego-area police officer who pushed a Black man during an arrest last year was acquitted Friday of lying on his report about the incident, which was captured on video and sparked widespread looting and arson amid nationwide racial unrest. A jury deliberated over three days before finding former La Mesa police Officer Matthew Dages not guilty on one count of providing false testimony. Dages, 30, dropped his head to his chest in relief after the verdict was read. Defense attorney Jeremiah J. Sullivan III criticized San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan for prosecuting the case. “The progressive DA is choosing criminals over cops,” he said in a text to The Associated Press. Stephan released a statement saying she was “proud that my team courageously fought for justice without prejudice against or favor towards anyone.” “The integrity of our criminal justice system depends on police officers filing truthful police reports, and our thorough review of the facts and evidence led us to bring the charge and present the case to the jury,” she said. Dages testified he was truthful when he wrote in his report that Amaurie Johnson, 24, balled his fists and took a fighting stance when he stopped him for smoking on a trolley platform on May 27, 2020. He also said Johnson hit his arm. A major winter storm ramped up Sunday with snow in Northern California that forced drivers to wrap their tires in chains and light rain in the lower elevations. The storm promises to drop up to 8 feet of snow on the highest peaks and drench other parts of California. It’s expected to intensify overnight into Monday and bring strong winds that could lead to power outages, forecasters said. Winds throughout the state could reach speeds of 65 mph, according to the National Weather Service. As much as 2-4 inches of rain is possible with totals as high as 4-7.5 inches for areas like Grass Valley. ‘This is a pretty widespread event,’ said NWS meteorologist Anna Wanless in Sacramento. ‘Most of California, if not all, will see some sort of rain and snow.’ https://twitter.com/i/status/1470058588005486596 The downside about having a public relationship is that, when things are over, everybody believes they deserve an explanation as to why things didn’t work. That’s the dilemma ESPN analyst Jalen Rose and Molly Qerim, an ESPN media personality, find themselves in. After three years of marriage, one of which saw them living separate for a year, the couple now has publicly called it quits. “After being separated for almost a year, Molly and I have officially decided to go our separate ways,” Rose, a former NBA player and current ESPN analyst, wrote on his Instagram Story, Wednesday. “We both agree remaining friends and colleagues is the best course of action for our relationship going forward,” he said. “Please respect our privacy at this time.” Qerim has not publicly addressed this in any form. Rose said the marriage came to an end once Qerim moved to Connecticut, where ESPN is headquartered. He filed for divorce in April. Rose played for a number of teams during his NBA career, including the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks. He retired in 2007. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/As9GYWL8bi4/hqdefault.jpg Dionne Warwick, legendary Grammy-winning recording artist received her star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, December 9, 2021. Warwick, who has sold 75 million singles and 25 million albums worldwide, was present for the ceremony at 11 a.m. Dec. 8 when her star was installed at 100 S. Palm Canyon Road in Palm Springs near the Welwood Murray Memorial Library. With all the country’s problems, Peggy Noonan seems to think fixating on Vice President Kamala Harris is what the country needs most right now. In her latest column for the Wall Street Journal, Noonan again focuses on the vice president claiming she’s not taking things “serious” enough. Noonan cites a Washington Post article claiming Biden’s team accused Harris of “dysfunction and a lack of focus” to support her attack on Harris. Sorry to tell Noonan, but Harris isn’t the greatest danger facing the country. There are much bigger issues with alleged White House leaks and what seems like the willingness of some within Biden’s team to throw Harris under the bus at a critical time in the nation’s recovery. If Harris is struggling, it’s not a matter of her ability and could point to a more significant issue in the Biden administration. The Powerhouse Fellowship Soul Choir continues to stretch the boundaries of the Gospel Choir. Based in Canada, the multiple award-winning choir extend their music ministry and their brand prowess throughout the North American continent through live performances and throughout the globe via significant television and film appearances. Powerhouse has released an outstanding new Christmas album with choir founder and director Shawn Cotterell and has made another key appearance on film. THE BEST GIFT is the 6-song EP release from Powerhouse featuring Cotterell in their best voice. From the divinely arranged sacred hymn “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”, to “The Manger” featuring Grammy award-winning R&B singer Chrisette Michele, Cotterell and Powerhouse deliver a passionate and joyous holiday album. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jEaNgz6rOu0/hqdefault.jpg Rapper, pastor, husband, father, and 116 Clique founding member, TRIP LEE, is back with another single, "Supernatural!" "This song, Supernatural, is about some of the things I wish were different in our world. Some of them are big and important— and others are lighthearted— but all of them represent exactly how I felt when I wrote it," shares Trip. "We've all been through A LOT in the past few years. And when we look at how messed up our world is, it's clear that we can't fix everything on our own. Some things are just too big and out of our control. If it's gonna change, we need supernatural help! But, if we just call on God, nothing is too big for him." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zBDdiwkFkY Have you ever wondered how many Black Heisman trophy winners there are? Now, there are officially 36, thanks to University of Alabama star quarterback Bryce Young being awarded the coveted prize on Saturday night. He was not just the second consecutive Crimson Tide player to be crowned the best college football player for a season, but he was also the second-straight Black player to win it. Unofficially, though, there are only been 35 to win the Heisman trophy. (Reggie Bush of USC forfeited his 2005 trophy in 2010). Eight Heisman trophies went to Black players in the 1980s alone. Twenty-two were running backs. Now, eight have been quarterbacks and three were wide receivers, including the University of Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, who earlier this year in January became last season’s winner of the award. That ceremony was held a month later than normal because of residual delays caused by the pandemic. Smith was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman award in nearly 30 years, Desmond Howard of the University of Michigan won for the 1991 season. There has also been one defensive back who’s won a Heisman. The winners are: 1961: Ernie Davis, Running Back-Syracuse, 1965: Mike Garrett, Running Back-USC, 1968: O.J. Simpson, Running Back-USC, 1972: Johnny Rodgers, Wingback/Running back-Nebraska, 1974 and 1975: Archie Griffin, Running Back-Ohio State, 1976: Tony Dorsett, Running Back-Pittsburgh, 1977: Earl Campbell, Running Back-Texas, 1978: Billy Sims, Running Back-Oklahoma, 1979: Charles White, Running Back-USC, 1980: George Rogers, Running Back-South Carolina, 1981: Marcus Allen, Running Back-USC, 1982: Herschel Walker, Running Back-Georgia, 1983: Mike Rozier, Running Back-Nebraska, 1985: Bo Jackson, Running Back-Auburn, 1987: Tim Brown, Wide Receiver-Notre Dame, 1988: Barry Sanders, Running Back-Oklahoma State, 1989: Andre Ware, Quarterback-Houston, 1991: Desmond Howard, Wide Receiver-Michigan, 1993: Charlie Ward, Quarterback-Florida State, 1994: Rashaan Salaam, Running Back-Colorado, 1995: Eddie George, Running Back-Ohio State, 1997: Charles Woodson, Defensive Back-Michigan, 1998: Ricky Williams, Running Back-Texas, 1999: Ron Dayne, Running Back-Wisconsin, 2005: Reggie Bush, Running Back-USC, 2006: Troy Smith, Quarterback-Ohio State, 2009: Mark Ingram, Running Back-Alabama, 2010: Cam Newton, Quarterback-Auburn, 2011: Robert Griffin III, Quarterback-Baylor, 2013: Jamies Winston, Quarterback-Florida State University, 2015: Derrick Henry, running back-University of Alabama, 2016: Lamar Jackson, Quarterback-University of Louisville, 2018: Kyler Murray, Quarterback-University of Oklahoma, 2020: DeVonta Smith, Wide Receiver-University of Alabama and 2021: Bryce Young, Quarterback-University of Alabama. https://youtu.be/XJFXHQAVlkQ Nearly 55 years ago, when actress Nichelle Nichols graced the screen as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the television series “Star Trek,” it illustrated the importance of representation. The 88-year-old trailblazer was recently honored by NASA for driving diversity in STEM forward, People reported. Throughout her entire career, Nichols used her artistry to show Black women and girls the limitless possibilities that awaited them within the realm of space exploration. The Robbins, Ill. native made history as the first African American woman to play a lead character on television as Lt. Nyota Uhura. A songstress and dancer, Nichols went on to be featured in different projects under the “Star Trek” franchise, including “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” and “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.” In the 70s, Nichols founded the company Women in Motion, Inc. to use education as a vessel to empower people of color to pursue careers in the space industry. https://t.co/x0QG3XvhqU?amp=1 Hip-hop legend LL Cool J‘s career has stood the test of time, and the Queens-raised rapper was honored by his hometown for his pioneering contributions to the music industry. A statue created to pay homage to the emcee—whose real name is James Todd Smith—was recently unveiled in New York, Revolt reported. The sculpture dubbed “Going Back to The Meadows, A Tribute to LL Cool J and Performance at FMCP” is nestled inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park at the David Dinkins Circle. Created by artist Sherwin Banfield, the statute is a commemorative ode to Smith’s artistry. The piece of poignant public art was constructed using bronze, resin, stainless steel, winter stone, wood and other materials. It captures the rapper’s likeness, complete with his iconic Kangol bucket hat and holding a boombox, including a cassette tape of his 1985 debut album “Radio.” https://t.co/cGfdEBygS7?amp=1 Denzel Washington, 66, was out promoting his new film, “A Journal for Jordan,” when he was approached by an interviewer at the premiere of the new film. The Two Bees.org interviewer mentioned how British actor Damson Idris (Franklin Saint on FX’s “Snowfall”) auditioned to act alongside the veteran actor in his 2016 film “Fences,” as well as bringing up when Damson did a funny impersonation of Denzel just last week. https://twitter.com/i/status/1469503243780775939 ESSENCE, the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities, and ESSENCE Girls United, the premier destination for young Black women leaders and cultural disruptors, will present the 2021 ESSENCE and Girls United Entrepreneur Summit, The Bossed Up Edition, Presented by Coca-Cola®. Many African-American women entrepreneurs continue to navigate the challenges stemming from the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and the business landscape overall. The purpose of the Summit is to present proven solutions to propel Black women business owners forward—as well as to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs to excel. The Summit will take place on Wednesday, December 15th, 6PM–9PM (ET) via ESSENCEStudios.com and ESSENCE’s Facebook Live platform. The new infrastructure package has language therein which mandates automakers to install new technology that prevents folks from driving drunk. The provision, which was originally reported by the Associated Press, states that the monitoring systems should begin to appear in new vehicles no later than 2026. Of the funds allocated from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, $17 billion will go toward auto safety. Analysts say this is the largest amount of federal funds allocated to road safety programs in decades. Some say the bill will create more protected bike paths alongside busy roadways, like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/njzrzxqrdsk/hqdefault.jpg Keisha Knight Pulliam is headed to Clark Atlanta University to talk entrepreneurship in a partnership with Now and Later candy, talk about a blast from the past! This will part of #RecognizetheCHEW Class in Session Series. “I’m excited to partner with Now and Later,” Knight Pulliam told The Root. “The ‘Chew’ stands for ‘Champion, Hustle, Empower, and Win’. It’s an awesome opportunity to bring light to historically Black colleges and universities, but also to support them with the $10,000 financial grant toward starting a scholarship.” https://www.instagram.com/keshiaknightpulliam/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=af6479db-e4f5-4e5e-8695-ed4bdad9e3aa Kenny Atkinson always saw more in Jarrett Allen. When Allen, drafted No. 22 overall by the Brooklyn Nets in 2017, hit a rookie wall the following March, the then-head coach of the Nets (and now Golden State Warriors assistant) pivoted to saying the near 7-footer’s struggles will make him a better player. When the towering Texan would show just a hint of touch in games and practices, Atkinson would tell us that he’d hope Allen would expand his range to hit corner threes. And while the Cleveland Cavaliers’ center still hasn’t quite adopted that, he hasn’t needed to. He has a shot at being one of the league’s only first-time All-Stars in 2021. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OJZPXNqq-8U/hqdefault.jpg Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez, 81, passed away on Sunday at a hospital in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara, according to a post published on his official Instagram account. The ranchera star was in poor health after a fall in August that forced him to have surgery. Locally known as El Rey, the king of Mexican music, Fernandez recorded more than 300 songs, sold more than 65 million albums worldwide and won three Grammys and eight Latin Grammys. He was best known for his songs “Volver, Volver,” “Por Tu Maldito Amor,” and “El Rey.” Fernandez — who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — was named Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy in 2002. Michael Strahan said he’d do it and he did it! Today (12-11-21), the ex-footballer and now news anchor took a trip to the edge of space! After a short hold at 15 minutes., Blue Origin went into space with Strahan and 4 other astronauts on board, including Laura Shepard Churchley, the oldest daughter of America’s first astronaut, Alan Shepard. Basically, it was a perfect flight. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-12-11-121121-blue-origin-landing-1321398/ At least 50 people are thought to have been killed in Kentucky, and there are multiple fatalities at an Amazon distribution center in Illinois, after at least 24 tornadoes ripped across the South and Midwest of the US on Friday. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear estimated the toll would ‘exceed 50’ but could reach 100 after ‘some of the worst tornado damage’ the state has experienced ‘in a long time’. ‘This has been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history and some areas have been hit in ways that is hard to put into words,’ Beshear told a news conference early on Saturday. ‘I fear that there are more than 50 dead in Kentucky… probably closer to somewhere between 70 and 100, it’s devastating.’ https://youtu.be/IpUsDGtCFWE The Omicron COVID-19 variant is now in half of U.S. states, after Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and Virginia joined the growing list on Thursday or Friday morning. Now, 25 states have recorded at least one Omicron case. While Omicron dominates headlines, the Delta variant continues its spread nationwide, causing a 30 percent increase in new daily cases and 20 percent increase in deaths over the past two weeks. America’s worsening Covid situation, combined with the Omicron variant and general apathy the population has for the pandemic at this point has one expert sounding alarms that things may get worse for the nation. Dr Gregory Poland is one of the nation’s top experts on vaccination and immunology, and works as an epidemiologist for the Mayo Clinic and is editor-in-chief of the scientific journals ‘Vaccine’. As deaths in America continue to rise, he warns that people should not let their guard down. ‘32,000 Americans who think they’re going to be alive to celebrate Christmas and New Years are, no pun intended, dead wrong,’ he told DailyMail.com, as his calculations show that with the current death rate in America, around 32,000 more people are likely to die between now and New Years. ‘Not one of them believes [they will die].’ The former nurse who allegedly raped and impregnated an incapacitated woman at a health care facility was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Dec. 2. Nathan Sutherland was arrested and charged in 2019 for allegedly sexually assaulting the unnamed woman at Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix, Arizona. He is accused of raping the comatose woman, who was 29-years-old at the time, after police matched his DNA to the baby boy the victim gave birth to on December 29. Staff at the center were unaware she was pregnant until she went into labor. Per MadameNoire, after serving his time, Sutherland will be on lifetime probation and required to register as a sex offender. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x-eyg1S9zik/hqdefault.jpg Rapper Slim 400 was gunned down in front of a home in Inglewood, California, it was pure savagery, Footage of the incident was captured on a home surveillance camera, which investigators are also using to try to identify the shooter. The chilling video shows the rapper talking to the assailant but there’s of course no audio. Words are exchanged, things escalate, and Slim 400 is shot, then dragged through the front yard by the lone gunman, who continues firing rounds into him as he does so. Sheer madness. https://www.instagram.com/streetpeopleoflosangeles/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=595c5b4a-759e-48a4-92c4-34ab145ced1f An LAPD Detective called the crime surge in the city something akin to “The Purge,” a dystopian action-horror movie in a not-so-distant future in which all crime is legal for a select timeframe every year. Also, you have to take into consideration the source. Detective Jamie McBride was on Fox News when he said he’s telling people “don’t visit because we don’t think we can keep you safe right now.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M6FEwBdFBr8/hqdefault.jpg The Phantom of the Opera is back inside Universal’s heart. The studio is tackling a reimagining of its famous cinematic horror story with a modern musical update, picking up a spec titled Phantom by John Fusco. Emmy- and Grammy-nominated producer Harvey Mason Jr. and singer-songwriter slash EGOT recipient John Legend will produce alongside Mike Jackson, Legend’s partner at production banner Get Lifted Film Co. The company’s Ty Stiklorius will executive produce. Phantom of the Opera, written in 1909 and 1910 by Gaston Leroux, told the tale of a masked murderer who stalks a Paris opera house and tragically falls in love with a gifted understudy whom he tries to bend to his will and make a star, killing those who get in his way. While many a modern audience will know the story via the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, it was also one of the first hit movies for Universal, which adapted it in 1925 as a silent horror film starring Lon Chaney. The first year of any job can have its share of ups and downs. For Rashida Jones, her new stint as president of MSNBC includes a full slate of challenges, with her on the frontline of an internal struggle that’s added to her network staying solid in a competitive news channel landscape. Caught in the middle is Rachel Maddow, the popular fixture of MSNBC’s primetime lineup. According to Variety, MSNBC and its corporate parent are in talks with Maddow, about a new content portfolio that could have the news anchor fall back on her 9 p.m. MSNBC program and produce a wider array of projects. Should the talks become successful, Jones could find herself rebuilding MSNBC’s primetime lineup. That situation would come as the network finds viewers shifting out of the must-see TV mode of election commentary and analysis and into other options such as on-demand streaming. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t1mXqU-CYiQ/hqdefault.jpg The wildly popular ABC show Black-ish will be ending soon. , DJ Envy asked star Anthony Anderson what the deal is with a bastion of black positivity being taken off the air. “You’re gonna have to ask ABC that, man. But we had a nice run, a nice eight-year run,” Anderson responded. “You know, I would have loved to have squeaked out ten years.” Later in the interview, the actor said making a great show costs a lot of money. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h_6UMBsUykM/hqdefault.jpg Actor Denzel Washington does not mince words when it comes to his faith in God. And in a recent interview with the New York Times, Washington reiterated that he is a “God-fearing man” while also warning people to not become too self-focused. “This is spiritual warfare. So, I’m not looking at it from an earthly perspective,” he said in the interview. “If you don’t have a spiritual anchor you’ll be easily blown by the wind and you’ll be led to depression.” As CBN News has reported, Washington gave his life to God early on, but it took a few years for him to understand the weight of that decision. “Three times…I think we all go through that. I was filled with the Holy Ghost and it scared me,” he said. “I didn’t want to go this deep…I want to party. It was a supernatural, once in this lifetime experience that I couldn’t completely understand at the time.” Now, the 64-year-old actor lives out his tenets of faith daily. “I’m a God-fearing man,” he told NYT. “I try not to worry. Fear is contaminated faith.” Jana Duggar was charged with endangering the welfare of a child on Sept. 10, according to court docs obtained by Page Six. The ex-reality star, 31, pled not guilty to the charge and her next court date is scheduled for Jan. 10, a court clerk for the city Elm Springs, Ark., told us Friday. Per Arkansas law, the charge could be considered a “Class A or B misdemeanor” and could result in jail time, a fine or both for Duggar. News of the “19 Kids and Counting” alum’s charge comes just one day after her brother, Josh Duggar, was found guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. The 33-year-old faces up to 20 years behind bars and fines of up to $250,000 for each count. The 39-year-old actor stood rigid and showed no emotion as the guilty verdicts on five of the six counts of disorderly conduct were read out in the Chicago courtroom by Judge James Linn on Thursday. He then scuttled out of court with his family, refusing to answer questions, and he is yet to make a public comment. His sentencing date has not yet been set but he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. After Smollett left the courthouse, prosecutor Dan Webb tore him to shreds in front of the media and a crowd of people who had gathered for the verdict. He shamed Smollett for wasting police time and said while the Chicago Police Department was not ‘perfect’, it had worked tirelessly to solve his claims and took him seriously. Gloria Schmidt, the attorney for brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo – who Smollett paid to attack him – then took the mic. ‘People will forgive you. It is time to cut the act. Just come clean.’ https://youtu.be/gO-3w7z_7aE Kim said she’s DONE! According to TMZ, Kim Kardashian has filed for a judge to declare her legally single, even though Kanye had been practically begging for them to get back together! Last night Kanye West performed his song “Runaway” begging Kim to come back home to him. Kim wasn’t moved because she filed this morning to a judge to be legally single. She’s requesting the judge to separate child custody and property separate from the actual divorce. Kim also says she wants her maiden name restored and the West dropped. https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=7f5ff836-dabf-42ce-8c91-243d0df2ed18 Rapper Travis Scott’s vanity hard seltzer brand, Cacti, will be yanked from shelves after Anheuser-Busch said it will no longer sell the product in the wake of the Astroworld scandal. ‘After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer,’ Anheuser-Busch said in a statement. ‘We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision.’ A spokesperson for Scott said cancelling the alcohol-infused drink was the rapper’s idea so that he can focus on more important matters after 10 people were killed during a stampede at his Astroworld concert in Houston on November 5. ‘Travis was clear in his interview that he is not focused on business right now and his priority is helping his community and fans heal. CACTI asked AB InBev to inform their wholesalers there will not be product at this time,’ his spokesperson told TMZ. Scott finally broke his more than month-long silence on Thursday about the tragedy during a sit down with podcaster Charlemagne Tha God. In the interview, Scott blamed his ‘in-ear’ person for not urging him to stop the show sooner, and claimed that he wasn’t aware of or responsible for the fatal stampede and crowd crush. Steven Spielberg brings the 1961 award-winning “West Side Story” back to the big screen and it retains the magic that made it a big hit. Adapted from the 1957 Broadway musical based on the tragic “Romeo and Juliette” tale, the play and `61 movie scooped up numerous accolades and trophies. Spielberg’s “West Side Story” has a new cast that does its own singing, fierce dancers, and a renowned production team. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A5GJLwWiYSg/hqdefault.jpg Rhonda Stubbins White, a television actress who appeared in various titles from the 1990s until this year, has died. She was 60. White’s death was confirmed to PEOPLE via her manager, who said the actress died Monday after a battle with cancer. A friend also shared the news in a comment on White’s Facebook page on Wednesday. “To the friends of Rhonda: It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my dear friend Rhonda Stubbins White,” the statement read. “She was an amazingly talented woman, full of positivity and energy, and grounded by her faith. We were all fortunate to have known her and shared her short time on this earth.” Former NFL coach Hue Jackson was named head coach at Grambling State on Friday. Jackson, 56, last served as a head coach with the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to ’18. He also coached the Raiders in 2011. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee State. Jackson brings more than three decades of coaching experience to Grambling. Before transitioning to the NFL in 2001, he spent 14 seasons as a college assistant, including nine in the Pac-12 at Arizona State, California and USC. https://twitter.com/GSU_TIGERS/status/1469343163798200322/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1469343163798200322%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackchristiannews.com%2F2021%2F12%2Fformer-nfl-coach-hue-jackson-named-head-coach-of-grambling-state-university%2F Brazilian soccer legend Pelé has been hospitalized for chemotherapy treatment of a colon tumor Wednesday, a spokesperson at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital confirmed to CNN. “He is in stable condition and expected to be released in the next few days,” the spokesperson told CNN. Pelé, 81, underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his right colon in September 2021, which was found by doctors during routine examinations. “When the path is difficult, celebrate each step of the journey,” Pele wrote on Instagram at the time. “Focus on your happiness. It’s true that I can’t jump anymore, but these past few days, I’ve been punching the air more times than usual. For decades Kathie Lee Gifford was known as one of the best daytime talk show hosts, and this year she even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Gifford is also a bestselling author, actress, singer, and playwright, but her favorite thing to share with others is her love for Jesus. In her new book, The Jesus I Know: Honest Conversations and Diverse Opinions about Who He Is, Gifford shares details about conversations she’s had with Christians and non-believers who were willing to talk about the role He plays in their lives. Gifford told CBN’s The 700 Club that it was difficult to share her faith with others when she first entered the entertainment industry. “It was a challenge because back then in the ’70s when I really began in earnest by moving to California and seeking God’s will for my gifts, there was a lot of obstacles,” she recalled. “There was a lot of attitude from the Christian community that a nice Christian girl like you doesn’t go into show business. But I’ve known since I was a child that the gifts God put into my heart when I was in my mother’s womb, He was calling me to the mission field, but that was the world.” Chaka Khan detailed in her autobiographical book, “Chaka! Through The Fire,” that she and her ex-husband Richard Holland were once violently assaulted by Natalie Cole’s ex-husband, Rufus drummer, Andre Fischer. According to Chaka Khan, businessman Richard Holland (married to Chaka from 1976-1980), walked into a studio session while Andre Fischer was listening to a playback recording of Richard’s song, “Better Days,” for their then-upcoming Rufus ft. Chaka Khan album, “Ask Rufus.” Chaka says Richard told Andre the recording sounded great. A few minutes later Andre reportedly asked Richard, to talk in the restroom down the hall, for privacy…things quickly got ugly. Chaka says Andre went off on Richard, yelling “Don’t you ever tell me what to do!”. He then punched Richard in the head, but Richard couldn’t completely defend himself, given that he was 5’9" and about 140 pounds, while Andre was 6’5" weighing about 350 pounds, according to Chaka. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9sP6OuTA5EE/hqdefault.jpg Recently, recording artist/actress Kashdoll took to the Twitter-verse to give her opinion on why women find themselves in relationships with dudes who hurt them repeatedly. “I think women take men [back] over and over again [because] they’re afraid of being alone,” she tweeted. https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d12d4b65-fbb3-4751-9c45-d37553a8296e Johnny Gill says he’s ready to go hit-for-hit in a Verzuz battle with Charlie Wilson, Frankie Beverly or Keith Sweat. Speaking with Roland Martin, the New Edition member explains why he wants to share a stage with the three music icons. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rEoTuSIrmVw/hqdefault.jpg Today, GRAMMY Award-winning multi-platinum-selling musician, director and philanthropist, Anderson .Paak, has announced the return of his beloved annual .Paak House event. After one year off due to COVID, the fourth annual .Paak House event Presented by The Brandon Anderson Foundation & Vans, is set to return on December 22nd and will take place in .Paak’s hometown, Oxnard, CA for the very first time ever. As with years past, the event’s cornerstone will be about raising funds to give back to the community with live performances, children’s activities, community outreach & resources, gifting, food, and more. “The place where we’re doing the (benefit) concert is Hope City church, they have a drug program for women that spiritually transforms. Someone gave them a house for a women’s center,” said Brandon Camphor, founder of Brandon Camphor & OneWay or BC1Way, about the reason for their December 10, 2021 benefit concert. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Sp2hVpx6yn4/hqdefault.jpg The National African American Gun Association aims “to have every African American introduced to firearm use for home protection, competitive shooting, and outdoor recreational activities,” according to the group’s mantra. Phil Smith, the President of (NAAGA), aims to “expose, educate, and motivate as many African American men and women” to become proficient with firearms. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aDctZIzclWE/hqdefault.jpg TV One is getting viewers ready for the holiday season with its original programming starting this Sunday, December 12th with the TV One original film, SOMEDAY AT CHRISTMAS airing at 7pm ET/6C. After being stuck in a train station on Christmas Eve, two strangers meet at a bar, only to lose complete contact with each other hours later. They reconnect after an unexpected series of events, but on much more complicated terms. On Sunday, December 19th 7pm ET/6C, viewers can join legendary R&B icon Patti LaBelle along with R&B sensation Tamar Braxton, as they officially usher in the holiday with PATTI LABELLE'S HOLIDAY PARTY. The night will be full of heartfelt dishes and soulful singing that is sure to lift your spirits! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DsWCdhuHXc Grammy award-winning artist Kirk Franklin has had quite the year. Including becoming the true star of the #OmarionChallenge, recently taking the viral dance from the stage to the pulpit, the Gospel legend has been a topic of conversation throughout 2021. In the midst of that conversation, he’s announced a slew of new music, film, and television projects. VIBE caught up with Franklin ahead of the release of his debut holiday film, Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas, to discuss what inspired him to participate in the movie and (of course) its soundtrack. The Christian crooner also discussed his own holiday traditions, his new single with Mariah Carey and Khalid, and the two burning questions we (along with the world) were dying to ask about Omarion and Plies. https://youtu.be/3tH195XLrWE Earlier this week Kirk Franklin, Tamar Braxton, and Buddah Bless joined Sony Music and Sony Music Publushing to partner with the nonprofit organization, Pay Away the Layaway. Together, they paid off lay away balances for Atlanta families! Thank you all for your prayers, and a big thank you to everyone who came out to support last week’s live recording with William Murphy. The testimonies are pouring in and we trust even more grace and favor are on the way with the new music dropping soon! Sign up to receive Worship + Justice exclusives! https://forms.sonymusicfans.com/campaign/bishop-murphy-email-list-sign-up-final-2/ The Supreme Court has ruled that Texas abortion providers can sue over the state’s ban on most abortions, but the justices are allowing the law to remain in effect. The court acted Friday, more than a month after hearing arguments over the law that makes abortion illegal after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo. That’s around six weeks, before some women even know they are pregnant. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. The law has been in place since Sept. 1. The outcome is at best only a partial victory for abortion providers. The same federal judge who already has once blocked the law almost certainly will be asked to do so again. But then his decision will be reviewed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has twice voted to allow enforcement of the abortion ban. The case could return to the justices and so far there have not been five votes on the nine-member court to put the law on hold while the legal fight plays out. The court’s conservative majority also seems likely to roll back abortion rights in a Mississippi case that was argued last week, although that decision is not expected until the spring. An impassioned Mayor-elect Eric Adams delivered a tough-on-crime speech in Manhattan on Thursday, while repeating his warning to Black Lives Matter leader Hawk Newsome not to mess with New York. “We’re not going to surrender to those who are saying, ‘We’re going to burn down New York.’ Not my city,” Adams said at a Police Athletic League event at the Harvard Club. Last month, Newsome threatened “riots, fire and bloodshed” if Adams makes good on a plan to reinstate the NYPD’s anti-gun unit. A billboard honoring Memphis rapper Young Dolph stands above the memorial to him outside Makeada’s Cookies, where he was shot and killed on November 17. “Black Men Deserve to Grow Old” is a campaign from the brand Shop Mom-E-O, formed by Young Dolph’s longtime girlfriend, Mia Jerdine. Jerdine started the campaign after her brother, Jeremy Jerdine, was killed. One-third of the proceeds from merchandise sold on the Shop Mom-E-O site currently goes to three families chosen by the brand, who experienced the loss of a Black son, father, or husband. The brand’s website says that a portion of that money will be used to pay for therapy, financial advisors, and financial support of the families. Meet Marcia Paige, the founder and CEO of Melanin-RX.com, a comprehensive online directory that houses culturally competent doctors, medical professionals, and Black-owned businesses that are allied to the medical community. These include Doulas, Trichologists, Medical Staffing Agencies, Medical Suppliers, and Wellness Products to name a few. Her goal is to bridge the gap between sought-after Black doctors and patients looking to get healed or serviced by someone who looks like them. With the lack of visibility online, Paige became inspired through her own frustration to create an online destination that will not only introduce visitors to providers in their area, it will also stimulate the black economy whether they practice medicine in the inner city or the suburbs it will keep the Black dollar circulating all while healing black families physically and financially. According to U of M Health, during a Stanford University study, they paired black men in Oakland, California with Black and non-Black doctors, the men seen by the Black physicians were more likely to engage with them and even consented to preventative services like cardiovascular screenings and immunizations. The study estimates this approach could reduce the black-white mortality gap due to heart disease by 19%. The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to approve a resolution that would paint the phrase “All Black Lives Matter” at multiple intersections in southern Dallas. The vote happened during the Dec. 8 public meeting and appeared to be unanimous, with no audible objections. According to the resolution, Abounding Prosperity, Inc., a group whose purpose is “to respond to social and health disparities” for Black Dallas residents, would pay for the installation of the crosswalks. The group would also maintain them for the next 10 years. No taxpayer funds would be used, according to the council. https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/local/full-video-all-black-lives-matter-crosswalks-approved-by-dallas-city-council/287-d0c09ee8-d11c-4b43-b111-5be4d1513e77?jwsource=cl This week, reporting from WAMU and DCist was recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) 2021 Salute to Excellence Awards. The awards celebrate journalism and content that best cover and portray the Black experience or address issues affecting the worldwide Black community. WAMU and DCist won the NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards in the following categories: Radio — Top 15 Markets — News: Series For Black Emergency Doctors In Washington, The Pandemic Is Personal Daniella Cheslow, Tyrone Turner, Ingalisa Schrobsdorff Radio — Top 15 Markets — Public Affairs: Segment Rev. William Lamar Talks About White Supremacy, The Black Church And Civil Rights Richard Cunningham (The Kojo Nnamdi Show) Digital Media — Online Project: News The Standoff Over D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza, Illustrated Ruth Tam, Rachel Kurzius WAMU and DCist were nominated among several regional and national news organizations for digital media, and among other radio stations in the Top 15 markets such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Chapel Hill. The nominees were judged based on content, creativity, innovation, use of the medium, and relevance to people or issues of the Black diaspora. Two more Black women have stepped forward with allegations of discrimination and retaliation within the Metropolitan Police Department. Their lawsuit is the third brought by current and former Black, female officers who say the department has a toxic work environment. Lisa Burton and Felicia Carson said they were pushed out of MPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau for complaining about bias, racism and sexism. “I personally was bullied by the white officials in IAB,” Burton said. Burton and Carson spoke at a town hall meeting held Wednesday night at a church in Southeast D.C. “The higher-ups are willfully blind to this behavior,” Carson said. “It’s blatant. My termination was blatant.” After 29 years on the force, Carson says she was unjustly terminated for refusing to look the other way in an internal affairs investigation she led into alleged excessive use of force by a white officer against a Black man. With its latest slate of nominees for the Executive Committee, the USGA is set to have its first Black president in the association’s 128-year history. For 2022, Fred Perpall has been nominated as president-elect, a position the USGA created in 2019 to help with the transition of leadership on the Executive Committee. He would then be in line to take over as president in 2023 after current president Stu Francis finishes the third year of his three-year term. A native of the Bahamas who lives in Dallas, Perpall is CEO of The Beck Group where he oversees the company’s architectural design, planning, real estate consultancy and construction businesses. He has served on the USGA Executive Committee since 2019 and currently chairs the Championship Committee as well as working on the Amateur Status Committee. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees that helped build Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas. Perpall, 47, played basketball and ran track at the University of Texas at Arlington and was a member of the 1994 Bahamian national basketball team. Sinclair Eaddy Jr., of Baltimore, Md., and Kevin Hammer of Boyton Beach, Fla., also have been nominated to serve three-year terms on the Executive Committee, replacing the outgoing Mike Bailey and Stephen Beebe. The association’s candidates will be voted on at the upcoming USGA Annual Meeting in February. Former Newport News city councilman, Purple Heart recipient and pastor Woodrow M. Brown Jr. died last week at age 77. Brown was the first Black man elected to the Newport News City Council and spent years serving the First Baptist Church East End. He was a member of the 1st Infantry Division during the Vietnam War when he was wounded in action. Brown’s sister, Woodrena Curtis, heard from one of her brother’s fellow soldiers that Brown was believed to be dead and had been placed inside of a body bag. “He heard movement in one of the black bags and when he unzipped the bag, it was my brother Woodrow,” Curtis said. “He told me he had to take a water hose and spray it to get the mud off — that’s when they found my brother alive.” Brown returned home and worked at the Newport News Shipyard and sold life insurance before becoming a minister and councilman. “From that experience and all that he went through recovering from his injuries, he felt that God brought him back and that was his reason for going into the ministry,” Curtis said. Joe Morrow had just finished a 12-hour shift as an “order picker” at a grocery distributor in Hopkins last year when he stopped at a U.S. Bank branch in Columbia Heights to cash his paycheck. Despite having an account with the bank and showing his ID, that simple transaction led to a call to police, threats of arrest, and Morrow being placed in handcuffs. A bank manager told officers he suspected the check was a fake, but police body camera video shows he only called Morrow’s employer for verification after the 23-year-old Black man was removed from his office. https://kstp.com/news/banking-while-black-police-video-shows-how-cashing-a-paycheck-led-to-handcuffs/6324616/ A Fayetteville State University senior communications student was nominated to participate in the inaugural Black News Channel HBCU Journalism Project. DorMiya Vance, a Goldsboro native, was one of the 20 HBCU students who were chosen to participate in BNC’s Virtual Media Day. Following the virtual event, students had to write and publish an original story in their student newspaper within 10 days about topics that were discussed during the virtual event. Eight students were chosen for the projects’ next stage, including Vance. As one of the eight finalists, Vance has her work showcased on the Black New Channel’s website with an online poll that allowed fans to vote for their favorite stories. The final four finalists, who will be chosen around Dec. 20, will be offered paid internships at BNC in the summer of 2022. Vance said she took on the 10-day assignment that helped her become one of the finalists with ease. At first glance, the image looks like a standard drawing that could easily be found in the pages of a medical textbook or on the walls of a doctor’s office. But what sets apart the illustration of a fetus in the womb that recently captured the attention of the internet is a simple, yet crucial, detail: its darker skin tone. The image, created by Nigerian medical student and illustrator Chidiebere Ibe, struck a chord with countless people on social media, many of whom said that they had never seen a Black fetus or a Black pregnant woman depicted before. It also brought attention to a larger issue at hand: A lack of diversity in medical illustrations. (While most fetuses are red in color — newborns come out dark pink or red and only gradually develop the skin tone they will have for life — the medical illustration is intended to represent patients who aren’t used to seeing their skin tones in such images.) The estate of TuPac Shakur is celebrating the late rapper’s legacy with a newly unveiled NFT (non-fungible token) series entitled “The Immortal Collection,” which drops next week. As reported by Complex, “the four-piece range was created in partnership with Digital Arts & Sciences and Impossible Brief, one of the world’s leading specialists in digital art and collectibles,” the outlet writes. “The four-piece Immortal Collection is based on and connected to what Tupac saw in himself, in the stories he felt were worthy of telling, and what connects everyone to each other: ARTIST, ACTIVIST, SINNER, SAINT,” a press release reads. Ralph Tavares of the R&B group Tavares died Wednesday at his home in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. He was 79, and would’ve turned 80 today, Dec. 10. His cause of death has not yet been released. The Grammy-winning group featured Ralph and his four other brothers, Antone Laurence “Chubby” Tavares, Perry Lee “Tiny” Tavares, Feliciano Vierra “Butch” Tavares Jr., and Arthur Paul “Pooch” Tavares. Ralph Tavares was the eldest. In 1975, they released their smash hit “It Only Takes a Minute.” They performed it on “Soul Train.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zMd7hGAI4js/hqdefault.jpg Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, whose quiet demeanor belied a burning desire to achieve what he routinely called “everyday greatness,” has died at the age of 33, according to police. Roswell, Georgia, police said Thursday night that Thomas was found dead in his home. Preliminary reports, according to the police, indicated Thomas’ death might have resulted from a medical issue. Thomas, who would’ve turned 34 on Christmas, had officially announced his retirement from the NFL this past June with a short video with a peace sign and his characteristic smile. “I’m Demaryius Thomas. I finally came to a decision to hang it up … I’m going to retire and I’m going to retire a Denver Bronco … I’m done and I did well.” Several former teammates and opponents took to social media early Thursday night as reports of Thomas’ death began to appear. Multiple former teammates said Thursday night Thomas might have suffered from seizures in recent months. https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1469175047130595330%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackchristiannews.com%2F2021%2F12%2Fformer-denver-broncos-wide-receiver-and-super-bowl-champion-demaryius-thomas-dies-at-age-33%2F Superfly” actor and rapper Kaalan “KR” Walker is accused of raping over 30 women that he allegedly met via social media while posing as a photographer. As reported by MadameNoire, the rape and sexual abuse allegations date back as far as 2013. Walker pleaded not guilty to 6 counts of rape and 2 counts of unlawful intercourse with a minor, in addition to multiple felonies, AceSHowBiz reported. Walker’s attorney argued that all the encounters with the alleged victims “was in consensual and voluntary contact.” Walker’s attorney continued, “There’s no abduction rape. There’s no forced rape. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-cJz4KzfdQY/hqdefault.jpg Showtime is coming to HBO. HBO’s new drama series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties. The team, collectively christened “Showtime,” defined an era, both on and off the court. It will debut March 2022 with ten episodes on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The ensemble cast includes: John C. Reilly, Quincy Isaiah, Jason Clarke, Adrien Brody, Gaby Hoffman, Tracy Letts, Jason Segel, Julianne Nicholson, Hadley Robinson, Dr. Solomon Hughes, Tamera Tomakili, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Joey Brooks, Sarah Ramos, Spencer Garrett, Molly Gordon, DeVaughn Nixon, Delante Desouza, Jimel Atkins, Austin Aaron, Jon Young with Rob Morgan and Sally Field. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TYOlUZrHRT8/hqdefault.jpg It’s not possible to defeat Father Time. We all know this. But that doesn’t mean that LeBron James isn’t going to go 12 rounds with him. At 37 years old, it’s incredible that LeBron is able to play at such a high level. He’s averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, and has scored over 30 points in each of the Lakers’ last three games. The team is on a mission to win a championship, and it starts with King James. The Patriots are one of the NFL’s most successful franchises, winning six Super Bowls under the disciplined operation coach Bill Belichick has cultivated over the past two decades. They aren’t exempt from having room to improve when hiring minority assistant coaches. Eighteen of the 56 assistants (32%) Belichick has employed in full-time roles during his 22 years in New England have been minorities. Excluding strength and conditioning coaches, the number drops to 13, or just 25%. Both numbers fall below the 36% of minority assistants on coaching staffs across the NFL in 2020, according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports’ most recent Race and Gender Report Card. Of Belichick’s hires during his tenure in New England, former Browns and Texans coach Romeo Crennel, Dolphins coach Brian Flores and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are the only ones to have risen to the coordinator or head coaching ranks. Belichick is trying to change that. The Patriots began this season with eight minority assistants: longtime running backs coach Ivan Fears, receivers coach Troy Brown, defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington, inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates, strength coaches Moses Cabrera and Deron Mayo, and defensive coach Ross Douglas, a Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellow. Covington, Brown and Yates are also alums of NFL fellowship programs. It is the most minority assistants Belichick has ever had on his staff in a single season Tony Elliott, Clemson’s offensive coordinator and a staple on the Tigers’ championship teams under Dabo Swinney, has been hired as the next head football coach at Virginia, the school announced Friday. Elliott traveled to Charlottesville on Wednesday with his family to meet with UVa athletic director Carla Williams and school officials but returned on Thursday without a deal in place. He was also heavily pursued by Duke for the Blue Devils’ head-coaching job. After spending Thursday night and much of Friday contemplating his options, Elliott informed Virginia officials on Friday afternoon that he was taking the job. At one point, a source close to Elliott indicated that he was torn about what to do. Earlier Friday morning before Elliott decided to take the Virginia job, the Virginia Board of Visitors approved a request from the athletic department to transfer $10.3 million from the UVa endowment to go toward a proposed $65 million football facility. Congratulations to actor/singer Marques Houston and wife Miya Dickey who just welcomed their first baby! The two confirmed the big news to Us Weekly. “Miya chose the name Zara because she just felt like it was exotic. [There was] no special reason,” Houston, 40, told the outlet today. “She just wanted our girl to have a memorable name that wasn’t the average name. It still feels surreal, like, it hasn’t set in yet that we are actually not just babysitting one of our friends’ kids. But not getting any sleep definitely reminds us that we are now parents.” The pair who kept their pregnancy under wraps got engaged in March 2019 after five months of dating. Miyah , 20, said yes and the two tied the knot in August 2020 in California, two months after Houston defended their age difference. Known for playing diverse characters, Rhonda Morman is one of the ‘shining’ stars in Hollywood. Full of talent, charisma and resilience, Morman will be seen in the new Hallmark movie, “Sister Swap: Christmas in The City,” directed by Sean McNamara and produced by Neal Dodson which also stars Keith Robinson, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ashley Williams, Jacob Buster, and Logan Donovan. The ‘feel-good’ romantic holiday movie will air on the Hallmark Channel, the night of December 12th. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6p5olweoY-M/hqdefault.jpg Porsha and Simon finally have a date for their wedding! Last week Porsha appeared on the Tamron Hall Show, where she shared she didn’t have a date set yet for the wedding, that had many people questioning whether the couple were serious about getting married but Porsha has revealed the date is set… we just won’t know it yet. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXPrcd-AN_B/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The owners of Kai’s Crab Boil in Columbus, Ohio, are searching for a customer who slapped an employee, and the incident was captured on video. The assault reportedly happened Thursday night, when the customer had trouble with a credit card payment. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kkS2GuxYepE/hqdefault.jpg An obsessed Halle Berry fan is suing her for harassing him, but the problem with his case is that he does not know the actress nor has he ever met her. “Ms. Berry agrees she does not know [the person]. She has never had any communications with him — whether electronic, electromagnetic, or otherwise. She does not recognize his phone number, mailing address, or email address and she has never spoken with, texted, or emailed him,” reads the legal response filed by Berry. Time magazine named 24-year-old, 4x Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles the 2021 Athlete of the Year. Time magazine named 24-year-old, 4x Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles the 2021 Athlete of the Year. The footprint of the Orlando Magic’s 2021-22 campaign is buried at the bottom. They tout the league’s worst net rating (-11.0) and second-worst record (4-17). Each of their Southeast Division counterparts are above .500 and in the playoff hunt, including a pair of top-three seeds. Along with the Detroit Pistons, they’re one of just two Eastern Conference squads more than two games removed from a play-in spot. Do not confuse short-term struggles as a harbinger for a rebuild spiraling awry, though. Through the season’s quarter poll, Orlando is cultivating a crystalized vision of future success. After a troublesome rookie year, Cole Anthony is operating with more poise and shot-making prowess to assert himself as a bona fide ball-handler. Despite a thorny beginning, fifth overall pick Jalen Suggs is establishing some footing in recent weeks. New head coach Jahmal Mosley is diagramming creative schemes and deploying the young guys in predominantly optimal settings. Aside from Anthony’s newfound exploits, the crux of all these encouraging developments resides in the Magic’s frontcourt of Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba. Together, this trio is showcasing a complementary offensive portfolio to amplify a lead initiator (Anthony or otherwise) and anchor a stingy defense. https://streamable.com/sw2xdh Just in case some of you missed it, this past weekend we saw two of America’s top lightweights go at it against some very tough and relentless opponents in an effort to defend their respected titles this past Saturday and Sunday night. First, we saw Devin “The Dream” Haney defend his WBC lightweight title against Jojo Diaz in a bout that took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Folks I got to tell you something, this young man is only 23 and has the maturity and skill level of someone much older and showed us why he deserves to be given his props as he displayed superb boxing skills through 12 rounds. He was constantly sticking and moving using the jabs and hooks to the body and uppercuts throughout to the chin of Diaz who himself fought a game and courageous fight landing his own power punches as the fight progressed but he just couldn’t match the speed and counterpunch of Haney who some have compared to Floyd Mayweather Jr. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/68su02jgpts/hqdefault.jpg Tessica Brown — famously known as ‘Gorilla Glue Girl’ – has reportedly received stem cell therapy to restore her hair after a botched dye job. Brown is making headlines once again over her hair mishaps. This time, the viral Instagram star uploaded a new video to the platform in which she explains that her hair is falling out. In the video, Brown says she keeps her natural hair, but when she noticed a “gray hair here, a gray hair there,” she decided to dye her hair. “So me thinking that my hair is strong enough to take chemicals, dude no it wasn’t,” she says in the video “I put the dye in, jumped in the shower rinsing it out and as I’m rinsing it out, dude, my hair, my hair is coming out as I’m rinsing my hair out.” She goes on to show her followers that clumps of hair is falling out. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW_TiROAtHU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Hallmark Channel launched a slate of holiday films that are airing throughout the month of December. A Holiday In Harlem: Olivia Washington (“Mr. Robot,” The Little Things), Will Adams (“The Oval”) and Tina Lifford (“Queen Sugar,” Babe) star in “A Holiday in Harlem,” a new, original movie on Hallmark Channel, as part of the network’s “Countdown to Christmas” programming event – your home for the holiday. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lAS6rod7bF4/hqdefault.jpg The Hallmark Channel launched a slate of holiday films that are airing throughout the month of December. A Christmas Treasure: Jordin Sparks (“American Idol,” Sparkle) and Michael Xavier (“Christmas Comes Twice,” Beware of the Midwife) star in “A Christmas Treasure,” on Hallmark Channel as part of the network’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event. Sparks sings two classic Christmas songs in the movie, covering “This Christmas” and on the piano, “Oh Holy Night.” Her original song from her 2020 Christmas album Cider & Hennessy, “Oh, It’s Christmas,” will also be part of the movie. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1GFCmfyO6Tw/hqdefault.jpg The Hallmark Channel launched a slate of holiday films that are airing throughout the month of December. Christmas In Harmony: Ashleigh Murray (“Riverdale”) and Luke James (Little, Star), star in “Christmas in Harmony,” alongside Loretta Devine (Queen Bees, Family Reunion) and Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child, The Masked Singer) a new, original movie premiering on Hallmark Channel as part of the network’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event, your home for the holiday. Michelle Williams sings two original songs in the movie, “Christmas Star” and “Run,” and Luke James also sings an original song, “Ebb N Flo.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l-0-XjH3Avc/hqdefault.jpg The Hallmark Channel launched a slate of holiday films that are airing throughout the month of December. Our Christmas Journey: Holly Robinson Peete (“American Housewife”) Lyriq Bent (Acrimony), Nik Sanchez (“The Rookie”), Aloma Wright (“Suits”) and newcomer Hilda Martin are a family at a crossroads in “Our Christmas Journey,” a new original on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries as part of the network’s annual “Miracles of Christmas” programming event – your home for the holiday. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V00kwaZeve0/hqdefault.jpg The Hallmark Channel launched a slate of holiday films that are airing throughout the month of December. THE SANTA STAKEOUT: Tamera Mowry-Housley (“The Real,” “Christmas Comes Twice”), Paul Campbell (“Turner & Hooch,” “Christmas by Starlight”) and Joe Pantoliano (Bad Boys for Life, The Matrix) star in “The Santa Stakeout,” a new, original movie on Hallmark Channel as part of the network’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event, your home for the holiday. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AE5o8WJLCdY/hqdefault.jpg A jury in Chicago has convicted Jussie Smollett. The actor was found guilty on 5 felony counts and not guilty on the 6th. He was charged with 6 felony counts of lying to police. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ar9QTODJHp8/hqdefault.jpg On the Thursday, December 9 edition of “Tamron Hall,” actors Kristin Davis and Nicole Ari Parker, co-stars of HBO Max’s “And Just Like That…,” which premiered today, joined the show to discuss what it was like returning to work on the legendary “Sex and the City” revival and how an emphasis on diversity plays a role in this new iteration. Davis and Parker also spoke about the devastating passing of their castmate Willie Garson. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1iKFlPQIF6Q/hqdefault.jpg GHallmark Channel launched a slate of holiday films that are airing throughout the month of December, starring some of your favorite celebs, including Jordin Sparks, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Loretta Devine, Holly Robinson Peete and Tamera Mowry-Housley. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lAS6rod7bF4/hqdefault.jpg Disgraced reality TV star Josh Duggar faces decades in prison after he was found guilty today of downloading a vile trove of ‘the worst of the worst’ child porn. Jurors deliberated for six hours before returning guilty verdicts on charges of possessing child pornography and receipt of child pornography, both punishable by 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. Duggar, 33, glanced anxiously toward his wife Anna and dad Jim Bob but showed little emotion as each juror was asked individually to reaffirm their decision. https://youtu.be/GY-gps3Uxcs The 33-year-old performer, whose real name is Vincent Cohran, was gunned down at around 7.50pm on Wednesday in Inglewood near the intersection of Manchester Boulevard and 7th Avenue. No arrests have been made and the motive and circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear. The shooting came just hours after Slim 400 released a new music video for the song Caviar Gold, and follows a brush with death in 2019 when the rapper was shot eight times. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10292689/Rapper-Slim-400-shot-dead-Los-Angeles.html#i-805aced1e1892587 Prophetess Juanita Bynum goes off on women who go to church with no bra, no panties, and no stockings, and who Dress Immodestly. This article was transcribed from a recording of a message delivered on January 30, 2017 https://youtu.be/UNbbm4fHuwg A Catholic diocese in Michigan has instructed its pastors to deny baptism, confirmation and other sacraments to transgender and nonbinary people unless they have “repented” — possibly the first diocese in the United States to issue such a sweeping policy about those who identify with a gender other than their sex assigned at birth. The guidance issued by the Diocese of Marquette also stipulates that transgender people may not receive Communion, in which Catholics believe the body and blood of Jesus Christ are truly present. In most circumstances, they cannot receive the anointing of the sick, which is meant to provide physical or spiritual healing to those who are seriously ill. The guidance was issued in July but only recently sparked a debate after a prominent priest and advocate for LGBTQ Catholics shared it on Twitter. “Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers” is setting even more records after becoming Fathom Events’ best-selling and most highly attended event in its history. THE CHOSEN’S depiction of the Christmas story soared to $9 million in sales last weekend, according to Forbes. The film, which depicts the birth of Jesus Christ from the perspectives of Mary and Joseph, can be seen in 1,700 movie theaters across the county until December 12th. Despite becoming a box-office hit this holiday season, the film’s creator, writer, and director, Dallas Jenkins, told CBN’s “The PrayerLink” he does not look at numbers as a measure of success. “For me, it’s about impact and seeing what God is doing,” Jenkins said. “God has something to say and I’m just wanting to be a part of it.” Tiger Woods is returning to competition next week with 12-year-old son Charlie in the PNC Championship, just 10 months after his right leg was badly damaged in a car crash. ‘Although it’s been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the PNC Championship with my son Charlie,’ Woods tweeted. ‘I’m playing as a Dad and couldn’t be more excited and proud.’ It will be his first competition, even in a tournament Woods described last week as the ‘hit-and-giggle’ variety that he can play, since he and his son tied for seventh a year ago in the unofficial event that pairs family members. Former New Orleans Saints defensive end Glenn Foster Jr. died in custody on Monday. Foster, 31, was arrested Saturday morning after he was involved in a high-speed chase with police that ended in a crash and a short stint in jail during which he was unable to receive medical help, his family says. He was later involved in a fight with a detainee and two guards, and his father, Glenn Foster Sr. said he saw an ambulance arrive at the Pickens County Jail on Monday. The elder Foster said he had asked if the ambulance was there for his son, and was told it was at the jail because his son had fought with another detainee and two prison guards. Jail records obtained by the Tuscaloosa News show that Foster was charged on Sunday with three counts of simple assault and one count of third degree robbery. He was accused of being involved in a fight in which he allegedly sought ‘to prevent a sheriff’s deputy and correctional officer from performing a lawful duty.’ Foster’s father said he later learned that deputies at some point drove his son in a patrol cruiser to a hospital and that he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Olympic bobsledding champion Kaillie Humphries is elated over one of her latest titles: American citizen. Humphries, a native of Canada who is a two-time Olympic gold medalist for that country, is slated to compete on the U.S. Olympic team after officially becoming a citizen in San Diego last Thursday — a development she has been exuberant to discuss. “I wanted to become an American. This is more than just sport. It’s a way of life. It’s who I am becoming,” she told USA Today. “And I think there was much more to it than just one opportunity at the end of the rainbow.” Humphries shared a photo of herself smiling after getting her citizenship. The image shows her wrapped in a U.S. flag while holding a smaller American flag in her right hand. Today, Urban One announced the superstar group of honorees for the upcoming URBAN ONE HONORS including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspirational Impact; and Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon. Hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo, the two-hour telecast premieres Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kMYx3Eunmg Globally acclaimed record label Motown Gospel (a division of Capitol CMG/Capitol and Universal Music Group) announces the signing of four-time GRAMMY® nominated duo The Baylor Project to an exclusive distribution agreement, in partnership with their artist-owned label, Be A Light. Their celebrated latest project, Generations, becomes available for the first time across all streaming platforms on December 10, 2021. The Baylor Project features vocalist Jean Baylor and drummer Marcus Baylor, married musical partners with backgrounds deeply rooted in the church. Before forming The Baylor Project in 2013, Jean Baylor burst onto the scene in the mid-1990’s as part of the groundbreaking R&B duo Zhané. Marcus Baylor first rose to prominence in the early 2000’s as the drummer for the world-renowned, GRAMMY®-Award-winning fusion group Yellowjackets. Their debut album, The Journey, spawned two GRAMMY® nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance. Last year, their pandemic-era single “Sit On Down” was GRAMMY® nominated in the latter category for a second time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1FAcdimVS8&feature=youtu.be Sunday, December 12 at 8 p.m. ET, McDonald's USA will deliver the gift of music to McDonald's fans through its Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour Holiday Experience. In partnership with BET, award-winning and emerging gospel artists including Yolanda Adams, Kurt Carr, James Fortune, The Walls Group, and Brian Courtney Wilson, and BET's Sunday Best winner Stephanie Summers, will grace the virtual stage to ring in the season with some of their chart-topping hits and holiday carols and gospel music many love. Show performers will come together to premiere "Christmas Spirit," a feel-good song written and produced by chart-topping gospel artist, Sir the Baptist. Written exclusively for this Holiday Experience, the tune merges traditional gospel music with contemporary hip-hop sounds. Bryan Abrams, former front-man and founding member of the Billboard chart-topping iconic 90’s R&B/Pop crossover group Color Me Badd, is set to embark on his long-held dream of a solo career with the release of his new single, “Because of You” on December 10. Available for pre-order since November 23, the stirring ballad was co-produced by long-time collaborator Hamza Lee. The song is also featured in the Leslie Small-directed motion picture, For The Love of Money, which premiered in theaters nationwide on November 24 starring Kat Williams, Rotimi and Keri Hilson. https://ffm.to/bryanabramsbecauseofyou!PR GSN-Kamala Harris, the nation’s first Black and woman vice president, on Wednesday cast the historic tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate to confirm Rachael Rollins as the first-ever Black woman to be U.S. attorney for Massachusetts. It was a long time coming, too, as Rollins — a progressive prosecutor from Boston who has been serving as Suffolk County District Attorney for nearly the past three years — and her Senate confirmation hearing faced multiple delays amid staunch Republican opposition. Harris’ vote broke a partisan 50-50 tie as Senate Republicans insisted on branding Rollins as “a radical intent on dismantling the criminal justice system from the inside,” as the Boston Globe put it. GSN-The writing was already on the wall as Rittenhouse had the benefit of an overwhelmingly white Wisconsin jury, a judge who probably has his face tatted on his lower back by now and an army of right-wing pundits, politicians and MAGA-mutts rallying behind him. So it wasn’t so much the acquittal that folks was dreading as much as it was the righty-whitey fame that was sure to follow. So now, the “kill, cry and skate” poster child is making appearances on Republican link network Fox News, Donald Trump and being interviewed by conservative podcasters. In fact, just this week, Rittenhouse was featured on the You Are Here show, which airs on BlazeTV—which is basically Fox News for redneck, where he expressed his super saltiness over NBA superstar LeBron James laughing at the non-existent white tears he fake cried while taking the stand in his own defense. https://youtu.be/deAZ8_Jzcsk GSN-Rich Paul might be the most influential person in all of sports outside of Lebron James and he can’t dunk to save his life. Paul, who is a childhood friend of Lebron James, started as James’ agent in 2012, Now KLUTCH Sports represents some of the sport’s biggest names. Over the past decade, Paul has grown well from beneath the shadow of Lebron and has turned himself into a master negotiator and his bold approach has frustrated many NBA executives. During the 2018-2019 NBA season Paul made it public that his client Anthony Davis had no interest in returning to the New Orleans Pelicans. This forced the Pelicans to have to trade Davis before his contract had expired. Bold moves like these are why Paul is driving the league crazy. Recently Paul has come under scrutiny for his handling of Sixers star Ben Simmons. Simmons and Paul have both stated that Simmons wants out of Philly, but Simmons hasn’t shown up to play a game this season. Sports insiders believe Rich Paul has been behind most of the decisions coming from the Simmons camp and calculated risks are where Paul shines the most. Here are things you might not know about Rich Paul, the most powerful man in sports. Love seems to be blossoming for Adele after a years-long contentious divorce battle with her ex-husband Simon Konecki, which was finalized back in March. Romance rumors involving the crooner began to surface after she was spotted on what appeared to be a hot date with big-time sports agent Rich Paul. The Sun obtained photos of the suspected lovebirds flirting while out at New York’s posh restaurant Cipriani. A week before, Rich and Adele were caught canoodling courtside at Game 5 of the NBA Finals. GSN-Travis Scott has given his first interview since the Astroworld Festival tragedy, telling Charlamagne Tha God that he’s been on an “emotional rollercoaster” in recent days. The rapper appears quite detached in the interview and does not take responsibility for the fatalities at his hometown music festival in Houston last month. “I’ve been on different types of emotions, an emotional rollercoaster, I mean,” he said. “It gets so hard because, you know, I always feel connected with my fans. I went through something and I feel like fans went through something and people’s parents went through something. And it really hurts. It hurts the community, it hurts the city. There’s been a lot of thoughts, a lot of feelings, a lot of grieving, and just trying to wrap my head around it.” Scott has so far been named in more than 200 lawsuits related to the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured. Meanwhile, a $2 billion lawsuit was filed against Scott, Drake, Apple Music, Live Nation, and NRG Stadium, where the event was held, on behalf of the 282 victims who were physically or mentally impacted by the tragedy. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FS9SvGvbSgw/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Chris Cuomo has lost a book deal and severance pay from CNN after he was fired by the network on Saturday. Cuomo was canned four days after being suspended following an investigation by state Attorney General Letitia James that uncovered his efforts to help his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, respond to accusations of sexual misconduct. The sexual harassment allegations led Andrew Cuomo to resign in August. Now comes word that the news anchor has lost his book deal and severance. According to the Daily Beast, the publishing company HarperCollins will no longer be publishing Cuomo’s upcoming book “Deep Denial,” which was slated to release in the fall of 2022. A spokesperson simply said, “We do not intend to publish the book.” GSN-Wendy Williams insiders claim she is “never coming back” to resume hosting her daytime talk show. Now comes word that her health-related hiatus will extend through at least February 2022. Wendy Williams insiders claim she is “never coming back” to resume hosting her daytime talk show. Now comes word that her health-related hiatus will extend through at least February 2022. As reported by Page Six, guest hosts will continue to fill in throughout January when the show returns from its holiday hiatus. Williams is reportedly battling Graves’ disease complications, and recovering from a breakthrough case of COVID-19. She also voluntarily checked herself into Beth Israel hospital for psychiatric care. GSN-Here is an exclusive clip from three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry’s upcoming new interview podcast Fifteen Minutes from Home, which debuts TODAY (Dec. 9) on Audible. The clip is from his interview with Kevin Hart who discusses the perception of Black fathers. Listen below. Per press release, Fifteen Minutes from Home, which is based on the current hit series 5 Minutes from Home on YouTube, gives listeners a disarming and intimate peek into the lives of superstars. In each episode, Curry rides home from one of his games with a celebrity or expert, seeking insights on subjects like comebacks, work-life balance and more. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51hU9sLjBbL._SL500_.jpg GSN-Footage of a white woman accusing a Black man of stealing her phone has gone viral, but the phone was in her purse the entire time. The incident reportedly occurred at Spencer’s inside the Sunrise Mall in Sacramento, and the footage has gone viral. The clip was originally uploaded Monday by a person claiming to be the spouse of the Black man named Kinley. The video has amassed over 2.2 million views and has the caption: “Karen really pulled this at a Spencer’s. Racism alive and well.” In the video, the unnamed woman accuses the Black man of walking behind her and taking her cell phone out of her bag. “I had it, and then you walked right behind me and you took it,” she says in the video. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/12/09/4765919930880050712/1024x576_MP4_4765919930880050712.mp4 GSN-Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo is one of the world’s leading spinal and orthopedic surgeons. His specialty is treating degenerative spinal diseases, spinal deformities, and cervical, lumbar, and thoracic conditions. As head of The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care, Dr. Okubadejo has offices in Englewood and Jersey City, New Jersey, and New York City. Dr. Okubadejo, through his Institute, specializes in treating patients with herniated discs, sciatica, neck and back pain. He performs spinal fusion surgery, robotic spine surgery, laser spine surgery, and addresses issues to help patients manage pain. While Dr. Okubadejo, who is often called Dr. Bo, is a master spinal and orthopedic surgeon, he believes in the power of preventive measures that can often prevent surgery. A huge part of his preventive philosophies and strategies are rooted in core strengthening exercises. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b5Qqu91wIg4/hqdefault.jpg Boris Johnson is poised to announce Plan B restrictions TODAY that will require Brits to work from home and use vaccine passports imminently. Experts have warned that cases of the Omicron variant could cause 1,000 hospitalizations a day by the end of the year. Government sources told The Sun that the tough measures could take effect as early as tomorrow morning. Senior Cabinet Ministers are meeting to rubber-stamp the changes that signal a fresh blow to hopes of a normal Christmas. Leaked minutes from Sage seen by the BBC show that if extra restrictions aren’t implemented, then there will be a rise in hospitalizations. At present there are around 680 people a day being admitted to hospital with the bug. Jurors in the trial of Minnesota police officer Kim Potter were shown the dramatic moment she collapsed to the ground screaming ‘I shot him, oh my god’ after she had aimed her gun instead of her taser at fleeing Daunte Wright. Prosecutors played distressing never-before-seen dash cam footage of the April 11 incident which also showed how Wright sped off in his car shortly after being shot, before coming to a stop when he hits another vehicle down the road. At the same time, the stunned former officer can be heard shouting hysterically, ‘I just shot him. I grabbed the wrong f**king gun’ immediately after firing her weapon. Potter, 49, claims she shot the 20-year-old ‘by accident’ when she reached for her gun instead of her taser during a traffic stop. Her defense in the high-profile trial is expected to lean heavily on the fact that Wright was attempting to flee when she did so. Prosecutor Erin Eldridge told jurors that Potter, who was with the police department in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, betrayed her badge, her oath, and Wright when she drew her Glock 9 mm and shot him in the chest at point blank range as opening statements got underway Wednesday morning. The 39-year-old actor was pictured arriving on Wednesday surrounded by his family, who have supported him throughout. He held hands with his mother Janet and his sister Jurnee. Then they suggested that the pair wanted to scare him into thinking that he needed security, and that he’d hire them as his bodyguards. The brothers say Smollett paid them $3500 to carry out the attack so that he’d get more attention, and that he never intended for the case to be reported to police much less become a national scandal. The jury of five white men, five white women, one Hispanic woman and one black man will have to consider six counts of felony disorderly conduct. All are class four felonies, the least serious, and carry a maximum sentence of three years behind bars each, but attorneys say they don’t think it’s likely Smollett – who has no criminal record – will spend ‘a day in jail.’ The Justice Department’s decision to close its investigation of Emmett Till’s slaying all but ended the possibility of new charges in the teen’s death 66 years ago, yet agents are still probing as many as 20 other civil rights cold cases, including the police killings of 13 Black men in three Southern states decades ago. The department is reviewing the killings of six men shot by police during a racial rebellion in Augusta, Georgia, in 1970, according to the agency’s latest report to Congress. The city best known for hosting golf’s Masters Tournament had been engulfed by riots after a Black teenager was beaten to death in the county jail. The agency also is investigating the killings of seven other Black men involved in student protests in South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana during the societal upheaval of the late 1960s and early ‘70s. And investigators are looking at cases in which seven more individuals were killed, including a girl in Pennsylvania, the report showed. The Tacoma Police Department has announced that Avery Moore, former Dallas police investigations leader, will be the department’s new chief. According to Tacoma police, Moore was confirmed as the new police chief by the Tacoma City Council on Tuesday. He starts on his new role on Jan. 18, 2022. He was previously selected by Tacoma City Manager Elizabeth Pauli, and Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards confirming the selection. Moore, 55, is a 31-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. He previously served as assistant chief of police for the Investigations Bureau. He also about 700 officers in the East Patrol Bureau, worked as a SWAT commander, and the legislative affairs liaison during his tenure with the Dallas Police Department. Moore and the other finalists faced a recruitment process that involved taking questions and answers from the city council and the public. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A white man in Tennessee has been hit with an assault charge and his mother fired from her banking job for allegedly harassing a Black man inside their apartment complex, who was actually a hired parking attendant. Johnny Martinez was checking cars parked in the River House’s garage for permits on Nov. 27, when he realized he was being watched by two people, identified as Edward Brennan and his mother, Bitsy. Martinez told the Daily Beast he worked to avoid them, but that he was eventually approached by Bitsy. “You don’t belong here,” she told him. “How did you get here?” In a video originally posted on YouTube, Martinez can be seen filming the mother and son as they question him and threaten to call the cops. Just a few seconds into the conversation, Brennan can be seen taking a swing at Martinez, knocking a bottle opener off his keychain. When Martinez went down to pick it up, he said Brennan attempted once again to hit him. The ongoing, and years-long, fight over the forthcoming Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is heating up. Activists recently released a new set of demands for the project aimed at combating gentrification. They aren’t protesting the center itself but are working to stop development from displacing them. “We’re not against the center,” Dixon Romeo, an organizer with the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition, told Insider. He added that South Shore residents were among those who sent Obama to Springfield as an Illinois senator and later the White House. “The issue is if you’re not investing in community members and the costs are going up, there’s nothing in place for folks to stay, it becomes harder for folks to live there,” he added. Even though residents of the South Shore neighborhood voted overwhelmingly for the Democrat both in 2008 and 2012, they stand to lose their homes should the project cause rents and home prices to skyrocket even further. A federal jury in Arkansas has begun deliberations in the trial of former reality TV star Josh Duggar, who is accused of receiving and possessing child pornography. The jury began its deliberations at midday Wednesday, a week after the trial began in northwest Arkansas. Duggar, 33, faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the two counts if convicted. He was featured on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” which was pulled in 2015 over revelations that Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. Duggar was charged in April after child pornography was discovered on a computer at his workplace. Defense attorneys for Duggar have argued that someone else downloaded or placed the child pornography onto the work computer, noting that no child pornography was found on Duggar’s phone or laptop. But federal prosecutors showed jurors detailed logs showing, minute by minute, the activity on Duggar’s computer that alternated between him sending personal messages, downloading child porn and saving pictures of notes. Duggar’s trial is happening as his father, Jim Bob Duggar, runs in a special election for a vacant state Senate seat in northwest Arkansas. Jim Bob Duggar was also featured prominently on the TLC show and previously served in the Arkansas House. Alec Baldwin whipped around and barreled toward a reporter questioning his claim that he’d never pulled the trigger of the gun that shot dead Halyna Hutchins before he skulked into Woody Allen’s Upper East Side townhouse on Monday night. ‘You’re not allowed to photograph onto someone’s private home,’ Baldwin shouted at New York Post reporter Jon Levine, gesturing with the umbrella gripped tightly in his hand and sending Levine backing up onto the sidewalk. ‘Did you really not pull the trigger? Do you believe it went off without you pulling the trigger? Was it a malfunction?’ Levine asked as the door closed behind the Baldwins. Steve Harvey is back to host the Miss Universe 2021 competition — but this time, he’ll be sharing the moment with his daughter Lori Harvey. The Family Feud star, 64, will be joined this year by his 24-year-old daughter, who will be a part of Miss Universe selection committee, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal. The selection committee will also include supermodel Adriana Lima, Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, actresses Urvashi Rautela, Marian Rivera, Adamari López, as well as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Rena Sofer. “This is my sixth time hosting the Miss Universe competition and it is always a highlight of my year. Each show I’m in awe of the smart, fiery, and talented women who take the stage,” Steve tells PEOPLE. “I continue to champion this show and participate, not only as a host but as a producer, to show the world what you can do, if you put your mind to it.” “I’m so blessed I get to share this experience with my own daughter this year, who embodies that ideal every day,” he adds. CLEO TV will air a new episode of CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Wednesday, December 8 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sV6hHYk_YE Season three of the popular cooking show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN continues with an all-new episode this Wednesday, December 8 at 9:30 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells returns to prepare even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foj1mGEtPcE Lifetime unveils airdates for two new suspense-filled original movies— Safe Room and Vanished: Searching For My Sister—scheduled to premiere on back to back weekends in January 2022. Marking his directorial debut, Boris Kodjoe directs real-life wife Nicole Ari Parker (Chicago P.D., Empire), Drea de Matteo (The Sopranos), Nik Sanchez (The Rookie) and Mackenzie Astin (The Magicians) in the home invasion movie Safe Room (formerly known as Safe Space), premiering Saturday, January 15th at 8p/7c. The Lifetime thriller, Safe Room, centers on recently widowed Lila Jackson (Nicole Ari Parker) and her 14-year-old autistic son Ian (Nik Sanchez). Since the death of her husband, Lila is grateful for their kind neighbor Neil (Boris Kodjoe), who looks out for them. After Ian accidentally witnesses a break-in in the house across the street and records the horrific murder of the homeowner, Lila becomes embroiled in a deadly struggle to protect her son from intruders Dominic (Mackenzie Astin) and Rocco (Drea De Matteo), who will stop at nothing to retrieve the video evidence of the crime and silence them. Hiding and trapped in a makeshift panic room created by her late husband, Lila and Ian must use all of their strength and intelligence to outsmart the intruders to save themselves. The chills and thrills continue with the story of a sister who poses as her missing twin in Vanished: Searching For My Sister, starring Tatyana Ali (Love That Girl) playing both twins, Justin Bruening (Sweet Magnolias) and Jasmine Guy (Grey’s Anatomy). Vanished: Searching For My Sister premieres on Saturday, January 22nd at 8p/7c. Twins Jada and Kayla (both played by Tatyana Ali) could not be more opposite: Jada being the mild-mannered sister with an office job, and Kayla the wild child. Recently divorced from her husband Warren (Justin Bruening), Kayla asks Jada to watch her daughter while she sets up her new apartment. But after a few days with no word from Kayla, Jada begins to worry and reports her sister missing. With no leads and the police investigation at a standstill, Jada takes matters into her own hands. She disguises herself as her sister and gets pulled into a world of drugs and deceit in order to learn the shocking truth about what really happened to Kayla. Vanished: Searching for My Sister also stars Jasmine Guy, Carolyn Hennesy and Anthony “Treach” Criss. Something glorious is happening in New York City this holiday season! On December 20-22, Times Square Church will host “Christmas On Broadway” with gospel music legend CeCe Winans and an extraordinary lineup of singers and musicians. Winans, whose latest Christmas album is entitled Something’s Happening!, is a 12-time Grammy Award winner and one of today’s most accomplished and celebrated artists. At Times Square Church, she will headline three free-admission concerts filled with hope, joy, and the spirit of Christmas as the Gospel message comes alive at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on 51st and Broadway. Times Square Church will host Christmas On Broadway on December 20, 21 and 22 at 7 p.m. each evening. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Gospel music legend, John P. Kee, will drop a one-song, 16-track holiday album entitled, “No Christmas Without You” (Kee Music Group / Tycsot), on all digital music platforms on December 10th. This one-of-a-kind rarity is comprised of sixteen unique versions of the feel-good yuletide track that was written and produced by Kee, a gold-selling artist known for gospel standards such as “Show Up!,” “Standing in the Need,” and “Jesus is Real,” among many others. Each of the renditions of the song is distinct in some manner. The first version is a We-Are-the-World kind of affair featuring The Family which is comprised of most of the artists who also perform individually on the album. The next version is John P. Kee himself, turning in a warm, contemporary R&B-flavored track about enjoying the holiday with loved ones. There are other solo versions by gospel heavyweights such as Kim Burrell, Gene Moore, and Jason Nelson. https://smarturl.it/dn4moc Gospel Artist Gene Hoskins Spreads Hope & Joy With Video For Single “Make It With Jesus” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb0ghC6GNV8 Kanye West and Drake will be performing together for the first time in over 5 years this Thursday in Los Angeles. Ye has joined forced with Amazon Music to bring his prison reform benefit concert to Prime Video in an effort to raise awareness about the Larry Hoover case. The Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert will go down at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 9, and will feature Drake. Per press release, Kanye has dedicated the benefit concert to raising awareness of the need for prison and sentencing reform, and supporting legal reform and community advocates including Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, Hustle 2.0 and Uptown People’s Law Center. Vanessa Bryant says she’ll forever live in fear that photos of her late husband Kobe Bryant and daughter, Gianna, will go viral. Kobe, Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash last year in California. Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and its deputies, accusing them of sharing images of the crash site with people who were not involved in the case. Her suit is seeking damages for negligence, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. James Crumble purchased the 9mm Sig Sauer piston for his son, and didn’t secure it as the law – or common sense – would dictate. James and his wife, Jennifer, are the same parents who either allowed their 15 year-old son to take the gun to school, and didn’t alert school administrators who expressed well-placed concerns to the Crumbleys about their son’s state of mind BEFORE the shooting. Or these parents didn’t care enough to be concerned if their son had a gun in his book bag. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v0lf-SQZrHo/hqdefault.jpg Kamala Harris staffers are said to be exiting the White House due to burnout, more lucrative job opportunities, and apprehension to being labeled a “Harris person,” according to an Axios report. In November, Ashley Etienne, vice president’s communications director, announced she was leaving to pursue “other opportunities.” Earlier this month, Symone Sanders, the chief spokesperson for Kamala Harris, submitted her resignation. Sanders announced her exit in a letter to her colleagues following rumors of a toxic work environment in Harris’ office. The end of December is the period that Sanders, who is also Harris’ senior adviser, has announced that she will leave the White House. In November, Ashley Etienne, vice president’s communications director, announced she was leaving to pursue “other opportunities.” Earlier this month, Symone Sanders, the chief spokesperson for Kamala Harris, submitted her resignation. Sanders announced her exit in a letter to her colleagues following rumors of a toxic work environment in Harris’ office. The end of December is the period that Sanders, who is also Harris’ senior adviser, has announced that she will leave the White House. CNN is facing calls to fire Don Lemon after Jussie Smollett testified that the CNN anchor warned him via a text message that Chicago police didn’t believe he was the victim of a hate crime. The case is all about Smollett being accused of lying to police about being the victim of an attack in Jan. 2019. At the time, Smollett said that two men yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, kicked him, poured bleach on him, put a noose around his neck, and told him, “This is MAGA country.” Smollett originally told police he was attacked by two white supremacists. He later claimed he was attacked by Nigerian brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo. The Avant and Sarandos Families have issued a joint statement about the loss of Jacqueline Avant and how you can help donate to one of her beloved projects, the MLK Children’s Center in Watts with the establishment of the Jacqueline Avant Memorial Fund. he entire Avant and Sarandos families wish to thank you for the heartfelt condolences over the loss of our beloved Jacquie. We feel incredibly blessed to have received the support, kindness and prayers over the last week. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com On this day, December 7, in 1941, Doris “Dorie” Miller defends U.S. ships during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the highest decoration for valor in combat after the Medal of Honor. Less than a month before his twentieth birthday, Miller enlisted in the United States Navy. Following boot camp training in Norfolk, Virginia, he was assigned to the USS West Virginia as a messman, an enlisted man on temporary duty in the sailors’ or officers’ dining quarters who serves food, clears the tables and other duties. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Miller was doing laundry below decks. During the attack, he helped several sailors who were wounded, and while manning an anti-aircraft machine gun for which he had no training, he shot down several Japanese planes. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JI1HD_u97Gs/hqdefault.jpg 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of Oprah’s Favorite Things and Gayle King, co-host of “CBS Mornings” and editor-at-large of Oprah Daily and Adam Glassman, creative director of Oprah Daily conducted a nationwide media tour to discuss highlights from this year’s list. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5zdxoXdJxYg/hqdefault.jpg Tyra Banks could be replaced as host of “Dancing with the Stars” next year. As reported by The Sun, “In light of the past season’s low ratings, DWTS will not return to its twice annual broadcast next year,” the outlet writes, noting that Banks’ future with the show is uncertain. The source claimed senior executives within the BBC Studios LA have been tasked with finding “at least one or ideally two major household names that fascinate fans.” Their brief is to “think big” and lure “an Oscar, Emmy or Grammy winning star, who will make headlines on and off screen.” Per the report, one insider said, “the network sees ratings, not page impressions, as the cornerstone of their business.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The kid whose side-eye at a Popeye’s became a meme is now a New Jersey high school star offensive lineman whose team just won the state championship. The original video in 2013 showed Dieunerst Collin being mistaken for another viral star known as Lil Terio. His reaction to the mistaken identity was captured on camera and went viral on Vine, amassing over 19 million views. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/N3XQFKIYO9Y/hqdefault.jpg Kyle Rittenhouse appeared on The BlazeTV’s “You Are Here” show Monday and briefly shared how he feels about NBA star LeBron James, who was vocal about his trial. “I liked LeBron,” the Kenosha shooter said Monday. “And, then I’m like, ‘You know what, f*** you, LeBron’” he told the hosts. A middle school teacher in Fresno, California has gone viral after video of him surfaced dancing to “You’re a Jerk,” surrounded by a gaggle of impressed students. A middle school teacher in Fresno, California has gone viral after video of him surfaced dancing to “You’re a Jerk,” surrounded by a gaggle of impressed students. https://www.tiktok.com/@tenayas_msjenny/video/7038082339087338798?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F&referer_video_id=7038082339087338798&refer=embed BET+, the leading streaming service for the Black community, announced today the series leads and cast for the upcoming KINGDOM BUSINESS – an eight-episode series that will take viewers behind the scenes and into the world of the gospel music industry, one that is as complex and riddled with conflict, money, and fame as it is with faith. The series will be led by Yolanda Adams as the reigning “Queen of Gospel” Denita Jordan and Serayah as Rbel, a talented up-and-coming gospel star with a troubled past who threatens Denita’s crown. Both Adams and Serayah will accompany their leading roles with equally powerful musical performances. HBO’s new dramedy “The Sex Live of College Girls” premiered on Nov. 18 and the series has already been renewed for a second season. Per TheWrap, the comedy, created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, follows four college roommates as they arrive at New England’s prestigious Essex College. Check out the rest of our conversation with Lauren Spencer. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XHGfPt7Yrz8/hqdefault.jpg The legendary life of Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker, activist and human-rights trailblazer Sidney Poitier set to be a new Broadway play produced by Ron Gillyard (Born for This, Mr. Soul); Poitier’s daughter, filmmaker Anika Poitier; and Barry Krost. Chosen by the Poitier family, Charles Randolph-Wright (author of Blue, director of Roundabout Theatre Company’s critically acclaimed revival of Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind, and the upcoming American Prophet: Frederick Douglass In His Own Words) has penned SIDNEY, based on Poitier’s best-selling autobiography The Measure of a Man. The family has also selected Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (author, director and star of Lackawanna Blues, director of the Tony-winning Broadway premiere of August Wilson’s Jitney, director of the upcoming Broadway premiere of Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew) to direct. Travis Scott has responded to the slew of lawsuits that name him as a defendant regarding last month’s Astroworld music festival that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured. On Monday, Scott’s attorneys filed a response to 11 lawsuits. PEOPLE obtained six of the responses, “each of which was nearly identical,” the outlet writes. Per the report, in the filings, Scott (legal name Jacques B. Webster II )— and his company, company Cactus Jack Records, LLC, “generally deny the allegations” made in the lawsuits, and “respectfully request that the claims against these Defendants be dismissed with prejudice,” the response read. “And that these Defendants be granted such other and further relief, both at law and in equity, to which they are entitled.” Scott, 30, has so far been named in more than 200 lawsuits related to the Astroworld tragedy. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2iYf8fJNlNU/hqdefault.jpg Nick Cannon announced Tuesday that his 5-month-old son Zen died of a brain tumor over the weekend. The 41-year-old TV host made the tragic announcement on “The Nick Cannon Show.” Zen was Cannon’s seventh and youngest child, born in June with Alyssa Scott. “Over the weekend I lost my youngest son to a condition called hydrocephalus that is pretty much a malignant, midline brain tumor — brain cancer,” Cannon said. Hydrocephalus is characterized by an abnormal increase in the amount of fluid on the brain. Cannon broke down in tears as he explained his son’s medical condition. https://youtu.be/2JcCc7ZivXY Jussie Smollett said that he put the noose that had been placed on his neck back on before calling police because his manager told him ‘you can’t be f—–g with evidence’ on cross-examination at his trial in Chicago Monday. The actor took the stand for three and a half hours of direct examination from attorney Nenye Uche’s team at Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago Monday. Smollett admitted to hooking up at a gay bathhouse with one of the two brothers involved in attacking him but said ‘there was no hoax’ – as the fired Empire actor testified Monday in his trial for lying to police about being the victim of a hate crime. He was then questioned for the remainder of the day by special prosecutor Dan Webb on cross-examination. Smollett did testify on direct that he and Abimbola Osundairo had been to gay bathhouses together where they had done drugs and ‘masturbated together’ in a private room. The actor’s attorneys have claimed that it was a ‘real’ attack and that Osundairo and his brother, Olabinjio, made up the story about a hoax then asked Smollett for $1 million each to not testify against him at trial. A lifelong ‘best friend’ of the Duggar family broke down in court today as she described how Josh Duggar confessed in his teens to molesting four of his sisters during Bible time and while they slept. Bobye Holt (pictured right with her husband) told the disgraced reality star’s child pornography trial how Jim Bob Duggar asked her and her husband Jim Holt, a former Arkansas state senator, to urgently come over to their house on March 30, 2003. After they arrived, Duggar, who was 15 at the time, proceeded to tell the stunned Holts that he had sexually assaulted one of his sisters, referred to only as Jane Doe 4, earlier that day. ‘He had Jane Doe 4 on his lap during Bible time and he touched her private area, her breast area and her bottom area,’ said Holt, adding that the sister in question was five when the abuse happened. ‘He ended up confessing that, on and off, since he was 12 years old, he would touch Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3. He said he touched their breast area, their private area, on top of their clothes, sometimes under, when they were sleeping.’ In the aftermath of ProPublica’s investigation into the juvenile justice system in Rutherford County, Tennessee, things have begun to fall apart for Judge Donna Davenport. The investigation shined a light on Davenport’s 2016 policy that all children charged with crimes be processed at the local detention center. Since the article was published, several state lawmakers have called out the judge for her policy. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund has called for a federal civil rights investigation and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) has cut ties with the judge who was an adjunct professor. Under Davenport’s filter system, police would bring children they arrested, typically after a school fight or if a child was found to be a truant, straight to jail, where staff decided whether or not to detain them until their detention hearing, which could take days. AT&T is celebrating the top 25 honorees from its inaugural Dream in Black Rising Future Makers class which recognizes students currently attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are making a positive impact within their communities and campuses. This initiative continues AT&T’s ongoing commitment to empower future leaders and dedicate resources toward initiatives that foster economic growth and innovation within this educational community. This program is an extension of AT&T’s Dream in Black Future Maker program – an annual selection of leaders, innovators and activists who are dreaming big and making a difference. The selected honorees hail from colleges and universities such as Howard University and North Carolina A&T who aspire to become future professionals such as state senators, news reporters, entrepreneurs or to complete their education with PhD degrees. These students were selected for not only their previously notable accomplishments but also their planned future endeavors A Tennessee teacher was fired last school year for teaching his students that white privilege is real, not a theory. Matthew Hawn, a high school teacher in Sullivan County, Tenn., was accused of being insubordinate and unprofessional for the way he engaged with students about America’s racist past. Hawn reportedly taught a contemporary issues class at Sullivan Central High School for more than a decade. More than 94 percent of students in the district are white. Hawn allegedly violated the teacher code of ethics when he failed to provide students with “varying viewpoints” about the existence of white privilege during lessons on police brutality and white supremacy. Hawn, who was tenured, was fired amid conservative outrage about critical race theory. In May, the same month he was terminated, the Tennessee legislature passed a law banning CTR from its schools. https://t.co/HPZrZUNuTw?amp=1 Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is set to sue the network over his reported contract worth $18 million. Cuomo, 51, is preparing to take legal action if CNN fails to pay the remainder of the four-year contract he signed last year. Per New York Post, “his contract was reportedly worth $6 million annually, leaving between $18 million and $20 million that he would be owed, sources said,” the outlet writes. Cuomo is also likely to seek damages. But CNN has “no intention of paying [Chris] Cuomo a penny,” an insider said. “If he gets a settlement, there would be uproar,” the source added. GSN-Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has apologized on behalf of the state for the government-operated indigenous schools that aimed to assimilate Native American children into white society. NPR writes: “The Stewart School in Carson City is among more than 350 residential schools that the U.S. Interior Department plans to examine as part of the Federal Boarding School Initiative Review, which includes an investigation into student deaths and known and possible burial sites.” The report goes on to state: “Native children as young as 4 were forcibly taken from their families and sent to off-reservation boarding schools. Their hair was cut. They were converted to Christianity. And they were prohibited from speaking their native languages. They were often subjected to military-style discipline and, until reforms in the mid-20th century, curriculums focused heavily on vocational skills and, for girls, homemaking.” The state is cooperating with a federal investigation into the Stewart Indian School located near Carson City, per the report. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gRNcCCgnauI/hqdefault.jpg Faith Evans wants a judge to shut down Stevie J’s request that she pay him spousal support. According to court documents obtained by Radar, on December 3, Faith filed her response and is demanding the request be denied by the court. She also wants “all property acquired prior to marriage, by gift, inheritance, or devise, and after the date of separation” to be awarded to her. Faith claims she and Stevie split on May 29, 2020, and there doesn’t appear to be a prenuptial agreement in place. Stevie J wrote in the filing: “The true nature and extent of the community/quasi-community assets and debts are unknown at this time.” A few months back the couple Miguel and wife Nazanin Mandi were done, so to speak, but it looks like they are back together. It seems the two were spotted having a nice romantic dinner at Bavel in Downtown Los Angeles in the Arts District. “Miguel at Bavel. Sharing same side of booth with his on-again wife. Not gonna lie, was disappointed to see he was a booth sharer,” the envious source told Deuxmoi. The dinner comes only a week or so after Nazanin posted a video on her Instagram Story showing Miguel accompanying her to get Lasik surgery on her eyes. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW7V_TtFzHF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Alphonso “Tucky” Blunt, owner of a marijuana product store in Oakland called Blunts and Moore, says his business is located in the same zip code where he was arrested for selling weed illegally in 2004. Now that he is legit in the business – he opened his store in a little over three years ago– Blunt says it is nearly impossible for Black and other minority-owned cannabis startups like his to make a profit in California. “Where’s the tradeoff? I’ve been in the business for a few years and I’m still in the red. California has one of the highest tax rates on cannabis businesses anywhere. Oakland is in the top four of anywhere in the country,” said Blunt. “We also pay the most for armed guards. It costs like $25 to $30 per hour. The city requires us to have them – unlike Berkeley where they are not required. But police respond faster there.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_H2Ew_aPkhU/hqdefault.jpg Smooth jazz saxophonist, flutist, singer, composer, arranger, and recording artist Johnny “Dr. J” James has an extra pep in his step and glide to his stride. After all, he’s celebrating the high positioning of his latest single, Slippin’ (Nigel Lowis Stepper’s Mix). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F0vhnwyPrvU/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Just in time for the holidays, Stellar TV announces the airing of its holiday special, "Stellar Tribute to the Holidays," proudly presented by Verizon. Returning host Jekalyn Carr celebrates the magic of the season with heartwarming holiday memories and jovial performances. Among them, Kierra Sheard Kelly soulfully belts out 'O Come O Come Emanuel,' Mali Music brings a fresh take to "Little Drummer Boy," Charles Jenkins introduces his original holidays songs 'Christmas Music' and 'Christmas Hop,' and Natalie Grant is going to bring some 'Joy to the World' with her performance. Kelontae Gavin will bring a youthful vibe to Donny Hathaway's 'This Christmas' and Evvie McKinney offers a hype new twist to 'Go Tell It on the Mountain.' Leon Timbo embodies his gospel roots with classics 'Angels We Have Heard on High' and 'O Holy Night.' Take Six Member, Mark Kibble, presents his solo original 'Christmas Here.' And former Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir member turned group leader, Brandon Camphor joins with OneWay in debuting their latest holiday offerings 'Happy Birthday Jesus' and 'Christmas Joy.' Jekalyn Carr rounds out this jam-packed holiday special with her rendition of Whitney Houston's masterpiece 'Who Would Imagine a King.' The Stellar Tribute to the Holidays is currently airing in national broadcast syndication until December 31. Bounce TV will air the special on Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25 at 1PM EST. To find the local airdate and time in your city, visit www.stellarawards.com. Music and brand strategy company Creative Classic Agency (CCA) celebrates this Christmas season with the release of holiday single “Oh Holy Night” through the newly launched All God Music brand. The ASCAP and BMI Award- winning creative agency partners with Indieblu/MNRK Music Group for distribution on their inaugural release. “Oh Holy Night” is produced by ASCAP Award-winning songwriter and publisher Marcus Calyen for Mamie & Marcus Productions (“You Just Don’t Know”-Zacardi Cortez) and features select vocalists from the CCA all-star roster; Zacardi Cortez, Will McMillan, Shenell Dixon, Wess Morgan, Cardell Booker and Kierre Bjorn. The visual for the advent single is directed by CCA’s principle Nicole Heyward and edited by D. Smith of Atmosphere Productions; it will premiere on the MNRK Music Group Youtube Platform. Last night in Atlanta, IMDb TV hosted an exclusive Season 2 premiere event for “UNINTERRUPTED’s Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.” Held at The Wxllxm Culture Center and co-hosted by V103 Atlanta Radio personality Ms. Basketball and HBCUBuzz host Juice On Da Loose, guests were immersed into a bespoke basketball experience including concession stand inspired treats, locker room photo booths, NBA gaming station, and even sat on bleachers while enjoying season two’s premiere episode. , provided sounds for the premiere event. “UNINTERRUPTED’s Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers” is available December 17, exclusively on IMDb TV, Amazon's free streaming service. Special guests in attendance included: Swae Lee, Mike Will Made It, Southside, Metro Boomin, J King, Cam Kirk, Damez, Dawn Halfkenny, Corey "Mr. Hanky" Dennard and Rueben Wood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3CMN8LXh1A The second season of “Games People Play” kicked off on Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. After a major gaffe on live TV, Kareem faces backlash and must make amends. As MJ gets a larger peek behind the mysterious curtain, Nia spots flags that are deeper than red. During all this, the Vipers must band together for the game of their lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8BYVA6kn30&feature=youtu.be The CEO of a mortgage servicing company, who said he needed to shed 15 percent of his workforce, has gone viral over the way he did it … by firing some 900 of his employees all at once via Zoom. The CEO of a mortgage servicing company, who said he needed to shed 15 percent of his workforce, has gone viral over the way he did it … by firing some 900 of his employees all at once via Zoom. https://youtu.be/gpjqbvLkPUw Lil Wayne is reportedly being investigated for allegedly pulling an AR-15 on one of his own security guards. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … one of the rapper’s guards told cops he and Wayne got into a fight at Weezy’s Hidden Hills, CA home, and cops say they were told the altercation escalated to physical violence and a brandished firearm. We’re told the guard claims Wayne told him to get outta the house after the initial dispute, but the guard went to the bathroom first and he claims that’s when Wayne dramatically escalated things. Per the report, Wayne denies the incident even happened and an insider tells TMZ that the rapper doesn’t have a gun. DaBaby can now put his Las Vegas battery case behind him since it has officially been dismissed. The misdemeanor battery charge was dismissed with prejudice meaning the case is over and done, and can’t be refiled, online court records show. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office also explained to TMZ that the charges were dismissed because DaBaby satisfied everything prosecutors asked him to do in order to resolve the case; he paid the alleged victim $7,500 and stayed “out of trouble.” The folks that brought you live remakes of “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” are back to do the same tonight with “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Facts of Life.” ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience,” produced by Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear, sees classic sitcoms get recreated for one night only with superstars taking on the roles. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xgw-l82P0Tg/hqdefault.jpg Cardi B was headed inside popular hotspot E11EVEN in Miami over the weekend when a group of Black women insisted that they were being denied entry, so the rapper intervened. In the viral videos, the women explain that the bouncers only allowed white women inside. In response, Cardi demanded that they also “let the Black women in here.” “Let the Black women in here… Security, let them in,” Cardi B is heard saying, with her husband, rapper Offset, also seen entering the nightclub with her. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXG6s2JlzjF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Civil rights activist Shaun King has turned to the public for prayers for his teen daughter who was recently hit by a car while in New York. In an emotional Instagram post on Dec. 5, King said his daughter Kendi, a 19-year-old NYU student, “had suffered a brain injury” along with “several serious head and body injuries” from the incident. “I’ve been here in the ICU with her since yesterday morning,” King continued. “We have every reason to believe she will recover and she is receiving excellent medical care. The doctors and nurses and staff have been so kind and so thorough.” King asked his fans and followers to pray for his daughter and wife who is struggling to cope following the accident. Nichelle Nichols, best known as Nyota Uhuraone on the original “Star Trek” series, made her final convention appearance at L.A. Comic-Con over the weekend. As reported by PEOPLE, the “iconic actress, singer and dancer signed autographs, posed for photos and attended an early birthday celebration,” the outlet writes, as she turns 89 on Dec. 28. Per the report, several panels paid tribute to Nichols, who did not make any public statements. Nichols was diagnosed with dementia in 2018 and has since been at the center of a conservatorship battle with her son, Kyle Johnson. One of Nichol’s friends filed docs last year opposing Johnson’s conservatorship. The friend claims he’s merely out for his mother’s money, and questioned the dementia diagnosis. Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz promised fireworks during Sunday’s clash for Davis’ WBA “regular” 135-pound title, and the two combatants delivered an explosive and breathtaking toe-to-toe battle for 12 action-packed rounds. Davis (26–0, 24 KOs) didn’t earn his 17th straight knockout, but he gutted out victory over the steel-chinned Cruz (22–2–1, 15 KOs) of Mexico City in the most difficult fight of his career to retain his crown by narrow unanimous decision (115–113 twice, 116–112). En route to victory, Davis had to overcome a left-hand injury suffered during training that was aggravated in the fight’s sixth round before nabbing a victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,850 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. A Black Bay Area couple whose home was undervalued by a white appraiser is now taking legal action claiming discrimination. Paul and Tenisha Tate Austin said they spent about $400,000 to renovate the 1960s-built home that they purchased in 2016. After the major modifications, they had the house appraised and were stunned by the valuation. “I read the appraisal, I looked at the number I was like, ‘This is unbelievable’,” Tenisha Austin told ABC7. The Austin’s believe their race played a factor in the appraisal. The appraiser – an older White woman named Janette Miller of Miller & Perotti appraisers.– used coded language including “Marin City is a distinct area” in her estimate, according to the report. She valued the couple’s home at $989,000, which was only $100,000 more than the previous estimate the couple received before their massive renovations. “It was a slap in the face,” Austin said. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cI48hPRDaYo/hqdefault.jpg A defense attorney for Jussie Smollett called for a mistrial Thursday and accused the judge presiding over the case of lunging at her during a sidebar. “Judge, you physically moved towards me,” Tamara Walker told Cook County Judge James Linn during the trial Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports. The incident occurred during a sidebar when the defense asked Linn for a mistrial after he described the cross-examination as “collateral.” “As soon as I made the motion, Judge Linn reacted with shock and seemed to become upset, and at that moment had a reaction to physically move toward me with the upper portion of his body,” Walker told the Tribune. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3OWwWlYU5Xw/hqdefault.jpg Janet Hubert, affectionally known as the original #AuntViv from the hit sitcom, ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ shared that she was hospitalized. Though she didn’t give a reason, Hubert did go into detail about anger and what it can do to someone. Posting a picture from the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reunion that happened last year, Hubert expressed that holding on to anger would eat you alive. She also addressed Will Smith and told him that she loved him. Her caption read, “Don’t waste precious time people in anger. Yes people will do you wrong and you must fight for truth no matter how long, and IF you can get the TRUTH you seek…find love again as we have.” Hubert continued, “Life is too short as I am in hospital as I write this to all of you. Holding onto anger will eat you alive. But truth at any cost[.]” Mariah Carey’s iconic holiday single “All I Want for Christmas Is You” received the Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award on Friday, making it the first holiday song to receive the award. “The continued love for my song never ceases to amaze me and fill my heart with a multitude of emotions,” the ‘Queen of Christmas’ said in a press release. “It blows my mind that ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ has endured different eras of the music industry. The RIAA DIAMOND award?! Wowww! I’m so fortunate to have the greatest fans on Earth, my Lambily, who continue to support my legacy. I love you.” https://www.instagram.com/mariahcarey/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=08a8fb6a-3d52-40dd-b93e-2939cde3730c Singer Syleena Johnson is bringing TV One cameras along as she continues to navigate through life and the entertainment industry in the new reality series, “One Stage To The Next,” set to premiere on Tuesday, December 14th with back-to-back episodes at 10/9C. The Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, talk show host and author has recently entered the world of fitness competition. The docuseries will show her struggles in the new athletic field as she fights to lose 60 pounds, while simultaneously maintaining her nonstop music career. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t600SR_DRfY/hqdefault.jpg Chicken tenders now join the growing list of items that have become scarce or more expensive amid the holidays. As reported by Today.com, “Chicken tenders, which are the smaller fillet of a whole chicken breast, require more processing to package and sell than chicken nuggets, which are made of scrap meat from the whole bird. That is why tenders can be harder to find or more costly, according to industry experts,” the outlet writes. The article goes on to note that major chains like Kentucky Fried Chicken and A&W have omitted chicken tenders from marketing campaigns to avoid selling out of them. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-de4Yuom4o4/hqdefault.jp Now you and anyone else can learn from seven of the country’s most preeminent Black history college professors and thought leaders, thanks to the app, MasterClass. Now you and anyone else can learn from seven of the country’s most preeminent Black history college professors and thought leaders, thanks to the app, MasterClass. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eyDIVnzep10/hqdefault.jpg Since he arrived to the NBA as the No. 1 pick in 2017 for the Philadelphia 76ers, there has been so much misreported about Markelle Fultz. Fultz went through two tumultuous years of misinformation by the media and fans, conspiracy theories, unfounded rumors, criticisms and internet jokes, and he was labeled a bust by people who are paid a king’s ransom on ESPN — namely Stephen A. Smith, who called Fultz “the biggest bust in NBA history.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JjKMviYPcPc/hqdefault.jpg A Ghanaian actress will go to prison (for 90 days) for taking a nude photo with her son on his 7th birthday, according to reports. After her appeal was denied Wednesday, Rosemond Brown — known as Akuapem Poloo — shared a post on Instagram: “SON I LOVE YOU AND GOD IS WITH YOU ALWAYS YOU KNOW … BE GOOD TILL MUMMY COMES BACK …GOD IS IN CONTROL ALWAYS.” “The court is bothered with posting nude photos on social media. There is no doubt that apart from the canker of rape, defilement, physical assault, the publication of obscene materials is on the increase,” Judge Christiana Cann ruled in April, according to the agency Newsflash. “A harsh sentence will serve as a deterrent.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXHy-UNvFFP/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e7d397fc-9992-483f-9c5e-2cd0d7ff30c6 Adele announces WEEKENDS WITH ADELE, an exclusive residency in the Colosseum of Las Vegas’ famed Caesars Palace Hotel beginning Friday January 21, 2022. The global superstar will perform two shows each weekend through Saturday April 16, 2022 This announcement comes on the heels of Adele recently releasing her fourth studio album 30 on Columbia Records. The album is being heralded by fans and critics alike as Adele’s boldest and most ambitious album yet. 30 debuted at #1 on album charts in 30 countries and is already one of the biggest selling albums of 2021. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U3ASj1L6_sY/hqdefault.jpg Netflix has committed to addressing systemic racism inherent in banking by moving 2 percent of its cash holdings into banks and credit unions that support Black communities, according to a statement released by the company. The streaming production company/network has spread the funds through six banks: Hope Credit Union, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), The Change Company, Enterprise Community Impact Note, OneUnited Bank and Calvert Impact Capital’s Community Investment Note. The aim is to make sure more home and business loans are distributed throughout the African American community. Listen, this country owes a lot to Black women. From being the backbone of the Black Panthers, to swaying major elections, to carrying corporate America, the needle doesn’t move without our endless contributions. Although there are far fewer bronze statues and park monuments in our honor, one St. Louis based arts institution aims to change that. The Griot Museum of Black History is one of ten recent recipients of the The Monument Lab Re:Generation grant. The $1M award, distributed evenly across the cohort of grantees, is a part of the Philadelphia-based nonprofit’s initiative to reimagine history through the installation of public monuments across the country. According to the website, “The participants were selected through a far-reaching open call conducted earlier in 2021, which brought in hundreds of applications from every state, most territories, and numerous tribal communities.” In a project known as the “Black HerStory Initiative”, Lois Conley, founder and executive director of The Griot, intends to collaborate with artists and activists throughout the city to create awareness around the role Black women have played in the region. In Greenville, Miss., pop. 27,000, a modern, brightly lit juice bar stands out in the small downtown lined with mostly mom and pop businesses and a few taverns near the town’s riverbank casino. The chorus of friendly, neighborly hellos is a customer favorite, but what’s really turning heads is the owner of Kay’s Kute Fruit, 30 year-old Kenesha Lewis. “I’m really excited for the young people to walk in, and they say, who’s the owner, and they’re like, what? I had somebody do that to me,” Lewis says laughing. Growing up here, she can’t recall any prominent Black-owned businesses like hers (today the town is about 81% Black). She and her husband Jason Lewis opened up this brick-and-mortar last Spring after a few years of making edible fruit arrangements and smoothies and selling them out of their home on the side of their regular jobs. “Being a young woman here in the Delta, it’s not a lot of health options,” Kenesha says. “It’s not a lot of places you can go and get a healthy wrap and then you can go in the same place and have nice service.” A Black man whose fate was decided by an all-white jury who deliberated in a room containing Confederate symbols will receive a new trial after a Tennessee's Criminal Appeals Court ruling. Tim Gilbert was sentenced in June 2020 to six years in prison for aggravated assault and other charges connected with a 2018 altercation. But Gilbert and his attorney argued the symbols on display at the Giles County courthouse, the jury's racial makeup and specific evidence allowed, violated his right to a fair trial. Unbeknownst to Gilbert or his attorney at the time of the trial, the jury considered whether Gilbert was innocent or guilty in a room where an antique Confederate flag and a portrait of Confederate President Jefferson Davis hung. The average rate of alumni giving at the nation’s 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has hovered around 10% for the past few decades, with private HBCUs having slightly higher rates of giving than their public counterparts. However, some HBCUs have alumni giving rates that any college in the country would covet. Claflin University, in Orangeburg, South Carolina, for example, has an alumni giving rate of nearly 48%. Spelman College, in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina — institutions that educate Black women — both boast a nearly 39% alumni giving rate. These three small colleges work hard to instill a culture of giving from the first day students arrive on campus, resulting in committed alumni and ample giving. Recognizing that HBCU alumni might give more if giving was easier, Howard University alumnus Dominique King founded I Heart My HBCU, a mobile app that allows people to donate their spare change to HBCUs. The app works like other spare change technology — allowing users to round up their credit and debit card purchases and donate to five of their favorite HBCUs. Users can also make monthly or one-time donations to HBCUs using the app. Negro League baseball players Buck O’Neil and Bud Fowler were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. They were two of seven Negro League and pre-Negro League players who were being considered Sunday for induction into the Hall of Fame. O’Neil and Fowler join four other candidates — Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso and Tony Oliva — as part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The six players will officially be inducted in Cooperstown, New York, on July 24, 2022, according to the Hall of Fame website. O’Neil, who was known as an ambassador for baseball, played 10 seasons with the Memphis Red Sox and Kansas City Monarchs, according to the Hall of Fame. After his playing career, O’Neil became a scout for the Chicago Cubs and would go on to become the first Black coach in American League or National League history with Chicago. O’Neil, who died in 2006, also helped found the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit collapsed and died after a workout Monday at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old colt trained by Bob Baffert had just completed five furlongs in his second workout since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic a month ago at Del Mar, according to Craig Robertson, Baffert’s attorney. Baffert said in a statement that the horse suffered a heart attack. “My entire barn is devastated by this news,” Baffert said. “Medina Spirit was a great champion, a member of our family who was loved by all, and we are deeply mourning his loss. I will always cherish the proud and personal memories of Medina Spirit and his tremendous spirit.” Santa Anita released a statement saying the track veterinary team took blood, hair and urine samples from Medina Spirit and sent them to the California Horse Racing Board. The colt will undergo a full necropsy, as required by the racing board, to try to determine the exact cause of death. The United States will not send government officials to the 2022 Winter Olympics due to China's human rights "atrocities," the White House said on Monday, after Beijing threatened unspecified "countermeasures" against any diplomatic boycott. President Joe Biden said last month that he was considering such a boycott amid criticism of China's human rights record, including what Washington says is genocide against minority Muslims in its western region of Xinjiang. The move – despite a recent effort to stabilize ties with a video meeting last month between Biden and China's leader Xi Jinping – is certain to further strain the two superpowers' relations which have been at their lowest point in decades. The increasingly tense Formula One title fight between defending champion Lewis Hamilton and his formidable challenger, Max Verstappen, will head to the last race of the season with the fierce rivals level on points. Next weekend’s Abu Dhabi showdown will see Hamilton crowned for a record eighth time — or Verstappen win his first title. Hamilton’s nail-biting win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday was his third straight to pull him level with Verstappen on 369.5 points. The British veteran is within touching distance of title No. 8 to move one ahead of Michael Schumacher and stand alone among F1 greats. Verstappen still leads by a hair’s breadth, only because he has more wins: 9-8. "Of course it’s exciting,” said Verstappen, who won last year in Abu Dhabi. “We’re starting again like we started the season.” Hamilton’s win in the heat and humidity of Jeddah saw him pass Verstappen with six laps remaining of a chaotic race, as the pair tangled again this season following high-octane crashes at the British GP and the Italian GP. In a report by The Blast, Stevie J is asking a court to order Faith Evans, his estranged wife, to pay spousal support in their ongoing divorce case. Legal documents show that the record producer wants a monthly payment made to him by Evans and is brazenly requesting the court to not allow her to collect anything from him. In the filing, Stevie J, whose real name is Steven Jordan, confirms the marriage took place on July 17, 2018. However, he’s claiming they “separated” on October 19, 2021. Jordan cited “irreconcilable differences” as the basis of their separation. The couple has no children, so child support is not an issue. The filing shows that he filled out the box that says “spousal or domestic partner support payable” to “petitioner” (Jordan). Plus, he also marked the spot asking to “terminate the court’s ability to award support to (Faith).” The inter-webs are all abuzz with disdain for rapper Asian Doll aka AsianDaBrattt aka What Did You Expect From a Black Woman Calling Herself Asian Doll? MadameNoire is reporting she’s getting skewered after announcing an Indian-themed birthday party that set to take place at Revel in Atlanta, Georgia next week. Attendees must be dressed in “Indian garb” in order to be allowed in. It was when she shared examples of what she felt was “Indian-themed” that all hell broke loose. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9ZpzRsPKxk8/hqdefault.jpg Gervonta “Tank” Davis should fight George “Ferocious” Kambosos for the undisputed 135-pound title if he gets beyond tonight’s (12-05-21) WBA “regular” 135-pound title defense against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, according to boxing historian Cliff Rold. Davis (25–0, 24 KOs) will pursue his 17th straight knockout in his third straight pay-per-view event against Cruz (22–1–1, 15 KOs) of Mexico City at Staples Center in Los Angeles in a Premier Boxing Champions event on Showtime Pay-Per-View (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i9mt2iiDDmY/hqdefault.jpg Alec Baldwin wept as he described accidentally shooting dead his cinematographer on the set of his film Rust, saying ‘I didn’t pull the trigger’ during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. Baldwin said accidentally discharging his gun and killing Halyna Hutchins (left inset) was the worst thing that’s ever happened to him. The set’s rookie armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is pictured inset at far right. https://youtu.be/ZOKpiWrUPUI One of the attorneys representing Jussie Smollett called for a mistrial Thursday, claiming the judge presiding over the case ‘lunged’ at her during Illinois court proceedings. Tamara Walker, one of several lawyers representing the embattled Empire actor, accused Cook County Judge James Linn of ‘physically lunging’ at her Thursday. The case looks to determine whether Smollet, an openly gay, African-American man, lied to police in 2019 when he said he was the victim of an alleged hate crime attack in Chicago in January of that year. Prosecutors allege that Smollett paid $3,500 to two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, to stage the attack, though Smollett vehemently denies such charges. On Thursday, Smollet’s legal team, particularly Walker, grilled Olabinjo (inset) about his past use of homophobic slurs. While racial and gender diversity in sports leadership remains stagnant, several individuals are using their career paths to challenge the status quo and change the narrative, including Kiesha Nix. According to Sports Illustrated, she was appointed to serve as vice president of charitable affairs for the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. The appointment is historic as it marks the first time a Black woman has held a vice president role in the organization’s history. Although her career path wasn’t traditionally in the social impact space, Nix had developed opportunities that would allow her to work on projects designed to drive change. While serving in roles at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, she would organize community events. A fourth-generation white supremacist is running for office in Georgia, according to Atlanta’s 11 Alive. Motivated by the potential fall of the federal government, Chester Doles says it is local elected bodies that will run things in the aftermath of an attack on the government. He seeks a seat on the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners and has made the false Republican narrative around critical race theory a tenet of his campaign. Newsweek reported Doles wants to replace politicians with “patriots.” In an older interview with 11 Alive, Doles said he hung up his Klan robes. “I’m a fourth-generation Klansman. What do you think happened to the robes?” Doles asked during a September 2019 interview with 11Alive News. “They’re hanging up. They’re family heirlooms.” Doles was not just a member of the KKK. In addition to his KKK ties, Doles was connected to the neo-Nazi National Alliance and the Hammerskins, a group that marched in the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. https://www.11alive.com/video/news/local/4th-generation-klansman-seeks-lumpkin-county-office/85-f4374461-a048-4a69-bfc9-d06f807c0e62?jwsource=cl The Mount Vernon Police Department will undergo a pattern and practice investigation by the Department of Justice. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke held a press conference Friday to announce the investigation. “An effective and accountable police department is a hallmark of a healthy and well-functioning democracy,” Clarke said in a statement. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that law enforcement agencies across our country use their authority in a manner that is constitutional, transparent and free from discrimination.” The DOJ will specifically look at the department’s use of force, strip and body cavity searches, and handling of evidence. Clarke’s office will also look at the accountability measures undertaken by the Mount Vernon Police Department. This includes complaint intake, review, and discipline. Former President Barack Obama has been a fierce advocate for youth empowerment, and he’s advancing his efforts to uplift youngsters from underserved communities. According to the Chicago Tribune, Obama recently made a surprise visit to a Chicago-based YMCA community center. The city of Chicago has been a backdrop for pivotal moments throughout the former president’s life; it’s the hometown of his beloved wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, the place where he began to lay the foundation for his grassroots-focused civic engagement work, the city where the Obamas raised their children and where he launched his first political campaign. Chicago will also be home to the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center, a museum and public space designed to cultivate community and pay homage to the Obamas and trailblazers who came before them. Assassinated on Dec. 4, 1969, Chairman Fred Hampton was one of the major figures in the original Black Panther Party that rose to prominence during the civil rights era of the 1960s. Police killed Hampton and his comrade, Mark Clark, 52 years ago, an example of the politics of law enforcement using unnecessary force against Black men — an unfortunate trend that has lingered for centuries in America and continues to thrive in 2021. https://youtu.be/Wy1gveC3GVs Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he plans to restart the state’s civilian defense force, a temporary entity formed during World War II. The state has survived over 70 years without such a force raising concerns about DeSantis’ motivations. Columnist Jamelle Bouie suggested there’s a thin line between DeSantis making liberals freak out and him seriously wanting to take specific actions. As he’s shown over the past few years, anything is possible with DeSantis. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1466563988611870722/7PLeE_eH?format=jpg&name=small From launching fashion brands to inking production deals, tennis powerhouse Serena Williams has expanded her repertoire beyond the realm of sports, and her next project will be centered on empowering youth through literature. According to People, she’s releasing a children’s book next. The book—titled “The Adventures of Qai Qai”—is inspired by her 4-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.’s doll. After making its debut on social media a few years ago, the beloved toy emerged into a fan favorite, leading the family to create an Instagram account for the doll in 2018 featuring imagery of her daily chronicles paired with witty captions. After Qai Qai continued to amass popularity, Williams launched a line of dolls inspired by the toy in 2020. Legendary NFL cornerback Deion Sanders isn’t just teaching his student-athletes the game on the field as head football coach at Jackson State University, he’s also teaching them about the game of life, the game of love and, apparently, the game of gold diggers. Basically, Sanders knows some of his students might make it to the NFL and become professional athletes someday, which means they’ll be making a lot of money, which means their wallets may attract as many “fans” as their skills on the field do. On Thursday, Sanders posted a video of a coaching session to his Instagram account, but this wasn’t a normal class. He was putting his players up on game, but not necessarily the game they seek to play professionally. For this class, Sanders brought in Instagram model Brittany Renner, the woman who literally wrote the book on getting in the pockets of famous celebrities. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXALcZtgLh9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again When it comes to the subject of Critical Race Theory and whether it should be taught in schools, one thing is abundantly clear: Only white people overwhelmingly oppose it. Poll after poll after poll shows that a majority among Americans consider the college-level academic study to be inherently divisive, but once you break those numbers down into demographics, they all show that the strong majority of those who have adopted CRT as their new resident Devil are overwhelmingly Republican and conservative and just as overwhelmingly Caucasian. (Most of those polls also show that the majority of Americans don’t have even a remedial idea of what CRT is.) Sean “Diddy” Combs became the hip-hop mogul that he is recognized as today by branching outside of music to develop businesses in fields like philanthropy, spirits, media production, fragrance and most notably fashion. One major source of the empire was his pioneering namesake label Sean John, which at the moment is 90% owned by apparel wholesaler GBG USA Inc. After Global Brands Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this past summer, it now appears the company is hoping for someone to buy their majority share of Sean John — that person, thankfully, just might be the man it was originally named after. TMZ has obtained exclusive documents that suggest Diddy — call him “Love” if you can keep up with his ever-changing aka’s — has put up a $3.5 million bid in hopes of getting full ownership of Sean John. So far he seems to be in the lead in terms of bids, but he still has just under two weeks before he can truly claim victory. Cathy Hughes, Urban One’s renowned founder and chairperson, and Alfred Liggins III, CEO of Urban One and TV One, were inducted into the Cablefax Cable Center Hall of Fame earlier this week. Every year Cablefax — a media company and community for cable, broadcast and digital professionals — selects pioneers and change-makers who have had a significant impact on the cable industry. And this year Hughes and Liggins are being honored for their work in diversifying cable television. The mother and son combination has made Urban One arguably the most successful Black-owned media company in history. Starting in radio, the duo has since branched out into television success by launching TV One in 2004 and CLEO TV in 2019. “I don’t know life without radio. It’s been a constant in my life because it was my mom’s dream to provide an opportunity for Black people to have our own voice and tell our own stories,” Liggins said in a Q&A with Cablefax. “She sacrificed and put everything she had into her business. I grew up walking the hallways of WHUR at Howard University, being babysat by staff, attending events with my mom, and watching her carve her own path in what has always been a male-dominated world.” There are so many lost black stories hidden inside the crevasses of American history. Some of these stories are fascinating, but to find them you’ve got to do some serious digging. History books paint a bleak existence for blacks in America during the end of the nineteenth century. But slavery and bondage weren’t the only lives for a black person in the early 1900s. Blacks all over the country were building communities to escape persecution from white landowners and the Ku Klux Klan. While researching some of these communities I came across the story of Georgia native Francis Marion Boyer, who didn’t want to live under the thumb of the Ku Klux Klan any longer. After the Civil War in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan made it their mission to terrorize blacks all over the country and squash any newly gained civil and political rights by blacks in the south. The KKK was dangerous their members were able to hide among neighbors and keep their identities a secret. A white person you saw every day could be the same person terrorizing your family once the sunset. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Georgia Bulldogs and the Cincinnati Bearcats will compete in the College Football Playoff, the selection committee announced on Sunday. In the semifinal games scheduled for December 31, No. 1 Alabama (12-1) will face off against No. 4 Cincinnati (13-0) at the Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, while No. 2 Michigan (12-1) will play No. 3 Georgia (12-1) at the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The winners will square off in the national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on January 10 (8 p.m. ET). Former Yankee Derek Jeter has just welcomed his third child with wife, Hannah Jeter. The MLB great’s website “The Players’ Tribune” announced the news Saturday afternoon via Twitter, surprising fans who had no idea that the couple was expecting. “Congratulations Derek and @hannahbjeter on the birth of your baby girl, River Rose Jeter, born Thursday, Dec. 2.,” reads the tweet. Hannah, 31, was seen just three months ago with their two eldest daughters, Bella, 4, and Story, 2, attending Jeter’s National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The Sports Illustrated model did not appear to be pregnant at the event, leading some to believe they’ve welcomed their latest bundle of joy via surrogate. Ben Roethlisberger privately has told former teammates and some within the organization that he expects this to be his final season playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, league sources told ESPN on Saturday. Roethlisberger has not made any such public proclamations, and likely won’t, since he doesn’t want the latter part of the season to be about him as Pittsburgh tries to make a playoff push. But sources say he and those within the organization are now operating as if he is entering the final five games of his Hall of Fame career, with two of them fittingly coming against the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh’s opponent Sunday and in the final regular-season game. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Golden State Warriors crushed the Phoenix Suns 118-96 on Friday night in California. The loss for the Suns ended their 18-game winning streak. The two teams played earlier in the week on Tuesday when the Suns won in Arizona 104-96. After the game on Friday, Curry spoke to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. https://twitter.com/i/status/1467021131743997952 Deion Sanders and Jackson State captured the SWAC Championship Saturday with a 27-10 win over Prairie View A&M. Sanders’ first traditional season at the helm netted a conference title for Jackson State for the first time since 2007. The Tigers (11-1) meet South Carolina State, champions of the MEAC, in the sixth edition of the Celebration Bowl, Dec. 18 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It is first appearance for both Jackson State and South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl, which pits the SWAC and MEAC champs in the de facto national championship of Black college football. Jackson State got excellent play from a suffocating defense against Prairie View A&M as the Tigers limited the Panthers to 230 yards of offense and forced five turnovers. Shedeur Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders, completed 8 of 16 passes for 85 yards with a touchdown and interception. The offense was sparked by running back Peytton Pickett’s 97 yards and a touchdown. Deion Sanders was named the SWAC Coach of the Year last month for his efforts this season. “Jackson State’s Sanders led the Tigers to a 10-1 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in SWAC regular season play,” the press release said. “Under Sanders’ leadership the Tigers are currently ranked in the top 15 of the FCS Coaches Poll and are also ranked in the top 25 of the Stats FCS Poll. The Tigers claimed the SWAC East Division title for the first time since the 2013 season. For his efforts Sanders has been named a finalist for the Stats Perform FCS Eddie Robinson award.” Much respect was given at the Soul Train Awards to the late R&B singer, Aaliyah. Koryn Hawthorne, Musiq Soul Child, Tone Stith, Jac Ross, and Elle Varner came together and flipped Aaliyah's hit song "Rock The Boat." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZbuWBy1Ltc Kirk Franklin has yet another piece of hardware to add to the shelf! During last weekend's Soul Train Awards, he took home the Best Gospel/Inspirational Award! RCA show some love under their congratulatory post on the 'gram! https://www.instagram.com/p/CW3N_STgjSI/ Consider singer Michelle-Lee a candle in this strikingly nocturnal era of modern music. In an age where the themes of misogyny and drugs are universal yet monotonous, the bright talent lights up the room with a refreshing, ear grabbing voice that must be identified when heard. Invoking the soulful melody of legends like Anita Baker and Jill Scott, she also provides progressive songwriting in the build of new age Christian vocalists Kierra Sheard and Mali Music. Stylish, spiritual, and an incredibly fun-loving person, Michelle is the "one stop shop" artist; she offers a truthful, intimate sound enveloped by a warm and inviting aura. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h5nps1e5mpb1grh/AAAMtSQ1-yXQQkt1Ahu5b4CAa?dl=0&preview=This+Year+(mastered+1)+(1).wav Debbie Winans drops BRAND NEW CHRISTMAS MUSIC: "The Story" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzatnixYFJY Saying her son’s case has not been prioritized, the grieving mother of Jelani Day, the Illinois State University graduate student whose body was found in the Illinois River in September, said Friday it’s time for the FBI to take over the investigation. “I’m asking you. I’m imploring you. I’m begging you. I need to know what happened to my son,” an emotional Carmen Day said. “I need the FBI to come in and take over. … They need to make Jelani a priority.” Day was supported in the request for federal assistance by prominent activists including Rev. Jesse Jackson and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. Carmen Day spoke from the Rainbow Push Coalition’s headquarters in Chicago, a civil rights organization founded by Jackson. “We are asking the FBI to make this young, Black man named Jelani Day a priority just like they did the young white woman, Gabby Petito, because his life matters just like hers,” Crump said. Day’s case went national following the media coverage of the disappearance and death of Petito, 22, who was the subject of global attention after she was reported missing Sept. 11 and found dead eight days later. Critics noted that missing people of color often don’t get the same kind of media attention. When Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand began rehearsing to play the Macbeths, he asked her how she thought the couple had met. Oh, she replied blithely, the Macbeths met when they were 15. They were Romeo and Juliet, but they didn’t commit suicide. They just stayed married for 50 years. But they didn’t have any kids and his career stalled, so thinking legacy, they suddenly went gangster and killed their nice, old friend, the king. “This is one of the only good marriages in Shakespeare,” said Joel Coen, who adapted and directed “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” opening widely on Christmas Day. “They just happen to be plotting a murder.” James Shapiro, a Shakespeare scholar at Columbia, backed up the director, adding dryly, “But there’s not much competition, is there? The Capulets? Richard II and his nameless Queen? Richard III and the doomed widow, Anne?” Now Mr. Coen and Ms. McDormand, who are married and who met on the Coen brothers’ debut feature, the 1984 film noir “Blood Simple,” have teamed up with Mr. Washington to do another noir, the Scottish saga of “Blood will have blood.” “Frances McDormand is a beast,” Mr. Washington said, admiringly. A few weeks into filming, she asked her leading man if she had earned the right to call him “D,” as some close to him do. “Sure,” he replied. A member of the New Orleans city council is pushing to change a street currently named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and replace it with one the city’s most famous musicians, Allen Toussaint, who died in 2015. Councilmember Jared C. Brossett introduced an ordinance to rename the street that goes through the northern part of the city near Lake Pontchartrain after Toussaint. Toussaint was a songwriter, producer, pianist and performer whose decades-long career helped make such hits as “Working in the Coal Mine,” and "Southern Nights.” “The City of New Orleans should prioritize celebrating our culture bearers, our diversity, and everything that makes our City special, not those who worked to tear us apart and represent a horrible history of racism that we are still dealing with today,” said Brossett in a news release announcing the effort. “Allen Toussaint is a New Orleans native and world-renowned musician. He represents the very best of our city.” Brossett sent a letter to the city’s planning commission, which now has 60 days to hold a public hearing and then present a report before the matter goes to the full council, according to the press release. Andre Coleman, 16, doesn’t fight anymore. When he gets angry now, he steps away. Or takes a few minutes to flow through some tai chi moves he learned from his mentor. He gets some weird looks from classmates if he starts tai chi while sitting at this desk at school, but the looks are worth the chance to avoid a fight. “It was a new life,” he said. “I had to learn how to breathe.” That’s exactly how his mentor, Halim Ali, hopes Coleman and the other young Black men under his tutelage will approach challenging situations in the future. Ali founded the nonprofit From the Heart Enterprises to help young Black men address the trauma and anger that can turn into isolation, violence and suicide. Ali is particularly concerned about rising gun violence among teens in metro Denver — especially after nine students were injured in two shootings outside a pair of Aurora high schools in one week — and about rising suicide rates in Colorado’s Black male population. “It’s a matter of life and death,” Ali said. The age-adjusted rate of suicide for Black men in Colorado has nearly doubled since 2013, when the rate was 10.2 suicides per 100,000. By 2020, that rate grew to 20.2 suicides per 100,000, according to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment data. CNN announced on Saturday that anchor Chris Cuomo has been “terminated” following an investigation into exactly how Cuomo aided his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, when the then-governor was accused of sexual harassment. “We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately,” the statement said. The network added that despite the termination, it will continue to review the matter after additional information became available. Another 75 cases of the super-mutant Omicron variant have been identified in England, health officials confirmed, after it was revealed that the majority of sequenced infections of the new variant are in fully vaccinated people. It comes after health officials revealed earlier today that more than half of England’s Omicron Covid cases that have been genetically sequenced were in double-vaccinated people. It is not yet known whether today’s additional 75 cases were in double-jabbed or non-vaccinated individuals. And Boris Johnson insisted last night that he wanted Britons to enjoy Christmas as ‘normally as possible’ – just as Ireland was told it was going into semi-lockdown. Following a week of mixed messaging from his ministers, the Prime Minister admitted there had been ‘quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing’ on Christmas parties. A mostly white jury was seated Friday for the trial of a white suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she drew her handgun by mistake when she fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright following a traffic stop. Nine of the first 12 jurors seated for Kim Potter’s trial are white — roughly in line with the demographics of surrounding Hennepin County, but notably less diverse than the jury that convicted former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin this spring in the death of George Floyd. Potter, 49, is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 shooting in the suburb of Brooklyn Center. Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday. Legal experts have said juries that are diverse by race, gender and economic background are necessary to minimize bias in the legal system. The Chauvin jury that was split 50-50 between whites and people of color was “mostly just luck of the draw,” said Ted Sampsell-Jones, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul. He said racial and ethnic diversity matters in terms of the perceived legitimacy of the jury, but attitudes about police and policing are much more important for the case outcome. Alec Baldwin is speaking out in his first interview since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film “Rust.” The accident took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico when Baldwin was filming a scene that required someone to fire the prop gun. Thought to be loaded with blanks, the gun’s bullets struck director Joel Souza and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Authorities said in a statement that Hutchins died from her injuries and Souza was airlifted to a nearby hospital and later discharged after treatment for non-life threatening injuries. Baldwin sat down with George Stephanopoulos for an extensive interview about the fatal shooting on the set of his Western film. https://twitter.com/i/status/1466588963632783360 The monumentally popular “Left Behind” books have collectively sold well over 60 million copies and have inspired a number of feature films. And fans of the iconic end-times series — who haven’t seen a “Left Behind” movie hit the big screen since 2014 — will soon have a reason to rejoice, as a new film is in production, reviving the franchise’s beloved characters and eschatological storyline. “Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist” is currently filming in Canada and CBN News and Faithwire exclusively spoke with director and star Kevin Sorbo and co-star Greg Perrow to hear their heart behind the project, and what audiences can expect from the next chapter in the beloved saga. https://youtu.be/f8f3FufWVes Former South Africa paralympic superstar, Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been moved closer to her family ahead of reconciliation talks that could help pave the way for his early release from prison. Pistorius, known as “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, went from public hero to convicted murderer in a trial that drew worldwide interest. He becomes eligible for parole after serving half of his 13-year sentence. Pistorius is set to speak to Steenkamp’s parents, June and Barry Steenkamp, in a process known as victim-offender dialogue – an integral part of South Africa’s restorative justice program in its prison system that brings parties affected by a particular crime together in a bid to achieve closure. In the name of “gender equity,” the Chicago Public Schools system is doing away with boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, opting instead for gender-neutral restrooms. CPS Title IX officer Camie Pratt introduced the sweeping changes at the beginning of the week, stating: “On top of ensuring that each of our schools is a safe environment, we’re also taking steps to create more inclusive and supportive schools. One change that will be implemented this school year relates to our school bathrooms.” “In compliance with the new federal guidelines,” she continued, “all CPS students and staff will have fair and equitable access to bathroom facilities that align with their gender identity.” Pratt said the district “will be providing schools with updated signage that makes our bathrooms more inclusive” and “will identify the fixtures available in each restroom and make it clear that all restrooms are open for use by anyone who feels comfortable.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1465742664163287052 He signed a massive 12-year extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth a whopping $365million in July 2020. But the most important day of Mookie Betts’ life may have happened this week. The 29-year-old superstar right fielder married longtime love Brianna Hammonds in a stunning beachside ceremony at Terranea Resort in Rachos Palos Verdes, California on Wednesday. The couple also have a two-year-old daughter named Kynlee together as the youngster was seen being carried down the aisle during the ceremony. The two began dating at teenagers when Mookie was a baseball standout at John Overton High School in Oakhill, Tennessee. Brianna, 27, looked absolutely stunning in a strapless white mermaid dress with shimmering details. Mookie – born Markus Lynn Betts – was also dressed to the nines as he sported a dark green tuxedo complete with crisp white dress shirt and black bowtie. Newly released police body camera footage shows Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna choking his wife moments before his domestic violence arrest in May. Ozuna was arrested May 29 on charges of aggravated assault by strangulation and battery after police officers said they witnessed him attacking his wife, Genesis. The newly released body camera footage corroborates officers’ statements. ‘Get your hands off her,’ one officer can be heard yelling at Ozuna, who is seen with one hand around the woman’s neck. ‘Get on the ground! Get on the ground!’ Ozuna quickly dropped his hand and raised his arms in the air as an officer drew his taser. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Ozuna then complied with an order to get down with his chest on the floor. ‘He was actively chocking her when I walked up,’ the first responding officer told an arriving colleague. Officers ordered the Dominican native to put his hands behind his back, which he did with some difficulty because he had a cast over his left hand following a thumb injury. Jussie Smollett’s defense team let out a brutal cross-examination against the prosecution’s star witness on Thursday. The witness claimed the pair were dating, had masturbated together at a gay bathhouse, and the attack was fueled by a desire to be the actor’s security guard. Abimbola Osundairo, 28, testified on the stand at a Chicago criminal court and was questioned for two hours by the actor’s defense attorney Shay Allen on day four of the trial. Allen attempted to make Osundairo look like a liar, drug dealer, and opportunist who used his relationship with Smollett to further his career. He is also accused of telling the star he’d make this “all go away” and not testify if he and his brother, Olabinjo, were paid $1 million each. “You told him if he gave you and your brother a million dollars each, you wouldn’t testify?” Allen asked Osundairo, but his response was, “No.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CXBU-uyFHl2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Blavity reports Ronell and Roja-John “John” Stephenson got way more than they bargained for when they were arrested for killing two boys from an indigenous family in 2017. The crime resulted in a sentence of 34 years and eight months for John and Ronell, despite being busted without evidence for possession of guns, drug trafficking and murder. In a two-part interview, titled “Americans Seek Justice In Ecuador Prison,” posted in June on the You Tube channel dcbornrob – Erasing Borders, John Stephenson retraced what led to their current situation, which started as an attempt to live a simple life without complications after falling in love with Ecuador while participating in a 2012 exchange program. At the time, John was living in Ecuador’s capital, Quito, as a student of Washington and Jefferson College. Two years after graduating from the school, John moved back to Ecuador with this dad. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LvWtK95ohoY/hqdefault.jpg Meagan Good is beyond just being concerned about the recent rise of home invasions in LA. She’s downright frightened about the prospect of becoming a victim. So frightened, she wants to become a gun owner. The actress hasn’t always felt this way about owning a weapon and Friday night (12/03/21) she explained her change of mind in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God on his Comedy Central show “Tha God’s Honest Truth” … saying she would feel more comfortable with a gun after seeing home invasions on the rise in Hollywood. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-12-03-120321-megan-good-1317246/ Major league baseball went out of business for the first time in a quarter century when the collective bargaining agreement expired Wednesday night and owners immediately blocked players, threatening spring training and opening day. This strategy, the equivalent of a management strike under federal labor law, ended the work calmness in sports after 9,740 days in 26 1/2 years. The teams decided to force the long-awaited confrontation in the offseason, rather than risk players leaving in the summer, as they did in 1994. Players and owners had successfully reached four consecutive agreements without a work stoppage, but they were gradually heading towards collision. more than two years. Negotiations, which began last spring, ended on Wednesday after a short session lasting a few minutes, when the parties parted ways on dozens of key economic issues. Management representatives left the union hotel about nine hours before the deal expired at 11:59 pm ET, and players said MLB did not make any new central economic proposals this week. MLB’s 30 controlling owners held a short digital meeting to confirm their lockout decision, and MLB, in an email to the Major League Baseball Association, announced its fourth-ever lockout, accompanied by five strikes. Meghan Markle has emerged victorious in her privacy and copyright infringement case over a letter she sent that was published by UK media outlets. The Duchess of Sussex scored a major legal victory on Thursday when the Court of Appeal in London ruled in her favor against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail on Sunday after they printed parts of the private letter, PEOPLE reports. The newspapers will now pay Meghan substantial financial damages as well as print a public apology on the front page of the Mail on Sunday and the homepage of the Mail Online, per the report. “This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right,” Meghan said in a statement after the judgment. “Today, the courts ruled in my favor—again—cementing that The Mail on Sunday, owned by Lord Jonathan Rothermere, has broken the law,” Meghan added in her statement. “The courts have held the defendant to account, and my hope is that we all begin to do the same. Because as far removed as it may seem from your personal life, it’s not. “Tomorrow it could be you. These harmful practices don’t happen once in a blue moon—they are a daily fail that divide us, and we all deserve better.” Jazmine Sullivan will be serving up her Heaux Tales in a city near you when she kicks off a 25-city tour on Valentine’s day in 2022. As reported by MadameNoire, the news comes after the beloved singer won two Soul Train Awards for Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul Female Artist. She has also nabbed three Grammy Awards nominations for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for “Pick Up Your Feelings.” During her acceptance speech at the Soul Train Awards over the weekend, Sullivan said that she wrote Heaux Tales to encourage Black women to love themselves. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW4a95tp04d/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Recently, Rolling Stone reported that Jermaine Dupri has made “JD’s Vegan” ice cream. Dupri, who has been vegan for decades, has started a gluten-free, plant-based, non-GMO line of frozen treats after noticing the lack of these types of items for vegan consumers. A lot of people who are involved in the vegan brands are not vegan,” said Dupri. “I don’t know how people who are not vegan can be trustworthy in his space for us. I felt it was important for somebody like myself to produce something,” he told Rolling Stone. The products will be created in conjunction with Malcolm Stogo and Big Innovations Group Inc. It’s reportedly made from a base of coconut cream instead of dairy. Dupri also partnered with Walmart to make the product accessible to the general public rather than a bougie subset clamoring for public approval “I was working with a company…about doing a commercial using ‘…Country Roads,’ Kent Well produced it,” said Country artist Mary Sarah (“The Voice”) about her holiday single “Country Roads.” “He produced a regular version and it was around Christmas and Thanksgiving…I was saying this could be for Christmas because Christmas is about going home for the holidays.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5ZFaiz5da2c/hqdefault.jpg Philemon Chambers is speaking out about being the first queer Black actor to land an LGBTQ Christmas Rom-Com at Netflix. Chambers, 27, has appeared in a couple of small roles on TV series like “Criminal Minds,” and “All Rise.” He has been tapped to star in his first major role for the Netflix Christmas movie “Single All the Way.” “Two weeks after I got better from COVID, that’s when the audition came,” the Compton, California native says. “And I remember having this conversation with myself of, ‘If I’m going to do it, and if I want this to be my career, then I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.’” As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, “the plot of the film follows all the familiar tropes of the genre — disenchanted big-city dweller falls in love in a small town — but had one major difference: The central love triangle is among three gay men,” the outlet writes. Few could pull off bringing prime time swag to the Southwestern Athletic Conference. But as soon as Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders stepped off the plane for the first time in Jackson, Mississippi, things immediately changed for the landscape of HBCU (Historically black college and university) sports. “What is a win to us at JSU, if we win the championship — and we are going to do that — OK, and no one goes pro, I don’t feel like we won,” Sanders said after clinching the SWAC East division in his first full season. “If our graduation rate has not increased, did we win? It’s not just games, we are trying to change the game in all facets.” Sanders’ presence brought more notoriety and attention to a conference whose legacy is as great as that of any major conference in America. The cavalcade of Pro Football Hall of Fame players and NFL All-Pros stands above most football programs in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision. From Walter Payton to Jerry Rice and from Doug Williams to Steve McNair, these schools have produced great legends of the game. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XMjyLK1MWFI/hqdefault.jpg This week Billboard announced that Ye reigns as the Top Gospel Artist for 2021 setting a record for having top 23 spots on Hot Gospel Songs with “Donda.” Previously known for being a rap artist, Kanye transitioned to creating Gospel Music in 2019 with the release of his albums “Jesus is Born” and “Jesus is King.” As a result of his growing popularity in the Christian and Gospel music world, the conversation of whether or not Ye’s new Gospel fame should be fairly revered as “Gospel” has been brought to the forefront. According to Breakout Gospel Star and Stellar Awards “2021 Artist of the Year,” Pastor Mike Jr, the answer is “nah.” In an Instagram post picked up by TheShadeRoomChurchh, Pastor Mike Jr. had this to say about the Donda Album and Ye’s new title of Billboard’s Gospel Artist of the Year: “Kanye West isn’t a Gospel Artist. He’s a rapper who did a Gospel Album… So many people are afraid to speak up for fear of being cancelled! Something about this doesn’t feel right.” He later went on to say that the Donda listening party felt “so demonic.” A bride-to-be in Florida has gone viral after she passed out at her wedding, vomited, and got pooped on by her baby nephew. “I kept trying to tell my husband I didn’t feel good and he thought I was joking,” Hollee Lynnea-Kolenda Darnell, 23, captioned a TikTok of her marriage mishap, as reported by the New York Post. https://www.tiktok.com/@hollinator1424/video/7036138370447297839?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F&referer_video_id=7036138370447297839&refer=embed Beverly Hills police have made an arrest in the killing of Jacqueline Avant, a prominent Los Angeles philanthropist, political insider and the wife of businessman and music legend Clarence Avant. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aDand7uB220/hqdefault.jpg This is the image that has sparked fear among scientists, prompted ministers to turbocharge the UK’s booster vaccine rollout and seen the return of mask mandates in England. It details the new super-mutant Omicron variant’s 32 spike protein mutations which experts fear will make it the most infectious and vaccine-resistant strain yet. The graphic, released by the country’s top variant monitoring team, also lays bare how it is far more evolved than even the world-dominant Delta strain, with nearly five times as many alterations on the spike. As of yesterday, just 32 cases of Omicron have been detected in the UK but hundreds are expected to emerge in the coming days and there are signs it is spreading domestically already. The new strain shares mutations with all of the main ‘variants of concern’ — including Alpha, Beta and Delta — but has dozens more which all point to heightened transmissibility and vaccine escape. ABC will add historical context to its upcoming limited series Women of the Movement with the companion docuseries Let the World See. Premiering Thursday, Jan. 6 at 10:01 pm, “Let the World See is a fresh and deep examination of Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight to bring her son’s body home to Chicago and her pivotal yet heartbreaking decision to have an open-casket funeral for the public to see, which ultimately served as a turning point for the civil rights movement.” Let the World See is executive produced by Shawn Carter, Will Smith and Aaron Kaplan, with an original soundtrack from GRAMMY nominated producer Salaam Remi. The three-part series airs after each episode of Women of the Movement. It features interviews with “Emmett Till’s cousins Rev. Wheeler Parker, who was a witness to the abduction, Ms. Ollie Gordon and Amos Smith, and Ms. Thelma Wright, Ms. Mamie Till-Mobley’s cousin.” There have rumors of that the work environment in the Harris camp is toxic. Simone Sanders has announced her exit in a letter to her colleagues on Monday, following rumors of a toxic work environment in Harris’ office. The end of December is the period that Sanders, who is also Harris’ senior adviser, has announced that she will leave the White House. “Symone has served honorably for three years,” a source told CNN. “The President and vice president are grateful for Symone’s service and advocacy for this White House. She is a valued member, a team player, and she will be missed. We are grateful to have her working through the end of the year.” https://youtu.be/1AXYi8xno3w #DonLemon is reportedly devastated about #ChrisCuomo being suspended from #CNN. emon and Cuomo have been coworkers at CNN and friends for quite some time. The men launched a podcast together, The Handoff, though its future is uncertain following the severe accusations against Cuomo. He has been accused of looking up information about the women accusing his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, of sexual misconduct. A source close to CNN shared that Lemon dropped to his knees and was “inconsolable” after learning that Cuomo was not returning to his position as host of “Cuomo Prime Time.” The source also claimed that Lemon was “lost” before Cuomo arrived at the network, who helped to guide Lemon’s career. Cuomo was initially going to remain in his position despite his brother facing a high-profile sexual assault case. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW_bBLtrytZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Chris Cuomo, CNN’s star anchor and brother of disgraced, former New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, is speaking out about being “indefinitely” suspended by the network. Cumo broke his silence during his SiriusXM radio show, “Let’s Get After It,” on Wednesday, admitting his recent suspension is “embarrassing.” “Quick note, the obvious,” Cuomo said at the start of the broadcast, Complex reports. “I’ve been suspended from CNN. You know this already. It hurts to even say it, it’s embarrassing, but I understand it and I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did. I’ve apologized in the past and I mean it. It’s the last thing I ever wanted to do, was compromise any of my colleagues and do anything but help. I know they have a process that they think is important. I respect that process, so I’m not gonna talk about this anymore than that. So for right now, let’s just get after it, and there’s plenty to do on that score.” Cuomo claims he never “made calls to the press” about his brother’s sexual misconduct scandal, nor did he try to “control CNN’s coverage of my family.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AVomWpbQ9ac/hqdefault.jpg Halle Berry has signed a multi-title deal with Netflix following the success of her directorial debut “Bruised,” which is now streaming on the platform. Per Netflix, “Bruised” is the top film in the United States this week, and was also the No. 2 English language film around the globe, Variety reports. “My directorial debut, ‘Bruised,’ was a labor of love and I knew that Scott and Ted would treat it with great care,” Berry said of Netflix film head Scott Stuber and co-CEO Ted Sarandos. “The Netflix team has not only been collaborative and creative, but extremely passionate and a delight to work with. I am beyond grateful for the partnership and look forward to telling more stories together.” An exclusive clip from this week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airing Thursday, Dec. 2. Siir Brock talks to his younger self as part of an exercise aimed to help the cast understand how they behave in their current relationships. The boot-campers explore their formative years and how those experiences shaped them as adults today. Emotions run high when past traumas are confronted head-on. https://youtu.be/bCTFoMcZHgk Season 2 of Michael K. Williams‘ docuseries, “Black Market with Michael K. Williams,” is set to premiere on Jan. 10 — and Vice TV has dropped a trailer. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CE8K1YHKLE8/hqdefault.jpg Gabrielle Union has been tapped to star in the LIVE remake of “Facts of Life” that will air one night only on ABC. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, the “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” event will star Jennifer Aniston as Blair, Gabrielle Union as Tootie, Allison Tolman as Natalie, Kathryn Hahn as Jo, and Ann Dowd will play Mrs. Garrett, ABC announced Monday. “I cannot imagine a better group than Jennifer Aniston, Allison Tolman, Gabrielle Union, Kathryn Hahn and Ann Dowd, and I can’t wait to do their hair,” said executive producer Jimmy Kimmel. The “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” presentation of “The Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes” airs Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 9:30-10:00 p.m. ET on ABC. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com As December lights, eggnog, and sugar cookies have become synonymous with this time of the year, one man is rapidly establishing himself with the holiday season on the small screen, actor Jaime Callica. In the last few years, Christmas movies have been a refuge for family-friendly entertainment and have grown quite the following in that time. Hallmark Channel and Lifetime Network have been at the forefront of December entertainment with enough content to create their own streaming service. Canadian-born Callica appears in several films this holiday season, including Lifetime’s “Merry Liddle Christmas Baby,” with singer/actress Kelly Rowland. Hulu on Wednesday released a new documentary special — “Astroworld: Concert From Hell,” recapping the deadly events at a Travis Scott festival in Houston last month — but quickly pulled it from the service after a social-media backlash. The news special was produced by KTRK, ABC’s owned-and-operated local station in Houston. The 50-minute documentary can be viewed at this link. In a statement, a Hulu spokesperson told Variety, “This was an investigative local news special from ABC13/KTRK-TV in Houston that originally aired on November 20th. This was not a Hulu documentary and has since been removed to avoid confusion.” In 2020 the pandemic was a rough year for everyone but personally traumatic for me. I lost my brother to Covid-19 and this song HE KEPT ME means more to me now than it ever did. Most can relate that God has kept some from it, and brought some through it; not only physically but mentally. God is and will forever be A Keeper! https://www.dropbox.com/s/65nhttxsovccq5y/Lamont%20Sanders%20-%20Thank%20You%20Video%20-%20No1%20Billboard%20Gospel%20Indicator%20Chart.mov?dl=0 DAD Speak features Evan Lionel (comedian), Ruffin Patterson (athletic coach) and Mark Winkler (author of My Daughter’s Keeper) sharing heart felt insights into what they endured as fathers who sought to remain active in their children’s lives, despite changes in their various relationships with the children’s mothers. LaRita Shelby was inspired to make the film after a forty year journey to reunite with her father, the late Calvin Thomas Shelby. As she shared news of what occurred in her life, she was shocked by the scores of men who confessed their pain and struggle of being separated from their children or their own fathers. DAD Speak also features Dr. Loren Hill and Rev. Jerrold Smith. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bD1oUBaJW18/hqdefault.jpg Recording Artist Andrea Rene Williams To Sing National Anthem for Georgetown Hoyas! A Greensboro, North Carolina woman is speaking out after becoming a first-time mom at 50. Susie Troxler and her 61-year-old husband Tony Troxler wed in 2008 and immediately tried to get pregnant but were plagued by a slew of health issues. The couple admits that they struggled with fertility problems for decades before the birth of their miracle baby in September. “We got married later in life, obviously, and we just assumed we would get pregnant like most people,” Susie Troxler said. “One year turned into two, then three, but when it got to be nine, 10, 11 years, we were like, something is up, and I’m not sure what it is.” She continued, “I had a boatload of uterine fibroids. I was too old, and Tony had some medical issues, so, between the two of us, there was not going to be a baby.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r4zbLA4nrBI/hqdefault.jpg Sandra Bullock recently dished with “Red Table Talk” hosts Willow Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris about the challenges of raising her two adopted Black children. “To say that I wish our skins matched, sometimes I do. Because then it would be easier on how people approach us,” Bullock, explained in the episode. “And I have the same feelings as a woman with brown skin being her babies or a white woman with white babies.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1465927277225525248 Malikah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment by her daughter last month. She was 56. Her cause of death has not been determined but she had been battling a long-term illness. According to Business Insider, police said her death appears to be due to natural causes. Shabazz is the youngest of Malcolm X’s six daughters with his wife Betty Shabazz. Their other daughters’ are Qubilah Shabazz, Attallah Shabazz, Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz, Ilyasah Shabazz, Malaak Shabazz, and Malikah Shabazz. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S0WoXVTV89o/hqdefault.jpg Former child actress Jonshel Alexander, who co-starred in 2012’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” was reportedly shot and killed Saturday night in New Orleans. She was 22. Alexander and another man were sitting inside a car in New Orleans’ 7th ward when they were shot by an assailant who fled the scene, according to the Associated Press and The New Orleans Times-Picayune. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CDaIycO_b2Q/hqdefault.jpg On March 5, 2020, Nathanial Woods was executed in Alabama for the murder of three white Birmingham police officers. But he was not the one behind the gun that murdered them. In a documentary by The New York Times that’s premiering on FX at 10 p.m. Eastern time, they explore the case of Woods and what led to his execution by speaking with his family, lawyers, and family members of one of the murdered officers per the story from The New York Times.This documentary comes on the heels of Julius Jones being taken off of death row hours before his scheduled execution because of the call by many celebrities to bring attention to his case. But in the case of Woods, his execution has already happened and unfortunately, there is no hope for his life to be saved. But there is a chance for his story to be told. NYC based organizations, Black Women’s Learning Institute (BWLI) and national research organization NDRI-USA partnered this year to bridge the gap between research and practice in public health. The partnership centers around advancing evidence-based and emerging practices to support public health practitioners with a focus on the health, wellness and social disparities that affect Black women across their lifespan. In September 2021, BWLI launched its Engage. Empower. Educate. survey nationally with a focus on Louisville, KY and Baton Rouge, LA. According to America’s Health Rankings (2018), these two cities represent a population of Black women known to be vulnerable to higher rates of serious health issues. Today, Urban One announced the return of the annual URBAN ONE HONORS taping in Atlanta, GA on Friday, December 3, 2021. Themed, "the Soundtrack of Black America," the two-hour telecast premieres Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One. Wireless provider T-Mobile, America’s 5G leader with the largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network, serves as Presenting Sponsor of the celebration with this year’s honoree class recognizing an esteemed group of individuals that have left an indelible mark in the categories of Lifetime Achievement, Music Innovation, Entertainment Icon, Living Legend and Inspirational Impact. Jermaine Dupri, Marlon Wayans, and Tony McCuin will appear as presenters alongside performances by Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Kelly Price, Tank, Vashawn Mitchell and Kim Burse with additional names to be announced. Additionally, TV & Radio Personality Eva Marcille will host a special backstage pass segment, featuring exclusive interviews with the show's honorees, performers and presenters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtFnUPEB6f0 Today, TV One, announces the premiere date for the new original docuseries One Stage To The Next, starring R&B singer, actress and TV host, Syleena Johnson. The series will follow award-winning singer Syleena Johnson as she continues to navigate through life and the entertainment industry. One Stage To The Next is set to premiere on Tuesday, December 14th with back-to-back episodes at 10/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t600SR_DRfY It looks like the next season of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta‘ is having a few hiccups at the moment. Sheree Whitfield’s friend, Tyrone Gilliams, isn’t fooling with her at the moment because he’s in his feelings about his portrayal on the show in past. According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Sheree’s lil pen pal had his legal team draft up a cease and desist letter to Bravo chile. Tyrone claims the network has been using his lil name and likeness without his permission. https://www.instagram.com/theneighborhoodtalk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=db517630-781a-4356-a379-c1f728962f16 Halle Berry got herself a drank and filmed herself doing a little celebratory dance after finding out that her new movie, “Bruised,” – which marks her directorial debut – reached No. 1 on the U.S. and No. 2 worldwide. Dressed in an all-black outfit with hip-hugging pants and a sheer, fitted corset, the 55-year-old Oscar winner held a glass of champagne while grooving to H.E.R.’s “Automatic Woman,” a song off the film’s soundtrack. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CW6jafRAesJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=52a866b3-cb93-4ca4-9cc9-661dcf9721cd Alice Sebold, the New York Times best-selling author of “The Lovely Bones” has apologized to the Black man wrongly accused of raping her in the ‘80s when she was a student at Syracuse University. Per Complex: Anthony Broadwater was recently exonerated in the 1981 rape case. Broadwater was found guilty of raping Sebold and served 16 years in prison, later getting out in 1998. Sebold was 18-years-old at the time of her assault and later based her 1999 memoir Lucky on the experience. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zuPix9gDTqI/hqdefault.jpg Baron Jay Littleton Jr. is the prolific producer, actor and founder of his own non-profit organization: The Baron Jay Foundation. He is one of the minds behind the new sitcom House Out Of Order. Littleton, has created House Out Of Order with Christopher J Moore, writer from Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne and Meet The Browns. Bentley Kyle Evans, legendary television writer, actor, producer and director, with credits from classic programs Martin and The Jamie Foxx Show, will direct the sitcom. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sGdYw6dhTY8/hqdefault.jpg Georgia’s Stacey Abrams announced Wednesday that she is running for governor a second time, setting up a potential rematch with Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp. Abrams ran for governor in 2018, losing to Kemp by 1.4 points. At the time, Kemp was Georgia’s Secretary of State, also responsible for overseeing state elections and vote counts. She became a household name that year after accusing Republicans of engaging in voter suppression affecting mostly Black voters. She was credited with helping organize Black voters in the South to help push Democrats to key victories, including President Joe Biden’s narrow 2020 win in Georgia. https://twitter.com/i/status/1466140248887418885 Jacqueline Avant, the wife of Clarence Avant, a virtual legend in the music business, was shot and killed in a home invasion robbery. The Avants have been married for 54 years. The scene of the crime is the Trousdale Estates area of Los Angeles. It’s a high-end area neighboring Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills PD got a call at 2:30 AM for a home invasion. The caller told the dispatcher someone had been shot. By the time they arrived, Mres Avant had already been rushed to a nearby hospital. The Black Virginia Beach police officer, Solomon Simmons, who fatally shot Pharrell Williams’ cousin Donovon Lynch has been cleared after a grand jury found “no probable cause” to charge him. In June, Williams revealed in an emotional post that one of the victims in the Virginia Beach shooting on March 27 was his cousin, 25-year-old Donovon Lynch. The victim’s father has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the Virginia Beach police. Police claim Lynch had a handgun when he came in contact with officers responding to the shootings. He was fatally shot by a Black cop, Solomon Simmons, whose body camera had not been activated. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FWqUMdP4PIo/hqdefault.jpg In a moving new memoir, Black Prep: Life Lessons of A Perpetual Outsider, author Kimberley Baker Guillemet provides a how-to guide for not just surviving, but thriving in the face of adversity. “I learned early in life that mindset matters,” says Baker Guillemet. “I repeatedly received the message that I wasn’t privileged enough, connected enough, smart enough, pretty enough, thin enough, even Black enough. And for a time, I believed it. Only after I decided to reject those messages, did I begin to thrive.” In Black Prep, the South Los Angeles native who later became a successful lawyer, chronicles how she navigated educational and professional environments that were both foreign and uncomfortable. LaVar Ball wants you to know that his white wife’s parents disapproved of him initially due to his race. As reported by Fadeaway World, a video surfaced online of Tina Ball’s parents, Robert and Catherine Slatinsky, speaking candidly about the first time they learned their daughter had fallen in love with a Black man. According to Robert: “My daughter said that she had a boyfriend, and being I’m white and he’s black, I didn’t know how to take that at first. I probably didn’t take it very well.” Catherine added: “I will give LaVar a great deal of credit because he didn’t push. He was very willing to wait until Tina’s parents who were acting a little “bullheaded” at that time were ready to accept him.” In the end, they accepted him, and LeVar and Tina went on to have three sons who are NBA stars. https://www.instagram.com/kicks/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b69881f2-49ea-4c60-9011-4af687a2b95a Katt Williams will reportedly avoid prison for a 2016 attack on a group of women, and the alleged victims are not happy that he was not properly punished. “We cannot ignore that this man has not only traumatized not only us. Several other people,” said Lutisha Martinez, one of the victims, as reported by WSB-TV. “We felt very ignored throughout this entire wait,” said Salena Boston, another one of the women who claims Williams attacked her. On Tuesday, the list of nominees for the 64th Grammy Awards was announced and Dave Chapelle was one of many stars to earn a nod. Chappelle’s Grammy nomination is for the Netflix special, 8:46, in the best spoken word album category. This come just one month after he faced calls to be canceled over jokes he made in the stand-up special “The Closer.” At the time, LGBTQ activists slammed Chappelle for his jokes about the trans community, prompting employees at Netflix to stage a walkout to protest the streaming service for airing the special. Kevin Hart’s new Netflix drama series “True Story” is not actually based on a true story but the racist airplane passenger scene really happened to the comedian. In the drama series, Hart plays a character seemingly inspired by himself, a comedian named The Kid. A tour stop in Kid’s hometown of Philadelphia becomes a matter of life and death for one of the world’s most famous comedians when the consequences of a lost evening with his wayward older brother (Wesley Snipes) threaten to destroy everything he’s built. The project marks Hart’s dramatic series debut and he also serves as an executive producer. As reported by Insider, Hart said his character is “based off of just the onslaught of shit that you deal” as a celebrity. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QP1PAEaszVM/hqdefault.jpg Donald Trump Jr. took aim at LeBron James after the NBA star had two Pacers fans ejected from the Los Angeles Lakers match-up on Nov. 24 in Indianapolis. As reported by theJamsmineBrand, at one point during overtime, James took a referee to the pair of courtside Pacers fans, pointing out a man and woman. LeBron can vaguely be heard saying: “This one right f**king here.” Lakers player Russell Westbrook then enters the frame and seemingly sides with him. The two Pacers fans are then booted. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWycvHBAe5R/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again James Merritt will not be a visiting professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS). It was announced on social media that the scandal plagued Merritt would decline the job. SEBTS President Danny Akin made it official on Twitter. He said, “Today my dear friend @drjamesmerritt asked me to allow him to decline serving as a visiting professor @SEBTS, not wanting to be a distraction to the school. I have honored his request. His integrity, character & love for the gospel is a model for us all. A great man & friend!” Marcus Lamb, a televangelist and founder of Daystar Television Network, has reportedly died of COVID-19 after maligning vaccines and allegedly taking ivermectin to prevent infection. Daystar Television confirmed Lamb’s death on Tuesday, although the network’s announcement didn’t mention a cause of death. However, Marcus’ wife, Joni Lamb, confirmed her husband died from COVID-19, saying that he had been hospitalized after his oxygen dropped and alternative treatments proved ineffective. Lamb, according to Joni Lamb, was diabetic, which made him a high risk for becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 and the 64-year-old was just on the cusp of being considered high risk because of his age. Josh Duggar used his car lot’s worktop computer to download a sickening trove of child pornography with titles including ‘Daisy’s Destruction’, ‘Playtoy Sweetie’ and ‘Pedo Mom,’ a court heard on Wednesday. Prosecutors described the sordid findings during opening statements of the reality star’s child porn trial at the federal courthouse court in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The warped cache obtained between May 14 and May 16, 2019 included videos of two girls aged seven and nine being ‘penetrated’ by an adult male. A second download contained 65 still images of a girl aged seven to eight adopting nude poses and exposing her genitals, prosecutors alleged. An ‘explosive’ upcoming docuseries will explore the alleged ‘exploitation’ of Hillsong Church, which grew to more than 150,000 global members before it was rocked by a series of scandals. Discovery+ will air the three-part exposé, Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, in 2022, which will include interviews with former pastors, volunteers, and church members. The series will also feature jewelry designer Ranin Karim, who alleged that she had been involved in a relationship with married pastor Carl Lentz for five months in 2020. Prior to Karim’s revelations, Lentz, 42, was ousted from his position as at the megachurch, where he counseled the likes of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, because of reported ‘breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.’ Isaiah Gyamfi, a 2-year old boy from Ghana, is getting international attention as a child prodigy that knows how to count in at least 4 different languages and how to solve complex math problems. Isaiah started showing extraordinary intelligence at the age of five months, his mother Jazelle told Mirror. She said she noticed him enjoying learning one day when he was watching a video on her phone on YouTube and then she decided to put on a video about Japanese numbers. Jazelle said Isaiah listened to the video repeatedly until he could recite the numbers back to back. He learned to count up to 40 in Japanese by himself in just less than 24 hours. When Isaiah was just 4-months old, Jazelle, who is an early childhood education teacher based in London, already started creating a learning environment for him. She put numeracy and literacy flashcards in their living room so Isaiah could learn through visuals. Wednesday was Rosa Parks Day in Montgomery. Sixty-six years ago on Dec. 1, 1955, Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on a city bus to a white man. To memorialize the occasion, and her legacy, a new work of art was unveiled in Parks’ honor in front of the Rosa Parks Museum downtown. Before Parks became the mother of the modern-day civil rights movement, she worked on Maxwell Air Force Base, and Col. Eries Mentzer, the first Black commander of the base, described Parks’ experience. “You might just say Maxwell opened my eyes up,” explained Mentzer. “It was an alternative to the ugly policies of Jim Crow.” Parks’ legacy first started when she walked onto that bus. Instead of standing up when she was told to, she stayed in her seat and stood her ground. After hosting the 2021 ceremony, comedian and “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah is back to host the 2022 Grammy Awards. Noah made the announcement on CBS Wednesday morning with Gayle King. “It was fun, it was really, really fun. It was a great team. I was just lucky to be a part of it. We had such a good time, imagine if we had people there, how much more fun we would have had,” Noah said of the socially distanced Grammy Awards in 2021. “This year, the Grammys are going to be back. Hopefully it’s gonna be the full show. Everybody is gonna be there. We’re excited to celebrate a record night and I’m gonna host.” When asked if he had any hesitation about hosting two years in a row, Noah dismissed the thought and cracked a few jokes at the expenses of Kevin Hart and Jay-Z, who made history as the most Grammy-nominated artist of all time. Brotherly love has cost CNN’s Chris Cuomo. Specifically, the star anchor and brother of disgraced, former New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, has been “indefinitely” suspended. The action by the news network comes after new documents released this week indicated that the anchor was more intimately involved than previously known in helping his brother come up with a defense amid various sexual misconduct allegations. “The New York Attorney General’s office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defense,” a CNN spokesperson said Tuesday evening. “The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions.” “When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly,” the spokesperson continued. “But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second.” “However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew,” the spokesperson added. “As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.” https://youtu.be/9c1SrNS8IfQ The #Caribbean country #Barbados is cutting ties with the Queen to become a republic. Barbados will be a republic, which is a government ruled by the representatives of the citizen. It has been 55 years since the country declared independence from Britain.? The country’s governor, Sandra Mason, said the revival plan had been in motion since last September. She says, “the time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind.” Mason will be sworn in as the country’s first president. A shock for some but the small country claims this has been a long time coming.? The country will remove #QueenElizabethII Monday in a ceremony. Prince Charles will also be in attendance and give a speech. His presence shows the relationship between the two countries will remain friendly and resourceful to one another.? On November 30, pop star Rihanna was named a National Hero of Barbados, her home country. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW4RVP1j18S/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tiger Woods says it is not likely that he will be a full-time golfer following a car crash earlier this year that left him with several injuries. “I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day — never full time, ever again — but pick and choose, just like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that,” he told Golf Digest, referencing golfer Ben Hogan, who was hospitalized in 1949 following a car accident with a bus. “You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. I think that’s how I’m going to have to play it from now on,” Woods explained. “It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1462448711682957322 Multi-platinum-selling performer and award-winning songwriter Dante Bowe is closing out a record year with two GRAMMY Award Nominations. He is up for Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Voice of God” as well as “Joyful,” the lead single from his critically acclaimed album, Circles. Dante is also nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song with Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music for “Wait On You”, Best Gospel Album with Maverick City Music for Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album with Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music for Old Church Basement. The 64th GRAMMY Awards will air live from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on January 31, 2022 at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST on CBS and Paramount+. The acclaimed San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of master conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, joins forces with Oakland's 200-member Interfaith Choir to present "Holiday Soul" featuring the music of the Norman Hutchins & JDI Christmas classic "Emmanuel" - Wed, Dec 8th at 7:30 pm at Davies Symphony Hall. An evening of exuberant gospel and Christmas classics, you don't want to miss the chance to experience this special holiday concert that’s sure to lift your spirits. Grammy winners PJ Morton and Yolanda Adams come together for a warm, slightly Jazzy Christmas song about the birth of Jesus. The mid-tempo track which closes PJ's #1 album, "Gospel According to PJ," is a holiday track that can be played all year round. The gentle horns, simple message and the mellow blend of the voices of Adams and Morton, makes this a delicious saucer of Christmas cookies. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/nkTakFLgjj/files/fi-2f5e51b8-745f-47a9-bf17-5fcf2839dcda/fv-abf74d52-15fd-438d-8701-01db8e7f4512/13%20Do%20You%20Believe_rvsd%20EQ%20-%20varispeed02-01_(2488%20mastered)%20192.mp3 On the second season of “Games People Play” Marques and crew embark on a journey to his old high school for an honor to be bestowed on him, but family matters threaten to put a damper on the occasion. Unbeknownst to all, MJ may have foolishly reached the point of no return in the rabbit hole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KToZLn7q5Yg Tribl Records celebrates the reason for the season, with the release of GRAMMY® Award nominated, Stellar & Dove Award winning, Maverick City Music’s brand-new Christmas EP, A Very Maverick Christmas - featuring holiday favorites and original songs. A Very Maverick Christmas is available now wherever music is sold and streamed digitally. A Very Maverick Christmas was recorded live at Atlanta’s historic Paradise Baptist Church (started by a slave). The brand-new Christmas EP features a celebration of Maverick City Music’s original songs and beloved holiday favorites. A Very Maverick Christmas features signature vocals from Naomi Raine, Chandler Moore, Lizzie Morgan, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Ryan Ofei, Tianna Horsey and more; plus offers an all-star lineup of collaborations featuring the voices of: Natalie Grant, Todd Galberth, Melvin Crispell III, Isaac Carree and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EEhlm2OTXY Christian Recording Artist, Janicka Newbill is best described as Called, Anointed, and for many, A Voice in the Wilderness. She is often recognized for her ability to lead others in worship and above all else minister the Word of God through song. Because she desires for people to encounter the presence of God, she avails herself to the Church body as a psalmist and worship leader. Janicka’s music and powerful vocals have opened the doors for her to reach hearts and souls on national and international platforms. I See Heaven - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMLIipP-E_M Howard Hewett has put new window dressing on yet another one of his classic songs. Last year, the former Shalamar singer gave new life to “That’s Christmas,” a George Duke written and produced song from his 2008 holiday album “Howard Hewett Christmas.” The artist decided to dust off another track for a fresh music video polish – this time, “To Thee I Pray,” from his 1992 album “Allegiance.” Director Shana Mangatal returns to helm the visual with an iPhone camera. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Iy7K7jbVhH8/hqdefault.jpg Tiffany Haddish and Common have called it quits after over a year of dating. “They are never in the same city together and both of them are just too busy for a serious relationship,” a source says of the pair, PEOPLE reports. Common and Haddish met on the set of the 2019 film “The Kitchen” and immediately clicked. Haddish said in an interview with Steve-O on his podcast Steve-O’s Wild Ride in August 2020 that when she and the rapper met it “wasn’t anything sexual or anything like that because my eyes were set on something else.” After they went on a virtual Bumble date in April, they decided to take their friendship to the next level. “And then he got tested for everything, I got tested for everything and yeah, we’ve been f—ing,” she said. https://youtu.be/rTIWCSfrzcI Trey Songz is once again the subject of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault that took place in Las Vegas. he Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department filed a report on Sunday regarding an incident that allegedly occurred at The Cosmopolitan. It’s still unclear when exactly the alleged assault took place. Songz is said to be cooperating with the investigation. A source for The Cosmopolitan told TMZ that Songz and his friends brought a few women back to the hotel after celebrating his 37th birthday at Drai’s Nightclub Saturday night. It is believed that the alleged assault happened sometime afterwards. As of this writing, no arrests have been made. Songz has been linked to a string of alleged physical assaults against women. In May he reportedly hit a woman’s car and her hand following an argument. The singer got sued earlier this year for allegedly punching a bartender working at a Cardi B concert in 2019. https://www.instagram.com/treysongz/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b530c00d-0f93-4f63-86bd-b15fca0b3d01 Rapper T.I. is reportedly spreading false information that an Atlanta, Georgia mayoral candidate wants to “shut down all strip clubs in the city” if elected. Per The Blast, T.I .took to Instagram to share an article from MTO about mayoral candidate Felicia Moore and a video clip of her discussing city code enforcement. T.I. slammed Moore on Instagram, claiming that his way of life is “being threatened.” “If you’re a club owner, a bartender, a dancer, promoter, valet driver, or just a visitor who subscribes to the culture of this city… understand that OUR LIVELIHOODS & WAYS OF LIFE is being threatened. I’d hate for you to wake up tomorrow and your destiny now rests in the hands of people who could care less about your concerns or best interests… THE TIME IS NOW??” he wrote. “Your hustle WILL be halted & our city WILL GO to the right-wing conservatives who been looking for ways to stop the shine of the culture. Don’t wait till it’s too late to make a difference?? GO VOTE (Andre Dickens) TOMORROW?? Or pack it up & head elsewhere cause it’ll NEVER be the same again.” https://youtu.be/q9beeHsEmBs There is a movement of students at Arizona State University who are campaigning to get teen killer Kyle Rittenhouse kicked off campus. Rittenhouse, 18, was found not guilty in the killing of two men and the wounding of a third last year during a tumultuous night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse appeared emotional as the verdicts were read on Nov. 19. After being cleared on all counts, Rittenhouse broke down in tears and hugged one of his attorneys. As reported by New York Post, four groups led by Students for Socialism are behind a rally planned for Wednesday. They are calling for officials to remove Rittenhouse, who is reportedly taking online classes, from the campus, where he is said to be living. “KILLER OFF CAMPUS,” reads the flyer, calling for the university to “protect students from a violent, blood-thirsty murderer.” https://youtu.be/dzFIL-rcCpw Comedian Bill Bellamy is speaking out about the nightmare that is cancel culture and the faux outrage that the movement pushes to fuel the flames of controversy. Bellamy believes part of the problem is audiences have become “so sensitive.” Bellamy spoke with Urban Hollywood 411 about the current state of comedy and the heat the fellow comedian Dave Chappelle is catching over comments about transgenders in his Netflix special “The Closer.” https://youtu.be/tPBESCzFWzk If President Joe Biden decides not to seek re-election in 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady Michelle Obama are the top two picks for the Democratic presidential nomination. According to the Hill-HarrisX poll, Harris received support from 13% of respondents in the survey, despite her historically low approval ratings, while Obama was backed by 10 percent. New York Daily News writes, “Other likely candidates included Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang.” Michelle Obama has made it clear in the past that she has no plans to run for office. In 2017 she said, “I wouldn’t ask my children to do this again because when you run for higher office, it’s not just you. It’s your whole family,” according to The Independent. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-E8fs61KD0w/hqdefault.jpg Both WBO champion Stephen Fulton and WBC counterpart Brandon Figueroa predicted knockout victories entering Saturday’s 122-pound unification clash of unbeatens at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas. Although neither cashed in on his vow, they nevertheless engaged in a toe-to-toe, Fight-Of-The-Year-caliber classic that kept members of the crowd thrilled and either on their feet or likely on the edge of their seats. In the end it was Fulton (20–0, 8 KOs) largely abandoning his stick-and-move routine during his disputed majority decision triumph over the ninth unbeaten fighter he has vanquished. The switch-hitting Figueroa (22–1–1, 17 KOs) failed to earn his third straight knockout and his 10th in 11 bouts despite wobbling “Cool Boy Steph” once each in the ninth and 10th rounds. The Suns are shining, and there’s simply no other way to put it. They’ve won 16 games in a row and truly look like a team that’s on a mission. Chris Paul, his impact on that team and their development can’t be denied, especially after last season’s run. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ev9aQpopOs0/hqdefault.jpg Trendsetting Gospel duo Dawkins & Dawkins had not released music in 10-years. This year, they returned to present a colossal dose of their iconic sound and innovative production and songwriting through a series of album releases called NEVER GETS OLD. Brothers Anson Dawkins and Eric Dawkins released NEVER GETS OLD Vol 1: LOVE & LIGHT featuring their hit "In My Feelings" and NEVER GETS OLD Vol. 2: FAITH & FAVOR this summer. Vol 2: Faith & Favor gave the duo a recent Top 30 Billboard and Mediabase Chart Gospel radio single, "Come By Here". With two more volumes of music still to be released to their fans, Dawkins & Dawkins are adding their first Christmas album to this anthology of music, NEVER GETS OLD: HOLIDAY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFnW7QjeXZ8 Donnell Isaac is back, with Love in the atmosphere as only he can articulate with his signature sultry, soulful sound! Accompanying him is producer and Hip Hop artist Sonny King. https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=3UmzesieZfY&list=RDAMVM3UmzesieZfY Police have made an arrest in the cold-case murder of a teenager in the Bronx whose body was dumped like trash. Joseph Martinez, 49, of New Rochelle, was charged with murder Monday more than two decades after Minerliz Soriano was killed. The 13-year-old Soriano, who went by Minnie, was killed in 1999 and her body was discovered in a dumpster in the Bronx. Soriano would be 35 years old now. She was on her way home in Co-Op City when she was strangled. It took three agonizing days to find her. For her family, the years have not closed the wounds and the pain has not ebbed — not even a bit. “We will never forget what happened, because she’s still in our heart,” the victim’s aunt Amelia Soriano said. A Bible-thumping security guard who is charged with shooting dead his four kids and his mother-in-law after his wife filed for divorce posted self-righteous Facebook rants about ‘being attacked by the devil,’ ‘learning from the worst mistakes’ and ‘being a good person to the wrong people’ before Sunday’s massacre. Germarcus David, 29, turned himself in to Los Angeles authorities on Monday after the bodies were found at the Lancaster house that David jointly owned with his wife, Tyanna Brown. Ericka England, a Los Angeles correctional officer in her 50s, and four children under the age of 12 were found dead by their mother, who reportedly screamed ‘My babies are gone! They’re all dead!’ upon arriving at the scene, a neighbor said. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/11/30/4896977376639169683/636x382_MP4_4896977376639169683.mp4 Fallen reality star Josh Duggar ignored questions today as he arrived for day one of a federal child pornography trial that could see him locked up for 40 years. Duggar, 33, clasped hands with his wife Anna and strode purposely past TV cameras as the pair arrived at the John Paul Hammerschmidt federal courthouse in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Tuesday. Asked how he was feeling, Duggar, wearing a dark navy suit, white shirt and polka dot tie, and Anna, wearing a black dress, both stared straight ahead before entering the building, where phones and electronic devices have been banned for the duration of proceedings. Duggar, famous for appearing in TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, was charged in April with two counts of downloading and possessing child pornography. He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each count if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and jury selection is due to start today. Months before police discovered the body of an autistic girl in a trash bag miles from her Georgia home, a devastating find that immediately raised suspicions of foul play, her mother had allegedly beaten her and at least two other children and had been investigated by the state’s Department of Human Services. The murder warrant against Brittany Nicole Hall, 27, details her apparent efforts to cover her tracks after she allegedly called 911 and told dispatchers her 8-year-old daughter Nicole Amari Hall had vanished on Nov. 21. Authorities in Gwinnett County said they later discovered the child’s battered body in a trash bag dumped in a wooded area 15 miles from the HomeTowne Studios Hotel in Peachtree Corners where Hall and her daughter were staying. Authorities said at that time that it was not immediately clear what caused the little girl’s death but police quickly countered her mom’s claims that the girl had simply wandered off. By the end of the week, murder charges had been filed against both Hall and her partner, Celeste Owen, 29. One Florida family has suffered a devastating legal blow, months after their two-month infant was left unattended and died while in the custody of a state-licensed daycare. A grand jury voted not to indict the establishment caring for the child, despite the fact the local police department is still investigating the case. According to an exclusive interview with WCTV, Mar’Tasha Robinson relied on the recommendations of friends before enrolling her newborn in Hugger Family Daycare in Perry, Florida. She dropped her daughter, Jersi Dior McKnight, off at the in-home daycare on Aug. 9 at 8 a.m., never to see her alive again. While under the care of the family-run business, the Florida Department of Children and Families reported that Robinson’s daughter “was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in a mop bucket when she reportedly rolled off of a changing table while at a daycare.” Perry Police Chief Jamie Cruse shared that his department was notified by someone at the daycare around 3:30 p.m. about a child in crisis. However, Robinson reportedly found out about an incident with one of the children from another parent. After receiving the frantic call, Robinson said, “My heart stopped.” She added that when she arrived at the residential business, despite seeing an “ambulance … detectives and police lights,” she didn’t realize the severity of what was going on. She didn’t even know it was her child. The next Miss USA is a proud journalist from Kentucky. Elle Smith took the crown on Monday night at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Smith was crowned by Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch, and will go straight to Israel to compete at the Miss Universe pageant on December 12. During the Miss USA question and answer round, Smith revealed that her “most important core value” was honesty. She also spoke on sustainability and encouraging businesses to be more environmentally conscious. “We’ve got to look at it from a macro and also a micro level,” Smith said. “So at the macro level, companies need to switch to green energy — I think that’s something we can all agree on.” “But then, at the micro level, we all know how to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and those are all things we can implement in our daily life,” she added. A new HBO docuseries highlighting racial disparities in missing persons cases across the country is receiving praise on Twitter for bringing attention to an issue many say is oft-overlooked. The four-part series Black and Missing is a joint effort from Emmy-winner Geeta Gandbhir and journalist, author and activist Soledad O’Brien. It follows Derrica and Natalie Wilson, sisters-in-law and founders of the Black and Missing Foundation, a nonprofit that strives to prove “equal opportunity for all missing.” The series highlights the foundation’s “uphill battle to bring awareness to the Black missing persons cases that are marginalized by law enforcement and national media.” The first two episodes debuted on Nov. 23, with the final two episodes airing the following day on Nov. 24. All four episodes are now available to stream on HBO Max. Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board voted 4-1 on Tuesday to reject clemency for a man convicted of killing two Del City hotel workers in 2001, with two members noting the particularly heinous nature of the killings. The vote paves the way for the state to execute 45-year-old Donald Grant on Jan. 27 unless a court intervenes. Grant admitted killing Brenda McElyea and Felicia Suzette Smith, both employees of the LaQuinta Inn in Del City, so that there would be no witnesses to his robbery of the hotel. Both women were shot and stabbed, and court records show Grant also repeatedly bludgeoned McElyea as she begged Grant to spare her life. “I can’t change that,” Grant said of the crime during a 20-minute address to the board that was occasionally rambling and disjointed. “If I could, I would, but I can’t change that.” Grant also expressed “deep, sincere remorse” and apologized for the killings. Grant’s attorneys, both from the federal public defender’s office, argued that he was mentally ill and had suffered brain damage that made him a candidate for mercy. They also discussed Grant’s childhood growing up in a New York City housing project during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, a time when he was frequently beaten and members of his family experienced alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness. When Russia blows up a satellite in space with a missile (as it did this month), or when China tests a new hypersonic missile (as it did last month), the ongoing arms race in space leaps into the news. But in between these “Sputnik”-like moments, outside the public’s view, the United States and its adversaries are battling in space every day. While Washington officials and experts warn of the risks of an arms race in space, the United States’ adversaries are constantly conducting operations against U.S. satellites that skirt the line between intelligence operations and acts of war. The pace of conflict is intensifying, according to a top Space Force general, who told me that China could overtake the United States to become the number one power in space by the end of the decade. “The threats are really growing and expanding every single day. And it’s really an evolution of activity that’s been happening for a long time,” Gen. David Thompson, the Space Force’s first vice chief of space operations, told me in an interview on the sidelines of the recent Halifax International Security Forum. “We’re really at a point now where there’s a whole host of ways that our space systems can be threatened.” Teyana Taylor is on the mend after landing in the hospital over the weekend. In a candid Instagram post on Sunday, the “We Got Love” singer, 30, revealed that her body “shut down” during a stop on her The Last Rose Petal…Farewell Tour. She shared a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed as she thanked her Connecticut fans for understanding the last-minute cancellation of her Mashantucket show on Saturday. She wrote, “Y’all know Petunia don’t miss no shows & most importantly, know I’ve been leaving it all on tha [sic] stage for a month straight 1000%. So I am really saddened to have not been able to do the same for you last night. My team & I tried everything down to the very last second to get me out on that stage, but my body simply just gave out, which actually started a few days ago.” Taylor promised fans the show would be rescheduled for a future date and that all tickets would be honored. Carrie Meek, the grandchild of a slave and a sharecropper’s daughter who became one of the first Black Floridians elected to Congress since Reconstruction, died Sunday. She was 95. Meek died at her home in Miami after a long illness, family spokesperson Adam Sharon said in a statement. The family did not specify a cause of death. Meek started her congressional career at an age when many people begin retirement. She was 66 when she easily won the 1992 Democratic congressional primary in her Miami-Dade County district. No Republican opposed her in the general election. Alcee Hastings and Corrine Brown joined Meek in January 1993 as the first Black Floridians to serve in Congress since 1876 as the state’s districts had been redrawn by the federal courts in accordance with the 1965 Voting Rights Act. On her first day in Congress, Meek reflected that while her grandmother, a slave on a Georgia farm, could never have dreamed of such an accomplishment, her parents told her that anything was possible. She retired in 2002 and shifted her focus to the Carrie Meek Foundation, which she founded in November 2001, to provide the Miami-Dade community with much-needed resources, opportunities, and jobs. Meek spearheaded the Foundation’s daily operations until 2015 when she stepped down due to declining health. PGA Tour pioneer Lee Elder, the first black player to compete in the Masters, has died at age 87. The tour confirmed his passing on Monday morning. No cause of death has been revealed publicly. Elder, a four-time PGA Tour winner, made his groundbreaking appearance at Augusta National in 1975. He was celebrated at the Masters this past April when he was named an honorary starter alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Up to 10 people went inside a #California #HomeDepot on Friday night and took off with various tools. Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Deputy #MiguelMeza told CNN that the incident occurred around 8 p.m. in Lakewood, a city in #LosAngeles. The group of thieves made off with #hammers, #sledgehammers, #crowbars, and other tools. Meza added that they ran out of the store and got into their getaway car that was parked outside. Similar tools have been used in several smash-and-grab robberies that have occurred across high-end stores in several major US cities this month. At least 18 people broke into a Los Angela’s Nordstrom department store on Monday night and took off with thousands of dollars in merchandise, the city’s police chief said. Similar crimes have been reported in other major cities, including San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW0SY93jNiR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Celebrity stylist Law Roach’s three-year-old nephew has passed away after he fell out of a 17-story window in Chicago. The tragic news was confirmed by Roach earlier this week after Chicago Police said three-year-old Lamar Roach Jr. died on Tuesday after he was found unresponsive on the sidewalk. Authorities also reported that the window screen of the apartment had been pulled inward and the boy was found around 10:40 p.m. He was transported to Lurie Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead but there are no suspects in custody at the time as reported by PEOPLE. The investigation is currently ongoing. Roach thanked everyone in an Instagram story post for their condolences regarding his nephew’s sudden passing, writing “Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes. This is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. No one should have to bury a 3 yr old baby. I keep reading this over and over hoping to not recognize his name … my God! I love you all especially my Tribe.” In recent coverage about NYPD struggling to solve murders, the New York York Times ran an article with a clickbait headline distorting the number of murders happening in the city. “After Murders’ Doubled Overnight,’ the N.Y.P.D. Is Solving Fewer Cases” carelessly gives the impression that the number of murders in New York City has rapidly increased in a short period. As several Twitter users pointed out, not only was the headline, misleading, the outlet’s reporting didn’t support it. While the headline has since been changed to a question about whether murders have been harder to solve during the pandemic, the Times’ initial carelessness speaks to a larger issue with crime reporting. American R&B singer Ari Lennox was arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Monday for disturbing public order, Dutch military police said, after she had accused airline staff of racial discrimination. “I’m being arrested in Amsterdam for reacting to a woman racially profiling me,” Lennox wrote on Twitter on Monday morning, following a tweet in which she had accused “Amsterdam security” of hating Black people. Dutch military police, who are responsible for security at Schiphol airport, said Lennox was held because of her aggressive behavior towards an airline official, and for being drunk in public. “Our unit found a woman full of emotions, that wouldn’t calm down,” spokesman Robert van Kapel said. “That’s why she had to be taken into custody.” It was unclear on Monday afternoon how long Lennox would remain in custody, Van Kapel said, as police were investigating claims of possible threats made by Lennox during the incident. Lennox (30), whose real name is Courtney Shanade Salter, is best known for her 2019 single Shea Butter Baby, which has been streamed almost 114 million times on Spotify. Legendary musician and actress, Mary J. Blige appeared on the Monday, November 29 edition of “Tamron Hall,” for a powerful one-on-one conversation about how she learned to fully love and accept herself. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-1O8aPFDl3k/hqdefault.jpg The lieutenant governor of North Carolina has sparked outrage for proclaiming that straight people are “superior” to gay people. As reported by The Charlotte Observer, Mark Robinson was speaking at a church in Winston-Salem on November 14 when he made the remarks captured on video. Robinson recalled a gay man once asking him, “So, you think your wife and you — you think your heterosexual relationship is superior to my husband and my homosexual relationship?” After serving up a resounding YES, Robinson told congregants that his stance stems from the FACT that two men can not conceive a child together. “These people are superior because they can do something these people can’t do,” he said. “Because that’s the way God created it to be. And I’m tired of this society trying to tell me it’s not so.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1462813906037088257 A former University of Alabama track star and Olympian was killed in a shootout with another man, authorities say. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Monday identified Emmit King and Willie Albert Wells as the two men who died after exchanging gunfire in Bessemer on Sunday, AL.com reported. King, 62, was a sprinter and a member of the U.S. relay team for the Summer Olympics in 1984 and 1988, but he didn’t compete. He ran for Jefferson State Community College and for the University of Alabama, where he became the 1983 NCAA national champion in the 100 meters. That same year, he won the bronze in the 100 meters at the first World Championships. Authorities said King and Wells, 60, knew each other and were arguing outside a house Sunday afternoon when they both pulled out guns and fired. Wells was pronounced dead at the scene, and King died later at a hospital. Sabrina Williams, stepsister of Serena and Venus Williams, is speaking out about Will Smith’s latest project “King Richard,” a biopic about Richard Williams, father of the Williams sisters. Sabrina is the daughter of Richard Williams and his first wife, Betty Johnson. She has made it quite clear that she is not impressed with the biopic. In a new interview, Sabrina slammed Smith for the biased portrayal of her father. Speaking with The Sun, Sabrina said that Smith (who also produced the movie) and director Reinald Marcus Green should have done more research before moving forward with the project. “I get it, every movie is slightly economical with the truth, but because it’s Venus and Serena, nobody is going to put anything bad about them or make it seem like they were part of something bad,” she said. Richard Williams reportedly abandoned his first wife when Sabrina was 8 years old. Sabrina takes issue with the movie’s storyline that he was a dedicated father after he moved on to marry two more times. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z_DnlS_H6jo/hqdefault.jpg Prime Video celebrates the release of the Amazon Original series Harlem with a weekend of festivities designed to capture the energy and pride of Harlem. On December 3 and 4 at the historic Harlem Parish on W. 118 Street, Prime Video’s “Harlem Ever After” event will feature Black female creators and entrepreneurs, celebrate sisterhood, and pay homage to the beloved neighborhood. The Amazon Original series Harlem, which focuses on strong Black women and follows them as they chase their dreams, serves as inspiration for the event. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0nf9gqWex10/hqdefault.jpg For Bronx-bred designer, Jevaughn Williams—better known as Mugzy McFly—walking through the doors of his fashion studio nestled in the heart of the borough is a full-circle moment. The neighborhood noises of the MTA trains passing by and the faces of longtime residents conjure up a sense of nostalgia, a reminder of how the Bronx has instrumentally shaped him into the creative he is today. The Wakefield space—which intertwines art, fashion, and culture—tells an evolutionary story about his past, present and future; it sits on a street where he hung out as a youngster, it harbors garments that are products of his creative expression, and it serves as a source of inspiration for him to push the envelope in the industry and use fashion as an avenue to cultivate community. “The Bronx exudes creativity,” he shared. “The fashion, culture and heritage that exist within the Bronx all seep into every crevice of the creative mind.” The items in his athleisure collection—which have been seen on the likes of Young Thug, Post Malone and Doja Cat—include an array of hoodies, tracksuits, t-shirts, pins, scarfs, hats and one of his proudest creations: footwear. For Williams, it’s bigger than clothes. He has continually tapped into the power of fashion to uplift his community. Five years ago, he launched an annual Bronx-based pop-up shop to amplify the work of Black entrepreneurs and celebrate their businesses. Late Hollywood icons Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis revealed in their joint autobiography that they had an open marriage and this alternative lifestyle strengthened their bond. In their memoir “With Ossie and Rubie: In This Life Together,” Ruby and Ossie note that “extramarital sex was not what really destroyed marriages, but rather the lies and deception that invariably accompanied it.” American Mikaela Shiffrin tied the all-time mark for World Cup wins in a single discipline when she beat Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova to capture her 46th slalom victory on Sunday in Killington, Vermont. “We decided to give ourselves permission to sleep with other partners if we wished,” Ossie wrote, “as long as what we did was honest as well as private, and that neither of us exposed the family to scandal or disease.” At the end of their open partnership experiment, Ruby and Ossie came to realize that “they were very fortunate that, in all of the deep profound, fundamental ways, they really, really only wanted each other.” Mel B. aka Scary Spice may be in the news infrequently in the United States, but she’s still pretty big in her native Great Britain. Indeed, she was even asked to appear on an ITV segment paying homage to singer Adele, the current R&B export from across the pond. However, according to the Sun, Mel B. was removed from the segment because of joke about a sex toy that flopped. Mel was given a question to ask Adele about the best gift she had ever received. However, Mel decided to “spice” it up a bit by ad-libbing the vibrator joke which got her segment cut from the show, “An Audience with Adele” TV special. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/K_Jybf4CFwk/hqdefault.jpg Sherri Shepherd has been tapped to return to guest host “The Wendy Williams Show” amid Williams’ ongoing health issues. Shepherd will take over the popular daytime talk show Dec. 13-17, New York Daily News reports. “I was thrilled to learn that my hosting week in November was so well received by the loyal viewers of this show,” Shepherd said. “It’s not easy to do what Wendy has successfully done for so many years. I am grateful to Wendy, the entire Wendy Williams team and Wendy’s fans for trusting me to host for another week. It’s been a dream come true, and I can’t wait to bring back my brand of flirty-fun, fabulous guests and feel-good excitement when I return in December.” Today, the Critics Choice Association announced the complete list of honorees and presenters for the inaugural Celebration of Latino Cinema, taking place virtually on Thursday, December 9. For the first time, the Critics Choice Association is celebrating groundbreaking achievements in Latino Cinema, from the outstanding work of Latino performers and creators in ten categories. The virtual event will be hosted by writer, producer, actress, and comedian Cristela Alonzo. Invited guests will include members of the Critics Choice Association, AMPAS, PGA, WGA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, BAFTA, press and many in the Latino film production community. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d2F2n8Q6LLA/hqdefault.jpg Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is celebrating the success of his new Netflix movie “Red Notice,” which is the streamer’s most-watched film of all time. “Red Notice” follows an Interpol agent (Johnson) who partners with an art thief (Ryan Reynolds) to hunt down and capture another of the world’s most wanted criminals, played by Gal Godot. Johnson hit up Instagram Thursday to announce that the film is “shattering all records,” and he toasted with a glass of his own Teremana tequila. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWuONu2lUqO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Janet Jackson‘s Super Bowl halftime show stylist, Wayne Scot Lukas, is sharing his side of the story on the alleged wardrobe malfunction during Janet and Justin Timberlake’s performance. Plus, Wayne explains why he cut ties with Justin after he “blamed” him for what happened. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tAz6GoE3NqU/hqdefault.jpg The government of Malawi wants former heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson as the country’s official cannabis ambassador. Malawi’s agriculture minister Lobin Low has invited Tyson to become the face of the country’s growing cannabis industry in an effort to attract investors and tourism, according to CNN. The invite has received push back from Malawi’s Centre for Public Accountability (CPA), which claims the government is ignoring Tyson’s criminal history, specifically his 1992 rape conviction, for which he served six years in prison. “Yes he paid his debt three years he was in jail, but we are saying to be the face of a nation is something beyond reformatory,” said Kondwani Munthali, acting director of the CPA. “We would want a less controversial character than Tyson.” Cardi B announced earlier this month that she and her husband, rapper Offset, purchased a new mansion in New York City. But as noted by the New York Post, the house is actually located in New Jersey. The Grammy winner shared a photo of herself standing in the foyer of her new home, calling the residence “a dream.” “These days I don’t just live one place, I’m everywhere due to my work,” Cardi explained. “One thing for sure I needed a home in my home city of NY!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CVym4IXMFha/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b0e07224-f4c1-4b8b-ba2b-b93e730536f7 Todd Dulaney teams up with powerhouse and Gospel great Smokie Norful for his latest release to radio "Satisfied". This infectious track is a fan favorite and gives listeners a good ole hand clapping foot stomping song to add to their Gospel lineup. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, "where you lead I'll go, I will trust your word. You have complete control, I will be satisfied with You...". It's one of those songs that grabs the listener, stirs their soul, and sticks. Dulaney and Norful prove to be a dynamic duo. https://music.apple.com/us/album/satisfied-feat-smokie-norful-radio-edit-single/1592010479 Birthed from the city of Brunswick, GA. It's the sounds of the local artist performing together for unity, peace, love, understanding and healing. Larry E. Rogers Jr. - Why I Run https://pd.heracle.net/drive/s/kyVrsOHsjL8TE3TkdyD8Ax2ifwAEvw The leader of Anthony Brown & group therAPy, the R.I.A.A. certified gold-selling Maryland-based gospel act with numerous No. 1 chart hits and over 300 million digital streams, has overcome many hurdles on his journey to the top of the gospel music field. Despite his past obstacles, Brown is now celebrating the third GRAMMY® nomination. Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words in the Gospel Spotlight. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm Tyrese Gibson recently appeared on the FAQ podcast to dish about racism in Hollywood and the 20-year history of the “Fast & Furious” franchise. The actor/singer also addressed his infamous crying video, and described himself as “out of my mind on psych meds,” an experience he said lasted for months, The Blast reports. During the interview, Tyrese reacted to accusations of child abuse that were leveled against him from his ex, noting that at the trial he was “100% exonerated” due to the lack of evidence. https://www.instagram.com/tyrese/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ce7a2e69-7fc5-471c-9a2a-e8717f0ccc1d It’s finally come. The criminal case against former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. It began today (11/29/21) in Chicago with jury selection. The case is all about Smollett being accused of lying to Chicago police about being the purported victim of an attack in Jan. 2019. At the time, Smollett said that two men yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, kicked him, poured bleach on him, put a noose around his neck, and told him, “This is MAGA country.” His account of the alleged incident drew the support of a number of politicians and celebrities, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris and Empire co-creator Lee Daniel. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/25U4IG2fSfE/hqdefault.jpg 50 Cent made time to troll Madonna on social media after she posted a few risque images on Instagram. The hip-hop mogul posted a screenshot on his own IG page from Madonna’s latest photoshoot, in which she is seen baring her nipples and wearing fishnets that expose her derriere. 50 shared a pic of Madonna laying on the floor and partially under a bed with her butt in the air. “Yo this is the funniest shit! LOL ??” he wrote in the caption. “That’s Madonna under the bed trying to do like a virgin at 63. she shot out, if she don’t get her old ass up. LMFAO.” When a social media user recreated the image, 50 shared the post and captioned it: “This is the like a virgin 63 challenge,” he wrote, referencing the singer’s 1984 hit song. https://www.instagram.com/50cent/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e1ed6c99-b772-4de9-8ef2-31114057bb4d When Michigan secured victory with 58 seconds left Saturday, screaming erupted at the rear of the press box, as offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and other staffers ran toward the elevators. As the coaches rushed to join the team, fans stormed the field at Michigan Stadium, celebrating Michigan’s first win over Ohio State in a decade, and the first under coach Jim Harbaugh. Fifth-year senior safety Brad Hawkins cried, and he wasn’t the only Wolverine getting misty as light snow fell. Michigan already had engineered an impressive turnaround after bottoming out at 2-4 in 2020. The team had reflected Harbaugh’s vision of power football, which surfaced early in his tenure then vanished. https://youtu.be/FeF5-Ppi_dA Lincoln Riley, the fifth-year Oklahoma coach, is the next head coach at USC. The school announced the hiring hours after Yahoo Sports broke the news that the final details of the hiring were being worked out. Riley was 55-10 at Oklahoma. The Sooners won the Big 12 in his first four seasons and also has three College Football Playoff appearances under his belt. The Sooners lost to Oklahoma State on Saturday night to drop to 10-2 on the year. With the loss, the Sooners will miss out on the Big 12 title game and the CFP. https://twitter.com/USC_FB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1465123324044972033%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackchristiannews.com%2F2021%2F11%2Fwow-lincoln-riley-leaves-oklahoma-to-be-head-coach-at-usc%2F Deion Sanders was named SWAC Coach of the Year on Monday. The pro and college football Hall of Fame player turned coach led Jackson State to a 10-1 regular season and the program’s first SWAC East Division title in eight seasons. The Tigers will host Prairie View A&M for the conference championship Saturday. Sanders had never coached at the college level before taking over at Jackson State in 2020. The Tigers went 4-3 during a pandemic shortened season last year. His son, Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, garnered the Freshman of the Year Award. Outspoken professional basketball player Enes Kanter will legally change his name to Enes Kanter Freedom to celebrate becoming a US citizen. The Swiss-born, Turkish-raised Kanter, 29, will reportedly have his citizenship ceremony on Monday afternoon. He has repeatedly condemned human rights violations in China and Turkey. The NBA star has said his Turkish passport was revoked by authorities in 2017. In an interview with CNN, Kanter, who plays with the Boston Celtics, said the name change will reflect his “fight” for freedom throughout his life. “Here [in the US] there is freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of the press,” he said. “I didn’t have any of those with Turkey.” Today, Urban One announced the return of the annual URBAN ONE HONORS taping in Atlanta, GA on Friday, December 3, 2021. Themed, "the Soundtrack of Black America," the two-hour telecast premieres Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One. Wireless provider T-Mobile, America’s 5G leader with the largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network, serves as Presenting Sponsor of the celebration with this year’s honoree class recognizing an esteemed group of individuals that have left an indelible mark in the categories of Lifetime Achievement, Music Innovation, Entertainment Icon, Living Legend and Inspirational Impact. Jermaine Dupri, Marlon Wayans, and Tony McCuin will appear as presenters alongside performances by Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Kelly Price, Tank, Vashawn Mitchell and Kim Burse with additional names to be announced. Additionally, TV & Radio Personality Eva Marcille will host a special backstage pass segment, featuring exclusive interviews with the show's honorees, performers and presenters. The fashion world is in shock due to the death of Virgil Abloh, the artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s men’s line. He died Sunday at 41. Abloh, who came up on the streets of Chicago, had been battling cancer “privately for several years” before succumbing to the disease, according to his company. And because Abloh kept his cancer diagnosis a secret, hence the shocking news.The famed designer had been diagnosed with “a rare, aggressive form of…cardiac angiosarcoma” in 2019 but had chosen to keep it private, according to a statement posted on his personal Instagram account. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bzZsGeyg3Kw/hqdefault.jpg Jeff Bezos is giving big time to the Obama Foundation to the tune of $100 million, and of course that’s the largest single single gift to the philanthropic organization sharing President Barack Obama’s name. The owner of Amazon and space cadet said he made the donation in honor of late-Congressman and Civil Rights icon John Lewis in order to “help expand the scope of programming that reaches emerging leaders in the United States and around the world,” Courtney Williams, a spokesperson for the foundation, said in a statement. “As part of the gift, Bezos has asked for the plaza at the Obama Presidential Center to be named the John Lewis Plaza.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sYVwEIQ7X9k/hqdefault.jpg The attorneys who defended #TravisMcMichael and #WilliamRoddieBryanJr. say they plan to appeal their clients’ murder convictions. McMichael, Bryan, and #GregoryMcMichael were found guilty for the murder of #AhmaudArbery. Jason Sheffield and Bob Rubin—attorneys for Travis-told #CNN that they are already discussing what courtroom they plan to appeal his conviction. https://www.instagram.com/balleralert/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d3f7aa18-9a0f-49d0-881b-941f591fab84 A woman died after being stabbed in her home following a Thanksgiving Day attack by her 18-year-old son, according to Gwinnett County police. Officers received a call about a “domestic-related assault” around noon Thursday and found the woman, identified as 42-year-old Marcia Chance, of Misty Valley Court in unincorporated Lawrenceville, police said. She had already died from her injuries by the time police arrived at the scene. Chance’s son, Varian Hibbert, was taken into custody and booked into the Gwinnett County jail, according to police. He was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. NBC and E! announces that entertainment powerhouse, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and former WWE star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will be honored with “The People’s Champion” award at the 2021 “People’s Choice Awards.” 15-time “People’s Choice Awards” nominee and two-time winner, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will be recognized for his contributions to the entertainment industry, entrepreneurial endeavors, and unwavering commitment to supporting children and families in need through multiple philanthropic partnerships. The 2021 “People’s Choice Awards” will air simultaneously on both NBC and E! on Tuesday, December 7 at 9pm ET/PT from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA. https://youtu.be/Spei41Y6e0g Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and pray about the blessings of the last year. One long-time member of the FOX 5 family is counting her blessings even amid new challenges in her life. FOX 5 reporter Aungelique Proctor took some time off this past fall to try to figure out why she was feeling so fatigued and why her stomach hurt. The answer was not what anyone expected. Doctors diagnosed her with stage 2 stomach cancer. Despite the answer, she said she’s in a really good place emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And even with the difficult news, she’s ready to face it head-on. Proctor in her 26 years with FOX 5 Atlanta has impacted so many lives, meeting hundreds of thousands and people and telling their stories. But it’s her own story she now feels she is ready to share. “I just always seek truth, and I’m always being upfront. I am a transparent person,” Proctor told the FOX Medical Team’s Beth Galvin. “And so now, I think it would almost be hypocritical if I didn’t share what’s happening with me.” It is news that hit too close to home for the FOX 5 family. “To find the mass was really shocking…” Proctor shared. An alum of Beyoncé’s media and management company will lead one of the country’s most prestigious ballet companies — a significant move in a historically White-dominated world. Janet Rollé, formerly the general manager of Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment for five years, will be the new CEO and executive director of the American Ballet Theatre. Her role goes into effect January 3, 2022, and her hiring marks the first time a person of color has led the company. Rollé credited her mother, an immigrant from Jamaica, for forming the foundation of her career, by taking her to her first dance class at the age of 8. “Through dance, I learned how to be a professional, the value of discipline and technique, and my love for the creative process. These lessons have always been at the core of my professional life and work,” Rollé said in a statement. Inspired by the groundbreaking Netflix Original musical Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, shortlisted by the Oscars and heralded by Rotten Tomatoes as the Best Reviewed Family Film of 2020, this all-new picture book, The Perfect Gift: A Jingle Jangle Story is the sequel to The Square Root of Possible and follows Journey as she shows The Buddy 3000 the true meaning of Christmas. The world-wide response to our film was so overwhelming that we knew these characters needed life outside of the film,” said David E. Talbert. “Our partnership with Penguin Random House is bringing these beloved characters into homes across the world, creating fun and wholesome stories for the entire family.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2sprcNhZWIU/hqdefault.jpg Chance the Rapper recently purchased a mansion in the northern Chicago suburb of Bannockburn for $2.3 million. Chance, his wife Kirsten and two daughters Kensli and Marlie Grace will enjoy a six-bedroom, six fireplace, large beams-havin’ live space that is 9,251 square feet. The new crib is cheaper than his previous condo, which had a $3.7 million price tag, and bigger too as his previous residence was 4,500 square feet. Kanye West is continuing his quest to win back the affections of Kim Kardashian eight months after news broke that the reality star was filing for divorce. On November 26, the rapper shared an old photo originally posted by Kardashian to her Instagram Stories back in 2019. The photo featured West and Kardashian kissing in matching sweat suits. Over the photo, West added a TMZ headline, reading, “Kanye West Says God Will Bring Kim and Him Back Together, Inspire Millions.” West tagged the publication as well as his ex-wife. The article West referenced detailed the speech he gave while dropping off meals at the L.A. Mission on November 24. “The narrative God wants is to see that we can be redeemed in all these relationships,” West said, per People. “We’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve publically done things that were not acceptable as a husband, but right now today, for whatever reason — I didn’t know I was going to be in front of this mic — but I’m here to change the narrative.” Faith Fennidy is a change-maker, advocate and the teen inspiration behind Mickey Guyton’s “Love My Hair.” In 2018, Faith, who was 11 at the time, said she was told to leave a Louisiana private school because she was wearing braided hair extensions. At the time, the school had a policy against students wearing hair that isn’t natural. “When I went to school that day, and they told me that I couldn’t wear my braids there, it was a heartbreaking experience,” Faith told “GMA.” “Especially something that I had never expected from a school that I had been going to for at least a couple of years … to tell me that it was an issue, it was a problem.” Faith’s brother, Steven Fennidy, recorded a video of Faith in tears in the school office after the incident and posted the video on social media, where it went viral, garnering national attention and outrage over the school’s rule. The school later rescinded its policy following the backlash from this incident. Faith, now 14, decided not to return to the school, opting instead to start fresh at a new school, according to her family, and she said she’s grown to love it. A pharmaceutical science major at the University of Georgia is the latest headline making crusader for the natural hair movement. Niyah Brown was looking for a way to create a safe and celebratory space for Black hair on the predominately white campus, where you are far less likely to see afros on full display in the dining hall. “I used to always be ashamed of wearing my natural hair out.” Brown shared with The Red & Black. “I used to feel like I had to imitate the Eurocentric hairstyles that I was constantly surrounded by. It took me a while to actually appreciate my natural hair, and I realized that a lot of Black girls are still like this today, so I just wanted to break them free of the chains that I used to be in.” Enter #NaturalNovember, the hashtag campaign launched by Brown to encourage and promote the embracement of natural hair and its styling. If you’ve embarked on this particular journey yourself, you know that it’s not the easiest of transitions. Let’s talk about not being able to make plans due to entirely dedicated wash days, sitting for hours to get that protective style tight and right, or a blow out being completely derailed by even the thought of rain drops. The maintenance of natural hair can feel like a part time job for sure, but many of those who commit to the process come to feel that not only is it a solid styling choice, but that it’s a conscious political decision as well. Brown says she wants Black students to appreciate “the natural hair that grows from our head, while also breaking the boundaries of Eurocentric beauty standards.” Beyond his presence on the court, NBA star Trae Young is known for his philanthropy, and he’s continuing to pay it forward this holiday season. According to Sports Illustrated, the Atlanta Hawks point guard recently led a social good project to feed underserved families in Atlanta. The initiative was organized through the 23-year-old’s organization, the Trae Young Family Foundation. The nonprofit assisted the Atlanta Mission—a homeless shelter in the city that serves thousands of men, women and children—in helping over 500 families experiencing food insecurity during Thanksgiving weekend. The organization reportedly donated over $15,000 to support the project. Efforts like the one led by the Trae Young Family Foundation are needed as food insecurity remains a pressing issue in Georgia. The Atlanta Community Food Bank reported that the percentage of individuals battling hunger in the state increased from 13 percent to 16 percent amid the pandemic. Dwyane Wade is a three-time NBA champion, 13-time All-Star and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Among all players throughout league history, he totaled the 35th-most points (23,165), 43rd-most assists (5,701) and 32nd-most steals (1,620). Wade had a legendary career, and he’s a lock to become a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer once he’s eligible for induction in 2023. However, his career was nearly over before it even began. “This is a game that I fought very hard to play,” Wade told CBS News last week. “My mom went to jail when I was 9. My dad was in and out of jail. Growing up, I did not pass my ACT test to go to college. I had a baby in college. [There were] all these things that will stop you from reaching your goals, and I kept fighting. I kept fighting because it was my dream.” Wade took the ACT a third time, but his score was even worse. When Wade told Crean his results, they both cried. Shortly after, Wade’s girlfriend, Siohvaughn, got pregnant. Some people may have quit basketball and tried to find a different career path, but Wade decided to continue pursuing his dream, and Crean (who had emerged as a “father figure”) stood by him. Wade sat out his freshman season because he wasn’t academically eligible. After working hard with tutors, he managed to improve his academic standing and become eligible as a sophomore. From there, he became one of the best players in the nation, averaging 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks. In 2003, Wade led Marquette to the Final Four for the first time since 1977. Then, he became the No. 5 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. One-in-ten passengers who landed in Holland from Johannesburg today also had Covid, although it was unclear which were infected with the Omicron strain. The Dutch health ministry said Saturday that at least 61 new cases of Covid entered the Netherlands from South Africa, leading Dr Anthony Fauci to sound the alarm about the dangers Omicron poses to Covid-weary US residents. ‘It has a large number of mutations, particularly in that area of the virus that relates to its ability to bind to the cells in your nasal pharynx and in your lung,’ Fauci told the Today Show Saturday morning. ‘You have to be careful and assume that that’s the case,’ he added, noting that Omicron could possibly ‘evade’ vaccinations. Fauci’s concerns about ‘transmissibility’ come as Biden has imposed a ban on travelers from from eight African countries – Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi – which won’t go into effect until Monday. Two cases of the ‘monstrous’ new Covid variant have been detected in the UK. Health Secretary Sajid Javid today said that cases of the strain, named Omicron and designated a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organisation on Friday, were found in Nottingham and Brentwood in Essex. Both are linked to travel to southern Africa, the suspected origin of the mutation. The infected individuals and all members of their households have been told to enter self-isolation after the UK Health Security Agency confirmed the sequencing. The Prime Minister will hold a Downing Street press conference at 5pm today with the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser to lay out new measures to combat the strain. Four more countries – Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola – will be added to the no-fly list on Sunday. All flights from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia were banned by Mr Javid yesterday amid growing international panic about the variant, which scientists believe is more transmissible and has an increased risk of reinfection. A Richmond mother has been searching for her missing daughter, Keeshae Jacobs, for five years now with little to no cracks in the case. She’s now featured in a new docuseries that focuses on cases that may not have initially grabbed national headlines. It’s been five long years for Toni Jacobs, but she hasn’t given up hope that her daughter will return home. Jacobs spends a lot of time blasting her daughter’s picture online, connecting with missing persons foundations, and handing out flyers, but there have still been no signs of her daughter. Jacobs says having a child that’s missing is difficult enough, but add racial bias and it’s even worse. A new HBO docuseries called ‘Black and Missing’ is trying to raise awareness about disparities in missing persons cases. https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/mother-of-keeshae-jacobs-featured-on-new-hbo-series-black-and-missing/ A 4-year-old boy died after police said he shot himself in the face in East Liberty. “This was a devastating tragedy. We believe it was an accident. A 4-year-old boy got a hold of a gun and shot himself in the face,” said Pittsburgh police spokesperson Cara Cruz. The family identified him as Ajani Lane. “Medics were there immediately,” said Cruz. “It was literally minutes after this happened and they transported the child to Children’s Hospital in extremely critical condition and very sadly he passed away a short time later.” One guardian was in the home on North Negley Avenue when the shooting happened around 8:15 Monday, police said. Yellow crime tape surrounded the home with children’s toys filling the front porch. At 41, Stephanie Perry quit her job as a pharmacy tech to travel for a year in Asia on her savings and never looked back. The entrepreneur, house-sitter, and creator is now inspiring Black women to take a career break to travel the world (and live their best lives) by house-sitting in exchange for travel accommodations. Through Trusted Housesitters – the world’s largest pet sitting network – Perry has embraced her new nomadic career by way of over 30 pet-sits, from cats in Boston to dogs in Chapala, Mexico. Stephanie sees house-sitting as a win-win: owners are able to rest confidently knowing that their four-legged friends are well-cared for, and she gets a little bit of companionship along with a new town to explore. Since 2015, she has ventured to Hawaii, the Netherlands, and more, providing resources along the way. Stephanie has co-founded the Exodus Summit, started the blog Vaycarious, and posts tips and tricks to her YouTube Channel. “A lot of people get discouraged in the city, like you would never be enough or just becoming a product of the environment,” said Tari Wright. “So, any way we can switch that up. I think this is the perfect way.” Wright says he used to spend too much time worrying he could only do wrong. “I had no confidence in myself, especially being like a black man in Philadelphia,” he said. “Like, we don’t get that push, we don’t get that support. So just like, I always thought I was gonna fail.” Despite this, Wright looked to his daughter, who has autism, for inspiration. “She was always going to be told that she was not going to be right,” he said. “And Wright is my last name. So I told her to own it.” Thus, he embraced the wordplay and created “Not Wright Brand LLC,” to push back against the stigma. Today, he sells basketballs, shorts, socks, and a special travel bag. Wright credits a chance meeting with Roneece Dent at a pop-up event that caused his entrepreneurial spirit to spark. The law firm that represented Maryland’s historically Black universities in a long-running lawsuit against the state is donating $12.5 million to colleges and nonprofits from the fees it was awarded when the case settled. The Kirkland & Ellis firm, led by attorney Michael D. Jones, represented alumni and supporters of Maryland’s historically Black colleges and universities as they challenged systemic underfunding of the schools by the state government. After a 15-year legal and political saga, the case was settled this year when state lawmakers approved hundreds of millions of dollars in extra funding for the HBCUs in future state budgets. As part of the settlement, the state agreed to pay $22 million in legal fees and costs, with $12.5 million going to Kirkland & Ellis. The remainder went to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, which also provided legal representation for plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Kirkland & Ellis is now sending all of the money it received back into the community because it took the lawsuit on a pro bono, or charitable, basis. Stephen Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century with his intelligent, intricately rhymed lyrics, his use of evocative melodies and his willingness to tackle unusual subjects, has died. He was 91. Sondheim’s death was announced by his Texas-based attorney, Rick Pappas, who told The New York Times the composer died Friday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. Sondheim influenced several generations of theater songwriters, particularly with such landmark musicals as Company, Follies and Sweeney Todd, which are considered among his best work. His most famous ballad, “Send in the Clowns,” has been recorded hundreds of times, including by Frank Sinatra and Judy Collins. Tributes quickly flooded social media as performers and writers alike saluted a giant of the theater. “We shall be singing your songs forever,” wrote Lea Salonga. Aaron Tveit wrote: “We are so lucky to have what you’ve given the world.” The Las Vegas Raiders-Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving football game turned violent Thursday night with separate fights breaking out between not only the players, but also fans. Several fights broke out at the NFL game, including two fights between Raiders and Cowboys players erupting with players wrestling each other to the ground, grabbing helmets and violently pushing one another. The anger and violence spread to the stands, as well, with fans also throwing punches and attacking each other with hair pulling and brutal punches. A bloody brawl broke out between players during the third quarter, ending with two ejections and a bloody referee. https://twitter.com/i/status/1464255607184277510 Newly acquired Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is slated to get his entire bag for the season in the form of Bitcoin. In fact, he took to Twitter earlier this week to announce the that he will receive the entirety of his in Bitcoin. This comes after once upon a time star receiver joined in on the NFL craze with the purchase of CryptoPunk. However, he isn’t the first NFLer to get his money in this new-fangled form of currency. Back in October, Green Bay Packers star signal caller Aaron Rogers, none other than Mr. Discount-Double check himself, announced that he teamed up with Cash App to have a portion of his salary paid in Bitcoin. https://twitter.com/i/status/1462836953888534528 Earlier this week, comedian #DaveChapelle visited his alma mater, D.C.’s #DukeEllingtonSchooloftheArts where students expected him to apologize for his comments on the Netflix special, “The Closer.”? According to Politico Playbook, many students had a few things to say to the comedian. One attendee at the event said, “I’m 16 and I think you’re childish, you handled it like a child,” adding that Chapelle is a “bigot.”? Chapelle responded “My friend, with all due respect, I don’t believe you could make one of the decisions I have to make on a given day.”? Over the years Chapelle has faced years of criticism and accusations that he is “transphobic” for many of his stand-up jokes, especially following the Netflix release of “The Closer,” in which he made comments like “gender is a fact.”? The trans community and several Netflix employees were not receptive to the special, although it received positive reviews from the general public. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWv4Cr3pDhF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again WBC super bantamweight champion Brandon Figueroa is predicting a late-round knockout in Saturday’s 122-pound unification clash of unbeatens with WBO counterpart Stephen “Cool Boy Steph” Fulton, who specifically vows to KO “The Heartbreaker” in the ninth. The switch-hitting Figueroa (22–0–1, 17 KOs) is seeking his third straight knockout and his 10th in 11 bouts. Meanwhile, Fulton (19–0, 8 KOs), pursues his ninth victory over an undefeated opponent at the Park Theater at Park MGM in Las Vegas on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) in a Premier Boxing Champions event. New York is not playing any games. Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency ahead of potential COVID-19 spikes this winter due to the already-circulating Delta and a new variant. Hochul’s declaration on Friday is one of the first emergency steps taken by a state in the U.S. against the new variant, known as Omicron, following its discovery on Thursday. As NBC News reports, the declaration, which goes into effect on Dec. 3, will allow the state to not only acquire pandemic-fighting supplies, but also increase hospital capacity and fight potential staffing shortages. Music producer, reality show personality Stevie J has come out and issued a public apology to his wife, the lovely Faith Evans, following the leak of a video showing him looking bad. “I’d like to make this video for my wife. A video was released last week that showed me talking crazy to my wife,” he began the clip. “Publicly humiliating my wife. I’d like to apologize.” Stevie J has claimed that someone stole the laptop on which the disparaging video was stored, but we’d be buggin’ if we didn’t ask why the video existed in the first place. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWrDmGxh6Bk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “Over 200 singers were invited,” said Patrick Lundy, choir director and founder of the Ministers of Music (Ebenezer AME Church), about the “Way-Maker” album. They are currently promoting the newest single, “He’s Still the Light,” off the project. Their eighth album marks the 25th anniversary of the choir. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OhN33qFyNXM/hqdefault.jpg Christopher Frierson’s new documentary “Don’t Try To Understand” will take fans of late rapper DMX inside his personal life as part of HBO’s Music Box docuseries. Frierson’s cameras followed DMX everywhere between January 2019 and March 2020 — to shows, record label meetings, and though the streets, as reported by Complex. “The team behind Don’t Try To Understand captured the full scope of X as an artist, as well as Earl Simmons as a human being,” Per the Complex. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-fjywXu_KW8/hqdefault.jpg Even when promoting her son’s new business venture, the singer is one to say what’s on her mind, with a touch of humor thrown in for good measure. “I’m what is known as a loose cannon,” a laughing Warwick confessed to The Los Angeles Times. “That thing called a filter, what is that? I threaten my friends who bring me all their troubles that I’m gonna hang my shingle out. It’s gonna cost them $50,000 a session.” Although she is known for timeless music and gained a new generation of followers with innocent inquiries on today’s hitmakers on Twitter, the “Don’t Make Me Over” vocalist has a new gig making use of her voice. A family affair aimed at putting people in a different state of mind. Welcome to the Ohm Zone, a creation owned by Warwick’s son Damon Elliott that combines a recording studio, sound bath and meditation center. A sound bath is an experience in meditation that uses music to produce sound waves through various instruments that help reduce stress and anxiety. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UHQbl3byYiY/hqdefault.jpg A teen athlete in NYC is transferring high schools after a “racist” remark from one of the school’s assistant athletic directors. Tony Humphrey, 16, a star baseball player at Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, stated that the decision was sparked after a conversation with a faculty member that left him furious. “He comes up to me,” Humphrey said of the administrator, “and asked why was I doing track.” Humphrey explained to the assistant AD that he was trying to get faster. “It never hurts to gain speed,” he said. But the administrator told the teenager that he “gained that speed by running from the police.” That was racist. There was no reason for him to say that,” he said. https://youtu.be/609rqvj_fgU President Joe Biden has announced travel will be banned from eight African countries including South Africa starting from Monday in an effort to stop a highly transmissible new variant of COVID that has been given the name Omicron from entering the US. The countries travel will be banned from are South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. US citizens and green card holders will still be able to travel into the US from the banned countries, but no one else will be allowed. Biden announced the ban on Friday hours after his top COVID expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said in an interview that it was too soon to enact such measures. U.S. stocks dropped sharply on Friday as a new Covid variant found in South Africa triggered a global shift away from risk assets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped about 930 points, or 2.6%, for its worst day of the year, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slid 2.3% and 2.2%, respectively. The Dow was down more than 1,000 points at session lows. Friday is a shortened trading day because of the Thanksgiving holiday with U.S. markets closing at 1 p.m. ET. The downward moves came after WHO officials on Thursday warned of a new Covid-19 variant that’s been detected in South Africa. The new variant contains more mutations to the spike protein, the component of the virus that binds to cells, than the highly contagious delta variant. Because of these mutations, scientists fear it could have increased resistance to vaccines, though WHO said further investigation is needed. Advisers to the World Health Organization are holding a special session Friday to flesh out information about a worrying new variant of the coronavirus that has been detected in South Africa, though a top expert says its impact on COVID-19 vaccines may not be known for weeks. The technical advisory group on the evolution of COVID-19 was meeting virtually to discuss the so-called B.1.1.529 variant that has caused stock markets to swoon and led the European Union to recommend a pause in flights to southern Africa. The group could decide if it’s a “variant of concern” — the most worrying type, like the well-known delta variant — or a “variant of interest,” and whether to use a Greek letter to classify it. “We don’t know very much about this, yet. What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations, and the concern is that when you have so many mutations it can have an impact on how the virus behaves,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, in a social-media chat Thursday. Global authorities reacted with alarm on Friday to a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, with the EU and Britain among those tightening border controls as researchers sought to find out if the mutation was vaccine-resistant. Hours after Britain https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-says-new-covid-19-variant-is-most-significant-yet-found-2021-11-26 banned flights from South Africa and neighboring countries and asked travelers returning from there to quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned against hasty travel bans. The ex-district attorney in the Ahmaud Arbery case was booked into a Georgia county jail on Wednesday, the same day his three attackers were convicted of murder. Jackie Johnson, 49, a former Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney, was booked into the Glynn County Jail after she turned herself in, authorities reported. She is accused of discouraging the police from making arrests in connection with Arbery’s death. She was released the same day, reportedly on her ‘own recognizance,’ and did not have to pay the posted $10,000 bail, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She was indicted by a grand jury last week and faces felony charges for violating her oath of office and a misdemeanor for obstructing police work. A gospel singer saw her dreams come true as her song climbed to the top of the charts this year, until COVID-19 almost left her without a voice to sing it. She might say Jesus fixed it. Shontelle Norman-Beatty, who grew up in the Raleigh neighborhood of Memphis, is considered one of gospel’s artists to watch. She’d been singing all her life when she finally made it to the top. “Jesus Will Fix It” started climbing the charts early this summer and made it all the way to the No. 1 spot on the charts in September. https://www.wreg.com/news/local/jesus-will-fix-it-singer-regains-voice-after-covid/ The investigation continues in Fall River after a man was shot and killed during an altercation with police Monday evening. Anthony Harden, 30, “was misunderstood,” according to his twin brother Antone Harden, and now his family wants answers. Officers went to an apartment on Melville Street to speak to Anthony about an alleged domestic incident that a woman reported over the weekend. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said when police arrived, an altercation broke out and in less than 15 minutes, Anthony was shot by one of the officers and pronounced dead at the hospital. Quinn noted that it appeared Harden had a knife on him at the time, but did not specify whether he threatened the officers with it. Hours later, Anthony’s family reached out to 12 News to try and clear his name. “The family wants answers. We want everyone that’s listening to this to know what’s happening because it will not be swept under the rug,” said his uncle, Don Mack. A criminal charge against a former Ladue police officer in connection to a 2019 shooting was dismissed, officials announced Monday morning. Julia Crews, 39, was charged with second-degree assault after trying to arrest an alleged shoplifting suspect, later identified as Ashley Hall. Police got a call from the Ladue Schnucks about two shoplifters inside the store in April 2019. During the arrest, Hall reportedly resisted and a struggle began. That’s when the gun was fired, police said. The dismissal stems from the Hall’s request following restorative justice mediation, a process where the victim and offender participates together to resolve matters. Their facilitator Seema Gajwani said Hall made it possible for the women to find a resolution. A Fulton grand jury on Tuesday indicted six deputy sheriffs on five charges, including felony murder, in the 2018 death of an inmate at the county jail. The three current and three former deputies also were charged with aggravated assault, battery and violation of oath of office in connection to the Sept. 11, 2018 death of Antonio May, who had been repeatedly shocked with a Taser. The Fulton District Attorney’s office presented the results of its three-year investigation on Tuesday. “It is now the duty of my office to prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury at trial. My staff and I will continue to work to ensure that justice is done in this case,” DA Fani Willis said in a statement. May, a 32-year-old father of three from Macon, had been arrested and taken to the Fulton County jail after he was accused of throwing rocks at the windows of the American Cancer Society building downtown. His lawyer, Michael Harper, said May died of cardiovascular collapse due to physical restraints. A federal judge gave a white former St. Louis police officer less than half the prison time his own defense lawyers had asked for on Monday after he was convicted for his role in the beating of an undercover Black colleague during the 2017 racial justice protests in the city. Dustin Boone, 37, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for aiding and abetting the deprivation of civil rights under color of law of undercover officer Luther Hall. He was convicted in June after a nine-day trial. Prosecutors had asked that Boone be imprisoned for 10 years; his own defense team had asked for just over two years. By sentencing Boone to one day over the one-year sentence, US District Judge E. Richard Webber ensured the former police officer will also be eligible to have time taken off his sentence for good behavior. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Lifetime original movie Miracle In Motor City, starring Tia Mowry, Mark Taylor and Smokey Robinson is set to premiere this Sunday, November 28 at 8/7c. Amber Dupont (Tia Mowry) bites off more than she can chew when she takes charge of her church’s annual Christmas pageant and inadvertently promises to deliver a special performance by Motown Legend Smokey Robinson. When her best friends secretly enlist Amber’s former flame Eddie (Mark Taylor) to help – the pair reconnect in a quest to find Smokey and convince him to appear. With the clock ticking, family, friends, and superstar Smokey Robinson come together to stage the most special pageant yet. https://aenetworks.app.box.com/s/kwsa5x9jjopokgn78w99uxxax87wxd9e TRIBL celebrates its nominations categories for the 64th GRAMMY® Awards, which will take place on January 31, 2022. TRIBL’s nominations mark the most for an inspirational independent label – this milestone gives TRIBL the title for the most nominations ever for a gospel artist (Maverick City Music) in one year. Tribl’s #1 best-selling record-breaking collective, Maverick City Music, received five nominations across the categories, Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, Best Gospel Album, Best Gospel Performance/Song. Additionally, Maverick City Music artist Dante Bowe received a Best Gospel Performance/Song solo nomination for his single “Joyful.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3TYG7Q_fj4 The family of Young Dolph has released a statement a week after the Memphis rapper was fatally shot at a local bakery. Dolph was killed on Nov. 17 while shopping at Makeda’s Butter Cookies. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Maurice Hill, the owner of the shop, told FOX13 his employees said Dolph walked into the store to buy cookies when a vehicle drove up and fired at the bakery. The gunmen were caught on camera driving up to the store and firing shots at the 36-year-old father of two. As reported by Complex, Dolph’s family’s statement included a quote from author Rudyard Kipling. There are no words that exist, that sufficiently express the pain we are feeling as a family. Losing Adolph, Dolph, Man-Man, changes our lives forever. And while we will take each day as it comes, we are comforted in knowing that he leaves a legacy that reflects his heart. A heart that was for his family. A heart that was for the people. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love. We are grateful that his godly obligation to show kindness to the world is being acknowledged. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WaoL6cGOOMQ/hqdefault.jpg Travis Scott has reportedly been laying low at his Houston home following the Astroworld tragedy but on Tuesday, the rapper was spotted in Palm Springs visiting a local golf course. As reported by TMZ, the rapper was spotted with Michael Jordan, Mark Wahlberg, Kris Jenner’s alleged boyfriend Corey Gamble, and actor Said Taghmaoui. Travis Scott, Drake, Apple, Live Nation and others have been hit with a $750 million lawsuit brought by more than 125 people who attended the rapper’s deadly Astroworld music festival earlier this month. As reported by TMZ, the massive suit, filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, “claims it’s to cover both physical and mental health injuries as well as the loss of life.” https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE-MAWsXoAY51zk?format=jpg&name=360x360 Michigan State’s head coach Mel Tucker has become the highest-paid Black coach in American sports after agreeing to a historic 10-year, $95 million contract extension. Per USA Today, “Tucker’s $9.5 million annual deal trails only Saban’s $9.75 million annual contract at Alabama.” During an appearance on “The Draymond Green Show“, Tucker addressed the extension talks: “I always made it clear that I thought Michigan State was a destination job, not a stepping stone. I have Big Ten roots. Played at Wisconsin. I’m from Cleveland, Ohio. My parents are 3 hours and 15 minutes away. My wife is from Chicago. I know the Big Ten landscape. This is where I started my career as a graduate assistant for Nick Saban. Michigan State is a special place for me. It was never my intention to come here and just pass through. I believe that we’re building something special here, and I have tremendous support here, and we’re on the right track.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1461350002807033870 Smokey Robinson spent nearly two weeks in the hospital battling COVID-19 late last year. As reported by The Daily Mail, Robinson spent 11 days in a Los Angeles hospital after contracting the virus last December. The singer claims he was so weak from the virus that he nearly died. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, he said, “I am very happy to share (my story) because I hope it helps someone, COVID just comes on and the people ask me today, who knew that I had it… where did you get it, how did you get it- I don’t know. I have no idea how I got it. All I know is I looked up and I had it.” The music legend added, “It was a horrible, horrible thing and while I was going through it I wasn’t really thinking about ‘Hey man, perhaps you will never get out of this hospital alive,’ I wasn’t thinking like that. I was just thinking about (how) I got to get myself together.” Halle Berry teamed with rapper Young M.A for the soundtrack of Berry’s latest film “Bruised,” for which the rapper contributed a song to the project, now streaming on Netflix. “Bruised” marks Berry’s directorial debut, and she also stars in the movie about an MMA fighter (Berry) who attempts to make a comeback after reconnecting with the son she put up for adoption years before. In a video promoting the soundtrack that was executive produced by Berry and Young M.A, the two set Twitter on fire with a flirty moment as they discussed their “weird” turn-ons. “Only ‘cuz you’re asking me,” Berry teased the rapper before answering. “I don’t know if this is weird, but I like when you’re kissing someone, and they like, kinda suck the tongue. It might not be weird, but that turns me on.” “That’s not weird, that’s not weird. That is absolutely perfect,” Young M.A responds. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EMu8K0l8ggA/hqdefault.jpg Janet Jackson reportedly wants nothing to do with the documentary about her 2004 Super Bowl halftime controversy with Justin Timberlake. As Deadline reports, the doc is the latest installment in the New York Times Presents series, entitled “Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson,” that will stream on Hulu. “She wants that documentary to go away. She didn’t ask for a ‘Free Janet’ documentary. She’s not interested,” Jackson’s former stylist Wayne Scot Lukas, who created the singer’s Super Bowl costume, tells Page Six. Jackson declined to participate in the New York Times/FX project. Will Smith has embarked on a book tour to promote his new memoir titled “Will,” and during his latest stop in London, the actor unpacked more details about his personal life. Smith shared his past financial troubles during a Thursday book-tour appearance in London, Yahoo reports. The actor revealed that he once borrowed $10,000 from a friend who was a drug dealer after racking up tax debt in the early 1990s. After receiving the money Smith said he sold everything and moved to Los Angeles. During a Thursday appearance at the Savoy Theatre in London to promote his autobiography, Smith and actor Idris Elba dished about his financial problems after becoming famous. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWDzCMmInfQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The beautiful “Love and Hip Hop Miami” reality star and singer, Amara La Negra is super excited about her hot new show “Don’t Cancel Me With Amara La Negra” premiering December 1st at 11pm on Fuse. “I can be totally myself and not get canceled for voicing my opinion. We go hard for topics from immigration to the LGBTQ community to colorism in our community to sex. I wanted to hit some real important topics that are somewhat taboo and nobody wants to talk about. I want to give a judgement free zone where you can be transparent, be yourself and just express yourself.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nvMiNZX6Hjw/hqdefault.jpg A 65-year old Detroit is speaking out after discovering she is the victim of a landlord scam and now facing eviction. June Walker finished paying off what she had hoped would be her forever home more than 2 years ago, but her hard work was all for nothing as she is apparently the victim of the “fake landlord” scam, Black Enterprise reports. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2VKLfkToS_s/hqdefault.jpg In an unprecedented move, NAACP partners with venture-backed technology company Hello Alice to support the NAACP’s proactive mission of improving the lives of African Americans and their communities through increased economic opportunities and building generational wealth. Today, NAACP announced their newly acquired ownership stake in Hello Alice, the largest online platform helping small businesses launch, attract, and retain more diverse customer sets. The announcement is a first for the NAACP and will provide substantial resources towards advancing the organization’s goals for economic equality for Black communities. “To champion true racial equity, we need to address the long-standing economic inequality that has left Black communities underfunded and undervalued for centuries,” said NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wsI3UtXPoHM/hqdefault.jpg The HBCU Black College Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 42 nominees for the inaugural class of 2022 today. Last week the HBCU Black College Basketball Hall of Fame announced that it was planning to build the first ever basketball hall of fame for HBCU players, coaches and contributors in a HBCU city. The founder of the HBCU Black College Basketball Hall of Fame, LaMont “ShowBoat” Robinson a former HBCU player at Central State University, said this has been long overdue to honor the HBCU basketball history both from a standpoint of an annual induction ceremony and a world class facility. Steph Curry and Seth Curry had a brotherly showdown during the 76ers’ trip to the Chase Center to take on the Golden State Warriors. In the end, Steph and the Warriors came out victorious, extending their record to 16-2, the best in the NBA. Both the Curry brothers played very well during the game. Steph Curry scored 25 points during the game, whereas Seth was just one behind with 24. Steph pulled ahead in the final minutes of the game, thus securing the personal victory in the battle of the brothers (3:44 mark). But Steph didn’t even realize that Seth was outscoring him until after the game. https://youtu.be/v-gRXXHVdMw Food snobs can be so obnoxious when they offer criticism of those meal unsolicited pics that people are so fond of gratuitously posting to social media. But on Thanksgiving, Black Twitter disproved that theory in a resounding fashion as users reacted with humorous facts to the whitest versions of macaroni and cheese, a holiday staple that has somehow been bastardized by cooks with predilections for infusing any given meal with raisins and other inappropriate additives that dilute the beautiful simplicity of what standard mac and cheese recipes call for. Three men were convicted of murder Wednesday in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was running empty-handed through a Georgia subdivision when the white strangers chased him, trapped him on a quiet street and blasted him with a shotgun. The February 2020 slaying drew limited attention at first. But when video of the shooting leaked online, Arbery’s death quickly became another example in the nation’s reckoning of racial injustice in the way Black people are treated in their everyday lives. Now the men all face a mandatory sentence of life in prison. The judge will decide whether their sentences are served with or without the possibility of parole. As the first of 23 guilty verdicts were read, Arbery’s father had to leave the courtroom after leaping up and shouting. At the reading of the last criminal count, Arbery’s mother dropped her head and quietly pumped her fists. “He didn’t do nothing but run and dream,” Marcus Arbery Sr. said of his son. Outside the courthouse, dozens of Black supporters hugged and cried. In Chicago a mother was shot and killed just two days after her 14-year-old son met his demise in the very same spot. On Wednesday (11-24-21) the grieving family and friends of Delisa Tucker and Kevin Tinker Jr. spoke with CBS 2 Chicago’s Suzanne Le Mignot. They are in shock and are asking why. They are also in unimaginable pain – losing two loved ones, just two days apart, and now planning two funerals.“We need justice for Delisa and Kevin,” said family friend Michelle Tharpe. “That’s all we want.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FzJjWwpb-fY/hqdefault.jpg Kathie Lee Gifford has issued a blistering condemnation of both “cancel culture” and today’s money-driven church, urging the Body of Christ to remember that the way of Jesus is one of kindness, humility and empathy. In an interview with The Christian Post, the four-time Emmy Award-winning entertainer lamented the fact that today’s society abides by the mantra, “If you don’t believe in what I say and you don’t agree with my opinion, then I’m just going to cancel you as if you’ve never existed.” “When have we ever lived in life [like] this, except for maybe during McCarthyism where we just called somebody as communist and wrote them off like they never existed? I don’t know it in my time on this planet,” Gifford emphasized. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Shaquille O’Neal claims he was stiffed by a partner in a legal cannabis business venture, and now the Hall of Famer is suing for more than $1 million to recoup his investment and damages. Attorneys for O’Neal, 49, and another investor, Jerome Crawford, filed suit this week against Darron Campbell, his LLC, and 10 John Does, claiming that Campbell mismanaged the cannabis company, Viceroy LLC, wasted investments, and failed to properly account for spending. Campbell did not immediately respond to a request for comment submitted by DailyMail.com to his personal website. O’Neal and Crawford claim they invested $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, in 2016 ‘to pursue opportunities in the field of legal cannabis,’ according to the lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com. The problem, according to the filing, was that Campbell didn’t appear to do anything with that initial $150,000 investment. It became apparent after Monday night’s 30-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that New York Giants coach Joe Judge couldn’t take it anymore. He was tired of coordinator Jason Garrett’s stale offense, which had continuously failed to get the ball to its playmakers in space and perform the most basic of services — like score points. The result was 42 offensive touchdowns in 26 games for the Giants (3-7), the fewest of any team (including the New York Jets) since the start of last season. It ultimately got Garrett fired on Tuesday, the day after Judge was uncharacteristically critical of him following the loss to the Bucs. Garrett was the first major piece to fall as a result of another disappointing season. He’s unlikely to be the last. LeBron James’s Thanksgiving week got worse on Wednesday when he ordered two young fans be kicked out the arena for abusive language – three days after receiving his first ever suspension. James, 36, was two minutes from the end of the LA Lakers vs Indiana Pacers at the stadium in Indiana. He is seen gesturing to the referee and marching him over to where two young fans were sitting courtside. He points to them, yelling: ‘This one, right f****** here!’ A YouTuber who claimed to be sitting court side near the couple said they made disparaging comments about Lebron’s eldest son, Bronny. ‘The girl said “I hope Bronny dies in a car wreck” [and] the guy kept chirping… like a chicken sound. “Bronny’s a bih bih bih”… it was very weird and they were asked by staff to cool it once or twice but hey.’ https://twitter.com/i/status/1463701481308123139 Kanye ‘Ye’ West said on Wednesday that God will reunite him and estranged wife Kim Kardashian. West, 44, spoke out about his marriage as he appeared at the Los Angeles Mission to deliver 1,000 meals to Skid Row ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. ‘The narrative God wants is to see that we can be redeemed in all these relationships,’ the Grammy-winner said, according to Page Six. ‘We’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes.’ He continued: ‘I’ve publicly done things that were not acceptable as a husband, but right now today, for whatever reason – I didn’t know I was going to be in front of this mic – but I’m here to change the narrative.’ West spoke out on the status of the relationship as Kardashian’s new romance with Pete Davidson continues to make headlines. West, referencing the Kardashian family’s reality TV franchise, told those in attendance, ‘I’m not letting E! write the narrative of my family. I’m not letting Hulu write the narrative of my family … I am the priest of my home.’ JAY-Z is now the artist with the most Grammy nominations of all time. The rapper, 51, received three more nominations from the Recording Academy on Tuesday, bringing his total count to 83. JAY-Z was nominated in the album of the year category for his work on Kanye West‘s Donda, and received two nominations for best rap song for his features on DMX’s “Bath Salts” and West’s “Jail.” With his record number of nominations, JAY-Z has now beat out Quincy Jones, the previous record holder with 80 nods, PEOPLE reported. He ranks just above Paul McCartney, who has 81 nominations following Tuesday’s announcements. JAY-Z last released an album in 2017 titled 4:44; while he was nominated for multiple awards that year, he did not win any, according to Variety. He’s won 23 Grammy Awards so far, with his most recent win for Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s collaboration “Savage,” which was awarded best rap song at the 2021 ceremony. JAY-Z was credited on the track as a songwriter. A New York City Barnes & Noble threw Twitter into a tizzy over a snarky display for ‘Unproblematic Wizarding World’ books in an apparent slap at JK Rowling as the Harry Potter author continues to face backlash for her comments about the trans community. The bookstore, located in Union Square, set up the display in early November, taking a jab at Rowling, 56, who enraged the trans community last year after she mocked an online article which used the words ‘people who menstruate’ instead of ‘women’. The display at one of the few book stores left in the city features the works of Ursula Le Guin, Brandon Sanderson, Deborah Harkness and others who have written about magic and witchcraft, but are more obscure when compared to Rowling. The Twitter storm comes as Rowling blasted three trans activists on Monday for trying to ‘intimidate’ her after they protested outside her house in Scotland before posting a picture of her address on social media. Lacey Chabert, 39, shared the tragic news in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Tuesday, November 23. The actress said she was ‘so broken’ over the loss and that her ‘heart was shattered into a million pieces.’ It appears that Wendy – who was very private and didn’t use social media – was living in Texas at the time of her passing, and she had two sons. Many celebrities flooded the comment section of Lacey’s post to send her their love and support, including Tamera Mowry, Melissa Joan Hart, and others. Recently it was announced that the Emmy-winning writer will be producing new television programming through Hilman Grad, her production company. The entities include HBO Max as well as cable, WarnerMedia’s five broadcasting networks and external streaming services. The exclusive, multi-year agreement between the Emmy-winning writer was announced recentlyy in a press release. First up is a scripted project inspired by the cult classic 90s basketball documentary “Hoop Dreams,” which followed two Black teens as they tried to navigate Chicago’s supremely competitive basketball circuit and make it pro. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w9XmF2fYOZM/hqdefault.jpg Black unity is a very powerful thing, as an Oregon-based company got a taste of it firsthand to the tune of $7 million. According to Business Insider, the company, A Kids Company About, raised the hefty funds, which came from a group of black investors. The startup’s founder, Jelani Memory, detailed the investments, telling Insider first-time investors contributed donations as small as $5,000. Among the companies leading the effort was Pendulum Opportunities, a subsidiary of Pendulum Holdings LLC, the VC firm led by former president Barack Obama‘s ex-financial advisor Robbie Robinson. In addition to Pendulum Opportunities, the investor group also includes Backstage Capital and Emerson Collective, who are known for investing in underrepresented founders. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnaltG5N8nE/hqdefault.jpg Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cKYfwATqaBc/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Several celebrities have stepped up to help feed the hungry over the Thanksgiving holiday. “The Real” co-host and radio personality Loni Love joined a growing list of celebrities working with Project Angel Food’s 200 volunteers and staff to deliver 2,000 traditional turkey dinners to critically ill men, women, children, and their caregivers throughout Los Angeles County on Thanksgiving 2021. Volunteers will deliver contactless pick-ups of meals that include vegetarian options. Meals are sponsored by the Stanley and Joyce Black Family Foundation, Glamazon (Amazon’s affinity group for the LGBT+ community), and 94.7 The Wave, which will broadcast live from the Project Angel Food kitchen all morning long. Social media personality Jayda Cheaves held a giveaway in Savannah, Georgia, where she handed out 500 turkeys and set aside time for those who wanted to take pictures with her. Rapper Quavo, reality star Marlo Hampton, and actress Naturi Naughton also handed out turkeys and other items in Georgia. Rapper Pardison Fontaine hosted a turkey giveaway at The Cathedral at the House in his hometown of Newburgh, New York, helping dozens of people in need. Actor Wendell Pierce is speaking out about the not guilty verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial, noting that Americans have “embraced” violence. “The Wire” and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” star no longer resides in the U.S. because the nation has normalized violence and hate. “I’m home in America for the month of November. I have lived abroad for 4 of the last 5 years. Sadly, what I’ll be thankful for this holiday is leaving the US for a more peaceful life. The violence in America has been normalized. Violent crime, political violence, open carry laws,” the New Orleans native tweeted Sunday night. “My trip home was a palpable feeling of danger. In all parts of the country, small town, big city. The realization is that we have always been violent but decided to evolve away from it. Now we have embraced it full on,” he wrote. Idris Elba fans will recall that the English heartthrob starred in American Gangster back in 2007. n the film, which is fictionally based on the story of ex-drug trafficker Frank Lucas, Idris Elba specifically played the role of Tango–who was shot in the head at one point in the movie. Now, 14 years after the film debuted, director Ridley Scott is dishing the aforementioned scene–and he had quite a revelation about how Idris Elba reacted to it! Ridley Scott, 83, revealed that the gun in question had a filled-in barrel that didn’t allow for bullets or blanks to be used. While the gun was essentially useless with a solid barrel, Idris Elba, 49, allegedly still thought he had been shot for real during filming! Apparently Ridley Scott instructed Idris Elba to “lean on the gun” with his head so that he would be shocked by the firearm recoiling–even though nothing would come out–for realistic effect. “He pulled the trigger and it goes ‘Bang!’ Idris thought he’d been shot and dropped to the sidewalk and said ‘I’ve been shot!’” By virtue of a 106-100 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, the Lakers will celebrate Thanksgiving Day as one of the Western Conference’s non-winning teams, and you’ve gotta kinda wonder not when they’ll get it together. LeBron James was missing in action and Anthony Davis was under the weather, but the Lakers were noticeably missing the necessary pep in their step, as they fell behind New York by 25 points in the first half on Tuesday. They battled back valiantly in the game’s second, but simply didn’t have enough to overcome a determined Knicks team. “They jumped out, made some shots, we weren’t playing hard enough. Simple,” Russell Westbrook said after the contest. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r_5RhhWfaeQ/hqdefault.jpg Season three of the popular cooking show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN continues with an all-new episode this Wednesday, November 24 at 9:30 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells returns to prepare even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKEMr8iWlKE CLEO TV will air a new episode of CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Wednesday, November 24 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Ws9gQocvs Award-Winning Artist, Accomplished Actress, Songwriter, Producer, and Businesswoman, Tamela Mann is releasing her first-ever Christmas single, “What Christmas Really Means,” this Friday, November 26, to all digital platforms. The single is from her new movie, Soul Santa, which also stars Tamela’s husband, NAACP Image Award-Winning Actor/Comedian David Mann. Soul Santa, executive produced by Tamela, David, who was also the music supervisor on the film, Brainstorm Media, and Reuben Cannon Entertainment, is directed by Terri Vaughn and now playing on the BET Network and BET+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phW-VSpnQLM Today, RCA Inspiration celebrates two nominations for the 64th GRAMMY® Awards, with nominations for artists in both Gospel and the Contemporary Christian Music categories. Nominated in the Best Gospel Album category is Mali Music as a co-performer on the Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music collaboration album Jonny x Mali: Live in LA. Their EP project of live performances was released in September 2021, in partnership between Mali’s imprint K Approved Enterprises, RCA Inspiration, Jonathan’s Life Room Label and eOne Music (now named MNRK Music Group). Separately, Kirk Franklin received a nomination in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song category, as a co-performer on the Lil Baby x Kirk Franklin track “We Win.” Released in May 2021, the song was featured on the Space Jam: A New Legacy Official Soundtrack, which was released by Republic Records and Warner Bros. Pictures. Singing sensation and R&B Chart-topper, Chloë recently sat down with ELLE Magazine for a second round of Song Association. One of the songs sang was “Miracle” from Jonny x Mali: Live in LA! Check out the snippet. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWgi2ITv8sl/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet Watch the 2021 Soul Train Awards on BET/BET Her this Sunday. Kirk Franklin is nominated for the BET Gospel / Inspirational Award and Koryn Hawthorne is performing in the Soul Cypher! Tune in Sunday, November 28th at 8pm ET. https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/2021-soul-train-awards-performers-presenters-1234636608/ DOE shares insight on her current EP, what it was like to pen her relationship-based ballad Hey You, and what to expect from her upcoming full length project slated to release next year. https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=250408916987476 The Holiday season continues with the Stellar Awards Tribute To The Holidays. The tribute is airing now through the end of the year with a special performance on Christmas day. Multi Award-winning recording artist Jekalyn Carr is hosting this year with performances by Mali Music, Kelontae Gavin, Kierra Sheard, and more of the Christian and Gospel artists we love to see! https://www.thestellarawards.com/ Share some music from RCA's Hip Hop History Month Playlist with your family and friends for the Holidays! Listen to Kierra Sheard, DOE, Donald Lawrence, and more of your favorites. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLcSq3J265i_-Q4-0F4R57Yimpa5FVw7N Nominees for the 64th annual Grammy Awards have been announced. Jon Batiste leads all artists with 11 nominations, followed by Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. with eight. Nominated in the Gospel Categories are listed below. Best Gospel Performance/Song “Voice of God,” Dante Bowe featuring Steffany Gretzinger and Chandler Moore; Dante Bowe, Tywan Mack, Jeff Schneeweis and Mitch Wong, songwriters “Joyful,” Dante Bowe; Dante Bowe and Ben Schofield, songwriters “Help,” Anthony Brown & Group Therapy; Anthony Brown and Darryl Woodson, songwriters “Never Lost,” CeCe Winans “Wait on You,” Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music; Dante Bowe, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Tiffany Hudson, Brandon Lake and Chandler Moore, songwriters Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song “We Win,” Kirk Franklin and Lil Baby; Kirk Franklin, Dominique Jones, Cynthia Nunn and Justin Smith, songwriters “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix),” H.E.R. and Tauren Wells; Josiah Bassey, Dernst Emile and H.E.R., songwriters “Man of Your Word,” Chandler Moore and KJ Scriven; Jonathan Jay, Nathan Jess and Chandler Moore, songwriters “Believe For It,” CeCe Winans; Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans and Mitch Wong, songwriters “Jireh,” Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music featuring Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine; Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine, songwriters Best Gospel Album “Changing Your Story,” Jekalyn Carr “Royalty: Live at the Ryman,” Tasha Cobbs Leonard “Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition,” Maverick City Music “Jonny X Mali: Live in LA,” Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music “Believe for It,” CeCe Winans Best Contemporary Christian Music Album “No Stranger,” Natalie Grant “Feels Like Home Vol. 2,” Israel and New Breed “The Blessing (Live),” Kari Jobe “Citizen of Heaven (Live),” Tauren Wells “Old Church Basement,” Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music Best Roots Gospel Album “Alone With My Faith,” Harry Connick, Jr. “That’s Gospel, Brother,” Gaither Vocal Band “Keeping On,” Ernie Haase and Signature Sound “Songs For the Times,” The Isaacs “My Savior,” Carrie Underwood The ceremony will be held on Jan. 31, 2022, at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) in Los Angeles. MNRK Music Group celebrates its nominations categories for the 64th GRAMMY® Awards, which will take place on January 31, 2022. MNRK artist Jonathan McReynolds, along with Mali Music, received a nomination for Best Gospel Album for Jonny x Mali: Live in LA. A co-artist release between the chart toppers, the live project follows on the heels of their GRAMMY®-winning #1 hit song, “Movin’ On.” Featured in a new performance take on the EP, the prolific songwriters and musicians have taken their artistic collaboration further, co-writing all the songs on the album. Silk Sonic, comprised of Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak, has officially earned four GRAMMY nominations after Tuesday(11-23-21)’s announcement for the 2022 GRAMMY Awards. https://youtu.be/adLGHcj_fmA On Monday night’s episode of NBC’s “The Voice,” viewers witnessed a passionate performance by contestant Jeremy Rosado as he sang Cory Asbury’s “Reckless Heart” during the Top 11 live playoffs. Rosado’s rendition brought the audience to their feet, including his coach Kelly Clarkson, as he proclaimed God’s endless love for everyone. “Last night wasn’t about me, it was about HIM,” the singer shared on Instagram. “I’m not sure how America received this performance, it’s seems mixed between people online but what I do know for sure is that, the millions of lives that were impacted and told about the love of Jesus is worth it! Thank you family for sticking with me and for voting last night, praying for the best! I love you.” https://youtu.be/MAZyxnbRP7I Today (11-24-21) after about 11 hours of deliberations , the verdict was reached shortly after 1:20pm Eastern. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iimgKaqnR0E/hqdefault.jpg After three white men who chased down and killed Ahmaud Arbery were all found guilty of various murder charges Wednesday afternoon, Arbery’s mother spoke to enthusiastic supporters outside the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga, saying this day is nearly two years in the making. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P7W5B--L2MU/hqdefault.jpg Father and son Greg McMichael, 65, and Travis McMichael, 35, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, all faced the same nine criminal counts in Georgia state court: one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony. They pleaded not guilty to all counts. https://youtu.be/JPKHk1hAL6w More than four years after hundreds of racist white supremacists and neo-Nazis gathered for the so-called “United The Right” rally to hold tiki torches and inflict terroristic violence against anyone who opposes them in Charlottesville, Virginia, a jury has found the organizers and organizations involved guilty of federal conspiracy charges … to the tune of more than $26 million. More than $14 million of that figure was levied against James Alex Fields Jr., the raging white supremacist who is in prison for using his car to plow through counter-protesters and kill Heather Heyer on Aug. 12, 2017, in the tiny college town in Central Virginia. The verdict also means that the defendants must each pay $500,000. The defendants include such despicable figures as Richard Spencer, the white supremacist who coined the term “alt-right” and was famously seen getting his face punched during a live television interview back in 2017 at a separate event in Washington, D.C. A man who was convicted of raping award-winning author Alice Sebold 40 years ago has been exonerated after a producer working on a Netflix adaptation of the writer’s memoir noticed inconsistencies in the story. Anthony Broadwater, 61, who spent 16 years behind bars, broke down in tears on Monday after being officially cleared by a judge of the rape which was the basis of Sebold’s 1999 bestseller, Lucky. https://youtu.be/zuPix9gDTqI An actor who plays Judas in the US tour of Jesus Christ Superstar was charged with storming the Capitol on January 6 after officers matched the Michael Jackson jacket he wore to the riot with photos from social media. James Delisco Beeks, 49, was arrested Tuesday in Milwaukee – where the musical was set to kick off an eight-show engagement – on a felony count of obstruction of Congress and a misdemeanor count of unlawfully entering a restricted building. The actor, who goes by the stage name James Justis, was part of a mob that attacked law enforcement, according to the Department of Justice. Records show he paid dues to the far-right, anti-government Oath Keepers group in December. Beeks, who lives in Orlando, made his initial court appearance at the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He was released pending further court proceedings. He has been suspended from Jesus Christ Superstar, which is set to tour through August 2022. His role has been given to an understudy, a tour spokesman told DailyMail.com. A Netflix employee who spoke out against Dave Chappelle’s controversial stand-up special “The Closer” said she has resigned, capping a volatile period for the streaming giant marked by protests, lawsuits and mea culpas. The employee, Terra Field, a senior software engineer, said in a letter posted online that she voluntarily exited the company as of Sunday. Field, who is transgender, has been critical of Chappelle’s Oct. 1 special, which included remarks about the trans community many took as disparaging. “This isn’t how I thought things would end, but I’m relieved to have closure,” Field said in the resignation letter posted late Monday. The same day as her resignation, Field and her former coworker, B. Pagels-Minor, a game launch operations program manager who also is trans, dropped a complaint against Netflix filed with the National Labor Relations Board, according to the streaming giant. The complaint alleged that the company kept employees from speaking up about working conditions. Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle both grabbed Grammy noms — despite their individual battles with “cancel culture” — a signal maybe “canceling” people is on the wane. The Academy announced its picks Tuesday … Louis received a nom for Best Comedy Album and Chappelle for Best Spoken Word Album. Of course, Twitter was quick to react, mostly full of people who have had it up to HERE with C.C. One user wrote, “Louis CK just got nominated for a Grammy, in case people wanted to keep clutching their pearls about the long-term effects of cancel culture.” Another said, “only one grammy nom each for dave chappelle, kevin hart, and louis CK!! cancel culture strikes again!!” Travis Scott has been hit with another lawsuit over the Astroworld tragedy, and this time, members of the festival’s security are going after the rapper, his record label, event organizers, and more. According to reports, the 30-year-old is being sued for $1 million by two security guards who claim they suffered permanent scarring due to what they saw go down at Astroworld. Samuel and Jackson Bush say they were hired by AJ Melino and Associates to work the November 5 festival in Houston, Texas. Samuel and Jackson allege they suffered mental and physical injuries from that deadly night, which resulted in 10 dying and 300 more injured. In the documents, Jackson outlines in detail the horrific events that played out. According to him, not only did he witness several lifeless bodies getting CPR, but he also pulled one out of the crowd as thousands of fans surged towards the stage. Vikings defensive lineman Everson Griffen posted a series of disturbing text messages and videos to his Instagram early Wednesday. The screengrabs included texts with his agent in which he said someone was trying to kill him. “Vikings representatives and the team’s mental health professionals have been on-site at Everson Griffen’s home since early this morning and are cooperating with law enforcement,” the team said in a statement. “Our only concern at this time is the safety and well-being of Everson and his family. We will have further comment at the appropriate time.” NFL star JJ Watt, a Wisconsin native, says he’ll pick up the costs of funerals for the six victims of Sunday’s tragic Christmas parade attack. The Arizona Cardinals defensive end, a Waukesha native who graduated from Peewauken High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, made the announcement through local media this week, Fox News said. “JJ Watt is covering the funeral costs for everyone that lost their life in the Waukesha Christmas Parade,” journalist and author Cory Jennerjohn wrote on Twitter. “That is an amazing gesture,” Jennerjohn wrote. “He has such a huge heart.” Watt took to Twitter himself just hours after the deadly tragedy on Sunday. Two books about LGBTQ+ experience previously banned have been returned to school shelves in a Missouri School District. George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue” and “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel was removed from four high schools in North Kansas City last month, according to the New York Daily News. Part of the pushback against the removal of the books came from students themselves. According to the Kansas City Star, a student-led petition had more than 1,000 signatures. Parents in another nearby district also pushed back against a proposed book ban. The push is part of the uninformed panic around school decision-making and student opportunity to learn about valuable perspectives. Both books discuss perspectives and experiences not commonly represented in literature, providing a more representative selection for students. Claims that the content is “pornographic” are unfounded. Johnson tweeted Monday that the book has been threatened or pulled in several states, but the fight isn’t over. Locked away at the age of 18, Kevin Strickland will finally be free. Joining the ranks of exonerated people, Strickland had spent his entire adult life locked away for a crime he didn’t commit. His release comes over 42 years after he was convicted of a triple homicide. It is the longest wrongful conviction in Missouri History and one of the longest in the country. Eric Garner Jr. has clapped back at the leader of a Black Lives Matter (BLM) chapter in New York over comments made about Mayor-elect Eric Adams. New York BLM chapter leader Hawk Newsome said the city would erupt in “riots and bloodshed” if Adams reinstates a plainclothes police unit, as reported by Black Enterprise. Garner responded to his comments in a statement to the New York Post. “Hawk Newsome threatening to burn down our city in response to Mayor-Elect Eric Adams’s proposal of bringing back the anti-crime unit in plain clothes is an insult to injury to my family and the movement at large,” Garner said. “On behalf of the entire movement I must ask you to retract your statement and redirect that righteous anger to help all of us form a more constructive way of accomplishing our goals because at the end of the day, we all we got!” https://youtu.be/DQfyUu8pzeM Country singer Jimmie Allen called out the “lazy doctors” who discharged his 5-week-old daughter, only for her to end up in a second hospital. “Attention Doctors , if the parent of your one month old patient tells you the child [is] having a hard time breathing and the only thing your lazy self wants to do is check heart heart [sic] and temperature find another career,” Allen, 36, tweeted late Tuesday night. “Your job is to save lives so do it.” In a second tweet, the “Freedom Was a Highway” singer continued, “now thanks to the lazy doctors at a hospital in TN that just sent our daughter home, our daughter Zara lost color stopped breathing and is being rushed to another hospital.” Allen went on to thank the “amazing EMT team that brought Zara’s color” back so that she “can breath [sic] again” before adding, “Gonna be a rough night.” The former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant’s wife, Alexis Gale, shared earlier this week that both Zara and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, were sick, but she didn’t elaborate on their illnesses. Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan is set to be a passenger on Blue Origin’s third human flight into space next month. As reported by PEOPLE, Strahan shared the exciting news with his GMA co-anchors on Tuesday along with footage of himself preparing for the flight. “Blue Origin, they approached me and they asked if I wanted to be a crew member,” Strahan explained on GMA. “Without hesitation, I said yes.” Strahan said watching Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who owns Blue Origin, take the first human flight inspired him to join the next launch. The original “Law & Order” is returning to television after more than a decade off the air, and one of its series regulars is also reprising his role on the beloved cop drama. According to PEOPLE, Anthony Anderson, who appeared in 50 episodes during the final seasons from 2008 to 2010, is returning for the NBC show’s revival. Anderson portrayed Detective Kevin Bernard in “Law & Order,” which ended in 2010 at the end of its 20th season. The 21st season is airing this fall. T-Pain has hustled a book project out of his hit single “Buy U a Drank.” The singer spoke to The Associated Press about his new cocktail recipe book, “Can I Mix You a Drink?” described by publisher Penguin Random House as “a high-end liquor guide inspired by Grammy Award-winning Platinum artist T-Pain’s hit songs, blending innovative drinks with humorous anecdotes that only T-Pain can deliver.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kCE4ty1MRGo/hqdefault.jpg GSN-Makeda’s Cookies, the Memphis-based Black-owned bakery where Young Dolph was fatally shot last week, is planning to pay homage to the late hip-hop star. According to WREG, operations manager, Raven Winton, revealed that they intend to rename Dolph’s favorite cookie, the chocolate chip, after him. “That was one thing that Dolph did, [he] use to say when you get off the expressway. He was like, ‘I can smell y’all. I’m getting off the expressway. I had to come in,” Winton said. “To know that we’re not going to see that face anymore is I’m trying to hold back tears.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gNZJMveWdsI/hqdefault.jpg Kanye West shared a clip on Instagram of his son Saint West playing a game of catch with Tom Brady in one of the Buccaneers’ luxury suites. “Try not to let the other person get it. Oh, you catch it good too!” Brady said as Kanye films. “Say, ‘Daddy, you’re gonna have to throw me a ball all the time now,’” Brady said to Saint as they continued to play catch. “Oh yeah, you’re gonna keep daddy super busy.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWmpymEDxrd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “Call the name of Jesus. There is power over Satan in His name,” said Grammy winning Howard Hewett discussing his new single “To Thee I Pray” (LaKiva Music). “I actually wrote this song over 30 years ago…unfortunately the lyrics still ring true today. It was meant for my last album with Elektra (Records). I brought it to these cats, Wav3Pop, and said flip it.” Rooted in Gospel music Howard was performing on stage since the age of three as a Gospel artist. Even when, as a teen, he started performing and then recording R&B and Pop music he still included Gospel/Inspirational music in his repertoire. In fact, as an R&B/Pop artist his signature song is the Inspiration/Gospel single “Say Amen.” This success was accomplished as a solo artist, even though he rocketed to fame as a member of the R&B/Pop group Shalamar (“For the Lover in You,” “Make That Move”). “It asks us to examine ourselves…to ‘make a stand, put down the gun and hold your brothers’ hand.’ We need these words,” Howard pointed out about the new single’s lyrics. “It’s up to us.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7K7jbVhH8 Wyclef Jean was on hand for the Range Rover Leadership Summit in Los Angeles on Nov. 15 that saw the rapper serve up a live performance at the one-day event for company bigwigs. As reported by TMZ, things went left when Jean accidentally dropped Jaguar Land Rover North America CEO Joe Eberhardt on his head. The incident happened at an afterparty and was captured on video. The brother of rapper Offset has been behind bars for over a decade, but on Thursday, the hip-hop star took to social media to celebrate his release. “15 years and he back,” Offset captioned a video on his IG Stories. A series of clips on Offset’s IG account offers fans a glimpse of what his brother’s first day home was like. https://youtu.be/dbGVCJs75RU Katt Williams, Keith Sweat, LisaRaye McCoy, Keri Hilson, Rotimi, Jason Mitchell, DC Young Fly, Cedric Pendleton, Jazzy Jade, Latto and Lyfe Jennings light up the big screen in “For The Love of Money.” Opens Nov 24, 2021 in Theaters Nationwide. https://youtu.be/wHJFvqnO-NY Who deserves a second chance? “The Unforgivable,” from Netflix, puts this very question to the test! The film follows Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) as she navigates through life as a convicted felon. After serving 20 years in prison for committing a murder, she re-enters society with the single-minded goal of finding her younger sister whom she lost contact with during her imprisonment. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JNUjx7LZoiU/hqdefault.jpg The family of singer Bobby Caldwell is asking for prayers for the ailing singer. As reported by Soul Tracks, a recent post on Bobby’s social media channels states: “Please take a moment to say a prayer for Bobby and his family. There is power in prayer. God Bless you all.” Over the summer it was reported that the blue-eyed soul singer canceled a few live shows after suffering an injury. https://youtu.be/C8Y0SZrPdX0 Gayle King and her bestie Oprah Winfrey did an interview a while back and addressed the longstanding gay rumors about them. The dynamic duo has been friends for four decades and rumor has it that at some point their close friendship turned intimate. Oprah said in an interview, I understand why people think we’re gay. There isn’t a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it—how can you be this close without it being sexual? How else can you explain a level of intimacy where someone always loves you, always respects you, admires you? Gayle says, The truth is, if we were gay, we would so tell you, because there’s nothing wrong with being gay. Yeah. But for people to still be asking the question, when I’ve said it and said it and said it, that means they think I’m a liar. And that bothers me, Oprah said. This Thanksgiving, the Reese’s brand is giving the traditional pie an upgrade like you’ve never seen before by unveiling a super-sized, 9-inch peanut butter cup…making this pie the largest Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup ever for sale! Introducing Reese’s Thanksgiving Pie – a spin on a tried-and-true holiday treat that contains the only two ingredients a dessert really needs…chocolate and peanut butter. Oh, and did we mention that this peanut butter cup is the size of a real pie? Reese’s Thanksgiving Pie is the largest Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup to date, featuring a 9-inch diameter and 3.25 pounds of solid peanut butter and chocolate. Zak Williams & 1/Akord drops Jehovah Jireh....https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8628415?date=20210914&user_id=668306&signature=j9cdLyRso5eHz5jNtTGrqf1-CqI%3ADio3VP6A Today, BET announced the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” will showcase an even bigger lineup of performances, special moments, and appearances, by some of the biggest stars in R&B, Gospel, Urban Adult Contemporary and Soul. On the heels of her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 Chart for her second studio LP, Still Over It, R&B singer-songwriter Summer Walker joins the exciting line-up of performers at this year’s Awards. Fred Hammond, and BET Amplified artists Elhae and Marzz will take the stage, along with Soul of Justice honorees Ciara and Russell Wilson and Marley Dias. Rap legends Fat Joe and Ja Rule as well as R&B icon El Debarge will make special appearances. Additionally, BET announced the second group of presenters who will take the stage: Jazmine Sullivan, Normani, Hosea Chanchez and Wendy Raquel Robinson from The Game, a Paramount+ Original series, Devale Ellis and Crystal Hayslett from the cast of Tyler Perry’s Sistas on BET. The 2021 “Soul Train Awards” presented by BET premieres Sunday, November 28th at 8 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her. New Haven Records recently announced that international gospel music ambassadors Chicago Mass Choir’s much-heralded release, My Soul Says Yes, will debut in deluxe digital format. The project was recently nominated in six categories in the 36th Annual Stellar Awards and helped earned them Best Gospel Entertainer of the Year honors at the 39th Annual Chicago Music Awards. In addition to the eleven tracks on the original version of the album, the expanded collection will include nine performance videos shot live during the recording of the album. This Deluxe Edition also includes a bonus “virtual choir” version of their hit single, “My Soul Says Yes / I Say Yes to My Lord,” featuring Chicago Mass members performing the song from their homes during COVID-19. WATCH THE GAME CATCH UP TO EVERYONE IN SEASON TWO OF BET'S “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” THIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD AT 10PM ET/PT “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” AIRS EXCLUSIVELY ON BET EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT AT 10PM ET/PT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn_qSmOwWAk The 2022 GRAMMYs Awards show, officially known as the 64th GRAMMY Awards, is just around the corner. Today, the Recording Academy announced the nominations for each of the 86 categories. The Recording Academy will present the 2022 GRAMMY Awards on Mon, Jan. 31, on the CBS Television Network(opens in a new tab) and stream live and on demand on Paramount+ from 8–11:30 p.m. ET / 5–8:30 p.m. PT. Prior to the telecast, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony will be held at the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UrW352Kc1mQ/hqdefault.jpg According to reports, Ruggs avoided jail time after missing the alcohol test and was allowed to remain on house arrest while wearing two ankle monitors. Ruggs is facing over 50 years in prison after the deadly vehicle crash he was involved in. The collision sparked a fire in the Toyota that killed Tina Tintor and her golden retriever. Ruggs and his female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the fiery wreck. As reported by TMZ, he had a .161 BAC — more than two times the legal limit of .08. Ruggs has reportedly passed more than 77 breath-alcohol tests since his November 3 release from jail on $150,000 bail. The mother of Tamir Rice is calling for the U.S. to be “overthrown” following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. “I’m very annoyed about how minor, a white little boy, is not in jail for the murder of other people,” Samaria Rice said in a new interview with TMZ (see video below). “That’s just not right. His mother should go to jail too because why would you give him a gun and he’s a minor? That’s not how you’re supposed to raise your children… You knew he was going to a protest, what did you think he was going to do? He wasn’t helping out the police he killed innocent police and for that right there, he should be in jail.” On Friday, Rittenhouse was found not guilty in the killing of two men and the wounding of a third last year during a tumultuous night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jKeCmCct0u8/hqdefault.jpg He's at it again. Kwame Brown gets on Russell Westbrook for wearing a skirt, Kwame Brown thinks BET is pushing kids to be homosexual, Kwame Brown calls former NBA player Matt Barnes “Becky with the good hair,” alluding to his complexion. Now this is his, what, fourth or fifth video saying this type of thing? Now, his take on the Rittenhouse verdict. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e15WkGJjymk/hqdefault.jpg A defense attorney in the trial of the men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery has sparked outrage after making mention of the victim’s dirty toenails in closing arguments on Monday. Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan face nine charges, which include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment. Lawyers for the McMichaels argue their clients were justified in chasing down Arbery when they saw him on a property that was under construction. The trio allegedly attempted to make a citizen’s arrest and killed Arbery when he resisted their threatening tactics. Arbery, 25, was called “F–king n—-r” as he lay dying on the pavement after being shot while allegedly jogging through his Georgia neighborhood on February 23, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1300789587056316 Jurors in the Ahmaud Arbery murder case started deliberating Tuesday over the fate of the three white men accused of killing the black unarmed jogger in Georgia last year. Gregory McMichael, 65, his son Travis McMichael, 35, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, are charged with murder, aggravated assault and other crimes in the shooting death of Arbery, 25, who they suspected was fleeing a burglary as he ran through their neighborhood near Brunswick. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley told the jurors Tuesday, “It is your duty to consider the facts objectively without favor, affection, or sympathy to anyone.” The primarily white 12-person jury deliberated through lunch after hearing a two-hour rebuttal from the prosecution of the defense’s closing arguments. Lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski had asked the jurors to find all three defendants guilty and accused their lawyers of trying to blame Arbery for his own death. The World Health Organization’s Europe office says projections show its 53-country region could face another 700,000 deaths in the coronavirus pandemic by next spring, topping 2 million in total. WHO Europe, which is based in Copenhagen, Denmark, also cited growing evidence of a decline in protection against infection and mild disease through vaccines, and said a “booster dose” should be given as a priority to the most vulnerable populations — including people with weakened immune systems — as well as people over age 60 and health care workers. The U.N. health agency’s international headquarters in Geneva, however, has repeatedly called for a moratorium on the use of boosters through year-end so that doses can be made available for many developing countries that have faced a severe lack of the COVID-19 vaccines compared to the rich world. Attorney Ben Crump is reacting to the viral video of a White Texas student hitting and insulting her Black teacher, calling the situation “outrageous.” The now-viral clip taken by a fellow student at Castleberry High School in Fort Worth shows the young female going up to her Black teacher in a Texas classroom and slapping her hard on the arm, before threatening to call her mother. The educator was in th middle of using her phone when the student attempted to hang up the call before lashing out physically. “No, no, no, You touched me. I did not touch you!” The angry teen then replies, “I am calling my momma, you ain’t about to f*** me up b****!” https://twitter.com/i/status/1461830462314369028 Malikah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment by her daughter on Monday. She was 56. According to Business Insider, police said her death appears to be due to natural causes. Shabazz is the youngest of Malcolm X’s six daughters with his wife Betty Shabazz. Their other daughters’ are Qubilah Shabazz, Attallah Shabazz, Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz, Ilyasah Shabazz, Malaak Shabazz and Malikah Shabazz. Following news of Shabazz’s death, Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., offered her condolences on social media. ‘I’m deeply saddened by the death of #MalikahShabazz. My heart goes out to her family, the descendants of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X. Dr. Shabazz was pregnant with Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, when Brother Malcolm was assassinated. Be at peace, Malikah.,’ King wrote. LeBron James will serve a one-game suspension after his on-court altercation with Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart, who has been suspended for two games. The Los Angeles Lakers star and the Detroit Pistons forward were ejected following an all-out brawl Sunday in which James elbowed Stewart in the face and Stewart tried in vain to retaliate. Iman Shumpert is not the first pro athlete to take home the mirrorball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars.” However, he’s the first former NBA player to do it. Monday night Shumpert, along with his pro-partner, Daniella Karagach, won all the marbles this season on the ABC dance competition show. The Oak Park, Illinois native told the audience he dedicated his win to his mother, who is a big fan of the show. “I apologize for being a little bit emotional,” he said, adding his mom had tested positive for COVID-19 so she couldn’t be there to see his win. “I hope Chicago’s watching this!” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rhmDIddLpIQ/hqdefault.jpg Wendy Williams’ brother has shut down reports that she is wheelchair-bound and suffering from early stages of dementia. The “Rickey Smiley Morning Show” reported that Williams may not be returning to host her beloved daytime talk show amid her declining health. The show claims, “It’s not looking really good… Word on the street is Wendy is confined to a wheelchair.” The “Ricky Smiley Morning Show’s” Toine The Don explained that she “has lost all blood circulation in her legs and in her feet” and her TV return remains uncertain. “We gotta pray for Wendy. We know that she’s been battling with addiction, alcoholism, all that good stuff, and it’s also been reported that Wendy has been suffering from the early stages of dementia.” Meanwhile, Wendy’s brother Tommy reportedly spoke with The Sun and refuted Toine’s claims. “We haven’t had any alerts like that and I haven’t seen anything like that or have had conversations with her that would lead me to believe that,” he said. “We routinely go up and check on Wendy even though we’re all down here in Florida… I try to make it up there and my dad speaks with Wendy frequently. So no, we don’t have any concerns concerning her mental state. It’s all physical.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWmBiFLgtLd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The “House of Gucci” film spans three turbulent decades of the Gucci family empire and is lead by two Oscar nominees, Lady Gaga (Patrizia Reggiani-Gucci) and Adam Driver (Maurizio Gucci). Inspired by true events and the 2001 book “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed” by Sara Gay Forden – the movie follows the heirs to the Italian fashion throne. https://youtu.be/eGNnpVKxV6s Sunday night (11.21), Brittney Spencer performed a “soulful rendition” (Billboard) of the Dean Dillon written “Tennessee Whiskey” at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which honored Dillon. Earning a standing ovation led by Dillon himself, Spencer was preceded by Kenny Chesney and followed by a performance from George Strait. She wow’d the crowd, and Hall of Famer Brenda Lee even shouted “Let’s all go home. I give up. I quit!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWjwXbTqSeE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again This week’s new episode of Peace of Mind with Taraji, featuring comedian and actress Nicole Byer discussing her experience with being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, is now available on Facebook Watch. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=434219221441468 Christian recording artist Zach Williams came out of 2020 with a better understanding of who God is as our provider. “It kind of woke everybody up, I think, just to see how quick everything can change in just an instant,” he recently told Faithwire. “You can lose everything you’ve worked for overnight, and a lot of people did.” Debuting a new Christmas album, “I Don’t Want Christmas to End,” Williams said he is filled with gratitude to get back into his tour bus, perform his music, and lead people in worship. https://youtu.be/mi_3pi8H9pc The pastor of a New York City Seventh-day Adventist church who said in a sermon earlier this month that husbands may rape their wives has been placed on administrative leave. Burnett Robinson, senior pastor of Grand Concourse Seventh-day Adventist, a church located in the Bronx borough, was preaching on Nov. 13 about wives submitting to their husbands’ leadership, when he said, “Gentlemen, the best person to rape is your wife.” Now the Greater New York Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church said it has placed Robinson on administrative leave. “Pastor Robinson deeply regrets the statement and knows it caused injury and has given an unqualified apology,” a statement from the New York Conference said. https://youtu.be/n2b-N-lNbpk Citing a rise in hate attacks, Damian Williams, the new U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the creation of a civil rights unit in the office’s criminal division on Friday at a ceremony at the Harlem Armory, signaling a new focus for one of the country’s most powerful prosecutor’s offices. “White supremacist groups are on the march,” said Mr. Williams, the first Black person to hold the post in the office’s 232-year history. “Antisemitism is on the march. Anti-Asian violence is on the march. Abuse of the most vulnerable in our society is on the march.” Enforcement of civil rights violations in the office has largely been handled through civil lawsuits rather than criminal charges. But at a time when calls for a reconsideration of the way the justice system confronts issues of race and discrimination have grown louder, Mr. Williams said creating a civil rights unit within the office’s criminal division would elevate the work and “make us more effective.” Lawyers for Los Angeles County on Monday asked the court to issue a summary judgment in Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit, which would lead to dismissal of her damage claim over photos taken at the helicopter crash site of her late husband, Kobe Bryant. A hearing in the matter was scheduled for late next month. Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, said by email that he had no comment. But he confirmed that her legal team planned to file a response in December. The county’s motion, filed before federal magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick and U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, argues that because the photos were not shared with the general public, any harm Bryant suffered has been “hypothetical.” “It is undisputed that the complained-of photos have never been in the media, on the Internet, or otherwise publicly disseminated,” county lawyers said in Monday’s documents. “Plaintiff Vanessa Bryant has never seen County photos of her family members. There is no … standing to sue for a hypothetical harm.” Bryant’s suit, the motion says, “Is without legal merit and should be dismissed.” A Tallahassee doctor has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a $28 million health care fraud scheme. Moses deGraft-Johnson had pleaded guilty to all 58 counts against him in federal court in Dec. 2020. The judge also ordered him to pay nearly $28.5 million in restitution. DeGraft-Johnson himself spoke directly to the judge, saying this behavior was an outlier for him. “I stand before you to let you know I’m very remorseful,” he said. “I take full responsibility. I did wrong. I’m very sorry. Even though I’m not going to practice medicine, I feel that there is a lot of good left in me.” He said his full intent when he arrived in Tallahassee in 2013 was to help people, particularly in Gadsden County. He said he held free clinics and took on complex cases that other doctors wouldn’t. DeGraft-Johnson also spoke about the charges against him, pointing out that putting a patient in harm’s way is a different crime than committing healthcare fraud. As it gears up to reimagine Black Friday as “Black-Owned Friday” for a second year, Google has tapped T-Pain to be the face of a unique campaign presenting 55 small businesses to potential buyers through a shoppable film. As viewers watch the interactive Black-Owned Friday film, soundtracked by a new song from T-Pain and Normani, items which appear to simply be part of the décor are spotlighted as a pop-up. Clicking on any of these pop-ups, with as many as five on screen at once, pauses the film, enlarges the item and offers shoppers the opportunity to go directly to the vendor’s website. https://youtu.be/hWuAFclmWsg A women’s college in the Atlanta area has bestowed a new honor on its first Black graduate, who earned her degree 50 years ago. Agnes Scott College in Decatur held a ceremony Wednesday for Edna Lowe Swift, commemorating her 1971 graduation with a bench and plaque on the campus lawn, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The 72-year-old Swift said she was thrilled by the honor. She received a scholarship to attend Agnes Scott and arrived on campus for the fall semester in 1967. Violence had broken out in Black communities across the U.S. that year amid ongoing segregation and discrimination against African Americans. Six years earlier, Charlayne Hunter-Gault faced racial slurs and a mob outside her dorm after she and Hamilton Holmes integrated the University of Georgia. Agnes Scott admitted its first Black student, Gay Johnson McDougall, two years before Swift enrolled, but McDougall did not complete her studies at the college. In a 2010 interview for a school oral history project, she recalled receiving hate mail and feeling “profoundly lonely.” Daveia Odoi, owner/ illustrator of Black-owned stationery brand, The DynaSmiles by DNT, has launched 3 of her designer journals in Target stores online. Each journal features artwork that celebrates the beauty and joy of Black women. The announcement comes a year and a half after the future of the brand was presumably wiped away due to the unexpected cancer diagnosis and subsequent death of Daveia’s husband, Edmund, who was also the co-founder of the company. “2020 was a very rough year for my family. With so many uncertain situations arising at once, the business was indefinitely put on hold. The day I decided it was time to try again was the day I learned that Target was interested in carrying our journals,” says Daveia. “Knowing that some of our products are now on their website is the culmination of a dream that my husband never got to see. Yet, he saw this opportunity from the very beginning,” she acknowledges. Duane “Myko” Cheers, co-founder of Everything Legendary, and his team have one mission—to produce the best gourmet plant-based meat alternatives in the world and to get them into as many hands as possible. Since Cheers and his co-founders appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank and struck a deal with Mark Cuban, the company has boomed with products now in over 1,400 stores. Cheers is successfully leading his team to become a household name. While the shark’s investment and mentorship has helped the company increase its production capacity, Cheers’ unrelenting grit and stellar promotion strategies are largely behind its recent success. A new study from anti-gun violence nonprofit ManUpPHL offers solutions to the city’s gun violence crisis from those most at risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of that violence — young Black men. Their experiences around gun violence and the behaviors that drive the city’s gun culture are absent from most research, said ManUpPHL board chairperson Brian Ellis. The findings are based on hours of conversations with nine young Black men aged 19-35 living in communities plagued by gunfire. “We all try to come up with solutions, but no one’s ever asked them what could be done,” said Ellis, an expert in global leadership and a qualitative researcher. The recommendations: Develop a program with community groups for incarcerated individuals to serve as mentors to other inmates who will be at risk of violence when they leave prison or jail. Create 300 jobs for at-risk individuals. Establish a new educational experience for middle and high school students at risk of gun violence. Set up mental health substations in communities affected by violence. Train individuals to connect those engaged in gun violence with resources and alternatives. Chart-topping Christian hip-hop artist KB has released a brand-new track “So Tired,” available now on digital music platforms. Also releasing the official music video for “So Tired,” KB’s high-energy freestyle displays the versatile wordplay talents he’s known for, with his rapid flow and incisive lyrics, backed by vibrant beats. KB, “So Tired” (Official Music Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ddXilKluNQ The person shown on video Sunday speeding through a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and mowing down multiple people, killing at least five and injuring up to dozens of others, has reportedly been identified as a Black man. The name of Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. was a trending topic late Sunday night and into Monday morning after journalists and social media sleuths alike reportedly learned the suspect’s alleged identity amid unsubstantiated claims he may have been exacting purported revenge for the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, which was delivered on Friday in Kenosha, which is about an hour’s drive southeast of Waukesha. Karol Markowicz, a journalist with conservative news outlets, tweeted from her verified Twitter account on Sunday night that, “Darrell E. Brooks, black male, late 30s is the suspect in custody in Waukesha.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1462560504208146438 Lawyers for one of the three men charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery has reportedly offered the prosecution a plea deal, but it was immediately rejected, according to an attorney representing Arbery’s mother. William “Roddie” Bryan — who not only filmed the grisly killing last year but also allegedly used his own vehicle to trap Arbery on the same street in Brunswick, Georgia, where Travis McMichael, aided and abetted by his father, Gregory, trapped the 25-year-old jogger and shot him to death — apparently had his lawyers offer up the appeal as both the prosecution and defense rested their cases on Thursday. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was ejected from Sunday’s game in Detroit after delivering a brutal blow to the face of Pistons center Isaiah Stewart. James was tossed after his left elbow and fist struck Stewart during Pistons forward Jerami Grant’s third-quarter free throw attempt at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday night. NBA league officials will now review footage of the incident and conduct follow-up interviews to determine whether fines or suspensions are in order. A league spokesman told DailyMail.com that a ruling on the matter will be completed before the Lakers and Pistons play their following games on Tuesday night in New York and Detroit, respectively. The Lakers will be facing the Knicks on TNT on Tuesday night, which means the league is faced with a decision on whether or not to sideline its biggest star ahead of a nationally televised game. https://twitter.com/i/status/1462581131681755137 Whether it’s serving inspiration through her viral videos or dishing out recipes to help folks live their best vegan lives, actress Tabitha Brown has continually used her platform as an avenue for empowerment, and her latest project will be centered on uplifting youth. According to Shadow and Act, the North Carolina native landed a deal to create a children’s series. The YouTube show dubbed “Tab Time”— geared towards preschoolers—takes a holistic approach to teaching children valuable life lessons. Each episode explores a different theme and is designed to help youngsters develop a sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy, educating children about everything from the importance of paying it forward and bouncing back from mistakes to going green. A new study says 44% of U.S. adults who are non-parents between the ages of 18 to 49 probably won’t have children. Amid a decline in the birth rate among white people in the U.S., adults (both men and women) who don’t have children cited reasons such as financial instability or the lack of a partner for why they are unlikely to have kids, according to a new study from Pew Research Center, Bloomberg reports. The survey of 3,866 American adults ages 18 to 49 was conducted over a week in October. https://youtu.be/S9Q644-1lNE In a sneak peek of his interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Kyle Rittenhouse said he isn’t a racist and that he supports the Black Lives Matter movement. “This case has nothing to do with race. It never had anything to do with race. It had to do with the right to self-defense,” Rittenhouse said. “I’m not a racist person. I support the BLM movement. I support peacefully demonstrating.” His acquittal has received a polarized response, with some conservatives praising the verdict and progressives denouncing it. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vtMntCO_kAw/hqdefault.jpg Brandy’s daughter Sy’Rai Smith appeared on “The Real” Wednesday to dish about her weight loss journey and revealed how she once thought her famous mom was “embarrassed” by her once being overweight. “Sometimes I would feel a little sad or feel like she was embarrassed of me,” the 19-year-old said on the daytime talk show, Page Six reports. Adding, “These are just insecurities in my head.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CRHnXUMJqtl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Whitney Houston’s iconic talent and legacy is being celebrated with a debut NFT collection announced today by OneOf, the green music NFT platform backed by Quincy Jones. This exclusive collection culminates in a single “OneOf One Iconic” item: an early never-before-heard full-length song demo recording Houston made at age 17. This recording will be auctioned in December, with auction details revealed on December 1 at OneOf.world, a two-day immersive art, music and NFT experience during Miami Art Week. The winner of the auction will have personal access to this recording in their OneOf Vault along with a digital video created by breakout 17-year-old artist Diana Sinclair, who has recently been featured in TIME, Teen Vogue and Hypebeast. Interested bidders can register and get pre-qualified at https://oneof.com/whitney starting today. Proceeds from the sales of the collection will go to the Whitney E. Houston Foundation, a non-profit which continues Houston’s work to empower, support, and inspire young people. If you’re a big fan of R&B supergroup Silk Sonic (Buno Mars and Anderson .Paak), we know you definitely got your groove on Sunday evening/night (Nov. 21). Bruno and Anderson (plus their backup singers/band) did their thing and did not disappoint as they kicked off the 2021 AMAs with a smokin’ hot rendition of their new single “Smokin’ Out The Window.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nAUwKeO93bY/hqdefault.jpg Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, is in declining health and being cared for by his son Chavoita Lesane. Lesane, 48, who has a criminal past according to the New York Post, has power of attorney over the 79-year-old. Court documents show Williams is suffering from irreparable “brain damage” and “dementia.” The report noted that Richard is “totally incapacitated to conduct any business,” the documents, which include testimony from his own doctor. The former tennis coach has barely been seen in public over the last few years, as he’s been fighting a messy divorce with wife Lakeisha Williams, 41. The couple married in 2010 and have a young son, Dylan, born in 2012. https://www.instagram.com/p/CU1Sn6BN0RC/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=afd2677c-1513-417d-9277-86f0253d287b Four MVP Awards. Four championships. 17 All-Star Game selections. And now eight straight years topping Forbes’ list of the highest-paid players in the NBA, with more than $110 million earned. According to Forbes, James’ 41.2 million salary for the upcoming 2021-22 season and an estimated $70 million from his off-court ventures has the Los Angeles Laker set take in $111.2 million in a single year to smash the $96.5 million NBA earnings record he put up over the 12 months ending in May. Forbes’ top ranking is the latest financial happening in a year that saw James surpassing $1 billion in career earnings before taxes and agents’ fees. The magazine estimates the financial milestone has elevated King James pushing his net worth to roughly $850 million. “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling said Monday she had received a flood of death threats, as she slammed three transgender rights activists who posted her home address on Twitter. Rowling thanked police in Scotland for their support after the activists tweeted a photograph of them standing outside Rowling’s home in Edinburgh, with the address visible, on Friday. Rowling said that she and other women who have spoken out on gender issues had faced “campaigns of intimidation”, stalking and harassment, but vowed she would not be silenced. The 56-year-old writer said she had received “so many death threats I could paper the house with them”, and that “families have been put into a state of fear and distress” by transgender activists. “Perhaps… the best way to prove your movement isn’t a threat to women, is to stop stalking, harassing and threatening us.” Hollywood icon Tom Hanks is back with another one that is sure to pull at your heartstrings and take viewers on an emotional rollercoaster. Hanks stars in the new Apple TV+ release “Finch,” about a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. Per the studio’s press release, Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for a decade, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear. He creates a robot, played by Caleb Landry Jones, to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can. As the trio embarks on a perilous journey into a desolate American West, Finch strives to show his creation, who names himself Jeff, the joy and wonder of what it means to be alive. Their road trip is paved with both challenges and humor, as it’s as difficult for Finch to goad Jeff and Goodyear to get along as it is for him to manage the dangers of the new world. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-0bYWnP3jH4/hqdefault.jpg Candace Owens was quick to defend teen killer Kyle Rittenhouse during his murder trial this month. Following his Not Guilty verdict last week, the conservative pundit celebrated by trolling LeBron James. On Friday, Rittenhouse was acquitted in the killing of two men and the wounding a third last year during a night of Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse appeared emotional as the verdicts were read, and he broke down in tears after being cleared on all counts. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEl_G0EX0Agocav?format=jpg&name=small A woman has created a dating app solely for people who aren’t having sex, after she said God ‘called to her’ and asked her to make it. Shakia Seabrook, 33, from Tampa, Florida, started ‘The Sexless Tribe’ last year as a hub for people who are sexually abstinent – a community she thought was being underrepresented. The entrepreneur, who made the decision to be abstinent when she was 13 years old, explained that it’s more than just a dating app – but that it’s also a place where abstinent people can ‘come together and connect.’ Per its website, The Sexless Tribe App ‘makes it easy for sexually abstinent people to access abstinence resources, find accountability partners, form friendships, and make romantic connections.’ Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s recent video appearances have done nothing to remove concerns over her freedom, according to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Peng’s welfare became a matter of international concern nearly three weeks ago after she alleged she had been raped by China‘s former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli. The former doubles world number one appeared at a dinner with friends on Saturday, and at a children’s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Peng, 35, held a Zoom call with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach. A WTA spokesman said today: ‘It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion.’ The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority released its list of 2021 Honorary Members on Friday, which includes journalists Joy-Ann Reid (MSNBC) and Abby Phillip (CNN), and singer Ledisi. On day two of the sorority’s 55th annual National Convention, the list of new honorary members was announced. Six female trailblazers received the organization’s highest honor for “significant contributions to society while excelling in their chosen fields,” which vary from trailblazers in journalism to leaders in sports and music, per Black Enterprise. The complete list of honorary sorors includes former Navy Admiral Michelle J. Howard, Ambassador Attallah Shabbazz and Collette V. Smith, the NFL’s 1st Black female coach. Tiger Woods has golf folks abuzz today after posting a two-second video of himself swinging a wedge on a golf course. He captioned it with two words: “Making progress.” Woods has been publicly silent since May regarding injuries suffered in his Feb. 23 car accident in Los Angeles. Woods was wearing a black compression sleeve on his right leg, with a large bucket half-filled with golf balls on a practice range. Behind him was also a launch monitor, which measures such metrics as distance and ball speed. https://youtu.be/48tdjfck2dQ The trial of a former Fort Worth officer charged in the killing of Atatiana Jefferson will happen in January. Aaron Dean’s trial had been scheduled to begin Nov. 16, more than two years after he shot the 28-year-old Jefferson through a window during a late-night wellness check, but it was delayed. During a court hearing on Tuesday, a judge set the new date for Jan. 10. Court proceedings had been paused during the pandemic. Under the new timeline for the trial, motions will be heard on Dec. 6, 2021, and a jury will be seated on Jan. 4, 2022. Dean is charged with murder in Jefferson’s Oct. 12, 2019 death. On that night, a neighbor had called police requesting a welfare check after he saw the door open at Jefferson’s Fort Worth home. Jefferson, 28, was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew when Dean walked into the backyard. She grabbed her gun and had gotten up to look out the window when she was shot, police records show. Jefferson died at the scene. Former college basketball stars Angela and Ray Weathers have made headlines for supporting a new generation of champions. But now, the couple is taking action against a Texas charter school for alleged abuse of their six-year-old son. According to an initial release from The Witherspoon Law Group, the couple’s six-year-old autistic son came home from school in late August missing the underwear he left home wearing. They promptly reported the incident to school officials but received little to no action. The school, the International Leadership of Texas Katy K-8, located in Katy, Texas, boasts as part of its mission that it aims to strengthen “the mind, body and character” of students. It seems to have failed as it pertains to the Weathers’ young son. The school refused to give the parents any real information about follow-up on the allegations from the information provided. There was no evidence of an incident report or investigation into what transpired. After the August incident, the Weathers’ child became ill and displayed signs of possible inappropriate sexual conduct. The attorney’s statement says the child finally told his parents he had been touched inappropriately in the genital area by one of his teachers. When Uchenna Ndubisi first noticed the African American notation on a diagnostic test on her kidneys, she was shocked; she wondered what her race had to do with the lupus she had. Race-based algorithms and medical testing have been used for decades to diagnose and determine treatment plan issues such as kidney and lung disease, dementia, and other issues. That has led to researchers studying racial disparities in healthcare and are now exploring how and when race is used in diagnostic medical testing. Some organizations have recently apologized for the practice, including the NFL and the American Psychological Association. Now, the University of Maryland Medical System and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have announced they will also abandon the practice of race-based diagnostic medical testing to estimate kidney function. Medical advocates believe the practice is a factor in Black patients qualifying for transplants later than they should. Ndubisi told the Washington Post she wasn’t surprised by the situation. Black men deserve to grow old. Mia Jaye rallies behind this cause — a campaign dedicated to raising awareness and money for families who have lost their husbands and fathers due to violent crime. Jaye is the mother of the late rapper Young Dolph’s children. He was shot and killed Wednesday in Memphis. He was 36. Jaye, the CEO of Momeo (pronounced Mom-E-O), a social cause initiative involved in campaigns that will support families who face hardships, started the “Black Men Deserve to Grow Old” campaign on Aug. 22 — what would have been her brother Jeremy’s 35th birthday. Her brother was shot and killed by another black man over a “$3,000 car deal by an unhappy customer,” according to the campaign video. The campaign was started to help support her brother’s family and two other families “who have experienced loss due to violent ‘intraracial’ crime.” The latest digital roll out for the NMAAHC is first class, and the time to board is now. This past Thursday, the museum launched its first digital initiative, aptly named, The Searchable Museum. The innovative platform will host a wealth of rotating exhibitions, archives, and videos of the museum’s 40,000 artifacts. Since doors opened in 2016, the museum has in large sold timed tickets for entry. And although tickets have remained free, they are often claimed quickly. (Tickets for December are nearly sold out.) Museum director Kevin Young has communicated a plan to broaden the reach of the museum since stepping into the role in March of this year. NBA legend Grant Hill is putting the focus on empowering individuals to take charge of their health. The basketball player-turned-broadcaster is teaming up with the biopharmaceutical company, Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, to spread awareness about the racial health disparities surrounding prostate cancer through the creation of a new initiative. Studies show that Black men are 1.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men. Further research revealed one in seven African American men would develop the form of cancer within their lifetime. Contributing factors include the lack of access to equitable preventive care, which often stems from socioeconomic-related barriers. The campaign—dubbed Start Strong—was launched to bring attention to the staggering statistics, encourage individuals to take actionable steps towards seeking the best treatment for better outcomes through regular screenings and foster conversations around what can be done to change the narrative. Hill believes addressing the disproportionate impact prostate cancer has on Black men starts with educating individuals about their options. Latonya Payne, the legal guardian of her nephew Corinthian Giles, has sued the city of Houston, Texas, and Union Pacific Railroad after her nephew died from leukemia, which she believes was caused by toxic chemicals in the neighborhood. Payne is one of thousands of individuals in Houston who have brought forward lawsuits that claim the railroad company is responsible for the ill effects they’ve suffered from their properties and groundwater being contaminated with toxic chemicals that came from the nearby rail yard for decades. The lawsuit was filed last week in Harris County District Court and claims that Union Pacific attempted to cover up how serious the contamination was and furthermore, failed to clean it up. The suit also claims that the city of Houston failed to warn the residents of the potential dangers or reduce the risk of poisoning which several reports claimed caused cancer. When NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins launches to the International Space Station next year, her debut spaceflight will make history. Watkins is set to become the first Black woman to join the space station crew, and live and work in space on a long-duration mission on the orbiting outpost. The agency announced Tuesday that Watkins will fly to the space station in April 2022, alongside NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Robert Hines and astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency. They are slated to launch aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission, known as Crew-4, is expected to last six months. Hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri is expanding his business portfolio with a new line of vegan ice cream. The So So Def CEO is throwing his hat into the vegan food industry with his newly launched JD’s Vegan Ice Cream. The Grammy Award-winning producer is also cross-branding his music catalog with his assortment of ice cream flavors. Flavors include “Strawberry Sweetheart” (in reference to Mariah Carey’s “Sweetheart”), “Chocolate My Way” (a nod to Usher’s “My Way”), and “Welcome to Atlanta Peach Cobbler” (an homage to JD’s 2002 Atlanta anthem with Ludacris). Dupri has been ahead of the curve when it comes to living life as a vegan. The “Confessions” producer has been vegan for nearly 20 years and was inspired to start the line of gluten-free, plant-based, non-GMO frozen treats after noticing a lack of quality vegan dessert options, Rolling Stone reports. Delroy Lindo, currently shooting up bad guys in The Harder They Fall, is in final negotiations to join Mahershala Ali in Marvel Studios’ Blade. Bassam Tariq, known for directing the rap drama Mogul Mowgli, is in the director’s chair for the vampire-centric adventure-thriller, with Stacy Osei-Kuffour, who worked on HBO’s acclaimed Watchmen series, behind the keyboard on script duties. Created as a supporting character by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, Blade first appeared in Tomb of Dracula No. 10 in 1973, becoming a cult favorite. He is a human-vampire hybrid thanks to his mother being bitten and killed by a blood-sucker during childbirth. On top of comic aficionados, Blade has built up a generation of fans who grew up watching the Blade trilogy that starred Wesley Snipes from 1998-2004. Plans for a new incarnation of the character were first revealed during Marvel’s senses-shattering presentation at 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con. According to The Bleacher Report, Iman Shumpert is the first NBA player to reach the finals of “Dancing with The Stars” and, pun intended, Shumpert knows a little something about the finals. Dancing to Kanye’s “Dark Fantasy”, which wife Teyana Taylor just so happens to sing the vocals on, Shumpert and dance partner Daniella Karagach, made their way to the finals in something of a shock. A Cook County judge refused Thursday to dismiss a defamation suit against radio show host Mancow Muller that was brought by James MacDonald, the founding pastor of megachurch Harvest Bible Chapel. But Judge Eve Reilly did dismiss claims that Muller intentionally inflicted emotional distress. Muller asked for the entire suit, filed in 2019, to be dismissed. The suit alleges Muller defamed MacDonald in comments and recordings Mancow broadcast on his radio show and a podcast. The judge issued an insightful ruling in dismissing some of the major counts in the complaint. We are pleased with the court’s ruling,” said Mark Roth, Muller’s attorney. Phillip Zisook, MacDonald’s attorney, said, “We look forward to proceeding in this case and proving the falsity of Mr. Muller’s repugnant on-air and podcast statements about James MacDonald.” Meghan Markle’s father has called for the Duchess of Sussex to be stripped of her royal title and said she has ‘insulted’ the royal family with her surprise interview on the Ellen show. Thomas Markle, 77, who lives 70 miles away from the Sussexes mansion, was left feeling ’embarrassed’ after watching his daughter earlier this week in the former actress’ first major TV interview since her notorious Oprah tell-all alongside Prince Harry. Meghan’s estranged father, who is a retired Hollywood lighting director, called the Duchesses appearance a ‘stupid stunt’ and said she had ‘insulted the Queen, the royal family and the British people.’ During the interview, Meghan, 40, left a group of street vendors open-mouthed in shock by dancing and singing in front of them while referring to herself as ‘mommy’ as part of a cringe-worthy on-the-street prank during the show. A potential $5 billion would be created in economic value by bringing Black farmers to revenue and profit parity with non-Black farmers. That astonishing finding is among new research from McKinsey & Company on racial disparities within farming. The report examines some of the historical causes of racial inequity within farming and steps that public and private stakeholders can consider to addressing the disparities. It also covers the potential economic result of taking action to overcome the problem. The report surmises several factors have contributed to the decline of Black-owned farms in the United States. They include: Federal programs and policies that excluded Blacks from land purchases; the absence of legal protections, such as wills, that could have facilitated transfer of property to the next generation (heirs’ property ); and limited access to capital through discriminatory lending practices. Thus, the inability of Black Americans to fully act in the land market has caused a lost chance for generational wealth creation. Beyond his artistry, rapper 21 Savage is known for advocating for youth empowerment, and he’s furthering his efforts to ensure financial literacy resources are accessible to teenagers from underserved communities. The music artist—whose real name is Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph—has joined forces with the banking platform Chime again to expand their collaborative Bank Account Financial Literacy Campaign. The initiative was created to address socio-economic barriers standing in the way of cultivating generational wealth. The project, launched three years ago, was designed to amplify the importance of money management and equip youth with the knowledge needed to build a foundation for financial success as they step into adulthood. Through last year’s campaign, 100 high school students were awarded $1,000 scholarships for completing a virtual financial wellness program—launched by Abraham-Joseph’s Leading By Example Foundation, Chime, Juma Ventures and EVERFI—that explored the different facets of budgeting, building credit and banking. This year’s campaign sat at the intersection of financial literacy, education and art as $100,000 was donated for the creation of more scholarships and an Atlanta basketball court was refurbished with vibrant artwork by a local muralist. A married couple moved to Atlanta to expand their business, but both are now dead in a heartbreaking murder suicide, reports the Daily Mail. On November 6, Keianna Burns, 44, fatally shot her 46-year-old husband, Ronnell Burns, then turned the weapon on herself. Keianna reportedly shared a video online in which she was dancing, singing and seemingly in a great mood just hours before the shooting, according to police. Weeks earlier, however, on October 30, she called on her friends to help her through a difficult time. https://www.facebook.com/100000152392445/videos/551807612580484/ Last month, rapper #FettyWap was arrested on federal gun charges. On Thursday, he spoke out about the incident on Instagram. “Loyalty can be both a great trait and a deadly one … choose wisely with who you stand with but never change what you stand for Never bend Never Fold … Head up like a nose bleed #ImOnBorrowedTime if it ain’t life it ain’t forever,” he wrote in his caption. Fetty was arrested in New York City at Citi Field on Oct. 28. It was the same day he was supposed to perform at Rolling Loud New York. In fact, the arrest occurred right before he was to go on stage. Rap-up reported that the indictment had charged the rapper with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances. Fetty pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on a $500,000 bond. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWgR8nMlJDm/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The skies the limit when it comes to Sandra Bullock’s aspirations for her nine-year-old daughter Laila. During an appearance on Red Table Talk in May 2020, when she publicly introduced her girl to the world, the Oscar-winning actress declared, ‘She’s the one that’s going to save the world in our family!’ Now, a year-and-a-half later, The Blind Side star was adamant that Laila ‘is going to be president of the United Sates… it’s just a fact.’ R&B supergroup New Edition is headlining this year’s American Music Awards, slated to go down TONIGHT ( Nov. 21) at 8pm EST on ABC. Cardi B is hosting the event, marking the fifth consecutive year that a Black female star will front the AMAs. The rapper follows actress Tracee Ellis Ross (2017-18), R&B star Ciara (2019) and actress Taraji P. Henson (2020). Per People, the list of previously announced performers at the award show includes Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny with Tainy and Julieta Venegas, Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Diplo, Måneskin, Mickey Guyton, Tyler, the Creator, Walker Hayes, Zoe Wees, and New Edition with New Kids on the Block. https://twitter.com/i/status/1462473884800888832 The buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine has left U.S. officials perplexed, muddying the Biden administration’s response. Some Republican lawmakers have been pressing the U.S. to step up military support for Ukraine. But that risks turning what may be mere muscle-flexing by Russian President Vladimir Putin into a full-blown confrontation that only adds to the peril for Ukraine and could trigger an energy crisis in Europe. But a weak U.S. response carries its own risks. It could embolden Putin to take more aggressive steps against Ukraine as fears grow he could try to seize more of its territory. And it could cause more political damage for President Joe Biden at a time his popularity is dropping. Knowing how to strike the right balance would be easier if the U.S. had a better understanding of what Putin was trying to accomplish. But top officials admit they don’t know. As the USS Porter entered the final hours of a transit across the Black Sea last week, an announcement came over the ship’s speaker system, portending a potential threat. A Russian military helicopter was minutes away, set to join a Russian frigate and cruiser that had been shadowing the ship for days. Russian President Vladimir Putin had just warned that U.S. ships in the Black Sea now were in his nation’s crosshairs. “This is a serious challenge for us,” he said. On the Porter, a destroyer, sailors quickly filled the deck, some with long lenses mounted on cameras, all looking up to see how close the aircraft would get. With military discipline, sailors called out distances as they monitored and measured. Tensions were already escalating between Washington and Moscow. Russia had deployed ground forces along Ukraine’s border, raising fears within the Biden administration of a new invasion, despite Russian denials. The troop movements came alongside a migrant standoff on the European Union’s border with Belarus, a Moscow ally. And a Russian missile test recently spewed debris into space, posing a danger to space travelers aboard the International Space Station. Here is a statement from Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO, regarding the not guilty verdict in the trail of Kyle Rittenhouse: “The verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is a travesty and fails to deliver justice on behalf of those who lost their lives as they peacefully assembled to protest against police brutality and violence. Rittenhouse’s decision to go to Kenosha and provoke protesters was unwarranted. Moreover, the outcome of this case sets a dangerous precedent. We have seen this same outcome time and time again; a justice system that presents different outcomes based on the race of the accused. This verdict is a reminder of the treacherous role that white supremacy and privilege play within our justice system. In the midst of this disappointing verdict, we must continue to work to ensure that those who seek to harm progress do not find refuge for their illicit acts in a system meant to protect victims.” Prominent civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill will leave her post as the head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund this coming spring after holding the position for nearly a decade. Ifill will be succeeded by Janai Nelson, who currently serves as LDF’s associate director-counsel.“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead LDF for nearly 10 years. I began my career as a civil rights lawyer at LDF more than 30 years ago and every day leading this extraordinary, dedicated staff has felt like a dream come true,” Ifill said in a statement. “I have given this work my all, and I am proud of our accomplishments, including our increased growth and strength. But I am most proud of the leadership role LDF has played during one of the most tumultuous and volatile periods for civil rights in recent memory.” Earlier in the year, Ifill made Time’s annual 100 Most Influential People list. Officials in Aurora, Colorado, have agreed to pay $15 million to Elijah McClain’s family to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over his 2019 death, which followed a violent confrontation with police, attorneys representing his family said Friday. The agreement is the largest police settlement in the city’s history, likely the largest in Colorado history, and among the largest ever in the United States. It was reached in federal court Friday, NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver reported. “No amount of money will ever bring Elijah back to his mother. Ms. McClain would return every cent for just one more day with her son,” the Denver law firm representing Sheneen McClain said in a statement that confirmed the settlement figure. The firm, Rathod Mohamedbhai, said an upcoming allocation hearing would determine how much of that would go to McClain, who it says raised Elijah, and how much would go to his father, LeWayne Mosley. In a statement released by his attorney Friday, Mosley said the settlement wouldn’t make up for his loss, but said, “hopefully this sends a message to police everywhere that there are consequences for their actions.” A manhunt, that lasted for days through multiple states, ended in tragedy in Western Maryland Thursday. Maryland State Police confirmed Robert Vicosa was found dead along with his two children and his alleged accomplice, Sgt. Tia Bynum in what they say was a murder-suicide. Police say Bynum was found in the driver seat of a car-jacked Ford Edge. Vicosa was in the backseat with his two daughters, Aaminah and Giana. As police were closing in, the SUV crashed into a fence in Smithsburg and crisis negotiators soon moved in. After multiple verbal commands yielded no response, police utilized two 40 mm sponge rounds to break the front passenger side window. https://cbsloc.al/3kSY3FR Travis Scott is facing a $2 billion lawsuit in the fallout of the Astroworld tragedy. At least two criminal investigations are underway into the deadly crowd surge at the opening night of the festival, November 5, in which 10 people between the ages of nine and 27 lost their lives. Harrowing footage has emerged from the night of the incident, showing people appealing with the crew to stop the show. Earlier this week, a $750 million lawsuit was filed against Scott, Drake and other defendants on behalf of 125 people caught up in the events, either having attended or being relatives of those who died. Now, a new lawsuit seeking $2 billion in damages from Scott, Drake, Live Nation, Apple Music and others has been filed on behalf of 282 plaintiffs linked to the tragedy, coming from lawyer Thomas J. Henry. ‘The defendants stood to make an exorbitant amount of money off of this event, and they still chose to cut corners, cut costs, and put attendees at risk,’ Henry said in a statement, Rolling Stone reports. Chuck D of Public Enemy has never been one to mince words on injustice. Recently he penned an open letter to those that organized the Astroworld event for Travis Scott. In his letter he wrote, “I cannot believe we’re at the point where I [got to] say this out loud: Travis Scott is a performer, an act, not a concert promoter. He doesn’t run the sound or venues or festivals or their staff. He doesn’t build stages or coordinate logistics, he’s not an expert in crowd control or security or emergency medical services. But he does trust Live Nation and all the other concert promoters who are supposed to do all of this. And yet here we are, 10 deaths and counting. 10 broken families. The world is mourning,” his letter began. “I’m tired of these corporations shucking their most crucial responsibility. These folks simply say Rest In Peace and move on. This negligence can’t continue. Folks want answers. I’m not buying the Young Black Man did it. He’s being blamed for a crime while the old white men running the corps that Travis and his fans trusted with their lives stay quiet in the shadows, counting their money and watching their stock prices go up and up. “The excuse of Scott’s irresponsible actions don’t wash – if his act had a history of that behavior why promote him to bigger venues, why partner with him in the first place and let him headline a bigger audience? Live Nation controlled this show. They control almost all of the concert venues. Artists ain’t speaking out because these same cats are already bought by these corporations. No one can say a word against them unless they want to be Blacklisted and hurt their careers.” A SAGE adviser has moved to reassure Britons the UK will not see a spike in Covid-19 cases like Austria and Germany – but warned Europe’s soaring infection rate and lockdown riots should act as a ‘warning’ as he urged people to get their booster jabs. Professor John Edmunds said today that opposition to stringent restrictions on the continent have demonstrated the importance of booster jabs, warning, ‘it is pretty clear immunity does wane’. ‘What you see now in central Europe with these rapid increase in cases, you see the importance of vaccination,’ Mr Edmunds told Sky. This comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was ‘very worried’ about the spread of Covid-19 within Europe as the continent battles a fresh wave of infections. Regional director Dr Hans Kluge told the BBC that some 500,000 more deaths could be recorded by March unless urgent action is taken. Lisa Dawn Stabeno was sentenced to five and-a-half years in federal prison – having taken a plea deal in May for embezzlement. She admitted she stole more than $450,000 from Church on The Rock in Lubbock. Stabeno began working for the church’s Dream Center in July 2013. She later became the church accounting manager. Stabeno used church credit cards to pay for medical and dental expenses. She also bought clothing, salon services, and restaurant meals on the church’s credit cards. The original indictment against her in December 2020 laid out some of the items she put on the church credit cards. They included payments of medical debts for her family members, rent payments for family members and car loan payments for family members. She also used church credit cards to pay down credit card debts of family members. The indictment said she used church money, “to supplement her business income; pay for personal expenses, including restaurant meals and spa services; and pay for vacations to various destinations, including Disney Land, LegoLand, Six Flags over Texas, and Las Vegas.” During the sentencing hearing, she took the stand and tearfully apologized. A gunman fatally shoots a barber in East Baltimore before being fatally shot himself seconds later by the customer in the deceased barber’s chair, who happened to be an armed off-duty Baltimore police officer. https://twitter.com/i/status/1461491334691188740 When Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey appeared on the “OG Chronicles,” they dished about the heart-stopping moment Gayle caught her then-husband having sex with her friend. King’s ex-husband is Connecticut Asst. Attorney General William Bumpus. They were married for 11 years and share a son and daughter together. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mvx6OgrPh2I/hqdefault.jpg #KevinHart is set to play #ArnoldJackson; a role made famous by #GaryColeman in an ABC special which will recreate classic episodes of the iconic 1980’s sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes.” ABC announced in a press release that they will air the 90-minute event, titled “Live in Front of a Studio Audience,” on Dec. 7. John Lithgow will play Mr. Drummond, Damon Wayans will play Willis Jackson, and Ann Dowd will play Mrs. Garrett. The 90-minute special will also feature a recreation of an episode of another 80’s sitcom, “The Facts of Life,” which was a spin-off from “Diff’rent Strokes.” Friends and associates of slain rapper Young Dolph handed out Thanksgiving turkeys at a neighborhood church Friday in Memphis, Tennessee, two days after he was gunned down in broad daylight inside his favorite bakery. Known for acts of charity in his hometown, the hip-hop artist and label owner had helped organize the event at St. James Missionary Baptist Church and was going to participate before he was fatally shot Wednesday. Undaunted, members of his music label, Paper Route Empire, along with church volunteers and community activists, distributed dozens of turkeys, stuffing mix and cranberry sauce — and said “happy Thanksgiving” — to people driving past the church. It was the type of event Young Dolph, who grew up in the Castalia neighborhood where the church is located, has been organizing for years, often without the reporters and cameras present Friday. Before the event, volunteers spoke quietly among themselves or sat in solemn reflection as his music played outside the church on the sunny afternoon. Label employee Bee Bee Jones, 38, helped hand out the food, honoring his friend of 30 years. Mickey Guyton is sharing positive news about her son Grayson’s health after a stomach bug landed the 9-month-old in the ICU. Guyton, 37, posted an update to Instagram Saturday morning sharing improvements in her son’s condition. Grayson, who initially “fell ill” on Nov. 11, was sent to the hospital for “dehydration because of a severe stomach bug,” the country singer explained. While Guyton admitted, “Seeing my baby boy like this was truly terrifying,” she shared that Grayson has since turned a corner and is doing better thanks to the care of a pediatric doctor and their family doctor. “A pediatric doctor named Dr. Grace, stayed by Grayson’s side the entire time we were in the ER, discovered the problem and help[ed] create a plan to heal baby Grayson,” Guyton shared. “Our family doctor, Dr. Nathan Ford also took action and helped Grayson secure a bed at the hospital when all the hospital’s [sic] were maxed out and understaffed because of nurse shortages.” She continued, “I truly believe Grayson would not be on the road to a full recovery without them,” before assuring fans that Grayson is “doing much better” and is “stable” and “improving.” A Penn State student is dead after a bizarre accident earlier this month. Justine Gross, 19, was found at the Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority transfer station in the early hours of Nov. 12 after she had been reported missing the night before, State College police said in a statement Friday. Around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 10, Justine plunged nearly a dozen floors after she fell “inside an 11th floor solid waste disposal chute” in an apartment building and “into a waste receptacle on the ground floor,” police said. “Video evidence suggests she was alone in the 11th floor hallway and in the waste disposal room when she fell,” police said. Justine was reported missing at 5:15 p.m. Nov. 11, and found hours later at the recycling and refuse station at 2:45 a.m. Nov. 12. In between her fall and the discovery of her body, the waste receptacle had been emptied by a Borough of State College refuse truck. Justine, who is from New Jersey, had reportedly had a “smoke” in the apartment building with a man before her fall, her mother told NJ Advance. She did not clarify what they were smoking. Francoise Gross told the outlet that she had spoken with the man, who told her that Justine had “a really bad reaction” to the smoke and went into a “panic.” The NAACP Image Awards will return with an in-person ceremony on Saturday, February 26, 2022 — and broadcast live on BET. The NAACP announced Thursday that it has added new podcast categories to the mix as well. Nominations for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards will be announced on January 11, while the submission deadline for this upcoming awards show is this coming Monday, November 22. Four new podcast categories include Outstanding News and Information Podcast; Outstanding Lifestyle / Self-Help Podcast; Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast; and Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast. The NAACP Image Awards traditionally honors achievements and performances of people of color across more than 80 categories, including film, television, music and literature. “Black artists over the past year have not only showcased our history and uplifted values of progressive change, but have also redefined genres and brought our stories to the screen in so many creative ways,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. “Now more than ever, we need Black voices to push the envelope, educate, and inspire audiences around the world. We’re proud to once again provide a space that both elevates and celebrates these voices through the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.” While removing his LifeAid necklace before going to bed, 68-year-old retired Marine Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. accidentally pressed the alert button. Sound asleep, he did not hear the LifeAid callback. Officers were sent to do a welfare check on Chamberlain — a move that would cost him his life. Chamberlain had refused to open the door. Police broke it down and after a series of events, an officer shot Chamberlain. He died later in the hospital. Nov. 19 marks the 10-year anniversary of that tragic evening. “The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain,” a must-see film, is now available on YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Vudu, Apple TV and Amazon Prime. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HI1XGFx4Vbc/hqdefault.jpg The “Ghostbusters” sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” directed by Jason Reitman, is terrific and a must see. Expectations for a “Ghostbusters” reboot was nil after the 2016 “Ghostbusters” film, which was a disaster. The New York premiere of “Afterlife” was more than a screening, it was an event for fans who showed up in jumpsuits, some with proton packs and PKE meters. “Afterlife” has all the elements that make for great entertainment–a fantastic script and an endearing, talented cast. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R2h0gkDip9I/hqdefault.jpg Many may recall the original 1988 action comedy “Midnight Run,” starring a young (er) Robert De Niro and a cranky-faced Charles Grodin. Now, Variety is reporting, Universal Pictures has tabbed actress Regina Hall to star in, not a remake but, a sequel to the original and MAY star alongside De Niro. MAY! The original was so critically-acclaimed that it resulted in three made for TV movies, but neither De Niro nor Grodin appeared in any of those. Hall will reportedly also served as a producer on the film under her RH Negative production company. Additionally producers will include Jesse Collins (“The New Edition Story), and Jane Rosenthal through Tribeca, with Berry Welsh executive producing through Tribeca as well. Universal Pictures’ senior VP of production development Sara Scott will oversee on behalf of the studio. Comedic actress Aeysha Carr is scheduled write the screenplay. However, the current plot is unknown. The old story centered on De Niro as a bounty hunter in pursuit of a former Mafia accountant, played by Charles Grodin. Unfortunately, Mr. Grodin succumbed to bone marrow cancer earlier this year. On Saturday, November 20th 2021 from 10AM to 4PM PST (1PM to 7PM EST and 12-6PM Central time) join the Los Angeles Black Business Expo as a Virtual and Global Experience featuring Dr. Dennis Kimbro, author of What Makes the Great Great; Dr. George Fraser, author of Success Runs in Our Race; Byron Nelson, celebrity speaker and self-made millionaire; Treasure Owens, Credit Guru and Motivational speaker; Dr. Adrianne M. Toney, Transition Expert, Author & Philanthropist and many more. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5br3GzCrWO8/hqdefault.jpg “The album is to make people feel,” said Trombonist Steve Austin about the debut album release, “Head of the Street,” of Steve Austin and The Bioniq Brass Band. “Brass music does it different. American music was birth in Congo Square, especially black American music…the rhythm element; it’s in brass band, R&B and Hip-Hop music.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VKcG3P9Vi8I/hqdefault.jpg The Athletes Commission of the International Olympic Committee on Saturday said it was “very concerned” for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai and hoped contact with her and fellow athletes could be established soon. Meanwhile, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has been staying at home “freely” and will make a public appearance “soon”, Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin, a prominent state-media journalist, said on Saturday. On Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse got to walk away free despite killing two people and wounding another during anti-racism protests last year in Kenosha. Rittenhouse, 18, faced charges including two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide but was acquitted in full on the grounds of self-defense. Following the verdict, Rittenhouse broke down in tears and collapsed to the floor before being helped back into his chair, with his hands shaking. His mother also wept following the news. In a video taken right after court, Rittenhouse spoke out for the first time to say he’s happy with the outcome, noting that “Self defense is not illegal.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWgSHeopPqh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said lax gun laws are leading the United States down a "dangerous path" after a jury on Friday acquitted teenager Kyle Rittenhouse in fatal shootings during racial justice protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Jurors found Rittenhouse, 18, not guilty of homicide for killing two men and attempted homicide for wounding a third man. Rittenhouse claimed self defense. The protests in Kenosha were in response the police shooting of Black man Jacob Blake. Kerr, who is one of the NBA's leading voices on social issues, said he was not surprised by the verdict but was concerned about its implications. "We are seemingly all right with a teenager's right to take an AR-15 to an area where there is civil unrest. That's really scary and concerning," he told reporters ahead of the Warriors matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Friday. With three games in a 12-day span starting Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys will be without wide receiver Amari Cooper for at least two of them after he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday. Sources told ESPN that Cooper tested positive for COVID-19 and is unvaccinated, which mandates a 10-day quarantine and will knock him out of the Thanksgiving game against the Las Vegas Raiders, his former team. Cooper should clear the protocols in time to play against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 2. Kinadee Jordan is an effervescent, sassy 13-year-old. When asked what’s the secret sauce of the Montessori School of Englewood, she quips, “Me!” With 420 students, the charter school at S. Hermitage Ave. is almost entirely free to its predominantly Black population. Kinadee has been at the school since first grade. Now in eighth grade, she loves to sing and read. She’s currently reading “Inside Out & Back Again” by Thanhha Lai. The novel, about a young girl whose family flees to the U.S. during the Vietnam War, is one Kinadee deeply relates to. “No wars have happened since I was born, that I know of, but it’s just violence in the community, violence in the world, that I wish I could migrate away from. But I can’t,” said Kinadee. “It haunts me every night. I feel like it follows me, like the clouds.” Kinadee’s reading has helped her empathize with others on a deeper level, but one thing has always bothered her. “I know there are Black authors in the world,” she said. “I want books on my culture.” There are more than a few studies out there that point out how the COVID pandemic has put a big strain on the interpersonal relationships. Well, in the instance of Ne-Yo and his wife Crystal Renay Smith, COVID actually did the complete opposite. “The pandemic saved my marriage,” Ne-Yo told Good Morning Britain “We were talking full-on divorce. It forced us to sit down and talk about our problems and re-connect with our kids. There’s only so much FaceTime you can do.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RwdS6yKxzy8/hqdefault.jpg Season two of the hit Hulu series “The Great” debuted yesterday! Catherine (Elle Fanning) has finally taken the Russian throne for her own – but after coup-ing her husband Peter (Nicholas Hoult). Catherine will have to tackle the realities of ‘liberating’ a country that doesn’t want to be. She’ll battle her court, her team, even her mother in a bid to bring enlightenment to Russia. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/azqXzb0xeBI/hqdefault.jpg A junior who played on a winning basketball team stayed behind with arena staff for three hours to help clean up the stands and pick up the trash left behind by fans. Dexter Dennis who is known for his for his fast moves on the court was praised for what he did off the court long after the game, held in Wichita, Kansas, was over. Dennis who was on the Wichita State University men’s basketball team that beat Tarleton State 65-51 decided to help tidy up the stadium after the game instead of heading off to celebrate the victory with teammates. Dennis, who hails from Louisiana, helped propel the team, known as the Shockers to victory and into a tournament in Las Vegas. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/11/20/1738702823261883472/1024x576_MP4_1738702823261883472.mp4?_=1 TRIBL, the new leading premiere recording home for Christian and Gospel artists, announces it’s new partnership with JJ Hairston’s JamesTown Music today. Hairston’s brand-new single, “Thankful” is available today wherever music is sold and streamed. “Thankful” arrives just in time for the holiday season, during a time where everyone has much to be thankful for post-pandemic. “Thankful” if lifted from Hairston’s upcoming worship EP due 1ST quarter 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQFnVRJniRM Chicago rapper and rising star, Nia Kay is set to release a new single titled, “Go Best Friend” on Friday, November 19 following an exclusive premiere today with Hollywood Life. Nia releases this new single on the heels of the successful debut of the song “Ignored” which ranked #2 on the BET Jams Fresh Face Friday countdown. To date, Nia has collaborated with Asian Doll and received industry co-signs from Cardi B and Dreezy. She has also been featured in Vogue Italia, Wonderland Magazine, Untitled Magazine, LA Weekly, Sweety High, Hello Beautiful and other publications. https://www.youtube.com/NiaKay Remy Ma and Fat Joe will take over “The Wendy Williams Show” as guest hosts while Wendy Williams continues to take time off for health-related reasons. According to an announcement on Williams’ Instagram page, Fat Joe and Remy Ma have been tapped to host the beloved daytime talk show on Nov. 23 and 24. As reported by MadameNoire, regular guest hosts Bevy Smith, Michael Yo, Devyn Simone and Elizabeth Wagmeister will return on Nov. 22. https://www.instagram.com/wendyshow/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ae467dc3-590d-4e72-977f-5d1220e1881e Tina Turner is taking legal action against a longtime impersonator over her unofficial tribute show based in Germany, entitled “Simply The Best.” Despite selling her name, likeness, image, and entire catalog to BMG as her final farewell to the music industry, Turner is allegedly hellbent on shutting down Dorothea “Coco” Fletcher—who’s been impersonating the music icon for nearly 20 years. Per Vibe, “Turner’s lawyer argues that Fletcher’s resemblance to the 81-year-old is so uncanny on the promotional flyer that fans may have trouble differentiating the two,” the outlet writes. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UqneAsRxh9s/hqdefault.jpg You can’t tell the story of Richard Williams without showcasing his daughter’s Venus and Serena’s iconic journey to the top of the tennis world. With Will Smith taking on the lead role of Richard and Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene Williams in the new Warner Bros. film, “King Richard,” the parts for the sisters had to be filled out with two equally dynamic stars – Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton! https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FIsNbpJIa6k/hqdefault.jpg Fans of Taylor Swift and Whitney Houston are sparring on Twitter over who is the better artist. Curses and epithets are being tossed around on Twitter between the ferocious fan camps of the 31-year old “Cardigan” crooner and the late “I Will Always Love You” chanteuse. And the digitally dueling sides both insist that their preferred musical powerhouse is more talented than the other. “Whitney Houston is better than Taylor Swift by a long shot. This shouldn’t even be a question,” a die-hard devotee of the six-time Grammy winning singer said. “…Taylor’s talent is in her song writing abilities,” a Swift stan stated in part. “From the music to the lyrics, she is a complete artist.” The debate sparked after Barstool Sports staffers Brandon Walker, Eric “Barstool Nate” Nathan and Kelly Keegs discussed the divas in a viral video. Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and wounded another amid protests and rioting over police conduct in Kenosha, Wis., was found not guilty of homicide and other charges on Friday, in a deeply divisive case that ignited a national debate over vigilantism, gun rights and the definition of self-defense. After about 26 hours of deliberation, a jury appeared to accept Mr. Rittenhouse’s explanation that he had acted reasonably to defend himself in an unruly and turbulent scene in August 2020, days after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black resident, during a summer of unrest following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Mr. Rittenhouse, 18, sobbed and was held by his lawyers after the jury finished reading their verdict. When Julius Jones was 19-years-old he was convicted of a murder he says he did not commit. Jones was scheduled to be executed on Thursday evening at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester but Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt granted him a last-minute clemency. Jones will now serve life in prison with no possibility of parole, as reported by CNN. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2pEx71oJ1Ow/hqdefault.jpg A former New York Jets running back was exposed on video punching his ex-girlfriend before tossing her into her TV at her Florida home and is now on the run after his ex filed a restraining order and police issued a warrant. Home surveillance footage shows Zac Stacy, 30, attacking the mother of his child in front of their five-month-old son at her Florida home on Saturday. The footage was posted on social media by the victim, Kristin Evans, who claimed in an Instagram story earlier Thursday that Stacy’s friends are hiding him. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/11/18/6700084236110021795/480x270_MP4_6700084236110021795.mp4 Zackary “Zac” Stacy is behind bars in Florida after he was busted on Thursday after getting off of a flight from Nashville. Stacy is accused of brutally beating his his baby mama and ex-girlfriend Kristin Evans, with whom he shares a 5-month-old son. The beating was captured on hidden cameras in Evans’ studio apartment in Oakland, Florida last Saturday. After the attack, Stacy fled the state, but law enforcement was able to convince him to man up and return to Florida to deal with the reality of his actions. Orlando Police took him into custody and he was booked into the Orange County Jail late Thursday, according to OPD spokesperson Heidi Rodriguez. https://twitter.com/i/status/1461294643400916994 Former NFL running back Zac Stacy was held on $10,000 bail and forced to surrender his passport in his first appearance in court Friday after he was arrested when footage showed him brutally beating his ex-girlfriend and throwing her around an apartment in a jealous rage. Shocking home surveillance footage shows Stacy, 30, repeatedly punching Kristin Evans and tossing her into the TV and their son’s bouncy seat as she begged for him to stop on Saturday. Stacy was arrested by police in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday evening upon arriving at Orlando International Airport on an inbound flight from Nashville after Evans, 32, pleaded for help in tracking her ex down who she suspected was being hidden by his friends. Bucs receiver Antonio Brown obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccination card so he could avoid NFL protocols, according to his former live-in chef. Brown’s girlfriend, model Cydney Moreau, told Los Angeles chef Steven Ruiz in a text message July 2 that Brown was willing to pay $500 if he could get a Johnson & Johnson vaccination card. “Can you get the COVID cards?” Moreau texted Ruiz on July 2, according to a screen grab he provided to the Tampa Bay Times. “I can try,” Ruiz responded. “JNJ shot. Ab said he would give you $500,” Moreau texted. The text exchange between Moreau and Ruiz does not refer to Brown by name. The wide receiver is often called A.B. by friends, coaches and teammates. Brown wanted the Johnson & Johnson vaccine card, Ruiz alleged, because it’s the only one that consists of a single shot and would require less paperwork. Between 2002 and 2018, Apollo Carreon Quiboloy — the founder of a Philippines-based megachurch — and his accomplices recruited women and girls as young as 12 to work as Quiboloy’s personal assistants, or “pastorals,” prosecutors said. Under Quiboloy and his accomplices’ orders, women and girls prepared his meals, cleaned his multiple residences in the Philippines and the United States, gave him massages and accompanied him on trips around the world, court records state. For over 15 years, the victims were forced to devote their lives and bodies to the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name by writing “commitment letters” to Quiboloy, prosecutors state. Quiboloy, an ally of the Philippine president who has referred to himself as “the Appointed Son of God” and is believed to be 71, allegedly forced the women and girls to regularly engage in sexual acts with him in what he called the “night duty.” Quiboloy, also known as “sir” and “pastor,” and his accomplices would tell his victims that obedience to Quiboloy was “God’s will” and that “night duty” was considered a privilege and a means to salvation, court records state. A high school teacher from Maryland has earned the Varkey Foundation’s $1 million Global Teacher Prize. Keishia Thorpe, a teacher at International High School at Langley Park in Prince George’s County, was selected from more than 8,000 nominations of educators from 121 countries worldwide, CBS News reports. Per the foundation, Thorpe “completely redesigned the 12th-grade curriculum for the English department to make it culturally relevant to her students who are first-generation Americans, immigrants, or refugees from mostly Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and South and Central America.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1458530887252025354 A Richland florist mired in an 8-year legal battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court will retire after settling with the same-sex couple whose wedding was at the center of the lawsuit. Barronelle Stutzman announced the settlement Thursday, saying she has paid $5,000 to Robert Ingersoll. She also wished Ingersoll, who had been her customer for nearly 10 years, “the very best.” Ingersoll and his husband, Curt Freed, plan to donate the settlement payment to a local PFLAG chapter, and personally match the $5,000. The agreement allows Stutzman to “preserve her conscience” by not forcing her to act against her religious beliefs as a Southern Baptist, according to a news release from her attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom. “Saturday Night Live” veteran Kenan Thompson has reportedly bagged $1 million after selling his “humorous memoir,” according to Page Six. Per the report, Thompson is the latest “SNL” star to pen a memoir. He follows alumni including Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, David Spade, Colin Jost, Gilda Radner, Amy Poehler, and Jay Mohr. Thompson has been with “SNL” since 2003 and remains the longest-serving cast member. The actor previously stated that he would stay on SNL “forever.” Tessica Brown in May, fired off cease and desist letters to several different people/entities through her attorney Jeffrey R. Klein over a viral song called “Bad Idea” — a track which rips her voice from her infamous Gorilla Glue video and remixes it into a song. Months later, she has now recorded her own titled “Ma Hair,” which remixes snippets from her original viral TikTok video, with additional lyrics. Her manager, Gina Rodriguez, says Tessica recorded it in Hollywood last month, and the track was put together by independent music producer/engineer Phil Valley. It was said that Tessica and her team actually reached out to Nicki Minaj’s team in hopes of getting her on the track after the rap star shouted out ‘Gorilla Glue Girl’ in her recent song, “Fractions.” However, Rodriguez says they never heard back. In 2017, Come Meet A Black Person networking event became an international viral conversation across the internet. From applauders to haters, Come Meet A Black Person ignited emotions, conversations and an anti-racism movement that has evolved into a global tool for change. The organization has collected revealing white-privilege and ‘racism in action’ data that will be critical in future anti-racism and social justice efforts globally. To celebrate four years of work, Come Meet A Black Person is part of an upcoming holiday mixer in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Created on a thought of Blacktivist Cheryle Renee Moses, Come Meet A Black Person was an answer to an internal question of “What can I do to help change the perception — the fear and hate — that white people have for Black people?” Moses is the founder and producer of Urban Mediamakers Festival, an annual competition with content creators from around the world. Come Meet A Black Person started as a part of the Urban Mediamakers’ annual holiday event. The purpose of Come Meet A Black Person was to open up dialogue of race among whites and Blacks in light of the rising racial tensions in the United States that we saw in 2017. Now four years later, Come Meet a Black Person has evolved into an anti-racism education and action series that provides a white-privilege test for all races, Black culture training, white allyship, tools for recognizing and eliminating micro-aggressions, and cohort relationship building. The Walt Disney Co. is taking a gamble on sports betting. The entertainment giant, notoriously conservative when it comes to protecting its brand, will use ESPN as its entry point into the fast-growing sector. “Given our reach and scale, we have the potential to partner with third parties in this space in a very meaningful way,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek told analysts during a Nov. 10 earnings call. The decision to pursue a multibillion-dollar betting deal is something of a strategic pivot for the company, which for years said that the only role sports betting had at ESPN was as one more piece of its TV programming. The Los Angeles Lakers are in Boston for a Friday night showdown with the Celtics. LeBron James is questionable to play in the game as he works his way back from an abdominal strain, but he may need to add a nasty burn to his injury status. That’s because Celtics center Enes Kanter absolutely torched James on social media on Thursday, as Kanter continues to speak out against human rights issues in China. Kanter went for the throat on Thursday, going after James and his relationship with Nike. James has a lifetime contract with the sneaker conglomerate, and Kanter targeted both entities in his Thursday tweet. He criticized James for taking a “Money over Morals” approach on Nike’s use of slave labor in China. Kanter alludes to James being complicit to China and Nike’s practices for not speaking out against them. Olympic wrestler Tamyra Mensah-Stock, who delivered an exuberant and patriotic speech in Tokyo this past August after capturing the gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling, once again inspired audiences Wednesday night, when she was awarded “Most Valuable Patriot” at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards. Fox News host Laura Ingraham introduced Mensah-Stock to the roaring audience and reminded everyone that the Olympian “absolutely radiates a positive, infectious attitude.” This, of course, is already an indisputable fact for anyone who saw Mensah-Stock’s now-viral, post-win speech this past summer, during which her overwhelming love of country spread around the globe. “USA, USA, USA!” the crowd chanted as the Olympian made her way to the Fox Nation Patriot Awards stage. Mensah-Stock then briefly shared remarks about her notable victory and her life — and became visibly emotional. A former pastor in New York City this week admitted to killing his wife in a horrifically gruesome fashion in front of their young grandchildren. He ran over the victim multiple times before hacking her to death using a machete. Victor Mateo, 65, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of first-degree manslaughter for brutally killing 58-year-old Noelia Mateo in front of her home, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office announced. According to District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Victor Mateo, a Yonkers resident, parked outside of Noelia Mateo’s house located on Ellsworth Avenue in Throgs Neck on the morning of Oct. 3, 2019 and waited for her to come outside. The couple had reportedly been estranged for about a month. An actress who starred in the Harry Potter film series has been praised for ‘standing up to bullies’ after she thanked J.K. Rowling for launching her career. Afshan Azad, 33, from Manchester, who played Padma Patil in the fantasy film franchise, took to Twitter to say she ‘owes everything’ to Rowling and the movie’s casting directors. Fans were quick to thank Azad for her tweets, dubbing her ‘braver and more gracious’ than several of her co-stars, who have distanced themselves from Rowling after she became embroiled in a row surrounding tweets about transgender people. It comes after it emerged Rowling, 56, will not appear in an HBO Max special celebrating 20 years of the Harry Potter films, despite creating the characters. Meghan Markle’s cringeworthy interview with friend Ellen Degeneres has been mercilessly mocked by Twitter users, who say it was ‘awful’ and ‘made them want to vomit’. Meghan left a group of Los Angeles street vendors open-mouthed in shock by dancing and singing in front of them while referring to herself as ‘mommy’ as part of a cringe-worthy on-the-street prank during the show. Having shared several insights into her ‘happy’ family life in California with Prince Harry and their two children, five-month-old Lilibet and two-year-old Archie – who was seen in a new picture shared by the Duchess during the show – Meghan, 40, made a clear attempt to distance herself from the royal family’s reserved image with the toe-curling bit. The interview sparked a wave of memes on social media, with several sharing a GIF of Kris Jenner exclaiming: ‘This is ridiculous!’ One critic commented: ‘Meghan popping up on Ellen further proves she never understood the difference between a Royal Member and a celebrity. What an epic fall from the top.’ Members of Afghanistan’s women’s youth development soccer team arrived in Britain early Thursday after being flown from Pakistan with the help of a New York rabbi, a U.K. soccer club and Kim Kardashian West. A plane chartered by the reality star and carrying more than 30 teenage players and their families, about 130 people in all, landed at Stansted Airport near London. The Afghans will spend 10 days in coronavirus quarantine before starting new lives in Britain. English Premier League club Leeds United has offered to support the players. Britain and other countries evacuated thousands of Afghans in a rushed airlift as Kabul fell to Taliban militants in August. Many more people have since left overland for neighboring countries in hopes of traveling on to the West. Women playing sports was seen as a political act of defiance against the Taliban, and hundreds of female athletes have left Afghanistan since the group returned to power and began curbing women’s education and freedoms. Hall of Fame defensive lineman Curley Culp announced Tuesday that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. “To my followers, family and friends, I have stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” Culp wrote. “Do donate to your local cancer organizations so this dreaded disease is eradicated. Love life, family and friends. Pray to God for all physical and spiritual healing. Love, Curley Culp HOF#13.” Culp, 75, played 14 seasons in the NFL after the Broncos made him a second-round choice in 1968. Denver tried to switch him to offensive guard before trading him to the Chiefs during training camp. Mike Tyson was so scared of killing his opponents in the ring that he often needed to have sex with groupies before fights to take the edge off his rage, his former bodyguard and chauffeur has claimed. ‘He had to get laid to disengage some of the strength he had,’ Rudy Gonzalez told The Sun. ‘So I had girls tucked away in bathrooms and changing rooms. Mike Tyson was so scared of killing his opponents in the ring that he often needed to have sex with groupies before fights to take the edge off his rage, his former bodyguard and chauffeur has claimed. ‘He had to get laid to disengage some of the strength he had,’ Rudy Gonzalez told The Sun. ‘So I had girls tucked away in bathrooms and changing rooms. ‘His biggest fear was that he would kill someone in that ring,’ Gonzalez said. ‘He knew he could do it. Hundreds of pastors from across Georgia and the country are gathering outside the Glynn County courthouse Thursday to support Ahmaud Arbery’s family. The prayer vigil and rally are happening as the man who shot and killed Arbery testifies for the second straight day in his defense. Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and friend William “Roddie” Bryan are on trial for Arbery’s murder. Travis McMichael took the stand Thursday for the state to cross examine the testimony he gave yesterday. https://youtu.be/VCJxzKFDs6w The governor of Oklahoma on Thursday called off the execution of a death-row inmate just hours before the man was to be put to death, in a case in which the state’s Pardon and Parole Board had twice recommended that his sentence be commuted. “After prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case, I have determined to commute Julius Jones’s sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement. The man, Julius Jones, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 2002. He was found guilty of killing Paul Howell, who was in a car in the driveway of his parents’ home when he was carjacked and fatally shot in 1999. The commutation came less than a month after the Supreme Court, with its three more liberal members dissenting, lifted a stay of execution that a federal appeals court had granted to Mr. Jones and another Oklahoma death row inmate, John Marion Grant, who was executed last A new poll found a decline in support among Americans for the Black Lives Matter movement, a year and a half after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other high-profile deaths of Black people in encounters with police sparked a global outcry. According to a national poll conducted by Civiqs, a nonpartisan online survey firm affiliated with the progressive media group Daily Kos, 44 percent of respondents said they oppose the Black Lives Matter movement. Another 43 percent said they support it, while 11 percent said they neither support nor oppose it. The survey has tracked respondents’ viewpoints at multiple moments from April 2017 to this month. According to the poll, support for the Black Lives Matter movement peaked in June 2020 at 52 percent, a month after Floyd was killed. At the height of the movement, protesters marched across the country to express their outrage at Floyd’s death, which was seen by millions in a disturbing video showing Floyd losing consciousness as a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost 10 minutes. A black man in Florida is suing the city of Miami and five of its police officers for $500,000 after they arrested him when he reported his car stolen, accusing him of being the actual thief. On June 1, 2018, Samuel Scott Jr, 44, called Miami Police Department to report that his 2006 black Jeep was stolen from outside his aunt’s house in Buena Vista. However, half an hour after calling 911 about the incident, Scott found himself handcuffed by five Miami PD officers instead of getting help. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com An R. Kelly associate has been sentenced to 96 months for witness intimidation in connection to the singer’s sex crime and racketeering case. The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced the sentencing Wednesday, about seven months after 38-year-old Michael Williams pleaded guilty to an arson charge. The Georgia resident admitted to authorities he had traveled to the home of one of Kelly’s accusers and set fire to a vehicle that was parked outside her Florida residence. Prosecutors say Williams’ deliberate actions were intended to scare the woman and prevent her from cooperating in Kelly’s federal trial. Williams, a relative of Kelly’s former publicist, reportedly arrived at the accuser’s house on June 11, 2020, and poured gasoline around an SUV that was leased by the victim’s father. Prosecutors say the witness—identified as Jane Doe in court documents— was inside the home at the time of the incident, along with three other adults and two children. The accuser’s mother reportedly called 911 after seeing the flames outside. MC Lyte doesn’t think she would make it in today’s rap game — because she likes to wear pants on stage. The hip hop legend — who in 1988 became the first female MC to release an album, “Lyte as a Rock” — told Page Six recently that today’s super-sexual rappers seem more interested in showing off their bodies than expressing their thoughts. “I recently told somebody it would be really old-school for me to perform on stage with pants,” she told us, “Nobody wears pants. It’s that type of thing where everybody’s giving Rockettes and Vegas showgirl flavor.” Lil Kim started to bring sex into female rap in the 1990s, but a recent wave of stars including Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj have found phenomenal success wearing skimpy stage clothes and making racy videos. “I’m happy that anyone feels great in their body. Perhaps if I had a different type of body I would be like, ‘Hey see this?,’” the 51-year-old said, “However my walk has been extremely different from that in the very beginning. I didn’t want people to look at me. I wanted them to hear me because I had something to say and I wanted them to pay attention to my words.” Sunday, Kanye West dropped a new deluxe version of his “Donda” album, featuring a new track with Young Thug and Kid Cudi and the infamous “Life of the Party” song with Andre 3000 and IRKO. Drake intensified his yearslong beef with Kanye West by leaking Ye’s André 3000-assisted song “Life of the Party,” which sees West diss Drizzy. 3 Stacks contributed a verse that was a tribute to his late mother, who died in 2013. He addressed Drake’s leak of the song in a statement to Variety, noting that when he initially received the track, Ye’s Drake diss was not on it. Per Rolling Stone, “Life of the Party” was first played at a private “Donda” listening party in Las Vegas before it was cut from West’s official “Donda” album. Drake got a hold of the track and played it on the radio while promoting his latest album. https://open.spotify.com/album/2Wiyo7LzdeBCsVZiRA6vVZ It looks like Wendy Williams can take all the time she needs to heal and not worry about coming back to to her show too soon. That’s cause ratings for “The Wendy Williams Show” continue to be strong in her absence with its slue of guest hosts, and Sherri Shepherd, in particular. According to The Wrap, for the week ending Nov. 7, episodes with Shepherd as guest host had a season high 0.9 rating! The show’s season premiere week (week ended Oct. 24) drew a 0.8 rating. Meanwhile, “Dr. Phil” still led all talk shows with a 1.8 rating, as it does most weeks. Because of her medical status, celebs like Leah Remini, Whitney Cummings and Shepherd have filled in for Williams on the first few weeks of the new season of her talk show, which debuted Oct. 18. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fqLdOjBuSVo/hqdefault.jpg DeVon Franklin sits down with his brother, mentor and friend, Will Smith, to talk about his new film #KingRichard which he will be bringing to theatre and HBOMax this Friday, Nov. 19th! The King Richard Film is an inspiring movie that chronicles the fearless faith of Richard Williams, father of Tennis legends, Venus Williams & Serena Williams. https://youtu.be/dzTGQm30R3w Tami Roman is 51 and her husband Reggie Youngblood is 34. The 17-year age difference seems to have strengthened their relationship over the years, but Roman admits she needs another woman’s womb to help her husband carry on his legacy. Roman recently explained to the hosts of “The Real” why she is open to Youngblood fathering a child with another woman, as the couple’s surrogacy journey is “on pause,” she said . “I feel like I’m at a point where my career is starting to do and reward me for all of the time and my efforts that I’ve been in this business, she explained. A week after music producer Stevie J filed for divorce from singer Faith Evans comes a disturbing viral video of them arguing over her alleged infidelity. The clip, which Stevie recorded, shows Faith repeatedly telling the former “Love & Hip Hop” star that she hates him. She then gets in bed with Stevie hovering over her and yelling about her cheating on him. He repeatedly calls her a b*tch while Evans pleads with him to leave her alone. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWXColEJSFc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Today, the NAACP and BET announced that the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” will broadcast Saturday, February 26, 2022 (at 8:00 PM, live ET/5:00 PM, live PT) on BET. Nominees will be announced on January 11, 2022. NAACP will also recognize winners in non-televised Image Awards categories February 21- February 23, which will stream on www.naacpimageawards.net and during the NAACP Image Awards Dinner, which will be held February 25 in Los Angeles. Recognized as the nation's preeminent multicultural awards show from an African American perspective, the “53rd NAACP Image Awards,” presented by Wells Fargo and sponsored by FedEx, celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color across more than 80 competitive categories spanning film, television + streaming, music, literature, and podcasts. The “53rd NAACP Image Awards” will also include four new podcast categories: Outstanding News and Information Podcast; Outstanding Lifestyle / Self-Help Podcast; Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast; and Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast. To say that Atlanta is merely having a moment would be to overlook decades of the region’s impact on hip-hop culture at large. From the emergence of Outkast and Goodie Mob in the early 90s to Ludacris and T.I. at the top of 2000, and more recently with Migos, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, and Future, Atlanta has proven itself to be an inimitable force. A new breed of artists taking the trap sensibility and elevating it into a new sound called “Street Gospel,” a term coined by Atlanta based Reach Records artist, 1K Phew. 1K Phew’s new project collaborative album with Lecrae, No Church In A While, features 10 tracks including: “Wildin” “Ready Or Not,” “Move It,” “One Call,” “What We Gon Do,” “Amen,” “Blockhead,” “Born Sinner” “Save Us,” and “No Church In A. While.” Lecrae was recording his mixtape, Church Clothes 4, when it occurred to him that people actually hadn't been to church to even put on those church clothes in a while because of the pandemic, church hurt, and other reasons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHFMZd065nM There was a growing number of social media reports linking Wednesday’s shooting death of rapper Young Dolph in Memphis to lingering animosity with a rival local rapper as the city mourned the loss of a talented and popular member of its community. There were also fears of possible retaliation following a different homicide in Memphis hours after Young Dolph died from the shooting inside a bakery, prompting law enforcement to urge residents to “remain calm” as an investigation into the rapper’s murder begins. People immediately began to gather near Makeda’s Homemade Cookies’ shop immediately after reports of Young Dolph’s shooting began spreading quickly. https://twitter.com/i/status/1461074732699336715 Two of the three men convicted for the assassination of Malcolm X are expected to be exonerated on Thursday, according to their legal team.As reported by NBC News, three Nation of Islam members were charged with the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X, and each was sentenced to life in prison. The civil rights icon was fatally shot on Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City, where hundreds had gathered to hear him speak. Muhammad Aziz, Mujahid Abdul Halim, and Khalil Islam were convicted of the murder in 1966 and sentenced to life in prison. The men were imprisoned for decades before Aziz, 83, was released in 1985. Islam was released two years later and died in 2009. Halim was reportedly granted parole and released from prison in 2010. Aziz and Islam always maintained their innocence. Aziz and Islam’s estate are represented by the Innocence Project and New York-based civil rights law firm Shanies Law Office. They worked with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance to get the men’s names cleared, The New York Times reports. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q_AXiVFJl0U/hqdefault.jpg The prosecution in the Ahmaud Arbery killing trial rested Tuesday following more than a week of testimony from investigators and experts. The defense is now expected to call 30 witnesses to offer testimony and the process will stretch into early next week. Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan face nine charges, which include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment. Lawyers for the McMichaels argue their clients were justified in chasing down Arbery when they saw him on a property that was under construction. The killers allegedly attempted to make a citizen’s arrest and killed Arbery when he resisted their threatening tactics. Arbery, 25, was called “F–king n—-r” as he lay dying on the pavement after being shot while allegedly jogging through his Georgia neighborhood on February 23, 2020. Prosecutors rested their case “after the jury saw graphic photos of the shotgun wounds that punched a gaping hole in Arbury’s chest,” per The Associated Press. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6416oRHYNI TMZ Sports released a horrific video Wednesday that showed former NFL running back Zac Stacy violently punching and slamming around his ex-girlfriend in front of their 5-month-old son. The assault took place during an argument at Stacy’s home. He’s shown on surveillance video punching his baby’s mother in the head. She backs away from him and ends up seated on the sofa next to their baby. She’s heard saying, “Zac! Zac! The baby!” as he grabs her and flings her across the living room into the flat screen TV, which topples over onto her. Stacy then grabs an object near the screaming baby and beams it into his ex’s head as she covers her face on the ground. He then snatches her to her feet and slams her into their baby’s bouncy seat on the floor, destroying the apparatus. Stacy is then shown leaving, telling his son, “I love you” before slamming the door. http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhT25n0ok4nU4sVgLr LeVar Burton should have been the next host of “Jeopardy!” but that dream didn’t come to fruition. Burton hasn’t let that failure slow him down. The former ‘Reading Rainbow’ personality has teamed up with Hasbro and eOne to bring the family favorite trivia game “Trivial Pursuit” to television. Burton will host and executive produce the new show with help from his production company LeVar Burton Entertainment, Tara Long, and Geno McDermott from eOne. “’Trivial Pursuit’ is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe,” Burton told Variety in an interview about the upcoming series. “I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television.” The exclusive clip from this week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airing Thursday, Nov. 18. Amber opens up about how Siir Brock coming out ruined their sex life. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AjHYaDiXP0Y/hqdefault.jpg Chris Tucker reportedly owes the IRS more than $9 million in taxes dating back to 2002. In a complaint filed to Nevada federal court Monday and obtained by USA TODAY, attorneys say the 50-year-old actor owes federal taxes, tax penalties and interest from 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2010 that amount to $9.6 million. The amounts of money the “Rush Hour” actor allegedly owes to the IRS range from approximately $481,000 in 2010 to $4.6 million in 2002, according to the lawsuit. The total amount attorneys are seeking in taxes from Tucker totals $9,684,452.07. Attorneys say Tucker entered several installment agreements in 2010, 2011 and 2016 to pay the IRS back in lump sums over a 10-year period but payments were overdue by 1,112 days. “Despite notice and demand for payment of the assessments set forth above, Mr. Tucker has neglected, refused, or failed to fully pay the assessments against him,” the 16-page lawsuit states. ESSENCE’s November/December holiday split-cover issue features three game-changers like you’ve never seen them before: GRAMMY award-winning singer Lizzo; Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles; and “1619 Project” Founder Nikole Hannah-Jones! ESSENCE’s groundbreaking issue reflects on “The Year of Radical Self-Care” with three incredible women who understood the power of saying “no” and instead bravely chose to say “yes” to themselves and their mental health in the face of societal expectations. Here’s a sneak peek on what each cover star tells ESSENCE in this special issue that will hit newsstands during the holidays. The track from Adele’s forthcoming “30” album that had critics salivating was “To Be Loved.” The singer took to Instagram and decided to give the rest of us a taste of what all the hype is about … from the comfort of her living room sofa. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gpzmn4ZoB5k/hqdefault.jpg A Black woman claims that her white neighbor called the police over her child’s Barbie car. “My neighbor called the cops because my kid’s Barbie car is beeping,” the woman says in the video, which received over 1.6 million views in a week. “This is just the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen in my life. You can’t make this stuff up. Over a Barbie car, you guys. A Barbie car.” The video from TikTok user @lynaerican81817 shows her husband moving the small battery-powered Barbie vehicle in front of a police officer’s car, as if the cop had pulled it over. The latest Federal Trade Commission report shows how consumer fraud affects communities of color in the United States. While Latino consumers are frequently victims of imposter scams, African Americans report fraud mainly in debt collection through credit bureaus, while Asian Americans are cheated with fake health products. Across ethnic communities, scams via used-car sales and lending agencies have preyed on people with financial struggles. “Since 2016, we have established 25 law enforcement actions where we could identify conducts specifically targeting or affecting communities of color in a disproportionate way,” said Monica Vaca, acting deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Evelyn Player filled her days volunteering at Southern Baptist Church in East Baltimore, arriving early to greet worshipers and staying late to help the choir rehearse. The 69-year-old retiree was at it again Tuesday morning, arriving just after sunrise to let in construction workers, not long before she was found stabbed to death in a church bathroom, police said. “Who would want to hurt my mother?” asked Alethea Finch, crying on the porch of the East Baltimore home she shared with her mother. “How could someone hurt someone in such a sacred place? … My heart’s broken into a million pieces. I don’t understand why this happened.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2945301715721131 China’s hypersonic space weapons could be used to launch a surprise attack on the US, said vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Hyten, who also admitted that Beijing has more advanced hypersonic technology. Hyten, the second-highest ranking military officer in the US, revealed that during last summer’s hypersonic weapons test, China sent a missile around the world at more than five times the speed of sound, as reported by CBS News. Hyten told the news station: ‘They launched a long-range missile. It went around the world, dropped off a hypersonic glide vehicle that glided all the way back to China, that impacted a target in China’. The Rev. Al Sharpton has planned a vigil for Thursday, at which 100 or more Black pastors are “to stand in solidarity and prayer” with the family of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was fatally shot in southern Georgia. The vigil will take place outside the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga., where three men are on trial for murdering Arbery following a confrontation on Feb. 23, 2020, in the nearby Satilla Shores neighborhood. Race and racism are key issues in the trial. One of the defense attorneys opened up the floodgates of criticism after suggesting Sharpton and other popular Black figures who were sitting in the gallery could be viewed as “improper” and taint the jury. Last week, Kevin Gough, who represents William “Roddie” Bryan, one of the defendants, complained about the presence of Black pastors at the trial. He said the high-profile members of the African American community “could be, consciously or unconsciously, an attempt to pressure or influence the jury.” Another theft charge was filed against an East Texas pastor. Jail records show that another theft charge was added to Jerome Milton’s charges, this one for theft of property worth between $30,000 and $150,000 from an elderly individual. His previous charges are theft of property between $2,500 and $30,000 and two counts of credit or debit card abuse of the elderly. This charge was filed two weeks after the first charges in early October. The affidavit states that Milton, since May 2021, was caring for and had power of attorney for an elderly couple at Open Door Bible Church in Tyler where he is a pastor. The elderly wife has “memory impairment” and her husband fell in February, leaving him completely bedridden. According to police records, Milton asked two other church members to help take care of the couple. One of the church members “became suspicious of Milton’s motives and activity” in regards to the couple’s finances and notified the elderly couple’s son. Will Smith’s latest film “King Richard” hits theaters Friday, November 19, 2021. And the 53-year-old blockbuster star has one wish for those who see it. “I want people to see the simplicity of aligning your will with divine will,” Smith told Hollywood producer, preacher, and personal friend DeVon Franklin in an interview they shared exclusively with CBN News’ Studio 5 program. “At this point in my career, I am taking films that are centered on ideas that I want to explore, and ideas that I want to illuminate.” “King Richard” follows the life of Richard Williams, the father, and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. And Will Smith plays the title role. With his wife, Oracene Price, by his side, Richard drafted a nearly 80-page plan to guide their girls from “prodigies to pros” two years before they were born. More than 125 fans sued rapper Travis Scott for $750 million over the deadly Astroworld Festival incident that left 10 dead and hundreds injured earlier this month. The lawsuit, filed by Houston Attorney Tony Buzbee – who had previously been representing at least 35 victims from the concert – accuses Scott and festival organizers of ‘gross negligence’ for the chaos at Astroworld on November 5. The suit also names Live Nation, Epic Records Drake and Apple as defendants for their involvement in organizing the festival, and Buzbee plans to file another lawsuit with 100 more plaintiffs in the coming days. ‘No amount of money will ever make these Plaintiffs whole; no amount of money can restore human life,’ Buzbee said in the lawsuit.‘ But, the damages sought in this case attempts to fix, help, or make up for the harms and losses suffered by these Plaintiffs — nothing more and nothing less.’ The lawsuit comes as W Magazine is reportedly scrambling to pull their next issue featuring Kylie Jenner and Scott on the cover after the Astroworld Festival tragedy. The cast and crew of the Harry Potter movies are coming together for a reunion, with one notable exception – the author, JK Rowling. HBO Max announced on Tuesday it would bring together the cast members from all eight Harry Potter films for a retrospective special entitled Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts. The release said it would feature stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – who have not made a public appearance together since the premiere of the last premiere of the franchise, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2, in July 2011, as well as filmmaker Chris Columbus, who directed the blockbuster film. But the release does not mention the person responsible for the creation of the characters, author JK Rowling, who has been criticized for her views on transgender people. Sources close to the project told TMZ that it will focus on the creation of the first film 20 years ago, and the central cast and crew. Nike is pressing pause on the release of its collaboration with Travis Scott “out of respect” for the victims of Astroworld. The footwear company sent out a statement via its official sneaker release app, “SNKRS,” notifying fans of the decision on Monday. “Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 × Cactus Jack,” the statement said. There was no mention of a new release date. For this latest collab, Nike and Scott’s Cactus Jack Records united to create the “Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack,” a pair of brown and tan Air Max 1s. They were scheduled to be released on Dec. 16 with a $175 price tag. Law enforcement confirmed #YoungDolph was shot and killed in Memphis this afternoon. As of now, the circumstances surrounding the shooting are not clear. Maurice Hill, the owner of the shop told FOX13 his employees said Dolph walked into the store to buy cookies when a vehicle drove up and fired at the bakery. Reports of the shooting initially surfaced on Twitter as bystanders shared footage of police at the scene of the shooting. One person can be heard saying “Ain’t no way these folks just killed Dolph.” Another person at the scene added, “I told yall that’s that only **** in the city with that car. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-11-17-111721-young-dolph-1309191/ Zaire Wade’s sustainable clothing brand released its first NFT collection last month. The Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX) partnered with Electric Token and Wade’s social conscious brand YNG-DNA to launch an assortment of NFTs related to the brand’s merchandise. “We’re beyond excited to partner with Electric Token, a team with a track record of being at the forefront of trends across many industries, and WAX to release sustainable NFTs tied to our brand,” said Zaire Wade, Co-Founder of YNG DNA. “Finding partners that understands how important sustainability is to not only the fashion and NFT industries but also to the world at large has been the most important aspect for us. We can’t wait to elevate our brand and its mission with a new group of consumers.” Zaire Wade is the 19-year-old son of Dwayne Wade. A few days before the NFT drop with YNG-DNA was set to launch, Zaire was drafted by the G-League team of the Utah Jazz. This year is proving to be a challenge for R&B veteran Keyshia Cole. Months after losing her biological mother, the late Frankie Lons, Cole, is unfortunately now coping with the recent death of her adoptive father, Mr. Leon Cole, Jr. The news of Mr. Cole’s loss gained public awareness after a fan account tweeted Keyshia directly with condolences over the weekend (seen above). “I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your father!!” wrote the fan account @KeyshiaColeF, also adding, “I’m praying for you and your family during this difficult time!!” Without saying much, Cole herself responded with a simple “Thank you” accompanied by a prayer hand emoji. It appears the fan account caught wind of her adoptive father’s passing by way of her adoptive mom, Yvonne Cole, who originally shared that her husband was in ICU after contracting COVID-19. The Cole family originally released a statement via Facebook on Nov. 6 addressing his illness, writing, “Mr. Cole is currently experiencing several health challenges due to Covid-19. He’s in ICU. We ask that you please send your support, love, well wishes and prayers of comfort and healing to Mr. Cole and his loved ones at this time.” Starz has dropped the trailer for the latest installment in the “Power” universe franchise. Producer 50 Cent and co-producer Courtney A. Kemp have released two out of the four spinoffs titled “Power Book II: Ghost” and Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” and now comes the third installment, “Power Book IV: Force,” which centers on Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/08fMFjDWAyw/hqdefault.jpg Pop phenoms of any era “stem” from artists who are paying homage to nostalgic sounds of yesteryear with the benefit of contemporary sonic twists. What makes Silk Sonic, the side chick turned wifey of multi-talents Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak, so much fun is that while the duo’s tongues are firmly in cheek in the presentation, the adoring authenticity of their homage to the craft, sound and vibe of the `70s could only have been done by cats with not only their fingers on the pulse but their heartbeats in-sync to the blood-rush within. Creamy chord changes, dreamy melodies, dime-stop punches, real drums, organ, wah-wah guitars, Roto-Toms and some Fender Rhodes (of course)…with horn and strings. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GG7fLOmlhYg/hqdefault.jpg A judge has ordered Vanessa Bryant to turn over her mental health records from the last four years as part of her lawsuit against Los Angeles County. Attorneys for Los Angeles County are seeking Vanessa’s therapy records amid her legal battle over the circulation of photos of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash site last year. Bryant claims the leak among sheriff’s deputies and others caused her emotional distress. In the court filing, as reported by ABC 7, “… the county argues that the request is necessary to defend itself from the lawsuit and to show that Bryant did not actually suffer from the circulation of photos taken at the site of the crash last year that killed the NBA legend, the couple’s 13-year-old daughter and seven others,” the outlet writes. Proud Boys leader and Cuban negro white nationalist, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, asked a judge on Monday for early release before he finishes serving a five-month sentence for lynching a Black Lives Matter banner that was taken from a Black church in Washington, D.C. Tarrio’s reasoning for why he should be freed early appears to essentially be, ”Jail sucks and I’m scared.” According to the Associated Press, Tarrio is asking D.C. Superior Court Judge Jonathan Pittman to either reduce his sentence to 90 days or allow him to finish it under house arrest because he said he’s being harassed by correctional officers and the conditions at the jail are disgusting and inhumane. Again, Tarrio is also complaining that the jail’s conditions are not fit for men or Proud Boys, claiming his cell has been regularly flooded with dirty toilet water from a neighboring cell and that the hallways are filled with smoke. (This man is really on his Karen steez asking for a non-smoking section in jail. *snickers*) He also said medical neglect is an issue at the jail and that he saw an inmate have a seizure who was left laying on the ground for a half-hour before any help arrived. While Pittman said Monday that he will rule on Tarrio’s request by the end of the week, AP noted that “the judge struck a consistently skeptical tone that left Tarrio, testifying by video from jail, visibly slumped in frustration.” Tarrio reportedly said in the video: “I’ve been to jail before and what I’ve seen here, I’ve never seen anywhere else. This place needs to be shut down immediately.” Despite the irony, he added: “I’m deathly afraid that something is going to happen to me.” GSN-Rapper Yella Beezy allegedly raped a woman on their first date before she was able to flee his Texas apartment. The incident reportedly occurred in April after Beezy, Markies Deandre Conway, met the unnamed woman on Instagram. TMZ has obtained the arrest warrant and probable cause affidavit from Yella’s sexual assault case out of Collin County…. Yella Beezy allegedly forced himself on a woman during a first date. Per the docs, the woman says Yella contacted her on Instagram in late April — and they eventually made plans to grab a bite in Dallas, and for some bowling afterward. The alleged victim told police everything was going smoothly … that is, until she says he invited her back to his apartment while they waited for their bowling reservations at 10 PM — a two-hour window after they’d wrapped dinner. Once there, the woman claims Yella asked for a massage while he was shirtless, which she says she gave him. The woman claims that after the massage ended, Yella forcibly kissed her and pulled up her dress. The alleged victim claims she pleaded with him to stop but he was ultimately able to penetrate her, according to the report. https://youtu.be/m5sGW4gT1QU DJ Khaled has teamed with REEF, the world’s largest operator of virtual restaurants, to launch a new chicken wing delivery venture called Another Wing. As reported by Business Insider, Another Wing offers eight varieties of hot chicken wings, and prices start at $6.95 for six pieces. The meals are made in ghost kitchens in 150 locations spread out in five countries across 3 different continents, and in 18 states in the U.S. “Everything I do is big,” said DJ Khaled in a statement. “My team and I are focused on launching new partnerships, new ideas and spreading love to my fans all around the world. Partnering with REEF for this launch is another new exciting venture which allows me to introduce some amazing wings, to everyone, everywhere.” https://www.instagram.com/another.wing/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=11fd0c83-e915-43bc-af00-0debf791d89b It’s Staples Center no more. The venue where the Lakers and Clippers play in downtown Los Angeles is getting a new name for Christmas: Crypto.com Arena. The building, which opened in 1997, will wear the new name for 20 years under a deal between the Singapore cryptocurrency exchange and AEG, the owner and operator of the arena, both parties announced Tuesday. Crypto.com paid more than $700 million for the naming rights, according to sources familiar with the terms, making it one of the biggest naming deals in sports history, reports the LA Times. If you’re wondering, the arena’s new logo will debut Dec. 25, when the Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets, and all of Staples Center signage will be replaced with the new name by June 2022. Crypto.com’s chief executive, Kris Marszalek, hopes that the new name will come to be seen as a sign of the times. After dating for two years, Shaunie O’Neal and Pastor Keion Henderson have announced that they are engaged. “This was one of the most magical and special days of my life, being someone that had never officially been proposed to — like no down on one knee and asked ‘will you marry me’ moment,” Shaunie says in a statement to PEOPLE. “And honestly I’m the person that thought I would never in my lifetime experience a love like this. Everything about that night was incredibly amazing.” She continues, “I wouldn’t change a single thing. As a matter of fact, I wish I could experience it over and over again. Keion is an extraordinary man of God. He’s wise, he’s supportive, he’s so loving and attentive. He loves me and my children in a way that has changed my life and my heart. He makes me want to be better every day. And I pray that I do the same for him. This love is FOREVER and I’m honored and overjoyed to do forever with him.” The couple got engaged on a tropical island where Henderson proposed with “a custom 4.22-karat radiant-cut diamond ring with 50 round-cut brilliant white diamonds set in an 18-karat white gold band by Jason of Beverly Hills.” https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1460609677302054923/nR1_tEv5?format=jpg&name=small On the Tuesday, November 16 edition of “Tamron Hall,” “Fall… in Love” week continued with Grammy-nominated R&B singer Kenny Lattimore and his wife, “Divorce Court” star, Judge Faith Jenkins who both joined Tamron in-studio to discuss their marriage and finding love later in life. Lattimore discussed being molested as a child and shared how that trauma affected his relationship with Jenkins. Tamron was later joined by New York Times best-selling author and licensed psychologist ?Dr. Robin Smith who spoke about the importance of radical honesty, and Jon Heder who opens up about his nearly 20 year long marriage to his college sweetheart and gives a sneak peek at his new movie “Funny Thing About Love.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kA1JB9ddu8w/hqdefault.jpg The hosts of The Real all weighed in on DaniLeigh and DaBaby’s big fight and shared some good points. While all of them agreed that it was an unfortunate situation, co-host Loni Love brought up a good point and shared the one thing she always keeps in the back of her mind. She explained, “I know I’ve been in certain situations… but one of the reasons why, as a female, I say always have your own stuff so that nobody can sit back and tell you to get out of their house. Have your own stuff!” Speaking specifically on DaBaby she said, “if he was that upset he just should of left for minute or a day… you got the money go and leave!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWWai80LrWP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group feature film division, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, via its theatrical distribution unit Freestyle Releasing, in association with Global View Entertainment and producer Melvin Childs’ Melvin Childs Presents, is proud to announce its acquisition of the urban crime drama FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY for theatrical release. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wHJFvqnO-NY/hqdefault.jpg Marvel president Kevin Feige previously confirmed that Chadwick Boseman’s character of T’Challa will not be recast in “Black Panther II.” During an appearance on the Ringer-Verse podcast this weekend, Marvel’s VP of Development, Nate More also revealed that recasting Boseman’s character in any future MCU projects is not going to happen, Complex reports. “You will not see T’Challa in the MCU 616 universe,” Moore said. “We couldn’t do it. I will say, when Chad passed, it was a real conversation we had with Coogler about ‘what do we do?’ And it was a fast conversation. It wasn’t weeks, it was minutes of, ‘We have to figure out how to move this franchise on without that character.’” Unvaxed Jedediah Bila, a former conservative co-host of ABC’s “The View,” did a remote drop in to the Hot Topics table on Tuesday (Nov. 16) and landed right into a lions den when talk turned to the COVID-19 vaccines. “Let’s discuss the elephant in the room,” said co-host Joy Behar, segueing away from the discussion of her new memoir Dear Hartley. “You were supposed to join us in the studio weeks ago, but you couldn’t because ABC has a very strict policy that you can’t get into this building unless you’re fully vaccinated…and you made a conscious decision not to get vaccinated.” https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/16228/snapshot/901432.png Best known as an original member of the pioneering band The Jazz Crusaders (later The Crusaders), Nesbert “Stix” Hooper has enjoyed an illustrious career as a musician, composer, record producer, artist manager, the first national Vice Chairman of the national Academy of recording Arts and Sciences (an unprecedented three terms with that Grammy organization) and icon of Contemporary Soul-Jazz drumming. This month, he is adding radio show host to his hat collection with a Jazz program “Lay it On the Line,” its title lifted from a song Hooper wrote for the Crusaders’ album Unsung Heroes (Blue Thumb – 1973) which he later revisited as the title track of an album under his leadership circa 1989. On the radio, Hooper will be telling inside stories about heroes sung and unsung on his program which debuts Wednesday, November 17, 9 P.M. PST. LeBron James and Chris Paul represent the faces of the fight against Father Time in today’s NBA. Kevin Durant deserves more praise for his Luke Skywalker-esque brush-off of aging and injury. Durant, now 33, should be beginning the conventional decline of his professional career. Except he isn’t. The Brooklyn Nets star returned last season after tearing his Achilles, one of basketball’s most devastating injuries, and came two inches shy of a conference finals appearance in a thrilling playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks. This season, one of the sport’s greatest players ever is somehow at his peak on a Nets team that has won six of their last seven contests. Durant has been an impossible matchup on a scale that might even surpass his 2013-14 MVP campaign. He’s on pace (small sample size alert!) to have the best offensive season of his life. Eight people are dead and just shy of 100 more have become infected with COVID-19 after an outbreak at a Connecticut nursing home. The outbreak at the Geer Village Senior Community, a nursing home and rehabilitation center in Canaan, started around the beginning of October when the nursing home was reporting three positive COVID-19 cases. Now, eight residents have died, and 67 residents and 22 staff members caught COVID-19 sometime in the past month and a half. Nursing home officials said 48 residents and 21 staff members have recovered from the virus. The state Department of Public Health said they’re monitoring and providing on-site consultation at this facility. https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/state-investigating-nursing-home-covid-19-outbreak/2653093/ Minnesota Police are investigating students at Prior Lake High School in Savage, Minnesota after a racist video about a 14-year-old black girl went viral on social media. The 57-second hateful rant was targeted at Nya Sigin by a young girl who had known Nya since she was in Elementary school. “I really couldn’t comprehend what I was listening to, it was just a wave of different emotions,” Nya said in an interview with CNN. “I was angry, I was disgusted, I was sad, I was confused.” In the clip, the young white girl said no one likes N***ers and that Nya should “[expletive] kill yourself right this time.” She also attacked Nya’s mental health in the video saying, “Cut deep enough this time, or f-cking tie the rope higher. Like, what the f-ck.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com For more than a month, students at Howard University in Washington, D.C., have been fighting for answers from the school administration as they protested poor housing conditions on campus. But on Monday, an agreement with protesters at one of the nation’s top historically Black universities had been reached, the school announced in a tweet. The specific details of the negotiations between students and administration were not immediately available. NPR reached out to Howard University; they did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The university’s president, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, released a video message Monday addressing the end of campus protests and how the school will improve conditions for students. “The health and well-being of our students is the most important part of my job as president,” Frederick said. “As I have said before, even one issue in one of our dormitories is too many, and we will continue to remain vigilant in our pledge to maintain safe and high-end housing.” The case against three white men charged in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery is underway in a Brunswick courtroom in Georgia. The judge has denied defense requests for a mistrial after civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson comforted Arbery’s mother in full view of the jury when she burst into tears during the trial. Last week, the attorney objected to Al Sharpton sitting with the family. “How many pastors does the Arbery family have? We had the Reverend Al Sharpton here earlier – last week,” said defense counsel Kevin Gough. “Your Honor, the seats in the public gallery of the courtroom are not like courtside seats at a Lakers game.” “There is no reason for these prominent icons in the civil rights movement to be here,” Gough said Monday. “With all due respect, I would suggest, whether intended or not, that inevitably a juror is going to be influenced by their presence in the courtroom.” Meanwhile, Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Baptist Church is calling on pastors from around the nation to join him to form a “human prayer wall” against racism and injustice this Thursday at the courthouse. This is Bryant’s response after Gough complained in court last week about Al Sharpton’s presence saying “we don’t want any more black pastors coming in here. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1373698233046859 SY'RAI SMITH CHATS WITH THE LADIES OF ?THE REALTODAY, NOVEMBER 16TH. (Check Local Listings for Showtimes) + Watch on Bounce, 5AM EST/3AM PST This week's explosive season one finale of STARZ hit series BMF, "King of Detroit," is written by showrunner and executive producer Randy Huggins and directed by executive producer Tasha Smith. As season one of the 8-episode series comes to it's suspense-filled climax, tune in to BMF on Sunday, November 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on STARZ and the STARZ App to catch all of the Flenory family drama. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CCPzD6zQ9qBF9YNYEWjaUyEt4EeEfLha/view Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas, Starring Demetria McKinney, Chaz Lamar Shepherd & Kirk Franklin - 12/4 at 8pm / 7c. When Olivia (Demetria McKinney), a young assistant pastor, gets assigned to be a lead pastor at a new church a month before Christmas, she’s fearful she can't manage the transition, including getting the choir ready to open the town's annual Winter Jamboree. Banding together with her new congregation, Olivia discovers a new home for herself, and even finds a little Christmas romance along the way! Featuring a special appearance and songs written and arranged by Kirk Franklin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1UEacWLFtk&feature=youtu.be IMDb TV announced today the second season of UNINTERRUPTED’s Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers, which will premiere Friday, December 17, exclusively on IMDb TV, Amazon's free streaming service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxF5tZ7fKzE&feature=youtu.be In February of this year, Lisa released her WHAT WILL IT TAKE album with a successful Gospel radio single "Nothing But The Spirit". The single reached #1 on the Urban Influencer Gospel Radio chart. Lisa is offering a new single, "In This House," that showcases her soulful vocal stylings and mixes blues musicality with a traditional churchy sway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW2SNT5GOBU The second season of “Games People Play” kicked off on Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. Based on the popular book by Angela Burt-Murray “Games Divas Play,” “Games People Play” is a sexy, stylized one-hour drama about the L.A. high life, featuring a cast of characters where everyone plays to win, including a basketball player navigating both his equally rocky personal life and NBA career, a newly appointed team marketing executive who’s got a lot to prove, a tenacious journalist desperately seeking the truth and a struggling actress with a scandalous past. The talented ensemble cast includes Karrueche Tran, Lauren London in a limited role, Sarunas J. Jackson, Karen Obilom, Parker McKenna Posey, Jackie Long, and Kendall Kyndall and Brandi Denise. In addition, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Vanessa Simmons, Shaun Robinson, Kevin Jackson, Barry Brewer, and Monti Washington reprise their recurring roles, with Cynthia Bailey, Nazanin Mandi, Ro Parrish, Hitman Holla, Leon, and Calvin Seabrooks to guest star in the ten-episode drama. #GamesPeoplePlay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIPE9xDyIe8 CLEO TV will air a new episode of CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Wednesday, November 17 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip8CTIGrcc0 Who Is Christmas Eve?” - a new Bounce original holiday movie centered around the emotional search for a young woman’s birth parents – will premiere during National Adoption Month on Sunday, November 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET with a primetime west coast premiere of 9 p.m. PT. Eve Simons (Paige Audrey-Marie Hurd, Power Book II: Ghost, Hawaii Five-O) was abandoned as an infant on the steps of a church 30 years ago on Christmas Eve. Now, struggling to move forward with her life, she embarks on a search to uncover the mystery of her birth. Eve is helped and supported by her boyfriend Chris (Romeo Miller, Romeo!, Empire) and famed investigative genealogist Pamela Slaton (Juliana Harkavy, Arrow). The movie is inspired by the investigative work of the real-life Slaton, who serves as an executive producer. Paige Audrey-Marie Hurd serves as a co-executive producer. Over the course of her career to date, Slaton has reunited thousands of adoptees with their families, including rapper Darryl McDaniels of RUN-DMC fame, who makes a cameo appearance as himself in “Who Is Christmas Eve?” Music producer and reality star Stevie J has reportedly filed for divorce from singer Faith Evans, after three years of marriage. However, the two have sparked speculation that they may still be together. On Sunday (Nov. 14), Faith’s shared several videos on her Instagram of her beach outing in Deer Creek, Malibu with Stevie. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWRhD_Rg64G/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A video that recently went viral on TikTok shows OJ Simpson grinning in the selfie video of a TikTokker and eventually moving in for a kiss, only to be curved hard before the clip abruptly ends. The woman, @mackenziegd1988, saw the disgraced former NFL star at a Las Vegas bar and started filming. He joined the video, and she is heard saying “O.J. baby, he’s out!” Suddenly, Simpson appears to move in for a kiss. She reacts to the man acquitted of criminal double murder charges by dipping back out of his reach and giving the camera a pained, frozen expression before the footage cuts off. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a7sGfwWS0nA/hqdefault.jpg A TikTok video has gone viral with more than 2.5 million views on claims that workers at a Georgia Waffle House referenced nooses when a biracial family walked in to be seated. Angelia Tabor-Fells, who runs a Georgia non-profit, described the experience while still at the Waffle House in Gainesville on Nov. 7, with her 6-month-old adopted son, her 15-year-old step-daughter and her 53-year-old sister with special needs. In the video, Tabor-Fells claims that waitress and manager at the Waffle House off GA-129 in Gainesville joked about getting nooses out of a car when the family visited the restaurant. Attorneys Ben Crump and Alex Hilliard have filed lawsuits on behalf of 90 more victims of the deadly Astroworld Festival. The death toll from the Nov. 5 concert in Houston, Texas is now at 10, but some suspect this number is actually higher and being suppressed by local officials in Scott’s hometown. Hundreds were injured at the event during a crowd surge that rushed the stage. Ezra Blount, the 9-year-old who was on life support for a week after getting trampled at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, is the latest victim to succumb to the injuries sustained at the concert. Actor Brian Michael Smith has become the first female-to-male transgender to make it to PEOPLE’s “sexiest man alive” list. This year, the highest honor of the sexiest man alive in 2021 went to actor Paul Rudd. PEOPLE also published the 25 “sexiest men you can watch on TV now” and Smith, who played Paul Strickland on “9-1-1: Lone Star,” made the cut. https://www.instagram.com/the_brianmichael/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=62152de0-50e2-43ff-9c28-87f3bf55d1a0 Bond & Play – a portfolio holding company focused on building innovative products and platforms for the digital economy – announced today the inaugural FinTech BLK Fest will kick off on Tuesday, November 16 – 18 in-person in New York City and virtually. The three-day Fest features 70 diverse speakers from around the world who are leaders in finance, technology, education, entertainment, advertising and marketing, and culture. It includes expert led masterclasses on branding for the digital economy, financial empowerment for athletes, monetizing cultural IP, and more. Corey Benjamin’s daughter, who has not been identified because she’s a minor, sucker-punched Lauryn Ham during a girls basketball tournament” the outlet writes. The coach of Benjamin’s daughter addressed the incident on Saturday. “First, I want to mention that my sincerest apologies were expressed to the Ham Family on behalf of our Academy, the day Lauryn was injured,” wrote Alex Wilson, the head coach of the Dream Basketball Academy, MSN reports. “I want to assure that our Academy takes these matters very seriously and DOES NOT CONDONE this type of behavior. EVER. (sic).” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWBrtHNlZ0Q/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again CNN reporters Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jasmine Wright have dropped a bombshell exposé about the alleged dysfunction permeating in Vice President Kamala Harris’ office. The lengthy CNN piece features testimony from “nearly three dozen former and current Harris aides, administration officials, Democratic operatives, donors and outside advisers,” many of whom shed light on Harris’ growing tensions with President Joe Biden. “It’s hard to miss the specific energy that the White House brings to defend a white man, knowing that Kamala Harris has spent almost a year taking a lot of the hits that the West Wing didn’t want to take themselves,” a former Harris aide told CNN. On Sunday, CNN published the behind-the-scenes exposé on Harris’, in which insiders alleged that the Biden and Harris teams continue to be at odds over tasks assigned to the vice president that put her in “no-win political situation[s]”. According to the report, the West Wing has been especially annoyed by her handling of the border issue, a job she did not want to be tasked with, per the report. https://t.co/GeZuPKjrRI?amp=1 DaBaby’s baby mama DaniLeigh has reportedly been charged with two counts of simple assault after officers made two visits to the rapper’s North Carolina home on Sunday. According to TMZ and a video posted by DaniLeigh, Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD was called by DaBaby as the two sparred on camera and the recording of their argument was posted online. DaniLeigh has reportedly been charged with simple assault after the rapper told CMPD that she assaulted him, Complex reports. We reported earlier that DaBaby and his on-again, off-again girlfriend DaniLeigh confirmed that the two had a baby together after reports of them arguing on Instagram Live went viral. Check out the Kerry Douglas Gospel Mix Christmas and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Kerry Douglas featuring Monica Lisa Stevensonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeeEapCnmiQ This December, PBS and family entertainment network BYUtv will air "20 Years of Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir," a special two-hour anniversary retrospective program hosted by Broadway legend and Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell. The special will premiere on Monday Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS, and the PBS Video app; and on BYUtv, and the free BYUtv app on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 9 p.m. ET. A court has approved a settlement of more than $600 million — the majority of which will be paid by the state of Michigan — in a milestone in the years-long battle over contaminated water in Flint, one of the nation’s worst public health disasters. The $626 million deal to settle most lawsuits filed by Flint residents is one of the largest in the state’s history, according to District Judge Judith Levy’s ruling. Children in Flint who were exposed to dangerous lead-contaminated drinking water are set to benefit in particular from the decision. A Missouri man who has maintained his innocence in a triple murder got an opportunity to testify at a three-day hearing that could lead to his release after serving 43 years in prison. That decision is now in a judge’s hands. Kevin Strickland, 62, has spent 43 years at Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri, after he was convicted of one count of capital murder and two counts of second-degree murder in a triple homicide. He received a 50-year life sentence without the possibility for parole for a crime he says he wasn’t involved in — and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker agrees. Four people were shot in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 25, 1978, resulting in three deaths, according to CNN affiliate KSHB. The only survivor of the crime, Cynthia Douglas, who died in 2015, testified in 1978 that Strickland was at the scene of the triple murder. A request by an attorney for one of the white men standing trial in the death of Ahmaud Arbery that the Rev. Jesse Jackson be removed from the courtroom was denied Monday. The lawyer, Kevin Gough, represents William “Roddie” Bryan who, along with father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael is charged with murder and other crimes in Arbery’s killing in February 2020. “He is, your honor, I think we all know, an icon in the civil rights movement,” Gough told Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, adding that Jackson was “not just a witness to it, but the personification of it.” The jury was not in the courtroom when he delivered his remarks. “And in other circumstances, I think everybody would be happy to have their picture taken, maybe get an autograph, but in the context of this trial, we object to his presence in the public gallery inside the courtroom,” Gough said. Jackson was sitting in the back of the courtroom with Arbery’s parents. https://youtu.be/hCuf5oDr7H8 The principal of Prior Lake High School and district superintendent say they’re investigating after a video of students using a racist slur was shared on social media. Principal John Bezek confirmed in a statement that the “serious and disturbing racist video” was posted by a student and the school has launched an investigation into those involved. “Racist messages like the one in the video create an environment that is hostile to learning,” Bezek wrote in a letter to staff and families. “I want to assure students and staff that we are committed to their safety and emotional well-being.” https://www.kare11.com/video/news/local/kare11-sunrise/no-classes-in-prior-lake-on-friday/89-ee16dcc8-a96b-483c-93c9-a8d64b3a72b3?jwsource=cl A Lynn woman has pleaded guilty in connection with a racist incident outside The Cookie Monstah in Swampscott last year. Rhonda Wozniak, 61, pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight counts each of civil rights violation and assault with a dangerous weapon. She avoided jail time and was sentenced to nine months of probation, plus 40 hours of community service, according to a press release from the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. On July 28, 2020, three Black women and their five children, ages 5 to 12, were headed toward their cars after they were at The Cookie Monstah on Paradise Road in Swampscott, the release said. The body of a 72-year-old Black woman was found hanging from a tree in an Annapolis, Maryland neighborhood on Wednesday. According to an Annapolis Police Department statement, the “unattended death” was discovered at 7:30 a.m. on November 3. “On 11/3/2021 at approximately 7:30 a.m., officers from the Annapolis Police Department responded to the 600 block of Belle Drive for the report of an unattended death. When officers arrived, they located a 72-year-old female victim. Preliminary investigation reveals the incident does not appear to be criminal in nature. The victim’s identity is being withheld pending confirmation that the extended family has been notified.” Although investigators don’t suspect foul play, one community activist isn’t sure that’s the case. Carl Snowden took to his Facebook page to give the public more detailed information concerning the victim. His post revealed that the older woman was Black. Big Red’s Hot Sauce is a homegrown business, built literally from the ground up ten years earlier in owner Paul Ford’s garden. “I had a whole bunch of overgrown peppers and all kinds of ingredients and I came up with a sauce and I decided, let’s try out hot sauce, and I gave a bunch of sauces out,” said Paul. Turns out that decision has led to quite the hot streak for the husband and wife lead venture. Family, friends, and coworkers couldn’t get enough. So Paul and his wife Tasia jumped into the fire headfirst, cashing in their life savings and ditching the nine to five. “I found out she was pregnant with our first child after I started the company,” said Paul. Investor and philanthropist Robert F. Smith is advancing his efforts to financially empower students at historically Black colleges and universities, and he’s teaming up with media mogul Steve Harvey and his wife Marjorie to support HBCU scholars. The Harvey's have joined Smith’s Student Freedom Initiative, which aims to eradicate barriers standing in the way of economic mobility and change the narrative surrounding the racial wealth gap. Research shows students who attend HBCUs throughout the country are disproportionately affected by the burdens of student loans. The United Negro College Fund reported that students who attend historically Black colleges and universities borrow loans at higher rates and graduate with higher debt than those who attend non-HBCUs. The weight of student loans often lingers and is a detriment to many individuals trying to cultivate financial stability. Aware of the disparities, Smith created the Student Freedom Initiative to address historic social and economic inequities and close the racial wealth gap by providing African American students with grants and other enrichment opportunities. Historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country have been at the forefront of leading research surrounding racial health disparities. Two HBCUs recently received a significant boost to advance their efforts. The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University were awarded a multi-million dollar grant for the expansion of their biomedical research programs. The $13.7 million endowment—provided through the National Institutes of Health’s Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation initiative—will recruit a dozen new faculty members whose work sits at the intersection of healthcare and diversity and inclusion. These thought leaders will focus on neuroscience, cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes research. In their roles, they will lead groundbreaking research through an inclusive lens. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton puts his Panthers’ return in perspective: ‘This time last week I was eating a bowl of cereal.’ This game is streaming live on the Yahoo Sports mobile app, or on NFL Network. Apple TV+ has scored rights to a four-part docuseries about NBA legend Magic Johnson. The streamer beat out a number of rivals to secure the series, which comes from non-fiction studio XTR and A New Slate Ventures, the fund behind Lee Daniels’ The United States vs. Billie Holiday. The project, which first emerged last year, explores Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson’s life on and off the court. From his humble beginnings in Lansing, Michigan, to becoming a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, he changed the conversation around HIV and transcended into a community activist and successful entrepreneur. The news comes ahead of the 30th anniversary of Johnson’s HIV diagnosis announcement on November 7. The TRYFE Live Show will debut on Nov. 20, 2021, at Karma DC Live Music Venue. The highly anticipated night will showcase the first official performance of Calvin G. Seino, better known as DJ TRYFE and his live band, the TRYFLINS with special guest R&B singer Tweet. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWTWK_7FD-D/?utm_medium=copy_link New music from JJ Hairston, "Thankful." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y66k4jhcv8zmxk5/AADsRdf3q4Qg_O_-kqpeFv2-a?dl=0&preview=JJ+Hairston+-+Thankful+Radio+Edit.wav Georgia’s second-largest county is under attack with a new proposal to dilute the power of the local school board. Hiding behind an allegedly non-partisan school board lurks a glaring partisan agenda. Gwinnett County is one of the top ten most diversifying counties in the country. It also recently flipped Democrat within the past few election cycles. According to the SPLC Action Fund, the proposed map does not reflect the county’s diverse makeup. “While the county is majority non-white, there are no majority-minority districts in the proposed map that ultimately passed by the committee,” the statement read. Bills submitted during the Georgia legislature’s special session undercut the purpose of the special session. During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” President Joe Biden’s top economic advisor urged Congress to pass the president’s major economic package arguing that the piece of legislation would help offset the rising cause of inflation. “Well, inflation is high right now, and it is affecting consumers in their pocketbook and also in their outlook for the economy. But those concerns underscore why it’s so important that we move forward on the Build Back Better legislation — this legislation that the House is going to consider this week,” Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council, told CNN’s Jake Tapper. As the war against unvaccinated Americans continues, health officials now claim vaccine hesitancy is the main obstacle in achieving herd immunity. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pushed for achieving herd immunity. According to the Mayo Clinic, herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune. Americans have been told that once 70% to 85% of the population is vaccinated against COVID-19, the virus will go away. Now, the CDC is moving away from its herd immunity goal, LA Times reports. “Thinking that we’ll be able to achieve some kind of threshold where there’ll be no more transmission of infections may not be possible,” said Dr. Jefferson Jones, a medical officer on the CDC’s COVID-19 Epidemiology Task Force. Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and former Republican Gov. Chris Christie got into it on Sunday after he claimed that his wife pays $29 for toilet paper. During a panel discussion about President Joe Biden’s agenda on ABC’s “This Week,” Christie said: “Let me give you an example of what normal people really care about. I mean, first, they go to the gas station and as much as the Biden administration is against fossil fuels, until further notice we’re going to be using them … So they go to the gas station and the prices are way too high.” “I will tell you something,” he continued. “My wife just told me three days ago she walked into the supermarket and she picked up a big pack of toilet paper and she said to me, ‘Do you know how much this cost me today? $29. $29!” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/guqmmwL7glY/hqdefault.jpg The teen daughter of ex-Chicago Bulls player Corey Benjamin could be facing some serious criminal charges after she sucker-punched a 15-year-old girl. The incident occurred at a girls basketball tournament in Orange County and the moment was caught on camera. Per SandraRose.com, “Benjamin’s daughter, who has not been identified because she’s a minor, sucker-punched Lauryn Ham during a girls basketball tournament in Orange County,” the outlet writes. Lauryn’s mother Alice Ham shared the video on Instagram, captioning the clip: “THIS… this right here makes me SICK to my stomach. This happened to MY DAUGHTER at her game yesterday. There is absolutely no place for something like this in basketball, I don’t care how famous you are!!” Alice Ham says the mother of Benjamin’s 14-year-old daughter told the teenager to punch Lauryn. “This mom told her daughter to ‘go and hit her’ and my kid gets an unprovoked sucker punch. I’m sorry but it’s everything that’s wrong with youth sports. The girl and her mom showed absolutely no remorse and offered no apology. Youth sports needs to change.” Alice says her daughter suffered a concussion and has not been able to attend school for days since the assault. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWBrtHNlZ0Q/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Comedian Affion Crockett called out a “Karen” who interrupted his stand-up act on Saturday by storming the stage “like the Capitol,” he said. Crockett, who is Black, was in the middle of his routine when a white woman invaded the stage to complain that she was offended by his jokes. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWNABjogmKW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Lil Nas X will appear on an episode of “Maury” this week to promote his debut album “Montero,” and he will also confront his ex-boyfriend’s pregnant girlfriend. The hip-hop star will be featured on the Nov. 17 episode of the long-running daytime talk show, alongside his ex-boyfriend Yai Ariz and a woman Ariz may have a kid with. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DstSZiljTXg/hqdefault.jpg On November 24, “Encanto” is coming to charm, inspire, and move you to the magical rhythm of love and family! The Walt Disney Animation Studios film takes us on the journey of a young woman named Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CaimKeDcudo/hqdefault.jpg The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. Run the World...https://youtu.be/yriAaWlKnJw The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. A Christmas Journey...https://youtu.be/aYPUYVgwLWY The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. Holiday Rush...https://youtu.be/c2U6diYTnxA The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. Passing...https://youtu.be/trwq3CNCMkU The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. Southside: Season 2...https://youtu.be/6tQ6TRC6LHA The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. Insecure: Season 5...https://youtu.be/643HtpmzELk The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. First Wives Club...https://youtu.be/GVvS_XdAIAw The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. The Harder They Fall...https://youtu.be/Poc55U2RPMw The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. Motown Magic...https://youtu.be/26a5I7dvi5I The holiday season is the perfect time to binge-watch your favorite shows with your family. Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving with the kids or celebrating Christmas with a close loved one, there’s something everyone can enjoy on the tube on this list; from comedy and feel-good family flicks to TV dramas and romance, we’ve got you covered. Really Love...https://youtu.be/znz0rHCDeWY Chloe Bailey the 23-year-old singer, one-half of sister-duo Chloe x Halle, on Friday (Nov. 12) posted a since-deleted video of herself wearing white lingerie and seductively sucking a lollipop to thank her fans for their support. “To my four million followers, and counting, my candy kisses are my clovers. Thank you all so much for loving me. And I love you right on back. There’s a lot more to come,” the singer says between licks of the sucker. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gZMsc0gv4jA/hqdefault.jpg Geffen Playhouse announces the full cast for its West Coast premiere of Paradise Blue, written by Tony Award-nominated Dominique Morisseau (Ain’t Too Proud, Skeleton Crew) and directed by Stori Ayers (Blood at the Root, The Last O.G.). The cast includes Tyla Abercrumbie (The Chi, Utopia) as Silver, Wendell B. Franklin (The Good Fight, Madame Secretary) as Blue, Alani iLongwe (The Legend of Georgia McBride, Two Trains Running) as P-Sam, Tony Award nominee John Earl Jelks (Radio Golf, Sweat) as Corn, and Shayna Small (Parable of the Sower, Rags Parkland Sings Songs of the Future) as Pumpkin. Previews for Paradise Blue began Tuesday, November 9th in the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse. Opening night is Thursday, November 18th and closing night is December 12, 2021. David Benavidez was once the youngest 168-pound world champion in history, but the unbeaten, 6-foot-2 switch-hitting 24-year-old wants to be an undisputed one. The two-time champion did his part on Saturday night to remain on track for an all-Mexican title bout against undisputed 168-pound king Canelo Alvarez, scoring a vicious, double-fisted, beat-down for his fifth straight knockout against Kyrone Davis, who was stopped for the first time in his career. Another option for the power-punching Benavidez is WBC 160-pound champion Jermall Charlo (32–0, 22 KOs), who is considering a rise into the 168-pound division primarily to face Alvarez. Enrique “Baby Bull” Gonzalez didn’t have the best record heading into Combate Global’s USA vs. Mexico eight-man MMA tournament Friday night in Miami. But he emerged with the biggest heart. Gonzalez of Laredo, Texas, won three fights in one night, including a grueling three-round decision in the finale over previously unbeaten Cristian “Puas” Perez of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. “It was crazy,” Gonzalez told Zenger after the bout. “It took me back to when I was a little kid at the karate tournaments, but this was a lot different. The competitors are much tougher. I loved it.” The three wins improved Gonzalez’ record to 12–4. He opened with a one-round decision over Jim “The Beast” Alers of Pembroke Pines, Fla., (14–5) and advanced to face Samuel “Alley Cat” Alvarez (6–5) of Manteca, Calif., where Gonzalez captured another one-round decision. For young entrepreneur Champion-Ikaika Nettey, some days are busier than others. “On my days off, I like to play soccer or go running, or I might go on my scooter and stuff,” said “Champ,” who also makes time for his “older by a couple of days girlfriend.” “On another day, I might also take a nap, just in case I’m tired. Or I might have my downtime — my TV time. Today I’m going to go to the pool and swim.” Champ might be all business on other days, selling T-shirts from his Aloha King Champ clothing line for “$25 a pop” in sizes for kids on Alohakingchamp.etsy.com. “Aloha means, ‘Hi,’ in Hawaiian. I’m Hawaiian and of African descent,” said Champ, an Olney, Maryland, resident who primarily operates out of his mother Neki’s, KaribFit dance studio in downtown Silver Spring. “We’re still working on developing jumpers, hats, jeans, maybe some kids shoes or something. You can buy them by checking out my website or getting the address to the studio.” Champ might be all business on other days, selling T-shirts from his Aloha King Champ clothing line for “$25 a pop” in sizes for kids on Alohakingchamp.etsy.com. The Queen was forced to miss the Remembrance Sunday ceremony today for the first time in 22 years due to a back injury, Buckingham Palace said, adding she is ‘disappointed’ to miss the event. The palace said the 95-year-old monarch made the decision on Sunday morning ‘with great regret’ and is ‘disappointed’ to miss the event. Queen Elizabeth had planned on attending the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday and it would have marked her first in-person public engagement since she was advised to rest following a night in hospital last month. It is understood the Queen’s back sprain is unrelated to her doctor’s recent advice to rest. Buckingham Palace said: ‘The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today’s Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph ‘Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service. Erin Jackson made history Friday when she became the first Black American woman to take the winning title at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup. On Friday, Nov. 12, the 29-year-old athlete competed in the women’s 500-meter event at the Arena Lodowa in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland, and finished with a time of 37.613 seconds to clinch her first World Cup gold medal. Jackson beat out Japan’s defending 2018 Olympic champion Nao Kodaira by 0.13 second. The competing field also included all three of the medalists who competed at the world championships in February 2021, an event Jackson didn’t compete in. The Associated Press reported that prior to her win on Friday, Jackson’s previous best World Cup finish was in ninth place. The Florida native told Dutch broadcaster NOS that her win was a “big surprise,” adding, “I was hoping to be in podium position.” A Louisiana board on Friday voted unanimously to pardon Homer Plessy, whose landmark 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson led to the US Supreme Court’s “separate but equal” doctrine that affirmed state-sanctioned segregation laws, according to The Washington Post. The Louisiana Board of Pardons approved the pardon for Plessy, a mixed-race Creole man from New Orleans who in 1892 bought a first-class ticket on a train headed to Covington, Louisiana, and sat in a “whites-only” rail car. He was asked to leave the car, and after refusing to give up his seat, was removed from the train and charged with violating the Louisiana Separate Car Act of 1890. Plessy, a 30-year-old shoemaker at the time of his arrest, pled guilty and was fined $25; he died in 1925 at age 62 with the conviction still on his record. Nearly 130 years later, Plessy’s record is one step closer to being cleared. “There is no doubt that he was guilty of that act on that date,” Jason Williams, the Orleans Parish district attorney, told the board during the Friday hearing. “But there is equally no doubt that such an act should have never been a crime in this country.” Dontae Sharpe had just finished discussing potential avenues with his legal team for getting pardoned for a murder he did not commit when he received a call from one of his attorneys. Sharpe, who is Black, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a White man in Greenville, N.C., in 1994. Sharpe, who maintained his innocence, was wrongfully imprisoned for 24 years until he was exonerated in 2019 when a judge found that a key witness in the case had “entirely made up” her testimony. Then, on Friday, Theresa A. Newman, one of Sharpe’s attorneys, greeted her client with the news he’d been waiting to hear since his exoneration. “Theresa called me and said, ‘Hey, Mr. Pardon Man.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean, “Mr. Pardon Man?”’” Sharpe told The Washington Post. “She said, ‘The governor just pardoned you.’ That just left me smiling on my couch and kind of awestruck.” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced Sharpe’s pardon after he “carefully reviewed” a case that’s been championed by criminal justice advocates for years. “Mr. Sharpe and others who have been wrongly convicted deserve to have that injustice fully and publicly acknowledged,” Cooper said in a news release. The governor’s pardon allows Sharpe, 46, of Charlotte to seek as much as $750,000 in compensation from the state for his wrongful conviction, Newman said. Detectives say the death of Chris Daughtry’s 25-year-old daughter is being treated as a homicide. Her boyfriend, Bobby Jolly, was arrested Friday, although police have not stated if he is connected to her death. Earlier, the singer and guitarist posted an emotional statement on his Instagram in which he revealed how he was struggling to comprehend what had happened. ‘We never got to say goodbye to our precious Hannah and it’s another huge hit to our family. Thank you all for your kind words and condolences. They are truly felt and appreciated. I am now taking time be present with my family as we attempt to heal from this devastating loss. Hannah, I love you. I miss you. I wish I could hold you. This hurts so deeply,’ he wrote. Hannah died at her home in Nashville and was found by law enforcement officers on Friday. An investigation into the circumstances behind Hannah’s passing is currently underway. Sam Huff, a Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker who was a two-time All-Pro and an NFL champion, died Saturday. He was 87. Deborah Matthews, the lawyer for the Huff family, told the Associated Press Huff died of natural causes in Virginia. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2013. “Sam was one of the greatest Giants of all time,” John Mara, the New York Giants’ president and CEO, said in a news release. “He was the heart and soul of our defense in his era. He almost single-handedly influenced the first chants of ‘Defense, Defense’ in Yankee Stadium.” Halle Berry is a household name. Oscar Award-winning and a legendary beauty. Young M.A., a popular 29-year-old hip-hop star, was taken aback by her first encounter with Halle. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EIv-nW39RKQ/hqdefault.jpg Kevin Samuels is reportedly being linked up with Brittany Renner. The two were reportedly spotted shopping together recently (reports SandraRose.com). Samuel, who often brutally “counsels” women who CALL HIM with advice on how to attract a “high value.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QsPnajMpmB4/hqdefault.jpg According to Allhiphop.com, Big Daddy Kane and KRS One are using the wave of interest that resulted in their Verzuz battle to put out new music together that features The Game. The song, which was originally recorded ten years ago, was completed two weeks after their duel of hits at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. The song has not been released, not sure when it slated to hit the streets. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7w5Za5cDK70/hqdefault.jpg La La Anthony revealed to SELF Magazine that in June, she had to have emergency heart surgery due to an irregular heartbeat she was dealing with for years! La La told SELF magazine that she had been dealing with heart problems for the last two years, but she would brush it off. Well her heart problems caught up with her this earlier this year. La La says she was at her home for a family Memorial Day Barbecue when she almost fainted because her heart was beating so fast. She says all of her family, including her 14 year old son Kiyan, convinced her to call the ambulance because she did not “look like herself.” La La was reluctant to go to the hospital but after an EMT worker told her it was best, she decided to go. Once she arrived at the hospital, the doctors told her they had to perform heart surgery on her ASAP before her conditions worsen. The procedure lasted two hours and she spent a total of 4 days in the hospital. Lala says it was one of the most scary experiences of her life. Ye has made some pretty savvy investments over the years. After a recent revelation surfaced that he invested in Ice Cube’s Big3 to the tune of millions to help grow the league, according to TMZ. The outlet is reporting that became an investor this past season and his total damage was “mid to high seven-figure mark.” Additionally, league co-founders Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz also invested additional funds into the 3-on-3 league. West dropped that little nugget, among many others, while appearing on Revolt TV’s “Drink Champs.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/27NstO1qOJk/hqdefault.jpg The Oklahoma Sooners, despite being undefeated, faced steep odds of making the College Football Playoff, as evidenced by their No. 8 ranking. Their chances of sneaking into the playoff hinged on the team winning out the remainder of the season. Those plans ended on Saturday, as they lost 27-14 to the No. 13 Baylor Bears. After the game, head coach Lincoln Riley shared his thoughts on what happened. First, he began with the field rushing by Baylor fans with one-second remaining in regulation, where he felt they should have been assessed a 15-yard penalty. Not only that, but he said that head coach Dave Aranda’s decision to call a timeout in the closing seconds to kick and make a 32-yard field goal went against a “code of sportsmanship.” In a social media post on Friday night, Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown admitted he had a bout with depression during the 2020 season, and his depression was so bad that he thought about taking his own life. Thankfully, Brown was able to get help for his struggles and says he’s doing better now. He also encouraged anyone who is going through what he went through to get help. https://twitter.com/i/status/1459314821111980040 It seems every week NBA superstar Steph Curry is making history. Earlier this week, he overtook Wilt Chamberlain to become the oldest player to record 50 points and 10 assists in a game. And on Friday night, the 33-year-old passed basketball great Ray Allen for the most three-pointers scored in all NBA games, including playoffs, in NBA history. Curry connected with nine of his 17 three-point attempts in the Golden State Warriors’ 119-93 win over the Chicago Bulls, taking his tally in regular season and playoff games to 3,366, surpassing Allen’s total of 3,358. He had come into the game just one behind two-time NBA champion Allen and equaled his record within the first few minutes of the game. And he became the all-time lead just minutes later, drilling a long-range effort over Alex Caruso. Astonishingly, Curry passed Allen’s record in 585 fewer games. Lamar Jackson’s jersey has officially been retired by the Louisville football program. At halftime of the Cardinals’ game against Syracuse, Jackson came to midfield for a ceremony honoring him just four years after he was playing on the same field. The Heisman Trophy winner and NFL MVP will go down as arguably the best player to ever play at Louisville, but also one of the best quarterbacks in college football history. In three seasons, Jackson had 9,043 passing yards with 69 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He also had 4,132 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns on the ground. https://youtu.be/tQak18873hg Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 107-83 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, Anthony Davis didn’t mince words when discussing his team’s struggles — particularly in the third quarter (when Los Angeles was outscored 40-12 by Minnesota). “We sucked,” Davis said. “No defense. Can’t score. That’s not just this third quarter; every third quarter we’ve played this season, we’ve come out slow, lackadaisical offensively and defensively. We got to get it together. Why? I can’t tell you. But we gotta do a better job. I mean, we scored 12 points in the third quarter, and they scored 40. That’s the game right there.”Davis is right: The Lakers have been outscored in the third quarter in eight of their 13 games (including five times by double digits). On the season, Los Angeles has been beaten 408-321 in third quarters. A white woman TikTok user who goes by the name of *adjusts glasses and squints* @themaggpie took to social media to tell her favorite white women a thing or two about themselves compared to Black women. https://www.tiktok.com/share/video/6997406831723236610?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F&referer_video_id=7026461174757903662&refer=embed Britney Spears was freed from her conservatorship during a court hearing on Friday, where a Los Angeles judge decided to grant her request for the termination of the 13-year conservatorship. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TESVVdHIqbg/hqdefault.jpg New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams challenged his fellow Democrats to condemn Black Lives Matter activist Hawk Newsome who said Adam’s new policing plans would trigger ‘riots and bloodshed’ in NYC streets. At a press conference on Friday, Adams – a centrist who has taken a tough stance on law and order – questioned why members of his party have not spoken out against Newsome’s calls to violence. ‘I think that this is an excellent moment for the local and state and federal Democratic Party to state: We could have justice without violence,’ Adams said. https://youtu.be/uZBQ7J7PocM Pope Francis on Saturday thanked journalists for helping uncover the clerical sexual abuse scandals that the Roman Catholic Church initially tried to cover up. The pope praised what he called the “mission” of journalism and said it was vital for reporters to get out of their newsrooms and discover what was happening in the outside world to counter misinformation often found online. “(I) thank you for what you tell us about what is wrong in the Church, for helping us not to sweep it under the carpet, and for the voice you have given to the abuse victims,” the pope said. Francis was speaking at a ceremony to honour two veteran correspondents — Philip Pullella of Reuters and Valentina Alazraki of Mexico’s Noticieros Televisa — for their long careers spent covering the Vatican. This week, an Alabama church congregation protested against their pastor, calling for him to step down amid accusations of financial mismanagement. Members of the Greater Saint John Baptist Church in Birmingham stood in front of the congregation on Sunday to protest for Senior Pastor Nathaniel Brooks to leave the church. Church members say Brooks engaged in misconduct with church finances. In April, the congregation voted to oust the pastor, who has been the church’s pastor for five years. This week, the Biden administration announced a plan to reverse a Trump-era policy that supporters said protected the religious liberty of federal contractors and put them “on an equal footing” with other contractors. At issue is a Trump Department of Labor rule that was initially proposed in 2019 but went into effect in the final days of the Trump administration. The new rule expanded religious exemptions for contractors related to non-discrimination laws by declaring that a religious organization is eligible for federal contracts and is exempt from non-discrimination laws if it is “organized for a religious purpose” and “holds itself out to the public as carrying out a religious purpose.” Author and pastor Tony Evans says a trip to Israel can strengthen your faith by bringing the Bible to life – thus allowing you to see the truth of Scripture “jump off the page.” Trips to Israel, though, are expensive – not to mention time-consuming. That’s one reason Evans and his family brought cameras with them during their last trip to Israel, which was part of an expedition with 700 people through his Urban Alternative ministry. The result is Journey with Jesus, a film that will be in theaters for three nights – Nov. 15-17 – and follows Evans and his family as they walk the sites where Jesus walked. The film is part-inspiring, part-educational and part-evangelistic. “We wanted people to share the experience of the truth, and not merely the knowledge of the truth,” Evans, the senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, told Christian Headlines. From his passionate preaching to the wise words imparted to fellow clergy in Detroit and around the world, Bishop John Henry Sheard impressed others with a kind temperament and dedication to service. The longtime pastor and fixture in the city’s religious community died Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021, at age 84. He “is one of the high statesmen of the church both here locally, nationally, and internationally,” said Bishop Edgar Vann, senior pastor at Second Ebenezer Church, who knew him for more than 40 years. “He was known for his strength, his conviction, his ability to get things done, and his straightforwardness.” Bishop Sheard led the Greater Mitchell Temple Church of God in Christ in Detroit and was long active in the denomination. His death came after he lost his wife of 64 years, Willie Mae, to COVID-19 in April 2020. This year, their son, Bishop J. Drew Sheard, was elected the presiding bishop for the Church of God in Christ, considered the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country. It has about 400 locations in Michigan. Police have arrested the mother of a 14-year-old New Jersey girl who had been missing for a month on charges relating to allegations of physical abuse and neglect. Authorities say Jamie Moore, 39, has been arrested on two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, as prosecutors cited allegations of abuse and neglect. Her two children, the 14-year-old and her 3-year-old brother, have been placed into the custody of child protectives services. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dnq-hRSUseI/hqdefault.jpg Jashyah Moore, the 14-year-old New Jersey teenager who went missing last month, has been found safe in New York City, officials said Thursday. “Jashyah is currently safe and is being provided all appropriate services. She will be returned to New Jersey shortly,” Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens said in a news release, CNN reports. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O11TRfQr36Y/hqdefault.jpg The oldest living Tuskegee Airman visited Dallas on Thursday to see a display at the National Aviation Education Center at Dallas Executive Airport. He and his remarkable life are the star attractions at that display. His hope is that the stories of Black pilots who overcame incredible odds will encourage the next generation to take flight too. As Brigadier General Charles McGee stepped out of a car Thursday morning and donned a bright red blazer adorned with the medals he received during his 30-year military career, it was almost like the arrival of royalty: but so much more important than that. https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/local/oldest-living-tuskegee-airman-story-now-a-key-part-of-a-dallas-education-center/287-3f222fa7-2819-4ae6-9991-00c0508e7299?jwsource=cl Different people get different health care, and that can vary by race, gender and more. And it can make a big difference in outcomes. How does that play out in everyday life? Dr. Quinn Capers, an interventional cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, has long studied racial disparities and bias, especially among doctors and nurses. He likes to explain the concepts by starting with his own specialty. When two men of different races show up in the emergency room with chest pains, the most common symptom in cardiology, “the white man is more likely to be admitted to the hospital, the Black man turned away,” Capers said. If both are hospitalized, the white man is more likely to have a cardiac catheterization to unblock arteries, he said. When both get the procedures, the white man is more likely to get state-of-the-art stents. A high school in Washington, D.C., has postponed a planned fundraiser with Dave Chappelle after students threatened to stage a walkout because they were uncomfortable with remarks he made about transgender people in his recent Netflix special, according to a new report. In response to student uproar, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown — which is Chappelle’s alma mater — first quietly canceled the November 23 fundraiser to raise funds for a new theater named after the comedian, according to Politico Playbook. After the newsletter first broke the news, the school sent out an email to patrons saying they had instead decided to postpone the event until April 22. “We recognize that not everyone will accept or welcome a particular artists’s point of view, product or craft, but reject the notion that a ‘cancel culture’ is a healthy or constructive means to teach our students how society should balance creative freedom with protecting the right and dignity of all of its members,” the school said in a statement, according to the newsletter. The event was up in the air after two students told the newsletter that their peers had a heated debated with faculty after they were told they would have to help put together an exhibition to honor the comedian on the same day as the fundraiser. Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden is suing the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell in the wake of his private emails being leaked amid an investigation into the Washington Football Team. Gruden’s attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner of McDonald Carano, said in a statement that the lawsuit was filed in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada. “The complaint alleges that the defendants selectively leaked Gruden’s private correspondence to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in order to harm Gruden’s reputation and force him out of his job,” Hosmer-Henner said. “There is no explanation or justification for why Gruden’s emails were the only ones made public out of the 650,000 emails collected in the NFL’s investigation of the Washington Football Team or for why the emails were held for months before being released in the middle of the Raiders’ season.” Seattle basketball coach Jim Hayford, who was placed on administrative leave last week while the school investigated allegations he used a racial slur, resigned from his post Thursday. Seattle athletic director Shaney Fink announced the news Thursday evening. “It is clear to me that Coach Hayford is no longer able to effectively lead the team,” Fink said in a statement. “We also recognize and appreciate the players’ desire to refocus on the season and each game in front of them.” Fink said the school is conducting an investigation of the climate within the program and Seattle plans to take other steps to ensure all concerns are addressed. The news comes one day after Seattle opened its season with a 69-66 win over Alcorn State. Hayford is alleged by one of his players to have used the racial slur on multiple occasions during a scrimmage last week, according to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. He was placed on administrative leave two days later. “I have always held the belief that the use of racial slurs has no place in society, despite their origin,” Hayford said in a statement to Stadium Thursday announcing his resignation. “However, my recent attempts at curtailing the use of a repugnant word within my own program was misguided and created division among our student-athletes to whom I have apologized.” The first part of Kanye West’s explosive Drink Champs interview managed to garner more than 3 million views within the first 12 hours of its release. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7IavRTSxvRo/hqdefault.jpg “Be Alive” appears in the upcoming “King Richard,” starring Will Smith who plays Serena and Venus Williams’ father, Richard Williams. And just like the film which details Richard William’s unwavering belief that his daughters will “shake up this world” as he pushes Venus and Serena to succeed despite the odds are stacked against them, Beyoncé’s single is a battle cry to Black strength and perseverance. Beyoncé drops new music the highly anticipated single, “Be Alive.” https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Idc_K4E_YHg/hqdefault.jpg In his 54 years of living, Eric Benét has experienced many personal and professional ups and downs. Like anyone experiencing life, evolution results from each happening. But none of Benét’s downs equal the pain he took on after the death of his longtime girlfriend Tami Stauff. Tragically, Stauff was only 24 when a car crash took her life. At the time, the couple was transitioning in to life as parents with the birth of their first child, India. The young daughter was just 16-months-old when she lost her mother. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i-AjMB4E964/hqdefault.jpg The runaway popularity of Yellowstone, which saw more than 8 million people tuning in to its season four premier, put it over the top of heavyweight favorites like 60 Minutes and NCIS (right). Yellowstone focuses on Kevin Costner’s John Dutton (left), a landowning rancher in Montana overseeing his wealth and family, a setting rarely seen among modern top-rated shows. And unlike shows like Succession that play up the drama of the modern Big Apple or America’s metropolitans, Yellowstone puts a lens on rural America where local businesses are losing their wealth and power in a changing nation. Former NBA rebounding champion Dennis Rodman and his daughter, 19-year-old Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman don't have the greatest of relationships. Trinity took to Instagram with a photo of the two embracing, which was taken after the elder Rodman surprised Trinity at a playoff game against the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League (TK) “This last game was an extremely emotional one. Yes Dennis Rodman showed up to an Nwsl game, but also my dad, after YEARS surprised me at a big game in my career, I was shocked, overwhelmed, happy, sad, everything,” Trinity captioned her post. “My dad doesn’t play a big role in my life at all and most people don’t know that, we don’t see eye to eye on many things,” the professional soccer player shared. “I go months if not years without his presence or communication. Being in spotlights has been hard for us, him and me.” We don’t have the best relationship, but at the end of the day he’s human I’m human… he’s my dad, and I’m his little girl that will never change I will improve and look forward everyday as I hope he does.” Trinity is something of a star herself, for those that don’t know. Last April she made history as the youngest American goal scorer in league history. https://www.instagram.com/trinity_rodman/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9b1f3329-115c-43a2-ac02-a6c14629ab1b Rhonda Smith is the uber talented bassist/writer/singer who has worked with a cornucopia of major league musicians such as Prince, Jeff Beck, Chaka Khan, Patrice Rushen, Little Richard, Erykah Badu, Beyonce’ and T.I. In the past, she has released two albums of her own. Now 15 years after her last full CD, she is returning with a bittersweet yet gorgeous new single/video entitled “Won’t Come Back” – thematically concerning a lover who hid things from her that destroyed her trust to the point where her love for them, sadly, will never return. Fittingly, the haunting ballad features Rhonda playing the ever-emotive fretless electric bass. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nkLBLZ3l76w/hqdefault.jpg Ashanti, once-dubbed the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, will get a new moniker at the Soul Train Awards later this month (November 28) when she is honored with the “Lady of Soul” award. “I’m honored to be recognized as this year’s ‘Lady of Soul,’” the singer-songwriter said in a statement. “This is a full circle moment for me because I received the ‘Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year’ Award at the Lady of Soul Awards in 2002. As we commemorate 50 years of Soul Train, I’m proud to be a part of this legacy and to return to the Apollo to celebrate,” she continued. https://www.instagram.com/ashanti/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=dcc46c32-a430-452d-95dd-03bc11f58544 Jalen Rose, alleges something on national television without actually using the word “allegedly” to preface or punctuate those comments. While Jalen is an excellent analyst, he’s not a journalist and libelous statements may have simply slipped his mind in the moment. When you’re watching Draymond Green say the N-word, and you’re feeling offended that they “let him say it,” or when it’s time to pay DeAndre Ayton, and you’re calling him a lazy N-word, what’s gonna now happen is it’s going to affect your product on the floor, because people aren’t going to want to play for him,” Rose said. Steven A. Smith’s apology on behalf on Jalen Rose, who is reportedly out of the country. https://twitter.com/i/status/1458588768034820104 On Friday, former Baltimore Mayor and Travis’ current spokesperson #StephanieRawlings joined #GayleKing on @cbsmornings to help express his sorrow following the situation, and also his plans on helping those affected by the tragedies. Stephanie addressed the narrative that what happened at the festival was Travis’ fault and said, “They have a 59-page operations plan, and it clearly says the only two people that are, have the authority to stop the concert, were the executive producer and the concert producer. He was not responsible for this, but he wants to be responsible for the solution.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWL45hqJQr0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Issa Rae is calling on Black-owned businesses to certify their brands through the ByBlack initiative, which is the “first national certification program exclusively for Black-ownership designation.” Rae is supporting American Express and the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.’s (USBC) joint effort to expand their ByBlack initiative. The free first-of-its-kind platform — which was designed as a directory for Black-owned businesses — will now offer Black business-owners the opportunity to easily obtain approved accreditation that their customers and other companies can trust when spending with them. President Ron Busby tells AfroTech that the new program will provide new benefits and opportunities for Black-owned businesses in America to continue growing and flourishing. Shaquille O’Neal recently revealed that he was offered a prominent movie role but turned it down for a reason that may surprise you. Shaq joined Andrew Marchand and John Ourand on their sports media podcast this week and shared that he was offered the role of John Coffey in the Oscar-winning film “The Green Mile.” The role was famously played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan. “I didn’t want to play the down-South African American guy during slavery,” Shaq explained. “I didn’t want to play that role. But the guy who played it, Michael Clarke Duncan, did an excellent job. I think I made the right decision because he did way better than I could have done, but I got offered that role.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1458787938528026636 TRIBL, the new leading premiere recording home for Christian and Gospel artists, unveils its second installment of its award-winning artists gathering on an album filled with spirited-vertical worship. The new album, TRIBL NIGHTS ATLANTA, recorded live in Atlanta, is available now wherever music is sold and streamed. Preceded by the lead single, “We Have Hope,” featuring Joe L Barnes, Jonathan Traylor & Lizzie Morgan. “We Have Hope” was written by Timothy Reddick, Nate Moore, Dante Bowe & Joe L Barnes. TRIBL NIGHTS ATLANTA is available now wherever music is sold digitally and streamed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kJVDhRewmo Shawna Harris drops new single "In His Name ( Everything Changes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZUTHecqKWY Christmas Joy is here! It's in the atmosphere! People everywhere are excited about the season and being reunited with their loved ones and family members. If you are looking for new songs to awaken your inner joy, Brandon Camphor & One Way (BC1Way), one of the most exciting young vocal groups in Contemporary Christian Music present "Christmas Joy." Sure to become a holiday classic, the Motown/Jackson 5 inspired festive track celebrates all the things we love about Christmas: jingle bells, children laughing, families gathered by the fireside, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp2hVpx6yn4 Check out the new retro disco dance remix of ”He’s Not a Baby Anymore” (Dance Remix) from Angelo & Veronica, ad this to your Christmas playlist. https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/angeloandveronica/hes-not-a-baby-anymore-dance-remix New Christmas Music from Rick Dorn "A Merry Christmas" from the Netflix Movie "Holiday Rush" https://www.dropbox.com/s/1eu4vg9euyn704i/A%20Merry%20Christmas_MSTR_RADIO_V3_4416.wav?dl=0 The Queen of Neo-Soul Gospel has returned with a super-soulful and hypnotically sonic single! Cynthia Jones is a three-time Stellar Award and three-time Grammy®-nominated singer and songwriter. She delivers smooth arrangements with a touch of sass and always with the uncompromising message of Christ. Cynthia has put her renewed spirit and fresh creative energy into her new single, "Ain't No Half Steppin." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xtvuKUf8o Singer, songwriter, and producer Scott Simms makes music to offer people life through another lens by creating musical moments that can make a mess feel good, even if it is just for the three minutes the song plays. He has released independent singles and albums DAVID (2018), 5 STONES (2017) GAME NIGHT with K-Drama (2017), and SELL OUT (2015). Scott released his single "On Faith" this summer and has now released a fresh and funky official music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4k3nAvPLrA For more than two weeks, the circumstances surrounding the Oct. 19 death of Quinnzhahn Barnes, a beloved father, singer and pastor of the Selah Fellowship Temple in Houston, Texas, remained under wraps by those closest to him. “It is with profound sadness that we share that our beloved Quinnzhahn Barnes has passed away,” Barnes’ young son, Quinstin James Barnes, announced on Facebook on Oct. 20. “We know that Quinnzhahn, known to many as ‘Rodney Barnes,’ … impacted the lives of many and was loved locally, statewide and nationally because of his gift of singing and preaching and also his humor and love for people.” On Thursday, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences confirmed with CP that Motley’s son had indeed died by suicide. The 45-year-old pastor fatally shot himself in the head. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1187261951682923 Rice University has named Reginald DesRoches its new president — making him the first Black person and immigrant to serve in the top job in Rice’s 109-year history. A nationwide search was launched in May, after current Rice President David Leebron, the university’s second longest-serving president, announced plans to step down in June 2022, but they found DesRoches at home; he has served as provost for nearly two years. Robert Ladd, chairman of the Board of Trustees, welcomed DesRoches as Rice’s new leader Thursday afternoon at an event in Rice’s Cohen House — noting that trustees sought to choose a leader who would “build upon what (Leebron) has accomplished these last 18 years.” The presidential committee, which consisted of two students, three faculty members and 10 trustees, narrowed the search to 10 candidates from research universities around the country, before deciding on DesRoches. The Black College Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday, Nov. 11 the establishment of the HBCU Legacy Bowl Career Fair, presented by the New Orleans Saints. The HBCU Legacy Bowl Career Fair will be held February 17-18, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The event will provide job opportunities and career counseling for graduating seniors from Louisiana’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Dillard, Grambling State, Southern, and Xavier) and feature expert panels, motivational speakers, and direct interaction with national and statewide corporate partners. Admission is free. In addition, eight HBCU graduating seniors will be selected as interns to gain hands-on experience during HBCU Legacy Bowl week. Doris Bunte was the first to do a lot of things, like being a Black woman elected to the Massachusetts Legislature. Though she died earlier this year, a group of Black women who said they follow in her footsteps as representatives want for Bunte to claim another first — being the first Black woman to have an official portrait hung in the Massachusetts State House. Reps. Liz Miranda, Brandy Fluker Oakley and Nika Elugardo made the case Wednesday for H 3204, a resolution that calls for a commemorative memorial portrait of former Rep. Bunte to be created and hung in the State House in a location determined in conjunction with the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Rep. Chynah Tyler, an early bill co-sponsor who was not present for the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight hearing Wednesday, told the News Service that she is “absolutely supportive” of having a pioneer like Bunte prominently represented at the State House. A Chicago-based media group is calling on the Chicago Police Department to hire more African American officers to better reflect the makeup of the city. Thus far, the MEG Council, or Media Editing Group, say requests for updated hiring numbers have been ignored. “The hiring practices have been flawed for a long time,” retired CPD captain Corwin Calhoun said. Corwin Calhoun served 31 years with CPD, and feels that the department discriminates when it comes to hiring. “The African American community now rightfully demand that CPD balances its police force with the hiring of more African American applicants from its October, December 2021 in-person exams and thereafter,” Pastor Rich Redmond of Greater Missionary Baptist Church said. A report from Inspector General Joseph Ferguson’s office said white applicants are far more likely to get hired by CPD than African Americans. At the start of the initial application process, 37 percent of the department’s applicants were Black in a city where 30 percent of the population is Black. A puzzling, broad-daylight shooting at a small-town trailer park is renewing concerns among activists about how justice is doled out when a Black person is killed in Missouri. A neighbor killed Justin King, 28, on Nov. 3 at the neighbor’s mobile home in Bourbon, a town of 1,600 residents 75 miles (120 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis. While police say the initial investigation indicates the shooting was justified, King’s relatives and civil rights leaders on Thursday pressed for a more thorough probe. “I just think this is a nightmare and I’ll wake up,” King’s mother, Eva Bruns, said at a news conference. “He didn’t deserve to die like this.” Racial injustice activists cited other killings of Black men in Missouri that failed to result in criminal charges. Among them: Tory Sanders, who died after a white sheriff pressed a knee to his neck in a manner similar to George Floyd’s 2020 death in Minneapolis; and Derontae Martin, a teenager shot inside the rural home of a man with a history of racist comments. “When it’s a white assailant and a Black victim, it is so hard to get answers,” St. Louis activist leader Darryl Gray said. “It is hard to get justice.” The family of a 10-year-old girl who died by suicide has accused a Utah school district that was recently reprimanded by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to address widespread racial discrimination of not doing enough to protect their daughter who they said was bullied for being Black and autistic. Salt Lake City police confirmed this week they are investigating the weekend death of Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor as a suicide. Her death has generated widespread outrage, including Wednesday from Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, who called the case “sickening.” Tyler Ayres, an attorney representing Izzy’s family, said Izzy was bullied by a small group of other students who called her the N-word, told her she was smelly and made fun of her for being autistic. Ayres said the family reported the bullying to teachers, as well as school and district administrators, but nothing was done to stop the harassment. DRAKE went to a strip club with his crew for a private party a day after the deadly Astroworld disaster – which saw nine killed and around 100 injured, The Sun can confirm. In deleted posts seen by The Sun, dancers are filmed surrounded by cash at Area 29 in Houston, which was set to host the official after party for Travis Scott’s event, and the club thanked Drake personally for attending on Saturday. The rapper and his crew are believed to have been staying at the five star Post Oak Hotel, where Scott and pregnant girlfriend Kylie Jenner had also been spotted before the festival. Scott and Kylie have since been laying low at the pair’s $14million mansion in Houston, where lawyers have been seen visiting in recent days – as more than 100 suits have been filed against the performer and organizers. A celebrity chef who claimed to have invented the ‘world’s healthiest meal’ has died of a heart attack, aged 45. Gurpareet Bains, whose fans included Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow, penned several superfood cookbooks. The co-founder of Vedge Snacks, who lived in Enfield, London, was hospitalized following a heart attack last Thursday, his management have confirmed. While he regained consciousness a day later, his kidneys failed to restart and he passed away earlier this week as a result of heart and kidney complications, his spokesman confirmed. Sean “Love” Combs’ charter school will relocate to a larger campus in New York City. The music mogul announced Thursday that Capital Preparatory School will move to the Church of All Saints and School building in the city’s Harlem neighborhood. The relocation will allow the school’s capacity to grow from 500 to 700 students from grades 6th through 12th beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. The school’s new campus will feature 40 classrooms and offices, a sports room, science labs, a cafeteria, an outdoor communal courtyard, and an area called the “Great Hall” for all school assemblies and performances. “The kids of Harlem should have access to opportunity and a quality education and deserve to learn on a campus that reflects the level of excellence we aspire for them to achieve,” Combs said in a statement. “This new campus for Capital Prep Harlem reflects my commitment to empowering as many children as I can and creating spaces for the next generation of leaders to thrive in every aspect of their lives.” Former Chicago Bulls player Corey Benjamin has identified his daughter as the 14-year-old basketball player who was filmed sucker-punching her 15-year-old rival during a school tournament and apologized on her behalf for the attack. ‘This is not how I raised my daughter,’ said Benjamin, who played three seasons with the Bulls and had a brief stint with the Atlanta Hawks in 2003 before finishing his career overseas. Benjamin’s daughter has not been identified by name because she is a minor. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/11/10/1759826697532585360/1024x576_MP4_1759826697532585360.mp4?_=1 According to TMZ and ABC13, Travis Scott was allegedly partying at a Houston Dave and Buster’s when he found out about people who died in the crowd rush. TMZ reported that the party was hosted by Drake who was also unaware of the fatalities at the time of the party. An unnamed TMZ source said that Scott didn’t know the severity of the situation when he attended the party. One of Scott’s old managers, Shane Morris, even spoke out against the star because of the callousness Morris says he displayed and the lack of regard for other people in trouble. Morris went on to say that he inflated Scott’s popularity when he met the young rapper in 2009. https://youtu.be/-DG0h84wXUQ President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Plan aims to jump-start the U.S. economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported by the LA Focus Newspaper, “California is one of many states whose policies helped to shape President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better plan,” the outlet writes. “California’s values will be on the national stage with the Build Back Better plan. @POTUS is creating good jobs, investing in clean energy to fight climate change, helping families through at-home elder, disability & child care, universal pre-k, & more,” Gov. Gavin Newsom office tweeted. https://youtu.be/cK9bvXp9z1w In Swampscott, Massachusetts, a white woman was accused of driving her car towards and nearly colliding with three Black women and their five children. When one of the Black women told her to slow down, she started shouting racial slurs at them as well as making racist remarks. Clearly, a woman who would endanger the lives of parents and their children and them go full KK-Karen on them unprovoked is someone who is a danger to Black people and should at least do some kind of jail time. Unfortunately, a judge disagreed and the woman, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to probation and community service. According to WHDH 7, Rhonda Wozniak, 61, pleaded guilty to eight counts of civil rights violation and eight counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in Lynn District Court on Tuesday. Even the prosecutors in the case appeared to have taken an “Oh, she’s just a little old lady” approach to sentencing recommendation as they thought sixteen criminal counts involving the endangering of the lives of children as young as five was only worth one year of probation and 100 hours of community service. On August 27, an eight-year-old Black girl Fanta Bility was killed by police gunfire in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, outside of a football game at Academy Park High School. A month and a half later, only one person has been charged with murdering Fanta—a Black teenager who didn’t kill anyone. According to a press release sent out by Delaware County District Attorneys Office, Angelo “AJ” Ford, 16, was arrested on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, after authorities say he was partially responsible for Fanta’s death due to him and another teen, 18-year-old Hasein Strand, exchanging gunfire nearby, which prompted the police to start shooting. Strand is also charged in relation to Fanta’s death—although, it’s unclear what he’s been charged with—and law enforcement is currently seeking him for arrest. The Sheffield Lake Police Officer who was targeted with racial notes by his former boss is speaking out about the “demeaning” incident. Officer Keith Pool was the first Black officer to work at the agency and was immediately and repeatedly targeted by then-Police Chief Anthony Campo. https://youtu.be/C7e8A9wVDYs Will Smith had a candid conversation with Oprah Winfrey on a recent episode of “The Oprah Conversation” about his disappointment over the box office success of his 2007 post-apocalyptic zombie thriller “I Am Legend.” Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film opened to $77 million in U.S. theaters on December 14 and remains the biggest December opening for a non-Christmas release. Smith told Oprah that he was disappointed that the film didn’t have a record-breaking $80 million dollar box office. https://youtu.be/dtKMEAXyPkghttps://youtu.be/dtKMEAXyPkg Academy Award-winning actor Halle Berry was a beauty queen before she became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stars. As a child, though, rather than finding escape in the arts, she found her solace in boxing, she tells Kelefa Sanneh, in an interview for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast Sunday, Nov. 14 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. https://twitter.com/i/status/1459189391570739201 Jeannie Mai wants you to know that she and hubby Jeezy enjoy having sex while she’s seven months pregnant. “One of my favorite positions is actually being on top of J because you see your belly, you see his face [and] he gets to play,” said Mai, 42, in the latest installation of her YouTube vlog “Hello Hunnay with Jeannie Mai.” “The Real” co-host and the rapper, 44, married in April and are expecting their first child together early next year. https://youtu.be/sr8-2gN50ug LeBron James is sayin’ what a lot of folks are sayin’ in regard to “Killer Kyle” Rittenhouse‘s “emotional” testimony where not one tear was seen. LeBron says dude ate “lemon heads” before his court appearance. “What tears????? I didn’t see one. Man knock it off!” James hilariously said in a tweet that included footage of Rittenhouse crying. “That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court. ??????” https://twitter.com/i/status/1458521089152274442 Thursday at the Ahmaud Arbery death trial was an interesting day, to say the least. Defense Attorney Kevin Gough did not hold back when he expressed his displeasure in court after seeing Rev. Al Sharpton sitting beside the (Arbery) family during the trial. The lawyer stated that he feels like the presence of Sharpton and other black preachers is intimidating to the jury. “If their pastor is Al Sharpton right now, that’s fine, but then that’s it. We don’t want any more black pastors coming in here. Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week sitting with the victim’s family trying to influence the jury in this case,” said Gough. Jesse Jackson was never even present in the courtroom. The judge wasn’t going for his nonsense and eventually shut down his demands and continued with trial. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWJwXUiA-CP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tamron Hall’s syndicated talk show has scored a two-season renewal by ABC, which means she’s sticking around through the 2023-24 season. Tamron Hall is a trusted and accomplished journalist and an outstanding talk show host,” said ABC News president Kim Godwin. “She is a breath of fresh air in daytime, approaching every show and segment with her personal mix of curiosity and compassion. We are delighted to continue this collaboration with Tamron and her stellar team in presenting their distinctive brand of talk to our valued station partners, the TamFam and beyond.” Per press release, Walt Disney Television has renewed “Tamron Hall” for its third season (2021-2022) with the ABC Owned Television Stations. The owned ABC stations carrying “Tamron Hall” are WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KGO-TV San Francisco, KTRK-TV Houston, WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham and KFSN-TV Fresno. https://twitter.com/i/status/1457743930922049547 The final chapter to TV One's popular Coins trilogy COINS FOREVER, is slated to air this Sunday, November 14th at 7:00 P.M. Returning to the Coins franchise includes Essence Atkins ("Ambitions," "Marlon"), Stephen Bishop ("Imposters," "Being Mary Jane"), TC Carson ("Living Single"), Kendrick Cross ("Ambitions") with newly added cast members Golden Brooks (“Girlfriends,” “Hollywood Divas”) and Demetria McKinney (“Saints & Sinners,” “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqskfZGvEQ0 Regina Hall is speaking out about her latest investment in Genexa, the world’s first clean, over-the-counter pharmaceutical company. Per press release, the company recently completed its unprecedented $60 million Series A of funding to advance its market leadership in this emerging space. Jared Stein, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Monogram Capital led the round and was joined by a roster of celebrity wellness advocates, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pratt, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Donald Glover, Lily Aldridge, Jennifer Meyer, Regina Hall, Sanaa Lathan, Don Cheadle, Bridgid Coulter, Lana Parrilla, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tony Kanal, Zoey Deutch, Brandon Shainfeld and Angela Fletcher. https://youtu.be/tad565dPKLs The incomparable EGOT (EMMY®, GRAMMY®, Oscar®, Tony®)-winning singer, songwriter, producer, actor, and social activist John Legend has signed with Republic Records the label announced today. The move kicks off another creative renaissance for the 12-time Grammy Award winning superstar. https://youtu.be/B-tOZxoNrFk Gayle King is speaking out about R. Kelly’s September sex trafficking and racketeering trial, calling his guilty verdict “justice.” “The judge said some of the evidence was so disgusting and despicable that they wouldn’t even allow it to be played in court,” King said in an interview published Tuesday by Bustle. “Let’s just say part of the evidence involved feces. Let’s just say that. It was so stomach-churning.” https://youtu.be/3MZRfxSgkLA Kyle Rittenhouse cried so hard on the stand Wednesday that the judge had to pause the trial. The 18-year-old is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third during protests surrounding the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The former police youth cadet was 17 when he traveled to Kenosha with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit, answering what he said was a call to help safeguard property from the unrest. https://youtu.be/H2kX1Nzi1I8 Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, claims his rape accuser is not as innocent as she wants the court of public opinion to believe. According to court documents obtained by Complex, Petty, 43, admitted to having sex with Jennifer Hough in 1994 but insists the encounter was consensual. “I never raped the Plaintiff and I deny her accusations of rape contained in the Amended Complaint,” he said, per the court filing. “I also deny all of Plaintiff’s allegations in the Amended Complaint that I committed any improper conduct, sexual abuse and/or sexual assault. The sexual encounter between Plaintiff and I, which occurred 27 years ago, was consensual and Plaintiff was a willing participant. I did not force Plaintiff into a house, I did not force Plaintiff to have sex with me and I did not sexually or physically assault Plaintiff in any way. Nor did I ever threaten Plaintiff.” Hough is locked in a legal battle with the couple after accusing them of trying to intimidate, threaten, bribe, and harass her. She accused Petty of rape back in 1994 when they were both 16. He was initially charged with first-degree rape but pleaded guilty to attempted rape, and he served more than four years in prison. He told the court he took the plea out of fear, per the report. Former Raiders player Henry Ruggs is facing over 50 years in prison after a vehicle crash he was involved in left a woman and her dog dead. The collision sparked a fire in the Toyota that killed Tina Tintor and her golden retriever. Ruggs and his female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the fiery wreck. As reported by TMZ, he had a .161 BAC — more than two times the legal limit of .08. On Wednesday, Ruggs was officially charged with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm (presumably for the injuries caused to his GF, the passenger), and two reckless driving charges — all felonies, TMZ reported. https://youtu.be/F2ul7yIX76M Mariah Carey, already owning the holiday’s unofficial anthem “All I Want for Christmas,” is expanding her annual holiday queendom in a new collaboration with McDonald’s. The fast-food chain announced Wednesday that it’s teaming up with Carey for 12 days of free food. Beginning Dec. 13, the “Mariah Menu,” will feature a select free item each day through Christmas Eve with a $1 minimum purchase on McDonald’s mobile app. Carey said in a statement: Some of my favorite memories with my kids are our family trips to McDonald’s, and of course, each of us has our go-to order,” adding hers is the cheeseburger with extra pickles. https://youtu.be/uhpSHExkjQo Terry Crews fans are blasting him for “cosplaying as a poor person” in a new Amazon recruitment ad that shows him working at a distribution center. In the ad, Crews, 53, is seen wearing an Amazon uniform and packing orders with employees in a warehouse: The ad encourages people to apply for jobs at a company that has amazing benefits, flexible hours and paid college tuition. As reported by The Daily Mail, Crews, who has an estimated net worth of $25 million, is accused of “cosplaying as a poor person” to push “Amazon propaganda.” Here is the exclusive clip of this week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Life After Lockup,” and in it, Daonte tells his mom that his felon bae Nicolle is getting married to Tia! https://youtu.be/PGVXZdfiVcs Adam #Pacman Jones will be back in jail after his involvement in a large bar fight earlier this year. In February it was reported that the former #NFL player had become engaged and assaulted employees at #ClutchOTR in #Cincinnati, #Ohio. Jones allegedly engaged in a huge brawl with the establishment’s personnel, during which the ex-football player allegedly knocked out a bouncer. TMZ was able to obtain video of the alleged fight, which showed complete chaos, with barstools being thrown and people falling to the ground left and right. Jones was detained and eventually charged with two misdemeanor assault charges over the incident, claiming he was acting in self-defense and “doing what I needed to do.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CWGnX8jhihS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Don Lemon is taking legal action against Megyn Kelly after she had the man accusing Lemon of sexual assault as a guest on her SiriusXM show. Dustin Hice filed the lawsuit against Lemon two years ago, accusing the openly gay CNN host of assault, as reported by Fox News. The incident occurred in the summer of 2018 and will finally be heard in court early next year. In an answer to the complaint, Lemon denied the accusations and called the suit “frivolous.” Hice is suing Lemon for unspecified damages. Lemon’s lawyer Caroline J. Polisi accuses Kelly of giving her listeners a “lopsided and inaccurate understanding” of what Hice claims went down between him and Lemon at a Long Island bar in the summer of 2018. “You permitted Mr. Hice’s statements to go unchallenged during your broadcast, clearly out of a vendetta you have against Mr. Lemon,” the legal letter reads, as reported by Radar. https://twitter.com/i/status/1457808141102419969 According to TMZ citing FoxLA, actor and former BET host Terrence “J” Jenkins was reportedly targeted in a follow-home attempted robbery. Law enforcement sources tell the news site that the incident happened at around 3 am when he was pulling into his driveway in Sherman Oaks and another car pulled up with 4 Black men inside, one of whom ordered Terrence out of his car. When he refused the command, he then fled off in his car, the news site notes. It was said that Terrence told cops the suspects chased him and even fired at his car before they fled! Thankfully, he was not injured as he managed to flag down a passing California Highway Patrol car, who called the LAPD. Police took a report for assault with a deadly weapon with shots fired … and police are now investigating. ???? https://youtu.be/o3ONbQ6YkDk Fans of “The Wendy Williams Show” are not impressed with Michael Rapaport’s guest-hosting duties. The actor is filling in this week for Wendy Williams amid her hiatus for health-related issues. “I’m so glad to be here, I am so excited to be here,” Rapaport told the audience on Monday. “Wendy, thank you so much for trusting me with your show.” Viewers quickly took to social media to express their displeasure with him. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWCrD1_oR51/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In recognition of the achievements of top Black executives, creators, and developers who have made a significant impact in the video gaming industry, The Black in Gaming Foundation will host its fifth annual Black in Gaming (BIG) Awards. The award show will be streamed on Youtube, Facebook, and Streamyard on Saturday, November 13th at 3 p.m. PST/6 p.m. EST. Hosted by long-time black game industry advocates Carl Varnado and gaming executive Laura Teclemariam, the BIG Awards is designed to educate the game industry and recognize Black game developers to honor outstanding accomplishments and help empower the next generation. Will Smith gets candid about his sex life with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in his Apple TV+ interview with Oprah Winfrey. Smith wants you to know that during the early days of his and Jada’s relationship, they had sex multiple times a day, damn near every day. During the most recent episode of “The Oprah Conversation,” Winfrey read excerpts about it from his new memoir, “Will,” via E! News. “We drank every day, and had sex multiple times every day, for four straight months,” Winfrey read. “I started to wonder if this was a competition. Either way, as far as I was concerned, there were only two possibilities: (1) I was going to satisfy this woman sexually, or (2) I was going to die trying.” Winfrey said to Smith, “Since you’re not dead, we assume you won the competition.” Smith replied, “Well, it ended up being a lot more complex than that, Oprah.” Travis Scott has been seen for the first time since last week’s Astroworld disaster pacing outside his $14million Houston mansion where he’s hiding out with girlfriend Kylie Jenner, DailyMail.com can reveal. Travis, real name Jacques Webster, was spotted on the phone, wrapped in an Hermes blanket and pacing with his back turned to the cameras as it’s revealed another victim died Thursday, bringing the death toll from the crowd surge to nine. Bharti Shah ani, a 22-year-old college student from Texas, succumbed to her injuries sustained at last week’s festival after being declared brain dead on Tuesday. On Wednesday afternoon, Travis’ top-notch legal team led by high-powered attorney Neal Manne arrived at the gated mansion as several lawsuits with at least 150 plaintiffs have come flooding in against the rapper and Live Nation Entertainment. Manne and three other attorneys were met by Travis’ security team and quickly ushered inside, where they stayed for about 45 minutes. Far above her, orange flames shot skyward from the stage, illuminating the packed and sweaty Astroworld crowd. Just below her, sticky white floor tiles pressed into her left cheek and curly red hair. Down here, beneath a layer of bodies, everything sounded muffled to Cynthia Lira, as though she were in an underground tunnel. She saw only darkness. Days later, the petite college student would call this the “sinkhole” – the spot in the mosh pit where she was pulled down as she clawed through a mass of humans who seemed knit together and away from the catwalk where Travis Scott performed. Seconds before, she had heard the rapper, one of her favorite artists, instruct the crowd to move side-to-side, and she instantly knew what was coming: a massive wave that would topple her. The son of basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was sentenced to six months in jail for stabbing a Southern California neighbor with a hunting knife during an argument over trash cans, prosecutors said Wednesday. Adam Abdul-Jabbar, 29, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of carrying a dirk or dagger, with sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Abdul-Jabbar accepted a plea deal from an Orange County judge. The sentence was stayed until Jan. 7 so that Abdul-Jabbar can apply for home confinement instead of incarceration, the DA’s office said. Probation officials will decide whether he will be permitted home confinement. Prosecutors had sought a seven-year jail sentence and objected to the plea offer. Many Trump staffers blamed themselves for Herman Cain’s death from COVID-19, according to a new book. Cain attended Trump’s rally in Tulsa last year and tested positive for the virus days after.“We killed Herman Cain,” one senior Trump staffer reportedly said after his death. When news hit that former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died of COVID-19 a month after he attended then-President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa last summer, many of the president’s campaign staffers blamed themselves for his death, according to a new book. “We killed Herman Cain,” one senior Trump staffer reportedly told ABC News reporter Will Steakin, who also attended the Tulsa event on June 20, 2020. That’s according to an excerpt of ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl’s forthcoming book, “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show,” published in Vanity Fair on Thursday. The book is slated to come out on November 16. The Trump campaign flew in Cain, a prominent Republican who co-chaired the coalition Black Voices for Trump, to attend the Tulsa rally last year, according to the book. He, along with many other attendees, were photographed at the indoor event without masks. Trump’s team spent months organizing the rally, which was billed as the president’s comeback to the campaign trail since the start of the pandemic. Trump was “convinced” that getting back on the road would boost his low public approval ratings caused by the pandemic and his response to the outbreak, per the book. French police released Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Aminata Diallo from custody on Thursday without charge but are still investigating an attack on one of her teammates, prosecutors said. Diallo and one other person were detained for questioning on Wednesday about an attack on teammate Kheira Hamraoui last week, according to the Versailles prosecutor’s office. Both were released Thursday pending further investigation. The second person was not identified. No charges have been filed but the investigation will continue, the prosecutor’s office said. No other details were released. Hamraoui and Diallo, both midfielders, play for PSG and France’s national team. Quarterback Cam Newton has agreed to a deal with the Carolina Panthers that will bring him back to the team that he helped reach the Super Bowl in 2015, it was announced Thursday. The deal, which is pending a physical, is worth up to $10 million for the remainder of the season, including $4.5 million guaranteed and a $1.5 million roster bonus, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Panthers, who selected Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, released him following the 2019 season after he had struggled for several years with shoulder and foot injuries. They began a new regime with coach Matt Rhule at that time. Suspended Georgia linebacker Adam Anderson was booked at the Athens-Clarke County jail Wednesday night after being charged with raping a 21-year-old woman as she slept. Anderson’s attorney, Steve Sadow, said in a statement released that Anderson ‘voluntarily surrendered’ at the Athens-Clarke County Sherriff’s office. Jail records show Anderson was booked at 7:45pm. ‘Adam is innocent of the charge brought against him and intends to vigorously defend himself in court,’ Sadow said in the statement. ‘He will seek release on bond. Once again, Adam hopes and prays that the UGA community and the public keep an open mind and afford him the presumption of innocence that the law demands.’ Anderson was suspended by Georgia last week while being investigated by Athens-Clarke County Police for the alleged rape. n her retelling of the story, Kim Mulkey is standing at the front of the room before members of LSU’s marching band. Hired as the Tigers’ new women’s basketball coach in April, this is her introduction to the famous Golden Band from Tigerland, a group notorious for playing a sample of the 1984 hip hop song, “Talkin’ Out Da Side of Ya Neck.” “Neck,” as it is referred to in Baton Rouge, is beloved here and also blacklisted during games because of the vulgar chant that students and fans attach to it when played. While addressing band members for the first time, Mulkey is moving through her normal talking points, but the band seems uninterested. She needs something to fire them up, to light a spark. A South Carolina preacher gave a live sermon as he filmed his house burning on Sunday, reminding his followers that ‘God is good.’ 'Apostle’ Sammy Smith, 64, founder of the Grace Cathedral Ministries in Piedmont, South Carolina, live-streamed his burning home on Facebook on November 7 saying he never lost faith – just his razor. Despite watching flames engulf his house, the chipper preacher still said ‘I’m doing church this morning. I can’t shave, I thought I could shave. Looks like I might not be able to shave much this morning. ‘But I just wanted everyone to know that God is good. He is blessing us. Everything gonna be alright. I always say He will make a way and sometimes we don’t understand and as I’ve been saying recently, God might not put the blessing in your hand, but in your reach.’ Ezra Blount, 9, whose father dropped him as he passed out holding him aloft above a surge of fast-compressing bodies at Friday’s deadly Astroworld Festival is one of hundreds injured at the Houston event – with extensive damage to his lungs, heart and brain, the trampled boy could soon join the eight who lost their lives there. The boy traveled from his mother’s in Dallas to see one of his favorite artists with his dad, Treston. The boy’s father said he passed out while holding the boy up so he wouldn’t be crushed – when he came to at the venue’s medical tent, his son had been admitted by himself to an area hospital as a John Doe. https://youtu.be/Q7JH6NetbIE Travis Scott faced new fury today as it emerged that he went to an after-party with Drake after eight people died at his Astroworld festival on Friday. ‘Travis didn’t know the severity of the situation when he arrived at the party,’ a source told TMZ, adding that the rapper left the party when deaths had been confirmed. But a ‘mass casualty event’ had been declared by city officials 30 minutes before he cut his performance short. And Scott, 30, faced a new wave of backlash today over an eerie video which shows him singing ‘yeah’ repeatedly into a microphone as an unconscious fan was carried out just a few feet away from him. He and Drake are being sued by 68 victims for ‘inciting mayhem’ and stand to lose ‘billions’ after more than 300 casualties were treated at an emergency field hospital in the aftermath, 11 others went into cardiac arrest and dozens more were knocked unconscious. Powerhouse Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry said his firm is being contacted by ‘more and more’ injured people by the hour and ‘the damages suffered by [the Astroworld tragedy’s] victims could total in the billions.’ The Black principal of a majority-white Texas high school who has been embroiled in a controversy over critical race theory was forced to resign after months of accusations that he indoctrinated students. The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District board of trustees voted Monday to part ways with the principal, James Whitfield, who was suspended this year at majority-white Colleyville Heritage High School in the Fort Worth area. The school board had voted in September not to renew Whitfield’s contract, NBC Dallas-Forth Worth reported. “This is beyond me,” he said in an interview Monday with NBC News. “I’m hopeful that we can use this to move forward and to progress and get some true meaningful change and for people to be OK with teaching truth, people to be OK with embracing inclusivity and diversity, celebrating every student that walks through the doors of our schools.” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski is facing backlash for comments he made in a text message to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, in which he appeared to blame the death of two Black and Latino children who were killed on the childrens’ parents. In his text to the mayor this past April, Kempczinski was discussing the deaths of Jaslyn Adams, a 7-year-old who was shot and killed while sitting in a car with her father in a McDonald’s parking lot in Chicago, and Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latino boy killed by police in March. He called both deaths “tragic,” but then said that in each case, “the parents failed those kids which I know is something you can’t say. Even harder to fix.” The messages, revealed after an unnamed activist filed a public information request, were sent one day after Adams was killed. Kempczinski has since apologized for his remarks. “I have not walked in the shoes of Adam’s or Jaslyn’s family and so many others who are facing a very different reality,” he said in a letter to employees. “Not taking the time to think about this from their viewpoint was wrong. Joe Madison, host of SiriusXM Urban View’s Joe Madison The Black Eagle and member of the National Radio Hall of Fame, announced on his program that he’s starting a hunger strike in protest of voting rights not getting passed in the Senate. “As a political protest, I am beginning a hunger strike today by abstaining from eating until Congress passes, and President Biden signs, the Freedom to Vote Act or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,” Madison stated. Both bills were recently passed by the House of Representatives and both have stalled in the Senate. https://youtu.be/QyS3EtjipEY House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) issued an early endorsement in Wisconsin’s Democratic Senate primary on Monday, throwing his support behind frontrunner Mandela Barnes, who serves as the state’s lieutenant governor. “Mandela is hands-down the best candidate to defeat Senator Ron Johnson, expand our majority in the United States Senate, and deliver results for the people of Wisconsin,” Clyburn said in a statement. The Democratic whip noted Barnes’s “historic candidacy” in the same statement. Barnes would be the first Black senator from Wisconsin if elected. “Mandela is a proven leader who has shown he will always stand up for people from every corner of Wisconsin,” Clyburn said. “The son of a proud union family, Mandela learned firsthand what it takes to work hard and fight to create opportunities for middle-class families.” A Florida high school student was found safe after she went missing during a school field trip in Georgia, officials announced Monday night, according to multiple reports. Mia Brailford, 16, was located at an Alabama address, CBS News reported, citing police. Officials detained a male subject in connection with Mia’s disappearance, according to CBS News. Mia, who vanished over the weekend while on a field trip with her JROTC unit in Georgia, was found at a home in Phenix City, Alabama, CBS News reported. The man who was detained is expected to be charged with interstate interference with child custody, a felony, according to CBS News. Mia, an 11th-grader at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach, was last seen in her tent about 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Gerald Lawhorn Scouting Base in rural Molena, WPTV News 5 reported. When Justin Duggar announced his engagement to his now-wife Claire the day after his 18th birthday last year, social media users found the timing suspicious — and now Claire has confirmed that Justin did, in fact, propose when he was just 17. On November 5 of this year, the 20-year-old bride said that it had been exactly a year since Justin popped the question — meaning he was ten days shy of being legally allowed to wed when he asked her to be his wife. Though Claire has limited Instagrammers’ ability to comment on her post, Redditors have called it ‘insane’ that the youngsters were planning their wedding before Justin was even old enough to vote.The couple had first announced their engagement on November 16, 2020, a day after Justin — who was born in 2002 — turned 18, the legal age to marry without parental permission. In Arkansas, children can marry at age 17 with parental consent, while only emancipated minors can marry at 16 or 17 in Texas. Fans and critics speculated that the timing was incredibly close, with many guessing that they’d already been engaged for some time — but waited to share the news publicly because they knew the optics weren’t good. But now Claire has officially confirmed what so many guessed: Her baby-faced husband was, indeed, still legally a child when he got down on one knee. More concerns over COVID-19 have struck the Minnesota Vikings this week, including a vaccinated player who was admitted to an emergency room Tuesday night.“One of our players that was vaccinated, he had to go to the ER last night because of COVID. It’s serious stuff,” coach Mike Zimmer told reporters Wednesday. “Like 29 guys are getting tested because of close contact, including myself.” Zimmer declined to name the hospitalized player but said he is in stable condition. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport later reported the player hospitalized was offensive lineman Dakota Dozier. Dozier was placed on the team’s COVID-19 list last Friday. Cleveland Browns running backs Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton tested positive for COVID-19, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Both players are vaccinated, so their status for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots remains in question. Each player would need two negative tests 24 hours apart to play. The Browns announced Tuesday afternoon that they had placed both Chubb and Felton on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Browns had another running back, John Kelly, go on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday. With Kareem Hunt (calf) currently on injured reserve, Cleveland is down to just one running back at the moment — D’Ernest Johnson, who also is vaccinated, a source told ESPN. Aaron Rodgers returned to The Pat McAfee show on Tuesday to apologize for not following the league’s COVID-19 protocols. The Packers star quarterback took a moment to acknowledge his role as an athlete with fans that look up to him. “I acknowledge am a role model to a lot of people,” Rodgers said on the show. “I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading. To anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility.” Tuesday’s show appearance for Rodgers comes four days after he openly discussed his reasons for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Rodgers said that he plans to stay out of the politics between the league and its COVID-19 policies. Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson recently recognized the 30th anniversary of his retirement from the NBA following his HIV diagnosis.On Sunday, Johnson, now 62, took to social media to reflect on how God has used the past three decades of his life. “God has really blessed me! Today marks 30 years living with HIV, so the message resonated with me in such a tremendous way. I thank the Lord for keeping me, giving me strength, and guiding me for 62 years but especially the last 30,” Johnson wrote in a series of tweets. God has really blessed me! Today marks 30 years living with HIV so the message resonated with me in such a tremendous way. I thank the Lord for keeping me, giving me strength, and guiding me for 62 years but especially the last 30. ???? — Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 7, 2021 “Through it all, I learned to trust in Jesus, and I learned to trust in God!” he added. Through it all I learned to trust in Jesus and I learned to trust in God! — Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 7, 2021 U.S. food banks already dealing with increased demand from families sidelined by the pandemic now face a new challenge — surging food prices and supply chain issues walloping the nation. The higher costs and limited availability mean some families may get smaller servings or substitutions for staples such as peanut butter, which some food banks are buying for nearly double what it cost two years ago. As holidays approach, some food banks worry they won’t have enough stuffing and cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas. “What happens when food prices go up is food insecurity for those who are experiencing it just gets worse,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Feeding America, a nonprofit organization that coordinates the efforts of more than 200 food banks across the country. The woman who fatally shot a Brooklyn mother in a heinous act that was caught-on-video has been arrested in Florida. The victim’s family previously revealed that the alleged killer is a family friend. As reported by PEOPLE, Claudia Banton was taken into custody Monday in Jacksonville, Fla. and is awaiting extradition to New York. A NYC surveillance video shows the disturbing footage of the victim being executed on a crowded street in Crown Heights. A woman quickly approached the victim, identified as Delia Johnson, and shot her in the back of the head and again in her leg as she collapsed. The shooter quickly ran for cover and left the scene in a white SUV. https://youtu.be/4bx_Ahf_Gh4 Travis Scott reportedly attended an afterparty after his Astroworld show on November 5, and he was allegedly unaware that eight people had been killed at the concert. Several victims have filed lawsuits against Travis Scott and Live Nation, with the total number of lawsuits reaching 35. A nine-year-old boy is currently in a medically-induced coma after suffering life-threatening injuries at Astroworld. The boy’s family has lawyered up with famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Meanwhile, the team behind the Astroworld festival reportedly instructed security members not to mention the word “dead” over the radio as bodies were piling up. The deceased were instead referred to as “smurfs,” Radar reports. https://youtu.be/qh1nDpR4TlI A #Tennessee pastor prevented a possible mass shooting when he tackled a gunman during a Sunday church service.? During a #NashvilleLightMissionPentecostalChurch service, the mostly Black congregation was enjoying the word while 26-year-old Dezire Baganda sat towards the front of the sanctuary. Baganda pulled out a gun for no apparent reason and walked up to the altar where Pastor Ezekiel Ndikumana was praying with church members. The deranged man waved the gun around and demanded the congregation stand up as he pointed the weapon at them.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CWCe9AAtlRT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again R Kelly’s cellmate in Brooklyn has created a comic book about their life in jail together. Brendan Hunt, 37, a suspected white supremacist, was convicted of threatening to kill elected officials. According to reports, he targeted prominent Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, with anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric. Hunt filed the drawings in Brooklyn Federal Court as part of a request that he be sentenced to time-served. It’s not a secret that Black businesses across America need help growing and sustaining their respective service(s) or product-driven entities. And while the current pandemic has disproportionately impacted Black business owners and entrepreneurs, data show that even before the pandemic, many Black business owners and entrepreneurs across the country were experiencing poor business outcomes. Much of the downward trajectories of Black businesses and Black entrepreneurs can be attributed to the limited or even absence of supportive ecosystems dedicated to the startup, growth, and sustainability of African American businesses. In a quest to establish and maintain a strong and wide-sweeping supportive networking platform, specifically for Black businesses, entrepreneur Michael Sadler, in partnership with his brother Bryan Sadler, started The Black Business Company (BBCO). https://youtu.be/wlJYlXIGrH8 Brian Williams is exiting NBC News, Insider has learned. Williams is the longtime anchor of “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams,” on the NBCUniversal-owned cable news MSNBC. His departure comes after weeks of negotiations about his contract, which was expiring, several people told Insider. His contract was set to end next month. Williams was said to have had enough of the grind and considering his future, one person said. Some have tipped him as a possible anchorman at CBS News, which is in the midst of a shakeup. The well-dressed former “Nightly News” anchorman spent a decade in the early evening slot before being engulfed in controversy after he told a story in 2015 about being shot down on a helicopter. The recollection turned out to be mistaken and Williams blamed his confusion, but members of the military were not satisfied. Since that time, Williams has resurrected his reputation and been regularly tapped by NBC News for political specials in prime time. https://youtu.be/xJOvkrNQKk4 Season three of the popular cooking show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN continues with an all-new episode this Wednesday, November 10 at 9:30 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells returns to prepare even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv4pcCa3drw An exclusive clip from this week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airing Thursday, Nov. 11, where Amber opens up about how Siir Brock coming out ruined their sex life. https://youtu.be/LIkUh5cbvi0 Maverick City Music was launched in 2018, after hosting seventeen songwriting camps which brought together over one hundred Christian artists and songwriters. Maverick City Music made extraordinary headlines with their release Old Church Basement, a collab album with Elevation Worship, which broke streaming records at both Apple Music and Spotify. Old Church Basement features vocals from celebrated singers: Chandler Moore, Brandon Lake, Naomi Raine, Chris Brown, Dante Bowe, Tiffany Hudson, Joe L Barnes, and Amanda Lindsey Cook. Maverick City Music holds over 1M subscribers on YouTube and recently took home multiple GMA Dove Awards, multiple Stellar Awards and nominations for American Music Awards and 2021 Soul Train Awards. The collective is currently nominated for a 2021 American Music Award and a 2021 Soul Train Award. During a press conference at the final tour stop, The State Farm Arena, Maverick City Music, was presented a plaque for reaching 1M subscribers on YouTube; while at the Atlanta tour after party, Maverick City Music was surprised with their trophy from the Stellar Awards and Billboard Music Award wins. We are sending out birthday greetings to Jonathan Nelson today, who is blessed to be one of America's premiere songwriters. Radio has validated that with his latest creation, Manifest well on its way to the Number One spot on radio. Hear Jonathan Nelson In His Own Words, in the Gospel Spotlight. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Jonathan_Nelson_intvw.htm Tulsa native Kode Ransom is nominated in the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) for his Spoken Word recording of his original piece “Oklahoma Made.” In the poem the hip hop poet cleverly weaves in 31 names of the sons and daughters of the OK state, while celebrating their individual and collective accomplishments. A true story teller, his work as a hip hop artist is geared towards telling the stories that are rarely, if ever, told. “Oklahoma Made” was created for the forthcoming music compilation album 1921…The Black Wall Street Music Project. This is Ransom’s first nomination for the HMMA. Former President Barack Obama looked beyond his audience of delegates at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland Monday and focused his attention on the young activists watching online, pleading with the generation to adopt a more conciliatory approach to their fight. https://youtu.be/9xUgoxagJJA The pandemic-era economy has many unusual and uncertain features that have made it difficult to analyze. And one of the major open questions is what this economic period will do to wages and prices long-term. On one hand, wages are increasing at a faster rate than they have since the depths of the Great Recession. Many employers are raising their wages—especially in lower-earning jobs—to attract more workers at a time when unemployment is high; however, businesses are struggling to fill positions. At the same time, rising prices and inflation are a fear, but economic experts disagree about whether the economy is in the midst of a problematic inflationary period. Teyana Taylor was extra vigilant when she saw a fan in distress during the last stop of her The Last Rose Petal Farewell Tour at The Novo in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The singer was quick to stop her performance to make sure a fan in the crowd was okay. “Is she okay?” Taylor repeatedly asks. “Bring her up here. [Is} She okay?” She then seemingly references the tragic events at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston this past weekend that left 8 dead and hundreds injured. The rapper has been hit with a wave of lawsuits and Taylor jokes, “I’m about to retire, you ain’t gonna sue me baby. Let’s make sure we’re good.” She then instructs security to help the fan sit on the edge of the stage. https://twitter.com/i/status/1458164098848501764 Casting is underway for In the Black and popular American actor Richard Gant has been attached to the project in the role of Harry Gairy. Produced by CaribbeanTales Media Group and directed by Frances-Anne Solomon, the feature film is an adaptation of entrepreneur and activist Denham Jolly’s memoir of the same name. In the Black focuses on Jolly’s journey from Jamaica to Canada, the enormous influence Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey had on his life as well as Jolly’s fight to secure a licence for a Black-owned Toronto radio station, Flow 93.5. Experience the cinematic music event of the year featuring Oscar® and Grammy® Award winner and vocal powerhouse Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) as legendary singer Aretha Franklin in the inspiring true story “Respect,” available to own for the first time on Digital now and on Blu-ray™ and DVD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. https://youtu.be/qTtxoz3OIlU Friends and family of the eight young people who died and those of the hundreds who were injured at Travis Scott’s music festival in Houston are demanding that the rapper be held accountable for the tragedy, as his guest star Drake broke his silence to mourn the victims. Relatives on Monday were still coming to terms with the disaster, which saw victims aged from 14 to 27 crushed to death on Friday night as a sizable group of the 50,000 in attendance pushed toward the stage at NRG Park as a timer clicked down to the start of the performance. One woman, identified only as Rachel, was furious over the death of her friend Franco Patino, a 21-year-old from Illinois, studying at the University of Dayton in Ohio. ‘My friend is gone FOREVER because of Astroworld,’ she tweeted. ‘The anger I have over this is insane. Travis Scott is going to have to do a hell of a lot more than post a notes-app apology.’ A former Spanish Bishop has been accused of being “possessed” after he left the clergy to be in a relationship with an erotic fiction writer and began working at a company that exports pig semen. Xavier Novell, the ex-Bishop emeritus of Solsona, made headlines in September after Spanish media reported that he had fallen for Silvia Caballol, a psychologist and erotic novelist. Caballol has authored the books “The Hell of Gabriel’s Lust” and the “Amnesia Trilogy,” the Amazon summary of which includes the question: “What happens when attraction is stronger than any code of ethics or social norms?” Novell was widely considered a rising figure within the Spanish Catholic Church, where he performed exorcisms, according to the Spanish media. He also promoted (and reportedly underwent) harmful “gay conversion” therapy described by victims as “aggressive and destructive.” After resigning, Novell disappeared from public view and has not appeared in the media. Authorities in Minnesota have filed murder charges against two men — a father and son — for their alleged roles in the shooting death of 12-year-old London Bean. Online records accessed by PEOPLE confirm that Jeremiah Marquise Grady, 18, was charged late last month with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with London’s killing. The alleged shooter’s father, 40-year-old Letterance Demont Grady, was subsequently charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of aiding an offender to avoid arrest. Criminal complaints obtained by the Star Tribune allege that Jeremiah Grady fired the shots that killed London on Sept. 8, and that his father, Letterance Grady, drove his son to and from the scene of the violence. The younger Grady turned himself in late last month, and his dad was arrested on Nov. 4, the paper reports. Both remain in police custody, and neither defendant has entered pleas to the charges against them. Jurors were shown graphic, closeup police photos Monday of the gunshot wounds that killed Ahmaud Arbery, while the first officer to find the 25-year-old Black man bleeding in the road testified he did not try to render medical aid because it would not have been safe. Three white men are on trial for murder and other crimes in the slaying of Arbery, who was chased and shot Feb. 23, 2020, after he was spotted running in a neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick. Glynn County police Sgt. Sheila Ramos walked the jury through dozens of crime scene photos she took about an hour after the shooting. Several jurors could be seen squirming as Ramos showed Arbery’s body lying in the street under a bloodstained covering. Other images showed closeup views of the gunshot wounds to his wrist as well as grievous injuries to his chest and underneath one of his arms. A suspected serial killer linked to six recent homicides in Missouri and Kansas was busted by authorities on a federal weapons charge on Friday, a report said. Perez Reed, 25, has not yet been charged in any of the slayings — but at least one prosecutor is already preparing to bring a murder charge after he was arrested with the gun allegedly used in all the crimes, sources told KSDK-TV. The killings took place between September and late October in St. Louis, the surrounding area and Kansas City, Kansas, the report said. Most of the victims were women — some of whom were sex workers, the report said. The victims ranged in age from 16 to 49. Amy Grant was recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame as the Classes of 2020 and 2021 were officially honored during a 50th and 51st Anniversary Hall of Fame Gala earlier this month. Induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame is one of the nation’s highest songwriting achievements. The Hall of Fame has celebrated some of the greatest songwriters in Nashville since 1970. To honor her induction, Grant’s husband Vince Gill took the stage to perform her song “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song),” and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Gretchen Peters presented Grant with the honor. Dionne Warwick stole the show this weekend on Saturday Night Live… and it was technically her show to begin with. The six-time Grammy Award winner, 80, made a surprise appearance Saturday on the recurring sketch The Dionne Warwick Talk Show, in which cast member Ego Nwodim impersonates the iconic singer as the host of her own talk show. https://youtu.be/UHQbl3byYiY Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Lecrae, drops the first episode of his new six-part original web series, “Protect The Bag” today on his YouTube channel to provide fans and viewers with a blueprint for building a financial legacy. The weekly “edutainment” episodes are produced in partnership with Experian, a leading information services company, and Lecrae’s production company, 3 Strand Films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_2lH-9rrG8 Kirk Franklin's A GOSPEL CHRISTMAS is the story of Olivia (Demetria McKinney), a young assistant pastor, getting assigned to be a lead pastor at a new church a month before Christmas, she’s fearful she can't manage the transition, including getting the choir ready to open the town's annual Winter Jamboree. Banding together with her new congregation, Olivia discovers a new home for herself, and even finds a little Christmas romance along the way! Featuring a special appearance and songs written and arranged by Kirk Franklin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1UEacWLFtk Recently formed in 2021 under the direction of Lead Pastor Jeffrey Smith and Creative/Musical Director Richard T. Davis, Stronger Life Music releases their Freshman Album "Waves." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm5Vt2wNsvE TV One 's new series, Life Therapy with AJ Johnson airs tonight, November 9 at 10:00PM ET/9C. This is a must-see life-coaching series shares an intimate look at the stories of individuals' exposing their internal struggles in search of healing. Along with trained mental health professionals, Johnson taps into her natural instinct of nurturing people's suffering to exude positivity in a genuine approach to improve individuals' lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ6LyckPAQw&feature=youtu.be The second season of “Games People Play” kicked off on Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. Based on the popular book by Angela Burt-Murray “Games Divas Play,” “Games People Play” is a sexy, stylized one-hour drama about the L.A. high life, featuring a cast of characters where everyone plays to win, including a basketball player navigating both his equally rocky personal life and NBA career, a newly appointed team marketing executive who’s got a lot to prove, a tenacious journalist desperately seeking the truth and a struggling actress with a scandalous past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znVnyNWwCm8 Students at Howard University have reportedly taken over the Blackburn Center, where many are camping outside until the mold and rodent problem is addressed at the dorms. Howard University reportedly has a mold problem that many students are speaking out about. Mold has been identified in at least 38 dorm rooms out of 2,700 total rooms on campus, per NBC News. Students have reported to the university and shared on social media mold in the dorms, Wi-Fi connection problems, dining halls infested with rats and roaches. While many students claim the administration has been unresponsive, Howard University dean and former actress Phylicia Rashad claims that is not the case. A video of “The Cosby Show” alum surfaced over the weekend showing her with her sister Debbie Allen and commenting on the Blackburn Takeover sit-in protest that is currently happening on campus. https://twitter.com/i/status/1456717461429133317 Viola Davis is set to play former First Lady Michelle Obama in the anthology series titled “First Ladies” at Showtime, and now we have a first look. Per CNN, the first season of “The First Lady” will “peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of these enigmatic women,” according to Showtime, and will revolve around famous First Ladies Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford. https://ew.com/tv/the-first-lady-first-look-viola-davis-gillian-anderson-michelle-pfeiffer/?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_entertainmentweekly&utm_content=new&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=618958bd7ef03c00011cca3e Lionsgate is reportedly exploring plans to sell the Starz network, and 50 Cent is not too pleased by this news. The rapper and entrepreneur posted a screengrab of the news story on Instagram and noted that much of the network’s success is due to his two hit shows. “WTF is this, ?????No Raising Kanan, No BMF, what do you think made their stock jump,” 50 shared with his followers. “I gave them two hits back to back Smh ?these people be crazy, smart as hell but no common sense.” The mogul then proclaimed “I’m gonna look into buying the STARZ network.” https://www.instagram.com/50cent/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3cee6006-66d4-4488-a40a-52cdb9a748ab Singer and rapper Missy Elliot has been immortalized in the Hollywood Walk of Fame with her very own star. The music icon appeared at the ceremony Monday (Nov. 8) on Hollywood Boulevard in front of Amoeba Music. As reported by Vibe, the City of Los Angeles declared Nov. 8 “Missy Elliott Day” as the Virginia native received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Missy was joined by her longtime manager, Mona Scott-Young, and fellow artists Ciara and Lizzo. Chicago acclaimed rapper, Nia Kay’s music video for new single “Ignored” was featured last week on BET Jams Fresh Face Friday and landed herself on the #2 position. This news follows Nia’s summer buzzworthy single “Real” featuring Asian Doll, a cut that was as real as its title has really set the path for hopeful success for the budding rapper. https://www.youtube.com/NiaKay Days after performing at Astroworld on Friday, Drake has issued a statement on the tragedy that left eight dead and hundreds injured. “I’ve spent the past few days trying to wrap my mind around this devastating tragedy. I hate resorting to this platform to express as emotion as delicate as grief but this is where I find myself. My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering,” said Drake in the statement. He adds, “I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can. May God be with you all.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1457157853433810950 After just three years of matrimony, Stevie j and Faith Evans are done. On Monday Stevie j filed divorce docs in Los Angeles County Superior Court according to online records. Stevie and Faith got hitched in Las Vegas in July 2018, tying the knot with an intimate ceremony in their hotel room. The wedding totally blindsided their friends and family. Stevie and Faith did not have any children together … and it’s unclear at this time if there was a prenup. GSN-Attorneys for Los Angeles County are seeking Vanessa Bryant’s therapy records as part of her lawsuit over the circulation of photos of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash site. Bryant claims the leak among sheriff’s deputies and others caused her emotional distress, but the County ain’t buying it since the images were not publicly released. As reported by ABC 7: “In documents filed in Los Angeles federal court late Friday, the county argues that the request is necessary to defend itself from the lawsuit and to show that Bryant did not actually suffer from the circulation of photos taken at the site of the crash last year that killed the NBA legend, the couple’s 13-year-old daughter and seven others,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/dzowI4YoDWQ ComplexCon is a curated festival featuring brands, performances, and streetwear lines that are creating heat and trends in pop culture made its return to Long Beach over the weekend. The two-day fair and open marketplace featured Adidas, CoinBase, Hypland, and Netflix, performances from ASAP Rocky, Lil Yachty, and a Rihanna sighting. In addition, the event offers exclusive fashion collaborations, exclusive sneakers, NFT battles, and other unique merch. In 2014 Cardi B famously proclaimed that a hoe never gets cold, saying“ it’s cold outside but I’m still looking like a thottie — because a hoe never gets cold.” Researchers decided to test her claim and have confirmed it to be true in a scientific study titled, “When looking ‘hot’ means not feeling cold: Evidence that self-objectification inhibits feelings of being cold.” The study was published in the British Journal of Social Psychology in August. “This study tested self-objectification as a mechanism responsible for the muted awareness of bodily sensation demonstrated by Geordie girls and canonized by a quote from the iconic rapper Cardi B — ‘a ho never gets cold,’” the report stated. Jeff Bezos issues jokey Twitter death threat to Leo DiCaprio after his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez was caught ‘thirsting’ over him at gala event. The couple rubbed elbows with DiCaprio on Saturday night at the 10th Annual Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art and Film Gala. The Oscar winner was one of the co-chairs of the star-studded event, which was sponsored by Gucci. DiCaprio, 46, seemed to make quite the impression on Sanchez, 51, who was visibly besotted with him, despite standing next to Bezos, 57. Twitter user @2cooI2blog posted footage of Sanchez cozying up to the Once Upon A Time in Hollywood star, and the post swiftly went viral. In a pre-emptive situation, MGM has secured a deal for the feature film project Jim Jones, with Leonardo DiCaprio in final talks to star as the 1970s religious cult leader who was behind the mass-Jonestown suicide on November 18, 1978 that took more than 900 lives. The Oscar winner will produce for his Appian Way company alongside Jennifer Davisson. MGM scooped up the Scott Rosenberg-penned script in what we hear was a seven-figure deal. The Venom scribe will also executive produce Jim Jones. Jones founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis in 1955, and hailed it as a fully integrated congregation promoting Christian Socialism. By the 1970s he openly rejected traditional Christianity and claimed that he was God. He constructed Jonestown in Guyana in 1974 and spurred a following to live with him there as he touted a socialist paradise free from U.S. government oppression. Amid rumors of human rights abuses, the U.S. government sent a delegation led by U.S. Representative Leo Ryan in November 1978. Ryan along with four other Jonestown defectors would eventually be gunned down by Jones’ followers. Following the shooting, Jones orchestrated a mass murder-suicide of his followers, which took 918 commune members, 304 of them children, in an act that entailed drinking Flavor Aid laced with cyanide. Once Abhimanyu Mishra and his father bought one-way tickets to get them from Englishtown, N.J. to Budapest, there was no turning back. The pandemic was still raging, but that tiny pathogen didn’t stop the countdown clock separating a 12-year-old boy known as Abhi from history. Mishra was on a mission to become the youngest ever chess grandmaster. “It was very scary and we knew it was a big risk,” Abhi said. “But we needed more tournaments. We had to try it. Former Mets relief pitcher Pedro Feliciano died in his sleep on Sunday night, according to ESPN’s Eduardo Perez. Feliciano, 45, had a nine-year MLB career, all with the Mets. The left-hander was a native of Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 1995 and floated through systems in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, New York and Japan before landing with the Mets for a third time in 2006. After making the team out of spring training, Feliciano became a key lefty specialist for the team, leading the majors in games pitched in 2008 with 86. He ranks second in franchise history in games pitched with 459, behind John Franco. GSN-NFL Week 9 scores: Indianapolis Colts – 45 > New York Jets – 30 New York Giants – 23 > Las Vegas Raiders – 16 Atlanta Falcons – 27 > New York Giants – 25 Jacksonville Jaguars – 9 > Buffalo Bills – 6 Cleveland Browns – 41 > Cincinnati Bengals – 16 New England – 24 > Carolina Panthers – 6 Denver Broncos – 30 > Dallas Cowboys – 16 Baltimore Ravens – 34 > Minnesota Vikings – 31 Miami Dolphins – 17 > Houston Texans – 9 Los Angeles Chargers – 27 > Philadelphia Eagles – 24 Kansas City Chiefs – 13 > Green Bay Packers – 7 Arizona Cardinals – 31 > San Francisco 49ers – 17 Tennessee Titans – 28 > Los Angeles Rams – 16 Pittsburgh Steelers – 29 > Chicago Bears – 27 Congressional leaders and advocates joined together demanding tech companies take action on Spanish-language disinformation. According to a panel of expert researchers, rampant false information on Facebook and other major platforms persist as similar information in English is removed. Convened by the tech and civil rights organization Free Press, legislators and advocates gathered last Wednesday to lay out the current state of disinformation as it pertains to Spanish language content. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan pointed out that platforms spend more resources rooting out misinformation in English but often overlook the same false information in Spanish. He also called out the ways in which trust, a foundational principle of democracy, has been under attack. On Nov. 5, The Biden administration successfully passed their long-awaited infrastructure bill. The 78-year-old president gushed about the big victory after the $1.2 trillion piece of legislation passed through the House with a 228-206 vote. Biden has the Congressional Black Caucus to thank for the final push. Black lawmakers negotiated with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to sign off on the bill to pour trillions of dollars into damaged roads, bridges, tunnels, and transit. Initially, Democrats were steadfast in their decision to pass the infrastructure bill and the president social welfare and climate change proposal estimated at $1.85 trillion. Still, the idea was shot down by House officials. Black Caucus members pushed for Pelosi to pass the bill immediately and then hold a vote for the larger climate bill hopefully come mid-November, The New York Times noted. The mutual-aid organization, For The Gworls, recently launched a new effort to alleviate some of the barriers facing Black Transgender people. What started with a rent party in July 2019 has now turned into a holistic support program that recently expanded into offering gender-affirming wigs and spiritual consultations. “We understand the importance of expanding our offerings to provide Black trans people with services that help them feel comfortable with their gender expression,” said Asanni Armon, founder of For The Gworls, in a statement. “These new services act as an extension to the work we’re already doing, as physical wellness intimately intertwines with emotional and spiritual health.” Founded in 2019, For The Gworls has supported more than 300 requests for rental assistance and over 100 requests for medical funds. As of July 2021, the group has redistributed over $1.5 million in aid. Applications for support for affirmative surgery are expected to open in early 2022. Republican Winsome Sears, a gun-toting ex-marine, has been elected as Virginia’s new lieutenant governor. She made history by becoming the first woman and the first Black woman to serve in the position. I am at a loss for words for the first time in my life,” Sears said in an address to supporters on election night. “…What you are looking at is the American dream. The American dream.” Sears, 57, who was born in Jamaica, previously served in Virginia’s House of Delegates. CBS News writes: “she was the first Black Republican woman, first female veteran and first “legal immigrant” woman elected to that position, she says on her campaign website.” I am at a loss for words for the first time in my life,” Sears said in an address to supporters on election night. “…What you are looking at is the American dream. The American dream.” Sears, 57, who was born in Jamaica, previously served in Virginia’s House of Delegates. CBS News writes: “she was the first Black Republican woman, first female veteran and first “legal immigrant” woman elected to that position, she says on her campaign website.” Political pundit Jemele Hill tweeted on election night Tuesday that the victories by Republicans in the state, including Glenn Youngkin who defeated former Governor Terry McAuliffe, were wins for white supremacy. The Los Angeles police department allegedly targeted Nipsey Hussle’s The Marathon Clothing store before his death in 2019, labeling it a “hot spot” for crime. Hussle was fatally shot outside his store in Los Angeles in March 2019. According to reports, the suspected gunman, Eric Holder, became enraged when Nipsey talked back to him after he fired off two shots that hit the L.A. native. The L.A. County District Attorney charged Holder with 4 crimes, including premeditated murder. A Grand Jury indicted him on murder, 2 counts of attempted murder, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Additionally, the Grand Jury added 2 counts of assault with a firearm for the victims who were shot but survived. https://youtu.be/SF457Help0Q “Queens” star Eve is taking a break from the hit ABC series as she is going on maternity leave. The rapper announced last week that she is expecting her first child in February 2022. The singer-actress plays one of the leads on the new ABC drama, alongside Natuti Naughton, Nadine Velazquez, Brandy and Eve. We previously reported, the series per Deadline, tells the story of four estranged women who reunite to recapture their fame as a ’90s hip-hop group. Eve and her husband, Maximillion Cooper, both shared the news of her pregnancy via Instagram. Chris Pratt admitted in a Friday Instagram story that he woke up feeling ‘upset’ and ‘depressed’ after incurring backlash for a controversial Instagram post on Thursday November 4. The 42-year-old Guardians of the Galaxy star had sparked outrage with an early birthday post to his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, during which he thanked her for giving him a ‘healthy’ daughter which many saw as ‘ableist.”I went to bed last night really kind of upset and depressed and I woke up feeling crappy and I didn’t want to work out,’ Pratt said in excerpt. An Illinois mother was charged in the deaths of her five children on Wednesday after she allegedly left them unattended and they died in a house fire. Sabrina Dunigan, 34, was said to have left their apartment to pick up her boyfriend from work when the fire broke out on her birthday on August 6 at around 3am. Her children were identified as Deontae Davis, nine, twins Heaven and Neveah Dunigan, eight, Jabari Johnson, four, and Loy-el Dunigan, two. She was charged with five felony counts of endangering the life of a child resulting in death. The cause of the fire, however, has still not been determined. Democrats across Virginia expressed profound disappointment on Wednesday after Republicans romped to an unlikely victory in the governor’s race, an ominous sign for the Democratic Party ahead of next year’s midterm elections. But one group refused to be blamed for the party’s poor showing: Black voters and elected officials. Fears about Black turnout and a lack of enthusiasm did not materialize in Tuesday’s results, as former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, ran close to expected totals in the state’s majority-Black areas. Instead, Black state leaders and voters who backed Mr. McAuliffe said the results were a sign that the party could not rely on minority voters to cover its cratering totals in more white areas of the state, particularly in rural communities that voted heavily for Glenn Youngkin, the Republican businessman who won the governor’s race. “I believe that Black voters are easily the first target for when things don’t go for how they want it to go,” said Marcia Price, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates who won re-election. “It’s a trash take to look at us and not the middle,” she said. “The middle said Youngkin is more palatable than Trump and they were willing to take a chance with him.” Chloe Bailey is a force to be reckoned with. As she embarks on her solo career separate for her sister, Halle Bailey, the 23-year-old is without a doubt at the top of her game, having ruled the airwaves with her debut single, “Have Mercy,” and completely owning her confidence with it comes to showing off her beauty, body, and talent. Although she’s widely loved by many especially after her stamp of approval from Beyoncé herself, Chloe admits that this stage of her life could be described as “complicated” and sat down with Refinery29 to explain her struggles with self-love, imposter syndrome, and social media critics. “Some of the challenges that I’m navigating that no one really sees is that I’m still battling anxiety and I think I have imposter syndrome because no matter what I do, I feel like it’s never good enough,” she told the online publication. “I’m always trying to beat myself and outdo myself. If I can’t or if there’s like the slightest struggle, I tend to beat myself up.” Rutgers University has officially installed a new president. Jonathan Holloway is the first African American to hold the position in the school’s 250-year history. In his speech, Holloway said that Rutgers remains a work in progress and is never truly finished. “In my administration, I will continue to call upon our better spirits and present a new narrative about the university. One that points to the abundant excellence that is already here and the excellence that it can attain if we find ways to believe in ourselves,” Holloway said. The university Board of Governors appointed Holloway on Tuesday, but he has been in the position since July 2020. He had to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic while in his new role. What began as words of hope printed on the back of advertising flyers became a lifetime endeavor for Elise Ford Allen, founder of The Traveler Weekly newspaper. Allen died Nov. 3 at her home. She was 100 years old. Allen made history in 1966 by becoming the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in Peoria. The effort arose from her desire to fight discrimination and to lift up others. Her first editorial appeared on advertising flyers produced by the family’s printing company. Allen’s husband, James, ran the presses, and her 10 children distributed the flyers around the community. A building on the University of Alabama campus now bears the name of UA’s first Black faculty member. The building formerly known as A.B. Moore Hall, home of UA’s Department of Kinesiology, has officially been renamed Archie Wade Hall. Wade, who joined the UA faculty in 1970 and worked in the Department of Kinesiology for 30 years, said the Wednesday dedication ceremony represented “the peak of my association with the university.” “To look at the building where I worked for 30 years and to see it bear my name and my family’s name — there is no higher peak than that,” Wade said in a news release from UA. Wade earned his doctorate from UA and became a tenured professor. He was a founding member of the Black Faculty and Staff Association. He also contributed the integration of UA football on and off the field. In September 1964, Wade was one of three Black spectators to integrate the stands of Denny Stadium, which is now known as Bryant-Denny Stadium. Wade also helped legendary coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant recruit some of the first Black student-athletes to play for the Crimson Tide. Some residents of a Michigan community are calling for its treasurer to resign after she acknowledged referring to a Black official as a “boy.” A small group of people protested Thursday outside Mount Morris Township offices near Flint and 78 miles (125 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, MLive-The Flint Journal reported. Treasurer Gayle Armstrong told the newspaper she called township Chief Financial Officer Greg Eason a “boy” during a conversation with township Supervisor Jolena Sims, according to the newspaper. The word “boy,” when referring to Black men is considered derogatory. Armstrong, who is white, said it wasn’t meant as a racial slur. During an Oct. 11 township board meeting, Armstrong acknowledged using “boy” in reference to Eason. Armstrong said then that the comment reflected the way Sims uses Eason to carry out her directives and how Sims, who also is Black, treats him. Travis Scott has been hit by one of what is expected to be several lawsuits over the eight people who died Friday night at his Astroworld Festival in Houston. In the wake of the tragedy, the rapper/entrepreneur issued a statement: “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” Travis said in the statement on Twitter. https://www.instagram.com/p/CV-0VP_Iwl_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kylie Jenner took to Instagram to defend Travis Scott, following the deaths of 8 people Friday night at his Astroworld Festival in Houston. “Travis and I are broken and devastated. My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in any way by yesterday’s events,” Jenner said in a statement, Complex reports. Scott posted a video saying he would have stopped the show if only he had known how serious the situation was. He is offering to pay funeral costs for the families of the 8 people who passed away, TMZ reports. A father and son died in a freak accident while transporting bags of firecrackers to a family event on Thursday. As reported by the India Times, Kalainesan and his seven-year-old son Pradeesh were on their way to celebrate Diwali with family when both died in an explosion near the Puducherry-Tamil Nadu border. The two were traveling together on a motorbike and carrying bags of country-made firecrackers. Sadly, the fireworks exploded, killing both on the spot. https://twitter.com/i/status/1456320313726099460 Vin Diesel is ready to end his feud with Dwayne Johnson, and he’s calling on the former pro wrestler to return to the “Fast & Furious” franchise. Johnson and Diesel have been feuding since wrapping production of “The Fate of the Furious” in 2016. While filming, Johnson referred to several of his male co-stars as “candy asses.” Diesel wants to put their differences behind them, as he made clear in a Sunday Instagram post. “My little brother Dwayne … the time has come,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself with Johnson in Fast Five. “The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes… but the time has come.” “Legacy awaits,” Diesel continued. “I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10! I say this out of love … but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play.” https://www.instagram.com/vindiesel/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=aea6d09c-eb3e-4eb2-8527-cbc594a31318 The Apple TV Plus limited series “The Shrink Next Door” marks the onscreen reunion of Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. Audiences that loved the duo in the hit comedy “Anchorman” are in for a different type of experience! This series is inspired by actual events and based on the podcast of the same name. https://youtu.be/HpbC72kXOsc Torrei Hart is telling people to calm down after a sarcastic comment she left on a heartwarming video had folks calling her, “bitter.” The Shade Room’s Instagram page shared video of a woman, Janelle Tinch, who gave her husband, Dre Tinch, his dream car for his 29th birthday, a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. Dre broke down in tears upon seeing the gift, which he eventually took for a test drive. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVzTrqNlItQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Coronji Calhoun Sr., the actor who at age 10 played the son of Halle Berry and Sean “Diddy” Combs in the 2001 film “Monster’s Ball,” died on Oct. 13 in Louisiana at age 31. Calhoun’s mother, Theresa Bailey, tells local news outlet 4WWL that the cause of death is congestive heart failure and problems with his lungs. Funeral arrangement are pending in St. Charles Parish for the New Sarpy, La. native. Bailey says her son did not have life insurance, so a GoFundMe account has been created. Calhoun was one of six children. He leaves behind a 10-year-old son and 13-year-old step-son. https://youtu.be/F7YC1TuKUao Silk Sonic, aka Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak – are back! If you thought “Leave the Door Open” was all that, their new jam, “Smokinn Out The Window” is guaranteed to have you rethinking things. https://youtu.be/ULjiI-jiqGs A weekend event featuring a b speech by George Zimmerman was cancelled by an Idaho hotel group after the company found out the man who murdered Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was set to be a headlining attraction at their venue. The gathering, billed as the Lethal Force Gun Laws 2021 Tactics & Strategies Conference, was suppose to start Friday and end on Monday at The Riverside Hotel in Boise. The Idaho Statesman released a statement that the hotelier scratched the event after learning about its “incendiary details” through social media. That report stated the hotel owners cited for its reason the “immense pain” Zimmerman caused its “guests, team-members and community” when he took the life of the unarmed Black teen in February of 2012. On Saturday, in the wake of the tragedy the Travis Scott‘s Astroworld festival, the rapper/entrepreneur issued a statement. “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” the rapper said in the statement on Twitter. Scott went on to thank first responders and Houston’s NRG Park, where eight people were killed and dozens of others were injured at the event. https://www.instagram.com/laworion/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f6b25a62-a853-4c0a-872f-6787badd9618 Travis Scott shared his shock after eight people were crushed to death at his Houston concert on Friday – but the rapper has twice been convicted for encouraging fans to jump security barriers and rush the stage at previous concerts. Scott, born Jacques Bermon Webster II, posted an emotional video saying he was ‘devastated’ about the deaths at Houston’s Astroworld Fest on his Instagram Saturday. He added: ‘I can’t imagine anything like this happening.’ Police investigating a deadly crush that killed eight at a Travis Scott-headlined festival in Houston say a crazed man injected at least one person with opioids during the chaos. Houston Chief of Police Troy Finner made the shocking claim at a press conference Saturday after hours of rumors about the Astroworld Fest tragedy, after Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner revealed the victims were aged between 14 and 27. ‘One of the narratives was that some individual was injecting other people with drugs. We do have a report of a security officer, according to the medical staff that was out and treated him last night,’ Houston Chief of Police Troy Finner said at Saturday’s conference. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/11/06/7063776061798762843/636x382_MP4_7063776061798762843.mp4 Religious leaders and community members from Compton and surrounding areas came together for a press conference Wednesday following the killing of Compton pastor Reginald Moore. “We’re not going to hide,” said Dr. Michael J. Fisher, a pastor at Greater Zion Church Family. “We’re not going to live in fear and we as ministers, we’re not going to sit back and allow others to take care of our community.” 65-year-old Moore was walking to his car after bible study in late October near Compton Blvd. and Dwight Ave. when someone shot and killed him. Moore served at God of Christ Church for over 20 years. His family said his legacy and teachings will live on. Shawn Rhoden, bodybuilding star and former Mr. Olympia champion, has passed away at the age of 46 years old following a reported fatal heart attack. Rhoden was one of the biggest stars in bodybuilding, winning the Olympia in 2018 — the Super Bowl of bodybuilding competitions — defeating 7x Olympia champ, the legendary Phil Heath, who’d won 7 straight years. Interestingly, Shawn Rhoden’s reward/award for all the work he put in, came at age of Shawn was 43, making him the oldest to ever win the prestigious title. https://youtu.be/JEVbFoAt-Jo Award-winning Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça was killed in a plane crash along with four others after the private jet carrying the star, her producer and her uncle went down near a waterfall in southeastern Brazil on Friday. Just an hour before the deadly crash, Mendonça uploaded a video to Twitter and Instagram that showed her pulling her suitcase and carrying her guitar before she boarded the flight. Mendonça, 26, was on her way to a concert in the Minas Gerais city of Caratinga when the private aircraft crashed. Actress Paula Patton was a guest on SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Clay Cane Show” and spoke about her latest role in the BET+ series ‘Sacrifice’ and opened up about race and why she does not identify as biracial. https://youtu.be/m8EwonKT0Mg The first episode of the final season of HBO’s “Insecure” aired last month on October 24 where it focused on the strained relationship between Issa and Molly. At the end of the episode, it teased other upcoming story lines of the final season including Molly’s own strained relationship with her father played by legendary actor Gregg Daniel. https://youtu.be/kBb2Pbh20m4 In the latest episode of her AppleTV+ series The Oprah Conversation, Winfrey chops it up with Will Smith to discuss his upcoming memoir. While mentioning a paragraph in which Smith addressed his separation from Jada Pinkett Smith, whom he married back in 1997, the actor provided more clarity for those who believed the two were in an “open relationship.” “Ya know… It’s really funny… We didn’t… We never actually like officially separated,” Will, 53, finally replied. However, he explained that their relationship took a drastic turn following an argument during Jada’s 40th birthday. He had spent three years planning an elaborate party and apparently she hated the whole thing. Jay-Z went on the record defending his friend Dave Chappelle in the wake of backlash following his Netflix special The Closer. On Friday, in an audio conversation on Twitter, the 51-year-old rapper was asked about his thoughts on the 48-year-old comedian’s controversial stand-up show. ‘I think that Dave is super brave and super genius,’ he started out saying about the Half Baked star. And the music artist continued: ‘If you spend time with him, he’s brilliant and I think he pushed a lot of buttons. ‘I think that what happens with true art is it has to cause conversation and you know sometimes it’s going to be abrasive.’ When former Republican Representative from Oklahoma J.C. Watts decided to start a news channel many were pleasantly surprised at the realization that it was actually an earnest effort to air unbiased journalism from a black perspective. Now, all those positive vibes are in serious trouble with the report that the Black News Channel is having some trouble at the top and has just hired a team of independent consultants to steer leadership away from practices that have gotten them in a bad spot. According to sources, a top news executive has been suspended and three staffers have quit, reports Journal-isms. This comes on the heels of two terminated employees having filed a class action suit in Cook County (Ill.) Circuit Court claiming gender discrimination. “Women at Black News Channel are routinely paid less than men in equivalent positions, and forced to conform to sexist or misogynistic stereotypes about how women are supposed to behave,” Ashley Flete and Claudia Jean said in their Aug. 2 class action suit. “This action seeks to vindicate the rights of women employees at Black News Channel. Black Women Animate (BWA Studios) will host the second annual Black in Animation Awards Show. This initiative will continue to honor Black people in animation who have and currently are paving the way for this sector of the entertainment industry. This awards show will be the closing event for the fourth annual BWA Studios Boot Camp training event on November 14, 2021 at 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM EST. Attendees can watch the Black in Animation Awards Show virtually and can register to watch the show and participate in the BWA Studios Boot Camp through https://www.bwabootcamp.com/. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Coachella co-founder Paul Tollett disclosed that 2023 will be the year fans will see Ocean take the headliner spot for the annual music festival. The move will come three years after Ocean was among the entertainers slated to perform at the 2020 Coachella festival, which was postponed to October 2020 and April 2021 before it’s complete cancellation. Tollett took note of what he labeled a chaotic last year and a half, while telling the Times that fans deserve reassurance the “Thinking About You” vocalist’s appearance at Coachella will be a reality. https://youtu.be/fHKJCOgZY2Y Scotttie Pippen is on a national book tour to sell his memoirs “Unguarded,” which appears to be less about Scottie himself as a standalone individual and more about Scottie juxtaposed against Michael Jordan. Pippen has been upset ever since the ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance” aired and has been in the media lambasting is former teammate ever since. https://youtu.be/-if4-UIUWoA Allhiphop is reporting that Damon Dash will host and co-produce a 10-episode docu-series about the international growth of hip-hop called “Hip-Hop Invasion.” The deal is through a joint venture with 4Mat Factory, a Dutch broadcasting company. In a truly unique manner, the series will jump all over the world; from the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands through South Africa, China, Japan, Brazil and other countries across the globe. Police investigating a deadly crush that killed eight at a Travis Scott-headlined festival in Houston say a crazed man injected at least one person with opioids during the chaos. Houston Chief of Police Troy Finner made the shocking claim at a press conference Saturday after hours of rumors about the Astroworld Fest tragedy, after Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner revealed the victims were aged between 14 and 27. ‘One of the narratives was that some individual was injecting other people with drugs. We do have a report of a security officer, according to the medical staff that was out and treated him last night,’ Houston Chief of Police Troy Finner said at Saturday’s conference. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/11/06/7063776061798762843/636x382_MP4_7063776061798762843.mp4 Religious leaders and community members from Compton and surrounding areas came together for a press conference Wednesday following the killing of Compton pastor Reginald Moore. “We’re not going to hide,” said Dr. Michael J. Fisher, a pastor at Greater Zion Church Family. “We’re not going to live in fear and we as ministers, we’re not going to sit back and allow others to take care of our community.” 65-year-old Moore was walking to his car after bible study in late October near Compton Blvd. and Dwight Ave. when someone shot and killed him. Moore served at God of Christ Church for over 20 years. His family said his legacy and teachings will live on. Aaron Rodgers, suddenly the face of vaccine hesitation, no longer made much sense as the face of a medical clinic group that wants to encourage everyone to be vaccinated. Prevea Health, which is headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., dropped the Packers quarterback as a spokesman one day after Rodgers, on “The Pat McAfee Show,” ranted against the “woke mob” that has shamed him since it was learned he has refused the COVID-19 vaccine. “Prevea Health remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” the health-care organization said in a statement released Saturday. “This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods.” Screen grab from YouTube: @Harvester SportsOn a new episode of the Harvester Sports podcast, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback and outspoken Christian Derek Carr discusses his calling and his victory in Jesus. The QB says he thanks God “no matter what” and has “praised God through the hardest times in my life,” including when his firstborn son needed emergency surgeries in 2013. This season, in addition to facing off against NFL defenses, Carr is dealing with unexpected upheaval and leadership challenges. Last month, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned in disgrace after offensive emails surfaced. And this week, the team released wide receiver Henry Ruggs III after he was arrested for allegedly killing a woman while driving drunk. David Carr, a former NFL quarterback himself, says although “life has thrown a lot” at his brother lately, Derek is “up to the challenge” because of “his strong Christian faith and life experiences.” At least eight people are dead after a crowd surge during the sold-out Astroworld music festival in Houston on Friday, the city’s fire chief said. A further 23 people were transported to the hospital after the crush, and 11 who were taken by ambulance were in cardiac arrest, officials said. They added that more than 300 people were treated throughout the event Friday at an on-site field hospital. Around 50,000 people were at the event at NRG Park, which was being put on by rapper and producer Travis Scott and kicked off Friday. The festival, which is in its third year, was expected to be a two-day event, but officials said that Saturday’s lineup had been canceled. https://youtu.be/hTSMMCKeGfg Travis Scott was filmed continuing to perform in between making calls for help after eight people were crushed to death and more than 300 were injured by a crush at Houston’s Astroworld Festival on Friday night. Distressing video showed an unconscious male concertgoer being rushed to a medical assistance area after he passed out in the crush, which happened after people surged towards the stage shortly after 9.15pm CST Friday night. At least 23 people were rushed to a hospital – 17 of which during the worst of the incident, including a 10-year-old, police said. The Houston Fire Department reported that 11 victims were in cardiac arrest and needed CPR. None of those killed or injured have been identified. Cops said 367 police officers and 241 security officers were working the event prior to the crush. The House approved President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill on Friday after months of Democratic infighting, clinching a major achievement for the president on a key part of his economic agenda. Over a dozen Republican lawmakers also lent crucial votes to pass it. The infrastructure vote was 228-206 with 13 Republican lawmakers joining House Democrats. Democrats were poised to approve a procedural rule for the social plan shortly after. The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems. Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil — all upper-middle- or high-income countries — account for one-eighth of the world’s population but nearly half of all reported deaths. The U.S. alone has recorded over 745,000 lives lost, more than any other nation. “This is a defining moment in our lifetime,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. “What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we don’t get to another 5 million?” Talk show host and political commentator Candace Owens praised rapper Kanye West for being vocal regarding the issue of abortion on Friday night’s “Fox News Primetime,” adding that “this is something that he is very strong on and he’s actually very correct.” It is true that the Black population would be double what it is today if it wasn’t for abortion. It is true that Planned Parenthood was founded by a eugenicist, who did not want Black people to procreate. So, quite frankly, Margaret Sanger, she was a success story. She created Planned Parenthood, and she wanted to target people that she saw as not wanting to be reproduced in this society, and Black people were targeted. It has been successful, so Kanye West is right to continue to beat the drum and to draw attention to this issue. A Black man whom Louisiana State Police claim suffered fatal injuries in a minor car crash instead fell victim to factors that included a lengthy police restraint and officers’ blows to his head, according to an autopsy review ordered by the FBI into the 2019 death of that man, Ronald Greene. The autopsy, described for the Associated Press by a person who was not authorized to discuss the federal investigation and who spoke on the condition of anonymity, refocuses the investigation on the troopers involved while rejecting the claim by state police that Greene’s car crash led to his fatal injuries. Greene, 49, was pronounced dead at a hospital after medics who responded to the scene on May 10, 2019, found him unresponsive. His family initially was told he died in the car accident, according to The Washington Post. They have since filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The Raleigh Police Department fired a detective accused of planting fake heroin on a group of black men. Omar Abdullah, along with the city of Raleigh, were the subjects of a civil rights lawsuit filed back in April. The lawsuit accused officer Abdullah of falsely planting fake heroin on the men and then charging them with heroin trafficking. “Omar Abdullah was terminated from the Raleigh Police Department on Oct. 28, 2021,” Raleigh police said in a brief statement Monday. The plaintiffs faced more than seven years in prison and spent more than two years in jail before the charges were dismissed. The city later settled the lawsuit for $2 million. While Black boys bear most of the burden of minors who encounter police force, an investigation from the Marshall Project published Tuesday found that Black girls were involved in use-of-force incidents with police far more often than white girls. The investigation examined data from six large police departments and found that almost 4,000 children under the age of 17 from that data set experienced some form of police violence between 2015 and 2020. Of those people, about 800, or about 20 percent, were Black girls, compared to just 120, or roughly 3 percent, for white girls. Black boys accounted for more than 2,200 of the incidents. Many of the incidents analyzed in the investigation began with something minor, such as girls throwing candy or skipping school. Joseph B. Hill was four days from starting a new position as vice president, chief equity, diversity and inclusion officer at Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, when he received an email that changed the trajectory of his career. The two-sentence note from Memorial Hermann’s human resources vice president, Lori Knowles, which was obtained by NBC News, read, “We regret to inform you that we are rescinding the offer of employment dated July 21, 2021. … We appreciate your interest in the position and wish you much success going forward.” “It was a shock, to say the least,” Hill said. “I was floored.” He said he was dumbfounded further when his lawyer, Mark Oberti of Houston, was told two weeks later over the phone the reasons Memorial Hermann invalidated its offer: that Hill “was not a good fit,” although he went through more than a dozen interviews over six weeks before he was offered the job. Hill said Oberti was also told by the company’s lawyer that it was uncomfortable with Hill inquiring about hiring staff to build his team; that Hill wanted a larger relocation budget; that he rented and charged a luxury car to the company; and that “I am too sensitive about race issues.” “The reasons they listed were just as shocking as rescinding the offer,” Hill said. Actress Halle Berry has been chosen as the ambassador for the 25th Annual American Black Film Festival, slate to run from Now through November 28. The Oscar-winner has been a vital support of ABFF for the better part of 25 years and even attended the first festival, so says ABFF president and CEO President Jeff Friday. Berry’s duties as ambassador include being active at several ABFF events and programs throughout the festival discussions in the ABFF’s talk series where she will discuss her career in the film industry, diversity in the industry and her future. Over 100 films will be screened at the American Black Film Festival and will be free to watch worldwide by way of the ABFF Play streaming platform. It will be the second year that ABFF will go virtual due to COVID. Tonight, Saturday, November 6, 2021, at 9:00 p.m. EST, SHOWTIME will premiere “ATTICA,” an in-depth and riveting documentary about the most violent and deadliest prison uprising in the history of America – perhaps the world. The documentary is produced and directed by Emmy-award-winning documentarian Stanley Nelson and co-produced and co-directed by Traci A. Curry. On the morning of September 9, 1971, Attica, a maximum-security level prison in upstate New York long known for its brutal conditions and inhumane treatment of prisoners – especially Black inmates – exploded when more than 1,200 prisoners took 39 prison guards as hostages. For four days, the inmates attempted to negotiate for more humane treatment and better prison conditions, while several hundred heavily armed law enforcement personnel stood vigilant outside of the prison and camped on rooftops overlooking the prison yard where the prisoners convened for four days. https://youtu.be/aElB8oEfbiU A Christian radio personality and financial advisor from Texas was given three life sentences with an additional 30 years on Monday for defrauding millions of dollars from his listeners. According to The Christian Post, William Neil “Doc” Gallagher, 80, pleaded guilty on Aug. 31 for bilking at least $23 million from more than 190 people, of which the majority were elderly Christians. In a press release on Monday, Lori Varnell, chief of the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Elder Financial Fraud team, described Gallagher as “one of the worst offenders I have seen.” Dallas rapper Yella Beezy has been arrested in Collin County. Markies Conway is being held on charges of endangering a child, unlawfully carrying a weapon, and an outstanding warrant for sexual assault. Plano police said his bond is $50,000 for a sexual assault charge, and the the investigation by the Plano Police Crimes Against Persons Unit remains ongoing. The 30-year-old was arrested Thursday, but no further details have been released at this time. Will Smith wants to share the man — and the father — behind his celebrity persona in his candid new memoir, Will. In this week’s issue, PEOPLE has an exclusive excerpt from the book, out Nov. 9, that details some of the actor’s hardest moments as a dad. Smith, 53, writes that he was devastated for his son Jaden, then 15, when their 2013 film After Earth was attacked by the press. “After Earth was an abysmal box office and critical failure,” the actor and singer writes. “And what was worse was that Jaden took the hit. Fans and the press were absolutely vicious; they said and printed things about Jaden that I refuse to repeat. Jaden had faithfully done everything that I’d instructed him to do, and I had coached him into the worst public mauling he’d ever experienced.” Smith was heartbroken when Jaden later asked about being emancipated. “We never discussed it, but I know he felt betrayed. He felt misled, and he lost his trust in my leadership,” Smith continues. “At fifteen years old, when Jaden asked about being an emancipated minor, my heart shattered. He ultimately decided against it, but it sucks to feel like you’ve hurt your kids.” A year before Tuesday’s deadly Las Vegas crash, disgraced Raiders star Henry Ruggs’ girlfriend filmed him gleefully speeding on a residential street in his brand-new custom Chevrolet Corvette as she repeatedly implored him to slow down and take her home. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/11/04/287203333249779499/1024x576_MP4_287203333249779499.mp4?_=1 Former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs is facing a lengthy stay in prison. Via TMZ, prosecutors have charged Ruggs with five crimes, four of which are felonies. He has been charged with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, and two counts of reckless driving, all of which are felonies. Ruggs also faces a misdemeanor charge of possessing a gun under the influence of alcohol. In all, he faces 46 years in prison. Prosecutors contend that Ruggs was driving his Corvette 156 miles per hour only two seconds before impacting, and that the car was moving at 127 mph when it struck the back of a Toyota RAV4, killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog. When Magic Johnson’s iconic basketball career was interrupted by a stunning HIV diagnosis three decades ago, the newlywed NBA legend had no idea how much time he had to live or how the virus would affect his wife and their unborn child. “You just sit there and say, what does this mean? Am I gonna die?'” he told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. Johnson, who remains HIV-undetectable to this day, opened up about living with the virus and his career in an exclusive interview for “CBS Mornings” nearly 30 years after he publicly announced his HIV diagnosis. Today, the Lakers star is a loving father and grandfather, a successful businessman, a philanthropist and the CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises. He and Cookie have been together throughout this time, and neither she nor their son, Earvin Johnson III, have HIV. https://youtu.be/bZFX8N_u9Tw Kanye West has revealed that he still supports Donald Trump as he lashed out at the #MeToo Movement and said him and Kim Kardashian were ‘still’ married in a candid chat on Revolt TV’s Drink Champs on Thursday. ‘I’ve still got a red hat on today, I’ll let y’all know that,’ he said. ‘I might not got it on [at the moment] but I’ll let y’all know where I stand,’ he said. https://youtu.be/27NstO1qOJk Dionne Warwick will release her new single “Nothing’s Impossible” featuring Chance The Rapper through the label Kind Music Group on November 26th. The charities being supported by the single’s release are: SocialWorks, a Chicago- based non-profit that Chance founded to empower youth through the arts, education and civic engagement and Hunger: Not Impossible and Kind Music Academy, founded by Warwick and her son Damon Elliott. Hunger: Not Impossible is a text-based service connecting kids and their facilities in need with prepaid, nutritious, to-go meals from local restaurants. The Kind Music Academy offers a hands-on curriculum for kids to learn about music. https://youtu.be/nPPXVGt6H3w Jay-Z was ambushed on the street by a reporter this week and was an adorable encounter with 11-year-old online reporter Jazlyn from Bushwick, Brooklyn. With mic in hand, the tweener stepped to the rap mogul as he exited a building in New York City, and got her interview in on the sidewalk. https://www.today.com/video/jay-z-talks-to-11-year-old-reporter-125360709749 Keefe D, a reputed Southside Crip and uncle of the man many believe killed Tupac Shakur is spilling the tea. https://youtu.be/VV2Npd0GV14 Billy Porter has issued an apology to Harry Styles in regards to his comments regarding the singer’s Vogue cover. the Emmy-nominated “Pose” star criticized Vogue and Styles after he appeared on the December 2020 cover issue in a dress and made history as the first man to appear solo on the magazine cover. However, Porter did some self-reflection during his appearance on “The Late Show” and issued an apology to the singer for any criticism towards him. “The first thing I wanna say is, Harry Styles, I apologize to you for having your name in my mouth. It’s not about you. The conversation is not about you. The conversation is actually deeper than that,” he said. “It is about the systems of oppression and erasure of people of color who contribute to the culture.” https://youtu.be/YbD_LgHZoEI ”Love and Hip Hop: Miami” star Amara La Negra has announced she is expecting twins! The 31-year-old singer shared the exciting news on Instagram on Thursday along with the digital cover of her People En Espan~ol feature. “I’m Pregnant! I’m gonna be a Mom,” she captioned the post. “I’m Pregnant with Twins all Natural.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CV3e1QbAeDc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Rapper Offset has been ordered to pay $950,000 in a lawsuit over a missing Bentley. Platinum Transportation Group in Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against the Georgia native over the luxury motor car, which he rented last year and never returned. According to legal documents, PTG executives claim they drew up a contract with Offset in May and rented him a 2020 Bentley Bentayga for a couple of days. At his request, the term was extended until late July. But early that month, Offset, 29, told PTG he didn’t know where the car was. He suggested it might have been stolen and he stopped making the rental payments after his lease was up on July 25. According to WENN.com, company bosses claim Offset failed to return the vehicle, and they filed a police report. A judge has now ordered the Migos member to pay for damages amounting to $950,027.35, after failing to respond to the lawsuit, per the report. Gladys Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, who’s also the former owner of the Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant in Atlanta, will now be spending time in a federal prison. He failed to remit payroll taxes, according to the US Attorney’s office. Hankerson, 45, was sentenced to serve two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $1,039,310.65, acting U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine said. Hankerson pleaded guilty July 21, reports the AJC. https://youtu.be/DawzEHWFi8A The funeral service for former Secretary of State Colin Powell is being held today at Washington’s National Cathedral. Powell was battling a rare blood cancer when he died last month at 84 from complications related to COVID-19. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden as well as former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama attended the services. https://youtu.be/9ra39V_VFJI Colin Powell’s widow Alma led mourners including Joe and Jill Biden, former presidents and the most prominent members of the political and military elite at his funeral on Friday following his death from COVID complications last month at age 84. Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. and Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton – without her husband Bill during his recovery from an infection – sat together in the front row for the Pentagon powerhouse’s ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral. Former Vice President Dick Cheney, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, national security advisor Condoleeza Rice were also in attendance to pay tribute to the first black Secretary of State who served five administrations. The Powell’s children Linda and Michael Powell, their grandchildren and nieces and nephews followed the casket as it was carried to the front of the cathedral. Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) will soon get a huge gift on behalf of Bank of America. According to a press release, the banking institution has pledged $10 million to what is considered one of the leading private liberal arts Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the South. The funds are a part of Bank of America’s Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative in the Charlotte, NC region. It includes the company’s larger, $1.25 billion, five-year commitment to create more economic opportunities and push the advancement of racial equality within local communities. “Education is a gateway to a better life,” said Keith Cockrell, President of Bank of America Charlotte in an official statement. “Our long-term relationship with JCSU has set the foundation for this critical moment – a collective partnership among the public and private sectors working to eliminate existing barriers by providing unique opportunities to JCSU students. Together, we will grow a strong pipeline of the next generation of leaders in our area and beyond.” A Midlothian high school student was disciplined after a racist video, which included audio of a boy saying the N-word, was circulated on social media. In the video a boy is heard saying, “You think I care about what all those damn … have to say about me? … go back to Africa before I whip all of them.” Sheri Brezeale, communications director for the Midlothian school district, said the district was “swift with consequences” after being alerted of the video Monday. The district did not disclose which high school the student attends or the disciplinary measures taken, citing federal educational privacy laws. Midlothian ISD has two high schools, Midlothian High and Heritage. This is not the first racial controversy that the Midlothian district has faced. Louisiana‘s oldest college is celebrating its first lifetime appointment to a Black faculty member, and discussing why this racial milestone took nearly two centuries to accomplish. “I think that’s the million-dollar question. It’s something I know will be highlighted and discussed” at Centenary College of Louisiana’s event Thursday honoring the now-tenured associate professor Andia Augustin-Billy, college spokeswoman Kate Pedrotty said. Racism is why this took 196 years, said school archivist Chris Brown. “Structural and institutional and systemic racism has been present ever since the college was founded, largely by enslavers,” he said. This history is undeniable, but it’s also in the past, said Christopher Holoman, president of the Methodist-affiliated college in Shreveport. Influencer and meme queen Nenobia Washington, also known as “The Queen of Brooklyn,” has died. She was 38. New York City police officers responded to a building in Hamilton Heights, Manhattan around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday, NYPD spokesperson and detective Annette Shelton tells PEOPLE in a statement. “Upon arrival, a 38-year-old female was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in front of the location,” Shelton says. “EMS responded and transported the female to St. Luke’s Hospital where she was pronounced deceased.” David Jackson, the father of Washington’s son Tyeleck, has organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his funeral costs. Extra money will also be used to help him take care of their son. The deceased was identified as Washington. A cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner. The investigation is ongoing. Pop singer and professing Christian Justin Bieber and his wife, supermodel Haley Bieber, recently revealed on a podcast that they almost ended their marriage its first year. On Sunday’s episode of the In Good Faith with Chelsea & Judah Smith podcast, the Biebers told the Smiths about the rocky start to their marriage. Hailey, who married Justin in 2018, shared that her husband’s mental health struggles, which included him having “out of body experiences,” became so overwhelming for her that she thought about throwing in the towel on their marriage. The Cleveland Browns are working with Odell Beckham Jr.’s representatives to negotiate an agreement on terms under which they would release the wide receiver, the team announced Friday. “After careful consideration, internal discussions and conversations with Odell and his representation, we’ve determined that it is in the best interest of all parties involved that Odell no longer play for the Cleveland Browns,” said Browns GM Andrew Berry in a statement. “We appreciate all his efforts and contributions while in Cleveland, but we’ve just reached a point where it is best that we move forward as a team without Odell. We are finalizing the process of granting Odell his release and we wish him well as he continues his career.” The Browns are converting Beckham’s base salary into signing bonus to lower his cap number in an attempt to save money, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Georgia has indefinitely suspended starting linebacker Adam Anderson, who has been accused of raping a woman, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Anderson, a senior from Rome, Georgia, has not been arrested and denied the allegation through his attorney. According to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department incident report, a 21-year-old woman told police that she went to a house in Athens, Georgia, between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Friday. After having drinks, the woman said, she woke up while Anderson was raping her. She reported it to police later that day. Anderson played in Georgia’s 34-7 victory over Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday. “The investigation is still ongoing,” Athens-Clarke County Police lieutenant Shaun Barnett told ESPN. “No arrest or final determination, either way, has been made.” ESPN published an explosive piece on Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, detailing his racist and misogynist antics throughout his 17-year tenure. The outlet spoke to more than 70 current and former Phoenix Suns employees who “revealed accusations of racism and misogyny against owner Robert Sarver,” ESPN tweeted on Nov. 4. per CBS, highlights from the ESPN report: Sarver repeatedly said the N-word in the coaches room after a loss against the Golden State Warriors in 2016, complaining that Draymond Green, who is Black, said it during the game. Then-coach Earl Watson told him, “You can’t f—ing say that.” At least six Suns employees described Sarver saying the N-word aloud when repeating something a Black player had said. In telling a Suns employee that he wanted to hire Lindsey Hunter, who is Black, instead of Dan Majerle, who is white, as coach in 2013, Sarver said, “These [N-words] need a [N-word],” according to an executive who heard the conversation. As the Suns tried to sign LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015, they knew that he would like to play near his children in Texas. Sarver said then that they needed to get Phoenix-area strippers pregnant with NBA-player children so the team could have an edge in recruiting. “A lot of the stuff he says is to get a big reaction,” a former employee said. “And who’s going to tell him that he can’t? He speaks in threats. He likes that awkwardness. He likes people to know that he’s in charge. He wants control. He wants control of every situation and every person.” A Houston mom has been left heartbroken after her special needs son was allegedly killed by another inmate at the Harris County Jail. Nineteen-year-old Fred Harris died at a Houston hospital after the attack, according to Randall Kallinen, the family’s attorney. He said Fred, who weighed 98 pounds, was stabbed, kicked in the head and beaten by a 240-pound inmate on Oct. 29. Kallinen said 25-year-old Michael Paul Ownby also bashed the victim’s head against the concrete floor. Ownby, who has a criminal history that includes violence against a family member, reportedly assaulted a guard at the jail the day before Fred’s death. Ownby has been charged with aggravated assault with severe bodily injury after the incident. https://youtu.be/4gj5bD7zZUA Former Raiders wide receiver #HenryRuggsIII was charged after a woman and her dog were killed after he slammed his Corvette into the back of her Toyota. Now footage from the crash scene has been released. https://www.instagram.com/p/CV2-QOppeuv/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=900c27e8-0bb8-49e5-ba62-6ad4e77ea67f Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams insist they are friends, and that their intense arguments are not personal. With that in mind, the two have gone viral yet again over a second heated discussion related to Kyrie Irving’s refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine … this time, with an Aaron Rodgers twist. https://youtu.be/7mWUc5dwvj8 Last year Ayo Davis was appointed to the role of executive vice president of creative development and strategy. It has been recently announced that Davis has been promoted again, this time to president of Disney Branded Television. She will replace Gary Marsh, who gave her the promotion last year and is now stepping down to start his own production company after securing a deal with Disney General Entertainment to produce content for Disney’s streaming platforms. The Dillard University graduate will replace Gary Marsh after 33 years at Disney. https://youtu.be/PuNuVVq8_xQ Kanye West (who has officially changed his name to Ye) hit up this week’s episode of the “Drink Champs” podcast co-hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, where he made time to diss rapper Big Sean and singer John Legend. He said that signing Big Sean was “the worst thing I’ve ever done.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1456454721154297859 Tyrese is speaking out after it was revealed by SandraRose.com, that he has filed a motion to block “unreasonable” demands by his estranged wife Samantha Lee Gibson, which includes paying her allegedly exorbitant attorney fees. In addition to that, she’s also petitioning the court to provide $20K a month in child support for their 3-year-old daughter, Soraya Gibson. According to her motion, Samantha allegedly claimed that the singer/actor kicked her and their minor child out of his $4 million Buckhead mansion “and then changed the locks.” It was said that Tyrese eventually changed the locks on the residence in September 2020 when it became clear to him that Samantha “had abandoned the residence and absconded with the parties’ minor child.” The site reports that she now has three attorneys to help fight her case and is running up a huge legal tab that Tyrese will reportedly be on the hook for. On Thursday, a clip suddenly surfaced online showing Joe Budden in Episode 485 of his popular podcast saying in no uncertain terms: “I’m bisexual. How do I spread this news? How do I spread the word? Listen, I like guys and girls. Spread the word. I’m down.” https://youtu.be/5W2FYr_NH9w Rudy Currence is no stranger to Gospel Music as a GRAMMY nominated songwriter and a Dove Award winning producer with a #1 Billboard Gospel radio single to his credit. Chrisette Michele, herself a GRAMMY winner, is a new voice to the Gospel airwaves, but together they’re lifting their voices to celebrate the ‘most high.’ “No Greater Love,” a GRAMMY entry this year, appears on the first round ballot and is available wherever digital music is available. https://youtu.be/TFa3T1dmvxQ Norman Gyamfi of The ICHO Group (Columbia, SC), and Matt M. Higgins of Doxology Creative (Savannah, GA), have merged their respective enterprises to create a dynamic new creative agency. This merge of talent will assume the Doxology Creative name, and the new 20+ member team is stacked and ready to usher in the next creative renaissance. The merger creates a resume with clients including, Netflix, Lifetime, BET, TV One, McDonalds, Google, TRIBL Records, and Bethel Music; this agency specializes in building brands and experiences that drive culture and empower their community. Doxology Creative will provide its clients with marketing, brand strategy and identity, content creation, and long-term consultation and creative services. https://vimeo.com/642066406 In just a short time, this media influencer and celebrated life catalyst has admonished people from all walks of life to follow their passions and dream BIG, that was followed with the 'nu school" hymn of affirmation and actualization I Got It, today the 2021 Stellar Awards Artist of the Year echoes his awe inspiring Stellar Awards performance with the release of AMAZING. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8096502?date=20210730&user_id=668306&signature=WTShWXX_J9yJsgAha7dO7kcYMPA%3AzcgLi7ZA The Lifetime original movie Highway to Heaven, starring Grammy® Award winner Jill Scott and Barry Watson, is set to premiere this Saturday, November 6 at 8/7c. A “first look” trailer for the film has been released by the network in anticipation of the upcoming premiere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpI9fZFY2Ng In the short time since he’s been creating music professionally, Hulvey, has gone from sliding into Reach Records’ DMs with demo songs to recently being nominated for the 2021 Dove Awards for his song “Reasons” feat multi-Grammy award winning artist & Reach Records Press, Lecrae, and SVRCINA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imlt9qozNNk Shaquille O’Neal has revealed that he encourages his sons to create their own wealth rather than expect freebies and handouts from their rich father. In a recent interview with the New York Post, O’Neal said his kids have to earn his financial support. “There is a rule: education. I don’t care if they play basketball or not. I would like one of my kids to be a doctor, hedge fund owner, pharmacist, lawyer, business owner, someone to take over my business. But I tell them that I am not going to give it to them. They have to earn it,” Shaq explained. O’Neal’s stance has angered his sons, he says. “I am not going to give you anything,” the NBA icon reiterated. Jay-Z joined Instagram on Wednesday to promote the new Netflix western “The Harder They Fall,” but his account was deactivated a day later after a single post. The “hip-hop mogul quickly amassed more than 2 million followers in just about 12 hours on the platform, and he followed only one person: his wife Beyonce. https://youtu.be/Poc55U2RPMw The jury that will weigh the case of three white men accused of killing Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery is comprised of 11 white people and one lone Black person. The term “1 Black” was even a trending topic Thursday morning on Twitter. Prosecutors in the case blame defense attorneys for rejecting Black jurors, according to The New York Times. Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery’s family, tweeted Wednesday that the defense team had 24 strikes, 11 of whom were directed at Black people who might otherwise have been placed on the jury. After hearing the argument, the judge presiding over the case decided the jury would be seated as is. “This court has found that there appears to be intentional discrimination,” Judge Timothy Walmsley said of the defense’s jury selection on Wednesday, per CNN. But he said he would still allow the jury to be seated, saying the discrimination “doesn’t mean the court has the authority to reseat simply because we have this prima facie case.” https://youtu.be/m0XQqkVxGhU New Yorkers chose Democrat Eric Adams, a former New York Police Department captain, to become the city’s second Black Mayor in a landslide election that offered little surprise given that Republicans are outnumbered by a margin of about 7 to 1. Adams, who is currently the Brooklyn borough president and a former state senator, will take the reins from Bill de Blasio, whose second term was mired in the effects of the pandemic, historic job losses, skyrocketing housing prices and rental rates, extreme income inequality, and a broke transportation system. Throughout the race, the 61-year-old branded himself as the blue-collar mayor, gaining the approval of home owning voters across the five boroughs. As concerns grow over racial bias in artificial intelligence, Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Opal Tometi urged the tech sector to act fast against perpetuating racism in systems such as facial recognition. Artificial intelligence is transforming the world and can be applied in diverse sectors, from improving the early detection of diseases to sorting out data and solving complex problems, but there are also concerns around it. “A lot of the algorithms, a lot of the data is racist,” U.S. activist Tometi, who co-founded BLM in 2013, told Reuters on the sidelines of Lisbon’s Web Summit. “We need tech to truly understand every way it (racism) shows up in the technologies they are developing,” she said. The tech industry has faced a reckoning over the past few years over the ethics of AI technologies, with critics saying such systems could compromise privacy, target marginalised groups and normalise intrusive surveillance. Some tech companies have acknowledged that some AI-driven facial recognition systems, which are popular among retailers and hospitals for security purposes, could be flawed. Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow, a Dothan minister and half-brother of the Rev. Al Sharpton, pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday following his indictment on federal drug charges. Glasgow, 56, was charged in Dothan federal court on one count of conspiracy to distribute drugs amid allegations he and another, unnamed suspect distributed cocaine, WDHN reported. Court records showed that Glasgow’s case had originally been under seal. A judge removed the seal Wednesday, but records were not yet publicly available. Glasgow, a prisoners’ rights activist and the half-brother of civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Wednesday. The Dothan pastor had previous legal troubles, including an arrest on capital murder charges in 2018 in the death of Breunia Jennings, 23, who was shot in the head in Dothan. Above all else, Kevin Durant wants to win. And while Kyrie Irving’s decision to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine has complicated that goal—the Brooklyn Nets banned the mercurial point guard from participating in any games or practices this season until he gets the jab—KD still has every intention of winning his 3rd NBA championship this season with or without the seven-time All-Star. But if he could have it his way, as he explained to reporters per ESPN, “none of this stuff would happen.” “Definitely want Kyrie to be around,” he told reporters on Thursday. “I wish none of this stuff would happen, but this is the situation that we are in. Kyrie made his decision on what he wanted to do and he chose to do what he wanted to do, and the team did the same. History was made in the Manhattan District Attorney’s race Tuesday as Democrat Alvin Bragg became the first Black man elected to that office. He defeated Republican opponent Thomas Kenniff. Bragg was celebrating Tuesday night with supporters in Harlem, the community he calls home. He told CBS2’s Aundrea Cline-Thomas he hopes to use his lived experience coupled with his 20-year career to inform his policies. https://cbsloc.al/3mBYLbZ Cities across the United States elected their first Black mayors in elections on Tuesday. Black candidates in Pittsburgh, Kansas City and St. Petersburg, Fla., rose to victory on Tuesday while making history as the cities’ first Black mayors. Pittsburgh elected state Rep. Ed Gainey (D) by a large margin, defeating Republican Tony Moreno. Gainey also beat fellow Democrat Mayor Bill Peduto in the May primary. Gainey said he decided to run for office after the 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a police officer, sparking racial justice protests around the country. “I was thinking this is the greatest time to build a bridge between yesterday and today, the greatest time to talk about why we need to be diverse, why we need to keep our real estate affordable and why we need to be safe,” Gainey had told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Kansas City elected former deputy police chief Tyrone Garner, defeating the one-term incumbent Mayor David Alvey (R), local station KCUR reported. Last week, rising designer Autumn Adeigbo called out Jeffrey Campbell for knocking off her fall ’21 shoe design that had yet to hit stores. As part of her new collection, Adeigbo, a Black female entrepreneur, designed an ankle-strap clog that included her signature mixed-match crystal buckles. Then, a similar-looking style from Jeffrey Campbell was made available at retailers, including Nordstrom. “For an established company like Jeffrey Campbell to knock off a still small, Black woman-owned brand, made their ‘commitment to Black lives and an equal future for all’ seem like lip service,” Adeigbo told Diet Prada. “They could have asked me for a collab. Why steal my design and ‘fast fashion’ it into stores before my own production run lands on shelves?” After the situation came to light on Diet Prada’s Instagram, Nordstrom — which carries Adeigbo accessories — removed the product. “When we learned about this situation, we immediately returned any remaining product. We have reached out to Autumn directly,” a Nordstrom spokesperson told FN. “We respect independent creativity and are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive retail experience.” Adeigbo also said Jeffrey Campbell reached out to begin a conversation while pulling the style from stores. NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya clashed with the hosts of “The View” during her two-day stint as the conservative guest host. As reported by The Daily Beast, she defended anti-vaxxers and sparred with Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin about critical race theory. She even caught some heat from the audience for criticizing former NFLer Colin Kaepernick and his new Netflix series “Colin in Black & White.” In “Colin in Black & White,” Kap compares the NFL’s scouting process to modern-day slave auctions. https://twitter.com/i/status/1455919144352862212 Republican Winsome Sears, a gun-toting ex-marine, was elected as Virginia’s new lieutenant governor on Tuesday. She made history by becoming the first woman and the first Black woman to serve in the position. “I am at a loss for words for the first time in my life,” Sears said in an address to supporters on election night. “…What you are looking at is the American dream. The American dream.” https://youtu.be/K-YUYX33VsM Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz take fans inside their luxurious La Jolla, Calif. mansion for the latest issue of Architectural Digest. The couple purchased the home in La Jolla in 2019 and have since worked with designer Kelly Behun to make the 11,000 square-foot property their own, filled with their tastes and important details from their life (like the grand piano Keys was given when she signed to Columbia Records at 16). Per the report, the home offers views of the Pacific Ocean and its design, which Cunningham tells AD is “a sculpture.” https://www.instagram.com/archdigest/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3e044252-a416-4246-8b35-5a5e405a81b5 In a TikTok from the Australian show “Big Brother VIP,” Omarosa Manigault Newman continued the about-face regarding her one-time devotion to Donald Trump, this time saying he “was fascinated” by attire worn by the Ku Klux Klan. The two first met in the early 2000s when she was a contestant on Trump’s reality-TV show “The Apprentice.” Their association continued through the production of two additional TV shows and Trump’s presidential campaign. She became an official in the Trump administration, serving as assistant to the president and director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison until January 20, 2018. Her exit was announced days after Trump and several White House officials traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, in December 2017 for the opening of a civil-rights museum, a trip Manigault Newman said she helped organize. “It didn’t go so well because he was fascinated with looking at the KKK garb,” Manigault Newman said during a clip of her latest reality-TV appearance. “He was obsessed with the white supremacist kind of display.” Wendy Williams is not expected to return to her beloved daytime talk show anytime soon – and insiders claim she’ll be out for the entire month of November. According to show producers, guest hosts will continue to fill in while Williams takes time off to focus on her health. Michael Rapaport will fill in as the show’s host for the week of Nov. 8, and a new panel will take over for just Nov. 15. Comedian Bill Bellamy will then assume the position for the following two days. At the end of that week, famed talk show host Jerry Springer will guest co-host with Steve Wilkos. “I have always loved being a guest on my friend Wendy’s show!” Bellamy said in a statement released Wednesday. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be here for her, and I look forward to working with her amazing team.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1455973052785831936 TV One is making her the subject of an “Uncensored” that you can get on demand right now. The gorgeous Whitfield says it was a shock when she discovered she was a sex symbol. “I had no idea. Even at the peak of it, I still didn’t know. I thought this business was a meritocracy that you get everything by merit by being excellent. One day I was talking to this man and he said you are a sex symbol and I was like ‘what are you talking about?’ Guuurl, if I had known, I would have worked it so hard. If I could find the courage to really go for the sex symbol thing.” he elegant iconic actor Lynn Whitfield drops secrets and laughter with Radio and TV personality Jazmyn ‘Jaz’ Summers. Whitfield is well loved for her role as Lady Mae in “Greenleaf,” Brandi Web in “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate” and playing the legendary Josephine Baker among many other film and TV credits. The Great Resignation is creating immediate challenges for employers seeking to fill positions but could also be setting the stage for long-term changes in the economy that benefit workers. Many workers are reconsidering their values when it comes to work and seeking out positions that better match their preferences. In efforts to fill positions and retain current employees, many employers have been responding by increasing pay and benefits and offering more flexible work arrangements. This dynamic has changed dramatically over the course of the pandemic. In the spring and summer of 2020, businesses that were unable to open or operate at full capacity due to shutdowns and other restrictions laid off employees en masse or drastically cut their hours. A total of 16.3 million job separations took place in March 2020 with an additional 11.7 million in April, and the U.S. unemployment rate peaked near 15% last spring. But as the economy has reopened over time, employers have found themselves in need of workers. The number of job openings increased to more than 10 million per month this summer, but hiring has lagged behind at around 6 million hires per month. There’s been a lot of consternation by folks who were concerned about the US paying immigrant families who were separated at the Mexico border during the Trump administration. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said it wasn’t going to happen and with the president’s pronouncement, there’s now doubt about the settlements the Justice Department has been negotiating to resolve legal claims by the families. “That’s not going to happen,” Biden told reporters at the White House. As was reported last week by The Wall Street Journal and other outlets, officials at the departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services were in talks to pay around $450,000 a person to settle lawsuits filed on behalf of the families, who say they suffered trauma from being separated in 2018 while illegally crossing the border. On THE REAL airing Thursday, November 4th, former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Nene Leakes revealed she would be “happy to return to the show” if she had a sit down talk with show executive producer Andy Cohen and says she has a lot of “unfinished business.” https://youtu.be/07PpZ_Rhf2Q The exclusive clip from this week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airing Thursday, resident counselor Dr. Ish Major explains this week’s couples challenge! https://youtu.be/df6pEGncVCI Director and composer Jeymes Samuel joins Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1 to discuss his new film “The Harder They Fall” and it’s accompanying star-studded soundtrack which features Kid Cudi, JAY-Z, Coffee, Seal, and more. Samuel discusses the origins of the film, how he approached the soundtrack, Hollywood’s misrepresentation of Black people in Westerns, “Black Woman” by Fatoumata Diawara and Lauryn Hill, and more. Director and composer Jeymes Samuel joins Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1 to discuss his new film “The Harder They Fall” and it’s accompanying star-studded soundtrack which features Kid Cudi, JAY-Z, Coffee, Seal, and more. Samuel discusses the origins of the film, how he approached the soundtrack, Hollywood’s misrepresentation of Black people in Westerns, “Black Woman” by Fatoumata Diawara and Lauryn Hill, and more. The topic of Critical Race Theory has caused division across the nation as teachers and parents debate whether it should be taught in schools. The conversation has exploded in the public as numerous state legislatures are also debating bills seeking to ban its use in the classroom. https://www.instagram.com/p/CV0Y3U4p7yA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again After teasing us with a little Afrobeat flavor on Andy Mineo's "Coming In Hot," Afromix ft. Lecrae and Limoblaze, Reach Records films and releases "Everyday," the latest single to be released from their Summer '21 Playlist. Lecrae joins Nigerian American singer, Jidenna (“Classic Man”), and UK based Nigerian Afrobeat star, Limoblaze, and together the three keep the party lit! “Africa is doing it big and has exploded into pop culture - the food, the fashion, the music - we wanted to bring that authentic vibe to the video so I knew we need Limo and Jidenna together to make sure we captured it right,” shares Lecrae. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-4zxHUNqgI [Catch a quick vibe with another JonnyxMali experience. Get the good stuff behind the scenes in this snippet from their latest EP, "Live in LA." Watch the listening party, get comfortable and connect in the comments.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4KUxbKAqgw Motown Gospel celebrates three nominations in this year’s 34th annual Soul Train Awards. Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Brian Courtney Wilson and Kelly Price were each recognized in this year’s Best Gospel/Inspirational category, a testament to the impact of their music over the past year. “It’s always incredible when our artists can be recognized for their musical contributions,” share EJ Gaines & Monica Coates, Co-Executive Directors, Motown Gospel. “It’s particularly special when that recognition comes from an institution like Soul Train, which has had such an impact on the culture of America.” [’Tis the season! Our favorites are kicking off the holiday season with a new Christmas song reminiscent of what the holidays are all about: faith, hope and LOVE! “Fall In Love At Christmas” features Mariah Carey, Khalid, Kirk Franklin and the gift of love. For you this joyous season: A wish for a very Merry Christmas! May it bring you joy and many blessings!] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tH195XLrWE Today, BET announced three-time GRAMMY® award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Maxwell will receive the ‘Legend’ award at the 2021 “Soul Train Awards”. Award-winning and multiplatinum singer/songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, and author Ashanti will be the recipient of the ‘Lady of Soul’ honor. The 2021 “Soul Train Awards” premieres Sunday, November 28 at 8 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her. “It’s an honor to be presented with the Legend award by a community that’s been growing with me throughout my career,” said Maxwell. “I’m so grateful to be sharing this moment with everyone and returning to the Apollo for an evening of excellence.” Additionally, BET has released the official nominations for the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” recognizing the best in Soul and R&B, which will also celebrate Soul Train’s 50th anniversary. H.E.R. leads the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” nominations with an impressive eight nods for ‘Best R&B/Soul Female Artist,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award (x2),’ ‘Best Collaboration (x2),’ and ‘Video of the Year’. Jazmine Sullivan and Chris Brown garnered the second most nods with six nominations each. Jazmine Sullivan’s nods include ‘Best R&B/Soul Female Artist,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award,’ ‘Best Collaboration,’ and ‘Video of the Year’. Chris Brown’s nods include ‘Best R&B/Soul Male Artist,’ ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award,’ ‘Best Dance Performance,’ ‘Best Collaboration (x2),’ and ‘Video of the Year.’ Wiz Kid and TEMS are the third highest with five nods each, followed by Blxst with four nods. Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, Doja Cat, and Yung Bleu each have three nods. Dynamic best-friend duo Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold will return as co-hosts of the 2021 “Soul Train Awards,” bringing their irreplaceable energy and hilarious comedic talents to this year’s show. BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD nominees are BRIAN COURTNEY WILSON, JAMES FORTUNE, KELLY PRICE, KIRK FRANKLIN, MAVERICK CITY MUSIC and TASHA COBBS LEONARD. Tyler Perry’s been in the film industry for nearly two decades and has dedicated his writing skills to several movies and plays for his fans. Now it seems that Perry is planning to surrender some of the work to other aspiring television writers while he takes on more of a managing role. He told Hollywood Reporter that he plans to continue to write for about “three to four more years.” Expounding on that, Perry said, “My plan is to relinquish to a lot more directors and writers to take over a lot of these shows that I’ve started. So yeah, for sure.” Perry gloated a little about his “work ethic” in January 2020, when he tweeted a video of his scripts. He had several scripts for nine different shows laid out on the table and revealed that while most TV shows and films have a writers’ room, he does not. “I write it all,” he said. Zach Williams drops his first foray into Christmas music. He put his own unique spin on Christmas classics like “Mary, Did You Know?” and “Christmas Time Is Here.” He recorded the album at Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals. Williams and his band have called the album “a holly-jolly-party-turned-jam-session worthy of its title.” ”We knew we wanted it to have a rock ‘n’ roll edge, a southern rock feel,” said the “Chain Breaker” singer-songwriter. “That’s when we got the idea to go down to Muscle Shoals.” https://open.spotify.com/album/76Vw1t2n6PBb0GiQK7p5aj Former Republican Del. Winsome Sears defeated Hala Ayala, a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates in Tuesday’s race for Virginia’s lieutenant governor. Sears, made history as the first Black Republican woman elected to the House in 2002 after she ousted the 20-year Democratic incumbent of Virginia’s 90th District, William Robinson. A Jamaican immigrant, she also became the first naturalized US citizen to serve in the House. She is also the first woman of color to be elected to statewide office in Virginia, where politics have historically been dominated by white men. In 2004, Sears unsuccessfully challenged longtime Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District. She took another run at federal office in 2018 as a write-in alternative to Republican senatorial candidate Corey Stewart, but lost that race. Meet Shequeena McKenzie, who at 28-years old has become the first Black female judge in the city of McComb, Mississippi. “It was a surreal moment because I work hard, I have faith,” McKenzie told WJTV, “The next thing you know you start reaping the benefits of the things you have invested into. It was definitely a full-circle moment for me.” McKenzie, who grew up in McComb, has always wanted to become a lawyer to be the change. She took up Political Science with Human Rights minor at the University of Southern Mississippi. She then moved to Jackson and went to Mississippi College School of Law where she received her law degree and graduated Cum Laude. At that time, she also practiced law part-time. Las Vegas Raiders have released wide receiver Henry Ruggs III after a vehicle crash he was involved in left a woman dead. Ruggs and his female passenger were injured in the fiery wreck. According to reports, Riggs was treated at an area hospital before being released to police, ESPN reports. Riggs and his passenger did not suffer life-threatening injuries “after the Chevrolet Corvette he was driving slammed at high speed into the rear of a Toyota Rav4 on a busy thoroughfare in a residential area several miles west of the Las Vegas Strip about 3:40 a.m. Tuesday." https://youtu.be/F2ul7yIX76M The young pastor and his wife had lots of questions about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. What about the baby they wanted? Would it wreck their natural immune system, damage their hearts? Was it immoral due to the controversy surrounding its development, they asked themselves. “Answers to which no longer matter now that COVID crystalized his lungs and claimed his last breath,” a heartbroken Miracle King Wilson said after burying her 43-year-old husband, the Rev. Kermit Wilson Jr. Kermit Wilson, who had moved to Cary but was the pastor of New Life Ministries Church of Greensboro, spent 41 days in the ICU at WakeMed Hospital before his death Sept. 17, after contracting the deadly virus. He leaves behind three children ages 10, 6 and 2. A soulmate who despite her grief is opening the doors of the church he led to urge others to get the shot. New Life Ministries, which had yet to reopen for in-person services after closing in March 2020, has partnered with the Guilford County Health Department for a clinic on Friday with both appointments and walk-ins available to the public. Both initial and booster shots are available. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Steven Mattic, principal of David K Sellars Elementary in Fort Worth, died unexpectedly Monday after successfully overcoming health problems over the past several years, according to a news release from the school district. Mattic is being remembered for his love of students, employees and his community. Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner said in the release Mattic’s death is a “profound shock” to the Sellars Elementary community and asked for support and prayers for Mattic’s family and the students and employees at the school. “His loss will be felt by so many,” Scribner said. Mattic joined the district in 2002 and served as principal of Sellars Elementary for eight years. He was born in Mississippi and received his masters in education administration from TCU. Daniel Joseph Triplett, an Oklahoma business owner, has been arrested on charges of murdering his employee, Brent Mack, and burying the 50-year-old man under a septic tank last month. A search for the missing man began in September when Mack’s daughter, Raychelle Wilson, reportedly reached out to Triplett via Facebook Messenger asking about her father’s whereabouts, court documents revealed. Triplett claimed he fired Mack, citing alleged “violent demeanor.” In a since-deleted online text, Triplett told Wilson that after giving Mack “$1000 as severance pay,” he dropped him off outside of a local laundromat. “Lt. Bruning asked Dan about locations where he dropped Mack off and Dan changed the location several times. Dan was shown a copy of the video footage showing him driving by the Holiday Laundry and not stopping. When confronted with the inconsistencies in the story, Dan became very red faced and appeared to be angry,” the affidavit stated. Parents of Black students at a Florida high school are infuriated after they say their children were suspended for getting into an altercation with a white student who sent them a resurfaced video of two white boys making racist remarks but the students in the video were not disciplined. “Hold on, you see that?” a boy could be heard saying in a video that has since gone viral, before pointing directly at the camera and stating, “It’s a n-gger.” One of the boys in the video was spotted wearing a KKK-like hood. The clip was said to have been made over the summer but was only just recently shared. That clip was sent via the social media app SnapChat to several Black students, two of whom play football for Yulee High School in Nassau County near the Georgia-Florida border. The group ultimately confronted the student who sent the offensive video, which led to a physical altercation, Jacksonville’s Channel 4 reported. In the end, only the Black students and the individual who sent out the clip but did not appear in it were suspended for five days. There were no reported injuries. Kelly Price has responded to rumors that her husband is using her and taking her money.On Monday, the singer took to social media to address speculation about her marriage. She photo of herself and her husband and captioned the photo: “One down forever to go. Happy USaversary @_king_uf_kings_ ([praying hands emoji, heart emoji, praying hands emoji]).” She also mentioned the charity work that the couple do together. “Thank you Sheff GG cannot wait to speak to you so we can chat! It’s not my fault that people don’t know that he and I were doing charity work together long before the public knew who he was! Lol.” https://www.instagram.com/mskellyprice/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=931afd96-c1e4-4f7f-9d78-3c9ccd600b91 Season 14 of “The Wendy Williams Show” is rolling on without her as the beloved host continues to take time off to sort out her health issues. The new season kicked off last month and as reported by New York Post, the ratings jumped 33% for the week ending Oct. 24, according to TheWrap. The new season premiered on Oct. 18 with guest hosts Devyn Simone, Bevy Smith, Elizabeth Wagmeister, and Michael Yo. Leah Remini also hosted for four days. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVwHhweNRuD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Rapper DaBaby has been given a pass to perform again after the LGBTQ organization Relationship Unleashed announced that they have “forgiven” him for his homophobic rant during his set at Miami’s Rolling Loud Festival in July. Meanwhile, the group says comedian Dave Chappelle is still in the doghouse over the alleged transphobic jokes he told in his new Netflix special “The Closer.” The LGBTQ org says “ignorance” has earned DaBaby acceptance from the gays. “He’s learned a lot over the past few months,” Relationship Unleashed CEO Gwendolyn D. Clemons explained to TMZ about DaBaby. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVde5tAFT4H/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “Family Matters” star Darius McCrary recently sparked rumors that he’s dating male-to-female trans influencer Sidney Starr after kissing on a photoshoot. The actor has denied dating Sidney and revealed in a video shared on social media that he is engaged to be married, but he didn’t reveal who his fiancé is. According to Rhymes with Snitch, Darius is engaged to Rick James‘ ex-wife Tanya Hijazi. Rick and Tanya began dating in 1990 and their only child, son Tazman James, was born in 1993. The couple was sentenced to prison for kidnapping and torturing a 24-year-old woman during a weeklong drug binge. While out on bail, the couple kidnapped and beat another woman over a 20-hour period. They married in 1996 and eventually divorced in 2002. James died of natural causes in 2004 at age 56. Tanya never remarried. Darius has been married three times to women who claim he was physically abusive. It’s unclear how he hooked up with Rick James’ ex-wife. Michael Jackson’s youngest son Prince Michael Jackson II – formerly known as “Blanket” and now going by “Bigi” – is a whopping 19-years-old, and gave a rare TV interview this week. Appearing Monday (Nov. 1) on “Good Morning Britain,” Bigi toured a room filled with his dad’s memorabilia, reflecting on the entertainer’s legacy 12 years after his sudden death. “There’s a lot of really cool stuff here,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of history in this house and studio here. And that’s what he was all about and that’s just kind of what each of us want to do…make things that people hopefully enjoy, but also can benefit their lives.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1455077130111528961 Myla Hill made her amateur mixed martial arts debut on Friday, Oct. in Lakeland, Florida and secured the “W” in front of her proud parents, former NBA star Grant Hill and R&B singer Tamia. The 19-year-old made her debut against Jenna Loza at Rival Fight League: Halloween Havoc. She wasted no time getting the fight to the ground after landing a right hand, and ending up in full mount. She dropped a series of punches and was able to lock in a tight rear-naked choke to force the very quick tap in the opening round. https://www.instagram.com/rivalfightleague/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a3ce7496-2026-4de7-ae71-cbbdc7b80482 Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN. The NFL has considered Rodgers as unvaccinated since the start of the season, sources confirmed to ESPN and as first reported by NFL Network. Under league protocol, if Rodgers tests positive and is unvaccinated, he must quarantine for a minimum of 10 days and cannot return until Nov. 13 at the earliest, if he remains asymptomatic. Atlanta’s Dansby Swanson had only four hits in all six games of this year’s World Series against Houston, but he made the most of them. Three days after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning to spark a game-winning rally in Game 4 of the World Series, Swanson swatted a two-run shot in the fifth inning Tuesday to give the Braves some much-needed cushion in Game 6. Swanson’s two-run homer put the visiting Braves up 5-0, helping quiet the home crowd and propelling Atlanta to a 7-0 Series-clinching victory. Dansby Swanson fielded the final out of the 2021 World Series, a chopper from Yuli Gurriel, and briefly glared at Atlanta Braves teammate Ozzie Albies. Seconds earlier, Albies had assured Swanson that he would be standing on second base to record Tuesday’s 27th out. When he wasn’t, Swanson had to pivot to complete the most important throw of his life — and maybe that was fitting. Swanson grew up 20 miles from Atlanta and was raised to love the local baseball team. Before he graduated high school, Freddie Freeman ascended to the major leagues and began to establish himself as one of the sport’s greatest first basemen. They became teammates, helped lead the Braves into another resurgence and grew close through the process. A potentially faster-spreading “sub-lineage” of the coronavirus Delta variant named AY.4.2 has been spotted by labs in at least 8 states, and health authorities in the United Kingdom say they are investigating a growing share of cases from this strain of the virus. Labs in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Washington state, plus the District of Columbia, have so far spotted at least one case of AY.4.2. While it may spread somewhat faster, health authorities have not found evidence of more severe illness caused by the variant, and they say current vaccines remain effective against it. A majority of Christians say they believe the United States has a God-ordained “special role” in history and that the nation has always been a force for good in the world, according to a new survey. The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll of 2,508 Americans, released Monday, found that 75 percent of White evangelicals, 67 percent of Black Protestants and 55 percent of “other Christians” believe “God has granted America a special role in human history.” Although White evangelicals are the religious group most likely to agree with the statement, the poll found a decline on the topic since 2013, when 84 percent of white evangelicals agreed with the statement. The survey also found a wide political divide on the issue, with twice as many Republicans (68 percent) as Democrats (33 percent) agreeing with the statement. Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are no exception to dealing with real-life relationship woes. The Buccaneers quarterback — on the Oct. 26 episode of his SiriusXM podcast “Let’s Go!” — explained how his supermodel wife has put her career on the back burner while he collected seven Super Bowl rings. “But that’s an issue, and it’s a very difficult issue to reconcile without just saying, ‘Hey, it’s time to retire.’ And I think there’s, you know, we’re coming to the end here too, so I don’t want to miss any of the kids’ stuff,” Brady told co-hosts Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray. Jodie Turner-Smith and her husband Joshua Jackson star in a new holiday ad for J.Crew that finds them opening presents and kissing under a mistletoe. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVxqjMYhLw4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Last month, an excerpt taken from Will Smith’s new memoir titled “Will,” detailed how his father’s abuse “defined who I am today.” He wrote, “My father tormented me. And he was also one of the greatest men I’ve ever known,” Smith shared in “Will.” “He was one of the greatest blessings of my life, and also one of my greatest sources of pain.” In another excerpt exclusively taken by ET Canada, as his book is gearing up to be released, Will further explains the pain his abusive father caused him and his mother while revealing that he once contemplated killing his late dad. Video of injured New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson working out a healing broken foot became fodder for retired NBA stars Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal Tuesday night, as the “Inside the NBA” analysts roasted the 21-year-old for putting on weight during the injury. https://youtu.be/__JFeoChvu8 ”Love & Hip Hop” star Moniece Slaughter is accused of physically assaulting another woman at a Cardi B party. In the documents, the woman claims Moniece “spotted me then walked over with fist balled throwing a punch but I caught her arm.” The woman is now asking a judge to issue a restraining order, claiming the reality star “threatened that she will violently attack me and any female she sees with me.” She also accuses the reality star of “verbally abusing and spreading false allegations and harassing me and my family for the past 2 months every day.” The restraining order is now in the hands of a judge. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was released Tuesday from a Washington, D.C. hospital a day after falling and hitting his head while helping Howard University students who are protesting campus living conditions, according to a spokesman. Jackson, 80, left Howard University Hospital after an overnight stay and was back at the university working with students, Jackson spokesman Frank Watkins said. Various tests including a CT scan came back normal on Monday, but hospital officials wanted Jackson, who has Parkinson’s disease, to stay for observation, according to a news release from Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago. Jackson was attending a meeting Monday with Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick and the students, who were discussing their concerns about living conditions. The civil rights leader entered a campus building, fell and hit his head. The city of Athens used eminent domain to force Black families out of the Linnentown neighborhood in the 1960s as part of an urban renewal plan. It sold the land to the state Board of Regents, and dorms and parking lots for the University of Georgia went up after the homes were razed. Linnentown is among numerous Black neighborhoods around the country that were destroyed to make way for what were deemed revitalization projects. Linnentown was home to dozens of black families. The Linnentown purchase was supported by a federal grant. Although former residents are now demanding an apology from the university for the land seizure, Bobby Crook, a member of the Linnentown Project Group say that although he believes the university needs to pay compensation, he doubts that will ever happen. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended granting clemency to Julius Jones, a man sentenced to death for a murder he says he did not commit. Jones pleaded his case to the board less than three weeks before he’s set to be executed. The board voted 3-1 on Monday to recommend commuting Jones’ sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole, according to the release from the inmate’s attorneys. “My son Julius has been on death row for over twenty years for a murder he did not commit, and every day of that has been a waking nightmare for my family,” said Madeline Davis-Jones, in a statement through their attorney. “I am grateful to the Pardon and Parole Board for again showing they are willing to listen to facts and reason, show compassion, and do what is in their power to right this terrible wrong. Now, I am asking Gov. Stitt to do the same by accepting their recommendation.” Gov. Kevin Stitt gets the final say on Jones’ fate. His office said he is aware of the board’s action and there will be no further comment until his decision. Jim Booker is trying to wrap his head around the news of his neighbor, John Blanchard, arrested during a two-day sting operation in Chesterfield County last week regarding prostitution solicitation. “We’ve shared pleasantries [and] we have discussed pastoring during the pandemic,” Booker told News 3. “This is a shock to me because I know him fairly well. He’s never given me any indication over the years that I’ve known him that he would be mixed up in anything like this.” Blanchard serves as the pastor of Rock Church in Virginia Beach. News 3 was the first to tell you about Blanchard’s arrest. Blanchard faces charges including felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWupp8OE1s The Queen urged world leaders to ‘earn a place in history’ and ‘answer the call of those future generations’ in an impassioned speech to representatives at the COP26 summit tonight. Her Majesty, 95, who was forced to miss the conference after her overnight stay in hospital last month, told leaders via video ‘to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship’ as Government representatives attended the reception for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. She went on to say that ‘none of us will live forever’ and ‘we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children, and those who will follow in their footsteps’ as she urged leaders to reach decisive COP climate change deals. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/11/01/6827946688496842215/480x270_MP4_6827946688496842215.mp4 Last month, beloved Atlanta news anchor Jovita Moore lost her seven-month battle with brain cancer. Colleagues, fans, friends, and people of note responded on social media with condolences. The longtime WSB journalist announced in July that she had undergone surgery in April shortly after doctors discovered two masses that were confirmed to be glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. “Good Morning America‘s” T.J. Holmes became emotional while paying tribute to Moore on Monday’s broadcast. “From our ABC News family, we are remembering Jovita Moore this morning, a beloved anchor at ABC affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta,” he began. “I moved to Atlanta as a CNN anchor and she took me in, and that woman was special,” he said. “I’m sorry — I didn’t realize I had to do this read this morning, and Jovita was something special.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1455136368280195079 A 22-year-old Dallas mother was shot and killed while driving on Tuesday and the suspect arrested for the crime allegedly stalked her using a tracking device. Abigail Saldaña recently found a tracking device on her car and was worried that she was being followed, Blavity reports. “I had told her to go to the police and report it. I believe that she did report that,” her mother Jessica Contreras said. Sadly, she was shot and killed while driving last week in Fort Worth, Texas. Police believe she was murdered by a stalker, Fox 4 News reports. Police have arrested Stanley Frank Szeliga, 54, and charged him with murder, according to reports. https://youtu.be/uBNXe7rrO5c Coca-Cola has purchased the Kobe Bryant-backed sports drink company Bodyarmor, and the late athlete’s estate reportedly made $400 million from the sale. Bryant purchased a 10 percent stake in Bodyarmor for $6 million in March of 2014, according to The Wall Street Journal. “If it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant’s vision and belief, BodyArmor would not have been able to achieve the success we had,” BodyArmor co-founder Mike Repole said in a statement. Alfredo Rivera, Coca-Cola North America President said the company is now planning BodyArmor’s “next stage of growth.” The sale comes after news that Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant intends to immortalize the NBA star in the form of media, clothing, and trading cards through a new sports and entertainment company. Bryant has filed to trademark “KB24.” Today it was announced that Cardi B will be hosting this year’s American Music Awards! Cardi took to social media this morning to share the exciting news. She tweeted, “Im so proud to announce, I’ll be hosting the 2021 @AMAs! Tune in November 21 8/7c on @ABCNetwork.” The 29-year-old rap star also said in a press release shared by MRC Live & Alternative and ABC on Nov. 2, “When I received the invite to host the AMAs, I was so excited. I’m ready to bring my personality to the AMAs stage! Thank you to Jesse Collins, ABC and MRC for making this happen.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CVxlImzLmfz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Bravo has dropped the trailer for the four-part “The Real Housewives of Potomac” Season 6 reunion, and it features Nicki Minaj calling out some of the women for their shady antics this season. The hip-hop star expressed interest in hosting the reunion back in July, and last month she took to social media to share photos of her and Bravo boss Andy Cohen on the reunion show set. “GUESS WHO BTCHS?!!!!! #Andiconda #RHOP REUNION COMING SOON ON @BRAVOTV,” wrote the rapper, who is a superfan of the series. “#Moment4Life yall better binge watch this season chile.” Minaj didn’t host the reunion, she simply dropped in to ask the cast members some questions. Over the summer, Nicki posted a teaser trailer for the Bravo reality series along with the caption: “I’ll be hosting the reunion. lmk what y’all want me to ask chile.” https://youtu.be/WQYtu6xABRk Cynthia Bailey’s husband is shutting down allegations that he is already bored in their marriage and flirting with other women. Bailey and sportscaster Mike Hill tied the knot last fall but now he’s caught up in some serious allegations that fans are hoping will not threaten their marriage. According to reports, a Twitter user with the handle @Alist_xo claims Hill hit up her DMs with flirtatious messages and nude pics. Hill denies this. “Okay well let’s say this for starters. He has sent me nudes I have videos and no it’s not massive but it’s pretty. The nudes I’ll post some snippets of later on but those will cost ya,” the woman wrote. Recently, former NFL player and current businessman Jack Brewer was on FOX News to speak out against Colin Kaepernick’s new Netflix docuseries “Colin in Black and White,” written and directed by Ava DuVernay and narrated by Kaepernick himself. Within the docuseries, Kap compares the NFL’s draft combine to slave auctions. Though this juxtaposition has been made innumerable times, Brewer’s sudden appearance on a major cable news network is telling. “I’ll tell you what this new Colin Kaepernick doctrine is the single largest threat to black men in United States of America because it has them thinking they’re victims and they’re living in the most prosperous the most opportunity in any country.” In his diatribe, Brewer also says Colin has an “evil and anti-American” spirit. Though Kaepernick has never harmed anyone nor told anyone else to do so. https://youtu.be/v7wCnyXccL0 Fox News political commentator Juan Williams is catching heat for suggesting that the phrase “parents’ rights” is “code for white race politics.” Williams believes the GOP is exploiting concerns about critical race theory to scare parents in Virginia amid the Virginia governor’s race between Republican Glenn Youngkin and his Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe. https://youtu.be/09EuPDFeA3g Damon Dash has offered an olive branch to his former business partner JAY-Z after the rapper gave him a shout-out in his speech during his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. JAY-Z is the first living solo rap artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The hip-hip icon acknowledged his mother, sister, and Dash in his speech during Saturday evening’s induction ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, Ohio. “Thank you, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for this incredible honor. And you know, growing up, we didn’t think we could be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We were told that hip-hop was a fad,” the rapper began his speech. “Much like punk rock, it gave us this anti-culture, this subgenre, and there were heroes in it.” JAY-Z also thanked the late Notorious B.I.G. and said to ex-friend Dame Dash… “Shout out to Dame, I know we don’t see eye to eye, but I can never erase your accomplishments. And I appreciate you, and I thank you for that.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1454656467672436737 “Band of Gold” singer Freda Payne has penned a memoir called “Band of Gold” in which she writes of her affair with US Senator John Tunney back in the day. He was a big deal then, the son of boxer Gene Tunney. He was also married. But she met him through Frank Sinatra at a charity event. When Holland-Dozier-Holland didn’t pay Freda for her hits, Tunney helped get her a top Hollywood lawyer who came, guns blazing, and got her a big settlement. It was Sinatra who pointed out to Freda that Tunney was head over heels for her. He was good-looking and had just been elected to the Senate from California after six years as a Congressman. Freda, who’d become a star, moved to Los Angeles and took up residence in the former home of Movie Star Maureen O’Hara. Tunney died in 2018 of prostate cancer at age 83. His successful campaign for a California seat in the U.S. Senate inspired the 1972 Robert Redford film “The Candidate.” Freda fell in love with Tunney, but she writes that she had other lovers, per the report. “I was in love with Quincy Jones too. I was so in love with him. Those were my three big love affairs: Quincy Jones, Eddie Holland, and John Tunney,” she writes. https://youtu.be/Fco8oPGu5EY Fans of R&B, Soul and club music have quietly observed the ascension of the vocal genius of one Cleveland P. Jones. Nearly a decade since the release of his debut album which earned him the Soultracks.com New Artist of the Year award, the star continues to rise for the in-demand singer who counts 2021 as a breakthrough year with three current acclaimed performances. https://youtu.be/i4mh9WxAXqQ Dallas Cowboy Dak Prescott paid tribute to his beloved grandmother, Margaret Ebarb via a series of Instagram stories last month. The star quarterback announced Ebarb’s passing on October 29, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. He wrote, “We wouldn’t be here without you, and I promise to make you proud.” As reported by Black Enterprise, he shared in one post that her teachings instilled in him “what it means to be a faithful servant.” “Rest easy, Mammy, and I love you so much… until we dance again,” he captioned a video of him dancing with Ebarb. https://www.instagram.com/_4dak/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c08e849b-305d-4197-ba98-17f827a43564 Newcomer Fae DC has compiled an impressive group of songs, most of them with a timely message, in which she either wrote or co-wrote and produced or co-produced each of them. I think the offering has something for everyone, whether you are into R&B, reggae, or mild rap. https://youtu.be/MN4Sz0OisJ4 Primetime, Deion Sanders, 54, the Florida State legend and current Jackson State head coach, has missed the last two games of the season with his team standing at 7 (wins) and 2 (defeats). Sanders was already recovering from foot surgery in September. But what’s got folks scratching their heads is that he’s been hospitalized for some unknown ailment, according to FootballScoop, reports. https://youtu.be/ERWRfBWCQpw Deleon Carr is back with new music! The One is a song that reminds us that its GOD who gives us our daily provision, meets our needs, helps us succeed. This is a groove song that's sure to get you praisin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvEQyprA20 CLEO TV will air a new episode of CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Wednesday, November 3rd at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WfY_M_HwYs Season three of the popular cooking show, NEW SOUL KITCHEN continues with an all-new episode this Wednesday, November 3 at 9:30 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. Chef Jernard Wells returns to prepare even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF5QesvjjgQ&feature=youtu.be TV One welcomes new lifestyle series, Life Therapy with AJ Johnson to the network tonight, November 2 at 10:00PM ET/9C. This is a must-see life-coaching series shares an intimate look at the stories of individuals' exposing their internal struggles in search of healing. Along with trained mental health professionals, Johnson taps into her natural instinct of nurturing people's suffering to exude positivity in a genuine approach to improve individuals' lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekRhYzHFvww The second season of “Games People Play” kicked off on Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. The talented ensemble cast includes Karrueche Tran, Lauren London in a limited role, Sarunas J. Jackson, Karen Obilom, Parker McKenna Posey, Jackie Long, and Kendall Kyndall and Brandi Denise. In addition, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Vanessa Simmons, Shaun Robinson, Kevin Jackson, Barry Brewer, and Monti Washington reprise their recurring roles, with Cynthia Bailey, Nazanin Mandi, Ro Parrish, Hitman Holla, Leon, and Calvin Seabrooks to guest star in the ten-episode drama. #GamesPeoplePlay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClIguBJvkHw Shawn Bigby is the creator of worship music that generates atmospheres of freedom and unrestrained worship. Many Gospel artists have recorded his songs, including Jason Nelson, Earnest Pugh, Hart Ramsey & The NCC Family Choir, and Marvin Sapp, who recorded "Great and Mighty" on his 2021 Dove Award-winning CHOSEN VESSEL album. Shawn is also a recording artist who landed on the Billboard Top 30 Gospel Albums Chart with his debut EP #THESETLIST VOL. 1. His teachings will now be available through his first book THE PLATFORM: ON & OFF - A Blueprint For Worship Facilitators. James Fortune delivers a new song of hope, gratitude, and faith with his new single "Never Let Me Down". Fortune continues to provide soul grabbing hit songs that resonate with listeners. Many are grappling with or are clinging tightly to their faith, and Fortune's new single reminds them that God has never let them down. It's an important and timely message with Fortune's signature sound infused with a contemporary feel. "Never Let Me Down" will be available for consumption 11.5! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iww-rRj16ns Karima, the Dove Award-winning and Grammy-nominated recording artist’s current single, “Redeemer” leaps to No. 15 on the Gospel Airplay chart, after more than 20 weeks on the charts. Written by Nicole C. Mullen, “Redeemer” is Karima’s offering of the international Christian anthem, with production by Grammy Award-winning super-producer Aaron Lindsey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxDsqXYnDFs Half Mile High returns with "Closet." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rzhj21f5wtcetdr/AAC-mok4vMWP2jHdERyU4eIRa?dl=0 Keyla Richardson releases new song "We Worship You." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D6fRNsDoxc Ricky Dillard - “Behold Christ The Lord” “I am so excited to share another new song from my upcoming album. "Behold Christ The Lord" is out NOW everywhere you listen to music! "Behold Christ The Lord" - The Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, The Prince Of Peace and the King of Glory!” https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mLRvdmfX3SK2oE80z-p_3goNsfBTXsQRo Today, MNRK Music Group and GRAMMY® nominated artist Todd Dulaney announced the highly anticipated single, "Satisfied" featuring Smokie Norful is available for pre-order now. The track will become available everywhere on Friday, November 12th. Todd Dulaney had one of the biggest Gospel singles of the past year. “Your Great Name” spent 8 weeks at #1 on the Gospel Airplay chart and 9 weeks at #1 on the Mediabase Gospel chart. 'Satisfied' from his latest album 'Anthems & Glory' is expected to reach new heights on Gospel Charts! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKw1VD-aMcU Marquis Boone Enterprises is excited to announce they have developed the very first Gospel A.I. artist named J.C., who will be a forefront runner in the Metaverse on Meta. JC is the voice. While he is not a real person, he’s an artist created solely from artificial intelligence and technology. J.C’s forthcoming single “Biblical Love” is about unquantifiable love beyond description or measure - a love of biblical proportions that transcends to everyone and everything! The single, “Biblical Love” can be heard on Gospel radio as well as Metaverse. It is slated to premiere on all streaming platforms in the first quarter of 2022. JC has been in the works for a little over a year and our plan is to continue to develop and invest resources in this new space,” says Marquis Boone, President of Marquis Boone Enterprises. “We are excited to be one of the pioneers and trailblazers in this A.I. space in the gospel industry and we have more plans to release and develop even more A.I. artist like this.” Marquis Boone Enterprises has raised over one million dollars to support this venture and plans to roll out different assets that connects the fans and listeners to J.C. and his music. People love Taraji P. Henson and Women’s Health knows it. That’s why they’ve recently featured the fiery thespian as for their cover story. Henson reveals that she’s trying to introduce the world to her other side—a musician. She’s actually trying to release some of her work to the public as soon as next year. “I’ve been singing,” the 51-year-old said in the interview also, adding that being dairy-free may have helped her reach high notes. “It just came out of me!” “I’ve been secretly working on an EP,” she added. “But it wasn’t like, ‘Taraji wants to sing,’ and then 20 writers come and bring me their songs.” Donald Glover hit up Twitter on Sunday to share a teaser for Season 3 of “Atlanta,” and it comes after the second season finale aired on May 10, 2018. Glover posted a link to a website called Gilga, which visitors had to enter before viewing the teaser for the beloved comedy-drama. Deadline writes: “The video consisted of various b-roll footage, an eerie zoom on Paper Boi played by Brian Tyree Henry before the “Atlanta” logo was shown on screen with the number “2022” flashing shortly thereafter.” Willow Smith celebrated her 21st on Sunday, which happens to coincide with Halloween. Her famous parents paid tribute with loving messages shared on social media. Will Smith shared a touching video of him reading an excerpt from his upcoming book, “Will”, to his daughter about the day she was born. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVtAQmcoN7_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Former notorious drug kingpin Alberto “Alpo” Martinez was reportedly killed in a drive-by shooting in New York City on Sunday morning. According to multiple reports, Martinez, 55, was found dead in his 2017 Dodge Ram on the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 147 Street in Harlem. Per Complex, he was charged in 1991 with conspiracy, operating a continuing drug enterprise, and using weapons during drug deals. Facing the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison, Martinez turned informant in exchange for 35 years behind bars. Following his release in 2015, he was placed in witness protection. Martinez was reportedly sitting in an SUV after leaving a club in Harlem around 3:30 a.m. Sunday when he was shot five times. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. Martinez was portrayed by rapper Cam’ron in the 2002 movie “Paid In Full.” R. Kelly has turned to Bill Cosby’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean to handle the appeal of his racketeering and sex trafficking conviction. Bonjean is the same lawyer who helped to overturn Cosby’s sexual assault case. She also reportedly represented Nxivm’s Keith Raniere, who was convicted of RICO + sex trafficking charges. In 2020, Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison. On Sept. 27, R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering in his federal sex crimes trial in New York. Prosecutors accused Robert Sylvester Kelly of directing his employees to procure women for sex and sexually abused numerous women over the span of nearly 25 years. The New Orleans Saints beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a thrilling 36-27 victory, but it cost Saints quarterback Jameis Winston a game-ending knee injury. It appears, however, that it didn’t stop him from celebrating a “W” against the “GOAT” in the locker room. Viral video of the celebration showed Winston – crutches in hand – dancing alongside his teammates. The short clip begins with the newly-returned Mark Ingram dancing for the camera. Suddenly, the focus turns to Winston, who took center stage and danced on one leg while juggling his crutches. The Saints sealed the victory thanks to an interception return for a touchdown by P.J. Williams in the fourth quarter. https://twitter.com/i/status/1454957987982987267 Recently, Solange Knowles announced the debut of her free library led by Saint Heron creative agency. The library will feature rare books and art created by Black creatives. The stated mission is to educate readers as to the depths of Black creativity. The Saint Heron Library’s inaugural season will be guest curated by Rosa Duffy of the Community Bookstore and Reading Room, For Keeps Books and will be sponsored by Aesop Skincare and give readers the ability to borrow any book from the series free of charge for up to 45 days. https://www.instagram.com/saintheron/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=0a76fe74-960b-4be3-9e7b-179a4704c386 This episode of Underground Magnolia Podcast features Tommy Miles, the host of the popular OWN network show Ready To Love. Nephew Tommy breaks down the new season in D.C., love connections on the show, dating tips, and how to make a marriage work. He also discusses his new venture – a grits company, Just Good Gritz (https://justgoodgritz.com/). https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sa9qmXtkNia4ksmeata8d Offset gifted, his beautiful wife for her birthday, Cardi B a home. During the celebration, which included as many celebrity faces as one might imagine, Offset made the grand gesture on a big screen television- a new mansion in her native Dominican Republic. The home, which comes with a rooftop swimming pool, looks like something from a Disney fantasy complete with palm trees, sand and seclusion. According to the New York Post, the property is a seven bedroom, seven bathroom modern structure that is currently available on Airbnb for $836 a night. There’s no available record of how much Offset spent on the estate, it was most recently listed for $1.49 million. https://twitter.com/i/status/1447851255192297476 Commentator Tonetalks and Political Analyst Yvette Carnell discuss the Wall Street Journal reporting President Biden administration has been meeting about $450,000 reparations to individuals due to border separations. Moore and Carnell also discuss Biden telling Black politicians there will be no action on reparations for US slavery as reported by Politico. https://youtu.be/iMzjpuww3CU The brother of rapper 21 Savage was fatally stabbed in South London last November and now his killer has been brought to justice. errell Davis, 27, was killed in Brixton during an argument with an old friend, Daily Mail reported. Davis had gone shopping for his grandmother and was on his way to her home with the items when he encountered the friend. Some things popped off, words were exchanged and Davis, a drill rapper known as TM1way, was stabbed. 21 Savage shared a childhood photo of him and Terrell on Instagram, along with the caption: “Can’t believe somebody took you baby bro I know I took my anger out on you I wish I could take that s**t back.” GSN-Nicole Ari Parker announced last month that she joined the cast of the forthcoming HBO Max series “And Just Like That,” the 10-part reboot of “Sex and the City.” Now she wants to make it clear that her character is not replacing Kim Cattrall, as she had received some fiery reactions from fans to her casting. Parker was added to the ensemble cast after it was announced that Kim Cattrall would not reprise her role as Samantha Jones. When it first came out that I was replacing the Samantha character — which is not true at all, so please write that — I have been yelled at, and I’ve also been attacked with love,” Parker said, as reported by PEOPLE. “I’ve been photographed in places I should never be photographed. The fans are so excited and over the top. I had some idea of that because I am one of those fans but I had no idea [the extent of it].” Alec Baldwin is speaking out yet again about the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film “Rust.” https://youtu.be/8FnZcg0b5HA JAY-Z is the first living solo rap artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The hip-hip icon acknowledged his mother, sister, and former business partner Dame Dash in his speech during Saturday evening’s induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio. https://twitter.com/i/status/1454656467672436737 Keith and Kristyn Getty, songwriters known for creating well-known modern hymns and for hosting the annual Sing! Worship Conference, will release a new album titled “Confessio: Irish American Roots” this Friday (Oct. 29). Keith Getty told Baptist Press he and Kristyn spent an extended period of time in their homeland of Ireland with their four daughters in the fall of 2020, and this album represents “a hymn diary” of their time in the country. Shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided a much-needed opportunity to slow down after 20 years of the couple’s songwriting and music ministry. “We just thought here’s a chance to finally take a breath as it’s been a crazy, chaotic and extraordinarily wonderful 20 years and so much has happened during that time,” Getty said. Hank Aaron’s imprint is firmly stamped on the World Series. His No. 44 has been painted on the grass in center field at the Braves‘ Truist Park all season. It remained in big, bold green for Friday night’s Game 3 against the Houston Astros. The impact of Aaron, the Hall of Famer who died Jan. 22, is seen in much more than the number. “Hank’s footprints are all over this series,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. The Braves honored Aaron before the game, playing a video tribute to The Hammer. Aaron’s family, including his wife, Billye, was on the field for the ceremony. His son, Hank Jr., got a hug from Baker on the mound and threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Braves star Freddie Freeman. A son of Turner Sports broadcaster Ernie Johnson has died at the age of 33. Johnson tweeted about the death of his son Michael on Friday night. “We are grieving and at the same time so grateful for having been witnesses to a miraculous 33 years with michael,” Ernie Johnson wrote. Michael Johnson was born with a progressive form of muscular dystrophy that caused respiratory issues and required the use of a ventilator. He was one of four adopted children of Ernie Johnson and his wife, Cheryl, who have six children in total. “We are heartbroken over the passing of Cheryl and Ernie’s beloved son, Michael, a true hero who uplifted and brought joy to everyone he touched,” Turner Sports said in a statement. “The family’s love, faith and commitment to one another will forever be an inspiration to us. Our deepest condolences are with Cheryl, Ernie and their family, friends and loved ones as we mourn with them.” Start your Sunday with some morning praise, offered up by Maverick City Music at the 2021 Gospel Musical Association Dove Awards. The artists, who took home awards for New Artist of the Year and Worship Album of the Year, sing their No. 1 hit song, “Jireh,” featuring Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine. The chorus, “You are Jireh, You are enough/ Jireh, You are enough/ And I will be content in every circumstance/ You are Jireh, You are enough” speaks to the hope, peace, love and strength available to us as we seek real relationship with God. https://youtu.be/dMtk_lUkqQI Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s 2004 Super Bowl halftime controversy is getting the documentary treatment from FX and Hulu. As Deadline reports, the doc will be the latest installment in the New York Times Presents series, entitled “Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson.” Directed by Jodi Gomes, the documentary will premiere Nov. 19 and will “feature previously unseen footage and interviews with people involved with the production of the infamous halftime show,” Complex writes. Meanwhile, we previously reported that the stylist who worked with Jackson for her infamous 2004 Super Bowl appearance has revealed that it was Timberlake who pushed for the “wardrobe malfunction” that made international headlines. Jay-Z’s added another title to a resume that includes rapper, songwriter, Grammy winner, billionaire business mogul, and global icon — Hall of Famer. The self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” was inducted Saturday night as part of an eclectic 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class that included Foo Fighters, Carole King, Tina Turner, The Go-Gos and Todd Rundgren. Once a drug dealer on the tough streets of Brooklyn, New York, Jay-Z rose through the rap world with hard, straight-forward songs that often portrayed the struggles of Black people in America. His catalogue includes songs like “Hard Knock Life,” “99 Problems” and “Empire State of Mind” as well as 14 No. 1 albums. Following a video introduction that included President Barack Obama, LeBron James and David Letterman, Jay-Z was inducted by comedian Dave Chappelle, who praised him for being an inspiration. Otis Williams has been making music with the legendary Temptations for 60 years. The Texarkana, Texas native first started captivating fans with his deep, lush baritone voice when he was 20 years old. City College Center for the Arts in New York City is going to celebrate the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and multiple Grammy Award® winner with a special live, virtual conversation hosted by musician K. Sparks on Monday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m. ET. https://youtu.be/nvAM6zc6bP4 Indie rapper Bryson Gray’s song “Let’s Go Brandon” was banned from YouTube. Now, Gray has a great deal of redemption as it sits atop the Hip Hop Charts at iTunes. He tweeted, “YouTube has banned the “Let’s Go Brandon” song from YouTube due to “medical information.” What medical misinformation is in the song? Whoa.” “YouTube doesn’t allow claims about COVID-19 vaccinations that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization (WHO),” says the video-sharing site’s verbiage. https://youtu.be/wlHR7M-1fX4 Eve has reintroduced herself to the viewing via promoting her new ABC show “Queens,” the Philly rapper and one-time First Lady of the Ruff Ryders has been making all the expected late night talk show stops. Recently she gave her opinion on the current state of hip-hop while chatting with Trevor Noah on the Daily Show. https://youtu.be/L2SOrUlmRRU SiriusXM announced today that 15-time GRAMMY® Award winning artist Alicia Keys will return to her hometown, New York City, to perform at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem for a special, intimate, and exclusive invitation-only concert for SiriusXM subscribers and Pandora listeners on Thursday, November 11. The special performance in Keys’ hometown is a part of SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stage Series. Alicia Keys’ return to the Apollo will feature Keys in all her glory and musical greatness as she performs her fan favorite hits as well as music from her latest album Alicia and preview all new music from her forthcoming, highly anticipated eighth studio album, including the sultry and timeless new single, “LALA. The performance will air on SiriusXM’s Heart & Soul channel on Tuesday, November 16 at 6:00 pm ET. The concert will also air in its entirety on Alicia Keys’ exclusive SiriusXM channel Alicia Keys Radio via satellite (channel 48) and on the SXM App on Friday, December 10 at 8:00 pm ET and PT. According to Radar, 50 Cent, Curtis Jackson, is going after “Love & Hip Hop” star Teairra Mari over damages awarded to him in a lawsuit she lost. Teairra Mari sued 50 and her ex-boyfriend Akbar Abdul-Ahad for alleged revenge porn. She had accused Abdul-Ahad, of hacking into her Instagram account and posting a photo of her with ejaculate on her face. The Fiddy man, being true to his brand, re-posted the photo on his Instagram and made fun of the leak. However, he denied doing anything wrong and called for the claim to be dismissed. Somewhat surprisingly, the judge in the case ruled in 50s favor, awarding him $30,000 in attorney fees. However, 50’s attorney claims Teairra has refused to hand financial documents and has not answered any question about her income. Fiddy’s legal team also has demanded to know where she holds bank accounts and how much she has made in royalties from her music. The judge eventually granted motions brought by 50 to the tune of thousands more in sanctions against Teairra, which brought the total to $50,000. https://youtu.be/WqUgaND-7Ik Hilaria Baldwin, 37, was seen Friday night comforting her grieving husband, actor Alec Baldwin, 63, at a private bar in Manchester, Vermont as he faces a criminal investigation into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film ‘Rust.’ At one point during the night, Hilaria could be seen wrapping her arms around her husband before they shared an intimate kiss. But Baldwin still seemed distraught, holding his head in his hands. The following day, Hilaria revealed that she is concerned for her husband’s mental health, and worries he may develop PTSD from the fatal shooting on October 21. Jeffery Williams, 30, who goes by his rapper name Young Thug claims an apartment concierge let an unknown person take his Louis Vuitton bag holding about 200 unreleased songs and more than $100,000 worth of jewelry and cash. According to the lawsuit, a concierge at Trace Apartments put the bag in a secure location after the rapper accidentally left it next to his vehicle on November 1, 2020, but another employee unaware of the situation, released it to someone else. The missing bag contained a hard drive with about 200 unreleased songs that are worth at least $1 million, the lawsuit said. The bag also held $40,000 in cash, a diamond-encrusted watch worth $57,000 and a $37,000 chain with inset diamonds. In a little peek of her upcoming sit-down interview with Joe Budden, Brittany Renner talks about the backlash she received over her controversial “hide your sons” tweet, which sparked a big debate online. Renner broke up with Charlotte Hornets’ star PJ Washington this year after he called her out for “faking” their relationship months after giving birth to their child. The 29-year-old IG model and author was also criticized by fans who accused her of “grooming” the younger Washington. To make matters worse, she received even more backlash after she shared a picture of herself at Jackson State University with the caption “Hide your sons.” Recently rising star and “Insecure” fan favorite Yvonne Orji issued a public apology to a fan who called her “the meanest celebrity” via Twitter. The reply came from a Tweet that asked respondents to recall the meanest celeb they had ever met. Though there were thousands of likes and retweets of the thread, the one from a fan named Crystal is what caused the commotion. “I met Yvonne Orji at a WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE,” a fan named Crystal recalled. “She was about to give her speech and I asked for a pic while she was waiting. She said no. I respect her privacy, move on and take my seat in the front row.” Okay. That doesn’t exactly seem rude on its face, though you can never tell how words, no matter how mundane they may seem, will impact an individual. Crystal says Orji came to a point in her speech where she seemed to take a dig at her while pointing out the need for persistence. “She’s like “I only got to where I got because I never took no for an answer.” And then she gestures over to me and says something like “That girl wanted a picture with me, but I said no. If she were more intentional about what she wants, maybe she’d have her pic,” Crystal claimed. Orji, who normally is quite popular on the bird app, threw herself upon the mercy of the court of digital opinion and issued an apology. A Florida TikTok star was arrested on Friday after he allegedly ran a light and provoked a 100-mile-per-hour high speed chase. Damaury Mikula, 18, of Pasco, Florida, has more than four million followers on TikTok and has frequently posted content featuring his Dodge Challenger, a vehicle that can go up to 141mph with a starting price of $29,065. The TikTok star, who is said to make $400,000 to $450,000 per year, was recorded being chased by Pasco County Police. The chase, which happened at around 10.30am, was considered to be ‘fun’ for Mikula who was later arrested in front of his home. https://www.fox13news.com/video/996059 Joe Louis once said of Billy Conn, “He can run, but he can’t hide,” before stopping his rival in the eighth round of their June 1946 return bout of “The Brown Bomber’s” 13th-round KO five years earlier. Jaron “Boots” Ennis is saying pretty much the same thing to the entire welterweight division. The switch-hitting Ennis (28–0, 26 KOs) twice floored Puerto Rican title challenger Thomas Dulorme (25–6–1, 16 KOs) en route to scoring his 11th first-round knockout and 18th straight stoppage win at Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas on Saturday, a terrifying performance announcing him a lurking menace if not a favorite against any 147-pound fighter or champion. Three-division champion Gervonta Davis and undefeated lightweight prospect Rolando Romero aim to knock each other senseless when they clash for Davis’ WBA 135-pound title on Dec. 5 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The combatants share a genuine animosity, with Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) calling his adversary “a scared chump,” and Romero (14-0, 12 KOs) vowing “to knock Gervonta the f*** out” in a Premier Boxing Champions event on Showtime Pay Per View (8 p.m. ET). “Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero are both very dangerous and determined fighters with the power in both hands to get you out of there,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. Theresa Buckson, an obstetrics and gynecology physician in South Miami, Florida, spent 15 years building a successful practice after completing her residency at Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore in 2001. She then became the first African American female physician to join one of the area’s largest multi-specialty practice groups. Already a volunteer in a number of women’s groups, she made the life-altering decision to devote more of her time and energy to helping those less fortunate than herself, in the wake of what she perceived as a hostile work environment at her place of employment in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. “I decided then that I really needed to live up to a greater standard of service to others,” said Buckson. “I was overworked and exhausted, and decided that if I was going to be exhausted, I wanted to be exhausted from helping those who could not help themselves instead of working endless hours and lining the pockets of a hospital that seemed more interested in maintaining its façade of greatness than helping patients.” Since joining the OB-GYN emergency room staff at South Miami Hospital in January 2020, the Sunshine State has become Buckson’s new launch pad for her commitment to volunteerism, particularly providing medical care to people of African descent. When India Walton beat Buffalo’s four-term mayor in a Democratic primary last June, New York’s second largest city looked like it was about to get a leader like no other in its history. She’d be its first female mayor and the first to identify as a democratic socialist. After becoming a mother at age 14, she grew up to be a nurse and strived through a lifetime of financial hardship that continued through the campaign, when her car was impounded for unpaid parking tickets. But rather than pack up his City Hall office of 16 years, Mayor Byron Brown has stayed in the race in pursuit of his own superlatives: He’s trying to become the first person to win a major race as a write-in candidate in New York state, and — if he gets a fifth term — Buffalo’s longest-serving mayor. Brown has gained traction by reversing his strategy from largely ignoring Walton to labeling her “an unqualified radical socialist” who will defund the police and raise taxes. Late Friday, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the Supreme Court’s three progressives in denying a preliminary injunction to a group of medical professionals who sought to be exempted from Maine’s vaccine mandate because of their religious convictions. Justice Neil Gorsuch filed a compelling dissent in the case, John Does 1-3 v. Mills, joined by his fellow conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The dissenters stressed that, besides being likely to win on the merits, the religious objectors were merely asking to maintain the status quo — to keep their jobs despite being … President Joe Biden took communion when he attended mass at St. Patrick’s Church in Rome on Saturday night, the day after the president said Pope Francis told him he could continue to take the Holy sacrament. First lady Jill Biden accompanied him to the religious service. The English-speaking church is the main place of worship for the American Catholic community in Rome and is located near the U.S. Embassy. Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended mass there earlier this month when she was in Rome for a meeting of legislative leaders of G20 nations. Biden, the nation’s second Catholic president, stopped at the church after his first day of meetings at the G20 summit. He and the first lady are scheduled to attend a formal gala for the leaders of the world’s biggest economies later Friday evening. While Biden regularly receives Communion in his home dioceses in Washington and Delaware, it was significant that he also received Communion in Rome. The pope technically is the bishop of Rome, and while he delegates that to his vicar, St. Patrick’s parish is technically in the pope’s archdiocese. As such, Biden received Communion in the pope’s archdiocese. President Joe Biden and Pope Francis met Friday at the Vatican to discuss big issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and poverty. The meeting between what are arguably the world’s two most powerful Catholics lasted 75 minutes, which church watchers say is an unusually long time for an audience with the pontiff. “Biden thanked His Holiness for his advocacy for the world’s poor and those suffering from hunger, conflict, and persecution,” the White House said. “He lauded Pope Francis’ leadership in fighting the climate crisis, as well as his advocacy to ensure the pandemic ends for everyone through vaccine sharing and an equitable global economic recovery.” After leaving the Vatican, Biden said he had a “wonderful” meeting with the pope and that Francis prayed for him and blessed his rosary beads. Asked what the prayer was about, Biden replied, “Peace.” U.S. President Joe Biden’s global energy security adviser said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting close to using natural gas as a political tool as Russia is holding back fuel exports to Europe as it suffers an energy crunch. “I think we are getting close to that line if Russia indeed has the gas to supply and it chooses not to, and it will only do so if Europe accedes to other demands that are completely unrelated,” Amos Hochstein, Biden’s adviser, told reporters, when asked if Putin was using gas as a weapon. Hochstein said gas prices in Europe have been driven higher not just by events in the region but also by a dry season in China that has reduced energy output from hydropower and increased global competition for natural gas. The mayor of St. Louis did not flinch during a press conference when gunfire erupted nearby, saying she was unfortunately used to it. Mayor Tishaura Jones was speaking to the press on Friday about her and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ efforts to reduce violent crime following a roundtable discussion about public safety when what sounded like gunfire went off nearby. But Jones did not miss a beat and sarcastically responded ‘Oh isn’t that wonderful,’ before getting back to the topic at hand. https://youtu.be/VrGS6wDNs88 Recently, a former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murder may regain his freedom soon. Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder in the 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an Australian-American, and was hit was a seemingly apt 12-year sentence. However, that initial charge has been tossed out by the State Supreme Court. NBC reports that Noor has been resentenced to five years in prison and has already served just over two years. That means he could be eligible to get out next summer due to good behavior. https://youtu.be/XsoZhjkZs30 Fetty Wap was arrested yesterday prior to his Rolling Loud set. The New Jersey-born rapper, Willie Junior Maxwell II, could be facing life in prison because of his alleged involvement in a “multimillion-dollar bicoastal drug distribution organization.” According to Consequence, Fetty’s indictment accused him of distributing over 100 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl, crack cocaine and heroin across New Jersey and Long Island from June 2019-June 2020. United States Attorney Breon Peace says the rapper is, “deliberately contributing to the opioid epidemic that has devastated our communities and taken too many lives.” Fetty’s federal drug charges could land him life imprisonment. Fetty’s attorney, Navarro Gray, told TMZ: “We pray that this is all a big misunderstanding. He sees the judge today. Hoping he gets released so we can clear things up expeditiously.” Meanwhile, a rep for Rolling Loud says they had no prior knowledge of Fetty’s legal issues. Bullets flew at a College Hill gas station overnight, sparing a mother and a grandson but taking the life of their loved one. Diantes Kemper had just picked up his mom from work. Less than 12 hours after it happened, Kim Thompson stood on her front lawn and recounted how they decided to stop at the Sunoco station on West Galbraith Road in College Hill before heading home. They wanted to get some cigarettes and juice. It was just a few minutes before 1 a.m. Kemper was in the lot when the gunfire started. “He was pullin’ out to pay,” his mother said. “They just opened up fire.” The markings of shell casings were all around her and her son’s 4-year-old grandson who was also there. They were unhurt. The 42-year-old Kemper died as he arrived at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Two law enforcement officers have been charged over the killing of a man in Atlanta who was shot 76 times during an arrest attempt. Jamarion Robinson, 26, was hit dozens of times by police as 16 officers broke down the door and raided his girlfriend’s home in 2016. The incident took place because police officers believed the former college football player was responsible for pointing a gun at Atlanta officers and fleeing. Eric Heinze, an assistant chief inspector with the US Marshal’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, and Kristopher Hutchens, a Clayton County police officer working with the task force, have now been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, making false statements and violation of oath by a public officer. The US Marshals Service has said that the officers were trying to serve warrants on Mr. Robinson issued by Atlanta police and Gwinnett County police. Three men have pleaded guilty in connection with a summer shooting that left a 12-year-old New Orleans girl dead and outraged a city already struggling with a rise in murders. The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate reported that the parents of Todriana Peters were in the courtroom Wednesday when the three men pleaded guilty. One man, Pernell Young, admitted to opening fire during the May 30 shooting outside a graduation party while prosecutors said the other two — 18-year-old Marcus Venible, and 19-year-old Tyrese Riley — were not shooters. Peters’ death was part of a wave of homicides starting last year that has rattled the city. After a 2019 that marked the lowest number of homicides in nearly half a century, New Orleans saw the number of people killed skyrocket in 2020. This year homicides are up 5% over the same time period last year, according to information on the City Council’s website. Councilman Faron Hamblin also declared that “I don’t go around walking on eggshells, worried about hurting someone’s feelings. But I never intended for this to be a racist issue.” Virginia Warsaw councilman Faron Hamblin has apologized for posing in blackface as one of Eddie Murphy’s iconic characters from Coming to America. Hamblin shared the image over the weekend and it quickly caused outrage, WWBT News reports. The white councilman serves the town of Warsaw in Virginia but moonlights as a musician. He decided to pay homage to Murphy’s character of Randy Watson but darkened his skin to do so. “In honor of my late friend, I went out as the legendary Randy Watson tonight. Give it up for my band Sexual Chocolate,” Hamblin wrote alongside the offending photo, according to WWBT News. The post quickly drew backlash from users. Hamblin deleted the post and others that were visible on his page. WWBT News was able to take screenshots before he deleted his posts which included an apology. “Folks I made a post of me dressed like the movie character Randy Watson. For those of you who know the movie, Randy is a [B]lack man. So I dressed the part. Suit, hair and yes my makeup was brown,” Hamblin wrote. “Many saw it degrading, which I did not. I did it to show my love for the character and the movie. But since I’m white it’s considered by some as offensive to dress as a black person.” Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is mourning the loss of his maternal grandmother, Margaret Ebarb. Prescott announced her passing on social media Friday. “We wouldn’t be here without you and I promise to make you proud,” he posted on Instagram. He added that he’ll forever be thankful to her for teaching him “what it means to be a faithful servant.” His Instagram stories ended with a video of him dancing with his grandmother and this quote — “Rest easy Mammy and I love you so much… until we dance again.” Students and staff at Leeds University have demanded senior staff introduce themselves with gender pronouns in meetings. They signed a letter insisting the university’s vice-chancellor Simone Buitendijk also includes her pronouns in email signatures to show solidarity with the transgender community. LGBT staff and student groups accused the university of having ‘a deeply entrenched culture of transphobia’ in the letter sent in August — a month before Ms Buitendijk took up the job. It called on her to ‘rapidly address and effectively rectify the current discriminatory situation’. And it accused the university of being ‘a hostile environment for trans staff and students’, according to The Times, a claim the university denies. The letter accused the university of storing transgender people’s ‘dead names’ — their pre-transition names — in computer systems. They called for ‘a culture which encourages the sharing of pronouns when, for example, in meetings and seminars’. Ice Cube has departed Sony’s upcoming comedy, Oh Hell No, in which he would’ve co-starred with Jack Black, after declining a request from producers to get vaccinated, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Sony had no comment. A personal representative for the star declined to comment. WME, his agency, declined to comment. Oh Hell No is being produced by Matt Tolmach and Black, who both did not offer a comment. Ice Cube and Black partnered on the project in June. The Sony film was looking to shoot this winter in Hawaii with Kitao Sakurai, the filmmaker behind Netflix’s breakout comedy Bad Trip, in the director’s seat. Producers on Oh Hell No made the request that cast on the project would need to be vaccinated. The film is pushing back its production start. Black injured himself in June while filming a gag for the last episode of Conan but is still attached to the project. Sources tell THR the studio is looking to find a replacement for Ice Cube, who walked from a $9 million payday. The NAACP has issued a letter to the players associations for multiple pro sports leagues, calling on free agents to consider signing with teams not based in Texas over the organization’s criticism of legislative actions taken in Texas earlier this year. “We are now pleading with you — if you are a free agent and are considering employment in Texas, look elsewhere. The Texas government will not protect your family,” reads the letter, which was signed by NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and NAACP Texas State Conference President Gary Bledsoe. “Demand that Texas owners invest in your rights and protect your investments. Texas is not safe for you, your spouse, or your children. Until the legislation is overturned, Texas isn’t safe for anyone,” the two continued. Tami Roman is going back to her proverbial roots as part of “The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles.” Tami, Beth Anthony, Beth Stolarczyk, David Edwards, Glen Naessens, Irene Berrera-Kearns, and Jon Brennan return to the same Venice beach house they all shared on “The Real World” in 1993. https://youtu.be/e9yQpx9cEUs On the latest Peace of Mind with Taraji the topic was “Why Do Women Stay In Hurtful Relationships?” Realty TV personality/talk show host, and daughter to Rev Run (Joseph Simmons), Angela Simmons, opened up about why she stayed in an abusive relationship for longer than logic advised her to. She described their relationship as “great” at first. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4603400396348332 This weeks episode of Underground Magnolia Podcast highlights Rae Shaw, the director and screenwriter of the upcoming web series Black Kung Fu Chick. Set in South Los Angeles, the web series is about a young African American girl (played by up-and-coming actress Taylor Polidore), who needs guidance with achieving her goal of becoming a doctor. One of her teachers (played by Chinese actor Peter Boon Koh) gives her the boost she needs to reach her dreams both professionally and personally. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vQsn0ZeaE7Dc44MjmWFjC “I’m a smorgasbord of influences,” said Shanachie Entertainment Gospel artist Gene Hoskins about growing up around music. “As I grew older…I searched out artists that spoke to me, like Mary Mary…Brandy, Tank, Anita Baker…as I got older Ella, even Country music. You may even hear a little rock because I love Journey (“Open Arms”). They made me want to write.” https://youtu.be/7IUXWbe7sYA This month, Ebony celebrated the best of Black excellence that is woven throughout our community! The past few years have been hard on everyone, but this year Ebony celebrated leaders in our community, with the Power 100 Gala at The Beverly Hilton. Living legends Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. When Jam and Lewis were being honored on stage, it was led by a tribute message from their longtime collaborator, Janet Jackson and the award was presented by Grammy-nominated singer, Major. The duo received a standing ovation and many cheers from the packed room. “For me, Lifetime Achievement isn’t a place to stop, it’s a bar that’s high and we’re going to continue to try to raise that bar every day that we’re living,” said Jam during his thank you speech. The first trailer for Will Smith’s new YouTube Originals docuseries “The Best Shape of My Life,” has dropped and shows him opening up about the time he considered taking his own life. https://youtu.be/S8p63B_xe2M It’s Me, Julissa! reintroduces fans to entertainment sweetheart Julissa Bermudez after years in the industry's background hosting various shows and helping others tell their stories. Bermudez’s show will air on Friday, October 29 at 9:30p.m. EST/8:30C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVDnnYFR6BY Popular lifestyle show, TIA MOWRY'S QUICK FIX with air this Friday, October 29 at 9 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. The multi-talented actress, producer, author and entrepreneur, Tia Mowry, serves as host of the digital series that TV One and CLEO TV inked in a major syndication deal with Kin earlier this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INnjgEWRfx0 Two-time Stellar Award nominee, singer/songwriter, and entrepreneur Kelondra Lockett has had a dynamic breakout 2021. Lockett is back with new single “Made A Way” featuring Q Parker of famed R&B Group 112. “Made A Way” is a simple but timeless message set against the New Edition sample “Can You Stand the Rain” the song will envelope you in wave of nostalgia of music from the 90’s. Lockett’s fresh approach to the vocals and Q. Parkers smoothed out tone blend well together on the track. Multi-platinum selling and award-winning, TRIBL Records’ own Maverick City Music, continue their record-breaking year by adding a 2021 American Music Award (AMA) nomination for Favorite Gospel Artist to their resume. The 2021 American Music Awards are set to air Sunday, November 21st live on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles from 8p.m. to 11p.m. EST. Voting is now open through November 16th by searching AMAs on TikTok. Fresh off their 52nd GMA DOVE Award wins, for Worship Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year. The award-winning collective is completing the last legs of their headlining domestic tour, Welcome to Maverick City Music. Recently, the collective appeared on the national daytime talk show, The Nick Cannon Show, in which they inspired the audience with the song, “Man of Your Word.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUCPLm98Ges&t=2024s Congratulations to Kirk Franklin and Koryn Hawthorne on their 2021 American Music Award nominations for "Favorite Gospel Artist." Vote now by searching “AMAs” on TikTok. Don’t miss the #AMAs, November 21 at 8/7c on ABC! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com JonnyxMali have done it again. From their EP and state-to-state tour to the stage of the Dove Awards, they continue to lift up their unique sound and invite people into the dynamic musical experience they create. Check out their performance of "Jump Ship" at the Dove Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P-qCxHavyU Leave it to Koryn to continue to bring together music lovers from all over the place. Check out her "Speak to Me" performance at the Dove Awards which also paid homage to Pastor Donnie McClurkin's hit single "Speak to My Heart." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVpJjxGW-N8 November is Hip-Hop History Month - if you don't know, now you know! Check out our playlist with your favorites, from Kirk and Lecrae to Kierra and Missy Elliott. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLcSq3J265i_-Q4-0F4R57Yimpa5FVw7N In the Gospel Spotlight it's MELISSA BETHEA AS SHE RELEASES HER NEW SINGLE " YOU'RE COMING OUT. It the Gospel Spotlight song of the week....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3mqcdLuEIA On the surface, the Department of Justice’s $88 million settlement with the surviving family members of the nine people killed in the Emanuel AME Church massacre in Charleston, South Carolina, is historic in many ways. Not only is it one of the largest settlements in a civil rights case in U.S. history, but it could help offer closure to one of the most violent attacks by a white supremacist. Bakari Sellers, a civil rights attorney representing the 14 plaintiffs who sued the federal government, told South Carolina news outlet the State that the number 88 is near and dear to white supremacists’ cold and racist hearts. He pointed out that H — the 8th letter of the alphabet — is an offhand reference to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, a revered figure among white supremacists for slaughtering Jews during the Holocaust, which, obviously, also starts with the letter H. It gets deeper than that, though. He also reminded the State that Dylann Roof — the white supremacist who attended bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church before launching his hate-filled killing spree on that fateful day in June of 2015 in hopes of sparking a “race war” — was wearing shoes with the number 88 on them during his unprovoked attack that murdered nine innocent souls. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-hate organization, has referred to the number 88 as a numerical hate symbol. Settlements for those who were murdered are anywhere from $6 million to $7.5 million. Survivors will receive $5 million each. A white man from Michigan won a $10 million discrimination lawsuit after a federal jury in Charlotte agreed with his claims that his former employer fired him because he was a white male. In the lawsuit, David Duvall said in 2018, while living in Charlotte, he was fired from his job with Novant Health as senior vice president of marketing and communication because of the company’s efforts to diversify some of its top leadership positions. The jury believed Duvall’s assertion of discrimination was correct and that he proved without a reasonable doubt that race and gender were motivating factors that led to his termination. The jury also stated that Novant Health couldn’t prove that it would have fired Duvall regardless of his race. But Novant Heath asserts that Duvall was fired because he had poor leadership skills. The company also said Duvall admitted in a deposition that he didn’t believe the company was discriminating against him. It looks like CNN’s chief national affairs analyst will be spending the months leading up to the 2022 midterm elections (and possibly beyond) giving precious media attention to the white women who didn’t vote for Trump last year. At least, that’s what Kasie Hunt said on Thursday in a tweet that promised (some might say threatened) coverage of how “suburban women who turned on the GOP over Trump are responding to Democratic governing in DC” if paid leave was left out of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislative framework. Hunt, who is fresh off of brain surgery to remove a benign tumor, accentuated her tweet by suggesting that the demographic (for which she used coded language for white women) was “especially” affected by a lack of provisions for paid time off “after the pandemic.” Beloved Atlanta news anchor Jovita Moore has lost her seven month battle with brain cancer. The longtime WSB journalist announced in July that she had undergone surgery in April shortly after doctors discovered two masses that were confirmed to be glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. https://youtu.be/cM58cU7QFfw The National NAACP has fired back at the Atlanta branch after its president warned voters not to put former mayor Kasim Reed back in office. Last week, Atlanta NAACP President Richard Rose accused Reed of pushing anti-black policies and programs during his first two terms as mayor. Rose reportedly attacked Reed’s record as mayor on the chapter’s Facebook page. In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reed spokeswoman Anne Torres called Rose’s claims “false and wholly without merit.” “Mayor Kasim Reed is a lifetime member of the NAACP and is committed to the mission and work of this path breaking organization,” Torres said in a statement. Our campaign is being attacked because we sought and received the support of the women and men of the Atlanta Police Department at a time when crime and violence is devastating our city,” Reed wrote in a statement on Monday. A Kentucky high school is in the national spotlight this week after photos of a recent homecoming celebration showing students giving lap dances to faculty and staff – including the principal, who is also mayor of the city – went viral. The pics were shared with the Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, Thursday after Hazard Independent Schools district announced Wednesday it had launched an investigation into this year’s homecoming celebration at Hazard High School that included a “Man Pageant” and led to photos being posted on the school’s Facebook page of students giving lap dances in their undergarments to adults, including principal and Hazard mayor Donald “Happy” Mobelini. https://youtu.be/-h6nX9ixTVU A hip-hop concert that was planned for November 7th at Detroit’s Masonic Temple has been canceled by promoters due to the venue’s new vaccine mandate. Promoters 2D Productions & Entertainment and Big Step Entertainment organized the show, which was supposed to feature Rakim, KRS-One, and Slick Rick. Chubb Rock and JJ Fad were also on the bill as special guests. But on October 1st, the operating company AEG Presents implemented vaccine mandates for all its venues, clubs, and theaters throughout the country. “Our hope is that our pro-active stance encourages people to do the right thing and get vaccinated,” said COO of AEG Jay Marciano. “I think everyone can agree that we don’t want concerts to go away again, and this is the best way to keep that from happening.” But instead of complying with the venue’s mandates, promoters decided to cancel the show and moved it to another venue on a different date. In an email, Derrick Kearney, a spokesperson for 2D, said they have received hundreds of text messages and voicemails from fans expressing their frustrations with having to be vaccinated to see the show. The director of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority is taking legal action against Issa Rae’s hit show “Insecure” for including the official AKA shield in their season 5 premiere episode. As reported by Black Enterprise, the backlash centers on “Amanda Seales’ character Tiffany DuBois wearing official AKA paraphernalia in the episode, the organization’s executive director is speaking out and asking her sorors to let them handle it,” the outlet writes. “We were made aware of the unauthorized use of our brand on the HBO show Insecure early yesterday morning (Monday, October 25, 2021) and are taking steps to protect our brand,” AKA Sorority Inc. Executive Director Cynthia D. Howell said in a statement. https://twitter.com/i/status/1452489471006580742 Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay’s “Colin in BLACK and WHITE” premieres on Netflix, today, Friday, October 29. It is a series of powerful and necessary statements in response to those saying Colin Kaepernick has to say more than he has about his exile from the NFL https://youtu.be/ej42P9FTwZg Prayers up! Unfortunately, we have sad news about another old school rapper’s health condition. The Kangol Kid, a member of U.T.F.O., is telling the world he has stage 4 colon cancer and will have to undergo surgery. Kangol – who learned of his diagnosis back in February- took to Instagram on Wednesday (10-27-21) and revealed that he’s been hospitalized for cancer-related complications. His procedure was scheduled for Thursday morning (10/29/21) at the North Shore University Hospital in New York, according to Revolt. Above, in a video interview with PIX News, Kangol discusses his situation. https://youtu.be/LSJd4nCkIhw Tessa Thompson was ‘really terrified’ to tackle the role of Irene in Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut “Passing,” based on Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel of the same name. “Passing” follows two former childhood friends — Irene and Claire, played by Thompson and Ruth Negga. The duo, who pass for white, reconnect as adults and become obsessed with each other’s lives. On screen, “there’s this tension of us really being very different,” Thompson says in a new interview with USA Today. “There’s a kind of restraint that Irene has and the kind of vivacious, live-wire spirit that (Clare has).” https://youtu.be/trwq3CNCMkU Pharrell Williams recently shared a rare family photo with wife Helen Lasichanh and their 12-year-old son Rocket Ayer. As reported by People, Williams explained the meaning of Rocket’s name to Oprah Winfrey in 2014. “Metaphorically, it was because of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Rocket Love,’ Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man,’ and Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rocket,’ ” he said at the time. “All of my favorite musicians.” “In the same way the Indians named their children after a force or animal or element, we named him after a man-made machine that was meant to go up, meant to ascend,” Williams added. Chance the Rapper is opening up about mental health with actress Taraji P. Henson and Tracie Jade on the Facebook Watch series “Peace of Mind with Taraji.” In a preview of the episode, Henson asks Chance if mental health was discussed in his household, the rapper replies, “Wellness wasn’t something that we knew, you know?” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1275709842931329 People will be talking about this all season … the moment the Arizona Cardinals saw their perfectly undefeated season stunningly stolen away on the final play of a thrilling comeback against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Rasul Douglas, the Packers hero that secured the team’s 24-21 victory at State Farm Stadium on Thursday, was on the Cardinals’ practice squad just 22 days earlier. That’s when the Packers, with opening-day starting cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Kevin King both banged up, gave him a call. Winsome Sears has it all figured out. Black Virginians like her, she believes, are more conservative than they know and even more irked by a Democratic Party that takes them for granted. She hopes that with the right amount of righteous outrage she can bring them with her to the Republican promised land. Sears is the GOP’s nominee for lieutenant governor. https://youtu.be/mT0YcDcAJcQ Amazon Studios has closed a three-picture and first-look film deal with Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award winner Eddie Murphy, it was announced today. Under the pact, Murphy will star in three films for Amazon Studios and develop original film projects for Prime Video and Studios with the potential to star. The deal formalizes Murphy’s relationship with Amazon Studios on the heels of the success of Coming 2 America. Following its March 5 release on Prime Video, the comedy was the #1 streamed movie of the weekend, with the #1 opening weekend of any other streaming movie in 2021 to date, and #1 opening weekend of any streaming movie in the past 12 months (post-COVID theater closures), per third party Screen Engine/ASI’s weekly PostVODTM ranking. “The Talk” co-host Sheryl Underwood is ready for Halloween, and on Monday she was hardly recognizable dressed as professional athlete Lamar Jackson for the show’s Halloween-themed episode. Co-hosts Amanda Kloots, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Jerry O’Connell and Natalie Morales also wore sports-themed costumes, which the show shared on Instagram. It was Sheryl’s costume as the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens football team that fans are most wild about. Catalina Content, a Sky Studios company, has announced its partnership with the renowned Emmy-nominated director, producer and choreographer Laurieann Gibson to develop the talent competition series ICON, which seeks to develop the next global pop icon. Per press release, over the past twenty years, Gibson has established herself as a true innovator within the entertainment industry, having created pop culture moments for some of the world’s top music artists including Lady Gaga, Meg Thee Stallion, The Jonas Brothers, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys and countless others. She has also dominated the unscripted television space, passionately building superstars on hit reality shows So You Think You Can Dance, Making the Band, Dance Moms and Beyond the Spotlight. https://twitter.com/i/status/1452498981569896450 The daughter of a California pastor who was murdered outside of his church on Sunday is speaking out about her late father’s legacy of faith, love, and forgiveness. Daney Moore, daughter of Pastor Joe Moore, told the “Edifi With Billy Hallowell” podcast that her family is struggling to process her father’s killing, but are relying on one another to make it through this difficult time. “It’s something we can’t process. It was so unexpected. It was so senseless,” she said. “My heart is broke.” As Faithwire previously reported, Moore, 65, pastor of the Upper Room Christian Church in Compton, California, was killed Sunday while walking to his vehicle in between Bible study and church. The daughter of a California pastor who was murdered outside of his church on Sunday is speaking out about her late father’s legacy of faith, love, and forgiveness. The daughter of a California pastor who was murdered outside of his church on Sunday is speaking out about her late father’s legacy of faith, love, and forgiveness. The daughter of a California pastor who was murdered outside of his church on Sunday is speaking out about her late father’s legacy of faith, love, and forgiveness. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/california-pastor-was-murdered-outside-his-church-just/id1401499962?i=1000540084700 A Black Lives Matter chapter in Washington state demanded that a white county sheriff resign after he was charged with falsely claiming that a Black newspaper carrier had threatened to kill him. Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer is charged with one count of false reporting and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, according to charging documents from state Attorney General Robert Ferguson’s office. The misdemeanor charges stem from an incident on Jan. 27, when Troyer followed Sedrick Altheimer along his newspaper route and called 911 claiming that Altheimer had threatened to kill him. News of the incident prompted the Washington BLM Alliance to file a complaint with the U.S. Justice Department, meet with officials at the Seattle FBI field office and, last week, call for Troyer’s resignation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYDgl6NU-bM The Columbia Police Department has announced that charges have been filed in connection with the shooting death of Knowledge Sims. Kwatez Carter and Travon Wilson have both been charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, and criminal conspiracy. Wilson, 24, was taken into custody around 6 p.m. by the CPD and U.S. Marshals Carolina Regional Task Force. He is currently being held at CPD headquarters before being transported to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Carter, 21, is currently in custody on unrelated charges. Officals say arrangements for the service of the active murder warrants are currently underway. Knowledge Sims, 7, was shot and killed while in his home in April of 2020 on Tarragon Drive, which is off Farrow Road in the Capital Heights neighborhood of north Columbia. Knowledge’s sister was also injured in the shooting but survived. Two young boys drowned Wednesday afternoon at a residence in Belle Glade, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said the drowning occurred just after 1:15 p.m. at a home located in the 600 block of Northeast Second Street. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said the two boys, ages 2 and 3, were being watched by their grandmother when they wandered from a house she routinely cleans. A 15-year-old girl has been missing for over a week after last being seen in Atlanta’s metro area after arriving in the city via bus. Deputies are searching for Kalana Johnson from Columbia County, Georgia, who was last seen around 2 am on 18 October at the Holiday Inn Express in Augusta, east of the state capital. Ms Johnson was in the area along with her mother to visit her father, hopping on a bus later that afternoon from Augusta to Atlanta to visit friends. Her last known location is Palmetto, just south of Atlanta. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, green joggers, and black and white Nike sneakers. Oscar and Emmy-winning star Regina King received a new honor in Hollywood Thursday as she placed her handprints and footprints in cement outside the TCL Chinese Theatre. “You guys, I love my city. I love my city!” said King, a Los Angeles native. King recalled the wonder of first seeing this landmark when she was just a girl. “I remember that I was looking for Bette Davis’s hand and footprints. That’s all I wanted to see. But the thing that struck me was why it took me so long to find her footprints is because I kept getting hit with someone else’s,” said King. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/regina-king-calls-having-handprints-footprints-in-hollywood-surreal/2738472/ Ice Cube has dropped out of Sony comedy OH HELL NO, which also stars Jack Black, after declining to get vaccinated. He walks away from a $9 million payday in the process. The White House on Thursday unveiled a $1.75 trillion framework for President Joe Biden’s social-spending plan, dramatically curtailing its economic ambitions in an effort to appease the centrist holdouts Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and break a logjam in negotiations bogging down the party. CNN first reported the framework. It includes investments in childcare, housing, and climate, among other things. The agreement would encompass $1.75 trillion in spending over 10 years — half of Biden’s initial proposal for the Build Back Better plan. Some key provisions include: Universal preschool, One-year expanded child tax credit, Four-year extension of Affordable Care Act health-insurance subsidies, Tax breaks to encourage a transition to cleaner energy, Investments in affordable housing Christopher Baldner allegedly rammed into a vehicle that had fled a traffic stop, causing it to flip over, killing young Monica Goods, Attorney General Letitia James wrote in a Wednesday press release. Baldner had pulled over the girl’s father, Tristan Goods, for speeding in Ulster County on the night of Dec. 22, 2020. At some point during the traffic stop, Baldner deployed pepper spray in the car. Tristan, his wife Monica, and the girl’s 12-year-old sister were also in the car. Tristan then sped away and Baldner pursued the scofflaw with a vengeance — twice ramming his patrol car into the back of the Goods’ vehicle at a high rate of speed, according to the state’s top prosecutor. The second impact cause the car to flip over several times and ejected Monica, killing her, James alleged. In Bradenton, Florida, U.S. Marshals arrived with guns drawn at the home of Kada Staples, a white woman who is probably lucky she isn’t Black because she got to walk away from a raid conducted by the cops who were reportedly searching for a murder suspect—at the wrong apartment. “I cracked the door open and they pushed the door open and pushed me and my baby out of the way,” Staples told WFLA 8 while holding her three-month-old daughter. “They are holding us at gunpoint, screaming, there is a gun about a foot away from her face.” Staples said the officers kept saying, “We know Jamar is in there,” even though no one of that name lived there. “With that, they run in my apartment. There’s probably 6 or 7 of them out there with guns. Three or four of them run into my apartment and are running around. They are still yelling at me that I’m lying,” she said. Staples said she and her baby were taking a nap when the officers arrived and were alone in the apartment, but the officers were convinced their target was there—until they realized he wasn’t. https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/manatee-county/u-s-marshals-draw-guns-on-bradenton-mother-baby-after-knocking-on-wrong-apartment/ The Republican nominee for governor of Virginia is championing a mother known locally for her efforts to remove Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved from schools, saying it gave her teenage son nightmares. A recent campaign ad for Glenn Youngkin features Laura Murphy saying, “As a parent, it’s tough to catch everything, so when my son showed me his reading assignment, my heart sunk. It was some of the most explicit material you can imagine. I met with lawmakers. They couldn’t believe what I was showing them.” https://youtu.be/LDB4eLc5rfo Two teen girls and a teen boy are facing murder charges in connection to the killing of 18-year-old Dwight “DJ” Grant in Miramar, Florida. Grant made the fatal mistake of having sex with the ex-girlfriend of Andre Clements, 17, who became so enraged about it that he recruited two girls to help him kill Grant, according to WSVN. https://youtu.be/vtzOEZ7fgOU A Silicon Valley venture capitalist says that men who take six months of paternity leave are ‘losers’ and that ‘in the old days men had babies and worked harder to provide for their future’ which was ‘the correct masculine response.’ Joe Lonsdale weighed into the raging debate sparked by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s decision to take paternity leave after he and his husband, Chasten, welcomed adopted twins into their family. Buttigieg was criticized for taking paid time off while the country continues to suffer from the effects of a major logjam at ports that has exacerbated the supply chain crisis. Buttigieg, 39, has been on paid leave since mid-August to spend time with his family. Brett Favre, the Hall of Fame quarterback who was raised in Mississippi, this week paid the state back $600,000 that he owed after he improperly received welfare money as part of an extensive fraud scheme, according to the state auditor’s office. But Mr. Favre could still be sued if he does not pay the state the remaining $228,000 in interest that he owes, the auditor, Shad White, said. Two weeks ago, Mr. White issued a demand to Mr. Favre for $828,000, saying it was the outstanding balance that he owed after he was improperly paid $1.1 million in welfare funds in December 2017 and June 2018. Mr. Favre received the money from the Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit organization, in speaking fees for appearances that he never made, Mr. White said. St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Thorofare, New Jersey, Is Being Accused of Rejecting Their Bishop-Appointed Pastor Ratona Stokes-Robinson Because of Her Gender. When you pulled up to the church, don't expected to see Rev. Sister, Ratona Stokes- Robinson in her pulpit. Instead, she will still be locked out of her church. Again, the officers have not given her the keys to the church since her appointment began June 20, 2021. Since that Sunday, she has shown up every week and preached from the front steps, without receiving any of her salary or other benefits. She has asked for email addresses so that she can at least hold service on zoom; and still, she hasn’t received anything. For years after the 2016 protest which effectively got him blackballed from the NFL, Colin Kaepernick didn’t do public interviews. His message, long detailed and long explained in 2016, had morphed into a stance of letting the world prove him right. By protesting police brutality and the fallacies of the criminal justice system, Kaepernick chose a unique approach to lay bare America’s modern sins at the feet of a base too prideful to acknowledge him and even too afraid to listen. He’s viewed plenty of talent-deficient quarterbacks get jobs after his exile and seen fans voice their displeasure every time. A simple Twitter search of Kaepernick’s last name gives you the best and worst of the app, for better or worst. In the five years since Kapernick last took a snap as an NFL quarterback, he’s emerged as a celebrity. A silent provocateur through his Know Your Rights camp, a dashing cover star with an unmistakable Afro and pointed thoughts about race, justice, and the structures which uphold the worst of America’s inalienable truths. With his limited series Colin In Black & White, he takes on a new role – the narrator of a story that is a mix between coming of age and historical retellings and explanations of the triggers of Black America. The show accomplishes through the lens of directors such as Ava DuVernay and Robert Townsend in select episodes to capture Kapenerick’s angst as a teen and match it with the tone of today regarding race, culture, and identity. A suspended college football player has been formally indicted on murder charges stemming from the killing of a trans woman he met on a dating app. Isimemen David Etute, a freshman who was recruited to play linebacker at Virginia Tech, was hit with second-degree murder charges in the death of Jerry Paul Smith in May. A grand jury returned the indictment on Wednesday. Etute, who was arrested back in June for the May 31 killing, has said that Smith presented himself as a woman named Angie on Tinder. Under the purported assumption that Smith was a woman, Etute, 18, said they got together in April and had oral sex. The next month, Etute said he suspected Smith, 40, was not a biological woman and, according to the Roanoke Times, “groped Smith to try to determine his gender, used his phone’s flashlight to get a better look at Smith in the dark apartment, then began punching him.” The phenomenon described by Etute is casually referred to as catfishing, a popular slang term for a person pretending to be someone who they are not on social media. According to Virginia law, a conviction for second-degree murder is punishable by up to 40 years in prison and no fewer than five years. A Houston Astros fan caught everyone’s attention during Game 1 of the World Series when he held a sign in the air at Minute Maid Park in Houston that read “The Chop Is Racist.” The Atlanta Braves have a unique fan celebration called the ‘Tomahawk Chop’ that has been a part of the city’s tradition for decades. It was made popular by Florida State university football fans in the 1980s. When Braves fans want to celebrate or help rally their team, they stick their arm out in front of them and simulate the chopping from an ax or a tomahawk while chanting rhythmic Native American sounds associated with their culture. The problem with the celebration is that it’s extremely racist and an absolute misrepresentation of Native Americans. According to a CNN article published in 2019, Chiefs from the Cherokee and Creek Indians believe ‘the chop’ is insensitive and inappropriate. But Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred defended the chop before the start of the World Series saying that Native Americans in Georgia are wholly supportive of the Braves program, including ‘The Chop.’ https://twitter.com/i/status/1453215615737647104 Netflix has released the first trailer for “True Story” starring Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes. In the drama series, Hart plays a character seemingly inspired by himself, a comedian named The Kid. A tour stop in Kid’s hometown of Philadelphia becomes a matter of life and death for one of the world’s most famous comedians when the consequences of a lost evening with his wayward older brother (Snipes) threaten to destroy everything he’s built. https://youtu.be/QP1PAEaszVM Fans of “Insecure” star Jay Ellis appear to be upset that he has seemingly kept secret his longtime relationship with a white woman. Meanwhile, a quick Google search turns up endless photos of the couple at industry events. As reported by Radar Online, Ellis and Serbian model Nina Senicar have been dating since 2015, but allegedly she never appears on his social media page. The couple shares a child, daughter Nora Grace born in November of 2019. It remains unclear if the couple is married. The actor reportedly spoke about his relationship in 2017, explaining that he likes to keep his personal life private. “I am in a relationship. I’m in a very happy relationship and that’s where I leave it,” he said, according to theJasmineBRAND. R&B songstress Chante Moore and former BET executive Stephen G. Hill have announced their engagement. The singer went public with their relationship while with Hill, who celebrated his 60 birthday on Tuesday (Oct. 26). Both shared the same photo on their Instagram accounts, showing them cozied up on a boat watching the sunset over the ocean. Moore captioned the photo with lyrics from “Happier Than the Morning Sun” by Stevie Wonder. “I couldn’t think of a better way to say~ what love, peace and joy I feel~ because of you @stephengranthill,” she wrote. “There are mountains, valleys and hidden coves, full of treasures I’ve never seen before … that are pouring out of your heart! Thank you for showering me with more than I ever expected!! Happy Birthday and I love you! Who knew 30 years ago~ through many chance meetings… we would end up H E R E!?!? ?? But, here we are…. WE will enjoy OUR gift of the ‘PRESENT!’ ??????” https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgYDe7J2_r/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=cf909d8a-4a63-4802-bf7d-8dd8fbd7a98f Alicia Keys is speaking out about the joy of watching her 11-year-old son Egypt in his first live performance at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. The 15-time Grammy-winner recalled sharing the stage with her son for her song “Raise a Man” during an interview with People (The TV Show!)‘s Kay Adams. The mother of two said of the magical moment with Eqypt… “this is the first time that he’s ever done anything like this,” she explained, adding “is he going to be okay? I don’t know. It just hit me like a ton of bricks outta the side.” Keys asked her son to perform with her, as Egypt, like his mother, has a natural musical talent. “I’m not the crying type; I’m really not,” said Keys. “But you get so sensitive just thinking about how life goes on, and seeing him next to me and remembering that moment. That moment was the first time that he performed with me on stage, and I remember being completely so wrapped up in him being okay because I asked him to do it.” https://youtu.be/xMj8sFIuugs Tashia and Diciembre Farries were posing for their wedding photos on a Santa Monica beach last week when Tom Hanks walked in out of nowhere – like a scene out of “Cast Away” – and greeted the stunned wedding party. “It’s Woody from Toy Story!” one person is heard saying in the video, which has since gone viral. Video showed the Oscar-winning actor excitedly meeting the same sex couple, and posing with the newly betrothed and their family. “We were gathering all the family together and next thing you know, Tom Hanks walks through the whole crowd and said, ‘Hey, I just had to stop and see these beautiful brides,’” Tashia Farries told KTLA. https://youtu.be/lcb9Do0GZtU ”Tiger King 2" will arrive on Netflix November 17th, and there is now a full length trailer. Joe Exotic will be featured phoning in from prison in the sequel, complaining about his sentence for attempting to kill Carole Baskin, and putting his spin on all that has happened since the end of the original docuseries. https://youtu.be/pT4NYto3abM Disney fans are raging on Twitter over a couple spotted wearing matching raunchy shirts at Disney World. As reported by Page Six, one shirt read, “I wanted the D,” while the other said, “I gave her the D” — both with Disney’s “D” calligraphy. The shirts are sold on Etsy and Amazon, and have sparked fury among Disney fans online. Over the weekend, fans posted a photo of the couple (with clown emojis over their faces) and called on the theme parks (Disney World and Disneyland) to band the non-family-friendly shirts. During Wednesday’s episode of her Facebook Watch series, Jada opened up to Gwyneth Paltrow about the challenges of maintaining a healthy sex life in her marriage to Will Smith, PEOPLE reports. “It’s hard,” she told Paltrow, who appeared on “Red Table Talk” to promote her new Netflix show “Sex, Love & goop.” “The thing Will and I talk about a lot is the journey. We started in this at a very young age, you know, 22 years old. That’s why the accountability part really hit for me because I think you expect your partner to know [what you need], especially when it comes to sex. It’s like, ‘Well, if you love me, you should know. If you love me, you should read my mind.’ That’s a huge pitfall.” Paltrow replied, “Isn’t it weird, though? It’s like someone doesn’t read your mind and we feel crushed.” “Crushed!” Jada replied, adding, “You tell me what you need. Tell me what you want, and on top of it, I know that I have to be accountable to do the same…I really try.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1231984313942522 Zazie Beetz boards “The Harder They Fall” as Stagecoach Mary, a fictional formidable, shotgun-toting saloon and brothel owner. Mary is based off a real life formidable, shotgun-toting mail carrier, “she was one of the first Black women carriers in the US. She owned a restaurant and was known for carrying a shotgun and smoking cigars,” shared Beetz. https://youtu.be/W7h9JeagEJw L.B. Alexander has entered the literary world with a boom, bang, blast and sizzle! Hot off the presses is her 3rd romance novel “Working Man” and it’s already a best seller. Its description is aptly noted in its subtitle: A Modern Day, Gender-Swapped Pretty Woman Romance. Gibson Public Relations hosted a cocktail reception for Ms. Alexander at Sarah’s Lingerie in Studio City, California earlier this month. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Lori Harvey is releasing SKN by LH and opened up to Access Daily’s Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover about how she keeps her skin looking fresh and how she got her boyfriend, Michael B. Jordan, onto his own skincare routine. She also shares how timing was everything in getting together with Michael and reveals why he calls her turtle. https://youtu.be/3Bwmb-ns5aQ Writer/Director Reggie Rock Bythewood has proudly made a career from elevating stories that have cultural impact. From his first screenplay “Get On The Bus” to “Notorious,” Reggie Rock Bythewood’s imprint is authentic. It is filled with heart & soul and the unsettling truth that despite our excellence, being Black in America comes with obstacles and consequences. Still we rise. Reggie’s latest creation is the new series “Swagger.” It’s Co-Created by NBA superstar Kevin Durant. https://youtu.be/87A_aLJOY4g The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis, a new biopic tracking the life of The Chronicles Of Narnia author, has been set for an event cinema release in theaters this November. Scroll down to watch the trailer. On November 3, venues in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Miami Beach, San Francisco, and more will screen the film for a one night engagement. The release will be handled by Trafalgar Releasing. https://youtu.be/AWEjo6pr2Qk HBO announced the upcoming documentary Black And Missing from Emmy Award winners Geeta Gandbhir and Soledad O’Brien that will focus on Black missing persons cases. Black And Missing will premiere on HBO with two back-to-back episodes on Nov. 23 followed by the release of the remaining pair of episodes on Nov. 24. All episodes will be available to stream after airing on HBO Max. The four-parter, which was three years in the making, follows Black and Missing Foundation founders Derrica and Natalie Wilson as they dive into specific cases and break down how systemic behaviors and attitudes stem from centuries of deeply rooted racism. The docuseries also exposes the stark disparity in the media coverage of white and black missing persons. By keeping these stories and the missing in the news media, Derrica and Natalie put increased pressure on police departments to keep cases open and active. The docuseries will feature testimony from the families and loved ones of missing women, activists, volunteers, law officers, and historians with first-hand experience in this field. Former First Lady Michelle Obama has been tapped to guest-star in an upcoming episode of “black-ish” when the series returns for its eighth and final season next year. “#blackish is going all out for the final season!” the show’s official Twitter shared. “We are honored to have trailblazer @MichelleObama join us as an upcoming guest star.” Billy Porter has unpacked his childhood trauma and sexual abuse in his new memoir titled “Unprotected.” Porter, 52, details in “Unprotected” (Abrams Press, 288 pp., out now) that his stepfather raped him for years during his childhood. “I really, really, really have needed this past year to work on myself and try to become a better person,” Porter says in an interview with USA TODAY. Speaking of the trauma he has suffered from being abused by his stepfather Bernie, Porter explains, “I split off from myself at 7 years old and began to experience myself as a grown-(expletive) man,” he writes in the memoir. “I had no other choice. How was I to know that those sessions under the cloak of night with Bernie were wrong?” NBA star Enes Kanter isn’t backing down on China. The Boston Celtics center who previously condemned Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “brutal dictator” is now calling out Nike for profiting off “modern day slavery” in the communist country, which has mass detained Uyghur Muslims and is using them for forced labor, according to the U.S. Department of State. During Monday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, Kanter wore yet another pair of customized shoes with the words “Modern Day Slavery” and “No More Excuses” emblazoned on the sides of them. He also posted a video to his Twitter account, rebuking Nike for its hypocritical silence on the well-established injustices and human rights abuses occurring in China. Facebook has changed its name to Meta, the company announced on Thursday. “Today we are seen as a social media company, but in our DNA we are a company that builds technology to connect people, and the metaverse is the next frontier just like social networking was when we got started,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. The company’s stock ticker will change from FB to MVRS effective Dec. 1, as reported by CNBC. Zuckerberg told The Verge in July that he wanted Facebook to become a “metaverse company.” The company reportedly intends to add augmented and virtual reality to the platform in the coming years. “Our hope is that within the next decade, the metaverse will reach a billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce, and support jobs for millions of creators and developers,” Zuckerberg wrote in a letter on Thursday. “We believe the metaverse will be the successor to the mobile internet,” Zuckerberg said. https://youtu.be/gElfIo6uw4g Craig Robinson, best known for his acting roles in television’s “The Office” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” will star in “Killing It,” a new Peacock comedy series. “Killing It” is a comedy about class, capitalism, and one man’s quest – Robinson’s lead character role of Craig – to do anything to make his American Dream come true, even if the dream has something to do with hunting giant python snakes. Jury selection is proving to be a challenge in Brunswick, GA, in the trial of three White men charged in the murder of Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery. Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan face nine charges, which include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment. Lawyers for the McMichaels argue their clients were justified in chasing down Arbery when they saw him on a property that was under construction. The killers allegedly attempted to make a citizen’s arrest and killed Arbery in the process. Arbery, 25, was called a ““F–king n—-r” by his killer as he lay dying on the pavement after being fatally shot while allegedly jogging through his Georgia neighborhood on February 23, 2020. The defendants have pleaded not guilty. https://youtu.be/MJB9GK8t-Sk Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says he’s tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19. The mayor shared his test results in a statement released early Tuesday afternoon where he added that he is only experiencing mild symptoms. “This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated, and I am only experiencing mild symptoms,” Johnson said. “My wife Nikki, who is also fully vaccinated, has tested negative. Johnson said his primary concern at this point is for the health of the couple’s three children who are not yet old enough to receive a vaccine. The mayor said he began feeling ill Monday night and canceled his events on Tuesday prior to receiving his test results. After confirming the diagnosis the mayor cleared his schedule for the week, notified close contacts and his boys’ schools. A Houston woman and her boyfriend were arrested and charged by authorities on Tuesday for abandoning and neglecting her three young children in a home for months at a time while the kids’ eight-year-old brother’s corpse decomposed in the house for more than a year. Gloria Y. Williams, 35, has been charged with injury to a child by omission, failure to provide medical care and failure to provide adequate supervision, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Brian W. Coulter, 31, is charged with murder in connection with the child’s death, ABC 13 TV reported. The two were questioned and released hours after investigators performed their welfare check on Sunday, during which they made the gruesome discovery. https://youtu.be/lr0OCWm1QVg Friends and loved ones are mourning the senseless murder of a California pastor who was gunned down Sunday after teaching a Bible study. Joe Moore, 65, pastor of the Upper Room Christian Church in Compton, California, was killed while walking to his vehicle, with KTLA-TV reporting that he was carrying a Bible in one hand and his cane in the other at the time. Moore’s son, Damar Moore, called the shooting both “senseless” and cowardly and daughter Daney Moore expressed her disbelief and horror. “This is one of them things that we would never expect,” she told KTLA-TV. “He just finished Sunday school, walked across the street and this is what happened to him.” The motive in the case is unclear, but authorities are fast at work looking for the person or persons responsible. Authorities said the investigation is early, but that it appears Moore was potentially targeted. A trio of teenagers were arrested on suspicion of murder in Florida after an 18-year-old high school student was found dead. Dwight “DJ” Grant was missing for multiple days before his body was found last Tuesday in bushes by his apartment building, according to the Associated Press. Later that week, police arrested three teens in connection to the death — a 17-year-old boy and girl, plus a 16-year-old girl — and charged them with murder in the first degree, tampering with evidence and criminal conspiracy, the outlet reported. Last Tuesday, Miramar High School principal Maria Formoso tweeted, “May our forever Patriot Rest In Peace. Please pray for Dwight Grant’s family, friends and our community. I spoke with Ms. Grant to offer our condolences on behalf of the Patriot family. We will have grief counselors available on Thursday & Friday. We are here for you.” Caitlyn Jenner has come to Dave Chappelle’s defense amid controversy over his Netflix special The Closer, saying the comic is ‘100% right’ to stand up to transgender protesters angered by his gags. Jenner, the world’s most famous transgender woman, tweeted Tuesday: ‘Dave Chappelle is 100% right. ‘This isn’t about the LGBTQ movement. It’s about woke cancel culture run amok, trying to silence free speech.’ ‘We must never yield or bow to those who wish to stop us from speaking our minds,’ the retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete wrote. She spoke as LGBTQ activists continue to bash the comic for his jokes about the transgender community in the special. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/27/14/49698555-10136147-image-a-17_1635342125238.jpg Lawrence “LAW” Watford’s Divine Write Pictures has optioned film, TV and digital rights to the book The Seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age by Patrick Parr. Watford is planning to adapt the book for television via his Tyler Street Films partnership with Jack Manning III and Tiffany Elle Burgess; all are graduates of Hampton University, a historically black college in Virginia. Published by the Chicago Review Press in 2018, The Seminarian explores Martin Luther King’s Jr. life as a student at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and his romance with a white woman, Betty Moitz, who was the daughter of the school dietitian. The deal was negotiated by entertainment attorney Laverne Berry on behalf of Divine Write Pictures and Susan Schulman on behalf of Patrick Parr and Chicago Review Press. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Former MSNBC host Touré Neblett has accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of being a “soldier for white supremacy” after she spoke negatively about critical race theory. The former National Security Adviser under both Bush presidencies recently was a guest host on “The View” and doubled down on the beliefs espoused by proponents of critical race theory during the Hot Topics segment. Rice argued that CRT – which is not taught in K-12 classrooms – makes white students “feel guilty” and condemns black students as “disempowered.” Co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg attempted to challenge Rice’s belief, but the conservative Bush alum remained firm – to put it mildly – in making her point. https://youtu.be/Hdx4JsDIsWs A legendary outlaw and head of a ruthless crew famed for their robberies, Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), is being released from prison so he rounds up his gang; “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield) in Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall.“ https://youtu.be/v6AzNgHxDxY The cast lineup for season 14 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” has finally been revealed, and fans will be pleased that some familiar faces are returning. As reported by Variety, longtime “friend” of the show Marlo Hampton is now an official full-time cast member. Shereé Whitfield is also marking her return after leaving the show in season 10. She joins series stars Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore and Drew Sidora, along with newcomer Sanya Richards-Ross. Sanya is a Jamaican-American track and field star, and four-time Olympic Gold medalist. Longtime ‘Housewifes’ Cynthia Bailey and Porsha Williams previously announced their exit from the hit Bravo series. https://www.instagram.com/bravorhoa/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=7b65cfe6-20bf-425d-bd46-f7922d807f54 Wesley Snipes and Tiffany Haddish have teamed to produce the new comedy film “Back On the Strip” which they will also star in. Per Urban Hollywood 411, the movie follows Merlin, a young man who moves to Las Vegas in hopes of becoming a magician after losing the woman of his dreams. “But when a costume malfunction reveals his physical ‘gifts,’ he is recruited to become the frontman of an infamous male revue group,” according to a press release on the film. Comedian Chris Spencer will direct the project based on a script he co-wrote with Eric Daniel. Here is the exclusive clip from this week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airing Thursday. In the clip below, fans see an epic fight breakout between Mally Mall and his girlfriend Treasure about a lap dance! https://youtu.be/I3MAMmMLmNs In video footage that recently surfaced and went viral, Lil Baby is seen behind the wheel of a car that is surrounded by screaming fans, preventing his car from moving. The rapper looks around in … awe? Bewilderment? Fear? … as he attempts to escape the extreme adoration. At one point he laughs and even revs his engine, trying to clear a path. It didn’t work. “Hey, get out! Get out!” one female voice screams at Lil Baby. https://youtu.be/jSKh8BZzO-o Rapper Kevin Gates spoke about the mental, spiritual, and health benefits of semen retention during a recent interview on the“Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast. As reported by SandraRose, the 35-year-old Louisiana native shared his bedroom habits and the importance of men pleasing their partners. “And another thing… that’s like, really healing to your body, it’s gonna sound crazy, is semen retention,” he said. “Not releasing no semen. Like, you can have sex and it’s beautiful… You can have sex, but your intention should be to please your partner.” https://youtu.be/3LmXKiMuQFA Floyd Mayweather Jr. was caught on camera refusing to pose for a photograph with a male fan because he had painted nails. The incident occurred at the end of an NBA game in Los Angeles on Saturday. TMZ obtained video showing the teenager approaching Mayweather to ask for a photo, but the boxing legend responds: “You got painted nails, I don’t take pictures with guys with no painted nails.” And with that — Floyd is ushered away by his bodyguards. The fan then says into his handheld camera: “Floyd’s a homophobe. You guys saw that first. Floyd doesn’t want to take a picture with me because my nails are painted. Bro, really?” Mayweather’s representative slammed allegations of homophobia in a comment to TMZ on Tuesday. In related news, Mayweather posted a clip this week on social media in which he express support for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving over his vaccine stance. Mayweather praised the NBA star for “having some integrity and being your own man.” Irving has been barred from any team activities with the Nets until he takes the COVID-19 vaccine, which he refuses to do. Wendy Williams’ ex-husband (Kevin Hunter) is ready to begin a new chapter in his life as he proposed to his long term mistress, Sharina Hudson. For the past couple years the talk show host has opened up about her difficult marriage problems amid her 2019 divorce. For those of you who may have forgot Hudson has been having an affair wit Kevin Hunter “since the beginning,” says Williams. She described Kevin as a “serial cheater.” She first found out about Sharina while she was pregnant on bedrest with her son. According to the Sun, Kevin dropped $80,000 on his long term mistress’ engagement ring. Money seems like no problem for him after the large amount of coins Wendy had to pay him after their divorce. After their divorce was finalized Hunter and his now fiancée packed up and moved to Boca Raton, Florida. Wendy has yet to comment on her ex-husband’s engagement while she is still recovering from her recent health issues. The Wendy Williams show is still waiting for her return, but during her absence she’s had a series of guest hosts to take over. Back in 2014, a security guard at a Houston Astros game became famous overnight when he broke out in a dance battle with the team mascot, and destroyed it. The video shared by Willis Harris begins with Orbit dancing in front of another security guard, before making his way towards Harris, who was also working the game. At first, he stood stoically as Orbit danced all around him. Suddenly, Harris pushed the mascot aside and the rest is history. https://youtu.be/oVH3j31pV7Y Folks are talking about the roller skating skills of iconic singer Jody Watley! The Grammy-winning trendsetting pioneer in music, video, fashion and style showcased her smooth skating skills in an Instagram video. https://twitter.com/i/status/1452406797319372800 The stage is now set for Nia Kay to make her impact, starting with her debut EP. Slated for the first single to drop from her forthcoming album on her 20th birthday (December 8th), the project which looks like will drop first quarter of 2022 is described by Nia as “elevated” from her previous music, with an obvious growth as she enters into young adulthood. While her new geotag is in Atlanta, Georgia, she still retains some of her hometown energy. “I incorporate some elements of Chicago into my style, but my music isn’t that typical Chicago aggression,” she expresses. The goal is to reach worldwide, and Nia is well on her way. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Angela Spivey is a toe tapping, energetic "make you feel it" kind of singer. She joins up with the equally energetic Chicago based Paul Turner and CMI for this praise party Jesus Celebration that makes you want to sing and shout the name of Jesus. https://rgmc-impact.disco.ac/playlist-new/8795660?date=20211011&user_id=885555&signature=nz0SW4LpeMWbtLrwOJkQ_7raFM4%3AT7msb7dm A series of moves made by the judge presiding over Kyle Rittenhouse‘s upcoming murder trial suggests that he may not be as impartial as he’s supposed to be. At least, that’s according to a growing chorus of doubters across social media who were reacting to Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce E. Schroeder’s most recent rulings in the case that appear to give preferential treatment to the teenager who is accused of bringing a high-powered assault rifle across state lines and using it to murder two people and shoot another who were participating in the protest of a police shooting in the Milwaukee suburb. Schroeder on Monday — the final court hearing before the trial begins next week — ruled the people who 17-year-old Rittenhouse gunned down in a street can’t be referred to as “victims.” However, Schroeder will allow the two deceased men to be “referred to as rioters, looters or arsonists or other pejorative terms,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. To be sure, Rittenhouse’s shooting victims — Anthony Huber, 26, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, both of whom were killed, and Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, who was shot in the arm and survived — were neither rioting nor looting. All three have been described as activists in their own rights who traveled to Kenosha to join in the demonstrations against local police for shooting a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times at close range in the back, paralyzing him from the waist down. While white and blue entitlement and fear continue to wreak havoc on Black people who simply wish to be left alone, Black people and supporters of Black lives, at the very least, know their readily available recording devices might give them some kind of recourse. A recent video posted to TikTok shows a Black man being pinned to his car by a bunch of police officers while the woman recording the video is heard aggressively explaining to the cops that they have the wrong guy and it was actually a couple of white men who accosted the Black man they decided to go after. https://twitter.com/i/status/1451595113399001092 In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, Rep. Bobby Rush requested a federal review of the disappearance and death of Illinois graduate student Jelani Day. A student at Illinois State University, Day went missing at the end of August. It took several weeks before officials could identify him, but many questions remain unanswered. “As I learned the details of Day’s case, I was reminded of the lynching of Emmett Till, whose body was found floating in a river in 1955 and still, decades later, no one has been held legally accountable for his death,” Rush wrote. “The circumstances surrounding Day’s death are strikingly similar to past lynching's of Black Americans, both male and female.” A group of Howard University Students have been protesting the living conditions in their dorms for over a week. Using the Twitter hashtag #BlackburnTakeover, students organized a sit-in at the Blackburn Center, to bring attention to the horrid and unlivable conditions they have been forced into. Students have used social media, as well as traditional media to share first-hand accounts of the issues that plagued the campus. Photos of mold piling up in air vents and behind hanging photographs on walls were shared thousands of times on the internet. Students complained about roaches, rats and share stories of their friends being hospitalized because of mold exposure. As the students continue to get louder and more unified, the world is taking notice. Rapper Gucci Mane refused to perform at Howard University’s homecoming and announced he stood in solidarity with the protesters on Campus. https://twitter.com/i/status/145272021611968103 Malika Andrews’ name is quickly becoming a fixture in the world of sports, but who is she and why is everyone so excited about her new show “NBA Today?” Prior to her rapid come-up, the 26-year-old journalist built her chops for covering sports news as an online writer and sideline reporter with ESPN. Andrews spent the majority of the 2018-2019 season severing as a reporter covering the scoop on the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls. The Oakland, California native also worked at the Chicago Tribune as a reporter shortly before she joined ESPN that year. ast forward and now Andrews will replace Nichols’ popular weekday show “The Jump” with her very own. “NBA Today” kicked off on Oct. 18 and will feature a regular ongoing panel of heavy sports analysts including former NBA players Vince Carter and Kendrick Perkins as well as current WNBA player Chiney Ogwumike and writer Zach Lowe. It’s a huge deal for a young Black NBA correspondent like Andrews as the rising star attempts to turn a new leaf with the station following Nichols’ drama. The second season of “Games People Play” kicked off on Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. Based on the popular book by Angela Burt-Murray “Games Divas Play,” “Games People Play” is a sexy, stylized one-hour drama about the L.A. high life, featuring a cast of characters where everyone plays to win, including a basketball player navigating both his equally rocky personal life and NBA career, a newly appointed team marketing executive who’s got a lot to prove, a tenacious journalist desperately seeking the truth and a struggling actress with a scandalous past. The talented ensemble cast includes Karrueche Tran, Lauren London in a limited role, Sarunas J. Jackson, Karen Obilom, Parker McKenna Posey, Jackie Long, and Kendall Kyndall and Brandi Denise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk0ykZmvxnI Meech and Terry create a new system for “The 50 Boyz” to operate more efficiently, while a secret within their ranks threatens to tear the crew apart. BMF “STRICTLY BUSINESS” AIRS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31 ON THE STARZ APP AND ON STARZ AT 8PM ET/PT Pastor Mike, Jr. is quickly making his mark in Gospel music, and he’s making the rounds too! Pastor Mike, Jr. was among the esteemed celebrity presenters at the 52nd Dove Awards held in Nashville. Though he was a virtual performer at the 51st awards in 2020, this is Pastor Mike, Jr’s first time gracing the prestigious Dove Awards stage. Pastor Mike, Jr., who co-presented with PJ Morton, enjoyed the celebration of this year’s best and brightest in Gospel and Christian music. “It was an honor to present at the 52nd Dove Awards. Spirits were high all evening as we celebrated the Lord with song. This was my first live show with the Dove Awards, but I pray it will not be my last. I loved the production as well as the camaraderie of my peers.” Pastor Mike, Jr’s single “I Got It” hit #1 on the Gospel Airplay Chart, and has received over one million streams. More than four years after the tragic violence in Charlottesville, Va., organizers of the Unite the Right rally may finally be held accountable. Jury selection began Monday in the civil suit. The case is the first major attempt to use the Enforcement Act of 1871 in a civil suit context. Also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, the civil rights legislation was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1871. According to the Zinn Education Project, the legislation was the third enforcement act passed to protect the rights of Black people against white supremacist violence. Have you ever pulled your car into a random driveway in order to turn around and drive back the other way? Of course, you have. It’s such a normal thing to do that most motorists do it without even having to give it a first thought, let alone a second. But, apparently, it’s the type of mundane, barely noticeable activity that can get you killed. And if your killer is a white man, he might be treated almost like he just barely committed a crime at all. In Martindale, Texas, a white man shot and killed an African immigrant who had done nothing more to deserve his fate than what motorists do commonly every single day when there’s not a more convenient way to make a U-turn. But this shooter wasn’t arrested until nearly two weeks after the killing and instead of having a mob of police officers kick in his door to arrest a violent criminal, he was allowed to turn himself in—and he was released on bail shortly after. According to CBS-DFW, 65-year-old Terry Duane Turner has been charged with murder after fatally shooting 31-year-old Adil Dghoughi, an immigrant from Morocco who he spotted pulling into his driveway at around 3:40 a.m. on October 11. A team of Black fathers in Louisiana have joined forces to patrol a local high school after a series of fights broke out over the course of a week. As reported by TMZ, Dads on Duty is a team of about 40 men in the Shreveport, LA area who are hitting the hallways to keep kids safe. The children of these fathers attend Southwood High School, which has experienced a disturbing spike in violence. Last month there were nearly 2 dozen arrests in just 3 days. Dads on Duty was formed in response to the violent chaos at the high school, and they now serve as hall monitors to help curb the fighting among students. According to reports, their efforts are working, as there have been zero incidents since September. “I immediately felt a form of safety,” one of the students said, per CBS. “We stopped fighting; people started going to class.” https://youtu.be/OdPaqt6RY_Q A group of racial justice organizations wants Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to resign immediately after the explosive release of leaked internal documents. Kairos, 18 Million Rising, Media Justice, Action Center on Race and the Economy, MPower Change and U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights released a statement outlining how Facebook has misled the public and officials on the platform’s steps to address hate speech and disinformation on its site. The groups are a part of a larger effort to send a message to Facebook with an organized logout scheduled for Nov. 10. “Facebook pretends it’s not accountable to anyone, but the truth is this: users make or break Facebook’s business model,” reads the Facebook Logout site. “Ninety-eight percent of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising, and Facebook relies on our engagement on its platforms to target ads to us. We can show Facebook that we have power by refusing to engage with their platform, even for a temporary period.” NFL star receiver Davante Adams is expected to miss at least one crucial game for the Green Bay Packers after testing positive for COVID-19. As a result, the Packers have placed Adams on its reserve/COVID-19 list, USA Today reported. Adams said he has been fully vaccinated, indicating that a breakthrough case of COVID-19 caused his diagnosis. In the event that Adams’ case was a false-positive, he will be expected to pass two consecutive tests taken 24 hours apart, leaving the door slightly ajar for him to play on Thursday. Adams joins Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who was already quarantining after he recently tested positive for the virus. Lendistry announced today that it will administer a new grant program to support independent live venues in California. The California Venues Grant Program, set to launch on October 29, 2021, will provide grants to venues that lost significant revenue in 2020 and 2021 and that gain most of their revenue through ticket sales and event promotion. To keep their communities and employees safe, spaces that host in-person events closed their doors for several months. While events are beginning to take place again, many venues need support to recover from the long period without income. The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) will announce winners of the 13th Annual AAFCA Awards honoring outstanding achievement in film on Jan. 17,2022, it was announced today by AAFCA President and co-founder, Gil Robertson. An in-person celebration will follow on March 2. The critics’ organization will announce its annual “top 10” list on Dec. 8. Submissions are open now. The deadline to screen films and/or provide screeners to the AAFCA membership for awards consideration is Dec. 3, 2021. Additional honorary awards to be presented at the 13th Annual AAFCA Awards will be announced later this year and include the AAFCA Stanley Kramer Award and the AAFCA Cinema Vanguard Award. Dressed in the red suit from Jordan Peele’s “Us” for the show’s Halloween theme, Iman Shumpert and his “Dancing With The Stars” partner Daniella Karagach shocked the world – including his friend LeBron James – by earning a perfect score. The routine was set to the Luniz’ “I Got 5 On It” remix. Iman channeled his athletic prowess to execute the choreography, earning four perfect 10s for a 40 out of 40. Judge Derek Hough even wanted to give them an 11, saying, “That was something people are going to watch over and over and over.” James tweeted of Shumpert’s dance: “Man my G Iman Shumpert in his f’n bag!!!!!! …LFG. Don’t even try to front, just respect the conglomerate!” Dwyane Wade also caught the act, saying, “Stop playing with this man Iman Shumpert.” https://youtu.be/XD1OqozHUYU The members of legendary hip-hop group 2 Live Crew have been hit with a lawsuit by a record label over control of the band’s catalog. The suit is the latest in the music industry related to copyright law’s termination right. The record label has also noted that 2 Live Crew never owned any rights to their music because their songs were created as part of a work-for-hire deal with their record label. In related news, earlier this year, Luther Campbell reacted to the group being snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The hip-hop icon took to social media to address the fact that 2 Live Crew was not among the 2021 class. The Miami rapper wrote, “S**t another year of not getting inducted to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.” Director Jeymes Samuel introduces a vibrant tale of the wild west in “The Harder They Fall.” The Netflix film isn’t your “traditional Hollywood western where, Black people, Chinese people, and women are shown as subservient,” shared Samuel. https://youtu.be/14LohxBHWC8 Colombian reggaetón star J Balvin has apologized for a music video that portrays Black women as dogs wearing leashes and on all fours. The artist took to Instagram to apologize for the video of his track “Perra” with Dominican rapper, Tokischa. Per TMZ, the track is “all about how she (Tokischa) is a dog in heat … and looking for a male to bang,” the outlet writes. Colombia’s Vice President and Chancellor Marta Lucia Ramirez called the visuals sexist, misogynistic and racist. Amid the backlash — Balvin removed the clip from the Internet but many fans saved it and shared it online, such as the YouTube video below. https://youtu.be/-grBkG5ZCrI The people of Barbados have made history by electing its first president to replace Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. As reported by CNN, Sandra Mason was elected late on Wednesday by a two-thirds vote of a joint session of the country’s House of Assembly and Senate,” the outlet writes. “We have just elected from among us a woman who is uniquely and passionately Barbadian, does not pretend to be anything else (and) reflects the values of who we are,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said after Mason’s election. https://twitter.com/i/status/1450855024473559049 A former top Liberty University official is accusing the influential Christian school of firing him after he refused to participate in an alleged “cover-up” of mishandled sexual assault and harassment reports made by students. Scott Lamb, who was the university’s senior vice president for communications, filed a lawsuit against Liberty on Monday that claims his firing earlier this month was retaliation for his “vocal opposition” within the university to how it addressed reports of sexual misconduct. Lamb’s lawsuit accuses Liberty of illegal retaliation under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education and requires universities to address reports of sexual misconduct. The Queen was forced to miss church yesterday after spending a night in hospital last week – but wants to resume official duties within days, a royal source has said. The 95-year-old monarch could carry out some of her engagements this week, though there are no public duties in her diary after she dramatically cancelled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland to mark the 100th anniversary of the partition on doctors’ orders. Aides insisted that the tests were purely ‘precautionary’ and the sovereign has been resting at Windsor after her stay in King Edward VII’s Hospital in London. Her priority remains to be able to lead the Royal Family at the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow from next week, where more than 120 world leaders including Joe Biden will gather at the Scottish Event Campus from October 31 to November 12. The University of Chicago Law School unveiled a portrait of Earl B. Dickerson, the first African American to earn a juris doctor in 1920. Chicago artist, Shawn Michael Warren, was commissioned to paint the portrait by recommendation from Andre and Frances Guichard, the owners of Gallery Guichard in Bronzeville. Warren has designed murals in several cities. His murals include the 1921 Black Wall Street Massacre in Tulsa, OK, Major Taylor World’s Fastest in Indianapolis, IN, and Oprah Winfrey in Chicago’s West Loop. Warren painted Dickerson standing in his home office, wearing a suit with a pocket square and a Kappa Alpha Psi lapel pin. The portrait of Dickerson is the first African American to be displayed in the building and the first portrait of someone who did not teach at the law school. Dickerson’s portrait joins the collection of portraits of Ernst Freund, James Parker Hall, Harry A. Kalven, Jr., Dean Edward Levi, Bernard Meltzer, and Soia Menschikoff. Almost five years after Gerardo Mendoza Ordaz drowned his 4-year-old daughter, Maria, in a church baptismal pool and spent months in a psychiatric hospital, it took a judge just three minutes Wednesday to sentence him to 11 years in prison. Ordaz told investigators that he was on a methamphetamine binge and hadn’t slept in three days, coming to believe he must exorcize “the devil” inside his two youngest children with “holy water” from church. He admitted to drowning his youngest, Maria Jose Ordaz Chavarria, in the 1- to 2-foot deep, cross-shaped pool on Nov. 20, 2016, inside St. John’s Catholic Church in Healdsburg. The 11-year sentence was predetermined, part of a negotiated plea to manslaughter that Ordaz agreed to as he was facing trial on murder charges, which could have put him in prison for 25 years to life. Evan Lacey, 19, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in January of 2020. Police say it was murder, but no significant breaks in the case have happened. In the living room corner of a home in south Arlington, photos of 19-year-old Evan Lacey sit on easels and are displayed towards the front door. To Van and Precious Lacey, they are a constant reminder that their son’s killer has never been brought to justice while detectives with the Arlington Police Department ask the public for tips on the case. “It’s hard,” Precious Lacey told WFAA. “I go to work every day and wonder whether or not I’m going to get a phone call to provide the information that we’re looking for or what we’ve been searching for all this time.” https://youtu.be/pRIXe-nGubs Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion is nearing her graduation from Texas Southern University, and like any proud student, she took graduation pictures. The three-time Grammy winner posted a preview to her Instagram. She showed off her bedazzled graduation cap which is very on-brand. The cap is a nod to her 2019 hit song, “Hot Girl Summer.” “I can’t wait for y’all to see,” she wrote. Megan is studying health administration at TSU and is expected to graduate this fall. Graduate student Jelani Day’s cause of death was drowning, according to LaSalle County Coroner Richard Ploch. The Illinois State University graduate student was last seen in Bloomington on the morning of Aug. 24. His abandoned vehicle was found two days later and when police inspected the car they reportedly found the clothing he was last seen wearing. Unfortunately, his body was found in the Illinois River on Sept 4. His cause of death was not immediately known but Day’s brain, eyeballs, spleen and more were reportedly removed from his body, an independent autopsy found. How Day got into the Illinois River remains “unknown,” CNN reports. https://youtu.be/cQry-CuYIyY Viola Davis was trending on Twitter Tuesday evening shortly after Netflix released the trailer for “The Unforgivable,” a new film starring the actress alongside topliner Sandra Bullock as Ruth Slater, a woman released from prison after serving a sentence for killing a cop. https://youtu.be/JNUjx7LZoiU Porsha Williams and her sudden engagement to Simon Guobadia will be explored on her new reality show “The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Porsha’s Family Matters.” As reported by PEOPLE, the new limited series premiers Nov. 28 on Bravo and will see Porsha’s family members offering their “unfiltered opinions” on her love life. https://youtu.be/yLJh_ToHV4c Actress, Nadine Velaquez from “Queens,” ABC’s new music-filled series starring casts members Eve, Brandy and Naturi Naughton was a guest on SiriusXM Urban View’s The Clay Cane Show and discussed Latin representation in Hollywood and shared her feeling towards the “In The Heights” controversy. https://youtu.be/3su8huaV3lY Iyanla Vanzant is opening up about the pain of losing her daughter and how the experience motivated her to help others. Speaking with Hoda Kotb on her “Making Space” podcast, Vanzant recalled the loss of her daughter Gemmia from a rare form of colon cancer on Christmas Day in 2003. “Well, it changes who you are as a woman. It changed who I was as a woman, first for the worse, and then for the better,” the spiritual healer said. “God must’ve really, really trusted me to give me a soul to bring into life and to trust me with the courage to send her out,” Vanzant added. Tammy Rivera shared some videos to Instagram Sunday to share what went down at her local CVS in DeKalb County, GA. In one of the clips, Tammy explained that she is a frequents shopper and knows all the employees, but the woman she encountered this time was new. Tammy claimed that the staffer followed her down every aisle and yelled at her for opening a hair accessory she intended to buy. Cops were called but she eventually left the store to avoid trespassing charges. However, Monday morning Tammy called her CVS to file a complaint. It was said that the general manager quickly called back to apologize. A rep for CVS spoke with TMZ and said that it has a “firm non-discrimination policy” and it’s committed to ensuring that all customers are “treated with respect and are offered courteous customer service.” According to the news site, the rep added they’ve also launched an investigation. Now despite this. The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards were handed out Tuesday night, October 19th, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. The show, under the banner Stronger Together, aired tonight exclusively on TBN and was simulcast on SiriusXM The Message. CeCe Winans and Jason Ingram led the night with the 4 awards each with Winans winning Gospel Artist of the Year and Ingram winning Songwriter of the Year (Non-Artist). for KING & COUNTRY took home three awards including Artist of the Year, the top honor of the night. Chris Brown of Elevation Worship and Steven Furtick also each won three awards including Song of the Year for “The Blessing.” Dynamic performers Maverick City Music claimed New Artist of the Year with Contemporary Artist of the Year going to We The Kingdom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpcQAYPL3UI RCA Inspiration celebrated two wins at the 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards, with Dove Awards for album releases by chart-toppers Marvin Sapp and Koryn Hawthorne. Marvin Sapp won Traditional Gospel Album of the Year, for his hit thirteenth album Chosen Vessel (Verity Records). Koryn Hawthorne won Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year, for her hit sophomore album I Am. With this year’s show theme of “Stronger Together,” Koryn Hawthorne also performed on the show, while chart-toppers Mali Music (K Approved Enterprises/RCA Inspiration) and Kelontae Gavin (Marquis Boone/RCA Inspiration) delivered two duet performances on the stage. Nominee and previous Dove winner Mali Music performed (with Dove Awards co-host Jonathan McReynolds) and presented an award. Nominee Kelontae Gavin performed (with Dante Bowe) and presented an award. Chart-topping nominee DOE (Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration) co-hosted and performed on the 52nd GMA Dove Awards Pre-Telecast, which announced winners in numerous categories during its online stream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCxmN887IyU TRIBL Records’ own Maverick City Music, took home awards for Worship Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards. The award-winning collective also performed their #1 hit, “Jireh” on the annual ceremony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-aEO_PGYww They tried to breach the building where the Brooklyn Nets play their home games but were unsuccessful in their attempts to break past human barriers made up of Barclays Center staff. Hundreds of people marched to the team’s home areana ahead of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets, demanding that Irving — who has refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 despite the professional basketball league requiring full vaccinations of all its players and staff — be allowed to play. https://twitter.com/i/status/1452429338784194572 Monday marks the beginning of a judicial inquiry into the killing of Eric Garner. Over seven years after his killing, police and city officials may finally be held accountable for Garner’s death. Advocates, including Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, have been undeterred in demand for accountability in the years since Garner was taken away from his family and community. As reported by the Gothamist, the inquiry is a rare legal maneuver. The Gothamist also noted that lawyers for the de Blasio administration argued the mayor and police commissioner do not have a duty to discipline; it’s “discretionary.” As community and political leaders with decades of experience driving change throughout the state, we’ve learned a few truths about the Black community. First, Black people are powerful. Despite hundreds of years of deliberate systemic oppression and being just 12-13% of the U.S. population, we have found ways to break barriers, make history, and influence every significant cultural and political conversation in the country. Black people have political power, too. Historically, Black voters have been at the forefront of fights for justice, equity and civil rights. There are few places, nationally or locally, in which Black voters and Black opinions are not decisive. Tensions have flared among students attending Southwood High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, this week. Twenty-three arrests were made in just 24 hours after students from the school were caught engaging in several violent altercations on campus. According to Yahoo News, Southwood’s campus security and officials say they tried everything to help tame the sudden uptick of violent confrontations, but to no avail. Now a group of local fathers has stepped in to help amid the controversy. Michael R. La’Fitte II formed the Dads on Duty coalition to keep the halls of Southwood High safe. A group of 40 fathers takes shifts patrolling the halls of the school to prevent fights from breaking out. Since La’Fitte launched the initiative, the school has not reported any new cases of violence. “We’re dads. We decided the best people who can take care of our kids are who? Are us,” La’Fitte said of the group’s mission. One of the country’s top evangelical universities is being sued by a dozen former students who claim that administrators made it ‘difficult or impossible’ to report sexual assault because the young women would be punished for ‘pre-marital sex.’ Liberty University, the Lynchburg, Virginia-based Christian university co-founded by the late Jerry Falwell Sr, would penalize the young women who came forward by claiming they violated the ‘Liberty Way,’ according to the lawsuit. News of the allegations against Liberty was first reported by ProPublica. Last year, the school’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr, left his post after it was learned that his wife was having an affair with a pool boy, Giancarlo Granda, who was trying to extort the couple. Also last year, a former Liberty University student who played in a band with Becki Falwell’s son came forward with claims she performed oral sex on him and pursued him on Facebook for months when he was 22. Danny Lawhorn, coach of an AAU girl’s basketball program founded by a former WNBA player was charged Tuesday with child enticement for the alleged sexual abuse of three players. He was already in custody on state charges of second-degree sexual assault. Lawhorn was a coach in the Bria Holmes Elite AAU program. He is accused of assaulting a team member who was staying at his home in June after asking her for a massage, according to court documents that were unsealed Tuesday. Two former players from the program later came forward to say they had been abused by Lawhorn in 2017 and 2019. Both girls, who were under the age of 18 at the time, said Lawhorn also asked for a massage before he sexually assaulted them. Lawhorn was removed as a coach by Bria Holmes Elite after his arrest in June on state charges. Students at Howard University are in their second week of protest after accusing university administrators of dismissing their reports of mold, roaches, mice, and housing shortages on campus. Members of the historically black university have organized in tents outside of campus and in sleeping bags inside the social hub and the university center. On social media, students have said the issues have been persistent for years and improvements are long overdue. They’ve shared videos of the unsafe living conditions in the dorms, showing cockroaches in the showers, walls covered with mold, mice skittering across dorm rooms, and flooding from burst pipes. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/10/24/3050687253625551199/636x382_MP4_3050687253625551199.mp4 In January 2014, GRAMMY® Award-winning gospel composer Tye Tribbett seemed to be on top of the world after earning his first two Grammys on his 38th birthday. But, behind the scenes, instead of celebrating the exciting win, the world-renowned songwriter and Christian entertainer was apologizing for failing his wife Shanté Tribbett and working hard to cling to a marriage that was falling apart. “I was in such a desperate and aggressive pursuit of worldly success,” confessed the 45-year-old pastor of LiVe Church Orlando in an interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network’s flagship program, Praise. Tribbett said chasing after carnal success “caused such negligence” in his relationship and ultimately tore it up. But the night of his triumph at the Grammys, he had an epiphany. “I sat there with the Grammys, and I’m like, I opened the bottom, and there wasn’t a check in there. It wasn’t anything that could add to my health in the Grammys, or to add any value to my family, or anything,” he explained. “With the Grammys in my hand, I apologized to my wife. The night I got it, I said, ‘I’m so sorry that I went so hard for these’”—a mistake the charismatic preacher said God “rebuked” him over. https://youtu.be/L0gkhzeKAgU Following scrutiny from online critics, Hillsong United and Chris Tomlin eliminated the “VIP” ticket option from their upcoming United States concert tour. The “Tomlin United Tour” concert tickets, which went on sale Oct. 22, no longer include a VIP option that allowed buyers to walk on stage with the artists and take pictures in a catwalk-style photoshoot. The VIP ticket option also allowed buyers to receive premium seats, exclusive gifts and meet-and-greets. However, the inclusion of a staged catwalk for the artists and their fan base took things a step too far, according to online critics, who said that Hillsong United and Tomlin were engaging in “celebrity-style commercialized worship.” The Wendy Williams Show is back—but without its host. Wendy Williams, 57, is “experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves’ disease and her thyroid condition,” per a statement posted to the show’s Instagram account on October 12. “It has been determined that more time is needed before she is able to return to her live hosting duties.” Instead, a series of guest hosts and panels will take Williams’ place. Although the post notes that the talk-show host is “making progress,” this is the third time Williams has delayed her return to TV since September 9, when she canceled all public appearances. Season 13 of The Wendy Williams Show was originally slated for a September 20 premiere; it was pushed to October 4, then to October 18. Now, it will return without its namesake host—for now. “Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis,” the announcement continues. “We want her health to be her top priority. As soon as she’s ready, she will be back in her treasured purple chair.” Redbox, the 19-year-old entertainment mainstay known for its network of disc-dispensing kiosks, will become a public company on Monday. The DVD rental kiosk operator, which has been expanding into digital entertainment, announced that it completed its previously announced merger with Seaport Global Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company. Divorce rates have been increasing around the world, and while much of that stems from huge cultural and social shifts, there is also a portion of divorces that stem from pure pettiness and absolutely mind-boggling grievances. For example, in August 2019, a woman from the UAE decided to divorce her husband because he cared for her too much. According to Khaleej Times, she complained that he never yelled at her, he was always so kind to her, he always helped her clean, and that she felt “choked by extreme love and affection.” Too much love – The woman added, “I long for one day of dispute, but this seems impossible with my romantic husband who always forgave me and showered me with gifts,” claiming that she preferred an argument, and clearly a divorce, over a “hassle-free life of obedience.” She couldn’t “let it go” – A 29-year-old woman reportedly divorced her husband after they watched ‘Frozen’ together and he told her, “I didn’t really care for it, personally. Did you really think it was that good?” She said that if he couldn’t appreciate it, something was seriously wrong with him as a human being. A 73-year-old woman left her husband of 22 years after she found out he planned to vote for Trump. “I felt like I had been fooling myself,” she explained, “It opened up areas between us I had not faced before.” Tennessee mom Ashley Brooks enjoys working in tech support at a Nashville firm, in large part because the job has been remote since the coronavirus pandemic erupted. But with her employer likely to summon employees back to the office in 2022, she is nervous: Like many Black Americans, Brooks finds the thought of returning to work discomfiting. Indeed, while polls suggest some employees are content to be back at their desks, Black workers told CBS MoneyWatch that being in predominantly White workplaces often exacts an emotional toll. Working from home offers a measure of inner peace and even helps them do their jobs better, they said. “It definitely feels more comfortable at home,” said Brooks, who was commuting to work before COVID-19 struck last year. “I don’t have to worry so much about my hair and the way I dress — you don’t have to answer dumb questions about your hair.” Such sentiments are common among people of color, including in corporate America. For decades, Black and Hispanic employees have reported feeling marginalized at work and being relegated to lower-paying roles even when their credentials qualify them for a higher-level position. Morgan State University today announced the return of competitive collegiate wrestling to its athletic programs, making Morgan the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the country to offer the sport of wrestling at the NCAA Division I Varsity level. Following a 24-year hiatus, the sport’s revival comes as the result of the largest donation in history to Morgan’s Athletic Department: a $2.7-million gift from HBCU Wrestling (HBCUW), a new initiative reestablishing wrestling programs on HBCU campuses, in partnership with billionaire philanthropist and former hedge fund manager Mike Novogratz. The University has also been working with Baltimore-based nonprofit Beat the Streets to make the return of wrestling at Maryland’s largest HBCU a reality. There was a special birthday celebration in Harlem honoring Rev. Jesse Jackson on Friday night. The civil rights leader and social justice icon turned 80 years old. He has dedicated his life and career to activism. Dozens of people, including local leaders, gathered at the National Action Network headquarters to salute Jackson’s historic work. Jackson recovered from COVID-19 in September. His family, friends and colleagues say he is not slowing down. Vernecelyn Allen may not consider herself a trailblazer, but trying to find a better term to describe the Southern Illinois University Carbondale aviation graduate is futile. Allen, who completed majors in aviation management and aviation flight in May and August, just earned her flight instructor’s certification. She has been navigating to new heights, pushing her own limits and helping others achieve since she enrolled at SIU as a freshman, The Southern reports. “I’ve never thought of myself as a trailblazer. I am more of a unicorn – they are few and far between,” she explained. “I don’t know the exact statistic, but out of some 170,000 airline pilots in the country, there are only about 150 who are African American women.” The 22-year-old is unique because of what she does and what she has accomplished since coming to SIU on a Chancellor’s Scholarship – a highly competitive financial award that covers tuition, fees and housing for four years. She has excelled in the classroom, in the flight program and in the air. Historically, very few African Americans have played polo, but that’s changing in Atlanta. “I’ve never ridden a horse outside of me starting this, let alone actually play polo, so I had to get over my fear of, like, thinking I would get kicked or that I will fall,” Gia Tejeda, a junior economics major at Spelman College, told ABC News. “I just feel as though if you can learn how to navigate a horse and really master a sport that you can also, in the same sense, conquer the world, because it takes a lot to ride a horse.” Tejeda’s three-woman team includes another Spelman student and one from Savanah College of Arts and Design. They’re sponsored by Ride to the Olympics, a foundation that exposes urban students to equestrian sports. “We break barriers,” Kim Watson, CEO of Ride to the Olympics, told ABC News. “It was almost, like, tear-jerking it to see what it does to their confidence level.” The group was founded in 2017 by men’s formal wear designer Miguel Wilson, who said he hoped one day of having its members qualify for the Olympics. One year ago this month, Media 2070 launched with a 100-page essay calling for media reparations and documenting how the media system harms Black lives. Since then, the need for a just media economy has only grown more apparent. Over the past month, we watched in horror the video of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback whipping reins at Haitian children and adults seeking asylum at the southern border. The violence was unspeakable, but major media were more enthralled with the sensational visuals than the humanity of Black migrants and the historical context of the U.S. occupation of Haiti. Halle Berry is gushing about boyfriend Van Hunt as she promotes her upcoming MMA film “Bruised.” Appearing at Tuesday’s Elle Women in Hollywood Awards, Berry, referring to the singer as “My love, love, love — my sweetheart,” before adding: “I’ve never had a man that has lifted me up and let me be all that I am.” Speaking to PEOPLE on the red carpet ahead of the awards, Berry said Hunt contributed some music to, in which Berry stars as a retired MMA fighter who is pushed to get back in the ring when her young son re-enters her life. The project also marks Halle’s directorial debut. “I had a lot of support … [Hunt] was a big part of that,” Berry told PEOPLE. “He did some music for the movie. He actually wrote the title song.” Snoop Dogg shared the heartbreaking news on Sunday that his mother, Beverly Tate, died at the age of 70. Tate had been hospitalized earlier this year for undisclosed reasons — Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., had asked his fans send good vibes while his mother was in the hospital. He later made an update, letting people know she was “still fighting” and had opened her eyes. On Sunday, Snoop shared several photos of mother, including one of them together along with the caption: “Mama thank u for having me ??????,” and, “Til. We. Meet. Again?????? #TWMA,” the rapper captioned the post. “Thank u god for giving me an angel ?? for a mother ?????????? TWMA,” he wrote alongside another photo of Tate. Another woman has come forward claiming to be the child of late hip-hop artist DMX. Page Six writes: “A Georgia woman named Raven Barmer-Simmons contacted DMX’s other adult children in the past few weeks. She and the fellow 14 alleged children of the late rapper will all be DNA tested to confirm their paternity.” DMX died in early April aged 50 following a cocaine-induced heart attack. We previously reported that the tapper, real name Earl Simmons, didn’t leave behind enough money to care for his 15 children — some of whom are still minors. https://www.instagram.com/p/CO_rgj8A6HG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Popular gay blogger Jason Lee is speaking out about how he was tapped to take over the Wendy Williams Show but the offer was withdrawn. https://youtu.be/IcIYz9EoA4s Palo Alto attorney Ajwang Rading announced his candidacy for California’s 18th Congressional District today. In an email to campaign supporters, community activists, loved ones, and voters, he laid out his vision. “We are living through an era of unprecedented challenges. As the world continues to face our greatest existential crisis—climate change—the pandemic has additionally affected every dimension of our livelihood, from physical and mental health to socioeconomic mobility to governance. The forming of the Memphis 13 Foundation was announced recently at a press conference at Bruce Elementary, which is one of the original schools that was integrated 60 years ago. The forming of the Memphis 13 Foundation was announced recently at a press conference at Bruce Elementary, which is one of the original schools that was integrated 60 years ago. Speakers included Dwania Kyles, Civil Rights Advocate and “Memphis 13” alum; Deborah Northcross, Lead Plaintiff, Northcross et al v Board of Education of Memphis, Tennessee; Dr. Joris M. Ray, Superintendent of Shelby County Schools; Myke Collins, Executive Director of Equity and Diversity Office, Shelby County Schools; Rev. Dr. LaSimba Gray, Pastor Emeritus of New Sardis Baptist Church and local Historical Consultant, City of Memphis; Dr. Archie Moss, Jr., School Design Partner of Transcend; Rosalind Withers, Founder, Withers Collection Museum and Gallery; and Daniel Kiel, Director of The Memphis 13 documentary. During the chaos following the police-involved deaths of George Floyd and Duante Wright, Jamal James and his Circle Of Discipline have been a source of refuge and hope for many in his native Minneapolis, Minnesota. James’ community engagement started years earlier but became more focused amid community protests and racial unrest in the wake of the killings of the two black men — Floyd in May 2020, and Wright in April of this year. James, the current WBA welterweight champion, lives and trains in the neighborhood where Floyd died at the hands of police, and near Brooklyn Center where a police officer shot Wright. Zaire Wade, son of NBA icon and Utah Jazz part-owner Dwyane Wade, at 19-year-old is foregoing college basketball to jump to the NBA G-League, on the Salt Lake City Stars. Zaire was ranked as a three-star combo guard and chose to attend Brewster Academy in New Hampshire for a post-grad year while looking over options. Five have said no to battling Busta Rhymes in a Verses battle. “I had to let @bustarhymes know that no one is worthy enough to battle him,” Crazy Legs wrote next to a photo of him, Swizz Beatz and Busta Rhymes. “Then he told me that 5 people already turned it down. Some things are just what they are. He has the unfortunate pleasure of being a god in the rap game. Shout out to @therealswizzz for the #BDP outfit of the day!” https://youtu.be/QR8M2sURAZE There will be very limited seating and it will be by invitation only,” spokeswoman Peggy Cifrino said. A private memorial service for Gen. Colin Powell will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on Nov. 5. Powell — America’s first Black national security adviser, first Black Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and first Black Secretary of State — died Monday of complications from COVID-19. Powell, who was 84, was fully vaccinated but had a compromised immune system that made him more susceptible to contracting the virus. Powell had multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that hurts the body’s ability to fight infections. In 2003, The New York Times reported that then-Secretary of State Powell had surgery to treat prostate cancer, which was detected in its early stages. Vanessa Bryant revealed in a deposition how she learned about the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, and their daughter Gigi. Vanessa said she tried to take a helicopter to the crash site that day but was told that the weather conditions were too bad. According to USA Today, in the transcript Vanessa said she kept the clothes that Kobe and Gigi were wearing that day, out of concern that someone would take pictures of them. The deposition from Oct. 12 is part of her lawsuit against LA county. Vanessa is pissed at several officers because they took photos of the site and shared the images. She is suing the county for invasion of privacy and negligence. She wants to punish the deputy defendants and “make an example of them to the community.” Dallas Bishop T.D. Jakes is one step closer to building a community aimed at creating multigenerational wealth in Atlanta following the approval of his company’s development plan Thursday. The Fort Mac Local Redevelopment Authority authorized T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures LLC’s initial interim master development plan to redevelop a portion of the former Fort McPherson Army Base. Jakes, founder of The Potter’s House megachurch in southern Dallas, struck a deal in June to acquire 95 acres of land to create a community with affordable housing, mixed-use retail space and other quality-of-life enhancing amenities. The exact price of the project is still unknown, he said. Once given the green light to break ground in Atlanta, Jakes expects the development to be mostly complete within two and a half years. The land is located next to actor Tyler Perry’s eponymous film production studio. When Sydney Ambrose was a freshman at Lafayette High School she went to see a dermatologist about issues she was having with her skin. That visit would have a big impact on the rest of her life — not only because it improved her skin, but also because of her experience with the doctor. Her dermatologist did a great job in a caring and compassionate way that left Ambrose feeling valued and more confident in her own skin. She also appreciated that the doctor was a woman, something the teen hadn’t seen nearly as often when getting medical attention. The teen realized then that she wanted to — and could — help other young girls grow in their confidence and find healing like she had. Today, Ambrose is a 20-year-year-old junior in the pre-med program at Xavier University of Louisiana with plans to become a dermatologist herself. Thankfully, she’s receiving support to get there, including a new scholarship from Tampax, the well-known tampon brand from Procter & Gamble. The story of Chicago’s first Black mayor is one of several documentaries hitting the big screen at the 57th annual Chicago International Film Festival. “Punch 9 for Harold Washington“ explores the life and legacy of Harold Washington, and his historic rise to office. “He was able to galvanize the community with a message of fairness, and the idea that it’s our turn, and this is an opportunity for us to come together as a city, not just for Blacks, but for Whites, for Latinos, for Indian, Asian, whoever the case was, if we could all come together in a coalition, then we can make the city a better place for everybody, so I think that message is the message that resonated for me,” said Raymond Lambert, one of the film’s producers. Four years ago, a deadly white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, led pastors in the Tennessee city of Franklin to call for the removal of a Confederate monument in their town square. A lawsuit and political maneuverings made that impractical, but a local leader of a Civil War history nonprofit had a different idea. Instead of taking the statue down, a new statue and historical markers could be erected to tell a fuller story of the Civil War — one that included the horrors of slavery and the Black people who fought to end it. That effort led to the unveiling this weekend of a statue, titled “March to Freedom,” honoring the Black enslaved men who enlisted in the United States Colored Troops, a segregated part of the Union Army during the Civil War, The Tennessean reported. It stands at the foot of Franklin’s historic courthouse, directly across the street from a monument to Confederate soldiers known as “Chip.” Pastor Tyrone Patrick’s grandfather, Robert Patrick, worked picking cotton in Mississippi and could “out-pick anybody.” The more cotton he picked, the more money he made, because he was paid by the pound. With 14 children to help raise in the late 1960s, however, Robert Patrick needed a better opportunity. So, in 1969, the Patricks packed up and moved from the South to the North, driving to Chicago before eventually settling in Waukegan, Illinois. The Patricks were among the 6 million black people who relocated from the rural South to cities in the North, West and Midwest from 1916 to 1970 for better socioeconomic opportunity, part of a historic movement called the Great Migration. Robert Patrick’s name, along with other members of Tyrone’s family who partook in the Great Migration, will soon be honored in an exhibit being built at Nehemiah Gardens, the Racine Journal Times reported. An assistant director on the film set of “Rust” was the subject of complaints over safety and his behavior on set during two productions in 2019, two people who worked closely with him tell CNN. The complaints against assistant director Dave Halls include a disregard for safety protocols for weapons and pyrotechnics use, blocked fire lanes and exits, and instances of inappropriately sexual behavior in the workplace. Halls was identified in court documents as the assistant director who handed actor Alec Baldwin a prop firearm, which when fired struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a live round. Hutchins was later pronounced dead at a New Mexico hospital. Maggie Goll, an IATSE Local 44 prop maker and licensed pyrotechnician, said in a statement to CNN that while working on Hulu’s “Into the Dark” Anthology Series in February and May of 2019, Halls neglected to hold safety meetings and consistently failed to announce the presence of a firearm on set to the crew, as is protocol. One orc among many in the Lord of the Rings movies was designed to resemble Harvey Weinstein as a “sort of f*** you” to the notorious producer, Elijah Wood, who played the hobbit Frodo in the series, told a Hollywood podcast. “It’s funny,” Wood told the actor Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert. “This was recently spoken about because Dom [Monaghan] and Bill [Boyd, who played hobbits Merry and Pippin] … were talking to Sean Astin [Samwise] about his first memory of getting to New Zealand [where the series was filmed]. “He had seen these orc masks. And one of the orc masks – and I remember this vividly – was designed to look like Harvey Weinstein as a sort of a f*** you. “I think that is OK to talk about now,” Wood said. “The guy is f***ing incarcerated. F*** him.” In the first major case of the #MeToo era, in which women have spoken out about abuse by powerful men, Weinstein faced numerous accusations of sexual assault. Convicted of rape in February 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in jail, he faces further charges in California, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The Phoenix Suns issued a preemptive denial Friday to unpublished accusations of misconduct by team owner Robert Sarver. “We understand that ESPN is considering publishing a proposed story that makes completely baseless claims against the Suns Legacy Partners, LLC organization concerning a variety of topics,” the statement said. The denial was issued before the Suns played the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center. At tip-off, no story had been published. Kevin Johnson the former NBA All-Star and mayor of Sacramento, California is now moving into the restaurant business with a new soul food joint in downtown Los Angeles called “Fixins Soul Kitchen.” “Here in L.A. we have 140 jobs. Most of the people that work here are African American and Latino. To be able to provide jobs and good wages is something we’re super, super proud of,” Johnson said on the red-carpet last week. https://youtu.be/-_ZRzJSmjBUGSN- On January 11th, 2013, Kendrick Johnson was found dead in his high school gymnasium rolled up in a gym mat. The state of Georgia ruled his death as an accident, having died from positional asphyxia. When the family hired their own Forensic Pathologist, not only did he find KJ’s organs missing from his body during the autopsy, he determined the cause of death to be from non-accidental blunt force trauma. To this day, no one knows where KJ’s organs have gone.. So what really happened to KJ? FINDING KENDRICK JOHNSON is the feature documentary product of a 4-year undercover investigation into the facts of this case. From the creator of ‘Stranger Fruit’, this new documentary hopes to shed light on one of the most important American stories of our time. https://youtu.be/PI9m5_vgweo This weekend, HBO kicked off the final season of ‘Insecure’ with Insecure Fest in Los Angeles. The day, hosted by Crissle & Fran (Insecuritea Podcast) featured sounds by DJ R-Tistic, a local Black-owned marketplace and food vendors, surprise musical performances from Jazmine Sullivan, Schoolboy Q, Duckwrth, Flo Milli and Kamaiyah and an exclusive screening of the new season of ‘Insecure.’ The final season of INSECURE premieres exclusively on HBO on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 10 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Torrei Hart has to answer a bunch of questions she’d likely rather not answer since divorcing ex-husband and comedic actor Kevin Hart. That’s par for the course with celebrity marriages and divorces. A comedic actor herself, Torrei revealed during a recent interview with Too Fab that she is keeping her married name and there’s not a dag-on thing y’all can do or say about it. “‘Cause it’s mine, first of all,” she said while leaving LAX airport. “Second of all, ’cause Kevin never asked for it back — he don’t want [me] to give it back, he’s not trippin’. And third of all: my kids don’t want me to change my name.” “That’s something that people always ask me,” she continued. “And I’m like: That’s my name — get over it! They’re gonna always have something to say, but I’m gonna be a Hart until I decide not to be. And that’s just what it is.” A major New Jersey liberal organization has withdrawn its endorsement of a Democratic candidate for local office after discovering he is pro-life. Aaron “A.J.” Oliver is a Democratic candidate for commissioner of Morris County, N.J. – an area about 30 miles west of New York City – and had received the endorsement of NJ 11th for Change, an organization that promotes liberal causes and candidates in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. But after NJ 11th for Change learned Oliver opposes abortion on demand, the organization backed off its support, according to the New Jersey Globe news site. The assistant police chief in Washington, D.C., one of 10 Black women who filed a class-action lawsuit last month against the city alleging widespread discrimination, said this week that as a cadet she was told she had to get an abortion to keep her job. “My choice to have a baby was personal, and it should’ve been mine alone and not for an employer ultimatum,” Chanel Dickerson said Tuesday at a community meeting. “I was told I had to have an abortion or be fired from the MPD cadet program.” She said she was 18 at the time. It was unclear what happened afterward, but Dickerson has been with the department since 1988, according to the department’s website. Dickerson and the other former and current employees of the Metropolitan Police Department said in the lawsuit filed in September that they were discriminated against because of their race and gender, and that the division in charge of addressing harassment is run by a man who has expressed hostility toward female officers and tried to discredit women who have come forward. Officials in a Vermont town apologized and agreed to pay $50,000 to a Black motorist who was stopped by a police officer because of his race. The Chester select board posted the apology to Obadiah Jacobs on the town’s website. The document was signed Oct. 1. “The Town of Chester sincerely apologizes to Mr. Jacobs recognizing that no arrest or other action was take as a result of the traffic stop and that no basis was found during the stop to believe that Mr. Jacobs was engaged in illegal activity,” the statement said. The apology and payment followed a finding earlier this year by the Vermont Human Rights Commission that there were reasonable grounds to believe the town discriminated against Jacobs on the basis of race and skin color. The town and Jacobs went through a mediation process last month that wrapped up with the signing of the apology, Jacobs’ attorney Thomas Bixby said Thursday. “We understand that officers have a job to do and it’s a very dangerous job and we respect that,” said Bixby. “However, you can’t just pull somebody over based on the color of their skin. And so Obadiah stood up and he fought back.” Minneapolis police officer Brian Cummings is facing two felony charges after his squad car hit another car, killing its driver, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Friday. The driver, Leneal Frazier, was the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the teenager who won a special Pulitzer prize for filming the 2020 murder of George Floyd. “Police are supposed to protect and serve citizens, and to act in a manner consistent with their sworn oath to do so,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement. “Officer Cummings’ actions deviated from his oath and his negligence caused the death of Leneal Frazier.” While on duty on July 6, Cummings pursued a stolen vehicle whose driver was suspected of various thefts, officials said. The officer, who joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 2008, was going 90 miles per hour in an area with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour when his squad car collided with a car that was driving through a green light and was not involved in the chase. The driver, later identified as Frazier, was killed. Hollywood star Alec Baldwin says his “heart is broken” after he tragically discharged a “prop gun” that fatally injured cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while on the set of his forthcoming Western-style film. Baldwin, 63, shot and killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza — who is in critical condition — while filming for “Rust.” According to reports, the actor accidentally fired at the two crew members with a “prop gun” from the movie. “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours,” said Baldwin. “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family.” Davis School District has intentionally ignored “serious and widespread” racial harassment in its schools for years — failing to respond to hundreds of reports from Black students after they have been called slaves, the N-word, and heard threats that they would be lynched, according to a jarring report from the U.S. Department of Justice. That refusal to intervene ultimately created an atmosphere that was so oppressive that some kids of color feared coming to class, the report said. Many stopped reporting acts of discrimination, which were often witnessed by teachers who didn’t step in, they said. A few told Justice investigators they felt the district was condoning the way they were treated by taking no action. “As a consequence of this dismissive attitude to serious racial harassment, a district-wide racially hostile environment went unabated,” the department concluded in the report released Thursday. And “the district left students of color vulnerable to continued abuse.” The findings from the Justice Department come after two years of investigation of the predominantly white northern Utah school district, starting in July 2019. The NBA today announced an extension of its ongoing commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with new programs designed to create greater opportunity for students and alumni, encourage economic advancement and further celebrate their rich traditions. As part of this partnership, the NBA will develop new programs and events focused on the HBCU community – specifically around professional development, career advancement and increased support and awareness for HBCU athletics and institutions. The NBA is committed to supporting the growth of the next generation of leaders from the Black community. HBCUs – which produce 20 percent of the country’s Black college graduates but only account for three percent of all colleges in the United States – have historically been under-resourced, averaging one-eighth the size of endowments of historically white colleges and universities. While African Americans only make up 13.4 percent of America’s population, the cause of death due to health disparities and inequities is considered to be much higher than their white counterparts. United Healthcare Insurance Group is working to change that by educating Senior Citizens that identify with the African American Community on ways they as a people could take care of themselves outside of annual checkups. This is done through United HealthCare’s second virtual health program known as “A Better You.” “I think the beauty of this is that this program is a health and wellness educational program that helps those souls who are approaching retirement,” Rita Tolbert, the Director of Multicultural Marketing at UnitedHealthcare stated. Tolbert believes that is more than just learning about health and wellness ,but educating caregivers and senior citizens on Medicare eligibility and other health care options. New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is bringing a homecoming-style celebration complete with a Battle of the Bands, a live performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard and other festivities on Oct. 24 beginning at 9 a.m. Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant will dedicate a portion of the program to honoring various community leaders and champions in DeKalb County. “While many members of our congregation and community join us in a virtual worship service each week, we want to take another opportunity to reimagine church in a new way and honor those men and women who have served as pillars in our community through this pandemic,” said Bryant. “We want attendees to feel free to come as they are, wear their college paraphernalia and enjoy New Birth’s homecoming celebration.” Honorees at the upcoming outdoor service include DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Michael Thurmond, President of Organization of DeKalb Educators Deborah Jones, radio host and philanthropist Frank Ski, founder of Sisters by Choice Dr. Rogsbert Phillip-Reed, and community organizer Flossie Varner. Each honoree will receive a special tribute during the event for their respective community contributions and impacts that have touched thousands of lives. Christian music’s mainstays — as well as several new faces — had a winning night at the 2021 GMA Dove Awards. After a socially distanced ceremony in 2020, the Nashville-based awards show returned to its former glory before a packed house at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. For the second year in a row, the night’s top honor — Artist of the Year — went to Nashville rock/pop duo For King & Country. Gospel great and fellow local resident CeCe Winans picked up her second award for Gospel Artist of the Year. She and songwriter/producer Jason Ingram were the biggest winners of the night, each taking home four awards. Winans’ big win came after her powerful performance of “Believe For It,” when she was introduced by co-hosts Natalie Grant and Jonathan McReynolds as “one of the greatest of all time.” Still, she shook her head in disbelief as her name was called, and as the rest of the house rose to its feet. “I want to thank all of those who were in the category with me, and all of the artists that are here, the young — and us who are old,” Winans said. “God is faithful to every generation. And I am just honored to be a part of this industry. I’m honored to lift up the name of Jesus.” https://youtu.be/DpcQAYPL3UI Dorothy Steel demonstrated that it’s never too late to follow a dream. Born in 1926, she was 88 years old when she landed her first acting role, launching a career that would soon lead to her feature film debut as an elder of the Merchant Tribe in 2018’s Black Panther. Steel was reprising her character for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever when Marvel Studios reportedly flew her from the Atlanta-based production to be with family in her birthplace of Detroit. She died at her home Friday morning at age 95, her agent, Cindy Butler of iSubmit Talent confirmed to People magazine, noting that Steel had predicted the sequel would be her “last role.” A cause of death was not given. “It was just amazing, it truly was,” Steel told Atlanta’s WSB-TV (Channel 2) in 2018 of landing a role in the record-breaking superhero blockbuster. “If anyone would have told me I would be an actor, I would’ve said you got to be out of your mind.” Floyd Mayweather’s daughter Yaya is reportedly facing serious jail time for stabbing a woman. According to The Jasmine Brand, Floyd’s daughter, Yaya Mayweather, is facing some lengthy prison time for a case that alleges she stabbed a woman multiple times at the home of her baby father, NBA YoungBoy. According to the outlet, Mayweather was arrested in April 2020 and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She is accused of stabbing NBA YoungBoy’s baby mother, Lapattra Lashai Jacobs, resulting in serious injuries and hospitalization. It’s been reported that Mayweather is facing up to 20 years in prison if and when the case goes to trial. In January, the 21-year-old Mayweather and the 21-year-old rapper, singer, songwriter welcomed a baby boy, making the addition NBA YoungBoy’s seventh child. Yet, Mayweather isn’t the only one with legal troubles. NBA YoungBoy is currently incarcerated. A woman has alleged she was sexually assaulted at a rural ranch in Utah after appearing on the long-running TV show “Dr. Phil.” She is now suing Phil McGraw, commonly known as Dr. Phil, and Viacom CBS for negligence, saying she felt pressured to attend the facility after appearing on the show. The faculty where the alleged assault took place is called Turn-About ranch, which is located in the rural town of Escalante, Utah. The lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles County Court and in the suit, Hannah Archuleta alleges after she appeared on “Dr. Phil” in October 2019 — she was 17 at the time — McGraw and his staff pressured her to attend the ranch to “have any chance at a good life,” according to a lawsuit obtained by the Los Angeles Times and The Wrap. An artist with DC Comics said this week he’s leaving the company because he’s “tired of them ruining these characters.” His decision comes on the heels of the announcement that the next iteration of Superman will be bisexual. Gabe Eltaeb, a colorist for DC Comics, said during an appearance on a YouTube show hosted by Ethan Van Sciver that he is exiting the brand when his contract runs out. “I’m finishing out my contract with DC,” he said. “I’m tired of this. … I’m tired of them ruining these characters; they don’t have a right to do this.” Eltaeb went on to say his grandfather “almost died in World War II,” adding, “We don’t have a right to destroy [expletive] that people died for to give us. It’s a bunch of [expletive] nonsense.” Simone Biles is sharing insight into her personal struggles. During this year’s Summer Games in Tokyo, 24-year-old Biles removed herself from four out of five event finals due to a case of the “twisties,” a disorienting condition athletes can experience when they lose air awareness, putting them at risk for injury when they land. She explained at the time that she withdrew from the competition to focus on her mental health, saying on social media that her “mind & body are simply not in sync.” While appearing on the Today show Thursday, Biles got emotional with host Hoda Kotb as she expressed frustration in seeing other athletes able to perform moves she no longer can. Kotb asked whether Biles still experiences the “twisties” while performing on the road for the Athleta Presents Gold Over America Tour alongside other top gymnasts. “I don’t twist. I do … my signature moves on the floor, but that’s never affected me. Everything else just, like, weighs so heavy, and I watch the girls do it and it’s just, it’s not the same,” she said. “Is that weird?” Kotb, 57, asked. “Yeah. To do something that I’ve done forever and just not be able to do it because of everything I’ve gone through is really crazy because I love this sport so much,” Biles responded, holding back tears. “But it’s hard. I’m sorry. And I don’t think people understand the magnitude of what I go through.” Barack and Michelle Obama have officially started the construction of their long-awaited Presidential Library in Chicago, the Obama Presidential Center, CNN reports. The library has been in the works since 2015 and has had several setbacks due to lawsuits and complaints from the locals-some of whom are against the use of public lands being used for a private project. The lawsuits were tossed out by a federal judge, which paved the way for the former president and first lady to begin the project in the Jackson Park area of Chicago. https://youtu.be/QCwHG-LgC_E Lynette Adkins is proof that a leap of faith can create big results. Especially if the leap results in life as an influencer, switching from a high-paying job at Amazon to a new career online. Adkins currently has more than 105,000 YouTube subscribers, 22,000 Instagram followers and 101,000 followers on TikTok, according to the Los Angeles Times, which noted the 23-year-old self-taught content creator’s status as “a so-called micro-influencer on the ascent, someone with a sizable and engaged following but who isn’t a big brand personality or household name.” https://youtu.be/Hr8UjzeGm-M Doctors at #NewYorkUniversity Hospital successfully transplanted a #pig’s #kidney to a person whose immune system didn’t immediately reject the organ.? This surgery is ground-breaking, and the procedure could lead to the use of animals organs in life-saving transplants.? The surgery was performed on a brain-dead patient with the kidney of a pig whose genes had explicitly been altered so that its tissues no longer contained a molecule known to trigger near-immediate rejection in the recipient.? The patient’s family consented to the experimental surgery before doctors removed the woman from life support.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CVRSrrMrHsC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Recently, Ashanti, Ja Rule and Plies were in Charleston, West Virginia performing their greatest hit to a appreciative crowd when a disabled fan who attended the concert to celebrate her birthday got on stage and began twerking for him. https://youtu.be/OkiFw4G38g4 According to The Sun, producers behind The Wendy Williams Show are going through great lengths to have audience members fill up seats. Sources close to production spoke to the outlet and revealed that the show is struggling to keep the crowd full. One insider told The Sun: “Wendy’s show lives off the energy from the audience and without it, it doesn’t work.” Another source shared that the crowd was actually cut in half during Monday’s taping. Producers had a guest panel that included Bevy Smith and Michael Yo that day. It was said that the producers seemed defeated and not above trying out bribes to get the audience members to come back for another taping, The Sun reports. They allegedly handed out gift bags to anyone who agreed to attend another taping later in the day. Tempers boiled over on the Los Angeles Lakers bench Friday night when teammates Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard went at each other during a timeout. https://youtu.be/QASctlgPRfA The Ben Simmons story took another major turn on Friday. According to reports from ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the All-Star point guard met with the Philadelphia 76ers’ medical professionals and head coach Doc Rivers Friday morning to inform them that he’s “not mentally ready to play to his expectations.” He also reportedly spoke with his teammates about the situation. Simmons was suspended for the Sixers’ season opener after he was kicked out of practice for “conduct detrimental to the team” earlier this week. Yesterday, he showed up to team facilities complaining about “back tightness,” but was cleared to participate in workouts anyways. “Shout-out to the City Council and Mayor – doing a great job,” said Grammy winning living legend Howard Hewett to his home town Akron, Ohio’s leaders who re-named Cadillac Blvd, where he lived for 20 years growing up, to Howard Hewett, Jr. Way. “We moved into that house when I was like 3 years-old up ‘til I left for Los Angeles. Left a year later and went back home." Taraji P. Henson, 51, is sharing a piece of her story. In a new episode of her Facebook Watch series, ‘Peace of Mind with Taraji,’ the ‘Empire‘ actress opens up with entrepreneur Angela Simmons about an abusive relationship and the moment she decided to leave. “Sometimes as women what we do is we fall in love and we go, ‘You know what? I’ll fix it later. For me, it was when blood was drawn…” She added, “because it started with the bruises and grabbing, things like that. And then once the fist came — I’m missing a piece of my lip to this day — that’s when I knew I had to go.” Henson went on to describe her childhood, citing that abuse was something she experienced in her younger days. A new book about Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise details how NeNe Leakes once choked out Kim Zolciak-Biermann when the cameras weren’t rolling. The book titled, “Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It,” reveals that NeNe and Kim allegedly got into an argument that turned violent during season 2 but the cameras “missed the whole thing.” “The arguments between Kim and NeNe were always next level. All season 2, they went back and forth, fighting and making up,” producer Carlos King said. “Then there was an incident that happened off-camera where NeNe allegedly tried to choke Kim in a Target parking lot.” Former Housewife Shereé Whitfield said she witnessed the incident. Tommy DeBarge, part of the music industry’s famed DeBarge family and an original member of the R&B/funk band Switch, has died. He was 64.DeBarge suffered from liver and kidney failure over the years, but recently took a turn for the worse, a family member told TMZ. He was hospitalized a couple weeks ago, and died in the hospital Thursday. Tommy’s daughter, Marina DeBarge, said he also battled COVID-19 earlier this year, but never complained about the pain and recovered from the virus. She says she even spoke to him Wednesday, not long before his death, and he fought until the end. Tommy DeBarge rose to fame in Switch in the mid to late ’70s — the group recorded hits like “There’ll Never Be,” “I Call Your Name” and “Love Over & Over Again.” https://youtu.be/A3uvuOLMqVc A deadly shooting took place on the movie set of ‘Rust’ after the prop gun Alec Baldwin used misfired and shot two people, fatally injuring a cinematographer and injuring the film’s director on Thursday. The accident took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico when Baldwin was filming a scene in the film which required someone to fire the prop gun. Thought to be loaded with blanks, the gun’s bullets struck director Joel Souza and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Authorities said in a statement that Hutchins died from her injuries and Souza was airlifted to a nearby hospital. https://youtu.be/2h96MpgvFe4 R Kelly’s attorney has revealed that after the singer was found guilty of federal sex crimes last month, he was placed on suicide watch. According to the Chicago Tribune, during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, attorney Steve Greenberg told U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber that, “after he was found guilty [Kelly] was placed under suicide watch,” but that has since been lifted. Prosecutors accused the singer, Robert Sylvester Kelly of directing his employees to procure women for sex and sexually abused numerous women over the span of nearly 25 years. Dave Chappelle has reportedly said that he is willing to speak with the Netflix employees who feel offended by his LGBTQ jokes, and is waiting for them to reach out. TMZ reports that the comedian’s rep reached out and said that Dave would be open to dialogue if people from Netflix actually reach out to him for the discussion. Dave’s camp says no one from Netflix has approached Chappelle or his team about setting up a meeting or conversation … which is the opposite of what the woman who organized the Netflix walkout claims. TMZ reports that the comedian’s rep reached out and said that Dave would be open to dialogue if people from Netflix actually reach out to him for the discussion. Dave’s camp says no one from Netflix has approached Chappelle or his team about setting up a meeting or conversation … which is the opposite of what the woman who organized the Netflix walkout claims. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Rege-Jean Page has been revealed as the fans’ favourite to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, according to new social media analysis. The Bridgerton star has emerged as one of the frontrunners to lead the 007 franchise after Craig bowed out with his fifth and final appearance in “No Time To Die.” The new social media analysis by OLBG’s Bond Breakdown reveals which of the leading names linked to the role of James Bond proved most popular among social media fans, and ultimately who they wanted to take on the role following Craig’s 15-year tenure. Acclaimed singer Stephanie Summers debuts her full-length album Mighty Strong God, available now. The brand-new album from the BET “Sunday Best” Season 10 winner showcases the powerhouse vocals, gift for ministry, and strong devotion to God that drove her to the top spot among fans on the hit Gospel competition. Featuring 11 tracks, the album is led by the single “Mighty Strong God” (feat. J.J. Hairston), which is out at Gospel radio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUt_KW5GWnU Ed'Drena Miller is a native of Queens, New York who currently resides in Charlotte, NC. Ed'Drena is a powerful and anointed voice who is known for the overwhelming passion she exudes while ministering through song, writing or preaching. As some say, she's more than a singer, she's an experience. "Never Forget" https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8507227?date=20210827&user_id=668306&signature=4rqLVN54VZDdG1hlAy9ZRwt5jT8%3AZFj6Npqj RITCHEA HODGE is a Canadian gospel artist born and raised in Brampton, Ontario who made her stamp in the music scene as a young aspiring singing for various local projects. She is apart of a Toronto worship collective MADE Music Group, which shares a unique passion for both music and community. Her debut single ?“I’ll Say Yes” encompasses a genuine, heartfelt expression that can be felt to the very core. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF9oxo29Ri4 It’s been a while since we heard from TRIP LEE, and he makes his return with a new video and single, “You Got It,” featured on the Summer ’21 Playlist presented by Reach Records. "The visuals pokes fun at the stereotypical inauthentic image that artists today are encouraged to promote," shares Trip Lee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdRtKRT0dpk The man cops were reportedly looking for on the night they shot EMT Breonna Taylor in the botched no-knock raid, was arrested on drug charges last August. Jamarcus Glover and Taylor used to date years ago, and he used her address and phone number as his own in the run-up to her death last March. Taylor, 26, was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when three plainclothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment. A search warrant revealed cops believed Glover was hiding drugs or money at Taylor’s home. At the time of the raid, Glover was already in police custody 10 miles away. No drugs or cash were found at Taylor’s home. When Glover was in August 2o20, he reportedly told a Louisville paper that Taylor had no involvement in drug trafficking. Last week, Glover pleaded guilty to several drug charges in exchange for probation. https://youtu.be/v6pcA8_uUoY In 2017, a 23-year-old Black man was asleep in his parked car when two officers with the Euclid police department woke him and created a reason to kill him. Qualified immunity prevents the victim’s family from receiving justice. Luke Stewart was asleep in his legally parked car on March 13, 2017, in Euclid, a suburb of Cleveland, and was posing no danger when he was approached by police officers Matthew Rhodes and Louis Catalani. USA Today details what happened next: Catalani knocked on Luke’s window, startling him awake. They did not announce themselves as officers. Luke sat up and started the car. Catalani and Rhodes immediately opened Luke’s car doors and reached inside to forcibly remove him. Catalani grabbed Luke’s arm, and he wrapped his arm around Luke’s head and pulled, while Rhodes pushed from the passenger side. Scared, Luke attempted to drive away, but Rhodes jumped into the passenger seat. Luke looked at Rhodes and asked, “Why are you in my car?” Rhodes attacked Luke. He punched him, stunned him with a Taser six times, then used the Taser to strike him in the head. Luke never hit back. Moments later, Rhodes shot Luke five times, killing him. Rhodes had been in the car with Luke for only about one minute before he opened fire. https://youtu.be/NjsZBvR3oN4 The Eustis Police Department in Florida is under fire after bodycam footage was released showing officers tasing a Black man with severe autism. As reported by Yahoo, family members say Louis Grahai has the “mental capacity of a 4-year-old.” He is unable to speak and wears diapers. Grahai is tased once again as he appears to not comprehend what the officers are saying. Grahai’s family reportedly rushed to the scene and found him pinned on the ground by the officers and bleeding from his ear. https://youtu.be/2DYeWidXOho Batwoman” star Camrus Johnson said his former co-star Ruby Rose was fired from the show. She was fired,” he said on Twitter Wednesday night. His comments come after Rose detailed allegations of workplace misconduct on the set of the CW series. In a series of posts on her Instagram story, Rose explained: “what really happened on that set.” “[Former Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman] Peter Roth, you are first up,” Rose began. “You are chapter one. not sure if you left after getting promoted to the highest position because you couldn’t stop making young women steam your pants, around your crotch while you were still wearing said pants or if you left after putting a private investigator on me who you fired as soon as the report didn’t fit your narrative. either way, when it comes to you, there’s already an army waiting for u.” Rose also noted that she suffered a neck injury on set that required surgery. Her doctors also found a tumor and a “broken rib split in two.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Alec Baldwin didn't know the prop gun that he fired was loaded with live ammunition and neither did the assistant director who handed it to him before the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set Thursday, a search warrant document says. The assistant director yelled "cold gun" before the shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins, 42, and wounded director Joel Souza on the set of "Rust" at Bonanza Creek Ranch, according to an affidavit filed in a court. The term "cold gun" is intended to indicate that the weapon did not have any live rounds, according to the document obtained by NBC affiliate KOB of Albuquerque and other news outlets. The assistant director did not know live rounds were in the prop gun, the Santa Fe County sheriff's detective wrote in the court document. Baldwin, 63, on Friday said that he was heartbroken after firing the fatal shot and fully cooperating in the investigation. Dionne Warwick has made clear that she wants no part of an upcoming biopic about the late-great Whitney Houston. The forthcoming film “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” follows Houston’s life and rise to fame. Executive Producer Clive Davis previously said that the project will be a “no holds barred” portrait of the artist, and he won’t sugar-coat anything. Davis signed Warwick and her young cousin Houston to Arista Records. Speaking to Variety, Davis said, “I have a mission here. I have a mission to make sure that for all time that the full picture of Whitney Houston is captured in a no-holds-barred film that is musically rich and shows her genius and more of her character than we have seen to date.” Warwick doesn’t want to be involved in the project. “I want them to let Whitney rest in peace,” Warwick told the Los Angeles Times. “Leave her alone. Ten years [since she died] – it’s time to let her sleep.” Deontay Wilder likely broke his powerful right hand in the fourth round while twice flooring Tyson Fury during his 11th-round TKO loss on Oct. 9. Wilder underwent a 90-minute surgery on Monday in Atlanta to repair the hand’s metacarpal bone nine days after he was dropped once each in the third, 10th and final rounds, and was ultimately stopped by the WBC heavyweight champion “Gypsy King,” both his co-manager and trainer confirmed. An appeals court has ruled that Robert De Niro’s estranged wife Grace Hightower isn’t entitled to half of the acting income he made after the divorce. Hightower argued that a 2004 prenuptial agreement entitled her to half of De Niro’s earnings, but, as reported by Page Six, “the Appellate Division rejected Hightower’s arguments, upholding a lower court’s ruling from February,” the outlet writes. “The husband’s income earned during the marriage and other business assets acquired during that time are his separate property,” reads the appellate court decision. Disgraced director Bryan Singer clashed with his A-list cast while making “X2: X-Men United” and things got so bad on set that Halle Berry told him to “kiss my black ass.” According to co-star Alan Cumming, Berry allegedly hurled the comment after the cast staged an intervention for the filmmaker on the set of the 2003 superhero flick. Cumming writes in his upcoming book, “Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life,” that Singer “has himself admitted he was using painkillers at the time”. Per Page Six, the director “exhibited troubling behaviors including mood swings, paranoia and tantrums in addition to disappearing from set for hours on end.” Production was subsequently halted but the unhappy cast was told to “muddle through” the rest of the shoot, per the report. Berry previously spoke out about having to curse out Singer on set. “I would sometimes be very angry with him,” she told Variety last year. “I got into a few fights with him, said a few cuss words out of sheer frustration. When I work, I’m serious about that. And when that gets compromised, I get a little nutty. But at the same time, I have a lot of compassion for people who are struggling with whatever they’re struggling with, and Bryan struggles. Conservative political commentator Candace Owens is trending again, this time for suggesting that the US military invade Australia in order to free its people “suffering under a totalitarian regime” over its strict COVID-19 restrictions. Comparing the nation to the regimes of Hitler, Stalin and the Taliban, Owens spewed this rhetoric on her self-titled Daily Wire TV show earlier this week, declaring the coronavirus had launched an “ideological and psychological” global war. Domestic violence against women of color, specifically Black women, has been a dilemma that has plagued the Black community for decades, perhaps centuries. According to The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) a non-partisan, non-profit research think tank, as of 2017, more than four in ten Black women experience physical violence from an intimate partner during their lifetimes. BET’s original film,”The Hotline,” premiere focuses on domestic violence. One of the 20 minute vignettes, Her Lyfeline, which stars 3-time Grammy nominee Raheem DeVaughn and mega singer/actress Keri Hilson, addresses the plight of domestic violence against Black women, a scourge in the Black community. Cynthia Bailey is speaking out about clashing with three different women on the “Housewives” spinoff titled “Ultimate Girls Trip.” Bravo recently dropped the official trailer for the “Real Housewives” spin-off starring “Real Housewives of Atlanta’s” Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” OG Kyle Richards, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” castmates and sisters-in-law Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga, and “Real Housewives of New York City” icons Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Singer. https://youtu.be/PoBquo2zdGI Award-winning music producer Sha Money XL known for his producing and hit-making abilities and his success with 50 Cent, BIG K.I.R.T, Bobby Shmurda and G-Unit, has partnered with entertainment production company “Purple Rope Ent.” to release CHUBBS THE DREAMER debut EP; JUST BECAUSE… and his debut single THIS IS IT. THIS IS IT, is now available across all streaming platforms. https://music.apple.com/us/album/1578001922 https://vyd.co/Thisisit A right-wing parents group has sued a school district in suburban Boston alleging white students are having their civil rights violated because “a policy of segregating students by race” that favors minorities has been adopted. Parents Defending Education, which describes itself as “a national grassroots organization working to reclaim our schools from activists promoting harmful agendas,” recently filed the federal lawsuit claiming that Wellesley Public Schools “is flouting” a precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief among Parents Defending Education grievances is the claim that Wellesley Public Schools teachers are “teaching white students to address their ‘shame, guilt, or sadness,'” the complaint says. The group specifically names Wellesley Public Schools’ racial “affinity group” policy, which the complaint claims “By definition and by design” is “exclusionary” to white students. A right-wing school board candidate in suburban Milwaukee has been shamed into deleting her Twitter account after racist and homophobic tweets — including one that downplayed and mocked “the threat of white supremacy” — were revealed by a local news outlet. Scarlett Johnson, who is also one of the organizers behind the Mequon-Thiensville School Board recall election, may have made those tweets disappear, but the controversy surrounding them doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. A couple of the tweets shared with the Journal Sentinel include one last year when Johnson sarcastically tweeted, “yeah, the threat of white supremacy keeps me up at night,” with those fateful words posted alongside a picture of a sloth yawning. She later tweeted without any hint of sarcasm that “there exists no white supremacist group in the history of America that has taken more Black lives than Planned Parenthood.” Johnson denied being a white woman and said she is a Puerto Rican who has previously been the victim of racism, which she points to proof of her inability to be racist. ohnson — who was named to former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. and current Republican gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch campaign’s “Grassroots Leadership Board” — on Twitter also offered up a transphobic question: “how many gay men want to date men with vaginas?” Pior to deleting her Twitter account, Johnson liked a tweet that supported the idea of wanting to “abolish public schools” and to “outlaw teachers unions.” Donald Trump is arguably the most hated commander-in-chief in recent history. Ross Wilburn, the first Black chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, received such violent and threatening hate from Trump cultists after penning an op-ed piece blasting Iowa Republicans for their support of their commander-in-twice-impeached that he had to beef up security for himself and his staff. According to the Des Moines Register, the drama all started when Wilburn authored an opinion piece titled “Iowa Republicans put loyalty to Trump over helping Iowans,” which was published on October 8, one day before Trump’s rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Wilburn said he received two threatening phone messages and one threatening email to his legislative email address, all from aggrieved Trump loyalists. He said that while he’s no stranger to taking heat over his political opinions, it was the flagrant use of racial slurs and lynching threats that made the messages he received stand out. “The voicemails include very explicit language. Every other word was the n-word,” Wilburn said, according to the Register. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos admits he “screwed up” with the handling of employee concerns over Dave Chapelle’s new stand-up special “The Closer.” Last week, Sarandos defended the comedian in a memo to employees that said “The Closer” isn’t “designed to incite hate or violence” and noted that “artistic freedom” is measured differently in stand-up comedy. His latest comments came ahead of the planned employee walkout at the streaming giant on Oct. 20— organized by trans and LGBTQ+ staffers and allies. “I screwed up that internal communication, “Sarandos said in a new interview about his initial memo to staffers. “I did that, and I screwed it up in two ways. First and foremost, I should have led with a lot more humanity. Meaning, I had a group of employees who were definitely feeling pain and hurt from a decision we made. And I think that needs to be acknowledged up front before you get into the nuts and bolts of anything. I didn’t do that. That was uncharacteristic for me, and it was moving fast and we were trying to answer some really specific questions that were floating. We landed with some things that were much more blanket and matter-of-fact that are not at all accurate,” he explained. Netflix Inc employees staged a walkout on Wednesday in an unprecedented show of defiance to protest the streaming giant’s decision to release comedian Dave Chappelle’s new comedy special, which they say ridicules transgender people. A group of employees calling itself Team Trans* scheduled a rally outside Netflix’s 13-story Sunset Boulevard offices in Los Angeles, where activists, public figures and other supporters plan to present Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos with a “list of asks.” “We shouldn’t have to show up quarterly/annually to push back against harmful content that negatively impacts vulnerable communities,” organizer Ashlee Marie Preston wrote in a social media post. “Instead, we aim to use this moment to shift the social ecology around what Netflix leadership deems ethical entertainment.” Last week it was reported that a pregnant Black woman who identifies as a transgender male was fired by Netflix for allegedly leaking confidential internal data about viewership of Dave Chappelle’s new special “The Closer,” and how the streaming giant paid a reported $24 million for it. “We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company,” Netflix confirmed in a statement. “We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.” The terminated employee reportedly requested that their name not be mentioned publicly, for fear of harassment. But now comes word that former staffer is B. Pagels-Minor, who is speaking out about the controversy and denies leaking the confidential data that was published in an Oct. 13 Bloomberg report. “I collected the data, but I did not leak the data,” Pagels-Minor told NPR. A former NASA employee and ex-cop has been found guilty of the 2020 killing of his mixed-race neighbor. Michael Hetle, 52, is accused of fatally shooting 24-year-old Javon Prather on March 3, 2020 in Springfield, Va. Prather was standing on Hetle’s front porch at the time of the shooing, and the killing was captured on Hetle’s Ring doorbell camera. Apparently, the two men had a dispute earlier in the day and Hetle’s attorney claims the shooting was in self-defense. Prather collapsed in Hetle’s driveway after being shot. Hetle then threatened Prather’s wife, saying to her “You want it, too?” She is reportedly seen on camera dragging Prather’s body away. Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said Prather was “executed” by Hetle. The former National Security Adviser under both Bush presidencies was a guest host on “The View” Wednesday and doubled down on the beliefs espoused by proponents of critical race theory during the Hot Topics segment. Condoleezza Rice argued that CRT – which is not taught in K-12 classrooms – makes white students “feel guilty” and condemns black students as “disempowered.” Co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg attempted to challenge Rice’s belief, but the conservative Bush alum remained firm in making her point. https://youtu.be/Hdx4JsDIsWs Adele is bringing both her new music and her story to television. The British singer has teamed up with CBS for a new prime-time special titled “Adele One Night Only.” According to a news release the event will be filmed in Los Angeles and will welcome back the star “with an extraordinary concert performance that includes the earliest opportunity to hear her first new material in six years” as well as “some of Adele’s chart-topping hits, in addition to several never-before-heard songs.” But that’s not all. “The special will feature an exclusive interview with Adele by Oprah Winfrey from her rose garden, in Adele’s first televised wide-ranging conversation about her new album, the stories behind the songs, life after divorce, weight loss and raising her son,” the release states. Adele has been riding a successful wave and topping streaming charts since debuting her new single, “Easy On Me.” Her new album, “30,” is set for release on November 19. The two-hour event will be broadcast on Sunday, November 14, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. ET and 8 to 10 p.m. PT on CBS. It will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. In May, the CBS legal drama “All Rise” starring Simone Missick was canceled, with the series finale airing May 24. At the time, the cast took to social media to commemorate the show after the network announced the series would not be renewed for a third season. Months later in September, OWN announced that it revived the series for a 20-episode third season. Per THR, HBO Max and Hulu will share streaming rights to the series. The show will debut on both platforms on Dec. 1. Season three will return in 2022, with OWN also airing seasons one and two ahead of the debut of the third season. The pickup comes after creator and showrunner Greg Spottiswood was fired in March following allegations of racism and misconduct on the series. Showrunner Dee Harris-Lawrence was tapped to take over and will return for the 20-episode season on the OWN network. The Grammy Award winning singer was visiting Faneuil Hall with his family before his show Sunday night in Boston when he came across Radha Rao performing the hit song All of Me. Rao, 22, didn’t recognize him at first. He was wearing a mask and she didn’t even know he was in town. Then he took it off. https://youtu.be/0A1pXulM5CE A film and TV union representing 60,000 employees, reached an agreement with producers on Saturday, potentially averting a Monday strike that would derail the film industry. https://youtu.be/c1j4ezSK6Bc Casting has been announced today for the five-time Tony Award-winning production of “A Christmas Carol” playing Los Angeles with Tony and Emmy Award nominee Kate Burton (Ghost of Christmas Past) and Grammy and SAG Award nominee Alex Newell (Ghost of Christmas Present/Mrs. Fezziwig) joining the previously announced Bradley Whitford (Ebenezer Scrooge). This magical new interpretation of Charles Dickens’ timeless story, adapted by Tony Award winner Jack Thorne (“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”) and originally directed and conceived by Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus (“Matilda”), will play at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre from November 30, 2021 through January 1, 2022. A freshman at Howard University took to her social media to address issues that plagued the students at the historically black college. Chandler Robinson recently went live on her Instagram account to reluctantly call out Howard. In the video she said she had experienced some of the most challenging things in her first two months on campus. Robinson revealed that she has personal friends who don’t have a place to live and their property was damaged beyond repair from mold exposure. She went on to claim that some of her friends had to be hospitalized from coughing up blood and issues with breathing. Robinson also says she’s five months behind in all of her classes because she didn’t have wifi for her first month on campus. https://twitter.com/i/status/1450567423170654223 The man who brutally raped a woman on Philadelphia-area public transit is reportedly an illegal immigrant with a history of violence. Fiston Ngoy, a 35-year-old homeless man, has been arrested on charges of aggravated indecent assault without consent and rape and sexual assault. Upper Darby Township police say he raped a woman on a train last Wednesday, and not a single passenger stopped the attack. Several onlookers reportedly recorded the assault and no one called 911 to report it, SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel said. As reported by The YBF, Ngoy told cops the woman was drunk and that their encounter was consensual. https://youtu.be/ryhSpuvRoyY Multiple arrests have been made in connection to the murder of Chicago rapper FBG Duck. Among the 5 men charged are several members of Lil Durk’s Only The Family group, including Marcus “Muwop” Smart. FBG Duck, Carlton Weekly, 26, was gunned down last year in Chicago. Muwop has reportedly spoken out from jail via an app used to text with incarcerated individuals. “I’m great and thanks for reaching out,” said Muwop to a fan. “My head high as it could be love for reaching out ill be out soon.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1448363923149832203 Music’s inspirational power couple, multi-GRAMMY winners Teddy and Tina Campbell, have announced that a new single and video from the Teddy Campbell Band, “Marry Me,” will be released on October 22nd as a follow-up to the couple’s August anniversary anthem “21.” The single will be premiered a day early, on Thursday, October 21st, during an exclusive premiere on SiriusXM’s Praise in conversation with host Meta Washington. The video is set to premiere the same night via Teddy and Tina’s Facebook page and YouTube page and they are set for a Friday interview on Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell to discuss the release. Sherri Shepherd has been tapped to guest host “The Wendy Williams Show” amid Wendy’s ongoing health issues. The show made the announcement on Instagram Tuesday, and Shepherd shared the news with her social media followers. “I can’t even believe it. I am so thankful Wendy trusted me enough to host her show. And Wendy please get well, because that purple chair — that’s your chair. You’re supposed to be in it. So get well soon, girl,” the actress said in a video she shared on Instagram. “I am very thankful that the producers are trusting me enough to host for a third time.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CVPPtNZFFgZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Today, ABC announced the premiere date of the highly anticipated limited series “Women of the Movement.” The six-episode show will air in three parts beginning Thursday, January 6 (8/10 PM EST), for three consecutive weeks. The series is based on the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley, who in 1955 risked her life to find justice after her son Emmett was brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South. Unwilling to let Emmett’s murder disappear from the headlines, Mamie chose to bear her pain on the world’s stage, emerging as an activist for justice and igniting the Civil Rights movement as we know it today. https://youtu.be/6QJw19B-GqY It's the first look trailer for Lionsgate’s adrenaline-filled action/thriller DANGEROUS which is set to hit theaters and on demand on November 5. The star-studded cast includes Scott Eastwood (Wrath of Man, Pacific Rim: Uprising, The Fate of the Furious), Tyrese Gibson (Fast & Furious franchise, Ride Along 2), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I Am Number Four, Robin Hood), Famke Janssen (X-Men franchise, “How to Get Away with Murder,” The Vault), and Mel Gibson. The action-packed nail-biter is directed by David Hackl (Saw V) and written by Christopher Borrelli. https://youtu.be/rFq52e7wYws Issa Rae appeared on Tamron Hall’s daytime talk show on Tuesday to dish about her marriage to Louis Diame, as well as the final season of her hit HBO series “Insecure.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1450778826917781504 A 61-year-old Black man in Florida is making headlines for marrying his 18-year-old goddaughter. As reported by MTO News, Mike Haugabook married Deyjah Evans this weekend, in a private ceremony in Florida. The two have known each other since Deyjah was a child and they tied the knot days after she turned 18. Deyjah’s mom, who is a recovering drug addict, is not in support of the marriage. She allegedly once had sex with Mike in exchange for a cell phone and a “couple of dollars.” Comedian and actor Ricarlo Flanagan died from COVID-19 complications last week at age 40. “Sadly this pandemic has taken the life of an extremely talented performer and even nicer human being,” his representative told Variety. “Ricarlo will be greatly missed.” Flanagan’s passing comes weeks after he called out NBA star Kyrie Irving for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. “This covid is no joke. I don’t wish this on anybody,” Flanagan tweeted out on Oct. 1. He then suggested the Brooklyn Nets player take some of his “chest pain and see how he feels.” Flanagan’s family has launched a GoFundMe to cover burial costs. Charles Barkley says he and his “Inside the NBA” co-host Kenny Smith are good after they got into a heated conversation about Kyrie Irving and his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine. NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined the TNT broadcast to talk about Irving, among other league hot topics, and Silver reiterated that he hoped Irving would get vaccinated – for himself, his family, his community and for the league. The hosts talked about it amongst themselves after Silver left, and Barkley agreed that Irving should get vaccinated, moreso for the safety of those around him. Kenny the Jet, reportedly had a different take on the situation. https://youtu.be/neBdigUy0wQ Disney has pushed back the release dates for several highly anticipated Marvel titles that are set to drop next year. Per THR, the titles include the “Black Panther” sequel, which moves from July 8, 2022, to Nov. 11, 2022. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is moving from March 25, 2022, to May 6, 2022. At Paramount, the romantic action-adventure “The Lost City,” starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Brad Pitt, will now drop on March 25, 2022, instead of April 15, 2022. The next chapter in Marvel’s “Thor” series will open on July 8. “The Marvels” moves from Nov. 11, 2022, to Feb. 17, 2023, with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” moving to July 28, 2023. Disney’s “Indiana Jones” reboot has been delayed from July 29, 2022, to June 30, 2023. The shifts are primarily due to changes in the industry amid the ongoing COVID pandemic. In his riveting new book, “Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America,” CNN political commentator, Keith Boykin, writes about how covert and overt strategies and efforts are being launched to stop the fast-moving population growth of Black and Brown people and voters in America. “My book is about the darkening of America that’s going on in our country right now,” Boykin tells Lee Bailey in an exclusive interview. “Our country is becoming blacker and browner. There’s a census report that came out in March of 2015 that said White Americans will no longer be the majority population of this nation by 2044. A few months after the report, Donald Trump launched his campaign to become president of the United States. And in October 2021, another census report revealed that the White population in America is declining for the first time in American history.” Boykin continues by saying, “This scares a lot of White people,” he explains. “America has now elected a Black president and a Black woman as vice president. And there are five states where Latinos will become the majority of the population in the next three decades. There’s also an Asian population that’s growing rapidly. That’s the race against time, the desire to stop this diversification of America. There’s the desire by some in White America to make America what it once was, which is a White male-dominated society.” Donald Trump went off on the media for what he said was too-favorable coverage of former Secretary of State Colin Powell after his death on Monday. “Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated in death so beautifully by the Fake News Media. Hope that happens to me someday,” Trump said in a statement. He went on to call Powell “a classic RINO,” (“Republican in name only.”) “He made plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!” Trump added. https://youtu.be/90LdVlPN8Ig Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) is speaking out about how the new Texas congressional map carves up her district, pitting her against her neighboring Black incumbent, Rep. Al Green (D) in the primary election. Critics of the redistricting plan say it’s a racial gerrymander intended to weaken Black voices in Congress, per the report. Texas state Rep. Ron Reynolds (D), said in a statement that “now the fight will be to keep the amendment on [the map] that corrected the pairing of Congressman Al Green and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.” https://youtu.be/VeW1BG2BJqs The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has begun curbing officers with no pay for not reporting their COVID vaccination status. In a news conference on Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said a “very small number” of officers have been put on no-pay status for failing to comply with the vaccine mandate, The Hill reports. “Roughly 38% of the sworn officers on this job, almost 40% can lock in a pension and walk away, today,” Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, Jr. said. According to multiple reports, the deadline for Chicago city employees to report their vaccination status was at midnight Friday. https://youtu.be/nDfkTuCefDU A coalition of civil rights groups sued the state of Oklahoma on Tuesday over a law limiting instruction about race and gender in public schools. It is the first federal lawsuit to challenge a state statute implemented to prevent the teaching of critical race theory. The suit, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, argues that HB 1775, which took effect in May, violates students’ and teachers’ free speech rights and denies people of color, LGBTQ students and girls the chance to learn their history. https://www.msnbc.com/craig-melvin/watch/teachers-fear-for-their-jobs-after-oklahoma-governor-bans-teaching-systemic-racism-in-schools-113185349953 According to TMZ, the rapper and reality star Flavor Flav was arrested in Nevada on Oct. 5 by the Henderson PD. The Public Enemy co-founder was booked on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. The criminal complaint obtained by TMZ states that Flav allegedly poked his finger on the alleged victim’s nose, threw her down, and grabbed a phone out of her hand. The City Attorney reportedly confirmed that Flavor Flav has been charged with misdemeanor battery constituting domestic violence.However, Flavor Flav’s attorney David Chesnoff told the news site that “in alleged domestic violence cases, there are often 2 sides to the story and we will explain our side in the courtroom and not in the media.” No further details were shared on the incident. Meanwhile, Flavor Flav’s manager says today, Tuesday (10/19/21) will mark one year of sobriety from alcohol for Flav … and added that it’s been 15 months since he quit smoking cigarettes. A private school in Miami wants parents of vaccinated students to keep their child home for 30 days after each dose citing claims that components of the vaccine shed and can transmit the virus to others. “If you are considering the vaccine for your Centner Academy student(s), we ask that you hold off until the Summer when there will be time for the potential transmission or shedding onto others to decrease,” states a letter to parents from The Centner Academy’s CFO, WSVN reported. https://youtu.be/7cJDSr2uQF8 Actor and dancer #ChanningTatum responds to #DaveChappelle‘s recent controversial comments regarding the #LGBTQIA community: “I understand and hate that he has hurt so many people.”? Chappelle has been in the headlines for the past couple of weeks after he made what some feel are insensitive remarks about the LGBTQIA community. In his latest Netflix comedy special, The Closer, Chappelle suggested that DaBaby’s criminal background is less offensive than the homophobic comments the rapper made. ?In response to the matter, Tatum took to Instagram and reposted a post from D.L. Hughley’s page that included a clip of Chappelle’s 2019 speech when he accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. ? In the caption, Tatum wrote: “I understand that Dave is a very dangerous person to talk about at the moment. I understand and hate that he has hurt so many people with things he has said.”? “Any human can hurt someone (usually cause they’re hurt) but any human can heal and heal others just the same. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVOG-hiFx5L/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again ? Checkout this week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Life After Lockup.“ In it, Nicolle, Tia, and Daonte discuss having a polyamorous relationship, but is Daonte really feeling the arrangement with his felon bae? https://youtu.be/EUx6ZPpUIaU A video of a White woman hurling her drink at a Black police officer’s face while calling him a racial slur has gone viral on TikTok. he short clip is less than 20 seconds and was posted by TikTok user @nwoha_nation, who goes by Charles Canine Nwoha on his account. There’s not much context surrounding the incident, but a text overlay says the “White girl” called a cop “the N-word” and threw a “drink at him.” The event reportedly occurred in Dallas. Nwoha claims the woman was “banging on his squad car” before the video began and promised to post “a full breakdown of what happened with the cop and girl.” “He (Nipsey Hussel) was originally slated for this role…thought I’d do it justice,” said actor (“Vampire Diaries”)/producer (The Prospects) Robert Ri’chard about his new role in the Lifetime, based-on-a-true-story, movie California Love (known now as The Fight That Never Ends) airing October 24, 2021 8/7c about the struggles one goes through for love. “The character is great for me it took me back to my roots. I grew up in South Central L.A. through the 90’s. I had to walk through the Bloods neighborhood going to school.” https://youtu.be/K9hVtK-tKHk Snoop Dogg – global superstar, entrepreneur, cultural icon, and executive creative consultant of Def Jam Recordings – has announced his first project for the label: Snoop Dogg Presents THE ALGORITHM. THE ALGORITHM is introduced with the release of a new single and video today – Snoop’s 50th birthday – “Big Subwoofer” by Mount Westmore, the new supergroup comprised of west coast rap legends Snoop, Ice Cube, E-40 and Too Short. “Big Subwoofer” is the first blast from THE ALGORITHM, an all-encompassing new project that features artists from the legendary Def Jam label’s past, present & future. It’s Snoop’s mission to change the current algorithm of what we listen to today, by putting feeling back into music with the release of his new project. https://youtu.be/tqiXwx0NG0Q Vanessa Bryant will immortalize her late husband Kobe Bryant in the form of media, clothing, and trading cards through a new sports and entertainment company. Bryant has filed to trademark “KB24.” Vanessa submitted docs earlier this month to lock in the trademark for digital collectible items, websites, training camps, broadcasting platforms, podcasts, TV shows, movies, documentaries and music … as well as sports cards, food/drink containers and t-shirts. Kobe, Inc. — the Lakers legend’s company — is listed as the applicant of the filing … with Vanessa signing off as the president of the business. The move coincides with reports that Vanessa is being forced by LA County to take a psychiatric exam amid her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Here is an exclusive clip of this week’s new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” airing Thursday on WE tv. Per press release, this season features Hip Hop legend N.O.R.E and NERI, two-time Grammy Award nominee MONIE LOVE and TUFF, Producer MALLY MALL and TREASURE, and Love & Hip Hop Hollywood’s favorite on again off again couple SIIR BROCK and AMBER LAURA — all head to Marriage Boot Camp to find out if their relationships are worth saving. https://youtu.be/RGuzeHCAd5E Actress Charlize Theron is opening up about turning to Black women to help her raise the two Black boys she adopted and raising as girls. Theron, who is white and South African, adopted sons— Jackson, 9, and August, 5 — who are both Black and allegedly transgender. Theron told Essence that she relies on a “village” of Black women who teach her how to best raise her “daughters.” “I am so grateful to the incredible village of strong Black women in my life who I can pick up a phone to [call], or come over to my house and they’ll tell me: ‘You need to stop doing this,’ or ‘These baby hairs are breaking off. What are you doing?’” she explained to the outlet. “So they put me in my place, and because of them I feel this great confidence in raising my girls.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CSHWL2Wj01K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tiger Woods credits fatherhood for helping him through recovery after his car accident earlier this year. “Being a dad has helped him stay focused on his recovery,” a source tells PEOPLE of Woods and his son Charlie, 12 and daughter Sam, 14, whom he shares with ex-wife Elin Nordegren. “At times, it’s been very difficult for him both physically and mentally. His leg injuries caused him extreme pain. He is a fighter and has been determined to get better though.” Adds the source, “He has worked very hard in physical therapy. … He has had an incredible recovery.” Woods suffered significant injuries and fractures from his near-fatal car crash in February. Dr. Dre’s divorce to Nicole Young has been a mixture of pettiness but it appears that pettiness has been taken up another notch! According to TMZ, his ex-wife attempted to serve him court papers at his grandmother’s funeral! Per the report, Dre’s grandmother helped raise him and he was at the cemetery when a processor confronted him. Sources close to Dre say a server came up to him at the burial site as Dre was standing by his grandma’s casket and tried serving him. Sources connected to Nicole Young tell TMZ … Dre was served in the cemetery’s parking lot after the burial. It’s worth noting that rapper/producer/entrepreneur has already shelled out a payment of $2 million to his ex’s lawyers. And in the past year, he made two separate payments of $500,000 each. Dre, whose net worth is almost a BILLION dollars, objected to the excessive attorney’s fees – which now total more than $4.5 million, but the judge dismissed his complaints. A Black 10-year-old girl was arrested at school in Oahu, Hawaii, last year after making a sketch of another student that reportedly made a parent “very upset.” The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii is taking action, calling on officials to make changes and compensate the child and her mother $500,000 damages, according to a letter sent by the organization on Monday, both Hawaii News Now and The Associated Press reported. The letter was sent to the Honolulu Police Department and the state Department of Education with demands including prohibiting school staff from calling the police unless in a case where there is “imminent threat of significant harm” against another individual, according to reports. The letter said the Honowai Elementary School student, who has ADHD and is referred to as “N.B.” in the document, made the drawing in January 2020 after getting bullied by a student, Hawaii News Now reported. When Loretta Bruno got dropped off at the bus stop near her Florida City home in Tuesday morning darkness, the friend driving Bruno saw one of her children come out of the bushes behind the bus stop. And, the friend told Miami-Dade police, Andrew Eloissaint pulled out a gun and shot his mother. Bruno, 48, died at the bus stop. Eloissaint, 20, was arrested Tuesday morning and has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for also allegedly shooting at the friend who drove Bruno. Eloissaint is being held without bond by Miami-Dade Corrections. Police have made an arrest in the murder of Ja’Nyi Weeden, a 15-year-old Baltimore girl who was fatally shot in August. A 16-year-old boy was arrested Friday on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder in Weeden’s death, the Baltimore Police Department said Monday. It wasn’t immediately clear Monday whether the unnamed teenager would be charged as an adult. The shooting was initially reported Aug. 10 in the 3700 block of Gelston Drive in Northwest Baltimore. Officers called to the scene that morning found Weeden shot multiple times, including at least once in the head, authorities said. Yolonda Ross, star of the ground-breaking Showtime series The Chi, today announced with Rhonda Feinberg, a special donation of $100,000, funded by The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, to three grassroots organizations serving women of color who are living with breast cancer. Based on personal life experiences and in tandem with her performance as “Jada” on The Chi (a single black mother diagnosed with breast cancer), Ross was inspired to get involved in Chicago’s WOC breast cancer survivor community and collaborate with three remarkable Chicago organizations that support women’s health. On the show, Ross famously shaved her long, beautiful hair on camera, as her character embarks on her breast cancer journey. A group of Howard University students gathered Wednesday for day two of protests over poor housing conditions on campus. Students say rats, roaches and mold are just some of the things they’ve had to deal with in on-campus housing. Videos sent to FOX 5 also show water pouring out of pipes, expired air filters with mold and mildew and mushrooms growing on ceilings and walls. With tuition being nearly $50,000 a year, students say they’re frustrated with how Howard’s administration has handled the situation. https://www.fox5dc.com/video/989597 Kanye West debuted yet another freaky face mask while jetting into New York City on Monday. The rapper, 44, who has legally changed his name to Ye, was spotted at JFK Airport wearing a prosthetic mask bearing the resemblance of a Caucasian person with eye makeup. Despite concealing his highly recognizable face, all eyes were still on Ye as he made his way into a cab. The haunting plastic mask covered the entirety of his head, but Kanye accessorized it with a black baseball cap and slick grey headphones. He teamed the creepy accessory with a black cap, leather Balenciaga jacket, faded jeans and knee-high boots – the same outfit he was seen wearing in Venice a day earlier. The rapper was busy on his phone, swiping away on the touch screen with an ungloved hand. Once he shed the face mask, Kanye looked just like any other traveler returning home. The music video for J Balvin‘s song “Perra” has disappeared from YouTube after online backlash to its depiction of Black women. After its debut on Sept. 10, the “Perra” music video, which features rapper Tokischa, received criticism that it perpetuated “misogynoir” for showing the Colombian singer, 36, walking with two Black women on leashes, plus a moment when Tokischa poses in a dog house. The song features lyrics about dogs in heat. The song is from Balvin’s album José, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, his fourth to do so, according to Billboard. The music video was directed by Raymi Paulus. TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSOREDconcludes the season with popular trap rapper Jeezy. The finale will air on Sunday, October 24th at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities told their story in their own words; including Lynn Whitfield, Anthony Hamilton, Swizz Beatz, Raven-Symoné, Kym Whitley, Loretta Devine, Bebe Winans and Tommy Davidson. The season finale will feature rapper Jeezy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpqk9NZgew0 Award-winning artist, actress and entrepreneur Kierra Sheard hits #1 on two Gospel radio charts, with her latest single “Something Has to Break” (feat. Karen Clark Sheard), topping the Gospel Airplay chart and the MediaBase Gospel chart. The family duet with Kierra and her mother, Gospel icon Karen Clark Sheard, marks a milestone as the first mother-daughter duo to hit #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart. The two vocal powerhouses deliver a transcendent worship experience in their live performance, inspiring strength and hope in God’s constancy and guidance. This latest chart success for “Something Has to Break” also marks Kierra’s fourth #1 overall on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, following her third #1 for the hit single “It Keeps Happening,” which are both featured on her album KIERRA-Deluxe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbk256GJAjQ DARE Records reissues its holiday offering DARE Records Presents ‘A Countdown To Christmas’ featuring Keke Wyatt, Juan & Lisa Winans, Shontelle Norman-Beatty, and Travis Malloy. Recorded live at the Hard Rock Café in Atlanta, Georgia, DARE Records Chairman and CEO Michael-Anthony Taylor produced the five-song EP. The project is available now on streaming and downloading platforms everywhere. It’s #NationalChickenandWafflesDay. Not to be confused with National Fried Chicken and Waffles Day, which is observed in August, October 20, is now dubbed National Chicken and Waffles Day — a day we celebrate this brunch staple, which has been around for more than 150 years. Food scholars have theories of its origins, with many declaring the meal originated in Harlem in the 1930s. In contrast, others say it originated with Pennsylvania Dutch home cooks in the 1600s. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQSvDfj0kJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again ViacomCBS Chief Executive Bob Bakish said that uproar over some content is inevitable for major media companies, following outcry over a Netflix Inc. special by comedian Dave Chappelle that some employees of the streaming service said was offensive to the transgender community. In his remarks Monday, made during a WSJ Tech Live interview, Mr. Bakish declined to address the Netflix dust-up directly but said that ViacomCBS has had its own brushes with controversy over the years and likely will again. As death approached, Colin Powell was still in fighting form. Secretary of State Colin Powell said in his last interview with Bob Woodward, “I’ve got multiple myeloma cancer, and I’ve got Parkinson’s disease. But otherwise I’m fine,” he said in a July interview. And he rejected expressions of sorrow at his condition. “Don’t feel sorry for me, for God’s sakes! I’m [84] years old,” said Powell who died Monday. “I haven’t lost a day of life fighting these two diseases. I’m in good shape.” Condoleezza Rice, director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, was secretary of state from 2005 to 2009. “General Powell would like to invite you to lunch.” The call from his secretary was a thunderbolt: Colin was the national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan. I was a 31-year-old Council on Foreign Relations fellow serving a year with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mostly what I remember about that lunch is how my initial nervousness dissolved into a certain level of comfort with the tall, elegant and already famous Colin L. Powell. He was inspiring but not intimidating. “I’m sure we’ll see each other many times in the future,” he said. He was, of course, right. Our professional and personal lives crossed and intertwined numerous times — and I am grateful for that. Country music superstar Travis Tritt announced this week he will not play at concert venues requiring guests to prove they’re vaccinated against COVID-19, wear masks, or test for the virus before the show. “This is a sacrifice that I’m willing to make to stand up for the freedoms that generations of Americans have enjoyed for their entire lifetimes,” Tritt wrote in a statement released Monday. “There are plenty of promoters and venues around the country that appreciate fans and the freedom of choice in this great country, and those are the promoters and venues that I will be supporting.” The entertainer’s announcement resulted in the cancelation of previously schedules shows in Muncie, Indiana; Philadelphia, Mississippi; Peoria, Illinois; and Louisville, Kentucky. ESPN Reporter Allison Williams announced she will be leaving the network over its COVID vaccine mandate to all employees. In a video posted to Instagram Friday, Williams said her request for accommodation was denied by ESPN and the Walt Disney Company and that she would be “separated from the company” effective this week. Williams shared on Twitter last month that she had decided not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine because she was trying to conceive her second child. She also thanked the women who reached out to her over the past few weeks about their experiences with getting the vaccine while pregnant. Season 13 of the “Wendy Williams Show” kicked off on Monday with guest hosts filling in amid Wendy’s ongoing health issues. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, TV personality Bevy Smith; comedian and TV host Michael Yo; MTV’s “The Challenge Aftermath” host Devyn Simone; and entertainment journalist Elizabeth Wagmeister kicked off the new season. “Wendy, I know you’re watching right now, and on behalf of myself, our panel, your co-hosts, we love you and can’t wait to have you back in that purple chair,” Yo said. The guest hosts didn’t mention Williams’ health struggles, nor is there an update on the show’s official Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLlEWML6Rq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The American Black Film Festival has announced that the 2021 event will open its milestone 25th year with Warner Bros. Pictures’ eagerly anticipated film “King Richard” starring Will Smith. The biopic finds Smith portraying Richard Williams, father of legendary athletes Venus and Serena Williams. https://youtu.be/BKP_0z52ZAw Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was indicted last week on federal charges, and he made clear on Monday that he will not resign. A federal grand jury indictment claims Ridley-Thomas conspired with Marilyn Louise Flynn, then dean of USC’s School of Social Work, to steer county money to the university in return for admitting his son Sebastian into graduate school with a full-tuition scholarship and a paid professorship. https://youtu.be/qisKYl-x8Us Video of a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy slamming a Black woman to the ground by her hair in Louisiana has gone viral. An unidentified JPSO deputy is seen holding the wrist of Shantel Arnold as she’s lying on her back on the sidewalk. The deputy is seen dragging Arnold along the pavement, then lifting her up and slamming her to the ground several times. The deputy is eventually seen holding Arnold by her hair and slamming her body to the ground, ripping out some of her braids in the process. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUD3LIDDAJW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A white male flight attendant with Jet Blue was filmed siding with a white male passenger who refused to get up from his seat to let a Black woman into her seat. As reported by Daily Dot, the TikTok video, which was posted on Oct. 14 by Kali Ranting (@theekali), shows the flight attendant asking Ranting for her boarding pass. It is only when a Black female flight attendant intervenes that the seemingly rude male passenger gets up from his seat. Meghan McCain says she left The View because of purposeful hostility from co-hosts Whoopi Golberg and Joy Behar. In her upcoming memoir Bad Republican, McCain said that it was a comment from Behar in particular following her return from maternity leave in early January that was the final straw. After McCain had interrupted Joy to accuse her of being untruthful about the Democrats “fighting” amongst themselves, Behar became annoyed, but waited patiently until after McCain finished her point. She then made it clear that the conservative had interrupted her. “I was speaking! I was talking!” Behar asserted. McCain began teasing Joy about how much she must have missed her during the maternity leave. “I did not. I did not miss you. Zero,” said Joy, 100 percent serious. https://youtu.be/H3shURNYWto A Netflix staffer who called out the streamer for not canceling Dave Chappelle over his new stand-up special “The Closer,” has penned an emotional essay in which Dave is blamed for being a “symptom” of transphobia. “Dave is not, and has never been, the cause of this problem — he is a symptom of it,” Terra Field said Monday in an essay, “It Was Never About Dave,” posted online, as reported by Deadline. The message comes two days before transgender staffers plan a walkout at Netflix in protest over the special. Hooters had been using social media to show off new shorter, tighter shorts that its servers were required to wear. The servers had also taken the new garments to social media – but to complain about them being almost “panties,” thus creating a public relations hiccup. https://www.tiktok.com/@lexiusxoxo/video/7018371107522710790?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6958760933566055942&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0 R&B hitmaker Will Downing charts number one on the U.S. Indie Soul Chart with his first single, The Warmth of You from his forthcoming 25th album, Sophisticated Soul. The U.S. Indie Soul Chart is based on real airplay and one of the most respected music charts in today’s industry with a 2.2. million audience. https://youtu.be/btNCJmBq9CU Judge Judy’s longtime TV bailiff Petri Hawkins-Byrd was not invited to her new courtroom for IMDb TV titled “Judy Justice,” but he might be coming to your TV screens again soon. As reported by theJasmineBrand, “his manager is having ongoing conversations with TV producers who are currently working on a new court TV concept,” the outlet writes. Hawkins-Byrd isn’t actively seeking a new court show, per the report, but he will consider any offers. Hawkins-Byrd opened up to Entertainment Weekly about being booted after appearing on the show during its 25-season run. “My assumption is if you were going on to do something else, that you were at least going to ask me if I wanted to have the opportunity to audition for the role,” Byrd said. Monday, a Los Angeles judge approved Kanye West’s request to legally change his name to “Ye.” West applied in August to change his legal name to simply Ye. In the documents, obtained by PEOPLE, the hip-hop star cited “personal reasons” for the change. Following the release of his “Ye” album in 2018, West announced he would be changing his stage name. CMC Guapo continues to pursue a career that was almost cut short following a wild incident involving an ex-girlfriend, a flipping car and a shot that hit him in the right arm. He lost all feeling in his arm, which sent the rapper into a deep depression. But thanks to family, friends and other supporters, as well as strenuous rehab, he has regained full mobility in his arm, and become one of the bright spots on the Detroit rap scene. He also uses his platform to advocate for change in the foster care system that he once was a part of. A waist-cinching “illusion dress” has been wreaking havoc on TikTok thanks to its mystical fabric and a flattering print that tricks the eye. Fashionista @Xojemian, also known as Jem, was the first to captivate TikTok with the effects of Fashion Nova’s multicolored “Mind of My Own” maxi dress in a try-on testimonial. www.tiktok.com/@xojemian/video/7017121426570349829?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F&referer_video_id=7017121426570349829&refer=embed Singer, actress, Chlöe Bailey was a guest on SiriusXM Urban View’s The Mike Muse Show. She reacted to the backlash surrounding her first single “Have Mercy,” and spoke about how she has learned to embrace her sexuality and love her body, gain confidence from within, and realize that her voice matters. During the interview host Mike Muse asked Chlöe if she was shocked by the reaction from those who thought her recent performance was a bit “too sexy?” “Well, take me out of the equation. It’s always shocking when a black woman is confident in the skin that she’s in and isn’t afraid to show it. And I think as long as women who have inspired me and my peers continue to break down those walls and those barriers and say, screw what anyone else has to think, I will love who I am, and I will be proud about it and speak up loudly about it, then no one can really hold us back.” https://youtu.be/FfesqRkdSEk Former four-star general and U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell has died from COVID-19 complications at age 84. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” Powell’s family announced Monday. Forbes reports that Powell passed away Monday morning after receiving treatment at the Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland. He had been fully vaccinated. Powell is survived by his wife, Alma Johnson Powell, their three children, as well as grandchildren. A Black Louisiana State Trooper has received a notice of termination after speaking publicly about police brutality. Carl Cavalier, 33, is being fired for discussing the case of Ronald Greene, a Black man who died in State Police custody in 2019. Cavalier has also shared with the media his own treatment within the force. Now he’s being fired, with State Police Superintendent Lamar Davis claiming Cavalier violated department policy for speaking out about Greene’s death. “There are killers,” Cavalier told one local news outlet, “and there are people who are okay with the killers being on the job.” https://youtu.be/2YGjBZo1KiE Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in Brunswick, GA, in the trial of three White men charged in the murder of African American jogger Ahmaud Arbery. Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan face nine charges, which include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment. https://youtu.be/k6fcbeusCd8 Colin Powell, the first black Secretary of State who formulated foreign policy under several presidents, died Monday morning at the age of 84 of complications from COVID. The Pentagon powerhouse who served as a soldier in Vietnam and went on to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was fully vaccinated and battling blood cancer and Parkinson’s when he passed away at Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland, according to his family. Retired Four-Star General Powell, who was also suffering from Parkinson’s, is survived by his wife of 59 years, Alma, and three children, and has a celebrated career that saw him rise up the military ranks after growing up in a Jamaican immigrant family in Harlem. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin delivered an emotional tribute to former Secretary of State Colin Powell Monday shortly after learning of the death of a man he called a mentor. ‘The world lost one of the greatest leaders that we have ever witnessed,’ Austin. ‘Alma lost a great husband, and the family lost a tremendous father and I lost a tremendous personal friend and mentor,’ said Austin who as the nation’s first black secretary of defense followed in Powell’s footsteps. Powell was the first African American chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. ‘He has been my mentor for a number of years. He always made time for me and I could always go to him with tough issues. He always had great counsel. We will certainly miss him. General Colin Powell had a 13-point rulebook for life. He showed them to me when we spent the day together a few years ago at the National War College in Washington DC, and they made a huge impression – mainly because I agreed with every single one of them. They’re worth repeating again in full today as America mourns the loss – tragically, from complications due to Covid-19 – of perhaps the greatest president it never had: 1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning. 2. Get mad, then get over it. 3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that, when your position falls, your ego goes with it. 4. It can be done! 5. Be careful what you choose, you may get it. 6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision. 7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours. 8. Check small things. 9. Share credit. 10. Remain calm. Be kind. 11. Have a vision. Be demanding. 12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers. 13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. Powell’s rules resonated so strongly with me because they sounded so real. This wasn’t the robotic soundbite claptrap of a dreary career politician. Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced Thursday that $2.3 million Chicago Creative Worker Assistance Program will benefit members of the arts and entertainment industry with grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. This new relief fund launched by Chicago officials will give a helping hand to those in the entertainment industry–arts administrators, teaching artists, artisans, curators, independent cultural producers and technicians–who lost income during the pandemic. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “The pandemic took a particularly devastating toll on our arts and culture community as shows were canceled, music venues were closed, and artists faced financial insecurity.” A gang behind the kidnapping of 17 US and Canadian missionaries in Haiti will demand a ransom of up to $1 million per head, experts have warned. The captives, who include five children, the youngest just two years old, were forced out of a bus at gunpoint after visiting an orphanage on Saturday in the suburbs of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Authorities suspect they were snatched by the notorious 400 Mawozo gang, whose thugs have abducted dozens of people already this year, including foreign nationals. The missionaries belong to the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, an extremely well funded global organization founded by Amish and Mennonites in 1981. Ronnie Tutt, drummer and original member of Elvis Presley’s TCB Band and the Jerry Garcia Band and a famed session musician who performed alongside Billy Joel, Buckingham Nicks and more, has died at the age of 83. Elvis Presley Enterprises announced Tutt’s death Saturday, writing on the Graceland website, “All of us with Elvis Presley Enterprises were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ronnie Tutt. In addition to being a legendary drummer, he was a good friend to many of us here at Graceland.” No cause of death was provided. Bob Dylan, 80, is rolling once again and will roll through 2024. His Never Ending Tour came to a temporary halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. He has toured every year from 1988 until 2019.He is back on the road again, and concert tickets are on sale for a tour in support of last year’s album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways.” He plans to return to live performing November 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has 21 concerts scheduled through December 2, hitting cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, and Washington, as well as Moon Township, Pennsylvania, and Knoxville, Tennessee. Waiters wearing ‘Squid Game’ costumes carry trays with the honeycomb toffee at Strawberry Cafe in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana”Squid Game,” Netflix Inc’s (NFLX.O) biggest original series launch, is estimated to be worth almost $900 million for the streaming giant, Bloomberg News reported late on Saturday, citing figures from an internal Netflix document. Shocking footage has emerged of the moment a stuntman on America’s Got Talent was seriously injured after being slammed in between two exploding cars having misjudged his midair jump. Jonathan Goodwin’s stunt went wrong during a rehearsal of a new show, AGT: Extreme on Thursday. The clip, shot at the Atlanta Motor Speedway begins with the professional stuntman hanging in midair as two car halves come together. The 41-year-old Welsh escapologist was supposed to free himself and fall underneath the vehicles before they collided, but he miscalculated his timing and ended up being caught in the middle, crushed as the metal chassis came together before a huge fireball erupted. Goodwin then fell to the ground and hit his head. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition. The extent of his injuries is not currently known. https://youtu.be/ez3WIi5_9YU After over a decade of development, fans finally got a first look at “Black Adam,” the feature film starring Johnson as the DC Comics anti-hero and sworn nemesis of Shazam! Johnson unveiled the teaser on Saturday to open DC Fandome, the virtual fan event designed to promote the vast ecosystem of entertainment based on DC Comics superheroes. Along with Johnson’s character, “Black Adam” also focuses on the members of the Justice Society: Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, who can fly thanks to his special metal wings; Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, who can control his molecules and thereby change his size, density, and strength; Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, who can control the wind; and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, an archeologist who becomes a powerful sorcerer while wearing the Helmet of Fate. The incidence of violence and murder in the Black community is prevalent in recent times. In cities across the country, Black men and Black women have been killed at an alarming rate. The incidence of violence and murder in the Black community is prevalent in recent times. In cities across the country, Black men and Black women have been killed at an alarming rate. Ex-felon A.G. Deberry, a self-published author, who grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota has two books available on multiple platforms, “Carmelo’s Way:187 Assassins Part I,” and “Carmelo’s Way:187 Assassins Part II.” His books, some of which were written in prison, are about “a young man who grew up in poverty and had to do what he needed to in order to survive.” Currently, A.G. Deberry volunteers at Agape (on 38th and Chicago) in proximity to the area where the murder of George Floyd occurred by a police officer. “Their Agape model is turning street energy into community energy,” said A.G. Deberry. “They deal with a lot of former and current gang members and try to help them change their lives for the better, and I am a product of that.” After serving 19 years, 10 months and 8 days for murder, A.G. Deberry is not deflecting responsibility for his choices- he seeks to tell his story with the hopes that others avoid his mistakes. A viral TikTok video shows a Black man in a bathroom stall being repeatedly called the N-word by a white man banging on the door, upset that he beat him to the bathroom in a Chicago-area metro station. TikTok user @_melo2x filmed and posted the video on Thursday while seated on the toilet. The caption reads: “It’s Funny But Not Funny At The Same Time He Lucky I Had To [poop emoji] REAL BAD.” “This the sh*t we go through. I’m sh*ttin’. I ain’t did nothing to the man,” @_melo2x said. “Man just came and beat on the door and saying all this sh*t.” The second season of “Games People Play” premieres this Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT. Based on the popular book by Angela Burt-Murray “Games Divas Play,” “Games People Play” is a sexy, stylized one-hour drama about the L.A. high life, featuring a cast of characters where everyone plays to win, including a basketball player navigating both his equally rocky personal life and NBA career, a newly appointed team marketing executive who’s got a lot to prove, a tenacious journalist desperately seeking the truth and a struggling actress with a scandalous past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnR0oUZab3Y Warner Bros. Pictures has dropped the trailer for Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. Pattinson stars opposite Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis as Alfred; and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot. https://youtu.be/mqqft2x_Aa4 ABC News has announced a new special The Real Queens of Hip-Hop: The Women Who Changed the Game, which takes an intimate look at the evolution and impact of women emcees and rappers, told by the trailblazing artists who helped create a musical and cultural empire. https://facebook.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03270e5fb8d65204361e530a2&id=c67719b128&e=136c74e292 Last night, Director, showrunner and actress, Kaye Singleton, gave Atlanta VIP’s and influencers a sneak peek at ALLBLK’s latest original series, “COVENANT.” The advanced screening held at Atlanta’s SilverSpot Cinema included show cast members: Kron Moore, Dawn Halfkenny, Michael Anthony, Jasmine Burke, Phaedra Parks, Kaye Singleton, Nijah Brenea, Joslyn Hall, Erica Paige, Jennifer Sears, Ashani Roberts, and Palmer Williams Jr. in attendance. Additional special guests in attendance included: Remy Ma, Brad James, Keisha Knight Pulliam, Fred Mwangaguhunga and more. The faith-based anthology will be told in 2-parts (8 weeks total) exclusively on popular AMC Networks’ streamer ALLBLK (www.ALLBLK.tv), with new episodes available every Thursday. “Ron’s Gone Wrong” is sure to reprogram our hearts, as Ron and Barney embark on a journey to create the ultimate bond of friendship! The 20th Century Studios and Locksmith Animation film, tells the story of Barney, a shy socially-isolated middle schooler, who puts a high demand on high-tech gadgets – but what he really wants is friendship. Fortunately, Barney ends up with Ron, a technically-defective robot whose hilariously daring malfunctions shake Barney out of his cocoon and help him discover the true meaning of friends. https://youtu.be/8I8nMtzN05s Hollywood showed up to the “blue carpet” for the premiere of Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall!” The Shrine Auditorium was the scene for the western’s Los Angeles screening. Guests included; Jay Z – who also serves as an executive producer on the project – Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Lil Rel Howery, Tiffany Haddish, Taraji P. Henson, Evan Ross, Logan Browning, Teyana Taylor, Kehlani, Karrueche Tran, Bre-Z, Seal, Damson Idris, Jesse Williams, Nas, Jay Electronica, Netflix CMO Bozoma Saint John, Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson. https://youtu.be/Poc55U2RPMw Kyrie Irving will not play with the Brooklyn Nets because a New York mandate requires athletes on the city’s pro teams to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and he refuses to get one. Irving, a seven-time NBA All-Star, is not eligible to play in NBA games in New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles due to local coronavirus protocol. He stands to lose about $380,000 per game and more than $15 million if he continues to refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The NBA star still stands to bag close to $20 million without playing a single game, according to reports. CNN writes that the Nets, “will be required to pay Irving for about 40 away games should he remain on the team since it was their decision to keep him off the court.” https://youtu.be/5O0RDXETVIw The North American tour of Lincoln Center Theater’s My Fair Lady gives a performance worthy of the original stars. Shereen Ahmed and Laird Mackintosh utterly enthrall the audience from start to finish as Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins in Lerner and Lowe’s presentation of My Fair Lady, currently showing at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood through October 31st 2021. Miss Ahmed for being the first Arab-American to star as Miss Doolittle. https://youtu.be/OTR9V4pPqY8 Brian Courtney Wilson drops "At Christmas." “Someday all our dreams will come to be. Someday in a world where men are free. Maybe not in time for you and me, But someday at Christmas time.” Brian Courtney Wilson is kicking off Christmas early with his new EP, At Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyKqpZg1g30&list=PL1Fn3iTspOrpKQ5Q6KhMDo046-1gAHd_V&index=2 The Gospel Music Association (GMA) has announced the full roster of performers for the 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards including all five New Artist of the Year nominees. Performers include Dante Bowe, CAIN, Lauren Daigle, Hope Darst, Elevation Worship, Natalie Grant, KB ft. Matt Redman, Koryn Hawthorne ft. Donnie McClurkin, The Isaacs, Brandon Lake, Maverick City Music, Jonathan McReynolds ft. Mali, We The Kingdom, CeCe Winans, and Zach Williams. The GMA Dove Awards will air exclusively on TBN, Friday, October 22nd at 8:00 p.m. ET and 10:00 p.m. ET and will simulcast on SiriusXM The Message. Renowned faith-leader, author, and pastor E. Dewey Smith, releases his first solo EP "God Period," today under his new record label, Pebble Street Records. The prolific teacher and Atlanta-based Senior Pastor releases an amazing project that presents a diversity of genres and captures the multifaceted musical approach of Smith. This project is focused on offering reverential adoration to God and showcases Smith's deep, resonant vocals and establishes him as a bonafide contemporary Gospel artist. Andrea Marie Brown of the Chicago-based gospel act, The Brown Sisters of Chicago, passed away on September 30, 2021, of COVID-19. The group shot to fame in the gospel world with their self-titled 2009 debut album that featured, “Awesome God,” a Billboard Top 20 radio single. “We are saddened by the loss of Andrea `Lil Bit’ who was a beautiful person inside and out, and was an amazing musical talent,” says Joan Sullivan of Kingdom Records. Jamie Foxx has revealed that he once used his celebrity pal Snopp Dogg to intimidate his daughter’s date. Foxx shared the tale when he stopped by “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to promote his book “Act Like You Got Some Sense” (out Oct. 19). “What happened was my daughter, who didn’t know that I had already run a background check on her boyfriend, he comes to the crib and Snoop happens to be there,” Foxx recalled. “And I said, ‘Snoop! There he is, right there. Shake him up!’ Snoop walked over to my daughter’s boyfriend and just said, ‘Hey, what’s up? What’s up, cuz? Hey, look here. You know, we her uncles, so act accordingly, homie.'” https://youtu.be/6SfUqf6d_RI Historically Black colleges and universities across the country have had banner years in terms of financial support and Howard University is the latest HBCU to receive a historic donation. The Washington, D.C.-based institution announced it was gifted a $5 million endowment from alumni couple Eddie C. Brown and C. Sylvia Brown. The multi-million dollar donation marks the largest alumni gift the school has received in its 154-year history. For the Browns—who share a deep passion for philanthropy—Howard University is embedded in the fabric of their union and individual journeys. As a teenager, pursuing a college degree didn’t seem attainable for Eddie but he was inspired by his 10th grade English teacher—who was a Howard alumna—to further his education at the HBCU. He enrolled at the age of 16 on a scholarship and studied at the school’s College of Engineering. Sylvia studied at Howard’s College of Liberal Arts. They met on Howard’s campus 64 years ago. A Georgia hospital released an elderly Black man onto the street, only for him to be returned to the emergency room by emergency responders. Located in Conyers, about 20 miles east of Atlanta, Piedmont Rockdale Hospital discharged a man who, by all accounts, was clearly in need of medical attention. CBS-46 interviewed Conyers Deputy Chief of Police Scott Freeman, who called the hospital’s behavior “inhumane.” Freeman told reporters he plans on filing a complaint with the Georgia Department of Community Health. It will make his second complaint against the hospital since August. Officers were called to the hospital to remove the man. Freeman said there was no indication he was acting disgruntled or belligerent, and it wasn’t their job to evict people from hospitals. A New report from First Draft News illustrates the depth of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation targeting Black communities. In a Twitter thread, journalist Jacquelyn Mason explained that the major narratives observed were also put in the context of broader political conversations. Mason and her colleagues explored the types of narratives facing Black communities online. But they also recognized that Black people weren’t a monolith and that some narratives had class and equity considerations. “For example, narratives which alleged a Black female scientist’s role in development of a Covid-19 vaccine was nefarious, that white liberals and ‘Black liberal elite’ are coercing Black people into being vaccinated, and that vaccines are experimental and unsafe were prominent,” Mason explained in a Tweet. The fallout from the NFL email scandal continues. While the NFL claims there are no other emails that rise to the level of offense as ex-coach Jon Gruden, the head of the NFL Players Association, wants a full accounting of all emails. DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, tweeted Friday that revelations of private email exchanges were disrespectful to players. “Our players deserve a full accounting of any other NFL misconduct, which is why we once again call for the league to release all of the emails from the Washington investigation,” tweeted Smith. “Any evidence or knowledge that this has been suppressed must be brought to light.” Tarana Burke, activist, survivor, best-selling author, and ‘me too.’ Movement founder embarked on her mission against sexual violence back in 2006. Burke recounts that she began the campaign from her all-too-human failing of not being able to bear the story that a 13-year-old Black girl, who attended an Alabama youth camp where Burke worked, told her about her mother’s boyfriend sexually violating her. Burke recalls: “I just watched her walk away from me, visibly struggling to recapture those secrets and tuck them back into their hiding place. I watched her put her “mask” back on her face and return to the world. And as I stood there, I couldn’t even bring myself to whisper the words circling my mind and soul: “me too.” Lifetime has a bunch of specials, with the first slated to drop starting October 24 with a special hosted by Tia Mowry and will jump to video on demand November 7. The “30 Movies in 30 Days” format will feature films that star such big names as Tia Mowry, Smokey Robinson, Kelly Rowland, Mario Lopez, Corbin Bleu, Tatyana Ali, Roselyn Sánchez, Mýa, Kirk Franklin and more, the network said in a recent press release. ABC has begun to develop Baratunde Thurston’s “How to Be Black,” an animated project based on Thurston’s best-selling memoir of the same name. The project will be written, and executive produced by Thurston along with Courtney Lilly. Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland will serve as executive producers through Cinema Gypsy Productions. The story reportedly takes place in 1980s Washington, D.C. and will focus on the family and community that raised Baratunde into a young man. https://youtu.be/U2y9e8i55Hk The true ladies of Hip Hop will be getting their love with the upcoming ABC News Special “The Real Queens of Hip-Hop: The Women Who Changed the Game.” The special will be narrated by Salt (of Salt-N-Pepa) and will feature interviews with City Girls, Monie Love, Yo-Yo and many others. https://youtu.be/xmxSn8PG2As Grammy Award winner Eve has BIG news. She’s pregnant and the baby is due to arrive in early 2022. Eve, 42, and her husband, Maximillion Cooper, both shared the news via Instagram on Friday. “Can you believe it,” Eve wrote, tagging her husband in the caption, “we finally get to tell everyone!!!!! You all know how long we’ve [sic] been waiting for this blessing!!! We get to meet our little human in February 2022. https://www.instagram.com/therealeve/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fc89f4a1-e2c7-4b2f-ad1f-fbf6a8da66aa Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month and the diversity within Black and Brown communities, the second episode of “My HAIRstory!” debuted on Friday, Oct. 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT. https://youtu.be/zS0s5Zg5FwE Following the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant, and 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and its deputies, accusing them of sharing images of the crash site with people who were not involved in the case. Her suit is seeking damages for negligence, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to a new report by USA Today, the county of Los Angeles is reportedly trying to force Vanessa and other surviving family members of the fatal helicopter crash to submit to psychiatric examinations to help the county prove a critical point in their legal dispute. They’re trying to figure out if “Vanessa Bryant and the others suffer emotional distress because photos of their dead relatives shared by county fire and sheriff’s department employees after the crash? Or did their emotional distress stem only from the tragic crash itself?” USA Today notes. Dr. Laila Hishaw turned an “ah-ha” moment three years ago into a mentoring program for youngsters of color who might want to pursue a career in dentistry. Dismayed by the small number of black dentists in the United States — fewer than 4 percent of the total, according to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute — Hishaw took action. “I just put out a post, shared the stats, and said ‘whose kid can I mentor?” said Hishaw, a pediatric dentist in Tucson, Arizona. The Texas House of Representatives has approved a bill that would deny transgender athletes from taking part in school sports based on their gender identity. The bill, title HB 25, was passed in the Texas House by a vote of 76-54 after more than ten hours of emotional debate. It largely focuses on preventing trans women and girls from participate in women’s sports at schools. The move puts Texas on track to becoming the state with the largest LGTBQ+ community in the nation to pass such a law. The new law still needs final approval from the Texas Senate, which has previously approved similar legislation. Passage there is considered in favor of Republicans in the state, who have supported the bill. Frustrated shoppers complaining about shortages of everyday products in their local stores are attacking President Joe Biden online with the hashtag ‘Empty Shelves Joe’ as the US faces severe supply chain problems that could stretch into the new year. Dozens of cargo ships carrying hundreds of thousands of containers of goods from China and Asia are waiting to dock in California as concern grows about likely Christmas shortages. Some retailers such as Costco and Walmart are limiting sales of toilet paper in some areas and toy company CEOs are telling parents to buy their kids’ Christmas gifts now to avoid disappointment. There are similar problems with homegrown goods that can’t be transported quickly enough by truckers or on freight trains. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/10/11/3927026364114057586/636x382_MP4_3927026364114057586.mp4 A Philadelphia police officer has been placed on administrative duty and an investigation has been launched after a video surfaced showing him disparaging a young Black man last New Year’s Eve. The incident was made public only recently by YouTuber Dale Hiller, a retired combat veteran who shares content aimed at exposing police misconduct. In the clip, an officer with the nametag “Hoover” follows the young man, who is filming the encounter. The young man tells the officer that he’s not committing a crime, to which Hoover responds, “I’m allowed to be here; it’s a free country.” The young man responds: “All right; me too,” before the cop asks him “why are you chasing me?” The young man denies chasing the officer. The video appears to cut to the officer telling the individual “Shut your mouth, boy. You don’t live down here” and “Where you from?” He adds, “You too stupid to insult,” before later yelling “Worldstar!” https://youtu.be/gYoF_MReBWk The social media video-sharing website YouTube has suspended conservative commentator and comedian Steven Crowder’s channel for one week, claiming Crowder broke their rules about hate speech. The Daily Wire reports the platform’s attorney notified Crowder’s attorney by email telling him about the strike that had been placed against Crowder’s account and how a Sept. 30 video uploaded to Crowder’s channel “targets the transgender community in an offensive manner.” The email said that YouTube has also blocked Crowder from posting videos to any of his accounts for one week. According to The Daily Wire, the email said in part: “We write again on YouTube’s behalf regarding your client, Steven Crowder. YouTube has repeatedly instructed Mr. Crowder regarding its hate speech policy and warned him against continuing violations of that policy through content he uploaded to YouTube. YouTube specifically warned Mr. Crowder that videos he uploaded showed a pattern of recklessly targeting the LGBTQ+ community for abuse and insults. It warned that further uploading of content that targets, insults, and/or abuses the LGBTQ+ community would result in additional penalties.” Rev. Ruth Morse Woodliff-Stanley was ordained and consecrated as bishop on Saturday. She is the first woman to hold the position. She will lead 31 churches in the Eastern half of South Carolina as bishop, representing over 7,500 members. Woodliff-Stanley was raised and ordained in Mississippi. She previously served the Episcopal church in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York and was vice president of a church building fund. More than a dozen bishops from across the nation attended the ceremony. The ex-bishop of Rochester today claimed ‘no church is perfect’ as he defended his decision to convert to Catholicism. Michael Nazir-Ali, who was the Bishop of Rochester from 1994 until 2009, could be ordained as a priest as early as next month after spending ‘some years’ considering the change. It comes as the Roman church faced hundreds of fresh allegations of historic sex abuse in light of a French probe. But Dr Nazie-Ali today said he was not deterred. When asked by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme why he still decided to convert, he said ‘the Catholic church is not the only church’ to face such accusations. He added: ‘No church is perfect and I am certainly not pretending the Catholic church is perfect. I think it is absolutely right that this business about the abuse of children should be fully investigated and brought out into the open.’ John Legend and his team are going further and will be teaming up with The Temptations producing team. Legend says he is honored to be part of the ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ team. “Ain’t Too Proud” traces the rise of R&B group The Temptations. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the group’s founding and a new album is due next year, kicked off by the single “Is It Gonna Be Yes or No” written by Smokey Robinson. Legend and his team also helped produce a 2017 Broadway production of August Wilson’s “Jitney,” for which they won the Tony for best play revival. Netflix has dropped the first trailer for Halle Berry’s MMF film “Bruised,” in which she stars and makes her directorial debut. https://youtu.be/EMu8K0l8ggA The new trailer for the second season of the hit Starz series “Power Book II: Ghost” has dropped and fans can expect to pick up right where season one left off. https://youtu.be/v9pprUeZRU0 Grammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion is a franchise owner of a Popeyes chicken chain. She also has a new sauce name after her. Now you can try the Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce-that’s in addition to limited-edition, co-branded merchandise. Starting on October 19, you can purchase Popeyes x Megan Thee Stallion merchandise will feature three exclusive releases, with the first collection, Thee Heat, dropping at Noon on the website: TheeHottieSauce.com. Additionally, Popeyes and Megan will be making a six-figure donation to Houston Random Acts of Kindness, whose mission is to promote empathy and compassion while encouraging selfless concern for the welfare of others in the Houston community. https://youtu.be/CN62FhsMW80 A Subway worker who posted a shocking videos of himself doing all sorts of unmentionable things such as walking on food. Fortunately for the world, he has been fired. But before he was shown the door, the worker, Jumanne Way, made several selfie videos of himself doing stuff with Subway food. In a video uploaded to YouTube on Oct. 14, the worker filmed himself walking on salad trays that he placed on the floor of a Providence, Rhode Island restaurant. He then placed the trays back on the counter to make sandwiches that he served to customers. https://youtu.be/wlhTB1vDM5s Jeannie Mai is getting real about motherhood. “The Real” co-host Jeannie Mai, is opening up about her pregnancy and motherhood. In a new episode of her YouTube series, ‘Hello Hunnay’ the 42-year-old expecting mother explains why she didn’t want children and what changed her mind. In 2018, Jeannie Mai revealed she was molested by a family member when she was just nine years old. For years, Mai was adamant about not having children of her own, citing the fear of not being able to protect them. In her video she says, “It still scares me whether or not I can keep a kid safe from someone else who might hurt them.” The host explained that the abuse continued throughout her teenage years until she ran away from home. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDfXXDlant/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In an interview w @essence, Queen Latifah recalls an experience on ‘Living Single‘ when the cast was told to lose weight. She says, “I remember when I was doing Living Single, the word came down that we needed to lose weight and it was like, what? Now mind you, we have the number one show among Black and Latino, Latinx audiences, at the time. And we have a hit show and you’re telling us we need to lose weight.” Living Single, which was led by an all black cast, aired in Aug. 1993 and ran for six seasons on Fox network. As for changing their appearance Latifah said: “We look like real people. We look like real women. We all look different. And those are the kind of things that come to you that can chip away at your self-esteem. That’s the kind of insensitivity that we’re fighting against right now. That’s the kind of shame planting that can destroy self-esteem.” She added, “That did bother me. But of course, it didn’t make a difference. I didn’t change anything as a result of it. If anything, I’m just the rebel. Don’t tell me what to do, because I’m going to do the opposite. But it did make me cognizant.” Martin Luther King, Jr. is referred to as the founder of the American Civil Rights Movement. However, his co-founder, Rev. Ralph David Abernathy is someone many Americans are less acquainted with. “The Listening” is a compelling musical composition that bridges the gap between the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950-60s and the current Black Lives Matter Movement, through the power of music. The accompanying video (releasing Oct. 15) brings to light the story of King and Rev. Abernathy through rare photo and video footage. “The Listening” features Donzaleigh Abernathy (the Reverend’s daughter and goddaughter to King), as the lead soloist. https://youtu.be/7SCEIGrHC44 SpringHill Company, a media and entertainment company owned by LeBron James, announced recently that it will sell a large minority stake to an investment group formed by RedBird Capital Partners, Fenway Sports Group, Nike and Epic Games. The deal is being valued at $725 million. Current shareholder UC Investments will increase its stake, also. James, who serves as chairman of SpringHill, and Maverick Carter, CEO of the company, will retain controlling interests. “We started this company with the tagline ‘More Than an Athlete,’ which still defines everything we do to this very day,” Carter said in a statement. https://youtu.be/B4B07o2GLqQ Senior linebacker K’Vaughan Pope of Ohio State was dismissed after he was sent off the field by his own team. It all started when Pope tried to re-enter the game in the second quarter and was waved off by teammate Teradja Mitchell. Pope began walking to the locker room and got into an altercation with linebackers coach Al Washington. He was sent to the locker room after throwing his jersey and gloves into the stands. Pope wrote a derogatory tweet about Ohio State on Saturday that was later deleted and issued an apology on the platform Sunday. “Last night I let my emotions get the best of me. For that I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Buckeye Nation. I made a mistake and know that I need to be better and do better. I’m going to take this time to reflect and work on my mental well-being.” “K’Vaughan will continue to have the use of programs that benefit our student-athletes, such as our Student-Athlete Support Services Office, and we will support him with his progress toward graduation,” Ohio State Ryan Day said in a statement. “He will remain on scholarship through the duration of this semester.” Four games into the season, Auburn fires its wide receiver coach Cornelius Williams. Williams spent the last six years coaching receivers at Troy, where he played from 2006-09. Auburn had to replace its three top wide receivers — Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz and Eli Stove — this season. Though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is low, nearly 700 zoos across the country have received an experimental vaccine to help protect mammals from the virus. The Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana, has begun vaccinating its gorillas and orangutans against COVID-19, according to a statement from the zoo on Oct. 12. https://youtu.be/efZmGgomQDA A customer says a #WaffleHouse employee pulled a gun on him over some cheese eggs.? A Waffle House waitress in #Atlanta allegedly pulled a gun on a customer. “She was like she will ‘blow my brains out,’” #CandyFranklin said.? Franklin says the incident happened Wednesday morning at a Waffle House in Marietta in downtown Atlanta. Franklin says he and the waitress got into it over cheese eggs.? “It all happened over cheese eggs. At first, they didn’t bring them to me. Then they brought me normal eggs and I said that I ordered eggs with cheese on it. I tipped her and everything. It was all a normal dispute over food. I never in a million years thought it would come to gun violence,” Franklin told Fox 5.? He continued: “I was looking down at my food making sure it was right and that’s when I just saw people running. I look up and she had the gun at me. I didn’t think she would shoot, then she cocked it back. Former President Bill Clinton was admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center’s intensive care unit due to a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream, according to his doctors that spoke with CNN. Angel Uren~a, spokesperson for Clinton, said in a statement Thursday, “On Tuesday, President Clinton was admitted to UCI Medical Center to receive treatment for a non-COVID-related infection. He is on the mend, in good spirits and is incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with excellent care.” A joint statement from Dr. Alpesh Amin, chair of medicine at UC Irvine Medical Center, and Dr. Lisa Bardack, Clinton’s personal primary physician, also said that “He was admitted to the ICU for close monitoring and administered IV antibiotics and fluids. He remains at the hospital for continuous monitoring.” A week after the body of 29-year-old Christina Nance was discovered in an old, unused police van, the Huntsville Police Department says they have surveillance footage showing her getting into the vehicle on her own. Nance’s family had reported her missing until her lifeless body was reportedly discovered by an officer on Thursday (Oct. 7). According to ABC 31, Nance was found in a van parked outside the Huntsville Police Department headquarters in Alabama. An autopsy performed by Madison County Coroner Tyler Berryhill found no signs of “foul play” or “trauma.” https://youtu.be/tm7uz5lZasU A suspected white supremacist has been arrested after shooting an unarmed Black man in an unprovoked attack in Stockton, California on Oct. 8. Bobby Gayle Jr., 45, a cement mason, had just left a construction site when he was shot seven times by 31-year-old Michael Hayes. Gayle was reportedly struck twice in the face and the bullets missed major arteries and organs, KCRA reports. After being shot, Gayle was able to call his brother Marlon Gayle and left a voicemail that said, “Marlon, I’ve been shot. Pray for me. I swear to God. Please. In the name of Jesus. Hallelujah.” https://youtu.be/OFP3UENB9XU The work of Toni Morrison has been studied, revered and celebrated for decades, and if we have it our way it’ll be a tradition we hope never ends when it comes to future scholars. However, it appears that a Karen by way of Virginia Beach is hoping to ban one of Morrison’s most important pieces of literature from her school district, along with works by other Black authors that deal in themes of race. According to The Daily Beast, “at-large” school board member Victoria Manning and another named Laura Hughes have come together to demand that four books be removed from curriculums based on “pornographic nature” found in the reading. In a letter sent to Virginia Beach City Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence last week, Manning wrote, “It has been brought to my attention by some parents that there are some disturbing books in our district that are available to students,” also adding, “I would like to ask that you pull these books from shelves and also block any electronic access by students to getting these books IMMEDIATELY.” The book on the list by Morrison is her classic The Bluest Eye, which is also joined by Jonathan Evison’s Lawn Boy, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines and the memoir comic Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=234447862058624 The historically Black fraternity to which Jelani Day belonged is calling on federal law enforcement officials to either join or take over the existing investigation into the graduate student’s death in Illinois. Members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and the Nu Epsilon chapter at Alabama A&M University, a historically Black college where Day attended, launched an online petition to amplify their demands and said they won’t rest “Until the person responsible for killing Jelani is prosecuted and convicted.” As of Thursday afternoon, the petition had garnered more than 26,000 signatures out of its goal of 35,000. The petition was updated on Thursday to say the brothers of the Nu Epsilon chapter emailed “a formal letter to state and federal officials in Illinois to formally request that their officials take over the investigation into the killing of our dear brother Jelani Day.” https://youtu.be/e1VRIyfJP3k The defense attorneys for the white men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery are still bound and determined to put the victim on trial for his own death, despite the fact that the judge keeps telling them it's not happening. They’ve asked that Abbey's mental health records be admitted into evidence. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said no. They’ve requested that a jury hears about Arbery’s past run-ins with the law. The judge said no. Now, attorneys for Greg and Travis McMichael are scraping the bottom of the “See, the Black guy’s a thug” barrel and are arguing the jury should know that Arbery was on probation on the day of his killing. Pastor Damion O. Archat released the following statement on his Facebook page after news broke that he had been arrested and charged with domestic violence after attacking his wife, North Lauderdale City Commissioner Regina Martins: ON THE BEHALF OF THE ARCHAT FAMILY WE ARE SADDEN[ED] BY THE EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED. AS A FAMILY WE ARE WORKING AND GETTING THE HELP THAT WE NEED. WE THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR PRAYERS. ???? HTTP://WWW.GOSPEL-SPOTLIGHT.COM Civil Rights veteran Bob Woodson has condemned the Roosevelt Institute’s decision to present Nikole Hannah-Jones with its freedom of speech award, insisting that her ‘insulting’ work demeans black people and goes against American values. Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer for her controversial work for The New York Times, the 1619 Project – the date being when the first black slaves landed in the United States. She argues that inadequate attention is paid to how America is built in part from slave labor, and how the story of America’s founding has been sanitized and distorted, celebrating 1776 instead, and brushing over the past. Critics say she is labeling the United States as a racist country, and trying to make people hate their homeland. Woodson has been a fervent critic of the 1619 Project from the start, arguing that it insults black Americans by suggesting they are not in control of their own destiny. He founded in February 2020 a counter to the 1619 Project, named 1776 Unites, which sets out to ‘promote current and historical examples of prosperous black communities as a powerful refutation of the claim that the destiny of black Americans is determined by what whites do, or what they have done in the past.’ Woodson on Thursday criticized the Roosevelt Institution’s decision, accusing Hannah-Jones of ‘fostering anti-American sentiment.’ Dean Cain, the former Superman star, who has previously spoke out on Fox News about “woke-ism” and “anti-Americanism,” isn’t a fan of DC Comics’ recent announcement that Jonathan Kent, the current superman, will come out as bisexual in the series. On Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Cain said the move wasn’t particularly innovative or “bold or brave or some crazy new direction.” He said his daughter in the CW series Supergirl was gay and Superman would be better off focusing on the “real evil in this world.” “Brave would be having him fighting for the rights of gay people in Iran where they’ll throw you off a building for the offense of being gay,” said Cain. He accused the higher-ups at DC of “bandwagoning.” https://youtu.be/rtb4-ZdnjNk Above all else, Kevin Durant wants to win. And while Kyrie Irving’s decision to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine has complicated that goal—the Brooklyn Nets banned the mercurial point guard from participating in any games or practices this season until he gets the jab—KD still has every intention of winning his 3rd NBA championship this season with or without the seven-time All-Star. But if he could have it his way, as he explained to reporters per ESPN, “none of this stuff would happen.” “Definitely want Kyrie to be around,” he told reporters on Thursday. “I wish none of this stuff would happen, but this is the situation that we are in. Kyrie made his decision on what he wanted to do and he chose to do what he wanted to do, and the team did the same. Karl-Anthony Towns is a strong proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine after losing his mother and several family members to the virus. Towns, who also contracted COVID-19, is speaking out about NBA players who refuse to get the jab. He was recently asked his thoughts on Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving who will not be allowed to play for the team until he is fully vaccinated. “I’m obviously a strong believer in the vaccine,” Towns told NJ.com. “I’ve been through so much and it would be kind of contradictory to not be on the pro-vaccine side.” Towns added, “But what I will say is that I believe in choice and I like to give people their choice and I have no problem with people having their choice.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1448749658851864610 Fans of Steve Harvey are over the moon about his chic new look. The “Family Feud” host, 64, shared a photo of him rocking leather on Twitter. Page Six writes, “Harvey paired a black turtleneck and leather pants with Bottega Veneta boots ($980) and a bright blue suede Berluti jacket ($5,650) for the much-loved style. His wife, Marjorie Harvey, even coordinated in a leather coat and pants for their trip to Paris.” Remembering Force MD. Four members of the Force MD’s died after success, with three passing at a young age. In 2016, group member Trisco Pearson passed away after battling stage 4 cancer. Charles “Mercury” Nelson died from heart attack in 1995; Antoine “TCD” Lundy battled Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) before his death in 1998. And DJ Dr. Rock, one of the group’s DJs died, reportedly due to natural causes, in 1996. https://youtu.be/N26FAa0ySQ4 It’s Me, Julissa! reintroduces fans to entertainment sweetheart Julissa Bermudez after years in the industry's background hosting various shows and helping others tell their stories. Bermudez’s show will air on Friday, October 15 at 9:30 p.m. EST/8:30C and is the first original series brought to CLEO TV by Kin x TV One Licensing Partnership along with Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix airing Fridays on CLEO TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVDnnYFR6BY CLEO TV will air CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Saturday, October 16 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOh6lJeSFYo Popular lifestyle show, TIA MOWRY'S QUICK FIX with air this Friday, October 15 at 9 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. The multi-talented actress, producer, author and entrepreneur, Tia Mowry, serves as host of the digital series that TV One and CLEO TV inked in a major syndication deal with Kin earlier this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJfxUvSzhM4 Adele has officially returned with her first new music in six years – the lead single from her upcoming fourth album, titled “30,” a nod to the age she was when she began recording the songs. It follows her similarly-titled previous albums “19” in 2008, “21” in 2011 and “25” in 2015. Adele opens the tune by saying she feels like she’s drowning in a river while desperately trying to find gold, before presumably reflecting on her relationship with ex Simon Konecki. “Baby, let me in,” she sings, asking him to “go easy on me, baby.” The chorus continues, “I was still a child / Didn’t get the chance to / Feel the world around me.” https://youtu.be/U3ASj1L6_sY Sharon Osbourne has revealed that CBS made her former “The Talk” colleague Sheryl Underwood attend anger management training because of the hostile way she interacted with the show’s producers. “Sheryl had three complaints about her from different producers about the way she treated them,” Osbourne alleged during a visit with SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show.” Per New York Daily News, Osbourne said before she was booted from the daytime talk show, she defended Underwood when CBS execs came to her about issues involving Sheryl. “They called me and I said, ‘You can not get rid of Sheryl, there is no way, she can’t take that, you just can’t do it,’” Osbourne claimed. “So they sent her to anger management.” Osbourne exited “The Talk” after 11 years following a racially charged debate with Underwood. ”Clueless” star Stacey Dash dished with Dr. Oz recently about her past Vicodin addiction. The actress revealed that she used to pop 18 to 20 pills a day. Her dark past also includes suffering physical abuse by an ex, as reported by Page Six. “I was taking 18-20 pills a day,” Dash, 54, said in the interview that aired Thursday. Oz replied, “18-20 Vicodin a day, that’s expensive,” which prompted a tearful Dash to reply: “Yeah, I lost everything.” https://youtu.be/dll2PmuTd44 Larry Miller, chairman of the Jordan Brand, has revealed that when he was a teenager he killed a man and served prison time for the crime. The revelation comes ahead of the release of his autobiography “Jump: My Secret Journey From the Streets to the Boardroom,” which was co-written by his daughter Laila Lacy. Miller was 16 at the time when he fatally shot the 18-year-old male. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Miller said the shooting “was for no reason at all.” “I mean, there was no valid reason for this to happen. And that’s the thing that I really struggle with and that’s—you know, it’s the thing that I think about every day,” he said. “It’s like, I did this, and to someone who—it was no reason to do it. And that’s the part that really bothers me.” Mickey Guyton is bringing a new dimension to Country Music, bringing another person of color to an industry that has been largely dominated by white males. ”If you go on and look at the charts and kind of research the chart history of country music, it’s been predominately white male,” said Mickey Guyton. “Every now and then, there’s a woman that can get through, black, white, whatever. It’s extremely difficult and I just personally think that is wrong.” https://youtu.be/zPH9hgKSai8 Kenyan long-distance runner Agnes Tirop, who finished 4th at the Tokyo Olympics, has died at age 25. The athlete was found stabbed to death in her home, according to a Kenyan athletic commission. Tirop was “allegedly stabbed” at her home in Iten, Kenya, and her husband is said to be the prime suspect in the killing. Tirop suffered stab wounds to her neck and abdomen, according to TMZ. According to reports, Agnes’ husband hasn’t been seen since her death. Athletics Kenya said it was “still working to unearth more details surrounding her demise.” https://youtu.be/RpVIwgw99iQ An Indianapolis police sergeant is facing two felony charges and an investigation by U.S. Justice Department after stomping a handcuffed man in the face. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Jermaine Vaughn was arrested Sept. 24 for disorderly conduct. Footage from the body camera of Officer Matthew Shores, one of three officers carrying out the arrest, shows Sgt. Eric Huxley stomping on Vaughn. http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhmJSoc2n107711CaL COVID-19 was the No. 1 leading cause of death in the U.S. in January, at the peak of last winter’s brutal coronavirus surge, but then vaccines became widely available and it dropped to No. 7 by July, the Kaiser Family Foundation says in a new analysis of COVID-19 fatalities. Then the Delta variant hit and found ample unvaccinated Americans to kick COVID-19 back up to the No. 2 killer in August and September, the leading cause of death for Americans age 35 to 54, and even the sixth or seventh leading cause of death for children. A Virginia school district says it properly followed procedures after two students reported being sexually assaulted, adding that the school district was not trying to cover up a s According to The Christian Post, Loudoun County Public Schools released a statement Wednesday acknowledging that it is “aware of the media and social media reports concerning alleged sexual assaults at two of our high school campuses.” The district maintained that the proper “process was followed with respect to these allegations.” The allegations came after the Loudoun County School Board approved a policy that allowed trans-identified students to use bathrooms that corresponded with their gender identity instead of their biological sex. According to The Daily Wire, a 15-year-old girl at Loudoun County’s Stone Bridge High School was sexually assaulted in a girls’ bathroom by a biological boy who identified as a girl. he lawyer for the victim’s father says the biological boy faces two counts of forcible sodomy, one count of anal sodomy and one count of forcible fellatio. Transgender Netflix employees and co-workers will stage a walkout next week protesting the streaming giant’s decision to release Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special, multiple Netflix staffers have confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. On Oct. 20, members of the Netflix employee resource group Trans* and their allies will take a “day of rest” prompted by their concerns about Chappelle’s “The Closer,” which includes several transphobic remarks. “I encourage all [members of] Trans* and allies not to work for Netflix that day. … As we’ve discussed through Slack, email, texts and everything in between, our leadership has shown us that they do not uphold the values for which we are held,” a Netflix employee posted Monday in a public, company Slack channel comprising more than 800 staffers representing “gender minorities of all sorts and their allies,” in a message reviewed by The Times. The head of Netflix is taking heat for repeatedly defending Dave Chappelle’s controversial special, saying that the company believes that transphobic remarks by the comedian won’t result in “real-world harm.” Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix, sent a company-wide memo this week addressing the controversy over “The Closer,” Variety reported on Wednesday. “We know that a number of you have been left angry, disappointed and hurt by our decision to put Dave Chappelle’s latest special on Netflix,” Sarandos wrote, according to the trade publication. “With ‘The Closer,’ we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence etc,)” he said. Dave Chappelle's controversial Netflix special The Closer has scored 96 per cent positive reviews from regular viewers on Rotten Tomatoes - but just 43 per cent from woke critics, many of whom have accused Chappelle of transphobia. Rotten Tomatoes, which collates reviews from critics and regular viewers for movies and TV shows, has attracted more than 2,500 notices from TV fans who've watched the special. Around 96 out of every 100 regular viewers has given it a near-perfect score. Many also wrote glowing reviews to accompany their ratings. A transgender actor blasted hit show Hamilton over claims producers fired them for requesting a gender-neutral dressing room at an LA production of the musical. Suni Reid, who uses they/them pronouns, filed a complaint with California's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Wednesday after claiming they'd been dismissed over the request in June this year. Their complaint alleges that the Eliza Tour, which is the name of Hamilton's Los Angeles production, offered to cordon or curtain-off an area of the main dressing room, and that they were removed from the cast list on saying such an arrangement was unsuitable. Jon Gruden won’t only be absent on NFL sidelines after he resigned as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders over a stream of vulgar emails, he’ll be gone from virtual ones, too. EA Sports, the company that makes the popular Madden NFL video game franchise series, announced that it will remove Gruden from the game through a software update in the near future. “EA Sports is committed to taking action in maintaining a culture of inclusion and equity,” the company said Wednesday evening in a statement. “Due to the circumstances of Jon Gruden’s resignation, we are taking steps to remove him from Madden NFL 22. We will replace him with a generic likeness via a title update in the coming weeks.” Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr suggested in his first comments since Jon Gruden resigned that all communication from front office personnel and coaches be made available. “If we just started opening up everybody’s private emails and texts, people will start sweating a little bit,” Carr told reporters on Wednesday, via ESPN. “Hopefully not too many, but maybe that’s what they should do for all coaches and GMs and owners from now on. You got to open up everything and see what happens.” Gruden resigned as head coach of the Raiders on Monday evening after a New York Times report that he’d sent hateful homophobic, racist and misogynistic emails over the course of a decade. The communication was found and subsequently leaked as part of the 10-month investigation into the Washington Football Team’s toxic club culture. Matthew Mindler, 19, killed himself with sodium nitrate he bought on Amazon. Lancaster County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Mindler’s death to be suicide by sodium nitrate toxicity. Sodium nitrate-related deaths are often accidental since the compound is frequently used as a preservative. Mindler’s mom Monica said that based off his recent Internet search history the overdose was intentional. He was found dead on August 28 after he was reported missing three days earlier when he skipped classes. The child actor was last seen in security footage walking from the West Villages residence hall toward the Centennial Driver parking lot. For confidential support in the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255. The Real co-host and her husband, rapper Jeezy, are expecting a baby after doing IVF. She and her ex-husband Freddy Harteis, whom she was married to from 2007 to 2018, never had any kids, and Jeannie was adamant about not wanting any. She says now it was because her childhood trauma burdened her with a fear that something bad is going to happen. Jeannie was sexually abused by a family member seven or eight years older than her starting from the time she was nine. Her mother didn’t believe her when she asked for help, so Jeannie ran away. She said this left her scared about whether she could protect a child, but she now knows she was ‘meant to be a mom.’ https://youtu.be/sr8-2gN50ug ”Black Panther” star Letitia Wright has responded to a report claiming she is spreading anti-vaccination views on the set of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. Wright previously came under fire for the anti-vax postings she made last year on social media. Those comments led to her staff quitting. She also deleted all of her accounts following a wave of backlash. The Hollywood Reporter (THR) reported that she is sharing similar views on the set of the “Black Panther” sequel. Wright returned to Instagram Tuesday and denied spreading anti-vaccination views while filming. Kyrie Irving said Wednesday he didn’t want to lose salary or a chance to compete for a championship with the Brooklyn Nets, but was doing “what’s best for me” by refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. After the Brooklyn Nets decided Tuesday that Irving would not play with the team – because a New York mandate requires athletes on the city’s pro teams to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and he refuses to get one – he took to Instagram Live Wednesday night with his thoughts. “I am doing what’s best for me. I know the consequences here and if it means that I’m judged and demonized for that, that’s just what it is,” Irving said. “That’s the role I play, but I never wanted to give up my passion, my love, my dream just over this mandate.” Irving would have been able to practice with the Nets and play in road games outside New York in states without such mandates. The Nets will pay him for those but he is giving up about half of his $35 million salary by missing the home games. “So what? It’s not about the money,” Irving said. “It’s not always about the money. It’s about choosing what’s best for you. You think I really want to lose money?” https://youtu.be/lJA8IDn8SUs The Phoenix Mercury hosted Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky on Sunday, and during a post-win press conference with Phoenix stars Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Brianna Turner, a reporter asked a question in Spanish directed toward Taurasi, the league’s all-time leading scorer. Griner, seated next to Taurasi, appeared to be waiting for a translator to step in, only to discover that her teammate of eight years, who is of Argentine heritage, began answering the question herself. In fluent Spanish. Griner’s stunned reaction, and attempt to understand what Taurasi was saying – only recognizing a few words – has gone viral. After seeing Griner’s antics, a reporter jokingly asked Griner for a translation. The 6-foot-9 forward replied that they’d have to stick with Rosetta Stone for that. Wendy Williams has reportedly purchased a $4.5 million high-rise apartment in New York City amid her ongoing health struggles. Williams has pushed back the season 13 premiere of “The Wendy Williams Show” after she tested positive for COVID-19. Insiders also claim she is battling mental health issues and is expected to be on an extended hiatus. “Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis,” Debmar-Mercury said in a statement on October 12. “She is making progress but is experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves’ disease and her thyroid condition. It has been determined that more time is needed before she is able to return to her live hosting duties.” The statement added that new episodes will begin airing on October 18 with guest hosts. The reunion special for Season 11 of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” kicked off on October 13, and a preview shows Garcelle Beauvais and Dorit Kemsley clashing in Wednesday night’s episode. The two have been at odds since Kemsley accused Beauvais of being a “bully,” per Page Six. https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-W1cUJWbA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The Marvel Universe continues to expand and this time, it expands in podcast form. Marvel Comics has released a new series called “Marvel Wastelanders: Hawkeye,” as part of the Wastelanders podcast series. The 10-episode second installment will follow Hawkeye (Stephen Lang) and the aftermath of his Avengers tribe being killed by their enemies thirty years prior. As the sole survivor of the group, the superhero now lives as a sideshow freak, re-living the worst day of his life for paying audiences. With vengeance on his mind, he gains an unexpected ally in his estranged 17-year-old daughter Ash (Sasha Lane), who is on her own mission to seek revenge after losing her best friend. According to a new study, heavy marijuana users who are also vaccinated could be more susceptible to breakthrough COVID cases. The study, published last Tuesday in World Psychology, found that those with a substance use disorder (SUD) — a dependence on marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, opioids and tobacco — were more likely to contract the coronavirus after receiving both of their vaccination shots. Those without an SUD saw a 3.6 percent rate of breakthrough infections, compared to a 7 percent rate in those with an SUD. At 7.8 percent, those with marijuana use disorder were most at risk for breakthrough infections, the study found. Motown legend Smokey Robinson has revealed that he spent nearly two weeks in the hospital battling COVID-19 late last year. As reported by The Daily Mail, Robinson spent 11 days in a Los Angeles hospital after contracting the virus last December. The singer claims he was so weak from the virus that he nearly died. “I got it severely and I was hospitalized for 11 days, and four or five of those I do not even remember,” he told DailyMail.com. Robinson revealed that he first felt “weird and funny after coming in off the road” just before Christmas 2020. Per the report, he tested negative at first, but after “still feeling bad at home” he tested again two days later and it was positive. #NickiMinaj and her husband #KenethPetty face a default judgment to the tune of $15 million for failing to answer #JenniferHough’s lawsuit. #HollywoodUnlocked reports that the papers were served back on September 13.? Hough’s attorney, Tyrone A Blackburn, asks in the court filing to “please enter the default of defendants Onika Tanya Maraj, and Kenneth Petty, AKA Zoo, pursuant to Rule 55(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for failure to plead or otherwise defend this action as fully appears from the court file herein and from the attached affirmation of Tyrone A. Blackburn, Esq.”? The couple was given 21 days from the date they were served to answer the complaint. Since they failed to do that, it clears the way for the default judgment.? Hough is locked in a legal battle with the couple after accusing them of trying to intimidate, threaten, bribe, and harass her. She accused Petty of rape back in 1994 when they were both 16. He was initially charged with first-degree rape but pleaded guilty to attempted rape, and he served more than four years in prison. Rosemond maintains he should be released from prison after former President Donald Trump offered him clemency., aka Jimmy Henchman, was a hip-hop manager who reportedly ordered the 1994 robbery and shooting of Tupac Shakur at Quad Recording Studios in New York City. He is serving nine life sentences after he was convicted of numerous drug offenses and ordering the murder of 50 Cent’s friend, Lowell “Lodi Mack” Fletcher. Rosemond maintains he should be released from prison after former President Donald Trump offered him clemency. Rosemond’s attorneys have filed a petition in federal court claiming that Trump had a conversation with Hall of Fame football player Jim Brown and his wife Monica about Rosemond’s case and urged Trump to grant him clemency, All Hip Hop reports. https://youtu.be/XsPcZXE7I-Y Check out this week’s new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” Thursday, October 14 on WE tv. Per press release, this season features Hip Hop legend N.O.R.E and NERI, two-time Grammy Award nominee MONIE LOVE and TUFF, Producer MALLY MALL and TREASURE, and Love & Hip Hop Hollywood’s favorite on again off again couple SIIR BROCK and AMBER LAURA — all head to Marriage Boot Camp to find out if their relationships are worth saving. https://youtu.be/sPGoYtmyMik Jabari Johnson offers his newest single to Gospel radio titled "One Touch". Its an infectious and reflective song that recounts the well known biblical story of the woman with an issue of blood. It cleverly tells the story and then draws the listener in to reflect on their own encounter with Jesus. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0wo0c6qc385zc68/AADeWQUk66MehdCGQxnYgEVoa?dl=0 TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with child star and acclaimed actress Raven-Symoné on Sunday, October 17th at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words. The season finale will feature rapper Jeezy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV3fwvQdaHA Demi Lovato believes extraterrestrials are emotional like humans and would take great offense to being called “aliens,” which is why the singer is encouraging folks to ban the word. In an interview with TMZ, astrophysicist and planetary scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson responded to her nonsense, noting that “All the aliens I’ve ever met, they have no feelings,” deGrasse Tyson said. https://youtu.be/7b2QdIxqlLA After playing their No. 1 1971 hit “Brown Sugar” at every concert since it was recorded in 1970, the Rolling Stones have decided to remove it from their set list going forward, due to its controversial lyrics regarding the rape of enslaved Black women. In an interview published last week in the Los Angeles Times, guitarist Keith Richards confirmed the song’s status after a reporter noticed its absence from the group’s current “No Filter” tour. “You picked up on that, huh?” Richards said. The chorus of “Brown Sugar” was inspired by the group’s African American background singer, and Jagger’s one-time girlfriend, Claudia Lennear. Lennear was interviewed about the song in recent years, admitting: “I don’t think we could sing Brown Sugar now.” https://youtu.be/0-t16PX1w8M Lil Kim wasted no time clapping back at 50 Cent for trolling her on Instagram. It all started when the rapper shared a TikTok clip from @oso_entertainment of a video comparing Kim to the Leprechaun in the popular horror-comedy franchise. “I’m sorry i know it’s early but i don’t know why shit like this is funny to me. LOL,” 50 wrote in the caption of the comparison video. The post has since been deleted but not before Kim caught wind of it and responded with: “Ur so obsessed wit me this is getting creepy,” she wrote in a comment, adding that 50 is “fallin off” and “we all kno whyyyyyyy.” “I ain’t bothered not one bit. My family & friends more mad than me,” she told 50 at the time. Kim claims the rapper can’t get over her previously turning down his dinner date proposition. “Let it go,” she added. https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=aba75c62-1d05-4dad-a640-2cbc93e5dfdf The countdown clock paused for about 30 minutes this morning so that mission personnel could monitor some winds in the area, but things were back on track for the launch of actor William Shatner and three other passengers into space today at about 10:35 am, EST. It’s the second crewed flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One, near the West Texas town of Van Horn. A live webcast of the mission can be seen. https://youtu.be/WILEB3_5AnM A record number of 4.3 million people walked off the job in August, according to the federal Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary. NBC News reports, job openings fell from a record 10.9 million to 10.4 million — an unexpected drop that experts say could be attributable to contractions in commercial activity due to the delta variant of the coronavirus, falling economic expectations, companies’ taking late-summer breathers from hiring, statistical noise or some combination of the above. But with more than 10 million unfilled job openings, it is clear that more workers are seeking greener pastures. The rate of people quitting their jobs reached a record 2.9 percent, leading with increases among people leaving hotel, dining and wholesale trade jobs. https://youtu.be/0dBR9mGHC98 Former New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) trader Lauren Simmons made history as the youngest full-time female trader and now she has launched a new podcast where she urges women to talk about money. The new project, “Mind Body Wealth with Lauren Simmons,” premiered on September 29, with new episodes dropping exclusively on Spotify on Wednesdays. Per Black Enterprise, Simmons became the second Black woman equity trader since the NYSE was established over two hundred years ago. Her story has inspired millions of women globally and Hollywood is reportedly producing a film about Simmons starring Kiersey Clemons. https://www.instagram.com/lasimmons/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6c772037-0062-49b4-a4af-c1368f190617 A Lowndes County woman has filed suit against Vibrant Church of Columbus, members of its leadership, an umbrella corporation the church operates under and 25 other yet-to-be-identified defendants on five counts, including discrimination/sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. It seeks actual, compensatory, pain/suffering and punitive damages as determined through a jury trial. The suit was filed Thursday in federal district court in Aberdeen by Columbus attorney Corky Smith on behalf of Laura Ashley Eagan. The suit covers events it alleges began in February 2020 through the end of the year. It alleges then senior pastor Jason Delgado made unwanted sexual advances by “various electronic means,” which came after Jason Delgado’s father, assistant pastor Ronald Delgado, told his son details of counseling sessions the father had with Eagan regarding her marriage difficulties. It’s one of the great puzzles of the pandemic. Most developed economies are now highly vaccinated with some of the most effective shots on offer, so why are the latest Covid-19 outbreaks more deadly in some places than in others? While it’s clear vaccines led to a drop in fatalities during the most recent delta variant-driven waves compared with earlier bouts with the virus, some countries saw deaths fall to a greater degree than others, an outcome scientists still don’t have answers for. Countries like Germany, Denmark and the U.K. have seen Covid deaths fall to roughly a tenth of previous peaks, according to Bloomberg calculations using data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. In Israel, Greece and the U.S., fatalities fell but remained more than half of the previous peaks. A “phenomenal young man” is how Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical high school senior Elijah Gorham is being described. Gorham, a 16-year-old student-athlete who played wide receiver for the Mustangs, died earlier this week. Head football coach and athletic director, Patrick Nixon, said Elijah Gorham was a silent leader on the Mervo football team and was a silent leader who was a steady presence for his teammates and even the adults. Gorham suffered a brain injury during a game Sept. 18, according to his GoFundMe page. He had been in the hospital since that injury until word came out Monday that he passed away. https://cbsloc.al/3awuGUh Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have confirmed that the Rolling Stones have shelved one of their most-played songs, because they were uncomfortable with the ‘nasty’ 50-year-old lyrics. Brown Sugar, written in 1969 and released in 1971, is the band’s second-most played song: only Jumpin’ Jack Flash has been performed by the band more often. But Jagger and Richards, currently in the middle of a 13-date U.S. tour, said they deliberately left the song off their setlist due to the lyrics, which begin: ‘Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields, Sold in the market down in New Orleans, Skydog slaver knows he’s doin’ all right, Hear him whip the women just around midnight.’ Jagger, 78, is performing in Nashville on Saturday night, said in 1995 that he would never have written the song nowadays, but told The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that they were not opposed to bringing it back at some point. Richards, 77, (left) said he was bemused by the new-found anger at the lyrics, which he said were always about the ‘horrors’ of slavery, and he was trying to understand ‘quite where the beef is.’ He added: ‘Didn’t they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? But they’re trying to bury it. At the moment I don’t want to get into conflicts with all of this s***.’ The band will play in Los Angeles later this week, with two shows scheduled for Thursday and Sunday. It is their first ever tour without drummer Charlie Watts, who died in August aged 80, and Jagger and Richards both paid tribute to the beloved musician, who Richards said was a reluctant superstar but ‘one of the funniest guys I’ve ever known.’ Former NFL coach Jon Gruden resigned Monday night as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after emails surfaced of him using homophobic, racist and misogynistic language. The emails were uncovered by the New York Times during a seven-year investigation of workplace misconduct at the Washington Football Team. Since Gruden’s resignation, Colin Kaperernick has been trending on social media. Many folks are inferring that Gruden’s resignation proves that the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who lost his job after kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality was right about the NFL all along. In 2017, at least three NFL owners were asked to turn over emails and phone records related to the collusion case Kaepernick brought against the league. In the lawsuit, Kaepernick claimed league owners colluded against him after he refused to stand for the national anthem during the 2016 preseason. The lawsuit ended with Kaepernick and fellow teammate Eric Reid settling with the NFL. No emails were ever released. After a 10-year absence, the “Scream” franchise is back with its fifth installment featuring original cast members Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette. Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. https://youtu.be/beToTslH17s “Ron’s Gone Wrong” is a modern coming of age story following Barney and Ron – an unlikely pair in the form of a social-introvert (Barney) and a technically-deficient B-Bot (Ron) – as they bond and uncover the meaning of friends. In theaters October 22nd. https://youtu.be/8I8nMtzN05s Rapper #BoosieBadazz has been arrested for allegedly performing vandalism in #Atlanta. On Monday, Boosie – whose real name is Torrence Ivy Hatch – was booked into #FultonCounty Jail after being involved in an incident at the #StateFarmArena in downtown #Atlanta. Police say they responded to the scene a little after 12:40 a.m. on Saturday after it was reported that vandalism was taking place. A man told police that Boosie and some people from his crew crashed a stage during a performance by running up on the platform. Prior to the incident, Boosie performed as part of the ‘Legendz of the Streetz’ tour earlier that night. The man who’s behind the police report on the matter said Boosie’s squad damaged items that belonged to his production company. https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-fFUkDVO7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Blac Chyna was filmed in Miami International Airport on Sunday evening acting erratically about the COVID-19 vaccine. As reported by TMZ, Chyna was approached by a fan wanting a photo, but the former stripper wanted to know her vaccination status. “Go get checked out, it’s sad, and it really blows the f*ck outta me,” Blac Chyna, who is seen who is dressed like a cartoon character, says in the lip posted on social media. https://youtu.be/1fID-Ej-ILI Fans of Kodak Black are giving him the side-eye after a clip resurfaced of him dancing with his mother at an event while grabbing her butt and trying to kiss her. https://twitter.com/i/status/1447628277670100996 Singer Jesy Nelson has responded to accusations of blackfishing in her debut solo music video, “Boyz” featuring Nicki Minaj. “I personally want to say that my intention was never, ever to offend people of color with this video and my song because like I said, growing up as a young girl, this is the music that I listened to,” Nelson told Minaj during an Instagram Live on Monday. “These are the videos that I watched and thought were the best,” she continued. “For me personally, ’90s R&B were the best years in music. I just wanted to celebrate that.” Nelson, former member of the group Little Mix, noted that she did not darken her skin or curl her hair to look Black. https://youtu.be/u884fEIPY3g The Toronto Raptors on Monday played a game in their home arena for the first time in nearly two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, and their official “global ambassador” was of course front and center … not only physically, but also joining the TV broadcast from his court side seat. The Toronto Raptors on Monday played a game in their home arena for the first time in nearly two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, and their official “global ambassador” was of course front and center … not only physically, but also joining the TV broadcast from his court side seat. https://youtu.be/iaC3KSd-To8 JR Smith’s career as a college golfer got off to a crazy start Monday when he was attacked by a hive of yellow jackets during the third round. The retired NBA star turned North Carolina A&T student-athlete began Monday with the first two rounds of the Elon Phoenix Invitational in Burlington, North Carolina. He shot an opening 83, and followed up with a 78 in the second round later in the afternoon. On Tuesday, Smith started his third round on the back nine. He made par on his first two holes of the day before arriving at the 12th hole. That’s when all hell broke loose. As he was looking for his ball in the woods, he accidentally stepped on a nest of yellow jackets and was stung repeatedly. https://twitter.com/i/status/1447957804451512328 Whispers fans may not know that member LeaVeil Degree once carried out a $1.8 million dollar heist. According to the legal documents via I Love Old School Music: When LeaVeil Degree was 31, he and his brother David, whom was 24 at the time, pleaded guilty in a $1.8 million stolen jewelry case after U.S. attorneys agreed to drop some of the most serious charges against them in their 17-count federal grand jury indictment. LeaVeil’s wife, Kimberly, whom was 24 at the time, pleaded guilty to a felony count of possession of stolen mail and then 19 year old Rochelle Florio, pleaded guilty to obstructing the mail, a misdemeanor charge. About $800,000 of the stolen goods were retrieved. In the plea bargaining, the Degree brothers told U.S. District Judge Irving Hill that they would cooperate in an attempt to recover the remaining $1 million in jewels and furs still missing. The million-dollar jewels and furs were never recovered. https://youtu.be/rPJz3syNbtE The model who is suing Cardi B over her 2016 mixtape cover is now accusing the rapper of lying to a judge to attend Paris Fashion Week. Cardi is being sued by a Kevin Michael Brophy Jr. who claims she used his photo without permission and made it seem like he was performing oral on her for her mixtape cover. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Brophy is a married man with kids who was shocked to discover his photo on the cover of “Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1,” a mixtape the Cardi released in 2016. According to TMZ, Brophy claims he never met the “Bodak Yellow” rapper but he recognizes his distinct back tattoo of a tiger fighting a snake. Brophy says he was “shocked, outraged, humiliated, and appalled” when he first saw the photo. In his suit, Brophy says he “has been devastated as a result” of the mixtape cover and he was worried that “his wife believed he had betrayed her.” He claims Cardi used the pic “in a misleading, offensive, humiliating and provocatively sexual way to launch her career in music and entertainment.” He claims the tattoo visible in the photo is “one of a kind” and was done over 10 years ago. Brophy is seeking damages in excess of $5,000,000. Cardi has reportedly been attempting to settle with him without much luck. The son of late-great comedian Richard Pryor is desperately in need of financial help, and he has turned to the public for support. Eric Harrison, a friend of Pryor Jr., has launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking funds to cover medical and basic living costs for Pryor Jr. At the time of this write-up, the campaign has raised nearly $5000 of its $9500 goal. “We’ve reached 25% of our goal,” Harrison noted in an update. “A huge thank you to everyone donating and sharing this campaign. Talked to Richard today. He’s in bed and not able to really move with his pain. His doctor is determining options for pain management. Still waiting for his approval on assistants, this can take weeks to months. Let’s keep it up!” DaBaby is being compared to another big artist! Over the summer, Lil Duval shared a tweet comparing DaBaby to rapper Ludacris which sparked a huge online debate. Now it looks like another one is about to happen as Fat Joe is comparing the rap star to the late Tupac Shakur. In a clip from Big Tigger’s Rap City, Fat Joe played a game where he had to share the 2021 version of some veteran rappers. When Tigger asked who’s the latest version of Tupac, Fat Joe named DaBaby, who also agreed. He reacted to the comparison on Instagram saying, “Agreed. But they gonna salt that down to Cr*ck. We are excited to bring you the first single from Kerry Douglas' Gospel Mix Christmas CD. Paul Turner and CMI (Creation Ministries Inc) are a Chicago based choir who have joined up with vocal powerhouse Angela Spivey for a rambunctious revival fire song that lifts the name of our Savior. Jesus Celebration is straight church and full of spirit and makes you find your tambourine and shouting shoes. It’s the perfect introduction to the holiday season. A Ferndale pastor is in jail after police say he tried to kill two Arenac County sheriff’s deputies with his car. The pastor’s name is David Jones, and according to the Hilton Oaks Baptist Church Facebook page, he gave sermons regularly at the church. Court documents show Jones had a long history of drinking and driving, and his latest arrest was in August in Oakland County. https://youtu.be/fhfRN-95Jc4 Shannon Jensen and Gina Kildahl both sent their sons to their elementary schools in masks. Jensen’s son attends Rose Glen Elementary School in Waukesha, outside Milwaukee. Kildahl’s son goes to school about 200 miles away at Fall Creek Elementary, between Green Bay and Minneapolis. Just weeks into the new school year, both boys tested positive for the coronavirus. Lawsuits filed this month in two Wisconsin federal courts blame what they describe as the schools’ lax policies on masks, quarantining and contact tracing. Both the boards of education for the School District of Waukesha and the School District of Fall Creek had voted to end many of the coronavirus mitigation policies that had been in place last year, according to the two lawsuits. That included getting rid of universal mask requirements. Jensen’s lawsuit was filed in a federal court in eastern Wisconsin on Oct. 6. Kildahl’s lawsuit was filed on Monday in Wisconsin’s western district court. In a new TED Talk released Thurs., Sept. 30, three-time Grammy-winning singer and rapper Lizzo took to the stage to present on a topic on which she’s undeniably well-versed: twerking. In the Ted Talk, originally recorded in Monterey, Calif. in August, Lizzo pointed to the spiritual roots and expressions of twerking, a dance move with West African origins. “Twerking is a deep, soulful, spiritual practice. It’s hip-opening. It’s empowering. When performed as the mapouka, it’s said to connect you to God,” Lizzo said, referring to a contemporary form of a traditional dance from the Ivory Coast. “It’s sacred. And now we’re practicing that on mainstream stages. We’re practicing that at home, and it’s contributing to the liberation of women and people around the world.” Netflix has suspended three employees for crashing a meeting of its top executives, including an out trans person who criticized a new comedy special from Dave Chappelle, sources tell Variety. Terra Field, a senior software engineer based in San Francisco, was among those suspended late last week for attending the “QBR” — Netflix’s quarterly business review, a two-day affair that convenes the top 500 employees at the company. A Virginia father who went viral after being dragged out of a Loudoun County school board meeting and arrested for protesting its proposed transgender policies has now revealed he was trying to tell the room that his daughter had been raped by a boy ‘in a skirt’ in the girls’ bathroom. Scott Smith was photographed on June 22 being dragged out of the heated meeting with his torso exposed in Leesburg, Virginia. The 48-year-old plumber was ridiculed on social media afterwards and was painted to be a deranged, right-wing bigot. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/06/23/2283584364982126817/636x382_MP4_2283584364982126817.mp4 Damian Williams is an unusual Manhattan U.S. attorney in some ways. President Biden nominated him from the Southern District of New York’s own ranks of prosecutors, choosing an insider for a role normally given to an outsider in modern times. But he is also a traditional choice in other ways. As the co-chief of the office’s securities-fraud unit, he is steeped in financial-crime prosecutions and has been involved in several high-profile white-collar trials that are the hallmark of the office. Count Michael Jordan among those who believe NBA players should do their part to end the COVID-19 pandemic by getting vaccinated. The NBA legend discussed the league’s COVID-19 protocols during a Monday interview with Craig Melvin on NBC’s Today (h/t Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports) and said he believes in the science and what the league is doing with the season approaching: “I am total in unison with the league. And I think everybody, you know, has been speaking about the vaccinations. And, you know, I’m a firm believer in science and, you know, I’m going to stick with that and hopefully everybody abides by whatever the league sets the rules. I think once everybody buys in, we’re going to be fine.” Faced with the prospect of playing home games without unvaccinated guard Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets have decided to completely sideline the NBA All-Star until a permanent solution can be reached. Irving, who is unvaccinated, was expected to miss home games this season due to New York’s vaccine mandate. He would have been able to practice in Brooklyn because the team’s training center is considered a private workplace and not a public arena. However, the Nets are now saying that Irving will not be playing or practicing with the Nets whatsoever. It’s unclear if Irving will be paid at all for the games he missed. He already stood to lose $381,000 for every home game he missed this season. The NBA and the players’ union have agreed that players will lose 1/91.6th of their salary for every game missed without proper cause this season. If that formula is applied to his entire season, he would stand to lose more than $31 million of his $34.9 million salary. Currently Irving stands to lose $15.5 million if he’s held out of all home games this year. The new Superman, Jonathan Kent — who is the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane — will soon begin a romantic relationship with a male friend, DC Comics announced Monday. That same-sex relationship is just one of the ways that Jonathan Kent, who goes by Jon, is proving to be a different Superman than his famous father. Since his new series, Superman: Son of Kal-El, began in July, Jon has combated wildfires caused by climate change, thwarted a high school shooting and protested the deportation of refugees in Metropolis. “The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white savior felt like a missed opportunity,” Tom Taylor, who writes the series, said in an interview. He said that a “new Superman had to have new fights — real world problems — that he could stand up to as one of the most powerful people in the world.” Austin Carr, a wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, has announced his retirement from the NFL. In a post on Sports Spectrum, Carr explained that he is trusting the Lord to guide him as he departs from playing professional football. “After much prayer and consideration, I’ve decided that it’s time to turn the page on my career in the NFL,” he wrote. “It feels surreal to be moving on from this 20-year stint of lacing up the cleats every fall, but I’m committed to following the voice of God, and it has become clear that up ahead, He has a new and exciting future prepared for my family and me.” NFL week 5 scores: Los Angeles Rams – 26 > Seattle Seahawks – 17 Atlanta Falcons – 27 > New York Jets – 20 New England Patriots – 25 > Houston Texans – 22 Minnesota Vikings – 19 > Detroit Lions – 17 Philadelphia Eagles – 21 > Carolina Panthers – 18 New Orleans Saints – 33 > Washington Football Team – 22 Tennessee Titans – 37 > Jacksonville Jaguars – 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 45 > Miami Dolphins – 17 Green Bay Packers – 25 > Cincinnati Bengals – 22 Pittsburgh Steelers – 27 > Denver Broncos – 19 Chicago Bears – 20 > Las Vegas – 9 Los Angeles Chargers – 47 > Cleveland Browns – 42 Dallas Cowboys – 44 > New York Giants – 20 Arizona Cardinals – 19 > San Francisco 49ers – 10 Buffalo Bills – 38 > Kansas City Chiefs – 20 Baltimore Ravens – 31 > Indianapolis Colts – 25 The Georgia Bulldogs have reached No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since the 2008 preseason poll and for the first time in the regular-season poll since 1982. The Bulldogs opened 2008 with a 45-21 win over Georgia Southern, but apparently it wasn’t an impressive victory, as the Bulldogs fell to No. 2 the following week. Odds are a win against undefeated No. 11 Kentucky this weekend won’t cause Georgia, which received all 62 first-place votes, to fall in the poll next week. The Iowa Hawkeyes find themselves right behind Georgia at No. 2, moving up a spot following their 23-20 win over Penn State and Alabama’s 41-38 loss to Texas A&M. No. 3 Cincinnati has its best ranking ever. The music community is mourning the loss of a Gospel music legend with the passing of Shawn Mclemore after an extended illness. Shout Out to Radio! We appreciate all that you do to carry the Gospel to people around the globe. We are hope dealers and inspire people through great music. Asking for prayers for the McLemore family as we say farewell to Shawn McLemore this weekend. Shawn was a fantastic singer and all around great guy. He will be missed. Programmers are asked to play "I Believe" and "Sunday Morning" in his honor all this week. https://rgmc-impact.disco.ac/playlist-new/9001524?date=20211012&user_id=885555&signature=UQkaJXi6D2DlHwrHX5h5Fp6b3zw%3A7NzUwtIJ British actress Freeman Agyeman is best known as the first Black “Doctor Who” companion, and she is speaking out about the racist abuse she received over the role. Agyeman played Martha Jones in the BBC sci-fi series opposite David Tennant’s Doctor, and she would go on to reprise the role after joining the spinoff series “Torchwood”. Speaking at Ofcom’s Diversity in Broadcasting event as part of National Inclusion Week, the “New Amsterdam” star said she “didn’t anticipate” the racist response to her casting. “It is a game changer. My life changed completely overnight,” she said of landing the role. “You go from obscurity to people knowing who you are, in a good way. “And then we aired and I didn’t even mind that there was so much on the fact that I was the first black companion because I was. It never bothered me at all. It was something I was, and still am, so proud of.” https://youtu.be/E_IKhQt73DM Bravo has dropped the official trailer for the “Real Housewives” spin-off show “Ultimate Girls Trip.” Per EW, the returning “housewives” are Real Housewives of Atlanta stars Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” OG Kyle Richards, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” castmates and sisters-in-law Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga, and “Real Housewives of New York City” icons Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Singer. https://youtu.be/PoBquo2zdGI With a Grammy Award, eight top 10 hits on the Billboard charts and a reputation for putting out timeless material, Monica has a firm place in the minds of R&B and pop music fans. With more than 25 years as a music industry veteran, the question becomes what musical direction is next? For Monica, the answer lies with exposing a natural love for a genre she’s not associated with. The reveal was made in June with “Pray,” Monica’s first foray in to country music with collaborating with Jimmie Allen and Little Big Town. https://youtu.be/Ch_nwWtMh0k Damon Wayans appears to have nothing but praise for Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special, telling TMZ that Dave “freed the slaves” — referring to comics who are too afraid to touch on some of the topics that Chappelle tackles in “The Closer.” Wayans also called Chappelle the van Gogh of comedy when TMZ caught up with him. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-10-11-101121-damon-wayans-1267884/ Ted Sarandos, co-CEO at Netflix, has addressed the criticism of Dave Chappelle’s recent stand-up special on the streaming platform. The comedian has been catching heat for taking aim at the transgender community in his new stand-up special “The Closer”. In a company memo sent Friday, Sarandos said “The Closer” isn’t “designed to incite hate or violence” and noted that “artistic freedom” is measured differently in stand-up comedy, as reported by Complex. https://youtu.be/i1UEj_6T1RE A new companion series for BET’s original series “Twenties” from Lena Waithe is set to launch on Wednesday, Oct. 13, and here is your first look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJsL2UFJ0Pg Nicki Minaj believes she has been shadow-banned on social media following her comments about the COVID-19 vaccine. The statement comes a month after Nicki Minaj took to Twitter to reveal that she would be skipping the Met Gala this year because she was not vaccinated — as required by the event organizers. https://www.instagram.com/p/CU5pm9qAc_Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge. https://youtu.be/-faaJsJPHSY A 20-year-old woman is in a medically induced coma after she jumped into a hot spring to save her dog. Laiha Slayton, 20, suffered burns to over 90% of her body when she jumped into the 200°F (93°C) geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Her puppy, Rusty, jumped into Maiden’s Grave Spring on October 4 while visiting with her dad Woodrow, 48. Rusty ran from the car when they arrived at the park and jumped straight into the spring – he died from his injuries. Woodrow helped Laiha out of the water and she was treated by park rangers and a local fire service. She was then transported by helicopter to the burn center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. https://youtu.be/1bUDi_J6aD8 COVID-19 has triggered a “shadow pandemic” of sexual abuse, violence and exploitation against girls, a shocking new report reveals on International Day of the Girl Child, October 11. More than ever, girls face multiple threats to their safety, including sexual predators online, sex trafficking, and forced child marriage, says the report Young Victims Remain Hidden in the Pandemic’s Shadow (http://www.gfa.org/press/girls) by mission organization GFA World (www.gfa.org). International Day of the Girl Child is an annual awareness event. In more than 130 countries — including the U.S. — it’s legal for girls to marry under the age of 18. In North Carolina and Alaska, a girl can marry at 14 if she’s pregnant. In North Carolina, a 57-year-old man applied to marry a 17-year-old girl, the report says. On Sunday night, the Arlington Police Department partnered with the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington to host a panel on gun violence. Police say the event had already been planned weeks ago, but that the timing couldn’t be better in the wake of last week’s school shooting at Timberview High School. https://cbsloc.al/3mHWsmh A Black real estate agent has filed a federal lawsuit against Michigan city police after he and his clients were detained at gunpoint during a house viewing. Am Black realtor was showing a Black father and his 15-year-old son a Michigan home when they saw police outside the property with their guns drawn. “I knew once they surrounded the home, they were preparing for a standoff,” the father, Roy Thorne, told CNN’s Don Lemon. “And so my instincts told me we need to get out of here, we need to get to where they can see that we’re not a threat.” Apparently, a neighbor called the police and said that a suspect who was arrested at the same property a week before had returned to the home. However, the caller was wrong. Arlington’s Police Chief Al Jones was joined by parents and students to discuss how to keep kids safe, the events of last week’s shooting, and how to move forward. “We need to actually work together. This shouldn’t be a police issue. It’s a society issue and an Arlington community issue,” Chief Jones said. https://youtu.be/d3O-HElBnBk A Mississippi funeral home director recently had the unfortunate task of burying his wife and daughter. An NBC affiliate, 3 On Your Side, reported Thursday that Brian Stribling lost his wife Harmony because there wasn’t a hospital with a 24-hour emergency room close to their rural community. The outlet further reported the hospital nearest to the Striblings. Stribling described attempting to drive his wife to the hospital in the next town, which was 20-30 minutes away. He told 3 On Your Side that 911 had him pull over and administer CPR as his wife’s condition worsened during the drive. Unfortunately, Stribling lost both his wife and unborn daughter just days before her due date. Aaron Lowe from North Texas, who played for the University of Utah football team, will be laid to rest on Monday afternoon. Dozens of Utah players will fly in to honor Rowe. Outside of precious memories Duncanville’s funeral hall is for loved ones with broken hearts. Hundreds of people gathered to pay tribute to the former West Mesquite High School soccer star. https://youtu.be/2sI7lxHhVig After news broke of telecommunications giant AT&T’s alleged role in creating and sustaining the right-wing disinformation network One America News (OAN), calls for accountability has been swift. Released earlier this week, a special report from Reuters documented the allegations that AT&T not only encouraged the creation of another conservative news network but is its primary source of revenue. In a brief response to Reuters, an AT&T spokesperson claimed it doesn’t directly finance OAN. While this may be technically true, information uncovered by Reuters affirms the financial benefit to OAN from its relationship with AT&T. As documented by political journalist Judd Legum, AT&T was among the corporations financially supporting politicians who supported former President Trump’s “Big Lie.” Legum pointed out the network’s running a two-hour special from the MyPillow CEO as an example of the egregious content produced. NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill called out the “complicity of those who know better.” The president of Dillard University took to Twitter to debunk disinformation being spread about the Biden administration’s commitment to funding HBCUs. Walter M. Kimbrough, known on Twitter as @HipHopPrez, highlighted several accounts spreading the lie that the Biden administration cut $30 Billion from HBCUs. Holding elected officials accountable is a part of the Democratic system. But part of the accountability process is getting the facts straight. The current issue involving HBCU funding has to do with implementing Biden’s Build Back Better Plan and the reconciliation budget process making its way through Congress. During the process of creating a bill that is consistent with the Biden plan, Congress earmarked less money for HBCUs than the Biden proposal. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said she and her husband, David, have tested positive for COVID-19. Parker said they tested positive Sunday, and she only has mild symptoms. She added that she is fully vaccinated after getting the Pfizer vaccine in April. Parker is isolating at home and will work remotely, in line with the city’s COVID-19 protocols. Urban Meyer is still dealing with the fallout of his lap dance scandal and it’s not good. Reports are starting to hit the Internet about how the Jaguars players view Meyer following the scandal. According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, several players and coaches on the team were “unhappy” with the way the head coach handled the scandal and are shocked he didn’t lose his job. A Florida veterinarian has been sentenced to 272 months in prison for collecting child pornography and sexually abusing dogs. Prentiss Madden was arrested in March and pleaded guilty in July to child pornography and animal cruelty charges, New York Daily News reports. Prosecutors said the 40-year-old had thousands of graphic images showing male infants and toddlers engaged in sex with adults and that he made several videos of himself having sex with dogs, which he shared online and through social media. He received many of the child porn images and videos via internet chats, where he also frequently discussed sexually abusing children. Madden was fired as the medical director of Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Aventura, due to his illicit behavior. https://youtu.be/KQZbtvHa-b0 As the R&B singer did a dance routine during his set, many folks online began commenting about how they didn’t know Quavo could dance. The dancer is indeed Jacquees himself and Quavo is now trending because Twitter couldn’t tell the difference. https://twitter.com/i/status/1447551047791222789 Former “Basketball Wives LA” star Brittish Williams has been hit with felony and fraud charges in St. Louis, Missouri. Williams, who also goes by the name “Cierrah,” was indicted on federal fraud and identity theft charges on Sept. 22, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Missouri said in a press release. Williams, who appeared on season three of VH1’s “Basketball Wives LA,” faces five felony charges of misuse of a Social Security number; four charges of bank fraud; three charges of making false statements to the IRS; three charges of wire fraud; and three charges of aggravated identity theft, as reported by Urban Hollywood 411. Former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks is opening up about her busy life as an attorney, mortician, producer, actress, and single mother of two boys. “The single mom life is crazy, but I wouldn’t change it for anything,” Parks, 47, told Page Six. Parks’ shares sons Ayden,11, and Dylan, 8, with ex-husband Apollo Nida. “They’re my world,” she said of her boys. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUq4im1s-Dj/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=251617eb-a05a-48e1-80d6-cefc24270ae5 Fitness trainer Shaun T. took to social media recently to reveal that he was repeatedly molested by his stepfather as a child. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUutGmxgWVI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The teen horror film “I Know What You Did Last Summer” is heading to Amazon Prime Video with a straight-to-series eight-episode order just in time for the Halloween season. Based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel, the series will take place one year after a fatal car accident that haunted a group of teenagers on graduation night. Finding themselves bound together by the dark secret and stalked by a brutal killer, they begin to unravel shocking secrets about their town and themselves while trying to figure out who is after them. https://youtu.be/P7PqRDJiWkU Mogul and comedian Kevin Hart is on a mission to change the narrative around racial and gender representation in the realm of entertainment. According to Deadline, the Philadelphia native’s production company has teamed up with NBCUniversal and the Sundance Institute for the creation of a screenwriting fellowship program for Black women. The lack of diversity in the writer’s room has been a longstanding issue. A study conducted by Color of Change revealed two-thirds of shows—featured on traditional networks and emerging streaming platforms—had no Black writers. Further research revealed a mere 17 percent of shows had one Black writer. Aware of the disparities, Hart’s company set out on a mission to cultivate an initiative that would help address the gaps which led to the development of the Women Write Now fellowship program. As part of the project, three scripts penned by writers Moni Oyedepo, Wilandrea Blair and Danielle Nicolet were selected amongst nearly 1,000 submissions. Through the fellowship, Oyedepo, Blair and Nicolet will have their work produced by LOL Studios. The women will also have the opportunity to be mentored by power players in the entertainment industry and pitch projects to the executive team at NBCUniversal. One of them will land a production deal with the mass media and entertainment company and their projects will be streamed on Peacock. Kim Kardashian made her hosting debut on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. “I know. I’m surprised to see me here, too,” Kardashian began her opening monologue. “When they asked, I was like, ‘You want me to host? Why? I haven’t had a movie premiere in a really long time.’ Actually, I only had that one movie come out, and no one even told me it was even premiering. It must have slipped my mom’s mind.” During her opening monologue, Kim also referenced her infamous sex tape, her late father Robert Kardashian and his relationship with O.J. Simpson as well as her divorce from Kanye West. https://youtu.be/LQCQym6hVMo “Needle in a Timestack” is a time-bending sci-fi love story, directed by Oscar-winner John Ridley and starring Leslie Odom Jr. (“Hamilton,” “One Night in Miami”) and Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”). The film asks, “if love is in the form of a circle, what lines would you cross to be with your soulmate?” Nick (Odom) and Janine (Erivo) are deeply in love and enjoying marital bliss. When Janine’s ex-husband (Orlando Bloom) attempts to warp time to try to tear them apart, Nick must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to hold onto, or let go of, everything he loves. The film is based on the short story by Robert Silverberg. https://youtu.be/ZPKL9aSgbCw The clip shows a huge backdrop being lowered onto the stage behind the actors during a scene change, but Yevgeny Kulesh, 37, somehow became trapped underneath the backdrop and was subsequently crushed to death. A man can be heard shouting while the orchestra continues to play, before the music cuts off abruptly and the cast break out into screams at the sight of the accident. The incident occurred during a set change in Sadko, an 19th century opera by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The theatre said Yevgeny Kulesh, who had been with the theatre since 2002, died at the scene as the audience was promptly ushered out of the performance hall. Actress Debbi Morgan of “All My Children” fame previously revealed how her physically abusive father, who died of leukemia in 1975, affected her relationships with men. “Because I didn’t get nurturing from my dad, I kept looking for men to give me that love,” she shared with PEOPLE back in 1997. “I was a victim of bullying. I went through physical and emotional abuse at the hands of a teenage boyfriend. I suffered severe emotional abuse by three of my four husbands. I was just caught in this cycle. I mean, spinning like a washing machine,” Morgan told NewOne. As noted in her 2015 memoir “The Monkey on My Back,” Morgan admitted that her abusive father’s relationship with her mother had her seeking strong men for all the wrong reasons. Morgan also experienced domestic abuse in her 3 previous marriages to Charles Weldon (1980-84); to actor Charles S. Dutton (1989-94); and to photographer Donn Thompson (1997-2000). “So many times these men that I was looking to for protection were the ones I really needed protection from,” Morgan said. “There were times the emotional abuse was so bad that at times I felt ‘I don’t know if it would be better to be hit,’” she shared with ET. Judge Judy’s longtime TV bailiff Petri Hawkins-Byrd was not invited to her new courtroom for IMDb TV titled “Judy Justice.” Hawkins-Byrd opened up to Entertainment Weekly about being booted after appearing on the show during its 25-season run, starting in 1996. “My assumption is if you were going on to do something else, that you were at least going to ask me if I wanted to have the opportunity to audition for the role,” Byrd said. He heard about “Judy Justice” when she announced the show in March 2020. After the final season of “Judge Judy” aired in April, Byrd stayed busy caring for his wife, show producer Makita Bond-Byrd, as she prepared to undergo brain surgery. It wasn’t until July that I called the judge and asked, ‘Hey, should I look for something else or am I included in the Judy Justice project?'” Byrd recounted. “She informed me I was not being asked to come along on the project. I didn’t inquire as to why, that’s her choice. But she did inform me that, fundamentally, I was priced out as the new bailiff on her new show. My salary would have been too much. I was curious: How would she know? She didn’t ask me. She didn’t give me an opportunity to have accepted a lower salary.” He said the call “ended pleasantly enough,” but the conversation left him feeling “confused.” Among TikTok’s latest viral sensation is the “Omarion Challenge,” which started when an old clip of him recently resurfaced doing a military, syncopated, Michael Jackson-like move on stage. The original clip was from his performance at Verizon’s “Now Playing” music tour back in 2015. TikTok’s sudden interest took on a playful mocking of the regimented movements. Then it became a “challenge” and just took off, with a bunch of celebs joining in the fun. Then, Kirk Franklin took it to church – complete with his gospel choir – and now people are saying it must now be laid to rest. He won. https://youtu.be/l4lCrTiZxls Vincent Gross, the head of G Sharp Records, joins the panel of entertainment industry professionals Saturday, November 6, 2021 at the 22nd annual Los Angeles “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference via Zoom from 1-3pmPT. Gross’ label is self contained and interested in Jazz, R&B, Soul, Pop, Hip-Hop and Gospel acts. An artist himself, Vincent is a Black Music Award winning Jazz vocalist and trumpeter. The industry panel will lead the conference with a “Q&A Session,” a “Talent Showcase” from professional acts and ULMII winners follow, ending with a “National Talent Competition” where singers, songwriters, dancers or actors compete for the ULMII Best Artist Award and over $16,000 in prizes. Despite starting Saturday’s Red River Showdown win over Texas, Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler wasn’t the one who pulled off the comeback. And that has people wondering what his future with the Sooners is. Oklahoma backup quarterback Caleb Williams came off the bench in the second quarter and led the team to victory. Williams had two passing touchdowns and another one on the ground as the Sooners overcame an 18-point deficit to win the game, 55-48. With a performance like that, Williams probably deserves to be named the starting quarterback moving forward. And with Spencer Rattler likely heading for the bench, his future in Oklahoma could be in doubt. How Sweet The Sound was originally established in 2007 and sponsored by Verizon. During its initial six-year run, the competition awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to promising artists, making it a critical destination and a springboard for successful careers. Now under the new ownership of Gentle Giant Music Ministries, How Sweet The Sound will continue to welcome a diverse array of up-and-coming gospel performers competing for cash prizes and recognition. Gentle Giant Music Ministries CEO Nathanael Brown, an award-winning choral director and saxophonist, said How Sweet The Sound's absence left a void that was calling to be filled. His own experience with the event propelled his passion for reinvigorating it. Brown's group swept the 2013 How Sweet The Sound regional competition, taking first place and advancing to the finale in the year before going on hiatus. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, now-former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has spoken to his staff and informed team owner Mark Davis that he will resign from his position. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the report. Gruden’s resignation comes in the wake of several bombshell reports from both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times in which it was revealed that Gruden, in 2011 in his capacity as talent for ESPN as the lead analyst for Monday Night Football, sent e-mails of a repugnant nature on several subjects. The New York Times report, published on Monday and written by Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman, indicated that Gruden, over a period of several years, used anti-gay and other slurs to describe NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and said that Goodell should not have “pressured” then St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher to select Michael Sam in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. Sam is gay, as is Carl Nassib, the linebacker who has played for the Raiders since 2020. [Gruden] denounced the emergence of women as referees, the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the playing of the national anthem, according to emails reviewed by The New York Times. Pope Francis has met with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Their meeting took place in Vatican City on Saturday, several weeks before Joe Biden is expected to meet the Pope when the the president is in Rome for talks between leaders of the Group of 20 major economies. The Vatican announced Pelosi’s audience with the Pope in its daily bulletin but gave no details. Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, has said he is personally opposed to abortion but, as a politician, cannot impose his views. Pelosi has said she supports a woman’s right to choose. A Republican taking on Texas Governor Greg Abbott in the gubernatorial primary, who is unvaccinated against coronavirus, said his current case of COVID-19 pneumonia has only emboldened him to fight against vaccine mandates. Allen West, 60, was admitted to the hospital on Saturday due to concern over his oxygen levels. His vaccinated wife, Angela, also contracted the virus. A controversial celebrity pastor worth an estimated $50 million has returned $4.4 million in federal COVID relief loans his megachurch received from the government. According to the Houston Chronicle, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church has repaid the money after the stadium-sized facility was widely-condemned for accepting the cash last year. A spokesman claimed they needed the loan because the church, which is America’s largest, and can hold 16,800 worshippers at one time, was unable to take weekly collections during COVID closures which it says helps pay its 368 staff. But that sparked an outcry as details of Osteen’s extreme wealth were once again shared. Morgan Freeman says he rejects the idea of defunding the police across the country, saying that ‘most of them are doing their job’ while breaking with his typically progressive leanings. I’m not in the least bit for defunding the police,’ Freeman said in an interview with Black Enterprise’s Selena Hill. ‘Police work is, aside from all the negativity around it, it is very necessary for us to have them and most of them are guys that are doing their job. They’re going about their day-to-day jobs. There are some police that never pulled their guns except in rage, that sort of thing. I don’t know.’ The 84-year-old actor was there promoting his new movie, ‘The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain,’ a film about a police killing of an elderly black veteran. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUsLMCHAZl9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The GMA Dove Awards will return to a live, in-person event at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Tues., Oct. 19. The show will air exclusively on TBN on Fri., Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. ET and again at 10 p.m. ET. Dove Award-winning Artists Natalie Grant and Jonathan McReynolds will co-host this year’s GMA Dove Awards. A few of the artists set to perform on the show include Lauren Daigle, Elevation Worship, KB, CeCe Winans and Zach Williams. In a fight that is being talked about as one of the all-time great heavyweight bouts, Tyson Fury retained his WBC title after knocking out Deontay Wilder at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. “I’ve been in this business 57 years promoting fights and I truly have to say I have never seen a heavyweight fight as magnificent as this,” boxing promoter Bob Arum told reporters after the conclusion of the third installment of the two boxers’ trilogy meetings. After putting Wilder on the canvas in the third round, Fury found himself on the floor twice in the fourth. In a brutal, roller coaster fight in front of of 15,820 fans, the 33-year-old Briton regrouped and put Wilder down in the 10th before delivering two enormous right hands to win the bout with a knockout. https://youtu.be/ZDYk_O2nV4c “I played football for probably 16 years, total,” Dungy said, via ProFootballTalk. “I coached for 28 years. I never went to a game where the head coach didn’t come back with my team, me and myself for 13 years as a head coach, 15 years as an assistant, 15 years playing when the head coach went to a game, when we returned the head coach came back with us. So that to me, I just don’t know how you do that and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to stay in Ohio.’… That was the mistake to me. What happened in the bar or whatever, that’s secondary. You go back with your team. We finished by getting home and getting everybody — that’s your responsibility as the head coach to make sure everybody lands on that plane, safe, everybody gets back to the facility, then you do what you have to do.” “You are responsible for those guys until the trip is over,” Dungy added. “Someone could get sick on the plane. The plane might get rerouted and you have to land somewhere else. We had that happen where we had a snowstorm and we had to turn around and land back in the city we just left and spend the night. You never know.” Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss got emotional on ESPN’s “NFL Countdown” on Sunday morning during a panel discussion about race in the NFL. Moss was asked by host Sam Ponder how he might respond to a head coach who used racially tinged language like Los Angeles Raiders coach Jon Gruden did in an email a decade ago when referring to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, who is Black. The 14-year NFL veteran talked about how his “civil rights were kinda messed with in high school over the color of my skin.” Then his voice began to quiver when addressing what it would be like to play for an NFL coach who did something similar. https://twitter.com/i/status/1447224075961708545 Emma Raducanu told a press conference she ‘needs to cut herself some slack’ after losing to the world number 100 in her first match since she won the US Open and parted with her longtime coach Andrew Richardson. The champion of New York turned out to be no queen of the desert at Indian Wells as she was soundly beaten on her first appearance since Flushing Meadows, going down 6-2 6-4 to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the BNP Paribas Open. The jaunty and irrepressible air that Raducanu displayed during her astonishing Grand Slam victory appeared to be replaced by flat body language. Recently, rock/soul/R&B icon Tina Turner sold her enormous catalog to BMG, the company reported last week. The deal means that Tina’s name, image, artist’s and writer’s shares of her recordings are now owned by BMG. The company also stated they will continue to partner with Turner and that Warner Music will remain her record label. Though BMG did not give a specific number, British Broadcasting Company is reporting that the deal may be worth more than $50 million. Thanks to Common, a prison outside of Chicago, Illinois is now equipped with a recording studio, CBS 2 reports. Common reportedly gifted the inmates at Statesville Correctional Center a studio that is complete with mixing boards, musical instruments, microphones and sound panels. The stated goal is to create an environment of productivity for incarcerated individuals as they serve their respective sentences. https://cbsloc.al/3uGwXFK LeVar Burton the former “Star Trek: Next Generation” star and Reading Rainbow host was named the Grand Marshal of the 133rd Rose Parade next year (2022), the Tournament of Roses announced earlier this week. Burton was announced as an honored dignitary at the ceremony on Tuesday (0/05/21) in Pasadena, California. “I come from a family for whom the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl game to follow has been a part of our family for years and years,” Burton said during the announcement which was carried on YouTube. https://youtu.be/rUvwnh_3vWM Last week, Paramount released the new trailer for “The Game“ and a first look at Tasha Mack, the character played to perfection by Wendy Raquel Robinson, being just as big a boss as she ever was. The same trailer also shows Hosea Chancez return as Malik Wright. “The Game” will also relocate from San Diego to Las Vegas for the revival, according to Paramount. https://youtu.be/qzkFwLqQyKg Libby Leist, senior vice president of “Today” and NBC News recently named former Tamron Hall show producer Talia Parkinson-Jones as the new executive producer of the fourth hour of “Today”, hosted by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Talia to ‘Today.’ Her extensive daytime television experience is matched by her energy and creativity, and we look forward to her joining our team,” Leist said in a memo to “Today” staff. She officially starts work on “Today With Hoda & Jenna” on October 18. The controversy swirling around Sage Steele is still hot as Rachel Lindsay, who co-hosts the “Higher Learning” podcast with Van Lathan, reveals that Steele had some very eye-raising things to say about Lindsay’s choice on ABC’s “Bachelorette” reality show. Steele, 48, who is of mixed raced, allegedly said the comments four years ago. “I like Sage,” said Lindsay, 36, adding that Steele is “problematic.” “She’s a woman of color who had a long career in the media and I’m aspiring to this but then I’m listening to you and the first thing you say to me is how thrilled you are that I didn’t choose Black. And I’m like… who is this woman? Since then, I’ve started to learn more about how problematic she can be.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1445559609100365837 In an effort to advance racial equity and revise New York City’s Charter, the city’s Racial Justice Commission has released its interim report, aimed at producing ballot initiatives for the Nov. 8, 2022 general election. If approved by voters, they would become law. That would change the City Charter, which governs how New York operates. Established by Mayor Bill de Blasio in March, the commission wants to eradicate systemic racism. It began by asking New York City residents to share experiences of inequality in housing, transportation, healthcare and education. Sha’Carri Richardson, who wasn’t allowed to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to a positive marijuana test, is tired of people coming for her. She took to IG to fully flesh out her disdain in her signature manner. “Yall get on this app to talk mess meanwhile in real life…” on a video where she says “All y’all suck a**.” She followed it up with a meme that read “I ignore a lot of shady s*** because y’all be ugly anyway” reports Madamenoire. https://youtu.be/8wCqvvcpHkI A U.S. Army sergeant whom police say shot and killed a pregnant woman carrying their unborn son on a Georgia highway earlier this week was arrested Thursday in North Carolina, where he is stationed, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Alonzo Dargan Jr., 30, an active duty staff sergeant at Fort Bragg, now faces charges of murder, feticide and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He allegedly killed Akeila Ware, 29, and the child she was due to deliver in about a month that Dargan had fathered, Troup County Sheriff James Woodruff said at a Friday news conference. https://youtu.be/tRAbCFxC2Fg Two Dayton police officers are under investigation after a traffic stop in which they dragged a #paraplegic Black man from his vehicle. on Sept. 30. Officers stopped Clifford Owensby for illegal window tint while reportedly conducting a drug investigation. After coming across past history records of drug use, they asked him to step out of the vehicle to conduct what’s called a free air smell test. After being commanded to exit the car, the disabled man informed the cops that he was unable to get out the vehicle because he required assistance because … he’s a paraplegic. “No you’re not. No you’re not. You don’t touch me. You’re definitely not about to touch me,” Owensby said in the body camera footage before threatening to file a lawsuit if they touch him and asking for a supervisor to witness the encounter. https://twitter.com/i/status/1446298299674214405 A Georgia State trooper is under investigation after appearing to stomp the head of a suspect during an arrest, the state’s department of public safety said. Video of the incident quickly went viral. The Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) said on October 3, a Black trooper with the Georgia State Patrol pulled over a driver, identified as Jamarco Lucas, because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. DPS said that Lucas initially stopped, but then fled, initiating a pursuit. The video, originally posted on Twitter by “Atlanta Uncensored,” shows Lucas on the ground as the trooper stomps his head twice, drags him across a sidewalk and puts his knee on him as he handcuffs him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1444796115833036802 The Department of Justice is not going to go after Rusten Sheskey with federal criminal civil rights charges. Sheskey is the Minneapolis cop who shot Jacob Blake in the back. The DOJ released its decision via a statement posted Friday. A team of prosecutors from the Civil Rights Division and the US Attorney’s Office determined there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Sheskey “willfully used excessive force.” https://youtu.be/vB-IxAFapNI North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson is facing calls to resign after he was caught on video calling gay and transgender people ‘filth’. Footage, first posted online by advocacy group Right Wing Watch on Wednesday, shows Robinson addressing the congregation at the Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove back in June. The Republican, who would take over if the state’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper stood down or was impeached, is seen raging that children should not learn about such ‘filth’ in public schools and using a derogatory phrase for transgender people. ‘I’m saying this now, and I’ve been saying it, and I don’t care who likes it: Those issues have no place in a school,’ he says. DailyMail.com grabbed exclusive first pictures of John Eskilsden after he was flushed out of the safety of his house when three suspicious packages were delivered to his neighborhood. But still Eskilsden – who turns 48 next weekend – made no attempt to explain his seemingly racist behavior which has outraged his ethnically-mixed neighborhood in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Nor did his wife Marylou, 48. When DailyMail.com asked the jewelry store clerk if she had anything to say about the heartbreak her husband’s actions had caused, she tersely replied ‘No,’ and got in her car and drove off. The case on Jessamine Court has caused nationwide uproar since Eskilsden’s neighbor, Navy veteran Jannique Martinez, appeared on Don Lemon’s CNN show last week and played video of the blaring lights and obscene chants coming from her neighbor’s home. But Eskilsden refused to answer reporters’ questions – or even come to the door of his 4-bedroom home – as he was pilloried online. Neighbors told DailyMail.com they hardly ever see him. ‘The only time he ever seems to come out is when he puts out the trash on a Wednesday evening,’ said one. A Louisiana teen was arrested after she punched an English teacher with a disability in the face and caused her to be hospitalized. Authorities said she committed the act as part of the “Slap A Teacher” challenge. The incident took place at the Covington High School on Wednesday 18-year-old Larianna Jackson recorded herself punching the teacher moments after class was dismissed. In the video, Jackson approaches the identified 64-year-old woman and punches her in the face repeatedly before she falls off of her chair. The Covington Police Department said in a statement that the teacher was transported to a nearby hospital after sustaining injuries from the attack. Her disability was not disclosed to the public. https://youtu.be/N1eAgsFQEbo Boynton Beach, Florida’s first-ever black female firefighter has filed a $100,000 lawsuit against the city for defamation and negligence after it unveiled a mural last year that depicted her as a white woman. Latosha Clemons, who joined the Boynton Beach and Fire Rescue Department in 1996 and also became its first black deputy chief 20 year later, alleged she suffered mental anguish after seeing the mural last summer, which was meant to celebrate her and her department. ‘Being depicted as white was not only a false presentation of Clemons, it was also a depiction which completely disrespected all that Clemons, the first female black firefighter for the City, had accomplished,’ the lawsuit states. It added that Clemons experienced ‘mental and emotional harm, pain and suffering and damage to personal and professional reputation, as well as subjected her to ridicule, contempt, disgrace and/or humiliation both in the City Administration and in the community at large.’ Finding himself in trouble after a racist e-mail that he sent in 2011 emerged, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is in damage control and has issued a response. Andrew Beaton of The Wall Street Journal obtained an e-mail that Gruden sent to Bruce Allen – at the time, a high-ranking executive for the then Washington Redskins – in July of 2011. In the correspondence, Gruden refers to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith as “Dumboriss,” and uses a racial trope when talking about him. “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires,” Gruden said. Gruden issued a statement to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “I’m really sorry,” he said and says he’s reached out to Smith. “This is not the first racist comment that I’ve heard and it probably will not be the last.” DeMaurice Smith said. “This is a thick skin job for someone with dark skin, just like it always has been for many people who look like me and work in corporate America. You know people are sometimes saying things behind your back that are racist just like you see people talk and write about you using thinly-coded and racist language. Former President #DonaldTrump went on #SeanHannity’s show on Fox and criticized #Haitian immigrants at the US border, claiming they “probably have AIDS.” Trump said that allowing Haitians into the US is “like a death wish for our country.” “Haiti has a tremendous AIDS problem. AIDS is a step beyond, AIDS is a real bad problem,” he told Hannity. “So hundreds of thousands of people are coming into our country. And if you look at the stats, and if you look at the numbers, take a look what’s happening in Haiti. A tremendous problem with AIDS.” Contrary to his assertions, the prevalence of HIV among Haitian adults aged 15 to 49 is around 1.9%, according to data from the United Nations. While that’s higher than the global rate of 0.7%, reports say Haiti’s HIV prevalence rate has declined significantly in recent decades. Trevon Diggs’ assignment was clear. On third-and-5 Sunday, late in the third quarter, the Cowboys cornerback was in Cover 2, responsible for covering a deep half of the field. The playbook tells him to follow Carolina Panthers wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., who streaked into Diggs’ zone in threat of a 55-yard touchdown. His instincts told him differently. Diggs loitered about 12 yards from the line of scrimmage — allowing Marshall to run free 10 yards behind him — and jumped an intermediate crossing route instead. Interception. For over 20 years Taraji P. Henson has entertained us through her award-winning acting in a collection of iconic roles—but now she has set her sights on tackling another aspect of the entertainment industry. During a recent interview, Henson shared the surprising news that she is officially starting her music career courtesy of a forthcoming EP. While appearing on @GoodMorningAmerica, Taraji P. Henson shocked Robin Roberts and the rest of the crew when she revealed that she’s been cooking up something special regarding music—and that her fans should get ready to see a totally different layer to her talent. “I actually have an EP that I’m working on. Surprise!,” she said. However, she elaborated more on what sparked her decision to try music. Rick Ross the founder of Maybach Music has done quite well for himself. During a recent conversation with best-selling author and podcaster Dan Schawbel for Ross’ upcoming new book “The Perfect Day to Boss Up,” Rick dropped some pearls of advice about how he came to be as he is. https://youtu.be/ht2xZjuS25o Writer Matthew Lopez, who is remaking the classic film “The Bodyguard,” yet again, believes that the protagonist for the remake should be Latina. Lopez told movie bosses he’d like the woman taking on Whitney Houston’s most famous film role to be a Latina when he signed on for the project, reports Variety. A Tony Award-winning playwright, Lopez reportedly said the following about his casting desire. “When Warner Bros. approached me about the idea, I quickly said I would (do it) but I wanted the protagonist to be Latina. They agreed to that. “There’s been a lot of speculation about what I’d bring to the remake and some people were assuming that there’d be a gay storyline to it. Instead of focusing on an established star like the one Whitney Houston played, this is about a young Latina performer who has just become famous.” Among the names favored for the remake were Cardi B and Beyonce. However, the 1992 version was celebrated as much for the acting of Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner as it was for the incredible soundtrack. https://youtu.be/rFltWjw9d30 Hip-hop star Nas “shares his philosophy as a lyricist, breaking down how he used his life experiences and emotions to create incredibly raw yet cinematic lyrics with a message to inspire MasterClass members to do the same,” a press release states. Complex spoke with the rapper about MasterClass and why he is sharing some tools of the trade in his new workshop, which begins Oct. 14. https://youtu.be/qMFLu5aK3SA Ludacris (Chris Bridges) teamed with Netflix for his new CG animated series titled “Karma’s World.” The streaming giant ordered 40 11-minute episodes of the series inspired by the rapper’s oldest daughter, Karma Bridges. “I’ve had a lot of accomplishments in my life, but everything that I’ve experienced seems to have led up to this point to where I can leave a legacy for all my daughters,” Ludacris said in a statement. “Karma’s World is one of those legacies. I hope this series will show kids that there are many ways to overcome difficult situations. This show is going to move hip hop culture forward, and show young girls that they have the power to change the world. This project has been a long time in the making and I can’t wait to bring Karma’s World to the entire world.” “During the pandemic…all the tracks were done…going back and forth. We put live drums and live sax in the studio. The first single ‘Smooth Talk’ came out last year. It reached Top 30s. It did pretty good,” said Jazz guitarist dee Brown about his latest album “Deep Secrets” released in September, 2021. https://youtu.be/ezUkUCoD5PU This Saturday, Jared Anderson makes his highly anticipated pay-per-view debut on the undercard of the third matchup between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Anderson, a rising heavyweight star, has won all nine of his professional fights via knockout. In fact, five of his bouts didn’t make it out of the opening round. That could change on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Anderson, 21, will face the undefeated Vladimir Tereshkin (22–0–1), who has 12 knockouts. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his first rap debut by hopping on Tech N9ne’s new track titled “Face Off.” The former WWE champion showed off his skills while promoting the new song on Twitter. He tweeted, “Pumped (& humbled) to drop MY 1ST RAP SONG with my brothers, the GOAT @TechN9ne @therealkingiso & #joeycool. Honored to add some Rock gasoline to their FIRE. Im excited for you to hear this song, I think you’re gonna dig it.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxhFXEF2ab/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Whoopi Goldberg is opening up about why she stopped dating younger guys. During Wednesday’s episode of The View, Goldberg, 65, discussed age gaps in relationships with co-hosts Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines, and guest co-host Cindy McCain. https://twitter.com/i/status/1445803905422663682 Filmed live in Detroit Mi, Hollywood Confidential Salutes The Clark Sisters Special is a tribute to legendary group The Clark Sisters, in celebration of their outstanding career as the biggest selling girl group of all time, and in recognition of their 5x NAACP nominated Lifetime biopic, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel , which was executive produced by Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, and Queen Latifah. Held at the Saban Theater, the series brings out over 2,500 multicultural millennial attendees per installment, happening four times a year. But with COVID comes the series’ first virtual presentation. Covering a wide range of topics from faith, family, and forgiveness, the women gave several exclusives which are sure to reach the hearts of viewers! Noted for their impact on music of all genres, the special also includes commentary on the ladies from GRAMMY Award winning producers/singers Jermaine Dupri, Faith Evans, Ledisi, SWV, Mary Mary, Donald Lawrence, and EMMY nominated actress Aunjanue Ellis (who portrayed Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, the mother of The Clark Sisters in the biopic). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3GsfiVA0W0 Meech and Terry set up an undercover operation using a food truck to sell drugs to factory workers, while Detective Lopez provides files to uncover who killed Jay-Mo. https://www.starz.com/us/en/series/bmf/62264 Popular lifestyle show, TIA MOWRY'S QUICK FIX with air this Friday, October 7 at 9 P.M. EST/8C on CLEO TV. The multi-talented actress, producer, author and entrepreneur, Tia Mowry, serves as host of the digital series that TV One and CLEO TV inked in a major syndication deal with Kin earlier this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHA6vbHCAo4 CLEO TV will air CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Saturday, October 9 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeT37ulW1t8 It’s Me, Julissa! reintroduces fans to entertainment sweetheart Julissa Bermudez who spent years in the industry, hosting various shows and helping others tell their stories. Julissa's series will focus on her New York upbringing, nostalgic Dominican recipes, and some of her life's faux-pas, as well as the launch of her new body care brand República Skin. Netflix is facing a lawsuit over its hit Korean survival drama series “Squid Game.” The series became an international smash hit overnight after arriving on the platform in September. It has since boosted the social media profiles of the series’ stars and sparked a slew of funny memes. https://youtu.be/oqxAJKy0ii4 The man accused of playing monkey sounds and racist music whenever his Black neighbors come and go from their home in Virginia Beach has reportedly been identified as a 47-year-old white man who lives with his mother. Social media sleuths claim to have uncovered the name of the man who is seemingly being protected by local police, which claims they are powerless to get him to stop playing the racist recordings that likely disrupt the entire neighborhood and not just the home of the Black family that lives next door. According to a growing number of reports across social media, John Michael Eskildsen is the name of the man who is accused of setting up multiple surveillance cameras along with motion sensors to automate the playing of music that contains racist, anti-Black slurs and recorded monkey sounds that are on a loop whenever Jannique Martinez and her family arrive to or leave their home. “Whenever we would step out of our house, the monkey noises would start,” Martinez told local news outlet WAVY, which broke the news last week. “And it’s so racist and it’s disgusting.” For years, it appeared that Disney’s That’s So Raven star Orlando Brown was simply unable to get himself together and stay out of trouble with the law. From DUI charges to failure to show up in court to answer for DUI charges, to public intoxication and disturbing the peace, to drug possession and battery—not to mention his infamous Dr. Phil interview where he revealed he’s fathered multiple children who he never sees and who “don’t know me”—Brown pretty much stayed in the news for all the wrong reasons and fans across social media were left to wonder: Is this dude OK?” Well, it appears that Brown is, in fact, OK, and he’s well on his way to turning his life around. But, curiously, his redemption arc hasn’t received nearly as much media attention as his troubled past behavior. https://twitter.com/i/status/1446107298649329668 NHL forward Evander Kane is under investigation for allegedly using a fake COVID-19 vaccine card. According to AP News, a source told the publication that the league investing whether Kane submitted a fake card, but details of said investigation have not be announced by the NHL. Fake vaccination cards are starting to circulate throughout the United States and a new black market is on the rise. COVID-19 is once again on the uptick in the United States, proof of vaccination has become a hot topic amongst lawmakers and business owners. Many states have already mandated that government workers be vaccinated or tested weekly, now the private sector is following suit. As competition between the United States and China intensifies, more Americans now say the Asian country is more powerful economically, a reversal from two years ago when a plurality said the United States had an economic advantage, according to a survey released Thursday by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The nationwide survey also found that protecting U.S. jobs ranks ahead of other American foreign policy priorities such as fighting global pandemics, combating international terrorism and limiting climate change. But a majority do not see current policies as benefiting working-class or middle-class Americans. Instead, large majorities said that U.S. foreign policies help large companies, wealthy Americans, the government and the military. Almost a dozen sailors have been injured after a U.S. nuclear attack submarine hit an unknown underwater object in the South China Sea, USNI News has learned. The Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) suffered an underwater collision while operating in international waters on Oct. 2 and is returning to port in U.S. 7th Fleet, a U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman confirmed to USNI News on Thursday. A RAFT of celebrities have paid for fake Covid passports to get onto TV shows without their required vaccinations. The Sun has the name of five stars who paid £750 each to hoodwink the NHS App system and secure their places on upcoming TV series — where executives had asked for proof of a double jab. Four of the individuals are reality TV stars while one is a musician with a string of UK chart hits. Broadcasters that have fallen foul to the scam are Channel 4’s sister broadcaster E4 and MTV. A source said: “Many TV series are now requiring stars to have double jabs and those who don’t want the vaccination are paying for them instead. “Shark Tank” regular Barbara Corcoran bared her teeth during her Thursday visit to “The View” – and now viewers are accusing her of fat-shaming co-host Whoopi Goldberg. The real estate mogul, 72, made a cutting comment after Goldberg jokingly asked if she’d be able to fit into jeans from Good American, a denim company co-founded by Khloe Kardashian and “Shark Tank” star Emma Grede. “Will they fit this COVID [butt]?” Goldberg, 65, asked, with co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro assuring her that she’d be able to rock the body-inclusive brand. Corcoran – seemingly out of the blue – felt the need to chime in. “When you get finished with those jeans, and decide you don’t like them, give them to me,” she said. “I’m gonna make two pairs!” https://youtu.be/q4lda20RV0o “Halloween Kills” star Jamie Lee Curtis wants young people to run away from the knife in real life. "The current trend of fillers and procedures, and this obsession with filtering, and the things that we do to adjust our appearance on Zoom are wiping out generations of beauty,” the 62-year-old actress told Fast Company. “Once you mess with your face, you can’t get it back.” Curtis has firsthand experience; after a minor plastic surgery operation on her eyes in 1989, she was prescribed painkillers, which led her to develop an opioid addiction she kept secret for a decade. https://youtu.be/tz3XdTV3nMo Eighteen former NBA players were charged Thursday with pocketing about $2.5 million illegally by defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan in a scam that authorities said involved claiming fictitious medical and dental expenses. “The defendants’ playbook involved fraud and deception,” U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss told a news conference after FBI agents across the country arrested 15 former players and one of their wives in a three-year conspiracy that authorities say started in 2017. Strauss said the conspiracy was led by Terrence Williams, he submitted $19,000 in fraudulent claims, Tony Allen and his wife were also indicted. Still, the 18 players combined to make $343 million in their on-court NBA careers, which doesn’t include outside income, endorsements or what any may have made playing overseas. Jacksonville Jaguars’ coach Urban Meyer has had quite a week after a video of him dancing suggestively with a young blonde woman made the rounds on social media over the weekend. TMZ reports that his wife, Shelley Meyer, is now speaking up after four days of silence. “We all make mistakes—we are all sinners,” she wrote. In her post, Shelley revealed she was going to leave Twitter because of the “hate, vitriol, and slander” she and her family have been subjected to following her husband’s weekend antics. “To my wonderful followers/friends: THANK YOU,” wrote Shelley. “For your love, support, friendship, laughs—I will miss this most. I love you ALL and wish God’s blessings on you. Thank you.” Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy named rookie Justin Fields the team’s starting quarterback going forward on Wednesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Starting in place of the injured Andy Dalton last week, Fields led the Bears to a 24-14 victory over the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field and earned his first career win as a starter in the NFL. Dalton began the season as Chicago’s QB1; however, he suffered a knee injury in Week 2, and Fields has started the past two contests. Many fans and pundits called for Fields to start from the onset, but he got his chance in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. Can't Stop, Won't Stop, a popular hip-hop phrase, has new meaning for Andy Mineo, who finally released his 4th studio album, Never Land II, on October 1st. On the eve of his album release, Andy got a call from his lawyers advising him not to drop, Never Land II, because legal had flagged one song, "Been About It," ft Lecrae, for uncleared samples. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNMcZvL_B7M&feature=youtu.be Tonight October 7th 11PM ET*** Bishop Leonard Scott's newest single Great I Am. Premieres on youtube and you are inviting to join the premiere! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnjNwuvRD7g GRAMMY® Award winning producer and recording artist, Donald Lawrence, and GRAMMY® Award winning singer, Le’Andria Johnson, will perform their soul-stirring Billboard No. 1 hit, “This is My Exodus (Deliver Me),” on ABC TV’s “GMA3” this Friday, October 8 @ 1 PM EST/12 PM PST. It re-airs the same day on ABC News Live’s streaming site: www.abcnewslive.com. The Chicago-based Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, will accompany Lawrence and Johnson on the special performance of the song that hails from Lawrence’s concept musical and deluxe soundtrack, “Goshen.” The tune spent four weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart in 2019 and remained on Billboard’s Gospel Streaming Songs chart for 115 weeks. It was recently certified gold by the Recording industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) for 500,000 shipment units or 75 million or more digital streams. Vincent Bohanan’s mother, the late Marie Bohanan, introduced him to songbooks when he was only six years old. He still has and cherishes the first one that she gave him. Moved by the spiritual and musical magic held in the tome, Bohanan wrote his first song that same year. Now, after more than 20 years of consistently writing and growing his craft, Bohanan is preparing to release a songbook of his own. Available later this year, the 2021/2022 Vincent Bohanan Songbook will feature “We Win,” “Any Day Now,” “He Reigns” and more Bohanan penned songs scored for everyone/anyone who knows how to read music. Bohanan is featured on Rich Tolbert, Jr’s single “Never Be Defeated,” which received a 2021 Dove Award nomination for Gospel Worship Song of the Year. Vincent Bohanan’s debut album on HezHouse Entertainment is expected for release next month and his current single, “Oh Give Thanks”, is quickly making impressions at radio. Amethyst is preparing to release her newest offering to the genre titled, “Redeemed”, which features Grammy Award winning artist, Mali Music. “Redeemed” is an urban Caribbean inspired cut. It speaks of gratitude for redemption. “Redeemed” highlights Amethyst’s musical versatility and is a track that will make listeners want to get up and dance joyfully. “Redeemed” echoes the message of believers’ access to freedom because of God’s grace. The single is set to release on all digital outlets October 8th. One of the most sought-after vocalists in contemporary gospel, Lena’s soulful and extraordinary vocal prowess has caught the attention of musicians and artists alike. Her gift has opened many doors. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as Tye Tribbett, Lalah Hathaway, Deitrick Haddon, Dorinda, John P. Kee, Doobie Powell, the late Thomas “TC" Clay, and more. And she was privileged to sing with the legendary Edwin Hawkins as part of the New Edwin Hawkins Singers—where it all began. Lena Byrd Miles drops "Watch Me." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGeWkrP8u2M TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield on Sunday, October 10th at 10 PM ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCPSD-Ta0B0&feature=youtu.be Ray J used his downtime battling pneumonia in the hospital to file for divorce from his wife Princess Love… for the third time. The 40-year-old rapper (real name William Ray Norwood Jr.) filed divorce documents Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, via TMZ. The rapper and his 37-year-old ex have been married since 2016, though this marks the third time divorce papers have been filed. Princess first filed for divorce in May 2020, months after the couple got into a massive fight in Las Vegas. It was reported that they had been living separately since February 2020, but they reconciled that summer amid the COVID-19 quarantine. Ray-J filed for divorce in September, citing irreconcilable differences, also asking the judge to uphold their pre-nuptial agreement. A federal judge has blocked enforcement of Texas’ controversial new abortion law, granting an emergency request from the Justice Department. The department sought the preliminary injunction just days after it sued Texas over its new abortion law. Known as SB 8, the law bans almost all abortions in the state after about six weeks of pregnancy, even in cases of rape, sexual abuse and incest. In his 113-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman said that from the moment SB 8 went into effect last month, “women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution.” He added: “[O]ther courts may find a way to avoid this conclusion is theirs to decide. This Court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right.” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland called the court’s decision “a victory for women in Texas and for the rule of law.” Last week, University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe, 21, was shot and killed while attending a house party. Now, KUTV reports that the Salt Lake Police have arrested a 22-year-old man who is also accused of shooting and wounding another victim. Buk M. Buk was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, attempted murder, and felony discharge of a firearm. In a press release, Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown thanked the community for joining forces, saying that “because of those tips and the unrelenting pursuit of justice from our homicide detectives, we have arrested the person accused of murdering Aaron Lowe.” Lowe was in his third season on the team as a defensive back for the Utes. https://youtu.be/b4YiQHhR0Qw Greenville police believe they’ve identified the person behind a racist East Carolina University frat party invite that circulated earlier this year. The anonymous invitation for a Theta Chi party was posted on the social media site Yik Yak in August. It read: “Theta Chi rush party. [Potential new members] and girls only. No blacks.” The note also included the contact information for a member within the fraternity. Theta Chi denied any involvement with the post. After investigating, police found the party wasn’t real and the post was not actually from a member of the fraternity. Instead, they allegedly traced it to James Daniel Edwards IV, a Black student and a member of Pi Lambda Phi, another East Carolina University frat. He has been charged with cyberstalking, and police are not exactly sure why the 19-year-old even made the post. The family of an 18-year-old student suspected of opening fire and injuring four people at a Texas high school on Wednesday claims he was being bullied and brought the handgun to protect himself. Timothy Simpkins, a student at Timberview High School in Arlington, allegedly drew a .45-caliber handgun during a fight that broke out in a classroom around 9:15 a.m. before fleeing in a 2018 Silver Dodge Charger. After an hourslong manhunt, Simpkins turned himself in and is expected to be charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Following the incident, Simpkins’ family told reporters outside their home in Arlington that he was a target of bullying and had been robbed twice at school. “The decision he made, taking the gun, we are not justifying that. That was not right. But he was trying to protect himself,” said family member Carol Harrison Lafayette, according to FOX4 Dallas-Fort Worth. “We hope the police department does the investigation properly.” https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/local/family-of-suspect-in-timberview-school-shooting-releases-statement/287-d1eaf8cd-3541-48eb-81f7-cf2ebe468fda?jwsource=cl The Seattle Seahawks avoided their first three-game losing streak in a decade after beating the San Francisco 49ers Sunday with a 28-21 victory. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who accounted for three of the team’s four touchdowns, had even more to celebrate after achieving his 100th win during the fourth game of his 10th season with the NFL. The 32-year-old tweeted a chart of the 10 fastest quarterbacks to achieve 100 wins, then made sure to give credit to the Lord. “Jesus … YOU get ALL the Glory,” he said in the tweet. JESUS… YOU get ALL the Glory!!! ???????????? Archaeologists believe they have discovered the foundation of the original building of the First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Virginia, one of the nation’s oldest Black churches. The announcement, shared first with descendants of First Baptist Church members, was officially made on Thursday (Oct. 7) by Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which runs the well-known outdoor living museum and historic district in Williamsburg. “The early history of our congregation, beginning with enslaved and free Blacks gathering outdoors in secret in 1776, has always been a part of who we are as a community,” said the Rev. Reginald F. Davis, pastor of First Baptist Church, in a statement. Andrew Lloyd Webber has said he disliked the 2019 film version of Cats so much he bought a ‘therapy dog’. The theatre impresario said he was let ’emotionally damaged’ by the star-studded big screen adaptation of his classical musical, which he described as ‘off-the-scale wrong’. The film, directed by Tom Hooper, was a critical and commercial flop, with criticism focusing on the CGI effects, plot and acting performances. It was also named worst film of the year at the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards. Lord Lloyd Webber, 73, told Variety: ‘There wasn’t really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it and I just thought, ‘Oh, God, no.’ ‘It was the first time in my 70-odd years on this planet that I went out and bought a dog. So the one good thing to come out of it is my little Havanese puppy.’ The pastor of a New York church that has halted in-person meetings since the coronavirus pandemic hit last year predicts the predominantly Black congregation won’t gather inside its sanctuary until the start of next year. A Pennsylvania minister is counting on warm fall weather to allow some of her congregants to meet for worship outside in October, as it did two Sundays in September. And a Virginia megachurch leader has twice met with his congregants at Maryland outdoor venues — usually reserved for concerts and football games — but doubts regular in-person worship will happen before December. While many congregations have been back to worship for weeks and months, often masked and socially distant, some African American clergy continue to hold off on in-person services. Others have found that when they do open, most members continue to watch the livestreamed services from home. “Every church has to make a decision on where they believe the line of safety is,” said the Rev. Howard-John Wesley of Alexandria, Virginia. “And in our mind, one member contracting COVID on the grounds of Alfred Street would be more than we believe glorifies God.” Pharrell Williams is pulling his Something in the Water music festival from his hometown of Virginia Beach following the police killing of his cousin by a local Black police officer Solomon Simmons, earlier this year. The move comes after two years of COVID-related cancellations. “The toxic energy that changed the narrative several times around the homicide of my cousin, Donovon Lynch, a citizen of Virginia, is the same toxic energy that changed the narrative around the mass murder and senseless loss of life at Building Number 2,” Williams wrote in a letter, referring to the 12 people who died in a 2019 mass shooting at a local municipal building. “Until the gatekeepers and the powers-that-be consider the citizens and the consumer base, and no longer view the idea of human rights for all as a controversial idea… I don’t have any problems with the city, but I realize the city hasn’t valued my proposed solutions, either,” he wrote. Williams fired off a letter to city manager Patrick Duhaney noting that Virginia Beach has been “run by and with toxic energy” for “far too long.” St. Paul, Minn. truck driver Jaleel K. Stallings, 29, fired three shots at a white cargo van with darkened windows after people in the vehicle fired at him and others who were protesting the death of George Floyd, which had taken place five days earlier. Stallings, an Army veteran with a permit to carry, said that protesters were running from the van and warned him that people were shooting from the vehicle as it rolled slowly down Lake Street. Stallings said that after being hit by a rubber bullet himself, he used his gun to shoot the vehicle in an attempt to scare the attackers off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9BDriydWqs Wayne Brady has revealed that his ex-wife and her boyfriend have welcomed a child together and the game show host is super excited to be a “Duncle” to the newborn. As reported by People, Brady announced on Instagram that his ex-wife Mandie Taketa and her boyfriend Jason Fordham welcomed a baby boy via adoption. Brady gushed in the post that he will be co-parenting along with the couple. “He’s gonna call me Duncle (Daddy/Uncle) because I plan on being around and doing all that stuff,” Brady, who is the baby’s godfather, shared in an Instagram video. https://www.instagram.com/mrbradybaby/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=7f5959fe-57de-4a7f-b91b-aa3d230dca44 When Bryson “Cupid” Bernard created the “Cupid Shuffle” in 2007, he didn’t realize the lasting impact it would have on a wide-ranging audience. A timeless classic that appeals to every culture, the shuffle has shown the ability to unite the divided. During these tumultuous times, you can still find several videos of cops and civilians side by side, doing the popular line dance. So, when 17,000 people lined up in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2007 to follow the directions of the dance from Bernard, setting the Guinness World Record for largest line dance, he knew he had created something special. This Louisiana Legend has sold 4 million records, while providing the world with a soundtrack that’s guaranteed to get you dancing. https://youtu.be/h24_zoqu4_Q Kelis’ husband Mike Mora has revealed that he’s battling stage 4 stomach cancer, and he’s documenting the experience on social media. In a series of Instagram posts, Mora explains that he started to fell ill after his family moved to southeast LA to live on a farm, Essence reported. He assumed he was suffering from fatigue due to working long hours under the sun on the family’s farm. However, Mora began to experience brutal stomach pain, a “loss of appetite,” and severe back pain. Mora says that when he finally decided to do something about it he “was a bit late,” but also “just in time.” “I thought the whole time that I just had an ulcer. With no idea what was about to come my way,” he continued. “Here I was, in a hospital bed, during the middle of the pandemic. All alone,” he wrote. https://www.instagram.com/mikemorafotos/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=75fa0e93-60d8-4435-8000-0e148de6079b Giancarlo Esposito speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran actor expressed his frustration with his unvaccinated colleagues who “have superstar agents and managers who can strong arm studios,” writes Uproxx. Esposito is calling them out, saying: “If you don’t want to vaccinate, go to a small island and sequester yourself,” he says. “[Otherwise] you’re saying ‘F*ck you’ to all you other human beings. We all have to do it if we want to live. I don’t understand how people don’t vaccinate. For me, I’ve lost dear friends, so I know it’s real. Not only in Europe but in America, friends who were completely healthy and uncompromised. The vaccine is the answer. I’m not downing anyone who doesn’t want to vaccinate. Don’t work. Go ride it out somewhere where you’re not going to compromise anyone else if you get it.” The popular social media app TikTok is reportedly owned and ran by China, as such, one Hollywood insider claims the platform’s algorithm centers behavior that will have the biggest negative effects in the US. The app pushes to the forefront users who injure themselves and vandalize property while calling it a “trend.” The challenge for October is “slap a teacher.” This follows the popular TikTok challenge involving students stealing school equipment. The California Teachers Association warned staffers to stay alert of possible assaults from students. “Slapping a teacher, regardless of whether it results in injury, is assault and battery and is completely unacceptable and illegal,” the notice read. “Recording in a classroom or on other school property without permission is illegal.” According to reports, very few students are participating in the TikTok ‘slap a teacher’ challenge, as there have only been a handful of isolated incidents reported in schools in Springfield, Missouri and South Carolina. So far, there are not enough students participating to consider this a widespread “viral” trend. Holly Robinson Peete took to Twitter on Monday to blast Air Canada for flagging her sons at the airport and leaving them stranded. Peete wrote to her followers, “Excuse me @AirCanada but you got some explaining to do! My sons have just been refused to get on the airplane and travel because they couldn’t produce our credit card that paid for the tickets. One of them is a minor and now they are stranded in the airport!!!” She continued, tweeting: “I have been traveling back-and-forth to Canada on your airline for 35 years and have never been asked to swipe the actual card that paid for the tickets. Why were these two refused??… The gate agent turned his back on them and refused to allow me to talk to him over the phone to try to explain that I paid for the tickets and I had the card. No more flights until first thing in the morning stuck at the airport.” MSNBC‘s Tiffany D. Cross reached out to Peete for updates on the situation. The veteran actress responded to the host on Tuesday morning, writing, “Thanks sis. The boys had to stay overnight in the airport hotel at our expense. Airline saying this happens sometimes -that they were ‘flagged.’ In any case we rebooked them hoping they don’t make them produce a credit card again this morning. I am on set at work standing by.” Peete said the airline flagged her sons because they were two boys sitting in business class on a one-way ticket. Variety caught up with actress Uzo Aduba as she prepared to start rehearsals for “Clyde’s,” a new Broadway production from writer Lynn Nottage and director Kate Whoriskey that’s set to open at the Second Stage’s Hayes Theater on Nov. 23. Aduba stars as Clyde, the owner of a truck-stop sandwich shop staffed by formerly incarcerated people. The cast also includes Ron Cephas Jones, Reza Salazar, Kara Young and Edmund Donovan. “When you’re on Broadway, the question that is always overhead is how long until we’re told we’re going to close?” Aduba tells Variety. On mounting a production during a global pandemic, she adds: “I’ve never been in a show where it’s been ‘Are we even going to open?’ because the drama’s happening so big offstage. There’s a character bigger than any of us at play here that makes all of this seem like it’s built on shaky ground.” A Richardson ISD junior and a teacher at the district’s learning center campus died last week of “complications from COVID-19,” the superintendent says. Sha’Niyah McGee, a junior at Berkner High School, and Eroletta Piasczyk, a teacher at the Christa McAuliffe Learning Center, died last week, Richardson ISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone wrote in a letter to district staff and parents on Monday. “Sha’Niyah McGee was a junior at Berkner High School and was a kind, respectful and valued member of the BHS family. Eroletta Piasczyk was a teacher at our CMLC campus and was a compassionate, gracious, and talented educator,” Stone wrote. “Both Sha’Niyah and Eroletta were highly cherished members of our RISD family and they will be fondly remembered and missed by their classmates and fellow teachers.” Stone wrote that district counselors would be available for staff and students who need help processing the deaths. A 10-year-old Virginia girl is dead from COVID-19 and her family is demanding answers after learning she was assigned as the ‘class nurse,’ escorting sick kids to the nurse’s office. Teresa Sperry died just five days after she first began experiencing symptoms of COVID with a headache. Her family didn’t learn she tested positive for the coronavirus until two days after her death. Nicole and Jeff Sperry, Teresa’s parents, say that they followed all safety measures to protect their daughter but later learned that her teacher had given her a ‘classroom job’ of walking with sick children to go to the nurse’s office. Nicole Sperry made the accusation in a Facebook post. It took three weeks of scheduled meetings, at least three law firms, dozens of statements, hours of closed-door briefings, and extensive back-and-forth debates across boardrooms, social media, and Zoom calls for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee (EC) to agree to the terms of a third-party investigation into its response to abuse. But on Tuesday, it did. The EC voted 44–31 on in favor of waiving attorney-client privilege in the investigation, after a half dozen members resigned and several switched their position in favor of the waiver. For a moment, it felt like the conclusion of a long and heated process, though the decision is only the start of a long investigative process. EC chairman Rolland Slade, who oversaw the proceedings, expressed his relief after the tally was announced. A Dallas police officer has been arrested and 12 others are under investigation for their participation in what authorities call a pyramid promotion scheme. One officer, Reginald Jones, turned himself in to the DeSoto Police Department after a warrant was issued Friday for his arrest. According to the arrest affidavit, the Dallas Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit received a complaint on Sept. 30, 2020 from another Dallas officer saying Jones was “… promoting a pyramid scheme by recruiting individuals to pay money to participants and then recruit new participants in order to receive money in return.” https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/crime/officials-dallas-officer-arrested-a-dozen-others-face-charges-in-alleged-pyramid-scheme/287-a6466504-4c7f-4c30-9116-3abd9ca52e42?jwsource=cl R. Kelly’s YouTube channels have been permanently removed after he was sent to prison for exploiting his fame for decades to recruit multiple women and underage girls for sex. In a statement, YouTube confirmed that two channels—RKellyTV and RKellyVevo—have been taken down for good and the convicted sex criminal won’t be allowed to create or own any other channel at any time in the future. However, Kelly’s music will remain on the company’s audio-streaming service YouTube Music, and other users will be able to upload videos of his music. Kelly’s songs are also still available on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. The MuteRKelly campaign, which is trying to cut off Kelly’s revenue streams in light of his conviction, responded with a tweet that said: “Waiting on you @youtubemusic, and you too @Spotify @AppleMusic @AmazonMusic.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Christian singer TobyMac opened up about his son’s death while performing in a concert last week, thanking fans for their support and acknowledging that he’s been walking through a “valley.” TobyMac also said he believes he will see his son again in heaven. Truett McKeehan died in 2019 at the age of 21. TobyMac made the remarks while performing the first leg of his Hits Deep tour in Moline, Ill. “Some of you said to me along the way, you said, ‘You’ll see him again.’ … I can say with perfect confidence, I believe, with all my heart, that I will see my boy again. “The question is this: Why do I get to see my son again? Because his good outweighed his bad? No – because it didn’t. He was my wild child. And my good doesn’t outweigh my bad. There’s only one reason I get to see my son again, and it’s this: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. The way I see it … is this: God gave His firstborn son so that I could see my firstborn son again.” ESPN has removed personality Sage Steele from programming for a week after she made controversial remarks in a podcast appearance, including calling the company’s coronavirus vaccine mandate “sick” and saying it was “fascinating” that former President Obama self-identifies as Black “considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found.” A source told Front Office Sports on Tuesday that Steele won’t appear in her regular noon “Sportscenter” slot for a week and she will no longer be the host for the 2021 “espnW: Women + Sports Summit,” which will take place from Oct 18-20. “At ESPN, we embrace different points of view — dialogue and discussion makes this place great,” ESPN said in a statement. “That said, we expect that those points of view be expressed respectfully, in a manner consistent with our values, and in line with our internal policies.” A bare-knuckle fighter has died in hospital six weeks after a brutal 19-second knockout left him partially paralyzed. Justin Thornton, 38, was taking part in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) 20 in Biloxi, Mississippi on August 20 when he sustained a brutal KO defeat. His opponent Dillon Cleckler caught him with a vicious right hook just 19 seconds into the first round, sending him face-first to the canvas before the referee quickly halted proceedings and rushed to his aid. According to his Facebook page, where a GoFundMe was set up shortly after the fight, Thornton was taken straight to hospital and was partially paralyzed and put on a ventilator for several weeks. Dealing with the fallout from viral videos showing Urban Meyer at an Ohio bar over the weekend, Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement saying Meyer “must regain our trust and respect.” “I have addressed this matter with Urban,” Khan said in the statement. “Specifics of our conversation will be held in confidence. What I will say is his conduct last weekend was inexcusable.“I appreciate Urban’s remorse, which I believe is sincere. Now, he must regain our trust and respect. That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com TV One has announced that production is underway in Atlanta for its new original movie STALKER, slated to premiere in March 2022. The movie tells the story of an actress that is stalked by a mysterious figure who hides out in her hometown, where she becomes involved with two men, and tries to determine if one is behind what is happening. The film’s stars include Meta Golding (Behind the Movement), Christian Keyes (Saints & Sinners) and Tationna Bosier (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Created by Kaye Singleton (Saints & Sinners, American Soul), Covenant will draw audiences into a world of thrilling, suspenseful drama where characters and stories of the bible are thrust into a vicious dystopia of present-day, real-life situations. The four-part anthology series will tell four remarkable tales of betrayal, love, revenge, and redemption – challenging viewers to examine how these sacred lessons of faith fit into today’s society. Each story will be told in 2-parts (8 weeks total) debuting exclusively on popular AMC Networks’ streamer ALLBLK (www.ALLBLK.tv), on Thursday, October 14th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShZc-AaR8wU This year the 2021 BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” brought the hottest names in Hip Hop back to Atlanta, GA for the annual taping. Comedy supergroup 85 South (Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly, and Chico Bean) hosted this year’s awards from The Cobb Energy Centre which premiered on Tuesday, October 5 on BET, BET Her, MTV2 and VH1. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion ruled the night by jointly snagging three wins each including ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Best Hip Hop Video’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ for their smash hit “WAP.” Tyler, The Creator took home two wins for ‘Hip Hop Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Live Performer’ in addition to his “Rock the Bells Cultural Influence Award” presented by LL Cool J. Jay Z scored double wins in the “Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse” and “Impact Track” for his Nipsey Hussle collaboration “What It Feels Like.” Newcomer Yung Bleu was crowned ‘Best New Hip Hop Artist’ while rap sensation Saweetie took home ‘Hustler of the Year.” Music icon Missy Elliott was voted ‘Video Director of the Year’ and ‘Lyricist of the Year’ went to J. Cole. UK rapper Little Simz took home the ‘Best International Flow’ award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SQeFvp4rY0&feature=youtu.be Tesla must pay $137 million to a Black employee who sued for racial discrimination. A San Francisco federal court has awarded former Tesla worker, Owen Diaz, about $137 million after he endured racist abuse working as an elevator operator. CNBC writes, “the case was only able to move forward because Diaz had not signed one of Tesla’s mandatory arbitration agreements which the company uses to force employees to resolve disputes without a public trial.” Diaz was awarded more than attorneys asked for their client, $130 million in punitive damages and $6.9 million for emotional distress, per the report. https://youtu.be/vmz3_gfpttw Dave Chappelle is catching heat from the LGBTQ community for remarks made in his newest comedy special. “Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact,” Chappelle said in “The Closer.” “Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p—ies that they got… you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p—y, but it’s Beyond P—y or Impossible P—y. It tastes like p—y, but that’s not quite what it is, is it? That’s not blood,” he said. “That’s beet juice.” https://youtu.be/i1UEj_6T1RE Nick Cannon and his new daytime talk show could replace Wendy Williams’ timeslot amid her continued health issues. Show execs are said to be considering Cannon a “backup plan” since the season 13 premiere has been delayed several times. An insider revealed to Page Six, “The executives have been talking. They are keeping a close eye on [Williams’] recovery and hoping for the best. But they have pushed back [her] show premiere several times, so they are already thinking of a backup plan.” The source claims Nick is the top choice due to his popularity. The planned “L.A. Law” continuation has just inched closer toward becoming a reality, as ABC has given a pilot green light to the updated version of Steven Bochco’s legal drama. The reboot, which had been in the works at the network since December, is headlined by Blair Underwood, reprising his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins in addition to executive producing along with Anthony Hemingway, who will also direct. https://youtu.be/tAXa0wzwVKs Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired the North American rights to up and coming director, Maya Cozier’s “She Paradise.” The Soca dance drama stars Onessa Nestor, Kimberly Crichton (“Home Again”), Denisia Latchman, Michael Cherrie (“The Rise and Fall of John Tesoro”), Kern Mollineau, and Chelsey Rampersad. https://youtu.be/ArhKGfi0MI8 Late “60 Minutes” journalist Ed Bradley was honored in Fairmount Park Thursday with a Pennsylvania historical marker. Per The Philadelphia Tribune, throughout his career, the Philly native received dozens of prestigious awards in journalism, including Emmys, Duponts and Peabodys. “I think he’d be genuinely surprised,” said Patricia Blanchet, widow of Ed Bradley. “He never forgot that he was from this place called The Bottom, known as the Black Bottom at one point in time,” said Blanchet. “When I learned of his history here (in Philadelphia), it was much more than a place where he was from, but a place that shaped him into the man he’d become,” Blanchet said. On the heels of a visual teaser for her first new music in six years, Adele is reportedly shopping Las Vegas hotels for a planned residency in lieu of touring behind her impending new album. Billboard is reporting that the hotel search has narrowed down to two possibilities: the Park Theater at the Park MGM Las Vegas and the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, both run by Live Nation. Both have maximum capacities just shy of 7,000, Billboard reports. https://youtu.be/RB9sXKVUa_s Following the third installment of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show, the singer is giving her lingerie and loungewear brand the storefront treatment next year. As reported by The Root, Savage X Fenty’s co-president and chief merchandising and design officer Christiane Pendarvis made the announcement during an interview for Bloomberg’s Black in Focus Twitter series. "Retail is an important part of our growth strategy. You’ll absolutely see some stores in 2022,” Pendarvis explained, adding that the stores will be standalones as opposed to a “store within a store.” https://youtu.be/FG8UWWCjrT8 New Baltimore recording artist, Jamaal Miller comes out with a song of encouragement in these times with a song that let's you know that It ain't gonna be "LIKE THIS" always. This song is blessing many around the world.https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i8dbktc9su2fdsw/AABMMFTBo6ngjFmSBbSFEWcAa?dl=0&preview=Like+This+.mp3 Kerry Douglas Presents to the world his brand new artist with a big sound LaShá Knox. Her oily anointed & highly impressive vocals is a perfect combination for the remake of "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xI5jOhC7Ac Grammy Nominated & Stellar Award Winning Gospel Hit-Maker REV. LUTHER BARNES Continues To Make Moves On The Charts......https://soundcloud.com/shanachie-1/luther-barnes-you-kept-me-radio/s-PByjBLNTaD1 Rhonda Towns (Dawn Records) has announced the release of the "Walking In Your Wonderful Light" official music video. Corresponding with the April 2021 single release, the long-awaited visual is an uplifting and inspiring complement to the tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxXdmbbwFtc Singer Tia Rachelle is on a mission to make her mark on the world. She drops "Sufficient Grace." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4lNT9CjPd4 At least four people were injured Wednesday morning during a shooting at Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas. Police said that a fight between students on the second floor of the school escalated when one of the students pulled out a gun and began firing. Video of the moment shots rang out has been circulating on the Internet. A total of four people were hurt, including three students and one adult. Three of the victims were transported to nearby hospitals and the fourth person had minor injuries and was treated and released on the scene. Syleena Johnson is sharing her thoughts on the latest concerning R. Kelly – and she doesn’t believe he should be in jail. On a recent episode of Cocktails With Queens, the co-hosts spoke on recent reports that R. Kelly was allegedly working with prosecutors to get a reduced sentence, by providing information on other celebrities who have been with minors. Syleena Johnson shared her thoughts and said, “I’m not gonna cry. I think he has really been misjudged here. I don’t think he needs to be in jail. I think he needs to be in an insane asylum. Real talk.” “Don’t get it twisted. I think he needs to be in a straight jacket. I think some of the behavior that has been going`down has been erratic, and I think that a lot of Black men in jail have been misjudged.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CUp51RaFKv4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Aaron Benson, an inmate at California State Prison in Lancaster, has just taken a step toward changing his life. He was among the inmates on Tuesday who participated in the first ever Cal State graduation ceremony held inside a state prison. “None of us thought this would be possible and we faced a lot of adversity in our lives and in here,” he told ABC7. “I’m so proud of everybody.” Benson joined 22 fellow classmates – all in cap and gowns – to receive his Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies through an educational partnership with Cal State L.A. Prison inmate and graduate Jason Keaton said he can’t believe it really happened. He said he has plans for the future. https://abc7.com/prison-inmates-college-degree-cal-state-la-lancaster/11086787/ “It’s a Ghana term,” said Mint Condition lead vocalist Stokley Williams about the title to his sophomore solo album “Sankofa” (Perspective Records) featuring Snoop Dogg, H.E. R., Wale, The Bonfyre and his father African Studies Professor Mahmoud El-Kati. “There’s even a symbol for it, a bird looking back while moving forward.” The “Sankofa” project is distributed on the newly re-activated imprint of music living legends Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Flyte Time/Janet Jackson), home of Mint Condition and Sounds of Blackness. The Stokley project features songwriting assistance from Carvin Haggins (Jill Scott), S.Dot (Mary J Blige), and Shakespeare! (Justin Bieber). Kailand Morris, the son of music icon Stevie Wonder, spoke out earlier this year about designing his own capsule collection with Italian sportswear label Iceberg. Morris, 20, interned with Dior last winter, and the young model often shares via his Instagram his work with brands like Balmain, Dior, Lacoste and Dolce & Banana – with whom he made his runway debut in 2018, as reported by Black Enterprise. He established House of KOM, which last summer released a fundraising T-shirt benefitting Black Lives Matter. https://www.instagram.com/kailandmorris/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b7dfbf1d-b231-457e-99f6-f340593305b7 Global street dance competition Red Bull Dance Your Style will make its debut in Memphis on Sunday, October 10th at Railgarten. Per press release, the event will bring together the best in hip-hop, house, waacking, popping, krumping, locking, jookin, and more, the event will celebrate the vibrant dance scene of Memphis and the artists, movers, and creators who have contributed to the city’s legacy within street dance. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUqUv2ghYwg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Oprah Winfrey is keeping her circle small! The media mogul explained in a recent interview why she only has three close friends. She opened up about her close friendships while on the Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast Monday (Oct. 4). She first detailed her longtime friendship with Maria Shriver, who she’s been friends with for more than four decades. She went on to say other than Maria Shriver, her infamous 42-year friendship with Gayle King, and her close relationship with journalist Bob Greene, she doesn’t have very many friends. https://www.instagram.com/thejasminebrand/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=2441aed6-da4b-4f4c-bda7-71a5ec9562a5 With this week’s upcoming season premiere of ABC’s Shark Tank, history will be made as a Black woman will occupy a seat on the stage of the popular unscripted show. According to ABC, Emma Grede, the CEO of fashion juggernaut Good American and founding partner of SKIMS, will be making history when she appears on stage with the others as the first Black female guest Shark. The regular cast of Sharks, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O’Leary, will be making their usual appearances for the 13th season of Shark Tank. Bubba Wallace has made history by becoming the second Black driver to win at NASCAR’s top Cup Series race on Monday at Talladega Superspeedway. “This is for all the kids out there that want to have an opportunity and whatever they want to achieve, and be the best at what they want to do,” Wallace said as he choked back tears, NPR reports. “You’re going to go through a lot of (BS). But you always got to stick true to your path and not let the nonsense get to you. https://youtu.be/u7ro994dTKA Four new hip hop couples face the music on a brand-new season of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition,” premiering Thursday, October 7 on WE tv. https://youtu.be/JfAS30kLZto Howard University and Netflix are honoring late alumnus Chadwick Boseman with a $5.4 million scholarship benefiting incoming students of the historically Black university. The Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial Scholarship will provide a four-year scholarship covering the entire cost of tuition to students attending the College Of Fine Arts, according to a press release. The scholarship will first be distributed to a student from each class in the Fall of 2021, before being granted to incoming freshmen every year. Former Ozy Media staffers say they are definitely not returning to the job amid reports that the company is closing following a scathing New York Times exposé about a conference call gone wrong. The incident prompted a review of Ozy’s leadership, and despite the company’s announcement last week that it would be closing, Carlos Watson, co-founder of the disgraced digital-media venture, went on TV Monday morning to say that Ozy Media is not going away anytime soon. There does not appear to be a plan. Carlos has gone completely rogue,” one former staffer tells TheWrap. “The entire editorial staff is done with him — who would possibly go back? Who the hell is going to want to go on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’ now?” “We are all sick of the roller coaster,” another former employee said. Someone vandalized a statue of George Floyd in New York’s Union Square with paint. The incident occurred not even 48 hours after it was unveiled to the public in an emotional ceremony. The statue is one of 3 — including Breonna Taylor and John Lewis. It was smeared with what appears to be grey paint. As it turns out, the culprit behind the attack was caught on camera doing the deed. https://youtu.be/LpsBKlO0I-g The Texas board of pardons and parolees said that should be pardoned for a 2004 drug conviction based on a charge by former Houston police officer Gerald Goines, who is currently facing charges tied to the botched Harding Street drug raid, reports ABC13. Goines was charged last year with murder over a deadly botched narcotics raid in 2019 at a home that killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. An investigation into the raid by prosecutors found that multiple people, including Floyd, may have been convicted based on the false evidence presented by Goines. WCCO has uncovered disturbing new details about why a Minnesota high school canceled its football season. School leaders and police in Proctor won’t talk specifics, but multiple students told WCCO about a locker room assault and the video that spread on social media. “Everyone’s just super stressed. It’s just hard,” Phoenix Koski told us. Multiple students told us two football players held down another player as a third, older teammate used an item to sodomize that player held on the ground. https://cbsloc.al/3A4jZCJ Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren pleaded guilty on Monday and agreed to resign shortly before her term ends as part of a deal to settle charges she violated campaign finance rules during her 2017 reelection campaign. Warren, 44, was scheduled to go on trial Monday on felony charges she and two assistants took steps to evade contribution limits. Instead, Warren, the first female and second black mayor of Rochester, pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of accepting campaign contributions that exceeded legal limits, according to the Monroe County district attorney’s office. Her two co-defendants, Rosiland Brooks-Harris, political action committee treasurer and Rochester finance director, and Warren’s campaign treasurer, Albert Jones Jr., have also pleaded guilty to the same charge. On THE REAL airing Tuesday, October 5th, professional dancer, model, actress and body positivity influencer Amanda LaCount opens up about her journey to dancing, revealing some of the struggles she faced trying to break the stereotype in the dance community to ultimately working with music superstars Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lizzo and Lady Gaga. https://youtu.be/9UKUvSyORF4 ; President Joe Biden has lifted a ban on federally funded family planning clinics giving abortion referrals. Monday’s action by the Department of Health and Human Services lifts a Trump-era restriction as political and legal battles over abortion grow sharper from Texas to the U.S. Supreme Court. Groups representing the clinics say they hope the rule reversal leads to the return of 1,300 service providers that left the program merely to protest the Trump policy. The Department of Health and Human Services said it’s returning the federal family planning program to the way it ran under the Obama administration. Planned Parenthood said on Twitter its health centers look forward to returning. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A married black couple who fled to the UK to escape slavery in the US, have had their former London home honored with a blue plaque by English Heritage. Ellen and William Craft lived at 26 Cambridge Grove, a mid-Victorian house in Hammersmith, after fleeing the US to embark on a dangerous 1,000 mile journey in the mid-19th century. Ellen, who was the child of a mixed-race slave raped by her white owner, was a fair-skinned house servant to her half-sister and worked as a seamstress, while her husband William worked as a carpenter for his slaveholder. Adele has announced that her comeback single Easy On Me will be released next week. The pop superstar shared a short video on Twitter containing the opening bars of the piano-led track and confirmed it will arrive on Friday October 15. In the black and white clip, the 33-year-old is seen inserting a cassette into a car stereo and driving down a country lane while pieces of paper fly out of the windows of her car. Aretha Franklin was given her propers Monday (Oct. 4) when a post office in her hometown of Detroit was renamed for the late legend. Members of Franklin’s family as well as postal and elected officials visited the former Fox Creek post office to mark the occasion. Aretha Franklin was given her propers Monday (Oct. 4) when a post office in her hometown of Detroit was renamed for the late legend. Members of Franklin’s family as well as postal and elected officials visited the former Fox Creek post office to mark the occasion. https://youtu.be/JsTRhCxYf4o Having your thoughts narrated by Morgan Freeman, aka the Voice of God, is a rare occurrence that Dave Chappelle is lucky enough to have in his latest promo for standup special “The Closer,” which premiered at midnight on Netflix. Sadly, for Freeman, Chappelle just wasn’t in the mood for Freeman’s dramatics. As the comic drove along a country road, with Freeman’s voice narrating his state of mind, Chappelle slams on the breaks, and Freeman is revealed to be riding shotgun. “Will you shut the f**k up, Morgan Freeman!” Chappelle shouts. https://youtu.be/i1UEj_6T1RE Hip-hop legends KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane will reportedly face off for the next Verzuz battle. The virtual show will take place on Sunday, October 17th at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center. The news follows reports that Dru Hill has challenged Boyz II Men, 112 and Jagged Edge to a Verzuz battle. Dru Hill posted a video on social media requesting a virtual face-off between popular R&B boy groups of the 90s. Will Downing is bringing NEW MUSIC to fans! Downing outlined the track list for his upcoming album, Sophisticated Soul set to release November 2. Will Downing continues to serve his fan base through his own Sophisticated Soul Record label. The 8 songs on Will Downing – Sophisticated Soul track list includes: Baby I’m Yours, Come With Me, Let’s Go, Love Language, Never Wanted Anyone, Old School Love, Warmth of You and When I First Saw You. Chris and Roberta Holmes founded The Black Home Shopping Channel streaming on Exposure Network TV, and now the couple is expanding their talents to other major streamers. The Holmes will create a new channel for Amazon, Roku and Apple TV, Black Enterprise reports. FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform serving unapologetically Black, consumable by all content 365 days a year, has forged strategic partnerships with several top media and entertainment companies, including: The For Us By Us Network, Stellar TV, Black Enterprise, Dame Dash Studios, among others, to release an exciting lineup of new shows this Fall. Available now on YouTubeTV and YouTube, as well as the FOX SOUL app and website, Samsung TV, ROKU and Tubi, the streaming platform and its strategic partners are bringing a mix of original talk, reality, faith and informational series featuring cultural icons in music, entertainment and sports. Tyler Perry and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse are joining forces on a new thriller titled “Help.” The pair shared the news Friday at the second annual BlumFest, Deadline reports. The plot details haven’t been revealed. The movie will begin filming at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta next year. ESPN sports anchor Sage Steele is trending following Wednesday taping of the podcast, “Uncut,” where she made a few shocking comments. During Jay Cutler’s show, the former footballer called Steele the “Candace Owens of ESPN” after the two discussed the criticism she has gotten for her anti-vaccine stance. Steele said ESPN’s vaccine mandates are “sick” and “scary,” but got it to keep her job: “I respect a lot of Candace Owens,” said Steele about the controversial Black commentator who is also not a fan of COVID vaccine mandates. On Sunday, another clip from the show was picked up and went viral. Cutler and Steele had a conversation about the Black identity and former President Barack Obama when discussing how Steele would fill out the census. Steele said that she told a friend that said Barack Obama chose Black as his race on the Census because bi-racial is not an option. “Congratulations to the President, that’s his thing.” She added, “I think that’s fascinating considering his black dad is nowhere to be found but his white mom and grandma raised him, but okay. You do you. I’m gonna do me.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CUnCMn1FTL9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again In the latest episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” Comedian, actress and author Phoebe Robinson joins Jemele to discuss her new book, “Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes.” Phoebe also discusses what it was like to tour with former First Lady Michelle Obama on her book tour, how she found her voice in comedy, and how it feels to have her first stand-up comedy special debuting on HBO Max. Also, Jemele has some advice for the loud and wrong. https://open.spotify.com/episode/763TxIekdcL4ZxOhesGMWV?go=1&sp_cid=d8f3404834cb0a4e638c1ad03aa1e03c&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&dl_branch=1&nd=1 Netflix has unveiled its list of entertaining shows and films for the month of October. Fans of the streaming giant’s hit series “You,” will be thrilled to know that the third season debuts this month. A prequel to Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead “titled “Army of Thieves” will also drop as well as Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay’s “Colin in Black & White” series. https://youtu.be/yqJFWS81Mf4 Treasure Thompson is bringing it to your doorsteps with Nu Energy Spa. The traveling spa provides a plethora of services from teeth whitening, Yoni steaming, ionic full-body detoxification, silicone cupping – to skip the bruising – and a pink Himalayan salt room, vaginal masks, and cool mist chromotherapy. “I fell in love helping others after having to take care of my grandmother at a young age. Which led me here,” shared Thompson to the crowd at the grand opening last Saturday at a laid-back location in Downtown LA. Family and friends gathered for brunch and mimosa’s to watch the purple ribbon-cutting ceremony. The DJ was playing hit after hit and there was a spinning wheel to win raffle tickets for free services. Catch Aaron Moses of Maverick City Musica on THE REAL with the #1 Single "Nadie Como Tu" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc_JZI3E4kw The Rise and Shine: Ladies Who Brunch event created and curated by actress, producer and creator Malinda Williams took place over the weekend at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood. The afternoon brunch gathered dynamic and accomplished women from all genres and influence in entertainment, executives and small business owners to network and celebrate black excellence. VIP guests in attendance included Niecy Nash, Vanessa Estelle Williams, Koshie Mills, Monique Coleman, Alexis Kerr and more! The 2nd annual event was a hybrid, inclusive of an in-person brunch and a virtual experience hosted by Porsha Monique. Malinda's co-hosts of the Rise and Shine event were powerhouse celebrity publicist and TV Personality Kita Williams and best-selling author, transformational speaker and Editor-In-Chief of Cheryl Magazine, Cheryl P. Williamson. The women in attendance understood the assignment of celebrating sisterhood and female empowerment. A new pilot program at several U.S. Postal Service locations tests the potential for a new future of financial services. The program is limited to postal customers in select areas in Falls Church, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; Bronx, New York; and Washington, D.C. NBC News reported that customers could cash payroll or government checks of $500 or less. Customers will also have ATM access, bill payment, and expanded money orders and wire transfers. Citing a May 2021 study from the University of Michigan, NBC News reported approximately 60 million people live in a census tract with a retail post office but not a community bank. Researchers pointed to the need to expand access to financial services to build back from the pandemic. With the entire Facebook network of social media sites down for most of the day Monday, social media users have scrambled to get their news, information, and laughs. The cause of the outages remained unknown as of Monday afternoon. But the impact could be felt as individuals and companies alike were rethinking contingency plans for moments like this. Facebook’s several-hour outage could also be an opening for other social networking sites. Entertainment journalist Gary Hamilton tweeted that while all the other sites were struggling, BlackPlanet was still going strong. Video of a Missouri man who pulled a driver from a burning car – instead of whipping out his phone to merely film his apparent doom, as many onlookers did – has gone viral. eilen Robinson, 23, was driving on Interstate 70 in St. Louis on a Tuesday evening when he crashed into the cement median, was knocked unconscious and became trapped inside of his vehicle, which quickly burst into flames, according to Fox News. Antonio Morgan, also driving along I-70 in St. Louis on a Tuesday evening, saw the accident, noted the driver trapped inside, saw the car burst into flames and decided to pull over to help. https://youtu.be/MLAbO94NP5w Barack Obama and Michelle Obama shared touching tributes on social media over the weekend to mark their 29th wedding anniversary. The former first lady posted a throwback of her and the former president lounging on a couch together along with another shot of them cuddled on a different couch. “How it started vs. how it’s going,” wrote Michelle on Instagram on Sunday. “Happy anniversary, Barack—love you! ????.” He was the first basketball player in two decades to bypass college altogether and enter the NBA out of high school. “Anything is Possible,” the apt title of a documentary spotlighting the remarkable rise and reign of Kevin Garnett, hits Showtime beginning Friday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. The film explores how Garnett’s decision to become eligible for the NBA draft out of high school changed the face of the NBA and ushered in a phenomenon that reverberated beyond the league and even the sport. In addition to Garnett, the film features a range of dynamic voices and characters including Snoop Dogg, Sam Cassell, Pau Gasol and more. https://youtu.be/RErHyWLzTN8 Paying attention to LeBron James’s comment is veteran center Enes Kanter who was asked if he was surprised by James’ stance. Kanter admitted that he was disappointed by James’ lack of encouragement for those around him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1444656879041454080 William Shatner, the "Star Trek" actor who found fame by pretending a Hollywood soundstage was a spaceship exploring the galaxy, will be launched to the edge of space for real next week in a rocket built by Blue Origin, billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company. Shatner, best known as Captain Kirk in the original "Star Trek" television series, will be part of a four-person crew aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard launch vehicle on the flight scheduled for the morning of Oct. 12, the company said on Monday. "I've heard about space for a long time now," Shatner, 90, said in a statement released by Blue Origin."I'm taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle." When famed Motown singer Tammi Terrell was 17 years old, she reportedly dated music icon James Brown who was age 30 at the time. Before she found success as a singer best known for her duet with Marvin Gaye, “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” Terrell was Brown’s backup vocalist. According to Tammi’s sister, Ludie Montgomery, their Mother once found Brown sleeping in Tammi’s bed in an NYC hotel suite. According to Tammi Terrell’s sister (Ludie), James Brown enticed the impressionable 17-year-old Tammi with lavish gifts and luxuries when she toured with the James Brown Review. James also bought her many presents which included furs, jewelry and gorgeous ensembles; the next outfit was more beautiful than the last. Singer Gene Chandler previously revealed that Brown was abusive to Terrell. “I witnessed the situation and she came to me for help, then I called her parents,” said Chandler. After Terrell and Brown called it quits she reportedly dated another alleged abuser of women, Temptations lead singer, David Ruffin. https://youtu.be/IC5PL0XImjw Usher’s ex-wife Tameka Foster opens up about their marriage in her new memoir titled “Here I Stand… in a Beautiful State,” which is now available to purchase. Foster tells Page Six that one of the biggest misconceptions is that she married the global superstar for his money. “The truth is, I really, really loved my husband,” Foster said. “It wasn’t bull****. It wasn’t gold-digging. I always said that I took a pay cut when I married him.” Throughout their relationship, Foster was labeled a gold digger, she was criticized for being eight years older than the singer and there were rumors that she didn’t get along with Usher’s mother. Page Six writes, Usher canceled “their wedding when his mother told him Foster was five years older than she actually was.” Last month, Foster promoted her book on the “Tamron Hall” show and shared how she coped with the tragic loss of her son, Kile Glover, almost 10 years ago. The child died from head injuries he suffered in a jet skiing accident. https://youtu.be/JJSwYARrAOA In July Keyshia Cole lost her biological mother, Frankie Lons, to a drug overdose. Her autopsy shows she died of multiple drug intoxication, according to TMZ. The Alameda County Coroner’s Office told the site that Frankie’s official cause of death ‘was determined during her autopsy, which also revealed her manner of death as an accidental overdose.’ She passed on her birthday after battling addiction for years. She was 61. As reported by Deadline, when the hit series kicks off production in the fall, stars Raven Symoné and Isaac Ryan Brown will film on a new set along with several major changes in front and behind the camera. Season 5 welcomes back series regular Rondell Sheridan and joining the upcoming season are Mykal-Michelle Harris, Felix Avitia and Emmy Liu-Wang. If you’re trying to access Facebook, Instagram and other associated apps and functions, but CAN’T … it’s because the company suffered a major outage across several countries on Monday. The issues began around 11:45am ET on Monday, according to user reports on Downdetector. They appeared to affect users in many countries around the world. In a tweet addressing the outage, Facebook said, “We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.” Instagram also addressed the outage on Twitter, saying, “Instagram and friends are having a little bit of a hard time right now, and you may be having issues using them. Bear with us, we’re on it! #instagramdown.” Carlos Watson’s Ozy Media is reportedly closing its doors following a scathing New York Times exposé about a conference call gone wrong. The closure comes after a co-founder of the company impersonated a YouTube executive during a funding call with a Goldman Sachs banker while attempting to raise $40 million from the investment bank. “We’re going to open for business,” Watson told “Today” show anchor Craig Melvin. “This is our Lazarus moment, if you will. This is our Tylenol moment. Last week was traumatic. It was difficult, heartbreaking in many ways.” Per CNN, “The company has already, in effect, dissolved. Three of the five board members resigned in the wake of The New York Times’ Ben Smith exposé about Ozy’s misrepresentations,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/ZmzKJ4YJDgg CNN’s Don Lemon recently spoke with a Black woman in Virginia who says her racist neighbor in a Salem Lakes cul de sac taunts her with racist recordings and monkey noises. Jannique Martinez and her family moved into their home in Virginia Beach, Virginia, five years ago, a property Martinez describes as “everything I envisioned for my family and for raising my kids in a nice, quiet neighborhood,” she tells CNN. But her happy home was disrupted by a racist neighbor’s music, racial slurs, blinking lights and monkey sounds directed at her daily. “I’m not going to lie, if I had any imagination it would be like this, we would have not bought this house. I would never sign up for this,” she said. https://youtu.be/uLBwZ2lTUno Deontay Wilder will stop Tyson Fury in the first half of their third fight on Oct. 9, according to Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel. Wilder will “conclusively” regain his WBC heavyweight title from Fury said Finkel, who considers “The Bronze Bomber” to be “on that level” with four other champions he’s guided — Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali. “I believe Deontay is going to knock him out in under six rounds,” said Finkel, 77. “There won’t be any reason for a fourth fight. I think you’re going to see a very dominant performance from Deontay, and I think he will end the fight conclusively, and then we can move on.” On Thursday, (Sept. 30), boxer Claressa Shields called out Jake Paul and challenged him to a match. Notably, Claressa Shields is the only boxer in history to simultaneously hold four major world titles in two different weight classes. She also has two Olympic gold medals. Claressa Shields called out Jake Paul by stating: “Jake Paul gets inside a boxing ring with me, he’s getting his a** whooped! And look, Jake Paul is gonna say a lot of stuff. He’s gonna say ‘Oh, she’s a woman, I would never fight a girl. It’s a lose-lose because if I beat her I’m a woman beater’–that’s what he gon’ say. Well look, this is the truth: I am a decorated female fighter. I’m the motherf**king GWOAT. I saw him make that post today with Amanda Serrano, he needs to know that I’m the GWOAT. “The Jesus Music,” a new documentary depicting the rise of the contemporary Christian music (CCM) genre, releases in theaters Friday (Oct. 1). The documentary features interviews with a wide variety of CCM artists both new and old, including Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Lauren Daigle, TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, Bart Millard and Bill Gaither. The film chronicles the history of contemporary Christian music from its beginnings as the music closely associated with the “Jesus Movement” of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, to its transformation into an industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht0amareeDI The president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, closed the annual session of his denomination this week with critiques of cultural conflicts and Christian nationalism. “I am pro-life — always have been — but I’m puzzled,” the Rev. Jerry Young said in the presidential address at his denomination’s virtual annual session on Tuesday (Sept. 28). “What is more private than what happens to a lady in her own body? If you can mandate her not to have an abortion, why can’t you mandate her to wear a mask? It seems incongruent to me, and it seems hypocritical on the face of it.” Young’s 45-minute address pointed to recent political turmoil in America, including a controversial Texas abortion ban. The leader of the historically Black denomination preached about the need to “confront our faults” in the church and the country and noted the Jan. 6 insurrection where crowds stormed the Capitol as an example. The baby at the center of Roe vs Wade has spoken out on camera for the first time to say she fears people blame her for abortion being legal and explain why she never met her biological mother Norma McCorvey in person, after speaking to her on the phone once as a teenager and getting the sense she only ever wanted to use her for publicity. Shelley Lynn Thornton, now 51, is the biological daughter of Norma McCorvey – Jane Roe – the Kansas cleaner who fought to win abortion rights for women across America and won the landmark case known as Roe v Wade in 1973. She had already given birth to Shelley and put her up for adoption by the time the case was settled. McCorvey died in 2017, without ever meeting Shelley in person. https://twitter.com/i/status/1444985515904839685 ; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has become trending topic on Twitter after a video of a young blonde woman seen trying to grind up on him at a bar became viral on Saturday. In the short clip that only lasts five seconds, married Meyer appears to be sitting on a barstool and wearing white shorts and a pink long-sleeved Ohio State sweatshirt. A blonde woman in jeans can be seen dancing in front of him, as Meyer’s arms interpose between his and the woman’s bodies. The video shared by Twitter account @ChiefSVP has racked up more than 2,000 likes. More pictures of Meyer drinking next to other women at the same bar surfaced shortly after the video became viral. Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has finally received his COVID-19 vaccine and will be eligible to play in home games after running the risk of losing $8.9 million in salary due to a local San Francisco mandate. Warriors coach Steve Kerr made the announcement to reporters Sunday after practice as the team prepared to travel to Portland to play its first preseason game. Wiggins faced the possibility of not being allowed into Golden State’s home building at Chase Center for games starting October 13 when the San Francisco Department of Public Health begins requiring proof of vaccination for large indoor events. A former NASCAR driver has been killed and his estranged wife injured after he went to a house with an axe before being shot dead by an unidentified man, according to a report. John Wes Townley, 31, was shot just before 9pm on Saturday. The house was occupied by Townley’s estranged wife, Laura, and a 32-year-old Dunwoody man, according to local site Classic City News. Townley is then reported to have entered the property armed with an axe where the unidentified man shot him, accidentally hitting Laura Townley with gunfire in the process. The ex-race driver, who is the son of the millionaire co-founder of fried chicken chain Zaxby’s, was rushed to hospital and later died of his injuries. Laura Townley remains in a ‘serious’ condition, the report claimed. Tom Brady brought two decades of touchdown passes, victories and championships to New England. He returned and reminded his former team what they’re missing. Brady rallied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-17 victory over the Patriots on a rainy Sunday night, with Ryan Succop hitting the winning 48-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. Brady was 22 of 43 for 269 yards with no touchdowns, but engineered the fourth-quarter drive to beat the team he led to six Lombardi trophies. Ronald Jones added an 8-yard scoring run for defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay (3-1). Jabari Johnson offers his newest single to Gospel radio titled "One Touch". Its an infectious and reflective song that recounts the well known biblical story of the woman with an issue of blood. It cleverly tells the story and then draws the listener in to reflect on their own encounter with Jesus. Johnson's powerful and gritty voice accompanied by his guitar deliver a ear grabbing experience and will pierce the hearts and thoughts of those that hear "One Touch." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0wo0c6qc385zc68/AADeWQUk66MehdCGQxnYgEVoa?dl=0 Black News Channel (BNC), the nation's fastest growing news network, is working in partnership with RCA Inspiration to feature multiple performances from several award-winning artists on the Start Your Day with Sharon and Mike morning show, which airs weekdays on BNC from 6-10 AM ET. Starting today through Thursday within the show’s nine o’clock hour, these special performances from chart-topping gospel artists will provide a captivating close to the network’s inaugural Summer Concert Series Finale. Gospel legend Kirk Franklin joins top industry songwriters and musicians like Jonathan McReynolds, Koryn Hawthorne, Le’Andria Johnson and DOE for a celebration of faith and family at the famed National Museum of African American Music in the heart of Nashville. Monday, October 4 - Jonathan McReynolds and DOE, Tuesday, October 5 - Le’Andria Johnson, Wednesday, October 6 - Koryn Hawthorne, Thursday, October 7 - Kirk Franklin. Organizers and community members warned about right-wing infiltrators during racial justice protests last year. When shots were fired in Minneapolis as the Third Precinct police station burned, people on the ground insisted the gunshots were the result of right-wing agitators. They were right. According to MPR News, Ivan Harrison Hunter traveled to Minneapolis with the express purpose of causing chaos in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Hunter, from Boerne, Texas, made plans with two other members of the “Boogaloo Bois” to travel to Minneapolis. “We were saying this was going on ALL last summer,” Dr. Jason Johnson, a professor and political commentator, tweeted. “Hunter admitted that he fired 13 rounds from an AK-47-style rifle into the 3rd precinct police station on May 28, 2020,” reported Minnesota Public Radio. Per the sentencing guidelines, he could serve up to 46 months in federal prison for a single count of rioting. As we previously reported, the committee established by the U.S. House of Representatives to investigate the Jan. 6, rebellion at the U.S. Capitol has begun sending out subpoenas for associates of Donald Trump and other Caucasity Coup organizers. Well now, the committee has issued subpoenas for 11 organizers of MAGA Marauders events on Jan. 5, and Jan 6, that preceded the riots. One of those who were subpoenaed is none other than Katrina Pierson, a long-time Trump loyalist. Just days ago, mainstream media was actively rooting for Black women with a steady stream of think pieces noting how the sex abuse conviction of R. Kelly showed the jury that found him guilty believed the Black women who the disgraced singer violated in unthinkable ways. The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, NBC News, USA Today, the Guardian and, of course, the Chicago Sun-Times — the latter of which broke allegations of Kelly’s pedophilia decades ago — had a fine blend of news reports, analysis and opinion pieces prioritizing Black women in the days following the widely expected guilty verdict. But now, news outlets have decidedly switched that tune — literally and figuratively — after it was announced Thursday that Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige will be joined by Dr. Dre to perform in the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show, one of the biggest and most anticipated sporting events on the planet. Absent in the lion’s share of the coverage of the Super Bowl halftime show was any mention of Dre’s abusive past and the tone-deaf irony of announcing his selection days after the criminal conviction of Kelly. The police response to Gabby Petito‘s and overall urgency displayed by law enforcement for that case has been replete with daily press briefings to help spread awareness via the media. But that same energy has reportedly been absent from the investigation into the whereabouts of Daniel Robinson, a 24-year-old geologist who went missing in Arizona in June, months before Petito disappeared. https://youtu.be/rtWlxSygD9k ; Nikkita Brown was walking her dog in a Chicago park when she claims she was attacked ‘for absolutely no reason’ by a police officer. Multiple videos show the officer approaching Brown and engaging in a physical altercation with her, causing her to drop her phone. The officer involved was identified by Brown’s lawyers as Bruce R. Dyker, 51. Attorney Keenan J. Saulter says Dyker has been the subject of 24 allegations of misconduct during his career, which began in 1998. https://youtu.be/VmKWqHYtQMk ; A Black woman is accused of masquerading as a member of the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize her neighbors. Terresha Lucas, 30, is charged with eight counts of making terroristic threats, the Douglasville Police Department in Georgia announced in a news release posted on Facebook. The “racially-charged” notes began to appear in the mailboxes of residents on Manning Drive, in a subdivision called Brookmont, in December, the police department said. The notes claimed to be written by a member of the Ku Klux Klan and threatened to burn down homes and kill people, police said. The notes described the author as “a six-feet-tall white male with a long, red beard who did not live in the neighborhood,” police added. But the police department’s investigation led them to Lucas, a Black woman who lives in Brookmont. NBA player LaMelo Ball is paying it forward by supporting students who aspire to pursue careers in the sports management space. According to Sports Illustrated, the Charlotte Hornets guard recently teamed up with the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at LIU Brooklyn for the creation of a scholarship fund. Ball will award a four-year scholarship to a student who has excelled academically and is determined to chart a path within the realms of sports management or marketing and communications. The NBA star says he wants to use education as a vessel to empower students to drive change within these industries and beyond. “I want to encourage the next generation of sports executives and leaders to follow their dreams just like I did to make it to the NBA,” he said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “I’m fortunate to have the means and public platform to support others, so I want to do my part and create a lane for a student to get a strong education and be in position to make a meaningful impact in the sports industry.” Songstress Ciara and her husband NFL player Russell Wilson are furthering their efforts to uplift youth and for their latest project their using literature as a source of empowerment. The couple recently announced they’re releasing a children’s book that illustrates the beauty of following your dreams, People reported. The book—titled Why Not You?—was created to help youngsters develop self-efficacy and cultivate a strong sense of confidence. The inspiration for the picture book was derived from the Superbowl champion and Grammy award-winning singer’s coming of age journeys and witnessing the paths of their three children unfold. “In this picture book debut, superstars Ciara and Russell Wilson encourage readers to see themselves achieving their dreams, no matter how outrageous they may seem,” read the book’s description. “It’s a lyrical celebration of self-esteem, perseverance, and daring to shoot for the stars.” The book pairs powerful words with vibrant illustrations created by artist Jessica Gibson. Why Not You?—which is being released under Random House Books for Young Readers is slated to hit shelves in March 2022. Nick Cannon has used his platform to amplify the importance of ownership and financial freedom and he’s putting the focus on empowering students at historically Black colleges and universities to take charge of their futures. According to The News & Observer, the television host unveiled a student debt cancellation initiative for HBCU scholars. During a recent segment on his new talk show, the Nick Cannon Show, he highlighted the immeasurable significance that HBCUs hold within the realm of education and beyond. He also brought attention to the financial burdens often faced by students attending these institutions. Although there has been an outpour of fiscal support for HBCUs throughout the country, there are many students dealing with obstacles that stem from socio-economic barriers; ultimately deterring them from pursuing degrees. The United Negro College Fund reported students who attend historically Black colleges and universities borrow student loans at higher rates than those who attend non-HBCUs. Entertainers, Black church leaders and medical professionals are coming together to address continued hesitancy around COVID-19 vaccines. Live-streaming safely from Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in the D.C. metro area, comedian and writer KevOnStage will moderate “We May Be Laughing…But This is Serious.” The event is also part of a larger effort by the Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative time raise greater awareness about the virus and the vaccine. “Humor has a way of helping people through trying times, and so we are thrilled to partner with Ad Council’s COVID Collaborative for this hour of comedy to bring a little laughter to get us through a tough conversation about the pandemic’s disproportionate hit on the Black community,” said Kris Lathan from Walgreens’ COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Initiative. Drake has become the latest famous person to invest in the California-based chicken chain Dave’s Hot Chicken. The self-proclaimed Champagne Papi has shown a penchant for investing in companies. He joins Samuel L. Jackson and Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner as investors in Dave’s Hot Chicken. His portion is a “significant ownership stake” in the Los Angeles-based restaurant chain but will reportedly own less than 50 percent. In a statement, Drake shared, “I tried the food, and it was amazing.” Tyrese Gibson, the 42-year-old singer and star of the Fast & Furious franchise announced on IG that he and girlfriend Zelie Timothy, founder for the eyelash company “The Lash Mansion” are calling it quits or are they. The post, which was a video of the 25-year-old social media influencer – naked – while music played in the background, with the caption: “We had so much potential. We really did,” he wrote. “I wish you well, ending on a good note is a good thing….. [ link in the bio ] I will forever love you @zelietimothy cheers to you!!” https://www.instagram.com/zelietimothy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=1822dc02-f5b1-49f9-a805-4baac8ce86d9 Troy Brown the son of Motorola CEO Greg Brown dropped a cool $3 million for Bruno Mars to sing at his wedding in Cape Cod. Even the wedding planner, Marcy Blum, is considered elite. Her clients have included Billy Joel, Katie Lee, LeBron, Savannah James, socialite Fabiola Beracasa, Jason Beckman, George Soros and Tamiko Bolton, plus members of the Rockefeller family. https://youtu.be/8F_mXKlLGV0 Unfortunately, that didn’t take long. We’The vandalizing of a statue of George Floyd in New York’s Union Square with paint. The incident occurred not even 48 hours after it was unveiled to the public in an emotional ceremony. The statue, by the way, is one of 3 — including Breonna Taylor and John Lewis. It was smeared with what appears to be grey paint. It appears Ice Cube didn’t have a very good day in court after his lawsuit against online trading app Robinhood over misusing his likeness and lyrics in an email marketing campaign was dismissed by a San Francisco federal court. His claim was that Robinhood’s usage of his image, as well as a phrase made famous by his mega-hit song “Check Yo Self” violated his publicity rights under California law. Ice Cube’s attorney Michael Taitelman of Freedman + Taitelman said in an email, The judge is wrong!” “You cannot take people’s lyrics and likeness as an endorsement without permission.” https://youtu.be/hAKP_jjMk3U Chris Webber a newly minted Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer is bringing a $50 million cannabis facility to Detroit, Michigan, according to a TMZ report. This comes after C-Webb already launched a $100 million equity fund with the assistance of JW Asset Management that aims to help minority entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry-which has proven to be very resistant to diversity and equity for minorities and people of color. Now, he’s taking it one step further and building Players Only Holdings— a 180,000 square foot facility featuring a 60,000 square foot cultivation, a dispensary and a cannabis consumption lounge. https://youtu.be/kRHRhJHWgaM Boosie Badazz isn’t fixating on Lil Nas X, he’s usually creating mischief like he did earlier today. Specifically, he and several of his so-called “associates” are said to have damaged property during an Atlanta hip hop concert at State Farm Arena late Friday night/early Saturday morning. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-10-02-100221-boosie-badazz-v2-1261728/ More than 700,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus, a heartbreaking pandemic milestone reached Friday — nearly six months after the COVID-19 vaccine first became widely available. The US averaged more than 2,000 deaths a day during the last week of September, a rate which represents about 60 percent of the peak in fatalities recorded in January. The current level of daily cases is 117,625 a day, down from a mid-September Delta variant-driven peak, but far short of the 10,000 daily cases that White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said are needed to end the pandemic. While the surge from the Delta variant is beginning to slow down, the strain spread rampantly through unvaccinated Americans in the 3 ½ months it took for the country to go from 600,000 to 700,000 deaths. New York City continued to be disproportionately affected by the virus overall, with more than 34,000 deaths — or about 5 percent of total US fatalities — occurring in the boroughs, government data showed. A new experimental COVID-19 antiviral treatment shows promising results as it could prevent more hospitalizations and deaths by half in those who were recently diagnosed with coronavirus. The preliminary results were revealed by pharmaceutical companies Merck and Ridgeback after conducting trials for the drug called molnupiravir. As reported by ABC News, if it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the pill will be the first at-home antiviral pill for people who are dealing with mild or moderate symptoms of the virus. Accounting and consulting firm PwC told Reuters on Thursday it will allow all its 40,000 U.S. client services employees to work virtually and live anywhere they want in perpetuity, making it one of the biggest employers to embrace permanent remote work. The policy is a departure from the accounting industry’s rigid attitudes, known for encouraging people to put in late nights at the office. Other major accounting firms, such as Deloitte and KPMG, have also been giving employees more choice to work remotely in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. PwC’s deputy people leader, Yolanda Seals-Coffield, said in an interview that the firm was the first in its industry to make full-time virtual work available to client services employees. PwC’s support staff and employees in areas such as human resources and legal operations that do not face clients already had the option to work virtually full-time. Biblical archaeologists have claimed to have located the holy mountain where the Bible says God gave Moses two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. They believe features and archaeological remains on the site in Saudi Arabia directly line up with the passage in the holy tome, some of which are fenced off as protected areas by the Saudi theocratic regime. According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, Moses leads the Israelites to Mount Sinai which is enveloped by fire, smoke and thunder. The prophet then ascends the mountain where he convenes with God to receive the Ten Commandments. For this reason, Mount Sinai is one of the most important sacred places in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions. Candi Carter, executive producer of the Tamron Hall Show, has quit but is staying at ABC, DailyMail.com can reveal. ABC insiders tell DailyMail.com that Tamron has created a toxic work environment and the show is ‘bleeding staff’. This is the second EP to leave Tamron’s show after Bill Geddie, the TV legend who created The View with Barbara Walters, was pushed out last year. The sources say that Tamron and Candi clashed often. ‘When you work with Tamron, it’s her way or the highway,’ they said. ‘Candi’s now on that highway to a much better job away from the cattiness that is destroying Tamron’s show,’ they added. Rumors of a toxic work environment at the Tamron Hall Show have been buzzing for years. In July 2020, DailyMail.com revealed that 20 employees at the Tamron Hall Show were fired in what was called a ‘giant blood bath’. Grammy award winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin recently addressed a “misconception” that God only exists for the happiness of humanity, instead of drawing them to Himself. “We have this misconception that God is trying to make us happy,” he told The Christian Post in a recent interview. “God is not trying to make us happy. God is trying to make us His. And so whatever process comes from that. Once again, I know that sounds foolish to the world. It sounds foolish to humanism.” “And our natural intelligence doesn’t have the capacity to access and program the spiritual,” he added. “And again, things of the spiritual a lot of times have been abused and manipulated.” For too long, filmmaker Nathan Wilson says, nature documentaries have been a mixed bag for families of faith. Yes, the footage is often stunning and the natural sounds are exquisite. But the accompanying narration, he says, is tainted with a Darwinian-based commentary. And God? Well, He’s never discussed. Netflix has bought video game creator Night School Studio and rolled out five mobile gaming titles in select European markets, the company said on Tuesday, as it looks to diversify revenue sources amid intensifying competition in the streaming space. Night School Studio, the company’s first gaming studio purchase, is best known for its debut game, “Oxenfree”, a supernatural teen thriller with an eerie soundtrack. The studio’s games, which are available on Sony’s (6758.T) PlayStation, Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PCs, will be the first non-mobile titles in the streaming giant’s newly created video game portfolio. “Like our shows and films, these games will all be included as part of your Netflix membership — all with no ads and no in-app purchases,” the company said. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed into law a bill returning land taken from a black family in 1924 to their descendants. The land, purchased in 1912 for $1,250, is now worth around $72 million. Heirs of Charles and Willa Bruce – who fought in court to keep the land, but were forced to sell it under eminent domain – are now free to do what they wish with the prime oceanfront plot. Newsom said he hopes the return of the land to its rightful owners will serve as a ‘catalyst’ for change. The Bruces have not said what they will do with the land. https://youtu.be/d4lD28BVrF8 Vice President Kamala Harris ignited a controversy this week when she responded to a student’s anti-Israel comment by saying, “Your truth cannot be suppressed.” Harris’ office said the vice president remains supportive of Israel, but the comment nevertheless led to concern from Israeli officials and coverage in Israeli media, including in The Jerusalem Post. The vice president’s comments came during a question-and-answer session with students at George Mason University. One of the students raised the issue of American funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which has been credited with saving countless Israeli lives. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A familiar face is returning to Foxboro this weekend. Yet when Tom Brady spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon, he did not have a familiar voice. The 44-year-old quarterback gave his weekly press conference for the media in Tampa, and immediately, his raspy voice was startling to hear. Brady has had some on-and-off rasp over the past couple of months, but Thursday certainly sounded like the sickest he’s been. After answering a few questions, Brady was finally asked about the condition of his throat. https://youtu.be/r_w_shAALXA Toni Braxton reportedly signed a deal with Lifetime to star in and executive produce “The Fallen Angels Book Club,” a multi-part movie series. Braxton will play Hollis Morgan, an ex-con turned amateur detective setting out to solves a series of murders at her book club. The seven-time Grammy Award winner does have quite a few IMDB credits and TV Movies to her name. So, it couldn’t hurt to clear to hate, we mean space, in your mind to consider that perhaps she may do a good job. “Toni has a magic touch for making movies that resonate with our audience,” Tanya Lopez, EVP of Scripted Content at Lifetime & LMN, said in a statement. “We’ve seen Toni’s acting range through the years and I can’t imagine anyone else as Hollis. This role was made for Toni.” https://youtu.be/uWpB3aQgin4 If you’re a fan of the recently departed Sarah Dash of LaBelle fame, her memorial service was streaming live from New Jersey. Dash, one of the original members of the group, died on Sept 20 at the age of 76. She remained with LaBelle until they disbanded in the mid to late 70s and all three remaining members, Patti Labelle, Nona Hendrix, and Sarah went their separate ways with recording deals. https://youtu.be/r6NSw9mnTaE Trick Daddy and Trina’s morning show on Miami’s 99JAMZ has been taken off the air, according to reports. The apparently undynamic duo had been together since 2020 but there’s no word on why the plug was pulled last week. They seemed like a perfect match for Miami radio as each has represented Miami hip-hop at varying stages and degrees over the years and had co-starred on “Love & Hip Hop: Miami” and there was even talk of them doing an album together. However, much like their radio show, the record disintegrated without reason as well. Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest boxers of all time, announced his retirement Tuesday night, three months shy of his 43rd birthday and one month after a decision loss to Yordenis Ugas. The only eight-division champion in boxing history, Pacquiao won his first title at 108 pounds and somehow captured a title at 154 pounds too. He will be best remembered for his 2015 fight with Floyd Mayweather that shattered revenue records; a quartet of thrilling fights with his greatest rival, Juan Manuel Marquez; and a meteoric rise during the 2000s highlighted by spectacular knockouts of notable fighters no matter how high he climbed in weight. “Even me, I’m amazed at what I have done,” Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles, said in the 14-plus-minute retirement video he posted on social media. “The only boxer to hold world titles in four different decades and became the oldest boxer to win a world welterweight title, an amazing accomplishment.” Today, King, a leading interactive entertainment company for the mobile world, unveiled pop music sensation Doja Cat and national football champion Rob Gronkowski as celebrity competitors in the brand new Candy Crush All Stars U.S. tournament launching today. The duo appears in the brand new campaign film available here which showcases their drive to claim the winning title alongside tournament host Khloe´ Kardashian. Doja Cat, known for dominating the music charts, TikTok trends and red carpets, and Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, American football tight end and four-time champion, join the millions of players across the U.S. who will compete against one another for the first time ever in order to be crowned the ultimate Candy Crush All Star. The competition kicks off today and is open to any Candy Crush Saga player in the United States. 50 Cent says he would be down with starring in a romantic comedy with fellow Queens native Nicki Minaj. Speaking on Jalen Rose’s Renaissance Man Podcast the athlete asked Fiddy, “Would you ever do a romantic comedy and who would you do a love scene with?” https://youtu.be/tZEdIAkrpEU TMZ is reporting Michael Jordan’s underwear is being sold at Lelands Auction, with an opening bid of $500! Wozniak and Leland are selling other items that Michael Jordan’s former bodyguard accumulated over the years. Try to get bid on Mike’s cashmere coat, used dressed shirts and belts? Wozniak’s auctioning that stuff off as well. By the way the underwear eventually sold for a whopping $2,734! Lenny Kravitz is 57-year-old, last week shared a photo of his chiseled torso onto social media with the caption: “2:37pm. Good morning. All nighter in the studio last night. 3 albums on the horizon. Going back in. Love.” The spirit in which the photo was shared was ambiguous enough. However, the spirit in which it was received was of thirst and envy. It’s not like we’re unused to seeing Lenny do his thing, but actor Channing Tatum jumped in the comments section and all hell broke loose. But not for reasons you might expect. “Good god man! What are you eating or what’s in the water or the genes. It’s not natural. Do you just do abs like all day?” Lenny replied with a hilarious reference to Tatum’s filmography, saying, “Dude, I’m just trying to get in the next Magic Mike. Any connections?” Now, this was all tongue in cheek seeing as though Tatum is currently dating Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Lenny and Lisa Bonet. Once heralded as a leader in vaccinations, West Virginia now has one of the lowest rates in the country. And it’s losing dozens of residents every day to Covid-19. “We’re gonna lose a bunch more people, West Virginia, no question about that,” Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday. The number of Covid-19 patients in ICUs just reached an all-time high — 298, the governor said. “All I can possibly do, with a good conscience, is continue to urge you, in every way, to get vaccinated,” he said. Many doctors are doubling down on pleas for Americans to get vaccinated — especially as the flu season could lead to simultaneous infections of the Delta variant and the flu. And that could be disastrous, not just for a person’s immune system, but also for overwhelmed hospitals. “We’ve been too complacent about the spread of respiratory diseases in the wintertime,” former US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said. "With a twin threat of flu and Covid circulating, we’re not going to be able to enjoy that complacency anymore,” he said. “I think we’re going to have to readjust how we live our lives.” He said that could include optional mask-wearing in the winter or improved air filtration in schools and workplaces. For MercyMe’s Bart Millard, contemporary Christian music is far more than a job that delivers a paycheck. It’s a message of hope. “It’s not just entertainment,” Millard told Christian Headlines. “It’s life-changing. It’s a message that can literally change the trajectory of people’s lives through the Gospel. And so I think that’s the most important music there is.” “God’s Not Dead: We the People” is the latest in the popular Christian movie franchise, and it is only in theaters for three nights next week. The movie deals with America’s ongoing battles over freedom. In this case, there’s a focus on parental rights, including the right to homeschool children. CBN News caught up with one of the film’s stars, Isaiah Washington, to learn more about how he came to play a congressman in the movie, and how he looks to God for guidance in the roles he takes. Rihanna is said to be dropping her entire lawsuit against her father Ronald Fenty, more than two years after accusing him of using her fame for profit in her suit. The songstress, who sued her father for using the family name to promote his venture Fenty Entertainment in 2019, told the court on Tuesday she was dismissing her lawsuit, according to court documents obtained by RadarOnline. The star, 33, and her father were set to appear in court on 22 September, but it has now been reported she decided to reach an agreement behind-the-scenes in order to avert a spectacle around their legal proceedings, according to the site. Rihanna took legal action against her father in 2019, alleging he was seeking profit from her fame alongside a business partner. Britney Spears has celebrated her victory in her conservatorship battle with a series of naked pictures taken on vacation in ‘paradise’ with her fiancé Sam Asghari. The 39-year-old pop star posted a risqué video on Instagram on Thursday of her frolicking topless in the sea, just hours after her dad slammed the judge’s ruling to remove him as her conservator after 13 years. She followed up the video with another post where she shared a montage of nude photos – with carefully placed pink and yellow flowers covering her modesty. Let me start big. The mission of the Claremont Institute is to save Western civilization,” says Ryan Williams, the organization’s president, looking at the camera, in a crisp navy suit. “We’ve always aimed high.” A trumpet blares. America’s founding documents flash across the screen. Welcome to the intellectual home of America’s Trumpist right. As Donald Trump rose to power, the Claremont universe—which sponsors fellowships and publications, including the Claremont Review of Books and The American Mind—rose with him, publishing essays that seemed to capture why the president appealed to so many Americans and attempting to map a political philosophy onto his presidency. Williams and his cohort are on a mission to tear down and remake the right; they believe that America has been riven into two fundamentally different countries, not least because of the rise of secularism. “The Founders were pretty unanimous, with Washington leading the way, that the Constitution is really only fit for a Christian people,” Williams told me. It’s possible that violence lies ahead. “I worry about such a conflict,” Williams told me. “The Civil War was terrible. It should be the thing we try to avoid almost at all costs.” A shocking new poll from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia reveals that over half of Trump voters surveyed, and 41% of Biden voters, are in favor of blue and/or red states seceding from the union. Yeah, it’s gotten that bad. The idea that the nation’s political divide has become so toxic that we should prepare from some sort of “national divorce” has largely been left to clever thought experiments best left for dinner parties and ironically detached columns. However, we’ve now arrived at a point where more than half of Trump voters “somewhat agree” that the time for secession is nigh. CBN Founder Pat Robertson, America’s longest-running TV host, is stepping down from his role as daily host of The 700 Club. He announced on the 60th anniversary of CBN’s first broadcast that he is moving on to new projects. “Today’s show will be my final as host of The 700 Club,” said Robertson. “My replacement will be my very capable son, Gordon, who will take over as full-time host of the program.” Robertson will turn his efforts to teaching students at Regent University, which he founded in 1977, and will also join in future CBN broadcasts as news warrants. Starting in October, he will appear on a monthly, interactive episode of The 700 Club, to answer viewer emails. He will also remain available for occasional broadcast appearances as a senior consultant on international affairs. Only weeks ago, at Covenant Church in Texas, we lost our Senior pastor Ricky Texada to COVID-19. This pandemic is hitting close to home among people who are strong believers and integral to the church. Today, our nation continues to be in a critical situation with COVID-19. Last year, more than 300,000 people in the U.S. died of COVID — the number three cause of death. People say, “Oh, it’s like the flu.” No, the influenza virus on average kills about 20 to 50,000 people a year, so this is far more than that. This present crisis has tested our nation, especially Christians. Scientific knowledge about this novel coronavirus has evolved over the past year, and there are still many unknowns. That void of knowledge has made way for fear — including doubts about medical science—to direct some people’s outlook. Pew Research recently reported that evangelical Christians are among the least likely to say they have received a COVID-19 vaccine. NBA superstar LeBron James said Tuesday he is vaccinated against COVID-19, but said the decision of whether to take the shots should be left to each individual. “I think everyone has their own choice to do what they feel is right for themselves and their family,” the Los Angeles Lakers player told reporters, according to USA Today. “I know that I was very [skeptical] about it all, but, after doing my research and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited for not only me but my family and my friends, and that’s why I decided to do it.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1442901996013375494 Justin Simmons is off to yet another strong start for the Denver Broncos. The All-Pro safety has seven solo tackles and one interception in helping the Broncos get off to a 3-0 start. He had the opportunity to talk about his team’s unblemished start to the season following Sunday’s 26-0 win over the New York Jets, doing an on-field interview with Spero Dedes of CBS Sports. https://twitter.com/i/status/1442268585926168580 Imagine trying to release your album three times and the day before the third release date you get a call from your lawyers! #Copyrightinfringement. The album cannot be released because of one song! One song, "Been About It,"ft Lecrae is the hold up!!! A man of the people, Andy Mineo, took to Atlanta's Beltline with his partner- in-rhyme, Lecrae, to find out what the people had to say about the "banned" video, and the legal concerns around this release. The song and video created to pay tribute to hip-hop's icons had delayed the release of the entire album! https://andymineo.com/Never-Land-II JonnyXMali drops video for "Miracle." All we can say is, "Look what the Lord has done." If you've listened to "Miracle," you already know about the tight harmonies and sweet melody. Now we have the live performance video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9i9bXFGqzM Kirk and Lil Baby continue to get shouted out for their "We Win" collab now as BET Hip Hop Awards "Impact Track" nominees! We're grateful for another opportunity to reach more people to inspire positive change in ourselves and our world. Be sure to tune in to the BET Hip Hop Awards on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at 9 pm ET. https://youtu.be/-ISA9_WihqI My daughter is obsessed!! Every day on the way to school “play my favorite song Don’t Worry about It”???????? The emotions that follow that Instagram post speak from a parent grateful that her daughter has a female role model in hip-hop! Wande, the first female hip--hop artist signed to Reach Records has been pushing boundaries since she released her debut song, "Blessed Up," which was hand-selected for Michelle Obama's carefully curated Podcast. The Nigerian born-Texas raised emcee just released a new single, the pop-leaning, Don't Worry Bout It ft. Porsha Love, released on the label's Summer '21 Playlist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMEp6x7RUk With songs like "I GOT OUT", "ALL BACK", "STEP IN THE NAME", "SUCH A TIME AS THIS" and "I CAN MAKE IT", Bryan Popin continues to impress with his hit songwriting, sing-able melodies, soulful keyboard skills and undeniable music production. 2021 ushered his first No. 1 on both Billboard & Mediabase National Gospel Radio Airplay Chart with “BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR (feat. TASHA).” Most recently, releasing his funky brand new single "SO GOOD 2 ME" featuring Steven J Collins on talkbox with an exclusive LBWM Remix. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5urfc718ie2vby9/AACFgmltvub1tsoXXwqkcUGBa?dl=0 Riding high on the success of her delightful new hit single “I GOT GOD”, the follow-up single to her Top 5 smash "I Love Him" featuring 10-time Grammy nominee & multiple winner Hezekiah Walker, Stellar & Grammy nominee Renee Spearman jumps 7 spots on Billboard this week to #23 with +78 spins! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w32fRkeKytw This summer, Mona released her debut single "Troubles Don't Last Always" via EMG Alliance. Her robust vocal and evangelical delivery of the encouraging lyrics create a powerful song of inspiration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o86-xI-YfiY In emotional testimony at a congressional hearing on reproductive rights Thursday, Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif., got candid with their personal stories about their own abortions. Bush had hers after being raped and becoming pregnant as a teenager. https://youtu.be/txUG5PDywj0 Barbara Lee's emotional testimony at a congressional hearing on reproductive rights...https://youtu.be/yljKKneRXeA Pramila Jayapal's emotional testimony at a congressional hearing on reproductive rights....https://youtu.be/sGKf7Wtfark TNT has announced that the fourth and final season of “Claws” will air on Sunday, Dec. 26 at 9:00pm ET. “Claws” centers on Niecy Nash as Desna Simms, who owns a Florida nail salon. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, Simms and her close-knit staff begin laundering money for mobsters and eventually build their own criminal empire. https://youtu.be/kDY-QGRcaLM NeNe Leakes opens up about her late husband’s final moments before his death in their Atlanta home on Sept. 1. Gregg Leakes died after a four-year battle with colon cancer at age 66. “The last five days before his passing was really beautiful,” she tells PEOPLE. “All of his children were there. His best friends were there. Our closest friends were there. We all sat with him around the clock.” “We talked a lot, and we made peace with what was happening,” she adds. “It’s difficult,” Leakes said in a post update with fans over the summer. “He’s super small,” she added. “If you’ve ever been around somebody who’s had cancer before, he’s different. He’s different.” Nene and Gregg married in 1997 and divorced in 2011, but they reconciled and remarried in June 2013. NeNe shared with PEOPLE Gregg’s last words to her: “I’m not going to leave you. God is going to bless you.” Adds NeNe: “He said he wanted me to move on with my life.” Things got heated on the set of "Grey's Anatomy with Denzel Washington and Ellen Pompeo while he was directing. During Ellen’s podcast called “Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo,” she recalls a time in 2015 when Mr. Washington went “nuts on her” while he was directing. The incident occurred after Ellen wasn’t doing her dialogue correctly and Denzel was getting fed up! “I was like, ‘Look at me when you apologize. Look at me,’” she recalled yelling at another actor during the scene even though it wasn’t in the dialogue. And Denzel went ham on my a**. He was like, ‘I’m the director. Don’t you tell him what to do.’” Ellen came back at Denzel and said, “Listen, motherf***er, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling? Like you barely know where the bathroom is.” She continues, “And I have the utmost respect for him as an actor, as a director, as everything, but like, yo, we went at it” Dustin Hice filed the lawsuit against Lemon two years ago, accusing the openly gay CNN host of assault, as reported by Fox News. The incident occurred in the summer of 2018. In the lawsuit, Hice said he met Lemon, 53, at Murf’s Backstreet Tavern, located in the Sag Harbor town of the Hamptons. Hice offered to buy the TV host a vodka drink called a “Lemon Drop” but Lemon declined. Later in the night, Lemon approached him and that’s when the assault took place. “[Lemon] put his hand down the front of his own shorts, and vigorously rubbed his genitalia, removed his hand and shoved his index and middle fingers into Plaintiff’s mustache and under Plaintiff’s nose,” according to the lawsuit, filed Aug. 11, 2019 in Suffolk County Court. A Florida man is currently a viral superstar after he was filmed trapping a hissing alligator Tuesday using his military training … and a garbage bin. Army veteran Eugene Bozzi, 26, posted the viral video on his Instagram with the caption, “Crazy day in Florida.” https://youtu.be/BsXzQOhDvr0 Whoopi Goldberg is teaming with Lifetime for a movie about cyber-stalking. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, “The View” co-host will executive produce “Caught in His Web,” inspired by one of the first “sextortion” cases in the United States. Hannah Cheesman will direct the film from a script by Danielle Iman. Caught in His Web centers on three girls (Thornton, Baker and Tremblay) who are each tormented by a cyberbully known as Blake. After hacking into their computers and phones, the stalker coerces them to send him nude photos, harasses them and tracks them everywhere. The girls later discover they’re not alone and join together, enlisting the help of a police detective (Beauvais) to uncover Blake’s identity and end their ordeal. Garcelle Beauvais, Alison Thornton, Malia Baker, and Emma Tremblay will star in the film, which is slated to premiere in 2022. The premiere of “The Wendy Williams Show” has been delayed once more as the host continues to have health struggles. The show announced the premiere date delay on Instagram, writing: “[Wendy Williams] has been and continues to be under a doctor’s care and is still not ready to return to work. We plan to return to new shows on Oct. 18.” The show also noted now Wendy’s “breakthrough COVID case is no longer an issue and she has tested negative, but she is still dealing with some ongoing medical issues.” “THE WAIT IS OVER! Season 13 starts MONDAY,” the show captioned a short trailer for the upcoming season. “You don’t wanna miss it!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CUckUfurtxR/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=1cb506c4-5726-474a-8cf1-97801606226f Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have been tapped for Super Bowl 2022’s hip-hop halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. This lineup of legends was announced Thursday by Pepsi, the NFL and JAY-Z’s Roc Nation. “The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career,” Dr. Dre said, as reported by the New York Post. “I’m grateful to Jay-Z, Roc Nation, the NFL, and Pepsi as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar for joining me in what will be an unforgettable cultural moment.” Netflix has unveiled data showing its most popular shows and movies. CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos presented two separate metrics during his appearance at Vox Media’s Code Conference, per Variety. Shonda Rhimes’ “Bridgerton” Season 1 scored as the No. 1 series based on both number of Netflix households and time spent viewing (in the initial four-week release), while “Extraction” was the most-viewed film in terms of households and “Bird Box” was the most-watched movie in terms of hours. Per Complex, the French TV series Lupin finished second with 76 million accounts, while Money Heist: Part 4 came in close second with 619 million hours viewed. Angelina Jolie on Thursday saluted and bestowed upon national youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman Variety‘s Power of Women honor. The actress, director and humanitarian arrived at the Beverly Hills event (presented by Lifetime) with daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt in tow, to hand the honor to Gorman — the poet who stole the show during President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January. “The young woman of grace, who stepped fearlessly to the podium on inauguration day. Not just the youngest but the strongest voice we could ask for in that moment. The Amanda we see today might seem as if she leapt into our times, fully formed, to summon our better angels. But there was an Amanda we didn’t see,” Jolie said. “QUEENS” – the new ABC series starring Eve, Naturi Naughton, Nadine Velazquez, and Brandy as four ’90s hip-hop legends, now in their 40s, who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame – gets off to an electrifying start with the release of its first single + video “Nasty Girl” available on all platforms today via Def Jam Record­ings. “QUEENS” debuts Tuesday, October 19th (10:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. https://youtu.be/H605IhaMdzM Robbie Montgomery of “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” fame is looking fit and fabulous in a new photoshoot by photographer D Gaines Utica. Utica posted some snaps of the 81-year-old former Ikette on Facebook and the images have fans of the former reality TV star going wild. “This is what 81 looks like,” Utica captioned the photos. “Always fun shooting Miss Robbie.” One Facebook user commented under the post, “No excuse for anyone under 81yrs old to look not groomed none!” Another added, “Hello Ms. Robbie, you are the truth! You always look good.” TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with singer, songwriter, actor, and producer Anthony Hamilton on Sunday, October 3rd at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words including acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield, singer and actress Raven-Symoné and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ8PA4F6voc CLEO TV will premiere popular lifestyle show TIA MOWRY'S QUICK FIX this Friday, October 1 at 9 P.M. EST/8C. The multi-talented actress, producer, author and entrepreneur, Tia Mowry, serves as host of the digital series that TV One and CLEO TV inked in a major syndication deal with Kin earlier this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avufzXkINI8 CLEO TV will air CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Saturday, October 2 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmTAxYAE5I AI STUDIOS, MARANATHA PRODUCTIONS, and GOLAN RANCH STUDIOS are proud to announce the completion of the production of DAYS OF NOAH, a gripping new film written and directed by Dalton Thomas, starring an all-Israeli cast including Avraham Shishkoff, Mayaan Nestel, Amiad Kalushiner, Marco Moreno, and Dorit Moreno. DAYS OF NOAH is a story of fathers, sons, and consequence—set against the brutal backdrop of the days before the flood prophesied by Noah. Inspired by the 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers® and the opportunity to share the ensemble's rich artistry and cultural significance beyond Nashville, the nonprofit Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) and Nashville Public Television (WNPT), Nashville's independent nonprofit PBS station serving Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, are partnering to present Walk Together Children: The 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers to PBS member stations across the country. Walk Together Children will premiere in Nashville on NPT at 9 p.m. CT on Oct. 3 in advance of the Fisk Jubilee Singers' "Jubilee Day" celebration on Oct. 6. The national distribution includes broadcasts in 19 states on 33 stations in the month of October and November. Please check your local listings for additional broadcasts and more information. Today BET released the trailer for season two of the basketball drama, Games People Play. The second season of “Games People Play” premieres Tuesday, October 19, at 10 PM ET/PT–Based on the popular book by Angela Burt-Murray “Games Divas Play,” “Games People Play” is a sexy, stylized one-hour drama about the L.A. high life, featuring a cast of characters where everyone plays to win, including a basketball player navigating both his equally rocky personal life and NBA career, a newly appointed team marketing executive who’s got a lot to prove, a tenacious journalist desperately seeking the truth and a struggling actress with a scandalous past. The talented ensemble cast includes Karrueche Tran, Lauren London in a limited role, Sarunas J. Jackson, Karen Obilom, Parker McKenna Posey, Jackie Long, and Kendall Kyndall and Brandi Denise. In addition, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Vanessa Simmons, Shaun Robinson, Kevin Jackson, Barry Brewer, and Monti Washington reprise their recurring roles, with Cynthia Bailey, Nazanin Mandi, Ro Parrish, Hitman Holla, Leon, and Calvin Seabrooks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPrUoz-D0aY&feature=youtu.be Red hands is an Ohio made band that brings inspiration through their soulful/funk inspired sound! The band is made up of 6 musicians. Khirye Tyler (keys/vocals) Nate Lewis (vocals) Al Parker (bass) Demetrius Beasley (Guitar/Vocals) Jonathan Fields (Drums) And Gonelcha Askew (drums). They’ve worked with artists such as Jessica Reedy, Tye Tribbett, Myron Butler, Mali Music and many more. They drop "I Can;t Wait" featuring Jonathan McReynolds. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7c8gllu9r5mvpw8/AADX9vBl6yVPrtB85QJuVc96a?dl=0&preview=CANT+WAIT+(RADIO+EDIT)+.mp3 Derrick 'Doc' Person drop "I Surrender All" featuring Merlon Devine. http://hyperurl.co/wj6el1 STRONGER LIFE MUSIC derives from Strong Tower Church located in Fredericksburg, Va. Strong Tower is one of the largest and most influential churches in the Central/Northern Virginia area with a heavy hand in its surrounding community. Stronger Life Music composes songs that represent diverse backgrounds, crossing thru generations to emerge as one body, one sound and one praise. "Waves" features Maurette Brown Clark https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8717421?date=20210928&user_id=668306&signature=zNp6engHHRHRpONGoqp_xUdN05U%3AgNfNojn5 New Line Cinema’s “The Many Saints of Newark” is the highly-anticipated feature film prequel to David Chase’s groundbreaking, award-winning HBO drama series ”The Sopranos.” Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark’s history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters begin to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family’s hold over the increasingly race-torn city. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti. A man struggling to manage both his professional and personal responsibilities—and whose influence over his nephew will help make the impressionable teenager into the all-powerful mob boss we’ll later come to know – Tony Soprano. https://youtu.be/d9Em4ckh878 NBA players in New York City and San Francisco who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID will not be paid for missed games. “Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. The Association has not made it mandatory for players to be vaccinated, Yahoo reports. As reported by TMZ, Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins — who is in a 5-year, $147,710,050 deal — will reportedly pass up on $15.8 million this season … while Nets guard Kyrie Irving — 4-year, $136,490,600 contract — will forfeit $17.5 million. “I think it’s important we don’t lose sight of the fact that 90% of the league is vaccinated,” NBPA president CJ McCollum tweeted on Monday. https://youtu.be/ouA10ZiIOgo The following day after Trump’s lawsuit against Omarosa ended, it was announced that singer Eddy Grant’s copyright lawsuit against the former president can move forward. Grant, who rose to fame with his 1983 reggae-inflected pop music hit, “Electric Avenue,” sued for using the song’s music in a tweet last year promoting his bid for re-election and also criticizing then-candidate Joe Biden. U.S. District Judge John Koeltl’s ruling denies Trump’s motion to dismiss Grant’s lawsuit in part because “The defendants did not receive a license or Grant’s permission to use the song in connection with the animated video” that, before Trump’s Twitter account was suspended, had been viewed nearly 14 million times, liked more than 350,000 times and retweeted more than 139,000 times. As the world continues to grapple with the news of R Kelly’s about-timely legal demise and his decades-long reign as the Pied Predator, everyone has an opinion and, unfortunately, this includes celebrities who have trash takes and massive platforms to share them on. In today’s episode of Keep It In The Drafts, Bruh!, Public Enemy frontman Chuck D decided to take to Twitter on Tuesday to share one of those annoying, passive-aggressive “I’m not caping for Kells, I’m just caping for Kells” posts that show he’s not above going public as an enemy to common sense and reading the room. Chuck D posted:Abused in his youth… an addict as a adult… Ike Turner served 18 months in prison.. Rick James did similar time. Ike came out a changed positive human being. How long should R Kelly spend in prison -and does a USA system give a man a chance for a man to change his world around? 2:57 PM · Sep 28, 2021 The rhetoric following the stunning failure of any legislative achievements on the police reform front has focused on placing the blame squarely on Democrats, but recent reports suggest those efforts have been misguided, if not flat-out disingenuous and incorrect. The readily accepted narrative around why police reform died in the Senate has been that Democrats eliminated the chance of any bipartisan support by including “defund the police” language in their proposed legislation, the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has been repeatedly blaming “defund” language on Democrats since he is the only Republican senator who is Black joined Democrats Rep. Karen Bass and Sen. Cory Booker working to secure a purported bipartisan deal on police reform. ESPN broadcaster Sage Steele believes President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with over 100 employees is “sick.” “Well, I got my shot today,” Steele told former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler on his “Uncut With Jay Cutler” podcast on Wednesday. “I just — I didn’t want to do it,” she said. “But I work for a company that mandates it, and I have until Sept. 30 to get it done, or I’m out.” Per NBC News, the Walt Disney Co., which co-owns ESPN, announced in July that all salaried and non-union hourly employees must be vaccinated within 60 days. https://youtu.be/ypw1qZSeYxY ; During a press conference in Bohemia, New York, the family of Gabby Petito urged the news media and the public to give the same energy to all missing people as they did their daughter. Gabby Petito, 22, was reported missing on September 11, after taking a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, Brian Laundries. Laundries, who is a person of interest in the case, is still in the wind and the Petito family are pleading for him to turn himself in. Her body was found in northwestern Wyoming on Sept 18, a week after she went missing. Once she was reported missing, her story went viral and Gabby became a household name. Her face popped up on Instagram feeds all over the world. Internet sleuths latched onto her story as well trying to piece together what happened to the young women. News outlets continuously ran updates, giving her more attention than the majority of girls who go missing. People of color immediately noticed the difference in coverage, calling it missing “white woman syndrome,” but the Petito Family noticed as well. During the press conference, Joseph Petito, the father of Gabby, thanked everyone who put the spotlight on his daughter’s disappearance but reminded the audience all missing persons deserve the same attention. HBO has dropped the trailer for the fifth and final season of Issa Rae’s hit series “Insecure.” The 10-episode season will debut weekly on HBO beginning Oct. 24, and be available to stream on HBO Max. https://youtu.be/kBb2Pbh20m4 Dave Chappelle has announced his sixth Netflix special, “The Closer” will debut globally on Oct. 5. In a press release, Netflix said: “This stand-up special completes a body of work which includes: ‘The Age of Spin,’ ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas,’ ‘Equanimity,’ ‘The Bird Revelation’ and ‘Sticks & Stones.'” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T59ij-vlNAE CBS MORNINGS co-host Gayle King sat down with Azriel Clary, who testified during the R. Kelly trial as “Jane,” for an exclusive interview airing on CBS MORNINGS tomorrow. Clary, who was a minor when she met Kelly, previously defended him in an interview with King in 2019. This is her first interview since R. Kelly was found guilty of all 9 counts against him, including racketeering and sex trafficking charges. “Rob has been lying to y’all and that’s why we never watched the documentary,” says Azriel Clary. His girlfriend Azriel Clary went live on Instagram and spilled ALL the tea. A physical fight broke out at Kelly’s Trump condo between Clary and Kelly’s other girlfriend, Joycelyn Savage. The whole incident was recorded on Clary’s Instagram live. After the fight was broken up, Clary continued to stay on live and talk about Savage and Kelly. She claims that Kelly has been lying to everyone about sleeping with underage girls. She also claims that she and Savage lied in their interview with Gayle King to protect Kelly. She said, “Rob has been lying to all of y’all. And that’s the sad part about it. He’s been lying to y’all asses and had people like me lying for him. And that’s why we never watched the documentary.” BET's Sunday Best season 9 runner-up Josh Copeland releases his sophomore EP NO FEAR (Anointed Sounds/eOne) today, which is available for download or streaming on all music platforms. Upon its release NO FEAR reached No. 15 on iTunes Christian/Gospel Top 200 Digital Albums chart. The 7-track EP is produced by Stellar Award winning producer Daniel Weatherspoon and executive produced by Neily Dickerson of the ND co. Josh Copeland's official live performance music video for the EP's lead single "All Things Working," is premiering now exclusively on Entertainment OneYouTube channel. Released on June 25, the song landed in the Top 20 (#18 peak) on iTunes Top 200 Christian/Gospel Digital Songs chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkaBVL9nwrs The FBI is reportedly investigating why officers with the Missouri police department allowed a police dog to repeatedly bite a detained Black man. The disturbing footage shows the suspect with his hands on a squad car when the canine is released and begins biting his foot Monday in the St. Louis County city of Woodson Terrace. After several seconds, two officers take the man to the ground, with the dog still chomping on his right foot, the clip shows. The man then tries to stand up but is taken down by the dog again. “Don’t let the dog bite him,” a woman is heard yelling on the video. “Are you serious? Oh my God. You let him bite him.” The cops appear to handcuff the suspect, whose name has not been released. Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson will not be hosting the Emmy Awards ceremony for news and documentaries on Wednesday, and his exit comes amid a scathing New York Times exposé about a conference call gone wrong. According to the report, the co-founder of Watson’s company impersonated a YouTube executive during a funding call with a Goldman Sachs banker. When YouTube learned that someone had apparently impersonated one of their executives at a business meeting, its security team started an investigation. The inquiry didn’t get far before a name emerged: Within days, Mr. Watson had apologized profusely to Goldman Sachs, saying the voice on the call belonged to Samir Rao, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Ozy, according to the four people. The incident has prompted a review of Ozy’s leadership. A representative for the 42nd News & Documentary Emmy Awards said of Watson’s exit as host: “Carlos Watson has graciously reached out to us and asked to be removed from his hosting duties tomorrow night so as not to distract the focus from the talented nominees in the documentary categories of the 42nd News & Documentary Emmy Awards,” a rep told TheWrap. “As such, we are moving forward with our three presenters who will be sharing the hosting duties throughout the evening.” A Missouri high school homecoming sign bearing racist, anti-Black language and shown off by two white teens is being blamed in part on an “African American boy” by the mother of a student who appeared in the viral photo. Olathe South High School in Kansas City is at the center of racist internet infamy because of the sign that served as both an invitation to homecoming festivities and an indication of attitudes about race at the school. The sign in question, presented by a white boy to a white girl, had printed on it: “If I was Black, I would be picking cotton, but I’m white so I’m picking you” for homecoming. It included checkboxes for yes or no, with the former checked off. The photo quickly went viral, resulting in a swift condemnation from Olathe’s principal in Friday, local news outlet KSHB reported. “I felt it was important to share that we are working to thoroughly investigate the situation and contact all parties involved, including student guardians,” Olathe South Principal Dale Longenecker wrote in a note to parents before adding: “The type of behavior displayed in the social media post does not meet the expectations of our core values. Any behavior like this will be immediately addressed in accordance with our Student Code of Conduct.” The entitled mind of a Karen must be a strange and wonderful place—so much so that white women, who have enjoyed generations of perceived innocence and harmlessness, are having a tough time adjusting to a world where their white nonsense is no longer tolerated and is instead recorded and posted to social media for the world to see and shame them for their behavior. Also, Black people are not allowing themselves to be abused by these pale wild animals in their natural habitats of privilege and completion protection. In a video posted on Reddit on Sunday, one woman of the wild and washcloth-less persuasion can be seen screeching at two Black men on the subway for something apparently having to do with them existing in close proximity to her. Maybe the woman was afraid she was going to catch some kind of negro sickness that would have her craving various spices in her food, uncontrollably clapping on the two and four and finally coming under the realization that skipping leg day is for workouts, not showers. https://www.reddit.com/r/iamatotalpieceofshit/comments/pvha3d/karen_assaults_man_on_subway/?ref=share&ref_source=embed&utm_content=title&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_name=135b15a8b9ab4634ada7af48d2dba188&utm_source=embedly&utm_term=pvha3d The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has released a new sexually-charged video that suggests going vegan will give your sex life a boost. “Can’t put your finger on what’s not working in the bedroom?” reads the caption to the steamy clip, which dropped Tuesday. Two fingers are shown rubbing and stroking the insides of various types of fruits and vegetables. “Want to spice things up in the bedroom?” asks one caption as someone’s index and middle fingers work the inside of a sliced kiwi fruit. An orange is shown being massaged by a hand, then crushed into juice. The caption reads: “A squirt of OJ can increase blood flow to important organs.” A New York arbitrator ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump can not enforce a nondisclosure agreement with his ex-White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman. Per NBC News, the arbitrator noted that the terms of the nondisclosure agreement were “highly problematic” because it did not adhere to typical legal standards, describing it as “vague, indefinite, and therefore void and unenforceable.” “The Agreement effectively imposes on [Manigault Newman] an obligation to never say anything remotely critical of Mr. Trump, his family or his or his family members’ businesses for the rest of her life,” arbitrator, T. Andrew Brown, said in the ruling. At least 10 women were either shot or killed in St. Louis over the last week, and one TikTokker has gone viral with her belief that the cases are racial. TikTok user LamaraIndigo‘s video, which has been viewed more than 420,000 times, said she believes white people are intentionally shooting and killing Black women. She says they are not being assaulted or robbed, just killed. Of the recent shootings and killings in St. Louis City involving women, there were two Black women and one white woman killed, six Black women shot, and one Hispanic woman shot. LamaraIndigo says she thinks people in St. Louis have become desensitized to the violence, and that her TikTok “is me doing something.” “The Wendy Williams Show” confirmed on Tuesday that the talk show will return for season 13 on October 4, with “all new hot topics.” “THE WAIT IS OVER! Season 13 starts MONDAY,” the show captioned a short trailer for the upcoming season. “You don’t wanna miss it!” The season 13 premiere was previously slated to air on Sept. 20 but was pushed back after Wendy Williams tested positive for COVID-19 and was later hospitalized due to alleged psychiatric issues. “While continuing her health evaluations, Wendy has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19,” a Sept. 15 statement posted on Instagram said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUXvwulFX-n/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Karen Pittman plays Mia Jordan on Apple TV Plus’ “The Morning Show.” In season two, UBA is still reeling from the chaos of season one. Producer Mia has been left to pick up the pieces and salvage the network’s signature news show. The show tackles those gray areas between race and gender that come into play in the workplace. New cast members were also added to this season – Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Hasan Manihaj (Patriot Act). https://youtu.be/-qZWPTsR-Wc The original “Law & Order” is returning to television after more than a decade off the air. According to a statement from series creator Dick Wolf and his Wolf Entertainment, the series will return to NBC for Season 21, and “will continue where the show left off in 2010, with the classic format that explores two separate, yet equally important groups: ‘the police who investigate crimes and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.’ As reported by PEOPLE, the premiere date and casting have not been announced. “There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true,” Dick Wolf said in the statement. “This is mine.” Megan Thee Stallion and her rapper boyfriend Pardi Fontaine star in a campaign for the collaboration between Coach and apparel company Schott NYC. Per PEOPLE, launching today, the Coach x Schott NYC line features Coach shearling from the brand’s fall 2021 “With Friends” collection. The cozy pieces — inspired by early street style and documentaries of New York City in the late 70s and early 80s — offers an assortment of coats, bags, heels and slides, according to the report. In the campaign, Megan and Fontaine are joined by beauty influencer Queenie, jewelry designer Jae, internet personality Daren and hairstylist Kellon Deryck. https://www.instagram.com/coach/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=21a3ad45-6e02-46e8-9173-3caaba1d0f37 Netflix has released a new trailer for its upcoming western “The Harder They Fall,” starring Regina King as “Treacherous” Trudy Smith, LaKeith Stanfield as Cherokee Bill, Idris Elba as Rufus Buck, Zazie Beetz as Stagecoach Mary and Jonathan Majors as outlaw Nat Love. https://youtu.be/Poc55U2RPMw Get ready to find your voice in Disney’s “Encanto!” The film tells a tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a magical house, in a vibrant town – Encanto. Stephanie Beatriz is set to voice the lead role of Mirabel, an ordinary 15-year-old who’s struggling to find her place in her family – as she is the only child that didn’t receive an unique superpower. When trouble enters Encanto, Mirabel decides she might be her family’s last hope. https://youtu.be/CaimKeDcudo ”Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Porsha Williams previously revealed that she is planning three weddings with her man Simon Guobadia. Most recently, she purchased him an engagement ring from Tiffany & Co. “I said yes and so did he !!!” she shared with her followers in a caption for one of the clips. “Yes we both are professing our love and reminded every time we look down at our left hand that thus [sic] is a promise and love that will last a lifetime !! We will be husband and wife and I can’t freaking wait! Love you Pooh!!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CUWUk7sLi9N/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” is back for season two! Fans fell in love with the true origin story of one of the greatest rap groups in history. The new season picks up with all of the soon-to-be Wu-Tang members living their individual lives – some are trying to be solo artists and others are still in the streets. https://youtu.be/UPXYFo8FIpM On the heels of the Black TikTok creators going on strike, a new dance platform called Groovetime is set to become an alternative to TikTok. Launched in Mid-May of 2021, Groovetime is an app that helps people learn to dance and a marketplace where dancers can create, own their work, and monetize their dance moves. Founder of Groovetime, Kwasi Ohene-Adu, who created the app, wants to create a movement that will allow creatives a shot at making a decent living. Born in the United Kingdom but grew in Ghana, Kwasi moved to the United States to attend college on the East coast to study computer science and minored in engineering, with a concentration in A.I. and Computer Vision. After college, he headed out west to Silicon Valley, where he’s been since 2005. Dream Hampton, award-winning filmmaker and executive producer of “Surviving R. Kelly,” writes in Washington Post Opinions: R. Kelly’s predation and abuse of Black girls was an open secret for almost three decades. After he was convicted of nine federal counts of sex trafficking and racketeering on Monday, the self-nicknamed “Pied Piper of R&B” is finally seeing his own bill come due. But while this verdict may make potential future victims safer, it’s not enough. We need to invest in the safety and futures of survivors and whistleblowers. I’ve seen first-hand just how great those needs can be, and how far we have to go in providing them. […]For our Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly,” I sat for countless hours with women as they opened old wounds and relived their trauma. Many of them said they were teenagers when he began abusing them. Some of them didn’t feel able to sit in front of our cameras, but they spoke to us to corroborate the stories of those who did appear on screen. During an interview with GQ, Will Smith shared why he stayed away from slave roles. “I’ve always avoided making films about slavery,” he explained. “In the early part of my career… I didn’t want to show Black people in that light. I wanted to be a superhero. So I wanted to depict Black excellence alongside my white counterparts. I wanted to play roles that you would give to Tom Cruise. And the first time I considered it was “Django Unchained.” But I didn’t want to make a slavery film about vengeance.” “Emancipation is different. It would be a disservice to think of it as a “slavery movie,” he continued. If you can recall, the role of Django was played by Jamie Foxx. The movie went on to be a favorite for some. However, Will has his own idea of emancipation and doesn’t want to revisit slavery to depict it. “‘King’ came to me in a unique way,” said AJ Wells about his recently released “King” single featuring Shauna Hughes from his upcoming 2022 album “God Songs.” “It speaks about the majesty of our King.” https://youtu.be/HdPm0A9S1Cc The Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind the hit movie Hidden Figures says he hopes his newest project — Netflix’s The Starling — gives viewers a sense of hope no matter what they are facing in life. The film tells the story of a husband and wife grieving the sudden death of their infant child. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYyImx_KXm4 New Yorker Fredrick Joseph said his walk in a Brooklyn park with his pup and fiancée took an ugly turn when a white woman allegedly told them to “stay in your hood” and threatened to call the cops. Joseph, a Black man, said the woman had confused their dog for another, louder one. “At the dog park in Brooklyn with my fiancé and this white woman was threatening to call police and told us to ‘stay in our hood’ because she had our dog confused with another dog who had been barking loudly,” he tweeted. “So, I started recording and she tried to slap the phone out my hand.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1441919836112650242 After a contentious five-hour meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 28), the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee called for a further week of deliberations with a special task force on sexual abuse after failing to agree on the ground rules for a third-party review commissioned to study the denomination’s handling of abuse claims. The call came as the two sides, meeting via Zoom, hit an impasse, unable to agree on the terms of a contract with the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions. At issue is whether the Executive Committee can shield certain communications with its lawyers from Guidepost Solutions’ investigators. Many of the Executive Committee’s 86 members believe they should be able to claim attorney-client privilege, while the majority of the task force wants the committee to waive the right to confidentiality to ensure an honest accounting of the Executive Committee’s actions over the past 20 years. Pope Francis on Wednesday accepted the resignation of the Catholic bishop of Brooklyn, Nicholas DiMarzio, weeks after a Vatican investigation cleared him of sexual abuse allegations, and appointed a native New Yorker to replace him. DiMarzio is 77, two years beyond the normal retirement age for bishops. Francis accepted his resignation and appointed Bishop Robert Brennan of Columbus, Ohio, to take over in Brooklyn, the Vatican said. On Sept. 1, the New York church announced that the Vatican had closed its case against DiMarzio after an investigation concluded that the allegations against him didn’t have “the semblance of truth.” Two men had separately claimed DiMarzio abused them a half century ago, when he was a priest in New Jersey. DiMarzio denied the allegations. The accusers’ lawyer, Mitchell Garabed. In a message to young people attending an event in Italy on the environmental crisis, Pope Francis encouraged activists to promote human relationships and environmental protections by overcoming divisions. “There must be harmony between people — men and women — and the environment,” the pope said in his recorded message at the Youth4Climate event taking place in Milan on Sept. 28-30. “We are not enemies; we are not indifferent. We are part of this cosmic harmony,” he added. Hundreds of young environmental activists from about 190 countries convened in Milan, Italy, this week to discuss the progress — or lack of — toward government action in addressing the climate and energy crisis. Discussions at the climate talks in Italy have been fraught, with young activists decrying the empty promises of political leaders and demanding real action. On Sunday, September 26, STARZ hosted a special Detroit screening and Q&A session for the highly-anticipated new series, “BMF” with members of the cast and creative team including Executive Producer/Director Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and showrunner, executive producer, writer and Detroit native Randy Huggins at the Emagine Royal Oak in Royal Oak, Michigan. “BMF '' was produced in Atlanta and Detroit, where the real-life Black Mafia Family that inspired the series had bases of operation from the 1980-2000s. The night began with guests viewing the first episode of the series, which premiered on STARZ that evening. “BMF” will move to its regular time slot at 8 PM ET/PT starting on Sunday, October 3. https://www.starz.com/us/en/series/bmf/62264 GENE Hoskins about his latest and riveting single, “Make It With Jesus.” He adds, “My hope is that the relief I felt after singing it translates to others and it can be a healing tool in some way.” “Make It With Jesus” initially came out on Hoskins independently released Homecoming in January 2021. https://soundcloud.com/shanachie-1/gene-hoskins-make-it-with-jesus-edit-2/s-61Crjx1H59t?si=f3df3126a9404c23b15a722a4e8db30d Tribl Records, the new premiere recording home for Christian and Gospel music artists, announces the release of the premiere South Asian Worship artist, Maryanne “MJ” George. Affectionally, known as MJ, she will release her debut solo album, Not Just Stories, on her birthday, Friday, October 8th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBNlG_Jkhoc Marica was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia; she started singing at the age of two; while being a member of Big Miller Grove Baptist Church, where she was remained a faithful member until the age of 20. She then went on to become a member of Citadel of Hope COGIC where God began to truly craft her gifting under the direction of the late Maurice Culpepper and embrace her writing skills. In 2012, Marica released her debut album, Simply Worship in which she captured the hearts of many and solidified her presence as the Duchess of Praise. Marica is an in-demand psalmist and worship leader, a licensed minister, and prayer leader. Hear Marica Chisolm in Her Own Words in the Gospel Spotlight!!! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/maricachisolm_intvw.htm Harold Rayford drops "Without You." https://spaces.hightail.com/space/HQ9SI2rokQ/files/fi-379efbb8-a5da-4596-887d-0ccc25a539b6/fv-0cff596b-0335-4545-8191-995859a84879/Without%20You%20-%20US4Z62104206%20(320).mp3 The 67-year-old politician was named as a potential vice-presidential running mate to President Biden during the 2020 elections. Now Bass’ name is being mentioned as a part of the field competing for a chance to replace the city’s current mayor, Eric Garcetti, who is term-limited. Garcetti was named as Biden’s ambassador to India but has yet to be confirmed. The Los Angeles Times broke the news of Bass’ plans to run for mayor in 2022, but a spokesperson from the congresswoman’s team did not immediately confirm the report. Instead, they shared a brief statement. “Los Angeles is facing a humanitarian crisis in homelessness and a public health crisis in the disproportionate impact that this pandemic has had on Angelenos,” the statement read according to CBS News. “She does not want to see those two issues tear the city apart. Los Angeles has to come together. That’s why the congresswoman is considering a run for mayor.” One of the consensus top-five greatest basketball players of all time had some strong words for the anti-vax athletes in the NBA ahead of the start of the professional hoops league’s upcoming season. Responding to the report of holdouts among NBA players who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke in no uncertain terms about their “arrogance” and what he described as hypocrisy when it comes to following guidance from health professionals. Without singling out players by name — and there are several notable stars he could have called out specifically — Abdul Jabbar said in a new interview that it would behoove the NBA to make its vaccine mandate much more strict. “The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team,” Abdul-Jabbar told Rolling Stone. “There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their teammates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research.” Making the rounds as a part of the weekend news programs, Republican Sen. Tim Scott weighed in on the failure to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on Face of the Nation Saturday. During the interview, Scott claimed policing reform fell apart because of areas of the proposed bill that “reduced funding” for policing. Host Margaret Brennan seemed either unwilling or not informed enough to challenge Scott on his statement of facts. Subsequently, CBS News ran with a headline claiming Democrats want to “defund police.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A group of Minneapolis residents and organizational representatives gathered last week to encourage voters to reject one ballot measure and support two others in the November local election. Focused on creating a city that is more equitable and serving all residents, the group gathered. They spoke in front of the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services to encourage voters to reject one ballot measure and support two others. Every speaker present stressed residents vote no on a measure that would give the mayor more power than the city council. According to an explainer from Minnesota Public Radio, the strong-mayor measure would expand the mayor’s authority over city agencies. Currently, chartered agencies except for the police department are controlled by the city council. MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross has revealed that she underwent a full hysterectomy to end the “debilitating” pain she suffered from fibroids. As reported by PEOPLE, the host of “Cross Connection” dedicated a portion of her show on Sunday to discuss her experience with the condition where noncancerous growths form on the uterus. https://twitter.com/i/status/1441789735333089283 An anti-mask protest outside of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles turned violent in Anaheim, California, over the weekend. As reported by CBS San Francisco, video posted to social media showed at least one man being dragged out of the restaurant by several security guards. Officers were called to the scene after reports of a protester being pepper-sprayed, but no one was arrested. https://cbsloc.al/3EYQJkD After decades of claims of sexual misconduct with minors, #RKelly was found guilty of all counts in his sex trafficking trial yesterday.? His ex-wife, #DreaKelly, said that her “heart is in two places,” as a former partner and the mother of his children when it comes to the disgraced singer. Drea, who has three children with Kelly, has previously claimed that the singer “physically and sexually abused” her.? https://www.instagram.com/p/CUYCdZYFXQ0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kim Kardashian’s 2021 Met Gala outfit is now a Halloween costume. Kardashian attended the star-studded event this month wearing “an all-black, full-coverage Balenciaga getup featuring a face-obscuring mask,” Page Six writes. Per the report, Yandy, the company known for sexy costumes, has released a version of the outfit for Halloween that costs $99.99. “Glimmering gowns had their fashion moment, and we’re here for it, but look who paved the way for statement-making avant-garde!,” the “Mystery Gala Guest” costume’s product page reads. The Metropolitan Opera made Black history on multiple fronts with its season opener Monday, presenting for the first time in its 138-year history an opera by a Black composer. The staging of “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” – by jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, based on the memoir of New York Times columnist Charles Blow – was the Met’s first indoor staged opera performance in 18 months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. https://youtu.be/pVyGjReLDHE Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back’ Crash To All-Time Low Viewership Of 2.6M. The much-nominated and tremendous Slave Play came up empty-handed and Jagged Little Pill’s Lauren Patten showed exactly what an acceptance speech should be Sunday night as CBS took the Tony Awards to a whole new stage of sorts. Streamlining the ceremony for the 21st century in a manner the Oscars and others would do well to take notes from, Paramount+ and its corporate broadcast network cousin on Sunday night weaved a two-hour livestreamed 74th annual Tony Awards and, immediately following, the two-hour broadcast concert special The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back! Hosted by past Tony and Grammy winner Leslie Odom Jr, who was once in a little production called Hamilton, the two-pronged approach put the spotlight on the best of the 2019-20 theater season just as Broadway itself is finally reopening from the coronavirus pandemic. Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson revealed Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease — a group of disorders that cause nerve damage — which has affected his ability to move and keep balance on stage. In an interview with the “TODAY” show’s Jenna Bush Hager, Jackson, 62, said he inherited the disease from his father, and it has affected several members of his family. He was diagnosed 10 years ago. “It’s been affecting me for years, and it’s getting more and more obvious,” Jackson said. “And I know I’m stumbling around on stage and now I’m having a little trouble balancing even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel very uncomfortable, and I just want people to know that’s why I look like I do.” He said he doesn’t want fans to feel sorry for him, adding that the disease is “not fatal. It’s gonna disable me eventually.” Authorities in Florida are desperately searching for a 19-year-old college student who vanished from her apartment on Friday, leaving behind signs of a violent struggle, including bloodstains on a pillow. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Miya Marcano was last seen at around 5pm on September 24 at the Arden Villas apartments on Arden Villas Boulevard in Orlando, where she lives and works in the leasing office. Marcano’s family said Miya, who attends Valencia College, was scheduled to catch a flight to Fort Lauderdale that night, but she never made it to the airport. A #Florida woman faces federal charges after being accused of plotting to have her ex’s current partner murdered.? 50-year-old #DeAnnaMarieStinson was arrested and booked into the #PinellasCountyJail on Thursday.? Justice Department officials said Stinson made an account on a dark web website that allegedly offers murder-for-hire services. She then submitted an order requesting a hitman kill her ex’s current lover. She provided the person’s name, address, and a photo and even paid over $12,000 in Bitcoin between June and July for the hit.? R. Kelly was found guilty of all nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking by a federal jury on Monday during his sex trafficking trial where prosecutors accused the R&B singer of exploiting his stardom over a quarter-century to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for sex. A jury of seven men and five women reached the verdict after two days of deliberation and a six-week long trial featuring lurid testimony. Prosecutors say Kelly orchestrated a sex crimes ring for nearly three decades. He faces between 10 years and life in prison. The jury began deliberating federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges against the superstar on Friday in Brooklyn, after prosecutors and defense attorneys finished their closing arguments. Robert Sylvester Kelly, 54, was accused of running a Chicago-based criminal enterprise that prosecutors say he used to ‘target, groom and exploit girls, boys and women’ for unwanted sex and mental torment. The witnesses said Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. He has denied any wrongdoing. Wondering what Bill Cosby thinks of the R. Kelly verdict. Coz thinks Kelly got a raw deal. Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s spokesperson, is pointing the finger at Gloria Allred and systemic racism. TMZ caught up with him at Avra (restaurant) in Beverly Hills and inquired as to what was Cosby’s reaction to Kelly’s conviction on all 9 counts. “The guy was railroaded,” was his response. And since Gloria Allred repped alleged victims in both Cosby’s case and Kelly’s, the famed attorney is drawing most of Cosby and Wyatt’s ire. As far as Wyatt is concerned, she’s running a familiar playbook. While, Kelly’s looking at 10 years to life when he gets sentenced in May, Wyatt doesn’t think the disgraced singer will actually be sentenced, because an appeals court will overturn the conviction. Wyatt is downright confident Kelly will walk free one day, just like Cosby. But it seems he’s forgetting there’s a huge difference between their cases. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-06-30-063021-bill-cosby-1195577/ The State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM) said dozens of troopers have submitted their resignation papers as a result of the state’s COVID vaccine mandate. The state is requiring all executive department employees to show proof of vaccination by October 17, or risk losing their jobs. About 20% of State Police employees are not vaccinated, the union’s attorney said. Last week, a judge denied a request from the State Police union to put a hold on Baker’s vaccine mandate for troopers. https://cbsloc.al/3zFGca9 When Tom Brady left the New England Patriots, the question was whether he could escape coach Bill Belichick’s shadow. Now the fairer question might be whether Belichick will be able to escape Brady’s. The Super Bowl titles Belichick won without Brady came three decades ago, which might as well be an eternity in the NFL. He had his first losing season in 20 years last year and, at 1-2 and with a rookie quarterback, might well be headed for another this season. Brady, meanwhile, will arrive in New England on Sunday night with all the swagger of that ex you’ve been dreading seeing. The one who, instead of going to pieces in the aftermath of the breakup, is living his best life. The 44-year-old leads the NFL in touchdowns (10), and trails only Derek Carr in yards passing (1,087). He’s got a shiny new Super Bowl ring and, that hiccup Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams aside, seems to be having a blast with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and all the toys they’ve given him. Simone Biles, 24, opened up about her mental health struggles at the Tokyo Olympics in July in a new cover interview with New York Magazine. The gymnast said she should have ‘never made another Olympic team’ after everything she has gone through over the past seven years. Biles admitted she ‘should have quit’ gymnastics long before Tokyo, but she didn’t want Larry Nassar to take that away from her. The Olympian said the trauma of being sexually abused by Nassar and seeing the former USA Gymnastics doctor in the media was ‘too much.’ Comedian Dave Chappelle is opening a comedy club in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio. According to reports, Chappelle submitted plans to the Yellow Springs Planning Commission to open a restaurant, Firehouse Eatery, and a comedy club, Live from YS. As reported by Black Enterprise, both will sell food and alcohol and have indoor and outdoor seating. There will be separate seating for live performances. https://youtu.be/3HFn2eZK8LI Jada Pinkett Smith and her daughter Willow Smith are getting honest about plastic surgery they’ve considered. In a teaser for Wednesday’s (Sept. 29) episode of Red Table Talk, Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and the actress’ mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris discuss the standards of beauty. Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, says she once thought about getting a Brazilian butt lift (a.k.a. BBL). “I’m glad we’re here talking about this today, the BBLs, because I was considering getting one.” Willow Smith, 20, quickly let Jada Pinkett Smith know she’s not alone, replying: “Me too! I considered getting the tiniest little bit, but then I just got into the gym and got it anyway.” Jada Pinkett Smith said she once told Willow Smith to “build a butt” rather than going the plastic surgery route. She added. Former NFL star Dez Bryant fired shots at Colin Kaepernick in a recent podcast and called out the former NFL quarterback for not creating jobs in urban communities. Bryant said he respects Kaepernick for his activism off the field but feels the controversial athlete hasn’t done enough to fulfill the promises he made. “I respect Colin Kaepernick. But there is one thing that I don’t respect and I said when I get the opportunity and to get on the stage and say it, I would say it. And I love him to death. So there ain’t no hate or nothing like that,” Bryant said. https://youtu.be/yqJFWS81Mf4 R. Kelly is headed to Federal prison. He was found guilty of racketeering in his federal sex crimes trial on Monday (09-27-21), according to a NY Times report. Prosecutors accused the singer Robert Sylvester Kelly of directing his employees to procure women for sex and sexually abused numerous women over the span of nearly 25 years. In opening statements, Assistant US Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez, the lead prosecutor in the case, blasted him as a “predator” who “used his money, his clout, and his public persona to hide his crimes in plain sight.” Over several weeks, prosecutors brought more than 40 witnesses to testify about Kelly. The witnesses included women and men who described how Kelly directed them to have sex with him and each other, and how the singer obsessively took videos of every sexual encounter. https://youtu.be/hSoY8kcVRf8 A University of Utah defensive back from Mesquite is dead after a shooting in Salt Lake City early Sunday morning. Aaron Lowe, 21, a former West Mesquite High School football player, was shot and killed in Salt Lake City’s Sugarhouse neighborhood Saturday, Salt Lake City police said. Police said officers received a noise complaint about a house party just a few hours after the Utes beat Washington State 24-13. Hours later police received another call from a person in the neighborhood regarding a fight involving a weapon, police said. According to police, officers were immediately dispatched to the scene. Police said officers also received a third call from a person who reported hearing gunshots. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Lowe and a second victim, a woman, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, police said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vhOjYwL8rc It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.'s 21st President, Rev. Dr. Timothy Stewart. Dr. Stewart faithfully served the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) for over 3 decades, making history in 2018. He was the first President from the International Region in Progressive’s 60-year history. Today as we mourn, we remember and celebrate a great Shepherd, Pastor of the Historic Bethel Baptist Church in Nassau, Bahamas, husband, father, family man, visionary leader, counselor, and friend. We grieve not in despair but with the hope that we shall meet again. On behalf of Baptist General Convention Leadership, we extend heartfelt condolences to the family and ask that you pray for his wife, Mrs. Sharon Stewart, their children, Timothy, Michael, and Gardner Calvin, the Bethel Baptist Church family, and the entire PNBC family. On Saturday, September 25th, at 3:30 PM EST, there will be a special wreath-laying ceremony in honor and remembrance of Dr. Stewart. The ceremony will take place at the PNBC Headquarters Washington, DC. Pope Francis has accepted a request from German Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki for a six-month break from his duties as archbishop of the Diocese of Cologne in order to deal with his “grave mistakes” in handling the sexual abuse cases. A statement released by the Holy See on Friday said there is no indication that Woelki acted unlawfully in dealing with cases of sexual abuse, but it said that the cardinal failed in terms of communication and approach, which contributed to “a crisis of confidence” among Catholics that “has disturbed many believers.” The Archdiocese of Cologne, the largest and richest diocese in Germany, has been at the center of a crisis in the German church over bishops’ accountability for clerical abuse scandals. In June, the Vatican commissioned two bishops to investigate Woelki’s response to an abuse scandal that had begun under his predecessor and to get “a comprehensive picture of the complex pastoral situation.” Parts of the U.S. health system “are in dire straits,” as the spread of the Covid-19 delta variant forces some states to prepare for rationed medical care, Rochelle Walensky, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said. “That means that we are talking about who is going to get a ventilator, who is going to get an ICU bed,” Walensky said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Those are not easy discussions to have, and that is not a place we want our health care system to ever be.” The East Coast has been told to stay alert to Hurricane Sam as the weather event continues to strengthen. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) has confirmed the “small but ferocious” Category 4 storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 145mph. Despite meteorologists’ confidence the “major” storm will not inflict another direct hit on U.S. shores, they warn Hurricane Sam could still present a danger to life in the region. Hurricane Sam spaghetti models—computer models illustrating potential tropical cyclone paths—suggest the East Coast should monitor the storm. The “formidable” winds can churn up increasingly imposing swells, which are heading towards the East Coast from the hurricane’s current position several hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles. Over the weekend Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight hit the stage at the new state-of-the-art Stockbridge Amphitheater in Georgia. At one point during the show, Labelle spoke about losing close friend Sarah Dash, a member of the Bluebelles in 1962 which changed later to Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, she was also in the group "LaBelle." Dash passed away on Sept. 20 at the age of 76. s reported by Black Enterprise, Labelle said Gladys Knight has been helping her grieve the loss. “Gladys has been in the back with me praying. I was with her when she lost members of the Pips,” she said through tears and her voice trembling. “So now we’ve lost a Labelle. God bless Sarah Dash.” Labelle then sang a tribute to Dash. After Jeannie Mai confirmed that she is expecting her first child with rapper Jeezy, her ex-husband, Freddy Harteis, has made clear that he’s not thrilled by the news. As reported by Page Six, when a fan suggested Harteis was “probably biting bricks and screaming” about the news, Harteis, 45, reportedly responded: “Yep. I upgraded from trash to treasure a long time ago,” he wrote, according to Yahoo. “Best decision I ever made. Congratulations. Being truly happy is an amazing feeling. Love my little family.” The comment has since been deleted, but not before @theneighborhoodtalk grabbed a screenshot and posted it to their Instagram account. Mai’s “The Talk” co-host, Loni Love, saw Harteis’ comment and was quick to defend her friend. “We were happy with your children being born so show the same grace to Baby Jenkins,” she clapped back. Mai and Harteis were married for 10 years and had no children together. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com It’s no secret that Will Smith and Jada’s relationship has been gossiped about for decades now. While he didn’t confirm being swingers, during an interview with GQ, Will shared that at one point, he would have been open to having multiple women. Will says during a meeting with an intimacy coach, he expressed that if he could have anything in the world, he’d want multiple girlfriends. Misty Copeland and Halle Berry to be exact. After researching different women that he could add to his team, he ultimately decided against it. “It was okay to think Halle is fine. It doesn’t make me a bad person that I’m married and I think Halle is beautiful. Whereas in my mind, in my Christian upbringing, even my thoughts were sins….I realize that my thoughts were not sins and even acting on an impure thought didn’t make me a piece of sh**” he explained. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com James C. Birdsong, Jr., a member of the renowned famed Birdsong family and award-winning figure in Gospel music and Lillian Lilly, the longtime principal vocalist of the world-renowned GRAMMY®-Award-nominated Mississippi Mass Choir is among the nine honorees for the 7th Annual Antigua Barbuda Gospel Media & Media Awards (ABGMA) on Friday, October 22nd, 2021, at Kentish Pentecostal Church in St. John's, Antigua of the West Indies during an invitation-only event. Birdsong and Lilly will receive their recognition at the Legacy Ball & Media Awards on October 22nd. Due to the COVI9-19 restrictions, they will not be in attendance. Their acceptance speeches will be viewed on video during a live broadcast of the ceremony. The Gospel Spotlight's James C. Birdsong Jr. Hear James C. Birdsong, Jr. In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jamesbirdsong_intvw.htm Actor Malachi Malik (pronounced Mal-lick) makes his debut appearance as a recurring role on season 6 of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s critically acclaimed drama series Queen Sugar from creator and executive producer Ava DuVernay. In episode 3, Malachi portrays Theotis “Theo” Jackson, a guy who met Ralph Angel Bordelon (Kofi Siriboe) while in prison. The two reconnect at one of Hollywood’s men’s club meetings where Theo turns out to be a bad influence when he offers his cash-strapped friend a job. Queen Sugar is currently airing every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on OWN. Rihanna is still teasing fans about new music that she has allegedly been working on for the past year. It’s been five years since the singer and make-up mogul released her eighth album “ANTI”. Last year, Rihanna said she started recording new music, which she claims will sound much different than her previous projects. “You’re not going to expect what you hear. Just put that in your mind,” Rihanna said recently before the taping of her “Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3” event, airing on Amazon Prime Video. “Whatever you know of Rihanna is not going to be what you hear,” she added. “I’m really experimenting. Music is like fashion. You should be able to play. I should be able to wear whatever I want. I treat music the same way. So I’m having fun and it’s going to be completely different.” Kelly Price has broken her silence just days after her family members expressed their concerns about her well-being following her recent COVID-19 hospitalization. The 48-year-old singer told TMZ that she was never “missing” despite her family’s initial claims. Price said she was quarantining from family and fans so that she could recover from COVID-19. Price said she’s been battling the disease since August, and that her condition had been progressing “in the wrong direction” for a week prior to her hospitalization. Price’s husband had been working with medical staff virtually to help treat her symptoms, but she said her health took a turn for the worst after she was diagnosed with a fever of over 103 and her breathing became “extremely shallow.” At one point in Price’s harrowing testimony, the singer said she nearly “flatlined” during her hospitalization. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-09-27-092621-kelly-price-1256460/ Migos rapper Offset reportedly helped cover the burial costs of comedian Anthony ‘AJ’ Johnson. Per TMZ, the late actor’s widow, Lexis Jones Mason, shared that … “Anthony’s funeral has now been paid for, with nearly $70,000 in donations pouring in from famous folks and thousands of random donors,” the outlet writes. Offset reportedly chipped in $5,000 for the service, with comedian Lil Rel Howery donating another $4k on the family’s GoFundMe. Michael Blackson also helped raise $10,000, and in addition to donations, Anthony’s widow tells us she received a flurry of calls this week from celebs like Fat Joe, D.L. Hughley, Faizon Love, Michael Colyar, Tommy Davidson, D.C. Young fly, Tyrin Turner and more. Birdman said he had an opportunity to bring Kanye West into the Cash Money fold, but took a pass on the talent. Birdman told the “Big Facts Podcast” that Ye, “was with me before he was Kanye West. I knew he was special. I let him go.” He said that his loyalty to his friend Mannie Fresh, who was already signed, kept him from adding Kanye to the label. “Kanye came to me as a producer and I wasn’t gonna ever disrespect Mannie Fresh ’cause I started with Fresh,” he explained. “I wasn’t gonna play with Fresh ’cause Fresh was my day one.” “I flew him to Roc-A-Fella,” said Birdman. “And we always kept a bond, but he was with me at my house, living with me at my house.” Kanye eventually signed with JAY-Z at Roc-A-Fella and the rest is history. https://youtu.be/kZMLzh_E2PI Sam Cooke’s teenaged sweetheart Barbara Campbell Cooke has died at age 85. Cooke was 18 and Barbara was 13 when they met on the South Side of Chicago. As reported by the New York Times, after Sam’s death in 1964, his widow went on to marry Sam’s protégé singer Bobby Womack. Fans of Sam Cooke were revolted against Bobby and Barbara and Bobby Womack’s career was at a standstill for years. Sam had discovered and helped Bobby and his brothers get a recording deal. They were called the Valentinos. In addition, Bobby had an affair with her daughter Linda Cooke (later Linda Womack) which caused Barbara to shoot Bobby. No charges were filed. Her daughter was in the group Womack and Womack and ended up marrying the late Cecil Womack who was the younger brother of Bobby. Womack died in 2014 at 70. “The Two Killings of Sam Cooke” is streaming on Netflix. https://youtu.be/cEsiSNH2_yU Less than a month after Rachel Nichols was fired from ESPN, as well as her show removed Malika Andrews is slated to step up and replace her a high-profile NBA reporter with her own show, “NBA Today.” She will work alongside panelists analysts Kendrick Perkins, Chiney Ogwumike, Vince Carter and ESPN Senior Writer Zach Lowe to provide in-depth analysis. “It’s an incredible time to cover the NBA — a league that is full of characters and stories that have resonance far beyond the sports world,” said Andrews, who will continue to do coverage as a sideline reporter for NBA live events. “Our goal every day is to deliver information and analysis to our viewers that can’t be gleaned anywhere else. I’m so excited to showcase the league and the talented reporters, analysts and insiders on our team.” A FedEx driver who went viral with his video admitting his refusal to deliver packages to homes with Black Lives Matter or Biden/Harris flags, has been fired. Vincent Paterno, based in the state of Washington, was fired after posting a TikTok video – in his FedEx uniform – saying, “Just wanted to come on here and let all you know … if you have a Joe Biden, Kamala f–king camel toe posted up in front of your house, Black Lives Matter — I will not deliver your s—.” “I will not deliver your s—. I will bring that back to the station,” he smirked. “And I will keep doing that s—. Have a good day.” The company confirmed to TooFab that he has been fired, adding: “We are appalled by the behavior depicted in this video, which does not reflect the views of FedEx. This individual is no longer providing service on behalf of the company.” https://youtu.be/Hv1Qg74aqps Snoop Dogg recently claimed he is the owner of @CozomoMedici, which is well-known for NFT (Non Fungible Tokens) speculation as well as ownership of more than 140 NFTs. He says he’s the owner of the @CozomoMedici account, which has garnered interest with well-documented NFT speculation and ownership of more than 140 NFTs. “I am @CozomoMedici,” the rapper tweeted Monday (Sept. 20), just five minutes after the user behind the NFT account promised they would imminently reveal their identity. “Shortly, as promised, I will dox from my personal account,” the tweet from @CozomoMedici read. “As my fame is considerable, the tweet will no doubt be discovered. Those who are curious to know my identity will soon know it.” The @CozomoMedici account, which is about a month old, had promised it would reveal is owner just days before Snoop dropped the bomb via Twitter. After years of speculation, Cynthia Bailey says that after 10 seasons, her time on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” has come to an end. Bailey has thought long and hard about it, and has made the “very difficult and heartfelt decision” to not return for the upcoming 14th season of “RHOA.” “After much thought and consideration, I have made the very difficult and heartfelt decision not to return for the next season of Real Housewives of Atlanta,” she wrote on an Instagram post. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr exhibited humility Sunday in deflecting any credit for his team’s undefeated record, saying fame is “fleeting” and adding that his purpose is to “glorify” God no matter what happens. The Raiders defeated Miami in overtime 31-28 to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2002, with Carr completing 26 of 43 passes for 386 yards and two touchdowns. In a postgame Fox interview on national television, Carr refused to take credit. Told that he’s playing like an MVP with confidence and command, the Raiders quarterback responded, “I’ve been through this before when I snapped my ankle with fans chanting MVP and all that kind of stuff.” Georgia Southern Eagles head coach Chad Lunsford expressed his displeasure about beginning the 2021 football season with a 1-2 start and reassured fans that they had every right to be unhappy with the team – while also making clear that pleasing God is his top priority. During a press conference Monday, Lunsford explained that his faith in God’s plan and purpose allows him to look beyond their losses. “I’m a man of faith,” Lunsford told reporters. “I feel that my steps are ordered. I feel that God has a plan for me. God has a plan for my family. So why worry about things that you don’t control? I control how we practice. I control the different things we do at practice. We control the depth chart. We control who plays. I have to focus on the things I do have control over.” He agreed that fans should be unhappy with the outcome because the team is ultimately playing for their audience. https://twitter.com/i/status/1440084456878993410 A Detroit groom has gone viral for his emotional request that took place at the altar. Dontez Williams was in the middle of his Aug. 13 wedding to Myshella Burton when he turned to his bride’s two young daughters and asked if he could adopt them. “I never knew you really do become a man when you have children,” 33-year-old Williams said. “Having someone to teach, protect, provide for them, discipline them, learn from them and support them. For all of these reasons, you’ve helped me become a better person.” “I know that I’m a father figure to you both,” Williams told 9-year-old Abigail and 8-year-old Natalie before getting on one knee and asking the girls if he could adopt them. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTBHOY-J3_v/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Nick Cannon’s therapist has advised him to take a break from having children. “I’m not sitting out here planning it. My therapist says I should be celibate,” Cannon, 40, told Entertainment Tonight, adding in jest, “Okay, give me a break bus. I’m [gonna] take a break from having kids.” Cannon continued, “I come from a big family, I have several siblings, [and] being raised in an unorthodox family by my grandparents at times, I’ve experienced such a wide range of upbringing that I have such a love and passion for kids and family. I want a big family too. The Lord has blessed me with what I asked. Ask and you shall receive.” KTVU (San Francisco Bay Area) news anchor Frank Somerville has been removed from air after a disagreement with news director Amber Eikel over coverage of the Gabby Petito homicide case. According to Mercury News, the disagreement apparently happened earlier this week after the body of Gabby was discovered in Wyoming. She had been reported missing earlier this month while on a cross-country camping trip. The FBI has since issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, Gabby’s 23-year-old fiancé. KTVU was prepared to air a news report detailing the latest developments in the case. Frank wanted to add a brief tagline at the end of the report that questioned the level of media coverage devoted to this particular story. Sources said he wanted to point out that the U.S. media often disproportionately covers tragedies involving young White women, while largely ignoring similar cases involving women of color and Indigenous people. Frank is the adoptive father of a Black teen daughter. He was told that the tagline was inappropriate and apparently pushed back on it. Sources said that Frank was told by station management the next day that he was being suspended. A man was shot and presumably killed this weekend as he squirmed on the ground in front of at least four police officers … a couple of whom opened fire on him at point-blank range. Huntington Beach PD confirmed there was an officer involved shooting Saturday, but didn’t provide any further details … including the status of the man who was gunned down. We’re told this individual was transported to a hospital, but his condition is unknown. The cops also say there is no current public safety threat. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-09-25-092521-huntington-beach-shooting-1256433/ As the first signs of NBA training camp draw near, the Golden State Warriors are concerned about starting small forward Andrew Wiggins missing home games due to his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The Warriors play in San Francisco and that city requires a complete vaccination for indoor entertainment, such as NBA games. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle states that Wiggins has opted out of the vaccine, which is his right. If Wiggins was counting on the NBA to grant him a religious exemption from getting the vaccine, he can forget, that. https://youtu.be/1lDi4R9zg-A Zeus Network is new to the streaming world but they’re already making big moves and changing the game! Clips from their shows are breaking the internet – from the “Baddies ATL” reunion show blow up to the double homicide comment on “Joseline’s Cabaret.” The streamer will be breaking the internet again with season two of “One Mo Chance.” https://youtu.be/JNixRhVxtHs September 23 was officially declared “Nas Day” in the rapper’s hometown of Queens, New York. The rapper from #Queensbridge was honored with his own day in his hometown and given the key to the borough by the borough’s President Donovan Richards. A spokesperson for Richards’ office announced the honor in a post on Instagram. “Nasir Jones is not only God’s son, but he’s Queens’ son,” spokesperson Franck D. Joseph wrote his caption. “That’s why @drichardsqns presented him with not just a proclamation but also the Key to Queens borough tonight.” Though coming from humble beginnings and being raised in a small town in North Carolina, Kim Person has taken the nation by storm. She has graced major venue platforms (Bobby Jones Gospel & The McDonald's Gospel Superfest) and has been featured with such trailblazers as Donnie McClurkin, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Vickie Winans, Deitrick Haddon, Karen Clark-Sheard, and Yolanda Adams. Kim has toured extensively throughout the country building a fan base network along the way. Kim Person is excited about “Wonderful”and the 5-song EP, “Journey 2.0”, available on all digital download/streaming outlets, including Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Play this Friday 10/1/2021. Today BET announces DOUBLE DIAMOND SELLING SUPERSTAR rapper and entrepreneur Nelly as the “BET Hip Hop Awards” recipient of the 2021 “I Am Hip Hop” Award. From chart-topping hits that include “Hot in Herre,” “Dilemma” (feat. Kelly Rowland), “Country Grammar,” “Ride Wit Me,” and “Cruise” (with Florida Georgia Line), to his popular fashion line Apple Bottoms, to starring in the hit series Real Husbands of Hollywood, and his own reality show Nellyville, the charismatic, multi-platinum music icon will be celebrated for his massive contributions to music and the culture at large. The “BET Hip Hop Awards” premieres Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at 9:00 PM ET/PT. The Weeknd recently choked up as he accepted an award at the 2021 Music in Action Awards in Los Angeles. The Toronto-bred crooner was the recipient of not just any award — he received the esteemed Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award. The ceremony, which was billed as the first annual Music in Action Awards show, honored musicians, music executives, and music businesses that have made the most significant contributions to social justice, change, and/or equity over the preceding year, according to the Black Music Action Coalition that hosted the event. Since the pandemic started, the Weeknd has donated millions of dollars to several causes, such as Black Lives Matter Global Network, the Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative, and National Bail Out. He also donated to MusiCares and sent $1 million for relief efforts in Ethiopia. So, it’s evident why the Starboy singer was selected to receive the honor. Bishop Leonard Scott's newest single Great I Am. Scheduled to hit all major streaming platforms this Friday September 24th. http://smarturl.it/wsnou2?IQid=instagram The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino churches representing 27.7 million members, sadly announced the passing of the honorable Rev. John W. Davis, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., at the ripe age of 99. He was the oldest living pastor in America. Pastor Davis was the pastor of Rev. Evans. https://youtu.be/PRER64aEr2o The missing granddaughter of former MLB star Darryl Strawberry has been found safe after he pleaded for the public’s help on Instagram. The ex-Mets and Yankees slugger asked his 66,000 followers to help track down his missing 14-year-old granddaughter, MyLisa Reid, who was last seen in Nevada on Wednesday. “This is our granddaughter MyLisa who is missing right now!” Strawberry, 59, wrote in the since-deleted post. “Pray for us as we desperately need your prayers! Thank you!” Strawberry’s post said the teen was last seen early Wednesday and advised anyone with information to contact police in Henderson outside Las Vegas. One of Strawberry’s five children, Diamond Strawberry, who appeared on VH1’s Season 5 of “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” later shared the good news on her account late Thursday that MyLisa was OK. Music students attending Morris Brown College will have the opportunity to participate in a first-of-its-kind hip hop contest for inmates currently incarcerated in select State Department of Corrections facilities across the country. The “Original Hip Hop Track Contest” is hosted by Aventiv Technologies — a tech company that provides communications services and free educational and re-entry resources to correctional facilities. According to a press release, on Monday (Sept. 27) the college students will judge rap songs written by over 500 convicts and narrow them down to 25 finalists. Contest participants were able to write their lyrics and song titles to one of three beats donated by hip hop producer extraordinaire Zaytoven. The tracks, according to the press release, had to be clean to be considered. Songs were allowed to be up to four minutes long, and the lyrics could not contain curse words, gang references, or violence. Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula One driver to win 100 grands prix with a dramatic rain-assisted victory in Russia that sent the Mercedes driver two points clear in the championship on Sunday. Black women face hardships on levels that some of us will never be able to comprehend, and unfortunately, that often includes harassment in the workplace. Surprisingly enough, the strong Black females of the DC Police Department understand that notion more than expected after filing a class action lawsuit against MPDC, citing racial and sexual discrimination that created a hostile workplace and led to a culture of intimidation. CNN reports the suit was filed on Wednesday on behalf of 10 women both past and present that’ve served under the Metropolitan Police Department. Adding strength to their argument, each of them has made rank within the department, from one that was honored as police officer of the year, another that currently serves as assistant police chief and nine in total that has at least 15 years of experience. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is furthering its efforts around the preservation of historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country. The sorority recently raised over $2.1 million for HBCUs. The fundraising effort was part of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s annual HBCU Impact Day; a philanthropic-filled day where the sorority encourages private donors, corporations and local chapters to financially support accredited HBCUs across the nation. Alpha Kappa Alpha set out on a four-year mission to raise $10 million for historically Black institutions as part of the HBCU for Life: A Call to Action initiative. This year—which marks the fourth year of the effort—the sorority hit a milestone, bringing in millions on September 20. An Oklahoma father beat a pastor after he caught him inappropriately touching his nine-year-old son while the dad staked out a school bus stop and recorded the incident, police say. By the time Oklahoma City Police arrived to the scene, Michael Coghill, 33, had been left with a fractured skull and a black eye. Coghill has been charged with indecent act to a child and is detained at Oklahoma City Detention Center after the father showed the recording to police. The boy told his parents that he had seen Coghill jogging in the area several times before and that on Monday he had touched him in a way that made the minor feel uncomfortable. Coghill, a pastor at Lakehoma Church of Christ, did not live in the neighborhood where the school bus stop is located. A Greensboro community is mourning the loss of a church pastor. New Life Ministries of Greensboro’s Pastor Kermit Wilson, Jr., 43, died Friday from COIVD-19, according to his family. Wilson was hospitalized for 41 days in the COVID ICU unit of WakeMed Hospital in Cary. His wife said he was unvaccinated. Wilson attended North Carolina A&T State University. He leaves behind his wife, Miracle King Wilson, and his son and two daughters. A public viewing will be held Friday at Lea Funeral Home from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral will be held on Saturday at noon at New Life Ministries Church of Greensboro. https://youtu.be/ErrPkdzK0FI Gospel singer Kelly Price has gone missing in Georgia, TMZ has learned — and it happened shortly after she was released from the hospital after battling COVID. According to officials in Cobb County … Kelly has been listed as a missing person following a welfare check conducted at her home last Saturday. We’re told the authorities found no evidence of foul play and spoke with Kelly’s boyfriend at the residence, BUT … she’s now listed as missing with the National Crime Information Center. s for what led to this … Kelly posted a video July 29 revealing she had COVID and was struggling with symptoms. According to Kelly’s family … she was admitted to the hospital about a week later and ended up in the ICU because her condition worsened. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-09-24-092421-kelly-price-1256359/ Towards the end of the week Rev. Al Sharpton went to Del Rio, TX to speak out on the harsh treatment that was happening to Haitian asylum seekers who illegally crossed into Texas from Mexico near the Del Rio International Bridge. Whatever Sharpton had planned to say, for the most part we’ll never know because he got unceremoniously shouted down by at least two people assembled with news media reporters. It’s not clear at this time if the two verbal combatants were “journalists” for some right wing blog or who knows. https://youtu.be/OARCO5bLTXc The influencer, whose real name is Bill Omar Carrasquillo, 34, is being charged with conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, tax evasion and fraud for his illegal online streaming service websites. The 69-page, 62-count indictment claims Carrasquillo, who has garnered more than half a million YouTube subscribers, ran an illegal streaming service called Reboot, Gears TV, Reloaded and Gears Reloaded. Billionaire Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk is splitting from his pop star wife Grimes after just three years of marriage. ‘We are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently and are on great terms,’ Musk said. He blamed their split on the distance between them after Musk moved to Texas in December with Grimes staying in LA. The couple was first reported to be dating in May 2018 when they made their public debut at the Met Gala. They recently attended this month’s Met Gala as their last public event together. They welcomed their first child infamously named X Æ A-Xii in May 2020. The gaming industry continues to record phenomenal growth. What are the current trends and what do we expect in the future? Gaming and betting industries have recorded tremendous growth in the recent past. The two industries are being shaped by emerging trends. Gaming has seen the emergence of new games that continue to excite the market. Likewise, betting has seen increased usage of technology, helping improve efficiency and boosting user’s experience. Ecopayz, Paypal, cryptocurrencies are some of the payment options that have been adopted by bookmakers including those that offer best bookmakers in canada as part of providing incentives to the betting fraternity. Two industries are set to continue experiencing growth in similar trajectories, but gaming will be heavily influenced by technological advancement than betting. A new Christian social media platform is scheduled to launch in 2022 and will provide a space that solely houses Christian content for believers around the world. The platform, titled FaithMeet, was created and founded by Godwin Rose Samuel. In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Samuel argued that platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram do not provide sufficient Christian content, so he wanted to create a platform that is catered toward Christians. Coldplay front man Chris Martin admitted he’s ‘having such a hard time due to his religious upbringing’ in a recent interview with Howard Stern. Martin opened up to the Sirius XM host on Thursday and said he is currently struggling due to his evangelical upbringing in southwest England. ‘I am having such a hard time in my life right now. And part of dealing with that is going back to look at all that stuff,’ Martin said. Alicia Keys teamed with YouTube Originals for a four-part docuseries that will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the singer’s struggles with superstardom. All four episodes of “Noted: Alicia Keys The Untold Stories” will premiere for free globally Sept. 30 on Keys’ YouTube Channel. The docuseries is produced by Westbrook Media and directed by TT The Artist. https://youtu.be/5ctFW1629qs BET+ and A. Smith & Co. Productions announce the season two return of the original true crime series “AMERICAN GANGSTER: TRAP QUEENS” ­– a compilation of chronicles that explore the rise, fall and redemption of some of America’s most infamous female criminals. Narrated by female hip hop icon Lil’ Kim, the season resumes with five all-new episodes that feature the stories of Tonesa Welch, Peggy Fulford, Claudette Hubbard, Catherine Pugh, and Priscilla Echi, whose criminal activity included laundering millions of dollars, narcotics distribution and trafficking, tax evasion and property theft. Season two returns on Thursday, October 7 on BET+, and all episodes will be available to stream Thursday, October 14. Costco wants you to know that if you plan on buying up enough toilet paper, paper towels or bottled water to last 2 or 3 years in one swoop, it aint gonna happen. They are putting limits on how much folks can purchase. The problem is the supply-chain is is getting clogged up because of COVID and the delta variant. Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti put the blame on supply chain issues such as port delays, container shortages and COVID disruptions for the limits on purchases, during the retailer’s quarterly earnings call Thursday, reports USA Today. https://youtu.be/IkhbP6eEz8g “We got our start with Commissioned. We’re older than we look,” Eric Dawson said with slight laugh about the legacy of Dawkins & Dawkins being among the list of Contemporary Gospel pioneers. Their blend of Soul and R&B with Gospel has provided them with a signature sound. Grammy nominated Eric Dawkins and his brother Anson Dawkins make up the duo Dawkins & Dawkins that recently released a new album titled “Never Gets Old Vol. 2: Faith and Favor” (Legacy Music Group) with “Come By Here (Kumbaya)” single currently at radio. It is the second installment to their “Never Gets Old” series of albums. https://youtu.be/0DxYcTgf2Kg?list=PLnr8PTAI3UZWwp6tuJ69diTNBhhUNnHy0 D Smoke’s new album, “War & Wonders,“ is dropping today! The two time Grammy nominee is back pushing boundaries on this sophomore album. Daniel “D Smoke” Farris catapulted into stardom after winning Netflix’s “Rhythm + Flow,” with judges Cardi B, T.I., and Chance The Rapper. After the competition, he released his debut album, “Black Habits.” The 35-year-old promises his new project will “challenge people’s views” of who he is and is “stepping out of his comfort zone.” https://youtu.be/atLrocrKb0k Providing eyeglasses to Baltimore schoolchildren yielded significant gains in their academic performance, a recent study shows. Among those who showed the greatest improvement were girls, special-education students and kids with the lowest scores. The study, published in JAMA Opthalmology, followed 2,304 children from 2016-2019 who received eyeglasses after a routine vision screening provided by the Baltimore City Health Department. Children in grades three through seven had a boost in their reading and math scores in the first year after receiving glasses — improvement equal to two to four months of extra time in school. Special-education students and pupils in the bottom quartile improved by the equivalent of four to six months of extra instruction, according to the study. Kelly Price’s older sister, Shanrae Price, is disputing reports that she has been found after her attorney released a statement Friday (Sept. 24). Shanrae called into the digital “Larry Reid Live” show and said, “I’m just asking everybody to pray. I understand an attorney has stated that my sister is okay. We don’t know anything until we physically see her…” “My sister is a very visible person,” she continued. “We haven’t heard anything from her in months. She was very sick with COVID. This is unlike her. No one has heard from her. I know everyone has their own opinions. I don’t do stuff like this but I did want to call in. Until we physically see my sister, we don’t know anything. I’m just asking people please pray okay, because she has two children and it’s just she and I. We lost our mother, we lost our sister six years prior — It’s just she and I.” https://youtu.be/kgceuSfp8O8 Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Black-owned businesses were statistically hit hardest and were largely shut out of the early rounds of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) relief. This time last year, many businesses were forced to close their doors, but Black Twitter saw opportunities to open new ones. A viral post that was shared thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter read: “Take $150 from your stimulus and buy a LLC. Now that you’re a business owner, apply for a PPP grant. Now you have 5k and a small business. Do something you love and thank me later.” While this advice may have led some people to unintentionally or intentionally engage in fraud, there were some aspiring entrepreneurs who actually used it as an opportunity to finally take their first step toward business ownership. But now what? In the latest episode of our explainer series Cleared Up, host Tatianna Mott and founder of the iconic FUBU clothing line Daymond John offer up some more in-depth advice about what it takes to start a business. Michael Jordan’s son Jeffrey Jordan was accused of assault Friday after he allegedly attacked the staff at an Arizona hospital who were treating an injury he received at a bar. According to TMZ, Jordan, 32, fell and hit his head while at a bar in Scottsdale, Arizona. He allegedly became agitated toward security and began swinging, forcing police to help escort him to the hospital. Once there, he allegedly became combative toward staff, requiring an aggravated assault report to be filed. Sources close to Jordan told TMZ he was disoriented due to the fall, and has not been arrested or charged with any crimes. The report was filed with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, who will determine whether any charges are warranted. Today, GRAMMY® winning artists Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music released their highly anticipated collaboration album, Jonny x Mali: Live in LA in partnership between Mali’s imprint, K Approved Enterprises, RCA Inspiration, Jonathan’s Life Room Label and eOne Music. The EP, which was recorded live in Los Angeles, features six dynamic odes that showcase Jonathan’s and Mali’s individual voices and prowess as songwriters but meld their talents together in a glorious fashion. Among Jonny x Mali’s tracks is the uplifting hit, “Movin’ On,” which earned Jonathan and Mali a GRAMMY for Best Gospel Song / Performance at the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards in March, 2021. Another highlight of Jonny x Mali is the super charged single, “Jump Ship”. The live performance video for “Jump Ship” premiered today in conjunction with the release of the album. In addition to the debut of the album, Jonathan and Mali will co-headline the Jonny x Mali Tour kicking off in Atlanta, GA on September 30th. The multi-city tour will make stops in Charlotte, NC, Philadelphia, PA, New York, NY, New Haven, CT, Washington, DC, Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb35ClmoS6Y NEW PRAISE & WORSHIP POWERHOUSE MARICA CHISOLM RELEASES ELECTRIFYING NEW SINGLE "HIGHER." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY1X1HPrulk Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz has proclaimed Friday, September 24, 2021, as Rance Allen Group Day in the gospel trio’s adopted hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Steve Allen and Tom Allen visited with the city’s chief executive in his office earlier this week when he officially presented them with the proclamation. The front man, Bishop Rance Allen, passed away in October 2021. His widow, Ellen Allen, called in on the speakerphone to thank the mayor for honoring the group. The big day coincides with the Rance Allen Group’s new retro-soul styled track, “Love Makes the World Go Around” (Tyscot), which debuts on all digital music platforms on September 24th too. The song about peace and brotherhood features Rance Allen’s signature squalls alongside the thick harmonies of his brothers, Steve and Tom. Streaming Link: https://smarturl.it/8zosdt It’s time to Celebrate! Brandon Camphor & OneWay want their fans around the world to celebrate life, and the One who gives us life, with their new release, “Celebrate.” “Celebrate”, is a fresh take on Gary Oliver’s “Celebrate Jesus” made popular in the nineties. Brandon Camphor & OneWay, while staying true to their beautifully blended harmonies fans have grown to love and expect, put an unexpected and delightful spin on the gospel favorite. “Celebrate” combines the rich and soulful sounds of Earth, Wind, and Fire as a backdrop to a classic that will have everyone dancing to its updated, yet familiar sound. Whether fans have landed a new job, hit a milestone birthday, or just realized life is worth living, “Celebrate” will be the ideal song for anyone to enjoy for decades to come! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fl5xpqhrswyn3lw/AADXf9BZhiMZrj7l6NIwkHMna?dl=0&preview=Celebrate-Radio+Edit.mp3 Kirk Franklin is putting a spin on a classic. Now, one thing about Kirk Franklin he ALWAYS sows seeds for the next generation. Listen to "Lean On Me (Worldwide Mix)" by Kirk featuring the Compassion Youth Choir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFbE9uPziZQ Kerry Douglas and TONIGHT, Spotlight Night has Multiple Stellar Award winner JJ Hairston talking about the McDonalds Inspiration Celebration Tour and play catch up with Darius Twyman. Interviews of Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music as they get ready to go on tour and so much more. 7 pm EST Mr. Kerry Douglas on YouTube There are a myriad of words to describe T.D. Jakes: Pastor. Global leader. Best-selling author. Filmmaker. Real estate industrialist. Conference producer. The senior pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas, Jakes blazed the trail in bringing a message of hope to millions around the world through any mode of communication, never being limited to just the pulpit. He has counseled several U.S. presidents and been the guest of numerous leaders around the world. Jakes will be honored for his 45 years of ministry at a special worship service on Sunday, Sept. 26, at The Potter's House beginning at 9 a.m. CT, set to feature special guests and tributes. Jakes began his ministry in West Virginia at the age of 19. Now 64 years old, Jakes has reached the masses through his various ministries and enterprises. Since starting The Potter's House in Dallas in 1996 with 50 families, more than 30,000 members now attend the megachurch's multiple campuses, with millions more attending online around the world. The Potter's House mission is carried out through global humanitarian outreach, inspirational conference series, media and entertainment venues, and thought leadership forums. Acclaimed singer, actress and now adult beverage connoisseur Tweet has released her newest single, "Neva Gonna Break My Heart Again." The ballad reflects on the heartbreak the songstress has experienced in the past, and how she vows to protect her heart from enduring that same pain again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8nz9J8uX5A A group of Christian artists that came together two years ago to write and record music didn’t anticipate that their songs would catapult them into the spotlight of contemporary Christian music (CCM). Since then, Maverick City Music has released multiple mega-hits that have blown up YouTube and swept into worship services across the country. Maverick City is growing in popularity and continues to cover new ground despite lockdowns and isolation during a global pandemic. Now the group is reaching new heights with the start of a nationwide tour – a feat that no one had expected. Members such as Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, Dante Bowe, Brandon Lake, Joe L. Barnes, Aaron Moses, Alton Eugene, and others strive to be honest and authentic in their music while staying true to the biblical foundations. In addition to the event of a Lifetime with the Janet Jackson documentary, as well as a new season Married at First Sight airing in January 2022, Lifetime expands its unscripted content with the green-lights of three new series to debut next year. The robust slate includes the life-altering plastic surgery transformation series, My Killer Body with K. Michelle, new dating series Five Guys a Week and family docuseries, Leave it to Geege, following a sassy southern mother from Emmy®-winning World of Wonder. The 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” is heating up with a newly announced lineup of presenters and performers. Young Thug, Gunna, Bia, Lil Jon, Baby Keem, and Isaiah Rashad are set to perform and blaze the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre stage. Hip Hop powerhouses Trina, Jermaine Dupri, and Remy Ma, alongside R&B superstar Tank, are slated to present. Rap legend Big Daddy Kane joins for a special tribute to the late Biz Markie. Additionally, comedians, actors, hosts of the “85 South Show” podcast, and stars of “Wild N’ Out” - comedy supergroup 85 South (Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly, and Chico Bean) returns to co-host the annual show premiering Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at 9:00 PM ET/PT. “The Masked Singer" on FOX is unmasking the third of what turned out to be an all-Black trio of performers to be voted out off the show first. Pufferfish tried hard the first two episodes to mask her voice and throw people off, but most folks on social media knew it was Toni Braxton. You can’t mask that distinct voice, not even through a Dua Lipa or Doja Cat ditty. https://youtu.be/7F1OSb4UFNE CLEO TV announced today they have inked a deal with entertainment company Kin to bring a brand new original lifestyle series to the network, It’s Me, Julissa with television host and actress Julissa Bermudez. This fall, CLEO TV will air sixteen episodes, which Kin will also make available to viewers on social platforms including Facebook Watch, YouTube, and Instagram. The official cause of actor Michael K. Williams‘ death was due to an overdose of drugs. Specifically, acute intoxication from a deadly mix of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine was what took Williams out of this world, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. At the end of the day, his death via an overdose was ruled accidental. Williams, 54, best known for his role as Omar Little on “The Wire,” was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse on Sept. 6. A trial date has been set for Eric Holder, the man accused of killing rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019. Holder is due to face a jury on January 5th, 2022, a Los Angeles County judge said Wednesday, per Rolling Stone. “He’s nervous, but he knows it’s time to get the case moving to trial,” Holder’s latest lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Aaron Jansen, tells Rolling Stone exclusively. Jansen says Holder was experiencing “a substantial mental health issue” and was “off his medication” the day of the shooting. His attorney claims that his client has a long history of mental illness. “He does have a significant mental health history,” he said of his client. “One of the things affecting him [in March 2019] was that his mother had just passed away. He was pretty despondent.” The Department of Homeland Security has temporarily suspended the use of horse patrols in Del Rio, Texas, following outrage in regards to images that surfaced showing the patrols whipping Haitian migrants. “We have ceased the use of the horse patrol in Del Rio temporarily. We’ll prioritize other methods for identifying individuals who might be in medical distress,” the DHS official said. The US is “working closely with the government of Mexico and our partners in US government to try to pull on that thread and see how we can enhance visibility into those organized movements.” Earlier this week, DHS announced that they would investigate the situation to “define the appropriate disciplinary actions [that need] to be taken.” The department also dispatched extra agents to oversee what was going on at the Texas border. https://www.instagram.com/p/CULSmJhJCVe/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b84b56c4-c96f-4e3a-b28b-b0aa9faf71deCNN anchor Chris Cuomo‘s got a female problem and her name is Shelley Ross. She’s a veteran television producer and the former boss of Cuomo when he was at ABC News. On Friday, she accused him of sexual harassment, saying he grabbed and squeezed her buttock at a party in 2005. The news comes via an opinion essay published in The New York Times in which Ross described how Cuomo “escaped accountability” for his involvement in managing the response to the sexual harassment scandal surrounding his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In May, Cuomo admitted that he had “inappropriate” strategy conservations with his older brother and promised to steer clear of CNN’s coverage of the scandal. After the governor’s resignation, the broadcaster said in August he urged his brother to resign “when the time came,” but “never attacked nor encouraged anyone to attack any woman who came forward.” https://youtu.be/7sdlX471IxY Missouri cops allowed a police dog to maul a black man they said had threatened to kill officers while being arrested earlier this week. Video shot by a passerby in the St. Louis suburb of Woodson Terrace shows the three white officers standing by while the dog repeatedly bites the man. The footage sparked outrage online and led the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board to compare it to pre-civil rights days in Alabama. Woodson Terrace Police said in a Facebook post that the man, whose name has not been made public, had threatened to kill officers. The post said the man had appeared to be on drugs and had tried to walk away from officers into oncoming traffic. The St. Louis County prosecutor’s office is investigating the incident which happened on Monday morning. Former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin plans to appeal his murder conviction and prison sentence in the George Floyd case. Chauvin was sentenced in June to a little over two decades in prison for the killing of Floyd last May on Memorial Day. He will be 67 years old when he is released from prison. Speaking in court at Chauvin’s sentencing, Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank argued that Chauvin abused his power as a police officer when he killed Floyd. https://youtu.be/CfrMCymSsEA Here’s a tease of Tony nominee Joaquina Kalukango from the Broadway-bound musical Paradise Square , “Welcome Home.” The new musical, currently at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander, will begin performances at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre on February 22, 2022. It follows the denizens of a local saloon called Paradise Square as racial harmony is undone by a country at war with itself, according to Broadway.com. https://youtu.be/Bc3g0nedAoo Janelle Monae linked up with the African American Policy Forum to create a star-studded anthem calling attention to 61 Black women and girls who were killed by law enforcement. The 35-year-old singer and actress is behind the 17-minute “Say Her Name” — a follow up to her 2015 song “Hell You Talmbout.” The song aims to “bring more awareness to what has not been covered and to also allow their families an opportunity to be able to hear people sharing their stories about their daughters as the human beings they were and as the daughters they were,” the artist explained, per People. https://youtu.be/Edvi6lHnSU8 Lifetime has confirmed that K. Michelle’s plastic surgery series will air in 2022. “My Killer Body with K. Michelle” will document the impact plastic surgery complications have had on the reality star’s life, Lifetime said in a press release. K. Michelle has been candid about the health problems she’s suffered from silicone injections. The songstress announced in January she was leaving VH1’s” Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” to focus on the Lifetime series. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has altered its guidance for COVID-19 prevention in schools by removing a section that discussed when to get rid of precautions such as masks. While updates to the CDC’s ‘Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools’ are usually announced at the top of the site, it failed to mention the recent change that was originally set in place on August 5. The full sentence that was removed read: ‘The guidance is intended to help administrators and local health officials select appropriate, layered prevention strategies and understand how to safely transition learning environments out of COVID-19 pandemic precautions as community transmission of COVID-19 reaches low levels or stops.’The CDC also removed sections that asked schools to monitor cases closely should the decide to rollback masking and social distancing, as well as making sure that their masking policies do not conflict with any state laws or regulations. SiriusXM announced today four new, diverse weekly shows led by powerful voices in race relations, culture, business, politics, law, medicine and more. The new programs bolster the Urban View channel’s commitment to featuring dynamic discourse from prominent Black voices across a range of topics. The channel will unveil its new Sunday lineup starting Sunday, September 26. Check out The Qasim Rashid Show, The Dr. Robin Show, The Shelly Bell Show and Shermichael Singleton Show. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught nine passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns to help the Rams win a 27-24 victory against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. If that was not enough, the 28-year-old became the first Rams player ever with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in the first two games of a season. During a post-game press conference, Kupp revealed that the players trust each other to walk out on the field and give it all they’ve got. Despite having Lee Daniels attached and a star-studded cast, the new Fox drama series “Our Kind of People” debuted Tuesday night with less than stellar ratings. The series premiered in the 9 p.m. hour with 1.62 million viewers, according to Nielsen figures. It aired opposite the season 3 premiere of CBS drama FBI: Most Wanted, which brought in 6.87 million viewers. FBI: Most Wanted was part of a three-show crossover to introduce the new drama FBI: International at 10 p.m., according to TVinsider.com. Also airing in the 9 p.m. timeslot was Supergirl on The CW, with about half a million viewers. Per Deadline, written by and produced by Karin Gist and Lee Daniels, the series is inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s critically praised book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class.” https://youtu.be/ZWka8QcNxGA Season two of Apple +‘s “The Morning Show,” picks up in the aftermath of the explosive events from the finale! Alex (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley’s (Reese Witherspoon) partnership on “The Morning Show” is left hanging, as a new UBA identity starts to form. https://youtu.be/-qZWPTsR-Wc In conjunction with the re-release of 5x Grammy-nominated superstar Aaliyah’s third studio album, ??LIY?H, Blackground Records 2.0, in partnership with Empire, hosted a pop-up event ‘More Than A Woman – The Aaliyah Experience’ in honor of the late icon and her musical legacy that occurred September 14-15, 2021. With production by Six Degrees, the experience brings Aaliyah’s career to life for fans in the form of a multi-set immersive event in New York City, paying homage to her eternal legacy and spirit across music, fashion, art, and culture. Guests were able to view never before seen BTS footage of the making of the “Rock The Boat” music video and a physical re-make of Aaliyah’s dressing room. The bottom floor of the event, sponsored by streaming service Pandora, brought guests into NYC’s subway with posters reminiscent of the “One In A Million” album art, allowing guests to share messages and post them on the walls along with a karaoke machine and a mural honoring Aaliyah and DMX. Several parents visiting the Bronx zoo with their children were left stunned when a gorilla performed oral sex on another. Video of the moment has gone viral. According to TMZ, the encounter took place on Wednesday, and parents can be heard in the clip quickly averting the eyes of their children amid laughter from onlookers. https://nypost.com/2021/09/23/gorillas-shock-onlookers-with-oral-sex-at-bronx-zoo-video/ Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington recently revealed what the Lord has been telling him to do when he prays in this season. Washington was among the featured speakers at “The Better Man Event” hosted by First Baptist Orlando in Florida on Saturday, where he revealed to his spiritual mentor, Pastor A.R. Bernard, the senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, the message he’s consistently been hearing from God. “At 66, getting ready to be 67, having just buried my mother, I made a promise to her and to God, not just to do good the right way, but to honor my mother and my father by the way I live my life, the rest of my days on this Earth. I’m here to serve, to help, to provide,” Washington shared at the Christian men’s conference. During the nearly 30-minute sit-down discussion, Washington told Bernard what God has been telling him every time he prays. “In every prayer, all I hear is: ‘Feed my sheep.’ That’s what God wants me to do,” the “Fences” actor shared. Four years after the Washington National Cathedral removed stained-glass windows depicting Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, the cathedral will announce Thursday (Sept. 23) that the windows will be filled with work by multimedia artist Kerry James Marshall honoring African Americans’ struggle for justice. The windows, which are expected to be installed in 2023, will be funded by a more than $1 million contribution from the Mellon Foundation. In a separate development, it was also announced Mellon’s president, the poet Elizabeth Alexander, will contribute new verse to be inscribed in the stone around the windows. The poetry project is funded by actress Kate Capshaw and her husband, Steven Spielberg, through the Hearthland Foundation. A best-selling Christian author and speaker denounced the idea of systemic racism at a national gathering of Christian counselors, saying Black Americans and other minorities were not raised to value hard work or education. Josh McDowell, best known for his book “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” and other books defending the Christian faith, gave a speech Saturday (Sept. 18) at a meeting of the American Association of Christian Counselors. On Wednesday (Sept. 22) McDowell announced that he was stepping back from ministry in the aftermath of his comments at the conference to enter a “season of listening.” ”At a recent conference, I made comments about race, the black family, and minorities that were wrong and hurt many people,” he said. “It breaks my heart to know what deep pain I have caused.” The Rev. Jesse Jackson, 79, credited the COVID vaccine for ‘protect[ing him] from death’ after he was released Wednesday from a Chicago facility a month after he was hospitalized for a breakthrough infection. Jackson, and his wife, 77-year-old Jacqueline, were first hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital last month. Jackson was vaccinated for COVID-19 – his wife was not. Jacqueline required oxygen and a brief intensive care unit stay before she was released this month. The reverend’s case was less severe, and about a week after he was first hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, he was transferred to a physical therapy facility. Jackson briefly spoke to reporters Wednesday, along with doctors and therapists who worked with him at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. He said he did not have any respiratory issues, but it did affect his Parkinson’s and his ability to walk and talk. ‘The shot protected me from death,’ he said of the vaccine. Faith leaders representing a broad spectrum of Christian groups will meet with White House officials on Wednesday (Sept. 22) to advocate for voting rights and social programs they say protect the poor and vulnerable. The group, which is organized by the advocacy organization Circle of Protection, includes influential Catholics, leaders of major Black church groups, prominent mainline Christian officials and the heads of evangelical Protestant organizations. The leaders also plan to release a letter signed by 20 religious officials addressed to President Joe Biden and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, urging them to finalize and pass a slate of bills working their way through Congress. The magician who won America’s Got Talent with a sleight of hand and stories of inspiration told Ellen Degeneres Wednesday that his wife, Kari, told him he would be victorious. “Every round I got through, every day, she’s like, ‘I told you [that] you were going to win,” said Dustin Tavella, who won $1 million and a Las Vegas show by winning the NBC talent show. It wasn’t until the final night that he said he thought to himself, “My wife might be right.” Tavella, who is a Christian, made the comments during an appearance on The Ellen Show in which he performed a trick and wowed a stunned Degeneres. He also recounted how he and Kari adopted two boys, Xander and Sylas. Months after Kyle Dixon died, his old house in Lanse, Pennsylvania, is full of reminders of a life cut short. His tent and hiking boots sit on the porch where he last put them. The grass he used to mow has grown tall in his absence. And on the kitchen counter, there are still bottles of the over-the-counter cough medicine he took to try to ease his symptoms at home as covid-19 began to destroy his lungs. Dixon was a guard at a nearby state prison in rural, conservative Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. He died of the virus in January at age 27. His older sister Stephanie Rimel was overwhelmed with emotion as she walked through Dixon’s home and talked about him. “I’ll never get to be at his wedding,” Rimel said. “I’ll never see him old.” Her expressions of grief, however, quickly turned to anger. Rimel recounted the misinformation that proliferated last year: Masks don’t work. The virus is a Democratic hoax to win the election. Only old people or people who are already sick are at risk. Rimel said her brother believed some of that. He heard it from other prison guards, from family and friends on Facebook, she said, and from the former president, whom he voted for twice. Falsehoods and conspiracies have fostered a dismissive attitude about the coronavirus among many people in rural Pennsylvania, Rimel said. And, because of the misinformation, her brother didn’t always wear a mask or practice physical distancing. Just in time for Latinx Heritage Month, CLEO TV will air CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Saturday, September 25 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiO-4kHolJk TaMyya J releases a powerful faith-inspiring single "HEAVENLY.” This is a single from her “Love For Your Name" album written and produced by Fred “Uncle Freddie” Jerkins of DarkChild Gospel. The Love For Your Name CD has garnered TaMyya J multiple awards and chart topping positions since its release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpxLDL0x-r4&feature=youtu.be As civic engagement groups gear up for National Voter Registration Day, one group launches a week of action. With voter suppression efforts ramping up and as many as 500 proposed voter suppression bills introduced, the freedom to vote is under attack. When We All Vote’s “Back to the Ballot Box” Week of Action will kick off Thursday with a star-studded line-up featuring remarks from former first lady Michelle Obama, Chris Paul, Regina Hall, and local organizers from several partner organizations. Comedian/actor Anthony “AJ” Johnson‘s death has created a huge financial burden on the family in terms of finding the money to bury him. However, it looks like that particular burden has been lifted. Before things got better financially for the family, his wife, Lexis Jones Mason revealed how they had been getting a lot of what she says is “fake love” in the wake of her husband’s sudden passing. In a heartbreaking interview with TMZ, Mason fights back tears as she explains how the Johnson family had to start a GoFundMe, but for several days prior to the interview, they come up way short of the $20k goal they set to properly bury him … raising less than $800. The family’s effort to raise funds to bury AJ has been realized according to the GoFundMe page. In fact, when checked just prior to publishing this story, it had EXCEEDED the original $20,000 goal. It’s well on it’s way to $30, 000 and more. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-09-21-092121-lexis-jones-mason-1253229/ Linda Evangelista took a tentative step back into the public eye on Wednesday when she blamed her years-long absence on a disfiguring cosmetic procedure. In a statement shared to Instagram, the 56-year-old supermodel claimed she had been ‘permanently deformed’ due to a rare side effect from a cosmetic procedure. According to Evangelista, she had undergone a California-based CoolSculpting procedure to ‘decrease’ her fat cells, but instead the procedure allegedly ‘increased’ her fat cells. Linda’s statement read: ‘Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept to myself for over five years. To my followers who have wondered why I have not been working while my peers’ careers have been thriving, the reason is that I was brutally disfigured by Zeltiq’s CoolSculpting procedure… ‘[It] did the opposite of what it promised. It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful corrective surgeries. I have been left, as the media described, ‘unrecognizable.” The Rev. Timothy Stewart, the first international president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, has died, his denomination announced. The Bahamas pastor served three years of his four-year term and presided over the virtual annual session of the historically Black religious group in August. He died on Sept. 17 at the age of 64. “Dr. Stewart faithfully served the Progressive National Baptist Convention for over 3 decades, making history in 2018,” the denomination said in a statement. “He was the first President from the International Region in Progressive’s 60 year history.” He was the 21st president of the denomination, which was home to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Dru Hill has challenged Boyz II Men, 112 and Jagged Edge to a Verzuz battle. Dru Hill posted a video on social media requesting a virtual face off between popular R&B boy groups of the 90s. “Whoever wants it, can get it, whether it’s Jodeci, Boyz II Men…” said Sisqó in the 56-second clip. He added, “Maybe 112 and Jagged Edge could combine to one group, and then they might have a chance.” Brilliant and Black: A Jewelry Renaissance at Sotheby’s New York puts a long overdue spotlight on approximately 60 pieces from 21 Black jewelry designers across the United States and Europe. British fine jeweler Thelma West—whose five-carat pear-shaped diamond Rihanna wore to the Met Gala—told Vanity Fair about how the past year has changed the community itself: “Two years ago, if you had asked me to put together a list of the top 10 Black professionals creating fine jewelry, I would have come up short,” she said.. “The fact that our stories were not told and amplified meant that, not only did we not see each other, but it clearly made it impossible for others (media, industry leaders, etc.) to see us or consider our work worthy. We were all stuck in this circular limbo…That has changed in the last year. I’ve exchanged messages with so many Black jewelers expressing how surprised and happy we are to discover each other.” https://youtu.be/dImGkCLHHQE According to the movie synopsis, “American Underdog” is based on the memoir “All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football, and the First Miracle Season,” written by Kurt Warner and Michael Silver. The film is the true story of former Rams star Kurt Warner played by Zachary Levi, who went from a stock boy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl Champion, and Hall of Fame Quarterback. https://youtu.be/7OyATVvN9oQ Actress Cassandra Peterson, famously known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, released a memoir on Tuesday in which she reveals she’s been in a relationship for 19 years with a woman. Peterson writes in “Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark” that she first met Teresa “T” Wierson while working out at Gold’s Gym in Hollywood. She initially thought Wierson was a man. “Often, when I was doing my preworkout warm-up on the treadmill, I couldn’t help noticing one particular trainer — tan, tattooed, and muscular — stalking across the gym floor, knit cap pulled so low over his long brown hair that it nearly covered his eyes,” she explains via People magazine. “A typical sexy bad boy, he was unaware he was so charismatic that he’d garnered his own unofficial fan club. Watching him from the safety of my treadmill made my heart beat faster and the time pass much more quickly,” she adds in the book. But after a run-in in the ladies room, Peterson realized Wierson was a woman, who she describes as an “incredibly sweet person, despite her tough exterior.” Elsewhere in the memoir, she recalls some of her encounters with male celebrities, such as late basketball star Wilt Chamberlain. The NBA icon revealed in his 1991 memoir “A View From Above” that he slept with 20,000 women. Peterson claims he forced oral sex on her. https://youtu.be/X7E30aEnwuI On a recent episode of “The View,” Sunny Hostin slammed U.S policy amid the Haiti migrant crisis and the government’s brutal history with the island nation. More than 10,000 Haitian migrants have crossed the southern border into Texas, where they are camping out under a bridge that connects Texas and Mexico. Per the New York Post, several government officials have referred to the situation in Del Rio, Texas, as “unprecedented,” the Washington Post writes. The migrants arrive as the president attempts to usher in tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees amid an alleged COVID pandemic. Hostin insisted that “U.S. policy towards Haiti has always been corrupt,” and she called out President Joe Biden for ignoring the crisis. “This is against international law,” she said. “I’m so disappointed — so disappointed — in the Biden administration today.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CUI3xcIFsli/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Common spilled about 10 cups of tea regarding his relationship with Tiffany Haddish during a visit to “Ellen” that aired Wednesday. There to promote his new album, “A Beautiful Revolution (Pt 2),” the rapper was shown a message from Haddish – who was on the show the week prior – that she had written for her man on the dressing room mirror: “Break a leg, but not my favorite one. I need that one tonight.” “Man, she does a lot to that favorite leg,” Common responded, which was met with sustained laughter and Ellen eventually quipping, “Enough said.” https://youtu.be/DqP-uMvBMl0 An all-new episode of WE tv’s new series “Brat Loves Judy” returns Thursday night and the Brat is getting a tattoo to show her commitment to Judy. https://youtu.be/bbBKp6Z6I8U “BMF” is the newest drama airing on Starz September 26! The show tells the background story of the Flenory brothers – Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory – who toke over the drug game in Detroit at a young age and gained infamy in their city. They also became well known in the rap and entertainment industry. Produced by Curtis Jackson, the series features newcomers and familiar faces, like Russell Hornsby (“The Hate U Give”), Snoop Dogg, and brothers Steve Harris and Sherwin David “Wood” Harris. “BMF” is the second time the brothers have worked together. Wood plays a drug kingpin and Steve is a police officer trying to get back control of the city. https://youtu.be/s6_YrWse_S4 Law & Order: Organized Crime” star Christopher Meloni broke the internet with his return as Elliot Stabler earlier this year for the ‘SVU’ spinoff series, but the veteran TV star says that he had no intention of ever reprising the beloved character. After spending 12 years playing Stabler alongside Mariska Hargitay as Oliva Benson, Meloni left “Law&Order: SVU” in 2011 and went on to star in a slew of projects, including HBO’s “True Blood,” the slave series “Underground,” which aired on WGN and SyFy’s “Happy.” Meloni’s big comeback as Stabler was only made possible after series creator Dick Wolf piqued the actor’s interest with how he would approach “Organized Crime” (OC). https://youtu.be/h7-m-BHjydc Jakarta-based rising star, Afgan, has joined forces with Robin Thicke, for the re-release of his original track “Touch Me,” out today. https://youtu.be/eOrZ7kxv1E8 Conor McGregor swapped throwing punches for throwing pitches at Wrigley Field — without much success. The MMA star threw the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Chicago Cubs’ game on Tuesday, only for his attempt to sail high into the air towards the stands. “I cannot stop laughing at this,” fellow UFC fighter Justin Gaethje wrote on Twitter. “Everyw MMA fighter that has represented us doing this has looked terrible but this takes the cake.” https://youtu.be/MYN_sfsqVOU The Wall Street Journal, quoting a top Democratic negotiator, says they have ended with no agreement with lawmakers unable to reach a compromise following nationwide protests sparked by the killings of Black Americans by law-enforcement officers. The report says Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) said Wednesday that he called Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.) to tell him the Democrats were done negotiating after Scott didn’t accept their final offer. https://youtu.be/lAxpJYWEUDI Jelani Day’s mother wants the police and media to care about him as if he was a white woman. Day, a Black graduate student at Illinois State University, went missing almost a month ago. News of Gabby Petito’s disappearance and subsequent murder has led to renewed discussions on the missing Black and other people of color who often go unnoticed. Officially the investigation continues, but Day’s family wants to ensure the public doesn’t forget about him. People reported Day’s car was found two days after he was reported missing. Carmen Bolden Day, Jelani’s mother, spoke with Newsy on Monday. She is pleading with law enforcement to continue the search. No parent wants to have to make such a plea. She said there isn’t a lot of substantive information beyond an unidentified body found near a river. Local news reported the body was undergoing forensic testing to identify the remains. Bolden Day says she doesn’t feel like she is getting the help she needs from local authorities. Joel Coen is flying solo with “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” a new take on the Shakespeare classic. While Joel Coen almost always works side-by-side with his brother Ethan, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” has him on his own — although that doesn’t mean the Coen Brothers have had a falling out. “Ethan just didn’t want to make movies anymore,” said longtime Coen collaborator Carter Burwell. “Ethan seems very happy doing what he’s doing, and I’m not sure what Joel will do after this. They also have a ton of scripts they’ve written together that are sitting on various shelves. I hope maybe they get back to those.” “The Tragedy of Macbeth” stars Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington, and hails from A24. https://youtu.be/OZcLLAx30Pw Rebecca Hall makes her feature directorial debut with “Passing,” a slow-burn drama about two very different women living in the 1920s. Both women are Black, but one of them, played by Ruth Negga, “passes” as white in public, while the other woman, played by Tessa Thompson, doesn’t. At least not all the time. These two women are childhood friends who reconnect by chance, setting off a chain of events that will change both of them forever. “Passing” played at the virtual Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and now it’s headed to Netflix this fall. https://youtu.be/trwq3CNCMkU Rapper T.I. and his wife Tiny will not be charged with sexual assault and rape for allegedly drugging and raping a woman in Los Angeles, TMZ reports. The statute of limitations on the alleged crime, 10 years, has expired, prosecutors reportedly said. The alleged victim filed a police report in California earlier this year claiming she met the couple in 2005 at a club, where they put something in her drink and then sexually assaulted her. Another woman filed a similar police report in Las Vegas, alleging the couple committed a similar crime in 2010, which also falls beyond the statute of limitations. Melvin Van Peebles, a legendary and groundbreaking actor and director, best know for 1971’s “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” has passed. He was 89. Van Peebles’ death was confirmed in a statement Wednesday from video distribution company the Criterion Collection on behalf of the Peebles’ family. “We are saddened to announce the passing of a giant of American cinema, Melvin Van Peebles, who died last night, at home with family, at the age of 89. In an unparalleled career, Van Peebles made an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape. He will be deeply missed,” Criterion tweeted. “Dad knew that Black images matter,” Mario Van Peebles also said in that statement from the Criterion Collection. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? A date has been set for the trial of a former Fort Worth police officer who was charged with murder after shooting a Black woman through a back window of her home while responding to a call about an open front door in 2019. Aaron Dean’s trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 16, more than two years after he shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson during a late-night wellness check at her mother’s house. His case was among many delayed as the coronavirus pandemic caused courts across the country to postpone jury trials. Dean, now 36, resigned from the city police force two days after shooting Jefferson. He was charged with murder and released on a $200,000 bond. Following the shooting, Fort Worth police released body-camera footage that showed Dean walked around the side of the house, pushed through a gate into the fenced-off backyard and fired through a window a split-second after shouting at Jefferson to show her hands. Police went the house after a neighbor called a non-emergency line to report the front door was ajar. Dean, who is white, was not heard identifying himself as police on the video. Protesters demonstrated outside Carmine’s restaurant in New York City on Monday night after the release of footage of a fight between a hostess and three customers. Initially, Carmine’s said the Sept. 16 rumble happened when the three women refused to show vaccination cards but later said the women did show their cards upon entry. In the video, it appears that as the three women were walking through the restaurant to join a larger party, a hostess—who was Asian—may have said something as she passed by. Whatever the hostess said, it had an effect on the three women. They stopped walking, turned around, and followed the hostess outside to the stand where they surrounded her. A scuffle broke out among the customers, employees, and other people at the restaurant. Witnesses said the incident was racially motivated, and the women said the hostess had used a racial slur when she walked past them, which they took as an assault. An Alabama mom has been jailed after allegedly boarding a school bus and getting into a fight with an 11-year-old she suspected of bullying her kid. AL.com reports Nannatt Waldrop, 37, was hit with assault and trespass charges after the altercation was posted on social media. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department alleged that Waldrop got onto the bus early Tuesday morning then got into a fight with an 11-year-old kid who she believed had been picking on her child. Jefferson County Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin said in a statement: “While this is now a law enforcement matter, let me just say what I saw on that video deeply disturbs me… At no point is any type of violence acceptable, especially violence against students.” He added that school officials are looking into what led up to the fight and are cooperating with authorities. Waldrop was released later Tuesday after posting bonds totaling $10,500. A new variant of COVID-19 with deadly mutations that give it “increased resistance to antibodies” was discovered in a Kentucky nursing home. The variant, called R.1, infected 45 residents and employees in the facility, including some who were fully vaccinated. R.1 originated in Japan, and has now racked up over 10,000 entries in the GISAID SARS-CoV-2 database, which researchers use to record genomic data. Scientist William A. Haseltine writes in Forbes:”R.1 is a variant to watch. It has established a foothold in both Japan and the United States. Kamala Harris will make an in-studio appearance on “The View” this week, ABC said Monday in a press release. Harris and “The View” co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro will discuss the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Afghanistan crisis, immigration, and voting rights, per ABC, as reported by Urban Hollywood 411. https://youtu.be/GsSJbq3JC5Y MSNBC host Joy Reid is catching heat for criticizing the media’s coverage of YouTuber Gabby Petito. While Black, indigenous and women of color go missing or are found dead almost daily, the media only fixates on murdered white women. Joy Reid calls it “missing White woman syndrome.” The FBI confirmed on Tuesday that the remains found Sunday in an area of Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest were those Petito, 22, whose boyfriend is a person of interest in the killing but law enforcement can’t find him as he is on the run. Those on the right say, Petito’s death is being used as a distraction from Biden’s vaccine mandates, the Haitian migrant crisis in Texas, and the quiet ushering of Afghanis into America. During a segment on her show “The ReidOut,” Reid noted that the media doesn’t cover non-White people when they go missing. https://twitter.com/i/status/1440125733821583360 Country music singer Morgan Wallen reportedly hasn’t donated much of the $500K he pledged for using the N-word and later claiming he didn’t know the slur was offensive to Black people. During an appearance on Good Morning America in July, Wallen addressed the controversy and pledge $500,000 to Black organizations and activism groups. https://youtu.be/JO9iFWcK19o Jay-Z's Team Roc organization on Monday sued the Kansas City Police Department over allegations they covered up instances of police misconduct. The lawsuit was filed in Wyandotte County, Kansas's district court, requesting a look at records of investigators with the department, and specifics such as training and supervision, according to ABC News. Team Roc lawyer Alex Spiro told the outlet that previous documents authorities submitted under the Kansas Open Records Act were 'not sufficient.' Dr. Dre has been ordered to pay an additional $1M in legal fees to his estranged wife Nicole Young. The ruling comes amid the former couple’s bitter divorce battle. In the order, the judge in the divorce case ruled this week that the rapper and Beats mogul should pay Nicole another $1.55 million in legal fees and costs — after already forking over $2 million. The judge estimated that Nicole’s reasonable legal fees in the case so far should total $3 million, plus costs. Dre will now have to pay $1 million towards the balance of her fees, plus another $550,000 in costs associated with the case, the judge ruled. The payment would be for fees and costs through July 2, 2021. But it is unclear what the eventual tab will be moving forward in the case. According to the judgment, the music mogul must pay Young monthly installments of $293,306, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael R. Powell ruled in July, per Daily Mail. Dre also must continue to cover expenses for Nicole’s health insurance, security costs, and maintaining her two homes, the judge said. The order shall remain in place “until the party receiving support remarries or enters into a new domestic partnership, death of either party or until further order of the court,” Judge Powell ruled. Young filed for divorce last summer after 24 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. According to a Wendy Williams source, the talk show host is “in need of serious help and was drinking every day” prior to being hospitalized for psychiatric issues. Amid her psychiatric evaluation, the new season of her talk show has also been delayed due to Wendy’s alleged battle with COVID-19. According to The Sun, Williams was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday following a 911 call for someone in need of “psychiatric services” at her New York City apartment building. A Wendy insider said staffers on her daytime talk show have said they would smell the liquor on her. “Everyone is an enabler because they don’t want to lose their job. They see it, they know it, they smelled the liquor,” the source spilled. The first-week sales projections for Lil Nas X’s debut album are in. The rapper’s debut full-length studio LP “Montero” moved 130,000-140,000 first-week units, according to HitsDailyDouble. All Hip Hop notes that the 15-track project is expected to end Drake’s two-week reign atop the Billboard album chart. “Montero” includes guest appearances by Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John and Miley Cyrus. The album features no Black male rappers, as reported by Complex. In a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, the openly gay artist revealed he sent the track “Industry Baby” to his icon Nicki Minaj but she didn’t get back to him. https://youtu.be/RWjnC8HSRdU England’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, and chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, dismissed on Tuesday Nicki Minaj’s bizarre claim that her cousin became impotent after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. While touting vaccines, Johnson admitted he’s “not as familiar with the work of Nicki Minaj as I probably should be.” Minaj, who has not yet been vaccinated, fired back at the U.K. leader hours later, posting an audio message in a fake British accent. “Yes, hello Prime Minister, Boris, it’s Nicki Minaj—I was just calling to tell you that you were so amazing on the news this morning. And I’m actually British. I was born there. I went to university there. I went to Oxford,” she said. “I went to school with Margaret Thatcher. And she told me so many nice things about you. I’d love to send you my portfolio of my work, since you don’t know much about me, I’m a big, big star in the United States.” She went at it with BBC News political editor Laura Kuenssberg and former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, too. Minaj called Kuenssberg a “dumbo” and embraced Morgan’s description of her as the “rudest little madam” by adding it to her Twitter bio. Anthony Johnson, the actor and comedian best known for his roles in “Friday” and “House Party,” has died. He was 55. His rep, LyNea Bell, confirmed the news to USA TODAY, calling Johnson an “iconic legend of stage and screen.” The date and cause of his death has not yet been released. “The world of comedy has truly been shaken, again,” Bell said. “He has left with us amazing memories of his laughter, dynamic acting skills, but most of all his enormous personality and heart of gold. We will be in constant prayer for his entire family including his wife Lexis, 3 children, brother Edward ‘Peanut’ Smith, sister Sheila, and lifetime manager and friend Mike D. Please give them the time they need to process and grieve such a huge loss.” Johnson, who was also known to fans as A.J. Johnson, appeared in several movie roles including E.Z.E. in 1990’s “House Party” and Ezal in the 1995 Ice Cube-Chris Tucker classic “Friday.” On Saturday, Sadie Robertson Huff’s daughter, Honey, was released from the hospital after battling Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). “YALL WE GET TO GO HOME!!!! (YAY) 4 days in the hospital and this girl is happy to go home!” Robertson Huff told her 4.5 million followers on Instagram. She noted that Honey “is still very congested with a bad cough, but her oxygen was good enough to get better from home.” Over the weekend, 60 minutes Australia released a major exposé on Hillsong Church, shedding light on multiple allegations of sexual abuse and celebrity culture seen across its churches worldwide. The exposé, titled Hillsong Hell, included stories of two women who were reportedly victims of abuse from Hillsong staff and members, The Roys Report reported. One woman, Anna Crenshaw, shared her story of abuse, alleging that she was assaulted by Hillsong worship leader Jason Mays, a married man. In 2018, she reported the assault to Hillsong Church, where May’s father serves as the head of human resources. https://youtu.be/5uHd7auGw64 Polaris, the 100% black-owned television, digital and social media platform, today announced the launch of its first free ad-supported streaming TV channel (FAST), to debut on VIZIO’s (NYSE: VZIO) SmartCast platform. Created by digital media pioneer and legendary journalist, Rahman J. Dukes, Polaris exists to uncover and share stories created by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and authentically share Hip-Hop and Black culture with the world. With guidance from the Polaris board, iconic media personality Sway Calloway (MTV) and music historian Shaheem Reid, Polaris delivers a superior viewing experience through authentic, meaningful content that channels the spirit of African culture, rooted in music. Polaris will officially debut in October exclusively to VIZIO SmartCast users on WatchFree+, VIZIO’s free streaming service. Evangelist Franklin Graham has embarked on the 14-day “God Loves You” tour along the historic Route 66 highway to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Graham, who is the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian ministry, will travel to eight cities to preach the gospel message of God’s love during the outdoor events. He began the road trip Sunday in Joliet, Illinois where 8,700 people came out to the Chicagoland Speedway to pray and worship together. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been 18 months since Graham has spoken to a crowd at such a large-scale event. The evangelist told those in attendance that the world has changed but God’s love for us is still the same. Students across the country are gearing up for “Bring Your Bible to School Day” on Oct. 7 as a creative way to express their faith. Sponsored by Focus on the Family, the initiative encourages Christian students to speak God’s truth with those around them by bringing their Bible and sharing His Word. Nearly 515,000 students participated in the event last year in over 50,000 U.S. schools. Speaking on behalf of the event, Skillet frontman John Cooper emphasized that the Bible is “the answer the world needs” and students can meet that need by bringing the “transformative law of Jesus” into their schools. Pope Francis has acknowledged his increasingly vocal conservative critics, saying their “nasty comments” were the work of the devil and adding that “some wanted me dead” after his recent intestinal surgery. Francis made the comments during a Sept. 12 private meeting with Slovakian Jesuits soon after he arrived in the Slovak capital of Bratislava during his just-finished visit. A transcript of the encounter was published Tuesday by the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, which often provides after-the-fact accounts of Francis’ closed-door meetings with his fellow Jesuits when he’s on the road. Francis showed his dark sense of humor throughout the encounter, particularly when a priest asked him how he was feeling. The Sept. 12-15 Hungary-Slovakia trip was Francis’ first international outing since undergoing surgery in July to remove a 33-centimeter (13-inch) chunk of his large intestine. “Still alive,” Francis quipped. “Even though some wanted me dead. I know there were even meetings among priests who thought the pope was in worse shape than what was being said. They were preparing the conclave.” “Patience! Thank God I’m well,” he added. Kym Whitley is suing a nursery in Los Angeles over injuries she suffered at the plant shop a few years ago. The comedian filed suit against a place called Green Thumb Nursery in L.A.’s Canoga Park neighborhood. In the docs, Whitley claims she pulled up to the store, parked and then tried strolling through an alleyway adjacent to the facility, before tripping on what she says was a “broken, defective, poorly maintained section of asphalt.” She says the stumble turned into a tumble … making her land face first into the ground, and busting her mug up pretty badly — she claims she broke bones and gushed blood. Whitley claims the nursery staff helped her up, and the manager said, “I told them to fix that!” https://www.instagram.com/p/B224678gG_-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Steph Curry and his wife of ten years Ayesha celebrated their anniversary with a vow renewal ceremony. The Currys shared photos on social media of the event, “with oldest child Riley officiating as the little mistress of ceremonies,” Black Enterprise writes. “A couple of weeks ago @stephencurry30 surprised me with the most beautiful vow renewal ceremony,” wrote Ayesha about the impromptu ceremony on Instagram on Tuesday. “He even picked out my dress for me and had it waiting ??. Our big girl Riley officiated and Ryan and Canon walked me through the grass of our backyard. It’s everything I’ve always dreamed of but didn’t know could be possible in this way. A moment I will never forget. I love you @stephencurry30 .” https://www.instagram.com/ayeshacurry/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a25770fe-d5f6-42df-aa86-80be2621330d Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star, 37, is speaking out about depression that many professional athletes deal with. Anthony hit up “The Drew Barrymore Show” on Tuesday to discuss his new book, “Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope,” released on Sept. 14. “I think athletes, like, we’re naturally depressed being an athlete,” he told Drew Barrymore, as reported by PEOPLE. “I mean, what we have to go through on a day-to-day basis, dealing with media, competing at the highest level. We spend more time with our teammates than we do with our family during the year, so you miss holidays and so on and so forth. So it’s a lot of things that, you know, the average person [doesn’t] really understand that an athlete has to go through.” “It wasn’t until I actually started writing the book and going through that process where I was able to kind of get the real, true meaning of, kind of, who I am and putting everything into perspective,” he continued. TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with super producer Swizz Beatz on Sunday, September 26th at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words including R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield, singer and actressRaven-Symoné and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_caRpW5lzAE According to reports, a father-to-be has been arrested for shooting 3 people at a #Pennsylvania baby shower over gifts. The incident occurred when suspect #IsiahHampton, 25, got into a fight with an unidentified lady who wanted him to transport the gifts from the party. The police report stated that the woman hit Hampton, who was allegedly violent, and he then pushed her. When a trio attempted to subdue him, Hampton allegedly fired three rounds from the ground. “Preliminary investigation shows a family argument began that turned physical then the suspect introduced a 9mm semi-automatic handgun,” authorities said, “firing off rounds which resulted in a 23-year-old male, a 19-year-old female, and a 16-year-old male sustaining gunshot wounds.” Hampton told police that one of the victims was shot when the gun accidentally discharged while the men wrestled it away from him. White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded Monday to the disturbing images that show a U.S. Border Patrol agent on horseback using a horse rein as a whip on Haitian migrants. “I have seen some of the footage. I don’t have the full context. I can’t imagine what context would make that appropriate, but I don’t have additional details,” Psaki said, per NBC News. “I don’t think anyone seeing that footage would think it’s acceptable or appropriate.” Under the Joe Biden administration, more than 10,000 Haitian migrants have crossed the southern border into Texas, where they are camping out under a bridge that connects Texas and Mexico. https://youtu.be/BO9vhezCNA8 The search for Brian Laundrie — whose fiancée, Gabrielle Petito, went missing under the most suspicious and tragic of circumstances — embodies white privilege in every way, fashion and form. The FBI said Sunday that remains believed to belong to Petito were found in a camping site in Wyoming. The 22-year-old and 23-year-old Laundrie left New York on July 2 for a monthslong cross-country trip that was interrupted on Aug. 12, when police in Moab, Utah, responded to a report of a “domestic problem” after the couple had “some sort of argument” that resulted in the couple allegedly getting physical with each other, which the cops handled, not by making any arrests, but by separating the two and even putting Laundrie up in a hotel for the night. According to the New York Times, FBI agent Charles Jones said the remains were found in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area, which is located in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the east boundary of Grand Teton National Park. While Jones added that the forensic investigation to confirm the identity of the remains hadn’t been completed yet, Jones said they were “consistent with a description of Gabrielle Petito.” Oregon teachers and other school staff must be vaccinated by Oct. 18. But an anti-vax special education staffer at an elementary school decided protesting in blackface was the way to protest the change. The NBC affiliate KGW reported the staffer showed up to work in blackface on Friday. The staffer is now on leave from their position at Mable Rush Elementary. They were allegedly trying to protest the enforcement of the school vaccine mandate, the staffer dressed up as civil rights legend Rosa Parks. Somehow in 2021, people are still missing the memo that blackface is not needed to dress up as a Black person. The blackface incident is the third incident in the past two months, showing a lack of cultural competency in the district. A week earlier, it was reported students at the nearby high school took part in a virtual “slave auction.” KGW reported students posted in a group about how much they would pay to buy their Black classmates. The official trailer for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 presented by Amazon Prime Video is here. The extravaganza will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide beginning Friday, September 24. The fashion experience features performances by Nas, Daddy Yankee, BIA, Jazmine Sullivan, Ricky Martin, Normani, and Jade Novah. https://youtu.be/FG8UWWCjrT8 Janet Jackson is reportedly teaming with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on her first album that will arrive next year. According to a KISS 108 report, Jackson’s incoming 12th studio album will also feature collaborations with Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson, “Man In The Mirror” co-writer, Siedah Garret, and others. Additionally, Good Morning America notes the project’s first single will arrive by the end of this year. The still untitled album will serve as a follow-up to Unbreakable, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s albums charts upon release in 2015. Last week Jackson shared the first teaser trailer for her upcoming documentary, “JANET,” which will air over two nights on Lifetime and A&E. https://youtu.be/nJ4OD76xUpA Federal prosecutors have wrapped their case against R. Kelly in Brooklyn. Jurors heard testimony over 20 days from 45 witnesses in Kelly’s racketeering and sex trafficking case. The singer has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied multiple allegations that he sexually and physically abused women and young girls. During cross-examinations, defense attorneys questioned alleged victims on why many waited years or even decades to report the alleged abuse. The defense began introducing their own witnesses on Monday, New York Times reports. Former Chicago police officer Larry Hood, a childhood friend of Kelly, said he never witnessed Kelly’s alleged inappropriate antics with women or girls. https://youtu.be/4W8ooh6bpRg This Thursday, Liza Koshy and Kimiko Glenn take us on a mission full of misadventure and enchantment in Netflix’s “My Little Pony: A New Generation.“ My Little Pony: A New Generation” soars globally on Netflix September 24. https://youtu.be/J2I5HtYlwrQ Snoop Dogg has joined forces with Beyond Meat which finds the rapper serving up its “bleeding” beef-like burgers via food trucks in select cities. The California-based company became the first vegan meat brand to go public earlier this month, and Snoop is helping the brand celebrate its stock market success. Additionally, to celebrate the kickoff of football season in LA, Snoop Dogg and Chargers Safety Derwin James have teamed up with Beyond Meat to bring free plant-based meals to the LA community in fully tricked out food trucks! https://www.instagram.com/beyondmeat/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e5c010fd-b13a-4e24-9f4f-331485f4f7f9 Kanye West has reportedly dropped $57.25 million on a Malibu house. The New York Post reports the three-story house on Puerco Beach was built on a 0.13-acre beachfront in 2013. It has a large, glass pivot door facing the beach, a garage, four bedrooms and five bathrooms, city records show. And although the 3,665-square-foot, concrete-heavy house is designed by award-winning starchitect Tadao Ando. The property is rumored to be worth $75 million. Diddy has reportedly accepted Jermaine Dupri’s Verzuz Challenge. Dupri challenged Diddy last week to face-off, writing: “Somebody let @Diddy know I’m @thegarden right now ! And he gon need some training for me,” he tweeted. Diddy responded by telling the So So Def founder that he “aiint got enough hits.” He made clear that he’d rather battle Dr. Dre, telling Jermaine, “I’ll smash you with just biggie n Mary . But I do have the upmost respect on you as a musical legend – Dre the only one can get in the ring w me.” Well, it seems the Bad Boy mogul has had a change of heart because All Hip Hop reports that Diddy has accepted Jermaine’s Verzuz challenge. The outlet writes, “However, after hopping on a live with Fat Joe, Snoop Dogg and yes, the So So Def king, Puff Daddy finally said “yes.” https://youtu.be/_8c0dkQLNes Vice President Kamala Harris handled the coin toss before a football game Saturday at her alma mater, Howard University, and of course Fox News had a problem with it. Fox & Friends host Rachel Campos-Duffy got down right racist with her reaction, referring to Harris as “the affirmative action Vice President” and accusing her of shirking her duties as Joe Biden’s so-called “border czar” to flip the coin. Campos-Duffy began her comments by lamenting the crises at the Mexican border, in Afghanistan and in Haiti, framing them as existential dangers to the United States and claiming the VP’s participation in the coin-flipping ceremony detracted from her time working on these problems. After mispronouncing her first name, Campos-Duffy said: “She was at a football game, because you know, as the affirmative action Vice President who was selected because she was a woman and because she was the right color, she likes to go to these things…” https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3970481/embed/embed The Pandemmys are back, and you can cast your votes for the most asinine behavior from the MAGA herd in the past year, including Best Mile High Meltdown, Best Historical Adaptation (equating mask mandates to slavery, Nazi Germany, Segregation, etc), and more.This year’s second annual event from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” includes Bleach and Ivermectin battling for MAGA’s worst COVID treatment, and Fox News staples Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens facing off over which one knows world history the least. Plus, that duct taped airline passenger is in the running alongside the barking, Biden-dissing passenger and a potpourri of anti-maskers/vaxxers being hauled off planes amid applause or shouting nonsense at county board meetings. “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah broke down the nominees during Monday’s show. https://youtu.be/vJqYgafy_os Last year, Mickey Guyton become the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country music category. The singer’s “Black Like Me” song was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance. The Pointer Sisters previously made history with the song, “Live Your Life Before You Die,” when it was nominated in 1976 for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Guyton, 37, is also the first Black female artist to perform at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the first Black woman to host the ACM Awards ceremony. As she prepares to release her debut full-length album, “Remember Her Name,” the “Black Like Me” singer admits that when she first moved to Nashville in 2011, “I ran away from my Blackness,” Guyton said in a interview with Yahoo Music. https://youtu.be/zPH9hgKSai8 Charlie Wilson coming off of his hit duet with Smokey Robinson, he is now hooking up with veteran singer Donny Osmond. Wilson (68) and Osmond (63) somehow found a way to hook up and the result is “Let’s All Dance,” the first single from Osmond’s new album Start Again. According to Soul Tracks, the two vets co-wrote along with some other writers. https://youtu.be/8hKHTwTBQek During her first TV interview on The Real, Lori Harvey talked about her new skincare line, the great advice her mother has given her, and of course her relationship with boyfriend, Michael B. Jordan. While speaking about her romance with the actor, she revealed all the sweet things her beau does for her: “Honestly, he’s really good at all the big things, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, all that, but it’s the little things, the everyday things that I think really is what makes him special,” she shared. “Like, he just listens to me when I talk.” She went on to say, “Even the other day, I had just been saying I really just wanted to go to a farmer’s market, so he called me one Sunday morning and was like, ‘What are you doing? I’m going to come pick you up.’ And he took me an hour away to this really cute farmer’s market and we had the best day. So, it’s things like that.” Lizzo reportedly has received so much more support from fans than she had previously anticipated, which she is using to power her way forward. “I saw so much support from people on the Internet and it blew my mind. I was not expecting that nor was I looking for that,” she said. “I felt like it was really important for me to express myself that day because the point is people, we need to check ourselves and how we treat people…I just be feeling for the world, like this s**t ain’t right.” The backlash was obviously full of hate at Lizzo’s success, due in part to the song “Rumors” featuring Cardi B. https://youtu.be/4P9XUrniiK4 George Holliday, the man who recorded the LAPD beating of the late Rodney King in 1991, has reportedly died after contracting COVID-19. He was 61. The Los Angeles Times reports that he died Sunday at a hospital in Simi Valley, California. According to TMZ, Holliday was suffering from pneumonia, blood clots and internal bleeding and spent weeks on a ventilator before his death. Holliday’s close friend Robert Wollenweber has reportedly revealed that Holliday was unvaccinated. https://youtu.be/bSeCpFCS32M Daring to be bold, daring to be the only Black woman in the room and not shutter when speaking up for women or civil rights – that was Pauli Murray! Lawyer, writer, author, activist and the first Black woman to be ordained an Episcopal Priest. Some may say her boldness and tenacious personality had to do with wanting to be a beacon of light for the generations proceeding her, who were silenced. “I think most of the people who change the world are trying to heal something that is missing, or something they’ve experienced, some barrier,” said Cinque Northern, the editor and co-writer of the new Amazon Studios original film “I Am Pauli Murray.” https://youtu.be/Uh4r95VBU2Q ; Adele and her boyfriend, LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul attended the wedding of Anthony Davis and Marlen P’s on Saturday in Los Angeles. The British songstress and Paul first sparked dating rumors over the summer and now they have made their relationship Instagram official. Adele posted a black-and-white photo booth picture of her and the sports agent from the lavish wedding. As reported by PEOPLE, Adele and Rich were spotted sitting side-by-side for Game 5 of the NBA Finals in July. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned the couple on The Lowe Post, telling listeners Paul brought “his girlfriend to the game to sit next to LeBron.” “Rich Paul is at the game with Adele. LeBron is watching the game with Adele. This is the first time that they’ve come out in public together,” said Windhorst. https://www.instagram.com/adele/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fd56bc39-346a-4531-a370-d4eff915bf6c Ricky Dillard’s new song "All Of My Help" is out now EVERYWHERE! We hope this song serves as a reminder to you all that our help comes from the Lord. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6sZwdOdVR0 Gospel music icon and crossover artist William Becton is premiering the official music video for "Set Me On Fire" exclusively on The Now Network in September. September is Gospel Music Heritage Month. Becton wishes to continue bringing Gospel music to the forefront of music culture. Gospel Music Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Becton and the many before him who have kept the genre thriving by producing and releasing brilliant new songs and classic songs we cherish. catch the "Set Me On Fire" video at 8:30PM Eastern the next three Mondays, September 20, September 27 and October 4. https://www.thenownetwork.org/watch Ashton Sanders has been cast as Bobby Brown in the forthcoming Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” The film follows Houston’s life and rise to fame. Executive Producer Clive Davis previously said that the project will be a “no holds barred” portrait of the artist, and he won’t sugar-coat anything. However, Stella Meghie is out as director of the biopic and Kasi Lemmons has been tapped to replace her. Lemmons told Deadline: “Early in my writing career I developed two projects for Whitney and I had the opportunity to meet her. She was a tremendous, incomparable artist and her story is as awe-inspiring as it is tragic. I feel privileged to be part of bringing her life story and music to the audience.” British actress Naomi Ackie will portray Houston in the forthcoming Clive Davis/Sony biopic. Ackie is best known for her role on Netflix’s “The End of the F***Ing World.” She’s also starred in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and Steve McQueen’s new anthology series “Small Axe.” Hip-Hop icons The Fugees will reunite to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking album “The Score.” Per Live Nation press release: Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel of legendary hip-hop group Fugees have reunited to announce their first world tour in 25 years and first shows in 15 years to celebrate the anniversary of 1996’s The Score, one of the greatest albums of all time. Presented by Diaspora Calling and produced by Live Nation, the 12-city international tour will kick off tomorrow, September 22nd with an intimate pop-up show in New York City, at an undisclosed location. The rest of the tour will commence November 2nd at United Center in Chicago and will make stops across the globe in Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Paris, London, and more, before finishing the tour in Africa, with the final shows taking place in Nigeria and Ghana. Fugees charitable fund will partner with Global Citizen to work on philanthropic initiatives around the tour. As a humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border continues to unfold, the Haitian government has asked the United States to put a moratorium on deportations. The New York Times reported the new government expressed dismay at the incoming flights of people removed from the U.S. Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, who leads Haiti’s national migration office, told the New York Times that the country might not have the logistics to manage. “I am asking for a humanitarian moratorium,” Bonheur Delva said to the New York Times. “The situation is very difficult.” Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves couldn’t provide a coherent response when CNN host Jake Tapper asked him how he planned to address the soaring COVID-19 death rate in the Magnolia State. Reeves is a part of a clique of Republican governors who deflect and double down on lousy talking points as people continue to die from the pandemic. At this point, no one is surprised at the incompetence and lack of empathy. But having the governor of the nation’s Blackest state openly contradicting pubic health data is scary. Instead of responding to Tapper when asked what steps he plans to take as governor, Reeves constantly shifts blame to President Joe Biden and at one point claims the new federal vaccine protocol is a distraction from Afghanistan. But Tapper continues to hone in on recent news that Mississippi has the second-highest deaths per capita from COVID-19 in the entire world. If Mississippi were a country, it would rank just behind Peru. https://twitter.com/CNNSotu/status/1439587809124360198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1439615639371632646%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4212854%2Fmississippi-governor-covid-19-deaths%2F The legacy of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks will reverberate for generations to come, and legislators have set out on a mission to ensure that her resiliency and resistance is celebrated through the establishment of a national holiday. According to Atlanta Daily World, legislation has been introduced for the creation of National Rosa Parks Day. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is leading the charge to have December 1 observed as a commemorative holiday. It marks the day Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man on a Montgomery city bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. Rosa Parks Day is currently observed in five states throughout the country. In Missouri and California it’s celebrated on her birthday, February 4, and in Oregon, Alabama and Ohio it’s observed on December 1. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1439292561508769795/SZ5i8Ket?format=jpg&name=small Throughout her entire career, political powerhouse Stacey Abrams has used civic engagement as an avenue to evoke transformative change and she recently received a major honor for her accomplishments. According to Rolling Out, Abrams was bestowed with an award from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. The CBCF’s Phoenix Awards were given to individuals who have spearheaded efforts centered on advancing racial equity across different spaces. Abrams, a two-time honoree, received the CBCF Body Award for the impactful work she’s led through her national voting rights organization Fair Fight, playing a pivotal role in getting out the vote in Georgia and other key states during the Presidential election and her continued advocacy work around cultivating equitable spaces in the realm of politics. https://twitter.com/BET?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1438963471849250817%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4212815%2Fstacey-abrams-awarded-by-the-congressional-black-caucus-foundation%2F The United States’ known death toll from COVID-19 will surpass the number of dead from the Spanish Flu within the next day or two, according to the side-by-side numbers — though a direct comparison between the raw numbers doesn’t give the whole story, medical experts and statisticians say. What is clear is that the sheer numbers, given the modern-day tools that combat such illnesses, are a heavy burden. COVID-related U.S. deaths as of Sunday night are at 673,763, according to Johns Hopkins University data. That’s just over 1,200 fewer than died in the 1918 Spanish Flu, which took an estimated 675,000 lives in the U.S. Viewers have slammed the Emmys after hundreds of celebrities packed into the awards show without masks or social distancing, despite ongoing warnings in LA about the spread of Covid-19. Even Seth Rogen, who presented the first award, seemed taken aback, saying the guests were packed inside a ‘hermetically-sealed tent’ and ‘lied about it being outside.’ While the Emmys was technically considered as an ‘outdoor event,’ the ceremony took place inside an enclosed tent. ‘Good to be here at the Emmy Awards,’ Seth Rogen said. ‘Let me start by saying: there’s way too many of us in this little room. What are we doing? They said this was outdoors—it’s not! They lied to us. ‘We’re in a hermetically-sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this,’ Rogen said. While neither writer/director Peter Jackson nor the original cast are part of Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings series, Deadline hears there may well be an important point of familiarity. Howard Shore, whose work on the Middle Earth trilogy won him three Oscars, is in talks to compose the music for the TV series. This is an important development for a series that carries a reported cost of $465 million for its first season, making it the most expensive TV series of all time. The so-far untitled series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels, recently wrapped principal photography on Season 1, and is scheduled to premiere on Prime Video Sept. 2, 2022. Season 1 post production will continue in New Zealand through June 2022, and pre-production on Season Two will begin concurrently in the UK right after Jan. 1, 2022. A federal investigation is underway after arson damaged a historic Kansas City, Missouri, church that now serves a congregation predominantly made up of people from the South Sudan. John Ham of the Kansas City office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told the Kansas City Star that authorities have determined that the blaze was intentionally set, making it a federal crime. The church was founded in 1907 as the Harlem Tabernacle Church. It is the last remaining original building of a non-incorporated community known as Harlem. It now serves as a gathering place for the United Christian Fellowship. Nineteen-year-old Anne Wilson loves the stars, the television show “The Walking Dead” and her morning cup of vanilla iced coffee from Dunkin’. “I feel like it’s just straight from God,” she said. “It’s like he blesses that coffee in particular.” More than anything, Wilson says, she loves Jesus — as the teenager from central Kentucky explains in “My Jesus,” her debut recording that recently hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart for Christian music. The bluesy gospel ballad’s success doesn’t end there: The official video has been viewed 6 million times on YouTube. A live version of the song, with co-writer and Christian artist, Matthew West, has been viewed more than 2.5 million times on Facebook. The timing couldn’t have been more challenging for Princell Hair. Last July, he was appointed President and CEO of the Black News Channel, the nation’s first major cable news network with an ambitious mission to provide news and perspective to the country’s Black and brown communities. After years of planning, the Tallahassee-based network launched that February, just five months before Hair’s arrival under the leadership of its co-founders, former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts and then-CEO Bob Brilliante. The operation’s primary investor is billionaire Shahid Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, among other businesses, who invested millions in the operation, including its gleaming headquarters and production center off Killearn Center Boulevard. A best-selling Christian author and speaker denounced the idea of systemic racism at a national gathering of Christian counselors, saying Black Americans and other minorities were not raised to value hard work or education. Josh McDowell, best known for his book “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” and other books defending the Christian faith, gave a speech Saturday (Sept. 18) at a meeting of the American Association of Christian Counselors. The talk, entitled “The Five Greatest Global Epidemics,” identified a series of threats McDowell claims face the Christian church. The first, he said, was critical race theory, an academic field of study on the nature of systemic racism. Known by the acronym CRT, critical race theory has become controversial among Christian conservatives and political conservatives alike. McDowell told Christian counselors that CRT “negates all the biblical teaching” about racism — because it focuses on systems rather than the sins of the human heart and said today’s definition of “social justice” is not biblical. Starting Oct. 1, people wishing to enter Vatican City will have to provide proof they have received the vaccine, recovered from COVID-19 or tested negative for the virus within 72 hours. To enter Vatican City, people will have to present a Green Pass, the certification used in Italy to avoid the spread of the pandemic, or any international equivalent. The decision was announced on Monday (Sept. 20) and signed by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State. Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis married longtime partner Marlen P over the weekend. Several pictures of the festivities, with LeBron James and Russell Westbrook among those in attendance, were seen floating around social media Saturday. The highlight of the reception appeared to be Davis signing his own rendition of Dru Hill’s “Never Make a Promise”: Davis and Marlen P have been together for several years and have a daughter, Nala. The 2021 Emmy Awards set records for diverse nominations, but when time came for the actual awards, it was White actors and actresses who took home all of the acting awards. Now, #EMMYSSOWHITE is trending. There were several Black solid contenders like the late Michael K. Williams (“Lovecraft Country”), Billy Porter and MJ Rodriguez (“POSE”) and Kenan Thompson (NBC’s “Kenan”), but at the end of the night, Black actors ended up with nada. Meanwhile, civil rights activist Najee Ali, the director of Project Islamic Hope, will call for a meeting with Television Academy CEO Maury McIntyre in response to all white actors sweeping the 2021 Emmy Awards. “What should have been an historic night for diversity, representation and inclusion, ended up being once a major disappointment for all non white actors. Fifty years ago, Richard Appleby, Horace King, Chuck Kinnebrew, Clarence Pope and Larry West walked onto the University of Georgia’s campus with dreams of successful football careers. It was a dream that turned out to be history-making. Known as “The Five”, Appleby, King, Kinnebrew, Pope and West became the first Black players to earn football scholarships to UGA in 1971. Earlier this week, “The Five” reunited for the first time in 50 years at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta and got a tour of the exhibit in their honor filled with artifacts from when they played at UGA. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen suffered a concussion in a car crash this week after swerving to miss a deer, coach Mike Zimmer said Friday. Griffen, who landed on the injury report because of the concussion, has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals along with Anthony Barr (knee), Christian Darrisaw (groin) and Harrison Hand (hamstring). Griffen, 33, missed Thursday’s practice after entering the concussion protocol. He rejoined the Vikings, with whom he spent his first 10 NFL seasons, after playing for Detroit and Dallas last season. According to a statement from the Minnetrista Public Safety Department, Griffen told officers at the scene that he lost control of the car when he swerved to miss the deer in the road. The car then left the road and crashed into a tree. Olympic gold medalist Madi Wilson has been admitted to hospital while battling Covid-19. Currently in Naples, Italy for the International Swimming League, Ms Wilson was moved into hospital on September 18, explaining doctors wanted to treat her and keep her under observation. A fit and healthy 27-year-old, she won a gold medal in the women’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics, swimming alongside fellow superstars Bronte Campbell and Meg Harris. The swimming star was fully-vaccinated prior to the Tokyo games in August, but believes the physical and mental effects of a packed year of racing contributed to her infection. Colt Brennan‘s cause of death has been determined four months after the athlete died in May. The former University of Hawaii football star suffered an accidental overdose, caused by a lethal concoction of fentanyl, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and ethanol, a rep for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department tells PEOPLE. Brennan, 37, died Monday, May 10, at Hoag Hospital in Newport, California, after he attempted to check into a detox facility, but was turned away due to a shortage of beds. Colt’s father Terry Brennan said his son was five months into a six-month rehabilitation program when he ingested something laced with fentanyl and lost consciousness. Usain Bolt says American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson should stop trash-talking and focus on training. Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Bolt said Richardson should keep quiet after she was handed a one-month ban for testing positive for cannabis, which cost her a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Bolt explained the trash talk just makes her Jamaican competitors more determined to beat her. He told The Post, “I would tell Sha’Carri to train harder and to be focused and not say too much … If you talk that big talk you have to back it up. “So just train hard and focus on that and try to come back do it and then talk about it.” In her return to the track last month after the ban, Richardson, 21, finished last in the 100-meter dash, which was won by Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, who also took the 100-meter Olympic gold in Tokyo. Socialites, join us in congratulating Jeannie Mai Jenkins who is going to be a first-time mom! That’s right! “The Real” co-host announced the exciting news this Monday that she and her husband Jeezy are expecting their first child together. “Jeezy and I have been kind of saving this and hiding this for five months,” she tells Women’s Health. “So, we’re relieved to finally share the news.” Her co-hosts, Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, and Garcelle Beauvais, had no idea she was expecting before today’s show. Jeannie went on to share that she and Jeezy decided they wanted to start a family nearly a year ago, but struggled to conceive. “It was not easy.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDMXqVMDiU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Chrissy Teigen is getting real about her postpartum body nearly one year after suffering a pregnancy loss. Teigen hit up Instagram recently and shared a selfie along with a candid message about her struggle to get her body “back into fighting shape.” “It’s really weird when you lose a baby and your body gets paused in time,” the former model wrote on Saturday (Sept. 18). “Usually you’d gain your ‘yumyums I’m praaaagnant!’ weight, then put on the weight of your little bebe. Then, ideally, you’d have your baby. And you would feed it from your boobs and your body would know to charge through and do what it does to get you back into fighting shape, whatever that may be, for however long it takes (F—K a snap-back).” Teigen shares daughter Luna, 5, and son Miles, 3, with singer John Legend. Ray J’s former manager Wack 100 claims there is another sex tape of the singer and his ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian. Wack made the claims on Bootleg Kev’s podcast, but as reported by Page Six, Kim’s attorney has shot down the existence of a second sex tape. “The claim that there is an unreleased sex tape is unequivocally false,” Marty Singer told Page Six. “It is unfortunate that people make these statements to try and get their 15 minutes of fame.” Wack said he is in possession of a second sex tape that is “more graphic and better than” the 2002 video that catapulted Kim to infamy status. Wack says Kim’s estranged husband Kanye West can have the tape to sell it as an NFT. HBCU alumna Agnes Moss is on a mission to increase representation in the film industry by empowering students at historically Black colleges and universities to bring their creativity into the space. According to WTOP, Moss is leading a scholarship competition for aspiring filmmakers at HBCUs. The Washington, D.C. native—who graduated from North Carolina Central University—has dedicated her career to bringing the work of diverse creators to the forefront. She founded the National Black Movie Association; a nonprofit that has a mission rooted in creating opportunities for African Americans in the film industry. The organization supports emerging Black creatives in the film space by aligning them with resources, collects Black movie consumer data and amplifies the work of African American filmmakers so they can reach new audiences. Sarah Dash, the so-called “sexy-one” from the classic R&B trio LaBelle, died today at the age of 76. She remained with LaBelle until they disbanded in the mid to late 70s and all three remaining members, Patti Labelle, Nona Hendrix, and Sarah went their separate ways with recording deals. The trio’s most famous single was “Lady Marmalade.” https://youtu.be/Tn0-6n_dng4 Funnyman Anthony Johnson, AJ Johnson best known for his roles in “House Party” and “Friday” is dead. Johnson’s nephew told TMZ that A.J. was found lifeless in a store earlier this month (September 6) in Los Angeles and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. So far, no cause of death has been released. https://twitter.com/i/status/1439951066993364995 Chris Rock has revealed that he has tested positive for Covid-19, and even though he’s suffering with the virus after being vaccinated, the comedian/actor is urging others to get the jab. On Sunday, via his verified Twitter account, Rock posted: “Hey guys I just found out I have COVID, trust me you don’t want this. Get vaccinated.” The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member didn’t comment on his condition, and his representatives did not immediately return a request from CNN for further comment. It was back in May that Rock told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” that he got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and joked that he used his star status and “skipped the line” in getting it. “I used my celebrity, Jimmy,” Rock said. “I didn’t care. I was like, ‘Hey, step aside Betty White, step aside old people, Judge Judy.'” The Biden administration on Saturday was working on plans to send many of the thousands of Haitian immigrants who have gathered in a Texas border city back to their homeland, a swift response to the huge influx of people who suddenly crossed from Mexico and congregated under and around a bridge. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it moved about 2,000 migrants out of Del Rio to other locations on Friday for processing and possible removal. https://youtu.be/-ZhCXyBUQDQ The situation with former “Love & Hop: Atlanta” star Maurice "Mo" Fayne was recently sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for PPP load fraud. According to prosecutors, Fayne defrauded the system in the amount of $3.7 million after applying for a PPP loan, citing losses caused by COVID-19. Fayne was ordered to forfeit nearly $100,000 from several of his bank accounts and eight of his 2015 Kenworth T680 trucks. Prosecutors dropped 14 other charges in exchange for a guilty plea. He was supposed to only do 12.5 years but the judge through on another five. https://youtu.be/g8oZxS5Fc-s Chicago Med” is gearing up to revive your Wednesday nights! NBCs medical drama returns for season seven to save fans from season sixes cliffhanger. Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), Head of Patient and Medical Services, holds the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center together as the emergency department is continuously bombarded by sick and injured patients in need. EUR correspondent, Tifarah Dixon spoke with Merkerson about her characters’ bond with the doctors, her son Michael (Hampton Fluker), and new additions to the cast. Between her personal life, the pandemic, and the doctors’ frequent shenanigans, nobody has a more stressful job than Ms. Goodwin! Can we expect her to have a smoother ride in the upcoming season? Gabrielle Union‘s new book called “You Got Anything Stronger?” was released earlier this week and in it, among other things, she finally addresses the “break baby” situation that occurred when she and husband Dwyane Wade took a “break” from their relationship. Here is an excerpt from the book: “In 2013, before we were married, Dwyane had a baby with another woman,” she wrote. “It should go without saying that we were not in a good place at the time that child was conceived. But we were doing much better when he finally told me about the pregnancy. To say I was devastated is to pick a word on a low shelf for convenience. There are people—strangers I will never meet—who have been upset that I have not previously talked about that trauma. I have not had words, and even after untold amounts of therapy, I am not sure I have them now.” In the book Union gets deeply personal on a number of other topics as well, including the decision to use a surrogate to carry their child Kaavia. She also spoke of how she believes her an her daughter have a disconnect because of the surrogate. Now, there’s being deep and open, then there’s letting people all up in your business. While we’re not entirely certain what category this falls in, we’re leaning toward the latter. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II recently confirmed that he will playing the role of Morpheus, previously played by Laurence Fishburne, in the upcoming Matrix remix, “The Matrix Resurrections,” which will be the fourth film in the franchise. The cast is back together 18 years after the third film and features returning stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, as well as Daniel Bernhardt, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff and Jessica Henwick. https://youtu.be/gzEGBAG8x5U Alfonso Ribeiro stared in the hit Broadway play “The Tap Dance Kid,” in which he was outstanding in the starring role. He can be remembered dancing in the style of Michael Jackson in that old Pepsi commercial from the 80s. But mostly we remember him as Carlton Banks from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” These days Alfonso is the host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” but ever so often you can tell he believes his career didn’t get the bang for the proverbial buck that one who starred in an all-time hit sitcom after a super successful Broadway run would expect. https://youtu.be/X1cd8uFOfUI Bobby Brown‘s heard the rumors about the possible remake of Whitney Houston‘s “The Bodyguard” and he’s not down with it. One of TMZ’s camera guys caught up to Brown at LAX, and asked him if he thinks remaking such a classic is a bad move, Bobby didn’t hesitate … saying, “Yeah” without a second thought. Tony-nominated playwright Matthew Lopez has reportedly been tapped to write a reimagining of the iconic 1992 romantic drama starring Whitney and Kevin Costner — and much like Bobby, many fans’ reaction to the news was essentially, “That’s a no for me,.” The film was not only a monumental success at the box office with more than $400 million grossed worldwide … but the soundtrack is the bestselling movie soundtrack of all time, featuring classic Whitney hits like, “I Will Always Love You.” https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-09-17-091721-bobby-brown-1249757/ According to reports, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z are near the top of the list of potential buyers for the Denver Broncos. “Jay-Z and Jeff Bezos have emerged as potential investors of the Denver Broncos,” reports The Boardroom. “The team is expected to come under new ownership following this season with a purchase price of an estimated $4B. Bezos was previously in talks to buy a 40% stake in the Washington Football Team.” Jay-Z has been connected to potentially purchasing NFL properties. Just two years ago CBS Sports had to shoot down a rumor that had him purchasing an NFL team. Fans of “Power Book II: Ghost” rejoice as the recent 30-second teaser trailer give us glimpses at a few things to see come to a resolution since last season. However, we’re going to have to wait until November 21 just like everyone else. The sequel shows Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) attempting to appear as if he’s a normal student while simultaneously hustling and trying to meet business obligations to the Tejada Family. The trailer also shows Mary J. Blige — who plays Monet Tejada — getting a gun ready before she walks out of her bedroom. https://youtu.be/vzNvc3yj790 In season two of Apple Plus’ “The Morning Show,” Hasan Minhaj (“The Daily Show,” Netflix’s “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”) joins the cast as Eric Nomani, a rising anchor at UBA! Picking up after the carnage from season one, with Alex (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley’s (Reese Witherspoon) explosive on-air revelation that rocked the network, Normani joins “The Morning Show” table. https://youtu.be/-qZWPTsR-Wc It’s to bridge the gap between saved and unsaved,” said Bishop Jason Nelson about his latest album “Close” (Jaelyn Song Music/Tyscot/Fairtrade). “A lot of my music is geared towards the church, this is to everybody. To introduce God or bolster about God.” Close” is Nelson’s sixth full project; his first studio album; his first release on his Jaelyn Song Music label; offers 12 selections, and features R&B’s Chrisette Michele, Jazz bass player John Patitucci, and worship leader Osby Berry. https://youtu.be/wfxXvOCn76c Nene Leakes is sharing how she’s navigating through life without her late husband, Gregg Leakes. Gregg Leakes sadly passed away earlier this month after a battle with colon cancer. The former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star took to her Instagram stories to speak on her “new normal.” She debuted her blonde look and said: “Now that I’m having to adjust to my new life, my new normal, I thought I’d go back blonde. So, hi guys, it’s Nene and I’m back blonde.” She continued, “I’m trying to adjust to this whole new life that I have and my whole new normal. But I’m blonde…” She said friends have been coming to her home daily to keep her busy, adding: “I have good days and bad days. They say it’s normal, so. Some days I’m up, some days I’m down. Today I felt like going to the salon so, that was good. I normally don’t go to the salon I usually let people come to my house. So today I decided to drive to the salon and actually sit in the salon with other women, and that was good, to be around other people. “ Venus Williams was a tennis superstar at a very young age. And at 41 years old it is no doubt that family members have given her the obligatory “When’re you going to have some babies?” question at the cookout and holiday events. I mean, that’s just par for the course of being a woman in America, quite frankly. Recently, during an interview with Cosmopolitan, Venus explained that creating the type of life that she enjoys took time and she’s not any rush to break up that vibe by becoming pregnant. “I have a lot of friends who don’t believe me when I say that I like my life and I don’t want to change it for any reason. I’m not desperate and they don’t believe me,” the tennis champion told the magazine. You might be familiar with Christina Cooper as a producer, actress, and film director (otherwise known for her BET network movie “South Central Love”), but now Cooper is stepping into the streaming network world to compete with platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, etc. She has an amazing team of intelligent women with her on this new business venture. The streaming television company named Cooper Cinema TV named La’Tonda Hardy-Davis as President of the TV network. There have also been more names added to this fantastic team of women. Previously at Lionsgate, Geovana Williams will join the company as Head of Development and Strategy. The platform will also have a TV channel named “Cultvre TV,” which will be available on the Cooper Cinema platform with J’Tasha St.Cyr as the CEO of the Cultvre TV channel network department. According to #Fox5Atlanta, a man repeatedly received a “please hold” recording when he called 911 after being shot for interrupting a crime. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Kyma restaurant in Buckhead on Sunday evening. The waiter took a quick break outside when he noticed two males attempting to break inside a car. When they noticed the employee, they turned around and shot him. The bullet struck his arm. The two men sped away in their getaway vehicle. https://www.instagram.com/p/CT77rXqjByY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A United States military investigation into a deadly Kabul drone strike on a vehicle in August has found it killed 10 civilians and the driver and that the vehicle targeted was likely not a threat associated with ISIS-K, announced Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top general of US Central Command, at the Pentagon on Friday. McKenzie told reporters that the strike — which he said killed seven children — was a “mistake” and offered an apology. “This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport, but it was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology,” he said. McKenzie added that he is “fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome.” A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel overwhelmingly voted Friday against giving Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 booster shots to most people on Friday, agreeing only to distribute them to people ages 65 and up as well as those at high risk of severe illness. The unanimous recommendation of boosters for a limited group of Americans was the second vote called by the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, or VRBPAC, during its meeting Friday. The committee of outside experts was first asked whether a third shot of Pfizer’s vaccine would be safe and effective for everyone ages 16 and older. Members overwhelmingly voted against that recommendation, citing concerns about the level of evidence showing the boosters are safe for younger people. French President Emanuel Macron on Friday recalled France’s ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia in protest of Canberra’s announcement this week it would scuttle a 2016 agreement to buy French submarines and will instead receive nuclear submarine technology from the U.S. The move will send Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Etienne back to Paris for consultations. “This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States,” French Foreign Ministry Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement. The French Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The New York Times first reported the move. Facing criminal charges, Hillsong Church founder and pastor Brian Houston said this week he is stepping down from his role on various church boards in order to allow them to “function to their fullest capacity.” Houston, the senior pastor of the Australia-based congregation, was charged by police last month with concealing child sex offenses and is set to appear in court in October. The incident allegedly took place during the 1970s. Houston said he was “shocked” by the charges and is innocent. Houston, in an email, revealed he is stepping down from the church’s boards. The Roys Report posted a copy. Often attributed to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the quote “justice delayed, is justice denied” is an ancient legal principle. And yet justice continues to be denied for 8-year-old Fanta Bility and other victims of a late August police shooting. Nearly a month after her killing, the community of Sharon Hill, Pa. is left wondering when justice will be served. According to local news outlets, an independent investigation into the killing of eight-year-old Fanta Bility was announced Thursday. Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate reported a former District attorney Kelley Hodge, will oversee the independent review. Sharon Hill Borough Council brought in Hodge in response to the sense of urgency for answers. https://twitter.com/i/status/1436481683998613509 The thousands of Haitian migrants who have assembled near the nation’s southern border in Texas in an effort to seek asylum will be returned to their native land by the federal government, according to a new report. Authorities are expected to begin with the mass expulsion on Sunday, the Associated Press reported, citing government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made as of Friday night. The news of the government’s plan to expel as many as 14,000 Haitians who have found refuge under a massive bridge in the small town of Del Rio came weeks after the Haitian president was assassinated and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people decimated the island nation that was already reeling from a number of other political crises and natural disasters. A Texas police detective has been suspended for 20 days for dragging a handcuffed Black man down the street after arresting him months ago in a violent encounter recorded on a video that was made public this week. Investigators said Detective David Pantoja and Officer Robert Ferguson, both of the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), handcuffed Joshua Coney then “unnecessarily dragged” him while he pleaded for medical assistance during the arrest on the afternoon of Jan. 30 in San Antonio. Pantoja also issued Coney a citation for failure to show ID during the incident, which, according to officials, is not a citeable offense. https://youtu.be/bcoXUoZxopQ Michigan state Rep. Jewell Jones (D-Inkster), an elected official who appears to be allergic to staying out of legal trouble, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of bringing a weapon into county jail and attempting to escape custody. Jones was originally arrested in April on charges of drunk driving in an incident that allegedly led to his vehicle ending up in a ditch and him threatening the arresting officers with a career-ending call to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Since that arrest, Jones, 26, has been accused of violating the terms of his bond multiple times by, among other things, testing positive for alcohol and tampering with his ankle monitor. According to The Detroit News, Jones was arrested Tuesday and had his bond revoked. After his hearing, he was accused of bringing a handcuff key into the Livingston County jail by taping it to the bottom of his shoe. It appears the whole “blue lives matter” thing doesn’t always apply in the minds of many cops and police union members across the nation. Sure, they’ll go full “back the blue” in the face of protests against police violence or whenever a story pops up about cops being killed in the line of duty. But when it comes to keeping officers safe from a deadly virus during a global pandemic, far too many members of law enforcement are failing to keep that same energy. According to a report published by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), the leading cause of death for federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers nationwide isn’t gun violence or accused criminals resisting authority. It’s COVID-19. The report states that 71 officers died of COVID-19-related causes from Jan. 1 to June 30 of this year. That number is higher than the number of officers who have died from firearm- and traffic-related incidents combined, and it’s only getting worse as that number has increased to 133 to date this year, according to the report. https://twitter.com/i/status/1435618977682755593 According to a new Gallup poll, Americans’ approval of interracial marriage has hit an all-time high. Per Gallop, in 1991, 27% of U.S. adults aged 50 and older approved of interracial marriages, compared with 91% today. The poll interviewed 1,007 adults in the U.S. from July 6 to 21. After the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage in the 1967 Loving v. Virginia case, the approval rating increased to 20 percent, according to the report. Richard and Mildred Loving became the landmark 1960s Supreme Court case known as Loving v. Virginia. https://youtu.be/pb0acs3qoZI #TikTok creator #EthanKeiser put people on to a new get money scheme that reporting people to the #IRS “Whistleblower Office” for not paying taxes can get you 30% of what they owe.?? Keiser reposted #LasVegas dancer Rosalia’s video in which she showed off how much she made in 3 days.??. “What a weekend looks like as a Vegas stripper,” Rosalia said while playing Bia’s “Whole Lotta Money” in the background, she wrote out her grand total on a whiteboard: $33,700 in three days.?? “I just happened to have a really good night on the third night,” she tells Rolling Stone. “So it went viral.”?? Her video garnered 48 million views.?? Eventually, the entertainer began to notice people leaving comments that they would report her to the IRS. Some even said they’d rob her. Nicki Minaj is sparring with a reporter from Trinidad and Tobago who criticized the rapper for her recent comments that her cousin’s friend developed swollen testicles after taking the COVID shot. On Monday, Minaj tweeted “My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding,” she wrote. Minaj also shared that she had recently contracted COVID-19 while working on a music video shoot and is not yet vaccinated. She took to Twitter on Friday to call out a reporter for allegedly harassing her family. Could Jeannie Mai and Jeezy be expecting their first child? Fans seem to think so, and so does Jeannie’s former co-host on “The Real,” Tamar Braxton. The rumors stem from photos taken of the married couple during this year’s New York Fashion Week. When she wasn’t wearing baggy clothes or strategically photographed while holding a purse in front of her stomach, fan seem to think Jeannie was rocking a subtle baby bump in some of her NYFW photos. As seen in a screenshot grabbed by @whisperswithbella, Braxton was one of the many to join in on the speculation. Underneath a photo of Jeannie and Jeezy, the “Love and War” singer wrote, “Y’all are pregnant for sure, love to see it.” https://www.instagram.com/thejeanniemai/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6106f021-f23b-426a-a643-f047bb556b94 Lil Nas X released his debut album, “Montero,” on Friday and his new video from the album — “That’s What I Want” — has already racked up over 2.5 million video views. While promoting the project on The Breakfast Club this week, the rapper responded to the homophobic comments on Twitter and criticism that he’s pushing a “gay agenda” on children. DJ Envy asked Nas X if he feels a responsibility to tone down his provocative visuals because “kids are watching.” The artist jokingly replied, “I feel like I used to, but now it’s just, like, so? Like, f*ck your kids.” He then explained, “We really get one chance to do this [life] at least to my knowledge, I don’t know what, like, happens when we die or whatnot. So it’s like — I’m not about to pander to your kids or you. Or, like, anybody.” https://youtu.be/Ac78kRM85xo This week marks the 20th anniversary of the original series, “The Proud Family” since it first aired on the Disney Channel. In celebration, Disney has released a talent announcement for “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” reboot coming in 2022. New Guest stars will include Lizzo, Tiffany Haddish, Lil Nas X, Chance The Rapper, Lena Waithe, Leslie Odom Jr., Gabrielle Union and more. Per Urban Hollywood 411, the series will feature the voice cast from the original “Proud Family,” including Kyla Pratt (Penny Proud); Cedric the Entertainer (Uncle Bobby Proud); Tommy Davidson (Oscar Proud); Paula Jai Parker (Trudy Proud); Jo Marie Payton (Suga Mama); Karen Malina White (Dijonay Jones); Soleil Moon Frye (Zoey Howzer); and Alisa Reyes (LaCienega Boulevardez). https://youtu.be/UYo5flNwExg Week one of the NFL’s 2021 season just kicked off and all eyes are on one standout player who was recently named the successor to quarterback Drew Brees. New Orleans QB Jameis Winston threw five touchdown passes Sunday, leading the Saints to a 38-3 opening-day blowout against the Green Bay Packers. The match-up was scheduled to take place at the Superdome in New Orleans but was moved to Jacksonville, Florida, due to ongoing recovery efforts in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida. Sunday’s game was the first for the Saints without the team’s longtime quarterback, Drew Brees, who retired in March. Winston gave Brees credit for schooling him on “being efficient” at the game of football, yet the 27-year-old has also acknowledged God for teaching him humility. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson got emotional Thursday while remembering Trevor Moawad, a member of his inner circle who died this week from cancer at age 48. Moawad was Wilson’s longtime mental-conditioning coach, business partner and, in the quarterback’s words, his best friend. Asked about Moawad during his weekly news conference, Wilson paused, cleared his throat and prefaced his answer by telling reporters that the subject may be tough for him to talk about. “When I think about my relationship with Trevor, I think about a man who was humble, I think about a man who always served, who always gave back, who was always dedicated to working and helping everyone,” Wilson said. “And everybody he helped, it seemed that they always got better.” Olympic gymnasts McKayla Maroney and Simone Biles ripped into the FBI and the Justice Department during their Senate testimony on Wednesday over how FBI agents handled abuse allegations brought against their disgraced former coach and pedophile Larry Nassar. A tearful Maroney and Biles blamed USA Gymnastics and the FBI for enabling Nassar’s sexual abuse to dozens of women and girls, as they recounted their own trauma in a hearing over the agency’s failure to promptly investigate allegations against Nassar. Maroney testified that she was interviewed for three hours by FBI agents in the summer of 2015 and revealed the horrendous abuse she suffered at the hands of Nassar, but said they failed to take action. The gymnast, who took home gold and silver medals at the 2012 Olympics, alleged the FBI ‘chose to fabricate’ the narrative to ‘protect a serial child molester and not protect me’. ‘After telling my entire story of abuse to the FBI in the summer of 2015, not only did the FBI not report my abuse, but when they eventually documented my report, 17 months later, they made entirely false claims about what I said,’ she said through tears. Tom Brady‘s 45th birthday is less than 12 months away. Birthday No. 45 was Brady’s self-imposed expiration date regarding his football career. When he said he’d play until he’s 45, we all scoffed, but at 44, he’s still great. Age 45, then, seems like a premature date for him to retire. Why not keep a good thing going, Tom? Good news, Brady fans: He’s thinking about delaying his departure target to 50. “Wow, seems to be a really hot question lately,” Brady said in a response to teammate Rob Gronkowski’s question in the return ofTommy & Gronky. “Can Tom Brady play ’til 50? Like, 50 years old? Fifty. I don’t find it so difficult. Plus, in Florida, it’s kind of a retiree state, so I feel like I can play and then just glide into retirement. I think I can. I think it’s a yes.” Emma Raducanu has not decided how she wants to spend her £1.8million US Open Championship winnings but said she will leave the financials to her parents while she concentrates on her training. The teenage tennis sensation revealed she hasn’t yet opened her bank account to see if the money has arrived since her stunning victory in New York on Saturday. Emma returned to her Kent home yesterday, five days after making sporting history by winning the US Open – the first British woman to win a major title for 44 years since Virginia Wade lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 1977. She is also the first qualifier in history to lift a grand slam. The 18-year-old has banked a cheque for £1.8million ($2.5million) – over eight times her total previous career earnings – for her record-breaking win on Saturday. Agents have now predicted top brands will be ‘knocking down Emma’s door’ with endorsement offers worth tens of millions of pounds. NBA players will not be mandated to get vaccinated against COVID-19, league sources tell ESPN. The NBA and NBPA continue to negotiate aspects of COVID-related protocols and procedures for the upcoming 2021-22 campaign, but the NBPA has refused to budge on its demand that players not be required to take the vaccine, sources say, and any proposal that mandates vaccination remains a “non-starter.” NBA referees and most NBA staff are mandated to be vaccinated. The NBA and NBPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Roughly 85% of players are vaccinated, a league spokesman recently said. NBA star Stephen Curry and his Unanimous Media production label have signed a sweeping, first-of-its-kind talent deal with Comcast NBCUniversal, Variety reports. The multi-year template agreement is billed as the media giant’s first-ever “global talent partnership.” It counts a dizzying number of first-look development opportunities across the company, including: Universal Studio Group for scripted and unscripted TV projects; DreamWorks Animation for kids and family content; creative and on-camera contributions at NBC Sports; opportunities at NBC News Studios, MSNBC and CNBC; Universal Parks and Resorts; and Comcast’s Xfinity brand. Insiders valued the deal in the high eight-figure range with a potential upside from producing fees on greenlit content. The agreement was brokered by Jimmy Horowitz, vice chairman of NBCUniversal business affairs and operations. WME represented Curry and Unanimous. Parys Haralson, who was a “beloved” member of the San Francisco 49ers and later, the New Orleans Saints, died on Monday at age 37, the team confirmed in separate statements. “Parys was a beloved member of our organization that lived life with an extraordinary amount of passion and joy, while leaving an indelible mark on everyone he came across,” the 49ers said. “We extend our condolences to Parys’ family and loved ones.” His cause of death has not yet been released. Kevione Faulk, the daughter of former New England Patriots running back Kevin Faulk, has died, Louisiana State University announced on Monday. The 19-year-old was a student worker for the football staff at LSU, where her family has deep ties. Kevin Faulk is the team’s all-time rushing leader and was an All-SEC player for three of his four years at the school. “We are heartbroken with the passing of Kevione Faulk, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Faulk family,” a statement from LSU reads. “She was a part of the LSU family, and we mourn the loss of a daughter, a sister, a friend, a classmate and a colleague.” “We ask that all Tigers keep the Faulks in their prayers and respect their privacy at this difficult time,” they added. A cause of death for Kevione has not been released by the school. As outspoken Black people, we’re often asked: Why make everything about race? It must be an easy question to ask when you’re white and severely limited in the capability of fathoming what marginalization looks and feels like since whiteness is America’s default. So when any given situation arises—whether it be a case of police brutality, a school fight, a crime committed, a lost job, an application rejection or what have you—and Black people wonder out loud how things would be different if the people involved were of a different race, we’re often met with rolled eyes, willful indifference or outright scorn and condemnation for “race-baiting.” Many of you have probably heard about the story of 22-year-old Gabrielle Petito, the woman who left New York on July 2 for a months-long cross-country trip full of sightseeing and camping with her fiancée, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie. On Aug. 12, close to a month and a half after Petito and Laundrie’s trip began, police in Moab, Utah, responded to a report of a “domestic problem” after the couple had “some sort of argument” that turned physical and ended in the two having to be separated with Petito keeping the van they were traveling in while police arranged for Laundrie to stay in a hotel. According to the police report, the couple convinced the authorities to classify the disturbance as a “mental/emotional health ‘break,’” rather than a domestic assault because they were in love and “desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime.” (Right now you might be asking yourself, “What if they were Black?” and we’re not even at that part yet.) Laundrie returned to his house in North Port, Fla., on Sept. 1 without Petito, who was reported missing 10 days later. Laundrie is now considered a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance, but not a suspect. Brandice Daniel founded Harlem’s Fashion Row when “less than about 1 to 2 percent of designers that are in major department stores,” were “designers of color.” According to her, that statistic is still true today after 14 years of fighting for equality in fashion. “That hasn’t changed since I started. That same statistic has remained,” she said in a conversation with fragrance master Chris Collins, celebrity stylist Groovy Lew and ESSENCE Deputy Editor Cori Murray at ESSENCE Fashion House. Harlem’s Fashion Row offers education, resources, and opportunities to Black designers. Fe Noel, who has worked with the company, is now sitting on the shelves of Saks Fifth Avenue. “There’s more now but it still hasn’t moved the needle a ton,” added Daniel. Chinese state media has warned Australia will become a ‘potential target for a nuclear strike’ after it acquires nuclear-powered submarines. As part of a new three-way alliance with the UK and US, Australia will be given the technology to build at least eight nuclear-powered – but not nuclear armed – submarines as the West counters China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the ‘AUKUS’ alliance ‘seriously damages regional peace and stability, intensifies the arms race, and undermines the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.’ As a young rapper, Jay-Z once teamed up with Damon Dash to sell CDs of his music out of a car in the Brooklyn projects. Today, the co-founders of Roc-A-Fella Records are embroiled in a legal fight involving one of the most cutting-edge investments: non-fungible tokens. The lawsuit is among a flurry involving NFTs as U.S. courts begin to grapple with the novel legal issues surrounding ownership and regulation of the assets, which have recently exploded in value. More than half a dozen suits citing NFTs have been filed in federal courts alone since the start of 2020, as monthly trading volume in the world’s biggest NFT marketplace, OpenSea, soared from $8 million six months ago to more than $1 billion in August. The dispute began in June, when Roc-A-Fella sued Dash, seeking to stop him from auctioning off the copyright to Jay-Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt, as an NFT, which represents ownership of a digital object on a blockchain. GRAMMY® Award winning hitmakers Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music have teamed up to co-release a new EP project, Jonny x Mali: Live in LA. Available for pre-order now, the live project contains six songs, including “Adulting,” which is available now as an instant grat track. The EP will be released on Friday, September 24th. A live performance video of “Adulting” was also released today. A co-artist release between the chart toppers, the live project follows on the heels of their GRAMMY®-winning #1 hit song, “Movin’ On.” Featured in a new performance take on the EP, the prolific songwriters and musicians have taken their artistic collaboration further, co-writing all the songs, which also include the tracks “Jump Ship,” “Enough, “Miracle,” and “Everlasting.” The new EP is a co-artist release in partnership between Jonathan’s label Life Room Label, eOne Music, Mali’s imprint K Approved Enterprises, and RCA Inspiration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU1oRNOZ5L4 Pastor Alonzo G. Morris Presents "I Feel Loved" Featuring Jessica Reedy.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmg2NramSko Essential Music Publishing and Provident Entertainment are celebrating Essential Music Publishing songwriter, Ethan Hulse. On September 14th, Nashville Songwriters Association International named Hulse the NSAI Songwriter of the Year at the annual Nashville Songwriter Awards. This is the first time in the organization’s long history that a writer in the genre of Christian music has been recognized with their top honor. Bart Herbison, Executive Director, Nashville Songwriters Association International shares, “Ethan Hulse is the first songwriter in the Christian genre to win the coveted NSAI Songwriter of the Year Award in its 54-year history. Contemporary Soul-Jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside scores her seventh consecutive Billboard Top 10 career record. Her current single, “Off The Cuff,” lands at No. 9 on the Contemporary Jazz chart. Co-written by Whiteside with her husband, noted producer Dennis Johnson, and veteran producer/keyboardist Bob Baldwin, “Off The Cuff” will be featured on her February 2022 yet-to-be-titled album. https://youtu.be/CyfoNrTZzkM Actor Boris Kodjoe has teamed up with Depend and the Prostate Cancer Foundation for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. “It was a very personal decision, because a close friend of mine, who was actually a mentor, experienced prostate cancer,” Kodjoe told BLACK ENTERPRISE about the partnership. “It was a no brainer for me, you know, and the initiative, that’s called Stand Strong for Men’s Health speaks to the taboos really, that we as men, especially Black men have that keep us from talking to each other about these kinds of things.” Kodjoe hopes the initiative motivates more men to have hard conversations about their health. As part of the initiative, for every purchase of select products, Depend will donate up to $350,000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. “This affects 1 in 8 men nationwide,” Kodjoe said. “So there’s a lot of people who are affected.” Detectives are investigating the murders of four friends found dead inside an abandoned SUV in a Wisconsin cornfield. Natasha Flug-Presley, 30, Jasmine Sturm, 30, Matthew Pettus, 26, and Loyace Foreman III, 35 were found shot dead after a night at a bar in downtown St. Paul, as reported by the Daily Mail. The alleged gunman, Darren McWright, 56, was arrested Wednesday night – his son, Antoine Suggs, 38, who is also considered a suspect, remains on the loose in the Minneapolis St. Paul area, according to police. Natasha’s father Damone Presley, 50, told Dailymail.com that he knows suspect McWright personally. “We go way back – I wouldn’t say he was a close family friend but he was a well-known friend of the family,” he said. https://youtu.be/fsxlbrEKJRo The Joe Biden administration has allowed more than 10,000 Haitian migrants to cross the southern border into Texas, where they are camping out under a bridge that connects Texas and Mexico. Per the New York Post, several government officials have referred to the situation in Del Rio, Texas, as “unprecedented,” the Washington Post writes. The migrants arrive as the president attempts to usher in tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees amid an alleged COVID pandemic. “This is a man-made crisis,” Sen. Ted Cruz said. “Eight days ago, on Sept. 8, under that same bridge, there were between 700 and 1,000 people. That was what was coming a day — about 1,000, sometimes 1,100 — but it would range between 700 and 1,100. https://youtu.be/nA8x4lYeYxs The father of a 7-year-old biracial Michigan girl whose hair was cut by a teacher without her parents’ permission has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district, a librarian and a teacher’s assistant. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools, alleges a violation of the girl’s constitutional rights, racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery. https://youtu.be/dnyk1uDEerc According to multiple reports, Wendy Williams was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. This is said to have taken place prior to it being announced that the new season of her show would be delayed due to COVID issues. According to The Sun, a woman matching Wendy Williams’ description was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday following a 911 call for someone in need of “psychiatric services” at her New York City apartment building. The NYPD confirmed to The Sun that cops were called at 8am to the swanky high rise to assist a 57-year-old female. Meanwhile, TMZ reports that she was voluntarily admitted to an NYC hospital Tuesday for a psych evaluation. They report that Wendy has struggled with mental health issues for some time, so this was not a big shock. Wendy does have COVID, but she’s asymptomatic, and doctors continue to monitor her physical health as well ???? Actor Michael K. Williams, who was found dead from a suspected drug overdose on Sept 6, has been laid to rest. Funeral services attended by approximately 150 friends and family members were held on Tuesday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Services for the star of HBO’s “The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Lovecraft Country” were held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral. The program included a formal church service with hymns and communion as well as remembrances by close family and friends, reports Penn Live. https://youtu.be/RTnQoeG_1W4 Katt Williams recently announced that he’s willing to face off with Kevin Hart in a Verzuz battle. Speaking to Baltimore radio host Perisa Nicole, Williams said the viral showdown would be a walk in the park for him because his only competition is the late-great Richard Pryor. “It’s almost cheating for me. I have over 10 specials,” Williams said, as reported by Complex. “I don’t have to pick but two jokes from each special and I’ve already deaded anyone whose last name isn’t Pryor anyway.” Katt also noted that “comedically beefing” is his “lane.” He challenged Hart to a comedic competition in 2016, suggesting a $5 million battle. Hart didn’t respond to this challenge. https://youtu.be/VGgeyVGDuUc Activist Tarana Burke took to television this week to promote her new memoir, “Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement.” During her appearance on “The View” this week, co-host Whoopi Goldberg brought up her portrayal of Miss Celie in “The Color Purple,” who was famously called “ugly” to her face. “And I remember being really mad,” Whoopi said, explaining that even though the words were part of the script based on Alice Walker’s novel, they still stung on a personal level. “It makes you feel a certain way,” Whoopi continued. “It has a visceral effect on you.’ https://youtu.be/wcyqYXSpArQ BET has launched BET Studios with principal partners Kenya Barris (“Black-ish”), Rashida Jones (“Hot Girls Wanted”) and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (“S.W.A.T.”). “The demand for premium content from Black creators has accelerated dramatically as a result of both the rapidly changing media and social landscapes,” said BET president Scott Mills in a statement, per Variety. “BET, with our 40-year legacy of celebrating Black culture, and the full power of the ViacomCBS ecosystem — is uniquely positioned to service this demand. As a company with its origin in Black entrepreneurship, we are incredibly excited to create the first major studio to provide Black creators with ownership, creative freedom and the unparalleled partnership and support of BET.” The Amplified Virtual Film festival opens September 18 and the first film can be screened for FREE! Fans who crave inspirational and entertaining family friendly content can find it in the documentary “God Chaserz” which shows Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 4:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. “God Chaserz” tells the story of 5 young men who use the power of music, Christian Hip Hop and rap to change everyone in their reach. The film is directed by Brinson Wright and Will Thomas. Redeem your free tickets here....https://bherc.tv/festivals/faith-based-inspirational-film-festival/ Fat Joe came under fire after making comments about Lil Mo and another female rap legend, Vita, during his Tuesday night Verzuz battle with Ja Rule. While the rappers started smack-talking, Fat Joe seemingly referred to the girls as “dusty b*tches” and said Ja must have found them in a “cr**ck house.” Fat Joe later apologized in a tweet that said, “Shout out to the ladies very sorry if i disrespected i love Vida and lil Mo I’m super sorry love my sisters.” That apology wasn’t enough for Mo who asked for a genuine one, which he later gave her. While speaking with TMZ, Mo admitted that he was way outta line and totally insensitive to all people battling addiction. Mo told the outlet that Fat Joe’s comments were just “vile” and “disrespectful” and he should know better than to use those degrading terms, especially in light of recent celeb deaths. “Stop waiting on people and do it yourself.” So says Larry Ulrich, writer/director of “I’m Not Special.” A powerful message of intervention and transformation is presented in “I’m Not Special“ a film by Ulrich Entertainment Group and Films With A Purpose. Representing the disabled community, Julius Jordan stars in the film. He is a first-time actor with down syndrome. His amazing act of courage and his gift of sportsmanship allows him to catch the attention of a coach at a local gym who takes him under his wing and aides him with his athletic development. TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with actress and comedienne Kym Whitley on Sunday, September 19 at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words including super producer Swizz Beatz, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield, singer and actress Raven-Symoné and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag-6IUwn_Qo Kanan and Marvin’s side hustle goes awry. Raq seeks revenge for the attack on Scrappy. Jukebox suffers a devastating blow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzSyRvZul0 Just in time for Latinx Heritage Month, CLEO TV will air CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Saturday, September 18 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4WnXcu-Rr8 The Rance Allen Group dropped a new single "Love Makes The World Go Around." https://spaces.hightail.com/space/lg8gYOWiB3/files/fi-d8b2723d-efb2-4977-8ba3-3af28f12da3f/fv-ab04b1e8-f6a5-45aa-a37e-8404ce7e65dd/Love%20Makes%20The%20World%20Go%20Around%20320%20(Radio%20Edit).mp3 NIA SIOUX & SHERRI SHEPHERD SET TO STAR IN IMPERFECT HIGH PREMIERING THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 ON LIFETIME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3SDONew-RQ As torchbearers of the classic 'Philly Choir' sound, Zak & 1A are now releasing an all-new single written by and made popular by iconic Philadelphia songwriter and musician Kevin Pringle (Wilmington Chester Mass Choir, Russell Delegation, GMWA Mass Choir). Zak & 1A have remade the classic choir song "Jehovah Jireh". https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8628415?date=20210914&user_id=668306&signature=U8qTCrqDO4_8LMaMzW041_Kvnbw%3AvFQ5f6NU The Gospel Music Association (GMA) has announced Dove Award-winning Artists Natalie Grant and Jonathan McReynolds will co-host this year's GMA Dove Awards. Also revealed today were the first slate of nominated performers including: Lauren Daigle, Elevation Worship, KB, CeCe Winans and Zach Williams. The 52nd GMA Dove Awards are set to air exclusively on TBN, Friday, October 22nd, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. ET and again at 10:00 p.m. ET. The event will take place live and in person in Nashville, TN, October 19th, 2021. Powerhouse record label, Karew Entertainment, is presenting their newest artist, urban inspirational singer, Marc Jay. Marc Jay joins the Karew roster with label mates The Clark Sisters, Karen Clark Sheard, and Kierra Sheard. When asked about the new addition, Karew Entertainment President J. Drew Sheard II says, “I’m so excited to partner with Marc Jay on his next project. He has been a part of our family for many years, supporting us, writing songs, singing background, and more, and now it’s his time. We are so proud of him!” Marc Jay may be new to the label, but truly not new to the Clark/Sheard dynasty. Prior to releasing his own music, Jay recounts the first time singing background for the legendary Twinkie Clark at a church in Battle Creek, MI, “I was so nervous, but afterwards she said ‘good job son’ and kept using me more! I was so excited!” After ministering with Twinkie Clark, he began singing background for Karen Clark Sheard as well as The Clark Sisters, and then finally Kierra Sheard. “Kierra is like a sister to me,” he says. Dr. Sian Proctor is making history as we speak with her seat on SpaceX’s Inspiration4, currently in a three-day orbit around Planet Earth. The a geoscientist, artist and science communicator, has been a trailblazer in the space sector for decades. Now, years after becoming a finalist in NASA’s astronaut candidate program in 2009, she has finally made it past Earth’s atmosphere with the launch of Inspiration4 Wednesday night. The 51-year-old STEM sis is now the world’s first-ever Black female spacecraft pilot. “I have this opportunity to not only accomplish my dream, but also inspire the next generation of women of color and girls of color,” Proctor said at a pre-flight press conference. Watch Proctor’s childhood dream literally take off as part of the SpaceX Inspiration4 crew – billionaire commerce executive Jared Isaacman, 29-year-old childhood cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux, and 42-year-old Chris Sembroski – aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule (dubbed Resilience) from Cape Canaveral, FL. https://youtu.be/8o4VeLWIYG4 El Debarge previously opened up about his 22-year crack and heroin addiction. But what you may not know is that after he got clean and sober following a two-year prison stint, he almost relapsed and it was rapper 50-Cent who stepped in and saved him. As reported by I Love Old School Music, El Debarge spoke to V103 in Atlanta a while back and revealed the time he almost relapsed in 2012, but was saved by Fiddy and music producer Babyface. Here’s what he had to say: So I called 50 Cent up and I called Babyface up and I said ‘You guys gotta help me man.’ And 50 came to my rescue, he took me over to Babyface, who met me over at Interscope and they sent me to a place called the Harbor House in Jackson, MS. They said get out of L.A. I was there for 6 weeks. […] That’s another reason why you didn’t hear from me, I was in a treatment center.” A woman who recently attended a school committee meeting in suburban Boston has apologized for questioning how a Black mother became a member and suggesting she was unqualified in a presumption that seemed based on nothing more than skin color. Dr. Kenann McKenzie, an adjunct professor and Director of the Aspire Institute at Boston University’s Wheelock College who earned her PhD from Columbia University — an Ivy League school — also happens to be the only Black member of the school committee in Beverly, which is about 23 miles north of Boston. But on Sept. 8, she was apparently nothing more than an unqualified Black woman who had no business being on a school committee, according to one woman at the meeting who did her best “Karen” impression to make it clear to everybody in attendance how privileged and entitled she felt on that fateful day. That was when Donna Loiacano, identified by the Boston Globe as a local resident, voiced her objections to McKenzie being on the school committee and suggested it was only to address the panel’s lacking diversity. Boston voters have pushed the city with a racist reputation closer to electing its first non-white male mayor in its more than 200-year history following Tuesday night’s primary election. But whoever ultimately takes over City Hall next January will not be Black, something that Black Bostonians were lamenting with sentiments that straddled the lines between disappointment and outrage, according to interviews conducted by the Boston Globe once the primary results were announced. Perhaps exacerbating that frustration is the sense that Kim Janey, a Black woman and former city councilor who has been acting mayor since now-former Mayor Marty Walsh was confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Labor in March, may not have been given a full, fair shot at leading the city. Janey became Boston’s first Black acting mayor, but the city still has yet to ever officially elect a Black mayor, a milestone that most major cities in the U.S. have already long crossed. The Minnesota Supreme Court overturned a third-degree murder conviction of Mohamed Noor, the former Minneapolis Police officer who shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk Damond on July 15, 2017. The court agreed with the argument from the defense that the prosecution did not prove Noor acted “without regard for human life.” They also didn’t provide enough evidence to support Noor was targeting Justine Damond. Damond called 911 to report a possible rape in her neighborhood. She believed she heard a woman being assaulted in an ally behind her home. Noor, who was one of the officers responding to the call, thought Damond was armed and in range of his partner. According to his partner’s testimony, Noor shot the woman after she approached their squad car in the ally while the officers were looking for clues and evidence of the reported rape. Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Minister announced to his nation Wednesday that his department “wasted so much time” on Tuesday “running down this false claim” propagated by Nicki Minaj, that the COVID-19 vaccine causes testicular swelling. “As far as we know, at this point in time, there has been no such reported either side effect or adverse event,” said Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh in a press conference. “And what was sad about this is that it wasted our time yesterday, because we take all these claims seriously, whether it’s on social media or mainstream media.” https://youtu.be/bNRvrF9EwSg Controversial commentator Candace Owens is speaking out to defend Nicki Minaj. Owens joined “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Tuesday to support Minaj after the rapper publicly shared why she’s holding off on taking the vaccine. As we previously reported, in a series of tweets, Minaj revealed that she tested positive for COVID-19 and wasn’t able to attend the VMAs or the Met Gala. While explaining that, the entertainer tweeted about her cousin’s friend who allegedly became impotent after receiving the coronavirus vaccine and urged her followers to “pray on it” before jabbing themselves and avoid being “bullied” into it. Despite that, Minaj said she will eventually get vaccinated but only when she’s done enough research. MSNBC host Joy Reid later slammed Minaj’s skepticism on “ReidOut,” saying “she can do better than that.” Owens reacted to all the controversy surrounding Minaj on Tuesday and said she believes the left is trying to silence her. Los Angeles County is following New York City with a requirement that customers as well as employees at indoor bars and nightclubs become vaccinated against COVID-19 as early as next month. The announcement was made by county health officials on Wednesday and the mandate will go in effect on October 7. The official order will be issued by Friday (09-17-21) for the country’s most populous county. https://youtu.be/tkzKo8SYIhs GSN-Social media users are less than impressed with a new show that turns activism into a competition starring celebrities. As reported by the New York Post, CBS’s newest reality series, “The Activist,” has yet to premiere and it is already receiving backlash on social media. According to Deadline, “‘The Activist’ is a competition series that features six inspiring activists teamed with three high-profile public figures working together to bring meaningful change to one of three vitally important world causes: health, education, and environment.” Usher, Priyanka Chopra and Julianne Hough will co-host the Global Citizen-produced series. A billboard hailing former President Donald Trump as the second coming of Jesus Christ has been taken down. The advertisement was spotted near the city of Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia earlier this week by Washington Post political reporter Eugene Scott who posted a picture of it to Twitter. It featured a picture of Trump looking on alongside a misquoted passage from the Bible which read: “Unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders.” The billboard incorrectly claimed that the quote came from Romans 8:17. Twitter users are mocking Harry and Meghan’s ‘awkward’ and ‘airbrushed’ Time magazine cover, with people saying their friend’s gushing tribute about the couple’s ‘struggle’ makes them want to ‘vomit’, after making the 2021 list of the 100 most influential people on the planet. Social media is ablaze with hilarious memes including Oprah Winfrey’s infamous ‘what?’ moment during the Duke and Duchess’ bombshell interview in March, a laughing Ryan Gosling and foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay telling somebody: ‘Oh f*** off’. The US publication released a glossy cover on Harry’s 37th birthday showing the Queen’s grandson stood behind his wife, with his arm on her right shoulder in the ‘icons’ section of the annual line-up – also featuring Dolly Parton, Britney Spears and Alexei Navalny. The photos are accompanied by a ‘sycophantic’ profile written by their friend and chef José Andrés, whose charity World Central Kitchen is loved by the Sussexes and supported financially by their Archewell foundation in India and the Caribbean. A Christian magician who gained popularity with tricks about family, hope and generosity won NBC’s America’s Got Talent and its $1 million prize Wednesday night following a final act in which he urged the audience to be more charitable. Dustin Tavella won the contest in what was the closest vote in the 16-year history of the variety talent show. The winner was determined in a vote by viewers. He also won a show in Las Vegas. With fireworks exploding and confetti falling, Tavella covered his face in disbelief, hugged second-place contestant Aidan Bryant, and thanked his wife, children, parents and fans. Lawrence Brooks celebrated his 112th birthday this past Sunday, making him the nation’s oldest World War II veteran. Brooks was born in Norwood, Louisiana in 1909, then moved to New Orleans in 1929. He was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army in 1940 at 31 years old. Around 1.2 million Black men fought in World War II. Jim Crow still had its claws dug into the south, so Black soldiers were treated like dirt. Black soldiers were also segregated from white soldiers, forced to use separate blood banks, hospitals, gyms, barracks, etc. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Rihanna‘s appearance at the 2021 Met Gala has sparked pregnancy speculation among her fans. The former singer turned entrepreneur attended the star-studded bash with her rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky. As reported by The YBF, RiRi’s “Balenciaga blanket dress has folks wondering if she’s carrying a mini RiRi or Rocky,” the outlet writes. Rihanna was spotted making her way inside of her hotel prior to the gala wearing an all-black ensemble that appears to show a baby bump. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle grace the cover of TIME100, the magazine announced on Wednesday, September 15. José Andrés, World Central Kitchen founder, wrote the feature on the royal couple as part of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2021. “Springing into action is not the easy choice for a young duke and duchess who have been blessed through birth and talent, and burned by fame. It would be much safer to enjoy their good fortune and stay silent,” Andrés writes. “That’s not what Harry and Meghan do, or who they are. They turn compassion into boots on the ground through their Archewell Foundation. They give voice to the voiceless through media production. Actress Karrueche Tran previously opened up about growing up with a gay father. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this, but my father is gay,” the Emmy-winning actress said in a 2015 interview with MadameNoire. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this because I don’t realize that that is not necessarily normal, you know? I live my life as me and it’s like, ‘oh, that’s just my dad.’ But when I tell people sometimes, they’re like, ‘really?!’ And he’s not [transitioning like Caitlyn Jenner], but he is homosexual, he is gay.” Tran said she was young when she learned of her father’s sexuality. Elsewhere in the interview, Tran explained her frustration with being known as Chris Brown’s ex-girlfriend. “Calling somebody Chris Brown’s girlfriend is rude,” she said. “I am more than just an ex-girlfriend or girlfriend. Now that I’m working more and doing more, people are realizing that I think.” https://youtu.be/IUhlvx1TgHE Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Inc., which launched in 2019, could be acquired by an unnamed media company led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Westbrook Studios is behind the film “King Richard” and “Red Table Talk” on Facebook Watch as well as Netflix’s “Cobra Kai.” Mayer and Staggs would have access to the production studio and Westbrook’s digital arm, Westbrook Media. In related news, Will Smith is set to release his memoir called “Will” on Nov. 9. The actor-rapper shared a photo of the book’s cover art on Instagram, and captioned the post: “It’s been a labor of love,” Smith said. Gabrielle Union made several TV appearances this week to promote her new book “You Got Anything Stronger?,” a sequel to her 2017 collection of essays “We’re Going To Need More Wine.” Since her first book, Union became a mother, and her husband Dwyane Wade retired from the NBA. But Union says there were many things she left out of the collection of essays because she wasn’t ready to talk about them yet. It was during the pandemic that she finally decided to share more of her experiences … among them, her fertility struggle. https://youtu.be/B7sT3LQZRvw Keke Palmer may not be invited back to the annual star-studded Met Gala after she posted a photo of her wilted salad as part of her 3-course meal at the event held on Monday night in NYC. The actress captioned the image: “This is why they don’t show y’all the food. I’m just playing.” Per TMZ…Chef Marcus Samuelsson — the restaurateur/chef who helped select the 10 up-and-coming chefs who created the Met Gala menu — defended the menu at the $30,000-$50,000 per ticket Met Gala. An all-new episode of WE tv’s new series “Brat Loves Judy” returns Thursday night and Judy is discussing Brat’s hesitancy to get married and Judy says, her refusal to have “hard conversations with me.” https://youtu.be/i1vPLblzmxM Former LA Laker Kwame Brown has ripped Russell Westbrook after he was photographed with blue hair and wearing a white skirt in New York City. Beta males who are allegedly gay and bisexual, such Kid Cudi and Russell Westbrook, have decided to proudly serve as the new poster boys for America’s never-ending #BuckBreaking agenda. Meanwhile, Brown and several NBA fans are giving the side-eye to Westbrook’s unique style choice. “What hood y’all dudes suppose to be from wearing heel boots & a mini skirt.. what’s wrong with you?” says Brown. https://twitter.com/i/status/1437437901336465415 It’s been a decade since “The Visualiza” has graced us with an album, but Anthony “AZ” Cruz has been teasing fans for years that a sequel to his platinum debut was on the horizon. Now the wait is over. AZ’s “Doe Or Die 2” will be released on Sept. 10, 2021. Those who pre-order, add and favorite AZ’s “Doe or Die 2” will receive “The Wheel” as an instant grat track. This track features Grammy nominate artist Jaheim, produced by Grammy Award-winner Kaygee (Naughty by Nature’s Poverty In Paradise). The album features Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Alchemist, David East, Pete Rock, Idris Elba, Conway the Machine, and the Heatmakerz. “Doe or Die II is just what the doctor ordered,” AZ said. https://youtu.be/aH-5sfoIO70 Once upon a time NFL tight end Vernon Davis was in the conversation for being one of the greatest ever at his position before suffering a big production drop off in his career. Recently, Davis told TMZ sports about his hopeful comeuppance in the Hollywood arena. Here he talks about working with Morgan Freeman and the advice the veteran actor gave to him on the set of their film “Muti,” which hits theaters in 2022. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-27-082721-vernon-davis-1236266/ Lil Nas X is having a great year! The entertainer has been named in Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2021. Lil Nas X has done a lot this year alone, from making national news over his bold and fearless performances and music videos, to being praised for his efforts to push for LGBTQ acceptance in the hip-hop/ music industry and community. While speaking about Nas X for the Time Magazine feature, fellow rapper Kid Cudi said, “There’s a homophobic cloud over hip-hop, and he’s going to break that sh-t down. We have to stand with him. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to let him know—you have my support. When we do our song together, however trippy the video is, let’s get sexy with it.” He also said, “ Lil Nas X is a new twist on some of the themes I was riding on when I first started out: being true to yourself and not giving a f-ck what anyone says. What he’s doing is what we need right now. To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records—that is huge for us and for Black excellence.” A 2020 clip has resurfaced of a male professor at Lincoln University babysitting a student’s son during class. The footage shows Dr. Aqeel Dix holding his student Imani Lamarr’s baby. Per MadameNoire, “That day, she had contacted Dix and said she couldn’t come to class because she didn’t have a babysitter. He told her missing class wasn’t an option and that she could bring her infant son along to class,” the outlet writes. “I never thought that it would come to that, and to have somebody who’s there for me…who really cares … it meant a lot,” Lamarr told ABC. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7rA99-lpgH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A college student from the West African nation of Togo has a side hustle that is starting to set fashion trends. Hogoe Elimiera Ivana Kpessou’s luxury womenswear brand HK — named after herself — is “an empire of uno [one]” for now. But the entrepreneur-designer is motivated toward greater success. For her, that means a better life for her family and her country. So far, the traffic to her website has been steadily rising, climbing to the hundred thousands, with total revenue nearing $500,000. She began only last year. Chante Moore drops "Right One." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLKSeyBbdJw Kerry Douglas Presents to the world his brand new artist with a big sound LaShá Knox. Her oily anointed & highly impressive vocals is a perfect combination for the remake of "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xI5jOhC7Ac “This is my eight album,” said Blues Guitarist Jules Leyhe about his new project “Your First Rodeo” (Monkey Finger Records) – out September 17, 2021. “I love blues music. I’m rooted as a Blues musician…introducing you to Jazz/Soul.” The “Your First Rodeo” is a melting pot of genres with a cover that is influenced by “one of my favorite Beatles records,” Jules says. “Sgt. Pepper: Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (Beatles 8th studio album)…the Beatles…they didn’t care about who said what, it was about being creative. This is my 8th album…so it’s a little joke. The cover makes you wonder what this is about.” https://youtu.be/oXVCpsjvANg Four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd pleaded not guilty in federal court Tuesday to charges they violated Floyd’s civil rights during his arrest in May 2020. Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao have been charged with violating Floyd’s constitutional rights in ways that “resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of, George Floyd,” according to the federal grand jury indictment. Per CNN, a federal grand jury indicted the ex-cops in May. Thao and Kueng also were charged for failure to intervene while Chauvin used his knee on Floyd’s neck to crush the life out of him. It didn’t happen. The Republican led Recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has gone down in flames. Newsom secured a victory in the biggest fight of his political career thus far and protected the Democratic Party from a perilous ripple effect. https://youtu.be/ye0Jz1EGV08 Family members of a woman in Chicago who fatally shot her son claim she loved the boy dearly, but she allegedly suffered from mental issues. Fallon Harris, 37, has been charged with first-degree murder after she allegedly shot 12-year-old son Kaden Ingram in the head over a missing SD memory card. https://youtu.be/k0K8C4_RCss The founder of one of the world’s largest megachurches has died, according to news reports from Korea. The English-language Korean Herald reported that the Rev. Cho Yong-gi died at a Seoul hospital on Tuesday morning (Sept. 14). He was 85. Cho, known in the United States as David Yonggi Cho, was the founder of the Yoido Full Gospel Church, a Pentecostal megachurch whose members number in the hundreds of thousands. The church’s website also carried an announcement of his death. Maya Rudolph will be laughing all through awards season. The “Saturday Night Live” alum, 49, made history on Sunday at the Creative Arts Emmys when she won two awards in the same categories she won in last year — and became the third black woman to win two years in a row. The funnywoman earned a Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series statuette for her “SNL” appearances this past season, and was named Best Character Voice-Over for her work on the animated comedy “Big Mouth.” “Wow, that’s amazing. I feel honored to be part of something like that,” Rudolph told reporters, according to Deadline. “I feel like this Emmy is very fitting, in that it’s for something that feels like such a personal achievement … I feel really honored that I’m part of a legacy as the third woman of color to achieve that.” Comedian Norm Macdonald, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer and performer who was “Weekend Update” host when Bill Clinton and O.J. Simpson provided comic fodder during the 1990s, has died. Macdonald, who was 61, died Tuesday after having cancer for nine years, but keeping it private, according to Brillstein Entertainment Partners, his management firm in Los Angeles. He never reached the same television heights after being fired from “SNL” in 1998, but was an indefatigable stand-up comic and popular talk show guest whose death provoked an outpouring from fellow comedians. “Norm was in a comedy genre of his own,” tweeted Sarah Silverman. “No one like him on this planet. Please do yourself a favor and watch his stuff.” Macdonald, the son of two schoolteachers, was raised in Quebec City, Canada. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences, calling him “a comedic genius and a great Canadian.” The widow of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks is suing the City of Atlanta and the officers for his death. His wife, Tomeka Miller, said that the shooting was “senseless and unjustified” in the lawsuit on behalf of Brooks’ estate. In addition, the lawsuit states that the officers didn’t provide the necessary medical attention that Brooks needed. Officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan were named in Miller’s lawsuit. She claimed Brosnan threatened Brooks with a taser without completing a mandatory Taser certification course. Rolfe has been charged in the shooting of Brooks. The lawsuit also implicated the City of Atlanta for failure to enforce that its police department adhere to the adequate training, and lack of supervision of its officers. The son of a Black man killed last year by a Georgia state trooper attempting a traffic stop over a broken tail light said Monday he will march across a stretch of southeast Georgia in hopes of getting federal authorities to take up the case. Brooks Bacon is trying to get renewed attention to the slaying of his father, 60-year-old Julian Lewis, nearly three months after a grand jury in rural Screven County declined to indict the trooper who shot him in the head. “That can’t be left unchallenged,” Bacon told reporters during an online news conference with his attorneys. He added: “In split-second moments, these tragedies happen and too often they get swept aside.” Trooper Jacob G. Thompson was fired by the Georgia State Patrol and jailed on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault soon after Lewis was killed on Aug. 7, 2020, in Screven County. Thompson said Lewis tried to flee a traffic stop for a broken tail light. After a short chase, the trooper forced Lewis’ car into a ditch. Actress Tanya Fear, known for her role on the show “Doctor Who,” was found Monday after she was reported missing in Los Angeles last week, an LAPD spokesperson confirmed to CBS News. Fear, 31, was initially reported missing on September 9, the spokesperson said. The department is not releasing any additional information at this time. Her manager, Alex Cole, said Fear was found safe by officers on Monday. “We understand she is not physically harmed, but as a precaution, is being assessed at a local hospital,” Cole said in a statement to NBC News. Charges have been dropped against three men accused of recording their sexual assault of an incapacitated woman in South Kingstown. The Providence Journal reports state prosecutors notified lawyers for Trent Scuncio, 18, and Montrell Wilson and Jah-Qwin Sekator, both 19, on Friday that the case had been dismissed. Assistant Attorney General Mark Trovato said prosecutors can’t proceed with the case because the woman no longer wished to pursue criminal charges and was unwilling to cooperate. The woman said in a letter to prosecutors that she made the decision after consulting with her attorney. Lawyers for the men said their clients are relieved. The case sparked Black Lives Matter protests and divided the town as the men are Black and the woman is white. “From the beginning, he claimed any encounters were consensual,” Edward Roy Jr., a lawyer for Wilson, told the Journal. “He wants to move on, and today’s dismissal allows him to do that.” A restraining order remains in place barring the men from contacting the woman for three years. The city of Philadelphia will pay $2 million to a Black woman who was pulled from a car, beaten by officers and had her toddler used for social media fodder by the police union, officials said. Nursing aide Rickia Young was headed home in the early morning hours of Oct. 27, 2020, when she unknowingly drove into a large protest over the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. She tried to make a three-point turn to get away from the tense scene when officers smashed out her windows with their batons, according to her attorneys. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney called the treatment of Young “absolutely appalling” and “inexcusable.” “This terrible incident, which should have never happened to anyone, only further strained the relationship between the” police and community, Kenney said in a statement. An Arizona mother has been named a suspect in her two daughters’ murders after they were found dead in a bed. On Sept. 8, shortly before 6 p.m., Phoenix police received a 911 call from a father reporting that his two daughters were dead, Sgt. Andy Williams said during a press briefing at the scene. Upon arrival, officers found the girls’ bodies in a bed and their mother with self-inflicted stab wounds to her upper body. The girls showed no obvious sign of trauma. Their cause and manner of death remains unknown. Their father was initially detained but released after cooperating with police. The girls have since been identified as 9-year-old Aleyah and her little sister, 4-year-old Royal McIntyre, the Arizona Republic, KSAZ and AZFamily.com report. High pre-infection blood sugar levels have been linked to a greater risk of severe COVID-19 cases, even in non-diabetics, according to a new study. The research, from the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Israeli health fund Meuhedet, and Hadassah Medical Center, shows that even pre-diabetic patients with high blood sugar levels after fasting, are more likely to develop serious symptoms after catching COVID-19. The standard blood sugar level for an adult is 70-100 mg/dL, after having fasted at least eight hours. In patients diagnosed with diabetes, the highest risk (1 in 4 patients) of contracting severe COVID-19 was found in patients with low sugar values — below 80 mg/dl. The lowest risk (1 in 12) was found in patients with sugar values of 106-125 mg/dl. For patients with no diagnosis of diabetes, the higher the sugar values, the greater the risk of severe COVID-19. Gymnast Nia Dennis had a viral white carpet moment at Met Gala 2021, and it had more to do with her style than drip. The 24-year-old surprised onlookers with a full gymnastics floor routine on the Met Gala steps. As the Brooklyn United Marching Band played Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Dennis flipped and dipped – giving an unexpected twist to “fashion’s biggest night.” https://youtu.be/tWql--GdyMA After being called a “coon” by Nicki Minaj, actress Yvette Nicole Brown is coming to Joy Reid’s defense. The MSNBC host reprimanded the rap star after she publicly shared her take on the COVID-19 vaccine and was accused of spreading “misinformation.” To keep you up to speed, earlier this week, Nicki Minaj announced that she would not be attending this year’s VMAs or the annual Met Gala. She took to Twitter on Monday to explain exactly while she had to sit out for these major events. In a series of tweets, Minaj said that she didn’t want to risk her infant’s health just to be “seen.” Where quarter life crisis meets LA glam, Issa Rae’s new reality series “Sweet Life: Los Angeles” is taking HBO Max by storm. The unscripted, coming-of-age TV show follows a young, Black friend group in pursuit of their dreams. While the friend group may be as close as family, some are relatively new to the clique. Compton, the newest male friend, said the friendships are impactful. “It’s meant a lot to me. I gained new brothers. It’s inspiration at its finest, honestly,” said Compton. One friend whose success is beyond inspiring is Bentley. CEO and founder of the multi million-dollar clothing brand Hypland – a huge achievement at only 24 years old. He’s hoping viewers see more than just his business accolades. Stream all episodes of “Sweet Life: Los Angeles” on HBO Max now. Plus, the season finale drops tomorrow! SHE READY! After months of meticulous work by a team of talented studio artists – actress, comedian, producer and author Tiffany Haddish revealed her new wax figure at the must-see attraction on the Las Vegas Strip, Madame Tussauds. During the reveal, Haddish disguised herself as a ‘Selfie Specialist’ while wearing a Madame Tussauds uniform and interacted with unsuspecting guests as she took pictures of them with the new Haddish wax figure and asked their opinion of it. https://vimeo.com/605694585 Public Enemy frontman Chuck D has responded to Flavor Flav’s claims that Chuck is blocking a group reunion due to contract negotiations. Chuck released a statement through his publicist explaining his side of the story, per Complex. “Come on y’all. This is tired and stupid. Flav and I communicate on our own, so I normally don’t address these things in public, but I’m tired of the circus of airing news that ain’t news and am going to keep it factual here,” Chuck D said in the statement. “Flav sues the folks he works with, so in 2017 he decided it was my turn. He lost when the judge dismissed the suit with prejudice in 2020, which means it’s permanent. Over. He can’t file again. He lost. Even after all of this, even after all the years of Flav giving the situation minimum while always asking for the maximum, I still work with him. But it’s time to change.” “Everybody in the situation can’t be burdened with picking up his slack,” he continued. “The key word in ‘Brothers Gonna Work It Out’ is the word ‘work.’ We’re always gonna be brothers regardless, but Flav’s gotta do the work and there ain’t no getting down without the work. Simple as that.” Over a year ago, Chuck and Flav had a public spat, with Flav reportedly booted from the group by Chuck because he refused to perform at a Bernie Sanders rally. Jermaine Dupri is ready to face off with Diddy for a Verzuz battle. “Somebody let @Diddy know I’m @thegarden right now ! And he gon need some training for me,” Durpi tweeted. Diddy caught wind of the challenge and responded by telling the So So Def founder that he “aiint got enough hits.” Diddy made clear that he’d rather battle Dr. Dre, telling Jermaine, “I’ll smash you with just biggie n Mary . But I do have the upmost respect on you as a musical legend – Dre the only one can get in the ring w me.” Rick Ross gifted his son William Roberts with his own Wingstop branch for his 16th birthday. “Everyone wish my son @mmgbigbank HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY,” Ross wrote on Instagram. “Today he became the owner of his 1st @wingstop franchise. Your now officially a BOSS !!! Keep Going,” he added. In June, Rick Ross revealed that he takes commercial flights and cuts his own grass to save money. The hip-hop star resides on a 235-acre estate in Fayetteville, Georgia that was previously owned by Evander Holyfield. Ross previously explained that he enjoys “connecting with the estate and the animals and the birds and the wildlife.” https://www.instagram.com/richforever/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4e979ca7-081c-4ac4-b197-591702f21d6c Cardi B hopes to postpone her trial with a man who is suing her for using his image on her debut mixtape. The rapper has reached out to a judge asking that the $5 million battle be pushed back as she also has to face off with blogger Tasha K. in a separate court case in Atlanta. Cardi is being sued by a male model who claims she used his photo without permission and made it seem like he was performing oral on her for her mixtape cover. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Kevin Michael Brophy Jr. is a married man with kids who was shocked to discover his photo on the cover of “Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1,” a mixtape the Cardi released in 2016. According to TMZ, Brophy claims he never met the “Bodak Yellow” rapper but he recognizes his distinct back tattoo of a tiger fighting a snake. Brophy says he was “shocked, outraged, humiliated, and appalled” when he first saw the photo. He claims Cardi used the pic “in a misleading, offensive, humiliating and provocatively sexual way to launch her career in music and entertainment.” As a House select committee investigates the causes of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, a new report released today finds that social media platforms have played a major role in exacerbating political polarization that can lead to such extremist violence. The report, “Fueling the Fire: How Social Media Intensifies U.S. Political Polarization—And What Can Be Done About It,” was released by the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and also makes recommendations about what the tech industry and government can do to address the problem. he NYU report finds that, while rising levels of polarization in the U.S. predate social media, the platforms have played an instrumental role in exacerbating the trend in recent years, particularly since the 2016 election and Donald Trump’s presidency. Facebook, for one, has disavowed responsibility for partisan hatred. The company’s vice president for global affairs, Nick Clegg, has argued: “What evidence there is simply does not support the idea that social media, or the filter bubbles it supposedly creates, are the unambiguous driver of polarization that many assert.” Tia Mowry once opened up about growing up biracial, having a Black mom and White father. She also compared how racism has affected her life both as a child and now that she has her own family. Tia Mowry and the rest of her siblings grew up in a biracial family, as her dad is White and her mom is Black. The “Sister, Sister” star once opened up about how she noticed the privilege that her father had compared to her mom. TRUE LOVE TRUMPS ALL Luckily for Tia, her parents made her see that racism shouldn’t be an issue when it comes to love. On her channel, she said her parents were full of love and they continued to instill in her that love was greater than all of the negativity around her. https://www.instagram.com/amomama_usa/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=bda1ac9f-0116-4bac-8d3c-dce0631c84fe Texas energy company CenterPoint Energy Inc said on Tuesday that about 400,000 homes and businesses in its Houston-area service territory were without power as Tropical Storm Nicholas drenches the city. That represents about 17% of CenterPoint’s power customers in the Houston area. Nicholas was currently located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south-southwest of Houston and could cause life-threatening flash floods across the Deep South during the next couple of days, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Other utilities in Texas reported much fewer outages, counting around 60,000 customers without power so far. Nicki Minaj has revealed she was forced to skip Monday Night’s Met Gala because she is suffering from Covid-19, after being notably absent from the event. The rapper, 38, who also missed the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, told her followers she contracted the virus while preparing for the ceremony. Nicki insisted that she won’t be getting the Covid vaccine until she has ‘done more research’, as she launched into an attack on Met Gala planners for insisting that all guests had to be double jabbed to attend. Nicki also went on to back-up her thoughts with wild claims about her ‘cousin’s friend’ becoming ‘impotent’ after getting the vaccine. The long-delayed Tony Awards have landed two impressive master of ceremonies: Tony- and Grammy-winning singer and actor Leslie Odom Jr. will host a splashy TV special, and the awards will be hosted by Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer Audra McDonald. Producers of the telecast announced Monday that Odom will host the two-hour celebration of Broadway’s return on Sept. 26 from 9 p.m. – 11p.m. ET/PT, and McDonald will host the award ceremony from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET/PT The four-hour event will be broadcast live from Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre. Capping the evening will be the awarding of the three top awards: best play, best play revival and best musical. The first trailer for Netflix’s limited series about Colin Kaepernick has arrived. Below is the debut footage of Colin in Black & White, a six-part biographical drama from Ava DuVernay (Selma, When They See Us) about the early years of the NFL quarterback and activist. Jaden Michael stars as Young Colin in the coming-of-age series that follows Kaepernick’s early years, while Kaepernick appears as a narrator in the show. Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker also star as Kaepernick’s “well-meaning parents” Rick and Teresa. https://youtu.be/yqJFWS81Mf4 This week, Apple Original Films revealed that the highly anticipated, star-studded film “Swan Song” will debut in theaters and globally on Apple TV+ Friday, December 17. “Swan Song” stars two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, who also serves as producer; eight-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close; and Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris. Golden Globe Award winner Awkwafina and Golden Globe Award nominee Adam Beach also star in the ensemble cast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2nW0vC4iAA Unstable. Criminal. Impoverished. Absentee fathers. Neglectful mothers. “A tangle of pathology,” as the Moynihan Report, a 1965 study on Black poverty, put it. For decades, the Black family has been denigrated as dysfunctional. The evolution of radio, film and television in the 20th century only amplified demeaning images, providing “proof” to white Americans of Black inferiority and a justification for denying them their rights. Today, many of these same tired images persist and continue to feed baseless perceptions. A 2017 study showed that the news media continue to “inaccurately portray Black families as more poor, criminal and unstable than white families.” In 2013, a historian and collector named Frank Morrill, who lives in Charlton, a suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts, discovered over 230 portraits of people of color among the 5,300 glass negatives of photographer William Bullard that he owns. Bullard, a white neighbor of most of the people he photographed in Worcester, made these portraits from 1897 to 1917. Their images defy stereotypes of dysfunction by portraying the vitality of Black family life just a few decades after emancipation. As Bullard was making his portraits, sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois ought to showcase Black achievement to the rest of the world, and his images featured middle-class and elite Black Americans, often in a studio setting and without specific identification. For more than a decade, suicide rates have been increasing in Black children and adolescents, and a new study says the sharpest rise occurred among young girls. The study, published on Thursday in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, found that just over 1,800 Black children died by suicide between 2003 and 2017, and while most of the deaths were among boys, especially those ages 15 to 17, the gender gap is narrowing. The suicide rate of the girls increased an average of 6.6 percent each year — more than twice the increase for boys, the study said. Nearly 40 percent of the girls were 12 to 14 years old, indicating that this age group may need additional attention or different types of interventions. “That was just like, ‘Whoa’ — what’s going on with our Black girls?” said Arielle H. Sheftall, the lead author of the study. “It caught me a little off guard.” Mortality data shows that suicide rates of U.S. teenagers and young adults remain highest in boys, particularly whites, Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. A pair of $1,190 sweatpants from tony fashion house Balenciaga are being slammed on social media as racist and a prime example of cultural appropriation. The “Trompe-L’Oeil” sweatpants come with built-in boxer shorts that are designed to peak out above the waistband — mimicking the style popularized in hip hop culture. “This feels racist. This feels very racist, guys” TikTok user @mr200m__, real name Josiah Hyacinth, said, as another off-screen voice replies: “It is.” Hyacinth is seen probing the trousers, which were displayed at UK-based high-end department store Selfridges. Marquita Gammage, an associate professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Northridge, told CNN she was disturbed by the pants and views it as “Black culture with the hopes of securing major profits.” A North Texas woman took her life from tragedy to triumph and is now trying to help other survivors just like her do the same. Angelina Scott Dunbar is not only a breast cancer survivor but also a domestic violence survivor. She was beaten so badly that she was temporarily blind and didn’t know if she could find the will to live. “I asked God why did he keep me here,” Dunbar said. “What I realized in surviving is that everything in our life is a choice and just like things happen to us that are not our choice, it is our choice to change the trajectory and make sure that we know we have it in us to come out on top.” Dunbar, who is a real estate developer who lives in Dallas, decided the way to do that was to start a nonprofit called My Story Our Journey. The death penalty case of Julius Jones, which has caught the attention of people across the country, including multiple celebrities, was recommended for commutation by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Monday. It is now up to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt whether to change Jones’ sentence to something other than death. “I believe in death penalty cases there should be no doubt, and put simply, I have doubts in this case,” board Chairman Adam Luck said. “I cannot ignore those doubts, especially when the stakes are life and death.” The board voted 3-1, with a fifth member recusing himself, in favor of Jones’ commutation. “I don’t have a lot of words, I’m just thanking God,” Antoinette Jones, Julius Jones’ younger sister, said moments after the board’s decision as she and her family headed to their church to pray. A pregnant Harlem woman was fatally shot in the head after her baby shower early Sunday trying to break up a fight between her ex-boyfriend and current lover, police and heartbroken relatives said. Shanice Young, 31, was slain in front of her two children after leaving the shower at a catering hall near her home, witnesses and police said. “I helped her put her gifts in the car and I said, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’” her shocked father Thurman Young, 57, told the Daily News. “She was going to have her baby in five days. She said ‘This baby is coming in five days, Daddy, get ready’. I said ‘I’ll be ready’. That’s the last thing she said to me.” https://cbsloc.al/3k660Yl Jury selection started Monday in the trial of a Tennessee state senator charged with stealing more than $600,000 in federal funds received by a health care school she directed and using the money to pay for her wedding and other personal expenses. State Sen. Katrina Robinson was charged in July 2020 with wire fraud, and theft and embezzlement involving government programs, after the FBI searched the school and her home. She has pleaded not guilty. The Memphis Democrat was elected to the General Assembly in 2018. She was accused of stealing funds from federal grants slated for The Healthcare Institute, which provides training for jobs in the health care field. The Memphis Democrat was elected to the General Assembly in 2018. She was accused of stealing funds from federal grants slated for The Healthcare Institute, which provides training for jobs in the health care field. The Bellaire, Texas, Police Department is investigating threats against Texas Right to Life after police dispatched a bomb squad to the scene Friday amid multiple online and voicemail threats wishing rape and death on the pro-life employees at the organization in the wake of Texas’ abortion law. “We take these kind of threats very seriously,” Bellaire Chief of Police Onesimo Lopez told Fox News on Sunday. “Our Criminal Investigations Division is conducting an investigation into the threats and will follow up on any leads that develop.” “No other information is available at this time,” Lopez added. Erica Parker tells her two daughters, “be Black and proud.” She carefully decorated their rooms with drawings of Black superheroes and placed pillows with the words “Black Girl Magic” and “Black Queen” written across the front on their beds. Erica said all she’s ever wanted to teach her daughters is confidence and self-love. That’s why, she said, she couldn’t hold back her tears as her daughters watched her remove every piece of Black art from their home and turn over the pillows to hide the affirming text on the front. “I was essentially telling them to dull your Blackness when all I’ve ever told them is to be Black and proud. It’s a mixed message to give a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old,” Erica said. What followed was a difficult conversation with her oldest about racial discrimination. A conversation Erica said she didn’t want to have yet. The Eyes of Tammy Faye is exactly what you’d expect from an unimaginative biopic – colourful, energetic and shallow – although Jessica Chastain puts in a dazzling performance, writes Caryn James. There aren’t many screen heroines with the garishly bad taste of Tammy Faye Bakker, brought to flamboyant life by Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. But the real Tammy was also a one-of-a-kind spectacle. In the 1970s and ’80s, comedians mocked her tarantula-like fake eyelashes and crying fits. But she was also embraced by her target audience, viewers of the popular daily talk show she starred in with her husband, Jim Bakker, one of the most successful televangelists of the time. He preached to the converted and asked them for money, and she belted out faith-based songs in a show broadcast on their own flourishing satellite television network. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMMLRnXPPJk Liberty University returned to in-person learning Monday after a two-week “temporary mitigation period” in which the university saw a record number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus. According to the school’s COVID-19 dashboard, there are 463 active cases as of Wednesday, Sept. 8. The university updates its dashboard every Wednesday. Earlier this month, Liberty suspended large, indoor gatherings as well. Currently, Liberty does not require students to get the vaccine or wear a mask on campus. Rapper Bill Kahan Kapri, popularly known by his stage name “Kodak Black,” was one of 73 people granted pardons by former President Donald Trump before he left office earlier this year. On Sunday, the rapper announced his acceptance of “Jesus as my Lord and Savior.” The announcement from Kapri comes days after Christian ministers Kevin Louidor and Annia Icart, who both attend King Jesus Universal Ministry, prayed with the artist at a gas station in Florida last Tuesday. On Facebook, Louidor also shared how shortly after they helped the rapper pray, God protected their lives in a grisly crash. “TESTIMONY! GOD SAVES! On our way to our church King Jesus Universal Ministry with my sister in Christ Annia Icart, we went to stop by the gas station and we happen to meet a popular rapper Kodak Black and the Lord used us to minister to him and his crew, and Kodak gave his life to Jesus Christ!” Louidor wrote. “Then after we was done, we started driving to church and the presence of God filled the car, and we [were] praising God and out of nowhere [I] start[ed] speaking in tongues and declare may the angel of protection be with us! And soon as I finished saying that the car lost control and we got [into] a car accident. We know the enemy is not happy of what took place because we brought a soul to kingdom so he retaliated! Victory is won! Jesus is Lord!” he declared. https://www.facebook.com/kevin.louidor/posts/5999524083453382 Leylah Fernandez admitted in the wake of the US Open final that her protests about Emma Raducanu’s medical timeout to treat a bleeding knee were misplaced. Amid high drama inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Raducanu serving for the match at 30-30, the British player grazed herself as she took a fall and went break point down – but there was a delay of several minutes before playing that point due to the treatment. Fernandez later conceded the tension of the occasion contributed to her complaining to officials on court about the treatment. ‘I honestly did not know what was happening with Emma,’ the 19-year-old said. ‘I didn’t know how serious her fall was, that’s why I went to see the official and ask her about it. ‘It just happened in the heat of the moment. It was too bad that it happened in that specific moment with me, with the momentum. But it’s sports, it’s tennis. Just got to move on.’ Spain’s state television on Friday condemned a racist comment made by a guest sports commentator during the presentation of Real Madrid player Eduardo Camavinga. During Wednesday’s presentation of Camavinga, analyst Lorena González was heard off camera saying “this guy is blacker than his suit.” The 18-year-old Camavinga, a French player born in Angola, is Black. Spanish broadcaster RTVE said González’s comments “showed a lack of respect and are inappropriate for a public television channel” while it apologized “to the player and laments and firmly condemns the denigrating comments.” González, a regular guest on RTVE’s sports talk show “Estudio Estadio,” issued a statement on social media “to offer my sincerest apologies to anyone who felt offended.” “My comment, which was made without malice or disrespect toward the player, was however unfortunate,” she wrote. “It was a comparison that I could have made about any person of any color. But I understand and feel that in this sensitive time we are going through, even though I also believe that things are becoming too radicalized and politicized, the media has an even bigger responsibility to help the fight against racism and any form of unjust inequality.” The network said it was investigating the incident “and would take the appropriate action.” Former NBA player Cedric Ceballos, who played for the Dallas Mavericks from 1998 to 2000, said in a tweet Monday he is COVID-19 free but still has bad lingering symptoms. Ceballos, 52, explained in the tweet that he can’t breathe, walk or “function on my own yet.” Last week, Ceballos revealed he was battling COVID-19 while in a hospital’s intensive care unit. He said he had been in the ICU for 10 days at the time of his tweet, which showed him wearing an oxygen mask. In Monday morning’s tweet, he was pictured outside without any healthcare equipment. “I am COVID-19 free, thank you so very much for your prayers and well wishes to help me with that,” he said. “I still CAN NOT breathe, walk or function on my own yet.” TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with actress and comedienne Kym Whitley on Sunday, September 19 at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words including super producer Swizz Beatz, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield, singer and actress Raven-Symoné and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZXaWFN2Kso&feature=youtu.be Police arrested multiple Black Lives Matter protesters who demonstrated outside of the 75th Met Gala on Monday. Footage shared on Twitter showed New York City police officers yelling and carting away protesters. A flyer spotted at the event read that the protest was organized by an “autonomous group of NYC abolitionists who believe that policing does not protect and serve communities.” https://youtu.be/4NZaiae6fhU It started off with the hyped all-black Brooklyn United Marching Band, which set the tone for a Met Gala evening full of blinding star power that has been pent up for more than a year, due to 2020’s cancellation because of the pandemic. Fashion’s biggest night was held at its usual location – the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City – with the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” That’s also the title of the Costume Institute’s newest exhibition, which opens in the Anna Wintour Costume Center on September 18th. From Rihanna to Saweetee; Serena Williams to Naomi Osaka; Megan Thee Stallion to Iman thee icon, watch “Access Hollywood’s” recap of the white carpet highlights. https://youtu.be/TUmQ6Ab0D7o OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network celebrates Black fatherhood with the inspirational special OWN Spotlight: They Call Me Dad, premiering on Tuesday, September 14. Actors Derek Luke (The Purge, 13 Reasons Why) and Tristan Mack Wilds (The Wire, 90210), gospel singer-songwriter and senior pastor Marvin Sapp and music mogul Master P discuss what it means to be a supportive father, the sacrifices it takes to be a good father, how to take accountability for your actions and how to inspire your children. https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_square_limited_720/images.spreaker.com/original/f1a12f23f1f6ddf6f53ea9091103b682.jpg Stephen A. Smith admits he wanted former “First Take” host Max Kellerman off the show, and his wish was granted. Smith explained his reasoning during an appearance on New York City radio program “Ebro in the Morning.” “The rumors are accurate in terms of me wanting him off the show. Let’s get that out of the way,” Smith said. Smith claims to have a good relationship with Kellerman, but no longer had on-air chemistry. “Sometimes it just stalls,” said Smith. “And the audience lets you know that it is what it is, and you feel the need for something fresh, you feel the need to retool. … It’s not like I wanted the guy to be fired or anything like that. I knew that there were landing spots for him available at this network that would generate just as much, if not more, revenue for him and all of that other stuff. It wasn’t really about asking him to be off the show. It was about the fact that we, together, as far as I was concerned, was not a great partnership anymore, and that was something that needed to change.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1436145662991613960 This month, Apple announced the highly anticipated drama series, “Swagger” from creator and showrunner Reggie Rock Bythewood, NBA superstar Kevin Durant and Imagine’s Brian Grazer, premieres globally on Apple TV+ on October 29, 2021. The ten-episode series is led by an ensemble cast including O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Isaiah Hill, Academy Award-nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, Shinelle Azoroh, Tessa Ferrer, Caleel Harris, James Bingham, Solomon Irama, Ozie Nzeribe and Tristan Mack Wilds. “Red Table Talk” returns to Facebook Watch on Wednesday, Sept. 15, with an episode titled “Jada Goes Bald” that will find hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris sharing their hair experiences. Comedian Tiffany Haddish joins the conversation along with “Insecure” actress Yvonne Orji to dish about why they decided to go bald, Jada debuted her bald head in a July Instagram post. “Willow made me do it because it was time to let go BUT … my 50’s are bout to be Divinely lit with this shed,” she captioned a photo of herself with Willow. https://www.instagram.com/jadapinkettsmith/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=363c3381-8bbf-4045-ac5c-38b2cb34d75a The parents of seven children died within hours of each other after contracting COVID. Both the mother and father were 44 years old. Troy fell ill in mid-August just as he and his family were set to head out on a trip to Florida. While Troy stayed behind, his wife Charletta and their children continued on as planned. But Charletta fell ill and was hospitalized with COVID-19 two days after arriving in Florida, as reported by Fox 2 Detroit. https://youtu.be/VyqM92cYZco Peep the ZEUS Network show, “One Mo Chance.” Watch the season 2 trailer.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNixRhVxtHs&feature=youtu.be On Sept. 8, Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker announced her painful decision to withdraw from this year’s City Council race, a choice she explained was extremely “difficult.” Walker became the city’s first Black female mayor in 2017. “I’ve been struggling since March, with leaving, making an announcement,” Walker said at a press conference on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported. Fighting off tears, the Democrat continued, adding that, “It’s just been a hard term. ” During her tenure, the former social justice advocate fought to implement several changes throughout the city, including affordable housing issues, local government transparency, and addressing racial inequality in the Charlottesville community, which she says “has been a challenge.” “Fighting overt, covert, and internalized racism every day, and feeling really alone while doing that… I still get up, and I do it, I do all my work, and I stay up late fighting with people, and I still stay up late and get my work done. It’s really taken a toll on me and my family. It’s been a really difficult process,” Walker expressed. Three candidates remain in the race, including Democrats Juandiego Wade and Brian Pinkston and independent Yas Washington. The three will face off for Walker’s seat after she and councilwoman Heather Hill step down from their positions. Walker said she would not endorse any of the candidates currently up for election. In May, the mayor talked about the stress of being on the city council, especially as a Black woman helping to spearhead change for the city. Moderna plans to roll out a single-dose booster shot for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. The shot is currently in development, and no details have been shared about when it will be available, as reported by iHeart.com. Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, as well as former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama; and Joe and Jill Biden gathered on 9/11 for its 20th anniversary Saturday. In an Instagram post, Michelle recalls where she and her daughters were in 2001 when she found out about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. At the time, the former First Lady was living in Chicago with Barack, and she heard about the attack after dropping daughter Malia off for her first day of nursery school. “I remember taking her photo, dropping her off for the very first time, and feeling those pangs of separation from my baby,” She wrote. “I’d just buckled newborn Sasha into her car seat and was driving back home when I heard the news on the radio—and the uncertainty and anxiety set in almost immediately. What was happening? Had the world just changed? What kind of future were our girls going to enter?” Michelle continued, “For those who lost loved ones, it’s especially painful to relive,” she shared. “My heart goes out to all those for whom this wasn’t just a national tragedy, but a personal one.” Proposed HBCU investments have been slashed in a recent House Education Committee proposal. As part of the upcoming budget reconciliation process, the committee shaped a bill that falls tens of billions of dollars short on promises to HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions made by President Joe Biden. Tasked with bringing Biden’s proposals to reality, the committee shaped a proposal cutting significant funds from HBCUs. Instead of funds set aside for HBCUs, the schools will have to apply for a small pool of competitive grants. Given the lack of support staff and resources compared to other schools, HBCUs could be at a disadvantage. Inside Higher Ed reported the proposed budget includes $1.45 billion in institutional aid from 2022 to 2026 for HBCUs, tribal colleges and minority-serving institutions. While it’s a larger investment than made previously, it’s nowhere near the billions promised to HBCUs alone. Black women are shattering glass ceilings in the nonprofit space. Angela F. Williams was recently appointed to serve as the president and CEO of United Way Worldwide; making history as the first Black woman to sit at the helm of the global organization. Founded in 1887, United Way Worldwide is a nonprofit that’s mission is rooted in evoking change at a grassroots level. The organization—which has a presence in nearly 1,800 communities across the globe—supports initiatives centered on economic mobility, healthcare and the advancement of education. For Williams, a seasoned nonprofit leader with over three decades of experience within the industry, the impactful efforts being led by United Way Worldwide align with her vision to uplift and empower vulnerable communities. The South Carolina native—who holds degrees from the University of Virginia, the University of Texas School of Law and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University—has dedicated her entire career to driving change. Members of the Hebrew Israelites Community of Dimona in southern Israel have been ordered to leave the country by September 23 or face forcible deportation. As someone noted on Twitter, “Israel welcomes white American Jewish immigrants but if you’re black it’s often another story (you may as well be Palestinian)”. Some of the adults “are not eligible for US citizenship or have given it up are stateless and have nowhere to go,” the outlet writes. The community, some 3,000 strong, is not recognized as Jewish by Israel’s religious authorities. Ashriel Moore, 30, the son of one of the community’s founders is an Israeli citizen. He is coordinating the campaign to stop the deportations. GSN-The Brooklyn Federal Court sex trafficking trial of R. Kelly has been a very sad eye-opener for many who once praised Kelly as a music genius. Now, as the sordid details continue to emerge, society is faced yet again with the fruits of its inaction and unresponsiveness. Many of us recall when R. Kelly was getting all sorts of favorable press and benefit of the doubt when he married for years. Accusations of pedophilia and abuse have been bouncing off of him for decades. However, it appears he’s not going to wriggle his way out of this one. During his trial, a woman named Stephanie, now 39, recalls meeting R. Kelly with friends when she was 16 and how he compared himself to late rocker Jerry Lee Lewis, who married his 13-year-old second cousin and was blackballed because of it. Black media outlets are an important part of the news market, especially for making sure our stories are told and represented in a way that’s not only for us but also by us. Unfortunately, the fate of those publications specifically is being threatened by a decline in advertisers, investors, and subscribers. Thankfully, 10 Black newspapers from across the nation have come together to launch Word In Black, a collective platform that will aim to tell stories on the Black experience from different perspectives throughout the country. The veteran publications that’ve come together to make this happen include New York Amsterdam News, Houston Defender, The Washington Informer, The Dallas Weekly, AFRO News out of Baltimore, The Michigan Chronicle, The Seattle Medium, The Sacramento Observer, The St. Louis American, and The Atlanta Voice. Each newspaper will see its content published on Word In Black, including reporting and exclusives using the power of media consolidation. As if former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani‘s reputation post-Sept. 11 wasn’t already shaky enough, a speech he gave Saturday night at a dinner commemorating the 9/11 terror attacks suggested he may have had too much to drink — or even be drunk; very drunk, in fact — according to a video of his address. The video footage was still going viral Sunday morning and Guiliani’s name was a top trending topic on Twitter because he was slurring his words while giving the speech. At one point, he even offered an unprompted impersonation of Queen Elizabeth II while trying to separate himself from accused pedophile Prince Andrew during the event at a Manhattan restaurant meant to mourn the victims of the worst foreign terror attack on American soil. The same filmmakers behind the faith-based hits War Room and Overcomer are set to release their next film on Sept. 10 with a spotlight on a subject at the heart of Scripture: fatherhood. The documentary movie, Show Me the Father (PG), examines the biblical roles of fathers while weaving in biblical truths about the Fatherhood of God – all the while encouraging viewers to think differently about how they view the subject. https://youtu.be/5cSh1GXieFY Wendy Williams is reportedly stepping back from the spotlight as part of her health-related hiatus. Per Page Six, the Sept. 20 premiere of her daytime talk show may not air after Williams canceled all promo events next week. “People are tight-lipped about it, but there are whispers that she won’t be there,” one Wendy source told the publication. “Wendy is dealing with some ongoing health issues and is undergoing further evaluations. She will not be able to complete her promotional activities next week, but can’t wait to be back on her purple chair on Monday, September 20th for the 13th season premiere,” a statement posted on the show’s Instagram read. On Friday, video footage showed Williams arriving at her apartment building wearing blue hospital socks and a robe. Thursday, September 2nd, guests gathered at Exchange LA in Los Angeles to attend Maxie James, black designer to the stars and owner of Ellaè Lisquè’s fashion show. The debut of her “Birthday Collection” was a star-studded event kicked off with Jasmin Brown aka Watch Jazzy as the host and a hit performance by Sevyn Streeter. Showing that this black designer on the rise has carved out her very own lane. But it hasn’t always been this glamorous for Maxie J. who has conquered the challenges in her path including a full-blown physical altercation with fashion designer Michael Costello. British actress Tanya Fear, who starred in the TV series “Doctor Who,” has gone missing just two months after moving to Hollywood. Tanyaradzwa “Tanya” Fear, 31, was also in the movie “Kick-Ass 2,” and had just moved to LA, where she had also started performing stand-up comedy gigs, her manager told Sky News. Her family reported her missing last Thursday — with friends taking to the streets of Hollywood to look for her. They covered the area with missing-person posters, according to a Twitter account set up as part of the hunt. The official fan account for “Doctor Who” was among those tweeting the poster in a huge push to find Fear. https://youtu.be/Ust00-xc_t0 Rapper Trina is engaged! As reported by Love B. Scott, the hip-hop icon shared the exciting news during a FaceTime call with life coach Stormy Wellington on Thursday (Sept. 9). “I had a big night last night,” said Trina in the clip below. While she did not mention her fiance’s name, she is reportedly engaged to her boyfriend of over five years, Raymond Taylor, a 31-year-old Miami rapper who goes by the name Ray Almighty. Beta males who are allegedly gay and bisexual, such Kid Cudi and Russell Westbrook, have decided to proudly serve as the new poster boys for America’s never-ending #BuckBreaking agenda. Both Cudi and Westbrook, who are not Scottish-born, are making headlines for rocking skits and blue hair–with TMZ noting that it could be a “new trend” emerging only among effeminized males. Candace Cameron Bure knows the importance of mental health. The Fuller House star shared how staying active helps her deal with depression as she juggles motherhood and her career. Bure, 45, said that she has loved her fitness journey, expressing, “I feel stronger at 45 than I did when I was 20 years old.” “It’s just every time you get stronger, or I see my muscles from doing more pushups, it keeps me going to want to do more and just keep that up. Really another big part why fitness is important for me is it’s so beneficial to my mental health,” she told The Salvation Army Midland Division. “I juggle, as we all do, a lot of plates. I not only juggle my family but also work in a lot of different capacities. It can get really difficult.” The mother-of-three also touched on becoming an empty nester, as her children — daughter Natasha, 23, and sons Lev, 21, and Maksim, 19 — have all left for school. Rose McGowan said she is no longer a ‘Hollywood democrat,’ at a press conference in which she endorsed Republican attorney and talk-show host running for California Governor Larry Elder, just days after accusing current Governor Gavin Newsom’s wife of bribing her in order to suppress her rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein. ‘So this woman, I don’t know, some blonde lady name with the last name of the Newsom, cold-calls me, and was like, David Boies wants to know what it would take to make you happy,’ McGowan said she was asked by California First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom during a 2017 phone call, which she says she abruptly ended by hanging up. Her comments were first reported by The Washington Post. https://twitter.com/i/status/1437155114557399041 Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Wendy Williams stepping out of a black SUV wearing a gold and cream robe and blue socks as she walked on the wet New York City pavement Friday. The TV host appeared to look sickly as she was led by hand into her apartment by an unidentified man. The sighting comes a day after her show revealed she’s canceled all promotional events to deal with ‘ongoing health issues’. A statement posted to Instagram Thursday read, ‘Wendy is dealing with some ongoing health issues and is undergoing further evaluations’. There was no mention of what exactly Wendy, 57, was grappling with, but last year she took a break from her daytime show while she battled Graves’ disease. In 2019, DailyMail.com revealed the host had been secretly treated at a sober living residential facility for addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. One of the more memorable performances of Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards in Brooklyn was Normani’s performance of her single “Wild Side,” which featured Teyana Taylor. Normani, 25, sported a silver two-piece set inspired by Aaliyah, who she also sampled for the track. The singer concluded her performance with an homage to Janet Jackson’s “Would You Mind” by bringing out Taylor, 30, strapped to a human-shaped bondage board. https://youtu.be/IckIi0mM5Rg Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory made a name for himself in Detroit after he became a drug dealer in high school. His brother Terry “Southwest T” Flenory also got into the game and made their side hustle a family business. Now their story is coming to Starz. BMF” will show the ups and downs the Flenory brothers went through in the drug business. https://youtu.be/s6_YrWse_S4 The 3rd annual Daytime Beauty Awards, founded by CEO Michele Elyzabeth, took place today, Sunday, September 12 at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles.The award show recognizes science behind beauty and spotlights health and wellness professionals in the fields of dentistry, medicine, health and fitness, aesthetics, skincare, color and styling, cannabis, beauty innovation and more. OmegaXL by Great HealthWorks served as the event’s title sponsor. The award statuette, better known as the ‘Holly,’ was designed by Christopher Guy. Danielle Lauder, actress, entrepreneur and the great-granddaughter of Estée Lauder, officiated as the Ambassador for this year’s Daytime Beauty Awards. The 2021 honorees included: Paula Abdul (Outstanding Achievement in Health), Dr. Moncef Slaoui, former Chief Scientist for the U.S. government’s Covid vaccine development effort (Special Tribute Award), Chris Appleton (Outstanding Achievement in Fitness), Gary Archer (Outstanding Achievement in Dentistry), Dr. Stafford Broumand (Outstanding Achievement in Aesthetics), Dr. Andrew Caster (Outstanding Achievement in Medicine), Tracey Cunningham (Outstanding Achievement in Color and Styling), Michaeline DeJoria for John Paul Mitchell Systems (Brand of the Year), Nancy Duitch and Nicole Kidman for Sera Labs (The Breakthrough Award), Gary Trudell for Custom Comfort Mattress (The Sleeping Beauty Award), Rea Ann Silva for Beautyblender (Tool of the Year), Erica Skynn for Derm7 (The Innovation Award) and Imelda Walavalkar & Tracy Anderson (The Zen Award for Pure Beauty). In the latest episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” Political talk show host Joy-Ann Reid joins Jemele to discuss the success of her wildly popular nightly political discussion show, “The Reid Out,” what it’s like being the only black woman with a political show in primetime, and why having a previous show cancelled on MSNBC liberated her. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1DThyx2E5EQ3C7N1kCVs96 Gayle King admits she serves as the “third wheeler” on vacations with Oprah Winfrey and her longtime partner Stedman Graham. “I’m a proud third wheeler. I make no apologies for that. I got divorced back in 1994 and I’ve been their third wheel ever since,” said King, as reported by Ace Showbiz. https://youtu.be/EpsKJ6khhVg Former NFL cornerback supreme Deion Sanders is doing his thing for HBCU football as head coach of the Jackson State Jaguars football team. But for his next trick Sanders incorporated the help of NFL legend turned TV star Michael Strahan to assist him with showing his team’s best side to the world. Strahan utilized his relationship with Men’s Wearhouse, for which Strahan has been a spokesperson and model for years. The Texas Southern University was the first person Sanders thought of to assist him with taking his team’s image to Prime Time status. “I know somebody who prides themselves on looking good and feeling good,” Sanders told Insider. “And he lives it. He embodies it. And he is a dear friend. And he has a log of money-Let me pick up a phone and call this guy: Michael Strahan.” When the last mourners departed and funeral director Shawn Troy was left among the headstones, he wept alone. For five decades, the closing words at countless funerals in this town of 4,400 had been delivered by his father, William Penn Troy Sr. Now the elder Troy was gone, one of many Black morticians claimed by a pandemic that has taken an outsized toll on African Americans, after months of burying its victims. And as Shawn Troy stepped forward to speak in place of a man well known beyond his trade — for his work in county politics and advocacy of its Black citizens — the emptiness felt overwhelming. Not just his family, but his community, had lost an anchor. https://youtu.be/0RPVyJ_hVZE Earlier this year, Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders got into it with a reporter after being called “Deion” instead of “Coach.” Sanders was upset at the reporter’s refusal, comparing himself to Nick Saban. “You don’t call Nick Saban, ‘Nick.’ Don’t call me Deion,” Sanders told Nick Suss of the Clarion Ledger. That’s not all Sanders said, as he told reporters that he wants to be treated like all the veteran college football coaches. “If you call Nick [Saban], Nick, you’ll get cussed out on the spot, so don’t do that to me. Treat me like Nick.” Sanders appeared on ESPN’s First Take on Friday. He further addressed why he insists on being called “Coach.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1436425394211725327 Maia Chaka made history on Sunday, becoming the first Black woman to officiate an NFL game. “When I step on the field for the first time as an NFL official, it’s going to be a proud moment,” she said in a video posted online before her first officiated matchup. “It’s a proud moment for myself. It’s a proud moment for my family. It’s a proud moment for my community and my students and coworkers.” Chaka noted that she was proud to be able to represent women of color in one of the most watched sports in the United States. “This historic moment to me is an honor and it’s a privilege that I’ve been chosen to represent women and women of color in the most popular sport in America, proving that I can defy the odds and overcome and pretty much master a craft of a sport that I didn’t really play, but I have a love and a passion for,” Chaka said. The Texans want a lot for quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Texans reportedly could have had a lot for Watson. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports that, before the draft, the Texans could have had three first-round picks and three third-round picks for Watson. The Texans declined. Glazer adds that four teams were interested in Watson, and that most of them have dropped out. Presumably, only the Dolphins remain for now — but they continue to balk at Houston’s demands. GSN-Novak Djokovic said he was going to play this match as if it were the last of his career, that he was going to pour every ounce of his heart and soul into trying to do what few thought could ever be done again. It was not enough. With a startling display of power and creativity, Daniil Medvedev upset Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, in the final of the U.S. Open on Sunday, ending Djokovic’s bid to become the first man in 52 years to win all four Grand Slams in a calendar year. It was one last twist in a tournament that overflowed with stunning performances. For at least another year, Rod Laver will remain the lone member of the most exclusive club in modern men’s tennis, and the 2021 U.S. Open will forever belong primarily to an 18-year-old British woman named Emma Raducanu, who went from being the 150th-ranked player to a Grand Slam champion in the most unlikely tennis tale of them all. Brazilian football legend Pele remains in intensive care but is recovering well after surgery to remove a suspected colon tumor. The three-time World Cup winner, 80, has been receiving treatment at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo since August 31. The suspected tumor was detected during routine tests and Pele underwent surgery on it last Saturday. His medical team said he was ‘conscious, conversing actively and is maintaining normal vital signs.’ Pele posted an archive image of himself on his Instagram account on Friday night with a positive update on his health. Evander Holyfield, five weeks shy of his 59th birthday, was stopped on his feet by former UFC champion Vitor Belfort just 1:49 into the opening round Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Belfort, 44, swarmed Holyfield from the opening bell and never let up in the Triller Fight Club main event, as former President Donald Trump watched from the commentary booth. Holyfield, the former heavyweight champion and one of boxing’s all-time greats, showed no resistance in his first fight since 2011. A flurry of punches sent Holyfield to the canvas, and after he beat the count, Belfort let his hands go until the ref wisely stopped the fight, saving Holyfield from further punishment. A political crisis followed by natural disasters have left the Caribbean nation of Haiti — already one of the poorest countries in the world — without stability and crucial resources. Haitians worldwide, including some 2 million in the United States, worry the situation will worsen for their homeland and its 11 million citizens. Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in his home in the capital Port-au-Prince on July 7, gangs filled the leadership vacuum. As they increased their control of several cities and townships, including the capital, many were afraid to venture out or raise their voices in opposition. Nearly six weeks later, a major 7.2-magnitude earthquake devastated the country, and three days later, Tropical Storm Grace left thousands of Haitians dead, injured or homeless. Another challenge arising from these crises is educating Haiti’s children. Master P while appearing on Allison Kugel’s podcast, simply titled Allison. The interview was meant to be a promotional stop for his upcoming film “#Unknown”, but Pac’s name came up for some reason. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6taNPCIOvKKwSH5waJlooR Films With A Purpose (FWAP), an initiative of Sandra J. Evers-Manly, President and Founder of the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC), is on a mission, a campaign to encourage the public to attend and support the screenings of three formidable, impactful and diverse films by emerging independent filmmakers. FWAP set these Special screenings to allow the opportunity to view the film and meet the filmmakers before public viewings. The first of the three screenings is “PASSAGE.” “PASSAGE” (Short film) David Massey, Writer/Director – This is a story that hasn’t been told before and looks at Africa through a different lens. Set in 1600 West Africa, “PASSAGE” takes you on a journey through the eyes of Gamba, the village leader. It begins one morning as everyone goes about their daily tasks. On one particular day, however, Gamba faces a new challenge that could endanger the existence of the entire village community. Understanding the needs of his people, everyone, especially his family, looks to him for survival. Like most boys growing up, Mitch Marchand said he was a sports fanatic with ‘okay’ street-ball skills, but by age 9 any hoop dreams he might have had were replaced by his love of acting! By the time he worked as an intern on Spike Lee’s ‘Do The Right Thing’ at age 12, Marchand said he was a child actor on his chosen career path. “That was a pivotal moment in my life, and remains a big moment in my life, because it allowed me to see the entire facet of what filmmaking really was,” said the Hollis Queens native. For Marchand that meant he wanted to be known for having the versatility of a Swiss army knife. So, sharpening his skills for behind-the-scenes opportunities, as well as in front of the camera, was a must. https://youtu.be/E1E3knMW72k HBCUs have shaped the growth, development, and culture of America. Some of the most prominent members of the Black community have passed through the halls of an HBCU. To cap off National HBCU Week, the Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ will launch its inaugural multi-platform broadcast. The inaugural Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ will honor; actress/comedienne Kym Whitley- Fisk University, Phil Thornton, President/General Manager, RCA Inspiration – Norfolk State University, Dr. Theresa Price, Founder – Black College Expo, Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter, Co-Owner, Milwaukee Bucks – Lincoln University, David Banner, Hip Hop Artist, Actor, Entrepreneur& Activist – Southern University, plus the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the United Negro College Fund. https://youtu.be/B0hLmCjUAlw During a recent interview Ice Cube gets deep about the time he almost made the mistake of a lifetime after a neighbor swindled his mother out of $20. “Somebody I knew and went to school with — who we knew was heavy on drugs — had went around to my house and gave my mother some cockamamie story, so she gave him $20, and I was so mad,” Cube, 52, explained on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger.” “You violated me and my family,” he went on, “because you knew you wasn’t ever going to give that $20 back. So, me and friends was going around the corner to kill him, and he wasn’t home. Thank God.” https://youtu.be/22Vct7fBs50 According to @tmz_tv, a horrific scene has taken place at #PopSmoke’s final resting place. The media outlet shared images obtained earlier today that show Pop Smoke’s spot on the outer mausoleum destroyed. Vandals allegedly cracked and broke the marble plaque listing his full name #BasharBarakahJackson. The alleged disrespect took place at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. This is reportedly where Pop Smoke was buried following his tragic death in 2020. According to TMZ’s eyewitness, there were burned and discarded items, included flowers, in front of the broken plaque. It’s unclear whether Pop Smoke’s casket remains inside or untouched. However, drag marks were allegedly found on the ground in front of the holding place. Apparently, what seems to be a concrete slab and a black, rectangular object was also found across from the mausoleum. Cesar Milian A/K/A “The Dog Whisperer,” is hearing from the legal system loud and clear because his pit bull allegedly attacked Lidia Matiss, a former “star gymnast” as well as Queen Latifah‘s pooch. As far as the gymnast, the attack left her unable to compete, according to a lawsuit that we’re just becoming aware of. Matiss, also claims the dog mauled Queen Latifah’s pooch to death — and that Millan, 52, tried to cover it up, according to TMZ report. https://youtu.be/O_PDcsh3gzk An apple orchard in suburban Boston is offering a suspected hollow apology for a highly probable case of racial profiling during a holiday outing that a Black family said was meant to end the summer on a positive note. Connors Farm, which is located in Danvers, Massachusetts, said it was sorry and vowed to make at least one of the three concessions that married couple Rev. Manikka Bowman, her husband, Jeff Myers, demanded in a blog post published earlier this week bringing attention to their racist ordeal about 21 miles north of Boston. But according to one report, the concession was probably made begrudgingly, if a deleted Facebook comment was any indication. Twenty years after 9/11 and the surveillance apparatus continues to traumatize Black and other communities of color. I remember in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 thinking about the movie “The Siege.” It was a favorite in our household. What Denzel movie isn’t? Released three years before 9/11, Denzel Washington’s “The Siege” painted a picture of what could happen to Black and other Muslims in the tri-state area if another major attack happened on U.S. soil. While 9/11 did not result in the mass internment of Black and other Muslims in New York City, it did usher in a new age of tactics weaponized against our communities. A 2017 article in the Boston Review described the intersection of being Black and Muslim post-9/11. Following his conviction being overturned earlier this summer, the former Cosby Show star is now hoping to get back to his old life with new projects, including a potential return to television if he has his way. Fox News confirmed that Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, revealed his plans to make a comeback, telling the outlet that he’s at home in Massachusetts “spending time on the phone working on a number of projects.” Despite the announcement, Wyatt says he and the rest of Cosby’s team are staying hush on what’s in store, which reportedly has been in talks since he was still incarcerated at SCI Phoenix in Collegeville, PA. In regards to the TV show idea, Wyatt said, “Things are happening. He’s working on a number of projects right now, a number of ideas for a TV show that has him on the phone with producers, working with guys every day,” also adding, “He’s giving his creative ideas and input.” https://youtu.be/vz44GvrYJ4w The significance of historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country spans far beyond the realm of education. The institutions serve as cornerstones of Black culture and have produced scholars who have been at the forefront of transformative change. President Joe Biden’s administration recently unveiled an initiative centered on celebrating the rich legacies of HBCUs. Earlier this week, the White House kicked off National HBCU Week; an observance that featured a myriad of events hosted to illustrate and amplify the importance of historically Black colleges and universities. During the historic week, President Biden signed a proclamation for HBCU Week to be observed September 5 through September 11. He also inked an executive order to establish the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Opportunity, and Excellence through HBCUs in an effort to eradicate obstacles the schools may face when seeking participation in federal programs. The nation forever changed 20 years ago when 3,000 people were killed in New York City, at the Pentagon and in a field in rural Pennsylvania in terror attacks orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Ever since then, the horror of it all replays like a bad movie on the anniversary and fresh wounds are reopened. Here, NewsOne remembers some of the unsung heroes who stood on the front lines during the attacks on 9/11. YPD Sgt. Rodney Gillis died in the terror attacks on the World Trade Center while he was saving people. The stories of 12 African-American firefighters — Leon W. Smith Jr., Shawn E. Powell, Vernon Cherry, Andre Fletcher, and Ronnie L Henderson; Gerard Jean Baptiste, Keithroy Maynard, William L. Henry Jr., Karl Joseph, and Tarel Coleman. Keith Glascoe and Vernon Richard — who gave their lives at the World Trade Center site to save others on 9/11 have gone largely untold. Craig Kelly, a former firefighter and a grief counselor who worked with the fallen heroes’ families, was compelled to chronicle the aftermath of their deaths and made his research into a documentary, “All Our Sons–Fallen Heroes of 9/11,” which was released in 2004. The tribute memorializes the fateful day’s heroic lives and what they meant to their communities. https://youtu.be/2UcsS-heeQE More than five years after Philando Castile was killed, the local district attorney is taking action on minor traffic stops. On Wednesday afternoon, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced that his office would no longer prosecute non-public safety stops for things like expired tags and broken tail lights. More than five years after Philando Castile was killed, the local district attorney is taking action on minor traffic stops. On Wednesday afternoon, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced that his office would no longer prosecute non-public safety stops for things like expired tags and broken tail lights. Choi’s office described the new policy as a county-wide change “aimed at fundamentally changing the use of non-public safety traffic stops by police, which typically occurs when a motorist is stopped for an equipment violation to seek evidence of a more serious crime.” Acknowledging these stops disproportionally affect black and brown communities, the county attorney and undermine the trust in the work police do every day to serve and protect the public. On the morning of Dec. 21, 2019, a white man from Colorado walked into an Arby’s restaurant in Ontario, Oregon. He spotted a Black man who he’d never so much as laid eyes on before the moment he decided to walk up behind him and stab him twice in the neck with a knife. The white man told the Arby’s worker who took him down, and later the authorities who arrested him, that he attacked his victim, who survived his wounds, for one reason and one reason alone—because he is Black. According to a press release published Thursday by the Department of Justice, 27-year-old Nolan Levi Strauss pleaded guilty in June after a federal grand jury charged him with a hate crime involving an attempt to kill. He was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release. According to Deadline, CBS will be premiering a show with that premise on Friday, Oct. 22. The show is titled The Activist and it’s a five-week series that will be hosted by Usher, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Julianne Hough—who I assume we’re all just supposed to forget had herself a little Blackface incident in 2015. Anyway, Deadline reports The Activist “is a competition series that features six inspiring activists teamed with three high-profile public figures working together to bring meaningful change to one of three vitally important world causes: health, education, and environment.” Americans solemnly marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday, remembering the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil just weeks after the fraught end of the Afghanistan war that followed. With a tolling bell and a moment of silence, the anniversary ceremony at ground zero in New York began exactly two decades after the attack started with the first of four hijacked planes crashing into one of the World Trade Center’s twin towers. “It felt like an evil specter had descended on our world, but it was also a time when many people acted above and beyond the ordinary,” said Mike Low, whose daughter, Sara Low, was a flight attendant on that plane. Her family has “known unbearable sorrow and disbelief” in the years since, the father told a crowd that included President Joe Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. https://youtu.be/RNXLP3WH7KQ LAWYERS for Prince Andrew rape accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre last night told The Sun they have served him with a writ. The bombshell claim came after they got help from a policeman — and a judge appointed by the Queen. Lawyers said they had served him papers for their sex assault lawsuit. T he Duke of York, 61, was served at his Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor last month, according to a document filed yesterday. Jeffrey Epstein sex slave Virginia, now 38, accuses Andrew of abusing her three times when she was under 18. The August 27 summons warns the Duke he has 21 days from a set date to respond or face a default judgment. His lawyers are said to reject the notion that he has been served. Covid shots will not end the pandemic and leaders should prepare to adjust their vaccine strategy to deal with the virus in the long-term, the World Health Organization’s director for Europe has warned. Dr Hans Kluge said new strains of Covid will continue to emerge and the virus will remain with us like the flu. Earlier this year, he said the pandemic would be over once 70 per cent of people were fully immunized. But he admitted today that the situation had now changed, so leaders need to adapt their vaccination strategy. Up to 80 per cent of people in wealthy countries have gotten both shots, but less than 0.1 per cent have received a vaccine in poorer countries. Some experts initially thought that once enough people were vaccinated, the virus would be unable to spread. But while the jabs are highly effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths, they are less effective at stopping transmission, leading officials warn that the world must learn to live with the virus. Seven children in Detroit, aged 10 to 23, have been orphaned after their parents died of COVID-19 on Labor Day weekend. Charletta and Troy Green, both 44, spent their 22nd wedding anniversary in separate ICUs, thousands of miles apart after they caught the virus last month. On September 5, Charletta, who was hooked up to a ventilator in Florida, lost her battle with the disease and died. Just eight hours later, in a hospital in Michigan, Troy died of a heart attack. Neither were vaccinated. Their niece Asha Dumas said the entire family had planned to get vaccinated together but ‘honestly just ran out of time.’ ‘We all got vaccinated shortly after their diagnosis [on August 13],’ she told MailOnline. Jaheim was arrested after ‘more than a dozen dogs were found living in deplorable conditions at his New Jersey home,’ according to People. The 43-year-old R&B singer was ‘charged with third-degree animal cruelty and failure to provide necessary care to an animal,’ according to a news release, posted to Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office‘s Facebook page. His arrest came on on Monday morning after the Hillsborough Township Police Department responded to a call about a ‘puppy in distress.’ Upon canvassing the performer’s property, officers located a total of six dogs in separate animal crates in the driveway of a Chamberlain Drive residence. The disturbing report also noted that a Pitbull terrier mix, who was ‘initially unresponsive in a water filled crate and subsequently had to be euthanized.’ Inside, additional dogs were also found in separate crates ‘partially filled with several inches of water and dog feces.’ Beyoncé and JAY-Z are giving back to artists and creatives of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Tiffany & Co. announced on Thursday that the 40-year-old singer’s foundation BeyGOOD and 51-year-old rapper’s charity the Shawn Carter Foundation collaborated with the jewelry luxury company and pledged $2 million to five small HBCUs. The initiation, as part of their “ABOUT LOVE” campaign, will award the funds to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania; Norfolk State University in Virginia; Bennett College in North Carolina; the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in Arkansas; and Central State University in Ohio. Incoming and active students must qualify for financial aid at their HBCU for eligibility — with priority to those most in need. They also must be pursuing degrees in creative fields such as visual arts, media, performance, and design or degrees in history and communications. The awards will vary per student based on the amount of financial assistance they require. Applications will be available on the websites for the five HBCUs beginning on Friday, Sept. 10 and will close on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 11:59 pm EST. R. Kelly sexually assaulted a woman at his Chicago studio nearly two decades ago, where he locked her up without food and water, the woman testified at the R&B singer’s sex abuse trial on Thursday. The woman, who identified herself as Sonia, told jurors in Brooklyn federal court she was kept at least two days in a locked room at Kelly’s Chocolate Factory studio in 2003. Sonia said that after finally being allowed to eat she became “extremely full” after a few bites and “felt something coming over” before falling asleep. She said Kelly was adjusting his pants when she woke up, and recalled feeling “wet stuff” between her legs and on her thighs. “Made me feel like something happened to me,” Sonia said under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez. “I know my body … I was touched sexually.” On cross-examination, Kelly’s lawyer Deveraux Cannick questioned why Sonia did not immediately call police or see a doctor, waiting instead until the 2019 Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” described Kelly’s other alleged abuses. Sonia later told Melendez she did not think anyone would believe her, and that she had been scared of Kelly. English comedian and actor Russell Brand is calling out the news media for its coverage of iconoclastic podcast host Joe Rogan, even claiming reporters “seemed to initially take delight that he had coronavirus” and “wanted him to suffer as a result of it.” In the immediate aftermath of his infection with COVID-19, Rogan announced he had started taking a whole host of antibiotics and therapeutic drugs, including the anti-malaria medication ivermectin. The drug has for years been used to treat parasitic infections in human beings. “What interests me about this story is the politicization of information,” Brand said. “Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by that as it’s something we witnessed in every single news story for a little while now. Seems there’s very little objectivity, little ability to come together in union. Everything is used as an opportunity to score points.” The 46-year-old celebrity went on to condemn the media for its coverage of the pandemic, stating that — rather than offering such biased commentary — reporters should focus solely on the facts. In a span of three days, from August 23rd to 26th, Lee went from staunchly defending his decision to include so-called “9/11 conspiracy theorists” in his eight-hour HBO docuseries, NYC Epicenters 9/11 ? 2021½, to removing the entire 30 minutes he had devoted to questioning how the Twin Towers and Building 7 fell. The half-hour was part of the final two-hour episode set to air on the night of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Unbeknownst to most people — because only members of the media got to view the episode and declare it unfit for the public to see — the 30 minutes of excised material included far more than just interviews with so-called “fringe architects.” (Actually, there were upwards of 10 architects and engineers, ranging from a San Francisco high-rise architect to a fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.) There were also interviews with 9/11 family members who believe they have not been told the truth about the murder of their loved ones and with first responders and survivors who witnessed explosions. Along with all those interviews was a wealth of archival footage and radio dispatches from that morning, in which rescuer after rescuer can be heard reporting explosions. (Full disclosure: I was also interviewed for the film.) https://youtu.be/9oVs_94VHk8 20 years ago, Yusef Salaam was released from prison after a judge vacated his conviction, as well as those of his alleged accomplices, in the rape of a white jogger in Central Park The so-called Central Park 5 would later be called the Exonerated 5 by director Ava DuVernay during the run up to her Netflix miniseries When They See Us, which dramatized these events. Some of us still remember how Donald J. Trump pulled out a fool-page ad in the New York Times calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in the highly racialized case. Kharey Wise, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Yusef Salaam had their convictions overturned in 2002 when prison inmate Matias Reyes confessed to the crime and DNA evidence backed him up. According to the New York Daily News, Salaam is running to fill the vacated seat of Harlem state Senator Brian Benjamin, who was nominated to be the next lieutenant governor of New York. Sources close to the matter say the 47-year-old will focus his efforts on criminal justice and prison reform as well as police brutality and the abolition of juvenile solitary confinement. The 30th District seat he looking to fill would represent Harlem, East Harlem and the Upper West Side. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Hershel Walker‘s name has come up dealing with domestic violence. According to AJC, a July 2012 police reports filed by a woman named Myka Dean, now deceased, states that Walker threatened to shoot her in the head then kill himself if she tried to end their relationship. Walker’s spokesperson stated he “emphatically denies these false claims.” In the report, Dean is described by law enforcement as “very reserved” as she spoke. It also reportedly said she was worried how her statement would affect the career of Herschel Walker, who she described as the love of her life. Ms. Dean died in 2019 and her remaining family has been supportive of Walker. They claim they had no clue about these allegations, which is very likely considering many victims of domestic violence go through great lengths to keep it a secret. Especially from family members. On Friday, September 10, “Tamron Hall” closes out its season three premiere week with an inspiring hour dedicated to finding the good in us all. While the country continues to face challenges as a result of the global pandemic and recent natural disasters, Tamron asks viewers to lift each other up with the launch of the Tam Fam Kindness Challenge. Three viewers who were selected to receive $500 empowering them to pay it forward include: Heather Angus, a New York-based nurse, hopes to surprise the man who rescued her lost dog with a trunk-load of gifts. Business owner Marsha and her son Joshua plan to spread kindness to their deserving friends, mother-daughter duo Marjorie and Maisha, by surprising Maisha with a back-to-school shopping spree. Amaurys Grullon, owner of Bronx Native, a shop that sells Bronx-themed apparel, chose to use the money to help support Stephen Ritz, a South Bronx educator and founder of the nonprofit Green Bronx Machine, which helps feed and educate students in need through healthy eating. It seems like the Curry family remains together amid rumors suggesting there might be a gap between them. A couple of weeks ago, it was revealed that Dell and Sonya Curry were getting divorced after 33 years of marriage. This news came as a total surprise for the NBA world since they were always seen cheering for their sons in the arenas, looking like a happy couple. After the news surfaced and fans found out Dell had accused Sonya of cheating on him, the situation got worse. Reports suggested that Stephen Curry was siding with his mother on the issue, and the relationship with his father wasn’t good. Well, it seems like that’s part of the past now or never even happened. The Golden State Warriors superstar recently shared a series of pics of the time he attended the American Century Championship golf tournament with his father Dell and brother Seth. They played the tournament in July, with a bunch of celebrities playing for the title. In the end, former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Vinny del Negro won it, beating many celebrities on his way to the championship. Steph wanted to remember this tournament with some pictures on social media. It’s unclear if this directly responded to the rumors suggesting he wasn’t on speaking terms with his father. Dallas Cowboys starting right tackle La’el Collins has been suspended five games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, the league announced on Friday. Collins’ exact infraction is not clear, however, multiple sources said he did not fail any tests. Nowhere in the policy is five games listed as a potential penalty either. Lawyers for Collins continue to appeal on his behalf, arguing that his violation of the policy allows for a fine but not a suspension, a source told ESPN’s Ed Werder. Collins will be eligible to return to the roster on Oct. 18, the day after the Cowboys play the New England Patriots. Collins has started 62 of the 63 games he has played for the Cowboys since 2015 at left guard or right tackle. He missed 13 games in 2016 because of a toe injury and all of last season because of hip surgery. His appearance in Thursday’s opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was in question the week prior to kickoff because of a stinger issue that knocked him out of two practices. Without Collins, the Cowboys could seek a replacement in a variety of ways. There aren’t really moral victories in the NFL, it’s very much a win or lose league. Still, for Dallas Cowboys fans, Thursday night’s game proved that this bunch can play with anybody. They took the defending champs down to the wire, in Tampa’s house, and came within a missed offensive pass interference penalty from beating them. So even with the loss, there was a lot to like about the game the Cowboys played, Well, at least much of the game. There was the disaster that was the special teams that probably accounted for the loss more than anything. And the defense still has some work to do, especially in their pass rush and at one of the corner positions. But there was also a lot to work with coming out of the game. One thing that stands out is the play of Dak Prescott. For his performance after a comeback from the ankle injury and the strained lat that caused him to miss the preseason, he gets the game ball. Prescott was 42 for 58 and 403 yards with three touchdowns and one interception that was more CeeDee Lamb’s fault than his. It was an impressive performance and he laid to rest any issues about his ankle or not being 100% for the season. He is going to be just fine. One more bite out of the Big Apple and, incredibly, Emma Raducanu is going to be the US Open champion. The 18-year-old from Kent is the first ever qualifier into a Grand Slam final after another performance of extraordinary poise saw her defeat seventeenth seed Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4 in just 84 minutes. Now for the last part of this scarcely believable story. Raducanu will be one half of the first all-teenage championship match at a Major in 22 years when she meets world No 73 Leylah Fernandez, the 19-year-old Canadian. Already the player who began Wimbledon ranked No 338 has earned a minimum £900,000 from the nine matches won here, and now comes the chance to bank a place in sporting history. Staggeringly, she has yet to drop a set. She is the first British woman to reach the US Open final since Virginia Wade in 1968, and the youngest Slam finalist since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004. Donald Trump will host and commentate on a September 11 boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort in Hollywood, Florida alongside his son Donald Trump Jr. The new venture was announced on Tuesday for the former president with the event being called 'The Most Anticipated Heavyweight Fight of The Year.' The fight was originally supposed to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles featuring Oscar De La Hoya and Belfort. Holyfield stepped in after De La Hoya was infected with COVID and the event was then moved to Hollywood, Florida. Brehanna Daniels says she thinks about how much her life has changed in just five years. During college, the Norfolk State women’s basketball point guard said she never once thought about NASCAR as a sport, let alone a career. But here she is, at 27 years old, on the NASCAR pit road, changing tires on race cars and breaking barriers for women and people of color along the way. “Girl, you are crazy…” she told ABC News about what the person she was at 17 would think about her now, a NASCAR pit crew member. “Especially, you know, a little black girl like myself at that time. [I] definitely was like, I’m never getting into NASCAR. It wasn’t even a thought in my mind,” she said. That was until recruiters from NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program showed up on her college campus in 2016 and introduced her to the sport. Her skills on the court were an easy fit for the fast-paced needs in a NASCAR pit crew. “Brehanna was one of those who embraced it, came through the program, excelled,” said Max Siegel, the manager of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. Soulja Boy and Rich The Kid recently released a music video to their #1 viral hit “Rick and Morty.” Dale “Rage” Resteghini directed the music video, edited by @CeoQDisney (Qaterryus Williams), produced by J’Tasha St.Cyr (Miss Everything ENT), and co-produced by Christina Cooper. https://youtu.be/Yq0OSpmz8vY Recently the 50-year-old singer took to IG to show these manufactured so-called models “what it do” regarding maintaining a level of confidence, grace, and beauty with time. In the caption to both photos, Mary J. quoted Jay-Z lyrics: “Whole world’s in awe I crash through glass ceilings, I break through closed doors” and “If it wasn’t for these pictures they wouldn’t see me at all.” The lines are pulled from Magna Carta Holy Grail’s “Oceans” featuring Frank Ocean. https://www.instagram.com/therealmaryjblige/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e2b12f09-4b5d-4001-a9d7-1fd10e38aef2 NFL players Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson are caught up in wild cheating rumors on social media. Apparently, a friend of Sherman’s wife Ashley Moss called out IG model Reina Westburg for being Sherman’s side chick and getting pregnant by him. She also claims Reina’s best friend is claiming to be pregnant by Ciara’s hubby, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. The alleged tale is a dizzying hot mess of confusion. “Hey @reinawestberg you care to tell us what married man you were sleeping with to get pregnant? You’re posting all those religious leader quotes. This is unforgivable..God don’t like ugly,” she continued. “Remember what happened to the harlots mentioned in the Bible @reinawestberg. You’re out here ruining homes. And that baby won’t get the love it deserves because you don’t know how to love or respect anything. U think you’re gonna get a bag from this?! You’re not getting sh*t but neglect…You can take my words to the bank you troglodyte @reinawestberg.” Rihanna has dropped a legal case against her father, weeks before they were due to face off in court. Rihanna took legal action against her father after he allegedly used her Fenty brand to line his own pockets. According to The Blast, the singer filed a lawsuit in 2019 against Ronald Fenty and a company called Fenty Entertainment. She claims her father and his business partner, Moses Perkins, created an entertainment company to exploit her name to try and get rich. Rihanna trademarked “Fenty,” which she uses in a number of business ventures, including her Fenty Beauty line. The Bajan beauty made clear that she has nothing to do with Fenty Entertainment, and that “Although Mr. Fenty is Rihanna’s father, he does not have, and never has had, authority to act on Rihanna’s behalf.” She also alleged that her father and Perkins acted as her agents and made tour bookings without her consent. Per the report, their erroneous bookings included a $15 million tour in Latin America and two concerts at Staples Center in Los Angeles and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for $400,000. Michelle Williams belted the National Anthem before the NFL’s first game of the 2021-21 season Thursday night, and the reviews were mixed. Accompanied by Cory Henry on organ, the Destiny’s Child alum took command of the Star Spangled Banner at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, giving the tune a jazzy spin and soaring vocals. For the most part, folks on social media were supportive. https://youtu.be/YjJ7nOr4JPU Netflix has dropped the trailer for Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming film, “The Guilty” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. https://twitter.com/i/status/1435241445888303111 Mexican rapper Dan Sur is making headlines after claiming he’s the “first rapper … in human history” to have gold chains as “hair” hanging from hooks after getting it surgically implanted into his scalp. He said in one of the TikTok videos to 1.9 million followers on the streaming platform: “The truth is that I wanted to do something different because I see that everyone dyes their hair. I hope not everyone copies me now.” “I have it as a hook that is implanted in my head and that hook has hooks and they are all hooked in my skull, under my skin,” Sur said in another viral clip. “This is my hair. Golden hair. The first rapper to have gold hair implanted in human history,” NY Post quotes. #Socialites, are y’all feeling this?????? A law in Florida that was disingenuously presented as being “anti-riot” when it is, in fact, anti-peaceful protester, has been deemed unconstitutional, a federal judge decided on Thursday. The ruling dealt a blow to Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ apparent anti-Black agenda upon which the law passed months ago and decried as “racist” was based. “If this court does not enjoin the statute’s enforcement, the lawless actions of a few rogue individuals could effectively criminalize the protected speech of hundreds, if not thousands, of law-abiding Floridians,” U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote in his 90-page decision, the Associated Press reported. Scammers stole the identity of victims who died in the Champlain Towers South condo collapse. They then used the names of the victims to purchase items from high-end retailers like Medusa, Versace and Louboutin, as well as other goods from Target. According to the Miami Herald, Betsy Alexandra Cacho Medina, 30, Rodney Choute, 38, and Kimberly Michelle Johnson, 34, were all arrested Wednesday and charged with multiple counts of identity fraud, organized scheme to defraud, as well as a host of other felonies. The three alleged identity thieves stole at least $45,000 from Surfside victims. They tried to make off with another $67,000 but were caught by law enforcement. Officials say the trio popped on their radar after a relative of one of the victims began to see fraudulent charges to the bank account of her sister, who died when the condo collapsed in late June. A woman who was filmed not wearing a mask and coughing on customers at a grocery store is now out of a job. The woman who recorded and posted the video to Reddit said she and her child were grocery shopping in Lincoln, Nebraska (where there is a mask mandate) when this maskless lady approached them asking why they were wearing masks. She posted that the lady then called them “sheep” and started coughing at them. “Two years ago, before everyone started talking about COVID, you were okay going out not knowing if people were sick right?” said the woman. The video was then shared on TikTok and Twitter where it racked up millions of views. Eventually, someone identified the “Coughing Karen” (aka “Anti-Mask Karen”) as Janene Hoskovec from Scottsdale. https://youtu.be/NVidRGGlKkg World Suicide Prevention Day is a hard day to commemorate, especially if you have personally lost someone from suicide. Last year during the pandemic, medical officials worried that COVID-19 would have a serious impact on people’s mental health. With months of isolation, millions of deaths and economic hardship resulting in a heartbreaking number of job losses, experts warned of suicide rates skyrocketing. A recent study conducted by psychiatrist Paul Nestadt proved just that. The company analyzed a group of Maryland residents during the first six months of 2020. Interestingly, at the height of the lockdown during the Spring of 2020, researchers found an “overall decrease in suicides rates compared to the previous three years,” the study notes. However, investigators uncovered some alarming data. While suicides among White Marylanders decreased by 45 percent between early March and May, rates of suicide-related deaths among Black people in the state spiked by 94 percent during the same time period. Black hair has faced scrutiny and discrimination for decades. “This topic has been an issue for over four hundred years, ever since there was colonization,” said Dr. Tameka Ellington, associate professor of fashion design at Kent State University and the co-creator of a new exhibition, “Textures: The History and Art of Black Hair.” https://youtu.be/-rPsqgGu3fo The Nation of Islam believes that COVID-19 vaccines are part of a “death plan” to rid the world of Black people. The group has warned melanated people that the vaccine isn’t safe—and suggests Ivermectin as an alternative treatment for the potentially deadly virus. “The death plan is in motion,” Nation leader Louis Farrakhan said in an online Dec. 12 speech to the National Afrikan/Black Leadership Summit. “Do you believe Satan is concerned with vaccinating you?” Farrakhan asked in his speech. “After all that he has done to destroy us, you trust him! And your trust is sickening because you love your enemy and you hate yourself… How could you allow him to stick a needle into you, saying he’s helping you?”https://youtu.be/IzlQ1S32i1w There’s an old saying that goes: “If conservatives are recommending a medical treatment, it’s probably horrendously bad for you.” OK, that isn’t really a saying, but maybe it should be, because ever since right-wingers like superspreader Alex Jones, Rand Paul and anti-vaxxers across the nation started pushing or at least defending an anti-parasite drug called Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19, despite the FDA explicitly warning against its use to treat the virus, stories have been popping up that show just how insidious the pro-Ivermectin campaign really is. First of all, several inmates at the Washington County jail in Arkansas recently told CBS News they were administered the experimental and unproven COVID-19 treatment without their consent. The drug was reportedly prescribed to inmates by Dr. Rob Karas, who is now under investigation for it. “They said they were vitamins, steroids, and antibiotics,” Edrick Floreal-Wooten, a Black inmate at the jail, told CBS. “We were running fevers, throwing up, diarrhea…and so we figured that they were here to help us. We never knew that they were running experiments on us, giving us ivermectin. We never knew that.” “It was not consensual,” he continued. “They used us as an experiment like we’re livestock. Just because we wear stripes and we make a few mistakes in life, doesn’t make us less of a human. We got families, we got loved ones out there that love us.” Black residents in South Carolina could be in trouble of losing their homes as the state plans to widen a freeway interchange to help alleviate highway congestion in the area. The $3 billion proposed plan would destroy 33 single-family homes, four apartment buildings with at least 35 units, 11 mobile homes, eight duplexes, two community centers, and at least one church. 94% of the residents in this area of North Charleston are black and brown people and many residents are worried about losing their homes. The proposed highway expansion would widen both interchange I-26 and I-526, which sit between Liberty Park and Highland Terrace. Both interchanges are highly congested and city officials say the project must be done. As the surrounding counties continue to grow the highways can not handle the sheer amount of daily traffic. The population in these surrounding counties has doubled since the 1960’s. Many residents of color say they haven’t been properly informed of their options and have no plan if they are kicked out of their homes. CLEO TV will debut CULTURE KITCHEN, a fun, upbeat lifestyle show hosted by popular Chef Bren Herrera on Saturday, September 11 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. With an infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, D.C.-native Bren Herrera delights with her bright, flavorful recipes, and stories from her travels abroad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4WnXcu-Rr8 Florida Rapper Burga released his 2nd installment of “Permanent Scars” the Deluxe Edition today. The 1st edition featured fellow southern cohorts such as Boosie Badazz, Yung Bleu, Derez De’shon, Koly P, Lil Baby’s artist Rylo. The new deluxe edition includes the street approved snapping hit single “Brand New Drip” featuring MoneyBagg Yo. Since its release during the pandemic “Brand New Drip” it has steadily become a fan favorite reaching 1 million views in 1 month. Fast forward 3 million views later, more music fans are noticing the Florida star and his body of work on YouTube page Burga321TV. Now in 2021 the track has taken on a life of its own growing to over 4.1 Million views on YouTube. https://cinqreleas.es/_permanentscars https://www.youtube.com/user/burga321tv Molding young minds is Danyel Nicole Black‘s passion. Furthering education for women in need is her stated purpose. A second-grade teacher at Honey Island Elementary School in Slidell, Louisiana, Black understands the importance of instilling value in her students that can last a lifetime. She also knows that second-graders aren’t the only ones in need of her services. Teenage and adult women are the focus of her Crown Me Foundation, centered on empowering broken women, or women having a hard time finding themselves. The foundation has grown exponentially in a short time, and Black hopes it will develop into a full-service mental and physical help center for women everywhere. If you are a fan of “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” you will be an even bigger fan of “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” that’s now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes every Wednesdays. In an exclusive interview with cast members, they were overwhelmed with excitement to be a part of such an inclusive and extraordinary show. Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman relishes the role of Dr. Charles Zeller. https://youtu.be/GlYxLChVy_0 TONIGHT go behind the scenes for the Gospel Mix Tour 2021 Kickoff. You get access to all of the action and behind the scenes footage along with performances from your favorite artists including JeKalyn Carr, Pastor Mike, Jr., Earnest Pugh, Monica Lisa Stevenson and more. https://www.facebook.com/Gospel-Mix-Radio-102607534464137/?ref=page_internal James Mable, Jr. inaugural single from said album, IT SHALL PASS, is a mid-tempo contemporary quartet juggernaut, and it showcases James’ innate ability to take a song where not many people can and he does it with the charisma and confidence of his mentors, the late Rev. James Moore and the legendary Marvin Winans. IT SHALL PASS is making great waves to be a TOP charting single by year's end and is currently TOP 5! https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8584414?date=20210908&user_id=668306&signature=X9Y61GDDwUKlizfJ_w2Z9bPCrJU%3AgJEw7lx1 This (past Labor Day), the world lost an iconic actor and true legend, Michael K. Williams. It hasn’t even been a week since his passing, so it goes without saying that people are still trying to digest the loss. Many celebrities and fellow actors have taken to social media to share personal stories and show respect to Michael’s legacy, and one person who was asked about the legend’s death was investor and artist Akon. TMZ caught up with Akon to ask about his passing and Akon was respectful, speaking highly of him, but it’s what else he said that left people upset.?According to Akon, rich people actually “struggle more” than poor people. It’s the age-old saying of “more money, more problems,” but even more out of touch. Not only that, we are in the middle of a pandemic, where some members of the middle and the lower class have lost everything. The comment also comes the same week millions are losing unemployment benefits. ? President Biden announced his plan to fight COVID-19 that will include vaccine and mask requirements, a White House official told media outlets. According to Fox News, Biden will sign a new executive order requiring all federal workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with no option of being regularly tested to opt-out of the requirement. Federal employees will have about 75 days to get fully vaccinated from the time the executive order is signed, Psaki said. The vaccine requirement will include exemptions for individuals with disabilities and on religious grounds. This week’s episode of the popular Starz series “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” airing September 12. In this episode, Kanan struggles with a harsh truth after word gets back to Raq that he’s behind the bad crack on the streets. Jukebox learns the troubling facts behind Nicole’s death. Lou finds himself caught in the crossfire between Raq and Unique. https://youtu.be/pIX-15KQVao Leslie Odom Jr. is set to star as Harold McBrayer in the upcoming prequel to “The Sopranos” titled “The Many Saints of Newark,” and he says the film shows the truth about racism. n an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Leslie said: “We’ve had years of watching Mob stories malign us in that way. So I’ve learned to look past that, if it’s [about] the truth of the meaning. The thing about art is to show how people are acting in private, to show private moments publicly. While they may be hurtful or lacerating or surprising, that’s the point of it. Anytime Scorsese does it, or David did it, I knew I was in the hands of someone thoughtful, someone who was showing me a truth. It was my choice if I would continue to look at this truth. I knew I could trust the creative; I’ve seen that throughout.” The “Hamilton” star, 40, said his audition for the role was so super-secret that he didn’t know what he was trying out for. https://twitter.com/i/status/1434139683835944964 Our Kind of People” is our kind of TV! Fox’s upcoming drama takes place on Martha’s Vineyard, where the wealthy and powerful Black elite go to play. Yesterday, during the Fox fall Television Critics Association virtual presentation, series executive producer Lee Daniels proclaimed “Our Kind of People” is a different type of rich Black person. https://youtu.be/OWaXgnW2pog Video of a boy’s reaction to being startled by a doorcam voice as he was examining delivered packages at a neighbor’s door has gone viral. The footage begins with the youngin’ walking up the driveway to the front step then bending over to inspect the boxes delivered to the home. Before he could even make physical contact with the cardboard, an electronic whistle sounded, stopping the kid in his tracks. “Camera recording,” warned the mechanical female voice. The boy straightened up, took a moment to grasp what was happening, looked into the camera and said, “I was joking!” http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh5h41j8g7humMf0m0 TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with film and television star Tommy Davidson on Sunday, September 12 at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words including super producer Swizz Beatz, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield, comedian-actress Kym Whitley, singer and actress Raven-Symoné and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odPDtY4W6nE In honor of Gospel Music Heritage Month, which takes place annually in September, McDonald's is serving inspiration with a side of friendly banter for music fans of all ages. Starting Sept. 19 through Oct. 10, the 15th annual McDonald's Inspiration Celebration® Gospel Tour, a long-standing event that fosters community through the deeply rooted tradition of gospel music, will take place virtually every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on BET Network's YouTube channel and BET.com. Brought to fans by McDonald's Black & Positively Golden movement, award-winning gospel artists hailing from the Gulf Coast, West Coast, Carolinas and DMV regions will showcase their talents to spark debate on which U.S. region produces the greatest gospel hitmakers and hits. Multi-award-winning musician and syndicated radio personality Lonnie Hunter will host the four-part "Gospel City Playlist" series, featuring legendary gospel artists like Tasha Cobbs-Leonard and Israel Houghton, and rising gospel artists like Mali Music and Pastor Mike Jr., among many others. Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling will celebrate 25 years of music and ministry in exuberant fashion befitting the ensemble’s incredible legacy. The anniversary celebration kicks off with a formal gala at Downtown Atlanta’s Southern Exchange Whitehall Ballroom, and continues with a high energy Kevin Lemons and Higher Calling concert at the Stronghold Christian Church on September 11. International Recording Artist Maurice Griffin confirms a new partnership with Anexus Media Enterprises, Inc./441FILMWORKS to produce new music video to his chart-topping single, “Prove Me.” Maurice Griffin’s career took off when he debuted on the second season of Sunday Best. Since that incredible experience Maurice has experienced many highs and some lows. He’s created his own label, World Changing Entertainment and has developed an international platform with his exuberant personality and his melodic voice. Not only is Maurice a singer, songwriter, and producer, but a minister of music, author, and CEO of his own label “World-Changing Entertainment.” Griffin’s humble beginnings started from co-writing and lead singing with Stellar Award Winning, Dove and Grammy nominated group New Direction (Chicago, IL.) A Black city firefighter charges in a federal lawsuit that he was suspended for opposing his boss’ call to turn fire hoses on George Floyd protesters last year — a brutal tactic used on civil rights protesters in the deep South decades earlier. The 13-page Brooklyn Federal Court filing details the alleged retaliation against FDNY veteran Omar Wilks after the May 2020 confrontation with his boss and the firefighter’s continued outspokenness over racism in the department. “These defendants sought to muzzle plaintiff and inhibit his speech,” the court papers charged. “They also retaliated against him for his speech … (and) worked collectively to manufacture false claims against the plaintiff.” The lawsuit, filed against the city, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro and five other department officials, seeks damages for violations of Wilks’ right to free speech and retaliation for his comments. The Emerald Isle has crowned its first Black Miss Ireland. Pamela Uba made history Sunday night by becoming the pageant’s first Black winner since the contest began in 1947. The 26-year-old former asylum seeker came to Ireland from South Africa when she was 7, according to the Irish Times. Uba, the eldest of six siblings, is a part-time model and a medical scientist who has served as a frontline worker during the pandemic. “I cried when I got my Irish passport,” she told the Times on Tuesday. It was Uba’s mother who got weepy Sunday, said the soccer fan and once “nerdy” student. “My mum, she was in absolute tears,” Uba said. More honors for the brainy beauty queen appear to be on the way. Having achieved a medical-science degree in Galway, she is reportedly completing a master’s degree in clinical chemistry from Trinity College Dublin. It is at Galway University Hospital where she has tended to COVID-19 patients. Uba is headed to Puerto Rico in December to represent Ireland at the 70th Miss World competition. A towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was removed in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday, adding to a growing list of Confederate symbols that have been taken down across the country since George Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide reckoning with police brutality and racism. The removal of Lee — the last Confederate statue to be pulled from Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue — makes Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe the lone monument still standing on the street. Ashe was born in Richmond and shattered records in the sport and championed civil rights. A statue honoring him was added to the street in 1996. Activists, some of whom gathered Wednesday to watch the Lee statue come down, praised the move, saying it was a step toward progress in the movement for racial equality. Nikkita Brown, the Black woman whose altercation with a Chicago police officer while walking her dog on North Avenue Beach, is speaking exclusively with ABC News about her ordeal. “I thought I was going to die,” she said. “I thought he was going to kill me. I had it in my mind that I was going to be shot.” COPA is investigating the August 28 incident. It began when the officer ordered her to leave the beach, which was closed. “I know that as soon as he got out the car, I’m thinking to myself, how can I kind of deter the situation? How can I deescalate the situation?” she recalled. The cell phone video caught some of what the two said to each other. There is a beep as the officer, who is not wearing a mask, turns on his body camera. “Now understand this,” he begins. “Please don’t,” Brown interrupts. “Please respect my space. It’s COVID. Six feet.” On August 7, 48-year-old Alvin Motley joined the list of unarmed Black people gunned down by white people over a dispute that began over loud music. Motley was fatally shot at a Kroger gas station in Memphis, Tennessee. His alleged killer, Kroger security guard Gregory Livingston, has been charged with second-degree murder and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 28. Surveillance video of the shooting—which Livingston has admitted to carrying out—reportedly shows Livingston pulling his gun and shooting Motley while the victim was armed with nothing but a cigarette and a can of beer. On Tuesday, a judge ruled that video will not be made available to the public or to Motley’s family until after the preliminary hearing. Why would a judge rule that even Motley’s mourning family members can’t have access to the video? Apparently, because the truth might result in bias. According to Memphis Commercial Appeal, General Sessions Judge Louis Montesi ruled that releasing the video prior to the September court date might interfere with the defendant’s right to a fair and impartial preliminary hearing and it could damage public trust. If deaths truly come in threes, then a district attorney in Georgia who “justified” the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery as the case’s lead prosecutor could soon join two other DAs in the state who were recently criminally indicted, effectively killing all of their legal careers. George Barnhill, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney, took over the case last year after then-Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson recused herself because Gregory McMichael, one of Arbery’s accused murderers, was an investigator in her office until he retired in 2019. In an indication of just how strong the drugs were that likely killed comedian Fuquan Johnson and two other people last week, the one person who survived the overdoses is having problems staying consistently “lucid” following hospitalization, her mother said. Comedian Kate Quigley, who suffered an overdose while using the same batch of fentanyl-laced cocaine that officials suspect led to the overdose deaths of Johnson and the two other people at a party in Los Angeles on Friday, is “stable” but “still isn’t lucid for more than a moment at a time,” her mother, Fran Wyles, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. A half-century after one of the worst prison riots in American history, mistrust of the system lingers — especially by Black and brown people — in part because of the lies that the federal government told about the circumstances leading to what later become known as the Attica Prison Uprising. The rebellion began 50 years ago on Sept. 9, 1971, when prisoners took over the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York after years of complaints about the conditions in the prison went unacknowledged. Aside from the inhumane conditions, prisoners alleged that they were subjected to treatment based on race and religion. Fed up with overcrowded prison cells with temperatures that soared during warmer months and froze during wintertime, among other gripes about a basic lack of humane treatment, the disproportionately Black and Hispanic prison population rebelled to take control of the correctional facility for four days. The prisoners took dozens of hostages while they negotiated with officials about their demands. But on Day 4, law enforcement launched a raid of the prison and killed 10 hostages and 29 inmates when they opened fire at will. Dozens of others were injured. Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is determined to increase the recognition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities — HBCUs — through his role as head coach of Jackson State’s football team.After the Tigers’ first game of the season — a 7-6 victory over Florida A&M in Sunday’s Orange Blossom Classic — the NFL legend identified one way to do so within his team’s own Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC): adding players’ names to the backs of their jerseys. “That’s the kind of stuff we take for granted,” Sanders said, per The Mississippi Clarion Ledger. “I don’t. I’m very detailed. That guy worked his butt off, did what he had to do, changed his whole composite of his thought process. We could at least put his darn name on the back of his jersey.” It’s a small change that could have a massive impact for the athletes, who are eligible to cash in on name, image, and likeness as of this season. Increasing individual players’ recognizability on the field by adding their name to their uniform is a fairly straightforward way to increase their marketability. A crowd erupted in cheers and song Wednesday as workers hoisted one of the nation’s largest Confederate monuments off a pedestal where the figure of Gen. Robert E. Lee towered over Virginia’s capital city for more than a century. The statue was lowered to the ground just before 9 a.m., after a construction worker who strapped harnesses around Lee and his horse lifted his arms in the air and counted, “Three, two, one!” to jubilant shouts from hundreds of people. A work crew then began cutting it into pieces. “Any remnant like this that glorifies the lost cause of the Civil War, it needs to come down,” said Gov. Ralph Northam, who called it “hopefully a new day, a new era in Virginia.” The Democrat said the statue represented “more than 400 years of history that we should not be proud of.” Sharon Jennings, an African American woman born and raised in Richmond, said she had mixed feelings seeing it go. “It’s a good day, and it’s a sad day at the same time,” said Jennings, 58. “It doesn’t matter what color you are, if you really like history, and you understand what this street has been your whole life and you’ve grown up this way, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, my God.’ But when you get older, you understand that it does need to come down.” Daily coronavirus cases are four times higher than they were following Labor Day weekend of last year with the number of daily deaths twice as high as they were this time in 2020, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Since the global health crisis emerged in late 2019, the United States has recorded more than 40 million COVID-19 cases, including just 4 million in the last month alone. Health officials noted the biggest difference between this year and last is the delta variant. They blamed the 316% increase over last year’s daily infections on the highly contagious COVID-19 mutation as well as a large number of Americans refusing to become vaccinated against the fast-spreading disease. According to data from Health and Human Services, hospitalization rates are also up 157% compared with Labor Day weekend 2020, leaving medical facilities packed to the brim and their staffs exhausted and overwhelmed. What’s more, intensive care units across several states are inching closer to full capacity, which could force doctors to make life-and-death decisions. Thirteen unvaccinated school workers in one Florida district, including teachers, have died of COVID since the school year started on August 23. According to the Miami-Dade school district’s teachers union, the employees who recently died from virus complications include teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and security monitors. One veteran Florida teacher and her school cafeteria manager daughter both succumbed to COVID-19 at the same hospital just days apart. Teacher Lillian Smith, 67, had taught first grade at Dr. William A. Chapman Elementary School in Naranja, for 30 years. Her daughter Lakisha Williams, 43, a school cafeteria manager, had worked for 17 years at Miami-Dade Public School and had just recently been promoted to a school cafeteria manager. The tragic pair, who were not vaccinated against the virus, were admitted to at Jackson South Medical Center in early August. However, they sadly never got to see their students again on the first day of school as they both died just days apart from complications with COVID-19. “I feel being online…prepared me… my mother works from home and seeing her tackle technical issues…seeing my teacher solving issues…helped us,” said filmmaking prodigy Anthony Michael Hobbs, founder of the “Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Fest,” celebrating its 5th year in 2021, about his recent event held via Zoom because of the pandemic. “Zoom is a lot easier to set up. You don’t have to worry about location…finding a place. It’s professional. Doing it from home, you don’t have to travel, it’s worldwide!” es it is. This is the 2nd year that ILICFF has been held online via Zoom because of the pandemic restrictions, and as a result the film fest’s attendees have been from all over the world. In the year 2019 ILICFF was held at the Eubie Blake Center in Baltimore were attendees were local, however the 2018 ILICFF, held at the Shake & Bake Family Fun Center in Baltimore, had a young filmmaker from New York attend. The 2020 and 2021 ILICFF via Zoom attracted attendees from India, Japan, Australia, Korea and of course the United States. It is National Suicide Prevention Week (September 5th-11th) and two-time Grammy Award-winning artist and New York Times best-selling author, LECRAE, shares that he too has suffered from crippling depression. In this riveting video posted on his YouTube channel, Lecrae, a survivor of sexual, verbal and physical abuse reveals that in 2018, he woke up after a night of binge drinking in a clinical depression. He also shares how he dealt with deep wounds from his childhood and the journey that has led to his personal restoration! Please watch, share, and post these clips; they may resonate with someone. https://youtu.be/Z8YSqUj45z0 Tom Brady feels for you, Naomi Osaka. You too, Simone Biles. The man with a record seven Super Bowl championship rings has surely noticed and on some levels can relate to the high-profile struggles two of the world’s most successful athletes have encountered this summer, which have raised awareness about the challenges of coping with immense pressure. Osaka, 23, withdrew from the French Open in May while citing mental health issues, skipped Wimbledon and, after a third-round upset on Friday in attempting to defend her U.S. Open singles title, tearfully announced that she will take an indefinite break from the sport. Biles, 24, pulled out of four individual finals during the Tokyo Olympics before returning to win a bronze medal in the balance beam final. A seven-time Olympic medalist, Biles hasn’t declared whether she will continue competing. “It’s interesting,” Brady told USA TODAY Sports in August. “I think there are so many young people in sports. Obviously, Naomi’s really young. Simone’s really young. I’m 44. When I was 24, I certainly didn’t have all the answers to all the different pressures and the adversities that you face. I don’t know if we have expectations for people that we should have all the answers, have all things figured out at young ages. The Venice International Film Festival provided a data snapshot of its 78th edition on Tuesday — and the numbers, so far, show what a COVID-19-era comeback can look like for a well-managed A-list event operating under public safety protocols. Organizers said Venice has issued 9,800 accreditations to international guests so far this year, up from 6,908 by the end of the 2020 festival and 12,800 at the end of the pre-COVID 2019 edition. Tickets sold to the public revealed a similar comeback, with 23,713 already issued, compared to just 13,162 for the entire event last year, and 28,741 in 2019. The event hasn’t been without a few hiccups though, as the return to normal ticketing demand has intersected with the realities of COVID safety requirements. Former NBA All-Star Cedric Ceballos announced Tuesday that he has been hospitalized with COVID-19 for more than a week, and is asking for folks to keep him in prayer. “On my 10th day in ICU, COVID-19 is officially kicking my butt, I am asking ALL family, friends, prayer warriors healers for your prayers and well wishes for my recovery,” Ceballos said on Twitter. https://youtu.be/7icF4fLUdaY Former Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and could face up to 10 years in prison. The plea comes a week after a hung jury in Portis’ federal trial on the fraud charges. As part of the plea, signed Friday and obtained by DailyMail.com, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of not more than $250,000. He also will make restitution of $99,264 to the Gene Upshaw NFL Players Health Reimbursement Account Plan. Portis will be sentenced in January of 2022, according to court records. Video has surfaced showing officers in Grand Rapids, Michigan arresting a Black man outside of a McDonald’s for a robbery that he reportedly had nothing to do with. The viral video, uploaded to Facebook by “Yfn Jayy” and reposted on TikTok by @alytheeactivist, shows the man – since identified as Isaiah by his mom Misheal Butts on Facebook – in the parking lot outside the McDonald’s. A woman is heard saying to the police that Isaiah works at the restaurant. She tells them he was at work at the time the robbery was reported. “He just came in here to get his check, he’s been in his job for two hours,” says the woman through the window of the store. “And they talk about somebody just robbed the building 30 minutes ago—he’s been in this building for two hours.” Beyond fans returning to stadiums and authentic cheers instead of simulated noise, the NFL is kicking off the 2021 season with something it didn’t have last fall — a pandemic playbook that’s proven. As other leagues staged abbreviated seasons and quarantined their players in hopes of shielding them from COVID-19, the NFL navigated its way through an entire schedule, postponing when necessary, continually adjusting safety protocols, but never canceling a game. “The NFL proved things that I don’t think people thought we could do,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. In multiple interviews with the Los Angeles Times, Goodell and more than two dozen people — league executives, front-office personnel, players and medical professionals — close to the situation reconstructed the fragile process of staging a season amid a pandemic, and the commissioner’s focus to safely complete all 256 regular-season games, the playoffs and Super Bowl without relying on an NBA-style bubble. A New Jersey woman phoned her mother as she struggled to rescue her neighbors in the Hurricane Ida floods – but sadly she drowned and her last words may haunt her mom forever. When the storm hit New Jersey Wednesday, Shakia Garrett, 33, attempted to rescue Jose Torres, 71, his partner Rosa Espinal, 72, and their 38-year-old son Jose. As reported by the UK Mirror, Garrett made a heart-breaking final call to her mom, Sharon who told NJ.com: “That day she called me and told me, ‘I can’t swim, mommy.’ “She was crying. We just couldn’t get to her.” Despite her efforts, all four died in the flooding. The four victims had became trapped in their apartment building and were among 27 who were confirmed dead in New Jersey. Shakia’s mother added: “She was the sweetest girl who got along with everybody. “She had a very good heart.” https://youtu.be/mbkas4MO6-I College football is back and so are the millions of fans who will pack stadiums every Saturday through November. Dr. Anthony Fauci joined Jim Sciutto on CNN’s New Day Tuesday morning and preached the dangers of seeing crowded college football stadiums around the country while Covid outbreaks are on the rise. “We could be stuck in outbreak mode and that’s why I think what you’re going to be seeing is…a lot more local mandates,” Fauci said. Larry Elder spoke with conservative political commentator Candace Owens in 2019 on her Prager University show and discussed giving reparations to the descendants of slave owners. “When people talk about reparations, do they really want to have that conversation? Like it or not, slavery was legal,” he said. He went on to note that if reparations go to the descendants of slaves, the relatives of slave owners should be compensated as well. “Their legal property was taken away from them after the Civil War, so you could make an argument that the people that are owed reparations are not only just Black people, but also the people whose ‘property’ was taken away after the end of the Civil War,” he continued. The conversation began when Owens mentioned that the U.S. was one of the first countries to ban the slave trade. “The U.K. was ahead of us — they were. Did you know the slave owners were compensated? After they lost their ‘property’ the government compensated slave owners,” Elder said. Tamar Braxton is preparing for a legal battle with her former agents at Pantheon Talent Group. As reported by Radar, the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, says Pantheon inked an “oral agreement” with Tamar in 2016 in which they would represent the singer and receive 10% of anything she made from television. The agents claim they helped secure her WE tv show Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life! which she was paid $75,000 an episode. They believe they are owed $7,500 from each episode that aired. But Braxton is screwing them over, they claim, by refusing to pay up. Michael K. Williams previously opened up about a fight he had while celebrating his 25th birthday that left him with a scar down his face. The late actor, who was found dead in his apartment on Monday, told National Public Radio that the incident happened during a “popping party” at a bar in Queens, New York Post reports. “I saw that two of my other friends were being surrounded by some dudes who I didn’t know. And it looked like they were about to get jumped,” he recalled during the 2014 interview. “And I said, ‘Yo, I’m ready to leave. Let’s go back. I’m going to go back home now.’” Williams said that “this one dude kept pacing behind me.” “He kept like, you know, like sucking his teeth, and I’m looking — I’m like, ‘Yo — so what’s up dude? Yo bro, what’s your problem?’” he said. “And the dude wiped his hand across his mouth and just — what I thought appeared to be — smacked me, but what he did was he spit a razor.” Williams added, “He was positioning the razor in his mouth to get between his middle finger and his ring finger, and then he just went — swiped me down my face, and this cut my face.” “It was actually the first hit of the fight. So we managed to escape with our lives, barely, that night,” he said. https://youtu.be/Jzyqe0BfzYA Christian comedian Bone Hampton, known for his family-friendly comedy, is battling kidney and congestive heart failure. A recently launched GoFundMe page reveals that the “America’s Got Talent” alum, who is one of comedy’s most in-demand funnymen, is currently in the “fight of his life.” “He goes by so many titles — Christian comedian, actor, friend, son, adviser, confidante — but the most important title of all is dad,” the campaign reads. The Gospel Spotlight's Bone Hampton. Here Bone Hampton In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Bone_Hampton_intvw.htm In recent years, Maverick City Music has become a household name in Christian music. But aside from their worship anthems, including “Jireh” and “Promises,” not much is known about the diverse group. The Christian Post caught up with Jonathan Jay, CEO of Tribl Records, who, along with Tony Brown, founded Maverick City Music to get a behind-the-scenes look at the beloved group. Maverick City Music was officially launched in 2018 after the duo spent several years hosting songwriting camps with people from across the United States. Over the years, Jay and his team brought together over 100 Christian artists and songwriters — and that effort birthed hundreds of songs. Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing star in the MACRO romantic drama “Really Love.” The film tells the story of an emerging Black painter named Isaiah (Siriboe) living in the newly gentrified Washington D.C. on the cusp of a breakout career. He meets Stevie (Wong-Loi-Sing), a law student with ambitions that don’t align with her family’s views of success. The two fall in love and Stevie becomes Isaiah’s muse. But soon, neglect causes problems, leaving the two to question if they have a future together. https://youtu.be/7KKCnadBw7Y After portraying Aretha Franklin in the new feature “Respect” Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson says she’s next ready to play Oprah Winfrey. “That’s my newest dream. I would love to play Oprah! I’ll put it out into the universe, just like I did with Aretha,” she said in an “OWN Spotlight” interview that aired over the summer, the Chicago Tribune reported. Winfrey said: “On the special,” Hudson told me, smiling, “I was waiting for her to ask me who I wanted to play next. And I’d have been, like, ‘You!’ I would’ve loved to see her face. I think that’d be amazing. She’s another great legend in a whole new direction. I know one day we’re going to have ‘The Oprah Story,’ and I’m getting older (Hudson turns 40 on Sept. 12) and this time I don’t want to wait 15 years. So, c’mon now! Here we go!” Howard Stern could care less about the handful of conservative radio hosts who ranted against the coronavirus vaccines, only to end up dying from the disease. On the first day back from a two month vacation, the radio jock came in hot Monday with savagery toward folks who use the “freedom” excuse to refuse taking the vaccine. He called these people “nutjobs” that are trampling on his “freedom to live.” “F— them. F— their freedom. I want my freedom to live,” Stern said. “I want to get out of the house. I want to go next door and play chess. I want to go take some pictures. This is bulls**t.” “The other thing I hate is that all these people with COVID who won’t get vaccinated are in the hospitals clogging it up,” said Stern, referring to them as “imbeciles.” “So like, if you have a heart attack or any kind of problem, you can’t even get into the E.R. And I’m really of mind to say, ‘Look, if you didn’t get vaccinated [and] you got COVID, you don’t get into a hospital.'” Kirk Franklin’s son, 33-year-old Kerrion is back on social media spewing all sorts of wild accusations against his parents. Previously The estranged son of the famed Gospel singer has accused his father of abuse and trying to kill him. Now he’s accusing his mother of abuse. On Sunday, September 5, Kerrion was live-streaming with his family, claiming that he was “protecting” himself. “I’m ’bout to go to my grandmother’s house. I’m being abused right now, I was assaulted by my own mother,” he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTdSszipi7M/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again An all-new episode of WE tv’s new series “Brat Loves Judy” returns Thursday night and we have an exclusive clip of Brat and Judy’s therapy session — and the rapper ain’t feeling the therapist’s techniques. https://youtu.be/F0jBAZaNcnQ NeNe Leakes gathered with several of her former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” costars to pay tribute to her husband Gregg Leakes one week after his death from colon cancer. Leakes hosted a celebration of life at her Linnethia Lounge in Atlanta on Monday (Sept. 6). Per Entertainment Tonight, she was joined by Lisa Wu, Phaedra Parks, Marlo Hampton, Porsha Williams and Eva Marcille. Keke Wyatt and gospel stars Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell and Le’Andria Johnson performed at the event. “Today we celebrate you Gregg with love, just the way you wanted it,” NeNe captioned an Instagram post on Monday alongside a throwback PDA photo. https://www.instagram.com/neneleakes/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=1bbb4b4c-46b8-46c1-b172-fc8e1224f97b After being dropped from ESPN in April, former pro basketball player Paul Pierce said he doesn’t regret being let go from the job. He was an analyst for ESPN’s NBA Countdown and The Jump after retiring from the NBA in 2017. The 43-year-old said that the travel and the network executives were too demanding. He also thought that former NBA rival LeBron James was a topic of discussion too often. He went on to say, “There’s a lot of stuff you can’t say and you have to talk about LeBron all the time.” It seems like Paul Pierce was ready to go before getting penalized by ESPN over a risque Instagram live. The video shows him with women dancing suggestively while he smoked marijuana. He also appeared to be getting massaged. Months after being fired, Paul Pierce still doesn’t regret posting the video and said he feels he shouldn’t have been let go because of it. He said many people in the industry do similar things and they haven’t been fired for it. Bravo has dropped the official photo for the “Real Housewives” spin-off featuring the cast of “Ultimate Girls Trip.” The returning “housewives” are Real Housewives of Atlanta stars Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” OG Kyle Richards, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” castmates and sisters-in-law Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga, and “Real Housewives of New York City” icons Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Singer. https://www.instagram.com/p/COVlQBbgaOH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again It appears Jay-Z touched on his long-running beef with Roc-A-Fella associate DeHaven Irby. Apparently, Irby once tried to kill the hip-hop star, according to Jay. As reported by Black Enterprise, on Drake’s latest album “Certified Lover Boy,” appears the track “Love All,” on which Jigga dropped the verse: “N*ggas wanted to kill me and y’all still with ’em. N*gga, y’all chill with ’em, and y’all wonder why we not friends,” Jay-Z rapped. Irby took to his Instagram to spill the tea on what exactly went down between the two men. “I could recall one of the worst positions that Jay put me in, that severed our relationship and our friendship. I had got locked up on a parole violation. And when I was locked up, Jay just pulled a funny ass move, and he violated. And he did that and went behind my back he got caught. It was some small sh*t, but it meant something because his life almost got took behind that sh*t.” Irby, a former cocaine dealer, previously revealed in a 2007 interview with Vulture that the big-baller-drug dealer lifestyle that Jay-Z raps about was never his real life. https://youtu.be/Pnz4wbCblmM After nearly a decade and a half, pop star Britney Spears’ father has filed to end his daughter’s conservatorship, which gave him unilateral control over the 39-year-old entertainer’s purse strings. Jamie Spears filed the requisite paperwork in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter,” the legal document states. “If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance.” Before it can move forward, though, Judge Brenda Penny, who oversees the case, will have to sign off on ending the 13-year conservatorship. David Glass, a certified family law attorney not associated with the Spears matter, told Fox News that, given Jamie Spears is asking for “the entire conservatorship to be vacated,” it will put pressure on co-conservator Jodi Montgomery “to either explain how Britney is still mentally ill or go along” with ending the conservatorship entirely. A Letter from Max Lucado: Dear Friends, I want to take a moment to share with you some personal medical news. Recently I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm. Because this is a serious condition, I wanted you to hear from me personally. Though surgery is a possibility, none is planned at the moment. The current strategy is to wait, watch, and pray that the aneurysm doesn’t increase any further in size. I am maintaining my normal routines and commitments; my ministry is undisturbed by this news. Here’s the good news: I feel fine. I am under the care of an outstanding medical team, and most of all, I am in the hands of a good God. If there is other news to share, we will post updates at MaxLucado.com. For now, please know that I am fully trusting our heavenly Father. I am grateful for your prayers for me and for my family. God bless you, Max Many families in North Texas treated Monday as a holiday. Labor Day is often met with pools, barbecues, and spirits. Anything else is generally an afterthought. But three years ago, on Sept. 6, Dallas was handed one of its most devastating and controversial moments in some time. On that night, former Dallas officer Amber Guyger entered the apartment of 26-year-old Botham Jean, thinking it was hers. She thought Jean was an intruder and shot him where he stood. In St. Lucia on Monday, where Botham is from, his mother Allie relived those details as she placed a wreath on her son’s tomb with other family members. “We’re trying to make this day as easy as possible, but it is still a very, very painful day,” Allie Jean said. “It’s a day that brings back that phone call we got. A day that changed our lives. Every family member’s life is changed.” The Mu variant of COVID-19- which scientists fear could be more transmissible than Delta – has now been detected in all U.S. states with the exception of Nebraska. Florida and California have reported 384 variant cases- the highest numbers among the 49 infected U.S. states. Los Angeles County reported close to half of the California cases with 167. The new cases however only reflect 0.2 percent of total variant samples from the state of California between June and August. Alaska previously had the highest number of Mu variant cases with 146. That represented four per cent of all cases recorded in the isolated state. Other U.S. states have also shared their Mu numbers, with 42 in Maine, 73 in Connecticut and 39 in Hawaii, according to Newsweek. The Mu variant- which was identified in Colombia in January – has spread to 41 different countries including the United States, and is also feared to potentially be vaccine-resistant. Wendell Pierce wrote a touching tribute to his “The Wire” co-star Michael K. Williams shortly after his death was reported Monday. There’s more where that came from in a resurfaced video of the two being interviewed during a 2014 reunion of “The Wire” cast at PaleyFest. Pierce hailed Williams’ portrayal of gay stickup man Omar Little on the HBO series and described him as “one of the great American actors giving voice and giving flesh to characters most people would not have given the same humanity to.” “It was an honor for me to even share the screen with him,” he added. https://twitter.com/i/status/1434998323329503235 Michael K. Williams was discovered dead in his Brooklyn apartment on Monday afternoon, and it wasn’t long before 50 Cent came under fire for an insensitive Instagram post about the actor’s passing.. Fiddy used news of Michael’s death to promote his Starz series, “Power Book III: Raising Kanan.” Initial reports claimed Wiliams died from a drug overdose, specifically heroin laced with fentanyl. “Damn if you didn’t see Raising Kanan check it out that fentanyl is no joke, killing the clientele. RIP michael k. williams,” 50 wrote in the deleted post. His caption referenced a New York Post article that mentioned fentanyl could have contributed to Williams’ death, but the article has reportedly since been updated with the drug reference removed. 50 later brought up his past differences with Williams in another since-deleted Instagram post. “Don’t ever try to understand me I’m different,” he explained. “I don’t do all the fake love shit.” Per Complex, 50 and Williams fell out three years ago when 50 claimed music executive James Rosemond, Jr., a.k.a. Jimmy Henchman, was assaulted while in prison. Rosemon is serving a life sentence related to a murder-for-hire plot against 50’s G-Unit affiliate Lowell “Lodi Mack” Fletcher. Williams released a video calling 50’s claim “completely false.” 50 Cent clapped back with a series of posts in which he warned the actor to “mind your business.” He also posted a screenshot of a gay sex scene involving Michael’s character from the hit HBO series “The Wire.” Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio asked for donations ahead of his five-month prison sentence for burning a Black Lives Matter banner from a historic Black church in downtown Washington D.C. and bringing firearms to the Capitol. Tarrio reached a deal with prosecutors in July. He was initially charged with two counts of possessing a “high-capacity” magazine, but authorities reduced the charges to one count. He pleaded guilty before a Washington, D.C., superior court, according to the Washington Post, as reported by MSN. https://youtu.be/zFYXAYSNlck Juney Smith and Rainbow Media Group present “You Look Familiar: Vernée Watson” a spirited documentary about the life and times of Emmy award winning actress Vernée Watson. With over 180 credits on IMDB, her face and amazing talents have been a fixture on television, films and commercials for 40 years in shows such as General Hospital, Bob Hearts Abishola, The Big Bang Theory, The Odd Couple, The Fresh Prince of Belair and many more. Now Vernée finally gets a chance for her story to be told thanks to long time friend and multi-talented colleague Director Juney Smith, Executive Producer Glynn Turman and Rainbow Media Group. Janet Jackson shared the first teaser trailer for her upcoming documentary, “JANET,” which will air over two nights on Lifetime and A&E. A+E Networks ordered a two-night, four-hour documentary event about the life and legacy of the music icon. The project coincides with the 40th anniversary of her debut album. The singer will executive produce the doc with brother Randy Jackson, and promises to offer unprecedented access to her life. https://youtu.be/nJ4OD76xUpA National Football League fans who merely want to watch a football game this year will again have social justice messages as part of the package prominently displayed on the field. While some leagues, notably the National Basketball Association, plan to dial back on politics for their coming season (NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN, “I understand those people who say, ‘I’m on your side. But I want to watch a basketball game’”), the NFL is doubling down on its plans for its upcoming regular season, which starts Sept. 9. That’s even as its television ratings dipped in 2020, the first time in three years the regular season audience was down. Still, the NFL managed to break records when its TV contracts were up for renewal in the off-season, topping the $100 billion mark and adding Amazon to its mix. Sloane Stephens is exhausted — not from the grind of her third-round defeat at the U.S. Open Saturday, but from the abuse and hateful words she received online after her loss. “This isn’t talked about enough, but it really freaking sucks,” Stephens wrote Saturday on her Instagram account. Stephens, the No. 66-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, shared vile messages she received — saying there were more than 2,000 of that ilk following the 28-year-old’s three-set loss to Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Friday. There were messages wishing for her to be raped. There were racist terms. There were threats. “I promise to find you and destroy your leg so hard that you can’t walk anymore,” read one. There were messages wishing for her to be raped. There were racist terms. There were threats. “I promise to find you and destroy your leg so hard that you can’t walk anymore,” read one. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady not only had a scare last year when both of his parents tested positive for COVID-19 — he himself was diagnosed with it too in February. In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times on Saturday, Brady revealed that he tested positive for the virus in February, just after the Bucs’ Super Bowl boat parade. Brady also said that he believes the coronavirus will be even more of a challenge this year, despite the Bucs now having a 100% vaccination rate — becoming just the second NFL team to reach that threshold, behind the Atlanta Falcons. “I actually think it’s going to play more of a factor this year than last year, just because of the way what we’re doing now and what the stadium is going to look like and what the travel is going to look like and the people in the building and the fans,” Brady said. “It’s not like last year, although we’re getting tested like last year. It’s going to be, I definitely think guys are going to be out at different points and we’ve just got to deal with it.” NeNe Leakes hit up social media to honor her late husband Gregg one week after his death from colon cancer. On Monday, the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum shared a sweet photo of her and Gregg kissing. She captioned the image: “Today we celebrate you Gregg with love, just the way you wanted it??.” https://www.instagram.com/neneleakes/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=10255396-8148-437d-b880-bba6f227afcb Drake intensified his yearlong beef with Kanye West by leaking Ye’s André 3000-assisted song “Life of the Party,” which sees West diss Drizzy. 3 Stacks contributed a verse that was a tribute to his late mother, who died in 2013. He addressed Drake’s leak of the song in a statement to Variety, noting that when he initially received the track, Ye’s Drake diss was not on it. In celebration of his latest album, “Certified Lover Boy,” Drake appeared as a guest DJ on SiriusXM’s Sound 42 Saturday and played “Life of the Party” amid his reported feud with West. Per Rolling Stone, “Life of the Party” was first played at a private “Donda” listening party in Las Vegas before it was cut from West’s official “Donda” album. https://twitter.com/i/status/1434238598887493647 Whether in dramatic movie scenes, on the street, or during the Black Lives Matter protests throughout the past year, the phrase “HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT,” has a powerful meaning that’s recognizable to everyone. We hear those words or see them on a billboard, and know it’s referencing police brutality. This month, a new movie is putting the wildly debated and continuous issues front and center in director Chuck Whitman’s latest feature film “Hands Up.” “It’s a blue thing, it’s a badge thing,” said co-lead Jamal Woolard (“Notorious”). https://youtu.be/vn6QPzOeAdE Paul Schrader’s newest film, “The Card Counter,” redemption and revenge go hand in hand. Ex-military investigator, William Tell (Oscar Isaac), attempts to bury his past traumas with gambling and grows closer to a familiar face, Tiffany Haddish, along the way. Haddish feels “The Card Counter” is an intense and mysterious thriller. Although, the character of La Linda offsets the tone perfectly – which is typical Schrader fashion. “I would describe La Linda as the light,” said Haddish. “She brings a lot of joy but she’s a hustler. So, she’s got a lot of charisma and she’s, you know, scheming and scamming.” https://youtu.be/HUxP619RzPU The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) today announced actor, activist and fashion icon Billy Porter will be honored at The Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS fundraising gala on September 17, 2021, joining previously announced honorees Dr. Anthony Fauci, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and Sandra Thurman. All four will be honored with the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award. Rising singer-songwriter, Jake Wesley Rogers will perform at the event, which will be generously supported by Presenting Sponsor, Gilead Sciences, Inc. Additional sponsors for the event are Diamond Sponsor BVLGARI and American Airlines, ETAF’s official airline. Abby De La Rosa, who just had twins with actor and host Nick Cannon, is already ready for more kids. Nick Cannon, 40, may have several children of his own but Abby De La Rosa also wants more. While doing a Q&A on her Instagram, the international DJ allowed followers to ask anything to which one wanted to know if she wanted more kids. “Okay, you all ask this question a lot. Of course I want more kids, if God permits and if God doesn’t permit, its alright. I got two for one, it was a beautiful jorney. It was a wild journey and we’re here.” Abby De La Rosa and Nick Cannon gave birth to their twins in June 2021. In another video, she told followers that her pregnancy with the Wildn’ Out host was planned and happened because they ‘manifested’ it. De La Rosa explained that she and Cannon began dating in 2019. She revealed that she was pregnant in April 2020 but unfortunately suffered a miscarriage. She further explained her second pregnancy saying, “First pregnancy, April 2020, was definitely not planned, but Nick was such a great friend to me and just so good to me, and then our focus became to have a baby but little did we know we would end up having twins. But yes, it was planned.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CTbJJjXj4bI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Today, Academy Award-winning and four-time Grammy Award-winning R&B artist H.E.R. and partner Live Nation Urban announce the day-to-day lineup of highly-anticipated “Lights On Festival” in Concord, CA. The recently sold-out festival will be taking over the Concord Pavilion on Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19. Once again, H.E.R. curated a legendary lineup, including neo-soul goddess Erykah Badu, Bryson Tiller, Ari Lennox, Ty Dolla $ign, Keyshia Cole, and more. H.E.R. notably headlines with a very special H.E.R. & Friends set where she will be joined by some very special guests. A fight at a bar in Conyers, Georgia late Sunday led to gunfire, and the incident – which played out over Facebook Live – was reportedly over a spilled drink. Three people were injured in the shooting at Sudo Bar and Grill. Owner, Brandt Bester, told CBS46 that one of his three personal security guards patted down the customers at the door, including the man accused of firing the weapon. It’s unknown how the shooter was able to slip his weapon inside. Bar surveillance video shows one guard shot in the leg while trying to jump in and stop the fight, then crawling to the entrance for cover. Meanwhile a customer at the bar was grazed by another bullet. In the bar’s surveillance video, you can see the victim who was in the fight, shot in his arm and leg running away—the shooter following close behind. It’s then, an off-duty Rockdale Sheriff’s Deputy stepped in, grabbed the shooter, took his gun and took the suspect into custody. https://youtu.be/kBpTsdkj2bc Video of a fight at an Atlanta Waffle House has gone viral. The footage, tweeted by @ATLUncensored, shows a man in an orange shirt in some sort of argument with women while seated at the counter inside of the Waffle House on Buford Hwy. At one point, one of the women gives him the hand and says, “Shut the f**k up!” Suddenly, after a jump edit in the video, the man is dragged off of his stool by a Waffle House employee apparently attempting to remove him from the premises – and all hell broke loose. Orange Shirt threw the first punch, and it was on. https://twitter.com/i/status/1434396351303933953 Elder Ivan Louis Cage Sr., father to 7x Stellar Award winner Byron Cage, passed on August 23, 2021 due to health complications. The funeral service will be held in River Rouge, MI at Andrews Funeral Home. The viewing will begin at 11am and the service will begin at 12pm. A flash flood watch has been issued for New Orleans until late Monday night as Louisiana continues its path toward recovery following Hurricane Ida’s disastrous touchdown. Some regions of southern Louisiana could see two to four inches of heavy rain, threatening neighborhoods still picking up the pieces from one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit the state. Ida killed at least 11 people in Louisiana and initially left almost a million without power as it dumped more than 13 inches of rain in some communities. According to local utility company Entergy, Ida damaged or destroyed more than 14,000 poles, 2,223 transformers and 155 transmission structures. Now, half a million customers remain without electricity more than a week later, according to PowerOutage.us. Expanded unemployment benefits that have kept millions of Americans afloat during the pandemic expired on Monday, setting up an abrupt cutoff of assistance to 7.5 million people as the Delta variant rattles the pandemic recovery. The end of the aid came without objection from President Biden and his top economic advisers, who have become caught in a political fight over the benefits and are now banking on other federal help and an autumn pickup in hiring to keep vulnerable families from foreclosure and food lines. The $1.9 trillion economic aid package Mr. Biden signed in March included extended and expanded benefits for unemployed workers, like a $300-per-week federal supplement to state jobless payments, additional weeks of assistance for the long-term unemployed and the extension of a special program to provide benefits to so-called gig workers who traditionally do not qualify for unemployment benefits. The expiration date reached on Monday means that 7.5 million people will lose their benefits entirely and another three million will lose the $300 weekly supplement. “The Wire’’ actor Michael K. Williams was found dead of a suspected heroin overdose in his Brooklyn penthouse Monday afternoon, law-enforcement sources told The Post. Williams, 54, was discovered unconscious in the dining room of his luxury Williamsburg pad with what appeared to be heroin on the kitchen table, sources said. His nephew found him around 2 p.m., and the acclaimed TV star was officially pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m., source said — adding that it appeared Williams had fatally OD’d. “I found the body,” said a weeping man at the scene, talking into his cell phone. Tears streamed down his face, and the man shook as he sat alone at a table outside the building, barely able to get the words out. The city Medical Examiner’s Office was at the building, and eight NYPD cops, including at least two supervisors, were outside. “No foul play indicated,” a police source said. “No forced entry, the apartment was in order.” The Flatbush native — currently a 2021 Emmy Award nominee as best supporting actor for “Lovecraft Country” — was famous for his role as Omar Little in the gritty TV series “The Wire’’ and as Chalky White in “Boardwalk Empire.’’ A West Tennessee police chief has died of COVID-19 related issues. Newbern Police said Thursday Chief Richard “Red” Barnes died of COVID-related illness and had underlying health issues. Chief Barnes had been with the Newbern Police Department for more than 40 years. He also served as a pastor in the area. “Chief Richard “Red” Barnes will always have a special place in the hearts and minds of the Newbern Police Department and his brothers and sisters in blue,” said Newbern Police in a post on Facebook. “Rest in peace Chief Barnes, Unit 400 is now 10-7. We will take over your watch, Sir.” Thousands of people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. An Aiken pastor is one of them. Some would say he’s helping to save lives from the pulpit but now, he’s looking for a donor to help save his life. Pastor Michael O’Neal has faced a life of high blood pressure and diabetes and COVID caused a major issue. “My bout with COVID and pneumonia did a number on the kidneys,” he told NewsChannel 6’s Aiken Bureau Chief Shawn Cabbagestalk. “I went to the hospital in reference to kidney stones, it pretty much pulled my kidney percentage down all the way to like 4%. And it was a very much need then for me to seek some type of dialysis treatment to be able to continue functioning,” he recalled. Dialysis treatments are three times a week. While it’s not taxing on his body, O’Neal says, it’s more of a mental challenge. “Right now, I’m trying to get adjusted and trying to keep focused and stay positive.” The deaths of three Miami-Dade County Public School teachers is prompting some difficult and very personal conversations in South Florida’s Black community. Two of the teachers worked in predominantly Black neighborhoods. One of the teachers was Mr. Abe Coleman, who worked at Holmes Elementary. “And generations upon generations knew Mr. Coleman,” Tanya Jackson said. Jackson is a pastor of a church in Liberty City. She remembers Coleman as a friend and colleague. “And he was just a great co-worker and stayed at the school like a monument,” she recalled. We don’t know why he was not vaccinated, but his death has sparked a conversation in Pastor Jackson’s household. “Because he was like a brother to our family, to have the conversation with my son last night and make the decision for him to get the vaccine,” she explained. It’s a conversation that has yet to reach others. Coleman and the losses of Lillian Smith, and Michael Thomas also share another common thread, they were all part of the Black community. https://cbsloc.al/3BPIzZ9 The mother who cops say drowned her baby after declaring that impending COVID-19 death meant everyone needed to be baptized — and stabbed her husband and a daughter as they failed to stop her — officially was charged Saturday in Miami-Dade court. Precious Bland’s first encounter with the criminal justice system will involve one count of murder, two counts of attempted second degree murder and two counts of aggravated child abuse. Bland, 38, received no bond on the murder count, keeping her with Miami-Dade Corrections until her case reaches resolution. Bland had been in Jackson Memorial Hospital until Thursday, recovering from wounds suffered Aug. 23. A 4-year-old boy who was randomly shot in the head died Sunday from his injuries, police said, one of at least eight children and dozens of other people who were wounded in Chicago over a Labor Day weekend punctuated by gun violence. The death of the boy, Mychal Moultry Jr., on Friday evening set off a holiday weekend in which police scrambled to investigate scores of crime scenes across the city. Mychal was getting his hair styled in the front part of a home when two bullets ripped through a window and struck him in the head, said Rahman Muhammad, deputy chief of the Chicago police detective division. Detectives continued to canvass the area and look for witnesses. “We definitely need the help from the public to further this investigation,” Muhammad told reporters Monday. Besides Mychal, at least three other people were killed over the weekend, and at least 53 were injured by gunfire, police said. Kanye West lands his 10th No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as Donda debuts atop the list with the year’s biggest week for any album: 309,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 2, according to MRC Data. It surpasses the year’s previous best week, when Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour started with 295,000 units (on the chart dated June 5). West is now one of only seven artists with at least 10 No. 1 albums in the 65-year history of the Billboard 200 chart. The Beatles have the most No. 1s, with 19. They are followed by Jay-Z (14), Bruce Springsteen (11), Barbra Streisand (11), Eminem (10), Elvis Presley (10) and West. (Waiting in the wings for their 10th No. 1s are the acts with nine leaders: Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Drake, Madonna, The Rolling Stones and Taylor Swift. Of those, two have albums either just released, or on the way: Drake’s Certified Lover Boy dropped on Sept. 3 and Swift’s Red [Taylor’s Version] is due on Nov. 19.) Christian singer Danny Gokey posted a lengthy Twitter thread at the end of August explaining not only why he’s opposed to vaccination mandates but also voicing his concerns the “mark of the beast,” as it’s described in the book of Revelation, could be on the horizon. The “Jesus People” singer — who is vaccinated against COVID-19 — said people shouldn’t be forced to get inoculated against the virus if they don’t want to, calling out many in the government and news media who tout it as “a cure” when it’s not. He also lamented the fact that people no longer have conversations because “the only topic discussed is COVID and the only acceptable thought is vaccination,” a phenomenon he described as “very dangerous.”“The fact that I’m even talking about this comes at a great cost to me,” Gokey wrote. “I could be identified as an extremist and my music get pulled down from radio and other platforms because of this. People are threatening my livelihood, saying they won’t buy my music and won’t stream it. Some want to cancel me for asking questions and are even calling out my Christianity because I post these questions.” Donald Lawrence is a Grammy award-winning songwriter, producer, composer, and choir director. He has had chart-topping albums and hits to his credit over his almost 30-year career. His latest project is titled Goshen, the story of the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt as told in the Bible’s Old Testament. It’s a unique album he produced more than a year ago with plans for a staged music and dance project. But the pandemic put the brakes on those plans. However, a theater tour is coming soon. Just last week, people got a sneak peek at Goshen the musical as a part of the Chicago Dance Theater’s 25th anniversary season celebration in the city’s Millennium Park. Lawrence is a North Carolina native, and there’s a celebration planned next month for his 2020 induction into the Tarheel State’s Music Hall of Fame. https://youtu.be/rzwzFS4rvY4 Morehouse and Spelman colleges are canceling most of their homecoming activities due to the surge in coronavirus infections. The announcements, made Friday, cite the escalating spread of COVID-19 off campus. Morehouse’s homecoming was to occur Oct. 10-17, and will not be rescheduled. But the football game against Fort Valley State University will still be played as planned, on Oct. 16. Spelman will hold all alumnae events for homecoming virtually beginning Thursday, Oct. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 17. A determination is still being made regarding student events, Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell said in a message Friday afternoon. Morehouse and Spelman, historically Black colleges located near downtown Atlanta, required students, faculty and employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine to be on campus this fall, unless they received an exemption. Clark Atlanta University, also adjacent to Morehouse and Spelman, is scheduled to have its homecoming Oct. 24-30. CAU has also mandated vaccinations. With students at historically Black colleges returning to campus after a year of hybrid and remote learning, administrators hope greater access to Covid-19 vaccinations will bring about a traditional campus experience — in-person classes, rip-roaring homecomings and Black Greek life. But interviews with top leaders from several top historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, illustrate that some schools face significant challenges in avoiding major outbreaks. Although Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, Black leaders across the country have encountered both vaccination skepticism and accessibility issues trying to encourage higher inoculation rates. The vast majority of HBCUs are in the South, where Black students were barred from attending majority-white colleges and where vaccination rates remain lower than the national average. Republican leaders in many of those states, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have fought back against mask and vaccination mandates. Congrats to Offset and Cardi B as they are the brand new parents of a healthy baby boy. This is child number two for the couple. Cardi B posted a snap at the hospital of herself and hubby cradling the newborn who was born Saturday morning at a New York area hospital. “We are so overjoyed to finally meet our son. He is already loved so much by family and friends and we can’t wait to introduce him to his other siblings,” the couple said in a statement. Cardi and Offset’s first child, Kulture, was born in 2018. It was back in June of this year that the “Bodak Yellow” and “WAP” rapper made the surprise announcement during a performance at the BET Awards. Cardi performed alongside Offset and the rest of Migos … showing off a revealing outfit that definitely exposed her big ol’ baby bump. Uzi Vert, 26, is letting the world know the precious stone was ripped out of his forehead when he dove into a crowd at Rolling Loud in July. “I had a show at Rolling Loud and I jumped into the crowd and they kind of ripped it out,” he told TMZ at the 18th anniversary of Jay-Z’s 40/40 club last month. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-31-083121-lil-uzi-vert-1238309/ Restaurants and retail companies are looking into recruiting young people to fill vacancies and Daymond John (“Shark Tank”) thinks it’s a good idea. Not only does the entrepreneur and TV personality think its a brilliant concept, he’s got words for those who are sitting on the sidelines and not willing to work. Earlier this week John appeared on “TMZ Live” where he gave a lot of love to business owners who are hiring 14 and 15-year-olds, especially in the food industry. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-09-02-090221-daymond-john-1241245/ The Rolling Stones may have already found a replacement for drummer Charlies Watts, who died recently in the UK. The brother’s name is Steve Jordan. The 64-year-old had been filling in for Watts at the request of the former drummer and was meant to be temporary. Initially Jordan was supposed fill for the band’s 13-stop “Fno Filter” tour. It would’ve been the first time Watts was not with the band on tour since 1963. Authorities in Pennsylvania say the bullets that killed 8-year-old Fanta Bility and wounded her sister outside of a high school football game last week likely were fired by police officers responding to gunfire in their direction. In a statement, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said that Friday’s tragic events outside Academy Park High School in Sharon Hill are still being investigated. However, “there is a high probability that the responsive gunfire of the Sharon Hill Police Officers struck four victims,” including Fanta and her sister. It was unclear how the other two victims were faring. The statement alleges the shooting happened moments after Academy Park High School’s victory over Pennsbury High School. The district attorney’s office said the incident began soon after there was alleged gunfire “in the direction of three Sharon Hill Police Officers” who were “monitoring the crowd” as the crowd left the game. The initial shot from the crowd allegedly struck a civilian, and the officers responded by firing their weapons. A Mississippi man freed after nearly 23 years in prison filed a lawsuit Friday against the district attorney who prosecuted him six times in the killings of four people at a small-town furniture store. Curtis Flowers was released in December 2019, about six months after the U.S. Supreme Court tossed out the conviction and death sentence from his sixth trial, which took place in 2010. Justices said prosecutors showed an unconstitutional pattern of excluding African American jurors in the trials of Flowers, who is Black. The lawsuit filed Friday also names as defendants three investigators who worked with Montgomery County District Attorney Doug Evans. The county is not named as a defendant. The suit says Evans and the investigators engaged in misconduct, including “pressuring witnesses to fabricate claims about seeing Mr. Flowers in particular locations on the day of the murders” and ignoring other possible suspects. The New Orleans Police Department is searching for a 911 operator after she allegedly “deliberately” hung up on callers. On Thursday, officials announced in a statement on Facebook that they have “obtained an arrest warrant for Precious Stephens on charges of malfeasance in office and interfering with an emergency communication.” The police department revealed the 911 operator was allegedly “disconnecting 911 calls deliberately without obtaining necessary emergency information or relaying such emergencies to the other dispatchers for aid” while working with the Orleans Parish Communications District. Officials say a report was taken on Aug. 23 and as of Thursday, Stephens still remained at large. The intercepted calls occurred during Stephens’ shifts on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21, police told NOLA.com in a statement. She was fired from her job and her superiors reported her to police, according to the outlet. Last month civil rights icon Rev. #JesseJackson and his wife #JacquelineJackson were hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. On Friday, their family provided an update on their condition through a statement. Jacqueline Jackson was released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital and sent home after battling the virus. However, Jesse Jackson is still at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab where he is receiving intensive occupational and physical therapy. Their son Jesse Jackson Jr. shared photos of Jesse Jackson Sr. while he is at the facility, and acknowledged that his father is now COVID negative as he continues his treatment. Our mother is leaving the Northwestern Memorial Hospital and coming home,” Jonathan Jackson said in a written statement. “Our family is grateful to God and the medical team that treated her and that is allowing her body to continue to heal from the Covid-19 virus.”The family’s statement continued to state, “We urge that you continue to keep them in your prayers. Larry Elder smiled the smug smile of a Black conservative who could very well be liberal California’s next governor. As longtime political consultant Kerman Maddox put it: “Larry Elder goes out of his way to be at odds with the leadership in the Black community and at odds with the thinking in the Black community.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CTaRfavFPCI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Funeral director Wayne Bright has seen grief piled upon grief as the more aggressive Delta variant of the coronavirus ravages through Florida. A woman died of the virus, and as her family was planning the funeral, her mother was also struck down. An aunt took over arrangements for the double funeral, only to die of COVID-19 herself two weeks afterward. ‘That was one of the most devastating things ever,’ said Bright, who runs Wilson Funeral Home in Tampa and arranged the funeral of one of his closest friends last week. Florida is in the grip of its deadliest wave of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, a disaster driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Cases have risen ten-fold in the state, from 16,000 in the week of June 25 to 151,000 in the week of August 20, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. Tampa’s Hillsborough County, where 63 percent of the population over 12 is vaccinated, has a case positivity rate of 17 percent for the week of August 27 to September 2, meaning that 17 percent of those tested were positive. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on Twitter that he and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, have welcomed twins into their family. Pete Buttigieg shared a photo to Twitter of the couple holding the babies, named Penelope Rose and Joseph August. “Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents,” he said. “We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family.” The couple first announced in mid-August that they were going to become parents but didn’t share any further details at the time. According to The Washington Post, the pair had been trying to adopt a child for a year. Earlier this year, the couple almost adopted a baby from a mother in labor, but then the mother changed her mind about putting the child up for adoption. UNCENSORED: BEBE WINANS AIRS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 AT 10PM ET/9C ON TV ONE. BeBe Winans – With Consistent Love, He Explains How He “Broke A Chain of Hatred” For A Racist Co-Worker https://youtu.be/pKOyw7HW-A8 A batch of fentanyl-laced cocaine killed a comedian and two others, and left the ex-girlfriend of Darius Rucker in a Los Angeles hospital, a report said. Fuquan Johnson, writer for “Comedy Parlour Live,” died after overdosing at a Venice home Friday night, according to TMZ. Two other victims were pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet said. Comedian Kate Quigley, who lives next door to the house and recently dated the Hootie & the Blowfish singer, was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the report. The medical examiner will officially determine what killed Johnson, 42, and the other unnamed victims, but sources tell the outlet all four people were ingesting coke tainted with the super powerful opioid. As Dr. Dre and his ex-wife Nicole Young continue to finalize their divorce settlements, Dre has filed a lawsuit against her over claims she embezzled money. Per The Blast, Dre has alleged that Nicole Young stole money from the bank account of his ‘Recording One’ studio in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. The company 13849 Ventura, LLC was founded in 2015 for the purpose of operating the recording studio, and the documents state that Dre and Young were both listed as heads of “maintenance and control” of the business assets. Legal documents filed by Dre claim that she “decimated” the bank account of the business, withdrawing a total of $353,571.85 after the former couple started their divorce proceedings. While she has since had her access to the business revoked, the lawsuit asserts that Young “egregiously” breached her responsibilities as someone trusted to have access. She has been accused of “embezzling and stealing money from (the company’s) bank account, and using the money for her own, personal obligations.” A notable venture capitalist and board member at the public company behind iconic brands like The North Face and Timberland was dismissive of racism in the U.S. and called Black Lives Matter “the true racists,” according to emails obtained by Axios. Veronica Wu was a co-lead on a fund that it once described as the largest pool of money dedicated to seed startups. She’s also on the board of VF Corporation, one of the world’s biggest apparel companies. A spokesperson for VF Corp. declined to comment and would not comment on Wu’s behalf. Wu did not respond to emails. In June 2020, an office manager at Hone Capital notified Wu that the firm would honor Juneteenth as a company holiday, according to email exchanges reviewed by Axios. Wu responded that she didn’t know about the holiday, which commemorates when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation. After the office manager explained that — and noted other companies were honoring the day because of the country’s renewed focus on racism in the wake of George Floyd’s murder — Wu said she was “particularly not supportive.” “I don’t believe in Black Lives Matter. If anything I think they are the true racists trying to stir up things to make this country going [sic] to socialism or even communism potentially,” Wu wrote in part. Wu also said because the company was owned by CSC Group, the decision about making the day a company holiday wasn’t theirs to make. Jmmy Jam, one half of the legendary Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis production duo, is the brother-in-law of Kevin Garnett. Now, he’s appearing in films and as one of the most captivating storytellers among his post-NBA comrades. Most recently he starred in “Uncut Gems”, starring Adam Sandler. But, according to ILoveOldSchool.com, Garnett is paying $300,000 dollars a month in SPOUSAL support and $46,000 for the babies, 13 and 8 years old. Garnett and Brandi Padillia seemed solid from the outside looking in. They dated for several years before getting married back in 2004 … but obviously the relationship ran its course. Meanwhile, Jimmy Jam and wife Lisa Padilla (Brandi’s sister), are still together after almost 30 years. Mary J. Blige has been in this thing for a minute. Entertainment loves MJB and the Grammy-winner is looking to build on her Oscar-nominated for performance in “Mudbound.” That was only the beginning. However, these days Mary revealed to InStyle magazine via MadameNoire that she’s mostly been in chill-mode. “I’m cool with being still. That’s the thing about me. I know how to just sit,” the 50-year-old Grammy-award-winning artist told InStyle during an interview. https://youtu.be/6C3wlw8WA0A Earlier this year, Anita Baker asked fans not to stream her music due to an ongoing battle of ownership with her label. But on Friday (9/3), the legendary singer gave fans the green light to start streaming again as she apparently resolved the issue. In addition to a photo with her five studio albums, she tweeted, “All My Children Are Coming Home. Impossible Things Happen… Every. Single. Day. Gratefully.” She also told one fan who asked if they were “in the clear” “Yes children, stream on” IZIPHO SOUL are extremely proud to announce our continued partnership with the legendary Rena Scott! Rena delved into her musical vault and retrieved a song which we are thrilled to release on a vinyl 45. “You’re So Far Away” is a tale of the frustrations of a long distance love affair and Rena’s sensuous vocals over this thumping dance tune will surely rattle your woofers! https://youtu.be/ZV3cQNMlXtE Kenneth Petty’s rape victim, Jennifer Hough, has revealed that an associate of his and Nicki Minaj has allegedly threatened her with guns and a disturbing message. Hough said in a new claim against the couple that one of their associates left a disturbing message on her Instagram direct messages and she shortly contacted police after receiving it as reported by The Jasmine Brand. Back in August, Hough filed a lawsuit claiming Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty have been allegedly harassing her after Petty was arrested in California for failing to register as a sex offender once he moved to the state. Crank Lucas can make you laugh and dance at the same time. The Washington, D.C., content creator, who got his start doing comedic rap parodies, is now an established artist and producer. Recently, he started doing videos of viral internet video moments. Amassing 668,000 subscribers on YouTube, Lucas’ brand was elevated when he received his first producer credit on Joyner Lucas’ “Will” track, a song dedicated to legendary rapper/actor Will Smith. Later, Smith remade the song over Lucas’ beat. He recently released a new single, “Up Up,” featuring Ethan Spalding. It’s the perfect upbeat party anthem needed to counter the somber pandemic years of 2019 and 2020. The U.S. is heading into Labor Day weekend with just over four times as many Covid-19 cases and more than twice as many hospitalizations as at this time last year — despite having vaccinated 62% of the American population with at least one dose. The U.S. and the world are nowhere near where health officials hoped, and thought, we would be 20 months into the pandemic — and more than eight months after vaccines that boasted efficacy rates around 95% were rolled out. Though the outbreak is significantly worse by most measures than 2020, setting the U.S. up for a tough fall season, the delta variant, vaccines and open schools make it hard to predict how the pandemic will unfold, doctors and scientists say. “There is a lot more uncertainty right now. The dynamic interplay between variants and vaccine and particularly people unvaccinated, and the sort of game changer of the delta variant leads to a lot of uncertainty in terms of what the fall holds,” said Dr. Barbara Taylor, an assistant dean and infectious disease specialist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The Delta variant has dramatically changed what we once thought was true about the coronavirus. While vaccinated people continue to enjoy much greater protection from infection or serious COVID-19 illness than the unvaccinated, it’s now clear that even those who have gotten their shots can still contract and spread the virus. “One thing is for sure: Vaccinated people can get infected, and they can transmit to other vaccinated people,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. “Vax-on-vax transmission has happened.” Health officials stress the risk of that happening is much lower than transmission among the unvaccinated, and that the vaccines are effective at staving off the worst health impacts of COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday said U.S. public health officials are “keeping a very close eye” on a new variant of Covid-19 that was first detected in Colombia. Known as B.1.621 or the “Mu variant” according to the World Health Organization nomenclature, it has “a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” according to a WHO report released on Monday. “Preliminary data presented to the Virus Evolution Working Group show a reduction in neutralization capacity of convalescent and vaccine sera similar to that seen for the Beta variant, but this needs to be confirmed by further studies.” Today, he Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced the Mu variant, for the first time, has been identified in the region. The numbers are still small; Only 167 Mu variants have been identified in L.A. County thus far. “These specimens were sequenced between June 19 and Augusts 21, with the majority of Mu specimens sequenced in July,” according to a statement from county public health officials. After losing in the third round at the US Open on Friday night, a tearful Naomi Osaka said she wasn’t sure when she will next play a competitive tennis match and will be taking an indefinite break from the sport. In a news conference following the 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4 loss to Leylah Fernandez, Osaka told reporters the sport was no longer bringing her joy. “I feel like for me recently, like, when I win, I don’t feel happy,” Osaka said. “I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal.” Osaka, 23, began to cry and the moderator attempted to end the media session, but she said she wanted to continue. “Basically I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match,” Osaka said. “I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.” The news conference was then abruptly finished. https://youtu.be/YHxuYRRYVAY Everyone knows George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, but have you heard the little-known tragic story of Dontrell Stephens? His death this past Sunday draws attention to the lengths some law enforcement officials will go to deter justice, even if it involves an innocent man who was shot and paralyzed by police and prevented from collecting on a $22 million settlement. On Sept. 13, 2013, Dontrell Stephens then-20-year-old was pulled over by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Adam Lin for a bicycle infraction. Lin got out of his patrol car and within four seconds started shooting at Stephens, who had stepped off his bike with his cellphone in his hand. Stephens complied, but Officer Lin mistook Stephens’ cellphone for a gun and shot at him four times, hitting him once, severing his spinal cord, and leaving him paralyzed. Stephens was unarmed during the entire altercation. Despite the efforts to discredit Stephens, he was ultimately awarded $4.5 million in a trust fund and $1.5 million towards outstanding unpaid medical bills; a far cry from the $22 million he won in federal court. Dontrell Stephens was finally victorious in his fight with the Palm Beach County Police, but it took a serious toll on his body. Stephens, who never walked again died a year after Gov. Ron DeSantis approved his settlement. Buffalo Mayor Myron Brown doesn’t know when to quit. A Trump-appointed judge sided with Brown’s supporters in a recent federal court lawsuit demanding their candidate’s name appear on the November ballot. Local news reported that U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. ordered the Erie County Board of Elections to add Brown’s name to the general election ballot as an independent candidate despite the May deadline. Sinatra determined it posed an undue burden on voters like the plaintiffs not to have their candidate on the ballot. Except Brown has already been on the ballot, and arguably his supporters had an opportunity to vote for him in the June Democratic primary. After the surprising upset by India Walton in the June Primary, the four-term incumbent launched a write-in campaign. Walton received the official endorsement of the Erie County Democratic Party in late August. She announced her plans to appeal the decision. Members of the QAnon cult were involved in the Jan. 6, riot at the U.S. Capitol. According to the Washington Post, a 42-year-old Des Moines man Douglas Jensen was rearrested Thursday after a court supervision officer caught him alone in his garage streaming some right-wing nonsense on his phone. Jensen—who was filmed during the rebellion chasing after hero U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up two flights of stairs inside the Capitol building while looking for the Senate chamber because he thought members of Congress were going to be arrested. A wrongfully accused Philadelphia man, Curtis Crosland, has been freed after spending more than three decades in prison. He was accused of murdering a man and had been serving time for years until his case was reviewed. He has since been reunited with his fiancée, five kids, and 32 grandkids. Speaking about his newfound freedom, Crosland expressed joy and happiness for finally being heard after “constantly knocking on the door.” Crosland also opened up about how he feels about being with his family, who welcomed him back with open arms. He is glad to still be a father, happy to be wanted and desired by his fiancée. Crosland’s conviction was initially based on testimony from two witnesses who later recanted their statements. The unfair ruling was overturned in June thanks to months of grueling work done by the Philadelphia Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU). In yet another indication that Black America was being left behind by the country’s economic recovery, the jobs report for August showed that the Black unemployment rate last month surged while joblessness for every other group fell. he rising Black unemployment rate nearly wiped out the notable hiring in July, when the jobs report showed that same rate falling a full percentage point. But, as of Friday, the Black unemployment rate stood at 8.8%, evidence that it was trending in the wrong direction following rates of 8.2% in July and 9.2% in June. Meanwhile, the white unemployment rate dropped 0.3% to 4.5%; the Asian unemployment rate dropped 0.7% to 4.6%; and the unemployment rate for Hispanic and Latino workers fell 0.2% to 6.4%. England attacker Raheem Sterling was pelted with cups by Hungary fans who reportedly shouted racist chants at him after he scored the opening goal in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Budapest on Thursday. Sterling opened the scoring in the second half, putting England up 1-0 with a beautiful, simple finish. As he celebrated his goal, Sterling tore off his jersey to reveal a tribute to Steffie Gregg, a 26-year-old Twitch streamer who died from COVID-19 complications earlier in the week. As he celebrated, he was pelted with cups from the crowd. ITV journalist Gabriel Clarke also reported that fans made monkey sounds and gestures at Sterling and 18-year-old England player Jude Bellingham during the match. Former NFL wide receiver David Patten, who won three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, was killed in a motorcycle crash Thursday outside Columbia, South Carolina, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford. He was 47. According to South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Nick Pye, a motorcycle driver — identified by the coroner as Patten — crossed the median, causing a crash involving two other cars. One of the cars’ drivers was also taken to a hospital with undisclosed injuries. The crash remains under investigation by the highway patrol and the coroner. “I am heartbroken by the news of David’s passing,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “He was a devout Christian who followed his passion following his football career and founded his own ministry. David transitioned from an undersized and understated wide receiver to a powerful and passionate preacher. In New England, he will always be remembered as a three-time Super Bowl Champion.” An 18-year-old boxer is dead after she was knocked unconscious during a match this weekend at IGA Stadium in Montreal. Jeanette Zacarias Zapata sustained injuries to her brain while fighting Canada’s Marie-Pier Houle on Saturday night, according to the Associated Press. Footage from the match showed the 18-year-old Mexican boxer being hit with a flurry of punches near the end of the fourth round, and Zapata appeared to convulse after 31-year-old Houle landed an uppercut that caused her mouthguard to fly out. Zapata was attended to by her partner and trainer, Jovanni Martinez, and a medical team at the stadium took her to a local hospital where she was placed in a medically induced coma, the AP reported. Her death was announced by event promoter Groupe Yvon Michel in a statement on Thursday night. “It is with great sadness and torment that we have learned, from a representative of her family, that Jeannette Zacarias Zapata passed away this afternoon at 3:45 p.m.,” the statement read. Oscar De La Hoya has withdrawn from his upcoming comeback fight after being hospitalized with COVID-19. The 48-year-old revealed his diagnosis on Friday – eight days before he was scheduled to step into the ring to take on former UFC champion Vitor Belfort at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. De La Hoya announced he had contracted the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated. He shared a video to Twitter from his hospital bed accompanied by a caption which read: ‘I wanted you to hear directly from me that despite being fully vaccinated, I have contracted COVID and am not going to be able to fight next weekend. ‘Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the last months, & I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support.’ He added: ‘I am currently in the hospital getting treatment and am confident I will be back in the ring before the year is up. God bless everyone and stay safe.’ Loretta Devine got real on last Sunday’s episode of the autobiographical series “Uncensored,” which aired on TV One. Devine has over 166 credits under her belt and has carved out a career under the guise of mainstream Hollywood approval, which can be quite harsh for a Black woman. https://youtu.be/gkrI37Xvtfg “The Wood” is being remade into a pilot for a new comedy series on Showtime. The pilot itself will be on sister network Paramount Television Studios. Rick Famuyiwa will direct the pilot as well as executive produce the series, while Justin Hillian will write and co-executive produce. https://youtu.be/1GU-D64mVe8 Marvel Studios‘ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” is high on octane. It is not only an awesome display of skill and visuals but shows the importance of roots. No truer words could be spoken by Shang-Chi’s mother, Li (Fala Chen), than those about family: “You are a product of all who came before you.” Sounds familiar? T’Chala (Chadwick Boesman) is a product of his ancestral past. Africa is “the cradle of civilization,” and even though slaves snatched from their homelands were brutalized and sometimes killed if they tried to read, still they rose. [“Still I Rise,” Maya Angelou] https://youtu.be/giWIr7U1deA Former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila has joined “The Talk” for season 12 as new host of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show, with Sheryl Underwood, Amanda Kloots and Jerry O’Connell. The new season kicks off Monday, Sept. 13. Gbajabiamila appeared as a guest co-host on multiple episodes in June and July. “It’s a new day in daytime for season 12 of THE TALK, and we are thrilled to welcome Akbar to the family. His engaging personality, openness and quick wit really impressed us when he appeared as a guest co-host last season,” said Heather Gray, executive producer and showrunner of THE TALK. Paramount+ is reviving “The Game.“ Tuesday, during the Television Critics Association virtual presentation, production announced two new cast members, Tim Daly (“Madam Secretary”), who will play Colonel Ulysses S. Thatcher, a self-made billionaire, and Toby Sandeman (“Power Book III: Raising Kanan”), who will play Garret Evans, the top football player in the league. The groundbreaking series is bring back Wendy Raquel Robinson (as sports agent Tasha Mack); Hosea Chanchez (as footballer Malik Wright); Brittany Daniel (Kelly Pitts) and Pooch Hall (Derwin Davis) will make special guest appearances. Fans of the hit show, Sistas, are calling out Tyler Perry for the cast’s wigs, and he has a response to the criticism. The BET series, which is currently on hiatus until October, has received tons of negative criticism on social media due to the wigs the actors wear. But Tyler Perry has had enough of the negativity. On an episode of The Tyler Perry Show: After-Show Edition, Tyler Perry said, “I want all of y’all to stop talking about hair to me, please.” He continued, “I swear to you, these are the things I can do – I can run a company, I can build a house, I can go on stage. I do all of this stuff. I know what I do. I don’t know how to do hair. I don’t know nothing about it.” Perry said he hires people to handle wigs and styling for his movies and shows and believes they are doing a good job. He added, “I hire people to do hair. Pay them $65 an hour. You heard that right, $65 an hour. They work 10 to 12 hours a day to make sure the hair is right. That’s their job, so I’m paying them to do their job and they’re doing that. They’re doing a great job.” “I’ve been doing music all my life…an instrumentalist at 7,” said multi-talented performer Jahna Sebastian when I commented on her many skills (singer, songwriter, musician, engineer, videographer, and record label owner). “It came naturally…though I did have some training as well. Learning is a part of life, there is always something to learn. I learned to read music…classical music…and also drawing and painting at 11. Then I decided to make music my main art.” https://youtu.be/Tx2tiAN8smQ According to TMZ, Kodak personally delivered AC units to the housing project to help folks beat the sweltering Florida heat back in July. Now the Housing Authority issued a cease and desist letter last month, which accused Kodak of entering the property twice, causing “disturbances.” The Housing Authority reportedly claimed the rapper caused a disruption by shooting a music video on the property and playing loud music. “Your actions have adversely impacted the Property’s residents’ right to peacefully enjoy the property,” The Housing Authority said. Bradford Cohen, Kodak’s lawyer hit back with a letter saying it was not only sad but also shameful they “wish to stop the assistance to the elderly and underprivileged during a heat wave and 2 year pandemic.” Cohen also noted that Kodak did NOT film any music videos. All there was just some background music that was not loud at all. The new season of WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” has kicked off and we have an exclusive clip of TONIGHT’s all-new episode! https://youtu.be/PZTyJxcxoPg The $5.5 million Atlanta home of Cardi B and Offset fell victim to Hurricane Ida as it traveled through Georgia earlier this week. “Storm is no joke,” the rapper, 28, captioned a video on her Instagram Story Wednesday in which she panned over her wood floors to show that they were covered in water. “This is so f–king wack,” she said she filmed. Cardi showed that her bathroom had been flooded with water, too, before shouting, “Oh, my God, it’s starting to stink.” https://youtu.be/FzF8fMW_tFo #Texans are now able to legally carry guns in public without a permit or training.? Texas has just passed a gun law that would enable a person who is not trained and not licensed with a permit to publicly carry a firearm, despite the rise in gun violence incidents in the state.? According to #CNN, shootings in the state have risen by 14 percent in 2021, with 3,200 more shootings than in 2020. Gun violence has increased by 50 percent in the entire country.? “In Texas, repealing the permit altogether is a radical change,” said Andrew Karwoski, a policy expert at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Just allowing almost anyone to carry a handgun in public, no questions asked, no background check or safety training, is really dangerous.”? A Russian sushi delivery chain was forced to remove ads featuring a Black man after receiving death threats. Yobidoyobi, which has stores in 65 Russian cities, issued an apology on its social media accounts. Per CBS News, the restaurant’s owner Konstantin Zimen said he was bombarded by death threats from a nationalist hate group over the advertisement. The ad features a Black male model surrounded by three white women eating sushi. Zimen said the attacks came from the hate group “Male State.” The movement’s leader, Vladislav Pozdnyakov, previously threatened Russian women with biracial children, LGBTQ and feminist activists, per the report. If last week was about getting new Allen head coach Chad Morris settled into the new gig, then Week 2 was about getting a hard crash course in the expectations that come along with the job. Not that the former SEC coach needed it, but it came anyway as Allen snapped its 84-game regular season winning streak and dropped its first game at home since building Eagle Stadium. It was a 41-20 loss to the seventh ranked team in the state, Humble Atascocita. But a regular season loss at Allen matters regardless of the opponent. “It’s what everyone is talking about. As long you play a game out there, there is probably going to be a game lost out there on the home field,” Morris said. “We had an unbelievable streak going. Do I read too much into it? Look, I hate every game we lose regardless of the streak.” Allen saw the game unravel steadily from the second quarter on. After holding a 10-point lead in the second quarter on a Mike Hawkins 41-yard touchdown pass to Steven Gorski, Atascocita scored 27 unanswered points. A former Georgia prosecutor was indicted Thursday on misconduct charges alleging she used her position to shield the men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery from being charged with crimes immediately after the shootings. A grand jury in coastal Glynn County indicted former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson on charges of violating her oath of office and hindering a law enforcement officer. Arbery was killed on February 23, 2020, after a white father and son, Greg and Travis McMichael, armed themselves and pursued the 25-year-old Black man in a pickup truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood outside the coastal city of Brunswick. A neighbor, William ‘Roddie’ Bryan joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun. The McMichaels said they believed Arbery was a burglar and that he was shot after attacking Travis McMichael with his fists. Police did not charge any of them immediately following the shooting, and the McMichaels and Bryan remained free for more than two months until the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case. All three were charged with murder in May 2020 and face trial this fall. Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and a neighbor, Roddie Bryan, the three white supremacists charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery, are scheduled to stand trial in Brunswick on Oct. 18. Arbery, 25, was called a ““F–king n—-r” by his killer as he lay dying on the pavement after being fatally shot while allegedly jogging through his Georgia neighborhood on February 23, 2020. As reported by the Atlanta Constitution Journal, Arbery had a history of thefts, obstruction, illegal gun possession and entering into homes and businesses, said Jason Sheffield, one of Travis’ lawyers. “Why the judge would now decide that all of his prior motives, his intent, his plan to do these things is not relevant in this case is baffling.” Sheffield added that the jury “will be denied the truth.” Ahmaud’s killers have been indicted on 9 charges, including malicious murder. MSNBC anchor Geoff Bennett had to pause to collect himself Wednesday while reading the last words of Elijah McClain, whose killing in 2019 led to grand jury indictments handed down earlier in the day against police and paramedics in Aurora, Colo. During a segment on “MSNBC Reports,” Bennett discussed McClain’s case with former federal prosecutor Paul Butler and criminal defense attorney David Henderson. He said police shouldn’t have stopped McClain at all, let alone pin him to the ground in a choke hold and deliver a powerful dose of ketamine. “This kid was 5’6" and weighed 140 pounds and they gave him enough sedative that you would give to someone who weighed 220 pounds,” Bennett said. “And his final words are haunting and tragic.” Bennett began to choke up while reading McClain’s final words to officers and paramedics, reciting: “I can’t breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain. That’s my house. I was just going home. I’m an introvert. I’m just different. That’s all. I’m so sorry. I have no gun. I don’t do that stuff. I don’t do any fighting. Why are you attacking me?” After reading McClain’s words, a visibly teary Bennett asked both Butler and Henderson: “If Elijah McClain isn’t safe, who is?” https://twitter.com/i/status/1433143605795905537 TikTok user @uhdezuh posted a now-deleted clip posted on August 25 of a Verizon Wireless employee talking to her over the phone about slavery and human trafficking. “If she didn’t have my account right in front of her, I would have just hung up,” wrote @uhdezuh in the overlay text on the video. “Slaves have been around since Egypt’s days, Mayan and Incan days,” the employee tells @uhdezuh, as reported by The Daily Dot. “The Aztecs used to enslave the Mayans.” The employee then tells @uhdezuh that the movie “Taken” starring Liam Neeson is “more true than people realize.” “Girls are kidnapped to be sex slaves,” the employee continues. In a follow-up video, @uhdezuh explained that the conversation kicked off when she told the employee she “liked her name,” that’s when the Verizon worker noted that her mother, who chose her name, has an extensive collection of Disney movies. The staffer also explained that her mother is missing one Disney title from her collection, “Song of the South.” “Disney stopped releasing it because it was racist,” the worker said. @uhdezuh asked if she agreed with Disney pulling the movie. The Verizon employee said “slavery is part of our history,” and that it has “happened in other places” outside the U.S., and that there are “white slaves currently.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki questioned by a male Catholic TV reporter on how President Biden squares his abortion views with his faith, telling him: ‘I know you’ve never been pregnant.’ ‘Why does the President support abortion when his own catholic faith teaches it is morally wrong?’ Owen Jensen, reporter for Catholic television network EWTN, asked the press secretary on Thursday afternoon.‘He believes it’s a woman’s right, it’s a woman’s body and it’s her choice. It’s up to a woman to make those decisions and a woman’s decision to make with her doctor.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/09/02/1534744602154517482/636x382_MP4_1534744602154517482.mp4 The wife of Texas gubernatorial candidate Allen West has been cleared of DWI charges following her arrest last month after being pulled over with her three-month-old grandchild in the car. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office said toxicology test concluded Angela Graham-West, 61, had no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system and would not pursue the DWI case against her. Her attorney George Milner thanked the District Attorney for rejecting the case after viewing the results. ‘We sincerely appreciate District Attorney John Creuzot’s diligence in this matter,’ Milner said in a statement. ‘This is the right result, and we appreciate that honest justice was swift.’ Graham-West’s husband, who at the time of the arrest was ‘beyond livid’, said he wants police to release the entirety of the body cam footage from the night of his wife’s arrest as well as an apology. A white woman was charged with causing a disturbance after a TikTok video of her hurling racist insults at a family as she whipped around on her motorized scooter went viral. Rabia Zamir was with her family at a park in Canada’s Port Perry when the woman rolled up. Zamir began recording, as she drove around her family and other South Asian people at the park, yelling racist slurs at them. In the three minutes of footage she posted on TikTok, the woman shouts at Zamir, telling her to get out of her way and stop speaking her language. “I’m the Canadian here,” she screamed, as she drove around in circles. “I’ll f—–g speak my language, but f–k you and yours!” Zamir, who is eight months pregnant, wrote that she couldn’t ignore the woman if she tried because she was “driving super-fast back and forth” around her and “posed a risk.” The woman also drove up to Zamir’s husband, who was holding their daughter, and continued her racist barking. https://www.tiktok.com/@_rabioli/video/6997559435086384390?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F&referer_video_id=6997559435086384390&refer=embed Ricky Texada, beloved senior pastor at Covenant Church in North Texas, died Monday at the age of 57 from COVID-19. Texada had been a pastor at the church since 1997. He served at the Colleyville campus until about a year ago, when he moved to the main campus in Carrollton. Texada’s family declined to say whether he was vaccinated or not, but said he had been hospitalized since Aug. 10. Covenant Church will host a viewing ceremony Friday and a service for Texada on Saturday at the Carrollton campus. The viewing will be from 1-4 p.m. Friday, and the service will start at 11 a.m. Saturday, according to the church’s social media pages. On Wednesday (09-01-21), according to Candace Owens, a private facility in Colorado refused to test her for COVID. Owens posted a screenshot on Twitter of what she said was an email from a Rocky Mountain Labs practitioner: “I’ve just learned of this testing request and as the owner of this business am going to refuse this booking and deny service. We cannot support anyone who has pro-actively worked to make this pandemic worse by spreading misinformation, politicizing and DISCOURAGING the wearing of masks and actively dissuading people from receiving life-saving vaccinations.” “My team and myself have worked overtime, to exhaustion, unpaid and underpaid this past year, spending our own capital to ensure that our community remains protected,” said the screenshotted email. “It would be unfair to them and to the sacrifices we have all made this year to serve you.” Tim Tebow will be joining ESPN’s “First Take” as one of Stephen A. Smith’s new debate foes, the network announced Thursday. The former Heisman Trophy winner will go head-to-head with Smith on Fridays, while Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin will co-host the show with Smith on Mondays. The other days will feature a rotation of ESPN personalities, which includes Mina Kimes and Kendrick Perkins, duking it out with Smith. Molly Qerim will remain on the show as a moderator. The Cowboys have added a quarterback to their roster. Dallas claimed Will Grier, a 2019 third-round draft selection by the Panthers, off waivers on Wednesday. The move came after Dallas cut two quarterbacks Tuesday: veteran journeyman Garrett Gilbert and 2020 seventh-rounder Ben DiNucci, the latter rejoining the team’s practice squad Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the move told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel moves that were not yet official. Cooper Rush remained on the roster as Dak Prescott’s presumed backup—a role Rush held while with the Cowboys from 2017-19. The Cowboys valued Rush’s familiarity with coordinator Kellen Moore’s scheme, an emphasis that could still secure his spot as their second quarterback for the team’s Sept. 9 season opener at Tampa Bay. After a run of prison sentences that spanned two decades — brought on by a gambling addiction that led to financial fraud, theft and shattered an NFL dream — former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter has been released from prison. Court records show Schlichter, 61, became eligible for parole June 13 and was released from the Trumbull Correctional Institution in Leavittsburg, Ohio, the next day. He was serving time for federal fraud charges related to a massive ticket scheme that bilked millions of dollars from his victims. Schlichter’s status is listed by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction as “APA Supervision” for the next five years. That means Schlichter will be supervised by the Adult Parole Authority in Ohio, responsible for adult felony offenders returning to the community. As part of his parole, Schlichter was required to sign a contract agreeing to a number of rules, including not to own guns, use illegal drugs or leave the state without notifying his parole officer. There was nothing in the contract stating that Schlichter cannot gamble. Apple TV+ true crime anthology series “Truth Be Told,” out Friday, September 3. Per press release, the sophomore season of “Truth Be Told” debuted exclusively on Apple TV+ on August 20. The NAACP Image Award-winning drama from acclaimed writer, showrunner and executive producer Nichelle Tramble Spellman, stars executive producer, Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, along with Academy Award nominee Kate Hudson who joins the second season for her first lead role in a television series. The 10-episode season, which provides a glimpse into America’s obsession with true crime podcasts, returned with the first episode, with new episodes premiering every Friday through October 22. https://youtu.be/dhVd2e0-yFA The return of HAMILTON to the Hollywood Pantages is a welcome reset to nightlife normalcy, sans the fact that delighted audience members must wear masks. Normalcy might not ever be the same and neither will American theater thanks to HAMILTON. The realization that this story can be told with such swag is still intoxicating. Outstanding performance recognition in the LA Company goes to Jamael Westman (Alexander Hamilton), Joanna A. Jones (Eliza Schuyler Hamilton), Nicholas Christopher (Aaron Burr), Sabrina Sloan (Angelica Schuyler), Carvens Lissaint (George Washington), Simon Longnight (Lafayette & Thomas Jefferson) and Taylor Iman Jones (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds). HAMILTON is a production, a performance, a movement and an artistic city within itself. Let not the moment pass, when any moment presents an opportunity to see HAMILTON. It will seep into your very soul. https://youtu.be/iRh-kIGUAPI He’s eagerly awaiting a brand new addition. And Lil Nas X stroked a fake baby bump while announcing he’s ‘pregnant’ with his debut studio album on TikTok. The 22-year-old musician joked that ‘baby Montero is due September 17, 2021’ as he cradled a prosthetic belly while smiling for the camera. Lil Nas — who’s full name is Montero Lamar Hill — stood shirtless in the bathroom for the quick clip shared on social media. ‘I have an announcement,’ he wrote with a slew of celebratory emojis.’ The Old Town Road singer stepped back to show off his growing baby bump as he announced the release date for his first catalog of hits. #HoneyBooBoo, 16, revealed that she is dating a 20-year-old (Black) college student, leaving fans side-eyeing the relationship.? According to a source close to the 16-year-old reality star, whose real name is #AlanaThompson, she has been dating #DralinCarswell for the past six months. The insider claims that the two are “attached at the hip.” Despite the age difference, Thompson’s family approves of the relationship.? Back in March, Carswell changed his Facebook status to “in a relationship.” A private Facebook page for Thompson previously showed a cover photo of the couple together, but it has since been changed.? Despite the couple residing in Georgia, where the legal age of consent is 16, social media slammed the relationship. Fans called for her sister and legal guardian, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon, to intervene. One Twitter user wrote, “Someone arrest honey boo boo boyfriend.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CTU3ZZttigA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Black News Channel (BNC), the nation’s fastest growing news network, announces the launch of BNC GO, an all-new streaming product that will host a slate of unique, all-original content separate from its linear programming offerings. BNC GO is tailored to suit the interests, active lifestyles and consumption patterns of Millennial and Gen Z audiences. Beginning September 13, BNC GO will bring together the latest action, trends and leading voices in the Black community, featuring influencers at the forefront of culture, business, entertainment, travel, food, fashion, sports and finance. BNC GO launches on more than 200 million internet-connected devices via agreements with Amazon Fire TV, Pluto, Roku, Tubi, Samsung, Vizio and more. BNC GO will stream 24/7 and deliver 18 hours of original content every weekday from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET. The all-new product provides a dynamic rundown of trending news, interviews with special guests, branded segments and live shots from the hottest events. A solution has been created – The One Club For Creativity. One Club is a non-profit organization recognizing creative excellence in advertising and design. They recently, announced two initiatives to bring awareness to the lack of diversity in advertising. ONE School, a free, online portfolio school with a mission to close the gap for Black creatives within the Advertising space – an industry known for profiting off of Black culture. This initiative recognizes the unconscious bias in the recruiting process and how unaffordable the top portfolio schools – some two year programs can cost up to $40,000. Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Adrienne L. Lucas, is pushing for change as she spearheads the “Where Are All The Black People” initiative. And Dominique Wynne is making history as the first Black woman to become the Head of Atlanta’s One School. Some of your favorites Quartet legends stop by In the Spotlight tonight to celebrate the late great Lee Williams who went home to be with the Lord this week. We have them all together tonight. Harvey Watkins, Jr., Pastor Luther Barnes, Keith Wonderboy Johnson, Lil Roy, Tiffanie Tutu Agee and Pastor Tim Rogers. Going down 7pm ET/6pm CT and you can catch all of the action at: https://www.youtube.com/user/mrkerrydouglas Acclaimed singer Stephanie Summers, releases the new single “Mighty Strong God,” available now at digital music providers. Summers - whose powerful performances garnered top honors as the BET “Sunday Best” Season 10 winner on the hit Gospel competition - has also launched the new track as the first single out to Gospel radio. Showcasing Stephanie Summers’ bright vocal artistry, “Mighty Strong God” creates a buoyant anthem celebrating God’s mighty strength and enduring presence to hold and help us through any personal difficulties. Produced by J.J. Hairston, who is featured on the new song, “Mighty Strong God” is also co-written by Hairston and Kentrell Ragin. The single is the title track to her upcoming full-length album Mighty Strong God, which is slated for release on Friday, October 22nd, 2021. https://StephanieSummers.lnk.to/MightyStrongGodSingle!WW DOE TEAMS UP WITH MATT MAHER. THE BIBLE ENCOURAGES US TO MAKE A "JOYFUL NOISE" AND THAT IS JUST WHAT WE ARE DOING! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oi1G68Iyak "WONDER" BY TRAVIS GREENE, “When my soul looks back and wonders, now I know, it was nobody, nobody but You.” Travis Greene sums it up perfectly. Get caught up in this snippet of “Wonder.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CTGOIWtD6Jh/ Jekalyn Carr releases a brand new single, “My Portion,” with WayNorth Music. The steady and vibrant mid-tempo song, available now, is amplified with Carr’s signature dynamic vocals and reminds us of the Promises of God. “I love the good message of ‘My Portion,’” said Carr. “This song was written so that people can understand what is rightfully theirs and how they must embrace this place. We often don’t understand the true word of God over our lives, and with this song I wanted to remind us that God has already spoken His promises to every person.” https://song.link/OrderMyPortion New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been hit by severe flooding and dangerous winds as the remnants of Hurricane Ida sweep up to the northeast. The National Weather Service’s office in New York issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City for the first time ever, as more than 60 million people throughout the northeast are under flash flood watches while Ida – now a tropical depression – moves its way into the area. ‘This particular warning for NYC is the second time we’ve ever issued a Flash Flood Emergency. (It’s the first one for NYC). The first time we’ve issued a Flash Flood Emergency was for Northeast New Jersey an hour ago,’ the agency tweeted, referring to the highest level flood warning – indicating immediate and significant threats to life and property. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/09/02/1783121981153392162/636x382_MP4_1783121981153392162.mp4 It t looks like the angry white man who charged towards MSNBC correspondent Shaquille Brewster and interrupted his live broadcast on Hurricane Ida from Mississippi is also charging head-first into the consequences of his own actions. The white man in the white pickup was identified Monday by the Gulfport Police Department and, on Tuesday, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Surprising to nobody who is familiar with the thuggery of Caucasians hopped up on their own entitlement, it turns out the man has a criminal past—and it’s as wild as his attack was. According to NBC News, 54-year-old Benjamin Eugene Dagley will be charged with two counts of simple assault, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of violating an emergency curfew. The Wooster, Ohio, resident might also be in violation of the terms of his probation in Cuyahoga County if he wasn’t permitted to travel some 1,000 miles from his home, according to the police. https://twitter.com/i/status/1432880637208236032 Black man was arrested by federal law enforcement and charged for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots in what may be the first non-white person being held accountable for the violent insurrection that left five people dead. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Uliyahu Hayah was arrested on Aug. 26 specifically for allegedly assaulting an officer with the Capitol Police Department. Much like the parade of hundreds of other accused Capitol rioters, Hayah was first spotted on video surveillance footage from inside and around the Capitol before he was ultimately identified, arrested and charged. The hit true crime docu-series ATL HOMICIDE airs on Labor Day, Monday, September 6 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. The explosive season finale focuses on Charles Boyer who becomes an unfortunate victim of a string of gang-committed murders happening all across the city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CYF84kUn-8 According to NBC News, at least 20 people were killed Wednesday night as remnants of Hurricane Ida hit New York and New Jersey with tornadoes, record rain, and extreme flooding. Videos online showed the results of the storm ripping through different parts of the East Coast. Sadly, four women, three men, and a 2-year-old boy died in five separate flooding incidents in the city, police said. Over in Passaic, New Jersey, firefighters recovered a body from a vehicle that went underwater when it was caught in floodwaters near the Passaic River, the town’s mayor said. A spokesperson for Mayor Christian Bollwage also confirmed to NBC News Thursday that in Elizabeth, New Jersey, five residents at the Oakwood Plaza Apartments complex died. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTUpPJ5nSSX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Black educator in Texas has been suspended amid controversy over a photo of his white wife. Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield penned a lengthy Facebook message last month in which he detailed the day the district asked him to remove an intimate photo from his private Facebook page of James and his white wife. He is also catching heat from colleagues and parents for teaching critical race theory, which unpacks the root causes of racism and inequality in America. In his August post, Whitfield recalled a phone call he received on June 27, 2019, about an anniversary photo of him and his wife that he shared on social media. hitfield reluctantly obliged when the administrator asked him to take down the photo, which showed him and his wife, Kerrie, in an intimate pose on the beach. https://youtu.be/ybCr-OXGYoI Shondaland Audio has teamed with spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant on a new weekly podcast series set to launch in early 2022. Hosted by Vanzant, The R Spot will offer listeners an opportunity to engage in conversations that will examine, explore, dissect and investigate relationship issues, before and after a crisis, all under the guidance of Vanzant. Topics are not limited only to romantic relationships, rather relationships of all kinds and its commonly-experienced challenges. Listeners will be able to submit their relationship questions directly to Vanzant for the chance to have it featured and addressed in an upcoming episode. https://www.instagram.com/iyanlavanzant/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c83ae223-68e2-41b3-b19a-2b66dcb95ab6 Director Roland Emmerich is back with yet another disaster film, following “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Independence Day,” now get ready for “Moonfall.” The sci-fi apocalyptic film stars Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, Michael Peña, John Bradley and Donald Sutherland. Per press release, in “Moonfall,” a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Wilson) and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (Bradley) believes her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is. https://youtu.be/QRbsmbr4HFM Legendary and award winning actor and activist Danny Glover sits down for an exclusive conversation with radio and TV personality Jazmyn Summers to talk about life, acting and the struggle for justice. The iconic actor has over 42 years in the game. When he started acting, the Lethal Weapon star says he felt awkward about being so tall, having mild dyslexia and epilepsy but he said his activism in social change gave him the fire to keep pushing as an actor. https://player.vimeo.com/video/595110716?h=17c0b8ba48" width="640" KeKe Palmer’s boyfriend called her a “blessing from above,” in a heartfelt birthday message shared on Instagram. “To the birthday girl.. never would’ve expected summer 2021 to turn out the way it did but here we are,” wrote Palmer’s man, Darius Daulton Jackson, in honor of Keke’s 28th. The caption accompanied several photos of the pair together. “You’ve been a blessing from above & i thank you for showing me a lot of feelings i didn’t know i had in me & also seeing me as someone you can finally be yourself to,” he added. ”The Real” is set to return for season 8 on Sept. 20, with hosts Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai Jenkins and Garcelle Beauvais. Telepictures Productions announced Tuesday that the new season will also bring format changes, as reported by urban Hollywood 411. Per the outlet, Tenia L. Watson has been elevated to executive producer and showrunner. https://youtu.be/_fT-BYFSsgI An all-new episode of WE tv’s new series “Brat Loves Judy” returns Thursday night with Judy explaining why she doesn’t want Da Brat to feel pressured into buying a massive bling ring to represent their engagement. Brat doesn’t have a ring for Judy, so inquiring minds want to know when she will go ring shopping? https://youtu.be/QL0jAf3IwWc Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman sat down with ET’s Kevin Frazier to talk about his upcoming nuptials with fiancee, Francie Frane, and that his daughter Bonnie says she wasn’t invited because she supports Black Lives Matter. I have never been a racist,” Dog insists. “I’m 33.5 percent Apache. But because of over 15 years ago, I have an Achilles’ heel because I used the wrong word.” https://youtu.be/RopQ1x31gcw Keefe D recently recounted a run-in he had with Tha Dogg Pound’s Daz Dillinger that nearly ended with rape. In case you didn’t know… Keefe is the uncle of Tupac Shakur’s alleged killer Orlando Anderson. Speaking to The Art of Dialogue, Keefe D explained that while he was in prison, Daz dissed him on a song. After his release, he ran into Daz at a marijuana shop and confronted him about the track. “I ran into him at this weed spot,” he said, as reported by Hip Hop DX. “It was one way in and one way out. I’m like, ‘Man, you don’t know who I am?!’ He like, ‘Nah, dog.’ ‘I’m Keefe D, muthafucka!’ He like, ‘Oh man, I was tripping, man. I was tripping, man. The money had me going crazy.’ “Yeah, you sure the fuck was. And he was on our turf — I could’ve raped him that day.” https://youtu.be/nWJlLovALuA Michael Strahan owns the single-season sack record and played his entire 15-year career with the New York Giants. That, along with his other career accomplishments, will get his No. 92 retired by the team this season. Strahan, currently a co-host on Good Morning America, will have his number retired on Nov. 28 when the Giants host the rival Philadelphia Eagles. It’s currently scheduled to be a 1 p.m. ET game. Strahan was surprised Wednesday morning on GMA by former teammate Eli Manning, who jumped out of a box in a No. 92 Giants jersey to announce the jersey retirement. Former Giants defensive stars Justin Tuck and Jessie Armstead also came out in No. 92 jerseys. Strahan helped the Giants to a Super Bowl XLII triumph over the previously undefeated New England Patriots, was a four-time first-team All Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection and won the NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year award when he set the single-season sack record with 22.5 in 2001. For the second time in a year, an African-American church in Berkeley was targeted in an arson attack that the pastor believes was racially-motivated. This latest attempt was Ebenezer Baptist Church on the corner of Woolsey and Martin Luther King Way. The pastor shared video of the incident with KPIX. In a span of 7 minutes, a woman came back twice to try to set the prominent African American church on fire. The woman in the video was seen pacing around Ebenezer Baptist Church, throwing bricks at the window and pouring lighter fluid on the grass. “By the grace of God the lighter wouldn’t take, it wouldn’t come on full force and nothing was being lit up,” said lead pastor Kevin Craddock II. https://cbsloc.al/3t0jE24 A grand jury has decided to take no action against La Marque Officer Jose Santos, the officer involved in the shooting death of 22-year-old Joshua Feast late last year, according to Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Jack Roady. Feast was shot to death by Santos, a La Marque Police Department officer, on the night of Dec. 9, 2020. Feast later died from his injuries. The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office and the Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office conducted an independent investigation into the incident. A grand jury decided to take no action against the officer. On Dec. 21, 2020, officials released five minutes of bodycam footage of the shooting. Bodycam footage shows Santos quickly exit his vehicle, pull out his gun and fire at Feast as he appears to be running away. A Black couple have sued the city of Beverly Hills, alleging their arrest was part of a campaign by its police to arrest Black people for trivial reasons and at disproportionate rates. The couple’s lawyers, Bradley Gage and Benjamin Crump, said the Beverly Hills police last year set up a task force — dubbed “Operation Safe Streets” and the “Rodeo Drive Task Force” — that arrested 106 people, 105 of whom were Black and one of whom was Latino. Gage said the sources of the arrest figures were unidentified retired Beverly Hills police officers who were appalled with the task force’s actions and so shared with him the alleged racial breakdown of who had been arrested. The impetus for the task force, Gage said, was both the protests over the death of George Floyd and what Beverly Hills police believed were transactions at retail stores using suspected proceeds of unemployment benefit fraud. Gage described the Police Department’s approach to rooting out suspected fraud as, “Gee, that’s suspicious — Black people shopping in Beverly Hills.” Virginia Gov. Ralph S. Northam, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser attended a ceremony in Caledon State Park in King George, Va., on Monday to mark the transfer of the first 55 headstones from Virginia to Maryland, officials said. The grave markers will be part of a memorial garden at National Harmony Memorial Park in Prince George’s County, Md., honoring the 37,000 people buried at the original cemetery. The Columbian Harmony Cemetery was established in 1859 and was the most prominent burial site for African-Americans in Washington. Among the people buried there were Elizabeth Keckly, a former slave who became a seamstress and trusted confidante of President Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln; Osborne Perry Anderson, the only African-American survivor of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in October 1859; Mary Ann Shadd Cary, America’s first African-American female newspaper editor in 1853; and Philip Reid, a foundry worker who helped build the Statue of Freedom at the U.S. Capitol, officials said. Outspoken Christian and former pro athlete Tim Tebow joined Samaritan’s Purse to bring much-needed supplies to those evacuating Afghanistan. Samaritan’s Purse, the Christian humanitarian group led by Franklin Graham, responded to the crisis in Afghanistan by partnering with other organizations to get men, women, and children out of the country. They sponsored flights that carried hundreds to safety. The North Carolina-based organization reported that one of its partners made three trips into Afghanistan and evacuated 700 people in one day. The Christian group also helped to get 80 missionary families out of the country. In an Instagram post, Franklin Graham wrote that team members provided hygiene items, blankets, and other necessities to thousands of people. They even helped deliver a baby. Glenn Beck was aided in his travels last week by televangelist Kenneth Copeland, who lended his private jet to the conservative talk radio host as he worked to rescue endangered Christians in Afghanistan. Beck’s operation, The Nazarene Fund, has resulted in the rescue of more than 5,000 Christian refugees, who have now been relocated in a handful of different countries — a Goliath task he said was accomplished with no help from the U.S. government. Beck, who has been in the Middle East personally, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that none of his traveling costs have been paid by The Nazarene Fund. Instead, Beck told the anchor, he is paying his own way. In addition, he’s received some personal assistance from Copeland. Staccato Powell touted himself as an innovator who would bring a “new paradigm” after his 2016 election as an African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church bishop, assigned to oversee the western U.S. congregations in the predominantly Black denomination. He was the first to set up a bishop’s residence in the Western Episcopal District, seeking to supervise church affairs and enhance church growth while living in the district, instead of traveling in and out of the six-state region. But was he a pioneer or a swindler? Was he an entrepreneur who, as he said, used “sophisticated financing of church property” to enhance congregations and support their pastors? Or, as the remaining AME Zion bishops said, did he inappropriately use churches’ mortgages in a manner that led some of them to receive foreclosure notices? A month after he was “disrobed” in a church trial as a bishop of the denomination that dates to 1796, the answers depend on whom you ask and whose perspectives you believe. In an interview after the trial, in which Powell was found guilty of 20 counts against him, the former bishop told Religion News Service he intends to continue to use the title of “bishop” though he no longer holds that rank in the denomination of his birth. Get your royal attire ready for the biggest movie of the season as Lifetime is giving fans an inside view on what happened in the royal palace that drove Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to leave with their son Archie in “Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace,” which stars Jordan Dean (“Royal Pains”) who will star as Harry and Sydney Morton (“She’s Gotta Have It”) as Markle. The film will explore the growing isolation and sadness Markle endured during her stay in the palace, Harry’s fear of being incapable of protecting his wife and son, with feeling betrayed by “The Firm” for the lack of protection against the press attacks. https://youtu.be/YCWVDn2Xku8 An alligator got all the smoke, literally, when it had enough of a drone invading its privacy and ate it out of the air, only to be immediately engulfed in thick white smoke. The now-viral video on TikTok shows the gator in Florida’s Everglades being pestered by a drone hovering over its head. Suddenly, the reptile jumps up and gobbles the machinery whole, bringing the snack to the water to chew on the metal. The drone owners were stunned, as white smoke from the devoured craft began swirling around the gator’s head. One woman had named the reptile “George.” “Oh my God, he’s eating it,” she yells. “George, no! Don’t eat that!” “We gotta get out of here,” another unidentified voice says. https://youtu.be/gus5FMGtEok Chrisette Michele was “canceled” after deciding to perform at Donald Trump‘s 2017 inauguration. The decision to perform at his inauguration had serious effects on her career. Kanye West was another artist who publicly supported Donald Trump; however he it didn’t seem to hinder his career. Kanye recently broke Apple Music streaming records with the release of his latest project DONDA, leading some people to call for Chrisette to be “un-canceled.” Chrisette responded to the conversation on Instagram by reposting a tweet that read, “Since our culture is so hyped about Kanye West’s #Donda album; it’s time to UNcancel @ChrisetteM! I hated her singing at 45’s inauguration… But #ChrisetteMichele never disrespected our history/ancestors; didn’t rock a MAGA hat; & never ran a covert campaign to sway an election!” She also added her own message, stating, “I’ve made a choice to stay full of gratitude and master peace, but today, this post has inspired me to allow the energy of comparison to enter my feed. I think most of the comments are well intended and I’m not really attached to the results of the conversation. But it is an interesting topic.” Instagram model and popular OnlyFans creator Miss Mercedes Morr (born Jenae Gagnier) was murdered over the weekend by a crazed fan. Gagnier was strangled and suffered a traumatic concussion, the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner confirmed. Her death has been ruled a homicide. It was Gagnier’s father Mark who discovered her lifeless body on Sunday after he rushed to her home when he couldn’t reach her by phone all weekend. Per NBC News, her body was found along with Kevin Alexander Accorto, 34, who investigators believe killed Gagnier, then himself. https://youtu.be/CdCgT2jb9vE Rose McGowan has called out Oprah Winfrey over her fake support of the #MeToo movement. “I am glad more are seeing the ugly truth of @Oprah,” McGowan 47, tweeted Sunday along with an old photo of Oprah alongside convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein. “I wish she were real, but she isn’t.” McGowan, a survivor of sexual assault, continued, “From being pals with Weinstein to abandoning & destroying Russell Simmon’s [sic] victims, she is about supporting a sick power structure for personal gain, she is as fake as they come. #lizard.” The actress is one of the first women to accuse Weinstein’ of rape. After coming under scrutiny for her scoring of a recent match, Gloria Martinez Rizzo has been suspended “indefinitely” by the World Boxing Association for racially insensitive tweets she posted last year and in 2018. The match in question was between Mykal Fox and Gabriel Maestre for the interim WBA welterweight title on Aug. 7 at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When the bell sounded, Fox, a southpaw, felt he had won the bout. After all, the nearly 6-foot-4 Fox out-landed the 5-foot-11 Maestre in overall punches, 157 to 131, and 38-23 in jabs, flooring the Venezuelan-born fighter for the first time in his career with a hard, left-hand counter in the second round. Fox said after the fight that ringside commentator and two-time heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis “Told me he thought I won, 10-2, in rounds,” and trainer and analyst Joe Goossen “Had me winning, 11-1, in rounds.” Lewis and Goossen were ringside for the bout, which was televised on Fox Deportes. Fox was confident of victory when the judges’ scorecards were read: David Singh and John Mariano at 114-113, and 115-112, respectively, and Martinez Rizzo’s at 117-110. But Fox felt even worse at his hotel room later that evening when he discovered a pattern of racist comments by Martinez Rizzo on her @GloriaRizz account. Revealed by BoxingScene.com writer and blow-by-blow commentator Corey Erdman, the statements maligned former First Lady Michelle Obama and NBA star LeBron James. (The tweets are not accessible, as Martinez Rizzo no longer has a Twitter account) Brooklyn’s historic Medgar Evers College (MEC), celebrating over five decades of advancing knowledge, social justice, and excellence, becomes the first City University of New York (CUNY) campus to offer a cannabis minor degree program. Students can now enroll in “Introduction to the World of Cannabis,” a prerequisite course for many of the other cannabis courses in this degree program. In following semesters, students can choose four courses from any of the 13 newly developed courses to earn a cannabis degree minor in one of four different tracks. These courses provide educational opportunities not only to MEC students but to all students at the other 24 CUNY campuses via e-permits. Exemplifying its core mission to provide educational workforce development and opportunities for economic expansion, MEC’s cannabis minor and forthcoming adult education program will feature the skill-building instructional support needed to foster new cannabis leaders in the areas of testing, cultivation, business, and health. DARE Records Artist Shontelle Norman-Beatty’s current single, “Jesus Will Fix It (Trouble In My Way)” lands at No. 1 on the Gospel Airplay chart. The single is also No. 1 on the Gospel Indicator Airplay chart. To listen to her audio video. After 27 weeks of climbing the single charts, and with more than six million streams, Norman-Beatty experienced the devastating loss of her mother and a severe bout of COVID-19 during the early part of the pandemic. She says her journey to number one has been surreal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN3zVyhnRD0 Karima, the Dove Award-winning and Grammy-nominated recording artist, made a special appearance at Club Quarantine Live with D-Nice, at the sold-out, star-studded live dance party at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 29th. Karima performed her top-charting single “Redeemer,” which has reached the Top 25 on the Gospel Airplay Songs chart. The concert marked the first time Karima appeared on the Hollywood Bowl stage. Co-hosted by Chris Spencer and Donnie Wahlberg, the line-up included performances by The Isley Brothers, Common, Trey Songz, Sheila E., Deborah Cox, Kiana Ledé, Erica Campbell, Charles Jenkins; and other special guest artists including mega-talent Tank and George Clinton. Stellar Award-winning powerhouse vocalist and songwriter Lucinda Moore announces the official digital release date of her new song "Lord, I Hear You." The song is set to be available for download and streaming on Friday, September 17th via her Nalah Music Group imprint in conjunction with SONY Orchard. A lyric video for the song will simultaneously be released on the same day. Co-written by Moore and Cedric Thompson who also produced the mid-tempo track, "Lord, I Hear You" will impact gospel radio in September. A music video for the song is also slated to premiere in October. "Lord, I Hear You" serves as the lead single from her forthcoming EP. In February, Lisa Bellamy released her WHAT WILL IT TAKE album with a successful Gospel radio single "Nothing But The Spirit". The single reached #1 on the Urban Influencer Gospel Radio chart (week of August 23rd). Lisa is offering a new single, "In This House," that showcases her soulful vocal stylings and mixes blues musicality with a traditional churchy sway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW2SNT5GOBU&feature=youtu.be Turmoil and hardships often cultivate outstanding character. Releasing in theaters Nov. 8-10, Fathom Events’ latest special, “Sabina: Tortured for Christ, the Nazi Years,” tells the powerful true story of Sabina (Oster) Wurmbrand and her husband, Richard. Sabina and Richard Wurmbrand are the co-founders of the nonprofit The Voice of the Martyrs – an interdenominational missions organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. https://www.sabinamovie.com/ “Doobie Powell and Sundays Best, Alexis Spight collaborate to bring hope and joy to the masses. “Everything Will Be Alright” combines a contemporary gospel feel with a Neo Soul vibe that touches the universality of the human experience, and grooves you into a spirit of optimism and resolve.” https://www.dropbox.com/s/w46osfevzkwd7c6/Doobie%20Powell%20%20%20%20%20Everything%20Will%20Be%20Alright%20feat%20Alexis%20Spight.mp3?dl=0 Lena Byrd is one of the most sought-after vocalists in contemporary gospel, Lena’s soulful and extraordinary vocal prowess has caught the attention of musicians and artists alike. Her gift has opened many doors. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as Tye Tribbett, Lalah Hathaway, Deitrick Haddon, Dorinda, John P. Kee, Doobie Powell, the late Thomas “TC" Clay, and more. And she was privileged to sing with the legendary Edwin Hawkins as part of the New Edwin Hawkins Singers—where it all began. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGeWkrP8u2M SAN FRANKLIN is an undeniable force among Gospel music's most noted circle of female Gospel artists. Her debut solo album THE FREE PROJECT has made evident her incredible vocal arranging skill, prolific songwriting ability, and anointed delivery and performance. The album chronicles her trials and triumphs and ambition to inspire and lead people to the freedom and liberty that Christ offers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvToaLXKwPY Nearly 60 thousand attendees experienced Grammy Award winning iconic artist Jody Watley flawlessly sing the National Anthem at the Dodgers Stadium, Saturday, August 21st. The ageless pop and R&B singer, also a huge sports fan performed two of her classics, “Don’t You Want Me” and “Looking For A New Love” for the Los Angeles Dodgers Black Heritage pre-game show. https://youtu.be/HqDrTz5glJw Black Americans will take center stage for the third installment of the critically acclaimed Salute THEM Awards (STA) series. The Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ broadcast coincides with National HBCU Week, September 7-10, 2021 airing Sunday, September 12 on BNC at 10 p.m. ET and streaming at 7 p.m. ET via the AARP Black Community Facebook page and Café Mocha Radio YouTube channel. Brought to you by Toyota America, AARP, BNC and the Café Mocha Network, this year’s Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ will ‘salute’ each honoree with a visual vignette that includes their institution as well as feature an array of unique tribute performances from Award-winning artist, actress and entrepreneur Kierra Sheard-Kelly, singer/songwriter Kevin Ross, 2x Stellar Award-nominated Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University and the sounds of Southern University “Human Jukebox” Marching Band. The Supreme Court early Wednesday let a Texas state law take effect that allows private citizens to sue to uphold a ban on the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, potentially creating a new template for states to impose strict restrictions on the procedure. The court’s decision to not act on an emergency petition from Texas abortion clinics comes as the justices prepare to more broadly reconsider the right to an abortion it established almost 50 years ago. In May, justices agreed to review Mississippi’s ban on the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy — a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Those arguments are expected later this year, with a ruling in 2022. “This is a de facto overturning of Roe before the Supreme Court has time to hear the Mississippi case,” said Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson. “And Texas will now go back to being a pre-Roe state, turning the clock back 50 years.” Three cops and two paramedics have been indicted for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide over the death of Elijah McClain, a 23 year-old black man who died after being arrested. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced charges Wednesday against Aurora Police Officers Nathan Woodyard, Randy Roedema and former officer Jason Rosenblatt. He filed the same charges against paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Lt. Peter Cichuniec on a 32 count indictment, which also includes some additional charges. McClain died in August 2019, six days after he was put in a chokehold and injected with ketamine while being arrested in Aurora. The young man was apprehended by police after a resident called 911 in concern after seeing him wearing a ski mask and waving his arms in the air while walking to a convenience store to buy tea. The Mu COVID-19 variant, which some scientists worry may evade vaccines, has been detected in the vast majority of states in the United States, although it accounts for fewer than 1 percent of total cases in the U.S. The World Health Organization (WHO) labeled the Mu strain a variant of interest on Monday, the fifth variant to earn the designation. Officials’ concerns about the variant stem from its mutations, which indicate it could have the potential to evade vaccines, and, while cases are low, the WHO noted in a report that they’re consistently increasing in Colombia, where it originated, and Ecuador. All but three states in the U.S.—Nebraska, Vermont and South Dakota—have had reported cases of the Mu variant, according to Outbreak.info, an open source database from Scripps Research. It has been most prevalent in Alaska, where it accounted for about 4 percent of nearly 4,000 samples. Fifteen states—Maine, New Hampshire, West Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, Montana and Oklahoma—have had 10 or fewer cases. Pope Francis has inadvertently quoted Vladimir Putin while criticising the West’s recent involvement in Afghanistan as an outsider’s attempt to impose democracy. During a radio interview aired on Wednesday, the pontiff was asked about the situation in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. and other NATO forces after almost 20 years of war, and the Taliban recapture of the country. The pope said he would answer with a quote, which he attributed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he described as ‘one of the world’s greatest political figures’. ‘It’s necessary to stop the irresponsible policy of enforcing its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries based on outside models without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other people’s traditions,’ the Pope said, using his own translation into Spanish. Reverend Al Sharpton has made clear that he isn’t interested in running for governor of New York now that impeached Gov. Andrew Cuomo is officially out. “I am not interested in running for office, but I am certainly going to be interested in trying to deal with whoever is governor. They can expect that I will be running for the microphone to be loud and clear on what policies I think they oughta be dealing with,” he told Page Six. Sharpton, who ran for president in 2004, previously revealed that top Democrats in New York hit him up about running for governor in 2022. “It’s going to be very difficult for the governor to stay in, and I think it’s going to open up the primary season early,” Sharpton told The New York Times. https://youtu.be/2yB-7rxmzcI A Kentucky high school teacher has been reassigned to “non-instructional duties” pending an investigation into the physical altercation with a Black male student that was captured on video. The brawl between 16-year-old Jamir Strane and his chemistry teacher, William Bennett, occurred Monday at Marion C. Moore School in Louisville, New York Post reports. The video, filmed by another student, shows Strane beneath Bennett during the melee. Other students can be heard pleading with the teacher to stop. Strane punches the teacher and Bennett yanks the student’s hair. Eventually, another adult intervenes. Strane told WDRB that the fight erupted after Bennett made racially charged comments and criticized his neck gaiter face mask. https://t.co/N9pA0Xri0u?amp=1 Mike Richards is no longer a part of the Jeopardy! family. Variety reports that Sony has fired Richards as the executive producer of “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune.” Michael Davies, the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” executive producer, will now take over production duties in the interim. The big news was announced in a memo to staff by Suzanne Prete, executive vice president, business and strategy, “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”: “I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately. We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened.” NeNe Leakes’ husband Gregg has died from colon cancer, his publicist and longtime family friend Ernest Dukes confirmed Wednesday. He was 66 years old. “Today the Leakes family is in deep pain with a broken heart. After a long battle with cancer, Gregg Leakes has passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by all of his children, very close loved ones and wife Nene Leakes,” said Dukes. “We ask that you pray for peace and strength over their family & allow them to mourn in private during this very very difficult time.” The update of NBC’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” will star newcomer and West Philadelphia local Jabari Banks in the role famously played for six seasons, and Smith broke the news to the young actor himself. “This is Jabari Banks. In 10 seconds his whole life is about to change,” text at the beginning of the video reveals. Then Smith connects with Banks via video link. “From the deepest parts of my heart, I want to say congratulations to you. You have the role of Will on Bel-Air,” Smith tells his replacement. “I’m so ready,” says Banks, whose father had sent him an article about the series and thought he should do it. “This is a dream come true.” https://youtu.be/arjpleZCbFY Never one to bite his tongue or shy away from controversy, Tyrese is opening up about dealing with colorism in Hollywood and he’s naming names. Case in point: fellow actor Terrence Howard. In a new interview with Leah’s Lemonade, the F9 star talked about losing parts to his friend because of his darker complexion. “Terrence Howard has no idea how many roles that I was about to book and they went with him because he’s the lighter-skinned Black man with the green eyes,” said the 42-year-old. “It’s crazy to me, like, I’m No. 1. I’m the star. I’m this blue-Black, you know, all of the things that I was laughed about in the ‘hood. “And then you look at Lupita and the Viola Davises of the world, and there is this kind of, this shift that has happened. I think we should all stay humble because it’s interesting how white people created this kind of colorism. The mixed-race gets to be in the house and the black Blacks get to work in the hot sun and pick cotton.” Sean “Diddy” Combs took to social media on Sunday to gush about his daughters walking in the Dolce & Gabbana 2021 Alta Moda runway show in Venice, Italy. “Words can’t explain. LOVE,” Combs captioned a backstage photo of his daughters, Chance, 15, and twins D’Lila Star and Jessie James, 14. “Thank you Dolce & Gabbana! So happy and honored to be a part of your couture show! GRAZIE MILLE!” Chance wrote on Instagram. “OMGGGG THIS IS LITERALLY A DREAM COME TRUE. We are so excited that we got to walk in the @dolcegabbana fashion show,” the twins wrote on their profile. “Thank you so much for having us join the show in Venice, Italy. And we want to say a HUGE Thank You to our dad and team for helping us get through this amazing show. WE LOVE YOU GUYS AND THANK YOU. we hope to be back soon.” https://www.instagram.com/diddy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b85e4196-49f3-4e1c-b675-f8d2be463dec Elaine Welteroth is leaving “The Talk” after just one season on the show. A source told us on Tuesday that, “Elaine is out at ‘The Talk.’ They are expected to announce it today.” “The Talk” executive producers subsequently confirmed to Deadline in a statement: “We wish Elaine all the best. We are grateful for her passion, enthusiasm, and insight she brought to the show daily.” They added, “Her openness and meaningful conversations were attributes we admired and always appreciated.” The move comes after a controversy ousted Sharon Osbourne in March, and Carrie Ann Inaba also recently said she was leaving the daytime talk show. Sources told us that the infamous race row incident that forced Osbourne out the door at the show was a factor in Welteroth’s exit. The New Orleans Saints will “host” the Green Bay Packers at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field on Sept. 12, while the city of New Orleans continues to recover from Hurricane Ida. The NFL announced Jacksonville as the alternate site for the game, which will still kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET as originally scheduled. The Saints had shown interest in playing the game in Dallas, where they have set up temporary operations after evacuating New Orleans last week. But the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium was unavailable because of a concert scheduled in the venue later that week. The NFL prefers that all games be played in NFL stadiums because of the replay requirements and other logistical concerns. But Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the league always identifies potential locations that could be available each week in case circumstances like these arise. The Saints’ Week 2 and Week 3 games are on the road at Carolina and at New England, respectively. Ideally the Saints could return home to the Caesars Superdome after that. Simone Biles had a special gift for her Olympic teammate Sunisa “Suni” Lee‘s dad after witnessing the father-daughter duo’s sweet relationship. On Wednesday, Today reporter Natalie Morales visited Suni’s father John Lee to present him with a video message and the gift from Biles, 24. “Hi, Mr. Lee, it’s Simone. I love your daughter, Suni, so much and I know how much she loves you,” she said in a video John watched from a tablet. “You have done so much for her so I reached out to my friends at the Today show to see if we could do something special for you. Hope you like it.” Morales, 49, led John down his driveway where his family members held signs that said, “We love you!” and “Thank you!” Next to them stood a man with an electric wheelchair from Quantum Rehab that had a bow on it. https://twitter.com/i/status/1433043156178722818 Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders has signed a name, image and likeness deal with Beats by Dre as a brand ambassador. Sanders is the son of Jackson State coach Deion Sanders and is the first college athlete the brand has signed. “I remember getting my first pair of Beats, so this feels full circle,” Shedeur Sanders said. “I’m excited to be part of a brand that inspires and represents the culture in a positive way; and that’s exactly what I want to do with my career. It’s an honor to be the first college athlete on their roster, and I couldn’t have imagined a better partnership.” Michael Jackson’s brother Tito says new music from the King of Pop could be on the way. “There is more music to release. They have music. He left behind music,” Tito told The Sun. The Jackson family intends to record their first new studio album since 1989, and it may include previously unknown material from MJ, who died in 2009. “It would be so pleasing to be on a record with Michael once again,” said Tito. “Anything that would work we would be willing to give a try and see what happens.” “It’s definitely a brilliant idea. We’re thinking about doing something, so hopefully that will come to fruition,” Tito said. This past Saturday 08-29-31), Angela Yee – award-winning media personality and co-host of “The Breakfast Club,” the most-listened-to hip hop morning show in America – hosted the 3rd annual Angela Yee Day event in partnership with iHeartMedia New York. The free, outdoor community event was hosted at Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn, New York with sounds by DJ Suave and DJ Norie as well as electric live performances from hip-hop and Caribbean artists Adrian Marcel, Alison Hinds, Erick the Architect, HoodCelebrityy, Motto, Naomi Cowan, Noah Powa, Romain Virgo, Shaneil Muir and Young Devyn. The fun-filled day also included games, free haircuts from Mimi’s Braids, an on stage Braid Battle, a U.S. Army career booth, and giveaways from Miss Jessie’s, Supreme Hair, The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop & Rap and more. Steph Curry has allegedly chosen sides in his parents’ messy divorce. Dell Curry says his estranged wife Sonya, cheated on him with Steven Johnson, a former NFLer. Dell also claims Sonya lied about the affair. Sonya, Dell says in the legal docs, “began her extramarital affair with Mr. Johnson during the marriage and prior to the date of separation, and she lied to [Dell] each time she cheated on him.” On top of that, the docs also state that Sonya is actually living with Johnson in Tennessee and because of that, she should not be entitled to alimony. Sonya, 55, via responding paperwork, claims she is NOT living with Johnson. She’s currently living by herself in the Volunteer State because Dell will not allow her to live at their home. As far as her dating status, Sonya does admit that she is in a relationship, but denied cheating on Dell, saying the relationship began “months after” she and Dell agreed to legally separate in March 2020. Soyna is also pointing the cheat finger at Dell, 57, who she claims cheated on her during the marriage; and that he hooked up with different women, and family and close friends knew about it. Damian Lillard is the latest to team with Shaquille O’Neal for a rebrand of The “Shaqnosis,” Shaq’s signature show with Reebok. The original, black and white “Shagnosis” debuted in 1996, and were recently re-released in a variety of colors. The latest is inspired by Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, with a red and black colorway, or “Semi Pursuit Pink/Flash Red-Black,” as it is officially known. The new “Shaqnosis” will be released on Wednesday, Sept. 1, for $150. https://youtu.be/UzSfyXUW6j8 A pair of Michael Jordan “personally worn” boxer shorts are going up for sale by Leland’s auctioneers. The reserve price is $500. The shorts and several of Jordan’s belongings — that the Bulls legend gave to bodyguard John Michael Wozniak — are being auctioned off. Additionally, several items that MJ gave to another bodyguard, Bob Scarpetti, are also on sale. Per the report, they include a 1990 jersey, Jordan’s own Air Jordans, basketballs and signed baseballs. Aaron Boyd claims to be the first player recruited by Bishop Sycamore and he has been exposing the dark secrets of since he left. This is what he told Complex about the program, One of the most fascinating stories in sports right now is Bishop Sycamore’s controversial shady high school football program. Sycamore faced athlete factory IMG Academy in a game Sunday as part of ESPN’s weeklong high school football showcase. Sycamore was touted as a program loaded with Division I talent, but during the 58–0 blowout, it quickly became clear that its players couldn’t hang with IMG. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill, who called the game, said on Twitter afterward that it was a “total scam.” The outlet goes on to note that: Sycamore is not affiliated with the Ohio High School Athletic Association. The address it provides to recruits is for the library of Franklin University. The roster includes postgraduate players who are as old as 20, and coach Roy Johnson was part of a federal fraud investigation. He also has an active bench warrant for failing to appear in a domestic violence case. https://twitter.com/i/status/1432540893169348609 The show currently known as “CBS This Morning” will relaunch next week with all new everything – co-hosts, digs and even a different name and theme song. Beginning Sept. 7, the third place morning show behind “Today” and “Good Morning America,” respectively, will be called “CBS Mornings,” and connect its weekday morning shows together with some of the elements of its long running “CBS Sunday Morning,” which has long topped its time period on weekends. “CBS Mornings” will also borrow from its weekend sibling the sun logo and trumpet music theme, Gottfried Reiche’s “Abblasen.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1432684176134840323 Amanda Wilson, owner and CEO of A+X Puzzles, has become the first Black-owned puzzle company sold in Target. Wilson was inspired to create the brand in 2019 after giving birth to twins Adric and Xola. Her babies were born ten weeks early, and during their NICU stay, Wilson created the sketches of the widely popular Spaceship puzzle, per Because of Them We Can. The bright, colorful puzzles help young children develop fine motor skills and allow them to see themselves positively represented by characters that look like them. Target contacted Wilson in 2020 about the opportunity to sell her puzzles in stores. Hurricane Ida ripped through the Gulf Of Mexico Sunday, leaving New Orleans beaten, battered, and without power. Police have deployed “anti-looting” around the city as a way to deter the looting it saw when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. 16 years after Katrina, another record-breaking Ida’s devastation looks to add the stress of many poor folks who couldn’t evacuate. Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm, first hit Port Fourchon, southeast of the state. It then pushed up through New Orleans headed towards Mississippi. With winds pushing above 150 mph, Ida strengthened rapidly and pushed overland with little to slow it down. Pummeling the coast, Ida pulled trees from their roots, flipped cars, tore roofs from their houses, and even knocked over a huge transmission tower into the Mississippi River. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has warned the death toll from Hurricane Ida – which is known to have killed at least person – will ‘go up considerably’. Speaking on MSNBC on Monday, Bel Edwards warned that far more bad news lies ahead search and rescue efforts continued in the wake of Sunday’s Category 4 hurricane. He said: ‘I don’t want to mislead anyone. Robust search and rescue is happening right now and I fully expect that that death count will go up considerably throughout the day.’ The one person confirmed to have died so far is a 60 year-old man. He has not been named and was killed after a tree fell on his home in Prairieville, Louisiana, on Sunday. And Cynthia Lee Cheng – mayor of Jefferson Parish – outlined the horror faced by some of her neighbors currently trapped in attics in the trashed town of Lafitte. She said: ‘This is an area if you want to think of it like swampland, there’s alligators out there.’ An online model who was popular on social media has reportedly died following a suspected murder-suicide at her home in suburban Houston on Sunday afternoon, according to multiple reports. Jenae Gagnier, who was more popularly known by her Instagram handle, Mercedes Morr, was found dead inside her apartment in the city of Richmond, Texas, alongside a man who police suspect killed the 33-year-old model with millions of social media followers before killing himself, according to local news outlet ABC 13. Condolences have been pouring in on social media. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTN4g-TvWDL/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6d093b78-10ae-4366-8c91-c06463868c29 Candace Owens‘ reported absence at an event in Texas because of a “sudden illness” has sparked rumors that the conservative anti-vaccine champion may have come down with COVID-19 after spending more than a year dismissing it as nothing more than a hoax designed to infringe on freedoms enjoyed by Americans. The unconfirmed reports about Owens come as a number of other conservative anti-vaxxers have not only tested positive for COVID-19 but were also being hospitalized with serious symptoms before dying. Owens, who has bragged about traveling internationally for months and sleeping next to her husband after he tested positive for COVID-19 without contracting the coronavirus, has called herself a “scientific miracle” who is “proud” to go unvaccinated and repeatedly questioned the COVID-19 vaccine‘s effectiveness and worth. Twenty-seven-year-old Antwan Gilmore was asleep in his car on Wednesday when he was approached by Washington D.C. police officers, one of whom proved once again that cops—who are celebrated in “back the blue” circles for their bravery and willingness to put their lives on the line—often open fire at the faintest sign of perceived danger, and it’s actually civilians, particularly Black civilians, whose lives end up on the line and in the line of fire. An edited “community briefing” video taken from the body camera of an officer, which was released last Thursday, according to NBC 4 Washington, shows the part of the incident, but it doesn’t produce much clarity as to why the shooting started. Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police Robert Contee said Gilmore was “awake at some point,” but the ballistic shield being held by the shooter makes it difficult to determine why the currently unidentified officer felt the need to fire. https://youtu.be/xqUnKDDjIVE A judge has taken away a #Chicago mother’s parental rights over her refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. #RebeccaFirlit appeared virtually in court earlier this month for a child support hearing with her ex-husband. The two have now been divorced for seven years and share custody and parenting time of their 11-year-old son. She told Fox 32 Chicago that Cook County Judge James Shapiro randomly asked her if she had gotten the coronavirus shot. She explained that she had not for health reasons. The judge then ordered Firlit to be stripped of all her parenting time until she gets vaccinated. “I miss my son more than anything. It’s been very difficult. I haven’t seen him since August 10th,” Firlit told the outlet. She has communicated with her son over the phone and through video calls but has not seen him in person. Firlit is appealing the judge’s ruling. Her attorney, Annette Fernholz, says the judge has overstepped his authority. Ricky Texada, senior pastor of Covenant Church—a multisite megachurch in the Dallas, Texas, area with an attendance around 7,000—died on Monday after a weeks-long battle with COVID-19. He was 57 years old. “Our beloved Pastor fought to the very end,” the church stated on Facebook. “At 11:32 this morning, he entered eternity and met his great love, Jesus, face to face. We are honored and grateful for all of you who so faithfully and earnestly fought alongside him.” A multi-ethnic, charismatic church, Covenant has four campuses in the Dallas area and serves as the flagship congregation of Churches in Covenant, a nationwide network of about 50 churches. According to social posts, Texada was admitted to a local hospital during the week of August 15. The church reported he entered the hospital with COVID pneumonia and had been placed on a ventilator in the ICU, as his oxygen levels were “dangerously low.” It was not disclosed if Texada had been vaccinated against COVID-19. On Sunday, John MacArthur acknowledged for the first time that COVID-19 swept through Grace Community Church last winter — a fact he’s failed to admit until now, despite evidence reported months ago by The Roys Report. MacArthur also divulged that he and his wife had COVID last December. Before his Aug. 29 sermon, MacArthur said that “many people contracted COVID . . . it probably went through our church in maybe December or January.” He also said his wife “Patricia and I enjoyed our own bout with COVID for about a week and a half” at the time. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Aug. 31) voted to authorize a $400,000 payment to settle a legal battle with Grace Community Church over lead pastor John MacArthur’s defiance of COVID-19 restrictions in the early months of the pandemic. Under the agreement, which the board unanimously approved without discussion, the state of California will also pay the church $400,000. https://youtu.be/MkDp5yaxShM North Carolina recently restored voting rights for people formerly incarcerated for a felony, leaving advocates to wonder if Kentucky might be next. Two pending lawsuits claim Kentucky maintains a tiered process of restoring voting rights. A Jim Crow relic, felony disenfranchisement disproportionately impacts Black people. After assuming office in 2019, Gov. Andy Beshear issued an executive order restoring voting rights to many, but not all, those formerly incarcerated for a felony. Registering to vote and casting one’s ballot is an important part of full citizenship. For some formerly incarcerated people in states like Kentucky, restoring the right to vote can be complex. Working alongside the Kentucky Equal Justice Center, the Fair Elections Center has improved access to the ballot for all Kentuckians. According to Jon Sherman, Litigation Director, and Senior Counsel at the Fair Elections Center, states govern their own standards for restoring voting rights. A clip of President Biden’s virtual FEMA meeting is going viral, not for any issues related to the devastation brought by Hurricane Ida, but because it appears Biden referred to his Black senior advisor as “boy.” Fox News pundits and conservative outlets pounced with faux outrage, sending out tweets of the clip showing Biden seated next to Cedric Richmond, senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, during a FEMA meeting with governors and mayors from states and cities impacted by Hurricane Ida. https://twitter.com/i/status/1432406509481234443 Gov. Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons Tuesday for a group of Black men executed 70 years ago for allegedly raping a white woman in Martinsville. The pardons do not address the guilt of the group known as the “Martinsville Seven.” Instead, Northam said he issued the pardons “as recognition from the Commonwealth that these men were tried without adequate due process and received a racially-biased death sentence not similarly applied to white defendants.” “This is about righting wrongs,” Northam said in a statement released by his office along with a copy of the pardon. “We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it right—no matter who you are or what you look like. I’m grateful to the advocates and families of the Martinsville Seven for their dedication and perseverance. While we can’t change the past, I hope today’s action brings them some small measure of peace.” The seven men, ranging in age from 18-37 years old, were arrested in 1949 for the reported rape of 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who lived in Martinsville. Each were tried and sentenced to death within an eight-day period by all-white juries. Colleyville Heritage High School principal James Whitfield was put on paid administrative leave Monday, more than a month after he was placed at the center of a critical race theory debate. Kristin Snively, spokesperson for the Grapevine-Colleyville school district, confirmed the move in an email. Snively did not provide information on the reason for the decision or whether the leave is indefinite. She said the district will not comment further on the situation because it’s an ongoing personnel matter. The announcement comes a month after Whitfield was publicly named and accused by Stetson Clark, a former school board candidate, of teaching and promoting critical race theory during a July 26 district board meeting. Clark said he became concerned about Whitfield’s views when he saw a letter the principal sent to parents and students last summer. “In this letter he promotes the conspiracy theory of systemic racism …” Clark said. “He is encouraging the disruption and destruction of our districts.” Last week in support of the campaign to stop the recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) organized a ‘Black Leaders Press Conference.’ Ninety influential Black leaders in education, the church, politics, civil rights, and more – as well as members of the California Legislative Black Caucus — attended the meeting last Tuesday via Zoom. ”Candyman” from Universal/MGM/Monkeypaw not only opened this past weekend at the top of the box office $22.2 million, it’ also made Nia DaCosta the first Black female director to debut a film at number one. That’s quite an an accomplishment of course and it also reminds that an other Black female, Ava DuVernay, saw her Disney movie “A Wrinkle In Time” land in the No. 2 spot over the weekend of March 9-11 of 2018 with $33.1 million. By the way, DuVernay was the first Black female to direct a $100M+ production from a major Hollywood studio. https://youtu.be/TPBH3XO8YEU The new romantic drama “Really Love” tells the story of an emerging Black painter named Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe) living in Washington D.C. on the cusp of a breakout career. He meets Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing), a law student with ambitions that don’t align with her family’s views of success. The two fall in love and Stevie becomes Isaiah’s muse. But soon, neglect causes problems, leaving the two to question if they have a future together. https://youtu.be/7KKCnadBw7Y Apple unveiled the trailer for their film version of the award-winning Broadway musical, “Come From Away.” “Come From Away” tells the story of 7,000 people stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after all flights into the United States are grounded on September 11, 2001. As the people of Newfoundland graciously welcome the “come from aways” into their community in the aftermath, the passengers and locals alike process what’s happened while finding love, laughter and new hope in the unlikely and lasting bonds that they forge. https://youtu.be/Af77C4zUkjs Looks like Kanye West wanted all the controversial stars to pop out with him at his third Donda listening event in Chicago. Ye had a whole bunch of celebrities show up on stage with him including embattled stars DaBaby and Marilyn Manson. But according to OK! Magazine Ye also wanted Donald Trump to be by his side during the show. “Kanye reached out to Donald Trump’s team to get the former President to make an appearance alongside him and join DaBaby, Marilyn Manson, and Kim Kardashian in Chicago,” an insider confirmed to OK! of West’s hopeful plans. The insider also pointed out that Ye “is not afraid of controversy,” noting: “Why else would he invite DaBaby after he spewed homophobic remarks and Marilyn Manson who has been accused by several women of sexual assault?” Marvin Gaye was fatally shot by his father in 1984 while the music icon attempted to intervene in a fight involving his parents. As reported by I Love Old School Music, Marvin Gaye Jr.’s mother, Alberta, recounted the final moments of her son’s life during an interview with local police. “I was standing about eight feet away from Marvin, when my husband came to the door of the bedroom with his pistol,” she said. “My husband didn’t say anything, he just pointed the gun at Marvin. I screamed but it was very quick. He, my husband, shot – and Marvin screamed. I tried to run. Marvin slid down to the floor after the first shot.” Marvin was rushed to the California Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead one day before his 45th birthday. Marvin Gaye Sr. received a six-year suspended jail sentence for the killing. It was brought out during the trial of Marvin Gaye Sr. that his son, Marvin Jr. reportedly charged at him and attacked him, delivering blows to his body and head. That alleged attack led to what Marvin Sr. had told his attorneys all along- that he had several injuries and bruises on his body as a result of Marvin Jr. being the aggressive force during the attack… https://youtu.be/Wp_dzNfAYYU Jeneba Barrie, founder of Jeneba Barrie Footwear, a Black woman-owned diverse and inclusive luxury skin-tone shoe line, is celebrating 3 years of business this August. Jeneba originally launched in 2019 after running a successful Kickstarter campaign. The company is dedicated to redefining the meaning of “nude” shoes from one or two shades of beige to colors that actually matches the wearer’s skin tone. The traditional definition of nude has been restrictive. By redefining the meaning, the company is including segments of the population that have been overwhelmingly excluded — women of color. The brand has since launched its Ama Loafer Collection and the Black Collection 2020, after its initial classic pump collection. TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED continues with six-time Grammy Award-winning icon Bebe Winans on Sunday, September 5 at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words including super producer Swizz Beatz, standup comedian-actor Tommy Davidson, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, acclaimed actress Lynn Whitfield, comedian-actress Kym Whitley and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgV8EjEQj_Q Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Lecrae, has partnered with Experian North America, a leading information services company, to present, “Protect The Bag,” a six-part web series, that provides viewers with a blueprint for building a financial legacy. The video series produced by Lecrae’s production company, 3 Strand Films, premieres Fall 2021, and guides audiences through the ins and outs of financial health. Through short sketches and the help of some high-profile special guests, Lecrae will break down the basics of financial literacy and credit education to help viewers understand how to balance their financial needs of today, with those of tomorrow. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxuwb_eErNh6okiCGhIf7ww Services at an influential Nashville-area megachurch were disrupted Sunday (Aug. 29) after the wife of the church’s founding pastor stood up and accused his successor of conspiring against him. During a 9:00 a.m. service at Grace Chapel in Franklin, Tennessee, just south of Nashville, pastor Rob Rogers apologized to the congregation for an ongoing conflict with the Rev. Steve Berger, Grace Chapel’s founder. Berger, who nearly three decades ago founded the church — whose members include Tennessee Governor Bill Lee — stepped down as lead pastor at the church in January in order to start a discipleship program for influencers in Washington, D.C. But according to Rogers on Sunday, the transition between pastors had not gone well, and news of the conflict between the two men had spread through the church in recent weeks. A Rockford pastor is resigning as allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding the church are mounting. Over the weekend, Doug Stodola with North Love Baptist Church announced Pastor Paul Kingsbury’s decision to resign from the ministry. The announcement came in a video posted to the church’s Facebook page that was later taken down. “The deacons are fully aware and take serious the allegations being made against Pastor Kingsbury and North Love Baptist Church,” Stodola said in the video. “The deacons are united and looking into these matters. Please give us time and have patience as we seek the truth in Christ.” During the same video broadcast, Ron Haese, the current interim pastor of the church. Former child star Matthew Mindler’s death has been ruled a suicide. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office made the “manner of death” ruling Monday, though the exact cause of Mindler’s death is still pending the toxicology screen, TMZ reports. Mindler, 19, was found dead on Aug. 28, just three days after the college freshman was reported missing. His college, Millersville University, announced the news to the student body Saturday. “It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University. A search had been underway for Matthew since Thursday, after he was reported missing,” the announcement read. Sharon Stone is mourning the loss of her 11-month-old nephew River after he tragically died from total organ failure on Monday. Stone, 63, posted a heartbreaking video of little River to her Instagram to honor his memory. “River William Stone Sept. 8, 2020 – Aug. 30, 2021,” she captioned the post on Monday. The tiny tot was seen smiling and laughing in the video while wearing a diaper and a cute floral-print shirt. Eric Clapton’s song, “Tears In Heaven” — written about the death of his own son — played as the soundtrack to the short clip. Dennis Rodman’s infamous 48-hour bender in Las Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals is set to become a feature film from Lionsgate and Lord Miller. Rodman, then a star player for the Chicago Bulls, asked his coach Phil Jackson if he could take a 48-hour vacation in Las Vegas in the middle of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. Even though the Bulls were on the cusp of their second three-peat championship in eight years, Jackson consented, and a sports legend was born. While Rodman and his teammate Michael Jordan detailed these events in the ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance,” the movie will take its own path with the story.“48 Hours in Vegas” will follow Rodman on his journey, as the player and his anxious assistant GM develop an unexpected friendship amid the player’s Sin City revelry. Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Aditya Sood will produce for Lord Miller, and Ari Lubet, Will Allegra and Rodman will executive produce. Jordan VanDina (Hulu’s “The Binge”) will write the screenplay. No actors have been attached. Kanye West’s second gospel-themed hip-hop album soared to No. 1 Monday on multiple mainstream charts, including on Amazon and iTunes, where it was the best-selling album barely 24 hours after its release. The album, named Donda after his late mom, was dropped Sunday and includes multiple tracks that spotlight his Christian faith, including “Praise God,” “Heaven and Hell,” “Lord I Need You” and “Jesus Lord.” Also on the album is the tune “No Child Left Behind,” which was featured in an Olympics-themed television commercial in July with U.S. track star Sha’carri Richardson. The album on Monday was No. 1 on Amazon and iTunes. Perhaps even more impressive, the album’s songs also were dominating the chart, with 19 of the top 20 songs on Apple Music’s Global Top 100 coming from Donda. Additionally, music from the album was No. 1 on nation-specific charts in the U.S., Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, Romania and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Forget about Chris Brown disses and awkward Marilyn Manson cameos — Kanye West is embroiled in yet another blazing-hot controversy after being accused of ripping off the logo of his “Donda” album merch. The 44-year-old allegedly stole the logo design from the black-owned business, according to Randy Dawkins, creative director of the fashion line Infinity G8ds. Dawkins told the Daily Beast that West’s merch features a direct copy of the design featured on his brand’s T-shirts and hoodies. “It’s disappointing,” Dawkins told the outlet. “We don’t have any bad vibes or bad feelings toward him, we actually like the dude. But how he handled business? Well, that’s another story.” The $100 T-shirts in question were sold at West’s Aug. 5 “Donda” album listening party at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium. The tees were beige in color and featured a long black Star of David with a thin cross etched in the middle. Underneath the the design read the record’s name as well as the event date. Ye’s personal executive chef Willie Wallace first contacted Infinity G8ds in late July, Dawkins claimed. The two men were friends, he alleged, who crossed paths through another one of the “Jesus Walks” rapper’s chefs, Travis Reece. The Erwin brothers are inspiring audiences once again with the release of their latest film, “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story.” Its nationwide debut is scheduled for Christmas Day. The movie is based on the true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi) and his humble beginnings, moving up from a stock boy at a grocery store to a Super Bowl MVP and a Pro Football Hall of Fame champion. Warner’s aspirations seemed impossible but with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches and teammates, Warner pressed ahead. Andrew and Jon Erwin, creators of “I Can Only Imagine” and “I Still Believe” said Warner’s commitment to being a success motivated them to make the movie with Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company. https://youtu.be/ONvryehEExk Such a proud husband. Jay-Z raved over his wife, Beyoncé, when reflecting on working together. “She’s super detail-oriented, obviously, as you can see from her work,” the rapper, 51, told Entertainment Tonight at the 18th anniversary of the 40/40 Club on Saturday, August 28. “She’s an incredibly hard worker, super talented, very inspiring.” The couple, who have collaborated multiple times over the years, tied the knot in 2008. The “Halo” singer, 39, and Jay-Z share children Blue Ivy, 9, and twins Sir and Rumi, 3. “Feeling loved is the most important thing a child needs, you know?” he told The Sunday Times in April. “Not ‘Here’s this business that I’m going to hand over to you, that I’m creating for you.’ What if my child doesn’t want to be in music or sports? I have no idea, right? But as long as your child feels supported and feels loved, I think anything is possible.” The New York native also noted that he and the 28-time Grammy winner look at themselves as “guides” to their little ones. Political commentator Van Jones says rumors that he and Kim Kardashian dated are “absurd.” Jones, a regular face on CNN since 2013, was linked to Kardashian after she filed for divorce from Kanye West in February because he was said to have been a mentor in her studies to become a lawyer. Jones, however, exclusively told Page Six at the reopening of Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club Saturday, “I never made any comments about the rumors of me and Kim Kardashian dating as I found it absurd.” He added, “It was flattering for me, but it probably wasn’t flattering for her.” Stars including Meek Mill, Megan Thee Stallion, The-Dream, Fabolous, J Balvin and Victor Cruz were also in attendance at Jay-Z’s event Saturday. Former Bad Boy rapper Moses Michael “Shyne” Levi Barrow was there too, but he said he had no intention of performing any of his hits — even if Jay-Z, 51, requested it — because he is now a political representative in Belize. In a stunning move, the New England Patriots released veteran quarterback Cam Newton on Tuesday, turning things over to rookie Mac Jones as the starter. Coach Bill Belichick had said repeatedly that Newton was the team’s starting quarterback, but that he had to reestablish that position, or someone would have to play better than him. Jones has done that, in Belichick’s view. Jones finished the preseason 36-of-52 for 389 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions, playing 107 snaps, easily the highest total among Patriots quarterbacks. Newton had started every preseason game but didn’t play as much overall (39 snaps). He finished the preseason 14-of-21 for 162 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Jason Payne has been hired by the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, making him the only Black head coach in North American professional hockey next season. Payne, 45, was promoted from assistant coach after Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas was hired by the Providence Bruins of the AHL. Payne, who grew up in Toronto, had a 14-year pro career as a player, making it as far as the AHL. Payne said “there weren’t many Black coaches as I was coming up, but when there were, you took notice.” Payne hopes his hiring will help inspire others. “It’s important for younger players to see familiar faces, saying, ‘Yeah, maybe I can be the guy behind the bench, maybe I can be someone in hockey operations, maybe I can be a video coach,'” Payne told ESPN. “The more you see the faces the more it sheds light on the opportunities that are possible.” There’s more adversity brewing for the New Orleans Saints. On Tuesday, Saints coach Sean Payton shared his team’s early plans for managing their evacuation away from Hurricane Ida, saying that they plan to be away from their homes for a month to be safe — with hopes of cutting that exodus short once it’s safe to return to New Orleans. Right now, widespread power outages and lack of running water are providing serious public safety hazards to the city. But that means working from the road for the first three or four weeks of the regular season. The Saints are scheduled for two home games in that span at the Caesars Superdome, hosting the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 and the New York Giants in Week 4. While the Superdome and the Saints training facility received only minor damage, more serious issues throughout New Orleans may prevent the Saints from returning home just yet. An arrest warrant was reportedly issued for Youngstown (Ohio) Cardinal Mooney High School head football coach Carl Pelini on Monday, according to a report by 21 WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio. Pelini is being charged with domestic violence. He is not currently in custody. According to a police report, officers responded to a 911 call in Youngstown, Ohio about a domestic dispute. Police that arrived on the scene found Pelini’s wife, Julie, who said that her husband struck her during an argument. Julie Pelini had a black eye and officers found blood in the kitchen in the house, per the report. She reportedly declined medical attention and refused to sign a written statement at the scene. Carl Pelini had already fled the home and has not been apprehended, per reports. The last US military planes in Afghanistan departed Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul early on Tuesday local time, marking an end to America’s presence in the country after roughly two decades of war, reports Insider. “I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of our military mission to evacuate American citizens, third country nationals, and vulnerable Afghans,” US Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, confirmed Monday. “The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30 at 3:29 pm East Coast time.” https://youtu.be/0FGJoxI8794 Around a million people are without power in southern Mississippi and Louisiana as Hurricane Ida tore through the region on Sunday, knocking out electricity to all of New Orleans while whipping up sustained winds of more than 150mph and tearing the roof off buildings. Authorities late Sunday announced the first death as a Louisiana resident, a 60-year-old man, died from a fallen tree in Ascension Parish – even as the storm was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/08/29/6098430081400260628/636x382_MP4_6098430081400260628.mp4 On the 16th anniversary of the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ida made landfall as an extremely dangerous 4 hurricane near Port Fourchon, Louisiana’s southernmost port, located on the southern tip of the Gulf of Mexico. The eye of Ida arrived just before 12 Noon CDT, with maximum sustained winds estimated to be 150 mph. Ida hitting Port Fourchon is of great concern as it is called by some as an important offshore oil and gas service port in the U.S. Some 15% of the country’s oil comes in via this port. Described as a catastrophic, life-changing event, Ida is now the strongest hurricane to hit in Louisiana history. One hour after reaching land, Ida’s strength remained at 150 mph. Hurricane Ida reached New Orleans Sunday evening as a Category 3 storm and knocked out power to the entire city. The city’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness said on Twitter that energy company Entergy confirmed that New Orleans had no power, and the only power in the city was coming from generators. https://youtu.be/yDhRFKNprKE Veteran meteorologist Al Roker has clapped back at critics claiming that at age 67, he’s too old to report live from New Orleans covering the Category 4 storm that hit in Louisiana on Sunday. “Al Roker is almost 70 years old, why is this necessary?” one person tweeted amid Roker’s live coverage of Hurricane Ida, per PEOPLE. Another commented, “Maybe let’s not. A 70-year-old in the eye of the hurricane isn’t that much fun to see.” “I volunteered to come out here,” the Today co-host responded to his critics. “This is what I do. I’ve done this for 40 years. We all make sure we’re safe, we’re not going to do something that’s gonna put ourselves in harm’s way. As much as l love weather and I love NBC, I’m not gonna risk my life for it.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1432009349912743936 Thousands of protesters rallied in Washington and other U.S. cities on Saturday to demand protections for voting rights, aiming to pressure lawmakers to pass legislation to counter a wave of ballot restrictions in Republican-led states. Held on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic 1963 March on Washington, organizers of the “March On For Washington And Voting Rights” stressed that the moves to curb voting access would disproportionately affect people of color. In Washington, protesters holding “Black Lives Matter” flags and signs calling for federal legislation marched from McPherson Square to the final meeting point at the National Mall, where a series of civil rights leaders delivered remarks not far from where King gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech 58 years ago. More than 20,000 people participated in the march, the Rev. Al Sharpton estimated in a Twitter post. Rallies also took place in Phoenix, Miami and dozens of other cities. The seven-day average for COVID deaths has surged by 11 per cent in a week, while the number of cases and hospitalizations are also up, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s weekly update showed the daily average cases increased to 142,006 in the week to Friday, up 2.8 per cent on the week before, amid the continued alarming rise of the Delta variant. The average cases is 1,117.9 per cent higher than the lowest value observed on June 18, 2021. The seven-day moving average for coronavirus deaths increased 11 per cent from 779 to 864 on Friday, according to the CDC. That average was 354.5 per cent higher than July 10 – when the seven-day average for daily deaths hit a low of 190. On Sunday alone, the CDC reported 176,742 new COVID cases and 1,329 new deaths in the United States. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has claimed that people living in the state are ‘less scared’ of COVID-19 because they believe in ‘eternal life’ – despite a surge in new infections and hospitalizations. Reeves delivered his remarks to a group of Republicans at a fundraiser event in Eads, Tennessee, last Thursday, according to the Daily Memphian. ‘I’m often asked by some of my friends on the other side of the aisle about COVID … and why does it seem like folks in Mississippi and maybe in the Mid-South are a little less scared, shall we say,’ Reeves said. ‘When you believe in eternal life — when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things,’ he said. Reeves added, ‘God also tells us to take necessary precautions. And we all have opportunities and abilities to do that and we should all do that. I encourage everyone to do so.’ Veteran actor Ed Asner — who starred as the hard-driving but loveable TV newsman Lou Grant on TV’s classic sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and then in his own more serious “Lou Grant” spinoff — has died, his family said. He was 91. “We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully,” Asner’s official account tweeted Sunday afternoon. “Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.” The longtime actor died of natural causes at home in Tarzana, his publicist said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Asner won five Emmy Awards for his role as Grant, along with two more for his work in “Rich Man, Poor Man” and “Roots” — more than any other male actor in history. Legendary reggae producer and performer Lee “Scratch” Perry—who worked with everyone from Bob Marley to the Beastie Boys—has died in Jamaica at the age of 85. No cause of death was given for Perry, who was such an important figure that the prime minister tweeted his condolences. The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards once called Perry—a pioneer of dub who won a Grammy in 2003—the “Salvador Dali of music.” For years he operated out of a studio he built in his backyard, nicknamed the Black Ark, that he later burned to the ground because he thought it was possessed by evil spirits. The episode did not slow him down creatively and he continued his prolific output into the next millennium. Veteran gospel singer Lee Williams, the founder, and leader of the group Lee Williams & the Spiritual QC's died on August 30 in Tupelo, Mississippi. The group announced his death via a Facebook post on Monday with their 137K fans. The post has already garnered some 2.5K comments and over 5K reactions and Williams is trending on Twitter after many fans took to the platform in disbelief, shock, and grief over his passing. Williams is survived by his wife Annie with whom he completed fifty years of marriage at the beginning of this month. 90s R&B singer Sam Salter has died. No official date or cause of death has been reported by his family. “We are saddened to share the news that R&B singer Sam Salter recently passed away at age 46,” You Know I Got Soul tweeted. “Confirmed in posts by his family. A special and often overlooked talent gone too soon.” CNN recently raised thousands of dollars online to help Dasha Kelly, who claimed to be the mother of three young children and was facing eviction amid the federal eviction moratorium. After an interview with the North Las Vegas woman, it turned out she wasn’t the mother of the girls after all. Now Dasha is facing a lawsuit. The children are reportedly cared for by their mother, Shadia Hilo, and their father, David Allison, who is Kelly’s boyfriend. Hilo has filed a lawsuit against Kelly for putting her children on TV without their mother’s consent. Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Hilo wants the GoFundMe proceeds placed into a trust for her kids, who are 5, 6 and 8 years old,” the publication writes. https://youtu.be/fspdc7G27Qk Kanye West is said to be telling friends that he and Kim Kardashian are back together — but according to reports, nobody believes it — and no one really cares at this point. The pair performed some sort of ritual at Ye’s “Donda” listening party in Chicago on Thursday. Kim joined the rapper during his PR stunt at Soldier Field, where they held a faux wedding ceremony. The event also saw Kanye light himself on fire and ascend to the heavens. Per Page Six, “music insiders say that West is putting on a big show of “performance art” in a bid to propel his album sales past those of his nemesis Drake,” the outlet writes. One music insider said, “Kanye has been telling other rappers that he and Kim are back together, but everybody knows that isn’t true. “The real story is that Kanye wants to beat Drake in record sales, and he is putting on a big show of performance art to grab all the media attention.” Ohio’s correctional agency terminated seven employees Friday after officials say prison guards used excessive and unjustified force against a Black inmate before he died in custody in February. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction sent a notice of removal to five corrections officers, a supervisor and a licensed nurse following an investigation into the in-custody death of 55-year-old Michael McDaniel. Security footage released by the agency in July showed McDaniel collapsing on his own and being taken down to the floor by prison guards at least 16 times before he died at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, a Columbus suburb, on Feb. 6. “We’re responsible for what happened in that video,” director Annette Chambers-Smith told reporters in July, after releasing surveillance footage of the incident. “There is no question about that.” A white father and son in Mississippi have each been sentenced to four years in prison for convictions related to chasing and shooting at two Black teenagers who were riding all-terrain vehicles on a country road. Some of the charges were prosecuted as hate crimes, which strengthened the punishment. Wade Oscar Twiner, 49, of Yazoo City, and his son, Lane Irvine Twiner, 23, of Jackson, were sentenced Friday in Yazoo County. Jurors on Wednesday convicted each man of two counts of simple assault and one count of malicious mischief. The district attorney’s office said the penalty for each simple assault conviction was increased because the men’s actions were deemed hate crimes under Mississippi law, which allows stronger penalties for crimes motivated by the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, national origin or gender. A Black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the back by a white police officer in Wisconsin expects to be walking soon, an accomplishment he says is tempered by fears of it happening again. Jacob Blake Jr. was shot seven times by a Kenosha police officer in August 2020, three months after George Floyd was killed by police in Minnesota. Blake’s shooting set off days of violent protests in the city of about 100,000 people located midway between Chicago and Milwaukee. Blake tells CNN he was able to take a few steps during his son’s birthday celebration this past week, which he compared to sliding his legs through a woodchipper. Although he was “so geeked” by the moment that followed months of physical rehabilitation, he is not claiming victory. A conservative radio host has become the third who publicly criticized the coronavirus vaccine to die from Covid-19 after battling the disease for weeks. It was announced that Marc Barnier, 65, who was a long-serving talk-radio host in Daytona, Florida, had died on Saturday night by WNDB, the radio station he had worked with for three decades. Barnier called himself ‘Mr Anti-Vax’, telling a guest in December: ‘I’m not taking it … Are you kidding me? Mr Anti-Vax? Jeepers.’ ‘It’s with great sadness that WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announce the passing of Marc Bernier, who informed and entertained listeners on WNDB for over 30 years,’ WNDB wrote on Twitter. ‘We kindly ask that privacy is given to Marc’s family during this time of grief.’ The death of Mr Barnier follows those of Dick Farrel on August 4 and Phil Valentine last week – both of whom were also conservative radio hosts who questioned and criticized the coronavirus vaccine. Spike Lee came under fire last week after he decided to tell white people his TRUE feelings about a controversial issue while being in the public eye. Apparently, he doesn’t take the official explanation of what happened on 9-11 for face value and it has been reported by the New York Times that there are remarks from “conspiracy theorists” embedded therein. “I’m Back In The Editing Room And Looking At The Eighth And Final Chapter Of NYC EPICENTERS 9/11?2021½,” Lee said in a Wednesday statement, The Wrap reported. “I Respectfully Ask You To Hold Your Judgement Until You See The FINAL CUT. I Thank You, Spike Lee.” “I mean, I got questions — and I hope that maybe the legacy of this documentary is that Congress holds a hearing, a congressional hearing about 9/11,” he told the Times, going on to rant about the notorious jet fuel can’t melt steel beams conspiracy theory. https://youtu.be/gQ866ljcevY Go on an adventure with Disney Plus’ favorite pup in “Dug Days,” the upcoming Pixar Animation Studios’ SparkShorts which follows the events of its predecessor – the Oscar winning feature film “Up!” Fans will tag along with the golden retriever misfit Dug – whose high-tech collar translates his thoughts into speech, on his everyday backyard misadventures. The cast includes writer Bob Peterson, reprising his role as the lovable canine and the short director. The late Ed Asner also returns as the voice of Carl Fredricksen the retired salesman and widower. https://youtu.be/JeuoUHn9Cfg In the newly released preview video for the upcoming ABC series “Queens,” Natuti Naughton and her co-stars Nadine Velazquez, Brandy and Eve discuss bringing back their now-defunct 1990s hip-hop group the Nasty Bitches. https://youtu.be/JWZpXJgsAEw Sources tell lovebscott.com exclusively that “P-Valley” star Ty Lepley called it quits with longtime girlfriend / ICM agent April King last year. He has moved on with his “P-Valley” season 2 love interest Miracle Watts. It’s unclear why exactly his relationship with April ended, but according to our sources he told April that he did not want to be in a relationship with her any longer and that he was moving out. She’s the mother of both of his children — one of whom’s just 8-months old. To our understanding, Ty, even though he was engaged, had a bachelor pad in Circa LA in downtown, Los Angeles, but he also shared a home with April and their two kids in Sherman Oaks. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CSrfdM4H9Ns/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=7bd5e66f-006c-4e8d-a4a3-989cd8c52e78 Remember the Victory Tour of 1984, it was going to be the biggest things in the history of tours. It was announced all over the radio, there were television commercials, contests to win tickets and all sorts of marketing campaigns to keep that tour top of mind. Now, Margaret Maldonado-Jackson, the former common law wife of Jermaine Jackson, is yet another former Jackson associate who is looking to make money off the family name. In her new book called “Jackson Family Values,” Maldonado has quite a few stories to tell. Including the “true” story about why Jackie Jackson wasn’t on the Victory Tour back in the day. Jackie Jackson was at the peak of popularity and married with a beautiful wife, the late Enid Jackson. At the time, Paula Abdul was a dancer for the Los Angeles Lakers. Maldonado says Jackie was quite flagrant with it, and that Enid was a “take no sh*t” type of sister, too. Marlon’s wife, Carol, found out about it and told Enid and that’s when the heat got turned up. She goes on to say, Enid drove to the theater and located Jackie and Paula and dragged Abdul out of the Range Rover and across the theater lot. Jackie was trying to help Paula when Enid got into her car and put it in reverse and ran into Jackie’s leg and broke it. The broken leg kept Jackie from performing on the first half of the massive “Victory Tour.” Three years later, he and Enid divorced. https://youtu.be/zrcLMTY7iLs Chicago’s police oversight agency is investigating a white officer’s struggle with a Black woman who was walking her dog in a lakefront park, an encounter the woman’s attorneys allege became violent and was “an obvious case of racial profiling,” reports the Associated Press. Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability opened its investigation Sunday of the officer’s interaction with the woman. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday she was “deeply concerned” by video of the incident that has been widely shared on social media, and Chicago’s police superintendent asked the public for patience as the incident is investigated. https://youtu.be/TQnsrqrmjWQ MSNBC correspondent Shaquille Brewster not only had to face down Hurricane Ida as part of his workload Monday, but also an agitated white man who jumped out of a white pickup truck during his live shot and ran toward him shouting. Brewster was reporting from Gulfport, MS, when the man interrupted his on-air report. Shaq tried to reorient the crew away from the situation, telling host Craig Melvin, “I am going to turn this way, because we deal with some people every once in while.” He then went on with his live shot, but then said he would throw it back to Melvin as the man continued shouting. The man then got back into the frame and confronted Brewster face to face. “Hey, hey, hey, hey,” Melvin responded, telling viewers, ‘We’re going to check back in with Shaq Brewster just to make sure all is well. There’s a lot of crazy out there. A lot of crazy.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1432369554676752386 Oprah Winfrey has been recruited to help Broadway get back in full swing after the 18-month COVID-19 shutdown. The Broadway League has tapped Winfrey to narrate a short film for its new “This Is Broadway” initiative, which aims to welcome theater lovers back to Times Square. It brings together unprecedented partnerships between theater owners, behind-the-scenes professionals, and industry competitors to create a unified comeback campaign. https://youtu.be/vFIvsNJShYQ A marketplace highlighting Black-owned businesses in south DeKalb County delayed its grand opening, citing the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases. The New Black Wall Street Market, which is named after the Oklahoma business district that was the site of a massacre a century ago, will hold its grand opening Oct. 30 and 31. The developer was previously aiming for Labor Day weekend. Philanthropist and businessman Lecester “Bill” Allen, the project’s owner and developer, said he envisions the property becoming a thriving marketplace comparable to Ponce City Market or Krog Street Market. The ambitious development aims to foster more than 100 minority- and women-owned businesses in its 125,000-square-foot building, which is located near the Mall at Stonecrest. In a Facebook post, Allen said he delayed the grand opening due to the increase in COVID-19 cases, primarily spurred by the proliferation of the Delta variant. The DeKalb Board of Health reported a 31% increase in cases during the first two weeks of August. About 47% of DeKalb residents have been fully vaccinated. Whoopi Goldberg is being sued for $50 million in a New Jersey development dispute. Goldberg’s company, Whoopi Inc., is accused in a Garden State lawsuit of helping to plot to oust the longtime developer of a plan to revitalize downtown West Orange. Prism Capital Partners was selected to help redevelop the community’s downtown in 2006, but the project, which incorporates 21 acres on Main Street in suburban Essex County, has languished. Its mission was to “revamp the historic Thomas Edison Battery Building and surrounding grounds with thousands of square feet of retail space and hundreds of units of housing,” according to a report in New Jersey Patch. In May, the township declared Prism in default of its agreement, which was terminated in June. Now Prism claims skyrocketing property values during the pandemic prompted town officials to give their company the boot, in a bid to rezone the property and sell it to a different development group, which includes Whoopi Inc., according to court papers. #NeNeLeakes, has unfortunately, revealed that her husband, #GreggLeakes’ health is declining as he battles cancer. A customer at her lounge shared a video while she gave an update and stated, “When you see me, you see my son give us a lot of love okay, my husband is transitioning to the other side.” In the video NeNe addressed being called rude for not telling one of her customers happy birthday, and when she got on the mic, she shared that Gregg’s health condition is declining. We spoke with the woman who recorded the video and she shared that she and her friends did not ask NeNe for a birthday shoutout, nor did they call her rude. She said, “I think that a stranger may have told her that it was my friend’s birthday and asked her to send a shout out to her.” Although she was shocked about NeNe’s announcement she said, “If you listen to my voice in the video, you will not hear hostility. We respect NeNe and Greg and were saddened by the news.” Last year, an 11-year-old drummer went viral after she hit up Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl with a request for a drum battle. A year later, it has finally happened. Nandi Bushell, from Ipswich, UK, posted a cover of the band’s song “Everlong” to YouTube in August 2020, in which she playfully called out the former Nirvana drummer. Responding to the challenge, Grohl said he had received “at least 100 texts from people all over the world” about Nandi’s video request. https://youtu.be/jsDgrKdczAE “The Ms. Pat Show,” starring rising comedy queen Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams and executive produced by Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels features Theodore. The series is one of the few sitcoms featuring a Black mom as a lead tracking as far back into the 90s and has become an instant fan-favorite for BET+. Per the network, the series follows a fictionalized version of Ms. Pat’s life’s journey. From turning her life around as a convicted felon to becoming a suburban mom, the show is full of wisdom, unfiltered honesty and outrageous, in-your-face humor that’s reminiscent of an old-school sitcom, complete with a live audience. Theodore shines as Junebug, Williams’ youngest son who brings all the real, relatable teenage comedy. https://youtu.be/59m14njFKqI The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama has a superstar cop in the department that bears an uncanny resemblance to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. The sheriff’s office posted a photo of Patrol Lieutenant Eric Fields on Facebook last week after a local Walmart worker had to see it for himself. “This gentlemen recently ran into Sgt. Mason and informed him he wanted to meet our Deputy that people say looks like “The Rock.” Sgt. Mason passed that along and Lieutenant Fields was happy to swing by the Hartselle Wal-mart to see him. Tyler is one of their many hardworkers and it was great to meet him and some of his coworkers!” “I just learned last year who Shirley Chisolm was. And Ida B. Wells.” Kamryn Whitley just graduated from Lakeland High School in Suffolk. During her senior year, she took a new elective class on African American history that claims to expand cultural awareness in Virginia high schools. “It allowed me to go back and look [at] exactly where I came from, who my ancestors were, who my family was,” said Whitley. Jamal Jackson, now a senior at King’s Fork High School in Suffolk, said the class was eye-opening. “It’s a lot that is in the dark that we don’t know about,” said Jackson. “And this course, it sheds a light into a whole lot of it.” Suffolk teachers Carlotta Boone and Lawren Lee virtually introduced the course in their high schools, and they said it challenged students’ understanding of the Black experience in America. “As you go through the history of the United States of America, African Americans are a vital part of the success of this country,” said Lee, a teacher at Lakeland High School. “The kids have studied basically from the beginnings — which is the human origins, all the way up to today,” said Boone, a teacher at King’s Fork High School. Suffolk was one of a handful of local school districts, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News, to pilot the course last year. A Vermont city is planning to erect a monument to Vermont’s first known black sheriff and chief of police. The city of Vergennes is planning to unveil and dedicate the monument to former Sheriff Stephen Bates on Oct. 3. Bates was first elected sheriff and chief of police in Vergennes in 1879. Bates had been formerly enslaved in Virginia. He gained his freedom and served Union soldiers during the Civil War. He first came to Vergennes in 1866 with Vermont U.S. Rep. Frederick E. Woodbridge. Bates served as sheriff of Vergennes for 25 years. He raised a family in Vergennes before his death in 1907, and some of his descendants will be attending the event. A local team of historians and others spent the past year researching Bates’ life and rediscovering his story in Vergennes. A newlywed couple was so upset at guests who no-showed for their wedding that they sent them an invoice for $240. According to the #NYPost, a copy of the bill sent to guests who RSVPed but didn’t show went viral on #Twitter and sparked debate on whether or not the newlyweds were rightfully justified or just plain petty. The Post tracked down the couple, Doug and Dedra Simmons of Chicago, and the groom admitted the no-shows at his wedding “made me feel some kind of way.” Doug originally posted the final bill for his wedding on Facebook, with a caption that read, “This invoice is being sent to you because you confirmed seat(s) at the wedding reception during the Final Headcount.” Rebecca Desir had her eyes set on one goal since her adolescent years: She wanted to be a teacher. Jokingly, Desir says growing up the daughter of Haitian immigrants, her parents expected her to become a doctor or an engineer. While she didn’t choose those specific career paths, her current work aligns with both health and education. Desir graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a Master’s Degree in Public Health. She recalls a project presented by one of her professors that tasked her class with breaking down a public health issue of their choice. She said many of her peers chose prominent issues like HIV/AIDS. Desir, however, chose to go in a different direction for her presentation. Living in Miami, she noticed a trend of plastic surgery, specifically Brazilian Butt Lifts. She says while it’s a popular procedure and gained major attention on social media, many may not realize that it can kill you, especially if done wrong. Adding, the implications of trends like this should be discussed regularly. Her professor said she had a unique way of looking at healthcare. Church leaders and those at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary are taking precautionary steps as Hurricane Ida develops into a projected Category 3 and possible Category 4 storm. “We are recommending at this point that we evacuate the campus,” NOBTS President Jamie Dew announced in a video earlier today. “This is not mandatory. The city has not mandated that or anything like that. But with a Category 3 or Category 4 [hurricane] we certainly want to recommend that you get your family … and perhaps this is a good weekend to go visit some out-of-town family members in other parts of the country.” A Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher and her daughter, a school cafeteria manager, died of complications with COVID-19 at Jackson South Medical Center. Two teenagers are grieving their mother, Lakisha Williams, and their grandmother, Lillian Smith, a first-grade teacher at Dr. William A. Chapman Elementary School in Miami-Dade County’s Naranja neighborhood. Williams’ husband, Jermaine Williams, said she and Smith were not vaccinated against COVID-19 and were admitted to the hospital in early August. Williams had recently been promoted. “I was so proud when she got her degree to be this manager, and my wife only did this — not even a month,” the grieving widower said through tears. Jermaine Williams described Smith, his mother-in-law, as “a wonderful lady” who loved her students as “her babies.” Oliver Family Charities is keeping the memory of Dallas basketball player Andre Emmett alive. Emmett was shot and killed in September 2019 while being robbed near his home in Old East Dallas. The charity, established by Emmett’s mother, hosted a youth basketball camp that honors his legacy. The day-long camp happened at the Moorland Branch YMCA in Oak Cliff for boys and girls age 8 to 13. Emmett played college basketball for Texas Tech, where he remains the all-time leading scorer. https://cbsloc.al/3mEImE3 Wendell Scott’s grandson stood on his tip toes, leaned over and kissed the trophy that was nearly 60 years in the making. NASCAR presented Scott’s family a custom trophy commemorating his historic 1963 victory prior to Saturday’s Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Scott was the first and remains the only Black driver to win a race at NASCAR’s top level. NASCAR President Steve Phelps gave Scott’s son, Frank Scott, the trophy on stage following a pre-race concert and just before driver introductions. Driver Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s lone full-time Black driver, joined several of Scott’s family members on stage for the ceremony. As they started to leave the dais, Warrick Scott got his chance to pose with the trophy. Instead of holding or hoisting it, he decided to kiss it. It was maybe the most telling scene of what this meant to the family. Wendell Scott passed Richard Petty with 25 laps remaining at Speedway Park in Jacksonville on Dec. 1, 1963, in the Jacksonville 200. But Buck Baker, who actually finished second, was declared the winner and received the trophy in victory lane. It was her first civil rights demonstration. Shirley Green-Reese was 13 when she challenged segregation outside the Martin Theater in Americus, Ga., in July 1963. She tried to buy tickets at the front of the theater instead of entering from the back alley. That’s when the police arrived. “We were just children. We didn’t think nothing could happen to us,” said Green-Reese, now 72, of the moments before she was arrested. “We just didn’t know the danger of it.” She had gone to the protest without her parents’ knowledge and figured she could make it back home before they did. She wouldn’t. Instead she was transported from cell to cell in rural southwest Georgia before finally ending up in a stockade in Leesburg, where she was among 15 girls imprisoned for at least 45 days without ever being charged with a crime. The children, who ranged in age from 12 to 15, eventually became known as the Leesburg Stockade Girls. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on Friday released video footage of an incident involving NBA player Jaxson Hayes in which an officer used a stun gun on the New Orleans Pelicans center as he gasped for air, saying “I can’t breathe.” The incident occurred at a residence in LA’s Woodland Hills neighborhood on July 28 after police received a call from a cousin of Hayes’s girlfriend reporting a domestic dispute, according to The Associated Press. After police arrived and started to question Hayes about his girlfriend, the player states in the video that the couple “were just having a little argument” and says “she was throwing some stuff at me.” Police then indicate they want to speak with Hayes’s girlfriend and ask him to stand outside. The player can be heard in the edited video asking if the police have a warrant to enter the home, with officers responding that they don’t need one. The situation quickly escalates after officers grab Hayes’s arms, with multiple officers then attempting to subdue him. H.E.R. has signed on for her first major acting role, landing the part of Squeak in Blitz Bazawule’s forthcoming adaptation of “The Color Purple” for Warner Bros. H.E.R. is already an Oscar winner, earning the best original song trophy in April for her song “Fight For You,” from Warner Bros.’ “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist also has won four Grammys. In her Variety cover story, the 23-year-old songstress expressed her desire to become a top musician and a top actor. “There is so much I want to do. People don’t really get to see my comedic and fun side, except for when I’m impersonating my aunt,” she said, with a laugh. “But I definitely want to do a lot more voice-overs, and comedy, but also some serious roles.” Catching herself, she continued: “I’m trying to do it all, I know. Whatever it is, one thing at a time. I’m gonna get there.” Joining the cast of Warner Bros.’ adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which is itself an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, definitely qualifies as “serious.” “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum NeNe Leakes was recently recorded telling patrons of her Atlanta lounge, The Linnethia, that husband Gregg Leakes could possibly be losing his battle with cancer. In footage obtained by It’s OnSite, Leakes, 53, is seen addressing customers who called her “rude” for not acknowledging a birthday in the crowd, leading the reality star to share her personal pain. “My husband is transitioning to the other side,” she told the room before turning to acknowledge those who called her out. “You don’t know what we’re dealing with right now. We walked in this lounge because we had to walk in this lounge because this is our business. So, when people approach and say, ‘you’re rude because you don’t want to say happy birthday,’ my husband is at home dying. I don’t want to say ‘happy birthday,’ okay?” Gregg, 67, was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2018, but it went into remission after treatment. In June, however, NeNe confirmed that his cancer returned. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTKl3vAglng/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading There’s still hope for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. The estranged couple have considered putting their divorce on hold to work “on rebuilding the foundation of their relationship,” a source close to the couple shared with TMZ. Kardashian, 40, is considering withdrawing her divorce petition from West, 44, though no decisions have been made yet, according to the report. One thing keeping Kimye on the path to reconciliation is that they both want what is best for their four children — North, 8, Saint, 5, Chicago, 3, and their youngest, Psalm, 2. Rumors of a reconciliation blew up after Kardashian made a surprise appearance wearing a wedding dress to “remarry” West at his “Donda” listening event in Chicago on Friday. The couple came face-to-face while “No Child Left Behind” played for the scene. While severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 are still considered rare among children, those of color have been disproportionally sickened. And with cases climbing as the contagious delta variant rips through the unvaccinated, health experts fear what’s to come. The COVID-19 vaccines aren’t yet available for children younger than 12, and with schools reopening more kids are getting infected. In Florida, where new cases lead the nation and Gov. Ron DeSantis has banned school districts from mandating masks, children make up roughly 10% of cases since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. A Lexington pastor, hospitalized with COVID-19, has died. Tim Parsons was the lead pastor at Center Point Church. He tested positive a little more than two weeks ago. Church members say Parsons died Thursday morning. In a statement, the church says Parsons leaves behind an impactful legacy in the lives of thousands of people: In light of everything going on in the life of our church, we will not be doing phone calls or interviews at this time. Here is a brief statement from our church: We are saddened by the loss of our beloved Lead Pastor, Tim Parsons. He was loved by many and he leaves an impactful legacy in the lives of thousands of people. We are grateful that he is now in the presence of the Savior he loved so deeply and proclaimed so passionately. Thank you for your prayers and for respecting the privacy of the family in this difficult time. CBN’s Operation Blessing helps people recover from natural disasters around the world. The international disaster relief team delivered 70 food kits to those in need in a remote area of Haiti, following the recent deadly earthquake in that country that killed more than 2,200 people and destroyed 50,000 homes. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton has been a broadcaster on MSNBC for ten years and Sharpton recently celebrated 10 years on “PoliticsNation,” which premiered in 2011. “I’ve lasted longer than most TV hosts of shows,” he told the New York Post’s Page Six. “I’ve never missed a show in ten years! I might be the only host who’s never missed a show,” he added. Ari Melber, Tiffany Cross, Joy Reid, former president Phil Griffin and current president Rashida Jones, a trailblazer in her own right as the first black woman to head a cable news network, were among the guests who came out to give a shoutout. https://youtu.be/RNeLgzr8Png A three-judge panel unanimously affirmed a trial judge’s finding that Dylan Roof was competent enough to stand trial. “No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did,” the judges wrote in an unsigned opinion. “His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose.” Roof’s defense team is expected to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Many people who came across the latest update felt that the ruling was fair given the horrific crime that occurred. However, activist and (Black News Channel) TV personality Marc Lamont Hill said that he is against the death penalty and explained why on Black News Tonight. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTFmTi5nZLy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Venus Williams has partnered with BetterHelp and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to provide one month of free therapy through BetterHelp. “The challenge of taking care of our mental health through the ups and downs of life is something that all of us, no matter our background, can relate to,” Williams said in a statement. “Now more than ever, we need to create an accepting and open environment to seek professional mental health therapy, which is why I am so excited to partner with BetterHelp and the WTA to provide access to free therapy and help raise awareness,” she added. https://www.instagram.com/venuswilliams/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=0fcd3256-f43c-44d3-a15d-d13687dcdb05 Texas State House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) on Thursday banned the word “racism” in the chamber after tensions flared while debating the headline-making voting rights bill, ABC 13 reported. In mid-July, numerous House Democrats broke quorum and left Texas in an attempt to block the legislation. Now that enough members have returned, the House regrouped to debate and vote for the first time since May. Lawmakers proposed nearly 70 amendments, a majority of them by Democrats. The debate reportedly lasted 90 minutes, according to the ABC affiliate. The Speaker’s move came after the controversial bill was brought to the floor for a vote. During debate, the word “racism” came into play, prompting Phelan to ban the word. Delta Airlines employees will be hit with a $200 monthly surcharge for refusing to take the COVID vaccine shot. In a memo released on August 24, the company’s CEO Ed Bastian announced that unvaccinated employees would face health care premium hikes beginning Nov. 1. https://youtu.be/AT6h6qxyoS8 American Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin is engaged to former National Football League player Andre Levrone Jr. McLaughlin, the 22-year-old hurdler who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, posted pictures of her sunset proposal on Instagram. “Till this day I still can’t comprehend how someone who possesses everything I’ve prayed for, has finally come into my life,” her post read. “Our growth together exceeds what the dates on a calendar show. I fall in love with you more and more each day off of the strength of your faith.” “May we never love one another cautiously, but instead always be eager to love one another extravagantly, in the manner that Christ loved the Church,” her 26-year-old fiancé, who has played for the Baltimore Ravens, wrote on his Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/sydneymclaughlin16/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=409379b2-9b0d-4086-9c62-d2201d140cb5 The National Basketball Association (NBA) will require referees working games during the coming season to be vaccinated against coronavirus, the league said on Saturday. The announcement comes after the league and the National Basketball Referees Association reached an agreement, which will not enforce the requirement for referees with religious or medical exemptions. The referees have also agreed to take any recommended booster shots. "Any referee who does not get vaccinated and is not exempt will be ineligible to work games," the league said in a statement. Manchester United capped a day of high-transfer drama by agreeing a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the club, after rivals Manchester City had a reported change of heart. The transfer is subject to the agreement of personal terms, visa and a medical, but the 36-year-old appears set to leave Juventus to re-join the club where he won eight major trophies between 2003-2009. Fan favorite Ronaldo's return generated so much excitement that United's website crashed shortly after they announced the deal, while the club's share price rose nearly 7% to $18.47. Stephen Curry is helping women’s sports make strides toward equity. On Thursday, the 33-year-old NBA player announced that he and his wife, Ayesha Curry, are establishing the Curry Family Women’s Athletics Initiative at his alma mater, Davidson College, in North Carolina. The Golden State Warriors star said the initiative will be “aimed at helping close the inequity gap in women’s sports,” as the couple donates to the school and encourages others to do the same. “Davidson College is where it all started for me, and it no doubt prepared me for leadership and service. I’m forever grateful for the unwavering support from the entire Davidson community,” the father of three said in a video on social media. “The reason I am who I am today is also because of strong, powerful women that have poured into my life all these years,” he continued, noting the initiative “hits home” because of his daughters, Riley, 9, and 6-year-old Ryan. Stephen and Ayesha are also parents to 3-year-old son Canon. Model Winnie Harlow and new Washington Wizards small forward Kyle Kuzma have decided to call it quits after he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers, according to TMZ. The celebrity couple was dating for over a year, according to sources, and they broke up just weeks after the trade was announced. TMZ reports that the couple is still friends and there are not any hard feelings. Kyle Kuzma was living the dream not that long ago. He was the young gun that was allowed to remain with the Lakers after Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram were shipped out to make room for Anthony Davis. He even got a ring out of the deal. However, after the Lakers early departure from the playoffs last season, the brass in LA decided they needed a more definitive offensive punch on the perimeter. Enter: former MVP Russell Westbrook. Super Turnt” the movie, is the sequel to the popular action film “Turnt.” The action packed movie is produced by the legendary Mann Robinson and Torrei Hart and is premiering in September at his Mann Robinson Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. The cast includes Robinson, Hart, Harry Lennix, Jamal Woolard, E. Roger Mitchell & many more! The film currently has a lot of buzz and has been featured in Variety magazine, as well as many other industry blogs. The film follows Rilla, a highly feared street lord and rapper, who’s been released from prison and is faced with navigating changes in his immediate world. Ty James, daughter of legendary singer-songwriter Rick James and Sacha Jenkins, filmmaker and director the documentary “Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James” joined SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Mike Muse Show” to talk about the new documentary surrounding James’ life and legacy, his struggles with addiction, the trauma the James’ family endured, and his “genuine,” funny relationship with Dave Chappelle. https://youtu.be/H86RQvyMXDU Yesterday, the “Candyman” returned to terrorize theaters in the thrilling sequel to the 1992 film and at his time Saturday (08-28-21) it was winning the weekend box office race with $21 million. This “Candyman” follows a young couple living in the heavily gentrified Cabrini Green of Chicago, Illinois. In symmetry with the first film, our protagonists Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), stumble across the legend of the Candyman while in pursuit of inspiration for their artwork. https://youtu.be/TPBH3XO8YEU Following the epic success of romantic drama” Never and Again,” Percy “Master P” Miller, Romeo Miller and LazRael Lison have partnered again to bring audiences “#Unknown.” A psychological suspense film, releasing October 1st on Amazon Prime. Years after a series of random murders took place in 2017, book author Michael Lane (played by Hal Ozsan) suddenly begins receiving haunting calls from the #Unknown. Instead of focusing on the encore to his successful debut book, he becomes obsessed with this mystery and spirals out of control as he unravels each victim caught in the web of a sadistic killer. https://www.instagram.com/masterp/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b587d0a2-f11e-45c2-b342-3c36e529c603 Anthony Mackie has entered into a deal to star in a fourth installment of the Captain America film franchise. The Disney+ series “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” focused on the moral implications incumbent upon one who wields the shield, but this upcoming “Captain America 4” film will likely show Sam Wilson already acclimated to the role. Malcolm Spellman garnered a great deal of praise on the manner in which he incorporated a writers room that was nearly all-Black (unheard of even on “Black” movies). For Captain America 4, Malcolm Spellman will reportedly pen the script along with Dalan Musson, who also wrote for the Disney Plus series as well. “It’s been incredible, I feel alive again,” laughed Scott Tournet, lead man of Dance/Rock band Elektric Voodoo, about touring again to support the launch of their new album “Telescope.” The “Telescope” tour ends Sunday, August 29, 2021 at Rams Head on Stage. https://youtu.be/3CzrEnXrCiU Shaq revealed during a podcast that he turned away a $40 million five-year deal with Reebok after a woman confronted him about his expensive shoes during a game. On Thursday’s episode of the “Full Send” podcast, O’Neal recalled the moment he ended his deal with Reebok during his NBA career after a woman confronted him about the shoe’s prices at the time. He said the woman called him a “motherf*cker” for charging too much for sneakers that were targeted for children and should make the shoes more affordable. The NBA champion noted that the moment inspired him to make his own brand and launched a partnership with Walmart to launch the sneakers. “I said keep the money… this ain’t right. I’ll still wear the shoes I wear during the season, but I’ll be looking to do my own thing. So, I started the Shaq brand. I went to my favorite store, Walmart, and we did a deal. I was in all stores and my price point for the shoes was $29-$19 and since then we have sold over 400 million pairs. It’s not kids that don’t want to wear $20 shoes, they don’t want to wear shoes that look like they cost $20.” An Indian man has died after he used epoxy adhesive to have sex instead of a condom. Epoxy adhesive is typically used to bind construction elements together or protect underlying surfaces from dirt and moisture. Instead of a condom, a 25-year-old man used the product before engaging in sex. An investigator in the case told the Times of India that the man “used the adhesive to avoid pregnancy.” The man, identified as Salman Mirza, died suddenly after using the adhesive on June 22. At the time, he was at a hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with his ex-fiancé. “Several witnesses said that Mirza, along with his former fiancée, both of whom were addicted to drugs, had gone to a hotel in Juhapura. There, they applied an epoxy adhesive on his private parts as they were not carrying any protection,” explained a senior police official. Epoxy adhesive is typically used to bind construction elements together or protect underlying surfaces from dirt and moisture. Instead of a condom, a 25-year-old man used the product before engaging in sex. An investigator in the case told the Times of India that the man “used the adhesive to avoid pregnancy.” The man, identified as Salman Mirza, died suddenly after using the adhesive on June 22. At the time, he was at a hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with his ex-fiancé. “Several witnesses said that Mirza, along with his former fiancée, both of whom were addicted to drugs, had gone to a hotel in Juhapura. There, they applied an epoxy adhesive on his private parts as they were not carrying any protection,” explained a senior police official. Rising Christian & Gospel artist Jonathan Traylor invites us all to “The Table” on his worshipful new single, reminding you that you belong and you are loved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7bsNPy2gs Cynthia Jones stepped into music with her breakthrough debut album GOTTA SOUL in 2008, which introduced her authentically expressive savviness as a singer with true soul. It has been a decade since her last album, JOURNEY OF SOUL. Cynthia now emerges with a renewed spirit and a fresh creative spark to her signature voice. Cynthia offers her brand new single “Ain’t No Half Steppin." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7ijHyVWkfU&feature=youtu.be All Nations Music just released a new EP! If you're ready to listen to Sanctuary...be prepared to clear your schedule to worship! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf_zSJkCQDo Angela Moss Poole brings a fresh sound to contemporary Christian/Gospel music. She is a nationally acclaimed songwriter whose songs are being translated and shared all over the world. Angela teams up with powerhouse vocalist Micah Stampley to deliver "My Help." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7074765?date=20210402&user_id=668306&signature=CNk6BTienXBV1PeRU6-wGA-yDbk%3AjNbzrOXd Cheering turns deadly with the mysterious death of Emma (Claire Tablizo) and Kate (Alexis Samone) begins to suspect that Anna (Sofia Masson), the newly appointed captain of her cheer squad, is responsible. As Kate searches for the truth behind Emma’s death, she soon becomes a target for Anna who is out to destroy her life. The Wrong Cheer Captain also stars Vivica A. Fox and Jackée Harry and is produced by Hybrid, LLC. The Wrong Cheer Captain premieres Sunday, August 29th at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkPyoUHdUXo It’s an exciting time for the Tankard family as they get ready to kick off Season 4 of their hit reality show, Thicker Than Water: The Tankards. The show had a very successful three-season run with the Bravo TV Network; however, this time around, they are branching out as Executive producers and owners of their own show under the CJC Network. The new season of the fun-loving family docu-series begins on Sunday, August 29th at 8:00 P.M. and 11 P.M. on the CJC Network. https://t.e2ma.net/click/ovvv5h/smf04b/4fmenac Atlanta-based media company Empower Media Group (EMG) held the 2021 Black Media Honors™? on Sunday, August 22. The annual awards honors broadcasting, public relations, media, mass communication and journalism icons who have influenced and made significant contributions to the media industry. Celebrated strategic public-relations agency, CR8 Agency, was awarded "Agency of The Year" at the inaugural event. The Black Media Honors, slated to air on FOX SOUL was hosted by Actress Brely Evans and Pastor Anthony Murray. RuPaul continues to slay his guest hosting stint on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Last night, he turned a plain clothes fashion show featuring show staffers into an extravaganza worthy of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and had a sit-down with his close friend, Thandiwe Newton, that got real personal. https://youtu.be/izcpzltXTi8 The veteran U.S. Capitol police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt as she and hundreds of other MAGA rioters tried to force their way into the lobby of the House of Representatives chamber defended his actions Thursday in an interview with NBC Nightly News. “I tried to wait as long as I could,” Lt. Michael Byrd told host Lester Holt. “I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers.” On Jan. 6, Byrd and several other officers used furniture to barricade a set of doors leading to the lobby where about 60 to 80 House members and staffers were sitting ducks. https://youtu.be/MuByQ7Pp5Gg A mother and father in Florida have been arrested after their child died from fentanyl and cocaine intoxication. Charquez Giles, 26, and Latonia Clemons, 36, are accused of third-degree felony murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and neglect of a child after their 1-year-old daughter died on July 10. According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the child’s paternal aunt found the girl on her doorstep in a car seat with no one else around after receiving a knock at her front door. The aunt said she received a call from family members advising that the girl needed medical attention. The aunt drove the girl to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. A medical examiner later determined that the cause of death to be fentanyl and cocaine intoxication. Police said the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death are still being investigated. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation from Riviera Beach police and arrested the pair on Thursday. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the U.S., blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was split 6-3 between the court’s conservative and liberal justices, with John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett voting to end the eviction moratorium, and Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan voting to keep it. Justices said in an unsigned opinion Thursday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reimplemented the moratorium on August 3, lacked the authority to do so under federal law without explicit congressional authorization. ‘It would be one thing if Congress had specifically authorized the action that the CDC has taken,’ the court wrote. ‘But that has not happened. Instead, the CDC has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination. It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts.’ Real estate groups in Georgia and Alabama had argued this point and told the high court that the moratorium caused property owners across the nation significant financial hardships, USA Today reports. Liberty University announced a temporary campus-wide quarantine Thursday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. The quarantine is set to begin Monday and last until Sept. 10, news outlets report. The university has about 15,000 students and 5,000 faculty or staff on campus. There were 159 known active cases among students, faculty and staff as of Wednesday, according to the university’s online COVID-19 dashboard. Of those cases, 124 cases were among students. It is a sharp increase from last week when 40 students and staff tested positive as students were welcomed back to campus. It also surpasses the highest confirmed active caseload last September, when at least 141 people on campus tested positive and nearly 1,200 people were quarantined. As the university began its fall semester this week, the university, which doesn’t require vaccination, lifted building capacity restrictions and distancing and masking requirements. The university changed its protocol late Thursday to enact the campus-wide quarantine, moving classes online and suspending large indoor gatherings. The Rev. Jesse Jackson has been transferred to a hospital focused on physical rehabilitation after receiving treatment for a breakthrough COVID-19 infection while his wife, Jacqueline, has been moved to an intensive care unit, according to a family statement released Friday. Jonathan Jackson, one of the couple’s five children, said that his father’s COVID-19 symptoms are abating. Jackson has Parkinson’s disease and Jonathan Jackson said he will receive “intensive occupational and physical therapy” at The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Jacqueline Jackson is not on a ventilator but is receiving increased oxygen in the ICU at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Jonathan Jackson said. “Both of our parents are continuing to receive excellent medical care,” he said. “We urge that you continue to keep them in your prayers because we know this is a serious disease.” People were outraged Thursday afternoon when PlayStation announced a new gaming experience on Fortnite that features the greatest orator in American history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. According to PlayStation’s blog, the new experience, “March Through Time in Fortnite” will teleport players nearly 60 years in the past to a re-imagined Washington, D.C., called D.C. 63. They will get to explore the Lincoln Memorial and the United States National Mall where Dr. King made his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. The feature is presented by TIME Studios and was developed by members of the Fortnite Creative Community. It will also feature museum-inspired points of interest and quests you can complete with other players. Completing the quests will unlock unique accessories for the game. https://twitter.com/i/status/1430916152667017217 Right-wing attorney John Pierce a lawyer who once represented Kenosha shooter and conservative sweetheart, Kyle Rittenhouse, and is now representing 17 members of the Jan. 6, white people rebellion, the Capitol riot, is a staunch conservative who, for months, had been using his Twitter account as a hub for anti-vaccine nonsense. Now, he’s a COVID-19 carrier who is hospitalized and on a ventilator, according to one of his colleagues. Newsweek reported that Wednesday, Pierce was due in court for a hearing for alleged Capitol rioter Shane Jenkins. When he didn’t show up, Pierce’s legal partner, Ryan Marshall told the judge, “Mr. Pierce is in the hospital, we believe, with COVID-19, on a ventilator, non-responsive." Just over a week ago, Pierce tweeted, “All I know is the entire 82nd Airborne couldn’t make me get an experimental government vaccine stuck in my arm.” Sidney Powell, the pro-Trump attorney who joined fellow Donald Trump stooge Rudy Giuliani in spreading “stop the steal” propaganda involving sentient voting machines going full Skynet and changing Trump votes to Biden votes costing the Trump to lose his bid for re-election? Wednesday, a federal judge ordered sanctions on Powell and several other lawyers of the Trump cult over their support of the “big lie” that eventually led to the Caucasian Can’t-Coup-Right rebellion at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. According to CNN, U.S. District Judge Linda Parker, of the Eastern District of Michigan, said the team of attorneys “engaged in litigation practices” that were “abusive and, in turn, sanctionable,” so now Powell and the rest of the voter suppression brigade are required to reimburse the lawyer fees Detroit and Michigan officials paid in seeking the sanctions. They’re also required to take legal education classes, which one can only assume is the ultimate insult for people who have supposedly already been through law school. Many pioneers, celebrities and tastemakers have used their platforms to raise awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community its contributions art, culture, industry, civil rights, and social justice. Bridge Philanthropic Consulting is highlighting 12 members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the company’s newest Iconic Impact Initiative paper, “Our Pride Won’t Stop: Highlighting Pioneers and Champions of the LGBTQIA+ Movement.” The paper features LGBTQIA+ leaders and their professional and social change journeys, including Robin Roberts, Alphonso David, Don Lemon, RuPaul, Wanda Sykes, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Frank Ocean, Marsha P. Johnson, an activist drag queen at the 1969 Stonewall uprising, and Bayard Rustin, who was arrested in 1953 for having consensual sex with two men but later became a leader in social movements for civil rights, gay rights, equality, and nonviolence. Jalen rose says, we all know my “Renaissance Man” guest as Ice Cube or O’Shea Jackson Sr. But initially before he went Hollywood in “Boyz n the Hood,” he wasn’t so certain the name Doughboy would be forever linked to his body of work. Late great director John Singleton approached him because he wanted to make a movie about the NWA lifestyle and ethos. “He was just adamant about the group, NWA, the kind of music that we were doing. And, you know, his whole thing was like ‘the film version of what you are doing and, you know, nobody is showing that,’” Ice Cube told me of Singleton. “They got, the East Coast versions of what this is, you know, but nobody’s done our version like our ‘Do the Right Thing.’ So he just kept saying, ‘Man, you Doughboy, you Doughboy, man. I could see it.’ … I’m listening because I’m very interested. You know, John is an interesting cat, but I’m thinking he going to hire somebody else, whatever actor that was popping … But he was adamant that, ‘It’s you.’ … So he believed in me before I did because I thought you had to be trained to act and by the time this movie come out, you gonna hire Todd Bridges or something. https://play.acast.com/s/5ac23cd2-7cf4-542c-a68e-d6559d0d7d38/17a78420-01ca-47e4-8b18-52c91b3a2283 Fine dining and great entertainment go hand in hand but rarely does it evoke the traditions of yesteryear in such grand style. Well thanks to Paul and Kara Coury, of Kansas City’s downtown Ambassador Hotel, Lonnie McFadden now has a permanent home to razzle, dazzle and mesmerize the crowd with his spirited performance in Lonnie’s Reno Club. Lonnie is a quadruple threat. He sings like Lonnie, that’s his name, but his voice is tinged with the velvet fibers of Billy Eckstein, Nat King Cole and Jimmy Scott. https://youtu.be/f1vqttc4wM4 Lil Nas X is calling out a double standard over skateboarding legend Tony Hawk’s new skateboards. The Old Town Road rapper took to Twitter yesterday (Aug. 25th), to point out the difference between the public’s reaction to his controversial Nike bloody shoes and Tony Hawk‘s bloody skateboards. Tony Hawk announced that he is an ambassador with Liquid Death, a canned water company known for its famous tagline, “Murder Your Thirst.” Under his partnership, he’s releasing a line of limited-edition skateboards that include his own blood. According to reports, Tony gave two vials of blood, which were mixed into the paint used on the skateboards. Netflix’s “Lupin” is a must-have to add to your must-watch list. Omar Sy stars as Arsène Lupin, a contemporary retelling of the French classic story about the titular gentleman thief and master of disguise. The series is directed by Ludovic Bernard and Hugo Gélin and is produced by the oldest film company in the world, Gaumont Télévision (Isabelle Degeorges, Nathan Franck). https://youtu.be/ga0iTWXCGa0 Roy Wood Jr.’s recurring “Daily Show” character Leo Deblin is back, and this time he’s addressing the real life issue of home appraisers placing higher values on the homes of white owners. The issue came to light this year when a Black homeowner removed her home’s Black identifiers and had a white, male friend stand in during a second appraisal on her home, and was quoted a higher amount than what was given during the first appraisal that she attended, with her Black photos and books in place. https://youtu.be/NEKYqsIZMn8 On the new episode of Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert’s reality series, “We Got Love Teyana & Iman, ” Taylor, 30, opened up about a recent health scare. The singer revealed that she underwent emergency surgery in Miami after finding lumps in her breasts. Dr. Altman, her physician, performed a biopsy to further determine what was going on. From there, she learned that the results came back fine — even despite the doctor describing it as a “complicated” procedure. https://youtu.be/4l90BuelxZM An ex-drug lord from New York City is suing 50 Cent, claiming the rapper stole his life story and turned it into the hit “Power” series on Starz. Per AllHipHop, Cory “Ghost” Holland Sr. filed the ten-figure lawsuit against 50 Cent, Courtney Kemp, Starz, claiming “Power” is based on his life as a New York drug kingpin. According to Holland, he produced a cautionary tale about his life as a drug-lord in 2007, put it on CD, and distributed it to at-risk children. Holland claims he met with Courtney Kemp’s father in the early 1990s to discuss his life story as he attempted to exit the drug trade. In 2007, Holland said he mailed a copy of his CD to Kemp’s dad. The CD had an autobiographical song where he raps about being a “druglord,” falling in love with his “teen crush” (who is Puerto Rican) and finding out from his white, best friend/drug trafficking partner that his teen crush now works in law enforcement. Holland claimed he also rapped about leaving his wife, who is a Black woman, for his Puerto-Rican love interest. At the end of the song, someone tries to murder Holland. Kim Kardashian wore a wedding dress and veil as she dramatically joined her estranged husband Kanye West on stage at his Donda listening party on Thursday evening. The reality star wore a Balenciaga Couture dress while walking out onto the stage at Soldier Field in Chicago for the final song of the show, No Child Left Behind, which caused a frenzy at the stadium. Despite the appearance, insiders say Kim and Kanye are not back together, however are ‘forever family.’ https://twitter.com/i/status/1431168223454633986 Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav chopped it up with Steve-O on his Wild Ride! podcast and spilled details about Dr. Dre’s hotly-anticipated “Detox” album. “I was just over Dre’s house a week and a half ago,” he said. “One of the best people in the world, man. Not only that, but I’m honored for him to have me record something at his house for his upcoming album that’s getting ready to come out. That’s big to me, man. C’mon. Flavor Flav on a Dr. Dre album? Man. Word. That’s big to me, bro.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CTAdf9TogPS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Beyonce is said to be ‘disappointed and angry’ at unknowingly modeling a ‘blood diamond’ in her new Tiffany & Co. campaign after facing furious online backlash. The singer, 39, wore the famed 128.54 carat Tiffany Diamond, in a photoshoot with her husband Jay Z, which debuted last week – becoming just the fourth female – and the first black woman – to ever wear the gem. However the chart-topper and the luxury jewelry brand have come under furious fire over the decision to showcase the controversial diamond, with many social media users calling attention to its contentious history and the circumstances under which it was mined. The diamond was discovered in a colonial mine in Kimberley, South Africa, in 1877 – at a time when the country, and its mines, were under British colonial rule – and when predominantly black migrant workers were subjected to horrific conditions while receiving paltry, and sometimes no, pay in return. According to a source close to Beyonce, the singer was unaware of the diamond’s controversial history, and has been left outraged over the fact that she was not given more information about the gem’s background. ‘Beyonce is aware of the criticism and is disappointed and angry that she wasn’t made aware of questions about its history,’ an unnamed insider told The Sun. In 1963, my grandfather gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. He wasn’t painting the picture of a utopia, but one of a country where we could live without constant crisis. He wanted an end to racism and a beginning to civil rights in the United States. Today, 58 years later, my grandfather’s dream is still not a reality. Racism is alive and well in our country. Here’s how I know: This year, 400 anti-voting bills have been snaking their way through states — and 30 have already been passed into law. Think about that: Lawmakers have passed 30 bills to stop people from voting. Thirty bills that silence the voices of Black and brown people, immigrants, and young voters. The worst of these bills make it illegal to give food and water to voters waiting in line and prevent people from having a say in the direction of our country. Two Black men in their 50s are suing Walmart, alleging that the retailer falsely accused them of stealing when they tried to return a TV. The plaintiffs Dennis Stewart, a former police officer, and Terence Richardson, a pastor, were handcuffed by the police at a Walmart in the Houston suburb of Conroe, Texas, after trying to return a $300 TV last September, the lawsuit said. Stewart bought the TV earlier in the day but said it wasn’t working properly, and so wanted to return it, the lawsuit said. The two men said that when they went to return the TV, a white employee at the customer-service counter accused them of stealing it and refused to acknowledge their receipt as proof of purchase. They said the associate called the police. The lawsuit said the police arrived, handcuffed them, and took them to the loss-prevention office, where Stewart was said to have broken down in tears. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Courthouse News was first to report it. The police later released Stewart and Richardson, but the lawsuit said the store manager asked the pair to sign a paper confirming they would be arrested if they returned to the store. Eleven US Marines and one Navy medic were among those killed in a series of suicide bomb attacks on Kabul airport on Thursday, the first American lives to be lost since Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan evacuation effort began on August 14. An official death toll has not yet been given but according to those on the ground including a New York Times reporter who counted 40 dead bodies. The Wall Street Journal said 60 Afghans had died. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby released a statement saying a ‘number’ had died, but he wouldn’t give any additional details. Other troops are feared to have been injured. Biden’s meetings were canceled on Thursday immediately after the attack while he spoke with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley. Newly-surfaced video from 2019 shows a Louisiana police officer beating a Black man, Aaron Larry Bowman, 18 times with a flashlight, as he is heard screaming, “I’m not resisting! I’m not resisting!” Bowman was left with a broken jaw, three fractured ribs, a broken wrist and a gash to his head that required six staples to close, according to the Associated Press, which obtained the bodycam video. The officer, who was white, defended the beating by saying it was “pain compliance” to get Bowman into handcuffs. The officer, Jacob Brown, was arrested in February on charges of aggravated second-degree battery and malfeasance in office in connection with the assault, the New York Times reports. Brown had been involved in 23 incidents that involved use of force, and 19 of those incidents were against Black people, the Times notes. Brown resigned from the Louisiana State Police in March. https://youtu.be/lbTPmclwf1I Sadistic white supremacist Dylan Roof had his sentence upheld by the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals after he tried to appeal it numerous times. The unanimous three-judge panel rejected all arguments that Roof should have been ruled incompetent to stand trial. Roof claimed he committed the horrific massacre because he had schizophrenia and suffered from psychological disorders. He was convicted of shooting nine innocent people inside Emanuel AME Church in Charleston during a Bible study on June 17, 2015. “Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them,” the 149-page opinion writes. https://youtu.be/Hvw3AC6uMhA Day five of R. Kelly’s Trial is underway and more shocking revelation’s are coming to light, including the circumstances in which Gayle King’s explosive CBS interview with R. Kelly and his girlfriends took place. The Associated Press reported, a woman identified as Jane Doe testified in court that Kelly had complete control of the 2019 interview for CBS. The woman claims the singer would cough to direct the women to back up his claims that he didn’t sexually assault them. “‘He did a cough that he usually does so everyone knows he is there. Letting us know that he was in the room with us.” the woman testified. Neighbors knew something wasn’t right when police arrived at their apartment complex in southwest Baltimore Tuesday afternoon but never imagined it’d lead to the discovery of two dead children. Even more shocking, police say their mother confessed to the killings. Jameirra Hall, 28, is facing murder charges. Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced Wednesday the mother confessed to killing her son Davin Thomas, 8, and daughter Da’Neira, 6. She was arrested one day after police discovered the children deceased and decomposing in their apartment at the Coventry Homes in southwest Baltimore Tuesday afternoon. The Commissioner said why and how she killed her children remains under investigation. The homegoing service for five siblings who died in a St. Louis apartment fire was held on Saturday, a week after the tragic incident. Sabrina Dunigan’s five children: Loy-el Dunigan, 2, Jabari Johnson, 4, 8-year-old twins Heaven and Neveah Dunigan, and Deontae Davis, 9, were buried in custom caskets, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. https://youtu.be/kRcLxd-W4Jg Rachel Nichols has been pulled from all of ESPN’s NBA programming following her controversial comments about colleague Maria Taylor. Nichols has been in the hot seat ever since her private comments were leaked about the network’s decision to have Taylor, who is Black, host the NBA Finals, as reported by Black Enterprise. In the conversation, Nichols, who is white, expressed frustration that Taylor had been chosen over her to host “NBA Countdown” during last year’s NBA Finals, suggesting that the network made the decision because it was “feeling pressure” on diversity. Shortly after audio of the conversation hit the Internet, Nichols issued a public apology and the network removed her from NBA Finals coverage. Per Sports Business Journal, Nicholas has been taken off of NBA coverage and her weekday afternoon show The Jump will be canceled. Nichols is still under contract with ESPN, but she will not host the remaining episodes of “The Jump.” Stephen A. Smith was a guest on a BIG U x WSHH Presents: CHECC’N-IN, and told the story of how he transitioned from playing basketball at Winston Salem State University, to joining the school newspaper – and how that led to an article so offensive to his former coach that the school wanted him expelled. Smith’s coach was the legendary Clarence Edward “Big House” Gaines Sr., who coached at the school for 47 years. Smith, in his new role on the school paper, decided to write an opinion piece about why his coach should retire. It didn’t go over well with the coach, or the school, to put it mildly. But it set the tone for the type of fearless opinion journalism that would become his signature, and eventually earn him the title of highest paid personality on ESPN. https://youtu.be/EKM-Ru9RqHU Whoopi Goldberg recently shared her thoughts on ‘cancel culture,’ and this current climate where “all somebody has to do is say you said” something and you are subjected to harassment and threats. “I feel like the truth doesn’t seem to matter as much these days,” Goldberg said, as reported by Variety. “Because there is cancel culture, people will call or text and say ‘I’m not buying your product. This is who you have talking about your product, me and my five million followers — if you keep her — we’re not going to buy your car, or we’re not going to buy your shampoo or we’re not going to buy your toothbrush or we’re not going to buy your Pampers,” Goldberg said. https://youtu.be/hX3iProgd3A ”Jeopardy!” producers are said to be bending over backward to accommodate Mayim Bialik’s schedule, as they really want her as the sole host of the beloved game show. TMZ reports, Sony production sources tell us … execs for the game show are doing everything possible to work around Mayim’s schedule in order to bank as many episodes with her hosting the daily syndicated version, with the ultimate goal of her taking over full-time. Our sources say Sony bosses have even offered up the possibility of shooting on weekends and normal hiatus weeks to squeeze in more shows with Mayim. She’s already locked in for 15 episodes. https://youtu.be/-aS_fxPzKSg An all-new episode of WE tv’s new series “Brat Loves Judy” returns Thursday night with Judy getting ready for a major event and she’s incredibly nervous. Meanwhile, Da Brat is worried she can’t serve up the sexy like her lady-love can. Will everything go as planned? https://youtu.be/-XX9N2Hnqgk Kanye West has applied to change his legal name from to simply Ye. In the documents, obtained by PEOPLE, the hip-hop star cites “personal reasons” for the change. A judge in California will now need to sign off on the petition. Following the release of his “Ye” album in 2018, West announced he would be changing his stage name. “I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible, it means ‘you,'” West said at the time of the album’s title. “So I’m you, I’m us, it’s us. It went from Kanye, which means the only one, to just Ye — just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confusion, everything. The album is more of a reflection of who we are.” https://youtu.be/TZGRhXw3GaA Actor Kofi Siriboe, best known for his role of Ralph Angel in Ava Duvernay and Oprah Winfrey’s drama series “Queen Sugar,” takes the lead in the new romantic drama “Really Love,” premiering on Netflix today, August 25th. The Black love story set in gentrifying Washington D.C. features Siriboe as Isaiah Maxwell, a young painter at a crossroads in his life, searching for his artistic voice. While attending the exhibition of his colleague Yusef Davis (Michael Ealy), he meets Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing). It is then that his entire world changes as he struggles between breaking into a competitive art world, while balancing a whirlwind romance he never expected. https://youtu.be/znz0rHCDeWY Mekhi Phifer currently stars in Apple TV Plus’ anthology drama “Truth Be Told.” Season two follows investigative reporter turned true-crime pod-caster Poppy Parnell (Octavia Spencer) on a new case involving her childhood friend, media mogul Micah Keith (Kate Hudson). Series regulars Ron Cephas Jones and Tami Roman also also return this season. https://youtu.be/w3B7tMyBXDc “Tamron Hall” returns for a third season on Monday, Sept. 6, and she’s got a bright, shiny new promo to let everyone know. Decked in sunshine yellow, the Daytime Emmy winner is shown in the spot handing out yellow promo balloons to random folks in New York City’s Central Park. Directed by Kevin Bray (“black-ish,” “Succession”), the visual is anchored by a rousing gospel version of Andrew Gold’s 1978 hit “Thank You for Being a Friend,” famously remade by Cynthia Fee as the theme song for NBC’s “Golden Girls.” A choir in church robes eventually falls in behind Hall as she engages with the people, and there’s even a quick cameo appearance by her 2-year-old son Moses. https://youtu.be/RvVNUw7G-Jw Filmmaker Sacha Jenkins this week attended the screening of his documentary “Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James” at the Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival ahead of its premiere on Showtime on Friday, Sept. 3. “Bitchin'” follows the legendary funkster’s extraordinary and tumultuous life, times and musical legacy. Showtime says. It’s “an intimate yet propulsive look at Rick James, one of rock, funk and R&B’s most legendary and often underappreciated figures. https://youtu.be/b1d6_uSlbo4 “Black Panther” star Letitia Wright is being treated in a hospital after sustaining minor injuries on the Boston set of “Wakanda Forever.” A Marvel spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that the incident happened while filming a stunt for the sequel. Wright is expected to be released from the hospital soon. Wright is reprising her role as Shuri in “Wakanda Forever,” which is being directed by Ryan Coogler. The 27-year-old British actor was a breakout in the first film as the science-minded sister of the late Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa. Her injuries are not expected to delay production on the sequel, which is slated to be released in July 2022. The entertainment trade website Deadline first reported the news. U.S. Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin shared an emotional video this week that was taped following her success at the Olympic trials, opening up about what she calls a “test of faith.” Days after setting the world record time in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field 400-meter hurdles trials in Eugene, Oregon, in June, the then-21-year-old filmed a video where she candidly shared how hurt she was by the feedback she received after fulfilling one of her lifelong dreams. According to the post, the video was filmed on June 30. https://www.instagram.com/sydneymclaughlin16/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6d87f2dd-adac-46e7-95b6-c96bf909132c The hit true crime docu-series ATL HOMICIDE airs Monday, August 30 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This episode highlights the suspected suicide ruled homicide of Jose Greer. He appeared to jump to his death, however security footage showed men breaking into Greer’s apartment. With the flurry of surveillance footage and tips coming into the precinct, Detectives Quinn and Velazquez follow leads from all over the country to nab the perpetrators. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3q9_BoVtkY&feature=youtu.be Candace Owens has been hit with a $20 million defamation lawsuit by former Maryland GOP congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik. Klacik is coming for the right-wing provocateur after Owens posted a video to social media in June accusing Kimberly of being a strip club “madame” who laundered money and used campaign funds to buy and snort cocaine. Owens responded to the lawsuit on Twitter, writing “Kimberly Klacik is a former stripper fraud who has me blocked on EVERY social media account since I exposed her shady FEC filings. She then called the lawsuit “frivolous” and an attempt “to distract/avoid questions about her FEC filings.” Their beef reportedly began after Owens said Dr. Anthony Fauci should go to prison. She also mocked Naomi Osaka’s mental health struggles and slammed Biden’s decision to make Juneteenth a holiday. The New York Jets made a roster move on Tuesday that ended veteran defensive end Vinny Curry’s season. Now it’s clear why. Curry announced Wednesday on social media that he had his spleen removed in July after the Jets diagnosed him with a rare blood disorder. During his recovery from the operation, Curry developed blood clots, requiring him to go on blood thinners and avoid contact for three-to-six months and miss the season. “While I am incredibly disappointed that I will not be able to play with my teammates this year, I am thankful that the doctors identified my condition in time,” Curry said. “They have informed me that I am expected to make a full recovery.” It was a scary situation for the 33-year-old, who played eight of his first nine NFL seasons with the Eagles before signing with the Jets this offseason. Serena Williams added herself to the list of big-name withdrawals from the US Open on Wednesday, pulling out of the year’s last Grand Slam tournament because of a torn hamstring. Williams hasn’t competed since injuring her right leg in the first set of her first-round match at Wimbledon in late June. The American, who turns 40 next month, announced her decision to sit out the US Open via a social media post. She joins Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem in sitting out the competition in Flushing Meadows, where play begins next Monday, raising questions about what the future of tennis might look like without them. The draw for the tournament is Thursday. This will be the first major tournament since 1997 without any of Williams, Federer or Nadal in the singles brackets. Williams made her Grand Slam debut at the 1998 Australian Open; Federer made his the following year; Nadal in 2003. The New England Patriots gathered for practice Tuesday in Foxborough, Mass., without quarterback Cam Newton, who is barred from in-person team activities for much of this week because of what the team called a “misunderstanding” about testing and the NFL’s coronavirus protocols. Coach Bill Belichick provided few details about Newton’s situation. But Belichick acknowledged that the circumstances created an on-field opportunity for Newton’s rookie understudy, Mac Jones, while representing a competitive disadvantage for Newton. “Yeah, of course,” Belichick said at a news conference. “If we couldn’t gain anything by practicing, then why do we practice?” As the NFL season nears, the competitive implications of a team having an unvaccinated quarterback have been underscored. Minnesota Vikings starter Kirk Cousins was quarantined early in training camp as a high-risk close contact. Lamar Jackson, the former league MVP for the Baltimore Ravens, was sidelined while in isolation after testing positive for the virus for a second time. Newton will miss two joint practices with the New York Giants before he’s eligible to return to the Patriots’ facility Thursday. A Rutgers University football player announced Tuesday that he is transferring from the school over its COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Peyton Powell, a defensive end who joined the team in December 2019, said in a tweet that the vaccine mandate left him with “no other choice but to enter my name into the transfer portal.” A Texas native, Powell began in Baylor’s 2019 recruiting class, NorthJersey.com reported, before transferring to Rutgers, where he never got any playing time. On a sharp, stony outcropping above the place where the churning waters of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet, African-American entrepreneur Thomas Lovett made a vow in 1888: “Here, where the martyrdom of John Brown took place, I will build my hotel.” He was standing less than a mile from the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, where abolitionist John Brown and his 21 followers, including some escaped slaves, were captured in a shootout with federal troops in 1859. That showdown set the stage for the U.S. civil war. Lovett had lived through the bloody civil war and the violent “Jim Crow” era and he wasn’t going to be derailed. He opened the Hill Top House Hotel in 1888 and operated it until the Great Depression forced him to sell in 1935. In those years he welcomed U.S. presidents Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge, and American icons including inventor Alexander Graham Bell, author Mark Twain and W.E.B. Du Bois, who came to Harpers Ferry to launch the Niagara Movement for civil rights. https://youtu.be/_9PGyMZCmqU Since 2004, Montee Tayion Holland has done away with the drab, while sidelining the mono-color dark gray and navy-blue drudgery of formal-wear and business attire. Having launched his Tayion Collection earlier this year into 50 Macy’s locations and 25 Men’s Wearhouse doors, which is set to double to 50 Men’s Wearhouse stores in spring 2022, his creative and innovative designs are now hitting all the major markets. The Tayion line of high-end, iconic men’s suits, formalwear and separates bring bold colors and striking patterns into the modern day dressing, whether on the job or after hours. The creative dexterity in the designs and materials strike a purposeful, wearable statement to every event in any environment. Holland‘s flagship collection has been available across America in thousands of specialty stores since 2004, generating millions of dollars annually. A new Christian, Gospel record label, WayNorth Music, debuts this week with new music from chart-topper Jekalyn Carr. The label headed by industry veterans Lindsay Bless and Paul Wright will be home to several new artists and ‘surprise recordings.’ With the goal to increase awareness of new and emerging artists, WayNorth Music will offer quality music and expand the next generation of gospel artists and music ministers. WayNorth Music will announce a slate of artist signings over the next few weeks as the label prepares for their inaugural release from top-selling Gospel artist Jekalyn Carr next week. Chicago Gospel Legend Calvin Bridges, Stellar Award Winner, Grammy nominated singer and songwriter and international gospel artist has thrilled us for years with I Can Go To God in Prayer, Spread the Word, Chosen and much more. Calvin blows the dust off this classic, changes the tempo, calls on the phenomenal Ann Bridges and delivers the goods to get us in gear and ready to run this race with VICTORY in sight, declaring I'm Not Tired Yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQmrPIwF6Gc&feature=youtu.be Jason Hendrickson is a powerful Pastor/Teacher, Author, Entrepreneur, Singer/Songwriter and Celebrated Musician. After two decades playing with Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship, he has come into his own as a well rounded singer, songwriter and recording artist. Great Things is presented with anticipation that we are what we say by the power that God has invested in us. Its a daily affirmation with an infectious hook. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERRdap0PT8cH B Charles, Jr. is a powerful preacher and teacher of the Gospel. He penned this song and its reach continues to impact people daily. "Thank You for It All" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysTS1mTTTC4 On Monday, the New York Times reported that Spike Lee devotes a significant amount of time in his new four-part HBO documentary series, NYC Epicenters 9/11–2021½, to the group Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, which promotes the conspiracy theory that the Twin Towers were brought down by a controlled demolition as part of an inside job. Richard Gage is responsible for peddling some of the most pernicious and long-running lies about the 9/11 attacks. Lee devotes 30 minutes near the very end of his series to relitigating arguments that have been debunked a thousand times. Specifically, he presents about a dozen conspiracy theorists and members of Gage’s group, including Gage himself, in a back-and-forth with three credible scientists who investigated the 9/11 attacks in a teach the controversy–style format that presents the truth behind 9/11 as an open debate between two equally valid sides. https://youtu.be/gQ866ljcevY The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died at the age of 80. The London-born drummer joined the then-fledgling band in January 1963 after meeting Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones while playing in rhythm and blues clubs. Along with Jagger and Richards, Watts featured on every one of the band’s studio albums. Watts was due to tour the US with the band later this year. But it was announced earlier this month he would not feature due to a recent emergency surgery. His London publicist, Bernard Doherty, said in a statement this evening: ‘It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family. Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation. We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members and close friends is respected at this difficult time.’ https://youtu.be/mTYn83G89-Q Don Everly, the last of the silken-voiced Everly Brothers music duo known for their harmonies, has died, according to an announcement on the group’s official Instagram. He was 84 years old. Everly died Saturday. Don and his younger brother, Phil Everly, became pop idols in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, starting in the late 1950s, with chart-topping hits like “Bye Bye Love,” “All I Have to Do is Dream,” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” The brothers were called the “most important vocal duo in rock” by Rolling Stone, as they influenced the likes of music giants the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel and many others. Former NHL star Jimmy Hayes – best known for playing for the Boston Bruins – has been found dead at his home aged just 31. Emergency responders were called to the married father-of-two’s home in Milton, a suburb of Boston, on Monday morning, and Hayes was pronounced dead at the scene. A law enforcement official told the Boston Globe that the professional sportsman’s death is not being treated as suspicious, although no further information on a cause of death has been released. There is no indication that Hayes had been ill in the hours before he died. He and his wife Kristen had been celebrating their son Beau’s second birthday Sunday, and Kristen had shared an Instagram post around midnight showing them playing arcade games. Legendary Stellar Award and NAACP Award-winning radio announcer Connie Denell Cato-Dickerson was the pride of Nashville. The daughter of radio legend Evelyn Cato, the first black female disc-jockey in the Southeast, Denell started as a sports reporter for her school newspaper while attending Riverside High School in Chattanooga, TN. She worked for two local Chattanooga radio stations, WNOO AM and WNTP, hosting the Quiet Storm shows before attending the famed Morris-Brown College, a historically black college in Atlanta, GA. Denell went on to attend Georgia State University and worked at the local Atlanta radio station WAOK FM on the campus of Clark-Atlanta University. In 1983, Denell worked as the Morning Show Host for 92.1 WQQK FM and news reporter for WVOL AM in Nashville. By 2000, she made the shift from R&B to Gospel, launching 92Q’s hugely popular radio show, Gospel Inspirations, which aired Sunday mornings and earned her the beloved title of “The Gospel Diva.” Gospel Inspirations quickly became one of the most listened to radio shows in the Music City, thereby accrediting her with laying the blueprint for Black Gospel in Nashville. She retired from 92Q in December 2017, after 37 years with the company. Three people have been arrested in connection with the killing of Glennville historian Bobby Kicklighter on Saturday, January 30, 2021. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says Christopher Reginald Sumlin, 31, of Newton; Aerial De Shay Murphy, 23, of Vidalia; and Keisha Janae Jones, 34, of Ludowici have been arrested after obtaining arrest warrants in late July. Sumlin was held in Clayton County on unrelated charges. Murphy was arrested in Detroit, Michigan and has been extradited to Georgia. Jones was arrested in Long County. All three are being held at Tattnall County Jail, according to GBI. GBI is continuing their investigation and expects additional arrests. The legal team representing embattled 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar said it wants its client’s child pornography charges dropped because the government failed to preserve evidence that might have exonerated the celebrity. Moreover, his lawyers said in an August 20 court filing that other people had access to Duggar’s used car sales lot, where one admitted to watching porn. The Springdale, Arkansas, business was previously the target of Department of Homeland Security investigators (HSI), who searched the electronic devices of people who had access to the wireless internet at Wholesale Motorcars. About a month after executing its first search warrant at the car lot, investigators learned that one person had on ‘several occasions’ slept overnight at Wholesale Motorcars, where he entertained himself with adult content, the court filing said. ‘[The witness] admitted to viewing adult pornography through websites he accessed through the internet on his cellular phone and, when asked by federal agents, denied viewing child pornography,’ the court document said. ‘Based on HIS’s official report, the cellular telephone was examined for evidence of child pornography… with negative results.’ Iraan, a small oilfield town of 1,200 people in west Texas, has been struck so hard by the coronavirus pandemic that the entire town has essentially shut down, including the school district and local businesses. “We had had COVID before, but never to this magnitude,” resident Vicky Zapata told CNN. According to Iraan General Hospital CEO Jason Rybolt, 119 people were tested for the virus and 50 tested positive during a two week August span – a 42% positivity rate. Iraan Mayor Darren Brown told CNN, “This is very serious.” Rybolt said he’s “very concerned for the community and “very concerned for trying to make sure that they have the health care that they need.” Rybolt added that at least one Iraan resident has been airlifted for out-of-state care because of a lack of available ICU beds in Texas. He said: “It could be 12 hours (for coronavirus-stricken people to receive a bed). It could be 36 hours. You just never know how long it’s going to take.” Back from recess, the House of Representatives voted to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The bill passed 219-212, with no Republicans crossing over to support voting rights. First introduced in 2019, the bill was renamed for John Lewis shortly after his passing. The earlier version of the bill passed in December 2019 with a vote of 228-187 with one Republican voting with Democrats. The law took on renewed Importance post-2020 election, with false claims of non-existent voter fraud and other unfounded claims spurring hundreds of voter suppression laws being introduced across the country. Introduced in Congress as H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is considered a part of a package of democracy reforms being promoted by advocates. A marriage that's coming to a brutal end. Steph Curry’s parents Sonya Curry and Dell Curry are reportedly both accusing each other of stepping out on their 33-year-long relationship. According to TMZ, the former couple —who share children Steph, 33, Seth, 31, and Sydel, 26— are reportedly making strong accusations about each other via court filings with Sonya citing “marital misconduct” and Dell citing that the mother of his children allegedly committed “acts of illicit sexual misconduct” while they were married. The 55-year-old educator officially filed for divorce in North Carolina on June 14 of this year after the two reportedly separated in March of 2020. The couple had been together since 1988. Within the 57-year-old’s filing, he alleged that his estranged wife had been having affairs and then not being truthful when confronted about the alleged relationships. Dell also went on to claim that Sonya should not be allowed to receive alimony because according to him, she is now living with a new boyfriend. Former football great and brand new Georgia resident Herschel Walker has officially declared himself a candidate in the Peach State’s U.S. Senate election next year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Apparently, the sunken place has sunken all the way down to Georgia as the Trump-humping Republican and former University of Georgia football star officially moved back to his native state earlier this month after living in Texas for decades—a move that many accurately speculated was all about him planning to run for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock‘s seat in the U.S. Senate in 2022. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Walker registered to vote in Georgia on Aug. 17, listing an Atlanta home owned by his wife, Julie Blanchard—who has been accused of voting in Georgia’s 2020 election while not being a permanent resident there—as his place of residence. Friday, August 27 at 10 a.m. EST the Blank Slate: Hope For a New America sculpture will be unveiled at The King Center in Atlanta, to celebrate the 58th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the 1963 March on Washington, DC. The unveiling ceremony will kick-off commemorative marches being held Saturday, August 28th in key U.S. cities including Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Phoenix and Washington, DC. The 2021 marches will focus on voters’ rights, voter education and registration. The unveiling ceremony will be accompanied by a voter education, voter registration, Beloved Community Virtual Town Hall, in partnership with the King Center and Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The statue will remain on public display at the King Center from August 27 through September 5, 2021 to ignite a dialogue on hope and healing for our nation and our world. Busta Rhymes agrees with Republican governors on mask mandates. In the middle of a pandemic, with the Delta variant overpowering hospitals across the country, the New York rapper thinks it’s the protocols that are the issue. The power and influence of celebrities are undeniable. To disregard that influence and recklessly attack mask mandates and pandemic protocols in the middle of a new variant surge only reinforces counterproductive ideas about public health and safety. Chuck D once called rap music the CNN of the Black community. A 1993 Chicago Tribune article quoted the Public Enemy frontman as saying rappers are correspondents. Well, Busta’s little anti-mask tirade is more like Fox News. It’s like he wants to bring us Extinction Level Event III sooner rather than later. But real talk, COVID-19 is no joke. Black doctors, nurses, and other public health officials have been fighting for months to get good information out to Black communities about this disease and the ongoing nature of the pandemic. Several Black celebrities, journalists, and influencers have worked with Black doctors and scientists to get good information about the pandemic, wearing masks and vaccinations. In March, the host of United Shades of America, W. Kamau Bell, did a video with a group of Black doctors asking real questions about the pandemic and the vaccine. https://youtu.be/qp6S4C6zG_M TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED returns with a star-studded, new season premiering on Sunday, August 29 at 10 PM ET/9C. This season, some of today's most notable personalities tell their story in their own words including super producer Swizz Beatz, classically trained actress-singer Loretta Devine, standup comedian-actor Tommy Davidson, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, Grammy Award-Winning vocalist BeBe Winans, comedian-actress Kym Whitley and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgV8EjEQj_Q The NCAA on Tuesday ruled former two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith eligible to play golf at North Carolina A&T. The ruling comes a day after Smith officially began classes at the school, located in Greensboro, N.C. “It was probably one of the most exciting feelings I’ve had in a while,” Smith told The Undefeated on Tuesday. “I really didn’t know how it was going to go. … But to be able to actually call myself a student-athlete is a great feeling.” Smith went straight from high school in New Jersey into the NBA draft. The freshman, who turns 36 next month, joined the A&T golf team as a walk-on. Smith, who says he has a 5 handicap, will pursue a liberal studies degree. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com It was previously reported that LeBron James is now the only active NBA player to become a billionaire, according to Forbes. “Since being drafted in 2003, James has earned $330 million in playing salary—net of recent escrow deductions—and another $700 million off the court from endorsements, merchandise, licensing and his media business. Current endorsement partners AT&T, Beats, Blaze Pizza, GMC, Nike, PepsiCo, Rimowa and Walmart help James earn more than $100 million annually. The latest addition is Epic Games, where Fortnite players will have access to a pair of James-themed outfits or “skins.” James is the first player in a U.S. team sport to hit the three-comma club,” reported Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. However, a new Forbes report on James’ wealth notes that the four-time league MVP has yet to hit billionaire status. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Grammy-nominated singer Eric Benet hits amazing high note singing! On August 22, 2021, at the Gardena Jazz Festival, Benet showcased his singing skills. https://youtu.be/BU7nQdWsWuA Jada Pinkett Smith’s EMMY Award-winning talk show “Red Table Talk” has inked an overall deal with iHeartMedia to launch the Red Table Talk Audio Network. As reported by Radio Facts, the upcoming slate of projects will include two audio series: “Red Table Talk,” hosted by Jada, her daughter Willow Smith and Jada’s mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris; and “Positively Gam,” a podcast hosted by Banfield-Norris. The Red Table Talk Audio Network will launch five original series over the next two years –to be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network. The projects will be available on iHeartRadio and most podcast platforms. Yvonne Orji is starring in Hulu’s “Vacation Friends” alongside Lil Rel Howery, John Cena, and Meredith Hagner. In this raw and raunchy comedy, straight-laced Marcus (Howery) and Emily (Orji) are befriended by wild, thrill-seeking partiers Ron (Cena) and Kyla (Hagner) at a resort in Mexico. Living in the moment, the usually level-headed couple lets loose to enjoy a week of uninhibited fun and debauchery with their new “vacation friends.” https://youtu.be/rUqwLtFUx7w Sanaa Lathan has revealed that she almost turned down the role of Monica in 2000’s “Love & Basketball.” During an interview on Jemele Hill’s Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast, the actress noted that she never played the sport, which she found quite challenging to pull off for the role. MadameNoire reports, For the basketball players, they had to do the scenes and then do a basketball audition. Same with me. I’d do the scenes, then we would walk across the street, and I’d tribble the ball, looking crazy, because I had never picked up a ball.” https://youtu.be/Ur83i6_BjbE Last week Andy Mineo celebrated a few milestones in his career! First, his single, "Coming In Hot," featuring Lecrae was certified GOLD by the RIAA selling over 500,000 copies and boasting over 80 million streams. "MPJ Freestyle," a new song released as a sneak preview to warm fans up for the album, was premiered on Facebook with an astounding 1.6 million views within 24 hours and 4.7 million by the end of last week. Not surprising for an artist whose single, "Coming In Hot," is already over 80 million streams! With all these amazing moments, Mineo, motivated by fan response, dropped another track, "It Could Be Worse," the first official single from Never Land II. "MPJ Freestyle" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMfg2UOBWUg This adorable little girl has gone viral for her reaction to experiencing cotton candy for the first time. Seated in what looks like an office chair, the toddler was handed a piece of the fluffy stuff. She immediately rubbed the softness against her cheek, and appeared content with that alone. You hear laughter from adults in the background, and someone tells the child that she can eat it. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=964455637464894 Along with making music and headlining festivals this year, Run The Jewels have been expanding into the beverage industry. The duo made up of Killer Mike and EL-P recently hopped on the hard seltzer trend with their Pink Lemonade drink. Now, Run The Jewels are partnering with several Black-owned breweries for a new line of craft beer. The line of beers includes the recently released rice lager Never Look Back brewed at Green Bench Brewing Co. in Florida, the molasses and corn grits ale All Due Respect brewed in collaboration with Proximity Brewing and Spaceway Brewing, and Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1, an IPA brewed at Brew Gentleman Brewery in Braddock, PA and made with cannabis terpenes. Each of Run The Jewels’ beers benefit various nonprofits. A portion of proceeds earned from their Never Look Back beer is slated to benefit Beer Kulture, an organization that works to advance and create opportunities that foster diversity, equity and inclusion within the craft beverage space. It’s been one year since Jacob Blake was shot seven times and paralyzed from the waist down by a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer, sparking a new round of demonstrations in the sea of protests and uprisings against police violence that took place in 2020. The shooter, Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey, hasn’t been charged or even disciplined for shooting Blake, but that hasn’t stopped the victim’s family and other community members from continuing to speak out and seek justice. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, dozens of people joined Blake’s family Saturday at Kenosha’s Civic Center Park for an event organized by Leaders of Kenosha, an organization that has put together more than 70 events aimed at justice for Blake, according to Executive Director Tanya McLean. Police officers are choosing violence on and off social media. Early Monday, the official Houston Police Department Twitter account celebrated several police officers involved in a 1917 race massacre. It took nearly six hours before the Houston Police Department finally deleted the racist tweet. The account used the hashtag #NeverForget to commemorate several white officers leaving out the context of the Black men killed by police or resulting from police actions in 1917. Four years before the Tulsa Race Massacre, Houston police instigated a standoff with Black soldiers responding in defense of the Black community. The centennial commemoration of Tulsa sparked discussion of other forgotten incidents. On the anniversary of Tulsa, University of Houston Professor Gerald Horne spoke with KHOU-11 about the Houston incident. https://youtu.be/f_sbvW_etho United Mega Care, the humanitarian group of The Potter's House, is teaming up with New York-area Perfecting Faith Church and Tabernacle of Glory in Miami to provide relief to 25,000 families affected by the recent earthquake and tropical storm in Haiti. More than 1.5 million households in the Caribbean nation have been affected by the Aug. 14 earthquake, which killed more than 2,000 people, and injured thousands more. The 7.2-magnitude earthquake also toppled thousands of buildings, knocked out power and crippled access to fresh water. A tropical storm followed two days later, triggering mudslides that have made many roads impassable. The three organizations are forming a partnership to provide food, water, tents, shelter and medical assistance to affected households. Tabernacle of Glory has already deployed personnel to affected areas in Haiti to aid 1,000 households and is looking forward to doing much more. Apostle H. Daniel Wilson, Pastor of Valley Kingdom Ministries International (VKMI) in Chicago, and founder of the platinum-selling group, Shekinah Glory Ministry, has launched a year-long transition that will welcome Ray Bady as the 5,000-member church’s new leader in 2022. “I am not retiring,” says Apostle Wilson who has been the church’s pastor for 37 years. “So many only see two paths for pastors, either dying or retiring. Neither of these are on my radar just now. I will not take these gifts of God to the grave. This is not my end. I'm just getting started. Through Kingdom Entertainment Group, I’ll be creating film and entertainment projects. There are more books to write, more nations to minister in, and more revelations to release to the world.” Sunday, September 5th, Atlanta's Piedmont Park will welcome the 9th Pure Heat Community Festival; also known as a free “day of unity.” The free cultural event is equipped with market and food vendors, live celebrity and local performers, entertainment, educational forums, prizes & giveaways - all designed to bring together the spirit of community, pride, and vision. In partnership with The Vision Community Foundation, a portion of proceeds from the weekend’s festivities are used to benefit homeless LGBTQ+ youth and those impacted from HIV/AIDS. This year’s festival will honor veteran hip-hop artist and two-time GRAMMY Award-nominee, Da Brat, and her fiance Jesseca “Judy” Dupart, the multi-millionaire business owner and CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products. Hosted by Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III, Rashad Burgess, Melissa “DJ M” Scott and Julius "JuJu" James, the Pure Heat Community Festival is a front seat into a spectacular gathering of minority LGBTQ people and their allies in the heart of Atlanta. BIN: Black Information Network, the 24/7 comprehensive national audio news network dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news with a Black voice and perspective, announced today plans to expand local news coverage in all 32 affiliate markets beginning January 2022 ,offering listeners even more extensive reporting important issues that impact the local communities it serves. BIN: The Black Information Network launched in June 2020 as the first-of-its-kind 24/7 national and local all-news audio network. BIN is focused on service to the Black community and providing an information window for those outside the community to help foster communication, accountability and a deeper understanding. Since its launch, BIN has quickly expanded to 32 affiliate markets and can currently be heard in Atlanta, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and many more. BIN is also distributed nationally through the iHeartRadio app, available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices. As reported by ABC Channel 7 Denver an African-American man by the name of Shawn Bauck went into Cousin Pat’s Pub & Grill in Estes Park for food and drink, but instead received a heaping portion of Jim Crow. The environmental science major was told by the Trump-supporting waitress that although he seemed “educated” and “different” that the majority of black people were “thugs, wife beaters and gangsters.” Amidst the recent killing of 23 year old Elijah McClain who died in police custody, the server sympathized with the police and justified racism on the basis of daily encounters with the black community. Even more alarming, the waitress felt comfortable using the “n” word in front of Bauck and his girlfriend. When Mr. Bauck took the appropriate measure of lodging a formal complaint with the owner in the restaurant for the use of derogatory language; the owner smirked and did nothing. The owner (Patrick Beard) simply replied “well in what context was it used?” Bauck filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the restaurant and the matter is currently before the Colorado Civil Rights Division. Bauck said “It’s really sad I have to file this lawsuit in 2021. Apparently some people in Colorado have totally forgotten all about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which has only been on the books as federal law for like I don’t know 57 years.” Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed and her fiancé, Hasib Sayed, fled the war-torn country on a U.S. military evacuation flight after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Aryana captured some of her experience and shared it with her social media followers. Access Hollywood’s Zuri Hall spoke with Aryana, who is now safely in Los Angeles, for her first on-air interview since her harrowing journey. Part 1 of the interview airs tonight, August 23rd, on “Access Hollywood” with part 2 airing tomorrow, August 24th. https://youtu.be/nHkFdFcLP1Q A judge has increased Tory Lanez’s bail for violating a protective order granted to Megan Thee Stallion. The move comes after the Canadian-born rapper appeared on the Rolling Loud stage in Miami last month shortly after Meg’s performance. His bail has been increased from $190,000 to $250,000. The judge also modified his bail conditions to specifically prohibit Tory from attending events where his alleged victim, Megan, will be present. The judge also said if this issue comes up again … he will be remanded into custody. So, this was clearly his last warning. Earlier this year, a judge denied Lanez’s request for permission to speak publicly about the assault case. Lanez desperately wants to spill the tea about what really went down July 12 when he allegedly fired several shots at Megan’s feet and wounded her during an argument in Hollywood Hills. He previously took to Twitter to speak out about the charges, noting that the truth will come to light. BET+ has given a series order to Kingdom Business, a music-driven drama executive produced by DeVon Franklin (Miracles From Heaven), Holly Carter (The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel), multi-Grammy-award-winner Kirk Franklin and Michael Van Dyck. The eight-episode series explores the gospel music industry through the lenses of family, faith, love and the redemptive power of music. Written by John Sakmar and Kerry Lenhart, co-creators of the Mr. & Mrs. Smith series, Kingdom Business is centered around the reigning Queen of Gospel Denita Jordan, and her ex-producer/songwriter/lover, Caesar, who created her sound and launched her career. Denita, who also runs an in-house record label and megachurch, is determined to guard her family and its many secrets at all costs to retain her place on the throne. Things seem to be unfolding in Denita’s favor until an unsuspecting young woman on the rise with a checkered past enters the scene. Destined and anointed to challenge gospel music conventions, Rbel, also a former exotic dancer, will see if her new-found voice can carry her to the top of the gospel kingdom. Boosie uploaded a video of himself on Instagram last month where he defended DaBaby after he got “canceled” over his homophobic Rolling Loud comments. He recently appeared on the Breakfast Club and said he doesn’t feel bad about threatening Lil Nas X. “I just be feeling like sometimes I gotta speak up because, as far as straight people in the world, you don’t have any opinion. … If you say anything, ‘I’m straight, I like women,’ it’s vulgar,” he said. “You can’t brag on really smashing or your sexuality anymore.” Charlamagne and his co-hosts told Boosie they disagree and pointed to the lyrical content of many tracks. Boosie then elaborated on his views on Lil Nas X, sharing that his concerns over X stripping onstage were for “strong, young Black men.” https://www.instagram.com/breakfastclubam/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d48c506f-0d15-455e-b615-0b7abc29bdf6 A 19-year-old from California is facing multiple murder charges in connection to a car crash that killed comedian Tony Baker’s son, Cerain Baker, as well as two others. Hamlet Arseni Aghajanyan was arrested and charged on Thursday with three counts of murder and one count of reckless driving for his alleged involvement in the fatal incident, according to a press release from the Burbank Police Department. A 17-year-old minor was also taken into custody at a juvenile detention center on the same charges, pending a review of the case by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, authorities said. “This tragic and avoidable event was caused by subjects racing vehicles and driving recklessly at very high rates of speed,” police said in a statement. Cerain, 21, Jaiden Johnson, 20, and Natalee Moghaddam, 19, died on Aug. 3 after their silver Volkswagen was involved in a traffic collision with a gray Kia and a black Mercedes Benz. Joseph “Taheim” Bryan, a writer and producer on the Ice-T film Equal Standard, was fatally shot Thursday night in New York City. The New York Police Department confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that a unit had responded to a 911 call outside an apartment complex on Jackson Avenue in Long Island City. Bryan, 50, was identified with multiple gunshot wounds to the arm and torso. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. Ice-T tweeted on Friday: “MFs Killed my friend last night. I’m not in a good place behind this. Taheim was a GOOD dude making Positive moves. He wrote & we made the film EqualStandard together. He leaves a Wife & Daughter. Dirty MFs followed him home and Murdered him.” Receiver CeeDee Lamb is among three more Dallas Cowboys players in COVID-19 protocols, making it five players and coaches sidelined by coronavirus concerns as the club switched to virtual meetings as a precaution. Lamb and safeties Malik Hooker and Israel Mukuamu joined defensive tackle Carlos Watkins and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who were sent home from the stadium before Saturday’s 20-14 preseason loss to Houston. Coach Mike McCarthy said his staff met virtually Sunday, and the club decided to do the same with players Monday in an effort to get closer to 72 hours removed from the game before bringing everybody back to the team’s facility. McCarthy said the Cowboys still planned to practice Tuesday and Wednesday leading into Sunday’s preseason finale at home against Jacksonville. Barry Sanders has tested positive for COVID-19. The former Detroit Lions star and NFL Hall of Famer, 53, revealed on Twitter Friday that he contracted a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and is asymptomatic. Sanders said he’d stay quarantined until doctors cleared him, and that he expects to be back to normal and rooting for the Lions as a team ambassador at the Sept. 12 game against the San Francisco 49ers. “Despite being double vaccinated, wearing a mask, and taking all the precautions I could… I tested positive for COVID,” he tweeted. “I don’t have any symptoms, but am staying in until I get the green light from the Docs. I will be ready to go for @49ers on 9/12 @Lions @NFL.” The Vision Community Foundation is set to hold its Annual Black Tie Gala at Atlanta’s historic Biltmore Ballrooms on Friday, September 3rd at 8PM. The gala, themed, “Salute to Fashion” will be hosted by iconic actress Vivica A. Fox and actor and TV Personality Miss Lawrence. The exclusive gala will honor an elite group of individuals and organizations that have made outstanding achievements in the arts, media, ministry, community service and government arenas throughout their lifetime. Hosted by Vivica A. Fox and Miss Lawrence, this year’s honorees include: “POSE” on FX star Ryan Jamaal Swain; TV/radio personality Gary with da Tea; actor/comedian Sampson McCormick, celebrated hair stylist/TV Personality Derek J; Speak Out USA’s Antonio Driver, iElevate TV VP, Onyx Keesha and OWN TV “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” producer Melody S. Holt; Sean John Co-Founder Jeffrey Tweedy; Director Nathan Hale Williams; Abounding Prosperity Inc founder Kirk Myers and Gilead Sciences. During the night of fashion, singer Travis Malloy, will perform and acclaimed Alvin Ailey principal dancer Maurice Renaldo will perform. 10-year-old rap phenom Caiden The Crownholder is set to release new single “All Summer Long” in celebration of summer this Friday August 27th. Produced by Grammy Award winning producer BongoByTheWay (Pop Smoke, Ty Dolla $ign, Fat Joe) this single follows the success of Caiden’s recently released a viral video intitled Reese’s Puffs which HotNewHipHop said was “??????.” As well as previously released single “All The Drip” that was released as part of a partnership between DroppTV and Caiden’s record label 192 Records. West Coast soul singer with southern roots, DJON THE ARTIST releases his new debut single “AMAZING GOD” AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORMS now. “Amazing God” - https://youtu.be/knX56xPNHmI R. Kelly’s sex crimes trial in a Brooklyn courtroom continues to get underway with bombshell testimony from witnesses and accusers. One of R. Kelly’s alleged victims broke down on the stand Monday as she recalled the abuse she endured during their five-year relationship, The Daily Beast reports. The woman, identified as “Jane,” was 17-years-old when she met Kelly after one of his concerts in Orlando, Florida. During their relationship, she lived with the singer and his girlfriends in Atlanta and Chicago, and was subjected to punishment whenever she violated his “rules.” The woman described how Kelly forced her to get an abortion in 2017, made her eat feces and gave her herpes. “This man purposely gave me something he knew he had had. That he could have controlled,” Jane said on the stand, as Kelly sat emotionless, per the report. https://youtu.be/jH8I8ulAtWU Louisiana universities will mandate COVID-19 vaccines following Pfizer the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine. Gov. John Bel Edwards will also mandate state workers undergo regular COVID-19 testing if they do not get vaccinated, per PEOPLE. “We need to fully review the approval from the FDA, but plan to implement the mandate on campus,” Louisiana State University spokesperson Ernie Ballard told the AP. Ballard added that details “should be finalized soon.” Students attending Louisiana State University, University of Louisiana and Southern University will soon be required to receive the vaccine, The Associated Press reports. Tim Stokely, CEO and founder of OnlyFans, is speaking out about the controversial decision to ban sexually explicit conduct from the platform. In an interview with Financial Times, Stokely said banks have refused to work with the company due to users who sell explicit content. “The change in policy, we had no choice — the short answer is banks,” Stokely said. “This decision was made to safeguard [our users’] funds and subscriptions from increasingly unfair actions by banks and media companies — we obviously do not want to lose our most loyal creators,” Stokely told the Financial Times. The policy change will go into effect on Oct. 1. MC Lyte talks about the new series “Partners in Rhyme.” As reported by Deadline, the scripted original series comes from MC Lyte and The Jamie Foxx Show executive producer Bentley Kyle Evans, and stars actress Precious Way. Way plays Luscious T in the series, which follows an up-and-coming teen rapper and social media sensation who thinks she is the hottest emcee in the game. MC Lyte also stars in the sitcom as a label executive charged with helping Luscious T navigate the industry. When asked during the TCA panel how the male-dominated rap industry has changed over the years, MC Lyte noted that “hip hop has become a stepping stone to the many things that artists would love to be able to do.” Tracee Ellis Ross, up for her fifth Emmy this year for her role as Bow Johnson on ABC’s “black-ish,” credits co-star Anthony Anderson for helping her to overcome her COVID shooting fears. “It was very challenging at first. I, in particular, was frightened,” Ross tells TheWrap. Production on season 7 shut down at the height of the pandemic, but once it picked back up, Ross said the set was “like military precision, in terms of our COVID safety.” She continued, “With a group that has known each other this long, and that is such a well-oiled machine, we picked up the new COVID safety protocols really quickly. And by about the fifth episode, we were back in the swing.” Ross and Anderson reportedly have very little personal interaction outside of work, but their on-set chemistry is magical. Could The Fugees and The Roots be gearing up for a Verzus battle? According to a flyer posted over at All Hip Hop, it certainly appeared as if the two iconic hip-hop groups are preparing to face-off. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith did a bit of moonlighting last night on the sports network’s corporate cousin ABC. The bombastic host of “First Take” expanded his hosting resume to include the late night audience of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” His monologue included his thoughts on human beings taking medicine meant for livestock to combat COVID-19, and expressed sheer incredulity over Tik Tok’s Milk Crate Challenge, saying these “milk crate idiots” are drinking the milk to build strong bones only to break them in hopes of going viral. https://youtu.be/p8tDXY2UMBo Nicholas Perkins has become the first Black American to have total ownership of a national burger chain. Earlier this summer, Perkins’ Black Titan Franchise Systems LLC reached a deal with Luby’s to take over ownership of the Fuddruckers brand from Houston-based Luby’s, Essence reports. “We’re excited to be purchasing Fuddruckers and look forward to working with Fuddruckers’ many dedicated, highly capable franchisees to further build this brand,” Perkins said. “As a Fuddruckers franchisee, I have a vested interest in ensuring that all Fuddruckers franchisees have the resources, infrastructure, and operational and marketing support they need to maximize their return on investment. This strategic alignment, when combined with the fact that we sell the ‘World’s Greatest Hamburgers’™, will ensure the long-term success of the brand and our franchisees.” After a nationwide search that brought forth the country’s most talented and exuberant young performers, Celina Smith has landed the title role of Annie in NBC’s upcoming holiday production of “Annie Live!” Already a triple threat at the age of 12, Smith will light up center stage with an all-star ensemble that includes Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan, Harry Connick Jr. as Daddy Warbucks, Nicole Scherzinger as Grace and Tituss Burgess as Rooster. The live musical event will air Thursday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. The Atlanta ingénue will perform some of musical theater’s most beloved numbers, including “Maybe,” “Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life. ”Smith began her career as Young Nala in the national touring company of “The Lion King” and can also be seen on the series “Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan.” Beyonce and Jay-Z are facing some criticism after posing with a never-before-seen Jean-Michel Basquiat painting. The power couple are the new faces of the new Tiffany & Co. “ABOUT LOVE” campaign. The painting comes from a private collection of the late Jean-Michel Basquiat entitled Equals Pi. The campaign will reportedly debut on September 2nd. A shocking video surfaced online this week showing a Louisiana man and two others shot dead while filming TikTok’s viral Milk Crate Challenge. 19-year-old Paris King was among the victims killed during a drive-by shooting Sunday outside Linwood Public Charter School in Shreveport, Louisiana. Perkins acquired the Fuddruckers franchise for an estimated $18.5 million dollars, making him the largest franchise owner. “Get my gun, get my gun!” one man shouted. Another man shouted, “Where my baby?” It is unclear if the man doing the crate challenge survived the shooting. It is unclear whether the man seen in the clip walking over the crates was the one who was shot. https://twitter.com/i/status/1429591793033641984 The Fort Jackson drill sergeant who was captured on video assaulting a black man who simply walking through their neighborhood in South Carolina has been found guilty. The Fort Jackson drill sergeant who was captured on video assaulting a black man who simply walking through their neighborhood in South Carolina has been found guilty. https://youtu.be/yXqBS324QTM The vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE was granted a full approval by U.S. regulators. The Pentagon is now set to require all service members to get vaccinated. New York City is requiring vaccines for public school teachers and staff. U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh sees the delta variant’s aggressive path shaking his expectations for a rapidly recovering labor market. The seven-day average death toll in the U.S. topped 1,000 on two straight days for the first time since March. The U.K. ordered 35 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be delivered in the second half of 2022. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the country is likely to offer booster shots to the whole population heading into the fall and winter. Iceland started vaccinating 12-to-15 year-olds. China reported no new locally transmitted daily Covid-19 infections. New Zealand extended its nationwide lockdown. A Virginia senator was exploring his newly purchased farm along the Potomac River with his wife when she noticed some strange rocks on the shoreline that looked out of place. They weren’t rocks. Sen. Richard Stuart and his wife said they gasped upon realizing that they were tombstones. Further research revealed that his land was the dumping ground for thousands of historic Black gravestones from the Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington, D.C. From 1859 to 1960, the D.C. cemetery was the final resting place for more than 37,000 African American residents in and around the nation’s capital. Among them were two sons of abolitionist Frederick Douglas, Phillip Reid—who helped create the Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol, many Black Union Army veterans, and one of D.C.’s first Black policemen. In 1960, the land was sold. Most of the remains were relocated to National Harmony Park in Landover, Md. But the original tombstones were discarded. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation that seeks to better protect historic black cemeteries. The Bill cited that African American burial grounds often failed to receive the type of maintenance and record-keeping that predominantly White burial grounds enjoyed. In a moment of racial reckoning, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined descendants Monday to begin the process of honoring their family members by returning 55 gravestones to a proper memorial site at National Harmony Memorial Park in Landover, Md. https://youtu.be/RfT2OG9wT58 The role of HBCUs in shaping the growth, development and culture of Black Americans will take center stage for the third installment of the critically acclaimed Salute THEM Awards (STA) series. The Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ broadcast coincides with National HBCU Week, September 7-10, 2021 airing Sunday, September 12 on BNC.TV at 10 p.m. ET and streaming at 7 p.m.ET via the AARP Black Community Facebook page and Café Mocha Radio YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbIIIS-G3Q0 Celebrating 21 years of marriage, music’s inspirational power couple Teddy and Tina Campbell have announced a new single, “21,” set to be released Saturday, August 21st. The single was preceded by a worldwide video premiere on Friday, August 20th on the couple’s Facebook page. The new ballad, the first in a planned schedule of releases from the couple, is a passionate expression of love and dedication. The couple’s marriage was a centerpiece of the WE tv series Mary Mary — co-created and produced by Tina — for 6 seasons, as millions of fans watched as the couple worked through challenges, found the grace to forgive, and came out the other side with an even stronger union. The pair’s follow-up web series 10 Minutes With Teddy and Tina continued to encourage and inspire countless viewers online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-tp3aMWLxQ Twitter corrected the New York Times Sunday afternoon after the outlet tweeted out a profile of a young British rapper who goes by the stage name Jimothy. The profile wasn’t the problem. It was a tweet framing all of rap music as being focused only on sex, drugs, and expensive cars. Twitter corrected the New York Times Sunday afternoon after the outlet tweeted out a profile of a young British rapper who goes by the stage name Jimothy. The profile wasn’t the problem. It was a tweet framing all of rap music as being focused only on sex, drugs, and expensive cars. The tweet lead some to question whether there was anyone Black on the social or digital team. But reading the article reveals an even more problematic truth. The controversial tweet paraphrased the article. “He either rejects the tropes of rap entirely or subverts them playfully,” wrote Sirin Kale. “While other rappers brag about sex, drugs, and expensive cars, Jimothy raps about his ambition to one day earn enough money to shop at upmarket supermarkets and listening to his mother’s advice.” Those two lines, along with the tweet, were not only unnecessary but completely dismissed an entire genre with several decades under its belt. A genre that thrives across communities and continents. After questioning the ridiculous tweet, hip-hop radio vet Jay Smooth dropped a link to Slick Rick’s classic “Hey Young World” in response. https://t.co/lYyzUNgreL?amp=1 Larry Elder, the Black, conservative radio talk show host-turned Republican running for political office in California who may or may not have pulled a gun on his ex-fiancee while high on marijuana, now finds himself beset by confirmed allegations that he downplayed his finances when declaring his candidacy. Elder is campaigning ahead of California’s upcoming special election to determine whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. But Elder’s frontrunner candidacy got shaken up barely a month after he announced he was running when it was reported that his ex-fiancee made several claims about him, including how he allegedly once threatened her with a gun. Now, it’s being reported that Elder is the subject of an investigation being conducted by California’s Fair Political Practices Commission regarding the candidate’s disclosures (or lack thereof) about finances tied to his income sources. Josephine Baker became an iconic symbol during the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties for her groundbreaking acting career. The legendary dancer and civil rights activist was the first Black woman to star in a major studio production in the 1927 silent film “Siren of the Tropics.” She portrayed a West Indian girl named Papitou who falls in love with a French man. Looking to escape the racism and segregation she endured in the United States, Baker made her big break into the entertainment world upon moving to France. She later married her husband, French industrialist Jean Lion in 1937. Now Josephine will posthumously make history once again. Her remains are scheduled to be reinterred at the Panthéon monument in Paris– making her the first Black woman to receive the country’s coveted distinction, noted the Associated Press. Baker’s notable praise comes in honor of her service with the French military (Deuxième Bureau) during World War II as a correspondent in 1939. A popular megachurch pastor, TV and radio personality from Oregon has taken a leave of absence from ministry following recent allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse. According to The Roys Report, 33-year-old Ben Courson of Applegate Christian Fellowship near Medford is accused by three female former church members for initiating sexual relationships with them. Applegate elders were made aware of two of the women’s accounts following an elder’s meeting in June. The third woman, however, told The Roys Report that she did not report the allegation to the church yet as she had only recently learned of the other women. Regarding Courson, she had previously characterized their relationship as a serious dating relationship. Xavier Brasseur, pastor of The Story Ashland in Ashland, Oregon, told the outlet that his church is helping the three women get professional counseling. Steph Curry’s parents are going their separate ways … TMZ Sports has learned Sonya Curry has filed for divorce from Dell Curry. 55-year-old Sonya put in the paperwork back on June 14 in North Carolina … according to court records. A court official tells us the divorce is still ongoing. Details surrounding the reason for the split are unclear — we’re working on it. The couple — whose other son, Seth, plays for the Philadelphia 76ers — dated for decades and were officially married way back in 1988. The two have been spotted cheering on Steph and Seth from the stands at NBA games for years … famously wearing gear featuring both the Warriors and Trail Blazers logos when their two sons faced off against each other in the 2019 NBA playoffs. 57-year-old Dell and Sonya first met when they were student-athletes at Virginia Tech … and gave birth to Steph years later in 1988. The couple then had Seth in 1990, and daughter Sydel in 1994. Bachelor is known to millions of fans on social media as “King Bach.” Having amassed over 11 million followers on social media, transitioning to TV and film was inevitable. In “Vacation Friends,” he plays Emily’s younger brother Gabe. In this role, we see a different side of his comedic acting, one where he is often the straight man to Rel’s comedy. https://youtu.be/oCnGO-GsEcE Michael Jordan and LeBron James will forever be etched in history. The two are arguably among the best ever to play this game. Jordan dominated the 80s and the 90s, whereas LeBron James has been doing the same during the 2000s, 2010s, and now aiming to do so in the 2020s. Between them, the two players have won 10 NBA Championships. In fact, Between 1990 to 2020, Jordan and LeBron James were involved in half of the NBA Finals, with Jordan going to 6, and LeBron going to 10. The two have dominated the NBA landscape throughout their respective careers. LeBron grew up watching and idolizing Jordan. LeBron was born just a few months after Michael Jordan made his debut in the NBA. By the time LeBron James was 6, Jordan won his first NBA championship. The two met when Jordan and the Wizards came to Cleveland in 2003 to play the Cavaliers. Jordan arrived sporting his signature suits. LeBron was in the hallways and greeted Jordan very well. Despite knowing each other on a casual level, both greeted each other like they had known each other for a long time. The NFL awkwardly alluded to Deshaun Watson’s sexual assault allegations during a video celebrating the quarterback’s status as of one of the league’s top players. Watson, who is currently facing 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints from massage therapists alleging sexual assault, was voted No. 18 on the league’s annual Top 100 Players list as voted on by the players. “Nobody knows when Deshaun Watson will take the field again,” the narrator says while highlights of the 25-year-old from the 2020 season are shown. “His future is uncertain, but his talent is unquestioned,” the 87-second video continues, ending with, “The skill is no mystery, almost everything else is.” The video didn’t feature standard player interviews from peers and teammates. CNN’s Abby Phillip has welcomed her first baby, daughter Naomi Angelina Richardson, with husband Marcus Richardson. Baby Naomi arrived “10 days fashionably late,” weighing 7 lbs., 6 oz., and measuring 20.5 inches, Phillip tells PEOPLE in a statement. “Marcus and I are so happy to announce that the Naomi Angelina Richardson arrived bright and early on Monday morning perfectly happy, healthy and ready to eat. Mom and baby are feeling great,” she says. “Her first name means ‘pleasant one’ and she is already living up to it and spoiling her mom and dad as a blissfully calm baby. Her middle name Angelina is a tribute to my beloved maternal grandmother who passed away in 2014.” https://www.instagram.com/abbydphillip/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=0b90a6d0-28b4-4e6e-9df6-c4b74f9106ed Luther Wardlaw has a distinguished voice that has been heard as part of the Chart-topping, Dove and Stellar Award-nominated Contemporary Gospel group The Wardlaw Brothers. He has provided the leading vocals to their radio hits "Right Now Lord", "God Has Kept Me" and "Come Through", and is the primary songwriter and producer behind The Wardlaw Brothers' successful albums. Luther is now taking the lead mic for his debut solo project and has released the first single "On The Way". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl5rgAOJzyo Grammy Award winning, legendary Hip-Hop group Naughty By Nature are set to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of their self-titled album released in 1991. Few bands in music can boast about an almost 30 year career that has been both consistent and history making. Naughty By Nature, initially called New Style, began performing at talent shows and were discovered by fellow New Jersey native and then emerging Hip-Hop artist, Queen Latifah. Eventually signing the group to her management company Flavor Unit Management, Latifah helped them land a deal with Tommy Boy Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut album in 1991, Naughty By Nature quickly assaulted the music charts with the instant classic #1 hit “O.P.P.” The group quickly became crossover stars, bridging the gap between their Hip-Hop roots and the mainstream music world. Reverend Jesse Jackson and his wife Jacqueline, remain hospitalized with COVID-19 Monday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Their son, Jonathan Jackson, shared an update on his parents’ condition Sunday with Chicago’s ABC7. “She had been real lethargic with flu-like symptoms [and] went to the hospital Friday,” he said. “Then it was diagnosed that she and my dad both had contracted COVID.” According to the family, the couple is now resting comfortably and responding positively to treatment. “She is having some oxygen, but is able to function and breathe on her own without a respirator,” Jonathan said. “Nothing severe. Because of her age and her current health, it is more challenging.” Chadwick Boseman’s widow performed a touching rendition of “I’ll Be Seeing You” in honor of her late husband during the Stand Up to Cancer televised event on Saturday evening. Boseman died from colon cancer in August 2020 at age 43. His wife, Simone Ledward Boseman, was introduced ahead of her performance by Anthony Anderson, who, per PEOPLE, gave a touching tribute to the “Black Panther” star. https://youtu.be/e21kVFauAD8 Beyoncé and her hubby JAY-Z star in Tiffany & Co.’s 2021 “ABOUT LOVE” campaign, which launches globally on Sept. 2. “Love is the diamond that the jewelry and art decorate,” the couple said in a statement. https://www.instagram.com/beyonce/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=24030a98-0cab-4cc2-bd74-7152291b8ab7 Pittsburgh police say they’re investigating a brawl that broke out in the stands at Heinz Field and went viral. Video shows a man and woman arguing when suddenly, the woman yells, “shut up and get the f*** out!” The man tells her “don’t touch me” and swipes her hand away. The woman then hauls off and slaps him. Fisticuffs ensue. A man seated next to her jumps to her defense, only to be punched repeatedly and eventually knocked out cold by the slapped man. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-22-082221-steelers-knockout-1231889/ A white couple was captured on camera arguing at a gas station somewhere in America, and the moment was filmed by a Black couple. According to TMZ, what prompted the husband to berate his wife in public remains a mystery but apparently, his wife had been harassing the Black couple. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-21-082121-gas-station-karen-pt2-1231856/ Newly appointed “Jeopardy!” host Mike Richards stepped down amid controversy over past disparaging comments he made about women. He is now out as the new host of “Jeopardy!” after just one taping day, CNN reports. Fans of the long-running game show are now calling on actress Mayim Bialik, who was hired to host the show and specials, to step down. Bialik, known for her roles on “Blossom” and “The Big Bang Theory,” is catching heat for her past remarks about vaccines. Per Newsweek, in 2012, Bialik wrote a book on parenting called “Beyond the Sling.” In it, she wrote, “We made an informed decision not to vaccinate our children, but this is a very personal decision that should be made only after sufficient research, which today is within reach of every parent who seeks to learn about their child’s health regardless of their medical knowledge or educational status.” Last week, Bialik set the record straight on her vaccination status. “She has been fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus and is not at all an anti-vaxxer,” her rep confirmed. Misha Green and Jurnee Smollett are reuniting once more for a DC movie project featuring heroine Black Canary. The duo has worked on WGN’s former slave series “Underground,” and HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” and now Green has been tapped to pen the script for a spinoff from Warner Bros.’s 2020 DC movie Birds of Prey which featured characters Harley Quinn, the Huntress, Cassandra Cain and Canary, played by Smollett, per Hollywood Reporter. #Aaliyah’s sophomore album #OneInAMillion made its debut on streaming platforms Friday after nearly two decades since the singer passed away in a plane crash. The singer’s uncle, #BarryHankerson, posted a statement to #Instagram about the re-release, including the reason why it took so long for his niece’s music to be available, thanking and apologizing to her fans. “Thank you to all of her many fans for keeping her music alive. I’m sorry it took so long, but when you lose a family member so unexpectedly, it takes time to deal with that type of grief. I decided to release Aaliyah’s music in order to keep her legacy alive,” Hankerson wrote. He also included a thank you to Aaliyah’s parents, who also served as her managers. Wendy Williams has apparently found love again with a white man who accompanied the talk show host to her son’s birthday party on Saturday. Wendy shared a snap with her man in the car captioned: “My son’s 21st birthday party on the yacht in #Miami was everything he wanted! Even my boyfriend.” https://www.instagram.com/wendyshow/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4d43a7e2-e65e-4049-a735-b3591af26082 The salaries of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have been revealed. As reported by Variety, the list was compiled based on profits made off films released this year. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came in the number 2 spot on the list, raking in a total of $50 million for his upcoming role in Red One. He was listed just behind Daniel Craig, who earned $100 million for his part in the Knives Out sequels. Will Smith is right behind Dwayne Johnson with a $40 million dollar profit for his role as Venus & Serna Williams‘ father in King Richard, which is expected this November. Denzel Washington similarly earned $40 million for taking part in The Little Things. Finally, Michael B. Jordan brought in a total of $15 million for his lead part in Amazon Prime Video’s Without Remorse. Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, who respectively earned $20 million and $13 million for “Bullet Train” and “Top Gun:Maverick,” the outlet reports. https://youtu.be/e-rw2cxFVLg Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson surprised some fans on a celebrity tour bus in his Southern California neighborhood, reports LA’s ABC7. Johnson pulled up alongside the celebrity tour bus, rolled down his windows and asked them if they knew where he could find The Rock. The tourists screamed in delight and surprise and immediately began taking selfies. The video has been viewed more than 8 million times. Johnson said it was a fun way to start off his Saturday. Lizzo wants you to know that she has stopped wearing deodorant, just like Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. “Ok… I’m w him on this one. I stopped using deodorant and I smell BETTER,” Lizzo shared to her Instagram stories Thursday. In case you missed it, McConaughey previously shared with that People that he hasn’t “worn deodorant in 20 years.” Lizzo and Matthew are the latest celebrities to share their hygiene habits. We previously reported, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis dished with Dax Shepard on his “Armchair Expert” podcast and revealed that they only bathe their kids when they see dirt on them. Ashton and Mila, who are part-time bathers themselves, agreed with Dax that using soap every day rids the body of natural oils. The wife of Texas governor candidate Allen West was arrested Friday night in Dallas for DWI with a child in her vehicle, which her husband said was her grandchild. Angela West was booked into jail after being charged with driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years of age. According to Dallas police, an officer with the DWI Squad stopped the 61-year-old’s vehicle for a traffic violation on the W. Northwest Highway. The officer believed the driver may be intoxicated and performed a field sobriety test, which police said led to her arrest for DWI. A blood specimen was obtained after she was taken into custody. Police said the child in her vehicle was released to the child’s father. https://twitter.com/i/status/1429057549895094274 Just weeks into the school year, over 23,000 students and staff are in quarantine at metro Atlanta schools. Those numbers are just a fraction of how many students are likely quarantined: Only a select few districts release quarantine numbers. The data includes positive cases as well as students/staff in quarantine. Each district has its own quarantine protocols, so the numbers are fluid. Of those districts that do report quarantined students and staff, Fulton County Schools are reporting 6,233 students who are either quarantined or have tested positive. Gwinnett County, the largest school district in the state, has 2,337 students and staff in quarantine. Atlanta Public Schools has 2,035 students and staff in quarantine. On Friday, Lamar County Schools announced they are shutting down for two weeks due to skyrocketing COVID-19 cases. Students will return to virtual learning until October. Grammy-nominated Christian artist Jeremy Camp has a new album coming out next month, and it was inspired by what God taught him throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Camp’s initial reaction to the pandemic, like millions of Americans, was to get it over with. “I remember that feeling I had — ‘I just want to get through this. I can’t wait to get through this,’” he told The Christian Post. However, the 43-year-old singer revealed what God told him in that moment that would change his mindset: “Jeremy, I want to get through to you during this. I want to teach you things during this. You have to be willing to listen and not just try to get through it.” “It was kind of a shift of mindset for me,” Camp explained. “It really was such a beautiful picture of allowing God to do the deep work in our hearts that we all need to do. I know that I need some deep work in my heart.” The Bible-based series The Chosen is no longer simply a streaming hit. Two years after it first launched, The Chosen is now a worldwide streaming ministry. Season one, which premiered in 2019, includes subtitles in more than 90 languages, including seven languages (Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, among them) in audio dubbing. Season two, which debuted on Easter, is available with subtitles in more than 30 languages – with dozens more on the way. Just as impressive: The series has been streamed more than 250 million times from viewers all over the world, including from such diverse nations as India, New Zealand, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Derral Eves, executive producer of the series, said the goal is to have more than 1 billion people view it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLHm92GtRqA A Marion man who burned a cross on the front yard of an African American family in June 2020 following a civil rights protest earlier in the day was sentenced Friday to 18 months in federal prison, according to a press release issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia. James Brown, 41, pleaded guilty in April to criminal interference with federally protected housing rights based upon the victim’s race. “When Brown burned a cross in the victim’s front yard, he carried out a despicable act of intimidation, interfered with a federally protected housing right, and broke a serious federal law,” acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar stated Friday. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that such threatening acts of hatred will be swiftly investigated and prosecuted. We thank the FBI and state partners for their hard work on this important case.” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams agreed Monday to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit filed by a freed Angola lifer for $2 million, the latest step toward wrapping up lingering misconduct claims from earlier administrations. The DA’s Office said it will pay former state prisoner Robert Jones in annual installments of $342,000 until 2026. Meanwhile, it has agreed to new policies for turning over evidence to defendants ahead of trial. Jones, now 48, waged a 23-year battle from prison to overturn his convictions in a string of crimes in the French Quarter. He was released in 2015, prosecutors dropped their bid to retry him in 2017 and he filed a lawsuit against the office in 2018. “I welcome this measure of justice after so many years,” Jones said in a brief statement. The first Black-owned and operated birth center in Louisiana is now open and it’s in Lafayette. Baby Catcher Birth Center officially opened at the end of July. Owner and Lafayette native Shatamia Webb told KATC in May that she’s always wanted to work with babies and is passionate about educating future parents. Webb, a midwife, said she’s done around 130 births so far, and is ready to plant her roots here in Acadiana. “This isn’t my first rodeo, it’s just a permanent spot for me. I’m usually doing home births and traveling all over the state to do births, but now I have my own place to come.” Benefits of using the center include more individualized care, a different approach, and mothers are able to have as many people as they want with them when giving birth. Webb is ready and excited to work with parents in Acadiana. DC Police have identified the 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death outside Kipp DC College Preparatory Wednesday afternoon as Kemon Payne. Payne was allegedly stabbed by a fellow student, who is 16 years old, outside his charter school in NE DC near Galludet University’s campus around 3:11 p.m. It was just after students were let out of school for the day. In a statement, KIPP DC said Payne was a “wonderful student, a tremendous person, and will be deeply missed.” Payne had just started attending the college prep high school as a 9th grader, school officials said. The first day of school was on Monday. Officials said officers were assisting with the program called “Safe Passage” – which is aimed at getting students safely home from school – at the time the stabbing happened close to a Metrobus stop inNE outside the school. Ryan Reynolds has thrown his support behind LeVar Burton’s ongoing campaign to host Jeopardy!, following EP Mike Richards’ exit from the podium. The actor said as much—albeit in oblique fashion—in a post published to Twitter on Friday. In it, he shared how he relates to Burton’s experience, given the time he himself spent as an underdog, relentlessly pursuing his dream project. “Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015, Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward, because I agreed with them. But the studio didn’t see it,” he wrote. “Ultimately, the fans won, and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful. Hi @levarburton.” Burton has been vying to host Jeopardy! for years, most recently serving as one of a number of celebrity guest hosts, following the passing of longtime host Alex Trebek. Asian, Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to say colleges and universities reflect white people’s views, while white Americans — especially Republicans — are more likely to say these institutions favor liberal beliefs, according to a new Axios/Ipsos poll on inequity in higher education. The big picture: Everybody sees the necessity of a college education in today’s world. But fewer than one in 10 thinks a four-year degree is affordable, and six in 10 think it should be free for all U.S. citizens. The life of activist and Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton came to a tragic end 32 years ago on this day at the hands of a member of a similar Black Nationalist organization who considered him an enemy. Newton was said to have fallen on hard times after his ascent to the top of the Panthers’ ranks alongside Bobby Seale, but other details surrounding his death remain murky. During a recent interview with TheYBF.com, the ladies of “BET Presents: The Encore” spoke from the heart about the overall arc of the “drama” in the house, how the often complained about editing of reality TV is made to show a particular narrative and the biggest misconceptions among them. “BET Presents: The Encore” is a reality television show featuring ladies from once hot but long forgotten girl groups Total, 702, 3LW, Blaque, Danity Kane and Cherish. https://youtu.be/JMLNnOUiqbA Omar Epps has put in a lot of work in various roles throughout his career. Perhaps it is because of his “familiar” face that he’s finds himself in a ridiculous circumstance. According to legal documents, Epps has been forced to respond to a petition for a restraining order from a Los Angeles man who claims Epps broke into his jail cell and sat on his lap. “(This man) is a complete stranger to me. I have never met him. I have never spoken to him. I have never had any direct or indirect contact with him. I have never previously written about him. I had never even heard of (him) until I was served with his application for a restraining order,” the actor stated. “I have no intention or desire whatsoever to make contact with, associate with, or communicate with (him) in any way, Epps added. “I am a fairly visible public figure, and mostly known for my work as an actor. I believe (the man) may know of me only because of my professional work.” https://youtu.be/-dA9fz9g-2k Cynthia Erivo recently hooked up with Adobe software in a move highlighting rollerskating culture in the Black community. Using the hashtag #StoriesonSkates, Adobe dropped a digital collection featuring six types of roller skates designed in a joint effort with Substance Painter, Adobe’s new 3D feature. The six elements of skate culture being; music, choreography, empowerment, style, legacy and community. “I was so excited to work with Adobe on Stories on Skates to showcase Black skating culture, especially as an expression of Black joy and creativity,” Erivo said in a press release. “This project brings to life stories from the rink that are inspiring, important, and deserve to be remembered. My hope is that Stories on Skates is a fitting tribute to skating and Black culture while celebrating its rich history in music, movement, style, empowerment, community, and legacy. ”https://www.instagram.com/p/CSZzHpLlr7S/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d17cfaae-df09-4977-870e-84b7facfa024 Jay Z’s name and image have been synonymous with the Empire State almost since its advent of his image on Hawaiian Sofie. Now comes news, via a declaration in his suit with photographer Jonathan Mannion, that he’s officially a resident of California, which is where his wife and babies Blue Ivy, Sir and Rumi all reside. So, it only makes since. Home ain’t where the head is, it’s where the heart is. “I intend to keep my primary residence in Los Angeles, California, and do not intend to move my primary residence to another state. I pay California state taxes. In light of these facts, I consider myself to be domiciled in Los Angeles, California,” Jay-Z confirmed. In said lawsuit Jay Z aka Shawn Carter is reportedly suing Mannion for using his name, image and likeness without permission. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com There’s a city buried under Lake Lanier (Georgia’s biggest lake), and submerged with it is a secret: An American horror story filled with terror, death, genocide, and ghosts. If you spend any time in or around Atlanta, you’ve heard tales of Lake Lanier. There are the eerie accounts of fishermen seeing ghostly kayaks floating on the water, or women with no hands roaming the Jerry D. Jackson bridge. Every so often, someone loses their life at the lake and leaves behind stories of good swimmers being snatched under the water, unexplainable boating accidents, or vehicles crashing into the lake without cause. Many folks who live close by will tell you straight up, “Don’t go to Lake Lanier.” And its death toll certainly validates their point. There have been well over 500 deaths since the lake’s inception and more than 200 since 1994. Whether the lake is cursed or not is entirely up to you. But, one thing’s for certain, its horrifying past adds a much-needed perspective to understanding its haunting present. Patti LaBelle wears many titles comfortably; she is a famous singer and excellent pastry chef; however, her favorite titles include “grandmother.” Make that “doting grandmother” because she spends an insane amount of time in the company of her granddaughters Gia and Leyla. Gia came along first which means she has spent the most time with her grandmother. In that time, Patti grew so fond of the tot; she would post pictures of her dressed sharply on her Instagram page. ? After seeing how much fans appeared to like the photos, an Instagram page was created in her name; it holds tons of pictures that feature Gia and boasts of more than seven thousand followers. https://www.instagram.com/gia_edwards/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ba51fcfd-4a2e-4519-b4ee-f2d797b50d8f The New York Post is reporting that a woman named Kathleen Roberts claims that Michael Jackson possesses her body to “dance, sing and eat cookies.” Furthermore, she says Mike proposed to her clairvoyantly and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr officiated their nuptials. But, claims Roberts, Michael kept the marriage certificate. Nope, you CANNOT make this ish up. “So he comes to the restroom with me and calls these special bonding moments ‘toiletries.’ He stays possessed in me (relaxed not channeling and just enjoying living through me and communicating with me as a husband).” https://vimeo.com/430866408 The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife Jacqueline Jackson have been hospitalized in Chicago after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement, the NY Post reported on Saturday. The world renown political/civil rights activist and minister, 79, contracted the virus despite being vaccinated back in January, in a publicity blitz meant to encourage black people to get the shot. A month after his vaccination, Jackson, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, underwent gallbladder surgery. https://youtu.be/e65jrfaS_mU Sha’Carri Richardson obviously wasn’t ready to back her talk of beating the Olympic-winning Jamaican sprinters in her return to the race track. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-21-082121-shacarri-richardson-1231858/ The U.S. Embassy issued a stern warning to Americans on Saturday not to go to Kabul airport because of ‘security threats’ outside its gates – reportedly coming from ISIS – a day after President Joe Biden vowed to bring citizens and Afghan allies home. U.S. officials said the most serious threat to the airport is Afghanistan’s branch of the Islamic State, which would hurt Americans in the country and challenge the Taliban’s control, The New York Times and Associated Press reported. ‘Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so,’ the Embassy warning says. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/08/21/6106165691937828953/636x382_MP4_6106165691937828953.mp4 A group of Taliban fighters released a collection of propaganda footage, including a photo where they mocked the famed World War II picture of soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. In the original 1945 photograph, a group of six Marines are depicted hosting the flag on Mount Suribachi. The Taliban’s Badri 313 Battalion recreated the image this week. In their version, a group of soldiers is seen hoisting the Taliban flag in a similar fashion while sporting U.S. weapons and gear that was likely stolen from allied militaries during patrols of Kabul. The Badri 313 is a special unit of Taliban fighters that dress like U.S. soldiers by wearing camouflage, combat boots and body armor. The soldiers drive armored Humvees and carries M4 carbines. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has been slammed as racist after he blamed the recent Covid surge in his state on unvaccinated black people. The Republican governor made the claim on Fox News on Thursday, saying: ‘The Covid is spreading… and the Democrats like to blame Republicans on that. ‘Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/08/21/3031749779715868211/636x382_MP4_3031749779715868211.mp4 The United States reported a record-high number of coronavirus cases on Friday as Florida recorded more than 150,000 cases in this week’s data dump and the number of deaths surged 300 percent in a single day. According to figures compiled by the widely-respected Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. reported 319,456 new COVID cases, raising the overall count of nationwide cases to more than 37.7 million. Nearly half of those cases were reported in Florida, which is seeing a 19.8 percent positivity rate among tested individuals. The state, which only releases COVID data once a week, reported 150,118 cases. The U.S. reported 2,677 new deaths on Friday, after reporting only 908 deaths on Thursday. Florida accounted for 346 of those deaths. Demetrius Smith, R. Kelly’s former tour manager, points out his former client during his testimony about bribing a government worker with $500 to get a fake ID for Aaliyah after Kelly thought he got her pregnant when she was 15. This was back in 1994, when Kelly was 24. Kelly and Aaliyah’s marriage was annulled after six months. Aaliyah tragically died in a plane crash in 2001. Smith’s testimony followed testimony from R. Kelly’s former doctor, who prescribed him herpes medication so often that he memorized Kelly’s number. Community members gathered Thursday at the Texas African American Museum to learn about the history of the Piney Woods School and the opportunities it offers students. The school was founded in 1909 by Laurence Clifton Jones after he learned about the high illiteracy rate in rural Rankin County, Mississippi. His goal was to help educate the children of impoverished black sharecroppers. The Piney Woods School, located in Mississippi, is the only African-American Boarding School in the country. It is a historic African-American institution that offers students a unique opportunity to grow academically and personally. Currently, the school has grades eight through 12. Will Levi Crossley Jr., President and head of school at the institution, came out to speak on the opportunities the school offers Black children. “We are the longest serving African-American learning community in the country, we were started over a century ago to educate essentially the direct descendants of slaves,” Crossley said. “We have continued to serve students of African descent, other people of color and others in rural Mississippi since that time.” Another of Montgomery’s civil rights-era legends has died, according to her family. Lucille Times passed away late Monday evening, her nephew Daniel Nichols confirmed. She was 100. Six months before Rosa Parks took her seat on a Montgomery bus in 1955, there was Times, who got into a fist fight with the same bus driver of the racially segregated bus line that June. She claimed he tried to run her car off the road, and she confronted him. Times wasn’t arrested, but the ordeal prompted her to begin her own boycott of the buses, and she made it her mission to change things. When the Montgomery Bus Boycott later got started, she continued what she’d been doing for months; picking up waiting Black passengers she saw at bus stops. Parks’ arrest that December would catapult her into history, making her name synonymous with the civil rights struggle. But Times would remain relatively obscure to the masses for more than half a century, though locally she was well known. Times and her husband Charlie took part in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March and let 18 people of all races, from around the country, stay in their home afterward. The couple were longtime Montgomery business owners and stayed involved in the community. #TMobile is now facing a class-action lawsuit for their latest data breach after hackers were able to steal data on at least 47 million current, former, and prospective customers, including their #SocialSecurityNumbers.? The class-action suit filed in a Washington court explains that plaintiffs in this lawsuit fear their identities “are now at considerable risk because of Defendant’s [T-Mobile’s] negligent conduct since the Private Information that T-Mobile collected and maintained is now in the hands of data thieves.”? The suit also explains that those affected by the breach may now have to face further inconvenience while dealing with the fallout of their personal information being compromised.? While T-Mobile has offered victims free credit monitoring services that they have to sign up for, the suit claims this gesture isn’t enough.? Recently, singer turned reality television star Kandi Burress opened up about a deeply personal surgical procedure that tens of thousands of women throughout the country can relate to: breast reduction surgery. The Xscape star discussed it in detail on “Real Housewives of Atlanta.“ “The reason why I started thinking about this is because I guess it’s been six, close to six, weeks… I decided to get my breasts reduced,” she shared in a recent episode of “Speak On It,” her YouTube series. “For me, it was a whole thing of trying to figure out who I was going to go to to reduce my breasts, was I going to go out of town to do it, was I going to stay in Atlanta to do it, was I going to go to a doctor who was close to Atlanta to do it, trying to find the time to do it.” https://youtu.be/htPvcpn2T7s Soulja Boy, DeAndre Cortez Way, announced he is the new owner of #Atari. The iconic company was founded back in 1972, and it was a pioneer in the development of various early video game consoles and arcade games. #SouljaBoy claims the company reached out to him due to the success of his video game console, SouljaGame. He made the big announcement on Instagram Live, saying: “They signed me to a deal to Atari. Big shoutout to Atari, to the whole staff. I’m about to revamp the company. We gon take Atari to the next level. Everybody go follow @Atari. I am now the owner of Atari. I own the video game company Atari. They was real proud of me and what I did with the Souja Boy Game console. I blew Soulja Boy Game up. We about to sell the company, I think Imma get $140 million. I’m finna get $140 million from Soulja Boy Game, so Atari reached out and I just signed a deal with Atari. I signed two deals with Atari. First rapper to own a video game company.” However, despite Soulja Boy‘s claims of owning Atari, the brand has come out to seemingly say otherwise. In a statement made through its official Twitter account, Atari representatives wrote: “We know that CEO of Atari is a dream job, but that honor belongs to Wade Rosen.” Ronald Isley tied the knot with (Kandy Johnson) the love of his life sixteen years ago, and they celebrated the milestone recently with pictures that were shared via their respective Instagram pages. The picture Kandy shared on her page was an old one taken from their wedding day. They both looked happy and gorgeous as they stood close together with their hands clasped. He wore a stylish black tux while Kandy looked beautiful in her sleeveless ensemble. In her caption, she thanked God for giving them the opportunity to celebrate another year of blissful marriage. Then, she posted the picture again on her story and edited it with a track from Nat King Cole titled “L–O–V–E.” Ronald shared a more recent picture of him with his wife; it featured the lovely couple dressed for an important outing. They both wore all-black outfits, and the love between both was palpable. Mo’Nique the 53-year-old comedian/actress has signed a deal with Endemol Shine North America that will see her producing a slate of unscripted TV projects in conjunction with Hicks Media-her husband Sidney Hick’s production company, Madamenoire reports. Monique previously worked with Endemol Shine 15 years ago for VH1’s wildly successful “Charm School,” produced by Chris Abrego’s 51 Minds company. Monique was on the show from 2007 to 2009. Recently the rapper with the name (Wack 100) took to Clubhouse to diss Meek Mill, powered by the battery place in his back by Tekashi and his supporters, he used an expletive when discussing the leader of the Nation of Islam Honorable Louis Farrakhan, who has historically acted as a mediator and peacemaker in hip-hop. “Y’all don’t see what the n#### do? For the last five days, the n#### put up a post that said that Wack is misleading the youth,” Wack said Meek wrote. “He needs the young homies for protection.” “First of all,” Wack said, “Me and you, n####,” he corrected. “I ain’t said the ‘Pirus and you.’ I ain’t say the ‘West Coast and you.’ I said ‘Me and you.” “Then you reach and say, ‘Farrakhan, can you arrange a sit down. N#### f### all that! I eat pork,” he stated defiantly. “Ain’t no Farrakhan (unrecognized). F### out of here, n####.” https://youtu.be/s6wiQ98BX-A Nivea, the 39-year-old singer recently felt the need to release text messages from sa man name Darrell Patterson. It appears Mr. Patterson denied dating the singer. So, she felt the need to broadcast via Instagram Story her personal messages with this Darrell fella, who can be seen in a February message saying “Thinking about you. Well been thinking about you.” “Wyd sexy? Going to bed?,” Nivea also wrote via another image. In response, Darrell replied, “Love you so much.” Alongside the screenshot, she penned, “Wasn’t interested huh @iamtherealdp. Don’t play with me man.” Though it is said that the singer released these damning “documents” in an attempt to defend her honor against a man who is now revealed to be in a relationship of his own and is backtracking. He’s moving under the guise that he was “just trying to help” Nivea out. Mint Condition’s lead singer Stokley Williams revealed in a 2017 interview with VLAD TV that the group was not too pleased when keyboardist Keri Lewis wed singer Toni Braxton in 2001. Keri and Toni’s marriage lasted for 13 years, but they separated by the 8-year mark in 2009, as reported by I Love Old School Music. The ex-couple made their divorce official in 2013. Years later, tea was spilled about why Keri’s group members were left distraught when he tied the knot with Toni. https://youtu.be/8913RO6aLqc Tony Award-winning Broadway actress Alice Ripley has apologized to her young fans for ‘misinterpretations’ of the interactions they had with her. Four women came forward with accusations against Ripley, 57, this week. It started with a viral TikTok video in which a woman named Brie Lynn, top right, now 25, claimed Ripley ‘groomed’ her as a child. At least three other women, another seen bottom right, have since said they too had inappropriate relationships with the stage star. Accusers describe Ripley’s fan base as a ‘cult’ of underage queer girls. Ripley earned a Tony Award for her portrayal of bipolar character Diana Goodman in the show Next to Normal in 2009. She had also denied the allegations against her in an earlier statement saying: ‘There’s absolutely no validity to any of it’. In a candid new memoir, All In, King, now 77, also discloses how she was sexually assaulted as a teenager, suffered a debilitating eating disorder and blames, in part, her own homophobia for the decades in which she denied her true sexuality. During a 27-year career, the American player won 39 Grand Slam titles but became arguably more famous for her off-court life – her campaigning feminism and the long-rumored lesbianism which she only finally acknowledged in 1987 when she divorced Larry to be with her former doubles partner Ilana Kloss. In her autobiography – which is due out in the UK next month but was published in the U.S. this week – King also discusses the abuse she endured over her looks and the humiliating ordeal she suffered when she had an abortion in 1971. The famously bespectacled King was the leading light of a new breed of female player: fiercely ambitious, hard-hitting on court and determined not to put up with the sexism of a sport that paid them far less in money and respect than the men. In his most revealing comments about his playing future, former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said he doesn’t have a desire to get back on a field at the moment. During an interview on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go,” the 11-time Pro Bowler was asked if he was going to be a radio broadcaster or play again. “For now, I’ll be a radio broadcaster,” said Fitzgerald, who appears on the radio show with Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Tom Brady and Jim Gray. “To be honest with you, I just don’t have the urge to play right now. I don’t know how I’ll feel in September, October, November moving forward, but I just, today, I just don’t have the urge. Police are responding to a claim of an explosive device in a truck near the US Capitol, according to law enforcement sources, and multiple buildings nearby are being evacuated. “This is an active bomb threat investigation,” the US Capitol Police wrote on Twitter Thursday. Authorities on the scene are negotiating with the suspect, according to two law enforcement sources. The pickup truck the man drove to the scene does not have license plates, sources say. Two Library of Congress buildings — the Jefferson and the Madison — and the Cannon House Office Building are being evacuated due to a suspicious vehicle in the vicinity, according to alerts sent to staffers viewed by CNN. https://youtu.be/F1UQKO8jqME A Black couple out of Michigan have a heart full of forgiveness for the 25-year-old white male who shot at their home over a Black Lives Matter sign. Michael John Frederick Jr. will serve a 4-to-10-year prison sentence for the crime, after entering no contest pleas in the case as well as a second case in which he reportedly vandalized a white Joe Biden supporter’s home, as reported by Law and Crime. https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/black-family-targeted-for-black-lives-matter-sign-with-home-and-cars-vandalized-in-warren Halle Berry is being sued by MMA fighter Cat Zingano over the star’s upcoming film “Bruised.” Berry is starring in and making her directorial debut with the project, about a mixed martial arts fighter struggling to rebuild her life. Cat ultimately turned down the fight, but then the UFC released her from her contract. Zingano says Berry “cut off communication” following the incident. She is now suing for damages. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the film, Berry said the biggest challenge was working with two broken ribs. As reported earlier, during the filming of “Bruised,” the global superstar was injured while filming in a Newark, New Jersey gym. “I didn’t want to stop because I had prepared for so long,“ she said. “We had rehearsed; we were ready. I’m going to will myself through it. And so we did.” Here is a sneak peek of the latest episode of the Peacock Original Series HART TO HEART, where Kevin Hart invites A-list talent to sit back, have a glass of wine, and engage in an unfiltered conversation. New episodes dropped today and Nick Cannon is one of this week’s guests. The clip finds Hart revealing how envious he used to be of Cannon, and the duo dish about Nick’s casting in the 2002 hit film “Drumline.” https://youtu.be/wctujHbtSfc Starz’s upcoming drama, “BMF” is inspired by the true story of two brothers – Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest” Flenory – from Detroit who birthed one of the most influential crime families in America. Today at the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour, “Black Mafia Family” executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson informed journalist Jeanne Wolf the eight episode series isn’t about glorifying drug dealers. “We love to watch the guys with the guns, jewelry and clothes…but they’re drug dealers. Are we creating heroes young people can follow…or are we sending them on the wrong track?” Wolf questioned. https://youtu.be/RipiwMg_ofA STARZ has released the official trailer and key art today for the highly anticipated Detroit-based family drama “BMF.” The new STARZ original series will premiere worldwide on Sunday, September 26 across all STARZ platforms, including at 9 PM ET/PT on STARZ in the U.S. and Canada, and will air day and date internationally on the STARZPLAY premium streaming platform across its complete footprint in Europe, Latin America and Japan. https://preview-g.starz.com/p/promos/new/vers01826021_bmf1_official_hero_trailer___grandson___licensed_org_28655_21_169___no_bug___series_premier_2000k.mp4 Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak has pushed back the release of their debut album, which will now arrive in January 2022. Tat’s not what fans of the new duo want to hear, but they’ll just have deal wit it. The pair, known as Silk Sonic, dropped their debut single “Leave the Door Open” in March and followed it up with “Skate” last month. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak has pushed back the release of their debut album, which will now arrive in January 2022. Tat’s not what fans of the new duo want to hear, but they’ll just have deal wit it. The pair, known as Silk Sonic, dropped their debut single “Leave the Door Open” in March and followed it up with “Skate” last month. https://youtu.be/CEw-7cMnBDY Nas dropped his latest studio LP, “King’s Disease II” on Aug. 6, earning his fifth Top 10 entry on the Billboard 200. “King’s Disease II” debuted at #3 on the latest Billboard album chart, giving Nas his highest-charting project since 2012’s Life Is Good which opened at #1. The original King’s Disease peaked at #5 in 2020. Nas’s King’s Disease II earned 56,000 first-week units. The set also amassed more than 47 million on-demand streams and 19,000 pure album sales in its initial week of release. As reported by Pop Sugar, featured artists on the album include Lauryn Hill, Eminem and EMPD, Charlie Wilson, Hit-Boy, Blxst, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and YG. Keyshia Cole says the death of her mother Frankie Lons “Still doesn’t seem real.” “But it very much is .. dammit man,” Cole wrote in response to a concerned fan on social media, Revolt reports. Lons passed away on July 18 from a reported drug overdose while celebrating her 60th birthday. Shortly after news of her passing, Cole shared to her Instagram a slideshow of photos of her mother. “This is so hard man,” Cole began in the caption of the post. “Can’t really even find the words. SMH.” The NBA’s Summer League basketball, by its nature, was tailor made for insane dunks. And this season did not disappoint. As Yahoo Sports points out, the teams are “thrown together a week or so before it starts, having three or four practices before games start,” so summer league “tends to be a glorified pickup game. It’s wide open. That’s good for aggressive, shoot-first players who have the ball in their hands and it’s good for the very best athletes.” NBA Summer League 2021 took place between Aug. 8 and 17 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. All 30 NBA teams played five games each during the season, culminating in a best-of-four playoff series between the top two teams. The Sacramento Kings became the first team to win multiple Summer League titles after topping the Boston Celtics 100-67 at Thomas & Mack Center on Aug. 17. https://youtu.be/3LbTddDLwHY Washington D.C.’s Capitol Police found themselves in a tense standoff on Thursday afternoon around as a man with a pickup truck threatened to bomb places at and around the U.S. Capitol. He was apprehended parked outside the Library Of Congress after uploading a video to Facebook under the name Ray Roseberry. Floyd Ray Roseberry is a resident of Grover, a small town located in Cleveland County, North Carolina. Authorities say he had propane tanks in his vehicle and he posted a live video on Facebook demanding to speak with President Joe Biden or he would set off bombs he had placed in the truck. Facebook has since deleted the video and his account. In the video he ranted about his freedoms being taken away and that he was willing to die for the cause, as shown by a video tweeted by HuffPost reporter Ryan J. Reilly. https://twitter.com/i/status/1428395576157249541 Ahead of the 20th anniversary of her passing, Aaliyah’s second studio album, One In a Million will be officially on Spotify tonight at midnight ET. Earlier this year, it was announced that the late singer’s full catalog would be coming to streaming after being unavailable digitally to fans for over a decade. To commemorate her lasting legacy, Spotify will be releasing the entirety of Aaliyah’s catalog over the next few weeks, starting with One In A Million. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO0dQxq0 As ugly and sexist comments made by newly appointed “Jeopardy!” host Mike Richards have recently surfaced, many of the show’s fans have reignited anger that CNN legal analyst and lifelong admirer of the show Laura Coates was passed over for the gig — and a guest opportunity. Coates, who Alex Trebek had hand-picked as a potential successor back in 2018, wasn’t given the opportunity to guest host during the interim, which many fans recently discovered upon the Richards scandal. “I didn’t know this and now I’m MAD,” one Twitter user wrote in hostility. Dr. Tara L. Conley, a media studies professor at Montclair State, wrote that Coates would have had a “mesmerizing” presence on the game show. “She probably would’ve been an excellent Jeopardy host. Alex knew,” Conley tweeted. “How is everyone forgetting this fact?? Alex wanted Laura Coates,” added another user, who cited remarks made by Trebek before his passing. Out of curiosity as a student at Alabama A&M University, Adam Harris took the 6 1/2-mile drive across town to the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and he was bewildered by the glaring differences in the two campuses. “They had new and newly renovated buildings,” Harris recalled. “The library had longer operating hours and a more extensive collection. Potholes had been filled — if they’d ever been there. And very few of the students I saw that day were Black, which was interesting for a regional school because Huntsville is roughly 30 percent Black. But just 10 percent of UAH’s campus was Black.” Those differences sparked a question: Why? Why were the facilities superior at the predominately white school founded in 1950 than the historically Black university founded 75 years earlier, in 1875? That fundamental question Harris pondered for a decade became the impetus for his newly released book, “The State Must Provide: Why America’s Colleges Have Always Been Unequal—and How to Set Them Right.” Antoinette Jackson, the head of the USF anthropology department, is also the driving force behind a new national center for information on African American cemeteries that were covered over by buildings or parking lots. “I don’t know if it’s shock or indignation that this would happen to your family member,” Jackson said. The Bay Area has become an epicenter for such graveyards in recent years, with several cemeteries containing countless graves discovered in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. But Jackson says it didn’t start or end here. “This is a real systemic problem and it’s not isolated to one community, one state, one city, and dignity needs to be brought to this conversation,” she commented. Jackson and her team launched the Black Cemetery Network and its website has grown with more and more lost cemeteries being reported across the country. A trio of Black former Kraft Heinz (KHC) factory workers are suing the company for $30 million over what they claim was routine racist harassment from former co-workers and supervisors. The plaintiffs claim their former coworkers left notes in their lockers calling them the N-word and once threatened to kill them if they didn’t quit their jobs. Attorneys working for former Kraft Heinz employees Alex Horn, Lance Aytman, and Keith Hooker filed their lawsuit in the US Eastern District Court of California on Thursday. The complaint alleges the three men were subjected to “a pattern of harassing and discriminatory behavior based upon their race” over the course of several years along with other Black employees who worked with them at a dairy facility run by Kraft Heinz Foods. The factory is based in Tulare, California, a predominantly Hispanic and White community located 52 miles southeast of Fresno. The plaintiffs say their coworkers drew swastikas on the lockers of multiple black employees and sent a note that said, “no n*****s as coordinators” during one purported incident. Additional notes said “quit or die n****r” during another incident, according to the complaint, which includes photographs of the alleged notes. East Lansing Council Member Dana Watson was appointed to the vacant mayor pro tem position at Thursday nights special council meeting making her the first Black person and Black woman to hold the position. Watson was nominated by Council Member Ron Bacon. No other nominations were offered and council members voted 4-0 in favor of Watson’s new appointment. “I’ve been in review of the charter for what the responsibilities are for the mayor pro tem, I counted the number of weeks until a new mayor pro tem will come, and I looked at my time off that I had at my job,” Watson said. “So I am more than ready to be prepared to step in, and I’m happy to serve in this way for these final 10 weeks.” Mayor Jessy Gregg was also officially sworn in as the new mayor after former Mayor Aaron Stephens resigned last week. Natalia Bryant is starting her freshman year of college! On Thursday, Vanessa Bryant shared a selfie she took with Natalia, 18, and daughters Bianka, 4, and Capri, 2, dropping off her oldest at the University of Southern California. The family was all smiles for move-in day, and Bianka even sported a USC shirt. “Today was rough,” Vanessa, 39, admitted. “This was before the tears came down.” She added, “Missing forever,” presumably referring to her late daughter Gianna and husband Kobe Bryant, who died in a tragic helicopter crash in January 2020. “I love you @nataliabryant BE EPIC and FIGHT ON,” the proud mom said. Philadelphia based next-gen R&B singer-songwriter Julian King released his new single “Gone Do” today following an exclusive premiere yesterday with Wonderland Magazine. This single follows King’s 2019 debut album, “Made in China,” which blazed the scene with streaming favorites “Seasons,” “Safe” and “Always You”. https://soundcloud.com/itsjulianking Wednesday marked the first day of the federal trial in New York for disgraced R&B icon R. Kelly, who faces racketeering and sex trafficking charges and could be looking at decades in prison if he’s convicted. One of the unique things about this trial—besides the fact that it involves an embattled singer who once had many of us stepping in the name of love and is now a financially struggling accused serial predator—is that the presiding judge, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly, ruled that the jurors selected for the trial would be the only members of the public allowed in the courtroom and that the press wouldn’t be allowed either, which is an unusual ruling for a trial of this magnitude, according to CBS 58. Clearly, Donnelly is looking to keep this trial as private as possible, and one person who may not have gotten that memo is Kelly attorney Thomas Farinella, who prosecutors said violated Donnelly’s ruling, Local Rule 23.1, Court TV reported Thursday. “They welcomed me to the play. It’s a wonderful cast and director,” said legendary multi-Stellar Award nominated vocalist Shirley Murdock (“As We Lay,” “Computer Love”) about starring in the long running stage play “Serenity House: From Addiction to Deliverance,” by award winning Baltimore Playwright Ursula V. Battle (Battle Stage Plays). The “Serenity House” stage play stars Shirley Murdock, Randy Roberts (The Choir Boyz), Malvilyn Statham (Clara Ward Sisters), Serenity and Peggy Carmichael. It runs Friday – Sunday, August 27-29, 2021 at the Huber Community Life Center in Baltimore. “The storyline…people going through the process of being whole again.” Kylie Jenner is expecting her second baby with Travis Scott. “Kylie is a few months along. She has a cute bump. She is beyond excited,” an insider confirmed to PEOPLE. Kylie and Travis are already parents to 3-year-old daughter Stormi. The family of a slain #bartender is one step closer to justice as authorities have officially charged her killer with murder.? In the early morning hours (of Friday, 08-13-21), #MariamAbdulrab had returned home after finishing her shift at Revery VR bar in midtown Atlanta. Around 5:00 a.m., her boyfriend, Jerry Antoine, called 911 to report that he’d witnessed Abdulrab being forced into a vehicle by a man wearing a security uniform. As law enforcement frantically investigated the kidnapping, another 911 call came in around 6:00 a.m. reporting gunshots. It was not until nearly four hours later when police found Abdulrab’s body facedown on the ground.? Friday afternoon, #DeMarcusBrinkley was identified as a person of interest in the case. The man was previously hospitalized for crashing his car while fleeing from police. He was released after being treated and booked into the Fulton County Jail, charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of or attempt of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. Today a former ice cream shop owner in New York has been ordered to pay $4,500 after being accused of calling the police on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters and falsely claiming they threatened him with violence. n today’s episode of When Keeping It Racist Goes Wrong, a former ice cream shop owner in New York has been ordered to pay $4,500 after being accused of calling the police on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters and falsely claiming they threatened him with violence. College football players have taken advantage of numerous deals to profit off their name, image and likeness of late, but none offered the level of synergy as the one between an Alabama football player and a flavored drink company announced on Wednesday. Freshman defensive back Ga’Quincy McKinstry, who goes by the nickname “Kool-Aid” and is listed as such on Alabama’s official roster, said on Twitter that he’s entered into a partnership with the popular drink company Kool-Aid. McKinstry even included the Kool-Aid mascot’s catchphrase, “OHH YEAH!” In honor of the deal, Kool-Aid changed the name on its official Twitter account. It looks like NBA legend Ray Allen is preparing to embark on a new career path within basketball. Allen was reportedly named the head coach at Gulliver Prep in Florida on Thursday. The Raiders struggled to a 5-16 record last season after winning 23 games in 2019-20. Widely considered to be one of, if not the, greatest shooter of all-time, Allen made 10 NBA All-Star teams and earned two All-NBA selections during his illustrious career. He also won two championships with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and the Miami Heat in 2013. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has debuted a new online method of communicating with coworkers. The company announced on Thursday that it’s launching a virtual office platform that could be useful for people working from home amid the pandemic. Per Complex, the new software is available as a free app for Oculus Quest 2 VR headset owners and will be called Horizon Workrooms. The system allows you to interact with coworkers as an avatar of yourself. The Biden administration rolled out its plan Wednesday for giving booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, saying most people in the US will be offered another dose about eight months after their initial vaccination to bolster their protection. The decision comes as the Delta variant fuels a coronavirus surge in the US, with the daily average of new cases over the past week exceeding 140,000 — the highest levels since February. Hospitalizations and deaths have also increased, especially in the South, though the vast majority are occurring among people who aren’t vaccinated. The booster-shot campaign will begin September 20 for people who received Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, government officials said. There’s drama among Black council members in Missouri’s St. Louis County after they joined Republicans to kill a law mandating masks. Two councilwomen are under fire from some other Black north county leaders because of their opposition to the mandate. St. Louis Council Chairwoman Rita Days and Councilwoman Shalonda Webb joined Republicans on the council in defeating the mandates. Later, they linked with supporters at the government center in Clayton to defend themselves against County Executive Sam Page and the Black north county legislators who joined him in supporting the mask mandate. The two councilwomen were surrounded by some north county mayors, clergy, and citizens. Harsh words were exchanged, to put it nicely. #LilWayne has always been very vocal about the #NewOrleans officer he calls “Uncle Bob,” who once saved his life after his suicide attempt at the age of 12.? Since then, Wayne has expressed that whatever “Uncle Bob” needs, he got his back.? Now Wayne is still trying to reward Bob all these years later.? According to TMZ, “Uncle Bob,” whose real name is Robert Hoobler, saw Wayne at a radio show in 2019 and that the rapper offered him financial support whenever he needed it.? This isn’t the first time Wayne has tried to pay back Uncle Bob; on his 2015 track “London Roads,” the rapper spoke about him saving his life.? Bob says that he did not accept Wayne’s generous offer yet, but he has been thinking about joining the rapper’s team in an administrative capacity sometime shortly. In January of this year, the sheriff’s department in Osceola County, Florida, began an investigation into an incident in which a Black teenager was body-slammed and knocked unconscious by a school resource officer at Liberty High School in the city of Kissimmee. It was the kind of incident that serves as a reminder of why many Black people are uncomfortable with the very idea of police officers being called to schools to deal with altercations involving Black youth—because as study after study has shown, cops are simply more aggressive when dealing with Black people and Black bodies. Unfortunately, that aggression doesn’t always constitute a violation of policy. On Tuesday, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell told reporters that Deputy Ethan Fournier will not be charged criminally for his treatment of 16-year-old Taylor Bracey, according to the Orlando Sentinel. People, we are far too deep into this global pandemic to still be spreading COVID-19 misinformation, thumbing our noses at scientific consensus and pretending the opinions of the Team “Do Your Own Research” are equal to that of medical experts who actually know things. Laila Ali, the retired world champion boxer and daughter of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, may have been an expert at throwing hands in the ring, but she’s currently being beaten up across Twitter over a social media post in which she smugly demonstrated that there are things she is no expert in, such as medical science regarding how highly contagious viruses work. “People don’t seem to understand that just [because] some folks don’t wear masks, don’t want the shot, don’t listen to media or live in fear…it doesn’t mean they don’t ‘believe’ the virus is real or think they can’t get it!” Ali posted. “They know it was created to harm humanity.” Listen: It’s a simple thing to point out that the CDC has spent the last year and a half debunking unsubstantiated claims that coronavirus was intentionally created to “harm humanity,” but when you’re a platitude-driven conspiracy theorist who doesn’t “listen to media” but rather treats far-fetched conjecture as fact, it’s not likely you’re going to be convinced of anything that contradicts your “truth.” Comedian Tony Baker is bringing attention to an online petition calling for an end to illegal street racing in the southern California city where his son and two others died earlier this month in a fiery crash caused by two other cars racing each other. Cerain Anthony Raekwon Baker, 21, was killed along with fellow passengers 20-year-old Jaiden Johnson and 19-year-old Natalee Moghaddam when they were struck by another driver who had been street racing around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 3 in Burbank. The silver Volkswagen in which the three were traveling was split in half and they were ejected from the vehicle. According to the New York Post, cops are on the hunt for an MTA subway driver who allegedly let his girlfriend get behind the wheel of a train, and now his next stop could possibly be jail!! Cops have identified the MTA worker as Terrell Harris. They claim his girlfriend Dominique Belgrave posted an Instagram story showing her and her boo holding hands over the train’s controls as they drove through the 50th Street, 55th Street, and 62nd Street stations. In one video shared to her account which has since been set to private, Belgrave says, “Yes, this is me operating the train right now,” the New York Post quotes. The MTA said the operator (Harris) has been removed from service and will no longer be allowed to control a train. MTV Entertainment Studios has partnered with Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance on a new docu-series entitled “One Thousand Years of Slavery.” Per press release, each episode in this remarkable four-part series spotlights powerful stories of notable individuals courageously sharing their deeply personal Black experiences. It’s the 1,000-year story of how slavery stained the past, shaped the present, and continues to re-write our future. https://youtu.be/JabhpahI1zc Pioneering journalist Glen Ford, founder of the news site Black Agenda Report, died on July 28 at age 71. A cause of death was not given. According to The New York Daily News, Ford was known as a trailblazer and proponent of Black journalism and perspective. That extended to his criticism of former President Barack Obama, whose merits he famously debated with author Michael Eric Dyson on “Democracy Now!” in 2012. Ford accused No. 44 of expanding the use of drones in war, preventive detention and policies of austerity. https://youtu.be/3K0iEAWRkT4 Eminem has been tapped to play White Boy Rick in the newest Starz drama, “BMF” (“Black Mafia Family”). Eminem will star in one episode of the series, according to The Wrap. Eminem has been tapped to play White Boy Rick in the newest Starz drama, “BMF” (“Black Mafia Family”). Eminem will star in one episode of the series, according to The Wrap. Nicole Ari Parker has joined the cast of the forthcoming HBO Max series “And Just Like That,” the 10-part reboot of “Sex and the City.” Series star Sarah Jessica Parker shared photos from the set featuring her longtime costars Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis along with Nicole. “Oh so fine. I’d sing along to 70’s love songs with this trio deep into any night,” the actress captioned a photo on Instagram of the cast, along with the hashtag #MemoriesMonday. “I’ll see you ladies tomorrow!” Those footsteps in the dark you hear are indeed the Isley Bros performing for NPR Music’s latest Tiny Desk (home) concert. Not only did Ronald and his brother Ernie stand front and center performing “Footsteps in the Dark,” they kicked it off with “That Lady” and ran through such hits as “Between the Sheets” (giving a nod to Notorious B.I.G.’s sample in “Big Poppa”) and “For the Love of You.” https://youtu.be/uQvdcfosF5A Anderson .Paak has gotten new ink that makes clear he doesn’t want any of his unreleased tunes to reach the masses after he dies. Paak, 35, shared a photo of his new tattoo on Instagram Monday. “When I’m gone, please don’t release any posthumous albums or songs with my name attached. Those were just demos and never intended to be heard by the public,” the tattoo states. The R&B crooner is gearing up to release a collaborative album with Bruno Mars. He also has a solo album coming soon with Dr. Dre attached, per New York Post. Four-year-old Verity Ofori-Kuragu was honored with the ‘Gymnast of the Week” in her gymnastics class and decided to dedicated it to her idol, Simone Biles. The United Kingdom native by way of Ghana started doing handstands when she was just 2 years old and fell in love with the sport after seeing British gymnast Joe Fraser showing off some of his skills. “I assured Verity that when she turned 3 [in March 2020], we would enroll her to start doing gymnastics,” Verity’s mother Britta Ofori-Kuragu told Because Of Them We Can. But after the pandemic put a halt on Verity’s gymnastics classes, she was introduced to The GOAT via YouTube and instantly realized how the US Olympian “looked like [her],” Britta said. https://youtu.be/APJfrnCa3fg Larry West was a mergers and acquisitions specialist when he happened upon an article in The New York Post in 1975 that said antique photographs were on the verge of becoming the next big collectible. Now, an important segment of his collection, most of which has never been on public view, has been purchased by the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, D.C., an event that Stephanie Stebich, the museum’s director, called “a coup.” The museum said the purchase price was in the mid-six figures. The group of 286 objects, dating from the 1840s to the mid-1920s, includes a cache of 40 daguerreotypes made by three of the most prominent Black photographers of the 19th century, James P. Ball, Glenalvin Goodridge and Augustus Washington, making SAAM’s the largest collection of such work in the country, and surpassing the 26 daguerreotypes by these photographers at the Library of Congress, the museum said. Baseball Hall of Famer Jack Morris has been suspended indefinitely by Bally Sports Detroit for a racist comment he made during Tuesday’s telecast. Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese-born pitcher and hitter who started this year’s All-Star Game, was about to step to the plate in the sixth inning. Play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard asked Morris, who won 254 games in his 18-year major league career and was a four-time All-Star with the Tigers, what the strategy should be against Ohtani. Morris replied in an accent mocking Asians: “Be very, very careful.” https://youtu.be/ecB05x11Re4 When Marcus Washington’s football career ended at Mississippi State University in 2009 his new life was just getting started. Washington became a father when he was a college freshman, so he learned how to prioritize things as a young parent/student-athlete. However, he struggled to figure out what to do with his life after football once the NFL didn’t come calling. He eventually figured it out: He is assistant coach at his alma mater, Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas; he founded Motiv8 U, where he works as a student success coach; and he recently released his first e-book, “Success Is My Only Option: The Official Handbook for the Modern Student.” Now that he’s found his purpose, he plans to share his path with as many student-athletes as possible. Discovery Plus is ripping the velvet curtain off an iconic exotic troupe – and I’m here for it! FRONT ROW! The astonishing new tale, “Curse of the Chippendales,” reveals the story of how the famous dance ensemble took the Los Angeles nightclub scene by storm and ended with international fame, untold wealth, bizarre murder plots and multiple deaths trapped in their legacy. Their brand became a multi-million-dollar global venture, successful beyond their wildest dreams. Of the three unlikely dreamers – who were there at the beginning – only one would make it out alive! A family is mourning after COVID-19 caused a mother and daughter to lose their lives just one day apart. A routine pregnancy checkup for 21-year-old Lacresanna Williams took a turn when she tested positive for COVID-19. “The next day we got a call saying she had to have an emergency C-section and she passed,” said Cassandra Martin, Lacressana’s aunt. The family says they have not been able to see the newborn baby. Lacressana is also the mother of a 1-year-old. Martin says her sister, and Lacresanna’s mother, 42-year-old Victoria Williams, went into an immediate panic after hearing the news. Little did the family know, but Victoria had also contracted COVID-19. She passed away one day later. Earlie Williams is now mourning the loss of a daughter and granddaughter. Texas is facing a tipping point in the state’s battle with COVID-19. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is fully vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 this week as deaths in his state from the coronavirus have more than doubled in the last two weeks and hospitals have reached capacity. While Abbott suffered a relatively rare breakthrough infection, less than half the state’s total population is fully vaccinated against the virus, putting them at heavy risk of getting COVID-19. https://youtu.be/uWGTC6oW0Ic Drake was one of the millions of people who contracted COVID-19 in the last year — and he’s still dealing with some lingering side effects. The rapper, 34, revealed that he had the virus and it led to hair loss, which is finally improving now. Drake shared the news on a fan’s Instagram post, where they had made fun of his hairline. “That heart is stressed ,” the fan wrote, referring to a small heart that Drake has shaved into the top left of his head. “I had COVID that s— grew in weird I had to start again ,” Drake responded. “It’s coming back don’t diss,” he added. R. Kelly forced a 16-year-old virgin to go three days without using the bathroom and demanded she dress like a Girl Scout and wear her hair in pigtails during sex, the alleged victim told a New York court on day two of the star’s federal sex abuse trial. Jerhonda Pace, now 28, took the stand in Brooklyn’s Federal District Court again Thursday to testify about the six months of alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of Kelly, now 54. Pace, named in court as ‘Jane Doe No. 4’, said Kelly would often film their sexual encounters after they started having sex in 2009, when she was just 16 and he was 42. The alleged victim had testified Wednesday that Kelly lured her to his mansion and was happy to learn she was a virgin because he wanted to ‘train’ her to please him sexually. She told the court how he controlled her with his so-called ‘Rob’s rules’, denying her from eating or using the bathroom without his permission, making her call him ‘daddy’ and – in one violent incident – choking her until she passed out when she failed to submit to his demands. Pace provided further details of this alleged abuse Thursday, telling the court that if she was ‘on his bad side’, it could be up to three days before he would allow her to use the bathroom. Naomi Osaka is in a state of reflection about her tennis career amid the recent devastating events in Haiti and Afghanistan. The four-time Grand Slam winner, 23, took a break from a press conference on Monday after she began to cry during the pre-match interview at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Returning on Wednesday after winning her match against Coco Gauff, the 23-year-old explained why her relationship with the press and viewpoint on tennis has recently evolved. “I guess seeing the state of the world, how everything is in Haiti, how everything is in Afghanistan right now is definitely really crazy,” she told reporters on Wednesday, ABC News reported. Hansel Emmanuel Donato, the 6-foot-5 internet sensation who plays basketball with one arm, received a scholarship offer from Tennessee State University on Thursday. Donato, who was part of a SportsCenter featured presentation earlier this summer, didn’t have any NCAA Division I offers prior to getting one from the HBCU. He wrote “blessed to receive my first DI offer Thursday night from Tennessee State University” on Instagram, where he has more than 600,000 followers. Breakthrough and Miracles From Heaven producer DeVon Franklin and his Franklin Entertainment are developing a feature film based on Michael Todd’s New York Times bestseller Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex with Amazon Studios. Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan (Woman Thou Art Loosed) will write the script. Relationship Goals is a candid, inspiring guide to finding lasting love and sustaining a healthy relationship that encourages readers to get real about their goals. The book is based on Todd’s viral, multimillion-view sermon series about dating, marriage and sex. Relationship Goals spent 13 straight weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list and debuted at No. 1 on Amazon. The musical single “Relationship Goals (Revelation)” reached No. 10 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Franklin is producing the project under his Franklin Entertainment. Katarina Hicks will oversee for the project for the company. Franklin has a first-look deal at Paramount Pictures. The Franklin Entertainment president and CEO is currently in production on Flamin’ Hot for Searchlight, being directed by Eva Longoria. His 2019 faith-based feature Breakthrough starring Chrissy Metz grossed more than $50 million worldwide on a $14M production cost, while Miracles From Heaven grossed over $73M WW off a $13M production budget. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie has been tapped to star in Disney/Marvel’s Captain America 4, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Mackie already took his Avengers character, Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, from big screen to small for Disney+, with creator/writer Malcolm Spellman and director Kari Skogland at the helm. Now he’s set to board Captain America 4, with Spellman to pen the script with Dalan Musson, a staff writer on the Disney+ Marvel series. In April, THR broke the news that Spellman is developing the fourth installment of the Captain America film franchise for Marvel Studios. Up until this point, Chris Evans has played Captain America via the Steve Rogers character, appearing in a trio of solo movies, Avengers outings and assorted other Marvel films. The question of who is entitled to carry the shield or be Captain America after Rogers was a central theme of the Disney+ series. Now, the feature will continue the story of Mackie’s Wilson, the current wielder of the shield. California’s attorney general said Tuesday that his office will conduct its own review of a transit officer’s involvement in the shooting death of a 22-year-old Black man at a San Francisco Bay Area train station in 2009. The decision by Rob Bonta comes after Nancy O’Malley, Alameda County’s district attorney, announced in January that her office would not file a murder charge against former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer Anthony Pirone in the death of Oscar Grant on New Year’s Day. She said that while his conduct that night was unacceptable, he did not fire the gun that killed Grant. Instead, Pirone hauled Grant out of a train car and pinned a knee to his neck and back in a manner similar to that used in the death of George Floyd last year in Minneapolis. The BART officer who shot Grant in the back while he was on the ground, Johannes Mehserle, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and served 11 months. Grant’s family has sought criminal charges against Pirone for years and petitioned Bonta’s office after O’Malley declined to go forward. The office pledged a “thorough and independent review” of the role played by Pirone. New York Attorney General Letitia James has been lauded for leading an intensive inquiry that led to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation Tuesday. Now questions are being raised about whether she was equally diligent in pursuing the case against police involved in the death of a Black man in their custody last year in Rochester. This month, James’ office released a 165-page report documenting sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo from 11 women. Cuomo has denied improper conduct. The report and the fallout have put a spotlight on James and renewed criticism of her office’s investigation into the death in March 2020 of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died a week after he was held down by Rochester police on a city street on a frigid night during a mental health episode. James’ office did not persuade a grand jury to charge the officers who put a spit hood over Prude’s head and pressed his naked body against the street. His death touched off weeks of protests of police treatment of Black people. A student at Grambling State University (GSU) has been chosen as one of 86 HBCU Scholars across the country. It’s part of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Jordan Braithwaite, a sophomore at GSU, is being recognized for her achievements in academics, leadership, civic engagement, and more. “The students who hold this honor are committed to creating a more just and equitable society through their civic engagement,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “They are leaders and change-makers in their communities, and I cannot wait to learn from them as they serve as ambassadors both for the White House Initiative and their institutions of higher education.” The White House’s initiative provides scholars with info about the value of education and a number of networking opportunities. Scholars also maintain relationships with community organizations and public and private partners. Grambling State University has announced its first female drum major in nearly 70 years. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of this band,” said senior Candace Hawthorne, a double major studying engineering technology and music. Gibson, a native of Dallas, Texas, is one of the three students named as drum majors Thursday for the upcoming season. Grambling says Hawthorne will be the second female drum major to take the field since Patricia Patterson took on the role and served through 1952. https://www.arklatexhomepage.com/sports/local-sports/gmennation/grambling-state-university-names-first-female-drum-major-in-nearly-70-years/ Pamela McGee and JaVale McGee — the first mother-son duo to win gold medals in Olympics history — are opening up about what it means to come full circle. “Now my running gag is that I’m the only Olympian basketball player to birth an Olympian!” Pamela said on the 3rd Hour of TODAY Wednesday. Pamela, a two-time basketball hall-of-famer, was a member of the 1984 squad that defeated South Korea 85-55. Thirty-seven years later, JaVale, 33, secured a gold medal at the Tokyo Games, when the United States beat France 87-82 on Saturday. Former Golden State Warriors teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green both blamed the team’s coach Steve Kerr and president/general manager Bob Myers for mishandling the fallout from the players’ argument that ultimately blew up the team, causing KD to leave following the 2018-19 season. https://youtu.be/3x6DjeJNd64 “Love After Lockup” finale episode airing this Friday night which finds Daonte demanding that Nicolle delete the photos with her exes on social media. Will she do it? https://youtu.be/ny36bMjMssA Last Thursday (08-12-21), the largest Spanish freestyle rap battle in the world, Red Bull Batalla held an unprecedented virtual battle qualifier event that saw 36 of America’s greatest Spanish freestyle rappers going head-to-head in an exciting evening of one-on-one battles and after the dust settled from dynamic night of quick-wit, flow and versatility, Red Bull Batalla judges narrowed the field of 36 down to a top group of 16, all of whom now claim a spot to compete in the U.S. Finals taking place September 18 in Los Angeles. Bank of America today announced that it is providing $1.35 million in grants to support mental health initiatives for young people of color. Funding will be distributed to three national organizations, One Mind, RADical Hope and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), to expand mental health resources for communities of color. While rates of mental illness among young people of color are similar with those of the general population, vast disparities exist in terms of access to mental health services and quality of care. The white woman behind an Instagram account with almost three million followers has apologized for the “harm” she caused to bestselling black author Ijeoma Oluo. Oluo’s examination of race in America, So You Want to Talk About Race, was published in 2018, and hit the bestseller charts in the wake of the killing of George Floyd last summer. Jessica Natale’s similarly-named Instagram account @soyouwanttotalkabout was launched in February 2020, tackling topics such as voting rights, gun reform and the sentencing of Derek Chauvin, laying out information in a series of slide-shows in muted tones. By April this year, Natale had landed a book deal with Little, Brown, and revealed her previously-concealed identity. Oluo had said that Natale’s decision to name her Instagram account @soyouwanttotalkabout was “duplicitous and shady”, describing her as a “white woman that is capitalizing off of the work of other people of color and otther marginalized populations”. Martin and Trina Daniel, married for over 20 years, both died of COVID-19 within hours of each other, leaving behind two teenage children facing an unimaginable loss. The Daniels met at Savannah State University in the 1990s before Martin Daniel headed to Tuskegee University in Alabama for graduate school, their nephew, Cornelius Daniel, told ABC News. The couple settled in Savannah, Georgia, where they raised two children: Miles, now 18, and Marina, 15. Trina was a stay-at-home mom who loved supporting her immediate and extended family while Martin worked as a chemist, Cornelius Daniel said. “He loved being a chemist,” he said. “One of the reasons I went to Tuskegee was because he went there.” The Daniels’ niece, Quintella Daniel, added that she went to Savannah State because of her uncle. “He was just a very motivational person,” she said. A 13-year-old Georgia boy is in custody and charged with murder after police allege he fatally shot his mother, a 37-year-old Navy veteran, and then called 911. The relationship between the victim and the alleged killer was confirmed by Warner Robins police. The victim, Dominique Bowers, was found dead by officers in a Warner Robins home at about 1:30 p.m. Friday. At the time officers were sent to the scene, they were also told that a 911 dispatcher was on the phone “with the possible suspect” concerning a report about shots fired, Warner Robins police said in a news release posted to the department’s Facebook page. Police located and arrested the 13-year-old away from the home where the victim was found. The NYPD is mourning another detective who lost her battle with COVID-19. Det. Shantay Neal-Baker, a veteran officer assigned to the Risk Mitigation Division, succumbed to coronavirus complications on Saturday, department brass said. The 42-year-old detective “faithfully served the people of NYC for 20 years,” Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to her friends & family — and we vow to #NeverForget Shantay.” Neal-Baker got her start as a Police Communications Technician, before becoming an officer in the Brownsville and Williamsburg neighborhoods of Brooklyn, the top cop wrote in an internal memo obtained by The Post. Former rapper Shyne has turned his focus to Bizean politics and he is set to visit U.S. lawmakers to discuss strengthening the development of his native country. “Good evening everyone, I departed Belize for an official visit to the United States today,” he shared in an Instagram post on Sunday. “I’ll be meeting with Members of the U.S. Congress as well as State Senators and House Members to strengthen relationships and establish new relationships to further the development of Belize.” Shyne, Jamal Michael Barrow, 42, is best known as Sean “P. Diddy” Combs‘ protégé when he was an artist on Bad Boy Records label. He served ten years in prison for his involvement in the 1999 Club New York nightclub shooting that injured three people. Barrow was released from prison in 2009 and deported back to his native country as a noncitizen felon. Kenya Moore has reportedly shut down her estranged husband’s attempt to block their daughter from appearing on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”. According to court documents obtained by Radar, the decision was reached back in June when a judge ruled that Moore had the final say when it comes to her daughter Brooklyn appearing on the show. However, she must inform her ex-hubby Marc Daily about all production days that the child is filming, and the two-year-old can only appear in “age appropriate” scenes. Kenya filed for divorce from Marc in May after years of trying to make her long-distance marriage work. MCU welcomes its newest super hero to the screen! Last night, stars celebrated Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings,“ by walking the red carpet at the world premiere in Hollywood. Film lead Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) – must confront the past he thought he left behind after he’s drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization – and Awkwafina (Katy, Shang-Chi’s friend) were all smiles on the carpet. Surprise guest Sir Ben Kingsley attended the frete along with cast members Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Ronny Chieng, Benedict Wong, Dallas Liu, Andy Le, Jayden Zhang, Harmonie He and Jodi Long joined director/writer Destin Daniel Cretton, producers Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Charles Newirth, and writers Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham. The movie also stars Michelle Yeoh as Ying Nan, Tony Leung as Xu Wenwu, Shang-Chi’s father; Florian Munteanu, Yuen Wah and Zach Cherry. Disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo is not featured in Spike Lee’s new four-part documentary, “NYC EPICENTERS 9/11?2021½,” sparking speculation that he was cut from the project. Lee’s star-studded doc focuses on the 20-year aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, with Page Six noting the following celebrities speak out in the piece: Busta Rhymes, Rosie Perez, Jon Stewart, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Van Jones, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor Bill de Blasio — — but no Cuomo. Page Six writes that “Cuomo may have been interviewed for the doc, only to be dropped at the last minute before the HBO release on Aug. 22.” https://youtu.be/kMgEupbTsus Nichelle Nichols, the 88-year-old actress who played Lt. Uhura in the original “Star Trek” series, is spending her sunset years trapped in an ugly conservatorship battle involving her only child and current conservator, Kyle Johnson; her former manager Gilbert Bell; and her friend and actress Angelique Fawcette, according to a new report by the Los Angeles Times. After successfully petitioning for his mother’s conservatorship in 2018, Johnson has had a tumultuous time running it, and he and Bell have filed lawsuits accusing the other of various aggressions and controlling actions. Fawcette, whom Nichols named as her successor, meanwhile, believes that — despite her dementia — Nichols is capable of living independently, without a conservator. She also alleges that Bell, who in 2018 tried to marry Nichols, allowed her home to fall into “a state of disrepair” while he was caring for her. Amid the fight for control of the actress’ life, she has continued working and is moving forward with what the Los Angeles Times says some are calling a “farewell tour” organized by Johnson and agent Sky Conway. Jim Jones and the rest of Dipset participated in an epic Verzuz battle against The LOX earlier this month. Held at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City, the packed event provided an evening of powerful nostalgia as both veteran groups ran through their biggest hits. But it looks like Jones paid for it with his health. According to a recent Instagram video, the 45-year-old rapper previously tested positive for COVID-19 and is urging everyone to take the pandemic seriously. “I was contemplating whether I should do this or keep my business to myself, but I think it’s more important for me to do this,” he said. “I urge everybody to stay safe out there. COVID is real. I was runnin’ ’round here thinking I was Superman and COVID knocked the socks off Superman. “So I urge and encourage everybody to please continue to mask up, please continue with hand sanitizer, social distance as much as you can, try to stay away from as many packed and crowded places. This shit is no joke. I really felt it and I don’t want nobody to feel like how I felt.” Squeak, a DJ and producer for the influential Saba-led Chicago hip-hop collective Pivot Gang, has died. The artist, also known as SqueakPIVOT, was 26. Although no official cause of death has been announced, representatives for the Pivot Gang have confirmed his passing, according to Pitchfork. Windy City music outlet The Triibe reported that the artist often hailed as a “genius” in the rap community was involved in a fatal shooting on Monday evening. The Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for confirmation of this report. Meanwhile, Squeak’s death follows the passing of fellow Pivot Gang member John Walt, 23, who was stabbed to death during a street fight on the West Side of Chicago in 2017. Squeak revealed in an interview the same year how he entered the professional music industry. Fashion critic André Leon Talley has added his voice to the chorus of critics taking aim at Barack Obama for hosting a birthday party amid the COVID pandemic. Tally compares Barack and Michelle Obama to infamous French queen Marie-Antoinette in a political op-ed piece in the NY Times, written by Maureen Dowd. “I think the nouveaux riches Obamas are seriously tone-deaf,” said Talley, as reported by MTO. “We all love Beyoncé. But people have so many things to worry about with Covid, voting rights, climate warming. People are afraid of being evicted from their homes. And the Obamas are in Marie-Antoinette, tacky, let-them-eat-cake mode. They need to remember their humble roots.” “The Obamas are hosting a party to celebrate President Obama’s 60th birthday with family, friends, and former staff,” a source told PEOPLE ahead of the bash. “This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with COVID safeguards in place,” said Hannah Hankins, a spokeswoman for the Obamas. “Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends.” “He’s appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon,” Hankins added in her statement. Ludacris is one generation removed from the folks currently taking mumble rap to the bank, and has just premiered in a new TV ad that pokes fun at hip hop’s sub-genre. The Atlanta rapper, born Christopher Bridges, is back with a new single “Butter ATL,” which is an ode to his coincidental love for Jif peanut butter. That single dropped last week, and on Monday, the peanut butter brand took full advantage, releasing an ad with Luda based on the song. The spot has him in the studio trying to nail the pacing of his bars in the current style, but not quite getting it — until he decides a spoon full of Jif peanut butter might snap him into the right rhythm. https://youtu.be/0Bk2U0hp5wY Kyrie Irving was left a bit perplexed back in 2015 when a reporter asked if he considered LeBron James to be a father figure. As reported by Fadeaway World, the relationship between the two NBA stars “wasn’t the smoothest,” the outlet writes, noting that James and Irving “spent three years together in Cleveland, winning one NBA championship in three Finals trips.” Six years ago, Irving was asked by a reporter how James became a father for him and the team. “The other day after the Bulls game Tristan called LeBron a great father. What type of parental role has LeBron played for you and your teammates?” the reporter stated. Kyrie replied, “Parental role? I don’t know if I can really answer that question. He’s been a great leader for us. I have one father, it’s my dad Drederick Irving. But for us, in terms of learning the nuances of the game and how to win, how to carry ourselves on and off the court, he’s been a really great influence in that role.” https://youtu.be/Ry9CqOz5aOo Home Depot used threats and punishments to try to stop employees from expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement and organizing among workers, according to a complaint filed by an official with the National Labor Relations Board. The filing from an NLRB regional director alleges that the home improvement retailer “selectively and disparately” enforced its dress code to target workers who wore Black Lives Matter or “BLM” apparel. One employee who was trying to address racial discrimination and harassment issues at a Home Depot location in Minneapolis was illegally suspended and told to stop their activism efforts or find another job, according to the complaint. Management at the retailer also threatened employees in person and over a video call “with unspecified consequences” if they protested policies at the store, the complaint says. The NLRB regional director who issued the complaint, Jennifer Hadsall, said in a statement to Huff Post that Home Depot’s alleged actions violated the National Labor Relations Act, which protects workers’ right to organize. America’s beloved Bible Prophecy Teacher Dr. Jimmy DeYoung Sr. passed away early Sunday morning, according to his wife Judy. Dr. DeYoung had been admitted to Memorial Hospital on Aug. 7. His wife had requested prayer for her husband a short time after he was diagnosed with COVID. He had preached at the Church of the Highlands in Harrison on Aug. 1. That was his last known speaking engagement. Dr. DeYoung hosted a daily radio program, “Prophecy Today”, that was heard on several hundred radio stations including WDYN, the station he signed on the air in 1968. Dr. DeYoung traveled the world teaching Bible Prophecy. He was a frequent guest on the John Ankerberg Show and Day of Discovery. His lessons are heard on the Bible Broadcasting Network, Moody Radio Network and VCY America among others. Dr. DeYoung was a credentialed journalist. He reported from Israel for 23 years. Dr. DeYoung and his wife Judy witnessed the scud missile attacks on Israel in 1991. The season finale of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs Thursday, August 19 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, experts recount the brutal murder of Oakland, California journalist Chauncey Bailey. Various investigators, community leaders and family members provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFzPi66p2CA Lifetime announces the new movie, Imperfect High, starring Nia Sioux (Dance Moms) and Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias), following the substance abuse realities facing teens today and how it can become a family’s worst nightmare. The movie is a follow up to the 2015 hit Perfect High which starred Bella Thorne. Imperfect High premieres Saturday, September 18th at 8/7c. https://aenetworks.app.box.com/s/75715ltrbwp76f55xj3zdkoqh76jm740 The Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association (MMCA) is pleased to partner with STARZ to host the inaugural Media Diversity Excellence Awards Reception on Thursday, August 19 from 6:00 -7:00 pm EST (3:00 -4:00 pm PST) during NABJ’s signature annual convention. In keeping with MMCA’s other signature events including their Multicultural Media and Correspondents Dinner (MMCDTM) and inaugural Sheroes in Media Awards Gala, this reception is designed to honor Black media excellence and highlight the need for increased media diversity. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s gathering will again be hosted in a virtual setting. This year’s honorees for the inaugural Media Diversity Excellence Awards Reception include “Newsmaker” Award recipient Karine Jean-Pierre (White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary) and “Impact Journalist” Award recipient Trymaine Lee (Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award Winning Journalist, MSNBC Columnist “Into America,” Podcast Host). In addition to the presentation of the “Newsmaker” and “Impact Journalist” Awards, the reception will feature a moderated discussion with STARZ talent regarding the network’s #TakeTheLead initiative. R&B/Soul Singer-Songwriter Diquan Julius is extending the summer vibes with the release of his newest single, “Let’s Dance.” The song will be available for streaming and download on all major digital platforms this Friday, August 20. The feel-good dance record is the premiere release following Julius’ recent signing to Return Records, the D.M.V.-based independent artist-driven imprint distributed by The Orchard/Sony Music Entertainment. Produced by UK-based Greenlight Production’s Andrew Napoleon, “Let’s Dance” is a high-energy follow-up to Julius’ most recent single, “Soap Box.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9HjRiReWP4&feature=youtu.be When you read the Gospels, do you try to visualize the scenes: Jesus healing the lepers, feeding the five thousand, preaching the Sermon on the Mount and walking across the Sea of Galilee. This November, you are invited to experience the sights and sounds of Jesus’ ministry across the Holy Land, but in a far more accessible way through the movie JOURNEY WITH JESUS—in theaters November 15-17. Dr. Tony Evans and his daughters, Chrystal Evans Hurst and Priscilla Shirer, on a walking tour of historical sites with personal insights, teaching, and biblical context for each location our Savior also visited. https://clicks.fanbridge.com/l.php?cid=1581056&sid=186365419&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D82JsYUPYxa8 People who made donations to an online crowdfunding effort started by a woman to stave off her pending eviction have been refunded more than $67,000 in contributions after it was revealed she misrepresented herself in a plea for help keeping her home. The online fundraising was frozen weeks after Dasha Kelly started the GoFundMe campaign last month asking for $2,000 to help keep a roof over the heads of herself and her “3 daughters” In Nevada. https://youtu.be/fspdc7G27Qk Candace Owens has single-handedly redefined what it means to be guilty by association. Previously damned for her undying devotion to all-things anti-Black and Donald Trump, Owens — who once notably had sympathetic words about Nazi leader Adolf Hitler — outdid herself on Tuesday by co-signing the Taliban criticizing freedom of speech in the U.S., of all things. In doing so, Owens offered similar criticism of the “Big Tech” platforms that her existence relies upon so dearly, exposing the hypocrisy behind both her blind allegiance to the Republican Party and her agreeing with the Taliban. The unfortunate situation unfolded after a spokesperson for the Taliban answered a question about the restrictions of freedom of speech in Afghanistan during a press conference that was live-streamed online. The Taliban spokesperson responded by blaming the U.S. and one major social media company, in particular. When journalist Alexis Johnson sued her former employer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette underestimated defending its actions in court. But Johnson has made it through at least one preliminary hurdle on her road to recovery. A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss filed by PG Publishing, according to Law360. PG Publishing, the operator of the Post-Gazette, has tried to argue that a decision to prohibit Johnson from covering racial justice protests last summer was purely an “editorial” decision. Law 360 reported that in denying the motion to dismiss, U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan found the publisher did not maintain an absolute discretion vis-a-vis the First Amendment in “any and all discriminatory personnel decisions.” Amber Rose hit up social media on Wednesday to put her baby daddy on blast for cheating. The former stripper turned Slutwalk founder claims her boyfriend of nearly three years, Alexander “AE” Edwards, has been cheating on her with at least 12 women. “I’m tired of getting cheated on and being embarrassed behind the scenes,” she wrote in a series of Instagram Stories Wednesday. “All 12 of y’all bums (The ones that I know of there’s probably more) can have him. Y’all very much knew he was in a relationship with a baby and y’all decided to f–k him anyway.” “I saw all the texts and DM’s. Y’all were well aware but y’all don’t owe me any loyalty so it’s whatever,” she added. Rose went on to say that she will not expose the women who are cheating with her man. “I can’t be the only one fighting for my family anymore. I’ve been so loyal and transparent but I haven’t gotten the same energy in return. I’ll never say the girls’ names because I’m not in the business of ruining lives but y’all know who you are.” “As for him… The lack of loyalty and the disrespect is ridiculous and I’m done,” she went on, implying that the couple has split. American Idol” alum Syesha Mercado is at the center of a controversial child custody battle with the state of Florida. The singer and her partner Tyron Deener have had both of their two young children, 18-month-old son Amen’Ra and 2-week-old daughter Ast, taken by the state amid allegations of abuse, which the couple vehemently deny. Both the children were taken from the parents within a six months span, and are now in the care of Child Protective Services. Per PEOPLE, in a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Mercado, 34, broke down in tears as she reflected on the situation. “I am a first-time mom and I’ve been deprived of holding my babies, and feeding my babies,” she tearfully said. “I didn’t get to see Ra say mama for the first time. I didn’t get to see my babies meet for the first time. I didn’t get to see that and I can’t go back and redo that moment. I will never be able to go back and redo that moment.” A Chicago-based pharmacist has been arrested for allegedly illegally selling more than 100 COVID vaccine cards on eBay. According to the Justice Department, 34-year-old Tangtang Zhao sold 125 authentic vaccine cards online for about $10 a card. The transactions occurred between March 25 and April 11, with sales totaling more than $1,000, per Forbes. Zhao has been charged with theft of government property and is facing up to 120 years in prison, as each of the 12 counts he’s charged with carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Zhao has been charged with theft of government property and is facing up to 120 years in prison, as each of the 12 counts he’s charged with carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. A viral video confirming that not only did former President Donald Trump order the military withdrawal from Afghanistan but was also proud of doing so stands in stark contrast to the revisionist history provided by right-wing trolls in a disingenuous narrative meant to blame President Joe Biden for what’s become a debacle. As of Monday morning, the Taliban militant group of Islamic extremists had taken over every part of the Middle Eastern country, including the capital city of Kabul, from where the president had fled days earlier. It was all a response to the expedited withdrawal of U.S. military troops, a decision that had not only already been made by Trump before Biden took office but also one that had been negotiated with the Taliban by the former president at Camp David, all places, Biden said. The first photos have emerged of crammed US cargo jets with hundreds of terrified Afghan refugees on board after they ran onto the aircraft before military personnel could close ramps on them on Sunday in their escape of the Taliban. The US has so far flown at least two C-17 cargo jets out of Kabul and more flights are expected throughout Monday night and later this week despite chaos on the ground on Monday which involved eight people dying and flights being halted. On Sunday, one of the first flights out was the US Air Force C-17 numbered RCH 871, which flew from Kabul to Qatar. As it was preparing to take off on Sunday, hundreds of terrified Afghan nationals ran onto the plane, up the ramp, and settled on board. A photo obtained by Defense One shows them all lined up, sitting on the floor of the plane that is fitted to carry 150 soldiers comfortably, but can take 171,000lbs of cargo. The trials and tribulations of the island nation of Haiti are a catalog of calamity, both human and natural. Centuries of unrest and pain, a noble and strong Haitian population is forced to deal with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021. According to reports, it was a group of men made up of 26 Colombians nationals as well as two Haitian-Americans with ties to South Florida. According to The Guardian, authorities are still searching for five other men, including those who ordered the hit. Hunger, mob rule and violent protests wracked the country throughout the presidency of Mr. Moise. https://youtu.be/hOjDlzubAmE Rep. Cori Bush is a master communicator, exemplifying compassion and leadership in a mere 240-character tweet. Over the weekend, Bush put out a simple message framing her work and her colleagues as saving lives. With news reports of crises affecting Afghanistan, Haiti, and Lebanon, Bush and others have called for the United States to have a pro-refugee approach. Bush focused more specifically on Haiti Monday afternoon in a tweet from her official House account. Acknowledging that recovery for Haiti involves a deeper commitment to the economic and political well-being of the island nation, Bush expressed hope that the U.S. would support the full recovery of Haiti. As the dust settles from the political downfall of Andrew Cuomo — who announced his resignation last week amid fallout from sexual misconduct allegations from nearly a dozen women — a growing number of reports are lending further credence to questions about the disgraced New York governor’s character. One, in particular, came on Sunday when Cuomo’s predecessor shared an anecdote that underscored allegations of ruthless political behavior. David Paterson, New York’s first-ever Black governor whose decision against seeking election set the stage for Cuomo’s election, said during a radio interview that he “was always pretty leery” of Cuomo before explaining why, the New York Post reported. Paterson told John Catsimatidis on the WABC 770 show, “The Cats Roundtable,” that Cuomo tried to sabotage his political ambitions in 2006 when then-gubernatorial candidate elect Eliot Spitzer was looking for a running mate to be his lieutenant governor. It was a position that Spitzer — who was famously felled by his own personal misgivings involving women — ultimately chose Paterson for, apparently to the chagrin of Cuomo, who, at the time, was running for New York attorney general. Fake vaccination cards are starting to circulate throughout the United States and a new black market is on the rise. COVID-19 is once again on the uptick in the United States, proof of vaccination has become a hot topic amongst lawmakers and business owners. Many states have already mandated that government workers be vaccinated or tested weekly, now the private sector is following suit. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently signed an order that would require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms, and other public places in the Big Apple. California has mandated vaccines or testing for all teachers and school employees. Businesses have also taken it upon themselves to give mandates. Police in Norfolk, Virginia say they’ve solved the decade-old slaying of a college student who was a nephew of the late Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings. WAVY-TV reports that Norfolk police announced Thursday that they have made four arrests in the killing. Christopher Cummings, 20, was a student at Old Dominion University in 2011 and had just finished his junior year when he was shot and killed in his home. His roommate also was shot but survived. Police say four men from the nearby city of Newport News have been indicted on 15 charges each, including murder. Police identified the men as Kwaume Edwards, 32; Javon Doyle, 31; Ahmad Watson, 30; and Rashad Dooley, 28. They have been jailed without bond, police said. It’s not known if any of them has hired an attorney who could comment on the case. A 7-year-old girl is dead and her 6-year-old sister was wounded in a shooting Sunday afternoon in the Belmont Central community. The girls were identified by their grandmother as Serenity and Aubrey Broughton. Serenity died at the hospital, while Aubrey had been moved out of the ICU Sunday night – but had a pierced lung. Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott said, police were called for a ShotSpotter alert. At the scene, officers found the two little girls, who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, in a vehicle parked on the street. The officers rendered first aid until Chicago Fire Department paramedics came and took the girls to the hospital. Serenity was shot in the chest and torso, and was pronounced dead at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. https://cbsloc.al/3g6Kpwn Syracuse police officer Brandon Hanks, who is alleging the police department cultivated a “Jim Crow culture,” filed his federal lawsuit Monday and added a current deputy chief to his legal action. Brandon Hanks, who is from Syracuse and is known for playing basketball with kids while on duty, alleges that an internal department memo written by a Capt. Tim Gay said Hanks is affiliated with gang members to deny him a promotion to the gang violence unit. Hanks alleges the department used his listening to rap music, among other allegations, to justify its belief that he has ties to gang members. The officer also added deputy chief Richard Trudell to the lawsuit over his use of the N-word. Trudell admitted using the word in a deposition seven years ago that stemmed from a previous lawsuit filed against the department. Trudell was part of a lawsuit filed by community service officer Sonia Dotson alleging the department discriminated and retaliated against her. Trudell was eventually removed from the lawsuit by a federal judge. Bob Kendrick sees the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as a haven of social justice. Kendrick, the museum’s president, doesn’t want the accomplishments of baseball’s segregated pastime to be remembered just for the struggles that period entailed. Instead, he hopes that it becomes a temple to overcoming the adversity of the times and not a place that merely chronicles the era of racism during which black baseball players were denied access to equal opportunities to compete on the same playing field. “At its crux [NLBM] is a civil rights and social justice museum; it’s just seen through the lens of baseball,” said Kendrick. “It’s a story of triumph over adversity, and it’s important for people to see more than just the downtrodden part of our journey in this country.” Major League Baseball and the NLBM have launched the Negro Leagues 101 initiative, which is an interactive, social media platform that is designed to create greater awareness of black baseball through 101 trinkets of knowledge for baseball and fans of black history. Olympic gymnast and silver medalist Jordan Chiles joined Access Daily’s Kit Hoover and Scott Evans and reflected on her time at the Tokyo Games. Jordan talked about her recent celebrity social media encounters and was overcome with emotion when Normani surprised her with an epic congratulatory video message on-air. https://youtu.be/8G5Hba-JZb0 Yvonne Page came from Chicago to help get her son Brandon moved into his dorm room at Clark Atlanta University. When they showed up, they found out that would not be happening. “Hundreds of in-state and out-of-state college students [have] no dorm or residency,” she said. FOX 5’s viewer tip email address was flooded with parents who said the same thing. Clark Atlanta’s Heritage Commons was still under renovation on Friday, leaving students that arrived from all over the country displaced. “It’s an error that Clark made, and they need to own it,” said Tewana Nelson, who drove from North Carolina. “They never gave us the indication that the building that the dorms they were supposed to stay in actually we’re under renovation.” More than a hundred families piled into an auditorium to await word from university officials as to where they could go. The parents wished they had known of the renovation delays before they showed up with moving boxes. Toward the end of another video, originally posted on Weibo and later uploaded to Twitter and YouTube, shows several doors being sealed and a recording being broadcast to residents, declaring that people must not go out. As soon as they are caught, their entries will be locked. Twitter users claim one controversial video shows a young girl dancing in front of workers in hazmat suits moments before she is locked in. A video uploaded by the Twitter account “Things China Doesn’t Want You To Know” alleged that if anyone in the apartment tests positive or is found to be a contact of a confirmed case, the entire building will be sealed for two to three weeks and potentially longer. Lizzo last week turned-extreme exhibitionist announcing that rapper Cardi B was the special guest on her latest single “Rumors.” The news was accompanied by a video of Lizzo saying “OHHH GAHDAM?????… I WAS TRYIN TO GIVE YALL A TEASER OF ‘RUMORS’ BUT I ENDED UP JUST BEIN A TEASE ??????.” Lizzo responded in a nearly 13-minute video posted on Instagram Live on Sunday (August 15) — which has since been deleted. “On the days when I should feel the happiest, it just… I feel so down,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like the world just don’t love me back. It’s like it doesn’t matter how much positive energy you put into the world, you’re still gonna have people who have something mean to say about you.” https://www.instagram.com/lizzobeeating/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e6801054-c5ea-4968-bccc-dbcf94a5349d Legendary singer and songwriter Bob Dylan plied a 12-year-old girl with drugs and alcohol before sexually abusing her at his Chelsea Hotel apartment in 1965, an explosive new lawsuit alleges. The “Blowin’ in the Wind” musician allegedly used his star status to groom, gain the trust of and control the victim “as part of his plan to sexually molest and abuse” her, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court papers, which only identify the plaintiff as “J.C.” “Bob Dylan, over a six-week period between April and May of 1965 befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff,” say the papers, which were filed late Friday on behalf of J.C., now a 68-year-old woman in Greenwich, Conn. The suit alleges that Dylan, Robert Allen Zimmerman, established the “connection” to “lower [J.C.’s] inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.” The alleged abuse by the now-81-year-old Dylan occurred multiple times, and some of the incidents took place at the famed Chelsea Hotel, the suit claims. As the Alabama church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected to his first leadership position in the civil rights movement marks its 155th anniversary, work has begun to make a museum out of the crumbling building where that vote was taken. King was 26 when the Montgomery Improvement Association met at Mt. Zion AME Church on Dec. 5, 1955, the first day of what turned out to be a yearlong bus boycott that ushered in the civil rights movement. In his 1958 memoir about the boycott, King wrote that his election “happened so quickly that I did not even have time to think it through. It is probable that if I had, I would have declined the nomination.” The church, which marked its 155th anniversary Sunday, moved to another building in 1990, so the 19th century structure is now an annex. It became known as “the fall-down church” after an interstate project split the neighborhoods around it, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. Now the Central Alabama Community Foundation has begun work under a $500,000 grant to renovate the church and turn it into a museum. A North Side family is outraged after someone apparently working for the city went onto their property and turned their Black Lives Matter sign face down. They shared the story with CBS 2’s Tim McNicholas who is live now in the North Park neighborhood. “I was livid when I saw the video.” Dimitri Hepburn’s security video shows a man with a vest walk onto this property, yank up a Black Lives Matter sign, and then turn it face down after it lands on its side. https://cbsloc.al/37FdTga A newborn girl in Mississippi is now an orphan after her parents died of COVID-19. Ochsner Health System CEO Wilson Thomas said the baby’s 32-year-old mother was 32 weeks into her pregnancy when she was admitted to a hospital with COVID-19 symptoms. Despite having “very few health conditions,” the mother didn’t make it out of the ER alive, as reported by MadameNore. Thomas recently shared the child’s story with members of the Gulf Coast Business Council via Zoom. According to Birmingham’s WBRC, Thomas said “it can’t get much worse” than the newborn’s story. “What unfortunately I think we are seeing is that it’s very difficult to convince anybody, until it’s too late, to get the vaccine,” he said to the group of about 300 people. The child is now under state custody, and “doing fine.” https://youtu.be/ESgWLBcPkcw Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into a law a bill that bars hair discrimination in schools, saying it will help ensure that students statewide feel “comfortable and confident in their own skin.” But the mother whose son was an inspiration for the law — a 4-year-old Black child who was told his braids were a violation of school dress codes — said the moment “is bigger than just hair.” “Our hair is an extension of who we are as a race and is deeply connected with our cultural identity,” said Ida Nelson, who had a front row seat at the bill signing, holding son Gus “Jett” Hawkins in her lap. “This is one huge step towards improving the mental health outcomes for our children, as it ensures that they will be in healthier learning environments,” she said. https://cbsloc.al/3xLm3yf In a pathbreaking decision, the Rev. Gina Stewart has been elected as the first woman president of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Society, marking the first time a female has been chosen for the highest post of a Black Baptist organization. Stewart, the senior pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, has previously served in vice presidential roles of the missions organization for six years, three as second vice president and three as first vice president. She was elected Aug. 12 to a three-year term as president, succeeding the Rev. Gregory Jackson to lead the society, which dates to 1897. The organization is named after the Rev. Lott Carey, a formerly enslaved African American man who purchased his freedom and established the first Baptist mission work in Liberia in 1822. “I’m honored, first of all, for the privilege to lead and to serve,” Stewart told Religion News Service in an interview on Monday (Aug. 16). “I think it’s significant that this organization, that is Baptist by heritage but ecumenical in its practice and its commitment, is taking the step, a courageous step, to elect a woman to serve in a titular leadership position.” A well-known San Diego Rock Church pastor is asking for the public’s prayers. Pastor Miles McPherson shared that his wife, Debbie, is suffering from COVID-19. Pastor McPherson is not only a pastor, but also a former defensive back for the San Diego Chargers, author, motivational speaker and founder of DoSomethingChurch.org. He has helped lead prayers for thousands and now he needs prayers for his wife Debbie. https://youtu.be/Hr3SjhNldWw A pastor deposed as the leader of an influential Baltimore megachurch defended himself at a town hall meeting he organized, telling attendees that his dismissal from Empowerment Temple AME Church was the result of disagreements over the filing of documents, and was not due to any financial issues. Rev. GJ Barnes II, who took over as senior pastor of the Empowerment Temple AME Church in February 2019, said Wednesday night that the church’s leaders fired him a week ago because he was late filing 2020 and 2021 audit reports required by the church’s mortgage lender. Though he acknowledged the lateness of the reports, Barnes said he chose not to meet the deadlines “out of my concern to be thorough and complete, not rushed.” He said the church — which he said made its mortgage payment on time every month during his tenure for the first time in years - is in better financial shape than when he arrived. Josh Duggar had a photo of his wife Anna and their six children as a screensaver on the computer he allegedly used to download child pornography. Josh, 33, was arrested and charged with possessing and receiving child pornography in April 2021. In July, Josh’s legal team filed a Motion to Compel requesting the government provide them with discovery, which is evidence to be used at trial, including “an undated screen shot” and “all law enforcement reports and related discovery prepared by the Little Rock Police Department.” In the state’s response, they provided more details of the investigation that led to Josh’s arrest. Police found two downloads were made at an IP address in May 2019. One download was of 65 child pornography images of one prepubescent female approximately seven to nine years old and the second was of a two-minute, 11-second video of two prepubescent females approximately seven to nine years old with an adult male. The Lifetime original movie Highway to Heaven, starring Grammy® Award winner Jill Scott and Barry Watson, is set to premiere on Saturday, November 6 at 8/7c. A “first look” trailer for the film has been released by the network in anticipation of the upcoming premiere. A contemporary take on Michael Landon’s iconic 80s television series Highway to Heaven, the new movie follows Angela Stewart (Jill Scott), an angel who is sent back to earth to help others in need. In the premiere movie, Angela takes on the role of a temporary school counselor and finds herself working alongside junior high school principal Bruce Banks (Barry Watson) as she intervenes in the lives of a troubled student Cody (Ben Daon), his father Jeff (Robert Moloney) and his aunt Vanessa (Victoria Bidewell), who are grieving the tragic loss of Cody's mother, Melissa (Ashley Ross). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpI9fZFY2Ng Pastor Mike, Jr. covers the highs, lows and in between of the single life on his brand new disc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qwDShUoTTs&feature=youtu.be After alerting his fans that he's finished recording his new album, Andy Mineo, dropped "MPJ Freestyle," a sneak preview to warm fans up for the release of his fourth studio album, Never Land II, a follow-up to his Never Land EP which was released in 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LeR1dbEn30 BET Plus’ roar out loud comedy, “The Ms. Pat Show,” is the freshly funny family sitcom we’ve been thirsty for! The show’s producing team – Lee Daniels (executive producer), Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams (star/creator/executive producer), and Jordan E. Cooper (creator/executive producer) – appeared Monday during the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour and discussed securing the right team and why they’re not afraid of cancel culture. The actress wanted writes who listened and wouldn’t sugar-coat the script. “Yeah, because a lot of these writers have been sort of beaten down by the networks and the studios,” expressed the director. “[They’re told] this is how you’re supposed to do it. It’s supposed to be A, B, and C equals D.’ So I really wanted someone that was going to be unafraid to challenge the system — and Jordan still challenges us. He challenges Pat. He challenges me. He challenges BET+. We need that.” https://youtu.be/59m14njFKqI Stevie Wonder and rapper Common will team up for a performance at the seventh Stand Up to Cancer telethon. The TV special will be hosted by Anthony Anderson, Sofia Vergara and Ken Jeong, and featuring A-listers such as Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Tony Hale, and Jaime Camil. The fundraiser, which will be produced by Reese Witherspoon and her husband, Jim Toth, airs on August 21. https://youtu.be/gfkNxfRmSL8 Jay-Z has joined forces with sports apparel giant Fanatics on its latest venture to expand into gaming, tickets and media and sports betting. According to the documents filed with the New York State Gaming Commission, Jay-Z will serve as vice chairman and be on the board of directors of a new Fanatics Betting & Gaming entity. Michael Rubin, founder of Fanatics, will serve as the new chief executive. Jay-Z is the only Black American investor to appear on the gaming licenses submitted to the state, per the report. He was recently part of a $325 million funding round for Fanatics, per MSN. T he Tim Tebow experiment at tight end is over in Jacksonville. The former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback was cut this morning after just one preseason game…and by his old college coach, Urban Meyer, who now heads the Jaguars. The 34-year-old leaves in the wake of embarrassing video showing him attempting to make a block. Instead, he gently leans his body against his opponent, spins for no reason and quickly falls to the turf like he did something. https://youtu.be/QYFOuN9ZpSA A Utah family was enjoying a child’s birthday party at a local reptile facility when an alligator had enough of feeling like a zoo animal and decided to be the alligator that it is. While its handler was showing it off to the kiddies and their parents behind protective glass, the gator snapped and clamped down on her hand. The handler tried in vain to break free. Either she got into the cage to get better leverage, or the gator pulled her in. Either way, the gator ended up thrashing her about. The kids and parents looked confused, as to whether or not this was part of the presentation. The alligator went into death spiral mode … that swirl that reptiles do with pray in their mouths. One of the dads jumped in and jumped on the gator’s back, trying to keep him from thrashing/spiraling. Suddenly, parents began snatching their kids away from the site. Dad kept straddling the gator until it finally loosened its clamp on the handler’s gloved hand and she was able to get out of the tank. https://youtu.be/Fu61ZNLRCIo The death toll from Haiti‘s latest earthquake was growing as photos and video from the destruction began showing the extent of the devastation, injuries and hopelessness inflicted on a nation already reeling from natural and political disasters. As of Monday morning, there were at least 1,297 people who had died from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck two days earlier — exponentially more than the early estimate of 304 people. That number is expected to continue growing as rescue and recovery operations persist. Haitians were already experiencing instability from both earthquakes in 2010 and 2018 as well as last month’s assassination of Haiti’s president. https://twitter.com/i/status/1426661422277214215 Naomi Osaka has announced that she will donate the prize money from an upcoming tournament to help relief efforts in Haiti following Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake. “Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break,” Osaka, 23, wrote on social media Saturday. The father of the tennis star is from the island nation. Photos and video footage showed dozens of white people rioting Saturday at a rally in Los Angeles protesting against COVID-19 vaccine mandates in a violent demonstration that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is being accused of allowing to happen. Video journalist Andrew Kimmel tweeted footage showing the violence erupting, including alleged Proud Boys members throwing punches and kicks at anybody near them — presumably counterprotesters — as the rally descended into chaos. The video also showed one person with their face concealed appearing to repeatedly stab people with a short knife or some other sharp object. https://twitter.com/i/status/1426659835102121986 President Joe Biden is furthering his efforts to increase representation at the highest levels within the criminal justice system. He recently announced eight new nominees to serve as U.S. Attorneys throughout the country; two of whom are Black New York City leaders who are power players in the realm of law. Amongst the list of nominees is Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton partner Breon S. Peace. Peace—a University of California, Berkeley alum who earned his J.D. from the New York University School of Law—has dedicated his entire career to civil litigation, white-collar defense and matters concerning regulatory enforcement. Another individual who received a nomination was Damian Williams who has served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for nine years. Many people across the world are still very confused as to whether or not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. From far-fetched conspiracy theories to straight-up distrust in the medicine itself, those who remain unvaccinated or are deemed “anti-vaxxers” are definitely at a crossroads at the moment. Now, with newly-mandated vaccine requirements that will make it virtually impossible to move around freely, that statement will ring true more than ever. The real question is, are Black people at an even higher risk for being ostracized from our communities yet again? Take New York City for example. Beginning Monday, Aug. 16, The Big Apple will be first in a move that many other states will presumably adapt to enact a citywide mandate requiring anyone looking to enter businesses to show proof of at least one shot of a vaccine. However, The New York Times recently reported that only 27% – 28% of young Black New Yorkers are actually vaccinated. While that’s sure to cause an interruption in various areas of city life. From Issa Rae to Ava DuVernay, Black women are letting their brilliance and creativity shine in the realm of entertainment and they’re making power moves in the process. One of the latest innovators to land a major production deal is Power creator Courtney Kemp who recently inked a partnership with Netflix, Deadline reported. Throughout her entire career Kemp has tapped into the power of storytelling, whether it was penning pieces for Mademoiselle and GQ as a former journalist or writing for The Bernie Mac Show, The Good Wife and Justice. In 2014, Power—a television series that she teamed up with Curtis Jackson to create—made its debut and went on to become one of Starz’s most successful shows. As part of the eight-figure, four-year deal with Netflix, Kemp will develop an array of projects under her End of Episode imprint. She will still provide creative direction for the critically acclaimed Power franchise. True-crime viewers can tune into ATL HOMICIDE which airs tonight on Monday, August 16 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Watch as thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez dive into some of Atlanta's grittiest cases. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Co2sp02OZws “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Marlo Hampton recently underwent surgery and she’s now opening up about her experience with fans and updating them on how she’s doing. The reality star took to social media to let fans know that she got the surgery last Thursday. She showed her bruised face to the camera and let her viewers know that she’s still pretty swollen. While doing that, she also let fans know that she spent thousands of dollars for the procedure but it was all “worth it” at the end. Hampton said it may take up to a year for her to see the full effects of the hair transplant. Hmm, like the old saw says, “beauty costs.” But that’s a heck of a price to pay for it as far as we’re concerned. And on top of that, some say they don’t believe the swelling is the result of a hair transplant. The Gospel Spotlight's Marlo Hampton In Her Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/marlohampton_intvw.htm Lil Wayne has opened up about his mental health issues and attempted suicide when he was a kid. In a new interview with Emmanuel Acho on his Uncomfortable Conversations series, the hip-hop star gets candid about wanting to take his own life when he was 12. As reported by Complex, he was going to use his mother’s gun to take his life. “I picked up the phone, I called the police,” Wayne said, as reported by HipHop-N-More. “Yes I knew where she put her gun and it was in her bedroom. And so I went in her bedroom, grabbed the gun. I already made the phone call, looked in the mirror.” Wayne pointed the gun to his head but “got a little too scared.” HBCU career service leaders and officials say recruitment of their graduates by major companies has skyrocketed since the death of George Floyd. The nation and worldwide outrage after Floyd’s death combined with the call for racial equity last summer has pushed a bevy of Fortune 500 companies to do more, including increasing the number of Black Americans working on corporate boards and offices. Additionally, HBCU schools were flooded with millions in donations from MacKenzie Scott, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. HBCU administrators say it’s too soon to determine how many more Black college graduates and students are being hired by major companies, but they’ve seen a substantial rise in the number of internships and interviews they’re getting. Austin-based wine connoisseur Lindsay Perry was recently selected as a new employee of Murphy-Goode Winery. The 28-year-old will move to California this fall to pursue her dream job. As a contest winner, she will receive a salary of $10,000 per month and live rent free for a year while indulging in some of the best wines. Perry participated in the company’s “A Really Goode Job” viral competition. According to Inside Edition, Perry beat out over 7,200 other applicants who submitted videos for the Sonoma-based Murphy Goode Winery wine competition. On August 4, the winery announced that Perry was one of two wine-industry newcomers chosen for the opportunity. Yesterday, Perry shared a flashback Friday memory on her Instagram page. She shared with her growing followers her 2015 college graduate cap. Perry’s cap included a quote that read: “I may have wined a lot but I did it.” The cap was also adorned with wine glasses and bottles, representing her love for the fermented beverage. Courage, confidence, and honesty are the operating values that govern the life and business of La’Ticia Nicole Beatty, a Durham, North Carolina resident who is originally from Detroit. La’Ticia’s message to women business owners is to not shrink back. She is fearless because of her faith in God. Recognizing it’s easier said than done, she has created programs and products to empower her women to be courageous. On her own journey of manifesting the abundance of her life, La’Ticia saw firsthand the challenges women experience in building a business. She saw the core of what was needed and stated: “I found that helping women business owners shift their mindset to believe in themselves led them to have the courage and confidence to joyfully live in their purpose.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has died from the virus, according to his mother. As written by Daily Mail, Maurice ‘Reggie’ Shepperson, 36, died at Henderson Hospital in Las Vegas on Tuesday, nearly two months after he tested positive for the virus following a trip to Hawaii. Shepperson had been a flight attendant since 2007 and worked for Southwest for nine years. He checked into the hospital on July 7, weeks after testing COVID positive. Shepperson took his mother Dawn on one of his last work trips to Hawaii before he fell ill. He wrote in a Facebook post from the trip: “Took mommy on my work trip to Hawaii I’ll be back to get her tomorrow lol love this woman with all my heart.” https://youtu.be/miHOqprNJhc A Los Angeles Police Department officer has been suspended after a viral video showed him punching a car jacking suspect who was handcuffed to an ambulance gurney. LAPD says the incident happened late Saturday afternoon (Aug. 14) after two suspects were arrested in San Fernando for an alleged carjacking that took place in the Mission area. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement: “The images in the video are deeply disturbing and while we must wait for the investigation to be completed, the Department will act swiftly in any instance of excessive or unnecessary force.” https://worldstarhiphop.com/embed/170721 Backdoor Entertainment LLC, LA PhiLA Productions and R.D.J.A DES LLC have announced today that, The Sweetest Girl, a compelling, a true crime thriller suspenseful and provocative short film from Samuel Ladouceur (“A Great Day in Harlem,” “Power,” “Boardwalk Empire”) has been awarded Best Short Film at The New Jersey Film Awards for The Sweetest Girl.’ The Sweetest Girl was recently selected by the the Hip Hop Film Festival. https://youtu.be/QOU3MqSLMFU Future’s ex #BrittniMealy, who is one of the mothers of his kids, shared audio of someone who seemingly sounds like Future speaking on his ex #JoieChavis. Joie and Future previously dated and also share a child together. In the audio Brittni posted on her Instagram story, Future says he never loved Joie. “I don’t look at Joie like I look at you. Me and Joie always been friends, super cool. Like [inaudible] don’t even know that me and her was just always been super cool to the point where we still could be cool right now.” “I don’t look at her like someone I love, I never loved her like that. She know that. I never loved her, I never been like, told her ‘I love you’. You know what I’m sayin’? I never told this girl, I never told Joie ‘I love you’ but we had a good a** friendship. You know what I mean? I ain’t never tell her I love her [inaudible]. I love you.” BET brought together the hottest names in gospel music for an unforgettable night of dynamic performances and soul-stirring tributes at the annual celebration, the “Stellar Gospel Music Awards.” The “Stellar Awards” was the #1 program for the night on all TV for Black viewers P2+ excluding sports with, 867 K Total Viewers during premiere night (Live+3, simulcast across BET and BET Her on 8/1/21). On BET alone the “Stellar Awards” scored a .243 P18-49 rating, and 798 K total viewers P2+, up 104% year-over-year.** The telecast grew +18% in Live + 3 (Adults 18-49, BET Alone). BET now has the Top 3 Cable award shows of 2021 for Black viewers: “BET Awards” (#1), “NAACP Image Awards” (#2), and “Stellar Awards” (#3) excluding sports. h GRAMMY® Award winning producer, recording artist, and composer, Donald Lawrence, contributes music to a 45-minute preview performance of a new concept musical, GOSHEN, as a part of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s 25th anniversary season, on August 25 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. GOSHEN, is based on the Biblical story of the Exodus. It’s a collaborative fusion of historical narrative, dance theater, and spiritually inspired music that explores the trials and triumphs of the human spirit. Lawrence first introduced some of the music in the Donald Lawrence Presents the Tri-City Singers’ best-selling 2019 album, GOSHEN. It featured Le’Andria Johnson leading the heart-wrenching ballad, “Deliver Me,” which spent five weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Gospel Airplay chart. Johnson joins the principal soloists of The Tri-City Singers; cutting edge gospel act, Zeke Locke & The NuXperience; and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, to bring GOSHEN to life. Breakout urban inspirational star, Pastor Mike Jr. (PMJ), who is known for hits including “Big” and “I Got It” (currently in Top 20 on R&B charts), has just released his sophomore album, I Got It: Singles Ministry which takes a direct look at relationship issues that both churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike can all identify with. “I wanted to take a risk with this album…” he says. “There’s a demographic in all of our ministries that goes undervalued and overlooked, and that’s singles. With everybody pursuing ‘relationship goals’ and everybody pursuing the altar, there’s an unsaid narrative that’s being created that ‘to be single is to be a failure…’” He continues, “So I wanted to create some inspirational music that spoke to this demographic letting them know that ‘you’re not alone’ and ‘you can be single and embracing your single season.’” This urban inspirational trap music stands in a category of its own and is sure to receive a wide array of critical acclaim. Jason Hendrickson is a powerful Pastor/Teacher, Author, Entrepreneur, Singer/Songwriter and Celebrated Musician. After two decades playing with Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship, he has come into his own as a well rounded singer, songwriter and recording artist. Great Things is presented with anticipation that we are what we say by the power that God has invested in us. Its a daily affirmation with an infectious hook. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERRdap0PT8c Ryan Vincent Ford Honors the Legacy of the Father of Contemporary Gospel Music, Edwin Hawkins with a twist on a classic, Someday. Someday speaks to the relevance of striving for peace in the midst of troubled times and Ryan and his group do a wonderful job of recreating this masterpiece. https://rgmc-impact.disco.ac/playlist-new/8342486?date=20210809&user_id=885555&signature=dZWHvWnsU8O-yCIQs1o3WrL742E%3AexDhPFSE Naomi Osaka broke down at her first press conference since pulling out of the French Open over mental health issues, a move that followed her controversial decision to forgo press conferences at the event. During Monday’s Zoom presser ahead of her appearance at the Western & Southern Open in Ohio, Osaka took several questions without incident, until journalist Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer entered the fray. Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, who was present in the room, tweeted: “Someone from Cincinnati Enquirer asked her a fairly aggressively toned question about how she benefits from a high-media profile but doesn’t like talking to media. Osaka tried to engage, but after her answer began crying.” Rothenberg said Osaka left the podium for several minutes, then returned to answer the question and finish the presser. Rothenberg later mentioned Dougherty’s tone ruined the flow of the press conference altogether, and defended her against haters on Twitter. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-16-081621-naomi-osaka-1226827/ Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic dreams hit a wall when she tested positive for marijuana and was slapped with a one-month suspension for violating the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code. She later said she got high after her biological mother died. Now, Richardson will race against Team Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson. Kanye West’s new track “No Child Left Behind” is featured in a new Beats ad that dropped during the 2021 NBA Finals on July 20 and features footage of the sprinter. https://youtu.be/q9lFaCkFN7I Fans attending the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Charges game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood were fighting like it was a playoff game in December. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-15-081521-rams-fight-1225861/ One of Haiti’s most famous sons was speaking out after a mammoth earthquake struck the Caribbean nation on Saturday morning, bringing more devastation to a country and region still reeling from previous earthquakes and political instability. Wyclef Jean, the musician and one-time candidate to be president of Haiti, took to his Instagram account and delivered a somber plea for people to help his homeland, where at least 1300 people were killed, according to the country’s civil protection agency. This is the country’s third earthquake in recent years, including the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of 2010 that killed more than 100,000 people. Saturday’s earthquake was a 7.2 magnitude, even stronger than the one in 2010. The death toll has climbed to more than 1300 after a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti Saturday, injuring at least 1300 people. Rescuers continue to sort through the rubble in an effort to find survivors. Churches, schools, and houses were leveled by the quake. Multiple hospitals are inundated when patients and in need of supplies. The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Families in the devastated town of Les Cayes shifted through debris while looking for any salvageable belongings. Residents arrived at the local market early on Sunday to buy the few items that were available such as bananas, avocados and water. Some thank God for protecting them during the earthquake while others went to the city’s church, which appeared untouched from the disturbance. Taliban fighters have entered Kabul and are seeking a ‘peaceful transfer of power’ with gunfire heard near the presidential palace as the extremists seized huge swathes of Afghanistan which is on the brink of collapse. The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the most recent major Afghan city to fall to the insurgents as they make huge gains across Afghanistan. The US evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter as a Taliban spokesman said they were looking for a ‘peaceful surrender’ of the capital after meeting little resistance, while the British ambassador moved to a safe place to prepare for an evacuation. Foreigners in Kabul have been told they should either leave or register their presence with Taliban administrators, while RAF planes were scrambled to evacuate 6,000 British diplomats, citizens and Afghan translators. Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a 71-year-old man who allegedly sent Rep. Maxine Waters a death threat that included a racist slur and was signed on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan terrorist group, court records show. Michael Anthony Gallagher was charged Wednesday with mailing threatening communications, a federal offense that carries up to 10 years in prison. The charging records allege Gallagher sent a postcard to Waters, D-Los Angeles, on Jan. 8, 2019 that contained a death threat. The criminal complaint against Gallagher, filed last January, is still sealed seven months later. Details of Gallagher’s alleged death threat were only made public via Wednesday’s court filing. In his latest push, President Joe Biden wants people to believe in the promise of his Build Back Better Agenda. On Wednesday, the president promoted the plan highlighting benefits like free community college, reduced prescription costs, and the child tax credit. A mix of programs, Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda covers a wide range of investments thought to uplift everyone across the board. According to the president, his plan is more expansive than the bipartisan infrastructure agreement making its way through Congress, with something for everyone. The administration released a new explainer Friday, breaking down the direct benefit for Black communities. White House Senior Advisor for Public Engagement Trey Baker says his job is making sure Black people understand how the proposal could improve their lives. The NBA is putting the focus on furthering its efforts to advance racial equity. The league recently announced it would donate $6 million towards organizations centered on empowering Black youth. The endowment was announced to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the NBA Foundation. Launched in 2020, the foundation was created to use economic advancement opportunities as a means to empower the Black community. Amongst those on the board are current and retired players and corporate leaders including Michael Jordan, Tobias Harris, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts. As part of the initiative, 22 nonprofits centered on aligning Black youth with career and employment opportunities will receive grants. Among this round of grant recipients are the tech education-focused nonprofit All Star Code, Black Girl Ventures, the Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, SGA Youth & Family Services and YouthForce NOLA. Actress Taraji P. Henson has been dedicated to eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health in the Black community and eliminating the barriers standing in the way of support. The D.C. native recently received a major boost from Kevin Hart to advance her mission. Hart donated $100,000 to Henson’s mental wellness-focused nonprofit organization. Hart and Henson recently sat down for a candid discussion on his new show Hart to Heart that was centered on her rise in the entertainment industry and how she has used her nonprofit the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation as an avenue to further her mental health advocacy efforts. Henson’s inspiration for the organization was derived from her personal experiences. While growing up she witnessed her father battle with psychological trauma that stemmed from serving in the Vietnam War. She has also been open about her struggles with depression and anxiety. Tennis powerhouse Serena Williams’ impact and influence goes far beyond the realm of sports, she is using her platform to uplift and empower women who are charting paths in entrepreneurship. According to CNBC, Williams is amongst a group of investors that has funded a Black-owned healthcare. The company—dubbed HUED—was founded in 2018 by Kimberly Wilson. Through her own experiences with discrimination and inequities that exist within the healthcare system, the entrepreneur discovered there was a need to make culturally competent healthcare accessible for communities of color and was determined to fill that void. HUED was cultivated to align Black and Brown patients with medical professionals who deliver their services through a culturally sensitive lens. Purdue University has renamed two of its residence halls after sisters who graduated in the 1940s. Griffin North and South dorms were initially named after a mythical creature. But the dormitories now honor Frieda and Winifred Parker, the first two buildings named after African American women on the Purdue campus. It’s part of Purdue’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The Parker sisters were inseparable, so it’s only fitting that two adjoining buildings be named after them. It’s equally if not more significant that the buildings honoring them are residence halls, since the sisters were the first to integrate them. https://youtu.be/ST_Qm-CPrbo Florida is home to dozens of African American museums and state lawmakers say they realized those museums could use some financial help. With help from Senator Rudolph Bracey, Senator Daryl Rouson secured $30 million in funding for African American museums in the state. “They can receive an outright grant up to 500 thousand dollars or up to one million dollars by showing a 50 percent match. So it’s significant funding. $500 thousand is a great shot in the arm for a lot of institutions that have been struggling to find adequate funding to tell the story of African American history,” Rouson said. A Mississippi eighth-grader died who was killed by COVID-19 on Saturday – just a day after she tested positive for the virus – has been identified by her school. Described as the ‘perfect student,’ Mkayla Robinson attended classes at Raleigh Junior High School most of last week, including on Wednesday, before reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday, according to multiple sources. A social media post indicated her health started to quickly decline after she started having trouble breathing Saturday morning and died on the way to the hospital, but this could not be verified. Mkayla died the day after Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves sought to downplay the severity of the virus among children, saying most would only suffer an illness akin to ‘the sniffles.’ Mkayla’s vaccination status is yet to be known, and it also remains unclear if she has any underlying health conditions which could have worsened her COVID infection. She is survived by her military mother, Mykel Robinson and her younger brother, MJ. Steve Gaines, the MC known as Baba Zumbi from Bay Area hip-hop group Zion I, has died. KQED spoke with Zumbi’s family and confirmed his death on Friday afternoon. The family shared a statement with KQED Friday evening: It is with utter disbelief and great sadness that the Gaines family shares the news of the passing of Steve “Zumbi” Gaines on Friday, August 13, 2021. Gaines, 49 and the MC of the critically acclaimed hip-hop group Zion I, passed away at Alta Bates Hospital today in the early morning from unknown causes. The family requests privacy in this very challenging time while they await further details. Neither Zumbi’s family nor his publicist would confirm that he died from complications related to COVID, as reported to KQED by close friends. Zumbi was said to be hesitant about receiving the COVID vaccine. Chris Tucker is one of America’s famous actors and comedians. He is known worldwide for his starring role as Detective James Carter in the “Rush Hour” film series, where he starred alongside Jackie Chan. In 1997, the actor married casting director Azja Pryor. They welcomed their son Destin Christopher Tucker in 1998. However, Chris and Pryor divorced in 2003. After the divorce, the couple co-parented their son. Chris and Pryor have done well to co-parent their son effectively. Both parents have been in their son’s lives and watched him grow into the man he is today. In 2017, Destin moved to Atlanta to study film at Morehouse College. It was a proud moment for Chris, who believed his son’s decision to go to Morehouse made all the sense in the world. The nation’s premier inspiration station, Praise 102.5 (WPZE-FM) presents the 16th Annual Praise in the Park concert on October 2nd, live from Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood. Since launching in October 2001, Atlanta’s Inspiration Station, Praise 102.5 has made a notable impact in Atlanta and across the country. Praise in the Park is one of the largest annual outdoor concerts celebrating Gospel music in the nation. Previous years have featured artists such as CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Karen Clark-Sheard, BeBe Winans, Mary Mary and many more. The return of Praise in the Park is set to be an unforgettable event. GRAMMY® and Stellar Award winning recording artist, songwriter, actress and entrepreneur Kierra Sheard-Kelly headlines the concert with a live recording of an upcoming project, “Kierra Sheard-Kelly & Friends Live at Praise in the Park Atlanta”. No stranger to Praise in the Park, Sheard-Kelly, on behalf of Karew Records and RCA Inspiration, will bring a unique, creative, and original vibe to the nation’s ultimate praise party. He’s set to make his grand return as John James ‘Mr. Big’ Preston in the much-awaited Sex and the City reboot, titled And Just Like That, which started shooting last month. And away from his character’s often tumultuous relationship with lead character Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), actor Chris Noth lives an idyllic home life with his family in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. The film star, 66, lives with Canadian actress wife Tara Wilson, 39, and their two sons Orion, 13, and 18-month-old Keats and often shares glimpses of their lives on Instagram. Chris met wife Tara, who is 27 years his junior, in 2002, when she was working at The Cutting Room – a New York City bar that the actor co-owns. Two African American survivors of a century-old massacre in the United States were in Ghana Sunday with their grandchildren at the start of a visit to connect with their “motherland.” Viola Fletcher, 107, known as ‘Mother Fletcher’, and her brother Hughes Van Ellis, 100, known as ‘Uncle Red’, are from the district of Greenwood in the Oklahoma city of Tulsa that was devastated in 1921 by a mob of armed white people. Up to 300 African Americans were killed in the attack on the area nicknamed “Black Wall Street” and some 10,000 left homeless when the district was set ablaze, leaving a vibrant economy in ruins. Fletcher and Ellis were accompanied by their grandchildren on a week-long trip to the West African nation, as part of a government campaign to attract people of African heritage abroad ‘back home’. Talent obviously runs in Aretha Franklin’s family — and Grace Franklin proved it by delivering a stunning rendition of her grandma’s favorite song. The late music icon’s 15-year-old granddaughter joined Jennifer Hudson at the “Respect” premiere Wednesday — where the duo stunned onlookers by singing their hearts out. The Oscar winner, 39, is playing the Queen of Soul in the biopic out Friday. Hudson shared a clip on Instagram of herself and Grace singing on the red carpet while both rocked gorgeous sequined gowns. https://nypost.com/2021/08/12/aretha-franklins-granddaughter-sings-with-jennifer-hudson/ The rap superstar Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, have been sued by a woman he attempted to rape in 1994 after allegedly harassing her to recant her story. The woman, now 43, alleged she was attacked at knifepoint by a 16-year-old in Queens, New York City, by Petty. He was arrested on suspicion of rape and pleaded guilty to attempted rape, serving four and a half years in prison. The victim has filed a lawsuit alleging Minaj and Petty, who have an 11-month-old son, have been harassing and intimidating her to force her to recant her story. Minaj, 38, is accused of contacting the victim’s family and lying to her social media followers about the incident. The lawsuit, filed in the US district court for the eastern district of New York, claims Minaj offered her $500,000 (£360,000) to drop the story. Wearing a pair of white-and-black trunks his grandfather gifted to him, Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh made his pro boxing debut Saturday night with a first-round TKO of Jordan Weeks. Ali Walsh, 21, displayed the kind of flair for the dramatic Ali would surely be proud of, whipping the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino crowd into a frenzy with his right hand as the referee administered a 10-count following the knockdown. The middleweight followed up with a barrage of punches, bloodying Weeks’ face, before the referee stopped the mismatch. “I think me and him made a little bit of history tonight,” said Ali Walsh, who is trained by SugarHill Steward, the same man who guides heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. “This lived up completely to my expectations,” he added. “It’s been an emotional journey. … Obviously my grandfather, I’ve been thinking of him so much. I miss him.” A Happy Valley man has been arrested after he allegedly spray-painted a large swastika on an Oregon City sidewalk next to a memorial for someone who recently died while he was in custody at the Clackamas County Jail. On Tuesday police say someone vandalized a memorial set up at the corner of Beavercreek Road and Library Court. The memorial was for Jermelle Madison, a Black man who died on June 28 after he was found unresponsive in a Clackamas County Jail cell. The memorial had been left after a vigil that happened on August 6. The suspect also knocked over candles and broke picture frames with photos of Madison. Detectives were able to find the suspect’s vehicle in surveillance video in the area of the crime at the time it happened. They also got a subpoena for banking information related to the purchase of the spray paint. Recently, during an interview with the New York Times, Snoop Dogg spoke his piece regarding an ongoing phenomenon when speaking of Kevin Durant and Steph Curry investing in start ups. “Like, why don’t we have an owner in an NFL? That’s just racist. Period, point blank,” he said of the century-old football league that currently has two minority co-owners — Pakistani American Shahid Kahn of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Asian American Kim Pegula of the Buffalo Bills — but which has never had a team fully owned by a Black businessperson. “We need to own an NFL team. We got one half-owner in the NBA, Michael Jordan. But the whole league is 90 percent Black. So we still the slaves and they still the masters.” https://youtu.be/XsE3iwO44Kc Charles Barkley is opening up about his friendship with Michael Jordan, as well as why it ended. As you may recall, former NBA stars Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan formed a close friendship during their time on the court. Both players were drafted back in 1984, and they were both part of the 1992 U.S. “Dream Team” that participated at the Barcelona Olympics. However, Charles Barkley recently opened up about a falling out the pair had some years ago. During a recent interview on the newly-revived Back on the Record with Bob Costas, Charles Barkley revealed he and Michael Jordan fell out due to some comments he made. After Bob Costas inquired about whether the pair were still friends, Charles Barkley stated: “We’re not. And I take some responsibility for that. I criticized [him]–he was one of my best friends, and I definitely love him and miss him, to be honest with you, but I, Bob, I have to do my job. I said, at the time, and we can debate whether I should have said it, but I was asked a question, and I’m told always be honest at my job. I said, ‘I don’t know if Michael’s ever going to be successful [running the Charlotte Hornets] because I don’t know if he got enough strong people around him.’” UrbanHollywood411 reports that 50 Cent is up to 50 Cent things on the Insta-webs. The man also known as Curtis Jackson, and the conceptual mind behind the Power Universe, took to Instagram with a musing regarding “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” star Patina Miller… comparing Miller with the character Cookie, played by Taraji P. Henson on Lee Daniel’s “Empire.” https://youtu.be/IGFcMCxFBKg Marlon Wayans wants to make a sequel to the hit movie “White Chicks” and he believes the best time to do it is now! The actor recently spoke with Variety and explained why White Chicks 2 should happen: “I think White Chicks 2 is necessary,” he told the outlet. “I think we’ve tightened up so much that we need to loosen our ties a bit and laugh a little bit. I don’t think Hollywood understands what a juggernaut White Chicks 2 would be. And the world just keeps giving us more [ideas]. White Chicks 2 is writing itself.” Denzel Washington has never been one to go back on his word. So, it’s no shock to us that he’s revisiting a promise he made in 2007 to the Wiley College debate team. Wiley College, an HBCU located in (Marshall) Texas, recently received the fourth $100,000 installment of the $1 million initially promised by the Washington’s Family Foundation. Washington first donated $1 million to the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in 2007 to support the re-establishment of its debate program, which had been inactive since the early 1900s, when it was led by famed English professor and poet, Melvin B. Tolson. Washington starred in and directed the film, “The Great Debaters,” which chronicled the history of the school’s debate team under Tolson’s mentoring and coaching. The funds will be earmarked to cover debate team expenses as well as scholarships, reports Black Enterprise. https://twitter.com/i/status/1358188276532842501 Over 1300 people were killed when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, and Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to affected areas, where some towns were destroyed and hospitals were overwhelmed with wounded people. The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported. https://youtu.be/N_mKW-kVb_I An earthquake of magnitude 7 struck the Alaska peninsula, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said on Saturday. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami warning after the quake. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), EMSC said. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon is not impressed with the latest pandemic-related effort from Gov. Ron DeSantis. In a brief Twitter thread, the Jacksonville-based legislator called out the governor’s team for allegedly ignoring requests around vaccine access. DeSantis was in Jacksonville Thursday to launch a new effort to treat COVID-19 cases. But instead of launching a robust public health plan to combat the latest pandemic surge, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing the drug Regeneron. Nixon, clearly fed up with the governor’s antics, called his announcement a farce. She sees the latest push as happening at the expense of preventative measures. The shooting death of an unarmed Black man in Tennessee by a security guard at a gas station is the latest instance of an apparently growing trend of deadly disputes over loud music in which the gunmen are seemingly disproportionately white. Alvin Motley was gunned down Saturday night at a gas station in Memphis after when a security guard, Gregory Livingston, confronted the 48-year-old man to complain about the volume of the music from his car. After Motley reportedly told Livingston he wanted to “talk like men,” the security guard pulled out his gun and shot Motley at point-blank range. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Motley was holding a beer can and a lit cigarette, suggesting he was not a threat to Livingston, who was obviously armed with a deadly weapon. Livingston, 54, admitted to police that he shot and killed Motley and was on Sunday arrested and charged with second-degree murder and held on a $1.8 million bond. Erykah Badu has issued a public apology to Barack and Michelle Obama for posting a video of the former president dancing at his private birthday party in Martha’s Vineyard last week. Badu, a guest at Obama’s 60th birthday party held on Aug. 7 at his family’s mansion on the Massachusetts island, apparently violated terms of her invitation when she not only recorded a selfie video with the ex-president in the background but also posted it to her Instagram stories where her 5 million followers could see it. The video was taken down hours later. https://twitter.com/i/status/1424368455680249856 The pending resignation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over damning sexual harassment allegations has not only paved the way for the state to have its first Black woman serving as acting lieutenant governor, but it also means it will be the first time the state is led by two women. New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will leave her post to become acting lieutenant governor once the current Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul assumes her new leadership position in Albany — the first time the Empire State will have a woman governor. Stewart-Cousins called Cuomo’s resignation “a somber day for the state of New York” but said it also “opens the door to a restorative future.” Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. violated Illinois anti-bias law by denying a transgender woman employee access to the women’s bathroom, a state appellate court ruled in a case of first impression. Meggan Sommerville’s sex is “unquestionably female” and Hobby Lobby unlawfully discriminated against her based on her gender identity, the Illinois Second District Appellate Court said in its Friday ruling. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. violated Illinois anti-bias law by denying a transgender woman employee access to the women’s bathroom, a state appellate court ruled in a case of first impression. Meggan Sommerville’s sex is “unquestionably female” and Hobby Lobby unlawfully discriminated against her based on her gender identity, the Illinois Second District Appellate Court said in its Friday ruling. “Sommerville is female, just like the women who are permitted to use the women’s bathroom,” the court said. “The only reason that Sommerville is barred from using the women’s bathroom is that she is a transgender woman, unlike the other women (at least, as far as Hobby Lobby knows.)” A 7-month-old baby girl is unharmed after a family dog pulled her by her diaper to safety during a complex fire. A pit bull in California is about to get a whole lotta treats after being named a hero for saving a 7-month-old girl. The girl’s family lives in Stockton, Calif., with their beloved pit bull Sasha. Fox News reports that when flames coming from the complex building, Sasha “began to bang on the back door.” At the time, Sasha was outside. “I open it and she runs in and starts barking at me like crazy, and I was like, ‘OK, this is weird. This is not like her,’” said Nana Chaichanhda, the mother of the baby girl. When Chaichanhdasaw the fire, she immediately went to her daughter’s room to get her. However, Sasha was already on the job, pulling her by her diaper to get her to safety. “She had already had my baby by the diaper and was dragging her off the bed,” she told FOX40. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what are you doing?’” Unfortunately, the family’s home was left unlivable, but the entire family came out unharmed. Marlon Wayans says he wants viewers of the new movie “Respect” to know that “God gets you through” times of struggle — a concept the actor and comedian believes the film’s subject, Aretha Franklin, discovered throughout her life. “God gets you through,” Wayans told The Christian Post. “There is nothing that you can go through that you cannot get through. If you have God on your heart and you’re in His hands, just know that He’s protecting you.” “Respect,” which hits theaters this weekend, tells the story of Franklin, often dubbed the “Queen of Soul,” and her journey to finding her voice. The film shows how Franklin’s life “began in the Church and ended in the Church,” according to director Liesl Tommy. Erykah Badu apologized to the Obamas after posting a video to social media from former President Barack Obama’s 60th birthday party. The 50-year-old singer-songwriter expressed contrition in a tweet on Thursday for being the one to provide the world a look at Obama dancing without a face covering at the Hawaiian luau-themed celebration in his luxury home in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, which was scaled back due to COVID-19. “Mr. And Mrs. Obama , Please forgive me 4 being the ‘terrible guest’ at such a sacred event for your family. I was so inconsiderate, Thank you for all your love. What an example of ‘how NOT’ to be …… erica,” she said. The 44th president was captured in now-deleted Instagram footage grooving beside other maskless attendees on what appeared to be a stage while loud music blared on Saturday. Obama, in white jeans, was seen embracing a woman in front of a crowd in the footage. Bill Cosby will go to trial for a civil lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted an underage girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, it has been reported less than two months after he was released from a Pennsylvania prison. Judy Huth alleged in a lawsuit filed in 2014 that Cosby sexually assaulted her at the famed mansion when she was just 15 years old and he was 37, but legal proceedings related to the lawsuit moved slowly amid his criminal proceedings and conviction. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan lifted a stay stopping the case from moving along Friday and set the trial for a tentative date of April 18, 2022, the New York Daily News reported. Both parties will return to court as early as September 30. Reporters are expected to remain neutral as they uncover the facts of a story even when their biases or details they discover pull them in particular directions. Jasmyne Cannick, who is an activist, journalist, and political strategist in Los Angeles, says getting the criminal justice system to investigate the mysterious deaths of two Black men in the home of an influential White Democratic Party donor required a bitter fight and balancing act. She had to rely on her uncompromising sense of right and wrong, her unbending commitment to social justice, particularly for Black people, as well as investigative reporting instincts she has acquired over the years. https://youtu.be/Yg0vb_mAZrQ Los Angeles police arrested a 16-year-old male connected with Wednesday’s fatal shooting outside #ShoePalace, which started over a sneaker raffle dispute. The teen suspect was arrested Thursday for the murder of the 26-year-old, #JaydenBradford, outside of the shoe store. Witnesses explained that a dispute about a shoe raffle amongst a group of people in front of the store quickly escalated to gun violence. Bradford, who worked at the Shoe Palace, arrived just as things got heated and tried to intervene when he was fatally shot. Cellphone video captured the altercation and showed the moments when Bradford stepped in, and the group of people seemed to turn on him before someone in the crowd opened fire. As civil litigation against Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson crawls forward, two sources have confirmed the Harris County District Attorney’s office has launched a grand jury investigation into the quarterback. The sources confirmed a report from the Fox 26 affiliate in Houston that subpoenas were in the process of being issued by the adult sex crimes and trafficking division of the Harris County prosecutor’s office. One source described the subpoenas as seeking the testimony of a “small handful” of women who have recently filed sexual misconduct complaints against Watson with the Houston Police Department. There was no timeline given for the witness testimony or grand jury proceedings. Shaquille O’Neal has minority ownership in the Sacramento Kings and the Diesel is selling his stake in the franchise in order to take part in another endeavor. He will be featured prominently in WynnBET’s advertising campaigns across TV, digital and print. O’Neal will also attend in-person events, create original content with WynnBET and interact as a guest with company media partners such as Blue Wire Podcasts, Cumulus Media and Minute Media. O’Neal will also be launching ‘ShaqPot,’ a Free To Play (FTP) game housed inside the WynnBET app. according to MSN News. “Shaquille O’Neal has been a great friend of Wynn Las Vegas for many years, and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with him through a partnership with WynnBET,” Wynn Interactive CEO Craig Billings said. https://youtu.be/1yvLYJ2Fe_c Saturday night, Gary Antonio Russell (18–0) looks for his next win while also seeking the interim World Boxing Association title. Looking to derail those plans is former International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Emmanuel Rodriguez (19–2) with 12 knockouts. Russell will have to put his entire set of skills on display to bring that title back to his residence, the nation’s capital. The highly anticipated bantamweight bout can be seen live on Showtime. “I started building robots in the 3rd grade,” said Marylander Maria Raquel Thomas, when asked about all the projects she’s into, which robotics is one. “I was introduced to robotics when my parents brought me a robotics kit. I joined a robotics club. This year I built a huge rollercoaster in the back yard.” Aside from robotics, this 15 year-old prodigy has also gone through a self-confidence journey that ended with her as a finalist in the 2021 Miss Maryland Teen USA pageant. https://youtu.be/MiKrWAtGdoQ An online crowdfunding effort has been paused over suspicions a Black woman seeking financial assistance to avoid eviction misrepresented herself in a plea for donations. Dasha Kelly posted on the GoFundMe website earlier this month asking for $2,000 to help keep a roof over the heads of herself and her “3 daughters” In Nevada. “We owe $1,900 for rent alone not including utilities. I will figure out utilities by pawning a few things. As you all know it is entirely still to [sic] hot to be homeless,” Kelly wrote. “My daughter’s [sic] are aged 5, 6, and 8. Please help with anything you can.” The GoFundMe , entitled, “Help My Girls & I avoid eviction, quickly went viral after CNN interviewed Kelly and generated nearly 10 times the amount the 32-year-old was seeking. As of Thursday morning, the GoFundMe page had raised $191,925, as generous donors rushed to help make sure Kelly and the children did not lose their home. During the interview, Kelly wept with happiness. https://youtu.be/nyANSxDisHg A toddler accidentally killed his mother with a shot to the head after finding a loaded handgun in their apartment and firing it at her while she was on a work related video call, according to police in Florida. A colleague who was speaking to 21-year-old Shamaya Lynn heard a loud bang and then saw the mother fall backwards and fail to return back on the screen. The co-worker dialled 911 and told dispatchers she believed Lynn had been shot. Detectives said Lynn’s toddler discovered an unlocked pistol which belonged to his father and shot his mother in the head at their home in Altamonte Springs on the outskirts of Orlando. The U.S. 2020 census report was released this week and the data shows that the white population is declining for the first time ever. “Our analysis of the 2020 Census results show that the U.S. population is much more multiracial, and more racially and ethnically diverse than what we measured in the past,” Nicholas Jones, director and senior advisor of race and ethnic research and outreach in the U.S. Census Bureau’s population division, told CNN. https://youtu.be/AduGg08DFpE A collective side eye toward the medical establishment among Black Americans is rooted in history, but some are aiming to change minds amid COVID vaccine hesitancy. Descendants of the Tuskegee Study, a 40-year experiment where hundreds of Black men living with syphilis were denied treatment, are speaking out and encouraging people to get vaccinated in a new documentary. https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/tuskegee-study-descendants-speak-out-about-importance-of-covid-vaccine-118428229673 The judge overseeing Britney Spears’ case is facing online death threats and racial slurs after ruling not to suspend her father from conservatorship immediately. This week, Judge Brenda Penny denied the 39-year-old singer’s request to expedite a forthcoming hearing in an effort to remove Jamie Spears, 68, from a role in directing the legal arrangement, as petitioned by her lawyer. Judge Penny was also the one to deny Ms Spears’ request to immediately suspend Jamie Spears, 68, as her conservator following hearings in June and July. The unexpected death of Cameron Burrell, a former champion sprinter at University of Houston and the son of Olympic gold medal-winning parents, has been ruled a suicide. According to the medical examiner’s report, Cameron’s death occurred in a Houston parking garage. The school’s athletics department said Cameron passed away on Monday. He was 26. Leroy Burrell, who serves as the Cougars’ head track coach, said earlier in the week that his family is “profoundly grief stricken.” Funeral arrangements are pending. UH will announce details at a later time. The Television Academy said Thursday that Debbie Allen will receive the 2021 Governors Award, bestowed on the dancer-choreographer-actress-writer-producer-director “for her unprecedented achievements in television and her commitment to inspire and engage marginalized youth through dance, theater arts and mentorship.” Allen will be recognized during the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast September 19 on CBS and Paramount+. The award honors an individual or organization whose achievement is so exceptional and universal in nature that it goes beyond the scope of annual Emmy Awards recognition, the academy said. Mild spoilers ahead. In Respect’s final scene, an apprehensive Aretha Franklin (Jennifer Hudson) stands alone at the pulpit of New Temple Missionary Baptist Church. The pews are packed with people sitting shoulder to shoulder. Franklin takes a breath and breaks the silence as she sings the beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace.” In this moment, the most powerful woman in soul music bares her soul, the trials and tribulations of her life, in the lyrics, “I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind but now I see.” And after Franklin’s long quest for “hits,” Amazing Grace goes on to be her most successful album with more than 2 million copies sold upon release. Porsha Williams has announced that she is leaving Dish Nation. “Goodbyes are never easy, and this one is especially hard. For the past eight years, I’ve worked on one of the most fun, collaborative, exciting, and best produced shows on television. But as I continuously start new chapters in my life, it means I have to close others,” she wrote Wednesday on Instagram. The reality TV star is departing the radio show after eight years. Her last day will be August 27. “Since 2013, everybody at Dish has been like family to me. There’s a lot of people I’ve met along this journey that I am incredibly thankful for,” Williams continued. “Whether it was on air or behind the scenes, they’ve endlessly supported my career and more importantly, my happiness.” Actress Racquel Bailey wanted to get Tyler Perry’s attention so she purchased a billboard in Atlanta two years ago in hopes of starring in one of his productions. The stunt ultimately paid off because Perry’s team reached out and asked her to submit an audition tape. They must have been quite impressed with what they saw because she landed a role on his TV show “Sistas.” Now she’s set to star in Perry’s new drama “All the Queen’s Men,” based on the popular book “Ladies Night,” created by Christian Keyes, who also serves as a writer for the series, The one-hour drama centers around the life of “Marilyn ‘Madam’ DeVille,” played by Eva Marcille. Madam is a fierce businesswoman who is at the top of her game in the nightclub industry and surrounded by a band of trusted employees who are down to make sure that she is successful. Actress Una Stubbs who starred in Sherlock, EastEnders and Till Death Us Do Part has died aged 84. The Hertfordshire-born star, who was also known for her roles in Sir Cliff Richard’s film Summer Holiday as well as Worzel Gummidge and In Sickness And In Health, died at home in Edinburgh surrounded by her family. Stubbs, who was best known in recent years for playing Sherlock’s landlady Mrs Hudson in the BBC show from 2010 to 2017 with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, had suffered from an illness for a few months. The Internet was split down the middle as to whether that awkward, but the hilarious, exchange between Kevin Hart and Don Cheadle – about the “Black Monday” star’s age – was real. Turns out, it was all staged, with the two celebs in on the joke, a rep for Cheadle confirmed Friday afternoon. Viral video of the interview from Hart’s Peacock streaming show “Hart to Heart” showed the exchange taking a hard left turn when Cheadle mentions that he’s 56-years-old. “Damn!” said Hart, interrupting. Cheadle stopped speaking, taking apparent offense at Hart’s reaction that suggested he’s old AF. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry because it was a thought…” “I don’t care,” Cheadle said, waving him off. “It was a thought, and I blurted it out. I did not mean it that way.” “We’ll take a poll on how you meant it with people here later after the show’s over,” Don said, with sudden edge in his tone. “I can sit up here and honestly say, buddy, that that was from a place of love,” Kevin said calmly, before imitating the way he said “Damn” earlier, but with less bite in the tone. https://youtu.be/0ugn_vsZ9pQ Simone Biles hasn’t had the easiest summer and, unfortunately, she’s now dealing with another health issue: The gymnastics GOAT was bitten by a dog. Simone, 24, didn’t share a lot of details about her freaky injury in her Instagram Stories but said, “here’s an update on my finger that the dog bit me,” before showing her wounds. “This dog at the farm just said NOT TODAY,” Simone joked. So, she said, she had to go to the doctor to get a tetanus shot. In the video, you can see intense gashes taken out of the side and top of her pointer finger. “German Shepherds don’t play,” she wrote over top, noting that she’s been around the breed her whole life and has never been bitten. Pop artist Justin Bieber and Chandler Moore of the Maverick City Music Collective released a worship video together Wednesday. The duo have performed several songs together recently including, “Where Do I Fit In?” and “How He Loves Us” at venues located in Washington and California. The musicians appear to connect emotionally and spiritually to the central theme of the song, God’s love. Jehovah-jireh is found in Genesis, when God instructed Abraham to offer up his son Isaac for an offering. After God told him to stop and provided a ram for the offering instead, Abraham named the location Jehovah-jireh. https://youtu.be/M11PBJbFApw Hip-hop icon DJ Grandmaster Flash claims Dr. Dre’s new music will “change the game.” Flash and Dre recently linked up in LA, where the famed music producer played some new music that will apparently have a huge impact on the culture. Grandmaster Flash recently shared a photo of himself with Dr. Dre on Instagram, and added the caption: “GRANDMASTER FLASH & DR. DRE,” he wrote in the caption. “Here in LA doing the Disco Oasis with Nile Rogers tonite, I get a call from one of my heroes he invites me to the CRIB. “He takes me down to the STUDIO he played me a project that will change the game!! Totally incredible, we top off the day for 2hrs talkin about Music, Family Health and Life thanks for the Invite Dr Dre.” Rapper Future allegedly sent his 8-year-old son disturbing text messages about the boy’s mother Brittni Mealy. As reported by MadameNoire, on Tuesday, Mealy uploaded screenshots of a conversation between her son and Future, and it read: Future: Tell your mom, Son: Tell my mom what Future: Buy you some clothes, Son: Dad, Future: You’re mother is a h**! https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=45104b0e-b317-4531-9624-f307dbb4a5fc Lou’s new artist showcase becomes the nexus of the rivalry between Raq and Unique. At the same time, Kanan cooks up a drug-selling scheme with Marvin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzSyRvZul0 The 3rd annual Daytime Beauty Awards, founded by CEO Michele Elyzabeth, will take place on Sunday, September 12 at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles. The award show recognizes science behind beauty and spotlights health and wellness professionals in the fields of dentistry, medicine, health and fitness, aesthetics, skincare, color and styling, cannabis, beauty innovation and more. OmegaXL by Great HealthWorks will serve as the event’s title sponsor. Danielle Lauder, actress, entrepreneur and the great-granddaughter of Estée Lauder, will officiate as the Ambassador for this year’s Daytime Beauty Awards. Lauder received The Breakthrough Award at the 2020 Hollywood Beauty Awards. LOVE THEORY GOES GOLD. Kirk Franklin penned another hit! The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) took to Twitter to share that "Love Theory" went GOLD! Just one week away from Travis Greene's release party for Oil + Water! Join in person in Greenville, SC or stream online to listen and celebrate. The line up is HEAVY, so be prepared! https://www.facebook.com/events/211218177617841/ Starz September 26 premiere of the network’s highly-anticipated new series BMF (Black Mafia Family). https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cgkutkyyucxc7b2/AABJUxBEFrgO7zAED1sjck14a?dl=0&preview=vers01913012_bmf1_av_teaser___grandson___licensed_org_30185_21_169_series_premiere_sun_sep_2_prores.mov Multiple award-winner Jekalyn Carr adds to a long list of accolades by receiving two more GMA Dove Award nominations, announced earlier this week. Carr was recognized for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year for her Number 1 album “Changing Your Story,” and Traditional Gospel Song of the Year for the album’s title track. This is Carr’s fifth consecutive year receiving recognition from the GMA Dove Awards. Jekalyn previously won the 2018 Traditional Gospel Album of the Year for her breakthrough LP “One Nation Under God.” Carr recently launched her new beauty brand, JEKALYN BEAUTY, and the debut fragrance ‘Jekalyn for Her’ sold out in just one week. Charlotte Hornets player PJ Washington has responded to wild rumors about child support payments to ex Brittany Renner. Washington the #12 pick in the 2019 Draft and Renner first made headlines when he seemingly shot his shot at the Instagram model after she attended his game at Kentucky in 2019. The couple went official in 2020 … and in May 2021, Washington confirmed they welcomed a baby boy together. But, things appeared to go sour just a few months later … with Washington tweeting — and later deleting — a cryptic message about someone “faking it all along.” According to the latest social media rumors, Washington has to shell out $200k a month in child support. Washington addressed the rumor on Wednesday … tweeting “Stop the cap” … (cap = lying). Brittany has yet to speak out on the situation. CBS This Morning” has tapped former football star and “Extra” correspondent Nate Burleson to replace veteran journalist Anthony Mason, and now critics are accusing the network of copying rival “Good Morning America.” ”They’re basically copying ‘GMA.’ They’re moving to Times Square, hiring a [Michael] Strahan. What’s next? Cooking segments? They’re clearly in trouble,” one industry source said. The move comes as ratings for NBC’s “Today” — once the top of the morning show heap — continue to lose ground to “GMA.” This season-to-date, “GMA” is reportedly the most-watched morning show for the 9th consecutive year, and has this year increased its lead over “Today” to its biggest in four years. “CBS This Morning” remains at the bottom. Nine-time GRAMMY® Award-winning icons and one of the best-selling artists of all time Earth, Wind & Fire signed a global agreement with Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) that will result in the band returning to the studio for a new project with 12-time GRAMMY® Award winner Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds as producer and are set to release a reimagined version of their classic hit “Can’t Hide Love” titled “You Want My Love” with 4-time GRAMMY® Award nominee Lucky Daye on August 20th. https://youtu.be/mZ8lo472RlI Ludacris and his wife Eudoxie welcomed their second child in July, a baby girl they named Chance Oyali. The bouncing new bundle of joy is named after Eudoxie’s late grandmother, according to PageSix. Luda, a father of four, has two daughters from previous relationships. He tells the publication that he is a proud “girl dad” who has trouble saying “no” to his daughters. Best-selling author and award-winning voiceover artist Cayman Kelly proudly announced he had renewed his contract to serve as the promo voice for the nation’s fastest-growing network designed for African American audiences. Nationally syndicated with a wide variety of stations, Cayman Kelly has already secured his reputation as a leading broad-ranging radio voiceover expert, but finds his work with Bounce to be of especial importance. Kelly has a long history of working with Bounce, whose founders include Martin Luther King III and Ambassador Andrew Young. Kentucky’s attorney general, already a reviled figure for the way he handled the investigation into the killing of Breonna Taylor, is now trying to overturn the governor’s mandate for children to wear masks in schools as the COVID-19 delta variant ravishes the state. The logic followed by Daniel Cameron, a Republican who was famously called a “sellout” by activist Tamika Mallory, suggests he’s prioritizing politics over the health of students, including and especially the youngest ones who are not old enough to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday instituted the mask mandate for schools via an executive order that Cameron called “unlawful.” The news that the popular TV trivia game show “Jeopardy!” decided against selecting actor LeVar Burton as its next host was met with almost as much outrage as the fact that he was passed over for someone with an alleged history of harassing and discriminating against women. The show had been looking for a permanent replacement for Alex Trebek after the longtime host died in November. Instead of Burton, the show chose to go with Mike Richards, who is already the executive producer of “Jeopardy!” https://twitter.com/i/status/1425505571432665092 HARRY & MEGHAN: ESCAPING THE PALACE explores what really happened inside the palace that drove Harry (Dean) and Meghan (Morton) to leave everything behind in order to make a future for themselves and their son Archie. The movie will detail Meghan's growing isolation and sadness, their disappointment that "The Firm" was not defending them against the press's attacks and Harry’s fear that history would repeat itself and he would not be able to protect his wife and son from the same forces that may have contributed to his mother’s untimely death. HARRY & MEGHAN: ESCAPING THE PALACE will examine the dynamics between Will (Whalen) and Harry, Kate (Mitchell) and Meghan, and Harry with Will and Charles (Coulter), that lead to the ultimate break from the royal ties. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCWVDn2Xku8 RCA Inspiration celebrates over ten nominations for song and album releases at the upcoming 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards. The nominations span artist releases in eight categories, with hit artists Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Mali Music, Kelontae Gavin, DOE, Melvin Crispell, III and All Nations Music garnering nods in artist, song, and album categories. Top categories include Song of the Year nominations for two songs performed by Koryn Hawthorne and Marvin Sapp, and two Gospel Artist of the Year nominations, for Kirk Franklin and Travis Greene. The remaining nominations span the genres of Contemporary Gospel, Traditional Gospel, and Gospel Worship. Separately, Kirk Franklin also garnered a Song of the Year nomination and a Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year nomination as a writer on the track he recorded with for King & Country, “Together” (feat. Kirk Franklin & Tori Kelly), as well as a Songwriter of the Year (Artist) nomination. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com TV One and CLEO TV announced today that they have inked a significant deal with Kin, to bring one of its flagship digital series, “Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix,” to cable television for the first time on TV One’s sister network CLEO TV. Beginning in October, CLEO TV plans to roll out 80 episodes in a multi-year deal of the hit YouTube digital series which has accrued more than 3 million subscribers across social platforms. “Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix” is Kin’s fastest growing channel to date. The deal gives the franchise an opportunity for expansion by reaching a new audience with a vastly growing network. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Bradie Frink & Ordinary People drops new music "Into this Place." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7100812?date=20210408&user_id=668306&signature=bWaOAEtCnj0FUKqOIXOhK0ntstQ%3AWEyxEChc AJ Evans is a part of the new crop of young people that is on the battlefield. AJ is an honor roll student who serves on the praise team at his home church in Philadelphia. He penned this song and is hoping he can touch the world with its powerful message. "Hooked" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnOUiUNMvdk Tyscot Records –affiliated artists have racked up five nominations in the upcoming 52nd annual Dove Awards that going down October 19th at Nashville, TN’s Allen Arena. R&B star, PJ Morton, snagged two nominations for his first faith-music album, Gospel According to PJ. The Maroon 5 keyboardist earned nods in the categories of Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year and Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for the ballad “Repay You,” which is led by J Moss. Anthony Brown & group therAPy earned a nomination for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, “Help,” which is No. 1 on this week’s Gospel Airplay chart. Hitmaker, VaShawn Mitchell, earned a nomination for the twelve-track set, VaShawn Mitchell Presents Africa Worship, in the category of Gospel Worship Album of the Year. Kelontae Gavin earned a thumbs-up for his RCA Inspirational debut project, The N.O.W. Experience. Brittany Jones is a glory carrier. She is in love with God, his bride the church, and the lost. Brittany seeks to point to the beauty, holiness, and splendor of God with her thoughts, actions, and ultimately her life. She drops new music "Great Is The Lord." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8REOkyu6Kn0&feature=youtu.be Christiana Bell has done it again. Her 2nd single featuring Fred Hammond "Still Faithful" hit Top 100 this week, #90 and trending at #83 today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zuqTksnBQY Atlanta-based media company Empower Media Group (EMG) announced the 2021 Black Media Honors™? – the annual awards that honors broadcasting, public relations, media, mass communication, journalism icons who have influenced and made significant contributions to the media industry. Hosted by Actress Brely Evans and Pastor Anthony Murray, the awards weekend is set to begin August 21, 2021, through Sunday, August 22, 2021, in Atlanta. The official awards weekend is taking place at Twelve Midtown Conference Center and will now be filmed for post airing on FoxSoulTV. Some of this year’s confirmed for the 2021 Black Media Honors™? include Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant, Karen Civil, Kimberly Chapman, Jeff Johnson, Dr. Rashad Richey, James DuBose, Michelle Rice, Melissa Ingram, Y'anna Crawley, Tasha Page-Lockhart, Dayvsnn, Mali Music, Anthony Hamilton, Lamar Odom, Karlie Redd, Darlene McCoy, Kenny Burns, Christina Bell and more. The new documentary “Untold: Malice at the Palace” takes a thorough look back at the historic, violent, unprecedented brawl that broke out between players on the Indiana Pacers, and fans inside The Palace at Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons. The film goes through the biographical backgrounds of involved Pacers players Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson as it takes us meticulously through the pivotal moments leading up to the brawl, points out the racial aspects of its aftermath and how the brawl ended up changing the league, the fans, the players – and the path forward for the Pacers. https://youtu.be/IqoESUUdrA0 Eminem’s ex-wife Kim Scott was hospitalized following a suicide attempt on July 30, reports TMZ . Police and emergency workers are said to have responded to a call of a suicidal person at 46-year-old Kim’s Michigan home, with Kim restrained by deputies due to being so ‘combative and violent’ that medics were unable to assess her. It was claimed Kim was taken to hospital to undergo a medical and psychological evaluation, but is now at home recovering. Kim and Eminem married in 1999, only to proceed with a nasty divorce two years later during their famously stormy romance. They remarried in January 2006 but had broken up again by April. They share biological daughter Hailie Jade, 25. The mother of two siblings who were charged with killing a Chicago cop and wounding her partner was arrested after she attempted to visit her son in the hospital. Evalena Flores, 41, was arrested during a confrontation with Chicago police at Christ Medical Center where her son Emonte Morgan, 21, is being treated for gunshot wounds. Morgan was shot multiple times during a scuffle with Chicago Officer Carlos Yanez following a traffic stop on Saturday night. Officer Ella French was fatally shot during the confrontation and Yanez was critically injured and continues to fight for his life at the hospital. Emonte is facing one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. His brother, Eric Morgan, 22, faces charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice. https://youtu.be/2QE9zpkz8_4 The Obamas didn’t invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Barack’s 60th birthday party because ‘they will go towards William’ amid the family’s rift, Prince Harry’s biographer has claimed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not attend the lavish do thrown by the former US president at his seven-bedroom £8million holiday home in Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday. It included John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Meghan’s friend CBS This Morning host Gayle King, George Clooney and Jay-Z and Beyoncé. And according to royal expert and author Angela Levin, who wrote Harry: Biography of a Prince, it is thought that Barack and Michelle, 57, wanted to take a ‘step back’ from the couple out of respect for the Queen. Here’s your first look at Michael B. Jordan in the upcoming Denzel Washington-directed romantic drama “A Journal for Jordan,” based on the memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Canedy. Due in theaters this Christmas, the real-life story follows First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), who writes letters to his newborn son, also named Jordan, while he’s overseas. King was killed in Iraq in 2006, when his son was just seven months old, but his wife Canedy, played in the movie by Chanté Adams, keeps all the poignant letters in a book for their son. https://youtu.be/D3PbH8xYQY8 The trailer for Issa Rae’s new unscripted series “Sweet Life: Los Angels” has dropped, which centers on seven young, ambitious Black men and women in South LA. The show “gives an honest and unique look into what it means to be young, Black, and in constant pursuit of one’s dreams in the heart of South Los Angeles,” per its official description, as reported by TheWrap. “The series follows a group of young, strong-willed, ambitious Black friends showcasing their relatable, authentic and sometimes stumbling mid-20s moments as they embrace the joy and struggles of love and family, while building their careers as tastemakers and influencers in the city where they grew up.” The new 10-episode series premieres on HBO Max Thursday, Aug. 19, with its first three episodes. Three additional episodes will premiere each Thursday for the following two weeks, with the first season wrapping with a reunion special that launches Sept. 9. https://youtu.be/Djfe5K_ohsk The Television Academy has announced that next month’s Emmys ceremony will go down outside on the Event Deck at L.A. Live, next to the Microsoft Theater. The event is being held outdoors amid the alleged surge of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles. “The health and safety of our nominees is of paramount importance,” the Academy said in a statement, Variety reports. “Conversations are ongoing, and we will provide further information as it is available. The Television Academy appreciates everyone’s understanding as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 Delta variant.” Common is set to executive produce a new documentary series for OWN titled “Justice, USA.” Slated to premiere in 2022 on discovery+, “Justice, USA” is a comprehensive insider 360-degree view of the criminal justice system, per press release. “We knew from the start that ‘Justice, USA’ is a series that must be made and brought to viewers,” said OWN president Tina Perry. “What Mike, Common, Tamara, and Marshall are creating is a compelling and shockingly honest documentary that lays bare the often-ugly and unfortunate truth about the treatment of those most vulnerable by a complex and overburdened system that fails more than it succeeds.” A Black hair care company owned by two women has raised over a million dollars in funding that was backed by Google. Rachael Twumasi-Corson and Joycelyn Mate launched Afrocenchix in 2011 to deal with their hair issues — specifically alopecia. As reported by Black Enterprise, “the two women built Afrocenchix from the ground up, establishing themselves with their small customer base with products including its sulfate-free shampoo and a silicone-free conditioner,” the outlet writes. In June, after a decade of hard work, Afrocenchix raised $1.2 million in funding through Google’s Black Founders Fund. Additionally, Afrocenchix is the first Black-owned haircare company to have its products sold in Whole Foods UK. A Las Vegas “mother” who claimed she was facing eviction — prompting donors to pony up more than $200,000 — is just the babysitter of the three kids she identified as her children in a CNN report. Dasha Kelly, 32, ended up copping to CNN on Monday that she’s not the biological mother of the girls, ages 5, 6 and 8, who were featured alongside her in a segment last week on the federal eviction moratorium that had ended days earlier. CNN said Kelly’s story “generated a lot of interest” after its initial report, which featured video footage of her and the girls inside her home after the network found her online fundraiser seeking $1,900 to pay back rent. A black couple from Pennsylvania who adopted twin boys who are white have been accused of kidnapping their own kids — including by a woman who threatened to call the cops when their sons had a tantrum at a playground, according to a report. Jennifer McDuffie-Moore, 43, and her husband, Harry Moore, 37, took in 3-year-olds Brayden and Trevor as foster children after they were separated at birth from their biological mother, who suffered from drug addiction. Two years later, the Collingdale couple officially adopted the twins, who joined the couple’s biological children, Joy, 21, and Kourtney, 11, and their adoptive kids, Keenan, 10, and Sanchez, 8. A Black former shift supervisor at a Starbucks in Connecticut has sued the chain, claiming that it failed to protect him from a customer who attacked him with racial slurs. Dayshawn Rodriguez said in his complaint in the District of Connecticut court, first filed in May but revised in July, that he was repeatedly verbally harassed by a customer who called him a ‘n—–.’ Rodriguez said he worked at Starbucks for about five years. He said in his complaint that the customer was in the restroom for “quite some time” after he closed the store in Westport, Connecticut, on October 7, 2019. He said he knocked on the door to check on the customer and she came out, poked him in the chest, and said “don’t rush me n—–,” per the complaint. Rodriguez said he informed the store manager, who said that she would inform the district manager, but that “they did nothing to stop or address the conduct.” Veteran technology executive and Detroit native Stacy Brown-Philpot has joined the board of StockX LLC, one of the fastest growing tech companies in her hometown. Brown-Philpot, who last year stepped down from running San Francisco gig economy company TaskRabbit Inc., becomes the first female board member of StockX, an e-commerce reseller of sneakers, luxury goods and other lifestyle items. The company has been raking in venture capital largesse and is seen as a likely candidate for going public in the coming months. News of Brown-Philpot joining the StockX board was first reported Tuesday by Business Insider. That report, citing anonymous sources, said StockX will likely be going public early next year. A request to the United States Army for a correction to the military record of United States Colored Soldier Thomas Fraction, who fought for the Union during the Civil War, was granted on July 7th, 2021. Thomas was a Civil War soldier who fought alongside his brother Othello Fraction for the 40th U. S. Colored Infantry out of Tennessee after escaping from slavery in Blacksburg, Virginia. The brothers were two of at least four individuals enslaved on the Smithfield plantation who would escape to fight for the Union during the Civil War to gain their freedom. During his service, Thomas Fraction would grow in rank from Private to Sergeant (a rarity for Black soldiers and especially enslaved peoples at that time). During their service, Thomas and his brother were granted a 30-day furlough at which time they returned to the Smithfield plantation despite threats from their enslaver. Upon their return, Thomas was shot by his former enslaver, Confederate soldier Robert Preston, and then jailed. After learning of the events that happened to Thomas, the Union Army demoted Thomas from Sergeant to Private and dishonorably discharged him. Thomas would attempt to have his record corrected up until his death in Salem, Virginia in 1892. Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs (More Than a Fraction Foundation) petitioned the U.S. Army to review Thomas’ case and recognized the injustice that he experienced, and posthumously correct Thomas’ military records. Dr. Moseley-Hobbs is the 4th great-grand daughter of Thomas Fraction. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A picture is worth a thousand words, but this could be summed up with one. “Freedom,” said Gabrielle Faisal. Meet 9-year-old Gabrielle Faisal, the artist behind the picture that won The White House History Association’s National Student Art Competition. “The Black hands holding The White House, that means the enslaved Africans built the White House,” said Gabrielle Faisal. The young Detroiter explained the symbolism of her sketch starting with shackled hands and the red stripes representing the fight for freedom from enslavement. “The white stripes represent the purity of the struggle,” she said. “The blue means justice, and the white stars represent unity for all people.” Gabrielle was the first place winner in her age bracket. More than 500 students from across the country submitted their artwork that was judged for originality, interpretation and historical relevancy. A mother-daughter duo has taken their bond to the next level as they both serve in the Navy on the same ship with the same specialty. Master Chief Logistics Specialist Tonya McCray recently got the chance of a lifetime when her daughter, Logistics Specialist Seaman Racquel McCray, spent four weeks training aboard her ship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, according to Good Morning America. It was a special moment that had been years in the making, ever since Racquel, 25, decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps, GMA reported. “It was a great experience for me, even though it only lasted four weeks,” Racquel told the outlet. “I would have liked for it to be a little bit longer, but it was really nice to be able to see the benefits of all of [my mom’s] hard work, how people looked up to her and respected her.” “I was a proud mother,” added Tonya. “It just felt great to be able to share that experience with her, and also, just to see her hard work.” Growing up with two parents enlisted in the Navy, Racquel said she decided to also join the service when she turned 18, according to GMA. Former NBA standout JR Smith has enrolled at North Carolina A&T and intends to join the historically Black university’s men’s golf team if he gets cleared by the NCAA, the university confirmed on Wednesday. North Carolina A&T athletics spokesman Brian Holloway told ESPN that Smith is officially enrolled in the school and has petitioned the NCAA to be eligible to play. Smith’s clock to compete as a collegiate athlete has not yet started because he went to the NBA after high school. Athletes, in most cases, get five years to complete four years of eligibility. At the pro-am at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, Smith told reporters Wednesday he decided to go back to school after a conversation with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen. Ky’Wuan Dukes, a freshman wide receiver for Johnson C. Smith University, has become the first HBCU athlete to sign an endorsement deal, inking a deal with Bojangles. The redshirt freshman and a bevy of other college athletes are benefitting from the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) ruling to allow student-athletes to profit off their names, images, and likeness (NIL). The ruling, which went into effect July 1, allows student-athletes to hire agents and sign endorsement deals with a host of companies to profit off their abilities while playing sports in college. Before this rule change, the NCAA constantly made the argument that a free education was enough. Dukes told Afrotech the rule gives student-athletes a chance to start their futures, which may not include pro sports. “It’s already hard for us as it is,” Dukes said about being an HBCU student-athlete. “I’m glad we get that rule because… we are able to promote ourselves for marketing and be introduced to things we’ve never really seen.” Jeopardy! producer Mike Richards and former “Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik have been named the hosts of the long-running game show.? Richards will be the full-time host of the weekday syndicated version of the show, while Bialik will host special primetime editions. ?“We took this decision incredibly seriously. A tremendous amount of work and deliberation has gone into it, perhaps more than has ever gone into the selection of hosts for a show – deservedly so because it’s ‘Jeopardy!’ and we are following the incomparable Alex Trebek,” Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Sony Pictures added. Journalist and activist Shaun King on Wednesday announced his plans to start a new fashion company and offered his millions of Instagram followers the chance to buy exclusive merchandise when it officially launches next month. But even though King said the fashion company had been something that had been in the works for a while now, the announcement was immediately met with skepticism as a chorus of people calling the endeavor a “scam” rippled across social media timelines. Without providing an image to show what the t-shirts and hoodies King was advertising might look like, he asked his nearly 4 million followers to also follow the new Instagram account of the new fashion company, A Real One, which is scheduled to debut on Sept. 8. Respect” hits theaters on Friday, and anticipation for the large-scale biopic of Aretha Franklin’s life is high. From the fabulous furs Aretha was known to wear to the songs that shifted the culture and the talented ensemble cast, we have high hopes for the musical drama. The cast of “Respect” consists of extraordinary actors and actresses. Academy Award-winner singer-turned-actress Jennifer Hudson plays Aretha Franklin herself. If you’ve followed Jennifer’s career, you would know that it stands on the foundation of Aretha’s work. Jennifer has expressed many times how obsessed she is with Aretha Franklin and to play the Queen of Soul in a movie will probably be one of the highlights of her career. Also starring in Respect is Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, and Mary J. Blige to name a few. I got the exciting chance to chat with Marlon Wayans on his crucial role as Aretha’s first husband and manager, Ted White. As portrayed in the film, Ted White was an abusive and controlling man who wanted to dictate Aretha’s career – and this is a far cry from the comedic roles Marlon is known for playing. As music festivals, concerts and other large gatherings planned for the fall begin to get canceled over concerns about the COVID-19 delta variant spreading, the infamous FreakNik event is still expected to go on as scheduled in Atlanta. The annual gathering that invites historically Black college and university (HBCU) students to party in Atlanta over the course of several days rose in popularity — and notoriety — in the 1990s and quickly gained a reputation for its salacious revelers whose exploits correlated with the derivative of the event’s name (even though “freak” is supposed to be an acronym for “fearlessly reliving & embracing Atlanta’s kulture”). As of Wednesday, tickets remained on sale for this year’s FreakNik, which is scheduled to be held on the campus of Morris Brown College — an HBCU — from Oct. 8 to 10. August 12, 2021 - The season finale of CLEO TV's popular home design series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ concludes with an amazing episode this Saturday, August 14th at 9 p.m. ET/8C. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcHqPiIuvfo Chicago Police officers gave Mayor Lori Lightfoot the cold shoulder when she approached them in a hospital following the shooting of two officers on Saturday night. About 30 Chicago police officers reportedly turned their backs on Lightfoot when she stepped off the elevator to greet them at the University of Chicago Medical Center. The CPD is grieving the loss of Officer Ella French, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Saturday night. Her partner was critically injured and he continues to fight for his life at the hospital. When Lightfoot approached the officers on the 7th floor of the hospital hours after the shooting, they “did the about-face,” the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “It looked like it had been choreographed,” a source told the newspaper. Senator Cory Booker jolted everyone awake on the Senate floor Tuesday when he literally shouted a deliberately over-the-top endorsement of a GOP proposal against defunding the police, attempting to “put to bed” their insistence that all Democrats want to abolish all police departments. He then urged his fellow senators to “sashay” down to vote for Tuberville’s non-binding amendment, which will “put to rest the lies.” He added that he was “sure I will see no political ads attacking anybody here over defund the police.” Booker continued: “I would ask unanimous consent to add something else to this obvious bill. Can we add also that every senator here wants to defund the police, believes in God, country and apple pie?” https://twitter.com/i/status/1425248064177115137 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones has made clear that she is not down with a tech startup firm that is financially backed by Jay-Z and Will Smith. Landis Technologies, founded by Cyril Berdugo and Tom Petit, aims to help low-income renters own a home. Bloomberg writes, “The company purchases a house and rents it to the client until they can qualify for a mortgage. The client can buy it back at a predetermined price up to two years after the initial acquisition.” Hannah-Jones views the startup firm as “predatory.” “Credit counseling is not what will take low-income renters to homeowners, wealth will,” Hannah-Jones said in a tweet posted earlier this month. She added, “All this program does is charge struggling people additional fees for being poor, which is what every other predatory lender does.” The family of the Brooklyn mother who was killed by a female shooter in a heinous act that was caught-on-video says the murderer was a family friend. A NYC surveillance video shows the disturbing footage of the victim being executed on a crowded street in Crown Heights. A woman quickly approached the victim, identified as Delia Johnson, and then shot her in the back of the head and again in her leg as she collapsed. The shooter quickly ran for cover and left the scene in a white SUV. Police believe the murder was premeditated, as an unreleased extended video shows the suspect hanging around the area long before the shooting and her being handed something by a male behind her back before Delia’s slaying. Reverend Al Sharpton has revealed that top Democrats in New York have hit him up about running for governor in 2022 amid Governor Andrew Cuomo’s sexual misconduct controversy. “It’s going to be very difficult for the governor to stay in, and I think it’s going to open up the primary season early,” Sharpton told The New York Times. According to the report, Sharpton has been approached by associates of state Attorney General Letitia James, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Rep. Thomas Suozzi to run in next year’s race. Cuomo will leave office on August 24, 2021. https://youtu.be/79jy3hJmv9A Incarcerated rapper Corey Miller — known as C-Murder — has added civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump to his legal team. Miller is serving life in prison for the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Steve Thomas in 2009. He appealed after one of the jurors, Mary Jacob, revealed she (and other jurors) received “brutal” pressure to vote guilty. But his murder conviction was upheld by the court. Kenneth Jordan, a key witness in trial, filed a sworn affidavit, in 2018 stating, “I know the individual that I saw shoot the gun was not Corey Miller.” Jordan says Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives pressured him to lie under oath, or else he would face a 10-year sentence on unrelated criminal charges. Kenya Moore has officially filed for divorce from Marc Daly after years of trying to make her long-distance marriage work. The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star, 50, filed to end her marriage in Fulton County, Georgia, in May, PEOPLE reports. In the filing, Moore said that the marriage is “irretrievably broken” and that she and Daly had been living in a “bonafide state of separation” since September 2019, according to court documents obtained by Radar Online. Moore wants sole physical and legal custody of their daughter 2-year-old Brooklyn. The reality star also claimed “the parties have acquired other joint personal property as a result of their marriage by way of gifts or joint purchases which must be equitably divided as well as marital debt which must be equitably divided,” per Radar. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, showed reporters his reaction to finding out that he caught the deadly virus twice in eight months. He also revealed that his stance on the vaccine has not changed, and that he’s still researching the particulars. “I just got off the COVID list,” Jackson said after Monday’s practice when asked if he would get the vaccine. “I got to talk to my team about this and see how they feel about it. Keep learning as much as I can about it. We’ll go from there.” Does that mean he’s thinking about getting vaccinated? “We’ll see,” Jackson said. “Talking to the doctors. We’ll see.” Los Angeles Clippers have officially announced the signing of rookie guard Brandon Boston Jr. Boston has signed his first professional contract, which is reportedly a two-year deal worth $2.5 of guaranteed money, as reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal also includes a third-year team option. Boston inking a guaranteed second-round deal is huge, as these deals typically have very little guaranteed money, if any at all. It appears that the cancel culture movement has decided DaBaby’s career is over after he went on a homophobic rant at Rolling Loud music festival in Miami last month. After being dropped from a series of festivals, the rapper Jonathan Kirk, issued a formal apology to the LGBTQ community that he posted to his IG page last week –now that statement had been deleted. DaBaby caught major heat after spewing anti-HIV and anti-LGBT+ comments, causing him to lose lucrative gigs including the Governors Ball, Parklife, Day N Vegas, ACL Fest, and the iHeartRadio Music Festival, among others. The beloved Chadwick Boseman, whose untimely death left his fans devastated, will be heard in his last performance as Black Panther (T’Challa) beginning August 11 on Disney+. Boseman’s final performance as T’Challa can be seen in Marvel Studios’ animated series “What If…?”, directed by Bryan Andrews. Boseman recorded his lines for the series before his passing last year. He was among the first actors to sign onto the series featuring the voices of more than 50 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) cast members. https://youtu.be/x9D0uUKJ5KI Lizzo briefly ditched her music career and turned into an extreme exhibitionist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it seems she’s ready to return to her roots. Lizzo briefly ditched her music career and turned into an extreme exhibitionist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it seems she’s ready to return to her roots. https://youtu.be/omLfVJ_GemU Due to the COVID pandemic, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Foundation will not host a live induction ceremony honoring its 2021 class. In a statement, Founder/CEO LaMont Robinson said, “the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame will replace the live annual induction ceremony with a special online salute posthumously honoring 21 R&B Music Icons on its official website @ www.rbhof.com.” The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame 21 Inductees For The Class of 2021: Luther Vandross-Singer , Natalie Cole-Singer , Barry White-Singer, Bobby “Blue” Bland-Blues Singer, Ben E. King-Singer, Teddy Pendergrass-Singer, Billy Stewart-Singer, Percy Sledge-Singer, Norman Whitfield-Songwriter Producer, Danny Ray-MC, Johnny Lee Hooker-Blues Singer, Lou Rawls-Singer, Nina Simone-Singer, Dobie Gray-Singer, Donny Hathaway-Singer, Big Joe Turner-Singer, Little Walter-Blues Musician, Johnny “Guitar” Watson-Singer, Donna Summer-Singer, Dewey Phillips-Radio Personality and Harold Leonard-Radio Personality. The drama between Erica Mena and Safaree Samuels doesn’t look like it will end anytime soon. Safaree Samuels filed legal documents back in May alleging that Erica Mena damaged numerous expensive items while in a fit of rage. Safaree Samuels claims Erica Mena destroyed $30,000 worth of custom sneakers when she was 8 months pregnant with their second child together. Additionally, he says she severely damaged three of his motorbikes by pouring paint all over them–including within the exhaust pipes. As a result, he wants her to reimburse him about $50,000. An all-new episode of WE tv’s new series “Brat Loves Judy” returns this week with Da rat and Judy visiting Judy’s new warehouse! Elsewhere in the week’s episode, Brat and Judy’s relationship begins to crack when Brat’s friends Montana and Rhonda face divorce. Brat plans a surprise, and Judy drops a bomb that Deja’s moving in. With a secret proposal underway, Judy worries she bit off more than she can chew. https://youtu.be/BlpyFe35GtI Carl Black (Mike Epps) is about to face off with the neighbor from hell (Katt Williams) in The House Next Door. Carl has only ever wanted the best for his family, but after surviving the events that led to his (not-so-)bestselling book, he’s moving everyone to his childhood home, where’s he’ll contend not only with his wife Lorene (Zulay Henao) and kids Allie (Bresha Webb) and Carl Jr. (Alex Henderson) but everyone who drives him crazy: Cronut (Lil Duval), Freezee (Andrew Bachelor), Rico (Tyrin Turner), and an entire neighborhood of characters who seem to attract strange activity after dark. And nothing could be freakier than his new neighbor Dr. Mamuwalde (Williams), who may or may not be a vampire. From co-writer/director Deon Taylor (Fatale, The Intruder), as the Meet the Blacks universe expands, it will be up to Carl to figure out what his neighbor is up to in the middle of the night before it’s too late for him and his family. https://youtu.be/hb8rhSzSxRs Hulu has dropped the first trailer for the upcoming drama “Dopesick,” which deep dives into America’s opioid epidemic. Michael Keaton stars in the series, and also serves as executive producer. The teaser trailer premiered Friday during the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour. As reported by PEOPLE, the eight-episode miniseries, created by Danny Strong, is based on the book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1423738839634485253 Batman’s sidekick Tim Drake, aka Robin, came out as bisexual in the latest comic series, “Batman: Urban Legends,” and DC Comics fans are celebrating online. As Yahoo News notes, Drake first appeared in comics in 1989 and is the third character to assume the role of Batman’s partner Robin. Although the character has been shown dating women before, in the sixth installment of the comic book that dropped Tuesday, it was confirmed that he is also open to dating men. The story ended with Tim saying yes to going on a date with a guy named Bernard Dowd. Following the big news, fans took to social media to react. One comic fan wrote, “Crazy thing, I saw Tim DRAKE coming out, years ago.. congrats to DC for making it a reality.” Socialites, are you here for this too? Idris Elba will be joining the Sonic The Hedgehog film sequel as he is listed to play Knuckles. Knuckles, the red Echidna who guarded the Master Emerald in the video games franchise, will be joining Sonic on a new adventure in the film’s sequel. The news was officially confirmed by Elba on an Instagram post with a picture of Knuckle’s infamous spiked glove with the caption “Knock Knock… #SonicMovie2 #Knuckles.” According to Deadline, Elba will be joining as the latest cast member to the film with Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz,James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, and Natasha Rothwell. The film is expected to be released on April 20, 2022. Quentin Tarantino made a childhood promise to himself that once he made it big in Hollywood, he wouldn’t give a penny of his fortune to his mother. Speaking to The Moment podcast with “Billions” co-creator Brian Koppelman, the “Pulp Fiction” director noted that his mother tried to crush filmmaking aspirations at a young age, per Yahoo News. Tarantino said he was often reprimanded by teachers for writing scripts in class, and when his mother found out about it, she snapped. “My mom always had a hard time about my scholastic non-ability,” he told Koppelman, adding that his mom “was bitching at me about [writing screenplays]… and then in the middle of her little tirade, she said, ‘Oh, and by the way, this little ‘writing career,’ with the finger quotes and everything. This little ‘writing career’ that you’re doing? That s— is over.'” He continued, “When she said that to me in that sarcastic way, I go, ‘Okay lady, when I become a successful writer, you will never see one penny one from my success. There will be no house for you. There’s no vacation for you, no Elvis Cadillac for mommy. You get nothing. Because you said that.’ “ Tarantino went on to say that the only time he helped his mother out financially was when she got into a jam with the IRS. Heavy flash-flooding after a storm in Omaha, Neb., led to a horrifying moment for one group of people that got stuck in a flooded elevator at the city’s Old Market Lofts. Out of nowhere, water rushed inside, and the three people inside became trapped as the water rose to their necks. Thankfully, they were able to call for help. Some other tenants in the building rushed to their aid, pried the elevator’s door open and let the water rush out. There were no injuries. Tony Luu, one of the three people in the elevator, spoke with Inside Edition about the ordeal. https://youtu.be/r42Lvvx85Xg Lionel Messi joined star-packed Paris St Germain on Tuesday after leaving Barcelona, the club where he had begun and expected to end his career. Paris St.-Germain, the French soccer powerhouse bankrolled by the state of Qatar, has agreed to sign Lionel Messi, the Argentine star who is one of the best players of his or any generation. The agreement, for two seasons plus an option year, comes days after Messi bid a tearful farewell to F.C. Barcelona, the club where he had spent his entire professional career. It concluded a brief and exclusive bidding war for Messi and added unmatched star power to the roster of P.S.G., a superteam that has become a fixture in the late stages of Europe’s Champions League, the world’s richest soccer competition. Omarosa Manigault Newman is set to return to reality TV when she appears on “Big Brother VIP” later this year. Omarosa is allegedly being paid $450,000 for her participation, per The Jasmine Brand. The former Trump aide “will appear at the Big Brother house as an intruder, arriving later than the other contestants,” the outlet writes. Omarosa’s “Big Brother VIP” co-star Caitlyn Jenner is reportedly being paid $500,000 to appear on the popular series. In early 2000, Netflix founders offered to sell the company to Blockbuster for $50 million. The heads of Blockbuster turned them down. Eventually, Netflix triumphed over Blockbuster. Now in 2021, Amazon’s refusal to purchase a Black run digital publishing platform, SMS Novel Interactive, seems to be making a similar mistake. But unlike Blockbuster, Amazon far from the threat of extinction, with the non-move, is quickly becoming more irrelevant in the economic arena of racial equality for Black entrepreneurs. And now some Black authors are considering pulling their books from the platform. Most small businesses now accept that Amazon will always be a competitor to their business. But the savvy owners have sought to make use of the platform by taking advantage of its drop shipping, merchant accounts, and near-instant delivery. But there is a growing segment of small businesses that believe that Amazon could do more as it comes to accepting Black businesses with the goal of racial equality. “I do bands and solo,” said Rock/Pop singer/guitarist Lisa Bouchelle about her solo release “Jump In,” hitting stores August 27, 2021. “It has an empowering and uplifting vibe.” Lisa said the content of “Jump In” says, “Life is not perfect, but will work out.” She added, “I watched that from my parents. They did not have a lot of money, but things worked out. They made lemonade from lemons.” Bouchelle is a veteran musician, acoustic guitar, on the New Jersey circuit. Though considered a Rock/Pop artist Lisa is known for her soulful vocals. As a musician, she has shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Meat Loaf. https://youtu.be/iT6JWzSDJY8 An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Love After Lockup” returns this week with Nicolle getting drinks with her ex Tia. What will she get herself into? Elsewhere in the week’s episode, Nicolle risks all with a sexy night out behind Daonte’s back. Jeff’s spending spree shocks Anissa, but a secret changes everything. Doug’s surprise stuns Rachel. Lisa’s big demand sparks tension with Stan. Ray’s family grills Britney. https://youtu.be/gXxWkHWUakI Halle Berry broke 2 ribs while filming her directorial debut “Bruised,” but refused to halt production. Berry is starring in and making her directorial debut with the project, about a mixed martial arts fighter struggling to rebuild her life, PEOPLE reported. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the film, Berry said the biggest challenge was working with two broken ribs. “[It was] kind of a crazy injury,” said choreographer and stunt coordinator Eric Brown.”But that was just her intensity… Halle’s a special case. I’ve worked with tons of actors, and almost none of them have that kind of work ethic.” https://t.co/t2Ieg3Jpxv?amp=1 Beyoncé shares her struggles with insomnia, dieting, and the importance of mental and physical health for Harper’s Bazaar’s September 2021 issue. “I think like many women, I have felt the pressure of being the backbone of my family and my company and didn’t realize how much that takes a toll on my mental and physical well-being,” she tells the publication. “I have not always made myself a priority.” Bey, who turns 40 next month, continued, “I’ve personally struggled with insomnia from touring for more than half of my life. Years of wear and tear on my muscles from dancing in heels. The stress on my hair and skin, from sprays and dyes to the heat of a curling iron and wearing heavy makeup while sweating on stage.” The global superstar told Harper’s Bazaar that she used to struggle with her body image. Just shortly after Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher admitted they wait until they see “dirt” on their kids before bathing, another big star, Kristen Bell, is also revealing why she too does not bathe her kids regularly. Bell joined her husband Dax Shepard on The View last week, where the couple shared that they’re not big fans of bathing their kids every night. Bell explained that she’s “a big fan of waiting for the stink. Once you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s way of letting you know you need to clean it up. There’s a red flag. Honestly, it’s just bacteria; once you get bacteria you gotta be like, ‘Get in the tub or the shower.’” Shepard told The View hosts that they used to bathe their 6 and 8-year-old daily as part of a nighttime routine, but then that shifted. Brian Courtney Wilson, renowned singer-songwriter, adds to his list of accolades receiving a GMA Dove Award nomination for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year announced today. Wilson earns a nomination this year for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for his acclaimed album STILL. This is Wilson's sixth GMA Dove Award nomination, and he previously won in 2015 for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year for his breakthrough LP "Worth Fighting For." Fortunately for New York and the nation, Andrew Cuomo is no Donald Trump, even though he tried to be. The bottom line is that on Tuesday, the governor of New York announced plans to resign. That’s something Trump would have never done. “My resignation will be effective in 14 days,” Cuomo said in a livestream. Interestingly, Cuomo’s speech started out with another denial of the allegations against him, but he apologized for offending women with his “outdated” behavior. The governor’s decision to step down comes after independent investigators for the state’s attorney general office found that he sexually harassed multiple female members of his staff. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced her office’s findings last Tuesday. https://youtu.be/79jy3hJmv9A Rumored to be the new Republican dark horse, Sen. Tim Scott could be making a play for the party’s top slot in 2024. According to Politico, GOP mega-donors could be eye-ing Scott as a potential investment. With 2022 midterms around the corner, there’s no guarantee Scott is even considering a presidential run. But the junior Senator from South Carolina is lining up donors that could signal a power play in the future. As much as southern Republicans like to fearmonger about out-of-state liberal money, they have no problem chasing out-of-state donors of their own. Scott reportedly met with Larry Ellison in Hawaii. The billionaire co-founder of Oracle, Ellison, has donated millions to a Super PAC supporting Scott’s interest. Another billionaire donor, Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, donated $1 million to the Scott Super PAC. News sources are reporting that the baseball fan at a Colorado Rockies game on Sunday accused of repeatedly yelling the N-word to a Black player at-bat was instead actually shouting out the name of the team mascot. It was a strange twist of fate following widespread outrage by everybody from the sports announcers calling the game to viewers alike who all swore they heard the fan say the N-word. Repeated listens to the audio sounds very similar to hearing the N-word. The issue became a top trending topic on Twitter Sunday afternoon after what seemed to be a shameless example of anti-Black racism displayed during a Major League Baseball (MLB) game. It came weeks after MLB’s decision-makers announced the leagues’ new plan to attract more Black players. The incident during the game between the Marlins and the Rockies came in the 9th inning as Brinson was batting at Coors Field in Denver. As a hush fell over the crowd, one voice rose above to repeatedly shout the N-word; or, so what seemed like everybody thought. https://youtu.be/DPSxq37-j7s Critical Race Theory has become a heated topic across the U.S. in the last year. Three states including Oklahoma, Tennessee and Idaho have officially banned the controversial curriculum from public schools. Why is it causing such a stir and what is Critical Race Theory (CRT) anyway? One summer school program is looking to dive deeper into the history of the academic movement. The African American Policy Forum is scheduled to host a five-day course on Critical Race Theory that will feature a number of critical race experts from law, policy, and community organizing backgrounds who will present a foray of different ideas on the topic. The program aims to open up a constructive dialogue on how the movement can help shape a more multi-cultural democracy within the United States social justice system. Leading CRT scholar Kimberle Crenshaw took to Twitter on Thursday to announce her excitement for the course. It’s been a little over a month since news quietly broke of Alexi McCammond rejoining Axios as a national political reporter. And she is making the most of her second act as a political journalist covering the progressive movement and, more broadly, the 2022 midterm election. An internal memo obtained by The Washingtonian framed the re-hiring of McCammond as welcoming a valued colleague back to the team. Axios editor-in-chief Nick Johnston said there were no excusing McCammond’s old tweets but put them in the context of her time at Axios. According to Johnston, the controversial tweets first surfaced in 2019 after McCammond challenged Charles Barkley, saying his misogynistic commentary was not funny. “In response, online trolls dredged up some racist tweets by Lexi from when she was in college,” Johnston explained. “Lexi apologized, in public and in person, during a news meeting, and individually to colleagues. She proved in her words and actions to be a thoughtful colleague.” But those tweets resurfaced again when McCammond was announced as the new head of Teen Vogue amid reports of rising acts of violence against Asians. Only the Teen Vogue staff, Condé Nast management, and McCammond know what happened in those tense moments. Ericka Lotts waited three months for a jury to tell her what she always believed — that her first-born child, Derontae Martin, did not fatally shoot himself at a house party in rural Missouri. On April 25, her son was found unconscious in an attic closet, dead from a gunshot wound to his left temple. Martin was at the home of a white man who has posted racist memes on social media, which NBC News has viewed. Lotts, 37, said authorities concluded the 19-year-old Black man died by suicide and repeatedly told her she was in denial about the nature of her son’s death. Lotts felt publicly vindicated on July 30 after a jury of six ruled during a coroner’s inquest hearing that Martin was killed by violence. “I already knew he was killed violently; it wasn’t a shock to me,” Lotts said last Thursday. “I was just happy they let it be known that somebody needs to speak up and let these people pay for what they did.” A man was sentenced Monday to up to 10 years in prison for shooting into a car full of Black teenage girls following an Iowa rally for then-President Donald Trump, injuring one girl. Michael McKinney, 26, of St. Charles, pleaded guilty in June to intimidation with a dangerous weapon and willful injury in the Dec. 6 shooting after a rally in Des Moines near the state Capitol, reports The Associated Press. https://youtu.be/N5VqLNMOiTo The Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report for July, released last week, showed a continuation of the steady economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for most demographic groups in the U.S.—but not Black teenagers, for whom the unemployment rate increased from 9.3% in June to 13.3% in July. Nationally, 943,000 jobs were added last month, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.5 percentage points, to 5.4%. While July’s job increase is promising, the number of people who are not in the labor force but who currently want a job is at 6.5 million—up from 6.4 million in June and 1.5 million higher than in February 2020. These people are not counted in the unemployment rate because they had not actively looked for work within the last four weeks or were unavailable to take a job. As the recovery continues, we would expect the labor force participation rate to increase. Juvenile justice reform is one of the hottest topics in America today, and no piece of the puzzle is less understood than the work of the professional probation officers who supervise and rehabilitate kids who have lost their way. “In Their Own Words,” an original documentary short, features former probation clients who reflect upon how their probation officers helped to change their lives. The landmark film premiered virtually on July 13, 2021, and it included a panel discussion with former probation clients and the officers who have committed their lives to helping them. https://youtu.be/QQgsiybwQaQ?list=PLEnJPTWSmKAhSituyiV-LBGDCLDIeCem1 Four Virginia State University buildings originally named for white men with ties to the Confederacy and Jim Crow have been renamed for Black women, ending a process of examination that began five months ago when the university took down the original titles. VSU announced the new names on Friday, in the latest move by a Virginia college to rid itself of references to slavery and segregation. Earlier this year, James Madison University and the College of William & Mary chose new names for buildings whose eponyms were supporters of the Confederacy. At the University of Richmond, a committee has been assembled to review the names of two campus buildings that honor an enslaver and a supporter of segregation. The university initially decided to keep the names standing, but protests from faculty and students led UR to revise its decision. When VSU decided it wanted its new names to recognize Black women, it quickly found four worth honoring. The co-founder and senior pastor of the global megachurch Hillsong has been charged by the Australian police with concealing the crimes of his father. Brian Houston, 67, is said to have remained mum about the child sexual abuse carried out by his father, Frank Houston, in the 1970s. Australian police alleged that Houston, who is usually based in Sydney, “knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s and failed to bring that information to the attention of police.” Houston has denied the accusations, and an email statement from his church said: “These charges have come as a shock to me given how transparent I’ve always been about this matter. I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.” The Grammy® Award nominated gospel act, Anthony Brown & group therAPy, has scored their fourth No. 1 Gospel Airplay hit with the heart-wrenching ballad, “Help” from their digital EP, Stuck in the House: The Pandemic Project. The song tops the chart for the week ending August 14, 2021, and it also holds the top spot on the Mediabase Gospel Airplay charts too. the Gospel Spotlight's Anthony Brown In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm Carl “Chucky” Thompson, a music producer who helmed hits for artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige, has died. He was 53. Thompson’s publicist Tamar Juda confirmed the news in a statement to USA TODAY on Monday. She did not disclose his cause of death. “It is with a very heavy heart that I can confirm the passing of Chucky Thompson,” she wrote. “To anyone in his orbit, you know how generous he was with his energy, creativity and love. Both the music industry, and the world has lost a titan.” Audio engineer Gimel Androus Keaton, better known by his stage name Young Guru, mourned Thompson on Instagram Monday. “There is nothing I can write that will take away this pain,” Keaton wrote, along with a photo of him with Thompson. “I have to say RIP to my mentor, my big brother, the man who changed my life forever.” Former America’s Got Talent contestant Nightbirde, who earned a Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell before dropping out of the competition show due to her battle with cancer, has updated fans on the ‘devastating’ news she received about her health and her deteriorating condition. Jane Marczewski, who goes by the stage name Nightbirde, amazed the America’s Got Talent judges and viewers alike when she performed a poignant original song for her audition in June — but less than two months later, she stunned everyone again by announcing that she had to quit because her cancer had ‘taken a turn for the worse.’ Now speaking to CNN‘s Chris Cuomo, Marczewski revealed that her liver is now ‘more cancer than liver’ and admitted she’s had a ‘bad, bad month’ since she got the news. https://youtu.be/cWzTmYjZQtE Capturing the story of Kevin Young, Olympian and World Record Holder of the Men’s 400 Meter hurdles for nearly 29 years is quite typical of an American story where a guy from the neighborhood works hard, pushes his limits and becomes a world champ. The 46.78 Olympic record set on August 6, 1992 in Barcelona, Spain, which shattered Edwin Moses’ long standing record of 47.02 has now been shadowed by the outstanding performances of Karsten Warholm from Norway at 45.94, Rai Benjamin from the USA at 46.17 and Alison dos Santos from Brazil at 46.72. Then there was the breaking of the world record on July 1st by Warholm at the Bislettt Stadium in Oslo, Norway when he finished the hurdles event at 46.70. The champion from the USA who has held the throne of the 400 meter hurdles for so long now takes another rank in history. Of course Kevin Young’s story is not an anomaly, records are made to be broken and on August 2nd 2021 during the XXXII Olympiad Warhlom hurdled to victory. This was Kevin Young’s first response: “I had a great run. I have no regrets.” An impromptu moment between a street performer and member of the crowd has gone viral on TikTok with over 2 million views as of Monday morning. The clip begins with a Black musician plucking out a blues tune on guitar, with a white teen standing next to him, awkwardly trying to figure out when to begin singing. “I’m waiting on you,” the musician said before giving him the first line to sing. The teen delivered the line with as much blue-eyed soul as he could muster, shocking the musician and everyone within earshot. https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, August 12 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, experts recount the brutal murder of community activist Shawntray Grant. Various investigators, community leaders and family members provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/embed/2uE2w5TMN7Y TV One’s original, autobiographical series UNCENSORED returns for a star-studded, new season premiering on Sunday, August 29 at 10 PM ET/9C. The edgy, docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities including super producer Swizz Beatz, classically trained actress-singer Loretta Devine, standup comedian-actor Tommy Davidson, Grammy Award-Winning vocalist BeBe Winans, comedian-actress Kym Whitley and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkgilcMbbjA “High on the Hog” has been renewed for a second season at Netflix. Netflix has ordered a second season of “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” the critically acclaimed series that celebrates the courage, artistry and resourcefulness of African Americans that helped define the American kitchen. The series is based on the foundational book of the same name by food historian Jessica B. Harris. The first season, now streaming on Netflix is a four-part series that travels to Benin, West Africa, as well as around the United States, from South Carolina to Texas, Philadelphia and New York. In doing so, the show reveals stories behind the food of the African American table and its relationship to Black history. Sommelier Stephen Satterfield hosts. Shelly Bell’s company was hatched in an ordinary home in southeast Washington, D.C., five years ago, when friends contemplated the lack of opportunity and access for Black female entrepreneurs. After deciding to pitch ideas for businesses to one another, they threw their cash in a pot and voted for the winning idea by placing marbles in coffee mugs. Black Girl Ventures was the winner that evening, and it has been supporting business enterprises by Black women with money, resources, community connections and other means to launch and succeed. On Friday, Bell’s company was on the receiving end, as it was among 22 organizations that split $6 million in grants from the NBA Foundation, started a year ago to support businesses that focus on creating jobs and driving economic empowerment for Black youth and business owners. “This is a situation where the NBA is putting its money where its mouth is,” said Bell, whose company funds and assists businesses owned by Black women that have generated under $1 million. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. plans to invest $100 million into Black and African American communities in an effort to address inequality and the racial wealth gap. Northwestern Mutual said Tuesday it has created a new $100 million impact investing fund through its initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. The new fund will direct investments in the Milwaukee area and nationally with a focus on three areas: physical and social infrastructure, access to capital for individuals and businesses, and healthy sustainable neighborhoods and communities. The idea is to use the company’s investment expertise and scale to address inequality, said Ray Manista, executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer at Northwestern Mutual. “We don’t believe that impact investing and positive returns for our policy owners are mutually exclusive,” Manista said. “We believe that those things can coexist.” “Bear with me. I’ll be with you in a minute,” Sharon Freshwater, co-owner of Freshwaters Restaurant, said as new customers walked through the door. As a pandemic-related labor shortage drags on, Freshwater and her husband, Cliff Freshwater, are working as a two-person staff to keep their business afloat. While Sharon serves customers in the dining room, her husband cooks food in the kitchen. At Lulu’s Maryland Style Chicken and Seafood, known for its signature crab cakes, co-owner Joseph “Jay” Davis is wrestling with another pandemic-related problem — sporadic shortages of meat. “We don’t have a lot of what our most recognizable dishes are because we don’t know when crab meat is going to come in and when we are going to have it,” he said. In addition to struggling with food and labor shortages, some owners, like Sharon and Cliff Freshwater, said customers have been slow to return. The longtime leader of Utah’s most prominent Black Lives Matter group resigned Sunday and has moved to another state because of death threats. Lex Scott began protesting as part of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, after Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Mo. She helped bring that movement to Utah, she said in an emotional goodbye video on a Black Lives Matter Facebook page. “I gave it 110 [percent], guys. I gave it 110,” Scott said through tears. “I gave it everything.” But, she said in a statement about her departure, “over the last month you know that I received death threats like a flood.” Scott and her group were targeted after she said the American flag was “symbol of hatred” and anyone who flies it “a racist.” It's one of those buildings we pass by, but don’t necessarily see, history is quietly simmering. “Long time coming,” Minneapolis firefighter Charles Rucker says, emerging from his car in his dress uniform. Rucker joins a dozen other Black firefighters who will walk the halls and climb the old staircases of the building at 45th Street and Hiawatha Avenue. “That’s all original,” the building’s owner, John Bean, repeatedly says during the tour. More than a century has passed since the building the firefighters are seeing for the first time, opened as Minneapolis’ first, and ultimately only, all-Black fire station. https://www.kare11.com/video/features/firefighters-emotional-after-touring-largely-forgotten-all-black-minneapolis-fire-station/89-d6f34568-ac2a-4fe3-837b-d44f42d520e5?jwsource=cl The predominantly Black neighborhood of Black Bottom in Detroit was demolished in the late 1950s to 1960s, later replaced with the Lafayette Park residential district and Interstate 375. More than half a century after its demise, the neighborhood’s rich history has been immortalized with a new historical marker. “Every long-time family in the city has heard from their parents about Black Bottom, about Paradise Valley, about the history of this city and their family. So much of what we have today came this area,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. Shevrin Jones, a Florida state senator who represents South Broward, said a baggage issue Monday resulted in racist treatment from a Delta Air Lines employee at Orlando International Airport. Jones, a Democrat, is Black. He said the Delta employee is white. “So, here’s my thing: I try my best not to automatically jump to the extreme of calling anybody a racist or all that other stuff,” Jones said Monday afternoon in a telephone interview. “But the unfortunate part here is given the nature of how she responded to me at the moment, it was blatant,” Jones said. “No one should be treated in that manner. Nobody.” Jones posted about the incident on Twitter. He said he didn’t have any video or pictures of what transpired, though he said in hindsight he “should have recorded” what was occurring. He said a Delta supervisor, after hearing his explanation of what happened, apologized. “The supervisor put her head down and said, ‘Oh my God. Unbelievable.’” Paul McLemore’s phone rang at about 2 a.m. on July 14, 1967, jolting him and his wife from sleep. A voice tore through the line: You’re going to Newark. Bring your riot gear. A few hours later, McLemore, the first Black state trooper in New Jersey history, was crammed into the back of a black-and-white, charging up the New Jersey Turnpike in a convoy of police cruisers carrying men who meant to end the chaos that had engulfed the state’s largest city. The other troopers — all white — were giddy with excitement, he recalled decades later. They thought they were heading to war. McLemore felt something else as he gazed out the window and watched an orange glow rise from the torched city, a modern Troy along the Passaic River. Fear. “I was saying to myself, ‘Oh [expletive], what are we getting into here?” McLemore said. “I was praying.” That was just over 54 years ago. But McLemore, now an 83-year-old retired municipal judge, can recall every minute of the Brick City odyssey that changed his life. When he finally returned to his West Trenton home 10 days later — “dirty, stinking, unshaven and angry” — he was irrevocably changed. The Denver Broncos have named their season-long diversity coaching internship the Marlin Briscoe Diversity Coaching Fellowship, the team announced Tuesday. “I feel very humbled,” Briscoe said. “It’s a great honor to be recognized after all these years.” Briscoe made pro football history in 1968 when he became the first Black quarterback in the Super Bowl era. Nicknamed “the Magician,” Briscoe was drafted in the 14th round by the Broncos and switched positions from defensive back to quarterback where he played 11 games that season. In five starts he threw for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. After his only season with the Broncos, Briscoe went on to play eight seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver with Buffalo, Miami, Detroit, New England and San Diego. He won two Super Bowls with the Dolphins, including being a part of the 1972 Dolphins team which finished with perfect 17-0 record. The Senate dropped a Saturday surprise by confirming Eunice Lee to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Confirmed in a 50-47 vote, Lee will be the second Black woman to serve on the court. She is also the first former federal public defender to join the roster of judges. According to Ballotpedia, approximately two dozen judges await advancement in the nomination process ranging from initial hearing to full Senate vote. Often, the excitement of a candidate stops at the historic nature of a nomination. But as a federal public defender from New York, Lee brings a rich perspective to the bench along with needed representation. One of 11 women referenced in New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ report alleging New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and violated state and federal law, revealed her identity Monday in an interview with “CBS This Morning.” https://youtu.be/SbqHaVEP_ss Students at Virginia State University have officially joined a wave of other HBCU scholars who have had their student debt cleared. The Petersburg-based university announced it would cover outstanding balances for students who enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The debt elimination effort was financed through the CARES Act. For scholars who attended the institution during 2020 and spring 2021, all debt owed to the school will be erased. Donald Palm, Ph.D., who serves as Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, says the effort will play a pivotal role in shaping their financial futures. He also mentioned students should be solely focused on learning without feeling the burden of unaffordability. “We care about our students and their academic success and want to provide them the privilege of moving forward with a zero balance,” he said in a statement. “We believe that relieving them from these balances will provide much-needed relief that will allow our scholars to focus more intently on their academics and degree completion.” August marks the birthday of Marcus Garvey, known as one of history’s, most prolific Black leaders. In the early 1900s, Garvey called for the unification of the African diaspora and the financial independence of Black people worldwide. This month, in memory of Marcus Garvey, “The Black Power Hour” hosted by Black Power attorney Nkechi Taifa, celebrates Garvey’s influence over the culture at large. In this exciting episode of “The Black Power Hour,” viewers are treated to insightful repartee from a contingent of ‘Garveyites’ demanding justice for Marcus Garvey. Many believe the patriot who cried out against the systemic inequalities and atrocities Black people suffered at the hands of white Americans and Europeans, was unfairly targeted by J. Edgar Hoover’s predecessor FBI. https://youtu.be/R-XjloOKl60 The University of Wisconsin is getting rid of the 70-ton boulder from its Madison campus at the request of Black students who view the rock as a symbol of racism. According to a news release from UW spokesperson Meredith McGlone, Chamberlin Rock is a two-billion year-old glacial erratic, rare in nature. It’s named after Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, a geologist who worked as university president from 1887 to 1892. According to ABC News, Chamberlain Rock was referred to in the 1920’s, by a derogatory term for black people. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the term “n***erhead” was commonly used in that era to describe any large dark rock. The Black Student Union called for the rock to be removed last summer, saying it represents the campus’ racist past. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=269832774481951 The name Alvin Ailey is synonymous with the artful celebration through dance of the struggles and triumphs of Black Life – in America and abroad. The New York-based company and its feverishly busy internationally traveling troupe have successfully walked the tightrope of being a repository of classic pieces that still speak – make that shout – a piercing relevance to now, while also embracing new works that speak to our reminiscent spirt and our vision of the future. https://youtu.be/e14XoL2D99c In Washington D.C., Black residents fill the city’s coffers with fines and fees collected through traffic enforcement. A new analysis from The Washington Post found that 62 percent of all fines were from majority Black neighborhoods with an average median income of less than $50,000. Metro Database Reporter John D. Harden searched through millions of records over a five-year period from 2016 to 2020. According to the report, the disparity remains even through the pandemic period of March 2020 to June 2021. In a Twitter thread, Harden laid out some facts about the cycle of debt that can trap some drivers in the District. Harden’s reporting also illustrates the importance of data in exposing inequality. Data analyzed revealed that two-thirds of drivers ticketed by police since 2019 were Black. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a traffic ticket amnesty program in the Spring, which runs through September. During the amnesty period, the city has waived all additional penalties and fees for drivers who can pay the initial obligation. Bill Bellamy coined the term “booty call” when he was on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, but the 56-year-old comedian says he regrets not trademarking the phrase. “At the time I wasn’t thinking of it like that,” said Bellamy on this week’s episode of PEOPLE in the ’90s, with co-hosts Andrea Lavinthal and Jason Sheeler. “I was just thinking of my joke. I didn’t realize the phrase would catch on to become, like you said, a normal word that people know what it is now. Booty call was just a clever way to say you’re trying to get a girl to come by.” during the interview, Bellamy addressed rumors about his relationship with Janet Jackson. “You have no idea how huge Janet Jackson was in this span of 10 years. And so I am in awe of this stuff, right,” he said. “And I couldn’t believe that she was a fan of me, but it came out awkwardly. Everybody used to be like, ‘What’s going on with Janet and Bill?’ People was doing this when they was watching TV.” “There was an attraction, I’ll be honest with you,” he continue. “There was something. There was something going on. It was weird because it was like she was shy about it but [showed in] her flirty ways that she dug me more than just a little. It was crazy.” The former MTV V-jay said Janet would sometimes invite him out. https://youtu.be/Gc6M79pE4dI Former President Barack Obama just turned 60, and although he and his family had planned a big celebration with supposedly hundreds of people invited, the coronavirus’ Delta variant made them rethink things. Initially, it was reported that high-profile celebrities like George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey were invited to the party on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Even current POTUS Joe Biden was on the guest list, but he reportedly had no plans to attend. Unfortunately, the US has identified a rise in infections for coronavirus, so the Obamas decided to celebrate Barack’s birthday only with close friends and family members. A growing number of right-wing trolls are expressing fake outrage as a stream of photos and videos has been posted to social media following former President Barack Obama’s birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday night. One image in particular — a screenshot from a video recorded by singer Erykah Badu — has gone from celebrating Obama’s joy to being politically manipulated in a disingenuous effort to prove a point that simply does not exist — that the party, which hosted hundreds of people, flouted public health guidelines. https://twitter.com/i/status/1424368455680249856 The new MGM film “Respect,” starring Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, follows the rise of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The story shows Franklin on a quest for stardom and independence from the controlling men in her life. It starts at the early beginnings of her career as a child singing in her father’s choir to her international superstardom. “It’s important to me for fans to know who Aretha was as a person,” said Hudson. “And definitely, her faith…That was most crucial to me. And for me to personally make sure that was always ever-present throughout the film. No matter what she was going through in her journey, no matter what genre of music she may have been singing, we had to make sure her faith and the gospel were in it through it all.” https://youtu.be/qTtxoz3OIlU The Arkansas Department of Health really filmed a PSA featuring a street “entrepreneur” explaining why hustlers like him need to be vaccinated. Richard Johnson. Get it? Dick Johnson? “You have to understand. I’m a hustler. I’m a legit entrepreneur. I sell things,” he begins. “I come in contact with people all the time. I have to stay safe. I didn’t have the choice but to trust the vaccine,” he continues. “If you live the lifestyle I live and you out here in these streets and you hustlin’. An entrepreneur like me? Why not do it safely?” https://youtu.be/tQh2up5JKow Mexico is suing several U.S.-based gun manufacturers for “actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels,” NBC News reports. The lawsuit alleges that units of Smith & Wesson, Barrett Firearms, Colt’s Manufacturing Company, Glock Inc, Sturm, Ruger & Co and others knew their business practices had encouraged illegal arms trafficking into Mexico. The lawsuit cites weapons that had entered Mexico used in notorious shootings, noting that Colt’s .38-caliber “Emiliano Zapata 1911” pistol is engraved with the image of the Mexican revolutionary, and is a status symbol coveted by drug cartels. https://youtu.be/5ygAtrcLZr4 An FBI agent in Puerto Rico is reportedly the first Black woman selected to train for the bureau’s SWAT teams. “I’m one of those people where I have a task at hand and I just focus on that task,” she said in the release. “I don’t really think about people looking at me.” https://youtu.be/mdZkmZG3T6I Princeton University is offering a Black Lives Matter class to students that promise to explore the “historical roots and growth of the Black Lives Matter social movement.” “This seminar traces the historical roots and growth of the Black Lives Matter social movement in the United States and comparative global contexts,” the course description said. According to reports, the course will be offered to students starting this Fall semester. The BLM course features readings from former Black Panther member Angela Davis. The course describes the Black Lives Matter movement as being “committed to resisting, unveiling, and undoing histories of state sanctioned violence against Black and Brown bodies.” “The course seeks to document the forms of dispossession that Black Americans face, and offers a critical examination of the prison industrial complex, police brutality, urban poverty, and white supremacy in the US,” the description reads. Tisha Campbell Martin was shopping in her local Ralph’s grocery store in Porter Ranch, California when she came across a bear that was roaming the aisles. She posted video of the little bear on her Instagram page. In the video, a customer says to the bear, “Hi baby.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CSR5GI4FQ4d/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Colorado woman was arrested last week after being caught on video forcing her 5-year-old son into the trunk of her car. The incident reportedly went down Thursday evening in Pueblo, KOAA 5 reports. A bystander filmed Chelsea-Rae Trujillo, 33, seemingly abusing the kid and calls her out on it. The boy cries after being taken out of the trunk and his mother argues with the person filming over her actions. https://youtu.be/9YvV-JM0jc8 Disturbing footage has been released by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department of a rookie’s overdose while examining synthetic Fentanyl. As reported by Complex, the bodycam footage was captured on July 3 and shows Deputy David Faiivae in a parking lot testing a white substance believed to be fentanyl or cocaine. Corporal Scott Crane is heard warning Faiivae to be careful while handling the substance. https://vimeo.com/583169640 The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) today announced that Norman Lear would receive the AAFCA TV Honors’ Legend Award as part of its Special Achievement Honoree class during the 3rd annual affair. Lear is a television pioneer who truly helped change the landscape with such classic series as Maude, All in the Family and One Day At A Time, as well as Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son — Black cast shows that remain epic reminders of the long-lasting impact diversity and inclusion has on the culture at large. The virtual ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 21st at 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET. Tichina Arnold has finally pulled the plug on her marriage following their split in 2016 amid his sex tape scandal. As written by TMZ, according to new legal docs… “The Neighborhood” and “Martin” star filed for divorce from Rico Hines this week, citing irreconcilable differences. Arnold lists the separation date as January 12, 2016 … about 3-and-a-half years after they wed in 2012. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRMJj6cJHN3/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b1796c5d-63c3-4264-af60-532e27610d2d Nick Cannon has reacted to criticism about him fathering seven children with four different women. Appearing on The Breakfast Club on Monday, the 40-year-old was first asked why he had so many kids, before addressing critics who question the number of women with whom he shares them. “I’ve learned so much just from my children. I really just love being around my kids,” he said Monday on The Breakfast Club, as reported by TooFab. “That youthful energy, it feels like you get to relive every time.” When the “different baby mothers” were mentioned, Cannon explained why that doesn’t matter. https://youtu.be/ASzgwsjKh9Q Talib Kweli took to Instagram on Saturday to confirm that hip-hop trio De La Soul finally owns the rights to their music. “Ladies and gentlemen I spoke to @djmaseo from the legendary @wearedelasoul today and it’s official,” Kweli wrote in a post. “After years of being taken advantage by the recording industry in the worst possible ways, De La Soul now owns all the rights to their masters and is in full control of the amazing music they have created. Let’s salute Plugs 1, 2 and 3 for sticking to their guns and showing us that we can all beat the system if we come together as a community. Let’s hear it for black ownership of black art! Congratulations fellas.” Step into the ring every Sunday – Starz is bringing the SmackDown with their new series “Heels!“ The show follows two brothers vying against each other to own their late father’s family-owned wrestling business. The series stars Stephen Amell (“Arrow”) and Alexander Ludwig (“Bad Boys For Life”). https://youtu.be/dKFfSSXavYc BlackFilmandTV editor Wilson Morales secured an exclusive on “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever!“ According to the site, Isaach de Bankolé will be reprising his role as one of the elders from the River Tribe. The Marvel film has started production at Atlanta’s Pinewood Studios and is based off Ryan Coogler’s (director) screenplay co-written with Joe Robert Cole. Also returning are Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett. Cast newcomers include Tenoch Huerta and Michaela Coel. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is scheduled for release in the United States on July 8, 2022. Grammy Award-winning singer Tamela Mann released her latest album, Overcomer, this month and said despite her great success in Hollywood and gospel music, her primary goal is to honor God until the day she dies. The singer, who’s also an NAACP Image Award-winning actress, songwriter and producer, birthed her new Tillymann Music album after a trying few years in which she developed her strength and focused on her purpose. It was also the first time Mann used her voice, songwriting and production skills to create an album. Wearing multiple hats, Mann, along with being a gospel singer, is known for her roles in Tyler Perry’s “Assisted Living,” “Madea” plays, films and the hit TV series “Meet The Browns.” She and her husband, David, have been together for over 30 years and often share their love story to inspire others. The couple released their first book and joint album, Us Against the World, in 2018. Mann also recently launched her own successful athleisure apparel line, the Tamela Mann Collection. But despite all of her accomplishments, she wants her work, especially her new album, to draw people closer to faith in God. Hillsong founder Brian Houston says he’s ‘devastated’ by allegations that he concealed his father’s child sex abuse as member of parliament calls him an ‘ungrateful twat’ for flying to Mexico while a 12-year-old girl in his parish took her own life. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/08/08/2313202843353302630/636x382_MP4_2313202843353302630.mp4 The senior pastor of an influential Chicagoland megachurch has tested positive for COVID-19. Dave Dummitt was supposed to preach this weekend at Willow Creek Community Church but had to bow out after receiving a positive COVID test Saturday (August 7). “Just so you know, he is feeling fine, just mild symptoms,” Shawn Williams, pastor of Willow Creek’s South Barrington campus told worshipers, according to a live stream of church services. Dummit, who became Willow Creek’s senior pastor in 2020, was tested for COVID after learning that a family member had tested positive for the virus. He informed church leadership and is now isolating at home, Willow Creek executive pastor Tim Stevens told Religion News Service in an email. The church has informed staff and others who may have had close contact with Dummitt. To everything there's a time and a season and after many years of evolution and change in her life, GRAMMY®, Dove, and Stellar Award-winning singer-songwriter, pastor, and independent recording artist Martha Munizzi, who's known as one of the most respected female voices in gospel music, is set to release her first album in 10 years, Best Days, on Friday, August 27th. Fans can pre-order the project now and receive two songs instantly. Munizzi's current radio single "Fight For Me," which is the 2nd single off of her forthcoming album release continues to gain traction at gospel radio and was the 3rd Most Added song on the gospel airplay format last week. "Fight For Me" is available now on all digital platforms. The Gospel spotlight's Martha Munizzi In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/martha_munizzi.intvw.htm When a Black real estate agent glanced out the window of a house he was showing and saw a police officer circling the property with his gun drawn, he was afraid there was a fugitive in the yard. “This is kind of a nice house, but there’s a criminal outside,” Eric Brown said he thought to himself when he saw the officer. At the time, he was giving Roy Thorne and the man’s 15-year-old son, Sammy, a tour of a Wyoming, Michigan, home. “He’s not going to buy this house now,” Brown worried. However, he said he grew less concerned with making a sale and more concerned with staying safe when he noticed a second officer “behind a tree making hand gestures.” https://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/wyoming-police-release-video-of-officers-cuffing-realtor/ An #NYC surveillance video shows the disturbing footage of the victim being executed on a crowded street in #CrownHeights. A woman quickly approached the victim, identified as #DeliaJohnson, and then shot her in the back of the head and again in her leg as she collapsed. The shooter quickly ran for cover and left the scene in a white SUV. Police believe the murder was premeditated, as an unreleased extended video shows the suspect hanging around the area long before the shooting and her being handed something by a male behind her back before Delia’s slaying. “She was at a funeral earlier in the evening for an old neighborhood friend to pay her respects, and then this happened,” said Delia’s brother, Mathis Johnson. “It was horrible. That lady executed my sister.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CSSu0GYHu8m/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Families of two men from a South Los Angeles neighborhood blame the reckless actions of the LAPD for their deaths. A local ABC affiliate reported that Auzie Houchins and Ramon Reyes died after the LAPD detonated a large quantity of explosive materials in the neighborhoods. While the two men did not die in the blast itself, family and community accounts suggest the blast’s aftermath combined with being displaced from their homes exacerbated both men’s health. Reyes had possibly been injured during the blast when his roof collapsed on him. Houchins had diabetes, and heart attack was listed among the causes of death. His stepdaughter suggested that the blast and its aftermath strained his health, including being removed from his childhood home and into a hotel without even a kitchen. “I can’t say that the blast contributed to his death,” Marie Staples told KTLA. “But I can certainly say that since he was uprooted from the blast and then went over there, he just was not the same. He was born in that house.” Staples mother Lorna Hairston had been with Houchins for 20 years. Earlier this week she launched a gofundme to raise money for permanent housing and related expenses. On the same day voting rights groups commemorated the 56th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, news broke that some Georgia voters would receive a no-contact notice. WXGA News in middle Georgia reported the notices were the last step before officials label a voter inactive. The outlet reported Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger ordered local agencies to send notices to 185,666 voters. Approximately two hours south of Atlanta, WXGA reported Macon-Bibb County could lose the largest share of voters. Fair Fight Action released a statement alleging targeted voters were disproportionately voters of color. The organization found that approximately 53 percent were voters of color, and 44 percent of all voters receiving such notices were Black. Accused of multiple accounts of sexual harassment, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is doubling down. Days after an independent investigation corroborated evidence supporting the allegations, Cuomo’s attorneys tried to throw shade at the attorney general’s office. During a press conference Friday afternoon, Cuomo’s attorneys accused the New York attorney general and her staff of pursuing an agenda instead of the facts. Fabien Levy, press secretary and senior advisor to the attorney general, responded to the Cuomo team’s claims in a brief statement. Cuomo’s disrespect of women could be seen in his attempt to pass off a picture of New York state senate leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins among the governor’s supporters in his slideshow earlier in the week. Except the Black woman pictured was not Stewart-Cousins. Stewart-Cousins has been steady in her call for Cuomo to resign. Speaking to New York NOW, Stewart-Cousins praised Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, as a temporary replacement for Cuomo. “We understand what’s important,” Stewart-Cousins said. “And what’s important is keeping our focus on making sure that New Yorkers are doing well.” Learning from the eviction moratorium crisis, the Biden administration got a jump on the federal student loan repayment pause. The Department of Education announced this final extension of the repayment pause would extend through January 31, 2022. U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona issued a statement explaining the final extension gave “borrowers the time they need to plan for restart and ensure a smooth pathway back to repayment.” Sen. Chuck Schumer joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley in calling for the extension as a stopgap on the way to canceling student loan debt outright. Bobby Bowden, who became one of the winningest college football coaches of all time during his 34 years at Florida State University and helped transform his adopted state into a gridiron powerhouse, liked to recall where it all began: at 13, bedridden with rheumatic fever, listening to news about World War II on the family radio in Birmingham, Ala. “Rommel was a great tactician — he knew how to think in surprises,” Mr. Bowden once said, referring to the World War II German field marshal dubbed “the Desert Fox.” “He could do more with less than any of the great generals. They all demonstrate discipline and that you need reserves so if you’re getting annihilated on one front, you can attack somewhere else.” Analogies between football and battlefields have become cliched, but to Mr. Bowden, who died Aug. 8 at 91, the link was vital and defining part of his Hall of Fame career. Mr. Bowden died at his home in Tallahasse, Fla. His death was announced by Florida State. In July, Mr. Bowden announced that he was terminally ill. His son Terry later told reporters that his father had pancreatic cancer. Co-founding #Kool & TheGang member and saxophonist Dennis #DeeTee Thomas passed away Saturday at the age of 70.? ? No cause of death was announced, only that he passed away in his sleep in New Jersey. Following Thomas’ death, only two of the band’s founding members remain Ronald “Kool” Bell and drummer-keyboardist George Brown.? “An original member of Kool & The Gang, Dennis was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor,” a spokesperson for the group wrote in a statement. “A huge personality while also an extremely private person, Dennis was the alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist, as well as master of ceremonies at the band’s shows.” Thomas also served as stylist for the group, according to the announcement. He was also tasked with keeping watch of the band’s earnings, carrying them around in a bag stored in the bell of his horn.? SHOWTIME® has released a trailer for BITCHIN’: THE SOUND AND FURY OF RICK JAMES, directed by Emmy®-nominee Sacha Jenkins. BITCHIN’ is an intimate yet propulsive look at Rick James, one of rock, funk and R&B’s most legendary and often underappreciated figures. Featuring rare footage of James’ incredible live shows, never-before-seen home video, original interviews with legendary artists, collaborators and friends, and a treasure trove of recorded interviews with James (who died in 2004), the documentary presents a full picture of James’ dramatic rise and fall, focusing in on the “Punk-Funk” music he left behind. The film, which screened at the Tribeca Festival® in June, will premiere on Friday, September 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. https://youtu.be/YV0tMF9Ue8g Sanaa Lathan has been sober for three years and she’s now opening up about what made her put the bottle down. While speaking with PEOPLE Magazine, the veteran Hollywood actress who is beloved for roles in The Best Man and Love & Basketball but was also strangely accused of biting Beyoncé in 2018, explained that she simply wanted to prioritize her mental and physical wellbeing. “I stopped drinking about three years ago,” Lathan said. “Alcohol was not going well with me physically. Just, it was not working anymore. It affects everything, and that’s part of the reason why I stopped, because even if you’re going out a couple of times a week and you’re drinking, it was starting to affect me throughout the week. It wouldn’t be necessarily a hangover, but it definitely dimmed my energy. I didn’t feel as good. It was affecting anxiety.” She added, “You don’t realize how over time it gets your brain out of balance as well.” About 30 kilometres into the men's marathon in Sapporo on Sunday, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge pulled away from the pack and began running his own race, chasing immortality. Kipchoge looked like a man determined to run towards his legacy of greatness. He took a peek behind him at one point and there was no one there. He was all alone - the greatest marathon runner in history and one of the greatest Olympians. "I wanted to create a space to show the world that this is a beautiful race," Kipchoge said after winning gold. Holy Land Experience Ministries Inc., a 14-acre entity on Vineland Road just off I-4 in Orlando, Florida, and related to California-based theme park operator and landowner Trinity Broadcasting Network, has been sold to Central Florida health care giant AdventHealth for $32 million, according to documents filed by Orange County, Florida. WFTV.com in Orlando reported that the deal closed Aug. 2. Orlandoweekly.com reported that the properties, at the time of the sale, had an assessed value of $70.6 million. Bible-based theme park The Holy Land Experience closed early in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened for two days in April for free admission days, but has been closed ever since. Vashti Cunningham tied for sixth in the Olympic women’s high jump Saturday, clearing 1.96 meters (6 feet, 4.3 inches). The 23-year-old has become a world-class jumper, winning national championships and an indoor world title. She’s coached by her father, former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, who is also senior pastor for Remnant Ministries in Las Vegas. Randall was known for his unique, elusive skills that earned him two league MVPs during his 16-year career. Darnelle Beckford was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 2 and has been fighting the disease’s effects all his life. How he’s choosing to deal with it can serve as an inspiration to others. He refuses to let the seizure-causing malady beat him. Setting his sights on graduating from college — and going in with a bit of a chip on his shoulder — Beckford surpassed even his doctors’ expectations. He made Berkeley College’s Dean’s List last year. And earlier this year, he released an inspirational and motivational book “Let’s Be Realistic: Battling Epilepsy and Other Limitations,” which details how he coped with the numerous doctor visits and overload of medications following his diagnosis. Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson returns with "It Was You." https://rgmc-impact.disco.ac/playlist-new/8287283?date=20210806&user_id=885555&signature=hhfls00oAz7zUyoqiyKQBRFggpM%3Ap2ZttHAY James Johnson is an award winning singer and songwriter and AGREE is the song that makes a statement on believing in the power of God in spite of the odds. James delivers a powerful Gospel message based on his own life experiences to encourage and uplift the hearts and minds of people everywhere to trust God and AGREE with what the Word of God has already said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYQXJvjp7e4 Rumors have been swirling about Michael B. Jordan developing a new Superman project in which he was also supposed to star for quite sometime now. Initially things were so vague that nobody knew what to make of it. Now things are beginning to come into focus just a bit more. The HBO Max project will be based, not on the familiar Kal-El, but on Val-Zod. Like the familiar Kal-El and cousin Kara-El, aka Supergirl, Val-Zod comes to earth from a doomed Krypton. He is in hiding for his entire life until he is drawn out to fight a Superman who’d been brainwashed. https://etcanada.com/embed/rd/2e7966e0-81cf-11eb-afa2-0242ac110006/?jwsource=cl On Thursday, August 5, Nas released his King’s Disease II album–almost a full year following his release of King’s Disease. Despite dropping the entire album, fans immediately gravitated towards the album’s ninth track, “Nobody”–and for good reason, too! Lauryn Hill was actually featured on the song, and many listeners were excited to hear her rap alongside Nas. While her entire verse on the track is being well-received, many appear to be focusing on a specific few lines. Some of Lauryn Hill‘s most talked about lyrics on “Nobody” appear to be: “Now let me give it to you balanced and with clarity. I don’t need to turn myself into a parody. I don’t–I don’t do the shit you do for popularity. They clearly didn’t understand when I said “I Get Out” apparently. My awareness like Keanu in The Matrix. I’m savin’ souls and y’all complainin’ ’bout my lateness. Now it’s illegal for someone to walk in greatness.” Last month, the United States Senate passed made it official with a resolution announcing August 11 as National Hip Hop Celebration Day, which also made August “Hip Hop Recognition Month” and November “Hip Hop History Month,” reports Uproxx. The news recently broke via a tweet from the official page of Senate Periodicals. The vote was unanimous. This is the very first time the U.S. Senate has recognized Hip-Hop in any manner. The origins of Hip-Hop can be traced back to August 11, 1973 when DJ Kool Herc, then known as Clive Campbell, through a back to school party along with his sister, Cindy Campbell at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. “I’m just in this space in life that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and I give all praise to God,” said Lea (Leanetta) Robinson about her new R&B single “Blessed.” “Everything I’ve prayed for is coming true. I’m so grateful and blessed.” Lea was also a reality show personality on Bravo TV’s “First Family of Hip-Hop” and is the granddaughter to Sylvia Robinson (“Love is Strange”). Sylvia is credited for producing “Rapper’s Delight,” the first successful rap record in 1979 for the Sugar Hill Gang, which made Hip-Hop commercially valuable. Sylvia then launched Sugar Hill Records with her husband Joe Robinson, and signed Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (“The Message”). The single “Blessed” simplifies writer, producer and engineer Lea Robinson’s realization of that legacy created and nurtured by her grandmother. “When I was younger I didn’t know this was my family. Touring was a normal life,” she said. “I’m just seeing now how many people they (Sugar Hill Records) have effected. I’ve come full circle.” https://youtu.be/t7-qf34JkkE Isis Djata is an exceptional woman. Now, saying a Black woman is exceptional is akin to calling water wet these days. But we’ll give you the rundown nonetheless. Djata is considered something of a phenomenon after joining Clubhouse, a social media audio app, back in December. Now she has over 60,000 followers-reportedly gaining a following of 40,000 plus in only eight weeks, by joining rooms and engaging in conversations with others.She was also able to use her Clubhouse account to grow her other social media accounts, such as Instagram. “When I first started going into rooms, I sat in the audience and listened,” Djata told Entrepreneur magazine. “Then, I slowly started getting on the stage and becoming active in conversations.” NBA superstar and former MVP James Harden is in the midst of filing a lawsuit to get back a $2 million investment, plus promised profits, over a failed boxing tournament that was to put TikTok celebrities versus YouTube celebrities, according to the NY Post. The boxing event was organized by YouTuber Austin McBroom and was dubbed “Social Gloves: Battle of the Platforms.” McBroom was slated to fight TikTok celebrity Bryce Hall as the main event, with social media personalities Tayler Holden, Vinnie Hacker and Deji getting in the ring. There were also performances by DJ Khaled, Migos and Lil Baby. According to Billboard, the event resulted in a loss of $10 million. O.J. Simpson recently spoke with Tim Graham of TheAthletic.com and revealed why he still has “trouble with L.A” and avoids going there. While claiming his innocence again in the killing of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, which happened 27 years ago, Simpson explained that “people may think this is self-serving, but I might be sitting next to whoever did it. I really don’t know who did this.” Suggesting that the “real” suspect behind the crime may still be out there, the 74-year-old added, “I figured eventually somebody would confess to something, you know? I had one suspect I told my lawyers to look at. I still think he might be involved, but I can’t talk about it.” Amirah O’Neal, daughter of former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, has decided to leave her father’s alma mater to attend Texas Southern University, but it’s gotta be rough trying to follow in the same footsteps as a parent, especially one as accomplished as Shaq. Earlier this week, Amirah announced via Instagram that she has decided to attend the HBCU in south Texas. “I see the doubt in they faces, they didn’t think I would make it, ????” she wrote in the celebratory post. The 19-year-old freshman attended Crossroads High School for three years and averaged 17 points per game as a junior while earning honors for being a three-time All Gold Coast League, three-time All-CIF Team and a 2019 Maxpreps California All-State Girls Team honorable mention selection. In James Gunn’s superhero action adventure “The Suicide Squad,” it features the “worst Super-Villains, most degenerate delinquents in the DC Comics lineup” (Warner Bros.’ words, not mine) to be assembled for a super-secret, super-shady Task Force X mission. The malcontents are incarcerated at Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the USA. The prisoners will do anything to get out, including taking on a do-or-die assignment to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. There, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission. Their boss, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and her government techies are in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). https://youtu.be/eg5ciqQzmK0 A simple Google search will reveal that it is a scientific consensus that most men stop growing between the ages of 17 and 20. But, according to 33-year-old rapper Big Sean, he just grew two inches taller, as reported by People. His secret? Well, first off, he didn’t really grow but according to him, going to the chiropractor is why he’s standing taller than ever. According to experts at The Body of Beverly Hills Wellness Center, chiropractors can’t “actually make you a few inches taller,” but that patients “can notice a change in your height after a few sessions.”“The secret lies in the spinal adjustment and posture changes that occur with chiropractic care,” according to The Body of Beverly Hills Wellness center. Whether he realizes it or not, Joe Biden is challenging Republicans to keep the same negative and selective energy they had when President Barack Obama wore a tan suit nearly seven years ago. Biden wore a similarly tan suit on Friday while he delivered an address from the White House in a near mirror of what happened on Aug. 28, 2014, when Obama also addressed the media while wearing a tan suit. Both presidents were conveying important messages to the American public while wearing their tans suits. On Friday, Biden spoke about the economy shortly after the July jobs report was released and hailed as being “strong.” https://youtu.be/WrTf6CaTTc0 R. Kelly is feeling the weight of his ongoing sex trafficking case, both literally and figuratively. One of his lawyers said in court this week that Kelly’s once-heavy pockets have become considerably lighter since he’s been in jail. But, they added, while his pockets have flattened, being behind bars has had the opposite effect on the disgraced singer’s ballooning physique. The two factors are linked because it means not only that Kelly needs to be measured for new clothing to wear during his upcoming trial in New York City, but he also now cannot even afford to pay for court transcripts, his lawyer, Devereaux Cannick, said at a hearing on Tuesday. Cannick said Kelly has run out of money to pay for his remaining legal fees as he hasn’t been able to perform in nearly two years. Accused of multiple accounts of sexual harassment, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is doubling down. Days after an independent investigation corroborated evidence supporting the allegations, Cuomo’s attorneys tried to throw shade at the attorney general’s office. During a press conference Friday afternoon, Cuomo’s attorneys accused the New York attorney general and her staff of pursuing an agenda instead of the facts. Fabien Levy, press secretary and senior advisor to the attorney general, responded to the Cuomo team’s claims in a brief statement. “The independent investigators selected are widely respected professionals, recognized for their legal and investigatory ability,” read the statement. “To attack this investigation and attempt to undermine and politicize this process takes away from the bravery displayed by these women.” New York Attorney General Letitia James and her staff have handled many high-profile investigations in the past year alone. Taking on the NRA, right-wing trolls trying to disenfranchise Black voters, and the NYPD. Pastor George Davis of Impact Church in Jacksonville, Florida Says That in the Last 10 Days, SIX Members of His Church Have Died of the Coronavirus Plague, FOUR of Them Were Under the Age of 35, All of Them Were Healthy, and the Only Thing They Had in Common Was They Were Not Vaccinated. He Also Said That FIFTEEN to TWENTY Members Are Now in the Hospital, Another TEN Are at Home With the Virus and THREE to FIVE Vaccinated Members Also Tested Positive. Now the church is pushing to get as many people vaccinated as possible. https://youtu.be/8DubQ3HYUxQ Two North Texas Hospitals are forced to temporarily close their Emergency Rooms due to the critical Coronavirus plague surge. Pointing to the dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases, two hospital systems on Friday announced the closure of emergency rooms at facilities in Rockwall and Commerce in order to redirect staff to other campuses. The Texas Health hospital system said its north Rockwall ER on Lakeshore Drive would close at midnight Friday. Staff members are being sent to the system’s main campus on Horizon Road to help care for COVID-19 Paige Hilken, wife of pastor Christopher Hilken and with whom she had five children, has died by suicide, North Coast Church pastor Larry Osborne revealed in a sermon broadcast on Sunday. “Hey, North Coast family. I’m sure by now that most of you have heard the terrible news that Paige Hilken, Christopher Hilken’s wife, took her life earlier today,” Osborne announced in a message recorded Saturday, July 31, and published to YouTube the following day. Osborne said Pastor Hilken had taken time off in the past several months “to focus on helping Paige through the sudden onslaught of mental and emotional pain that she was battling.” https://youtu.be/nm58eunZkxs The Rev. Raphael Warnock urged the Progressive National Baptist Convention to keep fighting to protect voting rights as the historically Black denomination held its annual meeting. “If we don’t check what they’re doing in Georgia, they’ll be able to nullify the votes and the voices of the people after they have already been cast,” Warnock, Georgia’s first Black U.S senator, said in a Wednesday (Aug. 4) keynote banquet speech at the virtual 60th annual gathering. “This is the delta variant of Jim Crow voting laws. The only inoculation is federal legislation and the only way that happens is for God’s people to stand up. So thank you, Progressive, for standing up. Thank you for bearing witness to God’s love and God’s justice in the world.” The PNBC is considered the “spiritual home” of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and formed as a breakaway group from the National Baptist Convention in 1961 after the NBC opposed sit-ins and other civil rights protests. Warnock also is pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, a prominent Atlanta church where King once was a co-pastor. A controversial Alabama creationist preacher who recently sued the federal government for half a billion dollars was arrested in late July in a domestic assault case. An arrest warrant dated July 19 alleges that the Rev. Kent Hovind, known as “Dr. Dino,” intentionally threw his estranged wife, Cindi Lincoln, to the ground, causing bodily harm. The same day the arrest warrant was filed, Lincoln also filed a petition for a protective order against Hovind in Conecuh County, Alabama. The petition alleges one of Hovind’s associates threatened Lincoln with a gun in January 2021. The alleged domestic assault occurred in October 2020, according to the petition. Reached by telephone, Hovind, who is out on bail, told Religion News Service he could not comment in detail on the arrest, saying the matter would be resolved in court and that there was “nothing to it.” After speaking with RNS, Hovind streamed a video on YouTube addressing the charges, saying he had been falsely accused. “It’s going to be fine, it’s going to be fine,” he said. “I’m squeaky clean.” Arkadelphia leaders announced plans to build a $2.5 million community park honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “This project may be the most significant addition to making Arkadelphia the community we all have envisioned it could be,” Arkadelphia Mayor Scott Byrd said. The park will feature a quarter-mile walking path with educational kiosks that tell the story of the civil rights movement and the life of King. Kanye West‘s album listening party offered his fans more than just the chance to hear his music. On Thursday night, the 44-year-old rapper held a second listening event for his forthcoming tenth studio album, Donda. During the event, the rapper and Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted a pop-up clinic where attendees were able to get vaccinated. Prior to the event, Mercedes-Benz Stadium announced on Twitter that COVID-19 vaccines would be available to attendees. “We are offering Pfizer vaccines to fans attending tonight’s listening party. Vaccines will be offered in sections 340-347 until 9:30pm,” the venue’s official account wrote. The pop-up vaccination clinic came after West previously voiced his concern over the vaccination rollout in the United States. “It’s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralyzed… So when they say the way we’re going to fix COVID is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious,” he told Forbes in 2020. “They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can’t cross the gates of heaven.” Two minors are behind bars after Stuttgart police say they killed a teen boy. According to authorities, Omarion Bones, 18, was shot multiple times. “I’m hurt, I’m sad, I’m angry,” Sherby Fitzpatrick said, who is Bones’ aunt. Fitzpatrick says Bones was found dead in the street early Sunday morning and that this has been the most difficult week of her life. “It’s been rough, one minute you’re ok and then the next minute you’re looking at pictures and it starts all over again,” Fitzpatrick said. Stuttgart police say they have two minors in custody for his death and they are being held without bond in a juvenile correction facility. https://www.kark.com/crime/teen-shot-and-killed-in-stuttgart-weeks-before-heading-to-college/ Turns out that first major championship was just a start for Nelly Korda. Now she’s an Olympic champion, and she left little doubt Saturday about who’s the best in women’s golf. Korda held her nerve during a chaotic chase for medals and a one-hour storm delay at the end, calmly taking two putts from just inside 30 feet for a one-shot victory. The 23-year-old Korda gave the Americans a sweep of gold medals in golf. Xander Schauffele won the men’s competition Sunday. Jessica Korda, Nelly’s 28-year-old sister who posted a 64 for the low score of the final round, ran out to the green, and the sisters hugged and shimmied in celebration. Nelly is the first player, man or woman, to win a major and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. She also won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June and has won three of the past four individual tournaments. The U.S. women’s team dominated the 4×400-meter relay to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, giving Allyson Felix the most medals for any American track athlete ever. Felix ran the second leg along with Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu to finish in 3 minutes, 16.85 seconds and win by nearly 4 seconds over Poland (3:20.53). Jamaica (3:21.24) took bronze. “For me, I just really came out at peace and I wanted to soak it in completely,” Felix said. Minutes later, the U.S. men also claimed their first gold in a track race at these Games in the final event on the Olympic oval with a victory in the 4×400-meter relay. There were no bad exchanges this time. The U.S. men didn’t reach the final of the 4×100-meter relay, but the 4×400 team of Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin was never really in trouble while completing four laps of the Olympic oval in 2:55.70. It was a fifth gold for the U.S. men in the 4×400 since 1996. Felix’s 11th career Olympic medal broke a tie with Carl Lewis for the U.S. record. Paavo Nurmi of Finland holds the world mark with 12 medals from 1920 to 1928. The U.S. men’s track and field team heard all the criticism back home. Questions about if this is the worst U.S. men’s team of all time and their lack of gold medals. Some even claimed the U.S. runners choked. However, in the last track and field event of the Tokyo Olympics, Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin got redemption in the finale. The men’s 4×400 relay team featuring Cherry, Norman, Deadmon and Benjamin cruised to a relatively comfortable victory to earn a gold medal. Their winning time was a season-best 2:55.70. The gold medal was just the second one earned by the U.S. men’s track and field team in what’s been a frustrating nine days for many of its top athletes. Benjamin placed second in the 400 hurdles despite running a world-record time, Cherry narrowly missed a spot on the podium in the 400 and Norman failed to place in the 400 even though he was a medal favorite coming into the Olympics. Orion Jean is a young man on a mission, sharing the gift of reading with hundreds of thousands of kids. He may be only 10 years old, but the number on his mind is 500,000. That’s how many books the Texas boy hopes will be donated by the end of the month. “I want to be able to share my love of literacy with as many people as possible,” he told CBS News. In 2020, Jean won a student kindness contest where he displayed his own campaign of compassion. “Kindness is a virtue we can all possess. If we are willing to,” he said. “So why not start today. Because right now, it’s what we need more than ever.” Jean told CBS News that winning that content “was really just the catalyst to something so much bigger. It started out as an idea but here we are today, the race to kindness was born.” With his $500 prize, Jean donated toys to a Dallas Children’s hospital. Next, through food drives and partnering with a relief group, he helped collect 100,000 meals for Texas families. There have been more dominant, more talented and more celebrated Team USA squads than the group that came together for the Tokyo Olympics. But no national team has ever overcome as much adversity to win. That will be the lasting memory of this group, and it will be a good one for American basketball as the U.S. men’s team finished with a gold medal after a 87-82 win over France on Saturday. The record books will show it was the fourth consecutive gold for Team USA, but it was hardly routine. As the Americans celebrated after the final buzzer, wrapping themselves in flags and one another in hugs, it wasn’t just because they’d won the biggest prize but because they knew what led up to it. No one had more perspective on it than Kevin Durant, who added a glorious chapter to his Olympic career by scoring 29 points to finish off a brilliant tournament. This was his third gold to go with three NBA titles. A few hours before the game, he agreed to a new $198 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. There are some things track fans are used to: Nobody stops the Jamaican women at these Olympics and the tireless Sifan Hassan is a contender for a medal in every distance race she enters. Other things might take some getting used to: Italy is a sprint power. It now owns the gold medal in the men’s 4×100-meter relay to go with the shocking 100-meter gold that Marcell Jacobs won. The Italian relay team made Jacobs a double Olympic champion Friday, as the country pulled off a stunner to equal Jacobs’ solo triumph five nights earlier. Jacobs ran the second leg of Italy’s 37.5-second trip around the track, and Filippo Tortu outraced Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake to the line. Tortu, who was slightly behind at the changeover, dipped first for a .01-second victory. “We are four Ferraris,” Tortu said. The triumph set off a second bout of Italian sprint celebrations on the track at the Olympic Stadium — two more than anyone expected when these Games opened. Gable Steveson is known by many in the wrestling world not just for what he does during a competition, but also for what he does when he wins – and on Friday, he won big. Steveson said he would only do his signature victory move if he won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and win he did. Steveson was seconds away form losing to Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili. But a literal last-second push saw Steveson secure a two-point takedown as the clock ticked down to zero to come from behind and win the gold. Then came the celebration – an epic backflip. Fans of Steveson are no stranger to his trademark victory backflip, but this one was extra special.“Should I gold medal match,” he told NBC Chicago before the Games. “I hope I get to that point. If I wrestle my best, I know I can get there. When and if I can win, put on a good show for America, that flip is coming.” U.S. pole-vaulter Katie Nageotte’s gold medal win on Thursday came after a year full of hurdles. The 30-year-old Ohio native experienced a nasty case of COVID-19 and had to battle through side effects that lasted long after the virus had left her body. Nageotte’s first Olympics were off to a rocky start, as a tight quad muscle impacted her on the runway, causing her to miss two of her three attempts at the opening height — the shortest and thus the easiest to clear. Once she successfully cleared the first height, Nageotte continued to clear the increasingly higher bar until she was the last woman standing after clearing 16 feet, 1 inch. Athletes from the Russian Olympic Committee and Great Britain won silver and bronze, respectively. If this was the last game at a major international tournament for Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, they sure made it one to remember. Rapinoe scored twice – including the rare olimpico – and Lloyd set the U.S. women’s record for most career Olympic goals as the U.S. women beat Australia 4-3 on Thursday to win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games. Lloyd’s goals, in stoppage time in the first half and in the 51st, gave her 10 total at the Olympics, passing Abby Wambach. The Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have an agreement. But it’s not in writing. Which means it’s not worth the paper it’s not written on. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports that the Packers have verbally agreed to trade Rodgers if he still wants out after the 2021 season. That said, it’s not in writing; it’s a handshake deal. Both Paul Allen of KFAN and Chris Simms of NBC have said that Rodgers believed the Packers had agreed to trade Rodgers during the most recent offseason, and that the team reneged. If accurate, why trust them again? Throw in the fact that Rodgers’s reworked contract still allows them to pursue $11.5 million in unearned signing bonus money, and the Packers can dig in again, like they did this year. Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III is making a career change after an eight-year career as a pro. Griffin will join ESPN as an NFL and college football analyst on a multi-year contract. He still wants to play in the NFL, but will take on this new role for the time being. Griffin will call a weekly ESPN/ABC college game, and contribute to ESPN’s coverage of the College Football Playoff, Super Bowl and other major events. “Robert has been on our radar for a while and we expect him to make an immediate impact on our college and NFL coverage,” ESPN senior vice president of production Lee Fitting said in a statement. “His knowledge of the game, his fresh-off-the-field insights and his charisma make him uniquely positioned to move into this new role, and we are particularly excited to have him call a big college game every week.” J.R. Richard, a two-time National League strikeout champion with the Houston Astros whose career was cut short in 1980 by a stroke, died Thursday at the age of 71, the team announced. The Astros did not provide further details. In 10 seasons with the Astros, Richard was 107-71 with a 3.15 ERA and 1,493 strikeouts — including 313 in 1979, which stood as the team’s single-season record until Gerrit Cole surpassed it in 2019. He still ranks tied for second in team history for career ERA, third in strikeouts — behind only Nolan Ryan and Roy Oswalt — and fifth in wins and shutouts (19). “Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, J.R. Richard,” the team said in a statement. “J.R. will forever be remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest pitchers in club history. He stood shoulder to shoulder with club icons Larry Dierker, Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan, to form a few of the best rotations in club history.” Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona despite both parties having reached an agreement over a new contract, the La Liga club said on Thursday, citing economic and structural obstacles to the renewal of the deal. Alex Chisolm was already having a good birthday, but it became the best one ever when the person he wanted most to see in the world walked through the door. Chisolm, a disc jockey, was having the normal office birthday celebration, and had to be pressured to even come to work that day instead of taking his birthday off. Why? Because his co-workers had a huge surprise. His son, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zay Chisholm, is stationed Japan, but secretly flew in for his dad’s special day. As Alex’s co-workers were singing “Happy Birthday,” Zay just sauntered into the room without fanfare, causing his dad to do a double take. https://youtu.be/Qy3Ifh2zXWo The cause of death of Fetty Wap’s four-year-old child Lauren Maxwell has been revealed. The child passed away on June 24 from “a fatal cardiac arrhythmia due to complications of congenital cardiac anomalies”, TMZ reports. Lauren had suffered from a heart defect since birth. Her death was only revealed earlier this week. Turquoise Miami, Lauren’s mother, shared the heartbreaking news in an Instagram post on Saturday. “This is my amazing, beautiful, funny, vibrant, loving, talented, smart and hardheaded princess mermaid Aquarius,” she wrote alongside a video of Lauren playing in a swimming pool. She has also asked the public to be “more compassionate” toward Fetty as he deals with the death of his child, Page Six reports. Comedian, actor, producer Deon Cole and an extraordinary newcomer Kelley Kali,star in new film “I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking).” The film drops on BET Her this Saturday (08-07-21). The story follows a recently widowed mother who becomes homeless. She convinces her 8-year-old daughter that they are only camping for fun while working to get them off the streets. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, the must-see original movie delves in to the harsh reality of homelessness amid the COVID-19 epidemic. Kelley wrote, directed, starred in and executive produced the movie along with Cole and Capella Fahoome. https://youtu.be/5DsFvNFL2oc Jennifer Hudson is showing off her dynamic vocals for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic, “Respect.” “Jennifer Hudson, Audra MacDonald, Titus Burgess – everybody on-set have been on Broadway and are Tony-nominated. I know the power of singing live, so it was important. This is a movie that the songs [were] made — not in the studio — but on set,” director Liesl Tommy told Page Six. “I have done a lot of musicals for Broadway, and I knew the songs needed to be sung live,” Tommy said. Tommy previously said this of Hudson, “Jennifer may be one of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with,” she says. Adding, “we were both so humbled by the task that we just agreed that there would be no ego in the process and that Aretha would be the diva in the room at all times, not us.” “Respect,” is slated to hit theaters nationwide on August 13. A&E Network’s iconic and acclaimed original true crime classic series “Cold Case Files®” and “American Justice®” return this summer exploring shocking stories of cold cases and gripping court room trials. Both produced by Category 6 Media™ group, “Cold Case Files” premieres Friday, August 20 at 9pm ET/PT followed by “American Justice” at 10pm ET/PT. https://youtu.be/8eexPvwLHHQ Justin Bieber has apologized for supporting Morgan Wallen’s album, as well as for the “hurtful racist jokes” he told when he was younger. In a series of Instagram stories, the singer told his fans he was sorry for promoting Wallen’s album, Dangerous: The Double Album, saying he “had no idea” about the incident earlier this year when Wallen used a racial slur. “I had no idea that the guy’s music I posted was recently found saying racist comments,” Bieber wrote, after deleting his post about how he loved Dangerous: The Double Album. “As you know I don’t support or tolerate any sort of racism or discrimination. I had no idea, I sincerely apologize to anyone I offended.” Bieber took the opportunity to reflect on his own failings, including when he was filmed telling racist jokes as a young teenager in videos that leaked in 2014. “When I was a kid, I was incredibly ignorant and said some very hurtful racist jokes that were clearly not funny,” the singer wrote. “I hurt a lot of people especially the Black people in my life but was fortunate enough to have had them educate me on the horrifying origin of the N-word. This brings those painful memories back up, I will always take ownership for my ignorance and my past because I know I am not that person.” Fresh from her role in single-handedly getting the White House to suddenly find a way to extend the eviction moratorium, Missouri’s freshman Congresswoman Cori Bush shifted her attention to the pardon of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the white St. Louis couple who waved firearms at Black Lives Matter protesters last summer from their front lawn, as they marched through the gated community toward a rally outside the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson. Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson made good on his promise and pardoned the McCloskeys on Tuesday, prompting a fed-up, fiery response from Rep. Bush during an interview on CNN. “It was absolutely unbelievable,” she said. “They pointed their guns totally recklessly to a group of non-violent protesters walking down a street that had no clue that they lived there. Didn’t care that they lived there, didn’t know them, and didn’t want to know them.” https://youtu.be/ZXB4nqoNxPo A Texas appeals court on Thursday upheld the murder conviction of a former Dallas police officer who was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting her neighbor in his home. A panel of three state judges ruled that a Dallas County jury had sufficient evidence to convict Amber Guyger of murder in the 2018 shooting of Botham Jean. The decision by the 5th Texas Court of Appeals in Dallas means Guyger, who turns 33 on Monday, will continue to serve her 10-year prison sentence and largely dashes her hopes of having the 2019 conviction overturned. She will become eligible for parole in 2024, under her current sentence. The ruling comes in a case that drew national attention because of the strange circumstances and because it was one in a string of shootings of Black men by white police officers. Tesla Inc. has paid more than $1 million to a Black former employee who won a ruling that the company failed to stop his supervisors from calling him the “N-word” at the electric-car maker’s Northern California plant. The rare discrimination award by an arbitrator to Melvin Berry, which followed a closed-door proceeding, caps years of complaints from Black workers that Tesla turned a blind eye to the commonplace use of racial slurs on the assembly line and was slow to clean up graffiti with swastikas and other hate symbols scrawled in common areas. It ends a years-long and emotionally grueling fight launched by Berry, who was hired by the company as a materials handler in 2015 and quit less than 18 months later. Berry claimed that when he confronted a supervisor for calling him the “N-word,” he was forced to work longer hours and push a heavier cart. “I hope the world knows that an arbitrator found Tesla treats its employees like this,” Berry, 47, told Bloomberg News in a phone interview Wednesday. He said he’s now taking time off to focus on his mental health as he still hasn’t “gotten over the healing process.” A medical student in Nigeria is speaking out about the day he was horrified to see his friend’s body on the dissection table during anatomy class. The incident occurred seven years ago at the University of Calabar. As reported by Blavity, Enya Egbe was tasked with dissecting a cadaver and one of the three bodies belonged to his friend, Divine. “We used to go clubbing together,” Egbe, 26, told BBC. “There were two bullet holes on the right side of his chest.” Divine’s family had been searching for him after he went missing, according to Egbe. Per the report, Divine and three friends were detained by security agents while walking home after a night out. It was Egbe who contacted the family to inform them of the whereabouts of Devine’s remains. Los Angeles Police Department chief Michel Moore said Tuesday that a use of force investigation is underway into the arrest of New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes. The 6 ft 11 in center was arrested last week in L.A. after an alleged altercation with officers who responded to a report of a domestic dispute, reports Sports Illustrated. The excessive force investigation revolves around “the possibility of force being applied to the suspect’s neck during the use of force in taking him into custody.” During the arrest, Hayes “was complaining of having trouble breathing, saying that he could not breathe,” Moore noted. According to a 37-second cellphone video released Wednesday by TMZ, Hayes appeared to be tased in the chest by police last week. In the video, a friend of Hayes—while holding the camera—says Hayes is choking. “Stop,” the friend says. “Stop. Get your hands off him now. I’ve seen him choking.” Hayes, in turn, told one of the officers, “I want your badge number.” https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-08-03-080321-jaxson-hayes-v2-1217362/ When LeBron James won his first NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2012, a reporter asked, “How do you feel?” James answered, “It’s about damn time.”hose same words could well have been uttered more recently by Bob “The Greyhound” Dandridge. The former Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Bullets [now Wizards] great had to wait three decades before finally being elected last month to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. His resume was sterling: He won NBA titles in Milwaukee and Washington, and he played with four previous greats whom he helped earn their first or only championships. “It’s a shame that it took 30 years for Bob Dandridge to be voted into the hall of fame,” said Charlie Neal, the longtime signature voice of Historically Black Colleges and Universities sports for Black Entertainment Television (BET) and ESPN. “I’m glad the veterans committee made up for the sportswriters’ mistakes.” https://youtu.be/785Az4n90X4 Cerain Anthony Raekwon Baker, the 21-year-old son of comedian Tony Baker, was killed along with two others in a fiery three-car crash caused by a street race in which he was not a part of in Southern California late Tuesday night. Cerain was in a vehicle along with 20-year-old Jaiden Johnson and 19-year-old Natalee Moghaddam when they were struck by another driver who had been street racing. The silver Volkswagen in which the three were traveling was split in half and they were ejected from the vehicle. Criminal charges may be filed in connection with the crash, according to NBC 4. According to a preliminary report, a driver behind the wheel of a gray Kia was racing with a driver in a black Mercedes Benz when the driver of the silver Volkswagen carrying Baker attempted to make a left turn. That resulted in a vicious collision. It was not immediately reported who was driving the Volkswagen. Urban One is beaming with pride after two of the Black-owned media company’s top talents have received prestigious nominations for awards recognizing their work in radio broadcasting. D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley have each been nominated for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year for their eponymous radio shows as part of the upcoming National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2021 Marconi Radio Awards. “I couldn’t be prouder to announce that two of Reach’s talents. D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley are each among the five final nominees selected in Radio for Network Syndicated Personality of the Year,” David Kantor, CEO, Urban One Radio Division & Reach Media, said in a brief statement on Thursday. “This is our industry’s highest honor. Both continue the legacy of my retired co-founder, and previous nominee and winner, Tom Joyner. They are entertaining, engaging, and totally committed to their audiences. Congratulations to both.” The nominees were announced on Wednesday. Smiley won the award back in 2017. Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues built a career shattering stereotypes. Bogues earned the respect of the entire NBA through his tenacity and no-quit high level of play, while standing only 5-foot-3 inches. To this day, he is the shortest player to ever lace up a pair of sneakers in the league. After enjoying a 14-season career of pro-ball, Bogues is now a podcaster, crushing it with fellow former ballers Charles Oakley and Earl Cureton for their “3 League OGs” podcast. Ashley Stroehlein, a sports anchor and reporter in Charlotte, North Carolina, has the task of keeping the trio on track as the moderator. She serves as the perfect balance as the hoopsters chop it up with A-list athletes and celebrities. Disney has unveiled a brief tailor for its Star Wars-themed hotel that will launch next year. Per Complex, the Galactic Starcruiser will be a two-night “adventure” that has been promoted by Disney World as “part live immersive theater, part themed environment, part culinary extravaganza, part real-life role-playing game.” https://youtu.be/D0e8v2G6Lzo High Tales, a video series introduced by Shawn ‘JAY-Z’ Carter’s cannabis brand MONOGRAM, just dropped its season one finale featuring Chika. In this episode, the ‘Best New Artist’ Grammy nominee owns up to some experimentation with photoshop involving Beyonce and Blue Ivy, talks cannabis and social justice, and recalls a time when her blunt was passed around to Wale and Chris Rock while attending the Savage x Fenty 2019 fashion show, earning her the self-proclaimed title: “Facilitator of Vibes.” https://youtu.be/LvsvV-qcT-w Announced today, the 35th annual Miss Black USA Pageant, will be broadcast live on FOX SOUL August 8th, 2021. FOX SOUL is a free streaming platform serving unapologetically black, consumable by all entertainment. Karen Arrington is the Founder and CEO of Miss Black USA, a national scholarship pageant that celebrates the achievements of young women of color through the awarding of scholarships each year. A Black educator in Texas is speaking out about the racist attacks he has experienced over the years. Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield penned a lengthy Facebook message on Saturday in which he detailed the day the district asked him to remove an intimate photo from his private Facebook page of James and his white wife. He is also catching heat from colleagues and parents for teaching critical race theory, which unpacks the root causes of racism and inequality in America. Jason Nelson, best-known for his No. 1 gospel ballads “Forever” and “I Am,” will emerge from a three-year recording hiatus on 8/6 with the release of his sixth album, Close. “First, it’s a studio record [his past sets have been live sessions]. Secondly, I delve into music that helped to nurture my sound as a singer. It pays homage to Dawkins & Dawkins, Fred Hammond, Commissioned. The first album I ever purchased was by Jaco Pastorious (a legendary bassist known for his work with jazz fusion band, Weather Report). All of them played a major role in my musical journey.” With hints of Jazz, R&B, and Pop flavors, Nelson is flexing new musical muscles on Close. Joining him for this sonic workout are luminaries such as R&B singer, Chrisette Michele; jazz bassist, John Patitucci; and Cross Worship leader, Osby Berry. Although, the set breaks new musical ground for Nelson; it’s still an album that solidly delivers the heartfelt, Jesus-centered songs of faith that Nelson’s core fans have come to love. The first radio single, “Residue,” has already racked a million streams and charted in the Top 20 on the Gospel Airplay chart. There’s no stopping the outstanding performance of CeCe Winans’ current album, “Believe For It.” Prior to street date, the record began to acquire a buzz throughout the Christian and gospel industry, which heightened the anticipation of hearing new music from the celebrated voice of Winans. The live recording featuring 12 heart-felt songs of worship quickly rose to the top of the charts, claiming the number one spot on four different Gospel Charts with the album remaining in the number slot for seven consecutive weeks. Winans is now making her mark at key Christian radio stations and networks like: K-Love, KLTY (Dallas), KSBJ (Houston), The Fish (Atlanta and Los Angeles), WONU (Chicago), Sirius XM, The Message and many more. The single, “Believe For It,” holds a Top 10 presence on the Christian Charts chiming in at #7 on the Christian Airplay Chart, #9 on the Monitored Chart, #7 on the Christian Digital Song Sales Chart and #9 on the Mediabase Christian AC Chart. The album is currently at #4 on the Top Christian/Gospel Album chart and has been in the top 10 every week since its release 20 weeks ago. The US On-Demand streams for “Believe For It” has surpassed the 13 million cyber count and the album is over 41 million and increasing daily. Chilling new polls show that significant numbers of Americans have ended friendships over disagreements about COVID-19 — and an even greater number have lost a friend or family member who died from the disease. Respondents to the Economist/YouGov poll were asked “Do you personally know anyone who has died due to complications from covid-19?” Eleven percent responded “Yes, a family member,” and another 18 percent said “Yes, a close friend.” Among Democrats, a combined 40 percent said they’ve lost a close friend or family member to the disease, while a combined 26 percent of Republicans said the same. The acrimony around Covid figures to get worse before it gets better, as public health officials have increasingly laid the spread and worsening of the pandemic at the feet of those who refuse to be vaccinated, and warn that unvaccinated people could allow the disease to mutate into something even more harmful than the Delta variant. Following a directive by President Joe Biden to explore the matter, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is leaning toward requiring all U.S. troops to get vaccinated for the coronavirus. The Pentagon chief has been examining the issue as the Biden administration looks for ways to boost vaccination nationwide, while protecting military personnel who must content with viral variants even as they carry out their duties of providing for the national defense. Austin’s ‘inclination is towards making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory’ for active-duty troops, CNN citing a Defense official. The signal on his reported posture comes after Biden as commander-in-chief can issue the vaccine order for the the troops made his own preference known, without going so far as to call for it. Last week in a speech on boosting vaccination, Biden asked the military ‘to look into how and when they will add COVID-19’ to to the list of mandatory vaccinations service members already must get. Education Sec. Miguel Cardona on Thursday warned Americans not to let adult politics get in the way of schools reopening safely and remaining open without disruption, specifically expressing concern about states that are preventing schools from instating mask mandates. “The tools are there, it’s just – are we following the mitigation strategies?” Cardona told reporters during the White House press briefing. “You know what I’m worried about? The adult actions getting in the way of schools safely reopening. Let our educators educate. Let our school leaders lead. And we can get our schools reopened safely. Another thing I’m worried about that I want to share is complacency. Let’s not go back to the school system of March 2020.” Those “adult actions,” he suggested, include policies that “go against what (US Centers for Disease Control an Prevention) recommendations are.” Cardona warned that those policies, like others that prevent schools from imposing masking requirements, could lead to school disruptions. “I’m worried that the decisions that are being made that are not putting students at the center and student health and safety at the center is going to be why schools may be disrupted. So we know what to do. And, you know, don’t be the reason why schools are disrupted, because of the politicization of this effort to reopen schools. We know what works. We have to keep our students safe. We have to keep our educators safe,” he said. Right-wing pastor Greg Locke out of Nashville has gone viral for condemning the U.S. government’s attempt to force all Americans to take the vaccine. Pastor Locke of Global Vision Bible Church has called the Delta variant nonsense and is urging his congregation to “not get vaccinated.” He previously made clear that if his church members show “up with masks and all this nonsense, I will ask you to leave.” “The Delta variant was nonsense then, it is nonsense now,” Locke screams in a viral video. “You will not wear masks in this church. I’m telling you right now. Do not get vaccinated, do not get vaccinated. I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t need your money. I don’t need your hand clap. I don’t need more people on social media to follow me.” He added that “Joe Biden’s days are numbered” and that the only people denying the 2020 election was stolen are “crack-smoking, demon-possessed leftists.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1421886805427867654 The month of August is a month of acknowledgment and commemoration of the countless organizers, activists and freedom fighters who sacrificed their freedom and lives in the struggle for Black liberation. During the month of Black August, organizers and activists take this time to honor freedom fighters and political prisoners who put their lives on the line, risking social and economic security to defend the self-determination of Black communities. August is a celebration of many people including James Baldwin, a novelist, playwright, essayist, poet and activist. August is a revolutionary month that demands to be acknowledged with discipline, reflection and rebellion. https://youtu.be/ZNmJaU6Cn_c A local chapter of the NAACP has launched an investigation into an act loaded with the racial implications of lynchings that happened last month at a summer camp in Martha’s Vineyard. That was where two white boys at the camp in the Massachusetts island’s town of Chilmark intentionally placed tent straps around the neck of a Black boy, leaving the 8-year-old camper with “an abrasion,” the Boston Globe reported. The NAACP’s investigation is working to determine if the act on July 29 by the 8- and 9-year-old white boys was motivated by racism. Its president said regardless of the investigation’s outcome, the incident dispels the narrative that Martha’s Vineyard is truly a place of racial inclusiveness. “Incidents like this cannot be ignored,” NAACP chapter President Arthur Hardy-Doubleday said in a statement. “This event reminds us that while the island may have a reputation as a racial utopia, we are far from it.” The idyllic island destination near Cape Cod is popular with African Americans and has an important place in the annals of Black history dating back centuries. A fully vaccinated sheriff in Mississippi was found dead in his home nearly two weeks after he tested positive for COVID-19, underscoring the strength of the coronavirus delta variant for which public health officials have been amplifying concerns. Hinds County Sheriff Lee Vance’s death was apparently an exception to what’s been advertised as all but a rule that getting vaccinated will protect against COVID-19 hospitalization and deaths. The proliferation of the delta variant has begun to challenge that narrative. Vance, who is Black, was the former chief of police in Jackson, Mississippi, who also worked for more than 30 years as a police officer with the department. His body was discovered on Wednesday while he was quarantining at his home after testing positive for COVID-19 on July 23. He was 63 years old. An Atlanta police sergeant has been fired a little more than a week after a viral video showed him kicking a handcuffed woman in the face as she lay on the ground in front of him. Sgt. Marc Theodule, who was identified as the police officer who kicked the woman in her head, was fired Monday, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) announced in a press release. “Based on a review of all the facts, it was determined Sgt. Marc Theodule’s actions violated department policy and he acted outside of APD standards and training,” the press release says. But in a stunning turn of events, the officer who was working alongside Theodule — identified as Bridget Citizen — and placed on administrative duty has returned to work unpunished after APD determined she did not violate its policy of failing to intervene and stop the police brutality. Amy Cooper, the woman known as “Central Park Karen,” is speaking out about her infamous encounter with Christian Cooper (no relation)—a Black bird-watcher whom she accused of threatening her and her dog in Central Park last May. “I don’t know that as a woman alone in a park that I had another option,” she said in Tuesday’s episode of Bari Weiss’ Honestly podcast.“I’m trying to figure out, you know, what does that mean? Is that a physical attack on me? Is that to my dog? Like, what is he about to do?” Cooper’s case made national headlines when she had a confrontation on May 25, 2020, with bird-watcher Christian over her dog being off-leash dog in Central Park. In her first call to 911, Amy said an “African American man” was threatening her and her dog. In a second call to 911, she alleged Christian “tried to assault” her. https://youtu.be/EZwPL1F4PJQ Two-time Grammy winner Lil Nas X now admits he was ‘terrified’ before flamboyantly performing his hit song Montero (Call Me by Your Name) at the 21st BET Awards on June 27. ‘Going to this place with all these overly masculine rappers and you’re [going to] be in there throwing a little a** every now and then, touching on dudes and hugging them and kissing them,’ the 22-year-old rapper-singer – who came out as gay in 2019 – recalled in his Out cover story. ‘At some points I was like, “Should I even do this? I don’t feel like they’re going to love me like that.” … I was in rehearsals like, “Oh my god, I have to do my absolute f***ing best with this performance because of s*** like this.”‘ Dr Dre’s eldest daughter is reportedly homeless and doing odd jobs to stay afloat, and reportedly lives in her rental car. LaTanya Young, 38, reveals she has been doing DoorDash, Uber, and even works at a warehouse as an assembler, however, that is not enough to even get her an apartment in California. Her children currently stay with friends. The Single Mother of Four spoke to DailyMail.com about how her allowance from her father ended 18-months ago. She also claims her children have never met him, and she hasn’t seen him in 18-years. La Tanya is the daughter of Dr. Dre and Lisa Johnson. The couple broke up when she was just 5. Paul Johnson, a pioneering house music star DJ whose releases made him a legend in his hometown of Chicago, died Wednesday (Aug. 4) at the age of 50. His cause of death was reported as complications from COVID-19. Johnson’s death was announced via his Facebook page and accompanied by a video of Johnson speaking. “Our greatness passed away this morning at 9am the house music legend we all know as PJ aka PAUL JOHNSON has passed away in this day of AUGUST 4th 2021,” the Facebook post said. “Rest In Heaven Paul.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=259729828990879 Singer Jennifer Hudson, who performed an Aretha Franklin song when she auditioned for “American Idol,” is now set to portray in a movie the woman whose career in some ways is mirrored by Hudson’s own. One aspect of that reflection is a commitment to faith — which plays its own pivotal role in “Respect,” the star-studded movie set to release Aug. 13 that tells the story of the “Queen of Soul,” who died at age 76 in 2018. “I could so relate to that, being born in a church and then her career taking her elsewhere,” said Hudson, “but her still staying true to her roots and coming home to that, although it never really fully left her. But it was what carried her.” https://youtu.be/9uop3gOncRE Prosper suddenly has a daughter, Ralph Angel flirts unsuccessfully with the streets to feed his growing family, and Nova literally has a bulls-eye on her head in the new Season 6 trailer for “Queen Sugar,” returning this fall. Oprah Winfrey Network announced Wednesday that its popular drama series, created and executive produced by filmmaker Ava DuVernay (“When They See Us,” “Cherish the Day”), will return on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. https://youtu.be/iBMtFTXrI6U On Wednesday, Variety reported that the game show’s executive producer Mike Richards is in “advanced negotiations” to fill the slot left empty following Alex Trebek’s passing in November 2020. It was said that Richards, who has hosted the series “Divided” and “The Pyramid,” was among several guest hosts. However, sources with knowledge of the process say it is now effectively a done deal, though it may not be announced until later in August. Meanwhile, fans of the legendary game show Jeopardy! don’t think the possible move will be fair as LeVar Burton had been trying to secure the spot. Despite that, he still tried to keep things positive and tweeted on Thursday: “I have said many times over these past weeks that no matter the outcome, I’ve won. The outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and fans alike has been incredible! If love is the ultimate blessing and I believe that it is, I am truly blessed beyond measure. ????” This week on Two Guys from Hollywood Podcast, the hosts had the luxury of speaking with the one and only Eva Marcille. Eva was a former cast member on the Real Housewives of Atlanta and since leaving, has made an incredible name for herself. Eva has been busy since her departure from the Real Housewives of Atlanta. She’s landed a lead role in the upcoming Tyler Perry TV series, All the Queens Men, has her own podcast, The Undressing Room and is co-host of the incredibly popular Rickey Smiley Morning Show. https://megaphone.link/HSW9673330988 An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Love After Lockup” returns this week with Britney revealing that her parents don’t know her felon bae Ray is out of prison. Elsewhere in the week’s episode, Daonte is stunned when he catches Nicolle with her ex. Rachel freaks when Doug shows his true colors. A former prison guard confronts her lover. Stan’s apology brings on a sexy reunion. Jeff reveals a secret that could crush Anissa. https://youtu.be/GOj0E0lfHA8 Aaliyah’s estate released a statement on Wednesday in response to the shady tactics being used in an attempt to release unauthorized projects associated with the late singer. “… For 20 years we have battled behind the scenes, enduring shadowy tactics of deception with unauthorized projects targeted to tarnish,” the statement read, as reported by Complex. “We have always been confused as to why there is such a tenacity in causing more pain alongside what we already have to cope with for the rest of our lives. “Now, in this 20th year, this unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate compels our hearts to express a word – forgiveness. Although we will continue to defend ourselves and her legacy lawfully and justly, we want to preempt the inevitable attacks on our character by all the individuals who have emerged from the shadows to leech off of Aaliyah’s life’s work.” https://youtu.be/pAbxS-6XsMY Lil Baby was arrested last month in Paris while in the city for fashion week. As reported earlier, videos emerged online of the rapper and NBA star James Harden being stopped by a few cops. The Brooklyn Nets superstar can be heard saying he doesn’t understand what’s going on as cops begin to search him. In another clip, you can see a confused Lil Baby in the back of a police car, appearing to ask questions to an officer. There were allegedly 20 grams of weed discovered, TMZ reports. Lil Baby was arrested/fined over the incident, while the cops let Harden go. The rapper was released the following day. https://youtu.be/hyxMSBvQHi8 Hip-hop star Tyga has long been shrouded in rumors that he prefers trans women, and earlier this week, his baby mama Blac Chyna appeared to confirm that. “Tyga loves Trans, me 2 [red lips emoji,” so read the tweet posted on Chyna’s social media accounts, per Ace Showbiz. “Tell the truth @Tyga !!!!!,” she continued. Many on social media took issue with Black Chyna possibly outing the rapper. After Chyna was accused of being transphobic for outing her ex on Twitter, the former stripper fired back with claims that her account was hacked. On Monday, a rep for Chyna said she never wrote the shocking comments about Tyga, claiming her account was hacked. “Unfortunately, Blac Chyna’s Twitter account was hacked yesterday as she would not purposely speak negatively about Tyga online,” Chyna’s rep told The Shade Room. “ After winning the gold medal and setting a world record Tuesday night in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics, U.S. track star Sydney McLaughlin has responded via social media to her many fans in the United States and around the world by thanking God. In a post to Instagram on Thursday, the devout Christian wrote a message of “submission and obedience to God,” and included an image showing her draped in an American flag after her victory. “Let me start off by saying, what an honor it is to be able to represent not only my country but also the kingdom of God,” McLaughlin wrote. “What I have in Christ is far greater than what I have or don’t have in life. I pray my journey may be a clear depiction of submission and obedience to God.” She pointed out that the heavenly Father “will make a way out of no way.” Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles revealed Tuesday that her aunt died during the Tokyo Olympic Games. Biles won a bronze medal on the balance beam on Tuesday, and she revealed the tragic news about her aunt while speaking to reporters afterward. “At the end of the day, people don’t understand what we are going through,” said Biles. “Two days ago, I woke up and my aunt unexpectedly passed, and it wasn’t any easier being here at the Olympic Games.” “People have to realize that, at the end of the day, we’re humans, we’re not just entertainment,” she added. “There are things going on behind the scenes that people have no idea about.” Team USA‘s embarrassing sixth-place performance in a men’s 4X100 relay heat was slammed on Thursday by nine-time gold medalist Carl Lewis, who took aim at the American sprinters and their coaches for their failure to qualify for the final. ‘It was a total embarrassment,’ tweeted the 60-year-old track and field legend. The US boasted several top 100-meter sprinters, including Tokyo 2020 finalists Fred Kerley and Ronnie Baker, as well as Trayvon Bromell and Cravon Gillespie. Unfortunately for the Americans, a botched second baton exchange killed the team’s momentum, and Gillespe’s final leg failed to close the gap. Initially Baker inadvertently grabbed Kerley’s jersey while reaching for the baton before whiffing and ultimately hauling it in. ‘The USA team did everything wrong in the men’s relay,’ Lewis wrote on Twitter. ‘The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs, and it was clear that there was no leadership. It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU kids I saw.’ The Washington Football Team has further distanced itself from its former nickname, the Redskins, by banning Native American-inspired face paint and headdresses at home games this season. ‘We are excited to welcome everyone back wearing their Burgundy & Gold,’ read Wednesday’s announcement. ‘However, Native American inspired ceremonial headdresses or face paint may no longer be worn into the stadium.’ Team owner Dan Snyder finally dropped ‘Redskins’ last year following decades of criticism from Native American groups, who felt that it was racist. The current placeholder, The Washington Football Team, will remain in use this season, but is expected to be changed at a later date. The WFT did not welcome fans due to the pandemic in 2020, so there were no issues with fans wearing headdresses or Native American face paint — two things that were commonly seen at FedEx Field in earlier years. The seven-day average of daily coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed the peak seen last summer when the nation didn’t have an authorized Covid-19 vaccine, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday, citing data published over the weekend. U.S. Covid cases, based on a seven-day moving average, reached 72,790 on Friday, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s higher than the peak in average daily cases seen last summer, when the country was reporting about 68,700 new cases per day, according to the CDC. The daily average in Covid cases has since dropped, however, falling to 68,326 new cases per day on Saturday and 63,250 new cases per day on Sunday, according to the agency. President Joe Biden on Tuesday joined a number of congressional Democrats and Republicans in calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York to resign. “Yes,” Biden said when asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins if Cuomo should step down in light of the investigation released earlier on Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office, which found that the governor sexually harassed 11 women. The president stopped short of weighing in on an impeachment for Cuomo, saying: “Let’s take one thing at a time here. I think he should resign.” Biden added that he hadn’t spoken with Cuomo or read the 165-page report but that he knew the “end result.” https://youtu.be/5n2qOxOjA9E Simone Biles officially returned to the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday morning, and she made her comeback count. The superstar gymnast took home the bronze medal after competing in the balance beam finals, the fifth and final individual medal event for women’s gymnastics. It marked the seventh time Biles has medaled at the Olympics and may have even resulted in her winning the gold had she not performed what the Associated Press called “a slightly watered-down version of her usual routine.” Even though Biles had not competed in a week, she still medaled, backing up her reputation as the winningest gymnast of all time. All Biles needed was a double-pike dismount — a move that was named after her had she twisted — to register a score of 14.000, allowing her to finish in third place behind two Chinese gymnasts who won the gold and silver medals, respectively. Jade Carey traveled the world for a spot in the Olympics. Germany. Qatar. Azerbaijan. Australia. A lot of long flights. A little bit of jet lag. One unrelenting vision of what could be possible. She wasn’t going to let a little thing like a sticky patch of carpet get in her way. The 21-year-old American gymnast soared to gold in the women’s floor exercise Monday night, her powerful and precise routine capping a roller-coaster 24 hours in which she narrowly avoided serious injury during the vault finals when her right foot caught just as she was preparing her entry. Carey’s score of 14.366 gave the U.S. women’s team its fifth medal of the Games and assured that each of the six athletes who came to Tokyo — Carey, Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum and MyKayla Skinner — will be checking some serious bling in customs when they return home. Elaine Thompson-Herah just became the first woman to win a “double-double” in Olympic track and field’s fastest races. The Jamaican sprinter nabbed gold in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races in Tokyo, repeating her two wins in the same contests at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Thompson-Herah, 29, clinched the title after trouncing the competition during the 200-meter sprint on Tuesday. “It feels amazing to win two golds again. I have had a rough week. I haven’t slept after the 100m final,” Thompson-Herah said after the race. “I am so, so happy. Oh my God, it’s amazing that I have ever seen this day. That I could complete another double. I can’t believe it,” she added. Allyson Felix is one of the most decorated female Olympians in track and field history with nine medals, including six gold and three silver. She will compete Monday in the women’s 400m at the Tokyo Olympics. Felix, 35, told USA Today Sports that it’s been an incredible experience, however, this will be her last Olympics. In an Instagram post, Felix wrote that she is thankful for the opportunities granted by God. “It might sound cliché, but getting to that starting line is an incredible victory for me. I’ve experienced the hardest years of my life in this journey and by God’s grace I’m here. With a heart full of gratitude I’m taking space to remember all it took to get here.” At just 19-years-old, Athing Mu is a gold medal winner. The Trenton, NJ native made history while finishing the race in 1:55.21 – a U.S. record, breaking a mark set by Ajee Wilson. Mu also became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the 800-meter race in more than a half-century. Madeline Manning-Mims was the last, winning the race at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics 53 years ago. Ayesha Curry is celebrating 10 years of marriage with her husband, NBA player Stephen Curry. The actress and cookbook author, 32, penned a sweet tribute to her husband on Instagram, sharing a carousel of photos to celebrate the decade that’s passed since their very first wedding day. “My love! my adventure partner! My best friend! My confidant! My baby daddaaaay! My everything! 10 years married y’all,” Ayesha wrote. “It has felt like the blink of an eye. @stephencurry30 is by far, hands down the most amazing being I know.” She added, “I can’t wait to see what the next 50 has in store for us. Happy day happy day! We’ve been doing the most celebrating the past couple of days. July 30,2011 to infinity and beyonnnnnnd.” Artem Dolgopyat and the country he represents will never forget this day. He became just the second Israeli athlete to ever win an Olympic gold medal, and the first to medal in gymnastics after finishing first in the men’s floor exercise in the Tokyo Games on Sunday. “I don’t really have the words, I am still in heaven,” he said afterwards. “I want to say thank you to everyone, I love everyone.” Dolgopyat edged Rayderley Zapata of Spain. They both actually had the same score of 14.933, but Dolgopyat had 0.100 more in terms of difficulty, and as a result won the gold. Florida A&M University students got a welcome surprise when the university announced it would be paying off student financial balances for the 2020-2021 school year. President Larry Robinson broke the news at the commencement for 2020 graduates Saturday. “This is an indication of our commitment to student success and our hope that your time on the ‘Hill’ has been transformative as you take on the challenges of the day, go out and make a difference,” Robinson told the graduates. The historically Black university used more than $16 million of funding from the federal CARES Act, which was passed in March 2020, to cover the fees, tuition and unpaid student account balances, according to a news release from the school. Big Sean has been a fierce advocate for youth empowerment and he’s pushing his efforts to inspire youngsters to follow their dreams forward. The music artist—whose real name is Sean Anderson—has invested in a new workforce and entrepreneurship program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan. The initiative, dubbed The Industry Club, was created to introduce Detroit teenagers to an array of career paths that sit at the intersection of technology, sports and entertainment. As part of the immersive program, nearly 200 teenagers will learn about the different facets of these industries while earning money for their participation. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan is the first chapter to lead a sports and entertainment entrepreneurship-focused program. The program supports BGCSM’s greater mission of using economic mobility to eradicate poverty. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) became the third member of Congress to be arrested during nonviolent protests aimed at rallying support for federal voting legislation that activists say are necessary to push back against new restrictive state laws. “We must pass the Voting Rights Act because my people in Texas are suffering, my people in Mississippi are suffering, my people in Georgia are suffering,” Jackson Lee said shortly before Capitol Police officers prepared to arrest her and six others who blocked the entrance to the Hart Senate Office Building. “We are here to say that voting rights is a fundamental constitutional right. … We will not be moved.” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) was arrested at the Hart Senate Office Building last week. The week before, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was cuffed with zip ties and briefly detained. Five Florida police officers have been charged with battery connected to the violent arrests of two Black men last week, prosecutors announced Monday. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a news conference to announce the first-degree misdemeanor charges against Miami Beach police Sgt. Jose Perez, Officer Kevin Perez, Officer Robert Sabater, Officer David Rivas and Officer Steven Serrano. The officers had previously been suspended, and Fernandez Rundle said additional charges might follow. All five officers turned themselves in earlier Monday. Surveillance video shows an officer chase Dalonta Crudup, 24, into the lobby of the Royal Palm Hotel in South Beach in the early morning hours of July 26. The officer orders Crudup onto the ground at gunpoint, and Crudup complies. Moments later, more than a dozen other officers run into the lobby and surround Crudup, who can be seen on the ground with his hands behind his back. Fernandez Rundle said body camera footage shows Sgt. Jose Perez kick a handcuffed Crudup three times, while Officer Kevin Perez kicked Crudup at least four times. Khalid Vaughn, 28, using a cellphone to record Crudup’s arrest from about 12 feet (4 meters) away. Body camera footage shows Vaughn backing away at the instruction of an officer when Sabater tackles Vaughn to the floor and repeatedly punches him. Fernandez Rundle said Rivas and Serrano also struck Vaughn. An all too familiar phrase, routine traffic stops are often anything but for Black drivers. A new study from the American Psychological Association found that police are more hostile when speaking to Black men than their white counterparts. Researchers examined the tone and intonation in a speech during traffic stops using body camera footage and audio clips. Building on prior studies showing police having a more respectful tone toward white people in various institutional settings. Researchers described using footage from an unnamed medium-sized U.S. city to put together a composite sketch of interactions during traffic stops. NBC News reported another study focusing on Oakland showed Black residents were 61 percent more likely to be told to put their hands on the wheel during a traffic stop than white residents. For Black drivers, this isn’t news, but documenting the pattern of behavior toward Black drivers could help address policies going further. But police interactions during traffic stops continue to be a source of concern, with some leading to fatal outcomes. Trailblazing Chesapeake native Lora Hinton is headlining Louisiana State University’s Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Hinton, who starred at Great Bridge High School, was the first ever Black football player for LSU. He arrived at LSU in 1971 as a running back but was hampered by a knee injury. However, he would go on to letter from 1973-75 and contributed heavily through mentoring other Black students trying to navigate life after desegregation. “His courageous decision to attend LSU as an 18-year-old has helped to pave the way for thousands of Black student-athletes to play football at the university,” LSU said in a statement. Hinton now works as a volunteer for several non-profits in the Baton Rouge area, with a focus on workforce development for adults in historically underserved areas. A Black man who said a group of white men assaulted him and threatened to “get a noose” at a southern Indiana lake is facing criminal charges more than a year after the confrontation that earlier led to charges against two of the alleged attackers. Vauhxx Booker, a local civil rights activist and member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission, was charged with misdemeanor trespass and felony battery for his involvement in last year’s Fourth of July incident at Lake Monroe, according to court documents filed Friday by a special prosecutor in the case. Booker condemned the decision, calling it an “outrageous act of punitive retaliation and prosecutorial vindictiveness.” The Monroe County Branch of the NAACP demanded that the charges against Booker be dropped immediately and called for the special prosecutor, Sonia Leerkamp, to resign. According to sources, a groom suspected his new wife had an affair with his friend and on the wedding day the groom took matters into his own hands. Devin Jose Jones was heading home after the wedding with his bride and his friend. Traffic began to get heavy, while they were waiting, Jones began to accuse his wife and friend of an affair. Jones got extremely upset and got out the car and shot in the vehicle hitting his friend in the leg. Then he also let off a shot at a car passing by on the road, striking one person in the hand. Jones’ wife, meanwhile, stopped an ambulance and told personnel her husband was trying to kill her before barricading herself inside, police said. Jones is currently being charged with attempted first degree murder, aggravated second degree battery, and two counts of aggravated primal damage to property according to authorities. Former President Barack Obama is said to be gearing up to host his 60th birthday party at Martha’s Vineyard amid a surge in COVID cases across the U.S. The party will reportedly take place on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, next weekend. AXIOS reports that all attendees must be tested for COVID and be fully vaccinated. Several Twitter users have criticized Obama over the event, calling for him to cancel his birthday bash amid the Delta variant surge. https://twitter.com/i/status/1420855063401177088 Netflix has become the first major Hollywood studio to require talent and most staff and crew in the U.S. to show proof of vaccination. Exceptions to the policy could include medical, religious, and age reasons. Netflix’s decision comes amid a fourth COVID wave in the U.S. fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant, which brought COVID safety on set back to the spotlight. While vaccination is not a silver bullet — there have been breakthrough infections for fully vaccinated people — it is considered a crucial safeguard alongside existing safety protocols including regular testing, PPE and social distancing. The vaccine mandate is the strongest measure Netflix could enforce under the current return-to-work protocols. There have been calls to expand the vaccination requirement beyond Zone A. Actor Michael Jai White has shared the horrible news that his 38-year-old son has passed away from COVID-19. During an interview with VladTV, White was discussing the amount of children he has in both his current and previous marriages. When Vlad attempted to count Michael’s total number of children, the actor told him to subtract one as his 38-year-old son had passed away a few months ago. https://youtu.be/Wl6pudr-Nio Charles Connor, best known as a drummer for Little Richard in his 1950s heyday, and decades later a familiar sight to L.A. radio veterans as a security guard at KROQ, died Saturday at age 86, reports Variety. His daughter, Queenie Connor Sonnefeld, told the Associated Press he died peacefully in his sleep while under hospice care for normal pressure hydrocephalus in Glendale, Calif. Connor established the “choo choo” style of drumming heard throughout Lil Richard’s “Keep a Knockin’,” one of the most instrumentally influential songs in rock history. https://youtu.be/rYr7I4gOSXk Rapper Nelly and his longtime girlfriend Shantel Jackson have called it quits. Jackson revealed in a brief statement over the weekend that she and Nelly are “Just friends. Per MSN, Nelly and Jackson started dating in 2014. Three years later, when she appeared on the E! reality show “The Platinum Life,” Jackson gushed about the hip-hop star. “The best part about being with Nelly is that he always likes to have fun,” she said at the time. “I don’t wanna be a baby momma, I want, you know, the horse and carriage, the wedding, the ring before I have a baby. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.” Randy Wilson was rummaging around a local flea market when he stumbled across a pristine yearbook from his old Indianapolis high school. From there, he started a collection that became a trove of history on Arsenal Technical High School and its graduates. It was in the pages of one of those yearbooks that Wilson, 69, learned about Bessie Alethia Anderson Speights, who he believes was the first Black woman to graduate from Tech in 1916, just four years after the school opened. She went on to teach in Indianapolis Public Schools for 35 years. “For her to do what she did was really a big accomplishment,” Wilson said. “She had to have some determination.” Speights’ story gained attention this spring because Wilson spearheaded a campaign to place a headstone on her grave, which had been unmarked since her death in 1982. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Meet Kristy Alexander, an entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia, whose company Apple Rose Beauty provides support for survivors of human trafficking through the sale of her skincare products. The goal is to provide them with a sustainable living wage and help them get back on their feet after being rescued. Skincare is a multi-billion dollar industry, and Black-owned skincare companies have worked hard to increase their market share over the past 10 years. In fact, there are more Black women now than ever who are owners of skincare brands, and many of them are giving back to various causes that empower women worldwide. Coco Austin recently spoke with Us Weekly and explained the reason why she still breastfeeds her adorable 5-year-old daughter, Chanel, and why she won’t stop nursing her until her daughter (with her husband, rapper/actor Ice-T) decides she doesn’t want to anymore. “Chanel still likes my boobs,” Austin told Us Weekly on Saturday. “It’s a big bonding moment for a mother and your child.” “Why take that away from her? … If she doesn’t want it, all right, that’s where you stop it,” the 42-year-old said. “But I’m not just going to say no.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFEX1ZswEm/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a52be054-dd49-49f8-97e0-1b1df89b1ca3 “Will Smith is playing Richard Williams????????????????????? Also, why is this film about Richard Williams?????????????????????” asked the comedian,” as reported by The Blast. Amanda Seales finds it odd that Richard is getting the biopic treatment and not his very successful tennis pro daughters. Several of her followers seemed to think that Seales was talking about race (with Richard being darker than Smith) but the actress made clear that was not the case. “I said what I wanna see. Lol TF y’all debatin??? I can have my opinion and you can stan Will,” she added. “There is ZERO issue here other than the one y’all are making over someone having a contrasting POV about A MOVIE!!!!!!!” Lil Wayne has reportedly dropped $15.4 million on a newly built Los Angeles estate. The property is located next door to Kylie Jenner in Hidden Hills, the upscale, guard-gated San Fernando Valley, per New York Post. The neighborhood reportedly boasts celebrity residents including Drake, Lori Loughlin, Jessica Simpson, John Stamos and members of the Kardashian family. Wayne closed the sale on March 17, months after former president Donald Trump granted him clemency in his December 2020 case related to a federal firearms charge. TV One today announces the final chapter to the Coins trilogy with production underway in Atlanta, GA for its new original film COINS FOREVER. Returning to the Coins franchise includes Essence Atkins ("Ambitions," "Marlon"), Stephen Bishop ("Imposters," "Being Mary Jane"), TC Carson ("Living Single"), Kendrick Cross ("Ambitions") with newly added cast members Golden Brooks (“Girlfriends,” “Hollywood Divas”) and Demetria McKinney (“Saints & Sinners,” “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”). Coming this Fall, COINS FOREVER follows after Coins For Christmas and Coins For Love which follows the complicated relationship of Madison (Atkins) and Alec (Bishop). Terrian is a singer, songwriter, and worship leader from Memphis, TN who has a heart for mentoring young girls through music and she has a heart for God. She is a member of TobyMac's Diverse City band and has been featured on songs with Matt Maher, Stu G, Jordan Feliz, and Gotee Records label-mates Aaron Cole and Jon Reddick, but over the last few years, she has developed her own unique style and infectious sound. Her 2021 debut project GENESIS OF TERRIAN is a 6-song EP produced by Kyle Williams and Darren Mulligan of We Are Messengers. It features her #1 Billboard Christian Hot AC/CHR single "Light It Up”, "I'm In Love" featuring Ian Alxndr, and "Stayed On Him (Isaiah 26:3)" being released to Gospel radio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2I0Al8rhmk FELICA WELCH is a Chicago native where she embraced the gift of music singing in church as a young girl. as well as well as singing with her family “The Brackenridge Singers." In 1980, she was introduced to The Voices for Christ under the leadership of Percy Gray, Jr. In early 1981 she joined and her gift developed. Felica began her professional singing career as a member of Grayboyz Productions which afforded her to sing with recording artists such as Stellar Award Winners – New Direction, Praise II, The Power Choir and Chapter Ministry Singers all under the leadership of Grayboyz Productions. Felicia remains a loyal member of Grayboyz and has become a mentor to many young gifted singers. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7590850?date=20210518&user_id=668306&signature=Y2YGsb57IFKytx6YHVhz52xKwEs%3ATwwObhsc Mary Katherine (MK) Backstrom is a blogger who became a viral sensation after her “Christmas magic” mess-up video was viewed 80 million times across social media and led to appearances on The Ellen Show, The Today Show, and New York Times. Given her newfound notoriety, MK used her uplifting voice to become an inspiring award-winning author. Releasing on August 3rd, through her newest book “Holy Hot Mess,” she reveals her raw honesty and humor and her insightful perspectives on family, faith, mental illness, and other various topics that often plague the hearts of believers. Her mission is to allow readers to celebrate wherever they are in their journey with God and to rest in the assurance that He uses each “mess” in our lives to bring us closer to Him and shape us in His likeness. Millennial single mother Ellie Diop is speaking out about how she used her $1,200 stimulus check to start a million-dollar coaching business. Ellie, 28, decided to invest in herself after getting laid off from her six-figure job and going through a divorce. As written by Black Enterprise, a year later, she has accumulated 230,000 followers on her “Ellie Talks Money” Instagram page, where she shares business and money knowledge. Ellie has been able to generate over $2 million in revenue, Business Insider reports. https://twitter.com/i/status/1402295443548258304 Video of a streetballer taking a hookah toke and then hooping like LeBron immediately afterward has gone viral. Twitter was done. One user, named @BrownHawkDown, gave him the nickname Hookah Doncic, a play on the Slovenian NBA superstar and current NBA 2K22 cover athlete Luka Doncic. https://twitter.com/i/status/1422219372366606336 News of a bipartisan agreement on anything in Congress may come as a surprise to some, but the Senate continued hammering out the details of an infrastructure agreement Saturday. The Biden Administration sees the deal as a step forward in achieving the president’s comprehensive vision in March. Cedric Richmond, the senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, recently said the new deal represents a historic investment in Black and other communities of color. He said they crafted the agreement through a racial equity lens, listing several included priorities that disproportionately impact Black and other communities of color. “When we designed this bill, we wanted to do it in a way that delivered real, tangible results,” Richmond explained during a phone call last week. “Everything from removing the 10 million lead pipes that deliver water to people’s homes, the 400,000 lead pipes that lead service lines that deliver water to schools disproportionately schools and homes are for people of color.” Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned that the latest COVID-19 surge is “going to get worse” — but the nation is not expected to shut down again. “Things are going to get worse,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC co-anchor Jonathan Karl on “This Week.” “I don’t think we’re gonna see lockdowns. I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country — not enough to crush the outbreak — but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter,” Fauci said. Amid the rising war against the unvaccinated, Fauci claims Americans who refuse to get the vaccination are to blame for the latest outbreak of the potentially fatal virus. https://youtu.be/Jeyb4qoMrv4 There’s some really good news coming out of the Olympic concerning gymnast Simone Biles. As you know, previously withdrew from the all-around competition and three event finals. However, on Monday, it was announced that Biles will be competing in Tuesday’s balance beam final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. “We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow — Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!!” USA Gymnastics tweeted. “Can’t wait to watch you both!” http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/31941928 In a catalogue that runs deep with hits, “I Will Always Love You” stands as one of Dolly Parton’s most successful songwriting credits, a tune that became a global phenomenon when it was covered by Whitney Houston for the 1992 film “The Bodyguard.” Parton, who is estimated to have earned millions of dollars in royalties for writing the song in 1973, revealed this week how she spent her money from the songwriting credit for Houston, who died in 2012: She invested in a building located in a historically Black Nashville neighborhood. “I bought my big office complex down in Nashville, and so I thought, ‘Well, this is a wonderful place to be,’ ” Parton said Thursday during a wide-ranging interview on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.” https://youtu.be/SZD5k_8ZBvA Country legend and weed connoisseur Willie Nelson joined the fight against restrictive voting laws in Texas that would largely affect people of color. He and his fans made a statement at the Texas Capitol Saturday when they sang his “Vote ‘Em Out” song in reference to the GOP legislators behind the bills. Former U.S. Congressman Beto O’Rourke, Rev. William J. Barber, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and other activists were among more than a thousand spectators present at the “Moral March for Democracy” rally, which was sponsored by the Poor People’s Campaign. Protestors marched 27 miles for four days from Georgetown to Austin to oppose the voting bills, and their rally concluded at the state capitol Saturday. “If you don’t like who’s in there, vote ‘em out,” Nelson sang with the crowd, which came directly from the 2018 single he released for the Texas Senate election that year. Fetty Wap’s 4-year-old daughter Lauren Maxwell has died, her heartbroken mother revealed on Sunday. The tragic tot’s mother, Turquoise Miami, made her death public in an Instagram post that remembered the young girl as “vibrant” and “funny.” “This is my amazing, beautiful, funny, vibrant, loving, talented, smart and hardheaded princess mermaid Aquarius,” she wrote. “If you see this post scrolling by with her comment or just say to yourself ‘i love you LAUREN’ because they say that souls can feel your love #rip,” the devastated mother wrote. The mom included a video of her smiling daughter bouncing up and down in a pool. The giant white elephant statues at the Hollywood and Highland Center, a popular tourists’ destination in Los Angeles, are in the process of being taken down this weekend. The Los Angeles Times reports that the statues, which overlook a plaza of the center featuring many shops and restaurants, are being taken down because of their association with “Birth of a Nation” filmmaker D.W. Griffith. The statues are part of the center’s tribute to the Babylon set from the director’s 1916 film “Intolerance,” which Griffith made in part in response to criticisms over the racist stereotypes depicted in “Birth.” “All of the faux Mesopotamian elements will be taken out or altered in favor of a design developers hope will be more timeless as part of a $100-million makeover of the mall announced last year that is set for completion next summer,” the LA Times reports. Los Angelinos have previously called upon the center to remove the elephants because of their homage to Griffith. Protesters gathered outside an Oklahoma cemetery on Friday to decry the reburial of remains exhumed earlier this summer that could be linked to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The remains of 19 people exhumed from Oaklawn Cemetery in Tulsa were reinterred Friday in the same place they were found. The remains were exhumed as a part of a city effort to find unmarked burials from the violent event — which happened 100 years ago — when a white mob stormed the Greenwood District of Tulsa, a predominantly Black area dubbed “Black Wall Street” on May 31, 1921. The mob destroyed and burned 35 city blocks of the thriving Black neighborhood to the ground. Oklahoma originally recorded 36 deaths in the brazen attack, but a 2001 commission reported the number was as high as 300. However, dozens of protesters had gathered to denounce the Friday reburial without a proper funeral ceremony. The burial process was closed to the public. Hillsong Church says a newly released BBC documentary about the church that involved two years of filming at its locations on three continents is “grossly out of context” and refutes accusations made by former members about its culture, finances and ministry. A newly released documentary by BBC offers a look into Hillsong Church, a globally recognized megachurch, which has endured a string of controversies within the past year, including the church’s celebrity culture, as well as sexual and financial misconduct. According to The Roys Report, the film titled “Hillsong Church: God Goes Viral” first aired on July 21 on BBC Four’s Storyville documentary series. In one revealing portion of the film, a Hillsong London youth minister and his team of college leaders travel to a tattoo parlor where they get matching “70×7” tattoos. They said that the ink pays tribute to the gospel’s message on forgiveness. “It is finished!”, one of the guys jokingly remarks after the tattoo artist finishes her work. Monday marks what would have been the 97th birthday of renowned Harlem writer James Baldwin. Among the many great Black writers in canons of Black literature, Baldwin etched his mark in history with his candid and brilliant words on Black America and systemic oppression. https://youtu.be/L0L5fciA6AU Throughout history Black athletes have instrumentally shaped the landscape of hockey, but their contributions have often gone overlooked. A new documentary being produced by LeBron James and Drake will bring the narratives of these unsung Black hockey trailblazers to the forefront, Deadline reported. The film—dubbed Black Ice—will examine the history of racism within the sport and document the harrowing experiences Black players have endured both on and off the ice. Sitting at the intersection of sports and activism, it will capture how Black players used their careers to break racial barriers for generations of athletes who would go on to carve their own paths on the ice. Black Ice will also delve into the history behind the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes and shine a light on the continued fight for representation in the NHL. The documentary is being created under the SpringHill Company, Uninterrupted Canada and DreamCrew Entertainment. James, Drake, Maverick Carter and Adel “Future” Nur will serve as executive producers. Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College are the latest institutions in a wave of HBCUs that have launched efforts to erase student debt. The Atlanta-based schools recently announced they would clear outstanding student balances for the 2020 and 2021 academic years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The global health crisis has exacerbated financial strain for many HBCU students causing them to pause their studies or drop out of school due to the lack of affordability. This alarming issue prompted schools to step in and provide relief for scholars in need. “The past two academic years have been emotionally and financially challenging for you and your families due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Clark Atlanta President George T. French Jr. wrote in a letter addressed to students, according to the news outlet. “I understand. That is why I am personally thankful for your resilience, perseverance, and ‘find a way or make one’ attitudes.” Mary Schmidt Campbell, who serves as president of Spelman College echoed French’s remarks noting the past year has been difficult for students to navigate. Spelman College is utilizing federal funds to wipe away the student debt and will also provide a tuition discount for students during the 2020-2021 academic year. Seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said he suspects he has long COVID, after suffering dizziness and fatigue in the aftermath of a hard-fought Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. “Everything got a bit blurry on the podium,” said the 36-year-old, who had to be looked over by his Mercedes team doctor after a flat-out charge from last to third around the twisting Hungaroring. “I’ve been fighting all year, really, with staying healthy after what happened at the end of last year. “It’s still a battle.” Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to miss last year’s penultimate Sakhir Grand Prix in December. The Briton was back in action at the final race in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 13, where he finished third after testing negative but reported feeling the after-effects of the disease. On Sunday, he said those effects had lingered. She launched herself off the vault, stuck the landing and saluted, then MyKayla Skinner heard the roar from her teammates watching in the stands. One voice seemed louder than the rest — Simone Biles, rooting for Skinner in what would become a silver-medal winning performance. “I knew she was going to be the loudest one in there tonight,” Skinner said. Skinner had always dreamed of competing at the Olympics, and described the unexpected, 11th-hour opportunity as a “one in a million” chance that she was not going to waste. She was not supposed to be there, competing on vault in the women’s event finals Sunday. She had the fourth-highest score during qualifications. But the rules allow each country a maximum of two athletes in the finals. Biles and Jade Carey finished first and second, pushing Skinner from the competition. She was devastated that her Olympics — and her gymnastics career — appeared to have ended at qualification. She was preparing to get on a plane to fly home. U.S. gymnast Sunisa Lee has taken bronze in the uneven bars event final at the Tokyo Olympics, adding another medal to her hugely successful Games. Belgium’s Nina Derwael took gold and Anastasiia Iliankova with the team from Russia took silver. Lee, an 18-year-old from Minnesota, became the U.S.’s best hope for gold in the individual all-around competition when Simone Biles withdrew to focus on her mental health. Lee delivered strong routines in every apparatus, snagging the top award in individual gymnastics. The uneven bars is her best event. Skinner, 24, posted a farewell online. U.S. golfer Xander Schauffele won the Olympic men’s individual stroke play competition Sunday. Schauffele sank key putts near the end of the final round while Japan’s top golfer faded out of medal contention. The 27-year-old clinched what he called the biggest win of his career with two pressure putts. On the 17th green, he sank a six-footer for birdie to break a tie with Rory Sabbatini, representing Slovakia. On the final green, Schauffele sank a 4-foot par putt to give him a one shot victory over Sabbatini. Schauffele’s German-born father dreamed of being an Olympic decathlete but was injured in a car crash as a young man and never realized the dream. After winning Sunday, Xander said he was happy to deliver the gold medal to his dad. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was near the lead but couldn’t deliver a medal for his golf-crazed nation, after missing several key putts down the stretch. Taiwan’s CT Pan won the bronze. Silver medal-winning shot putter Raven Saunders raised her arms in an “X” formation over her head in symbolic protest while posing for photographers with her co-medalists on Sunday — in violation of the Olympic ban on medal ceremony protests. Saunders, 25, of Charleston, South Carolina, told the Associated Press the gesture was a nod to “the intersection where all people who are oppressed meet.” The self-proclaimed “Hulk” of track-and-field is black and openly gay and has been vocal about her struggles with depression. She said she hoped to honor “people all around the world who are fighting and don’t have the platform to speak up for themselves,” the BBC said. Saunders, a three-time college champion during her time at Ole Miss, made her protest after stepping off the podium during the medal ceremony — in violation of the the International Olympic Committee’s “Rule 50” prohibition on medal ceremony protests. Coming into the Olympic semifinal against Canada, no one knew which U.S. women’s national team was going to show up. Was it going to be the one that showed exuberance and tenacity against the Netherlands to win a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw? Or was it going to be the team that got walloped 3-0 by Sweden to open the tournament? Unfortunately for American fans who woke up early Monday to watch, it was the latter, and the U.S. lost 1-0. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, though: This subpar version of the USWNT is the one that has appeared for nearly the entire tournament. With the exception of breakout performances by Lynn Williams and Alyssa Naeher against the Netherlands, the USWNT never looked remotely like the team that won a World Cup just two years ago. Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and will be away from the team while it continues its series against the New York Yankees. The 60-year-old Mattingly experienced mild symptoms when he arrived at the park for the game. The former Yankees star was vaccinated in mid-April. Mattingly’s case is isolated, the team said. The remainder of the coaching staff and players underwent rapid antigen testing and all tested negative. Bench coach James Rowson will manage the club during Mattingly’s absence. The Marlins were one of the teams deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic last season. An outbreak during the first week of the 60-game schedule caused 19 positive cases with players and coaches quarantined for six days. The outbreak resulted in nine days without games. Lifetime‘s new film “The Wrong Cheer Captain” is scheduled to drop at the end of this month (Aug. 28) and will star Vivica A. Fox, who will also executive produce, Jackée Harry, Claire Tablizo and Sofia Masson in a thrilling mystery when the death of a cheerleader leads to a list of suspects, including the new cheer captain. Also on the horizon for Lifetime is another addition to its “Fear the Cheer” film anthology. https://youtu.be/dQNaWhFCvWY Imitation is usually considered the greatest form of flattery. But when imitation trends toward co-opting, it can come across as stealing another’s ideas. Virginia-based political strategist Atima Omara noticed a striking similarity between Republican Glenn Youngkin’s recent ad entitled “Focused” and an ad from Sen. Reverend Raphael Warnock. Warnock’s puppy ad was a clever attempt to cut through some of the noise coming from former Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her supporters. It’s kind of hard to paint someone as an “evil radical liberal” when they have such a cute puppy in tow. The Warnock ad was also a viral sensation ahead of the Senate runoff election, with millions of views. Trevor Southerland responded to Omara with the OG puppy commercial from former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. https://youtu.be/I5D8YiXTPHw More than 30 years after the debut of the World Wide Web, internet use, broadband adoption and smartphone ownership have grown rapidly for all Americans – including those who are less well-off financially. However, the digital lives of Americans with lower and higher incomes remain markedly different, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. In fact, the shares of Americans in each income tier who have home broadband or a smartphone have not significantly changed from 2019 to 2021. Roughly a quarter of adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year (24%) say they don’t own a smartphone. About four-in-ten adults with lower incomes do not have home broadband services (43%) or a desktop or laptop computer (41%). And a majority of Americans with lower incomes are not tablet owners. By comparison, each of these technologies is nearly ubiquitous among adults in households earning $100,000 or more a year. https://youtu.be/aMi3ky04XqY Focusing on social equity, a black woman whose business certifies residents for Connecticut’s medical marijuana card is taking advantage of measures in a new state law that target the issue most important to her. Kebra Smith-Bolden, a former nurse and founder of CannaHealth, aims to provide security for people in her community who consume or medicate with cannabis. A groundbreaking part of the new law, which went into effect July 1, is social equity. It requires half of all licenses for entry into the state’s marijuana business be reserved for social-equity applicants, those from areas disproportionately affected by the war on drugs, according to the U.S. Census. For Smith-Bolden, the new law means “righting the wrongs.” Kathy Griffin, known for her crass brand of comedy, revealed Monday she’s undergoing surgery after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The comedian’s doctors said they are optimistic she “should be up and running around as usual in a month or less,” Griffin wrote on Instagram. “I’ve got to tell you guys something,” she explained. “I have cancer. I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my left lung removed. Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked! The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung. Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing.” “It’s been a [expletive] four years, trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m gonna be just fine,” Griffin continued. “[P]lease stay up to date on your medical check ups. It’ll save your life.” “America’s Got Talent” breakout star Jane Marczewski — the Zanesville, Ohio-based singer who earned a golden buzzer from an emotional Simon Cowell — has left the competition. Marczewski, who goes by the stage name Nightbirde, announced the news in an Instagram post published Monday morning. “Since my audition,” she wrote, “my health has taken a turn for the worse and the fight with cancer is demanding all of my energy and attention. I am so sad to announce that I won’t be able to continue forward on this season of ‘AGT.’ Life doesn’t always give breaks to those that deserve it — but we knew that already.” “I’m planning my future, not my legacy,” the 30-year-old singer added. “Pretty beat up, but I’ve still got dreams.” Jonathan Lotz — the grandson of the late evangelist Billy Graham — has been discharged from the hospital after battling a severe COVID-19 infection. Anne Graham Lotz, Jonathan’s mother, announced the good news Sunday evening. “Today, he was discharged from the hospital!” Graham Lotz wrote in a Facebook post alongside a picture of herself hugging Jonathan. “God has heard and answered your prayers for my son!” TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs this Monday, August 2 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Viewers will dive into some of Atlanta's grittiest cases solved by thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez. The dynamic duo recounts their past homicide investigations and reminisce on their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic re-enactments from actors Angelo Diaz who portrays David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55DCu0h2OHc The Tuskegee study made some Black Americans hesitant to take the vaccine, says Timothy Moore, who decided to get vaccinated after his brother died of Covid-19. “I still get nervous about the long-term effects … But what I am sure of is we’re burying people right now.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3130101093926524 GRAMMY® and Stellar Award winner, Jonathan McReynolds, continues his reign in gospel music by adding another #1 single to his resume. The single, “Grace” (lifted from the PEOPLE EP), has earned #1 status on the Gospel Airplay chart. Along with this milestone, McReynolds celebrates winning 3 Stellar Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year, Producer of the Year and Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, during the 36th Stellar Gospel Music Awards telecast. Jonathan McReynolds current EP, PEOPLE, is available wherever music is sold and streamed now. Beginning September 30, Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music will take their GRAMMY® winning collaboration on the road, embarking on a multi-city tour simply titled Jonny x Mali. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXEl7A-VcV4&feature=youtu.be eOne celebrated a powerful night of faith and music at the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, which aired on BET on Sunday, August 1st. The Stellar Awards, which taped live on July 10th at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN, featured several of eOne’s chart-topping artists during its broadcast including Jonathan McReynolds, JJ Hairston and Latice Crawford. Amongst the 5 Stellar Award wins, eOne cemented the major categories Male Vocalist of the Year and Choir of the Year. Looks like DaBaby's concert appearance money is starting to dry up after his now infamous homophobic rant. Still not taking complete blame for his actions, the rapper says that he’s a victim of high-speed social media. “Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes. As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me — knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance — has been challenging.” He went on to thank those who came to him “with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources. That’s what I needed and it was received.” https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-07-26-072621-dababy-1211631/ Madonna and Questlove are the latest celebrities to call out DaBaby following his homophobic comments about gays and HIV. She continued, “After decades of hard won scientific research— there are life saving medicines available to children born with HIV, to people who contract HIV through blood transfusions, dirty needles or exchange of bodily fluids. These new ARV’s can keep a person with AIDS alive for the rest of their lives!!! AID’s is not transmitted by standing next to someone in a crowd.” “I want to put my cellphone lighter up and pray for your ignorance, No one dies of AIDS in 2 or 3 weeks anymore. Thank God ??” the music icon added. “If you’re going to make hateful remarks to the LGBTQ+ community about HIV/AIDS then know your facts,” Madonna wrote on Instagram alongside a video of DaBaby’s comments. “Our Kind of People” is executive produced by Karin Gist and Lee Daniels and stars Yaya DaCosta as Angela Vaughn. Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s provocative, critically acclaimed book, “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” the series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for over 50 years. https://youtu.be/tD4dEWkXJ6c Earlier this year, activist Shaun King reportedly moved out of Brooklyn and into a five-bedroom, 3,000 square foot home in North Brunswick, New Jersey. ing, a father of five, began his activist career when he launched the Justice Together coalition in 2015 to help raise awareness of police brutality. After he abandoned the group, members called him out in an open letter published in “Medium,” citing his “lack of accountability.” Most recently King came under fire for sharing details about a conversation he had with the mother of Tamir Rice. https://youtu.be/_fgEWOQfZOA Little women, big new nights! Lifetime’s Little Women: Atlanta series returns with six all-new mega-sized episodes beginning on Thursday, August 26 at 8pm/7c with two 90-minute episodes every Thursday throughout September. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juc3TgSE6ts Florida Rapper Burga is set to release his 2nd installment of “Permanent Scars” the Deluxe Edition. The 1st edition featured fellow southern cohorts such as Boosie Badazz, Yung Bleu, Derez De’shon, Koly P, Lil Baby’s artist Rylo. The new deluxe edition includes the street approved snapping hit single “Brand New Drip” featuring MoneyBagg Yo. Since its release during the pandemic “Brand New Drip” has steadily become a fan favorite reaching 1 million views in 1 month. Fast forward 3 million views later, more music fans are noticing the Florida star and his body of work on YouTube page Burga321TV. A video captured on an American Airlines flight from New Orleans to Austin shows passengers scrapping in the aisle Sunday, reportedly over a seat that didn’t come out of recline mode. The passenger who filmed the video told KXAN that the two people involved were detained shortly after the incident, but Austin Police said no one was arrested. A statement from the airline confirmed “law enforcement were requested” after the plane arrived to Austin “due to an altercation between passengers,” but gave no other information. https://wgno.com/news/viral/video-fist-fight-breaks-out-between-passengers-on-flight-to-austin-from-new-orleans/ Dr. Frederick Haynes, III social justice activist and senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, former U.S. Senate Beto O’Rourke, civil rights activist, Rev. William Barber, and the voter mobilization group and the Poor People’s Campaign started a four-day Selma-style march in Texas on Wednesday to condemn proposed state voting legislation and call for federal voting protections. https://youtu.be/SpK6clJi3SU Veteran Nollywood actress Rachael Oniga, a legendary presence in the Nigerian movie industry, died Friday, according to reports. She was 64 years old. It was not immediately clear how Oniga died. Reports on social media varied, with the cause of Oniga’s death in some cases being attributed to complications from COVID-19. However, Oniga’s family reportedly has pushed back against that assertion and claims it is false. The Nigerian Tribune reported that Oniga’s son confirmed his mother tested positive for malaria, not COVID-19, and was also being treated for typhoid. Neither claim could be immediately verified. https://twitter.com/i/status/1421373144506552321 From spearheading initiatives centered on closing the digital divide to providing financial support for organizations dedicated to eradicating food insecurity, several NBA players have taken their leadership beyond the court to uplift and empower disenfranchised communities. Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry is furthering his philanthropic efforts by teaming up with the nonprofit NinetyToZero to close the racial wealth gap, CNBC reported. Launched in April 2021, the organization is on a mission to address the systemic barriers faced by the Black community when it comes to building wealth. NinetyToZero developed an action plan for corporations to diversify their workforces and to ensure that there are venture capital pathways for Black-owned businesses. The nonprofit’s partners include the Children’s Defense Fund, the ACLU, American Express, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Lord Abbett, Green Thumb, Starbucks and the Robin Hood Foundation. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania are also partners of the organization. Actress and producer Marsai Martin is on a mission to ensure Gen Z is equipped with the knowledge to cultivate a solid foundation for financial success. According to AfroTech, Martin has launched a digital series centered on the fundamentals of money management. The new project—dubbed Money with Marsai Martin—was created in partnership with Verizon Media’s In the Know platform. The site—which features content that sits at the intersection of culture and commerce—harbors an array of news and lifestyle videos designed for Gen Z. Martin’s new series features conversations with influential individuals—who have charted paths in different industries—about the importance of financial literacy and steps to take at a young age to start building wealth. Whether it’s through his artistry on-screen or his philanthropic efforts, award-winning actor Denzel Washington has used his platform to evoke transformative change in the lives of others. One of the social good initiatives he’s leading with his family is centered on empowering HBCU students. Wiley College recently announced its debate team received a $100,000 endowment from the Denzel Washington Family Foundation. The generous gift is part of a larger $1 million commitment that the Washington family made in 2007 to coincide with the release of the film The Great Debaters. The movie chronicles the journey of the Texas-based institution’s debate team which was founded by poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson during the 1930s. In the film, the students went on to become the first Black debate team to compete against the nation’s most prestigious schools and broke racial barriers within the space. The team was dismantled in 1947 after Tolson’s departure from Wiley College. LeVar Burton’s evolution as a cultural icon is undeniable. But watching him host “Jeopardy!” is pure joy. After what seems like an eternity, the man who nurtured a generation’s love of reading temporarily took the helm this week of one of the country’s most popular games shows. The excitement around his guest slot on “Jeopardy!” reached new heights as social media users shared their delight with Burton’s hosting skills. Burton has blessed generations of Americans with the gift of his wit and brilliance. Some fans reminisced about learning how to read from Burton’s “Reading Rainbow” or exploring space with him as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Literally a fixture of the millennial childhood, Burton even voiced Kwame on “Captain Planet.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1419626355843502081 In the latest evidence that police reform is sorely needed, a defense lawyer in Georgia says his client was detained by cops while he was having a mental health crisis when they sicced a dog on the unarmed, handcuffed Black man, resulting in gruesome injuries. This past Sunday, Travis Moya “was having a mental health crisis and awaiting an ambulance” at his home in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, according to his lawyer, L. Chris Stewart. But when the police showed up, “A K-9 was set loose” and attacked Moya, who Stewart said “was unarmed, non violent, and was not resisting arrest.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1420840346364387330 In honor of Whitney Young’s 100th birthday, the Central Florida Urban League is taking his legacy to the next level empowering local youth and adults. For years, adults have had the opportunity to upskill themselves through various programs offered by the CFUL. Currently, the organization offers a dedicated Microsoft Office Specialist program which prepares adult learners for careers in Finance or IT. Graduates tend to earn $16,000 more annually when compared to their uncertified peers. Furthermore, thanks to a partnership with Foundry College, later in 2021, the CFUL will also offer courses in Sales Force and Project Management. Finally, beginning on August 9, the CFUL will be launching Whitney M. Young Academy: a series of K-12 Micro-Schools. Prince was more than rock royalty. He was an activist for artist rights. So, if the Prince that we knew for decades was around now, we feel like it’s a pretty safe bet that he wouldn’t like what’s about to go down. According to the Star Tribune, Omarr Baker, the youngest of Prince’s six siblings, sold his entire share of the estate to a New York based company called Primary Wave. The company also acquired 90 percent of sister Tyka Nelson’s stake as well as 100 percent of Alfred Jackson Sr’s share. Jackson died in 2019 and was also a sibling of Prince. Whitney Houston, the beloved New Jersey native and world-renowned superstar, died in 2012 due to a drug overdose. In 2019, her estate announced plans to do a light show in her memory with holographic technology. The “concert” series (residency) will run from October 26 through April 2022 at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Each show will feature a live band, backup singers and dancers, as well as Houston’s voice and likeness. https://youtu.be/t86w18eM64w Grammy-winning rapper Drake is the latest among a group of celebrities — including actors Robert Downey Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom — teaming up with California-based Aspiration to find ways to reduce the large carbon footprint that comes with being an international superstar. The environmentally friendly financial services company will audit Drake’s schedule, events and travel to calculate his carbon footprint. Part of Aspiration’s approach includes a reforestation program that plants millions of trees around the country to offset carbon overload. For Drake, who had 31 concert dates in 2019 spanning Los Angeles to Rio de Janeiro and London to Paris, his private jet — dubbed “Air Drake”— the impact of his carbon footprint takes some calculating. U.S. Olympian Sydney McLaughlin delivered another stellar performance Saturday morning at the Tokyo Olympics, winning the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.65. Despite a false start due to another runner, McLaughlin kept her focus; she was nearly 10 paces down the track when a second gun went off, signaling the false start. “It’s always an adjustment, just mentally, having to refocus and regroup,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just one of those things. You can’t always control what happens, but mentally you can control how you respond to it.” And her response to the competition garners just as much attention as her performance. McLaughlin broke the world record last month during the U.S. Olympic track and field trials with a recorded time of 51.90 seconds, becoming the first woman to run the event in under 52 seconds. After achieving the best time, the 21-year-old gave all the glory to God. Coaches for the U.S. men’s team looked at the times of their swimmers before Sunday and knew a world record in the 4×100 men’s medley relay was within reach. And then Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, Caeleb Dressel and Zach Apple delivered, swimming in 3:26.78 at the Tokyo Olympics to break the 12-year-old record by .50 seconds. The victory continued the Americans’ dominance in the event, having never lost the men’s medley relay at the Olympics. The only time they have not won gold was in 1980 when the entire team boycotted the Moscow Games. And it also capped a remarkable Games for Dressel who won his fifth gold medal. He won gold in the 50-meter freestyle earlier in the day. American BMX racer Connor Fields has been moved out of intensive care after crashing during the semifinals at the Tokyo Games, USA Cycling said. Fields, 28, suffered a brain hemorrhage in the frightening crash Friday, the sport’s national governing body said in a statement. “After a night in the ICU, the doctors are pleased to report that there has been no additional bleeding, and no new injuries were found,” USA Cycling said. “Fields has been moved out of the critical care unit and will remain in the hospital until cleared.” Fields’ father, Mike Fields, told USA Today that the results seemed positive so far. “Cognitively, he’s doing well,” he told the newspaper. “He knows where he is. He knows his birthday. He recognizes people.’’ Fields left the course on a stretcher after crashing in the first turn in the semifinals. Make it four gold medals for swimmer Caeleb Dressel at the Tokyo Olympics. Dressel cruised to a relatively easy victory in the frenetic dash from one end of the pool to the other, touching in an Olympic record of 21.07 seconds. France’s Florent Manaudou repeated as the Olympic silver medalist in 21.57, and Brazil’s Bruno Fratus claimed the bronze in 21.57, edging out American Michael Andrew for the final spot on the podium. Dressel has one more shot at a gold in the 4×100 medley relay, an event the United States has never lost at the Olympics. He’ll swim the butterfly leg in a race that caps nine days of swimming competition at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Dressel entered the day with golds in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly, in which he set the world record. Kelly Price Sings Whitney Houston, Talks Being Raised In the Church, Being Fat Shamed, & Biggest Lessons Mariah Carey Taught Her in New Interview on ‘The Terrell Show’ https://youtu.be/qCanZc8bUY8 After posting up in the Mercedes Benz Stadium for a week in a cot that resembles those at the Olympic Village, Kanye West has announced yet another listening party/release party for his long-awaited album, Donda. The release, which was creative-directed by Demna Gvasalia, will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a.k.a. Ye’s new home, on Thursday, August 5 at 9:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Monday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. EST at Ticketmaster.com. West originally premiered the record — which features Lil Baby, Pusha T, Don Toliver, and more — on July 22nd at the stadium ahead of what was supposed to be a release that Friday. Anyone familiar with Kanye knows, though, that he’s a tinkerer; instead of dropping the album, he posted up at Mercedes Benz to make the final adjustments. It’s now due out on August 6th. The album reportedly includes several references to Kanye’s impending divorce from Kim Kardashian and a new collaboration with Jay-Z. In early July, restaurateur Victoria Tyson opened her Philadelphia eatery, Victoria’s Kitchen, for the first time since the first days of COVID-19. As she cut a ceremonial ribbon in front of a crowd of reporters and well-wishers, she announced that she planned to overcome a lack of capital and staffing — the obstacles that had kept her from re-opening sooner — by investing in e-commerce technology and recruitment and retention training. How would she do it? With a $10,000 grant from the brand-new Black Restaurant Accelerator Program, a partnership between the PepsiCo PEP Foundation and the National Urban League (NUL) to give 500 black restaurant owners a total of $10 million over the next five years. Three weeks later, she’s already put her money to work. “This program and grant even out the playing ground for Black business owners,” she says. “It also means me and people like me are given a fighting chance.” Former president and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama will be going on a five-city museum tour that started earlier this summer. Actually, Barack and Michelle themselves won’t be touring, but their famous portraits will be. Painted by Kehine Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, the tour’s first stop is at the Art Institute of Chicago until mid-August. Then the portraits will travel to Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston. The tour will last through May 2022. Educational workshops, audio-visual media and curated presentations will included along with the Obama portraits to enhance the viewing experience. Complex reports that the 2022 lineup of the Lovers & Friends festival/concert has already been announced, and will feature Usher, Lauryn Hill, TLC, Brandy, Monica, and many more and festival will take place at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Next year will be the festival’s actual inaugural year, with it taking place on May 14, 2022 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The lineup will also include Ciara, Nelly, Ludacris, Lil Jon, Ashanti, Trey Songz, and is presented by Live Nation, Snoop Dog, and Bobby Dee. Hollywood filmmaker David Wendell Boykins is a great storyteller. He is making quite a name for himself as a producer and director in ‘tinsel town.” Known for creating powerful works of art and projects that connect with ‘movie-lovers,’ Boykins latest film, “Mama’s Song,” is receiving rave reviews as a top download favorite streaming on Amazon. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Nelly is apparently not welcome in the Idaho panhandle! This past Tuesday, KVPI–a news station in Northern Idaho–revealed that they received an email chain from residents of Kootenai County, Idaho. The emails were centered on blasting the decision to schedule Nelly (real name Cornell Haynes Jr.) to perform at the North Idaho State Fair. Many claimed the community was trying to generate out-of-state revenue by sacrificing their conservative values, resulting in: “[Locals feeling] appalled by the actions of the fair board in selecting rapper entertainment for the fair.” “We are not oldsters that deny changing times. We are serious, responsible citizens with moral character who recognize filth and the increasing depravity of our youth stimulated when we see it. Nelly is no Elvis Presley…He is glorifying the Pimp lifestyle.” Towards the end of the email in question, the resident explicitly says: “Please think about the message he is sending… Make him go to Portland/Seattle where he will be welcomed, not Idaho.” Despite the residents’ concerns, ticket sales indicate that many others are excited about Nelly‘s anticipated performance. “The Wire” actor Gbenga Akinnagbe filed criminal charges accusing his ex girlfriend (a journalist) of sexually abusing him by touching his buttocks?! Let Lola Adesioye (the defendant) tell it, they were in a relationship. And its proven within many text messages (three binders worth since 2019), between the two. Plus, photos of them poising like a happy couple of lovers. https://youtu.be/SymLKZ-m9nI Angelo & Veronica say, “Back to the Gospel album is about us getting back to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. What we endeavored was for each song to present an aspect of the gospel. The gospel being that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. This is the only gospel, when received will change the hearts of men and save their souls. This is our most significant work yet. Because it’s more than songs or music, but a presentation of the gospel with an opportunity for people to respond. We lead people into a prayer of salvation at the end of the album. Back to the Gospel album was inspired by our online ministry, Higher Place Church. We're excited see others experience true salvation and use this music to share the gospel with others. https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/angeloandveronica/back-to-the-gospel A doomsday new Covid variant that could kill up to one in three people is a ‘realistic possibility’, according to the Government’s top scientists. Documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) today warned a future strain could be as deadly as MERS — which which has a case fatality rate of 35 per cent — could be on the way. No10’s expert panel It said the likelihood of the virus mutating is highest when it is most prevalent — as is currently the case in Britain. And a downside of Britain’s hugely successful vaccine drive, it appears the country’s greater levels of immunity could help speed up the process. Scientists said Britain should bring in booster vaccine doses over the winter, minimise new variants coming from abroad and consider culling animals — including minks and even cats, which can harbour the virus — to prevent the mutant strain occurring. House Democrats scrambled on Friday to scrape up the votes needed to extend the federal eviction moratorium through the end of the year — a long shot bid to keep the freeze from expiring on Saturday — as leaders vented frustration with President Biden for punting the issue to them. “We would like the C.D.C. to expand the moratorium, that’s where it can be done,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency that imposed the moratorium last fall. “The fact is, almost $50 billion was allocated — $46 billion. Less than 10 percent of that has been spent, around $3 billion,” she said. “Why should the renters be punished for the fact that the system did not put money in their pockets to pay the rent to the landlords? Health officials in the United States will on Friday explain the science behind their U-turn on face masks, as Republicans express skepticism over the decision – which appears to have stemmed from research into a July 4 outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday announced that they were updating their previous guidance to now recommend that vaccinated people wear face masks once more, when indoors and in parts of the country with substantial COVID-19 transmission. They did not explain their reason for the shift in policy – which has sparked fevered debate – and merely said it was due to new data on the highly contagious Delta variant. On May 13 the American public was told they no longer needed to wear masks indoors if vaccinated. An internal federal health document obtained by The Washington Post claimed that the Delta variant was as infectious as chickenpox or Ebola – with each infected person passing the virus to eight or nine others, on average. That infectivity is known as R0. The original lineage was about as transmissible as the common cold, with each infected person passing it to about two others, on average. Jennifer King never set out to be the “first” of anything. She just always wanted to be the best. That motivation and hustle took her all the way to the NFL when she joined as assistant coach for the Washington Football team, making her the first African American female assistant position coach in the league’s history. King is also only the second female assistant position coach in the NFL behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust. Though it seems almost impossible that we’re still witnessing so many diversity “firsts” in major league sports, King is confident that this is only the tip of the iceberg. The Reidsville, North Carolina, native’s rise to prominence is a classic lesson in persistence. After graduating with a degree in sports management, King got an assistant coaching position for the Greensboro College basketball team, where she spent nine years. She also played football herself during that time for several Women’s Football Alliance teams, which only deepened her love for the sport. She eventually obtained a head coaching position for the Johnson & Wales University women’s basketball team in Charlotte. She was coaching there when she was introduced to then-Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, to whom she expressed her desire to coach football. It was Juneteenth weekend in St. Louis, and the new mayor was leading the celebrations: She hopscotched from cookouts to charity runs, grooved to classic R&B songs and proclaimed that her city would be among the nation’s first to pay reparations to the descendants of enslaved people. Two weeks later, Tishaura Jones spent a quiet weekend with her family. In the process, she became the first St. Louis mayor in decades to skip the city’s Fourth of July parade, an event long sponsored by a group with a dubious racial record. St. Louis would need to have some “tough conversations,” Jones said, before she felt comfortable joining the party. The tale of the two weekends in many ways encapsulates the young tenure of St. Louis’s history-making mayor: The 49-year-old unapologetically embraces her Black identity, champions progressive policy ideas long dismissed as fringe and doesn’t seem to mind who she might alienate along the way. It takes commitment to a cause and that’s what Missouri congresswoman Cori Bush Has. She spent the night sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to protest the end of the COVID eviction moratorium. The night was spent with several other members of Congress (including Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar) to highlight the impending struggle of millions of people who will be evicted from their homes unless Congress extends the eviction moratorium. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-07-31-073121-cori-bush-1215402/ Academy Award and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson portrays the late music icon Aretha Franklin in the new film “Respect,” set to hit theaters August 13. It’s a role Hudson was handpicked to play by Franklin, long before she died in 2018. Hudson opens up about her friendship with Franklin, how she portrayed the legend and how she drew on her own life to enrich the performances in an interview with Kelefa Sanneh for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast Sunday, August 1 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. https://twitter.com/i/status/1421157473235439619 Vivica A. Fox has been added to the ensemble cast of “Holiday Hideaway” which begins production in August. Starring Camille Winbush and Victor Sho. “Hideaway” follows Carly Stewart (Winbush) a quirky writer and expert holiday lover who is obsessed with being the keeper of all of her family’s traditions, celebrations and sit-down smorgasbords. But when her over-the-top personality causes an epic blow up with her family and boyfriend Brandon (Sho), Carly shocks everyone by taking on a work assignment that not only helps her to escape her annual holiday duties, but also leads her on an unexpected zany adventure to find the true meaning of family, love and the reason for the season. LaKeith Stanfield and Tiffany Haddish are in talks to star in Disney’s new “Haunted Mansion” movie. Justin Simien will reportedly helm the project with Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich producing through their Rideback banner. Nick Reynolds of Rideback will exec produce, per Deadline. The film is based on The Haunted Mansion ride which debuted in 1969 and currently appears at both Disneyland and Disney World. Disney adapted the ride into a 2003 movie starring Eddie Murphy. https://youtu.be/U32Law7K-b8 Alfonso Ribeiro has opened up about feeling like an outsider with the Black community. In his interview, the actor spoke on how he feels judged by and ousted from the Black community because he is married to a white woman, Angela Ribeiro. Alfonso Ribeiro stated: “I am in a mixed relationship. And I get things and looks and comments constantly. And I find it very interesting because you see a lot of things on social media where people say things and people have positions and perspectives. And it’s not easy to make that choice, because you’re not at home in any home. I’m never going to be white and I’m never going to be fully supported in the Black house. So I’m in my own little world with support from almost no one, to be in love with someone I’ve fallen in love with. How does that make sense? It doesn’t.” Biz Markie of the Juice Crew, and one of the most beloved emcees to ever touch the mic. Now it’s been revealed that his home-going service will be held on Monday, August 2nd in NYC. According to sources, the eulogy will be given by Al Sharpton, with a veritable mixtape of respectful remembrances from LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Fat Joe, Papoose and many others. From TMZ comes the rumor that Biz will be draped in a custom outfit from none other than legendary clothier Dapper Dan. Dapper Dan and Biz crossed paths frequently when both their burgeoning careers were in their infant stages. Reports indicate a family viewing will be held Monday, August 2nd, from 11am to 1pm Eastern. The funeral service is slated to commence at 1:30 and end around 3:30 pm, according to reports. Both BET and TMZ will live stream his services. Biz Markie, Marcel Theo Hall, died July 16, 2001 after battling a multitude of complications from diabetes. Last year in April, Biz was hospitalized due to severe complications from the ailment that took his life. He eventually suffered a stroke and fell into a diabetic coma in December 2020. https://youtu.be/9aofoBrFNdg Lamar Odom has reportedly been ordered to shell out a huge chunk of money to his “Basketball Wives” ex-girlfriend over child support. ccording to Page Six, Liza Morales sued the ex-Los Angeles Lakers back in May, claiming the former NBA star hasn’t been honoring their 2015 settlement agreement over their now-adult children. Not only did she alleged that he has been backed up on child support, but also college costs and tuition, as well as rent for the Lower Manhattan apartment where she lives with their kids’ Destiny, 23, and Lamar Jr., 19, prompting an eviction case against her, the news site notes. Following last month’s court appearance where Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper granted Morales’ request for a default judgment against Odom, Cooper signed his judgment ordering Odom to cough up $380,549 in child support, rent arrears, college costs, and her legal fees in the case. This was all made public this Thursday, Page Six reports. The first trailer for the hotly anticipated crime drama “House of Gucci” has finally arrived starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, Reeve Carney and Jack Huston. Directed by Ridley Scott, the story centers on the head of the Gucci fashion house, Maurizio Gucci (Driver) and his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani (Gaga), who hired a hitman to kill him in 1995. https://twitter.com/i/status/1420900751170224128 Elaine Thompson-Herah broke Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old Olympic record in the women’s 100 meters, pointing at the scoreboard even before crossing the line in 10.61 seconds Saturday to defend her title and lead a Jamaican sweep of the medals. Griffith Joyner set the old record of 10.62 at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Thompson-Herah beat her top rival, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, by .13 seconds. Shericka Jackson, who moved to the shorter sprints for the Tokyo Olympics, won bronze in 10.76. No Olympic champion had broken 10.7 since FloJo. Thompson-Herah wasn’t sure she would do it either as she approached the finish. But “I knew that I won,” she said. A little boy is getting a second chance after enduring unimaginable heartbreak — all thanks to the detective who responded to the call on the night his world changed forever. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Detective Mike Blair and his wife Danyel said they knew they had to take in Ronnie Oneal IV and give him a new life after his traumatic experience in 2018, according to a video from HCSO. “He knows he has a story that has been written for him,” Blair, a father of five, said in the video. “But he also knows he doesn’t want to be defined by that story.” According to the sheriff’s department, Ronnie was just 8 years old when his mother and 9-year-old sister were brutally murdered by his dad, Ronnie Oneal III. A white male sheriff’s deputy in Texas is on administrative leave pending an investigation after video of him lying on top of a crying Black teen went viral as she said “I can’t breathe,” went viral. According to reports, the Kaufman County, Texas sheriff’s department received a call that 18-year-old Nekia Trigg of Fourney was jumping in front of cars in traffic. When the seven-minute video begins, an officer, identified as Kaufman County Deputy Conner Martin, is laying on top of Trigg as women around try to diffuse the situation. Trigg’s mother, 41-year-old Antanique Ray, tells Martin, “You don’t have to ever hit her, okay? She will stay down.” Martin tells Ray, “You need to back up. You need to back up.” As Ray touches Martin’s hand, gripping her daughter’s wrist, Martin starts screaming, “Do not touch me! Back up! Back up!” Atlanta news anchor Jovita Moore has been diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer, her station, Channel 2 Action News, shared Thursday. The 53-year-old Moore has glioblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer that can affect the brain or spinal cord. Her doctors have said that there is no cure, but she will undergo radiation and chemotherapy to slow down the cancer’s progress. Moore, a mom to three kids, had shared in April that she was undergoing surgery after doctors discovered two masses on her brain, which they now know are cancer. Channel 2 Action News said that Moore “has felt the love and prayers” that she’s received in the last few months after sharing her ordeal, and “is grateful for all the support and asks that you stay positive as she continues to focus on her health, her treatments and her family.”A tragedy to triumph on the track. One day after their ability to participate in the 4x400m mixed relay was left in question, the U.S. track team proved victorious on Saturday, securing the bronze medal. The U.S. finished with a time of 3:10.22 behind the Dominican Republic with the silver, and Poland, who won gold while setting an Olympic record. Team USA was made up of Trevor Stewart, Kendall Ellis, Vernon Norwood and Kaylin Whitney. American gymnast Simone Biles has pulled out of the individual competitions in vault and uneven bars, according to USA Gymnastics. Biles was a heavy favorite in the vault event final coming into the Olympics. “Today, after further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam. MyKayla Skinner, who had the fourth highest score in vault during qualifications, will compete in vault finals for the U.S. alongside Jade Carey, who finished with the second highest score.” The American, who won the gold medal in the vault in Rio 2016, pulled out of the team all-around competition on Tuesday after she said she got lost in the air during a vault on the opening rotation. USA Gymnastics later said in a statement that she would withdraw to focus on her mental health. The Detroit Pistons selected Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, making him the school’s first top overall pick in program history. He’s the fourth top-10 pick in school history. Cunningham, an Arlington native, drew plenty of national attention during his freshman season with Oklahoma State last year. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 44% from the floor and 40% from 3-point range. He won the Wayman Tisdale Award as the top freshman in college basketball. Terrence Clarke, the former Kentucky guard who died in a car accident while preparing for the NBA draft, was recognized Thursday in a ceremony midway through the first round. NBA commissioner Adam Silver introduced Clarke’s mother, brother and sister. “It is my honor to now announce that with the next pick in the 2021 NBA draft, the NBA selects Terrence Clarke from the University of Kentucky,” Silver said as Clarke’s family members went up to the stage and put on NBA hats. Silver embraced each of Clarke’s family members as the crowd chanted “Terrence! Terrence!” Clarke had declared for the draft after playing one season at Kentucky. He died April 22 at the age of 19 following a car accident in Los Angeles. Tatjana Schoenmaker — an Olympic swimmer from South Africa — set a new record Wednesday in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke, and she’s using her success to point others to God. The swimmer finished the preliminary round with a time of 2:19.16. The 24-year-old Olympian broke another record in the preliminary rounds for the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:04.82. She ended up claiming the silver medal in the Monday event, Sportsnet reported. This is a group I founded in the 80s with Kenny G…,” said six-time Grammy nominated Jazz pianist Jeff Lorber about his Grammy winning Jeff Lorber Fusion Trio (“Prototype,” 2018), which just release a new album titled “Space-Time” (Shanachie Entertainment). “I also have a band with Paul Jackson, Jr., but this isn’t that. I picked it (the trio) up again…Fusion is me, but a band.” The Jeff Lorber Fusion Trio consists of Lorber, Gary Novak (drummer) and Jimmy Haslip (bass). The “Space-Time” album features living legends Hubert Laws (sax and flute), Bob Mintzer (sax), Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar) and Gerald Albright (sax). The first single from the “Space-Time” album is “Back Room.” https://youtu.be/w3Ib_-jzuj4 Johnny Britt the legendary singer and trumpet player has released his timely and much-anticipated song, “Peace Officer.” The socially conscious anthem song, featuring Malcolm Jamal Warner is written, produced, arranged, mixed and performed by Britt. With civil unrest in the nation and all over the world, Britt has written a song for this moment in history. In these unprecedented times of police shootings and injustice, Johnny looks through the eyes of the police officer behind the trigger… Britt and Warner, an Emmy-nominated, spoken word artist as well as actor and musician, have collaborated on a timeless classic in “Peace Officer.” Also on the track, Britt is joined by Marcus Williams on drums, Dean Mark on bass, and Keith Henderson on guitar. #Atlanta rapper #WakaFlocka is taking up a new interest in learning how to farm. He posted two videos on #TikTok of him in the beginning stages of his farming journey.? During his first video post, he shared bundles of hay he had to feed his cows. He then showed himself after shopping in #HomeDepot, getting more supplies that he needed. He said, “I told myself I’mma learn how to farm, bruh.” He captioned the video, “Just a good o day.”? The second video he posted to TikTok of his farming journey shows him preparing some space on his land to grow tomatoes by mowing the grass, getting rid of weeds, breaking the soil, and planting tomato seeds.? Rashanna James-Frison was 4 when her mother was killed, her father was shot and left paralyzed before she was born, and she was shuttled through the foster-care system. Luckily for the young teen, a tribe of loved ones helped lift her up along her painful journey, and this year she rose to be valedictorian of her class. “So many odds were against her, but she pulled through with the support of family,” said Allison James-Frison, her adoptive mother and biological aunt. Rashanna’s mother, Nakisha Burks, was found dead 10 years ago in an abandoned apartment in New Jersey. She had been badly beaten, and her death was ruled a homicide. Four years earlier, Spencer James Jr., Rashanna’s father, was shot. He required long-term care and lived in a facility affected by COVID-19. He died last year. When Rashanna learned what a valedictorian was, she set her mind on claiming the honor. She submitted extra-credit work, studied every day, and even wrote a valedictory speech before learning she had earned the honor. Months later, Rashanna’s principal came to her house to formally announce that she was the valedictorian. “I believe ‘proud’ to [mean] ‘I wasn’t expecting you to do that,’ so I don’t like the word ‘proud’,” said Rashanna’s mentor, Asia Norton, a school board member. “No, she earned that.” Blogger Chanté Burkett is urging others to advocate for their health after doctors “brushed off” her stomach growth that turned out to be a 13-lb. ovarian tumor. In December, the 33-year-old noticed that her stomach had become “semi-hard,” and she was dealing with “severe pelvic pain” and vomiting. Burkett initially thought she had eaten something that wasn’t sitting well with her, but the symptoms persisted for weeks. Over the next six months, Burkett went to her doctor three times in search of a diagnosis, but again and again her symptoms were dismissed, without ever running any tests. After she was brushed off again on her third visit in July, Burkett decided to go to an urgent care center, where a CT scan showed a large mass. She was directed to a specialist, but two days before her appointment the pain worsened to the point “where I couldn’t walk anymore.” Burkett went to the emergency room, and doctors said she needed emergency surgery. According to a #Yahoo report, a #Pennsylvania mom was handcuffed while trying to enjoy a pool day with her two daughters.? #StephanieCrute was with her children at Tamaqua’s Bungalow Pool when she was approached by officers responding to a disturbance call.? Police were called to the scene after Crute and her girls refused to leave the pool when asked, according to Tamaqua Police Chief Michael Hobbs. Staff was reportedly concerned by her loud music, but especially by the uncensored version of “WAP,” a sultry duet between Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, which contained obscene language.? Officers came on the scene and told Crute and her daughters to leave, but the woman refused, resulting in a violent arrest.? Crute allegedly pushed an officer who was looking away from her, resisted being detained, and began punching cops and other pool visitors. Her 11-year-old daughter is accused of defending her mother by hitting a cop from behind in an attempt to prevent him from detaining her. https://www.instagram.com/p F2tcaM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law and Christopher Seeger of Seeger Weiss today announced that they have been retained by the family of Henrietta Lacks to pursue justice concerning the unauthorized use of her cells for medical research. Lacks died at the age of 31 from an aggressive case of cervical cancer. Before her death 70 years ago, doctors from Johns Hopkins Hospital took samples of her cancerous cells and gave them to researchers without her or her family members’ knowledge or consent. Lacks’ cells – now commonly known as HeLa – were discovered to have an amazing property not seen before: they could be grown continuously in laboratory conditions. Lacks’ immortal cells went on to be the first human cells to be successfully cloned and have since been used continually for research into vaccines, cancer treatments, AIDS treatments, in vitro fertilization, and many other groundbreaking advances in medicine that generously line the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and executives. Candace Owens has suggested Simone Biles is a coward for pulling out of the Olympics. Biles withdrew from Thursday’s individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Games to focus on her mental well-being. The announcement came a day after she stumbled on the vault and pulled out of Tuesday’s team final. Owens commented on a tweet by The Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, who criticized Simone’s decision to pull out of the summer games in Tokyo. His tweet read, “Simone Biles just said sitting out the big competitions shows how strong you really are. That’s like saying soldiers who run away from battle are courageous. Cowardice is not courage; weakness is not strength. Great athletes understand this.” Owens sarcastically fired back with, “Doing nothing is courage. Anyone who disagrees is a white supremacist. Welcome to 2021.” https://youtu.be/FD_ZrFeBzzU American artistic gymnastics treasure Simone Biles stunned hopefuls when she pulled out of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics finals as of late. She cited “fighting demons” for her exit. Michelle Obama, Hoda Kotb, and more emotionally responded to Simone Biles’ withdrawal from Tokyo Olympics final. Sportswriter Ian Herbert shared Biles’ press conference on Twitter and tweeted about the main reason for her decision. “One of the most remarkable mixed zone press conferences I’ve known. In which Simone Biles described pulling out of tonight’s team event because she had to put her mental health first,” he wrote. Herbert explained the youngster revealed that tennis star Naomi Osaka among others, inspired her. He also shared a video of Biles further explaining her choice: “To focus on my well-being. There’s more to life than just gymnastics, and it is unfortunate that it had to happen at this stage, but I have to take it one day at a time, and we will see how the rest goes.” n a retweet by Herbert on the same post, he shared the 24-year-old’s mindset on the Olympic Games as she revealed she was not having as much fun. She wanted to be herself but felt as if she was doing it for other people and that it hurts to feel that way.?https://www.instagram.com/p/CR34eZ0l4gJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d90d821b-c22f-40da-bbe6-e2cfb9a7ec16 Responses to Simone Biles‘ decision to step away from Olympic competition to prioritize her mental health have seemingly been largely supportive, with most of the people gaslighting the greatest gymnast of all time revealing themselves to be of the MAGA variety. But that line of thinking was all but upended on Thursday when it was reported that SNL star and comedian Michael Che posted comments on social media mocking Biles that evoked anger from her fans and supporters. Che is accused of first posting to his Instagram Stories about the apparent urge he was feeling to “make fun of simone biles.” Che also allegedly posted that he had “like 3 minutes of simone biles jokes” and planned to perform them by himself in an apparent test run before engaging with and co-signing some of his followers who took his lead to make their own distasteful one-liners about the Olympic gold medalist. There was even a so-called Simone Biles joke about Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who was since been convicted of sexually abusing gymnasts, including Biles. The racist vitriol spewed during the MAGA riot at the Capitol was detailed and officially placed in the Congressional Record Tuesday with the testimony of Black Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, one of four in law enforcement to speak to the House select committee on the Jan. 6 attack. While all of the officers were violently attacked, Black officers were also hit with racial slurs. Olga Skabeeva, the host of Kremlin-funded TV program “60 Minutes,” mocked Dunn’s testimony, saying: “The long-awaited first hearing in the United States was a total farce.” Skabeeva continued, “Imagine that, a huge dark-skinned policeman, his name is Harry Dunn, got teary-eyed like a boy, because the protesters called him the N-word.” Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Greene described the white domestic terrorists who stormed the Capitol on January 6 as “political prisoners of war.” Russian state TV added: “The so-called terrorists are actually political prisoners,” Skabeeva said Wednesday. She also accused the Capitol police of being “talented actors.” Skabeeva claimed that the insurrectionists were simply touring the building, “but the ticket counter was closed at the time,” so they just went in. “No big deal,” Skabeeva said, “There was no need for the police officers to cry!” She then called on human rights organizations to defend America’s “political prisoners.” https://youtu.be/_AyO-0FP7MQ CNN’s Don Lemon and the ladies of “The View” had thoughts on the man who confronted Tucker Carlson in a Montana fly fishing shop over his anti-vax rhetoric. Video of the encounter, which went viral this week, shows a man identified on Instagram as Dan Bailey saying to Fox News’ most watched TV host, “You are the worst human being known to man.” When Tucker told the man that he’s with his daughter in the store, Bailey said, “I don’t care.” Bailey posted the video with the caption, “It’s not every day you get to tell someone they are the worst person in the world and really mean it! What an a**hole!” https://youtu.be/utOvFIxn-rA On Thursday, GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz (FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), and Louie Gohmert (TX) attempted to get publicity by showing up unannounced at a correctional facility housing MAGA rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6., only to be denied entry. Perhaps, it’s exactly what they wanted to happen, as a way to fire up their collective MAGA base. https://youtu.be/sfA5NkHKfn4 The Brotherhood Crusade received a landmark grant for $800,000 from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The funds from the Hilton Foundation will assist Brotherhood Crusade in providing services and programs that will directly impact youth by preparing and readying them to thrive in middle-wage, highly compensated careers and entrepreneurship opportunities. Brotherhood Crusade community services and programs are designed to change the trajectory and narrative of young adults of color and provide them with the requisite skills to excel in life and make a positive impact in their respective communities. Conrad Hilton said “Love one another, for that is the whole law; so our fellow men deserve to be loved and encouraged – never to be abandoned to wander alone in poverty and darkness.” In response to the news that Kim Kardashian’s Kimsaprincess Inc. is launching her new SKKN and SKKN BY KIM lines, Cydnie Lunsford, a 28-year-old entrepreneur/aesthetician of Beauty Concepts LLC and owner of the SKKN+ brand (@skknplus), has decided to publicize the unauthorized use of her brand name. Cydnie Lunsford’s SKKN+ was established in July 2018 in Washington, DC, and since then has expanded to New York City. For the past three years, Lunsford has been consistently building her SKKN+ brand name by posting SKKN+ content and developing her clientele. SKKN+ was born out of Lunsford’s deep commitment and appreciation for the body aesthetic. “I have painstakingly built my successful small business with my own sweat equity, hard work, and research,” says Lunsford. “It’s clear that I established my brand first. As a young black woman, my mission with SKKN+ is to provide quality skincare and curated full body experiences to enhance each client’s self-care regimen. The (+) represents a hands-on transformative aesthetic experience that elevates the body, mind, and spirit.” NFL players Julio Jones and Roddy White are being sued by a cannabis company that alleges the men illegally sold hundreds of pounds of cannabis on the black market. Jones and White allegedly colluded with John Van Beek and his son, Shaun Van Beek, to run a black-market cannabis operation, according to the report. “The scope of said defendants’ theft, black-market sales, money laundering, and diversion of assets and expenses without documentation or approval, is staggering and has caused, and is causing, Genetixs substantial and irreparable harm and damage,” the 26-page lawsuit states. Universal is reportedly dropping $400 million to start a new “Exorcist” trilogy starring Leslie Odom Jr. and Ellen Burstyn. Burstyn appeared in the 1973 original film and will reprise her role as Chris MacNeil. Odom will play a father who turns to MacNeil for help after his child becomes possessed. David Gordon Green is directing the upcoming “Exorcist” franchise, with Blumhouse producing. Per Variety, the first of three planned movies will hit theaters on Oct. 13, 2023, and subsequent installments will stream on Peacock. https://youtu.be/PjD42P7BAaA Ike Turner’s daughter, Twanna Turner, shares her support for a play that is telling what’s described as her late dad’s story. Ike Turner was a famous musician/songwriter who was an early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll. He was well known for his work with his then-wife, singer Tina Turner, during the 60s/70s. It’s no secret that Ike Turner and Tina Turner had a rocky work and personal relationship during their time together. The 1993 Tina Turner biopic ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ details some of the alleged abuse Tina Turner endured from Ike during their marriage. Recently Twanna Turner took to her Facebook page and backed a play that claims it’s telling Ike Turner’s side of events. The play entitled ‘Taking Back My Name: The Ike Turner Story’ was written by playwright John L. Ruffin. Twanna Turner shared a flyer for the play online that reads, “You’ve heard her side of the story…now hear his.” A prominent African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church leader has been removed from the ranks of bishop after being found guilty in a church trial for mishandling millions of dollars in transactions related to congregations. Staccato Powell, who was the bishop of the denomination’s Western Episcopal District, had been suspended until the time of his trial, which was held on Wednesday (July 28) during the first day of the AME Zion Church’s hybrid General Conference in Atlanta. According to the single page of official minutes from the trial proceedings, which were held in executive session, Powell is no longer a bishop. “The jury found Bishop Staccato Powell guilty on all 20 counts,” the minutes read. “The Trial Committee recommended Bishop Staccato Powell be disrobed, meaning Bishop Staccato Powell would no longer be recognized as consecrated to the office of Bishop, and would be remanded to the Central North Carolina Conference as only an ordained Elder.” Bershan Shaw recently dished with theJasmineBRAND about appearing on the 13th season of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” and representing Black culture on the Bravo reality show. “I think, as a Black woman on a white show, there’s always teachable moments where people can learn from us. Because I am ready for diversity in television… So it’s time that we support each other on these shows. Tweet about us. You know, Instagram–show that you’re supporting us. Because they really don’t get to hear our voices. And so I felt like it was time to show that we are entertaining. We are fun. We’re successful. We’re millionaires–we have money! C’mon baby, it ain’t just white women… They need to know that we are boss women too.” https://youtu.be/CTB73UFe7Ts Elton John has clapped back at DaBaby over his anti-gay rant at Rolling Loud. As reported by TMZ, at one point during his performance, the rapper encouraged the crowd to put their cell phone lights up, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that’ll make you die in 2-3 weeks” and “Fellas, if you didn’t suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot.” Elton John took to Instagram to criticize the rapper for adding to “stigma and discrimination”. “We’ve been shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements made at a recent DaBaby show,” he wrote on Instagram. “This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic,” the singer added. “HIV misinformation and homophobia have no place in the music industry. We must break down the stigma around HIV and not spread it. As musicians, it’s our job to bring people together.” Boosie Badazz has come to DaBaby’s defense amid backlash over his homophobic comments. Boosie took to Instagram Live on Wednesday to slam the cancel culture for taking aim at DaBaby. In a video addressing the controversy, Boosie called out openly gay rapper Lil Nas X and noted that trolls within the LGBTQP+ community can not force everyone to celebrate same-sex relations. “Everybody not with their nephew sucking dick. Everybody not with that shit. You just can’t just put that shit on everybody and expect it to be cool,” Boosie said on IG. “Nas X say he wanna perform naked onstage for charity. You don’t fuck with him like you fuck with DaBaby. You know, be even-sided, man, be even-sided. You don’t feel that disrespect? Going [to] dance naked? You don’t think that’s disrespect in front of boys who tryna be straight? It’s totally disrespect.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CR4L16GgLHC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Tamela Mann, is set to release her new Tillymann Music album, “Overcomer,” through The Orchard Distribution on Friday, August 6. Propelled by her newfound voice as a songwriter, each of the 12 tracks was conceived “to bring healing and hope to a world resetting after a tumultuous chapter in its history,” notes a press release. “I poured my experiences into the lyrics, putting my heart and soul into the words on this album,” Tamela says. “It’s me looking at my life and the things I was dealing with, trying to learn from those things, and doing what I can to overcome them.” The album was executive produced by Tamela and her husband, actor/comedian, David Mann. Special guests include Kirk Franklin and Wyclef Jean on “Hello God.” https://youtu.be/uE7qIuNnVcQ WE tv’s hit series “Beyond the Pole” returns this week with an all-new episode. This season on “Beyond the Pole,” per press release, Ms. Dime, Angel Kake, Empress, Lyric, Virgo, Gigi Maguire, Ya Ya, Treasure, and Milk Marie “Pinky” are dealing with a world that is changing along with their businesses. Everyone is feeling the stress of quarantine, staying masked-up, healthy, and keeping the bills paid in this new COVID reality. Now that the city of Atlanta has reopened, the women face these challenges as well as the pressure on their friendships, relationships and professional lives. https://youtu.be/n3ApMEcL1n8 Young Thug was the latest artist to perform as part of NPR’s Tiny Desk series, which has moved from the cramped office set in NPR’s office to remote “home” locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recorded at the Houdini Estate in Los Angeles, the rapper performed four new songs — “Die Slow,” “Droppin Jewels,” “Hate the Game” and “Tick Tock,” each with a punk-rock feel thanks to the backing band Damnage Gooods and drummer Tosh Peterson. Travis Barker took the drum set for the Thug’s rendition of his final track of the set, “Ski.” Barker closed out the song and the show with an impressive drum solo. Throughout the performance, Young Thug teased his upcoming second studio album, “PUNK,” and revealed the Oct. 15 release date on the back of his T-shirt. https://youtu.be/SAROJPnd_s8 The Breakfast Club Radio Host Angela Yee is taking on the coffee industry with the release of her Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) brand. The 42-year-old media maven said that her idea for CUP sparked upon researching about the discrimination that marginalized people of color often face in countries where coffee beans are harvested and manufactured. CUP will outsource beans from Black farmers and Yee along with her business partners Tony Forte and LaRon Batchelor are also contracting Black-owned and local minority businesses to help construct CUP’s first brick-and-mortar shop that’s set to open in Bedstuy Brooklyn come August. The sustainable coffee brand boasts flavors including Honey Mocha Berry Java, Peruvian Decaf, and Cocoa Espresso. Nigerian social media star who flaunted a luxurious lifestyle that international authorities say was obtained through illicit means has pleaded guilty to scamming and defrauding a businessman and others out of tens of millions of dollars. The federal indictment against Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, also known more popularly on Instagram as “Hushpuppi” or “Ray Hushpuppi,” details an effort to steal more than $1 million from a businessman based in the Middle East. Abbas and five others were named in the indictment, but as of Thursday, he was the only one to plead guilty. The Department of Justice (DOJ) described Abbas, 37, as being “among the most high-profile money launderers in the world” who used his “celebrity status” to help his grifting reach multiple nations. Pastor Mike Jr. in just a short time has admonished people from all walks of life to follow their passions and dream BIG, that was followed with the 'nu school" hymn of affirmation and actualization I Got It, today the 2021 Stellar Awards Artist of the Year echoes his awe inspiring Stellar Awards performance with the release of "AMAZING." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/8096502?date=20210730&user_id=668306&signature=yQL43KwNIpb7KKHYs06RjRnuubo%3AOiTZbJhM It's here! The official music video for "We Win" by Kirk and Lil Baby dropped this week and they've raised the bar. We loved seeing them open the BET Awards with this hit last month, and this creative collaboration just keeps getting better! Watch the full movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy" with LeBron James and enjoy the high-energy music video, "We Win." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ISA9_WihqI Travis Greene is at it again with the beautiful "Love Song" music video featuring Madison Binion. You can enjoy this song and more from Travis' upcoming album "Oil+Water." https://travisgreene.lnk.to/LoveSongFA!TG BISHOP HEZEKIAH WALKER X GMA3 was on ABC’s GMA3 today at 1pm ET! With a show highlighting a range of incredible human voices, Bishop Hezekiah fits right in with his life mission and is always ready with an on-time word. Hez House Entertainment, in partnership with RCA Inspiration has a new release! Catch the latest single, "Now Cry Holy" by Chicago's own Mark Hubbard & the Voices. https://markhubbard.lnk.to/NowCryHoly!RCAI In 2020 the pandemic was a rough year for everyone but personally traumatic for me. I lost my brother to Covid-19 and this song HE KEPT ME means more to me now than it ever did. Most can relate that God has kept some from it, and brought some through it; not only physically but mentally. God is and will forever be A Keeper! https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6657860?date=20210224&user_id=668306&signature=xl-Loafg1LBx8y1PqTwuo4KJtwQ%3AuB9jgNkL For a rare time in modern history, one single version of a song has bridged the gap, blurred the lines, and brought unity between the Gospel and CCM formats. That bridge builder is “Joyful” by Dante Bowe of Bethel Music. “Joyful” is the first single to have the same version of the song to appear on both of Top 30 National Airplay Charts - Gospel at #23 and CCM at #14, and we’re overjoyed, to say the least. There has been a unified cry over the past couple of years within our God-blessed country for true equality and justice among all races, sexes, and classes. Not only that, but we encountered a global pandemic that worked hard at destroying hope in everyone’s lives. This left most Americans in a continued state of desperation and exasperation and was the exact climate when Dante’s “Joyful” hit the airwaves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwvSKPOaQVg Sebi’s Daughters Present “The Honduran Experience” on August 7, 2021 from 1-6pm EST in Atlanta, GA at the Sebi’s Daughters Wellness Center. In addition to this interactive experience, Sebi’s Daughters will launch a new line of products including Sebi Sicles, a wellness popsicle, and Candy Butter, a hair and body moisturizer. The Honduran Experience will kick off on August 6th with a private pre-launch celebration featuring a special performance by 9x Grammy nominated artist TANK, followed by the Sebi’s Daughters grand opening on August 7th , welcoming the public to enjoy this experience. There is enough probable cause to criminally charge a trigger-happy Wisconsin police officer with a history of killing suspects for fatally shooting a Black man in 2016, a judge ruled on Wednesday after revisiting the case at the urging of one of the victim’s family. Milwaukee County Judge Glenn Yamahiro has recommended the appointment of a special prosecutor to handle the case against Waukesha County Police Officer Joseph Mensah for killing Jay Anderson Jr. under questionable circumstances. That means the arrest of Mensah, who is also Black, is imminent. He is likely to be charged with committing a crime of homicide by a dangerous weapon. Mensah killed Anderson Jr., a 25-year-old who was found sleeping in his car in the city of Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee. Mensah, who at the time was working as an officer with the Wauwatosa Police Department, shot Anderson Jr. to death for allegedly reaching for a gun. Anderson is among three people of color who Mensah has killed since 2015. Mensah has never faced discipline for his killings and was just last year cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting death of 17-year-old Alvin Cole in 2016, which came one year after he killed Antonio Gonzales. Despite the existence of video evidence, a teenager who was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a horse in suburban Boston has pleaded not guilty to bestiality charges and his lawyer insists he is not the culprit. Jackson Z. Kelley, 19, who has been charged with making sexual contact with an animal, cruelty to animals and nighttime breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, was released from jail on Friday after being held without bail for three nights ahead of a “dangerousness hearing.” The terms of Kelley’s release include wearing a GPS ankle bracelet, undergoing a mental health assessment and perhaps most importantly, staying away from stables and horses. Glen Ford, a veteran broadcast, print and digital journalist who hosted the first nationally syndicated Black news interview program on TV before going on to found the Black Agenda Report website, has died, according to reports. He was 71 years old. Ford’s cause of death was not immediately reported. Several sources announced his death late Wednesday morning, including Margaret Kimberley, an editor and columnist at Black Agenda Report, the weekly news magazine that offers commentary and analysis from a Black perspective which Ford launched and served as its executive editor. To call Ford a career journalist is a vast understatement. According to his bio on the Black Agenda Report website, Ford was reporting the news live on the radio as early as 11-years-old and went on to enjoy a career in journalism for more than 40 years that included working as a Washington bureau chief as well as a correspondent covering the White House, Capitol Hill and State Department. At least two cops have been punished in recent days for their decisions against intervening when their fellow officers were viciously brutalizing restrained suspects, suggesting that there could be a growing semblance of accountability on the city and state levels for members of law enforcement who don’t de-escalate and use police brutality as a first resort. It also seemed to suggest that more cops are being punished — or, at least they will be — for standing by and watching fellow officers use excessive force on suspects who don’t pose a threat, effectively making them guilty of aiding and abetting. Most recently, two police officers in Colorado were arrested for their roles in beating a man who is shown on bodycam video refuting allegations there was a warrant for his arrest before one cop responds with force that appeared to be unnecessary. The officers work out of a police department that has been saddled with allegations of unabated brutality for the past few years, including the controversial and still-unresolved death of pedestrian Elijah McClain. Hallmark’s Mahogany card line is coming to television, with a quarterly slate of original movies targeted to Black audiences coming to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in early 2022, reports Variety. Crown Media Family Networks president and CEO Wonya Lucas says Hallmark was “uniquely positioned” for the endeavor thanks to the strong “emotional core” that exists between the company and its consumers. “Mahogany is a 34-year-old brand that has been an important part of the portfolio since its existence,” Lucas tells Variety. “So for us, it’s not an initiative; it’s bringing something to life through storytelling.” Talks to translate Mahogany to TV began in early 2021, as Lucas approached former TV One colleague Toni Judkins about spearheading the project. https://youtu.be/AL30UWCvtCI The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) today announced the winners for its COVID-compliant edition of its 3rd Annual AAFCA TV Honors. Held virtually last year, AAFCA TV Honors led the way in incorporating first responders in a celebration that included Viola Davis and Sterling K. Brown. This year, AAFCA is pleased to honor a number of outstanding shows, creators, and performers, including CBS’s “The Equalizer” starring Queen Latifah as Best New Show and Robin Thede’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” on HBO as Best Comedy. HBO’s critically acclaimed “Lovecraft Country” stars Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors will be honored as Best Actress and Best Actor. HBO and Raoul Peck’s “Exterminate All the Brutes” and Netflix’s “High On the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America” take top docuseries honors. He’s wisecracking skipper and she’s a determined British scientist! Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are taking fans on an adventure of a lifetime down the Amazon this Friday in Disney’s “Jungle Cruise.“ https://youtu.be/X7ARsW3bKRc DaBaby has just been dropped from his partnership with BoohooMan following his controversial performance at Rolling Loud. The clothing brand announced today that it “condemns the use of homophobic language and confirm we will no longer be working with DaBaby.” The company noted that it stands “by and supports the LGBTQ community.” Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis dished with Dax Shepard on his “Armchair Expert” podcast and revealed that they only bathe their kids when they see dirt on them. Ashton and Mila, who are part-time bathers themselves, agreed with Dax that using soap every day rids the body of natural oils. Dax’s co-host Monica Padman asked Mila, “Who taught you to not wash?” Mila replied “I didn’t have hot water growing up as a child, so I didn’t shower very much anyway. I wasn’t that parent that bathed my newborns, ever. A day of celebration as Lifeline Education Charter School presented its Summer Bridge Program Graduation and Outdoor Products Backpack Giveaway recently in Compton, CA. The Lifeline Charter School (LESC) Summer Bridge Program presented graduates with Outdoor Products’ versatile, top quality, multipurpose backpacks filled with social and emotional items, such as a stress ball, colored pencil, scissors, an emotional bracelet and journal. Mrs. Paula DeGroat, executive director of LESC said, “This graduation is great, as the students learn and understand the process of how to get to the next level of education, and bonded with the staff.” A child who fled war-torn Liberia is now a successful businesswoman in the United States. At age 21, Adenah Bayoh bought a three-family home and at 26, she bought her first International House of Pancakes franchise in New Jersey. NJBiz called her a “one-woman economic engine” when it named her among New Jersey’s Top 50 Women in Business for 2014. Her journey has been one of grit and enterprise. The highly anticipated gospel event of the year, the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, is set to return to television this Sunday, August 1st, at 8 pm ET / PT, only on BET. Hosted by recording artists Jekalyn Carr and Tye Tribbett, this year’s celebration is set to wow audiences worldwide with an eclectic mix of performances by industry legends and chart-topping millennial artists who are spreading the gospel in new ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDJWZnF10pQ&feature=youtu.be TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs this Monday, August 2 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Viewers will dive into some of Atlanta's grittiest cases solved by thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez. The dynamic duo recounts their past homicide investigations and reminisce on their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic re-enactments from actors Angelo Diaz who portrays David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55DCu0h2OHc Settle in with a hearty serving of tea and scones as Lifetime celebrates the end of summer with a day of programming devoted to the royals. Kicking things off on Labor Day, Monday, September 6 at 8pm ET/PT is the world premiere of Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace, starring Jordan Dean (The Punisher) and Sydney Morton (She’s Gotta Have It) as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCWVDn2Xku8 Jonathan McReynolds' 2nd and final single at radio from his chart topping EP 'People" hit the Gospel Airplay Chart at #2 this week and on the final stretch to #1!! "Grace" was a standout track from the EP and has now garnered 2.8 million streams, 21.6 million audience to date at radio. It came in at #43 on the Adult R&B chart this week, jumping from #83 the prior week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0gEcAmKUU8 Ben Tankard has been giving us music to vibe to for over three decades. His catalog of hits is vast and has earned the Stellar Award Honors Hall of Fame inductee an astonishing wall of awards and platinum-selling records. He is the godfather of Gospel Jazz and invited fans to RISE! in 2018 with his hit record. This year, he encouraged us to SHINE! to an album that continues to prove why Tankard is a quintessential artist! SHINE! was #1 on Amazon Hot New Releases and includes epic songs that cross cultures and demographics. Tankard remakes "How Deep Is Your Love", the Bee Gee, and Kirk Franklin's "Melodies From Heaven". Tankard has reached #1 again on the Smooth Jazz National Airplay Chart this week with his soulful rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Just Like Music". https://vimeo.com/579630479 David and Tiffany Spencer are Gospel music's newest singing due who are making an impact in the genre with their dynamic vocal compatibility. They released their "We Are One" single earlier this year that has risen to #7 on the BDS Gospel Internet Radio Chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co4XCAF79rk The U.S. has reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the world over the last seven days, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. saw 500,332 new cases (a 131% increase) the week ending July 25 compared to the previous week, the WHO said. The world at large saw 3.8 million new cases (an 8% increase) over the same time period. More troublingly, the number of COVID-related deaths (over 69,000) represented a 21% jump. “An average of around 540 000 cases were reported each day over the past week as compared to 490 000 cases reported daily the week before. This increasing trend is largely attributed to substantial increases in the Region of the Americas and the Western Pacific Region,” the WHO’s report reads. Brazil, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and India rounded out the top five of countries with most new cases. “If these trends continue, it is expected that the cumulative number of cases reported globally could exceed 200 million in the next two weeks,” the WHO said. After a turbulent few years, Sunisa Lee can now call herself an Olympic gold medalist. The American gymnast won the women’s all-around title in Tokyo on Thursday ahead of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in second and the Russian Olympic Committee’s Angelina Melnikova in third. Lee, who extends the USA’s run of Olympic gold medals in the event to five, scored 57.433 as teammate and 2016 all-around champion Simone Biles watched on from the stands. Given what Lee has experienced over the past two years, no wonder the word she twice landed on to describe her victory was “surreal.” In 2019, she won gold on uneven bars at the US Championships shortly after her father had fallen off a ladder and become paralyzed from the chest down, while last year she lost her aunt and uncle to Covid-19. Lee, who turned 18 in March, has also overcome a spate of injuries, including a broken bone in her foot and an Achilles tendon injury last year. A Costa Rican gymnast appeared to find a loophole in the Olympic rules that bar political statements, when she made a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement during the artistic part of her floor routine. Luciana Alvarado, 18, wrapped up her performance in the Olympic qualifying rounds in Tokyo on Sunday by kneeling on the floor and looking up to the sky with a raised fist in the air. She later said the choreographed gesture was specifically meant to honor the BLM movement and draw attention to the importance of equality for all people. “Because we’re all the same,” she explained. “We’re all beautiful and amazing.” There will soon be a day without the reminder that every day, when you’re walking down the street, everybody that you meet has an original point of view. But hey (hey!), Arthur had a good, long run. The much beloved animated kids show is coming to an end in early 2022, after its 25th and final season. “Arthur is the longest-running kids animated series in history and is known for teaching kindness, empathy and inclusion through many groundbreaking moments to generations of viewers,” said the show’s executive producer, Carol Greenwald, in a statement. She added that the show will continue to be available on PBS KIDS for years to come. Kelly Clarkson has been ordered to pay nearly $200,000 in support to her estranged husband Brandon Blackstock, US Weekly reports. A Los Angeles County court ordered that, beginning on April 1st, Clarkson is obligated to pay Blackstock a whopping $150,000 per month in spousal support. The documents also order Clarkson to pay $45,601 a month to Blackstock as child assistance to “benefit” their children, River, 7, and Remington, 5. For those keeping score, that adds up to $195,601 per month that the American Idol alum must pay Blackstock. For context, the source says Clarkson earns $1.9 million a month. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will not bring charges in the death of a woman at an adult slumber party, the Macon Telegraph reports. Tamla Horsford, 40, attended the event with at least 11 other adults in 2018 when she allegedly fell from the back deck of the house and died. The agency turned over its reports to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office for review. “The DA review determined the facts and investigative findings do not support pursuit and prosecution of criminal charges,” a GBI spokesperson told the paper. It comes a year after the investigation was re-opened by the GBI after gaining renewed interest during the 2020 protests over racial justice. Questions have swirled as to how Horsford ended up face-down in the backyard, with family members suggesting the investigation was not handled properly. They cited the GBI’s reported mishandlings of killings of civilians by police, and a lawyer for Horsford’s widower has said evidence could show Horsford was in a struggle before her death. As of Tuesday, 85 percent of NFL players have reportedly received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, but a hesitancy lingers among the remaining 15 percent. While some players such as the Buffalo Bills Cole Beasley are still refusing the jab, others like Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill acknowledged he gave in to league pressure to get vaccinated. “I’m currently in the process right now [of being vaccinated],” Tannehill told reporters during his Wednesday press conference at Titans training camp. “The NFL has kind of made it clear what they want to happen. If you don’t fall in line, they’re gonna to make your life miserable with all the protocols.” NFL protocols for those who refuse the jab will include wearing masks, travel restrictions, and potentially being forced to forfeit a game and paycheck if an outbreak occurs among unvaccinated players. Liberty Athletics and ESPN have reached a new five-year extension for the exclusive media rights to Liberty’s home football games, beginning with the 2021 season through 2025. Liberty inked its first football media rights agreement with ESPN in 2018 during the Flames’ first season at the FBS level. This new agreement ensures that all Liberty home football games will air on an ESPN platform while guaranteeing that one game each year will air on an ESPN linear network. ESPN also has the right to choose a non-traditional day (non-Saturday) for a second linear network telecast, with all remaining games distributed on an ESPN digital platform. Anybody doubting the racist motivations behind the Jan. 6 insurrection hasn’t heard from U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. He was among four police officers who testified Tuesday morning as the congressional committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol convened with a hearing to formally kick off its probe to determine why the riot took place and how to prevent something like that from ever happening again. Dunn, who is Black, offered moving testimony about his experience responding to the Capitol rioters. He described it as being largely racist in nature. He testified that “no one had ever, ever called me ni**er while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police Officer” until Jan. 6. https://youtu.be/_AyO-0FP7MQ After leaving the door open for a possible return to the Olympics, Simone Biles on Wednesday extended her break from competition in Tokyo in an effort to prioritize her mental health. The update came about 24 hours after it was first reported that Biles was withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics to cope with what a USA women’s gymnastics team coach referred to as a “mental issue.” Biles and Team USA originally hinted she could be back competing in the all-around final on Thursday before officially deciding against it, the Washington Post reported. However, there is still a chance she could return to competing at the Olympics. It’s just unclear when that would be. Three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes still maintains her focus and dedication to what’s important in life — including laughter. During her performances, Dawes says she rarely smiled. But today, as a wife, mother of four young children and owner of a gymnastics academy, she encourages the girls she trains to express emotions that would not have been acceptable during her career. It’s part of a shift in the cutthroat culture of American gymnastics that was brought to the fore at the Tokyo Olympics by the decision of Simone Biles — considered the “Greatest of All Time” in the sport — to pull out of the team event final due to mental exhaustion. “She needs to do what is best for Simone.” https://youtu.be/X3PKTUyCAo0 Ed Buck, a wealthy political donor in California, has been found guilty on all nine counts in a case that accused him of trading drugs for sex — efforts that left at least two Black men dead in his home within 18 months of each other in recent years. Buck, 66, could spend the rest of his life in prison when he is sentenced. The guilty verdict came on the four-year anniversary of Gemmel Moore, one of Buck’s victims. Moore, 26, was found dead in Buck’s West Hollywood home. Buck was accused of supplying Moore and Timothy Dean with drugs in exchange for sex. At least one other Black man also overdosed in Buck’s home, but that unidentified man survived. Moore’s mother, who is suing Buck, told the Associated Press that she was both happy and sad with the verdict. “Today is bittersweet,” LaTisha Nixon said. “We got victory today.” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has reportedly defended her controversial decision to grant interview requests only to minority journalists — calling the number of non-whites covering her “unacceptable.” “I would absolutely do it again. I’m unapologetic about it because it spurred a very important conversation, a conversation that needed to happen, that should have happened a long time ago,” Lightfoot told the New York Times’ “Sway” host Kara Swisher on Monday of the temporary May declaration. As she marked her two-year anniversary in office in May, the Democrat — whose city is in the midst of a plague of gun violence and is on track to surpass last year’s total of 48 mass shootings — assailed the “overwhelming whiteness” of the Windy City’s media and announced that she’d grant one-on-one interviews only to minority members, Fox News reported. A Corsicana pastor says his fight against COVID-19 has changed his perspective on getting the vaccine. The North Texas pastor has been battling the virus for more than 20 days. He admits he was not vaccinated but now plans to after his near-death experience. Danny Reeves is used to teaching the word of God every Sunday at First Baptist Church in Corsicana. But over the last few weeks, he says he’s been the one learning. “God puts us through these moments to teach us the lessons,” he said. “I didn’t mean to be cavalier. I didn’t mean to be overconfident. But there’s a lot of people just like me that haven’t gotten the vaccine.” Reeves says he started feeling body aches and other symptoms in early July and tested positive for COVID-19 a few days later. https://youtu.be/IwPpHdW7DoE President Joe Biden will announce on Thursday a requirement that all federal employees and contractors be vaccinated against Covid-19, or be required to submit to regular testing and mitigation requirements, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The announcement will come in remarks where Biden is also expected to lay out a series of new steps, including incentives, in an attempt to spur new vaccinations as the Delta variant spreads rapidly throughout the country. It will also follow the decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to require its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated over the course of the next two months. Biden alluded to the looming announcement on Tuesday. “That’s under consideration right now,” Biden said, when asked if he would impose a vaccination mandate on federal workers. A black couple from Georgia died of COVID-19 after refusing to get vaccinated because of lack of trust – due, in part, to a past racist medical experiment in which black men from Alabama were denied treatment for syphilis. Martin, 53, and Trina Daniel, 49, of Savannah succumbed to the virus within three hours of each other. They died July 6. The couple, married for 22 years, are survived by their two children, a 15-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son. Services for the couple were held on Saturday. Their deaths were first reported by WSB-TV in Atlanta. Family members said the two were fearful of getting vaccinated because they distrusted the medical establishment after the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Minneapolis municipal elections occur in November, and voters will decide whether the city reimagines its approach to public safety. Last week, the Minneapolis City Council approved a ballot question whether to amend the city’s charter by disbanding the police department and creating a new Department of Public Safety. If approved, the measure would remove control of policing and public safety from the mayor. A commissioner nominated by the mayor and approved by the city council would lead the new department. The proposed public safety approach would include licensed peace officers (police officers) as needed. But the difference is the department would also consider other alternatives as a core part of providing services to city residents. New artist John Cable has taken one of his favorite scriptures and written "Seek Yee First", his affirming and uplifting debut Gospel single. "Seek Yee First" is a powerful and joyful reminder of what Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." This is a very familiar promise in scripture, but you've never heard it like this - inspiring lyrics of hope, wrapped in an enthusiastic upbeat rhythm that induces anticipation, gratitude, and praise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9bRhubSlaY Comedian Jay Pharoah and Sinqua Walls let loose in the new romantic comedy film “Resort To Love,” produced by Alicia Keys, which follows an aspiring singer (Christina Milian) whose big break is halted after a popular singer cancels his final album.With the help of a friend, she lands a singing gig on a resort and ends up getting booked to sing at her ex-fiancée’s wedding (Pharoah). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyJbG7WMfG8 In the bigger/stronger/faster era in professional sports, selecting the right trainer is a must. That’s where James Banks earns his keep. An elite performance coach who specializes in position-specific training with a focus on speed and agility, Banks works with one of the top young safeties in the NFL: the New Orleans Saints’ Ceedy Duce. Banks’ Forward Performance Athletes works with a lot of the top-tier talent coming out of Louisiana, and the results speak for themselves. https://youtu.be/H8Ha4kLwH3Y Robert #DonPooh Cummins @donpoohmusic , the former executive vice president of #MCARecords, is expanding his #BrooklynChopHouse empire with the launch of a massive new restaurant in the heart of #TimesSquare. The music exec turned restaurateur is gearing up to open a 25,000 square foot Brooklyn Chop House later this year in the lively area of New York City. The new lavish establishment will be the biggest black-owned restaurant of its kind in NYC, boasting 600 seats, with 150 located on the rooftop under a retractable roof. The Time Square Brooklyn Chop House is the latest addition to Cummins’ extensive portfolio. Cummins and his partners recently launched its sister brand, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, in NYC. The brand has already sold over 50 franchised units and it is currently franchising worldwide. Applications can be found at fransmart.com. https://www.instagram.com/p/CR2EiYpK0o1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again “I am a non-commissioned officer,” said Kristen Mather de Andrade about her role in West Point’s Army Special Band as a clarinetist. Kristen just released a solo Jazz album titled “Clarao (Of Course)” where she showcases her skills as a clarinetist and vocalist. “There is a special band in all the services. People audition for them. I won and was commissioned.” https://youtu.be/9x7Cfa6HYCc An all-new episode of CLEO TV's popular home design series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ continues this Saturday, July 31st at 9 p.m. ET/8C. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lWnOOJsby8&feature=youtu.be Barack and Michelle Obama joined forces with Chris Nee, the “Doc McStuffins” creator, to produce a new animated preschool series for Netflix. And, the first-look trailer has dropped. Check out the trailer for “Ada Twist, Scientist.” https://youtu.be/iTCORhleUWQ The trailer has dropped for Will Smith’s upcoming film “King Richard,” in which he stars as Richard Williams, father of legendary athletes Venus and Serena Williams. Based on the true story that will inspire the world, “King Richard” follows the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever. Driven by a clear vision of their future and using unconventional methods, Richard has a plan that will take Venus and Serena Williams from the streets of Compton, California to the global stage as legendary icons. “King Richard” is a profoundly moving film that shows the power of family, perseverance and unwavering belief as a means to achieve the impossible and impact the world. https://youtu.be/BKP_0z52ZAw Mika Morrow drops first single, "Survivor." Mika Morrow says "You have conquered all your fears. Through it all you are a "SURVIVOR." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwIlAdGYUHE Top-selling singer-songwriter Jekalyn Carr announces the launch of JEKALYN BEAUTY with the introduction of "Jekalyn For Her," a fresh new fragrance for women. Available this Friday exclusively online at jekalynbeauty.com "Jekalyn For Her" will be the first product launch under the singer's Black-owned JEKALYN BEAUTY brand. "Jekalyn For Her" is a romantic and feminine scent that exudes confidence and strength. Perfect for any woman, "Jekalyn For Her," can be worn from the boardroom to the red carpet. The head-turning, show-stopping aromatic elegance is presented in this bold new fragrance for all seasons and for any occasion. A guy who ordered a slice at a Brooklyn pizza shop had to wait longer than usual after a vicious fight broke out between the employees behind the counter and some other customers. It all went down on July 17th at Joe’s Pizza on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. Staff members told cops that some male customers were harassing a woman when an employee told them to stop. That’s when punches were thrown. Other workers join in, with one employee hitting someone over the head repeatedly with a pizza peel and another brandishing a ladle. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRmBb7liJS-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again R. Kelly’s legal team has slammed new allegations that he sexually abused a male minor whom he reportedly met at a McDonald’s. “This is nothing more than a veiled effort to pile on to further shape the public’s perception in this case ignoring that Mr. Kelly is presumed innocent until proven otherwise,” Nicole Blank Becker, one of Kelly’s attorneys, tells TMZ. Kelly’s defense tells the outlet it will “vigorously oppose” the prosecution’s request to enter new evidence, adding … “As the trial nears were are looking forward to the truth prevailing.” A new study has confirmed what many Black women have known for years — that lye-based hair relaxers may cause serious health effects, including breast cancer. A 2020 study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that women who used permanent hair dye or chemical straighteners were at higher risk of developing breast cancer. https://youtu.be/Y_1e7Bj-PNw Barack Obama has announced that through his foundation, he is partnering with NBA Africa to “help advance the league’s social responsibility efforts across the continent.” As reported by PEOPLE, the initiatives will include Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders Africa and NBA Academy Africa, as well as several family-based social programs. “For me, basketball has always been more than a game. My first basketball was a gift from my father when I was 10 years old,” Obama said in a video message (see below). “Later on, my grandmother told me she could always tell when I was coming home for dinner because she could hear me bouncing the ball down the sidewalk from her apartment, 10 stories up.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1420128995971158017 Singer Dua Lipa responded to Dababy’s homophobic rant on Tuesday, saying she doesn’t “recognize this as the person I worked with.” The rapper is featured on Lipa’s hit “Levitating,” and he has caused quite a stir with the homophobic rant he served up during his set at Rolling Loud over the weekend. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-07-26-072621-dababy-ig-1211710/ Bodycam video of a 2020 confrontation between a white Las Vegas police officer and a Black woman who was simply studying alone in a public park has gone viral. The officer is shown approaching the college student as she sits alone under a covered area. He tells her that she will not be allowed to return to the park next week unless she brings a child along. The woman, taken aback at the sudden and seemingly ridiculous intrusion, questions the officer on the park rules, and says she’s being harassed for simply studying. The woman also begins filming him with her phone. https://youtu.be/brniQFydvbo Despite owning 100 vehicles, Rick Ross is only now getting his Driver’s License. In a video posted to his social media, the rapper said he owns “100 cars and don’t have a driver’s license.” He also joked about being an organ donor, saying, “Don’t let me die just to take my good heart.” In June, Rick Ross revealed that he flies commercial and cuts his own grass to save money. The hip-hop star resides on a 235-acre estate in Fayetteville, Georgia that was previously owned by Evander Holyfield. Ross previously explained that he enjoys “connecting with the estate and the animals and the birds and the wildlife.” Lizzo took to Instagram Live to remind fans to respect her personal space because she doesn’t want to contract the delta variant of COVID-19. “I don’t care who you are. You could be the nicest person. You could be vaccinated. You could be quadruple vaccinated. If you see me, please give me 6 feet,” Lizzo said in an Instagram Live, via People. “This s— is coming back. COVID. And people being real sloppy with personal space.” According to the CDC, COVID cases in the U.S. have recently increased by 170%, with nearly all allegedly caused by the delta variant. Piers Morgan is catching it again. He is chastising … Simone Biles. In other words, folks online ain’t havin’ it and they’re basically making Morgan eat his own words by turning his own history and criticism against him. It all went down right after Biles dropped out of the gymnastics team finals at the Tokyo Games on Tuesday to focus on her mental health. Morgan apparently took Biles’ action personally and tweeted his disgust, saying “admit you did badly, made mistakes, and will strive to do better next time.” He wasn’t through. He came Wednesday morning and doubled down with more. “Sorry Simone Biles, but there’s nothing heroic or brave about quitting because you’re not having ‘fun’ – you let down your team-mates, your fans and your country.” Four men have been arrested for the killing of a 13-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting on Saturday in Monroe, N.C. According to reports, Loyalti Allah, 13, and her friends were sitting at an outside picnic table awaiting a DoorDash delivery when a black Ford Freestyle SUV drove by and someone inside the vehicle began shooting before speeding away. Loyalti was struck and was transported to a local hospital by police where she was pronounced dead. There were no other victims. “I’m sorry for her loss. It didn’t mean [it] to go down that way,” 20-year-old Javon Demontre Robinson, one of four suspects arrested in the shooting, said as he was taken into custody, reports WBTV. https://youtu.be/sKp-l1_lC-s GRAMMY® Award nominated singer, songwriter, and producer, VaShawn Mitchell, has marked a new milestone in his career. He claims the top spot on the Gospel Airplay chart for the week ending July 31, 2021, with the joyous, self-penned, “Lifted Up.” Ironically, the song displaced last week’s No. 1 hit, “I’m Not Ashamed” by Monica Lisa Stevenson and Paul Porter, which was also written by Mitchell. “I’ve always prayed to God that He would allow me to write, produce, and sing songs that can live a long time and reach the heart and soul of the listeners, so I’m really humbled that both of these songs are resonating with the gospel audience,” he says. https://vashawnmitchell.com One of Gospel music’s most successful female groups makes its triumphant return to the genre with much fanfare. YES! RiZen, including group members Adriann , Ashley, Aundrea, and Kanika is back! Known for their unique harmonies and choreography, these young ladies are ready to take the stage again with the same excitement and determination as they let the world know about Jesus! During their down time, the ladies focused more on family, selfcare and growth as they grew their families with marriages, children, finishing up degrees and more self-discovery. Additional as the country starts to slowly open back up, plans are now being finalized for the official reunion concert and recording, now set to take place in Nashville at Tabernacle Baptist church on November 27th. The Gospel Spotlight's RiZen! Here RiZen In Their Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rizen.mp3 FRESH FIRE from EARNEST PUGH on the heels of the success of his latest #1 single “God Wants To Heal You” the Gentleman of Gospel—Earnest Pugh's latest single entitled “Thank You So Much.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhCvRNOKJOw&feature=youtu.be Christina Milian may sing at your wedding – as long as you’re not an ex! Milian is back on the Netflix screen playing the lead role of aspiring pop star Erica Wilson – who lands a gig at her ex-fiancée’s wedding (Jay Pharoah) at a luxurious hotel. While trying to keep their past a secret from her ex’s future wife, Beverly (Christiani Pitts), things heat up on the resort as her ex-fiancée’s brother Caleb (Sinqua Walls) begins to fall for her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fcnG6-L4Cc Simone Biles is out of the team competition in women’s gymnastics. “Simone has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.” Biles left the competition floor moments after she struggled to land a vault that is usually comes easily to her. On the team’s first event, she bailed on an Amanar – one of her more difficult vaults – and just barely landed a one-and-a-half. Visibly upset, Biles talked with one of her personal coaches and the team doctor, then put on her grips to prepare for uneven bars next. But suddenly, she left the competition floor. When she returned, she took off her grips and put on her warm-ups. In team finals, countries compete with three gymnasts and count all three scores, but have flexibility of who competes on each apparatus with four women on each team. Biles’ exit means it’s up to the team’s three remaining gymnasts – Grace McCallum, Jordan Chiles and Sunisa Lee. https://www.today.com/video/simone-biles-out-of-team-competition-117443141638 The Wisconsin police department has responded to a viral cell phone video that appears to show an officer planting drugs in a Black man’s car. The Chief of Police, Christopher Botsch, said body cam video showing the incident from a different angle proves that an officer from the Village of Caledonia Police Department did not try to “plant evidence” in the back seat of the vehicle. According to reports, the incident happened Wednesday at about 3:22 p.m. when officers conducted a traffic stop. Police say the rear passengers weren’t wearing seat belts — so they were removed from the car after the cops decided to conduct a search. The driver was identified by his driver’s license, but police say the front passenger, GlockBoy Savoo, lawfully declined to identify himself. He recorded a video on his cell phone that was later posted to social media with the caption, “Cop caught in 4K planting evidence.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CRudvO0DfA1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The getaway driver involved in the shooting death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. Pendleton’s 2013 killing in Chicago drew the attention of then-President Barack Obama. As reported by NBC News, Hadiya had just taken her final exams at the King College Prep High School, and was walking home from when she and another classmate took cover from the rain at a nearby park. That’s where prosecutors said, Micheail Ward, got out of a car driven by Kenneth Williams and opened fire at who he thought were rival gang members. https://youtu.be/gZO8a3t0fKM A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, July 29 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, experts recount the unexpected death of former heavyweight champion boxer Sonny Liston. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWf3_HCVQGc A gymnast has gone viral with her 11-second, last place performance on the uneven bars in Tokyo Sunday, because she was determined to live out her lifelong Olympic dream despite competing with a torn ACL. Danusia Francis, who competed as a gymnast at UCLA, is representing Jamaica in Tokyo. But she suffered the torn ACL during training, which took her out of contention in Tokyo. But she refused to let that stop her making the trip and fulfilling her lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics. To celebrate how much the vegan movement has grown in 20 years since Shania Twain was crowned the winner of its inaugural contest in 2001, PETA is ushering in a new wave of compassionate icons and naming 20 stars the Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities of 2021, including Lenny Kravitz, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Anderson .Paak, and Chloe x Halle. Kravitz credits vegan eating with maintaining his physique, explaining that it’s “the right thing for yourself and for the planet and animals.” Eilish, who has been vegan for seven years, says, “I just can’t go on in my life knowing what’s going on in the animal world and not doing anything about it.” .Paak and Lizzo leave the door open for fans to discover good as hell vegan recipes on their Instagram stories and TikTok videos, and Chloe x Halle say being vegan helps them keep their stunning voices in tiptop shape. Tameka Foster Raymond wants to set the record straight in her soon-to-be-released memoir Here I Stand . . . in a Beautiful State. Music fans might recognize the title as part of her ex-husband Usher’s 2008 album but make no mistake. Tameka is her own woman with a message. When life tries to bring you down, take a breath and keep moving forward. Raymond’s memoir has been over a decade in the making and has presented her with the opportunity to clear up misconceptions about her career, her marriage, and her son’s death in 2012. After several years of contemplating writing about her life, she decided to write a book after having a conversation with three women on a beach in Bali. As they spoke, they learned who Raymond’s ex-husband was and they were insistent there was no way she could be who she said she was because his wife had died. They were referring to her near-death experience in Brazil, which has been grossly misreported in media. After that hilarious and memorable conversation on the beach, Raymond knew she had to write a book. It was time to clear up all the rumors and outright lies about her fashion career, her marriage, and her parenting. Here I Stand . . . in a Beautiful State makes two things crystal clear – Raymond is very much alive and a woman who has persevered. https://player.vimeo.com/video/577274097 Snoop Dogg is feeling the love. The rapper, 49, thanked fans for their prayers and well-wishes for his mother Beverly Tate as he shared a health update on her behalf amid her hospitalization on Instagram Sunday. “Happy Sunday me and my brothers went to c mama today and she opened up her eyes to c us and let us know she still fighting,” Snoop wrote, posting a photo of himself gently touching Tate’s forehead as she laid in a hospital bed, while his siblings watched on. “God is good thanks for all the prayers 1 day at a time,” he added. A TikToker who says he’s works at a movie theatre concession stand has gone viral with a TikTok video that appears to expose a scam involving popcorn sizes. TikToker @thatcoolguy.25597 revealed that people who purchase the medium sized popcorn are really paying a medium price for the same amount of popcorn in the small size. In the viral clip, which has been viewed 6.3 million times, the TikTok user pretends to be a customer ordering the popcorn, showing a large bucket, a regular bucket (medium) and a junior bag (small). He pretends to order the junior bag for $7.35 because the medium bucket is “too much.” But, upon receiving the bag of popcorn, he pretends to change his mind and asks for the medium size. Demonstrating why the sizes are a scam, the concessions worker empties the small bag of popcorn into the medium bucket, filling it to the top and charging $8.44 – an extra $1.09 – for the same amount of food. Describing insurrectionists who attacked the U.S. Capitol as “terrorists” who “perceived themselves to be Christians,” District of Columbia police officer Daniel Hodges told a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection on Tuesday (July 27) that the crowd massing on the building’s West Terrace brandished banners steeped in Christian symbolism along with those bearing the name Trump. Hodges’ emotional remarks came in testimony offered alongside three other officers who rushed to the Capitol that day to defend it from an unsuccessful attempt by supporters of then-President Donald Trump to stop the certification of 2020 election results. “It was clear the terrorists perceived themselves to be Christians,” Hodges said. “I saw the Christian flag directly to my front. Another read, ‘Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president.’ Another: ‘Jesus is king.’ … Another had crossed rifles beneath a skull, emblazoned with the pattern of the American flag.” It’s an emotional first day of testimony at the committee hearing on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Tuesday’s focus was on the law enforcement officers who were attacked and beaten as the rioters broke into the building — an effort to put a human face on the violence of the day. The police officers who are testifying endured some of the worst of the brutality. NBC Washington reported, “They were punched, trampled, crushed and sprayed with chemical irritants. They were called racial slurs and threatened with their own weapons as the mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters overwhelmed them, broke through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential win.” https://youtu.be/fKZWlbm4BA8 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in places with high Covid-19 transmission rates. The agency is also recommending kids wear masks in schools this fall. Federal health officials still believe fully vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmission. Still, some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood and potentially transmit it to others. “This pandemic continues to pose a serious threat to the health of all Americans,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters on a call. “Today, we have new science related to the delta variant that requires us to update the guidance regarding what you can do when you are fully vaccinated.” The updated guidance comes ahead of the fall season, when the highly contagious delta variant is expected to cause another surge in new coronavirus cases and many large employers plan to bring workers back to the office. In mid-May, the CDC said fully vaccinated people didn’t need to wear masks in most settings, whether indoors or outdoors. Fifty-six years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led thousands of clergy and laypeople on a 54-mile voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama. On Wednesday (July 28), the Rev. William J. Barber II will lead a similar contingent on a four-day, 27-mile march from Georgetown to Austin, Texas — also for voting rights. The symbolism is intentional. The Moral March for Democracy is purposely invoking that earlier trek in an all-out effort to demand the U.S. Senate end the filibuster and vote on a bill that would restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965. “The similarity today is that there has to be federal action,” said Barber, the prominent pastor, civil rights activist and co-leader of the Poor People’s Campaign, which is sponsoring the march. “What we see happening in these statehouses is to roll back voting rights, to take away from people processes that allow more people to vote — early voting, same-day registration, mail-in ballots. We have to have federal action.” Joey Jordison, who was a founding member of the band Slipknot and shot to fame as their drummer, has died. His family announced in a statement quoted by Rolling Stone that he passed on in his sleep this Monday at the age of 46. The cause of death has not been announced and the statement included a request for ‘privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.’ ‘Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow. To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart, and his love for all things family and music,’ the statement said. A dull silence filled the room when Cardinal Angelo Becciu, shoulders hunched and eyebrows furrowed, walked in for the first day of a historic Vatican trial, in which he is one of 10 facing a wide range of charges for their part in a real estate deal using Catholic Church funds. Becciu is the lone cardinal — likely in history — to be brought to trial by the Holy See, in this case charged with bribery and embezzlement. Speaking to reporters at the end of the day’s session, he framed his appearance in the courtroom as a personal obligation. Pope Francis “wanted me to come to the trial and I’m coming to the trial,” Becciu said. “I am serene, and my conscience is clear,” Becciu added, placing his hope in the Vatican judges to “recognize my innocence.” Naomi Osaka’s Olympics have come to an end. The tennis superstar fell to the Czech player Marketa Vondrousova in the third round of the Tokyo Olympics women’s tennis tournament. Osaka had been representing the host nation, Japan, at the postponed 2020 games, which undoubtedly contributed to her disappointment following the straight-set loss on Tuesday. “I’m disappointed in every loss, but I feel like this one sucks more than the others,” Osaka said, per the Associated Press. “I’m not saying that I did bad right now, but I do know that my expectations were a lot higher,” she added. She wasn’t alone in harboring sky-high expectations. All eyes were locked on Osaka as she sought to capture gold for the host country. She even had the massive honor of lighting the Olympic flame on Friday to official kick off the Olympics. The weight of the world was seemingly on the 24-year-old’s shoulders. In the biggest upset for the United States at the Tokyo Games, Simone Biles withdrew from the gymnastics team competition after it had started on Tuesday, handing Russia’s squad a path to the gold medal and ending American domination of the event for more than a decade. Biles, Team U.S.A.’s star, pulled out of the event “due to a medical issue,” according to a statement from U.S.A. Gymnastics, the national governing body of the sport. “She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions,” the statement said. Russia finished with a total score of 169.528, more than 3 points ahead of the United States, which won silver, at 166.096. Britain won the bronze medal with a score of 164.096. The Russian team had surprised the Americans in qualifying on Sunday, raising the pressure even higher for the U.S. team to maintain its unchallenged success in the sport. The Americans were aware of their impressive winning streak, which included Biles and the team known as “the Final Five” at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and Gabby Douglas and “the Fierce Five” at the 2012 London Games. There is more trouble in paradise. Team USA basketball players are “grumbling” about running head coach Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs-style offense at the Olympic Games, according to a report from The Athletic. Joe Vardon’s report comes after Popovich’s squad lost their group stage opener 83-76 to France — a team led by Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier — on Sunday. It was the Americans’ first Olympic loss in 6,176 days, since being upset by Argentina in the 2004 semifinals. The report states “the players are frustrated, too, grumbling on their way back to the locker room about ‘running the San Antonio offense’ when apparently they feel like there are better ideas.” Popovich’s Tokyo roster includes NBA All-Stars Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Jrue Holiday, Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Jayson Tatum. Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorneys Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law and Paul Napoli of Napoli Shkolnik today announced the filing of a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson on behalf of members of the National Council of Negro Women, citing the company’s specific marketing of talcum-based baby powder to Black women, despite links to ovarian cancers. The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) leads, advocates for, and empowers women of African descent, their families, and their communities, connecting more than 2 million women and men. NCNW has a large portion of members who have used Johnson & Johnson’s powder products, believing they were safe, and is ideally positioned to inform women about their risks. “This lawsuit is about the lives of our grandmothers, our mothers, our wives, sisters and daughters — all of whom were cynically targeted by Johnson and Johnson,” Crump said. “All the while, company executives knew the risk of ovarian cancer from talc.” An Atlanta Police Department sergeant and another officer are on unpaid leave Tuesday after a video surfaced on social media showing what police describe as the “sergeant kicking a woman in her head” while she was handcuffed on her stomach. The department said Chief Rodney Bryant and other commanders became aware of the video Monday and took immediate action to address it. “Upon reviewing the video, the actions of the sergeant appear to be unacceptable and we are also concerned with the apparent lack of reaction from another officer present during the incident,” a statement from the APD reads in part. “The decision was made to immediately relieve the sergeant and the officer from duty and place the sergeant on unpaid suspension.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CRzTG9RgpeG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A Black woman from Colorado is speaking out against Frontier Airlines after she was racially profiled and falsely accused of trafficking her white four-year-old sister. As reported by Denver 7, Lakeyjanay Bailey, 21, was traveling from Denver to Dallas with her four-year-old adoptive sister Olivia. Once they arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, authorities were waiting to speak with Bailey. One of the officers asked Olivia “if she knows me and what am I to her, and he asked what my mom was to her,” said Bailey. Law enforcement had been called after a passenger voiced concern to an employee of Frontier Airlines that the child could be a victim of human trafficking. https://youtu.be/sI1AaKsra8A Lester Holt has been dubbed “The Anchor for America” by NBC News, as he is featured in a 15-second commercial that aired during NBC’s live coverage of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony Friday morning. “The full 60-second spot opens with video of Holt walking toward a story, cameras in tow, followed by quick cuts of text and video.” https://youtu.be/3RAon5V6VUI DaBaby went on a homophobic rant during his set at Rolling Loud over the weekend. As reported by TMZ, at one point during his performance, the rapper encouraged the crowd to put their cell phone lights up, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that’ll make you die in 2-3 weeks” and “Fellas, if you didn’t suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot.” After catching backlash for his comments, the hip-hop star attempted to defend his comments, saying his gay fans don’t have HIV/AIDS because they’re not “nasty gay n****s” or “junkies.” Following the outrage, DaBaby further addressed the situation on his Instagram Story. “I’ma address this weak-ass internet shit one time and then I’ma get back to giving my love to my fans,” he said. “What me and my fans do at the live show, it don’t concern you n***as on the internet, or you bitter bitches on the internet. It’s not your business… What I do at a live show is for the audience at the live show, it’ll never translate correctly to someone looking a little five-six second clip from they goddamn crib on they phone. It just don’t work like that.” https://youtu.be/Hl9CJufLPYM Falynn Guobadia says she is officially divorced from Simon Guobadia, Porsha Williams’ fiancé. Guobadia previously maintained that he did not cheat on Falynn, and offered $50,000 to anyone with receipts proving otherwise. Asked about Williams, Falynn insists the reality tv star had no role in the breakup of her marriage. “No one has that power over my life, my husband’s life, and our marriage,” Falynn said, as reported by PEOPLE. “Simon and I were the ones who were married to one another. We’re the ones who created a family together and built a life with one another. I blame the both of us. He is to blame, I am to blame, and that is all. Whatever came after that — not saying it was right, not saying it was wrong — but no, no one has that power.” The owners of Country Mill Farms in Michigan, who were banned from their local farmers market in 2016 over their biblical viewpoint on marriage, are having their case heard in a federal court this week. Steve and Bridget Tennes operate their orchard in Charlotte, and they host weddings on their farm. The Christian family used to set up a booth at the East Lansing Farmer’s Market to sell their produce, they felt officials decided to punish them because they believe marriage is between a man and a woman. Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) say city officials in East Lansing have been targeting the Tennes family after they made a comment about marriage in a Facebook post. CBN News reported that the family fought back in 2017 and a federal judge issued a preliminary order forcing the city to allow the Tennes family to participate in the farmers market. The judge also said the city most likely violated their religious and free speech rights. Yasiin Bey — formally known as rapper Mos Def — has decided that he wants no part of a new Thelonious Monk biopic after learning the estate of the late jazz artist disapproves of the project. As reported by Ace Showbiz, Bey was attached to the film when producer Peter Lord Moreland announced on Wednesday that production will begin next summer. Bey was tapped to portray the iconic jazz pianist in the film simply titled, Thelonious. The story will center on Monk’s artistry, struggles with mental illness, and a “spiritual love triangle between his wife Nellie and one of the world’s richest women Nica Rothschild.” https://youtu.be/KshrtLXBdl8 Kanye West has become a real life Phantom of the Opera after reportedly moving into Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to work on his upcoming “Donda” album, and refusing to leave until it’s complete. West unveiled “Donda,” named after his late mother, in front of a sold-out crowd at the venue two days after announcing the event. He barely spoke while introducing his new music during the unveiling, which drew such audience members as Rick Ross, Khloe Kardashian and his estranged wife Kim Kardashian, who showed up in a red jumpsuit with their kids. West’s new project is a follow-up to his 2019 gospel-themed album “Jesus Is King,” which won a Grammy for best contemporary Christian album. The Breakfast Club thoughts on the matter. https://youtu.be/JTYtJvWrOGA A viral video shows a local news reporter from Rochester, New York’s Spectrum News 1, being harassed by a man as she and her crew set up to go live on the air. Brianna Hamblin posted a video of her encounter with “disgusting” male hecklers who comment on Hamblin’s appearance. She appears to be mixed-race, light skin with light-colored eyes. https://twitter.com/i/status/1418615799259045898 An Army ranger was caught on camera choking a security guard until she died last Sunday. Authorities said the man was intoxicated when he committed the act. Patrick Byrne, 26, is currently facing murder charges after he was accused of killing 41-year-old Denise Smith, a newly hired security guard who was patrolling an office building in Tacoma, Washington. Court documents state that Smith was brutally beaten until she was unrecognizable and her body was found by a co-worker around 6 a.m. Prior to the murder, Byrne was involved in another altercation and was punched in the face at a bar. An Iowa race track has fired an announcer following his racist rant against Black people who kneel during the playing of the national anthem. The Kossuth County Speedway released a statement confirming that the comments were made by a “fill-in track announcer” and that the track “will no longer be employing the individual who made those comments.” During the disturbing incident, the announcer proudly took to the loudspeaker to complain about “darker-toned” people kneeling during the national anthem. He also called out the NFL for choosing to play the Black national anthem. As reported by Black Enterprise, several people in the crowd are heard cheering him on. https://youtu.be/5GeJkeXW6pI A Southern California Lyft driver fell asleep at the wheel, killing his 70-year-old passenger. Now the driver is facing charges of vehicular manslaughter. The driver, Andy Van Pham, is being held on $10,000 bail in Orange County, California, after being arrested on July 21, months after the crash, PEOPLE reports. “After an extensive investigation by the Tustin Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team, it was determined the driver, 30-year-old Andy Van Pham was driving with negligence, resulting in the death of the victim,” police said in a statement. Pham appeared in court on Friday, and pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter, possession of drug paraphernalia, providing false information to a police officer, and making an unsafe turn or lane change, according to the East Bay Times. Lyft said Pham has been permanently deactivated as a driver. Pham’s next court hearing is on Aug. 9. https://youtu.be/neC93lycLz8 Positive COVID-19 tests knocked Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau out of the Olympic golf tournament Sunday, in a pair of surprises that reinforced the tenuous nature of holding a massive sports event during a global pandemic. Word of Rahm’s positive test came from the Spanish Olympic committee about four hours after USA Golf delivered the same news about DeChambeau. They are among the best-known of the some 11,000 athletes descending on Japan for the 17-day sports festival at which negative COVID tests — but not vaccinations — are required to participate. Spain’s Olympic federation explained that Rahm had two negative tests after leaving England, where he played in the British Open earlier this month. But a third test that was also required came back positive. UREEQA, a blockchain-based platform for protecting, managing and monetizing creative work, announced today the onboarding of music and entertainment legend Harvey Mason jr. as a Board Advisor. UREEQA strives to modernize the systems currently in place for copyright, patent, industrial design, and trademark law by minting validated NFTs that represent creative rights. With Mason Jr.’s expertise in the creative and business sectors of the music industry, UREEQA will be able to further ensure the success of music Creators. Mason jr. is an award-winning music and film producer as well as an established entrepreneur, bringing expert analysis and insight to helping Creators on the platform. He has worked with various world-renowned artists including Michael Jackson, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and many others in writing and producing iconic music. Mason jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy, will serve in a personal capacity as an Advisor to UREEQA. Robert “Bob” Moses inspired generations of organizers, engaging with them around the importance of collective action and respecting local knowledge. As news broke of his passing Sunday, his legacy and impact could be felt across the internet. He was 86. From the stories and anecdotes, one can glimpse the impact Moses had on the lives of countless organizers and educators alike. A young math teacher from Harlem, Moses would travel to Mississippi in the summer of 1960 and change history. As an organizer with the Southern Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and under the guidance of Ella Baker, Moses worked alongside communities in rural Mississippi. In many ways, his work paved the way for contemporary organizing around voter registration and civic engagement. Whoopi Goldberg is slated to star as Emmett Till’s grandmother in an upcoming feature drama about the racially charged killing of the teenager in 1955. Variety reported, Danielle Deadwyler will star in Chinonye Chukwu’s upcoming film “Till,” about Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice for her 14-year-old son. Deadwyler will portray Mamie Till-Mobley, while Goldberg is set to play Alma Carthan. She will also serve as a producer on the project alongside Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Thomas K. Levine, Michael JP Reilly and Frederick Zollo. “We have waited a very long time to bring this historically necessary important film to people,” Goldberg said. “And as we watch the repression of American History when it comes to people of color it makes it even that more important. I couldn’t be with better people: Fred, Barbara, Chinonye, Keith, Michael and Danielle.” Deadwyler added, “It is a gift to learn the legacy and intimacies of our ancestors, those familial and communal, as is the life of Mamie Till-Mobley, a public leader and mother of the movement.” Pam Grier has been tapped to star in the prequel to Paramount’s 2019 horror film “Pet Sematary.” Variety reported, Grier joins a cast that includes Jackson White (“Mrs. Fletcher”), Forrest Goodluck (” The Revenant”), Jack Mulhern (“Mare of Easttown”), Natalie Alyn Lind (” The Goldbergs”) and Isabella Star LeBlanc. The upcoming “Pet Sematary” will serve as an origin story to the popular Stephen King novel. The untitled movie begins shooting in August and will debut exclusively on Paramount Plus. Back in 2019, King recalled writing the novel and hating the final results. https://youtu.be/zK0LNzU2TQI Ava DuVernay’s Peabody Award-winning arts and social impact collective ARRAY announced their inaugural masterclass with celebrated Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima. Applications are now being accepted until August 9 for the Los Angeles-based intensive workshop, being led by the legendary figure of the L.A. Rebellion film movement. Applications are open to storytellers (experienced or emerging) working across all mediums, not just film. Artists who would like a deeper understanding of connecting their personal roots to narrative story development are encouraged to apply at arraynow.com/masterclass. Showtime Documentary Films has acquired the rights to “The One and Only Dick Gregory,” the feature-length documentary about the late comedian and civil rights activist. The documentary features Dick Gregory’s life and career from the various angles he contributed to the stand-up comic, activist and pop-culture industries. With the help of archival footage and interviews with Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Wanda Sykes, and more, Gregory’s story is authentically conveyed, reports TVOne. The creation and production team includes a stellar combination of seasoned producers including Andre Gaine’s as this is his directorial debut and will be executive produced by Hart and Bryan Smiley of Hartbeat Productions alongside several others. https://youtu.be/cnx6j1UfjW8 It’s an all-hands moment for Democracy, with the fight to protect and expand voting rights front and center. The stakes are high, and Black leaders from the grassroots and legacy civil rights organizations are not letting up President Biden and the Senate. Harvard Professor and former NAACP National President Cornell Brooks previously spoke about the primacy of the right to vote. He explained that all other rights depended on the right to vote, thus increasing its importance. Calling contemporary voter suppression efforts Machiavellian, Brooks drew a direct parallel with elected officials advocating voter suppression laws and the questionable ethics of the 16th-century Italian philosopher. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is speaking out about his decision to not pull his upcoming superhero movie “Black Adam” out of Georgia after the state passed controversial new voting laws. Speaking to THR, Johnson noted that “Black Adam” was beginning production amid the conversation about Black Georgians voting rights, and his crew was already “committed” to the state at the time. “You start to feel pressure from a lot of different sides that you should stand up for something and you should leave if you don’t agree with the voting laws,” Johnson said. “I was adamant and clear that ‘Black Adam’ was not going anywhere. We had committed to the state of Georgia and to the people here in Georgia. And this is a place that we had filmed multiple movies over the years. And when you commit to our hardworking locals and their families, the last thing you want to do is just pick up and move. So we weren’t going anywhere. We [the film’s producers] had the conversation. It was heated for about a week.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1418616937404407811 A Minnesota woman who contracted COVID-19 after getting vaccinated had to have both of her legs amputated, and will soon have her hands amputated as well. Jummai Nache, a medical assistant from Minneapolis, received the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on February 1. A few days later on February 6, her husband, Philip, took her to urgent care after she felt chest pains. A day later, she tested positive for COVID-19, and her condition quickly deteriorated, leading to hospitalization and eventual amputation. Philip is now searching for answers to the true cause of his wife’s condition. ‘Jummai and I were shocked when we received the result that she was Covid-19 positive because she had not manifested any symptom before taking the shot,’ Philip wrote in a letter attached to a GoFundMe for the couple. Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham, asked for prayers over the weekend after her son, Jonathan Lotz, was hospitalized with COVID in critical condition. “Fifty years ago I could hold my son in my arms. Now I have placed him in the arms of Jesus. He has been hospitalized with COVID and is in critical condition,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “The verses last night in the Daily Light were perfect: ‘Brethren, pray for us’ 1 Thessalonians 5:25. And James 5.16– ‘Pray for one another that you may be healed.’ I am asking you to please pray for Jonathan’s swift healing and recovery. For the glory of God’s great name. Thank you.” Later, the evangelist and founder of AnGeL Ministries in Raleigh followed up with another post saying Jonathan had been moved to the ICU. The late singer, actress, and songwriter Phyllis Hyman was a powerful and inspiring performer whose artistry left an indelible impression on fans. Now, some 26 years since her passing, a majority of Hyman’s studio recordings, plus several bonus tracks, have been compiled for the nine-CD set “Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1998,” due August 6, 2021, on Soul Music Records, distributed by Cherry Red Records. To celebrate Phyllis Hyman’s 72nd birthday as well as the release Phyllis fans were treated to “A Special Tribute To Phyllis Hyman,” that is available the The Simply Phyllis Hyman FaceBook page and the Philadelphia International Records / SONY Music YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/aovKQpbHHR0 This is such a sweet moment; a short love story suggesting there’s hope for strong-romantic love after the 20s and 30s. And maybe even better than ever. 42-year-old Jeannie Mai Jenkins is in love with her husband. And admits a shift happened after their March interracial-marriage and the actress found herself immersed, at last, in perhaps the love of her life. In an interview with PEOPLE, “The Real” host thought about her marriage with 43-year-old rapper, Jeezy, and how things deepened after the pair settled into their lives (once the wedding bells were packed away). She spoke of her gratitude after having arrived to such a space in love. Of the shift, “The Real” star said: “That shift marked a moment that I’ve never felt before in my life.” https://youtu.be/VTqcUViEj0Y From the 1992 Spike Lee film Malcolm X to the Netflix docuseries Who Killed Malcolm X?, several television and film projects have delved into the life experiences that shaped the activist who left an indelible influence on the world. The latest project to focus on the legacy of Malcolm X is being led by one of his children. According to Variety, his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz is working on a television series about her father. Pulling inspiration from the books X: A Novel and The Awakening of Malcolm X—which Shabazz co-authored with writers Kekla Magoon and Tiffany D. Jackson—the series will capture Malcolm X’s coming of age story. It will show how he navigated grief following the murder of his father and the institutionalization of his mother. It will also show how he turned to a life of crime during his teenage years and after being incarcerated in his early 20s, tapped into the power of faith to lead him towards his purpose and ultimately change the trajectory of his path. Clark Atlanta University has used education as a vessel to empower generations of changemakers and the institution is furthering its efforts to increase representation in entrepreneurship through a newly fostered partnership. The Atlanta-based HBCU announced it is joining Operation HOPE’s national One Million Black Business Initiative. Founded in 2020 by Operation HOPE—a nonprofit organization that uses financial literacy and economic education as avenues to eradicate poverty—the One Million Black Business Initiative was created to address the hurdles often faced by Black founders when stepping into business ownership. In partnership with Shopify, the nonprofit provides an array of business education-focused programs, tech resources and access to venture capital opportunities in an effort to help businesses thrive. The organization is on a mission to help create and support 1 million Black-owned businesses by 2030. As part of the initiative, Clark Atlanta University will provide resources for students, alumni and faculty to help bring their venture ideas to fruition. The school will work to support 1,000 businesses within the next nine years. Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman has admitted that she is still struggling to come to terms with her new-found celebrity status after shooting to fame with her history-making performance at Joe Biden’s ceremony in January. In the months since the inauguration, Amanda, 23, has inked a major deal with Gigi Hadid’s modeling agency, IMG, landed her first Vogue cover – and received an invitation from Anna Wintour to chair this year’s Met Gala, arguably one of the fashion industry’s most prestigious honors. However, the Harvard graduate – who overcame a lifelong speech impediment in order to perform her poetry publicly – says that she is still suffering from imposter syndrome, noting that she feels ‘like a freshman at a party with seniors’ when compared to her co-chairs, Billie Eilish, Naomi Osaka and Timothée Chalamet. ‘My life has changed quite recently and they are all at the top of their game, and so I’m just absorbing what it means to be able to stand beside their greatness.’ Issa Rae is a married woman! The Insecure star, 36, revealed that she married longtime beau Louis Diame on Sunday, July 25, sharing glamorous photos from her destination wedding on Instagram. She tagged the post’s location as Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which is a commune in the South of France. In the wedding photos, Rae smiles in her custom Vera Wang gown, as well as in romantic snapshots with her new husband, who wore a red Dolce & Gabbana suit. Christian artist Lecrae will be going on tour with Maverick City for their Welcome to New Maverick City tour and recently revealed that while he’s gone from deconstructing to reconstructing his faith, he’s still “not churchy.” https://youtu.be/sBpd1ZYInkM In a normal box office, down periods are common. Some weekends will bring films with little mainstream interest or weak word-of-mouth while theaters simply wait for the next big franchise blockbuster to get business going again. But in a theatrical market still wrestling with the effects of COVID-19, the low points are getting lower. We saw it last month when Warner Bros.’ “In the Heights” failed to become the hit many industry observers had hoped, and we’re seeing it again this weekend with the sub-$20 million debut for Universal’s “Old” and Paramount’s “Snake Eyes” while many overseas markets faced renewed pandemic regulations. Expectations had been relatively low for both M. Night Shyamalan’s “Old” — which opened to a record-low $16.5 million for the director — while the “G.I. Joe” spinoff “Snake Eyes” managed only $13.3 million, less than half the opening weekend of the last film in the toy-based action franchise, 2013’s “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” Iggy Azalea has grown tired of social media trolls targeting her infant son, so she announced Thursday on Twitter that she’s not posting any more photos of her 15-month-old Onyx Kelly. “I’ve decided I won’t be posting about Onyx or sharing images online anymore,” Azalea wrote in the tweet. “Y’all not about to be out here playing with my baby on my watch, nope!” Iggy, 31, welcomed her first child last April with ex Playboi Carti and not soon after that they called it quits. “I don’t play about my baby. At ALLLLLLL,” she recently wrote in one tweet. Simone Biles and the US women’s gymnastics team unexpectedly struggled in Sunday’s qualifiers — and the four-time gold medalist is beginning to feel the pressure. “It wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it,” Biles wrote in an Instagram post Monday morning. “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The Olympics is no joke!” The Americans entered the Games as odds-on favorites, touted as perhaps the best gymnastics team in history. Yet by posting a 170.562, the US squad only managed the second-best cumulative score in qualifying, with the team representing the Russian Olympic Committee finishing more than a point ahead at 171.629. For Deshaun Watson, no news is good news as the NFL has opted against suspending the Houston Texans quarterback before training camp while he continues to face sexual misconduct lawsuits from 22 different women. The NFL has been investigating Watson, 25, since March, when the first of 23 women came forward with allegations ranging from harassment and indecent exposure to sexual assault (one plaintiff has since dropped her lawsuit). The plaintiffs, most of who work as massage therapists or in other similar professions, filed separate lawsuits as Jane Does in March and April, but have since revealed their identities following a court order. Through his attorney, Watson has called the allegations ‘false’ and is insisting that all sexual contact between himself and the accusers was consensual. No criminal charges have been filed in the case. A Florida man will serve life in prison without parole plus 60 years to run consecutively for the 2018 slayings of his girlfriend and their young special-needs daughter. #RonnieOneal III represented himself during his trial, where testimony and evidence showed he viciously beat and shot his girlfriend, Kenyatta Barron, and then used a hatchet to kill their 9-year-old autistic daughter, who also had cerebral palsy. Oneal also attempted to kill his 8-year-old son, stabbing him repeatedly before setting fire to the family home. Judge Michelle Sisco sentenced the 32-year-old to three life terms, plus 90 years in Hillsborough County court Friday, saying she had rarely encountered such a horrible case. “Nineteen years I’ve been in this job,” Sisco said. “I’ve seen human beings killed by the hands of others in every way imaginable. This is the worst case I have ever seen. I know I will be haunted for the rest of my life,” she told the courtroom. THE brutal shooting death of KTS Dre earlier this month added the rapper’s name to a growing list of stars wiped out by gun violence. His death – along with the killings of Indian Red Boy, MO3 and Pop Smoke – has thrust the industry into the spotlight, with insiders saying “bullets fly around” and loved ones claiming many stars struggle to escape their pasts. Taylor Maglin, owner of hip hop news outlet The Daily Loud, told The Sun: “It all stems from the neighborhoods they are bought up in. “They are war zones, they are vicious, people join gangs and the cycle continues.” More than a dozen talented rap artists lost their lives in 2020. More still have died in 2021, including Indian Red Boy and KTS Dre. Lasha' Knox drops Surrounded "Fight My Battles" ft. James Fortune..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xI5jOhC7Ac Roxè is also known as Roosevelt. He is a Singer, Writer, Rapper, Dancer, and lighting up the Gospel stage with Anointed Dance and Unique Songs that the world has yet to see. Roxè's debut album entitled "Roxe, The One'" is currently in production and will be released in the coming new year, February 2022. Roxe's album will feature 10 singles including his highly anticipated Global Hit, "JESUS (Kingdom of Love)," the Powerful and Melodic song and groundbreaking video that has spearheaded Roxe`’s Incredible Global Movement, The “No Hate No Violence” Movement, that fights for the protection and unity for ALL RACES across the World. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bENfbjU7FqU&feature=youtu.be TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE returns with new episodes on Monday, July 26 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Viewers will dive into some of Atlanat's grittiest casses solved by thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez. The dynamic duo recounts their past homicide investigations and reminisce on their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic recreations from actors Angelo Diaz as David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqQUcfFvyrQ DENITA GIBBS drops new single is entitled, “Redeemed.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiEjKJ4J1QE Known just as much for her bold sense of style as she is her singing, Lucinda Moore is back where she belongs, behind a microphone. Her Top Ten hit single “Pressure Into Praise” help but her on the ma.. Since her debut, Moore has traveled the world, became a persevering entrepreneur, been the recipient of major awards and released Billboard topping albums and singles. Moore, who made a huge fashion statement at this year’s Stellar Awards with a custom gold jump suit (styled by Teaira Blount), also made appearances throughout Gospel’s biggest weekend at various events, including Hezekiah Walker’s ChoirFest. Lucinda Moore is back with all things new; new look, new sound and new label partner, as one of Gospel music’s favorite soprano’s has inked a distribution deal with New Day/SONY Orchard in, conjunction with her Nalah Music Group imprint. The project is available for streaming and digital download Friday, August 20, 2021 on New Day/SONY Orchard. Curtis Young, the son of Dr. Dre, is set to star opposite Swizz Beatz’s son Nasir Dean, and Snoop Dogg’s son Julian Broadus in the coming-of-age drama titled “Charge It to the Game.” AceShowbiz reports, about the project, Curtis told the outlet, “This is my first movie and I wanted to get into acting… I always loved the art.” He added, “It’s just an art form I’ve always loved.” “I’m playing a role, Kong, which is a gentleman named Hardtime – it’s Julian Broadus, which is Snoop’s son – I’m playing his older brother,” he explained. “So, I’ve been reading the script, just preparing, getting motivated, behind it and getting engaged with it.” The founder of the multinational Hillsong Church told CNN that Covid-19 vaccines are a “personal decision for each individual to make with the counsel of medical professionals” after a congregant who publicly refused inoculation died of complications from the disease. Hillsong Church global senior pastor Brian Houston had announced the death of Stephen Harmon, who attended Hillsong in California, on social media this week. Harmon had said on social media that he would not receive the vaccine, even when he was fighting Covid-19 in a hospital this month.Unvaccinated nursing instructor in Missouri is hospitalized with Covid-19 and urging everyone to get the vaccine “Stephen was just a young man in his early 30s,” Houston wrote, announcing Harmon’s death on social media. “He was one of the most generous people I know and he had so much in front of him.” The late civil rights icon Emmett Louis Till’s 80th birthday is Sunday, July 25th and to commemorate it, Eric J. Chambers, host of The Jazzspel, a jazz and gospel radio show on Smooth Jazz 98.1 KIFM in San Diego, presents a radio musical tribute on Sunday morning, July 25, 2021 from 8am – 10am PST on KIFM.com. Till is the black Chicago teen who was brutally murdered by white racists Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam in Money, Mississippi on August 28, 1955. It launched a new era in the modern civil rights movement. The musical tribute includes archived interviews Chambers did with Till Mobley. The show includes the music of Howard Hewett, Anita Baker, Tina Turner, India.Arie, The Winans, Dionne Farris, Seal and Soul Tempo and more to help set the birthday scene. This weekend in Chicago, a 3-day celebration is going on that includes graveside remembrances at Till’s and his mother’s graves. Several collegiate institutions throughout the country are leading efforts to help eliminate student debt and the latest school to follow suit is South Carolina State University. The Orangeburg-based HBCU recently announced it would cancel $9.8 million in debt for students. The move will eliminate account balances for nearly 2,500 students. Aware of the exacerbated financial burdens stemming from the global health crisis coupled with the student debt disparities that disproportionately impact students at historically Black colleges and universities, the institution wanted to step up and provide relief for those in need. Many of the students who will receive the financial support have been unable to register for classes due to outstanding balances. Remember when boys used to try to live up to a girl’s parents’ expectations, get nervous, buy flowers and say yes, sir and yes, ma’am. But, these days if a boy gets nervous about a girl’s dad he’s likely to pack a gun. And now a 14-year-old’s, 34-year-old dad, Dezmond Hamilton is dead. Apparently, Hamilton caught his daughter’s boyfriend, 17-year-old, Nicholas McQuirter climbing a ladder into his daughters second floor bedroom, a move he had successfully made before. According to the Zachary, LA Police Chief, David McDavid, it was an ongoing issue and dad was trying to stop it from happening. So, this time he invited the teen downstairs to the living room, they talked a bit, but once the pair started talking about Hamilton’s daughter, things got ugly quickly and an argument ensued about the 14-year-old, shots were fired.” https://youtu.be/clg3zj4vIXI A man of many talents, Winston Duke is back on the big screen in the new supernatural drama film “Nine Days!“ Duke plays the role of Will – an arbiter that spends his days in a remote outpost watching the live point-of-view of people on TV going about their day and interviewing unborn soul candidates for the opportunity to be born again on earth. Will is met with a challenge as the free-spirited Emma (Zazie Beetz) – a candidate unlike the others – forces Will to deal with his tumultuous past. The film made its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is scheduled to be released by Sony Pictures Classics Friday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3HOrNROn18 Patina Renea Miller has been putting in work portraying black women in charge. From the leader of District 8 rebels in the 2014, “Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1,” to the president of Panem’s freer world in the same film (Part 2), and then to her role as Daisy, president Elizabeth McCord’s right-hand woman in “Madam Secretary,” Miller is no newcomer to playing strong and powerful women. These days she’s taking it back to the streets in her role playing a bad-assed drug-kingpin who doubles as mama (inspired by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson‘s late, real-life mom) to Kanan Stark (“Power Book III: Raising Kanan.”) https://youtu.be/MBfEnRIny3U From her poignant lyrics to the powerful roles she’s brought to life on the silver screen, Queen Latifah is a masterful storyteller. With her next venture, she will continue to capture interesting narratives through audio content. According to Variety, Latifah, Dana Owens, recently inked a first-look deal with Audible. As part of the multi-project development deal—which was made through Owens and Shakim Compere’s Flavor Unit imprint—the production company will release an array of audio-only content including memoirs and interviews with individuals who are driving change in their communities. On the slate is an audiobook by writer and producer Michael Elliot dubbed Streets, Rhymes & Sugar: A Hip-Hop Memoir that captures his journey from being homeless in Philadelphia to garnering success as a screenwriter in Hollywood. It’s slated to make its debut on August 5. Owens will also release a series that features candid conversations with activists who are dedicated to empowering underserved communities. LeVar Burton will have all the answers on Monday when he debuts as guest host on “Jeopardy!” The beloved former “Reading Rainbow” host and producer, who’s known for his roles as Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Kunta Kinte in “Roots,” will be behind the lectern through July 30, according to the show’s website. The popular game show announced that Burton would be a guest host in April after about 250,000 fans signed a petition urging producers to make him the next host. “I have been a fan of ‘Jeopardy!’ for all of my life and when this opportunity came by, I could not pass it up,” Burton said in a video posted on the “Jeopardy!” YouTube page. “Jeopardy!” has brought in a series of guest hosts since Alex Trebek died last November from pancreatic cancer. The 80-year-old star hosted more than 8,200 episodes of the show over 37 seasons. Simone Biles had a rare off day on Sunday as Team USA failed to win a qualifying round for the first time since 2010 and finished second behind Russia. Biles was left long faced after a shaky performance which saw her penalised on both floor and vault as her team finished on 170.526, behind their rivals on 171.629. Yet she remains on track to win six Olympic golds after successfully qualifying across all individual and team competitions, despite taking a backwards tumble after a botched dismount on the uneven bars. Team USA’s medal haul now stands at 10 after the swimmers bagged six in their best ever first day in an Olympic finals, putting them third in the medals table behind China and Japan. Golds went to sharpshooter Will Shaner, fencer Lee Kiefer and Anastasija Zolotic in taekwondo. Meanwhile, Chase Kalisz triumphed in the men’s 400-meter individual medley. Lee Kiefer won the third gold medal for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics and the third fencing gold in the country’s history by beating defending champion Inna Deriglazova of the Russian Olympic Committee team 15-13 in the women’s foil final. Mariel Zagunis is the only other U.S fencer to earn gold, winning the saber events at the 2004 and 2008 Games. The U.S. men’s basketball team suffered a shock 83-76 defeat at the hands of France on Sunday, losing at the Olympics for the first time since 2004 and for just the sixth time in the history of the tournament. The French had upset the U.S. men when they last met in the 2019 FIBA World Cup quarter-finals and they had their number again on the first day of group play at the Saitama Super Arena, powered by a game-high 28 points from Evan Fournier. The U.S. had won 25 consecutive Olympic games, last losing at the Athens Games 17 years ago and settling for a bronze medal there. Keeping with its commitment to equity across the federal government, the Biden administration released new guidance for the Justice40 Initiative this week. Established in the first few weeks of the Biden presidency, the Justice40 Initiative aims “to deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.” Chaired by Brenda Mallory, the Council on Environmental Quality was tasked with leading this interagency effort. Speaking with NewsOne, Mallory explained that the program is also a mechanism for integrating Environmental Justice across all the federal government’s work. The Vatican has released information on its real estate holdings for the first time, revealing it owns more than 5,000 properties, as part of its most detailed financial disclosures ever. The information released on Saturday was contained in two documents – a consolidated financial statement for 2020 for the Holy See and the first ever public budget for the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (Apsa). Apsa, a sort of general accounting office, manages real estate and investments, pays salaries, and acts as a purchasing office and human resources department. Raven Saunders was riding high after the 2016 Rio Olympics. She placed fifth in the women’s shot put, and upon her return, her hometown, Charleston, South Carolina, held a parade celebrating “Raven Saunders Day” in her honor. She returned to the University of Mississippi for her senior year, feeling unstoppable, but the high was short-lived. She faced a series of post-Olympics setbacks during the 2017 collegiate season, and placed 10th at the Athletics World Championships that year. “In 2018, I had my breakdown,” Saunders said, adding that navigating life as a Black, queer woman only added to the stress. She entered a period of depression, and suicide ideation. Saunders, now 25, is part of a generation of elite Black athletes who have taken their mental health into their own hands and spoken openly about their struggles. Tennis star Naomi Osaka, 23, stepped away from the French Open and Wimbledon this year for the sake of her mental health. Superstar gymnast Simone Biles, 24, opened up about seeing a psychologist and taking anxiety medication. Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles, 24, has been a vocal advocate of mental health care, sharing on Twitter that he takes anti-depressants and sees both a sports and a personal therapist. Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Simone Manuel, 24, spoke openly about taking a break after being diagnosed with overtraining syndrome this year, as she suffered from depression, anxiety, insomnia and loss of appetite. A statue of George Floyd that was defaced in Brooklyn has been cleaned and is headed for Manhattan’s Union Square. The artwork was unveiled on the Juneteenth holiday in a spot on Flatbush Avenue. Five days later on June 24, it was vandalized with black paint and marked with the logo of a white supremacist group. But members of the group that installed the statue painstakingly cleaned it, and local residents and one of Floyd’s brothers gathered around it this week to bid farewell ahead of its long-planned move to Union Square as part of an exhibition in September. “I heard the news about the vandalism. I was so proud that I got word that Flatbush held it down. They really supported us, looked out for the statue, looked out for the spirit of my brother,” Terrence Floyd said at the gathering. He added to news reporters: ”You try to stop us, but you can’t stop us. And we still gonna continue, with love.” Andrew Cohen of Confront Art, the group behind the statue, said people spent hours cleaning off the paint with toothbrushes and hands. The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame is officially slated to open next summer. The future-walkway is currently a pile of gravel in front of the The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center. Plans for the interactive park and star-studded path were unveiled Saturday during an induction ceremony. Well over 100 audience members were packed into the theater before the event began. While some audience members were seated, many were standing, dancing and clapping along with the band. The first four inductees to receive stars on the Walk of Fame will be Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bootsy Collins, King Records icon Otis Williams, and Grammy Winners The Isley Brothers and the late Gospel great Dr. Charles Fold. Move over, LeBron — retired basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is also venturing into the filmed animation space. O’Neal will make his debut as a co-screenwriter and producer on the short “Headnoise,” mounted through his company Jersey Legends Productions. The film examines the internal and external pressure to succeed, as told through childhood friends Rashaun and Damon, two talented basketball players from the same inner-city neighborhood. Both are NBA hopefuls, but Rashaun is the more coveted pick among college recruitment scouts. Secretly, however, Rashaun’s passion is sculpting — and while his journey to follow his dream is plagued with systemic disadvantages, he is determined to be undefeated by his internal head noise. A 15-year legal battle over the estate of James Brown has come to an end, as the late singer’s family has reached a settlement in the case, according to the Associated Press. David Black, an attorney representing Brown’s estate, told the AP that an agreement was reached on July 9, but details of the settlement were not made public. The Godfather of Soul’s estate, estimated to be worth anywhere from $5 million to more than $100 million, has been embroiled in litigation since his death on Christmas Day 2006, with more than a dozen lawsuits filed over the years. One of the central figures in the proceedings was Brown’s former partner Tomi Rae Hynie, who has claimed to be his fourth and last wife. Hynie, who is the mother of one of Brown’s children, was not named in the singer’s will, and has long argued she is entitled to a portion of the estate due to their marriage. Gary Antuanne Russell is increasingly a force to be reckoned with in boxing’s junior welterweight division. Russell scored a knockout win over Jovanie Santiago in their match on May 29 that announced him as a force to contend with. His latest fight makes it 14 straight wins, all by knockout, for the 25-year-old. The bout, which took place in Carson, California, was only his second win away from the East Coast. Russell comes from a boxing family that incudes a number of undefeated stars and potential stars. Gary Antuanne Russell made his professional debut in 2017 on a card that also featured two of his older brothers, Gary Allen Russell Jr. and Gary Antonio Russell. The 28-year-old Gary Antonio is undefeated in 18 fights in the bantamweight division, while Gary Allen Jr., 33, has held the WBC featherweight title since 2015. https://youtu.be/IBJB9JA4Ci0 “We do have to remember we are faith people,” said Lee Hawkins, who recently released “Gospel Songs by Lee Hawkins Vol. 1” (Devine Jamz). Hawkins was dealing with the lost of his father and said the new album, “Helped me in my grieving process. Songwriting is diffidently a way of storytelling.” Lee is also a journalist at The Wall Street Journal, as well as a producer, arranger and composer. The 11 track project features Ryan Whyte Maloney (“The Voice”) on “The Kingdom’s Come” track. Other tracks include the remix “We’ve Come to Praise Him (Gospel House),” which is dedicated to Lee Hawkins’ late grandfather and father, and “Washed in the Blood.” The first single from the album is the remix “We’ve Come to Praise Him,” which is accompanied by a music video. www.www.DevineJamz.net The “Bee-TV Network” started with a little serendipitous magic; an HBCU grad’s intention to do something with her college degree and a chance opportunity to cover a local shooting. With meager resources the story unfolds and April Ross is the new business owner of a whole network, reports Black Enterprise. Apparently, Ross was considering a career change and favored using her communications degree. But all she had was a cellphone and a dream. Still, times were changing and social media provided a way to practice skills she learned in college. Facebook Live broadcasting seemed promising and so the Alabama State University grad jumped right in, putting her skills to use. To make permanent change in our lives we must embody a new behavior and belief system. New behaviors are introduced to the mind by changing our perspective and establishing hope that our current undesired situation can improve. Reinforcing this idea into the subconscious mind through repetition – repeating an action on a consistent basis for a certain amount of time or in perpetuity – is what creates the new healthy automatic behavior. In hypnotherapy, Repetition is one of the 5 Dominate Laws of Suggestibility, meaning how we take in information and learn the world around us. To learn more about the 5 Dominate Laws of Suggestibility, We recommend reading The Professional Hypnotism Manual by Dr. John Kappas for more info. https://youtu.be/HGokC12_cv8 The State of Mississippi filed a brief with the Supreme Court on Thursday defending the state’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and asking the court to overturn Roe v. Wade when it hears arguments on the case in the fall, raising the stakes of what was already set to be the term’s biggest reproductive rights case. “The national fever on abortion can break only when this Court returns abortion policy to the states,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch writes in the brief, arguing that the country has changed so much since Roe was decided that the court needs to reopen the issue. “In 1973, there was little support for women who wanted a full family life and a successful career,” she wrote. “Maternity leave was rare. Paternity leave was unheard of. The gold standard for professional success was a 9-to-5 with a corner office. The flexibility of the gig economy was a fairy tale.” ‘The look in her eyes was frightening,’ Amy says, her voice quiet but assertive. ‘She leered at me before lunging forward and grabbing my breasts hard. She squeezed them and I cried out in pain. I was terrified she would rape me.’ The prisoner who sexually assaulted Amy — we cannot legally identify her, so we shall call her J — is a transgender woman, with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), and therefore referred to by the female pronoun, but still had male genitalia. Amy was equally well aware that J still had male genitalia because she often intimidated her and fellow female prisoners at HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Middlesex, by exposing them. Moreover, J was serving time for a serious sexual assault on a child and was clearly a danger to other inmates. Yet she had secured a coveted job as a cleaner at the prison gym where Amy also worked. And it was while she was in the gym’s lavatory block that J assaulted her in 2017. In a judgment handed down by email, Lord Justice Holroyde accepted there were real concerns raised by Amy, and that ‘a substantial proportion of women prisoners have been the victims of sexual assaults and/or domestic violence’. Between 2016 and 2019, 97 sexual assaults were recorded in women’s prisons, the judgment said. The curse on Hillsong: Hillsong church member and graduate Stephen Harmon, who in an over-the-top fashion mocked the coronavirus vaccine with much gung-ho foolish faith talk, and who tweeted ‘I got 99 problems but a vax ain’t one’ dies after month-long severe battle with the coronavirus plague. Stephen Harmon, 34, died on Wednesday at the Corona Regional Medical Center outside Los Angeles where he was being treated for COVID and pneumonia. Harmon, who was a Hillsong College graduate, had made several jokes on social media in recent weeks about not having the COVID-19 vaccine, including when he was in the hospital being treated for the virus. He also documented his illness and treatment publicly on Instagram and Twitter ever since being hospitalized last month. Hillsong founder Brian Houston confirmed news of his death in a tweet on Thursday. It’s a voice that Lightning fans have come to know and love. Recently, there is not as much air behind it as there normally is as retired Air Force sergeant Sonya Bryson-Kirksey – who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years ago – continues to battle COVID-19. Because of the immunocompromised disease, she will remain hospitalized for at least two weeks as a precaution. “She’s feeling OK. She has her problems with the breathing. She’s not on a ventilator, not in critical condition,” her husband, Jimmie Kirksey Jr., told FOX 13. He revealed Thursday that Sonya was previously vaccinated and has the highly contagious delta variant. It’s believed she was exposed to the virus during the Stanley Cup championship celebrations. https://youtu.be/K0cw2wMg7bY A white woman who was charged with a hate crime after being caught on video spitting on a Black woman during a protest in Connecticut was allowed to enter a special probation program Wednesday that could leave her with no criminal record. Yuliya Gilshteyn, 45, was granted accelerated rehabilitation, a special probation program for first-time offenders, and ordered to complete 100 hours of anti-hate curriculum over the next two years. If she successfully completes the classes and fulfills the other terms of the program, all charges will be dismissed. In addition to the hate crimes charge of deprivation of rights, she also was charged with third-degree attempt to commit assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a child. The spitting occurred during large protests outside the state Capitol on Jan. 6, the same day as the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Video shows Gilshteyn, who opposes mandatory childhood vaccinations, spitting on Keren Prescott, a Black Lives Matter activist. Several groups rallied for various causes that day, the first of the new legislative session. Fox News host Tucker Carlson is catching heat after he took aim at a Black police officer who said he was called the N-word while defending the Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6. Carlson called the man an “angry, left-wing political activist” during his show on Wednesday. As reported by Revolt, Carlson attacked Officer Harry Dunn on his Fox News segment. Dunn is set to testify next Tuesday (July 27) before the House of Representatives committee that will investigate the Capitol riot. Dunn will pretend to speak for the country’s law enforcement community, but it turns out Dunn has very little in common with your average cop. Dunn is an angry, left-wing political activist,” Carlson said before linking the cop to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Dunn’s legal team fired off a lengthy statement in response to Carlson. “Tonight Fox News allowed its host Tucker Carlson, who has not served a day in uniform, whether military or law enforcement, to criticize the heroism and service of African-American U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn,” attorneys David H. Laufman and Mark S. Zaid wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. https://twitter.com/i/status/1418009659143856132 Chef Adrian Lipscombe was startled last spring when the unsolicited donations began arriving at her Wisconsin cafe and bakery. Just days had passed since the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, and checks and envelopes containing cash started showing up. “People were sending me money, and it wasn’t for anything,” Lipscombe told Yahoo News. Accompanying nationwide calls for an end to police brutality against African Americans, a trend was underway to support Black-owned businesses, including Lipscombe’s restaurant, the Uptowne Café & Bakery. The donations started with a mysterious $100 check in the mail and then more donations through Venmo began pouring in. But instead of frivolously spending the steadily accumulating funds on herself, the Texas native decided to put the money toward what she sees as a decades-old debt to the nation’s Black farmers. So in June of last year, Lipscombe launched the “40 Acres & a Mule Project,” a reference to the broken promise of reparations for American slaves following the Civil War. The project’s goal was to buy 40 acres of land to develop “a safe haven to secure the legacy” of Black agricultural heritage, according to its website. In foster care since she was 16, Kelisha Williams is closer to her dream of becoming a lawyer and going into politics as she readies to start classes at Harvard University this fall on a full scholarship. She aspires to attend law school, attain a high political office — and pay it forward by working to improve the foster care system. https://youtu.be/9BLrrJq-sxA Kim Kardashian just filed a new trademark for SKKN in a rebranding move. It’s a way to keep others from taking ideas and marketing them without you. A relaunch is planned, but not until after the KKW Beauty brands hiatus beginning Aug 1. Reports say Kardashian will come back using a completely new name with new formulas. https://youtu.be/PCCnNZdnjqI Over the weekend, singer and rapper Kanye West previewed his upcoming album, Donda, at a Las Vegas church. According to The Christian Post, the exclusive album listening party was held at Church LV, which is led by Pastor Benny Perez, on Sunday. During the event, which was only open to guests who registered beforehand, West reportedly played the entire album from his computer while wearing a ski mask. Attendees also said that West did not speak for the duration of the event. “Yeah, it was a different experience for sure. It was a listening party for his new album and not a performance,” one unnamed source told Rapzilla. “Opened up with four piano players, kids, playing a musical intro. Then Kanye came up, opened his laptop and played the songs from there. Didn’t speak. Different but really cool.” In his first interview with a news outlet since his racial-slur scandal broke six months ago, country superstar Morgan Wallen told “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan that his use of the N-word was the result of being in a drunken climate with friends where they “say dumb stuff together,” and was not meant “in any derogatory manner at all.” He said that in the wake of the furor, he spent 30 days in rehab and has donated $500,000 to Black charities. https://youtu.be/p0H4HKaC5go Famed guitarist Eric Clapton announced this week he won’t play at venues requiring attendees to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. The 76-year-old entertainer said in a statement he “reserves the right to cancel the show,” referring to performances in spaces mandating guests prove they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Clapton made the announcement after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put in place an order mandating large indoor gathering spaces — such as concert halls and event venues — obtain proof visitors have been inoculated, according to Rolling Stone. Tommy Dorfman — an actor known for starring in the Netflix drama “13 Reasons Why” — came out this week as a transgender female. Dorfman, who revealed the transition during an interview with Time, has been using the pronouns “she” and “her” over the past year. “I view today as a reintroduction to me as a woman, having made a transition medically,” the actor said. “Coming out is always viewed as this grand reveal, but I was never not out. Today is about clarity: I am a trans woman.” Michael B. Jordan and his production company Outlier Society are developing their own Black Superman project for HBO Max that centers on the Val-Zod incarnation of the character, Collider has exclusively learned. Sources say that Outlier Society has hired a writer who is currently working on the script, though we were unable to ascertain their identity. Though it was initially unclear whether the Val-Zod project would be a movie or a limited series, sources have since reached out to clarify that as of right now, it is, in fact, being written as a limited series that Jordan will produce and possibly even star in, though he has yet to officially commit on the latter front. J.J. Abrams and his company Bad Robot are set to produce a Black Superman movie for Warner Bros. that is expected to follow the Kal-El/Clark Kent version of the character. Though Clark Kent is traditionally depicted as white in the DC comics, the character will be played by a Black actor in the Bad Robot movie, which will likely be directed by a Black filmmaker, as Abrams is simply expected to produce. Author and cultural critic Ta-Nehisi Coates is already hard at work on the script for that project. The Cleveland Indians are changing their name next season to the Cleveland Guardians, the Major League Baseball club announced Friday morning, after the current moniker drew criticism for decades from Native Americans. “You see, there’s always been a Cleveland — that’s the best part of our name,” actor Tom Hanks says in a video announcement he narrated for the team, which posted it on Twitter. “And now it’s time to unite as one family, one community, to build the next era for this team and this city.” The move is part of a larger cultural shift across the US as corporate brands reexamine their use of racist caricatures and stereotypical names. https://twitter.com/i/status/1418565355472101378 Fresh off ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ opening to $31 million at the box office, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James‘ pockets just got a lot deeper, as the four-time champion was just announced as the first player in NBA history to make $1 billion in career earnings while still playing, per Sportico. That’s no small feat, and it’s a testament to the diversity in projects and endorsements James has his hands in off the court. According to the Sportico, LeBron has earned $330 million in playing salary since getting drafted in 2003, while bringing in a whopping $700 million through endorsements, merchandise, licensing and media. His endorsements with AT&T, Beats, Blaze Pizza, GMC, PepsiCo, Rimowa and Walmart bring in over $100 million annually alone. That’s on top of the gobs of money he makes through his partnership with Nike, with which he signed a lifetime deal back in 2016 that brings in $30 million annually on its own. On Thursday, the master funkateer himself, George Clinton, celebrated his 80th birthday in Los Angeles. The man who created the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic (or Parliament-Funkadelic, if you will) got his groove on with a “small intimate crowd of friends and family” including some of his band members, as well as Snoop Dogg, actor-singer Craig Robinson, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, pop star Kesha and New York nightlife mayor Ariel Palitz. “It was so unexpected to see Kesha. She had a huge oversized fedora and was rocking on the dance floor with everybody,” a source told Page Six. “It was at some outdoor, almost backyard vibe — very George. It was a very eclectic, diverse crowd, ‘one nation under a groove,’” the source also added. Clinton and Crump arrived at the grounds near Culver City on a private jet from Florida. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRoMsucl9Ah/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again New allegations from federal prosecutors claim the singer/producer sexually abused a male minor … whom he’s said to have met at a McDonald’s. the feds are also claiming Kelly’s so-called crisis manager bribed a Cook County clerk after the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.” CBS Chicago is reporting the allegations include abuse involving at least 10 more girls in Chicago, dating back to 1991 as well as videos of Kelly physically and verbally abusing women. 2006 court court papers show Kelly met a John Doe #1 then asked the boy “what he was willing to do to succeed in the music business and clarified he wanted John Doe #1 to engage in sexual contact with Kelly.” https://cbsloc.al/2V5IBMz “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins” does not disappoint in giving audiences what they expect, non-stop sword play and clan clashes. Henry Golding is “Snake Eyes,” the tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage after saving the life of their heir apparent, Storm Shadow (Andrew Koji). When Snake Eyes arrives in Japan, the Arashikage teach him the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing something he’s been longing for: a home. But, when secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyes’ honor and allegiance will be tested—even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him. https://youtu.be/qsDYh3mcf34 Rapper Saweetie has a new song coming out. It’s sort of an in your face anthem celebrating exotic beauty (her own), and it’s called “Pretty B!tch Music.” Arguably, perfect for a culture that (perhaps above all else) values beauty and wealth. https://youtu.be/Xv6Ds99h8c4 Jamie Foxx is clearly well established now, but in the earlier days of his career, he allegedly borrowed $50 from Sherri Shepherd and has yet to pay her back. The former The View co-host shared the story on PEOPLE in the 90s podcast and said, “He might deny it to this day. He might act like he don’t. Oh, he might have little memory blasts, but, yes, he does owe me $50.” She continued, “I think it was the final call back or something for In Living Color, it was some audition he was going for, and he didn’t have any money. And it was one of those days where his girlfriend had put him out.” She explained the drama with Jamie Foxx’s then-girlfriend and said, “He used to date this girl […] She made him sign a contract that if he made it big, she was going to take like 75% of everything he made. But he needed a place to stay, so he signed it. So he was with this girl. […] and every time she came to the comedy club, ooh, she was jealous of every dag-gone body. She would come to the comedy club [and] Jamie would go out the back room.” Kevin Hart pulled off a hilarious prank on Nick Cannon by broadcasting Cannon’s cell phone number on a huge billboard in Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York. The sign reads “For any advice on fatherhood? Call my best friend Nick Cannon.” On his Instagram Story, Cannon appeared to take calls from strangers who dialed the number listed on Hart’s billboard. The rapper and TV host said his phone “won’t stop ringing.” Cannon pranked Hart for his birthday earlier this month by purchasing him a llama. In a video on his Instagram at the time, Hart called it “childish.” The message Cannon sent with the gift read: “Since I’m having all these new kids, I thought I would bless you with a new one as well. Save the drama for your llama. Happy birthday. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRo8YzqrdW3/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=06850b4d-c946-4720-927d-c99a1c782b78 Warner Bros. new film “The Suicide Squad” takes you on an epic comic book adventure into the DC Universe! The Suicide Squad” was written and directed by James Gunn, hits HBO Max and theaters nationwide August 6, 2021. https://youtu.be/eg5ciqQzmK0 Earlier this week at Southwestern Athletic Conference media days in Birmingham, Alabama, Jackson State coach Deion Sanders grabbed all the headlines for his abrupt end to an interview. Coach Prime was upset that a reporter called him by his name, Deion, as he asked the Jackson State skipper a question. Now, there’s been no shortage of media spotlight on the team, and no shortage of bombast around Coach Prime’s rebuilding efforts. Add his son, JSU’s presumptive starting quarterback, to the list of those firing the pre-season volleys. Shedeur Sanders said when the Tigers’ offense has success in practice against the defense, he knows what it’s going to mean on the football field in the fall. https://twitter.com/i/status/1418599597446815750 The fate of the Big 12 is hanging in the balance as a source tells CBS Sports that the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners could announce their intent to leave the conference within “24-48 hours.” Katie Johnston reports. https://youtu.be/Rh6l94hC5mU After refusing to receive a vaccine for COVID-19, Rick Dennison is out as a Minnesota Vikings assistant coach, sources told ESPN on Friday. Dennison had served as the Vikings’ offensive line coach/run game coordinator the past two seasons. In a statement Friday, the Vikings said they were still in discussions with Dennison about the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Another coach in the league, New England Patriots co-offensive line coach Cole Popovich, also won’t be with his team in 2021 in a decision related to the COVID-19 vaccine and NFL guidelines, league sources confirmed to ESPN. The vaccine is required for all Tier 1 staff, including coaches, front-office executives, equipment managers and scouts. Players are not required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine but will face strict protocols during training camp and throughout the season that vaccinated players will be able to forgo. Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, desperately wants to see his grandchildren. Thomas told photographers hanging outside his Rosarito, Mexico home that he was ready to take the matter to court in an effort to see his daughter’s children, Archie Harrison and Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. “We shouldn’t be punishing [Lili] for Meghan and Harry’s bad behavior,” said Thomas “Archie and Lili are small children. They’re not politics. They’re not pawns. They’re not part of the game. And they’re also royal and entitled to the same rights as any other royal.” “… I will be petitioning the California courts for the rights to see my grandchildren in the very near future,” Thomas added. In June, Vin Diesel gave an interview with Men’s Health where he claimed that his feud with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was the result of “a lot of tough love.” Johnson has shared his thoughts on the comments – calling the remarks laughable. “I laughed and I laughed hard,” he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I think everyone had a laugh at that. And I’ll leave it at that. And that I’ve wished them well. I wish them well on ‘Fast 9.’ And I wish them the best of luck on ‘Fast 10’ and ‘Fast 11’ and the rest of the ‘Fast & Furious’ movies they do that will be without me.” Johnson and Diesel have been feuding since wrapping production of “The Fate of the Furious” in 2016. While filming, Johnson referred to several of his male co-stars as “candy asses.” “Some conduct themselves as stand-up men and true professionals, while others don’t,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “The ones that don’t are too chicken s–t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses. When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you’re right.” Johnson is said to have been referring to Diesel for being difficult to work with. Diesel told Men’s Health that his harsh criticism of his co-stars acting skills was part of his method as an actor/producer. VH1 is rebooting “The Surreal Life,” a reality series about a group of celebs living together for two weeks in a Hollywood mansion. According to reports, the all-star cast includes Tamar Braxton, Dennis Rodman and August Alsina. The Wrap reports that the revival will also feature professional wrestler CJ Perry, actors Frankie Muniz and Kim Coles, YouTuber Manny MUA and adult film star Stormy Daniels. “The Surreal Life is known for bringing together some of the biggest names in pop culture and creating many unforgettable moments in reality television,” Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer of MTV Entertainment Group, said in a statement to the news outlet. “We are excited to see how this stellar celebrity cast will make captivating television for audiences everywhere.” “The Surreal Life” premiered on the WB in 2003 and ran for two seasons before it moved to VH1 for four more seasons. Keyshia Cole hit up Instagram on Thursday to pay tribute to her late mother Frankie Lons. The songstress shared to her Instagram a slideshow of photos featuring Frankie, who died earlier this week from a reported drug overdose while celebrating her birthday. “This is so hard man,” Cole began in the caption. “Can’t really even find the words. SMH.” “I honestly don’t even know how to feel,” she continued. “You can never prepare for something like this… Ever!!! but you will be missed.” Cole went on to say that her mother’s “humor was unmatched.” “Naturally so funny, that’s what I loved about your personality…. we all did,” Cole wrote. “I created this post to show my love and appreciation for your life and I would like to thank my fans + supporters, shooot your supporters and fans, for being here with us during these hard times, and the love that you all have for us…..the love for all your children was definitely felt.” Cole concluded her post by promising to bring all of Lons’ children “IN ONE PLACE, AT ONE TIME.” “Even through our differences …. WE LOVE YOU,” she added. “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!” New Angelo & Veronica’s single, “Knockin on your Door” (Remix) from their upcoming album, Back to the Gospel coming July 30th. "Knockin on Your Door", written by Angelo & Veronica, is originally from their 1992 Higher Place debut. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/krxkeoz9gxvf6r3/AAD4eB2_QFJy3sJt-TvN_NaPa?dl=0 Juanita Francis drops new music "Surrounded." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpd12nQ82vw Chart-topper Travis Greene continues to deliver the unexpected, as he gears up for the release of his latest album Oil + Water. Greene releases a new song for the title track “Oil & Water” (feat. Anthony Hamilton), which is available as an instant grat track with album pre-order now. Two other tracks, “Hold On Me” (feat. Kirk Franklin and John P. Kee) and “Easter” (feat. Todd Dulaney), are also available instantly with album pre-order at digital music providers. Releasing the official video for “Oil & Water” in a juke joint-inspired performance with Hamilton, Travis Greene celebrates God’s never-ending love, like an outpouring of oil and flowing like water, on the guitar-driven title track. Scheduled to be released Friday, August 20th, the musical trailblazer’s new album Oil + Water comprises ten songs. Crafting a refreshing mix of modern sounds and rich harmonies, his album includes additional featured appearances from Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kierra Sheard-Kelly, Le’Andria Johnson, Mali Music, Darrel Walls, D’Nar, and Madison Binion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=garhGYR-W5E The inaugural Legends of Dance Workshop presented by award-winning Studio T Arts & Entertainment and sponsored by Red Bull North America paid tribute to dance legend Popin’ Pete in Sacramento’s McClatchy Park on Saturday. Kicked off by welcoming remarks from Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the outdoor workshop featured instructional segments led by Popin’ Pete, Baltimore dance champion TSU Terry, and renowned dance prodigy Sarah “Lil’ Mini” Phoenix. Community members of all ages and ethnicities gathered in unity under the summer sun to honor the dance icon and celebrate the launch of his student-designed website, PopinPete.com, and his Patreon training platform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBI45Ca0xSc Up-tempo choir groove "Oh Give Thanks” marks the second single from the multiple Stellar Award-nominated group, off of their upcomingLive in Chicago album, which will also mark their first full-length release under the Hez House Entertainment label, distributed exclusively by RCA Inspiration. The first artist signed to the new label by two-time GRAMMY winner Hezekiah Walker, Vincent Bohanan & SOV (the Sound of Victory Fellowship Choir) mark a new level of ongoing music collaboration with Walker, a fellow Brooklynite and longtime family friend. https://www.dropbox.com/s/h4mdjw30usxzfl9/OH%20GIVE%20THANKS.mp4?dl=0 TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE returns with new episodes on Monday, July 26 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Viewers will dive into some of Atlanat's grittiest casses solved by thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez. The dynamic duo recounts their past homicide investigations and reminisce on their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic recreations from actors Angelo Diaz as David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqQUcfFvyrQ Tribl Records, the new leading premiere recording home for Christian and Gospel artists, unveils its debut installment of its award-winning artists gathering on an album filled with spirited-vertical worship. The new album, Tribl 1, recorded live in Atlanta, is available now wherever music is sold and streamed. Tribl 1 features notable voices from Maverick City Music: Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, Brandon Lake, Joe L Barnes and Aaron Moses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-8KlXeRKSA&feature=youtu.be Recording artist Nikea Marie was a special guest Friday July 23rd on nationally syndicated radio show Get Up Mornings With Erica Campell. The Baltimore based artist has received major buzz from her recently released single "I Believe In Me" and has received rave reviews globally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-WIXISO4wM With summer underway and back to school just around the corner, Lifetime is tumbling into action with six new movies that reveal the chilling side of cheerleading in the network's annual Fear the Cheer movie slate, with new films premiering every Saturday and Sunday beginning August 28 through September 5th at 8pm EST/PST. Denise Richards and Thomas Calabro kick off the slate, starring in Killer Cheer Mom on August 28, while Vivica A. Fox stars in the newest title of The Wrong Movie Franchise, The Wrong Cheer Captain on August 29, which she also executive produces. The Poor People’s Campaign and its partners will launch a Selma-to-Montgomery type march next week in Texas, the state that’s the epicenter of the fight for the right to vote. Bishop William J. Barber II. DMin, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, provided details of the 27-mile trek from Georgetown to Austin during an online news conference Wednesday. The march will launch Tuesday, July 27, in Georgetown with a news conference and marchers will walk for three days to Austin starting July 29. The march will culminate at 10 a.m. CT Saturday, July 31, at the state Capitol in Austin, with a mass rally that will include hearses and caskets to symbolize, among other things, the loss of voting rights. https://youtu.be/LQXURqMlbtE On Tuesday, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) led introduction of a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize July as Muslim American Heritage Month, honoring their contributions throughout our country’s history. The legislation was introduced after a constituent and local Los Angeles community organizer raised the idea of such a designation. Following introduction, the primary authors joined in issuing statements in support of the resolution. “I’m proud to join my House colleagues in introducing this legislation to acknowledge and appreciate the numerous contributions and achievements of Muslim Americans – both throughout history and today,” said Rep Bass. “We must also recognize and address the persistent discrimination and bigotry Muslim Americans have faced and continue to face in this country. This July, and all year long, we commit ourselves to combating prejudice and doing all we can to support Muslim American communities in California and across our nation. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to return a stretch of beachfront land in Southern California to the descendants of a Black couple who purchased the land 97 years ago. https://youtu.be/6EpUuR7ejy8 The 44th class of Kennedy Center honorees are here! On Wednesday, Bette Milder, Lorne Michaels and Berry Gordy were announced as awardees for their lifetime achievements in the creative arts. This year’s class will receive the prestigious prize at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, Dec. 5, each to be honored with a medallion and personalized tribute, per tradition. Opera singer Justino Diaz and folk music legend Joni Mitchell will also be honored at the event.The 43rd Kennedy Center Honors class was delayed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was eventually held in May at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House, rather than its typical venue at the State Department in Washington, D.C.Deborah Rutter, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, said that organizers are expect to host the event at full capacity, according to the Associated Press. All attendees will be required to wear masks. Dr. Dre’s the 56-year-old music mogul was ordered to pay his estranged wife, Nicole Young, $293,306 per month in spousal support beginning on Aug. 1, according to court documents obtained by Page Six on Thursday. The former NWA member will have to keep paying the massive amount to Young until she remarries or enters into a domestic partnership — or unless the court orders otherwise at a later date. Dre was also ordered to continue paying expenses for the Malibu and Pacific Palisades homes that the couple once shared, which makes sense as a source familiar with the case told Page Six that he owns these homes outright. The source also said the spousal support figure is consistent with what he’s been paying already and is a fraction of the $2 million per month that Young asked the court for in September 2020. The medical talk show “The Doctors” has been hit with more racism allegations. On Monday, ex-host Dr. Ian Smith, who is black, filed an unlawful termination complaint against distributor ViacomCBS, production company Stage 29 Productions, Dr. Phil’s son Jay McGraw, who heads the firm, and the show’s executive producer Patty Ciano. Dr. Smith, who also alleges Ciano sexually harassed him, was hired to co-host the show in 2013 for its sixth season. But the suit claims he wasn’t invited back for the seventh season after he “voiced complaints regarding discrimination which he experienced and observed.” In the suit, he complained, among other things, that “African-American hosts were on fewer shows than white hosts. African-American hosts were paid less than white hosts. African-American hosts were not in as many integration segments as white hosts. There were not enough African-American producers.” A Massachusetts police department that previously decried racism has rehired one of its former cops who retired following attention to his racist social media posts that encouraged police brutality against protesters and wished harm to immigrants. Specifically, Michael Wilk posted about his desire for police officers to shoot people looting in New York City, shared an image of a purported immigrant being hurt by razor wire while crossing the border and seemingly supported the idea of police officers kneeling on suspects in a misguided comparison between to Colin Kaepernick‘s kneeling protest of the national anthem and Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd, according to MassLive. It was in that context that the Chicopee Police Department not only decided Wilk was worthy of being rehired, but Chicopee’s mayor — who moved to remove Wilk from his job as department spokesperson in June of last year — inexplicably defended the decision to put the disgraced, likely racist cop back on the payroll. The family of a woman who recently died in police custody has retained the services of the attorneys who represented the family of Breonna Taylor. It was the latest development in the questionable circumstances under which Ta’Neasha Chappell, a 23-year-old mother from Louisville, died Friday after spending more than a month in an Indiana jail. Chappell, who was being held for charges from an alleged robbery and high-speed chase, was taken to a local hospital on Friday. But it was unclear how she died and her family is demanding answers. Sam Aguiar, a Louisville-based attorney who was part of the legal team that helped secure Taylor’s family a record police settlement, announced Wednesday on Facebook that he, another Louisville lawyer Lonita Baker and civil rights attorney Ben Crump were all working on Chappell’s case. “Our team has been given the privilege of seeking truth and justice for the family of Ta’Neasha Chappell,” Aguiar wrote. “More to come ASAP.” A teenage girl has died after drowning at an Ohio water park on Tuesday. Deputies responded to reports of a juvenile drowning at Land of Illusion’s Aqua Adventures Waterpark in Middletown on Tuesday, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. When they arrived, the park’s staff was attempting to find 14-year-old Mykiara Jones after she had disappeared under the water. About 30 minutes after she went down, a lifeguard was able to pull her from the water, according to authorities. https://youtu.be/Zf7m-vyVfok Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles’ mother will be able to watch her daughter compete in Tokyo from the comfort of her own home after a judge agreed to delay the start of her prison sentence on Wednesday. Jordan’s mother, Gina Chiles, was scheduled to report to prison on July 27 for a one-year sentence for embezzlement — the same day that Jordan, 20, will compete in the women’s gymnastics team final at the Olympic Games. But a federal judge in Portland with her lawyer’s plea to postpone the start of her sentence by one month to give her the chance ‘to support her daughter throughout the Olympics’ and ‘give Mrs. Chiles’ daughter at least some additional time to have her mother’s emotional support and guidance during such a monumental time in her young life.’ https://youtu.be/z1WuDNAkT6s Duke Slater was so good the NFL couldn’t keep him out. For a Black player in the 1920s and ’30s, that was a remarkable achievement. And now Slater is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The pioneering two-way lineman was part of the centennial class announced in 2020 to celebrate the NFL’s 100th season. He was recognized by the hall in April, and will be included in induction festivities Aug. 7-8 after they were postponed last year due to the pandemic. Slater tackled bigotry head-on, and blocked it, too. He was the NFL’s first African-American lineman, and often the only Black player on the field. After retiring, he broke down more racial barriers to become a Chicago judge. An All-American at the University of Iowa, Slater created running room in the NFL for such stars as Ernie Nevers and Jim Thorpe, and was chosen All-Pro three times. George Halas called him the Rock of Gibraltar. Brisbane was picked Wednesday to host the 2032 Olympics, the inevitable winner of a one-city race steered by the IOC to avoid rival bids. The Games will go back to Australia 32 years after the popular 2000 Sydney Olympics. Melbourne hosted in 1956. “We know what it takes to deliver a successful Games in Australia,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told International Olympic Committee voters in an 11-minute live video link from his office. Brisbane follows 2028 host Los Angeles in getting 11 years to prepare for hosting the Games. Paris will host in 2024. The 2032 deal for the Australian east coast city looked done even months before the formal decision by IOC members at their meeting ahead of the Tokyo Games, which open Friday. In a partnership with the Nigerian Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Morgan State University will host 85 doctoral or postdoctoral students from Nigeria starting the Fall 2021 semester. The five-year agreement was “designed to create a pathway for students to pursue disciplines relevant to the developmental needs of Nigeria,” according to the news release. “The leadership team of Morgan State University extends its thanks to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Executive Secretary Suleiman Bogoro and the TETFund for this unique and historic opportunity to achieve our common goals in social advancement, economic development and most important the academic exchange and advanced degree attainment within the African continent,” David Wilson, Morgan State University’s president said. The 70 Nigerian doctoral students and more than 15 Nigerian postdoctoral students attending surpassed “original projections” when more than 600 students applied for the program. Michael Blackson and girlfriend Mizz Rada just got engaged! The comedian popped the big question during his recent appearance on The Breakfast Club. Blackson was in the middle of praising his girlfriend for having his back when he decided to make the big move. He also noted that she’s “loving and never wanted anything” from him: “Nothing at all. She don’t want presents, money, she don’t want nothing at all,” he said. From there, DJ Envy asked him if he would ever get married. After explaining why marriage is important to him, he asked Rada to come close and then took a ring out of his bag. He then got on his knee and asked the big question to which she said “yes.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CRoScLXpLCa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The DiscOasis is a music-driven interactive theatrical experience that invites guests into a fantastical garden of pure rhythm and celebration. The DiscOasis is a timed-entry, 90-120 minute walk through theatrical journey that unites art, light, disco, dance, live performances, roller skating, and good times within the South Coast Botanic Garden. Upon arrival, guests enjoy a walk through the garden’s natural paradise before being transported into The DiscOasis through the voice of The Groovemaster, the disco and funk legend Nile Rodgers. You can rock to Groovemaster Nile Rodgers, Performer DJ Cassidy, Co-Hosts Jimmy Iovine & Liberty Ross, Additional Special Guests including Adam Lambert, Allen Hughes, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, Bruce Bozzi, Clare Vivier, Dita von Teese, Fortune Feimster, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Jeremy Scott, Joey Zauzig, John Taylor, Jon Huertas, Kat Graham, Lexi Underwood, Lola Star, Nancy Hunt (We Are Family Foundation), Russell Peters, Stacey Sher, Tess Holliday, Will.I.Am., and more. Today, rising Toronto rap star Smiley unites with one of his city’s greats, Drake, for his new single “Over the Top.” The song is a taste of Smiley’s forthcoming project, and it’s the perfect track to show off his one-of-a-kind wordplay and his uncanny, otherworldly flows. https://youtu.be/qaqvwkhelS8 Andrea René Williams' Performance for the City of Gaithersburg's Jubilation Day? https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=999107020842484 In the reoccurring awakening of the social justice movement and repercussions of COVID-19 hitting the U.S., Black Americans across the diaspora became more interested in financial literacy. Whether it was paying closer attention to their paystubs, stocks, and even the irregular financial aid distributed by the government, it is evident that Urban One launched their newest endeavor, a financial service, ONE VIP, at no better time. ONE VIP is a prepaid Visa debit card accompanied by a loyalty program and mobile app with the Black and Brown consumer in mind. Cardholders can access their account information by desktop or ONE VIP’s mobile app. Both platforms allow the cardholder to view, manage, and track their everyday spending. Cardholders can also set up direct deposits for their jobs and pensions and transfer funds from other accounts to their ONE VIP account. Veteran actress Marla Gibbs received her long-awaited star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California on Tuesday morning after a slight medical scare. The former maid known as “Florence” on “The Jeffersons” and “Mary” on “227” was in the middle of giving her remarks when she stopped speaking and appeared to doze off to sleep while standing. She was dehydrated and experienced a heat spell as the temperature was 88 degrees at 11:30am in Hollywood. Family and aides rushed to keep her from falling and eventually ushered her into a secure, cool area near the entrance of the Jimmy Kimmel Show. There, paramedics treated her for heat exhaustion. And after a delay of about a half-hour, the ceremony continued with the unveiling of the 2698th star presented by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Before the incident, the 90-year-old great grandmother and five-time Emmy nominated actress thanked her presenters, fellow actress Tisha Campbell, calling her “a daughter from another mother,” Norman Lear, the legendary producer of “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” “All In The Family” and other sitcoms. She said to him, “Without you, nobody would know my name.” The people applauded as she smiled brightly. On Saturday, August 28, Americans who believe in the power of democracy and free elections will embark on a historic "March On for Voting Rights" to demand that legislatures across the country end their push for restrictive voting laws and that Congress pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act, which will ensure free, fair access to the ballot for every American voter. Marches will be held in Atlanta, Houston, Miami and Phoenix, where voting rights are under attack, and in Washington, D.C., where Congress is debating voting rights legislation. The march is co-sponsored by March On, SEIU, National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute, an organization founded by Martin Luther King, Jr., and dedicated to the King legacy of addressing racism through peaceful solutions. March On for Voting Rights is a mass mobilization that will take place on the 58th anniversary of Dr. King's peaceful and historic March On Washington—this time, to demand that King's "I Have a Dream" vision be deferred no longer. Since January, 48 states have introduced 389 bills that would restrict voting access, largely in response to record turnout in the 2020 election. As the white-washing of American history continues in Texas, the Republican-led Senate has passed a bill that removes requirements for public school teachers to instruct students that the Klu Klux Klan is “morally wrong.” According to Complex, as reported by The Hill, “the measure also drops several other requirements, including those involving “I Have a Dream” speech, Cesar Chavez, Susan B. Anthony and the women’s suffragist movement, and Native American history,” the outlet writes. The bill includes provisions about teaching “the history and importance of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964,” as well as the “Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.” https://youtu.be/06P-hwPB5T0 Actor Laz Alonso took to his Instagram account recently to condemn the official Black Lives Matter organization for its “unethical,” “tone deaf,” and “willfully ignorant” statement on the unrest in Cuba. Late last week, Black Lives Matter posted a statement on social media, calling for the U.S. government to end its embargo on Cuba, claiming the “cruel and inhumane” American policy — rather than the country’s corrupt communist regime — “is at the heart of Cuba’s current crisis.” Alonso, known for his role in the Amazon Prime series “The Boys,” explained in a lengthy video posted to Instagram that the freedom protests taking place in Havana and other cities across Cuba have nothing to do with the decades-old embargo. https://www.instagram.com/lazofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=853c431a-0b05-43ef-aa4e-d92161716fa2 An Alabama city councilman who sparked outrage this week by referring to a colleague as a “house n—-r” said Wednesday that he will not apologize for his remark, and he might even run for mayor. Tarrant, Alabama city councilman Tommy Bryant was caught on camera making the racial slur at a Monday night city council meeting, saying, “Do we have a house n—-r in here? Do we? Do we? Will she please stand up.” In video footage, Bryant gestured towards fellow city council member Veronica Freeman, who is Black. https://youtu.be/tGmjvQju1Fc The leader of the far-right Proud Boys pleaded guilty Monday to burning a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a historic Black church during a demonstration in December. Enrique Tarrio, 37, of Miami, was arrested Jan. 3 in Washington, D.C., on a warrant stemming from the Dec. 12 incident. The Proud Boys and other groups marched in a raucous pro-Trump rally through downtown Washington. The banner was stolen from the Asbury United Methodist Church, one of the oldest Black churches in the area. On top of the destruction of property charge, he also pleaded guilty to attempting to possess a high-capacity gun magazine, which is illegal in the city. Both charges are misdemeanors, punishable by up to six months in jail. He will be sentenced next month. A Black man has filed a $10 million civil rights lawsuit against a suburban Detroit police department and one of its officers, alleging the officer, who is white, wrongfully detained him as he took an early morning walk along a commercial street. Brian Chaney, 48, said in the complaint that Keego Harbor Officer Richard Lindquist called him a “dog” and detained him for more than 20 minutes at about 6 a.m. on July 14. Chaney said Lindquist only released him after he asked: “What are you going to do next, put your knee into my neck?” “I would hope that it was a reality check for those officers,” Chaney told reporters Wednesday. “I hate that I had to say that, though. I went from being scared and upset at that point to just really angry. I’m cuffed like an animal for walking, drinking my coffee.” Salt Lake City’s mayor has adopted a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis and committing to dismantling racist policies. Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the Salt Lake City Council adopted a joint resolution on Tuesday acknowledging that racism has harmful impacts on the mental and physical health of communities of color. Salt Lake City joins at least 70 other cities that have declared racism a public health crisis since 2019, according to the American Public Health Association. “This is an important declaration for us to make as a city,” Mendenhall said in a statement. “Not only are we publicly acknowledging the existence of a grave inequity that many in our community have known and experienced for so long, we are also committing ourselves to the creation of policies and ordinances that are anti-racist.” Giannis Antetokounmpo is living his best life. The 26-year-old Milwaukee Bucks superstar on Tuesday won his first NBA championship, the Finals MVP, and gave the city its first crown since Kareem Abdul Jabbar brought it home 50 years ago. The morning after, Antetokounmpo went on Facebook Live to film his Chick-Fil-A run, where he ordered precisely 50 chicken minis. “Not 51, not 49, chicken minis, 50,” he told the server, who took his order curbside as fans looked on and cheered in disbelief. He drove to the spot cradling both the team’s Larry O’Brien trophy and his Finals MVP trophy. https://youtu.be/PQocYtIATxA Stan McKenzie, the first male episcopal supervisor of missionary work in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the husband of Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, has died. The Christian Recorder, the official publication of the denomination, announced his death, which occurred on Wednesday (July 21). Stan McKenzie, 76, died in Dallas after a brief illness, John Thomas III, the publication’s editor, told Religion News Service. The bishop said she, in turn, supported her husband’s career when he was an NBA player for teams that included the Baltimore Bullets, the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers. His basketball career concluded with the Houston Rockets and he holds a more-than-50-year record for the most free throws attempted in one quarter. After he retired from the NBA in the 1970s, McKenzie was employed for more than 20 years in the personnel services and human resources fields. A five-year-old Georgia boy with no underlying health conditions has died from complications of COVID-19, his family has said. Wyatt Gary Gibson of Calhoun, whose entire family contracted the coronavirus, succumbed on Friday to what loved ones called an extreme case of pneumonia and a stroke. Wyatt died while being treated at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is survived by his parents, Whitfield County Sheriff’s Deputy Wes Gibson and his wife, Alexis Gibson, and a nine-month-old sister, Alyssa. All three tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It is unclear if the parents had been vaccinated. Johnson is a dramedy that focuses on life-long best friends, all of whom share the same last name, centering around their intriguing and sometimes complicated journey of love, friendship, heartbreak, and personal growth in a world we all recognize. The series is being produced in partnership with Eric C. Rhone and Cedric The Entertainer A Bird & A Bear Entertainment and Deji LaRay (The show’s creator), and Thomas Q. Jones' Midnight Train Productions. Johnson’s ensemble cast is led by D.L. Hughley, LaRay (Bosch, Greenleaf), Jones (P. Valley, Luke Cage), Philip Smithey (Switched At Birth, The Rookie), and Derrex Brady (NCIS, First). https://www.bouncetv.com/show/johnson/54026/54145/ The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) today announced the Special Achievement Honorees for the 3rd annual AAFCA TV Honors. The 2021 ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 21st at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA. Individual winners will be announced at a later date. Director Steve McQueen will receive the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Game Changer Award for “Small Axe,” Comedian/Actress Wanda Sykes will receive the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Salute to Excellence Award, Actress Naomi Ackie will receive the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Horizon Award, Multi-hyphenated creative Michaela Coel is the recipient of the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Breakout Creative Award, “Lupin,” nabs 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Best International Production Award, “Queen Sugar” is the recipient of the 2021 AAFCA TV Honor’s Impact Award and HBO/HBO MAX rounds out the honorees earning the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Inclusion Award. Arsenio Hall has one unforgettable face. He could and did spend almost 14 years away from the spotlight, and yet, his popularity never waned. When he came back from his self-induced hiatus, the audience was where he left it. “THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW” Hall’s show brought several iconic moments, like President Bill Clinton playing the saxophone, or Magic Johnson’s first interview after revealing his AIDS diagnosis, or Michael Jackson’s surprise appearance to present Eddie Murphy with an award, and more. The show went on for five years before its cancellation in 1994. For Hall, it was also the perfect opportunity to take a step back and search for balance in his life, as he explained years later to CBS: “When you have that feeling of ‘There’s something else for me to do, and this is occupying your life 24/7,’ wrong or right, you need to go.” Hall virtually disappeared from the entertainment scene for a few years, and in 1999, he became a father when he welcomed son Arsenio Hall Jr. with his then-girlfriend. Sadly, Hall’s relationship with his son’s mom didn’t last long, but he didn’t let that step in the way of the relationship he wanted to have with the boy. For the first time in the history of the Harvard Debate Council, two Black girls from Atlanta have made history as the first Black female duo to win the annual summer debate competition at Harvard University. Jayla Jackson, 16, is a rising junior at Holy Innocence Episcopal School. Emani Stanton, 17, is a rising senior at North Atlanta High School. Both girls are current members of the Atlanta-based Harvard Diversity Project, an initiative founded by Harvard’s award- winning debate coach and author Brandon P. Fleming. In 2017, Harvard accepted Fleming’s proposal to establish the Diversity Project as a means to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. A California TJ Maxx became the latest target of shoplifters who brazenly and leisurely steal items and walk out of the store unchecked. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, two unidentified suspects entered the Granada Hills store on Monday and grabbed dozens of items each. They was captured on bystander video leaving the store without paying and the LAPD later said that the pair “refused to pay.” https://youtu.be/qQD-wcyYuKc Marcus Jordan drops new music "I Will Bless Your Name." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7806816?date=20210622&user_id=668306&signature=O86ihRtT_WZYQXyetsfn8uPXDbw%3AgoML9WV8 A new report out of Alabama underscores the levels of ignorance about COVID-19 and the vaccine that are alarmingly abounding around the country at a time when public health experts are renewing calls for awareness and vigilance. Dr. Brytney Cobia, who works at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, penned an impassioned Facebook post over the weekend to bring attention to some of the common misconceptions about the pandemic and getting vaccinated that she says have proven deadly for some of the patients she’s treated. At one point in her Facebook post, Cobia suggested her patients were influenced by race and assumed they could never test positive for the virus, let alone suffer from it. National outrage at Republican attempts to hinder access to the ballot has taken attention away from attacks on election administration. During testimony at Monday’s Senate field hearing, the leader of an Atlanta-based nonprofit that advocates for voting rights testified about the importance of election officials committed to process over partisanship. “The reconstitution of county boards of election to ensure majority party control and the takeover provisions under SB 202, allowing for the majority party in the legislature to dictate policy by the state election board to take over the day-to-day administration of county boards of elections and remove county supervisors of elections raises the specter that the goal will be to nullify the lawful vote of Georgia voters when the majority party is not satisfied with the outcome of an election,” Helen Butler, executive director of the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, testified. https://twitter.com/i/status/1417136306258423818 The Milwaukee Bucks may have won the NBA championship on Tuesday night, but sideline reporter Malika Andrews emerged as the real MVP for her ability to seamlessly conduct post-game interviews amid a wild celebration. Andrews’ performance stood in stark contrast to that of Rachel Nichols, who was famously demoted by ESPN for expressing frustration over the success experienced by one of her Black colleagues. But more on that later. Andrews, who at just 26 is the youngest NBA reporter to host the NBA Finals trophy ceremony, was praised widely for interviewing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo , his coach, Mike Budenholzer, and even some unexpected interlopers reveling in Milwaukee’s victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. https://twitter.com/i/status/1417720324678840323 Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor wants you to know he’s been preparing for running tough races his whole life. That’s why Mandela Barnes said he’s has decided to joins a lineup of Democrats vying for the chance to take down Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson in next year’s midterm election. In his opening pitch, Barnes launched his campaign Tuesday morning with a video that touched on the struggles of working families who work hard and positioned himself as a partner instead of a savior. “Instead of changing our dreams,” says Barnes, 34, “we gotta change the game. That is America at its core.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1417470806372782088 The atrocious murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others sparked a meteoric rise in the fight against racial injustice over the past year. Peaceful protests, billion-dollar donations and more have followed in their wake. While these are steps in the right direction, there is still much to be done for everyone in the Black community to overcome the lingering and generational barriers we’ve encountered. One group too often forgotten are Black seniors. These champions face disgraceful and long-standing disparities that have hindered them from living fulfilling lives. The time to help these brothers and sisters is long overdue. We must advocate for them now! Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on Friday that the Anti-Violence Advisory Council she created has submitted recommendations for how to combat the current wave of violent crime sweeping the city. The Council is comprised of community members and partners who “developed the recommendations by reviewing existing anti-violence efforts already underway by the administration and the Atlanta Police Department,” Atlanta In Town reports. https://youtu.be/vpQaWvmGSec R. Kelly has been slapped with a $2 million dollar tax lien for allegedly failing to pay taxes in 2008. As reported by Radar, the Internal Revenue Service filed a lien against Kelly’s former Illinois mansion after refused to pay $1,935,034.88 for the year 2008. If he doesn’t pay up, the agency will begin seizing his assets and property. Last year, Kelly was hit with a separate federal tax lien, as the IRS said he owed $1.8 million for the years 2013 and 2016. https://youtu.be/R5yz-Ydj-fQ Ariana Grande and The Weeknd teamed up for the track “Off the Table,” and it now has a video. The lush visual is the fifth of Grande’s live “Positions” collaborations with Vevo and follows renditions of “POV,” “Safety Net” (which featured an appearance from Ty Dolla $ign), “My Hair” and most recently, “34+35.” Their Positions track “Off the Table” dropped Wednesday (July 21) on YouTube. https://youtu.be/F6OOVNethn8 WE tv’s hit series “Beyond the Pole” returns this week with an all-new episode. This season on “Beyond the Pole,” Ms. Dime, Angel Kake, Empress, Lyric, Virgo, Gigi Maguire, Ya Ya, Treasure and Milk Marie “Pinky” are dealing with a world that is changing along with their businesses. https://youtu.be/li6z8oJfRaM Wednesday night during the NHL expansion draft the new Seattle Kraken added some players to their roster, including first pick, Calle Jarnkrok. Marshawn Lynch had trouble figuring out the pronunciation. The way Lynch skated around even attempting to say it has tickled the internet. https://youtu.be/K1hvoqN6LdI She has a sexy young lover but is battling breast cancer and trying to keep her son strong through it all. That’s the story line for Jada, played by the incredible Yolonda Ross in Lena Waithe’s Showtime series, “The Chi.” The actress also rocked out as Whitney Houston’s alleged lover, Robyn Crawford, in the Lifetime movie “Whitney.” “I love this season as an actor. It’s something to really sink your teeth in. How many times do you see Black women going through this (dealing with cancer)? You see the pain and the vulnerability. Black women being tired of being strong all the time. Its just real talk. I appreciate being able to bring these women to life." Her relationship with her son Emmett, played by Jacob Latimore, is a central part of the story line. Viola Davis has joined forces with Ebony magazine to release her memoir “Finding Me” which will hit shelves next year. MadameNoire, the book will detail Davis’s rise to fame beginning with her humble roots in Rhode Island to her award-winning career in Hollywood. In 2017, Davis revealed to PEOPLE the hardships she experienced growing up in poverty and how she struggled to make friends. “I was one of those people that everyone knew, but I didn’t have a lot of friends. I didn’t date or do any of that stuff. I was overweight and very, very shy,” Davis explained. “I was definitely not a snazzy dresser and definitely didn’t wear make-up. I would jump in trash bins with maggots looking for food, and I would steal from the corner store because I was hungry.” NBA and NFL analyst/host Maria Taylor have decided to part ways, the network announced Wednesday. ESPN had reportedly offered Taylor a lucrative contract worth $3 million per year, but both parties failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension. Taylor’s final assignment was Tuesday night’s coverage of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. “Maria’s remarkable success speaks directly to her abilities and work ethic,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “There is no doubt we will miss Maria, but we remain determined to continue to build a deep and skilled talent roster that thoroughly reflects the athletes we cover and the fans we serve. While she chose to pursue a new opportunity, we are proud of the work we’ve done together.” A former Louisville, Kentucky school bus driver has been slapped with a lawsuit after a video showed her dragging a 6-year-old girl who got stuck in the doors of the bus. The video shows that driver Melinda Sanders failed to realize that the six-year-old was being dragged while hanging from the school bus doors by her backpack. Once Sanders realized what was unfolding, she can be heard saying; “Oh my God, Oh my God”. Eight years ago, a skinny teenager stood between his parents on the court inside Bradley Center here and gazed up at the rafters, where the retired jerseys for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson hung in the rafters. “Maybe in 15 years, 20 years,” the young man said, “maybe my name is up there next to Kareem, Oscar Robertson. “I hope I’m there.” That young man was Giannis Antetokounmpo, fresh off being drafted 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2013 NBA draft. And Tuesday night, with more than 80,000 people crammed in and around Fiserv Forum, Antetokounmpo capped off a spectacular NBA Finals with a legendary performance to do what, until now, only Abdul-Jabbar and Robertson had ever done: Lead the Bucks to an NBA title. https://youtu.be/7PR9jEmGzjM Leave it to small-town Louisiana to know how to throw a party for one of their own. The community of Harvey, Louisiana threw a well-deserved parade for 14-year-old Zaila Avant-Garde, in celebration of her historic win at the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The party stretched all the way from New Orleans to Avant-Garde’s hometown of Harvey on Sunday. “It felt kind of surreal,” said Avant-Garde. “I wouldn’t think so many people would be so excited”. https://youtu.be/zRL9iFhQrgc French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday awarded U.S. civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson the Legion d’Honneur, one of France’s highest honors, in recognition of what he called “a long walk towards emancipation and justice”. A political activist, minister, and former shadow U.S. senator for the District of Columbia representing the Democratic party, Jackson has been involved in civil rights activism since the 1960s, when he worked alongside Martin Luther King. Jackson, 79, was appointed commander of the Legion d’Honneur, one of the highest ranks in the distinction. Last month, longtime NASA veteran Vanessa Wyche made history when she was named director of Johnson Space Center, becoming the first Black woman ever to lead one of the space agency’s centers. “I’m humbled and honored to be chosen to lead the more than 10,000 employees at Johnson Space Center, who work each day to enhance scientific and technological knowledge via space exploration to benefit all of humankind,” Wyche said in a statement. “I look forward to working with everyone as we push forward to the Moon and inspire a new generation of explorers to reach for the stars.” A native of South Carolina, Wyche has worked at NASA for 31 years, serving as JSC’s assistant center director and director of the its Exploration Integration and Science Directorate. A mother spoke on Tuesday about the horror of losing her three daughters to a house fire in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, the previous day. Jayla Brown, Nyjae Meade and Najahari Meade were killed in the overnight blaze in their home. They were 9, 6 and 1. The sisters’ mother, Janise Creek, said in an interview that she felt numb. “I never thought in a million years that I would have to live this tragedy for the rest of my life,” she said. A mother spoke on Tuesday about the horror of losing her three daughters to a house fire in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, the previous day. Jayla Brown, Nyjae Meade and Najahari Meade were killed in the overnight blaze in their home. They were 9, 6 and 1. The sisters’ mother, Janise Creek, said in an interview that she felt numb. “I never thought in a million years that I would have to live this tragedy for the rest of my life,” she said. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/heartbreaking-three-girls-under-age-12-die-in-overnight-fire/2734590/ A 6-year-old girl was killed and five adults were shot Friday in what officials called a drive-by shooting in Southeast D.C. after gunfire erupted outside a liquor store and convenience store. Officers heard shots about 11 p.m. at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X avenues SE and saw people rushing toward them, Executive Assistant Police Chief Ashan Benedict said. The child, who officials identified as Nyiah Courtney, two women and three men were shot, police said. Nyiah was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead. The adults were treated for their wounds and expected to recover, police said. Their identities were not released because they are considered witnesses in the case, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said. Police believe the shooter fled in a gray or silver four-door sedan and are investigating whether there were multiple gunmen. They released video Saturday of the suspect vehicle. VH1 has tapped Remy Ma to host the network’s new crime series, “My True Crime Story.” Remy took to Instagram on July 16 to announce the show, writing “Crimes. Headlines. Redemption. Hear the REAL story from the masterminds themselves! @mytruecrimestory premieres Monday, August 2nd at 10/9c on @vh1 Narrated by Me!” she wrote. “Sidebar: It’s like watching true crime shows in my living room with me while I’m commentating. Double Sidebar: I try to keep the ‘are you dumb’s’ to a minimum.” https://youtu.be/zwxNYkgdg7A “Home Before Dark” is back on Apple TV+ for season two and each episode continues to reel you in! The show follows young investigative journalist, Hilde Lisko (Brooklynn Prince), who moves from Brooklyn to a small town with her family. Hilde begins to discover shocking secrets and truths about a cold case the town and her father desperately tried to hide. Aziza Scott plays Mackenzie “Trip” Johnson, who was recently promoted to sheriff – to much dismay from her white subordinates. This season, Trip will have to learn how to balance her friendship with Hilde and proving herself in her newfound position. 50 Cent and Teairra Mari’s court battle continues. According to Radar Online, 50 Cent is demanding the Love & Hip Hop star hand over an additional $6,000 for allegedly playing “dirty legal games” in their never-ending case. To keep you up to speed, 50 Cent has been trying to collect the money owed by Mari for (years). As we previously reported, back in 2019, Mari sued the rapper along with her ex-boyfriend Akbar Abdul-Ahad for alleged revenge porn. At the time, Mari said 50 Cent reposted the photo on his social for his millions of followers to see. He captioned the post, “get the strap” which she felt was a threat. The judge ended up siding with 50 who claimed her allegations were BS and was later awarded $30,000 in attorney fees. Kanye West is setting aside thousands of free tickets to his “Donda” listening party to several Atlanta-area HBCUs, Page Six can exclusively reveal. The “Jesus Walks” rapper, 44, is hosting the listening event on Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 8 p.m. and has donated 5,000 tickets to faculty, staff and students of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, Morris Brown College and ITC. Fans will also get to hear music from “Donda” during a Beats commercial airing Tuesday night during Game Six of the NBA Finals. We’re told the ad is an “emotional tribute” to runner Sha’Carri Richardson. The highly anticipated album was first revealed to be completed — and ready for release — over the weekend when West hosted a secret listening party in Las Vegas. “It’s my own interpretation of good music, sexy music,” said beat-maker King Mydas (aka Jeremy “J. Allen” Thomas) about his R&B instrumental album “Beats You Can FK to Vol. 1” off his own imprint TraxStar Music Group (TMG). “It’s catered towards the bedroom…about love.” King Mydas took a leap-of-faith and launched his own imprint TMG to “partner” with artists to produce their music and help them obtain major label representation. The Charlotte, NC native is influenced by R&B and Pop music, is known for making R&B, Hip-Hop and Pop tracks. He has even worked with Country artists. Sleep deprivation is just one of the many sacrifices Kenneth Glenn makes for his family, coaches and fire department. Following a lengthy stint in the army, Glenn went 3-2 as a professional boxer, 9-7 as a mixed martial artist, he’s earned a black belt in jiu jitsu, he teaches kids that martial art and serves as a captain of the Minneapolis Fire Department. A husband and father of three (soon to be four), Glenn has perfected prioritizing his schedule while learning the discipline of balance. Taking the many lessons learned in the army and applying them to his hectic schedule lightens the load, as well. The family of a Birmingham woman pleaded to the community for help finding her in Europe after she left the United States with a man she met online and stopped communicating with them. Nicole Denise Jackson was 21 years old in the summer of 2018 when she left Birmingham for Munich, Germany, to pursue love and her music career. The family said they had very little information about the man Jackson left with. He had not been identified or deemed a person of interest at the time this article was written. Jackson’s family said the communication began to decline and ultimately stop a few months after she left. Ela Vaughn, Jackson’s sister, said she spoke to her 2 years ago. “Last time I heard her voice was around Christmas of 2018,” Vaughn recalled. Americans and people around the world have lived with COVID for at least 18 months. Even though everyone from 8 to 80 had to readjust to a new normal, parents of adolescents have had to make more sacrifices for the sake of their children. Mainstream media often told us children in general were having a hard time adjusting to distance learning, because the socialization of traditional education was key their scholastic success. Maybe that was true for White kids. But last month a new study by a Los Angeles-based parent advocacy group, Speak Up, has revealed that when it comes to parents of Black children in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the pandemic gave parents a voice they hadn’t had before. https://youtu.be/x5NTFqhlj9o An anti-racist group of members of the European Parliament have accused the global sports community, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), of having “institutional structures and rules that exclude people of color and Black women specifically.” In a letter to Thomas Bach and Sebastian Coe, presidents of the IOC and World Athletics, the Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup of the European Parliament said that the International Swimming Federation’s (FINA) effective banning of the Soul Cap at international tournaments, including the Olympics, “reflects stigmatization of Black hair and leads to institutional inequalities, especially targeting Black women.” Soul Cap, a UK-based brand, said that FINA refused to approve the swim caps designed for “thick, curly, and voluminous hair” because they do not “follow the natural form of the head,” the company told the BBC. Alabama football coach Nick Saban hasn’t officially named Bryce Young the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, and yet Saban says that Young is already approaching $1 million in endorsement deals. According to reports, Saban told the Texas High School Coaches Association’s convention on Tuesday that Young, a sophomore, is due to make “ungodly numbers.” While Saban wouldn’t divulge the specifics of the deals Young has signed, Saban said the total compensation is “almost seven figures.” “And it’s like, the guy hasn’t even played yet,” Saban said, according to The Athletic. “But that’s because of our brand.” Asked at SEC Media Days about Young’s potential compensation, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said, “That number just blew me away. “He’s made $1 million, and he hasn’t started a game yet. Wow.” Amid heightened concerns over COVID-19, the US women’s gymnastics team has elected to stay in a hotel rather than board in Tokyo’s Olympic Village. “It was also a decision that we all made together, we know it isn’t ideal for the Olympic experience but nothing is ideal during a pandemic,” Cecile Landi, the coach for both Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “We feel like we can control the athletes and our safety better in a hotel setting!” On Monday, Kara Eaker, an alternate on the team, became the first known COVID-19 case among US Olympians. Eaker, who is vaccinated, tested positive in an Olympic training camp in Narita, Japan. She is currently in quarantine, as is Leanne Wong, a fellow alternate and training mate who was deemed a close contact. Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders wants to be treated like Alabama coach and six-time national champion Nick Saban. The Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback and second-year coach demanded that reporters shouldn’t call him by his first name before walking out of a SWAC Media Day event at the Sheraton-Birmingham on Tuesday. “You don’t call Nick Saban, ‘Nick.’ Don’t call me Deion,” Sanders told Nick Suss from the Clarion Ledger. “If you call Nick (Saban), Nick, you’ll get cussed out on the spot, so don’t do that to me,” Sanders later added. “Treat me like Nick.” Sanders, who went 4-3 in his first year as college coach, walked out after being referred to by his first name a second time. For some fans, their team is enough to keep living for. At least this was the case for Chicago resident Scott Morrow, who was shot in the back last month as he walked down the street. As he rode in an ambulance to the hospital, he kept holding on for the thought of Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who he believes will be the best Chicago quarterback he’s ever seen. “Within a couple moments, I thought well, I’m 41, pretty much all of Chicago has gone our whole lives without even having great prospects for a franchise quarterback, I can’t die before seeing Justin Fields take the field,” Morrow said on 670 The Score. “I don’t plan to die before he’s a Hall of Famer.” HBO Documentary Films has announced a new three-part documentary series OBAMA: IN PURSUIT OF A MORE PERFECT UNION, which is slated to premiere this summer around Obama’s 60th birthday. The doc debuts August 3rd (9:00-10:40 p.m. ET/PT), with additional parts airing August 3rd and 4th. https://youtu.be/L15IUc0A6fo Jeff Bezos completed his boyhood dream Tuesday morning as his rocket company’s first flight with people on board flew into space for several weightless minutes, then landed safely back on earth. As reported earlier, Jeff Bezos completed his boyhood dream Tuesday morning as his rocket company’s first flight with people on board flew into space for several weightless minutes, then landed safely back on earth. https://youtu.be/Rli9ZRvemh0 An all-new episode of CLEO TV's popular home design series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ airs this Saturday, July 24th at 9 p.m. ET/8C. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSkf7XHnLNE&feature=youtu.be JOIN CHEF SUNNY ANDERSON AS SHE SHARES GERMAN-INSPIRED DISHES ON COOKING FOR REAL WITH SUNNY ANDERSON, ?AIRING MONDAYS AT 9 P.M. ET/8C A Boston man has been arrested and held without bail for the alleged offense of sexually abusing a horse in Massachusetts. Jackson Z. Kelley, 19, is accused of making sexual contact with an animal, cruelty to animals and nighttime breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony. He turned himself in to authorities Tuesday morning. The owner said she got an electronic alert that there was a breach at her stable and claimed she saw Kelley having sex with one of the horses via a surveillance camera in the early morning hours of this past Friday. The owner provided police with a screenshot of a person who resembles Kelley very much with his pants around his ankles and standing on a step ladder. After police made the photo public, a tipster helped identify Kelley as the alleged culprit. Every surveillance camera in the stable was deactivated by Kelley except for one, the owner said. Authorities have collected DNA samples for further proof. Kelley, who, judging by his mug shot, appears to be a Black man, was identified by the owner of a stable that he is accused of breaking into in Norfolk, which is about 32 miles southwest of Boston. The president of a historically Black university (HBCU) in Kentucky has abruptly tendered his resignation because of concerns about the school’s financial status. Kentucky State University President M. Christopher Brown II on Tuesday resigned immediately during a meeting specifically held because an external auditor had been appointed to assess the university’s finances. It was the second time in nearly eight years that Brown resigned from an HBCU because its finances were being audited. The Kentucky State University Board of Regents accepted Brown’s resignation on Tuesday and named the university’s senior vice president for brand identity and university relations to be the acting president. “As the Kentucky State University community comes together, with a renewed appreciation for our collegiate campus atmosphere and a commitment to our core mission and values, I am humbled and energized by the opportunity to serve our students and community following what has certainly been a time of unprecedented change,” Kentucky State University’s new acting President Clara Ross Stamps said in a statement following Brown’s resignation. “I pledge to labor with our faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, and will be accessible, transparent, accountable, and communicative, so together we can positively impact the lives of our students and society while advancing Kentucky State onward and upward.” Fresh off of losing the NBA Finals to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul is already answering questions about his future. Paul helped turn the Suns into a contender following a terrible season last year, leading his team to a record season before losing in Game 6 of the Finals Tuesday night in Milwaukee. And while the box score will reflect that Paul had some impressive statistics in Game 6, he had a couple of costly turnovers late in the last two games that arguably contributed to those losses. Taken in their totality, it might seem that perhaps Paul, who hasn’t had the most success in the playoffs over the course of his 16 seasons in the NBA, could be contemplating retiring from the game. Not so, according to Marc Spears, senior NBA reporter for the Undefeated. He tweeted that Paul told him he’s coming back for his 17th season. “I ain’t retiring,” Paul told Spears. “Back to work.” Usher is speaking out about the joys of fatherhood as he is set to welcome his fourth child and his second with his current partner Jenn Goicoechea. The R&B singer has sons Usher V, 13, and Naviyd, 12, with ex-wife Tameka Foster and nine-month-old daughter Sovereign with Jenn. He told ‘Good Morning America’: “I’m definitely enjoying this little baby boom of ours. “This new addition to the family has just been exciting.” He then joked that he wished his kids were more into his songs. Comedy Central has revealed that multi-media mogul, Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” McKelvey, is teaming up with late night veteran Stephen Colbert – returning to the networkl for the first time since The Colbert Report ended in 2014 – to create and produce Tha God’s Honest Truth with Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey. https://youtu.be/QZ1psSLIu4Y LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul is rumored to be dating British singer Adele and two have been together for “a few months.” As reported by PEOPLE, the new couple were spotted sitting side-by-side for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, where the Bucks bested the Suns 123-119. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned the couple on The Lowe Post, telling listeners Paul brought “his girlfriend to the game to sit next to LeBron.” On ESPN’s “Get Up” this morning, an exchange between analysts Kendrick Perkins and Jalen Rose went off the rails and into viral infamy. What started as a conversation about the Milwaukee Bucks beating the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night to win the NBA Championship, somehow devolved into personal jabs about Perk’s outfit, which Rose referred to as “Pastor’s suit” and Rose’s age and hairline, which Perk said was “spray-painted” on. The two went back and forth, got loud and yelled over each other, as host Mike Greenberg just kept his head lowered in embarrassment. Twitter has banned the Nation of Islam’s official account for criticizing mRNA vaccines. NOI’s Abdul Qiyam Muhammad tweeted: “Unsurprisingly, Twitter,Inc. has suspended The Nation of Islam’s official account: @OfficialNOI.” https://youtu.be/tXDvs934FIM Technologies used to assist in law enforcement continue to draw scrutiny. From facial recognition software to ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system, communities remain concerned about its effectiveness. ShotSpotter, which can cost upwards of more than $10 million annually, has gained a particular reputation for unnecessarily deploying police into neighborhoods. But a new Motherboard investigation found the service is almost exclusively used in non-white communities. Examining data from four cities, Motherboard found ShotSpotter sensors were located in predominantly Black and Brown communities. The investigation also raised concerns about investing heavily in such technologies, particularly in communities with the greatest lack of overall investment. Motherboard pointed to a study from the MacArthur Justice Center and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Reviewing data of ShotSpotter deployments between July 1, 2019, and April 14, 2021, the center found that 89% of the time, there was no gun-related crime, and 86% showed no crime. International gospel artist Maurice Griffin celebrates his chart topping single “Love Peace Happiness” which is available across all digital outlets. Released third quarter last year, this single has steadily climbed the charts and is currently #13 on the Gospel Indicators Chart. Beyond his own music, Maurice Griffin is also the owner of World Changing Entertainment. His goal is to help create opportunities for creative minorities. Whether it’s through his songs or his company, Griffin actively promotes much-needed positivity to empower people to live their dreams to the fullest. The Gospel Spotlight's Maurice Griffin In His Own words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/mauricegriffin_intvw.htm Monica Lisa Stevenson an independent artist for almost two decades with marginal radio hits “He’s The One,” “So Glad He Saved Me” and “Testimony” has her first Billboard chart No. 1 hit, “I’m Not Ashamed,” featuring Paul Porter. VaShawn Mitchell, originally wrote the song for gospel legend, Shirley Caesar. “I’ve always prayed that God would allow me to write, to produce and to sing songs that can live longer than I will,” he says. “I wrote this song with Pastor Caesar in mind, and I offered it to her, but she didn’t feel that it was right for her and passed on it.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yBkcI-A1_8 Jeff Bezos completed his boyhood dream Tuesday morning as his rocket company’s first flight with people on board flew into space for several weightless minutes, then landed safely back on earth. https://youtu.be/ERLTF1xV-dY Black academic leaders are making historic moves in the realm of higher education. Dr. M. Brian Blake has been appointed to serve as the president of Georgia State University; making him the first Black person in the school’s 108-year history to take on the position. Dr. Blake—a Georgia Tech alum who holds degrees from Mercer University and George Mason University—has dedicated his career to advancing education and cultivating learning environments in which scholars can thrive. He stepped into the education space nearly 22 years ago as an educator at Georgetown University. During his tenure at the Washington, D.C.-based institution, he served as the chair of the Department of Computer Science and the director of the school’s computer science-focused graduate studies programs. Throughout his career, he’s taken on leadership roles at institutions that include the University of Notre Dame, the University of Miami and Drexel University. Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have refused to rule out cancelling the event just three days before it is due to start amid concern over rising Covid cases. Toshiro Muto, head of the organising committee, was asked directly at a press conference on Tuesday whether the showpiece event – which has cost Japan some £12billion – could still be called off, and refused to rule it out. It comes as the number of Covid cases linked to the Games rose to 71 with infections in Athletes’ Village, and three more sponsors announced they will not be sending representatives to the Opening Ceremony due to anger at the event going ahead. A Virginia sheriff’s deputy accused of firing on an unarmed Black man after the officer allegedly mistook a phone in the man’s hand for a gun has been charged with a felony crime. The victim, 32-year-old Isiah Brown, “did nothing wrong and was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when [the deputy] recklessly shot him eight times,” Brown’s attorney David Haynes said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. He previously said Brown had been struck 10 times. In the hours prior to the shooting that occurred after 3 a.m. on April 21, that same officer, identified in the indictment as Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s deputy David Turbyfill, had given Brown a ride home from his stalled car, according to NBC News. “The shooting resulted in significant injuries to Mr. Brown which will undoubtedly impact him for the rest of his life,” Haynes said. Before his death in July 2020, John Lewis wrote touching tributes to the people who impacted him the most — including his wife, Lillian Miles Lewis, and his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “She was warm and giving, she was a beautiful mother—and I miss her,” Lewis wrote of his wife, who died in December 2012. The longtime congressman’s book, Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation, published posthumously last week. As much as Lewis treasured their time together, he admits that a romantic relationship wasn’t always his priority. “For the early part of my life, I was married to the movement, and I didn’t have time to take my personal life into consideration,” Lewis wrote of his role as a leader in the civil rights movement that resulted in his name appearing in history books and in the minds of Black Lives Matter activists, many of whom consider him an inspiration and a role model. He added, “We were too busy trying to survive.” Three adults have been arrested in Atlanta for allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old boy because of his sexuality. A 12-year-old Georgia boy named Tyler was removed from his home in June and placed in DFCS after a disturbing video went viral showing him being abused because he’s allegedly gay. His abusers even shaved the word “gay” into his scalp. The boy is seen in the video “getting abused and beaten by at least four people towering over him while another person films the Instagram live.” Social media expressed outrage before someone notified the authorities. A number of Atlanta residents helped police locate the boy and he was immediately removed from the home. According to reports, the boy was relocated to a temporary new home. Complex reported, 19-year-old Lorkeyla Jamia Spencer, 35-year-old Brittney Monique Mills and 18-year-old Jordan Jarrode Richards-Nwankwo have been charged with cruelty to a child after the footage was shared online, as reported by NBC News. Spencer and Mills are currently jailed in Fulton County, while Richards-Nwankwo was released after posting a $50,000 bond. Video of a young girl saying that the shooting outside of the Washington Nationals game last weekend “was her second” has gone viral. Faris Nunn, at 8-years-old, has already experienced two shootings in her brief time on earth, and thus sees them as a normal part of life. “It was my second shooting. So I was kind of prepared … I always am expecting something to happen,” she told a reporter. “I just saw people looking that way, and I didn’t know what was going on until I heard someone say, ‘Get down,’ so I just started going under the seats.” The Nationals were in the 6th inning of a game against the San Diego Padres when shots were fired between two vehicles outside of the third base gate, causing panic inside the stadium. Three people were injured in the gun exchange, including a fan who had attended the game and was waiting outside for her Uber. Video of Nunn’s interview was posted on Twitter with the caption: “This is America.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1417143254227689475 The Milwaukee Bucks are paying it forward by supporting organizations that are driving change within the city. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the team joined forces with NBA Cares to renovate a local community center. The facility is run by Running Rebels; a nonprofit that uses community engagement as a vessel to help at-risk youth change the trajectory of their lives. Its founder Victor Barnett merged education and sports to teach teenagers and young adults valuable life lessons that would be instrumental in cultivating a solid foundation for success. The organization offers an array of programs including ones that are centered on violence prevention, mentorship, higher education, workforce development and athletics. Running Rebels serves nearly 2,500 youth annually. Megyn Kelly is back in the news again for all the wrong reasons. The one-time TV host-turned disgraced, conservative social media troll has already been outed as all but a white supremacist, what with her privileged views on blackface. But now, Kelly has turned her clear anti-Black agenda in the direction of Naomi Osaka by mocking the young tennis star’s stated issues with anxiety to supposedly catch her in some nonexistent double standard about the media. Osaka, ever the ready, returned Kelly’s weak serve with a monster forehand of a response that legitimately questioned Kelly’s journalistic acumen in field she’s worked in for nearly 20 years. “Seeing as you’re a journalist I would’ve assumed you would take the time to research what the lead times are for magazines, if you did that you would’ve found out I shot all of my covers last year,” Osaka said in a since-deleted tweet. “Instead your first reaction is to hop on here and spew negativity, do better Megan.” Megyn Kelly has finally been silenced on social media after tennis star Naomi Osaka blocked the disgraced former TV anchor from following her on Twitter. The deliberate action came after Kelly, who once openly questioned on national TV why blackface is wrong, attacked Osaka for being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue. By Kelly’s clearly misguided logic, Osaka — who in May decided against playing in the French Open because appearing at press conferences triggers her anxiety — should never have posed for the magazine’s cover if interactions with the media are truly as stressful as she says they are. Of course, it’s no one’s business — especially not Kelly’s — how Osaka chooses to showcase herself, whether on the tennis court or on a magazine cover. Still, Kelly, bordering on cyber-bullying Osaka, insisted without proof that the tennis star had an anti-media agenda and wanted to avoid being asked anything. “Truth is she just doesn’t like Qs she can’t control,” Kelly tweeted without any evidence of her claims. “Admit it.” The first person to be sentenced to prison for their role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has gotten decidedly less time than prosecutors asked for and what guidelines recommend, suggesting leniency will be shown to the hundreds of other Capitol rioters facing similar charges from that fateful day. The sentencing hearing for Paul Hodgkins bore all the familiar hallmarks of white privilege, including delaying the start of his sentence following his guilty plea for obstructing a joint session of Congress, a felony. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss sentenced Hodgkins to just eight months in prison, nearly one full year less than what prosecutors were seeking and about seven to 13 months less than sentencing guidelines estimate should be given considering the nature of the crime. Hodgkins’ lawyer asked Moss for no prison time for his client at all. A teenage star Taekwondo fighter who used to compete with Team USA says she is being blocked from fighting in the Tokyo Olympics because she represents Haiti now. Aliyah Shipman, 18, claims that U.S. Olympic officials are trying to sabotage her “dream” of fighting at the Olympics by questioning her eligibility under false pretenses. The Florida resident whose great-grandfather was born in Haiti also suggested U.S. Taekwondo officials are extorting their Haitian counterparts in an effort to prevent her from fighting. In an online petition, Shipman explains that she has been fighting with the Haitian team for the better part of the past two years. Shipman said she won medals fighting for the Haitian Taekwondo Federation and even competed for Haiti in an event that was organized by the United States Taekwondo Federation, which she says is also trying to stop her from competing in the Olympics. Shipman said the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) had no objections to her fighting for Haiti until she qualified for the Olympics. https://twitter.com/i/status/1417213569956032516 Tech tycoon John McAfee was reportedly broke when he died last month. The antivirus software founder reportedly blew millions on luxury mansions located around the world, the Daily Mail reports. “He had his money in very safe investments, but he built houses, absolutely bizarre properties,” Eglinton said, according to the Mail. “Some of them, he never slept a night in the property.” Eglinton also said that McAfee reportedly told him that the $100 million he got from selling his software security company, McAfee Associates, in 1994 “goes very quickly,” the Mail reported. McAfee reportedly died by suicide in a Spanish prison on June 23. https://youtu.be/poVqZzpL0wk “The Talk’s” Elaine Welteroth is speaking out after audio was leaked of her consoling former co-host Sharon Osbourne following her on-air racially-charged debate with Sheryl Underwood. In a report published by the Daily Mail on Thursday, Welteroth is heard talking with Osbourne immediately after the March 10 episode, during which Sharon defended friend Piers Morgan against his seemingly racist comments about Meghan Markle. “I thought we had closed the painful, public chapter of the controversy related to the March 10th show,” Welteroth said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “Today, however, I learned that my private comments made moments after the incident from a place of compassion to a then-colleague (the most senior level co-host on The Talk) were recorded —without my consent or knowledge—and shared with the media.” Safaree recently made an appearance on @streetz945atl and chopped it up with fellow “Love & Hip-Hop” star Yung Joc. While there, he discussed his wild but fun Jamaica trip, his relationship, fatherhood, and more. During the show, Safaree also took some questions out of a hat. He tried to read one that said, “Have you ever listened to a Nicki Minaj song while having sex?” Safaree couldn’t even read the entire question and had to pass it along to Joc who later revealed that an intern came up with it. Safaree then replied “that’s not a good question. That woman is married with a brand new baby…God Bless, ok!” However, he did try to answer another question about Minaj regarding her latest mixtape. Eddie Murphy once opened up about his love for the late comedian, Redd Foxx, and how he paid for his funeral after he died moneyless. Often, bad things happen to people who have worked hard all their lives. Sometimes it might be ignorance, and other times, it might be a stroke of bad luck, but whatever the case, it is often sad to see someone who has struggled die moneyless. Known for his raunchy and scatological style of comedy, Redd Foxx, was one comedian to watch out for back in the ’80s and ‘90s. But with a series of unfortunate events befalling him, Eddie Murphy had to pay for his funeral. Mike Tyson stars in the latest ad for Roberto Cavalli’s first menswear collection under the creative direction of Fausto Puglisi. The campaign, directed by Tommaso Ottomano, highlights the Andy Warhol-inspired pieces – including bold animal prints. “Mike Tyson is one of the last living pop icons and beyond being a boxing champion, he is also a stylish man, with a very personal and eccentric taste,” Puglisi said in a press release on Monday. “But more than the undisputed boxing champion and American icon, his personal story is also a tale of survival, struggle, and resilience. He embodies America in both the American Dream and all the possibilities it holds, but also its reverse.” https://youtu.be/pG6ctrAGTU0 Shaun King also made his Instagram private this week, noting that he’s taking a social media break for the rest of the month. Twitter had a field day. Activist Shaun King has temporarily deactivated his Twitter account, and he made his Instagram private this week, noting that he’s taking a social media break for the rest of the month. He wrote on Facebook earlier in July that he was deactivating his account to spend time with his family. King’s disappearance from the Twitterverse prompted some strong reactions online. “Grifting fraud propagandist Shaun King has deactivated his account on Twitter. I’ll drink to that,” one user wrote. “Shaun King deleted? Someone must have gotten their hands on his 23andMe results,” writer Clarkeisha Kent tweeted. “Something has to be going down for Shaun King to deactivate his account,” writer Morgan Jerkins added. “We’ll know soon enough what that something is.” Idris Elba is calling on social media platforms to give all users that coveted blue check in an effort to curb racists and bullies. “People in the public eye get verified on social media,” he wrote in a statement shared by The Shade Room, “the process of verification requires them to prove their IDENTITY, so everyone knows WHO is speaking.” He then wrote in all caps, “SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES SHOULD MAKE THIS MANDATORY FOR ALL USERS.” The British hunk compared private accounts on social media to “boarding a plane and not having to show I.D.” “If cowards are being supported by a veil of privacy and secrecy, then social media is not a safe place. It’s an aeroplane that allows travelers to wear balaclavas.” JAY-Z recently scored a legal victory when a judge blocked Damon Dash’s attempt to sell his stake in Roc-A-Fella Records. The company is suing Dash for trying to auction off Jay-Z‘s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ album as an NFT. TMZ reported, Roc-A-Fella claims they own the project, so they’re going after Dash for allegedly trying to sell the album to the highest bidder. In the suit, the label accuses Dash of “frantically scouting for another venue to make the sale.” https://youtu.be/wc-y7ATnEY8 Oklahoma police tracked down a suspect on their “Most Wanted” list — after she asked about reward money in a reply to their Facebook post about her alleged crime, authorities said. Lorraine Graves was busted on a charge of accessory to murder after she commented on a Tulsa Police Department post on Wednesday that listed her as the force’s “Weekly Most Wanted.” Graves replied to the post, saying, “where’s the reward money at?,” a screenshot of her post shows. Detectives arrested her Thursday in north Tulsa, according to the department. Her bond is set at $500,000, cops said. Authorities were asking for tips about Graves’ whereabouts in relation to the March murder of Eric Graves, a 30-year-old who was found shot dead inside an apartment. Fans of Tyler Perry are not pleased over his writing skills after one of his actors said he wants his prostate ticked during a recent episode of “Sistas.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1415133633392873477 This is the year of the Black woman and the ladies on “David Makes Man” are showing us why Black women continue to dominate in all fields, especially onscreen! The coming-of-age drama is back for a second season on OWN with newcomers Zsané Jhé and Brandi Huzzie joining the cast as Adult Sheila (Jhé) and JG’s girlfriend Tricia (Huzzie). You can watch the ladies of “David Makes Man” Tuesdays at 9/8c on OWN. Olympic officials are said to be concerned about athletes having sex and spreading disease during the summer games in Tokyo, which is why competitors will sleep on cardboard beds. Page Six reported, Olympic officials have set up 18,000 cardboard beds in Olympic Village, known to be a hot spot for hanky pinky. The outlet writes…“They are distributing a cache of condoms to the athletes, as they have at every Olympic Games since 1988. This year, the condom tally is 160,000. Still, that’s a far cry from the 450,000 doled out for the last summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.” The pendulum of justice can swing fairly, even for Black-Americans. And thank goodness it landed on the right side for Luther Hall earlier this week. The St. Louis Federal Courthouse said former St Louis police officer Randy Hays is guilty for his role in beating the mess out of Hall, an undercover cop posing as a protestor, during the Stockley uprisings back in 2017. It was a mess: The confusion of four cops twisting their stories one against the other can explain why the trial lasted four weeks, and why it took two days for the jury to come to a decision, and why there was a hung jury at first. https://youtu.be/PVIr-nZWqOQ Sunday marked Nelson Mandela‘s birthday, a holiday also known worldwide as Nelson Mandela Day and meant to celebrate all-things “Madiba,” one of several nicknames bestowed upon the anti-apartheid icon who has been described as the “father” of the South African nation. Mandela would have turned 103 years old this year. Sadly, the former political prisoner and South Africa’s first Black president died in 2013 after being hospitalized with a lung infection. Entrepreneur Justin Turk knew his start-up was special, but a $1 million prize from Grammy award-winning singer and producer Pharrell Williams came as a shock. On Tuesday, Williams announced the winners of his Black Ambition prize competition — and Turk and his business partner, Andre Davis, are in the national spotlight. Williams’ non-profit was founded in December to help Black and Latino business owners close the wealth gap through entrepreneurship. Turk and Davis, co-founders of Livegistics, took home the top prize of $1 million. The Detroit-based entrepreneurs run a cloud-based material management software company, which eliminates paperwork in heavy civil construction and demolition. The company also provides data and metrics that construction experts can use for efficiency. Major League Baseball (MLB) says they’re ready to let Blacks in. And maybe it’s not just talk because they say they want to shell out $150 Million towards making it work. Over a 10 year period, MLB will improve their investment to get Black players. This sounds interesting. Moving forward, MLB will start funding programs in 2023, according to sources. Particularly those designed to eliminate barriers for Black youth. If all goes well, an up surge of Blacks will have easier access to participate in the game at any level. And in that regard Major League Baseball pledged $150 Million to Players Alliance who joins forces with MLB on the mission. “Major League Baseball’s commitment to support the Players Alliance is a monumental turning point in the history of our game. [The commitment establishes] a pathway to progress for equity and access for the Black community,” former All-Star Curtis Granderson said. https://youtu.be/dxcgmRNMt7Q The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has named the first African American chief of its law enforcement bureau. The state agency was founded in 1932. Col. Jerry Carter, a U.S. Army veteran, will oversee the work of 160 officers statewide. Carter began his career with the department in 1988 as a conservation officer assigned to his home area of Leflore County. Carter has served in many roles in the department, moving through the ranks as a boater and hunter education administrator, coordinator of communications, commander of the honor guard, emergency management coordinator and commander of the North Mississippi Law Enforcement Region. Charles “Charlie” Wiggins, the most famous African American race car driver of the 1920s and 1930s, is to be the subject of a new biopic, whose producing partners will include racing staples IndyCar and Firestone. Set in the roaring 20s and depression era 30s, Eraced will chronicle the triumphs and struggles of the once-legendary-now-little-known Charlie “Speed King” Wiggins, who worked his way from shoe shine to mechanic to star racer despite the inequities of segregation and Jim Crow laws. After being barred repeatedly from whites-only racing events, Wiggins became a leading light of the parallel Colored Speedway Association and won the prestigious annual Gold and Glory Sweep-stakes four times between 1926 and 1935. Despite his remarkable achievements, Wiggins died almost penniless thanks to crippling medical bills which he had to pay for decades after suffering a career-ending injury in 1936. The pioneering sportsman will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame next week in Detroit. A woman whose achievements shaped an Iowa county recently received a posthumous honor. According to NPR, Johnson County was renamed after Black educator and historian Lulu Merle Johnson. Johnson—a native of southwestern Iowa—came from a lineage of trailblazers. Her father Richard, who was born into slavery, stepped into the world of entrepreneurship after being freed. He owned land and a barbershop. Her family rose to prominence in the farming industry. Johnson evolved into a leader in her own right. In 1925, she enrolled at the University of Iowa where she was one of less than 20 Black women students. While navigating her collegiate journey she endured discriminatory experiences that stemmed from segregation, but she bravely and boldly fought against the injustices. Her and other Black students would sit in seats assigned for white students. She also fought to ensure that Black students could participate in swimming tests and later spearheaded an effort to have campus residence halls desegregated. The money must be drying up for Candace Owens, who is going full-fledged grifter with her newest endeavor: the so-called Freedom Phone, a device that she is disingenuously billing as the next coming in cellphones when, according to reports, it’s actually an iPhone knockoff. The keyword there is “billing,” as the Freedom Phone carries a price tag of $500 and was described by the Daily Beast as “a phone preloaded with apps like Parler and Rumble that appears to be a vastly more expensive version of a phone made in China.” A news article bringing attention to Owens’ latest scam said the Freedom Phone was being pushed by “MAGA Influencers.” Spike Lee gave away the name of the Palme D’Or winner by accident ahead of time– “Titane,” directed by Julia Ducournau. The second woman to ever win. https://twitter.com/i/status/1416459886339272714 Sanaa Lathan is Star's in the upcoming Netflix series “Hit & Run.” Lathan plays an investigative reporter and ex-lover to actor Lior Raz who plays a grief-stricken husband Segev Azulai. Lathan is the supportive and top-skilled journalist he runs to, as he is desperate to solve perhaps the greatest equation of his life. And because Lior Raz is handsome and masculine this foretells of powerful, grief-driven love scenes. “Hit & Run” is set in Tel Aviv, Israel and in New York; Azulai flees Tel Aviv and contacts Lathan in the Big Apple and together they embark on a thrilling and action filled mission for answers. https://youtu.be/AyF-EQVs9mU Christie Brinkley, who has been gracing magazine covers for nearly five decades, is often asked about her beauty secrets. But Brinkley, 67, says her best tip isn’t about beauty and has nothing to with products or special diets. It’s about all gratitude, she says. “Every day, I count my blessings,” Brinkley tells CNBC Make It. “Because some days can be better days than others but by the time I finish counting my blessings, I feel like it’s a pretty good day.” Taking time each day to practice gratitude gives her added health, energy and productivity, she says. “I always tell my kids to do [it] because it really does move away the clutter and give you focus.” “Space Jam 2” has blown past projections and Marvel’s “Black Widow” to easily take the No. 1 spot at the box office with $13 million grossed from 3,965 screens on Friday and an estimated $32 million opening weekend. Before it debuted, the LeBron James movie had been expected to open to around $20 million. That would’ve been behind “Black Widow” at the box office and definitely behind the $27.5 million that the original “Space Jam,” starring Michael Jordan, brought in back in 1996. It seems millennials nostalgic for “Space Jam” had something to say about that. TheWrap noted that while families played a key role with 32% of the audience in CinemaScore polls being under the age of 18, on the other hand, 40% were in the 18-35 demographic. https://youtu.be/e6x97iMfsKg The 5th annual Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Festival (ILICFF) has announced the selection of a series of short films made by kids and for kids to be screened on Saturday, August 7, 2021 from 1-3pm EST via Zoom. Presented by the Eubie Blake Center and The Baltimore Times Foundation, Times Community Services, Inc., the film festival will award films in four categories – will be presented -Best Films Made BY Kids, Best Film Made FOR Kids, Film Festival Choice, and the Most Uplifting Film. An attorney (Whose name happens to be Chris Brown) has been taking various cases against Damon Dash. This time, Brown saw to it that Dash has to pay $300,000 to a Black woman, E.W. Brooks, who says the music mogul stole her dream. Damon Dash claims to help African-American women while stealing from me and my family. He stole my dream and took my ‘Mafietta’ brand as his own without consent or any credit to me, its creator,” said Brooks. “I am glad that the Second Circuit was not fooled by the misinformation and misdirection Damon Dash offered them in the appeal. It’s time to move past this and for payment.” Turns out Dash lost twice to Brooks. This time Dash appealed the first order to pay up when author E.W. Brooks asked the judge to make things right claiming Dash secretly marketed and sold a film about her intellectual property; a four-part “Mafietta” book series. She found out about Dash’s alleged deceit when her project couldn’t move forward. Ray McFarland and his wife, Leslie, have mastered the art of pivoting. They have “remixed” the business model of their 21st Century Expo Group three times since 2001. When 9/11, the 2008 stock market crash and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic struck, the McFarlands altered their company to change with the times. That’s just one of many lessons they’ve passed on to their daughter, Iman. Though she is a talented basketball player who could have played in the WNBA, she wanted to be a doctor. But her father saw a corporate superstar within. She is now chief operating officer and general manager of The Campus DMV, an athletic training and media production conglomerate that she co-owns with her parents. Based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Capitol Heights, Maryland, the minority-owned business has positioned itself as a multifaceted academic, athletic and wellness facility. The new enterprise is building a full TV studio and production facility to accompany a sports complex that features a state-of-the-art sound stage. https://youtu.be/twkcllZWnZw Arkansas Razorbacks relief pitcher Kevin Kopps was named winner of the 43rd Golden Spikes Award. It’s given annually to the best college baseball player in the country. During an interview with ESPN, Kopps attributed his achievement to God, along with those who have consistently stood by him. “It feels surreal,” Kopps said about the award he received Thursday. “I think it’s an incredible blessing by God. I couldn’t have been here without Him, my parents, coaches, teammates. But honestly, I still feel like Kevin. I don’t feel any different.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1415809882666590208 Jay Williams announced on Friday that he won’t be covering the remainder of the 2021 NBA Finals for after testing positive for COVID-19. The ESPN analyst is fully vaccinated and will need to quarantine in his hotel room over the next 10 days. Williams took to Twitter to post a video announcing the positive test and asking people to be safe and careful. https://twitter.com/i/status/1416115033097089029 Deborah Roberts grew up in a family of gun owners. But it wasn’t until March this year that the 68-year-old finally pulled the trigger and purchased her own firearm, CNN (via MSN News) reports. “I think the rhetoric and how things are stirred up in the country just made me feel like, if not now, then when?” Roberts told CNN on Sunday morning at the South River Gun Club in Covington, Georgia with gunshots ringing close by. That same day also happened to be “Ladies Day” at the gun range, where women, mostly Black women, came out to the range to get proper training and education on how to operate a firearm, and they enjoyed every bit of it. https://youtu.be/i61CxIxMrYk In a way, their tribe got its start in Jamaica. Jillian Baker and Sinora Allwood, longtime friends, traveled there, to Montego Bay, for a vacation to celebrate Baker’s 40th birthday. “We were just catching up on life,” Allwood explained. “And we discovered that Jill and I had both suffered from infertility. We were like, ‘Wow, how didn’t we know this about each other? We could have been each other’s support system.’” The friends stayed close over the years. Allwood studied to become a registered nurse and health coach, and Baker, now an associate professor at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, earned a doctorate in public health from Drexel. They’d been quiet, as many parents are, about their struggles getting pregnant before they had their children. Both women were well aware of stark disparities that Black parents experience. Black women are more likely to experience infertility, more likely to have pregnancy-related complications, and more likely to die pregnancy-related deaths, while a racist notions persists, contrary to evidence, that Black women are more fertile. In Philadelphia, non-Hispanic Black women account for 43 percent of births, but 73 percent of pregnancy-related deaths, according to city data. The podcasters spoke to The Inquirer about the series and the tribe they’ve been gathering— a community of Black parents facing these issues. This interview has been edited and condensed for length. COVID-19 continues to have an impact on big get-togethers. Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame President Michelle Corrales-Lewis recently made the tough decision to postpone this year’s Hall of Fame induction weekend and gala. Due to COVID, the 2020 class will now be inducted with the 2021 class in 2022. Combining the classes is a first for the nonprofit and Corrales-Lewis says it’s not the only impact of the pandemic: The 2021 class is expected to be fewer in number. Nevertheless, Corrales-Lewis promises to deliver a great event for these legendary boxing figures in 2022. In 2019, the last time the event was held, the inductees were: Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ronald “Winky” Wright, Terry Norris and Vinny Pazienza. When Adrian Miller was writing his first, award-winning book “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine One Plate at a Time,” he originally planned to include a chapter on barbecue. In soul food restaurants, barbecued pork is often an option among entrees of oxtails, catfish and fried chicken. And even if the meat has technically been baked and varnished with a sweet tomato glaze rather than smoked over indirect heat, Miller considered barbecue to be as part of the lexicon. The more he researched and ate, though, he realized the subject of African American barbecue demanded a book of its own. His resolve was steeled after watching a Paula Deen special on the Food Network in 2004. It was dedicated to barbecue, but it didn’t spotlight a single Black expert. As Miller writes in the introduction of “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue,” “I saw shots of Black people in the background doing the actual work, but they were anonymous and voiceless. … I recall thinking, as I turned off the television, ‘Is this what Black barbecuers have become? They’re just B-roll footage now?’ ” According to Mental Health America, seven million Black people in the US reported a mental illness this past year. But that number is continuing to increase. ABC 27 found out the new initiatives being done in Tallahassee to help break the stigma and get people the help they need. Calvin Bryant said he learned this at a young age and it inspired him to be an advocate for others. “I’m very prideful. As a man,” said Bryant, owner of 40 Caliber Fitness. “I grew up in this environment where you had to suppress your feelings and you just had to handle business.” This attitude caused him to bottle up his feelings to a breaking point. “On the outside, everybody sees one thing, but when I go back into the house, it’s a totally different story,” said Bryant. ”The dumbest criminal of all” is how a Detroit businesswoman describes a teenager who stole her Mercedes Benz. The woman spent 3 days tracking down the scofflaw and then physically went at him inside a hair salon/barbershop. https://youtu.be/dPN9vJf92Fs Joyce Beatty, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and Representative for Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District, called into SiriusXM Urban View’s The Joe Madison Show to describe how she was arrested while demanding action on voting rights at the U.S. Capitol. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/37960a7e-89a9-472f-bfa3-c999ac7c1b80 Gloria Richardson, an influential yet largely unsung civil rights pioneer whose determination not to back down while protesting racial inequality was captured in a photograph as she pushed away the bayonet of a National Guardsman, has died. She was 99. Joe Orange, her son-in-law, said Richardson died Thursday in New York. “She was not ill. She died peacefully in her apartment in New York in her sleep,” said Orange, who is married to Richardson’s daughter, Donna. Richardson was the first woman to lead a prolonged grassroots civil rights movement outside the Deep South. In 1962, she helped organized and led the Cambridge Movement on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with sit-ins to desegregate restaurants, bowling alleys and movie theaters in protests that marked an early part of the Black Power movement. Bobby Roundtree, the former Illinois defensive end whose football dreams came to an end when he was paralyzed in a diving accident two years ago, died Friday in the Tampa Bay area. He was 23. The Illinois football program announced Roundtree’s death Friday afternoon. The cause of death was not immediately known. Roundtree, a star on the Fighting Illini defense for two seasons, had his life changed May 18, 2019, when he suffered a severe spinal injury while jumping off a boat in the Intercoastal Waterway near his home in Largo, Florida. He was left an incomplete quadriplegic, with considerable use of his upper body but not of his legs or fingers. R. Kelly now officially has a new defense team–less than a month before his trial’s scheduled to begin– and one of his lawyers is already getting attention. Two of R. Kelly‘s longtime attorneys–Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard–filed to withdraw from the singer’s case last month. It appears as though the filing was done in response to tensions within the larger legal team, as Steve Greenberg tweeted: “We refused to try a case with lawyers who don’t have the appropriate level of experience and skill because that is not in the client’s best interest. It is a shame that lawyers can’t suppress their own egos or self interest and do or act in the client’s best interest.” Now, a judge has officially granted the lawyers’ request to get off the case. Yesterday (Thursday, July 15th), U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly approved Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard‘s request to withdraw. As such, they are officially no longer part of R. Kelly‘s defense team. R. Kelly‘s case had already been essentially taken over by his new attorneys–Thomas Farinella, Nicole Blank Becker, and Deveraux Cannick. This new defense team recently accused R. Kelly‘s now-former attorneys of withholding paperwork and denying the singer access to mental health services. However, Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard vehemently denied these allegations–causing the internal feud to rage on. According to the #NYPD, on July 6 at the 116th Street station in #Harlem, bystanders captured the moment when police tased a black man on the subway for allowing another rider into the station for free. The man was identified as 29-year-old #DavidCrowell. Police say that Crowell got into an altercation with authorities after opening an emergency gate to let another rider inside the station without paying. While the individual Crowell let into the station went on to pay for his ride when confronted by officials, Crowell got into a heated dispute with the police. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRZkm2cnA2H/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano aim to knock each other out on Saturday in a clash that could produce the first four-belt unification champion in the history of the 154-pound division. “It’s dangerous to walk into my shots,” said “Iron Man” Charlo. “Most opponents I’ve faced who’ve done that, I’ve put them out.” As for “El Boxi” Castano, the Argentinian said: “I’m ready for war. If Charlo wants to brawl, then by all means I will welcome that.” Charlo, of Houston, Texas, fights for family and legacy. Castano, of Buenos Aires, is in it for glory and country. The 31-year-olds will battle for Charlo’s IBF, WBA and WBC crowns and the Castano’s WBO title in a Premier Boxing Champions headliner from San Antonio, Texas. It will air on Showtime at 9 p.m. EDT. Tokyo Olympics organisers said on Saturday a person has tested positive for COVID-19 at the athletes’ village, the first case at a site where most competitors will be staying, raising new doubts over promises of a “safe and secure” Games. Britain’s 5,000 meters runner Andrew Butchart will compete in the Tokyo Olympics after UK Athletics handed him a suspended ban for saying he had changed the date on a COVID-19 test result to return to Britain from a meet before clarifying his remarks. In a now-deleted episode of The Sunday Plodcast, Butchart had said there was a delay in getting his PCR test result before his flight home from the United States and he had changed the date on an old test as he prepared for check-in, the Times newspaper had reported. Usain Bolt is disappointed with how Jamaican men’s sprinting has developed since he retired and predicts his compatriots will find it tough in Tokyo after his glorious domination of the last three Olympics. With Bolt leading the way in his own inimitable style, Jamaica won all nine men’s track sprint finals in Beijing, London and Rio — although they later lost their 2008 4x100m gold medals after Nesta Carter failed a dope test. While Jamaica’s women look very strong going into their Tokyo campaign, triple 100m and 200m Olympic champion Bolt thinks the men will struggle. “Well, it’s really disappointing to see this,” Bolt told Reuters. Australian basketball star Liz Cambage has broken her silence on her bombshell withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics with an explosive Instagram rant. Cambage, 29, vanished from the Opals camp in Las Vegas on Friday and teammates and officials did not know where she was. On Friday afternoon, Cambage confirmed via her social media she won’t be on the plane to Tokyo. Early on Saturday morning she told fans she was at ‘breaking point’ and confirmed reports she was involved in an altercation during the Opals’ warm-up game against Nigeria. But she slammed the ‘fake news and lies’ when addressing allegations she was partying in Las Vegas. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/07/16/9080780638429005125/1024x576_MP4_9080780638429005125.mp4?_=1 Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins, wife of Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins, was reportedly arrested in Las Vegas back on July 3. She was charged with a domestic violence charge after allegedly striking her husband. Per the arrest report, police responded to a call from the Cosmopolitan at around 2:30 a.m. Blood and part of a tooth was reportedly found in the room. Haskins reportedly told hotel security that his wife punched him and cut his lip open after an argument, and said “I want her out of my room.” She faces a charge of felony domestic violence with substantial bodily harm, and is due in court on Aug. 3. Dwayne Haskins has not yet opened up about the incident, but based on his social media activity, he is downplaying what happened and supporting his wife. On his Instagram story, he posted this, lyrics from Drake’s song “9” with it playing in the background. In a weekend of dire releases—“Space Jam: A New Legacy” and “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions”—the good, the bad, and the ugly can all be seen onscreen. “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” directed by Malcolm D. Lee, must be credited for its positive portrayal, although sometimes contentious, of a father and son’s relationship. LeBron James worked extremely hard to make a name for himself and he wants nothing less for his son, Dom (Cedric Joe). https://youtu.be/RCsEKvz2mxs Madonna and her alter-ego Madame X will begin streaming on Paramount+ this fall. The queen of pop announced her concert documentary “Madame X” is coming to the streamer on Oct. 8. In a statement, the singer said: “Sharing my vision with global audiences has been profoundly meaningful to me. The opportunity to bring its message and the incandescent artistry of all involved to an even wider audience comes at a time when music is so deeply needed to remind us of the sacred bond of our shared humanity.” https://youtu.be/65mi28Lp7jw Aoki Lee, 18, appears all grown-up following in mom Kimora Lee Simmons’ footsteps down the runway she goes sporting a smooth baby-hair style reminiscent of the 1930s beauty icon Betty Boop. And just like Betty Boop Aoki’s not smiling but her look says everything and there’s a story she helps to tell. Aoki’s runway debut, staged at the Madam C.J. Walker estate in Irvington, NY., is an historical one and a salute from Pyer Moss’ Paris Couture Fashion Week last Saturday featuring 35-year-old Haitian American designer Kerby Jean-Raymond’s collection. The fashion pieces pay homage to everyday American items traced back to Black inventors whose contributions were patented or co-opted by others and erased from history. Creations like refrigerators, peanut butter and Aoki Lee rocked a cool checkerboard suit that had chess pieces affixed. https://youtu.be/_ZYFFkWtJQk “When the book was being adapted I made the short list,” said Adrian Miller about his appearance on the Netflix “High on the Hog” four-part docu-series based off the book “High On the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America” by James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award winning author Dr. Jessica B. Harris (2011). The book speaks on African-American cuisine in America. “It (the book) was published 10 years-ago. The “High on the Hog” series is hosted by Stephen Satterfield, a chef, magazine publisher and producer, and Dr. Harris. Adrian, among many things, is a Chef. Aside from him appearing on the docu-series there is Chef BJ Dennis, Chef Valerie Vinakpon, Dr. Leni Sorensen (culinary historian), and Michael Twitty (historian/author) – to name a few. https://youtu.be/7wsEdxt1Ico Apple TV+ debuted its new musical series “Schmigadoon!,” starring Emmy Award-nominee Cecily Strong and Emmy Award-winner Keegan-Michael Key. The six-episode musical comedy series executive produced by Lorne Michaels launched July 16, with a new episode dropping weekly every Friday. The comedy is “a parody of iconic Golden Age musicals” with Strong and Key playing a couple on a backpacking trip designed to reinvigorate their relationship who discover a magical town living in a 1940s musical, per press release. They then learn that they can’t leave until they find “true love.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1416051386865782792 Octavia E. Butler’s classic sci-fi novel “Kindred” is about to become a series at FX, with “Zola” helmer Janicza Bravo as director and an executive producer, and newcomer Mallori Johnson in the lead role of Dana, a young woman who finds herself pulled back and forth in time. Kindred follows Dana, an aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and moved to Los Angeles to claim a future that for once feels all her own. Before she can get settled into her new home, however, she finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time to a 19th century plantation with which she and her family are most surprisingly and intimately linked. An interracial romance threads through her past and present, and the clock is ticking as she struggles to confront the secrets she never knew ran through her blood. https://youtu.be/5T-11M7XLFg Willow Smith has dropped her new album titled “lately I feel EVERYTHING,” her first punk-rock project after the albums “THE ANXIETY,” “WILLOW” and “The 1st.” The singer spoke to Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe about feeling a lot of pressure when it comes to carving her own identity as the daughter of Jada Pinkett and Will Smith. “I always just wanted to do right by my parents, and do right by the beauty that they have put in the world, and continue to uplift that beauty and to uphold that beauty,” she told Lowe. “And I felt a lot of pressure. And, because I’m not a minor anymore.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CRZmzMZDBzw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again MTV is bringing back “Cribs” after more than 20 years since its debut. MTV announced the revival of the series on Wednesday. Back in the day, the show was accused of renting lavish homes and hiring celebrities to pretend they live in the homes, offering fans a glimpse of their baller life. It remains to be seen how authentic the revival show will be. The new series will follow the same format as the original, viewers will get a full tour of celebrity homes. https://youtu.be/6ix3twBu17Y “Power” creator Courtney A. Kemp is taking the “Power” franchise to another level. She likes to refer to the show as the power universe, similar to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) – where you have break out stories about the most popular characters. Fans were introduced to the extension of “Power” with “Power Book II: Ghost.” The next story line is about to hit your TV screens, “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” tells the back story of the chaotic and ruthless character Kanan, previously played by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson in “Power.” Fans will get a look into Kanan’s past and a better understanding of his character. The story takes place during Kanan’s teenage years, and viewers will be introduced to more than just his past. With a new show comes new characters and new characters bring new drama! Benzino is clapping hard at Lil Naz X for that certain The details surrounding Richard Sherman‘s arrest Wednesday morning near Seattle are indeed disturbing, but not as disturbing as they could be since he is alive to tell about it. The full picture hasn’t been painted yet of what exactly happened when the free-agent cornerback was taken into custody by officers with the Redmond Police Department, but what has been reported so far suggests he may have been suffering from a mental health crisis or depression. Sherman was allegedly trying to break into the home of his wife’s parents following a reported single-vehicle accident in which he was involved that may have been caused because he was drunk. But been before that, according to a 911 call from his wife, Sherman was acting suicidal and threatening to harm himself verbally as well as in text messages to friends. Police have said Sherman resisted arrest when they arrived at his in-laws’ home, prompting them to sic a police dog on him. The bottom line is that Richard Sherman is lucky the police didn’t kill him. Well, it seems controversial talk radio host Larry Elder didn’t have to think too long. This week, he announced his decision to enter the state’s September 14 recall election. Entry into the race for Elder—dubbed the “Sage from South Central”—did not come without a measure of reluctance, before giving way to an encouraging group of supporters that included fellow conservative radio host, Dennis Prager and concern that several critical issues were spiraling out of control. “My top issues are rising crime, the rising cost of housing; homelessness; Gavin Newsom’s dictatorial and anti-science coronavirus lockdown; and the poor quality of many urban public schools, K through 12,” Elder told L.A. Focus. Thanks to the new, expanded child tax credit, millions of American families woke up Thursday morning to find up to $300 for each of their young children directly deposited into their bank accounts. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service estimated that nearly 60 million children would benefit from the expanded child tax credit, which President Joe Biden signed into law to benefit working families with children 17 and younger. Many of those families will on Thursday begin receiving the first of 12-scheduled monthly payments as part of the American Rescue Plan. https://twitter.com/i/status/1415632826934992896 Barrier-breaking baseball legend Jackie Robinson left behind a legacy that will echo for generations to come and the foundation founded in his honor recently received a major donation to further its mission of empowering youth from disenfranchised communities to become the changemakers of tomorrow. The Hess Corporation awarded the Jackie Robinson Foundation with a $1.4 million grant. Founded in 1973—a year after Robinson’s death—the nonprofit was designed to level the playing field in higher education by addressing the socio-economic barriers faced by youth from marginalized communities. Since its inception, the organization has awarded several scholarships and cultivated learning environments to help students thrive as they work towards advancing their education and building a solid foundation for their careers. The NFL announced plans to perform or play the black national anthem, before games during the beginning of this year’s season, ESPN reports. ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing,’ traditionally referred to as the black national anthem, will be performed before ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ during the season opener on September 10, when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans. The NFL, in collaboration with the NFL Players Association, is also considering featuring names of victims who suffered police brutality on uniforms, helmets or patches on jerseys. The decision comes as the league hopes to demonstrate ‘a genuine commitment to the public, players and coaches and that player voices continue to be heard,’ the source wrote in a text message. ‘This is key to educating fans, and becoming a prominent voice in the fight to end racism.’ Veteran NBA referee Tony Brown has opened up about how his pancreatic cancer diagnosis changed his course a year ago. “I was considered one of the best referees in the world,” Brown tells The Undefeated. “When this season began, my goal was to experience that exhilarating moment again. But life threw me a curveball. Pancreatic cancer. Stage 4. Honestly, I don’t know what’s in store for me,” he said. “But with the love of my wife, my kids, my NBA family and my friends in the trenches alongside me, I’m well armed for this battle for my life,” Brown added. Rich Eisen announced on social media Thursday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms despite being vaccinated. The NFL Network anchor had a message for his followers: “Get vaccinated.” “Double-vaxxed. COVID+. It’s possible, folks. As someone sitting Day 4 in quarantine fighting off symptoms, I can personally attest you still need to be careful and, most importantly, get vaccinated,” Eisen wrote on Instagram. While the U.S. statistically has fewer cases and deaths than it did in January, coronavirus cases have been ticking up lately due to the virulent Delta variant. Eisen received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine in February and said that he is now experiencing symptoms from the virus, though he did not describe which. However, he emphasized that his symptoms would be far worse if he had not gotten vaccinated. A judge has dismissed blogger Latasha K’s complaint against rapper Cardi B, ruling that she failed to provide evidence for any of her claims of threats, emotional distress, and assault. TMZ reported, “Instead, [Latasha] has only made allegations that others who may be associated with [Cardi] made these threats,” the judge ruled, “… and has failed to demonstrate here that the threats … were directed by [Cardi].” The legal battle began last year when Taska K claimed Cardi lied about her on social media, which led to death threats from her fans. According to the court documents, Latasha K hit the Bronx rapper with a $1million lawsuit in federal court, and it came months after Cardi sued the popular blogger for defamation. DaBaby is catching heat on Twitter for reprimanding candy-selling kids for overcharging him while he was in New York for the ESPY Awards. Sharing the video to his Instagram Story Sunday, DaBaby apparently intended to teach the kids a lesson in fair business ethics after they tried to charge him $200 for a box of Gushers. The boys told the rapper that their rate was $2 for each individual bag of candy but DaBaby noted that the boxes only contained 34 bags, prompting a quick math tutorial. “What’s 34 multiplied by two, my boy?” he presses them. “It ain’t $200! It’s not even $100. It’s $68.”One Twitter user who shared the clip wrote, “Shorties missed out on their blessing after tryna finesse DaBaby.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1414344791924477956 Casting for season 14 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” season 14 is said to be in shambles as production on the reality show gets underway. Sources exclusively tell lovebscott.com that production “has no idea who they want to round out the cast and why.” According to the report, Porsha Williams is currently filming her 8-episode spinoff showcasing her family, her life, and her new relationship with Simon Guobadia. As for her future on RHOA, “we hear she’s ‘seriously considering’ not returning for season 14,” the outlet writes. Safaree Samuels and Erica Mena are currently tied up in a bitter divorce and according to an updated report, it looks like things are getting worse! TMZ reports that Safaree recently filed docs asking the judge to hold his estranged wife in contempt for violating their domestic relations standing order which prohibits them from harassing each other or destroying each other’s property during the divorce. However, in the docs obtained by the news site, Safaree says Erica destroyed some of his stuff on May 23, just 2 days after she filed for divorce. David Price known professionally as KVNG DAVID is a multifaceted talent with a list of credits that include rapper, actor, chef, and model. When asked what is his “first” love, KVNG DAVID says, if I had to choose one that supersedes all the others, it is music. His latest album, “Interspace,” out now is a brilliant, well-seasoned hip-hop and rap 15 track masterpiece! It’s bold, lyrically-tight tracks are defined by incredible complexity, and inventiveness in a revolutionary yet spiritual way. KVNG DAVID’s vocal delivery is on par with many of the most influential hip hop artists of all time from Jay-Z to Busta Rhymes to Kendrick Lamar. Nivea appeared on a recent episode of Kandi Burruss’ YouTube series “On That Note,” and opened up about why her career stalled as well as her relationships with Lil Wayne and ex-husband The Dream. Nivea also dished about having an intimate relationship with her manager when she was 16-years-old. “I worked with him from 14 years old to 21, and he was at least 20 or 30 years older,” Nivea said, as reported by Urban Hollywood 411. “I was clearly a child and he was clearly almost a grandaddy.” During the conversation, the singer revealed that she was raped by one of her manager’s friends when she was a teenager. The most shocking part of the conversation came when she confessed that her ex/baby daddy Lil Wayne convinced her to quit the music business and promised he would financially take care of her. “He said, ‘Come be with me. I got you,’” Nivea told Burruss. When Deniz Saypinar was confronted by an American Airlines gate agent last Thursday at Dallas Airport, she thought the agent was joking. “They said, ‘Hey, you can’t go to the plane, because you’re naked,’” she recalled. Saypinar, a bodybuilder from Turkey who was headed to Miami for Swim Week wearing short shorts and a crop top, said the agent told her that her outfit would be offensive to families. Saypinar documented the experience to her million Instagram followers. “I was shaking, because I thought, ‘It’s not real what’s happening. I felt so panicked.’” https://cbsloc.al/3AYVQiD Chicago Sky star Candace Parker has earned a variety of accolades over her 14-year WNBA career. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year can now add an appearance on the cover of NBA 2K22 to the list. By gracing this year’s cover of the hoops video game, which will be released on Sept. 10, Parker is recognized as the first woman to receive the honor. Parker’s version will be for the WNBA’s 25th anniversary special edition. “I think it’s a benchmark of women’s basketball for sure,” Parker told the Associated Press about her NBA 2K opportunity. “I think most importantly it speaks to visibility and how important it is and how important the WNBA is…Now more than ever, fans want to follow the athlete. Through social media, through video games, it’s adding and benefiting the WNBA.” Calvin Gary, better known as Joonie, calls his latest project his “third masterpiece.” Titled “Yellow Dust,” it reaches a broad fan base because of the diverse sound and attention to detail. (His other two albums are “Acoustic Love” and “No vacancy in our legacy.”) An avid fan of his own music and sound, Joonie understands the importance of him connecting with his music before putting it out for public consumption. In fact, when he created the song, “Love You More,” it literally saved his career. At a time when he thought about walking away from music, creating that tune not only kept him engaged, it also anchored his first album. A talented music manager, Kasual Kas has always had an amazing ear for music. For years he used those talents to propel others, but now, as CEO of Big Wins Only, Kas stands to reap the benefits of his hard work and create the type of atmosphere for his artists that is conducive to sustained success. Though solidly rooted in music, Big Wins Only plans to branch out into several entertainment fields as well as sports. With Matt Patterson and Fredrick Green and a silent partner, the quartet plans to create great artists, but even better human beings. A family atmosphere and high expectations are the company’s core values. Learning to treat every win as a big win is the key to their anticipated success. CCM Magazine is hosting the exclusive premiere for the lyric video to Mickey Bell's hilarious song, "One Pound At A Time." The song release last week on all digital outlets. Mickey wrote the song as a funny and motivating tune. Mickey says: "People are always looking for motivation to lose weight. There’s just not a good song that will help you with a herbal cleanse, ha! So, I created one. I hope it “moves” people, ha!" https://youtu.be/nE89CUi7jNA It has been a privilege to honor Kirk Franklin over the years, and now we celebrate him selling 500,000 copies of his single “Love Theory”! Kirk was surprised during our official Stellar Awards Afterparty and presented with a RIAA Certified Gold plaque for “Love Theory”. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRMg4_xnBPX/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=dd75b5f7-bd1d-4f00-aab7-1ba6b7bec76d Kelontae Gavin knows how to shift an atmosphere! Experience his rendition of “Victory” during his Positive Vibes Only performance made possible by The Recording Academy. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/videos/2021-positive-vibes-only-watch-kelontae-gavin-perform-celebratory-victory-gospel We know Kierra Sheard comes from greatness and we were beyond excited to celebrate her family at the Stellars as she, her mother, and her aunts (who make up the legendary group The Clark Sisters) performed some classics and took home the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award! From Kierra’s courses and book, “Big, Bold and Beautiful” to her concerts, music and videos full of gems, be sure to keep up with Kierra and get ready for what’s next! https://www.liinks.co/kierrasheardkelly Bishop Leonard Scott, has done it again! It was an eventful weekend in Nashville Tennessee at the Stellars Awards. This year Bishop was awarded the Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award! "Hymns In Times Like These," Bishop's Newest Album, an Hymns project bridging together generations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kak_R1-66_U Robyn McGhee drops new song "Come On Jesus." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr_0qobBbF0 KEVINA LOVE drops "Premeditated." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7957733?date=20210710&user_id=668306&signature=CUOg6WwIFSNeafmEM40zCrbuOGw%3AgknTznUc A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, July 15 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, experts analyze the killing of a local gospel singer. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UioXQ1al78 International Gathering of Champions Conference w/guest Artist Anthony Brown August 25-29, 2021. The Smollett sibling duo continue to bring their keen design flavor to CLEO TV this Saturday, July 17th at 9 p.m. ET/8C on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOH3MXXIqM Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife has been charged with murder in his death following an investigation authorities called Operation Rebound, officials said Saturday in an announcement that came seven years after the former NBA player’s slaying. Sherra Wright, 46, has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, Memphis police Director Michael Rallings said. Federal marshals arrested her late Friday in California and she was being held in Riverside County. Billy R. Turner was arrested in Memphis on Tuesday and the 46-year old was charged with first-degree murder. Wright’s death had been a mystery since his body was discovered in the woods outside Memphis on July 28, 2010, 10 days after he was reported missing. He was 34. A gun believed to have been used in Wright’s murder was found last month in a lake near Walnut, Mississippi and considered a major break in the case. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1222101498261630 Baltimore City Police officer Eric Banks Jr. has been charged for the killing of his 15-year-old stepson Dasan Jones. His arrest comes after the medical examiner’s finding the death was a homicide by asphyxiation, CBS reports. “This is an absolutely heartbreaking, traumatic and horrific case. Our hearts ache for his grieving mother and his siblings,” Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad said. https://youtu.be/Vv9urTAhtIg Four-year-old Kash Coullier is just like any other kid— he likes Spider-Man, playing with racecars, and wants to be the Green Goblin when he grows up. That’s if his music career doesn’t work out, as Coullier also has a passion for rapping. He’s the son of local musician, Carlos “CraftyLos” Coullier. Kash fell in love with music after hearing himself on a song in a studio session with his dad. “Kashmania” has been releasing music since he was three, but it’s his latest music video that’s spreading a powerful message as he speaks out against gun violence in his city. https://youtu.be/puFo7tgyNKA Months after announcing his intentions to run for Texas attorney general, civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt is making good on his promise and officially launched his campaign on Tuesday. Merritt, running as a Democrat, is also an activist who has played instrumental roles in seeking justice for victims of gun and police violence by notably representing the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean and Atatiana Jefferson, said he is confident he can beat the incumbent Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — whom he has called “associate of white supremacy and tool of voter suppression” — in a general election. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2911513872449356 The oldest civil rights organization in the United States is stepping up to protect any of the Texas House Democrats who might get arrested for effectively blocking the state’s racist proposed election bill from being enacted into law. Rachel Scott of ABC News reported that the NAACP said it would uphold the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis’ concept of “good trouble” by offering to bail out any of the dozens of House Democrats in Texas who walked out of the legislature’s chamber on Monday to prevent a vote on election restrictions from taking place. “War has been declared on democracy, and we will support anyone who stands up to defend it,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said. “We are fully invested in good trouble.” Tuesday marked the sixth year since Sandra Bland was found dead in police custody following a questionable traffic stop-turned violent by the arresting officer in Texas. The 28-year-old was driving from her native Illinois to begin a new job at Prairie View A&M University when she was pulled over for a minor moving violation. But what should have been a routine ticketing experience quickly devolved into brutality when State Trooper Brian Encinia failed to de-escalate the encounter, which resulted in Bland being charged with assault. Dashcam video from Encinia’s cruiser suggested he was the aggressor. Three days later, on July 13, 2015, Bland’s body was found hanging from her jail cell, where she had been remanded because of an inability to afford a $5,000 bond. Even though Bland’s death was ruled a suicide, suspicion of officers in the Waller County Jail has lingered as no one has ever been held accountable. The criminal trial against a wealthy and white Democratic donor who had two Black men die from drug overdoses within 18 months of each other at his California home has officially begun. Ed Buck is accused of supplying the men with drugs in exchange for sex in West Hollywood. At least one other Black man also overdosed in Buck’s home, but that unidentified man survived. Opening statements were scheduled to begin in the downtown Los Angeles federal courthouse on Wednesday, one day after the 12 jurors selected to serve on the trial were sworn in. Buck, 66, was arrested in September 2019 after a third man overdosed in his home. He was charged with one felony count each of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house. https://twitter.com/i/status/1174181424037076992 The U.S. government had a stern warning in no uncertain terms for any Haitians considering trying to flee and seek asylum in the U.S. following the assassination of the island nation’s president: Don’t do it. It was the latest episode in the ongoing immigration crisis facing the U.S. But critics might not take too kindly to the broader sentiment to Haitians from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who on Tuesday discussed the consequences for those who try to make the journey to the U.S. Mayorkas stated that Haitians trying to travel to the U.S. “will die” and discouraged any “migration by sea,” the Washington Post reported. He later added: “Allow me to be clear, if you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States.” Police work can be one of the best-paid professions in the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2020 median salary for a police officer was $67,290 – more than one-third higher than the national median of $48,769 for all occupations. Many officers probably earn much more, because the bureau’s analysis is based on hourly wages for a typical work year of 2,080 hours and does not include overtime – one of the factors that can drive an officer’s yearly income even higher. Although there is a great deal of variation across the nation’s roughly 18,000 police departments, the agency also reports that salaries for police have largely climbed in the past five years – from an 8.8% increase in Mississippi, the state that overall pays its police the least, to a 21% increase in Hawaii, one of the best-paying states. The National Urban League’s 2021 State of Black America® report, “The New Normal: Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive,” charts a path forward as the nation emerges from these “three pandemics.” “The United States finds itself at crossroads of racial reckoning,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “One path leads backward, toward the “old normal:” a return to the marginalization, discrimination, and segregation that left Black and Brown Americans exceptionally vulnerable to a deadly virus and economic desperation. The other path leads toward a nation where police approach the communities they serve as allies and collaborators, and not hostile combatants; where every citizen has equal access to the ballot box, where fatal complications in pregnancy are just as rare for Black mothers as for as white mothers, where the value of a home is not determined by the race of its owner.” https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/national-urban-league-releases-its-state-of-black-america-2021-report-116813381794 A George Floyd mural was destroyed after it was allegedly hit by lightning on Tuesday in Toledo, Ohio. Donald Trump Jr. said the destruction might be a sign from God. Trump wrote in a post on Instagram. “I mean you have to wonder if someone, like a higher power, is telling us something here?!?” The mural was painted on the side of a building on the corner of Summit and LaGrange. Witnesses confirm it was struck by lightning before the old wall collapsed. “Obviously what happened to George Floyd should never happen anywhere!!!” Trump Jr. continued. “That said, objectively speaking, given his history I’m not sure turning him into a deity and a role model for our children is exactly the right idea either.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1415167032228814848 The wife of Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins is charged with domestic battery after allegedly knocking out one of his teeth when she punched him during a disagreement, according to an arrest report obtained by 8NewsNow Las Vegas. A piece of his tooth was found on the floor of a room at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where the alleged incident took place on July 3. Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins, 23, told Metro police officers that she and her husband have had verbal arguments in the past, but nothing physical. “I want her out of my room,” Haskins told a security officer at The Cosmopolitan. “She hit me and cut my lip open.” According to Dwayne’s Instagram and several news articles, the couple was recently engaged at TAO Asian Bistro & Nightclub at The Venetian. https://www.8newsnow.com/sports/local-sports/steelers-qb-haskins-loses-a-tooth-wife-arrested-after-dispute-at-the-cosmopolitan/ Luby’s, Inc., the parent company that operates Luby’s, Fuddruckers, Koo Koo Roo, and Cheeseburger in Paradise, in June announced an agreement to sell its Fuddruckers franchise business operations to Black Titan Franchise Systems LLC, owned by Nicholas Perkins in a deal valued at $18.5 million. Months earlier, Perkins became one of the largest Fuddruckers franchisees when Luby’s sold him 13 of the company-owned restaurants. Now, he owns all 92, making him the first African American to own a national burger franchise system. https://youtu.be/DHeZZmHg1yY Amazon Prime Video and IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service, have inked a licensing deal with Sony Pictures Television that will add classic television shows from legendary producer Norman Lear, reports Deadline. The series, including “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Maude,” “One Day at a Time,” “227,” “Diff’rent Strokes,” “The Jeffersons,” “Sanford” and “Sanford & Son,” represent the largest collection of Lear shows and the highest number of episodes ever available to stream at one time, according to the companies. Some of the series will be available on SVOD platform Prime Video, the others on ad-supported IMDb TV. There will be no overlap as the two platforms do not share programming, with Amazon making the decision about which shows goes where. “227” and “Diff’rent Strokes” will launch on Prime Video today, July 15. “The Jeffersons,” “Sanford & Son,” and “Sanford” will launch on the SVOD service later in 2021. “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Maude,” and “”One Day at a Time” will also launch July 15 but on IMDb TV. https://youtu.be/WfT6nmQeebQ Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will create and executive produce the animated series “Pearl” for Netflix. The projects hail from Markle and Prince Harry’s Archewell Productions. Per Deadline, the series centers on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration in a variety of influential women throughout history. The show is part of Harry and Meghan’s multi-year deal with the streaming giant. Chrissy Teigen has hit up social media to whine about the cancel culture movement after her brand was nearly annihilated following her bullying scandal. To recap, last month, the former model issued an apology after Bloomingdale’s canceled a promotional deal with the cookbook author “at the 11th hour because of her explosive cyberbullying scandal,” with Courtney Stodden, Page Six reported. Macy’s also dropped Teigen’s “Cravings by Chrissy” cookware line from its website. The fallout began after Stodden, now 26, revealed that the former model encouraged her to kill herself in private Twitter messages when she was 16 years old. Teigen also apologized in May, writing on Twitter, “Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their past bulls–t in front of the entire world. I’m mortified and sad at who I used to be.” She added, “I was an insecure, attention-seeking troll. I am ashamed and completely embarrassed at my behavior but that… is nothing compared to how I made Courtney feel.” Teigen wrote a long Instagram post on Wednesday about her unhealthy mental state since multiple allegations of bullying surfaced in the past few months. Colin Kaepernick will release a series of books through the children’s publisher Scholastic, starting with a picture story scheduled for next year. “I Color Myself Different” will come out in April, according to an announcement Thursday by Scholastic and Kaepernick Publishing, which the former NFL quarterback founded last year. Kaepernick, who was a member of the San Francisco 49ers, has not played in the NFL since 2016, after he knelt at games during “The Star Spangled Banner” to protest racial injustice and police treatment of Black people. Kaepernick, 33, was adopted by a white family and his picture book is based on a kindergarten memory when he used a yellow crayon to draw his family, then a brown one to draw himself. An injection of funding has been approved and allocated toward preserving 40 Black American historical sites, a donation made through the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The organization announced on Friday that more than $3 million in grants have been awarded to its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. This specific branch of the agency works to preserve historical sites and locations that are significant to Black American history. With this grant funding, locations including Emmett Till’s funeral home in Chicago, the National Negro Opera Company in Pittsburgh, the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Ohio, and the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center in Denver are some of the sites that will receive funding for historic preservation. Tennis phenom Naomi Osaka has scored an ace off the court, with a Barbie doll figure of herself that’s flying off the shelves. The posable toy — which features the four-time Grand Slam winner in her outfit from the 2020 Australian Open — sold out in just hours after it dropped on Monday for $29.99 a box, the maker, Mattel, said. “I hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything,” Osaka tweeted on Monday after announcing the release of the toy. The newest plastic-version of Osaka, which comes complete with a replica of her Yonex racket, is a part of the Barbie Role Model series. The Barbie website has limited sales of the 13-inch-high doll to two per customer. Actress Marla Gibbs is movin’ on up — to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Gibbs, 90, who played maid Florence Johnston in 207 episodes of the 1970s sitcom “The Jeffersons,” announced on Instagram that she would be receiving the star on July 20. In a four-photograph-video slide, Gibbs makes the comparison to longtime actress Betty White. “Hello, Marla Gibbs here. I understand you were asked why didn’t you celebrate me the way you celebrate Betty White?” Gibbs says in the Instagram video. “Well, guess what? You do celebrate me and you love me and you support me. And that’s why I am getting a star on Hollywood Boulevard, child, on July 20 at 11:30 a.m. Yes, because of you.” Kraft has partnered with New York-based company Van Leeuwen to develop Macaroni-and-Cheese flavored ice cream. According to reports, the limited-edition product was made with no artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes. The ice cream launched on Wednesday and is already sold out, said Kraft. https://kstp.com/business/kraft-creates-mac-and-cheese-flavored-ice-cream/6171955/ #1 Billboard artist, three-time Stellar Award ® nominated and recipient of a 2018 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award, Bryan Popin is just that... Popin! Bryan drops "So Good @ Me." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7965770?date=20210713&user_id=668306&signature=GqGg4qU2FnBOtC87ZcnnXrEPL1A%3A1myzVQ4i Potential Music is a contemporary Christian worship ministry from Potential Church in Miami, Florida. They have now released their debut single "Into The Deep", a passionate and powerful contemporary song that pushes the atmosphere to an apex of pure worship. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1776909379175737 The COVID-19 curve in the U.S. is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings. Confirmed infections climbed to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And all but two states — Maine and South Dakota — reported that case numbers have gone up over the past two weeks. “It is certainly no coincidence that we are looking at exactly the time that we would expect cases to be occurring after the July Fourth weekend,” said Dr. Bill Powderly, co-director of the infectious-disease division at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis. At the same time, parts of the country are running up against deep vaccine resistance, while the highly contagious mutant version of the coronavirus that was first detected in India is accounting for an ever-larger share of infections. The five states with the biggest two-week jump in cases per capita all had lower vaccination rates: Missouri, 45.9%; Arkansas, 43%; Nevada, 50.9%; Louisiana, 39.2%; and Utah, 49.5%. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Washington DC Statehood has been something that its longtime congressional representative Eleanor Holmes Norton has spent decades trying to achieve. During her appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Wednesday, she even brought along an American flag with 51 stars to show how it would look. “When you add one star, you can’t tell the difference,” she said, laughing. ‘The only people who can tell the difference are the people who live in that state, and I can tell you we can’t wait to tell the difference.” https://youtu.be/B4glpu49NYA Major League Baseball honored the late Henry “Hank” Aaron just before the start of Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Denver’s Coors Field. The 25-time All-Star Atlanta Braves right fielder died on Jan. 22 at age 86. His widow Billye, the first African-American woman in the Southeast to co-host a daily talk show, was accompanied to home plate by the Braves’ Freddie Freeman and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge. https://youtu.be/QlB4pfehXcY LeBron James stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, where talk show legend Arsenio Hall is pinch-hitting for the week. The focus at one point turned to Kimmel’s on-set better half, Guillermo, who James said did a lot to help him focus during his multitude of NBA playoff runs. https://youtu.be/nXd2IQvtrHs The Coca-Cola Company has pledged to almost double its ad spending with minority-owned media, the latest in a wave of major companies responding to pressure — and a $10 billion lawsuit — over how they allocate such dollars. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola North America said in June its ad spending with such companies will be five times higher than in 2020, with 8 percent of its total annual media budget will be allocated to black, Hispanic and Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned media by 2024. Other major corporations have made similar pledges in recent weeks. Twenty companies — including Uber, General Mills, Adidas, Tyson Foods and Target — signed on to GroupM’s Media Inclusion Initiative, pledging in June to commit 2 percent or more of their total annual media budgets to black-owned media. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Cornel West, the eccentric professor, public intellectual and progressive activist, resigned from Harvard after a tenure dispute and accused the university of “spiritual rot” in a letter posted to his Twitter on Monday. “How sad it is to see our beloved Harvard Divinity School in such decline and decay,” he wrote in the letter. “The disarray of a scattered curriculum, the disenchantment of talented yet deferential faculty, and the disorientation of precious students loom large.” His resignation comes after he said Harvard denied him an opportunity to receive tenure, the indefinite academic appointment that makes it extremely difficult to remove professors. Harvard University and Harvard Divinity School both declined comment. CNN has reached out to West and has not heard back. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman was entertaining suicidal thoughts, according to a 911 call, before he was arrested and jailed in the Seattle suburb of Redmond, Wash., early Wednesday morning on three charges, including felony domestic violence residential burglary. The arrest ended a night that included what police suspect was an alcohol-induced crash rendering his SUV not drivable, and subsequent threats to hang himself, according to audio of a 911 call Sherman’s wife, Ashley Moss, made and which was obtained and publicized by KIRO Radio. Sherman, who is an unsigned free agent, also was booked for resisting arrest and malicious mischief for damage caused to a door while trying to force entry into his in-laws’ home shortly before 2 a.m., Redmond police chief Darrell Lowe said during an afternoon news conference. https://youtu.be/o6OZqXumrg8 Jaquan Yulee, a former linebacker at Marshall University in West Virginia, died in a car crash on Tuesday night, school officials have confirmed. “A sad day for all who knew Jaquan Yulee,” former Marshall football coach John “Doc” Holliday wrote on Twitter of Yulee’s death. “He is one of the toughest and most resilient football players I’ve ever been around. But more, he was beloved by coaches and teammates because of the type of person he was. He will be missed.” According to WVEC, the 24-year-old was involved in a single-vehicle accident in Virginia. Yulee’s car flipped onto its roof, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Former Denver Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs, a key part of the staff that helped the Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s, has died, the team announced. He was 80 years old. The team said Gibbs died from complications from a stroke and was surrounded by his family in Phoenix. Gibbs’ zone-blocking scheme helped Denver develop a dominant running game behind Hall of Famer Terrell Davis that helped head coach Mike Shanahan and the Broncos win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only Black battalion of women to serve in Europe during World War II, was credited with solving a growing mail crisis during its stint in England and, upon their return, serving as a role model to generations of Black women who joined the military. But for decades, the exploits of the 855 members were never widely recognized — until now. The Senate passed legislation that would award members of the battalion, affectionately known as the Six Triple Eight, with the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill is awaiting action in the House. There are believed to be only seven surviving members of the 6888th, including Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, who has met with her local congressman to press for passage of the bill. https://youtu.be/CPagbfkTIDs One 9-year-old is getting an early start in the medical field. When Angelica Gunn, 30, from Belton, Missouri, started having intense contractions on June 28, her husband was at work. A week before her expected due date of July 9, and having gone into false labor just a couple days prior, Gunn wasn’t sure if this time was the real deal. “Then midday the contractions just kicked in really hard,” Gunn told “Good Morning America.” “I felt the urge to push all of a sudden.” With no one home but her daughter Aakayla, 9, and her son Caleb, Jr., 4, Gunn knew she would have to ask for Aakayla’s help in delivering the baby. “I just screamed for my daughter to come in,” she said. “I was like, ‘Something’s happening, you’re going to have to look and tell me what’s going on because I don’t know.’ I kind of just felt intense pressure and like [the baby’s] head was coming out.” Initially, Gunn was worried about having her daughter help at a young age, but knew the baby was coming no matter what and that she would need assistance to deliver safely. Carl Thomas, Dave Hollister, and Donell Jones, three of the biggest names in R&B music in the 90s and 00s, are forming a “supergroup.” The Chicago natives announced that they are forming a new singing outfit called The Chi. In a post shared on Facebook, Jones said: “New R&B Group ‘The Chi’ @carlthomasnow, @davehollister @donnelljonesforever. Yesssss it’s happening! The level of music and songwriting will be impeccable and you already know the voices! It’s only right for us to come together and represent Chicago and R&B to the fullest.” Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and his wife Nicole Pantenburg are divorcing after 7 years of marriage. “After much thought and with great sadness, we have decided to end our marriage. We continue to care and have respect for one another and share eternal love for our daughter and her well-being,” the couple said in a statement to TMZ. “We ask for personal privacy for ourselves and our daughter as we navigate these new steps as a family.“ Edmonds and Pantenburg got hitched back in 2014 and share one daughter, 12-year-old Peyton Nicole. It’s unclear what led to the split. Babyface was previously married to Tracey Edmonds from 1992 to 2005 … and they share two sons, Brandon and Dylan. https://youtu.be/jBWXgndOMZo Rihanna is renting out her 5-bedroom, 7,628-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills for $80,000 per month. Rihanna scooped up the mansion for $13.8 million, according to the report. Olympian Simone Biles covers the Wall Street Journal’s July digital issue! The wide-ranging profile explores how the most powerful woman in gymnastics has survived abuse, endured a harrowing family ordeal, and overcome self-doubt to get to Tokyo, and found love along the way. The profile includes candid interviews with Simone, her mother Nellie, and her coach Cecile Landi. “I feel like for all these years I’ve kind of let gymnastics do the talking, and I’ve kind of stamped my position there,” said Biles on her place in gymnastics. “So at the end of the day, I can say I’ve done it all, and more.” Stephen A. Smith is under fire for comments he made on ESPN about the Nigerian men’s basketball team. On Monday’s edition of “First Take,” Smith appeared to mock the players as he called out Team USA for losing to Nigeria in an exhibition game over the weekend, as reported by Fade Away World. Many took to Twitter to slam Smith for appearing to mispronounce the names of several Nigerian players. “There’s no excuse to lose to Nigeria… [To lose to] some dude Gabe Nnamdi, who goes by Gabe Vincent and plays for the Miami Heat. Or Caleb Agada. Or Nma… however the hell you pronounce his name,” Smith declared. “You give up 60 points on 3’s? Excuse me, you can do better than that.” Several players clapped back on Twitter, telling Smith to show some respect when speaking about the team. https://youtu.be/IHBsdObZLcg A white woman had an epic meltdown inside a Victoria’s Secret location in New Jersey after she tried to attack a Black female shopper who filmed the confrontation. https://youtu.be/u5g9K0xY0-g CBS and the Television Academy have tapped The Neighborhood star Cedric the Entertainer to host the 2021 Emmy Awards. The awards will return to their usual home at the Microsoft Theatre in downtown L.A. for the Sept. 19 ceremony. The show will also feature a limited in-person audience of nominees and their guests after last year’s virtual affair. The executive producers of last year’s well-reviewed show (which aired on ABC), Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart, and director Hamish Hamilton will return for the 2021 Emmys. Done + Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment will produce. Gayle King revealed during an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci on CBS This Morning that her unvaccinated family members will not be welcome on her annual Thanksgiving vacation. “I don’t know how many more times you can say to people, ‘Listen, it will save your life,’ ” she told Fauci. “I have this problem with some members of my own family, which I’m now going to ban for Thanksgiving vacation. That’s how strongly I’m taking what you’re saying.” https://youtu.be/NXL7-4Mrm5c TV host Catt Sadler has revealed that she tested positive for COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated, while issuing a warning to others about the ongoing need for safety precautions amid surging cases of the ‘relentless’ Delta variant. The 46-year-old former E! News host, who lives in Los Angeles, posted a selfie from her sick bed on Tuesday and explained she contracted the coronavirus while ‘caring for someone who contracted COVID’ and who was not vaccinated. ‘I’m telling you this so that you understand that the pandemic is very much NOT over. Delta is relentless and highly contagious and grabbed ahold of me even after getting vaccinated,’ she wrote on Instagram. Sadler, who did not share when she received the COVID shot, admitted that she ‘assumed she would be fine’ because she herself was fully vaccinated, insisting that she also wore a face mask during the time that she was in contact with the person she was caring for. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com They have built a business empire together and recently celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary. And throughout their journey, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are in agreement about one thing; quitting is not option for them. The couple talked about the key to their long-lasting relationship in an interview with Access Hollywood on Monday, revealing that they have never considered splitting up. https://youtu.be/m4x-ALQfcnk “I like spitting some of my own,” said Dylan Gilmer, who stars in season-two of the comedy series “Young Dylan” on Nickelodeon, when asked if he got to rap on season-one. “On season-one I got to rap but it wasn’t my own.” The Tyler Perry produced series, “Young Dylan,” is slightly based on the life of Dylan who came to fame rapping on Youtube. The high views landed him on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” then performing at “NBA All Star Weekend” events, to performing on “America’s Got Talent.” He was scouted by Perry for the comedian series. The Annapolis, Maryland native is currently 12 years-old and sounding so excited about his journey thus far. https://youtu.be/2an3Q0oizVM US director Oliver Stone returned to one of his favourite themes as he presented his latest movie at Cannes on Tuesday, claiming that president John F Kennedy was assassinated by the CIA because he stood up to the American military. Stone, whose new documentary on the killing was premiering at the Cannes film festival, also told reporters that he thought it was fear of being bumped off that kept Barack Obama from challenging the military and intelligence agencies during his time in office. “Obama, one of his biggest concerns when he was president, was being assassinated because he was the first black president,” Stone told reporters. “I think he had fears. I don’t know this, I’m just assuming this from his behaviour: don’t offend anybody, be moderate in all things.” Stone’s new documentary, “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass”, pulls together evidence gathered in the three decades since his classic drama “JFK” — much of it released because of the furore triggered by that film. Wearing a wedding dress has been a lifelong dream for Martha Mae Ophelia Moon Tucker of Birmingham. KXAN reports that the 94-year-old got married in 1952 when her late husband said he would take her to the movies, and instead they ended up eloping. Moon Tucker never had a traditional wedding — but she at least got to try on dresses over the weekend surrounded by her family. The first dress she tried on was her favorite, making her feel like a queen, she said. “I felt like I was getting married,” Tucker said. “I looked at myself and said, ‘Who is that?’ Yeah, I enjoyed that dress.” Tucker, whose husband passed away in 1975, said she can’t thank her grandchildren enough for creating this special day for her. https://youtu.be/nxMEKXL40-M The late Natalie Cole opened up about her family’s colorism issues in her book, “Angel on My Shoulder: An Autobiography by Natalie Cole.” In the book, the music icon recalls moments when anti-Black racism isolated her from other Black Americans during childhood while growing up in Los Angeles’ exclusive Hancock Park section, as reported by I Love Old School Music. The Coles were the only Black residents in the neighborhood. “When I got friendly with the Black people who worked for us, MY MOTHER was appalled. She wanted us to interact with a different society-outside the house,” Cole wrote. Natalie’s famous father Nat King Cole married her light-skinned mother, Maria Cole, much to the disapproval of her family. “For a dark-skinned man such as my father to acquire a light-skinned woman such as my mother was a real important prize.Your status moved up. That doesn’t mean that her family was all that happy about her marrying my father. He was too Black for them,” wrote Natalie Cole. https://youtu.be/vl0obEOM1os Justin Glaze and Andrew Spencer, two of the Black men competing on the current season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” are the latest in the franchise to be haunted by their racially-insensitive social media posts from the past. When Glaze was a teenager, he insulted dark-skinned Black women and used homophobic slurs in his offensive tweets from 2009-2011, four of which surfaced on Reddit. Justin regularly used the word gay slur “f*g.” One tweet states how he can never date a girl “if she dark as @FlavorFlav” or has a “body big enough to be an avatar.” He also shares his opinion that, instead of TV shows and movies featuring a “well spoken caucasian cashier, they need to have a rude black b**** as a cashier once.” Glaze owned up to the posts during the latest episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast with Becca Kufrin and guest co-host Tayshia Adams. https://youtu.be/DnurAkXnYxs A video of rapper Trick Daddy getting into a verbal altercation with a woman has surfaced online. Hot97 reported, the incident took place outside of a Miami nightclub, and in the video, Trick and the woman appear to be arguing and getting a little physical before the video cuts off. According to the report, witnesses claim the hip-hop star paid for the woman and her friends to get into the club, and when they decided not to hang out with him afterward, he got upset. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRMZ_o2hher/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again While Lamar Odom reportedly doesn’t want any problems with Tristan Thompson, he still reportedly wants Khloé Kardashian back. Lamar Odom, who was married to Khloé Kardashian from 2009 to 2016, sparked drama with Tristan Thompson when he made a remark under one of the reality star’s photos. Lamar wrote, “Hottie.” Tristan Thompson, who has been off and on with Khloé Kardashian since 2016 and shares daughter True Thompson with her, told Lamar, “God brought you back the first time. Play if you want, different results”. It looks like Tristan was referencing Lamar’s near-death experience when he was found unconscious in a brothel due to an alleged cocaine overdose back in 2015. Either way, Khloé didn’t publicly respond to either of them. Now, an insider has said that Lamar didn’t mean to disrespect Tristan, and was under the impression Tristan and Khloé were no longer together. While reports have swirled that the Good American owner and Tristan split weeks ago, they haven’t confirmed or denied rumors. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith apologized Tuesday after receiving backlash for his remarks about Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani’s use of an interpreter. “I want to express my sincere apologies to the Asian community and the Asian American community,” Smith said in his opening remarks on ESPN’s morning talk show “First Take.” “I am a Black man. I religiously go off about minorities being marginalized in this nation.” Smith’s monologue came after the ESPN commentator offered an apology late Monday, saying: “As an African-American, keenly aware of the damage stereotyping has done to many in this country, it should’ve elevated my sensitivities even more.” “I screwed up,” he added. “In this day and age, with all the violence being perpetrated against the Asian Community, my comments — albeit unintentional — were clearly insensitive and regrettable.” Team USA might indeed win its fourth consecutive Olympic gold next month in Tokyo. But if the Americans do, it will be a story of overcoming adversity. They lost their second consecutive exhibition Monday, this time bested by Australia 91-83 in Las Vegas. Dating to the 2019 World Cup, where they finished seventh, Team USA has lost four of its past five games. It also has lost two in a row now to Australia, a team expected to contend for the gold in Japan. It was a better showing than the loss to Nigeria on Saturday, but just reading those words is a little mind-boggling considering the pedigree of this roster and coaching staff. Their chemistry and execution, particularly in late-game situations, is holding the Americans back in their early stages of defending their title. All of England had been captivated at the prospect of being crowned European soccer champions for the first time, and the national team’s wrenching defeat on Sunday tore a collective wound — in more ways than one. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were among the five England players who braved the pressures of the penalty shootout at the end of the championship. But they all missed the mark, unleashing a surge of racist abuse on social media against the players, all of whom are young Black men. In the early hours of Monday, Manchester police were called to Withington, in the south of the city, where Mr. Rashford was born, after receiving reports that racist graffiti had been scrawled on a monochrome mural of the soccer star. WE tv’s hit series “Beyond the Pole” returns this week with an all-new episode. This season on “Beyond the Pole,” Ms. Dime, Angel Kake, Empress, Lyric, Virgo, Gigi Maguire, Ya Ya, Treasure, and Milk Marie “Pinky” are dealing with a world that is changing along with their businesses. Everyone is feeling the stress of quarantine, staying masked-up, healthy, and keeping the bills paid in this new COVID reality. Now that the city of Atlanta has reopened, the women face these challenges as well as the pressure on their friendships, relationships and professional lives. https://youtu.be/kbsugGn0OlY Some albums are destined for a certain time. After several years of evolution and change in her life, Grammy® Award-Winning Artist, NAACP Image® Award-Winning Actress, Songwriter, and Producer, Tamela Mann, is set to release her new Tillymann Music album, Overcomer, through The Orchard Distribution on Friday, August 6. There is a new sense of authority and urgency in Tamela’s music now; she has lived these songs and is ready to share the strength and purpose she has found. Propelled by the singer’s strong, passionate vocals, and her newfound voice as a songwriter, each of the 12 tracks on Overcomer was conceived to bring healing and hope to a world resetting after a tumultuous chapter in its history. There is plenty to unpack from a lyrical standpoint, and Tamela is at the writing helm on most of the songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7qIuNnVcQ Congratulations to Maverick City Music, who took home New Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year at the 2021 Stellar Awards for the 2020 release of Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1. Between Maverick City Music and all of its artists, the Billboard No.1 collective garnered 11 Stellar Award nominations. The gospel event of the year, the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, will air on BET on Sunday, August 1st, at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. Gospel legend Tye Tribbett and multiple Stellar Award winner Jekalyn Carr will host the highly-anticipated event, which will feature inspirational performances from the genre’s most celebrated artists. When Rep. Jim Clyburn speaks, he expects Democrats, including the president, to listen. The elder statesman sees a filibuster exception as the only way to move forward with election reform. In an interview with Politico, Clyburn said President Joe Biden needs to get aggressive with action on the filibuster. Clyburn stopped short of demanding a complete abolition of the procedure. But he thinks there should be action taken where the legislation involves constitutional rights. The White House has suggested it supports a “talking” filibuster, but the Biden Administration remains reluctant to support even the exception suggested by Clyburn. Clyburn isn’t the first to suggest tweaking the filibuster. Voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams previously suggested relaxing the filibuster. Four months ago, Abrams wrote an op-ed calling for the filibuster exception. From pioneering democratic presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm to political powerhouse Stacey Abrams, Black women have historically been instrumental in shaping the landscape of politics. Rosa Franklin—a woman who broke racial and gender barriers in Washington state’s political sphere—is being celebrated by the city of Tacoma by having a park renamed in her honor, KING 5 News reported. Franklin’s contributions will forever be embedded in the fabric of Washington’s history. The South Carolina native was the first Black woman to serve as a Washington state senator. The former nurse-turned-politician stepped into the realm of politics during the early 90s and has dedicated her career to advancing public service. In 1990, she was elected to the Washington State Legislature and was re-elected two years later. Two months after her reelection, the individual serving as State Senator of the 29th District passed away and she was appointed to replace him. After winning the election for the seat the following year, she had three consecutive reelections; serving in the role through 2010. Franklin’s work was rooted in addressing healthcare inequities, housing disparities and social injustice. She paved the way for other Black women who strived to use civic engagement as a means for evoking change in their communities and beyond. Prince William probably should have thought twice after tweeting he rebuked the racist cyberbullying attacks against three Black soccer players who missed penalty kicks in a high stakes game against Italy in the European Championship final on Sunday. “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behavior,” Prince William tweeted from the official Duke and Duchess of Cambridge account. “It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable.” While anyone with a sense of intelligence and decency would agree with Prince William statement of support towards players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, it seems interesting given account that the Duke nor the Duchess weighed that same energy towards their own family members, specifically his sister-in-law Meghan Markle. When it comes to police brutality it’s not just racist White cops who beat and lie on Black people. Other people of color can be racist too. It happened in Rock Hill, South Carolina last month when Jonathan Moreno beat up an innocent man in the line of duty then lied about it on the police report. It turned out to be one lie too many. https://youtu.be/tOrY9ctpvwI Charlie Robinson, the ubiquitous character actor of the stage and screen who played an untold number of roles that were all memorable, including a clerk on the hit 1980s sitcom, “Night Court,” has died at the age of 75. Variety reported that Robinson died Sunday (July 11) following complications from cardiac arrest and cancer. https://youtu.be/4TiaIBx56bw A 12-year-old girl died Saturday following her birthday celebration with family after the car she was traveling in was swept off of a roadway in St. Louis, Missouri. The devastating news of Aaleya Carter’s death was confirmed by a Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) spokesperson after her body was recovered Saturday afternoon. The family was traveling home on Interstate 70 when they came across floodwaters. Cpl. Juston Wheetley told KTVI the car attempted a U-turn to avoid the flooded roadway when Aaleya was swept into a concrete drain opening. “She was fatally injured as a result of being swept in the drain,” Wheetley said. “This was a fluke thing. This is not something we’ve seen before.” “She was out this morning with her mom and brother, and sister enjoying her birthday,” Tanya Carter, Aaleya’s grandmother told KTVI. Clear Creek Community Church cancelled services again on Sunday, July 11, and Wednesday, July 14 at all campuses. In addition, there will be no Revive and Restore Forum on July 11. Other gatherings for the week have been canceled or postponed. Here’s why. The COVID outbreak at Student Ministry Camp came in two waves. The first wave happened at camp, the second wave happened when people brought the virus home to their families on June 27. The Galveston County Health District advised us to close for a second Sunday. We believe that’s the wisest choice to quell further transmission of the virus. https://youtu.be/MyMj-odD23Q Four new bishops were elected to the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Saturday (July 10), the final day of the denomination’s General Conference in Orlando, Florida. Four general officers and two judicial council members were also elected. The Rev. Francine A. Brookins is the first biracial bishop to be elected, and Advocate Thabile M. Ngubeni is the first African lay person elected by the General Conference to hold any office. Also elected bishop was the Rev. Dr. Silvester Scott Beaman, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Delaware, who delivered the benediction at President Biden’s inauguration. He will serve the 15th Episcopal District, which includes Western South Africa, Namibia and Angola. The other bishops elected are the Rev. Marvin Clyde Zanders II, pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida, and the Rev. Dr. Frederick A. Wright Sr., pastor of Quinn Chapel in Cincinnati, Ohio. They will serve the 16th District (Caribbean, South America and Europe) and the 20th District (Malawi, Zimbabwe and Uganda), respectively. Londre Sylvester, a 31-year old Chicago rapper, was shot 64 times Saturday night just after his release from a Cook County jail, the Chicago Tribune reports. Sylvester, who goes by the stage name KTS Dre, was walking towards a waiting vehicle when several suspects emerged from two vehicles and fired multiple rounds at him, according to police. The suspects then got back in the cars and fled the scene. Sylvester was walking with a 60-year old woman who suffered a bullet wound in the leg. The rapper had been behind bars since April due to a felony gun charge, NBC Chicago reports. None of the suspects involved have been arrested. Disney and Marvel’s superhero adventure “Black Widow” captured a massive $80 million in its first weekend, crushing the benchmark for the biggest box office debut since the pandemic. The film, starring Scarlett Johansson, is the first from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to open simultaneously in movie theaters and on Disney Plus, where subscribers can rent “Black Widow” for an extra $30. Disney reported that “Black Widow” generated more than $60 million “in Disney Plus Premier Access consumer spend globally,” marking the rare occasion in which a studio disclosed the profits made from streaming. Model Winnie Harlow joins the judges’ table on the second season of Amazon Prime’s “Making the Cut!“ Last season Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn returned to televsion with a new fashion designer competition show. The show features 10 contestants in hope of becoming the next global brand. Each week the designers compete and showcase their creative design talents to the judges in hopes of making the final cut! Harlow is no stranger to this form of competition – in 2014 she was a contestant on the 21st season of “America’s Next Top Model.” She knows all about the pressure to perform and the stress of hoping one isn’t eliminated from week to week. We spoke with Harlow about her experience from the other side of the table. She credits Klum and Jeremy Scott (designer) for helping her become comfortable enough to step into the role of judge – while still being new to the fashion industry. Tuesday’s episode of “America’s Got Talent” will feature a familiar face. Ray Singleton, the husband who went viral for singing to his wife, Roslyn, as she battled brain cancer for the second time, will take the stage in hopes of moving forward in the NBC talent show, airing at 8 p.m. tonight. The Charlotte, North Carolina couple’s emotional story caught the ears of Ellen DeGeneres and led to an appearance on her talk show. Now, with Roslyn again cancer free, “AGT” is next on their slate. https://youtu.be/iYL1vSxmVoE Joy Black knew that her life would one day change the moment she held a violin for the first time at age 13. She was a girl in the 8th grade who was routinely bullied for being skinny and for being different. In fact, the teasing was so excessive, that at one point it drove her to developing an eating disorder. However, on one fateful night, an unexpected dream completely altered her life – paving the way for a musician who would eventually work with major corporations and some of the biggest stars in entertainment. “In my dream I saw myself on stage in front of thousands of people. It felt so real and it gave me a sense of hope and something to strive for,” said Black. “I had never even seen or heard of a black woman playing the violin, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do. The violin is literally the reason I made it through high school, because my orchestra class was at the end of the day. No matter what I had to endure during the rest of school, I wanted to be there. That was my escape.” Fast forward to present-day, and the 24-year old has performed at events for Ford, Gatorade, CBS, the New England Patriots, Essence and many other companies. https://youtu.be/iZZv2BDtP50 Joe Brown says that in the eyes of the USA, Bill Cosby is innocent. Joe Brown says women need to take responsibility for their “groupie” behavior. Women know what men want. They know what the prime rib and the walk in the park and the going back to the apartment is about. Joe Brown says that what is wrong with America is this: everybody gets a prize for losing. Joe Brown also said that what is wrong in America is a lack of manhood and masculinity. https://youtu.be/6nBDNsNSga4 One of New York City’s most popular comedy clubs has refused to allow Bill Cosby to book the venue to make his return to stand-up comedy. Cosby is plotting a tour on the heels of his prison release, and his camp says several promoters and comedy clubs are interested — but the famed Comedy Cellar in NYC’s Greenwich Village is definitely not. Owner Noam Dworman tells TMZ … his venue’s not the slightest bit interested, and he doesn’t want Bill to even step foot inside his club. While the Comedy Cellar is known for allowing comics and content that make audiences super uncomfortable, it sounds like Cosby is off-limits. It’s worth noting the club did allow Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari on its stage in 2018 after both were accused of sexual misconduct. https://youtu.be/qQXpMhtlzeQ What started as a random role in FORREST GUMP became one of actor Gary Sinise’s calling cards. Sinise, who played Lt. Dan in the popular movie, now travels with a band of the same name and gives back to military families, according to an article by Movieguide® Staff at www.movieguide.org. Movieguide® says Sinise has brought the Lt. Dan Band to major war zones to inspire American troops, and it makes the actor all the more grateful for American freedom. “I’ve stood on the border between North and South Korea several times,” Sinise said in an interview with Fox News. When probably most of us saw Jeremy Suarez for the first time, he was a six-year-old boy working next to Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Regina King in “Jerry Maguire.” Today (July 12, 2021), Suarez, a married man already, is (now) 31. Jeremy Suarez, best known as Jordan on the “Bernie Mac Show,” talked about working with late comedian Bernie Mac, transitioning from a child to adult actor, and dealing with anxiety during the lockdown. He described Bernie Mac as a great teacher and mentor who had a joke for everything and would constantly let young actors try their ad-libs and push jokes father than what was on the script. The late comedian gave them room to get better at their craft and develop their styles. Jeremy Suarez added: “Even more astounding was [Mac’s] heart of gold and his ability to be so down to earth and personable with everybody he met. Honestly, that’s what’s sticks with me the most.” If they’re lucky, every artist has an album that is a game-changer — a body of work that propels their career to a new level. For Amy Grant, that album was Heart in Motion. The six-time Grammy winner is celebrating the 30th anniversary of that iconic album with a special double-disc out Friday via Capitol Christian Music Group that features previously unreleased tracks and updated remixes. Sitting in the kitchen of her Nashville home, Grant — who had open heart surgery last year — doesn’t look old enough to be celebrating such a milestone. But then, throughout her career, Grant has maintained the same youthful glow she had when she began as a guitar-wielding, songwriting teen looking to follow in the footsteps of influences like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Carole King. Only 44 percent of American employers asked their workers what their preferences were for returning to the office, a new study by executive coaching organization Vistage has found. The majority of firms with workers who had gone remote because of COVID-19 restrictions came up with policies about what to do when the rules were relaxed without asking their workers, it found. The finding comes as the issue of workforces returning to offices— or not— becomes a more widespread question for C-suites. About 50 percent of American jobs cannot be completed remotely, said Robert Pozen, senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and co-author of “Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work… Wherever You Are.” StarNews Mobile, the leading mobile video network helping content creators, celebrities and brands monetize their content in Africa, today announced its partnership with Culture Genesis, the largest black-owned digital platform with over 15 million fans and 500 million monthly views, to distribute All Def Comedy and Music channels to over 430 million mobile subscribers via Orange and MTN in Africa. Initially, All Def’s “Dad Jokes,” “Great Taste,” “Roast Me” comedy shows and “Arts & Raps” and “Bar Exam” music shows will be shared in Nigeria—the largest mobile user market in Africa with 150 million mobile subscribers—as well as in South Africa with 80 million mobile subscribers. Plans for further expansion will be announced in the coming weeks. https://youtu.be/iEWBUhT7a-U Some albums are destined for a certain time. After several years of evolution and change in her life, Grammy® Award-Winning Artist, NAACP Image® Award-Winning Actress, Songwriter, and Producer, Tamela Mann, is set to release her new Tillymann Music album, Overcomer, through The Orchard Distribution on Friday, August 6. There is a new sense of authority and urgency in Tamela’s music now; she has lived these songs and is ready to share the strength and purpose she has found. Propelled by the singer’s strong, passionate vocals, and her newfound voice as a songwriter, each of the 12 tracks on Overcomer was conceived to bring healing and hope to a world resetting after a tumultuous chapter in its history. There is plenty to unpack from a lyrical standpoint, and Tamela is at the writing helm on most of the songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7qIuNnVcQ Congratulations to Maverick City Music, who took home New Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year at the 2021 Stellar Awards for the 2020 release of Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1. Between Maverick City Music and all of its artists, the Billboard No.1 collective garnered 11 Stellar Award nominations. The gospel event of the year, the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, will air on BET on Sunday, August 1st, at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. Gospel legend Tye Tribbett and multiple Stellar Award winner Jekalyn Carr will host the highly-anticipated event, which will feature inspirational performances from the genre’s most celebrated artists. When Rep. Jim Clyburn speaks, he expects Democrats, including the president, to listen. The elder statesman sees a filibuster exception as the only way to move forward with election reform. In an interview with Politico, Clyburn said President Joe Biden needs to get aggressive with action on the filibuster. Clyburn stopped short of demanding a complete abolition of the procedure. But he thinks there should be action taken where the legislation involves constitutional rights. The White House has suggested it supports a “talking” filibuster, but the Biden Administration remains reluctant to support even the exception suggested by Clyburn. Clyburn isn’t the first to suggest tweaking the filibuster. Voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams previously suggested relaxing the filibuster. Four months ago, Abrams wrote an op-ed calling for the filibuster exception. From pioneering democratic presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm to political powerhouse Stacey Abrams, Black women have historically been instrumental in shaping the landscape of politics. Rosa Franklin—a woman who broke racial and gender barriers in Washington state’s political sphere—is being celebrated by the city of Tacoma by having a park renamed in her honor, KING 5 News reported. Franklin’s contributions will forever be embedded in the fabric of Washington’s history. The South Carolina native was the first Black woman to serve as a Washington state senator. The former nurse-turned-politician stepped into the realm of politics during the early 90s and has dedicated her career to advancing public service. In 1990, she was elected to the Washington State Legislature and was re-elected two years later. Two months after her reelection, the individual serving as State Senator of the 29th District passed away and she was appointed to replace him. After winning the election for the seat the following year, she had three consecutive reelections; serving in the role through 2010. Franklin’s work was rooted in addressing healthcare inequities, housing disparities and social injustice. She paved the way for other Black women who strived to use civic engagement as a means for evoking change in their communities and beyond. Prince William probably should have thought twice after tweeting he rebuked the racist cyberbullying attacks against three Black soccer players who missed penalty kicks in a high stakes game against Italy in the European Championship final on Sunday. “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behavior,” Prince William tweeted from the official Duke and Duchess of Cambridge account. “It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable.” While anyone with a sense of intelligence and decency would agree with Prince William statement of support towards players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, it seems interesting given account that the Duke nor the Duchess weighed that same energy towards their own family members, specifically his sister-in-law Meghan Markle. When it comes to police brutality it’s not just racist White cops who beat and lie on Black people. Other people of color can be racist too. It happened in Rock Hill, South Carolina last month when Jonathan Moreno beat up an innocent man in the line of duty then lied about it on the police report. It turned out to be one lie too many. https://youtu.be/tOrY9ctpvwI Charlie Robinson, the ubiquitous character actor of the stage and screen who played an untold number of roles that were all memorable, including a clerk on the hit 1980s sitcom, “Night Court,” has died at the age of 75. Variety reported that Robinson died Sunday (July 11) following complications from cardiac arrest and cancer. https://youtu.be/4TiaIBx56bw A 12-year-old girl died Saturday following her birthday celebration with family after the car she was traveling in was swept off of a roadway in St. Louis, Missouri. The devastating news of Aaleya Carter’s death was confirmed by a Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) spokesperson after her body was recovered Saturday afternoon. The family was traveling home on Interstate 70 when they came across floodwaters. Cpl. Juston Wheetley told KTVI the car attempted a U-turn to avoid the flooded roadway when Aaleya was swept into a concrete drain opening. “She was fatally injured as a result of being swept in the drain,” Wheetley said. “This was a fluke thing. This is not something we’ve seen before.” “She was out this morning with her mom and brother, and sister enjoying her birthday,” Tanya Carter, Aaleya’s grandmother told KTVI. Clear Creek Community Church cancelled services again on Sunday, July 11, and Wednesday, July 14 at all campuses. In addition, there will be no Revive and Restore Forum on July 11. Other gatherings for the week have been canceled or postponed. Here’s why. The COVID outbreak at Student Ministry Camp came in two waves. The first wave happened at camp, the second wave happened when people brought the virus home to their families on June 27. The Galveston County Health District advised us to close for a second Sunday. We believe that’s the wisest choice to quell further transmission of the virus. https://youtu.be/MyMj-odD23Q Four new bishops were elected to the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Saturday (July 10), the final day of the denomination’s General Conference in Orlando, Florida. Four general officers and two judicial council members were also elected. The Rev. Francine A. Brookins is the first biracial bishop to be elected, and Advocate Thabile M. Ngubeni is the first African lay person elected by the General Conference to hold any office. Also elected bishop was the Rev. Dr. Silvester Scott Beaman, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Delaware, who delivered the benediction at President Biden’s inauguration. He will serve the 15th Episcopal District, which includes Western South Africa, Namibia and Angola. The other bishops elected are the Rev. Marvin Clyde Zanders II, pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida, and the Rev. Dr. Frederick A. Wright Sr., pastor of Quinn Chapel in Cincinnati, Ohio. They will serve the 16th District (Caribbean, South America and Europe) and the 20th District (Malawi, Zimbabwe and Uganda), respectively. Londre Sylvester, a 31-year old Chicago rapper, was shot 64 times Saturday night just after his release from a Cook County jail, the Chicago Tribune reports. Sylvester, who goes by the stage name KTS Dre, was walking towards a waiting vehicle when several suspects emerged from two vehicles and fired multiple rounds at him, according to police. The suspects then got back in the cars and fled the scene. Sylvester was walking with a 60-year old woman who suffered a bullet wound in the leg. The rapper had been behind bars since April due to a felony gun charge, NBC Chicago reports. None of the suspects involved have been arrested. Disney and Marvel’s superhero adventure “Black Widow” captured a massive $80 million in its first weekend, crushing the benchmark for the biggest box office debut since the pandemic. The film, starring Scarlett Johansson, is the first from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to open simultaneously in movie theaters and on Disney Plus, where subscribers can rent “Black Widow” for an extra $30. Disney reported that “Black Widow” generated more than $60 million “in Disney Plus Premier Access consumer spend globally,” marking the rare occasion in which a studio disclosed the profits made from streaming. Model Winnie Harlow joins the judges’ table on the second season of Amazon Prime’s “Making the Cut!“ Last season Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn returned to televsion with a new fashion designer competition show. The show features 10 contestants in hope of becoming the next global brand. Each week the designers compete and showcase their creative design talents to the judges in hopes of making the final cut! Harlow is no stranger to this form of competition – in 2014 she was a contestant on the 21st season of “America’s Next Top Model.” She knows all about the pressure to perform and the stress of hoping one isn’t eliminated from week to week. We spoke with Harlow about her experience from the other side of the table. She credits Klum and Jeremy Scott (designer) for helping her become comfortable enough to step into the role of judge – while still being new to the fashion industry. Tuesday’s episode of “America’s Got Talent” will feature a familiar face. Ray Singleton, the husband who went viral for singing to his wife, Roslyn, as she battled brain cancer for the second time, will take the stage in hopes of moving forward in the NBC talent show, airing at 8 p.m. tonight. The Charlotte, North Carolina couple’s emotional story caught the ears of Ellen DeGeneres and led to an appearance on her talk show. Now, with Roslyn again cancer free, “AGT” is next on their slate. https://youtu.be/iYL1vSxmVoE Joy Black knew that her life would one day change the moment she held a violin for the first time at age 13. She was a girl in the 8th grade who was routinely bullied for being skinny and for being different. In fact, the teasing was so excessive, that at one point it drove her to developing an eating disorder. However, on one fateful night, an unexpected dream completely altered her life – paving the way for a musician who would eventually work with major corporations and some of the biggest stars in entertainment. “In my dream I saw myself on stage in front of thousands of people. It felt so real and it gave me a sense of hope and something to strive for,” said Black. “I had never even seen or heard of a black woman playing the violin, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do. The violin is literally the reason I made it through high school, because my orchestra class was at the end of the day. No matter what I had to endure during the rest of school, I wanted to be there. That was my escape.” Fast forward to present-day, and the 24-year old has performed at events for Ford, Gatorade, CBS, the New England Patriots, Essence and many other companies. https://youtu.be/iZZv2BDtP50 Joe Brown says that in the eyes of the USA, Bill Cosby is innocent. Joe Brown says women need to take responsibility for their “groupie” behavior. Women know what men want. They know what the prime rib and the walk in the park and the going back to the apartment is about. Joe Brown says that what is wrong with America is this: everybody gets a prize for losing. Joe Brown also said that what is wrong in America is a lack of manhood and masculinity. https://youtu.be/6nBDNsNSga4 One of New York City’s most popular comedy clubs has refused to allow Bill Cosby to book the venue to make his return to stand-up comedy. Cosby is plotting a tour on the heels of his prison release, and his camp says several promoters and comedy clubs are interested — but the famed Comedy Cellar in NYC’s Greenwich Village is definitely not. Owner Noam Dworman tells TMZ … his venue’s not the slightest bit interested, and he doesn’t want Bill to even step foot inside his club. While the Comedy Cellar is known for allowing comics and content that make audiences super uncomfortable, it sounds like Cosby is off-limits. It’s worth noting the club did allow Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari on its stage in 2018 after both were accused of sexual misconduct. https://youtu.be/qQXpMhtlzeQ What started as a random role in FORREST GUMP became one of actor Gary Sinise’s calling cards. Sinise, who played Lt. Dan in the popular movie, now travels with a band of the same name and gives back to military families, according to an article by Movieguide® Staff at www.movieguide.org. Movieguide® says Sinise has brought the Lt. Dan Band to major war zones to inspire American troops, and it makes the actor all the more grateful for American freedom. “I’ve stood on the border between North and South Korea several times,” Sinise said in an interview with Fox News. When probably most of us saw Jeremy Suarez for the first time, he was a six-year-old boy working next to Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Regina King in “Jerry Maguire.” Today (July 12, 2021), Suarez, a married man already, is (now) 31. Jeremy Suarez, best known as Jordan on the “Bernie Mac Show,” talked about working with late comedian Bernie Mac, transitioning from a child to adult actor, and dealing with anxiety during the lockdown. He described Bernie Mac as a great teacher and mentor who had a joke for everything and would constantly let young actors try their ad-libs and push jokes father than what was on the script. The late comedian gave them room to get better at their craft and develop their styles. Jeremy Suarez added: “Even more astounding was [Mac’s] heart of gold and his ability to be so down to earth and personable with everybody he met. Honestly, that’s what’s sticks with me the most.” If they’re lucky, every artist has an album that is a game-changer — a body of work that propels their career to a new level. For Amy Grant, that album was Heart in Motion. The six-time Grammy winner is celebrating the 30th anniversary of that iconic album with a special double-disc out Friday via Capitol Christian Music Group that features previously unreleased tracks and updated remixes. Sitting in the kitchen of her Nashville home, Grant — who had open heart surgery last year — doesn’t look old enough to be celebrating such a milestone. But then, throughout her career, Grant has maintained the same youthful glow she had when she began as a guitar-wielding, songwriting teen looking to follow in the footsteps of influences like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Carole King. Only 44 percent of American employers asked their workers what their preferences were for returning to the office, a new study by executive coaching organization Vistage has found. The majority of firms with workers who had gone remote because of COVID-19 restrictions came up with policies about what to do when the rules were relaxed without asking their workers, it found. The finding comes as the issue of workforces returning to offices— or not— becomes a more widespread question for C-suites. About 50 percent of American jobs cannot be completed remotely, said Robert Pozen, senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and co-author of “Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work… Wherever You Are.” StarNews Mobile, the leading mobile video network helping content creators, celebrities and brands monetize their content in Africa, today announced its partnership with Culture Genesis, the largest black-owned digital platform with over 15 million fans and 500 million monthly views, to distribute All Def Comedy and Music channels to over 430 million mobile subscribers via Orange and MTN in Africa. Initially, All Def’s “Dad Jokes,” “Great Taste,” “Roast Me” comedy shows and “Arts & Raps” and “Bar Exam” music shows will be shared in Nigeria—the largest mobile user market in Africa with 150 million mobile subscribers—as well as in South Africa with 80 million mobile subscribers. Plans for further expansion will be announced in the coming weeks. https://youtu.be/iEWBUhT7a-U Everybody has priorities. It just so happens that for the vast majority of humans, going to space is probably not at the top of their lists. Instead, there are basic human needs that warrant much more immediate attention, what with the scourges of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, education, oh, and a little something called the COVID-19 pandemic — to name but a few urgent matters — refusing to budge from their evil perches across the world. It was in that context that Gil Scott-Heron in 1970 penned and performed his iconic poem-song, “Whitey On The Moon,” which was a nod to the privileges enjoyed by non-Black people that allowed them to pursue their prideful pet projects that did not necessarily make the world a better place for most Americans. It may have also been in that same context that some cynics viewed Sir Richard Branson‘s flight launch on Sunday to the “upper sky” (© Michael Harriot). The mega-billionaire had the news cycle in a stranglehold after billing his Virgin Galactic company’s sleek new space aircraft launch as all but the Second Coming for the aerospace industry, flying just 50 miles above the earth with a crew of civilians over a New Mexico desert. https://youtu.be/goh2x_G0ct4 Come November, Black men could hold two of the most powerful positions in New York City. While the general election is months away, Alvin Bragg and Eric Adams — who recently won their primary elections — will likely win, given the city’s Democratic-leaning voting tendencies. On track to be Manhattan’s first Black district attorney, Bragg joined Adams — who is poised to be New York Citys second-ever Black mayor — and the Rev. Al Sharpton on stage Saturday for a National Action Network rally. The historic nature of the two men’s ascension to these positions is more than an interesting footnote. As the Manhattan district attorney, Bragg will take over one of the nation’s highest-profile cases. Outgoing District Attorney Cy Vance will hand over the investigation and prosecution of the Trump Organization case to his successor. Black women are shattering glass ceilings and changing the narrative surrounding representation when it comes to leadership in medicine. Dr. KMarie King was recently appointed to serve as the chair of the Department of Surgery and Chief of Surgery at Albany Medical Center, making her the first Black woman to sit at the helm of a surgery division at an Academic Health Sciences Center in the United States. Dr. King—who currently serves as chief of surgery and medical director for surgical quality at Grady Memorial Hospital and a professor at Morehouse School of Medicine—has dedicated her career to advancing medical research surrounding pancreatic and liver cancers. The Washington University alum, who served in the United States Army, did her residency training in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a master’s degree in biomedical science at the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic where she also completed her fellowship training. The first Black American female transplant surgeon has called out the racial biased that permeates the organ donation system. Velma Scantlebury told Zenger that Black Americans continue to face unique disadvantages with the organ donation process compared to whites. Scantlebury, who has worked in the industry since 1989, said what Black Americans need most is greater awareness about the need for more organ donors. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp officially launched his re-election campaign. Complete with a softball interview with the Associated Press, Kemp positioned his tenure positively with a moderated approach toward success for all Georgians. Reading more like a conversation between old friends at the local good ol’ boys club than an interview with a sitting elected official, the Associated Press article allows Kemp to mischaracterize his record. Kemp knows that the 2022 election will no doubt be a fight to the finish. And while he tries to present himself as a balanced, effective leader, Kemp has leaned into hyperpartisan arguments to the detriment of Georgians as a whole. Here are five ways Kemp put party and political ambition over the public good in the past year alone. Kemp Fed Into Trump’s False Claims About the Georgia Election, Misleading on Critical Race Theory While Georgia Schools Remain Underfunded, Advocating for Bad Waiver Plan To Avoid Medicaid Expansion, Botched Pandemic Response and Ended Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Early. The Aurora, Colorado police officer who was captured on camera last year harassing a Black family that he thought had stolen a car has again caused controversy after announcing he’s running for sheriff. Brittany Gilliam said she was scrolling through her phone to find another nail salon when an Aurora police officer approached her car. She said, “He proceeded to handcuff me and I saw him handcuff the kids, so I started getting angry. ‘Why are you handcuffing kids for?’” Her 12-year-old sister and 17-year-old niece were handcuffed while lying on the parking lot asphalt. Her 6-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old niece were also obeying police commands to lay on the ground. https://youtu.be/MZeaTN50W2k From Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges to Florence Price, there have been several barrier-breaking Black composers throughout history who have used their artistry to shape the genre of classical music. Their legacies live on through new generations of musicians who are changing the narrative surrounding representation. According to Harlem World Magazine, the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra is slated to make history as the first all-Black classical symphony orchestra to perform at Carnegie Hall. Founded in 1993 by pianist and music professor Armenta Adams Hummings Dumisa, the Gateways Music Orchestra was cultivated to connect Black musicians with a shared passion for classical music. It was also developed as a safe space for Black musicians who were often marginalized when seeking work. Since its inception, the collective of musicians—who have been a part of prestigious orchestras that include the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics—has grown to 125 people. A man suspected of executing a father after a fender bender during Puerto Rican Parade celebrations in Chicago’s Humboldt Park was arrested in San Diego and charged with murder in the crime that was caught on video and went viral for its shocking brutality. Anthony Lorenzi, 34, was arrested Friday by the U.S. Marshals in a parking lot of an apartment complex in San Diego, where he had fled the day after shooting Gyovanny Arzuaga, 24, twice in his head, officials said Saturday. A memorial featuring 200 photos of Black people whose lives were lost due to racial injustice or police brutality was unveiled Saturday at the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art. The “Say Their Names” exhibit, free to the public, is a nationwide, grass-roots initiative that began in Portland, Oregon, and will be open and accessible in San Diego daily through July 25. The exhibit was sparked by the protests that began nationwide in 2020 after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. San Diego will specifically remember the life of Demetrius DuBose, a former NFL player who was shot 12 times, five in the back, and killed by two San Diego Police Department officers in Pacific Beach on July 24, 1999, after an attempted arrest. https://youtu.be/aNCTcS8sdKE British police are investigating the racist abuse of three Black players who missed penalty kicks in England’s shootout loss to Italy Sunday in the European Championship final. The Metropolitan Police condemned the “unacceptable” abuse of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, and said they will be investigating the “offensive and racist” social media posts published soon after Italy won Sunday’s shootout 3-2 after the match ended 1-1. The English Football Association said it was “appalled” by the “disgusting behavior,” adding that social media companies should take action to make their platforms free from this “abhorrent” abuse. https://youtu.be/1TVZ5JJWL0g Ben Carson did his usual Ben Carson thing during an appearance at this weekend’s CPAC conference, this time suggesting that the Black family unit was more in tact and stronger under slavery than under federal assistance policies such as welfare. Donald Trump’s former HUD Secretary remarked: “When you look at what the Black community has been through, go all the way back to slavery. It was the family, the strong family units and the faith in God that got people through that, that got people through Jim Crow, through severe segregation, through all the difficulties.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1414290035696877572 Sha’Carri Richardson was banned from competing in the 2021 Olympics because of a ruling by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That decision has become very unpopular with the majority of athletes chiming in with an opinion. However, one of them, a fellow Black female Olympic athlete, doesn’t have a problem with it. Three-time Olympic gold medalist, Dominique Dawes, told CNN that Richardson’s disqualification after testing positive for marijuana on June 19 was fair, during a recent appearance. Last Wednesday (07-07-21), Dawes, 44, told CNN’s Chris Cuomo that the rules should be enforced, even if that means disqualifying a noteworthy competitor like Richardson who was expected to challenge for gold. https://youtu.be/-IBOPLNeiHM RCA Inspiration celebrated four wins and a night of powerful performances as the 36th Annual Stellar Awards returned big with a live show taped in Nashville, TN on July 10th. Hailed as the greatest night in Gospel music, this year’s Stellar Awards brought together a luminous, joyful evening of inspiration, with four wins announced for hit releases from Kierra Sheard-Kelly and Donnie McClurkin. The Stellar Awards weekend also featured appearances from Hezekiah Walker, Kirk Franklin, Mali Music, and DOE. Kierra Sheard-Kelly took the stage for two performances, as well as garnering multiple honors for Contemporary Album of the Year, while the hit song “Something Has to Break (Live) ft. Tasha Cobbs Leonard” won Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year (Dir: James Hairston IV). In addition to her solo performance of “Something Has to Break,” Kierra joined her mother and aunts, the legendary The Clark Sisters, in their stunning performance of their classic hits, and celebrated their family’s special night at the Stellars, who honored The Clark Sisters with the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award. Donnie McClurkin won Traditional Male Artist of the Year for his hit album A DIFFERENT SONG and appeared as a presenter. Kirk Franklin was also a presenter and Hezekiah Walker performed. Mali Music joined Jonathan McReynolds in performing their hit duet “Movin’ On.” Mali also joined DOE in hosting the Stellar Awards Chairman’s Nominee Reception and Pre-Show Awards on July 9th. Multiple award winner Jekalyn Carr took the stage last Friday at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, wowing the crowd with custom couture as she co-hosted the 36th Annual Stellar Awards for the first time. Carr, who stunned the audience in five custom looks styled by celebrity stylist J.Bolin, is the youngest host in Stellar Awards history. She won two trophies, adding to her expanding collection, for Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year and Traditional Album of the Year for "Changing Your Story." The two Stellar Awards wins come on the heels of Carr's recent induction into the Women's Songwriters Hall of Fame and earning her fifth #1 single. The song "Jehovah Jireh." Ahmir Thompson, better known as the DJ and producer Questlove, takes Wall Street Journal inside his “post-pandemic mode,” and getting his health on the right track. “It’s not lost to me that people in my field, especially in my occupation, tend to die at this age. I’ve had a scare or two where a heart tremor might have been the seed of a cardiac arrest or that sort of thing. I don’t want to be the next rapper to die of a stroke at 54, 55,” the tells the publication. Earlier this month the musician dropped his directorial debut titled “Summer of Soul,’ which is now streaming on Hulu. The project, per press release, is a transcendent music documentary and cultural artifact with never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more. https://youtu.be/U1Eg-vtSABE A&E Network has announced the return of its two acclaimed documentary series in August. Season two of “Accused: Guilty or Innocent?” will premiere on Thursday, August 19 at 10pm ET/PT. https://youtu.be/kyr4ozxZbb4 A&E Network has announced the return of its two acclaimed documentary series in August. Season 2 of “Kids Behind Bars: Life or Parole” premieres Thursday, August 26 at 9pm ET/PT. https://youtu.be/xydL6Gp-rg8 The Real Housewives of the Potomac” star Wendy Osefo is speaking out about being “blindsided” by the messy actions of co-star Gizelle Bryant. “There were a lot of dynamic shifts, so there’s people who I didn’t think I would be besties with, who I’m besties with,” she told “Entertainment Tonight.” “And there’s people who I thought I’ll be besties with that I’m not.” https://youtu.be/40gicmdyxfw Wendy Williams is catching heat from the mother of TikTok star Matima ‘Swavy’ Miller after the talk show host commented about the death of the 19-year-old on her shot last week. Williams appeared to make light of Swavy’s death on her daytime talk show and now his mother and brother want her to apologize. We spoke with Swavy’s mom and older sibling — Chanell Clark and Rahkim Clark, respectively — about the segment Wendy did earlier this week on-camera … where she introduced Swavy to her audience by comparing social media followers, and throwing up a not-so-flattering photo of him — this before getting to the lede … namely, him being killed. Rahkim takes the lead on explaining why Wendy’s words were so hurtful. As he points out — this isn’t just another celebrity news gossip story she may normally cover in her day-to-day lineup … this is their own flesh and blood, and it’s real life for them. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-07-11-071121-rahkim-1200995/ After an eight-year stint in corporate America, media personality WeezyWTF left office life for a career focused on showcasing sex-positive stories and conversations as co-host of the popular podcast, Whoreible Decisions. Now she’s hosting a provocative new series on Fuse called “Sex Sells” that explores the different ways people have built businesses around sex — without having it — by celebrating and spotlighting how sex can be entrepreneurial and empowering. Eddie Murphy’s son and Martin Lawrence’s daughter are reportedly dating. On Saturday, Martin’s daughter Jasmin Lawrence took to social media to wish Eddie’s son Eric Murphy a happy birthday on Instagram. “Happy birthday, my love! I’m so incredibly blessed to know you, to love you, and to have you by my side,” Jasmin, 25, wrote alongside two photographs of the pair, confirming that they are indeed a couple. “Cheers to many more blessings, laughs, and beautiful memories! I love you so much!!” she added. A TikTok video featuring a Brooklyn native commenting on how New Yorkers handled the flooding from Tropical Storm Elsa has gone viral with over 7 million views. “It’s bad out here folks. People out here with the Missy Elliot garbage bags trying to make it to the train,” says Katherine G. Mendoza over footage of a man stepping in a trash bag through a subway in waist deep in water. Mendoza, from Williamsburg, gave her hilarious take on what she calls the “New York determination.” “I would never do that. Let me tell you why,” she said. “I understand that some people live really far – so they got to do what they got to do, but I’m not about to drown in a New York City subway in dirty garbage water.” https://youtu.be/8up66_Lelxo “After a challenging 2020, we were thrilled to return to the mainstage in one of the music epicenters of the world, Nashville, TN, for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards,” said Don Jackson, Founder of the Stellar Awards and Chairman of Central City Productions. “With a theme of ‘Lighting the Way with Our Faith, Music and Family,’ we were delighted to deliver an evening of inspiration and celebration, led by the incomparable Tye Tribbett and Jekalyn Carr, who brought high energy and excitement to the evening.” “I'm so hyped to return to the Stellar stage this year as a host alongside my sis, Jekalyn Carr,” said Tribbett. “This is the biggest night in gospel!” Here is the complete winners list. https://orethapedia.com/2021/07/11/2021-stellar-awards-winners/ It’s now history. the highly-anticipated launch of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane carrying billionaire Richard Branson and his crew. It happened Sunday morning and thus created new chapter into space: commercial tourism. The Unity 22 mission had a full crew of two pilots and four mission specialists, including Branson. The crew included Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations at Virgin Galactic; Colin Bennett, lead operations engineer; Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic; and Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, the primary pilots. Unity 22’s carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, launched from Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic’s homeport near the city of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Weather issues on Sunday had earlier prompted a slight delay from its originally scheduled launch time of 9 a.m. ET until around 10:40 a.m. https://youtu.be/VuqK8zJaREM The Biden administration held a closed-door West Wing meeting with leaders from some of the prominent civil rights and social justice organizations on Thursday, at the urging of movement leaders and congressional Democrats who are concerned about the recent attempts to disenfranchise Black voters and marginalized groups, especially in light of the upcoming 2022 midterms elections. Thursday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with leaders from the NAACP, the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation, the National Council of Negro Women, the Leadership Conference for Civil & Human Rights, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the National Urban League and the National Action Network. The group also reportedly discussed the importance of police reform across the country amid the repeated killings of Black community members at the hands of law enforcement. Tuesday the Ohio Supreme Court withdrew any chances for Timothy Loehmann‘s reentry into the Cleveland Police Department after fatally shooting Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black child in November 2014. The high court’s ruling to reject Loehmann’s appeal advocating for his reinstatement to the force upheld the city of Cleveland’s termination decision from 2017 after it was discovered that he lied on his police application, with no consideration for Rice’s untimely death. “I am glad that Loehmann will never have a badge and gun in Cleveland again,” Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice, said in a statement through attorney Subodh Chandra according to Cleveland.com. The latest shocking encounter between a police officer and POC has once again gone viral in what continues to be an ongoing issue due to disturbing excessive force. An upstate New York police officer was officially placed on administrative leave after bodycam footage was released showing him punching a Black woman in the throat during a recent arrest at a local Walmart. https://youtu.be/LuvdhrjQMv0 The online fundraising effort to help the family of a popular teenage social media personality who was killed earlier this week has exceeded its goal after talk show host Wendy Williams controversially addressed his death with her audience. Matima Miller, a 19-year-old who was better known to his nearly 3 million followers on TikTok as “Swavy,” died Monday morning from a gunshot wound in Wilmington, Delaware. The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately known as local news outlets have reported that their questions about Swavy’s death have gone unanswered. But a GoFundMe account that was started on Wednesday reached and then exceeded its goal of $20,000 by Friday morning, one day after a video of Williams went viral for the way she spoke about Swavy’s killing on her show. https://twitter.com/i/status/1412945070802841607 Less than a year after Stacey Abrams helped flip the state of Georgia blue for the first time in decades, that state’s Republican governor apparently thinks attacking her will somehow translate to his re-election. At least, that was the indication based on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp‘s first ad for his re-election campaign. The family of Leneal Frazier and their attorney Jeff Storms held a news conference on Friday to discuss the loss of their loved one as well as call for due process in Frazier’s death after he was killed earlier this week when a Minneapolis police vehicle stuck his car while pursuing another vehicle in a high-speed chase. Frazier, 40, was the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the 18-year-old teen who recorded the death of George Floyd. Frazier’s death again shook the foundation of Black communities in the city who are still reeling from the repeated killings of Black community members and just months from the killing of Daunte Wright and the Derek Chauvin verdict. https://youtu.be/O9yitKTnnbU A group of police officers in Northern California sued the city where they work, claiming that a Black Lives Matter mural featuring an image of Assata Shakur, who was controversially convicted of killing a state trooper decades ago, amounts to discrimination. The officers from the Palo Alto Police Department especially took issue with a quote featured on the mural that reads, “We must love each other and support each other,” and claim the combination was harassment. Atlanta Falcons linebacker Barkevious Mingo was arrested Thursday for alleged sexual misconduct with a child in Arlington, Texas. The NFL player turned himself in to authorities Thursday evening after consulting with his attorney but was later released on a $25,000 bond. After receiving news of Mingo’s arrest, the Atlanta Falcons said in a statement early Sunday morning that they will be terminating his contract. “After being made aware today of allegations involving Barkevious Mingo and gathering information on the matter, the Atlanta Falcons have terminated his contract,” the statement reads. he Arlington Police Department said the incident was a part of an ongoing investigation and due to the victim’s age, they cannot release any further info in relation to Mingo’s arrest. Mingo’s attorneys have called the case “baseless” and added that the allegations were made two years ago. During Friday’s Conservative Political Action Conference, Caitlyn Jenner was hit with transphobic comments by a heckler who called her Bruce and branded her a “sick freak.” A video posted to Twitter on Saturday by the page @PatriotTakes shows the moment it all went down. The heckler started the verbal attack as the aspiring California governor chatted with fans in the lobby of the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. The man can be heard shouting: “Hey Bruce. Bruce. What do you think of the stuff they’re teaching in schools regarding the LGBTQ? Bout Jesus Christ Bruce, don’t forget about Jesus.” He then added: “Look at that sick freak.” Jenner did not acknowledge or entertain the man and even pretended not to notice the heckler as she walked through the lobby and into a waiting SUV. https://twitter.com/i/status/1413869155594297350 Get ready for the teaser trailer to “The Harder They Fall..” Directed by Jaymes Samuel and produced by Jay-Z, the cast includes Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, R.J. Cyler, Damon Wayans Jr., Deon Cole with Regina King and Idris Elba. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQgMYVRgoI-/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=16cd7b8f-169d-4e20-b72e-00157bb8e8f3 From the first day Jesus of Nazareth pierced into the earth over 2,000 years ago, supernatural phenomena faithfully trail the dust of his heels. Without a doubt, once His name is brought up in conversations, or if He is the topic of books, movies, or television shows, He evokes an innate reaction in both believers and non-believers alike. The immense success of the first-ever multi-season television show “The Chosen” rides the waves of the brilliance of Christ, and it is evident that people really dig the Nazarene. The show is the number one highest crowd-funded project of all time, raising $10 million from over 19,000 investors. The Producers translated the show into over 50 languages, and viewers have watched the episodes over 200 million times using the show’s downloadable app and watching seasons one and two online for free. https://youtu.be/8tZ7cg4D_z8 The gospel event of the year, the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, will air on BET on Sunday, August 1st, at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. Gospel legend Tye Tribbett and multiple Stellar Award winner Jekalyn Carr will host the highly-anticipated event, which will feature inspirational performances from the genre’s most celebrated artists.Yolanda Adams, Kierra Sheard and Avery*Sunshine have been added to this year’s list of dynamic performers who will hit the Stellar stage at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN. Viewers can also expect moving performances from gospel superstars Jonathan McReynolds, J.J. Hairston, Maverick City Music, Pastor Mike Jr., Tamela Mann, Jason Clayborn, Hezekiah Walker, CeCe Winans and hosts, Tribbett and Carr. The Clark Sisters, who will receive the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award presented by AT&T, will deliver a moving performance at this year’s ceremony. The American R&B group New Edition returns. Six members, who started the band in 1978, Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant, including Johnny Gill (who joined the crew in 87) will vibe together again next year on tour. Photos of the whole crew and T-shirts (naming each member) are surfacing, according to sources New Edition inked a deal with Creative Arts Agency, and a 30-city tour (plus a residency in Las Vegas) is planned. Decades later the music still sounds sweet. So no surprise about young/new fans showing for the group’s return. https://youtu.be/RZUq6N7Gx1c When it comes to Southeast’s largest 2-day urban (progressive) music festival Live Nation Urban and ONE Musicfest have formed a partnership. They plan to have headliners that include H.E.R., Lil Wayne and the Isley Brothers performing tis year. “The partnership with Live Nation Urban allows us to give the culture the amplified platform that it deserves. ONE Musicfest 2021 will be historic!” Yep, and then Live Nation Urban’s chief executive Shawn Gee confirmed the partnership and histrionic plans and said: “We are excited to add One Musicfest to our portfolio of festivals and events. We will provide the capital and infrastructure to further fuel the vision.” https://youtu.be/nk1cGoJOo9E Kool & The Gang’s “Pursuit of Happiness” video is about change; love and inclusion, world-peace and happiness. It’s about Kool & The Gang’s new album Perfect Union, out August 20, 2021 on Omnivore Recordings. https://youtu.be/_-2k9pi6hUk There is a program that is always running in the background that sends us messages that can either keep us bound in pain and mediocrity or propel us into freedom. We leak our energy when we allow ourselves to get consumed by the things that are happening in the World around us and the ruminating thoughts in our mind. We become ragged, tired, and drained when the mind is stayed on something that is not for us and is not of our nature.This is a sign of an untrained mind. A mind that is easy to bend. Strengthening our ability to stay focused on the things that we want to be successful at can help to redirect our energy in a more healthy and beneficial way. https://youtu.be/xgtzu0gE2l8 The (semi-post COVID) resurgence has some popping heads into landmarks thrilled but hesitantly looking both ways checking – is it OK to enter this place unmasked? And then there is the sneaky-relief when no body says anything. For play goers, the consensus is yes, just like movie theaters, Broadway Theater is re-welcoming Americans too and with a (Black Lives Matter type) surprise. Same deal for the mask though – enter at your own comfort or peril. Right off the top, there’s talk about the The Great White Way (a nickname for Broadway in a section of Midtown New York) looking a little different. Ok, maybe a lot different. For Fall 2021 Black Playwrights exclusively dominate new productions. More specifically, all seven of the total new Broadway productions feature Black playwrights of which five are Black debut writers and four are Black women. https://youtu.be/zWtY4nNDFbU When the Covid-19 pandemic devastated Kenya’s tourism industry, a group of Maasai women in Narok County, who, for decades, depended on selling beadwork and trinkets to tourists for income, discovered an unlikely alternative way to survive: making soap from elephant dung. “When the first case of Covid-19 was reported, followed by travel restrictions, our businesses dropped, and in no time, we were recording zero sales,” Joyce Monika, the chair lady of Sikinani Women Group in Narok West Sub-County, told Zenger News. “Luckily, a benefactor held our hands in our time of need and empowered us with skills for this soap project. We don’t know how we might have pulled through the Covid-19 pandemic.” The project is the brainchild of Nelson Ole Reyia, the chief executive officer of Nashulai Maasai Conservancy, neighboring the Maasai Mara National Reserve.After collecting the elephant excreta, the women dry it in the sun, grind it into a fine powder, and mix it with water and olive oil. They then add coloring powder to the liquid soap. Crowds cheered as workers removed statue of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday morning following a contentious four year legal battle. The 26-foot tall bronze monument to Gen. Lee – which has stood in the city’s Emancipation Park since 1924 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 – was the first to be taken down, shortly after 8am. Meanwhile, the bronze statue of Gen. Jackson – completed in 1921 by renowned sculptor Charles Keck – was hoisted off it base in nearby Jackson Park around 10am. In the nineteenth century, Harriet Beecher Stowe was the most important woman in the United States. It is reported that during the American Civil War, when she was introduced to President Lincoln, he said, ‘So this is the little woman who gave us this great war.’ Harriet was born in New England into the Beecher family, a distinguished American dynasty. Her father was a famed Christian preacher and Harriet grew up in a godly family that promoted progressive social causes, such as the abolition of slavery and the education of women. Harriet, intelligent and well educated, underwent a conversion experience in her teens that was to affect who she was for the rest of her life. When Harriet was twenty-one, her family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where she became a teacher. Although Ohio banned the holding of slaves, it bordered Kentucky where slavery was legal, and in Cincinnati, Harriet encountered many escaped slaves. Harriet’s objections to slavery deepened when, visiting Kentucky, she saw families being broken up and sold at slave auctions. Her loathing of slavery was supported by her faith: after all, if a slave was a child of God, what right did anyone have to buy or sell them? The Tulane University School of Medicine graduate medical program, which trains newly-minted doctors during their residencies at hospitals across New Orleans, was put on probation by a national oversight panel last week. The panel did not state the reason for probation. But the rare step was taken after allegations of racial and gender discrimination erupted within the institution earlier this year. Tulane drew national attention after the dismissal of Dr. Princess Dennar, a Black female doctor, four months after she filed a discrimination lawsuit against the school. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or ACGME, notified Tulane of its decision on July 2. Tulane is one of six medical training institutions currently on probation out of 865 regulated by the ACGME. Khalid has announced that he will be performing a brand-new song for the Virgin Galactic Spaceflight launch on Sunday, July 11th. Although the song, titled “New Normal,” won’t be officially released until July 21st, the singer will debut the track on stage following the Unity 22 crew’s landing of the 22nd flight test for VSS Unity. It will be the company’s fourth crewed spaceflight and the first to carry a full crew of two pilots and four mission specialists in the cabin, including Virgin Galactic’s founder, Sir Richard Branson, who will be testing the private astronaut experience. When it comes to the track’s inspiration, Khalid tells Rolling Stone: “Around this time last year, I was super fascinated and gravitated toward space. I was watching this comet by the name of Neowise last year, and space travel is something that I’ve always been interested in as well. And I’ve been going through the motions of understanding this new, postmodern future that’s coming together, especially when it comes down to technology — it’s something that really excites me.” A lawsuit claims that Kentucky police are withholding body cam footage from the night that EMT Breonna Taylor was killed in her home. WDRB reports that the suit filed against LMPD in Jefferson Circuit Court notes that the LMPD are allegedly hiding public records that might indicate whether there is more footage from the night she died. While the LMPD claims there was no footage because some of the officers did not turn their cameras on, a lawyer for the Taylor family claims they may have turned on automatically, and thus the police are hiding it. Taylor was fatally shot by police on March 13, 2020, after officers executed a no-knock warrant at her apartment as part of a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found in the home, her family said in a previous lawsuit that was settled with the city for $12 million. Authorities say a suspect has been apprehended and charged with murder in a triple homicide at a country club outside #Atlanta last week, following a statewide search.? The #CobbCounty Sheriff’s Office stated #BryanRhoden, 23, was captured in #Chamblee, Georgia, roughly a half-hour from the murder scene, on Thursday evening in connection with the shootings with the help of the US Marshals Service.? Cobb County Chief Tim Fox announced during a press conference Thursday night that he was charged with three charges of murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of kidnapping.? Rhoden, who has ties to the metro Atlanta area, was recognized as a suspect in the days following the event at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw. Monty Williams, the head coach of Phoenix Suns, which will play against Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals Game 3 Sunday night, is known for speaking publicly about his faith in Jesus, and recently shared how it enables him to help his players reach their potential and got him through a personal tragedy. “The essence of my coaching is to serve,” Williams said at a press conference after his team beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Finals, according to Sports Spectrum. “As a believer in Christ, that’s what I’m here for. And I tell (my players) all the time, if I get on you, I’m not calling you out; I’m calling you up. You have potential, and I have to work my tail off to help you reach that potential,” the 49-year-old coach continued. If you want to buy a piece of American religious history, then — as Billy Graham might have said — the time is now. A North Carolina cottage that the famed evangelist and his wife, Ruth Bell Graham, once called home is for sale. The Grahams bought the four-bedroom house at 198 Mississippi Road in the 1940s to be close to Ruth’s parents. The house, which has two bathrooms and is listed for $599,000, is not far from the Montreat Conference Center, a famed Presbyterian retreat — Ruth Bell Graham’s parents were Presbyterian missionaries, and she remained a Presbyterian after marrying her Baptist husband. She died in 2007. Her husband died in 2018. An online listing for the house in Montreat, North Carolina, includes photos of the cottage’s large fireplace, outdoor patio, wood floors and paneled interior. The cottage also includes “original furnishings, books, photos and mementos.” Former Casting Crowns drummer Andy Williams has died after suffering multiple injuries from a motorcycle accident that occurred while on his way to church for a Sunday worship service. Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall took to Instagram on Friday to officially share that after much prayer for a miracle, the band’s former drummer “went to be with Jesus” and is “more alive today than he has ever been.” “Early this morning, around 1 a.m., Andy Williams went to be with Jesus. He fought a great fight, but the injuries that he suffered took a toll on his physical body,” Hall wrote. Students, family and faculty at Florida A&M University gathered around the memorial built in honor of Dr. Frederick S. Humphries on Thursday for a vigil in his honor. Dr. Humphries died in Orlando on June 24 at the age of 85. https://youtu.be/nqlmJRZy1tU Good bye reality! Would you choose a role playing a vulnerable mess or rather the boss running things? For some, including Eva Marcille, that’s a no-brainer. The mom of three jumped ship and hopped right into character for Tyler Perry’s 10-episode male-strip-club drama “All The Queen’s Men.” The 36-year-old former model has no qualms about ditching “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” “She’s a completely different woman; she’s a boss, a pioneer. And she’s building an empire in the city of Atlanta (where it’s the men who are usually on top) but in this town they’re at my feet and I love it,” Eva Marcille said of her character Marilyn Deville – at Sunday’s BET Awards, reports Urban Hollywood 411. https://youtu.be/0yM6QcnbrP8 On the Monday, July 12 edition of “Tamron Hall,” legendary singer, actress and businesswoman Patti LaBelle joins Tamron to celebrate the special 20th anniversary edition of her cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine. https://youtu.be/EaYw73alJCc The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science welcomed Andra Day, Clarke Peters, and Janet Jackson among 395 esteemed peers on a mission to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures. Other notables invited to this year’s class include: music score winner Jon Batiste, H.E.R. and from “Judas and the Black Messiah” – the writers of the Oscar-winning song “Fight For You.” In light of a movement worth mentioning: the plight for equality and fairness to all people, in a press release officials spoke of the Academy’s member diversity. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which is the organization behind the Oscars, boasts life like representations of women (46 percent), minorities (39 percent) and also its branch-wide inclusion of international members (53 percent). Of their respective divisions, nominees are chosen for their important contributions. California Wildfire Creates Huge Firenado as Death Valley Hits 130F – the Hottest Temperature Earth Has Recorded in Nearly 100 Years – and Golden State Braces for Power and Water Outages: Daniel Whyte III Says God Can Destroy America, God Should Destroy America, And as He Has Stated Many Times Before, He Believes That God Is Mercifully, Lovingly, and Slow-Rollingly in the Process of Dismantling America, and He Believes That God Will Eventually Destroy America in Light of What He Did to Sodom and Gomorrah Because of Their Abominations and Sins That Led Them to the Point of Men With Men and Women With Women and in Light of the Fact That No Country in the History of the World Has Been Blessed More Than America Outside of Israel, and Yet, America Has Exceeded the Abominations and Sins of Sodom and Gomorrah; for Even in the Days of Sodom and Gomorrah They Didn’t Even Think of Same-sex Marriage and the Unrepentant Laodicean Church of Today Is at Fault and Is the Reason We Are in the Mess We Are in Today With God. So in Light of All These Things Happening to America All at the Same Time, His Advice Is to Get Ready. If You Are Not a Believer in Jesus Christ Here Is How to Get Ready Today and if You Are Already a Believer in Jesus Christ Here Is How You Can Get Ready Today. A federal court on Thursday ruled that three central Brooklyn homeowners of color can move forward with a class action civil rights lawsuit to recover their wealth lost through the city’s Third Party Transfer program. The case stems from alleged illegal seizures of homes taken in “in rem” foreclosure proceedings under the Third Party Transfer program. The seizures were first uncovered and reported on in a lengthy series in Kings County Politics, now PoliticsNY. “Our clients, working families, had their only generational wealth, their homes, snatched from them by the City of New York under its Third Party Transfer Program. They were not given any compensation for these illegal and unconstitutional takings and even though the city tried to get our lawsuit tossed, the court has now acknowledged that our suit should continue to move forward,” said Matthew L. Berman, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys with the law firm Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP. Actor Keke Palmer, who captivated audiences as national spelling bee champion Akeelah Anderson in the film “Akeelah and the Bee,” has joined thousands in celebrating Zaila Avant-garde, who recently became the first Black American to win the coveted title in real life. “THE REAL LIFE AKEELAH YOU GUYS!! The real life one,” Palmer wrote Thursday on Instagram. “I’m so happy in my heart. A couple of weeks ago I sent in a video encouraging all the contestants and for this to happen just feels so spiritual! I am so happy.” In 2006, a young Palmer drew rave reviews for her breakout performance as an 11-year-old spelling prodigy from South Los Angeles in Doug Atchinson’s “Akeelah and the Bee.” With help from her coach, played by Laurence Fishburne, and her mother, played by Angela Bassett, Palmer’s Akeelah rose above her more privileged competitors to make her mark on the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage in Washington, D.C. World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian woman to win the Wimbledon singles title in 41 years on Saturday when she defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 in the final. The 25-year-old Barty, who won her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2019, emulated her idol Evonne Goolagong, who claimed the second of her All England Club titles in 1980. “I hope I made Evonne proud,” Barty said on court after the trophy presentation. “This is incredible.” One of Team USA’s premier swimmers is heading to the Tokyo Olympics without being vaccinated. Michael Andrew, the 2016 world champion in the 100-meter individual medley who recently flirted with the 200-meter world record last month, has not received the COVID-19 vaccine. During a USA Swimming media call on Thursday, Andrew, 22, conceded that he will not be vaccinated in the “distant future.” “My reason behind it is, for one, it was kind of a last moment, I didn’t want to put anything in my body that I didn’t know how I would potentially react to,” Andrew said. “As an athlete on the elite level, everything you do is very calculated and understood. For me, in the training cycle, especially leading up to trials, I didn’t want to risk any days out. There were periods where, you take a vaccine, you have to deal with some days off.” The International Swimming Federation says it will revisit its decision barring a swimming cap designed specifically for natural Black hair from being used in competition. The makers of the Soul Cap, a product tailor-made so that swimmers with voluminous, Afro-textured hair can protect their hair while in the water, said on Instagram last week that the sport’s governing body had denied their application for certification. The decision effectively ensured that the cap would not be in use when the Olympic Games begin this month. The news drew considerable backlash, prompting the International Swimming Federation, also known as FINA, to release a statement on Friday acknowledging the public response and announcing that it was “reviewing” the situation. It’s through the power of hip hop that rising Lexington high school freshman, Javin Hausley, is expressing her lived experience as a Black woman in America. She’s channeling her message through “The Black Girl Project” which aims to amplify the voices of Black women. Activist and hip-hop artist Devine Carama started it, and he said it was inspired by Black women like Amanda Gorman, Stacey Abrams, Breonna Taylor, and more. “When it comes to the contributions and voices of Black women, when some of the inequities we see were highlighted in regard to health, COVID, who was on the front lines of the social unrest, it was Black women putting it on the line,” Carama said. “And when you think back on our history, they’ve always put it on the line. Always. So, I wanted to do a project that highlighted black women. Period. Black girls growing and maturing into black women. The pressures that they feel. The double standards that they deal with.” Hausley shared the mic with five other young women to write and record an album as part of “The Black Girl Project.” Gabby Goodwin of Columbia received a $200,000 investment from television personalities Marcus Lemonis and Gayle King on a podcast episode of “One Hundred Percent with Marcus Lemonis” that aired Wednesday. Goodwin is the 14-year-old CEO of GaBBY Bows, a hair product line that she started with her mom at just 7 years old when they had a problem getting hair clips to stay in Goodwin’s hair. “I’m so excited about your business and what you’re doing,” King told Goodwin in the podcast, adding how she would’ve used GaBBY Bows as a young, Black girl. GaBBY Bows started an innovative, two-sided hair clip designed to stay put in braids and now includes shampoo, conditioner, styling cream, scalp pomade and more. Netflix hired N’Jeri Eaton, previously head of content for Apple Podcasts, to lead podcasting for the streaming giant’s marketing division. Eaton is joining Netflix as director of podcast programming, according to a spokesperson. She will be part of the company’s editorial and publishing team, which will be headed by Michelle Lee, former editor in chief of Allure who is joining the company this month. Lee reports to Netflix CMO Bozoma Saint John, the marketing veteran whose past stints include Apple Music, Endeavor and Uber hired by the company a year ago. “I’m thrilled to join @netflix as the Head of Podcasts,” Eaton tweeted Thursday. “16 years ago, I watched three DVDs from Netflix a day while working the late night lab shift at a university. My obsession for storytelling has taken me all kinds of places but this is truly a dream!” Spike Lee once watched Michael Jordan play and yelled, “It’s gotta be the shoes!” When NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball drives downcourt, don’t be surprised if you hear “It’s gotta be the gloves!” Shooting baskets is only half the game. Just as important? Ball handling—moving and dribbling with total mastery and control. In 2019, the Charlotte Hornets star player improved his “handles” with the help of weighted, anti-grip training gloves made by Powerhandz. Impressed, Ball looked into Powerhandz to see how he could be a part of the business. Now he’s all in—with the startup, its new merger, and the company’s Power to Give foundation. Ball did things in the NBA this season that make you wonder. Besides winning rookie of the year, he became the only NBA player in the last 60 years to lead all rookies in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals at the All-Star break. So his partnership with Powerhandz is a huge win for the Frisco-based company. Ball will serve it as a general partner and brand ambassador. The company also announced a merger with the newly formed PH Innovation Holdings to help it scale its business and raise more capital. When we marvel at female athletes beating world records at the Olympics, few of us stop to ask: Who’s watching their kids right now? Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field Olympian in history, knows exactly what it’s like to be worried about childcare while she’s training and competing. So this week, she announced a partnership with her primary sponsor, Athleta, and the Women’s Sports Foundation to launch a $200,000 grant aimed at covering childcare costs for professional athletes competing during 2021. Nine athletes have already been chosen, including Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry and Olympic saber fencer Mariel Zagunis, each of whom will receive $10,000. A father and his 12-year-old son were in shambles last month after they had a surprise reunion in Maryland. Jonathan Stewart, who filmed the moment, told Storyful that his brother, Coach Joe, had just been released from prison. Joe and his son, TayRon, had kept in close contact, with Joe even helping out with homework over the jail phone. However, they hadn’t seen each other since Joe’s imprisonment. On June 16, in Forestville, TayRon had no idea that the wait was finally over. https://youtu.be/ZHUtqstVWTg After his recent thrust into Black (political) leadership, it looks like the American entertainer Ice Cube is still striving to make bombastic moves. This time, check out his courage in a feud with Warner Bros studios. It’s all about the latest installment of the “Friday” Franchise. In the thick of script and property right riffs, Warner Bros told Ice Cube try again – it ain’t funny and it don’t quite hit the mark. Ice Cube said that’s just the old ‘holding off’ productions trick. Perhaps a little frustrated and suspicious Ice Cube turned the discussion up a notch. Ice Cube wants a little more than just getting the production started, he wants the movie rights. Not just to the “Friday” Franchise but also to “All About the Benjamins”, and “The Players Club” too. https://youtu.be/OYdXFhDgzTY It looks like Tristan Thompson seemingly threaten Lamar Odom in the comments section of their mutual ex Khloé Kardashian’s Instagram? Odom made a “Hottie” comment along with a string of emojis under a pic that Kardashian, 37, posted where she’s seen preening for the camera in an outdoor shower. Thompson, 30, apparently couldn’t handle it and wrote, “God brought you back the first time. Play if you want, different results.” He followed it up with a more restrained “????????” in a separate comment. Odom later appeared to delete his comment on the post, which Khloé’s sister Kim and a number of other celebs commented on. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRIFDbOt549/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3cc5dbed-c748-4b21-8ab3-d5f43052c1f7 Kevin Hunter appears to have shaded his ex-wife Wendy Williams after she slammed him recently during a segment on her talk show. Hunter’s cryptic post came after Williams weighed in on Tabitha Brown’s announcement that her TikTok fame has allowed her to retire her husband after he’s worked 18 years in the Los Angeles Police Department. Wendy reacted to this on her show, warning Brown that her plan may not be a good idea for the family in the long run. Per MadameNoire, the day after, Hunter posted on his Instagram stories: “I’m coming to realize that being ungrateful is a disease that only God can heal… That’s why you receive blessings regardless of a person’s actions…He doesn’t forget nothing!!!” Thursday, Lil Wayne hopped on Instagram Live to catch up with Nicki Minaj. While chopping it up with the “I’m Legit” rapper, Wayne clarified some details about his relationship with girlfriend Denise Bidot. As it was previously reported, back in April, Wayne had shared a tweet which prompted fans to believe he and his girlfriend got married: “Happiest man alive! Today is the beginning of our forever. Forever?? Forever, ever?? FOREVER EVER!!!!! The Carters,” he said at the time. Despite rumors, Wayne didn’t shut any of them down, until now. During the Live Minaj explained, “The other day it was some tweets going on, and I was like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ and I texted you and I was like, ‘Oh, Congratulations. I can tell you’ve been in a good mood,’” Minaj told Weezy during the Livestream. “And I said, ‘Congratulations,’ because I thought you had gotten married.” Wayne explained that the tweet had nothing to do with his love life and he was actually talking about his children: “I said ‘The Carters,’ and girl, that’s my damn sons, that’s my sons’ little name of their little group,” Wayne said while laughing. Morgan Carey sued his famous sister for defamation in March over claims made about him in her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.” According to TMZ, Morgan says his reputation has been damaged over Mariah’s allegations that he’s a brute. In her book, she recalls an alleged fight that he had with his father and hinted he was violent towards their mother. In an affidavit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday, Morgan slammed Mariah’s response, calling it “particularly ironic.” “This is coming from someone whose public behavior includes glamorizing her excessive drinking, and coining the now popular term ‘splash’, as well as other behaviors which would be in poor taste to mention here,” Morgan wrote, as reported by PEOPLE. Morgan also finds it odd that his sister failed to mention his childhood struggles with “Cerebral Palsy, Grand Mal Epilepsy and a two-inch leg disparity.” “This detail is conspicuously absent, which makes it clear that ‘inspiration’ was not on the agenda,” he wrote. “Mariah’s agenda merely focused on book sales and her image, all at my expense with no regard to the truth or my well-being during this world crisis.” Rapper Wale hit up Instagram and revealed he’s been “out of commission” due to an unknown illness. In a message shared via his Instagram story, he wrote: “I am out of commission. I been extremely sick since Saturday,” Wale shared. “I’ve missed many calls and texts.. Thank you to everybody who called wit genuine concern. I ain’t sure how long I’ll be down but this shit ain’t slight… Soon as I can come back strong I’ll be back strong. As for now management will run my socials. Much love, see y’all soon,” he added. The drama between Kel Mitchell and his ex-wife, Tyisha Hampton, continues. Tyisha Hampton is claiming that her ex, former Nickelodeon star Kel Mitchell, has filed a falsified domestic suit against her in hopes of not having to pay the alleged large sum of money he owes in unpaid child support and tax debt. The actress recently took to her TikTok and shared a video asking for advice that can assist with her battle against Kel Mitchell. She also seemingly accused Kel Mitchell of being the abuser in their relationship. Tyisha Hampton says in the video, “We’re all familiar with domestic violence.” Black members of Walmart’s senior management team have revealed that they would never recommend friends and family members to work at the retail giant. n a survey of 56 Black supervisors and directors at Walmart, eight senior managers all gave the lowest possible score when asked whether they would encourage friends and family to work there, Bloomberg reported. Survey respondents said they feel Walmart does not equally offer career and growth opportunities to Black and white employees, and Black senior leaders feel pressure to perform at an exceptional level to maintain their position. Black and Latino people account for 39% of hourly workers at Walmart, but just 14% of US executives, according to an April diversity report. The majority of Walmart employees are white, making up 74.5% of executives and 52.3% of hourly workers. “I have been here 10 years and I have never recommended Walmart to a person of color. I have recommended others to leave,” one Black director said in the survey, according to Bloomberg. “Pay, benefits, not bad – but recommend? NEVER. EVER.” Black managers say they don’t have support from their colleagues. Koryn Hawthorne releases the new music video for her song “Sunday,” out now. Featured from her chart-topping album I AM, the two-time GRAMMY® nominee, Billboard Music Award, NAACP Image Award, Dove and Stellar Award-winner creates a celebratory summertime vibe on this new video. Giving thanks and praise on the soulful track, “Sunday” is co-written by Hawthorne along with Kasey Sims, Anthony Wyley, Daniel Breland, and Connor J. Little. The music video had a broadcast premiere airing on BET Soul. The young music phenom also recently released an EP of worship ballads, “The Worship Project,” and launched a business, owning the dessert shop The Peach Cobbler Factory in her hometown of Abbeville, Louisiana. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Lwwk-Z3mw 3x Grammy nominee Brian Courtney Wilson releases the Still (Deluxe) digital album today. The updated album features all of the popular tracks from the original 2020 version and two newly recorded duets. The new singles are the reimagining of the black love classic "Be Real Black For Me," featuring Ledisi, and the retooled "Fear Is Not Welcome" with Lady A’s Hillary Scott. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scbLZVTp0Ds Jonathan Traylor – “Lifted” (Live At Elevation Church) (Performance Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOzjluJjFp4 Thank you for virtually joining Sunday’s “Get Lifted” showcase at the Essence Fest with a lineup of legends; Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, and Travis Greene! It really felt like we were all in the room. If you missed it or want to press replay, we have you covered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjz63sDIBQM Tamar Braxton continues to live her extraordinary life, and we can’t wait for you to hear the new music she will be releasing. Check out her latest PEOPLE Magazine interview and get the full story on her recovery and upcoming release. https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/jumpstartpure/image?url=https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/416418724/55820bc3-e2b6-465e-804d-f042edff57d4/0f4cff9d-166d-4eb8-858a-17d4360f7495/1280x720/match/image.jpg&w=1280&h=720&q=90&c=cc Bold and original, Jor'Dan brings together Gospel music and culture in his new video "My God," available on his official VEVO channel. The banger is a perfect and seamless crossover from powerful gospel music to upbeat R&B, and only Jor'Dan Armstrong makes it all work together. Jor'Dan makes a song that feels like the world but is not of it with his catchy hip-hop beats and intelligently thought-out rhymes as he proudly brags about his God. The influence of '90s hip-hop and R&B can be heard throughout this track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD5DfQfDRMM Zaila Avant-garde won the Scripps National Spelling Bee late Thursday by successfully spelling out the word “murraya,” becoming the competition’s first African-American champion. Her winning word refers to “a genus of Asiatic and Australian tropical trees having pinnate leaves and flowers with imbricated petals,” according to competition officials. Chaitra Thummala and Bhavana Madini took second and third place. Avant-garde, 14 years old and a basketball player, hails from New Orleans and holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for most basketballs dribbled simultaneously, six for a total of 30 seconds. The competition was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and was held this year in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The first Black winner of the bee was Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica, who won the contest in 1998. https://twitter.com/i/status/1413315794079993857 Civil rights leaders said they informed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris activists would be ‘getting back into the streets’ as voting rights legislation has stalled on Capitol Hill. https://youtu.be/Bzl8jIPHWng The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) has completed its review of the fatal police shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant, but the victim’s family say they’re concerned the probe wasn’t thorough. The report is now in the hands of the prosecutor’s office and set to go to a grand jury. Bryant was shot by Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon, 20 minutes before a guilty verdict was announced against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the death of George Floyd last May. Less than six hours after the Bryant shooting that occurred in April 2021, Columbus police released body camera footage, showing the teen with a knife as she lunged at an adult woman who allegedly bullied the teenager. https://youtu.be/IbZpWxgn4cs A cocaine-induced heart attack is ultimately to blame for rapper DMX’s death, Vulture reports. A source at the Westchester Country medical examiner’s office told the outlet that cocaine was found in the rapper’s urine. “It was cardiac arrest for a period of time, so there was no circulation to the brain,” the source said. An autopsy wasn’t performed as his cause of death was determined from documents by medical professionals and the police. On April 2, the rapper, Earl Simmons, was rushed to the hospital, where doctors attempted to revive him. But his brain was already dead by the time he got help. He was officially pronounced dead on April 9. “His death literally happened immediately because the brain was dead,” a source told Vulture. Simmons started performing in the underground rap scene in the mid-80s, releasing his first album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, in May 1998, and it debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. His eighth album, Exodus, was released one month after his death. Two weeks before the event’s commencement, government officials on July 7 said Tokyo Olympics are likely to be held without spectators due to a sudden spike in coronavirus cases. Japan can declare another Covid-19 state of emergency for Tokyo, possibly until August 22. The government and the four organizing bodies of the Summer Games, including the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, are expected to meet later this week to discuss a new policy regarding spectators living in Japan, having already barred overseas fans in a bid to improve the safety of the games. “If the decision is made to have no spectators at venues in Tokyo, the organizers may allow governors of nearby prefectures to choose whether to follow suit,” a government official said. Volunteers gathered here on June 26 to clean a rundown burial ground for black Civil War veterans — the first step in a local community campaign to turn the site into a historical landmark and help restore the legacy of soldiers who fought to end slavery in America. More than 50 participants, including the young, old, and people from different races, spent their Saturday clearing away overgrown weeds, fallen trees and debris from the Squirrel Town Historical Cemetery, where an estimated 35 black Civil War veterans lay in rest. Led by the Bethel AME Church, which owns the property, the massive clean-up became a community event to honor the heroes who helped secure the Union victory in May 1865. What does it feel like to be one of the best tennis players in the world? An intimate look inside the life of one of the most gifted and complex athletes of her generation offers insight into the tough decisions and ecstatic triumphs that shape Naomi Osaka as both an elite global superstar and a young woman navigating a pressure-filled world. From Director Garrett Bradley: “The series is about Naomi’s journey, within a snapshot of her life, but it’s also about life’s purpose, about personal worth, about the courage that it takes to allow one’s personal values to inform their work and vice versa. More than anything, I’d hope people can feel the power of empathy and to feel encouraged to take chances in life, perhaps especially in moments where the stakes can feel impossibly high.” https://youtu.be/yZRls7B7uzY Life is a journey. In the past few weeks, my journey took an unexpected path but one that has taught me so much and helped me grow. I learned a couple of key lessons. Lesson one: you can never please everyone. The world is as divided now as I can remember in my short 23 years. Issues that are so obvious to me at face value, like wearing a mask in a pandemic or kneeling to show support for anti-racism, are ferociously contested. I mean, wow. So, when I said I needed to miss French Open press conferences to take care of myself mentally, I should have been prepared for what unfolded. Lesson two was perhaps more enriching. It has become apparent to me that literally everyone either suffers from issues related to their mental health or knows someone who does. The number of messages I received from such a vast cross section of people confirms that. I think we can almost universally agree that each of us is a human being and subject to feelings and emotions. Perhaps my actions were confusing to some because there are two slightly different issues at play. In my mind they overlap, and that’s why I spoke about them together, but let’s separate them for the sake of discussion. Commissioner Adam Silver showed support for ESPN’s NBA personality Rachel Nichols in her feud with colleague Maria Taylor, saying the whole episode is “disheartening’’ and appearing angry the issue has festered this long. ESPN banned Nichols from doing sideline coverage of the NBA Finals as a result of a secret tape recording one year ago in which she stated that Taylor’s promotion to the “NBA Countdown” shows was likely based on race. Taylor is black. Nichols, who is white, is still doing her regular NBA show, “The Jump.’’ Silver said he doesn’t believe Nichols’ future with the network should be in jeopardy over her comment. The World Champions Centre in Houston features a majority Black elite team, a rarity in gymnastics, but a change Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles want to continue to see in the sport. https://twitter.com/i/status/1408138102795800579 Today, Gage Growth Corp. (“Gage” or the “Company”) (CSE: GAGE), a leading high-quality premium cannabis brand and operator in Michigan, announced their exclusive partnership agreement with multi-platinum-selling, GRAMMY® Award and Golden Globe® Award-nominated recording artist Wiz Khalifa’s brand, Khalifa Kush (“KK”), to develop and launch a line of premium cannabis products in the state of Michigan. Through this partnership, Gage will be the exclusive producer, processor and retailer of KK branded products in Michigan. Gage and KK will work to develop and commercialize a product lineup that includes flower, pre-rolls, extracts, and concentrates that will be sold at Gage provisioning centers. https://youtu.be/Z02uj7-P8pI NBA star James Harden and rapper Lil Baby have been out-and-about in Paris for Fashion Week, but the two recently ended up in some problems with the police. Videos that have been circulating online show the two being stopped by a few cops. The Brooklyn Nets superstar can be heard saying he doesn’t understand what’s going on as cops begin to search him. In another clip, you can see a confused Lil Baby in the back of a police car, appearing to ask questions to an officer. Some reports say he was among 3 people arrested for some sort of marijuana-related charge. However, the report said the vehicle the men were traveling in was pulled over and officers could smell marijuana. There were allegedly 20 grams of weed discovered, TMZ reports. James Harden and Lil Baby reacting to paparazzi during Paris Fashion Week. https://youtu.be/wYAVD9SEbRs Kanye West’s choice of head covering allowed him to slip past awaiting paparazzi completely undetected. https://youtu.be/MU8PLYzB_Dg According to author Adam White (Motown: The Sound of Young America) Barbara Dozier, the wife of Motown singer, songwriter and producer Lamont Dozier, has passed away. “Condolences to Lamont Dozier and his family on the tragic death of his wife Barbara. Always a powerhouse on his behalf. May she rest in peace,” is what White tweeted on Monday of this week. Barbara Dozier, whose maiden named was Ullman, was instrumental in the post-Motown success of her husband, and the continuing relevance of his work. Barbara and Lamont were married for over 4 decades. Together, the couple ran his publishing company as well as Hithouse Records, reports Soul Tracks. https://youtu.be/8kvV47pshmk Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has suffered a double tragedy after her father and younger sister were killed by a drunk driver in an horrific car accident. The 51-year-old American novelist announced the shocking news to fans in a heart-rending Facebook post, telling them: ‘I have lost my father and my sister. Because a catering company did not secure their load and canvas bags spilled onto the highway. ‘Because a pickup driver thought nothing of driving while his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. ‘I have lost my father, and I don’t have my sister with whom to grieve.’ Ms Quinn, Julia Pottinge, said her father, Steve Cotler, 77, and cartoonist sister Violet Charles, 37, Ariana Elise Cotler, died on June 29 in the crash in Utah, along with Violet’s dog Michelle. It’s rare that a trailer feels so touching and existential. Disney+ dropped the official trailer for Marvel Studios’ animated series, “What If…?” on Thursday, and the two-minute clip is surprisingly emotional in multiple ways. Not only does it explore a “multiverse of unlimited possibilities,” but it features the late Chadwick Boseman voicing his final Marvel Cinematic Universe role. https://youtu.be/x9D0uUKJ5KI Madonna lent her voice to the growing chorus of support for Britney Spears in the latter’s legal battles late Thursday. Spears has been engaged in a longstanding battle with her father over a conservatorship she says has exerted a punishing degree of control over her life since 2008. The “B*tch I’m Madonna” singer wrote, “Give this woman her life back. Slavery was abolished so long ago! Death to the greedy patriarchy that has been doing this to women for centuries. This is a violation of human rights! Britney we coming to get you out of jail!” https://etcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-43.png?w=489 Queens Borough President Donovan Richards was declared victory in the tight Democratic primary contest to hold on to his title, and he wasted no time to accuse rival Elizabeth Crowley of racism. “We won!!!!,” Richards said in a tweet. “We beat your racist ass,” Richards said of Crowley in a tweet Tuesday night. Richards also said in a tweet directed at Crowley, “@ElizCrowleyNYC told me she would win, because BLM [Black Lives Matter] would die? What’s good now?” He also claimed Crowley hit him up for a job as deputy borough president. “You couldn’t force me to make you a deb bp. I stand on principle,” Richards said, using the hashtags #southeast Queens, #four more years, #QBP and #Southside. Delaware State University (DSU) has become the first HBCU to acquire another college. As reported by Black enterprise, “DSU has purchased Wesley College and will take over the 50-acre campus in Dover as well as capital assets worth about $32 million,” the outlet writes. The package deal comes with 14 new academic programs, according to the report. No money was exchanged in the sale, which “was made possible by several financial boosts in the past year,” according to The College Post. Lifetime has dropped a teaser trailer for the network’s third film about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s romance. This time, the project will explore the couple’s exit from life as working royals in “Escaping the Palace.” Per PEOPLE, Harry (Jordan Dean) kicks off the 30-second spot which shows vowing to protect his wife, saying “I will do everything in my power to keep my wife and son safe.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CQbUSoThagF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Stephanie Mills has just dropped a new single “Let’s Do the Right Thing.” She hasn’t released any new recordings in well over a decade and a half https://youtu.be/L63PN4ROQ5o Shohei Ohtani fouled a 2-2 pitch off his ankle in the fifth inning. He fouled the next pitch off his leg, just above his knee. The Los Angeles Angels slugger shook off the pain, stepped back in and immediately hit a 433-foot homer that gave him a new place in Japanese baseball history. “That’s how tough he is,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “He stayed in there, got himself right and hit a homer.” Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer and broke the single-season major league record for homers by a Japanese player during the Angels’ 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. Fellow All-Star Jared Walsh homered twice for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in seven games and took two of three from the AL-leading Red Sox on another landmark day for Los Angeles’ two-way superstar. Shaunie O’Neal has confirmed she’s dating Keion Henderson–a pastor based in Houston, Texas. As reported by thejasminebrand.com, the ex-wife of NBA star Shaquille O’Neal shared a heartfelt birthday post for her man on Tuesday. She wrote: “Happy birthday to my best friend and partner in life, Keion. Today many will celebrate you for the impact that you have made in their lives, the love you’ve shown to perfect strangers, and the comfort you’ve provided sharing the word of God. Today I celebrate you because as our friendship has blossomed, you’ve become my safe place where I can authentically grow without judgement. You are my soundboard, you’ve taught me so much thus far, and you love me and my children unconditionally.” O’Neal added, “During a time where I had given up on finding a soulmate, God sent you. Thank you for being my friend first, yet being intentional with my time and heart. Happiest Birthday to the man that has made me The Happiest Girl In The World!” Nick Cannon is speaking out about why he’s on a mission to impregnate as many women as possible. Cannon, 40, explained on his Power 106 Los Angeles radio show Wednesday that he’s been “having these kids on purpose” after City Girls rapper JT advised him to slow down on the breeding and “wrap it up.” “I don’t have no accident,” said Cannon, who is the father of seven. “Trust me there’s a lot of people that I could’ve gotten pregnant that I didn’t,” he continued. “The ones that got pregnant are the ones that were supposed to get pregnant.” https://youtu.be/cWmgZ1roIN8 The LGBTQIAP+ agenda to encourage the nation to celebrate non-procreative sex appears to be making progress. While Lil Nas X triggered online criticism for kissing a male dancer during his performance at the BET Awards, the FCC only received 3 complaints about it, according to TMZ. One viewer from the Bronx wrote to the FCC around 1 AM … “I was very disturbed to see 2 men practically having sexual in the stage when the awards show is supposed to be a family show. It’s ridiculous and children and adults are being forced to endure this. Unacceptable and I will be unsubscribing from BET network. DISGUSTING AND DISTURBING!!!!!!!!” Another pissed off viewer wrote, “During a performance 2 gay men kissed. Why are you showing this on tv. It is disgusting and wrong for kids to see because it’s unnatural.” #Ugh. The third complaint reportedly came from a guy in Philly who took issue with the rapper promoting satanism. https://youtu.be/fgfsn1vOoNQ Suzzane Douglas, a stage, TV and movie actress who always played roles of strong Black women, has died, multiple news outlets reported on Wednesday (July 8). She was 64 years old. The cause of her death was not immediately reported. Douglas’ representative confirmed her death with the Hollywood Reporter. “The industry has lost a truly talented artist with the passing of Suzzanne Douglas. She touched everyone who knew her and was lovely in every sense of the word. The family appreciates your support and asks for their privacy during this difficult time,” the representative said in a statement. The New York Times reported that Douglas died at her home in Martha’s Vineyard. Douglas’ husband, Roy Jonathan Cobb, told the time his wife died of cancer, though he did not specify which form she suffered from. However, he did say she had been sick for more than two years. Perhaps known most for her performance in the sitcom “The Parent ‘Hood,” Douglas thrived in each role she played in a career that spanned nearly five decades. Robert Downey Sr., director of the countercultural satire “Putney Swope” and the father of actor Robert Downey Jr., died Wednesday in New York. He was 85. Downey Jr. posted about his father on Instagram, writing “Last night, dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson’s…he was a true maverick filmmaker.” Downey Sr. also acted, and directed several other films that gained a cult following. But 1969’s “Putney Swope” was given a mainstream release and thus exposed his work to a wider audience, which was shocked (even appalled) by much of what they saw at the time. The devastating satire of Madison Avenue follows what happens when an African American activist is given a free hand at an ad agency. Downey Sr. acted, in films including “Boogie Nights” (1997), “Magnolia” (1999) and “The Family Man” (2000). The University of North Carolina’s decision to initially deny Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure, reverberated in an instant rebuke from the school’s Black students and faculty, who waged their collective voices against the establishment in order to evoke change. While Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and former alumnae of UNC will instead begin a tenured venture at Howard University, she thanked her extended family of Black students and faculty who aided her in a fight that will serve as a watershed moment in higher education where Black students and intellectuals are often tolerated and overlooked. On Wednesday a coalition group comprised of the UNC Black Student Movement, the Carolina Black Caucus, and the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association pressed on in their years-long fight to create a more equitable campus for Black and minority students by presenting the university with a list of demands during a news conference. News that President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti was assassinated on Wednesday induced feelings of uncertainty, anguish, and fear among natives after enduring political and environmental turmoil, especially over the last 11 years. While Moïse’s presidential term was riddled with criticism and controversy, the loss of the nation’s leader invites valid questions regarding the country’s future amid fears of rising gang and police violence as well as political instability. “The Haitian diaspora is upset and searching for answers. Although Jovenel Moïse was wildly unpopular with several calls for him to step down, there’s still a feeling of disappointment given what this indicates for the state of the country,” Haitian Times Publisher Vania Andre said in a statement. ” Folks are scared about what’s to come next, and there are very real fears about whether or not violence in the streets will ensue.” Haiti’s police chief said late Wednesday night that four people suspected of being involved in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse were killed by police in a gun battle. Two others were arrested, he said. Léon Charles, the police chief, said three police officers who were held hostage had been freed. “The police are engaged in a battle with the assailants,” he said at a news conference. “We are pursuing them so that, in a gunfight, they meet their fate or in gunfight they die, or we apprehend them.” Moïse was shot and killed at about 1 a.m. local time Wednesday by a group of armed assailants in his home. https://youtu.be/v0xFkbSjNl8 Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his own home in Port Au-Prince in the early morning hours Wednesday. His wife, Martine Moïse, was shot multiple times in the incident and was flown to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, arriving at approximately 3:30 p.m. Arrangements were made for her to be taken to Miami for treatment at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Officials said her vitals are stable but critical. She was flown to South Florida by Trinity Air Ambulance. https://youtu.be/1XumbmLxoYI More than a year since the country first shutdown, and the pandemic rages on. Concerns about the spread of the new delta variant prompt a renewed push to boost vaccination rates. Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, chair of the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, emphasizes how much the new variant has become a concern because it is easier to transmit and more aggressive than prior versions of the coronavirus. Although some businesses and public offices maintain mask mandates and social distancing protocols, many local and state governments have removed protections. The rush to open could give the misconception that the pandemic is over. “The pandemic isn’t over; the pandemic is shifting,” Nunez-Smith said during an interview Tuesday. “And so it is becoming more and more urgent to be vaccinated to be protected from the delta variant and other variants.” Today, award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones announced that she has declined an offer of tenure from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). In her first extensive comments since the UNC Board of Trustees voted on her tenure, Ms. Hannah-Jones released the following statement: “I have loved the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since I was a child watching Tar Heels basketball on television. Two decades ago, in 2001, I learned that not only had I been accepted into the master’s program at the journalism school at UNC, but that I had received a full-tuition Park Fellowship. I cried from joy. I could not believe how lucky I was to get the chance to learn journalism at a place I had so long revered. https://youtu.be/RRRs6iEyBHY Katie Couric’s upcoming 11-city tour will be in-person. She will be promoting her memoir “Going There.” Couric’s tour begins October 28th two days after her book’s release with her first stop being at Boston’s Orpheum Theatre. She is set to stop at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, the Atlanta Symphony Hall, and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Special guests will join her at each venue. Eager to return to somewhat of a pre-pandemic world, Couric says, “Given the challenging period we’ve been through, I’m so excited to be out in the world, creating a sense of community and a place where we can all get together for meaningful conversations, and have some fun, too.” Steven Spielberg has cut a deal with Netflix through his production company Amblin Partners to make multiple feature films per year for Netflix. The deal does not specifically include movies to be directed by Spielberg. Amblin currently has a separate deal with Universal Pictures for theatrical releases. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, has long sought after this partnership as this will bring Amblin Partners more directly and more officially into the streaming fold. In an exclusive interview, original Braxton party girl, Trina Braxton tells radio and TV personality Jazmyn Summers that the reports of sis Towanda Braxton losing her home to foreclosure and going broke are totally false. Near the end of the “Braxton Family Values” 2011 season, Towanda, her two children and Andre Carter were evicted after their home went into foreclosure. They moved in with Towanda’s older sister, Toni. Recently rumors arose that she was going through that again. Not true says Trina dreading that rumor. “I was just at her house the other day and she’s doing good. I saw her beautiful house myself,” Trina tells Jazmyn. There were no boxes being packed. As for the other sisters, she’s loving Toni’s new look with the bald head. “She’s in her 50s. I’m in my 40s. I got to get my diet on. I can’t blame this weight on menopause.” She tells the Spotlight that Toni thought the bald head might be a little too much, but Trina strongly encouraged her. A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in Southern California was vandalized with a swastika and other “horrific” graffiti that police are investigating as a hate crime, officials said. Officers from the Long Beach Police Department were called to King Park on Friday following reports the statue was vandalized with “hate/bias-motivated graffiti,” police said. Officers discovered the graffiti covering the front of the statue, Long Beach police spokesman Richard Mejia said in a statement. Police did not share a photo of the graffiti but an image posted on Twitter showed a black swastika spray-painted on the statue’s chest and SS bolts on a leg. The SS bolts are “a common white supremacist/neo-Nazi symbol derived from Schutzstaffel (SS) of Nazi Germany,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. Swastikas are hate symbols associated with Nazis. Willingboro, N.J.’s Carl Lewis, one of the most decorated Olympians of all time, picked up a new endorsement deal as the 2021 Tokyo Games approach. Lewis is joining the “Silk Team Protein Initiative.” Silk is a popular producer of soy milk. Silk is excited to introduce gold medal-winning athlete Carl Lewis as the newest face of the Silk® soy milk portfolio and member of Team Protein. Carl is featured on Original and Unsweet Silk Soy milk cartons, available on grocery store shelves now! To celebrate the new partnership, Carl and Silk Soy milk are passing the torch to the next generation of athletes through the ”Silk Team Protein” initiative, a new initiative for HBCU* track & field teams that is designed to help promote top talent, on and off the field, through a total of $50,000 in donations. A beloved college quarterback was killed last week after 50 shots were fired into his car while he was driving on a busy road in the Florida Panhandle. Ladarius Clardy, 18, a quarterback at Kennesaw State University, had just left a friend’s house and was driving on a main road in Pensacola when his car was hit with a spray of bullets, Sheriff Chip Simmons said at a press conference. “Someone fired over 50 rounds into the car, most of them into the car door, the driver’s door,” Simmons said. Deputies found a black Honda Accord that had crashed in a ravine in a wooded area. Inside, they found Clardy and an unidentified male passenger, 19, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Clardy was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger was transported to a local hospital. As many employers begin to make a push to return to the office following the July 4 holiday, a number of Black Americans may not be in support of that move. According to a new study from Future Forum, only 3% of white-collar, Black professionals want to return to the office full-time following the pandemic. According to mental health experts, trauma from civil unrest in the Summer of 2020 and fears of microaggressions post-pandemic have caused Black Americans to prioritize their mental health more than ever. “Following the murder of George Floyd and the racial traumas of the last year with COVID-19, more Black Americans are choosing to prioritize their mental health,” said Veronda Bellamy, therapist, and owner of The Relevancy Factor. “Particularly in settings where there are fewer Black Americans, the return to work can signal anxiety,” she continued. “In this case, many are choosing to manage their anxiety – and their overall mental health – by opting for a hybrid return to work model or a full work-from-home plan that allows them to avoid those sticky situations.” Racial disparities in cervical cancer are real and alarming. Take this startling statistic as an example: Black women are twice as likely to die from cervical cancer than white women — and cervical cancer is considered a preventable disease. According to Jessica A. Shepherd, MD, MBA, a board-certified ob-gyn who is working to raise awareness about cervical cancer, the reasoning behind the data doesn’t have to do with anything biological or genetic, yet instead a lack of access and education. “Unconscious bias and discrimination play a large role in in-equal access, less accurate diagnoses, decreased treatment options, less pain management and poor clinical outcomes,” Dr. Shepherd says. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQa6uh0Hydg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again CATCH “GMA3” WITH H.E.R. AND TAUREN WELLS LIVE CHAT ON FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2021 Watch platinum hit makers H.E.R. (MBK/RCA) and Tauren Wells live chat about their hit song “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)” on “GMA3: What You Need To Know” Friday, July 9th, 2021 at 1 pm ET / 12 pm CT and PT on ABC https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/video/gma3 Atlanta-based media company Empower Media Group (EMG) announced the 2021 Black Media Honors™? – the annual awards show that honors broadcasting, public relations, media, mass communication and journalism icons who have influenced and made significant contributions to the media industry. Hosted by Actress Brely Evans and Pastor Anthony Murray August 21, through August 22, in Atlanta. The official awards going down at Twelve Midtown Conference Center. This year’s honorees include Karen Civil, Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant, Kimberly Chapman, Jeff Johnson, Randy Fling, Dr. Rashad Richey, Michelle Rice, Morgan Debaun, Nadia C. Fischer and The Georgia Entertainment Caucus. Performances by Stellar Award Winning Gospel Singer Y'anna Crawley, Tasha Page-Lockhart and Ignatious Carmouche. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Norman Gyamfi of The Icho Group (Columbia, SC), and Walter Thomas of Agency22 Music & Entertainment (Chicago, IL), have merged their respective enterprises to create a dynamic new entertainment firm, Undivided. The novel union now represents some of the biggest headliners in the Christian-Gospel music genre such as GRAMMY® Award winner, Jonathan McReynolds; worship leader, Todd Dulaney; platinum-selling recording artist, Erica Campbell of Mary Mary fame and Chandler Moore of the Gen Z worship collective, Maverick City, among others. In 2020 the pandemic was a rough year for everyone but personally traumatic for me. I lost my brother to Covid-19 and this song HE KEPT ME means more to me now than it ever did. Most can relate that God has kept some from it, and brought some through it; not only physically but mentally. God is and will forever be A Keeper! check out new music from Lamont Sanders. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6657860?date=20210224&user_id=668306&signature=CFxveLxm9Gj4MyGuqsUH8yiscyo%3AeLNed9Op Lionel & Leslie drops video "Grateful." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSU7laKY9Fo On Tuesday, the U.S. track and field federation announced Sha' Carri Richardson will NOT run in the Tokyo Olympics. Her suspension for marijuana use would have benched Richardson for at least part of the Tokyo Olympics, the sprinter will now be completely barred from competing in the Olympics. Period. “While USATF fully agrees that the merit of the World Anti-Doping Agency rules related to THC should be reevaluated, it would be detrimental to the integrity of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field if USATF amended its policies following competition, only weeks before the Olympic Games,” the statement from USA Track & Field said. The president of Haiti was assassinated overnight by a group of gunmen in his private residence, Haiti’s interim prime minister said in a short statement Wednesday, sparking concern about worsening upheaval in the Caribbean country beset by political instability and growing gang violence. President Jovenel Moïse was killed and his wife wounded by unidentified assailants, some of whom spoke Spanish, according to interim prime minister Claude Joseph. Joseph called the attack “odious, inhuman and barbaric” and said Haiti’s security situation was under the control of the country’s armed forces and police. The Canadian Embassy in Haiti confirmed the assassination in a statement and described the attackers as “mercenaries.” The neighboring Dominican Republic, meanwhile, announced the closure of border crossings between the two countries. The second teen involved in the killing of Uber Eats food delivery driver Mohammad Anwar, 66, was sentenced this week to juvenile detention until she turns 21. Per NBC News, the second carjacker, a 15-year-old girl, pleaded guilty to felony murder in May and was also sentenced to juvenile detention until she turns 21. https://youtu.be/bj4eD4Octj4 Five years ago, on July 7, 2016, a concerned mother of two Black sons gave birth to twin organizations: Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. (M.O.B.B. United) and M.O.B.B United for Social Change, Inc. Depelsha Thomas McGruder founded these nonprofits in the wake of the brutal police killings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and many others who came before them. Fed up, frustrated and filled with despair, she took to her computer to do something about it. A heartfelt social media post began a journey for McGruder and a dedicated cohort of moms that led to the formation of M.O.B.B. United; two organizations dedicated to influencing policies and perceptions that impact how Black boys and men are viewed and treated by law enforcement and other authority figures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUKkgnJGaNI&feature=youtu.be Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed Derek Chauvin murder George Floyd last year, has revealed that Minneapolis police killed her uncle, who was an innocent driver during a high-speed chase conducted under questionable circumstances. While police did not immediately identify the victim of the apparent collateral damage, Frazier said the man who was inside a car that was hit by a police cruiser in pursuit of an alleged carjacking and robbery suspect early Tuesday morning was her uncle, Leneal Lamont Frazier. New York City moved closer to electing its second-ever Black mayor after Eric Adams was on Tuesday night declared the winner of last month’s Democratic primary. If Adams wins the general election in November, something that is all but a given in the Democratic-heavy five boroughs, he will be New York City’s first Black mayor in more than 30 years. He declared victory in part by saying “the results are clear” and looking to the general election. Juvenile has updated his 1999 classic “Back That Thang Up” as “Vax That Thang Up” as part of a new campaign by the dating app BLK to encourage folks to get inoculated against COVID-19. The reboot, featuring fellow Cash Money great Mannie Fresh (who appeared on the original) and No Limit legend Mia X, marks the first time the two New Orleans labels have linked for a project. https://youtu.be/pa_gk3X5UEE Kevin Hart’s trainer doesn’t not appreciate anyone talking about his kids, not even his famous client, who got a playful reminder of his trainer’s wrath – and strength as punishment. In video that has gone viral, fitness trainer Ron Everline is shown roughhousing in the pool with Hart and their families. It was all fun and games, but Everline had Hart in a serious headlock and repeatedly dunked him under the water. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQoMVVBp5yR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again WE tv’s hit series “Beyond the Pole” returns this week with an all-new episode, and we have an exclusive clip of what’s to come! This season on “Beyond the Pole,” per press release, Ms. Dime, Angel Kake, Empress, Lyric, Virgo, Gigi Maguire, Ya Ya, Treasure, and Milk Marie “Pinky” are dealing with a world that is changing along with their businesses. Everyone is feeling the stress of quarantine, staying masked-up, healthy, and keeping the bills paid in this new COVID reality. Now that the city of Atlanta has reopened, the women face these challenges as well as the pressure on their friendships, relationships and professional lives. https://youtu.be/b09maQY-L0I Inspired by 400 years of systemic injustice, inequality, and inhumanity, Sounds of Blackness Singers & Band express the perpetual pain and rage of Black people, who never received their “40 Acres And A Mule” despite the Centuries of free labor, exploitation, brutality, and dehumanization. Sounds of Blackness’ own Andrea Macklin & Yulanda are featured on ”Time For Reparations.” The song (written and produced by Sounds Music Director Gary Hines), was recorded at Atomic K Studios and Winterland Studios Minneapolis and, BabyHoney Studio Kansas City, MO. https://youtu.be/KBG3Uc_D5ac Last month, in celebration of Juneteenth, Billboard Music Award-winning music collective Maverick City Music released their newest project, Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition. The new album is a dual-side feature consisting of a live produced gospel A-Side and a Rap/R&B/Pop produced B-Side. Jubilee features a wide range of guest artists, including heavy-hitters from gospel, R&B, Pop and Rap: Ciara, Rapsody, Tamar Braxton, Jonathan McReynolds, Israel Houghton, Jekalyn Carr, and more. As with other Maverick City Music releases, the collective continues to impress as the new album Peaked at #1 on Apple iTunes. The collective currently claims 4 No.1 spots on the Christian/Gospel charts – Gospel Digital Song Sales, Top Christian Albums, Gospel Streaming Songs, Top Gospel Albums, Christian/Gospel charts – solidifying Maverick City Music’s impact on the music industry. G.I. Member Branden Anderson recently announced on social media the start of a new chapter in his life. After 20 years of recording, touring and charting with one of Gospel’s most beloved and celebrated urban contemporary male groups, he is launching his solo career. The announcement was met with much excitement and anticipation for his forthcoming single “God Did It Again” produced by Daniel Bryant (G.I., Tamela Mann, Chris Brown, Chante Moore). Branden is the President and CEO of the Stellar-Award Nominated Record Label BGA Music Group G.I. Former ‘Smallville’ actress Allison Mack is speaking out about her co-ringleader position in a sex cult called NXIVM. The cult’s leader and Mack’s alleged lover, Keith Raniere, used NXIVM as a self-help workshop to force over a dozen women and teen girls to have sex with him. His alleged crimes are documented in the HBO series “The Vow,” which was picked up for a second season. Mack allegedly manipulated women into becoming sex slaves for Raniere. Raniere was found guilty of federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges in June 2019, and sentenced to 120 years in prison, PEOPLE reported. Mack was arrested in 2018 and charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy. She pleaded guilty to the charges. Last month a federal judge sentenced her to 3 years in prison, along with a $20,000 fine. The apparent white supremacist at the center of a viral video in which he repeatedly calls his Black neighbor in south New Jersey the N-word and other racial slurs while trying to physically intimidate him won’t own up to his racism despite clear evidence to the contrary. Edward Cagney Mathews was arrested on Monday evening — more than two days after he attacked his neighbor on Friday with racial epithets — and said in an interview afterward that he just happened to have too much to drink and offered an apology to the unidentified Black man he was caught on video racially harassing for no apparent reason other than the color of his skin. “I certainly wasn’t expecting an encounter like that and certainly wasn’t expecting to disrespect anybody,” Mathews told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Let me be clear: That is no excuse for what I said, but I lost my temper.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1412113378005327873 Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, co-counsel Devon Jacob, Reverend Al Sharpton, and the family of Hunter Brittain have released details regarding the public memorial service for Hunter Brittain, which will be held on Tuesday, July 6 at 12:30 p.m. CT. Reverend Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy and attorney Ben Crump will deliver special remarks. During the early morning of June 23, Officer Michael Davis shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Hunter Brittain during a traffic stop. According to witnesses, Davis’s vehicle would not shift into park, so he exited the vehicle to put a large bright blue plastic bottle of antifreeze behind the wheel to prevent the vehicle from rolling towards the deputy’s vehicle. Inexplicably, Davis shot him three times. In violation of department policy and training, Deputy Davis did not activate his body camera until after the shooting. https://youtu.be/iFvIRezbMzk Over the holiday Bill Cosby released a message regarding the backlash against Phylicia Rashad, his former TV wife, received after she voiced her support once the court vacated Cosby’s sexual assault charge last week. Rashad, an incoming dean at Howard’s College of Fine Arts, has issued two apologies to survivors and Howard University community members, but Cosby decided to jump into the fray to condemn the media over the usage of free speech as well as placing blame on the media for the insurrectionists who illegally stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. “Howard University you must support ones Freedom of Speech (Ms. Rashad), which is taught or suppose to be taught everyday at that renowned law school, which resides on your campus,” he said in a statement sent by his spokesperson Andrew Wyatt, obtained by Deadline. The topic of respectability politics arose again this weekend after a popular soul food restaurant in Houston, Texas, unveiled a dress code policy that spurred anti-Black accusations aimed at Black patrons. Turkey Leg Hut became one of the hottest spots in the city, offering different enticing varieties of turkey legs doused in different dressings like crawfish macaroni, along with an atmosphere of club vibes, music and fun, including dish offerings of flavorful cocktails, desserts and hookah. But after a good run in the city’s Third Ward community, things turned sour when the restaurant released a strict dress code via a message on social media on Friday. In the post the restaurant demands patrons refrain from wearing “excessively revealing clothing,” “no house attire,” and prohibits baggy clothes and swimsuits. Winner of two top prizes at Sundance, “Summer of Soul” takes viewers into the forgotten Harlem concert series in 1969. Over the course of six weeks, thousands gathered for the Harlem Culture Festival featuring many of the decade’s hottest acts. Directed and executive produced by “Questlove,” aka Ahmir Thompson of The Roots, the “Summer of Soul” is not your average documentary. Now in theaters and streaming on Hulu, the two-hour documentary channels the energy and power of a critical moment in American culture. To call the “Summer of Soul,” an emotional experience is an understatement. Forty hours of footage are distilled into a two-hour exploration into the festival, with commentary from attendees and some musicians themselves. https://www.instagram.com/questlove/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=14f4e4af-8a9f-41e4-a8a4-0f552d7a1ca6 The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has partnered with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to produce the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap to be released Aug. 20. This first-of-its-kind collection chronicles hip-hop’s growth and impact from the parks of the Bronx to the broadest areas of the American experience and worldwide influence. A track list and additional information about the anthology are available, including images from the set. “Born in Bronx and raised across the American West and South, hip-hop is one of the most influential genres of music in the modern era,” said Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of NMAAHC. “Through beats, dynamic rhymes and pointed lyricism, hip-hop has provided a platform for communities and generations to voice their ongoing struggles and has changed society and culture around the world.” https://youtu.be/RjDaZuMpvxg Independence Day tends to make Americans reflect on their constitutional rights. When it comes to the 2nd Amendment more African-Americans have realized they too, have the right to bear arms. Even though just 19 percent of registered gun owners are African-American, they are more likely to be victims of crimes where guns are used against them. That could explain why more than half of new gun sales were to Black people in the year between March 2020 and March 2021. The growing number of Black registered gun owners is one of the reasons the National African-American Gun Association (NAAGA) was created in 2015. The NAAGA website lists education, gun safety, self-defense and advocacy as its objectives. In less than six years membership has risen to more than 60,000. https://youtu.be/_s-M_2yFSWA Nick Cannon at 40, has announced his new daytime talk show to reportedly air soon, right after the Wendy William’s Show. However, there’s a twist, the tea is that Cannon’s talk show will be replacing “The Real.” Radar Online says they have a source who confirms that the time slot currently occupied by “The Real” is going to be given to Cannon, according to Bossip. Insiders say that “The Wendy Williams Show” and Cannon’s highly anticipated talk show were meant to complement one another, as they both share the same producers, Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury. https://www.instagram.com/nickcannon/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d9c536ff-5d34-4216-9912-3e06ccb50bd4 Today, TV One and CLEO TV announced that Charnelle Anderson has joined the company as SVP of Marketing & Creatives Services to oversee the strategic development and implementation of all marketing initiatives. With over two decades of industry experience, Anderson will play a critical role in driving brand awareness and creating cohesive marketing programs that amplify both network's content offerings across digital, linear and non-linear television platforms. Proving to be a true success story at Gospel radio with repeated Number 1 songs, Jekalyn Carr reaches the Number 1 slot on both the Billboard Gospel Songs Chart. Mediabase Gospel Airplay Chart this week with "Jehovah Jireh." The powerful and robust "Jehovah Jireh" is Carr's fifth Number 1 song and follows her previous Number 1 song from her current album, the title track "Changing Your Story." SAN FRANKLIN is an undeniable force among Gospel music's most noted circle of female Gospel artists. Her debut solo album THE FREE PROJECT has made evident her incredible vocal arranging skill, prolific songwriting ability, and anointed delivery and performance. The album chronicles her trials and triumphs and ambition to inspire and lead people to the freedom and liberty that Christ offers. "I CHOOSE FREE" is a defining song that she conveys with both passion and power. "I CHOOSE FREE" is an anthem and an emblem of liberty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvToaLXKwPY A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, July 8 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, experts recount the infamous sins of the D.C. Sniper. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z82BLjd41hE&feature=youtu.be Less than a week after trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill belatedly voted to grant tenure to New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, Howard University announced Hannah-Jones will instead be joining its faculty. Howard, the prestigious historically Black university in Washington, D.C., also announced it is hiring writer and Howard alumnus Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me. Their positions were funded by nearly $20 million in donations from the Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation as well as an anonymous donor. The funding establishes the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism, a tenured position to be held by Hannah-Jones. Hannah-Jones, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her “1619 Project,” will also establish the Center for Journalism and Democracy, which the university says will train aspiring journalists in “the investigative skills and historical and analytical expertise needed to cover the crisis our democracy is facing.” Galveston County Health officials are investigating whether a COVID-19 outbreak at a church-sponsored summer camp was caused by the Delta variant of the virus. Services at Clear Creek Community Church in League City were suspended Sunday. It’s believed that more than 100 kids contracted COVID-19 from a church-sponsored summer camp they attended in Giddings last week. Health officials suspect the kids may be infected with the Delta variant. https://youtu.be/e0q98DEMsuw Expectations regarding ESPN’s coverage of the 2020 NBA Finals landed Rachel Nichols in hot water within her own network. Those comments, made public in a New York Times report published Sunday, have now led to a change in assignment for her at the 2021 finals. Nichols will not be the sideline reporter for the Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks series, ESPN announced Tuesday. Malika Andrews will assume the role, while Nichols will continue hosting her daily NBA show, “The Jump.” “We believe this is best decision for all concerned in order to keep the focus on the NBA Finals,” ESPN said in a statement. An earlier report noted that last month, attorneys Steven Greenberg and Michael Leonard — who’ve been with R. Kelly for years — filed documents requesting to withdraw from the singer’s federal case, per TMZ. Their alleged reason for wanting to pull out is all about a clash with other members of Kelly’s legal team regarding inadequate experience with Kelly’s type of case. “We refused to try a case with lawyers who don’t have the appropriate level of experience and skill because that is not in the client’s best interest. It is a shame that lawyers can’t suppress their egos or self-interest and do or act in the client’s best interest,” Greenberg and Leonard told TMZ. Thomas Farinella and Nicole Blank Becker have taken over the case. According to the report, they filed a motion for R. Kelly‘s release from a Chicago jail on July 1. The outlet writes, “In the filing, claims that Greenberg withheld paperwork from the singer were made, as well as an allegation of Leonard not allowing R. Kelly to seek help from a mental health professional.” As reported by thejasminebrand.com, a judge has not yet officially signed off on the paperwork to withdraw, so Greenberg and Leonard are still part of the singer’s defense team. https://youtu.be/V1SD-wPRDlY Market Fridays where students can shop from local Black vendors. Hump Wednesdays featuring popup concert performances. The long-awaited family reunion at homecoming. All are quintessential parts of life in the AUC — Atlanta University Center Consortium — home to four Historically Black Colleges & Universities. Yet these experiences haven’t been televised as frequently as those of affluent white students: Reflecting the lack of diversity among Hollywood writers, protagonists in teen movies and TV shows tend to aspire to Yale University, not Spelman or Morehouse . Enter “All American: Homecoming,” which joins the much smaller number of films and series — including “School Daze,” “Drumline,” “Stomp the Yard,” “A Different World” and most recently BET’s two-season drama “The Quad” — to choose HBCUs as their backdrop. Premiering Monday on The CW, the pilot of “Homecoming,” a spinoff of the L.A.-set high school drama “All American,” stars Clark Atlanta University alumna Geffri Maya and “The Quad’s” Peyton Alex Smith, who briefly attended Florida A&M University, in a story set at the fictional Bringston University in Atlanta. Spike Lee, the first Black president of the Cannes Film Festival jury, spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon in the south of France, touching on such topics as Netflix, George Floyd, his beloved New York Knicks and more. Spike Lee is making history at Cannes Film Festival. The Oscar-winning director is the first Black president of the jury, where he’ll head the nine artists and actors — including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tahar Rahim and Song Kang-ho — tasked with voting on the prestigious Palm d’Or. “Cannes is the world’s greatest film festival,” Lee said on Tuesday afternoon in the South of France. “No disrespecting other film festivals.” https://youtu.be/BRpxW_-0M4I On Monday afternoon, Olivia Wilson had arrived from her home in Tennessee to the Cannes Film Festival, where she’ll be working as an intern at the American Pavilion. But before she got to enjoy the flashiest film festival in the world, she had to spit over and over again in a plastic tube to make sure she didn’t have COVID-19. In Cannes, the saliva test will be the preferred method of checking for COVID by Biogroup, the laboratory hired to fight the spread of the virus that has killed 4 million people around the world. But while the process didn’t involve sticking a swab up her nostrils, it wasn’t so easy. “It was difficult for me,” Wilson says. “I couldn’t produce enough saliva.” She estimated that she had to spit “more than 15 times” before she’d collected enough of a sample. Former Casting Crowns drummer Andy Williams — who remains on a ventilator — underwent surgery last week to have one of his legs amputated “above the knee” after being hit by a vehicle as he was riding his motorcycle to church. Although the prognosis remains unclear, Williams’ church, Grace Chapel Church in Fairview, Tennessee, is asking for continued prayers “for complete and total healing for this amazing husband, father, and music teacher.” The church has started a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising at least $250,000 to cover medical bills for Williams’ care. At the time this article was published, the campaign has raised more than $22,000. Tyrese Gibson is promoting “F9: The Fast Saga,” by giving Architectural Digest a tour of his Atlanta mansion. The 1980s series “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” was an inspiration for the Los Angeles native. “My first instinct was like, I can’t believe human beings can actually own Rolls-Royces and castles!” Gibson said. “But eventually that TV show gave me the audacity to believe that it was possible to have these things, to break the cycle of poverty.” https://youtu.be/RjVfU9WcPxE Kei’Yonna Gumbs of Texas City, Texas shared video of her three-month-old daughter, Myla, shockingly covered head to toe in body hair. “Never have I ever, and this is my fourth kid, had a baby with so much hair,” Kei’Yonna said in the video. https://youtu.be/fl65XcY3EeU Kodak Black fans have questions after he posted footage of himself throwing stacks of $100 bills into the ocean and flushing several more down the toilet. In two now-deleted social media posts that were widely reposted and trending, Black disposed of large amounts of money, which some fans estimated to be $100,000. Others said they’re not so sure it was that much, but most agreed it was careless. In the first video posted on Tuesday, June 29, Black is on a boat nonchalantly throwing money into the sea while being recorded. He is saying something, but the video has no sound so viewers cannot discern his dialogue. Black captioned the video: “I Broke You Off When Dem F**k Ni**as Wouldn’t Give You A Dime !!! I Ain’t Owe You Sh*t Ni**a I Just Wanted To See You Shine!!! Yeen Never Gave Me Sh*t Ni**a I Had My Own Grind!!!” As a holiday, Independence Day, like many aspects of America’s folklore, represents an expression of ideas that have yet to come to pass. Posting a rendition of Frederick Douglass’ speech “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July’” has become as much an Independence Day tradition for Black people as the family cookout. The words of another great elder ring true on this day. Ida B. Wells-Barnett once wrote that extending the right to vote, without limitation, to Black people was critical to ending lynching and the dehumanization of Black life. Wells-Barnett understood that the act of voting alone would not make lynchings disappear, but without the right Black people could continue to be treated as subhuman and undeserving of process. It’s been 245 years since the founders declared independence for themselves, and the fight for freedom and liberation from tyranny continues. A new monument honoring the life and legacy of abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman is coming to the city of Newark, CBS News reported. The statue—which will stand in Downtown Newark’s Washington Park—will serve as an ode to Tubman’s bravery, resiliency and the sacrifices she made on the journey towards freedom. The structure will replace a statue of Christopher Columbus that was removed following the uprising in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. In October 2020, the City of Newark unveiled plans to not only replace the statue but to change Washington Park’s name to Tubman Square. The maternal health crisis has disproportionately impacted Black women and Morehouse School of Medicine is putting the focus on reversing this alarming trend through the creation of a new research effort. The Atlanta-based institution recently announced the launch of an initiative centered on exploring the origins of racial health inequities and their impact on the pregnancy journeys of Black women. As part of the effort being led by MSM’s Center for Maternal Health Equity, which was established in 2019, African American mothers in Louisiana, Georgia, the District of Columbia and New Jersey—which have the highest rates of Black maternal mortality—will candidly share their experiences surrounding Maternal Near Misses (MNM); an occurrence when a woman nearly loses her life during her pregnancy, childbirth or after the termination of a pregnancy. Researchers will also delve into how the maternal health crisis has impacted women who are incarcerated. The Domino Sugar Factory a staple in the city of Baltimore and for the first time in its 99-year history, a Black woman will sit at its helm. According to The Baltimore Sun, Coricka White was appointed to serve as the refinery’s manager. For decades, the factory’s iconic neon sign that adorns Baltimore’s Inner Harbor has been synonymous with the city’s industrial history. The refinery is the second-largest sugar factory in the United States and the last remaining sugar production facility in Baltimore. Nearly 6.5 million pounds of sugar is processed there daily. For White—a University of Virginia alum who earned a master’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology—her connection to the company runs deep. She started working there as an engineer nearly two decades ago and has served in several senior leadership roles throughout her career. In her new position, she is responsible for managing $20 million installations of refined sugar silos which equates to nearly 14 million pounds of storing capacity. Disney‘s highly anticipated “Black Widow” hits theaters and Disney+ on July 9. The film stars Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. In addition, audiences will get a deeper look into the character who joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2010s “Iron Man 2.” The film’s timeline is after 2016s “Captain America: Civil War” and 2018s “Avengers: Infinity War.” Natasha is on the run after helping Captain America escape and turning her back on Tony Stark. With nowhere left to go, Natasha returns to her birth country with the help of her friend “Mason” (O.T. Fagbenle) https://youtu.be/Fp9pNPdNwjI Terron Brooks is a talented singer/songwriter who has performed alongside such music royalty as Smokey Robinson, Stephanie Mills and Michael Jackson. His time on Broadway — highlighted by his roles as Simba in “The Lion King” and Seaweed in “Hairspray”— set the stage for what would become his largest role to date, his portrayal of Motown legend Eddie Kendricks in “The Temptations.” That NBC miniseries depicted the life and times of the talented but troubled group. Brooks has also released five studio albums, with a sixth to be released this fall. The research team at Delamere Health have uncovered the top artists making the most references to sex within their music. The findings revealed that Usher is one of the most provocative artists. The Atlanta rapper landed in fifth place on the ranking, with 29 sexual references. This is unsurprising as the HR&B singer is recognized for his hyper-sexual tunes, this is present in “This Ain’t Sex” and “Nice & Slow.” However, Nicki Minaj topped the list as the raunchiest singer/rapper. The Hip Hop artist has made a total of 43 references to sex within her lyrics, crowning the singer-songwriter the most provocative artist. Megan Thee Stallion, landed in third place, with 34 sexual mentions, this artist ranking is unsurprising with Megan’s hit single Sex Talk. After three days of repeated power outages at his aunt’s Dallas home during February’s arctic storm, Steven Brown noticed something was very wrong with his legs. “My feet had swelled up on me,” he recalled. “I couldn’t walk normal. My ankles locked up to the point where I couldn’t bend my knees or stand up no more.” A relative took the 23-year-old to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where Brown learned he had suffered frostbite to his legs and had a blood infection. After three days of hospitalization, he was presented with two choices – either a long, complicated recovery filled with many uncertainties or amputation. “Either I had an option that I could keep [my legs] and deal with whatever comes with it or the second option was I had to get both of my limbs amputated so I chose that one,” Brown said. “Other people would probably be like, dang, I lost my legs. They’d probably have a hard time coping and dealing with it. … But I can deal with it. It’s just a different way of living.” https://cbsloc.al/3jrzPCz Former NBA star Reggie Theus is expected to be named the athletic director and men’s head basketball coach at Bethune-Cookman University next week, sources told ESPN’s The Undefeated. Theus replaces Ryan Ridder as Bethune-Cookman’s men’s basketball coach. Ridder left for the same position at University of Tennessee-Martin on March 30. Theus has previously coached at New Mexico State from 2005-07, compiling a 41-23 record and earning one NCAA tournament bid. He was 94-128 while coaching at Cal State Northridge Matadors from 2013-18. The two-time NBA All-Star has also been a head coach with the Sacramento Kings and the G League Los Angeles D-Fenders. Theus also coaches in the Big3 and is expected to continue coaching this upcoming season. A 13-year-old from Michigan has died in his sleep three days after receiving his second coronavirus vaccine, prompting an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control. Jacob Clynick, a healthy boy with no underlying conditions, received his second shot of the Pfizer vaccine at Walgreens in Zilwaukee on June 13, according to his aunt Tammy Burages. She told The Detroit Free Press that the only side effects Jacob had experienced from the vaccine were fatigue and fever, which are considered normal. He complained of a stomach ache on June 15 and went to bed, where he died in his sleep, Burages said. An autopsy was performed but Jacob’s official cause of death has yet to be determined. Songs Of Praise star Aled Jones said his Twitter was hacked after a very rude photo was posted on his account. The singer, 50, apologized to fans after a close up picture of a man’s crotch in black Calvin Klein boxer shorts was posted on Sunday. The image was posted as a Fleet, content that disappears 24 hours after it is shared, similar to an Instagram Story. Writing on Twitter, Aled said: “I’ve been hacked sorry everyone! Jeez xxx.” He claimed he didn’t even know what a Fleet was, adding: “Never heard of it!” Vice-President Kamala Harris was recently accused of not celebrating Juneteenth with a room full of White female-senators (at her side) while people of color (the help) minded the dinner-table. USA Today jumped to Harris’ aid with a fact check – made possible by a grant from Facebook – that said: Nope, it’s just not true. The news organization reached out to the Facebook user (who made the claim, wrongly criticizing four official photos) and told them so. The accusations were false. The slammed photos were shot at an annual event held for 24 female senators – comprised of 16 Democrats and eight Republicans. The affair in question, a yearly tradition, is meant to foster good relationships among the bipartisan women. Plus, it didn’t happen on June 19. The episode took place at Harris’ Washington home a few days before Biden even signed the bill – that made Juneteenth a federal holiday. And it turns out – when the time came – the first Black-female vice-president of the United States did in fact commemorate the holiday. On June 19 she tweeted: “We have come far. And we have far to go. But today is a day of celebration. Happy Juneteenth, everybody!” Harris said. “Happy Juneteenth y’all.” https://youtu.be/TwGxu27bZjI As recent, audio surfaced ESPN’s Rachel Nichols discussing how she could prevent Maria Taylor, a Black woman and Nichol’s colleague, from being assigned her job during the NBA Finals. Not surprisingly, Nichols caught a lot of incoming for her comments in the conversation with LeBron James’ publicist Adam Mendelsohn. And now Mendelsohn is no doubt regretting being a party to Nichols’ beef. He’s specifically catching it for comments he made about James’ Black Lives Matter support in that same conversation. When responding to Nichols, Mendelsohn brought up his agitation with James’ push for social justice, specifically with the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements. “I’m exhausted. Between Me Too and Black Lives Matter, I got nothing left,” Mendelsohn said in his conversation with Nichols. https://youtu.be/mm1xHq1NiIc Jalen Rose, who reportedly made racist comments about Kevin Love and Twitter got involved in it. Things got heated. ESPN sports analyst Jalen Rose doesn’t seem to think Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love (a white athlete) is worth his salt. As least as far as the USA men’s basketball is concerned. “Anybody that watched the league this year knows Kevin Love did not have a stellar season, was not the best player on his team and did not necessarily deserve to be on this squad,” Jalen Rose said. “Kevin Love is on the team because of tokenism. Don’t be scared to make an all-Black team representing the United States of America.” Jalen Rose said that on his Jalen & Jacoby podcast last week and has since apologized. https://youtu.be/GXoihU9bPwc Nine-time Grammy winner, Mary J. Blige, is a singing legend that has found success on many avenues in the entertainment industry. She has recorded eight multi-platinum albums and has been nominated twice for academy awards and Golden Globe honors. Yet, many of her fans asked the question: Why did Mary J. Blige have suicidal thoughts with so much to live for? Mary sets the record straight in a documentary released on Amazon Prime, titled “My Life.” The documentary marks the 25th anniversary of Mary’s second album, “My Life.” https://youtu.be/7yQqqu1qr3A Rachel Nichols had a conversation in 2020 with Lebron James’ PR person, Adam Mendelsohn, that leaked and went viral because of what Nichols said in regard to how she could prevent Maria Taylor, a Black ESPN anchor/reporter, from taking over her job during the NBA Finals last year. Nichols, of course, has been catching a lot of flack for her comments and now, for whatever reason, former NBAer and current podcaster, Stephen Jackson, has put his two cents into the mix. He’s basically agreeing with Nichols, saying if it had happened to him, he’d be pissed and calling out the network, too. He initially posted a video saying “F**k ESPN” and called himself “Team Maria.” Jackson deleted the video and shared another one in which he defended Nichols. He said ESPN gave Taylor a “sympathy job” due to the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd. https://youtu.be/7vvJt6f9p8U American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson who won the women’s 100-meter at the U.S. trials last month, has reportedly tested positive for cannabis, as a result, she’s been disqualified as the gold medal contender from a chance to challenge for the Olympic 100 metres title in Tokyo later this month. Richardson, who’s vibrant energy won America over and is hailed as the most exciting sprint star since Usain Bolt was aiming to become the first American woman to win the Olympic 100m title since 1996. The suspension length as currently stands is for 30 days. https://youtu.be/ENOHzuAarK0 A 23-year-old boxer who looks just like Muhammad Ali won a spectacular knockout Saturday in America. Meet Michel Rivera, a Dominican lightweight who is building a considerable name for himself because of his unbeaten run, 21-fight winning streak, and La Zarza Ali nickname. With his high-fade haircut, slender athletic build, and white shorts with black trim, fight fans would be forgiven for thinking they’ve gone back in time to see a late-1960s Ali. A medical examiner in Michigan says an autopsy has determined that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast, and not a fall, as authorities previously reported. Police in Novi, Michigan, said the mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby Sunday night. The 24-year-old Kivlenieks was in a hot tub and tried to get clear with several other people, police Lt. Jason Meier said. Meier said that the fire department and EMTs arrived at a private home on Sunday. Responders took 4 minutes and 38 seconds to arrive after receiving a 911 call. Kivlenieks was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s office reported preliminary autopsy results Monday afternoon. Prior to the autopsy, police said Kivlenieks was believed to have slipped and hit his head on concrete while running from a malfunctioning firework. LeBron James a four-time NBA MVP caused a scene at his son Bronny’s prep basketball game on Saturday, interrupting the game to yell at the PA announcer over a comment he didn’t appreciate. During the final minutes of the game – which took place at LeBron’s alma mater St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School, at the aptly named LeBron James Arena – the Lakers star took issue after a PA announcer said Bronny got a foul call because he was playing in a gym with his father’s name on it, according to the broadcast. Pope Francis was hospitalized in Rome on Sunday afternoon for scheduled surgery on his large intestine, the Vatican said. The news came just three hours after Francis had cheerfully greeted the public in St. Peter’s Square and told them he will go to Hungary and Slovakia in September. It was the pope’s first known hospitalization since he was elected to the papacy in 2013. The brief statement from the Holy See’s press office promised a medical update after the surgery was complete at Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic teaching hospital. The Vatican didn’t say when the surgery would begin, only indicating it would take place later in the day. A white Ohio police chief resigned Tuesday over a deeply troubling racial incident where he was caught on surveillance video placing a Ku Klux Klan sign on the desk of a Black officer. On Friday Anthony Campo, a 33-year veteran of the Sheffield Lake Police Department was captured placing a piece of paper emblazoned with “Ku Klux Klan” on the desk of another officer. The officer, who is Black, had been with the department for less than a year. Campo, who is white, places the paper on a yellow robe, used to look like the robes worn by members of the white supremacist group. https://youtu.be/C7e8A9wVDYs On June 22nd, Britney Spears’s management team started getting nervous. Spears, who is thirty-nine, has spent the past thirteen years living under a conservatorship, a legal structure in which a person’s personal, economic, and legal decision-making power is ceded to others. Called a guardianship in most states, the arrangement is intended for people who cannot take care of themselves. Since the establishment of Spears’s conservatorship, she has released four albums, headlined a global tour that grossed a hundred and thirty-one million dollars, and performed for four years in a hit Las Vegas residency. Yet her conservators, who include her father, Jamie Spears, have controlled her spending, communications, and personal decisions. Members of Spears’s team, most of whom have had little or no direct contact with her for years, didn’t expect drastic changes to result. Two years earlier, in the midst of health struggles and pressure from Spears, Jamie had stepped down from his duties overseeing her personal life, and now the team thought that perhaps she wanted to remove him as the conservator of her financial affairs. Some of the team told reporters that they believed Spears liked the conservatorship arrangement, as long as her father wasn’t involved. ESPN is in turmoil after one of its star reporters, who is white, was heard on a hot mic criticizing the network’s decision to tap a black female colleague to host its NBA coverage last year. Rachel Nichols was overheard last year in a phone conversation saying that she was passed over in favor of a black woman, Maria Taylor, because ESPN was ‘feeling pressure’ to have more on-air diversity. In her conversation with Adam Mendelsohn, Nichols is heard complaining about being passed over to host the network’s marquee pre- and post-game shows during the NBA playoffs and finals last year. An audio excerpt of the phone call was obtained by The New York Times. https://twitter.com/i/status/1411679837505347584 The mother of a Black man who was fatally shot while he was running away from a white Nashville police officer begged a judge on Friday not to accept a plea deal that would send the former officer to jail for only three years.The mother, Vickie Hambrick, cried and screamed as she pounded and knocked over a courtroom lectern, saying she had not been consulted before prosecutors agreed to allow the former officer, Andrew Delke, to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter for shooting her son, Daniel Hambrick, 25, in the back on July 26, 2018. Mr. Delke, 27, had been facing trial on a first-degree murder charge that could have resulted in a life sentence. “I can’t believe this, Judge, I can’t believe this,” Ms. Hambrick said in Nashville criminal court. “What if it was your child instead of my child? It would have been a different story.” The father of twin sisters who are Internet famous for their twerking videos was shot dead by a man during an argument with his daughters. The incident led to the death of an elderly man in what police in Mobile, Ala. say was a case of mistaken identity. In all, two men are dead and a woman is in critical condition. “The preliminary investigation indicates Mr. Walters produced a firearm,” Hodge said. “The other individual produced his firearm and shot Mr. Walters in what appears to be self-defense, based on the information that we have so far.” Police said the man fired at Walters three times, and a 23-year-old woman at the house was also wounded. She is in critical condition. Merrill is the boyfriend of the woman. He was not at the house at the time of the shooting but when he found out about it, he went to the Pathways Apartments on Florida Street and kicked in the wrong door in an act of revenge. He fired multiple shots, hitting James Jones, who died during the gunfire. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently balked about unfair and confusing federal policies that entrap and won’t give tax relief to marijuana-business owners – even though they need to perform business practices just like everybody else. When the IRS refused to give a Colorado marijuana dispensary the same federal tax breaks due to other businesses, the owners gathered paperwork and asked for a Supreme Court hearing – and it was denied. That’s when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas weighed in to say it just ain’t right. More specifically he said Federal Marijuana laws may not be necessary given how they are greatly undermined anyway, according to an NBC News report. https://youtu.be/Vf7yZLSxKCg Sha’Carri Richardson is getting a lot of love and support from a lot of people including some of the country’s top athletes. The U.S. Olympic sprinter has been in the spotlight the last several days because of after testing positive for marijuana a month before the Tokyo Games. The good news is that while Richardson’s suspension won’t allow her to run the 100 meters in the Tokyo Olympics, there’s an outside chance she will be able to run in the 4×100 relay. On Friday (07-02-21) Richardson admitted to Savannah Guthrie on the “Today Show” that she turned to marijuana to cope with the death of her biological mother, news of which was broken to her by a reporter she called a “total stranger.” https://youtu.be/7Ls2rFH8mMg Yara Shahidi has a very fashionable new gig – as Dior’s new global brand ambassador. The 21-year-old actress and activist will be the face of the brand’s women’s fashion and cosmetics, showcasing the work of creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri and image director of make-up Peter Philips. Shahidi has already previously partnered with the fashion house while simultaneously demonstrating her passion for activism, through her work with Dior for International Women’s Day. She appeared in the Dior Stands With Women female-led education and empowerment initiative, in which she talked about her own personal journey with activism. She’s also currently studying at Harvard University for a degree in Social Studies and African-American studies. Barack Obama says his daughters Sasha and Malia don’t fear him nearly as much as they do their mother, Michelle Obama. “They know that I’m all bark and no real bite,” Obama told Dax Shepard on the actor’s latest Armchair Expert podcast. “Michelle, she’s the top dog ’cause they’re scared of her,” he joked. “Michelle says that you have to always have at least one parent who the kids think is a little bit crazy and might actually kill you.” During the episode, the former president said “I am generally the brunt of every joke in the household.” He added that “at the dinner table, the three of them just mock me constantly about my big ears or my weird habits or fashion sense or if I mispronounce the name of some hip-hop star that Sasha’s been listening to.” “They all go, ‘What an idiot,’ ” Obama he said, laughing. “So that’s basically the vibe at my house.” https://youtu.be/VOlDfHSbG8A Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina Dhowre opened up about their seemingly tumultuous marriage on a recent episode of their new podcast series. During the conversation, the actor confessed that he has an explosive temper that often negatively impacts their relationship. https://twitter.com/i/status/1408461935390216193 In the world of reality television, sexual promiscuity is not only prevalent but more often than not promoted. Such is not the case for Bachelorette contestant Mike Planeta, who said in a recent podcast interview that his virginity is of the highest value and importance. He believes that God placed a hedge of protection around him in this area so as to keep him out of trouble. “If you truly are convicted in something like this—and for me, I’m convicted, … [but] I believe wholeheartedly God grabs the most rotten ones the earliest,” said the 31-year-old. “I was one of the most rotten ones when I was born. [God] was like, ‘You do not get to experience a lot of these things because you’re going to get in trouble.'” “Knowing that about myself, it was almost like a layer of protection, where it was like, ‘No, you don’t get to do this.'” Misha Green’s “Lovecraft Country,” will not be getting a second installment. “We will not be moving forward with a second season of ‘Lovecraft Country,’” HBO said in a statement to Deadline. “We are grateful for the dedication and artistry of the gifted cast and crew, and to Misha Green, who crafted this groundbreaking series. And to the fans, thank you for joining us on this journey.” With its unique blend of horror, fictional period drama, real historical figures, fantasy, sci-fi and social commentary, the empowering “Lovecraft Country” took pop culture by storm in August and helped advance the social conversation ignited by the death of George Floyd. https://youtu.be/VH7YEY0GWZk The Next One Up program provides highly individualized, wrap-around support that empowers young Black men in Baltimore City to become the city’s next generation of leaders. The program struggled for years to find sufficient space. Then in 2019, the Gilman School gave it a home on Sundays and five weeks in the summer. Dominic Crawford, 16, has been part of Next One Up since the seventh grade. “It has helped me because I built a brotherhood and built strong bonds with people, and came across many different people from different communities. It’s helped me with getting into schools, different jobs and doing different things to help my community,” Crawford said. The young men are all student athletes and come from neighborhoods and schools throughout the city. Over 45 different middle and high schools are represented, although the young men may face significant challenges in their homes, neighborhoods or schools, Next One Up provides the long-term mentoring and coaching that will make a lasting difference in their lives. Chosen Witness, the animated retelling of Jesus’ ministry, death and Resurrection through the eyes of Mary Magdalene, has been translated to 38 languages since its April release. Cru, formerly Campus Crusade for Christ, launched the project over Easter weekend 2021, and it was an immediate success, reaching 250,000 views internationally in the first three weeks alone. The hope is for it to be translated to over 250 languages in the near future. https://youtu.be/Z2-hqr0VE8c “The Boss Baby 2” in the sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s “Boss Baby,” the Templeton brothers—Boss Baby Tim (James Marsden) and his Boss Baby little brother Ted (Alec Baldwin)—have become adults and drifted away from each other. Tim is now a married stay-at-home dad, and Ted is a hedge fund CEO. Enter a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach and a can-do attitude, who sets new heights. She is about to bring the brothers together again. That reunion will inspire a new family business. Check out the trailer https://youtu.be/Os-wfB8qXoc Stars of “The Forever Purge,” Ana de la Reguera (Adela) and husband Tenoch Huerta (Juan) are immigrants who reach America through a tunnel that connects Mexico and Texas. They live in Texas. Adela works at a meat processing plant and Juan is a ranch hand for the wealthy Tucker family. Everyone settles in for the annual Purge and waits for the 12 hours of human carnage to be over. But this year is different. Fueled by the rhetoric of racists who aren’t taught that they are colonists who came from other countries, killed the indigenous people they didn’t put on reservations, continue to murder. https://youtu.be/RLJE_EX6ebc It has been confirmed that Naomi Osaka will be representing Japan in the 2021 Summer Olympics. Osaka, who was born in Japan and raised in the United States, has dual citizenship. She will relinquish her US citizenship in order to represent Japan. She spoke about the upcoming event, “It’s definitely going to be very special. I think there’s no other place that I’d rather play my first Olympics of course.” In 2018, Osaka became a national name after defeating Serena Williams during the Grand Slam singles tournament. She recently made headlines after she decided to pull out of the French Open to take care of her mental health. She also withdrew from Wimbledon in mid-June. The Olympics will begin on July 23rd. President Joe Biden praised sports’ ability to heal and bring a nation together in a time of crisis as he hosted the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at the White House on Friday. The Dodgers, who captured the title by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays last October, were the first team to be honored at the White House since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first since Biden took office. “I think what we discovered is that we need sports more than we ever realized,” said Biden, who praised baseball an important totem of normalcy in “one of the most challenging years” in the nation’s history. The president saluted the Dodgers as “a lot more than a baseball club; they are a pillar of American culture.” He also praised the team for using its stadium as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site. Kamala Harris' chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, appears to be keeping some of the VP’s longtime political and business world allies away from Harris with her high-level position. According to White House sources, Harris has not been returning phone calls from certain people who once were in her inner circle, even donors or individuals who backed her in her successful runs to the Senate and White House. t appears that Flournoy, as a gatekeeper, makes time for obvious people to see and meet with Harris, including President Joe Biden, Harris’ family, and a small group of friends and advisors. Flournoy’s reputation is quickly growing as a strong blocker that separates well-wishers from Harris, MSN News reports. https://youtu.be/H43Ov7y0CU4 The NFL has fined the Washington Football Team $10 million as a result of the league’s investigation into the team’s workplace culture. The money “will be used to support organizations committed to character education, anti-bullying, healthy relationships and related topics,” the league said. In addition, Tanya Snyder, who was named the team’s co-CEO this week, will take over the day-to-day duties and represent the franchise at league functions for the next several months. Her husband, Dan Snyder, will focus “on a new stadium plan and other matters,” the NFL said. The family of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs filed two lawsuits against the club and two former employees, claiming negligence over his drug-related death two years ago, attorneys announced Tuesday morning. Skaggs’ widow, Carli, filed in Fort Worth, Texas, in the same county where Skaggs died, and Skaggs’ parents, Darrell Skaggs and Debbie Hetman, filed in Los Angeles. Both lawsuits were filed in state courts and do not specify how much money they are seeking. Under the states’ laws, the deadline to file the lawsuits is Thursday, the second anniversary of Skaggs’ death. In addition to the Angels as an organization, the family is suing former team communications director Eric Kay, who told authorities that he regularly purchased drugs for Skaggs, and Kay’s former boss, Tim Mead. The crux of the lawsuit is that the Angels were negligent in allowing Kay, a longtime opioid abuser, to have access to players and that Mead failed to properly supervise him. Chauncey Billups just signed a five-year deal to head-up the Blazers, according to ESPN, fans were hissing at Lillard for supporting the decision to hire Billups. But Lillard said he doesn’t support sexual assault and he didn’t even know anything about it. Billups, (who back then, played for the Boston Celtics) and his teammate Ron Mercer were accused of sexual misconduct back in 1997. The pair settled the saga with their accuser financially and there were no criminal charges made. “Really?” Lillard said. “I was asked what coaches I like out of the names I ‘heard’ and I named them. Sorry, I wasn’t aware of their history. I didn’t read the news when I was 7/8yrs old, he said.” https://youtu.be/HxPKER7GxMs Coco Gauff is the headliner on the U.S. Olympic tennis team for Tokyo after the top two women and top three men declined spots. Gauff, 17, is joined by Jennifer Brady, Jessica Pegula and Alison Riske in singles, which is maximum four per country based on world rankings after the French Open. Nicole Melichar and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, a Rio Olympic gold medalist with Jack Sock, were the discretionary doubles-only picks. Sofia Kenin and Serena Williams qualified in the spring but chose not to play. Madison Keys could have also taken a spot but declined. Swimming caps designed for natural black hair created by a black-owned brand will not be allowed at the Olympics. The hats, made by Soul Cap, which previously partnered with Alice Dearing, who last week qualified to become the first black female swimmer to represent Team GB at the Olympics, have been rejected by the International Swimming Federation (Fina). Swimming caps designed for natural black hair created by a black-owned brand will not be allowed at the Olympics. The hats, made by Soul Cap, which previously partnered with Alice Dearing, who last week qualified to become the first black female swimmer to represent Team GB at the Olympics, have been rejected by the International Swimming Federation (Fina). The body said the caps did not fit “the natural form of the head” and to their “best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require … caps of such size and configuration.” Danielle Obe, the founding member of the Black Swimming Association, told the Guardian the ruling underlined the inherent systemic and institutional inequalities around the sport. “We believe that it confirms a lack of diversity in (the sport),” she said. “Aquatic swimming must do better.”The original swimming cap, designed by Speedo 50, was created to prevent Caucasian hair from flowing into the face when swimming. Obe said the caps did not work for afro hair, which “grows up and defies gravity”. Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin says he was robbed of a diamond chain with significant sentimental value at a hotel in Miami. “I have to come out of this depression. So I am sharing with ALL,” Irvin posted on Instagram. “This is my necklace that was in my bag. I designed it as a first down chain, holding an all diamond football, which is holding an all diamond cross.” “On each end of the cross are diamonds I acquired at the birth of my children Myesha, Chelsea, Michael and Elijah. It was a piece I built over my life that represents. Faith, Family and Football and my own sentimental way of praying to GOD please always protect my babies. I am so hurt [it’s] gone.” On a day when college athletes were officially granted rights to profit off their names, images and likenesses, former USC running back Reggie Bush made it clear he believes the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 should be returned and his college statistics reinstated. “It is my strong belief that I won the Heisman trophy ‘solely’ due to my hard work and dedication on the football field and it is also my firm belief that my records should be reinstated,” Bush said in a statement. Bush returned his Heisman Trophy after a four-year extra-benefits investigation determined that he and family members, while he was a student-athlete, accepted cash, travel expenses and a home in the San Diego area where Bush’s parents lived rent-free for more than a year and were provided $10,000 to furnish. Hours after college athletes across the country were officially able to profit off their name and likeness, Jackson State defensive end Antwan Owens made NCAA history. Owens on Thursday — just after midnight — became the first athlete to sign an endorsement deal. As first reported by Sports Illustrated, the Georgia Tech graduate transfer inked a deal with 3 Kings Grooming, a Black-owned hair product business. “Somebody pinch me!” Owens said. “This is something that’s going to be life-changing, generationally life-changing.” The website also reported that the company signed at least four other Jackson State athletes. After many years of fighting for their right to profit off their name, image and likeness, the way has now been cleared for college athletes to begin a new era of NIL deals and endorsements. According to a report by Front Office Sports, a rising Tennessee State point guard, who will begin playing for the Tigers this fall, already has a lucrative endorsement already in his back pocket. Hercy Miller, the son of rapper and former NBA player Master P, has signed a $2 million deal to become a brand ambassador for Web Apps America, a tech company specializing in web, mobile and software solutions. Miller’s endorsement deal ties into the company’s commitment to supporting HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) in the United States. Actor OT Fagbenle who stars in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the new film “Black Widow” which hits theaters Friday, July 9 and Showtime’s “The First Lady” joined SiriusXM Urban View’s The Karen Hunter Show. During the interview the actor spoke to host Karen Hunter and co-hosts about turning down a previous opportunity to play an African-American icon, but taking on the role as Barack Obama in the Showtime series “The First Lady”, was because he felt he could relate to Obama’s character personally, and spoke about working with Viola Davis who plays Michelle Obama. https://youtu.be/gwwpg4gtMiA The former “Flavor Of Love” reality star went Live late Thursday night to shut down reports that she was found unresponsive at home and died. While speaking to her 49K followers, Saaphyri explained that she was hacked. The fake post of Saaphyri’s passing read: “It is with a heavy heart that we say that Saaphyri has passed away. She was found today in her home responsive,” the statement read. “Please send your prayers. She’s now assuring her followers that she well and alive. “I don’t know who hacked into my phone and why THATS what they would want to put on there but it happens, it happens to everybody… first time it happens to me.” She went on to say that she’s not usually on her phone but realized what was going on after a friend came to her house to check on her. Despite all of this, she thanked her fans for “even caring about me.” “I’ve been always recording…now I feel is the right time because of how prepared I am – my age,” said Toronto singer/songwriter Meshae about releasing a single, “Kick It,” off of the G7 Records label in preparation for her upcoming album. “I understand more, so my (song) writing has gotten better – the moment is now.” Meshae comes from a musical family. As a native of Canada her neighborhood was filled with Hip-Hop and R&B influences. Her father, Ontario rapper Kwajo Cinqo, had Meshae in the recording studio with him at the tender age of nine. By ten years old Meshae was showing her musical talents in local talent shows and church choirs. After high school she enrolled in college to pursue Marketing. Currently 19 years-old, Meshae has decided to also go all-in as a singer/songwriter. https://youtu.be/juJ0z5yKlFM Lamar Odom took to Instagram to clap back at claims made by his ex Liza Morales who claims he’s a deadbeat dad. “Back in the news on some BS!! truliza4u (I’m blocked),” he wrote alongside a screenshot of a headline of him allegedly “skipping out on child support despite boxing match.” “I never air out my personal business because it’s personal but I have had enough,” the former NBA said, as reported by Ace Showbiz. “I was never married to my kids mother. I took care of her from the second she became pregnant and even after I was married I still paid her bills. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE for a GROWN A** WOMAN!! Once my children became adults my duties were done! I told her to GO TO WORK! MOVE into an affordable home, she didn’t listen and that is NOT on ME!” U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who was set for a star turn at the Tokyo Olympics this month, could miss the games after testing positive for marijuana. Richardson, 21, won the women’s 100-meter race at the U.S. track and field trials in Oregon last month, but her positive test automatically invalidated her result in that marquee event. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced the positive test result Friday morning and said that Richardson had accepted a suspension of one month, starting June 28. That could clear her in time to run in the 4×100 meter relay that takes place later in the games — if she is named to the U.S. team. The Essence Festival is your favorite "party with a purpose"! Enjoy the virtual experience from home and be sure to get your free pass and tune in on the final day, Sunday, July 4th, to catch Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, and Travis Greene for the Get Lifted™ Gospel Sunday Celebration! https://click.emails.sonymusicfans.com/?qs=28e223109d946e81d2f2b5f7767a6c57ea4030606fa167374c8a8a24f9d3c3aec5d137350917bf47d4334a2387511ee1f673cc7350a49f98 The late singer, actress, and songwriter Phyllis Hyman was a powerful and inspiring performer whose artistry left an indelible impression on fans. Now, some 26 years since her passing, a majority of Hyman’s studio recordings, plus several bonus tracks, have been compiled for the nine-CD set "Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1978," due August 6, 2021, on Soul Music Records, distributed by Cherry Red Records. To celebrate Phyllis Hyman’s 72nd birthday as well as the release of this expansive new retrospective, fans can tune in to “A Special Tribute To Phyllis Hyman,” a special online event set for Tuesday, July 6, 2021, starting at 7 p.m. ET, to be streamed live on The Simply Phyllis Hyman FaceBook page and YouTube. The Gospel Spotlight's Latrice Crawford. She is best known for using her three-octave, contralto vocal range of to finish third on the second season of the competitive gospel singing television show Sunday Best on Black Entertainment Television. Her new EP is "The Cure." Tank's new single “Can’t Let It Show” has conquered the coveted #1 spot on R&B radio after 18 weeks on the charts. Written and produced by Tank, “Can’t Let It Show” brought forth a fresh iteration sparking nostalgia and is on track to be an R&B classic. Fans have gravitated towards the song as it is ripe with passion and arouses intense emotions and vulnerability. “Can’t Let It Show” is Tank’s fourth consecutive #1 smash hit that includes songs “When We,” “Dirty,” and “I Don’t Think You’re Ready.” https://youtu.be/tyqmxKxjF4Y Pattie Labelle is playing a “bad mother-in-law” in the new Old Spice commercial featuring actor/comedians Deon Cole and Gabrielle Dennis. Cole and Dennis reprise their husband/wife roles for the TV spot. Per press release, the campaign is an over-the-top episodic series where Old Spice products fuel relationship drama and the latest spots highlight the comical tensions of cohabitation, hilariously showcasing how the little things become big things. The new ad is more timely now than ever before given everyone’s close-quarter living during the last 18 months. https://youtu.be/m2c5iSM0jOM Don Cheadle appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Wednesday and revealed to guest host Wanda Sykes that he and his longtime love, Bridgid Coulter, got married during the pandemic. Sykes thought the couple was already married, so when Don texted her earlier this year to share the exciting news, her response was less than enthusiastic. https://youtu.be/8KRxy9iLNYI Kelontae continues to perform music from his latest release, The N.O.W. Experience. The singer just took over the Gospel Music Association’s Instagram account to deliver a virtual performance. From "Great" and "Hold Me Close" to "Overflow," let the songs from this album minister to your heart. https://click.emails.sonymusicfans.com/?qs=28e223109d946e81e2b54e737435d2c3f4a98b67b2c8c1e55a523292875dc6dee3529e8353a30baabcac19ab654e2123f1f9045ad72d503d Cosby Show’ star Phylicia Rashad is facing tough opposition in her upcoming latest gig as dean of the Howard University College of Arts after she tweeted support for her former TV husband Bill Cosby in a now-deleted social media post. Hours after the abrupt statement Rashad doubled back, sharing that she supports survivors of sexual violence. “I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing,” Rashad wrote. Regardless of Rashad’s second tweet, Howard issued a statement issuing distance between Rashad’s statement and the university’s commitment to honoring survivors. According to TMZ disgraced comedian and entertainer Bill Cosby is reportedly examining legal options available in response to his release from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction on Wednesday. Cosby and his wife Camille have conferenced with their lawyers and are possibly weighing the option to file a lawsuit against Montgomery County, the county in Pennsylvania where he stood trial. TMZ says that sources claim Cosby could option a lawsuit for abuse of process, among other unnamed considerations. Cosby and his wife Camille have conferenced with their lawyers and are possibly weighing the option to file a lawsuit against Montgomery County, the county in Pennsylvania where he stood trial. TMZ says that sources claim Cosby could option a lawsuit for abuse of process, among other unnamed considerations. Cosby was released on Wednesday in a stunning twist, due to a nonprosecution agreement between Cosby and former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor, where Cosby waived his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by testifying in a separate civil case brought by Andrea Constand, one of his many accusers. The high court argued that Cosby did so with the expectation that he would not face criminal charges. The ruling also cemented the fact that Cosby is immune from further prosecution in the case. Cosby was released on Wednesday in a stunning twist, due to a nonprosecution agreement between Cosby and former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor, where Cosby waived his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by testifying in a separate civil case brought by Andrea Constand, one of his many accusers. The high court argued that Cosby did so with the expectation that he would not face criminal charges. The ruling also cemented the fact that Cosby is immune from further prosecution in the case. Geraldo Rivera is catching heat for painting Bill Cosby as the real victim during his Fox News segment on Wednesday. His remarks came following Cosby’s release from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction. The court agreed to review two aspects of Cosby’s case. The first involved the judge’s decision to let prosecutors call five other accusers. The other examined Cosby’s argument that he had an agreement with a former prosecutor that he’d never be charged, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Appearing on Fox News to discuss the ruling, Rivera felt the judge overseeing Cosby’s case went “way over the line in allowing unrelated victims’ testimony” during the trial, Rivera exclaimed: “What they did to this guy was mob justice!” https://youtu.be/oujCUI-_RdY Last Friday at the Sheffield Lake Police department, Police Chief Anthony Campo went to the department’s copier machine, printed out a small note that included the words “Ku Klux Klan,” then placed it on a raincoat set aside for a black officer, just before that officer entered the room. Surveillance video of the act was posted online and Campo has just announced his retirement – immediately after he was placed on administrative leave. https://youtu.be/C7e8A9wVDYs Meghan McCain, the lone conservative on the panel of the award-winning talk show “The View” announced Thursday that she’s exiting the show. “I am here to tell all of you … that this is going to be my last season here at the ‘The View,’” McCain told the audience. “This was not an easy decision. COVID has changed the world for all of us. And it changed the way I’m living my life.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1410618808616751108 Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is reprotedly under federal investigation for allegedly using campaign funds to make personal purchases. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution took a deep dive into the matter, comparing details disclosed in a recent court ruling with Reed’scampaign disclosure reports. Attorney Scott Grubman confirmed this week that Berry was questioned by federal authorities. https://youtu.be/YTLenoTncPE Gabrielle Union has jumped on the pro-vaccine bandwagon and she’s calling on everyone who has not yet taken the jabbed to “listen to the science.” “Now is the most important time to get back on track,” says Union of the “Don’t Skip” campaign, which, per PEOPLE, encourages families to stay current with recommended vaccines. https://youtu.be/xCfTnNpgfdw Marcus Baskerville from San Antonio crafted a beer called ‘Black is Beautiful’ that has gone viral and raised millions of dollars around the world. The 10% ABV stout, which uses flaked oats, dark chocolate and black malts, is meant to showcase different shades of black. Baskerville, 36, came up with the idea and recipe for Black Is Beautiful stout last in May 2020 to increase awareness of racial injustice. Last summer, Weathered Souls published its Black Is Beautiful recipe so that other brewers could produce the stout, so long as a portion of their proceeds support social-justice initiatives in their communities. https://youtu.be/J-TTK9dvgAw Miya Ponsetto is back in the news again after pleading not guilty to felony hate crime charges related to a deeply disturbing December incident where she assaulted a Black teen after falsely accusing him of stealing her phone. The 22-year-old woman earned the moniker “SoHo Karen” when she was captured violently attacking Keyon Harrold Jr., 15 — the son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold — after accusing him of stealing her cell phone in the lobby of the Arlo Soho Hotel on Dec. 26. Her phone was later returned by an Uber driver after leaving it in their vehicle. Ponsetto was indicted by a grand jury on charges of unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child on Wednesday. She’s currently under supervised release in relation to the case. Manhattan District Attorney asked the judge to maintain Ponsetto’s current status, while the judge warned Ponsetto that she will face consequences if she skips her next scheduled in-person court date on Oct. 20. The case has largely been handled via video conference due to coronavirus restrictions. Megan Thee Stallion has partnered with Cash App to give away $1 million as part of her “Investing for Hotties” initiative. “I feel like it is important to invest because you want to see your money grow in other ways. I think it is cool to put your money into something and watch it grow and take it in and out as you want to,” the rapper tells PEOPLE. “That is why I worked with Cash App to create these Investing for Hotties educational videos. Cash App is simple to use and anyone can invest with as little as one dollar.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1409907161002483714 After Bubba Wallace and the 23XI Racing team finished in fifth place at Pocono on Sunday, team co-owner Michael Jordan has set new expectations for the stock car racing driver. According to a report by Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, Wallace shared that both Jordan and 23XI investor Curtis Polk were “ecstatic and pumped up” after the team’s performance at Pocono. “Now he expects a Top 10 every week,” Wallace said of Jordan. “So now we have to put our foot down and keep digging.” “Everyone talks about how he’s a winner, he’s a champion, yeah, but he’s also a realistic person,” Wallace said about MJ in a report by Dustin Albino of Jayski.com. “He wants to win, but he knows what it will take for us to get there. It’s more from me, it’s from the team, it’s a more group effort.” “UNC-Chapel Hill trustees voted to approve tenure for distinguished journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones at a meeting Wednesday afternoon, bringing a resolution to the national controversy that has ensued over her hire,” Kate Murphy and Martha Quillin reported for the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. “Hannah-Jones, who is a Black woman, is to join the UNC-CH faculty Thursday as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media. However, she and her legal team had said she would not begin the job without tenure. https://youtu.be/cMOHvXHLNeM The town of Clayton is mourning the loss of its first Black police officer. Sergeant Alexander Harlee Jr. died earlier this week. He was 80 years old. Harlee served in the town’s police department starting in the 1960s. Harlee also became the first in the town to use radar to monitor streets. Harlee eventually became the department’s first Black officer to earn the rank of sergeant. A memorial service is planned for this Saturday morning at 11. A Houston mom was shot and killed while visiting Maryland to drop off her son at the U.S. Naval Academy, police said. Michelle Cummings, 57, was sitting on a hotel patio, enjoying the breeze, when she was shot multiple times just after midnight on Tuesday, Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson said. Cummings was with her husband and another couple at the time, police said. “It is believed that the shots were fired on Pleasant Street and traveled a short distance shooting the victim,” Jackson said at a news conference Tuesday. Cummings didn’t appear to be the intended target, police said. Cummings and her husband were in Annapolis to bring their son, a football prospect, to the U.S. Naval Academy, Jackson said. Kyle is facing one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, after a girl alleged he’d sent her numerous inappropriate messages including a pic of his penis between 2018 and 2019. Although she initially attempted to sue him, she just recently went to law enforcement, TMZ reports. Although Kyle had previously claimed he was being extorted, he hasn’t responded to the newest filing by Washington State authorities. Amid these heavy allegations, Kyle Massey is already being dropped by a company that he had partnered with. TMZ reports the vaping company Dr. Dabber dropped him Monday as an ambassador of the brand. A rep for DD explained, “We are ending our relationship with Kyle Massey. We have been working with him on a trial basis for a month. The company added: “Today, we let his team know we will be cutting ties and requested all public content with our brand to be deleted from his social media.” The judge overseeing Britney Spears’ conservatorship has denied her request to remove her father’s control – despite the singer’s passionate plea last week. Judge Brenda Penny (inset), presiding over the case before Los Angeles Superior Court, on Wednesday signed into effect a new ruling, maintaining Jamie Spears’ control. On June 23 the 39-year-old singer made headlines worldwide with her request to resume control of her finances and life, after 13 years under a conservatorship. Her lawyer, Sam Ingham (left), was expected to file a petition to remove Spears’ conservatorship, and Judge Penny said that she would make space in her diary for the hearing at which it could be lifted. Yet on June 25 Ingham filed documents which actually appointed Jamie Spears and the independent Bessemer Trust co-conservators. Britney’s request to remove her father, first made in November, was denied. Biz Markie was a top trending topic early Thursday morning after false reports of his death flooded social media timelines across the internet. A couple of media outlets even went so far as to publish their own news article declaring the rap legend had died at around the same time journalists were reporting he was alive. HipHopWired later reported that “Biz Markie Is NOT Dead.” The false reports were so widespread that Biz Markie’s wife was compelled to speak out and confirm that her husband had not died while also acknowledging the pain that such reports can cause. However, it wasn’t all good news about the pioneering hip-hopper. He’s been battling health problems following complications from diabetes since at least last year. Now, it’s being reported that the 57-year-old is in hospice care, suggesting his death was imminent. WebMD defines hospice care as “end-of-life care” that “simply focuses on the quality of your life instead of trying to cure a disease.” Apple Studios has secured the rights to Donald Spivey’s non-fiction book, If You Were Only White: The Life of Leroy ‘Satchel’ Paige, for drama development with an eye toward a series order. The high-profile Negro League Baseball project comes from Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Mandalay’s Peter Guber, and Oscar nominee Ron Shelton, who is behind such sports film classics as Bull Durham and White Men Can’t Jump. Apple Studios co-produces with Kapital Entertainment, which is also behind the upcoming ABC Emmett Till limited series Women Of the Movement. The Apple series will explore the epic and remarkable story of Negro League Baseball using the life and legacy of the legendary athlete and showman Leroy “Satchel” Paige, one of baseball’s greatest pitchers and star of Negro Leagues for many years. LeVar Barton recently opened up to The New York Times about his campaign to be the next host of Jeopardy! after the late Alex Trebek. Burton is set to guest host the long-running game in July and he’s hoping it turns into a full-time gig. “It will hurt. I’m not going to lie,” Burton told the publication. “But if that happens, I will get over it. I will be fine. Remember: Everything happens perfectly and for a reason. That is my default. It’s all going to be OK. Because it always is.” Fans of the former Reading Rainbow star have launched an online campaign calling on the game show’s producers to hire Burton to take over Jeopardy! In the Season 3 premiere episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” R&B icon Mary J. Blige joins Jemele to discuss her new documentary, “My Life,” which takes a deeply personal look at the singer’s signature album. Mary also discusses her upcoming acting roles, including her role as Dinah Washington in Aretha Franklin’s biopic, “Respect.” She also discusses how she dealt with insecurity and self-esteem issues, and whether she’s open to being married again. Plus, Jemele debuts her new segment, “I Got A Story To Tell,” and offers her thoughts on the discord between Meg Thee Stallion and DaBaby. OZY has signed a talent deal with Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer Jody Watley. The powerhouse artist will work with OZY to develop a scripted biopic following her illustrious multifaceted career and astonishing life. For the awarded OZY Studios, this deal marks the first celebrity talent deal coming on the heels of the major partnership with the A + E Networks and past relationships with Hulu, OWN, PBS and more. Torn From Her Arms, OZY’s first scripted feature length film airs on Lifetime this fall. Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have responded to past claims of racism and homophobia, as they promote their new TV network Magnolia which will be more diverse than their hit HGTV show. In 2016, the show caught backlash for featuring a local pastor who had openly denounced LGBTQ rights, as well as never having featured any same-sex couples throughout the series. Then, in May this year, Chip and Joanna were attacked online for donating $1,000 to his sister’s hardline anti-critical race theory school board election campaign. Holding back tears, Joanna told the publication: ‘Sometimes I’m like, “Can I just make a statement?”… the accusations that get thrown at you, like you’re a racist or you don’t like people in the LGBTQ community, that’s the stuff that really eats my lunch – because it’s so far from who we really are. That’s the stuff that keeps me up.’ However, the former HGTV megastars had previously stayed silent on both matters. Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, has reworked the greeting for its fireworks show at Magic Kingdom in order to be more inclusive. For many years, ahead of the nightly fireworks show — which returns Thursday after being on a lengthy hiatus due to the pandemic — an announcer issued this greeting: “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dreamers of all ages…” It was revealed Tuesday night, when Disney cast members were given a preview of the new fireworks show, that the theme park nixed the first part of the announcement and will now just be greeting “dreamers of all ages.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1410224113537458187 FOX 5 DC’s Jeannette Reyes is already a viral sensation for her TikTok that shows her treating her return home from work as a news event, narrating the scene in her anchor voice as her unsuspecting husband shakes his head and looks annoyed. https://youtu.be/6eR2rZBiIgI One of the most anticipated films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes to theaters and Disney+ on July 9th! “Black Widow” finally gives fans a look into the life of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). The film’s events occur before the 2019 Avengers film, “Endgame,” and after “Captain America: Civil War.” Natasha returns to her roots, where she was a member of a secret Russian organization named the Red Room. The program turns girls into assassins. https://youtu.be/ybji16u608U The first trailer for “Don’t Breathe 2” has dropped and comes 5 years after the blockbuster thriller bagged nearly $160 million worldwide in 2016. “Don’t Breathe 2" is set in the years following the initial deadly home invasion, where Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) lives in quiet solace until his past sins catch up to him. https://youtu.be/cx3g-V4AHv0 Menelik Shabazz, the impactful British filmmaker, has died at 67. The news has been widely circulated on social media, with numerous people who worked closely with the director confirming his passing and adding tributes today. According to arts website alt-africa, he died in Zimbabwe on June 28. No cause of death was given. Born in Barbados in 1954, Shabazz moved to the UK at age 6. He began experimenting with filmmaking while at college in London and made his first step into his career with the 1976 short Step Forward Youth, a 30-minute documentary about Black youths in London. Kevin Hart and his group of friends, known as the Plastic Cup Boyz, have changed the arena from comedy to cars. MotorTrend follows the pals throughout their classic car journey in, “Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew.” Hart, John Clausell, Ron “Boss” Everline, Will “Spank” Horton, Harry Ratchford and Joey Wells talks about what fans can expect. The series may be new to us but the love of these cars isn’t new to them. Clausell, considered the classic car vet of the group, talked about the root of his interest. “Being born and raised in Los Angeles, California…I’ve had old school cars for quite some time. It just so happened that I hit a rough patch in my life and I had to sell them. But I had a great, gracious friend by the name of Kevin Hart that was able to gift me [and the brothers] a new car so we were all able to get back into it together,” said Clausell. The Jordan Brand recently announced that eight WNBA athletes have signed onto its roster. “The world needs female voices, and we can’t ignore that or else we’re not growing,” Michael Jordan said in a statement for Nike. “The Jordan Brand is committed to giving women a platform to amplify their voices, which influence, inspire, and push culture forward.” The endorsement group was announced on Twitter and features Maya Moore, Kia Nurse, Asia Durr, Satou Sabally, Chelsea Dungee, Aerial Powers, Crystal Dangerfield, Arella Karin Guirantes, Te’a Cooper, Dearica Hamby and Jordin Canada. An artist is speaking out after Columbia, South Carolina police officers handcuffed him on Monday, believing he was an intruder at an arts center. In fact, he is an “artist-in-residence,” and the facility allows the artist to sleep and work there while his art is being displayed. According to a statement from the Columbia Police Department, officers noticed the main door into the building was propped open at 2 a.m. Police say the patrol officer was joined by other officers before conducting a search in the building to check for crimes in progress or anyone in distress. Following the department’s protocols, the officers entered the building with guns drawn. “I saw lights in the window. I’m thinking-they’re coming from outside,” Sims said. “I’m thinking they’re protesters, confederate, neo-Nazi’s, white supremacists coming in the space, responding to my work, coming to my show.” The theme of Sims’ latest project is political activism. He has created art that displays different designs of confederate flags, and the flags hanging from a noose. https://youtu.be/E2EcisOBA74 For the past four years, Black Content Factory has been working hard behind-the-scenes to erect an economic wall around the dollars of Black women and Black Content Creators. The level of Content Theft taking place by mainstream media, big tech companies and others is astounding, according to DC Livers, Founder and CEO of The Black Content Factory which fights economic racism through entrepreneurship. “I’lll never forget when I ran my ideas and the name of the new project past an ally who immediately said the name was horrible. That actually made me know immediately that it was perfect. Black Content Factory has been working closely with Black professional athletes, Black coaches and others to help reshape the future of technology and lessen the ability for people to encroach upon it and steal it. We’ve been working with a legal group and are considering a Class Action lawsuit against Big Tech companies like Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok and others stop the practice non-Black people call “Liquid Money,” a term they came up with to say they feel that African Americans born in the United States are free money. https://soundcloud.com/user-703120208/blackcontentfactory-a-space-just-for-us?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fuser-703120208%252Fblackcontentfactory-a-space-just-for-us Apple is continuing to roll out new projects as part of their $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI) to help dismantle systemic barriers to opportunity and combat injustices faced by communities of color. James Chapman, founder of the app Plain Sight (a mobile application helping people make quality connections wherever they go; available in the App Store) will serve as a mentor in Apple’s first U.S. Developer Academy in Detroit – one of several REJI projects underway. The program will support tech education for students and empower young Black entrepreneurs, creators, and coders. Courses will be open to all learners across Wayne County, regardless of academic background or coding experience. https://youtu.be/bSrFgEU7apc In the wake of last summer’s unrest, giant financial institutions rushed to make commitments to racial justice—in several cases breaking an industry-wide silence, releasing statistics that exposed the paucity of minorities in their workforces. (Black people make up 13 percent of the US workforce, but they occupy only 2.9 percent of financial adviser jobs.) The Nation’s investigation, in partnership with Type Investigations, found that financial firms go to great lengths to keep complaints of racial discrimination quiet and push complainers out the door. Companies often play hardball with those who complain—we documented several serving written warnings to the victim rather than to the perpetrators. And Black people who are forced to use Wall Street’s arbitration system face bleak prospects: Our analysis of over three decades of data shows that among Black people who filed racism complaints, one settled and only two prevailed. H.B. Charles Jr. says, “I believe that good theology ought to lead to high doxology,” Charles said. “Truth and praise go together. … Colossians 3:16 says that songs, hymns and spiritual songs should be an extension of the Word in the life of the church. It is a way to help the Word dwell richly in the saints. “Biblical worship is important not just for the pulpit, but also for the music.” Charles released his second solo album June 11. “The Lord Bless You” is a CD of 11 original songs and melodies, the latest among many he has written over the past 10 years, often during his spiritual quiet times. His first solo album, “Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs,” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 10 in November 2018. Jabari Johnson is an emerging artist that continues to gain followers and fans with his passion, commitment to the Gospel message, and powerful vocal gift. Johnson was awarded the 2019 "New Artist Of The Year" stellar award for his breakout album, "Day of Redemption". "Fixed Fight" the newest release from Jabari Johnson. Jabari called on songstress Krystal Peters to assist in delivering a powerful message to listeners and followers of Christ, it's #1 this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQMn301St_s ESSENCE, the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities, announces its daytime and nighttime schedule for its virtual 2021 ESSENCE Festival of Culture Presented by Coca-Cola—the world’s largest cultural, entertainment and empowerment experience. It will be broadcast on ESSENCEStudios.com and ESSENCE.com–Friday-Sunday over two weekends, June 25-27 and July 2-4. In addition, for the first time, this year’s Festival will host a live Verzuz battle to remember on Thursday, July 1, with soon to be announced guests. The Festival’s virtual programming will include powerful daytime interactive sessions and star-studded evening concerts and connections. The star-studded lineup will feature performances by: Jazmine Sullivan, DJ Khaled & Friends, Ne-Yo, Amerie, Tank, Kirk Franklin, Davido, Lucky Daye, Carl Thomas, D-Nice and more. The Festival’s powerful interactive sessions will also showcase leading voices throughout the two weekends including: Mary J. Blige, Angela Yee, Michelle Williams, Adrienne Bailon, Sarah Jakes Roberts, Tracy G., Tiana Major9, Big Freedia, Miss Lawrence, Supacent, Shantrelle P. Lewis, Jesseca Dupart and more. On the heels of the acclaimed documentary series 'Covenant and Controversy' and 'Sheep Among Wolves,' FAI STUDIOS' tenth feature film shatters the mold and recreates the Book of Exodus and life of Moses as they have never been seen or heard before: through the imagination of a dying boy and the ballads of his father. BALLADS OF THE EXODUS breaks new ground on several fronts. It is the first Christian film with an entirely Israeli cast and crew, shot exclusively in Israel and Saudi Arabia. This watershed film was produced against the political backdrop of the "Abraham Accords," the normalization of multiple Arab states with Israel, with budding friendships between longtime enemies in the Middle East. The crew was the first group to enter Saudi Arabia weeks after the Saudis opened the country in 2019 to international tourism for the first time in history. BET's Sunday Best season 9 finalist and Maryland native Josh Copeland releases his latest single "All Things Working", which is available now for digital download and streaming on all platforms. The song debuts today in the Top 20 on iTunes Top 200 Christian/Gospel Top Songs chart. A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, viewers will follow the tragedy of local twin brothers and the turning of one against in Columbus, Ohio. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgjZJ54o1kc In celebration of Pride Month, the iElevate Media Group LLC., is excited to officially announce the launch of iELEVATE PLUS TV NETWORK created to celebrate the culture, the ingenuity, the spirituality and the lifestyle of BLACK & BLACK LGBTQIA+ people. This network is positioned to take the lead in producing quality content and curating a bold space illuminating the diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity within the black experience! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSyoSZA51AY Chris Mitchell will perform alongside world renown pianist Michael Hobdy. Send your song requests now to hear it during the show. WEDNESDAY, 30TH JUNE 7:00 P.M. CST FOLLOW @CHRISMITCHELLJAZZ ON INSTAGRAM TO WATCH HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/56EEYKFZPJO FELICA WELCH drops new song "Thank you." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7590850?date=20210518&user_id=668306&signature=yivvvwvdsbJBzHFlsTQNYJmF5xM%3AsI5HqV7o “I have a love for music,” said Pastor Dr. E. Dewey Smith, Jr. (The House of Hope) about the reason behind the launch of his record label Pebble Street Records. “Music was my first love. My mother got me a guitar at three…and I was playing the piano at five. I started preaching at 17 and was pastoring at 19.” Dr. Smith said he has a signed artist, Courtney C. Franklin from Memphis. He released Franklins’ debut single “We Made It” (Pebble Street Records) from his “God Has a Plan” album release. On a roll and not looking back Pastor Dewey released his own solo debut single “Your Presence is a Gift” (Pebble Street Records). The first single from the Morehouse graduate is off of his debut album to be release sometime this year. https://youtu.be/vmTycKdIPmc?list=TLGGuJVg6h-sROMzMDA2MjAyMQ On NBC’s streaming channel Peacock, Amber Ruffin has schooled her audience on “The Secret History of Flooding Black Towns to Make Lakes.” “Dozens of Black towns have been erased off the American map, not by burning them down, but by hiding them under water,” Ruffin began in a segment on “The Amber Ruffin Show” called, “How Did We Get Here?” Ruffin goes on to talk about the history of Oscarville, Ga., a once thriving Black town that is now Lake Lanier in Forsythe County; Kowaliga, Ala., another prosperous Black town – complete with a Black college and the first Black railroad – that is now Lake Martin, and more. https://youtu.be/l3D4hSQcWbk Taraji P. Henson has joined Jennifer Hudson and Pauletta Washington in the star-studded anthology film “Tell It Like a Woman.” Per press release, “Tell It Like a Woman” – a film by women – about women -is comprised of seven segments, making a feature length film. The segments are directed by female directors from different parts of the world, shot in Italy, India, Japan, and USA, and range through different genres, from drama to comedy, through docudrama and animation. Erica Mena and Safaree Samuels have welcomed their second child. Monday, Samuels shared an image of himself cradling his newborn son that he shares with his estranged wife Mena. “MR Straittt Jr is here!! ???? ????????????????,” Samuels captioned the photo.(Straitt refers to his 2020 album). He did not reveal the baby’s name in the birth announcement. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQrmy8nLdWt/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=909b4a26-53bc-4bb9-bdc9-a69192d57c65 NeNe Leakes has revealed that her husband’s cancer has returned. The former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star has shared with fans that Gregg Leakes is back in the hospital and recovering after undergoing surgery. “He’s been in the hospital for a week, tomorrow,” NeNe revealed during an Instagram Live with theJasminebrand.com. “I’m sure he’ll be home in about a week or so. He had to have a surgery.” Gregg was previously diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer a few years ago but was able to bounce back. “It’s difficult,” Leakes said. “He’s been in the hospital for a week, tomorrow,” NeNe revealed during an Instagram Live with theJasminebrand.com. “I’m sure he’ll be home in about a week or so. He had to have a surgery.” Gregg was previously diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer a few years ago but was able to bounce back. “It’s difficult,” Leakes said. Lil Kim says she’s ready to do a Verzuz with Nicki Minaj. The hip-hop legend made the announcement during Sunday’s red carpet at the BET Awards. When asked if she would participate in the popular virtual series Kim quickly responded “yes.” As to who she wants to face off in a battle, she answered “Nicki.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1409294608618696707 Da Brat and her girlfriend Jesseca “Judy” Dupart will take fans inside their relationship with their new WE TV series “Brat Loves Judy.” Brat Loves Judy brings audiences a never-before-seen look into the world of veteran hip-hop artist and two-time Grammy Award-nominee, Da Brat, and her girlfriend Jesseca “Judy” Dupart, the multi-millionaire business owner and CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products, as they navigate their new relationship—from building a new home together and growing their budding careers to couples therapy, dealing with meddling loved ones, and a surprise proposal. The streets have been talking since #LilDuval made an interesting comparison between #Ludacris and #DaBaby, and while some fans thought he had a point, Baby doesn’t seem too sure. In a recent interview with @Billboard, DaBaby clarified that he thinks he and Ludacris are two different artists, but said he has been inspired by many artists of that generation. “I wouldn’t even say we’re one of the same,” Baby said. “I feel like thats too commonly used. I think people use that too lightly. I was inspired by Ludacris’ creativity with his music videos. [I was inspired by] a lot of—click the link in our bio to read more! Now, just in case you missed Lil Duval’s original tweet, he said, “DaBaby is this generation, Ludacris.” That tweet and subsequent others were met with some people who didn’t agree with his comparisons. Lil Nas X has responded to the homophobic comments he’s been receiving since hitting the BET Awards red carpet wearing a dress. He also kissed one of his dancers onstage during his performance of a song about gay sex. The hip-hop star kicked off his rant by responding to an older gay man criticizing his “sexual” performance. “y’all hate yourselves so much. y’all live your lives trying your best to appease straight ppl,” Lil Nas X wrote on Twitter. “y’all are uncomfortable with what i do because y’all are afraid they will be uncomfortable with you. work on yourselves.” “i love who i am and whatever i decide to do,” he added. “get there.” https://youtu.be/fgfsn1vOoNQ Kwame Brown got on his YouTube channel Bust Life to complain about Lil Nas X’s performance at Sunday’s BET Awards, believing the out rapper’s three-man kiss to end his performance Sunday night will influence young children to be gay. “Why the f**k I gotta have my son watching three n**gas kissing on the godd*mn stage?,” he asks at one point. “Yall don’t promote teenage love between boy and girl the way you promoting all this boy-boy group sh*t.” Brown also suggested that BET has lost its Blackness and now has a secret white Zaddy, pushing Lil Nas X as a puppet. https://youtu.be/vWQGuDFaMTU Know Your Meme caught up with Tay Zonday to look back at his viral sensation, “Chocolate Rain,” and what he’s been up to since. The video, with 130 million views and counting, was written and performed by Zonday. The song, with lyrics about as straightforward as you can get, has been heavily parodied, remixed and eventually led to his appearances on a number of talk shows. He was even parodied on “South Park.” https://youtu.be/mnJPC1SnRBQ Multiple award winner, singer-songwriter Jekalyn Carr was honored last week in Washington DC at the Women's Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards. Carr, the first Gospel artist to receive this prestigious induction, was celebrated at an elite event hosted by Jody Watley at the National Museum of Women In Arts. This recognition honors her significant contributions to the gospel genre and Carr's continued ability to inspire and encourage people through her songs. Carr is undoubtedly one of the top young artists in gospel music, reflected by her consistent sales and radio successes. All before the age of 21, Jekalyn amassed six singles in the Top 10 on Billboard's Gospel Airplay chart and has earned four Number 1 singles, including her most recent topper, "Changing Your Story." Jekalyn is a 4x Grammy Nominee and multiple Stellar Award and Dove Award winners. The rising star has also recently tapped to co-host the 36th Annual Stellar Awards with Tye Tribbett. Held on July 10 in Nashville, The Stellar Awards are considered Gospel music's biggest night! New Music from Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music "JIREH" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC-zw0zCCtg RCA Inspiration celebrated the 2021 BET Awards with a powerful night for Gospel, as two #1 hits from Kirk Franklin were lauded at this year’s awards. The sixteen-time GRAMMY®-winning artist, songwriter and producer was honored with the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award for the second consecutive year, winning for his #1 Gospel hit single “Strong God.” Franklin also kicked off the night’s broadcast in an exuberant opening performance with Lil Baby, showcasing their #1 Gospel hit “We Win” (featured from the soundtrack for the highly-anticipated summer movie Space Jam: A New Legacy). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdXW7Nc0RtE After the release of his "Be Encouraged 2020 Remix" in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the iconic hit, Gospel music trend-setter William Becton returns with more soulful music for Black Music Month. He is a two-time Stellar Award-winning producer who has taken his music to #1 on the Top Gospel Albums Chart and has crossed over to the R&B Top 40 Radio charts. Becton's newest offering is a remake of the 1980s classic "Set Me On Fire". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_vEa3smLec Joel Caston’s history-making victory is a part of a powerful narrative for community engagement and self-governance. Elected earlier this month to the Ward 7 Advisory Neighborhood Commission, Caston is the first incarcerated elected official in Washington, D.C. According to the Washington City Paper, this particular commissioner had been vacant since it was created in 2012. The greater Louisville community has been on high alert the past week after the disappearance of writer and organizer Quintez Brown. Missing for over a week, the Courier-Journal reported Brown had a terse interaction with a security guard at the Algonquin Park pool before he went missing. Two reports indicate Brown may have been spotted at a Subway last Sunday and the Franciscan Kitchen shelter on Tuesday. Neither lead has panned out so far. An op-ed columnist for the Courier-Journal, Brown is a psychology major. The Courier-Journal reported that brown was also an MLK scholar at the University of Louisville and very involved in efforts around youth violence prevention and political education. A pair of newly erected George Floyd statues in New York City and New Jersey have been targeted by racist vandals. The incident took place one day before former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for killing Floyd in May 2000. According to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, four individuals defaced the sculptures with black spray paint and references to a white supremacist, neo-fascist hate group, per Law&Crime. https://twitter.com/i/status/1408102161901309964 A 74-year-old Florida man has been arrested for spray-painting racist graffiti on the van of a Black-owned beauty business. A 74-year-old Florida man has been arrested for spray-painting racist graffiti on the van of a Black-owned beauty business. Police in Ocala, Florida arrested Victor Buttermoore after he spray-painted the letters “KKK” and a noose onto the side of a van belonging to Aniyah Williams, who operates the Fancy Hair Collection beauty service, Newsweek reports. Subway has responded to the New York Times report about its own investigation into the mystery meat used for the tuna sandwiches. According to a lawsuit filed against the fast-food chain, Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin allege Subway’s tuna is a “mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute tuna, yet have been blended together by defendants to imitate the appearance of tuna.” Last week, the New York Times on Sunday published the results: “No amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample and so we obtained no amplification products from the DNA. Therefore, we cannot identify the species.” https://youtu.be/ETqb9Umlo8A Speakers Magazine Publisher and Public Relations Master Coach, Pam Perry, announced today the seven emerging media celebrities who will work side-by-side with in a special cohort in The Branding Accelerator Program. “My goal as a publisher and publicist is to find and unearth the best and the brightest gems and train them to shine their light to make their communities better and inspire others to do the same. This cohort consists of entrepreneurial leaders, speakers and writers who have big stories and big hearts. They are ready to take their message to the masses and me and my guest experts will give them the tools and training. Our goal is to take them from being unfamiliar by most to becoming famous by many. When you have a brand, you can command attention – and share your gift with more people,” said Perry, the creator of the program. Ne-Yo and his wife Crystal Renay Smith have welcomed their third child together, a baby girl born on June 25. During her time on the short-lived VH1 series “Atlanta Exes,” Ne-Yo’s other baby mama, Monyetta Shaw, said after she and Ne-Yo had their two kids, they were done. Per MadameNoire, she was to have her tubes tied and burned, which she did, and he was supposed to get a vasectomy, which apparently didn’t happen. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjSt3jrH8F/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f6a52cfe-9bb4-4872-87b3-41ad76fcf468 Michael Strahan’s ex-wife was arrested for allegedly harassing her former girlfriend. Page Six reports that Jean Strahan, 56, violated an order of protection by allegedly appearing at the Upper West Side home of Marianne Ayer Friday night. Jean has reportedly been charged with criminal contempt for allegedly breaking the order of protection. Now more from Page Six: Ayer, 57, has accused Jean of grand larceny, disorderly conduct, harassment and forcible touching, according to TMZ, which cited court documents filed earlier this month. Ayer also alleged that Jean threatened her with a plastic gun and kicked her German Shepherd, the report said. Sunday night (06-27-21), BET honored an incredible and inspiring lineup of artists, entertainers and cultural icons across more than 20 categories at The “BET AWARDS” 2021. This year’s awards were proclaimed as the “Year of the Black Woman” to celebrate and honor their immense impact on the culture. The ceremony was an unforgettable celebration of Black culture, love, joy, and pride. https://youtu.be/8FpI8QINu3o The Facebook Watch series “Red Table Talk,” won a Daytime Emmy award on Friday in the outstanding informative talk show category. The show, hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and Willow Smith, won against fellow nominees The 3rd Hour of Today, GMA3: What You Need to Know, Red Table Talk: The Estefans, and Tamron Hall. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQkQzFQnihN/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=efa3ce6d-d00e-4f51-a586-1d3a05204f84 #TheCityGirls lit up the stage last night with their “#Twerkulator” performance for the 2021 #BETAwards, so we would never think rapper #JT, one-half of the group, would be on #Twitter arguing with folks. Not only did JT clap back at folks trolling her over her red carpet wig, but she dragged reality star #RahAli specifically, and we’re going to explain why. ?? In bio to get the full story. Unfortunately, JT started to trend online before the BET Awards show officially started after pulling up to the red carpet with a controversial wig. Folks online joked about its sharp, tinted hairline and judged JT’s entire look overall.? Lil Nas X hit the stage during the 2021 BET Awards on Sunday and decided to close out his performance with a bang! While performing his controversial hit song “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” Lil Nas closed it out with a passionate kiss from one of his backup dancers. Of course his bold move was met with some backlash but was also widely celebrated on social media. Diddy even tweeted to him, “Lil Nas X did that!! Be fearless!!! ????????????.” Big Daddy Kane has tapped Jay-Z, Eminem, Doug E. Fresh and more to star in his upcoming Netflix documentary doc titled “Paragraphs I Manifest.” “I got JAY-Z, Eminem, KRS-One, Doug E. Fresh,” he said during a recent chat with HipHopDX. “I even got some of the battle rappers like Goodz Da Animal and Aye Verb, so it’s coming out real good. I’m supposed to do Common on Monday.” Big Daddy Kane also shared a photo of himself standing alongside Common with the caption, “Much love to @common and the StuyVision crew. We almost done. #paragraphsimanifest.” When a young Black man weighs his options then chooses to sell watches as a start-up business, one might think: Watches? When everyone has iPhones and Androids and they all tell time. Watches? Yep, watches! This is the story Nordstrom department stores say deserves to be told. It’s about William Adoasi’s Vitae London watches, the spirit and forces behind those watches, and a journey that winds-up affecting lives in the dark continent — just like he planned. Founder and CEO of Vitae London, 31-year-old, British-Ghanaian, William Adoasi is celebrating for good reason. His Black owned fashion accessories brand, specializing in high quality watches got an important call. A woman from Nordstom department store; a buyer. https://youtu.be/JJaQ1z3z23U A man allegedly rammed a stolen truck into a house before fatally shooting a retired Black Massachusetts state trooper and a Black Air Force veteran Saturday, according to police. Authorities said they are investigating the incident as a hate crime. The suspect was later killed by police when they tried to apprehend him, investigators said. David L. Green, a 36-year veteran of the force, and Ramona Cooper, 60, lived in Winthrop, Massachusetts, where Saturday afternoon’s incident took place, police said. The suspect, identified by police Sunday as 28-year-old Nathan Allen, allegedly drove a stolen box truck into a home, but there was no one at the house at the time, police said. Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty told reporters when officers arrived at the scene, they found one victim shot half a block away. The second victim “engaged with the suspect” in an alleyway not too far from the crash and was shot. Cooper was shot three times in the back and Green was shot four times in the head and three times in the torso, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a press briefing Sunday. Never-before-seen case files, photographs and other records documenting the investigation into the infamous slayings of three civil rights workers in Mississippi are now open to the public for the first time, 57 years after their deaths. The 1964 killings of civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Neshoba County sparked national outrage and helped spur passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They later became the subject of the movie “Mississippi Burning.” The previously sealed materials — dating from 1964 to 2007 — were transferred to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History from the Mississippi attorney general’s office in 2019. As of last week, they are now available for viewing by the public at William F. Winter Archives and History Building in Jackson. Killeen Independent School District announced the passing of Dr. Ruth Altrac Tomlin on Monday. Since her start in 1970, Dr. Tomlin was the first African American teacher at Killeen High School. Dr. Tomlin was praised for her educational achievements by many organizations and was often referred to as a trailblazer, according to Killeen ISD. She retired in 1994, after serving as a teacher for 14 years and a Killeen ISD counselor for 10 years. A statue of civil rights pioneer Marian Spencer was formally unveiled along Cincinnati’s riverfront Sunday. The pandemic delayed its reveal in Smale Park, but the statue was finally uncovered Sunday evening. The statue stands, circled by a partial wall carved with some of her most famous words: “Be smart, be polite, vote and keep on fighting.” The statue of Spencer is Cincinnati’s very first statue honoring a woman. Spencer was Cincinnati’s first Black female city councilmember and the first Black woman to serve as vice mayor; she was best known for her fight to integrate Coney Island and its swimming pool in the ‘50s and for her fight to desegregate Cincinnati Public Schools. BlackFilmandTV.com has exclusively learned that fresh from her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, “Coming 2 America” and the sequel to her Oscar earning “Black Panther,” legendary costume designer @therealruthecarter will make her foray into producing with “African/American,” a hip hop drama starring Grammy Nominated Roc Nation artist and activist, @vicmensa. Set during the post apartheid Renaissance period in South Africa, “African/American” chronicles the rise of the South African hip hop scene. Based on the true story of Howard University alumni Sydney Hall aka Syd Money (Mensa) and his collaboration with South African Hip Hop pioneer Linda Mkhize aka ProKid, who would have been 40 years old today. Sadly, ProKid died in 2018 following a seizure. Cardi B is pregnant with her second child with Migos rapper Offset. She revealed a baby bump while performing with the group at the BET Awards on Sunday, and announced the news on social media during the performance. The rapper revealed that she was pregnant with her first child, daughter Kulture, on Saturday Night Live in 2018, Billboard reported. She filed for divorce from Offset last fall amid swirling cheating rumors but canceled the process in early November after the couple apparently resolved disagreements within the marriage, the BBC reported. Cardi B won video of the year at the awards show Sunday night for “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. John Langley, the creator of the long-running TV show Cops, passed away Saturday from an apparent heart attack at the age of 78 while in Baja, Mexico. Langley was competing in the Coast to Coast Ensenada-San Felipe 250 off-road race, Variety reported. Cops ran for 32 seasons and over 1,000 episodes from 1989 until last year when it was canceled in the wake of protests around the murder of George Floyd. Langley produced many other series, such as Inside American Jail and Las Vegas Jailhouse, both with his son Morgan. He is survived by his wife Maggie, his four children, and seven grandchildren. Skid Row frontman Johnny Solinger has died at the age of 55, just a month after telling fans he had liver failure. The musician’s bandmates confirmed the sad news that the 55-year-old singer had died in a Facebook post today. ‘We are saddened to hear the news of our brother Johnny Solinger,’ it read. ‘Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans. Godspeed Singo. Say hello to Scrappy for us. Calvin Richardson did not immediately reap the rewards of pursuing his passion. However, his remarkable voice, belief in himself and his work ethic eventually produced the success he was seeking. Richardson always bet on himself and eventually it paid off. A hit-maker in every sense of the word, he seems to get better with time. He has lived up to his “Prince of Soul” moniker by continuously providing heartfelt music that led to three Grammy nominations. His voice gracefully spans several genres, and his fan base includes all ages. He has released eight solo projects in his 20-year career and is currently working on his next effort. His old-school delivery is not by accident: Richardson looked up to some of the greats, including Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack and Marvin Gaye, for inspiration. The Austin African American Book Festival marks its 15th year Saturday with a virtual program dedicated to lessons from the past and inspiration for the future. New York Times columnist and author Charles Blow headlines the event, centered on the theme “I Am a Revolutionary: Stories of Resistance and Resilience.” “In our world culture, Black people have a long history of revolutionary acts. We wanted to hold our resistance and resilience up to this light and gain strength from seeing our ancestors and ourselves in this way,” explained Rosalind Oliphant Jones, the festival’s founder. Paradise starts as a dream when six young American adults win an all expenses getaway to stay at an ultra-luxury resort in Belize. Starring talented fresh faces Gui DaSilva (Marvels, “Winter Soldier”), Jhone Y. Lucas (“The Gen Zone”), Nate Walker (“Shameless”), Ian James (”Stranger Things Experience”), Kayla Stukleberger (“Vicious”) and introducing the young New York theater sensation, Summer Arroyo. Produced by Damien Douglas (Fatal) and producing partner Clifford Reid (Don’t Fear). Producer Dale Stelly, (Comptons Finest) puts on his directors’ hat for the chilling suspense thriller. A day after a former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced to more than two decades in prison for killing George Floyd, locals and tourists gathered at the site of his death to mourn and look to the future. https://youtu.be/YjuIHuPwaCg The consequences of showing blind loyalty to former President Donald Trump continue to reveal themselves in the most amazing of ways for Rudy Giuliani. The latest indication that the proverbial chickens have come home to roost for the former New York City mayor-turned Trump lawyer defending “the big lie” is the suspension of his law license in New York state. In a 33-page ruling, the New York State Supreme Court announced its decision to “immediately” suspend the law license of the former Associate Attorney General in the Reagan administration and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for making “demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump and the Trump campaign in connection with Trump’s failed effort at reelection in 2020.” An Indiana woman who happily participated in the parade of clowns that stormed the U.S. Capitol evaded punishment on Wednesday after a judge sentenced her to three years of probation, $500 in restitution, and 40 hours of community service as part of a plea. Anna Morgan-Lloyd, a 49-year-old grandmother of five, got off essentially scot-free in the case after verbalizing that viewing the movies “Schindler’s List” and “Just Mercy” encouraged her to revisit her archaic frame of thinking. With almost 500 arrests related to the insurrection at the Capitol, Morgan-Lloyd’s case exemplifies an exit route for many of the attendees who face similar charges. Prior to her sentencing Morgan-Lloyd pled guilty in federal court to one charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, USA Today reports. But as we know, white women’s tears are often all that’s needed for those in power positions to look the other way. Janelle Monáe is making boss moves in the music industry. According to Variety, the visionary recently inked a global deal with Sony Music Publishing. The new deal encompasses the music artist’s existing catalog and projects she will create in the future. Monáe—whose real name is Janelle Monáe Robinson—founded the Wondaland Arts Society; a label she has used as an avenue for creative expression through different mediums including music and film. Innovator will.i.am is furthering his efforts to use tech education as a vessel to empower youth. He has teamed up with the Los Angeles Unified School District for the creation of a robotics program for children in underserved communities. The initiative is being led by the i.am Angel Foundation; an organization founded by will.i.am 12 years ago that was designed to provide STEAM education-centered programs for youth in the Boyle Heights neighborhood who come from impoverished households. The foundation offers after-school programs and coding workshops to introduce students to the different facets of science, technology, engineering, the arts and math. Through the extended partnership, the Los Angeles Unified School District—which is the largest public school system in California—and the i.am Angel Foundation will create robotics clubs for 12,000 middle and high school students. Ciara is on a mission to empower Black women to take charge of their health. The Grammy award-winning star is leading a campaign that was launched to spread awareness about cervical cancer and its disproportionate impact on African American women. The campaign—dubbed “Cerving Confidence”—is a collaborative effort being led by Ciara, the Black Women’s Health Imperative and Project Health Equality. Research revealed Black women within the United States are twice as likely to die from cervical cancer than white women. They are also more likely to develop advanced cervical cancer at a higher rate than other racial groups. The socioeconomic barriers surrounding access to care have been exacerbated by the pandemic. A New Jersey education official apologized for a foul Facebook comment about Vice President Kamala Harris. Nearly three weeks after his offensive post, Gregory Martucci is trying to save face after getting called out for labeling Harris a “street walker.” Martucci, a Linden Board of Education member, responded to a Facebook post with his derogatory, unhinged commentary. He told a New York NBC affiliate that his comment was not a reflection of who he really was or what he thought. By entering the comment section of a post by a pro-Trump comedian attacking the vice president, Martucci clearly thought he was in a safe space. According to NJ.com, the comment had been edited twice since Martucci first posted on June 8, with the language becoming more inflammatory with each edit. Each version of Martucci’s post included the phrase “street walker” and the pejorative “wingnut.” Linden School Board President Carlos Rivas denounced Martucci’s posts in a statement to NJ.com. In a “stunning” victory, India Walton won the Democratic primary election against four-term incumbent Byron Brown in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday. Walton, the candidate unlikey to win, was considered the underdog because of a lack of experience in politics and her past experiences with life. Walton knows firsthand what it is to be a young single mom, who lived in a group home, did not complete high school and survived domestic abuse. “I’m India from down the way, little poor Black girl who, statistically speaking, shouldn’t have amounted to much, yet here I am,” Walton told the New York Times. “This is proof that Black women and women belong everywhere in positions of power and positions of leadership, and I’m just super-excited.” https://youtu.be/F8Y-FgPsjb8 Earlier this year Black farmers felt a form of reparations was possible as the federal government rolled out a $4 billion loan forgiveness program included in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, titled the American Rescue Plan Act that passed Congress in March. But weeks later, five white farmers sued the USDA, claiming the loan forgiveness program discriminated against them because they were white. With the backing of Republican players in Congress and conservative voices with large public platforms, the case became a microcosm of the reparations movement and how those in opposition often claim false equivalences, contributing to the systemic racism that Black people routinely face. A North Carolina mother has been charged with murder and child abuse after she allegedly made her 13-year-old daughter help bury her slain younger sister in the family’s backyard in Charlotte. Malikah Bennett, 31, faces a litany of felony charges over the death of her 4-year-old daughter Miegellic “Jelli” Young, who was last seen alive Aug. 2020. Her body was discovered this May, reported the Charlotte Observer. Court documents show that the toddler’s older sister described the sickening events that led to Miegellic’s death to investigators, claiming Bennett cruelly made Miegellic stand in the laundry room for three days straight as a punishment for having an accident in her pants. By the third day, Miegellic’s breathing “was on and off” and due to the exhaustion of not sitting for 72 hours, she fell out the back door, smashing her head on the ground. Although her sister tried to perform CPR, the little girl was dead, the 13-year-old told police. “No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in health care?” wrote the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in a tweet promoting its podcast in early March 2020. In the podcast, Dr. Ed. Livingston, a white male surgeon and JAMA Deputy Editor, dismissed the concept of structural racism, protesting, “many of us (physicians) are offended by the concept that we are racist.” Backlash to the since-deleted tweet and the podcast was so swift that Livingston subsequently resigned from his post. Livingston’s sentiments naively suggest that a medical degree inoculates physicians from racism. It clings to the mistaken notion that racism only harms Black patients when actively schemed. This view flies in the face of countless studies, many appearing in JAMA itself, demonstrating widespread barriers to health care for Black patients from basic preventive services to cutting-edge treatments. Worst of all, it obscures how stubborn racist legacies reinvent themselves. Indeed, even today, modern-day segregation within hospitals kills Black patients, as statistics have shown. A newborn baby girl (Kyanni’ Williams) received 13 stitches after she was cut in the face during an emergency C-section in Denver, Colorado. Kyanni’s parents, Reazjahana and Damarqus Williams were expected their baby girl to make her arrival via vaginal birth but their plans were changed after doctors were not able to find her heartbeat. Reazjhana underwent an emergency C-section and was told by doctors that the baby girl was too close to the placenta wall during the surgery. However, they told the couple that she had a “scratch” on her face. The cut on Kyanni’s left cheek went from her nose to her ear and Reazjhana added that a plastic surgeon had to give their daughter 13 stitches to close it.“I tried to be understanding about what happened, but on top of the fact her face got cut and a plastic surgeon had to come to do it, there’s just a lot of things I’m not understanding with the C-section. I’ve never heard of anybody having to deal with their baby’s face looking like this after a C-section,” she added. Attorneys Steven Greenberg and Michael Leonard who’ve been with Kelly for years have filed documents requesting to withdraw from the singer’s federal case, reports TMZ. Their alleged reason for wanting to pull out is all about a clash with other members of Kelly’s legal team regarding inadequate experience with Kelly’s type of case. “We refused to try a case with lawyers who don’t have the appropriate level of experience and skill because that is not in the client’s best interest. It is a shame that lawyers can’t suppress their egos or self-interest and do or act in the client’s best interest,” Greenberg and Leonard told TMZ. https://youtu.be/V1SD-wPRDlY Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.. CBC Chairwoman Joyce Beatty offered the following quote: “We were hoping to see the most severe sentencing option in this case, but the CBC acknowledges the significance of this sentence. It is the reason why the CBC will continue to speak out, support protests across the country, and stand alongside our community leaders. We will continue to demand accountability and transparency in policing because too many lives depend on it. Although George Floyd is no longer with us, we honor his legacy and his family, his beautiful daughter, who will be one of the next extraordinary change makers that this country needs. https://youtu.be/edlPf-Ltl60 French Montana stopped by the #BETAwards Radio Room to discuss what the celebration means to him and what he’s looking forward to on #CulturesBiggestNight. While sitting down with host Big Tigger, French Montana expressed how the awards celebrate those who are not acknowledged by other mainstream outlets and a night “to celebrate our people.” “It’s to see all the people that everybody saying they can’t together…together. Having fun, enjoying life, receiving all the blessings, receiving the award that they deserve,” he added. “You know they work hard and basically it’s a platform for our people so we can celebrate our people….we don’t get celebrated on a lot of platforms so we’re thankful for the BET Awards.” Ludacris the three-time Grammy Award-winning rapper and actor posted a video on Instagram of himself flying a plane! “Who am I to correct the internet?,” Ludacris said to Ellen DeGeneres, after he posted a video of himself flying a plane, which led his followers to believe he got his pilot’s license, according to People. “The internet just ran with the fact that I have an official pilot’s license when they saw this video,” Ludacris continued. “I never said that, but who am I to correct the internet? The internet believes what they want to believe.” https://youtu.be/_s8iwxy58Fw Serena Williams will not be travelling to Tokyo for the Olympic Games, the 23-times Grand Slam singles tennis champion said on Sunday without giving the reasons behind her decision. Williams, who will turn 40 in September, won the singles title at the London Olympics in 2012 and she has also picked up three gold medals in doubles with sister Venus — in Sydney (2000), Beijing (2008) and London. “Yeah, I’m actually not on the Olympic list, so… Not that I’m aware of. If so, then I shouldn’t be on it,” Williams told reporters on the eve of the Wimbledon Grand Slam. Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes says the new docuseries ‘Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts’ lifts the curtain on the pressures to make the U.S. Olympic team. Dawes, the first African-American gymnast to win an individual event medal, also discusses the rise of Black athletes in the sport. https://youtu.be/R-uRRUjC2cU This weekend’s Steve Harvey’s “Celebrity Family Feud” features JoJo Siwa vs. The D’Amelio Family and Ross Mathews vs. Loni Love. It’s the definition of pop culture clash as dancer JoJo Siwa and her family also compete against viral social media stars the D’Amelio family to win money for their respective charities, reports Bossip. https://youtu.be/cDNTrZu35Ns Qatari sprinter Abdalelah Haroun, who won bronze in the 400m at the 2017 World Athletic Championships, has died aged 24, according to the Qatar Olympic Committee. “Team Qatar sprinter and world 400m bronze medalist Abdalelah Haroun died today”, shared the Committee on Saturday on social media. The Sudan-born runner first represented Qatar in the 2015 Asian and Arab Athletic Championships, becoming the world’s junior 400m champion in 2016. He ran at the Rio Olympics in the same year, reaching the semifinals and won silver in the 2016 IAAFF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon. Haroun’s crowning achievement came at the World Championships in London in 2017, finishing third behind Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa and Bahamian Steven Gardiner to win the bronze medal as a 20-year-old. For the past week, the national anthem has played one time per evening at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. On Saturday, the song happened to start while outspoken activist Gwen Berry was standing on the podium after receiving her bronze medal in the hammer throw. While the music played, Berry placed her left hand on her hip and fidgeted. She took a quarter turn, so she was facing the stands, not the flag. Toward the end, she plucked up her black T-shirt with the words “Activist Athlete” emblazoned on the front, and draped it over her head. “I feel like it was a setup, and they did it on purpose,” Berry said of the timing of the anthem. “I was pissed, to be honest.” After 17 years as a college head coach, Urban Meyer is faced with a new “reality” with the Jaguars in his first foray into the NFL, one that directly impacts Tim Tebow’s chances of getting back on the football field. And that is the limitations of a 53-man roster, every spot so precious that they must be reserved for the best possible players, meaning Tebow’s tight end experiment will likely be brief. “So to me, he’s one of 90. He’s a guy that’s — you know, what’s the difference between him and the other 40 guys trying to make the team? To me it’s all the same. This is their livelihood. This is a job. This is a way to make a living. And the reality is that a good percentage of your roster’s gonna get cut or transition out of here — which, to me, that’s completely new. In college, you’ve got your 85, 95 guys and you fit them in and you put the puzzle together. It’s much different here.” All fears serve a great purpose. In fact, there is not one emotion, thought, idea or behavior that does not. Sometimes fear paralyzes us and keeps us from going after what we desire. A great way for you to move your fears out of your path is by creating a container for them. In doing so we can continue moving towards our goals despite fear. https://youtu.be/RRgqKd_Mj-M During a sermon on Sunday, Transformation Church Pastor Michael Todd gave away $200,000 checks in reparations towards the three of the only living survivors of the Tulsa Massacre, one of the deadliest race riots in U.S. history. The Tulsa Race Massacre, which happened 100 years ago this month, is considered to be one of the deadliest race riots in history. In 1921, a white mob attacked a black Tulsa neighborhood over a period of 18 hours from May 31 to June 1, leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless. https://youtu.be/Vt6_zZW_dew Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas hosted a drag queen show last week in order to demonstrate its commitment to “diversity and inclusion.” A spokesperson for Nellis told Newsweek the base “is committed to providing and championing an environment that is characterized by equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion,” adding that “base leaders remain supportive of events and initiatives that reinforce the Air Force’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion toward recognizing the value every one of our airmen brings to the team.” The “Drag-u-Nellis” show, hosted last Thursday, was planned by the base’s Pride committee and featured well-known drag stars from the Vegas strip. On the flyer for the event, it said the show as intended to help attendees “discover the significance of drag in the LGBT+ community.” The 12-story Miami condo had been flagged for ‘major structural damage’ to the pool deck area and underground parking garage in a damning report almost three years before it collapsed early Thursday, killing at least four and leaving 159 still missing. A consultant engineer warned back in October 2018 that the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Miami Beach, was in need of numerous repairs around the base of the structure ‘in a timely fashion.’ The structural field survey report specifically raised concerns about the pool deck area, in which the waterproofing was failing, and the underground parking garage which was riddled with ‘abundant’ cracking. Despite the apparent urgency of some of the recommendations, an attorney for the resident-led condo association told the New York Times this week that repairs were only about to begin – more than two and a half years after the inspection. On a history-making 53-40 vote — with only three Republicans crossing the aisle — the Senate confirmed Candace Jackson-Akiwumi on Thursday for a seat on the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. She will be only the second Black judge to serve on a court dominated by white men since the 7th Circuit held its first session on June 16, 1891. Once sworn-in — no date is announced — Jackson-Akiwumi will be the only person of color and the first federal public defender on the court. Jackson-Akiwumi is part of the first wave of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees — picked to reflect diversity in race, gender and, in the case of tapping public defenders, life experience. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that the U.S. Justice Department is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting law, saying that the controversial measure is intended to restrict ballot access to Black voters. “Our complaint alleges that recent changes to Georgia’s election laws were enacted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of Black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color, in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act,” Garland said at a news conference. The nation’s first police academy at a historically Black college and university graduated its first class of officers Friday. Nine students in total graduated June 25 from Lincoln University Law Enforcement Training Academy, marking a historic moment for policing and higher education. LU Interim President John Moseley said he was excited to recognize the first class of graduates as it is a significant milestone for the program and the students. “It is my honor and pleasure to speak to you this evening as you not only reach one of your goals, but also make history in the process,” Moseley told the graduates. He said each of the nine graduates have the potential to make significant change as they embark on their upcoming career amid a time when public confidence in law enforcement is on the decline. One person is dead and several are injured after three suspects allegedly followed a Rolls Royce shepherding Fashion Nova CEO Richard Saghian to his Hollywood Hills home and tried to rob two men when they got out of the car, TMZ reports. When the Rolls Royce came to a stop outside Saghian’s home, the suspects allegedly forced the two men to the ground and stole jewelry from them. Saghian reportedly made it inside, but his security guard came out, and that’s when gunfire erupted. The guard, a retired sheriff’s deputy, was shot in the stomach and fired back, hitting two of the suspects, one of whom died, TMZ reports. Los Angeles Police Department officers caught up with the suspects in Beverly Hills. The rapid influx of violence seemingly grows stronger and stronger as the days go on. The community sense of responsibility people used to have back in the day of keeping adult matters private from children or keeping street matters away from home, clearly doesn’t exist nowadays. Micheal Lopez, 27 was taken into custody early Friday morning by the NYPD, after opening fire in The Bronx on 24-year-old Hassan Wright in broad daylight on June, 17. Police say Lopez is a member of the notorious “Make it Happen Boyz” street gang in Harlem and has outstanding warrants for attempted murder, armed robbery, and revenge porn for distributing graphic images of a woman, Sandra Rose reports. Surveillance video, and witnesses from their apartment windows, caught the entire incident as Lopez chased Wright and opened fire as Wright stumbled over two children, 13-year-old Mia Toribio and her 5-year-old brother Christian Toribio. https://youtu.be/XSG2dLIvtAc Tamir Rice’s mom slammed Shaun King in a scathing social media post, calling him a self-centered person who can’t be trusted – and “a white man acting black.” Samaria Rice was apparently set off by King publishing details of a conversation they had, after she previously blasted King and others, accusing them of benefitting from the death of her 12-year-old son, who was shot by Cleveland police while playing with a toy gun. “Why do you think its so important to tell folks we had a conversation,” Rice wrote in an Instagram post addressed to King. “Well we talked and everything that was said was very toxic and uncomfortable for me to hear that you raised additional money and then say you did not want to bother me. Personally I don’t understand how you sleep at night,” she wrote. An Iowa teacher’s TikTok videos defending Critical Race Theory after the governor banned it from being taught has gone viral. Megan Geha, a special education teacher at Des Moines East High School, calls on her fellow teachers to fight back. “So, teachers, in the past, we’ve been activists, and after this s***show of last year, we really need to stand up and do what’s right for our kids right now,” Geha said on TikTok. “This is a call to action, teachers. We really need to stand up and fight for our kids.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1407760951554805760 Rapper Gift of Gab, also one half of the famed Bay Area duo “Blackalicious,” passed away in his sleep. Gab, whose actual name is Timothy J. Parker, transitioned last Friday according to the hip-hop collective Quannum Projects. “Tim peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors on Friday, June 18, 2021.” The collective also added, “He is survived by two brothers, one sister, many nieces and nephews, countless friends, and fans across the globe. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected as we mourn the tremendous loss of our dear brother.” Gab had battled kidney failure in 2014 caused by type 1 diabetes … forcing him to undergo dialysis several times a week. He reportedly got a kidney transplant in January 2020, reports TMZ. https://youtu.be/aKdV5FvXLuI “He is the head of a gang,” said Bill Duke (“The Oval”), a legendary actor (Commando, Predator) and director (“Fame”, “Hillstreet Blues”), about his new role in the Warner Bros Picture presentation No Sudden Move, premiering on HBO Max July 1, 2021. “He’s competing with other gangs – that’s big in Detroit. He is one of many gang leaders.” https://youtu.be/J-2icxJjilw The “#MarriedToMedicine” reunion is on the way; there’s still lots to unpack when it comes to a certain couple, naked pictures, and a “secret” life coach. As previously reported, #DrContessa and #DrScott’s marriage has been strained amid news that Scott’s been secretly seeing a life coach for “7 or 8 months.”?Scott confessed to secretly meeting with the coach, an unnamed woman he “found on the Internet,” while Contessa was openly meeting with her own coach. He added that he “hasn’t paid the coach a dime” even though the woman’s been giving him help. Later, Dr. Contessa’s daughters joked that Scott had a “girlfriend,” which fueled speculation that the life coach was actually a mistress.?Later, however, during the “Married To Medicine” finale, Scott switched up his story and said that his female life coach is actually a MAN named Kevin Johnson.? Former Destiny’s Child member Farrah Franklin is calling out actress Alexis Fields and accusing her of being a homewrecker after she posted an old viral video clip of her and Kiely Williams. Recently Alexis Fields, who is the sister of actress Kim Fields and daughter of Good Times star Chip Fields, shared a video to her Instagram page of an interaction Farrah Franklin and Kiely Williams had during a pilot of a reality TV show that seemingly wasn’t picked up by a network. In the clip, which is reportedly more than seven years old, Farrah and Kiely Williams are having a standoff as they compare their musical accolades and who had the most success in the famous girl groups they were once in. In the short video, Kiely Williams mentions that she was in 3LW and The Cheetah Girls. “I’ve been in two multi-platinum, successful groups and they weren’t disbanded.” Farrah Franklin responded, “And I’ve been in the biggest one and they’re still together.” Kiely fired back, “I know, but you weren’t in it!” Recently, “The View’s” Sunny Hostin, boldly stated that “White Supremacy is the reason that Black Americans are rapidly buying guns.” “If you listen to the FBI’s statistics, we had FBI Director [Christopher] Wray testify that the greatest threat in the United States is white supremacy, and who are the victims of white supremacy? Generally, they are African Americans, and so I really believe that that is why you are seeing African Americans now buying guns and arming themselves and protecting themselves,” the former federal prosecutor said this past Wednesday. “The Second Amendment is for everyone,” Hostin said on the “The View.” https://youtu.be/8TYMnV3vf0E Tennessee State University is exploring the idea of introducing ice hockey to their campus. If they choose to incorporate the game, it would be the first time that a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), has offered ice hockey and would be the first varsity hockey program in the entire state. “The idea of establishing a collegiate hockey program at TSU is a tremendous opportunity as the nation’s first HBCU to take on this endeavor,” President Glenda Glover said to CNN, according to Black Enterprise. “This allows us to expand the sport, increase diversity, and introduce a new fan base.” https://youtu.be/vq6mYBlpX1E Chicken & Biscuits, a new comedy written by Black playwright Douglas Lyons, with a largely Black cast and directed by Zhailon Levingston, who at 27 becomes the youngest Black director in Broadway history, will have its Broadway premiere this Fall. Beginning previews at Circle in the Square Theatre on Thursday, September 23, Chicken & Biscuits – which was playing Off Broadway at the time of the Covid shutdown – will officially open Sunday, October 10. The limited engagement runs through Sunday, January 2, 2022. The full cast will be announced in coming weeks, but producers today confirmed the casting of Norm Lewis (Porgy and Bess, Da 5 Bloods) and Michael Urie (Torch Song, Ugly Betty). In July, vegan actress and TikTok influencer Tabitha Brown will launch a new, limited-edition Sunshine All Purpose Seasoning in partnership with spice brand McCormick. The spice mix—which features her face on the label—blends ingredients such as garlic (Tabitha’s favorite), along with allspice, thyme, turmeric, cayenne pepper, mango, and pineapple. The salt-free, Caribbean-influenced spice blend is bright and warm and is suitable for a number of recipes and uses. As part of the partnership with McCormick, Brown created three recipes using the new spice blend: Sunshine Shick’n (shiitake mushroom-based vegan chicken stir-fry coated with a sweet and savory sauce); Maple Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges; and Chicky Farro Bowl (farro bowl topped with roasted chickpeas coated in Sunshine Seasoning). Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck tells his ‘powerful story’ in the inspiring and emotional documentary, ‘Wolfgang.’ https://youtu.be/uKntR9x3iWw Mary J. Blige Speaks On Healing, Realizing Her Worth, New Documentary, New Music + More. https://youtu.be/7yQqqu1qr3A In this week’s episode of Celebrity Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, Steve embracing his inner, talkative stripper. Harvey kicked off the sixth season with some of his celebrity friends, along with their immediate family members or their extended TV families, going head-to-head in a contest to name the most popular responses to survey-type questions posed to 100 people for a chance to win money for a charity of their choice. https://youtu.be/63D0AnSlqsE The out of this world “F9” has Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) are launched into outer space. Hey, whatever it takes to save the world, I’m all for it. “F9” begins with Dom (Vin Diesel) chillin’ at his cozy crib with baby boy Brian when he is brought the news that a world-shattering plot, led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered, is about to take place. The master mind behind the plan is Dom’s pouting brother, Jakob (John Cena). Dom leaves his son and joins his crew to put pedal to the medal and kick ass. Along the way, audiences witness some of the most ridiculous antics ever seen on screen. https://youtu.be/aSiDu3Ywi8E ; Just a few months ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars ran to the table to select former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick. He was expected to come in right away and contribute to a team that desperately needs quality quarterback play. Lawrence dealt with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder early in Jaguars’ camp and wasn’t able to get going. If Urban Meyer‘s latest comments are to be believed, the rookie quarterback still has a ways to go to be ready for the NFL. And yet, that’s just fine for Meyer because the 2021 season hasn’t started yet. The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Poor People’s Campaign co-chair the Rev. William Barber II were among several civil rights and religious activists arrested at a protest outside the U.S. Senate on Wednesday (June 23), where demonstrators demanded West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and other lawmakers abolish the filibuster and pass voting rights legislation. Shortly before his arrest for blocking the street, Barber stood in the middle of Constitution Avenue as hundreds of demonstrators marched behind him along the sidewalk outside the Hart Senate Office Building. As police began to encircle Barber and others huddled behind a banner that read “Manchin, stop hurting West Virginia: Stop the filibuster,” the pastor explained he was willing to be arrested to protect voting rights. “It took this to win it, it’s going to take this to keep it,” Barber said. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of “The 1619 Project,” will not join UNC-Chapel Hill without tenure. According to Policy Watch, Hannah-Jones, is scheduled to begin her position as the university’s Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism on July 1, but the board has not offered her tenure for the position, which previous Knight Chairs at UNC-CH have received. A letter from her legal team to the university notes that Hannah-Jones has not withdrawn her application for tenure — and does not plan to. https://youtu.be/cMOHvXHLNeM A coalition of Los Angeles civil rights leaders held a Wednesday morning (06-23-21) press conference before a throng of media at the National Action Network Los Angeles (NAN LA) chapter office in response to the brutal beating of Christopher Bailey by six Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies in May of 2020. Craig Hodges a former NBA star with the Chicago Bulls who played alongside Michael Jordan winning 2 world championships and later as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers won 2 more world championships spoke passionately about the love he has for Chris saying, “he’s a nephew to me and one of the best young men you’ll ever meet. His beating by deputy’s was totally uncalled for.” https://youtu.be/17k0nhadHrA Georgia’s assault on democracy isn’t over by a long shot. After the Republican-led state legislature earlier this year forced through new laws severely restricting the ability to cast a ballot — laws that disproportionately affect Black voters, in particular — the man who oversees elections in Georgia is now threatening to purge more than 100,000 registered voters from the rolls just weeks ahead of special runoff elections to fill a vacant State House seat. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Friday made the names public of about 102,000 registered voters who he said have moved or haven’t voted in recent elections, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Both factors are reasons to remove their names from the voting rolls, Raffensperger threatened. Candace Owens recently reneged on a previous agreement to appear at an event on Juneteenth for a Republican group so that she could instead attend a birthday party for the wife of a country music singer who once wore blackface for Halloween while purportedly dressing up as a rapper. She blamed it all on being the mother of an infant, but a closer look into the details suggests there may be much more to it. According to local news outlet the Spectrum, Owens — who announced she gave birth to a boy in January — contractually agreed in February to be paid $30,000 to speak at a fundraiser that was held by the Washington County Republican Party (WCRP) this past Saturday in St. George, Utah. Both sides had been negotiating the terms for a full year. https://twitter.com/i/status/1406744456381059077 Kirbyjon Caldwell, the former United Methodist megachurch pastor and presidential adviser who was found guilty of being involved in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, has begun his six-year prison sentence. Caldwell, who had been scheduled to arrive in prison on Tuesday (June 22), is listed on the Bureau of Prisons website as an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution, Beaumont, a low security facility in Eastern Texas with more than 1,500 inmates. Caldwell, 67, was sentenced in January but the judge deferred his report date by about five months. At the time of sentencing, the former pastor’s lawyer requested that Caldwell serve his time in home confinement because his client was at high risk for COVID-19 complications because of his hypertension and prostate cancer. The former senior pastor of Houston’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church appeared at Washington National Cathedral inaugural prayer services for President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush. Caldwell was among key faith leaders Obama turned to for prayer and discussions about politics and religion. And Caldwell officiated the wedding of Jenna Bush and called her father “Brother President.” A Florida family is demanding answers after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper tased a biracial teen who was sitting on his girlfriend’s porch. Trooper George Smyrnios was caught on surveillance video tasing 16-year-old Jack Rodeman more than once on the back deck of the teen’s girlfriend’s home, where he had permission to be. The surveillance video shows Jack outside of his girlfriend’s San Carlos Park home waiting for her to answer the door after texting her. According to the report Trooper Smyrnios tased him after “he failed to comply.” https://www.winknews.com/2021/06/21/mother-outraged-after-teenage-son-was-tased-and-arrested-by-an-fhp-trooper/ Democratic U.S. Senator who is accused of belonging to an “all-white” beach club in Rhode Island is both denying the claim and defending his membership in a local racial controversy that is making national news. When confronted and questioned on Friday about his membership to Bailey’s Beach Club in Newport, Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse all but confirmed that the establishment with which his wife “is one of the largest shareholders” doesn’t have any “minority members,” as Kate Nagle, the journalist who interviewed him, said. “I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and I’m sorry it hasn’t happened yet,” Whitehouse said in response to being asked if there was any traction to have a more racially diverse membership. Gun violence is a major problem in the U.S. This much has been established time and time again. But another scourge on society seems to be the apparent increasing desensitized reactions to that gun violence, as exemplified in a new viral video showing a large group of young people twerking and otherwise partying it up next to and on top of multiple emergency vehicles that were reportedly responding to a deadly shooting this past weekend in Northern California. https://twitter.com/i/status/1406897114639175681 Monday marked the first-ever Child Tax Credit Awareness Day as the federal government looked to tout and draw attention to the financial relief President Joe Biden signed into law to benefit working families. In just about a month, families with children 17 and younger will begin receiving the first of 12-scheduled monthly payments as par of the American Rescue Plan. Tens of millions of American families are expected to benefit from the new, expanded child tax credit, which will likely provide an outsized boost to the Black and brown households disproportionately affected by the coronavirus and subsequent economic fallout from the pandemic. Monthly payments of up to $300 per child 17 and younger will be paid to about 39 million families beginning on July 15. That’s about 88% of the children in America, according to the Treasury Department. Consuewella Dotson Africa, a matriarch of the MOVE Black liberation group whose headquarters was the target of a city-sponsored bombing by local law enforcement in Philadelphia decades ago, has died. Africa, the mother of two children who were killed in the 1985 bombing that eventually burned down 61 houses, killed 11 people (including three other children) and injured dozens of others, died June 16 at the age of 67. Africa’s death was announced on MOVE’s website and confirmed by MOVE member Janine Africa. The 65-year-old actor Lisa Banes died ten days at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital after being hit by a scooter or motorcycle by a hit-and-run driver. The incident took place in New York City while Banes was crossing Amsterdam Avenue on the way to visit the Juilliard School, her alma mater. Banes has appeared in numerous movies including “Gone Girl” in 2014 and “Cocktail” with Tom Cruise in 1988. Her television shows include “Nashville,” “Madam Secretary,” “Masters of Sex” and “NCIS.” Banes also appeared in several Broadway hits such as the Neil Simon play “Rumors” in 1988; the musical “High Society” in 1998; the Noel Coward play “Present Laughter” in 2010. Friends and colleagues continue to mourn her death. As of yet, no arrests have been made. Michael Griswold, teen pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church in Kansas City, died of COVID-19 earlier this month after being hospitalized since January. He was 39 years old. With his magnetic personality — and bright blue eyeglasses — Griswold was credited with bringing kids into the church by the hundreds. His unconventional preaching drew in youth, church leaders said. But so too did his way with people — what some called the “it” factor. Senior Pastor John L. Brooks said Griswold, or “Grizzy,” was the Michael Jordan of his calling. “Grizzy’s impact was so magnanimous that I’m telling you 20 years from now, this church will remember Grizzy,” Brooks said. “I’m telling you, older people and younger people.” Televangelist Jim Bakker and his Missouri church will have to pay back $156,000 to followers to settle a lawsuit that accused him of selling a fake COVID-19 cure called Silver Solution for $125 each. The settlement agreement, which was filed in a Missouri court on Tuesday, calls for the 81-year-old TV pastor to refund people who paid money or gave contributions to obtain Silver Solution in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bakker and his Morningside Church Productions Inc. were sued by Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in March last year after he claimed on-air that the health supplement could cure COVID. The settlement prohibits Bakker and Morningside from advertising or selling Silver Solution ‘to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure any disease or illness’. Bakker, in the agreement, does not admit wrongdoing. The families of Kobe Bryant and others who died in a 2020 helicopter crash reached a settlement Tuesday in a lawsuit targeting the late pilot’s estate and the company that owned and operated the helicopter. Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, was among those suing the estate of pilot Ara Zobayan as well as Island Express Helicopters filed a notice in court that read, “Plaintiffs and Defendants jointly report that they have agreed to settle their claims in the above-entitled action,” multiple media outlets reported. No details of the settlement were revealed. The court still must approve the proposed agreement. For actress, author and singer Kathie Lee Gifford, broadcasting her faith is a priority and a joy. Gifford is candid about the many ups and downs of her life and career but, through it all, faith remains her foundation, according to an article by Movieguide® Staff. “Our neighbors in Connecticut must think we’re a bunch of nuts,” Gifford wrote in 1996. “In the morning when two-year-old Cassidy comes up to me saying, ‘Hosanna, Mommy, hosanna,’ I say, ‘Okay.’ And out we traipse onto our deck where we march around singing, ‘This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Hosanna! Hosanna!’ I’m sure people all the way in New Jersey hear us. “But I don’t care what they think,” she added. “I believe worship should be fun and exciting so children can embrace it. After all, David leaped and danced before the Lord with all his might, and sang out with joy.” Actor Anthony Mackie will host ESPYS on its return to New York next month. ESPY honors top athletes and sports moments for the current year. Taking the coronavirus pandemic into play, the show will follow return-to-work guidelines as well as relevant protocols of the city and state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Los Angeles was its venue for eighteen years. Its first seven editions were held in New York at Madison Square Gardens or Radio City Music Hall. The show will air July 10 live on ABC from The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport. A new trailer has dropped for the highly anticipated “Candyman” thriller from director Nia DaCosta, co-written and produced by Jordan Peele. Based on the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker, the original film followed a graduate student in Chicago completing a thesis on urban legends, which led her to the legend of “Candyman,” the ghost of an artist and son of a slave who was murdered in the late 19th century. https://youtu.be/TPBH3XO8YEU The third season of WE tv’s “Love After Lockup,” has kicked off with an ALL-NEW group of couples and cons, and we have an exclusive clip of this week’s episode. https://youtu.be/4qCGtN_cdc4 The month of June continues to give way to numerous Pride events, both in-person and virtual. In recent years, formal Pride marches and celebrations have incurred critique for giving way to corporate influence. Disney has announced that it will broadcast an all-star Pride concert via its Disney+ YouTube and Facebook channels. (Given the platform, Disney+ non-subscribers will be able to tune in if curious.) The event will take place on June 27, and will assemble a wide array of talent. Nina West, formidable RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, will host the event. Mary J. Blige opens up about her mental health struggles in the new documentary titled “My Life.” The music icon told Extra that she decided to open up about her suicidal thoughts, addiction, and abuse because “it was extremely important” for her to do so, as reported by AceShowbiz. “It’s what I was living, what I was going through, what I’ve been through since I was a 5-year-old little girl… just so much hell,” said Blige. “I had to show people where all this pain came from that was in the ‘My Life’ album in the first place, and how can I get it out… and why it’s not coming out.” https://youtu.be/EeaCZt31hVA Ludacris revealed some lofty goals during an appearance on “Ellen” that aired Tuesday. The rapper and actor will soon add pilot to his resume, he revealed. Although, he had to set the record straight about rumors that he had already gotten his license and was able to fly planes on his own. That viral clip of him in a cockpit last spring during training fueled the chatter. https://youtu.be/j2UmR8BU9jg WE tv’s hit series “Beyond the Pole” returns this week with an all-new episode! This season on “Beyond the Pole,” per press release, Ms. Dime, Angel Kake, Empress, Lyric, Virgo, Gigi Maguire, Ya Ya, Treasure, and Milk Marie “Pinky” are dealing with a world that is changing along with their businesses. Everyone is feeling the stress of quarantine, staying masked-up, healthy, and keeping the bills paid in this new COVID reality. Now that the city of Atlanta has reopened, the women face these challenges as well as the pressure on their friendships, relationships and professional lives. https://youtu.be/tVSUeXvfuvw Tuesday a federal judge temporarily blocked Damon Dash from selling an NFT of Jay-Z’s debut rap album “Reasonable Doubt." Manhattan federal Judge John Cronan issued a temporary restraining order that prohibits Dash from selling the album as a non-fungible token — a digital art form traded in an online marketplace — after Roc-A-Fella Records sued Dash over his plan last Friday. “If the plaintiff’s allegations prove true … the plaintiff is likely to suffer irreparable injuries,” Cronan said of the suit, which alleges Dash is attempting to sell what he does not own. Another hearing in the matter has been scheduled for next Thursday, according to the report. Trick Daddy and Love & Hip-Hop star received a lot of heat this week for hopping on Clubhouse and claiming Beyonce´ is someone who could “can barely sing” and doesn’t write her own songs. Although it was his personal opinion, Beyonce fans were just not having it. Trick later hopped on radio to explain why he felt that way. He explained, “What I said was I don’t think Beyonce´ can sing and Beyonce´ is to R&B what JAY-Z is to the state of hip-hop in New York at the time when JAY-Z considered himself as the king of hip-hop,” said Trick Daddy. “Which is my opinion. And opinions are like buttholes: without ’em, you’d be full of doodoo.” He continued to explain himself, saying he was sharing an “unpopular opinion.” Fanbase, the subscription-based social platform just closed its $3.5 Million Dollar seed round, and empowers any user to monetize their content, unveiled today plans to roll out a new, short form video and music editor function in tandem with the formation and launch of its “The Future Of Fanbase” Creative Advisory Board to support development. In response to the current Black TikTok creator strike coupled with disparities pervading the entire creator economy, Fanbase is calling on all creatives – especially Black creatives – to weigh in on the design of the new video function through the creation of its new advisory board. From “Betcha By Golly, Wow” to “Backstabbers,” the lasting lure of Philly Soul will be front and center when the Urban Guerilla Orchestra (UGO) presents live a tribute to TSOP – The Sound of Philadelphia. The PPV concert scheduled for Sunday July 11th will celebrate the rise of Philadelphia’s music scene with a concert of back to back hits popularized by The Stylistics, Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, The O’Jays and others. After much backlash from the Caribbean community, including Nicki Minaj, actor/entrepreneur Michael B. Jordan apologizes for naming his rum “J’Ouvert” and reveals that he’s looking to rename the brand. A couple days ago, PEOPLE’s 2020 Sexiest Man Alive revealed his new liquor brand, J’Ouvert, and it caused tons of controversy — especially because it’s the same name of the traditional celebratory festival born in Trinidad and Tobago many many years ago. The history of the celebration is sacred and because of that, Jordan was immediately placed under fire for cultural appropriation and more. The Smollett sibling duo continue to bring their keen design flavor to CLEO TV this Saturday, June 26th at 9 p.m. ET/8C on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. This week on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ , LeAnne is busy and needs to liven up her studio. Jazz adds great furniture and Jake installs wall art panels. For the reveal, Jake makes Brown Butter NY Strip Steaks and Smoked Gouda Twice Baked Potatoes! Jazz assembles Strawberry Shortcake Trifles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K59EH4jw2I Rapper Lil Baby is named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, an honor most recently held by Cardi B, Quavo and Gucci Mane, for his songs including "Baby," "The Bigger Picture," "Emotionally Scarred," "For the Night" and more. The Grammy-nominated songwriter and artist has been one of the most dominant and critically-acclaimed names in rap since his first release in 2017. His 2020 solo album My Turn debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Lil Baby was also named to Time Magazine's 2021 "100 Next" List and earlier this month released a collaborative album The Voice of the Heroes with Lil Durk. Grammy-winning songwriter-producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz; and rapper and DJ D-Nice will receive ASCAP's Voice of the Culture Award, presented to ASCAP members who have had a major influence on music and culture. The Top Gospel Song goes to Kanye West's "Follow God," co-written by Bryant "XCELENCE" Bell and Jahmal "BoogzDaBeast" Gwin. The song, from West's ninth album Jesus Is King, debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards wrap up on Thursday June 24 with an in memoriam segment celebrating the life and legacy of rapper DMX; an @ASCAPUrban Real Sounds Deconstructed session with jetsonmade; and a tour of the SoSo Def studio led by megaproducer Jermaine Dupri. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® today launches its new Care It Forward initiative to amplify care and connection as the country emerges from a year of social isolation. Rooted in the company's history of caring for employees and guests like family, the effort aims to both demonstrate and inspire acts of care. Cracker Barrel will lead by example with both small and large acts of care, ranging from in-store surprises for guests throughout the summer to a special musical content series featuring pairings of musical artists from diverse backgrounds, genres and viewpoints. Cracker Barrel has paired GRAMMY Award-winning musicians and songwriters Shane McAnally, Jennifer Nettles and CeCe Winans with aspiring artists to help coach, mentor and support them in the next steps of their careers after a year where nearly two-thirds of artists and creative workers surveyed by Americans for the Arts reported being fully unemployed because of COVID-19. Cracker Barrel is encouraging fans to use #CareItForward on social media to share their own acts of care and keep the positive momentum going. From Color of Change -- We Will Never Forget is the featured track from LeBron James’ Springhill Company and CNN Documentary film, Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street, premiering on CNN on the centennial anniversary of the Black Wall Street Massacre May 31, 2021. This soul stirring song honors the families and descendants of the 1921 Greenwood District massacre in Tulsa, and is the leading anthem for the social justice movement to end systemic racism and racially motivated violence. Proceeds from the single benefit social change grassroots organizations in partnership with the ‘68 Project (P68) and the official music video platform partner, Color of Change. We Will Never Forget Featuring Omarion, Lalah Hathaway, and Kierra Sheard Written and Produced by Greg Curtis Executive Producer Michelle Le Fleur (P) Omarion Worldwide 2021. Stand with Justice for Greenwood! Demand that the Centennial Commission and City of Tulsa give 80% of the $30 million raised to the survivors and descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_P8ivAa-AA To help raise awareness and drive tune-in for this year's Essence Festival of Culture “Live Loud” Virtual Experience, Coca-Cola is teaming with journalist, author and media entrepreneur Roland S. Martin to promote the virtual event across his #ROLANDMARTINUNFILTERED platforms now through July 5. An Essence Fest mainstay, Martin will re-release original content captured over a decade during numerous appearances at the annual event. In addition, Martin will post recaps of this year's Essence Fest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdZ3HdRR3O0&feature=youtu.be After almost two decades of fighting for the right to control their marketing and revenue-generating potential as undergraduate student-athletes, the ball is about to favorably bounce into the players’ court. The NCAA’s landmark name, image and likeness (NIL) rules take effect July 1, marking the first time college players will be able to get paid for their personal-brand attributes without penalty. However, the rule has a staggered launch, and it’s up to the individual states to implement it as the NCAA works to fine tune it. The father of Pharrell Williams’ late cousin filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit Monday after his son was fatally shot by police in Virginia. Wayne Lynch claimed his 25-year-old son, Donovan, was a “young, innocent, black man” who was shot “unlawfully and without warning” in March by a cop responding to a shooting that did not involve him. The suit, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, is against the City of Virginia Beach as well as city cop Solomon Simmons III, who had not previously been identified as the shooter. Earlier this year, as Officer Russell Ellis neared the end of his late shift at the University of Washington’s campus police department, one of his superiors offered him an energy drink. The sergeant was laughing, Mr. Ellis said, noting that the beverage was flavored like watermelon. “I thought all you guys like watermelon and Popeyes chicken,” the senior officer said, according to Mr. Ellis, who is Black. A second Black officer described a nearly identical encounter with the same sergeant two years earlier. Mr. Ellis, 49, said the exchange left him stewing privately with anger and humiliation. But he said it was far from the first time he had faced racial disparagement or discrimination during his years at the university, a sprawling lakeside campus in Seattle that touts diversity goals to the public, shares antiracism resources with the student body and shapes the ideals of one of the nation’s most progressive — and one of the whitest — big cities. A 9-year-old girl’s complaints to her Minnesota school board about Black Lives Matter posters staying up despite there being “no politics” allowed in school is gaining her national attention, after she told the school board: “I do not care or look at the color of skin, but you make me think of it.” The unidentified female student, who referred to herself as “Novalee,” pointed out the double standard at her school to the Lakeville Area School Board during a June 8 meeting, though video of the speech only began making the rounds this week. The child began by telling the school board that she initially saw the posters while walking down the hall at Lakeview Elementary School to give a teacher a going away present. “I looked up onto the wall and saw a BLM poster and an Amanda Gorman poster,” she continued, referencing the Nobel laureate poet who spoke at President Biden’s inauguration in January. Seeing the posters, the girl said, made her “so mad.” “I was told two weeks ago at this very meeting spot: No politics in school,” she continued, adding that she “believed what you said at this meeting.” After seeing the posters, she went to the principal and demanded they be taken down. https://blackchristiannews.com/ Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Al Sharpton will hold a nationwide march against voter suppression on Aug. 28 — the 58th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. The event, dubbed “March On for Voting Rights,” comes as legislatures across the country move to tighten up voting rules. Just under 390 bills have been introduced across 48 states aimed at restricting voting access in some form in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, the march’s organizer, March On, said in a statement. King in a statement said his father, Martin Luther King Jr., would be “greatly disappointed in where we are at this particular moment, but he would not give up on the nation.” Prosecutors in Arkansas are objecting to a request by accused pedophile Josh Duggar to delay his child pornography trial to next year. On Monday, prosecutors told the court they would agree to a ‘reasonable continuance’ of three months but said postponing the trial to next year ‘would result in unnecessary delay.’ The prosecution also denied allegations by the defense that the Government had not turned over all the evidence it has in the case. In Monday’s filing, according to People, prosecutors stated that there has been ‘timely and complete disclosure of all discovery material’. Josh, 33, was charged in May with receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material, including some that Homeland Security special agent Gerald Faulkner described as ‘in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.’ “I came up with a song that brags on how good God is to me, that glorifies God,” said Hip-Hop Gospel artist Jor’Dan Armstrong about his new single “My God” (Im Blessed Bro). “It came from Social Media. Social Media is about showing off what you have, what you look like…I do it too. So I came up with a song that brags on…God.” “My God” is an R&B flavored ballad, but Jor’Dan is known for his up-tempo Hip-Hop tracks, such as “You Should Know” and “I Got 2.” He even delivers Pop flavored Gospel tracks like “Where You Are,” but on the “My God” single he is all R&B. “You have to meet them where they are,” Jor’Dan said about his music ministry. “I’ve been in the industry for a while now. Every time I put out a new song people think I’m new.” https://youtu.be/6eKXorX_Iyg A heads up that Adrian Marcel is soon announcing his upcoming EP “Marcel” coming out this Fall. With almost 10 years in the music business and known for his buttery vocals and authentic r&b sound combined with a charming yet rugged appeal, Adrian has created a lane in the genre that differentiates him from his peers. His musical role models include Ginuwine, Al Green, D’Angelo, Maxwell and more. https://youtu.be/z-pzjyOZ6pU Erica Mena and Safaree are currently expecting their second child together. But, unfortunately, they’re going through a divorce at the same time. While both parties have remained fairly quiet about the behind-the-scenes unraveling's that led to their relationship’s demise, it seems like Erica isn’t afraid to admit that other folks saw this coming the whole time. During a recent visit to The Wendy Williams Show, one of Mena’s fellow Love & Hip-Hop cast members, Spice, let Wendy know that Erica had a message for her.? In response, Wendy went on to explain that she encouraged Erica to divorce Safaree and not allow him in the room for the birth of their second child. This follows claims from Safaree recently, who says he was afraid that his estranged wife won’t allow him to be present for the birth of their second child, so he wants to take his fight to court. He has also refused to give her full custody of their daughter and their unborn child.?http://www.gospel-spotlight.com What a difference two years and a global pandemic make. Steven Spielberg, who a couple of years ago was quoted — his camp maintains he never said it or anything he might have said was severely taken out of context — drawing a clear line between theatrically released films and streamer films, has berthed his Amblin Partners into a partnership with Netflix that will cover multiple new feature films per year. It shows once again the Netflix-led progress toward dissolving the lines between streamed and theatrical films and symbolically it is a big deal for Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Scott Stuber. The Netflix deal will co-exist side by side with the one Spielberg and Amblin have at Universal Pictures. Neither will have first shot at Amblin properties; Spielberg will make some films for Universal, and others to be made for Netflix. The New York Mets have fired two executives and say they are rebuilding their human-resources and legal departments in the latest fallout from sexual harassment allegations against former manager Mickey Callaway. The moves come after new owner Steve Cohen brought in a law firm for a review of the team’s policies and culture. Major League Baseball has banned Callaway through 2022 because of accusations of sexual misconduct from his time with the Mets and two other teams. Two other Mets employees have also been fired because of sexual misconduct claims against them. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Simone Biles is preparing to show the world once again why she’s the GOAT. The five-time Olympic medalist, 24, shared a photo of herself gazing at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, where she recently arrived for the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic trials. “Hi St. Louis,” Biles wrote in the caption. “Can’t believe this week I’ll be competing in my second Olympic Trials. What a dream.” The gymnastics Olympic Trials kick off on June 24 with Men’s Day 1, followed by Women’s Day 1 on June 25. June 26 and 27 will see Men’s Day 2 and Women’s Day 2, respectively. As she prepares for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Biles is looking forward to the inevitable energy of the Games. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee announced he’s retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL. The two-time Pro Bowler and 2016 All-Pro veteran dealt with injuries throughout his career. He missed 21 games because of injuries over the past four seasons. He missed 58 total games in his career. Much of the reaction of the news lamented Lee’s injuries while others predicted coaching in his future. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown’s probation was terminated one year early, and the criminal matter stemming from his altercation with a moving truck driver was finalized on Tuesday, Brown’s attorney Sean Burstyn told ESPN. Brown was charged with assaulting driver Anton Tumanov on Jan. 21, 2020, while Tumanov delivered items to his home. Brown pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years of probation for a felony burglary charge, one year for a battery charge — a misdemeanor — and six months for a criminal mischief charge. Instead, Brown’s probation ends after just one year. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Vashti Cunningham showcased why she’s the best women’s high jumper in the country in May when she leaped a personal best of 6 feet, 7½ inches at the Chula Vista Field Fest. Days leading up to the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, Cunningham envisioned jumping a new personal record. Cunningham didn’t eclipse her personal best, but a gold medal and trip to Tokyo is a more than worthy consolation prize. The 23-year-old won the women’s high jump at 6-5 to qualify for her second Olympics. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com After breaking up with Nike in 2019 and landing a sponsorship deal with Gap’s Athleta, the brand’s first, track and field star Allyson Felix is launching her own shoe business. On Wednesday, Felix debuted Saysh, which she pitches as a lifestyle brand designed with women in mind. Saysh’s first product, the Saysh One sneaker, retails for $150 and is currently available for preorder in three colors. Other products are in the works, according to the company’s website. Customers are also able to buy membership to the “Saysh Collective,” which comes with workout videos and occasional interactions with Felix. An annual membership costs $150, while a monthly pass goes for $10. The announcement comes after Felix finished second in the 400 meter at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials this past weekend, clinching her spot in the Tokyo Olympics. Felix is the most decorated female track and field star in U.S. history. S he did it again. Katie Ledecky won the 200-meter freestyle (a sprint of 4 laps) and the 1,500 free (30 laps) about 70 minutes apart at the U.S. Olympic trials Wednesday. This places her in good standing for the Tokyo Olympic games. Her short time between races was planned as “The goal was to get in the warm-down pool as quickly as I could,” she said. This would keep her warmed up for the 1,500. Ledecky touched the wall far ahead of everyone else with a winning time of 15:40.50 seconds. Even though this was well off her 2018 world record of 15:20.48, it was the fastest in the world this year. She looks forward the women’s 1,500 free stating it’s about time as it will be making its Olympic debut for the women in Tokyo. “The men have had the mile in the Olympics since 1908,” Ledecky pointed out. “It’s 2021, and we finally got one.” The 200 free was one of four gold medals that Ledecky won at the Rio Games. She will get a chance to defend that title after winning in 1:55.11. Gospel singer Tamela Mann said it best in her song “Take Me To The King”: Truth is, I’m tired. In the midst of a worldwide pandemic where we’re fighting for racial and social justice-with unemployment rates for Black people higher in comparison to our white counterparts and a lack of health care access disproportionately affecting Black individuals-the Black community has been driven to exhaustion. Whether we’re justice leaders in our local Black Lives Matter chapter or full-time students balancing life as a BIPOC citizen, being a Black person in this country has been overwhelmingly draining. Rest is needed for our people: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Doctors, sleep specialists, and nap advocacy groups are making the case that Black people need to prioritize their rest right now-here’s why, and how we can start doing that. A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, viewers will follow the tragic story of a young father succumbing to the ever-present crime scene of Baltimore. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GHr-NPomDM NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson shattered racial and gender barriers in the realm of STEM and the late legendary trailblazer recently received another special honor for her contributions. According to USA Today, a Virginia-based middle school has been renamed to pay homage to Johnson. For nearly six decades the school—which is located in the city of Fairfax—bared the name of Sidney Lanier. Lanier was a musician and author who had ties to the confederacy which prompted individuals within the local community to reexamine the school’s name; ultimately leading to the decision to change it. After hundreds of suggestions for the educational facility’s new namesake were submitted, in November 2020 the school district landed on Katherine Johnson Middle School. Johnson played an integral role in sending astronauts to the moon and helping them return to earth. Her contributions, and those of other Black women mathematicians, were pivotal in furthering spatial research. Black women are making strides in academic leadership and challenging the status quo in the process. Dr. Cindy Crusto recently made history by becoming the first Black woman professor in Yale School of Medicine’s psychiatry department. Crusto’s work sits at the intersection of clinical psychology and community. She examines how socioeconomic barriers have an impact on the well-being of families from marginalized groups. Her journey at Yale began over two decades ago with a doctoral internship in Clinical & Community Psychology and from there she charted a path towards examining diversity within clinical work and the importance of community-focused research. Dr. Crusto has been a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion. In celebration of Pride Month, the iElevate Media Group LLC., is excited to officially announce the launch of iELEVATE PLUS TV NETWORK created to celebrate the culture, the ingenuity, the spirituality and the lifestyle of BLACK & BLACK LGBTQIA+ people. This network is positioned to take the lead in producing quality content and curating a bold space illuminating the diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity within the black experience! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSyoSZA51AY&feature=youtu.be Chris Brown’s name is in the headlines once again for allegedly abusing a woman.?According to reports from #TMZ, this past weekend, police were called to the singer’s home, where a woman claimed she was battered by the singer.?It’s the second time in as many months cops were called to Chris’ pad … the first being his massive birthday bash in May, which LAPD broke up early in the AM, says TMZ. Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors resigned from her role as executive director of the foundation last month. The move came amid criticism that she used funds from the organization to buy several multi-million dollar homes. Now she’s catching heat once more for allegedly failing to inform the IRS about the nearly $200K in donations that her Dignity and Power Now organization received. Cullors launched the company back in 2013 to assist black and minority inmates. Multiple arrests have been made after 2-year-old Brison Christian, the nephew of a Detroit police officer, was gunned down on an interstate, authorities said. Brison and his family were traveling on Interstate 75 in Detroit when shots were fired Thursday, Michigan State Police said. Brison’s father, Brian Christian, said he saw a man holding a gun in a passing car, according to ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ. Brison’s parents pulled over and noticed both of their children were shot, police said. Brison, who loved SpongeBob and Oreos, was “bleeding from his head with his head down,” Christian told WXYZ. Brison was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. https://abcn.ws/3zKJQAA On May 4, 2020, one of the bloodiest and cruelest beatings by law enforcement of a Black citizen took place. Mr. Christopher Bailey was driving home from work. He worked for a private company that sorts mail for the U.S. Postal Service and therefore he was an essential worker, permitted to be out after curfew during the pandemic. A letter from his employer sits on his dashboard, identifying Mr. Bailey, 37, as an essential worker and gainfully employed. He was wearing his work uniform. LA County Sheriff deputies Kevin Walker and Shawn Groves pulled Mr. Bailey over supposedly for speeding and straddling the lane. Mr. Bailey complied with all deputy directives and stepped out of the vehicle. After exiting his vehicle and according to deputy Walker’s own police report, deputy Walker struck Mr. Bailey’s face with a closed fist at least 27-32 times, supposedly because Mr. Bailey elbowed him and began resisting. The Emmy Awards have announced stars nominated for a trophy in the Actor or Actress categories can now request to be recognized as ‘Performer’ at future ceremonies. The new change, which begins with the 2021 Emmy Awards Season, will see the ‘Performer’ title reflected in both the nomination certificate and trophy. The announcement follows other entertainment awards shows scraping separate prizes for men and women in favor of gender neutral awards. Cast member Nina introduced her brother and his husband, as well as their daughter, to Elmo and his friends as they celebrated Family Day on the decades-old children’s show. https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2021/06/20/sesame-street-gay-dads-family-pride-month-eg-orig.cnn/video/playlists/atv-trending-videos/ Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand announced Monday a partnership with 11 emerging WNBA players, the largest group of Jumpman endorsees in the women’s game. “These amazing athletes are defining a lot of things about Jordan Brand and leading a true conversation that’s impacting culture and our communities across the globe,” said Jordan in statement released by Nike. The endorsement group was announced on Twitter and features Maya Moore, Kia Nurse, Asia Durr, Satou Sabally, Chelsea Dungee, Aerial Powers, Crystal Dangerfield, Arella Karin Guirantes, Te’a Cooper, Dearica Hamby and Jordin Canada. Black Americans hold a disproportionate burden of the $1.7 trillion student debt crisis, and it’s limiting their abilities to own a home. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge told Axios in a Sunday interview that student debt is hindering homeownership for Black people. On Friday, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced in a press release it is updating its student loan monthly payment calculations in an effort to “remove barriers and provide more access to affordable single family FHA-insured mortgage financing for creditworthy individuals with student loan debt, which has a disproportionate impact on people of color.” Fudge said the disproportionately low rate of Black homeownership had driven HUD to reassess student loan calculation policies when determining homeowner assistance, which will increase homeownership access for communities of color. Today, leading Black-owned multi-media platform Revolt announced its new exclusive sermon series, Kingdom Culture with T.D. Jakes. The weekly service of evangelistic sermons and conversations will be hosted by global Christian leader, Bishop T.D. Jakes and will be broadcasted from The Potter's House Church in Dallas. Launched on Sunday, June 20, Kingdom Culture featured the visionary trailblazer's weekly Sunday service, preaching about topics such as vision, leadership, growth, power, love and more, allowing him to reach mass audiences through REVOLT. Bishop Jakes' powerful words of inspiration have reached millions of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, nationalities, and creeds. With the addition of this show, the platform aims to amplify the sermons, garnering attention from hip-hop and culture fans nationwide. "This partnership is a landmark moment for REVOLT, expanding into the faith space to create a program that will inspire millions around the world to have hope and walk in their power," said Sean "Diddy" Combs, Chairman of REVOLT. "Bishop Jakes is one of the most transformational leaders of our time who has made a profound impact on my life, so we're honored for him to join the REVOLT family and use his gift to empower the culture." Ex-Chicago Cubs star Ben Zobrist has accused his wife of having an affair with their Tennessee pastor who, at one point, had given the couple marriage counseling, according to a lawsuit. The 40-year-old, who has since retired from the MLB, alleged in a lawsuit filed last month that his wife Julianna had a year-long affair with Bryon Yawn back in 2019 while he was their pastor in Nashville. Zobrist first filed for separation from his Christian singer wife back in May 2019 after alleging that Julianna had engaged in ‘inappropriate marital conduct’ while their marriage was breaking down. The 2016 World Series MVP took leave from the Cubs at the time to deal with his marital issues. He and Julianna both filed for divorce that month and the matter is still ongoing. A diverse group of American evangelicals congratulated Naftali Bennett on becoming the new prime minister of Israel and successfully forming a coalition government, offering reassurance on to Israelis concerned about Christian support after Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure. “We pray that God grants you wisdom and strength as you make hard decisions that will affect the lives of millions, and we trust that He will answer those prayers,” wrote more than 80 religious leaders, organized by the Philos Project, a group promoting “positive Christian engagement” with Israel and pluralism in the Middle East. Da Baby was known for his friendly relationship with rap superstar #MeganTheeStallion, but after a heated exchange Saturday, that’s all over. The relationship already seemed strained when Meg appeared to unfollow DaBaby on Instagram following last week’s announcement of his new song “Skat” with baldheaded scallywag #ToryLanez. Unfollowing is a mild response for releasing a song and video with Tory after he allegedly shot Meg twice last July. In the year since the incident, Tory also continued to harass her about it both online and offline until Meg had to repeatedly defend herself in the public. Then DaBaby retweeted a disrespectful comment joking about his and Torey’s shared history of getting away with violence and shootings.? Jokia is coming off her #1 single "Yahweh" and drops a new song "Let Him In." https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffiles.constantcontact.com%2F9b7e4b9b701%2Feeb20dba-29fd-4d8d-8cd7-448dc8997ad3.jpg&t=1624361720&ymreqid=578bcfd1-325e-b178-2f2c-5a0012017d00&sig=UNvRSh8S6cR6zwBwxI9DVQ--~D Singer and songwriter Tori Kelly said in a new interview that her faith and her “identity” in Christ keep her grounded when she’s tempted to rely on her fame. Kelly made the comments in an interview with fellow singer and songwriter Ally Brooke as part of Brooke’s podcast, The Ally Brooke Show. Brooke, like Kelly, is a professing Christian. The two are friends. Brooke called Kelly “different” from “any other artist” and asked how she has stayed humble and “true to who you are.” The Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt has become a father to twin boys, Thunder Bolt and Saint Leo Bolt. Bolt, 34, and his partner, Kasi Bennett, announced the news in a Father’s Day Instagram post, with a lightning bolt emoji next to each of their three children’s names. The couple have a daughter, Olympia Lightning, aged one. While Thunder Bolt is a clear play on words, Saint Leo is the middle name of the Jamaican athlete considered the greatest sprinter of all time. After Quanera Hayes and Allyson Felix finished their 400-meter final qualifying race for the U.S. Olympic team in first and second place, respectively, Hayes secured her spot as the U.S. national champion with a 49.78-second time, with Felix, a four-time Olympian, not far behind at 50.02. At the finish line the two women shared a moment when Hayes thanked Felix for all the work she’s done to advocate for better maternity care for Black women and in the fight for proper maternity benefits for professional track and field athletes. https://youtu.be/TEVDp48gsfo James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets has told the U.S. men’s national basketball team that he’s committed to playing at the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, the AP reports. The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo has also reportedly told USA Basketball that he intends to play for the team. Harden’s status is still up in the air as he suffered a “grade 2 hamstring strain” during the NBA playoffs. If his leg continues to heal without any issue, he can play in Tokyo. “I think our guys have been through this enough to realize what’s best for them, what’s best for their body and what their ultimate goal is,” said Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks. “It’s very difficult to turn down playing for your country and having the opportunity to go out there, and having a heck of a summer and win an Olympic gold medal.” One potential player did turn down an invitation to join the team, however. Because of offseason commitments, Golden State’s Stephen Curry won’t be playing in Tokyo this summer. Guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have been named to the U.S. women’s basketball Olympic team for the fifth time, while there are six first-time Olympians on the squad. The 12-member U.S. team announced Monday morning will compete in the Tokyo Olympics — to be held July 23-Aug. 8 — in pursuit of the Americans’ seventh consecutive gold medal in the sport. South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, a player on the 1996 team that started this streak of gold medals for the U.S. women, is the Olympic team coach. One of her former Gamecocks stars, forward A’ja Wilson, is among the first-time Olympians. Wilson was the WNBA MVP in 2020 for Las Vegas. When Pape Ndiaye first arrived in Charlotte in 1997, the Juneteenth celebration was nowhere to be found in the city. So he started the Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas on Thomas Avenue – which he calls the birthplace of all Juneteenth celebrations in the Carolinas. Ndiaye runs the House of Africa gallery in Plaza Midwood, where he held the festival for the first seven years and returned a few years ago after moving it to Independence Park. For over two decades, the festival has brought artists, musicians, and vendors from around the world to Charlotte. To Ndiaye, that speaks to the significance of Juneteenth: a time for the community to share with each other in the spirit of freedom, unity and togetherness. “My grandmother used to say that when you travel, you need to get the direction,” Ndiaye said. “Culture and heritage are the only directions that can help you move forward.” More than 1.4 million people watch Alexis Nikole Nelson, the “Black Forager”, eat weeds on TikTok. The 29-year-old romps through forests and hedgerows in Columbus, Ohio, featuring extreme closeups on her grin as she eats “coral fungus” or “dandelion coffee”, while teaching people how to avoid the “Tommy, no-nos!” (Alexis’s term for “poisonous”). Earlier this month her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show making violet lemonade prompted the New Yorker to rave that she was “building an army of florivores”. Foo Fighters played the first full-capacity crowd show at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, and those who attended were required to show proof of their vaccination. Dave Chappelle made a surprise appearance and performed a cover of Radiohead’s hit single “Creep” — peep the performance. https://youtu.be/t-6StBXMl58 Motown icon Marvin Gaye had a street named after him in Detroit. More than one hundred people gathered for the unveiling during an event hosted by Motown Museum and Detroit City Councilman Roy McCalister, Variety reported. According to The Detroit News, a portion of Outer Drive at Monica Street on the city’s northwest side was renamed Marvin Gaye Drive. The intersection is near the home Gaye shared with his first wife, Anna, for seven years. The location is also where the album art for “What’s Going On” was taken, the Detroit Free Press reported. https://youtu.be/Xr5D1T-Zb5w ”Bad things happen to people who don’t comply,” says the racist, entitled white woman who terrorizes her new Black neighbors in BET’s thriller “Karen,” coming this fall by director Coke Daniels. “Orange is the New Black” alum Taryn Manning plays Karen Drexler, who makes it her mission to get rid of the new Black family that moved into her neighborhood by any means necessary. The Black family, supporters of Black Lives Matter, are played by Cory Hardrict and Jasmine Burke. https://youtu.be/BIJPrAm4vR8 Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib wants you to know that he’s gay, becoming the first active NFL player to come out. Nassib, 28, joined the Raiders in 2020 on a three-year, $25 million free-agent deal. He made his coming-out announcement in an Instagram post on Monday. “What’s up people?” Nassib posted. “I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life, I’ve got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for.” Kevin Hart has been an open book lately, and now he’s sharing how he told his daughter about his cheating scandal. In 2017, the comedian and actor posted a video apologizing to his wife #EnikoHart, and his children, for being unfaithful. At the time, he said the woman he cheated with was trying to extort him. Eniko Hart was also eight months pregnant with their first child together. Now, he’s opening up about telling his daughter, Heaven, 16, about his actions. Kevin Hart shares daughter Heaven and son Hendrix, 13, with his ex-wife Torrei Hart. Former NBA Chicago Bulls star Craig Hodges, a teammate of NBA legend Michael Jordan and member of three NBA championship teams, is the Uncle of Christopher Bailey who was beat viciously by *six Sheriff deputies. Hodges will join a coalition of Los Angeles civil rights and civic organizations are calling for California Attorney General Rob Bonta to launch a civil rights criminal investigation that will seek to determine whether Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies violated the civil rights of Bailey, a 37 year old unarmed African American man, who was beat viciously by six deputies on May 20, 2020 over a traffic violation. Nick Cannon recently welcomed twin boys with DJ Abby De La Rosa, and now he’s expecting his 7th child by his 4th baby mama. Last week, Cannon and Abby announced the birth of their sons Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir. Soon after, former Wild ‘N Out model Alyssa Scott confirmed she is expecting Nick’s baby. She shared a photo on her Instagram story of her maternity shoot with Nick. He is seen embracing her growing baby bump. Scott posted the pic (see above) on Father’s Day along with the caption: “Celebrating you today [heart emoji].” Jazmine Sullivan took to Instagram recently to recount the racist experience she had at Macy’s. As reported by Ace Showbiz, the singer noted in her IG Story that the incident occurred on Juneteeth. “Wow to look racism in the eye, and especially on Juneteenth was a wakeup call,” Jazmine wrote. “Mary King at Willowgrove Macy’s look of disgust while ringing up my boyfriend’s mother will forever be etched in my mind.” “An honest mistake (the store’s mistake btw) should’ve been met with understanding and kindness,” she continued. “But if you’re prejudice and prejudge people as soon as they walk up to the register then that’s obviously too much to ask. Newsflash Mary…Black people got money, good jobs and ain’t tryna get over on your boy cut frumpy looking racist a**.” Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers is facing major criticism from some NBA icons following his performance in the Eastern Conference second-round playoff series on Sunday. According to reports, the former No. 1 overall pick “passed up an open dunk under the basket with 3 minutes, 29 seconds to play” against the Atlanta Hawks. He was even taken out of the game late in Game 7. In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers’ were eliminated and Atlanta is headed to the Eastern Conference finals. Shaquille O’Neal wasted no time in calling out Simmons for not playing well. “If he was in my locker room I would have knocked his ass out. I don’t want to hear that, get out of my face with that,” O’Neal said during the post-game show on TNT. T-Pain has revealed that a conversation with Usher on a plane in 2013 left him depressed after the “You Got It Bad” singer told him he “f*cked up” the music industry when he used Auto-Tune. T-Pain made the audio manipulation software popular with his hit songs in the early 2000s. “Usher was my friend,” T-Pain said in a new clip from the Netflix series “This Is Pop.” “I really respect Usher. And he said, ‘I’m gonna tell you something, man. You kinda f*cked up music.’” Usher added, “‘Yeah man you really fucked up music for real singers.’ I was like, ‘What did I do? I came out and I used Auto-Tune.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, you fucked it up.’ I’m like, ‘But I used it, I didn’t tell everybody else to start using it.’” T-Pain said the remarks left him depressed for 4 years. Prince Charles is reportedly estranged from his son Prince Harry and his daughter-in-law Meghan Markle after the couple told Oprah that Buckingham Palace was a racist “Firm” that refused to pay for their son Archie’s security. Prior to his birth, senior members of the royal family also noted their concern about Archie’s skin color, according to Meghan and Harry. TMZ is now reporting that Prince Charles is allegedly refusing to make his grandson a prince once Charles ascends to the throne. ”The View” co-host Meghan McCain’s two cents on Joe Biden’s support for a women’s right to choose went viral Monday, after she suggested that the President will have to answer to God “when the time comes.” “I don’t try to proselytize my spirituality on other people,” she said before doing just that. The “Hot Topic” at hand was the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voting to move forward with a process that could deny Biden and other politicians communion for their stance on abortion. On Friday, it was announced that the bishops voted 168-55 in favor of drafting “a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.” https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/16228/snapshot/808712.png O.J. Simpson intends to appeal the $60 million judgment against him over the deaths of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson’s attorney Malcolm LaVergne has reportedly asked the Nevada Supreme Court to overturn the settlements owed to Ron’s father Fred Goldman, and Paul Dorsey, who owns the rights to the money owed to Sharon Rufo, Ron’s mother, Newsweek reports. “I will be appealing both of those,” LaVergne said on Friday, “and there will be more motions at the trial level.” Taniyah Pilgrim and her boyfriend, Messiah Young, were tased and arrested by a group of aggressive police officers in Atlanta last summer. Now they’re suing the mayor and the city. “The anxiety that night brings me every day — the nightmares that I still have to experience every single night — it’s like life took a total turn, for something that we didn’t ask to be involved with,” Pilgrim said. https://youtu.be/WUGTmEFTgLY Attorneys representing the family of a Honolulu man killed by police are speaking out after doorbell camera video contradicts the official report by law enforcement. The video was made public by lawyers representing the family of Lindani Myeni, who was fatally shot by police in April after he mistakenly entered the wrong home, as reported by ABC News. According to the report, the footage shows that when Myeni entered the home he quickly left after he startled the couple inside the residence. He repeatedly apologized to them. https://twitter.com/i/status/1405576725065441283 As part of the state’s ongoing efforts to make COVID-19 vaccines more convenient for Californians, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced a new partnership under its Vaccinate ALL 58 effort with McDonald’s Franchisees to set up pop-up clinics at more than 70 locations across the state. Some restaurants will hold one-day clinics while others will offer multiple clinic dates starting the week of June 21. Two California women have filed a lawsuit against Subway, claiming its tuna contains no tuna or any fish. According to a lawsuit filed against the fast-food chain, Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin allege Subway’s tuna is a “mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute tuna, yet have been blended together by defendants to imitate the appearance of tuna.” Dhanowa and Amin believe they “were tricked into buying food items that wholly lacked the ingredients they reasonably thought they were purchasing,” based on its labeling, according to the lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, CBS reported. Amid the lawsuit, The New York Times did its own analysis. The New York Times on Sunday published the results: “No amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample and so we obtained no amplification products from the DNA. Therefore, we cannot identify the species.” https://youtu.be/kFUKRYQeKnA Questlove is speaking out about his directorial debut with “Summer of Soul,” a documentary about the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969. Per press release, the documentary explores the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which celebrated African American music and culture and promoted black pride and unity. It was announced today that the film has been selected for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and will premiere on day one of the festival and has also been chosen to screen in the esteemed Documentary Competition category. The Sundance Film Festival will kick off on January 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. https://youtu.be/U1Eg-vtSABE Michelle Williams is extremely open about her struggle with depression, but two of her closest friends and Destiny’s Child group-mates had no clue how bad things were for her during her time in the popular trio. In her new book “Checking In: How Getting Real About Depression Saved My Life – and Can Save Yours,” Michelle opens up about her battle with depression while in Destiny’s Child. She wrote of their friendship, “Our connection is real and it’s brought life to me in some of my darkest moments. And still, even living the absolute dream I was living, with two of the most amazing women as coworkers and best friends, there would be pitch-black dark moments.” Will Smith has revealed the title and cover of his upcoming autobiography titled “WILL” The Hollywood veteran shared the exciting news on Instagram and his website. “It’s been a labor of love,” Smith said in a video posted on social media about the exciting news. “I’ve been working on it for the past two years and it is finally ready.” As reported by PEOPLE, the book is an “inspirational tale of how [Will Smith‘s] true self-knowledge helped to propel him to extraordinary success, and then evolve further to a place of deeper peace – with himself, his loved ones, and the world,” according to the press release announcing the book deal in October 2018. The memoir will be published by Penguin Press on Nov. 9. Just in time for the sentencing of Derek Chauvin this week, a new film about the circumstances surrounding his current detainment in jail is about to be released. “When George Got Murdered,” from producer/director Terrance Tykeem, is based on ” a news story about how guards of color were being prevented from working the block where Chauvin was being kept,” he said in a press release. “The whole thing was a vivid and eye-opening reminder to the world of the unfair treatment and abuse of authority by law enforcement and the criminal justice system currently in place, as it relates to people of color, the poor and disenfranchised.” The film’s stars former talk show host Montel Williams the apparent warden of the jail where Chauvin is being held,” Robert Wuhl of HBO’s “Arliss,” Robert Ri’chard (“Coach Carter”), and Don Most ( Don Most Ralph Malph in the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days”). https://vimeo.com/538198723 The Critics Choice Association (CCA) and nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT unveiled today the winners of the third annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. After a record-breaking near-600 submissions, and a stellar year in reality television, there were three ties among this year’s winner’s pool – “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1) and “The Great British Baking Show” (Netflix) tied for Best Competition Series, “The Masked Singer” (Fox) and “The Voice” (NBC) tied for Best Competition Series: Talent/Variety, and “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (Food Network) and “The Oprah Conversation” (Apple TV+) tied for Best Structured Series. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1) was the only series to take home multiple awards, also winning for Best Ensemble Cast In An Unscripted Series. Desiree Lindstrom, the fiance of DMX has reportedly applied to the court to be legally declared his “common-law wife,” but a judge rejected her request. The move — if it had been approved — would have given Lindstrom, who was engaged to the rapper since 2019 and is the mother to his 5-year-old son, Exodus, immediate seniority over his 14 children to potentially control his estate and all future earnings from his music. Legal sources say an estate must be set up to manage larger expected future earnings from DMX’S music. The first step is for a court to appoint administrators. Singer Macy Gray is catching heat from Republicans for claiming the American flag is “tattered, dated, divisive and incorrect.” In a op-ed she penned for MarketWatch ahead of Juneteenth, Gray wrote: “The Confederate battle flag, which was crafted as a symbol of opposition to the abolishment of slavery, is just recently tired. We don’t see it much anymore. However, on the 6th, when the stormers rained on the nation’s most precious hut, waving Old Glory — the memo was received: the American flag is its replacement.” Tessica Brown tells TMZ … the recent launch of her “Forever Hair” products has been a rousing success with over $25,000 in sales and the early returns have her determined to become a billionaire just like Kylie did with makeup. She previously told TMZ that she got inspiration for “Forever Hair” from her own sticky situation and is selling products including hairspray, edge control, and growth drops for an affordable price. Now, she’s determined to become a billionaire just like Kylie Jenner did with makeup. As for now, Tessica’s already got big plans for her first $25k. She told TMZ that she’s gonna buy a house in Louisiana.?? In a viral video, a Temple, Texas husband gets emotional while surprising his wife’s daughter, surprising her with his last name in a long-awaited adoption process. The elated husband, Michael “Mike” Rousell, has the internet bawling their eyes out while watching him and his wife Sarah surprise her daughter Camryn at school with the big news — something she’s been waiting for since before the couple married in March after being together for five years. It’s reported that the couple have a blended family, each with two children: Mike with Landon and Aubrey, and Sarah with Camryn and Jackson. In 2015 an unknown girl used Twitter to tell the story of a crazy weekend she had with a random gal she just met. Her name is Aziah King but most know her as Zola! What was just her venting turned into a viral Twitter thread. Even celebrities like Ava DuVernay reacted to the thread, saying “she can write! There’s so much untapped talent in the hood.” The thread was its own version of a short story with all of the elements needed for an entertaining and attention-grabbing story. “Zola” writers Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris also came across this story and knew it had to be turned into a visual art form. They tapped into Zola’s writing talent and brought this story to life. BE SURE TO CATCH TV ONE’S ORIGINAL FILM BAD DAD REHAB: THE NEXT SESSION THIS SUNDAY, JUNE 20 (FATHER’S DAY) AT 8 P.M. ET/9C https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=TPuzNV5GOK4 Black leaders in the realm of higher education are changing the narrative surrounding racial diversity in the space. Temple University has appointed Dr. Jason Wingard to serve as its next president; making him the first Black person in the school’s 137-year history to take on the role. Dr. Wingard has dedicated his career to advancing equity in education and cultivating spaces where scholars can build a solid foundation to thrive in their careers. He’s held leadership positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University. Prior to being selected to sit at the helm of the Philadelphia-based university, Dr. Wingard was the dean of the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University where he also served as a professor. The ACLU is good on many issues affecting Black communities, but it may have its own internal issue with equity and diversity. At least that’s what a former Black employee alleges in a recent lawsuit. As reported by VICE, a former Black employee alleged the civil rights organization tried to silence Black employees from addressing internalized oppression within the organization’s ranks. After raising concerns such as a senior staffer posing with former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Suing the ACLU for discrimination and retaliation, Robert Jackson described being demoted and then fired. Before being pushed out of the organization, Jackson’s lawsuit outlined the steps he took alongside other Black staffers. The group not only called out issues in the ACLU but offered strategic steps for improvement. A major cause for concern was the lack of Black leadership within the organization. Jackson is the second Black staffer to sue the organization in the past year. Sarah O. Clifton sued the ACLU last year, alleging retaliation and raising issues with systemic racism within the organization. MacKenzie Scott wants you to know that her platform and wealth is the least interesting thing about her recent donation. In her third round of giving, Scott donated $2.7 billion to 286 “high-impact” organizations, many of which are in historically underrepresented communities. Making good on her pledge to distribute the majority of her wealth “until the safe is empty,” Scott announced the latest round of giving in a Medium post entitled “Seeding by Ceding.” Explaining her thought process for the donations, Scott also emphasized the importance of simply giving without strings attached ”Putting large donors at the center of stories on social progress is a distortion of their role,” wrote Scott. “Me, Dan, a constellation of researchers and administrators and advisors — we are all attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change.” Now ex-President Donald Trump regretted not taking a harder line against protesters in the wake of the late George Floyd’s death, lamenting that “the Blacks” hated him and would never vote for him anyway. “Trump had staked nearly his entire campaign in 2016 around a law-and-order image, and now groaned that the criminal justice reform that Kushner had persuaded him to support made him look weak and — even worse — hadn’t earned him any goodwill among Black voters. “‘I’ve done all this stuff for the Blacks — it’s always Jared telling me to do this,’ Trump said to one confidante on Father’s Day. ‘And they all f—— hate me, and none of them are going to vote for me.’” In November, 87 percent of voters Trump refers to as “The Blacks,” cast their ballots for now-President Joe Biden, according to exit polls. Rick James’ new documentary series entitled: “Bitchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James” launched Tuesday night on June 15. The series aired at the TriBeCa Film Festival and was filled with many shocking details about the late musician’s life, reports theJasmineBrand. James, formerly known as James Johnson Jr. was an iconic entertainer, musician, and superstar who acquired the bulk of his fame in the late 70s to mid 80s. Throughout his relatively short-lived career, he was fortunate to have many hits under his belt, including the well-known song “Super Freak,” before his untimely passing in 2004. Though James had much success in his career, it was no secret that he had an ongoing battle with drug abuse. In the documentary, key details about how his addiction devoured his career and livelihood are revealed. One negligent incident in particular, that consisted of James vandalizing the desk of Jay Lasker, the president of Motown Records at the time. Specifically, according to the documentary, James jumped on top of the desk, took his genitals out of his pants, and shoved them into Lasker’s face while yelling: “Sell my g*dd*** record!” https://youtu.be/b1d6_uSlbo4 Netflix has amazingly been one of the leading movie platforms, as they continue to be consistent and relevant with the content they release. According to Insider via MSN News, Netflix released Kevin Hart’s first full drama and HartBeat-produced project, entitled: “Fatherhood” on June 18. Hart has been preparing for an ideal role like this to wholeheartedly embrace the diverse facets of his craft as an actor and entertainer. This project, in particular, symbolizes growth, representation, and diversity that comedians can embody in the acting world. https://youtu.be/iFrTc4ISBB4 In the spirit of love, and wholehearted feelings, actress Rosario Dawson recently spoke with PEOPLE about her recent decision to move in with Sen. Cory Booker and about her “amazing” road trip that she took with her father to start her new life in New Jersey. According to PEOPLE, in their latest issue, the actress, 42, talks about her move to Newark with the New Jersey Senator, 52, and how her father accompanied her on the journey down to the Garden State. “It was an amazing adventure,” The Mandalorian” star tells PEOPLE. “My family are all in New York. It felt really beautiful and good to start a new chapter of my life in the driver’s seat. https://youtu.be/nDR_u3pSCO0 The list of new inductees for the Hollywood Walk of Fame has officially been revealed! Thursday, June 17, the Walk of Fame Selection Panel announced they would be giving 38 honorees stars on the coveted Hollywood Walk of Fame! Out of the 38 honorees, a total of 20 are People of Color. In the Motion Pictures category, the honorees include Salma Hayek, James Hong, Michael B. Jordan, Regina King, Jason Momoa, and Tessa Thompson. When it comes to the Recording category, Ashanti, The Black Eyed Peas, George E. Clinton, Los Huracanes Del Norte, Martha Reeves, and the posthumous Nipsey Hussle are being honored. Honorees in the Live Theatre/Live Performance category include Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. as well as Angelica Vale. Finally, Michael Strahan is being honored with a star in the category of Sports Entertainment. Many of the honorees have expressed their excitement over social media, including Tracee Ellis Ross–whose mother, Diana Ross, was honored with a star back in 1982. Music is the start and finish of many major influencing movements in this life. As an artist, it should be an innate habit for you not only to read the room but also read the world. This can only be achieved by physically entering these spaces, traveling, engaging in uncomfortable conversations, and taking action toward newfound revelations. This is the very thing that New Orleans-born and Oakland-raised singer Ledisi has implemented in her honorable tribute album for the legendary Nina Simone, entitled: “Ledisi Sings Nina.” This meticulously crafted seven-song project incorporates social and intimate elements from Simone’s previous work. “Ledisi Sings Nina,” an authentic collection, respectively encompasses worldwide angles of social injustices and personal experiences, pieces were recorded in Holland, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, thankfully before the pandemic hit. https://youtu.be/QCRYimA7qUU It all started when someone representing the Nina Simone estate tweeted that they weren’t feeling Chloe Bailey’s performance of Simone’s hit “Feeling Good.” After Bailey’s performance on ABC’s “Soul of a Nation,” someone in charge of Simone’s estate’s posted a GIF of the late singer on Twitter saying ‘Eh Girl Sit Down!” It caught the attention of the late legend’s granddaughter RéAnna Simone Kelly who responded to Twitter by clarifying that Simone’s family isn’t in control of her estate and added that she loved the performance, Madamenoire reported. Along with defending Chloe’s performance, Kelly revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris is responsible for the family not being in control of the state anymore. “Nina’s granddaughter here. My family doesn’t run her estate anymore. It was taken away from us & given to white people. Our family name was DRAGGED in the media. We get NO royalties, nothing. Wanna hold someone accountable? Ask Kamala Harris why she came for my family.” On top of that, Kelly went at Bailey’s critics, saying that her late grandmother would’ve loved Bailey’s rendition of “Feeling Good” as well. https://youtu.be/prSmIsof6fU The New York Post has reported that Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the sole living original member of The Four Tops, is working with Broadway producer Paul Lambert on a musical about the iconic quartet, according to SoulTracks. Although the musical is not officially named yet, the tentative name is set to be: “I’ll Be There.” and will hopefully be ready for the 2022 Broadway Season. What is so remarkable about this series is that it will be following extremely successful Broadway plays on Motown and the Tops’ labelmates, The Temptations. https://youtu.be/2rA2CLHLXUc Rapper Azealia Banks is not having it with Candace Owens. After the controversial conservative commentator slammed President Joe Biden’s move to declare June 19 a federal holiday, labeling it as “segregation,” and saying she would be celebrating “July 4th and July 4th only” — Azealia Banks decided to respond with a little message to Miss Owens. In a now-deleted post, Banks said, “According to this logic, on July 4, 1776, you would still be enslaved,” Banks wrote. “Most likely on the verge of starvation due to all of America’s food supply having been prioritized for the war, while you hand sew American flags and struggle to wet nurse some depressed 24-year-old white widow’s sickly child until your nipples are chapped and dry.” She added, “Whereafter, you will be whipped by her 80-year-old uncle for your own malnourishment and inability to produce milk, then sent to toil over a wood-burning stove — blistering your hands while [being] forced to make a pleasant meal of biscuits and gravy.” The UOMA Pride Month & Juneteenth Celebration Launch Event for UOMA by Sharon C for WALMART was produced by CEO, Founder & Creative Director of the black-owned beauty brand, UOMA Beauty, Sharon Chuter, and was attended by hot celebrities and the biggest names in beauty and social media at Hyde Sunset. The event took place on Friday, June 18 and featured a surprise performance by music artist Wiz Khalif. Laura Smalley’s voice crackles and comes to life. It is 1941, and she is talking in her native Hempstead, Texas, to a University of Texas professor, John Henry Faulk, about being enslaved, how she became free on June 19, 1865. That made Smalley, who then estimated she was 85, one of the last living witnesses to the original Juneteenth, although she did not know it was occurring at the time. Her interview is now preserved in the Library of Congress’ collection of recordings, and she was not alone in remembering what happened when Union soldiers made their way through Texas, two months after Confederates surrendered at Appomattox Court House in April 1865. Smalley, Uncle Billy McCrea, and Aunt Harriet Smith were recorded and interviewed in 1940 and 1941 by Faulk, at the time a professor collecting folklore and memories, and later a radio broadcaster and advocate for civil rights. https://youtu.be/MR3WqYI6wco One thing Shay Stone knows about is how to improve yourself. Why? Because as an Author, Life Coach, and Animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios she has done it in her own life over and over again. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Animation at Full Sail University and has been working, professionally, in the film, television and game industry for over 11 years. In the animation industry, Shay is known for her intangible acting skills which relate to her lifetime obsession with human behavior and psychology. Her new book, Be Better Than You, according to Shay, is a “lifestyle that everyone is capable of adopting. It’s a calling to raise the level of competition within yourself. An obsession to be better every day, in every way and in the most obsessive way.” https://youtu.be/CLqlxd6_aQY Diana Ross the Queen of Motown has released her first new music in 15 years! The Troy Miller-produced “Thank You” has the classic Motown vibe of, say, “You’re All I Need to Get By,” with a fresh, hooky refrain that plays well into Ross’s discography as both a solo artist and a member of The Supremes, writes Soul Traks in its review. https://youtu.be/V1eWU5VLCh0 Thursday morning proponents of “Obamacare” got some very good news. The US Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, saying that red states challenging the law in the case lacked standing. The vote — which leaves the Obama-era health care law intact and preserves healthcare coverage for millions of Americans — was 7-2. California v. Texas was the Supreme Court’s third challenge of the Affordable Care Act. The case, filed by a coalition of states led by Texas, challenged the “individual mandate” provision, in which people faced a tax penalty if they did not buy health insurance. https://youtu.be/ocukZESXito Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will reportedly make an announcement Thursday declaring racism a public health crisis in Chicago. Mayor Lightfoot will be joined by Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady for the declaration, according to ABC7 Chicago. The announcement comes after CDPH released a study earlier this week showing Black Chicagoans have a shorter life expectancy. On average in 2017 Blacks in the city lived 71.4 years, while non-Blacks lived 80.6 years. The report cited the factors as chronic diseases, homicides, infant mortality, HIV, flu and other infections and opioid overdoses. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Hollywood veteran Rita Moreno says she is “disappointed” in herself for defending Lin-Manuel Miranda against criticism over the colorism in the film adaptation of his Tony-winning musical, “In the Heights.”Moreno initially pushed back against critics of the film’s creators for its lack of Afro-Latinx representation in major roles. “You can never do right, it seems,” Moreno said in a Tuesday interview with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert. “This is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to America. I couldn’t do it. I would love to say I did, but I couldn’t. Lin-Manuel has done that really singlehandedly and I’m thrilled to pieces, and I’m proud that he produced my documentary [Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It].” https://twitter.com/i/status/1404980532069478403 R&B multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning crooner Anthony Hamilton got with radio and TV personality Jazmyn Summers, rockin’ his trademark fedora – at the swimming pool with his kids – to give us an early look into new music dropping in September with co-signers Rick Ross, John Legend and more. “I’m excited about it. It’s a great body of work. Jermaine Dupri came through with a great single” Hamilton says. https://youtu.be/MftuiA56LCM Being the first known transgender person ordained by a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-affiliated congregation, Laura Bethany Buchleiter said she now can live fully into her calling to share the gospel in genuine and counter-cultural ways. “Where I would start is authenticity, and I think Christ models authenticity for us,” said Buchleiter, 49, who was ordained May 23 at University Baptist Church in Bloomington, Ind. “He was authentically divine and authentically human, and he was so authentic it caught everybody around him off guard.” In 2014, CBF-affiliated Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., reaffirmed the ordination of a woman previously ordained as a man, but Buchleiter’s ceremony, which was attended by 40 people including two of her three children, makes her the first known transgender person to be ordained as a minister in a Fellowship church. Messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting approved a broad resolution on the Bible’s sufficiency regarding race and racial reconciliation Tuesday (June 15) but chose not to address specifically the contentious issue of critical race theory. Because of a lack of time, the committee tabled a resolution that would have affirmed the “Christian ideal of citizenship” under the Lordship of Jesus and would have condemned the January invasion of the U.S. Capitol as “inconsistent with faithful Christian citizenship.” The Resolutions Committee chose not to address the issue of critical race theory (CRT) in the first SBC annual meeting since the passage of a 2019 resolution on CRT and intersectionality developed into a divisive point of contention during the last two years. A foul-mouthed Brooklyn bigot, after hurling racial insults at a Black mother of two, dumped red pepper flakes on the face of the woman’s infant daughter during a hate-fueled spree in a local pizzeria, police said Wednesday. The unprovoked white attacker swore at the 35-year-old woman before shaking the pepper into the face of the mom’s 5-month-old daughter. The Black woman, a single mother and licensed realtor, said the unhinged assailant’s vile rant targeted both her kids. She asked that her name not be used out of fear of retaliation. “She said ‘F— your baby, n—-r,’” the woman recounted Wednesday to the Daily News in her Brooklyn apartment. “To my 4-year-old, she called him a n—-r and said ‘Get out of this country.’” New York City is naming 16 parks for prominent Black Americans, and it’s just in time for Juneteenth. As CBS2’s Kiran Dhillon reports, one by one, the names of 16 city parks were unveiled Wednesday. The unveiling is part of an ongoing initiative by the Parks Department that’s meant to honor the Black American experience. “We had to do something to show solidarity with the Black community and really address some of the systemic racism were experienced all of our lives,” said Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver. Born from the collaboration of Amazon’s Black Employee Network and a coalition of strategic partners, the Black Business Accelerator (BBA) wants to build equity and sustainable growth for Black-owned businesses. Specifically, the initiative targets barriers to access such as access to capital, mentorship, and growth opportunities. The BBA will provide financial support, business education and mentorship, and marketing and promotion of their brands and products as third-party sellers on Amazon.com. Amazon has formed strategic partnerships with the Minority Business Development Agency and U.S. Black Chambers Inc. These organizations will support BBA by leading community engagement and helping provide participants with mentorship, business development, training and educational resources to lead them to success. Onovughakpor “Onovu” Otitigbe is living out her wildest dreams – and leaving her mark along the way. At 18 years old, Onovu will graduate at the top of her class from Albany High School, becoming the school’s first Black valedictorian in its 152-year history. Her near-perfect GPA, combined with her impressive list of extracurriculars, helped pave Onovu’s path to Harvard University, where this fall she’ll study biomedical engineering and neuroscience on a pre-med track. The Hampton Roads Community Foundation plans to pay out $1 million to 30 Black-run nonprofits in the region in one of the first acts of its new racial equity fund. Facebook had given the money last year to the Norfolk-based foundation, which was one of 20 nationwide to receive funding through a program set up by the social network. On Wednesday, the foundation announced that 30 local organizations will receive the $1 million through Black Community Partnership Fund grants paid out over two years. The grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 each. A total of 66 organizations had applied. Recipients include Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless, TWP–The Youth Movement, the Southside Boys and Girls Club, the Mosaic Steel Orchestra, Beauty for Ashes Contemporary School of Dance and more. Graves from five erased Black or mostly Black cemeteries have been discovered throughout Tampa Bay in recent years, but the issue is not unique to this area. Such burial grounds have been found throughout the nation. So, a team of University of South Florida professors and doctoral students created the Black Cemetery Network website at blackcemeterynetwork.org to serve as a hub for the movement to bring dignity to those cemeteries. More than five decades after Cleveland became the first, followed by Cincinnati, Detroit and virtually every other major city in the Midwest and Northeast, Pittsburgh is finally poised to join their ranks and make history this fall by electing a Black mayor. The all-but-certain victory of state Rep. Ed Gainey (D) comes as the once-battered former steel town, these days dubbed one of America’s most livable cities, looks hard at the racial inequities that have meant vastly different experiences and opportunities for its African American residents. Gainey’s campaign this spring reflected such soul-searching, especially in the wake of nationwide protests over police force in communities of color. The U.S. Senate passed a bill Tuesday to recognize June 19, or Juneteenth, as an official holiday. It passed with unanimous consent without a roll call vote or objections from the chamber. The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act heads to the House for approval. If it passes and President Joe Biden signs it into law, every federal employee will be granted a day off to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, discovered President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved African Americans in rebel states 2½ years earlier. The day is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, reintroduced the bill in February to designate Juneteenth a federal holiday. The House on Wednesday passed a bill to make Juneteenth or June 19th, the date in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom, a national holiday. The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, and now President Joe Biden is set to sign the legislation into law Thursday to make Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday, Chicago Tribune reports. The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday, with all votes against it coming from Republicans. “It has been a long journey,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Houston and author of the bill, said on the floor. “This bill and this day is about freedom.” A faith-based nonprofit champion of social justice, holy activism and civil righteousness will commemorate Juneteenth, Saturday, June 19 and, at the same time, shine a light on modern-day slavery. From Ferguson, Missouri to Fredericksburg, Virginia, the nonprofit Civil Righteousness is offering, food, fellowship, music and dance to mark Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of slavery’s end in the United States. A banquet in Ferguson, called Let Freedom Ring, will honor the day that slaves in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom. Another event in Fredericksburg will shine a light on the long road to freedom for victims of sexual exploitation. Filmed in Greece and Turkey in the cities of the original 7 Churches, Times of Fire dives into the intense political, social and philosophical complexities of each city and church in the first century. These highly charged regions propelled the flames of persecution, which took the lives of countless believers and exiled the Apostle John to the island of Patmos. As each city is visited, fascinating connections are made to unlock the mysteries of the text in Revelation, providing clues that are relevant today. Timothy Mahoney of Thinking Man Films and Director of The Patterns of Evidence series will join with Millenium-Production’s Producer and Filmmaker, Christophe Hanauer, for the global release of the documentary feature film, Times of Fire – The 7 Churches of Revelation. Could you forgive someone who murdered your family member? Or was an MIA parent? Absent, neglectful or abusive fathers can leave lifetime scars. The Streets Were My Father depicts three sons who experienced it all, and have turned their corners in dramatic, inspiring ways. Lee Habeeb and Our American Stories produced this moving documentary about journeys from hopelessness to redemption. It releases on SalemNow.com on Father’s Day, June 20. Fatherless homes correlate with numerous societal blights, including poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, crime, behavioral problems, and more. This film’s three male subjects knew it all too well. An Ohio woman has learned one tough lesson in life, you can’t have it your way at McDonald’s. Brian Allen was inside the McDonald’s in Ravenna, Ohio when Cherysse Helena Cleveland became irate after staffers refused to give her a slushie mixed with all the available flavors. https://www.facebook.com/1212524785/videos/10226014349164614/ ”Oh my god. Married life feels 1,000 percent different than when we were dating, in the greatest way,” Jeannie Mai said about being wifed up to rapper Jeezy, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I loved our dating life because we really spent such concentrated quality time getting to know each other and making sure that we were right for each other,” she added, “And now being married, it’s even more handled with such delicacy and such thoughtfulness, because we’re in our 40s and we both grew up in households that weren’t healthy marriages. We have never seen what that looks like.” PEOPLE reports, the newlyweds, who tied the knot in March, have been embracing the changes in their relationship to foster a healthy marriage. Showtime has dropped a new clip from the forthcoming Rick James documentary titled “Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James.” The Showtime film will take an “intimate yet propulsive look at Rick James, one of rock, funk and R&B’s most legendary and often under-appreciated figures”. https://youtu.be/b1d6_uSlbo4 The banking structure in the United States is decades upon decades old. As a system, it’s designed as much for business profits as it is for storing the nation’s cash. Those profits are partly derived by various fees from customers such as overdrafts, ATM usage, and upcharges on interest rates based on a single late payment. People with less money in the system somehow end up paying even higher fees. However, as a fresh alternative, Fair, a multilingual Neobank and final-spotl ight.comncial services platform, is set to revolutionize the industry. This new fintech banking startup aims to reduce the racial wealth and opportunity gaps that exist. By naming award-winning communications veteran and multicultural engagement strategist, Toni Harrison as its Chief Marketing Officer, Fair introduces a trailblazing African American female as their new C-Suite executive. Harrison is the perfect fit for a company seeking to introduce innovative solutions to an age-old system. Cedric The Entertainer has fired back at accusations that he stole a joke from fellow comedian Katt Williams. Williams recently appeared on The Morning Hustle radio show and revealed how “crushed” he was when Ced used his joke about parking a spaceship Cadillac during the Kings Of Comedy tour in 2000. https://youtu.be/fiTC8GfBFSE Nick Cannon has added two more babies to his growing collection of offspring, as he and DJ Abby De La Rosa have welcomed twin boys. On Wednesday, De La Rosa posted a video to Instagram of herself in a hospital bed cradling the newborns who were born on June 14. “Welcome to the world Zion Mixolydian Cannon & ZIllion Heir Cannon,” she wrote in the post, adding the hashtags “my world” and “twin boys.” https://www.instagram.com/hiabbydelarosa/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=e40d81b8-c97a-40fb-9ef8-93091d28e24c Nina Parker, co-host of E!’s “Nightly Pop,” who launched her own clothing line for curvy women in May, has added new pieces to the collection for June. the TV personality’s Nina Parker Collection sells exclusively at Macy’s and includes tops, dusters, dresses and jogging separates, with some designs featuring peek-a-boo shoulders and waist exposures – all available in bright colors, animal prints and sequins. Following the rollout of designs in May and June, several pieces sold out immediately. Parker said that she will add new styles to the line every month beginning in August. Paramount Pictures today announced that on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021, it will be offering fans of A QUIET PLACE a one-night-only double feature, offering two movies for the price of one regular standard movie ticket. This Double Feature is a chance to relive the original film in select theatres and experience the latest installment, the critically-acclaimed box office hit A QUIET PLACE PART II, in conjunction with the first-ever Cinema Week. Additionally, there will be a special introduction by writer, director and star John Krasinski before the start of the first film. https://youtu.be/WR7cc5t7tv8 Tavis Smiley is set to launch KBLA Talk 1580 on June 19, Juneteenth, dubbed the first “Unapologetically Progressive” Black-owned and operated, talk radio station in Southern California. Starting this Saturday, June 19, to commemorate Juneteenth, it will convert from Spanish-language programming to presumably serve as a talk radio station catering to the Black community — relating to the prominent display of the historic Watts Towers in its logo. However, the word “progressive” suggests Smiley has bigger sights than just African Americans and the bill keeps rolling! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Commissioner Dale Holness over the weekend issued a proclamation declaring June 11th Kodak Black Day, in honor of the rapper and one-time inmate who was born and raised in Broward County’s Pompano Beach. The proclamation detailed Kodak’s charitable work over the years, as well as a list of his personal accomplishments, which were lobbied to former President Donald Trump in 2020 and led to his clemency. Prior to the announcement, Kodak attended a charity basketball game in Coral Springs that ended up raising $5,000 to benefit the Lippman Youth Shelter. https://youtu.be/sKIpjCczqTQ A Kenyan doctor was awarded a $2.75 million verdict last month by a Florida jury but a week later, a judge vacated the judgment against Adventist Health System hospital, the state’s second-largest employer. Dr. Baiywo Rop sued Adventist for discriminating against him because of his race and national origin. His superiors also falsely accused him of drug abuse, the doctor alleged. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Kevin Hart has fired back at Bill Maher after the TV host slammed him for calling out “white power and white privilege.” The war of words was sparked following Hart’s interview with the NY Times. The comedian touched on white privilege and police brutality, saying “You’re witnessing white power and privilege at an all-time high.” https://youtu.be/fB9KVYAdYwg On any given day there are stories so wild and unbelievable, you have to do a double take to make sure they’re true—and this latest outrageous story involving #Walgreens definitely fits into that category. A local San Francisco Walgreens was the site of a robbery in broad daylight by a man who entered the store on a bicycle with a garbage bag and took whatever he wanted…all while he was being filmed. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQKbxrDhmFb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again WE tv’s hit series “Beyond the Pole” returns this week which finds Angel explaining that she wants to quit dancing for the sake of her mental health. https://youtu.be/UsKlZfER8tk It’s #13 now. It went from #15 to #13. May get the #1 spot,” said J. Brown, Billboard Chart-topping R&B singer/songwriter, has a hit on his hands with “Vibe.” “I wanted to do something different…been doing ballads and wanted to take it up a notch…to have fun, instead of the same ole’ same ole’.” https://youtu.be/ZLefxKavF0w On any given day there are stories so wild and unbelievable, you have to do a double take to make sure they’re true—and this latest outrageous story involving #Walgreens definitely fits into that category. A local San Francisco Walgreens was the site of a robbery in broad daylight by a man who entered the store on a bicycle with a garbage bag and took whatever he wanted…all while he was being filmed. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQKbxrDhmFb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The family of a Georgia man killed during a no-knock raid is seeking answers while likening his death to the state-sanctioned death of Breonna Taylor. On December 17, Johnny Bolton, 49, was killed after he was awoken by members of the Marietta Cobb Smyrna Organized Crime Task Force and the Cobb County Sherriff’s Office SWAT team around 4:40 a.m.as they attempted to stage a narcotics raid. The apartment Bolton lived in served as an informal boarding house, according to family members and Zack Greenamyre, one of the family’s lawyers. A woman and her teenage daughter occupied one bedroom in the two-bedroom apartment, while another woman slept in the second bedroom. On the morning of the raid after police burst into the apartment, Bolton raised up from the couch he was sleeping on in the living room of the apartment and held up his hands. He was struck twice in the chest and later died from his injuries. Bolton’s family claims law enforcement officials have been less than forthcoming regarding what led to his untimely death, especially after finding out that Bolton was not among the three people named in the warrant. “For almost six months, we gave them quiet,” Bolton’s sister Daphne Bolton told The Associated Press. “That lets me know that’s not what gets a response.” Certain offenders do not qualify for retroactive re-sentencing under the First Step Act according to a new Supreme Court decision. Released Monday, the unanimous decision found the wording of the statute did not allow for the relief sought by the defendant. Under the decision, certain low-level offenders sentenced for crack-cocaine possession do not qualify for reduced sentencing. The intent of the co-sponsors of the bipartisan may have been for the law to apply to these offenders but the statute does not reflect that intent. According to the Court, as written, the First Step Act’s provision for reduced sentencing only applies to people convicted of an offense that triggers a mandatory minimum. The case Terry v. United States drew bipartisan support in urging the court to make it right. Under the decision, certain low-level offenders sentenced for crack-cocaine possession do not qualify for reduced sentencing. The intent of the co-sponsors of the bipartisan may have been for the law to apply to these offenders but the statute does not reflect that intent. Ed Litton, the relatively unknown senior pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama, defeated two preeminent rivals to be elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention during a session of the SBC’s annual meeting Tuesday (June 15). Litton has made racial reconciliation a hallmark of his work since at least the 2014 riots after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Litton’s election is considered a defeat for hard right conservatives in the Southern Baptist Convention’s recent battles over race, sexual abuse and gender roles. A judge on Tuesday cleared the way for Harvey Weinstein to be extradited to California from New York to face rape and sexual assault charges, nearly a year after Los Angeles prosecutors first sought to move the convicted former movie producer. Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case in Buffalo, New York, rejected arguments by Weinstein’s legal team that the paperwork for the move had not been done, and that Weinstein, 69, should stay in New York to get needed medical care. Two of the original stars will participate in Broadway’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” starting October 5th. Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger will again play Atticus Finch and his daughter, Scout. The racial theme cited in the show will be even more meaningful considering the outcry against racial and social injustice across the nation stemming from the George Floyd’s death. Keenan-Bolger, referring to the play’s exploration of ingrained racism, says, “I think since I last performed the play, the story of our country has changed. And what a beautiful gift to be a part of something that is interested in continuing to go back and investigate the story of who we are as a country and the story that we choose to believe about ourselves and the story that we need to change for ourselves. I just think it feels like such an opportunity to not only revisit the play, but to revisit the themes that the play and the book we’re trying to examine in the first place.” NBA Hall of Famer and TNT sports analyst Charles Barkley blasted his “bosses” at TNT, which includes CNN president Jeff Zucker, over cancel culture, telling 106.7 The Fan’s “Grant and Danny” show that “you can’t even have fun nowadays” when covering sports. Barkley railed against “politically correct people” during the Monday radio appearance, blaming them for taking the fun out of his show, “Inside the NBA,” and vowed to leave TNT in a few years when he turns 60. The cast and crew of HBO’s “Insecure” has wrapped filming on the final season. As reported by Urban Hollywood 411, on Friday, the series filmed the final scenes for the upcoming fifth season. “Insecure” star and creator Issa Rae shared photos from the set in a tweet that she captioned: “Today is my last day shooting #InsecureHBO,” Rae wrote. “Said goodbye to some of my favorite people on Earth, on and off screen, this past week. Never imagined all the doors this would open. Forever grateful to those who paved the way for us to do us,” she added. Emmy-nominated Issa Rae announced earlier this year that her acclaimed series would end after its upcoming fifth season Zoë Kravitz will make her directorial debut with the thriller “Pussy Island” starring Channing Tatum. According to Deadline, the story centers on a young waitress who infiltrates a philanthropist and tech mogul’s private island, which has more to it than meets the eye. Tatum will portray billionaire tech mogul Slater King. Kravtiz co-wrote the script with E.T. Feigenbaum of “High Fidelity.” Meanwhile, the actress will next star as Catwoman in “The Batman” starring Robert Pattinson, with Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and Colin Farrell as the Penguin. https://youtu.be/NLOp_6uPccQ Tessica Brown, the woman who made national headlines following her Gorilla Glue hair incident, plans to come out with her very own line of haircare products! According to TMZ, Brown is set to drop her new business this Wednesday. Her new products are called “Forever Hair,” and draws inspiration from her own sticky situation. She reportedly told the outlet that she wanted to create products for folks suffering from hair loss and damage because she knows firsthand how that feels. However, her new $14 hairspray will hold a ponytail like glue, but without the nightmare side effects, she infamously endured, the news site notes. She’s also selling a $13 edge control along with growth drops for $18. On Tuesday a judge dismissed the murder charges against Simone Biles’ brother, Tevin Biles-Thomas. Following the ruling, a woman stood up and rushed toward Biles-Thomas, yelling “you have to be f—— kidding me.” “I’m going to kill you,” she said. The Cuyahoga County Court confirmed in a statement that “a person in the gallery charged toward the defendant” after the ruling and thanked the sheriff’s department for its assistance. The woman was identified as Johnson’s mother by Joseph Patituce, one of Biles-Thomas’ defense attorneys. Chancellor Lee Adams, who was in his mother womb when she was fatally shot by his father, former NFL player Rae Carruth, is now a high school graduate, WBTV News reports. Chancellor’s mother, Cherica Adams, was eight months pregnant with her son on Nov. 16, 1999, when she was shot four times by a gunman hired by Carruth, who did not want Adams to have the baby. Adams managed to survive long enough to call 911, name her killer and give birth to Chancellor before slipping into a coma and passing away one month later. https://youtu.be/hpdaq4kVey4 The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the date in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom, a national holiday. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to easily pass then on to President Joe Biden for signature into law. “Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a major step forward to recognize the wrongs of the past,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as reported by Yahoo. “But we must continue to work to ensure equal justice and fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation and our Constitution.” https://youtu.be/8mH0zi-hLVU The third season of WE tv’s “Love After Lockup,” which returns this week with an ALL-NEW group of couples and cons, checkout the exclusive clip. https://youtu.be/Lv9mMu35vEI Footage has surfaced of Minneapolis protesters detaining a driver after he plowed his car through the crowd, killing one woman and injuring another on Sunday. The group of people were gathered for a vigil against police brutality after U.S. Marshals fatally shot Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a Black man, earlier this month. The driver steered his car through the crowd at a high rate of speed. http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh68FAAO1tGinr36Q4 Just the mention of slavery evokes a sense of anxiety, unlike many other topics. However, the fact is this ugly institution is woven into the fabric of American History, and to deny its truths and continue to cover up its past would be like making shoes without soles. This is exactly what has been happening in the incomplete history of America for centuries. And now, it has become the forefront of discussion and protest at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hannah-Jones was awarded the Pulitzer in 2020 for her essay about the topic and it has since faced enormous scrutiny from historians, and conservative politicians alike due to its perceived controversy. Nikole Hannah-Jones is set to begin her new position as a professor with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill on July 1, 2021, and yet unlike others who have served in the position at the University, she has not been granted tenure. Julien’s Auctions the world-record breaking auction house to the stars’ held an annual three-day music extravaganza on Friday, June 11th, Saturday, June 12th and Sunday, June 13th 2021, attended by a global audience of music fans, investors and collectors bidding live in person, on the phone, and online for over 1,000 coveted pieces of music history at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online. A marquee lineup of instruments, memorabilia, wardrobe and personal property owned and used by the greatest 20th and 21st century’s pop culture icons from rock and roll, pop, soul, R&B, rap and beyond dazzled the podium including Prince, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Kurt Cobain, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Elton John, Cher, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, Bernie Taupin, Tom Petty, Tupac Shakur, Whitney Houston, The Doors, Little Richard, and others. A sensational 1994 blue Cloud guitar made by Andy Beech and commissioned and owned by music titan Prince rocked the stage once again. This iconic instrument whose design is instantly synonymous with the rock royalty of Prince sold for $281,250, nearly five times its original estimate of $60,000 and includes a “Paisley Park” inventory tag on the neck plate, a hard case with a laminated tag that reads: “PRN Productions. Paul Pogba is the latest soccer superstar to overtly snub official sponsors after the France player removed a bottle of Heineken placed in front of him at a Euro 2020 press conference. The move followed soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo removing a bottle of Coke from his presser. Pogba, a devout Muslim, was seen moving the beer bottle from the table directly in front of him as he took questions under media obligations following France’s opening victory over Germany on Tuesday night. For Muslims, alcohol is “haram” or forbidden. https://youtu.be/rRJK8KeQM5E Marla Gibbs, Margaret Theresa Bradley, born June 14, 1931) is an actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans five decades celebrated her 90th birthday at Peter Georges’ Conference Room Restaurant & Bar in Playa Vista, CA. The party was sponsored by family friend and businessman Henry Woods, founder of HNW International Corporation, an international Consulting/Connector Firm, along with Lemuel Daniels, Peter George, and others. n all-star cast of Marla’s friends and children that attend the birthday celebration included; Beverly Todd, Judy Pace, Earnest Harden, Jr., Kathleen Bradley, Sheila Frazier, former State Senator Diane Watson, Jackee Harry, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Tico Wells, Attorney Frank K. Wheaton, and Marla’s children; Angela, Amil, Dorian, and Jordan Gibbs. A host of politicians presented proclamations and kind words to Marla, present were Mayor James Butts, Councilmember Curren Price, Jr, Senator Sydney Kamlager, along with representatives for Congresswoman Karen Bass, Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA Supervisor Janice Hahn, and Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson. After being accused of mocking George Floyd in videos of a recent traffic stop, YouTuber and rapper CJ So Cool addresses the backlash and tells Black people to be nice and comply with police, and they too can walk unscathed from a traffic stop. Earlier today (June 14), the Youtuber was pulled over for driving 140 miles per hour in a 65-MPH zone with his Lamborghini. While the cop ran his information, CJ filmed himself and pretended to sob, while saying, “Please don’t shoot me bro. I got kids.” After fans caught his video, he went live to address claims of him mocking George Floyd and other Black men and women who’ve been victims of police brutality. Another mysterious in-custody death prompts calls of an investigation after William Harvey, a 60-year-old Savannah, Georgia, Black man was found hanged in a police interrogation room. Five officers were fired on Monday in the wake of Harvey’s death after he was found unconscious with injuries to his neck caused by a pair of Harvey’s shoelaces on April 2. Officers attempted life-saving measures; however, Harvey died as a result of his injuries, according to a statement released by the Savannah Police Department. Harvey was apprehended in relation to an aggravated assault investigation and taken to the SPD interrogation room at their headquarters. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation ruled his death a suicide, but Harvey’s family accuses law enforcement of foul play. Their suspicions grew after they were told no video evidence existed of Harvey’s alone time in the interrogation room. The standout couple from Netflix’s dating series “Love Is Blind” share their love advice for the modern world, the ups and downs they’ve experienced during their first years of marriage, and exclusive behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the pods in their new book, “Leap of Faith.” When Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed locked eyes for the first time, they were already engaged. That’s how the show works. They had no idea what to expect, having fallen in love across the divider of their pods on the unconventional reality show. While they never expected to find their life partner through the experiment, Lauren and Cameron became living proof that love is indeed blind. NBA fans were losing their minds on social media on Wednesday morning as they digested the surprise news that star point guard Chris Paul would miss his team’s crucial upcoming playoffs games “indefinitely” because he’s been placed in the league’s COVID-19 protocol. That means that the Phoenix Suns’ starting point guard was somehow exposed to COVID-19 at some point between sweeping the Denver Nuggets during a pivotal Game 4 on Sunday and Wednesday morning when Shams Charania of the Athletic broke the news. Questions about the development flooded social media timelines: How did he come to be exposed? Was it when he jumped in the stands and hugged his family after winning Game 4? If so, shouldn’t his teammates and coaches also be placed on the same protocol since Paul was exposed to them? But one question, in particular, stood out: Is Chris Paul vaccinated? According to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, the NBA has loosened its COVID-19 restrictions for players, coaches and team staff who have been fully vaccinated. TV One's highly anticipated film, BAD DAD REHAB: THE NEXT SESSION, premieres this Sunday, June 20 at 8 P.M. ET/7C. Building off of the success of the franchise's first production, Bad Dad Rehab, The film features a brand-new cast that includes legendary rapper Antonio “Big Daddy Kane” Hardy (Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, Dead Heist) as Owen, Lamman Rucker (“Greenleaf”, “Why Did I Get Married”) as Mr. Arnold, Blue Kimble (“Monogamy,” “Ruthless”) as Chauncey, Onyekwere Eme-Akwari (“Queen of the South”) as Marshall, Carlo Mendez (“90210,” “Parks and Recreation”) as Hosea, Chrystale Wilson (“The Rich and the Ruthless”) as Marjory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBCDArI20-o A first-of-its-kind tribute to the trailblazing artists, iconic entertainers, and legendary luminaries who have impacted both Black culture and the community at large, the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (BMEWOF) will officially induct its inaugural class of honorees this June, during Black Music Month. The formal induction ceremony will take place in Atlanta, GA on June 17, 2021. The inaugural class of inductees were selected from the BMEWOF's list of 38 nominees in the categories of Foundational Inductees, Legacy Artists, Mainstream Mogul, Gospel Female, Gospel Male, HipHop Female, HipHop Male, Mainstream Female and Mainstream Male. The BMEWOF Foundational Inductees are James Brown, Otis Redding, Quincy D. Jones, and Stevie Wonder. They will be joined by Michael Jackson (Legacy Artists), Sean Love Combs (Mainstream Mogul), Shirley Caesar (Gospel Female), Kirk Franklin (Gospel Male), Missy Elliott (Hip Hop Female), Outkast (Hip Hop Male), Beyoncé (Mainstream Female), and Usher Raymond IV (Mainstream Male). The 6th Annual Black Music Honors special airs nationally on Saturday, June 19 at 1:00pm EST on Bounce TV and will commemorate Juneteenth, an annual holiday that honors the end of slavery in the United States. The awards ceremony is in national broadcast syndication across the country and airs during Black Music Month. Viewers can see the exciting special in key markets such as Los Angeles at 10am PT on KABC (ABC), in Atlanta at 5pm ET on WATL (MNT), in Philadelphia at 2pm ET on WPSG (CW), and in Chicago on Sunday, June 20 at 7pm CT on WGN (IND), among others. Emmy® Award-winning talk show host, comedienne and author Loni Love hosts the star-studded two-hour special which will honor artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music. Performers include Cece Winans, Montell Jordan, Jacquees, After 7, Syleena Johnson, Pleasure P, Stokley, Avery*Sunshine, J. Moss, Q Parker, Bahamadia, Chrisette Michele, Jac Ross, Mumu Fresh, Kevin Ross, Theresa Tha Songbird, and Zacardi Cortez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ1m7gXwrXA In a society where taking the perfect selfie is almost as important as healthcare, Marketing & Brand Strategist Mary Seats (famously known as Mz. Skittlez) has opened a selfie museum in the heart of Atlanta. The 19 station museum is a haven for the everyday creative to capture unique content, purchase fly gear, generate new business ideas, or simply flick it up! The Gurl Mobb Museum is located in Optimist Lofts (2115 Piedmont Rd NE, Suite 1202, Atlanta, GA 30324) and is open Wednesday through Saturday 11AM to 9PM, and Sundays from 11AM to 6PM. NeNe Leakes recently dished with blogger Michelle “ATLien” Brown about her relationship with former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast members and ongoing rumors surrounding the reality TV series. She also revealed that none of the RHOA cast showed up at the grand opening of her new lounge called Linnethia Lounge, which is located in upscale Duluth, Ga., about 15 minutes northeast of Atlanta. https://youtu.be/ezK6D6Prnk0 Monday, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the co-creator of the film “In The Heights,” took to Twitter to address criticism of the film’s casting. In particular, it’s been noted that only light-skinned actors were cast in the roles of the musical’s main Latinx characters. “I hear that, without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation, the world feels extractive of the community we wanted so much to represent with pride and joy,” Miranda replied. “In trying to paint a mosaic of this community, we fell short. I’m truly sorry.”The film, which had a disappointing debut at the box office this past weekend, is a version of the very successful Broadway musical. It of course is set in NYC’s Washington Heights neighborhood, but only includes Afro-Latinx performers in background and dance roles. https://youtu.be/U0CL-ZSuCrQ A biopic about late-great comedian Bernie Mac is in the works, as it was recently announced at the 2021 Tribeca Festival. Je’Niece McCullough, Mac’s daughter, has shared who she thinks should portray her father in the film. Speaking to TMZ, McCullough said John Legend‘s production company, Get Lifted, and Mac’s estate will head the project. The first is Aldis Hodge — known for his roles on “Leverage” and in “Hidden Figures” — because Je’Niece says he’s a great actor with a similar complexion to Bernie. He also played MC Ren in “Straight Outta Compton” and more recently, NFL legend Jim Brown in “One Night in Miami.” She also has an out-of-the-box option if producers want to portray Bernie in his younger years, and he’s a YouTube star. His name is Mark Phillips, and Je’Niece tells us her daughter loves him, and always says how much he reminds her of Bernie. Rapper T-Pain revealed in a recent interview with “The 85 South Show,” that he wanted to work with Nicki Minaj in 2007 when she was an up-and-coming artist but she turned him down. “She was like, ‘Hey, I’m an artist too and I’m working on my sh*t, so ya know, baby chill,’” he said. T-Pain goes on to admit that he may have been all up in his feelings at the moment. “Maybe I was in love with Nicki Minaj,” T-Pain confessed. Minaj saw the interview posted on The Shade Room and she responded in the comments. “I don’t remember this AT ALL but it DEF sound like smthn I would say. omg what was I thinking? He was already a rlly big artist. I was still underground. Chileeeeee I used to b buggin yo I was under so much pressure to deliver,” she wrote. Chrissy Teigen has issued yet another apology for being a Twitter troll and a cyberbully. This apology comes nearly a month after Bloomingdale’s canceled a promotional deal with the cookbook author “at the 11th hour because of her explosive cyberbullying scandal,” with Courtney Stodden, Page Six reported. Macy’s also dropped Teigen’s “Cravings by Chrissy” cookware line from its website. The fallout began after Stodden, now 26, revealed that the former model encouraged her to kill herself in private Twitter messages when she was 16 years old. Teigen apologized in May, writing on Twitter, “Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their past bulls–t in front of the entire world. I’m mortified and sad at who I used to be.” She added, “I was an insecure, attention-seeking troll. I am ashamed and completely embarrassed at my behavior but that… is nothing compared to how I made Courtney feel.” A reporter with Houston’s Fox News affiliate said during a live broadcast Monday that “Fox Corp.” was muzzling her — and announced that she would be going to far-right group Project Veritas with behind-the-scenes recordings. “I want to let you the viewers know that Fox Corp. has been muzzling me to keep certain information from you,” said Ivory Hecker, a 32-year-old general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor with Fox 26 Houston. “From what I am gathering, I am not the only reporter being subjected to this. I am going to be releasing some recordings about what goes on behind the scenes at Fox, because it applies to you, the viewers.” https://youtu.be/htaIFQELqaM It’s never about how many times you fall, or how many try to keep you down, or even the reason why you feel more than it’s about your relentless rebound to prevail regardless of your past. Talk host, Travis Smiley is a perfect example of what it means to do this, as he buys Arthur Liu’s Multicultural Radio Broadcasting. According to RBR, Smiley was ordered to pay PBS $2.6 million for allegedly violating a morals clause in multiple sexual harassment cases last August. He was also fired by BET earlier in his career which ignited him becoming a household name. RBR reports that the deal is valued at $7.15 million. A $357,500 escrow deposit has been made and is being held by Patrick Communications, the buyer’s representative. A 2013 video of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has resurfaced showing him flirting with a Latina reporter. Orlando Silva of Fadeaway World writes, “Just like he’s savage with some of his takes, the 53-year-old is wild when he flirts.” He goes on to note that Smith was “ready to risk it all” while talking to host Brhitney Decamps. https://youtu.be/VbEVWas9_p4 The owners of a Washington, D.C., bar said they have “terminated, with immediate effect, the independent security vendor hired to protect our guests during Pride Week.” The move comes after a video surfaced showing security at Nellie’s Sports Bar dragging a Black woman down a flight of stairs by her hair. A protest was held outside the establishment located in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington D.C. We previously reported, the demonstration, which began around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, included dozens of people shouting and holding signs outside the popular LGBTQ+ bar. Keisha Young, 22, of Maryland, told WUSA9 that she was the woman seen being dragged out of Nellie’s in that viral video on Instagram. https://youtu.be/27ZZ1QtIRfI The Indianapolis police officer who shot and killed Dreasjon Reed last year is suing the National Football League over its campaign intended to “honor victims of systemic racism, victims of police misconduct, and social justice heroes.” MPD officer De’Joure Mercer’s complaint, filed Monday in the federal Southern District of Indiana, targets website posts and video produced by the NFL that highlight Reed and other civil rights figures killed by police. Mercer’s lawyers take issue with that language, writing in the complaint: “The (v)ideo gives rise to the inference, implication, and imputation that Mercer committed occupational misconduct and even criminal acts during the May 6 (e)ncounter with Reed, similar to that which were inflicted upon George Floyd. This inference, implication, and imputation is false because Mercer committed no such acts.” The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Three Republicans — Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — voted with Democrats to confirm with a 53-44 vote. Graham conceded that although Jackson has “a different philosophy” than him, “I think she’s qualified for the job.” For the second year in a row, ESSENCE Studios presents Dear Black Men—an all-male summit that salutes the contributions of our brothers who speak vulnerably about their respective experiences as family men, community advocates and leaders of this generation. Through a series of candid conversations and engaging dialogue with some of today’s leading voices, Dear Black Men will uplift and inspire viewers during this virtual gathering that will put a spotlight on the impactful work of men within their homes, industries and organizations. It will all take place on Father’s Day weekend, Friday, June 18th, and will stream on ESSENCEStudios.com from 7-9 PM (ET). During the virtual summit, a variety of topics will be addressed including wealth building, emotional and physical wellness and more. Celebrate good times this summer as Robert ‘Kool’ Bell, founder of the Grammy Award winning Kool & the Gang will host the second annual Kool Kids Foundation Golf Tournament. The event will take place on Tuesday, July 13th 2021 at the Cedar Hill Golf & Country Club, located at 100 Walnut Street in Livingston, NJ. Celebrity athletes and entertainers will be attending this star-studded golf outing – John Starks, Charles Oakley, Ken Griffey, Sr., Hisham Tawfiq (from NBC-TV’S “The Blacklist”), OJ Anderson, Anthony Avent, Jeff Nelson, Stephane Matteau, Howard Cross, Rodney Hampton, Stephen Baker, Lewis Tillman, George Rogers, Brian Kelly and Mark Bavaro. More than 66 years after Brown vs. the Board of Education mandated the desegregation of public schools, some Black students in Mississippi still are fighting Jim Crow era practices by school administrators. At least four families claimed their high school seniors have been cheated out of valedictorian and salutatorian honors. The latest incident happened at West Point High School where Layla Temple and Ikeria Washington were forced to share their respective Val and Sal status with two White students after their parents complained and bullied educators into a questionable grade point average recount. https://youtu.be/Isc36QC9Zss Love and Hip-Hop star Erica Mena filed for divorce last month from Safaree Samuels, but her estranged husband is putting up a big fight over child custody. Just recently, Safaree claimed that he was afraid Erica Mena won’t allow him to be present for the birth of their second child so he wants to take his fight to court. He has also refused to give her full custody of their daughter and unborn child. According to TMZ, Erica Mena now claims that all this drama surrounding their divorce is at least part of the reason she’s landed in the hospital during her pregnancy. Erica noted that Safaree has “failed to be involved in her care or to visit her at the hospital during her most recent stay, where she remained overnight for many days related to her pregnancy.” In docs, obtained by TMZ, Erica also claims Safaree’s latest request for shared custody of their children is only being done “in hopes of obtaining ‘good publicity’ and painting [Erica] as the instigator, while in actuality, [Erica’s] the only parent ensuring the parties’ children’s safety and acting in their best interest.” Southern Baptists in Nashville for the denomination’s 2021 annual meeting heard a strong plea for gospel unity from Dallas pastor Tony Evans. The author of several books focused on God’s kingdom kicked off the 2-day Send Conference held prior to the business meeting. The conference, sponsored by the North American and International Mission Boards, also featured worship artists CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith, and Crowder. Evans started with message with an extended football metaphor, explaining that there are three teams on the field during a game—the two competing against each other, and the team of officials charged with governing the game. https://twitter.com/i/status/1404291401869824000 In Kwame Kilpatrick’s first public event since his release from prison, the former mayor of Detroit preached to the crowd Sunday at the Historic Little Rock Baptist Church. Kilpatrick spoke to the building of Christ’s church, second chances, the beginning of his own ministry and being from the “real Detroit.” https://youtu.be/YZHoJmBAIM0 Brandy Fisher-Blood has joined Walt Disney Animation Studios as the head of Diversity & Inclusion Strategies and will report to Walt Disney Animation Studios President Clark Spencer. Fisher-Blood will be responsible for overseeing diversity and inclusion efforts across Walt Disney Studios and will serve as the primary strategic consultant to Walt Disney’s business leaders, HR partners, and creative leaders including directors, producers, and production leadership. She will also provide expertise on best inclusion practices and help enhance Walt Disney’s inclusion commitment both inside and outside the company. Fisher-Blood said the appointment is a dream come true to work for the company that had its first Black princess when she was eight years old. Black CPAs across the country are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the National Society of Black Certified Public Accountants (NSBCPA). Chartered on June 8th, NSBCPA was organized to increase the number of Black CPAs and provide resources for members to thrive in the profession. According to the organization’s website, Black CPAs are the most underrepresented group within the CPA profession. Surveys have shown that less than 1% of CPAs are Black. Also, there are less than 3% of Black staff at public accounting firms. A Black woman, for the first time, will become a chief federal judge in Mississippi. The state has two federal court districts — northern and southern. Court officials say U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown will become the chief judge of the northern district during a ceremony Friday in Greenville. She will receive the gavel from U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock, who remains on the federal bench but is ending a seven-year term in the top spot in the district. Brown was nominated to the federal bench in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama. Minnesota’s first Black-owned juice bar was broken into overnight, forcing it to close just days after its grand opening. Catiesha Pierson, the owner of The Dripping Root, had to do what no small business owner wants to do on Friday, sending customers away as she focused on cleaning up after an early morning break in. “I’m not going to let something like that ruin my shine or happiness for the amazing thing that’s been built and surrounded by community,” Pierson told FOX 9. The Dripping Root’s security camera captured video of the vandalism in progress. Two suspects, apparently targeting cash, shattered the juice bar’s front glass window, making a mess. Since the juice bar is cashless, the thieves did not get away with much before police arrived. It was a little more than three years ago that Brennan Walker was nearly killed asking for directions to high school. “It doesn’t mentally impact me as much as it used to, but I think about the events every day,” he said. Brennan will walk Saturday as a graduate entering young adulthood – and he admitted he’s a little nervous about it. Those nerves are a far cry compared to what he experienced when he was 14 years old. That was when Jeff Zeigler, who is white, fired at him with a shotgun, assuming he was a burglar. The case made national news. Zeigler was sentenced to four to 10 years in prison. The Brooklyn mother who allegedly threw her two young children — including a newborn baby who is now in grave condition — out of her second-floor window is facing attempted murder charges, police said. Dejhanay Jarrell, 24, was charged on Saturday with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault, two counts of reckless endangerment and acting in a manner dangerous to a child younger than 17, according to police. Jarrell allegedly tossed her naked kids from the fire escape of her Rockaway Parkway apartment at about 11 a.m. Saturday, before jumping to the ground and continuing to harm the newborn girl, according to police and witnesses. Carl Chin, who lives in a row house adjoining the apartment building’s courtyard, rushed to wrestle the baby out of the mother’s arms. “She grabbed hold of the two kids and proceeded to hurt them more,” Chin told The Post on Saturday. Hollywood fashion expert, VIP personal shopper and commentator Joseph “Joe” Katz brings you in-depth interviews with celebrities and influencers about their style and personal experiences on his Podcast and Vodcast (video podcast) program called The Katz Walk. He also shares the best beauty and lifestyle tips and tricks to help you look and feel your best. In this episode of The Katz Walk, Joseph takes you inside the world of Grammy winner and artist Lecrae. In this episode you can listen to Lecrae talk honestly and truthfully in this very heartfelt interview about his music career, rise to music success and of course his fashion. https://youtu.be/ws-Ss5fLIMY Artist-producer-entrepreneur Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and music producer and entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine joined Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner Monday to announce a joint effort to launch a new high school in South Los Angeles. A release from the LAUSD said the school’s curriculum will build on USC Iovine and Young Academy’s groundbreaking approach — which combines design, business and technology with hands-on, real-world learning to help develop young leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The school, known as Regional High School #1 until the official naming process is completed, will be co-located on the Audubon Middle School campus and serve up to 124 students when it opens in Fall 2022, the LAUSD said. As 2021 Pride Month continues, history has officially been made by our current Vice President #KamalaHarris. During a recent appearance at Capital Pride in Washington, D.C. accompanied by her husband, Kamala Harris made history as the first sitting U.S. Vice President to ever march at a pride event! NBC Washington reports, Vice President Kamala Harris, a long and openly supportive ally for the LGBTQ+ community, surprised those in attendance at the Capital Pride March in Washington, D.C. earlier today. However, her appearance wasn’t just one of support, it was also historic—as VP Harris has now become the very first sitting U.S. Vice President in history to ever march at a pride event. Wearing a bright pink blazer, jeans and a T-shirt that read “love is love,” VP Harris (along with her husband Doug Emhoff) marched alongside the crowd waving and cheering “Happy Pride” as the marchers headed to Freedom Plaza Opponents to critical race theory in public schools aren’t just pushing policy changes. Some are going after Black elected officials and community leaders for supporting equity in public education. The Chandler Unified School District, in the southeastern section of the Phoenix metropolitan area, is among the latest districts caught in the middle of the battle over critical race theory. Whipped up into a frenzy, “concerned” citizens and parents submitted comments objecting to critical race theory ahead of a board meeting Thursday. The Arizona Mirror chronicled the right-wing influence running through both the anti-mask and critical race theory opposition across several school districts. Led by Steven Tyler Daniels, a member of the Patriot Party and the Purple for Parents group, school districts in the surrounding area have been under siege with hype about a made-up problem. https://youtu.be/XG8wOMUU7hw A new decision from a federal judge could jeopardize historic debt relief for Black farmers and other farmers of color. Judge William Griesbach of Wisconsin’s Eastern District issued a temporary restraining order Thursday, preventing the Biden administration from releasing long-awaited funds. Griesbach found in favor of the plaintiffs stating the challenge had a likelihood of succeeding on the claim’s merits. A conservative law firm, known for exploiting technicalities to the detriment of historically disenfranchised communities, represents the white farmers. Challenges to affirmative action policies often use similar logic. From their viewpoint, it doesn’t matter that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an established history of denying Black and other farmers of color the same equal protection for generations. As a person of color in America, it is not a surprise that at any given time and in any given space you can go from being an innocent, uninvolved citizen to a criminal suspect almost instantaneously. From random and unnecessary stop and frisk that are disproportionately administered to Black and Latino people, to the racial profiling that happens anywhere a non-person of color thinks you don’t belong it can get exhausting trying to prove your innocence. Despite the fact that Senator Cory Booker went to school in a wealthy area of Northern California where mostly white people reside called Palo Alto, he was still victim to the prejudice. According to Black Enterprise, Booker recalls a time where he was essentially held at gunpoint with the negligent misconception that he’d stolen the car that was registered in his name. “It seemed like half the police force came out and they kept me, sitting in my car, screaming at me commands,” the New Jersey senator shared. “And ultimately, the only excuse they gave me was that I fit the description of somebody that they were looking for.” Throughout her entire career actress Sanaa Lathan has brought powerful and memorable characters to life on the silver screen and she will continue to use her artistry to tell poignant stories from the director’s chair. According to Deadline, Lathan will direct a film adaptation for one of author Angie Thomas’ novels. The film—which will be the first feature film that Lathan has directed—is inspired by Thomas’ book On the Come Up. The novel captures the coming of age story of a 16-year-old aspiring rapper named Bri. It delves into her journey as she navigates grief following the loss of her father and deals with a flawed school system and financial burdens. The National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations on behalf of our affiliate groups proclaim our unwavering support of our Native American brethren by supporting the passage of the Remove the Stain Act. The Act pursues rescinding Medals of Honor awarded to those American soldiers who perpetrated the act of massacring 200 noncombatant young men, women, and children of the Lakota Tribe at Wounded Knee Creek. The Act would serve as a step in recognizing the tragedy of the Era with truth serving as the foundation toward Peace and Justice.https://youtu.be/BtkRjKbMO08 Rapstress Megan Thee Stallion is investing in the futures of the next generation of innovators and visionaries. According to KPRC 2 Houston, the Houston native will provide a student with a full-ride scholarship to Long Island University’s Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment. The Grammy award-winning music artist, Megan Pete, took to Instagram to share that she is covering four years of education-related expenses for an individual aspiring to pursue their degree. She hopes to help them cultivate a solid foundation for success. “I’m helping my hotties pursue their dreams,” she wrote in a post. “Education has always been important to me so I’ll be funding a full-ride scholarship for the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at LIU. All four years – PAID!” The deadline for scholarship submissions is July 15. Malcolm-Jamal Warner now owns the rights to Russell Duncan’s novel “Freedom Shore: Tunis Campbell and Georgia Freedmen” reports Deadline via MSN News. Warner is set to star and produce this marvelous project. However, no writer has been assigned, just yet. A little back story of the novel: “Freedom’s Shore“ vividly depicts the incredible story of Tunis Campbell, a Northern abolitionist minister who became Senator and Vice President of the Republican Party of Georgia after the Civil War to help freed slaves transition to free men and women. In a rare interview (with Bustle), #LoriHarvey is opening up about her love life, and why she’s so public with her relationship with actor Michael B. Jordan. She first reflected on her previous engagement with soccer player Memphis Depay, who she was engaged to in 2017 before calling it quits the following year. She said of their romance, “I grew up a lot and I learned a lot from that relationship. And so, I think just as I’ve gotten older and developed as a woman, I’ve taken that knowledge with me: learning what I like, what I don’t like, and just applying that to where I’m at now.” Since then, she’s been linked to the likes of Diddy, Trey Songz, Future, and her current boyfriend Michael B. Jordan, who she went public with earlier this year. She gushed about their relationship and said, We met actually a few years ago. We had some mutual friends. I think we met out, just in passing.” When asked about her first impression of him she giggled and said, “I was like, ‘He’s cute!’” After a year of reckoning since the brutal murder of George Floyd low recruitment and increased retirement rates continue to uptick across police departments in the United States. In May MPR News reported that 105 officers left the Minneapolis Police Department last year, twice as many as normal. But a report by KSMP-TV found that the MPD swore in 632 officers, down 25 percent from 845 in 2020. A study by the Police Executive Research Forum obtained by the Associated Press shows the rate of retirement rose 45 percent at some law enforcement departments while hiring slowed by 5 percent in comparison to the previous year. 200 law enforcement agencies were surveyed in the study. Alton Sterling‘s children accepted a $4.5 million settlement from the city of Baton Rouge, almost five years after their loved one was killed by law enforcement during the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement. In February council members voted to approve the settlement amount after months of deadlock over the settlement amount. The money will be allocated from the East Baton Rouge Parish’s insurance reserve funds, beginning with an initial payment of $1 million. The remaining monies will be distributed in equal installments over four years. LeBron James had enough. During the press conference after Game 1 of the 2018 NBA finals, James was questioned repeatedly by about the mental state of J.R. Smith, whose final-seconds rebounding blunder contributed to a Cleveland Cavaliers overtime loss. Over 70 seconds and four questions, Schwartz probed for the inner workings of Smith’s mind, before James finally stood up, put on sunglasses, grabbed his briefcase and walked out through the gathered press corps. He uttered a single sentence: “Be better tomorrow.” It was not the first verbal tangle between reporter and sports star, and it will not be the last. Recently tennis star Naomi Osaka left the French Open for mental health issues exacerbated, she said, by facing questions at the tournament-required press conferences. These examples represent a fundamental struggle between athletes and those who cover them: interviews contested in a press room forum that feel more like a mixed-martial-arts octagon than Oprah’s couch. https://youtu.be/RWywq1yCtCs Holding the number one spot on Billboard Magazine’s Gospel Charts for seven consecutive weeks, the Believe For It album takes on a second wind with the announcement of the “Believe For It Sunday” Campaign. The celebrated gospel singer, CeCe Winans, partners with Loop Community for a campaign designed to bring churches together to help spread the message of hope and encouragement. The goal of the campaign is to reach as many churches as possible with an invitation to participate in this unity driven event that will ignite great expectations for the future with the power of worship. The vision is to have worship teams inspire the masses with their rendition of “Believe For It” by recording the track from their churches, posting it to their social media pages and tagging #BFISunday and tag @CeCeWinans. Guns are not toys and they never have been. How many more “accidental” incidents have to occur for the light bulb to finally click? It is the utmost heart breaking to report deaths that could have been avoided by common care, concern, and common sense, that is not common at all. According to TooFab, 24 year old Taniyria Holt, is facing possible manslaughter charges as she carelessly recorded herself parading a loaded gun that she did not own, and passing the gun to her sister, not knowing it was loaded, shot her in the face. This incident shut down a section of the Interstate 195 on Sunday evening, Miami Beach police initially believed the gunshot wound was self-inflicted. Yet, somewhat responsibly Holt waived her right to silence and explained what really happened. https://youtu.be/uapm9ArI7Qk The horrible neighbor who allegedly shot a 6-year-old boy is back in police custody following a massive outcry over his initial release on a $10k cash bond. 6-year-old Coby was nearly killed when his neighbor Ryan Le-Nguyen allegedly opened fire as the kid picked up his bike from the sidewalk. Ryan Le-Nguyen, was reportedly pissed Coby and a friend had left their bikes in front of his home. The neighbor allegedly chased him with a sledgehammer, and then fired a gun, hitting him in the arm. Nguyen was arrested but then released after bonding out. The incident went down over the weekend in Ypsilanti, Michigan — about 35 miles outside Detroit. Prosecuting attorney Eli Savit told TMZ that the boy could have easily been killed in the incident and breaks down the argument he made Thursday in court to get bail increased to $100,000. Demands for political loyalty. Disputes about racism. A fight between conservatives and ultraconservatives. It sounds like current debates within the Republican Party, but on Tuesday, thousands of Southern Baptists will gather in Nashville to vote on issues that will shape the massive denomination’s future, including the choice of its next president. More than 16,000 people are expected to attend the denomination’s annual meeting, probably the largest religious gathering since the pandemic, as well as the biggest Baptist meeting in decades. What is especially unusual about the meeting is infighting at the highest levels of leadership that has become public in recent weeks. New details released to news media outlets have shined a light on the backroom dealings of several of its high-profile leaders. Chief Sheryl Victorian has made history in Waco as not only the first female, but also the first African American chief of police. We caught up with Victorian as she visited the Waco Police Museum. She stood admiring photos of those who served before her, opening the door for women like her to work for the department. She is pretty much living history herself, but that is not what brought her here. “So when I accepted the position with the Waco Police Department, I didn’t come here with the goal of making history as the first African American or the first female chief of police for this city. I came because the goals and the values of the agency of the city represent many of my own and for my aspirations of becoming a police chief.” said Chief Victorian. Darnella Frazier, who was 17 when she recorded George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis last year, was awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Board on Friday. The video played a major role in igniting a global protest movement against police violence, and was used as evidence in the trial of Floyd’s killer. Committee officials who give out the prestigious prize in journalism and the arts said Frazier’s recording highlighted “the crucial role of citizens in journalists’ quests for truth and justice.” Frazier, who is Black, recently said she was proud of herself for recording Floyd’s murder even though it became a “traumatic life-changing experience” for her in the aftermath. Her video showed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin held his knee there for nine minutes and 29 seconds. The father of a black teen shot dead by police has joined-in demands to know what Black Lives Matter’s $90 million funds have been used for after its co-founder’s $3 million property portfolio was exposed. Michael Brown Sr – whose 18 year-old son Michael Brown was shot dead by a cop in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, added his name to the BLM 10 Plus movement. It is comprised of the original 10 Black Lives Matter chapters, and is seeking transparency and accountability from BLM about how its cash has been used. Co-founder Patrice Cullors resigned last month after her $3 million property portfolio was revealed, although those houses were bought with cash Cullors earned through public speaking and books she has written. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected a million-dollar libel lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Lubbock, finding in favor of religious organizations’ First Amendment rights. Former Deacon Jesus Guerrero sued the diocese for defamation in 2019 after it published his name on a list of members of the church who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. After hearing arguments in the case in January, the state high court ruled Friday that Guerrero lacked jurisdiction to bring the case. USA Gymnastics announced Friday that Dianne Durham will be inducted into the 2021 Hall of Fame. Thirty-eight years ago, she became the first Black gymnast to win the senior national championship. Sadly, Durham died in February at the age of 52. Durham will be inducted alongside the 2004 U.S. men’s Olympic team and four individuals, including six-time world medalist Rebecca Bross, on June 26 in St. Louis. https://youtu.be/yowt3YfwIsU Minister Robert Perkins has been a community leader for nearly 30 years. Now he is ready to take a seat at the political table: he is running for District Leader of the 61st Assembly District. Minister Perkins is in a contest against incumbent, Daniel Lavelle, who has held the position since 2013. In his press release announcing his candidacy, Perkins mentioned that he is the first African-American male District Leader candidate. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The 32nd annual New Orleans Film Festival will be held in-person this year. The event is scheduled for Nov. 5-21 at venues across the New Orleans area and will also include a virtual cinema. The virtual cinema will be accessible globally. This announcement was made by the New Orleans Film Society on Wednesday. Helen Hunt celebrated the 25th anniversary of Jan de Bont’s massive 1996 disaster blockbuster “Twister” by revealing a sequel she pitched that never got made. During a recent episode of “Watch What Happens Live” hosted by Andy Cohen, Hunt said she showed interest in directing a sequel in June of 2020, right around the time a reboot was announced as in the works at Universal Pictures. (Via Insider.) Hunt, who currently stars on the upcoming Starz series “Blindspotting,” said she wanted to make a film with a multiracial cast, but that an unnamed studio rejected the idea. “I tried to get it made,” the “Mad About You” star told Cohen. “With Daveed [Diggs] and Rafael [Casal] and me writing it, and all Black and brown storm chasers, and they wouldn’t do it. I was going to direct it.” John Legend’s production company, Get Lifted, has partnered with the Bernie Mac estate to make a biopic about the late comedian, Legend’s producing partner Mike Jackson revealed during a panel discussion at the 2021 Tribeca Festival. “We just partnered with Bernie Mac’s estate to cover Bernie Mac’s story,” Jackson said, seemingly surprising Legend as he said the info was “something that John doesn’t know about yet” and that he was “very excited about” the deal, which “just happened today.” “Look at you breaking news over here,” Legend said in response. “Springsteen on Broadway” will return to Broadway beginning this summer. Bruce Springsteen’s one-man show will have a limited run at the St. James Theatre beginning June 26th with a tentative ending date for Sept. 4th. “Springsteen on Broadway” includes 15 songs and stories of his growing up in New Jersey. Some of his stories can be found in his autobiography. His one-man show debuted in 2017 but closed in late 2018. A filmed version can be found on Netflix. To be a part of the audience, one will be required to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination. Chris Harrison the original host of “The Bachelor” is leaving. He was on hiatus from the franchise before his permanent departure was confirmed. Harrison has had a few run-ins but his biggest being the backlash he faced after he voiced support for Kirkconnell during an “Extra” interview last February with Rachel Lindsay. He apologized stating that he realized he had caused harm by “speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism.” Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment in a joint statement, expressed their thanks to Harrison for his “many contributions over the past 20 years and [we] wish him all the best on his new journey.” The current season of “The Bachelorette” is being hosted by former cast members Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe. As for his replacement, the producer and the network had no further comments. She did it again. Carrie Underwood, who now has 23 CMT Awards, graciously accepted the honor bestowed upon her once again as the most decorated artist in the history of the CMT Awards. Thanks to her song “Hallelujah” which she collaborated with John Legend. Underwood gave credit to Legend for sending her the song which first appeared on her album “My Gift.” Underwood also performed with rock band NEEDTOBREATHE and other female stars. Other performers included: Grammy-winning R&B star H.E.R. and fellow guitar slayer Chris Stapleton; Gladys Knight with Mickey Guyton; Guyton with BRELAND. Linda Martell, who did not attend the show was honored as well. Lady A kicked off the show with Carly Pearce and Lindsay Ell, Ingrid Andress sang with pop singer-songwriter JP Saxe, while Miranda Lambert performed with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall. Hosts Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini also performed onstage and won awards. Phyllis Hyman is one of the all-time brightest classic soul stars of the ’80s & 90s. Her authentic rhythm, flow, and divine connection to the people will finally be appropriately recognized on July 31. According to Soul Tracks, Soul Music Records will be honoring her with a deluxe 9-disc retrospective of her career titled Phyllis Hyman – Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1998. https://youtu.be/dhCf2L2-jww “It’s been short and fast,” said Paris born Contemporary Jazz guitarist Marc Antoine about his 25 year marriage to Rebecca, which is the motivation behind the release of his new album “Something About Her” (Shanachie Entertainment). “When everything goes well it doesn’t feel like 25 years. It’s like it just happened.” Throughout his career he has worked with three-time Grammy nominated saxophonist Sting, Cher, three-time Grammy nominated saxophonist Dave Koz and Rick Braun. His music can be heard in feature films, such as Get Shorty. https://youtu.be/t1SNaMBs91E According to actor/producer/comedian Chris Rock, he has fired staffers who have had a problem listening to and being directed by women. “I was like, ‘How come he’s not doing… And then I realize, ‘Oh, [it’s because a woman asked him to do it],” he told Nicole Kidman, who was interviewing him for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series. As far Rock is concerned, it was women who helped him in the early stages of his career, and when Kidman asked why he thinks it’s important to listen to women, his response was: “I don’t know, maybe my mother. When I started out as a comedian, women like Joy Behar and Susie Essman put me under their wing.” “I don’t know,” he added, “I have just always been around powerful women. If you’re familiar with Safaree Samuels and Erica Mena then you know the couple is going through a difficult time in their very tenuous relationship. It was only a month ago they were spreading the news of a second child together, but more recently we learned that they are ending their marriage. Although the couple has been on and off, this time around could be different. On May 25, TMZ reported that Erica filed for divorce. Allegedly, Safaree was caught on camera dancing inappropriately with another woman. It’s now alleged that Samuels got another woman pregnant. He has supposedly impregnated another woman while his estranged wife carries their second child. As reported on Madamenoire a source close to the couple confirmed the news. However, so far, neither Safaree or Erica has addressed the claims. One of legendary Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler’s sons and two of his former players described in detail Thursday how they were molested by the team’s longtime doctor and how Schembechler turned a blind eye when they told him about the alleged abuse, telling one to “toughen up” and punching his son in anger. Matt Schembechler, 62, and former Wolverines players Daniel Kwiatkowski and Gilvanni Johnson told similar stories about how Dr. Robert E. Anderson, who died in 2008, molested and digitally penetrated them during physical exams decades ago. They also talked about how Bo Schembechler, a Michigan icon whose statue stands outside a university building that bears his name, refused to protect them and allowed Anderson to continue abusing players and other patients for years. Anderson “was supported by a culture that placed the reputation of the university above the health and safety of the students,” Matt Schembechler said during a news conference in the Detroit suburb of Novi. “That is the culture that made my father a legend and placed his statue in front of Schembechler Hall. Simone Biles fans will get the chance to see her record-breaking gymnastic skills in person! The 24-year-old Olympian will be headlining the Athleta Presents Gold Over America Tour, also presented by MagicSpace Entertainment and AEG, and tickets went on sale Friday. The 35-city tour kicks off in Tucson, Arizona, on Sept. 21, with stops along the way in Denver, Colorado, Los Angeles, California, Anaheim, California, Houston, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio, Atlanta, Georgia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Newark, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York. It concludes in Boston, Massachusetts, on Nov. 7. Biles, who claimed her seventh all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, setting a new record for the most all-around titles ever for an American woman, might just be as excited as her fans for the tour, which is also sponsored by GK Elite and SPIETH America. Novak Djokovic came from a set down in a spellbinding French Open semi-final to inflict only a third ever defeat on the Parisian clay for Rafa Nadal, moving through 3-6 6-3 7-6(4) 6-2 in front of mesmerised crowd on Friday. The two warriors produced superhuman tennis as the 58th duel between them arguably rivalled anything they had conjured against each other since they first locked horns in 2006. Nadal, bidding for a record-extending 14th French Open title, won the first five games and looked on course to repeat his drubbing of the Serb in last year’s final. But world number one Djokovic seized the momentum, winning the second set and then edging a pulsating 97-minute third set on a tiebreak, having saved a set point. Shaquille O’Neal is a big man with a bigger heart. He has demonstrated this repeatedly, having incredible gestures with strangers who can’t believe this man just helped them get something they struggled to have. A couple of months ago, he helped a young man get an engagement ring. Prior to that, he had told the story of when he bought furniture for a lady whose house was burned down and more. https://fadeawayworld.net/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTgxNjU3OTUyMjA4Mjk5Nzg5/shaq-burger.webp The 69-year-old coach Nick Saban, college football’s highest paid coach, has agreed to a 3-year extended contract to run through the 2029 season with Alabama. The contract includes an $800,000 “contract completion benefit” after each contract year from 2022-25. He signed a new 8-year deal in 2018 worth at least $74.4 million, including $400,000 annual raises and three payments of $800,000 for completing contract years. That propelled him to the top as college football’s highest paid coach. Saban was scheduled to make $9.3 million last year, which placed him again at the top, according to USA Today’s database of college football salaries. Naomi Osaka said she would not participate in the standard post-match news conferences during Roland Garros, citing her decision as a mental health matter because media questions can create self-doubt. Serena Williams says she can identify with Osaka and the anxiety one feels when dealing with news conference scrutiny. She admits to having experienced it frequently after matches. But, Williams says, media scrutiny has “made me stronger.” In responding to Osaka’s decision to withdraw and her admittance to struggling with long bouts of depression since winning a tumultuous final against Williams in the 2018 U.S. Open, Williams says, “I feel for Naomi. Not everyone is the same. I’m thick. Other people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently. You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to and the best way she thinks she can. That’s the only thing I can say: I think she is doing the best she can.” How does Williams handle the media spotlight? Williams says when the glare becomes too intense, it is important to reach out for support. Talk to people and get things off your chest. When you can’t necessarily talk to family have someone you can talk to. You have to take the first step and let people know you need help. According to CBS News via MSN, customers banking with the online bank: Ally, will no longer be charged a $25 overdraft fee no matter what type of account they hold, the company recently announced. In addition to the new policy, Ally said fees for insufficient funds disproportionately harm low-income households living paycheck to paycheck, especially in Black and Hispanic families. https://youtu.be/gcDjSDX2wcI Eva Marcille is addressing a controversial moment in her final season of Bravo’s The Real #Housewives of Atlanta. The model and reality star appeared in seasons 10-12 of the popular Bravo series. During a phone call with star Cynthia Bailey in the 12th season, she referred to Kenya Moore and #PorshaWilliams as “nappy-headed,” sparking colorist accusations against her. Now, she has defended the term in an interview with Hello Beautiful saying: “Nappy head is something I say that I have and my daughter also has until we comb it out. I’m a Black woman and it is a colloquialism that we have used. You will not dictate, because your skin is a little darker than mine, what colloquialisms I can or cannot use.” Two teenage brothers have been arrested for their involvement in a Memorial Day shootout that left toddler Ja’Tyri Brown and two others dead, WBRZ reports. David Williams, 19, and his 15-year-old brother were the latest suspects to be taken into custody, the Baton Rouge Police Department said. Two adults and another 15-year-old have already been apprehended. CCTV showed the suspects going into the pool area of an apartment complex, where they appeared to brawl with two males who were relaxing in lounge chairs. The two males were then shot. 18-month-old girl Ja’Tyri was fatally hit by a stray bullet, according to an arrest affidavit. Her grandmother, Hope Provost, told The Advocate: “I feel like my soul and world has been ripped out of my body. My grandbaby was my world. Everything I did was for my grandbaby.” As the world economy awakens from the 15-month slumber caused by the pandemic, Deutsche Bank has launched a series of research articles to spark debate and discussion about pressing post-pandemic economic issues. On June 7, Deutsche Bank issued its first report of the new series, titled “Inflation: The defining macro story of this decade.” According to the report, “US macro policy and, indeed, the very role of government in the economy, is undergoing its biggest shift in direction in 40 years. In turn we are concerned that it will bring about uncomfortable levels of inflation.” That could be deemed an understatement considering that the U.S. economy is already experiencing “uncomfortable” inflation. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was known for many things prior to being caught masturbating on zoom during a work call with his former colleagues at The New Yorker.The analyst was once an assistant attorney for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn and rose to fame for his legal coverage at The New Yorker and a subsequent book detailing the O.J. Simpson trial. The book was later turned into the award-winning FX series, “The People vs. O.J. Simpson.” He joined CNN in the early 2000s where he later became the network’s chief legal analyst. But in an awkward and embarrassing turn of events, his respect and notoriety were overshadowed last October after news broke of the exposed zoom call. The events that followed included his termination from The New Yorker, a publication he worked at for 27 years, and an eight-month leave from CNN. “I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers,” Toobin said last year. “I believed I was not visible on Zoom. I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video.” Then, on Thursday, Toobin was welcomed back to CNN with open arms. appearring alongside anchor Alisyn Camerota on “CNN Newsroom.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1403061093824708611 The newly released autopsy report from an official medical examiner in North Carolina not only contradicts the “false” police narrative surrounding the deadly shooting of a Black man last month but also supports claims from his family that he was “executed,” civil rights lawyers representing his family said Thursday. The North Carolina State Medical Examiner’s Officer determined in a report released Thursday that Andrew Brown Jr. died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head while driving away from police officers in Elizabeth City on April 21 — the same conclusion previously reached following an independent autopsy commissioned by the attorneys representing his family. And though Brown’s family attorneys didn’t say so, the state autopsy’s findings also seemingly demonstrate the orchestration of a massive coverup that involved levels of law enforcement from the police on up to Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble’s office and possibly even the judge presiding over the case. “The autopsy results prove what we’ve always known to be true: Pasquotank County deputies executed Andrew Brown Jr. with a kill shot to the back of the head. The false narrative that DA Womble has attempted to weave is completely discredited by this autopsy report,” civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Bakari Sellers, Harry Daniels and Chantel Cherry-Lassiter said in a statement. A monument in an Oregon public park commemorating the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition has been vandalized for the second time in three months. The most recent time took place Tuesday was captured on video by a witness who said she came upon a white woman spray-painting the monument’s base with unintelligible words. The monument in Mount Tabor Park in Portland features a bust of a slave named York who is credited with helping explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traverse the U.S. beginning in 1804. A biker took photos of the white woman holding cans of spray paint with which she was vandalizing the bust. https://youtu.be/Cjh9Tw7ycVU Louisiana State Police unit faces an internal investigation regarding the death of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist who was brutally assaulted and tased during his 2019 arrest. A secret panel of investigators will determine if officers are targeting Black motorists in the state, according to the Associated Press. Greene’s untimely death which catapulted into the national spotlight last month after the bodycam footage was released, is one of four incidents involving Black men that the panel will investigate. Another incident involves a motorist who was assaulted, tased, and hoisted by his braids, another was beaten while handcuffed and another sustained being hit 18 times with a flashlight. As many as a dozen white troopers from the Louisiana State Police Troop F unit face investigation, four of which were involved in Greene’s arrest. The unit has a documented history of excessive force and brutality accusations. Timing regarding how long the investigation will take is not yet known, but the panel began their review a few weeks ago, after the release of Greene’s arrest video. Martha White, a freedom fighter of the last century died on June 5 at the age of 99, the Associated Press reports. White’s refusal to give up her seat on a crowded Baton Rouge, Lousisiana, bus after a hard day of work in 1953 helped launch a mass bus boycott in the capital city. White was later joined by another Black woman domestic worker and civil rights activist Rev. T.J. Jemison, who helped reinforce that White was within her legal right due to a recently passed ordinance that desegregated buses. A high school principal in High Point, North Carolina is enjoying sudden fame after video of him surprising the graduating class with an acapella rendition of “I Will Always Love You” went viral. Seniors at T. Wingate Andrews High School in High Point appeared to have no idea that their principal, Marcus Gause, was about to break out in song. The clip begins with Gause near the end of the Dolly Parton classic made famous by Whitney Houston. “And I hope you have all you dream of,” he belted, as students and their guests cheered him on. https://youtu.be/9OlTs-oW8c0 A Kenyan innovator, Kenneth Guantai, who has developed electric tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaws) and handcarts, hopes to mass-produce them in December 2021, after receiving orders from several East African countries. “I have received proposals from business people in countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo who want me to set up assembly lines,” Guantai told Zenger News. Six years since he first assembled his inventions, he says has done an in-depth market analysis that will change the perception of using hand-pulled carts and petrol-powered tuk-tuks. Dr. Dre is officially single again, TMZ reports. A judge on Thursday finalized his divorce from Nicole Young, ending their 24-year marriage. The two will now go into legal battle over their prenup as they begin to sort out their finances. Young wants the judge to make the prenup void, and has claimed that Dre agreed with her. However, Dre, who is worth at least $800 million, said he never said any such thing and that the prenup remains in effect. So far, he has had to give Young $2 million a month in temporary spousal support. Young first filed for divorce in June 2020 and since then she has alleged that Dre abused her, which the rapper denied, according to Complex. “Friday Night Vibes™,” a new 52-week movie destination that spotlights feel-good comedies, action-packed blockbusters and culturally significant storytelling inclusive of diverse voices, kicks off on Friday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on TBS with its first in-studio guest Snoop Dogg and the broadcast of “Creed” and “Creed 2.” The Doggfather will join hosts Tiffany Haddish (“The Last O.G.,” “Girls Trip”) and Deon Cole (“Black-ish,” “Grown-ish”) to launch the year-round celebration of all things for the culture, as well as commemorate and honor Juneteenth and Father’s Day. Laugh Out Loud, the multi-platform comedy brand founded by Kevin Hart, and Wheelhouse Entertainment has announced the launch of new comedy competition series LYFT COMICS. Produced by LOL Studios and Wheelhouse’s Spoke Studios in partnership with Lyft Entertainment, the six-episode season will debut across LOL’s OTT Network and partner channels. In LYFT COMICS, up-and-coming comedians go head-to-head in a competition that takes the comedy show on the road. In each episode, two comics—undercover as Lyft drivers (in separate cars)—try out their material on unsuspecting passengers, seeing whose set can bring in the most laughs from the back seat. With just three rides each, the comedians compete to see who can get the most laughs—and best star ratings—while en route to their final destinations. At the end of each episode, the comedian with the highest cumulative rating is crowned winner by Kevin Hart. https://youtu.be/527fh_DUeeo Fifty years ago, Roberta Flack released her third studio album, Quiet Fire, just six months after Marvin Gaye’s groundbreaking masterpiece, What’s Going On came out in May 1971. At the time, the nation’s emotions were heated and raw with the Vietnam War raging and the Civil Rights movement bringing racial injustice, societal inequality and the ugly truth behind police brutality to the forefront of the American consciousness. While recording Quiet Fire, a studio engineer quietly captured Flack and her band in a moment of inspiration as they reflected on Gaye’s still-true-to-life hit. This never-before-released track appears on Songs for You, Vol. 1 which becomes available on Record Store Day’s first drop date, Saturday, June 12, at participating independent record stores across the United States. Songs for You, Vol. 2 will be available on July 17. To find a record store near you, visit recordstoreday.com. Migos debuted their new song “Avalanche” during a virtual visit to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Wednesday. The track, which channels the Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” is off their new album “Culture III,” released today (June 11). In honor of the song’s inspiration, Quavo, Offset and Takeoff all donned Temptations-like black suits and hats for the performance, which was recorded remotely in an undisclosed studio and featured a full live band. https://youtu.be/n4LTSXaNVlE Snoop Dogg has announced the official appointment of Shante Broadus to his executive team as his official manager. As a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, Shante oversees Boss Lady Entertainment (BLE) and began her career by managing the early part of her husband, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., aka Snoop Dogg’s career. In her new role, Shante will bring her vast, multi-dimensional expertise to expand Snoop Dogg’s existing ventures, as well as cultivate and fortify all upcoming partnership deals across the cannabis, spirits, gaming, music, brand partnerships, touring, licensing and TV/film space. Additionally, Shante will oversee the media arm of Snoop Dogg’s empire, diGGital doGG – home to exclusive mobile apps, video games and a proprietary animation pipeline. Shock G (of Digital Underground) was found dead in a hotel room in Tampa back in April. At the time, the cause of death was unclear but Shock’s father said authorities were going to conduct an autopsy. Shock G, was the lead artist for the pioneering hip-hop group Digital Underground. He was best known for his alter ego, “Humpty Hump,” in the group’s famous 1989 song and dance. He was only 57 years old. According to the latest update by TMZ, a Hillsborough County inspector general has revealed the cause of death — sharing that he died from a deadly mixture of drugs and alcohol. (Fentanyl and Meth) According to police report based on an eyewitness account and that of the car driver, actor Kevin Clark was hit by a car while riding his bicycle east along Logan Boulevard in Chicago. When emergency first responders got to the scene of the accident, they found Clark pinned under his car. He was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he died shortly after. Fellow actor Jack Black who starred with Clark in the 2003 movie “School of Rock,” expressed his condolences via tweet stating how devastating and unexpected Clark’s death was: “Sending love to his family and the whole School of Rock community,” he tweeted. Gina Prince-Bythewood has been tapped to direct MGM’s sci-fi thriller “Exoplanet” after the studio secured the rights to adapt Minnie Schedeen’s short story into a feature. Deadline reports, Matt Tolmach (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Venom, Morbius) and David Manpearl are attached to produce for Matt Tolmach Productions. Schedeen will adapt her short story for the screen. According to the report, the logline is being kept under wraps. “I am so thrilled to be reuniting again with Gina Prince-Bythewood. The opportunity to work with her on Love and Basketball was an incredible experience and to have a chance to work with her again is hugely exciting,” said Michael De Luca, MGM’s Film Group chairman. The Academy Awards is getting down to some serious business “as usual.” Plans are in place for hosting the 94th Oscars on March 27, 2022. The show will return to the Dolby Theatre for its ABC broadcast. Extras such as the Governors Awards and the Nominees Luncheon which were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic plague are back on the schedule. The Governors Award is set for January 15th and the Nominees Luncheon for March 7th. Nominations are set to be announced February 8th. Why so late in the year? Because other major events such as the 2022 Olympics and the Super Bowl are scheduled for February. Also, NBC has announced it will not air the Golden Globes in 2022 and this is good for the Oscars as the Golden Globes has taken some of the spotlight away from the Oscars. Ray J recently appeared on Respectfully Justin, co-hosted by Justin LaBoy & Justin Dior Combs. While there, he opened up about how he had Princess Love wait six months before he had sex with her. And yes, you read that right–he claims he made her wait! Justin LaBoy kicked off the interaction with a question: “Truth or shot: you ever flew a girl out and she didn’t let you hit? Imma start with Ray [J].” In response, Ray J claimed: “[When] I was in my situation with my beautiful wife, I didn’t want to hit on the first night. I wanted to stretch it, just because it’s different. Six, seven months–’til they can’t take it no more.” Former American sports journalist Jason Whitlock believes Americans have the capacity to be abolitionists of fear. And that’s why he returned to the reporting world to start “Fearless”: a platform that will showcase his podcast of the same name, and eventually, a writing vertical. In an op-ed published on The Blaze, Whitlock wrote, “On the surface, Fearless will look a little different from the rest of the Blaze Media family. But our love of country will be just as strong, our appreciation for this nation’s founding documents just as sincere, and our search for liberating truths just as intense.” To bolster the Fearless announcement, the op-ed focused on the ways in which fear has embedded itself into everyday life of Americans—most notable in social media, the recent unraveling of racial climate and cancel culture. A top Australian swimmer will skip out on the Tokyo Olympics because she says she’s had enough of “misogynistic perverts” in her sport. Maddie Groves, a 26-year-old who won two silver medals at the 2016 Rio Games, had been due to compete in Australia’s Olympic trials this weekend. She announced her decision to pull out on Instagram, followed by a full-on Twitter blast: “Let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their boot lickers—You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body shame or medically gaslight them and then expect them to represent you so you can earn your annual bonus. Time’s UP.” Groves said in a tweet last December that she’d complained several years ago about a man in the sport who’d creeped her out by staring at her in her swimsuit. Reacting to the latest news, Swimming Australia said it had “reached out to Maddie” after that tweet but she’d refused to provide details. “Nor do we have any previous complaints on record from Maddie,” the governing body added. Activists in Minneapolis are calling for Ramona Dohman to step down as head of the U.S. Marshals Service in the state over the handling of the fatal police shooting of Winston Smith Jr., a father of three. Smith’s death has sparked several days of protests and backlash over the marshals not wearing body cameras during the encounter. As reported by The Root, “investigators said there is no video evidence available to determine what led up to the shooting. Not only were the task force members not wearing body-cams, but they aren’t allowed to wear them,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/SFLHQOHGhEs Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden embarked on their first foreign trips this week, in order to cultivate relationships with allies around the world. Travel was delayed for the Biden-Harris administration for obvious reasons, as the pandemic continues to affect everyday life for not just Americans, but citizens across the globe. In Africa specifically, citizens are suffering due to a shortage of around 700 million doses. Over the last week, the issue has become more pressing as the World Health Organization disseminated the dire news regarding the shortage. “It is extremely concerning and at times frustrating,” Africa CDC Director Dr. John Nkengasong told the Associated Press on Wednesday. Former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed just moved the needle to enter the city’s closely watched mayoral race after Keisha Lance Bottoms announced she would not seek reelection. On Tuesday Reed filed official paperwork to enter the field of candidates which includes City Councilman Antonio Brown, Atlanta attorney Sharon Gay, and Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore. Georgia faith leaders have not backed down in the fight for voting rights. Gathering Tuesday steps from the state capitol, faith leaders and legislators called for action. Joined by members of the Georgia Legislative Black caucus, faith leaders led those gathered Tuesday in prayer and a call to action on both the For the People Act and the John Lewis Advancement Act in Liberty Plaza, across the street from the state capitol on Tuesday. Among them, Rev. Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Coretta Scott King and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke about the fight’s urgency in 2021. “My father reminds us that power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice,” King said. “And justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” King challenged the Senate to find a “win-win pathway” to passing proposed democracy reforms and undoing new voter suppression laws. There could be a new senator in Florida. And her name is Val Demings. Marco Rubio immediately lashed out at Demings in apparent fear after the Democratic Congresswoman formally announced on Wednesday that she’s coming for the Republican’s seat in the U.S. Senate next year. Demings released an expertly produced campaign video that explained why a sitting Congresswoman is running for Senate. Without mentioning Rubio’s name once, Demings clearly got under his skin by contrasting her self-described energetic passion for serving the people with what she called weariness and fatigue displayed by the Republican Senator. No longer burdened by keeping up the pretense of bipartisanship, former President Barack Obama says that some right-wing media feed off fear. In an interview Monday with Anderson Cooper, Obama discussed the topic of race and the difficulty some white Americans seem to have with reconciling their pride in America and immoral acts done in its name. He also said part of the problem is certain right-wing media outlets that fan the flames and cause confusion. MediaCo Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: MDIA), owner of HOT 97, WBLS, and Fairway Outdoor, announced today that Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay has been named Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2021. Mr. Lindsay most recently served as Executive Vice President, Urban One. He brings over twenty years of successful leadership experience across media, television, and advertising to MediaCo. As CEO, Lindsay will be responsible for setting MediaCo's overall strategic vision and expanding its radio and outdoor divisions with an emphasis on transforming the digital business. ANTHONY ONEAL AND KIERRA SHEARD-KELLY ON THE TABLE Sis said, "If you don't know how to spend or budget your money [and time], people will know how to spend both of them very well for you." You do not want to miss the "6 Ways to Secure the Bag" episode on The Table with Anthony ONeal and Kierra Sheard-Kelly! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deyjh46VFW4 Praise and Worship hit Anthem writer and GRAMMY-nominated artist Todd Dulaney returns with all-new music inspired spontaneously by the written word of God through his highly anticipated live album Anthems & Glory available where music is sold and streamed digitally on Friday, June 11th. Recorded live at All Nations Worship Assembly in Chicago, this new body of music finds Dulaney leading listeners literally back to the scriptures for hope, comfort, answers, instructions, and everything to live life according to the Bible. Anthems & Glory features a collective of 17 tracks and a stellar line-up of special guests that include Kierra Sheard, David Wilford, Todd Galberth, Smokie Norful, Tamela Mann, Apostle Matthew Stevenson and Tim Bush. Hear Todd Dulaney in His Own Words In The Gospel Spotlight...... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/todddulaney_intvw.htm Tasha Cobbs Leonard's "In Spite Of Me" Goes #1! “Huge Thank you to My amazing husband for producing the sound of Royalty! To my label for always believing in me and working tirelessly to make things happen. To my radio team for believing in what I’ve been chosen to carry and helping me take it to the world! To ???????????? ?????????? for working so hard to keep GOSPEL MUSIC alive!!!” – Tasha Cobbs Leonard Look Up! Clearwater Music Festival is back for its fourth year this Saturday, June 12, after taking a year off in 2020. This year’s return christens Clearwater’s newly revamped Crest Lake Park. This year’s festival has a packed lineup and features special guest three-time Grammy Award-winning gospel artist and talk show host Evangelist Dorinda Clark-Cole. Jor'Dan Armstrong, Gospel music's freshest voice, drops his new song today, June 11 to all digital platforms. "My God," which premiered just last month on Radio One, was immediately catapulted to Billboard's Most Added Chart. Gary Owen hit up the “Wendy Show” to promote his latest film “The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2,” and at one point during the conversation, he dropped a bombshell about his divorce from Kenya Duke. https://youtu.be/_RhVmBpH1z4 Fox Soul and Black Enterprise have joined forces to roll out a slate of original programming highlighting Black creatives. BlackFilm.com reports, the first original series from the new partnership is the Economic Equity and Racial Justice Town Hall, One Year After George Floyd: Has Corporate America Made Good on its Economic Equity Pledges?, which is set to premiere June 10 on the Fox Soul platform. Hosted by Manulife, panelists will include CNN Political Commentator Bakari Sellers, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump, Vice President of Talent Management at Manulife Tara John, Founder of Black Executive CMO Alliance Jerri DeVard, Infor Chairman Charles Phillips, and President & CEO Executive Leadership Council Michael C. Hyter, according to the report. Tyra Myricks, the daughter of hip-hop icon Jam Master Jay, has joined forces with the daughter of the late Biggie Smalls to bring New York-style pizza to the West Coast. Tyra appeared on Thursday’s “TMZ Live,” and revealed their secret ingredient — real NY water in their dough. The eatery is also planning to have a members-only cannabis lounge in the back, according to the report. “The more I thought about how to bring that New York theme to Los Angeles, I felt, who represents New York more than Biggie Smalls?,” Myricks told Business Insider. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-06-10-061021-tyra-myricks-1136593/ Halle Berry recently responded to a Twitter user who asked how she felt about being referenced in “damn near every rap song.” The actress retweeted the user’s post and added the caption “I love it.” As noted by Complex, everyone from Kanye West (“New Workout Plan”) to J. Cole (“Higher”) to Kendrick Lamar (“Money Trees”) have mentioned Berry in their songs. The Hollywood veteran recently shared a clip of her appearance on Hot Ones where she was asked about her favorite artist/rap song in which she is mentioned. “I think of these references, like my children, in a way,” she responded. “There’s no way I could pick one. I love all these artists. I’m always flattered when any one of them include me, and that they still remember me, or even know who I am. So, to pick one would be like picking my daughter over my son. I love them all.” Comedian Danny Rouhier, who is a co-host with Grant Paulsen on 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C., has gone viral over a video on Twitter showing his impression of Charles Barkley. His impersonation of Barkley breaking down the first half of the Nuggets-Blazers game is spot on, and the best part is the way he keeps butchering the names of players. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5HSBQqlUW0 Did Kanye West really move on from Kim Kardashian with supermodel Irina Shayk? The rapper was seen with Irina Shayk in Provence, France as he celebrated his 44th birthday yesterday (June 9th). They were spotted smiling and walking together near a luxury boutique hotel (in France) with friends. They were also alone in some moments, appearing to look like a couple, according to a TMZ report. “Kanye West is now secretly dating Irina Shayk aka Bradley Cooper’s baby mama.” The gossip site replied back and alluded that the pair aren’t officially a couple but there’s still something going on between them. The site has confirmed reports that they’re together, but it’s not clear how serious they are. Taraji P. Henson has joined the cast of “Annie Live!” as orphanage boss Miss Hannigan. “Carol Burnett, who brought Miss Hannigan to life in the classic 1982 movie, is someone I have studied and idolized as far back as I can remember,” said Henson. “So when the opportunity came to me to join NBC and this incredible group of producers, I jumped! Carol, I hope to do you proud!” Susan Rovner, chairman of entertainment content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, added: “When we decided to bring back NBC’s holiday musical tradition, we were looking for something that was critically acclaimed and universally beloved — and while that’s definitely the case with ‘Annie,’ it absolutely applies to Taraji as well.” “Watching her take on this iconic role will be a thrill that has all the makings of must-watch television.” Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) and Laugh Out Loud, the multi-platform comedy brand, today announced Kevin Hart’s comedy action series, ‘Die Hart,’ will return to The Roku Channel for a second season titled, ‘Die Harter.’ Following the series premiere on May 20, the greenlight is the first Roku Original renewal for The Roku Channel. ‘Die Hart’ had a spectacular weekend debut, with a record number of households streaming the series. https://youtu.be/UU5YWgLZK-k Keke Palmer is showcasing the range of her dynamic acting skills on the Facebook Watch series “Turnt Up with the Taylors.” Per The Hollywood Reporter, the series is “a satirical take on the reality genre about a family navigating the future of their Taylor Time reality show after daughter Chelsea “Barbie” Taylor (a character Palmer created on Instagram) decides to break free for solo fame,” the outlet writes. Palmer plays all five parts in addition to co-creating, co-writing and producing the eight-episode shortform comedy series. The actress recently opened up to THR about playing multiple roles on the show and which character is her personal favorite. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPtdLRVAO0I/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Mariah Carey reportedly parted ways with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation because she wants to work with a smaller team of managers. TMZ reports that we’re told at Roc, artists like Mariah could have 20 or more people working on her team in various departments — marketing, social media, music, merchandise, etc. — and she simply felt it was time to pare down to a more intimate team. Our sources say there was no “explosive argument” between the 2 music legends as reported by some outlets — something Mariah shot down on Twitter. The Smollett sibling duo continue to bring their keen design flavor to CLEO TV this Saturday, June 12th at 9 p.m. ET/8C on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6uFnXmv__4 Tituss Burgess has come to the defense of his “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” co-star Ellie Kemper after she caught major heat for participating in a debutante ball as a teen that was hosted by an organization with an “unquestionably racist, sexist, and elitist past.” Kemper was named the queen of the ball with ties to white supremacy. The Broadway star, 42, publicly apologized this week on Instagram after photos surfaced of her being crowned at the St. Louis’ Veiled Prophet Ball in 1999. The “Office” alum said that she didn’t know the history of the debutante ball at the time. “I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved,” she said. “I unequivocally deplore, denounce, and reject white supremacy. At the same time, I acknowledge that because of my race and my privilege, I am the beneficiary of a system that has dispensed unequal justice and unequal rewards.” Burgess told Page Six that he has spoken to Kemper, saying “My Ellie is doing wonderful. Ellie’s great.” He reposted Kemper’s apology on his Instagram account, writing alongside it: “I love my Ellie. Oh, & P.S. Next time, just ask me, I’ll tell ya what to do.” Logan Paul has responded to the theory that Floyd Mayweather Jr. held him up after knocking him out during their exhibition fight on Sunday night. “Make no mistake, he got a lot of good punches in. I got f—ed up (with) a couple of shots,” Paul added. “I didn’t know my face could make that shape. But I never rocked, never blacked out, never got knocked out. He didn’t hold me up. He tried to take me out and he couldn’t.” https://youtu.be/aONT7atzqfw Following four years of border crackdowns, endless legal fights and racially charged rhetoric by President Trump, immigration advocates had hopes that the new Democratic administration would bring a more compassionate and open-armed approach to immigration, particularly toward asylum seekers fleeing troubled Central America. But when Vice President Kamala Harris gave a high-profile speech Monday in Guatemala, in which she told would-be immigrants from Central America “do not come” to the United States, her words instantly provoked ripples of anger and concern among immigrant rights groups and progressives. Many took to social media and the airwaves condemning Harris’ blunt rhetoric as “disappointing” and “tone-deaf.” Among the critics was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who defended the rights of asylum seekers and lambasted decades of U.S. foreign policy for “contributing to regime change and destabilization in Latin America.” https://youtu.be/rGZXW97Euxw Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is expected to preach a message of redemption at the city’s Historic Little Rock Baptist Church on Sunday. Kilpatrick, 51, said he “dropped to his knees” in January when he learned former President Donald Trump was freeing him after serving seven years of a 28-year sentence for corruption. “I dropped to my knees, I thanked God, and I promised Him that I would stay faithful to Him,” he told Deadline Detroit. “And I went to sleep.” https://youtu.be/4iw1_Ej4OC4 President Joe Biden’s son Hunter repeatedly called his white attorney the N-word in a series of texts in 2018 and 2019. The newly unearthed messages were reportedly lifted from Hunter’s abandoned laptop and first reported by Daily Mail.com. New York Post reports, in an exchange on Dec. 13, 2018, Hunter asked Chicago-based corporate attorney George Mesires, who is white, “How much money do I owe you” before adding “Becaause [sic] n—a you better not be charging me Hennessy rates” “That made me snarf my coffee,” replied Mesires. “I just made that phrase up, by the way,” Hunter responded, adding, “I should have [h]ad your lineage.” “Apparently you do,” answered Mesires, before Hunter responded: “That’s what I’m saying ni …” Chicago police are investigating after video of three women twerking atop a moving Chicago police SUV went viral over the weekend. The clip showed the squad vehicle inching through a crowd of people on the street as three women climbed onto the hood and roof. They then began twerking to the screams and delight of the crowd gathered around. The video showed one woman on her hands and knees on the hood with her rear facing the windshield while another stood on the hood directly in front of the windshield, bent over and holding onto the roof. A third woman was doing her thing while on her hands and knees on the roof. https://youtu.be/cWD3ZD35YE0 Life coach Diosa Chiqui went viral last week for the way she taught her two daughters about the lasting effects of bullying. The TikTok video begins with Chiqui holding up a sheet of paper in front of her daughters Alayn and Neelia. “Say mean things to this paper,” she tells them in the video, posted on April 15. “You’re ugly,” says one of her daughters. “You don’t have no friends,” says the other. “You’re fat!” continues the first. “That’s why your mom doesn’t love you,” and “You smell like dog food!” were other insults they chose to hurl at the paper. With each insult, Chiqui crumpled the paper a little more, until it was in a ball. She then asked them to apologize to the paper. When both girls said, “I’m sorry,” Chiqui unraveled the paper and held up the wrinkled sheet. “Is it fixed?” she asked her children. When they responded, “No,” she then told them, “This is why you don’t bully.” The video quickly amassed 2.8 million likes on TikTok. https://www.instagram.com/p/CObQrwMg2Aq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A youth pastor and Christian camp director who was accused of inappropriately touching 21 girls is suing the Amherst megachurch that hired a lawyer to investigate the allegations. Wayne S. Aarum, who runs the Circle C Ranch in Delevan, claimed in a defamation lawsuit filed this week that The Chapel and its executive pastor, John Camardo, engaged in a “sustained campaign of … false and malicious accusations” against Aarum that hurt his reputation. Aarum is seeking $3.1 million in damages. An internal investigation earlier this year by Texas attorney Kimberlee Norris found 21 women who alleged Aarum touched them inappropriately when they were teenagers or young women. The inappropriate behavior included stroking legs and touching clothed breasts and genital areas, according to a letter Norris sent to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. The parents of an 8-year-old girl who was shot and killed near the site where Rayshard Brooks had been shot several weeks earlier filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Atlanta and others. Secoriea Turner was slain on July 4, 2020, while riding in an SUV with her mother and a friend of her mother, near the Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, was killed by a white police officer on June 12. The lawsuit filed by Charmaine Turner and Secoriey Williamson says city leaders showed negligence in failing to remove armed vigilantes who gathered at the site along with peaceful protesters, which created a dangerous situation that led to Secoriea’s death. “Secoriea should be here. None of what we’re doing will ever bring our baby back. Her life is priceless,” Turner said during a news conference Monday. “We deserve justice. Someone needs to be held accountable.” The filming of Mission: Impossible 7 has been shut down after one or more members of the production team in the United Kingdom tested positive for COVID-19. The temporary halt to filming of the latest installment of the Tom Cruise franchise comes six months after audio of the star berating the crew for not wearing masks leaked out. The Hollywood Reporter says work on the movie is stopped for 14 days while those affected go into quarantine. Tyler Perry is not bidding farewell to Madea after all. The prolific creator and producer is bringing his iconic character to Netflix. Perry is planning a 12th installment of the film franchise, A Madea Homecoming, for a 2022 debut on the streaming service. The feature will be shot at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, where the multihyphenate films most of his projects. The character of Madea was first introduced onstage in the 1999 play I Can Do Bad All by Myself. Since then, she’s been at the center of other theater productions and dozens of films, TV shows and even a book. In 2019, Perry, then 49 years of age, talked about retiring the Madea character as he premiered A Madea Family Funeral. “I don’t want to be her age playing her, so it was time to shut it down and move on. I’ve got some other things I want to do, and in this next 50, I’m going to do something different,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Linda Martell, one of the pioneers for Black acts in country music and the first Black woman to perform solo at the Grand Ole Opry, will be honored at the 2021 CMT Music Awards. The 86-year-old will receive the CMT Equal Play Award at Wednesday night’s show. Mickey Guyton, who this year became the first solo Black woman nominated for a country Grammy Award, will present the honor to Martell, while Black artists including Darius Rucker, Rissi Palmer and Rhiannon Giddens will congratulate the legend in a video package highlighting her career. Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Nettles, last year’s CMT Equal Play Award recipient, will also honor Martell. Former #RHOP star #MoniqueSamuels is calling out Bravo for the alleged ill-treatment the network put her through. Samuels previously announced that she would not be returning to RHOP for any upcoming seasons. Her decision seemingly came after she got into a physical altercation with co-star Candiace Dillard Bassett on the most recently aired season (season 5). During a recent interview, Monique Samuels alleged that Bravo has tried to ban her from doing press following her fight with her former co-star and exit from the show. She said. WE tv’s hit series “Beyond the Pole” returns this week and we have an exclusive clip of the new episode — which finds the girls sharing their craziest stripping stories. https://youtu.be/XLCZZHgog80 The California man accused of murdering his wife and then propping up her dead body on a couch as their kids opened Christmas presents, was convicted in April of second-degree murder. On Friday, William Wallace was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the 2011 death of 26-year-old Za’Zell Preston. He was reportedly given credit for the nine years he has already served. The Mercury News reported, Wallace, 39, allegedly killed his wife during an argument on Christmas Eve 2011. Wallace had a history of violence against Preston and he threatened to kill her on multiple occasions. The victim was studying to become a domestic violence counselor at the time of her death. https://youtu.be/CIKiR_RYqwA Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won the NBA regular-season MVP, a person with knowledge of the voting confirmed to USA TODAY Sports, marking the first time in 21 years that a definitive center won the award. “I’m not objective certainly, but he’s having an historical year,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly told USA TODAY Sports in late April. “I’ve never seen a more difficult player to guard. He’s the best passer in the NBA. He has an ability to step out and consistently make 3s. He’s got 15 moves in the post. You never know what he’s going to pull out.” The Nuggets touted Jokic’s credentials all season long for numerous reasons. They have considered Jokic to be the NBA’s best passing big man. Jim Fassel, whose bold guarantee of a playoff bid late in the 2000 season seemingly catapulted the New York Giants to a spot in the Super Bowl, has died. He was 71. The Giants said Tuesday that family friends informed them of his death. Son John Fassel, special teams coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, confirmed the death to the Los Angeles Times. He told the newspaper his father was taken to a Las Vegas hospital with chest pains and died while being treated Monday. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are not expected to play for Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to “their terrible seasons of injuries,” according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. The two Los Angeles Lakers superstars each missed significant time during the 2020-21 NBA season. James sat out of 20 straight games after suffering a high ankle sprain on March 20 against the Atlanta Hawks, while Davis only appeared in 36 regular-season games as he dealt with calf and Achilles injuries. Then in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs, Davis suffered a groin strain, which caused him to miss one game and knocked him out of two others, as the defending-champion Lakers were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns. GHESKIO, a leading Haitian public health nonprofit, has named Haitian-born actor Jimmy Jean-Louis as its first Ambassador. Since 1982, GHESKIO has provided health and social support services for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, all at no cost. Best known for its treatment and care for people with HIV and tuberculosis, GHESKIO’s groundbreaking research has influenced public health policies worldwide, including those of the World Health Organization and the United Nations. It started with a beat and then new inspiration. That’s what marked the return to music for Central Ohio’s own Mekka Don, the former Buckeye, turned rapper, turned entrepreneur. That beat evolved into his new single and video, out Tuesday, “Still Dope.” “When somethings in your heart, it kind of comes to you naturally, especially as a writer,” Mekka Don said. https://youtu.be/gV2OmkDV_9s In a final vote of 66-63, the Senate confirmed Julien Xavier Neals on Tuesday, securing his transition to a judicial position in the federal courts. Neals, 56, currently serves as County Counsel and Acting County Administrator for Bergen County, New Jersey, and was the first judicial nominee of President Joe Biden’s administration. With the vote passage Neals will preside on the bench of the U.S. District Court of New Jersey for the rest of his lifetime. The phrase “guilty by association” was hard to ignore after a high school principal in Colorado decided to quit weeks after a photo of several of her students re-enacting the horrific murder of George Floyd went viral last month. Mead High School Principal Rachael Ayers would not provide a reason when asked by the Boulder Daily Camera whether her resignation was prompted by the racist photo scandal. The photo, which was first posted to Snapchat, showed three unidentified students, including one person wearing Blackface lying on the ground with another individual kneeling on his neck. The photo was captioned with the words, “Bye bye seniors.” A school official in Boston has stepped down from her position on a powerful committee after text messages about “white racists” were made public more than a year after they were sent. The text messages were exchanged during a committee meeting and were made in reference to white parents of students in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Lorna Rivera, who is a professor of women’s studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, was a member of the Boston Schools Committee until she recently learned that the text messages she exchanged with another committee member had been leaked. The meeting in question lasted for more than nine hours and has previously prompted another committee member to step down over his own racial controversy. “Best school committee meeting ever,” Oliver-Dávila texted to Rivera. She added, “I’m trying not to cry,” because of what the Globe called “the outpouring of support” for a proposal to eliminate the requirement of standardized testing for admission to the city’s schools. That’s when Rivera replied: “Wait until the white racists start yelling at us.” Oliver-Dávila responded with, “Whatever. They’re delusional.” She later texted, “I hate WR,” referring to West Roxbury, which is among the top wealthiest neighborhoods in Boston. Rivera all but replied that she did, too. “Sick of Westie whites,” Rivera texted back. “Me too. I really feel like saying that,” Oliver-Dávila agreed. Both Rivera and Oliver-Dávila have apologized, and Rivera told the Globe she “was never seeking any political power.” Following that same meeting in which the text messages were exchanged, then-Boston Schools Committee Chairman Michael Loconto abruptly resigned after he was caught on a hot mic making fun of the way Asian names sound. As the school year comes to a close across the country, marking the end of a difficult transition period for many students who had to return to the classroom after months of distance learning, racist encounters in classrooms have continued to peak. One such instance pertains to 14-year-old twins Emzayia and Zyeshauwne Feazell, in Spokane, Washington, who say they were subjugated to humiliation after their social studies teacher required their class to clean cotton for a class project while learning about the cotton gin. Administration officials have launched an investigation into the matter which occurred at Sacajawea Middle School on May 3. “I was shocked that a teacher would bring a box of cotton into a class and tell them to pick it clean so she could teach us how slaves were back then,” Emzayia told KXLY. The girls went home that day defeated and reported their experience to their mother Brandi Feazell who sprung into action immediately. Brandi told the outlet that after she scheduled a meeting with the school’s assistant principal to discuss her concerns, her concerns only grew larger. Brandi claims the assistant principal Taylor Skidmore, suggested that the girls be “segregated” from the other students. She said she felt Skidmore downplayed her complaint and incredulously defended the actions of the teacher. Instead, Brandi withdrew her children from the school in order to preserve what sense of peace they had left. ”It’s my first role as feature film director,” said Elaine Bogan, a DreamWorks director that started at DreamWorks Animation in 2005 as a storyboard artist (Riders of Berk). The feature film Elaine is talking about is the animation Spirit Untamed – in theatres via Universal Pictures. “There were so many challenges, a massive amount of people. We were halfway through and received the message to work from home. We had to do it in our living rooms. But through separation we came together.” https://youtu.be/9jG1nnQGpdI Pharrell Williams is giving back to his home state in a major way. The award-winning artist and producer announced that he will be opening multiple private schools in Virginia, according to The Virginian Pilot. The first school, Yellowhab, is scheduled to open its doors in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood this fall. It’s the namesake of the Virginia Beach native’s nonprofit organization YELLOW” paired with “Hab”, which is a nod to the Mars habitat in The Martian film. This location was selected after multiple families were displaced because of housing segregation and the upcoming redevelopment of three local public housing areas. The exclusive clip from the upcoming action thriller “Rogue Hostage,” starring Tyrese Gibson, John Malkovich, Michael Jai White, Christopher Backus, Luna Lauren Velez, and Holly Taylor. The film centers on single father and former Marine Kyle Snowden (Gibson) who must save his daughter and other hostages from a dangerous criminal who has trapped them inside a neighborhood store owned by Kyle’s polarizing stepfather, Congressman Sam Nelson (Malkovich). https://youtu.be/XpGwijVm4wU The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) runs June 9-20th. It kicks off with “In the Heights” as its opening movie. The TFF will close with the world premiere of an untitled Dave Chappelle-produced documentary exploring the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement last summer through the lens of a small Ohio community. The Juneteenth Immersive Program that uses technology to make one think about societal issues through an entirely different lens. A stand-out piece within Immersive will be Breonna’s Garden, an AR experience created in collaboration with Ju’Niyah Palmer to honor the life of her sister, Breonna Taylor. An inaugural presentation of The Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award. The first recipient of this award will be Stacey Abrams, honored for her outstanding leadership, service, and commitment to fighting social injustice. https://youtu.be/bRD1xr-dmfQ Teyana Taylor has made history as the first Black woman to top Maxim’s Hot 100 list. On Monday, the model and singer shared a few photos from the publication’s July/August cover shoot, writing, “Somebody pinch me!!!!” The 30-year-old mother and wife to NBA star Iman Shumpert said “Stepping back in front of the lens has been a journey of self-reflection and self-confidence,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “Living up to [the] name and title of this shoot wholeheartedly made me nervous.” Taylor added, “As an entrepreneur, wife, a busy mother of two & working behind the lens in my director bag I tend to hide behind my sweats & vintage tees, My “Spike Tey” glasses, and whatever hairstyle I’ve mustered up that day,” she said. “So as you can see I don’t have much time to be and feel sexy. This particular day was dope because it made me see another side of myself.” Katt Williams is accusing fellow comedian Cedric the Entertainer of stealing his material. During a recent interview with The Morning Hustle radio show Katt Williams, 49, revealed how “crushed” he was when his joke was allegedly stolen by Cedric the Entertainer, 57, who was more known at the time, for the Kings Of Comedy tour. “When it initially happen to me it crushed me just because the comedian was already bigger and more famous than me and he took my closing joke and made it his closing joke on Kings Of Comedy.” He continued, “The reason it hit so bad was that I was in the theater. I paid my money to go see Kings Of Comedy and to see my joke being there and not me was about as disrespectful as it gets in our craft. I really took it really personally with Cedric the Entertainer at that time.” Al Roker’s eldest daughter Courtney married actor Wesley Laga on Friday, June 4 at The Ashford Estate in New Jersey. “Last night was beyond anything I could ever imagine,” Courtney captioned a few portraits of their wedding on Instagram. “I celebrated my love for my husband, and felt the love from everyone. My heart is filled with happiness and filled with joy. And I gotta say my husbands dance moves aint to shabby. Now on to the honeymoon.” Roker also shared a series of photos from the event on his Instagram feed. “A perfect magical evening being there for the marriage of my first princess @ouichefroker and @djweslaga with @debrobertsabc and #maidofhonor @cleilapatra and #groomsman @nick.roker155,” he wrote in the caption. The god of mischief is making waves with the upcoming release of Disney Plus‘ new series, “Loki!“ The six episode series, based on Thor’s brother, is not a prequel, but more of a variant of the character’s history. social media is buzzing ahead of Wednesday's premiere. Virginia Union University (VUU) will launch the Hezekiah Walker Center for Gospel Music at Virginia Union University. The academic Center is the first of its kind in the United States. It will provide education and resources to help musicians and budding gospel artists to learn the cultural and business aspects of gospel music and the industry. Courses will be available to all VUU students and a variety of certification courses related to work in the industry will also be available to the general public. Walker, a second-year student of the Virginia Union University’s Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology said, “the strong theological training I’ve received here at Virginia Union during the past two years has helped to shape my ministry.” He continued, “My goal is to give back to the school that has poured so much into me, by helping emerging gospel artists learn the business, as well as theological aspects of the gospel music industry.” Water Pollution Control Authority and Inland Wetlands Agency and Conservation Commission member Steven King Jr. is set to be sworn in tonight as the first Black to serve on the Town Council, local officials said. Democrats at tonight’s council meeting are expected to nominate King to serve out the remainder of Councilwoman Mary Justine Hockenberry’s term. Hockenberry resigned on May 3 because she hopes to open her own seamstress business next month. The full council must vote to approve his appointment. Mayor Andrew Paterna said with King on the council it's a critical step in increasing diversity in the town. Tara McKennie on Saturday was promoted to brigadier general in the Alabama Air National Guard. McKennie is both the first woman to be a general in the Alabama Air National Guard and the first Black woman to be a general officer in either component of the Alabama National Guard. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey attended the ceremony on Saturday and praised McKennie on Twitter: “Congratulations Brigadier General Tara McKennie on your promotion! You have truly made history being both the first female and first African American General Officer for the Alabama National Guard. Thank you for your service to sweet home Alabama. Flag of United States #GuardItAL@AlabamaNG.” O’Neil Rowe went viral on TikTok a little over a year ago. Now, he’s a full-time content creator. Rowe created a dance challenge that about 1 million people imitated on TikTok, a social media platform with more than 100 million monthly U.S. users where people share stories and remake each other’s dances and audio clips. As he gained followers, the 20 year old realized he could cash in on his popularity, as more brands flock to TikTok. Around the same time, Atlanta social media manager Keith Dorsey was creating a TikTok house he calls The Collab Crib where creators can live together and make video content. TikTok houses have become a trend on the West Coast, matching social media influencers with brands looking to advertise on the platform. Racial disparities plaguing the healthcare community are spilling over into the hospice and palliative care segments. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) recently updated its “Black and African-American Outreach Guide” for the first time in 14 years. It did so after finding the number of Black Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice has been static over the past few years. In 2018, 8.2% of the 1.49 million Medicare beneficiaries who received hospice care were Black, according to a study by NHPCO. The percentage remained static in 2020, even though the number of beneficiaries receiving hospice care increased to 1.55 million. Naomi Osaka has officially withdrawn from the bett1open grass court tournament next week in Berlin, an event she had intended to compete in as a warm-up before Wimbledon. Her absence reflects uncertainty about whether she will compete at Wimbledon this month. “We have received notification Naomi Osaka cannot start in Berlin,” the tournament organisers said. “After consulting her management, she will take a break.” Osaka has returned home to the US since she withdrew from the French Open last week due to the effect on her mental health following the firestorm around her decision not to conduct media duties at the tournament. It is believed she will decide whether or not to compete at Wimbledon in the coming days. Rookie cornerback Cameron Kinley‘s request to delay his U.S. Navy commission to play in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been denied. Kinley is being required by the Navy to commission as an ensign and is not permitted to appeal the decision, which was not explained, Divine Sports and Entertainment, which represents Kinley, said in a statement. Kinley, a team captain at Navy and class president, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Buccaneers and participated in the team’s rookie minicamp, with the Navy’s permission. YouTuber Logan Paul somehow survived and went the distance – that’s the entire eight rounds – with Floyd Mayweather Sunday night in a special exhibition bout at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Mayweather landed the majority of a combined 73 punches thrown. Once the larger Paul realized that Mayweather was to quick for him to land a punch, his strategy shifted to tying Mayweather up for the eight rounds. At one point, it appeared that Mayweather knocked out Paul, but kept him upright so that he could go the distance. That clip went viral. Sunday, the 24-year-old gymnast won her seventh-straight all-around title at the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas. With this seventh win, the athlete remains undefeated at the nationals since 2013. This now makes her the first American woman to win the title seven times! According to @nbcsports, Simone has won every all-around competition she has entered dating back to 2013. She was previously tied with Clara Schroth Lomady, who won her titles between 1945 and 1952. Now she is tied with Alfred Jochim, for most wins by any American. Kevin Hart is taking fans behind the scenes of the world of muscle cars, with his new series that premiered Friday, July 2 only on the MotorTrend App. The series titled “Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew,” is an automotive-themed adventure show that will follow Kevin Hart and The Plastic Cup Boyz as they experience America’s classic car culture. Learning along the way from the nation’s best car builders and attending car shows/events from local ones in small towns to the most popular ones like SEMA in Las Vegas. The group will try to upgrade, repair, or restore their cars to make them the best they can be. Today, Def Jam announced that Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., professionally known as Snoop Dogg, a global superstar, entrepreneur, and cultural icon, is joining the label as Executive Creative and Strategic Consultant, a new role that will allow him to strategically work across the label’s executive team and artist roster. With an immediate focus on A&R and creative development, Snoop Dogg is joining Def Jam as a senior strategic advisor, based in Los Angeles and reporting to Universal Music Group Chairman & CEO Sir Lucian Grainge and Def Jam interim Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Harleston. Steffanie Rivers on (CRT). Critical Race Theory (CRT) is gaining traction in diversity training classes among school districts, colleges and in corporate America. CRT is the idea that American institutions are inherently designed to maintain economic, political and social inequalities. These inequities propel and protect White people at the expense of everyone else, especially African-Americans. Some detractors are against CRT being publicly discussed, because the best way for the theory to go unchallenged is to ignore that it exists. Those who don’t want critical race theory included in course curriculums claim they don’t want people to develop White guilt. GOD forbid White people get confronted with their White privilege hypocrisies! Critical race theory doesn’t have to be proven with examples that are decades old. CRT can be proven as reality with examples from last week! Coming off of her heartfelt popular song “Don’t Take My Life,” Aya Ito is bringing “Something New.” Her latest single on SmashTown Records, was written with the anticipation of being able to travel again after more than a year of having to stay home, virtual events, rescheduling or canceling family/friend gatherings, etc. https://soundcloud.com/ayaitothealbum/something-new?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fayaitothealbum%252Fsomething-new PJ Nilaja Patterson, a 43-year-old Florida man who beat an iguana to death, now faces 5 years in prison after a judge rejected his defense of the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law — a rule adopted 16 years ago that allows a person who is under attack and reasonably fears death or great bodily harm to use deadly force, even if they could retreat to safety. However, in Patterson’s case the recipient of deadly force was an animal. It’s reported that on September 2, 2020, Patterson was arrested in Lake Worth after allegedly beating, dragging and kicking a 3-foot iguana and killing it. In his felony animal cruelty case, Patterson claimed self-defense, citing that he feared for his life when the animal attacked him. It should be noted that under state law, people are allowed to kill iguanas, an invasive species, in a quick and humane manner. However, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen rejected Patterson’s “Stand Your Ground” claim after prosecutors stated he savagely beat, tormented, tortured, and killed” the 3-foot iguana in a half-hour attack caught on surveillance video. They say the iguana never “posed any real threat” and that Patterson “was not justified in his actions when he kicked this defenseless animal at least 17 times causing its death.” Now, Patterson faces up to 5 years in prison if convicted. Bishop Leonard Scott drop "Great I Am."https://spaces.hightail.com/space/WFBXD8wEWX/files/fi-587f9d3d-8eb2-4012-a071-3e576b84f69f/fv-2ed895a2-0e66-47b1-8908-df99115ea82b/Great%20I%20Am_RADIO%20EDIT%202%20(320).mp3 Buzzing recording artist Nikea Marie announces the highly anticipated release of her single "I Believe In Me" scheduled for June 18th. The Arlington VA based artist recently landed a distribution deal with IndieBlu Music Digital Distribution, apart of the Entertainment One Music Nashville. "I Believe In Me" presents the listener with a new sound that feels like a burst of fresh air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-WIXISO4wM Ajahni Perrin has released his first single "Of Thee I Sing" which is not only a dynamic musical masterwork but is a lyrical expression of the heart of a man who desires the holistic well-being of God's people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEaxbEt5oAw A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, June 10 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, the series recounts the brutal murder of a beloved NBA player. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ytG0FzGH1o THOMAS WARREN JR current single, "Expected End," is a self-penned affirmation that explains God’s intention for his people to reach their destiny. This song is taken from his debut project, "Brand New." Warren’s debut project was released after more than 25 years in the industry. "Brand New" is both a declaration and a proclamation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuHwF5ntXo0 Gospel Artist and Instrumentalist Andrea René Williams releases her first EP, Soul Oasis: The Instrumentals. A collection of uplifting and reflective tunes, the four-song EP is currently available on Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify and everywhere where music is streamed or sold online. The Gospel Spotlight's Andrea Rene' Williams In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/andrearenewilliams_intvw.htm TaMyya J releases a powerful faith-inspiring single "HEAVENLY.” This is a single from her “Love For Your Name" album written and produced by Fred “Uncle Freddie” Jerkins of DarkChild Gospel. The Love For Your Name CD has garnered TaMyya J multiple awards and chart topping positions since its release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpxLDL0x-r4 Billboard Music Award winners, Dove Award winners and 12x Stellar nominees Maverick City Music embark on their first-ever tour this fall, with eclectic shows that will feature electrifying performances with collective members Dante Bowe, Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, Joe L. Barnes, Aaron Moses and more. CDC-suggested Covid-related protocols will be observed. Due to popular demand, new arena dates and cities have been added, with select dates set to feature GRAMMY® winner Lecrae. In the two years since releasing their debut EP, Maverick City Vol. 1, the group has already notched multiple Billboard No. 1 albums and singles, earned a pair of Dove Award nominations, racked up more than 300 million streams across platforms, and amassed more than a million subscribers on YouTube. An anti-Trump PAC said it placed a $185,000 ad buy with Fox News for its minute-long Spot that shows the Capitol Police and DC’s Metropolitan Police talking to the media and testifying before Congress about the events of Jan. 6, including how they were doused with bear spray and called “traitors.” Fox News refused to air it. But it found a new home Monday night with MSNBC’s Brian Williams, who played it during his show “The 11th Hour” … for free. https://twitter.com/i/status/1402118426307350528 Journalist Jemele Hill slammed Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday over his refusal to support the ‘For the People Act’ or ending the filibuster. NBC News writes, “At issue is the fate of the House-passed For the People Act that would remake American elections from start to finish. It would force states to offer at least 15 days of early voting, universal access to mail-in voting and same-day registration for federal races. It’d make Election Day a national holiday, too.” Sen. Manchin, D-W.Va., said Sunday that he will not vote for the bill primarily because the GOP disapproves of it. He noted the reasons for his opposition in an op-ed published over the weekend in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. As thousands of fans around the world are wishing Kanye West a happy 44th birthday, his estranged wife (Kim Kardashian) has also decided to do the same despite their pending divorce. The “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” star took to Instagram Tuesday morning to share a short but sweet message to her husband of nearly seven years. She said over a photo of her and Kanye with their kids: “Happy Birthday. Love U for life!” The numerous tributes to West speak to their amiability since Kim officially filed for divorce in February, though Page Six broke the news in early January that the marriage had dissolved beyond repair. Kim Kardashian says she feels like a “failure” after her third marriage to Kanye West turned out to not have the happily-ever-after ending she had hoped for. Kim and Kanye announced they were calling it quits in February. According to the legal docs obtained by PEOPLE, West is requesting joint legal and physical custody of their four children: daughters North, 7, and Chicago, 3, and sons Saint, 5, and Psalm, who turns 2 in May. The hip-hop star also wants spousal support for either person to be terminated. Sources tell HollywoodLife that Ye was slow to respond to the filing because he wanted to fix the marriage. https://youtu.be/0lEBV3M_dww Tiffany Haddish is reportedly being offered between $2 million and $3 million for the follow-up book to her 2017 best-seller, “The Last Black Unicorn.” In the new book, sources said there are some hilarious showbiz stories — including an alleged incident when Haddish “drank marijuana tea with Sharon Stone.” But when Stone tried to convince Haddish to join Jane Fonda’s climate protest on the steps of the Capitol at the time, Haddish told Stone that she couldn’t because “they’ll never let me out of jail.” Aja Naomi King is celebrating her post-childbirth body in a series of photos she posted on social media. The “How to Get Away with Murder” actress, 36, took to Instagram Sunday to share a backyard photoshoot. “No, this is not a pregnancy Before picture,” she wrote in the caption of herself in a two-piece body revealing outfit. Aja shared her pregnancy news in March, writing “I really can’t begin to express the fullness of our immense joy to be welcoming a baby into our family,” she wrote on Instagram at the time, referring to the unborn child as her “beautiful little rainbow baby.” https://www.instagram.com/ajanaomi_king/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a38326c3-4840-4cdd-a6e9-d2c13fe56bc5 The newest season of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Potomac” is set to air on July 11 but in the meantime, Candiace Dillard-Bassett has shared her belief that fans of the show don’t criticize fellow castmate Ashely Darby because she’s light-skinned. As reported by MadameNoire, it all started June 6 when Instagram’s @alltruetea posted a video recap of some of RHOP’s wildest arguments. IG user @1classyladydc commented underneath the post, “This reel shows how reckless Ashley’s mouth has been and still is. Yet Candiace was the villain and ganged up on by so many fans. It’s crazy how Ashley was in my opinion worse but people want to ignore that. I wonder why?????? ” Dillard replied to the comment, claiming she receives more backlash from viewers than Ashley due to colorism. She wrote, “Because she’s light-skinned. There. It was said. I said it. Now, let’s see how fast it gets around.” Tina Lawson has responded to the overanalyzing of her son-in-law JAY-Z rubbing Beyoncé’s legs courtside at basketball games. As reported by MadameNoire, the fan account @hova_bey.carter posted the initial image of Jay grabbing his wife’s legs in public. The outlet writes, “Instead of folks recognizing the pattern, taking it for what it is and moving on, a few people attempted to theorize about why he might be doing that. A few people suggested that Beyoncé has social anxiety and these leg grabs are Jay Z’s way of calming her down.” Bey’s mother Tina weighed in on that theory when she re-shared the collage of images along with the following statement: “When you love someone and like them you just want to touch them ! Me and Richard are always touching even if it’s just our feet ! Yeah!! That’s what you do !? For those of you who don’t understand , Try it sometimes it works !! Human Touch is how you stay connected!!? So comical people saying she has anxiety in public and that’s why he touches her ! Lord people !!!! Yal can turn something good and healthy into something That it’s not !!! Stop that!!!!! ?. BTW if someone has anxiety then it is great for their partner to touch them to calm and reassure them. That’s a beautiful thing . It just happens to be not the case here. ?” https://www.instagram.com/mstinalawson/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=8054f507-fd4a-408a-a628-1e855ca8b22e Megan Thee Stallion has been on a brief break from social media but returned on Monday to tease the upcoming release of her new single, “Thot Sh*t,” which arrives Friday, June 11. Uproxx reports, the rapper spent the last two months on a social media hiatus, calling it a “period of regeneration.” In a tweet announcing the break, she wrote “Megan Thee Stallion is recharging! Due to the demands of the Hot Girl lifestyle has now entered a period of regeneration to prepare for what’s next. ….In her absence; mgmt will manage all social posting on behalf of Thee Hot Girl Coach. [[Thee Hotties]] lead a brave //RESISTANCE in anticipation for the return of their Fearless Captain,” the post read. https://www.instagram.com/theestallion/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=2bb9696e-e4cd-47c9-967c-dd5144af681c BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is proud to celebrate the 2021 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards, honoring some of today’s legendary and rising Gospel music luminaries. The Gospel Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and the 20 most-performed songs of the previous year were announced today on BMI.com and across the company’s social media platforms. “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus),” written by Donald Lawrence and Sir the Baptist, was awarded Song of the Year. Kanye West was named Songwriter of the Year for penning three of the award-winning Gospel songs “Hands On,” “On God” and “Selah” from his highly celebrated ninth studio album "Jesus Is King." Publisher of the Year went to Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing for representing three of BMI’s 20 most-performed Gospel songs including “I Made It Out,” written and performed by Pastor John P. Kee, featuring Zacardi Cortez, “Keep The Faith,” written and performed by Charles Jenkins and “Won’t Let Go,” written and performed by Travis Greene. BMI also paid homage to the 20 Most Performed Gospel Songs of the Year (2020). This year’s talented group of songwriters includes 19 first-time Trailblazer Award winners including Zacardi Cortez, Cydel C. Young, Renee Spearman, Terrence “Pusha T” Thorton, Natalie Lauren Simms, Allison Jeffrey LaValley, and more. BET “Sunday Best” alum Latice Crawford’s new EP, THE CURE, is available now. The transparent and motivational EP is concrete proof of Latice's ability to deliver melodic and soulful messages to listeners and followers of Christ. THE CURE is available now on all major digital retail and streaming outlets. "This new music I'm releasing is all about our common symptoms (our temptations, struggles, stumbling blocks on our journey, those pills we use to maintain or fill our voids.) My hope is that my music will simply help us identify our stuff, see that we all have the same issues, and that we all use a variation of the same resources. I hope that we can judge less, and come together to see, and ultimately find our common source, the cure, Jesus Christ," Latice Crawford shares. Highlighting of the 11 panelists confirmed for the 22nd annual Los Angeles “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference via Zoom from 1-3pmPT continues with Jazz saxophonist Dr. Marion Meadows, currently promoting his latest album release “Twice as Nice” (Shanachie) featuring Grammy winning Paul Brown, keyboardists Jeff Lorber and Chris “Big Dog” Davis. Meadows will be part of the Professional Industry Panel that will be available to speak to attendees about the entertainment business during the conference’s “Q&A Session.” https://youtu.be/6RU0zBjDuVk Clarence Williams III, who’s best known for his role as “Linc Hayes” of ‘The Mod Squad,’ and roles in ‘Half Baked,’ ‘Tales From The Hood,’ ‘Purple Rain,’ and ‘I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,’ has sadly passed away at 81 of colon caner. The actor would go on to star in the aforementioned roles, plus: ’52 Pick-Up,’ ‘Reindeer Games,’ ‘Sugar Hill,’ ‘The Legend of 1900,’ and more. T.B. Joshua, an influential and controversial evangelist, has died. He was 57. The Nigerian preacher died shortly after conducting a live broadcast on Saturday, according to his official Facebook page. “God has taken His servant Prophet TB Joshua home – as it should be by divine will,” a post on the page read. “His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God. This is what he was born for, lived for and died for.” His death reportedly came hours after speaking at a meeting for Emmanuel TV, the broadcast arm of the church he founded—Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). A Benedict College football player has died in a crash on Interstate 77, the school confirmed. The college issued a statement Sunday saying that Marlon Black died early Sunday morning, adding that the Benedict College family was “heartbroken.” In the statement, the school said Black was a defensive tackle for the Tigers football team and wore jersey number 55. He was a sophomore transfer student from Tennessee State University and played in a scrimmage game against North Greenville. The school said he was majoring in sports management. Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has come a long way since starring as Theo Huxtable, the likable and quick-witted kid on the long-running classic television series “The Cosby Show.” The show aired for eight consecutive seasons on NBC beginning in 1984. Following “The Cosby Show,” Warner’s career has taken some interesting pathways in Hollywood. In addition to securing an array of acting roles, he has also procured opportunities as a director, producer, musician, and poet. On the personal side, he is a relatively new father. Warner currently stars as cardiothoracic surgeon AJ Austin on the medical drama “The Resident.” The Fox series follows the lives and duties of Austin and other staff members at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital. Filmed in Atlanta, the show is now in its fourth season. https://youtu.be/6C5K4xuRK9M Gary Owen’s estranged wife Kenya Duke took to social media to blast the comedian after he uploaded a photo of himself in a t-shirt that read “bread-winner.” As reported by MadameNoire, Duke posted a lengthy response under the post, noting that she was more of the breadwinner throughout their 23 years together. She also claims Gary has not provided any emotional or financial support to their family since April. Katt Williams has shared his thoughts on audiences being too sensitive for comedy these days, and he takes issue with comedians being canceled. Speaking to Joe Budden on his June 4 podcast, Williams dished about his upcoming film, “The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2,” before the conversation turned to comedy’s relationship with the internet, TMZ reports. “Where do you stand on comics’ ability to be comics without judgment and repercussions from cancel culture?” Budden asked Williams. “Some of these things are for the benefit of everything. Nobody likes the speed limit, but it’s necessary. Nobody likes the shoulder of the road, but it’s there for a reason,” Williams said. “My point is, [people] weren’t all that extremely funny back when they could say whatever they wanted to say. At the end of the day, there’s no cancel culture. Cancellation doesn’t have its own culture.” Jazmine Bonnett, owner of Blossom Bathhouse in Sacramento, is speaking out about her violent encounter with a racist white male who vandalized her store. CBS 13 Sacramento reports that Bonnett walking to her car to pay the parking meter when she was confronted by Ross Wolfer, 55, who called her the N-word, prompting the woman to ran back to her store for safety in an effort to get away from him. https://youtu.be/srt92oeN19E Detroit police officers were injured and multiple people were arrested following a brawl outside Greektown Casino this weekend. A video posted on social media showed complete chaos as cops attempted to break up a fight involving dozens of people. Vastly outnumbered, law enforcement in the fight can be seen wrestling with several people. Some officers who were spotted handcuffing suspects in the video were still being swarmed by other people. https://youtu.be/4__NFyeAg1o A Florida man threw a 2-month-old boy in the direction of police at the end of a wild vehicle chase near Vero Beach. A deputy caught the boy, who was unharmed, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, according to NBC News. John Henry James III was in jail with no bail Saturday booked on multiple charges, including battery on an officer and child abuse, according to inmate records. One allegation, aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, means his bail has been revoked, the records indicate. https://youtu.be/i_NeQecrYjs A Texas mom was arrested for allegedly posing as her 13-year-old daughter during a nearly entire day of middle school, all in an attempt to expose the school’s lax security. Casey Garcia, 30, dressed as the teen – complete with a hoodie, backpack and facemask – and blended in with students at the unnamed school in San Elizario. Footage showed that no one appeared to notice that she wasn’t her daughter, Julie, until seventh period at the end of the school day, Garcia said in the videos, which were reported by Insider. “I’ve been here all day, face-to-face with teachers,” she said in one of the videos. “Do I look like a seventh-grader? No? Cool. Awesome.” https://youtu.be/cKoP9UieGDw Former NFL player Herschel Walker, whom former President Trump has encouraged to mount a Senate bid in Georgia, skipped the state GOP’s convention over the weekend, punting on a key opportunity to lay the groundwork for a campaign. Walker’s absence from the gathering, which was reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is likely to raise some eyebrows. He’s already said publicly that he is considering a Senate run in 2022, when Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) will be back on the ballot. And Trump has already suggested that Walker would have his endorsement should he get into the race. The Georgia Senate race, which is expected to be among the most competitive of the 2022 midterm cycle, has already drawn several candidates. This year’s Fortune 500 list was a record-breaking affair for female CEOs, with 41 woman-run companies making the cut. The annual list, which ranks America’s largest companies, also made history as two African American female CEOs made the list for the first time — Rosalind Brewer of Walgreens Boots Alliance and Thasunda Brown Duckett of TIAA. Prior to Brewer and Duckett, the only other African American woman to run a Fortune 500 company, on a permanent basis, was Ursula Burns, the former CEO of Xerox who stepped down in 2017. Burns, now the chairwoman of VEON and a member of Uber’s board of directors, became a trailblazer throughout her career as the first African American woman to run an S&P 500 company. On a patch of hard land, steps from an aging one-room schoolhouse, a white gravestone spells the name of the man who never left. Randolph C. Snead Sr., Dec 8 1939 Mar 22 2021. Decades before his death, Snead sat inside the 20-by-30-foot Cornland School learning math and other subjects. His aunt, Ethel, buried a few rows down from him in the family plot, also attended. The sturdy structure still stands on his family’s property. For years, the pre-Rosenwald school built for the education of African Americans sat vacant, but a push by Snead’s wife, local historians, community members, a city councilwoman, state delegates and congressmen has breathed new life into the building. This summer, the school will be uprooted from its historic perch, put on a truck and hauled to the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp. It will become a museum and the centerpiece of a $9 million historic center that will showcase exhibits on the underground railroad and maroon communities and an outdoor classroom. The city council unanimously voted to accept a $3 million grant last week from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources that will help build a visitor center, parking and exhibits. The city set aside $400,000 last year for the school’s relocation. At the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, two enterprising African-American women saw an opportunity to capitalize on their passion for stylish glasses and created their company from scratch. Tracey Vontelle Green and Nancey Harris of Brooklyn, New York, chose to venture into unchartered waters of the eyewear manufacturing industry during a time when most companies were shutting down. They launched Vontélle in October 2020, hoping to bring a unique style to the marketplace. Before this venture, they did extensive research to gain an understanding of what their target consumer was looking for in urban contemporary eyewear. https://youtu.be/qNLL_SDCkGg Kevon Chisholm and his 14-year old son, Kamari, are back for the second year to teach an online summer camp that helps young African Americans, ages 12-21, learn about investing in the stock market, cryptocurrency, real estate, and more. The camp, Junior WallStreeters: Empowering Youth with Financial Wellness, will teach students life-long financial education skills and discipline through 10 lessons with an emphasis on African American history and culture. Kevon, who is Executive Director of Junior Wallstreeters, Inc, comments: “In addition to topics like budgeting, banking, and investing in the stock market, our camp goes beyond others by exploring community wealth building through investment clubs. Simply put, our goal is to teach financial knowledge to eliminate the wealth gap by showing young people how to properly use money as a tool.” Black Restaurant Week started in Northeastern states last week on June 4. Pittsburgh is joining the “No Crumb Left Behind” campaign. The nationwide tour is hoping to drive attention to those Black-owned businesses impacted by the pandemic. It runs through next Sunday, June 13. https://cbsloc.al/2Rt9Mzr Gov. John Bel Edwards has created a new award to commemorate Louisiana‘s only Black governor and to acknowledge the contributions of African American leaders in the state. The Democratic governor and the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus held the first P.B.S. Pinchback breakfast Thursday and gave the P.B.S. Legacy Award to retired Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson, the first Black person and second woman to hold that position. The event was created to mark the legacy of Pinchback, a Black man who briefly served as Louisiana’s governor during Reconstruction. This year is the 100th anniversary of Pinchback’s death. “The recognition of Gov. Pinchback’s importance in history is long overdue,” Edwards said in a statement calling it “an honor” to give Johnson the first P.B.S. Legacy Award. Ex-FLOTUS Michelle Obama shared her graduation photo of herself online. In a long congratulatory caption, commending the class of 2021 for their achievements during a challenging year spent indoors.?Obama eloquently opened up about her time as a graduate. She expressed that although she looked forward to the future, there were always lingering doubts. Obama spoke about education one more… expanding on her experience as a woman of color attending Princeton. Of course, as is well known, Obama did and continues to keep collecting many achievements under her belt. However, she emphasized that this road wasn’t easy, empathizing with the class of 2021. https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/3001373/times-square-new-york-city/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=be125394-7f06-485d-a086-9aa57f4eacac Portia Twidt Said She Would Rather Quit her job Than Return to the Office and 49% of Millennials and Gen Zers Say the Same: She Says Not to Let Boomers Pull a Power Play and Make You Come Into the Office for Something that is not necessary; She Was Called Into the Office for a 6-minute Meeting and She Spent More Time to Get Ready for the Meeting Than She Spent at the Office. A six-minute meeting drove Portia Twidt to quit her job. While companies from Google to Ford Motor Co. and Citigroup Inc. have promised greater flexibility, many chief executives have publicly extolled the importance of being in offices. Some have lamented the perils of remote work, saying it diminishes collaboration and company culture. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon said at a recent conference that it doesn’t work “for those who want to hustle.” It’s still early to say how the post-pandemic work environment will look. Only about 28% of U.S. office workers are back at their buildings, according to an index of 10 metro areas compiled by security company Kastle Systems. Many employers are still being lenient with policies as the virus lingers, vaccinations continue to roll out and childcare situations remain erratic. Nickelodeon, owned by ViacomCBS, has cast its first openly transgender teenage actor to star in a live-action kids’ series. The 13-year-old Sasha Cohen, who was born female but now identifies as male, will appear in the June 19 episode of “Danger Force,” according to Variety. Cohen also co-wrote and directed the episode. Cohen’s appearance in the series comes less than two years after actor Michael D. Cohen — no relation — came out as transgender. Born female, Cohen transitioned to identifying as male some 20 years ago. “I had never felt comfortable about who I am, and I always thoughts that I would never play a transgender role,” said Sasha Cohen. “But there are so many kids out there who need to see someone like them — a role model who has the ability to put themselves out there.” The younger Cohen landed the gig after participating in the Trans Youth Acting Challenge, which Michael D. Cohen launched in December. Britney Spears has made no secret of the fact that she believes in the healing powers of crystals in many of her quirky Instagram posts over the past year. However, on Friday, the 39-year-old pop star really went deep into the subject as she posted a lengthy caption claiming rocks ‘have a lot of intellect we don’t know about’ while revealing that crystals have brought her comfort during ‘difficult times.’ Britney posted a snap featuring a collection of rocks that she said had been assembled by singer Hilary Duff’s children, which prompted her musings on the subject. ‘OK, so @hilaryduff’s kids did this,’ the singer began. ‘I think it’s way cool… I always collected crystals… as a small child and my parents honestly thought it was weird that I’d disappear and they’d find me looking for rocks and crystals in people’s driveways!’ Serena Williams turns 40 in September, and no one knows how many more French Open appearances she will make, as this year’s tournament ended for her on Sunday. Williams fell way behind and could not put together a comeback against a much younger and less-experienced opponent in the fourth round at Roland Garros, losing 6-3, 7-5 to Elena Rybakina — who wasn’t even born when the American made her tournament debut in 1998. DJ Nicholas drops "Earth Lord." Album drops July 10! #abnormaldecibels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOaXBF44ia4 CELEBRATE ANTHEMS & GLORY ALBUM RELEASE WITH TODD DULANEY ON FRIDAY, JUNE 11TH AT FREEDOM HILLSIDE CHURCH IN CHICAGO http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/todddulaney_intvw.htm Vice President Kamala Harris has become the highest-ranking Black woman government official in U.S. history to make a foreign trip. Guatemala literally rolled out the red carpet as the first woman and first Black vice president of the United States touched down on Sunday for her maiden trip abroad for President Joe Biden‘s administration to address the immigration crisis at America’s southern border. The trip is part of Harris’ duties as assigned by Biden to figure out how to effectively — and humanely — handle the influx of migrants seeking citizenship following the massive failure in that arena by President Donald Trump and his administration, which separated families at the border, caged the children and deported the adults. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin doesn’t believe in progress if Republicans won’t support it. At least that’s what he says in his latest op-ed for his hometown paper. Claiming that voting in favor of the For the People Act is to support a “partisan” effort, Manchin spits in the face of voters who fought hard to protect the remnants of American Democracy. Protecting the right to vote should be a bipartisan effort, and yet here we are with one party actively working to block access to the ballot. Also, Manchin denying the concerted effort of Republicans to undermine voting rights doesn’t make it any less of a reality. Reporting from Mother Jones showed the executive director of Heritage Action, the sister organization of the Heritage Foundation, bragging about working with Republican legislators to pass anti-voting rights laws. The Hampton NAACP is holding a meeting Monday to introduce new Police Chief Mark Talbot, the city’s first ever Black police chief. The Zoom meeting starts at 7 p.m. Talbot, who’s coming from Norristown, Pennsylvania, will officially start on July 6. He was the “top choice after each round of the comprehensive interview process, which included more than 35 community leaders and staff,” said Hampton City Manager Mary Bunting. Filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, fresh from an Academy Award nomination, is heading to the Tribeca Film Festival with his latest short documentary, The Queen of Basketball, the remarkable story of Lusia “Lucy” Harris. Harris’s name may not be familiar, but Proudfoot describes her as “one of the most important American athletes of the 20th century.” She attended Delta State University in her native Mississippi, leading the women’s basketball team to three national titles from 1975-1977. And she scored the first basket in women’s Olympic basketball competition at the 1976 games in Montreal. But her greatest athletic distinction undoubtedly must be this: In 1977 Harris became the first and only woman officially drafted by the NBA, when the New Orleans Jazz selected her for their team. The road ahead of triathlete Sika Henry hadn’t been an easy one. She suffered a serious bike crash in 2019. The pandemic put races on hold. But on May 2, the 37-year-old Montclair native made history — becoming the first Black woman in the United States to achieve pro status, earning her USA Triathlon Elite license. She follows in the steps of Max Fennell of Pennsylvania, who in 2014 became the first African-American triathlete to get his pro card. African Americans make up just a tiny percentage of triathletes, according to professional associations. Of the 12,293 respondents to USA Triathlon’s 2016 membership survey, just 120 described themselves as African American. The overwhelming majority, 10,379, were white. Hopewell Township Police Officer Sara Erwin created the Facebook post that would get her fired on June 1, 2020. George Floyd was killed one week earlier in Minneapolis, prompting protests across the country. The issue of American policing was again at the forefront of the nation, and so was the Black Lives Matter movement. Erwin called Black Lives Matter protesters, “terrorists.” Her supervisor in the patrol unit, Sgt. Mandy Grey, liked the post with the “love” button the same day, and made a similar post later on June 1, in which she called Black Lives Matter a “terrorist group.” It was not until June 8 that an internal affairs investigation commenced against Grey and Erwin, spurred by an old fashioned tip: an anonymous letter sent to the police chief with a printed copy of Erwin’s post. It said the officer’s post could be a violation of departmental policies. Black families may be reluctant to send their children back to Los Angeles Unified schools, after more than a year of coronavirus-induced virtual learning, because they feel the nation’s second largest school district is plagued by systemic racism, according to a new report from an educational advocacy group. Speak UP, a parent group that advocates for improved and equitable public education, released a report Monday, June 7, about how racial bias affects Black students at LAUSD. The report took into account responses from focus groups, analyses of district data and surveys, and the results from its own survey of 500 LAUSD parents, including 96 Black parents. Nearly two-thirds of Black parents said they did not want to send their children back to school. Mega-church Pastor Rick Warren, who has led Saddleback Church for 42 years, announced Sunday he is retiring and a search is launching this week for a successor to lead the church that serves a global audience of more than 40,000 people. Warren, 67, told his congregation on Sunday, June 6, the search is not the end but the “beginning of the beginning.” He will serve as lead pastor until a successor is settled in place. “That’s always been my goal, to serve God’s Purpose in my generation,” Warren said in a video to his congregation. “God has given me the privilege to serve multiple generations.” Warren said his successor will take the lead role and he will step back into a less “visible position as founding pastor.” Russell Moore, who recently resigned as the Southern Baptist Convention’s chief ethicist, has also moved on from the nation’s largest Protestant denomination personally, attending a Tennessee church that is not affiliated with the SBC. T.J. Tims, lead pastor of Immanuel Nashville, announced Tuesday (June 1) on social media that Moore is now the church’s minister in residence. The parents of an 8-year-old Ohio boy who killed himself after being bullied repeatedly at school reached a tentative $3 million settlement that calls for anti-bullying reforms in the school district. Third-grader Gabriel Taye was a student at Carson Elementary school, where his parents claim he was subjected to repeated bullying. The relentless harassment prompted the boy to take his own life on Jan. 26, 2017. He was found dead two days after being knocked unconscious by fellow classmates, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family against Cincinnati Public Schools in 2017, ABC News reports. Lil Durk‘s older brother, OTF DThang, was fatally shot this weekend outside a club in Chicago. Lil Durk, 28, founder of the Only the Family record label, is known for songs such as “Still Trappin’” and “Should’ve Ducked.” He has worked with hip hop artists including Future, Kevin Gates and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. Durk has lost a handful of friends and loved ones recently, including his labelmate King Von, who was shot and killed last year in Atlanta. Additionally, a producer he often collaborated with called Turn Me Up Josh died last week. Earlier it was reported that Mariah Carey split with her management team at Roc Nation after an “explosive meeting” with Jay-Z. According to The Sun, the stars had a “huge fight” about the future of Carey’s career, which reportedly led her to seek new management. However, it appears the two remain on good terms despite the rumors. Madame Carey took to Twitter on Monday to shut down claims of a fallout while sharing a video clip from her 1999 collabo with Jay-Z, “Heartbreaker.” “The only ‘explosive’ situation I’d ever ‘get into’ with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song ‘Heartbreaker’!!” tweeted Carey before referencing Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” lyric. “To the people who make up these lies I say ‘Poof! –Vamoose, sonofa*****’!” https://twitter.com/i/status/1401925854389751809 Monday marks what would have been the 63rd birthday of Prince, the performer who preferred purple and paisley and left behind decades of chart-topping, timeless musical hits before his untimely demise more than five years ago. Sadly, as the world celebrates Prince’s life, many of his fans are also likely mourning the life of Clarence Williams III, the ubiquitous character actor whose portrayal of Prince’s father in the 1984 movie, “Purple Rain.” Williams died Friday, just days before Prince’s birthday, further linking them together. The musical genius passed away on April 21, 2016, but he certainly has not left the world of pop culture. He’s had a number of posthumous awards bestowed upon him, including receiving a major honor from the University of Minnesota in 2019. The institution—which is based in his hometown—awarded him with an honorary degree for his contributions to the music industry and the city of Minneapolis. In honor of Black Music Appreciation Month and Juneteenth, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is rolling out a series of special events and digital content. “The Rock Hall brings together and gives voice to people of all backgrounds and beliefs through music year-round,” said Greg Harris, CEO & President, Rock Hall. “Find your voice with us through our June programming as we celebrate Black musical trailblazers.” Reckoning & Requiem: LaVern Baker & Cultural Appropriation: Tune into the Rock Hall’s YouTube channel on June 17 at 7 p.m. EST. Juneteenth Celebrations: Saturday, June 19 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Rock Hall plaza. t’s Been Said All Along: Voices of Rage, Hope & Empowerment”: Music can create change, inspire, and sustain revolutions and movements. The Rock Hall’s inspiring exhibit shares the stories behind songs and artists that were at the center of movements and Black liberation, including What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, Fight The Power by Public Enemy, to Freedom by Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar, to name a few. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have done it again. They are now parents to a new baby. This time it’s a girl to be a sister to baby Archie. “It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world,” read a statement from the couple Sunday. “Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA.” The baby girl weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and is named after Queen Elizabeth II and the late Princess Diana, according to a press secretary for the Meghan and Harry. https://youtu.be/JFMmREAoRLo One of the teens involved in a high-profile carjacking that claimed the life of a Washington, D.C. food delivery driver received sentencing on Friday and will be committed to the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services until she turns 21, FOX 5 DC reports. A judge handed down the punishment after the girl, who recently turned 16, pleaded guilty to felony murder. A 13-year-old who assisted the girl during the March incident plead guilty to second-degree murder on Thursday and will face sentencing in July. She could also face the same maximum sentence as her counterpart. Prosecutors from the D.C. attorney general’s office worked to drop other charges associated with the case in return for a plea deal. The man responsible for Monday’s attack on an Asian American woman has been charged for his crime. The suspect identified as Alexander Wright has been arrested and charged with assault as a hate crime and other counts, CBS New York reports. Investigators say Wright was found with what looks like the drug K2 when they detained him. They also believe the 48-year-old, who has been arrested 17 times — eight this year — lives in a homeless shelter. Facebook broke the head-scratching news on Friday that it will suspend Donald Trump‘s accounts until early 2023, citing that it was punishment for his insistence in stoking the fires that led to a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier this year. The timeline is in response to the platform’s Oversight Board announcing t it would determine a specific amount of time for Trump’s ban. In response to the Facebook news, Trump released two absurd statements on Friday. “Facebook’s ruling is an insult to the record-setting 75m people, plus many others, who voted for us,” he said in a statement issued from his Save America political action committee, “They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win. Our country can’t take this abuse anymore!” The latter declared he will not invite Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to any friend-oriented White House dinners, confirming he believes the White House is within his grasp for a second time. A Black Republican and former U.S. Congressman who is among the QAnon conspiracy theorists who believe Donald Trump was the victim of election fraud is set to leave his post of leading the GOP in Texas to reportedly consider a run for governor next year. Allen West, who represented Florida in Congress for one term and unsuccessfully tried to get the first Black president impeached, will be stepping down as chairman of the Texas Republican Party on Friday, less than a year after assuming the position. He said it was his “distinct honor to serve as Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.” F. Lee Bailey the high-profile celebrity lawyer who died Thursday at the age of 87 was part of the Dream Team of lawyers defending O.J. Simpson against murder charges for allegedly killing his estranged wife and her lover in Southern California 27 years ago in what was at the time billed as “The Trial of the Century.” Simpson offered condolences upon hearing news of Bailey’s death. https://twitter.com/i/status/1400524646068326402 The hits keep on coming for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As UNC continues to process the national blowback for denying tenure to award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Black professor and highly sought chemist declined a position with the university. Citing the Board of Trustees’ treatment of Hannah-Jones, professor Lisa Jones removed her name from consideration. Inside Higher Ed reported Jones found the decision to defer tenure for Hannah Jones “disheartening.” She also took aim at the UNC’s alleged commitment to diversity. “It does not seem in line with a school that says it is interested in diversity,” wrote Jones. “Although I know this decision may not reflect the view of the school’s faculty, I will say that I cannot see myself accepting a position at a university where this decision stands. Reports show the chemistry department tried to lure Jones away from her current position as associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. The chemistry faculty alerted the UNC chancellor to the negative impact on faculty recruitment. From films and television shows to initiatives that sit at the intersection of the arts and social justice, filmmaker Ava DuVernay has been dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of marginalized communities and she is taking her efforts further. According to Deadline, DuVernay has joined forces with Google for the creation of a grant centered on empowering underrepresented creatives. The $500,000 fund—dubbed the Array + Google Feature Film Grant—will financially support recipients as they embark on a journey of creating a full-length feature project. The initiative was cultivated as part of a larger effort by DuVernay’s Array imprint to drive inclusivity within the arts and entertainment space forward. In this social media age, we’re more likely to hear the typical rumors and/ or “he say, she say” narratives more often than not. Yet, these most recent allegations about Martin Lawrence from actor/comedian Chris Williams were much more on the believable side of things. Williams, the younger brother of actress Vanessa Williams took social media on a whirlwind of a journey as he expressed great regret and disappointment with his first guest star role on the show Martin. His detailed Instagram post, including video of a specific scene, quickly turned into viral reposts on Twitter after his vivid accounts of the disrespect and unprofessionalism on set from Lawrence, caught the public’s attention. https://www.instagram.com/p/CLYPBIfJ1j9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Twenty-year-old breakout Christian artist Cade Thompson drew inspiration for his new single “New Normal” from his experiencing fear when a potential active shooter was at his high school in 2018 in his senior. Undoubtedly, panic rippled through the hearts of all the students, especially Cade, who could not reach his parents to alert them of the threat. Thankfully, the situation proved to be a false alarm, and he was able to go home safely, yet, the event triggered Cade’s deep-seated anxiety. https://youtu.be/o_nC3pUNFv0 Embracing the NFT World with not one but Fifteen unique collectible NFT’s for auction providing comedic content crafted directly from the acclaimed diabolical dark comedy “Stealing Chaplin” featuring Mr. Las Vegas Himself Wayne Newton. Very much poised to launch as a bidding frenzy in the vein of the “Charlie Bit My Finger” today as these fifteen NFT’s pulled directly from this new independent gem go live. The groundbreaking “Stealing Chaplin” NFT auction offering fifteen NFT’s crafted from this comedy hit is unheard of in the film world and will be the first of its kind to cross into the astronomically successful financial NFT space. https://youtu.be/d8RgXf8b4zg Home to the largest Confederate memorial in the country, the state of Georgia took another leap in whitewashing history. The majority-white Georgia Board of Education passed a resolution declaring slavery and racism are inconsistent with America. Calling an emergency meeting, the state board of education met Thursday to weigh in on critical race theory. A manufactured crisis of conservative origin, K-12 public school students are not learning critical race theory. YouTube comments during the meeting questioned the validity of the so-called emergency. The resolution adopted similar language as proposals in Republican-controlled legislatures across the country. The late legendary musician Muddy Waters played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of blues music and efforts to preserve an integral piece of his story are moving forward. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, his former residence has been given preliminary landmark status. The historic home—which is nestled in the heart of South Side’s North Kenwood community—was constructed in 1891. Waters, whose real name is McKinley Morganfield, moved from Mississippi to Chicago during the Great Migration and began to lay the foundation for his storied career. Morganfield went from playing music at house parties to becoming a fixture in the Chicago club scene. The release of songs like “I Feel Like Going Home” catapulted him to success and in the 50s and 60s he solidified himself as a power player in the music industry. He moved into the home located at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave. in 1954 and resided there with his family for 19 years. The residence served as a backdrop for significant parts of his journey. It was in this home where he raised generations of his family. The house was also a gathering place for other influential musicians including Chuck Berry and Otis Spann. Serena Williams has quietly been inching closer to making tennis history amid all the drama surrounding Naomi Osaka‘s withdrawal from the French Open. While much of the discussion surrounding the French Open has been about players’ mental health and the mandatory media duties that have played a role in the former for Osaka – and rightfully so — one aspect that has seemingly been overlooked is that winning the tournament would give Williams an equal number of the record 24 Grand Slam victories that’s been held for decades. Music icon Jody Watley, one of the architects of 21st century pop stopped by The Tamron Hall Show to talk about her iconic looks everyone has come to know and love, her expanding signature home line, complete with candles and fragrances, “The Jody Watley Experience” display coming to the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville and more! https://youtu.be/fL7Za5waqls Amid backlash from the Courtney Stodden bullying controversy, it’s reported that Chrissy Teigen, 35, has exited Mindy Kaling‘s Netflix show “Never Have I Ever,” a comedy following a first-generation Indian American teen, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). In the show, Teigen was set to voice a role in one episode on the series’ second season. Reports emphasize that Teigen did not get fired, but peacefully dropped out of her planned voice role. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com On the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Tom Hanks is encouraging people to educate themselves on the dark event that he says is commonly ignored and “too often left out” of American history. The Oklahoma Historical Society refers to it as “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.” Hanks, who considers himself a “lay historian” through his education, personal research and work in “historically based entertainment,” said he “never read a page of any school history book” on the massacre. That changed nearly a century later when the prolific actor came across a 2020 New York Times article following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. “My experience was common: History was mostly written by white people about white people like me, while the history of Black people — including the horrors of Tulsa — was too often left out,” Hanks, 64, wrote in a guest essay for the Times Friday. “Until relatively recently, the entertainment industry, which helps shape what is history and what is forgotten, did the same. That includes projects of mine.” A New York City gallery that was founded to pay tribute to the 1921 Oklahoma race massacre was vandalized multiple times this week — including on May 31, the deadly event’s 100-year anniversary. At a press conference on Thursday, the owner of the Black Wall Street Gallery said its logo was smeared with white paint, which was discovered by a security guard on Monday morning. The next day, graffiti was discovered on a window. “We are neither shocked nor surprised that merely three days after opening on 26 Mercer Street, in celebration of our ancestors, that we would find a literal whitewashing of Black Wall Street on our front window,” owner and director Ricco Wright said on Thursday. In a Facebook post, the gallery said the New York Police Department initially claimed that the incident did not constitute hate speech despite the fact that this occurred on the centennial anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The upcoming annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention promises to be a reckoning for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Data released in May shows it has lost 2.3 million members since 2006. Despite efforts to beef up evangelism, a drop in membership of 2% in 2018-2019 represents the largest single-year decline in more than a century. This year’s meeting, the first in the post-Trump era, will also be the first since some headline-making departures from the denomination. Last month, its chief ethicist, Russell Moore, resigned. In March, bestselling author and speaker Beth Moore made waves by denouncing her membership and cutting her ties with the SBC’s publishing arm, Lifeway Christian Resources. The Rev. Dwight McKissic, a prominent Texas pastor, seems to be standing on the threshold. In her March 5 interview with Religion News Service, Beth Moore was blunt: “I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists.” Moore is no liberal renegade. She has described herself as “pro-life from conception to grave.” And she has operated within the SBC’s restrictions on women serving in the role of pastors, despite being one of its most sought-after speakers. One night in 1858, Carter Dowling, an enslaved Black man forced to work without pay at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Northern Virginia, made the brave decision to escape. He made it to Philadelphia, where he met the famed abolitionist William Still. He then continued north to Canada and, after the Civil War, returned to Washington, D.C., where he was able to open a bank account for his children. He eventually went on to work as a labor organizer in Buffalo. To this day, Mr. Dowling’s family line continues. And, most likely for one of the first times in American history, his descendants could receive cash payments for his forced labor. In February, the Virginia Theological Seminary began handing out cash payments to the descendants of Black Americans who were forced to work there during the time of slavery and Jim Crow. The program is among the first of its kind. Though other institutions have created atonement programs, such as scholarships and housing vouchers for Black people, few, if any, have provided cash. A Milwaukee woman accused of killing a man who allegedly sexually assaulted her and other underage girls is entitled to an appeal using a certain type of defense strategy, a Wisconsin court ruled this week. Chrystul Kizer, who was 17 when prosecutors say she killed Randall Volar III and set fire to his home in 2018, may be able to employ a state law adopted in 2008 and known as “affirmative defense,” which means what she is accused of doing was a “direct result” of being a human trafficking victim. Kizer was charged with five felonies, including first-degree intentional homicide. She was underage when she said Volar, 34, sexually assaulted her. Kizer, now 20, came forward publicly in a 2019 Washington Post interview from jail and said she acted in self-defense. “I didn’t intentionally try to do this,” she said. Kizer is awaiting trial following her release from the Kenosha County Jail last June after the case drew interest from community groups and celebrities, and supporters helped raise her $400,000 bail, which was lowered from $1 million. Her situation also drew comparisons to that of Cyntoia Brown, who was convicted as a teenager of murdering a man she said had hired her for sex and was released from prison in 2019 after then-Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam commuted her life sentence. A Worcester Police officer and a 14-year-old boy drowned in Green Hill Pond on Friday afternoon. The police officer, 38-year-old Enmanuel “Manny” Familia, was attempting to save the boy. Police responded to the pond after 911 callers reported three children struggling in the water. Five officers immediately jumped into the pond. “Two kids were in the water trying to hold onto each other in the water when I got here, screaming that they couldn’t swim and that there was somebody else under,” witness Sheryl Lamonda told WBZ. One officer came out of the water with two kids he had rescued. They were transported to the hospital. Lamonda said another officer was in the water and people on shore were directing him to where the missing boy was. “He just went right under,” Lamonda said. A dive team pulled Officer Familia from the pond and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The search continued for the missing teen for hours until a dive team finally recovered his body. He has not been identified. When she suited up in cap and gown to accept her diploma from Calvin University last month, Claire Murashima felt proud of her bachelor’s degree in marketing management. But to Murashima and to many of her fellow graduates, her more singular and unexpected achievement was having navigated her senior year while serving as the first openly gay student body president in the history of the landmark Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The raven-haired 22-year-old, who grew up attending evangelical churches in California and North Carolina and identifies as queer or bisexual, filled her post at the 145-year-old school by taking principled stands about her sexual orientation, while maintaining — or at least seeking — the respect of her mostly straight peers and elders. Tampa State Rep. Fentrice Driskell is making history as the first Black woman elected to lead the Florida House Democrats. She will take the reins in the 2024-2026 term. Driskell won Tampa’s District 63 in 2018 by about 5,000 votes. And her current term expires in 2022, which means she’d need to win reelection in the swing district to become leader. But at 42, the Winter Haven-born lawyer is a rising star in state politics. She said becoming leader-designate is an honor and shows the world is paying more attention to Black women and the role they play in politics. Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti had been searching for a way to properly salute Ozzie Newsome since he stepped down as the team’s general manager three years ago. Bisciotti came up with an idea that not only impacts the lives of Baltimore students but also touches on Newsome’s childhood. Bisciotti told ESPN that he and his wife are making a $4 million gift in Newsome’s name to Maryland’s historically Black colleges and universities. The Ozzie Newsome Scholars Program will fund scholarships for Baltimore City Public Schools graduates who attend an HBCU in Maryland. “It gives me this great feeling for the next 30 years that I’m going to be running into accomplished people all over Baltimore and Maryland and they’re going to introduce themselves as Ozzie Newsome Scholars,’ Bisciotti told ESPN. “It’s like I’m planting a seed that will flourish.” The Senior Bowl and the NFL will hold a pre-draft combine for top prospects from historically Black colleges and universities next January. The inaugural HBCU combine, scheduled for Jan. 28-29 in 2022, will be similar to the NFL combine with interviews and on-field and medical evaluations. It will be held at the University of South Alabama and feature select players from four HBCU conferences — the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — and other HBCU institutions. The first scheduled HBCU combine was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s Rottweiler dog has been acting up again; someone new is claiming the animal violently attacked them. In a new lawsuit Brandon Williams an employee of Bliss Pet Resort says Elliott’s Rottweiler viciously bit him on March 25, 2021. Williams says he was working for the pet resort in Prosper, Texas when he encountered the three dogs Elliott had boarded. Williams says he was taking the Rottweiler and two pit bulls out because nature was calling for them when out of nowhere, Elliott’s Rottweiler attacked. Williams says the dog seized his right arm, clamped down, and threw him to the ground. Williams claims the bite was so ferocious, he needed stitches and was “seriously injured.” Williams is now suing Elliott and Bliss Pet Resort … seeking more than $250,000, but less than $1 million. In response to the lawsuit, Elliott’s attorney,Frank Salzano, sent this statement to TMZ Sports: “Mr. Elliott and his representatives were very surprised to learn of Mr. Williams’ complaint, particularly given that Bliss Pet Spa indicated at the time of the incident that this was not uncommon and was being handled under standard spa protocol. Mr. Elliott will address this matter accordingly.” Actor, writer, producer, director and executive Issa Rae can now add superhero to her resume. The “Insecure” star and industry multi-hyphenate has joined the cast of the sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning animated feature “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” as Jessica Drew, better known as Spider-Woman. Rae joins returning voice actors Shameik Moore (as main hero Miles Morales) and Hailee Steinfeld (as Gwen Stacy, a.k.a. Spider-Gwen). In April, Variety reported exclusively that Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson will be directing the feature, with producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller also credited as writers on the screenplay, along with David Callaham. Premier Productions reveals the worship event of the summer as Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe and Bethel Music featuring Brian and Jenn Johnson and Jonathan and Melissa Helser and more share the stage on tour for the first time ever in summer 2021. Dante Bowe and Brandon Lake of Bethel Music will join the tour for select dates, as well as Josh Baldwin, David Funk and Emmy Rose of Bethel Music. https://youtu.be/zMCPn_HZq30 Us Again,” Disney’s newest animated short, is a seven-minute movie with no dialogue but tons of meaning. The story of an aged couple finding their youth again is told through music, dance and animation! “Us Again,” Disney’s newest animated short, is a seven-minute movie with no dialogue but tons of meaning. The story of an aged couple finding their youth again is told through music, dance and animation! The main characters, an African-American woman named Dot and her Japanese-American husband, Art, share a love that transcends time. Composer Pinar Toprak shared how she hoped her score communicated that. Vanessa Bryant’s eldest daughter just hit a major academic milestone! On Friday, Vanessa shared photos and videos from her 18-year-old daughter Natalia Bryant‘s high school graduation, writing on Instagram that her family is “so proud” of the teen. “Yay! Congratulations Natalia!!!! ” Vanessa, 39, captioned a photo of her daughter in her graduation robe and cap. In another post, Vanessa showed a close-up of Natalia’s graduation cap, which had been decorated with in the colors of the University of Southern California, where Natalia is headed in the fall. It’s an effort to expand access to coronavirus vaccines: provide shots at the barbershop. As part of a White House initiative, the National Association of County and City Health Officials is planning to help train Black-owned barbershops and hair salons to provide accurate vaccination information and even provide vaccines where possible, Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of NACCHO, told CNN on Wednesday. The Biden administration said Wednesday it is teaming up with several organizations — the Black Coalition Against COVID, the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity and the SheaMoisture company — to launch an initiative called “Shots at the Shop” to engage Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons nationwide in efforts to promote vaccine education and outreach on a local level. The White House said throughout the month of June, each participating shop will help share information about vaccines with customers, display educational materials, and some will even host on-site vaccination events in partnership with local providers. Vanessa Bryant took to social media this week to call out Nike for producing a sneaker that she designed for her late daughter Gianna without her consent. In an Instagram statement posted on Thursday Vanessa said she “worked hard” on the black-and-white “MAMBACITA” sneakers, which, as reported by PEOPLE, are an exclusive colorway of Kobe’s iconic design. “It was going to be called the MAMBACITA shoe as an exclusive black and white colorway on her daddy’s shoes,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. “I picked the colors in honor of her uniform, the inside pattern, Kobe and Gigi on the back in gold instead of Kobe’s signature, the inside shoe details (butterfly, wings, halo), etc.” “The MAMBACITA shoes are NOT approved for sale,” Vanessa continued, noting that Nike has not sent her any pairs of the shoes. Christopher Walker’s defense attorney made the announcement Thursday after the family requested that they speak with the family of Pop Smoke. Attorney Christopher Darden added that Pop Smoke’s family may not be ready to meet with Walker’s family due to the sensitive nature involving both of their sons. “The Walker family has asked me to contact the victim’s family so that they might speak privately. I hope to reach out to the family soon. They might need time. I will also understand if the family is not inclined to have that conversation. Everything we have done and said has been done and said while keeping in mind the great respect we have for the victim and the victim’s family.” Darden told the New York Daily News. The slain rapper’s mother, Audrey Jackson, said in response that she doesn’t have time to make a decision due to her career obligations as a teacher as the school year is coming to a close “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum Phaedra Parks revealed on Instagram that her car was broken into — allegedly by “2 guys” who stole multiple items from inside the vehicle! While sharing a photo of herself posing beside the damaged car on Wednesday, she asked that her followers message her if they “have any info” on the situation. Before that she explained, “Tonight at exactly 7:02 pm during daylight, someone (2 guys) broke into my car on Miami Circle exactly 11 minutes after I got out to drop off an item,” she captioned her post. The 47-year-old revealed that among the items that were stolen was a gift from RHOA star Porsha Williams. “They jumped through the passenger window and broke my glove compartment, which was empty, and he took the gold glitter backpack @porsha4real gave to me for my birthday, which had my Canon camera in it with my sons’ recent graduation pictures on the memory card,” she continued. “You can’t see in my car. I have 360 limo tint, the items they took are sentimental to me,” she added. A little over a year has passed since the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in a Georgia town shocked the nation, and rocked his loved ones to their core. But even in the midst of grappling with the tragedy and fighting to secure justice, Arbery’s big sister, Jasmine Arbery, managed to secure a victory for them both. In May the mother of one celebrated reaching her second collegiate milestone after earning her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Albany State University. Jasmine, who previously completed her bachelor’s degree at ASU, was ranked at the top of the psychology department. With a series of photos posted to Instagram, Jasmine shared how arduous the journey to her second degree had truly been. She is a mother of five and a grandmother of four, but people can’t believe it when they see Ellen Ector these days, especially if she’s in a bikini at age 68! Those who have known Ector for more than 12 years remember her as an overweight social worker. Ector agrees. “I had five children, and I was overweight,” she admits. “I took a pic of myself and I looked horrible. I had all gut and butt. “But after five children, what do you expect.” Ector did what others didn’t expect; she changed her eating habits, started to exercise, and watched the weight begin to come off. She said she started feeling more energetic, as well. Ector ultimately left her job as a social worker and pursued serious fitness training in 2009, reports Black Doctor.org. After her eye-popping transformation, Ector wanted to pass her exercise and eating regimen to other women, especially African Americans. What followed was a new career for Ector and Lana, her daughter and business partner. The two now have a series of DVDs for women called “Black Girls Workout Too!” “The DVDs,” said Ector, “is for all women who want to lose weight. After the emergence of Alex Haley’s Roots, many Black families dug deep in search of their own lost family trees. Author Jean Perry’s family was no different, and she was all ears to the stories that were unearthed. By sitting and listening to the stories told by her elders, Perry was able to craft a retelling of her grandfather’s history as an enslaved person who ended up serving as a valet to the plantation owner’s son. “Mozay of Pepperwick” is a quick but fulfilling read, appropriate for middle school students but easily enjoyed by readers of all ages. It is not only a homage to Perry’s family history, but also contains many historically accurate accounts as well as characters who existed in real life. “My grandfather, Mose Perry, was a slave in South Carolina, and was assigned as a valet and companion to the plantation owner’s son. Because he was in that position, he was given seven years of education. During lessons, my grandfather often knew the answer when the planter’s son didn’t, but he was not allowed to raise his hand. Once I heard that story, my imagination just took off,” Perry relates. Readers will be interested to note that Perry originally created many of the African parables found within the story, which serve as metaphoric and sometimes metaphysical plot points throughout Mozay’s journey. Her original pieces add an additional layer of authenticity to her historical fiction, but her writing remains approachable, making it a classic read that is an easy first pick for instructors looking for books on the topic. The 6th Annual Black Music Honors will be televised in national broadcast syndication in key markets such as New York on June 5, 2021 at 3:00 PM ET on WPIX and in Baltimore on June 6, 2021 at 3:00 PM ET on WBFF this weekend. This year’s presentation kicks off Black Music Month and commemorates Juneteenth and airs Saturday, June 19 at 1:00 PM ET on Bounce TV. The honorees for this year’s Black Music Honors includes multiple Grammy® Award-nominated R&B legend Angie Stone, Ginuwine, Marvin Sapp and Ramsey Lewis. The National Museum of African American Music will be honored with the Legacy Award.Performers include Cece Winans, Montell Jordan, Jacquees, After 7, Syleena Johnson, Pleasure P, Stokley, Avery Sunshine, J. Moss, Q Parker, Bahamadia, Chrisette Michele, Jac Ross, Mumu Fresh, Kevin Ross, Theresa Tha Songbird, and Zacardi Cortez. Each June, music fans around the world come together to celebrate the indelible influence that Black musicians have made on culture with Black Music Month. To mark the month, Amazon Music has worked to put together a brand-new slate of content that honors the legacy of the Black artists whose music soundtracks our lives and defines our culture. Today, a new performance from two-time GRAMMY-nominee Koryn Hawthorne, "Falling in Love with Jesus," an Amazon Original song with Koryn's soulful take on the Jonathan Butler classic, has kicked off Amazon Music's new series of releases that honors Black Music Month. The song is available now on their Gospel Now playlist. Koryn Hawthorne-"Falling in Love with Jesus" http://amzn.to/KorynHawthorne In celebration of Juneteenth, the team at Apple Music put together a collection of songs that honor the experiences of Black people of the past, the present and the future. The major outlet tapped the Gospel GOAT Kirk Franklin to release "Overcome 2021”. https://music.apple.com/fj/album/overcome-2021/1567241777 The Smollett sibling duo continue to bring their keen design flavor to CLEO TV this Saturday, May 29 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJIUftwFZR4 JOIN CHEF SUNNY ANDERSON AS SHE SHARES GERMAN-INSPIRED DISHES ON COOKING FOR REAL WITH SUNNY ANDERSON, AIRING MONDAYS AT 9 P.M. ET/8C Stellar Award winning and Grammy nominated siblings, The Walls Group, are this generation’s most culturally relevant gospel crew. Members Darrel, Rhea, Alic and Ahjah have been making a major impact in the music industry for over a decade and are still discovering new and bold ways to use their voice. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i6lc9gj58cxa0xd/AACBYK4zVaFdPR3O5QLF2IGBa?dl=0 Black Writers Weekend’s hybrid experience will stream online and take place in the Sweet Auburn District in Atlanta, GA from Thursday, June 10th to Sunday, June 13th, 2021. The festival which is powered by AAMBC Inc has amplified black creative voices for over 13 years through literacy programs and events furthermore contributing to the elevation of Black excellence. BET “Sunday Best” alum Latice Crawford’s new EP, THE CURE, is available now. The transparent and motivational EP is concrete proof of Latice's ability to deliver melodic and soulful messages to listeners and followers of Christ. THE CURE is available now on all major digital retail and streaming outlets. Something Something from Latice Crawford... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW6YvZz5_xQ The Black College Expo and the Los Angeles Urban League will award over $100,000.00 to high school students during the “2021 Black High School Graduation: Rites of Passage” Virtual Ceremony on Friday, June 4, 2021, at 4 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST). The celebration will showcase academic achievers and obstacle-overcomers who are “stars” of the Black community. Students, nationwide, will share their high school achievements and receive financial awards during this virtual ceremony. Yo-Yo, Uzo Aduba, Kel Mitchell, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Marcus Scribner and Shaun Robinson will join a stellar list of celebrities who’ll be empowering and inspiring Black High School students during their one-of- a-kind Rites Of Passage celebration. Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Monica joined SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Mike Muse Show” to discuss her new series “Infamy; When Fame Turns Deadly” which premieres June 7 on VH1. During the interview the star spoke with host Mike Muse about living in a hotel room for ten months after her divorce, and realizing the importance of “space and solace” for her and her kids once the pandemic hit. https://youtu.be/quhRE-lV9Qg The court accepts the existence of God every time a witness swears to tell the truth,” says Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) in defense of Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) in “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.” Warren went on to say, “I think it’s about time [the court] accepts the existence of the devil.” Hell yeah! I believe. And why I scurried out of the dark theater after “The Conjuring” not knowing what or who could be lurking in the dark. Although it was a private screening, the few of us who attended were inside a huge multi-plex where any demon could have slipped past security. https://youtu.be/tLFnRAzcaEc Former Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett has joined the cast of Lee Daniels’ upcoming Fox drama “Our Kind of People.” The singer is set to star opposite “Chicago Med” alum Yaya DaCosta and Morris Chestnut. Actress, director, producer, and acting coach, Tasha Smith has been tapped to direct the pilot and second episode of the upcoming FOX drama, which is inspired by the book by Laurence Otis Graham. It appears as though Cuba Gooding Jr. decided to ignore a civil lawsuit against him–and lost as a result! Back in late 2019, bartender Natasha Ashworth sued the actor for allegedly attempting to grope her repeatedly while working at TAO Downtown Nightclub in Manhattan. However, Cuba Gooding Jr. never went about hiring a civil defense attorney or filing any court paperwork. Due to his failure to respond, Natasha Ashworth requested a default judgement back in January 2021. For context, a default judgement is when the court decides on a ruling without the non-cooperating party’s input. On Wednesday (June 2nd), Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Alexander Tisch granted Natasha Ashworth‘s default judgement request for her assault and battery accusation. Resultingly, a civil trial to determine what Ashworth should be awarded for her ordeals with Cuba Gooding Jr. is the next step. In response to the default judgement, Cuba Gooding Jr.‘s criminal defense attorney–who was not working this civil case–commented … “The claim is baseless and the judgment is worthless.” A 1990 interview between Whitney Houston and Byron Allen has resurfaced, during which the late singer revealed that Hollywood legend Robert De Niro once tried to shoot his shot. De’Niro has long had a thing for Black women. He is also a father of six children from three different women, all of them are Black women. https://youtu.be/hmL9O5Lz6a0 An earlier report noted that Michael B. Jordan will make his directorial debut with “Creed III” for MGM. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan will reprise his role as Adonis “Donnie” Johnson Creed and also produce the film. He shared the exciting news on his Instagram Stories, writing “Excited is an understatement!” So who will be Adonis Creed’s opponent in the ring? According to Deadline, it could be actor Jonathan Majors. https://youtu.be/LAnn29j8F1w Girls Trip star Tiffany Haddish will produce and star in a game 1 biopic about 3x Olympic Gold-winning track and field athlete Florence Griffith Joyner (“Flo-Jo”), which was one of the actress’ heroes growing up. Haddish will play Flo-Jo, in a feature that tells the story of the Olympian’s remarkable life and untimely death, showcasing her historic feats, but also her enduring impact on the entire world of sports and in the communities that needed her help and inspiration the most. Therese Andrews, EVP of Production at game1, is spearheading the entire project. For King & Country, the Grammy-winning band led by Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, and Monarch Media are teaming for two movies projects. The feature documentary Return to Sydney: The For King & Country Journey will chronicle the Australian brothers and their sister, singer-songwriter Rebecca St. James, returning home after conquering the music world and earning a dozen honors, including Grammys and Billboard Music Awards. Minneapolis supporters of George Floyd were outraged, shocked, and concerned Thursday after city crews enacted orders to remove large portions of the memorial commemorating Floyd in order to reopen street traffic. The decision to move barricades at the corner of 38th and Chicago occurs one week after Floyd’s death anniversary and one day after Derek Chauvin, the cop who murdered Floyd, proposed probation and prison time equal to time already served prior to his sentencing hearing on June 25. Friday, Facebook said it will suspend former President Donald Trump‘s account for at least two years. The firm plans to suspend Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts two years, beginning on the initial suspension date of January 7, 2021. They made the official decision after concluding that he [allegedly] stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan.6 insurrection. They noted that it will only be reinstated “if conditions permit,” Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, wrote in a blog post Friday, “We are today announcing new enforcement protocols to be applied in exceptional cases such as this, and we are confirming the time-bound penalty consistent with those protocols which we are applying to Mr. Trump’s accounts.” Buckingham Palace has responded to reports that ethnic minorities and foreigners were barred from office jobs during the 1960s. The Guardian reported Thursday, citing documents in Britain’s National Archives, that heads of staff were prejudiced in hiring practices. According to the report, up until the 1960’s, Buckingham Palace banned people of color from holding certain positions within Queen Elizabeth II’s royal household. Even today, the queen’s house remains exempt from U.K. laws that prevent race and sex discrimination. https://youtu.be/7jQmUcLrbjU Mo’Nique is not backing down from comments she made on social media last week, in which she noted her frustration with seeing Black women wearing pajamas and bonnets in public. After stirring up debate, the Oscar-winning actress returned to Instagram to explain why she was compelled to deliver the message in the first place. “The post that I did Friday in reference to us being the best us that we can be, it rubbed some people wrong, but I want to share this with yall,” Mo began in a video posted Tuesday. “There were two people in my life that had I taken a different attitude, I could have felt they was rubbing me wrong. But I’m glad I took the attitude of appreciation and gratitude because they tapped me. And that was Patti LaBelle and Margaret Avery.” She went on to say, “I’m glad those two women love me enough that they would go out of their way to talk to me in a way that aunties, mommas, big sisters talk to their little sisters, nieces, grandbabies, [and] daughters. I was grateful for that because it allowed me to [feel] about things differently. Never once did I think those women were trying to be offensive, nasty, or mean. I thought it was nothing but love.” Video showing “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Widow Von’Du’s recent domestic violence arrest, where she takes an offered vape from a bystander while handcuffed, has gone viral. Von’Du was booked for first and second degree domestic assault after allegedly knocking her partner out cold, leaving him in need of 14 stitches in his face and head. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-06-02-060221-widow-von-du-1132719/ The 25th Anniversary of the WNBA couldn’t be off to a better start. Viewership is up 74% on ABC and ESPN this season. This season the Los Angeles Sparks are bringing a different look to the court. The team has been almost completely revamped from the 2020 season. For wing/guard Brittney Sykes entering her fifth year in the W, that means new challenges and personal goals. Sykes came to the Sparks in a trade before the 2020 season from the Atlanta Dream. https://youtu.be/HZqmkxIOPuA TV One has announced its slate of programming for Black Music Month, which includes encore episodes of its documentary series “Unsung.” Urban Hollywood 411 reports, the cable network will bring back episodes of Unsung featuring Shanice, Lloyd, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Chanté Moore and others. The June lineup will also feature performances from Alicia Keys: Live in LA; Black Star Live At The Vienne Jazz Festival, and Gregory Porter Live at Nice Jazz Festival. A dancer caught fire at a birthday party that Sean “Diddy” Combs hosted for Quality Control Music CEO Pierre “Pee” Thomas at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on Wednesday night. “There were dancers on tables wearing feathered skirts, and one dropped down to get her eagle on and caught on fire from a candle,” a spy told Page Six. “Nothing was left but her string thong. She was panicking and quickly extinguished.” Guests included Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Angela Simmons, Bow Wow, Ray J Marlo Hampton, T.I. and Tiny and Pee’s girl group, City Girls, performed. https://youtu.be/9GsP2TcfPsY Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year sentence for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in April of the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin, a white man, was found guilty on April 20 on all counts of murdering Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis on May 25 2020 by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes until he died. A jury convicted Chauvin of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Last month, his attorney filed court documents seeking a new trial. Defense Attorney Eric Nelson has asked for less than the 15-year maximum in state sentencing guidelines or probation. Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter spoke at a Memorial Day event in Hudson, Ohio, but the mic went out during a very specific segment of his address. He thought a technical glitch had caused his mic to stop working as he explained the role Black people played in establishing Memorial Day. But no. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, organizers cut his mic on purpose because they didn’t want him talking about that at their event. https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/veterans-microphone-cut-off-while-speaking-about-black-history-of-memorial-day/2021/06/02/d9bd3a5b-5805-4419-9b04-787487e90849_video.html Kylee D. Allen an 11-year-old actress dish about her breakthrough role in Amazon’s “The Underground Railroad,” series directed by Barry Jenkins. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, the historical fiction narrative is about a woman’s journey escaping slavery. Kylee portrays ‘Molly,’ one of the three children featured in this powerful story which was adapted by Academy Award-winning producer/director Barry Jenkins. https://player.vimeo.com/video/557796219 Evelyn Lozada has announced that she’s quitting “Basketball Wives” after nine seasons. Lozada has starred in every season of the hit VH1 show since it debuted in 2010. “I think that it’s time for me to open up the universe to other things,” she told E!’s “Just the Sip” podcast, as reported by Page Six. “It’s been a hard decision because I could [continue to appear on the show] with my eyes closed.” “But at the same time I think it’s so difficult and it takes so much energy and it’s not the most positive energy and I just open up to the universe to allow other things to flow in,” she added. Anthony Mackie began trending Wednesday night shortly after popping up to introduce Captain America at the opening ceremony for Marvel’s new AVENGERS CAMPUS, which officially opens for visitors today at Disney California Adventure. Mackie, who went from playing Sam Wilson, to Falcon, to Captain America in the Marvel universe, thrilled fans watching online when he appeared on stage carrying Captain America’s shield……unsheathed it, and then handed the shield to the theme park’s Captain America – a moment that quickly went viral. Since the birth of this nation, no Black woman has ever served as governor in the United States. But South Carolina Democratic state Sen. Mia McLeod believes she will be the first, despite the fact that Democrats haven’t been elected to a statewide office there in 15 years. https://youtu.be/TyBHSDbAjsE Black Lives Matter activist Bree Newsome called out white Americans whose families stole land and property from Black Americans post-slavery. “Amazing how white people commit atrocities in one generation & then they just disappear from existence,” she said in a series of tweets calling for reparations. “No descendants, no names, no current wealth or land holdings that can be identified as a result of the atrocity. Only Black survivors exist with living memory, apparently,” Newsome added. “White violence has driven Black migration across the country and led to significant loss of land and wealth, but we can’t identify to whose hands specific plots of land and subsequent wealth was transferred? The current class of wealthy white people have no connection? Hmm,” she wrote in a second tweet. Newsome famously scaled a flagpole to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capital in Columbia. ESSENCE, the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities, announces its stellar talent line-up for its 2021 ESSENCE Festival of Culture Presented by Coca-Cola—the world’s largest cultural, entertainment and empowerment experience. Incorporating virtual for the second year in light of the pandemic, this year’s event will live up to its theme of “Live Loud” by featuring exciting content across all of its stages centered around culture, equity and celebration. The star-studded lineup will feature performances by: Jazmine Sullivan, DJ Khaled & Friends, Ne-Yo, Tank, Michelle Williams, Kirk Franklin, Davido and D-Nice. The Festival’s powerful interactive sessions will also showcase Mary J. Blige, Angela Yee, Adrienne Bailon, Sarah Jakes Roberts, Tracy G., Tiana Major9, Big Freedia, Miss Lawrence, Supacent, Shantrelle P. Lewis, Jesseca Dupart and more. The Festival will stream on ESSENCEStudios.com and ESSENCE.com—Friday-Sunday over two weekends, June 25-27 and July 2-4. Lady Voncile Belcher's Volume 2 release drops on June 18th, 2021. Be on the Lookout. British media personality Piers Morgan is catching heat for calling tennis champion Naomi Osaka a “spoiled brat” over her decision to withdraw from the French Open on Sunday. “Ms Osaka is also an arrogant spoiled brat whose fame and fortune appears to have inflated her ego to gigantic proportions,” Morgan wrote in his May 31 column for the Daily Mail. “What’s not meaningless is her frankly contemptible attempt to avoid legitimate media scrutiny by weaponizing mental health to justify her boycott.” Morgan then reminded everyone of his obsession with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by comparing Osaka to the royal couple. A resurfaced clip of Venus Williams’ father calling out a reporter during an interview when she was a teenager has gone viral after Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the French Open. https://twitter.com/i/status/1399449008599441416 When Venus was recently asked for her thoughts on Osaka’s withdrawal, she explained how she and her sister Serena Williams have dealt with media scrutiny. https://twitter.com/i/status/1399973962009001989 Brad Stevens got promoted from head coach of the Boston Celtics to president of basketball operations for the team even despite having no front-office experience in his basketball career, CBS reports. While some sports fans were here for the new change, some people were not, including ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPqQqQMBpa2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Dreezy has responded to the fan reaction over a video of her boyfriend attacking a man during their trip to Mexico. The viral clip shows R&B singer Jacquees attacking a man, and it was filmed by a fan watching from a balcony. As reported by Uproxx, Chicago rapper Dreezy quickly logged onto Instagram to explain the situation on Live. She claims Jacquees was defending her after an altercation between the two men escalated. WE tv’s jaw-dropping series “Beyond the Pole” returns for an explosive season two set to premiere Thursday, June 3 at 10 PM ET, and we have an exclusive clip of the new episode — which finds Gigi talking about her start as a dancer. . https://youtu.be/q2bk59IYDy4 ”Before killing George Floyd, Derek Chauvin evaded accountability for at least 17 complaints, thanks to the egregious protections in his police union contract,” said Robert Reich, the Democratic former Labor Secretary under President Clinton and current co-founder of Inequality Media. “Let’s get one thing straight: This is not what unions were created to do.” https://youtu.be/uBurfrfdSFM Darren Bryant, 29, was sworn in on May 11 in the Cook County village just outside Chicago – home to celebrities such as Dwyane Wade and Keke Palmer – and in doing so became not just the youngest African American mayor to hold office in Robbins, but the entire state of Illinois. “It’s a surreal moment,” Bryant told “Good Morning America.” “This is the people’s victory more so than mine and I think ‘humbling’ is the best word to describe how I feel right now.” https://youtu.be/YMAu34iMgqA Jason Mitchell is not letting his legal woes slow him down. Mitchell is set to star in and executive produce the upcoming feature film “Everything is Both” from Endure Films & Media, Urban Hollywood 411 reports. Mitchell and his former “The Chi” co-star Barton Fitzpatrick will star in the film alongside actress Stakiah Washington, who is making her feature film debut on the project. Urban Hollywood 411 reports, the movie tells the story of a young woman named Dysha, played by Washington, who finds herself on the run and is forced to put her trust in a mysterious stranger to escape danger and pull off the biggest score of her life. Sugar Ray Leonard has listed his custom-built Pacific Palisades estate and it could be yours for $46.5 million. As reported by the New York Post, the retired boxer and his wife, Bernadette Leonard, built the 16,773 square foot home over 20 years ago. It was first listed in 2019 for $52 million. The estate boasts seven bedrooms in the main house, a two-story guest house, scenic mountain views, a two-story family room, formal living room and dining room, a gym, screening room, gourmet kitchen and solarium, according to the report. The Critics Choice Association (CCA) and nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT unveiled today the nominees for the third annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Alex Trebek will be honored posthumously with this year’s Impact Award, which recognizes an outstanding individual for career excellence and the positive impact they have made on the world of nonfiction content. Mr. Trebek and his legacy epitomize what the Impact Award was created to honor. The prosecutors who led and secured Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction will also cover the case against Kim Potter, the former police officer who killed Daunte Wright. In a statement released by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, he confirmed that he will be taking over the prosecution of the former Brooklyn Center police officer. Potter was charged with fatally shooting Wright after she mistook her gun for a taser during a routine traffic stop in April. Tuesday during the first meeting of the state’s task force to study proposals for reparations for African Americans, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that his state is moving forward with efforts to create “a more equitable and inclusive future for all.” As The Hill reported, just last year the democratic governor signed a bill approving the task force that will consider paying reparations for slavery. The statute requires a task force to make recommendations for lawmakers to address the findings by July 2023. It is expected to include details on what form of compensation lawmakers should authorize, as well as who should receive those funds, the news site notes. When Texas Democrats walked out on a sham vote on voting rights over the Memorial Day weekend, they issued a challenge to their federal counterparts. As reported by The Washington Post, progressive Texas legislators see a national response as necessary in order to combat current attacks at the state level. Responding to the call to action, President Joe Biden announced Vice President Kamala Harris would take on the voting rights fight. Biden has previously stated Harris will focus on the urgent needs of the moment in her role as vice president. One of the main focus points in the tragic death of Ma’Khia Bryant,16, pinpointed how the foster care system failed to protect her prior to the fatal police shooting on the premises of her foster home. Since that time, Ma’Khia’s family and supporters have urged Ohio officials to launch a probe into the state’s foster care system, specifically in regards to her experience. Three U.S. lawmakers penned a letter backing the family’s request by asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate Ma’Khia’s time as a ward of the state under the jurisdiction of Franklin County Children Services. The president of an NBA franchise long associated with being the whitest team in the league has abruptly stepped down just one week after making questionable comments on the topic of racism. While the decision for Danny Ainge to retire from his lofty post with the Boston Celtics is not necessarily linked to his recent and inexplicable insistence that he never heard players talk about racism in Boston, the timing of his departure can’t be overlooked, even in the hours after the team ended a season that fell well short of expectations. Candace Owens is moving full steam ahead with her weekly foolery and pretentious, anti-Black outbursts, this time taking aim at tennis champion Naomi Osaka. On Memorial Day, a day which was supposed to be housed in reverence, Owens used her Twitter platform to lash out at Osaka over her decision to prioritize her mental health and withdraw from the French Open after voicing that the press demands inhibited her wellness. However, in a matter of hours, Owens quickly reversed her sentiments, largely due to the incessant Twitter dragging she received. The optics didn’t go over and many resorted to giving Owens the same energy that she inflicts on others especially when she should have used the moment to support another young Black woman who was suffering from mental illness and exhaustion. Earlier this spring, the city of Evanston, Illinois, become a symbol of hope during a long storied effort to ensure the federal government disseminates reparations to the descendants of chattel slavery. Bolstered by the first $10 million in revenue from the city’s cannabis tax, Evanston became the first city in the United States to enact reparations, signaling interest from other cities like Asheville, North Carolina, and Amherst, Massachusetts. The reparations rollout included several phases, the first of which would provide $25,000 to Black residents who were victims of housing discrimination. The funds would be allocated towards home improvement costs, down payments, closing cost assistance, and mortgage payments. President Joe Biden is expected to lay out a series of ventures aimed towards reversing the wealth gap between Black and white Americans on Tuesday during a speech to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. He is also expected to visit the historic site and spend time with survivors and descendants. Biden is the first sitting president to visit the Greenwood, Oklahoma, neighborhood, home to the descendants of Black Americans who were slaughtered in one of the largest race-fueled hate crimes, claiming the lives of over 300 Black community members while also abolishing a prosperous economic Black business district. Tuesday Biden’s address coverd several initiatives which include redirecting federal purchasing power to distribute aid to minority-owned businesses, allocating $10 billion to help rebuild disenfranchised communities which often house majority Black populations. Biden also plans to direct $15 billion to help boost transportation in areas that have historically faced difficulty with access to public transit. A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, the series spotlights an unexpected robbery ring involving a local Dallas football team. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85jFCch8xc0 Celebrated singer-songwriter Brian Courtney Wilson earns second Billboard Number 1 song with the compelling ballad "Still." The song topped both the Billboard Gospel Songs chart and Mediabase Gospel Airplay chart, this week. The title track to Wilson's well-received fifth album has connected to audiences with a timeless and necessary, and reassuring message about God's continued presence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS8S8ztVDmU&feature=youtu.be On Tuesday (06-01-21), at the site of the worst destruction in American history, of a Black community, a bustling economy and its people, President Joe Biden marked the commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre. It was 100 years ago this week that White mobs killed hundreds of Black citizens, injured thousands more and destroyed a once-thriving business district and neighborhoods. https://youtu.be/UhaSURuTEvQ ESPN has added popular broadcaster Brian Custer as the new SportsCenter host, and he will also call college football and basketball for the network. MSN reports, Emmy-winning Custer, 49, most recently worked at Fox Sports after a 10-year stint at SNY. He spent time in Dallas covering the Cowboys and Mavericks, and also serves as host for Showtime Championship Boxing, which he will continue after his move to ESPN. When Wendy Williams dropped in at Caroline’s comedy club Thursday, comedian Miss Jones and radio personality Angela Yee were also in the house — and per Page Six, both wanted to “take the opportunity to memorialize the chance meeting of three queens of the airwaves,” the outlet writes. According to sources, however, Williams wasn’t having it. Miss Jones took out her phone and asked comic Donnell Rawling if they could step onstage for a moment to take the photo. “Come on, Donnell,” she said. “I want to take a picture with the ladies of radio.” But onlookers were stunned when Williams refused to leave her seat. But Yee and Jones climbed onstage for the shot, where they warmly embraced each other. The night was Caroline’s first event in months after being shut down because of COVID. A U.S. Airman stationed at Hurlburt Field in Okaloosa County, Florida, allegedly used a dating app to connect with an 11-year-old girl and then traveled to Alabama where he raped her. Keith Williams, 25, has been charged with first-degree rape, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child, PEOPLE reports. The Northwest Florida Daily News reports that an investigation was launched after the victim’s father intercepted a friend request from Williams to his daughter. The father, pretending to be his daughter, responded with “Do I know you?” he wrote on Feb. 12, according to the affidavit. Williams responded with “(Name redacted) from Badoo?” He then detailed what the victim was wearing the day they allegedly had sex in her backyard in Decatur. “Ima definitely marry you in the future lol,” Williams wrote. When confronted by her parents, she admitted that the encounter happened in October 2020. Authorities believe Williams “traveled to Decatur and engaged in an unlawful sex act with the child.” He was arrested in Florida on April 20 and extradited to Decatur. He was released on a $60,000 bond at the end of May. Williams was reportedly placed in the custody of the Air Force and has been barred from leaving Alabama, according to the report. Sabrina Peterson, the woman who inspired a slew of women to come forward with allegations that T.I. and his wife Tiny (Tameka Cottle) drugged and raped them, has reacted to the rapper playing down her apology request. Sabrina, who used to be a family friend of T.I and Tiny, revealed that she’s willing to drop her lawsuit against the couple, whom she also accused of sexual assault, if they apologize to her. However, Tip has made it clear that she’ll be waiting until hell freezes over for his apology. The hip-hop star took to Instagram to post a picture of himself laughing while at Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ party, along with the caption “An Apology???? -Drako voice #WhatItsComeTo.” Raven-Symoné is sharing her weight loss journey with her fans and followers on social media and she recently posted a clip on Instagram in which she proudly celebrates losing 28 pounds. Yahoo reports, while her announcement was met with support from her fans, the former Disney star did catch a bit of heat from people who prefer that she embraces being big. “Just so you guys know, I am 28 lbs. down. I lost a s— ton of weight,” Raven stated in the video, in which she is seen riding in a car alongside her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday. “Pounds down, pounds down. Check out the chin,” she added. “You see that chin? If you all watch ‘Raven’s Home’ literally right now, and then come on this live and see this joint, I got a whole different face going on. It’s a whole pounds down journey.” https://www.instagram.com/ravensymone/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=94d22936-82c9-4d97-8adf-eddf62c324e1 An exclusive clip from the upcoming drama feature “Under The Stadium Lights,” starring Milo Gibson, Abigail Hawk, Acoryé White, Carter Redwood, Germain Arroyo, Adrian Favela, Eddie George, Glenn Morshower – with Noel G. and Laurence Fishburne. The film is a true story about the ’09 Abilene High School Football team. It is based on the nonfiction book “Brother’s Keeper” by Al Pickett and Chad Mitchell. https://youtu.be/N0BLGvkn8lw The first trailer for Mary J. Blige’s long-awaited documentary is here. “Mary J. Blige’s My Life” – arriving June 25 on Amazon Prime, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth – reveals the demons and blessings that inspired Blige’s heartbreaking 1994 masterpiece, “My Life,” a collection of powerful confessionals about her battles with abuse, depression and addiction that forged a profound and enduring connection with millions of fans around the globe. https://youtu.be/EeaCZt31hVA During Tuesday night’s episode of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” Luann de Lesseps asked new cast member Eboni K. Williams to leave her house after a heated exchange got racial. Their argument started amid Ramona Singer and Leah McSweeney’s ongoing dispute over whether it’s proper to discuss sex candidly with friends. Luann said that using vulgar words did not align with their conservative values. Eboni countered: “I don’t subscribe to the fact that to use those words means you’re unclassy or not a lady.” “It has nothing to do with class, it has to do with education,” Luann, 56, replied. Eboni, the show’s first Black Housewife, declared that she had “more education than anybody at this table” and that she was the “most educated person in this group” yet felt perfectly fine discussing sex. Luann became offended. Alexis Sims, founder and CEO of Leaf Me, an online houseplant boutique, has announced her biggest accomplishment yet since she launched back in March 2020. Her company has just released the first-ever Black-owned plant fertilizer brand. It’s called The Growth Elixir. Leaf Me began as an answer to a social barrier that prevents many individuals in low-income communities of color from seeking help, specifically where mental health is in need. Through a horticultural lens, Alexis has provided a basis where those who are struggling during such a trying time in history can find guidance and stability through plants. Her online plant boutique provides a range of tropical plants that can be delivered directly to your home [if you live in the tri-county area near Detroit], plant lover clothing, and a variety of accessories to help you care for your green friends. Oregon lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to recognize Juneteenth, a day recognizing the Emancipation Proclamation, as a state holiday every June 19, starting in 2022. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told President Abraham Lincoln had freed people held in bondage in rebel states two years earlier. The passage of the bill, introduced by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown earlier this year, falls on the same day as the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, when hundreds of Black residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma were attacked or killed by a white mob. Barack and Michelle Obama have a new series coming to Netflix aimed at educating children on United States civics lessons. Titled “We the People,” the 10-episode series will feature three-minute music videos “that covers a range of basic U.S. civics lessons in not-so-basic ways,” according to the press release. https://youtu.be/MLomtcM4-j4 Motherhood is seriously calling for Tiffany Haddish. Speaking with “Entertainment Tonight,” the actress said that she has completed the parenting classes required to go through the adoption process. “I really wanted to be a foster parent, but because I’m at a certain level of success, my lawyer suggested that it’s probably best to just adopt, and I’m on that process now,” the 41-year-old comedian told ET’s Kevin Frazier. “I want to get somebody that’s five and up. You know, already knows how to use the restroom, already knows how to talk, already knows how to communicate. All I want to do is pour knowledge in … get them ready for the big, bad world. That’s what I want to do.” https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best/mpx/2704722219/2021_06/1622637033393_tdy_pop_8a_haddish_adopting_210602_1920x1080.jpg Lady Gaga divulged horrific details about a rape by a predator producer at 19 that left her pregnant and led her to suffer a “total psychotic break” years later. The Manhattan-born pop superstar revealed the hell she suffered as a young artist in the first episode of “The Me You Can’t See,” Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry’s new Apple TV+ series that debuted Friday. During the emotional interview, the 35-year-old Oscar and Grammy-winning artist recalled when a male music producer, whom she did not name, told her to take her clothes off. B.J. Thomas, Grammy Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning country, pop and gospel singer behind hits including “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling,” died on May 29, 2021, at his home in Arlington, Texas, representatives confirm. He was 78 and died of complications of stage 4 lung cancer, diagnosed in March. A former NASA space shuttle commander indicted on reckless murder charges in the traffic deaths of two girls pleaded guilty to reduced charges Thursday nearly five years after the crash. James Halsell Jr., 64, of Huntsville, pleaded guilty to two manslaughter and two assault charges during a hearing in which relatives of the victims wore shirts emblazoned with images of 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler, killed when a car driven by Halsell slammed into one driven by their father in rural Tuscaloosa County. While Halsell could have received 20 years for each manslaughter charge and 10 years for each assault charge, a judge agreed to probation and ordered him to spend four years in prison without early release followed by 10 years on supervised release. A Mississippi high school was blasted on social media after word got out on the two sets of students claiming the valedictorian and salutatorian titles. On May 24, Ikeria Washington and Layla Temple were named the valedictorian and salutatorian of West Point Consolidated School District, according to BNC TV. However, shortly after the two Black female students were set to be awarded for their academic achievements, the school decided to change its ranking and recognize both with the highest Quality Point Average (QPA) and Grade Point Average (GPA). While Washington and Temple have the two highest QPAs in the graduating class, two other White students had the highest GPAs, resulting in four students being recognized by the school as valedictorian and salutatorian. A high school senior in Louisiana was able to walk across the graduation stage to receive his diploma thanks to the generosity of a quick-thinking teacher. Daverius Peters was almost barred from his high school’s graduation ceremony on May 19 for wearing sneakers instead of the school’s mandated dress shoes, the Washington Post reported. Outside the convention center, a nervous Peters reportedly spotted a familiar, friendly face: John Butler, a paraeducator at the school and a popular staff member among the students. His daughter, Jaelyn, was also graduating from Hahnville. Peters quickly approached Butler and asked for help. The Philadelphia 76ers announced Wednesday that superstar center Joel Embiid has a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee after taking an awkward fall during Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards on Monday night. The Sixers said the injury will be treated not with surgery but with a physical therapy and treatment program. Embiid will not play in Game 5 on Wednesday night and is day-to-day going forward. The Sixers lead 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that managing potential swelling and pain in the knee will play a significant part in how soon Embiid will be able to return to the floor. Music icon Babyface has dropped new music under his young alter ego called “Lil BayFace.” The singer shared a first look at the computer-generation photo that accompanies the release of his early demo work as a rising songwriter. https://www.instagram.com/babyface/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d19b545e-5b13-42c9-bd68-c3304b97d6d0 RCA Inspiration has garnered two nominations for the upcoming 2021 BET Awards in the category for the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award. Sixteen-time GRAMMY® award-winning artist, songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin is nominated for his powerful song “Strong God” (Fo Yo Soul/RCA), and multiple award-winning Gospel superstar Marvin Sapp is nominated for his poignant single “Thank You for It All.” MBK/RCA artist and platinum hitmaker H.E.R. is also nominated in the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award category for her empowering hit "Hold Us Together," which was featured on the soundtrack of the Disney+ film Safety. An uplifting duet version recorded by H.E.R. and platinum Christian artist Tauren Wells called “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)” (RCA/Provident Entertainment), has been released to Christian Hot AC/CHR radio and Christian AC radio. The BET Awards will be holding its ceremony live at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday June 27th, airing on BET at 8 pm/7c, and will simulcast internationally on BET Africa and MTV Brazil. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of The New York Times’ controversial “1619 Project,” is considering legal action against the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill after losing her tenure offer. “I had no desire to bring turmoil or a political firestorm to the university that I love, but I am obligated to fight back against a wave of anti-democratic suppression that seeks to prohibit the free exchange of ideas, silence Black voices and chill free speech,” Hannah-Jones said in a statement Friday, HuffPost reports. https://youtu.be/EgBo1aBaKvU Hundreds gathered outside the historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood on Monday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. https://youtu.be/D-_YNuW6pEc After that mass shooting in Miami over the Memorial Day Weekend that left at least two people dead and more than 20 others injured, authorities are offering $130,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. “This is unacceptable,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters. “We should be remembering those who are lost, who’ve served our country, and instead, here we are standing, once again, for a terrible tragedy. https://youtu.be/BRqDIVjxoLw Mo’Nique hit up social media to deliver a message to Black women who choose to look a hot mess in public. The Oscar-winning actress says she is sick of seeing Black women wearing pajamas and bonnets in public, and I co-sign her message. The “Precious” star was compelled to address this troubling trend after seeing young Black women at the airport looking trifling. ”As we began to walk through the airport, I saw so many – actually too many to count and too many for me to tap – but, I saw so many of our young sistas in head bonnets, scarves, slippers, pajamas, blankets wrapped around them…and this is how they are showing up to the airport,” she said. https://youtu.be/I9EkzcjVKFU A former Southwest Airlines pilot has been sentenced to one year of probation after he allegedly watched porn and exposed his genitals to a female officer on a flight. The incident occurred on August 10, 2020, during a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando. Federal prosecutors said Michael Haak, 60, “disrobed” once the plane reached cruising altitude, and got out of the pilot’s seat and began watching porno on a laptop computer in the cockpit, the New York Post reported. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” the prosecutor added. Haak, who retired after the incident, was charged in April and pleaded guilty to committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place. Houston-area hospital is being sued by more than 100 employees for requiring all staff to get vaccinated for COVID-19. According to ABC News, 117 employees joined a lawsuit that was filed on Friday in Montgomery County. The suit alleges the Houston Methodist hospital is “illegally requiring its employees to be injected with an experimental vaccine as a condition of employment.” The network, which has more than 26,000 employees across eight hospitals, gave workers a deadline of June 7 to get the vaccine, according to the report. Staffers who refuse to voluntarily take the drug risk suspension and termination. https://twitter.com/i/status/1395778918737580033 “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Gizelle Bryant has revealed that the thrill is finally gone between her and her pastor ex Jamal Bryant. Gazelle made the announcement during an appearance on The Breakfast Club, along with her RHOP co-star Robyn Dixon. The Bryants divorced in 2009 over Jamal’s alleged infidelity, and there were whispers that the two reunited to rekindle the love only for the sake of the RHOP reality series. “We were working on us getting back to together … but he lives in Atlanta [and] I live in Maryland … with the pandemic we just realized it’s not the right time,” Gizelle revealed, adding “it’s just not going to work.” https://youtu.be/zDL8vrVzwQg Tessica Brown, aka “Gorilla Glue Girl,” has sent cease and desist letters to several people over a viral song called “Bad Idea (Gorilla Glue Girl Remix),” which uses her voice on the song. TMZ reports that the track has been taken off social media and streaming platforms amid her dispute with the individuals/entities using her likeness. https://youtu.be/CUaZkn0KmFI Dallas rapper Lil Loaded, best known for the 2019 viral track “6locc 6a6y” that just last week went gold, has died at the age of 20. Ashkan Mehryari, attorney for Lil Loaded, Dashawn Robertson, confirmed the rapper’s passing in an email to Billboard on Monday night (May 31). He said the death was a result of suicide. Lil Loaded released his latest music through Epic Records. Upon hearing about “6locc 6a6y” being certified gold by the RIAA, he proudly shared the news on Instagram May 27 and wrote, “dopest fanbase on earth. https://youtu.be/H3c0F3oGZ4I Jay Z has revealed that his mother was not down with him rapping about her sexuality on the track “Smile” off his studio album 4:44. Gloria Carter allegedly begged her famous son not to release the song. She eventually changed her mind and responded to the track with a poem she wrote that Jigga included on the record. “It changed the dynamic of our relationship,” Jay said during an appearance on The Shop: Uninterrupted, with host LeBron James and guest Bad Bunny. https://youtu.be/SSumXG5_rs8 Sony will be opening the Kendrick Brothers’ new documentary Show Me the Father on Sept. 10, while the studio has dated a 10th anniversary re-release of the filmmakers’ Courageous for Oct. 15. Show Me the Father explores the fatherhood of God. “Everyone has a father story, but not everyone has learned how to redeem it for their own good and the good of others,” said executive producer Stephen Kendrick. “Even though fatherlessness is directly connected to so much brokenness in today’s world, we wanted to go beyond traditional documentaries and show how God is the perfect Father and can amazingly provide the love and healing to anyone at any stage in life.” OneOf is a new green NFT platform built specifically for the music community. With an aim to break down economic barriers to entry, the platform serves to connect fans and collectors of any level with their favorite artists. Built on the Tezos blockchain protocol, one of the longest-running Proof of Stake protocols, OneOf’s mission is to be a long-term marketplace that offers crucial solutions for artists and fans eager to explore the exploding world of NFTs. OneOf has been designed to be extremely easy to use and environmentally sustainable: minting an NFT on OneOf using the Tezos blockchain uses over 2 million times less energy than other networks such as Ethereum, and requires the same energy as sending out a tweet. Deeply committed to a sustainable blockchain future, OneOf will also donate a percentage of its platform revenue from every sale to either a charity of the artist’s choice, or an environmental cause partner. A woman faces charges of public intoxication after she allegedly entered a restricted area of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and had a meltdown at the gate. The viral footage, shared by Kevin Durio, shows the white woman angrily demanding to speak to “the manager of the airport” after she was denied boarding on a flight. She rants and raves around the gate, pointing at an officer who was trying to escort her out and asking other passengers, “Who saw him choke me to the ground?” https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/7e843488-bf07-11eb-be30-0242ac110007/?jwsource=cl One hundred years ago this week, one of the worst incidents of white violence in American history led to the death of as many as 300 Black people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and an unfathomable amount of property destruction with intergenerational consequences. White anger over the false accusation of a Black teenager led to a violent mob destroying over 35 blocks of the Greenwood neighborhood otherwise known as “Black Wall Street,” leaving thousands of people homeless and numerous businesses destroyed over an 18-hour period from May 31 to June 1 of 1921. It’s estimated that $1.8M of economic damage was caused, as entire blocks were razed that contained Black businesses from law offices to cabarets. One might learn about this history and see it as a momentary tragedy. But this underestimates the full story, which was the destruction of massive intergenerational wealth and opportunity. By 2021, this $1.8M would’ve grown to $45B. Simone Gordon doesn’t have to worry about a byzantine legislative process to get Covid-19 relief to families she sees struggling. She has Facebook and Instagram. Since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the country, Gordon, a single mother from New Jersey, has turned the social media groups she once relied on for help herself into a multistate operation that targets needs large and small. She has marshaled hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and dozens of volunteers to fill in the gaps of Covid-19 government assistance while granting “wish lists” for holidays and paying off tuition bills. And for that, she earned the nickname she used for her new nonprofit: “the Black Fairy Godmother.” The turning point for Marcus Baskerville came one morning when he was driving down the highway, and heard on the radio about the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Joining a street protest wasn’t his style, but what could he, as one of the few Black brewers in America, do to make a statement? His answer? Create a beer called Black is Beautiful and share the recipe with brewers across the country. It’s a call to breweries within the United States to participate in a collaborative effort. They would brew a stout, [then] release 100% of those proceeds to local organizations, charities, foundations that support equality, inclusion and social justice reform,” he says. With that high-minded genesis, Baskerville thought it would have limited appeal among his fellow brewers. But at last count, nearly 1,200 breweries in all states are making Black is Beautiful, as well as brewers in 22 different countries, such as Japan, China, Germany, Guatemala and Rwanda. And Walmart recently announced that it is selling Black is Beautiful beer in 300 stores nationwide. J.B. Stradford was a pillar of Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood in 1921. He owned several businesses and his Stradford Hotel was one of the largest Black-owned hotels in the United States. It all vanished in the space of a couple of days. Today, Stradford’s great grandson is a well known Black investor in the modern Wall Street, and he remembers the emotional – and financial – impact the riots had on his family. “Over time, we think it would have compounded to over $100 million,” says John W. Rogers Jr., who is co-CEO of Ariel Investments, reflecting on the wealth that his family could have accrued. Black Wall Street was a commercial center, with restaurants, movie theaters, and barber shops, and according to Rogers, “Every profession was represented there.” What made Greenwood so special is the money stayed in the community. Everyone did business with each other. In 2017 Fawn Weaver began bottling Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey as a passion project to honor Nearest Green, the formerly enslaved distiller who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. Four years later, her bourbon has sold nearly 1.5 million bottles, according to a recent report in The Spirits Business. Uncle Nearest is now the nation’s fastest-growing whiskey brand, according to the drinks-market analysis firm IWSR. It’s a testament not just to the quality, but also to the power of an inclusive brand with a compelling story. Tuesday, Ms. Weaver, the company’s founder and chief executive, went a step further toward diversifying an industry long dominated by white men, as the company announced the creation of a $50 million investment fund aimed at helping minority-owned spirits businesses grow. The announcement was timed to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, apologized on Monday for the city’s role in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which is marking its 100th anniversary. The rioting killed 37 and left 35 city blocks burnt down and more than 800 injured. Historians believe around 300 Black residents may have actually been killed, after a violent mob of white residents ransacked the city’s Greenwood District, a booming Black business community then known as “Black Wall Street.” This week, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum called it “the worst moment in our city’s history” and in a statement he apologized for the city’s role and its failure to make amends with the victims and their families over the last century. Stars across the sports world are standing behind Naomi Osaka. Monday, the reigning U.S. Open and Australian Open singles champion announced she was withdrawing from the French Open. Ahead of the tennis tournament’s start, Osaka announced she wouldn’t be doing press during the championship in an effort to preserve her mental health. On Sunday, Osaka picked up her first win and a $15,000 fine for not participating in media requirements. In the wake of her announcement, Osaka’s famous friends and fans showed her their support. Serena Williams spoke out during a post-match news conference on Monday. “I feel for Naomi. Not everyone is the same. I’m thick. Other people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently. You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to and the best way she thinks she can. That’s the only thing I can say: I think she is doing the best she can,” she said, according to the Associated Press. Naomi Osaka received support from her country Japan, her sponsors, leading sporting figures and tennis fans on Tuesday after the world number two withdrew from the French Open in a row about media duties, saying she had been suffering from depression and anxiety. One of the biggest names in sport, Osaka stunned the tennis world when she pulled out of the Grand Slam on Monday after being fined and threatened with expulsion for declining to face the media after her first-round match on Sunday. Nike is standing behind Naomi Osaka. The sportswear giant, which sponsors the tennis star, 23, reacted in a statement to Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the 2021 French Open after being fined for not participating in post-match interviews during the Grand Slam tournament. Nike told PEOPLE, “Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience.” Ahead of the tennis tournament’s start, Osaka announced she wouldn’t be doing press during the championship in an effort to preserve her mental health. On Sunday, Osaka picked up her first win and a $15,000 fine for not participating in media requirements. Miami Dade police are investigating a deadly mass shooting that left more than 20 people injured in what detectives described as a “targeted act of violence.” Authorities said two people have died as a result of their injuries. “This is a despicable act of gun violence,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez. “A cowardly act.” According to police, the shooting took place after a birthday party for a local rapper. Victims were rushed to several hospitals in Miami Dade and Broward counties, some in their personal vehicles, according to police. https://youtu.be/EgUDTypGEvM Eric Riddick spent nearly 30 years behind bars for a murder he says he did not commit. But on Friday, he walked free. “I feel great, I feel great,” Riddick, 51, said as he left a Philadelphia courthouse. “They say it takes a village to raise a child. I guess it takes a village to raise justice, too,” he went on to say, adding that the rush of emotions was “overwhelming.” In recent years, his case attracted greater national attention and several key people advocated for his release, including a prominent hip-hop artist and a sympathetic city councilman. In the summer of 1992, Riddick was convicted of murdering his childhood friend William Catlett based on the testimony of a single eyewitness, and was sentenced to life in prison. His case was first brought to the attention of NBC News by the rapper and activist Meek Mill, who says he met Riddick when he was sent to the same prison for probation violations. Riddick’s mother, Christine, has fought for her son for years, knocking on doors at City Hall and fiercely advocating for his release since virtually the day he was convicted. With Memorial Day upon us, there may not be any better time to salute the memorials and monuments that were erected across the nation to specifically commemorate the contributions of Black troops that served in the American military. Friday, a memorial to one of the most renowned Black troops in American history was put back on public display following a multi-million dollar renovation that was completed just in time for this year’s Memorial Day. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment — which movie fans may remember was immortalized on the big screen in the Academy Award-nominated film, “Glory,” starring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman — can now be appreciated in person with visits to the Boston Common public park in Boston. Having to explain senseless, horrific events to a child is one of the most daunting prospects a parent ever has to experience in their lifetimes. To explain the inexplicable, to explain to a child the inhumane acts committed by a segment of one population on another, while in many ways personally processing the effects of those acts, which continue to present day, is a nightmare much of world’s population will never experience. Dr. Tamecca Rogers has attempted to tackle this nearly impossible prospect in her writings with her son Keith Ross. It’s called: “A Promise Deferred, The Massacre of Black Wall Street.” The book, crafted for children, presents, with illustrations by Arushan Art, a vivid picture of the senseless tragedy that took place in 18 hours between May 31st and June 1st in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 by Grand Slam organizers for skipping a news conference following her first-round win at the French Open on Sunday, and was also warned of possible expulsion from Roland Garros and future majors if she fails to meet her media commitments. In the run up to the claycourt major, the world number two announced she would boycott news conferences while in Paris to raise awareness of players’ mental well-being, saying the nature of questions from journalists is like “kicking a person when they are down”. All Nations International Founder Floyd Lee McClung Jr., global missions leader, bestselling author and international speaker, died on Saturday, May 29, in Cape Town, South Africa. He had battled an extended illness since 2016, which had left him incapacitated, hospitalized and unable to speak for more than five years. He was 75. Patrisse Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter and has served as its executive director, will be stepping down from that position, the group announced Thursday. At the same time, Black Lives Matter introduced the appointments of two new senior executives who will be serving in an interim capacity following Cullors’ departure. As Cullors steps down, Makani Themba, Chief Strategist at Higher Ground Change Strategies, and Monifa Bandele, Chief Operating Officer at Time’s Up Foundation, will be stepping up during the period of transition “until the organization finds a new permanent team,” Black Lives Matter said. Themba said she is eager to get started. Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna was arrested Saturday after Sandy Springs officers reported seeing him choke his wife, throw her against a wall and strike her with the cast on his broken fingers. A 911 caller requested officers at a Windsor Cove home due to an assault in progress, Sgt. Salvador Ortega said late Saturday. When officers arrived at the home, they heard screaming from inside the home and the front door was open, Ortega said. “Officers entered the residence through the open door and witnessed the suspect grabbing the victim by the neck and throwing her against a wall,” Ortega said in an emailed statement. “Officers were able to immediately take the suspect into custody without further incident. In addition to the strangulation attempts, the suspect also struck the victim with his arm which has a cast from a previous injury.” Police charged Ozuna, 30, with aggravated assault by strangulation and family violence, jail records showed. He was being held without bond Sunday at the Fulton County jail. Ozuna is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday. Meet Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass and Marcus Harvey. They are the hosts of Discovery +’s new series “Ghost Brothers: Lights Out” and they’re changing the face of paranormal investigative shows. Spratt, Mass and Harvey are the first Black paranormal investigators on TV. They are stepping into a new realm, pun intended, in Black content. Just days ahead of a widely promoted commemorative event surrounding the Tulsa Race Massacre‘s 100-year anniversary, the Tulsa Race Commission announced the cancellation of its “Rise and Remember” centennial celebration. Local news reported the commission provided little explanation for the cancellation, citing unexpected circumstances in fulfilling the commission’s “high expectations” for the commemorative event. https://youtu.be/ccxnot7R73s Swiss Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier was airlifted to hospital following a three-bike crash during qualifying. Dupasquier, 19, was struck by another bike after falling and slid along the track in an incident that saw the session at Mugello, Italy red flagged. He was still being attended to by medics on the circuit over half an hour after the incident, before being flown to hospital. Organisers said that he was “taken to hospital in Florence to undergo tests.” The mother of a shooting victim who became paralyzed in 2019 is now suing the estate of Daunte Wright claiming he was the shooter. Two years before Daunte Wright was shot and killed during a traffic stop, a lawsuit claims that he was involving in the shooting of 16-year-old Caleb Livingston. The lawsuit filed by Livingston’s mother says he was shot in the head at a Minneapolis gas station on May 14, 2019, and it has left him with permanent physical and mental disabilities. However, Wright was not criminally charged for the shooting but civil court documentations allege that all “evidence generated to date reveals that the perpetrator of this crime was Daunte Wright. Wright and Livingston were childhood friends and the lawsuit added that the pair had a physical altercation in which Wright lost the fight in front of other people which allegedly was a motive for the shooting. Discovered harmonizing on the streets of New York by legendary producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Solo is thankful for its Motown-like intro into the music industry. Live instrumentation and focus on vocals and songwriting makes it more suited for the golden era of R&B. They released their self-titled album in 1995 that went gold, thanks to hits such as “Heaven,” “Where Do You Want Me To Put It,” and a cover of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” https://youtu.be/_C5zv6j4HP0 Mississippi police have sparked outrage after four of their white police officers and dogs posed for a picture with a Black suspect that they had just caught. The Prentiss Police Department cops took the picture after they arrested Eric Boykin for bank robbery. He can be seen smiling in the image. Killed nearly three months before the world learned George Floyd‘s name, Manuel Ellis’ case finally moves forward. On Thursday, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced his office filed felony charges against the officers. The Tacoma News Tribune reported that of the five officers with reported involvement in Ellis’ killing, only three were charged. Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins face second-degree murder charges. Ferguson also charged Timothy Rankine with first-degree manslaughter. The three officers previously served in the Army. And all five Tacoma officers remain on paid administrative leave. Video shows officers restraining Ellis, 33, with a chokehold, prompting him to repeat, “I can’t breathe.” The chokehold was applied with a knee, similar to Floyd’s murder. He died in police custody on March 3, 2020. The public has finally learned what Falynn Guobadia can expect to get from her divorce settlement. Real Housewives of Atlanta star Falynn Guobadia and her soon-to-be ex-husband Simon Guobadia publicly announced their split back in April. Then, a couple of weeks following their April announcement, Simon Guobadia and Porsha Williams revealed that they were engaged after only one month of dating. Shortly thereafter, Simon Guobadia put the home he shared with Falynn Guobadia on the market for just under $5 million. Reportedly, Falynn had until Friday, May 28 to vacate the premises. Now, it looks like the exes have come to a mutual agreement regarding their divorce settlement. Their final settlement wound up enforcing their prenuptial agreement and waived Falynn‘s rights to alimony. Per their agreement, Falynn is reportedly entitled to a portion of the proceeds from a property she and Simon Guobadia shared. It’s unclear how much the property in question was sold for, but Simon ultimately coughed up $153,725.34. Additionally, Simon paid Falynn $50,000 in an equitable division payment. Gavin MacLeod, the veteran supporting actor who achieved fame as sardonic TV news writer Murray Slaughter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and stardom playing cheerful Capt. Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90. MacLeod died early Saturday at his home in Palm Desert, California, said Stephanie Steele Zalin, his stepdaughter. She attributed his death to his age, saying he had been well until very recently. “He had one of the most amazing, fun blasts of a life of anybody I know. He enjoyed every minute of it,” Steele Zalin said. “I don’t even think in his wildest dreams he dreamt of the life that he ended up having and creating.” She called him the “best, sweetest, purest guy.” Ed Asner, who played opposite MacLeod on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” said on Twitter that “my heart is broken. Gavin was my brother, my partner in crime (and food) and my comic conspirator.” Home renovation stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have come under fire online for a donation the couple made toward a family member’s campaign for a local school board. Chip donated $1,000 to his sister, Shannon Braun, to support her run for a spot on the board of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, per The Dallas Morning News. When media got wind of the gift, critics sounded off against the Christian couple, alleging the monetary donation directly supported Braun’s views on critical race theory (the idea that racism is a social construct embedded in systems and policies). In a recent campaign post, Braun condemned the theory, saying the focus will be instead on a return of teaching “academics.” https://www.facebook.com/ShannonBraunForGCISD/photos/a.142482884556370/157954996342492/?type=3 In London, police have charged Cameron Deriggs, 18, over the shooting of Sasha Johnson, a Black Lives Matter activist, who as of Friday, was still in critical condition. Johnson, 27, was shot in the head at a house party in South London last Sunday. Police don’t believe she was specifically targeted. Meanwhile, London’s Metropolitan Police said Deriggs has been charged with conspiracy to murder in connection with the shooting. Deriggs was among five men arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder in the case. He and two others were also arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs. A 17-year-old, was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. The fifth man, 25, was arrested on suspicion of affray (fighting in public) and failing to stop for police. https://youtu.be/ftK0K3vNLdA A Baton Rouge family will receive a one-time settlement of $35,000 after officers strip-searched a teenager during a traffic stop. https://youtu.be/nBtmXaAxs-8 A Georgia man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for firing an assault-style rifle at a Georgia State Patrol trooper. Timothy Carruth, 25, was fleeing a traffic stop on Jan. 22, 2020, in Ga. As reported by the Altana Journal-Constitution, a GSP trooper used his patrol car to disable Carruth’s Toyota Camry when he sped away. His vehicle became stuck in a ditch following the PIT maneuver, according to the report. When the trooper tried to get Carruth to exit the vehicle he emerged with an AK-47 and opened fire, officials said. He then ran into a nearby pasture and disappeared into some woods. https://youtu.be/XftrRwui1x0 Ava DuVernay is adding the title “Dr” to her name. The award-winning director was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree from Yale University. She is now considered to be a Doctor of Fine Arts. Yale released a statement as a tribute to DuVernay. “Creator and critic, you portray the richness and variety of human experience from all angles. By elevating others, you bring new stories into focus and amplify voices we need to hear.” The statement continued, “Hollywood maverick, for challenging us to reckon with our past and our present, and for working to change both industry and society, Yale is pleased to confer on you this Doctor of Fine Arts degree.” The queen of hip-hop soul Mary J. Blige has landed a spot on the Apollo Theater Walk of Fame. As CBS2’s Natalie Duddridge reported, there was some “real love” for nine-time Grammy winner Mary J. Blige as she was inducted into the Apollo Walk of Fame Friday morning. “My very first time performing here at the Apollo, I was not on stage as myself. I was on stage singing background for Jeff Redd. And from there on, it was all history,” Blige said. https://cbsloc.al/2ToGumi In “A Quiet Place Part II,” actors Djimon Hounsou and Millicent Simmonds both seek survival in a world inhabited by deadly aliens. In the real world, Hounsou and Simmonds share similar social sensibilities. Since “Amistad,” Hounsou has always been on a quest to try and reshape the universal visual representation of Africa in onscreen. The Benin native told me five years ago he had established his own production company, Fanaticus Entertainment, to create content on a global scale to counteract the demonization of Black people. Last year Simmonds established her own line of face masks. The Millie Smile Mask collection includes a unique style of mask. https://youtu.be/BpdDN9d9Jio ESPN’s Stephen A Smith is the latest to be pulled into Kwame Brown’s orbit. During Thursday’s episode of his ESPN+ show “Stephen A.’s World,” Smith first made it clear that he was coming for Brown “the player,” not Brown “the man.” He then defended Brown’s targets – Gilbert Arenas, Matt Barnes, Dr. Boyce Watkins, Charlamagne tha God and ESPN colleague Michael Wilbon – saying they all were also critical of Brown’s skills on the court, not his personal life. https://youtu.be/YnCnxA-whqI Jodie Turner-Smith is speaking out about the backlash over being cast as former Queen of England, Anne Boleyn. he “Queen & Slim” star plays Anne Boleyn in a three-part drama that will air on the ViacomCBS-backed U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 U.K. Directed by Lynsey Miller and penned by Eve Hedderwick Turner, the psychological series will detail the final months of the life of King Henry VIII’s second wife. https://youtu.be/-r4A9dVwIjQ Flute-playing soul-jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside has releasesed a brand-new single titled “Off The Cuff” on the Randis Music label (scroll down to HEAR it). The flirty new groove, co-written by Whiteside with her husband, noted producer Dennis Johnson, and veteran producer/keyboardist Bob Baldwin, is from her yet-to-be-titled 2022 album. “Off The Cuff” is available on all digital download and streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes Store, Tidal, Deezer, YouTube, Pandora, and more. https://youtu.be/CyfoNrTZzkM The names Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff are iconic and this year are celebrating the founding of their label 50 years ago. The music that Gamble and Huff masterminded at Philadelphia International Records, beginning in 1971, is legendary. Fifty years later, Gamble and Huff can bask in the fact that while the music was created and recorded in Philadelphia, the Sound of Philadelphia became the music heard worldwide. The artists signed to the legendary label are too many to name. However, the shortlist includes “The O’Jays,” “Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes,” “Patti LaBelle,” Phyllis Hyman, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Paul, “The Intruders,” and dozens and dozens of others. To commemorate the 50-year anniversary of Philadelphia International Records, both Deluxe CD and LP Box sets will be released this year. During Black Music Month in June, there will be a focus on the recordings of the women of Philadelphia International, including Phyllis Hyman, “The Jones Girls,” and “Three Degrees.” https://youtu.be/pUKblOmUMx0 “I fell in love with it…love the chords,” said Ashley Pater about her single “Stuck on You.” The Canadian Contemporary Pop singer, songwriter and pianist give credit to her parents for encouraging her to make those chords into a song. I agree with them, it’s a musically powerful piece. “The first verse is soft,” Pater said. She continued on about the “Stuck on You” single, relating the soft beginning of the song and its powerful rolling ending to living a simple life that is interrupted by the rolling challenges of the pandemic. https://youtu.be/L7oHeahzjiU Regé-Jean Page is opening up about his mega-popular role in #Bridgerton, and speculation that he’s taking on a role in the upcoming Black Panther sequel. The breakout star of Netflix’s Bridgerton, played Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. The record-breaking series aired in 82 million households around the world when it debuted. Media pandemonium occurred when it was announced that the 31-year-old British-Zimbabwean wouldn’t be returning to the show. After the announcement of his departure from the well-loved show, #Regé-Jean Page took to Instagram with a message: “The ride of a lifetime. It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke. h Pastor Robert Booth was a man of faith with a gift for music that he used to serve others. “He was a great man of God who just had a heart for all people. It did not matter who you are,” Dwayne Waden Jr. said. Booth started Hood Holiness Church a few months ago with the goal of ending violence. Waden Jr. served as his associate pastor. The two men used Christian rap music and street ministry to spread the gospel. Just last week, Booth officially became ordained as a pastor and proposed to his girlfriend during the ceremony. The future of the ministry seemed bright until days later. Pastor Booth was shot and killed outside his home on Tuesday night. “We started talking about wedding planning on Sunday, and here we go. His family is having to plan a funeral a few days later,” Brandon Smith said. Smith is a longtime friend who said the pastor walked up to some young people wearing black ski masks in his neighborhood. “He probably looked at those boys and saw himself,” Waden Jr. said. “He wasn’t encouraging gang violence. He wasn’t selling dope. He was preaching the word of God. That’s it. And they just took his life.” High Point Police are searching for two suspects and a burgundy SUV. A beloved White House butler who has served 10 presidential administrations during his career is retiring after 47 years. William “Buddy” Carter is wrapping up nearly five decades of working at the Blair House and the White House at the end of this week, according to CNN. Former first lady Michelle Obama thanked Carter for all his service by sharing a photo on Instagram Friday of her and former President Barack Obama with Carter from their eight-year stint in the White House. The current occupants of the White House, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, also thanked Carter for his service. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPbDfQ0rPde/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=27845d9e-8e04-4e10-a621-138f917ae8d5 A bill that would limit hair discrimination in schools is now headed to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk. Senate Bill 817 focuses on students of color whose hairstyles have been discriminated against in the past. It would protect the right of students to wear their hair in styles “historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture including braids, dreadlocks, and twists.” There has been much debate about the impact on private schools and how this could affect their traditions. This bill only addresses school dress codes, not regulations for school sports based on safety. Diamond Robinson, as Fox 2 Detroit, reported, was using her phone on Thursday (05- 27-21) in her neighborhood of Eastpointe and as she walked up and down her block, a new resident – a white woman – asked her to lower her voice or end the call altogether. Robinson’s response was tell the person to “get out of my face” and continued with her call. And yep, Well, the new neighbor called the cops. https://youtu.be/u1EM2gQZm-Q If you live in Cali and missed the news, here it is. On Thursday, California launched a $116.5 million lottery to incentivize residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. With this move, the USA’s largest and wealthiest state joins a slew of others offering cash prizes to residents to encourage them to get the vaccine. California’s governor, Gov. Gavin Newsom dubbed the program, “Vax for the Win.” With the announcement, the Golden State is now offering the largest jackpot out of all states that have employed such a program. Following the release of additional bodycam footage showing the last moments of Matthew Zadok Williams, a 35-year-old Georgia man who was fatally shot by police on April 12, his family is again refuting claims that officers acted lawfully in the moments leading up to and following his death. “We’re living in a nightmare,” said Williams’ sister, Hahnah. “Never would I have thought that my brother would be a hashtag,” she said. Williams’ sister’s statement comes after the family met with DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston on Wednesday morning, urging for transparency and accountability. They believe he was suffering from a mental health crisis and was falsely identified as a dangerous, homeless person prior to officers responding to the scene. “We are very hopeful after our meeting with Sherry Boston and we really appreciate her taking this meeting with us…but our family wants justice,” Hahnah continued. “He was murdered. We want to be clear about that and we want justice.” Bill Cosby‘s petition for parole was denied earlier this month, a result that his spokesperson said was expected because the disgraced comedian refuses to admit guilt for the sex crime he has been convicted of. The Pennsylvania Parole Board confirmed the denial of Cosby’s petition happened on May 11 and said in a statement that the prisoner did not comply with requirements that are part of the pre-parole-petitioning process. In particular, Cosby did not participate in therapy for people convicted of violent sexual crimes. In fact, the Pennsylvania Parole Board said, if Cosby wants to be considered for parole again, he needs to complete therapy, Reuters reported. Tennis champ Naomi Osaka has made clear that will not take part in any press conferences during the French Open. Four-time Grand Slam winner and No. 2-ranked women’s tennis player announced her decision on social media saying she wanted to focus on her mental health, TMZ reports. “I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one,” the 23-year-old wrote. “We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I’m not just going to subject myself to people that doubt me.” Connecticut Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller was fined $10,000 and suspended for one game after his “inappropriate and offensive” comment toward Las Vegas Aces star Liz Cambage during a game on Sunday. Following the Sun’s 76-65 win over the Aces, Cambage took to social media to call out Miller in a video for criticizing her weight. During Sunday’s game, Miller complained to a WNBA official about a call, saying Cambage weighs “300 pounds.” Cambage noted in her video that she’s 6 feet, 8 inches tall, and weighs 235 pounds. “I will never let a man disrespect me, ever, ever, ever, especially a little White one,” she said. “Don’t ever try to disrespect me or another woman in the league,” the Australian player said. Miller apologized in a statement on Monday. Wednesday night, things got a little out of control after a fan threw popcorn at Wizards guard Russell Westbrook. In a clip shared by multiple outlets, during Game 2, won by the Sixers, a fan poured the snack at Westbrook, who was leaving the game with an ankle injury. Westbrook was extremely upset and even had to be restrained by Wizards staff. Many people called out the fan on Twitter on Wednesday night for his childish move including LeBron James. He tweeted, “By the way, WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!! There’s cameras all over arenas so there’s no excuse!” LeBron said. Tiger Woods is in a familiar place: extensive rehabilitation. That was the gist of his comments in a brief interview with Golf Digest, the first he has done since being involved in a serious one-car crash in Southern California on Feb. 23 that left him hospitalized for nearly a month. “This has been an entirely different animal,” Woods said of his crash injuries. “I understand more of the rehab processes because of my past injuries, but this was more painful than anything I have ever experienced.” Woods declined to answer a question about whether he hoped to play golf again. Adam Vinatieri was an NFL kicker for 24 seasons, and the 48-year-old will not add to that figure, as he announced his retirement Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show. https://twitter.com/i/status/1397626787501330432 While there are plenty of fans who want to see Tim Tebow have success in Jacksonville, there are also some people questioning why the Jaguars would even bring him in at this stage in his career. NBA legend Charles Barkley happens to be one of those critics. Barkley spoke about Tebow’s comeback story this week during an appearance on ESPN Chicago show ‘Waddle and Silvy.’ He just doesn’t see the Heisman Trophy winner picking up a new position at 33 years old. “To think he can just come pick up another position. I just think, I think you’re just being disrespectful to jocks, saying ‘Oh, I haven’t been playing football, but I can come and be a pro at it.’ I just think that’s impossible personally,” Barkley said, via Saturday Down South. In highlighting the 11 panelists confirmed for the 22nd annual Los Angeles “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference via Zoom from 1-3pmPT, Judge Dedra Davis, a 22-year veteran entertainment attorney now serving Houston as a judge of its 270th District Court will take part. Judge Davis will be part of the Professional Industry Panel that will be available to speak to attendees during the conference’s “Q&A Session.” The Professional Industry Panel will also judge the conference’s “National Talent Competition.” Los Angeles civil rights leaders will hold a press conference and protest at the home of Greg Geiser, the multi-millionaire CEO of Wedgewood Inc., in Manhattan Beach. The company seeks to foreclose on the Inglewood home of Marie Riggins, an elderly 82 year old widow an African-American homeowner. The foreclosure grab is part of a continuing pattern by white corporate real estate companies to oust distressed Black homeowners from their homes in Inglewood and South L.A. “Corporate real estate firms continue to grab homes of distressed Black homeowners such as Mrs Riggins in Inglewood and South L.A. at fire sale prices,” says Najee Ali, President Project Islamic Hope. “They have refused to negotiate or accept offers from the homeowners. Their predatory practice further shrinks an already shrunken and costly home market for African-Americans.” The Smollett sibling duo continue to bring their keen design flavor to CLEO TV this Saturday, May 29 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. As they perform to revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. This week on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ , Stefany and Fredrick want to separate kid's toys from the adult space. Jake builds a storage bench, and Jazz decorates the fireplace and living space. For the reveal, Jake makes vegan Fajita Mexican Pizzas, and Jazz fry’s Vegan Sweet Potato Churros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJIUftwFZR4 JOIN CHEF SUNNY ANDERSON AS SHE SHARES GERMAN-INSPIRED DISHES ON COOKING FOR REAL WITH SUNNY ANDERSON, AIRING MONDAYS AT 9 P.M. ET/8C A "singers-singer," Jor'Dan Armstrong, a multi-hyphenate talent, catapulted to popularity in 2018 with a series of BLSD EP releases, will release new music this summer. He will kick off an audacious summer release schedule with the world premiere of "My God," today on the nationally syndicated Willie Moore Jr. Show. https://lnk.to/MyGodSingle Start your weekend with this NEW electrifying Praise & Worship song, “Come A Little Closer,” by Todd Dulaney featuring Kierra Sheard. https://soundcloud.com/lightrecords-1/todd-dulaney-come-a-little-closer-ft-kierra-sheard CR8 Agency Publicist Kri Peck is taking a break from building his client's brands, to building his very own. Today, he launched his luxury skin care line titled, KRI SKIN. The four product line is dedicated to eradicating acne, hyperpigmentation, and acne scars. Having struggled with insecurities with his own skin, Kri was motivated to finding a solution and helping others to do the same. KRI SKIN is available exclusively at www.kriskin.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq_-sXBw60g Travis Greene and DOE. Good And Loved hit #1 on the Gospel Airplay Chart and Mediabase’s Gospel Chart this week! Watch their video from the 2020 Stellar Gospel Music Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H07LBkbGlfM WATCH BLUE MIRACLE NOW ON NETFLIX The movie tells the incredible true story of Casa Hogar, the Mexican boys’ home that entered the world's biggest fishing tournament to rescue their orphanage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXHCBnT3d4k&feature=youtu.be The musician who provided the vocals for the late 1980s R&B group, Milli Vanilli, which was fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus has passed.T he Real Milli Vanilli singer John Davis who sang on notorious pop duo’s hit “Girl You Know It’s True” dies from COVID aged 66. The legendary Master P has officially received an honorary doctorate degree from Lincoln University. Percy Miller, known professionally as Master P, can officially add another accomplishment to the list. The legendary business mogul recently received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Lincoln University, alongside 400 graduates. In addition to Miller, JAY-Z’s mother Gloria Carter also received an honorary degree, as did author/professor Michael Eric Dyson and professor Charles V. Hamilton. Thirteen years after securing the historic papers of Martin Luther King Jr., Morehouse College has scored another important trove that chronicles the civil rights movement. On Wednesday, the college announced that the family of Joseph and Evelyn Lowery has donated their official and personal papers, photographs, documents, writings, speeches, notes, travel diaries and other mementos to the Atlanta historic Black college and university. While the full extent of the collection isn’t known yet, it could be monumental. The Lowerys, who were married for 63 years, started several civil and human rights organizations and were each instrumental in several major initiatives. Three Nigerian students who once were kidnapped or had a family member killed by Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria have graduated from American universities this spring. Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu recently earned degrees from Southeastern University in Florida, while Zion Faye earned a master’s degree from Keck Graduate Institute in California. These educational achievements represent a new milestone in the life of the Nigerians whose future seemed all but shattered not long ago when Boko Haram terrorists — who have an avowed hatred for Western education and a desire to create a caliphate in Northern Nigeria — stormed the residence and school of the girls and left their trademark sorrow, tears and blood on their trail. Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand have announced their latest grants to three institutions at the forefront of cultivating the Black experience to the wider public: the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture ($3 million over three years), Morehouse College ($1 million over two years) and the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting ($1 million over two years). https://youtu.be/DcGTywW-QzU A conservative media outlet filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Mayor Lori Lightfoot over her decision this month to grant interviews only to reporters of color to mark her two-year anniversary in office. Judicial Watch, another conservative organization, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Daily Caller News Foundation and reporter Thomas Catenacci, who covers labor, the economy and politics. Lightfoot announced last week that she would only grant interview requests from reporters of color “on the occasion of the two-year anniversary” of her inauguration. The Daily Caller’s lawsuit wrongly suggests Lightfoot had announced an ongoing policy. The complaint alleges that Lightfoot has since granted at least one interview request from a self-identified Latino reporter but denied or failed to respond to interview requests from white reporters, including Catenacci. Israel rejected outright a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution creating a commission of inquiry in response to accusations of war crimes. It’s the first time the UNHRC created a permanent fact-finding commission against a UN member state. “Today’s shameful decision is yet another example of the UN Human Rights Council’s blatant anti-Israel obsession. Once again, an immoral automatic majority at the Council whitewashes a genocidal terrorist organization that deliberately targets Israeli civilians while turning Gaza’s civilians into human shields,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “This while depicting as the ‘guilty party’ a democracy acting legitimately to protect its citizens from thousands of indiscriminate rocket attacks. This travesty makes a mockery of international law and encourages terrorists worldwide,” Netanyahu added. Brittany Bowens — the mother of slain 4-year-old Maleah Davis — took her time to say how Derion Vence was at the root of her grief. She looked at him, clad in an orange Harris County Jail jumpsuit, and cried in silence Thursday as a bailiff in the 180th District Court fetched her a box of tissues. And then, for the first time in public since her daughter’s heart-wrenching 2019 disappearance, she spoke. Destroyed were future memories of prom nights, dates and weddings, Bowens said. “I will never forgive you,” were the words that Bowens aimed at her former fiance. “You have taken away the purest love I have ever known.” Bowens begged of him one thing: To know the truth of what happened to her child. “I deserve to know,” she continued. Vence said nothing. Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors is stepping down as executive director of the organization amid controversy over her $3 million property portfolio. Cullors, who has been at the helm of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation for nearly six years, announced the news on Thursday. The 37-year-old activist told The Associated Press that she is leaving to focus on other projects, including the upcoming release of her second book and a multi-year TV development deal with Warner Bros. ‘I’ve created the infrastructure and the support, and the necessary bones and foundation, so that I can leave,’ Cullors stated. ‘It feels like the time is right.’ However, her departure comes after it was revealed last month that she has amassed a $3 million property portfolio, despite describing herself as a trained Marxist”. CNN’s chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju had an unwelcome guest appear in his live shot on Thursday while filming a stand-up at the US Capitol. Raju tweeted a clip showing the moment he gets bugged out by a very large cicada. The insect can be seen crawling up his suit and onto the back of his neck. He doesn’t seem to notice until a few seconds later. It’s not clear if someone in his earpiece told him that he had a bug on him, but shortly after he reacts and flicks the insect out of his hair while screaming out in profanity. “Do I have more on me?” Raju asks. “Are they in my hair?,” he asks, before punctuating the exchange with more profanity, which was bleeped out. “Where the f*** are the cicadas coming from?!” Raju added.” Judge Joe Brown appearing on Kwame Brown’s YouTube channel “Bust Life,” got really candid, really quickly. The 73-year-old former TV judge had thoughts on everyone from Cardi B to Lizzo, to Charlamagne tha God and The Breakfast Club, to CNN, which he referred to as the “Negro Network.” https://youtu.be/6y2wBX7WrHg Award-winning artist, actress and entrepreneur Kierra Sheard-Kelly has teamed up with contemporary Worship group Red Rocks Worship and Essential Worship, to co-release their new performance of “Something Has to Break (Live).” Delivering an ascending worship experience of her #1 hit single, Kierra paired up to create this new powerful live performance together with the worship group, whose ministry is based out of the Denver, Colorado-based Red Rocks Church. Releasing the digital single and live video of their performance, “Something Has to Break (Live)” is available via all major digital providers on Friday May 28th, with the video also available via Essential Worship’s YouTube channel. Kierra Sheard-Kelly + Red Rocks Worship: “Something Has to Break (Live)” [Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Q1ZwYSkDw A suspected white supremacist on trial for fraud in Tennessee has claimed without proof that the Black judge presiding over his trial is a so-called reverse racist and must recuse himself because of that alleged bias against people suspected of white-collar crimes. Mark Hazelwood, the former head of a major fuel and trucking company based out of Knoxville, is gearing up for his retrial on charges he conspired to defraud other trucking firms out of millions of dollars. The retrial was granted after the U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier allowed audio recordings of Hazelwood using racist slurs with other executives at the Pilot Co. when he worked there. Juan Williams, the longtime liberal co-host of Fox News’ late-afternoon panel show The Five, announced on-air Wednesday that he was leaving the program. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, one major driver of Williams’ sudden departure from the highly-rated opinion show was his run-ins with colleague Greg Gutfeld, who had wanted The Five to return to studio and felt Williams was the main reason they were filming remotely. A Fox News spokesperson denied that “Gutfeld had anything to do with the move whatsoever” and referred to a statement from the showrunner Megan Albano who explained that Juan wanted to stay in D.C. Kelly Clarkson will be taking over Ellen DeGeneres’ coveted time slot after the veteran host’s talk show comes to an end next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Kelly Clarkson Show premiered in 2019 and has been steadily growing in popularity, having already secured a renewal with NBCUniversal Syndication Studios through 2023. Clarkson will now take over DeGeneres’ daytime slot in fall of 2022, which would likely mark her fourth season. The 39-year-old, who got her start on American Idol, has impressive ratings for a new show, thanks to a rotating roster of celebrity guests and Clarkson pulling out all the stops for her audience by singing. Iyanla Vanzant is set to end her popular “Fix My Life” series after ten seasons on OWN. The network aired a special finale with Vanzant speaking about some of her most memorable episodes, including one featuring a grandmother who challenged her daughter’s mothering skills. It was the first episode that aired and Vanzant said it stands out because the family dynamic mirrored her own, as reported by MadameNoire. https://youtu.be/PnhGyiAQ67w After a nearly five-year legal battle, a judge has decided to grant Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie equal custody over their children, Page Six reports. Judge John Ouderkirk, a private judge hired to manage the case, made his decision after hearing witness testimonies and interviews between social workers and the couple’s children, a source familiar with the matter told Page Six. “Brad was just trying to have more time with his kids—and it has been clear that Angie has done everything possible to prevent this,” they said. “This trial lasted for several months and there were a f–k ton of witnesses, experts, therapists and other people who have been with the kids and around them, and the decision was based on this.” Leading the 21st BET Awards with seven nominations each are Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby. The BET Awards 2021 will air live on Sunday, June 27 on BET at 8pm E/P. The show was a virtual event last year during the pandemic, but this year it will be presented in front of a live but VACCINATED audience. A teacher in Oklahoma is disappointed with Gov. Kevin Stitt after one of her summer classes was canceled due to the state’s House Bill 1775, which bans educators from teaching certain concepts of race and racism. Melissa Smith told KOCO 5 that she’s taught classes on race for six years, but House Bill 1775 has caused her to lose a class she was supposed to teach this summer at Oklahoma City Community College. The recently signed legislation restricts what can be taught about racial divisions through history in Oklahoma classrooms. https://youtu.be/bsoH-eMPVpY Porsha Williams says she is planning three weddings with Simon Guobadia. The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star shared the news during an episode of “Dish Nation,” noting that the first wedding ceremony will be a native law and custom ceremony, as reported by MadameNoire. They are also planning a traditional American wedding and one at a home Guobadia owns in another country. “He’s African so we will have our native law and custom ceremony and a regular wedding, and then we’ll have another wedding at one of the houses that are out of the country,” Williams told her co-hosts. When Williams and Guobadia announced their engagement, her fans had many questions as he is still married to his estranged wife/Williams’ RHOA co-star Falynn Guobadia. This week’s episode of WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop,” finds Angela Simmons moving out to LA and her brother Jo Jo questioning her motives for buying property on the West Coast. While JoJo thinks it has to do with her new love interest, Angela makes clear that her new man is not the only reason why she wants to soak up the sun in the City of Angels. Meanwhile, Jo Jo reveals he is planning a big surprise for his wife Tanice. https://youtu.be/DrX6e1xwcuk A Philadelphia 76ers fan added insult to injury Wednesday night during their team’s playoff matchup against the Washington Wizards, dumping popcorn on the Wizards’ Russell Westbrook as he walked off the court to seek treatment. The former NBA MVP appeared incensed at the gesture, but coaching staff stopped him from going into the stands. Others in the crowd pointed to the offending fan, according to video of the incident. While it may be an unpopular opinion among players around the league, Trevor Lawrence is happy to see Tim Tebow rejoin the NFL ranks. Tebow’s roster spot isn’t guaranteed, but he’s already earned the approval of this year’s No. 1 overall pick. “He looks great,” Lawrence said on the AP Pro Football Podcast, per ESPN. “He’s just a guy that you want to be around. Character is awesome. Had a few conversations with him and I can already tell, and [he’s] just a hard worker. No one is going to work harder than him. Those are the kind of guys you want in your locker room and you want to be around every day. And then I’m excited to see what he can do on the field as well. We got in a few days and he looks great. He’s in awesome shape.” Kyrie Irving’s recent comments about racism in Boston have fans of the NBA’s Celtics extra resentful despite their adamant refusal to accept the reality that, yes, in case anyone thought otherwise, anti-Black racism is still very much a thing in that city. Irving, who played in Boston for two unremarkable seasons, and his Brooklyn Nets teammates are set to play the Celtics on Friday night in Game 3 of their first-round playoffs series. The Nets easily routed the Celtics in the first two games. After the second game Tuesday night, though, Irving — when asked — publicly expressed hope that his return to Boston isn’t tainted by fans being racist. And the response by Bostonians and local media has been very telling. TV One celebrates Black Music Month with original programming and musical performances. Its original documentary, THE BEAT DON'T STOP, will kick off the month of greatness on Thursday, June 3 at 8 P.M. ET/7C, followed by UNSUNG: Dru Hill and UNSUNG: Xscape at 10 P.M. ET/9C. Additionally, during Black Music Month, TV One will feature more highlights from its acclaimed signature series, UNSUNG, as well as musical performances such as Alicia Keys: Live in LA, Black Star Live At The Vienne Jazz Festival and Gregory Porter Live at Nice Jazz Festival. Grammy Nominated & Stellar Award Winning Gospel Hit-Maker REV. LUTHER BARNES Scores Three Stellar Nominations: Choir Of The Year, Traditional Male Artist Of The Year and Traditional Choir Of The Year. Hear Luther Barnes In His Own Words In The Gospel Spotlight..... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Luther_Barnes_intvw.htm Hillsong Atlanta launches after several months of successful worship events that have drawn 2,200 in-person attendance and more than 30,000 people online, setting the church up for a major launch weekend on June 6 at the Atlanta Events Center with special guests and Hillsong Global Senior Pastors, Brian and Bobbie Houston. Artists like Lecrae, Mack Brock, Natalie Grant, Andy Mineo, Todd Galberth, Chante Cann and more have been part of the widely popular pre-launch worship nights, setting the tone for the diverse world-class worship music that will be a hallmark of Hillsong Atlanta. In fact, diversity and multiculturalism is at the heart of Hillsong Atlanta in every way. Lead Pastor of Hillsong Atlanta Sam Collier is partnering with Facebook and the online website Lightworkers to augment and transcend the traditional church model. After a year of virtual services as a stopgap method for some churches, Collier’s embrace of a simultaneous fully digital and fully physical approach, with major outside partnerships, is a first. More information is coming out about the life and loss of iconic rapper #DMX. Earl Simmons, didn’t leave behind enough money to care for his 15 children — some of whom are still minors. Here’s the deal: After selling more than 74 million albums and appearing in multiple movies through the span of his career, DMX’s estate could be less than $1 million; possibly less than $50,000, court documents filed by his children allege, according to Yahoo! News. Five of DMX’s 15 children filed separate court documents. His daughters Sasha Simmons and Jada Oden first filed documents on May 10, alleging his estate is worth less than $50,000. His sons Xavier, Tacoma, and Sean Simmons then filed documents on May 21, claiming his estate is worth less than $1 million. Both sides are hoping to be named administrators in the late rapper’s estate. Jada Pinkett Smith and her daughter Willow got matching tattoos on Red Table Talk this week. Mom and daughter were joined by Jada’s mother/co-host Adrienne Banfield-Norris who also got inked up by iconic tattoo artist Dr. Woo. As reported by PEOPLE, during the session, Willow, 20, recalled how her father, Will Smith, reacted when she got her first tattoo. “He was actually the one that I was most nervous about,” Willow said. “I showed my mom the art for my half-sleeve three weeks before I got it. But I didn’t tell my dad.” When she eventually showed Will her new ink, he responded: “I showed it to him and he said, ‘Everything is in divine order. Your path is your path and I love you,'” Willow shared. https://twitter.com/i/status/1397584250673586180 The internet is currently intrigued with Amber Rose because she reached out to a woman to confirm whether she used to have a relationship with Amber’s baby daddy Alexander “AE” Edwards. As reported by AceShowbiz, Amber reached out to the woman in a private message before deleting it. “Hey boo just came across ur message but can’t see it,” Amber told the woman, who later shared the conversation on TikTok. Denying Amber’s claims, the woman said, “Hey i don’t recall sending you any message.” Amber replied, “You did you must’ve deleted it. All good.” She went on to say, “I know you talked to Alex before. I’m not trippin babe. I didn’t recognize you by your profile picture until you opened up your page. I was being nosy and looked through his blocked list on his phone. You came up. Then I found ur page and saw that you sent me a message. Didn’t know if you were trying to tell me something?” City leaders and local artists launched LA for All, a multilingual PSA campaign led by the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights) to share resources for reporting hate crimes and hate incidents, as well as celebrate diversity, belonging and inclusion in Los Angeles. “LA for All reaffirms what Los Angeles is and can be at our best: a place where everybody belongs and where no one should face discrimination, bigotry, or violence because of who they are, what they look like, who they love, or what they believe,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. ”Jersey Mike’s Karen” is going viral for her violent meltdown in a Southern California shop when an employee got her order wrong. https://youtu.be/uZ4tFts3Wno “Black artists were not allowed to sing operatic solos at the MET (Metropolitan Opera House)…it wasn’t until (Leontyne) Price was a prominent Soprano Prima Donna…the 60’s…not that long ago,” said Broadway soprano operatic vocalist Cheryl Warfield about the Classical music industry and the reason why she developed the “Dynamic Divas” series that highlights three women of color Prima Donna operatic vocalists and her “Fachs & Figures: A Retrospective of the Careers of Cheryl Warfield” project – the next dated March 31st (Eventbrite.com). The last mentioned is a live-stream fundraiser to benefit the Goddard Riverside students of the Performing Arts Conservatory for the under-privileged kids of Upper-Westside, New York. Charleston County has agreed to pay $10 million to the family of Jamal Sutherland, who died after being pepper-sprayed and tasered by police in January, The New York Times reports. Sutherland had initially been at a mental health facility, Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health, but was arrested and taken to Al Cannon Detention Center after he allegedly assaulted a staff worker. One day after his arrest, officers tried to get him out of his cell for a court hearing, but when Sutherland did not want to leave his cell, the officers pepper-sprayed him. He told the officers “I can’t breathe,” but they continued to Taser him anyway, and an officer even put a knee on his back, a video of the incident shows. The settlement comes on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, and follows other major settlements, including a $10 million settlement for Andre Hill, a Black man who was killed by a police officer last year. The officers involved in Sutherland’s death, Sgt. Lindsay Fickett and Detention Deputy Brian Houle, have been fired but a pending investigation will determine whether the two should face criminal charges. Travis Greene garners his fifth #1 hit single at Gospel radio, with “Good and Loved” feat. DOE hitting #1 on two Gospel radio charts. The radio track hits #1 on the latest charts for Billboard’s Gospel Airplay Chart and the MediaBase Gospel Chart. Originally featured on his chart-topping album Broken Record, Greene recorded a new version on this radio track for “Good and Loved,” which he taped for the 2020 Stellar Awards in a duet with DOE. In their duet performance, the two multi-GRAMMY® nominated singers also displayed their instrumental skills playing guitars and piano. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H07LBkbGlfM To kick off Black Music Month, Café Mocha, the #1 nationally syndicated radio show for ‘women of color,’ presents the Salute THEM Awards ‘soundtrack of our lives’ broadcasting Sunday, June 6 at 10:00 P.M ET on BNC.TV from the new National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville. The awards event, sponsored by AARP and Toyota with musical alliances NMAAM, Essence Festival and Living Legends Foundation, will be co-hosted by Café Mocha Gracie Award Winners Loni Love, Yo-Yo and “Ain’t Too Proud” Broadway star Saint Aubyn. https://facebook.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03270e5fb8d65204361e530a2&id=be11158404&e=136c74e292 Author Terry McMillan shut down her Twitter account after being bullied by members of the LGBTQ community for commenting on the way celebrities come out. McMillian famously sued her young Jamaican husband Jonathan Plummer in 2007 for fraud after he came out as gay. Over the weekend Terry deactivated her Twitter after being harassed for writing: “I don’t understand why celebrities have to announce their sexuality. Just be who you are.” And with that, the bullies within the LGBTQ community began until she quit social media altogether, Rhymes With Snitch reports. One reader commented, “Girl stfu and just eat your food. You got a Waiting to Exhale tv series about to take off, please dont fck up your bag.” https://youtu.be/kKgnbmDpsy0 Ray J reportedly won $17,000 playing a penny-slot game called “Buffalo” at a San Miguel casino in L.A. According to TMZ, the “Wait A Minute” singer spent $100 on the digital game. The outlet writes, “He played the slots because he considers himself an old man now, and that’s what old folks do. BTW … he’s 40.” “Ray has retired his days as a big gambler on table games, particularly roulette … and his most recent lucky streak is probably a sign that’s a good idea.” It’s not like he needs money … Ray’s Raycon earbuds have reportedly earned him a fortune. T-Pain has inked a deal with LiveXLive Media’s podcast platform PodcastOne, and the rapper will soon launch Nappy Boy Radio, a podcast and video podcast series. Deadline reports, the series, which will launch on June 3, will feature conversations between T-Pain and some of his celebrity/influencer pals, including Peyton List, Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, and Joe Seo from Cobra Kai, Mike Tyson, Lil Jon, Steve-O, Jazzy Pha and Slim Jxmmi. Scottie Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa Pippen has joined OnlyFans amid her drama with ex-lover Malik Beasley. As reported by Page Six, “The “Real Housewives of Miami” alum, 46, posted a promotional video to Instagram on Monday showing her in some of the sexy shots that she plans to share on the NSFW subscription-based platform. https://twitter.com/i/status/1396950311504424963 Vivica A. Fox chopped it up with VladTV this week and opened up about why her marriage to Christopher “Sixx-Nine” Harvest ended in 2002. The veteran actress said she curbed Harvest after his music career took a deep dive and she became the sole financial provider in the household. “Everyone was having their Cinderella day and I just wanted one too to be very honest with you. Why the marriage didn’t last a long time is ’cause I didn’t take the time to get to know him. I felt peer pressure.” Vivica and Harvest dated when he was a member of an R&B group. Tuesday, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley publicly apologized to his estranged wife Montana Yao for cutting out on her and their 2-year-old son while he dated Larsa Pippen last year. Yao filed for divorce amid the cheating scandal but she accepted her hubby’s apology this week and the couple is said to be working on mending their marriage. Meanwhile, Pippen and Yao got into a heated exchange on social media following Beasley’s apology message, which he shared on his Instagram account. Tuesday, an Ohio judge declared a mistrial in the murder case of Tevin Biles-Thomas, the brother of famed Olympian Simone Biles. According to The Associated Press, the move came after jurors received copies of legal briefs they were not supposed to see. The evidence included a motion discussing whether Tevin acted in self-defense when he shot three people at a New Year’s Eve party in 2018. An earlier report noted that Biles-Thomas was charged with multiple counts of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and felonious assault, along with one count of perjury for the fatal shooting at an Airbnb rental property that left three men dead and two others injured, MSN reported. Law enforcement officials in London arrested five men Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder of Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson. The suspects include a 17-year-old who was detained on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and possession with the intent to supply drugs; three men aged 18, 19, and 28, who were arrested on suspicion of group fighting and possession with intent to sell; and a 25-year-old man who was arrested after a car chase for group fighting and failing to stop for police, CNN reports. Saniyya Dennis, a 19-year-old honor student at Buffalo State College in New York has been missing since April, but her family is not resigned to giving up on finding her and bringing her home. In early May Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced his office believed Saniyya died of apparent suicide near Niagara Falls after reviewing text exchanges phone records, surveillance footage and interviewing friends she reportedly contacted who said she expressed thoughts of self-harm. “An exhaustive search and review of the evidence has been done and it appears that this poor girl took her own life,” Flynn told reporters. “Without a body, without an autopsy being done, we’re never going to definitively know. All I can do is present you with what I have and what I presented … everything that I had … to her parents.” However Saniyya’s family refuses to give up their fight and challenge the evidence and claims Flynn made during his announcement. A former college basketball star has been arrested on suspicion of killing an elderly relative of his over the weekend in Detroit. Keith Appling, who was a four-year member of the Michigan State University men’s basketball team from 2010-2014, was taken into custody on Monday after a manhunt following what police described as a family dispute turned deadly. The Detroit News reported that one of Appling’s relatives told police that he shot a different relative — an unidentified 66-year-old-man — after the two of them had a verbal altercation early Saturday night. Appling reportedly shot the relative dead at the victim’s home in Detroit and dropped the gun after another relative forced it out of his hand. He then fled in a car before being arrested Monday morning about 57 miles west of Detroit in the town of Chelsea. The Detroit Free Press reported that a gun was recovered during the arrest. Prince Harry will “go deeper” into his mental health struggles in yet another collaborative project with Oprah Winfrey. The redheaded royal, 39, announced on his Archewell site on Wednesday that he’ll follow up his and Winfrey’s Apple TV+ series, “The Me You Can’t See,” with a town hall discussion titled “The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward.” Harry said the follow-up program, which premieres Friday, will “go deeper” into the stories of the initial docuseries’ subjects and feature experts issuing guidance, so “together they begin to answer the critical question: Where do we go from here?” Chadwick Boseman was best known to audiences for his work onscreen, playing iconic figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and the Black Panther. But offscreen, he was known as a proud Howard Bison. Howard University announced today that the newly re-established college of fine arts, led by Dean Phylicia Rashad, will be named the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts in honor of the late actor and distinguished alumnus. Samuel E. Wright, the actor who voiced Sebastian in “The Little Mermaid,” has died. He was 74. The news of his death was confirmed in a Facebook post on Tuesday by his hometown Montgomery, N.Y. It did not confirm his cause of death. James Bond has a new home: Amazon and MGM announced a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire MGM for $8.45 billion. MGM, founded in 1924, complements Amazon Studios, which has primarily focused on producing TV programming, the companies said. Amazon will help “preserve MGM’s heritage and catalog of films” and provide customers with greater access to these existing works, the companies added. A Los Angeles toddler has been accepted into Mensa — the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. Kashe Quest is just two years old, going on three, and has an IQ of 146, while the average IQ in America is 100. Currently, Quest is the youngest member of American Mensa. “We started to notice her memory was really great. She just picked up things really fast and she was really interested in learning. At about 17, 18 months, she had recognized all the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes,” said Sukhjit Athwal, Kashe’s mother. Kashe can also identify all 50 states by shape and location on a map. She is learning Spanish, knows over 50 signs in sign language, can count to 100, can identify elements on the periodic table by their symbols and is even learning to read. Broadway has long known that Black professionals are underrepresented backstage and in leadership positions in the commercial theater industry — but now a new initiative from a group of Broadway producers, the Theatre Leadership Project, aims to change that. “There seems to be this notion that if you are a Black person or a person of color working in the theater field, then the commercial world is not for you. You are forced to go into the nonprofit arena,” said Travis LeMont Ballenger, one of the founding members of TTLP. He spoke on the latest episode of Variety‘s theater podcast, “Stagecraft,” appearing with Leah Harris, the new project’s program manager, to discuss the current state of representation on Broadway and how TTLP is hoping to change things. An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California rail yard serving Silicon Valley, killing eight people before ending his own life, authorities said. The suspect was an employee of the Valley Transportation Authority, which provides bus, light rail and other transit services throughout Santa Clara County, the largest county in the Bay Area, Santa Clara County sheriff’s authorities said. The attacker was identified as 57-year-old Sam Cassidy, according to two law enforcement officials. Investigators offered no immediate word on a possible motive. The Great One is headed to TNT, The Post has learned. Wayne Gretzky will be a lead analyst on Turner’s premier studio show after agreeing to a contract that will pay him in the neighborhood of $3 million per season, according to sources. The 60-year-old announced Tuesday he was stepping down as vice chairman of the Edmonton Oilers after the Jets swept them out of the Stanley Cup playoffs Monday. History was made inside of the White House briefing room today as principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stepped to the podium and delivered her first official press briefing. In doing so, she becomes the first-ever openly gay woman and the second Black woman to address the White House press corp. https://youtu.be/FU0HrIrvzWU Kim Kardashian has always been transparent about her life which is why it comes as no surprise that she’s revealing that she failed her first year bar exam. In a sneak peek of Thursday’s episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians, ” Kim, 40, opens up about her exam to her sisters and admits that her latest defeat is taking a toll on her dreams of being a lawyer. Dylann Roof, the white supremacist convicted of murdering nine members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015, is appealing to have his sentence overturned. Roof’s defense attorneys are playing the “he’s mentally ill” card, and, per New York Daily News, have asked that his sentence be suspended until a “proper competency evaluation” can be conducted. They argue that Roof should not have been sentenced to death due to his “mental illness”. https://youtu.be/mxu06fz7ucg Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing 22 civil cases stemming from sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct allegations. One of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL, the 25-year-old Watson now faces an uncertain future in the league months after he requested a trade from the Texans. Recent reports suggest that Watson is facing a “multi-game suspension” for the 2021 season regardless of what happens in the court of law. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, the NFL has an ability to suspend players even in the absence of criminal charges being filed or a guilty verdict. Compton Mayor Aja Brown, members of the city council, city attorney, and residents of Compton will hold a press conference Wed., May 26 at 11 a.m. at city hall to announce the filing of a Claim for Damages against LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Compton Station Captain LaTonya Clark, and unknown Los Angeles County Sheriff Department Deputies and personnel employed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department and County of Los Angeles. The 16th Annual Gamma Zeta Boulé Foundation L.A.M.P. Mentor Program Scholarship Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 29, 2021 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, in a VIRTUAL environment. Eight African American male high school graduating seniors will be awarded scholarships to assist in their college matriculation. his year history was made as three seniors were named Boulé Scholars, the country’s highest level of distinction awarded by the oldest Black Greek-lettered fraternal organization, Sigma Pi Phi (The Boulé). The aftermath of being in jail and continuing to prove innocence to maintain freedom creates eye opening experiences that we as an audience often overlook. As reported in the Sybil Wilkes February 15 What You Need To Know newsletter, Diamonds Ford shot at what was believed to be an intruder then called 911 when officers serving a warrant failed to properly identify themselves. Ford and her now husband Anthony Gantt are still facing charges from the September 2020 incident. https://youtu.be/r11n8johAnQ Last Wednesday (May 19th), LeBron James squared off against the Golden State Warriors for a standard game. However, two days before, LeBron James hosted an event for his tequila brand–Lobos 1707–that was attended by numerous stars, including Drake and Michael B. Jordan. Ultimately, this caused speculation regarding whether the NBA star would be suspended for this COVID violation. Discussing the incident with ESPN on Friday (May 21st), a league spokesperson stated: “It’s a violation of the agreed upon protocols, and, as we have in other comparable instances around the league, it has been addressed with the team.” Shortly thereafter, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that sources claimed LeBron would not be suspended for the violation because the event was not deemed a COVID risk. Thus, the NBA allowed LeBron to play in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns this past Sunday (May 23rd). “Mike Tyson: The Knockout” will put viewers ringside for the main event that will chronicle the former champion’s climb, crash and comeback, from his difficult childhood to becoming undisputed world champion to his 1992 rape conviction and his personal struggles. Through the lens of his life’s extreme highs and lows, the two-part primetime event will examine some of the most pressing questions about resilience and reinvention. https://youtu.be/vxXVEfQLWEM Tracee Ellis Ross is speaking out about the societal pressure for women to get married and have children — especially if they are women of a certain age. In a new interview with Marie Claire, the actress talked about feeling pressured to find a man and settle down. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1mSNuLVIAIj5UA?format=jpg&name=small On the one-year anniversary marking the day that their loved one was killed in a harrowing act of police violence, George Floyd‘s family met with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders to mark the solemn moment. According to family attorney Ben Crump spoke with NBC News, the day begin with the family sitting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prior to visiting the White House. The visit comes amidst another push for meaningful law enforcement reform as it stalls in the Senate. Earlier this year President Biden urged lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act prior to Floyd’s death anniversary, a move that advocacy organization and some activists believe made a first step towards abolishing law enforcement practices and policies which seek to prevent accountability when Black community members are routinely targeted and often killed by those who vow to serve and protect. As the world begins easing out of the most stressful time of our lives, Family Federation for World Peace and Unification USA invites you to join us for the Peace Starts With Me: Peace & Blessing virtual celebration June 5, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Let the Blessing revive your life, your family, and the world. Experience the grandeur of a stadium show from the comfort of your home. Featuring performances by Grammy award-winning talent including Gospel star Hezekiah Walker, Yolanda Adams, Israel Haughton, Joann Rosario Condrey, The Soul Children of Chicago and Kim Burrell. With words of inspiration from Bishop Noel Jones of the City of Refuge Church and The Mother of Peace, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. The Marriage Blessing is a worldwide tradition where couples dedicate, or re-dedicate, their marriage to a greater purpose and God. In response to the breakdown of traditional marriage, the Marriage Blessing offers a way to build a world of stronger marriages and healthier families. Rededicate, celebrate and receive the anointing of God upon your couple and family. SAN FRANKLIN has been described as a vocal powerhouse and an anointed force in music and ministry. Her debut solo album THE FREE PROJECT is her musical ambition to inspire and lead people to freedom and liberty. What is undeniable is that with every opportunity she is impacting people and culture by shifting atmospheres and changing lives. Her current single "I Choose Free" is a defining song that she conveys with both passion and power. "I Choose Free" is an anthem of expectation and an emblem of emancipation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvToaLXKwPY&feature=youtu.be In a case of questionable timing at best, the top prosecutor in Louisville announced on Tuesday that his office would not bring charges against the police officers and members of the military who gunned down a Black man attending a demonstration peacefully protesting against George Floyd‘s murder. The announcement came as the nation paused to observe the one-year anniversary of the heinous police murder of Floyd in Minneapolis. Jefferson Commonwealth Attorney Thomas B. Wine confirmed that the Louisville police officers and Kentucky National Guardsmen who killed David “YaYa” McAtee nearly one year ago would not be facing any kind of criminal charges for their roles in a shooting that can only be described as questionable. The shooting was described as justified. McAtee, 53, was a barbecue chef and restaurant owner in Louisville who had come to be known in part for serving police officers free meals. When he was shot on June 1, none of the body cameras worn by the officers involved were turned on. McAtee’s body reportedly lay in the street for 12 hours. Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s fatal encounter with George Floyd last May, reflected on the tragedy on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death. Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s fatal encounter with George Floyd last May, reflected on the tragedy on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death. “I didn’t know this man from a can of paint, but I knew his life mattered. I knew that he was in pain. I knew that he was another black man in danger with no power. I was only 17 at the time, just a normal day for me walking my 9-year-old cousin to the corner store, not even prepared for what I was about to see, not even knowing my life was going to change on this exact day in those exact moments… it did. It changed me. It changed how I viewed life. It made me realize how dangerous it is to be Black in America … A part of my childhood was taken from me,” she continued. Frazier also indicated she has no regrets about sharing her cellphone footage with the world. Doc Rivers’ emotional reaction to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, just three months after the gruesome police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, went viral and represented the frustrations of those who watched video of both incidents, and countless others showing unarmed black people being killed by white police officers. https://youtu.be/aQ78YoIXI5o OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today a special one-hour programming event presented by Procter & Gamble as a part of its 'Widen the Screen' initiative, "OWN and P&G Present: Widen The Screen - A Fuller View of Black Life" premiering on Tuesday, May 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. This special presentation is hosted by Oprah Winfrey and features short films and new content by Black creators that celebrate Black stories and the expansiveness of Black life, while honoring the anniversary of the tragic murder of George Floyd. The program will include a special airing of Tangled Roots, Ballet After Dark, and Gloves Off from the Queen Collective documentary film series, followed by a sneak preview of the four new Queen Collective films that will premiere in June 2021 during the Tribeca Film Festival. Atlanta Hawks vice president and former NBAer Dominique Wilkins says he was turned away from a popular Buckhead restaurant due to racism. It happened at Le Bilboquet, a French bistro in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. “In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today,” he wrote on Twitter. Wilkins said staff at Le Bilboquet refused him service over his designer casual clothing. “We sincerely apologize to Dominique Wilkins for the events that occurred on May 22,” the restaurant said in a statement. “No patron of our restaurants should be made to feel unwelcome or less than, and for that we are deeply sorry. It was never our intention to make Mr. Wilkins – or anyone else for that matter – feel that way at our restaurant.” Management says staffers will be re-trained and changes will be made to the dress code policy. The reconciliation between Erica Mena and Safaree Samuels was short-lived because the reality TV star has revealed that she’s raising their child alone, and is expected to do the same with the baby she’s currently carrying. TMZ reports that on Friday, Mena filed for divorce after less than 2 years of marriage. According to the outlet, “Erica is asking for primary physical custody of their 1-year-old daughter, Safire, but she’s willing to share joint legal custody with Safaree. She’s also indicated she wants child support, plus … exclusive use of the home they currently share,” TMZ writes. Earlier this month, Safaree and his estranged wife announced that they are expecting baby #2! The “Love & Hip Hop” stars shared the exciting news via an Instagram post showing off Mena’s baby bump. The second season of Tyler Perry’s “Assisted Living” kicks off TONIGHT (May 25) at 9 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her. The comedy is the #1 new scripted series for African Americans P18-49, P25-54, and P2+ on cable for broadcast season 20-21. Fans have shown so much love for the show that BET has green-lit “Assisted Living” for a third season. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has hinted that he has no plans on staying with the team. When asked if he’s going back to the Falcons during the “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” show on FS1, Jones said, “I’m out of there.” Jones was reportedly spotted wearing a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt but made clear that he doesn’t want to play for the team, 11 Alive reports. “I ain’t going to Dallas, I never thought of going to Dallas,” Jones said. https://twitter.com/i/status/1396855165450342410 Executive Chef Liz Rogers has launched her own ice cream brand called Creamalicious, making hers the only Black-owned ice cream company in mass production. Some of the flavors are named after Rogers’ family members with recipes rooted in Black culture. “The desserts have history that people don’t know about, like the red velvet cake,” Rogers said. “It was considered the celebration cake when African Americans got their freedom back. You have the white cake which is a white southern cake that was considered a peace offering. Each flavor has a story.” Walmart says an “external bad actor” is responsible for a number of fake accounts that generated emails using the company’s domain that addressed recipients with a racial slur. According to CBS News, those behind the attack created new accounts for people whose emails were not previously identified by the company as belonging to Walmart customers, automatically sending a “Welcome to Walmart, N**ger” email. The company’s internal systems were not breached, and the retailer said it was able to stop more of the emails from being sent. https://youtu.be/7ghhFtNr710 Atlanta police are searching for a man who reportedly stole rapper Akon’s vehicle Tuesday from an Atlanta gas station. Police say the artist was pumping gas at the QuikTrip on Sidney Marcus Boulevard in Buckhead just after midnight. Moments later, a man hopped into Akon’s Range Rover and sped off. https://youtu.be/VViBl554Z8A ”Cruella” is the new Disney live-action film exploring Cruella del Vil – the villain from the animated classic “101 Dalmatians” origin story. Emma Stone (“La La Land”) stars in the leading role – set in 1970s London during the punk rock revolution, a young grifter named Estella is trying to break into the fashion industry. She builds a life on the London streets with the help of two young thieves, Joel Fry (Jasper) and Paul Walter Hauser (Horace), who appreciate her appetite for mischief. Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of fashion legend Baroness von Hellman, played by two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson (“Howards End,” “Sense & Sensibility”). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable, and revenge-bent Cruella. Luther Campbell a.k.a. Uncle Luke of 2 Live Crew fame is speaking out about being snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The hip-hop icon took to his social media accounts to address the fact that his group was not among the 2021 class that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced earlier this month. The Miami rapper wrote over the weekend, “S**t another year of not getting inducted to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.” Ace Showbiz reports, “to be able to be considered for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an artist or act must be 25 years removed from their first recording,” the outlet writes. 2 Live Crew is definitely eligible as their debut album” The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are” was released in 1986. It appears Chuck D and Flavor Flav remain at odds because the leader of famed hip-hop group Public Enemy is ready to squash the beef and get back to work. Chuck D addressed the issue further during his chat with Talib Kweli on the People’s Party podcast. https://youtu.be/uMmTTbWpL9c BET will assemble an R&B supergroup on the upcoming reality series “BET Presents The Encore.” The network said the competition series will feature familiar faces from the R&B world, as reported by Urban Hollywood 411. BET.com reports, among those involved include Shamari DeVoe of Blaque, Irish Grinstead and LeMisha Grinstead from 702, Nivea Nash and Felisha King of Cherish, Fallon King and Pamela Long from the group Total, Aubrey O’ Day from Danity Kane, and Kiely Williams of 3LW have signed for the show. The outlet describes the series as “a one-of-a-kind music experiment” featuring “solo female artists and groups from the 1990s and 2000s to form the ultimate R&B supergroup. Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard tripled down on his “Logo Lillard” nickname and then some Monday night during his team’s playoff game against the Denver Nuggets. First the numbers. Lillard earned his second 30-point first half of his playoff career on Monday and became the only player with multiple 30-point first halves in the playoffs over the last 15 seasons. He had 8 triples at halftime, tying Vince Carter’s all-time NBA Playoffs record for threes in a half. One of the 3-pointers, this one from deep inside the Nuggets logo, went viral. https://youtu.be/xFHjeFswasE Former NBA star and Atlanta-area resident Shaquille O’Neal has been known to help out his neighbors from time to time, even spontaneously. The NBA Hall-of-Famer showed generosity Friday in the form of providing kids in Henry County with new shoes. Soles4Souls partnered with The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation and Reebok to distribute 500 new pairs of shoes to kids. Shaq visited Wesley Lakes Elementary School, a McDonough Title I school, saying he is happy to put a smile on kids’ faces at the end of the school year. “It’s all about the kids,” O’Neal said. “The two things that really hurt me this year were seeing 40 million people out of work, and I hate seeing kids who don’t have what they need.” Singer and actress Darlene Love—who has hit songs like “He’s A Rebel” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and contributions to tunes by Dionne Warwick and Marvin Gaye—talks with Sisters From AARP about her life, the importance of family, and how we can embrace aging. At 79, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee also is preparing to accept honors from the Salute THEM Awards on June 6 (presented by AARP and Toyota North America), which celebrates Black creatives. RSVP, and share your comments on aging well and family connections! Moms of Black Boys United for Social Change, Inc. (M.O.B.B. United for Social Change), an online community of nearly 200,000 moms with 15 local chapters nationwide advocating for fair and just treatment of Black boys and men in American society, remains on the front lines of the fight against racial injustice. Today, M.O.B.B. United remembers George Floyd, whose tragic murder at the hands of Minnesota police one year ago ignited a worldwide outcry against police brutality of Blacks in America, and the organization continues to forge ahead in the fight for justice and police reform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUKkgnJGaNI&feature=youtu.be A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The City airs this Thursday, May 27 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, Atlanta's Dekalb County Sheriff Department stands the trial of public opinion in the murder of veteran officer and Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t5jyHnv-C4 Kristen Clarke on Tuesday became the first Black woman and first woman overall to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division since its creation in 1957. Clarke was confirmed following a drawn-out process that stalled for months. Clarke’s nomination advanced on May 13 following a Senate Judiciary Committee vote to get her to this point. Committee members split the vote 11-11 to advance the process to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. Supporters of Clarke expect another uphill battle during the final stage of the process. Much of Clarke’s confirmation process has been mired in stonewalling orchestrated mainly by Senate Republicans who believe Clarke is too radical to lead the division which oversees law enforcement policies and procedures. Their numerous attempts to invalidate and disqualify her experiences stems form Clarke’s history as a transformative social justice lawyer and leader. After the committee vote earlier this month, civil rights leaders hailed Clarke’s experience and urged the Senate to move in the right direction. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump called into SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show on May 25, 2021, one year to the day after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, to renew the call for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and detail the Floyd family’s plans to meet with President Biden and other leaders in Washington, DC. Drake brought his three-year-old son Adonis onstage as the Canadian superstar was named artist of the decade at the Billboard Music Awards, and people are thanking Pusha T for the precious father/son moment. In 2018, Pusha T revealed during their rap beef that Drake had fathered a child with French artist Sophie Brussaux and the Toronto-born star later confirmed the news on his album Scorpion. Many folks online thought Drake was forced to finally acknowledge his son publicly only after being outed by his rival. https://lnkd.in/epCbmmu Central City Productions revealed the nominees in 28 categories for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, which will be taped on Saturday, July 10, at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN. "We're extremely pleased and proud to present our 36th annual Stellar Awards, appropriately themed 'Lighting the Way with Our Faith, Music and Family," remarked Don Jackson, Founder of the Stellar Awards and Chairman of Central City Productions, Inc. . This year's recipient of the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement is The Clark Sisters. Lady Tramaine Hawkins will be honored with the Aretha Franklin Icon Award, Pastor Shirley Caesar will receive the Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legends Award, Bishop Dr. Leonard Scott is tapped to receive the Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award and Black Smoke Music Founder Kerry Douglas, Skip Barrett and Teresa Hairston will be inducted into the Stellar Honors Hall of Fame. Millennial Gospel superstar Jonathan McReynolds, co-host of the 35th Annual Stellar Awards, tops the list of nominees this year with eight nominations. Grammy-nominated singers and songwriters Juan Winans and Lisa Winans, along with actress-singer Deborah Joy Winans are making big moves in music and entertainment, a natural as a third-generation member of the world-renowned Winans Family. This week, Juan and Lisa Winans’ No. 1 Billboard gospel single, “It Belongs To Me,” was nominated for New Artist Of The Year and Duo/Chorus Group Of The Year by the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The DARE Records release, recorded by Juan and his wife, Lisa also features his uncle, Marvin L. Winans, and remains in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Gospel Recurrent chart. And just this week, the brand-new DARE Records urban inspirational single, “Never On My Own” by Juan Winans featuring his sister, Deborah Joy Winans, is off to a great start at national streaming and broadcast outlets. After a record year of BIG wins and unforgettable performances, Alabama singer, songwriter and megachurch leader Pastor Mike Jr. returns to this year's Stellar Awards with seven nominations including Rap Hip Hop Gospel Album, Album of the Year, Urban Inspirational Performance and the coveted Artist of the Year nominations. "This should be no surprise to any of us", says Blacksmoke Music Worldwide CEO Kerry Douglas with humility. Pastor Mike, Jr. dared to show us that God still does BIG things, he kept telling us God is about to blow your minds. That song resonated with people all over this country. He went to the Stellars and won Best New Artist. We released Freedom Session, I Got It was the follow up, and it not only hit number one on the Gospel radio charts, it is making its way up the urban charts. Pastor Mike, Jr. lives out loud and bold, he takes God at his word, This is his season and his moment and we are just running over with joy. A white Red Cross worker who was filmed hugging an African migrant says she’s being harassed by racists online over the imagery. Luna Reyes, 20, was forced to set her social media accounts to private after video/photos of her and the migrant sparked a wave of racist and sexist abuse, per MSN. According to reports, the migrant swam from Morocco to Ceuta last week. When Reyes approached the exhausted Senegalese man and offered him a bottle of water, he broke down and clung to her. Charlamagne Tha God caught major heat over the weekend from veteran NBA player Kwane Brown after the popular radio DJ shared some harsh truths about Brown’s family on The Breakfast Club. https://twitter.com/i/status/1395151812034957313 Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee’s divorce was finalized more than a decade ago, but they may have to face each other in court once again. The music executive, 63, sued the model, 46, and her husband, Tim Leissner, last week for allegedly attempting to fraudulently transfer Simmons’ nearly four million Celsius shares to their accounts to help pay for Leissner’s legal and bail fees stemming from a 2018 money laundering case, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court documents obtained by Page Six on Friday. https://youtu.be/1ZPuBGevQLo DJ Funkmaster Flex recently made time to remind folks that Power 105.1 radio personality Charlamagne tha God got away with raping a 15-year-old girl when he was in his ’20s. MadameNoire reports, on his show last week, Funk Flex played an audio clip of a woman saying that Charlamagne raped her daughter Jessica Reid in 2001 and that he was “getting away with it.” “If he was going to be a friend to us he came to us and said don’t worry nothing is going to happen to her and I’ll make sure she’ll be safe,” the distraught mother said in a 2018 interview on The Star Report. “He alluded us to believe and trust in him and then he turns around and violates my daughter by raping and drugging her and then…he gets away with it.” Reid said she didn’t allow her daughter to testify in the trial against Charlamagne because she didn’t want her to relive the trauma. https://youtu.be/kCjm8a9ixeA Jamie Masada, the owner and founder of the iconic Laugh Factory comedy club in Hollywood, tells TMZ that several A-listers are set to honor Paul Mooney with a special show on Thursday at 3 PM. Eddie Murphy and Kevin Hart are among the many who have been contacted to attend. We’re told Tiffany Haddish is not able to attend because of work but will send in a special video tribute to be played during the event. Paul’s twin sons — comedians Dwayne and Daryl — will also be there … with the list of special guests expected only to grow. Jamie says he envisions guests doing a little stand-up (duh), sharing their best Paul Mooney stories and more. Paul was a regular at the famed Hollywood location. In fact … Jamie tells us he still remembers Paul being one of the very first comedians on opening night in 1979. https://youtu.be/cRFlgrMzWP8 CNN host Van Jones weighed in on Kim Kardashian’s future as a fellow attorney now that she is three years into her pursuit of becoming a lawyer. During an interview on the Ellen Degeneres show, Jones said, “She’s doing amazing. I think she has used her platform to help people behind bars.” He added, “Her dad was a lawyer and she always wanted to be a lawyer,” he explained. “Once she got a taste of what she could do using her platform, using her brain, she hasn’t let up, so I think she’s going to be an unbelievable attorney. She’s already I think one of the best advocates that we have in criminal justice.” Jones, 52, and Kardashian, 40, have previously worked together on criminal justice reform. Actress Samira Wiley is opening up about the challenges of motherhood. The “Handmaid’s Tale” star and her wife Lauren Morelli announced the birth of their daughter George Elizabeth on Mother’s Day. The couple announced on social media that the child was born on April 11, 2021. Wiley dished with CBS This Morning about some of her scarier moments of parenting so far, admitting that she is “so tired” and “terrified” in her new role, per MSN. https://youtu.be/MVhW5-rFEv0 The global health crisis has exacerbated financial woes for many individuals and Delaware State University is on a mission to ensure the school’s recent graduates aren’t burdened by the weight of debt. According to People, the Dover-based HBCU recently announced it would eliminate the student loan debt for students who were significantly impacted by the pandemic. DSU will cancel over $700,000 in student loans for over 220 students through the American Rescue Plan Act that was enacted by President Joe Biden and his administration. Under the $1.9 trillion plan, funds were allotted for student debt cancellation, grants and scholarships. Renowned playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry’s contributions to the arts will forever be embedded in the fabric of history and an effort to preserve a significant element of her journey has moved forward. According to Broadway World, the visionary’s former New York City residence has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The home—where Hansberry dwelled between the years of 1953 and 1960—is located at 337 Bleecker Street; in the heart of the Greenwich Village neighborhood. The residence served as the backdrop for Hansberry’s evolution as a pivotal figure. Her time there was one of both professional and personal progression as she made triumphs in her career and explored and embraced her homosexuality. In the space, she penned A Raisin in the Sun which made it to the Ethel Barrymore Theater stage, making her the first African American woman playwright to have her work performed on Broadway. She used the proceeds she earned from the play to acquire the residential building in 1960. The Student Freedom Initiative (SFI) has announced that networking giant Cisco will give $150 million in order to aid historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The aid will take the form of $100 million in networking, security, and collaboration technologies, including ongoing technical support with help from cloud security services provider American Virtual Cloud (AVC) Technologies, in order to facilitate advancements to HBCU technology infrastructure and cybersecurity systems. The remaining $50 million will act as an anchor investment to support the Student Freedom Initiative over the next four years. That $50 million investment will allow for the financing of the college educations of 500 HBCU students every year. According to the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks star is furthering his efforts to support small Black-owned businesses and nonprofits throughout the country. Last year Holiday announced he would donate a portion of his 2019-2020 season salary to grassroots nonprofit organizations centered on social justice, HBCUs and businesses created by Black entrepreneurs. He and his wife Olympic gold medalist Lauren Holiday created the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Impact Fund; an initiative designed to provide funding and support for foundations and businesses in underserved communities within the Greater Milwaukee area, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Los Angeles. After witnessing the fund’s impact the Holidays announced they’re opening a second round of funding. As part of the next round, they are distributing up to $1 million in grants. Morgan and Bode Miller are expecting a baby girl! On Sunday, the couple hosted a fiesta-themed party to reveal the sex of their baby on the way at their home in Orange County, California, with close family and friends. And on Monday, they announced the big reveal on the Today show. “We are so excited,” the Millers tell PEOPLE after finding out they will be welcoming a daughter this fall. In early May, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced at a news conference that she would not seek a second term. Her announcement was a surprise to many. “This has been my highest honor to serve as mayor of this city,” she said. “It is abundantly clear to me that it is time to pass the baton on to someone else.” https://youtu.be/mNtH_J6j2ms Holly Robinson Peete returns as Billie Blessing for another installment from the “Morning Show Mysteries” titled “Murder Ever After,” airing Sunday night (May 23) on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. https://youtu.be/Q7EWUMGv890 Imagine being in the situation an Illinois man found himself when police allegedly mistook the ashes of the grieving dad’s 2-year-old daughter for drugs and basically dumped them, according to reports. “No, no, no, bro, that’s my daughter!” Dartavius Barnes said on video from a Springfield police bodycam, obtained by WICS, the Springfield ABC affiliate. Barnes was pulled over last year, and is now suing the Springfield police department and the Illinois city. https://youtu.be/VTI_sbYXnA0 Tuesday, President Joe Biden will host the family of George Floyd at the White House to mark the one-year anniversary of his death at the hands of police. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the news of Friday but didn’t offer further details on his plans. Biden first met with the Floyd family back in June 2020 in Houston to offer condolences ahead of George Floyd’s funeral. The President has spoken to members of the family over the past year, and recently talked with George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing. The divorce proceedings between comedian Gary Owen and his estranged wife, Kenya Duke, are heating up. Reports claim that Gary Owen has stopped all communications with his-soon-to-be ex-wife and isn’t answering her texts regarding their finances. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Kenya Duke writes that Gary Owen won’t respond to her messages, “to try and work out an arrangement for the payment of our household debt.” She continues, “While I was hoping to come to an amicable agreement with my husband … he has unfortunately left me with no choice but to file this RFO for Support. Gary and I have been married for over seventeen years. Twenty-three years ago, I left my promising career as an account manager to solely support Gary and his career.” It seems that Houston doctors are trying to figure out why a handful of people hospitalized with COVID-19 develop massively enlarged tongues. The condition is called macroglossia. It makes it impossible for patients to eat and talk. Fortunately, Dr. James Melville with the UTHealth School of Dentistry has become a specialist in dealing with the condition. He has performed surgeries to help patients regain use of their tongues. https://youtu.be/SyC2bpXFnMk Black culture will never be erased with a docu-series like this! According to their press release, Netflix is taking you on a journey to learn how African American cuisine shaped America in “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” which is adapted from food historian Jessica B Harris’ book of the same name. https://youtu.be/7wsEdxt1Ico Mayor Bill de Blasio, Hip Hop legends Nas, LL Cool J, Fat Joe, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, City Council Member Diana Ayala, numerous city agencies, and hip hop luminaries took part in the official groundbreaking event for the first phase of Bronx Point. Bronx Point’s first phase will deliver 542 units of permanently affordable housing to the Lower Concourse neighborhood, along with approximately 2.8 acres of public open space. Additionally, the project will deliver an array of cultural and community-focused programming, including the permanent home of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, Glasses Malone new single “‘6 ‘N the Mornin’,” has the West Coast buzzing because it has put two legends on the same track who ironically never collaborated before — Ice-T and Snoop Dogg — along with the future of West Coast music, Ty Dolla $ign. https://youtu.be/gjPqltOrNjY “Take Out Girl” is about a young Tera Wong, who is a victim of her circumstances. She wants a better life for herself and her family, but she, like many minorities, is stuck just trying to survive her day to day life. Weighed down with stereotypes, financial woes, trying to maintain a family business and trying to find her place in the world, Tera makes some choices that drastically change the course of her life and the life of her family. https://youtu.be/N2fUk1qvnhY In early April, “The Ohio Players” were honored when a former stretch of Hillcrest Avenue in Dayton, Ohio, was renamed “Ohio Players Way.” According to WHIO TV 7 in Dayton, fans, family, and friends were on hand for the event, as surviving members of one of the world’s funkiest groups were honored with the name change. https://youtu.be/wbcOSpx0xDI Historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country are making significant strides when it comes to fundraising this year. Fisk University recently received a multi million-dollar donation, marking the largest gift in the institution’s 155-year history. The $2.5 million endowment—which was provided by philanthropists Amy and Frank Garrison—will go towards the creation of a scholarship fund and an endowed chair at Fisk’s John Lewis Center for Social Justice that honors the legacy of activist and former Fisk student Diane Nash. Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam has been dedicated to leveling the playing field for women of color in the realm of entrepreneurship and she’s teaming up with Mielle Organics to empower the next generation of women founders. According to AfroTech, the Newark native has been appointed to serve as the organic haircare brand’s Global Education Ambassador. The Black-owned brand—which recently celebrated its 7-year anniversary—has been putting the focus on transcending its impact beyond the hair industry. The company has joined forces with the Newark Business Hub and Rutgers University for the creation of the Global Certificate Program scholarship fund which is designed to use education and entrepreneurship as vessels to empower Black women. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will lead the investigation into the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a Black motorist who was shot and killed in Brooklyn Center by a white officer, Kim Potter, at the height of racial tension surrounding the Derek Chauvin murder trial. Activists have pushed for either an independent prosecutor or Ellison’s office to overtake the investigation after the conviction of Chauvin, a case Ellison spearheaded as attorney general. The sister of Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old Fort Worth, Texas woman who was fatally shot by police in 2019, filed a $10M wrongful death lawsuit, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Ashley Carr filed the suit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas – Fort Worth Division. It names the city of Fort Worth, as well as Mayor Betsy Price, former police chief Ed Krauss, and Aaron Dean, the officer who took her life, as complicit figures in her sister’s death. The suit is separate from a federal wrongful death suit filed by the Jefferson side of Atatiana’s family last fall. Dean was indicted on murder charges in December 2019 and is scheduled to face trial in August over the fatal shooting due to COVID-19 delays. A crowd of protesters gathered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Thursday in a solidarity protest over the tenure denial of Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones. The group was organized by the Chapel Hill – Carrboro NAACP chapter along with the Carolina Black Caucus. Demonstrators including students, faculty and community members, gathered prior to the Board of Trustee’s meeting with signs of support which read, “1619…2021 Same Struggle,” and “I can give you 1,169 reasons why Hannah-Jones should be tenured.” Much of the misogynoir aimed at Hannah-Jones stems from her riveting investigative work, The 1619 Project, which delved further into the origins of America’s dark foundation, chattel slavery. The capital city of Virginia this week got one step closer to making the country’s first Black-owned casino a reality. Richmond recommended the ONE Casino + Resort to advance to a referendum on casino gaming during Election Day on Nov. 2, the city announced Thursday. The ONE Casino & Resort was proposed by Urban One Inc., a Black-owned business that runs media organizations across the country and is a licensed casino operator in the state of Maryland. Urban One ventured into a partnership with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment to propose a $517 million casino resort in South Richmond. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said he agreed with the city’s Resort Casino Evaluation Panel recommendation for ONE Casino + Resort to advance in the gaming process. Olympic champion Lee Evans, who set a world record while winning the gold medal running for the 400-meter race in the infamous 1968 Summer Olympic Games, has died. Evans died May 19 at a hospital in Nigeria at the age of 74, the Washington Post reported. Evans reportedly suffered a stroke the week before he died. Evans excelled during the height of the civil rights movement and about six months after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. While he was accepting his medal, Evans wore a black beret to match his black socks and raised his fist. Candace Owens has had her card pulled yet again. With her 15 minutes of hateful infamy quickly dwindling, the sunken conservative white supremacist who typically jumps at the chance to spew her anti-Black venom has selectively set her spiteful sights on Chrissy Teigen, who has come under fire over a cyberbullying scandal that involves a person dying by suicide. As a result — and to Owens’ despicable delight — Teigan has lost a series of lucrative endorsement deals. But, Owens wants everybody to believe, she would be “happier” if Teigan apologized for her words. Owens’ goal is always self-promotion in hopes of maintaining her loosening grasp on the few remaining shreds of relevancy she’s been swinging from since her beloved Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Marlow Stern, the senior entertainment editor for the Daily Beast, has tweeted evidence of — yep, you guessed it — Candace Owens mocking Meghan Markle for having suicidal thoughts and calling Kurt Cobain “stupid” for taking his own life. Owens also had some choice words about Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. Now, we can finally see the brutality for ourselves because the body cam footage of Ronald Greene‘s fatal arrest in Louisiana has been released. It shows him screaming for mercy as he gets kicked, dragged and tased. https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best/mpx/2704722219/2021_05/1621643805623_nn_bal_ronald_greene_new_body_cam_footage_210521_1920x1080.jpg Officer, Chris Hollingsworth, was also recorded admitting at least 3 other cops were restraining Greene while they mercilessly beat him. Hours after finding out he was going to be suspended, Hollingsworth died in a fatal car crash. The Greene family’s filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit, and the Dept. of Justice was conducting its own investigation of the incident. https://twitter.com/i/status/1311782531163881474 In early May, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced at a news conference that she would not seek a second term. Her announcement was a surprise to many. “This has been my highest honor to serve as mayor of this city,” she said. “It is abundantly clear to me that it is time to pass the baton on to someone else.” https://youtu.be/mNtH_J6j2ms Prince Harry is getting real about what he experienced in the days after his mother, Princess Diana’s tragic passing. He opened up about it with Oprah Winfrey during their wide-ranging interview for their Apple TV+ docuseries, “The Me You Can’t See,” which aims to remove stereotypes about mental health. https://youtu.be/N6y3_aVzqeY Prince Harry opens up about his experience with the media as a senior member of the British royal family in the new Apple TV+ series “The Me You Can’t See.” The Duke of Sussex says he and his wife, Meghan Markle, were constantly being attacked and harassed by the U.K. press, and when he went to his family for help dealing with the stress of it all, his pleas were “met with total silence.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1395761294649790466 BET will honor the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death with a three-night event of news specials that will highlight the impact his case had on American society. The 3-part series will kick off Tuesday, May 25, with the “Bars and Ballads for George Floyd” event featuring Jon Batiste, Nas, former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young, singer and Anthony Hamilton, Civil Rights leader and Color of Change President Rashad Robinson, actor Michael K. Williams, rapper Bun B, rapper/activist Trae tha Truth and others. https://twitter.com/i/status/1393914304320221189 After officially signing his contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, the quarterback-turned-tight-end continued to be a hot topic, with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith saying his return after a six year absence (when Colin Kaepernick has yet to be brought back for a tryout) is an example of “white privilege.” “We see someone of a different ilk, a different ethnicity getting opportunities that we know we would never get. That’s where the words white privilege come in,” Smith said Thursday on “First Take.” ” … There’s no way to eradicate white privilege without white individuals giving up some of their privilege.” https://youtu.be/Phx20gHhYsg The National Association of Black Journalists released a statement Thursday in response to Nikole Hannah-Jones, the founder of the 1619 Project, losing her tenure offer at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The university previously announced Hannah-Jones would teach in the Knight Chair position, which comes with the expectation of tenure. The reversal came after racist conservatives whined about the “1619 Project,” which is an examination of slavery in America and how it shaped nearly all aspects of society. According to NC Policy Watch, the University of North Carolina’s board of trustees decided not to approve Hannah-Jones’ tenure. She is instead under consideration for a fixed five-year contract as a professor of practice, according to reports. https://youtu.be/7xzNyrFhzew Rap Life, Apple Music’s industry leading hip-hop playlist, presents Rap Life Live Atlanta available May 21st at 2:00p PST, only on Apple Music. The second installment of the essential series will feature exclusive performances by chart-topping artists Moneybagg Yo, Saweetie, and Lil Durk. https://youtu.be/1RHY_qrQU58 Quincy Jones is known for working with greats in the music industry. But one person he refused to collaborate with was late singer Elvis Presley. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter for its “THR Icons” series, Quincy Jones was asked if he ever worked with Elvis Presley. He said, “No. I wouldn’t work with him.” As for why not, Quincy Jones explained, “I was writing for [orchestra leader] Tommy Dorsey, oh God, back then in the ’50s. And Elvis came in, and Tommy said, ‘I don’t want to play with him.’ He was a racist mother — I’m going to shut up now. But every time I saw Elvis, he was being coached by [“Don’t Be Cruel” songwriter] Otis Blackwell, telling him how to sing.” Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are back together but apparently, it’s not an “exclusive” relationship. Sources close to the couple tell TMZ that they are dating again but both have agreed they can date other people. Kylie and Travis were together celebrating his 30th birthday in Miami back in April. They were kissing and hugging while partying at a Miami nightclub. Just recently, the couple took their daughter, Stormi, to Disneyland Tuesday, and just before that, they even did a triple date night with the Biebers and Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker, adding to all the recent signs they’re together again. With both agreeing to get back together but with a non-exclusive couple arrangement, the source says both are 100% cool with that. Kimora Lee has responded to her ex-husband Russell Simmons’ lawsuit against her and her husband Tim Leissner. Simmons is suing the couple for allegedly using some of Simmons’ shares of his Celsius Energy Drink company to pay for Leissner’s attorney fees in his fraud case. “Kimora and her children are shocked by the extortive harassment coming from her ex-husband, Russell Simmons, who has decided to sue her for shares and dividends of Celsius stock in which Kimora and Tim Leissner invested millions of dollars,” Kimora’s legal team tells PEOPLE in a statement. “This is an ill-advised attempt by Russell to use the legal system to access funds he is in no way entitled to, and which his own legal team confirms Russell did not pay for.” Simone Biles, in all of her GOATness, just stuck a landing on the vault that no female gymnast has ever managed to do during a competition. And she landed it twice. During a practice session for Saturday’s U.S. Classic in Indianapolis, the 24-year-old USA gymnastics standout nailed the Yurchenko double pike, an insanely challenging move named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who introduced the concept of a round-off back handspring entry onto the vault before performing a series of twists and flips off of it. The Yurchenko double pike that Biles nailed starts with the roundoff back handspring to the vault, then doing a double pike (2 straight-legged flips) off the vault. https://youtu.be/qHTNO9ZPE0s Jill Biden reportedly slammed Kamala Harris after a tense 2019 debate between the former Senator and Joe Biden. According to the new book “Battle for the Soul,” Jill Biden vented “Go f— yourself” while on a call with supporters after Harris questioned Biden’s record on race during a June 2019 Democratic presidential debate. “With what he cares about, what he fights for, what he’s committed to, you get up there and call him a racist without basis?” Biden said on a call with “close supporters” about a week after the debate, according to an excerpt of The Atlantic’s Edward-Isaac Dovere’s forthcoming book. “Go f— yourself,” Jill Biden added. “Many books will be written on the 2020 campaign, with countless retellings of events — some accurate, some inaccurate,” first lady’s press secretary, Michael LaRosa told Politico Playbook in a statement. “The First Lady and her team do not plan to comment on any of them.” https://youtu.be/ykHmWb7Kvys Big Sean’s 7-bedroom Mediterranean estate is decorated with intention. Thanks to Architectural Digest, we got the grand tour of the sleek and spacious Beverly Hills home, which includes a music studio, soaring ceilings, and a resort-style backyard outfitted with a limestone swimming pool, heated spa, and a fireplace. The rap artist was sure to provide each space with items that bring about peace, reflection and creativity. https://youtu.be/r2utu87JDC4 The luxury property in Los Angeles, dubbed “The One.” is the latest spec mansion from movie producer turned real estate developer Nile Niami. The home sits on five acres and is surrounded on three sides by a moat. “The One” has 21 bedrooms and 42 bathrooms. It is made up of four separate structures. The main house is 74,000 square feet. The master suite is 5,500 square feet and reportedly has several bathrooms, two walk-in closets, and its own infinity pool. The garage can house 30 cars. The home also has a four-lane bowling alley, a movie theatre that seats 30, a private nightclub, and a philanthropy wing designed to host charity galas for up to 200 people. There’s also a 10,000-square-foot sky deck and five swimming pools. https://youtu.be/bz1mG7S6HH0 “I love fashion,’ said model/actress Erin Emanii Cain. Also a business woman who owns a record label and beauty/retail shop, Erin returns to her modeling and acting career after a nine year absence for her family. “I missed it…my kids said, ‘you should go back and do it again.’ Especially with the pandemic, there is nothing else to do.” So Erin built a team, found representation and went back at it, but this time with experience to help direct her path. Soon after, Cain secured the cover of BX25 Magazine and a feature in GEI Magazine’s Swimsuit and Lingerie Edition. She was also cast as an actress in a soon to be released 2021 film project titled Eloise. During an emotional intro to her new Apple TV+ series “The Me You Can’t See,” co-created by Prince Harry, Oprah Winfrey opens up about her childhood trauma. In the new docuseries, which began streaming yesterday (05-21-21), explores mental health through testimonials by a number of people from different walks of life, including superstar Lady Gaga and Glenn Close. In the first episode, Oprah opens up about being raped for years as a child by an older cousin: “At nine and 10 and 11 and 12 years old, I was raped by my 19-year-old cousin,” Winfrey said. “I didn’t know what rape was, I certainly wasn’t aware of the word. I had no idea what sex was, I had no idea where babies came from. I didn’t even know what was happening to me, and I kept that secret.” She went on to say: “It’s just something that I accepted, that a girl-child isn’t safe in a world full of men.” Newly released bodycam footage shows a black suspect scream ‘I’m your brother, I’m scared!’ while being beaten, tasered and dragged by his feet by white troopers in a arrest that ended in his death. The clip, of Ronald Greene’s May 2019 arrest in Monroe County, Louisiana, depicts what happened when state troopers pulled Greene over after the 49-year-old barber led them on a 115 mile-per-hour chase. He died in an ambulance after suffering a cardiac during the arrest. https://youtu.be/mIBmT8JU1LM On the first Wednesday in May, as the centennial of the Tulsa massacre approached, the Rev. Robert R.A. Turner stood outside Tulsa City Hall with his megaphone, as he does every week. “Tulsa, you will reap what you sow and that which you have done unto the least of these my children, Jesus said, you have done also unto me,” said Turner, 38, the pastor of Historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church, captured on a video posted on Facebook. “We come here to say, for your own benefit, you ought to do reparations not tomorrow, not even next week, not next month, not next year, but we demand reparations now!” Turner’s Vernon AME is one of the plaintiffs in a suit filed in September that calls for the city of Tulsa and other defendants to pay reparations to relatives of victims and survivors of the May 31, 1921, massacre that destroyed a part of town known as “Black Wall Street.” *Viola Fletcher, who at 107 is the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, testified Wednesday before a House subcommittee studying legal remedies to atone for the damage that a white violent mob did to a thriving Black Tulsa neighborhood then known as “Black Wall Street.” https://youtu.be/i3L1e90L9cE Hillsong founder Brian Houston said cheating pastor Carl Lentz was ‘narcissistic’ but admits he created a culture in the church where there is ‘one rule for celebrities’ and one for everyone else. Houston spoke to Savannah Guthrie for the Today show on Wednesday in his first interview since a wave of scandals hit the celebrity-adored megachurch. Among them are Carl’s affair with a Brooklyn woman and a series of claims from former staffers and parishioners that the church fostered an environment where they were bullied and exploited, Houston said. https://twitter.com/i/status/1394996255030382600 Cornell Students 4 Black Lives, a student-led organization that last year formed a diverse coalition of more than 290 social, cultural and professional organizations, was awarded the 26th annual James A. Perkins Prize for Interracial and Intercultural Peace and Harmony during a virtual ceremony May 6. Each year, the Perkins Prize is awarded to a Cornell program, organization or event making the most significant contribution to furthering the ideal of the university community while respecting values of diversity. The NAACP has launched an initiative that works to limit pandemic and systemic disparities among the Black community within the United States. According to the NAACP, federal data shows that African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and in addition to health implications, their community is also hit hard by economic and social implications. The “COVID. KNOW MORE.” campaign is designed to offer up-to-date research, resources, and impactful stories that help Black Americans navigate the pandemic and protect their loved ones from infection as public health mandates are loosened. Russell Moore, the embattled Southern Baptist ethicist and “Never Trumper,” is resigning as president of his denomination’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Religion News Service has learned. Moore will be joining the staff of Christianity Today — the leading evangelical magazine, founded by the late evangelist Billy Graham — as a public theologian. In his new role, Moore will help launch a Public Theology Project and will serve as its leader, said Tim Dalrymple, president and CEO of Christianity Today. That project will host events and gatherings about public theology and publish content, including Moore’s writing and his Signposts podcast. The University of Texas has hired the first Black director of the Longhorn marching band one month after it announced the band will be required to perform “The Eyes of Texas” school song that has drawn sharp criticism over racist elements in its past. Cliff Croomes, assistant director of bands at LSU, will take over the Longhorn Band at his alma mater starting June 1, Texas announced Wednesday. He replaces Scott Hanna, who had been in the role since 2015. Croomes is the 15th director of the band that was founded in 1900. The Baylor University Board of Regents approved guiding principles for the university’s treatment of LGBTQ students Friday and tasked President Linda Livingstone and the administration with providing the students with more support, which might include a new student group. The regents met this week, approving the measure along with plans to renovate dorms and start construction on a large welcome center. Last year energized a movement that demands the United States to recognize the pervasive social injustices against the African American community. It also provided underrepresented communities with an opportunity to tell their own stories and reclaim their place in American history. For food writer and sommelier Stephen Satterfield, the founder of Whetstone, a print magazine and media company dedicated to food origins and culture, that meant telling the origin story of African American food. https://youtu.be/7wsEdxt1Ico Twitter Inc’s (TWTR.N) image-cropping algorithm has a problematic bias toward excluding Black people and men, the company said in new research on Wednesday, adding that “how to crop an image is a decision best made by people.” The study by three of its machine learning researchers was conducted after user criticism last year about image previews in posts excluding Black people’s faces. It found an 8% difference from demographic parity in favor of women, and a 4% favor toward white individuals. A Black judge will replace the white 18th Judicial District judge who was censured by the Colorado Supreme Court in April and resigned after she used a racial slur while on the job. Three Black candidates have been named as finalists for Judge Natalie Chase’s job. Gov. Jared Polis will select one to fill the vacancy on the bench. The Colorado Judicial Department on Wednesday named Arapahoe County Court Judge Cheryl Ann Rowles-Stokes and attorneys Marques Ivey and Cajardo Lindsey as finalists for the judgeship. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the founder of the 1619 Project, has lost her alma mater’s offer for tenure and is instead under consideration for a fixed five-year contract as a professor of practice. NC Policy Watch reported on the change Wednesday amid a wave of criticism of her work. According to the outlet, the University of North Carolina’s board of trustees decided not to approve Hannah-Jones’ tenure – which effectively translates into a career-long appointment – despite support from faculty. Susan King, dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, reportedly called the decision “disappointing” and said she was afraid it would create a “chilling effect.” The Biden administration’s efforts to provide $4 billion in debt relief to minority farmers is encountering stiff resistance from banks, which are complaining that the government initiative to pay off the loans of borrowers who have faced decades of financial discrimination will cut into their profits and hurt investors. The debt relief was approved as part of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package that Congress passed in March and was intended to make amends for the discrimination that Black and other nonwhite farmers have faced from lenders and the United States Department of Agriculture over the years. But no money has yet gone out the door. Ietef Vita had planned to spend most of 2020 on the road, promoting Biomimicz, the album he had released on his #plantbasedrecords label in January. But the pandemic cut those plans short, says Vita, known to his fans as “DJ Cavem Moetavation” and “Chef Ietef.” He was playing in Berkeley, Calif., on Feb. 29, and “literally got out of town right before they shut the whole country down,” recalls the 34-year-old vegan rapper, who has performed for the Obamas and is known as the father of eco-hip-hop. “It was scary.” Suddenly sidelined at his metro Denver home with his wife, Alkemia Earth, a plant-based lifestyle coach, and three daughters, Vita struggled to pivot. Eventually, he accepted that he would need to stay put and, as the saying goes, bloom where he was planted. A week that’s been chock full of musical movie trailers just hit a high note. The first official trailer for Respect, the highly anticipated Aretha Franklin biopic from MGM starring American Idol finalist and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, just dropped. https://youtu.be/qTtxoz3OIlU Salma Hayek is opening up about her battle with COVID-19, revealing she didn’t think she’d survive it. The 54-year-old actress is featured on the latest cover of Variety where she shared that over the past year she’s been recovering after testing positive for the virus fairly early on in the pandemic. She told the outlet that she decided to keep her battle with COVID a secret until now. Hayek said that her condition escalated to a point where she was put on oxygen and spent about seven weeks isolated in a room of her house. “My doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad,” she explained. “I said, ‘No, thank you. I’d rather die at home.'” Charles Barkley has given $1,000 apiece to the more than 200 employees of a city school system in his native Alabama. The former Auburn and NBA basketball star graduated from Leeds High School in 1981. The monetary gifts are going to each Leeds City School system employee. The announcement was made Tuesday on Facebook. The Leeds City Schools page says it’s the latest show of support from Barkley. According to the post, Barkley has provided more than $3 million in scholarships to Leeds graduates over the past 30 years. “We are humbled and wish to express our sincere gratitude to Charles Barkley for providing a $1,000 gift to each and every Leeds City Schools employee for going the extra mile this school year,” the Facebook post said. “Being a school employee is tough, but driving a bus, teaching, coaching, or working in the cafeteria, all while maintaining safety protocols, has been a daunting task during a worldwide pandemic.” Taraji P. Henson is expanding on her mission to connect Black Americans with the mental health resources they need with a new campaign to help Black students combat racial bias in the classroom. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the actress announced the launch of The Unspoken Curriculum, a mental health campaign that provides a safe place for children to discuss mental health issues in the schools and aid them in combating distress in classrooms from racial bias. The inspiration for the six-week program came to the actress from the devastating events of the past year — ongoing instances of police brutality, the mounting number of racist attacks, and COVID-19’s tragic impact on Black communities Tears flowed from both Billy Porter and Tamron Hall Wednesday as the two chatted about the actor’s private 14-year battle with HIV, which he revealed late Tuesday in a Hollywood Reporter feature. https://youtu.be/w-mQc7gknmI Tiffany Haddish makes her return to TBS this summer as the host of “Friday Night Vibes,” a weekly movie showcase that will feature wrap-around segments with the comedian, a DJ and surprise guests. The new 52-week double feature destination will spotlight “feel-good comedies, action-packed blockbusters and culturally significant storytelling inclusive of diverse voices,” notes TBS. It kicks off on Friday, June 18 at 7:30pm ET/PT. https://youtu.be/INRyZIlaMNY Morgan and Bode Miller are expanding their family. PEOPLE exclusively announces that the couple, who wed in 2012, are expecting a baby. “We’re finally on our last pregnancy,” Bode says as Morgan, who is due in November and plans to have a home birth, adds: “We’re at the finish line.” They are parents to sons Nash, 6, Easton, 2, 18-month-old twins Asher and Aksel, and daughter Emeline, who drowned at 19 months old in June 2018. Bode is also dad to daughter Dace, 13, and son Nate, 8, from two previous relationships. Rockabye Baby will release ‘Lullaby Renditions of What’s Going On’ on May 21st, the 50th anniversary (down to the day) of Marvin Gaye’s trailblazing album. https://youtu.be/2Yzij8HoM3U President Joe Biden has nominated Catherine Lhamon to lead the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, according to a White House official. Lhamon held the same position in the Obama administration.https://youtu.be/3EccEbSyWL0 The Indian Covid variant has spread to 48 countries and every continent except Antarctica despite travel restrictions being in place, it has been revealed. The ‘variant of concern’ – B.1.617.2, which is believed to be more infectious than previous strains, has been ‘confirmed’ in 44 countries and ‘detected’ in four more, UK heath security chief Dr Jenny Harries said Tuesday. Data from genetic sequencing libraries show the variant is now widespread across Europe and is spreading in North America as well as parts of east Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Some 2,915 cases of the variant have now been identified in the UK — up from the 2,323 declared on Monday – which is the highest figure in the world, including India. A young woman targeted by a married Hillsong Church leader who sent her photos of his bulging manhood claims church officials were aware of his lecherous behavior but didn’t acknowledge it until the scandal became public. ‘They already knew about it,’ Lezeth, 30, a former Hillsong member who wished to be identified by her first name only, told DailyMail.com in her first interview since the story broke last month. ‘I think they were just waiting to see if it got out. If it didn’t, they’d just keep going on as if nothing happened – which is what we’re finding to be a common thing with Hillsong.’ Darnell Barrett, 32, resigned as creative director of Hillsong’s New Jersey chapter on April 27, citing ‘infidelities’ in his marriage. It was the same day DailyMail.com had approached him for comment at the West Orange, New Jersey home he shares with his wife. Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law the so-called “heartbeat ban” abortion bill which stops abortions at the onset of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy. While speaking about this new law, Mr. Abbott said, “Our creator endowed us with the right to life and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion.” He added: “In Texas, we work to save those lives. And that’s exactly what the Texas legislature did this session,” CNN quotes. Florida Rep. Val Demings is planning to run for the U.S. Senate, taking on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio next year. “I would’ve supported her running for governor, but this is the right fit for her and for us,” said former Florida chief financial officer Alex Sink. “She’s going to draw a contrast between who she is and how she represents Florida vs. Marco Rubio, who a lot of people where I live never see him.” Russell Simmons is suing his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons and her husband, Tim Leissner, for allegedly using some of Simmons’ shares of his Celsius Energy Drink company to pay for Leissner’s attorney fees. Leissner is currently facing a series of federal charges, including conspiracy to launder money in a separate case. “Tim Leissner was chairman of Goldman Sachs’ Southeast Asia business, but he resigned in 2016 and was subsequently subpoenaed by the U.S. Justice Department as part of a probe into the disappearance of billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB that was designed to boost the country’s economy and for which he helped raise money” the outlet writes. Braxton Family Values” star Towanda Braxton is speaking out about co-parenting with her ex-husband Andre Carter and the status of her engagement to her new boo-thang, Sean Hall. Braxton and Carter married in 2004 and called it quits in 2017. The highs and lows of their marriage were documented on the Braxton family’s reality show and now that their union is over, Towanda claims her ex is currently a non-factor in the lives of their children. She refers to Andre as her “wasband.” Braxton opened up about her personal life with Tami Roman on her new show, “Get Into It With Tami Roman.”https://youtu.be/zBlBqu8i7JU Millionaire pastor Joel Osteen is catching her over his appearance on Monday’s “Today” episode, during which he encouraged people who are less fortunate than him to be grateful for all the things they have, rather than what they lack. TheWrap, reported when asked by “Today” hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb about how he maintains a peaceful state of mind each day, Osteen stated that it all comes down to showing gratitude. “I think you need to have some time to just come back to a place of peace where you’re grateful,” Osteen said. “Think about what’s right, not what’s wrong. Focus on what you do have, not what you don’t have.” A new documentary will explore the disturbing case of suspected white supremacists Jennifer Hart and Sarah Hart, a married couple who abused and killed their six adopted Black children via murder-suicide. arkis Hart, 19, and Jeremiah and Abigail Hart, both 14. Devonte Hart, 15, Hannah Hart, 16, and Sierra Hart, 12, died when Jennifer drove their SUV off a cliff March 26, 2018, on the Pacific Coast Highway in California. An image of Devonte Hart went viral in 2014 when a photographer snapped him hugging a police officer with tears streaming down his face during a protest in Portland, Oregon, over the police killing of Michael Brown. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is catching heat from local journalists over her decision to grant one-on-one media interviews only to people of color to cover her two-year anniversary in office. Mary Ann Ahern, who is white and a political reporter for NBC 5 Chicago, tweeted about the move on Tuesday. “Absolutely, they told me only Black and brown journalists are getting one-on-one interviews,” she told The Hill. Lightfoot confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that she is “exclusively providing one-on-one interviews with journalists of color.” “I have been struck since my first day on the campaign trail in 2018 by the overwhelming whiteness and maleness of Chicago media outlets, editorial boards, the political press corps, and yes, the City Hall press corps specifically,” Lightfoot wrote. Michelle Williams appeared on “Good Morning America” Thursday morning to promote her new book and she also opened up about her mental health journey. The 41-year-old singer, best known as a member of Destiny’s Child, spoke candidly about how she wasn’t officially diagnosed with depression until later in life. When GMA co-host Robin Roberts asked what prompted her to seek professional help, Williams said, “I found help when my responses — just the anger and the irritability and the bitterness — was just out of character for me.” “And I just sought some help and that’s when I got a diagnosis in my 30s that it was in fact depression,” she continued. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0pddHKWEAYRNkB?format=jpg&name=small Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated their third wedding anniversary on May 19 and they marked the milestone by paying it forward. In a statement shared on their Archewell website on Wednesday, the couple announced plans to build a Community Relief Center in Mumbai, India, as the country is reportedly being ravished by the coronavirus. As reported by PEOPLE, the effort is through their partnership with World Central Kitchen, which is run by celebrity chef José Andrés. The non-profit feeds those in need during times of crisis. A vicious beatdown occurred at a Little Caesars pizzeria in Augusta, GA Monday and the only person who tried to intervene was the victim’s presumed toddler daughter, who was pulled away to safety by bystanders so that the fighting could continue. https://twitter.com/i/status/1394484509509185539 Provident Entertainment celebrates 23 nominations for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, with 10 artists nominated in 17 categories, including the major categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year, Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, New Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year. Releases from Kierra Sheard, Mali Music, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin, All Nations Music, Travis Greene, Le’Andria Johnson, Koryn Hawthorne, Melvin Crispell, III, and KB all garnered nominations for the upcoming awards, covering the range of Contemporary and Traditional Gospel, as well as Urban/Inspirational, and Rap Hip Hop categories. The season finale of TV One’s original, docu-series' UNSUNG is slated to air this Sunday, May 23. UNSUNG will tell the tale of The Jones Girls at 9 p.m. ET/8C.The R&B sister Shirley Jones shares the story of success and how their legacy lives on to present day. This season, fans were treated to a sneak-peek look at episodes with the new digital series, Unwind with Syleena Johnson. Each episode was published on TVOne.TV and TV One’s social media platforms. Syleena reacted to clips, shared anecdotes, and provided cocktail recipes for viewers to unwind to as they watched both UNSUNG and UNCENSORED. Each episode was ended with her reminding viewers of their chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri0N1Q__26I Bryan Popin’s "Beautiful Savior" Featuring Tasha Page Lockhart is the #1 Gospel Song On Billboard’s Gospel Airplay and Mediabase Gospel Radio Charts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJLd8IqQ4Z0 During Covid-19 we've all had to pivot, change directions, and set on a different course. For Lecrae, that change of direction took him back to where he began with Reach Records. In this exclusive with Variety and candid video, Lecrae reveals the inspiration behind why he chose to return to his indie roots and shares valuable advice that aspiring or even established artist should consider. For the multi Grammy Award-winning platinum selling artist, success and reaching #1 on the charts actually happened before he signed with a major! Lecrae released Anomaly, his 7th studio album (Sept 2014) on Reach Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Top 200 Charts and simultaneously at No. 1 on the Top Gospel Album chart, marking the first time that any artist had ever topped both the 200 and Gospel charts. Anomaly won Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year at the 2015 GMA Dove Awards and Rap, Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year at the 2015 Stellar Awards. His freestyle at BET Cypher in 2011 was one of the first times the music industry took notice. Now a New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, thought leader, philanthropist, and Co-Owner/President of Reach Records, Lecrae has evolved into being a catalyst for restoration in faith, music, and popular culture. Producer / Songwriter Derrick ‘Doc’ Pearson and his music has become a staple at the top of the charts! His success began in 1989 with his Billboard # 1 R&B single composition ‘Have You Had Your Love Today’ for the OJays. Later, he continued his Billboard chart success with 3 consecutive Billboard Top 10 Gospel Album chart projects (his 2014 ‘It’s Alright featuring Al Johnson’, 2015 ‘No Greater Love’, and 2017 ‘I Still Do: Songs for A Biblical Marriage’). The first single, “A Family Man”, is a funky foot stomping instrumental musical romp featuring ‘Doc’ Pearson’s classic base and keyboard stylings. “A Family Man’ is complimented by an entertaining animated music video, ‘A Family Man’ (The Family Version), which is wrapping up production and soon to be released for viewing and streaming on YouTube, Vevo and other TV and video platforms. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/derrick_doc_pearson_intvw.htm Melrose Media announced today that they are event producing the six-time Grammy award winning genre bending pioneers Black Eyed Peas who are set for an exclusive 4K interactive streaming experience June 11th on BEPLIVE.COM. This show will be the Black Eyed Peas first show in support of their 2020 platinum selling album Translation, which even during the pandemic found success in a series of chart-topping singles, collectively winning numerous award nominations, as well as gold, platinum, and diamond certifications globally and sparking viral TikTok challenges. The concert will not only feature Black Eyed Peas original members will.i.am, Taboo, apl.de.ap in their first live performance with an audience since Covid-19, but will also feature some unique surprises that fans will not want to miss. Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) today announced it will debut “Roku Originals” on The Roku Channel on May 20, in celebration of Streaming Day. The Roku Originals launch lineup, which features 30 titles, includes award-winning and scripted series, such as “Die Hart,” “#FreeRayshawn” and “Reno 911!,” documentaries, such as “Blackballed” and “Big Rad Wolf,” and alternative and reality programming, including “Punk’d” and “Chrissy’s Court.” Roku Originals will be available exclusively on The Roku Channel in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. https://youtu.be/QuMIPIGN7Ug What does season 14 of The Real #Housewives of #Atlanta have in store for audiences? Looks like the RHOA fans’ demands appear to have been heard, as the series is allegedly getting a cast shake-up for their next season! A source says that this shake-up is in response to the show’s drop in ratings. “The ratings weren’t the best this past season, so they need to do something to help get more viewers.” This is the chilling moment four-year-old Cash Gernon was snatched from his bed early Saturday morning just two hours before he was found stabbed to death and dumped on a street in Dallas, Texas. Home surveillance footage obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com shows suspect Darriynn Brown, 18, allegedly breaking into the home just before 5am and making off with the toddler as he slept alongside his twin brother Carter. DailyMail.com can also reveal Brown was captured on camera a second time as he returned to the scene at sunrise in an apparent attempt to kidnap the other boy. https://cbsloc.al/3tSC9Ex F9 is the ninth chapter in the Fast & Furious Saga, which has endured for two decades and has earned more than $5 billion around the world. Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena, the upcoming The Suicide Squad). https://youtu.be/72SMEK7auUE It’s reported that the manslaughter case for Kim Potter, 48, the ex-officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota who murdered Daunte Wright, 20, is headed to trial before the end of this year in December. Potter is facing a second-degree manslaughter charge for the fatal shooting of the young Black man she killed during a traffic stop on April 11, 2021. Although Potter believed she wielded her taser and yelled out, “Taser! Taser! Taser!” during the incident, she pulled her gun and fired a single shot, fatally striking Wright. Potter resigned days after the fatal encounter, was eventually arrested, and was later released on $100,000 bond. Two Black men with intellectual disabilities have been awarded $75 million by a jury in North Carolina due to their wrongful conviction and death sentence for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in 1983. The Raleigh News & Observer, reports brothers Henry McCollum and Leon Brown each spent 31 years in jail for a crime they did not commit. Both men will now collect $31 million each, $1 million for every year they spent in prison, according to the report. https://youtu.be/-HjySqLiLIU FAMLI, Inc presented Walk a Mile for Malcolm in the hopes of honoring the legacy of human rights advocate Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz), by adding his name to a 5-mile stretch of LA’s Crenshaw Blvd. Torrence Brannon-Reese, Founding Director and Board Member, FAMLI Inc, was joined by a broad coalition of local businesses, leaders, property owners, educators and residents for a Press Conference to urge Los Angeles City Councilmembers to join them in adding Malcolm X Blvd. to a five mile stretch of Crenshaw Blvd. With the countdown to when Fantasia Barrino gives birth to her and husband Kendall Taylor‘s first child together, they held a baby shower for their unborn child on Sunday (05-16-21). The baby shower had everything from pink outfits to cute baby gifts, pink cakes, friends, family, love, and laughter. Fantasia ensured her fans were not left out of the event as she shared proceedings and moments with them on Instagram. WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop,” finds Vanessa Simmons concerned that her sister Angela might be moving too fast with her new love interest, Daniel. And with the ongoing COVID pandemic making it challenging for the family to meet him, Vanessa understandably has questions. https://youtu.be/T029b4r5ezo The present initiative by Republican legislatures across the nation to restrict the teaching of race issues – particularly black American history – is a blatant attempt to rewrite history. This attempt to rewrite history is an initiative by certain Americans to avoid responsibility for pain, suffering, and damage done to black Americans through slavery and government authorized segregation, discrimination, and systemic racism. The fact that this assault on the true history of race in America is a coordinated effort by Republican controlled state legislatures is extremely troubling. This thinly veiled attempt to rewrite history is a slap in the face of truth, justice, and equality. A deeper understanding of the motives of these state legislatures is revealed in Solving The Race Issue In America” by H. J. Harris. Billy Porter takes a long deep breath. “I have to start in 2007,” he says, having settled in across the table. He’s here, at Little Owl in the West Village, to get something off his chest — something that’s been shrouded in secrecy so long, he can barely remember life before.“In June of that year,” he continues, a ball of nerves, even if the performer in him refuses to let on, “I was diagnosed HIV-positive.” In the 14 years since, the Emmy-winning star of Pose has told next to no one, fearing marginalization and retaliation in an industry that hasn’t always been kind to him. Instead, the 51-year-old, who has cultivated a fervent fan base in recent years on the basis of his talent and authenticity, says he’s been using Pray Tell, his HIV-positive character on the FX series, as his proxy. “I was able to say everything that I wanted to say through a surrogate,” he reveals, acknowledging that nobody involved with the show had any idea he was drawing from his own life. New York Attorney General Letitia James is joining the Manhattan district attorney’s office in a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization, her office announced Tuesday. The AG office’s investigation into the Trump Organization, which began in 2019, will also continue as a civil probe, but the office recently informed Trump Organization officials of the criminal component. https://youtu.be/YKNXxWlHIpk The St. Louis attorney who ran out onto his front lawn last summer to point guns at Black Lives Matter protesters who were simply marching through the neighborhood is now running for a U.S. Senate seat. Mark McCloskey, who brandished a rifle at protesters alongside his handgun toting wife outside of their Central West End mansion, announced his run to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate Tuesday on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program. https://youtu.be/CIpGHDCzpns Michelle Obama’s former secret service agent Evy Poumpouras says an upsetting part of her previous job was not being able to protect the former first lady from racial slurs or signs while on duty. “As the first Black First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Obama had to withstand certain kinds of disparagement that none of her predecessors ever faced,” Poumpouras wrote in her 2020 memoir Becoming Bulletproof. “I was on her protective detail when we were driving to a school to deliver a speech; we passed someone on a bridge holding up a shockingly racist sign directed at her.” “I remember feeling outraged – after all, it was part of our job to protect the first family mentally as well as physically. But if the First Lady saw the sign, she gave no indication of it,” she added. https://youtu.be/k0BewQjOhNM According to journalist/vlogger Roland Martin’s post on Instagram, comedic legend Paul Mooney has transitioned: “His cousin, Rudy Ealy, just called me from Paul’s phone and said he passed away two hours ago after suffering a heart attack at his home in Oakland. He was 79. Rudy Ealy told me that Paul had been suffering with dementia for some time and had been living with him. Rudy said Oakland paramedics valiantly tried to save him after suffering a heart attack this AM. We will pay tribute to him tonight on #RolandMartinUnfiltered at 6 pm EST”New York Attorney General Letitia James is joining the Manhattan district attorney’s office in a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization, her office announced Tuesday. The AG office’s investigation into the Trump Organization, which began in 2019, will also continue as a civil probe, but the office recently informed Trump Organization officials of the criminal component. https://youtu.be/YKNXxWlHIpk The St. Louis attorney who ran out onto his front lawn last summer to point guns at Black Lives Matter protesters who were simply marching through the neighborhood is now running for a U.S. Senate seat. Mark McCloskey, who brandished a rifle at protesters alongside his handgun toting wife outside of their Central West End mansion, announced his run to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate Tuesday on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program. https://youtu.be/CIpGHDCzpns Michelle Obama’s former secret service agent Evy Poumpouras says an upsetting part of her previous job was not being able to protect the former first lady from racial slurs or signs while on duty. “As the first Black First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Obama had to withstand certain kinds of disparagement that none of her predecessors ever faced,” Poumpouras wrote in her 2020 memoir Becoming Bulletproof. “I was on her protective detail when we were driving to a school to deliver a speech; we passed someone on a bridge holding up a shockingly racist sign directed at her.” “I remember feeling outraged – after all, it was part of our job to protect the first family mentally as well as physically. But if the First Lady saw the sign, she gave no indication of it,” she added. https://youtu.be/k0BewQjOhNM Lil Jon has landed his own home renovation series on HGTV. The show titled “Lil Jon Wants To Do What?” is slated to air this summer and will follow the Atlanta rapper as he “offers skeptical homeowners startlingly unconventional renovation ideas that seem impossible to execute,” according to a release. Jon and his co-host Anitra Mecadon of the DIY Network show, “Mega Dens” are reportedly shooting this month around Atlanta, Page Six reports. Attorneys for Los Angeles County claim Vanessa Bryant is going too far in her lawsuit filed over the four LA County Sheriff’s deputies who allegedly shared graphic images of the helicopter crash site where her husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianni and seven others died in January 2020. The Los Angeles Times reports, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled in March that Vanessa could obtain the deputies’ names and add them to her lawsuit against the sheriff’s department and county over the handling of Kobe’s crash investigation. The L.A. County lawyers pushed to keep the names sealed to protect the deputies from online threats and harassment. The names were eventually released as part of Vanessa’s amended lawsuit. Sci-fi fans will be thrilled to know that John Boyega is officially on board for a sequel to his hit alien feature “Attack the Block.” “Attack The Block 2” has been announced with original writer/director Joe Cornish, and the news comes a decade after the 2011 sci-fi film turned out to be a surprise hit. The plot remains under wraps, but what we do know is that Boyega is said to return as ‘Moses’—who battled aliens in the first film to protect South London from an invasion. The actor will co-produce through his UpperRoom Productions. https://youtu.be/m0ntk1o4V3k Rapper Mulatto appears to have officially changed her stage name after catching heat for using a rap name that was once used to define mixed-race children from the slave era when Black people were treated like livestock and raped by their white slave owners. The family of George Floyd and Floyd family attorney, Ben Crump, is calling for the termination of a Los Angeles Police officer who mocked the death of George Floyd. They also want to publicly thank and commend Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore who has no objection to that officer being fired for allegedly sharing a Valentine-style meme of George Floyd’s face and the line, “You take my breath away.” Ben Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family praised Moore’s recommendation, saying the officer had demonstrated unacceptable biases by sharing the image. The 5th annual “Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Festival” (ILICFF) to be held Saturday, August 7, 2021 from 1-3pm EST where accepted short film entries will be screened and compete to be one of four award winners – “Best Films Made BY Kids,” “Best Film Made FOR Kids,” “Film Festival Choice,” and the “Most Uplifting Film.” Sunday evening, TV One hosted the third annual URBAN ONE HONORS award show, we have the highlights. https://youtu.be/pAJdanqJeQ0 Sunday evening, TV One hosted the third annual URBAN ONE HONORS award show, we have the highlights. https://youtu.be/0GbF9Mq-uvs Chrissy Teigen’s cookware line had already been dropped by Target following her bullying scandal. Now, it appears that another big company is following suit. According to Page Six citing The Sun, it appears Macy’s has also scrubbed the former supermodel’s Cravings by Chrissy Teigen line as it was marked “unavailable” on the company’s website by early Sunday. Now, although the Cravings line still registers in the search box, the news site notes that it appeared to be completely offline, with a message telling shoppers, “We couldn’t find a match for your search.” This all comes as Teigen issued an “apology” for her attacks on fellow model Courtney Stodden, who accused her of encouraging suicide. On Monday (May 17) Dana Walden, chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, announced Onyx Collective, a new content brand on Hulu designed to curate a slate of premium entertainment by creators of color and underrepresented voices. Onyx Collective will be led by Tara Duncan, who has been spearheading this effort since it was announced last year, while also continuing her role as president of Freeform. A Video of a young Palestinian teen rapping original bars over Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet” while walking through the ruins of his neighborhood has gone viral. https://youtu.be/L75dal6w2FA The Social Gloves: Battle of the Platforms is a one-of-a-kind, unprecedented live Pay Per View global entertainment event featuring a boxing competition with Austin McBroom (founder of The ACE Family) and Bryce Hall, with other top social stars on the fight card, including DDG, Deji, FaZe Jarvis, Michael Le, Nate Wyatt, Tanner Fox, Tayler Holder and a lineup of A-List music artists. Grammy-nominated pop soul singer & actor MAJOR. celebrates the 5-year anniversary of his chart-topping hit single, Why I Love You. A trailblazer in his own lane, MAJOR. will be celebrating the milestone with his fans and music peers on Thursday, May 20th for Why I Love. In recognition of the song, a special commemoration from hometown Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner, will be presented to MAJOR., making May 20th“MAJOR. Why I Love You” Day. h The killing of Andrew Brown Jr. to be justified, the Pasquotank County, North Carolina district attorney announced on Tuesday. Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed Brown on April 21 in Elizabeth City when they tried to serve him with an arrest warrant on felony drug charges. An independent autopsy released by Brown’s family revealed that he died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. https://youtu.be/VXueZ88pFZk T.I. and Tiny’s sex trafficking controversy has taken yet another interesting turn, as the rapper is now at the center of an LAPD probe. One of the accusers said she was “drugged, forced to take tons of molly and X, and sex-trafficked in three states” including Nevada and Florida. “There is an active investigation into Clifford Harris,” Officer William Cooper of the LAPD told Deadline. The outlet notes that the LAPD would not confirm whether Tiny Harris was also being investigated. The LAPD probe has been underway for the past several weeks, according to the report. Congratulations to Naomi Campbell , she is the mother of a baby girl according to reports! Via Instagram, the world-renowned supermodel/actress, 50, welcomed her first baby, sharing a pic of her hand holding the infant’s feet. “A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother,” Campbell captioned the Tuesday post. “So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPA-OI0JwBp/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a1c80ef1-5bdc-4551-b36a-320e5b739325 Chris Rock is speaking out about the often annoying cancel culture movement and how it’s “disrespectful” to artists and fans. Speaking with The Breakfast Club, Rock explained to hosts Angela Yee and DJ Envy why “canceling” a comedian is not a good look. “It’s weird when you’re a comedian because when your audience doesn’t laugh, we get the message. Like you don’t have to cancel us. … They’re not laughing,” Rock said. “Our feelings hurt. … I don’t understand why people feel the need to go beyond that.” https://youtu.be/oizF7SREEaI Snoop Dogg has teamed with NBCUniversal to develop a pair series that the hip-hop icon will star in for its streaming service Peacock. Deadline reports, one of the show’s centers on the world’s dumbest criminals, and is currently in development. The news was revealed at NBCUniversal’s Upfronts presentation by Kevin Hart, who called the rapper “the man, the myth and the legend.” The comedian also revealed that he and Snoop will also be hosting a comedy sports news show that is also in development, according to the report. Hart said he is “working on some more hilarious content that will be coming to you soon,” as part of a multi-year deal he inked with the Peacock last year. The NYPD has been banned from the New York City Pride parade until at least 2025. The organization says prohibiting law enforcement will make participants feel safer. “Give the mic back. Hand it over to the people that started this movement, and that’s trans people of color who started this. And we have to give them that space back and that space has to be safe for them,” said David Correa, the interim executive director of NYC Pride, as reported by Complex. Former Navy Lt. Ryan Graves is yet another government official speaking out about the existence of UFOs. Speaking to 60 Minutes, Graves said he has seen unidentified flying objects in restricted airspace near Virginia Beach almost every day for two years. These are the same UFOs that the Pentagon confirmed in April are the real deal. “I am worried, frankly. You know, if these were tactical jets from another country that were hanging out up there, it would be a massive issue,” Graves said. “But because it looks slightly different, we’re not willing to actually look at the problem in the face. We’re happy to just ignore the fact that these are out there, watching us every day.” Graves also noted that some of the unidentified aircrafts could be highly advanced tech from Russia or China. A month after Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors caught major heat for dropping $3 million on several posh homes in the U.S., she’s speaking out about racism in the housing market — saying black homeowners help “disrupt white supremacy.” Saturday, Khan-Cullors shared to her Instagram page an NPR story addressing the “racist architecture of homeownership” writing: “Thank you @npr for highlighting the history of racism inside of the housing market and why Black homeownership has always been a way to disrupt white supremacy.” Saturday, the late Kobe Bryant was Posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by his widow, Vanessa Bryant with a very emotional speech about her beloved husband’s career. Ace Showbiz, reports on Sunday (May 16), a woman named Anansa, who says she's a best friend of Kobe's sister Shaya, shared a lengthy statement by Shaya about her brother’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction. In the comment section, she responded to a user who said Kobe’s parents chose not to attend the ceremony. “His parents didn’t just chose not to go to the HOF. His parents were totally disrespected at his memorial,” Anansa replied. She claims Kobe’s father Joe Bryant and mother Pamela Cox Bryant were not invited by Vanessa to attend the event. “They weren’t personally invited to the HOF,” she said. The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., Dr. Jerry Young, president is pleased to announce a national education awareness campaign entitled “Turn Obesity Around” focused on educating our member congregations and communities we serve about the adverse impact of obesity and diabetes on the quality and quantity of their lives. We are delighted to partner with Novo Nordisk, a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company. We look forward to a great partnership and in expanding our health efforts in a larger capacity as we journey together. A Louisiana megachurch has been accused of forcing teenagers who attended their $5,000 Christian leadership program to exercise until they were sick or soiled themselves. The ‘220i’ leadership scheme, run by Bethany Church between 2005 and 2013, is also said to have staged fight nights between attendees and allowed homophobic and racist slurs. Other accusations leveled at the 10 month long camp include the fat shaming of interns with regular weigh ins and those deemed overweight being ‘called out publicly and put on restricted diets’. Marvel superhero Black Panther went on display at Madame Tussauds in London on Friday, the latest addition at the wax figure museum ahead of its re-opening next week. The king of the fictional Wakanda is dressed in his distinctive Black Panther suit, with an inbuilt “vibranium effect” which makes the outfit light up in purple when visitors touch it. Vibranium is the metal mined in Wakanda in the Marvel comic. The figure joins the “Marvel’s Hall of Heroes” at the attraction, which re-opens its doors on Monday as England eases into the next phase out of lockdown. On Thursday, the museum said it has moved waxwork models of Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who left their royal duties last year and moved to Los Angeles, to its new Awards Party zone. The figures previously stood with other members of the royal family. Richard Montañez, 62, has made a career from his remarkable story – writing two books, giving $50,000-a-time motivational speeches, and selling the rights of his book for a biopic. Yet on Sunday The Los Angles Times reported that his story is not what it seems. They found inconsistencies with the timeline, and spoke to people who worked on the product at the time, and denied Montañez’s role. Frito Lays held an investigation in 2018, and concluded that the ‘urban legend’ is not the whole story. The evangelical indie rock scene of the 1990s can be difficult to explain. A rebellious, unhinged underground movement that emerged from megachurch basements and religious colleges? A generation of musicians who broke ties with conservative Christianity but maintained a fan base built through youth groups and Young Life? You kind of had to be there. Each year, millions of Americans deal with the reality of mental illness and this year with the ongoing pandemic, focusing on mental health is needed now more than ever. Provident Entertainment is leaning into Mental Health Awareness Month by partnering with Vibrant Emotional Health for a "Band Together" special virtual event to raise awareness around the struggles of mental health and the help that is available for everyone. The online concert will premiere on May 20th at 7:30 PM Central on YouTube, simultaneously streaming across the artists and label channels. Artists involved in "Band Together" include Provident Entertainment's CAIN, Casting Crowns, DOE, I AM THEY, Koryn Hawthorne, Lydia Laird, Matt Maher, Matthew West and Zach Williams, as well as Adarga Entertainment Group artist Twice Música and RECORDS artist Lathan Warlick. Damon Weaver, the student reporter who gained national attention when he interviewed President Barack Obama at the White House in 2009, has died at the age of 23. Weaver’s family shared the news and revealed that died of natural causes on May 1. Further details were not released but his sister, Candace Hardy, told the Palm Beach Post that he had been studying communications at Albany State University in Georgia. The Rev. Franklin Graham says a potential 2024 presidential bid by Donald Trump would “be a very tough thing to do,” the prominent Christian leader told “Axios on HBO." Why it matters: Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, was among Trump’s earliest and most prominent evangelical defenders. Graham told “Axios on HBO” that a Trump comeback would be difficult because of his advancing age and eating habits. When former Dallas County prosecutor Richard E. Jackson put two homeless Black men on trial in 2000 for the murder of a local pastor, he allegedly withheld evidence that could have cleared them. Witnesses couldn’t pick the suspects out of a lineup, neither of the men matched descriptions provided to investigators, and prosecutors had brokered secret deals with jailhouse informants for favorable testimony, appeals court papers would later show. In separate trials, jurors heard none of it. Jackson got his convictions, and Dennis Allen and Stanley Mozee were sentenced to life in prison. Only after the Innocence Project and Jackson’s successors were the men exonerated, 14 years later. Now, after two decades of legal wrangling, Jackson has been disbarred from practicing law in Texas. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face meetings were halted and conducting business virtually became the new normal. Tel Aviv-based VidiPlus created a solution. It just came out with cross-platform, virtual presentation software to make video conferencing more compelling, offering 3D visuals, slideshows, web browsers and videos appearing in real time next to the presenter in the same frame. https://youtu.be/JAWMo23oQGA Rafa Nadal warmed up for the French Open with a battling 7-5 1-6 6-3 win over world number one Novak Djokovic as the Spaniard claimed a record-extending 10th Italian Open title in Rome on Sunday in the latest chapter of their rivalry. After a mid-match wobble, Nadal turned up the heat in the decisive moments of his 57th meeting with top seed Djokovic – the pair’s ninth in Rome – to secure the victory over the defending champion in two hours and 49 minutes. Reach Records has signed on to executive produce the soundtrack for the new Netflix film, Blue Miracle, set to debut globally on the streaming platform starting May 27, 2021. The soundtrack features original music from Reach Records artists including LECRAE, GAWVI, WHATUPRG, and more and will release across DSPs the same day as the film. The feature film stars Dennis Quaid, Jimmy Gonzales, Anthony Gonzalez, Raymond Cruz, Nathan Arenas, Miguel Angel Garcia, Isaac Arellanes, Steve Gutierrez, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Fernanda Urrejola, Silverio Palacios with Bruce McGill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXHCBnT3d4k Apple TV+ today unveiled the official trailer for “The Me You Can’t See,” from co-creators and executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex. The film offering a glimpse into the diverse stories of mental health and emotional well-being in the new documentary series, premiering this Friday, May 21 on Apple TV+. https://youtu.be/dWevopoBmAE Social justice activist Tamika Mallory believes society prefers to ignore Black women, which is why the police killings of Breonna Taylor and Ma’Khia Bryant received a negative public reaction. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3666773203428989 Hip-hop producer Mally Mall has been busted for allegedly running a prostitution business in Las Vegas, and now he’s facing 33 months in prison. Mall, 45, (real name Jamal Rashid) has famously worked with Snoop Dogg, Nick Cannon and Chris Brown and was featured on “Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood”. The FBI investigated him in 2014 after learning he “persuaded, induced, enticed and caused” hundreds of women to engage in prostitution across state lines, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Kim Kardashian marked Janet Jackson’s 55th birthday on Sunday by plunking down $25,000 to buy the singer’s iconic outfit from her 1993 music video for “If.” Kardashian’s winning bid amount was confirmed by a tweet from Julien’s Auctions, who partnered with Jackson for the sale, titled ““Iconic Treasures From the Legendary Career and Life of Janet Jackson.” More than 1000 of her personal items were on the block, including the custom-made “If” ensemble featuring a custom-made cropped suede top with artificial bone detailing, along with black lace-up front pants. https://youtu.be/BTSd4vqnMwo Nicki Minaj claims she has never used drugs, despite some fans accusing her of acting a tad bit crackheadish over the years. During a recent livestream, fans of the hip-hop star noted her continuous sniffling and called her out about rumors of cocaine abuse. Minaj responded to the chatter hours after the stream ended and made clear that she is not a druggie. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but I wouldn’t be embarrassed about any f*ckin drugs I did, that’s why I talk about the motherf*ckin drugs I do in my motherf*ckin music,” she said. “Always have, always f*ckin will. If I’m off em, I’m off em [child], but I want to make this clear so open everybody’s ears, clear your ears out. I have never, ever in my life with my hands on Jesus Christ, and y’all know how I feel about my Lord and savior. Never in my life, ever, not even once sniffed coke. Ever.” About a decade ago, Samantha Ofole-Prince got a message from a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Ofole-Prince, who is Black, grew up in the United Kingdom, and had been writing entertainment stories from Los Angeles for publications in the U.K., Africa and the Caribbean. The HFPA member — whom Ofole-Prince declined to identify in order to protect her from controversy — wanted to meet. At the meeting, the woman said the group was looking to recruit Black members, and asked Ofole-Prince if she would be interested in joining. “How many do you have?” Ofole-Prince asked. “We don’t have any at the moment, unfortunately,” the member replied. “It’s very embarrassing for us.” The organization’s failure to recruit Black members now threatens its existence. A coalition of publicists has organized a boycott campaign, and Netflix, WarnerMedia, Amazon, and other entertainment companies are refusing to work with the group. Tatyana Ali is sharing details about how her first pregnancy was quite a traumatic experience. Speaking to SheKnows for its Fourth Trimester digital issue, Ali recalls the emergency c-section she had for the birth of her now-4-year-old son Edward “Aszi” in September 2016. Aszi spent a week in the NICU. The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum, 42, said it was a “very traumatic” process and was her first experience with the “institutional bias” that Black women often encounter, as reported by PEOPLE. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Lakeith Stanfield is speaking out once more about the backlash over him moderating a Clubhouse room in which users allegedly engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric. Complex reports, Stanfield served as moderator during a discussion on Clubhouse earlier this month, where participants reportedly compared Jewish people to Satanists and termites. Some users also praised Hitler and noted that Jews financed the slave trade. Stanfield told the Daily Beast that he was not familiar with the teachings of Farrakhan (who the dominant society considers anti-Semitic), so the actor was intrigued by the clubhouse chatroom. “I was curious to kind of educate myself more on the topic,” he said. Rapper Tee Grizzley took to social media recently to encourage fellow artists to get life insurance to protect their families and assets. “So look, right. As rappers, as successful Black men from the trenches, bro. We the number one target and we the least prepared, you feel me? So, I feel like everybody should have life insurance. I need everybody to go get life insurance if you ain’t got it. If you got kids, I need you to get a will set up, bro, for your kids, bro,” he stated in an Instagram Live session, as reported by Love B. Scott. Grizzley’s message to rappers to invest in life insurance follows the release of his new album “Built for Whatever,” which featured an appearance from the late King Von. Kwame Brown came for fellow NBA vets Gilbert Arenas, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes for talking bad about him on a podcast. Brown went after the trio one by one in response to Arenas’ recent appearance on Barnes and Jackson’s podcast, All the Smoke, where Arenas – who played with Brown on the Washington Wizards – said Michael Jordan (Wizards vice president of basketball operations and minority owner at the time) broke Brown’s confidence and turned him into a bust. Brown started off by recalling anecdotes about Arenas running afoul of “real DC n**gas” in local clubs, then went on to question his blackness. https://youtu.be/Ei6WE7GL82U Sunday evening, TV One hosted the third annual URBAN ONE HONORS award show, which was simulcasted for the first time on its sister network CLEO TV. Celebrating the exemplary accomplishments of African American women, the special was hosted by Grammy-Award-winning gospel artist Erica Campbell and award-winning journalist, author, and syndicated columnist Roland Martin. Honorees included Stacey Abrams, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Dr. Ala Stanford, Rosalind Brewer and Robin Rue Simmons. https://www.youtube.com/embed/RZJ8Tg7edTk A senior Palestinian militant commander has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the country’s air force has claimed, following a night of heavy bombardment that saw more than a hundred bombs dropped on Gaza. Hussam Abu Harbid, commander of the Northern Division of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), was killed in a strike on Monday, according to the Israeli air force as airstrikes continued into Monday afternoon. Harbid was behind rocket attacks against Israel including several launched on the first day of the most-recent clashes, the Israeli air force said, and had been a commander within PIJ for at least 15 years. News of Harbid’s death – which has not been confirmed by PIJ – was followed by a flurry of rocket fire from inside Gaza at cities in southern Israel, which left at least eight people wounded. The global pandemic isn’t over yet despite high Covid vaccination rates in some countries, the head of the World Health Organization warned on Monday, days after the CDC told fully vaccinated Americans they can go without masks in most places. “There is a huge disconnect growing where in some countries with the highest vaccination rates, there appears to be a mindset that the pandemic is over, while others are experiencing huge waves of infections,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news conference from the agency’s Geneva headquarters. “The pandemic is a long way far from over,” he warned. “It will not be over anywhere until it’s over everywhere.” The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear arguments in a major abortion case from Mississippi that could roll back limits on abortion laws cemented by the landmark reproductive rights case Roe v. Wade. The case will be the first major abortion dispute to test all three of former President Donald Trump’s appointees to the top court, including its newest member, Justice Amy Coney Barrett.The top court announced in an order that it will hear the dispute, Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 19-1392. The court will hear the case in its term beginning in October and a decision is likely to come by June 2022. The Rev. Olu Brown of Fulton County’s prominent Impact Church announced on Sunday that he plans to retire as lead pastor. His retirement from the progressive church takes effect in June 2022. Brown, a native of Lufkin, Texas, said he is leaving to pursue entrepreneurial and consulting opportunities full time with churches, businesses and nonprofits. Brown, 43, founded the Sylvan Road church in East Point 14 years ago with an initial 25 “Impacters.” Currently, Impact has a weekly attendance of 5,000. Apart from holding in-person commencement ceremonies for the USC classes of 2020 and 2021, the university on Friday also marked a unique moment in its history. Among those graduating was Tianna Shaw-Wakeman, who became the university’s first Black valedictorian, according to a tweet from USC After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Shaw-Wakeman is now also graduating with her master’s in social entrepreneurship from the USC Marshall School of Business. Speaking before the graduating class, she expressed what her accomplishment meant. “This revelation stands as a testament, albeit small, to both how far we’ve come as an institution, as a country … and how far we have to go,” she said. When George Floyd was murdered nearly one year ago, how society talked about race shifted. For many engineers and educators, it was the first time the terms “racial bias” and “racial inequities” were openly discussed on university campuses. During the Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Diversity Committee event “Fostering Diversity: Lessons from Recent Events and Making Change Happen,” a panel of some of the most prominent Black engineers and educators in the nation discussed how Floyd’s murder sparked urgent societal conversations about racial inequity. The panelists, reflecting on stark demographic disparities that exist within engineering, said STEM educators must support and expand diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field. Russ Joseph, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and of computer science, moderated the panel. A plane from Honolulu landed in Johannesburg earlier this month and offloaded a plastic-wrapped coffin carrying the body of Lindani Myeni, a South African rugby player, aspiring singer and father. In the airport’s cargo terminal, a youth contingent from the African National Congress party waved a “Black Lives Matter” banner emblazoned with his smiling face. His widow, Lindsay Myeni, a white American from Hawaii, cradled their 6-month-old daughter and kept watch over their 2-year-old son, while Mr. Myeni’s South African family held onto one another in grief. Mr. Myeni, 29, died in Honolulu after he was shot in a confrontation with the police outside a suburban house he had inexplicably entered, and then left, on the night of April 14. Unarmed, he was wearing a traditional Zulu headband with a tuft of fur at the forehead and, his wife later discovered, he had left his shoes in his car. Sen. LaTonya Johnson first learned about the Wisconsin Capitol’s small, temporary exhibit on Black history when a Republican leader of the state’s powerful budget committee referenced it Thursday as he justified excluding extra funding for the Black Historical Society from the budget. Now, the display represents something bigger to Johnson, the only Black lawmaker on the Legislature’s 16-member Joint Finance Committee. “They equate us, our issues, the struggles that we have in the state, with being small enough — or not important enough — to fit into a small glass display,” the Milwaukee Democrat said in an interview Thursday. Her comments came after finance committee members in their second round of budget votes this week declined to move forward with a $169,000 increase over the next two years for the Black Historical Society, which operates a Milwaukee museum. Less than half of the gas stations in metro Atlanta were dry Monday as the Colonial Pipeline continued to ramp up from a shutdown forced by a ransomware attack. Unfortunately, it looks as if it’s gonna take a few more more days, and possibly up to a week, for tanker trucks to replenish the stations, according to analyst Allison Mac, an analyst with GasBuddy. "We’re talking about only 27% of stations in the area having fuel as of last Thursday, Mac said." Snoop Dogg’s daughter, Cori Broadus, took to Instagram over the weekend to speak out about her mental health struggles. She even admitted to once trying to take her own life. “The last few weeks my mental has not been so great at one point I tried to end my life but you & my family really give me a purpose to live & helped me realize Iife is much more than materialistic things & you gotta just keep pushing through the bullshit,” she wrote. The “you” she is referring to is boyfriend, Wayne Deuce, who is seen in several pictures she posted on social media. Cori’s message comes during Mental Health Awareness Month, and the theme this year is “You Are Not Alone.” The Clubhouse audio app is being sued for trademark infringement by an Arizona company running “TheClubhouse.” Alpha Exploration Co., which launched Clubhouse, reportedly hasn’t trademarked the name, and the complaint seeks to prohibit the company from using the name for its app. “It is interesting that Clubhouse, a company valued at $4 billion, has no registered trademark and appears not to have even applied for registration in the US,” said Christine Haight Farley, a professor at American University Washington College of Law, as reported by MSN. Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. appeared in Miami earlier this month to help promote his upcoming pay-per-view boxing match against Logan Paul. While speaking to reporters, Paul’s young brother, Jake Paul, confronted Mayweather and snatched his hat off his head. Mayweather became so irate with the YouTuber that he chased Jake down and repeatedly threatened to kill him. Jake later took to social media to note that he intended to take Floyd’s cap to get under his skin. https://twitter.com/i/status/1390409292830973954 Israel claims to have shared ‘smoking gun’ evidence with the US that Hamas used the destroyed building that housed The Associated Press and Al Jazeera in Gaza City, as news organizations demand answers. Government officials said the Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu shared a ‘smoking gun’ with US President Joe Biden in their phone call on Saturday. A source close to Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said: ‘We showed them the smoking gun proving Hamas worked out of that building’. He added Biden had ‘found the explanation satisfactory’, without providing details of the evidence. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Sunday defended her agency’s abrupt reversal on face mask wearing but did little to clear up lingering confusing caused by the change in policy. She also said those who are not vaccinated must still wear face coverings and it would be done on the ‘honor system.’ ‘The honor system is to be honest with yourself. If you are vaccinated, we are saying you are safe, you can take off your mask, and you are not at risk of severe disease or hospitalization from COVID-19. If you are not vaccinated, you are not safe. Please go get vaccinated or continue to wear your mask,’ she said on Fox News Sunday. Walensky said the order change came because the science has ‘really just evolved’ regarding how protected vaccinated people are from getting COVID-19. Families of victims from the decades-old deadly police bombing of a Black liberation group’s headquarters in Philadelphia experienced a whirlwind this week with reports of a new injustice from the city-sanctioned violence. Partial human remains from the bombing against the MOVE organization discovered a few years earlier have were destroyed by a city official, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced on Thursday. But in a turn of events, a city employee said they defied the order to destroy the remains. Late Friday evening it was revealed the remains thought to be destroyed by the Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley were actually still intact. Earlier in the day, the Associated Press reported that Farley learned of the remains in 2017. According to a city statement, Farley claims to have acted without the knowledge of any other city leadership. Rapper and actor Jaden Smith is furthering his efforts to combat food insecurity. According to Variety, he’s opening an eatery that will provide free food for the homeless. Two years ago, the “Icon” music artist tapped into the power of paying it forward for his 21st birthday and brought a pop-up vegan food truck to Downtown Los Angeles that distributed free nutritious meals to individuals battling homelessness and food scarcity. His new venture is an extension of his I Love You Restaurant initiative; a movement designed to provide sustainable meal options for underserved communities. Two San Diego police officers are under investigation after cellphone video captured them repeatedly punching a Black man during an arrest in the La Jolla neighborhood this week. The investigation was announced late Wednesday hours after Jesse Evans, 34, allegedly urinated in public, according to the San Diego Police Department. A woman who recorded the incident, Nicole Bansal, told the The Washington Post that the officers’ response to the situation, which saw police punching him in his face, head and legs, appeared to be “excessive and unnecessary” for a man she believes to be homeless. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/15/san-diego-police-punch-homeless/ Vancouver police have apologized after five officers wrongly handcuffed and detained a retired black judge while he was out on his morning walk. Selwyn Romilly – who made history as the first black judge appointed to British Columbia’s Supreme Court back in 1995 – was strolling along the Stanley Park foreshore on Friday morning when cops pounced. They claimed Romilly matched the appearance of a dark-skinned assault suspect aged between 40 and 50 who was lurking in the area. Romilly is 81 years old. The death of a Black man after police used pepper spray and Tasers on him in a South Carolina jail has stirred outrage as well as widespread calls for changes to the treatment of people in custody suffering from mental illness. Video footage released late on Thursday shows sheriff’s deputies in Charleston County extracting the man, Jamal Sutherland, from his jail cell on Jan. 5, first using pepper spray on him, and then Tasers while he screams out in pain. He was declared dead soon after, and the graphic video spurred denunciations on Friday of the officers’ response. On Friday at the end of his show, “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon,” the host shocked and surprised his audience by announcing that the program was ending. Here’s the deal. He’s getting his own branded show. “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon” is now “Don Lemon Tonight.” https://youtu.be/vmYlw_X2BGM It’s almost over for ABC’s “Black-ish.” It’s been renewed for one more season, it’s 8th, then it’s history. The news of the show’s future was announced Friday morning by it’s creator and executive producer Kenya Barris on social media. “This show has changed my life in so many ways and I am so proud of the conversations we’ve started along the way, Barris posted” https://www.instagram.com/p/CO2-5RBH0Za/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Actress/director/comedian and television host Aisha Tyler is helming tonight’s (May 16) season finale episode of “Fear The Walking Dead.” https://youtu.be/z3MmAxiIQjk As Israel sends air and ground troops into Gaza in violation of international law, more people in the United States, from members of Congress to Jewish American organizations, are speaking out against it. Constituencies whom the Israeli state has traditionally looked to for support are in rebellion. Trever Noah https://youtu.be/NeZ4yXyzUG0 Lil’ Kim has a story to tell about her life, and this fall, the world will have an opportunity to read about it in the icon’s forthcoming book, titled “The Queen Bee.” News of the book, which will be released on Nov. 2, was announced recently by the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop legend. https://www.instagram.com/lilkimthequeenbee/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d1ee0139-b40c-4439-a0a8-398a8dfc0cef STARZ is airing a brand new comedy series called “Run The World” with an exciting all-black cast. After such success with “P-Valley” and “Power,” it definitely makes sense. The series will debut this Sunday, May 16 on STARZ so make sure you tune in. I know we will be. Last but not least, Tosin Morohunfola had his own words of advice for healthy relationships in your life. After pledging to invest in minority enterprises, Constellation Brands made its first move, taking a stake in a Black-owned rosé company. Constellation, through its venture capital arm, is now backing La Fête du Rosé as part of its push to support Black, Latinx and minority-owned firms with $100 million by 2030. The company’s goal is to grow the reach of rosé, which is popular among women, La Fête du Rosé founder Donae Burston told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday. Black-led nonprofits that work to enrich the lives of predominantly Black communities. The Black Community Leaders Fund will launch with $1.8 million, which includes a $1 million contribution from Facebook. The tech giant has committed $20 million to 20 organizations around the country as part of an effort to support Black communities and selected Philadelphia Foundation as one of its recipients. In the United States, an astounding 17% of Black women are in the process of starting or running new businesses. That’s compared to just 10% of white women, and 15% of white men. Yet despite this early lead, only 3% of Black women are running mature businesses. To understand why this steep drop off occurs, and how to combat it, we analyzed data from interviews with more than 12,000 people, nearly 1,700 of whom identified as entrepreneurs and nearly 1,200 of whom own established businesses. The research was part of our work with the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, an annual comprehensive survey of entrepreneurship rates and attributes, conducted in more than 120 economies since 1999. The large-scale survey is administered by academic research teams in each economy; we represent the U.S. team. Why is Broadway selling tickets now but will not open until the fall? Selling tickets now allows producers to gauge interest in their shows. The number of tickets sold reflects the interest of movie-goers as the coronavirus pandemic is still looming out there. Once producers get the number of tickets sold, they can better plan. Those shows that are low in ticket number may need more advertising. Producers are hoping that by the fall the number of tourists visiting New York and thus, the number visiting the theaters, will have increased as Broadway thrives on tourists. Tourists made up two-thirds of the people visiting before the coronavirus pandemic. Candace Owens is continuing her takedown of Chrissy Teigen, labeling her a Hollywood ‘predator’ similar to Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein who has publicly victimized women for years. Owens tweeted (insets) on Friday that Teigen has been able to get away with ‘victimizing’ people for years because she was ‘protected by Hollywood.’ Owens, 32, has recently unearthed vile tweets Teigen, 35, made in the past as she accused the model of ‘hypocrisy’ after apologizing to Courtney Stodden. Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was inducted posthumously to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, as the class of 2020 was enshrined after months of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The five-time NBA champion died last year aged 41 in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven others. Bryant’s widow Vanessa, who started dating Kobe when she was 17, offered an acceptance on his behalf as presenter Michael Jordan stood nearby. “Dear Kobe, thank you for being the best husband and father you could possibly be,” she said. “Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for all of your hard work.” https://youtu.be/TTA7RCxP1mU Israeli troops were fighting on three fronts on Friday night into Saturday as West Bank protests saw their first fatalities, the death toll in Gaza rose past 130, and a Hezbollah fighter from Lebanon was shot dead by IDF forces. Turmoil from the battle between Israel and Hamas spilled over into the West Bank on Friday, sparking the most widespread Palestinian protests in years as hundreds of young demonstrators in multiple towns clashed with Israeli troops, who shot and killed at least 11 people. The family of an unarmed Black man who was fatally shot within seconds of being seen by a white police officer will receive the largest settlement in the history of Columbus, Ohio. Andre Hill‘s family will be paid $10 million by the city of Columbus, which has a notorious police department that’s been under heavy scrutiny following a spate of controversial killings of Black people in recent months. As part of the settlement, the city will rename a local gym after Hill that he used to frequent. The Associated Press reported that Columbus officials acknowledged, “No amount of money will ever bring Andre Hill back to his family.” The lawyers representing Hill’s family welcomed the settlement as a step toward receiving justice for the shooting. Defense lawyers are fighting to keep certain phone calls made in jail by Ahmaud Arbery‘s accused killer from being used as evidence in the upcoming murder trial in Brunswick, Georgia. Gregory McMichael his son, Travis and friend William “Roddie” Bryan, are accused of murdering Arbery. “You’ve heard the saying that no good deed goes unpunished?” Gregory McMichael asked, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reported there are “thousands of hours of jailhouse phone calls” his lawyer is trying to exclude from the case. “Yeah, that’s the shining example right there,” Gregory McMichael’s brother affirms. Gregory McMichael’s lawyer tried his best to spin the “good deed” comment while in court Thursday. “The state believes he is saying the good deed was killing Ahmaud Arbery, but that is not what he meant,” attorney Franklin Hogue argued about Gregory McMichael’s words. “He meant the good deed was patrolling his neighborhood and the punishment is him now being in jail charged with his death.” Attorney Benjamin Crump has represented the families and victims of some of the most prominent civil rights cases in the country, ranging from the shooting of Trayvon Martin to the murder of George Floyd. Those cases, and his strategy of bringing those stories to the media, have resulted in death threats, which he takes seriously, he tells senior contributor Ted Koppel in an interview for “CBS Sunday Morning” to be broadcast May 16. “I never take the death threats for granted. When we get them, we report them to the FBI,” Crump told Koppel. https://twitter.com/i/status/1392902752821448706 Spelman College will name its Performing Arts Center after alumna LaTanya Richardson Jackson, who credits the Atlanta school with launching her acclaimed acting career, and her movie star husband, Samuel L. Jackson. https://youtu.be/vFEwOJSmcJA Freshman U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock announced nearly $85 million in funding that they’ve secured for Georgia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This funding was made through the American Rescue Plan and at least half of the funds must go directly to student aid. The money will go towards helping students and families battle the economic distress due to the pandemic.https://youtu.be/j4t7VZZPGIM Actress, director, producer and acting coach, Tasha Smith has been tapped to direct the pilot and second episode of the upcoming FOX drama, “Our Kind of People,” inspired by the book by Laurence Otis Graham. Deadline reports, written by and produced by Karin Gist and Lee Daniels, the series is inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s critically praised book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class.” Deadline writes that the show follows “strong-willed, single mom Angela Vaughn as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of black women. But she soon discovers a dark secret about her mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1291727459893690373 Gary Owen‘s soon to be ex-wife, Kenya Duke, is letting it known that she expects a steady check every month ’cause she claims he is Mr. Money Man and and she wants what’s she thinks is rightful share. Duke recently filed legal docs asking for spousal support from Gary … and she’s looking to get PAID … every month. In court documents, Kenya Duke has filed for $44,000 a month in spousal support … she claims it’s the amount Gary Owen would normally deposit in her account to pay credit cards and finance her personal spending. https://youtu.be/MzBGDkWS6JI A new business is opening soon in Lafayette with the goal of helping and informing expectant parents in the area. Baby Catcher Birth Center is set to officially open at the end of July, and when it does it will be the first Black-owned freestanding birth center in the state. Owner Shatamia Webb, a Lafayette native, says one of her biggest fears when giving birth was going to a hospital and not coming out. She decided to have both of her children at home, and then made it her mission to help all future parents feel more informed about birth and their options. She’s been a midwife and doing home births for four years. Relentless Church will celebrate its three-year anniversary with a special Sunday service on May 16, 2021.The service will include a moment of pastoral appreciation for Pastors John and Aventer Gray and award-winning songwriter, Rich Tolbert Jr., will be featured as the special guest worship artist. In 2018, on Mother’s Day, Relentless Church held its first service at its home campus on Haywood Road. Sunday’s service will celebrate and recognize the Church’s commitment to serving the spiritual livelihoods of Greenville community and beyond. Dr. Debbye Turner Bell was crowned Miss America in 1990. However, there is more to her story than what may meet the eye. According to a press release, her inspirational memoir called Courageous Faith: A Lifelong Pursuit of Faith Over Fear will be released on Aug. 3, 2021. Turner Bell reportedly shares some brow-raising details from her life, in addition to 10 factors for success and faith-based life lessons. According to the book’s synopsis, Lifelong Pursuit of Faith Over Fear is not just an inspirational memoir, but a self-help guide on persevering in the face of adversity. Chief Executive magazine today announced that Ken Frazier, Chairman and CEO of Merck, has been named 2021 Chief Executive of the Year by his peer CEOs. Frazier was selected by an independent committee that recognized his exceptional long-term leadership: a decade of unprecedented transformation and growth at Merck—with powerful results for shareholders, patients and society. The NFL is coming under growing pressure from critics who say its landmark concussion settlement treats ex-players differently based on race, making it more difficult for Black retirees to get payouts. Critics argue the settlement amounts to a form of systemic racism because it uses race-based criteria for neuropsychologists to assess whether Black and white former players have valid dementia-related claims stemming from their professional football careers. The concept of using different statistical curves based on race, known as “race-norming,” is inherently controversial. It is also the subject of a lawsuit by two ex-players, Kevin Henry, a lineman for eight seasons in the NFL, and Najeh Davenport, a running back for seven seasons, who sued the league last year for race discrimination. Any new music from the legendary Isley Brothers or Earth, Wind & Fire is nothing short of amazing. Both R&B musical units have been around for decades: The Isley Brothers since 1954 and Earth, Wind & Fire since 1969. While something new musically from either group would be special, something collaboratively would be super-incredible. The iconic groups are recording new music –together. The idea came to fruition after both groups matched up recently on “Verzuz” in a musical duel of songs and performances. https://youtu.be/QE3GI_cxs5U Nicki Minaj is finally speaking out about the death of her father, who was killed in a hit-and-run in February. Robert Maraj, 64, died after being struck by a driver who fled the scene without calling for emergency help or aiding the victim. Less than a week later, Charles Polevich turned himself in to authorities and was charged with killing Maraj. Sharing a lengthy letter to fans on her website Friday, Nicki Minaj admitted that her father’s passing “has been the most devastating loss of my life.” “Tho I can’t really bring myself to discuss the passing of my father as yet; I can say it has been the most devastating loss of my life,” she wrote, as reported by PEOPLE. “I find myself wanting to call him all the time. More so now that he’s gone. Life is funny that way.” https://youtu.be/Z5sjRbtqTcI Rapper J. Cole dropped the track “Let Go My Hand” from his newly released album The Off-Season where he addressed his rumored 2013 altercation with Diddy at a MTV Video Music Awards after-party in New York City. Rumor has it that Diddy tried to throw a drink on Kendrick Lamar after hearing his controversial “King of New York” line on Big Sean’s “Control.” Cole tried to intervene and got into a scuffle with Puff. It was said that Cole was allegedly kicked out of the party after the incident. Don Lemon‘s announcement that Friday night was the “last night” of him hosting “CNN Tonight,” the show he’s helmed since 2014. However, in a later Twitter video, he clarified that he was not leaving the network. https://twitter.com/i/status/1393404393408679937 P.D. Blackmon’s family-friendly brand has expanded its catalog into a collection of designer companion books. The Land of Boo ‘Brand Boo’ series continues its fantastic character-driven journey with 3 additional books that include ‘OCEAN BLUE’ Notebook, ‘LAND OF BOO FANTASY’ Characters Journal, and the ‘LAND OF BOO LOST GIRLS’ Collection Notebook. The notebooks and journal are unique keepsakes featuring ZeaZoo & The Land of Boo characters – The Lost Girls, Queen of Soul, Bubbles the Whale, Magnolia Butterfly, and the beloved King Fish. ‘Ocean Blue’ has a delightful day at the beach theme on every page creating a personal stationery look and feel. The diary-designed, ‘Land of Boo Fantasy’ journal allows the reader to jump in and write about their favorite characters or meaningful parts of The Land of Boo story. Capitalizing on a year with huge audience drivers, including two Olympics and the Super Bowl, NBC heads into the 2021-22 season with a winning year-round programming strategy that highlights dominant dramas in the fall, doubles down on comedies in midseason and pairs powerhouse unscripted shows with big tentpole event programming. “Our program strategy for NBC is singularly focused on driving growth by capturing audiences with can’t-miss event television and keeping them on the network with immersive scripted series,” said Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We are leaning into pieces of the legacy that work, but not being precious about experimenting with things that can benefit from a change.” “When I first saw it, I thought it was hilarious,” said actor Steven Littles about “Miss Dee’s Kitchen” – a stage-play turned comedy series. “There’s a character named Jody. I said I want to be him! I want to stretch my comedic muscles.” The “Miss Dee’s Kitchen” production is the creation of Katrina Walker – executive producer of the series. It was a successful stage play that is taking a natural progression onto the screen in a television production – currently being shot. “Miss Dee was my mama (Demetria),” said Katrina, a native of Ohio. Walker said her mother’s kitchen was always full with people from the neighborhood needing Miss Dee. She continued, “I grew up in a close-knit community. She was that go-to woman. If you bust your head, she would fit it…sew it up. Everyone was welcome. The door was always unlocked. She filled a lot of shoes. She’d even take your blood pressure.” Frank McCrae may not have been a household name, but the character actor had so many roles on TV and film that his face was seemingly ubiquitous — especially to Black folks. Unfortunately, his daughter announced his death to Variety and said he suffered a heart attack before he died last month at his home in California. He was 80 years old. https://twitter.com/i/status/1390663799565389828 The Smollett sibling duo continue to bring their keen design flavor to CLEO TV this Saturday, May 15 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. As they perform revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orngn3-Sn54 OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today a new episode of the Emmy award-winning OWN Spotlight series “Black Women OWN The Conversation” premiering on Tuesday, May 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Per press release, the special episode features an audience of Black women in an in-depth conversation regarding mental health and trauma impacting the Black community led by Oprah Winfrey, Adrienne Bankert and Jotaka Eaddy featuring special guests California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and Activist and Educator Dr. Dena Simmons. https://youtu.be/1ETeYocrlww This week’s episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher” has been scrapped by HBO after the host tested positive for COVID-19. According to Deadline, Bill Maher, who is vaccinated and asymptomatic, tested positive during the network’s weekly PCR testing ahead of the show. Prince Harry has dropped another bombshell about his relationship with Prince Charles and how his father raised him. Speaking on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast this week, Harry claimed Charles handed down to him a “cycle” of “genetic pain and suffering,” as reported by Page Six. https://youtu.be/HdwlF1P6Vno Dr. Steve Perry on Iyanla Vanzant’s “Fix My Life.” https://youtu.be/IjIPH0v9c54 A street in New Jersey will be renamed after The Isley Brothers this summer. WHUR, Teaneck Street in New Jersey was the home to Ron and Rudolph Isley and was the namesake for their record label, “T-Neck Records.” On June 24, the street will be renamed after the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. Charles Barkley has been known to cramp up while working on “Inside the NBA,” but Thursday night’s attack may have been the first since Shaquille O’Neal joined the panel. The analysts were in a commercial break when the cramps suddenly hit. Barkley stood up, to try stretching them out. That’s when the 7 foot 4 retired NBA center sprung into action. Shaq walked over to his colleague, put his hands under Chuck’s butt and began punching at the left upper-thigh cramp, and trying to massage out the one in his right upper-thigh. The taped footage was played twice for the viewing audience after the commercial break, and host Ernie Johnson could barely contain himself while giving the play by play each time. Mel B has teamed up with charity Women’s Aid for a new project, which is titled “Love Should Not Hurt” by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea — a powerful yet harrowing short film to highlight the reality of domestic violence. In the video, released on Friday, the Spice Girls singer plays the role of a woman seemingly living a wonderful charmed life in a mansion but behind closed doors, she’s being battered and held captive by her partner who is played by Sam Mackay. At the end of the short film, Mel’s character is shown all bruised up as she attempts to flee. As TMZ notes, the film has some people drawing connections to the singer’s past. Eric Holder, the alleged killer of Nipsey Hussle, has reportedly been appointed a new defense attorney, Aaron Jansen, who made his first appearance in court this week. Holder refused to leave his cell for the May 11 hearing, “prompting the judge in his case to further push back his pre-trial hearing,” the outlet writes. Jansen reportedly informed the judge that he hasn’t had the chance to talk to his client but noted that Holder will be ready before the end of the year. Judge Jacke made clear that Holder will be forcibly removed from his cell to attend his hearing. Global spiritual leader, thought provoker and celebrated author, GRAMMY®-recognized, Stellar Award-winning artist Charles Jenkins, was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity from the historic Beulah Heights University in Atlanta, GA for his innovative leadership, and comprehensive impact, not just in the community of believers, but beyond the church. Beulah Heights University is proud to honor Dr. Jenkins for his unprecedented work and is equally excited to announce a leadership program that will focus on Succession & Transition beginning Fall 2021. The Certificate Program has been developed by Dr. Jenkins in partnership with the academic leadership of Beulah Heights. The program will equip leaders, students, churches, nonprofit organizations, and beyond with knowledge, ability, and strategy necessary to navigate organizational transitions, and succession planning which will increase the sustainability and success of organizations. Jenkins’ latest book Seasons is a guide for leaders and organizations considering transition and succession. The book will also serve as a textbook for the coursework for the program launching in the Fall of this year. The expected signing of a white former NFL player who hasn’t played pro football in nearly a decade and was widely regarded as a failure during his time in the league has renewed outrage sparked over the apparent refusal to give Colin Kaepernick a second chance on the gridiron. Tim Tebow, who hasn’t competed in an NFL regular-season game since the 2012 season — four years longer than when Kaepernick last played — is reportedly going to sign a one-year contract with his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars to play tight end, a position he has never played before on any level of competition. Nearly five years have elapsed since quarterback Colin Kaepernick was last on an NFL roster, and many have voiced their desire for the signal-caller to ultimately strike a new deal with a team despite his ongoing absence. Add Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner to that list, who said during an interview with TMZ on Wednesday that he believes that Kaepernick should have another shot in the league given his resume. “I think that he should have an opportunity,” Warner told the publication when encountered at Los Angeles International Airport. “”When he got out of the game, he was as good as a lot of quarterbacks in this league. And, that’s the bottom line.” Republicans are more focused on not feeling bad about being racist than just not being racist. Claims that discussions about racism, sexism and other forms of oppression are divisive or make people feel bad have nothing to do with education. Following this national trend, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a new law that prioritizes feelings over progress. House Bill 1775 relies on a distorted framing of Critical Race Theory to prevent “mandatory gender or sexual diversity training or counseling” in higher education institutions. The bill also prohibits teaching on race or sex as inherently superior traits. How did Billy Graham become the most famous evangelist in America? Does he deserve blame for paving the way for the religious right? How should we see his place in America’s political and spiritual history? The PBS series “American Experience” explores these questions in a fascinating two-hour documentary premiering Monday (May 17), offering an authoritative look at Graham’s life and ministry, from his beginnings as a dairy farmer’s son from Charlotte, North Carolina, to his death in February 2018 at age 99. Eight members of the New York Yankees — seven coaches and support staffers, plus shortstop Gleyber Torres — have tested positive for the coronavirus over the past three days, even though all of them were fully vaccinated. The news came as the Centers for Disease Control said Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans no longer have to wear masks indoors or outdoors in most cases. “With regard to the Yankees, we obviously need to learn more about that situation. My understanding is that six of the seven infections were indeed asymptomatic infections, and we will look to more data from that report to understand what happened there,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said at a news conference. Disney is revamping its 20-year-old animated series “The Proud Family” and the reboot will center on two multiethnic, gay dads and their adopted teenage daughter, who is a racial activist. The entertainment brand announced the show, “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” via social media Wednesday. The fathers, Barry and Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins, will be voiced by Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto — both of whom are gay — while the daughter, Maya, will be voiced by Keke Palmer. “It’s so nice to hear children’s voices in here again,” said Richard Stewart, immersed in a field trip of about 20 kids standing in his home on Pocahontas Island. Stewart’s house doubles as a Black History Museum that chronicles the island’s history as the “oldest Black community in the United States.” It was the home of free Blacks as early as the 1800s, achieving prosperity and esteem. About 700 historical pieces are packed within the house’s walls. Children filed through hallways piled to the ceiling in artifacts and old news clippings showing the island’s past – old steel shackles, a replica slave ship and information on historical figures like Gabriel Prosser, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, and John Rolfe. The field trippers from Cultural Roots Cooperative are visiting Stewart for the third time since 2018. This time they have a special gift – a check for $3,500, the largest donation Stewart says anyone has ever given for the Black History Museum. A Bartlesville woman who is believed to be the oldest survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre observed a birthday Monday, with several celebrities and public figures pitching in to help her celebrate. Viola Fletcher, who turned 107, was greeted with a series of personal video messages, including from actors Danny Glover and Piper Perabo, musician Michael Stipe and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, among others. “For you showing strength, letting the world know of truths that tried to be buried — today we celebrate your love and your light,” Booker said. “You are touching generations not yet born.” “We love you,” Glover said. “We are your children who will continue the fight with you, alongside you.” As a native of South Carolina, Joseph M. Grant recalls the memory of living through segregation and surviving to thrive throughout his higher education journey and career. Now, at age 70, he is proud to be graduating from Howard University as part of the Class of 2021 with his doctorate in political science with a focus on American government and Black politics. To put it in terms he himself would not use, reading is LeVar Burton‘s brand. It’s been almost 40 years since he started introducing young viewers to the joys of books as the host of Reading Rainbow, and he’s still reading aloud to anyone who will listen (including many who grew up on the PBS show). When the pandemic shutdown began, he hosted thrice-weekly livestreams reading stories to his Twitter followers and has done the same on his podcast LeVar Burton Reads since 2017. To talk to him about reading is, in many ways, to talk to him about himself. So perhaps the most surprising thing about his new book club is that it hasn’t existed until now. The LeVar Burton Book Club launches Tuesday via the “social reading app” Fable, with selections handpicked by the actor. Nail polish brand Àuda.B recently launched at luxury department store chain Nordstrom. This is the first Black-owned vegan nail polish brand to partner with the department store. The gel-like nail lacquer is also 10-free, gluten-free, and PETA-certified. Nordstrom carries 17 of Àuda.B’s best-selling colors ($18 each) curated specifically for Nordstrom, with color names such as #Blackgirlmagic, Bad Girls Shut It Down, Front Row, and Rich Boss Lady. The brand also offers its Jetsetter Nail Polish Top Coat ($20) and Glam Nail Care Kit ($125) featuring five essential polishes including the top coat, base coat, cuticle oil, and two neutral polish colors. At St. Charles West High School, one of the best teachers may just be a student. “He just has a heart for people,” said Yolanda Curry, the school counselor. Joshua Nelson, 18, is getting ready to graduate. “I plan to go to Southeast Missouri State and go into their pre-optometry program. I’ll be majoring in bio-medical sciences,” he said. What Josh didn’t say is that SEMO offered him a scholarship. That will happen when you’re an excellent student, a three-year varsity basketball player and president of the school’s Multi-Cultural Achievement Committee. Josh saved up more than $1,000 for college but since he earned a scholarship, he’s decided to use his savings to help another student go to college. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Adrienne Bailon weighed in on the controversy surrounding Porsha Williams’ engagement to Simon Guobadia — the ex-husband of her RHOA costar Falynn Guobadia. During a new episode of “The Real”, Bailon defended Porsha’s right to love who she chooses. “This is my take on the whole situation: if Falynn doesn’t have a problem with it, why should we?” Adrienne told the other co-hosts, as reported by Ace Showbiz. She then noted Falynn’s alleged infidelity, adding “If Falynn has moved on, his ex-wife has moved on, and she’s doing her thing, then let’s move on.” T.I. and Tiny’s sex trafficking controversy has taken an interesting turn, as rapper Nelly has now been dragged into the scandal. An earlier report noted that the number of alleged victims accusing T.I. and Tiny of allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting them continues to grow. One of them said she was “drugged, forced to take tons of molly and X, and sex-trafficked in three states” including Nevada and Florida. Per Ace Showbiz, in an audio post detailing the alleged sexual abuse done by the couple, one of the accusers claimed she was forced to have sex with Nelly, back in 2014. Judah Band drops new single "I Will Praise"......https://www.dropbox.com/sh/43j1t90ejv87jys/AAC4fDkLXO9h3pzz7p7zenYba?dl=0 Evana is a San Francisco based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Through all her musical experiences, Evana has found a connection to God through music and aims to express this connection and strengthen the fight against evil in her new single “Spiritual Weapons of War.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nbph79Oxlg TV One is slated to premiere a new true crime docu-series Sins of The City this Thursday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. The season lead-in will discuss the execution of George Floyd and the impact his death had on the city of Minneapolis. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miL0Lvc_sHE Be sure to catch Le’Andria performing at the Urban One Honors this Sunday on TV ONE & Cleo TV! This year's theme is “Women Leading the Change'' and it will be hosted by Roland Martin and Erica Campbell. We are excited to celebrate Black women and organizations whose work significantly impacts society and culture. Watch it this Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 9P/8C TV One honors the late icon DMX this Sunday night, with a special episode of its hit autobiographical series UNCENSORED featuring the late rappers final interview on Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m. ET/7C; followed by the annual URBAN ONE HONORS hosted by Erica Campbell and Roland Martin at 9 p.m. ET/8C. In a tribute UNCENSORED SPECIAL: DMX THE ICON, airing Monday, May 17th at 10/9c on TV One, friends and family of DMX reflect on his legacy. With chart topping music and iconic performances across film and television, DMX made a lasting impact on the lives of everyone who experienced his genius. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWo0F9UYeI8 In celebration of Black Music Month, BNC and Café Mocha, the #1 nationally syndicated radio show for ‘women of color,’ announced today the Salute THEM Awards ‘soundtrack of our lives’ will broadcast on BNC Sunday, June 6 at 10:00 P.M. ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUjb8Li-KLk The star-studded Season 1 of The Good Words with Kirk Franklin Podcast gave us candid conversations with many guests including Kelly Rowland, H.E.R., Steve Harvey, and Tabitha Brown. https://link.chtbl.com/R_lzTd-m Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Kristen Clarke, in hopes she will be confirmed to become the first woman and first Black woman to formally lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division since its creation in 1957. Committee members split the vote 11-11 to advance the process to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. Supporters of Clarke expect another uphill battle during the final stage of the process. Several first responders are going to be held accountable for taking and distributing pictures from the horrific crash site where Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died. So far, two firefighters are set to be fired for their actions. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Vanessa Bryant’s legal team says they received paperwork from the fire department’s own internal investigation and found that they’d sent 2 firefighters “intention to discharge” letters because they’d taken pics at the scene. It was noted that one of the firefighters, according to the docs, was just a safety officer there to secure the scene that day, but took graphic shots of the victims’ remains. Attorneys and supporters of Pamela Turner, a Black woman who was shot by a Texas officer during a May 2019 fatal encounter, are gathering on Thursday to reinvigorate justice efforts around her wrongful death. Turner’s advocates which include her family, their lawyers Ben Crump and Devon M. Jacob, along with the families of of Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Sandra Bland, Robbie Taylor, Joshua Feast, George Floyd, and Jacob Blake Jr., will gather in Baytown on the second anniversary of her death. A Black man has been charged with manslaughter for fatally punching an elderly man 50 years his senior who used a racist slur that prompted the violence earlier this month in central Florida. Corey Pujols, who is Black, was working as a store manager at a Dunkin Donuts in Tampa on May 4 when the unidentified 77-year-old customer reportedly took umbrage at the quality of service in the drive-thru. After employees refused the customer service and asked him to leave, he parked his car and, according to Fox 29 in Tampa, went inside the establishment and called “called Pujols a racial slur and repeated the phrase after Pujols challenged him to do so.” Police claim Pujols, 27, reacted by punching the man in the jaw, knocking him to the floor, on which he banged his head. Emergency responders found him bleeding from the head and took him to the hospital. The elderly man died two days later and police arrested Pujols on Tuesday and charged him with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly adult, a felony. Pujols has since been released on $2,000 bail. Prosecutors dropped the charges against a Black woman who was forcibly removed from her car during a March 6 traffic stop in Alexandria, Virginia, according to NBC News. Juanisha Brooks, the victim, was on her way home from celebrating her sister’s 37th birthday when she was pulled over on I-495 by Virginia State Trooper Robert G. Hindenlang. During the encounter captured on dash cam video, Hindenlang asks Brooks to exit the vehicle multiple times without informing her of the offense. After Brooks inquires about the stop one last time, Hindenlang says, “Can you step outside and I’ll show you.” In response, Brooks tells Hindenlang that she does not want to exit her vehicle, to which the officer unlocks her car door, drags her from the vehicle and handcuffs her. She attempts to reach for her cell phone in order to record the moment, but it falls to the ground. On April 16 Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano dropped the charges after Brooks’ attorney showed him video of the dash cam footage. Descano concluded that the State Troopers conducted the stop “without proper legal bias,” and called for an internal investigation into the incident. The deadline is near for families to file taxes in time to receive additional financial benefits for their children under an expanded child tax credit. And there’s a special hitch this year — tax filing services are being offered for free by the federal government. But only if you do so by Monday. The expanded child tax credit was enacted with the passage of the American Rescue Plan in February. Udonis Haslem got a standing ovation in Miami as he took the court for the first time this season, his 18th with the Heat. Less than three minutes later, he was ejected, possibly ending his regular season run before it could really get going. Haslem, 40, checked in during the second quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He managed to shoot 2 of 2 from the field and grab a rebound before an altercation with Dwight Howard led to two technical fouls and his ejection, with just two minutes and forty seconds played in his season debut. https://youtu.be/wDn3dd3kDUU Amplify Africa, a leading entertainment and media company in the U.S. whose mission is to amplify Africa and the African diaspora through global community, storytelling, and digital innovation, and The Africa Channel, a cable and streaming channel focusing on travel, lifestyle, and culture documentaries, series and movies, has announced AFRICON 2021, a conference to showcase the excellence, culture, talent and innovation the continent and its diaspora has to offer. It goes down May 21st – 23rd (Friday – Sunday). After Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refused to acknowledge right wing colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene when she repeatedly screamed her name outside the House floor Wednesday (hoping to debate AOC on her Green New Deal), the Q’Anon-supporter filmed a video for her supporters spinning AOC’s disregard as a “refusal to debate me.” Two Washington Post reporters witnessed the whole spectacle. They said AOC left the House chamber late Wednesday afternoon ahead of Greene, who shouted “Hey Alexandria” twice to get her attention. The reporters said AOC “did not stop.” But Greene caught up with her, began shouting at her and asking why she supports far-left activist group antifa and Black Lives Matter, falsely labeling them “terrorist” groups. Sunday Hinton is suing a D.C. jail for failing to acknowledge her as a transgender woman by keeping her in the men’s detention unit. MSN reports, Hinton has been in custody at D.C. Jail since April 26, charged with unarmed burglary with the intent to steal $20. According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, “despite informing DOC (Department of Corrections) officials of her gender identity and requesting to be transferred to the women’s unit, she remains incarcerated in a men’s unit more than two weeks later.” https://youtu.be/jVpDeT22nPg Terry Crews is speaking out once again about his porn addiction and how it almost destroyed his family. Crews dishes in detail about his fame and marital struggles in the upcoming audio memoir “Stronger Together” co-authored with his wife of 30 years, Rebecca King-Crews. “Success is the warmest place to hide,” Terry told People while discussing the new book. “Fame made it worse! Hollywood didn’t care. It still doesn’t care if you lose your family. It happens every day.” Rebecca said she and Terry decided to take fans inside their personal lives in an effort to help others who may be dealing with some of the same challenges. Last September, Mars Food announced it would finally change the name and image of its Uncle Ben’s rice products because it was rooted in racial stereotypes. The rebranded rice has just become available in stores nationwide as Ben’s Original. The new packaging keeps the same orange color and blue font but ditches the image of Uncle Ben. The name was borrowed from a well-known Texas rice farmer of the same name, according to an archived web page about the rice brand’s origins. The man who posed for image that has appeared on the packaging for decades was Frank Brown, the head waiter of an exclusive Chicago restaurant, the archive web page stated. Israel called up 7,000 reservists to bolster its forces today as it deployed troops to the Gaza border in preparation for a possible ground invasion. Relentless air strikes continued to decimate Hamas strongholds in the Strip this afternoon as their brigades held funerals for slain commanders, including the terror boss of Gaza City and their intelligence chief. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing the prospect of a war on two fronts as internal rioting by Jewish and Arab mobs descended into ‘lynchings’ last night in the worst civil unrest for decades. Hamas requested a ceasefire on a ‘mutual basis’ late on Wednesday after firing more than 1,600 rockets into densely populated Israeli neighborhoods, killing seven civilians including a five-year-old boy. Colonial Pipeline paid off the Russia-linked hacking group DarkSide to restore access to the key fuel pipeline that was paralyzed in a ransomware attack, according to a new report. The pipeline operator paid the hackers nearly $5 million in untraceable cryptocurrency, contradicting earlier reports that the company had no intention of meeting the criminal gang’s extortion demands, two people familiar with the transaction told Bloomberg. The ransom was paid off just hours after the attack commenced last week, the people said, yet the pipeline remained offline for another six days, triggering severe gas shortages, panic buying and chaos across the South. The crowd that thronged U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock as he arrived in Middle Georgia represented a cross section of the state’s agriculture industry: They harvested cotton and corn, tended pecan trees and timberland, raised chickens and cows. But two things tied the dozens gathered amid the tidy rows of crops at Jibb’s Vineyards on a cool recent morning. They were all Black farmers trying to navigate the pandemic-stricken landscape. And they were all tired of waiting for long-promised federal aid to ease generations of systemic inequality. Lucius Abrams said as much as he spoke to the gathering of growers from all corners of the state. They have heard the vows before from other politicians and bureaucrats about federal aid that never came. Simply put, the Waynesboro farmer said, they had good reason to feel snake-bitten An outside investigation into the death of a Black doctor while she battled COVID-19 has found that the treatment she received at a suburban Indianapolis hospital did not contribute to her death, its parent organization said Wednesday. However, the review by a panel of six outside experts concluded Dr. Susan Moore suffered from a lack of cultural competence on the part of those treating her at IU Health North in Carmel, parent IU Health said. IU Health in its statement acknowledged a “lack of empathy and compassion” was shown in the delivery of her care. Moore, 52, a family medicine physician who had practiced in Indiana since 2009, died Dec. 20, about two weeks after she was released from IU Health North and then admitted to a different hospital. A Hennepin County district judge delayed until March the trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter when they helped Derek Chauvin restrain George Floyd. The three men involved in the May 25, 2020 killing of Mr. Floyd include Thomas Lane, who held down Mr. Floyd’s legs, J. Alexander Kueng, who knelt on Mr. Floyd’s back, and Tou Thao, who kept onlookers at bay. Mr. Chauvin, who was convicted April 20 of second-degree murder and manslaughter, kneeled on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. The men had previously been scheduled to go on trial in August but the judge said he chose to delay the trial so that a federal case could go first. A federal grand jury indicted all four former officers on charges of violating Mr. Floyd’s constitutional rights. Memorial Park Cemetery looks better tended without an active owner than when it had one. The century-old, segregation-era Black cemetery’s former owner, John Robinson, cared for the 20 acres on his own, a job he admitted was difficult. Overgrown tree branches dipped to the ground and covered sections of graves. Burial records were a mess. He died in July 2019 and willed to the family the cemetery that is the final resting place to more than 6,000, including historic figures. But the heirs didn’t want it and divested themselves of Memorial Park, located at 2225 E. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The city immediately took on the maintenance but refused long-term responsibility, filing lawsuits against Robinson’s estate to recoup expenses and stop the divestment. Lionsgate and Millennium Media have dropped the official full trailer for “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” starring Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, and Ryan Reynolds. https://youtu.be/9C0l31YcahQ While Steph Curry has carried the Golden State Warriors to the play-in tournament, he is doing something truly incredible this season from beyond the arc. Curry is shooting a crazy 56 percent from 25 feet or more out on his step-back attempts. For context, other elite 3-point shooters such as James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers are shooting 36 percent and 33 percent on this same range of shots, respectively. What was an awful shot for most is now money for sharpshooters like Curry. He is why Golden State can be a dangerous first-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs. Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, today announced that its revival of THE GAME has been ordered to series with original cast members Wendy Raquel Robinson (“Insecure”) and Hosea Chanchez (“Black Lightning”) reprising their roles as sports agent Tasha Mack and footballer Malik Wright, respectively, with several other legacy cast members making special appearances. Yaya DaCosta and her “Chicago med” co-star Torrey DeVitto are leaving their longtime roles on the series, with both announcing their departures via Instagram. “It has been such an honor and pure joy to bring Dr. Natalie Manning to life for all of you on Chicago Med for the past 6 seasons,” DeVitto wrote. “But it is now time for her and me to bow out and say goodbye.” She added, “Thank you to all you loyal watchers who adored her as much as I did. I can’t wait to share what’s to come with all of you. New adventures await!” DaCosta shared several photos of her with the cast along with a video thanking the crew and her co-stars. Nina Parker’s new fashion line for Macy’s drops on May 14, making her the first Black woman-owned brand to design a plus-size collection exclusively for the retail giant. “It’s kind of crazy to have that title, but it’s really dope to be honest,” Parker tells PEOPLE. Parker, the host of E!’s “Nightly Pop,” said she was inspired to create the clothing line because fashion choices for her body type were “limited.” Instagram users can now utilize a new feature that allows them to add their preferred pronouns to their profile. “Add pronouns to your profile,” Instagram announced on Twitter Tuesday. “The new field is available in a few countries, with plans for more.” The company said the new pronoun feature is currently only available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. People reports, “the new feature allows users to add up to four pronouns from the app’s list by going to “Edit Profile” and clicking on “Pronouns” then typing in the search tool,” the outlier writes. While appearing on SiriusXM’s “Radio Andy” on Wednesday, Janet Jackson’s brothers Tito, Jackie, and Marlon thanked Justin Timberlake for finally apologizing to her for their 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. following the release of “Framing Britney Spears,” which shined a light on his mistreatment of Spears following their 2002 breakup, Timberlake was urged to apologize to both Britney and Janet, which the 40-year-old later did: “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” Timberlake wrote. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.” He added, “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed,” he continued. “I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and most importantly, because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be part of and grow from.” Joe Budden is catching heat after audio leaked online Wednesday of him firing his podcast co-hosts Rory Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay. “From this point forward, you are fired and you’re not welcome back,” Budden said during a since-deleted episode that reportedly aired this week. “Y’all take that f–king dark energy, that arrogance and that entitlement somewhere else.” As reported by the New York Post, after fans reacted to leaks of the audio that appeared on social media, Budden responded by seemingly announcing the end of the award-winning broadcast after six years. “Helluva run!! God bless,” he said, telling fans to “Take care.” The mother of an “American Idol” finalist who left the show Wednesday after a Snapchat video surfaced showing him next to someone in an apparent KKK hood claims we have it all wrong, and that her son “doesn’t have a racist bone in his body.” Anita Guy, the mother of country hopeful Caleb Kennedy, told the Herald-Journal that the video was taken when Kennedy was 12, after watching the 2018 film “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” in which a character wears a hood over his head. Tiffany Haddish could be tapped to take over Ellen DeGeneres’ TV spot now that the host is quitting her show after 19 seasons. As reported by Page Six, Haddish frequently filled in for Ellen, and a senior NBCUniversal source shared with the outlet: “Tiffany is a favorite, she has humor and empathy in spades. She’s top of the list to get a daytime show – she’s a fresh voice.” During a recent conversation with Stephen Colbert, Michelle Obama spoke about dealing with “low-grade depression” and shared tips on how she copes with it. The former first lady admitted that she’s been dealing with “some form of low-grade depression” since last August, saying it was triggered by the COVID pandemic, racial inequality, and Trump’s presidency. https://youtu.be/GNCWIFesc4E Dakari Davis, an African American police officer with the DART Police Department in Dallas, received a reprimand from a lieutenant after being told that his cornrows are “unprofessional.” Davis, who’s been in law enforcement in 2019, says he couldn’t believe it when one of his superiors judged his ability to do his job based on his hair. He said a particular lieutenant “felt that it was unprofessional for male police officers to wear cornrows and contacted the Chief of Police and eventually filed a formal complaint against my hairstyle,” according to WFAA. https://youtu.be/x2NlmO8oHh8 “Seeing Nichelle Nichols as Uhura (Star Trek) totally stuck with me,” said Jenny Lumet, granddaughter to the iconic Lena Horne who executive produces “Star Trek: Discovery” on CBS, about why she got involved with the Star Trek franchise. “Nothing worked without her. Communications in the universe was channeled through her. So a black woman saved the universe. So I’m a fan of her.” CBS gave the New York native a four year deal. She is co-creator and executive producer of the series “Clarice;” executive producer of “Star Trek: Discovery;” co-creator, writer and executive producer of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds;” she co-wrote an episode titled “Runaway” for the Emmy nominated “Star Trek: Short Treks” mini-series and she is the creator, writer and executive producer of Showtime’s “Blackbird: Lena Horne and America” series. “Star Trek…is about family,” she added. According to Page Six, citing The Sun, Wendy Williams and Mike Esterman have reportedly called it quits. Wendy met the real estate executive and celebrity booker Mike, who lives in Maryland back in February when he participated in a dating segment on her show, as she was looking for help in finding love again after a big messy divorce with Kevin Hunter. While Wendy told her audience during a follow-up show that they’ve been having a good time together so far, it seems like it just ultimately wasn’t meant to be for the pair, who haven’t seen each other in weeks after she reportedly visited his home. “Spiral: From the Book of Saw,“ the ninth edition of the “Saw” horror series – and one of the highest-grossing film franchises to date. The Lionsgate feature pairs Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock for the first time on the big screen. https://youtu.be/tnwGD_SmWc4 Oprah Winfrey has teamed with Sterling K. Brown to celebrate Black fatherhood for a special set to air on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The two-hour event is titled “Honoring Our Kings: OWN Celebrates Black Fatherhood” and will be hosted by Winfrey and Brown, the network announced in a press release, Urban Hollywood 411 reports. “We want to honor the Black Kings who stand firm and proud in their role as a father, and celebrate the love and joy they bring to their families and communities,” Winfrey said in a statement. In a recent interview with CBS News, Michelle Obama spoke about the fears many Black Americans feel under continued systemic racism in the country. Candace Owens mocked her on Monday as playing the “victim.” https://youtu.be/gGabcWoXT_4 For Haddish, the role was super fun but challenging. The aspect she found most difficult was crying on screen. I’m going to be honest with you; I’ve spent 40 years of my life trying not to cry. Suppressing the tears until I get in the shower, and then you let it all out on the weekends. That’s just the journey of my people and me. And when I say my people, I’m talking about the people that live in here (points to her head) so when Billy was like, ‘you gotta cry,’ I was like ‘what? Billy, not in front of the crew. Can’t I just make the crying face? I can do the face.’ And he said ‘no, you have to let it out.’ So now, I’m able to cry at the drop of a dime. I learned so much from Billy. https://youtu.be/U3v8n_8-QqA Niecy Nash wants the creators of the hit Starz series “P-Valley” to know that she’s ready to make a guest appearance on the show. The acclaimed drama follows the employees at a strip club in the Mississippi Delta. “P-Valley” season 1 released on July 12, 2020, and Starz ordered a second season only two weeks after the first season premiered. “I would love to be on ‘P-Valley,’ I think it’s a great show,” Nash told Page Six. “I don’t necessarily have to be a stripper. For my significant other, it is her favorite show, so I would like to be on it just because of that.” Nash, who wed singer Jessica Betts in August 2020, also told the outlet that the first thing she wants to do after the pandemic ends is travel and “make love all around the world.” Can you think of ANYONE in this whole wide world who would create a brand, design its first products, only to GIVE IT AWAY free of charge–especially to the global Black community? This is what Keith Anderson, creator of BLACQUITY.net has done. “Our people have never been compensated for the horrific wrongs committed against us. Plus, we are disrespected as a race because we don’t own and control a significant portion of the world’s industry and commerce. Some of us have to serve as angels, offering our people our generosity to kick-start Black Economic Rise, ” says Anderson. Anderson, a Black Activist, believes the only way the Black populace can gain true freedom and high esteem is to control its own means of production and then use those financial and physical resources to plot its own course of existence. https://youtu.be/s55MOIRVA2U The controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association appears to have rocked Tom Cruise to his core, as the Hollywood legend has reportedly returned all three of his Golden Globe trophies after NBC canceled the awards broadcast for 2022. Cruise previously bagged awards for best actor in “Born on the Fourth of July” (1990) and “Jerry Maguire” (1997) and for best-supporting actor in “Magnolia” (2000). Deadline first reported that the actor shipped his trophies back to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association following NBC’s announcement that the network won’t air the 2022 Golden Globes. A Black woman in Indianapolis, Indiana, has filed a discrimination lawsuit after her home received a higher appraisal only after she got rid of anything that identified her blackness, and had a white man stand in for her during the appraisal visit. https://fox59.com/news/indianapolis-homeowner-files-discrimination-complaint-after-removal-of-black-identifiers-leads-to-100000-appraisal-increase/ Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to ‘inflict blows that Hamas has not dreamed of’ prompting Hamas to retaliate with 130 rockets of its own, as the deadly fighting in the middle east continued on Wednesday. Israeli strikes killed several of the Islamist group’s top commanders on Wednesday, and destroyed another multi-storey building in Gaza City, as the U.N. warned of a ‘full scale war’ in the region. Israeli fighter jets dropped two bombs on the 14-storey Al-Sharouk tower, which housed the bureau of the Al-Aqsa television channel, and is the third tallest structure in Gaza City levelled since the bombing campaign began Monday. Parents in America’s wealthiest suburb have released a commerical to promote a group it formed to oust members of a Virginia school district board after it pledged to push Critical Race Theory onto their children, and even one black parent has slammed CRT as a ‘Nazi tactic which is racist and abusive’. Loudon County in Virginia has now become ‘ground zero’ in the national debate about incorporating critical race theory into the curriculum. Tuesday, ‘Fight for Our Schools’ – a group made up of dozens of parents from the wealthy enclave, where the median household income is $142,299 – released the commercial on Twitter. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/05/12/6453750122150473937/636x382_MP4_6453750122150473937.mp4 Accused Capitol rioter Anthony Antonio tells CNN’s Chris Cuomo what motivated him to attend the Capitol riot on January 6. https://youtu.be/5AUMCQGfMTw While there was a slight increase in the overall number of confirmed and suspected opioid-related drug overdose deaths in Massachusetts in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, overdose deaths among Black men soared by almost 70%, state health officials said Wednesday. There were 2,104 confirmed and suspected opioid-related overdose deaths in the state last year, a 5% increase over the prior year, according to a report from the Department of Public Health. Among Black non-Hispanic males, the confirmed opioid-related overdose death rate increased 69%, from 32.6 to 55.1 per 100,000 people, the highest increase of any ethnic or racial group in 2020. The Tampa Bay Lightning started three black forwards in their regular-season finale against the Florida Panthers on Monday night, a rarity in NHL history – if not an absolute first. Canadian forwards Daniel Walcott, Mathieu Joseph and Gemel Smith were out together for the opening face-off and didn’t know they would be starting together until just minutes before game time. ‘First of all, they’re all in the NHL for a reason,’ Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. ‘They deserve to be here and have worked their tails off. To have them all together, they had a little chemistry. Moving forward in the league, you hope it isn’t a story anymore and will be the norm. It was a pretty cool moment for all those guys.’ Florida won the game, 4-0. Tanitoluwa Adewumi, a 10-year-old in New York, just became the country’s newest national chess master. At the Fairfield County Chess Club Championship tournament in Connecticut on May 1, Adewumi won all four of his matches, bumping his chess rating up to 2223 and making him the 28th youngest person to become a chess master, according to US Chess. “I was very happy that I won and that I got the title,” he says, “I really love that I finally got it.” In February of 2020, 25-year old Ahmaud Arbery was jogging through a neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia. He was pursued by three white men in a pickup truck who thought the young black man had stolen something from a construction site. In a fight to free himself, Arbery was shot and killed. Prosecutors say he had not stolen anything. Now in a move to protect other “Arberys,” the state of Georgia has repealed a law passed during the Civil War that allowed citizens to pursue and stop someone suspected of committing a crime. Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said she was “very thankful,” that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed House bill 479 which says bystanders can no longer make an arrest in Georgia if a crime is committed in their presence. Maryland’s governor posthumously pardoned 34 victims of racial lynching in the state dating between 1854 and 1933, saying they were denied legal due process against the allegations they faced. It was a first-of-its-kind pardon by a governor of a U.S. state. Governor Larry Hogan signed the order at an event Saturday honoring Howard Cooper, a 15-year-old who was dragged from a jailhouse and hanged from a tree by a mob of white men in 1885 before his attorneys could file an appeal of a rape conviction that an all-white jury reached within minutes. Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas is seeking assistance from a state appeals court in their relentless pursuit to discontinue providing life-sustaining treatment to toddler Tinslee Lewis. https://youtu.be/tlJMqM7hqUY Colton Underwood didn’t plan on ever telling the world that he was gay. After all, he’d starred as “The Bachelor” in 2019 to scout for a wife. The television personality was convinced he’d spend his entire life pretending to be a straight man. But last month, Underwood made headlines by coming out to Robin Roberts in a bombshell “Good Morning America” interview, shattering the heteronormative conventions of ABC’s top-rated reality dating juggernaut franchise. After hiding his attraction to men since his early teens, the 29-year-old former NFL player initially disclosed his sexuality to someone else a year ago: his publicist. The confession was prompted not by liberation but out of fear. “I’ll just say it,” Underwood reveals on a recent afternoon, still adjusting to his new life as an openly gay man. “I, at one point, during my rock bottom and spiral, was getting blackmailed. Nobody knows I was blackmailed.” The Hollywood community is mourning a legend as actor and filmmaker Norman Lloyd has passed away at 106 years of age. The beloved star of St. Elsewhere, Dead Poets Society, and, most recently, the 2015 comedy Trainwreck, passed away in his sleep on Monday, a family friend confirmed to Deadline on Tuesday. Lloyd worked with legendary filmmakers such as Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick while starring alongside Charlie Chaplin and so many more in a career that spanned decades. Former standout college quarterback Colt Brennan died this week in a California hospital, his family confirmed to CNN. “He had been in a long-term rehab facility,” Brennan’s sister, Carrera Shea, told CNN on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, he relapsed.” Brennan, 37, was pronounced dead at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, according to the Orange County coroner. The Costa Mesa Police Department told CNN that Brennan was taken to the hospital due to an overdose. Stacey Abrams’ latest novel, “While Justice Sleeps,” will be adapted for a series by Working Title Television, part of NBCUniversal International Studios. The announcement comes after a high-stakes bidding war for the former member of the Georgia House of Representatives and fervent voting activist’s new legal thriller. The Universal Studios Group division prevailed and won the rights to the book, which is out Tuesday from Penguin Random House. Patrick C. Graham, Ph.D., who currently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor for the City of Richmond and Executive Advisor for ReWork Richmond, penned the following Op-Ed outlining his perspective on criminal justice reform. The revelation last week by the Innocence Project and American Civil Liberties Union that DNA and fingerprint evidence did not match Ledell Lee, a Black man executed in 2017 for the murder of a white woman, is part of a larger issue that we rarely discuss. Too many Black men face false accusations without true redemption or justice. With all the protests for police and judicial reform, the rising issue of false accusations is buried in our conversations and focus on addressing blue bravado and the immunities afforded to prosecutors, judges, and clerks of the court. We must provide protection under the law for a group of victims that are truly voiceless, the falsely accused. Wednesday morning, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced which of this year’s nominees will be inducted at the 2021 ceremony on Oct. 30 in Cleveland, Ohio. Superstar Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and the Go-Go’s were elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, making this their first time on the ballot. The class also includes legendary singer Tina Turner, Carole King and Todd Rundgren. The hall will also welcome LL Cool J, Billy Preston and Randy Rhoads with musical excellence awards. Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron and Charley Patton will be honored as early influencers. Organizers are calling it “the most diverse list of Inductees in the history of the organization.” Russell Wilson and Ciara have inked a deal with Amazon Studios to develop and produce scripted series and films via their Why Not You Productions. We’re so excited and honored to work with Amazon Studios,” said the couple in a statement. “They’ve quickly become one of the most exciting studios in entertainment and have shown a strong belief in our vision to bring inspiring stories to the world. We can’t wait to begin our work together.” “Russell and Ciara are a true powerhouse producing duo – both with extraordinary success in their respective careers on the field and the stage, their business ventures, and shared dedication to philanthropy,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. Ellen DeGeneres has announced that her daytime talk show, which debuted in 2003, will wrap up in 2022. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the former stand-up comic said she needs “something new to challenge me.” https://youtu.be/DU6An7mwluc Porsha Williams is taking fans deep inside her personal life with a three-part special on Bravo. “The series was greenlit several months ago and is set to begin production over the summer. The special will focus on Porsha’s life and her family,” a source tells PEOPLE. The announcement coincides with Porsha’s shocking reveal that she is engaged to Simon Guobadia — the ex-husband of her RHOA costar Falynn Guobadia. Grammy-winning R&B singer Monica serves as host of a new true-crime series for VH1 titled “Infamy: When Fame Turns Deadly.” TheWrap reported, the eight-episode series “explores celebrity cases where notoriety and fame turn fatal,” according to the network’s description. “Each episode unravels the mystery and the motives behind the crimes, revealing a dark side to being in the public eye when betrayal, jealousy and greed lead to tragedy.” https://youtu.be/_ehod3HY4WU Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is set to release an anthology of essays calling for abolition of the police and prisons. “Today, I’m excited to share that we at @KaepernickPublishing will be releasing our first title, ABOLITION FOR THE PEOPLE: THE MOVEMENT FOR A FUTURE WITHOUT POLICING & PRISONS, on 10/12/21,” the former San Francisco 49er posted on Instagram. “This anthology builds on decades of organizing and writing against policing & prisons & features the work of over 30 contributors plus a reader’s guide, infographics, & cover art by Emory Douglas.” Michael Jordan is speaking out about his last text message exchange with the late Kobe Bryant. Speaking to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Jordan said the conversation took place on Dec. 8, 2019, during which Bryant complimented Jordan on his Cincoro Tequila. They also talked about their families and Kobe’s passion for coaching. Per Complex, here’s the portion of the interview via ESPN: “This tequila is awesome,” Kobe texted, referring to Jordan’s Cincoro Tequila, a bottle of which was sent to Bryant at the launch. “Thank you, my brother,” Jordan responded. The Atlanta Dream has announced that an all-Black female broadcast team will call home games for the 2021 WNBA season. Per Bleacher Report, LaChina Robinson and Tabitha Turner will work as color analysts, with Angel Gray and Autumn Johnson filling out the group. If the number of awards and honors that a film receives at national and international film festivals is indicative of the success the movie will achieve when it’s ultimately released to theaters or other film platforms, then the motion picture “Therapy” is on course to be a blockbuster. To date, “Therapy” has garnered 63 awards – and counting – at many of the world’s best and most respected film festivals. Yet, with so many prestigious awards and honors being racked up in record fashion since the film entered the film festival circuit in 2019, inquiring minds want to know what’s taking so long for the film to be released to the general public? https://youtu.be/bJhtqMS6jvA Prior to taking on the role of Billie Holiday, Andra Day claims she suffered from a porn and sex addiction that she feared would affect her performance in the Hulu feature. “I didn’t want any element of sexualization,” she said in her cover story for InStyle of her award-winning performance playing the jazz singer in “The United States vs. Billy Holiday.” “I had come out of something in my own life — dealing with porn addiction, sex addiction,” Day added. “’m being very, very candid with you because I’m not the only one. But I knew I wanted all of that very much gone.” Day’s performance earned her the Best Actress award at the 2021 Golden Globes and she also received an Oscar nomination for the role. In celebration of Black Music Month, the Black News Channel (BNC) and Café Mocha, the #1 nationally syndicated radio show for ‘women of color,’ announced today the Salute THEM Awards ‘soundtrack of our lives' will broadcast on BNC from the new National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville Sunday, June 6 at 10 P.M. ET/9CT. Carlos Kelly is pastor of a spirited and thriving ministry in Macon and Byron, GA called Beulahland Bible Church. The first single from the forthcoming BUILT 4 THIS album features Pastor Carlos Kelly in a soulful song for quartet fans. "Made It Without You" embodies the full swagger and drive of traditional Gospel Quartet at its best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFbd0_XiHSg Kerry Douglas Presents to the world his brand new artist with a big sound LaShá Knox. Her oily anointed & highly impressive vocals is a perfect combination for the remake of "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xI5jOhC7Ac&feature=youtu.be As the world begins easing out of the most stressful time of our lives, Family Federation for World Peace and Unification USA invites you to join us for the Peace Starts With Me: Peace & Blessing virtual celebration June 5, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Let the Blessing revive your life, your family, and the world. Experience the grandeur of a stadium show from the comfort of your home. Featuring performances by Grammy award-winning talent including Gospel star Hezekiah Walker, Yolanda Adams, Israel Haughton, Joann Rosario Condrey, The Soul Children of Chicago and Kim Burrell. With words of inspiration from Bishop Noel Jones of the City of Refuge Church and The Mother of Peace, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. Last year over 10,000 families participated in the inaugural National Backyard Concert and Campout. This year, on May 21, families across the country will gather in their backyards, at their churches and in parks and campgrounds to participate in the second annual National Backyard Concert and Campout, led by Trail Life USA. Trail Life USA is the premier national character development organization for young men which produces godly and responsible husbands, fathers and citizens. Their mission is to guide generations of courageous young men to honor God, lead with integrity, serve others and experience outdoor adventure. NBC will not air the Golden Globes next year, the network announced in a statement Monday. The move comes amid intense criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that puts on the ceremony. The group has drawn scrutiny in recent months for a lack of racial diversity among its voting members and various ethical concerns. The organization is said to have no Black voting members. The twin brother of Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen was found dead at a North Carolina electrical substation on Sunday, authorities said. Tyrell Antar Cohen is believed to have died by electrocution while trying to climb power equipment, according to Wake County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Eric Curry. WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop,” that finds Grammy Award-winning producer Stevie J and his daughter Savannah bumping heads over her messiness. https://youtu.be/tCsWmAGWHaI A new TV series tells the story of Livia Drusilla, who became the most powerful woman in the world as the wife of the first Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. As viewers might expect from a show set in Ancient Rome, Domina, offers up plenty of sex, violence and political backstabbing. Just in time for Pride Month 2021, a brand new Rainbow Disney collection is here. The company unveiled its latest offerings on Monday and it includes a bright, beautiful array of everything from apparel to accessories. This year’s lineup of offerings has Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters and other Disney icons for the first time. The latest Rainbow Disney collection also features all-star characters such as Mickey Mouse designed on everything from protective face masks to hoodies. Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), announced Thursday that it ordained three women as pastors. The church shared the news in a Facebook post, proclaiming that it was a “historic night.” It looks as if Tim Tebow is finally going to be playing for his hometown team. Just not as a quarterback. The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to sign Tebow, 33, to a one-year contract later this week or next week to play tight end, a position he never played in high school, college or his previous three-year NFL career, a source confirmed to ESPN. A deal has not been agreed upon at this time. Once he signs, he will be reunited with Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, who coached Tebow at Florida and won a pair of national championships with the Gators. Evangelical pastor Jeff Jansen, a self-described “prophet,” has been asked to step down from the ministry he co-founded and has chosen to leave his wife and family to “pursue his own desires,” according to emails sent out this week by his ministry’s leadership team and his wife. Jansen, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and co-founder of Global Fire Ministries International in Tennessee, predicted in March that Trump would be back in office with the support of the military by the end of April. Despite that prophecy failing to come true, the pastor this week published videos on his official Facebook page saying he was “tripling” and “quadrupling” down on his prediction that the ex-president would return to the White House. A 23-year-old filmmaker JAMAL SHAKIR will join civil rights attorney CARL DOUGLAS and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder DR. MELINA ABDULLAH announced a new lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and Shakir’s uncle LAPD POLICE OFFICER II ERIC ANDERSON after the latter ordered his nephew shot with projectiles during a protest in downtown Los Angeles last summer. https://youtu.be/WqhqeGnboqQ An internal probe into the death of Breonna Taylor was conducted by two investigators who determined that the three Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved, should not have fired shots into her apartment on March 13, 2020. ABC News obtained documents that said Sgt. Andrew Meyer from the department’s Professional Standards Unit determined that the three officers should have held their fire after Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a shot. Meyer’s report was supported by Lt. Jeff Artman: “They took a total of thirty-two shots when the provided circumstances made it unsafe to take a single shot. This is how the wrong person was shot and killed,” Meyer wrote in his report. He added that the officers involved in the raid that resulted in Taylor’s death – Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove – violated the department’s use-of-force policy when they ignored the risk of hitting someone who did not pose a threat, ABC reported. Meyer said deadly force should have only been used against Walker after he fired a shot. A Florida State’s Attorney found no wrongdoing relating to a disturbing viral video which showed an elementary school principal paddling a six-year-old child. The video, taken by the child’s mother, shows an April 13 incident where Central Elementary School Principal Melissa Carter, with the aid of a staff member Celia Self, stuck a child on her buttocks several times. The young girl was accused of accumulating $50 worth of damage on a school computer. Outlets have not released the name of the mother or the child because of the girl’s age and for safety reasons. According to CNN, who obtained a memo released to the Clewiston Police Department, Florida Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Abraham R. Thornburg concluded that Carter committed no crime. Naomi Osaka may have taken a short break from tennis, but that does not mean she is slowing down. The tennis star recently announced she is expanding her tennis academy to #Haiti and #LosAngeles. The Play Academy with #Nike and Laureus Sport for Good kicked off in #Japan last summer, but now the tennis champion is expanding to other locations close to her heart. Osaka hails from Japan, but her father is Haitian. She currently resides and trains in Los Angeles. The Play Academy is a collaboration with Nike and Laureus Sport for Good and the objective of the program is to provide capacity-building training and grants with community organizations in hopes of encouraging girl’s participation in sports. US racing has been plunged into another high-profile medication scandal after Medina Spirit returned a post-race blood sample for the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone after his win in the Kentucky Derby, which his trainer Bob Baffert labelled “the biggest gut-punch I’ve had.” Baffert was immediately suspended from being able to make entries at Churchill Downs “given the seriousness of the alleged offence” and, in a statement, the racecourse added it “will not tolerate” failure to comply with rules and medication protocols. FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform serving UNAPOLOGETICALLY BLACK, CONSUMABLE BY ALL entertainment 365 days a year, expands their programming slate and adds a new series to their current streaming schedule. With over 44M viewers, FOX SOUL celebrates black culture and deals with real topics that impact the everyday lives of the black community through frank and insightful dialogue with local and national influencers. FOX SOUL provides a platform and programming that speaks directly to the community where they can be seen and heard, yet enjoyed by everyone. Newark Symphony Hall (NSH), New Jersey’s largest Black-led arts and entertainment venue, today unveiled designs for its exterior renovation – part of a five-year, three-phase $50 million project set to wrap on the venue’s 100th birthday in 2025. The design, from Trenton, N.J.-based architectural firm Clarke Caton Hintz (CCH), includes a new marquee and streetscape. Design upgrades make Broad Street – a gateway into the state’s largest city – a distinct visual marker highlighting Newark’s creativity and ingenuity. NSH was built in 1925 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. In addition to restoring the building’s façade, the renovation will reimagine the city block – adding bike lanes, improved curbing, a central island and transportation access. John Oliver made it clear that he, as a white man, has no business discussing the topic of Black hair, and that the discussion “doesn’t belong to white people, doesn’t affect white people, and white people don’t really need to have an opinion on it.” The sentiment came after the host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” and his Emmy-winning research/writing team (which includes Black writers) did an extremely informative and enlightening 24-minute deep dive into the politics of Black hair, including all the ways that white people in power have used it as yet another form of racial discrimination – from stores keeping only its Black hair care products locked up, to Black people being made to cut their dreadlocks for school or work. https://youtu.be/Uf1c0tEGfrU Talib Kweli and rapper Noname had a tense exchange on social media on Saturday, after he defended himself against the harassment allegations that got him kicked off Twitter last year. Talib was permanently banned from Twitter following “repeated violations,” a spokesperson for the social media site confirmed. The Brooklyn rapper was suspended after allegedly launching a harassment campaign against 24-year-old activist Maya A. Moody. His beef with her began after a Twitter user posted a list of rappers who are married to Black women. Kweli was on the list. Moody responded by noting: “Literally almost all of them are married to lightskinned women but that’s a conversation for another day.” And with that… Talib popped off. Stellar and Dove Award Nominated artist G.I. has released their much anticipated new single “Heal The Land.”G.I. has always been known for bringing fresh, relative content to the industry and that hasn’t changed with their latest offering. “Heal The Land” embodies a song that is laced with infectious beats just in time for spring and summer, as well as a message current to the times. The song beckons for God to bring healing, peace, and restoration during today’s challenging and difficult times. “Heal The Land” was recently serviced to radio and it has already been Billboard’s Most Added Song. G.I. is back! https://orcd.co/healtheland-single Real Talk with Vashawn Mitchell as he and guest talk Covid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiVZUh5lMso UNCENSORED | DMX on Sun, May 16 at 8pm ET + Uncensored Special: DMX the Icon Mon, May 17 at 10 pm ET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWo0F9UYeI8 A woman was killed and a person was critically wounded in Rishon Lezion after terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a barrage of rockets in the direction of Tel Aviv late Tuesday night setting off sirens throughout the center of the country. The barrage came hours after Hamas warned Israel that it would fire missiles into Tel Aviv if the IDF continued to strike buildings in the Gaza Strip. Another rocket struck a bus in Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. Four people were injured in Holon including the driver of the bus who was critically injured. Another three people were in moderate condition after being injured in the attack, including a five-year-old child. https://twitter.com/i/status/1392184942801653775 San Francisco will divert $3.75 million from its law enforcement budget to programs assisting the city’s Black-owned businesses. As reported by The Washington Examiner, The Office of Economic and Workforce Development will distribute funding to 17 community organizations. The goal of the initiative is to preserve small businesses in historically black neighborhoods. https://youtu.be/MV4Nq1GaIAA The Bengal tiger that went viral after it was filmed roaming around a Houston neighborhood unchecked is now missing. The exotic cat, complete with a collar around its neck, jumped over a backyard fence Sunday evening and went for a stroll through the grassy front lawns along the block, alarming neighbors. Bystanders took pictures and videos of the animal while an off-duty sheriff’s deputy arrived on the scene and tried to corral the animal at gunpoint. https://youtu.be/BVlUyBupmL8 This weekend, Saddleback Church celebrated the ordination of their “first three women pastors” in what they called “a historic night” for the church. Unsurprisingly, this has led to a lot of discussion over the past few days about the role of women in the church and the future of complementarianism. While I have long respected Saddleback’s ministry impact and heart for getting the gospel to the nations, I disagree with their decision to take this step, and would even say I find it disappointing. As Pastor James Merritt noted, we can affirm both (1) that God calls men and women to vital ministry in the church and (2) that God’s Word clearly reserves the office of pastor/elder/overseer for qualified men. 1 Timothy 3:1–7, Titus 1:6–9, and 1 Peter 5:1–5. Robin Roberts and LeBron James have announced their new Disney+ celebrity interview show titled “Turning the Tables With Robin Roberts.” Roberts will host and executive produce the four-episode series featuring conversations with female celebrities, Disney+ announced in a press release. “This project is very personal to me, and I’m proud to bring it to Disney+,” Roberts said in a statement. “The guests we’ve assembled are an amazing group of women who have all achieved great success in their various careers. Although they represent different age groups and backgrounds, they were all willing to open up and share their unique stories with honesty and humor.” https://youtu.be/2XIyF6SHnm0 Laverne Cox has been named host of E!’s long-running red carpet award show coverage starting in 2022. E! announced Monday (May 10) that Cox is replacing Giuliana Rancic as host of “Live from E!”. Rancic announced last week that she was parting ways with the network after 20 years as she has inked a new development deal with E!’s parent company, NBCUniversal. The Emmy-nominated actress and activist will also host a series of celebrity-based interview specials spotlighting Hollywood influencers. Snoop Dogg hit up his Instagram account recently to ask for prayers for his mother, Beverly Tate. In a post on Friday, the hip-hop icon shared a photo of his mother along with the caption: “I need all my prayer warriors for momma right now please and thank you.” Snoop didn’t share details about his mother’s health status, leaving fans to inquire about it in the comments. In another post, he wrote, “Mama thank u for having me could of gave me up but u raised a family.” Prior to the “prayer warriors” post, he shared a throwback of the two tagged to Jamaica with the caption: “A mother’s love is precious ???? Rita.” Porsha Williams has announced she is engaged to Simon Guobadia — the ex-husband of her RHOA costar Falynn Guobadia. In an Instagram post on Monday, the reality TV star posted a selfie with Simon along with the caption: “Our relationship began a month ago—yes we are crazy in love,” Williams wrote. “I know it’s fast but we are living life each day to its fullest. I choose happiness every morning and every night. Tuning out all negative energy and only focused on positive wishes. He makes me so happy and to me, that is what matters most.” Simon later confirmed the pair were engaged after a month of dating. “I asked her to marry me because we checked ALL of each other’s boxes, and then some,” he wrote on Instagram. A Twitter user is catching it after accusing Phylicia Rashad’s “Cosby Show” character, Clair Huxtable of being “an enabler” of disgraced television star Bill Cosby. “Claire Huxtable was an enabler of the longest and most prolific drug rape predator In US history, Bill Cosby,” Twitter user Talmadge wrote. “Everyone on set knew he was a sadistic predator. Everyone. 75 women drugged and raped by Cosby and he got away with it because of enablers.” Black Twitter was quick to cancel Talmadge while defending Rashad, noting she nor Claire Huxtable are responsible for the accusations against Cosby. “Neither Claire Huxtable or Phylicia Rashad are responsible for Bill Cosby’s actions,” one user wrote. “She was his co worker and employee, not his supervisor or co conspirator in his crimes.” Rashad previously came to Cosby’s defense in a 2015 interview with ABC News. The actress described the sexual assault accusations against him as an “obliteration of legacy.” It was like watching someone fall in love before our very eyes. On “The Wendy Williams Show” Monday, her wax figure from Madame Tussauds was revealed.. It was an emotional moment, as Williams stared at the details of her likeness – from the wig, to the bling, to the Gucci sneakers, to the makeup and lashes. https://youtu.be/xj3Ns87EOHc Moonlight“ director Barry Jenkins is bringing his talents to the Amazon Prime Video screen to direct and produce the new limited series “The Underground Railroad,” which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead. The ten episode show tells the story of a slave named Cora Randall (Thuso Mbedu) who escapes a Georgia plantation through the Underground Railroad. Randall discovers the path isn’t exactly what she expected, instead it’s an actual railroad full of engineers, conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels underneath the Southern ground. https://youtu.be/_Pq5Usc_JDA Whats up ya’ll. Bowlegged Lou here. Just wanted to give kudo’s to DJ Cassidy for spearheading another great “Pass The Mic” event on BET. 13 great legendary acts doing the damn thing on the platform of DJ Cassidy’s brainchild dedicated to Mothers Day on BET. This Lineup was epic incredible with performances by Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Vanessa Williams, Karyn White, Kelly Rowland, Al B Sure, Johnny Gill, Howard Hewett,Force Mds,Valerie Simpson, Keni Burke, Mtume With Tawatha & Shirley Jones of The Jones Girls. https://youtu.be/m_uinBdESU8 Clubhouse has announced that the app is no longer available for iPhones only. Android users in the U.S. can download the app starting immediately. The app release comes after iPhone downloads took a dip down in April. Android users can download the app but they still need an invite to access it. The mother of model Natalia Harris, who passed away last year, received a heartwarming surprise when she was greeted by a Delta ad of her late daughter while catching a flight. First time flying, since my baby @iamnataliaharris transitioned,” Harris’ mother, Egli Colo´n Stephens, wrote in an Instagram post in March. “Just when I thought I was not going to see her ad from her @delta campaign, there she was. BOOM! Two posters on the corridor, right before boarding the plane. This “SEE YOU SOON” means more now than ever. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms and never, ever let her go.” Stephens spotted the campaign poster again in the Delta Airlines skybridge during her return flight from Florida to New York City. The poster reads “This Is What See You Soon Looks Like.” Russell Westbrook is the NBA’s new triple-double king, and it happened with a rebound Tuesday night in Atlanta. https://youtu.be/Q3ZGFtuhbuo Sunday was the first Mother’s Day that ESPN analyst Jalen Rose had to spend without his mother Jeanne, who was so instrumental in guiding her son toward a life in basketball, first at the University of Michigan as part of the “Fab Five,” and eventually in the NBA. https://youtu.be/ogSjyMt9l4Q A jury has convicted a Milwaukee man of murder for the 2019 death of his 5-year-old son, who he fatally punched over a piece of cheesecake on Father’s Day. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 30-year-old Travis Stackhouse pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree reckless homicide, child abuse, and child neglect in the death of his son, Sir Amer Stackhouse. He is facing nearly 40 years behind bars. https://youtu.be/YgJ-VsxB2lw Trey Songz is caught up in more legal drama after reportedly hitting a woman’s car and her hand following an argument. According to TMZ, the singer and the woman got into an argument while each were in their own car Thursday. At some point, Trey bumped his car into hers and that’s when she got out to confront him. Trey and the woman reportedly did not have a prior relationship, and it’s unclear what they were arguing about, according to the report. A source close to Trey’s camp tells TMZ that the woman’s allegations are false. Meanwhile, the singer got sued last week for allegedly punching a bartender working at a Cardi B concert in 2019. Most recently it was reported that Trey will not face criminal charges for his violent altercation with cops earlier this year at an NFL playoff game. Pop Smoke was fatally shot on Feb. 19, 2020, in Los Angeles, during a home invasion robbery. It was later reported that his death was a targeted attack. Thursday (May 6), LAPD detective Christian Carrasco gave testimony at the preliminary hearing for Corey Walker, 20, the only adult in the case, that Pop Smoke was killed by a 15-year-old teen. Three men and two teen boys were arrested in connection with the slaying of Pop Smoke in California. The 15-year-old reportedly “admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9 [mm.],” Camacho said. According to the New York Daily News, the detective revealed that the group of suspects broke into the LA mansion that the raper was renting at the time to steal his Cuban link chain. They only managed to get away with a diamond-studded Rolex watch, which they later sold for $2,000. https://youtu.be/HwI6fYVlsBU Netflix has joined the slew of Hollywood organizations that claim to be outraged over the lack of diversity and favoritism within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Netflix’s co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos has fired off a letter to the HFPA, noting that the streaming giant is “stopping any activities” with the organization behind the Golden Globes, “until more meaningful changes are made” to the group’s demographics and ethics policies, per The Hollywood Reporter. https://youtu.be/kRM5R0uLTkI Jacob Artist (“Glee”) is jumping for love in “The Get Together!” The new film centers around four mid-twenty year-olds dealing with ultimatums at a wild house party. Artist plays Damien, who is in town with his girlfriend Betsy, (Johanna Brady), and plans on proposing to her at a surprise party, set up by her dad. Before heading to her father’s house, the couple stops at a party to see old friends. https://youtu.be/Zn6O5jf-Dls Actress Vivica A. Fox has recalled a seemingly racist moment she had with Ivanka Trump during the filming of “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2015. Speaking to host Andy Cohen on “For Real: The Story of Reality TV,” Fox recounted the offensive comments Ivanka made after team projects were completed. As reported by thejasminebrand.com, Fox noted that during a board meeting, Ivanka complimented Fox and actress Keisha Knight Pulliam for their group’s presentation. She said: “You’re certainly an articulate group.” https://youtu.be/1UJp6WjTOJw Last month, it was announced that poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou and NASA astronaut Sally Ride will be the first two women featured on the tail of quarters as part of the American Women Quarters program. The US Mint has released a first look at the coins, and Angelou’s will come in seven different designs to honor her contribution to American history. https://youtu.be/sPAVWStF37U Last October during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and its rippling economic downturns, a key federal financial regulator adopted a rule that blesses the “rent-a-bank” scheme where predatory lenders partner with banks to evade state interest rate limits. Known as the “True Lender” rule, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) gave a green light to predatory lenders. It effectively overrides a string of state laws in almost every state enacted to end abusive payday, car-title, and installment loans with explosive interest rates of more than 100%. Known for playing diverse characters, Rhonda Morman is one of the ‘shining’ stars in Hollywood. Full of talent, charisma, and resilience, Morman will be seen in a new holiday Hallmark movie directed by Sean McNamara which also stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ashley Williams, Jacob Buster, and Logan Donovan, to be released later this year. The Hallmark movie is about two sisters and a holiday adventure to remember. Hollywood is already buzzing about the electrifying performance of Rhonda Morman as “Nina” in the romantic sure-to-be classic movie. Amazon Prime Video released the official trailer today for the highly anticipated Amazon Original anthology series “Solos,” created by David Weil and starring Academy Award-winning actors Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway and Helen Mirren, Emmy Award-winning actor Uzo Aduba, Nicole Beharie, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens, and Constance Wu. https://youtu.be/zbIAIE8BBHE This spring, multiple disciplinary artist Sanford Biggers will transform Rockefeller Center with several public art exhibitions, including the highly anticipated monumental Oracle sculpture. Presented by ART PRODUCTION FUND and ROCKEFELLER CENTER, in partnership with MARIANNE BOESKY GALLERY, and several years in the making, Biggers will be the first artist invited by Rockefeller Center for a multimedia survey exhibition campus-wide from May 5 to June 29, 2021. A Bengal tiger was spotted roaming around a neighborhood in Houston. Houston police said the exotic cat was reported at about 8 p.m. at a home on Ivy Wall Drive, near the intersection of Highway 6 and Memorial Drive. It was wearing a collar, and its owner eventually emerged to coax the animal back home. https://youtu.be/BVlUyBupmL8 In an emotional new TikTok video, Lizzo opens up to fans about “feeling sad” while confessing that she also feels “like a burden to everyone.” The 33-year-old entertainer tearfully explained, “You know that part of sadness where you feel like a burden on everyone, and annoying, and nobody cares about you?” she asked aloud before letting out a sigh. “Can we get rid of that part? It’s like, ‘Yo, I’m already sad,’” she continued. “Gotta add insult to injury that I have no one to talk to about it. It’s crazy. Like, why do we feel this way? Why do we feel this way when we get sad?” LaKeith Stanfield has responded to backlash over moderating a Clubhouse room in which users allegedly engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric. While the actor himself never said anything hateful about Jewish people, he still caught heat for not shutting down the conversation. Stanfield served as moderator during a discussion on Clubhouse last Wednesday night, during which participants reportedly compared Jewish people to Satanists and termites. According to the Daily Beast, Stanfield never said anything considered anti-Semitic but following criticism for joining the chat, he appeared in another Clubhouse session moderated by a panel of Jewish educators and addressed the backlash he’s received. A husband from Georgia shot dead his wife before turning the gun on himself leaving their three children heartbroken over their parents’ death and the rest of their family struggling to understand what happened. Timothy Price called police on Tuesday morning around 9am to tell them he had shot his wife of 11 years, 36-year-old Katherine, and needed help. By the time police reached the couple’s home in Centerville, Georgia, there was no answer at the door. https://www.13wmaz.com/video/news/local/family-mourns-loss-of-centerville-couple-found-dead-at-home/93-0fd0b093-822e-4005-902d-1040b5d9e5f6?jwsource=cl Returning to the pulpit after a COVID-19 outbreak infected him, his wife and 72 members of their congregation, the senior pastor of an Oregon church said Sunday that he will not kowtow to pressure to close the doors to the house of worship. Pastor Scott Erickson of the Peoples Church in Salem, Oregon, began his Mother’s Day sermon by addressing the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in his church and throughout the state. “In the last several days, it is apparent that voices in our community and region want the church of Jesus Christ to be quiet and to be closed,” Erickson told those in attendance at the church and others watching a livestream online broadcast. “Not us, not here, not now. That’s not what we’re doing.” Naomi Osaka is conflicted over whether the Tokyo Olympics should be held amid the coronavirus pandemic. The second-ranked tennis player, who represents Japan, was asked about the games at the Italian Open on Sunday. “Of course I would say I want the Olympics to happen, because I’m an athlete and that’s sort of what I’ve been waiting for my entire life,” she said. “But I think that there’s so much important stuff going on, and especially the past year,” Osaka added. “I think a lot of unexpected things have happened and if it’s putting people at risk, and if it’s making people very uncomfortable, then it definitely should be a discussion, which I think it is as of right now.” The 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, failed a drug test after the race, putting a new stain on a sport troubled by doping problems and placing thoroughbred horse racing’s most recognizable personality, the Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, under uncomfortable scrutiny. If he is disqualified, Medina Spirit will be stripped of the Derby title and its winning purse, and become only the third horse in the 147-year history of the race to receive such a penalty after finishing first. The colt cannot be disqualified until a second sample, collected at the same time as the first, confirms the result in a test expected in the coming weeks. Mr. Baffert will then have an opportunity to appeal. The “Without Remorse” star tells Access Hollywood’s Zuri Hall that he’d like to have “a couple” of kids in the next seven years – but will he name any of them after himself? The reigning Sexiest Man Alive also shares his thoughts on taking home this year’s title and jokes that his family bought every issue available! https://youtu.be/TEw6_pYD5d0 Actress, writer and producer Natasha Rothwell is making boss moves in the realm of entertainment. According to Deadline, she recently inked a production deal with ABC Signature. Through the deal—which was made through Rothwell’s production company Big Hattie Productions—she will lead the creation and development of television projects for the entertainment company. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1389250951307927554/_ql2aKJC?format=jpg&name=small An Akron entrepreneur is turning pain into purpose by using his business as a vessel to honor his late mother. According to WKYC, Lavar Jacobs recently opened a breast cancer center to pay homage to his mom who succumbed to the disease 12 years ago. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1391216155117953025/8oEG2Ap9?format=jpg&name=small From historic enrollment milestones to re-accreditations that will ensure longevity, historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country have made significant strides this year. One of the latest institutions to have a breakthrough achievement is North Carolina A&T State University which recently logged a recording-breaking accomplishment in terms of fundraising. Within the past year, the Greensboro-based school has raised $88 million which is nearly six times what the institution raises annually. That number is expected to grow as North Carolina A&T’s fiscal year has not come to a close yet. Many of the donations the school has received have come from corporate and individual donors amid the uprising for social justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Serena Williams has shown to be a superstar both on and off the court as she is seen spending quality time with her family in recent pictures shared on Instagram. A popular saying goes that the memories we make with our family are everything. Alexis Ohanian lived out that saying in the adorable pictures he shared on his Instagram story. The snapshots featured him, his wife, Serena Williams, his daughter, Olympia, and his parents having a swell time as a big happy family. https://www.instagram.com/amomama_usa/?utm_source=ig_embed DK Metcalf did not run fast enough in the 100 meters Sunday to advance to the finals in his professional track debut. But the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver fared better than some expected for an NFL player competing against some of the world’s top sprinters. With an official time of 10.37 seconds, Metcalf finished last among the nine in his heat and 15th among the 17 who competed in the USA Track and Field Golden Games and Distance Open in Walnut, California. “These are world-class athletes,” Metcalf said afterward on NBC streaming service Peacock, which broadcast the event, when asked whether he learned anything by competing in the event. “They do this for a living. It’s very different from football speed, from what I just realized. So, like I said, just excited to be out here.” A farmer who owns a celebrity rooster has had to cancel a world tour after Turkey went into lockdown. The rooster is popular for its routine of crowing so long that it runs out of breath and faints. https://youtu.be/jHWY6TlsGqo Rev. Ernest Angley passed away on Friday at the age of 99, according to an announcement shared through his ministry. “Pastor, evangelist, and author Rev. Ernest Angley has gone to Heaven to be with His Lord and Master at 99,” read a statement on the website of Ernest Angley Ministries. “He touched multitudes of souls worldwide with the pure Word of God confirmed with signs, wonders, miracles, and healings. He truly pleased God in all things.” The televangelist led Grace Cathedral church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in the Cleveland-Akron area for several decades. A champion for Milwaukee, Pastor Jerome Smith was remembered Friday, May 7 after losing his fight with COVID-19. He died at the age of 49 on April 27. Smith co-founded the Joseph Project with U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s office. “This has been rough and tough for us,” said Orlando Owens, a Joseph Project volunteer. “We will miss him but we will do the work in his memory.” The program has provided job opportunities and transportation to hundreds facing obstacles, many of whom were incarcerated. A Canadian pastor who went viral last month for ordering out police who showed up to his church on Easter weekend was arrested Saturday for violating COVID-19 limits on gatherings set by a new court order. Pastor Artur Pawlowski, the head of Calgary’s Street Church in Alberta, and his brother, Dawid Pawlowski, were arrested and charged with “organizing an illegal in-person gathering,” the Calgary Police Service said in a statement. Video capturing the arrests showed several police vehicles parked on the street as officers carried the handcuffed brothers, who appeared to refuse to walk on their own. An onlooker can be heard telling the officers, “Shame on you guys, this is not Communist China. Don’t you have family and kids? Whatever happened to ‘Canada, God keep our land glorious and free’?” Pastors and denominational leaders representing tens of thousands of parishioners posted demands to the courthouse door regarding the investigation of the killing of Andrew Brown Jr., an unarmed Black man who was shot in the back of the head by North Carolina deputies who wore tactical gear to serve warrants. Led by Bishop William J. Barber II, president of Repairers of the Breach, and Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, former president of the N.C. Council of Churches, about 100 pastors marched to the Pasquotank County Courthouse on Saturday, then posted the demands on the courthouse door and signed them, along with members of the public. The 42-year-old Brown, a father of seven, was killed April 21 by Pasquotank County deputies serving warrants for nonviolent drug crimes. No weapons or drugs were found on Brown, whose family and attorneys have described his killing as an execution. Miami-Dade Police lieutenant John Jenkins, who was also a top union official until he quit last week, was arrested on Friday on sexual battery charges. The Miami Herald reports that the alleged rape happened two weeks ago while Jenkins was in Palm Beach for a black tie police union gala at Trump National Jupiter Golf Club. The South Florida PBA said the incident didn’t take place on the Trump property but happened some time during the three-day event, which included golf and dinner at different locations. Jenkins was booked into Palm Beach County jail late Friday. No further details about the alleged rape were released. Lisa Wright always knew she was adopted, but had no idea her biological mother was a star on one of her favorite television shows. Now Wright is sharing the story of having been reunited with actress Lynne Moody after 50 years in what reads like the perfect Hollywood ending, according to NBC’s “Today.” “I grew up watching my mother on TV and didn’t even know it,” Wright told the morning show. “‘That’s My Mama’ — that was our must-see TV. We all sat down and watched ‘That’s My Mama’ every week, and who knew? No idea. … And that’s my mama!” The series ran for two seasons on ABC from 1974-75. Wright said she knew very little about Moody, who was 18 when she gave birth, and had a closed adoption. The Obamas have bid a sad farewell to their family pet Bo who passed away Saturday from cancer. The Portuguese Water Dog, a gift from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, a key supporter of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign who became close to the family. The dog was adopted by the First Family early in 2009 and joined them for both terms in the White House. Bo helped Obama keep a promise to daughters Malia and Sasha that they could get a dog after winning the election in 2008. On Saturday, the former president posted a series of pictures of his pet alongside a moving message describing Bo as a ‘true friend and loyal companion.’ ‘Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion. For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between. The next Superman movie might be one for the history books. According to reports, Warner Bros. is searching for a black actor to play the lead role of Superman for their upcoming film. In addition to that, reports also claim that the production company is looking for a black director for the project as well. Well-known journalist/author Ta-Nehisi Coates has signed on to write the screenplay and J.J. Abrams will be producing the project. Currently, the lead role and director spot for the film hasn’t been locked in yet, but many are speculating on who will eventually get those positions. It was reported back in 2018 that Michael B. Jordan might take on the role. Solid 21, Inc., owned by jeweler-to-the-stars Chris Aire aka “The King of Bling,” a Nigerian-born American, is currently litigating against Breitling, a Swiss company with its US operations headquartered in CT, due to their alleged trademark infringement of its RED GOLD® brand. Solid 21’s RED GOLD® brand has become known for its celebrity associations, with Solid 21 partnering up with celebrities such as the late Muhammad Ali for RED GOLD® co-promotions and ensuring that famous celebrities such as Naomi Campbell modeled RED GOLD® pieces in runway shows. https://youtu.be/t4kbdFRFfHg First, there will never be another Phyllis Hyman. died from suicide in 1995, possessed a signature voice that was deep, sultry, unique, pure, passionate, brilliant, and sassy when necessary. There maybe a second coming of Phyllis Hyman, sSngstress Whittington Still may be the one well on the way. Whittington is a talented vocalist who powerfully unleashes on her newly released ballad “Missing You.” https://youtu.be/zbRFqGy_Qvk Was there fairness across the board in how equitably money flows in the “billions of dollars” music industry? To address such questions – and many others – the Black Music Action Coalition was formed. The Coalition is comprised of managers, lawyers, and other stakeholders, tasked with the mission to hold the mammoth music industry accountable for its fairness. Major recording artists, including The Weeknd, BTS, Erykah Badu, and Kelis, donated money to support social justice and economic reforms in the music industry. While it appears changes have been made since last summer, the proof will be learned in June of 2021, when a comprehensive “report card” is issued. The report card will show if music entities have made good on their promises and commitments to equality and equity to Black artists and other African Americans employed in the music industry. Be part of the history-making documentary, “Artfully United” produced by The Rayloc Group, Mike Norice, Moses Stovall and Pastor Kevin Person. Join legendary comedian and actor Michael Colyar, alongside artist Mike Norice on Saturday, May 15th, for an incredible mural tour experience through some of the most violent and dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The incredible mural tour will visit 9 locations throughout the Los Angeles area and explore how art places in these areas help to inspire, motivate and bring change in what many view as hopeless communities. Several speakers appeared at a Collin County Commissioners Court meeting Monday to voice complaints about the inaction of law enforcement during recent protests across the county in response to the in-custody death of Marvin Scott III. The family and friends of Scott have organized nightly sit-ins at the county jail and other protests and are demanding further repercussions, including the arrests of the detention officers involved in his death, which the medical examiner’s office ruled a homicide last week. Ohio mom of two Shanika Bogan, 31, (left) was murdered in her apartment while her kids were in the next room. Kendall Beasley, 28, (right), was charged with murder less than a month after he finished a six-year prison stint for aggravated burglary and intimidating a victim, who was a woman, according to court records. Her mom, Tracie Berry and brother William said she was a ‘sweetheart.’ Tyler Perry has tapped 8 actors to round out the cast for his new Netflix film “A Jazzman’s Blues.” THR reports, Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young and Ryan Eggold are set to star alongside previously announced castmembers Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer. Perry penned the script for “A Jazzman’s Blues” 26 years ago, and the story “unravels forty years of secrets and lies in a tale of forbidden love and family drama soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South.” Two Hollywood notables are teaming up to tackle a new biopic, STU, according to Movieguide®. Actors Mark Wahlberg and famed Hollywood director Mel Gibson are collaborating on a new project. Wahlberg wanted to make a movie to honor the life and faith of boxer-turned-minister Father Stuart Long after the priest died on June 9, 2014. He was just 50 years old. Before Long became a priest, he was a self-described “anti-Christian” and passionate about sports like football and boxing–not about faith. The legendary R&B singer Aaron Neville is officially retiring from touring. He announced on his official website and on social media that the idea of touring no longer appeals to him. Hunkering down at home since March of 2020 when the pandemic forced most singers and other artists to stay home, Neville said that year taught him that “life is short” and he aims to be less hurried. If you enjoyed Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight when they participated in a Verzuz event last fall, you’ll be thrilled to know they are reuniting for DJ Cassidy‘s Mother’s Day special set of “Pass the Mic” to air on BET tomorrow, Sunday 9pm Eastern. “I’ve been wanting to ask Patti LaBelle to do [‘Pass the Mic’], and I’ve always had this dream of having a Mother’s Day episode, so I saved that call, and I’m so happy I did. If you’re having Patti LaBelle, it’s only right that you have Gladys Knight,” says Cassidy. https://youtu.be/BqFq0tWLfu0 Duck Dynasty star and Dancing With the Stars runner-up Sadie Robertson Huff has signed a deal with Dumb and Dumber and The Princess Switch producer Brad Krevoy to adapt her novel, Life Just Got Real, into a scripted series. The series will mark Robertson Huff’s debut as a producer and follows the lives of two high school girls, both with drastically different backgrounds, who join a reality TV show only to realize that “life is messy, love is hard, and second chances don’t come around every day.” Lloyd Price, the ‘50s R&B vocalist whose early singles were among the first to attract attention from the nascent rock ‘n’ roll audience, died Thursday. He was 88. Maxwell Entertainment owner Rickey Poppell posted the news on Facebook, saying, “My friend and Lloyd Price’s manager, Tom Trapani, just called to let me know that our friend, Lloyd, passed away last night. Those of us close to Lloyd have been keeping his declining health issues to our selves for the past five years, while Tom kept me up to date along the way. Lloyd was one of the sweetest, caring and kindest man I’ve ever known, I’ll miss him. My prayers go out to his lovely wife, Jackie.” A confidential lawsuit settlement had been reached between Chris Cornell’s family and a doctor who they claim over-prescribed him drugs before his death. The Cornell family alleged in the lawsuit filed in 2018 in Los Angeles Superior Court that the medication, especially the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam, prescribed by Dr. Robert Koblin led to erratic behavior in Cornell before his death in Detroit in 2017 at age 52. Along with lorazepam better known by its brand name Ativan tests revealed the presence of barbiturates and the anti-opioid drug naloxone in Cornell’s system. However, the coroner did not list them as contributing to his death. According to court documents, Koblin and his attorney denied any wrongdoing or responsibility for Cornell’s death. While appearing on “CBS This Morning,” the former First Lady (Michelle Obama) shared her reaction to Derek Chauvin’s trial and shared why she and President Barack Obama issued a rare statement on the verdict. “The goal is to let leaders lead. But in certain times, people, you know, look to us often. ‘Well, what do you think? How do you feel?'” Mrs. Obama told CBS‘ Gayle King when asked about the verdict. The Obamas released a statement after the verdict saying the Minnesota jury “did the right thing” in convicting Chauvin, but added that “true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial.” Mrs. Obama went on to say, “We know that while we’re all breathing a sigh of relief over the verdict, there’s still work to be done. And so we, we can’t sort of say, ‘Great. That happened. Let’s move on,'” she told King. “I know that people in the Black community don’t feel that way because many of us still live in fear.” Actor LaKeith Stanfield is seriously catching it because he was involved in a Clubhouse discussion about Louis Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism that devolved into a cesspool of hateful conspiracy theories and comments about Jewish people. he recently Oscar-nominated actor (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) was a moderator for a discussion on the Clubhouse app Wednesday night, and although he’s not accused of spewing any anti-Semitic speech himself … many are outraged he did nothing to speak out against it either. Stanfield confessed that he lacked knowledge about “the origins of Judaism in Jewishness,” but suggested he enjoys Clubhouse because he learns a lot from it. Thursday (May 6), an LAPD detective, Christian Carrasco, gave a testimony at the preliminary hearing for Corey Walker, a 20-year-old man charged with murder and robbery in the Feb. 19, 2020 slaying of Pop Smoke. During, the hearing Det. Carrasco revealed that the Canarsie, Brooklyn rapper was showering when home invaders entered his AirBnB and noted that he was later kicked after being shot. Det. Carrasco says on the fateful day of his murder, Pop, Bashar Barakah Jackson, was taking a shower in his Hollywood Hills rental when masked men stormed through the curtains of a second-story balcony. While one of the men allegedly held a black semiautomatic weapon to a woman’s forehead in the bedroom, yelling “Shut the f**k up. Do you want to die?,” the others ran to an adjoining bathroom to find the 20-year-old rapper. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned athletes from wearing Black Lives Matter apparel or kneeling at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Revolt reports, the ruling is part of a long-standing ban on “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda.” Athletes will be permitted to wear “Black Lives Matter” slogans during some parts of the Olympics, including press conferences, interviews and team meetings, according to the report. They say that big things come in small packages. That’s an accurate description of New Orleans Youth Coalition founder Brideisha Harness-Parker. Her small stature is matched with a big heart, determination and commitment to the youth of New Orleans. She works daily in high-crime areas to save as many kids as she can from becoming a statistic. During a phone interview, she was robbed at a local ATM. But nothing derails her mission. She has partnered with the Save Our Youth Nola organization to create job opportunities and a place of refuge for New Orleans kids. Harness-Taylor is also doing a door-to-door dollar drive, working on a “Save Our Youth” rally, as well as lining up basketball tournaments statewide. Zenger News caught up with this neighborhood “she-ro” to discuss the challenges she faces the importance of securing a building for her organization and much more. https://youtu.be/NuCvGVOEiaE “Everyone has an inner light, a unique offering to the world. Life experiences can diminish the light,” said singer/songwriter Naomi Cowan about the meaning of her single titled “Energy.” “When things happen to you, you forget who you are. You loose your focus…what’s next.” https://youtu.be/KnR6wQKeYf8 Madonna and Snoop Dogg in a project? That's what's happening. In the rapper’s video for “Gang Signs” that dropped at midnight, Madonna pops up out of left field in a cameo. Sporting platinum blonde hair, the 62-year-old drags on what appears to be a blunt in director 4 rAx’s visual for the track. The video was shot in a green screen studio with a pair of cars as props. “Was so much fun to show up in Snoop Dogg video for his new song Gang Signs!,” Madonna tweeted early Friday morning, along with two goat emojis. In the song, Snoop namechecks both Madonna as well as his ride-or-die Martha Stewart. https://youtu.be/uv8uB90Tl4Q A new social media trend is emerging where people are reportedly eating raw meat as another way to get high. Several people who have expertise in eating raw meat are encouraging others to at least wait a year or more to feel a “euphoric” effect after consuming it. According to Newsweek, some people have described rotten meat as having a “cheesy” taste and they enjoy how tender it is. The trend gained curiosity among Twitter after a user said that a friend convinced them to eat raw rotten meat aka “high meat” and they said they felt great from the experience. https://www.instagram.com/p/COmBaPAh5fl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Federal prosecutors have now charged Derek Chauvin and three other ex-Minneapolis cops of civil rights violations tied to Floyd’s May, 2020 death. The other three officers named in the federal indictment are J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. The civil rights charges against Chauvin, Kueng, Lane and Thao include violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and excessive force. All four officers were also charged for their failure to provide Floyd with medical care. On top of those charges, Chauvin also faces a second indictment stemming from his actions in the violent 2017 arrest of a 14-year-old boy. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that prosecutors are accusing Chauvin of striking a Black teenager in the head with a flashlight and placing him in a prone position for 17 minutes, ignoring the boy’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe. https://youtu.be/7FWLQY35xVQ The Minneapolis Police Department has reportedly refused to enter the “Free State of George Floyd” zone to respond to crimes. The Minnesota Sun reports on the case of a woman who was pushed out of a window during a domestic dispute on April 29, on the corner of East 38th Street and Elliot Avenue. The victim sustained multiple injuries, but when she called 911 for help, police refused to come because she was inside George Floyd Square, a four-block autonomous zone that is designated as “cop-free.” “Is it possible to have her move at least a block away, maybe [to] 38 and 10th?” a responding police officer can be heard asking dispatch in a recorded radio conversation. “She is bleeding and cut everywhere, but we’ll call her back and ask her to move a block away,” the dispatcher responded. U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., an Illinois Black Panther Party co-founder, is calling for the FBI to release the secret files related to the murder of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in 1969. “It is high time that the American people know about the odious and inhumane legacy of [Former FBI Director] J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO operation and its assault on our nation’s civil liberties,” he wrote in a statement, as reported by Revolt. “COINTELPRO was spying on American citizens. Anyone who took a political position against the status quo, anyone who wanted to make America better was subject to being penalized, investigated — and in the case of my friend Fred Hampton, assassinated — by the official legal arm of the federal government.” According to the report, Rep. Rush also fired off a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to “release unclassified and unredacted versions of any files or papers in the possession of the U.S. Department of Justice or the FBI pertaining to this assassination.” https://youtu.be/j6dAHemXGFk Erica Mena has threatened to beat Wendy Williams’ for talking about her pregnancy and marriage in a new episode of her talk show. Taking to her Twitter account, the “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” star made clear that she’s ready to serve a beat down to the TV host down. On Wednesday (May 5), Erica wrote, “At this point, let’s link up so I can beat your a**.” She added, “Your ex husband didn’t do a good enough job.” Mena’s tweet was in response to Williams noting how Erica and her hubby Safaree Samuels are always “fighting and threatening divorce.” https://youtu.be/n8E_NfcKg6E Childish Gambino (AKA Donald Glover) is being sued over his 2018 single “This Is America,” by an artist who claims the track is a rip-off of his own song titled “Made in America.” TMZ reports, Emelike Nwosuocha—a rapper who performs under the name Kidd Wes—claims he created his track on SoundCloud in September 2016 and later released it on YouTube. He registered the song with the U.S Copyright Office in May 2017. According to the court docs … Kidd Wes claims the chorus, or hook, of “This is America” is “unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical” to “Made in America.” https://youtu.be/VYOjWnS4cMY Activist and former Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is set to re-release the first three romance novels she penned under an assumed name. Before she ran for governor of Georgia and became a voting rights activist, Abrams wrote romance novels. Abrams, who was the first Black female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the history of the United States, previously explained that she wrote romance novels —several of which can still be purchased on Amazon—under a pseudonym because she thought her own name was “boring” and didn’t want it associated with fictitious sexually malnourished housewives when folks googled her. The Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors made history in the Southeastern Conference Thursday when it voted to hire Dr. William Tate as the university’s next president. Tate will be the first African American to hold the position at LSU and in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The vote was 15-0. https://youtu.be/JeBUz2uB1Gg D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the city plans to make Black Lives Matter Plaza “a permanent art installation in the District.” In a live discussion with Jonathan Capehart of The Washington Post Thursday, Bowser spoke about the groundbreaking plaza on 16th Street NW, painted in huge yellow lettering on June 5 – less than two weeks after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis – and given its own street sign. https://youtu.be/Q5xcgW_2wrE Educating Young Minds (EYM), a leader in supplemental education in the greater Los Angeles area for more than 33 years, is now expanding its online platform Access/No Excuse (ANE) nationally thanks to a $175,000 grant from Amazon Studios. With the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent shutdowns, EYM had to transition its full suite of services to a virtual model, now offering tutoring, computer tech programs, early learner’ interactive curriculum, counseling, mentoring and community resources for at-risk youth and families in need. Dr. Jackson Avery is saying goodbye to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Jesse Williams, who has played the plastic surgeon since season 6 on “Grey’s Anatomy,” will appear in his final episode, titled “Tradition,” on May 20, ABC announced Thursday. “I will forever be grateful for the boundless opportunities provided me by Shonda, the network, studio, fellow castmates, our incredible crew, Williams, 39, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, referring to creator Shonda Rhimes. “As an actor, director and person, I have been obscenely lucky to learn so much from so many and I thank our beautiful fans, who breathe so much energy and appreciation into our shared worlds,” continued Williams. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Dr. Ian Smith of TV’s “The Doctors” recently called out a Black talk show host who he says avoids having Black experts on her show because she doesn’t want white folks to think of it as a “Black show.” In a recent radio interview to promote his new book “Fast Burn,” Dr. Brown said, “There is a talk show with an African-American host, with an African-American executive producer, that has said to publicists, ‘Do not pitch us your Black clients. We are not a Black show. Pitch us your white clients. We don’t wanna be looked at as a Black show.’” https://youtu.be/cAwSyHR4wCQ Fox News host Brian Kilmeade acted more like a 12-year-old than the 6th graders he was interviewing Wednesday morning for a segment on “Fox & Friends.” When one 6th grade boy credited President Joe Biden’s pandemic response, Kilmeade couldn’t let it go without clapping back in a touchy tone crediting former president Donald Trump instead. https://youtu.be/mkXIIIUtn0E Thursday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins announced the team signed the son of a Hall of Fame football player. Jibri Blount, the son of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Mel Blount, signed an undrafted free agent deal with the team. “Thank you Lord and thank you Miami Dolphins. Ready to get to work!” Blount said on Twitter. The NFL offseason got going with a rip-roaring start after Houston Texans franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson requested a trade from the struggling organization. As the offseason continued, rumors of a Watson trade gave in to allegations from north of 20 women claiming sexual assault and/or misconduct on the part of last year’s NFL passing leader. While the legal situation has yet to be settled in civil court, the Houston Police Department has opened up a criminal investigation into the allegations. Meanwhile, Roger Goodell and the NFL has opened its own investigation under the guise of the personal conduct policy. https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/754200_s_1618013610853.png Shocking news, Thursday evening Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced that she will NOT seek a second term. Bottoms revealed that she will not seek a second term as Atlanta’s 60th mayor during a private call with friends, staffers and allies, according to two people who were on the call and several others who were told about it. https://youtu.be/CaDvp7AOMQ8 Florida continues its attack on democracy with a newly passed anti-voting rights bill. Passed almost entirely along party lines, the bill awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature. A response to record turnout last year, SB 90 is another bill created from the twin sins of lying about voter fraud and fear of multiracial coalitions. Black Democratic lawmakers have been particularly vocal in sounding the alarm about the dangers of SB 90 since its introduction. https://twitter.com/i/status/1387935802294951936 The Chicago police oversight agency found “significant deficiencies” in policy and training and nearly 100 allegations of police misconduct while investigating the raid on the home of Anjanette Young. Chicago police burst into Young’s apartment with guns drawn, handcuffed her and forced her to stand naked as an all-male team of mostly white cops searched the home in 2019. As it turned out, the cops raided the wrong house — a common occurrence in the city. https://youtu.be/ZITzpu836gQ A distinguished New Jersey doctor considered a “giant in the field of infectious diseases” has died of COVID-19. Dr. Rajendra Kapila was a professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and was a founding member of the New Jersey Infectious Disease Society. The 81-year-old died in India on April 28, nearly three weeks after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the Hindustan Times. Kapila’s ex-wife, Dr. Bina Kapila, said he went to India — where the pandemic is raging — to help care for his family and had planned for it to be a brief trip, according to ABC New York station WABC. A new study estimates that the number of people who have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. is more than 900,000, a number 57% higher than official figures. Worldwide, the study’s authors say, the COVID-19 death count is nearing 7 million, more than double the reported number of 3.24 million. The analysis comes from researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, who looked at excess mortality from March 2020 through May 3, 2021, compared it with what would be expected in a typical nonpandemic year, then adjusted those figures to account for a handful of other pandemic-related factors. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced today that Google will become a WNBA Changemaker through a new multiyear partnership that will drive engagement during many key moments throughout the year. As part of the partnership, Google will serve as Presenting Partner of the WNBA Playoffs and as an Associate Partner of WNBA All-Star on ESPN and the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. “Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, we know her as this legend but there is a story to everyone. Her life had so much depth to it, and it came through the music.” Jennifer Hudson “My dream for the film — and for Aretha and her legacy — was to create a piece of cinema that feels like a classic you have to see in the movie theater. You have to see it on a big screen because her life was so big it deserves that." https://youtu.be/PBfVR_u_lGQ Hidden Empire Film Group announced today that they will release the highly-anticipated horror comedy The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2, the follow-up to the 2016 indie hit Meet The Blacks, in theaters on Friday, June 11th. Lionsgate will partner with Hidden Empire to release the film on demand and on blu-ray/DVD later this summer. https://youtu.be/TgtBmFn4r7Y The uplifting, new film WALKING WITH HERB takes audiences on an 18-hole rollercoaster ride as one man discovers how the impossible can become possible through faith, family and second chances . . . and with the help of God’s motorcycle-riding messenger. In theaters nationwide on May 7, WALKING WITH HERB will inspire and entertain audiences. WALKING WITH HERB features global star Edward James Olmos and comedy legend George Lopez. https://walkingwithherbmovie.com/ Shedrick Mitchell can easily be described as a musical wonder. The highly revered and celebrated musician has poured pure essence into the heart of the music he has played for over two decades with a venerable list of who’s who across genres including Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and more. Never one to rest on his laurels, Mitchell exudes the same passion in the presentation of his own instrumental disc of hymns and sacred songs simply entitled, Time, Reflections, Distance, releasing on May 7th. Back in April, we reported that Quavo and Saweetie were being investigated for their big fight that went down last year. The video which made its rounds on social media showed Saweetie swinging on her now ex-boyfriend Quavo before he throws her to the ground. Cops wanted to meet with both parties, separately, to discuss what went down. At the time, sources said their elevator fight could’ve been considered an instance of domestic violence, where both parties are in the wrong. But cops were looking to determine what happened before and after the elevator fight,TMZ notes. According to the updated report by the news site, neither of them will face criminal charges for their elevator altercation. Actor Kirk Cameron and the filmmaker brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick have reunited for a new feature film based on a true story. It’s the first time they’ve come together since the success of “Fireproof.” “It’s been 14 years since we shot the movie ‘Fireproof,’” filmmaker and actor Alex Kendrick shared on Instagram. We’re excited to be working with Kirk Cameron again on this new feature!” Gabourey Sidibe is set to make her directorial debut with the thriller “Pale Horses,” based on a story by Chris Courtney Martin. PEOPLE reports, the story is set in the Pacific Northwest and follows Naia, a reclusive African American YA book author who has Multiple sclerosis. Naia’s life changes when she agrees to shelter a man who escaped captivity with her missing brother. A Texas housewife who butchered her close friend with an axe in a fit of rage on Friday the 13th after having an affair with her husband is the subject of not one but two upcoming true crime series. Candy Montgomery killed her friend Betty Gore on June 13, 1980, shocking the small town of Wylie. She left her friend-turned-foe with 41 axe wounds but was shockingly found not guilty of the crime. Both Elizabeth Olsen and Elisabeth Moss have signed on to play the axe murderer in two different limited series. Olsen, 32, has been cast as the lead in HBO Max’s ‘Love and Death,’ while Moss, 38, will star in the upcoming Hulu series ‘Candy.’ Philip Bailey, the lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire, and founder of the Music Is Unity Foundation, is kicking off National Foster Care Month with a campaign to raise $500,000 for foster youth, reports the Washington Informer. The #FosterChallenge encourages everyone to donate just one buck to help raise awareness of foster children’s plight throughout the country. In the hours after the Angels’ loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, general manager Perry Minasian and team President John Carpino held a meeting with Albert Pujols. During the season’s first month, Pujols had played almost every day as the Angels first baseman. He’d hit five home runs in his first 18 games. But his performances had also dropped off in recent days, the 41-year-old slugger returning to the underwhelming form that had come to define much of his time with the Angels. Wednesday night, they pulled the trigger, informing Pujols he would be designated for assignment on Thursday and ultimately released, ending his Angels tenure in the last season of a 10-year, $240 million contract. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill on Thursday that would allow college athletes to receive pay when their “name, image, or likeness” is used. The legislation, H.B. 617, states that “participation in intercollegiate athletics should not infringe upon the rights of student-athletes to have control over” their own names and any profit that is incurred from them. The funding will be placed in an escrow account and will not be available for use until the athlete departs from college. Texas linebacker Jake Ehlinger, the 20-year-old younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger, was found dead on Thursday, according to police in Austin, Texas. The Austin Police Department said it received a call and responded to a residential area just to the west of the Texas campus, and identified the individual as Jake Ehlinger, who was a redshirt sophomore. No cause of death was released and police said it was not considered suspicious. June 16-18 , Indie Go Inspire and Merge Music Group are hosting the Power Up! Virtual Music Conference, which serves as a 3-night interactive workshop catered towards equipping indie artists with empowering knowledge to become successful. Partners Patrice DeLisser (Indie Go Inspire), Roderick Jemison and Sherri Y. Johnson (Merge Music Group) are excited to join forces again. During quarantine last year the trio successfully held virtual concerts and in person outreaches. The Smollett sibling duo continue to bring their keen design flavor to CLEO TV this Saturday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. As they perform revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU2lRNLj-lk&feature=youtu.be JOIN CHEF SUNNY ANDERSON AS SHE TAKES VIEWERS TO THE BAYOU WITH DELICIOUS NEW ORLEANS CUISINE ON COOKING FOR REAL WITH SUNNY ANDERSON, AIRING MONDAYS AT 9 P.M. ET/8C "FAVORITE SON"? Brothers in a gospel group struggle to find balance of life, love, faith and religion, while under the strict rule of their father, a megachurch reverend. Inspired by Tiffany L. Warren’s novel of the same name. The film stars Jonathan McReynolds, Rotimi, Keke Wyatt, Serayah, Roger Mitchell & more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l5JIOwDvos Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex has announced that her first children’s book will explore the bond between fathers and sons. Set to be published this summer, Meghan said the book, titled “The Bench,” was inspired by a Father’s Day poem she wrote for her husband, Prince Harry. “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born,” Meghan said in the press release from publisher Random House Children’s Books, PEOPLE reports. “That poem became this story.” Tiffany Haddish has revealed that when she “was 21 I was really hard up for some money and I gave up a bunch of eggs.” Speaking to E!’s Daily Pop, Haddish recalled being desperate for money before the fame, so she donated eggs, PEOPLE reports. https://twitter.com/i/status/1389987489402654720 The Los Angeles Times on Monday announced that Kevin Merida will be its new executive editor. erida, 64, has built a lengthy career in newspapers, including 22 years at the Washington Post before joining ESPN in 2015 to lead the sports culture show “The Undefeated.” He also worked at the Dallas Morning News and Milwaukee Journal. Seychelles, which has fully vaccinated more of its population against the coronavirus than any other country, has closed schools and canceled sporting activities for two weeks as infections surge. The measures, which include bans on the intermingling of households and the early closure of bars, come even as the country has fully vaccinated more than 60% of its adult population with two doses of Covid-19 vaccines. The curbs are similar to those last imposed at the end of 2020. “Despite of all the exceptional efforts we are making, the Covid-19 situation in our country is critical right now, with many daily cases reported last week,” Peggy Vidot, the nation’s health minister, said at a press conference Tuesday A Texas city has withdrawn its eminent domain request to take property owned by a local predominantly African American congregation as part of an effort to build a new fire station. In the Dallas suburbs, the city of Duncanville garnered headlines last year when it filed a petition to seize a vacant lot owned by Canaan Baptist Church. The city’s attorney Robert Hager confirmed to The Christian Post Wednesday that the town had filed a request to withdraw the eminent domain petition. Two pastors have offered practical advice for combating smartphone addiction — an issue they said is permeating the Church at an unprecedented rate. Smartphone addiction is one of the “major pastoral issues” of today, Joe Rigney, an author, seminary professor, and pastor at Cities Church, said in a video posted on the Gospel Coalition website, yet it only emerged in recent years. https://youtu.be/XVASRI39NCE Tina Turner thought she was ready to retire in 2000. She launched a farewell trek that year dubbed “Twenty-Four-Seven Tour.” It was that year’s highest grossing tour in North America with $80.2 million banked, according to Pollstar, and at the time was the fifth highest grossing tour ever in North America. But eight years later, at 69-years-young, Turner decided to hit the road again to mark her five decades in music. The “50th Anniversary Tour” featured all of the hits from her career, compete with choreography, hi-tech lighting and a ton of background dancers. Turns out this really would be her farewell tour, a 90-show trek that started in Missouri, where she first performed with Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm. https://youtu.be/_KixcBbE7q8 A stock market trading platform has analysed data on the world’s hottest music artists to calculate which are the biggest and most successful in 2021 according to the numbers. Using different analysis metrics including; streaming data, awards won, Billboard Hot 100 entries, brand deals and social media following, Stake was able to rank each musician and determine their theoretical ‘stock’ price. Canadian musician Drake topped the list, with singer songwriter Taylor Swift and fellow Canadian Justin Bieber rounding out the top three. https://youtu.be/JFm7YDVlqnI Rapper Silento best known for his hit song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” is requesting bond in his felony murder case and insisting he’s not a flight risk! According to TMZ, Silento filed legal docs in DeKalb County, GA requesting the court set his bond at $25k. In the docs obtained by the news site, Silento says he’s “not an extraordinary bail risk and will not jeopardize the safety of the community if released on bail.” The rap star was arrested back in February for his alleged role in the death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks. Silento was charged with felony murder. A viral video shows a Spirit Airlines passenger beating the brakes off a fellow passenger inside Detroit Metro Airport. The two were just four gates down from a TSA checkpoint on April 30 when they began going at it. They scrapped for about a minute before other passengers finally stepped in to break it up. An airport spokesperson said an issue on a flight led to the fight once the plane landed. https://youtu.be/PBZXunt_Dbs Alveda King and Kathie Lee Gifford have teamed up for the inspirational new single, “Your Way Yahweh,” available today from Radiate Music. The inspirational song, written by King, was produced by Ian Eskelin. https://youtu.be/d2_jlZFAQxY At age 18, Kathy Ireland was a lonely up-and-coming model living in an old French apartment at the end of a dark hallway nicknamed “the dungeon” with her housemates. But it was during this time that the now entrepreneur developed a new relationship with God. “I was living in Paris and it was really a hard time,” the 58-year-old told Fox News. “I know it might sound glamorous, but I was alone modeling. It wasn’t my plan, but I recognized it as an opportunity. I could save money for college or start a business. I just barely finished high school and I had no technology or distractions.” During one night in 1981, the former cover girl was going through her suitcase when she discovered that her mom had secretly packed a Bible for her. Former Ole Miss wide receiver DK Metcalf is testing his speed against the fastest men in the country, and possibly the world. Metcalf is slated to participate in the USA Track and Field Golden Games on Sunday in the 100-meter dash. The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver has not competed in a track meet since his days at Oxford High School, but his 4.33-second 40-yard time at the 2019 NFL Combine and his reputation as one of the fastest straight-ahead runners in the NFL attracted the attention of USA Track and Field. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in May 2020, Oliver Kellman’s heart and kidney failed. He required two transplants to survive. When he went to the hospital on May 14, thinking he would probably need dialysis, he was told he needed a heart transplant within the next two or three weeks — or “you won’t make it in the middle of COVID,” Kellman, an attorney and lobbyist, recalled. For Kellman, a 6-foot-4-inch-tall black man, the odds of finding a donor organ match were slim. The number of African Americans in need of organ transplants outpaces the number of black donors. The number of organ transplants performed on black/African Americans in 2019 was 25.8 percent of the number of black/African Americans waiting for a transplant, data from the Office of Minority Health shows. The number of transplants performed on white Americans was 47.6 percent of those waiting. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many observances of the annual National Day of Prayer to go virtual, with a focus on praying for those who were sickened or died. A year later, as the 70th observance occurs on Thursday (May 6), pandemic prayers continue and, in some cases, are being coupled with petitions for racial justice. In New York, Black clergy plan to join other faith and political leaders to call for houses of worship to be deemed essential as they continue to provide aid to communities of color disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. In North Carolina, a council of churches is praying for courage after the deaths of Black people in police shootings. And across the nation, a virtual broadcast of the National Day of Prayer Task Force will include an apology to Native Americans, who have lost land and lives as a result of U.S. policies. Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, has been tapped to take over as the new moderator of “Washington Week,” the PBS public affairs show. Alcindor will succeed Robert Costa at a program that is best known as the longtime home of the anchor Gwen Ifill. Costa departed the show in January after moderating since 2017. Alcindor has served as guest moderator since then, Deadline reports. LeBron James is speaking out about the controversial tweet he posted last month regarding the fatal police shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. James caught major heat for posting a photo of Nicholas Reardon, the Columbus police officer who fatally shot Bryant, and captioning the image “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY,” along with an hourglass emoji. His post was in reference to former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin being found guilty on three counts in the murder of George Floyd. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1388470789809266689/P7mqls54?format=jpg&name=small Although the claim has been debunked a multitude of times, Republican lawmakers in recent days have given new voice to the notion that the clause in the Constitution counting slaves as three-fifths of a human was actually a step toward ending slavery. The most recent example came from Tennessee state Rep. Justin Lafferty as part of a debate over whether schools should be restricted in how they teach about systemic racism in American history. His remarks even sparked applause from the GOP-controlled House while shocking many Black lawmakers and activists. https://youtu.be/jkygbScntwg A 16-year-old named Mikayla Miller was found by a jogger tied to a tree on Sunday, April 18, in Hopington, Massachusetts. It is believed that the teen got into a dispute with a group of other teenagers the night before. Her mother asked for her death to be investigated due to the suspicious circumstances, however, the DA claimed there was no foul play. “My daughter was jumped by a group of kids on Saturday April 17th, 2021, and was then murdered hours later in Hopkinton, tied to a tree and left,” read the statement allegedly left by Miller’s mother. Members of Atlanta’s renowned Morehouse College Speech and Debate Team, who were competing earlier this month for possibly another national championship, suddenly pulled out of the tournament, in protest. According to 11Alive, the tournament was on Zoom, and the Black debaters could see and hear white debaters from other colleges mocking them, and using racist gestures and comments. They say the judges and organizers did nothing to stop it. https://youtu.be/e3CE6-9RRNw A married couple with a long history of service to their SouthSide community were the victims of a horrific attack over the weekend. Now friends are rallying to support the couple many say would “give you the shirts off their backs.” Even in this violent city, what happened to Timothy and Renee Johnson is inconceivable. “It’s like a page out of a horror movie,” said their daughter, Destinee Johnson. https://cbsloc.al/2RuwK8U This is the clean-cut Christian couple who have agreed to take in accused pedophile Josh Duggar while he awaits trial on federal child pornography charges, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. Duggar will be released from jail today to live with designated third-party custodians, LaCount Reber and his wife Maria, at their home in Lafayette, Arkansas. The pair – close friends with the Duggar family – agreed to house the father-of-six despite authorities revealing this week that he kept a sickening trove of 200 child porn images on his computer. Social media users are calling on TLC to cancel Counting On and pull all Duggar family programming from its website and streaming services in the wake of Josh Duggar’s arrest on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse images. Josh, 33, has not appeared on TLC since 2015, when the public learned through an unearthed police report that Josh had molested five minors — including four of his younger sisters — when he was a teenager. The scandal led TLC to cancel 19 Kids and Counting, which they replaced months later with a new family show, Counting On. Fighting for her justice for nearly 24 years, Pamela Smith continues to tell her story of survival and perseverance from the alleged abuse she endured while an inmate at the Department of Corrections in Oklahoma. A Black woman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ms. Smith alleges she was taken advantage of in her past during her time on a work-release program while incarcerated. From 1997-1998, over a period of 8 months, while stationed for housekeeping duties at the Department of Public Safety in Tulsa, Smith says that she was repeatedly raped and sexually tortured by the state employee Donald Reed Cochran, a state driver’s license examiner at the time. She tried to report the abuse several times, but all the authority figures she went to did not take her seriously and ignored her pleas. Smith has now taken her case to the highest court in the land for herself, and as a voice for other female victims. With a stroke of luck in reaching out to several legal entities outside of the state of Oklahoma, including a federal judge in New York City, Ms. Smith was able to finally get her writ submitted to the Supreme Court on February 11, 2021. Her writ had been docketed on February 22, 2021. Case No. 20-1146. Ms. Smith held a press conference in Washington, D.C. on March 15, and will be holding a press conference in her native Tulsa on May 14. A 2015 cold case in California has been solved after police authorities charged two men in connection with the racially motivated killing of Charles Warren Neazer, a 51-year-old Black man. “Neazer was a resident of the City of Banning and while walking home on November 7, 2015 at approximately at 12:20 a.m., William Armendariz Jr. and Samuel Vasquez drove up next to Neazer, who was crossing the street at 5th Street and Williams Street, exited a vehicle, produced firearms and cowardly shot Neazer to death,” the police press release states. Neazer died at the scene. The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo began its rollout in the midst of a pandemic which has intersected with a racial reckoning like no other. Last summer, several corporations submitted their support around the Black Lives Matter movement sparked out of the routine and heartbreaking state sanctioned deaths of Black people. Despite that, the International Olympic Committee reissued their stance on barring political speech or silent acts of protest at the games, with a specific reference to the phrase “Black Lives Matter. Participating athletes will be banned from wearing apparel or any forms of merchandise with the movement phrase, along with taking a knee or raising a fist. Instead the committee will allow words like “peace,” “respect,” “solidarity,” “inclusion” and “equality” to be worn on athlete apparel. The 2021 NFL draft did not include a single player from a Historically Black College and University and Jackson State Coach Deion Sanders is beyond angry about that. “There were 259 picks in the 2021 #NFLDraft – not a single draft pick featured a player from an HBCU,” The Undefeated wrote on Twitter. “We have the Audacity to Hate on one another while our kids are being NEGLECTED & REJECTED,” Sanders wrote on his Instagram. “I witnessed a multitude of kids that we played against that were more than qualified to be drafted. My prayers are that This won’t EVER happen again. Get yo knife out my back and fight with me not against me!” MSN reports, several players from HBCUs have signed as undrafted free agents. The second season of HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” is upon us, and its creator, Robin Thede, visited “Late Night With Seth Meyers” on Wednesday to talk all about it. https://youtu.be/z-o4Mj9hGj8 Willow Smith brought her mom Jada Pinkett Smith to tears when she surprised her with the ultimate Mother’s Day gift. Willow Smith brought her mom Jada Pinkett Smith to tears when she surprised her with the ultimate Mother’s Day gift. https://www.instagram.com/jadapinkettsmith/?utm_source=ig_embed All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series’ “UNSUNG” and “UNCENSORED” continue this Sunday, May 9. UNSUNG leads the night with R&B singer Lyfe Jennings at 9 p.m. ET/8C, immediately followed by “UNCENSORED” with comedic actor Jaleel White at 10 p.m. ET/9C. White is best known for his beloved Steve Urkel character on “Family Matters,” which ran for nine seasons. However, the 44-year-old actor says in his “UNCENSORED” episode that the original main cast didn’t welcome him with open arms. “I was not welcomed to the cast at all. They know what it was,” White said in his interview on TVOne’s Uncensored. “I didn’t think anything of it, being cast to be on Family Matters, because it was supposed to be a guest spot, one and done.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1389973170074103817 Safaree Samuels and his wife Erica Mena have announced that they are expecting baby #2! The “Love & Hip Hop” star shared the exciting news on Monday via an Instagram post showing off Mena’s baby bump. The couple is already parents to 15-month-old daughter Safire. https://www.instagram.com/p/CObWOIXhxI3/?utm_source=ig_embed Paramount Pictures has dropped the final trailer for the hotly anticipated “A Quiet Place II,” the sequel to the 2018 smash hit “A Quiet Place.” https://youtu.be/BpdDN9d9Jio DMX reflected on his life and legacy in a special episode of TV One’s “Uncensored” airing May 16. Ahead of the premiere, TV One has shared a glimpse at what the hip-hop legend had to say. “I’m going to look back on my life, just before I go, and thank God for every moment,” he said. “It’s those moments, when they come together, that you see the beauty in who you are and why you are.” The interview was shot “just three week[s] before his passing and is confirmed to be his final and most transparent to date.” The hip-hop icon suffered a heart attack on April 2, leaving him in the hospital on life support. He died April 9 at the age of 50. https://twitter.com/i/status/1389746672029294596 While promoting his Amazon Prime film Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse in late April, Michael B. Jordan put a Kryptonite pin in any rumors that he might suit up as Warner Bros.’ next Superman. “I’m flattered that people have me in that conversation,” Jordan told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s definitely a compliment, but I’m just watching on this one.” With that, a whole new guessing game has kicked off centered on who will play the Man of Steel. And arguably more pressing: Who will direct? Sources say J.J. Abrams, who is producing the film, is not among the many possibilities being considered. LeBar Burton appeared on Monday’s episode of “The View,” where he and Meghan McCain dished about the controversy over Dr. Seuss and how the cancel culture movement pushed to have six of the popular children’s books banned due to racist imagery. “What do you think of that decision and about the cancel culture surrounding works of art or artists that are controversial?” McCain asked. https://youtu.be/fxh0yG5ouRg Black women represent the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States, and many new entrepreneurs are launching their businesses alongside corporate careers. The “side hustle” represents the future of business, and it underscores the need to support Black entrepreneurs with education and resources as more women venture into the world of owning a business. https://vimeo.com/535545416 A first-of-its-kind tribute to the trailblazing artists, iconic entertainers, and legendary luminaries who have impacted both Black culture and the community at large, the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (BMEWOF) will officially induct its inaugural class of honorees this June, during Black Music Month. The formal induction ceremony will take place in Atlanta, GA on June 17, 2021. The BMEWOF Foundational Inductees are James Brown, Otis Redding, Quincy D. Jones, and Stevie Wonder. They will be joined by Michael Jackson (Legacy Artists), Sean Love Combs (Mainstream Mogul), Shirley Caesar (Gospel Female), Kirk Franklin (Gospel Male), Missy Elliott (Hip Hop Female), Outkast (Hip Hop Male), Beyoncé (Mainstream Female), and Usher Raymond IV (Mainstream Male). Garrett Rolfe, the fired Atlanta cop who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks last summer, has been reinstated by the Atlanta Civil Service Board. So much for being fired by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Wednesday, the board released its decision, stating: “Due to the City’s failure to comply with several provisions of the Code and the information received during witnesses’ testimony, the Board concludes the Appellant was not afforded his right to due process. Therefore, the Board GRANTS the Appeal of Garrett Rolfe and revokes his dismissal as an employee of the APD.” Rolfe, who still faces murder charges in the killing of Brooks that are currently stuck in a kind of legal limbo, sought last month to have his firing reversed in a hearing before the board. A Missouri woman who smuggled a loaded gun into a county jail by hiding it in her vagina has been sentenced to a decade in jail. Miss Amy Wilhite, 39, pleaded guilty to sneaking the 4-inch revolver into Boone County jail on Feb. 14. It was said that the firearm was loaded with five rounds when Wilhite brought it into the lockup! According to the report, police and jail guards somehow failed to detect the gun, which was eventually found by authorities 17 days after Wilhite was sent to jail on separate gun and narcotics charges, the report said. Wilhite eventually admitted to having the gun during questioning. However, she claimed she was actually holding it for another inmate. A New Jersey high school teacher has been suspended for calling George Floyd a criminal in a profane rant that was caught on video. Howard Zlotkin, 61, at William L. Dickinson High School was going off inside a classroom about Floyd and Black Lives Matter. The incident occurred on April 28. https://youtu.be/dgg3Bmnbt14 Video footage from the scene of a fatal police shooting has been posted to social media, providing a unique vantage point moments before officers opened fire early Tuesday morning at an apartment complex in Mesquite, Texas. The footage shows multiple officers with their guns drawn yelling multiple times, “don’t do it!”, before the gunfire that ultimately killed Ashton Pinke could be heard. https://twitter.com/i/status/1389765978410659841 Laura Lentz, the wife of former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz, is marking their wedding anniversary by speaking out for the first time since her husband’s cheating scandal. Laura posted to Instagram on Wednesday for the first time since October, breaking her silence on the day that the couple is celebrating 18 years of marriage. The post featured a photo of a blue sky and several palm trees — and while the caption did not explicitly reference Carl’s scandal, which made headlines in November, it made multiple allusions to familial strife and resilience. Earlier this year the world breathed a sigh of relief after Trump was banned from numerous social media platforms, beginning with Twitter, followed by Facebook and YouTube. The last straw resulted from Trump’s consistent violent language which eventually helped steer action towards the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Wednesday Facebook’s 20-member Oversight Board ruled that the social networking app was justified in indefinitely banning the former president, but would need to put parameters on how long the ban would take place, according to The Washington Post. In six months Facebook will be required to complete a review on the length of suspension. Fixated on defending the indefensible, Republicans like Justin Lafferty continue to make a mockery of history. A Tennessee state representative, Lafferty, made headlines Tuesday for claiming the Three-Fifths Compromise was enacted to ensure slavery didn’t spread. https://twitter.com/i/status/1389627527187021834 Netflix has dropped the trailer for the upcoming four-part docu-series “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” which features food writer Stephen Satterfield embarking on a vibrant and powerful culinary journey alongside chefs, historians, and activists that celebrates the courage, artistry, and resourcefulness of the African. https://youtu.be/7wsEdxt1Ico HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” revival is in the works with the title “And Just Like That…”, and three women of color are reportedly joining the original cast. Harper’s Bazaar, reports Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis are set to return but Kim Cattrall won’t reprise her role as Samantha Jones. Harper’s Bazaar writes, “The SATC reboot writers are “dramatically expanding Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte’s social circle” with about half a dozen new characters” According to TVLine, three of them will be women of color, all series regulars. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ4c3MDpU1f/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Lamar Odom took to Instagram on Monday to share a touching post about his father Joe Odom, who died last month. “I appreciate every single one of you for sending me good energy,” Odom wrote in an Instagram post. “Life is not promised. My pops and I had our differences but at the end of the day I knew he loved me and I loved him and that’s really all that matters.” The former NBA star and his father reportedly patched up their strained relationship before Joe’s passing. Page Six reports, the Odom men reportedly had a fallout when Lamar’s ex-wife Khloé Kardashian, allegedly kicked him out of his home and refused to keep paying his rent following Odom’s overdose at a Las Vegas brothel in 2015. https://www.instagram.com/p/CObmQfdHlJm/?utm_source=ig_embed Lil Nas X has revealed it used to concern him that his sexuality and gay lyrics would “alienate” his straight fans. But now he could care less if folks are offended by his artistry. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the “Old Town Road” rapper opened up about his fear of not being accepted by heterosexual fans before he released his homoerotic Satan-themed “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” song. “At first I was really afraid of alienating any of my straight fans,” he said. “But then it was kind of like, if they feel offended, they were never really here for me. They were here for whatever version of myself they made up in their head.” The 21-year-old hip-hop star said he is not here to please everyone. Kandi Burruss loves to overshare details about her sex life with her husband Todd Tucker, and she didn’t hold back recently while discussing sexual pleasure with Tami Roman on her show “Get Into It." Roman asked Kandi about her and Todd’s bedroom antics, specifically if Todd ever asks her to do “unrealistic” things in the bedroom. ”No. He’s never asked me to do anything that was unrealistic,” the XSCAPE singer said. “But for me, I’m open to pretty much try anything in the bedroom that’s…legal! [laughs] As long as I’m not hurting anybody, I’m down with it,” she added. Kandi also explained that she has no issue with inviting other women to join in on her and Todd’s bedroom antics. Actress Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut dishes about Freeform’s new psychological mystery series “Cruel Summer,” which premiered with a two-hour event on April 20. From executive producer Jessica Biel (“The Sinner”), “Cruel Summer” follows two young women: Kate Wallis, the popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing, and Jeanette Turner, the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate’s disappearance. All signs point to Jeanette’s guilt, but is Kate really who she seems to be? Set over three summers and told through shifting points of view, the series challenges perception and follows how one girl can go from being a sweet outlier to the most despised person in America. https://vimeo.com/video/544656216 Damian Austin was shopping at the Kroger’s when he heard a woman screaming from inside a bathroom at the store. “It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck because it wasn’t a normal yell,” he told Savannah’s WSAV, adding, “A lady behind me just said ‘he raped that girl in the bathroom.’ Once she said that, there was nothing else for me to do besides go out the door after him.” https://www.cbs42.com/news/u-s-world/man-hailed-hero-for-taking-down-rape-suspect-outside-georgia-store/ One of the jurors who convicted Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd is defending his attendance at the 2020 March on Washington following online speculation about his motives for serving on the jury and whether it might be grounds for appeal. A photo, posted on social media, shows Brandon Mitchell, who is Black, attending the Aug. 28 event to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington. Floyd’s brother and sister, Philonise and Bridgett Floyd, and relatives of others who have been shot by police were also in attendance and spoke to the crowd. https://youtu.be/MpqqvBklNG4 Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris is averaging nearly 20 points per game this season, and although his skills show on the court, he wants the world to see the light that comes from within him as a follower of Jesus Christ. The professional basketball player played one season of college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers before declaring for the 2011 NBA draft, where he was drafted 19th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. A member of the 76ers for the past three seasons, he is gaining a reputation for his gifts on the court as well as his humanitarian work off of the court. His work off the court consists of community outreach for underprivileged youth nationwide and in Philadelphia. A hybrid platform has been announced for the 2021 Lifeway Black Church Leadership and Family Conference July 19-23 at Ridgecrest Conference Center. “This past year has drastically impacted our lives and the life of the church,” said conference host Mark Croston, national director of Black Church Ministries for Lifeway Christian Resources. Given the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine for adults, Croston said, “we feel we can move forward with both the onsite and online events. The onsite conference location allows us to spend a lot of time outdoors and to maintain social distancing indoors.” Themed “No Doubt,” based on 1 John 5:13, the conference is designed for the entire family, melding education, mentorship, networking, exhortation, worship, fellowship, a FUGE camp, quality family time and recreation. The Rev. Ruth M. Woodliff-Stanley on May 1 became the 15th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina during a Special Meeting of Convention held for the purposes of the election. Once consecrated in October, Bishop-elect Woodliff-Stanley will be the first female to serve as bishop in the more than 200-year history of the historic diocese. Woodliff-Stanley, who currently serves as canon for strategic change for the Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania & Western New York, and the senior vice president for strategic change with the Episcopal Church Building Fund, was elected on the second ballot in an election that was fully conducted on Zoom due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On the latest episode of The Message podcast on Apple Music 1, Ebro Darden is joined by CNN commentator Van Jones to discuss his The Message playlist, the need for prison reform, how artists like Bob Marley, Public Enemy, and Spike Lee helped inform his politics, his early days working with Prince, the impact and lessons to be learned by the Derek Chauvin verdict, Madonna’s influence, and much more. https://music.apple.com/us/post/1565276166 According to WSB-TV, YFN Lucci is among a dozen suspects indicted in a 75-page, 105 count racketeering indictment focused on factions within the Bloods street gang. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told Channel 2 that “This indictment is unprecedented. Period. In Georgia. There’s been a huge spike in violent crime,” Willis said. “I made a commitment to bring the best and the brightest minds here, many of which you see sitting here right now so that we could deal with this issue of this violent crime.” Meanwhile, Lucci’s lawyer, Drew Findling, told the news site that his client is not guilty of all charges and made it very clear that the rapper is “not a gang member. The young Florida student who was left with bruises and marks after being spanked by her principal is now seeking professional help. A lawyer for the 6-year-old and her mother explained to TMZ that the little girl can’t even sleep, cries constantly, and feels generally terrorized by what happened. Brent Probinsky, the family’s lawyer, also tells TMZ that the girl’s mother calls him twice a day in distress about the school beating that happened on April 13. The girls are so riddled up from the incident that they even had to get a therapist and their first appointment should be this week. Elaine Flake might have become the woman pastor with the largest congregation in the United States after being appointed lead pastor of the more than 23,000-member Greater Allen Cathedral of New York at 72 on Sunday. She is taking over the position formerly held by her husband, the Rev. Floyd Flake, 76, who also spent 11 years in Congress fighting to improve life for constituents in his church community in Jamaica, Queens. The announcement was made during the 199th Session of the New York Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church by Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram, who told Elaine Flake that “it’s a lot of work on you with your family.” Recording artist The Weeknd will continue to boycott the Grammy Awards even after rule changes announced Friday by the Recording Academy, Variety reported. The new system will do away with the “secret” nomination committees that iced The Weeknd out of the 2021 awards, even though he had the year’s most-streamed single. “The trust has been broken for so long between the Grammy organization and artists that it would be unwise to raise a victory flag,” the wildly successful Canadian singer told Variety, describing the Grammys as “corrupt.” “I think the industry and public alike need to see the transparent system truly at play for the win to be celebrated, but it’s an important start,” he continues. “I remain uninterested in being a part of the Grammys, especially with their own admission of corruption for all these decades. I will not be submitting in the future.” For his next project, Will Smith is inviting a camera crew to document his weight loss and fitness journey. Smith is starring in an unscripted YouTube series titled, “Best Shape of My Life.” The six-part unscripted fitness docuseries, Best Shape of My Life, will follow “Smith challenging himself to improve every aspect of his fitness, from agility to power to recovery and more, teaming up with guests including pro athletes, scientists and experts, and top YouTube creators,” according to a release. Tuesday, the 52-year-old actor took to Instagram to share a shot of him posing in a pair of short shorts. “This is the body that carried me through an entire pandemic and countless days grazing thru the pantry,” he captioned the post. “I love this body, but I wanna FEEL better. No more midnight muffins…this is it! Imma get in the BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE!!!!!” Vivica A. Fox is urging Khloe Kardashian to stop being a doormat for her baby daddy Tristan Thompson following reports that he is cheating on her again. “It’s time for Khloé to stop being a damn doormat for Tristan,” Fox said in a new episode of her Cocktails with Queens series. “First of all, you are a Kardashian, girl. I’m sure it’s plenty of brothers lining up. They all just wanna take a trip, you know what I mean. … At this point, do you really want this kind of man to be a parental father figure to your children? The fact that he can’t even respect mama? What foundation are you on, period?” Fox also said Khloé is “dickmatized.” https://youtu.be/q8Ze_MkcNPA A Cypress College professor is on leave after a Zoom video of her irritable response to a student who called police “heroes” went viral. The exchange happened during a recorded online session and began after student Braden Ellis gave a presentation on cancel culture and police for a class on verbal communications. The subject matter appeared to be a trigger for the professor, who challenged him repeatedly as he attempted to explain his support of law enforcement. https://youtu.be/ex2gl3VvXfQ Rolling Stone reports on the story of Joey Cassanova, a retired MMA fighter who, on April 7th, 2021, uploaded a video to his TikTok page with the message, “If you only knew what I’ve been through.” He filmed himself pretending to be riddled by bullets that symbolized his past trauma: child abuse, foster care, being molested, depression, PTSD, the murder of his ex-wife, the loss of his father two months ago, three heart attacks. “Somehow I’m still here,” the message at the end of the video says as Cassanova stares defiantly at the viewer, arms folded. When he checked TikTok just a few hours later, he couldn’t believe it had drawn more than 1.2 million views (it now has nearly 10 million), and that people were using the audio to make their own clips with the same format. The new Netflix film, MONSTER, centers around 17 year-old Steve Harmon; a young kid from Harlem whose life gets turned upside down when he goes from studying film to being charged with felony murder. Inspired by Walter Dean Myers 1990s novel and initially released in 2018 at the Sundance Film Festival, audiences everywhere will finally have the chance to take in this story on Friday. MONSTERS’ star-studded cast and crew include, Rakim “ASAP Rocky” Mayers, Jennifer Hudson, Nasir “Nas” Jones (also an executive producer). And Kelvin Harrison Jr., who plays Harmon, described an important lesson he learned from Nas’ character in the film. “I hyped my way into your music,” said San Diego rapper Lil’ Hyste as to the meaning of his stage name. Born Hasan McDuffie, Lil’ Hyste just released a new single titled “Pandemic.” He performed the offering recently at the 22nd annual Baltimore “ULMII” Entertainment Conference, with a flow of a seasoned MC, a delivery like a seasoned entertainer and a sound system backing him that gave a clear and booming experience for all. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chavin's lawyers have filed a motion for a new trial after he was convicted of second degree unintentional murder, second degree manslaughter, and third degree murder. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=chavin+trial&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dchavin%2btrial%26cvid%3d667338e559e64bd89934de87843b1959%26aqs%3dedge.0.0j69i57j0l5.12251j0j4%26FORM%3dANAB01%26PC%3dHCTS&mmscn=vwrc&view=detail&mid=DF2E28514E40CCF88106DF2E28514E40CCF88106&rvsmid=E68489CFC96DC00811E7E68489CFC96DC00811E7&FORM=VDRVRV All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series' UNSUNG and UNCENSORED continue this Sunday, May 9. UNSUNG leads the night with R&B singer Lyfe Jennings at 9 p.m. ET/8C, immediately followed by UNCENSORED with comedic actor Jaleel White at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Following UNCENSORED, fans are treated to a sneak-peek look at episodes with the new digital series, Unwind with Syleena Johnson. Each episode will be published on TVOne.TV and TV One’s social media platforms. Syleena will react to clips, share anecdotes, and provide cocktail recipes for viewers to unwind to as they watch both UNSUNG and UNCENSORED. She’ll end each episode reminding viewers of their chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar6TG2qTQFE&feature=youtu.be “Baddies: ATL” is the newest series from ZEUS starring the original bad girls of reality tv Executive Producers Natalie Nunn & Tanisha Thomas along with Janelle Shanks, Seven Craft, Sarah Oliver, Christina Salgado, Judi Jai, Mehgan James and introducing Sidney Starr. “Baddies: ATL” premieres Sunday, May 16th on Zeus. Zeus is available on Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Fire TV and Chromecast – subscribe by visiting TheZeusNetwork.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sA-X3lcpqY&feature=youtu.be CeCe Winans continues to blaze the trail in the gospel music industry with her latest chart-topping release, Believe For It. After occupying the #1 slot for seven consecutive weeks on the Gospel charts for best album, the single, “Never Lost” makes its way to the # 1 spot at Gospel Radio on both the Mediabase Gospel Chart and the Gospel Airplay Chart. This accomplishment marks Winans’ first #1 single in 15 years since her 2006 hit single, “Pray” dominated the charts. The debut track, “Never Lost” was the most added song for three weeks straight. All this on the heels of racking up four #1 slots on the Billboard Gospel Charts: #1 Top Gospel album, #1 Total Current Gospel Album, #1 Gospel Digital Song and #1 Top Christian/Gospel Album less than two weeks after street date. Late Monday night, a Mexico City metro train overpass collapsed onto a road, killing at least 23 people, including children, authorities said. Dozens more were injured. The incident occurred in the southeast section of the capital on Metro Line 12, a branch that has long been dogged by complaints of poor construction, the Los Angeles Times reports. Videos and photos obtained by ABC News showed train cars hanging from the crumbled overpass as rescue personnel searched for victims while transporting others away from the scene on stretchers. GOP Senator Tim Scott and VP Kamala Harris caused quite a stir when they both announced that America is not a racist country… while also admitting that racism exists. In his response to President Joe Biden’s “first address to Congress,” Scott noted his belief that America is not a racist nation. In response to Harris, Seales said in a video shared on social media, “Okay so everybody on some bulls–t, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. That was dumb and embarrassingly and she embarrassed everyone who supported her.” In the caption to the post, she added, “D*mn, Kamala. https://www.instagram.com/p/COT1XoXhu_4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A woman, supposedly Black (her face is obscured in the video for some reason), was caught on video going off on an LA County sheriff’s deputy who pulled her over for using a cellphone while driving. What came out of her mouth, basically a racist tirade, wasn’t nice. You’re always going to be a Mexican. You’ll never be white, you know that, right?” the woman is heard telling the deputy after he pulled her Mercedes over, according to a report via KABC. “You’ll never be white, which is what you really want to be,” the woman adds after signing a citation. “You want to be white.” The traffic stop began when the deputy approached the woman, who was recording the interaction with her cellphone. Yes, I started to record because you’re a murderer,” she tells him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1389345964658348032 Don Lemon had a viral moment on CNN Monday night during an exchange with Chris Cuomo about their conservative co-worker Rick Santorum, who made headlines last week for suggesting that Native Americans were not culturally relevant in the founding of America. https://twitter.com/i/status/1389402315359199233 As a TV news reporter and a Church of God in Christ (COGIC) pastor, Loran Mann tried to keep his two jobs separate. But once in the 1980s, he was first to the scene of a standoff where an armed fugitive on the run after murdering his wife was cornered by police. The man decided he would surrender—but only to the locally famous newsman and man of God. “I got an exclusive,” Mann said. “But the best part is he became a committed Christian.” Mann, a groundbreaking Black broadcast reporter and a COGIC bishop who rose to the top level of leadership in the nation’s fifth largest Christian denomination, died in Pittsburgh on Sunday at the age of 74. Monday he was mourned throughout the city and celebrated by local religious leaders and broadcast professionals. Veteran broadcast journalist Bob Abernethy, who founded the PBS program “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly,” has died at the age of 93. He died on Sunday (May 2) in Brunswick, Maine, his daughter Jane Montgomery Abernethy announced in a Facebook post. She said her father died of natural causes. Abernethy was a correspondent for NBC News for more than four decades. Working in Washington, Los Angeles, London and Moscow, he covered the fledgling U.S. space program, Congress and the Soviet Union’s collapse. Singer and songwriter Kandi Burruss was recently pressed by Eddie Levert of the O’Jays about who was the most difficult artist she collaborated with in the studio. The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star recalled being “disrespected” by Boyz II Men back in the day, and one of the group members has now responded. Boyz II Men member Wanya Morris has responded to Kandi’s comments and said their fallout was over a disagreement about who would be given credit for the song they were working on at the time. “We’ve been taught you write [a song] and you split [songwriting credits] down the middle that way there’s no discrepancies,” Morris said of Boyz II Men. “We finish the song, and once we finish the song she started talking about splits. Now the song wasn’t actually finished but she started talking about splits.” Michelle Obama hosted a virtual star-studded special on Saturday for high school seniors whose in-person learning was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the event was to provide a space for these students to celebrate their college choices. “Happy #CollegeSigningDay!”Obama wrote in a tweet. “I’m so excited to celebrate all of you who are taking this next step on your journeys and pursuing higher education. Whether you’re going to a community college, trade school, university or joining the military, I could not be more proud of you!” The event saw Amanda Gorman, Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha Curry, The Weeknd, Conan O’Brien and many more A-listers turn out to support the students The Hollywood Foreign Press Assoc. has announced plans to admit 20 new members this year, mostly Black, with a goal of increasing membership by 50 percent over the next two years. The news comes after the organization’s diversity and inclusion adviser Phillip Berk was curbed after he sent out a racist email to members over the weekend. The email came hours after NBC released a statement expressing concern about the future of the Golden Globes if the HFPA didn’t handle Berk, who served eight terms as HFPA president. Apple TV+ has ordered “Big Man on Campus,” a new documentary series that will tell the coming-of-age story of basketball phenom Makur Maker as he navigates the highs and lows of his freshman year college experience against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and the global pandemic. The series is directed and executive produced by Seth Gordon, producer of “Undefeated” which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and will be produced for Apple by Exhibit A, Boardwalk Pictures and Sony Pictures Television. John Legend has joined forces with gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles and SK-II on a film series about how to handle online criticism — specifically, addressing the hate many women face due to superficial reasons. PEOPLE, the project features the stories of six Olympians, with Legend penning the empowering anthem “Take a Look” to accompany Biles’ short film series “VS Trolls.” https://youtu.be/QK1ZRLbnStE Blair Underwood has announced that he will direct and star in the upcoming independent feature “Viral,” written by Joe McClean, who will produce the film. Deadline reports, Underwood stars as Andrew, who falls into paranoia after his wife goes missing. The only way out of the self-destructive cycle seems to be through his new girlfriend Emilia, but she has her own psychological trauma to deal with. Are they strong enough to get past their own nightmares and mental illnesses to find true happiness together? Missy Elliott took to Twitter recently to recall the honorary degree she received from Berklee College of Music and the graduation speech she delivered in 2019. While working on some new music in the studio, the hip-hop legend revealed that the engineer mixing her tracks, who goes by the name Cool-T, was a student at Berklee College of Music at the time. As reported by Revolt, Missy took to Twitter to reflect on the full-circle moment. “I was in the studio a few days ago working & this engineer engineering my music was very quiet but on the last day he said, ‘Hey I was at the graduation when you got your doctorates and I remembered your speech about NOT QUITTING & now look, I’m here mixing your music,’” she captioned a photo of Cool-T. https://youtu.be/bQShxaLnc0E Sean “Diddy” Combs announced Monday that he has changed his middle name from “John” to “Love,” and shared an image of his new driver’s license on Instagram to prove it. “Look what I just got in the mail today… ???????,” he captioned the photo of the Florida ID. “IT’S OFFICIAL!!! WELCOME TO THE LOVE ERA.” https://www.instagram.com/p/COarAzuHGFt/?utm_source=ig_embed The parents of an Asian American teen who was recorded being assaulted during an Amateur Athletic Union tournament game is speaking out about how the staff failed to intervene. The AAU game between the South Bay Snipers and the San Francisco Generals took place in Oakland, California on Saturday (May 1). The now-viral video appears to show an unidentified Black kid from another team punching his opponent Evan during a match. The media is using the incident to further push its anti-Black agenda by claiming the “attack” is another example of Black on Asian hate crime.” https://youtu.be/Pa9ABMfnsvU Dr. Kanika Bowen-Jallow – who went through college, medical school and a residency in her home state of Texas, said it was eight years into her journey toward becoming a pediatric surgeon before she met a doctor who looked like her – Black and female. Now, Dr. Bowen-Jallow, a pediatric surgeon at Cook Children’s Pediatric Surgery Center in Prosper, Texas, is a trailblazer in her own right as only the ninth Black female pediatric surgeon in the United States, according to the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA). https://youtu.be/idoczdK35lE 4.4 million workers who rely on physical tips to earn a living – two thirds of which are women – may be impacted by a recent drop in cash use, data shows. Global Payment Trends reveals the financial and societal impact of ceasing to use cash, which has been accelerated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest data shows that the use of cash as payment for online orders has dropped by 75% in the last year, now accounting for just 1% of all transactions. 12.2 million workers in the US are in food service jobs that rely on tips to make ends meet, with the tipped minimum wage falling under $5 an hour in 36 states. New research shows that up to 4.4 million service workers who rely on cash tips to earn a living could struggle to make ends meet after the pandemic due to digital exclusion. A toddler appeared to channel the cinematic “Damien” when he said “mama” for the first time. Footage captured by Maiken Woll Eide on May 2 shows her 16-month-old son Aiden James (or AJ) happily munching berries in his dad’s lap in Wicklow, Ireland. She asks him if he can say “mama” and his response was something out of “The Exorcist.” https://youtu.be/ALG6q4tEpKw As Americans continue to take steps toward normal life, India and several other countries are dealing with an explosion of new coronavirus infections likely to delay the world’s recovery from the deadly crisis, health authorities warned Monday. The number of COVID-19 cases reported around the world in the last two weeks was higher than the total of confirmed infections in the first six months of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. India and Brazil, which are going through their worst days since the pandemic began, account for more than half of last week’s cases, the agency said. WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said many other countries also face “a very fragile situation” and are running out of basic hospital supplies. The father of a college student who’s been missing for over a week has criticized authorities for acting too slowly during the search operation. Saniyya Dennis, 19, a Buffalo State College sophomore, was last seen leaving her college campus on April 24. Her phone signal was later tracked to a cell tower near Goat Island in Niagara Falls the following morning. Since then, officers say no one has heard from Saniyya and there’s been no activity in her phone or bank accounts. Her family have since criticized the police for not moving fast enough with the investigation. Calvin Byrd, Dennis’ father, criticized the police for failing to get hold of security footage of his daughter sooner. Danica Dillon, the former porn star who has accused Josh Duggar of rape, says she’s “not shocked” by the news that the 33-year-old reality TV star is now facing child porn charges. In an interview with Daily MailTV, Dillon, 34, called Duggar a “disgusting man,” adding that she hopes he’s imprisoned “for the rest of his life.” Dillon, whose real name is Ashley Johnston, had sued Duggar for allegedly raping her in 2015. In the graphic interview, Dillon described the “terrifying” assault, saying that Duggar’s eyes “went black,” and that she feared for her life. After she went public with her story, Dillon said fans of Duggar’s show, 19 Kids and Counting, came after her. “I had so many people emailing me, threatening me,” she said. Dillon says she didn’t have the money to go to court with the Duggar family, and the lawsuit was eventually dropped. On Friday, Josh Duggar pleaded not guilty to two charges of possessing child porn. Bobby Unser, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and part of the only pair of brothers to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” has died. He was 87. He died Sunday at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, of natural causes, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Monday. Unser won the Indy 500 in 1968, 1975 and 1981. “He is part of the Mount Rushmore of Indy,” said Dario Franchitti, another three-time Indy 500 winner. Over the weekend the 2021 NFL draft took center stage from Cleveland, Ohio as over 250 players heard their names called. While the draft was the main football highlight this weekend, it wasn’t the only football-related activity. Also taking place was an incredible cause for charity that benefited cancer research at St. Jude. NFL Network host Rich Eisen has done his “Run Rich Run” campaign for several years in order to raise money for a great cause. He received a little help this weekend from NFL legends like Jerry Rice and Ray Lewis. The former NFL stars took the field to a run a 40-yard dash in hopes of raising money. One of the athletes taking part was former Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick. At 40 years old – nearly 41 – Vick dusted the field with a blazing 4.72. https://twitter.com/i/status/1388610183803199490 The lowest point of Urban Meyer’s first NFL draft came courtesy of the New York Giants. Meyer told ESPN’s College GameDay on Friday that it “broke his heart” when a team selected a player he was targeting with the 25th overall pick. Meyer reluctantly admitted on Saturday that the player was former Florida receiver Kadarius Toney, whom the New York Giants took with the 20th pick. “I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple weeks and obviously my connection with [Gators] coach [Dan] Mullen and those guys,” Meyer said. “You watch [Toney] play, he’s a human highlight reel.” With Toney gone, Meyer and the Jaguars opted for Clemson running back Travis Etienne. Hall of Fame gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and his wife, Martha, face fresh allegations of physical and psychological abuse of young female athletes dating to the 1960s in a newly published book, according to the Daily Mail. Romanian author Stejarel Olaru wrote in “Nadia si Securitatea” that Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci — the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 at the Olympics, in 1976 — is among the victims who were starved to the point of developing eating disorders, slapped, and denied medical treatment, according to the report. Comaneci was Bela Karolyi’s first prodigy and his gateway to defecting to America in 1981. Iconic model #NaomiCampbell, the timeless beauty and slayer of fashions, recently opened up about racism in the fashion industry. During a candid sit-down, Naomi Campell revealed instances of being stereotyped because of her race. Naomi Campbell’s career has spanned more than 30 years after being discovered by a model scout in London’s Covent Garden. She’s graced the covers of more than 500 publications and has landed campaigns with Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Prada, just to name a few. Although Campbell took the fashion industry by storm, it was not without hurdles to jump and hills to climb. Iyanla Vanzant chopped it up with MadameNoire about the last season of “Iyanla Fix My Life” and what she will do next. Vanzant announced in October that season 7 of her long-running series “Fix My Life” will be the last. “This is my last season. This is my legacy season, I’m out. We out. 2020,” she announced during a virtual press conference at the time. During an interview with Danielle Young, Vanzant further explained her decision to quit her popular life coaching series, and the reason may surprise you. https://twitter.com/i/status/1389248387153678337 We reported yesterday, a white restaurant manager in Conway, South Carolina has been ordered by a court to pay back twice the restitution owed to the Black man he enslaved for five years. John Christopher Smith, a Black man with an intellectual disability, was forced to work for five years without pay at the J&J Cafeteria managed by 56-year-old Bobby Paul Edwards. A court ruled on April 21 that Edwards, who is in prison for the crime, will pay Smith double for unpaid wages and overtime. https://youtu.be/K9hFyZObL8g DJ Envy has responded to the heat he’s catching for defending the police shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. While talking to school psychologist Dr. Umar Johnson on ‘The Breakfast Club' last month, the two shared their opposing views on the Columbus police officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia. https://youtu.be/2_lGRkSpugw Cell phone video led to a hate crime charge for a Berkeley woman who accused a delivery driver of speeding. She and her boyfriend then followed him, yelling racial slurs. https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/berkeley-police-arrest-suspect-in-hate-crime-investigation/ A Florida elementary school principal is under investigation after she repeatedly beat one of her students with a paddle, citing it as punishment over a damaged computer. Video of the disturbing event circulated on social media which showed Melissa Carter, head of Central Elementary School in Clewiston, bending a child over and hitting her with a wooden paddle. https://twitter.com/i/status/1388753368030617600 Bill and Melinda Gates have announced that they are ending their marriage after 27 years. In a tweet on Monday from Bill Gates’ account, and signed by the couple, the Gates's said that the decision came after a “great deal of thought and work.” “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” Bill Gates said in a tweet. “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.” However, the couple no longer believes they can grow together as a couple in this “next phase” of their lives. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Jeannie Mai has revealed the reason why she couldn’t invite her to fellow co-hosts from “The Real” to her wedding to rapper Jeezy — and it all comes down to the pandemic. https://youtu.be/3zGqOBlLWhM Chart-topping Christian hip-hop artist KB has released the official music video for his song “Masterpiece,” debuting the video on his YouTube channel. Garnering eager anticipation from fans in advance of its YouTube release, the empowering song has already garnered praise among fans and critics, which was written by KB and Quinten Coblentz, and is featured off of KB’s acclaimed album His Glory Alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ8Tqe68QaY Marvel Studios has announced that the official title for the sequel to “Black Panther” is “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Marvel Studios made the pronouncement via a promo video welcoming movie fans back to theaters after a year of closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The promo includes the message: “The world may change and evolve, but the one thing that will never change: we’re all part of one big family.” Close to the end of the three-minute video, a graphic appears saying “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 8, 2022. https://youtu.be/QdpxoFcdORI An ex-Pentagon official claims aliens/UFOs are real and flying over the US and the military doesn’t know how to stop them. Luis Elizondo, who headed up the secretive Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), claims the government refuses to publicly acknowledge the “unidentified aerial phenomena” due to “religious objections, concerns over tarnishing its own reputation and fears of inciting public panic.” https://youtu.be/emn6jozxHxU Watch live coverage as mourners gather in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, for Andrew Brown Jr.’s funeral after he was fatally shot by a police. https://youtu.be/kV8NkwRoFgk Early in the pandemic, when vaccines for the coronavirus were still just a glimmer on the horizon, the term “herd immunity” came to signify the endgame: the point when enough Americans would be protected from the virus so we could be rid of the pathogen and reclaim our lives. Now, more than half of adults in the United States have been inoculated with at least one dose of a vaccine. But daily vaccination rates are slipping, and there is widespread consensus among scientists and public health experts that the herd immunity threshold is not attainable — at least not in the foreseeable future, and perhaps not ever. President Joe Biden spoke about the COVID-19 vaccination being safe, Prince Harry urged for the vaccine distribution everywhere and Jennifer Lopez embraced her fully-vaccinated mother on stage during one of the largest concert gatherings in Southern California since the pandemic rocked the world more than a year ago. Celebrities and political leaders gathered Sunday night to talk about the importance of vaccine equity at Global Citizen’s “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World” at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The taped fundraising event will air May 8 on ABC, ABC News Live, CBS, YouTube and iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations. In an increasingly divided society, Bishop T.D. Jakes has warned that “tribalism” permeates even the Church of Jesus Christ and is causing it to become “deaf” to the plight of those beyond its four walls. “I think the first thing we need to do is go on an expedition and go beyond the borders of the safety of our sanctuaries and finally fulfill the Matthew 28:19 commission to go into all the world,” Jakes, leader of The Potter’s House megachurch based in Dallas, Texas, said on “The Edifi Podcast With Billy Hallowell.” In an increasingly divided society, Bishop T.D. Jakes has warned that “tribalism” permeates even the Church of Jesus Christ and is causing it to become “deaf” to the plight of those beyond its four walls. He is a wearer of many hats, among them, Worship Leader, Psalmist, Author, and recently added Pastor and Bishop Designee, but to most he will always be The Gentleman of Gospel, EARNEST PUGH —Emmy Award Winning -3x #1 Billboard Charting Artist on May 7th will honor the request of the Rochester, NY community to do The Outpour Experience 2.0, sponsored by Earnest Pugh and Ikenrock. The evening boasts of a live videotaping and recording just in time for Mother’s Day. Joining in the festivities is vocal powerhouse and Sunday Best Season 1 Winner Crystal Aikin. According to Pugh, “Prior to release of “The Outpour Experience” (1st quarter of 2020) I had already planned a release concert at the home church of one of the writers Rufus McGee, who wrote the opening song “Your Glory” on the CD. Out of an abundance of caution and to comply with CDC Guidelines due to the global pandemic we postponed the concert with hopes of revisiting the idea once the Covid-19 Virus’ positivity rate decreased.” Emerging artist and fan favorite Robert Copeland extends a personal invitation for some good old fashioned soul replenishment at The Well. The Well is the latest single headed to radio from Copeland’s sophomore project That Jesus Feelin. “Robert Copeland is a natural talent song stylist”, says Garland Miche Waller, VP of Enon Music Group. “This record showcases his artistry as well as his passion. The Well offers up added depth to his musicality, and Robert always rises to the occasion to deliver the goods. This will be another song that people will easily gravitate towards. “ A Black man with intellectual disabilities who was enslaved for five years at a restaurant in Conway, S.C., should be awarded double the amount of restitution from the White man now imprisoned for the crime, according to a recent court ruling. As part of his 2019 guilty plea to a forced labor charge, Bobby Paul Edwards, 56, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered by a court to pay back John Christopher Smith $273,000 in unpaid wages and overtime compensation at J&J Cafeteria. The Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled on April 21 that the previous amount decided by a district court “had erred” in not accounting for federal labor laws entitling him to $546,000, or double the amount he was owed from his imprisonment between 2009 and 2014. Through physical violence, threats and intimidation, Edwards coerced Smith, 43, into working more than 100 hours per week without pay, The Washington Post reported. Michael B. Jordan has addressed the possibility that he could reprise the villainous role of Erik Killmonger for “Black Panther 2.” Killmonger died at the end of Marvel’s 2018 blockbuster but writer/director Ryan Coogler could bring him back to life. MSN reported, speaking to Jess Cagle on Sirius XM radio show, Jordan was asked how likely fans will see him return to the franchise on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being very likely… “I’m gonna go with a solid two,” Jordan said. “I didn’t want to go zero! Never say never. I can’t predict the future. Two sounds good, I guess,” he added. https://youtu.be/Hk1S8b8wIo0 The company behind the acclaimed “Framing Britney Spears” documentary is working on a project about Janet Jackson’s infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Per Page Six, Left/Right TV is the production company behind the forthcoming doc, and a source said, “It’s going to be all about the fallout and the suits who f–ked over Janet [at] Viacom.” The stylist who worked with Jackson for her infamous 2004 Super Bowl appearance with Justin Timberlake has revealed that it was Timberlake who pushed for the “wardrobe malfunction” that made international headlines. H.E.R. is an amazing songstress that continues to raise the bar in the world of R&B music. And when the Grammy-winning H.E.R. is teamed with Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown, sensational things are bound to happen – musically speaking. On H.E.R.’s new single, “Come Through,” featuring Brown, the two singers’ voices blend like magic. https://youtu.be/0T3fZiE7Feg Senator Tim Scott has praised President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for agreeing with him that America is ‘not a racist country,’ after critics attacked Scott with racial slurs over his rebuttal to Biden’s joint address to Congress. Scott, a South Carolina Republican, told CBS’ Face The Nation on Sunday that he stood by his assessment that America is not racist, despite being pulled over 18 times for ‘driving while black.’ https://youtu.be/RXs9_fNoRY8 A New Jersey police chief will be demoted after it was discovered that he offered a promotion to a cop in exchange to have sex with the officer’s wife and underaged daughter. The announcement was made during an administrative disciplinary hearing last week where officials found Rudolph Beu guilty of several offenses during his time as a police officer for the Vineland Police Department. He was accused of failure to perform duties, conduct unbecoming a public employee and neglect of duty and he was already suspended from his position with pay since last February. Beu faced several allegations which included one incident in 2017 where he promised a promotion for a cop in exchange for sex with the officer’s wife or daughter who was underage. He was also accused of nepotism for allegedly trying to promote his daughter and not properly disciplining his son-in-law at the department as reported. Former “19 Kids and Counting” star Josh Duggar has been indicted on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. A federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas indicted Duggar, alleging that in 2019 he “knowingly” received images of children under the age of 12. The former TLC star has been charged on two counts pertaining to child pornography. Duggar’s parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar released a joint statement on their family website. “The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner,” they wrote. “We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.” Former NASCAR driver Eric McClure passed away at the age of 42 on Sunday, according to family members. McClure, who last raced in 2006, had ended his career due to health issues. The Virginia native had experienced multiple concussions, which left him suffering neurological symptoms like headaches, nausea, and depression. In recent years, McClure had suffered from kidney problems. He was diagnosed with acute renal failure in 2013 and announced in 2019 that he was being treated for double kidney failure. Last October, McClure pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge against his wife, Miranda McClure, who said he beat and choked her in front of their young children. Eric McClure had been sentenced to 12 months of probation, as well as substance abuse counseling. In a statement, his family thanked “everyone for their prayers and support during this very difficult time.” While no cause of death was given, officials say his body was transported to Roanoke for an autopsy. Mentally haunting: The tragic Los Angeles, Metrolink (Blue Line) train death of 27-year-old aspiring model, dancer and music artist Assata Olugbala Jones is a true urban tale; untold until now. Jones’ story represents a quiet phenomenon — whispering under the radar and creeping through communities. Seemingly normal, everyday people are going mad. Assata Jones is seen deteriorating most rapidly during a four-month period and during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, last year. https://youtu.be/juOrPLrsCXw A collective of Black and brown-owned businesses have teamed up to combat food insecurity in Chicago. According to the Block Chicago Club, they’ve come together for the creation of an initiative dubbed ChiMeals, which is designed to provide meals for underserved communities throughout the city. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1387395333752303619/90-yB9G9?format=jpg&name=small Representation matters and Shoreline-based health professional Dr. Margaret Towolawi is breaking racial barriers within her industry. According to K5, Dr. Towolawi is the woman behind the first Black-owned direct primary care clinic in the state of Washington. Her practice—dubbed the Nurture Well Center—takes a holistic approach to providing treatment for common illnesses. The inspiration for the creation of her health care facility was derived from the desire to make a career shift amid the pandemic. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1387468628212125699/ufkLR6eh?format=jpg&name=small Najee Harris has amassed success in the realm of football but no matter how far the sport has taken him, the California native has always stayed true to his roots. According to CBS News, hours before being drafted, the newly minted Pittsburgh Steelers player hosted a party at the homeless shelter where he and his family once lived. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1388181478568341508/uYn_4iXa?format=jpg&name=small The little engine that was never suppose to start, "Who Is Gatsby Randolph" keeps going and picks up momentum "down-under" with a red carpet gala premiere of the documentary, movie opened in Australia in-theaters, Friday. Radio Active Films teamed with Caroline Russo Enterprises to acquire the theatrical rights to release "Who Is Gatsby Randolph" in Australia and New Zealand. Last week, a capacity house of nearly 200 attendees got the first big screen glimpse of the doc when it screened at the Dendy Portside Cinema Hamilton Brisbane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J96Kpq4-sQk Caitlyn Jenner, the 71-year-old former Olympian previously known as Bruce Jenner, has weighed in on the legislation that would prohibit transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams. Jenner told TMZ over the weekend that she fully supports these bans. https://youtu.be/2VBaFEmKa68 After catching heat for comments he made about DMX’s death, Irv Gotti has issued an apology for claiming the rapper died from crack cocaine and fentanyl overdose. On Saturday, Irv responded to the backlash in an Instagram post featuring a #throwback photo of him and DMX. “Now Everything I said had already been reported in the media …” Irv wrote. “Everything I said had been out there already. I did not break anything I said. But you know what, I understand. No one wanted to hear it from me. And for that I am truly sorry. To ever make people think. I don’t love my n***a X.” The Recording Academy announced on Friday that it has eliminated the “secret” nomination review committees including the Big Four categories:Album, Record, and Song of the Year, as well as Best New Artist. The move comes after The Weeknd aired his grievances with the Grammy Awards and slammed the Recording Academy for being corrupt. https://youtu.be/dhFegWaSK7c A new Mike Tyson documentary series from ABC News will explore the famed boxer’s rise to fame and what life has been like since he stepped back from the spotlight. “Mike is a complicated individual,” a voiceover says in the first trailer for the four-hour series “Mike Tyson: The Knockout.” The first half of “Mike Tyson: The Knockout” premieres on May 25, at 8 p.m. EST, with the second installment airing June 1 on ABC. The series will also be available on demand and on Hulu. HBO Max will debut the new six-episode Max Original comedy series “That Damn Michael Che,” starring the “Saturday Night Live” cast member in sketches and vignettes that illustrate what it feels like to experience various every-day situations including racial profiling, unemployment, falling in love and more, from his perspective. https://youtu.be/UbtNbtWqrx4 A Black woman used social media to rant against the anti-racist stance of Alyssa Milano, telling the actress, “You’re not helping. You’re making things worse.” In a TikTok video, Savannah Edwards of thisissavvy responds to a clip of Milano’s podcast Sorry Not Sorry in which she tells non-Black people to imagine being a Black man. https://youtu.be/otbjvHJaseM Following the announcement of two federal probes into the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, announced he welcomed a similar inquiry following the shooting death of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. “This is not about one particular officer, policy, or incident; rather, this is about reforming the entire institution of policing in Columbus,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Attorney Zach Klein wrote in a letter addressed to the Department of Justice. “Simply put: We need to change the culture of the Columbus Division of Police.” In a letter to the DOJ, Ginther and Klein expressed the city needed oversight to combat the “fierce opposition” to reform in the police department. Whether it’s donning the creations of Black designers in her visual albums or launching a fund to provide grants for small Black-owned businesses, songstress Beyoncé has been dedicated to supporting Black entrepreneurs and amplifying their work. According to WSFA12, her latest effort is centered on empowering the next generation of Black jewelers. The Houston native joined forces with bespoke jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz for the creation of scholarships for aspiring gemologists to attend the Gemological Institute of America. The institute offers courses that cover the different facets of jewelry manufacturing and how to evaluate diamonds, pearls and stones. As part of the initiative, the students received $20,000 scholarships that will cover the costs of equipment, lab courses and other fees. Among the recipients were Alabama native Audriana Osborne, Kulla Jatani from Seattle and Shelton Bradford from California. Rapper Big Sean has been forthright about his bouts with depression and anxiety, and he is continuing to use his wellness journey to empower and inspire others who can identify with his experiences. According to the Detroit Free Press, the music artist, Sean Anderson, is launching a video series for Mental Health Awareness Month. The series—which will be featured across his Sean Anderson Foundation’s digital channels—will include candid conversations between him and his mother Myra Anderson about an array of wellness practices including sleeping methods, healthy eating habits, the power of shifting your mindset and meditation. The “Deep Reverence” rapper says he wanted to create a safe space where individuals can gain insight and tips to help cultivate a solid foundation for wellness. Songstress Ciara and her husband Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson have been fierce advocates for education. The couple’s latest initiative was centered on using financial literacy as an avenue to empower youth. According to The Seattle Times, the Wilsons recently surprised a group of Seattle-based middle school students with money management tips and a gift for them to start building a foundation for financial success. Through their nonprofit organization the Why Not You Foundation, the Wilsons teamed up with Goalsetter—a digital money management platform—and the NFL Players Association to virtually visit nearly 900 students at the Denny International Middle School. In observance of Financial Literacy Month, the two shared tips about the importance of saving and investing. They also made a $35,000 donation so every student in the public school could start a savings account with $40, that they won’t be able to manage until they’re 18. “It was definitely a testing year,” says Pastor Alvin Love III. As of January 2021, Love is the lead pastor of Nashville Life Church (NLC) in Nashville, Tenn. The church was co-founded by his parents, Alvin Love II and gospel legend CeCe Winans. Prior to assuming the role of lead pastor, Love served as executive pastor at the church. Many pastors and churches had a difficult time in 2020, a year notable for its political, social, and racial unrest. Complicating the challenges that Love faced is the fact that the racial makeup of his congregation is about half Black and half white. This is something NLC is proud of, said Love, but the events of the past year “really challenged the unity of our church.” In a February interview with ChurchLeaders, the pastor explained, “This is the first time that one of our greatest assets ended up becoming one of our greatest challenges.” Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis has died in her New York apartment, at age 89, according to her brother, Apollo. He wrote on Facebook on Saturday: “After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich].” Dukakis is best known for her work on Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias, and she won several awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe. She appeared on dozens of TV shows and films, and devoted 40 years of her life to theater, working on-stage at a theater business that she founded and later teaching drama classes at New York University. She once said, “I did not become an actor in order to become famous or rich. I became an actor so I could play the great parts.” Comedian-actor Leslie Jones will take the stage as host of the MTV Movie & TV Awards next month. The network announced Wednesday that Jones will host the awards, which will air live on May 16 from Los Angeles. The awards show celebrates the best moments in movies and television over the past year. Stokley Williams, known professionally as just “Stokley,” is raising eyebrows as a soloist. In January of 2021, Stokley released “Cascade,” which reached No. 1. The song is an up-tempo dance tune with deep lyrics about not letting a proven love get away after making a mistake one night with another woman. Stokely has masterfully revamped “Cascade” into a new “Lovers Quarrel Mix.” The unique mix is now a ballad. https://youtu.be/Wtuccru58Gg Minnesota’s Star Tribune reports, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had planned and was fully prepared to arrest Derek Chauvin on civil rights charges if he was found not guilty in the killing of George Floyd, or if the case had been ruled a mistrial. It’s reported that if Chauvin was not found guilty, the DOJ planned to have him arrested via a criminal complaint and would have pursued an indictment from a grand jury. Despite his guilty conviction, the DOJ is said to still be bringing charges against Chauvin, but will do so through a grand jury indictment. Over the years, routine traffic stops have produced some unexpected, life-altering results. Recent encounters with law enforcement recorded on cell phones and police officers’ body cams have become public and, in some cases, viral moments. Naji Mujahid Fenwick was accustomed to routine traffic stops. He was a petty criminal who had been arrested 25 times. But one particular stop changed his life. An encounter with a hot-headed cop didn’t sit well with Fenwick. So, he took drastic measures to assure he wouldn’t be on the wrong end of police interaction again. He enrolled in law school. The lifelong defendant then became a public defender and eventually a defense attorney. Sitting on the other side of the table, defending citizens in a position he knew well, Fenwick defined changing the narrative. https://youtu.be/Y5kzkRYyzYs Music exec/producer Irv Gotti is in the proverbial hot seat over his telling the world that DMX died from a “bad dose of crack” mixed with fentanyl. An official toxicology report has yet to be released to the public. Gotti, Irving Lorenzo Jr., told Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI’s morning show that the late rapper died from smoking fentanyl-laced crack cocaine. “They said it was a bad dose of crack, and they said some drug fentanyl was mixed in with the crack and that’s what made him overdose,” the 50-year-old told the show’s hosts. “Then when he got to the hospital, he got diagnosed with COVID and he couldn’t breathe — you know that COVID messes with your respiratory system — so that’s why he had to get hooked up to the ventilator.” Jinger Duggar has spoken out against brother Josh after the father-of-six was arrested this week and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. Jinger, who goes by her married name Vuolo on social media, posted a statement on behalf of her and husband Jeremy Vuolo, after news of Josh’s arrest made headlines. ‘We are disturbed to hear of the charges against Josh. While this case must go through the legal system, we want to make it clear that we absolutely condemn any form of child abuse and fully support the authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice.’ her message read. The little engine that was never suppose to start, "Who Is Gatsby Randolph" keeps going and picks up momentum "down-under" with a red carpet gala premiere of the documentary, movie opened in Australia in-theaters, Friday. Radio Active Films teamed with Caroline Russo Enterprises to acquire the theatrical rights to release "Who Is Gatsby Randolph" in Australia and New Zealand. Last week, a capacity house of nearly 200 attendees got the first big screen glimpse of the doc when it screened at the Dendy Portside Cinema Hamilton Brisbane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J96Kpq4-sQk Following the announcement of two federal probes into the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, announced he welcomed a similar inquiry following the shooting death of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. “This is not about one particular officer, policy, or incident; rather, this is about reforming the entire institution of policing in Columbus,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Attorney Zach Klein wrote in a letter addressed to the Department of Justice. “Simply put: We need to change the culture of the Columbus Division of Police.” In a letter to the DOJ, Ginther and Klein expressed the city needed oversight to combat the “fierce opposition” to reform in the police department. Whether it’s donning the creations of Black designers in her visual albums or launching a fund to provide grants for small Black-owned businesses, songstress Beyoncé has been dedicated to supporting Black entrepreneurs and amplifying their work. According to WSFA12, her latest effort is centered on empowering the next generation of Black jewelers. The Houston native joined forces with bespoke jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz for the creation of scholarships for aspiring gemologists to attend the Gemological Institute of America. The institute offers courses that cover the different facets of jewelry manufacturing and how to evaluate diamonds, pearls and stones. As part of the initiative, the students received $20,000 scholarships that will cover the costs of equipment, lab courses and other fees. Among the recipients were Alabama native Audriana Osborne, Kulla Jatani from Seattle and Shelton Bradford from California. Rapper Big Sean has been forthright about his bouts with depression and anxiety, and he is continuing to use his wellness journey to empower and inspire others who can identify with his experiences. According to the Detroit Free Press, the music artist, Sean Anderson, is launching a video series for Mental Health Awareness Month. The series—which will be featured across his Sean Anderson Foundation’s digital channels—will include candid conversations between him and his mother Myra Anderson about an array of wellness practices including sleeping methods, healthy eating habits, the power of shifting your mindset and meditation. The “Deep Reverence” rapper says he wanted to create a safe space where individuals can gain insight and tips to help cultivate a solid foundation for wellness. Songstress Ciara and her husband Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson have been fierce advocates for education. The couple’s latest initiative was centered on using financial literacy as an avenue to empower youth. According to The Seattle Times, the Wilsons recently surprised a group of Seattle-based middle school students with money management tips and a gift for them to start building a foundation for financial success. Through their nonprofit organization the Why Not You Foundation, the Wilsons teamed up with Goalsetter—a digital money management platform—and the NFL Players Association to virtually visit nearly 900 students at the Denny International Middle School. In observance of Financial Literacy Month, the two shared tips about the importance of saving and investing. They also made a $35,000 donation so every student in the public school could start a savings account with $40, that they won’t be able to manage until they’re 18. “It was definitely a testing year,” says Pastor Alvin Love III. As of January 2021, Love is the lead pastor of Nashville Life Church (NLC) in Nashville, Tenn. The church was co-founded by his parents, Alvin Love II and gospel legend CeCe Winans. Prior to assuming the role of lead pastor, Love served as executive pastor at the church. Many pastors and churches had a difficult time in 2020, a year notable for its political, social, and racial unrest. Complicating the challenges that Love faced is the fact that the racial makeup of his congregation is about half Black and half white. This is something NLC is proud of, said Love, but the events of the past year “really challenged the unity of our church.” In a February interview with ChurchLeaders, the pastor explained, “This is the first time that one of our greatest assets ended up becoming one of our greatest challenges.” Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis has died in her New York apartment, at age 89, according to her brother, Apollo. He wrote on Facebook on Saturday: “After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich].” Dukakis is best known for her work on Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias, and she won several awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe. She appeared on dozens of TV shows and films, and devoted 40 years of her life to theater, working on-stage at a theater business that she founded and later teaching drama classes at New York University. She once said, “I did not become an actor in order to become famous or rich. I became an actor so I could play the great parts.” Comedian-actor Leslie Jones will take the stage as host of the MTV Movie & TV Awards next month. The network announced Wednesday that Jones will host the awards, which will air live on May 16 from Los Angeles. The awards show celebrates the best moments in movies and television over the past year. Stokley Williams, known professionally as just “Stokley,” is raising eyebrows as a soloist. In January of 2021, Stokley released “Cascade,” which reached No. 1. The song is an up-tempo dance tune with deep lyrics about not letting a proven love get away after making a mistake one night with another woman. Stokely has masterfully revamped “Cascade” into a new “Lovers Quarrel Mix.” The unique mix is now a ballad. https://youtu.be/Wtuccru58Gg Minnesota’s Star Tribune reports, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had planned and was fully prepared to arrest Derek Chauvin on civil rights charges if he was found not guilty in the killing of George Floyd, or if the case had been ruled a mistrial. It’s reported that if Chauvin was not found guilty, the DOJ planned to have him arrested via a criminal complaint and would have pursued an indictment from a grand jury. Despite his guilty conviction, the DOJ is said to still be bringing charges against Chauvin, but will do so through a grand jury indictment. Over the years, routine traffic stops have produced some unexpected, life-altering results. Recent encounters with law enforcement recorded on cell phones and police officers’ body cams have become public and, in some cases, viral moments. Naji Mujahid Fenwick was accustomed to routine traffic stops. He was a petty criminal who had been arrested 25 times. But one particular stop changed his life. An encounter with a hot-headed cop didn’t sit well with Fenwick. So, he took drastic measures to assure he wouldn’t be on the wrong end of police interaction again. He enrolled in law school. The lifelong defendant then became a public defender and eventually a defense attorney. Sitting on the other side of the table, defending citizens in a position he knew well, Fenwick defined changing the narrative. https://youtu.be/Y5kzkRYyzYs Music exec/producer Irv Gotti is in the proverbial hot seat over his telling the world that DMX died from a “bad dose of crack” mixed with fentanyl. An official toxicology report has yet to be released to the public. Gotti, Irving Lorenzo Jr., told Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI’s morning show that the late rapper died from smoking fentanyl-laced crack cocaine. “They said it was a bad dose of crack, and they said some drug fentanyl was mixed in with the crack and that’s what made him overdose,” the 50-year-old told the show’s hosts. “Then when he got to the hospital, he got diagnosed with COVID and he couldn’t breathe — you know that COVID messes with your respiratory system — so that’s why he had to get hooked up to the ventilator.” Jinger Duggar has spoken out against brother Josh after the father-of-six was arrested this week and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. Jinger, who goes by her married name Vuolo on social media, posted a statement on behalf of her and husband Jeremy Vuolo, after news of Josh’s arrest made headlines. ‘We are disturbed to hear of the charges against Josh. While this case must go through the legal system, we want to make it clear that we absolutely condemn any form of child abuse and fully support the authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice.’ her message read. Former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., who left the school last year in the wake of multiple scandals, made an appearance at a gathering that included students over the weekend where he invited attendees to the “real Liberty graduation” at his own house next month. Religion News Service has obtained footage of the moment that matches a shorter video circulating on Twitter claiming to show Falwell’s invitation. In the videos, Falwell can be seen standing on an outdoor stage beneath handmade signs that include a cross, as a crowd attending what several people have identified as a comedy show look on. Holding a microphone, Falwell invites seniors to an event at “our farm” on May 8, saying, “We’re going to have the real Liberty graduation.” Echoing the words of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Thursday night that any claim of “systemic racism” in America’s institutions is “a bunch of horse manure.” “Give me a break,” he said during an appearance on a Fox News town hall moderated by Laura Ingraham. “This country has had more opportunity for more people than any country in the history of the world, and it doesn’t matter where you trace your ancestry from.” “We’ve had people that have been able to succeed and all,” the governor continued. “Here’s the problem with things like critical race theory that they’re peddling: they’re basically saying all our institutions are bankrupt and they’re — they’re illegitimate. How do you have a society if everything in your society is illegitimate?” Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Attorney General is concerned, Minnesota’s guidelines for locking up criminals does not go far enough for the heinous crime that Derek Chauvin perpetrated on George Floyd. He describes what the ex-cop did to Floyd as “particular cruelty.” Ellison filed docs asking Peter A. Cahill to impose a stiffer sentence than he otherwise might under state sentencing guidelines, which recommend just 12.5 years. The reality is that Cahill has the authority to throw the book at Chauvin and could give him the max of 40 years. If Cahill does go along with the AG and give Chauvin more that n the 12.5 years recommended by the guidelines, he would have to find evidence of aggravating factors in the case. Ellison says, that’s not a problem. https://youtu.be/RGr6WOIkHyw The conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, in Minnesota, is a step in the right direction, but the murder of another unarmed, innocent Black man, also in Minnesota, 20-year-old Daunte Wright, due to an inexplicable mix up between a gun and a taser from the officer that killed him, is also garnering the media spotlight. A paradigm shift is in urgent need to be implemented, and traffic stops and law enforcement, particularly involving Black men and women are in urgent need of examination. Force and violence against men of color by law enforcement seems to have become the norm, woven into the fabric of US culture, and it appears that numbers bear that out. America has a policing problem. All over the country, men of color are being arrested and are in harm’s way, not from crime, not from criminals, but from law enforcement, the very entity that should protect and serve the public. Yes, there seemingly has been a resurgence in the murders of men of color by the police in recent years, but many would argue that these killings have always been a part of the paradigm of America’s makeup. A now-deleted Facebook post created by a volunteer fire chief has caused a major backlash after he told police to stop responding to black neighborhoods. Francis Butch Ghent made the following statement on Facebook a day after the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He writes, “Dear Police, stop responding to these black neighborhoods. They will eventually kill each other and the fake news won’t have a story.” Ghent works as a volunteer fire chief at the McDonald Green Volunteer Fire Department Station 12 in Lancaster, South Carolina. After the backlash, Ghent recanted his statement and claimed he didn’t mean for it to be “racially insensitive” after Lancaster officials caught wind of the post. “I guess it was racially insensitive. I did not mean it that way, I sincerely apologize to the people of Lancaster.” An Irving, Texas wife and mother went missing after going out for her morning walk two days ago, today officials in the city have recovered a body. Beauty queen Lashun Massey, wearing a black hoodie and checkered pajama pants, was last seen near Lago de Claire — a small lake in the Las Colinas — on April 27. There has been no confirmation that the body found is Massey’s. At a late morning press conference Irving PD Public Information Officer Robert Reeves confirmed a body was found submerged in the water. https://cbsloc.al/3aRzPqG Weinstein was pictured on a virtual hearing on Friday morning in New York, during which Erie County Judge Kenneth Case indicated he would be sent to Los Angeles in 30 days – on May 30, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyMBFKzfaIU[/emed] Today (05-01-21) is the official launch of “ZeaZoo & Land Of Boo” and the reviews are already rolling. It’s a small world! ZeaZoo & Land Of Boo “An Urban Fairytale” the award-winning animation/motion picture screenplay has been transformed into an amazing graphic novel, ebook and paperback limited edition. This ground-breaking, family friendly, graphic novel, enters uncharted waters in the lucrative elusive children’s animation, comics and Fantasy book categories. Targeting boys and girls ages: 7 -17. Perfect for kids summer-time lounging and personal adventures. The scary television show “Them” is raising lots of eyebrows. Since the show’s premiere on April 9 (2021), the horror drama and terrifying anthology on Amazon Prime Video has created a stunning buzz. Set in 1953, “Them” is about a Black family that moves to an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles in Jim Crow times. The Black family’s new home quickly mutates into a place for evil forces. There are also violent acts and racist experiences at the hands of White people that become nightmarish and threaten to destroy the Emory family. https://youtu.be/TFmiaKEFqdc Mourners have gathered at a church in Tampa, Florida to remember the late rapper and producer Shock G whose real name was Gregory Jacobs. He was 57. Hip hop fans of course knew Shock G/Jacobs as “Humpty Hump. ” He was found unresponsive at a Tampa hotel on Thursday, April 22. Authorities said an autopsy was being performed, and his cause of death was currently unknown. “He was an internationally known rapper, musician, actor, vocalist and was the creator of the hip hop group, Digital Underground,” Jacobs’ obituary says. “Gregory was a consummate giver of love to all, and he will be missed. The obituary did not mention the specifics of the service. COVID-19 restrictions and attendance limitations are expected to keep the event more private. The service was live-streamed by the church. On the heels of its monumental Academy Award win for best animated feature, Disney and Pixar’s SOUL kicks off new interview series from Disney+. As part of an ongoing commitment to amplify Black stories, culture and community beyond just the 28 days of February, Disney+ continues its #BlackHistoryAlways content with a new interview series Disney+ Voices in which Black creatives connect for an open conversation about their process and passions through the lens of the Black experience. https://youtu.be/mVKU766NKMY In the latest episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” Questlove joins Jemele to discuss his evolution from front man of The Roots to author, curator and podcaster. He shares the origin story behind The Roots’ legendary jam sessions, and why he decided to play the drums. He also shares his memorable first encounter with Prince, who became a close friend. Plus, Jemele gave her thoughts on the Derek Chauvin verdict. https://open.spotify.com/show/1SXD1U55jqbK9HHoPvdbsw?si=be212ecc10a84858 “They are all friends of mine,” said Contemporary Jazz saxophonist Dr. Marion Meadows about the featured artists on his latest solo project titled “Twice as Nice” (Shanachie), who include Grammy winning guitarist Paul Brown and keyboardists Jeff Lorber and Chris “Big Dog” Davis – to name a few. “Jeff Lorber, he and I have been exchanging ideas for many years…it was close at times…never really happened. It so happens to be one of the hottest tunes on the record. Paul Brown, I hadn’t worked with him, but had known of him. He has the bulk of the songs on the record. Chris ‘Big Dog’, we’ve done many songs. He’s like an electric car, you get in there and it goes. It’s a win win situation for me.” https://youtu.be/oT70O7wtuHU “Pose” executive producer Janet Mock reportedly served up a fiery speech at the season 3 premiere party on Thursday night, during which she slammed Hollywood snd admitted to cheating on her boyfriend. “F*ck Hollywood,” Mock began her 15-minute speech. “This makes you uncomfortable? It should. It should make you fucking shake in your motherfucking boots. This is speaking the truth. This is what Pose is. ”The event took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the room reportedly fell silent during Mock’s emotional rant. “Why am I making $40,000 an episode? Huh?” she said, Page Six reports. “I am angry!” Mock then slammed the male writers on “Pose” before calling on her boyfriend Angel Bismark Curiel to “stand up … right now!” “Let me tell you something about love,” Mock told the socially distanced audience. “Today, I was gonna let [Angel] go,” she said. “I was gonna let you go, right, but what did I do? I f–ked someone on the crew, right?” She continued, “Angel, Angel. I’m not losing you. You hear me? You are f–king important to me,” Mock said. “I don’t want to live in a house alone. I want you. You motherf–ker. Right there. That’s who I want. I’m getting what’s mine.” Mock then apologized to composer and series producer Our Lady J for treating her like crap to “make myself bigger.” “I f–ked up, y’all. I forgot who the f–k I was. They want me to come up here and pretend,” Mock said. “I don’t need Hollywood, honey. You know why? Cuz I’m f–king free.” Shane Bieber struck out 11, setting a major league record in the process and pitching the Cleveland Indians past the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Friday night. Bieber (3-2) fanned at least eight in his 18th straight game, breaking a tie for the mark set by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in 1999-2000. Bieber gave up three runs and seven hits, walking one in six innings. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has fanned 68 in six starts this year — he’s struck out at least 11 in five of those games. José Ramirez homered and drove in three runs for Cleveland. Urban One Founder and Chairwoman Cathy Hughes announced TV One will air a special episode of its hit autobiographical series UNCENSORED featuring the late rapper DMX. Hughes made the exclusive announcement on the URBAN ONE HONORS: Virtual Press Conference on Wednesday, April 28. The special is slated to air on Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m. ET/7C, immediately followed by the annual URBAN ONE HONORS hosted by Erica Campbell and Roland Martin at 9 p.m. ET/8C. It will feature an interview with DMX just three weeks before his passing and is confirmed to be his final and most transparent to date. This week, the Smollett sibling duo return to CLEO TV for the second season of LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ on Saturday, May 1, at 9 p.m. ET/8C. As they perform revitalize homes, they also celebrate their trendy renovations with delectable recipes from the Smollett family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YudXSaGELM CLEO TV's season finale of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, May 3 at 9 P.M./8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. In this episode, CLEO SPEAKS highlights Jasmyne Cannick and her unique entry into the political realm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SzA7q4yeXY JOIN CHEF SUNNY ANDERSON AS SHE SPICES UP THE NIGHT WITH FUN TEX-MEX RECIPES ON COOKING FOR REAL WITH SUNNY ANDERSON, AIRING MONDAYS AT 9 P.M. ET/8C Ann Golden drops "You" In the Gospel Spotlight....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HojVBZSc_GE Today, two-time GRAMMY® nominated inspirational artist, Koryn Hawthorne, released a heart-rending EP, The Worship Project, featuring six worship ballads, including “How Great” and “Know You” (featuring Steffany Gretzinger) from her #1 album I Am. In addition to the six tracks, a bonus video “How Great (Essential Worship Song Session)” is available for Apple A/V bundle subscribers. https://korynhawthornemusic.lnk.to/TheWorshipEP!W&W JudahBand returns with a new single "I Will Praise". It's Judah Band's interpretation of praise and worship. With it's catchy chorus "I Will Praise" offers an opportunity to experience the many talents of Randy Weston and Judah Band. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/43j1t90ejv87jys/AAC4fDkLXO9h3pzz7p7zenYba?dl=0 All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series UNCENSORED continue this Sunday, May 2. The hit series UNCENSORED continues with Lisa Leslie at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynq1uD7VguE Epic Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, today has released the second wave of expanded digital editions of essential titles in The Jacksons catalog: Triumph (1980), Victory (1984), and 2300 Jackson Street (1989). In addition to The Jacksons X MLK remix released on March 19, the Triumph re-release includes two additional new remixes of The Jacksons’ “Can You Feel It”: The Kirk Franklin Remix and The Island Remix featuring David Sanborn. https://youtu.be/zFwiwLO0zhg ”Bulletproof” and “Doctor Who” star Noel Clarke has been suspended by BAFTA and Sky after 20 women came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct and bullying. According to The Guardian, Clark has a slew of actresses, producers and other entertainment professionals taking aim at him with claims of unwanted sexual touching and harassment, sending unwanted sexual content, and bullying on set, Complex reported. He has reportedly denied all accusations. https://youtu.be/U76ROYHmLFo A former Georgia sheriff’s deputy arrested on multiple gun charges boasted in private texts that he would charge Black people with felonies to prevent them from voting, and once boasted that his beating of a Black man was “sweet stress relief.” “The ex-Wilkinson County deputy, Cody Richard Griggers, of Montrose, was fired last November after the FBI contacted the sheriff there about an investigation into illegal guns and their alleged ties to a California man said to have made violent political statements on Facebook,” reported the Belleville News-Democrat. The former Marine, “pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Macon to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, a crime the authorities discovered in their probe, which began last summer. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in July.” https://youtu.be/DlJLykHjvqw Over 400 former ‘Jeopardy!’ contestants are requesting an apology after a recent winner allegedly flashed a white supremacist hand gesture during the players’ introduction. The group penned an open letter published to Medium on Wednesday condemning contestant Kelly Donohue for throwing up an upsidedown “OK” sign on the game show. The symbol is an alleged white power salute, and viewers have taken to social media to call out the show’s producers for not catching it in the moment and editing it out before the show aired. https://youtu.be/9ET15AOp-6Q Five suspects have been arrested in the shooting and robbery of Lady Gaga’s dogwalker in Los Angeles. The attack happened in February. Lady Gaga’s two French bulldogs Koji and Gustav, were stolen and luckily both were recovered unharmed days later. The singer offered a reward of $500,000 to anyone who found her two beloved pets — no questions asked. A woman believed to be a Good Samaritan reportedly found dogs tied to a pole miles from where they were snatched, Los Angeles police told AP. https://youtu.be/mxZTojdsEgk Gayle King has announced that she’s going to be a grandmother! Speaking with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show Wednesday, King dished about her daughter Kirby Bumpus’ wedding to husband Virgil Miller before revealing that Kirby is pregnant. https://youtu.be/BldB15ayvzQ A Las Vegas news anchor was arrested last month after being found naked and passed out in her car. Feven Kiflegiorgis, a Fox 5 Las Vegas reporter told cops she does not remember how she got to the location where police found her nude and asleep behind the wheel of her Audi March 20, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Officers noted that Kiflegiorgis reeked of alcohol but she declined to submit to blood testing. https://youtu.be/lDvyb-_EFiY Josh Duggar has been arrested and is being held without bond in an Arkansas jail. The former 19 Kids and Counting star was arrested by Homeland Security on Thursday, a representative for the U.S. Marshals Service confirms to PEOPLE. Online jail records do not indicate what charges he was arrested on when he was booked. Representatives for Josh and for TLC did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. Macy Gray has been inspired to co-design a line of sneakers aimed to raise awareness about police brutality. Women’s Wear Daily reports, through the nonprofit My Good, the Grammy winner has joined forces with French footwear brand Twins for Peace to introduce the limited-edition collection, and proceeds will go toward helping victims of police violence. ”Police shootings — as much as we talk about them — some people don’t really care. And that’s the reality. Through the connection with Twins for Peace and through other efforts that My Good is setting up, the group is trying to engage more people,” Gray said in an interview with WWD.“…just liking our shoes, whether they care or not, helps a family. They just help someone heal. That’s why we have partnered with Nana.” Vanessa Bryant is continuing to honor the memory of her late daughter, Gianna. On Friday, Kobe Bryant’s widow announced that she will launch a Mambacita clothing line on May 1, which would have been Gianna’s 15th birthday. Bryant, 38, and daughters Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and Capri, 21 months, modeled the collection’s tie-dye sweatsuits on Instagram; along with Gianna’s nickname (a play on Kobe’s moniker), the pieces are adorned with her jersey number inside of a heart, along with a small winged star. A 19-year-old girl who thought she had just aged out of the adoption system has a family to call her own, thanks to her caseworker, who is taking on the role of a mom. https://youtu.be/ge5Z4XWbbLQ Rapper T.I. caught a bit of heat this week after he hit up social media to shout out his “white, NON RACIST friends,” thanking them for their support during the rising social unrest in the country. “To my white, NON RACIST friends, I love y’all !” so he wrote on the image that he posted on his page. “Don’t get it twisted. Me loving and protecting my race does not mean I hate or fault you. We know exactly who our enemies are, they’re no longer hiding it. Thank you for standing with us.” Vice President Kamala Harris made history as the first woman of color to hold that office. Now she’s about to be the first vice president to be honored by Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York City. The museum traditionally creates a wax figure for presidents but decided to give Harris “an honor that has never-before been extended to a vice president,” according to a news release. https://twitter.com/i/status/1387466297450041359 Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 50 points to go along with 11 assists Thursday night, becoming the youngest player ever to log a 50-point double-double with assists. The performance helped the Houston Rockets snap a five-game losing streak, as they beat the Milwaukee Bucks 143-136. Porter, 20, beat his previous career best of 30 points in the second half alone, scoring 32 with 17 in the fourth quarter. He also joined LeBron James, Brandon Jennings and Devin Booker as the only players to score 50 points in a game before turning 21. Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers is so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team, league and team sources told ESPN on Thursday. The Packers are aware of his feelings, concerned about them and have had team president Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur each fly out on separate trips to meet with Rodgers at various points this offseason, sources told ESPN. RCA Inspiration celebrates seven nominations across the Gospel categories for the upcoming 2021 Billboard Music Awards. Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Koryn Hawthorne, Kierra Sheard and Mali Music. Separately, Kirk Franklin is a finalist in Top Christian Song as a featured performer on the For King & Country song “Together” ft. Kirk Franklin & Tori Kelly. Finalists and winners are selected via key fan music interactions, including album and digital song digital sales, streaming, radio airplay, and social engagement tracked by Billboard and its data partners, from the chart period spanning March 21, 2020 to April 3, 2021. Tune in to see the winners announced on the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, airing live from Los Angeles on Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on NBC. Congratulations to H.E.R. and Tauren Wells on this beautiful song that keeps us grounded. The duo hit Access Hollywood last night and will premiere a new video exclusively on BET Gospel, BET Soul, and BET Her beginning today at 6am ET. If you miss it, head over to YouTube/Vevo later today. https://www.instagram.com/p/COQgk55JAGG/ LaTocha is an award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. She is best known as the vocal spotlight of the multi-platinum selling R&B group Xscape who rose to popularity in the 1990s. Xscape exploded onto the music scene and emerged as one of the most prolific female R&B groups of all time. LaTocha drops "Full Time Love." https://themasteringpalace.app.box.com/s/63y8yktreq8hnllyz0x0y18hgnwd5jfe Silence the Shame, Inc. (STS), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering and educating communities on mental health and wellness, will present their inaugural “A Brilliant Mind Gala,” to be held virtually on Silence the Shame Day, May 5, 2021, at 8pm EST. Hosted by Atlanta radio personality and culture curator Kenny Burns, the virtual gala and fundraiser will honor nationally syndicated radio host Charlamagne tha God, award-winning DJ D-Nice, psychologist & licensed professional counselor Dr. Spirit, and Grammy Award-winning singer Michelle Williams who are being recognized for making a difference in mental health and wellness. The event also features special appearances by Atlanta’s Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, Common, Lecrae, singer/actress Keri Hilson, Ronnie DeVoe, and clothing designer Kenneth Cole. A highlight of the gala is a special performance from soul music icon, Anthony Hamilton, and a special 15-minute Club Quarantine set by DJ D-Nice. In recognition and celebration of Black Music Month Central City Productions will present the 2021 Black Music Honors in commemoration of Juneteenth which is officially celebrated on June 19th. The evening of celebrations and special moments will be pre-taped at the City Winery in Nashville, Tennessee, and televised in syndication starting June 5 to July 4, 2021 and on Saturday, June 19 at 1:00 p.m. EST on Bounce TV. Loni Love will host. The honorees includes Angie Stone tapped to receive the Soul Music Icon Award, Ginuwine will receive the Urban Music Icon Award, Marvin Sapp will receive the Gospel Music Icon Award and Ramsey Lewis will receive the Legends Award. The National Museum of African American Music will be honored with the Legacy Award. On June 6, Café Mocha Radio will stream their 2021 Salute THEM Awards show. The ceremony will honor individuals selected by Café Mocha in the areas of music, television, film, fashion and dance. The honorees are Sly Stone, June Ambrose, Jamal Josef, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bille Woodruff, Dr. Bobby Jones, Patrice Rushen, Ludacris and Darlene Love. The Salute THEM Awards will be co-hosted by Yo-Yo, Café Mocha Radio host and Grammy-nominated rapper, and Broadway actor Saint Aubyn (Ain't Too Proud). It will stream from the new National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville, taking attendees on a historical journey of Black music curated by the museum. During an appearance on “Extra” Thursday, Glenn Close recalled her viral moment at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony when she was asked about her knowledge of EU’s “Da Butt,” then gave the audience a little taste of the dance. “Extra’s” Jenn Lahmers brought up the reaction of Spike Lee, whose film “School Daze” featured “Da Butt” song and dance. Close said the filmmaker called her up and told her: “I have a lifelong sister card now, which is probably better than an Oscar.” https://youtu.be/j_YLXukCq-0 On May 9, Janus Adams launches the Mother’s Day gift that keeps on giving: The SISTER DAYS MOTHER/DAUGHTER* BOOK CLUB — a timely, life-affirming, leadership-building, intergenerational conversation-starter rooted in her book Sister Days: 365 Inspired Moments in African American Women’s History. “What’s the best advice your mother ever gave you? Your sister? Sisterfriend? Now imagine centuries of foremothers, their sisters, and sisterfriends enfolding you in their love, time-tested strategies, and wisdom. That’s what this is about,” says Janus Adams. It’s an idea born of needs expressed by Adams’ podcast listeners and readers of her work. Minnesotans from all walks of life were interviewed by a YouTube journalist during protests before and celebrations after the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd. https://youtu.be/GGWNX1GNzJo Michael B. Jordan weighed in Thursday on the Oscar snub felt around the world. “There’s no win that’s gonna have any impact on that legacy,” the “Without Remorse” star said on “The View” Thursday regarding his “Black Panther” co-star Chadwick Boseman, whose performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” lost in the best actor category Sunday to Sir Anthony Hopkins of “The Father.” https://youtu.be/u-A9HDAcypA Actors Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish open up about making movies, dementia, and a bat mitzvah in an interview with Tracy Smith for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast May 2 (9:00 AM ET) on the CBS Television Network. Smith caught up with Crystal and Tiffany Haddish to talk about their new film “Here Today,” which is co-written, directed and produced by Crystal. In the film, Crystal plays an aging comedy writer in the early stages of dementia who meets a young street singer played by Haddish when she wins a lunch with him in a charity raffle. The film will open only in theaters on May 7, which to Crystal is essential. https://youtu.be/msamXa8bNMw “Wrath of Man” is the new United Artists action thriller starring Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, Las Alonso, and rapper Post Malone. The film re-teams Statham with Guy Ritchie. The director who started off Stratham’s acting career by casting him in his first role, the 1998 movie “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” https://youtu.be/EFYEni2gsK0 Ty Dolla $ign is back with a music video for his bouncy women’s freedom anthem “By Yourself” featuring Jhené Aiko, Bryson Tiller, Mustard, and starring comedian Tiffany Haddish. https://youtu.be/LFNhwwfrKn4 Over four months after his passing, Tommy “Tiny” Lister‘s cause of death has been revealed. Lister died in December 2020 at the age of 62, and at the time, he was reportedly battling coronavirus symptoms. The L.A. County Medical Examiner, per TMZ, concluded that the star of “Friday” died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Lister also tested positive for COVID-19, but heart disease was the cause of death, according to the report. T-Pain posted a hilarious video showing that he just found out his Instagram account has a requests folder for direct messages. When he opened it for the first time, he had two years’ worth of unread messages from a slew of celebrities and influencers. “I swear!! I’m just now seeing all these messages and mentions TODAY!!!!” he captioned a video of him scrolling through the messages. “How do I super apologize? Press conference? Town hall meeting? I’m dumb.” T-Pain shows messages from Pia Mia, Diplo, Kway, Nate Robinson, Tyler Cameron, YBN Nahmir, Viola Davis, Keri Hilson, Fergie and dozens of others. “I’ve been accidentally straight up ignoring all these people for like 2 years. I thought DM’s are supposed to just show up in the normal folder and you don’t have to go digging for all these,” T-Pain captioned the video of him showing all the messages piled up in his IG inbox. “Yup……. I’m stupid,” he admitted. https://www.instagram.com/p/COO3xFfBFzv/?utm_source=ig_embed What does “Está Rico,” by Marc Anthony, Will Smith and Bad Bunny have in common with “Made For Now,” from Janet Jackson and Daddy Yankee? Both songs used Afrobeats without truly giving the genre its credit. Directed and produced by Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba seeks to explore the growing influence of the modern sounds emerging from Africa as it introduces audiences to “bakosó,” a new musical genre from Cuba that is rooted in Afro-Cuban music as well as contemporary sounds from the African continent including Nigeria’s Afrobeats and Angola’s kuduro music. https://youtu.be/mQJ0iTauFhk Seattle rapper Lil Mosey, born Lathan Moses Echols, 19, was recently hit with a second-degree rape charge in Washington State, and now he’s pleading not guilty. Last week, the rapper was charged in an alleged incident that happened on January 6, 2020 in Randle. It was reported that Mosey and another man, a co-defendant identified as 19-year-old Francisco Prater of Silver Creek, sexually assaulted a woman who met up with them. The woman alleges on a car ride to their final destination, Mosey exposed himself and she consented to sex. However, during their ride, she says she blacked out and later woke up to the rapper and Prater forcibly having sex with her. While Prater has yet to appear in court, with an active $50,000 warrant out for his arrest, Mosey appeared in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday (Apr. 27) where he plead not guilty. A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson’s companies, saying they had no legal obligation to protect boys from sexual abuse. A Los Angeles judge ruled on Monday that Wade Robson, who is featured in the 2019 HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland,” cannot sue Jackson’s businesses, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, over the childhood sexual abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of the singer for seven years. https://youtu.be/zLhX5ETjs1g As a 20-year physical therapist in Washington, D.C., Dr. Jason Henderson has worked with many disabled people. But there is another reason why shaking Henderson’s hand feels like squeezing a brick. In a Southeast Washington church, twice a week, Henderson becomes the Sensei for a group of young men. There, he uses martial arts to help them cope with autism. “Love reaches out. My love reaches out!” sang Henderson during a recent demonstration he held with some of his students. “I play that song because it is featured in my new film about how martial arts can benefit kids with autism. And how important it is for me, as the CEO of a health-care company, to give back to the community.” https://youtu.be/L7z_ZeDyCqY Acclaimed filmmaker and video game creative/artistic director Matty Rich teams up with CLU (The Center for Learning Unlimited) for the pilot educational project Writing and Developing Video Games. Rich serves as creator and lead instructor of the new endeavor. Course participants are neurodiverse adults enrolled in CLU’s 3-year animation career training program. Metro Detroiters who were corralled for a news story reacted in disbelief when shown viral video footage of people joy riding on the roof of an SUV on a local freeway. The woman who took the video said she saw the vehicle heading westbound on I-96 near I-94 after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and started recording. Two people can be seen riding on the roof while two other people were hanging out of side windows. The SUV then exited I-96 onto I-94. The witness, who did not call police, said that the vehicle she was riding in was traveling about 60 mph trying to catch up with the SUV, showing how fast it was going while people clung to the roof. https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/video-captures-2-riding-on-roof-of-suv-on-i-96-in-detroit-while-others-hang-out-of-windows Brandon Mitchell, one of the jurors in the murder trial against Derek Chauvin is speaking out about the deliberations that led to the three guilty verdicts against the former Minneapolis police officer. Chauvin, a white man, was found guilty on all counts of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis on May 25 2020 by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes until he died. In video footage of the incident, Floyd can be heard repeating, “I can’t breathe. https://youtu.be/MpqqvBklNG4 Facebook posts by the judge who blocked the public release of bodycam video footage from Andrew Brown Jr.‘s police killing last week suggest he harbors pro-police bias. A review of activity on the social network by North Carolina Superior Court Judge Jeffery Foster shows that he once even had some kind words about George Zimmerman, the vigilante killer of an unarmed Black teenager in Florida. The years-old posts may provide a glimpse into the mind of a man who was adamant about only having Brown’s family and their attorneys see the bodycam footage — a move that in the short term seems to provide protection and cover for the police department at the center of the shooting. Ahmaud Arbery‘s family became one of the families who belong to the legions of Black community members who lost a loved one to police. Last year, prior to saying the names of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery’s death at the hands of three white men in a Georgia suburb reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for justice. It was not a place that any Black family seeks to earn, but is a painful reality of the Black plight in America. On Wednesday the family received news that the three men accused of murdering their son, Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan, would also face federal hate crime charges. “They did the investigation properly and they came out with those indictments. So, my family and I were pleased,” said Ahmaud’s mother Wanda Cooper-Jones in an interview with CNN. She said the move signals their family is “one step closer to justice.” “Today is yet another step in the right direction as we seek justice for Ahmaud Arbery and his grieving family by holding those responsible for his death accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” family attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. The chickens might be coming home to roost for embattled Trump crony Rudy Giuliani sooner than expected. Over the last six months alone the proof remains in the pudding. Wednesday federal investigators executed search warrants at the New York City home and office of Trump’s personal lawyer in connection to an ongoing probe into Giuliani’s involvement in Ukraine. The search reportedly took place around 6 a.m. where federal agents seized his electronic devices. While Giuliani has not released a statement his lawyer Robert J. Costello told The New York Times he felt the search went to far because his client had agreed to speak with prosecutors regarding the probe. His only restriction were questions regarding his client privileged conversations with Trump. President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to ban menthol cigarettes in an effort to save Black Americans from the tobacco industry, but the ACLU says the move could have major “racial justice implications.” SandraRose, reports a recent study showed that 85% of Black people smoke menthol cigarettes compared to 29% of white people. “A menthol cigarette ban would disproportionately impact communities of color, result in criminalization of the market, and exacerbate mass incarceration,” the ACLU wrote in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. A local successful Charlotte Black business is claiming discrimination by a local Wells Fargo Branch in the Tega Clay area near Fort Mill, South Carolina just months after the national bank settled similar race-related discrimination charges. Santone and Tara Allen own the Southeastern Services of the Carolinas, L.L.C. business in the Queen city. They claim that representatives of the bank repeatedly harassed them for hours in denying their right to take money from a bank account. This news comes on the heels of Wells Fargo settling several multi-million dollar claims of discrimination by customers, employees, financial advisors and others. “We were repeatedly told at the branch that we did not have the right to take money we earned from our own account,” said Santone Allen, who says of his experience with the specific branch located near Tega Cay. “I then sat for hours in a branch waiting for someone to explain the problem and still do not have answers.” “Then when a white person went in the branch with the very same request, they allowed him to get the funds out in minutes,” Mr. Allen added. A white Virginia woman has been fired from her job at the Chesterfield Food Bank after she was caught on camera telling her Black neighbor that she’s “not the right color.” The neighbor has been identified by the Daily Mail as Laquetta Good. In footage of the incident, Good is seen standing on her porch in Colonial Heights as the racist white woman — who was wearing a nametag with “Hilary” written on it, confronted her. “You are not the right color, honey,” the white woman yells. When Good asks “I’m a n****r?,” the white woman can be heard yelling back “Yes, you are.” https://youtu.be/bRFdrmhsrKc Lil Kim has announced that she’s dropping a “candid” memoir later this year titled “The Queen Bee,” with Kathy Iandoli, via Hachette Books. “I’m excited to finally get to tell my story after all this time,” Lil’ Kim tells PEOPLE. “Many people have thought they knew the story of Lil’ Kim, but they have no idea.” According to the report, The Queen Bee will chronicle Lil’ Kim’s nearly 30-year career in the hip-hop game — and the obstacles she had to overcome — including her stint in prison. https://twitter.com/i/status/13874503690017546 Naomi Osaka has taken to social media to model her new signature swimwear line. The 23-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion shared images of her collaboration with Frankies Bikini, adding the caption of her Instagram post: “Happy to say that I’ve been working on a collection with @frankiesbikinis and it’s coming out soon #NaomiXFrankies.” Wendy Williams and Joseline Hernandez had a tense on-air exchange Wednesday over how the talk show host treats women of color. Williams kicked things off with a compliment that Hernandez deemed shady. “For some reason, I wouldn’t recognize you if I saw you — you look different every time I see you — in a good way,” Wendy said, but Joseleine wasn’t haven’t it, TooFab reports. Miss Wendy I just must say this to you first — I hope you’re going to give me my flowers today,” Joseline said. “I hope you’re going to honor how much work I put out there. I hope you’re going to, you know, not kind of throw this off outside of everything that I’ve done. I’m an accomplished woman. And I just feel like every time I come to your show, you don’t give me those flowers. And Wendy — you’re 35 years, my senior, I should get those flowers.” The same studio that brought you much-loved animated features like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Cars, is now casting for its first transgender character. Screenrant reports Pixar Animation Studios, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, put out a casting notice in March on Twitter. The notice said Pixar was conducting a casting search for a youth voice-over role for an upcoming animated project. “The character, Jess, is a 14-year-old transgender girl,” the notice read. “She’s compassionate, funny, and always has your back.” The announcement was confirmed by a San Francisco transgender group which spoke with the casting director. The unnamed animated project will be the first to feature a transgender character. Police bodycam video surfaced on Tuesday showing Houston Rockets guard Sterling Brown bloodied in the aftermath of the attack that took place outside a Miami strip club. In the footage obtained by TMZ, Brown is seen standing next to teammate Kevin Porter Jr. and holding his shirt over his bloodied face while being questioned by police over the assault. According to The Athletic, the attack occurred on April 19 when Brown accidentally entered the wrong sprinter van after leaving the Booby Trap on the River strip club, and the occupants hit him over the head with a bottle. Porter Jr. was also “roughed up” during the fracas when he intervened to defend Brown. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-04-28-042821-sterling-brown-bodycam-1074188/ The 67-year-old media mogul had detailed the trauma of her upbringing in her new book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. She spent the first six years of her life in rural Mississippi with her grandma, Hattie Mae, who regularly beat her for the ‘slightest reasons.’ Once, it was so bad that ‘one of the welts from my back opened up and bloodied the dress’ she was wearing. The mogul said the beatings, and how she’d have to smile after, turned her into a ‘people pleaser’ who had trouble setting boundaries well into adulthood. When she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother at age six, the boarding house owner refused to let her sleep in the house, and her mother didn’t argue. Oprah said she ‘rarely felt loved’ growing up and called her mother, Vernita Lee, ‘cold’ and ‘distant.’ Previously, the star has discussed that she was raped and abused by family friends and gave birth to a baby at 14 who died a week later. Teddy Bridgewater is on the move again. The Carolina Panthers traded the quarterback to the Denver Broncos on Wednesday for a sixth-round pick, Bridgewater’s agent, Kennard McGuire, confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. It will mark Bridgewater’s fifth NFL stop since he was drafted out of Louisville by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 with the 32nd pick of the first round. Bridgewater, 28, made a remarkable comeback after suffering a career-threatening knee injury in 2016. He went undefeated in five starts with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 while subbing for an injured Drew Brees, which led to a free agent move to Carolina in 2020. An exclusive clip from the premiere of the upcoming ALLBLK series “Notorious Queens,” which centers on a group of women in LA who became infamous due to their former flames. https://youtu.be/TL7tnrC0pl4 This man went from being caught slipping to caught sleeping in a span of two months. Senator Ted Cruz, who abandoned his state and fled to Cancun during a severe snowstorm in February that knocked out a power grid, was caught on camera in a dope nod during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech Wednesday night. The Texas Republican appeared to be fast asleep when the camera cut to him. He opened his eyes to half mast, then nodded off again before the camera finally cut away. Sen. Tim Scott said Wednesday night that America is no longer “a racist country.” “Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country. It’s backwards to fight discrimination with different discrimination. And it’s wrong to try to use our painful past to dishonestly shut down debates in the present,” the Senate’s lone Black Republican declared during his party’s official response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in the House of Representatives. “Original sin is never the end of the story. Not in our souls and not for our nation. The real story is always redemption,” Scott continued. https://youtu.be/GCqbzQYIBQI The Alameda Police Department released body camera footage showing officers kneeling on 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez for more than five minutes before he lost consciousness and later died, a death his family says mirrors what happened to George Floyd. https://youtu.be/ksgyG1TMcdE ESPN’s iconic sports commentator Stephen A. Smith chopped it up with radio and TV personality Jazmyn Summers for the new EURweb Spotlight video interview show about his innovative new series “Stephen A.’s World” on ESPN+ “I get to step away from the debate format bring levity and different characters, celebrating the people I bring on. The biggest thing for me is I’m not just a host but executive producer. This is me venturing into a different realm,” says Stephen A. The show airs four times a week and dives into pop culture, social injustice and sports with guests ranging from Jamie Foxx and Ice Cube to CNN’s Don Lemon and comedians Desus and Mero. https://player.vimeo.com/video/541695522 The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center, announced today the launch of its new program “Careers in Hollywood Panel Series.” Designed to demystify the process of pursuing a career in entertainment as well as to spotlight Black executives in entertainment, this new program takes place online at www.bherc.org and launches Saturday, May 1, 2021, at 12:00 Noon (PST). Offered free to the public, attendees must register at www.bherc.org as space is limited. A&E’s podcast, THE TABLE IS OURS drops new episodes every Wednesday (Apple Spotify Stitcher) to explore Black identity, vulnerability and achievement through in-depth, meaningful conversations with influential voices in the Black community. This week’s episode features a conversation with the original Hot Girl, Jackée Harry! Thought you may like to share some highlights with your audience. She discusses topics like: career longevity, being type-cast, her lesson from Maya Angelou, embracing social media and so much more! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack%C3%A9e-harry-the-original-hot-girl/id1551426618?i=1000518982187? A Washington D.C. pastor is facing 20 years in prison after he allegedly used the Paycheck Protection Loan to make fraudulent purchases which included 39 cars. he U.S. Justice Department wrote in a press release stating 45-year-old Pastor Rudolf Brooks Jr. was arrested in early April after he allegedly used the PPP loan to make luxury purchases. The release says he received $1.5 million from the program and he also stashed away $2.2 million in various bank accounts. Officers said he purchased multiple luxury vehicles which included a 2018 Tesla Model 3, a 2014 GMC Yukon XL, two 2017 Infiniti Q50s, a 2005 Bentley Continental, and others as reported by The Christian Post. Brooks is the owner of a car dealership under the name Cars Direct By Gavawn HWD Bob’s Motors and was listed on Oct. 2010 by the Maryland State Department of Assessment and Taxation. “I really want to sing,” said 10 year-old singer/songwriter London (Babineaux) about her artistic abilities that also include rapping and dancing. London just released her debut single “Yeah, That’s Me” and as with most of the R&B singers of today she has that Hip-Hop flavor. In the music video for the single you can see that London also has “tons” of personality. “I’m an R&B singer. I started singing when I was six years-old.” https://youtu.be/4c_KZRFoLq8 WATCH AN ALL-NEW ADVENTURE DRAMA THE WATER MAN IN THEATERS ON FRIDAY, MAY 7. A FILM BY DAVID OYELOWO STARRING DAVID OYELOWO, ROSARIO DAWSON, LONNIE CHAVIS, AMIAH MILLER, ALFRED MOLINA, & MARIA BELLO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu8IcplAr4M Rich Nation Entertainment celebrates its premiere worship leader signee, Nia Allen, claiming #1 on Billboard’s National Gospel Airplay Chart with her debut single, “Wait;” additionally, “Wait” has reached top 50 on Billboard’s Urban AC Chart. “Wait” is lifted from Nia Allen’s six-track EP, Every Nation, is available now at all major digital retailers. EP track, “Wait,” is a simple song of worship reminding all to wait on God during the current political time of social unrest and know that God is with us and will implement change. In only 21-weeks as an independent artist Nia Allen’s “Wait” (co-written with her father, Milton Ruffin) reached #1 status, giving her reason to be declared a top artist of 2021. "It's a song I've had to live out. I am currently single and waiting patiently for my husband to find me. I'm also still waiting on the full manifestation of certain things that I believe God has spoken to my heart,” shares Nia Allen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FHb25BzHBs&feature=youtu.be Lauren London is speaking out about her decision to return to work months after the death of Nipsey Hussle, the father of her 4-year-old son Kross Ermias. he rapper, real name Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was age 33 when he was fatally shot on March 31, 2019, outside of his clothing store in Los Angeles. London’s acting career was put on hold following the death of her longtime partner. But when Michael B. Jordan reached out months later and asked if she wanted to play his wife in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video actioner, “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse,” Lauren decided she was ready to get back to it for the sake of her kids. Video of Steve Harvey explaining in 2010 why it’s impossible for him to have female friends is going viral after it was posted on TikTok. https://youtu.be/cuzrWMjdEhU California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), the Dymally Institute and its festival partner, Rainbow Promotions, are pleased to host an evening of jazz and art, April 30 at 7pm Pacific / 10pm Eastern with a live streamed jazz performance, featuring South African jazz guitarist, Jonathan Butler, saxophonist Michael Lington (with special guest vocalist, Howard Hewett) and the Darryl Williams jazz ensemble. You are in for a SPECIAL treat. This concert is being streamed FREE to the public on www.Concerts.Cafe/Live/ as well as on Facebook and Instagram social media platforms at @ConcertsCafeLive. Emerging artist Reggie Boone is getting lots of attention for his new social conscious jam “No More.” He was inspired by the song after he sat in his living room watching the news about George Floyd, another black man, a human being’s life being taken and it scared people. Boone, who was discovered by Steve Harvey, says he writes lyrics to promote the message of equality, ending police brutality and the power behind genuinely getting to know each other beyond our skin color. https://www.facebook.com/michaelbaisdenlive/videos/313311076646905/?t=10 Streaming tickets are now on sale at https://2020summerfest.frontgatetickets.com/ for God’s House of Hip Hop 20/20 Summer Fest happening Friday, September 17, and Saturday, September 18, at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. In-person tickets will go on sale Friday, April 30. During a virtual press conference, Emcee N.I.C.E. and three of the headliners, Angie Rose, Bizzle and Canton Jones, explained what attendees can expect from their shows. Capitol Christian Music Group recording artist Angie Rose says her set will showcase a variety of styles. In John 14 verses 12 to 14, a resurrected Jesus spoke with his disciples encouraging them whoever believes in Him would do the works He has done and even greater; that whatever a person asks He will do it according to His name. “The Girl Who Believes in Miracles” exemplifies this particular teaching of Christ as the premise for the movie, the faith-based film managed a remarkable theatrical release in the face of our nation grappling with a pandemic. The film stars Mira Sorvino, Austyn Johnson, Paul-Mikél Williams, Kevin Sorbo and Peter Coyote. https://youtu.be/aH6b6P18D34 Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Bakari Sellers, Harry Daniels, and Chantel Cherry-Lassiter released the following statement in response to the announcement of an FBI investigation, as well as leaked video of the police approaching the home of Andrew Brown Jr. https://youtu.be/9NIQQPQHbvs Fox News is attempting to assassinate Brown’s character in death. Fox News reported that the warrant said an informant allegedly bought illegal drugs from Brown for more than a year. Brown has “a criminal rap sheet over 180 pages long and dating back to May 1988,” Fox News wrote. But, of course, whether true or not, that information is irrelevant and certainly did not pose or create a threat to the lives of the officers who shot at a man who was reportedly only holding a steering wheel at the time he was killed. Not to mention, there were no reports of drugs — or guns — being found in Brown’s car, making Fox News’ report the very definition of irrelevant. In fact, if there was anything illegal being done by Brown or on his person or in his car, the Fox News article would have prominently mentioned it. So would the cops. But in a telling sign nearly a week after the shooting, that has not happened. Never mind the fact that fleeing from law enforcement is not a legal justification for using lethal a nonviolent suspect. Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger appealed her 2019 conviction in the murder of Botham Jean on Tuesday. Local news reported that her defense team planned to argue that the convicted murderer who shot and killed the 26-year-old unarmed Black man inside his own apartment should have been charged with criminally negligent homicide. Guyger’s attorneys filed a notice to file an appeal shortly after her conviction. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Guyger could be released from prison if the appeal is decided in her favor. Jean’s mother recently told CNN in an interview that Guyger should serve out her sentence and pay the consequences for her actions. Jerel Jay Wilson, a 29-year-old Union City, Georgia man, has been slapped with 20 years in prison after setting fire to the car and home of a woman who rejected his unwanted advances. Recently, a Cobb County jury found Wilson guilty of simple battery and first- and second-degree arson in the attacks, which began Sept. 11, 2018. Prosecutors say On September 11, 2018, Wilson broke into the woman’s apartment, stole her television then set fire to her bedroom, destroying her entire apartment. Weeks later, the woman accidentally dialed Wilson as she was driving a friend to the InTown Suites on Highlands Parkway. Subsequently, Wilson tracked her down and attacked her, then set her car on fire. Trey Songz will not face criminal charges for his violent altercation with cops earlier this year at an NFL playoff game. Trey Songz was reportedly arrested in January during a KC Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium. The singer was taken into custody after allegedly getting into an altercation with a police officer. https://youtu.be/4bBtAnVnUuI During a session of the Louisiana House of Representatives Tuesday (April 27), GOP lawmaker Ray Garofalo raised some eyebrows when he suggested that schools should teach the “good” aspects of slavery as well as the bad. The issue was raised during an Education Committee hearing, when he suggested that students in Louisiana should be given a “broader course of academic instruction,” and fellow GOP Rep. Stephanie Hilferty asked him to clarify what he meant. “If you’re teaching — if you’re having a discussion on whatever the case may be, on slavery, then you could talk about everything dealing with slavery. The good, the bad, and the ugly,” said Garofalo. “The whole—” “There’s no good to slavery, though,” interrupted Hilferty, as pockets of laughter erupted around the chamber. “Well, whatever the case may be,” said Garofalo, who then tried to walk back his comments. https://youtu.be/ovtO6KofC3E One of the most compelling aspects of any NFL draft is the wheeling and dealing. The annual “Player Selection Meeting” typically entails dozens of trades, some remnants from previous years but the bulk taking place over the course of the three-day, seven-round event. Some clubs are historically active, others have a reputation for eschewing such maneuvering. Yet, leading up to Day 1, nearly every general manager will profess a willingness to take all phone calls and explore the merits of moving up or down. “If you move back, it’s because you feel like you have a bunch of guys that are the same value – and you’d be really happy getting one and getting the extra volume from that pick,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said last week. “If you move up, it’s because your board kind of drops off at that point. And if you select, it’s because you feel like it’s the last player in that sort of range.” The 49ers are set to take a new quarterback with the third overall pick in this week’s draft and that player will be on the roster come the start of the regular season. It’s less clear whether Jimmy Garoppolo will be joining him. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said at a Monday press conference that the incumbent starter’s issues staying healthy contributed to the 49ers’ decision to trade up with the Dolphins and that he thinks that the team would be “fortunate” to have Garoppolo on hand while adding a rookie. He wouldn’t come close to guaranteeing the rookie and Garoppolo will be teammates, however. “I can’t guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive on Sunday, so I can’t guarantee who will be on our roster on Sunday,” Shanahan said. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Sean Culkin announced on Twitter that he plans to convert his entire salary for the 2021 NFL season — $920,000 — to Bitcoin. He’ll become the first NFL player to do so; former Panthers left tackle Russell Okung converted half of his $13 million salary for last season to Bitcoin. Speaking with CoinDesk’s Danny Nelson, Culkin said the Chiefs are aware of his plans and that his salary is still paid in dollars. Culkin, who signed a reserve/future deal with Kansas City back in February, will use an app called Strike to convert his salary to Bitcoin, according to CoinDesk. This is the same service used by Okung in 2020. JAY-Z, through his venture capitalist firm Marcy Venture Partners, has invested in Los Angeles-based fitness company LIT Method. Founded by Justin and Taylor Norris, PEOPLE writes that LIT Method “specializes in low impact, high-intensity training using their Strength Machine.” The outlet also notes that “the machine is an all-in-one water rower, Pilates reformer, and resistance band training system that offers more than 500 low-impact exercises including rowing, barre, strength training, physical therapy, and Pilates.” https://www.instagram.com/litmethod/?utm_source=ig_embed A Los Angeles police officer who has worked in the city’s Skid Row area for two decades has invited LeBron James to have a discussion about policing following the NBA star’s controversial reaction to the latest police-involved shooting. Over the weekend, Deon Joseph, a 24-year veteran of the LAPD, posted a letter to his Facebook page addressed to James where he called his stance on policing “off base and extreme.” Officer Joseph said in his post, “Your tweet that targeted a police officer in Ohio who saved a young woman’s life was irresponsible and disturbing,” Joseph wrote. “It showed a complete lack of understanding of the challenge of our job in the heat of a moment. You basically put a target on the back of a human being who had to make a split-second decision to save a life from a deadly attack.” He went on to invite James for a sit-down. A Bay Area school is under fire for encouraging a “white student support circle” in the wake of the Derek Chauvin verdict. Randall Brooker, Superintendent of the Piedmont Unified School District has called an email the school sent to students about the whites-only support group “a poor choice of words.” The email, sent by assistant superintendent Cheryl Wozniak, read: “We are offering a restorative community circle next Thursday, April 29, from 3:30-4:30 to support White students who would like to discuss how the trial, verdict, and experiences related to the George Floyd murder are impacting you. https://youtu.be/NmYArRsFlq4 DJ Envy is catching heat for referring to himself as a “coon” for supporting the police shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. While talking to school psychologist Dr. Umar Johnson on ‘The Breakfast Club,’ the two men shared their opposing views on the Columbus police officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia. While Umar presented a valid argument against police brutality, Envy fired back with… “I’m not gonna lie, I must be a coon, coz I don’t agree with you on this.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1385671020309270531 The white Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice has filed an appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court to get his job back. The city fired Timothy Loehmann in 2017 not for his fatal shooting of a child but for providing false information on his employment application, per CBS News. An arbitrator and a county judge upheld his dismissal. Loehmann shot Tamir within seconds of their encounter in 2014. Rice was playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center at the time of the killing. A state appellate court earlier this year dismissed Loehmann’s appeal on a technicality. A police union is seeking to have the Supreme Court overturn that ruling, NBC News reports. https://youtu.be/gKk6gCsy7xA A private elementary school in Miami will not employ anyone who has gotten the experimental COVID vaccine, citing misinformation about the risks of the drug cocktail. CBS Miami reports that the Centner Academy has also asked its employees to not get the vaccine, and those who have received the shot(s), will not be able to retain employment. The academy’s co-founder Leila Centner sent a letter to parents and staff asking that they hold off on getting vaccinated until the school year is over. https://youtu.be/3CaTtP07o00 “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Drew Sidora has fired back at Kenya Moore’s accusation of “cultural appropriation” for dressing “as an Indian for Halloween” in the past. Sidora addressed the issue with Page Six, sharing personal photos with the outlet that show her family honoring their Native American heritage. https://youtu.be/-xauokjcUe8 OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that it will premiere the final episodes of its long running series, “The Haves and the Have Nots,” on Tuesday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. The Tyler Perry drama which chronicles the scandalous lives of the Cryer, Harrington and Young families living in Savannah, Georgia, will conclude after eight seasons and 196 episodes. https://youtu.be/194uMgpcQPo During a recent appearance on “Posted Up” with Chris Haynes, NBA Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving made it clear that LeBron James wouldn’t make the cut on one of his all-time teams. Haynes asked the Hall of Famer to put together his all-time NBA first and second teams. MSN reports, the first team featured Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell and Jerry West. The second team included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. https://twitter.com/i/status/1386847194242699265 Carmelo Anthony’s life story includes a great deal besides basketball. The 10-time NBA All-Star has a memoir coming out Sept. 14 that publisher Gallery Books is calling “raw and inspirational,” tracing his rise from housing projects in New York City and Baltimore to becoming an Olympic gold medalist and one of professional basketball’s top scorers. The book is called “Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised” and is co-written by D. Watkins. “I’m a Black kid from the bottom,” the 37-year-old Anthony writes in an excerpt of the book shared Wednesday by Gallery. “I had to fight through some of the roughest housing projects in America. How did I, a kid who’d had so many hopes, dreams and expectations beat out of him, make it here at all?” A former Holiday Inn employee who was recorded having a meltdown in front of a customer has received overwhelming financial support online. Caleb is the autistic man seen having a mental breakdown in a viral video recorded by an irate Holiday Inn customer. https://twitter.com/i/status/1386455776936427522 Florence Welch is ditching the machine for musicals. The Grammy-nominated leader of Florence + The Machine is supplying the lyrics and co-writing music for a stage musical adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” it was announced Wednesday. No cast or premiere venue was announced. Welch will collaborate on the music with Thomas Bartlett — who earned a Grammy nomination for best song written for visual media in 2019 for “Mystery of Love” by Sufjan Stevens — and story writer Martyna Majok, who was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for drama for “Cost of Living.” The musical will be directed by Olivier Award nominee Rebecca Frecknall. Willow Smith has dropped a new single that celebrates her love of punk. Transparent Soul,” featuring driving percussion by Travis Barker of the 90s pop-punkers Blink-182, has Smith calling out fakes and liars. “I knew a boy just like you/He’s a snake just like you/Such a fake just like you/But I can see the truth,” she sneers on the track. The accompanying visual features Smith clad in full punk attire. https://youtu.be/eG9KzyVO638 Kerry Washington has partnered with luxury jewelry brand Aurate to launch her second capsule collection. The actress and entrepreneur announced her new Birth Of Mother Collection with a campaign featuring her mother, and it comes right on time for Mother’s Day. Not only is she a designer with Aurate co-founders Sophie Kahn and Bouchra Ezzahraoui, Washington is also an investor in the company. Attorney Roy Miller from Mason, Georgia has devoted his life to justice, racial equality, and music. He has succeeded in all three roles. In fact, through his efforts, he has even succeeded in having the infamous n-word slur against Black people stricken from a major dictionary published by Funk & Wagnalls. His young niece was the impetus for his fight against the company. He comments, “Around Christmas of 1993, my sister purchased the new edition of Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary for my 13-year old niece at a grocery store in Macon, Georgia. I visited my niece on March 6, 1994, and she appeared sad and depressed. My niece told me she no longer wanted the books.” “Knowing how excited she was when she first got them, I was puzzled at the change in her attitude and asked why. She told me and I immediately understood,” he recalls. A high school student in Minnesota was not only racist with his promposal, but uninspired after tapping an approach that has been done at least twice before. The image of two students holding a sign “If I was Black I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white so I’m picking you. Prom?” has gone viral on social media. The pic was reported to have been taken in Big Lake, and different from two nearly identical promposals that caused problems in 2018 and 2019. The Big Lake School District said on its website that it was made aware of the proposal and is “taking this report very seriously.” The district added that due to state and federal data privacy laws, it’s prohibited from sharing further information, including the names of the students allegedly involved. Another married Hillsong East Coast pastor has left the megachurch following a sex scandal. Darnell Barrett — the creative director of Hillsong’s Montclair, New Jersey, chapter — resigned Tuesday after allegedly sharing a revealing post-workout selfie with a church volunteer and trying to play it off as a mistake, the Daily Mail reported. “Hey! I think I might’ve added you to my close friends list by accident. I’m so sorry. Trying to figure out how the hell to edit it,” Barrett, 32, a married father of two, texted the volunteer after purportedly sending the lewd photo of himself in front of a mirror, wearing only white Nike Pro tights. Barrett also supposedly posted two photos from the underwear selfie shoot to his “close friends” Instagram Story in February. A high school teacher in Ohio has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old male student in the back of her car at a deserted fairground. Corissa McCalister, 21, who is a Spanish teacher, head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Catholic Central High School, was taken into custody last week after the mother of the alleged victim informed staff about an incident that occurred in March. Authorities said McCalister drove the teenager home from a track meet at Edison Local School on March 30. Police said McCalister parked at the Harrison County Fairground in Cadiz, Ohio, where they had sex in the back of her car. A three-year-old boy has been shot and killed at his own birthday party in Miami’s Golden Glades neighborhood. Elijah LaFrance was killed on Saturday night, according to Miami-Dade police, who said a 21-year-old woman had also been shot but is expected to survive her injuries. An altercation happened outside an Airbnb. Shortly afterwards, shots were fired and the shooter fled the scene. Police were alerted to the shooting Saturday night by a system that detects and tracks gunshots. When they arrived at the home, officers found the toddler suffering from a gunshot wound and took him to a hospital where he died. India’s Covid second wave is being driven by a ‘far more infectious and probably far more deadly’ strain of virus that has pushed hospitals ‘beyond crisis point’ in just a matter of weeks, a top medic has warned. Dr Zarir Udwadia, a physician in hard-hit Mumbai and a government advisor, said India is now ‘in the stranglehold’ of a variant that has sent cases and deaths soaring and has already spread overseas, including to the UK. Christians are being urged to pray for India as more than 300,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported for the fifth consecutive day Monday, taking the total number of infections to over 17.3 million amid the Indian government’s lack of preparedness as hospitals turn away patients. The country of 1.3 billion people recorded over 350,000 new infections in the last 24 hours for the first time, Hindustan Times reported Monday, adding that 2,812 people died from COVID-19 in a single day, taking the total number of deaths to 195,123. Ram Gidoomal, who is of Indian origin and chair of the Christian charity South Asian Concern, described the situation as a “meltdown.” Finally. For those concerned about wearing a mask outdoors, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance on the issue for fully vaccinated Americans. The bottom line is that fully vaccinated people can unmask outdoors if they are walking, running, hiking or biking alone or with members of their household. The fully vaccinated can also go mask free while dining at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households. A coalition of Los Angeles civil rights leaders are calling for U.S. Attorney General Garland to open a Justice Department probe into the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. The coalition of activists want a Justice Department investigation to determine if the Sherriff's department “engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force along with violations of the Constitution or federal law. There has been several controversial shootings of Black and brown residents in recent years by LA County Sheriff deputy’s resulting in the deaths of Andre’s Guardado , Djion Kizzee and Fred Williams Jr. There are also reports of LA Deputy Sheriff’s belonging to and forming gangs within the department. Louisville Police Chief Erika Shields responded to the news that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was launching an investigation into her department. After the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the DOJ would probe a “pattern or practice” at the Louisville Metro Police Department, Shields seemed very welcoming of the move. https://youtu.be/mjg7uS6KGEY School psychologist Dr. Umar Johnson visited the Breakfast Club on Monday morning and talked about a number of topics dealing with education, not least of which had to do with his school for Black boys in Delaware. https://youtu.be/2_lGRkSpugw In a rare interview with The Sunday Times to promote his Puma partnership, Jay-Z talked about many things including fame, fortune, race, lockdown life with Beyoncé and their kids, and even some of his proudest moments. While speaking with the outlet about his decades-long career and extensive portfolio, the 51-year-old rap star and business mogul was asked how he would like to be remembered. He honestly answered, “I have no idea. I’m not beyond ego, right? Hopefully, they speak of me [with] the names of Bob Marley and all the greats. But that’s not for me to say.” During the interview, he was also asked what he was proud of. On that, he said, “I’m most proud of overcoming my circumstances and providing opportunity for people who look like me and who came from the same situation that I’ve come from.” Oscar winners Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe won for their Best Live Action Short Film “Two Distant Strangers.” Free is the first Black person to win in this category – since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) started handing out the art deco statuses in 1929. The Compton native wrote and co-directed the Netflix film with Roe. https://youtu.be/CBjw84_mSyo Oscar winners H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson), Tiara Thomas and Dernst Emile II (D’Mile) won for their Best Original Song “Fight For You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah.“ Wilson and Thomas are the second and third Black women to win in this category – in 38 years. Irene Cara was the first in 1983 for “Flashdance…What a Feeling” from the film “Flashdace.” H.E.R. co-wrote the song with Tiara Thomas, and co-composed and co-produced with D’Mile. https://youtu.be/F-1QUYQu4ds All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series' UNSUNG and UNCENSORED continue this Sunday, May 2. UNSUNG leads the night with R&B singer Bobby V at 9 p.m. ET/8C, immediately followed by UNCENSORED with Lisa Leslie at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Following UNCENSORED, fans are treated to a sneak-peek look at episodes with the new digital series, Unwind with Syleena Johnson. Each episode will be published on TVOne. TV and TV One’s social media platforms. Syleena will react to clips, share anecdotes, and provide cocktail recipes for viewers to unwind to as they watch both UNSUNG and UNCENSORED. She’ll end each episode reminding viewers of their chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2InH5ekuy8&feature=youtu.be Led by Senior Pastor Shane B. Scott from Macedonia Baptist Church and Bishop Craig Worsham from The Agape Church of Los Angeles, six south Los Angeles-based pastors will hold a press conference at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, April 27th in downtown Los Angeles. During the press conference, the pastors will be calling for policy change on issues that affect the Black and Brown communities and will also show their support for Congresswoman Waters who has received criticism for her support of the people she represents. Scott said, "Congresswoman Waters has always been on the side of the marginalized; she has been for the people because she is of the people. Her legislative agenda has not been partisan, although as a proud progressive, and regardless of race, sexual orientation, criminal background, educational attainments, or socio-economics, Congresswoman Waters has sought to create a just and equitable society for everyone." Maurice Griffin drops "Love Peace Happiness" a song about living better when feeling your worst. We all can agree life dealings can have you in a different headspace. This song is for everyone who dealt with rejection. Do yourself a favor...listen, like, comment, share, and learn to have a sense of self "Love Peace Happiness." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6BfEytlVI4&feature=youtu.be WATCH JOSELINE HERNANDEZ ON THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haM1Ffb_2Fk The lawyers for the family of Andrew Brown Jr., the man shot and killed by law enforcement last Wednesday in Elizabeth City, say he died of a “kill shot” to the back of the head from law enforcement, according to an independent autopsy report. Brown was struck by four bullets in the arm before the fatal shot to the back of the head, the autopsy found. Lawyers and members of Brown’s family said they were shown 20-seconds of footage from a deputy’s body camera on Monday. The video, which hasn’t been shared publicly, showed Brown’s hands were on the steering wheel before deputies started firing, lawyers said. Lawyers also said Brown was driving away, only after law enforcement started firing, because he feared for his life.https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ez_VrlbXIAUGefA?format=jpg&name=small Attorneys Ben Crump, Bakari Sellers, and Harry Daniels hold a news conference prior to the family’s viewing of body camera footage in the Andrew Brown Jr. case. https://youtu.be/y7-qvvbSwqs Police in Colorado were caught on camera joking and laughing at their violent arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia, whose family has since filed a civil rights lawsuit against the department. https://youtu.be/SmtxTWTTdC4 Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold have shot down any hope of a “Martin” reboot series. Campbell and Arnold appeared on the “Tamron Hall Show” and said that beloved comedy probably won’t be making a return to the small screen following the 2016 death of co-star Thomas Mikal Ford. https://youtu.be/ADm9iFUlPJ0 Tyrese Gibson is shaving his 25-year-old girlfriend’s pubic hair in a video shared online. Sunday, the singer’s new lady love, Zelie Timothy, shared a video of Tyrese, 42, shaving her pubic area on her Instagram Story. She captioned the post: “I will never let go of my King. But does your man shave you though?” https://youtu.be/Af6exMiE3Kk A member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has responded to the backlash over mistaking British actor Daniel Kaluuya for Lesle Odom Jr. After his Best Supporting Oscar win on Sunday for his performance in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” Kaluuya hit up the press room to dish with reporters and that’s when South African journalist Margaret Gardiner asked him what it was like working with director Regina King on “One Night in Miami.” King directed the Netflix film starring Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke, while Kaluuya played Fred Hampton, the Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, in “Judas and the Black Messiah” directed by Shaka King. Both Daniel and Leslie were nominated for roles at this year’s Academy Awards. https://twitter.com/i/status/1386723341365616643 The stars showed up and showed out for Oscar Sunday – but six feet apart tho! The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony was held virtually from both Union Station and the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. …And the Oscar winners are Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson and Sergio Lopez-Rivera for Best Makeup and Hairstyling in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Interestingly, Neal and Wilson are the first Black people to ever win in this category. Atlanta rappers Young Thug and Gunna came to the aid of several inmates at the Fulton County Jail on Saturday. The artists posted bonds for 30 men and women who were being held on minor offenses, but couldn’t get out because they didn’t have the money. “We just woke up and went to the jail with the lawyer, DA’s and the prosecutors, the bonding companies and just got as many people as we can out,” Young Thug, Jeffrey Williams, told Atlanta’s WSB Channel 2. https://youtu.be/xV8jmdCuq8w Starz has unveiled a new trailer and premiere date for “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” one of the “Power” spinoff series featuring Mary J. Blige, Method Man and Omar Epps. https://youtu.be/huwZi90poSI Netflix has dropped a new trailer for the upcoming anime series “Yasuke,” with LaKeith Stanfield voicing the first African samurai. The six-episode series “is set in a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, [where] the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyo, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords.” https://youtu.be/ijKAtzQY1wc The popular social media app Clubhouse has teamed with the National Football League to bring users the NFL draft and a lineup of original programming around the event. Beginning April 26, the NFL will host a series of rooms where Clubhouse users can talk about the live draft picks and listen to discussions with athletes and coaches. https://youtu.be/QS7cYX7ByWw Maya Rudolph, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jayma Mays have been tapped for Disney+’s “Enchanted” sequel titled “Disenchanted,” starring Amy Adams, Idina Menzel and James Marsden. The movie is reportedly currently in production with director Adam Shankman. Plot details are on the low at the moment, but according to “Disenchanted’s” logline, “ten years after her Happily Ever After, Giselle questions her happiness, inadvertently turning the lives of those in the real world and Andalasia upside down in the process.” Disney Channel is teaming up with modern media company Tastemade for “Disney’s Magic Bake-Off,” a competitive series for kids 6-14 that combines the wonder of baking with the ingenuity of young pastry chefs. Multitalented stars Dara Reneé (“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”) and Issac Ryan Brown (“Raven’s Home”) will co-host the 13-episode series and, along with Disneyland resort pastry chef Graciela Gomez, will guide kid contestants through a series of challenges and surprises as they create the most extraordinary cakes inspired by the magic of Disney. Our Authors Study Club (OASC) and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Sigma Sigma Alumnae Chapter is proud to announce winners for the 2021 Oratorical Contest. Mia Moore, a 9th grader from Glendale, California won 1st Place for her excellent exhortation of the topic The Black Family: Representation, Identity & Diversity. Coming in 2nd Place was 9th grader Hunter Young, a student at Branded Genius Academy and a member of Boy Scout Troop 848 in Los Angeles. 11th grader Jeremiah Davis placed 3rd from St. John Basco in Bellflower, CA and he also represented the Gamma Zeta Boule’ Foundation. An honorable mention was awarded to Ryshaun Brown, a 9th grader from Blue Ridge Academy in Santa Clarita, CA. In an increasingly polarized society, Bishop T.D. Jakes has encouraged Christians to use discretion when posting on social media, stressing the power of content that “sheds light rather than generates heat.” “When you’re broaching a sensitive subject, a controversial subject, a subject where you have an opinion … but may not have necessarily done your research on, I think it’s better to start a conversation with a trusted friend and almost use him as a focus group to make sure that you’re looking at it holistically, and not just narrowly through the lens of your own point of view, so that when you make a statement, it sheds light rather than generates heat,” Jakes, founder of The Potter’s House, told The Christian Post on Thursday when asked about “best practices” when it comes to posting on social media. Former NFL linebacker Geno Hayes has passed away after a battle with liver disease at age 33, according to WCTV in Tallahassee, Fla. Hayes was placed in hospice care last week as part of his two-year fight against the disease. He’d been hospitalized over 20 times and lost 70 pounds in the last year as the disease progressed. https://youtu.be/Dvra8D0v05E A young Amish woman has been laid to rest more than 10 months after she went missing while walking home from a church service in Pennsylvania, after which authorities say she was strangled and stabbed. LNP newspaper reports that 69 horse-drawn buggies and a handful of vans and sport utility vehicles brought more than 100 people together Monday afternoon at the Myers Cemetery burial grounds, not far from where police say 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos was abducted. The remains of Stoltzfoos were found last week buried along railroad tracks in the small town of Gap along Route 41 behind a business where 35-year-old Justo Smoker had worked, authorities said. Smoker was arrested shortly after her June 2020 disappearance and charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment, and later with homicide. The Lancaster County coroner used dental records to positively identify the remains as those of Stoltzfoos, concluding that she died of asphyxia from strangulation, along with suffocation, with the stab wound as a contributing factor in her death. A year after the COVID-19 pandemic jumbled the Triple Crown calendar, the sport will once again bask in the national spotlight on the first Saturday in May with the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby. But as the nation’s top trainers take center stage at Churchill Downs, it’s in stark contrast to 12 months earlier when racing’s most prominent figures were taking full advantage of the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. According to public records examined by the Asbury Park Press, some 14 trainers in this year’s Kentucky Derby received a combined $7.369 million from the program, which provided taxpayer-funded forgivable loans designed to help struggling small businesses retain workers. The family of Andrew Brown Jr. are upset about police bodycam footage of him being shot by deputies, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Monday. Brown Jr, 42, was killed in his car last Wednesday morning in the North Carolina city, while officers were serving a search warrant. https://youtu.be/71JeFXehOHM Tyler Perry was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 93rd Oscars on Sunday, and during his acceptance speech he urged viewers to “refuse hate.” “I refuse to hate someone because they are Mexican, Black or White, or because they are a police officer, I refuse to hate someone because they are Asian,” Perry said, per PEOPLE. “I would hope that we would refuse hate.” https://youtu.be/pZVvH3HvyNk Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice will open an investigation into the practices of the Louisville, Ky., Police Department. Today’s announcement comes days after the AG said the department will investigate the Minneapolis Police Department following Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the murder of George Floyd. Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed by police in Louisville last year who entered her apartment with a no-knock warrant and fired 32 bullets. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a shot at officers who he has said he believed to be intruders. Chicago police have arrested a man in connection to the fatal shooting of Jaslyn Adams, the seven-year-old girl who was killed while waiting in a McDonald’s drive-thru with her father. According to CBS Chicago, 18-year-old Marion Lewis stayed in a car on April 18 while the two other men with him got out and opened fire on the vehicle the little girl was a passenger in. Her father, Jontae Adams, was shot in the torso, but survived. https://youtu.be/Q3A89Fwmh-s The month of April is annually observed as Fair Housing Month, the reality for Black America and other people of color is that housing has not significantly changed since the 1968 federal enactment of the Fair Housing Act. Its enactment came seven days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who had strongly advocated fair and open housing. What makes this year’s observance more hopeful are renewed efforts by both President Biden and Congress to correct decades’ long denials of full access to the American Dream. For the first time in more than four years, the nation’s President committed his Administration to the active pursuit of fair housing. Beginning with a memorandum coinciding with his inauguration in January, President Biden directed the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to “as soon as practicable, take all steps necessary to examine the effects of” the Trump Administration’s 2020 repeal of two key housing rules issued by the Obama Administration: the 2013 Disparate Impact Standard and the 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. Oprah Winfrey has addressed the public’s reaction to her explosive interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Speaking to Nancy O’Dell on her new series held on TalkShopLive, Oprah said she “had no idea that it would have the reverberating impact that it has had and continues to have. https://youtu.be/q5WczphnCWw A two-hour memorial service for DMX was held Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Fans of the late rapper were able to watch a livestream of the service on YouTube channel, which saw DMX’s close family and celebrity friends come together to honor the hip-hop icon. There was also a performance from Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir, who raised $1 million for DMX’s family from his Balenciaga shirt profits. https://youtu.be/fNS2Mx8VqX0 The pastor leading DMX’s funeral service Sunday had to interrupt remarks from one of the mourners after he grabbed the microphone and began talking about his long friendship with the late rapper. The man, who called himself “Jungle,” commandeered the service Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and got about two minutes into his remarks before the pastor, AR Bernard, had to step in. “First of all, there’s order. There’s respect. You violated order, you violated respect,” Bernard said gently, as the crowd applauded the pastor’s move. https://youtu.be/9C141rYxWEs Sheila E. recently paid tribute to the late-great Prince and made a huge blunder in the process. In an Instagram post shared on Wednesday, the singer commemorated the fifth anniversary of Prince’s death by posting several photos of the hitmaker. But fans were quick to point out that one of the images was not of the “Purple Rain” star. Instead, she mistakenly posted a 2017 picture of singer Mandy Romao. In the caption of the image, the famed drummer recalled how Prince disliked “eating in front of people.” “But u could throw down when u wanted (to),” Sheila E wrote, adding that he used to cook eggs for her, and “I made the pancakes.” The winners of the 93rd annual Academy Awards were revealed Sunday after the ceremony was delayed by two months due to the ongoing pandemic. The red carpet event was held primarily at Los Angeles’ historic Union Station with COVID-19 protocols in place. There were a few snubs, such as Chadwick Boseman losing to Anthony Hopkins for “The Father,” and some major surprises, with H.E.R. winning for her song “Fight For You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and Glenn Close doing “Da Butt” dance in honor of Spike Lee. https://youtu.be/EUJOgD9tsA8 In the opening moments of the Oscars, a time that in more normal years is filled with monologue jokes and lighthearted musical moments, Regina King spoke of suffering and racial injustice. She was one of several people during Sunday’s telecast who made it clear this was not a normal year. “We are mourning the loss of so many, and I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis, I might have traded in my heels for marching boots,” the Oscar-winning actor and “One Night in Miami” director said in her role as de facto host to open the show. In addition to her reaction to the guilty verdict at Derek Chauvin’s trial in the killing of George Floyd, King noted the personal effect recent news cycles have had on her. Daniel Kaluuya used a lead role to win a best supporting actor Oscar. He’ll take it. Kaluuya won his first Academy Award on Sunday night for playing one of the two title roles in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” In a quirk of the nominating process, LaKeith Stanfield, who played the “Judas” of the title — William O’Neal who betrayed Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton to the FBI — competed in the same category. “I share this honor with the gift that is LaKeith Stanfield,” Kaluuya told the small audience gathered at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. In a surprise win, Anthony Hopkins took home the best actor statue at the Oscars on Sunday for his work in The Father. Going into the ceremony, the late Chadwick Boseman was the heavy favorite to win for his final film role as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Sir Anthony Hopkins appeared genuinely shocked that he won the Best Actor Oscar over fellow nominee Chadwick Boseman. https://youtu.be/Y111jltWqoo Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a wistful portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won best picture Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards, where the China-born Zhao also became just the second woman to win best director, and the first woman of color. Youn Yuh-jung, the feisty grandmom in “Minari,” captured more than her movie grandson’s heart. Youn, a prominent film and TV actor in her home country of South Korea, won the best supporting actress award at Sunday’s Oscars. She’s the second Asian actress to triumph in the category, more than six decades after Japanese-born Miyoshi Umeki earned the trophy for 1957’s “Sayonara.” In her acceptance speech, Youn was as charmingly candid as her character in “Minari.” Pixar’s “Soul” has won the heart of Oscar voters, continuing the Disney division’s dominance in the best animated feature category. Sunday night’s victory gave Pixar 11 wins in the 20 years since the category was established. Directed by Pete Docter and featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, “Soul” follows a middle school band teacher who dreams of being a jazz musician and tries to escape the afterlife to do it. A new Oscar tradition has started with the Academy finally allowing new movie trailers to debut during the telecast, with the first being Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. https://youtu.be/CbUM27qw6a8 After his film “Another Round” won the best international feature Oscar, director Thomas Vinterberg wiped away tears while dedicating part of his acceptance speech to his late daughter who died a couple years ago. “We ended up making this movie for her, as her monument,” a tearful Vinterberg said from the stage at Union Station in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Vinterberg said his daughter, Ida, died in a highway accident four days into the project. “My Octopus Teacher,” the tale of an eight-limbed creature and her human companion, has won the Oscar for best documentary. Ten years in the making, “My Octopus Teacher” began as a personal video project by South African filmmaker Craig Foster to rekindle his connection with nature by observing an inquisitive female mollusk while free-diving near Cape Town. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT: Chris Weidman suffered a massive leg injury on his first kick of the night in his fight against Uriah Hall just seconds after the start of their match at UFC 261. Shocking video shows Weidman, 36, kicking Hall in the shin with his right leg as it jarringly snaps – the sound of which is picked up on camera. Weidman then steps back on it appearing to not realize his injury, falling to the ground as his lower leg flops to the side. https://youtu.be/A69NeNgPd7A Glenn Close may have lost out on a record-setting eighth Oscar nomination on Sunday, but she won the night with her knowledge of “Da Butt,” including its D.C. go-go origins and a performance of the dance. https://youtu.be/pDdK3fNUQzQ Fans have taken to Twitter to mock Jorge Masvidal over his knockout defeat to Kamaru Usman at UFC 261. Usman overcame Masvidal by unanimous decision when the pair faced-off at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi last July. However, it is last night’s knockout that has caught the fans attention. The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ stunned Masvidal with a straight right hand in the second round, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in. Dean ended the fight to see Usman successfully defend the welterweight title for the fourth time. Fans were quick to take to social media to mock Masvidal for laughing at Usman just second before being knocked out. One fan Tweeted saying: ‘Masvidal went from laughing to dreaming very fast.’ Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford tested positive for the coronavirus and will hand the reins over to assistant coach Tyrone Corbin for “multiple” games, according to the Associated Press. Clifford first tested positive Thursday night, then tested negative twice on Friday. However, a test on Saturday afternoon came back positive, followed by a subsequent test that confirmed Clifford’s infection. There is no date set for Clifford’s return, but others have been out for at least 10 days before being cleared to return under the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. New funding for the federal Medicaid program could lead to an alternative for some people instead of calling the police. According to the Associated Press, a provision in the recent COVID-19 relief bill set aside $1 billion over 10 years, encouraging states to establish mobile crisis units. Titled “State Option To Provide Qualifying Community-based Mobile Crisis Intervention Services,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden introduced the provision last August. The CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon, served as a model for the legislation. Barry Jenkins—the visionary behind films like If Beale Street Could Talk and Moonlight—will expand his imprint by bringing more powerful stories to the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker has inked a production deal with HBO and HBO Max. Under the two-year pact—which he made through his production company Pastel—the Oscar-winning producer will team up with the entertainment company A24 for the creation of an array of projects. Jenkins has used Pastel as a vessel to amplify the work of underrepresented creators and provide a platform where they can bring their diverse perspectives to the table. Kim Kardashian and CNN reporter Van Jones are at the center of dating rumors, just two months after she filed for divorce from her estranged husband Kanye West. While the pair have been pals for years, fans speculate their friendship may have turned romantic during her four-year law apprenticeship with his Oakland-based nonpartisan organization. Sources close to Kardashian, however, are shooting down speculation of a romance, saying the pair have a long working relationship together and a shared interest in criminal justice reform. The owner of a Cincinnati bar refuses to allow customers to watch the NBA game until Los Angles Lakers star and Ohio native, LeBron James is expelled from the league for “divisive” comments he made on Twitter. Fox News reports, Linne’s Pub in Delhi Township made the announcement on Facebook the same day James called out the Columbus police officer who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. “If anyone wants to watch an NBA game, don’t come to Linnie’s Pub,” the Facebook post read. “We will not air them until LeBron James has been expelled from the NBA.” The bar’s owner, Jay Linneman, wants James to stick to sports. “They just need to play the game and that’s it,” he said. “Their opinion doesn’t really matter. They’re using their position to push their opinions, and that’s just not right.” When James saw the message he replied with his own tweet, writing: “Aww Damn! I was headed there to watch our game tonight and have a drink! Welp.” The official teaser for Questlove’s documentary “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” has dropped, about 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival, also known as the Black Woodstock. The film will be available July 2 in theaters via Searchlight Pictures and on Hulu. Complex reports that it also streams internationally on Star with a release date forthcoming. https://youtu.be/U1Eg-vtSABE Whoopi Goldberg, in all of her EGOTness, graces the cover of Variety magazine in honor of the 30th anniversary since her Academy Award win for “Ghost.” hursday, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Meghan McCain gave props to their co-host and discussed some of the revelations from her interview with the magazine. Even more buzzy were her stunning images from the feature, which began trending upon their release Wednesday by Variety. https://youtu.be/CBKM8LQxVdQ Black women are shattering glass ceilings in the art world. According to the Chicago Tribune, Denise Gardner was recently appointed to serve at the helm of The Art Institute of Chicago’s board; making her the first Black woman to assume the position in the institution’s 142-year history. Mastercard is putting the focus on furthering its efforts to level the playing field for Black women when it comes to securing venture capital funding. The company recently announced it would make a multi-million dollar investment in the Fearless Fund, a VC firm that was launched to support the entrepreneurial endeavors of women of color. Founded in 2019 by Keshia Knight Pulliam and Arian Simone, the Fearless Fund was cultivated to eliminate the barriers that women of color face when trying to secure VC funding for their businesses. Journalist, author, and CEO Roland S. Martin’s Nu Vision Media is executive producing a groundbreaking new digital series on Facebook Watch, "Roland S. Martin Presents We Got Next: An Intergenerational Dialogue." Premiering today, Monday, April 26, the series is part of the Facebook Watch ‘We the Culture’ programming initiative aimed at amplifying the voices of Black content creators. The family of Andrew Brown Jr. and their lawyers were finally able to view the body cam video of his fatal shooting at the hands of law enforcement in North Carolina. Even though they were only shown 20 seconds of one deputy’s body cam, the family describe it as an “execution.” https://youtu.be/rouF_p7ZPZ4 Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison raised a few eyebrows Sunday night by comments made about Derek Chauvin during a “60 Minutes” interview. Ellison said that after the guilty verdict, he “felt a little bad” for the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd. “I spent 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer, so I will say I felt a little bad for the defendant,” Ellison said during an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday evening. “I think he deserved to be convicted, but he’s a human being.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1386456531391107087 Daunte Wright’s family attorney said they have received threats and racist messages following the death of the 20-year-old. “There are concerns as far as safety for the family that we’re addressing,” attorney Thomas Bowers said at a press conference. Daunte was fatally shot by former Minnesota police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop earlier this month. Potter, 48, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter a day after she resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department. The fatal shooting of Wright set off protests in the Minneapolis suburb. https://youtu.be/5KBVWD5Y4zQ More than a week after being paused by regulators, use of Johnson & Johnson‘s COVID-19 vaccine will be restarted after being investigated due to reports that it caused users to develop blood clots as aside effect. https://youtu.be/BZUIuDJi1ss A black man killed while driving away from sheriff’s deputies was ‘shot in the back’ as he tried to drive away, newly released audio has revealed. Emergency dispatch audio recorded after the shooting of Andrew Brown, 42, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina on Wednesday morning included a dispatcher saying: ‘We do have a subject that was hit…‘Be advised EMS has one male, 42 years of age, gunshot to the back.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/04/24/1388402153973432472/636x382_MP4_1388402153973432472.mp4 Demetria Williams, an eyewitness to the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr. in North Carolina, describes the incident, saying, “it was inhumane and it was sickening to me … it was overkill. They murdered him.” https://youtu.be/xCmI-PluJYU Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker gave her first public statement Friday about the deadly deputy-involved shooting that has garnered national attention. Saturday morning, along with other city officials, she held a press conference to discuss the case further. https://youtu.be/XhRKrd7fIts After a recent police killing in North Carolina, city manager Montre Freeman anxiously awaits the release of bodycam footage. “My daddy would say all the time, ‘You can only sing and dance but for so long before you’re going to have to perform.’ So what I need is a performance.'” https://youtu.be/3h8aaYiT4Ps Nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Bakari Sellers will join attorney Harry Daniels in representing the family of Andrew Brown Jr., a 42-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by Pasquotank County deputies on April 21. It has been alleged that deputies shot Brown in the back as he drove away from them while they were attempting to execute a search warrant. Few details and no bodycam footage have been released by police. Seven Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies have been put on leave following Brown’s death. https://youtu.be/PRigkgnFJc0 The family of Jaslyn Adams breathed a small sigh of relief after their heartbreaking week, following the shooting death of the seven-year-old in a McDonald’s drive-thru. Thursday Chicago police officers captured a suspect in the deadly shooting after a high-speed chase that resulted in a car crash. Police were surveying the suspect in the western suburbs prior to the chase, according to NBC Chicago. During the confrontation he was shot in the arm by police and rushed to a nearby hospital where his condition is unknown. “I’m just so overwhelmed,” Jaslyn’s grandmother Lawanda McMullen says. “I’ve been trying to call detectives (all day). It’s a bittersweet feeling. I don’t know how to feel right now.” Ma’Khia Bryant‘s family seeks to remember her the way they’ve always seen her, as a bright, affectionate girl with lots of vivacity and promise. “I want the world to know that Ma’Khia Bryant was a very loving 16-year-old girl. She was my daughter, my baby. I loved her. She was very talented and smart. She was funny. Her favorite color was blue,” Paula Bryant, Ma’Khia’s mother, told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. https://twitter.com/i/status/1384718275020345351 NBC News chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker and her husband, John Hughes, announced on “Today” Friday that they’re expecting their first child together in June, following a long, emotional fertility journey that tested the couple’s resilience. “After years and years of trying, I’m having a baby girl with John and we are so excited,” Welker, 44, told the “Today” hosts. “It’s with the help of a surrogate.” https://www.today.com/video/kristen-welker-announces-she-s-having-a-baby-with-help-from-a-surrogate-110725189511 The United States should follow the example of Los Angeles County and ‘make amends’ with black Americans by returning land which was owned by their ancestors and taken from them, the county supervisor has said. Janice Hahn on April 9 announced a historic first for the nation, giving back land wrongfully taken from black owners to their descendants. The land in question, a beachfront plot in Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles, was taken from the owners under eminent domain, or forced sale, in 1924. It is now worth an estimated $72 million. Hahn on Friday told TMZ that other local governments should follow her lead. One of three men charged in the 2015 fatal shooting of Amanda Blackburn has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for his part in the killing, according to court records. Jalen E. Watson, who in 2017 pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and two counts of burglary in the killing of the Indianapolis pastor’s wife, was sentenced last month to serve 29 years for the robbery charge and 20 combined years for the burglary charges, the records show. The sentences will be served concurrently. Watson’s guilty plea was part of a deal in which seven other charges, including murder and auto theft, were dismissed. Two other men, Larry Taylor Jr. and Diano Gordon, were also charged in connection to the killing. Milva, one of Italy’s most popular singers in the ’60s and ’70s who was also beloved by many fans abroad, died Saturday at her home in Milan. She was 81. In announcing her death, Italy’s Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said Milva’s versatile voice “stirred deep emotions in entire generations.” No cause of death was given. Milva also starred as a stage actress, with a repertoire heavily based on the works of German playwright Bertolt Brecht. She often worked with Milan theater director Giorgio Strehler, who directed her in one of Brecht’s signature works, “The Threepenny Opera,” a musical drama. Hip hop music exec Irv Gotti told Kendra G on “The WGCI Morning Show” that the late rapper had COVID-19 and that he overdosed on fentanyl mixed with crack. In the shocking interview, Gotti says he got the call in the hours following the rapper’s overdose: “They said it was a bad dose of crack and they said some drug fentanyl was mixed in with the crack and that’s what made him overdose.” https://youtu.be/IHit62pB1WI The estranged father of actor Lindsay Lohan was arrested Friday on charges that he illegally took kickbacks for referring patients to a substance abuse treatment center. Michael Lohan, 60, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on five counts of patient brokering and one count of conspiracy to commit patient brokering, The Palm Beach Post reported. Authorities said a Delray Beach-area drug treatment center called Pride Recovery paid more than $27,000 in kickbacks to either Lohan directly or to a business he was associated with, Lola Recovery Ventures of Palm Beach Gardens. New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban has been diagnosed with coronavirus, he announced on social media Friday. ‘Alright Subbanator here, in one for a couple days,’ he said in the 30-second clip. ‘This COVID raked my kitchen. Just wanted to say ‘thank you’ to everybody for gifts, well wishes, get well soon. I appreciate it. Love you guys so much. ‘This COVID thing hit me pretty hard but just battling through it, working through it. Just remember to take care of yourselves, stay healthy, I love you guys. I definitely will be back in the mix soon,’ he continued. Tiger Woods has shared his first photo following his devastating car crash in February, showing him smiling on crutches alongside one of his faithful dogs. The PGA legend posed outside his $40 million mansion in Jupiter, Florida on his four-hole backyard practice course, which is undergoing major renovations as he recovers from serious leg injuries. ‘My course is coming along faster than I am,’ he wrote on Instagram on Friday. ‘But it’s nice to have a faithful rehab partner, man’s best friend.’ Woods has two dogs at home, a Border Collie-Springer Spaniel mix named Bugs, who was seen in the photo, as well as an Australian Shepherd named Lola. Simone Biles is moving on from her multi-year deal with Nike to hook up with Athleta because the women’s activewear brand owned by Gap, more closely aligns with her values. “I felt like it wasn’t just about my achievements; it’s what I stood for and how they were going to help me use my voice and also be a voice for females and kids,” she told the Wall Street Journal. “I feel like they also support me, not just as an athlete, but just as an individual outside of the gym and the change that I want to create, which is so refreshing. Biles will create her own performance wear line, which will include gym and other apparel, under the partnership. She added that Athleta will give her a platform to encourage “honest conversations” with women and girls: “… I also feel like Athleta is committed to diversity and inclusion, of all women, backgrounds, ages, sizes, abilities and races.” Bernice Gibb Rhoades, 56, known to friends and family as Beri, was found unconscious in bed at her home in Las Vegas by her husband Chino on Thursday, April 15. LeBron James saw hate coming his way after he tweeted about police officer Nicholas Reardon who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma’khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. The now deleted post read: “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY.” As we reported earlier, conservatives, including Donald Trump, sent hate LeBron’s way for the tweet, with many accusing him of inciting violence. https://www.instagram.com/p/COA6cuZgHCO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Former President Donald Trump has dropped a bomb on NBA super star LeBron James for an inflammatory tweet about the Ohio cop who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA,” Trump said Thursday in a statement to D.C. reporter Ben Jacobs, who shared it on the social media platform. “His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning,” the statement said. “He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!” He added: “LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the belong and distinguished history of the League.” Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Steve McMichael revealed he’s been diagnosed with ALS on Friday, in interviews with several Chicago media outlets. McMichael, a key member of the Bears’ Super Bowl XX team, said he was diagnosed in January with 36-month onset ALS – also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease – the progressive nervous system disease that disrupts the brain’s ability to harmonize with muscles. McMichael is now using a wheelchair, having lost the use of his arms and hands. His wife, Misty, has been his caretaker. “I’m not going to be out in the public any more…you’re not going to see me out doing appearances, hell I can’t even sign my name any more, and everybody’s going to be speculating ‘Where’s McMichael, what’s wrong with him?” McMichael told WGN News. “I’m here to tell everyone I’ve been diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, so I’m not going to be a public figure any more.” Most television dramas have always been scripted but were meant to present a real sense of actuality to viewers. However, a 2018 clip of an episode of CBS’s “The Good Fight” – now in its fourth season – took script-writing and acting to a new level. The resurfaced clip, which has recently gone viral, depicts a bold verbal exchange between a White newscaster and attorney and television panelist Adrian Boseman, played by Delroy Lindo. The newscaster speaks to the panel on-air about there being a double standard when it comes to who can use the n-word. https://youtu.be/wrB5iWT4Uew Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is set to star in and executive produce “Free Agents,” a sports heist thriller that Deon Taylor will direct for Lionsgate. https://youtu.be/PrS0HK-uuYQ 50 Cent joined forces with #LaLaAnthony and #SantaSierra to bring #CyntoiaBrown-Long‘s story to our television screens as ‘The Case of Cyntoia Brown.’ @deadline reported that the project will be a limited drama series based on Cyntoia’s book ‘Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System.’ Paris Jackson, the only daughter of late singer Michael Jackson, has landed a role on the 10th season of the FX anthology series “American Horror Story: Double Feature.” According to TMZ, Jackson, 23, will appear in at least one episode of the long-running hit show from creator Ryan Murphy. Series franchise star Sarah Paulson and Paris’ alleged godfather Macaulay Culkin are also confirmed for “Double Feature,” along with returning franchise fan favorites Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Finn Wittrock, Angelica Ross, Leslie Grossman and Billie Lourd. “I was one of the people that questioned God,” said Pastor DeWayne Harvey when we talked about “what the Lord allows,” which is the name of his new solo single. “What the Lord Allows” (Innovative Records) features Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award winning Fred Hammond. “Things happen and you question God asking why…why a pandemic. I was on my way to church and opened the door and I heard the song.” https://youtu.be/sNrHzOzbrk8 A Florida couple attempted to hold their dream wedding at a lavish mansion without permission — but the event was shut down when the owner of the estate showed up. Courtney Wilson and Shenita Jones invited family and friends to witness them tie the knot on April 17, and sent out invites to “their” lavish $5.7million home, according to the Sun-Sentinel. When the couple arrived to set up their big day, they were greeted by the property owner, IHOP franchise heir Nathan Finkel, who called 911 to report there were strangers at his gate demanding to be let inside for a wedding. https://youtu.be/WRqmHpSZhZI Shara Prophet, C.Ht. is a speaker, expert lecturer, Certified Hypnotherapist, Mystic and author of The B.E.M.A.G.I.C. Manifestation Workbook. She specializes in personal development and behaviour modification, is the founder of Open Door Hypnosis and The Mind Magic Institute. Shara created The Mind Magic Minute column to teach people “cheat codes” to living a more healthy, peaceful, and prosperous life. She was recently featured on OWN in the Dark Girl’s 2 Documentary. https://youtu.be/eFbouofUqO0 March marked one year since Breonna Taylor came home one night, got into bed, and did not live to see the next day. That night, Breonna was killed by members of the Louisville Police Department; there has been no accountability for the officers who entered the wrong home and murdered a sleeping Black woman. And now, minutes before we saw jurors in Minnesota deliver a guilty verdict from an unredeemable and racist legal system for George Floyd’s murder, police shot and killed yet another Black person, Ma’Khia Bryant, a sixteen year-old child murdered within 22 seconds of police arriving on the scene. The current criminal legal system will never deliver justice, broad accountability, or keep our communities safe. Our elected leaders clapped and cheered for accountability and quickly called it justice while pushing for legislation that doesn’t address the root causes of our pain. Recently passed by the House of Representatives, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act offers investments in the same police departments that are killing Black people and reforms that have failed time and time again to protect us. To honor the lives of Freddie Gray, Breonna Taylor, Ahmuad Arbery, Tony McDade, and so many more, we need to urgently rethink current approaches to public safety while enacting new laws that support Black people and protect our lives. A 66-year-old librarian is suing police in North Carolina for allegedly using excessive force during a 2019 traffic stop in which she says she was thrown to the ground. The woman, Stephanie Bottom of Atlanta, was on her way to a funeral, driving 80 in a 70 mph zone, when police tried to pull her over. She said when she stopped her vehicle, police approached her with guns in position before pulling her out of her car, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court. Bottom said she suffered a torn rotator cuff from the incident and was unable to work for eight months as a result of officers from the Salisbury Police Department and Rowan County Sheriff’s office throwing her to the ground. One of the cops involved in the incident allegedly “bragged about ‘grabbing a handful of dreads,’ and said ‘at that point she earned it,’’ according to the lawsuit. Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, is headed to appeal her 10-year sentence for killing #BothamJean in 2018 next week. Amber was found guilty of shooting and killing Botham after she got off the elevator on the wrong floor and walked into his apartment, and mistook him as an intruder. According to reports from @cbsdfw , Amber’s former Attorney Toby Shook advised she will be arguing in front of a three-judge panel that she made a mistake killing Botham and that her conviction should have been a lesser offense of criminally negligent homicide instead of murder. An earlier report noted that Garrett Rolfe, former Atlanta Police Department officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot, sued Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to get his job back. Rolfe filed a lawsuit against the mayor and the city interim police chief Rodney Bryant. He claims his June 13th firing violated his constitutional right to due process. The ex-officer feels officials violated a law that states there should be an investigation, notice, and a hearing before firing him. https://youtu.be/EtISsq9ll4Y A series of viral TikTok videos show Orlando Police Department officers drawing their guns on a pair of Black men riding bicycles, detaining the men, then apologizing to them after realizing they had the wrong guys. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the men were riding their bikes on April 19 after a trip to 7-11. They were about to pass a parked police cruiser with flashing lights when officers standing around the squad car suddenly pulled out their guns and ordered them to get off their bikes and onto the ground. One of the men just happened to be wearing a GoPro camera, which captured the entire ordeal. “Woah, what? What happened,” the man with the GoPro yelled. “We ain’t do nothing. … I’m saying you got your guns drawn and we ain’t do nothing.” Once on the ground, officers instructed the other man to crawl toward them. Video showed the men on the ground and handcuffed surrounded by five or six officers. Tony Collins was removed from his position on the Greensboro, North Carolina zoning commission after refusing to address Carrie Rosario by her doctoral title during a public meeting. Carrie Rosario, is an associate professor at UNC-Greensboro who holds a doctorate in public health. In a brief year that’s already seen a number of historic firsts for Black people, the country’s racist Confederate legacy is now getting in on the act. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has named a Black person to be chairman of the board of directors that governs Stone Mountain Park, home to the world’s largest Confederate monument that also pays tribute to the Ku Klux Klan. The Rev. Abraham Mosley will be the first person who is not a white man to lead the Stone Mountain Memorial Association Board of Directors when he is sworn in. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis says he was the one who sparked criticism by posting “I can breathe” on the team’s verified Twitter account in the wake of the guilty verdict against the former Minneapolis cop who killed George Floyd. Despite backlash for what some saw as a tone deaf tweet, Davis said he would not delete the post. “That’s my tweet,” Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I take full responsibility for that,” he said, explaining that he’d heard George Floyd’s brother, Philonise, speaking on the radio after the verdict came in. “And he said, ‘Today, we are able to breathe again.’ I took my lead from him. In my mind, that was all I needed to say—‘I can breathe,’” Davis said. Taking a knee during the Tokyo Olympics or lifting a fist in support of racial equality will be punished as the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday maintained its ban on athletes' protests inside stadiums, at ceremonies and on podiums. The IOC's Rule 50 forbids any kind of 'demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda' in venues and any other Olympic area and the Games body concluded the rule should be maintained following an athlete consultation. Against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement protesting racial injustice, calls have increased in recent months for a change to that rule that would allow athletes to protest. Four Black Army soldiers just trying to leave an IHOP in Lorton, VA after enjoying a meal were harassed by a white woman who hurled racial slurs at them and began ranting randomly about Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Two viral TikTok videos of the April 19th incident show soldiers from nearby Fort Belvoir about to leave the restaurant after a white woman offered to pay for their meal. The woman apparently left cash on their table but then moments later came back and accused them of stealing the money. Video shows the woman sitting down at their table and addressing them as “sh*tbags,” while appearing to block them from leaving.” For some unknown reason, the woman continues cursing at the soldiers as they ask her to leave them alone. In a second video, a non-uniformed white male customer, who was identified in the video as a retired airman, confronts the woman demanding that she leave. The woman then threatens him, saying saying, “I will f—— drop you. You wanna go? You wanna go?” “Oh? Drop me? Really?” the man responded. https://youtu.be/qSaUQnrGQzA As Derek Chauvin was en route to a conviction Tuesday, and Stacey Abrams was handling GOP senators over their new Jim Crow voting laws, Democratic Rep. Val Demings was in the House (literally and figuratively) standing her ground against Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, the congressman from Ohio who went viral last week for relentlessly berating Dr. Anthony Fauci over mask mandates, even though the infectious disease expert has nothing to do with setting them. https://youtu.be/f5odeCKjgaM The Billie Holiday Theatre is proud to announce the return of its renowned monologue showcase series – 50in50 – with a special fifth anniversary edition of the show – 50in50: Shattering the Glass Ceiling. In recognition of the historic 2020 election which saw the country elect its first female and first Black Vice-President and in response to MacArthur “Genius” Dominique Morisseau’s curatorial statement, 50in50 will center around the concept of women “shattering the glass ceiling” and what it means to defy, to shatter the glass and to reach beyond barriers. The show will have its virtual premiere via The Billie’s Facebook Live platform on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 7pm. Hollywood superstar Kimberly Elise took to social media earlier this week to share that she celebrated her 54th birthday with a baptism as she rededicated her life to Christ. “Today is my birthday. I mean that literally, 54 years ago, my mother gave birth to me after a long, hard labor (thank you Mom). And spiritually, YHWH has given me a new birth. Though I was first baptized when I was 16 years old, and it was beautiful and powerful as the Holy Spirit filled me, there is something extraordinarily profound to so consciously give one’s life to the Lord at my age,” she wrote on Instagram along with photos of her emotional baptism. David will look a bit older when the Peabody Award-winning drama “David Makes Man” returns for its second season on June 22nd at 9p ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The lead character is now in his 30s (now played by Kwame Patterson, “Snowfall,” “The Wire”), and a rising businessman facing an opportunity that will change him and his community forever. The mounting pressure forces David to choose between the instincts that helped him survive or finding a new way to truly live. Young David, played by Akili McDowell, will still be featured in flashbacks. https://youtu.be/97qiZMadPmg The pandemic shutdown has made standup comic David A. Arnold a little stir crazy, missing the road and gigging in front of a live audience. Still, that hasn’t stopped the prolific funny man from telling jokes! As a triple threat of comedy, the standup comedian, writer, producer has been keeping his comedic prowess sharp in the writers’ room. #TripleThreatofComedy. Arnold has teamed up with record-breaking über producer Will Packer (Little, Ride Along) and Will Packer Media (Bigger) for a new Nickelodeon comedy, titled “That Girl Lay Lay” (working title), a new comedy series starring teen sensation and hip-hop artist Alaya “That Girl Lay Lay” High. The news of Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict in the murder of George Floyd has caused many to reflect on the seemingly endless challenges—and endless hope, fight and resilience—that the Black community has experienced and demonstrated, particularly over the past year. Chronicling “the year that changed the world,” ESSENCE—the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities—today debuted its May/June 2021 issue cover as a striking visual interpretation that juxtaposes the challenges and triumphs of a community after an unprecedented year of heightened social and political unrest, police brutality, economic and health inequities, COVID-19 and more. Shock G, the man known for the silly but funky hip hop jam, “The Humpty Dance,” has died. He was 57. Shock was also recognized for his work with Tupac Shakur. The rap legend, according to a TMZ report, was found dead Thursday in a hotel room in Tampa … according to his father, Edward Racker. The cause of death is unclear but there were no signs of trauma. Shock’s father says authorities will conduct and autopsy. https://youtu.be/PBsjggc5jHM There will be two memorial services rapper Earl “DMX” Simmons this weekend; one on Saturday, April 24 at 4 pm ET and a Homegoing Celebration on Sunday, April 25 at 2:30 pm ET. https://youtu.be/hTruoc1KaC8 Bobby Brown is speaking out about his surprising performance on “The Masked Singer,” as he was revealed to be the crab on Wednesday night’s episode. “I did have so much fun, and it wasn’t about a competition to me,” Brown, 52, tells PEOPLE. “It was about strictly having fun. Being able to perform as the Crab really, really, really made me feel good.” https://youtu.be/AR4l-vZ66y8 “Bigger” follows the lives of thirty something Black professionals maneuvering through major life changes and decisions. Show creator, executive producer, and showrunner Felischa Marye, said the inspiration behind the series, was based on a major life pivot she made in her mid-thirties, that landed her in a position of success. Her goal was to tell stories embodying the narrative – it’s never too late to follow your dreams. https://youtu.be/laQtVTrXEQA In honor of Earth Day (April 22) Disney+ is teaming with influential plant-enthusiast Christopher Griffin, aka Plant Kween, for a creative collaboration of plants inspired by his favorite Disney films – “Coco,” “The Aristocats,” “Aladdin and Jungle Book” – while paying homage to the role that plants and nature play in bringing these beloved, imaginative tales to life. Join Guest Speaker Dr. Colleen Hawthorne for IC3 Church Growth & Development Conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nermuwg1v0 Nigerian Artist/Producer IceBeatChillz (Ice) premieres the music video for his new single “Bad & Naughty” today. https://youtu.be/qii6_xl3fyM A new study reveals that Queen Elizabeth II is a bigger global brand than Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Oprah, and Nike. The data was founded by company Statista who claimed there were a number of factors that considered Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family a huge global brand. According to the Daily Mail, one of the factors was the number of news articles that references her as ‘The Queen’ and said her personal brand is 16 times bigger than Beyoncé and six times bigger than Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates combined. Statista also compared the Royal Family’s brand to major corporations such as Coca Cola, Nike, and others. As of today, their corporate brand is worth more than 71 billion pounds and Queen Elizabeth’s sole worth is 35 billion pounds. All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series' UNSUNG and UNCENSORED continue this Sunday, April 25. UNSUNG leads the night with Syleena Johnson at 9 p.m. ET/8C, immediately followed by UNCENSORED with Marsha Ambrosius at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoTowjLsi6Y Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on the season finale episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, April 24 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tsGGr1ErZk&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, April 25 at 9 P.M./8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmS6P162BhU JOIN CHEF SUNNY ANDERSON AS SHE GIVES VIEWERS THE ULTIMATE "BISTRO NIGHT IN" MENU THIS WEEK ON COOKING FOR REAL WITH SUNNY ANDERSON, AIRING MONDAYS AT 9 P.M. ET/8C NBA draft prospect and former University of Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke has been killed in car crash in Los Angeles, with video showing him running a red light at speed before clipping a truck and slamming into a wall at an intersection. The crash occurred on Thursday after Clarke, 19, had gone through a workout with his former Wildcats teammate and fellow NBA hopeful Brandon Boston Jr. in anticipation of the upcoming draft. Clarke was driving his 2021 Hyundai Genesis when he ran a red light, hit a car that was turning left and failed to stop before hitting a pole and a wall, LAPD said. It is not yet known if Clarke intentionally ran the light or if his vehicle had suffered a mechanical failure. The funeral for Daunte Wright, one of the most recent victims of preventable police violence against unarmed Black people, was held Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis. The service at Shiloh Temple International Ministries featured emotional addresses from members of Wright’s family as well as civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered a moving eulogy. The funeral united the family members of past victims of police violence, including relatives of George Floyd, Philando Castile, Oscar Grant and Jamar Clark. One portion of the funeral included a moving trumpet performance by jazz musician Keyon Harrold Sr., whose son was falsely accused of stealing an iPhone late last year in New York City in a viral moment that luckily did not end in any violence. https://twitter.com/i/status/1385295592033763328 A Sheriff’s deputy in Pasquotank County, North Carolina shot and killed 42-year-old Andrew Brown Jr. while serving a search warrant Wednesday, sparking more protests and the immediate release of body camera footage. Authorities wouldn’t provide further details, but eyewitnesses said that Brown was shot while trying to drive away, and that deputies fired at him multiple times. The car skidded out of Brown’s yard and eventually hit a tree, said Demetria Williams, who lives on the same street and ran out of her house when she heard the gunshots. “When they opened the door (to the car) he was already dead,” Williams told The Associated Press. “He was slumped over.” She said officers tried to perform chest compressions on him. The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s deputy was placed on leave pending a review by the State Bureau of Investigation, Sheriff Tommy Wooten II said at a news conference. https://youtu.be/MUl_-_OpP2o Surrounded by family, friends and colleagues like the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and Pastor Jamal Bryant, longtime civil rights leader, the Rev. Al Sharpton, praised God and revealed that he broke down in tears moments after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd Tuesday. “We want to pray and thank God. Somehow God made a way. He had mercy. We believe in a God that can even get through the cracks of the jury room and bring conscience and bring truth.” Sharpton said shortly after a jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd’s death. Thursday, O.J. Simpson gave LeBron James advice on talking about people getting stabbed and murdered. The former football player told James to wait for the facts before running online and dividing our country more. https://twitter.com/i/status/1385268007203602433 A Black Kansas City firefighter was subjected to racial discrimination then fired in retaliation for his complaints, a federal jury found Thursday in a trial that highlighted systemic racism in the department. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, was ordered to pay Jyan Harris more than $2.43 million for back pay, future pay and compensatory damages for his discrimination and retaliation claims, the Kansas City Star reported. After being annihilated on Twitter for calling racial equity “another kind of racism” in an op-ed for The Washington Post, Ben Carson ran to Fox News Wednesday to defend his rationale, even dragging Dr. Martin Luther King into his explanation. https://youtu.be/9OK7Eyfgi4w After urging athletes to stay out of politics, NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre weighed in on the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial — saying he didn’t believe the former Minneapolis cop meant to kill George Floyd. “I find it hard to believe, and I’m not defending Derek Chauvin in any way, I find it hard to believe, first of all, that he intentionally meant to kill George Floyd,” he said Wednesday on his “Balling with Favre” podcast. Former NFL linebacker Geno Hayes is under hospice care for liver complications and “fighting for his life,” his high school football coach told USA TODAY. Hayes, 33, played for the Buccaneers, Bears and Jaguars during a seven-year NFL career that ended after the 2014 season. He was a sixth-round draft pick out of Florida State and replaced Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks as the Buccaneers’ starting weakside linebacker in 2009, when he had the best season of his career. “Geno’s in need of prayers. He’s fighting for his life,” high school coach Frankie Carroll said after visiting Hayes at his mother’s home in Valdosta, Ga. last Sunday. “It’s tough. Geno’s a fun-loving guy.” Antoine Fuqua will direct and produce a new film adaptation of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning book, with an all-Black cast. Fuqua’s new film is based on a 2008 Broadway production from producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey that also featured an all-Black American cast, Variety reports. The show was directed by Debbie Allen and featured Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones. Fuqua will join forces with Byrd and Jones-Harvey for his film that “will combine elements of the play with new storylines and weave them together to bring the production to the big screen.” Paisley Park, where Prince lived and worked, welcomed back select fans Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of his death from inside his creative sanctuary. Some wore custom Prince clothes and shoes and left flowers and other mementos as tributes to the late superstar. The sprawling studio’s atrium opened to 1,400 people who were able to snag free reservations, while other fans paid their respects in front of a statue erected outside the front doors in the shape of his famous purple Love Symbol. British music’s leading prize night next month will feature an audience of 4,000 people, in what will be the first major indoor music event in the country to welcome back a live audience since the coronavirus pandemic erupted more than a year ago. The Brit Awards said Thursday that the May 11 event at London’s 02 Arena has been picked to be part of the government’s easing of coronavirus restrictions following a sharp drop in new cases in the U.K. Pretty Ricky rapper and “Love and Hip Hop” star Baby Blue, Diamond Smith, was shot along with another individual while in the parking lot of a bowling alley Monday. According to reports, the two suspects attempted to steal a gold chain, shooting Baby Blue in the process, police said. He was transported to the local hospital in critical condition after being injured outside of SPAREZ Bowling Alley in Davie, Florida. The artist and his companion were standing by their cars “when two unknown armed male suspects approached,” according to the Davie Police Department. PEOPLE writes, “a physical altercation ensued as the suspects attempted to steal a gold chain necklace from one of the victims. One of the suspects’ firearms discharged, hitting Baby Blue in the left shoulder.” The thugs fled the scene after the shooting. After fans of LeVar Burton pushed for him to guest host of “Jeopardy,” the long-running quiz show announced Wednesday that the “Star Trek” star will close out the current 37th season. Back in November, Burton fans created a Change.org petition calling for ABC to hire him as the new host of the network’s long-running game show. “Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds,” the petition states. Fans of Lil Wayne suspect he has tied the knot with girlfriend Denise Bidot. On Tuesday, the rapper (born Dwayne Carter) shared a tweet that said he’s the “Happiest man alive” because “Today is the beginning of our forever,” he wrote. “Forever?? Forever, ever?? FOREVER EVER!!!!! The Carters.” The message prompted fans to concluded that the hip-hop star is off the market. Last week, Weezy and Denise expressed their love for each other on social media. https://www.instagram.com/liltunechi/?utm_source=ig_embed Swizz Beatz, a longtime friend of DMX, has asked Kanye West to participate in the upcoming memorial service for the late rapper. Fans can join the memorial service by watching a live stream of the event on YouTube this Saturday. The event is being held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with streaming set to begin at 4 p.m. EDT. Additionally, a private funeral will be held at the New York City church Sunday, which will also broadcast live on BET at 2:30 p.m. EDT. According to reports, attendance for both events will be limited to family and close friends due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LeBron James is catching heat for posting a photo of Nicholas Reardon, the Columbus police officer who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma’khia Bryant on Tuesday, and captioning the image “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY,” along with an hourglass emoji. His post was in reference to former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin being found guilty on three counts in the murder of George Floyd. Candace Owens, responded by calling the Lakers star a “loser” and Reardon a “hero.” “If America was a country that believed in justice, Lebron James would be stripped of all of his sponsorships,” Owens tweeted, noting her support of the cancel culture movement. Bravo is set to shake up the cast of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” to boost ratings next season, and former star Phaedra Parks could return to the show. After series OG NeNe Leakes departed the series, the RHOA reportedly saw a drop in viewership last season. “RHOA was once Bravo’s highest-rated housewives show but has lost its superiority over other shows in the franchise.” “There’s going to be a big cast shake-up next season and some producers are mulling over asking Phaedra Parks to return. “Many insiders believe NeNe would help drive ratings, but her feud with producers seems to show no signs of letting up. “Fans were shocked when she left and there has been a question mark over whether she’ll ever return, and it looks unlikely. https://youtu.be/oZ7mxCYzql8 When veteran comedy writer Charlie Burnz (Billy Crystal) meets New York singer Emma Payge (Tiffany Haddish), they form an unlikely yet hilarious and touching friendship that kicks the generation gap aside and redefines the meaning of love and trust. That’s what HERE TODAY is about. https://youtu.be/U3v8n_8-QqA Keke Palmer has sparked a debate on social media about relationship status after she made clear that she’s going to remain “single until marriage.” Guys be like, ‘I want you to be my girlfriend,’” Palmer said in a Tik Tok video before continuing, “But are you going to marry me? Are we ready to take it somewhere out of kid world? Because I’m not trying to be locked into nothing unless you gon lock me in for life — cause we can just kick it and be friends until you’re ready to go.” In the caption of the clip, she added, “I don’t believe in girlfriend and boyfriend. I’m single till I’m married. Let’s just kick it love.” Stellar-nominated gospel artist Kenny Lewis and One Voice’s new single, “He’s Been Good” has now hit over 2 million views on Facebook! “He’s Been Good” is the newest single from the hit choir leader and incorporates a special feature from the gospel veteran, Charles Jenkins. https://youtu.be/sYLughPvH1M Malcolm X said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman,” he said. “The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” It was true then and it’s true now. The ongoing violence against Black women has hit an all-time high with the publishing of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors home address in an effort to call attention to her purchase of several homes. Patrisse is more than just one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter. Long before BLM came into existence she was an artist, an organizer, and a student. Moms of Black Boys United for Social Change, Inc. (M.O.B.B. United for Social Change), an online community of nearly 200,000 moms with 15 local chapters nationwide advocating for fair and just treatment of Black boys and men in American society, remains on the front lines of the fight against racial injustice. Today, M.O.B.B. United has issued the following statement regarding the historic verdict in the Chauvin murder trial: For the last year we all have been under arrest with emotion over the incredible injustice done to George Floyd and many others harassed and killed by law enforcement. Yesterday, we witnessed justice being served. We have finally seen accountability where there hasn’t been before. We are thankful for the change in tide, but understand that you cannot erase 400 years of hate with one verdict. This is just the beginning of the road to accountability. We need true social transformation that does more than hold law enforcement accountable, but stops them in their tracks and makes them think twice before they act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUKkgnJGaNI In the latest Spotlight interview, the beautiful woke Erika Alexander dishes the dirt on the racism she encountered filming the popular show “Living Single.” She says they shot on a lot where only the Black shows were produced. “We called it the ghetto.” Her new podcast Reparations: The Big Payback, part of Charlamagne tha God’s Black Effect Series, Erika focuses on reparations and support for a 30-year-old bill in Congress to begin the conversation on compensating Black people for slavery and centuries of oppression and discrimination. https://player.vimeo.com/video/533357856" Comedic actor Eric Andre has leveled racism claims against Georgia’s Clayton County Police department after he says officers racially profiled him during a random drug search Wednesday afternoon at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Andre described the incident at the Delta terminal in a series of tweets. He first tweeted at the Atlanta Police Dept, saying: “They stopped me on the way down the bridge to the plane for a ‘random’ search and asked they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.” Officials in Columbus urged calm Wednesday as more details and bodycam footage were released in the fatal shooting of a Black teenager by a Columbus police officer, who has now been identified as Nicholas Reardon. He’s been with the department since 2019 and is now placed on leave, after fueling renewed outrage over police-involved deaths. His victim, 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant, was shot 20 minutes before a guilty verdict was announced against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the death of George Floyd last May. The state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation will pass its findings in the case to a prosecutor – either the attorney general’s office or the Franklin County prosecutor – for consideration before a grand jury. Nine critically endangered Rothschild’s giraffes have been rescued after they were isolated by heavy rains that turned their home into a sinking island. Water levels in Lake Baringo in Kenya have been rising for some time, but in 2020, the rate increased — flooding lakeshore homes, businesses and threatening the lives of the small group of Rothschild’s giraffe on Longicharo Island in Ruko Community Conservancy. https://youtu.be/yBmQ5Em2qTg After much backlash on social media, it appears things behind the scenes were all good as Diddy is reportedly paying for the funeral costs for former Bad Boy rapper Black Rob, who recently passed at 51 from a myriad of health issues, including kidney failure. According to Page Six, Sean “Diddy” Combs will be contributing to the funeral costs for his former artist and friend Black Rob. Apparently, the two reconnected prior to Rob’s passing. The publication says a source claimed Diddy referred to Rob as “one of a kind,” and confirmed he reached out to Rob at the hospital before he expired. Gabriel DeWitt Wilson, the 30-year-old suspect accused of killing one and injuring two other grocery store employees in Long Island, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon. Authorities discovered Wilson two miles from the shooting at an apartment complex in Hempstead, Long Island. On Wednesday he was charged with one count of murder in the second degree and four counts of attempted murder. As the silver handcuffs were placed on Derek Chauvin‘s wrists complimenting his gray suit, the former Minneapolis officer was quietly walked out of the courtroom to cheers and exclamations outside of the courtroom. Chauvin is currently imprisoned at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights located in Stillwater, Minnesota until his sentencing, CNN reports. The facility is about 25 miles east of Minneapolis. Chauvin is housed in a unit that is segregated from the general population. “He is on ‘administrative segregation’ status for his safety,” Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald told CNN. “Administrative segregation is used when someone’s presence in the general population is a safety concern.” According to NBC New York, he could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James posted and later deleted a tweet on Wednesday about the fatal police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl in Columbus, Ohio. In a series of tweets, James explained why he deleted the post. http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=31306953 The official teaser trailer and poster of the hilarious whodunnit horror/thriller WEREWOLVES WITHIN is out. The film is based on the virtual reality video game by Ubisoft. https://youtu.be/mjH5sGOTJuI This Friday, April 23, is World Book Day — an annual worldwide event by UNESCO to celebrate books and reading. In observance of this day, BET+ is highlighting their originals that are derived from books along with a few screen adaptations that are coming soon to the streaming platform. Book to film adaptations are often the driving force behind sparking the interest of classic novels. In fact, nearly 70% of the world’s top 20 grossing films are based on books. Today Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Floyd family attorney Ben Crump were both guests on SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show” to discuss yesterday’s verdict and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. https://youtu.be/UStx0NAorow Today (04-21-21) it was announced that the Justice Department is opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis after a former officer was convicted in the killing of George Floyd there. Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement and stated that “Yesterday’s verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis,” Garland said. The probe “will assess whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests,” Garland said at a news conference. A new documentary from BBC One Panorama, “Is The Church Racist?,” explores the racism that allegedly runs deep within the Church of England. Complex reports, Dr. Elizabeth Henry, who resigned from her post as the CoE’s race adviser last year, claims that ethnic clergy and staff who complained of racism in the CoE were paid off to “buy their silence.” They were also made to sign non-disclosure agreements. https://youtu.be/JAsEZuDgjS8 Dave Chappelle has announced that he’s joining forces with the Luminary subscription podcast network to launch “The Midnight Miracle” with co-hosts Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey. Complex, reports the trio will host thoughtful conversations with some of their close celebrity friends and cultural icons. https://www.instagram.com/davechappelle/?utm_source=ig_embed Zoe Kravitz and actress Taylour Paige have sparked romance rumors after posting a photo on Instagram showing them hugged up together. On Saturday (April 17), Kravitz shared the snap of the pair on her IG account, along with the message,, “so…. this is a thing. @taylour.” Zoe and Taylour have yet to clarify what they meant by “a thing.” The duo have yet to elaborate on what “a thing” means. Members of the LGBTQP community seem to be thrilled by their possible coupling. An Ohio police officer was captured on video shouting “blue lives matter” to a group of bystanders at the scene where another officer shot and killed a Black teenage girl in Columbus. One of the neighbors responds: “Blue lives matter? Crazy. That’s an insult, especially at this place right now.” The Washington Post also reported Tuesday that another cop on the scene was wearing a “blue lives matter” face mask. https://twitter.com/i/status/1384684653022416897 Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed former police officer Derek Chauvin’s fatal encounter with George Floyd last May, is speaking out about Tuesday’s verdict in Chauvin’s murder case. “I just cried so hard,” Frazier, 18, wrote in a social media post following the verdict. “This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU” She continued, “George Floyd we did it!! justice has been served” “Although no amount of charges will bring back a loved one, justice was served and his murderer will pay the price,” she said. While the world was watching Derek Chauvin being hauled to jail in handcuffs Tuesday, Stacey Abrams was quietly, remotely and hilariously fending off attack after attack by GOP lawmakers during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on voting laws. The committee’s usual suspects – Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, John Kennedy, Tom Cotton and others – lined up to take their shots at the Georgia voting rights activist, whose organizing efforts were largely responsible for Donald Trump’s White House exit and the election of two Democratic Georgia senators in 2020 to level the playing field in the U.S. Senate. Abrams calmly and artfully swatting away each GOP Senator’s attempt to gaslight her about the existence of “racial animus” and voter suppression – in Georgia and beyond – was a thing of beauty to behold. https://youtu.be/mZ4SRr--SZU The Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC), which includes Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College will require all students, faculty members, and staff to be vaccinated for the upcoming 2021 fall semester. https://youtu.be/MwSpAvesL9o The NBA on TNT Tuesday crew reacted to the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker all shared their thoughts Tuesday night, several hours after Chauvin was found guilty on all three murder counts stemming from his prolonged kneeling on Floyd’s neck. https://youtu.be/Bhx0LaL1qk4 Hospitalizations linked to COVID-19 have jumped about 20% in less than two weeks in Alabama, a trend that health officials said Tuesday they were monitoring but don’t consider a sign of another coming crisis in the pandemic. Statistics from the Alabama Department of Public Health showed 362 people were hospitalized Monday for the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Though up from the 301 patients just 10 days earlier, the total was still just a fraction of the 3,070 patients who pushed the state’s intensive care wards to near capacity in mid-January. Grammy Award-winning Christian singer Lauren Daigle was invited back on the “American Idol” stage Monday night for a special performance of her song “Look Up Child,” a decade after she was cut from the competition. Daigle was featured as a guest performer on the show’s “Comeback” episode that also included 10 finalists from last season, two of which performed the Gospel songs, “Voice of God” and “Say Yes.” Legendary musician and former judge, Harry Connick Jr., also appeared in the episode and performed a medley of music from his latest Christian release, Alone With My Faith. The episode featured a lot of faith-filled content. Whoopi Goldberg is writing a superhero tale about an old Black woman who saves earth. “Since I was a little kid, I’ve been obsessed with superheroes,” Goldberg revealed to Variety. “They’re all saving the Earth all the time.” She added, “But do you know who’s really going to save the Earth? Old Black women.” Goldberg says her a superhero movie about an older Black woman who gets powers and has to learn to use them. The actress and “The View” co-host is also gearing up to reprise her role as Deloris Van Cartier in “Sister Act 3" for Disney+. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assoc. has announced its diversity and inclusion adviser Phillip Berk is no longer a member of the organization after he sent out a racist email to members over the weekend. Berks’ exit also comes in the wake of Ava DuVernay and several publicists calling out the “systemic’ challenges in the group. In the email, Berk criticized Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, calling her “the self-proclaimed ‘trained Marxist.’” He also called BLM a “racist hate movement.” https://youtu.be/-RGSi67Q3SM Adrian B. King and Reverence demonstrate their high energy and incredible anointing on their newest album release ESSENTIAL PRAISE. The album is comprised of eight Contemporary Gospel, intimate worship, exuberant praise, and traditional churchy tracks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwIzJgXz91I A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy was serving a search warrant on Wednesday morning when he shot and killed a black man who family members say was driving away from the scene. The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office confirmed one of its officers shot the man, but has released few details, including whether or not the victim was armed at the time of the incident. During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, officials remained tight-lipped and refused to answer most questions about the incident, citing an ongoing investigation. Donald Williams was all of us calling Derek Chauvin a “bum,” as he and other bystanders watched the former officer slowly murder George Floyd. The mixed martial artist, who testified for the prosecution in Chauvin’s trial, spoke to TODAY’s Craig Melvin in Minneapolis Wednesday about his reaction to the guilty verdict. “I don’t wanna say joy, because there’s a lot of work still to be done, but it was a lot of relief off of my shoulders,” Williams said. https://www.today.com/video/witness-in-chauvin-trial-reacts-to-guilty-verdicts-weight-off-my-shoulders-110583877517 Apple Original Films has announced “Number One on the Call Sheet,” two documentary features from Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, producer Datari Turner and Academy Award-winner Dan Cogan. The project will explore what it takes for Black actors to find success in Hollywood. SEASON TWO OF WILL PACKER’S PROVOCATIVE COMEDY “BIGGER” RETURNS THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 22, EXCLUSIVELY ON BET+......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laQtVTrXEQA President Joe Biden spoke to the nation on Tuesday night after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. “No one should be above the law,” Biden said. “And today’s verdict sends that message. But it’s not enough. ”https://youtu.be/9iVdsRiFnRc Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF), released the following statement in reaction to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial: “In these types of trials, the criminal justice system has historically failed Black families, further permeating and validating white supremacy within institutions. Today, however, there is a small incremental step toward accountability. We hope this guilty verdict begins to show that white supremacy will not win. White supremacy has no place in democracy, especially one that is supposed to guarantee us our freedom to live. But let us also be clear that this still does not bring our loved ones back. We do not get George Floyd back. His daughter and family have to grow up without him. His family continues his legacy through the George Floyd Memorial Foundation. Police shot and killed a Black teenage girl Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio moments before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted in the death of George Floyd. In an unprecedented move, Columbus police later released body camera footage of the officer shooting 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant as she appeared to attempt to stab two people with a knife. The officer is shown approaching a driveway where a group of young people were standing. In the video, it appears that Bryant pushes or swings at a person who falls to the ground. As the footage continues, she then appears to swing a knife at a girl who is on the hood of a car, and the officer fires his weapon what sounds like four times, striking the girl. https://youtu.be/xOK3QNcpqns Georgia faith leaders representing over 1,000 Georgia churches have called for a nationwide boycott of Home Depot, accusing the largest company based in the Peach State of standing on the sidelines in the voting rights battle playing out not just in Georgia, but across the country. “A boycott is not something we wanted to do, but now it is something that we must do,” Bishop Reginald T. Jackson said in a statement read during a press conference Tuesday. “They have simply refused to respond, not only to our request to meet, but to their other corporate partners. They believe their silence is appropriate, but not on the issue of voting rights. Blacks and people of color, like others, are also their customers and they benefit from our dollars … we believe they should oppose any effort to suppress our votes.” A Georgia hairdresser who divorced her husband and is now in a relationship with another woman has been told by her church that she must repent for her ‘sinful behavior’ or else be publicly denounced and excommunicated. Krystal Cox was informed in writing by the elders of Woodstock Church of Christ that they were concerned about ‘the condition of your soul’. Cox, who has been attending the church in Woodstock, 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta, for around five years, told her local news channel she was deeply hurt by the letter. The sister of a young Black man who was found hanging from a tree in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1986 has called for a new look into his death for years. Recently, Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Reimer joined her. Thirty-five years ago, police found the body of 19-year-old Keith Warren in a wooded area that has since been developed. His death was ruled a suicide, but his family doesn’t believe he took his own life. Sherri Warren said there were inconsistencies with the investigation, a rush to judgment and no autopsy. The family wants the case to be reclassified as an undetermined death. Sending their support. Jinger Duggar and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, are hopeful that Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard reunite with the family soon — but on their own terms. The Duggars: A Comprehensive Guide to the Famous Family The 19 Kids and Counting alum, 27, and the retired soccer star, 33, recently told Us Weekly exclusively that they’ve “connected” with Jill, 29, and her husband, 31, who have distanced themselves from the reality TV family in recent years. A popular Nigerian televangelist has urged his followers to “pray for YouTube” for shutting down his account after he posted videos on his channel claiming to ‘cure’ gay members of his congregation of their sexuality. “I got to know what happened to YouTube when I saw the viewers complaining… I want you to help me pray for YouTube… Don’t see them the other way around; see them as friends. We need to be strong,” T.B. Joshua said in a sermon posted on the ministry’s Facebook page at the weekend. The YouTube channel of The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) — run by Joshua — was deactivated last week and can no longer be viewed by its nearly two million subscribers. “The producer and I were talking about the direction of the new album. I said I wanted a crazy Country church song. He said you want to hear a dope ballad… and we started recording it,” said Joshua Rogers about his “Still Gon’ Trust” single from his upcoming album. https://youtu.be/VH6VmXISUCQ Pop Culture Icons, multiple Grammy Award-winners and multi-platinum selling artists Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. released today the official music video to their single “blackbird” (Album Mix) from their highly anticipated first studio album in three decades, Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons (EE1/BMG), due April 30. The official music video is a poignant tribute to the blackbirds whose lives ended tragically by violence, and those who sacrificed their all in the name of social justice. https://youtu.be/ZEgRlmwoW_Y Today, Google launched a video Doodle to celebrate the 70th birthday of multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, and producer Luther Vandross. The Doodle was created in collaboration with Atlanta-based guest artist and animator, Sam Bass. The music video Doodle is set to “Never Too Much,” the award-winning soundtrack originally written, produced and performed by Luther Vandross. https://youtu.be/69KrkMpvZdg Last year Waka Flocka Flame made headlines for showing his support to Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election. Although he was widely criticized for it, he still didn’t stop supporting the now-ex president. Now, it looks like Mr. Trump is returning the love and support as he recognized the rapper with a lifetime achievement award! On Friday, Waka received the Trump award in Atlanta, his hometown, with his pastor and mentor Apostle Dr. Bridget Outlaw presenting WFF with an official certificate and medal. It was told to TMZ, that Waka’s award is for his humanitarianism and philanthropy as a volunteer for the Chicago non-profit Daughter of Destiny. E! News correspondent Nina Parker has designed a plus-size collection exclusively for Macy’s. The talk show host announced on her Instagram page that The Nina Parker Collection will drop next month. The line is the retail giant’s first time ever displaying plus-size items created by a Black woman. Eminem has finally responded to a nearly two-week-old “Saturday Night Live” sketch that used his 2002 hit “Without Me” to explain NFTs. “Two silicon boys were talking outside, talking outside, talking outside,” Pete Davidson raps in the bit, where he’s dressed as Eminem’s superhero character Rap Boy from the “Without Me” video. “Now what the hell’s an NFT/ Apparently cryptocurrency/ Everyone’s making so much money/ Can you please explain what’s an NFT?” Monday, the reclusive rapper retweeted the video along with a chin-scratching, raised eyebrow emoji. That is all. Make of it what you will. While three classic DMX hits have re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart, one of them has now become the late rapper’s highest charting Hot 100 single of his career. His bangers “Party Up (Up in Here)” and “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” return at Nos. 40 and 46, respectively. “Party Up (Up in Here)” re-enters after it reached No. 27 in April 2000, and “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” tops its original 2003 peak of No. 68 in April 2003. “Party” also enters Streaming Songs this week at No. 45 (9.2 million, up 402%) and Digital Song Sales at No. 3 (15,600, up 638%), while “X” arrives on the lists at No. 35 (10 million, up 486%) and No. 7 (10,700, up 763%), respectively. https://youtu.be/bNWCQzle3ds It’s that time of the month again when Lizzo shares yet another thirst trap photo as part of her “body positivity” advocacy. On Tuesday, the singer posted an”unedited” naked Instagram selfie to help “change the conversation about beauty standards.” Lizzo is saying to hell with all you fat shamers, she wants everyone to celebrate her “au natural” body on social media. https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5F2vZMHIE/?utm_source=ig_embed In the latest episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza joins Jemele to discuss her powerful new book, “The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart.” Alicia explains why organizing remains the most effective way to create change and amass power. “I also didn’t want to be the Black Lives Matter lady for the rest of my life. To be honest, I have a lot of other talents. I have a lot of other skills. I have a lot more to offer and, you know, I’m not Black Lives Matter. That is something that I helped to create, but I am like the smallest piece of it. And I just kept feeling like the longer I’m here, the more it becomes about me and Patrisse and Opal and less about what it is that we’re trying to do out in the world.” Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted on all charges by a jury in the Hennepin County court. The 12 jurors found him guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd's death in May 2020. The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is imprisonment of not more than 40 years. The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is imprisonment of not more than 25 years. The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 10 years and/or $20,000. https://youtu.be/mm48swwALnc A judge upheld a 20-year prison sentence on Monday for former police officer Michael Slager in the killing of Walter Scott, an unarmed Black man who ran from a traffic stop in South Carolina, rejecting Slager’s claims his lawyer did a poor job. Slager had appealed his sentence, saying his lawyer never told him about a plea offer from prosecutors that could have cut years off his eventual prison term for shooting Scott five times in the back. But federal Judge Richard Gergel wrote in his ruling Monday that he believed Slager’s lawyer Andy Savage, who said in 2017 court papers that he told his client about every plea offer. Slager testified during a hearing last week he didn’t know about the initial deal from prosecutors. Slager’s 20-year sentence was one of the longest in recent memory for a police officer for an on-duty killing. Congresswoman Maxine Waters denied on Monday interfering in the trial of Derek Chauvin as the jury retired, claiming that the judge overseeing the former policeman’s case said her provocative words ‘don’t matter’ – despite his condemning her actions in court as ‘abhorrent’. Waters, a Democrat representing California, sparked outrage by travelling to Minneapolis on Saturday and urging protesters to ‘get more confrontational’ if Chauvin was acquitted. Her remarks, on the eve of the jury retiring to consider its verdict, were widely condemned and may, it emerged on Monday, have handed Chauvin’s defense grounds for appeal and the turning over of any guilty verdict. Yet Waters, 82, definitely insisted on Monday afternoon that she stood by her word. ‘The judge says my words don’t matter,’ she told CNN. A 21-year-old college student in New York nearly died after being attacked with acid outside her home in Elmont. PEOPLE reports, Nafiah Fatima suffered severe burns to her face, eyes, chest and arms after she “was approached from behind by an unknown male” while standing in her driveway on March 17. The man was carrying a cup with a dark-colored substance inside. He threw the substance onto Fatima’s face and then fled the scene. The incident was captured on a neighbor’s surveillance camera. https://youtu.be/Cmf6hGSkWgQ A former Texas sheriff’s deputy has been arrested for the fatal shooting of his teenage daughter, her boyfriend, and his ex-wife. https://youtu.be/bnmDECfiY28 While riding scooters with her boyfriend Juwan Davis on Friday morning (Apr. 16), Meairra Mansara, an Atlanta woman, was shot after rejecting a man’s unwanted advances. Mansara and Davis were riding near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium when a man began catcalling Mansara from a black Dodge Charger. Davis says he stepped in to tell the man to quit verbally harassing his girlfriend, and that’s when things quickly became violent. Samuel Savage, a witness, said the assailant fired off at least five shots at Mansara and Davis, as they tried to flee on their scooters. However, one of the bullets struck Mansara in her shin, shattering her tibia. Per her mother, Mansara will now require a permanent rod in her leg and is looking at at least six weeks of recovery and later physical rehabilitation. An investigation into the incident has been launched. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has clapped back at unsubstantiated reports claiming she’s about to resign after being caught having an extramarital affair. In a series of tweets posted on April 18, Lightfoot shot down the affair allegations. “Good morning from my mansion in Sauganash,” she joked. “Seriously, though-our city doesn’t have any time for homophobic, racist and misogynistic rumors, today or any day.” https://youtu.be/pBqpffLUpvs Maryland archaeologists have been combing through the woods in Dorchester County, Maryland since last fall looking for the lost site where Harriet Tubman lived with her family in the early 1800s. One of their metal detectors recently found a coin along an abandoned road in Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Archaeologist Julie Schablitsky would soon realize that the coin she came across – featuring the profile of a woman with flowing hair, and wearing a cap that said “Liberty, with a date on the bottom that read “1808” – was confirmation that the team was in fact digging in the right place – near the home of Tubman’s father, Ben Ross. https://youtu.be/4q5lg-LPF1Y Kobe Bryant’s estate has ended his endorsement deal with Nike. Bryant’s widow Vanessa explained on social media that the late NBA legend’s endorsement deal with the shoe giant expired this month and Kobe’s estate did not renew the contract, ESPN reports. https://youtu.be/chxfglBTO8A Forest Whitaker and his ex-wife, Keisha Nash-Whitaker, have finalized their divorce after more than two decades of marriage. Whitaker filed docs in December 2018, saying irreconcilable differences made it “impossible for the parties to live together as husband and wife.” The former couple met after playing on-screen lovers on the set of “Blown Away” in 1994. They married two years later in Montego Bay, Jamaica. They share daughters Sonnet and True, and Forest and Keisha each have a child from previous relationships. Ace Showbiz writes, “Forest and Keisha opted into a confidential judgment detailing the settlement agreement for spousal support for Keisha, the division of their property, attorney fees and assets.” When Keisha filed her response to the divorce, she reportedly told the court there was no prenuptial agreement. CNN correspondent Rene Marsh revealed the sad news on social media that she and husband Kedric Payne’s 2-year-old son, Blake, died on April 14 after a battle with brain cancer. Marsh shared in an Instagram post in February that doctors found a “ fast growing tumor” in the center of Blake’s brain in December 2019. MSN, reports, he underwent brain surgery and chemotherapy before he was one years old. Joshua Rashaad McFadden, a freelance photographer working for the New York Times, was beaten by Minnesota police officers as he was covering the protests outside the police station over the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was killed by a white veteran police officer during a traffic stop. The Times report, McFadden, 30, said in an interview on Sunday that the police surrounded the car he was in on Tuesday as he tried to leave the scene. They beat on the windows with batons, then forced him out of the car — beating his legs and striking his camera lens, he said, the report states. https://youtu.be/00PaSC6_M50 Whoopi Goldberg has a new cannabis startup in the works. The “The View” co-host dishes about her upcoming venture in the inaugural cover of Black Cannabis Magazine. A source told Page Six: “In the issue, she’ll reveal Emma & Clyde, her new cannabis product line… launching soon in California. Emma & Clyde is named after Whoopi’s mother and brother, and includes edibles, pre-rolls, flowers and accessories.” https://youtu.be/YZ6aYEZram0 Steph Curry stripped off his No. 30 Golden State Warriors jersey and handed stuffed duffle bags full of memorabilia to a Delaware state trooper who went viral for stopping in full uniform to shoot hoops on the playground with neighborhood kids. “That’s Curry! That’s Curry!” one kid was heard yelling in the video after Officer Joshua Morris sank a long three-pointer. https://youtu.be/R0tqpMX2p84 Bestselling author Angie Thomas has surprised an incoming freshman with news that the young woman is receiving a full scholarship to the private university where Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree. Thomas popped into an online meeting Monday to tell Andrea Foreman of Wilmington, Delaware, about the award that will cover tuition, room and board for four years at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. This is the second year for Belhaven to award the Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship to a student who will major in creative writing. Mike Tomlin wants to be part of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era in Pittsburgh. The Steelers on Tuesday signed their longtime coach to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2024 season. Tomlin is 145-78-1 in 14 years with the Steelers, winning one Super Bowl and going to another. The franchise has reached the playoffs nine times during Tomlin’s tenure and captured its seventh AFC North title under him in 2020. “I am extremely grateful for this contract extension and want to thank Art Rooney II and everyone in the organization for the support in my first 14 seasons,” Tomlin said in a statement. “We have a goal of winning the organization’s seventh Super Bowl championship, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about this upcoming season.” An eclectic group of people — including LeBron James, James Corden, Jennifer Garner and Sir David Attenborough — have nabbed nominations for this year’s Webby Awards, recognizing the best internet content and creators. The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences announced the nominees on Tuesday, which also include the companies Amazon, Adobe, CNN, Disney, Google, Headspace, Hulu, Mailchimp, Marvel Entertainment, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty, Spotify, The Root and Wondery. A man who thought he got away with secretly taking a picture of a woman’s buttocks at the gym was not only tracked down and confronted, but also forced by the woman to delete the photos from his phone. https://youtu.be/di-kaS_DW7I All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series' UNSUNG and UNCENSORED continue this Sunday, April 25. UNSUNG leads the night with Syleena Johnson at 9 p.m. ET/8C, immediately followed by UNCENSORED with Marsha Ambrosius at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Following UNCENSORED, fans are treated to a sneak-peek look at episodes with the new digital series, Unwind with Syleena Johnson. Each episode will be published on TVOne.TV and TV One’s social media platforms. Syleena will react to clips, share anecdotes, and provide cocktail recipes for viewers to unwind to as they watch both UNSUNG and UNCENSORED. She’ll end each episode reminding viewers of their chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH4Sj_E02xg The Smollett sibling duo returns to CLEO TV’s hit series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ to continue to create revitalizing home makeovers and celebrate the renovation completion with tasty bites. Premiering Saturday, May 1, at 9 p.m. ET/8C, Season 2 will follow the vivacious Smollett siblings as they recreate family recipes while transforming homes into desirable living spaces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlkbs4nNTik Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a controversial bill into law that could embolden violence against protesters and would criminalize the right to protest nonviolently in certain instances. Democratic opponents and grassroots organizers argue the law was not only unnecessary but dangerous. For the first time in more than a year, when Pastor Miles McPherson looked out into the Rock Church auditorium during Sunday’s Point Loma service, the faces of his congregants were looking back. He was beaming. “It was so good to see our family back together,” he said of the weekend service. “It was like Thanksgiving or Christmas when you get to reunite with your family and reestablish your relationships.” Unlike some other large churches, The Rock hasn’t held indoor services since the state first announced restrictions for places of worship that aimed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Following the state’s decision to lift mandatory restrictions for churches last week, The Rock welcomed people inside. More than 5,000 attended indoor services across four campuses on Sunday. Pro-life activists have responded after Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson denounced the organization’s founder, Margaret Sanger, and accused the head of the organization of attempting to undertake a “fake reckoning” regarding Sanger’s ties to the eugenics movement. Johnson, who heads Plannned Parenthood, wrote a New York Times op-ed Saturday titled: “I’m the Head of Planned Parenthood. We’re Done Making Excuses for Our Founder.” Johnson, who took over as Planned Parenthood president in 2019, noted that questions about Margaret Sanger’s views on race have loomed large in recent years. She stressed that “We must reckon with Margaret Sanger’s association with white supremacist groups and eugenics.” A group of more than 20 progressive religious leaders has joined the Poor People’s Campaign in demanding a repeal of the U.S. Senate filibuster, claiming it subverts democracy by denying the will of the majority. “The filibuster is a centerpiece of the arcane, obstructionist rules of the United States Senate. It bars that body from the deliberative role it is supposed to have,” Poor People’s Campaign Co-Chair Rev. William J. Barber II, the pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, North Carolina, said during a press conference last Thursday. A nurse is facing a five-year prison sentence after she recorded several videos claiming she wanted to kill Vice President Kamala Harris. The videos by 39-year-old Niviane Petit Phelps were sent to her husband who is currently serving time in prison and revealed the anger she felt about the 2020 Presidential Election. A complaint filed by the Secret Service said that Phelps went to local gun ranges to practice and she applied for a concealed weapons permit in preparation to harm the Vice President. The content of her videos also revealed that she was bothered that Harris wasn’t “actually Black” due to her South Asian and Jamaican heritage. Phelps worked as a nurse at the Jackson Memorial Hospital and she was detained on Thursday by a Miami federal judge magistrate, which revealed her charges. Fostering a Christ-first, others-second team model, the Baylor University Bears won their first NCAA men’s basketball national title earlier this month, completing a championship turnaround over 17 years after scandal and murder rocked the program. But unlike many other Division I basketball teams, the Bears took steps to ensure Christ was at the center of their program, not selfish ambition. Moments after clinching the national title and being presented with the national championship trophy, Baylor Coach Scott Drew told CBS’ Jim Nantz that his team plays with a “culture of J.O.Y.,” which stands for “Jesus, Others and then Yourself.” An oxygen shortage has created a health emergency at the largest hospital in East Africa. Hundreds of patients in intensive care units at Kenyatta National Hospital are in dire need of oxygen as some individuals and private hospitals are said to be holding more than 20,000 cylinders, according to Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe. https://youtu.be/-8JHMEOgEgQ The judge presiding over the Derek Chauvin murder trial is upset at Maxine Waters. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill says the California Representative is stoking unrest in the case. He even claims she could be responsible for Chauvin appealing the verdict. https://youtu.be/sup-BYt8FG8 President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks after the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial renders a verdict, according to multiple administration officials. The White House is monitoring the trial’s developments and is preparing a statement for Biden, who has been gaming out with his team for the last two weeks how to react to various verdicts. Lil Nas X and his father have spoken out about a viral video showing the rapper’s mother on the streets begging for money. The disturbing clip prompted his fan to criticize the hip-hop star, accusing him of not taking care of his family. The backlash started when Neighborhood Talk posted the clip of Nas X’s mother on their Instagram account. Kanye West is said to be quite annoyed over the public perception that Kim Kardashian initiated their divorce. Page Six reports, a source close to the rapper says Ye is “super annoyed that the story is being constantly presented as her divorcing him,” noting the Kardashian family’s “huge spin machine.” According to the insider, “Actually it was him saying for a year that they have nothing in common except the kids and he wanted out,” the source said. “She pulled all the stops to try to save the marriage.” Amazon Prime Video announced today that the highly anticipated Amazon Original anthology series Solos, created by David Weil and starring Academy Award-winning actors Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway and Helen Mirren, Emmy Award-winning actor Uzo Aduba, Nicole Beharie, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens, and Constance Wu will premiere on May 21 exclusively on Prime Video. Janet Hubert, best known as Aunt Viv on “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” is joining the cast of “The Last O.G” starring Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish. Co-created and executive produced by Jordan Peele, “The Last O.G.” follows Morgan as a man who gets out of prison and returns to Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant, only to find it overrun with hipster gentrification. https://youtu.be/ScaKl31RDOM This coming Friday (04-23-21) the highly anticipated “Mortal Kombat” movie will be hitting not only HBO Max but theaters as well. It’s definitely one fans will enjoy. As it is a good mix of action, gore and diversity. https://youtu.be/fWLHEbscbdY One of the biggest casino projects ever on the Las Vegas Strip has set a date to open, after more than seven years of planning and building. Resorts World Las Vegas announced Monday that it will open to the public June 24 and began taking reservations for more than 3,500 rooms at its three Hilton-branded hotels. The first ground-up resort built on the Strip in more than a decade will open during a pandemic that has upended the Las Vegas economy with business restrictions intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has set a June 1 goal for 100% reopening of businesses shuttered in March 2020. The Houston Rockets say that guard Sterling Brown was assaulted by unknown individuals after the team arrived in Miami late Sunday night, suffering cuts to his face. Brown was not playing Monday against the Heat, though the team said that was because of a recent knee injury that has kept him out for a total of five games and not the altercation. “Last night, Sterling Brown was the victim of an assault,” the Rockets announced in a statement issued Monday evening. “He had no prior knowledge of or interaction with the assailants. He suffered facial lacerations but will make a full recovery.” The team did not divulge any other details. It was not immediately known if any incident reports were filed with police. Mario Andretti is loneliest at night, when he’s home alone in his sprawling Pennsylvania mansion, and there’s no one to talk to but Gonzo, his 34-year-old Amazon parrot. One of the greatest racers of all time is struggling, not unlike so many people around the world during this pandemic that has devastated families and claimed more than 3 million lives. His sister and his wife died months apart in 2018 and maybe those back-to-back losses, and the hardness toward death that is inherent to racers accustomed to losing fellow competitors, should have prepared Andretti for 2020. But the blows were just too deep. Just too cruel. Earl “DMX” Simmons kept it real whether he was testifying about his angels or his demons. While it’s common for grief, depression, anxiety, and faith to come up in popular music today, Simmons rose to fame at a time when hip-hop songs about flashy cars, jewelry, and expensive clothes ruled the charts. The rapper best known by his stage name DMX shot videos in his childhood neighborhood wearing workman’s jumpsuits and few gold chains. Simmons grew up in the projects of Yonkers, New York, the only son of a teenage mother. Raised a Jehovah’s Witness, his favorite childhood book was a Jehovah’s Witness children’s Bible. But Simmons wrote in his autobiography that he left the Witnesses when his mother declined an insurance settlement after he was hit by a car as a child, citing a religious belief against accepting charity. Simmons had a troubled childhood. His father abandoned the family. His mother was abusive and sent him to a children’s home. He was first arrested at age 10. But he found solace in the arms of his grandmother. Pastor Keion Henderson will speak alongside global thought leaders at the first virtual conference of the ILS experience this April 29 – May 1. His speech will air Friday, April 30 at 7 pm CDT. For ten years, Bishop T.D. Jakes has cultivated thousands of successful leaders, entrepreneurs and pastors to achieve positive outcomes in their spheres of influence through the ILS conference. “I am so honored to be speaking at the first International Leadership Summit (ILS) Virtual Experience. As we navigate this time of constant change, I’m joining Bishop T.D. Jakes to shift our focus to help answer the question, “Which Way is Up?,” said Pastor Keion. Community members and family members expressed grief and frustration Sunday after a 7-year-old girl was fatally shot while sitting inside a vehicle at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Chicago’s Homan Square neighborhood. Jaslyn Adams and her 29-year-old father Jontae Adams were inside a car at the drive-thru of the McDonalds when shots were fired, authorities said. Jaslyn sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to Stroger Hospital by Chicago police officers. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Her father was shot in the torso and hospitalized in serious condition. Alma Wahlberg, the matriarch of the Wahlberg family and a frequent character on the reality show Wahlburgers, has died. She was 78. Mark and Donnie Wahlberg posted the news to their Instagram pages on Sunday. “My angel. Rest in peace,” Mark wrote. Donnie wrote, “I’m so blessed to have been brought into this world by, raised by, taught by and set on my life’s path by, such an amazing woman.” He added, “My mom Alma’s joy for life, love and people — combined with a pride in her humble beginnings and refusal to forget where she came from — undoubtedly shaped me into the man that I am.” No cause of death was given. Actor Jenny McCarthy, who is married to Donnie, called Wahlberg “the worlds [sic] greatest mother-in-law” in a Twitter post. “You are loved by so many and will be missed dearly. Love you, Alma,” she added. Felix Silla, who starred as the hairy Cousin Itt on “The Addams Family” and a robot on “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” has died. He was 84. Silla’s representative, Bonnie Vent, said in an emailed statement Saturday that the actor died Friday after a battle with cancer. Vent said Silla was a humble and nice man who was full of stories. Former University of Houston linebacker Zamar Kirven has been charged with capital murder in a double-homicide in Mart, according to KWTX. Kirven, 21, was arrested and charged in the alleged shooting, which occurred early Sunday in Mart, located about 30 miles outside Waco. The victims were identified as 22-year-old Sabion Kubitza and 20-year-old Jacob Ybarra, according to KWTX. Kirven played at Mart High School and reportedly knew both victims. Even Trevor Lawrence thinks he’s likely going to be the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ choice at the top of the NFL draft. The former Clemson standout acknowledged that during a Sunday evening tweet in which he thanked Jaguars fans for purchasing a wedding gift and raising more than $11,000 for him to donate to a charity of his choice. Lawrence wrote that he and his wife, Marissa, will donate $20,000 to charities in Jacksonville and that they “hope to be a part of your community soon.” With final arguments expected on Monday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, and a verdict possible this week, the NBA is bracing for impact. ESPN is reporting that, per anonymous sources, the NBA has alerted teams to the possibility of multiple nights of game cancellations, among other potential reactions to a verdict. This wouldn’t be without precedent; just last week the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves postponed a game in response to the police shooting of unarmed Black man Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. In August 2020, the NBA and WNBA postponed a full slate of playoff games in response to the shooting of another Black man, Jacob Blake, by a Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer. In the midst of the pandemic, Howard University stepped up to provide relief for underserved communities and the HBCU will be able to further its efforts thanks to the help of a new grant. The Washington, D.C.-based school announced it has received a $1.59 million endowment to help with vaccination efforts in communities that have been hit hardest by the public health crisis. Social entrepreneur Marcus Bullock is on a mission to change the narrative surrounding mass incarceration and recidivism, and the Flikshop founder will be able to advance his efforts with the help of a major investment. The Boeing Company—the world’s largest aerospace corporation—has endowed Flikshop with a $250,000 grant. A Colorado Republican made a joke about lynching before defending a provision counting enslaved Africans as only three-fifths of a human being. In a debate about strengthening civic education in the Centennial State. Mistaken for another Republican, Rep. Mike Lynch, before taking the floor, State Rep. Ron Hanks joked that might be the right name for what he’s about to say. Being called Mr. Lynch might be a good thing for what I’m about to say … no, just kidding,” Hanks said. Hanks said the three-fifths compromise did not undermine the humanity of enslaved Africans. Hanks claimed he was just trying to respond to a statement made by a Democratic colleague. But his comments about the three-fifths clause being only about representation lack historical context. Claiming it had nothing to do with the humanity of people relegated to the status of legal property is also intellectually dishonest. The actor who played Jesus in the 2004 film Passion of the Christ has sparked outrage after promoting a QAnon conspiracy theory that suggests thousands of children are being murdered in order to have their adrenal glands harvested for the compound adrenochrome. Jim Caviezel appeared at a right-wing convention called Clay Clark’s Health and Freedom Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The conference looked to be for attendees to complain about COVID restrictions while claiming that it was part of overall government overreach in forcing people to obey by the restrictions. But the conference suddenly took a turn during a seminar on the issue of child trafficking when Caviezel, who was promoting his forthcoming film about the subject, Sound of Freedom. California Representative Maxine Waters joined protesters in Minnesota as demonstrations entered a seventh night on Saturday after the death of Daunte Wright. Waters told the protesters at Brooklyn Center that she will fight for justice on their behalf and urged them to ‘to get more confrontational.’ ‘I am not happy that we have talked about police reform for so long,’ Waters said. ‘We’re looking for a guilty verdict,’ she added in regards to the Derek Chauvin trial. ‘If we don’t, we cannot go away.’ ‘We gotta stay on the street,’ Waters was recorded saying, adding that protesters needed ‘to get more confrontational’ and they should ignore the curfew in place. A vigil was held Saturday night for Sade Payne, a young woman gunned down near a city bus stop more than a week ago. As investigators try to get to the bottom of it all, her family is calling for answers and asking why it all happened. They are also hoping with a call to action they can get justice. “She was not the 54th homicide. She was a sister, she was a daughter, she was an entrepreneur. She was a leader, she graduated at the top of her class. She was much more than a number,” said Ray Reggins, Sade Payne’s friend. Harlem rapper Black Rob, born Robert Ross and the Bad Boy artist best known for his 2000 hit “Whoa,” has died at the age of 51. The death was confirmed by former label mate Mark Curry, who posted an emotional video message on Instagram Saturday. “Rob passed away about an hour ago,” Curry said as he walked down the street with tears pouring down his face. “I don’t know where to begin, but I thank everybody for the donations.” He added, “We’ve lost a lot [of] legends and we can’t afford to lose anymore.” https://youtu.be/OLGdg4EL2nU Fans and loved ones of late rapper and actor DMX (born Earl Simmons) will be able to celebrate his life and legacy at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. His manager, Steve Rifkind, announced late Friday (April 16th), that a public memorial will be held in DMX’s honor at the arena on April 24th. The number of people who can attend has not been confirmed yet due to COVID-19 restrictions. Further details for the service, first reported by TMZ, are still being ironed out, Rifkind told the site. According to their report, the public service on that Saturday would be followed by a more intimate church service for just X’s family and inner-circle the next day, Sunday, April 25. JoJo Siwa, who rose to fame after being a contestant on the TV series “Dance Moms” and now has a billion-dollar brand, told kids at a recent LGBT awards show that they “can be in love with whoever you want to be in love with,” after coming out earlier this year. “I recently just came out as a part of the LGBTQ community. I have the best, most amazing, wonderful girlfriend in the entire world who makes me so so so happy and that is all that matters,” Siwa said last week while presenting an award to Elmo for Outstanding Children’s Programming during the 32nd annual GLAAD Media Awards. The 71st Annual ACE Eddie Awards presented by American Cinema Editors (ACE) today announced winners LIVE during a virtual awards ceremony recognizing outstanding editing in 14 categories of film, television and documentaries. In addition to the announcement of winners in competitive categories, Oscar® winner Spike Lee received the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. The Twins’ games against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night and Sunday have been postponed due to Minnesota’s COVID-19 problems, including at least four positive tests in the past week. Kyle Garlick, another unnamed Twins player and a team staff member tested positive in the two days before the postponements, manager Rocco Baldelli said Saturday. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons already hadn’t made the trip to Anaheim after testing positive early in the week, and he hadn’t been around the team since Tuesday. Dwyane Wade may be a retired superstar NBA player, but he’s back in the game, so to speak, because he’s now a minority owner of the Utah Jazz. Wade, also a Hall of Famer, joins majority owner and team governor Ryan Smith, the billionaire tech giant and founder of Qualtrics. With this move, Wade becomes the latest ex-NBAer to also have ownership stakes. Others include Grant Hill (Atlanta Hawks) and Shaquille O’Neal (Sacramento Kings). Magic Johnson previously had a 4% stake in the Los Angeles Lakers. And of course, Michael Jordan is the controlling owner of the Charlotte Hornets. “As a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor, I bring a lot to this partnership outside of my basketball experience,” Wade said in a news release. “I’m excited to help take the Utah Jazz to the next level.” In 1964, less than two decades removed from World War II, Japan used the Summer Olympics to showcase its astonishing recovery from a horrific defeat. It was an undeniable triumph for the host nation. This time, the Tokyo Games will be a multibillion-dollar test of survival in the midst of a lingering pandemic. Despite the mixed messages coming from top officials, not to mention the steadfast opposition of the vast majority of Japanese citizens, these Olympics will take place this summer. There’s too much money at stake for there to be any other outcome. But it’s clear this will be an Olympics in name only, stripped of the joy and charm and lofty ideals that make it a tradition unlike any other (sorry, Masters), leaving only the stench of well-deserved cynicism. The political situation in Georgia is about to get even more interesting as a former Democratic state legislator – who switched parties after he endorsed Donald Trump – launched a challenge against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. This insurgent move by Vernon Jones will set the stage for a race that will test the former president’s influence in Georgia. https://youtu.be/Dn_pNtNQrg8 Add Breona Taylor‘s mother’s name to the growing list of people who are family members of police victims who are slamming Black Lives Matter. In Tamika Palmer‘s case, she’s characterizing the Louisville chapter of BLM as a FRAUD in a since-deleted post. “’I have never personally dealt with BLM Louisville and personally have found them to be fraud, (state Rep.) Attica Scott another fraud,” Tamika Palmer wrote on Facebook. Somebody apparently didn’t think the post was a good idea and it was taken down from Facebook early Saturday, though it’s unclear why or by whom. It’s no coincidence that Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, is going in on BLM just days after The NY Post reported BLM co-founder and avowed Marxist Patrisse Khan-Cullors had snapped up at least $3.2 million in real estate. From spreading awareness about racial injustice to advocating for gender equality, WNBA players have continually used their platforms to drive social change and the league’s latest effort is centered on the empowerment of Black women and girls. The WNBA recently unveiled an initiative designed to address racial health disparities that stem from systemic inequities. NFL legend and Oakland-native Marshawn Lynch today announced that he “sat down” with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the Biden Administration and the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for a one-on-one to learn about the COVID-19 vaccine; talk about hesitancy in Black and Brown communities across the country; and discuss how the historical treatment of The Community has created a crisis of health disparities. As with all things Lynch, no punches were pulled during the +30-minute virtual discussion, and Fauci made Brooklyn proud by continuing to help educate every-day Americans with facts about the virus and vaccine, while addressing history and providing hope for a path forward. https://youtu.be/ODHkJ1hI2Js Prince Philip’s Funeral https://youtu.be/mCY4b6GGkb4 The global death toll from the coronavirus topped a staggering 3 million people Saturday amid repeated setbacks in the worldwide vaccination campaign and a deepening crisis in places such as Brazil, India and France. The number of lives lost, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the population of Kyiv, Ukraine; Caracas, Venezuela; or metropolitan Lisbon, Portugal. It is bigger than Chicago (2.7 million) and equivalent to Philadelphia and Dallas combined. And the true number is believed to be significantly higher because of possible government concealment and the many cases overlooked in the early stages of the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019. In early April, Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae visited a South Carolina prison, performed six songs and testified about his faith. Fifteen months ago, the event would have been almost unremarkable, but since then, COVID-19 restrictions have prevented Lecrae from “hanging out” with prisoners, as he had previously done with less social distance after a performance hosted by Prison Fellowship. “We sometimes do it outside the security fence line and maintain that separation with the men or women on the inside,” said Prison Fellowship President James Ackerman, describing a “Hope Event” the ministry held at a correctional facility in Alabama in September. Lecrae’s visit this month was a sign that some prisons have begun permitting more in-person religious activities. For the past four weeks, a group of up to 40 protesters has gathered outside the Collin County Jail nearly every night around 9 p.m. They hang signs, draw on the sidewalk with chalk and decorate the chain link fence, celebrating the life of Marvin Scott III, who died while in the custody of jail staff in March. Consistently, their memorials have been taken down by county staff. But that doesn’t deter his sister, LaChay Batts, from returning every day with other community members outside the jail in McKinney. “We just do it again,” Batts, 28, told the Tribune Sunday, her voice hoarse from chanting all day. “They want us to stop, to go away. We’re gonna remain until the officers are arrested.” The Tamir Rice case is back in the news because attorney’s for the family have requested the Justice Dept. to re-open the investigation to the Cleveland police shooting that killed the youngster in 2014. On Friday (04-16-21) an eight-page letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to allow prosecutors to convene a grand jury. The letter says that the Justice Department under then-President Obama opened an investigation into the matter. But years later, then-President Trump’s political appointees stifled it. https://youtu.be/7rfVjh5RtVY Sharon Osbourne has spoken out for the first time since her exit from CBS’ “The Talk.” The now-former daytime talk show host departed from the show after 11 seasons last month. She made her return to the small screen, but in the form of an interview with Bill Maher for his HBO show “Real Time With Bill Maher.” https://youtu.be/inq8obFEi08 Production on the sequel to “#BlackPanther” will remain in Georgia, according to direcor #RyanCoogler. He wrote a letter explaining the decision. Recent backlash over the passage of voting law SB 202 in March has led to Hollywood questioning its relationship in the state, while also leveraging its powers to bring attention to what’s at stake for voters. “The fight for full enfranchisement is fundamental to the African-American struggle in this country and to this country’s claim to functioning democracy. As an African-American, and as a citizen, I oppose all attempts, explicit and otherwise, to shrink the electorate and reduce access to the ballot. I say this as I return to Georgia, a state that holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Atlanta for eight months while filming my last movie. I have long looked forward to returning. But, when I was informed of the passage of SB202 in the state, and its ramifications for the state’s voters, I was profoundly disappointed. Meet Thaddeus Massey and Randy Morgan of Los Négros Organic Tequila; two game changers on a mission to bring underrepresented groups to the Tequila business table with a voice! Los Négros (pronounced “neh-GROS”) Organic Tequila is the brain child of Aficionado Thaddeus Massey. Before becoming the Founder and CEO of Los Négros Spirits, Inc Thaddeus was a working man in the world of business. After a brief stint as a professional athlete, Thaddeus got his first break in the work force in the entertainment industry consulting talent in front of and behind the camera. Forensic experts have something different to say about Tiger Woods accident then what Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department official reported about the main cause of Tiger Woods’ car crash. Woods was driving 84-87 mph in a 45-mph zone when he crashed his SUV in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., on Feb. 23. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods failed to maintain the curvature of the road. He likely accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal before the crash, according to LASD Lomita Station Captain James Powers. “Their conclusions are misguided, and the investigation obviously wasn’t thorough,” said former police detective Jonathan Cherney, who now works as a car crash reconstruction expert. Cherney suspects that due to Woods’ celebrity status, responding officers were not “as critical of this case as they would have been if Tiger had slammed into an opposing vehicle coming the other direction with multiple passengers.” USA Today reports, the sheriff’s collision report on the crash appears to contradict the cause Villanueva gave for the crash – “inability to negotiate the curve.” The report notes that Woods did not “make any attempt to steer away from the center median.” https://youtu.be/QFtUVQ_Q0UM Mrs. Robert De Niro, otherwise known as Grace Hightower, has got the famed actor in a jam. More specifically, Mr. De Niro is said to be struggling to keep up with his estranged wife’s extravagant lifestyle. on Friday, April 16, during a virtual divorce hearing between the two, a lawyer for the actor claimed Hightower’s lavish spending habits and demands that are “rich with indulgence” will work the actor to death. “Mr. De Niro is 77 years old, and while he loves his craft, he should not be forced to work at this prodigious pace because he has to,” De Niro’s lawyer Caroline Krauss told a Manhattan judge during the hearing. “He could get sick tomorrow, and the party’s over.” De Niro and Hightower, who separated in 2018 after 20 years of marriage, have been involved in a contentious divorce battle over the terms of the split, particularly over alimony payments. https://youtu.be/Hm3rPic8BYY The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) is set to premiere live on Sunday April 18, 2021 at 8 P.M. ET. New Female Artist of the Year nominee Mickey Guyton will host the awards alongside 15 time ACM Award winner, Keith Urban. This is Guyton’s first time hosting the awards but she’s looking forward to the experience, “I just want people to see who I am and see my personality. So much of the last year has been me dodging and fighting racism, but there’s so much more to me that people need to see and they don’t get to.” Another awesome action-thriller is coming your way as Ruby Rose (“Batwoman”) shares the screen with Hollywood royalty, Morgan Freeman, in their new crime thriller film “Vanquish,” where Rose plays a mother named Victoria who is forced by retired cop Damon, played by Freeman, to carry out his orders as he holds her daughter hostage, despite trying to put her dark past as a Russian drug courier behind her. https://youtu.be/fUElfp3DJ5Y The ex-girlfriend of a former NFL player who claims he physically abused her during their relationship opened up about her allegations of brutal domestic violence in an interview on the “Tamron Hall” show on Friday. Former Seattle Seahawks player Chad Wheeler, who is white, was arrested in January for felony domestic violence stemming from an instance where he beat and strangled Alleah Taylor, a Black woman, until she was unconscious. https://youtu.be/Uh4WdpPjrtY Patrisse Cullors has been busy making the media rounds amid financial criticism of the Black Lives Matter Global Network that she co-founded. On Thursday night, Cullors appeared on the Black News Channel (BNC) for an interview with Marc Lamont Hill to set her record straight by addressing the controversy around her organization, her career, the right-wing media that she says is targeting her, and much more. https://twitter.com/i/status/1382852747326816264 The gunman in the nation’s latest deadly mass shooting has been identified, but officials said the motive remained unclear even as four of the eight victims have been identified as members of the Sikh community. Brandon Scott Hole, a white 19-year-old, was named as the shooter who opened fire at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis on Thursday evening. He is a former employee at that location where reports say was “overwhelmingly” Sikh, which is defined as “the world’s fifth most popular religion” and “a monotheistic faith that believes in equality and service to others.” A suspected white supremacist has been arrested and charged with hate crimes for allegedly trying to run over two Black children with a pickup truck in Massachusetts last weekend. Despite the serious and violent charges that specifically cite the race of the children allegedly targeted by Shane Belleville, the 36-year-old was released from prison after posting a bond of just $750 in the town of Holbrook, which is about 18 miles south of Boston. One of the police officers who fired his gun during Breonna Taylor‘s killing may need to find a new way to capitalize on her death after a major publishing house dealt a huge blow to the disgraced cop’s plans to write a book about the deadly episode in Lousiville last year. Simon & Schuster said it wants nothing to do with Jonathan Mattingly‘s upcoming book, “The Fight For Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy.” While the book is still expected to be published by a Tennessee-based publisher, Simon & Schuster will not distribute it, the company announced Thursday night, about 12 hours after the news broke reporting Mattingly’s planned book. Evvie McKinney's video "Do IT Again" is in The Gospel Spotlight.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQLQpJ6K_LM Kelly Price's video "I Wanna Dance" is in the Gospel Spotlight.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJkvQO6jBfY Checkout Merry Clayton's video "Beautiful Scars" in The gospel Spotlight....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDUjcRhKbtE Checkout Anna Golden's video "Doubt" in the Gospel Spotlight....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ee_keQnMOA Checkout All Nations Music's "WWIB (Where Would I Be) [Live Performance]" video in The Gospel Spotlight....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfar0veDpRY RICHARD SMALLWOOD - TOTAL PRAISE 25TH ANNIVERSARY Richard Smallwood formed the ensemble Vision in 1995 and released their debut album April 15, 1996 on Verity Records. “Adoration: Live in Atlanta” included a special live rendition of the now classic “Total Praise.” Congratulations on 25 years! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy0zEPmswXI BIG, BOLD, & BEAUTIFUL X THE BREAKFAST CLUB Our girl Kierra said, “The village is not just for the child but it’s for the adult too.” Catch the full episode from her appearance on the Breakfast Club where she talks about grace, finding your tribe, body positivity, and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoAiy9NM-KM NBA icon Michael Jordan will represent Kobe Bryant at his Hall of Fame introduction at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May. Bryant is a member of the 2020 class but the ceremony was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After Bryant’s passing in a helicopter crash with his daughter Giana in January of 2020, Jordan shared an emotional speech at the funeral. “Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother,” Jordan said through tears that day. “Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe. “When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died… I promise you, from this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could.” In case you missed it, watch Jordan’s tribute to Kobe below. https://youtu.be/v_2m6Nf5uhY It’s a season finale packed with wisdom and laughter. Who better to join Kirk Franklin than the legendary comedian and author Steve Harvey! Steve shares advice on how to be uniquely yourself and not limit your dreams. Learn how Steve was shaped by his upbringing in Cleveland and transitioned from “Black famous” to “everybody famous.” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-harvey/id1550112679?i=1000516916057 GREAT THINGS is the second single from Jason Hendrickson's EP "The Singles Volume 1" expected to be released in the 1st quarter of 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyJEuRb_LyM British actor Helen McCrory, who starred in the television show “Peaky Blinders” and the “Harry Potter” movies, has died, her husband said Friday. She was 52 and had been suffering from cancer. Her husband, fellow actor Damian Lewis, said McCrory died “peacefully at home” after a “heroic battle with cancer.” “She died as she lived. Fearlessly,” Lewis wrote on Twitter. “God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.” Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings television show is going to cost all the gold in the Lonely Mountain. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Amazon will spend roughly NZ$650 million – $465 million in U.S. dollars – for just the first season of the show. That’s far above previous reported estimates that pegged the fantasy drama as costing an already record-breaking $500 million for multiple seasons of the show. The Internet is now calling him “Woke Pat Robinson.” The right wing, borderline Q’Anon-like televangelist blindsided folks on Thursday with a blistering rebuke of racist policing, Derek Chauvin and the notion that any cop could mistake a gun for a taser. The “700 Club” host kept it shockingly “100” when it comes to police violence against Black Americans. While making it clear he’s still “pro-police,” Robertson said on his show Thursday that police officers have “got to stop this stuff” while reacting to the killings of Daunte Wright and George Floyd, as well as the pepper-spraying of Army Lieutenant Caron Nazario. https://youtu.be/hyV1C4zXpic Sean Hannity is catching heat for describing Adam Toledo, the 13-year-old killed shot and killed by Chicago police on March 29, as a “13-year-old man.” Just ahead of the release of police bodycam footage of the deadly encounter, Hannity said on his radio show: “We are awaiting the release this hour of Chicago Police bodycam footage that captured the fatal police shooting of a young 13-year-old man by the name of Adam Toledo. And if social media is any indication, there’s a lot of chatter today about possible unrest. I hope it doesn’t happen but with Chicago’s track record, every weekend — you know, I guess, you’d have to go with the odds, considering there are dozens and dozens of shootings and killings every weekend in Chicago — that this might not be particularly good.” Trevor Noah went viral this week with a “Daily Show” segment in which he questioned the “bad apples” argument in policing, particularly in the wake of Daunte Wright’s fatal shooting and the police harassment of Caron Nazario, both stemming from a simple traffic stop. https://youtu.be/FhhBocZnkoQ Liberty University, one of the nation’s largest Christian universities, is suing former president Jerry Falwell Jr. for $10 million, citing a breach of contract and a conspiracy to mislead the university’s board. Falwell, son of Liberty Founder, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr., resigned as Liberty’s president in August 2020, after years of controversy due to his support of Donald Trump and allegations of misconduct. A complaint in the lawsuit, filed in a Lynchburg, Virginia circuit court, claims Falwell “fashioned a deceitful scheme to manipulate the Executive Committee of Liberty” while negotiating his last contract. The number of new COVID-19 cases per week has nearly doubled globally over the past two months, approaching the highest rate seen so far during the pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “Cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing focused on Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the western Pacific region. He said he was very worried about the potential for a much larger epidemic in PNG, and it was vital the country received more COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible. A black grandfather was punched and kicked by white police officers after suffering an epileptic seizure while walking his autistic grandson to school, his family says. A female bystander captured footage of the Thursday morning incident in Minden, Louisiana, which saw five cops – four of them white, one black – gather around Robby Bailey, 53. Bailey was already on the ground by the time the woman and another bystander began filming, with one of the white cops seen kicking him, and another filmed punching him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1382822300521623554 The man who had been expected to succeed Usain Bolt as Olympic champion will miss the Tokyo Games after failing Friday in an appeal to overturn his ban for missed doping tests. The Court of Arbitration for Sport cut 100-meter world champion Christian Coleman’s ban from two years to 18 months, but it still won’t expire until November, three months after the Olympics. Coleman’s 9.76-second run to win the 2019 world title was the fastest in the world in the past five years and 0.05 quicker than Bolt when he won a third straight Olympic gold in 2016. Bolt still holds the world record in the event, having run 9.58 at the 2009 worlds in Berlin. When the Tulsa Drillers open their 2021 season, fans will be treated to a dazzling new sight: a massive, vividly-rendered mural of Jackie Robinson beyond the outfield wall. The Drillers are a Dodgers affiliate, which makes Robinson a natural fit for such an honor. But the significance of this large-scale work of public art goes well beyond baseball. The Drillers’ home of ONEOK Field is located in North Tulsa’s Greenwood District. This historic neighborhood rose to prominence in the early 20th century as America’s “Black Wall Street.” On May 31 and into June 1, 1921, this thriving neighborhood was decimated by what is now referred to as the Tulsa Race Massacre. The ladies of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” are set to spill all when the three-part Season 13 reunion kicks off on Sunday, April 25 at 8/7c. https://youtu.be/CA_SH8kmM-k Megan Thee Stallion has dropped her latest booty-shaking music video for the track “Movie,” featuring Lil Durk. https://youtu.be/KnEEw3BdwWQ Body camera video footage released Thursday shows a Chicago police officer fatally shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo as he raised his hands into the air. The teenager appears to toss a gun before turning to face the cop moments before the shooting. Speaking at a news conference ahead of the video’s release, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot described the footage as “excruciating.” https://youtu.be/8Zv2AvLi7KY Eight people were shot and killed in a late-night shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, and the shooter killed himself, police said. Several other people were injured Thursday night when gunfire erupted at the facility near the Indianapolis International Airport. At least four were hospitalized, including one person with critical injuries. Another two people were treated and released at the scene, she said. A witness said he was working inside the building when he heard gunshots. “I see a man come out with a rifle in his hand and he starts firing and he starts yellin’ stuff that I could not understand,” Levi Miller said. “What I ended up doing was ducking down to make sure he did not see me because I thought he would see me and he would shoot me.” Actor, director, and children’s television host, LeVar Burton was a guest on SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Karen Hunter Show” and discussed his dreams to host the game show “Jeopardy!” and spoke about the police killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, and a personal encounter with law enforcement. https://youtu.be/gjA6wWb1vD4 Sharon Osbourne will appear on Bill Maher’s HBO show Friday night in her first interview since her tumultuous exit from “The Talk.” HBO confirmed her appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher” Wednesday in a press release. “This week features a one-on-one, in-studio interview with television personality and former host on CBS’ ‘The Talk,’ Sharon Osbourne,” the release said of the episode’s lineup. BBC diversity executive Miranda Wayland is facing criticism for saying Idris Elba’s popular crime series “Luther” is not “authentic” because the character doesn’t have any Black friends. Entertainment Tonight reports, speaking at the digital MIPTV conference Wayland explained, “When [‘Luther’] first came out everybody loved the fact that Idris Elba was in there — a really strong, Black character lead. We all fell in love with him. Who didn’t, right? But after you got into about the second series you got kind of like, ‘OK, he doesn’t have any Black friends, he doesn’t eat any Caribbean food, this doesn’t feel authentic.” Many Ugandans have reacted angrily to plans by their government to offer Senegalese-American musician/actor Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam — better known as Akon — a square mile of land to build the second Akon city in Africa. Earlier this month, the Uganda‘s government unveiled a plan to allocate that land to the American-Senegalese musician, then on a state visit to the country, to construct a futuristic city dubbed Akon City. It would be powered by a cryptocurrency called the Akoin and be completed by 2036. Helen Mirren was so cool and looked so great on the SAG Awards Sunday night. Now news comes that she’s lined up a terrific role: playing legendary Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in a new feature. Israeli director Guy Nattiv, who won an Oscar for his short film, “Skin,” produced by Trudie Style and Celine Rattray will direct. “Skin” was turned into an excellent feature starring Jamie Bell. Mirren won her Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen,” directed by Stephen Frears in 2007. She has three other Oscar nominations. She won the Tony Award for playing the same Queen in 2015 in “The Audience.” She has four Emmy Awards and three SAG Awards, some Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Lee Daniels has revealed the new family in his reboot of “The Wonder Years,” which is executive produced by Daniels and original series star Fred Savage. Daniels has teamed with ABC to revisit “The Wonder Years,” and this time with an all-Black cast. He will exec produce the comedy with original series co-creator Neal Marlens. https://youtu.be/HVLLnMamEGc After a public break with Facebook and Twitter, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell is getting close to the launch of a new conservative-focused social network, giving more detail on the project in a video posted online this week. Called simply “Frank,” the social network plans to open its doors to a limited set of users on April 16th. Despite opposition among some conservatives to the idea of reparations for slavery, the Rev. John A. Kilpatrick, a self-styled Assemblies of God prophet in Alabama who predicted the end of Trump’s presidency in 2018, also predicted that God is going to “reimburse” black Americans for their trouble and labor. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=266010418300283 A Maine man accused of setting fire to a Massachusetts church with a predominantly Black congregation been charged with hate crime offenses, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Dushko Vulchev is charged in federal court with four counts of damage to religious property involving fire and one count of use of fire to commit a federal felony stemming from the Dec. 28, 2020 blaze at the Martin Luther King Jr. Presbyterian Church in Springfield. Investigators found messages on his electronic devices revealing Vulchev’s hatred of Black people, prosecutors said. The 44-year-old Houlton, Maine man had already been charged in state court for a series of earlier smaller fires at the church. Policing in America as it relates to race and racial bias is yet again at the center of the nation’s consciousness following the recent fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Minnesota, just a few miles away from the ongoing murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer involved in the death of George Floyd. In an exclusive interview with theGrio on Wednesday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called for “full accountability” in the Chauvin case and weighed in on a growing debate in the shooting of Wright, who was fatally shot by former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter, who fired her gun after reportedly mistaking her firearm for a Taser. Tuesday, Congresswoman Maxine Waters posted a picture on social media of herself holding up two pictures: one of a Glock 17 typically carried by officers and a Taser. “How could a trained officer make a mistake shooting an unarmed man with a gun instead of a Taser? Hard to believe,” Waters wrote. On April 15 in 1947, Jackie Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut, and in doing so integrated baseball for good. Robinson faced opposition, turmoil, and hatred during his career in the majors, but persevered through it all, winning Rookie of the Year in his first season, MVP in his third and a World Series in his ninth. Despite starting his MLB career far later than most, Robinson would prove himself to be one of the greatest players in baseball history and would be elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Every April 15, MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day by having every player in the league wear his universally-retired No. 42. MLB players, coaches and teams chose to pay tribute to Robinson in other ways as well. Her voice was as bold and thunderous as her civil rights support quiet and discreet. Jesse Jackson wrote of Aretha Franklin in USA TODAY after her death in 2018: “When Dr. King was alive, several times she helped us make payroll. On one occasion, we took an 11-city tour with her as Aretha Franklin and Harry Belafonte … and they put gas in the vans. She did 11 concerts for free and hosted us at her home and did a fundraiser for my campaign. Aretha has always been a very socially conscious artist, an inspiration, not just an entertainer.” Aretha’s presence with King throughout the movement is well documented. He presented her with a special award on behalf of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference just two months before he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. On April 15, 1968, Aretha Franklin went into the Atlantic Records studios in New York and recorded “Think.” https://youtu.be/werrstnZuyM A North Carolina teacher was killed in what authorities have described as an “old Western shootout” with members of a Mexican drug cartel. Barney Dale Harris taught Spanish and was head coach of the varsity basketball and track teams at Union Academy Charter School in Monroe, North Carolina, 27 miles outside of Charlotte. Harris was found dead in what authorities have described as a trailer being used as a drug “stash house.” Harris and his brother-in-law, Steven Alexander Stewart, reportedly went to a mobile home park to steal money and drugs from the stash house and at one point were met with gunshots. The man was found wearing a face covering, gloves and a bulletproof vest. Just over a kilo of cocaine, five guns and $7,000 in cash were also inside. A student from Lansdowne, Delaware County, located just outside of Philadelphia, has been accepted into 18 colleges and awarded nearly $2 million in college scholarships. Laila Johnson was accepted into every single school for which she applied, winning $1.8 million in pledged funds for her studies. She said she decided to target so many schools to broaden her options and explore majors. Graduating from Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Johnson plans to major in psychology. She had a 4.0-grade point average for all four years of high school and also participated in several extracurricular activities. An Atlanta couple has gone viral for their unique proposal story. William Hunn proposed to Brittney Miller over Easter weekend with five different engagement rings featuring varying cut stones and band designs after a romantic helicopter ride. The gesture caught the attention of Gayle King, who featured the story on CBS This Morning. “He gave his fiancé not one, not two, not three, not four, but five choices of engagement rings … and allowed her to choose,” King recalled. Hunn also had a diamond tester on hand to prove that all five rings were real. https://www.instagram.com/j.nelsonvisuals/?utm_source=ig_embed Free-agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney has signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns, it was announced Wednesday. The deal is worth up to $10 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Clowney will have an opportunity to thrive playing opposite fellow former No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett. Stephen Curry became the all-time points leader in Golden State Warriors history on Monday night, passing Wilt Chamberlain‘s previous record of 17,783. It’s a feat that even Curry himself had a hard time wrapping his head around because of Chamberlain’s historical significance to the game. “It’s crazy,” Curry said after scoring 53 points in Monday’s 116-107 win over the Denver Nuggets. “Anytime you hear his name, it’s kind of daunting because you know his records are so hard to — some of them are even impossible to eclipse, I think. You understand how great of a player he was. The Dallas Wings didn’t have to look far to find a new player to build around. With the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s WNBA draft, the Wings selected Texas star Charli Collier, a 6-foot-5 forward/center who helped put women’s basketball back on the map in Austin. Collier, who averaged 19 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 51.1% from the field for the Longhorns in the 2020-21 season, was a WBCA All-America honorable mention, who helped lead No. 6 seed Texas to the Elite Eight of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. The head of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday was again forced to assure the world that the postponed games will open in just over three months and not be canceled despite surging COVID-19 cases in Japan. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto was asked at a news conference if there were any conditions under which the Olympics would be canceled. The question comes as the general secretary of ruling LDP political party, Toshihiro Nikai, raised the possibility the day before. Twenty-two women who had filed lawsuits alleging inappropriate behavior and sexual assault by Deshaun Watson have amended their petitions to disclose their names, including a new lawsuit against the Houston Texans quarterback filed Wednesday afternoon at the Harris County District Clerk’s office. The latest lawsuit was filed by a freelance makeup artist who says Watson reached out to her via Instagram direct message on Sept. 2, 2020, asking if she offered massages. The lawsuit details two separate incidents that occurred during massage sessions in September and November, during which Watson allegedly assaulted and harassed the woman “by exposing himself, touching her with his penis and groping her.” As a singer his vocals are assuasive and as a songwriter his songs are timeless. Antonio has penned another timeless hit "Movin' On." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRyi64EsMX8 Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, April 18 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFfi_YVUE_E&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, April 19 at 9 P.M./8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSzmzwQu6y0&feature=youtu.be DON'T MISS WORLD RENOWNED CHEF SUNNY ANDERSON AS SHE WHIPS UP CLASSIC SOUTHERN CUISINE ON COOKING FOR REAL WITH SUNNY ANDERSON AIRING MONDAYS AT 9 P.M. ET/8C The reality of America: As we watch how Kim Potter’s case unfolds following the shooting of 20-year Daunte Wright, here we have a stark contrast to how he was treated on Sunday when the now-former cop fatally shot him during a traffic stop over “expired tags.” This clip obtained by TMZ shows another police-involved situation. Police in Hutchinson, Minnesota were called to a home improvement store because a white man identified as Luke Alvin Oeltjenbruns refused to wear a mask. According to the news site, he allegedly struck an employee with a piece of lumber before fleeing as cops chased him down in a mall parking lot! One officer was even seen hanging to the driver’s side door. The suspect then rammed 2 police cars before driving off, with the cop still holding on to his truck!!! Hutchinson PD says Oeltjenbruns dragged the officer around and even hit him in the head with a hammer. He eventually came to a stop. Despite a major struggle and injuring that officer, Oeltjenbruns made it out alive and was later arrested for first-degree assault with great bodily harm, TMZ reports. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vFgm5z748A In an exclusive joint statement to TODAY, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez reveal they have called off their engagement and are going their separate ways. https://youtu.be/he7wp1qpBaY The U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, will not face criminal charges. NBC News reports that in a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., authorities determined there was “no evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully” violated civil Babbitt’s civil rights by fatally shooting her during the domestic terror attack. The unidentified officer was placed on administrative leave after the shooting. https://youtu.be/D9gNn9SuZuc Based on his sudden guilty facial expression, the general manager of a Jeep dealership in Waco, Texas knew he messed up immediately after he uttered a comment during a live TV interview.Ted Teague, GM of Allen Samuels dealership, was being interviewed about their customized Jeep Wrangler driven in Baylor’s championship parade Tuesday night through downtown Waco. The vehicle, wrapped with the school’s national championship logo, was going to be presented to Baylor for men’s basketball coach Scott Drew to use for the next year. Describing the vehicle’s attributes to KWTX-TV, Teague said that Drew could, “use it to recruit, pull some people out of the hood.”Teague then made a guilty smirk, apparently realizing that he said that out loud and perhaps should not have. https://youtu.be/8MUrkzD1Rco Liberty University spokesperson Scott Lamb on Wednesday confirmed to POLITICO that Trey Falwell was “no longer employed by the university.” That development, Lamb said, occurred “this week,” but he declined to provide any additional details about what happened. Lamb also declined to answer questions about whether Jerry Falwell Jr.’s other son, Wesley, or his daughters-in-law were currently employed by the university. Liberty “does not answer questions about personnel,” he said. The move is a strong signal that the powerhouse evangelical university is seeking aggressively to distance itself from its former president — even as he hints at a possible comeback. Falwell, the eldest son of Liberty’s founder, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. — has been advertising his visits to the university on social media. Rapper Cardi B has called out “blue check Republicans” over their silence on the police killing of Daunte Wright and pepper spraying of Army lieutenant Caron Nazario. "Ya been real [quiet]. Twitter Blue check Republicans are a [f—ing] joke. I don’t ever want to see yaa ranting on celebrities, athletes until yall address what’s REALLY WRONG IN AMERICA!” the “WAP” rapper tweeted Tuesday. https://twitter.com/i/status/1382197630353117184 The reality of America: As we watch how Kim Potter’s case unfolds following the shooting of 20-year Daunte Wright, here we have a stark contrast to how he was treated on Sunday when the now-former cop fatally shot him during a traffic stop over “expired tags.” This clip obtained by TMZ shows another police-involved situation. Police in Hutchinson, Minnesota were called to a home improvement store because a white man identified as Luke Alvin Oeltjenbruns refused to wear a mask. According to the news site, he allegedly struck an employee with a piece of lumber before fleeing as cops chased him down in a mall parking lot! One officer was even seen hanging to the driver’s side door. The suspect then rammed 2 police cars before driving off, with the cop still holding on to his truck!!! Hutchinson PD says Oeltjenbruns dragged the officer around and even hit him in the head with a hammer. He eventually came to a stop. Despite a major struggle and injuring that officer, Oeltjenbruns made it out alive and was later arrested for first-degree assault with great bodily harm, TMZ reports. A 74-year-old Oklahoma woman is suing the police over an encounter that allegedly left her with a broken arm. Ruby Jones, who is Black, accuses the officers of using excessive force while serving an arrest warrant for her son last year. Per CBS, Jones’ attorneys announced Tuesday that they filed an amended lawsuit against Oklahoma City and officers Dan Bradley, Ryan Staggs and James Ray — calling for their termination. https://youtu.be/-oynehRCykQ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has responded to being called a “dumb son of a b***h” by former President Donald Trump. Trump ripped into McConnell before a Republican National Committee donor retreat Saturday evening for failing to defend him during the February impeachment trial. He compared the congressman to his Democratic counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), politico reports. https://youtu.be/M6_X6ncLlw4 Amazon Prime Video has revealed the official trailer for the highly anticipated Amazon Original limited series “The Underground Railroad,” from Academy Award-winner Barry Jenkins. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, the 10-episode series will premiere May 14 exclusively on Prime Video. https://youtu.be/_Pq5Usc_JDA Adepero Oduye stars alongside Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes) in the Disney+/Marvel series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Oduye portrays Sarah Wilson, Sam’s sister, a struggling single mother trying to keep her family’s fishing company afloat in a post-Blip recession. https://youtu.be/iQSHrgjayz8 Shonda Rhimes says she’s “shocked” by the dramatic response over Regé-Jean Page’s “Bridgerton” exit. n a new interview with Vanity Fair, Rhimes addressed the reaction to the actor’s recent departure from the show. “Usually that happens when I’ve killed off somebody that’s been around for a while,” she said of the fans reaction, adding, “we didn’t kill him, he’s still alive!” Netflix and Rhimes’ Shondaland announced Page’s exit from the hit Netflix series earlier this month, with the show’s character Lady Whistledown sharing an update. Rapper Mystikal was convicted almost two decades ago of sexual battery and recently cleared of an allegation of rape and kidnapping in a separate case. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, the 50-year-old artist says he has evolved from the “nasty lil’ rapper” he used to be and his past legal drama prompted him to change his sexually-charged lyrics. https://youtu.be/YyHmXa2HICk It's Thursday’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Waka & Tammy: What The Flock,” which finds Tammy reflecting on how her past relationships affected her and her marriage. https://youtu.be/ghpvx9Keh2k Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge announced Thursday that he’s retiring from the NBA after experiencing a health scare during his last game. In a statement posted to Twitter, Aldridge said he was struggling with an irregular heartbeat during his last game, which “really worried” him. “Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I’ve experienced. With that being said, I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA,” the statement reads. “For 15 years, I’ve put basketball first, and now it is time to put my health and family first.” Although he is one of the newest members of the Nets, the basketball star has made a big impact on the team, starting in all of the games in which he’s played. Since 2006, Aldridge has appeared in over 1,000 NBA games across different teams, and has made a name for himself as a seven-time NBA All-Star. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been named as a senior advisor at the Standing for Freedom Center where his foreign policy experience will be used to help advance religious freedom, Liberty University announced Thursday. Pompeo told The Christian Post in an interview on Tuesday that as a senior advisor he will further advance the religious freedom rights he promoted worldwide as secretary of state under the Trump administration and preserve the values he’s held throughout his life. Grammy-nominated recording artist and songwriter Juan Winans is set to release his new urban inspirational single, “Never On My Own,” with his sister, actress and singer Deborah Joy Winans, on May 14, 2021. The Official Audio Video is available now on YouTube. “Never On My Own” is a follow-up to Juan Winans’ No. 1 hit, “It Belongs To Me." https://youtu.be/q-Jf1H9Vn2o An unpublished novel about race and police brutality by legendary writer Richard Wright is set to be released 80 years after publishers rejected it. “The Man Who Lived Underground” will be released by Library of America on April 20 along with an unpublished essay by Wright, “Memories of My Grandmother.” It comes amid the nation’s racial reckoning around systemic racism, sparked by the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. Kimberly Godwin has been appointed president of ABC News, becoming the first Black woman to run a major broadcast news network. “I am honored to take on this stewardship and excited for what we will achieve together,” she said in a statement. She will leave her current role as CBS’ executive vice president of news and begin the new job in May, when current president James Goldston formally steps down. Goldston announced he would leave in January. Godwin’s ascension comes amid a broader reshuffling of the TV news industry. Rashida Jones became the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network in December when she was promoted to president of MSNBC. CNN president Jeff Zucker said he would depart the network by the end of 2021. A school in Waukegan, Illinois, will not be named after former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama following protests from members of the local Latino community. The school in question, presently named after President Thomas Jefferson, will instead be renamed after John Lewis, a civil rights leader and Democratic lawmaker who died in July 2020. Local leaders opposed naming the school after the Obamas because the two-term Democratic president deported too many undocumented immigrants. The House Judiciary Committee is set to vote Wednesday on the reparations bill, H.R. 40, which aims to establish a 13-person commission to study whether the descendants of slaves should receive compensation from the U.S. government. An estimated 40 million black Americans could receive some sort of payment to the tune of trillions of dollars. The move comes a day after President Joe Biden reiterated his support for the study during a meeting with leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus. Planned Parenthood announced Wednesday it has added a group of faith leaders to its advisory board. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told the Religion News Service that access to abortion “is supported by people of all faiths” and the business’ new Clergy Advocacy Board “is a crucial part of our mission at Planned Parenthood to promote, protect, and expand access to health care for all.” Among those added to the board is the Rev. Katey Zeh of North Carolina, who said she has a “call to ministry within Planned Parenthood” and felt it “was a no-brainer” to join the board. The biggest problem in America is a “lukewarm church” that is “bowing at the altar of race,” megachurch pastor and prominent Latino evangelical leader Samuel Rodriguez believes. “Somehow, race just became God,” the 51-year-old pastor of the Sacramento, California-based New Season Church said in an interview last week with Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report.” The pastor, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, noted that some pastors speak more about race than they do about Jesus, Moses or Abraham. https://youtu.be/dRJz423C1kw A Fort Jackson Drill Instructor has been charged with third degree assault after shoving a black man and telling him: ‘You came to the wrong neighborhood motherf*****’. Jonathan Pentland, 42, was charged Wednesday after accusing his victim of ‘hanging around’ a South Carolina gated community, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told reporters. Pentland had been quickly identified after the Monday video went viral showing his altercation with the young man at the Lakes at Barony Place – a gated community in Richland County located in the Summit neighborhood. https://youtu.be/66KtAJMFn7k OWN announced today “OWN Spotlight: Viola Davis” to air Friday, April 16 at 10 pm ET/PT on OWN. Continuing conversations surrounding issues impacting Black lives, Oprah talks to Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-Winning actress Viola Davis about her role as fearless blues singer Ma Rainey in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” available on Netflix now. https://youtu.be/FhA6yJdmDoQ An ABC Owned Television Station, shares with viewers never-before-seen footage with new and exclusive details surrounding the death of hip-hop legend and member of Run-DMC, Jason “Jam Master Jay’ Mizell, in an exclusive stream-only premiere of “Set the Record Straight: The Jam Master Jay Case,” Friday, April 16, with a Hulu premiere on April 20. Viewers can stream the premiere on all *ABC Owned Television Stations’ 32 connected TV Apps on streaming platforms Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. https://youtu.be/L-EzL-e-OXM Working in Hollywood for years, actress and writer Erika Alexander has suffered her share of rejection. But one stung deeply — ultimately making her more creative and determined. By the early 2010s, Alexander was well-known for her role as attorney Maxine Shaw on Fox’s “Living Single.” The actress was later hailed for her confident, nuanced portrayal of Detective Latoya in the Academy Award-nominated film “Get Out.” She had the credentials, the experience and track record to be taken seriously at a Hollywood pitch meeting. At one, she pitched a new TV series called “Concrete Park,” about black teenagers who awaken on a distant, desert world known as Kepler 56-B, where they have to fight for freedom against hostile forces. She had maps, character sketches and a detailed storyline. https://youtu.be/yU_tGrgjoUk Conservative journalist Jason Whitlock was briefly suspended by Twitter after he criticized Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors. Cullors is catching heat for dropping $3 million on several posh homes in the U.S. Activist Hawk Newsome is calling for an “independent” financial investigation in Cullors to determine how/if she is paid by the organization and how much she contributes to charity. The Black football player forced to sit in a locker filled with banana peels after a teammate threatened to break his knees says he’s “fine” and wants people to “stop talking about the incident.” The Moline High School student also said in a statement released through the Rock Island County State’s Attorney’s Office that his teammates involved in the incident have apologized, Davenport, Iowa, television station KWQC-TV reported. "I love the football team I’m on and they’re good guys. I know that personally. I talked to the people involved individually and they apologized. We had a heartfelt talk about it and I told them how I felt. So please don’t harass, bully, or threaten them at all,” the student said Monday in the statement. Bobby Brown thinks his late daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown’s ex-fiancé Nick Gordon provided the drugs that led to both her death and the death of pop star ex-wife Whitney Houston. Brown, 52, made the explosive claims on this week’s episode of Red Table Talk, telling hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris he believes Gordon had something to do with his late ex-wife’s death by drowning in 2012 and daughter Bobbi Kristina’s eerily similar passing at 22 just three years later. ‘He was the only one there for both situations with my ex-wife and my daughter and they both died the exact same way,’ he told the hosts, adding that Gordon likely gave them the drugs before their fatal bathtub accidents. The family of Joshua Haileyesus faced their worst fear this week after he died on Saturday, three weeks from being placed on life support due to partaking in a viral TikTok challenge. “We would like to update everyone that this evening, after fighting the good fight on life support for 19 days, Joshua has gone off to be with the Lord,” a GoFundMe page launched in his honor stated. Joshua’s family who reside in Aurora, Colorado, added, “To everyone who has prayed relentlessly and shared our burden during this trying time, we thank you. Your prayers and your love have comforted us and we are grateful for your support. We will be sharing funeral arrangements in the coming days for those who are interested in attending.” Nominated to lead the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Kristen Clarke answered questions from senators on both sides of the aisle during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday morning. During the hearing, several Republican senators questioned Clarke’s competence and credibility, often combative in nature. Grasping at various tweets and out-of-context statements, the senators tried to paint Clarke as an extremist out of touch with the law and the constitution, like when she was asked to explain a June 2020 op-ed she wrote about strategic investments in social support and less in policing. The final committee member to speak, Sen. Cory Booker, entered a correction into the record, directly challenging characterizations by his Republican colleagues of Clarke’s record and comments. https://twitter.com/i/status/1382379392211546112 CD Porter, Javon Inman, and Rob Mercer emerged from Washington DC as individual talents with award-winning careers and ministries. The three joined together in a 2016 West Africa mission and music trip which inspired them to create a musical force and super-group called DRK 2 LGHT. In 2020 they released their debut hit single and video "He Keeps On". https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Eqan4yajJK3tHoxmy8LrN?si=kMADbcroTwmJRobbgw08oA&nd=1 UPTOWN Ventures Group, the parent company of UPTOWN Magazine, with title sponsor, Lexus, had a virtual night of excellence with their annual event, Lexus UPTOWN Honors Hollywood: Music Edition. The one thing that unites us and has remained consistent over the past year is music. The evening’s honorees included legendary Roots group member Questlove, academy award nominee Kris Bowers, critically acclaimed composer Kathryn Bostic and music supervisor Morgan Rhodes with Jimmy Jam, Ava DuVernay, Yvette Lee Bowser and Gil Robertson as presenters. The night of excellence was hosted by Tai Beauchamp and Chris Spencer. https://www.uptownmagazine.com/culture/watch-lexus-uptown-honors-hollywood-music-edition Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) will hold its first in-person commencement since the pandemic for its spring Class of 2021, but the university will also hold a recognition event for its Class of 2020. The university has selected two national figures to deliver inspirational messages to the graduates. PVAMU alumna and award-winning comedienne Loni Love has been tapped as the ceremony orator for the university’s 2020 Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 14, in Panther Stadium at 7:30 p.m. In addition, Love will receive the rarely awarded Presidential Medal. In addition, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson has been selected as PVAMU’s 139th Spring Commencement Convocation Speaker, which takes place Saturday, May 15, 2021, in Panther Stadium at 8:30 a.m. WATCH LIFETIME'S ENVY: A SEVEN DEADLY SINS STORY STARRING SERAYAH, KANDI BURRUSS, ROSE ROLLINS, DA BRAT, DC YOUNG FLY + MORE. THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 17TH AT 8/7C. ?T.D. JAKES EXECUTIVE PRODUCES WITH DERRICK WILLIAMS AND SHAUN ROBINSON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogTVxd4ASJM Daunte Wright’s parents are speaking out after he was fatally shot by former Minnesota police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop Sunday. Potter, 48, was charged with second-degree manslaughter a day after she resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department. The fatal shooting of the 20-year-old set off protests in the Minneapolis suburb. https://youtu.be/GTU9JFcB3mM Earlier today it was reported that Kimberly Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who who fatally shot Daunte Wright after mistakenly drawing her gun instead of her taser, would be charged with second-degree manslaughter. She has been officially arrested. “Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) this morning arrested a former Brooklyn Center police officer for the April 11 shooting death of Daunte Wright,” the state agency said on Twitter. “Agents took Kim Potter into custody at approximately 11:30 a.m. at the BCA in St. Paul.” Vice President Kamala Harris marked Black Maternal Health Week Tuesday with a discussion on issues that make Black women two to three times more likely to die due to childbirth. But there was another pressing matter that warranted her attention before the panel started. “He should be alive today,” Harris began, regarding the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. https://youtu.be/k9K71GIE3iM Hank Azaria says he owes the Indian community in the U.S. an apology for voicing “The Simpsons” character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Speaking on a recent episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Azaria explained he was a “big part in creating the problem” that pushed racial stereotypes on the beloved series. He recalled meeting with Indian students at his son’s school to get their input on the character. One male student who never saw the show was quite familiar with Apu for all the wrong reasons. Hallmark’s Mahogany brand has launched an 11-card collection created by African American women writers addressing racial resilience and Black pride, marking the first time the company has offered cards that specifically address race relations as it relates to the Black community. Among the titles from Hallmark’s Mahogany Uplifted and Empowered Collection: “It’s OK to say ‘We are not OK,’” “Black, Strong, Proud, Loud” and “Perseverance is in our DNA.” The idea was sparked during the 2020 summer protests of the George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery killings. https://youtu.be/gE23fwVqPsc Actor Terry Crews and his wife Rebecca open up about their intimate, funny and deeply truthful marriage in their new memoir “Stronger Together,” set to debut exclusively on Audible on April 15. In their own voices, Terry and Rebecca candidly discuss how they bounced back from Terry’s unfaithfulness, reflect back on the events of 2020 and what they learned during the pandemic. The couple also revisits their childhood, Terry’s porn addiction and his sexual assault accusations against Adam Venit, and much more. https://soundcloud.com/audible Actor Mehcad Brooks spoke with SiriusXM Urban View host, Clay Cane about his role as Jax in ‘Mortal Kombat’, which hits theaters and will be available to stream on HBO Max on April 23. During the interview he discussed diversity in Hollywood and says he would “be blessed, honored and humbled” to play DMX to in a biopic. https://youtu.be/r5DP0Sugicg “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is getting a dramatic reboot based on Morgan Cooper’s viral clip and NBC’s streaming service Peacock has already ordered two seasons of the highly-anticipated series. Cooper will direct, co-write and serve as co-executive producer alongside writer, showrunner and executive producer Chris Collins. The drama will be a co-production between original “Fresh Prince” star Will Smith and his Westbrook Studios as well as original producers Universal TV. https://youtu.be/kD3ISIM_kU8 Niecy Nash took to Instagram Sunday to call out “disrespectful” single people who like to slide in the DMs of married folks. In her video message, Nash did not mention anyone by name, but she seemed to be reacting to a follower who wrote something inappropriate in the comments. “This is a PSA for those of you who have been disrespectful in the comments and the DMs of someone who is married,” Niecy began. “I’m gonna tell you stop it and I’m gonna tell you why. One, it’s disrespectful. Two, you end up in a situation where you show up to a place saying, ‘I’m about to play myself.’” Niecy then advised folks who seek entanglements with someone else’s spouse to stop being second best. https://www.instagram.com/niecynash1/?utm_source=ig_embed In response to a recent story/press release we ran about a coalition of “BLM parents” protesting BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, the following statement was issued by Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation: Additionally, the story/press release quoted Hawk Newsome as being the head of BLM Greater New York City. Well, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, via it’s PR rep (Sean Wherley/WeAreRALLY.com) stated this: “To be clear, Hawk Newsome is not and has never been a part of the official Black Lives Matter organization, but continues to use BLM’s name even after sending him multiple cease and desist letters. Therefore, any mention of him as a leader is not factual.” The ex-girlfriend of Chet Hanks has filed a million-dollar lawsuit against him for alleged assault and abuse. KPRC-TV reports that the lawsuit was filed in Fort Bend County, Texas on Monday, accusing the son of actor Tom Hanks of assault, battery and emotional distress. The suit, per Complex, says that Chet has a pattern of domestic abuse, and claims he assaulted his ex on multiple occasions. Marty Singer, Hanks’ attorney, called Parker’s claims “a shakedown” in a statement to the New York Post. Keri Hilson has confirmed that she squashed her years-long beef with Beyonce, and she’s now open to collaborating with the superstar. In a new interview with radio host Persia Nicole, the R&B hitmaker revealed she and Bey have made amends following the shade that Hilson threw at the singer in the 2009 song, “Turnin’ Me On.” Hilson referred to the “Crazy In Love” songstress with the line “Your vision cloudy if you think that you da best, You can dance, she can sing, but need to move it to the left… She need to go have some babies, she need to sit down, she fake, them other chicks ain’t even worth talkin’ bout.” Hilson also famously refused to be photographed holding a copy of Juicy Mag with Beyoncé on the cover. Per MadameNoire, on more than one occasion, Keri has explained that at the time she was pressured to make those comments about Beyonce by men in the industry. Amazon Studios has signed a first-look TV deal with 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion, Serena Williams. Williams will work with Amazon Studios to create scripted and unscripted television projects that will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, beginning with an untitled docuseries that follows her in both her professional and personal life. The untitled docuseries production from Plum Pictures, Goalhanger Films and Amazon Studios is executive produced by Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou, Stuart Cabb, and Tony Pastor. “I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience. I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world,” said Serena. “Family Matters” star Jaleel White has launched a new cannabis line called ItsPurpl through his partnership with 710 Labs. White and the brand will produce variations of the popular Purple Urkle cannabis strain, inspired by his beloved Steve Urkle character. The line is set to launch on April 20, and will be available at dispensaries in California. Justin Bieber weighed in on “celebrity pastor” culture and criticized those who use religion and their platform to boost their own fame, stressing that every human being, regardless of their status, “has the same access to God.” In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Bieber, who distanced himself from disgraced former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz after the latter was fired over “leadership issues” and moral failures, including being unfaithful to his wife, weighed in on how he’s seen celebrity worship invade the church. Without mentioning Lentz by name, Bieber said he’s seen “so many pastors put themselves on this pedestal” in the church, with devastating consequences. A Birmingham pastor and his wife say they’re still in disbelief as they process the loss of their only daughter. 32-year old Areyelle Yarbrough was shot and killed Easter Sunday in Birmingham’s Patton Park. Five others were injured. “I miss my child, I miss my friend, I miss my daughter, but none of that will bring her back,” Areyelle’s mother Sonya Yarbrough said. https://youtu.be/OHawAayvEIo How about this for perfection by North Texas softball pitcher Hope Trautwein: 21 batters faced, 21 strikeouts. Trautwein threw the perfect game Sunday, striking out all 21 Arkansas-Pine Bluff batters she faced in a 3-0 victory. It was the first perfect game in North Texas history and is believed to be the first perfect seven-inning game in NCAA Division I history with every out being a strikeout. Daunte Wright’s father is in no mood to listen to excuses from the Minnesota police officer who shot his 20-year-old son dead. Officer Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, shot Wright during a traffic stop on Sunday, and her police chief has since claimed that Potter mistook her handgun for a non-lethal taser. Daunte’s dad, Aubrey, told Good Morning America on Tuesday that he can’t accept any attempt to excuse his son’s killing. “I cannot accept that,” he said. “I lost my son. He’s never coming back. I can’t accept that. A mistake? That doesn’t sound right. This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can’t accept that.” Daunte’s mom, Katie, added: “I would like to see justice served and her held accountable for everything that she’s taken from us.” https://youtu.be/5KBVWD5Y4zQ The white police officer who shot Black man Jacob Blake in the back seven times will “not be subjected to discipline,” according to a Tuesday statement from Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis. Officer Rusten Sheskey returned from administrative leave as of the beginning of this month, and is back on active-duty, the statement said. Sheskey shot Blake in August 2020 as he was getting into his van with his children, reigniting anti-police brutality protests. Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down. A judge ruled earlier this year that Sheskey will not face any criminal charges. “He acted within the law and was consistent with training,” Miskinis’ statement said. “I know that some will not be pleased with this outcome; however, given the facts, the only lawful and appropriate decision was made.” Ex-University of Evansville basketball coach Walter McCarty has been accused of rape by a former student in a recently filed Title IX lawsuit, which also alleges that the school did not do enough to protect other students. According to the lawsuit, the former student, identified only as Jane Doe, was working as an athletic trainer at the school. She alleges that McCarty sent her inappropriate texts and social media messages, and eventually sexually assaulted her at his home in 2019. The lawsuit claims that McCarty continued to text her after the assault, and quotes her as texting back “why did you do what u did to me… …I told u I wanted to stop and u kept goin.” Both the University of Evansville and McCarty have denied the allegations. McCarty, a former NBA player who played for the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, among others, was fired from his position as Evansville basketball coach in 2020 following an internal university investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. Dallas megachurch Bishop T.D. Jakes had a great experience with Lifetime in 2018 producing “Faith Under Fire,” a film based on Decatur school bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff (played by Toni Braxton) convincing a mentally disturbed teen with an AK-47 not to shoot up the school. So, Jakes jumped at the chance to do work with Lifetime again, this time with a series of films based on books written by Victoria Christopher Murray, each focused on one of the seven deadly sins in the Bible. The first two films will air on consecutive weeks: “Lust” starring Keri Hilson Saturday and “Envy” starring Sheraya April 17. Both films were shot in Atlanta and some well-known, Atlanta celebrities such as Kandi Burruss, Ms. Juicy and Da Brat, appear in them. A group of students in Parker County, Texas, are facing disciplinary action after they took part in a pretend “Slave Trade Auction” in a Snapchat group, FOX4 reports. One student said that he would buy another student for a dollar, but would pay more “if his hair wasn’t so bad,” as seen in screenshots obtained by the network. The school district has punished the students involved for “cyberbullying and harassment” but did not say how, according to a school district statement reviewed by the network. Law enforcement was reportedly involved, but no information about whether or not criminal charges were pursued has been released. “I would say the community itself needs to sit down and address this. At our schools. At our learning facilities,” said Parker County activist Tony Crawford. “And there’s a right way to go about your relationships with Black people without demeaning them and embarrassing them for a laugh.” A California teacher is in hot water and right wing outlets are salivating after video of her reaction to high school students in two separate Zoom classes has been labeled as “berating” the teens, including her answer to a white student who asked why their school couldn’t start a “white student union.” A California teacher is in hot water and right wing outlets are salivating after video of her reaction to high school students in two separate Zoom classes has been labeled as “berating” the teens, including her answer to a white student who asked why their school couldn’t start a “white student union.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1381406497905647619 Some of the biggest names in music have been nominated for the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The ten (10) nominees with the most votes will be selected and will be inducted. On June 15, a press conference will be held to announce the class of 2021 along with the hosting venues, as well as times and dates of all of the events. The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Foundation board are in major discussions with different cable networks and streaming possibilities of airing this year’s ceremony nationally. Leading the 2021 class of nominees are Berry Gordy, Janet Jackson, Patti Labelle, Mary J. Blige, Anita Baker, Clive Davis and Xscape. In an effort to promote diversity in all facets of entertainment, The Micheaux Film Festival has teamed up with the Oprah Winfrey Network and Sony Entertainment to host their 3rd annual film festival experience. Taking place on April 26th through May 2nd, the event has successfully garnered interest and submissions from notable and star-studded films, such as; Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance (Debbie Allen, Mandy Moore), Dutch (Lance Gross, Kyle Massey, Tyrin Turner), Maternally Yours (Lil Rel Howery) Dead Talks (Denzel Whitaker), The Bay created by 2020 Emmy-award winning director, Gregori Martin which features (Karrueche, Vivica A. Fox, and Kristos Andrews), Red Pill (starring Kathryn Erbe (Law & Order), Ruben Blades (Fear the Walking Dead), Colbie Minifie (The Boys), Catherine Curtin (Stranger Things, OITNB), and Content is King starring (Taryn Manning (Orange Is The New Black), Vanessa Rubio (Cobra Kai), Austin Pendleton (My Cousin Vinny), Alexander James Rodriguez (Missing Link), Jeremy Luke (This is Us) and Anthony and James Gaudioso (The Duke), Jaime Zevallos (Cloak & Dagger), Freddie Giorlando (Adulthood) and the dramatic adaptation of All Boys Aren’t Blue by author George M. Johnson (starring Jenifer Lewis). Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold had lofty goals with the New York Jets. In his first comments since being traded to the Panthers, Darnold revealed he expected to play 20 years with the Jets and win multiple Super Bowls, according to the New York Daily News. That … didn’t happen. Darnold lasted just three years with the Jets, winning 13 games over that period. He threw for 8,097 yards with the team, and added a 45-39 touchdown to interception ratio. Despite the Jets’ struggles, Darnold expected the team would turn things around. Patriots star receiver Julian Edelman, who helped New England win three championships and was the MVP of Super Bowl LIII, announced his retirement in a video posted on social media Monday. The NFL transaction wire released Monday stated that Edelman had his contract terminated by the Patriots, but the roster move is expected to be a technicality as part of his retirement, a source told ESPN. “It was a hard decision, but the right decision for me and my family,” Edelman said. “And I’m honored and so proud to be retiring a Patriot. … It’s been the best 12 years of my life.” Edelman, who turns 35 next month, was limited to six games last season because of a chronic knee injury. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Patriots and ranks second in NFL history with 118 postseason receptions, behind only Jerry Rice’s 151. Charles Barkley recently claimed he was offered Monday Night Football, and that he turned it down. The remark was made during an appearance on the first episode of The Jim Brockmire Podcast, in which Hank Azaria inhabits the excellent Brockmire character for some sports talk. During a discussion with Barkley about Twitter trolls, Barkley casually drops the MNF bombshell. He doesn’t say when the offer was made, only that, “I like football, but I ain’t gonna be one of these jackasses get on TV and act like he know about football.” (I resemble that remark.) The NCAA, which regulates college athletics in the U.S., backed transgender athletes Monday, saying it won’t hold championship events in locations that aren’t “free of discrimination.” As Republicans in more than two dozen states target transgender athletes, the NCAA Board of Governors said it “firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports.” It said its “more inclusive” policy for transgender athletes, which requires testosterone suppression treatment for transgender women to compete in women’s sports, means “inclusion and fairness can coexist for all student-athletes, including transgender athletes, at all levels of sport.” In Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Kimberly Potter, the cop who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright has resigned. So did the city’s police chief, Tim Gannon, according to Star Tribune. “I am tendering my resignation from the Brooklyn Center Police Department effective immediately,” Potter wrote in a letter addressed to Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott, Acting City Manager Reggie Edwards, and Gannon. https://youtu.be/OY_sy6hFFto Months after Nick Cannon welcomed his fourth child with ex Brittany Bell, he’s now expecting twin boys with DJ Abbey De La Rosa. Abbey confirmed the identity of her babies’ father on April 11 by sharing photos from her new maternity shoot. The images prompted Nick fans to clown him on social media over his “be fruitful and multiply” ‘ way of living. He is already father to nine-year-old Moroccan and Monroe, whom he shares with ex-wife, Mariah Carey. He and ex Brittany share son Golden “Sagon”, who was born in 2017, and a daughter, Powerful, who was born in Dec. 2020. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNidy16J1_n/?utm_source=ig_embed Bobby Brown and his wife, Alicia Etheredge-Brown, sat down with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris on Facebook’s “Red Table Talk” to discuss how the 28-year-old’s November death has affected their lives, and in particular, that of that of their 11-year-old son Cassius. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3817359578379912 All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series' UNSUNG and UNCENSORED continue this Sunday, April 18. UNSUNG leads the night with Mystikal at 9 p.m. ET/8C, immediately followed by UNCENSORED with Remy Ma at 10 p.m. ET/9C. The rap legends get candid about how both of their careers reached a halt after their wrongful convictions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI_dmyyUj6o Hot off the heels of the launch, E. Dewey Smith announces today the first artist signed to the newly minted record label, Pebble Street Records. The prominent Atlanta-based pastor signed rising singer-songwriter Courtney Franklin to Pebble Street Records as a joint-venture deal to release Franklin's upcoming full-length album God Has A Plan later this year. This announcement follows Franklin's new single, "We Made It," to radio and advances the song's digital release on May 7. Internationally renowned singer/songwriter and worship music icon, Don Moen, is set to present An Evening of Hope, a livestream featuring special guest, Lenny LeBlanc. Partnering with Mandolin, the online worship event will be an intimate evening of acoustic praise and worship, as Moen and LeBlanc sing their most well-known songs, share stories and invite viewers to worship together. The event will take place on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT / 5 PM PT. His mission is to create a global kingdom awareness in the lives of people through kingdom thinking, worship in spirit, truth, excellence, spiritual prosperity, and total trust in God. Born and raised in Barbados, Karlos Cobham is an Urban Contemporary Gospel recording artist, songwriter, and producer whose music comes from an authentic place and real experiences. His new single "Moving On" is his encouragement to everyone to keep pressing forward out of tragedy or loss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKRKMUor1ko Andrea Williams releases "Soul Oasis" the instrumentals....https://music.apple.com/us/album/soul-oasis-the-instrumentals-ep/1548198585 Bradie Frink & Ordinary People’s Freshman Project “INTO THIS PLACE” ?is poised to take the Gospel community by surprise. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7100812?date=20210408&user_id=668306&signature=RWngCP1ZMUTM8GUSTnaVzJCIXLw%3AybhvH1mA Rufus Johnson has remerged as a solo artist with the smash single "Thank You." With hard hitting drums and funk rhythms, it harkens to the emotion-driven sounds of quartet gospel groups of the 1950's. The Gospel Spotlight's "Thank You." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwaKFqGBEbs Accomplished Singer/songwriter, JOKIA, celebrates reaching #1 on the National Gospel Airplay Chart with the celebrated and cross-genre single, “Yahweh.” “Yahweh” marks Jokia’s first #1 single as an independent artist on her own label, Jokia Music, exclusively distributed by Darkchild Gospel. “Yahweh” is lifted from her forthcoming EP due second quarter 2021. Your Girls, Adriann, Ashley, Aundrea, and Kanika are back with a BANG! The 2x Stellar Award winners have managed life, marriage, school, and children to reunite to share with you their new music. ?“He’ll Be There!” Gospel Spotlight's Rizen in their OWN Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rizen_intvw.htm The family of Nigel Shelby, a 14-year-old who took his life after he was repeatedly bullied over being gay, will file a lawsuit against the Huntsville Board of Education. Attorneys Ben Crump, co-counsel Jasmine Rand, local counsel Lynn Sherrod, and David J. Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition, hosted a virtual news conference on April 13, 2021, where they will discuss the filing of the lawsuit, spurred by Nigel’s grieving parents. In the suit, Nigel’s family claims their son’s civil rights were violated prior to his death in 2019. The lawsuit comes almost two years to the date of the day he took his life. The #CDC and the #FDA have issued a joint statement where they are recommending a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine Janssen after six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals. In the statement, it was noted that all six cases of the rare and severe type of blood clots occurred in women from the ages of 18 and 48, and the symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after they were given the vaccination. It was noted that the treatment for these specific blood clots is different from the usual treatments. On Wednesday, the CDC will be holding a meeting with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to review the cases to further discuss the significance of each case. Model/actress Ashley “Gerren” Taylor, who starred on BET’s “Baldwin Hills,” died Sunday at the age of 30. Details about her cause of death were not immediately available. “The entire BET family mourns the passing of one of our own, Ms. Ashley Gerren Taylor, beloved star of BET’s Baldwin Hills,” BET wrote in a statement. “The untimely passing of such a young, bright light is difficult to process. BET’s thoughts and prayers go out to Ashley’s friends and family during this time.” Kanye West has responded to the divorce papers that Kim Kardashian filed in February. ccording to the legal docs obtained by PEOPLE, West, 43, requests joint legal and physical custody of their four children: daughters North, 7, and Chicago, 3, and sons Saint, 5, and Psalm, who turns 2 in May. The hip-hop star also wants spousal support for either person to be terminated. Sources tell HollywoodLife that Ye was slow to respond to the filing because he wanted to fix the marriage. Monday night, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center on Sunday. BCA officials named Kim Potter as the cop who fatally shot Wright and confirmed that she was placed on “standard administrative leave. According to the Star Tribune, Potter, 48, is a 26-year veteran of the force who served on the negotiation team. Reps for R&B singer Usher have fired back at reports that he used fake money with his own name and face on it at a strip club. Per Page Six, dubbed “Ushbucks” the cash was previously seen on Usher’s official social media channels — stuffed in a see-through suitcase. The superstar is being mocked on social media after a dancer going by the handle @beel0ove on IG posted photos of three “Usher bucks” along with the question … “Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??” Turns out there’s way more to the story. A rep for the club tells the outlet that the artist did NOT tip the strippers with Usher Bucks. “He and his crew converted thousands of real dollars to tip the girls dancing on the stage,” and “left a generous tip for the staff! Las Vegas man is facing years in prison in Dubai after traces of cannabis were found in his urine. Peter Clark, 51, reportedly flew to Dubai on Feb. 24 on a business trip and at some point, he suffered a pancreatitis attack. Medical staff reported him to authorities when doctors found traces of hashish in his urine. The drug is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, per Complex, and Clark was considered to be in possession of the narcotic when his test was posted at the hospital. Cannabis is legal in Nevada where Clark consumed it, but he was still arrested in Dubai on March 3 and kept in a “flea-ridden cell.” He is now waiting in his hotel for further judgment on his case. A coalition of Black Lives Matter (BLM) parents whose children have been killed by law enforcement and activists are holding a protest outside of a residential property owned by BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors. The coalition is outraged that Cullors went on a real estate buying binge, snagging four high-end homes for $3.2 million in the US alone, according to property records. The latest property she purchased was a $1.4 million home near Malibu. The Topanga Canyon homestead, which includes two houses on a quarter-acre, is just one of three homes Khan-Cullors owns in the Los Angeles area, public records show. BLM activists contend that Cullors has refused to help some families financially with money that BLM raised to help some families of police violence. BLM Global reported they raised over 90 million dollars in donations. https://youtu.be/p4wjnyUQFiM After a month-long hiatus, “The Talk” returned on Monday and got right into Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood’s controversial on-air debate about Piers Morgan’s criticism of Meghan Markle. Underwood said she experienced PTSD following her on-air spat with Osbourne, which ultimately led to Sharon being fired from the daytime talk show. https://youtu.be/xbX0JAuRlBk Music icon Nile Rodgers is speaking out about how music companies are handling streaming services and that the system is unfair to artists. Per Ace Showbiz, the 68-year-old Chic musician thinks artists need to be “remunerated properly” by their record labels. He told The Guardian newspaper, “It is not the streaming services that we have the problem with – it is fantastic that they can distribute our product in such an effective, wonderful way and keep a great digital trail. It is the labels that are perpetrating the issues that need to be seriously addressed. The fact is the system is unfair.” Gospel princess Kierra ‘Kiki’ Sheard Kelly sits down with radio and TV personality Jazmyn Summers about her new book “Big, Bold and Beautiful” which drops today (04-13-21) and her new deluxe album Kierra Deluxe. The making of Believe- For It- documentary available today. https://youtu.be/wXPquD2JAxI Viola Davis is the newest face of L’Oréal Paris’ Voluminous Mascara, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Davis appears in a new campaign for the product, and she admits to PEOPLE that she’s “a little late to the makeup game.” https://youtu.be/7fZDPeQU__0 On THE REAL airing Tuesday, April 13, 2021, co-host Jeannie Mai Jenkins reveals exclusive details about her recent wedding to Jeezy and how proud she felt signing her new name for the first time. https://youtu.be/PIXwcTYrYGs Swizz Beatz took to Instagram over the weekend to speak about the impact of DMX’s music and his legacy. n a lengthy video posted on Saturday, Beatz had nothing but praise for the rapper, born Earl Simmons, who died Friday after suffering a heart attack a week ago. “My brother was a different type of brother. A different type of artist. A different type of creative. Different type of soul,” said Swizz Beatz (born Kasseem Dean). “Since the day that I met him, he lived his life for everyone else. I never seen him live his life for his self.” https://www.instagram.com/therealswizzz/?utm_source=ig_embed Michigan can’t vaccinate its way out of a COVID-19 spike, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky said at a briefing Monday, during which she called on the state “to close things down.” Why it matters: Michigan’s average daily case count has jumped about seven times from a low point in February, per the New York Times. It’s a reality check for the nation, CNN writes. https://youtu.be/NmPolmM-oRg Just as Colorado was given its first dose of hope at COVID-19 restrictions being fully lifted, Gov. Jared Polis said a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases has arrived in the state. Cases are drastically increasing as of late, specifically among younger Coloradans. Those between the ages of 18 and 50 are the ones causing the spike in positive coronavirus cases in Colorado during this past week. “This increase is of great alarm,” Polis said. “We identified 1,935 new positive cases yesterday. That is the highest it has been in a long time.” The World Health Organization said Monday the trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic is now “growing exponentially,” with more than 4.4 million new Covid-19 cases reported over the last week. Maria Van Kerkhove, the agency’s technical lead for Covid-19, said “we’re in a critical point of the pandemic,” as some countries ease restrictions even as new cases per week are more than eight times higher than a year ago. The Brooklyn Center City Manager, Curt Boganey, has been fired after he publicly disagreed with Mayor Mike Elliott’s assertion that the police officer who fatally shot a black man in the Minneapolis suburb should immediately be fired. As City Manager, Boganey controlled the police department. Speaking earlier to reporters, he said the officer who shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright would get ‘due process’ after the shooting. ‘All employees working for the city of Brooklyn Center are entitled to due process with respect to discipline,’ he said. But the mayor, unhappy at the public disagreement, quickly took the police department under his control and the Brooklyn Center City Council voted to fire Boganey, a longtime city employee, during an emergency meeting. A prominent black sports journalist barred from Twitter for the ‘crime’ of discussing the $1.4 million house bought by a Black Lives Matter co-founder slammed the company for trying to silence legitimate debate. Jason Whitlock, 53, told DailyMail.com on Monday that Twitter was ‘going too far’ by blocking him from posting to his account, which has nearly 450,000 followers. The censorship by Twitter comes as social media companies, including Twitter and Facebook, have increasingly ‘de-platformed’ figures who stray too far from opinions they consider acceptable. ‘BLM is one of Big Tech’s sacred cows,’ Whitlock told DailyMail.com ‘I’ve been harping on the fraudulence and the financial grift of BLM for years.’ ‘I think Twitter has been looking for an excuse to de-platform me,’ he said. Missouri prosecutors charged former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid with DWI on Monday in connection with the February crash that critically injured a 5-year-old, leaving her with severe traumatic brain injury. Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Reid, 35, will be surrendering later in the day on the charge of driving while intoxicated, resulting in serious physical injury. Attorney information for Reid was not immediately available. A cousin of 5-year-old crash victim Ariel Young said her family is glad former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid has “finally” been charged after the February accident that left the girl severely injured. But the family was not at peace when Reid was charged with committing the class D felony of driving while intoxicated. “We don’t believe the charges are fair or harsh enough,” cousin Tiffany Verhulst, who has organized the GoFundMe for Young’s medical expenses, told USA TODAY Sports on Monday afternoon. “It’s been incredibly hard knowing he’s out every day living his normal life and Ariel’s life is completely changed. Civil unrest in the Minneapolis area has forced the city’s three in-season professional sports teams to postpone their home games Monday afternoon and evening. The Minnesota Twins were the first to announce their baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. CT, was postponed out of concern for the safety of fans and players in the wake of a fatal police shooting in a nearby Minneapolis suburb on Sunday. Shortly afterward, the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and NHL’s Minnesota Wild followed suit and postponed their home games, which were to begin later in the evening. The son of an NBA Hall of Famer has declared for the NBA draft. Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. released a statement Saturday saying he would declare for the 2021 NBA draft. Pippen, who has played two seasons at Vanderbilt, gave himself an out in case he doesn’t get selected in the draft. Though he’s entering the draft, he’s not signing an agent. That allows Pippen to retain his college eligibility. It was just a couple months ago that a potential Deshaun Watson trade was the talk of the NFL. That changed on March 17 when an then unknown woman came out via her attorney to claim sexual assault on the part of the Houston Texans’ quarterback. Things have changed big time since. Now, 22 women have come forward with civil suits claiming sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault on the part of the quarterback. The Houston Police Department also opened a criminal investigation on April 3. In the meantime, talk of Deshaun Watson being traded has died down. Teams that had previous interest in the 2020 NFL passing leader have moved on to other options. At a press conference in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota today police released footage from the body-worn camera of the officer who fatally shot a 20-year-old Black man, and the police chief said he believed the officer intended to fire a Taser during the incident. https://youtu.be/DgAUrDTUk4Q The Virginia police officer accused of pepper-spraying a Black and Latino military officer and holding him at gunpoint during a traffic stop in December has been fired. Army Lt. Caron Nazario has filed suit against police officers Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker for violating his civil rights during an encounter that was captured on the officers’ body cameras, and the footage recently went viral. The regional NAACP said the video clip is proof “of what the NAACP has actually been claiming the whole time,” the Island of Wight branch said in a statement. “It shows up from the video clip that our justice is still being abused by policeman as well as we are really worried.” https://youtu.be/CN-UnPbY4Uk Director/producer Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith have pulled the production of their forthcoming film “Emancipation” out of Georgia due to the state’s newly restrictive voting law. t this moment in time, the Nation is coming to terms with its history and is attempting to eliminate vestiges of institutional racism to achieve true racial justice,” the pair said in a joint statement obtained by CNN. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access.” “The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting,” Fuqua and Smith added. “Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.” Brian Houston, co-founder of the global megachurch Hillsong, announced in an email on Saturday (April 10) that the church’s leadership had decided to “pause all operations” at its Dallas, Texas, location. “Many factors, all amplified by the pandemic have resulted in the difficult decision,” Houston wrote in the email sent to Hillsong Dallas members and obtained by Religion News Service. In early January, Reed and Jess Bogard, the lead pastors of the Dallas location, abruptly resigned in a streaming Sunday morning service. In announcing the decision, Reed Bogard said he and his wife and co-pastor needed to take some time to “get healthy, and really see what this next season holds for us.” At the time, Houston praised the work of the Bogards, saying the couple “gave their heart and soul to the pioneering of Hillsong Dallas.” As England and the rest of the world mourns the loss of Prince Philip who died peacefully at the age of 99 in the Windsor Castle on Friday, the late Duke of Edinburgh is remembered in a report for his interest in theology and his influence on his wife Queen Elizabeth II whom he “persuaded” to talk about her faith. The Christian Post (CP) said Prince Philip would encourage Queen Elizabeth to be open about her public in her public messages such as the Christmas broadcast that normally only entailed the itinerary of the royal family during the season, citing a report by Premier Christian News (PCN). “Prince Philip was the person really who encouraged the queen to talk about her own faith in her Christmas broadcasts. They really used to be more like travelogues, and they would just say where the royal family had been,” stated “God Save the Queen” author Rev. Prof. Ian Bradley to PCN. A Virginia police officer involved in a controversial traffic stop in December where officers drew their guns at a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, has been fired. Windsor Police Officer Joe Gutierrez has been ‘terminated from his employment’ following an internal investigation that showed he failed to follow department policy. Body cam footage shows Army Lt. Caron Nazario, who is black and Latino, and dressed in uniform during the December stop at a gas station in December. Nazario was pepper sprayed and beaten across his legs during the stop. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as looting and violent protests raged in a Minneapolis suburb overnight after officers shot dead a 20-year-old black man during a traffic stop less than 10 miles from where George Floyd was killed. The National Guard was called in and a curfew was imposed to quell angry demonstrations over the shooting death of Daunte Wright on Sunday in the Brooklyn Center neighborhood. The unrest came just hours before the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, was set to resume in a courtroom on Monday. At a press conference in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota today police released footage from the body-worn camera of the officer who fatally shot a 20-year-old Black man, and the police chief said he believed the officer intended to fire a Taser during the incident. Another Black man was killed by police and it was an “accident.” We’re of course referring to Daunte Wright, 20, who died after the traffic stop in Brooklyn Center on Sunday. Footage from the incident released during the news conference shows two other officers approaching Wright’s car and the officer who fired the shot standing behind them. Hillsong is shutting down its Dallas operations amid a series of scandals that have rocked the Australian-based megachurch, the church announced on Saturday. In an email to members, founders Brian and Bobbie Houston addressed the church’s investigation into former Dallas pastor Reed Bogard and his wife, Jess Bogard, who resigned in January after revelations they used donations to fund their luxury lifestyle. Globally, church leaders have faced a number of allegations over the years, from sexual assault to revelations that former celebrity pastor Carl Lentz cheated on his wife of 17 years while other former Hillsong members have compared it to a ‘cult.’ Popular Bible teacher and speaker Beth Moore, who recently garnered headlines for leaving the Southern Baptist Convention, announced that she is taking a break from her widely followed Twitter account. In a Twitter thread last Friday, Moore stated that she is “putting myself in time out for a bit” from the social media platform, citing two reasons. “I feel a bit too strongly about some things to be on Twitter right now. I don’t trust myself. Gonna punch somebody. I can either get ugly or get off,” Moore detailed. Speaking at an panel at Washington National Cathedral Friday (April 9), the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest son joined the pushback against controversial voting laws recently passed in King’s home state of Georgia, saying the measures “tragically” threaten voters’ rights. “There are certainly 43 states that are involved in trying to create draconian legislation to keep people from voting,” said Martin Luther King III. “It’s almost like a badge of honor now to be a racist and be proud.” The forum, which marked the 53rd anniversary of the civil rights leader’s funeral, also featured newly elected Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who leads Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the senior King once was a co-pastor. Major U.S. companies and sports teams have publicly condemned Georgia’s controversial new voting law, with Hollywood and organizations now threatening to boycott the state. Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams says Governor Brian Kemp is “reveling in the potential of a boycott” in response to the state’s newly passed restrictive voting laws because it would give the GOP governor “someone to blame for his own actions.” “The Talk” hosts Sheryl Underwood, Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth return with a discussion about race and healing; expert on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice Dr. Donald E. Grant will offer advice on how to have these difficult conversations; nationally acclaimed trauma therapist and life coach Dr. Anita Phillips will share her expertise on how to heal after a painful event or conversation. At the top of Monday’s “The Talk,” host Sheryl Underwood shares a message from backstage as the show returns since the week of March 10. “It’s time for an episode of ‘The Talk’ that will be unlike any other we’ve had before.” Underwood adds, “As you may know, during our break, Sharon decided to leave ‘The Talk.’ We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing. Over the next hour, we will honestly discuss what occurred and explore some of our feelings. And we’ll also show you how anyone can become more comfortable discussing important issues and having difficult conversations. By the end of the hour, we want everyone to feel empowered and ready to move forward.” Lena Waithe is catching heat over the new horror series “Them,” which debuted Friday on Amazon. Created by Little Marvin, the ten-episode Amazon Original limited anthology series explores terror in America. The 1950s-set first season centers on a Black family who moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood during the period known as The Great Migration. The family’s idyllic home becomes ground zero where malevolent forces, next-door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them. https://youtu.be/WL3Jz8fDgFI The stylist who worked with Janet Jackson for her infamous 2004 Super Bowl appearance with Justin Timberlake has revealed that it was Timberlake who pushed for the “wardrobe malfunction” that made international headlines. Wayne Scot Lukas, stylist to the stars, told Page Six that Timberlake wanted to outdo Britney Spears, Madonna and Christina Aguilera, who made jaws drop when they kissed during their performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. The director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has admitted that racism is a serious threat to public health. Across this country people are suffering,” CDC chief Rochelle Walensky said, MSN reports. “Importantly, these painful experiences and the impact of COVID-19 are felt, most severely, in communities of color.” https://youtu.be/eV0gAm6BSjY Duval County Circuit Court Judge James Ruth has gone viral for his reaction to seeing the June 2020 video of the infamous maskless woman inside of a Jacksonville, Florida Pier 1 who deliberately coughed on a cancer patient that had asked her to wear a mask. Ruth, who ended up sentencing the woman to 30 days in county jail, said he’s not on social media and never saw the full viral video of Debra Hunter coughing in the face of Heather Sprague at the store. https://youtu.be/lipYPEuvCwo Trinity Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, made her professional soccer debut with the National Women’s Soccer League on Saturday with the Washington Spirit. The 18-year-old daughter joined the team in January as the second overall draft pick in the league, PEOPLE reported. During the game over the weekend, Rodman, per CNN, came on in the 55th minute for Kumi Yokoyama and immediately scored a goal for her team — making history by becoming the youngest American goalscorer in league history. Kid Cudi paid tribute to late comedian Chris Farley and singer Kurt Cobain during his “Saturday Night Live” debut as the musical guest over the weekend. For his first performance at Studio 8H, the rapper served up his track “Tequila Shots” while wearing a shirt with a photo of Farley on it underneath a green cardigan similar to the one Cobain wore during Nirvana’s appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1993. When Cudi hit the stage the second time, he performed the track “Sad People,” and sported a dress with a floral pattern similar to a shirt Cobain once wore. https://youtu.be/Mr6Vyc_qYMg During the top of the ninth in Philadelphia’s series-opener with the Braves, a young Phillies fan was thisclose to catching a two-run homer off of Braves slugger Freddie Freeman. The ball ended up in the bullpen instead, and several players tried throwing the ball up to him. But it took several attempts before he was finally able to catch it. His pops playfully let him have it for coming up short multiple times, to the amusement of the nearby crowd and the game commentators. Instead of keeping the ball – which would’ve been a great memory – as it went on to make the father-son pair a viral sensation – the two decided to give it to a kid in a Freeman jersey, making that kid’s life, and melting the hearts of both teams’ fans, the commentators, the Internet and, eventually, the players. When Freeman got word of what happened after the game, he and Bryce Harper of the Phillies signed a baseball and gave it to the original Phillies fan with the butterfingers. http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/31240093 Sales of fake COVID vaccination cards have prompted 46 state attorneys general to urge Twitter, eBay and Shopify to prevent people from marketing and selling them on their platforms. “We are deeply concerned about this use of your platforms to spread false and misleading information regarding COVID vaccines,” states the letter sent to the CEOs of the various platforms. “The false and deceptive marketing and sales of fake COVID vaccine cards threatens the health of our communities, slows progress in getting our residents protected from the virus, and are a violation of the laws of many states,” it notes. ?DENITA GIBBS has released her new single “He’s Way Ahead of You” featuring People & Songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmhWrjo80k&feature=youtu.be The bravery and resilience displayed by the 369th Infantry Regiment—also known as the Harlem Hellfighters—during World War I forever changed the landscape of American history and their impact and influence will reverberate for generations to come. ABC7 reported a bill has been proposed to award the unit with a Congressional Gold Medal; an honor that is coming more than a century after their service. Efforts are underway to further preserve a part of lower Manhattan that is embedded in the fabric of American history. According to AM New York, elected officials have reintroduced legislation for the creation of a museum that pays homage to the enslaved and free Africans who are buried at the African Burial Ground. The land—which is known to be North America’s largest and oldest exhumed burial ground—is where over 15,000 Africans were buried between the 1690s and the 1790s. The site was long forgotten about until 1991 when a group of people working on an excavation project in front of the Ted Weiss Federal Building at 290 Broadway discovered the remains of over 400 Africans and hundreds of relics; unearthing a masked part of history. Two years after the discovery, the African Burial Ground became a National Historic Landmark. The National Park Service named it a national monument in 2006. The current memorial gives a glimpse into what the cultural and social landscapes were like for enslaved Africans in New York during the 17th and 18th centuries. Coded Bias,” the new Netflix documentary, explores racist technologies, including facial recognition and algorithms is one to watch. The film opens with Joy Buolamwini, an MIT researcher who uncovered racial bias in several major facial recognition programs. Three years ago, Buolamwini found commercially available facial recognition software had an inherent race and gender bias. In Coded Bias, Buolamwini shares how she discovered the issue. Looking into the data sets used to train the software, she discovered that most of the faces used were white men. https://youtu.be/S0aw9nhIvCg A new effort in Mississippi is focusing on increasing vaccine access for older Black residents after some in rural areas could not get a vaccine appointment, despite being eligible for months, the Associated Press reports. About 80 adults, including Eola Murray, finally received a COVID-19 vaccination as part of the state’s first mobile event. According to the Associated Press, a bus picked up residents, some who had no over form of transportation, and took them to a community health center for vaccination. “I loved it — quick and easy,” Murry said after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Known as the birthplace of the Blues, Clarksdale is 80 percent Black. The small city is in the Mississippi Delta, which the pandemic has hit hard. https://youtu.be/puSFQcKVld0 Endorsements in the Virginia governor’s race continue to roll in, with Democrat Jennifer Carroll Foy receiving the latest nod. Former NAACP president Ben Jealous announced his support for Foy, citing her commitment to justice and equity. “As a public defender, she saw the two-tiered criminal justice system up close: one that’s left Black Americans behind and one that works for everyone else,” Jealous, president of the People For the American Way, said in an interview with ABC News. “As a leader in the legislature, Jennifer took on tough fights for justice — and she won.” The endorsement is the second for Foy this week, with Rep. Lauren Underwood throwing her weight behind the potential future governor. In a statement released to the Hill, Underwood praised Foy as a fighter for working families. MOBE (Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment) has opened registration for its free, one-day virtual symposium slated for Friday, April 23 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT. The event, first announced March 10, will provide attendees with business-building information in technology, marketing and entertainment industries under the theme of “Leveraging Our Power, Accelerating Our Success.” The rousing story of a duplicitous FBI informer who played a huge role in the assassination of Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton won top honors at the 21st Annual Black Reel Awards. In addition to winning Outstanding Film, Judas and the Black Messiah also won top acting honors for Daniel Kaluuya (Outstanding Supporting Actor) and Dominique Fishback (Outstanding Supporting Actress). With the win, Kaluuya becomes the Black Reel Awards second “Triple Crown” winner, with previous wins for Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Breakthrough Actor in Get Out. In addition, producers Charles King, Ryan Coogler and Shaka King, became the first all-African American team to win Outstanding Picture. Imagine experiencing your first kiss EVER on the set of a TV show with some girl (another actress). Well, that’s what Shahadi Wright Joseph experienced. The young actress, 15, told Page Six that the smooch (with castmate Marissa Heart) happened while filming Lena Waithe’s new Amazon Prime horror series “Them.” “It was a little bit weird just because there’s a bunch of people watching us and my mom was on set,” Wright Joseph told us. “It was a little bit awkward but it was fine. It turned out great and the scene turned out beautiful.” The head of New York City’s Black Lives Matter chapter is calling for an independent investigation into the organization’s finances after it was revealed a co-founder snapped up a $1.4 million home in a ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood. Patrisse Cullors, 37, who is a co-founder of BLM and self-professed ‘trained Marxist’, recently purchased a plush property in Topanga Canyon complete with a separate guest house and an expansive backyard. In Topanga Canyon, 88 per cent of residents are white and just 1.8 per cent are black, according to the census. Meanwhile, The New York Post reports that Cullors has also bought three other homes in recent years at a total cost of around $3 million. The AP reported that Black Lives Matter took in $90 million in donations last year, but it’s not clear if or how Cullors is paid by the organization, as its finances are opaque. TV One kicked off season 3 of its critically-acclaimed auto-biographical series UNCENSORED with R&B Sensation KEM on Sunday. A three-time Grammy-nominated artist. However, his journey to success wasn’t easy. He struggled with addiction and homelessness, before using music to help him find his way through. He tells all on his episode of UNCENSORED. Today, the internationally renowned R&B singer/songwriter has to his credit: one Platinum-selling album (KEM: ALBUM II); two Gold-selling albums (KEMISTRY; INTIMACY); three GRAMMY nominations; five #1 hit singles (“Love Calls,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Why Would You Stay,” “It’s You” and “Nobody”), along with several sold-out national tours and international shows. The late rapper DMX was remembered by his ex-wife Tashera Simmons in a moving tribute video she unveiled on Instagram on Saturday. Though the two became estranged back in 2005, and they had separated by 2010, Simmons said they remained friends up until the rapper’s death on Friday at age 50. The clip began as a celebration of her 50th birthday, but she included heartwarming images of the rapper enjoying time with her and his children. ‘Happy, happy birthday to me. April 10, 1971. Wow, what a ride. What a journey,’ Simmons said via narration while sharing some childhood photos of herself. ‘As I close up the last 50 years of my life, I rejoice and I thank God for everything it has taught me. The journey that it took me through. The hurt, the pain, the triumph, the resistance, the resilience, the learning lessons, the relationships, the power.’ She turned the focus toward her recently departed ex-husband DMX Katie Ledecky won the 1,500-meter freestyle at the Pro Swim Series meet with the world’s fastest time this year. She touched in 15 minutes, 40.55 seconds in the outdoor pool on Sunday. Ashley Twichell finished second in 16:06.68. Ledecky’s time was 17 seconds quicker than the second-fastest swimmer, Simona Quadarella who swam 15:57.03 at the recent Italian Olympic trials. Ledecky set the world record of 15:20.48 in 2018. Gig-economy Western “Nomadland” won four prizes including best picture on Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards, which were handed out during a pandemic-curbed ceremony that recognized a diverse array of screen talent. “Nomadland” filmmaker Chloe Zhao became only the second woman, and the first woman of color, to win the BAFTA for best director, and star Frances McDormand was named best actress. “Nomadland” also took the cinematography prize. The pressure was even more than Hideki Matsuyama could have imagined when he stood on the first tee Sunday at Augusta National. So was the emotion when he walked off the 18th green as the first Masters champion from golf-mad Japan. His arms securely inside the sleeves of the green jacket, he thrust them in the air. Ten years after he made a sterling debut as the best amateur at the Masters, the 29-year-old Matsuyama claimed the ultimate prize and took his place in history. Whether he’s Japan’s greatest player is not his concern. “However, I’m the first to win a major,” he said through his interpreter. “And if that’s the bar, then I’ve set it.” Martin Truex Jr. admits to being surprised by his success at Martinsville Speedway. Truex won a stirring, laps-long duel for the lead with teammate Denny Hamlin in the rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday night, winning for the third time in the last four stops at the 0.526-mile oval — the oldest and shortest in the series. “This place has become a playground for us I guess,” Truex said in Victory Lane. “We didn’t have the best car all day, but we just kept working on it and never quit on it.” Authorities and volunteers are searching for a missing Louisiana State University student whose car was found abandoned on a Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge earlier this week. Kori Gauthier, an 18-year-old freshman at LSU, was last seen Tuesday, her family said. Officers found her car after midnight Thursday on the eastbound side of the Horace Wilkinson Bridge on Interstate 10 after someone crashed into it, police said. Her car was left unoccupied on the bridge, which is about 2 miles from the university campus, for at least an hour before the crash. Her father, Levar Gauthier, said they only found out Kori was missing when she didn’t show up to an orthodontist appointment or dance class on Wednesday. Her daughter’s former roommate used a tracking app on her phone to pinpoint Kori’s car sitting at a tow lot. He said police did not contact them before or after towing her car away even though the driver was nowhere to be found following the crash. Her keys, phone and wallet were all found inside the car, according to her parents. City officials in Baton Rouge will host a prayer vigil Sunday evening as the search continues for LSU student Kori Gauthier. In an announcement published to Facebook, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said the candlelight vigil is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Galvez Plaza in downtown Baton Rouge. Fort Worth police are searching for several possible gang members who shot at each other from their cars, injuring five people, including a man in his home near the service road of the freeway. One person also died in the incident. During the shootout, a stray bullet hit a woman in a separate, unrelated vehicle, police said. The shootout on 2005 Southwest Loop 820 Frwy happened the night of April 9. Police said two cars travelling eastbound on the freeway, with several occupants were involved. One person is currently in critical condition, and the other five are were treated for non-life threatening gunshot wounds. Gang units have taken over the investigation. Keri Hilson & Tank Star in Lifetime’s Adaptation of Victoria Christopher Murray’s “LUST: A Seven Deadly Sins Story”, Executive Produced by T.D. Jakes – Premiered Saturday, April 10th. https://youtu.be/Wc7Wzgv7bnU Sight & Sound Theatres has announced when tickets will go on sale for its new original stage production, “DAVID.” Tickets will go on sale April 20 for the highly anticipated presentation coming to its theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 2022. The story is about the biblical hero who went from shepherd to king after defeating a giant named Goliath. “This new production has been four years in the making and we couldn’t be more excited to finally bring it to the stage,” Joshua Enck, chief story officer for Sight & Sound, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. https://youtu.be/vF_64CDtSQE Gospel powerhouse Kierra Sheard Kelly has used the past season of both grief and joy to fuel the content of her latest deluxe album and debut book. The new author and newlywed is a gospel music trailblazer, fashion designer and actress that comes from a lineage of gospel legends. She recently portrayed her real-life mother, Karen Clark Sheard from The Clark Sisters, in Lifetime’s No. 1 original film, “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel.” Days after the premiere of the film in April 2020, Kelly and her family suffered the loss of her 84-year-old grandmother, Willie Mae Sheard, an esteemed COGIC leader, who died of complications from the coronavirus. Months later, Kelly went on to release a self-titled Billboard-topping album and marry the “love of her life,” Jordan Kelly. Justin Bieber surprised his millions of fans Easter Sunday by releasing his first-ever gospel EP titled Freedom, and artists in Christian music have been praising the pop star for boldly sharing his faith with his mainstream audience. Two-time Grammy Award-winning artist Jason Crabb, whose single “Just As I Am” is climbing the CCM charts, celebrated the young singer and his new release. “The message of Jesus Christ is for everyone. When you find the love of Jesus, you can’t help but share it,” Crabb told The Christian Post of why he believes Bieber released a faith-based album. There’s an age-old saying that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Sean “Diddy” Combs is calling out corporate America for failing to invest in black media. That move looks to have backfired on him because he is now being called on the carpet for his own alleged shady business dealings, particularly as they pertain to artists signed to his label, Bad Boy Records, reminds Page Six. t was just last year that ex-Bad Boy artist Mase claimed Combs refused to sell him his publishing for $2 million because “some European guy” could offer him more. “Yo @Diddy , how are you going to ask corporate America to pay black people more and fairly when your yourself won’t pay the black people who have helped make you millions? wrote one critic. “Lead by example pimp. Give Mase his masters sir.” In a response to General Motor’s alleged lack of support for the black community, Combs, who owns media outlets Revolt TV and Revolt.com said people of color aren’t afraid to “weaponize our dollars” in an open letter published on the Revolt website. “No longer can corporate America manipulate our community into believing that incremental progress is acceptable action,” Combs wrote. “We demand that Corporate America reinvest an equitable percentage of what you take from our community back into our community.”It adds, “The same way you understand the power of our dollars, we understand our power to take them away from any corporation that doesn’t give us the economic inclusion we deserve. We are prepared to weaponize our dollars.” Justice is rarely swift in these situations but as conversations about reparations for the Black community press on, a few California legislators are actively working to right a nearly century-old wrong. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the county will return some prime real estate of Manhattan Beach land to the descendants of a Black couple who operated a beach resort there that was trashed by white residents and ultimately condemned and seized by the city. According to @abc7la, transferring the portion of what is known as Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce will require state legislation to remove restrictions on the land, which is now home to the county’s lifeguard training center. Jeanne Gay, the sister of revered R&B singer/songwriter Marvin Gaye, unexpectedly passed away at a hospital in Henderson, Nevada. Apparently, the family is suffering financially and could use YOUR help. They have set up a GoFundMe page. Our beloved mother and eldest sister of the late soul singer, Marvin Gaye, Jeanne, passed away unexpectedly March 23, 2021 at age 84. Mom went to the hospital for a routine procedure and was supposed to come back home safely the next day. She didn’t. I am one of Jeanne’s two daughters, and we are hoping to raise enough to give our mom a suitable memorial, but we also have a need for an autopsy, as the cause of death is still unknown to our family. Ten entertainment industry panelists come together via Zoom on Saturday April 17, 2021 between 1-3pmET for the 22nd annual Baltimore “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference. The free community event offers a Panel Q&A Session, a Professional Showcase and a National Talent Competition where a vocal and songwriting winner receives the 2021 “ULMII Best Artist” Award and over $16,000 valued in products and services. One thing about whiteness: it is going to find a way to center itself, but this time we are not giving it a choice. On Sunday April 11, 2021 at 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific on the new interactive app called Clubhouse, dozens of diversity experts and comedians will question whiteness during a woke event that will last 2 hours and invite the audience to chime in. The Clubhouse Comedy Club, will be the venue for the very first “Roasting Marshmallows,” a comedic roast of whiteness (not white people). “ In the words of Dr. Lunsford, the event creator, “Roasting Marshmallows, seeks to deconstruct, disempower, and dismantle whiteness through the comedic ritual of roasting.” Police in Windsor, Virginia, pulled their guns on a Black and Latino man immediately after pulling him over at a gas station for a traffic stop, according to body camera footage of the December 2020 incident. Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario, a member of the U.S. Army Medical Corps, was still wearing his full uniform en route home from work in his Chevy Tahoe when he asked, “I’m serving this country, and this is how I’m treated?” The officers later pepper-sprayed him, kneed him in the legs, handcuffed him, and threatened to bring charges against him if he complained about their conduct, according to the footage and Nazario’s lawsuit. https://youtu.be/ktiozJt7WJQ The Georgia Department of Public Health has paused distributing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at one state vaccination site after several people had adverse reactions after getting the shot on the same day this week. Georgia is now the fourth state this week to pause the J&J vaccine due to similar problems. Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach was at the Cumming Fairgrounds, where health officials have suspended distributing the vaccine after eight people experienced adverse reactions after getting the shots on Wednesday. One person was taken to the hospital but was released. Others were monitored at the site and sent home. Nowhere in America is the coronavirus pandemic more out of control than in Michigan. Outbreaks are ripping through workplaces, restaurants, churches and family weddings. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. Officials are reporting more than 7,000 new infections each day, a sevenfold increase from late February. And Michigan is home to nine of the 10 metro areas with the country’s highest recent case rates. During previous surges in Michigan, a resolute Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shut down businesses and schools as she saw fit — over the din of both praise and protests. But this time, Ms. Whitmer has stopped far short of the sweeping shutdowns that made her a lightning rod. Former Florida State star Travis Rudolph was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm in Palm Beach County, Florida, the sheriff’s office reports to ESPN. Sheriff’s officers responded to a double shooting on Wednesday morning in Lake Park, Florida. According to the sheriff’s office, the shooting left one man dead and resulted in another victim being transported to a local West Palm Beach hospital. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that four people in total were shot during the incident and all the victims were believed to be in the same car during the altercation. Deshaun Watson’s lawyer says his client did have sexual encounters with some of his accusers, but insists they were all consensual. Attorney Rusty Hardin made the statement during a press conference Friday, as Watson faces sexual misconduct allegations from 22 women. The Houston Texans quarterback is accused of sexually harassing and/or assaulting the women during massage therapy sessions dating back to March 2020. Hardin told reporters that some of these sessions would result in sexual activity, but claims there was never any coercion or force. A new poll suggests that many Americans want Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to run for president in the future. Consumer research company Piplsay polled 30,138 people nationwide between April 2-4 and found that 46% of Americans would like to see the retired WWE wrestler make the White House his home. Additionally, 40% of participants said they would like to see both Matthew McConaughey, who’s considering running for Texas governor, and Johnson run for public office. Carrie Underwood achieves her fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, as My Savior opens at No. 1 (chart dated April 10). My Savior was released on March 26 via Capitol Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville and sold 68,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending April 4 – the second-biggest sales week of 2021, and the largest for an album by a female artist this year. The year’s only larger sales week was registered by the debut frame of Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (74,000 copies; chart dated Jan. 23). Carrie Underwood is giving back through the power of music. The 38-year-old singer’s virtual concert, My Savior: Live From The Ryman, raised more than $112,000 for the nonprofit organization Save the Children, according to a press release. The livestream event — which took place on Easter Sunday and was recorded at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium — aired on Underwood’s Facebook page and saw the country crooner perform a series of tracks from her recently released gospel album, My Savior. The concert also featured special appearances by gospel great CeCe Winans, who sang a duet with Underwood on “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and NEEDTOBREATHE frontman Bear Rinehart, who sang with the Grammy award-winning songstress on “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.” Before Easter, social media was flooded with reports about rapper DMX being hospitalized and in grave condition after an overdose. It was a sobering moment for inspirational speaker and life coach, Iyanla Vanzant, as she’s experienced the devastation of addiction in her own family. https://vimeo.com/535246867 The Los Angeles Times is facing major backlash from fans after posting an insensitive headline announcing DMX’s death. fans noticed the publication’s headline highlighting the rapper’s past with the law and drug addiction. It reads, “DMX, gravel-voiced hip-hop star who battled law and addiction, dies at 50” and a screenshot of the headline was posted on their official Instagram pages. According to The Neighborhood Talk, fans called out the publication for addressing the low points of DMX’s life and career upon news of his death. One fan wrote, “DMX, the Rapper, Actor & Hip Hop Icon has died!!! Take notes, LA Times when writing a report…Your journalism is garbage!!! Unfollowing.” After the headline change, another fan said, “Yeah the last post was incredibly insensitive and racist. A complete double standard that is incredibly telling of the staff at the LA Times.” The publication issued an apology and said “this post replaces an earlier image which contained a headline that did not meet our standards. We apologized for the mistake.” Black University Radio Network, iAmerica Soul Publishing and Blackmon Entertainment join forces to present the “Small World” eBook Contest and you are invited to enter and win! It’s a small world! ZeaZoo & Land Of Boo “An Urban Fairytale” the award-winning animation/motion picture screenplay has been transformed into an amazing graphic novel, ebook and paperback limited edition. This ground-breaking, family friendly, graphic novel, enters uncharted waters in the lucrative elusive children’s animation, comics and Fantasy book categories. Targeting boys and girls ages: 7 -17. “I’m a producer. I write all the songs,” said Russ Fishburn when questioned about his new single “Jesus, Dance with Me” (Devine Jamz) which has lovely female vocals throughout. He continued, laughing a little, “I can carry a tune, but you don’t want to hear me live. I know my limitations. I can’t sing professionally so sometimes I get a female and sometimes I get a male singer.” https://youtu.be/undr2tZq5IU A Black male student at Albion College in Michigan has been booted from the campus after admitting to tagging a dorm with racist graffiti. Albion Department of Public Safety Chief Scott Kipps told MLive that the student confessed to the disturbing crime during questioning on Tuesday. The graffiti was found at the college’s Mitchell Towers last week. Campus video evidence reportedly confirmed the student’s confession, per MSN. The student has since been put on temporary suspension by the college. Kipps said the Calhoun County prosecutor’s office has yet to determine what/if any charges will be made. The graffiti included racist slurs, anti-Semitism and references to the Ku Klux Klan, according to university officials. Images of the racist graffiti were posted to Facebook by the City Watch News Group. After numerous conflicting reports surfacing around his health, DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, died on Friday at the age of 50. “We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days,” reads a statement released by his family. “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever. We appreciate all of the love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Please respect our privacy as we grieve the loss of our brother, father, uncle and the man the world knew as DMX. We will share information about his memorial service once details are finalized.” Another damning testimony aimed at disqualifying the defense’s theory that George Floyd died of a drug overdose took place during the Derek Chauvin murder trial on Thursday. Prosecutors relied on the testimony of Dr. Martin Tobin, a pulmonary specialist at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and Loyola University’s medical school in Chicago, who told jurors that Floyd died from lack of oxygen to the brain, caused by Chauvin’s decision to kneel on his neck for almost nine minutes and Floyd’s positioning on the ground. In turn the sequence of events damaged Floyd’s brain and caused his heart to stop. “A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died as a result of what he was subjected to,” Tobin stated. Tobin used intricate graphics to back up his assessment, stating that Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for an extended period of time, past the point where his body lost oxygen. https://youtu.be/6HGijfVyfIw Today, GRAMMY® and Stellar Award-winning artist, actress, and multi-faceted entrepreneur Kierra Sheard-Kelly, released the deluxe edition of her chart-topping album KIERRA (Karew Entertainment / RCA Inspiration). The new album is an accompaniment to her forthcoming memoir, “Big, Bold, and Beautiful: Owning the Woman God Made You to Be” (Zonderkidz), which will be released on April 13th. A musical trove, KIERRA (Deluxe) is available everywhere now. An artistic hybrid of Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel sounds, Kierra continues to boldly step out as a creative powerhouse on the 20-track deluxe edition, introducing five new songs: “Out of My Mind” (feat. Camper), “Grace,” “Live 4 God,” “A Good Man,” and “Something Has to Break” (feat. Karen Clark Sheard), the duet with her mother, which is currently playing on radio and was recorded from their enthralling appearance together on the 2020 BET Awards. Dove Award and NAACP Image Award producer and recording artist Damien Sneed returns to his Gospel roots with the release of his brand-new project, Damien Sneed UNPLUGGED on Friday, April 16, 2021, on his boutique label, LeChateau Earl Records. UNPLUGGED is a collection of soulful and inspirational songs, recorded in a free-form, spare studio setting with Sneed on piano and vocals alongside several noted vocalists, including Chenee Campbell, Linny Smith, Tiffany Stevenson, and Matia Washington. Justin Fairfax, Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor took a page out of Clarence Thomas‘ book during the state’s televised gubernatorial debate on Tuesday. During a question regarding policing in the southern state, Fairfax began pontificating on the historical ramifications of systemic racism, which often leads to state sanctioned violence. “The murder of George Floyd was horrific,” Fairfax said. “But it recalls a history in Virginia and in our nation where African Americans, in particular African American men, are presumed to be guilty, are treated inhumanely, are given no due process and have their lives impacted, in some cases taken away in an instant.” Fairfax, who remained lieutenant governor even in the midst of two sexual assault accusations, then categorized the way he was treated as a modern day lynching, going so far as to evoke Emmett Till and Floyd. The National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, Inc (NFDMA) has partnered with FEMA to provide support for the agency’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Task Force to undertake a historic endeavor: reimbursing eligible funeral expenses to those who incurred them in 2020 as a result of COVID-19. FEMA will begin accepting applications for Funeral Assistance on Monday, April 12, 2021 through their dedicated call center. Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA will provide financial reimbursement for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020. Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, April 10 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. On this episode, Chef JJ and BMX Champion Nigel Sylvester whip up a delicious grill and chill meal staring with a Garlic Butter & Herbs Grilled Lobster Tail. The next course is a hearty Grilled Ribeye Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce and Twice Cooked Fingerling Potatoes. Chef JJ then introduces Nigel to one of his signature drinks - a Japanese Whiskey on the rocks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M92o94AJao CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, April 11 at 9 P.M./8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. In this episode, CLEO SPEAKS highlights Tracie Ponder's prospective on how racism is being coded into to the fabric of our society and her determination to correct it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tatpNKBKuU The Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS), the largest, traveling Diasporic art show in the country, has opened its 2021 Virtual Art Show with over 60 artists and galleries from around the globe. The show, which is free to the public and accessible 24/7, will feature interactive displays showcasing some of the world’s preeminent Black artists with over 1,200 works available, valued at more than $100M. The fair will run continuously through Saturday, July 31, 2021. The future of performance arts is in good hands because of the commitment and dedication of upcoming young artists. It does my heart good to witness the young artists performing live before an appreciative audience. Following two rounds of virtual auditions, The Music Center has selected semifinalist in the Music Center’s 33rd annual Spotlight Program, a free nationally acclaimed arts training and scholarship program for teens. Each semi-finalist will audition virtually again before a new panel of judges, who will then select the top two finalist performers from each category. The Grand Prize Finalist will perform in The Music Center’s Spotlight Virtual Grand Finale Performance on May 22, 2021, premiering on the Music Center’s Offstage digital platform at 7:00pm. Five years after Prince’s untimely death, fans will soon be getting never-before-heard music from the late icon. The singer’s estate is set to drop his previously unreleased album, Welcome 2 America. The album, due out on July 30, was recorded at Prince’s Paisley Park studio in 2010, but shelved and placed in the vault shortly after being completed. In the wake of his death on April 21, 2016, the singer’s estate has delved into re-releasing some of the singer’s biggest hits, and new versions and iterations of his past collaborations and covers. This new album will be the biggest release of previously unheard songs to come out of the singer’s famous vault of unreleased tunes. Movieguide’s Movies That Inspire honored Dolly Parton on Easter Sunday on The REELZ Channel with its Grace Prize. The legendary country singer declared that God’s grace has always been a part of her life. The popular award show run by the organization that provides movie reviews for Christians was held virtually this year due to the COIVD-19 pandemic, showcasing films released in 2020 that highlighted redeeming faith and family content. Movieguide’s Movies That Inspire celebrated five award winners during its broadcast, including Parton. Jeannie Mai and Jeezy are married! The Real co-host and the GRAMMY-nominated artist said “I do” one year after getting engaged. The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at their home in Atlanta on March 27, per Vogue, which shared stunning photos from their nuptials. https://youtu.be/YRynzUXxLT0 Earlier this week, Ryan Cameron of Ryan Cameron Uncensored on Majic 1075/975 (WAMJ/Atlanta) spoke with Maxwell about the 25th Anniversary of his debut album, “Urban Hang Suite.” https://soundcloud.com/eurnews/ryan-cameron-speaks-with-maxwell Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard dish about the new WE tv series, “THE TS MADISON EXPERIENCE,” and her friendship with series star TS Madison. https://youtu.be/dW-pqiEtwWs Jameela Jamil has called on Khloe Kardashian to stop being part of the culture that makes girls ‘hate themselves’. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, the Good Place actress, 35, stated that Khloe should ‘admit’ to ‘having surgeries’ and ‘thinning’ her photographs and videos. The body neutrality activist spoke out after Khloe, 36, defended her attempt to kill an ‘unflattering’ unfiltered viral bikini photo. Midwin Charles, CNN and MSNBC legal analyst, had taken to Instagram on March 19 to share that she was not feeling well, cancelling her scheduled happy hour. Charles died on Tuesday at age 47. Crosley Green, 63, was arrested in 1989, right, for the murder of Charles ‘Chip’ Flynn Jr. He always maintained his innocence. Nearly 3 years after his conviction was overturned, he’s been released, left. https://youtu.be/1eZHK0UIgcA Prince Philip has passed at aged 99, Buckingham Palace announced today. The Duke of Edinburgh, who had been married to the Queen for 73 years and described as her constant strength, passed away “peacefully” at Windsor Castle this morning. The Queen today shared a poignant photo of Philip as she talked of her “deep sorrow” in a heartfelt tribute to her “beloved” husband. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle paid tribute to this grandfather Prince Philip on their Archewell Foundation website. Visitors to the site receive a message mourning Prince Philip who died Friday at the age of 99. “In Loving Memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021,” the dedication says. “Thank you for your service…you will be greatly missed.” Per PEOPLE, Harry is expected to return to the U.K. for the first time in over a year to attend the funeral. It’s unclear if Meghan will join him or stay in California. The former actress is pregnant with the couple’s second child, a baby girl – expected this summer. Attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the family of George Floyd, has revealed that Hollywood superstar George Clooney has been emailing him to weigh in on the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Clooney specifically takes issue with Chauvin’s defense attorneys suggesting that Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes didn’t cause his death, but rather drugs did. Crump appeared virtually on “The View” on Thursday and told co-host Joy Behar that Clooney is engaged in social justice matters because he wants his 3-year-old twins “to live in a better world.” https://youtu.be/ZDoenSI9zKs Nike has settled its lawsuit over Lil Nas X’s custom Satan Shoes, forcing a recall on all 666 pairs. A U.S. District Court in New York approved Nike’s request for a temporary restraining order against the art collective, blocking further sales of the shoe. On April 8, per Complex, both Nike and MSCHF confirmed that they agreed to settle the lawsuit. As part of the settlement, MSCHF will buy back the pairs already sold for their original retail price. The move is an effort to take the sneakers out of circulation. The same voluntary recall offer will be extended to customers who purchased the “Jesus Shoes” that MSCHF released in 2019. Those custom Air Max 97s allegedly have holy water from the River Jordan in its Air unit, according to the report. https://youtu.be/RymueCuo8pw A daycare center in Roswell, GA is being accused of racism after a livestream video appears to show white children being fed lunch first. “They were skipping all of the black kids it seemed like,” Adryan McCauley, father to one of the daycare’s Black kids, told Atlanta’s CBS46. The family said they watched the injustice unfold while checking in on their 2-year-old through a video livestream for the Kids R’ Kids Roswell location. https://youtu.be/_n-aZgpicDI Beauty queen Pushpika De Silva was declared Mrs. Sri Lanka, only to have the crown taken from her head moments later by the 2019 winner, claiming De Silva should have been disqualified because she is divorced. Caroline Jurie, 2019’s Mrs. Sri Lanka, grabbed the crown off De Silva, claiming that the title holder has to be married. Before taking the crown, Jurie declared to the crowd: “There is a rule that prevents women who have already been married and are divorced, so I am taking steps to make the crown go to second place.” Jurie then placed the crown on the first runner up, who seemed thrilled to be the sudden winner. De Silva, meanwhile, stormed off the stage in tears. https://youtu.be/S5rTt60PT90 Funnyman Michael Colyar scores one hour exclusive interview with comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish on “The Michael Colyar’s Super Star Interviews Show!” Michael Colyar welcomes Tiffany Haddish to his show Wednesday, April 14 at 6 pm (PST) on Instagram Live. Amanda Gorman, the country’s first National Youth Poet Laureate, graces the cover of Vogue’s May issue and speaks candidly with the publication about her rise to fame. “Honored to be the first poet EVER on the cover of @voguemagazine, & what a joy to do so while wearing a Black designer, @virgilabloh. This is called the Rise of Amanda Gorman, but it’s truly for all of you, both named & unseen, who lift me up,” Gorman wrote on Twitter Wednesday. For the issue, Gorman recalls how American Girl used her likeness in 2017 without her permission. Per romper.com, she had been booked to speak at an American Girl outlet to celebrate their annual “Girl Of The Year,” a doll called Gabriela McBride when she noticed the doll’s backstory eerily resembled her own. Kirk Franklin is joined by charismatic sports commentator Stephen A. Smith for a conversation about knowing your worth and staying true to yourself. Learn about the impact Stephen’s hard-working mom had on his life and his journey from promising young basketball player, to an aspiring journalist, to the highest-paid talent in ESPN history! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stephen-a-smith/id1550112679?i=1000515946966 Former Fox News host Eric Bolling stormed out of a BBC interview Wednesday after Black political commentator Aisha Moodie-Mills called him out for “claiming” to care about Black communities. https://youtu.be/gwAg-tG0DuU The California man accused of murdering his wife, and then propping up her dead body on a couch as their kids opened Christmas presents, was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder. According to the Mercury News, William Wallace, 39, allegedly killed his wife, Za’Zell Preston, 26, during an argument on Christmas Eve 2011. Wallace had a history of violence against Preston and he reportedly threatened to kill her on multiple occasions. The victim was studying to become a domestic violence counselor at the time of her death. THEM (streaming on Amazon Prime starting today, April 9) is a limited anthology series that explores terror in America. Set in the 1950s, it centers on a Black family that moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood during “The Great Migration.” The family’s new dream home becomes ground zero where evil forces – both next-door and otherworldly – threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them. https://youtu.be/WL3Jz8fDgFI Comedian, actor, writer, singer and producer Eddie Murphy is Oprah Winfrey’s next guest on “The Oprah Conversation,” premiering Friday, April 9, exclusively on Apple TV+. It’s her first interview with the comedy legend in 35 years. Murphy joins fellow NAACP inductee Oprah for a conversation about the cultural impact of his 1988 film “Coming To America,” and how the long-awaited sequel, “Coming 2 America,” made it to the screen. https://vimeo.com/534907688 Porsha Williams accused Marlo Hampton of being a ‘clout chaser’ following their fallout on a recent episode of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Sunday’s episode saw Hampton and Williams put their differences aside thanks to Marlo’s new friendship with Kenya Moore. But when Marlo suspected Porsha of lying to her about hooking up with a male stripper, things went left during the cast’s dinner with Big Freedia. https://youtu.be/lPWcH9vTNQc A rare 1938 comic that features the first appearance of Superman sold for $3.25 million on Tuesday. The mint-condition comic was allegedly unearthed among a stack of old movie magazines, PEOPLE reports. The legendary Action Comics #1, which once sold for a dime, was bought for a record-breaking price in a private sale, Comic Connect announced Tuesday. The sale breaks the record set by another copy of Action Comics #1 that sold in 2014 for $3,207,852. A 7-year-old who wrote to Old Navy about putting “real” pockets in girls’ jeans got an actual response from the company, and is now a viral sensation. Kamryn Gardner, a first grader at Evening Star Elementary School in Bentonville, Arkansas, used a “persuasive writing” assignment contact Old Navy about their faux front pockets, “Dear Old Navy,” Gardner wrote in her letter. “I do not like that the front pockets of the girls’ jeans are fake. I want front pockets because I want to put my hands in them. I also would like to put things in them. Would you consider making girls jeans with front pockets that are not fake. Thank you for reading my request.” The company sent her four pairs of girls’ jeans with real pockets and the following personalized response: “Thank you so much for taking the time to write us about pockets on girl’s jeans. The Old Navy kids product team appreciate your information. It’s great feedback for us as we develop new product.” The city of St. Louis has elected its first Black woman mayor, who also happens to be the first single mother to rock the title. Tishaura Jones made history on Tuesday after winning the election over Cara Spencer. The Associated Press reported, Jones has been an outspoken critic of the criminal justice system’s “arrest and incarcerate.” She defeated Alderwoman Spencer in the general election with 51.7% to Spencer’s 47.8%. She will be sworn in on April 20. https://youtu.be/lYwZVMaW9AE Park Cannon, the Georgia lawmaker who was violently arrested for protesting the state’s racist voting law won’t face charges, according to CNN. Cannon’s lawyer, civil rights attorney Gerald Griggs, confirmed the news to the outlet on Wednesday. “Facts and evidence showed to the world that Rep. Cannon committed no crime and should not have ever been arrested,” Griggs wrote on Twitter. “We thank the district attorney for her thorough review of the evidence and are weighing our next legal actions,” he continued. Griggs captioned the post with #gapol #ProtectBlackWomen and #KeepKnocking, referencing a hashtag used by Cannon in an April 2 tweet. A Texas judge ordered the release of former Dallas cop Bryan Riser, who was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder after reportedly authorizing two killings in 2017. The charges against Riser were also dropped. According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas County Criminal Court Judge Audrey Moorehead made the decision on Wednesday following hours of testimony where prosecutors claimed there was not enough sufficient evidence to move forward. Riser’s wife and attorney fought for his release, arguing that banking records and other key evidence proved his innocence. Hubert Davis, the new men’s basketball coach at the University of North Carolina, was officially introduced at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that went all the way to the left after he randomly interjected he was “proud” to have a white wife. Davis, 50, will succeed newly retired head coach Roy Williams and spoke to a pool of reporters on Tuesday. Instead of focusing on the fact that Davis made history as the school’s first Black head coach, Davis’ uplifting of his wife overshadowed the moment. “I know that in terms of Division 1 head coaches all around the country, only 26 percent of the head coaches are compromised by minorities, specifically African-Americans. I know that it is significant that I’m fourth African-American head coach in any sport in the history of North Carolina. I’m very proud to be African American. But I’m also very proud that my wife is white, and I’m very proud that my three beautiful, unbelievable kids are a combination of both of us,” Davis said. Cops are searching for an 18-year-old man they say pulled the trigger in a shooting two months ago that killed a young mother and wounded her fiancé. The NYPD on Friday released a picture of Moussa Cisse and said he’s a suspect in the killing of 29-year-old Shadina Smith, who was hit by three bullets in the chest on Jan. 16. Cops believe Cisse was the man who groped Smith shortly after she left her apartment. Smith rushed back into the building to get her 26-year-old fiance, Joshua Hall, and then together they returned to confront the man who grabbed her, police say. Cisse pulled out a gun and fired at the couple, striking Smith three times. Smith, the mother of a 2-year-old boy, Uriel, died at the hospital. Hall was also wounded in the chest and left arm, but survived. Rasheeda Barzey, 45, executed alongside her beloved kids by an ex-con boyfriend in a rage-fueled rampage, spent the last seven years as an administrative manager with the city Health and Hospitals Corp., according to her Linkedin page and devastated co-workers. The devoted mom, along with her daughters aged 20 and 16, was killed late Monday night when her gun-toting boyfriend entered their Brooklyn apartment and opened fire. She started working for city hospitals in June 2014, when her beau was behind bars for a Westchester County bank robbery committed one year earlier. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has inked a first-look agreement with executive producer Carlos King's Kingdom Reign Entertainment. The pact sees Kingdom Reign Entertainment developing original unscripted series that will be available exclusively on OWN, with King as executive producer. King is the creator and executive producer of OWN's popular Saturday night unscripted series "Love & Marriage: Huntsville" and "Behind Every Man," as well as the network's newest Friday night series "Belle Collective," which premiered in January. "Carlos and his team understand what it means to create addictive and entertaining unscripted television that connects with our viewers," said Tina Perry, president OWN. "With the success of our expanded unscripted lineup to two nights, we look forward to our continued partnership with Carlos to develop buzzy new shows with big characters that attract audiences." Since appearing on stage to read her original poem, The Hill We Climb, at President Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, Amanda Gorman, 23, has been everywhere, from star-studded panels to magazine covers to the Super Bowl. Now the inaugural poet is Vogue’s May cover star, and inside the issue, the 23-year-old shares what she learned from her inauguration appearance, how she is picky about choosing campaigns since she signed with IMG, and what she thinks of the Obamas, Hillary Clinton, and Oprah. Actor Hill Harper is best known for his riveting television roles on “CSI: NY,” “Limitless,” and “The Good Doctor.” However, Harper says his current project is the most important endeavor of his life, as he addresses the growing wealth gap in this country that has financially crippled Black Americans by making them victims of institutionalized predators. And he is championing the importance of Black and Brown people in the United States building cross-generational wealth. In his quest to honor April as “Financial Literacy Month,” Hill will announce on Thursday, April 8, details of his partnership in The Black Wall Street, the “first black-owned digital wallet and Bitcoin exchange platform in the United States. He will outline the entity’s mission and goals of creating a groundbreaking Fintech app for the Black, Brown, and LatinX communities. The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce (WDM Chamber) is set to host the first annual Black and Brown Business Summit (the Summit) presented by Principal Financial Group® on April 22 and 23. This two-day conference was created by the WDM Chamber’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI Committee) with the goal of elevating ethnic minorities and bringing BIPOC businesses together to assist with connection building, programming, promotion, training and to provide resources to help businesses grow and prosper. The 12th Annual African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards, hosted by Tichina Arnold (“The Neighborhood”), J.B. Smoove (“Curb Your Enthusiasm),” Tone Bell (“Sylvie’s Love,” “United States vs Billie Holiday”) aired to a private audience last night, with a second public-facing viewing on April 17th and 18th on The AAFCA Channel on Comcast/Xfinity. The AAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor, presented by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, will be awarded to Daniel Kaluuya for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah. Best Foreign Film, presented by Amma Asante, will be awarded to Philippe Lacôte, Director of Night of the Kings. Best Animated Film, presented by Daryl “Chill” Mitchell and Matthew Cherry, will be awarded to SOUL. Best Documentary, presented by Debra Martin Chase, will be awarded to All In: The Fight For Democracy. Best Short Film, presented by Trevor Noah, will be awarded to Two Distant Strangers. Best Screenplay, presented by Nissan’s Ashli Bobo and The Black List’s Franklin Leonard, will be awarded to Kemp Powers for One Night In Miami. Best Actress, presented by Lee Daniels, will be awarded to Andra Day for her role in The United States Vs. Billie Holiday. Best Actor, presented by Michael B. Jordan, will be awarded to Chadwick Boseman for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Best Director, presented by Gina Prince-Bythewood, will be awarded to Regina King for One Night In Miami. And the Best Picture, presented by Chaz Ebert and AAFCA President/CEO Gil Robertson, will be awarded to Judas and the Black Messiah. A famous Beverly Hills mansion featured in Whitney Houston’s film “The Bodyguard” and a Beyoncé music video is on the market with a slashed asking price. The Hearst estate, built in 1927 by architect Gordon Kaufmann, is named after one of its early tenants, newspaper magnate and politician William Randolph Hearst. He lived there alongside partner and actress Marion Davies after she purchased the property for him in 1946. The Mediterranean-style home is being sold for $89.75 million, a reduction of nearly $30 million from last month’s price and significantly lower than its $195 million asking price in 2016. The sale is by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court after the homeowner, attorney Leonard Ross, racked up over $50 million in debt on the property, according to the Los Angeles Times. The spot is listed as one of Los Angeles’ most iconic homes and “anchored in American Legend.” In 1953, it was the honeymoon location for Jackie and John F. Kennedy, and the exterior of the house was used in “The Godfather,” “The Bodyguard” and Beyoncé’s “Black is King” music film (at 0:04). https://youtu.be/TOGiwyTjEFA Netflix has reportedly acquired a Kanye West documentary series for a whopping $30 million. The project will feature never-before-seen archival footage covering two decades of the hip-hop star’s work in music and fashion. The doc will also include the death of Ye’s mother Donda and his failed 2020 presidential bid. The project, which does not yet have a title, comes from the duo known as Coodie and Chike. They co-directed Ye’s 2003 “Through the Wire” video and “Jesus Walks pt. 3.” Their Creative Control company produced the 2018 Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace” and the 2020 documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” The duo have reportedly been filming the rapper for 21 years. The project is reportedly set to debut on Netflix later this year. Famed Long Beach photographer Navis Oliver reissues his coffee table-book “Granny: Mama Sarah Obama A Pictorial Essay” to celebrate her life after her recent passing. Oliver has traveled as far as Africa for photography assignments. On his first trip to Kenya, he found himself literally at the doorstep of Sarah Obama, the grandmother of President Obama. Affectionately called Mama Sarah Obama she was the last surviving grandparent of President Obama and the official grandmother of her village Kogelo. Navis was granted permission to take these pictures for a picture book on her life, Mama Sarah Obama was 94 years-old. Though it’s known as “The City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia has also produced some of the best pugilists to ever lace up a pair of gloves. Hall of Famers such as “Smokin’” Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkins top the list of Philly greats, while Matthew Saad Muhammad and Meldrick Taylor solidified their spots as some of the best to ever come out of the prestigious boxing area. Now, Jaron “‘Boots” Ennis, 26-0-0 with 24 knockouts, seems to be the future of not only Philadelphia boxing, but the sport’s welterweight division as a whole. Rapidly climbing the ladder as one of the brightest stars, his aggressive style, high work rate and impressive knockout percentage make him impossible to ignore. This week, Andy Cohen announced that a series of children from the Real Housewives franchise will all appear on an upcoming special episode of Watch What Happens Live. The special show will unite the offspring from Real Housewives of Atlanta, New York City, New Jersey, Orange County, Salt Lake City and even more cities featured within the franchise! After Khloe Kardashian’s team reportedly tried to have an unfiltered bikini pic of the reality star removed from the Internet, it prompted even more people to screenshot and share the image. It also led Khloe to do a partially nude “live” aimed at showing followers that the photos of herself that she posts are not as filtered as one might believe. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNY22w7BdcP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Two medical doctors and a forensic toxicologist testified Thursday in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial in the death of George Floyd. The doctors testified that Floyd died of a lack of oxygen by being pinned to the ground with his hands cuffed behind him and Chauvin’s knee on his neck. Dr. Martin Tobin, a world-renowned expert on breathing, illustrated how Floyd’s use of his knuckles and fingers to try and push his body off the pavement so he could breathe is a sign of oxygen levels in the body being depleted. https://youtu.be/FXsu-__EYR8 Nick Cannon teamed up with gospel royalty Kierra Sheard to deliver a powerful performance of Fred Hammond’s classic, “No Weapon” over Easter weekend. https://youtu.be/Hi_5D8VXqjc DMX has ‘not regained any brain function’ almost a week after his alleged overdose and heart attack. The rapper’s condition is said to have shown no improvement after a series of tests that were performed Wednesday, leaving his family with the agonizing decision over whether to keep the 50-year-old entertainer on life support. TMZ reports that the tests proved there was ‘no improvement in brain activity’ since he was first rushed into hospital last Friday, after he was deprived of any oxygen for nearly half an hour. The test results have been described as ‘not good’ in the Thursday report, and that his family have requested that longtime friend and former manager Steve Rifkind fly to New York on Friday to be by his side. A former NFL player name Phillip Adams has been identified as the man who killed 5 people on Wednesday, including 2 children, at a home in South Carolina. Officials believe Adams — a 7th-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft — stormed a home in Rock Hill, SC on Wednesday afternoon and shot 5 people to death. The victims have been identified as 70-year-old Dr. Robert Lesslie, his 69-year-old wife, Barbara Lesslie — and their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie. A 5th victim, 38-year-old James Lewis, was working at the home when the gunman opened fire, killing him. A 6th person was shot — but that person survived and is being treated at a nearby hospital. https://youtu.be/6Twgh755ATM A Cleveland suburb has agreed to pay a couple $450,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit after an incident was caught on camera where a white officer beat a black man during a traffic stop. Attorneys for the city of Euclid agreed to the settlement this week during talks with the attorney for Richard Hubbard and Yolimar Tirado, cleveland.com reported Wednesday. The couple’s attorney, Christopher McNeal, said he was ‘grateful these individuals will be compensated for the pain and suffering that they went through.’ The self-appointed bishop of a Pennsylvania ministry has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for forcing church members to work certain jobs, pocketing their earnings, and directing them to defraud various hotels. A jury in 2019 convicted TRACIE DICKEY, also known as “Tracie Williams,” 57, of Pittsburgh, Pa., on wire fraud and labor trafficking charges. Dickey was a self-appointed bishop of Deliverance Tabernacle Ministries, an organization she founded that proclaimed to offer faith-based services in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida. She also purported to operate a travel agency known as World Ambassador Travel. Evidence at trial revealed that Dickey recruited young women to become members of the ministry, and directed them to work multiple jobs, including as desk clerks at hotels. She instructed the members on how to have the hotels pay reservation-commission fees to Dickey’s travel agency, even though her agency never actually booked reservations on behalf of the hotel guests. The hotel scheme resulted in at least $66,525 in fraudulent proceeds. Pharrell Williams revealed in an emotional post last month that one of the victims in the Virginia Beach shooting on March 27 was his cousin, 25-year-old Donovon Lynch. Per NBC News, Lynch was killed along the city’s popular Oceanfront strip of hotels and restaurants shortly after several others were wounded in two nearby shootings. Police claim Lynch had a handgun when he came in contact with officers responding to the shootings, and he was fatally shot by a Black cop whose body camera had not been activated. https://youtu.be/f3I430wQy08 Geraldo Rivera and his fellow Fox News pundit buddy Leo Terrell are not on the same page would be an understatement. You see, Geraldo is straight up challenging Leo’s cred in the Black community. The inevitable result is on video for the world to witness. The hostility went down on Thursday when Geraldo and Leo were on Bill Hemmer’s “America’s Newsroom” to talk about race and policing, particularly in St. Louis. That city’s Mayor-Elect Tishaura Jones — a Black woman — questioned the “lived experience” of white allies in leading a population that is nearly 50 percent Black. https://youtu.be/lSQPEm-BMO8 Footage of a 10-year-old Nicaraguan boy crying and asking a Texas border agent for help has gone viral. Per PEOPLE, the video was taken April 1 by a Rio Grande border patrol agent. The footage shows the boy walking along a dirt road to law enforcement and explaining that the group he was traveling with had left him behind. https://youtu.be/u4vhMv5uou8 Cardi B is featured on the cover of the latest issue of XXL magazine in which she opens up about being paid what she’s worth. The hip-hop star says she’s been doing her research on how much she should be paid and she understands that race and gender are factors in business deals. “For example, sometimes I feel like a company might see, you know, a girl like me, a colored girl like me. I’m a colored girl and I’m from the ‘hood and shit. And they might be like, ‘Oh, we could offer her a $2 million advance.’ And the company is gonna make out of you, probably fucking $50 million, $100 million,” Cardi said. Teen Vogue has named a non-Foundational Black American as the new executive editor after Alexi McCammond was fired last month for mentioning the word “Asian” in tweets she posted as a teenager. Danielle Kwateng, who has worked at Teen Vogue for two years, was announced on Wednesday as the publication’s new executive editor. McCammond, 27, resigned on March 18 as Teen Vogue’s editor in chief amid a backlash over resurfaced offensive tweets that she posted back in 2011. A week before McCammond was to start as editor-in-chief of Condé Nast’s Teen Vogue, she was fired after her old tweets about Asians were unearthed. McCammond deleted the tweets two years ago but screenshots of her derogatory comments resurfaced after her Teen Vogue gig was announced. An exclusive clip from the premiere of the upcoming ALLBLK series “Notorious Queens,” which centers on a group of women in LA who became infamous due to their former flames. In it, Toni Welch confronts La’Britney about an issue they had back in Detroit, where La’Britney had just wrapped a photoshoot and was ‘hanging out’ around Toni’s man. https://youtu.be/aIQEAB19CC4 Regé-Jean Page is speaking out about a new report claiming he was turned down for a role in the Superman series because of his race. The creators of the series reportedly considered non-white actors for the role. Page auditioned but DC exec Geoff Johns nixed the idea of Superman having a Black grandfather. The role ultimately went to white actor Cameron Cuffe. Johns’ publicist Howard Bragman told Insider that Johns “never said Superman can’t have a Black ancestor or be Black.” Page in a tweet Wednesday, “Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then. The clarifications almost hurt more tbh,” he wrote. “Still just doing my thing. Still we do the work. We still fly.” Johns’ rep provided a statement to PEOPLE that said Page “never got to the stage where he would be selected by producers to be sent to the studio nor did he ever officially test for WBTV.” Sharon Osbourne has responded to Sheryl Underwood’s claim that she hasn’t reached out since their heated exchange on “The Talk” last month. Underwood made clear on her podcast this week that Osbourne has not reached out to her since their fallout. On Tuesday, Osbourne shared text messages with The Daily Mail that she claimed to have sent to her former co-host. Screenshots of the messages show they were sent between March 12 and March 18. “Sheryl, My heart is heavy and I’m deeply saddened by the events that transpired on Wednesday. I don’t want to lose my true friend over this,” the first message reads. “Im sorry for telling you to f— off during the break, I’m sorry for accusing you of fake crying while we were live on air I’m sorry for losing my temper with you. I felt shocked, scared and saddened by what felt like was a blind sided attack. You know me. You know how I’ve always had your back.” https://youtu.be/l5wSfMxfz3w When Donald Trump won the presidency, his aides claimed they found “dirty notes” in odd places left all over the White House that they thought were from officials to former President Barack Obama. As it turns out, the notes were actually put there by celebrities. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham in 2019 claimed that when the Trump team moved into the White House, “we had notes left behind that said ‘you will fail,’ ‘you aren’t going to make it.'” In a new interview with Naomi Campbell, Dave Chappelle talked about attending one of the ‘last big parties’ that Obama threw at the WH and he witnessed celebs write ‘crazy’ notes for Trump and his staff to find. https://youtu.be/EIdfGXxqqKQ When Terry Crews appeared on “Running Wild With Bear Grylls” Monday, he opened up about his abusive father being the reason why he decided to work out and build his muscular physique. “Growing up was not a good experience. My father was very abusive, you know, he used to beat my mother. And so, it was one of those things where I knew I would have to get stronger because one day I thought I’d have to fight him. That’s how it started out,” revealed Crews, per Yahoo. https://youtu.be/a4-7nHoR1AI An anti-masker invoked Jesus while delivering a word to disinterested Costco customers about succumbing to fear over mask mandates. “We’re not gonna be able to buy, sell or trade, we’re just being positioned right now,” the maskless man begins in the video, shouting to shoppers within earshot. An employee stands by at a safe social distance allowing the rant to continue. “I’m being kicked out of the store because I will not wear a mask! Come on, let’s be real,” the anti-masker says. “Are we being hypocritical? When we’re with our friends and family, are we masking up? Are we afraid? No, but right now, America is falling to the fear!” He continued, “We don’t know what’s true and what’s not, but God is true. Jesus is true. I encourage you to stand and be strong.” https://youtu.be/UHTRzhERiEE If you have watched MSNBC and CNN, Midwin Charles, a prominent defense attorney best known as a legal analyst for those networks. Unfortunately, Charles died Tuesday, her family announced. At this time there is no cause of death at this time. She was 47. https://youtu.be/g6fWIJRIzvA The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has revealed the main cause of Tiger Woods’ car crash in February. Woods was driving 84-87 mph in a 45-mph zone when he crashed his SUV in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., on Feb. 23. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods also failed to maintain the curvature of the road. Woods likely accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal before the crash, according to LASD Lomita Station Captain James Powers. https://youtu.be/gVOTDVSIjOM Whether or not you align with her particular brand of politics, the recent admonishment of former housing official Lynne Patton warrants legitimate questioning. On Tuesday Patton, a Trump appointed Housing and Urban Housing director for New York and New Jersey, was docked for violating the Hatch Act over a video she produced for the 2020 Republican National Convention. The Hatch Act was formed to ensure public officials would be barred from bribing or coercing voters in exchange for a vote. It also restricts certain federal employees from partaking in certain political activities. As part of the settlement, Patton will have to pay a $1,000 fine and will be barred from federal employment for two years. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) found that Patton leveraged her relationship with a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) resident to meet and recruit participants for a film that appeared at the RNC, documenting the ways living conditions were “improved” under the Trump administration. Morries Lester Hall, a friend of George Floyd and a key witness in the trial of Derek Chauvin, is trying to avoid testifying as it could lead to him being charged with third-degree murder for Floyd’s death. Hall, who is threatening to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, was in a car with Floyd on May 25, moments before Floyd was detained by Minneapolis police officers and pinned to the ground. Hall’s attorney has noted that anything his client says about his alleged drug activity with Floyd could incriminate him. https://youtu.be/t8EmoOFOCkc Long reluctant to erase student loan debt by executive order, President Joe Biden may be shifting his position. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona was asked to research and draft a memo laying legal options available to the president. The review comes as progressive lawmakers and various constituent groups call for the president to forgive at least a portion of existing student loan debt. Members of Congress, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, insist the president can erase $50,000 of federal student loan debt with a stroke of the pen. Disciplinary action was handed down after an Asian American woman was assaulted during a vicious hate-fueled attack last week in New York City. According to the New York Daily News, two doormen were recently fired after they failed to come to the aid of the woman, all of it captured on surveillance tape. The men were members of the 32Bj SEIU union and were employed by The Brodsky Organization, owners of Midtown Manhattan building where the attack took place. Their termination was decided upon after an internal investigation. Forbes has come out with its newest list of wealthiest Americans, and the top Black earners are pretty much who you’d expect: Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Jay-Z, Michael Jordan and Kanye West, as well as businessmen Robert F. Smith and David Steward – America’s lone Black billionaires. https://youtu.be/bX1T97xbnCc As listening habits have shifted away from radio, visual media have become more important for discovering new music. There are record labels; music publishers; third party pitching companies; production music libraries, producers, songwriters, managers, and artists; all hoping for something called “sync placement,” the industry term for matching a song to what’s happening on screen. Talented rap artist known as Kaila Love tapped into the ‘Sync Licensing’ world with her single, “Half Time,” featured on ESPN and NBA2K21 (her first sync placement), the day the song was released into the virtual world, which had been a goal of Kaila’s for 2 years. https://youtu.be/-bzc-cNva0s ”Bridgerton” star Regé-Jean Page reportedly auditioned for the role of Superman’s grandfather on SyFy’s show “Krypton” — but a DC executive refused to cast a Black actor for the role. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Justice League” star Ray Fisher made the allegation in a new interview. Fisher previously called out director Joss Whedon for his “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behavior on set. Activist and #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke and her producing partner Mervyn Marcano have inked an overall producing deal with CBS Studios. Variety reports, the duo will develop scripted, unscripted and documentary projects for linear television and streaming platforms via their Field/House Productions. The team will “embrace complexity and highlight underrepresented voices,” and champion “narratives driven by storytellers who represent ‘the rest of us.’” Twitter has booted Angela Stanton-King from the platform after she got back at Dr. Phil for blindsiding her with his looney liberal babble about transgenders during an appearance on his show. Dr. Phil invited Stanton-King on the show to address the conflict between the author and her son, a male-to-female trans. “I don’t know why you guys didn’t warn me about these liberal agenda networks,” Stanton-King said during a livestream after taping Dr. Phil’s show. “The whole show ended up about me being a Black Trump supporter with conservative values,” Stanton-King said. During the taping, Phil brought out a male-to-female trans to lecture Stanton-King on how to be a better parent. Tamala Jones is a face that has been familiar to Film and TV lovers for years. From roles in films like “The Wood,” to her seven-year run on the series “Castle,” Jones steps into both comedic and dramatic roles with ease. Next up for the actress, the new ABC drama, “Rebel” which is based on environmental activist Erin Brockovich’s life. The series stars Katey Sagal (“Married with Children,” “Sons of Anarchy”) as Annie “Rebel” Belo. Rebel is a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. Although she can be a mess, she’s also a smart and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. Sheryl Underwood has broken her silence on Sharon Osbourne’s exit from “The Talk.” Speaking on her podcast titled “Sharon Walks Away,” Underwood addressed her heated on-air discussion with Osbourne about Piers Morgan’s criticism of Meghan Markle. The emotional conversation prompted CBS to cancel several live shows and launch an investigation into claims of workplace toxicity and racism on set. https://youtu.be/4FnWY8-pq44 Back in November, Burton fans created a Change.org petition calling for the “Reading Rainbow” host to take over Alex Trebek’s duties on ABC’s long-running game show. As of Wednesday (April 7), the petition had over 162,000 signatures. “Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds,” the petition states. Music icon Cher has apologized again for a tweet in which she suggested that she could have prevented George Floyd’s death. Floyd died while being detained by Minneapolis police last May after former officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. In a since-deleted tweet, Cher noted on Friday that her mother has been following the televised trial and Cher told her that she could have saved Floyd’s life had she been on the scene. “These last days have been Hard, Soul Searching, Painful Ones,’ she said, per Daily Mail. “My Wording Was Wrong/Imprecise. When I’m Over-emotional I Should Wait, Walk Away, Then Twt. I Felt Sorrow, & Did Wish I Could have Helped George. Sometimes you can feel what you can’t Explain in a twt. Sorry is All I Have.” Shaquille O’Neal was in a Zales jewelry store on Tuesday (he has a jewelry line with the company) when he overheard a man asking how much it would cost to pay off the ring he had reserved. Next thing the man knew, the ring was fully paid for by the 7 foot 3, three-time NBA champion. In a video posted to Instagram, Shaq is shown passing the cashier his credit card to take care of the balance, and shaking hands with the man making the purchase. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNU3cVjhEFA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The dance collective W.A.F.F.L.E Crew — which stands for “We Are Family For Life Entertainment” – took over a New York City subway train, popping, locking and swinging around poles to “Lose Control.” Each member of the eight-man squad gets their time to shine during the nearly 2 1/2 minute visual, and Missy, herself, took notice. https://youtu.be/v68wZ7pKT2c Congressman Alcee Hastings, whose life was marked by perseverance, calamity and a comeback, has died. He was 84. Hastings crusaded against racial injustice as a civil rights lawyer, became a federal judge who was impeached and removed from office, and went on to win 15 congressional elections, becoming Florida’s senior member of Congress. He died Tuesday morning, a longtime friend said. His death was confirmed in a statement from his family. In late 2018, Hastings was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Christopher Martin, the 19-year-old Cup Foods employee who reported George Floyd’s counterfeit $20 bill to his manager, testified last week of feeling “guilt” over Floyd’s death, and said in a subsequent tearful interview with ABC News that he continues to feel like a “contributing factor” in his death. “Not only am I the contributing factor, I’m kind of like the big domino that fell, and then now all the small dominos are just scattered,” he said. https://youtu.be/gyjsGZULxTM History may have been made Monday when a police chief took the stand and testified against one of his former officers. Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified that Derek Chauvin’s knee on the neck of George Floyd “absolutely” violated department policy. https://youtu.be/4xdqSq67ufc Rihanna showed support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by attending a Stop Asian Hate march in New York City on Easter Sunday (April 4). https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-04-05-040521-rihanna-1062906/ Piers Morgan is back on the attack against Meghan Markle — continuing to insist that “the delusional duchess” lied during her interview with Oprah Winfrey last month. Markle told Winfrey that her son Archie was denied a royal title and royal protection and that a senior member of the royal family expressed concern over Archie’s skin color before he was born. The Duchess of Sussex also claimed she was suicidal at one point but was denied mental health treatment. https://youtu.be/mdbwPsyoTgY After hosting his first episode of “Jeopardy!” on Monday, Aaron Rodgers is slated to host the game show nine more times between now and April 16 when his guest hosting stint is scheduled to end. However, if it’s up to Rodgers, that April 16 episode won’t be his final one as host and that’s because the Packers quarterback wants to be considered for the full-time job. During an interview on Monday, Rodgers said he would absolutely take the permanent job if it was offered to him. Akon is not only building a futuristic city in Senegal, the former singer recently announced plans to develop a similar cryptocurrency-based system of living in Uganda. https://youtu.be/EosVPsn2C9E An exclusive clip from Thursday’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Waka & Tammy: What The Flock,” which finds Tammy stressing out over personal life. While searching for her own identity, Tammy’s stress reaches new highs when a stalker returns to her life. Meanwhile, Waka must decide between giving her the space she needs or taking matters into his own hands. https://youtu.be/s7anABSWHIs A sneak peek clip from NBC’s “Kenan” which airs tonight and every Tuesday at 8:30/7:30c. In the clip titled “Keenan’s Mom,” Kenan is playing a game of basketball, but finds himself competing for his mom’s attention. The clip features Vanessa Bell Calloway (Coming to America, Coming to America 2, Shameless), who plays Bobbi as Kenan’s mom. https://vimeo.com/533753992?from=outro-embed Rapper turned entrepreneur Will.i.am has announced his new tech innovation is the COVID-19-inspired Xupermask (pronounced “supermask”). The artist teamed with Honeywell International on the wearable face technology, which launches on April 8. Per Women’s Wear Daily, the Xupermask is “made using medical-grade silicone and an adjustable elastic strap, featuring three dual-speed fans and a Honeywell-created filtration system (“High-efficiency Particulate Arresting”), plus noise-canceling audio, a microphone, a magnetic earbud docking system, Bluetooth connectivity and a seven-hour battery,” the outlet writes. A Tennessee woman opened fire at a Burger King drive-thru in Memphis over how long her order was taking. Surveillance footage captured the March 30 incident at Burger King. Per TMZ, the woman unloaded a couple rounds inside the eatery when she didn’t get what she wanted. https://youtu.be/L28fMBx4WGg Detectives are searching for the gunmen responsible for killing a woman and injuring five others, including a 5-year-old boy. The shots were fired at Birmingham’s Patton Park Easter night. Those who live in the neighborhood are in disbelief. “It’s pathetic, why you come in the park with assault riffles and guns, why you doing that? It’s a park full of kids, bullets aint got no eyes,” Abraham Rogers said. 32-year-old Areyelle Yarbrough was shot and killed. Anna Crenshaw a pastor’s daughter from Pennsylvania was left in shock after a Hillsong Church worship leader assaulted her. The now 23-year-old, who spent four-and-a-half years studying and training between Hillsong College and Hillsong Church, says she initially struggled with the decision to report what happened, partly because she was asked to keep quiet. With the help of her counselor in the fall of 2018, however, Crenshaw found the strength to share her story with church leadership. “Jason grabbed me, putting his hand between my legs and his head on my stomach and began kissing my stomach. I felt his arms and hands wrapped around my legs making contact with my inner thigh, butt and crotch,” she wrote in a 2018 statement reviewed by The Christian Post. A coalition of religious leaders is tapping the brakes on plans to boycott powerful Georgia-based businesses that didn’t vigorously oppose the state’s new election overhaul. Bishop Reginald Jackson said Tuesday he will wait until after a planned virtual meeting with the executives of some of Georgia’s biggest firms to decide whether to move forward with the boycott. “Hopefully, we won’t have to give the signal,” said Jackson, the bishop of the AME Sixth Episcopal District. “We want these companies to speak out publicly against this legislation, to use their lobbying resources to fight voting restrictions in other states and to publicly support federal legislation to expand voting rights.” Paul Pierce has been curbed by ESPN after the former Boston Celtics star appeared in an Instagram Live stream with exotic dancers. The NBA analyst is seen in the video smoking and playing poker with scantily clad dancers performing in the background — all while ignoring COVID-19 safety protocols. Once his ESPN bosses caught wind of his antics, Pierce was fired. He had worked for the network since 2017, being a part of “The Jump” and “NBA Countdown.” https://youtu.be/S66G_dkBtB0 In this episode of The Katz Walk, Joseph takes you inside the world of Grammy winner and artist Lecrae. In this episode you can listen to Lecrae talk honestly and truthful in this very heartfelt interview about his music career, rise to music success and of course his fashion. https://playlist.megaphone.fm/packs/media/assets/images/megaphone-play-4698fdd071d101f34d245924963f1c55.png Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have announced their first project with Netflix, and it will focus on the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games. The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport competition for wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and veterans, founded by Harry in 2014. The documentary series is titled “Heart of Invictus,” and it will follow the journeys of individuals as they prepare for the Invictus Games in The Hague, the Netherlands, set to take place in 2022. Harry will appear on camera and serve as executive producer on the series. The show will be produced by the royal couple’s Archewell Productions. Jada Pinkett Smith tackles the subject of narcissism during the next episode of “Red Talk Talk,” and how it affected her relationships. “I had to distance myself from my girlfriend and her husband, it was just too brutal to watch,” the 49-year-old actress said. “That’s why it’s so upsetting because I’ve seen it, it’s awful. And it can be so insidious.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=772510350057760 Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green recently caused quite the stir when he said he was tired of hearing WNBA players complain about pay disparity. “To all my Lady hoopers out there, I want to share some of my thoughts,” he tweeted. “I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about the pay gap between women and men. Especially in sports. It’s not even close. But let’s stop allowing y’all complaints to fall on deaf ears due to numbers. As long as y’all make the argument about pay, while the revenue stays the same,” he wrote. https://twitter.com/i/status/1377422864538693633 Michael Jordan’s exclusive golf course, Grove XXIII, opened in 2019 in South Florida and reportedly has fewer than 100 members. Stories about the secret golf course, nicknamed ‘Slaughterhouse 23,’ are starting to leak, such as tee times are invite-only and no cell phones are permitted on the premises. “You can’t really carry a phone around,” said Jon “Stugotz” Weiner of “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. “You’re not supposed to tell too many stories about it.” He later added that photos are forbidden inside the clubhouse. https://youtu.be/g39KK0oWnfY Pray for Pastor Conway Edwards and his wife, Jada Edwards, of One Community Church in McKinney, Texas, as it is reported that they have been stricken with the coronavirus and were unable to attend Easter celebrations on Sunday. Please pray for them, their children, and the church family. Amid COVID-19, Christian humanitarian organization Compassion International is partnering with pro athletes for the Fill the Stadium initiative to fund tens of thousands of impoverished children whose sponsorships have been affected by the pandemic. In an interview with The Christian Post, Fill the Stadium spokesperson Ken McKinney revealed that the coronavirus pandemic impacted or delayed the sponsorships of an estimated 70,000 children across 25 countries. “With COVID and all the shutdowns, we had over 1,200 fundraising events canceled between sporting events, churches and conference tours,” he said. “So, we ended up with 70,000 children, newly entered into our programs, who we didn’t have any access to help raise funds to support.” Urban One announced today its annual awards show, URBAN ONE HONORS, will pay special homage to the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. The critically acclaimed, all-female jazz band of the 1930s included Helen Jones Woods, a founding member and mother of Urban One Founder and Chairwoman, Cathy Hughes. The Sweethearts band, comprised of 17 ethnically diverse members who achieved international accolades despite discrimination, sexism and Jim Crow – to become symbols of success against adversity. URBAN ONE HONORS will air on Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One and will be simulcast for the first time on TV One’s sister network, CLEO TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFpJ_Q-E2mc&feature=youtu.be Minneapolis’s first black police chief – one of the most keenly anticipated witnesses in the Derek Chauvin murder trial – gave evidence into George Floyd’s death Monday. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo fired Chauvin and three other officers the day after Mr Floyd’s death on May 25 last year. On Monday he explained to jurors procedures in place to deescalate situations with suspects and spoke through the force’s code of conduct on professional policing. Chief Arradondo had said at the time of Floyd’s death it ‘was not due to a lack of training’, adding: ‘The training was there. Chauvin knew what he was doing.’ Music icon Cher has apologized for a tweet in which she suggested that she could have prevented George Floyd’s death. In a since-deleted tweet, Cher noted on Friday that her mother has been following the televised trial and Cher told her that she could have saved Floyd’s life had she been on the scene. “Was talking with Mom & She Said ‘I Watched Trial Of Policeman Who Killed George Floyd, & Cried’. I Said ‘Mom, I Know This Is Gonna Sound CRAZY, But.. I Kept Thinking …..Maybe If I’d Been There,…I Could’ve Helped,” the singer wrote. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is a reverend, faced criticism over a tweet posted on Easter Sunday saying the meaning of the holiday “is more transcendent” than the actual resurrection of Jesus. The tweet was deleted, but it was picked up by websites like Mediaite and the Daily Wire. “The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” the senior pastor of New Ebenezer Baptist Church’s account said. Police are investigating the deaths of six people in an apparent murder-suicide. The Allen Police Department said it got a call for a welfare check at a home on Monday. The couple that lived there was from Bangladesh. A friend was concerned one of their adult sons was suicidal. Officers who went to the home found both parents, three adult children and their grandmother dead from gunshot wounds. Sgt. Jon Felty said investigators believe two brothers agreed to kill their four other family members and then killed themselves. One of the brothers left a message explaining what was going to happen, Sgt. Felty said. Police are still investigating the shootings, which likely occurred over the weekend. Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby has announced that her office will no longer prosecute drug possession, prostitution, trespassing, and other low-level offenses. The decision comes after the success of policies implemented last year to slow the spread of COVID in jails and prisons, per Equal Justice Initiative. https://www.msnbc.com/american-voices/watch/baltimore-saw-dramatic-drop-in-crime-after-the-city-stopped-prosecuting-low-level-offenses-109652549971 The Vatican has been digging a secret tunnel in Jerusalem in order to exhume King David’s DNA and resurrect the Messiah, a rabbi has claimed. The Regavim Movement, a group dedicated to the protection of Israel’s national resources, filed a petition against the Jerusalem Municipality last week demanding they take action against the tunnel. It’s claimed there is a passage approximately 1,970 feet long and 5 feet wide under the Church of the Dormition on Mount Zion, on which construction was completed about 12 years ago. A controversial Canadian church leader has shared a video of himself berating police officers attempting to enforce Covid-19 restrictions during an Easter service. Pastor Artur Pawlowski shouted ‘Nazis are not welcome here’ and referred to officers as ‘Gestapo’ during the confrontation on Saturday. Pawlowski, the pastor of Calgary’s Street Church, was leading a Passover service at a building known as the Fortress (Cave) of Adullam, when officers and city officials arrived. ‘I don’t want to hear anything… out immediately,’ he shouts, as a female officer appears to try and explain their presence. ‘I don’t care what you have to say, Out!,’ Pawlowski bawls, telling officers to leave ‘until you come back with a warrant’. ‘Out of this property, you Nazis,’ the pastor shouts. ‘Gestapo is not allowed here.’ https://twitter.com/i/status/1378506465158303747 Harrowing new details have emerged in a search warrant related to the Circle of Hope Christian boarding school in Missouri, including claims made by a 12-year-old student who said that she was chained to a wall for two weeks, starved and forced to go to the bathroom in a bucket. Boyd Householder, 71, and his wife Stephanie, 55, were charged last month with 102 counts for sexually, emotionally, or physically abusing students for years at their all-female religious reform school in Cedar County. For all the Madness we have enjoyed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament — literally, the most upset-filled tournament in the history of March Madness — we still have arrived at a foregone conclusion. No. 1 Gonzaga (31-0) and No. 1 Baylor (27-2), the consensus top two teams in the country for a majority of the season, will face off in the final game of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Both the Bulldogs and Bears have been the clear best team when they have taken the court this March, winning by a combined average of 18.0 and 15.2 points per game, respectively. Famed fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli has been released from prison early after his role in the college admissions scandal. In May 2020 Giannulli pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of honest services wire and mail fraud and was sentenced to five months in prison. His wife, Lori Loughlin, also pled guilty to similar charges and was sentenced to 2-months in federal prison. The former Hallmark Channel star was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and serve 150 hours of community service. She was released in December after serving nearly two months in prison. https://youtu.be/U6wy_OC3TyU He’s referred to as “the voice of God,” but not even the Heavenly Father can intervene on the decision of many Black folks to sit out the COVID-19 vaccine, based on America’s history of doctors experimenting on Black bodies. Still, the 83-year-old actor has been recruited to star in a new PSA for The Creative Coalition and the National Blue Ribbon Task Force encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The spot, titled “Be There. This Is Your Shot,” urges Americans to “take care of one another.” https://youtu.be/RU43V0Zt2gA A coalition of activists led by Black Lives Matter organizers protested Saturday afternoon in Lansing, Michigan for Anthony Hulon, a white man who died nearly a year ago in the Lansing jail. “What’s his name? Anthony Hulon!” activists chanted. “No justice, no peace!” https://youtu.be/plYwi_gZqaI James Brown already had a concert scheduled at Boston Garden on April 5, 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis the day before. Inner cities around the country were burning with rage, and Boston Mayor Kevin White had decided to shut down all scheduled public events in an effort to keep his city from doing the same. But a Black councilman, was able to convince Mayor White to not only allow Brown’s show to go on, but to televise it. Cancelling the Godfather of Soul, the councilman argued, might make matters worse in terms of uprisings. https://youtu.be/epU_4k7fKi4 Drake’s son has gone viral for his hoop skills. The rapper shared a video of his 3-year-old son, Adonis, taking jump shots on his indoor toy hoop, sinking two in a row – he makes a point to declare, before making a third. Meanwhile, his dad’s new track, “What’s Next” plays in the background. https://youtu.be/fVe5SM4zebQ The first trailer has dropped for “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” starring and produced by LeBron James and “Black Panther’s” Ryan Coogler, featuring a slew of NBA players including James, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul and Damian Lillard. https://youtu.be/olXYZOsXw_o Meet the Canfields, the new family on the block in Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart.” the beloved fan series continues to make history as the #1 cable program on Sunday nights. Folks couldn’t be more excited about Joseph and Minnie Canfield coming to town. Joseph (Viv Leacock) brings his wife, Minnie (Natasha Burnett) and their two beautiful kids—Angela (Vienna Leacock) and Cooper (Elias Leacock) to settle in the quaint Canadian town. https://vimeo.com/532532934 Look for a new ABC drama, “Rebel,” based on environmental activist Erin Brockovich’s life. The series stars Katey Sagal (“Married with Children,” “Sons of Anarchy”) as the lead character, Annie “Rebel” Belo. The show is after the events of the Julia Roberts helmed “Erin Brockovich” released in 2000. https://youtu.be/Da_WsaPBVxU Last summer, Boosie Badazz threatened to sue Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after his Instagram account was shut down in August. The rapper pleaded with Zuckerberg to restore his Instagram page after he was banned for constantly promoting sexually suggestive photos from his OnlyFans account. “They just took my Instagram,” Boosie said in a video message shared with fans at the time. “Mark Zuckinburger, I need to talk to you. Bosses need to talk to bosses [sic]. I don’t know what I did but I need my Instagram back. I don’t even know what I did! But this is how I feed my family. Mark, do not do this to 2020. Do not take Boosie off Instagram! We need to talk, Mark.” Boosie claimed the ban affected his business and reportedly filed a lawsuit for $20 million for racial discrimination. Now he’s calling on Black billionaires to create an app that rivals Facebook and Instagram, and he wants to run it. Loki — the God of Mischief — is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe this summer with his very own series. After absconding with the Tesseract, Loko is a fish-out-of-water when he lands in a world of trouble with the bureaucratic TVA (Time Variance Authority) in the brand-new trailer for Marvel Studios’ “Loki.” The all-new, original series debuts exclusively on Disney+ on June 11, 2021. https://youtu.be/nW948Va-l10 Tyrese Gibson who has suffered from foot-in-mouth disease had another public bout and as usual got the living crap ripped out of him afterwards. It happened Sunday after he posted a comment about his mother’s past with alcoholism into the chat of the Isley Brothers and Earth Wind and Fire “Verzuz” live battle on Instagram Live. Yep, when absolutely no one asked, the actor/singer, 42, put his own mother’s business on blast before more than a million web viewers with this comment: “Hate that my mother used to drink everyday – but SHE’s the reason I know REAL MUSIC!” he wrote in the chat. Paris Jackson, the daughter of the late music legend Michael Jackson, celebrated her 23rd birthday on Saturday and her brother, Michael “Prince” Jackson Jr., paid tribute to his little sister by posting throwbacks photos of them together on his Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/stories/princejackson/?utm_source=ig_embed The first recorded case of a baby born with three penises is gaining traction. Per Science Times, a baby boy in Duhok City, Iraq had to undergo surgery to remove his two extra male genitalia. According to the report, the saved penis is functional unlike the other two, one of which was attached to the end of the boy’s penis and the other at the bottom of his scrotum. The unnamed boy was three months old when his curious case was first published in 2020 in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports. Lisa Simpson the mother of Richard Risher, who she says in 2016 was unjustly murdered by the LAPD, is calling for Melina Abdullah the leader of BLM Los Angeles to step down from leadership if she doesn’t honor her commitment and public pledge to help with financial costs the Simpson family has endured since the killing of her son (Richard Risher). Simpson is holding a press conference on Monday, April 5 at 4pm in Los Angeles to detail her grievance. https://youtu.be/MeSjP7ak7L4 Gabrielle Union says before she married Dwyane Wade, their kids were encouraging her to leave acting behind and stay home so they could operate like a “normal family.” The star shared that experience during a conversation with Gwyneth Paltrow for The goop Podcast, stating that Wade’s children and nephew (Zaire, Zaya and Dahveon Morris) didn’t understand why she was still working when their friends’ mothers were stay-at-home moms. “They had gotten into this stage as pre-teens where they just wanted us to be like other families,” she said. “They had looked up how much their dad made and they thought that I should not work. I should just be at home like the other moms of their friends because ‘dad is rich and you should just stay home and we should be a normal family like everyone else.’” After a 29-year wait, the Stanford women’s basketball team still had to sweat through 6.1 pressure-packed seconds to claim its third national championship. The Cardinal got it, holding off Arizona 54-53 when star guard Aari McDonald missed a shot just before the buzzer. Coach Tara VanDerveer couldn’t exhale until that moment. The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, Stanford leaves the Alamodome as champion, but Arizona leaves as an underdog team that captured the country’s imagination and almost the program’s first NCAA title. DMX‘s lawyer has clarified that the rapper remained on life support Saturday afternoon at a Westchester, NY hospital after suffering a heart attack. Earlier, based on a statement from the attorney, we reported that the entertainer was breathing on his own. “It does not look good,” the worried-sounding lawyer told Page Six Saturday night. https://youtu.be/aYc3jygAjuo DMX’s 15 children are all said to be flying to New York to be by his bedside as the rapper remains on life support. Doctors at White Plains Hospital in New York have said the 50-year-old rapper’s prognosis is poor while family members have said his life hangs in the balance. DMX was said to be off life support earlier Saturday but his lawyer later said that the news was a ‘misstatement’. Sources told TMZ that the star, whose real name is Earl Simmons, overdosed around 11pm on Friday and was rushed to the hospital where he is in critical care. One relative explained that paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 30 minutes when he was taken to hospital on Friday night, during which time he was deprived of oxygen for an extended period. A man who was just released from prison after 16 years has been re-arrested and charged with the murder of a pastor who was shot dead shortly before he was sent to jail. Pastor Michael Glover, 36, was shot dead in the car port of his home in Macon, Georgia, on March 29, 2004. But the case went cold until a recent DNA breakthrough linked Terrance Bryant Dean to the attack. Dean, 39, was released from prison in September last year after serving almost 16 years for an unrelated armed robbery. The new DNA evidence also linked him to a unsolved rape, officials said. Dean was arrested last Friday without incident. Worshippers have gathered all around the world to mark Easter Sunday despite ongoing lockdowns and coronavirus restrictions. Pope Francis held Mass in St Peter’s Basilica to a largely empty Vatican, with cardinals sat socially distanced and wearing face masks during the service. In his address, he blasted ‘scandalous’ armed conflicts taking place and called for vaccines to be shared with poorer countries as he spoke to a small crowd as well as many who livestreamed the service from home. ‘I urge the entire international community… to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of vaccines and to facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries,’ the head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics said in his Easter address. For some it’s too much to watch. Others just can’t turn away. The televised trial of Derek Chauvin, the former white police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, has provoked strong emotions among many Black men and women — all tinged with an underlying dread that it could yield yet another devastating disappointment. For many, it has brought back memories of the disturbing video of Floyd’s last moments as he gasped for breath with Chauvin’s knee on his neck. The video galvanized protests in cities across the U.S. and the world, as the words “Black Lives Matter” took hold. The first week of the trial has included emotional testimonies from several people who witnessed Floyd’s death: The young woman, a teenager at the time, who filmed Floyd’s last moments and told the courtroom she stays “up nights apologizing to George Floyd;” the 61-year-old man who sobbed on the stand, compelling the judge to order a 10-minute recess; the firefighter who begged officers to let her check Floyd’s pulse as he gasped for air, saying, “I was desperate to help.” Nitica Deonte Lee, 49, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after she injected a silicone substance into the buttocks of 22-year-old Daysha Phillips in St. Louis, Missouri in 2015. Prosecutors said that Lee had traveled from her Dallas home to a hotel in the suburb of Edmundson where she performed the illegal cosmetic procedure. Phillips died four days later after the silicone entered her bloodstream and became trapped in her lungs. Justin Timberlake‘s manager is urging Janet Jackson to forgive him over their Super Bowl ordeal. The singers’ issue dates back to 2004 when Justin Timberlake ripped off a part of Janet Jackson’s top, exposing her breast during their halftime performance. While Justin Timberlake went on to perform in the 2018 Super Bowl solo, Janet Jackson was rumored to be blackballed, which the NFL previously denied. Janet Jackson recently shared a quote about forgiveness that reads, “Always choose to heal, not to hurt. To forgive, not to despise. To persevere, not to quit. To smile, not to frown. And to love, not to hate.” Justin Timberlake’s former manager Johnny Wright wrote: “You should take this advice and apply it to your relationship with Justin.” Faith Evans, without much fanfare, dropped a new single recently titled “Right Now.” Why someone of Evan’s musical status – a multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning recording artist, songwriter, arranger and record producer – chose to release a new song without the usual media frenzy, is unknown, but in many ways is refreshing. https://youtu.be/zjD5y2kWPLI NBA legend Michael Jordan is continuing to push his social justice efforts forward. According to Bleacher Report, Jordan and the Jordan Brand recently unveiled a $1 million initiative to provide grassroots organizations dedicated to fighting racial injustice with grants. The effort is part of a $100 million commitment that Jordan made in the midst of the unrest following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Under the plan, Jordan vowed to financially support an array of nonprofit organizations centered on eliminating socio-economic barriers faced by marginalized communities, spreading awareness about systemic racism, and advancing education, over the span of a decade. Amongst the organizations that received donations were Black Voter Matters, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People and Families Movement, CBS Sports reported. In 2015 the venture capital firm Harlem Capital set out on a mission to address the inequities faced by diverse entrepreneurs. Six years after its inception, the investment group has taken major strides towards changing the face of entrepreneurship. According to Forbes, Harlem Capital has raised $134 million for its second investment fund. Last year, the VC firm launched an effort to generate capital for its Fund II. Within the span of five months, Harlem Capital surpassed its fundraising goal with investments from an array of major corporations. Staying true to the firm’s mission, the funds will go towards backing 45 seed-stage businesses that have been founded by women and entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities. The businesses will be consumer technology-driven. Fund II will also have a “Culture Carry” element where the founders will divide 1 percent of the fund’s carry. The cultivation of Fund II is a major milestone for Harlem Capital as it has emerged as one of the largest Black-led investment firms. Beyond her artistry, rapstress Megan Thee Stallion is known for using her platform and resources to uplift and empower individuals from marginalized communities. Her latest philanthropic effort is centered on investing in the futures of HBCU students. According to HBCU Buzz, the Houston native joined forces with Fashion Nova Cares to donate $25,000 to Bennett College. The Grammy Award-winning artist—whose real name is Megan Pete—teamed up with the retail brand Fashion Nova and the company’s philanthropic arm to provide the all-women, North Carolina-based school with an endowment for its Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. For Pete—a proud Texas Southern University student who has plans to explore avenues of entrepreneurship beyond the realm of music and step into the healthcare industry—the effort aligns with her personal aspirations. She wanted to pay it forward by helping Bennett College advance its program and cultivate the next generation of Black women leaders who will go on to shape the future of different industries. Georgia Republicans are mad about Major League Baseball (MLB) moving the All-Star Game from the Atlanta suburbs in response to the state’s new restrictive voting laws. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker David Ralston had choice words for Stacey Abrams but didn’t address MLB or its Players Alliance. Like their counterparts on the national level, Kemp and Ralston insist on distorting the facts with claims of extremist left delusions. Kemp has spent the better part of the last decade trying to position himself as being on the right side of elections. And Ralston made it clear last spring during the pandemic primary he was opposed to widespread absentee ballot use. The bill does the exact opposite of what Kemp and Ralston claim. Did you know a broken heart can create a flabby belly? Most people do not make this connection. While diet and exercise play a big role, repairing the emotional energy of the heart is essential to maintaining a healthy weight. Weight management is one of the top concerns of the American public. According to the Woodruflab.org research in 2020, 72% of men and 63% of women are overweight or obese in the U.S. Eighty percent of them associate diet and exercise to weight issues and attempt to integrate discipline around a new eating and fitness plan. However, this proves difficult to maintain. https://youtu.be/4j31Okl-Enk The driver who killed a US Capitol cop before he was gunned down by police is a Nation of Islam devotee from Indiana, according to reports and his social media. Noah Green, 25, who may have been living in Virginia, described himself as a “Follower of Farrakhan” on his Facebook page, in reference to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Green appeared to have come on hard times from his Facebook page reviewed by The Post before his account was taken down. “I was on the right track and everything I had planned was coming into existence. It required long hours, lots of studying, and exercise to keep me balanced while experiencing an array of concerning symptoms along the path (I believe to be side effects of drugs I was intaking unknowingly),” he wrote on March 17, signing the message Brother Noah X. Green allegedly slammed into a fence outside the US Capitol Friday and struck two officers before crashing into a barricade. Green allegedly got out of the car with a knife and lunged at an officer before being fatally shot, reports say. As if the allegations about a Trump-sympathizing Republican Congressman from Florida about trafficking at least one underage girl weren’t bad enough, a new report says he also used drugs and paid women for sex. Rep. Matt Gaetz‘s reported use of ecstacy while paying women for sex runs counter to everything the MAGA man purportedly stands for. It also added an extra criminal element to the existing federal investigations into Gaetz and one of his acquaintances accused of similar and worse behavior, including a 17-year-old girl who they both allegedly had sex with, the New York Times reported Thursday. Other men linked to Gaetz and his associate, Joel Greenberg, are being investigated by the Department of Justice for the same suspicions. Gaetz has denied all allegations, but there are apparently receipts — literally. Deborah Joy Winans Stars in Lifetime’s Easter Special ‘Color of Love’ Airing This Easter Sunday at 8:00pm ET/PT....https://youtu.be/PLfUJow9l-s The new faith-based movie “The Girl Who Believes in Miracles” highlights the miracle-working power of God, and 98-year-old Laurence Jaffe, the creator of the film, says he is proof that miracles do happen. “It’s sort of like a miracle,” Jaffe said of the release of his new movie in an interview with The Christian Post. The nonagenarian, who decided to start a new career as a filmmaker much later in life, revealed that several things came into place to bring the film to audiences. https://youtu.be/aH6b6P18D34 “Movieguide’s Movies That Inspire” is set to premiere on The REELZ Channel on Easter Sunday and will showcase films released in 2020 that highlighted redeeming faith and family content. The star-studded annual awards show is usually held at a venue in Hollywood, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission and founder of the website Movieguide?, teamed up with The REELZ Channel to bring the awards show into people’s homes for Easter. The African Methodist Episcopal Church and leaders of other predominantly Black Christian groups are threatening to boycott national companies based in Georgia that, the church leaders say, did not do enough to halt the passage of a controversial elections law in the state. “We cannot and will not support the companies that do not support us in our struggle to cast our ballots and exercise our freedom,” Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, who heads the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s 6th District of Georgia, said at a press conference on Thursday (April 1), according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He demanded companies “commit and act” to combat the law, saying he and others will reject the companies’ products if they do not help fight it and similar legislation in other states. Jackson added: “faith without works is dead.” The Houston Police Department has launched an investigation concerning Deshaun Watson after a complainant filed a report against the Houston Texans quarterback on Friday. “As with any allegation, the Houston Police Department is now conducting an investigation and will not comment further during the investigative process,” the department said in a statement. It did not specify what Watson is being accused of in the complaint. Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement later on Friday that he and Watson will “fully cooperate with the Houston Police Department.” The number of alleged victims accusing #TI and #Tiny of allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting them continues to grow as more anonymous women come forward. Attorney Tyrone A. Blackburn, who is already representing a handful of accusers has been hired by two more, according to Vulture. One of them said she was “drugged, forced to take tons of molly and X, and sex-trafficked in three states” including Nevada and Florida. The second alleged she was drugged and then “raped by Clifford Harris [T.I.], and one of his male friends in a hotel in Miami, Florida.” Detectives investigating Tiger Woods’ Feb. 23 car crash have determined what caused the single-car accident, but will not release the information until the golfer grants permission, the Los Angeles County Sheriff said. Word on the street is that Woods was under the influence of Ambien and/or Vicodin and his handlers are scrambling to keep the truth quiet for as long as possible — allegedly. His PR team is said to be paying off the officers, EMT/firefighters, hospitals and anyone with direct knowledge about what really went down that fateful night — allegedly. Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has apologized for using homophobic and misogynistic language during a private exchange with Michael Rapaport on social media that the actor made public. Earlier this week, Rapaport tweeted screenshots of direct messages he received from Durant that has generated fierce backlash against the NBA star. “I’m sorry that people seen that language I used,” Durant said to reporters on Thursday, ESPN reported. “That’s not really what I want people to see and hear from me, but hopefully I can move past it and get back out there on the floor.” This all started back in December when Durant’s one-word answer to “Inside the NBA” analyst Charles Barkley sparked a reaction that made Barkley go viral. https://youtu.be/nnt0kpDXiGA “The memoir came first,” said Dr. Sheryl Kenan-Randolph when asked about the creative order of her new single “Live Anyway” and memoir “Life Happens, Live Anyway: A Memoir of Survival and Success.” “I told my brother I would love to have an accompanying song to the book.” The result is the new inspirational “Live Anyway” single penned by Dr. Sheryl and her brother William Kenan. II (Enliven Production House). Dr. Kenan-Randolph is 25 years into a career as a teacher and guest speaker. She is the founder and pastor of the Destiny Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. https://youtu.be/54Tgy4KG9T8 DMX’s lawyer has revealed a new update surrounding the rapper’s health condition after he reportedly suffered from a drug overdose. Murray Richman, the rapper’s attorney, confirmed the update with ABC 7 who said his family informed him DMX has been taken off life support and is breathing on his own after suffering from a heart attack. The family misinformed his lawyer.The heart attack was reportedly triggered by a drug overdose that led the rapper to be rushed to a nearby hospital in White Plains, New York. However, Richman did not confirm the overdose in his statement. “I received a call this morning that Earl Simmons was in the hospital, at the White Plains Hospital, and that he had had a heart attack, and I’m not sure how it was induced.” Later he says, “He has been taken off life support system and is breathing on his own. But we are concerned.” Rapper DMX has been admitted to the hospital after reportedly suffering a drug overdose at his home.The 50-year-old rap artist, whose real name is Earl Simmons, is said to be in a ‘vegetative state’ after purportedly suffering a heart attack brought on by the OD, TMZ reported Saturday. Sources told the tabloid DMX overdosed around 11pm Friday and was rushed to the hospital in White Plains, New York, where he is now in critical care. His exact condition is unclear, but doctors reportedly fear he may not pull through, according to the outlet. One source however, described the rapper as having ‘some brain activity.’ Flags will be lowered to half staff at the U.S. Capitol today for the second time in nearly three months over loss suffered by the Capitol Police. Officer William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran, and 25-year-old suspect Noah Green of Indiana are both dead following a vehicle ramming attack at the Capitol complex. According to Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman, around 1 p.m. a vehicle with Virginia plates slammed into two officers at a vehicle checkpoint on Constitution Avenue on the North side of the Capitol complex. Green drove from Norfolk, VA. https://wusa9.com/embeds/video/65-cdac9082-914b-4958-82e8-e6f01b250f0b/iframe?jwsource=cl A probe is underway into the in-custody death of a man with mental issues being held for misdemeanor marijuana possession. Seven sheriff’s officers in Collin County, Texas linked to a Black man’s death in custody last month were fired Thursday. An eighth officer resigned. Marvin D. Scott III, 26, died after being restrained while being held on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge on March 14. Police allege that Scott was acting “erratically.” He was taken to the hospital by Allen Police officers, later their headquarters, then Collin County Jail, where he was restrained and pepper-sprayed. According to reports, a spit hood was placed over his head, and he later died. Major League Baseball wants nothing to do with Georgia … as far its all star game is concerned. And it’s all about politics. On Friday the league said it is moving the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta as backlash grows over a new Georgia law that is seen as nothing less that voter suppression. https://youtu.be/69MfTpNuRfg Darnella Fraizer, the teenager who recorded the police killing of George Floyd last May, testified in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin this week that when she looked at Floyd that fateful day, she saw her relatives and friends. “That could’ve been one of them,” she said on the witness stand, per MSN. “When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles,” Frazier said. She testified that she has been haunted by the incident, staying up many nights “apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life.” https://youtu.be/idmMyLtzhiU A docuseries based on “The 1619 Project” from New York Times Magazine and investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones has been ordered at Hulu. The interactive 1619 Project was launched in August by The New York Times Magazine to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia. Several Civil War scholars have stated that the project has put forward misleading and historically inaccurate claims. However, Hannah-Jones has said that contributions were deeply researched, and arguments verified by a team of fact-checkers in consultation with historians. https://youtu.be/Q14BTdS6BRc THEM is a limited anthology series that explores terror in America. The first season centers on a Black family in the 1950s who move from North Carolina to an all-white East Compton neighborhood, during The Great Migration. The family’s idyllic home becomes ground zero where malevolent forces, next-door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them. https://youtu.be/WL3Jz8fDgFI General Motors canceled a virtual meeting scheduled for Thursday between CEO Mary Barra and several Black-owned media executives who called her out in an ad this week. Barra has agreed to meet with the group after Byron Allen, who is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Allen Media Group, took out a full-page ad on page 3A in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press, accusing Barra of racism for refusing to meet with them “consistently, over time and after multiple requests.” Monday GM’s Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl had a preliminary meeting with Allen and several of the men who signed the ad. A follow-up meeting has reportedly been set with Barra for Thursday, reports the Detroit Free Press. GM is now planning to host meetings over the next few weeks with Black-owned media executives, including those who took out the ad. Piers Morgan stormed off the set of “Good Morning Britain” last month after co-host Alex Beresford called him out about his unhealthy obsession with Meghan Markle. Weeks after the headline-making moment, the mixed-raced weatherman is speaking out about the racism he has been subjected to on social media. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1377321661586935816/opgYMcnB?format=jpg&name=small Netflix has dropped the trailer for the upcoming anime series “Yasuke,” with LaKeith Stanfield voicing history’s first African samurai. https://youtu.be/oYcK1LQl_Fs Catch actor Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite) in “Assault on VA-33” arriving in select theaters April 2 and On Demand and on Digital April 6. Directed by Christopher Ray (FraXtur), the action-thriller stars Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints), Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum), Rob Van Dam (WWE Raw), Weston Cage Coppola (NCIS: Los Angeles) and Gina Holden (Final Destination 3). https://youtu.be/i2yVzl7rdr8 Viewers looking for a gritty edge to their programming can find it with BET’s Original Series, American Gangster: Trap Queens Season 2. The reality-based mini-documentaries highlight women who have run criminal organizations, served time—or currently are—and have found their way to a redeeming second chance in life. The return season features the compelling evolutions of Dwen Curry, Brandi Davis, Perrion Roberts, Tiffani Rose Peak, and Shauntay Henderson. https://youtu.be/XAa_5FKy_0E Rapper Jeezy and “the Real” co-host Jeannie Mai tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at their home in Atlanta on March 27. According to Vogue, the couple finally took their relationship to the next level a year after getting engaged. The couple reportedly followed COVID-19 safety protocols and provided COVID-19 tests for guests in attendance. We were really looking forward to having all of our friends and family there to celebrate,” Mai said. “But we had to change all of our wedding plans due to COVID. After Jeezy’s mother unexpectedly passed, we quickly learned that life is too short. And at the end of the day, Jeezy and I really just wanted to become husband and wife.” “So we decided to turn our original wedding into a mini-mony, where we exchanged our vows in front of our immediate family and a few close friends,” she added. Angela Moss Poole brings a fresh sound to contemporary Christian/Gospel music. Angela teams up with powerhouse vocalist Micah Stampley to deliver "My Help" to radio. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/7074765?date=20210402&user_id=668306&signature=eb7XN4RzfxQLipwRql80cPYEyd8%3AejVVMkeI Kelly Price drops "Grace." It is available on all music platforms! Be reminded this Easter season of the grace and mercy Jesus has bestowed upon you with Kelly Price’s latest EP ‘Grace’, Out NOW! https://kellyprice.lnk.to/GRACEEM?utm_campaign=99014_MOTG%204.2_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,24EE,4SQSQ,9QPC,1 NINE-TIME GRAMMY® NOMINATED SINGER/SONGWRITER Kelly Price to Appear on GMA3: What You Need To Know on Wednesday, April 7th at 12PM EST. Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, April 3 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. On this episode, Chef JJ and vegan restaurant founder and personality Pinky Cole prepare a delicious and satisfying plant-based meal including Stuffed Eggplant with the works and a Vegan Black Bean Burrito with Papaya and Tomato Pico de Gallo. The vegan charm continues in the complimenting drink, a Gin Gin Cocktail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYeO2RWMbmU&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, April 4 at 9 P.M./8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. In this episode, CLEO SPEAKS Ayahlushim Getachew shares her experience as an Ethiopian-American real estate mogul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kjAPgWRsmI&feature=youtu.be Travis Greene began writing “Easter” on Good Friday of 2020. A year later, we not only have the high-energy single, but we also have a music video! Stay locked to Travis' social media this weekend to know when it drops. You don’t want to miss #GoodWords with Kirk Franklin featuring everyone’s favorite internet Auntie, Tabitha Brown! The conversation covers food, visions, mental health and so much more. In the words of Tabitha Brown, it’s “VERY GOOD.” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tabitha-brown/id1550112679?i=1000514986862 The Gospel Jazz Man Ben Tankard inspired you to RISE! Now the Stellar Award Honors Hall of Fame inductee and platinum-selling artist invites you to SHINE! SHINE! is a masterful design of Ben's greatest work including Kirk Franklin’s "Melodies From Heaven", a remake of the Bee Gee’s smash pop hit "How Deep Is Your Love", and a remake of Marvin Gaye's "Just Like Music". Ben's Sunday’s Best Musician contest winners Brandon Marceal and Tracey Phipps are special guests on the album. Marceal and Phipps are featured on flute and vocals on "Shudda-Sed-Sompin’-Din". Ben proves why he is one of the best-selling artists in Gospel and Jazz by adding a dynamic arrangement of "Yeshua" to the album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk_KTumPYTE&feature=youtu.be A reformed criminal and victim of violent crime, award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Samson Styles searches for life's meaning in the biographical-documentary feature "Killing Beef: Gun Violence In The Black Community" streaming now on Apple, Amazon, FandangoNow, GooglePlay, PlayStation, Vudu, and Xbox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oqoFWx-1mY “Bridgerton” breakout star Regé-Jean Page will not appear on the show’s upcoming second season. Netflix and Shondaland announced the news this Friday in Bridgerton fashion, with the show’s character Lady Whistledown sharing the update:“Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings,” the message began. “We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family,” it continued. “Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear?” Variety quotes. This spring, 19 Crimes and Snoop Dogg are back with a new wine – Cali style. The brand teamed up with our favorite uncle to debut the first-ever Snoop Cali Rosé just in time for your sunny kickback. The D-O-double-G goes P-I-N-K on the heels of last year’s ultra-successful Snoop Cali Red, the first California wine from 19 Crimes. "We did it big with 19 Crimes Cali Red, so you know we had to do it again – and this time, I was thinking pink,” explained the music legend. “I can’t wait for everyone to sip on my Snoop Cali Rosé and bring those fresh feels from spring into summer and beyond. I hope when you open a bottle of this wine you take a little mind trip to my Cali home. This is how we Rosé the Snoop Dogg way!” Hip-Hop icon Snoop Dogg has been tapped to join the 20th season of “The Voice” as a ‘Mega Mentor.’ The rapper will advise contestants preparing for the Knockout Rounds beginning April 19, which finds artists paired against a teammate and selecting their own song to perform solo while their competitor watches. The four celebrity coaches will each choose the winner to advance from their team. The singers will then compete in the Four-Way Knockout and each will receive individualized coaching from Snoop. The winner of the competition is chosen by America. Michael Strahan shocked fans and colleagues on Tuesday when he revealed he had the gap in his front teeth closed by the team at Smile Design Manhattan. As it turns out, it was an April’s Fool stunt. In a video posted on Instagram, Strahan shared the process of the procedure, calling it a “moment 50 years in the making.” Judicial authorities in Texas breathed new life into the case of a grandmother who was sent to prison over casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election. On Wednesday the Texas Court of Appeals said it would consider an appeal filed by Crystal Mason. Mason became an important figure in the fight for voter education and criminal justice reform when she was sentenced to five years in prison in 2018. Throughout her case Mason has maintained she was unaware of a state mandate that barred persons with convictions from voting. “She’s absolutely buoyed,” Mason’s attorney Alison Grinter told NBC News. “Her family is just over the moon today that she literally lives to fight another day.” Marvin Sapp’s seasons continue to change. Today, he announces Elev8 Media & Entertainment - a new multimedia company that will be the hub for upcoming film, television and music projects. “Elev8 has been many years in the making. I have studied the inner workings of the entertainment business as the impact of my own music ministry expanded into new territories and new opportunities. As an entrepreneur, developing my own entertainment company was a bucket list item that I am excited about finally becoming a reality,” says Sapp. Elev8 enters the market as the newest label on the Thirty Tigers roster, and already has a slate of releases lined up: Jamar Prince (Marvin L. Sapp, Jr.), The Chosen Vessel Cathedral Music + Arts, #Elev8 (a worship compilation comprised of winners of a national talent competition), and the next solo album from Marvin Sapp. Gospel Spotlight's Marvin Sapp In His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/sapp_page.htm Singer-songwriter, producer, and gospel icon Israel Houghton is announcing a new live-streamed concert on Easter Sunday from the Coachella Desert. The event, which will take place outdoors with plenty of safe distance, will mark Houghton’s first performance in front of an audience of this size in over a year. That’s not to say he hasn’t been busy reinventing the live realm, though - Houghton spent much of 2020 finding new ways to connect with his audience via regular music and worship livestreams, and is set to release a new live album Feels Like Home Vol. 2 on April 2nd. Its first installment, Feels Like Home Vol. 1, debuted in February at #1 on the Gospel Charts. Both were recorded live from Houghton’s family home in New York in November with his longtime group New Breed as well as family and friends including his wife and frequent collaborator Adrienne Bailon-Houghton. The presidents of Morgan State, Coppin State, Bowie State and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore came together to sign a historic agreement with the governor of Maryland to end decades of discrimination, reports the Washington Informer. For 15 years administrators at the four historically black colleges in Maryland have fought over a system that left them out of state money and resources. The Los Angeles County sheriff says detectives have determined what caused Tiger Woods to crash his SUV last month in Southern California but would not release details Wednesday, citing unspecified privacy concerns for the golf star. Sheriff Alex Villanueva told the Associated Press during a live social media event that “a cause has been determined; the investigation has concluded,” but claimed that investigators needed permission from Woods — who previously named his yacht “Privacy” — to release information about the crash. Later Wednesday evening the sheriff’s department attempted to clarify its position, saying in a statement on Twitter that “the release of accident reports is governed under California Vehicle Code Section 20012. When we are able, we intend to release the information learned during the traffic collision investigation involving Tiger Woods.” Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, has acquired North American VOD rights to the urban comedy Dirty South House Arrest which is available to rent and own on North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms and DVD as of March 16, 2021 through Freestyle Digital Media. Dirty South House Arrest tells the story of a college kid (‘Drake’) who is sentenced to house arrest after committing a crime to impress a girl. He then decides to throw a house party, while his mom is away. On the Thursday, April 1 edition of “Tamron Hall,” Matthew Rushin, a young man with autism, opened up about the difficult ramifications following the 2019 life-altering car accident that led to an unprecedented 10-year prison sentence. The harsh sentencing ignited the viral “Free Matthew Rushin’” campaign that dominated local and national headlines. https://youtu.be/vy-w3jCqOR8 During his welcome party on the Clubhouse app and after being called out for it, Justin Bieber revealed that he sampled Martin Luther King, Jr. on his new ‘Justice‘ album track “2 Much” for educational purposes. Specifically, Bieber used Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “But If Not” sermon that he gave at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia in November 1967. Tuesday (Mar. 30), Bieber entered into his first-ever Clubhouse room and during the conversation, one of the Bieber Nation co-founders, Kristal Terrell, asked JB how he believes music plays a role in social advocacy. The 27-year-old popstar began to explain, using his MLK Jr placement as a way to showcase his social growth, “amplify” MLK Jr’s speech and pay homage to the legendary Black Civil Rights activist. Nike has successfully blocked the sale of Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes” — for now. The rapper announced his limited-edition “Satan” sneaker collection last week — which features a pentagram and real human blood. Nas X collaborated with the streetwear company MSCHF on the “Satan Shoes,” only 666 pairs of which were released on Monday for $1,018 a pop. According to PEOPLE, they sold out in less than a minute. https://youtu.be/TleqpEtDVI8 Saweetie tells the outlet, “This unfortunate incident happened a year ago, while we have reconciled since then and moved past this particular disagreement, there were simply too many other hurdles to overcome in our relationship and we have both since moved on.” Some of those hurdles include Quavo allegedly cheating on Saweetie, which he has denied. Saweetie has addressed the video showing her and ex-boyfriend Quavo in an altercation inside an elevator. The struggle went down at an apartment complex in North Hollywood last year, TMZ reported. The footage shows the ex-couple standing outside an open elevator, and Saweetie is swinging on Quavo while they’re struggling over luggage. https://youtu.be/oJP086yeHyw Searchlight Pictures is in final talks with Kelvin Harrison Jr. to play the title role in “Chevalier de Saint-Georges,” the little known true story of a Black violinist, composer and champion fencer who was the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner. Born in 1745 in the French Caribbean, De Saint-Georges rose to improbable heights in French society, dazzling as both a violinist and composer, and a champion fencer. An ill-fated love affair with a French noblewoman, and a falling out with Marie Antoinette and her court led to his untimely downfall. https://youtu.be/kI9xsPvqhQM Bounce is coming with a new original movie called movie “Faith Heist.” It premieres Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021, at 9/8c. However, we’ve got a sneak peek for you now. It stars Jonathan Langdon, Dalmar Abuzeid, Sagine Sémajuste, Steve Lund, Leah Doz, Aaron Poole. https://youtu.be/AZ9hqwANDlE Maryland police are investigating after a driver plowed into a group of people standing outside of a Taco Bell in Waldorf and then smashed into the front entrance Wednesday night. Investigators responded to the fast-food spot after someone in the suspects’ vehicle argued with an employee at a drive-through window and then attacked the employee. After the suspected assailant got back in the vehicle, the driver left the window and then drove around to the front of the eatery before accelerating into a group of people and then through the glass doors. Emergency personnel treated two people at the scene, and a third was taken to a local hospital. The sheriff’s office does not believe the third victim’s injuries are life threatening. https://www.fox5dc.com/news/video-driver-plows-into-group-of-people-before-smashing-into-waldorf-taco-bell A TikTok video of a father/son moment is tugging at the Internet’s heartstrings. Master Sgt. Michael Fisher of the United States Marines Corps is shown choking up as he gives his son his first salute as a Second Lieutenant. The video, posted by Fisher, shows him facing his son and speaking to him about the significance of the salute. “I’ve watched you grow and mature and become the man that you are today,” he said. “You have always been respectful, by saying ‘Yes sir.’ ‘No sir.’ ‘Yes, ma’am,’ and ‘No, ma’am.’ A salute is a sign of respect. It is a privilege to render you your first salute.” “But it is a greater honor to say ‘Congratulations, sir, on your commissioning,’” Fisher continued, his voice cracking with emotion. As of Thursday, the original video amassed more than 3 million views on TikTok. https://twitter.com/i/status/1377021827751555072 The financial services company Robinhood is catching heat from rapper/actor Ice Cube for using his likeness in an ad. Robinhood reportedly used an image of the rapper/actor from the 2007 film “Are We Done Yet?” and also lyrics from his song “Check Yo Self” in a newsletter about stock/market corrections, according to TMZ. “Defendants deliberately and shamelessly misappropriated Ice Cube’s image and likeness to promote Robinhood’s horrible products and services—and the last things in the world to which Ice Cube would ever attach his image and likeness,” the lawsuit states. “This blatant theft of Ice Cube’s image and likeness to endorse Robinhood’s dangerous products and services has resulted in substantial damage to Ice Cube.” The complaint also mentions Robinhood’s GameStop controversy, and the company restricting trading for some investors. Lifetime's highly anticipated gospel biopic Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, will premiere Saturday, April 3 at 8:00pm ET/PT. An impressive list of Broadway stars including Tony® nominee Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play), Jason Dirden (Fences), Olivia Washington (The Butler) and Rob Demery (Lovecraft Country) join the film which is directed by Tony® Award-winner Kenny Leon and stars Tony Award nominee, SAG and Grammy® Award winning actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) as the gospel legend and civil rights trailblazer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoZIkMCGQMA RiZen returns with new music. Your Girls, Adriann, Ashley, Aundrea, and Kanika are back! The 2x Stellar Award winners have managed life, marriage, school, and children to reunite to share with you their new music ?“He’ll Be There!” https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6963671?date=20210324&user_id=668306&signature=mxZcU-80lKDi4l8rbRRlBLY7WdI%3Av3VfLVBq BEN TANKARD “SHINE” Album Release Concert & TV Taping “Thicker Than Water: The Tankards” Sunday, April 4 at 5pm going down at The Destiny Center Murfreesboro, TN. The Gospel Spotlight's Ben Tankard In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/bentankard_intvw.htm On April 5, BNC launches “Black News Tonight with Marc Lamont Hill,” (Mon-Fri 8-9PM ET), where the award-winning journalist and culture critic presents a thoughtful and probing look into the stories, issues and challenges impacting the Black experience. No topic is off limits as Hill provides distinct perspectives, strong commentary and welcomes influential guests to unpack the pressing matters that are shaping our time. ext up on April 12, BNC presents “Making the Case with Yodit,” (Mon-Fri at 9-10PM ET), where nationally renowned defense attorney and former prosecutor Yodit Tewolde breaks down the criminal justice system with provocative clarifications and in-depth analysis of the cases that are grabbing headlines across the nation. Get lifted in the spirit with the new compilation My Very OWN Easter, released by RCA Inspiration in partnership with Relevé Entertainment and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Available now via digital music providers, the special EP release features performances by some of the most celebrated stars in R&B and Gospel music, following the initial broadcast of OWN’s Gospel music Easter primetime special “Our OWN Easter,” which aired March 30th. Bringing their signature stamp with these brand-new performances from the TV special, the star-studded My Very OWN Easter soundtrack includes chart toppers Fantasia, Anthony Hamilton and The Hamiltones, Koryn Hawthorne, Jonathan McReynolds, Charles Jenkins, and Ledisi. An arrest has been made in the case of the 65-year-old Asian woman in New York City on Monday who was verbally and physically assaulted in an unprovoked attack that was captured via surveillance video. On Wednesday, Brandon Elliot, 38, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault, the New York City Police Department confirmed to NPR. https://youtu.be/kwOroh35P3k A witness to George Floyd’s deadly encounter with Minneapolis police broke down on the stand Wednesday during day 3 of former officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial. Charles McMillian, the 61-year-old bystander heard in videos of the incident pleading with Floyd to “get in the car,” told the court that he ended up on the scene because he drove past police vehicles in front of Cup Foods and pulled over his van because he was “nosey.” https://youtu.be/ZsqJJTeA_q8 According to WNYTV, The unidentified minor was charged with third-degree rape — a felony — by state police on Tuesday. The child, from Brasher Falls, was later released and police say the investigation is ongoing. While full details on the incident have not been shared yet, state troopers say the initial sex offense complaint was made the day before Thanksgiving of last year. The alleged victim’s age is currently unknown. The case will be handled in Family Court. New York City attorney, who is with a group that handles youth defense cases spoke with the news site and labeled this situation “absurd.” A woman who once ran a Florida religious group described as a cult by prosecutors has died in prison more than a month after she was sentenced for the 1980s deaths of two young children. Anna Young, 79, was sentenced last month after pleading no contest to second-degree murder and negligent manslaughter, according to Alachua County court records. She received 30 years for the murder conviction, which would have ran concurrently with 15 years for manslaughter. Young, who operated the House of Prayer cult near Gainseville in the 1980s and 1990s, only served 42 days in prison before her death. Her daughter, Joy Fluker, told First Coast News that Young was in the ICU on oxygen at a local hospital Monday night. On the Wednesday, March 31st edition of “Tamron Hall,” CNN Anchor Don Lemon joined the show to discuss healing after the tragic loss of his sister, finding love in his 50s and discussing racism with friends. Lemon also revealed for the first time on the live show that he and his fiancé are looking to start a family through adoption or surrogacy in the coming years. https://youtu.be/Cp0Tgwci0X0 Niecy Nash and wife Jessica Betts appeared on Wednesday’s episode of “Red Table Talk” to dish about their same-sex marriage and how they fell in love. Per PEOPLE, Betts revealed to hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris that Nash wasn’t open to a relationship at first. “She was very reluctant. I was chasing her, Betts, 41, said about her 51-year-old wife, whom she wed last August. Nash said there were two main reasons why she was initially hesitant to enter into a relationship with Betts. “For two reasons, I had said on the other side of this marriage I’m going to get me a little young 25-year-old … and I was just going to live my life and just have fun and I’m going to run these bachelorette streets,” Nash said, referring to her divorce from Jay Tucker in 2019. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=147431543854136 Vandals hit a tribute mural of George Floyd in Phoenix. The word “Fentanyl” was spray painted on. The mural ymbolizes the $20 counterfeit bill that led to his death. It shows an image of Floyd on a $20 bill along with the message, “The price of black lives.” Vandals crossed out his eyes and mouth, and wrote the word “Fentanyl” on his forehead. The mural was created last year by New York City artist Jeremie Bacpac Franko. “The reason why I’m doing a $20 bill is because George Floyd was killed over a $20 bill. We may never know if it was or wasn’t counterfeit,” said Franko. The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville, Tennessee honors Jody Watley for her contribution as a trendsetting pioneer in music, video, fashion and style. NMAAM recently unveiled a bright, larger-than-life digital billboard of the beautiful iconic superstar at the top of their building on the historic 5th and Broadway Street in Nashville. The first-ever museum dedicated to African American Music recently appointed Jody Watley as it’s first-ever membership ambassador. A white supremacist has pleaded guilty to beating a Black teen in his mouth with a bicycle lock stemming from a racist encounter at a Michigan beach last June. Lee Mouat, a 43-year-old white man, admitted he carried out the violent crime specifically because the teenager — Devin Freelon Jr. — was Back. Mouat’s guilty plea comes as hate crimes across the country have been growing. USA Today reported that Mouat pleaded guilty this Wednesday. Mouat now faces up to 10 years in prison. George Floyd’s girlfriend Courtney Ross, 45, broke down within minutes of taking the stand Thursday at Derek Chauvin’s murder trial. Ross began sobbing while telling the story of how Floyd asked to “pray with her” when they first met at the Salvation Army shelter, where she was waiting in the lobby for her child’s father, and Floyd was working as a security guard. https://twitter.com/i/status/1377636596598591488 Actor Craig “muMs” Grant, known for his role as Poet on the HBO series “Oz,” died Wednesday at age 52. No cause of death has been revealed. “We are overwhelmed with sadness and grief over losing our beloved friend and client Craig Mums Grant,” Grant’s representatives wrote in a statement provided by Pam Ellis-Evenas, calling him a “deeply talented writer and actor.” Alvin Sykes, hailed as a self-taught legal defender and civil rights activist, died at the age of 64 at a hospice in Kansas on March 19. Sykes was most famously known for his work on landmark cold cases and helped reopen the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. According to a close friend, Sykes died from complications from a fall that left him partially paralyzed two years ago, The New York Times reports. In addition to his work on cold cases Sykes assisted local, state and federal lawmakers to reform jury selection and advocated for DNA research in murder investigations. When the voice of Marvin Gaye was silenced forever by his father on April 1, 1984, when he shot and killed him in Los Angeles, CA, the world lost not only a brilliant talent, but a man in tune with the ills of the Black community. Though such songs as “Distant Lover” and “Let’s Get It On” are still considered premiere blue light basement classics, and songs such as “Trouble Man” and “Hitchhike” are sure to make even the most rhythmically challenged want to get up and dance, it’s his socially conscious lyrics that still resonate with today’s generation, proving that pain, suffering, poverty and racial unrest are as American as apple pie. Marvin’s music reflects the landscape of the late 1960s and early ’70s with a clarity that is as vivid as stepping into a painting that has come to life. The collapse of a billionaire’s family investment firm that has some asking whether Wall Street learned its lesson from past financial crises has sparked a different debate among some evangelical leaders over ethical investing. Archegos Capital Management, which does not function like a regular hedge fund, is a family office, which typically manages the money of a few wealthy families. Archegos managed $10 billion of Bill Hwang’s family fortune, according to Reuters. The firm used borrowed money to buy substantial stakes in media and Internet companies, including ViacomCBS. That position went south this week after Viacom’s share price dropped, prompting Wall Street firms that had invested in Archegos to demand it make up some of those losses. When Archegos could not, two banks that financed Archegos’ stock purchases warned its own investors of potential losses of billions of dollars, according to several media accounts. Exactly 20 years ago, one lesbian couple and three gay couples tied the knot in Amsterdam’s city hall – making history as the Netherlands became the first country to allow same-sex marriage, a step since followed by nearly 30 other nations. During the two decades since the law took effect, thousands of gay and lesbian couples have wed in the Netherlands – representing 1.7% of all marriages, according to the national statistics bureau. About 750 lesbian couples and 620 gay male couples have married on average annually over the last five years, and there are now some 20,000 married same-sex couples living in the country, official data shows. Over the past five years, more than 400 same-sex marriages have ended in divorce on average annually – with the divorce rate for lesbian couples almost twice as high as that of gay men. “A Week Away,” the first faith-based musical ever available on Netflix, debuted in the streaming service’s Top 5 over the weekend, while the film soundtrack ranked No. 1 on the iTunes Christian album chart. Starring Bailee Madison and Kevin Quinn, “A Week Away” reached No. 4 on Netflix’s list for most popular titles in the U.S. over the weekend and No. 4 on Netflix’s list for most-popular movies, according to Whats-On-Netflix.com. The film also saw global success, ranking No. 4 in Australia, No. 3 in Brazil, No. 5 in Spain, and No. 3 in Germany as of Wednesday. Jimmy Fallon is catching heat after he invited Tik Tok star Addison Rae on his late-night show to perform popular TikTok dances but failed to credit the Black creators behind the routines. Rae appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Friday to show off some of the popular dances on the platform. Fallon held up cue cards identifying the dances she was performing, including Savage Love, Corvette Corvette, and Laffy Taffy. https://youtu.be/VPgAfPlsSg0 For the first time in NCAA women’s tournament history, two Black women will lead teams into the Final Four. South Carolina’s Dawn Staley will be appearing in her third Final Four, while Adia Barnes and her Arizona team will make their debut appearance. “There are so many Black coaches out there that don’t get opportunity because when ADs [Athletics Directors] don’t see it, they don’t see it — and they’re going to see it on the biggest stage of a Friday night, that two Black women are representing two programs in the Final Four, something that has never been done before,” Staley said. Tyra Banks has launched her ice cream brand called SMiZE and each pint comes with a delicious surprise!. The sweet treat comes in six flavors: “Brownies, I Love You”, “Caramel Cookie Queen”, “Strawberry BirthYAY! Cake”, “Purple Cookie Mon-Star & Me”, “Salted Caramel King” and “The Best Vanilla I Ever Had,” PEOPLE reports. Serena Williams is getting candid about her marriage to husband Alexis Ohanian. Williams and the Reddit co-founder tied the knot in September 2017 and have an adorable daughter, 3-year-old Olympia. Speaking about matrimony and motherhood for Bumble’s The Question Game, one question posed to her was, “What have you learned about marriage?,” to which she replied with a laugh, “Marriage is not bliss.” "But it can be if you work at it,” the tennis champ added. She also noted during the video that “a dealbreaker for me in a relationship is definitely loyalty. Well, not having it, that is.” Michael Strahan shocked fans and colleagues on Tuesday when he revealed he had the gap in his front teeth closed by the team at Smile Design Manhattan. In a video posted on Instagram, Strahan shares the process of the procedure, calling it a “moment 50 years in the making.” “I did it. #GoodbyeGap,” he captioned the clip. https://twitter.com/i/status/1376977826029637632 Regina Hall has tapped producer Tom Heller to serve as President of her production company, Rh Negative Entertainment. The company recently inked a first-look television deal with Showtime as well as a six-picture feature deal with ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group, Deadline reports. “Tom is an exceptional producer and we share a parallel approach to the business and vision for the future,” said Hall in a statement. “I’m looking forward to our creative endeavors and am excited to discover new and compelling ways of storytelling together.” “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler was writing the script for the long-awaited sequel when he learned the sad news that the film’s star, Chadwick Boseman, had died. The actor passed away last August at age 43 after a 4-year private battle with colon cancer. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Coogler said it was “difficult,” to return to the film without his leading man. “It’s difficult. You’ve got to keep going when you lose loved ones. I know Chad wouldn’t have wanted us to stop,” he said. “He was somebody who was so about the collective. Black Panther, that was his movie. He was hired to play that role before anybody else was even thought of, before I was hired, before any of the actresses were hired. On that set, he was all about everybody else,” Coogler explained. Lauren London marked the second anniversary of Nispey Hussle‘s death with a heartfelt yet sobering tribute to her lost love, who was gunned down in Los Angeles on March 31, 2019, to the shock of his fans and supporters. Lauren, who continuously uses her platform to honor Nipsey’s contributions to the culture, captioned a photo of young Nip pictured in front of a Hyde Park sign, affirming her eternal devotion. After threats of a boycott and being the target of other proposed protests against Delta Air Lines, its CEO is doing an about-face on the controversial topic of Georgia’s new law restricting voting access that is expected to disproportionately affect Black and brown communities. Delta CEO Ed Bastian previously praised the new law — SB 202 — as recently as last week. But on Wednesday, he conveniently had a change of heart after the prospects of losing business during a time when the travel industry has already been crippled because of the pandemic. After describing SB202 as having “improved” existing election laws, Bastain said Wednesday it was “unacceptable.” He suggested his words in a company statement were taken out of context and said he was finally setting the record straight about his opinion on the matter, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Baltimore may regain local control over the city’s police department after 160 years of state control. A new bill could shift power over the agency after city leaders agreed on the transition process. The Baltimore Sun reported the legislation proposes an advisory board comprising 17-members, including the mayor, city solicitor, police commissioner, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the city’s chief equity officer and the city council president. The mayor would also appoint six community nominees to be confirmed by the city council. Crosses etched in mysterious abundance across the walls of Christianity’s most sacred church were long assumed to be graffiti, but they may be the work of mediaeval masons paid to carve them by pilgrims, research suggests. Revered in Christian tradition as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre usually bustles with worshippers and clergy. That has made study of the sacred markings difficult. But renovations in 2018 at one of its chapels featuring thousands of the close-bunched and hand-engraved crosses gave Israel’s Antiquities Authority and Hadassah Academic College Jerusalem an opportunity for research. General Motors CEO Mary Barra has agreed to meet with Black-owned media leaders after Byron Allen took out a full-page ad on page 3A in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press, accusing Barra of racism for refusing to meet with them “consistently, over time and after multiple requests.” The ad is signed by the heads of the seven Black-owned media companies including rapper and actor Ice Cube, who co-founded pro-basketball league BIG3, Allen is head of Allen Media Group, and former NBA player Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman, who bought Ebony Media last year. The upcoming ALLBLK series “Notorious Queens,” centers on a group of women in LA who became infamous due to their former flames. From the producers of WE tv’s hit series “Growing Up Hip Hop,” the series features two OGs, Suge Knight’s ex-partner Stormey Ramdhan and Black Family Mafia’s Toni Welch, and two hot young influencers Love & Hip-Hop’s La’Britney and Bad Girls Club’s Mehgan James who are in LA to make their dreams come true, per press release. https://youtu.be/FP8I74-TeEc Over 100 people in Washington state have tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after becoming fully vaccinated against the disease, officials said. The Washington State Department of Health is investigating reports of the so-called breakthrough cases, which it said are expected with any vaccine. A breakthrough case is confirmed with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or a positive antigen test in an individual more than two weeks after they have received their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Washington State Department of Health. “Finding evidence of vaccine breakthrough cases reminds us that, even if you have been vaccinated, you still need to wear a mask, practice socially distancing, and wash your hands to prevent spreading COVID-19 to others who have not been vaccinated,” Dr. Umair Shah, Washington state’s secretary of health, said in a statement Tuesday. Actor and podcaster Michael Rapaport has revealed a private war of words with Kevin Durant in which the Brooklyn Nets star unleashed a string of homophobic slurs while threatening to spit on the diehard 51-year-old New York sports fan. Screen grabs of the private, online conversation were revealed by Rapaport in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon. The disagreement appears to have started in December after Rapaport criticized an awkward post-game interview Durant had on TNT. ‘I receive threats and disgusting messages DAILY, but never in my wildest dreams did I think [Kevin Durant] would be among them,’ Rapaport tweeted Tuesday while posting grabs of his December exchange with Durant. ‘The [snake emoji] himself is now threatening me, bringing up my wife and wants to fight. This is supposed to be America’s sweetheart right?’ Eighteen women who say they have been masseuses for NFL star Deshaun Watson have vouched for his character, saying he’s always been professional as the football player faces accusations of sexual misconduct. The Houston Texans quarterback remains on the defensive, however, with two more complaints filed on Tuesday that brings the total number of lawsuits against him to 21. Rusty Hardin, Watson’s lawyer, revealed the statements of support for the quarterback. They come from women who have given him massages more than 130 times combined, Hardin says. ‘These women say they are deeply troubled by the accusations made against Deshaun and that these claims are wholly inconsistent with their experiences with him and who they believe him to be,’ Hardin said in a statement to TMZ. A former Nigerian beauty queen and doctorate student from Philadelphia has been shot dead while sitting in her car in front of her family’s home, and now her parents are hiding out of fear for their lives. Najeebat Sule, 24, who was known to her loved ones as Najee, was killed shortly before 6pm on March 12, just steps away from her residence in the 8800 block of Frankford Avenue. Nearly three weeks later, police have not found a motive and have made no arrests, leaving Sule’s family and friends searching for answers. The premiere of the “52nd NAACP Image Awards" on Saturday, March 27, illuminated screens with Black Excellence! The awards drew 3 MM Total Viewers P2+ (EDAC), up +72% vs a year ago, as it was simulcast LIVE across 13 ViacomCBS networks including BET, BET Her, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount, Pop, Smithsonian, TV Land, VH1, CMT, and for the first time ever on CBS where it garnered 1.7 Million total Viewers.* Jam-packed with buzzworthy moments the “52nd NAACP Image Awards" secured the #1 spot as the most social primetime program on cable this March, excluding sports (1/1/21-3/28/21). The Connecticut women’s basketball team had advanced to 12 consecutive Final Fours entering its NCAA Tournament matchup Monday night against Baylor. Freshman Paige Bueckers had been a part of none of those, but was determined to keep the streak alive. The Huskies needed every bit of their freshman star’s team-leading 28 points to defeat the Lady Bears, 69-67, and reach the national semifinals for the 13th tournament in a row. “Paige got that look in her eye, started getting some buckets,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said after the game. “And when Paige is scoring, the rest of the team really gains a lot of confidence.” “To be part of that history is wild,” Bueckers said. “It’s why I came here. … Saw that as a young kid, wanted to be a part of that. It’s surreal.” Desmond Pringle’s golden tenor can be heard on some of the finest recordings in recent times. Over the years, he’s shadowed Aretha Franklin, Marvin Sapp and Yolanda Adams on CD, and led “The Place” on Shekinah Glory Ministry’s RIAA certified gold CD, “Live.” He’s composed hits for others and also enjoyed hits of his own ranging from the worship ballad “You Are God” to the inspiring Adult R&B hit, “Arms Wide Open.” Now, after a six-year recording hiatus, Pringle is back on the scene with the mid-tempo, “Still the Blood.” The Gospel Spotlight's Desmond Pringle In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Desmond_Pringle.htm Riding high on the success of her new hit single "I GOT GOD", the follow-up single to her Top 5 smash "I Love Him" featuring 10-time Grammy nominee & multiple winner Hezekiah Walker, Stellar & Grammy nominee Renee Spearman is headlining "Tye Tribbett & Friends Easter Special" this Resurrection Sunday, April 4, 2021. A two-hour special airing at Noon (EST) on Gospel and Urban stations all over the country, American Urban Radio Network is broadcasting this Easter Special hosted by 2-time Grammy winner gospel superstar Tye Tribbett. Featuring inspirational music and messages from some of gospel's biggest stars including Kirk Franklin, Tamela Mann, CeCe Winans, Renee Spearman, Anthony Brown, Byron Cage, Jekalyn Carr, Travis Greene, Earnest Pugh, VaShawn Mitchell and Yolanda Adams, just to name a few, you don't want to miss the "Tye Tribbett & Friends Easter Special." Vanessa Bryant wants a judge to shut down her mother Sofia Laine’s lawsuit that claims Kobe promised to take care of her financially for the res t of her life.Bryant’s mother filed court documents in California in December, alleging that she worked as a “longtime personal assistant and nanny” for Kobe Bryant’s family, and was never paid for it. Laine also claims that prior to Kobe’s death in January 2020, he promised to take care of her “for the rest of her life.” https://youtu.be/IrlFq6TXlhE Dave Ramsey, an Evangelical radio and financial advisor, has fired, or looked to fire, at least 13 people from his financial company for having premarital or extramarital sex. It’s reported that one of Ramsey’s former long-time administrative assistant, Caitlin O’Connor, has filed a federal lawsuit against consulting company Ramsey Solutions after she was fired last June. She alleges it was due to her being pregnant, which the company learned upon her requesting maternity leave paperwork. Meanwhile, court documents show O’Connor’s exit led back to her having premarital sex, as she wasn’t married to her partner upon sharing the news of her pregnancy with the company. Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, according to three people briefed on the matter. Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the people said. A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value. The Justice Department regularly prosecutes such cases, and offenders often receive severe sentences. In case there was ever any confusion about the way Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham feels on the topic of race, let the record reflect his commentary from a Fox News appearance on Sunday morning. During his interview with Chris Wallace on topics that spanned the gamut of the past week’s news, Graham spoke both in plain language as well as in coded dog-whistling about Georgia’s new controversial law that restricts voting access, President Joe Biden‘s response to that law, his proud ownership of an AR-15 and the House’s bill to expand voting rights. If there was one commonality between what Graham said, it was his commitment to upholding racist ideals. I can sing, but Tiffany is a singer,” said David Spencer, who is half of the Gospel duo David and Tiffany Spencer. They are currently promoting their “We Are One” and “Only You” singles, and have already garnered a Kingdom Image Award for “Best Album of the Year” and a Rhythm of Gospel Award for “Best Packaging” for their debut album “One Touch” – released in 2019. “We both write.” https://youtu.be/oAc1EEYLKto International supermodel, activist and philanthropist Naomi Campbell welcomes model, actress, singer, and daughter of Michael Jackson, Paris Jackson for an enjoyable and enlightening conversation on “No Filter with Naomi” – a limited-time series under her highly popular “Being Naomi” YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/GPhmZWah1b4 “Small Fortune,” NBC’s newest team competition game show hosted by Lil Rel Howery, premieres on Monday, May 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The series is a British import based on Youngest Media’s popular U.K. format and is unlike any team competition ever seen on U.S. television. In each heart-pounding episode, teams of three from various backgrounds, including first responders and Olympians from around the country, work together to earn a shot at competing for the $250,000 cash prize in the “Big Little Heist” finale game. Kevin Gates was involved in a car crash on Monday in L.A. where cops say a woman driving a Toyota Prius ran a red light before colliding into his Lambo! Pictures obtained by TMZ show how intense the crash was. The woman’s Prius had major damages from the front and back while Kevin’s vehicle seemed wrecked from the passenger’s side. In the aftermath video, Kevin can be seen calmly standing in the middle of the intersection and chatting with the woman, who is sitting in the driver’s seat with the door open. Cops were eventually called and responded to the scene where they facilitated the exchange of insurance information, TMZ reports. Thankfully, no one was injured. Tuesday, Hulu dropped a trailer for “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 4, and it looks like this is going to be one thrilling ride! The series picks up where last season left off — utter chaos has rocked Gilead after June (Elisabeth Moss) rebels against the system by successfully executing her plan to save nearly 100 children. Now she’s on the run, Aunt Lydia and Mr. Waterford wants revenge, Serena is chilling in prison and for some odd reason, Nick still can’t get over June….*sigh*. https://youtu.be/rg_160Be71g Lionsgate has dropped the official trailer for the ninth installation of the “Saw” series titled “Spiral” starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. An earlier report noted that Rock and Jackson joined forces for a reboot of the franchise via Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures. The project is being dubbed “a new chapter from the book of “Saw” and is helmed by director Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed three of the most successful “Saw” films. https://youtu.be/gzy6ORqE9IY A Long Island pizza delivery driver was fired after sending a text message to a Black customer that allegedly contained the N-word along with the message “Black lives don’t matter.” Jerry says she and her kids ordered food from I Love Pizza. The delivery took over two hours, according to Jerry, so she didn’t tip the delivery driver. That driver later texted her that “Black lives don’t matter” and told her to “get her n**ger ass out of Wantaugh.” Monique Hawkins went to the restaurant and confronted the owner while on Facebook Live, which has now been seen over 15,000 times. The 13-minute long video shows Hawkins going OFF in the spot over the racist language against her daughter. Rappers Quavo and Saweetie called it quits earlier this month after Saweetie took to Twitter and accused him of cheating on her, which he denied. Now video has emerged of their wild physical altercation on an elevator that was captured on video before the breakup. Per TMZ, the struggle went down at an apartment complex in North Hollywood. It shows both of them standing outside an open elevator, and Saweetie is swinging on Quavo while they’re struggling over a piece of luggage. https://youtu.be/oJP086yeHyw Several White House staffers were reportedly suspended, put on probation, or asked to resign after honestly disclosing past cannabis use. Responding to the White House in a letter, a faction of lawmakers, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), asked the administration to “rectify instances” or “clarify its employment suitability policies” regarding marijuana. “Those in the upper ranks of your administration won’t face consequences for their cannabis use, and nor should they, but the same standard should be applied across the administration,” the letter read. “Repercussions for cannabis use have always been unequal and those with the most power have always faced the fewest consequences. We ask that you don’t allow that pattern to continue within your administration.” Brutal surges in coronavirus cases are hitting much of the world all at once, from Europe to Brazil to India. The big picture: Cases are rising just about everywhere, in a swift reversal from early February, when they were falling on every continent. They’re also now ticking up in the U.S., which is in the midst of a race between vaccines and variants. Brazil is recording by far the world’s highest daily death tolls, which far exceed anything seen earlier in the pandemic. Hospitals are at or exceeding capacity in nearly every state, AP reports. A new, more contagious “Brazilian variant” poses a grave threat, including to the U.S. Nairobi, Kenya, has entered a partial lockdown, with schools and bars closed and domestic travel halted. On this day in 2002, Ashanti was literally all over the place. The then 21-year-old was cooking with gas on the Hot 100 charts appearing on three songs in the Top 10, with her Ja Rule collaboration “Always On Time” at #4, her Fat Joe duet “What’s Luv?” at #5, and her solo track “Foolish” at #9. Also, on March 31, 2002, “Ain’t It Funny” by Jennifer Lopez, co-written by Ashanti – featured the latter’s vocals left on the referencing track that is usually removed when a demo is given to the intended singer to re-record. “Ain’t It Funny” wasn’t the only J-Lo song that mysteriously left in Ashanti’s backing vocals. https://youtu.be/m8NuLrXAmZE The family of 12-year-old Joshua Haileyesus, of Colorado, believes the little boy was left brain dead after trying the TikTok “blackout challenge,” FOX 11 reports. The trending challenge encourages its participants to see how long they can hold their breaths. According to his father, Joshua was found unconscious in his bathroom, just a few days after he told his brother he could hold his breath for a minute. Medical officials believe that the family must get ready to say farewell to their son. “I’m praying for him every day…It’s just heartbreaking to see him laying on the bed,” said Haileyesus Zeryihun, Joshua’s father. “I was begging them on the floor, pleading to see if they can give me some time, not to give up on him. If I just give up on him, I feel like I’m just walking away from my son.” Zeryihun hopes this informs other families about the potential dangers of seemingly harmless games. “This is something that kids need to be given, to be taught—to be counseled,” the father told Denver7 News. “It’s not a joke at all. And you can treat it as if somebody is holding a gun. This is how dangerous this is.” The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s Jennifer Shah and Stuart Smith allegedly profited by generating lists of victims for targeting and then directing co-conspirators to defraud them. Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss, Homeland Security Investigations New York Field Office Special Agent in Charge Peter Fitzhugh, and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea announced the unsealing of an indictment charging both with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Shah and Smith were arrested Tuesday and appeared virtually in Salt Lake City federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead. “Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on reality television, and Stuart Smith, who is portrayed as Shah’s first assistant, allegedly generated and sold lead lists of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam,” Strauss said. Beloved children’s cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants is under fire for two previous episodes, which have since been pulled from streaming services. The decision comes as the rise in anti-Asian discrimination and violence linked to the coronavirus pandemic rocks the United States, which one of the two pulled episodes arguably touched upon. https://youtu.be/RsWQbwiHO7U Van Hunt recently opened up to Entertainment Tonight about how his girlfriend Halle Berry has influenced both him and his music. “The inspiration for our relationship goes across everything, even in my parenting,” he told the outlet, per Page Six.“I’m a completely different person, I can say it like that, and I think that it’s improved every aspect of my life.” ”Rapper” Chet Hanks, son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, was left with a gushing head wound after a fight with his ex-girlfriend, in which she swung a pot at his head, according to a video of the incident obtained by TMZ. The incident took place on Jan. 8 at Hanks’ home in Sugarland, Texas. The 30-year-old can be seen accusing his former girlfriend, Kiana Parker, of “threatening” him with a knife. “S–t,” Parker says, before lunging at him while holding a pot. The camera cuts to black before Hanks turns it on himself to reveal his head wound. Parker, who appears with other people, argues that he “pushed” her.https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-03-30-033021-chet-hanks-bloodied-1061098/ When actress Seyi Omooba was fired from a U.K. revival of “The Color Purple” over past homophobic comments, she later unsuccessfully sued the theater and her former agents. Now she has been ordered to pay more than $412,000 in court costs. According to Broadway World, U.K.’s Employment Tribune has ordered Omooba to repay court costs related to her legal battle against Curve Leicester theater and Global Artists, the agency that represented her. MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross believes Meghan McCain should be fired from co-hosting “The View” due to her identity politics, noting that her only talent is “benefiting from nepotism and black hairstylists.” Cross made the remarks on Saturday in response to McCain’s criticism of senators Tammy Duckworth and Mazie Hirono, who threatened to pull their support from President Joe Biden over the lack of Asian Americans in his administration. “We’ve only had one Asian American host co-host this show,” said McCain on “The View,” per MSN. “So does that mean that one of us should be leaving at some point because there’s not enough representation?” Cross replied, “Yes. One of you should definitely lose your job. I’ll give you two guesses but you’ll only need one.” Six witnesses testified Tuesday in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, and several teared up while describing their recollections of the day George Floyd died. Witnesses included a mixed martial arts fighter, the teen who recorded the now viral video of Floyd’s death, the teen’s 9-year-old cousin, two high school seniors who said they were headed to Cup Foods to get an auxiliary cord and a Minneapolis firefighter who witnessed the incident while out on a walk. https://youtu.be/yKN4_rpz844 Eric Nelson, attorney for defendant Derek Chauvin, listed the obscenities that Donald Williams II yelled at Chauvin and fellow officers to get off Floyd. Nelson also brought up an interview Williams conducted with investigators, in which he was asked to describe what happened. “In that statement, you said that, ‘Like, I really wanted to beat the s**t out of the police officers,’ you said that,” Nelson said, reading from a transcript of the interview. “Yeah, that’s what I felt,” Williams responded. “So again, sir, it’s fair to say that you grew angrier and angrier.” https://youtu.be/xp-lssMQvo8 The family of Botham Jean gathered in Dallas on Saturday for a ceremony to unveil the newly named Botham Jean Boulevard. Jean was shot in 2018 inside his Dallas apartment by white, female, off-duty police officer Amy Guyger. Guyger claimed she shot Botham because she thought she had entered her own home, and he was a trespassing burglar. Guyger, who is serving a 10-year sentence after being convicted of murder. https://youtu.be/8yyfASYAAp4 Major League Baseball 2021 Opening Day is set for Thursday, April 1. Opening Day annually brings optimism for every team, and this year it will also feature the return of fans at regular season baseball games. Because of the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fans weren’t permitted to attend MLB games last season until the very last rounds of the playoffs. MLB outlined guidelines for allowing fans back into ballparks this year, and at this point, social distancing and mask wearing will be enforced but no vaccine checks or negative COVID-19 test results will be required. The guidelines are dependent on adhering to the teams’ local government guidelines and restrictions. In one week, they hope to be celebrating the program’s first-ever national championship. To get to the title game, Baylor (26-2) will need to take out Houston, the No. 2 seed from the Midwest Region, on Saturday. Senior MaCio Teague led the scoring for Baylor, with 22 points and three 3-pointers. Two of those threes came as Arkansas threatened with under five minutes to go. After the game, Teague was asked during his press conference if the Bears were appreciating their tournament run more this year because last year’s tournament — when Baylor likely also would have a No. 1 seed — was canceled due to the pandemic. “All glory goes to God in these situations. Win or lose, God still brings us here and we’re here for His glory,” Teague said. “We’re just really happy that everything is working out the way it is right now. We’ve got a good group of guys in the locker room, guys who sacrificed a ton for the greater good.” Capitol Records has responded to a claim made in HBO’s new “Tina” documentary that a former executive in the early 80s called the music icon the N-word. The doc features audio from the late John Carter, who was an A&R executive at Capitol Records in the ’80s and credited for bringing Tina Turner to the label. He recalls the pushback against the singer at the time. https://youtu.be/w9IkVtLvflU Wednesday’s episode of Red Table Talk finds Adrienne, aka Gammy, opening up about her interest in having a threesome — to the surprise of her granddaughter Willow Smith and daughter Jada Pinkett Smith. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=844529036147757 A New York state judge ruled on Monday that all incarcerated people in the state’s prisons and jails must get COVID vaccinated. According to reports, 35 inmates and eight staff members have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 1,000 inmates have reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, and five have died. https://youtu.be/D2Mx2hv5H50 In New York another Asian person, an elderly female, has been beaten in broad daylight by a stocky-built man, but what’s really sad is that no one even tried to help. The incident happened on Monday in Midtown Manhattan. The 65-year-old woman was on her way to church, when out of nowhere a complete stranger kicks her down to the ground and starts stomping her out. And just like that he leaves the scene as if nothing happened, but it was all captured on a surveillance camera. https://youtu.be/SskKiRKXXws Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump want to stay in touch with their supporters, so on Monday, the couple launched the website, 45Office.com, which will “will allow individuals to submit correspondence, scheduling requests, and press inquiries for President and Mrs. Trump,” Trump’s representatives said. “President and Mrs. Trump are continually strengthened by the enduring spirit of the American people, and they look forward to staying in touch,” Trump’s office said in a statement. Byron Allen and several Black leaders of major media companies are accusing General Motors CEO Mary Barra of being racist for refusing to meet with them. Allen fired off letters of intent to major ad brands in which he warned of plans to take legal action against them if they don’t support Black-owned media. Allen is calling on ad agencies to allocate a minimum of 2% of their budgets to Black-owned media or face legal action. The full-page ad on page 3A in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press accuses Barra of refusing to meet with them “consistently, over time and after multiple requests.” Allen is asking Barra for an hour-long Zoom meeting, or the alternative, her resignation. https://youtu.be/nuGB_DjoGPs On Friday, CBS announced Sharon Osbourne decided to leave “The Talk” amid the fallout over her on-air feud with co-host Sheryl Underwood. haron eventually posted an apology, but it apparently wasn’t enough to fix all the damage. She was fired last week and reportedly plans to sue CBS for forcing her out. Morgan has slammed the “cowardly” TV network over its handling of the Osbourne controversy. Writing in his column for Mail Online, Piers said called out the hypocrisy, and noted how Underwood defended comedian George Lopez on The Talk in 2017 after he told a studio audience: “There’s still two rules in the f*****g Latino family: Don’t marry somebody black and don’t park in front of our house.” Donald Williams, an MMA fighter who is trained in chokeholds, was called as a witness by the state Monday during first day of testimony in the George Floyd murder trial, and is expected to return to the stand Tuesday when court resumes at 9:30 a.m. CT. Williams, 33, was among the bystanders who watched in horror and outrage as former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. https://youtu.be/cIqgbWeYqtg Jena Scurry, a Minneapolis 911 dispatcher who sent officers to deal with a “counterfeit $20 bill” situation at Cup Foods on May 25, 2020, was the prosecution’s first witness in the George Floyd murder trial because she essentially called the police on police. https://youtu.be/YoPXE-ZSrJU Prosecutors in the George Floyd murder trial called as their second witness Alisha Oyler, a 23-year-old employee of the Speedway gas station across the street from Cup Foods, where defendant Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 26 seconds. Oyler testified Monday that she was working the night of May 25 and filmed seven different videos of Floyd’s arrest from afar. She often testified that she couldn’t remember certain events of that day and that she was nervous. “It was like a year ago,” she explained once after her failure to remember an event. While it appeared the state did not prepare her properly for trial, prosecutors needed to put her on the stand to introduce her valuable recordings as evidence. https://youtu.be/t0pQwhVSpHc Calling it a shameless example of voter suppression rooted in systemic racism, a coalition of black pastors in Florida has blasted a proposed bill, which would, among other things, eliminate ballot drop boxes and require proof of identification to vote by mail. Florida Senate Bill 90, sponsored by Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley, would also prohibit anyone other than an immediate family member from returning another person’s absentee ballot and make absentee-ballot requests valid for only one election cycle. Under current rules, one request allows voters to receive mail-in ballots for two cycles. Today, the preeminent streamer of Black content, BET+, and Tyler Perry Studios reveal the cast of its new scripted series, “All The Queen’s Men,” and give a first-look preview. This Summer, BET+ will open the doors to Club Eden, the fictional home to the hottest and most sensual male exotic dancers in the country! Based on the popular book Ladies Night, created by Christian Keyes, whom also serves as a writer for the series, the one-hour drama centers around the life of “Marilyn ‘Madam’ DeVille,” played by Eva Marcille. BLM activist Tamika Mallory recently came under fire for accepting corporate sponsorships and for appearing alongside Lil Baby during his Grammy’s performance of “The Bigger Picture.” In a Facebook post, per Insider, Samaria shared a clip of Mallory’s portion, writing… “Look at this clout chaser,” she said. “Did she lose something in this fight i don’t think so. That’s the problem they take us for a joke that’s why we never have justice cause of shit like this.” Samaria also teamed with Lisa Simpson, the mother of Richard Rishner, in releasing a joint statement accusing activists associated with the Black Lives Matter movement of profiting from the police killings of their children. Samaria believes Mallory and other BLM activists are simply “clout chasers.” Building on its years of providing platforms to ensure Black creatives “receive their flowers” for their contributions to Hollywood and global culture, ESSENCE, the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities, today announced the honorees for its highly-anticipated 14th annual Black Women in Hollywood and feature programming for its 2nd annual Hollywood House. This year’s honorees include Whoopi Goldberg, Cynthia Erivo, Zendaya, Michaela Coel and Andra Day. The event will be hosted by Laverne Cox. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, and David Harewood are urging Black Britons to get the coronavirus vaccine. The actors are among a group of influential Black influencers who have signed an open letter from Sir Lenny Henry calling on Black British adults to get vaccinated. The letter is accompanied by a short film from BAFTA-winner Amma Asante, set to air across Sky, BT Sport, ViacomCBS, Discovery, and A&E tonight, MSN reports. Henry’s letter says: “You have legitimate worries and concerns, we hear that. We know change needs to happen and that it’s hard to trust some institutions and authorities. But we’re asking you to trust the facts about the vaccine from our own professors, doctors, scientists involved in the vaccine’s development.” The daughter of British rapper Tricky reportedly hanged herself in an English psychiatric center following a performance she thought was an epic fail. The Northern Echo reports that 24-year-old singer Mina Topley-Bird was discovered dead at West Park Hospital, Darlington, in May 2019. She allegedly committed suicide days after she tried to walk into the path of oncoming cars, following her band’s live show that she thought was not well received, a recent inquest in Durham was told. A California man has been jailed and facing murder charges for the fatal stabbing of his mother and uncle on March 22. Robert Anderson Cotton, 32, allegedly stabbed his mother, Carol Brown, 67, and Uncle Kenneth Preston, 69, at the home they shared in Southern California. Brown’s killing was witnessed by one of her colleagues who was on a Zoom call with her, PEOPLE reports. https://youtu.be/mBs_MB9X-tY Charlemagne of the Breakfast Club Eviscerates and Dismantles Derrick Jaxn; Says That He Is the First Christian He Has Ever Heard Blaming the Lord for His Problems, Then He Said “First Name Nigga, Last Name Please.” Charlemagne Advises Him to Prove He Is Not a Narcissist, to Just Be Quiet, Dismantle All of His Social Media and Just Sit Down Somewhere for Along Time. It Is Sad When the People of the World Have to Rebuke Christian Preachers and Christian People for Their Evil. https://youtu.be/2DttqiU7BSk A Texas mother’s harrowing run-in with suspected child sex traffickers who attempted to abduct her 2-year-old girl recently shared what she believes every parent needs to know so they can protect their children. During an appearance on pro-life advocate Abby Johnson’s hit podcast, “Politely Rude,” Amanda Florczykowski, a Christian mother of four from Longview, Texas, shared how in 2016, she and her 2-year-old daughter and infant son were shopping in Walmart when a strange man commented on how cute her children were. Thinking nothing of it, Florczykowski proceeded to the check-out line but noticed the man was still observing her family. While in line, another strange woman struck up a conversation with her. In a Facebook Live interview with BMF Life Stories former Scunthorpe United, Manchester City and Sheffield United English football player Tyrone Kirk says God put his life back together after his drug addiction led to him becoming homeless and even serving time in prison. “I lost everything, but as I look back now I know that I needed it to happen for me to turn to Jesus,” explains Tyrone aged 37. At the age of just 16 Tyrone had it all, when he became World Freestyle Football Champion. As a result of this victory he was living the dream, enjoying lucrative freestyle football promotional tours with Nike around the world. The league’s owners voted Tuesday to expand the regular season to 17 games. It’s the first schedule expansion since 1978, when the league moved to 16 games and stayed that way for decades. The decision, which also results in one fewer preseason games, was widely expected on the heels of a series of agreements that paved the way for more action starting in the 2021 season. A year ago, the NFL and NFL Players Association struck a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement that gave the league the right to add an additional regular season game in exchange for a higher percentage of revenue to the players. The UConn women’s basketball team is going back to the Final Four for the 13th straight time after beating defending-champion Baylor, 69-67, on Monday night in San Antonio. But there was a bit of controversy in the final seconds of what was a great battle between two unbelievable programs. The game came down to the wire and Baylor had the ball down one point in the final seconds after UConn missed two free throws. The Bears, however, didn’t have the best possession in the world and saw their hopes basically come to an end when Dijonai Carrington’s short jumper didn’t make it to the rim. It didn’t make it to the rim, though, because it sure looked like she was fouled. The woman who infamously earned the moniker “SoHo Karen” continues to exude an air of superiority after she interrupted a judge to let him know that she didn’t want to go to jail. Miya Ponsetto, 22, is in the middle of court proceedings over a Dec. 26 incident where she falsely accused Keyon Harrold Jr., the 15-year-old son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, of stealing her cell phone in the lobby of the Arlo SoHo Hotel in New York City. In the disturbing video capturing their confrontation Ponsetto lunges and tackles the teenager, only to have her phone returned by an Uber driver moments later. During a recent court proceeding involving the case, Ponsetto’s attorney and the presiding judge engaged in a waiving time conversation regarding Ponsetto’s right to a speedy trial, but things went left when Ponsetto, clearly ignorant of the legal jargon, decided to open her mouth. “Waiving time? I would not like to spend time in jail,” Ponsetto said according to the New York Post, clearly content with the fact that she remains on supervised release relating to the 2020 incident. Three more women have come forward to file sexual misconduct suits against NFL player Deshaun Watson. The women are ID’D as “Jane Doe” and will be represented by Houston-based lawyer Tony Buzbee. Buzbee says he will submit his findings to the Harris County District Attorney in hopes that a grand jury will be empaneled. In the newest filings the women accuse Watson of similar acts, citing that he exposed his genitals during massage sessions after Watson reached out for their services on social media and through a mutual acquaintance, NBC News reports. One woman claims she was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to Watson asking her to massage his groin. Another woman said that Watson exposed his penis while moving his genitals towards her hand until he ejaculated. A third woman says he directed her to massage between his penis and testicles, but the woman said she fired him as a client after he continued to touch her without her consent. The hit autobiographical series UNCENSORED explores the lives of your favorite personalities as they provide first-hand accounts of their success and the obstacles they faced throughout their careers. Season three continues with Gospel music trailblazer Donnie McClurkin. https://youtu.be/HkDSfv-rQb0 Following the week-long virtual experience, the NAACP celebrated the stellar achievements of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards winners during a special LIVE broadcast on BET and simulcast across ViacomCBS networks including CBS for its first time, as well as BET Her, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount, Pop, Smithsonian, TV Land, VH1, BET PLUTO, and CMT. "The First Ladies of Gospel" The Clark Sisters received an NAACP award for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album for "The Return" and Tamela Mann also received a NAACP award for Gospel/Christian Song "A Touch from You." The man who fatally shot Nipsey Hussle is asking for a reduction on his $6.5 million bail and claims he’s not a danger to the public. Eric Holder Jr. appeared in court Thursday and his public defender Lowynn Young stated she filed a bail reduction motion for Holder. She said that a $4 million bail would be better suited for her client as it would ease concerns for the court and District Attorney. Additionally, the paperwork claims Holder is not a risk to the public because he doesn’t have a passport and he has close family within the community. Lil Nas X announced his limited-edition sneaker collection last week called “Satan” which features a pentagram and real human blood. The rapper collaborated with the streetwear company MSCHF on the “Satan Shoes,” only 666 pairs of which were released on Monday for $1,018 a pop. According to PEOPLE, they sold out in less than a minute. https://youtu.be/TleqpEtDVI8 One of the original Tuskegee Airmen turned 95 in style Sunday with a car parade befitting his trailblazing service to this country. Seated on the front porch of his Northeast Washington home with a Washington Football Team blanket keeping him cozy, William T. Fauntroy was saluted by socially distant passing cars as he was joined by the East Coast Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., the North Woodridge Citizens Association, family, friends and neighbors. https://youtu.be/WW0jmtYLIlI A police department in Maryland has released a 51-minute body-cam video that shows officers berating a 5-year-old boy and demanding that his mother “beat him.” The footage captured two officers with the Montgomery County Police Department handcuffing and screaming at the child that they referred to as a “little beast” because he walked away from his elementary school. https://youtu.be/tliBSuTuFc0 The Black Business Association (BBA), is proud to announce the Annual 2021 Virtual Salute to Black Women: A Special Tribute to “The (Late) Honorable Gwen A. Moore”, Former Chairperson of the BBA, on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 2pm PDT. The BBA is oldest active ethnic business support organization in the State of California,headquartered in Los Angeles, (to which The Honorable Gwen A. Moore, served as Chairperson & Board Member for over (10) years); presents this event in recognition of National Women’s History Month. Red Table Talks returns with a new episode Wednesday (March 31) featuring Niecy Nash in the hot seat discussing her recent marriage to wife Jessica Betts, and how she fell in love with a woman after two marriages to men. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=451726272705401 After 40 years of making movies, actor-comedian Eddie Murphy made it into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame which highlights works by artists of color. “Thank you very much. I’m very moved,” Murphy said after being presented with the award by his longtime friend Arsenio Hall. The Hall of Fame induction is given to individuals viewed as pioneers in their respective fields whose influence shaped their professions for generations. https://youtu.be/t5YrqHi12RI Nike filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging trademark infringement against a company making a version of a line of Nike sneakers with customized ‘satanic-themed detailing.’ The revamped Nike Air Max 97s are an unauthorized collaboration with Lil Nas X as part of the release of a devil-themed music video for a new song by the musician, Portland Business Journal reported. The company, MSCHF Product Studio Inc. of Brooklyn, New York, released 666 pairs of the shoes Monday, which quickly sold out: That number is considered the ‘mark of the beast’ in the Bible. Ne-Yo and his wife, Crystal Renay, announced in February that they are expecting another child, with the singer announcing at the time that this would be his “fifth and final” child. Speaking with TooFab recently about expanding their family, the R&B crooner said his wife shut down his plans to have a vasectomy. Ne-Yo added, ‘I’m like, ‘You just said you didn’t want more kids?’ And she was like ‘I don’t want no more kids right now, but what if I want some…’ I’m like, ‘Oh.'” Joyner Lucas is the latest celebrity to weigh in on Lil Nas X’s sexed-up “Montero” music video and just like many, he’s not feeling it either. Lucas took to Instagram on Sunday and said, “That @LilNasX video is wild but as a artist he doing everything he supposed to do. Creating viral moments, making people talk, & creating content he already knew you was going to react to. It’s a formula guaranteed to work. I doubt he actually worships the devil.” Lucas then explained, “I think the biggest problem for me is the fact he dont understand “old town road” is every kids anthem. Children love him for that record. They tuned in and subscribed to his channels. So with no disclaimer he just dropped some left field ish & all our kids seen it. Smh.” Two arrests were made in the murder of Ada pastor David Evans. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation tells KFOR his wife, Kristie Evans, was arrested Wednesday after confessing to his murder and an accomplice, Kahlil Square, was also arrested for murder. All three of them were allegedly involved in a love triangle. “A couple of months ago is when the three of them first met up,” said Capt. Beth Green, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. David’s wife, Kristie Evans, along with alleged accomplice Kahlil Square, were found responsible for David’s death. “The three of them, Kristie, Kahlil and David, had a sexual relationship. Kristie and Kahlil also had a separate sexual relationship, just the two of them,” Green said. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Virginia police are investigating an ‘anti-racist’ Facebook group that named the parents of students who members say are ‘against critical race theory’. The Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County group – which reportedly includes teachers and school board members – shared personal details of those they say had opposed moves to teach the controversial curriculum. It urged followers to ‘gather information’ on them and encouraged online hackers to silence critics of the theory, The Daily Wire reports. Parent Cherly Onderchain told Fox News she was on the ‘hit list’, adding: ‘Their goal is silence.’ Lady Gaga‘s dog walker suffered a collapsed lung whilst recovering from being shot in the chest by thieves who stole the singer’s dogs last month. Ryan Fischer, 30, was shot four times on February 24, when he was out walking Gaga’s three French bulldogs, before thieves snatched two of the pooches and left Ryan battling for his life. And a month after his terrifying ordeal, Ryan has taken to Instagram to share a health update, where he revealed he was on the road to recovery before he began hearing a ‘strange hissing and glugging’ coming from his chest. DEBORAH JOY WINANS STARS IN COLOR OF LOVE ON LIFETIME EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 4TH AT 8PM ET/PT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0SnQp8TArM UPTOWN Ventures Group, the parent company of UPTOWN Magazine, with title sponsor Lexus, today announced the honorees for the prestigious LEXUS UPTOWN HONORS HOLLYWOOD. The awards show will be celebrating music trailblazers on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. For almost a decade, UPTOWN Honors Hollywood is made possible by the generous support of Lexus as the returning title sponsor. This year the highly coveted event will take place virtually and include a star-studded virtual red carpet. Presenters for the evening are Jimmy Jam, Ava DuVernay, Yvette Lee Bowser and Gil Robertson. With special performances by musical artist Eric Roberson and poet Prentice Powell. The Southern California teacher thought she had hung up her Zoom parent-teacher conference call when she began venting to her husband about the woman and her son, a Black student in her sixth grade class. “These parents, that’s what kind of pieces of sh*t they are. Black, he’s Black, they’re a Black family,” science teacher Kimberly Newman told her spouse, unaware that she had not disconnected the call. The mother on the other end, Katura Stokes, began recording the teacher’s Jan 20 rant with her cell phone, as her 12-year-old son listened in. https://youtu.be/ad86zv5hPaQ Journalist Jemele Hill will guest host the all-new episode of “Soul of a Nation” that explores activism in sports. The hour examines the historic role sports have played in America’s racial reckoning and the seismic shift Black athletes are provoking in this current moment. As Minneapolis braces for Monday’s opening testimony in Derek Chauvin’s trial, Quincy Mason Floyd opened up to “Good Morning Britain” about the moment he found out that his dad, George Floyd, died after being held down by Chauvin’s knee. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/03/29/3223551724171840488/636x382_MP4_3223551724171840488.mp4 Kristi Noem has slammed rapper Lil Nas X for promoting his ‘Satan Shoes’ sneakers which each include a drop of human blood during Holy Week. The criticism comes after the 21-year-old Old Town Road hitmaker released a scandalous Satanic themed music video for Montero (Call Me By Your Name) – featuring Lil Nas as a demon with horns and wings before he rides a stripper pole to hell and gives Satan a lap dance. https://youtu.be/6swmTBVI83k Lil Nas X took to YouTube on Sunday with a tongue-in-cheek ‘apology’ to critics over his newly-unveiled footwear line, Satan Shoes. The musician, 21, who titled the clip Lil Nas X Apologizes for Satan Shoe, was blasted for releasing his much-talked-about design, which contains human blood in the soles of the items. ‘I just want to come forward and say…’, the Atlanta native said, before the clip switched to a lap dance scene from his video for his new single Montero (Call Me By Your Name) – which has also been slammed for its ‘Satanic’ themes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky went off script at a briefing Monday and made an emotional plea to Americans not to let up on public health measures amid fears of a fourth wave. https://youtu.be/Lw4qnNK30GE Americans’ membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup’s eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999. Line graph. U.S. church membership was 73% in 1937 when Gallup first measured it. It stayed near 70% through 2000 before beginning to decline, to 61% in 2010 and 47% in 2020. Halle Berry has had her court-mandated child support payments to her ex Gabriel Aubry slashed in half. According to reports, Berry had been paying Aubry $16,000 in child support for their 13-year-old daughter, Nahla. After the actress publicly called the payment system “outdated,” The Blast reported on March 26 that the former couple reached a settlement, and Halle will now be paying $8,000 a month. BET Digital announces the launch of its new original weekly talk show Sip N’ Smoke, an 8-episode sit-down interview series, hosted by NFL superstar quarterback, Cam Newton. Premiering Wednesday, March 31 at 1:00 pm ET on BET.com and BET’s YouTube channel, the show underscores Atlanta’s recognition as the new culture capital of America and centers around all things Black culture. Newton gets real with some of ATL’s notable personalities who call the city home, including comedian and businessman Steve Harvey, rapper and media personality 2 Chainz, singer-songwriter and actress Teyana Taylor, producer and activist David Banner, prominent nightclub owner Mr Magic, social media influencer Zoie, rapper and actress Da Brat, beauty industry maven Judy Dupart and actor and former NFL wide receiver Devale Ellis to sip and sample Cam’s private selection of cigars and cocktails, while diving into hot topics and provocative conversation on life, art, business and everything in between. https://youtu.be/CaNiLy3NJh4 DJ Cassidy recently inked a deal with BET to air six episodes of his viral “Pass The Mic” series. The first episode aired on Saturday after the NAACP Awards. An insider told Page Six: “He’s bringing over 30 of the biggest R&B artists of the mid 1990s to appear on the specials.” The surprise lineup reportedly included SWV, 112, Dru Hill and Sisqo, according to the report. Cassidy started producing the series last summer to celebrate his 39th birthday with a “Pass the Mic” party on Twitch. This month, Hidden Empire Film Group announced Quincy Newell as their new chief operating officer. According to an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter – the film and TV production entity run by filmmaker Deon Taylor, Roxanne Avent and billionaire businessman Robert F. Smith – the industry veteran was brought on board to oversee the day-to-day running of the indie producer. Before launching TwentyOne14 Media – where he will continue as CEO of the boutique producer and distributor – Newell co-founded Codeblack Entertainment, which eventually became the movie label Codeblack Films at Lionsgate. Viola Davis had signed on to play former First Lady Michelle Obama in the anthology series titled “First Ladies” at Showtime. While appearing virtually on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Friday, Davis gushed about the role and said she has spoken to Mrs. Obama about the forthcoming anthology series. https://youtu.be/UglAyqiYZRE Ellen DeGeneres’s daytime talk show controversy has resulted in the loss of more than a million viewers. Numerous current and former staffers spilled the tea in a Buzzfeed article about the bullying and workplace toxicity behind-the-scenes. The article prompted an internal investigation by WarnerMedia. https://youtu.be/5VatpNrYnuc Deshayla “Shay” Harris, one of the stars of the reality show “Bad Girls Club,” was killed in Virginia Beach on Friday night. Per New York Post, Harris, 29, of Norfolk, Virginia, was fatally shot during a series of shootings that left eight people wounded and a suspected gunman dead. Hours before the shooting Harris posted a video of herself on Instagram in which she stated: “I’m only doing s**t that’s gonna make me elevate!” The man charged with killing rapper King Von has reportedly been released from jail on a $100,000 bond. In November, authorities identified the gunman as 22-year-old Timothy Leeks, also known as Lul Tim. The Chicago rapper was fatally shot on Nov. 6 outside a downtown nightclub. Von, real name Dayvon Bennett, was among six people shot moments after a fight broke out at the Monaco Hookah Lounge. Von was among two people killed in the shooting. Leeks also sustained injuries and reportedly remained at Atlanta’s Grady Hospital for two weeks receiving treatment before he was arrested. Chadwick Boseman’s wife, Taylor SimoLedward, delivered an emotional acceptance speech while accepting his win for Outstanding Actor In A Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday. The late actor won for his work in Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman passed away in August at the age of 43 after a four-year private battle with colon cancer. https://twitter.com/i/status/1376191443920945153 Jury deliberations were underway in the trial of three white police officers charged with beating a handcuffed undercover Black detective during the 2017 protests in St. Louis. All three have been charged with depriving Luther Hall of his civil rights under the color of law. The case is testing the so-called Blue Wall of Silence — the unwritten rule of unwavering solidarity among law enforcement no matter the stakes — as officers have begun turning on one another. From the album Illmatic to the Grammy award-winning body of work King’s Disease, lyricist Nas has been delivering poignant bars for over two decades and he recently received a major honor for his contributions to the realm of music. The Queens native’s debut album has been added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Two teenage girls have been charged with murder after their attempted carjacking led to the car owner’s death in an unfortunate instance recorded on video last week in Washington, D.C. Mohammad Anwar, a 66-year-old immigrant from Pakistan, was working as a delivery driver for Uber Eats when the 13- and 15-year-old girls tried to take his car from him last Tuesday in Southeast Washington. The episode has sparked a wider debate on social media over whether the charge of murder was appropriate since it was apparent that the girls wanted to steal the car but not necessarily kill Anwar. Critics took umbrage, in particular, with a CNN report that referred to the carjacking and subsequent deadly crash as “an accident.” https://youtu.be/YSyHz_EnWkw Georgia-based corporations tried to play both sides in a recent battle over a new law that enacts additional barriers to ballot access. Several of the corporations have dodged direct questions concerning the wave of voter suppression laws, often hiding behind the chamber of commerce. But a statement released by Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, praising SB 202, raised alarms. LaTosha Brown, a co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, tweeted that the statement seemed like Delta wrote it in coordination with Gov. Brian Kemp’s team. Actor and media maven Terrence Jenkins is on a mission to use financial literacy as a vessel to empower HBCU students. According to AfroTech, the New York native has joined forces with the Black-owned banking platform First Boulevard for an initiative designed to equip students at historically Black colleges and universities with the knowledge and resources needed to cultivate a solid foundation for financial success. Through the effort—dubbed Project Tassels—Terrence J and First Boulevard will launch a video series that covers an array of money management-related topics including budgeting, saving and credit scores. Minnesota Supreme Court’s recent unanimous decision to overturn the sexual assault conviction of a man found guilty of raping an unconscious woman exposed a loophole in state law and has major implications moving forward. The case turned on whether a voluntarily intoxicated person was mentally incapacitated under the law. In the opinion, Justice Paul Thissen found that the lower court made a reversible error in jury instructions. At trial, the judge instructed the jury that mentally incapacitated included a person who was voluntarily intoxicated. Legendary literary giant Toni Morrison’s impact and influence will reverberate for generations to come and an HBCU is using her legacy as inspiration for the creation of a new writing program. Prairie View A&M University recently announced the launch of a curriculum designed to honor Morrison and empower writers who will transform the future of literature. Eight years after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, Congress could finally set things right. But legislation that could improve access to the ballot and strengthen democracy depends on whether the Senate can remove the filibuster, which has a history rooted in racism. Voting rights advocates and Black elected officials ramped up calls to abolish the filibuster, or at least create a special exception for voting rights. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signing a restrictive bill inspired by Donald Trump’s “big lie” about election fraud makes the case against the filibuster even more urgent. Compton Mayor Aja Brown is championing a guaranteed income plan for residents of her city during a pandemic that has upended life as we know it. From disparities in health, education and income, Brown believes this is the time for government to truly work for the people. Prior to the passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9T COVID-19 stimulus, Brown launched The Compton Pledge which provides direct cash payments to 800 Compton residents in need for two years. The program marks the largest city-based guaranteed income pilot in the U.S. and allocates up to $1,800 every three months. Amounts are also determined by the number of children per qualifying resident. From children’s rights activist Marian Wright Edelman to political powerhouse Stacey Abrams, Spelman College is known for developing leaders who have gone on to shape the social, political and cultural landscapes. The Atlanta-based all-women HBCU is dedicated to continuing a legacy of excellence by educating and empowering the next generation of leaders. The school recently hit a major milestone by breaking its college admissions application record. As several institutions pivoted to virtual learning amid the public health crisis, there was growing concern surrounding the futures of historically Black colleges and universities. However, Spelman’s application rate has significantly increased. During the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, the school received over 11,000 applications; marking the highest application pool in the college’s 140-year history. Nathan Chen already has established himself as one of America’s greatest figure skaters. His performance Saturday lifted him into the company of history’s best worldwide. In becoming the first American since Scott Hamilton to win a third consecutive World Figure Skating Championships men’s title, the 21-year-old Chen also outskated two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. And Chen believes he has been — and can be — even better. “I wouldn’t say this is my best free program ever,” he said. “But it’s one I will definitely remember forever and cherish, being able to skate like that and skate this piece here at worlds.” L’Daijohnique Lee is a Black Dallas woman who has filed a lawsuit against the city, a local bar and Austin Shuffield, a white man who beat her in an attack in 2019 that was caught on camera. In her lawsuit, Lee alleges that Shuffield, now 32, berated her with racial slurs while physically attacking her in an altercation in a parking lot in March 2019, The Dallas Morning News. reported. Lee also contends that the bar where Shuffield worked had served him too many drinks and likely should never have employed him. She also noted that the city did her wrong by trying to arrest her following the incident. The highly sought after Success Academy Charter Schools network in New York City this month was ordered to pay $2.4 million stemming from a lawsuit brought by five families of young black students who said their children were forced out of their Brooklyn school due to their learning disabilities. The lawsuit, which was resolved by U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block’s March 11 judgment, ended litigation “over the charter school network’s discriminatory practices designed to drive out students with disabilities through enforcement of unreasonably harsh disciplinary policies,” stated the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, which brought the lawsuit along with Advocates for Justice and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. Did you know that “White Boy Summer” is a thing? Well, if it’s up to Chet Hanks it will be. However, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s son is getting push-back for his out-of-nowhere declaration. “I just got this feeling man, that this summer is, it’s about to be a white boy summer,” he deadpanned for his Instagram followers. “Take it how you want.” “I’m not talking about Trump, NASCAR type white,” he continued, “I’m talking about, you know, me, [R&B artist] Jon B, [rapper] Jack Harlow type white boy summer. Let me know if you guys can vibe with that and get ready, ‘cuz I am.” Congratulations are in order for Tessica Brown aka “Gorilla Glue Girl” and her fiancé, Dewitt Madison, as Brown is pregnant, with the couple expecting their first child together! Brown’s manager Gina Rodriguez confirmed the news on Saturday (Mar. 27). Rodriguez says her client has an ultrasound appointment scheduled for next week, but took not one or two, but four at-home pregnancy tests, which all came back positive. Plus, Brown is said to have been experiencing some real nausea lately. The always busy Mark Wahlberg looks to have found his next feature film as Deadline is hearing the A-lister is set to star in the drama Stu, with Rosalind Ross making her directing debut and also penned the script. Wahlberg will produce along with his producing partner and manager Stephen Levinson along with Jordan Foss. Miky Lee and Colleen Camp will exec produce. Not much is known about the plot other then it is a faith-based film loosely based on a true story and is something very close to Wahlberg’s heart and something he had been developing for a number of years. As someone whose schedule is usually filled years out, when an opening occurred at the top of the year, Wahlberg saw this as the perfect opportunity to finally move forward with the film. Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed a rapid and cost-effective test to identify COVID-19’s British and South African variants within hours instead of days, enabling effective response and containment measures. Standard coronavirus variants testing involves sequencing the entire virus genome, a process that is expensive and time-consuming. The new test is based on the gene deletion that differentiates the South African or British strains of the virus from the original SARS-CoV-2. The famed S.O.S. (Sounds of Success) Band is known for such hits as “Take Your Time (Do It Right),” “Just Be Good To Me,” “Just the Way You Like It,” “Tell me If You Still Care,” and “The Finest.” The female lead vocalist on the group’s songs is Mary Davis, an original member of The S.O.S. Band when it formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. However, last year, Davis faced health challenges. Due to the challenges, Davis is now focusing on her healing. In the group’s quest to continue performing nationally and internationally, the band is searching for a female singer to step in for Davis. https://youtu.be/rhbvUiYROpM Janelle Monáe delivered a musical performance at Ralph Lauren’s virtual spring 2021 fashion show Thursday night. “Believe it or not this is the first time that I’ve performed with a full band, orchestra strings and horns since the 2020 Oscars. Can you believe it?” Monáe tells PEOPLE. “I was super geek to get dressed up and fluidly perform again.” https://youtu.be/UbFWYCIGRJo Outstanding talent from the R&B, Country, Gospel, Hip-Hop and Jazz genres to perform via Zoom Saturday, April 17, 2021 at the 22nd annual Baltimore “Uplifting Minds II” (ULMII) Entertainment Conference between 1-3pmET during the “Professional Showcase” and the “National Talent Competition.” Hosted by Magic 95.9FM’s radio personality Doresa Harvey (Ms. D.), “ULMII” is presented in part by Security Square Mall and The Baltimore Times. The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) presents 10 films and their directors selected from 570 entries to screen at the BHERC 28th annual “Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves” Short Film showcase beginning this weekend. The second year that the popular showcase will stream online on BHERC.TV due to the COVID – 19 pandemic, opens Saturday, March 27th ending Sunday, April 11, 2021, with a special Q and A ZOOM session with the filmmakers at 3:00 PM. “There’s power in words. I love words…words can effect change. My mother said, ‘Everyone can sing. Have a voice…a trusted voice,’” said Lady Bri. The very talented vocalist and songwriter’s latest single is “This Will Be the Day” (Positive Music), which is featured in the opening of CW’s new docu-series “All American Stories.” “I think lyrics minister to some affect.” https://youtu.be/ZshY4Uz_b2M The Black father of four children with Stephanie Denaro, the racist anti-masker who called a Black employee at a New York bakery the N-word, is speaking out about her now-viral moment. Durven Dawes, who reportedly lost a custody battle with Denaro, 38, believes his kids are suffering emotional harm because of her alarming behavior. Denaro has used the kids in several disturbing social media posts, including one that she captioned, “Happy Columbus Day from people who wouldn't exist if not for the Trans Atlantic slave trade.” https://youtu.be/ny16nZ_mWRw “Black-ish” has entered homes for over seven seasons and continues to shed light on important issues that start must-have-conversations amongst families and friends. As we anticipate a brand new episode airing March 30th at 9:00/8:00pm CT on ABC. Miles Brown, who plays Jack Johnson, talks about why “Black-ish” is a staple show and how he fits into the hip hop mold as a new artist. “I think the show really started off with a bang – when it comes to talking about certain sensitive topics people aren’t really used to on television. It’s crazy thinking about behind the scenes…I’m not sure if we’re able to talk about this but we have to because that’s what the show is made for. At this point, people expect us and wait for us to talk about what’s happening on the news.” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal exit is being turned into a movie. Lifetime has announced the next installment in its Harry & Megan franchise titled “Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace.” Per press release, the project will reveal what ultimately lead to the couple’s break from the royal family. “Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace” is the third edition of Lifetime’s Harry & Meghan movie franchise which includes 2018 hit movie, “Harry & Meghan,” following the love story of newlyweds Prince Harry and American actress Meghan, and 2019’s “Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal” which pulled back the curtain to reveal the untold joys and challenges of life inside the Royal Family during their pivotal first year of marriage. Family, the last week has been especially hard, so I offer this prayer for our dead. The bloodletting of white nationalism and white supremacy is no brand new agony for us. Now, we mourn more loss and pray for the families of these full, beautiful, stolen lives: Soon Chung Park ???, age 74; Hyun Jung Grant [?]??, age 51; Sun Cha Kim ???, age 69; Yong Ae Yue ???, age 63; Delaina Ashley Yaun, age 33; Paul Andre Michels, age 54; Xiaojie Tan ???, age 49; Daoyou Feng ???, age 44. Prayers for all our dead. You are gone too soon and it is agony. As a community, we have learned that death comes as an expected and predictable outcome of dehumanization and the impulse to conquer. Robert Aaron Long, 21, the racist, white, evangelical shooter in and near Atlanta, did not simply have a sex addiction. He acted on a homegrown U.S. inheritance: colonizer fantasies of dominating Asian women. He acted on the lie that Asian immigrant women’s bodies, as well as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous women’s bodies, are responsible for the violent shame produced by white supremacist desire and are, therefore, sites for extracting power and authority. This note was written by Mia Charlene White, a Black woman of African American and Korean descent who is Assistant Professor of Geography & Environmental Studies @ The New School Adding insult to injury, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appeared to metaphorically thumb his nose at his Black critics in particular by signing the state’s voter suppression bill into law while seated in front of a painting of a “back-breaking” plantation that “thrived” from slave labor. Kemp signed the bill Thursday evening amid national outcry at the restrictions the new law would disproportionately place on Black and brown people, who are now expected to have a much harder time voting than in past elections. The Georgia State Patrol even forcibly arrested Democratic State Rep. Park Cannon — a Black woman — for demanding transparency by knocking on Kemp’s closed office door while he was signing the bill. Beyoncé’s Los Angeles area storage units were looted, with the burglars reportedly nabbing over $1 million in goods.According to TMZ’s law enforcement sources, three of the singer’s storage units were broken into twice this month, with the offenders stealing her pricey handbags and dresses. Her production company Parkwood Entertainment was apparently renting out the storage units, with the stolen pieces from the first robbery appearing to belong to Bey. The burglars hit the units one time and then returned within a week and ransacked three units in the same storage space, taking handbags, kid’s toys, and photos that are the property of one of Beyoncé’s stylists. Other celebrities have been targets of similar thefts, with TMZ noting that storage space burglaries are growing. Culprits also hit Miley Cyrus’ storage space, making off with clothes, family photos, and mementos. CBS says Sharon Osbourne will no longer appear on its daytime show “The Talk” after a heated on-air discussion about racism earlier this month. The network said Friday Osbourne had decided to leave the show after a review that found in part that “Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace.” The network said its internal inquiry said the show’s co-hosts, including Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood, were not properly prepared by the show’s team for a discussion on race. But it said there was no evidence found to support Osbourne’s claim CBS ordered she be confronted about her support of British TV personality Piers Morgan. Morgan, who is a friend of Osbourne’s, left “Good Morning Britain” after saying he didn’t believe Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, when she said in an interview that she had considered suicide when unhappy with her life in Britain’s royal family. After Tyler Perry’s A Fall from Grace, Tyler Perry has set his next film at Netflix. It is called A Jazzman’s Blues. Relative newcomers Joshua Boone (Premature) and Solea Pfeiffer have been tapped as leads for the film, which Perry will write and direct. Michelle Sneed is executive producing. As Deadline reports, “The film is a passion project for Perry that he has been trying to make for more than two decades and was the first screenplay he ever wrote — originally penning it 26 years ago. Set from 1937-87, the story follows an investigation into an unsolved murder unveiling a story full of forbidden love, deceit and a secret that has been held for 40 years.” “I have waited a quarter of a century to tell this story and now is the perfect time and Netflix is the perfect partner,” Perry said in a statement. The film is expected to premiere on Netflix later this year after filming at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. New shocking details change the story surrounding the death of Ada pastor Dave Evans. Investigators said he was shot as part of a murder plot involving his wife. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Evans’ wife went to the Ada police department Thursday morning. Investigators said she told them a new story about her husband’s murder. “She said that she and Kahlil Square had planned this,” said Captain Beth Green with the OSBI. “She laid in bed till she heard Kahlil come into the house. She talked with him briefly in the living room and she stayed in the living room.” Then the OSBI said Square went into the bedroom and shot Evans, with Evans’ own gun. Agents said the late pastor was asleep and defenseless. But the OSBI said the night of the killing wasn’t the first time David, his wife, and Square had been together. “Kristie and Kahlil they had an intimate relationship. A sexual relationship, and it was also a sexual relationship that involved David at one point as well,” said Green. There is no evidence that Bryan Loritts discouraged anyone from reporting sexual abuse when he was pastor at a Memphis church, according to an independent review launched by his current employer, The Summit Church. According to the report, which was released today (March 26), on more than one occasion Loritts encouraged reporting the allegations to authorities. “Through our interviews, reviews of documents and reviews of communications, we found no convincing evidence that Loritts was involved in a cover up,” the report stated. The Summit Church said in a statement that the independent review solidified its support for Loritts: “We trust Bryan, believe he is qualified for ministry, and have the confidence in him to lead at the highest levels.” Tonight, the 52nd NAACP Image Awards celebrated the final night of the non-televised awards, announcing the next round of awards including the prestigious Jackie Robinson Sports Award which was presented to Stephen Curry and The Key Of Life Award which honored Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. Tonight’s winners included Chadwick Boseman (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture), Octavia Spencer (Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special), Anthony Anderson (Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series), Mary J. Blige (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series), Phylicia Rashad (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture), Marsai Martin (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series), Blair Underwood (Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special), Clifford “Method Man” Smith (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series), Madalen Mills (Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture), “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom” (Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture), and “Insecure” (Outstanding Comedy Series). https://virtualexperience.naacpimageawards.net/ A four-year-old Black child in Chicago was told that his hair was not in accordance with school policy. Now, his mother is fighting back. Ida Nelson, the mother of Gus “Jett” Hawkins IV, said she happily obliged when Jett asked her to braid his hair so he could show off his new hairstyle at Providence St. Mel, a predominantly Black private school located on the city’s West Side. After dropping him off on March 4, Nelson said she received a call from Providence St. Mel telling her that Jett could no longer wear his hair in braids. Nelson herself is an alumnus of the school and never recalled the policy during her time there as a student. But above all, she felt disappointed that her child would be subjected to self-hatred and respectability politics at a largely Black school. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief units from Alabama and Georgia have begun assessing and cleaning up damage left by a series of tornadoes Thursday (March 25) that resulted in six deaths. Five people died in Ohatchee, including three from the same family. Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief (ALDR) confirmed with Baptist Press that three teams were deployed in Calhoun County to Ohatchee as well as in the Wellington and Angel communities. A fourth team could possibly be dispatched to Piedmont, where up to a dozen homes were reported to have received damage. Renowned Christian psychologist, speaker and Bible teacher Dr. Larry Crabb died on Sunday, Feb. 28, peacefully and pain free in his home after a 24-year battle with two types of cancer. He is survived by his wife and middle school sweetheart, Rachael, to whom he was married for over 54 years; two sons; Kep and Ken; two beloved daughters-in-law; and five grandchildren. Two memorial services have been announced, one on April 9 at 1:30 Eastern in Lake Wylie, South Carolina at the Community Church of Lake Wylie, and one on April 16 at 1:30 MDT at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado. Both services are open to friends and family, but space is limited and registration is required. Both services will be livestreamed. The family encourages all who can to join the services virtually. Just a few weeks from the expected date of delivery, an Alabama pastor and his wife, who’s pregnant with conjoined twins who have separate hearts but shared liver, say “God has … been preparing” them for this. Dwight Castle, pastor of missions at Redeemer Community Church in Avondale, and his wife, Stephanie, who are already raising three small children — two sons, ages 6 and 3, and a 2-year-old daughter — learned that their eight-week ultrasound report showed twin baby girls connected at their chest, down to their belly buttons. Just before the test, Stephanie told the technician she had a dream the previous night that she was having conjoined twins. The couple have named the girls Susannah Jane and Elizabeth Florence. The Rev. Rick Joyner is a famous evangelical leader who has called on Christians to arm themselves for an inevitable civil war against liberals, whom he suggests are allies of the devil. But this is the awkward part: His five children would be on the other side of that civil war, as he and his kids all acknowledge. Just as America is torn asunder by politics and polarization, so is the Joyner family. The Joyners love each other, are there for each other — and despair for each other. “He talks about Democrats being evil, forgetting that all five of his kids vote Democratic,” said his eldest, Anna Jane Joyner, 36, a climate change activist and podcast host (her father has suggested that climate change is a Communist conspiracy). “Who is he asking his followers to take up arms against? Liberal activists? That’s me.” Justin Bieber is supporting others’ faith. The 27-year-old musician, who is famously religious, visited the California State Prison in Los Angeles County on Tuesday to act on his faith alongside a pastor. “The Warden of the institution approved a very brief visit by Mr. Bieber and his pastor to support faith-based programs at California State Prison, Los Angeles County,” said a rep for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in a statement to Fox News. The department added: “CDCR ensured every COVID-related precaution was taken prior to and during the visit.” His exact activities while inside were not shared. Reps for the “Holy” singer did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. A national nonprofit is launching a cash payment pilot program for a small group of Evanston residents in an effort to show city leaders how a similar reparations program could work. The move comes as Evanston continues to develop plans for its $10 million local reparations fund following the funding of a $400,000 housing assistance program earlier this week. The Family Independence Initiative, headquartered in Oakland, California, has programs across the country providing direct cash payments to targeted residents. Now, the group’s leaders say they were inspired by Evanston’s reparations effort and are taking on a similar project in the northern suburb. Health-related racial disparities have been a disease America has long-struggled to treat. Since the times of slavery when Black Americans were used for medical experiments, inequities have been a persistent plague in America. While some progress has been made, COVID-19 has been like a stress test on the American health care system, and — based on the statistics — the country has underperformed. The pandemic began to hit America in full force in March and early April of 2020. Here are five ways COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black Americans. Black People Currently Comprise 15% of COVID Deaths, Black Unemployment is 10.2% vs. 5.2% of Whites, 4,282,980 Black People Are Currently Without Jobs During COVID, Whites Are 2.2 Times More Likely to Have Been Vaccinated and Black Children Are 25% More Likely to Miss School Because of the Pandemic. Grand Canyon University basketball player Oscar Frayer, his older sister and a friend died early on Tuesday in a car accident near Lodi, California just days after the senior forward played in an NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa. According to police, Frayer was riding in an SUV at around 2:30am on Tuesday when the car veered off the road and slammed into a California Highway Patrol vehicle, which was assisting a disabled tractor trailer. Police say the car ultimately collided with a tree and became engulfed in flames, killing Frayer, 23, his sister Andrea Moore, 28, and their friend, who has not been identified publicly. Patrick Mahomes, through his 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, is partnering with the HBCU Legacy Bowl, which will begin play next year in New Orleans. Mahomes announced through the foundation a multiyear commitment to the bowl, a postseason all-star game for draft-eligible prospects from historically Black colleges and universities. The game will take place on the Saturday after the Super Bowl next February at Yulman Stadium at Tulane University. NFL Network will broadcast the game. The league is a major partner in the game along with Tulane and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The game is part of a weeklong celebration of Black culture and history. About 100 of the top HBCU players will be invited. Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya announced Friday that he has a date in mind for his previously stated plan to return to the ring. At a news conference for the upstart promoter Triller Fight Club, De La Hoya took the stage alongside Snoop Dogg at the Venetian and suddenly announced that he would be making his boxing comeback July 3. De La Hoya, 48, said last August that he would be coming out of retirement, but now there is a date for his return. And he will be promoted by the new fight promotion launched by Triller, the social media app. Ryan Kavanaugh, the CEO of Triller parent company Proxima Media, told ESPN that he and De La Hoya are “dear friends” and the two have been discussing his return for “a long time.” Kavanaugh said the card will take place in Texas — possibly AT&T Stadium — and the promotion is targeting a “big” UFC name for De La Hoya’s opponent. Howard Schnellenberger, who led Miami to its first national championship and in the process turned a once-floundering football program into a dynasty, died on Saturday, his family announced. He was 87. What Schnellenberger did at Miami remains one of the greatest transformations in college football history. Before his arrival in 1979, Miami administrators considered dropping the sport as the losses mounted and morale dipped. But after he helped deliver the 1983 national championship, Miami won three more national titles over the next six seasons. Though he was only there for the ’83 title, the speed and athleticism the Hurricanes first displayed under Schnellenberger became a blueprint for programs across the country. The NFL and the players’ union have no plans at this point to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for players, coaches or staff members, officials said Thursday. The league and the NFL Players Association consistently have expressed support for vaccination efforts. But they will stop shy, based on their conversations thus far, of requiring vaccinations under their joint coronavirus protocols for participation in practices, games or other team-related activities. “That is consistent with what our preliminary conversations about vaccines have been,” a person familiar with the NFLPA’s view said. Urban Beauty TV, the first syndicated show dedicated to health, beauty, and style told through a multicultural lens, premieres Saturday, March 27 at 10 PM EST exclusively on BETHer. Hosted by model and media personality Midori Amae, Urban Beauty TV shines a spotlight on some of our culture’s most innovative style architects as they share the stories behind building their successful brands. Travis Greene partnered up with Todd Dulaney for a special release of "Easter." The collaboration, the music, and the message will have you covered. https://travisgreene.lnk.to/Easter!TG Women's History Month continues! To celebrate, DOE released not one, but two versions of her song "Good Now" including a remix featuring Wande. https://doe.lnk.to/GoodNowRemix!Doe Fresh Start Worship is encouraging everyone to remember their place in this world with their new release “We Are The Light.” https://freshstartworship.lnk.to/WeAreTheLight!RCAI Well, it’s happening! Netflix confirmed Bridgerton season two on Wednesday, January 21. “Prepare for another social season. Bridgerton is returning for season two, only on Netflix.” Season two will focus on Daphne’s brother. “We left Anthony Bridgerton at the end of the first season at a bit of a crossroads,” Van Dusen said on Today With Hoda & Jenna, “so I’m looking forward to jumping in and see how he fares in the marriage market.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1352277273752305665 Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, March 27 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. On this episode, Chef JJ whips up a delicious and soulful meal combo giving viewers the comforts of home. Fashion journalist Danielle James joins the Chef in the Just Eats kitchen as he prepares a southern classic Chicken Fried Steak and Brown Butter Sautéed Green Beans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AZvKEsbi2I CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, March 28 at 9 P.M./8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. In this episode, CLEO SPEAKS features Sharon Marmon who is a South Central Los Angeles native making an indelible mark in the culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiPQw4dPVXM 28th Annual Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves Short Film Showcase March 27 - April 11, 2021 www.bherc.org NIKKI BERRY is living with purpose while walking in the power of the Holy Spirit as she is anointed by God to bring good tidings to people from all walks of life, minister healing to the brokenhearted and show people that Jesus makes all the difference. A mechanical engineer by profession with the music of the church deeply rooted in her heart, Nikki's message is evident in the release of her new single Restore Remix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ferdqr7Cr0U GRAMMY® nominated and Billboard #1 worship collectives Elevation Worship and Maverick City are gearing up for the release of their first collaborative live album, Old Church Basement. The album’s highly anticipated first single, “JIREH” features Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine (Maverick City Music). Old Church Basement is available wherever music is sold and streamed on April 30, 2021; the worship visual for “Jireh” is available today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC-zw0zCCtg&feature=youtu.be Heralding the milestone 25th album, MTN Joyous Celebration has released an album that capture the quintessence of the South African gospel powerhouse band. Packed with high energy from the first note, “The Victory Song” is a manifestation of God’s unfailing love. Led by the consummate performer and singer Bongi Mthombeni, the single packs a punch and boasts generous doses of spunk and groove. https://joyouscelebration.lnk.to/25StillWeRise?utm_campaign=97761_MOTG%203.26_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,23FL,4SQSQ,9M2J,1 Pop Singer-songwriter Tarralyn Ramsey is getting ready to release her new single “Jesus, We Need You” on April 2nd. This new single follows the success Tarralyn has had over the years starting with her self- titled debut album at 13 years old on Verity Records. Her self-titled album peaked at No. 7 on the Gospel charts and resulted in nomination for several Stellar Awards and spawned the breakout hits “Tell It” and “Unconditional Love.” Jason Nelson drop new video on "Residue."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfxXvOCn76c Tonight, the NAACP celebrated the fourth night of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards announcing the next round of winners in the non-televised music award categories, as well as the prestigious Jackie Robinson Sports Award, which was presented to The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). Tonight’s winners included Beyoncé (Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song, Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration - Contemporary, Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration - Contemporary), Drake (Outstanding Male Artist), Megan Thee Stallion (Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song, Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration - Contemporary), Chloe x Halle (Outstanding Soul/R&B Song, Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration- Traditional), Jhené Aiko (Outstanding Album), Tamela Mann (Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song), The Clark Sisters (Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album), and Blue Ivy Carter (Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album). Police in Georgia on Thursday night forcibly arrested a Black woman state legislator peacefully and nonviolently protesting the governor signing a new law that increases statewide voting restrictions expected to disproportionately affect Black people. Video footage showed Democratic Rep. Park Cannon being handcuffed and literally dragged out of the state capitol building because she simply knocked on the office door of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp while he was in the process of signing the controversial legislation. She was charged with two felonies. You knew Republicans in Georgia would move heaven and earth to suppress the Black vote after taking an “L” in the last election. Thanks to folks like Stacey Abrams and a longstanding grass roots effort to turn the deeply red state purple in 2020, Biden secured the state’s 16 electoral votes, and Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff nabbed runoff wins to give their party control of the U.S. Senate. In response, Republicans in the state legislature have passed new laws designed to make it harder to vote. For example, a photo ID will now be required to vote absentee by mail, after more than 1.3 million Georgia voters used that option during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new bill also cuts the time period people have to request an absentee ballot, and limits where ballot drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed. The bill also replaces the elected secretary of state as the chair of the state election board with a new appointee of the legislature, after Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refused Trump’s request to overturn Georgia’s election results. Additionally, the bill allows the board to remove and replace county election officials deemed to be “underperforming.” https://youtu.be/pLFW_UD0XiM As expected, the white woman who was captured hurling racial slurs at a Black bakery worker in New York City offered no apologies for the event in a series of social media posts. Stephanie Denaro, a pro-Trump, COVID-denying, anti-vaxxing racist unleashed more fury on Instagram, openly showing no remorse after calling a Black worker a “b—h ass n—-r” during a recent visit to Davidovich Bakery located in Essex Market on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. “I came here to say this,” she began, according to the New York Daily News. “I STAND BY WHAT I SAID!!!!! You mistreat me with my children. You infringed on my freedoms. I have freedom of speech. I can SAY WHAT I FEEL. Leave me alone and stop attacking me for saying my opinion.” Two Black women accused of participating in a racist attack against the Asian owner of a beauty shop in Houston last week claim they were the ones who were actually targeted and forced to defend themselves after being racially profiled. Daquiesha Williams and Keaundra Young were charged with varying degrees of assault from the altercation that took place on March 17, one day after a suspected white supremacist went on a deadly shooting spree at three Asian-owned businesses in and near Atlanta, killing eight people including six Asian women. The fired NYPD cop who used an illegal chokehold on Eric Garner before the unarmed Black man died has had his desperate appeal to win his job back denied. Daniel Pantaleo‘s attempt to be a cop again was rejected by an appellate court on Thursday, providing what will likely be the final nail in the disgraced former police officer’s coffin of a career in law enforcement. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department upheld the recommendation by NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado to fire Pantaleo, who was terminated more than two months after the conclusion of his NYPD administrative trial in 2019. A Long Island Catholic school headmaster resigned on Wednesday after making a Black student kneel as a form of punishment. The white administrator named John Holian reportedly told the student that kneeling is the “African way” of apologizing. On Feb. 25, the 11-year-old student was sent to the headmasters office at St. Martin de Porres Marianist after being reprimanded by a teacher for prematurely starting an assignment. The student told his mother that as punishment, Holian demanded that he kneel in front of the teacher and ask for forgiveness, stating that it was an act he once learned from a Nigerian father. “I assume because my child was Black, he believed we shared the same cultural beliefs,” the student’s mother, Trisha Paul said. Jessica Walter, whose roles as a scheming matriarch in TV’s “Arrested Development” and a stalker in “Play Misty for Me” were in line with a career that drew on her astringent screen presence more than her good looks, has died. She was 80. Walter’s death was confirmed Thursday by her daughter, Brooke Bowman, an entertainment industry executive. A cause of death and other details were not immediately provided. Chrissy Teigen has deleted her popular Twitter account, saying the site no longer plays a positive role in her life. “For over 10 years you guys have been my world,” Teigen wrote to her 13.7 million followers Wednesday night. “But it’s time to say goodbye. This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that’s the right time to call something.” Teigen’s account was popular for its mix of jokes about her husband John Legend and their children, their playful banter on the site, funny observations about assorted topics and fierce retorts for those she disagreed with or who criticized her. Months after a judge shot down Britney Spears’ plea to end her father’s control over her finances last fall, the singer’s attorney has petitioned to remove James (aka “Jamie”) Spears’ control over her personal affairs. On Wednesday, Samuel D Ingham III told the court that Spears wants her temporary care manager, Jodi Montgomery, to permanently replace her father as conservator of her person. As The Guardian notes, Montgomery oversees the pop star’s health care and insurance, among other things, and has the power to “restrict and limit” visitors. The ex-wife of actor Kel Mitchell claims he owes her $1.2 million in unpaid child support, spousal support, and tax debt. In a series of posts made on her social media, actress Tyisha Hampton used the hashtag #PayYourExKel to detail her grievances, and she will continue to put Mitchell on blast until the pays up, MadameNoire reports. “#payyourexkel I’m no longer going to be a victim,” the caption of her first post read. “I’m collecting everything I’m owed! If you are a fan of his, let him know #payyourex! You can’t be a man of God and not take care of your past responsibilities! You cannot continue being a hypocrite!” It’s 2021 and Godzilla and Kong are back! But, “One Will Fall.” On March 31, “Godzilla vs. Kong” will make its debut. It is the fourth installment in Warner Bros. Pictures’ monster-verse and this time “Atlanta” star Brian Tyree Henry (Bernie Hayes) and “Deadpool 2” star, Julian Dennison (Josh Valentine) are fighting to save the world. How did a conspiracy theorist and a nerd become the last line of defense? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=claci32Zjvc During a press conference Thursday (March 25) to discuss Republican Senators’ upcoming visit to the Southern border, a reporter politely asked Senator Ted Cruz to put on a mask. His response? “When I’m talking to the TV camera, I’m not going to wear a mask.” He then pointed to his masked Senate colleagues and staffers behind him and told the reporter: “All of us have been immunized. So…” The reporter told him that a mask would make the press corp feel better. The Texas Republican responded, “You’re welcome to step away, if you’d like.” Perri Reid, aka Pebbles, world renowned R&B singer, producer and founder of Women of God Changing Lives Through Christ, shared with the world during her live broadcast “Miracle Mondays” a major, emotional testimony. She openly acknowledged that YAHWEH is the true name of God. Known to her congregation as Sister Perri, she has been deeply rooted in her calling to help others in healing, and deliverance. Her ministry supports the needs of communities at large and has been prominent in assisting families in need during the global pandemic. A bipartisan bill that would de-regulate natural hair braiding in Wisconsin is currently making its way through the State Assembly. Assembly Bill 121, according to Milwaukee’s WTMJ, clarifies that natural hair stylists, such as braiders, won’t need a license to perform their crafts. “We can make a lot of money with doing hair, but if you’re just starting off and you don’t have money to pay for those classes, it’s going to cost you thousands to be able to get that money,” said Sharmayne Williams who has never operated with a license.“Some people have spent thousands of dollars going to cosmetology school just to do braids. They come out thousands of dollars in debt, and the class doesn’t go into the detail they need for their industry,” said State Senator Latonya Johnson. The LA Clippers announced that the team has acquired Rajon Rondo from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Lou Williams, two second-round draft picks (Portland 2023, LAC 2027) and cash considerations. “Lou is arguably the greatest sixth man to ever play the game, and he represented much more than that as a Clipper,” said Lawrence Frank, President of Basketball Operations. “He is a leader and a connector, earning the highest level of respect from teammates and opponents alike. He lifted all of us. We will miss Lou and his family dearly.” https://youtu.be/UzJv343ehiU House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard to be the House’s first African American sergeant-at-arms. Maj. Gen. William Walker will lead House security measures as Congress continues to deal with the fallout of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and work out how to keep lawmakers safe moving forward. Walker was closely involved with the security that day as he sent troops to back up overwhelmed Capitol Police. Walker will replace Paul Irving, who resigned immediately after the MAGA insurrection. Jacob Blake is suing the Kenosha cop who repeatedly shot him in the back as he got in his SUV … resulting in injuries that left him paralyzed. Jacob’s attorney Ben Crump has filed a federal lawsuit against Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey for the August 2020 shooting, TMZ reports. The officer shot Blake as he was about to get into his vehicle following a domestic dispute. https://youtu.be/JjyJTaOr5vc Rosie O’Donnell appeared on the Hot Takes & Deep Dives podcast this week, where she dished about her relationship with late singer Whitney Houston. “Whitney was troubled by, I think, the gay part of her life and didn’t want it exposed,” O’Donnell said of the singer’s sexuality, New York Post reports. “It’s hard in black culture to accept gayness. It’s culturally more difficult, I think,” she continued. “And the church … the Baptist Church weighed heavily on her,” O’Donnell added. “Growing up in the church and singing gospel, [for Houston] I think that there was a lot of conflict about that.” https://youtu.be/bY4ic0zDMUs The Nipsey Hussle estate has reportedly dropped a lawsuit against the Crips after reaching a settlement. According to TMZ, Nipsey’s brother, Samiel Asghedom, informed the L.A. County court in writing on Thursday that the estate reached the settlement with Crips LLC. The estate had sued the notorious L.A. street gang over trademark rights to “The Marathon Continues.” https://youtu.be/yd9CBKf1MH4 Envy: A Seven Deadly Sins Story debuts April 17th at 8pm ET/PT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arOYvGg6x6Q A cop in Albany, NY who was previously suspended after footage of his racist rant was accidentally captured on another officer’s bodycam, will now be fired. Albany cop David Haupt was caught on video Nov. 1 calling Black people “the worst (expletive) race.” A deputy’s body camera appears to have been accidentally activated as Haupt complained that the majority of their calls involved Black residents. https://youtu.be/q7E5X9AnYFc Jamie Foxx has joined forces with MTV Entertainment Group to produce feature films and cultivate emerging filmmakers of color. Per Variety, under the agreement, Foxx and his partner Datari Turner will produce feature films across the ViacomCBS division’s portfolio. “Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner are creative forces whose talent is boundless,” said Trevor Rose, executive vice president, head of talent and content development for MTV Entertainment Group. “Together, we share a vision of cultivating emerging BIPOC filmmakers and telling multicultural stories that will make an impact.” Amanda Gorman, the inspirational 23-year-old inaugural poet, author, and activist, has found her way to Oprah Winfrey. On Friday, March 26, Oprah Winfrey sits down with Amanda Gorman — the — on “The Oprah Conversation,” exclusively on Apple TV+. “Amanda Gorman is a young woman who stepped into a moment in history with enormous grace and dignity,” said Winfrey, whose interview with the superstar airs Friday, March 26, on “The Oprah Conversation” on Apple TV+. “I was enthralled by her youthful spirit from the first moment we met, and very much looked forward to hearing her unpack all that has happened to her the past few months.” Raven-Symoné is set to host a home makeover show on HGTV and she’s bringing along her team of experts, designer Nina Ferrer and craftsman James Worsham. The one-hour pilot will follow the trio as they overhaul home design disasters. According to the network, “What Not to Design” will follow Symoné, Ferrer and Worsham as they meet with families and “lead a style intervention to overhaul home design disasters.” Caroline Wanga worked her way up the ranks at Target while raising her daughter and fighting stereotypes. That’s why she stepped away from roughly 15 years of hard work at Target in 2020 to tackle a new obstacle: helping a half-century-old Black media brand reinvent itself. When Wanga joined Essence in June, the Black culture mainstay was a little under two years out from a buyout by African-American entrepreneur Richelieu Dennis, founder of Sundial Brands, a beauty company — now part of Unilever — that creates products for Black consumers. After nearly two decades under the ownership of Time Inc., it was back to being Black-owned for Essence in the midst of an identity shift. Sherri Shepherd has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Sharon Osbourne and the way she handled the heated debate about racism with co-host Sheryl Underwood on “The Talk.” Meanwhile, ex-colleague Leah Remini has spilled more tea about Osbourne’s inappropriate remarks, claiming she called former host Julie Chen “slanty eyes” and referred to lesbian actress Sara Gilbert as a “p—y licker”. “It crosses a line when you’re a grownup and somebody tells you what you can and cannot do emotionally,” Shepherd said of Osbourne to Yahoo Entertainment, referencing when Osbourne told Underwood on-air, “You are not allowed to cry,” amid their discussion. The former CEO of a Bronx non-profit that has received $274 in public funds to help the homeless has been arrested after he allegedly schemed to ‘enrich himself through bribes and kickbacks from contractors.’ Victor Rivera, 61, was detained just weeks after an explosive New York Times piece detailed decade-long sexual abuse allegations against the former head of the Bronx Parent Housing Network (BPHN), who was fired soon after the report was released. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that only 0.1 percent of coronavirus relief set aside by the Trump administration for American farmers went to Black farmers, according to a Washington Post interview published on Thursday. Of the roughly $26 billion announced by the Trump administration under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, $20.8 million went to Black farmers, according to Vilsack. The Agriculture secretary told the Post that the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus worsened pre-existing gaps in the American economy. In 1999, a white cop in Tulia, TX arrested dozens of Black people on drug charges that were later discovered to be bogus. The crooked cop behind the arrests was given an award by the state’s then-Attorney General John Cornyn. Today, Cornyn is a U.S. Senator on the Judiciary Committee, currently holding confirmation hearings for President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice nominee Vanita Gupta, the former NAACP lawyer who exposed the travesty of justice in Tulia and got the cases overturned. https://youtu.be/dngotPqxz1w In an effort to address poverty and income inequality, Oakland, California on Tuesday launched a privately funded program that will give 600 low-income families of color in the city $500 per month with no rules on how they can spend it. Oakland follows Stockton, CA in experimenting with a “guaranteed income” program, which aims to confirm that giving low-income individuals a regular, monthly stipend helps ease the stresses of poverty and results in better health and upward economic mobility. José Sánchez arrived in Chicago more than a decade ago with the difficult task of saving the then-Norwegian American Hospital from bankruptcy. With vision and leadership, the Puerto Rican fulfilled the mission. Recently, Sánchez made history again. The 200-bed hospital in northwest Chicago that he helped resurrect and has run ever since changed its name to honor the community that it serves. Paul McMullen, a runner who was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, died in a ski accident in northern Michigan, Eastern Michigan University said Friday. He was 49. McMullen died Thursday, according to the school, where he still has school records for the indoor mile (3:57.34) and the outdoor 1500 meters (3:38.74) Julie Pomagalski, a former Olympic snowboarder from France, has died in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps. She was 40. Pomagalski competed in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2006 Turin Games. She won gold in the snowboard cross at the world championships in 1999. Morris Day of Morris Day and the Time shares his last visit with Prince in an exclusive interview with radio and TV broadcaster Jazmyn Summers. “His last words to me were I love you and I had never heard him talk like that,” Day said. ” it was a shock to me. I walked away from Paisley Park saying like what was that. It was just 2 months before he passed. ” It was like he knew. Morris Day and Prince, who started Day’s band Time, had a complicated love/hate relationship. Morris said Prince was like an only child with the attitude that ” its mine, mine and you can’t have it.” Claudia Jordan has responded to reports that one of her friends is the mistress of comedian Gary Owen. Jordan has denied Duke’s claim that one of her gal pals slept with Owen. Per SandraRose, she said a mutual friend passed her number to Duke so the two ladies could discuss the matter privately. “I’m really aggravated with you that you chose to go messy on a blog, when you could’ve reached out to me,” Jordan reportedly said. To celebrate the release of the action thriller “Dark Web: Cicada 3301,” we’re giving five (5) lucky readers ONE cypher wheel that contains a digital code to own the film when solved. Directed/starring by Alan Ritchson (DC “Titans”), Ron Funches (Trolls), and Conor Leslie (“The Man in the High Castle”), the film follow hacker Connor, his best friend Avi and a cunning librarian who find themselves over their heads when forced to compete in a sophisticated dark web secret society’s global recruitment game. “Dark Web: Cicada 3301” is now available on Digital, OnDemand, Blu-ray and DVD. https://youtu.be/Y00XdzDALZg The ex-girlfriend of B2K singer De’Mario “Raz-B” Thorton claims she was sexually assaulted by the artist, physically abused, and impregnated against her will. Kallee Brooks unleashes on her former lover in a Tik Tok video, dropping receipts to back up her claims and even admitting that she covered up the abuse to protect Raz. Trina says she is ready to face off with Lil Kim in a virtual Verzuz battle. “[Lil] Kim is that bitch. Let’s be very clear…When I came into the industry, this is who I looked at, looked up to. This is the lyrics that I recited, this is what made me know that it’s okay to talk that lethal shit…,” she explained during an interview with 103.5 The Beat. “Therefore, I would feel like that’s equivalent because Kim is legendary, and she got mad records.” Dave Chappelle is taking COVID safety precautions for his two comedy shows at Connecticut’s Foxwoods Resort and Casino in late June. Ticket holders will be required to take “a mandatory rapid COVID-19 antigen test, prior to entering the venue,” per the event’s description. “Masks will be required at all times while in the venue,” the event page reads. “Additionally, each ticket holder will receive a mandatory rapid COVID-19 antigen test, prior to entering the venue. If COVID-19 is detected by the rapid test, that individual and all members of the same household will not be allowed to enter and will be given a refund.” Rapper Saweetie is speaking out about having PTSD during her rise to stardom, claiming that for a while, she had to “dim her light.” Speaking to Cosmopolitan for the magazine’s latest cover story, the 27-year-old artist recalls how an interview with Hot 97 radio personality Ebro Darden triggered her PTSD. Saweetie was promoting her single “Icy Girl” in 2018 when Ebro asked is she was “rapper rapper” or just another “pretty girl who raps a little bit.” Saweetie replied, “I’m a rapper. I’m a rapper rapper.” A new report from the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation said mortalities due to the coronavirus pandemic are now the leading cause of death among Dallas County residents, surpassing heart disease, cancer and strokes in the past year. “This is a sad milestone for Dallas County,” said Vikas Chowdhry, MBA, Chief Analytics and Information Officer at PCCI. “We can see that COVID-19 claimed the most lives following social gatherings and holiday travel beginning with Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year’s. Megachurch Pastor John Gray has offered prayers to embattled Christian relationship guru Derrick Jaxn who’s facing backlash after he confessed to being unfaithful to his wife multiple times during his marriage. Gray’s prayer for Jaxn, which was highlighted by The Shade Room on Instagram, comes despite previous criticism from Jaxn, when he faced public criticism over allegations of infidelity in his own marriage in recent years. Saying they remain committed to working “in harmony with the Southern Baptist Convention and our entities to address the concerns of the African American community,” the National African American Fellowship of the SBC issued a statement Wednesday (March 24) asking presidents of SBC seminaries to take steps to help defuse current racial tensions within the convention. The statement encourages all Southern Baptists “to unite around the essentials of our faith, and in the nonessentials, maintain a spirit of charity,” focused on living out the Great Commandment in pursuit of the Great Commission. Marshal Ausberry, who is NAAF’s president and also first vice president of the SBC, said the fellowship is “trying to make a pathway forward that works for all of us.” Three months after a fire devastated its historic edifice, New York’s Middle Collegiate Church is holding a star-studded benefit to raise money to rebuild. Singer Norah Jones and presidential daughter Chelsea Clinton are among the performers and activists who will take part in the Thursday (March 25) event that will be broadcast from Bloomingdale’s Studio 59. The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister of the multiethnic church, said the people who will sing and speak on her church’s behalf have direct or indirect connections to the congregation. The NAACP today announced that NBA superstar, business entrepreneur, and philanthropist, LeBron James, will receive the prestigious President’s Award during the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. Additionally, six-time NAACP Image Awards Winner, Anthony Anderson, will return as host of this year’s two-hour LIVE TV special, which will air on BET, Saturday, March 27th at 8/7c, and will be simulcast across ViacomCBS networks including CBS, BET Her, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount, Pop, Smithsonian, TV Land, VH1, BET PLUTO, and CMT. Marking his eighth consecutive year as host, Anthony Anderson is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor and currently the star and Executive Producer of ABC’s multi-award winning sitcom, “black-ish.” The year 2020, this pandemic, was a rough year for everyone but personally traumatic for me. I lost my brother to Covid-19 and this song HE KEPT ME means more to me now than it ever did. Most can relate that God has kept some from it, and brought some through it; not only physically but mentally. God is and will forever be A Keeper! Lamont Sanders "He Kept Me." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6657860?date=20210224&user_id=668306&signature=LQNZX2Xg_y5gjN3B9J3NkhsVFIk%3Af9knMrrg The multiple Grammy winner, CeCe Winans, kicked off street week of the album release with a media blitz of television appearances in seven major markets that included an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight. Winans is on a mission to not only bring awareness to the record, but to encourage people from every walk of life to believe for better days ahead and not give up during these challenging times. On Wednesday, March 31st fans can catch Winans chatting it up with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on NBC TODAY in the 10a.m. hour. The appearance will showcase the singer as she sings Believe For It in her first live performance for national television in support of the new album. CeCe Winans is in the Gospel Spotlight, In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/cece_winans.htm Dr. Earnest Pugh, known as the Gentleman of Gospel, has been elevated to the esteemed office of Overseer within the newly organized Fellowship of Christian Churches United In Service (FOCCUS) under the leadership of Presiding Prelate and Bishop Victor Couzens. Dr. Pugh’s Official Title is Bishop of Minstrel and Liturgical Activities (Designee). According to Couzens, Senior Pastor of Inspiration Bible Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, “The mission of FOCCUS is to advance the Kingdom of God through the fulfillment of The Great Commission and The Great Commandment-by increasing the capacity of Christian Disciples in the world and in the market place as Jesus did in the New Testament. Buffalo, New York radio DJ Rob Lederman is himself toast after describing on-air how he sets his toast level to the skin color “of the women I would find attractive.” “I would never go with a Serena Williams level, but I’m very comfortable at a Halle Berry level. I need a little bit of mulatto still coming through,” Lederman told his co-hosts Rich “Bull” Gaenzler and Chris Klein on 97 Rock’s Morning Bull Show. His co-host Klein then asked whether Gayle King was “in his realm.” “Gayle King is not even on my toaster level,” Lederman replied. Roswell Park Cancer Institute and at least one other business at press time pulled their advertising, and Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres, fired Gaenzler from his role as an arena host, according to The Grio. https://youtu.be/qMIDQOggIlc The racial reckoning that rippled out from the police killing of George Floyd has reached Sesame Street, who is launching the initiative ABCs of Racial Literacy with the addition of two new muppets who are Black. In a recently released video, 5-year-old Muppet Wes and his father Elijah, are introduced and Elmo, who wants to know why Wes’s skin is brown. They explain to Elmo the concept of melanin and that our skin color is an important part of who we are. https://youtu.be/Dk_HYAiS26I NBA legend Dwyane Wade joined former NFL star Brandon Marshall’s I AM ATHLETE (IAA) podcast and gave his answer to the much-debated question of whether Michael Jordan, or Wade’s friend LeBron James, was the NBA’s GOAT, in the episode that debuts Monday, March 22 at 12 p.m. ET. https://youtu.be/vie52SloEv0 Torrential rains that washed out roads and bridges have kept hundreds of children in rural areas of eastern Zimbabwe from attending school for weeks. A few students have used small boats to brave the raging waters to get to school, as heavy rains have been pounding most of the country, including cyclone Eloise, since January. In Chipinge district along the border with Mozambique, schoolchildren from Chisumbanje, St. Peters and Checheche primary schools and Takwirira secondary school have been kept away from the flooded Save River. oin co-sponsors the Illinois Institute of Technology Office of Community Affairs, the Chicago South Side Film Festival, The Hampton House, Muhammad Law, and the Greater Bronzeville Community Action Council for a FREE screening of Judas and the Black Messiah on Friday March 26. There will also be a special pre-film discussion with Akua Njeri who witnessed and survived the police raid and assassination of her fiancée, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. NBA Young Boy has been indicted on two charges related to his September 2020 arrest including possession of a firearm by a felon. YoungBoy was arrested Monday in Los Angeles on an out-of-state federal warrant but details were slim as the warrant info was sealed. The Shade Room obtained the unsealed federal indictment docs Tuesday night, which revealed that YoungBoy is facing two counts including possession of a firearm by a felon and being in possession of a firearm that is not registered to him. YoungBoy and one of his associates Morrow Battie have to forfeit any firearms and ammunition, according to the charging docs. Ezekiel Mitchell doesn’t come from a rodeo family, nor did he have the right connections or money to learn how to ride a bull. So age at 14, he turned to the next best thing — YouTube and a makeshift metal bull that he used for practice. Mitchell studied “how-to” videos on YouTube made by former Professional Bull Riders (PBR) star Dustin Elliott. When he finally rode a real bull at age 16 he decided then and there that cowboy life was the way to go. Seven years later, the 23-year-old has become the first professional Black bull rider playing at an elite level. https://youtu.be/h877ff8uke4 Kaya Thomas, an Apple Entrepreneur Camp Alumni launched her latest app We Read Too! Thomas, an avid reader explained how growing up she noticed a lack of Black characters and authors represented in the literature she was reading. And resources to find books written by Black authors. This lack of representation inspired her to create We Read Too – an app with a directory of books for all ages written by authors and with main characters of color and designed to assist parents, educators, librarians, or anyone who may be looking for books. Thomas wants We Read Too to be a space for community involvement. The app has a crowdsourcing feature allowing users to make suggestions to add books to the directory – that has over 1,000 books. With a background in hospitality Sonja Sulcer loved utilizing her phone to read daily affirmations. Most of these affirmations were written by people who didn’t look like her, which inspired her to take a leap of faith and create an app with voices of women of color! She boldly took on the challenge of teaching herself to code and enrolled in a coding boot camp. Despite studies showing only one percent of coding boot camps are African American, Sulcer described her coding class experience as diverse and well-rounded. Over time Sucler compiled a collection of quotes and then developed and launched Encourage Her. LL Cool J has joined forces with acclaimed designer Fresh for a limited-edition face mask collection. The collaboration is an extension of LL’s “Rock the Bells” lifestyle brand, and accessories company, Henry Masks. Per Rolling Stone, the new mask pack includes four reusable, stylish masks that are washable and made in America. Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Makes an Interesting Statement Regarding Race: "White evangelicals…we have got to be willing to surrender power, which is not indigenous to our nature." https://youtu.be/ICghh6v1_c4 Hours after warning his flock that the devil would seek to kill and destroy them for being witnesses to God’s power in the world, David Charles Evans, a beloved Oklahoma pastor, was shot dead inside his home Monday morning, where his wife was also present. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a release that just after 1 a.m., officers from the Ada Police Department responded to a 911 call in the 1400 block of Northcrest in Ada. They found the 50-year-old Evans, who leads the Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, severely wounded. Paramedics would later pronounce him dead at the scene. At a time when depression and anxiety are at an all-time high among young people, the new Netflix musical “A Week Away” offers the reminder that everyone is worthy of love and acceptance despite their flaws and past mistakes, the film’s stars say. Hitting Netflix on March 26, “A Week Away” follows troubled teen Will Hawkins (Kevin Quinn), who chooses a Christian camp over juvenile detention after a kind foster family offers to take him in. Discovery+ is gearing up for the release of the new faith-based film “Resurrection” from “The Bible” producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, and unlike other cinematic re-telling of the historic moments of Christ’s resurrection, they include the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. The MGM and LightWorkers production will debut on March 27. There’s no stopping Gospel legend, CeCe Winans. The March 12th release of Believe For It (FairTrade Services/PureSprings Gospel) marked the first live recording for the icon and is quickly catapulting to the top of the charts. The beautifully arranged 12 track compilation appears to be exactly what the fans have been asking for and comes at a time when they need it most. The album highlights some of the biggest songs in Christian music today and was one of the most pre-added albums worldwide on Apple Music. Believe For It now takes another giant leap forward by dominating the Billboard Gospel Charts with four (4) number one spots: #1 Top Gospel album, #1 Current Gospel Album, #1 Gospel Digital Song and #1 Top Christian/Gospel Album. The album is an inviting 78 minutes of worship, and Winans adds her distinctive sound and style to the contemporary hymns that has been sung in churches worldwide. Download and Order Believe For It Here: https://smarturl.it/believeforit Hundreds of protesters in Rochester, NY shut down a Wegmans store for nearly five hours Tuesday, calling for justice and reform on the one-year anniversary of Daniel Prude’s death in police custody. Demonstrators blocked entrances to the East Avenue store’s parking lot and wrote messages in chalk supporting the Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movements. Wegmans officials tweeted a statement Tuesday saying all shoppers were brought out of the store and it wold remain closed until Wednesday at 6 a.m. https://youtu.be/PGbJDqJ4vlY The quest for equal pay – you know, the ideal yet elusive premise that wages be based on ability and not race or gender – has inched closer to being played on a more even field than years past. But as we observe Equal Pay Day, the seemingly unbridgeable earnings gap between men – especially Asians and whites – and everybody else is tough to ignore. But Black women in particular have it the worst of all American demographics. “Since few black women are among the top 5 percent of earners in this country, they have experienced the relatively slow wage growth that characterizes growing class inequality along with the vast majority of other Americans,” according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, which found that Black women had to work seven months into last year in order to be paid the same as White men the year before. “But in addition to this class inequality, they also experience lower pay due to gender and race bias.” “Since few black women are among the top 5 percent of earners in this country, they have experienced the relatively slow wage growth that characterizes growing class inequality along with the vast majority of other Americans,” according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, which found that Black women had to work seven months into last year in order to be paid the same as White men the year before. “But in addition to this class inequality, they also experience lower pay due to gender and race bias.” United Methodist bishops have canceled a special session of the global denomination’s General Conference that was scheduled to meet May 8 online. The bishops called the special session late last month after postponing the quadrennial meeting of the United Methodist Church’s decision-making body yet again amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The General Conference meeting was first postponed from May 2020 to August 2021 and then again to August 2022 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis. Adam Zagajewski, the celebrated Polish poet whose melancholy reflections on the erosion of the world came to express an unfathomable moment of shock and loss after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., has died in Krakow. He was 75. Zagajewski’s death on Sunday, which was UNESCO’s World Poetry Day, was confirmed by publisher Krystyna Krynicka of the a5 publishing house. No cause of death was given. Five-time Grammy winner B.J. Thomas, best known for singing “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Thomas, whose career has spanned a number of genres over half a century, is receiving treatment in Texas, according to his representative. Thomas, 78, has logged 26 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1966 through 1983 and achieved No. 1 singles across the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Adult Contemporary charts. On Friday, Netflix will release the teen musical A Week Away starring Bailee Madison, Kevin Quinn, Jahbril Cook, Kat Conner Sterling, Iain Tucker with David Koechner and Sherri Shepherd. The film, directed by Roman White, based on a story by Alan Powell and Kali Bailey, and Gabriel Vasquez, follows troubled teen Will (Quinn) who is given an opportunity to attend a Christian youth camp, where he meets his love interest, Avery (Madison). Along the way, he’s exposed to faith—and spontaneous singing and dancing. Issa Rae has signed a multi-year overall deal with WarnerMedia, the parent of HBO. The “Insecure” star and creator, per TheWrap, has inked a pact that gives HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television exclusive rights to Rae’s film and TV projects, which she will develop through her Hoorae production banner. According to Variety, Rae’s deal is worth $40 million over five years. It’s that time again. The Library of Congress has selected a new crop of important audio recordings to preserve in its National Recording Registry, chosen for their cultural, historical and aesthetic importance to America’s sound heritage. This latest class found works from Janet Jackson, Nas, Jimmy Cliff, LaBelle, Albertina Walker and the Caravans, Odetta, Leontyne Price, Jesse Normyn, Albert King, Louis Armstrong and Kool and the Gang worthy of induction. https://youtu.be/wyLjbMBpGDA Meena Harris, the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, is catching heat for tweeting and then deleting a post in which she blamed white men for the deadly shooting in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday. Harris’ tweet received more than 6,000 retweets and 35,000 likes before she removed it and issued an apology. “The Atlanta shooting was not even a week ago. Violent white men are the greatest terrorist threat to our country,” Harris wrote. https://youtu.be/q-StPojXPGo Jury selection has been completed in the murder trial for the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd in Minneapolis.The last of 15 jurors was selected on Tuesday, providing for 12 who will serve during Derek Chauvin‘s murder trial and three alternates, one of whom will be dismissed if everybody shows up for duty on Monday when defense lawyers are scheduled to make opening statements. The jury includes three Black men, one Black woman and two women identified as being of “mixed-race.” The rest of the jurors are white, USA Today reported. https://twitter.com/i/status/1374404819838926849 Barack Obama broke his silence on the recent string of mass shootings across American to address the most recent instance in Boulder, Colorado, where 10 people were killed, including a police officer, after a man opened fire in a grocery store. The former president released a statement on Tuesday saying in part that he and Michelle Obama were grieving for the victims and their families. But Obama also challenged lawmakers to step up and enact stricter gun control and reform legislation to “make it harder for those with hate in their hearts to buy weapons of war.” A video that showed a racist white woman in New York City shamelessly calling a Black bakery employee the N-word, and then some, has gone viral, thanks to a bystander filming the encounter and posting it to social media. https://twitter.com/i/status/1374518924474085376 Hundreds of protesters in Rochester, NY shut down a Wegmans store for nearly five hours Tuesday, calling for justice and reform on the one-year anniversary of Daniel Prude’s death in police custody. Demonstrators blocked entrances to the East Avenue store’s parking lot and wrote messages in chalk supporting the Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movements. Wegmans officials tweeted a statement Tuesday saying all shoppers were brought out of the store and it wold remain closed until Wednesday at 6 a.m. https://youtu.be/PGbJDqJ4vlY Mike Tyson is getting in the TV drama ring against himself. On the heels of Hulu’s announcement of a Tyson miniseries to be made without his involvement, the boxing great said he’s producing a limited series starring Jamie Foxx. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese and Foxx also are among the producers. “I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time,” Tyson said in a statement Monday. He said he looks forward to creating a series that “not only captures my professional and personal journey but also inspires and entertains.” The announcement did not include when and on what outlet it will be shown. A Banksy painting honoring Britain’s health workers in the pandemic has sold for a record 16.8 million pounds ($23.2 million), auction house Christie’s said Tuesday. Proceeds from the sale will be used to fund health organizations and charities across the U.K., it said. The work by the mystery street artist, titled “Game Changer,” first appeared on a wall at Southampton General Hospital in southern England in May, during the first wave of the pandemic. The black-and-white picture depicts a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy, as Batman and Spiderman toy figures lie in a wastepaper basket next to him. A 16th woman has come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to a civil lawsuit filed Monday night. The woman, an unnamed massage therapist in California, alleges that Watson exposed himself to her and touched her with his genitals during a massage session at a house in Beverly Hills, California on July 15. She also claims that Watson told her afterward: “I will not have you sign a (non-disclosure agreement) but don’t ever talk about this.” The woman’s claims echo those made by more than a dozen other women who have filed lawsuits against Watson in Harris County District Court over the past week. Watson, 25, broadly denied wrongdoing in a statement released last week, before the first lawsuit was publicly available. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has joined the board of directors of the New York Mets. Christie, 58, was New Jersey’s governor from January 2010 to January 2018. His son Andrew has worked for the team since 2018 and is the Mets’ coordinator of international scouting. By at least one measure, this is the most chaotic Sweet 16 field to date. The seed numbers of the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985. The previous record of 89 was set in 1986. This year’s regional semifinals include 15th-seeded Oral Roberts, 12th-seeded Oregon State, 11th-seeded Syracuse, 11th-seeded UCLA and eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago. Three No. 1 seeds did make it through — Gonzaga, Michigan and Baylor. It’s the sixth straight Sweet 16 appearance for Gonzaga and the fourth for Michigan, the nation’s longest two active streaks. During the late 1980s, there were not many African-American women appearing as the face of a network television show. Those opportunities were even less abundant for women with darker complexions. But when “Showtime at the Apollo” debuted in 1987, Kiki Shepard became the face of the show. The show went through several hosts, but Shepard was ever-present as co-host. The former Broadway dancer broke barriers by showing the world that black is beautiful. Her beauty, charisma and personality were on full display every Saturday night, while her professionalism and ability to adjust to hosting changes led to her longevity. The southern belle set the Harlem stage on fire and became television royalty, often referred to as “The Black Vanna White.” The Department of Medical Examiner, County of Los Angeles has released the autopsy and toxicology report for Bobby Brown Jr. The report indicates that Bobby Jr. accidentally ingested a fatal amount of fentanyl on November 18, 2020. However, the Brown family wants the world to know that those responsible for his death should be prosecuted. “Bobby was not into drugs. Bobby was often easily influenced. This is a situation where he associated himself with the wrong people. My son is gone and those who contributed to his senseless death should be held accountable.” Said Kim Ward, Bobby Jr.’s mother. She had been ill the last several days, but unfortunately Jeanne Gay, 87, the eldest sister of the legendary Marvin Gaye, passed away Tuesday morning (03/23/21) at St. Rose Dominican Siena Hospital in Henderson Nevada, according to her now her now only surviving sibling, Zeola Gaye who remembers her big sis this way: “I will miss my only sister so very much, Jeanne was the glue that kept us together. I remember so well how she and Marvin would compete with each other in everything, in most cases Marvin would win… Jeanne– sometimes. Jeanne who decided not to add an “e” to our last name Gaye was so very funny.. we all were her smile said so very much like all of ours. I call it the famous Gaye smile. Jeanne will be missed by us all, especially her two daughters, Angela and Donna Houston. Saying farewell to my only sister, who now will join the rest of my beloved family.. Mom, Marvin, Frankie and Mike. Rest always in the arms of our Heavenly Father, sis. Jamie Foxx has shared a touching tribute to his late sister DeOndra Dixon, 5 months after her death. DeOndra, who was named a global ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in 2011, died in October 2020 at 36 years old. In honor of World Down Syndrome Day on Sunday, March 21, Foxx celebrated his sibling in a heartwarming post on Instagram. https://youtu.be/yHMIajKo8oU ”Insecure” alum Y’lan Noel will star in a series version of the 1973 film The Spook Who Sat by the Door for Lee Daniels at FX. Sam Greenlee’s 1969 spy novel will be adapted for the small screen by Leigh Dana Jackson and directed by Gerard McMurray. The Spook Who Sat by the Door tells at the fictional story of Dan Freeman (Noel), who has just been hired as the only Black operative in the CIA. He is a patriot, a Vietnam vet, and secretly, a Black Revolutionary. https://youtu.be/_BynXfREPG8 Naomie Harris and Jimmi Simpson have signed on to star opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor in Showtime’s series adaptation of “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” The project had been in development at Paramount+ but will begin production later this year for Showtime. The series is based on the 1963 novel by author Walter Tevis. The book spawned the 1976 film starring David Bowie. https://youtu.be/KTyCWXWW8dM Nick Cannon’s “Wild’ N Out” is returning to VH1 next month, with guests including Fatboy SSE, Trinidad James and Lost Boyz. The actor and singer was temporality curbed from hosting the show following the heat he caught last summer for allegedly making anti-Semitic comments. He has since apologized and embarked on a “journey of atonement,” Cannon said. Janet Jackson’s family is said to be concerned about just how much tea she will spill in an upcoming documentary. Per AceShowbiz, a source tells OK! Magazine that Janet’s family is “freaking out” because the singer will offer unprecedented access to her life in the doc. Members of the Jackson family are reportedly worried about what Janet will say about her late father Joe Jackson. Joe had 10 kids with Katherine Jackson, his wife of more than 60 years. The two were separated and had a strained relationship for the last years of his life, but they frequently interacted. A Pennsylvania police detective has filed for divorce from his wife after he discovered her in footage from the January 6 Capitol riots with another man. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Michael Heinl, filed divorce papers after his wife Jennifer Marie Heinl, went to the riots with another man. She has also been charged with multiple crimes in relation to the riot. “His wife was a part of that situation,” Chief Frank said. “He didn’t condone it. He didn’t ask her to go there. He wasn’t there. He was here working. ”The FBI reviewed the man’s Facebook page which showed that he had communicated with Heinl on Facebook Messenger from Nov. 12, 2020, to Jan. 11, 2021. They spoke about traveling to Washington and renting vehicles and hotel rooms. She was later arrested on January 26. Food, or rather the hilarious absence of it, is at the center of two separate viral videos involving toddlers who are too cute. https://media13.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202103/1616501901426_tdy_parents_8a_hoda_boost_boy_frosting_210323_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Police identified the suspect in the deadly Boulder supermarket shooting as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, a 21-year-old resident of nearby Arvada, Colorado. He was shot before being apprehended and is being held at a hospital and is expected to be booked into the Boulder County Jail.According to @nypost, he has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, and authorities have yet to figure out his motive behind the shooting. Alissa was also shot in the leg, and was in stable condition at a local hospital. He is expected to be released later today. https://youtu.be/Oq3f4HdX09s History is being made on two fronts in Boston, as Kim Janey becomes the city’s first woman and first person of color to hold the office. Outgoing Mayor Marty Walsh resigned Monday evening to become President Joe Biden’s labor secretary. Janey, a Black woman who was serving as president of the Boston City Council, has stepped into the role of acting mayor and is scheduled to have a ceremonial swearing in on Wednesday. https://youtu.be/Fn1DJooI38I Sharon Osbourne is speaking out about the controversy surrounding her on-air breakdown over Piers Morgan and the fallout over her alleged bullying and racism. A coalition of Los Angeles civil rights leaders are calling for the removal of “The Talk’’ co-host amid ongoing accusations that Osbourne is a vile racist who has long been protected by her network bosses – and now her time is up. https://youtu.be/DHpvH2F1ZpE Prince Harry has a new job at a Silicon Valley startup. The Duke of Sussex is now the chief impact officer of coaching and mental health at BetterUp Inc., the Wall Street Journal reports. https://youtu.be/KsibcC9Asc4 BlackFilmandTV editor Wilson Morales secured an exclusive interview with “The Falcon and the Winter Soldiers'” Adepero Oduye (Sarah Wilson). The Disney+ original series from Marvel Studios ranked as the most watched series premiere ever on the streamer during its opening weekend and the most watched title overall for the same time period on a global basis. The six-episode show stars Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/The Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier) – the pair who came together in the final moments of “Avengers: Endgame.” The Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, became the first city in the United States to approve a reparations program for its black residents Monday night, following an 8-to-1 city council vote. https://youtu.be/FRDUcGbK_xA All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series' UNSUNG and UNCENSORED continue this Sunday, March 28. UNSUNG leads the night with Leela James at 9 p.m. ET/8C, immediately followed by UNCENSORED with Mona Scott-Young at 10 p.m. ET/9C. This season, fans are treated to a sneak-peek look at episodes with the new digital series, Unwind with Syleena Johnson. Each episode will be published on TVOne.TV and TV One’s social media platforms. Syleena will react to clips, share anecdotes, and provide cocktail recipes for viewers to unwind to as they watch both UNSUNG and UNCENSORED. She’ll end each episode reminding viewers of their chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvRuitQ7vyI&feature=youtu.be In 2012, Joshua Rogers auditioned for the fifth season of BET’s Sunday Best in Atlanta, and was immediately a favorite of fans and the celebrity judging panel of Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, and CeCe Winans. Sunday Best host, GRAMMY® winning Platinum selling artist Kirk Franklin gave Rogers the nickname “Young Buck”. After weeks of consistent performances of songs Rogers landed in the finals and ultimately won. Rogers rose to prominence when he became the first male and youngest winner of Sunday Best. In the Gospel Spotlight it's "Still Gon' Trust." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dtbzs2zuv33bcvl/AAAvwVA_zDPjw7r2QfNxaJ9Ya?dl=0 Last night, the NAACP kicked-off night one of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards announcing the first round of winners in the non-televised award categories, which included literary, documentary (film and television), and activist and youth activist of the year awards. The night’s winners included President Barack Obama for Outstanding Literary Work - Nonfiction category, Walter Mosely for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” for Outstanding Documentary (Film), and as previously announced Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony for Activist Of The Year and Madison Potts for Youth Activist Of The Year. The night additionally featured appearances from presenters including entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Daymond John, star of Netflix’s Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, Madelen Mills and Emmy Award Winning Actor Terrence Terrell. Performers included Tonya Boyd Cannon and Zul-Qarnain who put together a creative mash-up of both a traditional and a reimagined interpretation of the Negro National Anthem. The LIVE show airing on BET and simulcast across ViacomCBS Networks including CBS, BET Her, VH1, MTV, MTV2, and LOGO on Saturday, March 27th, 2021 at 8/7c. virtualexperience.naacpimageawards.net. Kenya Duke, the wife of comedian Gary Owen, has broken her silence days after news broke that she filed for divorce after almost 2 decades together. In a series of now-deleted messages on social media, Duke called out a friend of TV personality Claudia Jordan, who appears to be at the center of Kenya and Gary’s marital saga. According to The Shade Room, via theJasmineBrand.com, Duke referred to a mystery woman in several posts as “Dallas, TX”, telling her, “I have all your info. I am going to deal with you in a minute, I am a little busy now. You can have him but you cant disrespect me and my kids in the process.” She then told her husband, “Let her know a storm is coming.” Celebrity hairstylist and star of ALLBLK’s “My Mane Problem” Dr. Boogie’s interview on the nationally syndicated talk show, “Daily Blast Live,” which streams live this afternoon. Boogie will chat with co-host Erica Cobb about how his mother was a major inspiration for becoming a hairstylist and provides tips for Black women to look their best during the pandemic. https://youtu.be/NmjsvBeaMkE The Black Lives Matter organization in Sacramento is building a resource community center in Oak Park with donations they received from protests against police violence. the group purchased a plot of land to build their first home and the ultimate goal is to turn it into a resource center and safe space for the Black community. “We see a lot of performative gestures from the city and the county to where we’re not seeing actual change, it just looks like change, and I’m just sick of seeing that, I’m sick of experiencing that, I want to see actual change,” Tanya Faison, the founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, told ABC 10. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1373586975937204224/qjM6nBOl?format=jpg&name=small Transracial activist Rachel Dolezal appears in a new documentary about black beauty in which she opens up being a victim of ‘shaming and ridicule’ ever since made headlines for pretending to be a Black woman. For more than 10 years, Dolezal has identified as Black — but she was exposed as being a ‘race faker’ in 2015. She briefly appears in Jennifer Holness’ new documentary about black beauty titled “Subjects of Desire” – which debuted at SXSW this week. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have announced the next two sets of Verzuz battles, with the first slated to go down April 4 (Easter Sunday) between The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire. “Time to SHOUT for the #IsleyBrothers!” the group shared on Instagram, referring to their 1959 debut studio album “Shout!” UC San Diego freshman Jaida Day moved from Los Angeles to La Jolla to attend UC San Diego in 2018, and immediately noticed the lack of beauty supply stores in the neighborhood. Informed that the nearest one was 30 minutes away, and that to maintain her braids she’d need to get a $40 Uber ride, the 20-year-old Math and Computer Science major decided to take matters into her own hands. In 2019, she opened up a pop-up shop every other week at the campus Black Resource Center. But since the pandemic, she shifted operations online to a website she created called Black Beauty Near You. A Detroit bishop of the Church of God in Christ has been named the new presiding bishop of the nation’s largest historically Black Pentecostal denomination. Bishop J. Drew Sheard, the husband of gospel singer Karen Clark Sheard of The Clark Sisters, was elected on Saturday (March 20) by the COGIC General Assembly, the denomination announced.“To be elected to serve as the Presiding Bishop for the Church in which I was born, raised, and have learned and served all my life, is a dream and desire that can only be fulfilled by God’s loving grace and guidance,” Sheard, the prelate of COGIC’s Michigan North Central Jurisdiction, said in a statement. Bishop George Dallas McKinney, who has been regarded as a stalwart in San Diego’s Black religious community, has died. He was 88. The Church of God in Christ announced McKinney’s death on Saturday (March 20). McKinney, the son of a sharecropper who was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, founded St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church of God in Christ in 1962 along with his late wife, Jean C. McKinney. The couple raised five sons, all who pursued church work. After serving as The Heritage Foundation’s leadership team for the last three years, President Kay C. James and Executive Vice President Dr. Kim R. Holmes have announced their resignations. James will be staying on as president for up to six months until a replacement is found, after which she will become a Heritage distinguished visiting fellow. She will also remain on Heritage’s board of trustees. Holmes’ resignation is effective April 16. Gripping tightly to his forgiving wife’s hand on Monday, popular Christian relationship guru Derrick Jaxn, who is well known for preaching a message that black men shouldn’t cheat, confessed to his millions of social media followers that he had been unfaithful to his wife multiple times. “This chapter of our marriage was one that was preceded by a marriage that I completely failed,” Jaxn (also known as Jackson) revealed in a video posted on Facebook, with his wife Da’Naia by his side. “My Brother’s Keeper” hit theaters this month on over 200 screens nationwide, bringing to the silver screen a role that Christian actor T.C. Stallings described as one of the “most challenging” of “his career so far.” https://youtu.be/33Qu-gmkHgc Boulder churches offered resources and encouragement, while gun control activists called for action after a mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store on Monday left 10 people dead. Geoff Patterson, the senior pastor at Boulder Seventh-Day Adventist Church, posted the church’s prayer line on Facebook after the shooting and said the prayer team was “standing by” and pastors were available to speak. “Lord, there is sickness in this world, and this time it has struck in our town,” the pastor wrote. “Grant us strength in this difficult hour.” Music artistry reaches people in ways that other forms of expression cannot. It’s why Christian artists who have a national platform have both opportunity and an incredible responsibility. Today’s social media makes everything public. I find it funny when those employing it complain about unwanted responses. It’s a two-way street. Social media amplifies your voice and your feedback. Recently, Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae posted the following defensive message on Facebook: I’m a Christ follower. I’m politically agnostic. I don’t endorse abortion. I hate racism and classism. I’m not ashamed of my faith. I’m not a Marxist. I love my culture and heritage. I don’t subscribe to American Churchianity. I believe in the Bible. I’m more complex than what I do for a living. I’m not obligated to qualify these statements for strangers on the internet. Regal Cinemas, the second largest movie theater chain in the U.S., will reopen beginning April 2, its parent company, Cineworld Group, announced Tuesday. Regal had been one of the most notable holdouts in the gradual reopening of cinemas nationwide. For nearly half a year, its 7,211 screens and 549 theatres in the U.S. have been dark. Doors will open early next month with attendance limited to 25% to 50% capacity in about 500 locations. After escaping a life of domestic violence and suicidal thoughts following an abortion, Hollywood actress April Hernandez Castillo said she ultimately reclaimed her voice and found forgiveness when she accepted her true identity in Jesus Christ. Best known for her captivating role alongside Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank in the movie “Freedom Writers,” Hernandez Castillo is now telling her story in the memoir, Embracing Me. Today, Central City Productions, Inc. releases a timeline of important dates leading up to the Stellar Awards television broadcast. Nominations for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards will be announced on April 27, 2021. Additional key dates include: Monday, February 1 – Online submissions open Friday, February 19 – Online submissions close and all product due Friday, March 5 – Nominating committee determines qualified submissions Saturday, March 13 – SAGMA online voting on 1st ballot begins Saturday, March 27 – SAGMA online voting ends Monday, April 5 – Public online voting on 2nd and final ballot begins Monday, April 19 – Public online voting on 2nd and final ballot ends Tuesday, April 27 – Nominee Announcement PR and Radio Tour July 2021 – 36th Annual Stellar Awards production (exact dates to be announced mid-February) The 36th Annual Stellar Awards will air via National Broadcast Syndication and Cable during the window of July 30 – September 5, 2021. Relevé Entertainment, an All3Media America Company, in partnership with Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment will develop and produce HISTORY IN COLOR, a premium docu-series that explores the contributions of African American trailblazers, disruptors and unknown heroes who rejected the status quo and changed the course of modern history. The news was announced by Revelations partners Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary and Dr. Holly Carter, Founder and CEO of Relevé Entertainment. Hall of Fame basketball player Elgin Baylor died March 22 at the age of 86. His wife confirmed the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s death and said Baylor died of natural causes.Jeannie Buss, the owner of the Lakers, mourned Baylor in a statement: “Elgin was THE superstar of his era — his many accolades speak to that,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “He was one of the few Lakers players whose career spanned from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. But more importantly he was a man of great integrity, even serving his country as a U.S. Army reservist, often playing for the Lakers only during his weekend pass. He is one of the all-time Lakers greats with his No. 22 jersey retired in the rafters and his statue standing guard in front of STAPLES Center. He will always be part of the Lakers legacy. On behalf of the entire Lakers family, I’d like to send my thoughts, prayers and condolences to Elaine and the Baylor family.” El Salvador’s top surfer, who had been preparing for the sport’s Olympic debut this summer, has been struck and killed by lightning during a training session. “A great athlete who has represented our country has left us,” the Salvadoran Surf Federation said in a post paying tribute to Katherine Diaz on social media. “See you soon, great warrior. El Salvador is in mourning.” The 22 year-old had entered the water to start a training session on Friday near her home in El Tunco when she was struck. Emergency services tried to revive her on the beach, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Spanish newspaper AS reported that a sudden change in weather had caught those on the beach by surprise: “the sky was clear and it was an unforeseen storm that did not seem to carry much electrical intensity either.” Aretha Franklin’s family is urging fans of the Queen of Soul to boycott “Genius: Aretha,” National Geographic’s four-night limited series about the rise to fame for the late singer. Franklin’s granddaughter Grace posted a TikTok video in which she noted that the producers refused to collaborate with Franklin’s family on the project. Her father, Kecalf Franklin, has also publicly denounced the series starring British actress Cynthia Erivo. https://youtu.be/ryGpdVuuq_Y The mother of Tamir Rice previously called out activist Tamika Mallory for appearing alongside Lil Baby during his Grammy’s performance of “The Bigger Picture.” https://youtu.be/MmK410xKhYI Latino man was reportedly handcuffed and detained for two hours after the deadly spa shootings in Atlanta because authorities considered him a suspect. According to a Slate report, Mario González and his wife Delaina Ashley Yaun had gone to the Youngs Asian Spa together. As the two waited in separate rooms for their massages, González heard gunfire. His niece, Jessica, told The Daily Mail that her uncle “screamed for his wife” as he tried to flee. When González made it outside, he was met by officers who placed him in handcuffs. https://youtu.be/u2Z_xPVwoE0 Texas family has been left devastated by two tragedies in less than a week. Six-year-old Laurionne Walker was shot multiple times by a relative on Friday after an argument about spilled water. The child’s family was struck with a similar tragedy days earlier when her three young cousins were killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver last Sunday night, PEOPLE reports. https://youtu.be/KkYsERoonh4 Queen Elizabeth II will reportedly appoint a “diversity czar” after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accused the royal family of racism during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. “The palace is looking to make an appointment for a position to promote greater diversity and inclusion at the palace, palace insiders tell the Mail On Sunday. https://youtu.be/9rBmqskyjSo An advisor to Donald Trump says the former president has plans to launch his own social media platform. “I do think that we’re going to see President Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months here, with his own platform,” Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller told Howard Kurtz on Fox News’ “MediaBuzz” on Sunday. “And this is something that I think will be the hottest ticket in social media, it’s going to completely redefine the game, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what exactly President Trump does.” https://youtu.be/E-BatVlPFW0 Lizzo is calling on the big beautiful women of the world to join her on tour. The singer has joined forces with Amazon Prime for an unscripted series in which she will search for “dynamic, full-figured” models and dancers to join her tour. The casting call for the project reads: “Here’s your chance to twerk it out on world stages and stomp it out on the runway for the adventure of a lifetime. Lizzo announced the series on Instagram. “Where are all the big girls?” she asked. “That’s what I want to know!” Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) who seems to be an ordinary dad and husband goes through his daily routine, minding his business, being a regular nobody. When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. Mansell’s teenage son, Blake (Gage Munroe), and wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) are disappointed in him. Feeling the pressure of his family’s frustration Hutch snaps. Triggering dormant instincts that send him on a brutal path that surface dark secrets and lethal skills. Ensuring that he will never be underestimated as a nobody again. https://youtu.be/8VlBkajjQm4 Lil Mama is plotting a “heterosexual rights movement” in response to the LGBTQ+ bullies. The hip-hop star/actress said she was inspired to launch a movement for straight folks to protect heterosexuals from being targeted and canceled by gays and transgenders. Lil Mama suggested that transgenderism is part of the government’s “depopulation at any cost” agenda. Will Hartzell, who lives on his parents’ farm, has become the latest basketball sensation on TikTok. The teen has gone viral for finding ways to shoot hoops on the farm without an actual basketball court. He makes incredible shots on baskets placed in various spots around the farm, with cows, tractors and trees co-starring in his videos. There are even clips of him dunking balls that he had set on fire. https://youtu.be/drKcUHsBchE Nothing on earth can enhance an event like its live-tweeting by Leslie Jones. Her latest blessing comes courtesy of director Zack Snyder’s new four-hour re-edit of “Justice League on HBO Max. She lent her thoughts to plenty of scenes, including these involving Aquaman’s skinny jeans, Wonder Woman badassery, Batman and her dislike of Jared Leto as The Joker. https://twitter.com/i/status/1373893224482316288 Civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt, who rose to prominence by representing families who lost loved ones as a result of high-profile police killings including Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth and Botham Jean in Dallas, has announced his intent to run for Texas Attorney General next year. Merritt tweeted Saturday that he was going to be a candidate to be the top law enforcement official in the Lone Star State in 2022. “Texas deserves an attorney general that will fight for the constitutional rights of all citizens,” he tweeted. Elders at Crabapple First Baptist Church condemned both the “extreme and wicked” actions and the purported motives of a church member who allegedly killed eight people in a series of shootings, calling them a direct contradiction of his professed faith in Christ and the church’s teachings. In a statement released today (March 19), the church expressed grief for the victims and their families during a time of “unimaginable pain and sorrow,” saying they were “absolutely devastated” by the killings Tuesday (March 16) at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area. Robert Aaron Long, 21, has been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Six victims were women of Asian descent. New cases of Covid-19 are once again on the rise across more than half of the United States as officials race to vaccinate additional people before highly contagious variants become prevalent in the country. As of Sunday, the seven-day average of new cases rose by 5% or more in 27 states, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Across the U.S., the nation logged an average of 54,308 new cases per day over the past week — a 1% rise from the prior week after months of rapidly declining case numbers, according to the data. Pop star Justin Bieber tweeted his support Thursday (March 18) for the Poor People’s Campaign, the faith-led anti-poverty initiative that was inspired by a campaign the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. started in the ’60s. Bieber listed the campaign, headed by the Rev. William Barber II and the Rev. Liz Theoharis, among “organizations that embody what justice looks like in action,” directing his fans to donate to the cause for a chance to win tickets to an upcoming concert or a signed guitar. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com NCAA women’s basketball players are celebrating this weekend after receiving an upgraded weight room following complaints that the women’s facilities were subpar compared to the men’s. NCAA Women’s Basketball posted a photo of the new gym on Twitter, declaring, “The weight room has arrived! Let’s gooooo.” The NFL is taking a major step toward having fans back in the stands for the 2021 season, starting with a major announcement regarding the NFL Draft next month. The league announced Monday the draft will take place from April 29 to May 1 across iconic downtown Cleveland locations, including FirstEnergy Stadium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center. m“We are thrilled to be heading to Cleveland for the NFL Draft, which has become one of the most highly anticipated events in sports” O’Reilly said. “Just months after executing a safe and successful Super Bowl LV, we look forward to bringing the excitement of our Draft traditions to fans in collaboration with the Browns, Destination Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the City of Cleveland, and all of our local Cleveland partners.” After spending more than a week in the NCAA tournament bubble, Mills and his Oral Roberts team aren’t leaving town. The Golden Eagles are headed to the Sweet 16, joining the 2013 Florida Gulf Coast team as the only 15-seeds in tournament history to reach the round of 16. https://youtu.be/tcQK4x3S9d0 Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, the front-runner to win NBA Rookie of the Year, fractured a bone in his right wrist, the team announced on Sunday. Ball injured the wrist in Charlotte’s 125-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. Ball injured his wrist in the second quarter but continued to play while favoring the wrist. He played just 75 seconds in the fourth quarter, and Charlotte coach James Borrego said he didn’t play him because of the injury. The Fort Worth Fire Department fought a blaze that destroyed a church overnight Sunday in south Fort Worth. Crews responded to El Buen Samaritano United Methodist Church at about 12:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of Strong Avenue. No one was injured during the fire, which firefighters battled until about 1:30 a.m., according to the department’s Twitter. The department started an interior attack on the fire but pulled back into a defensive operation as the fire spread. The fire made its way through the roof of the building. Prior to the premiere of National Geographic's Genius: Aretha, Grammy® Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning actress, singer, and producer Cynthia Erivo accepted the Salute Her: Creating the Legacy Award at the Salute Her Awards presented by Toyota Motor North America and AARP on March 21, 2021 hosted by Emmy Award Winner Loni Love. https://facebook.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03270e5fb8d65204361e530a2&id=d66777eba3&e=136c74e292 An Arlington police officer prayed with a woman he pulled over — instead of giving her a ticket — after he realized she lived out of her car. Ofc. Cory Urlacher said he offered to buy her food or water, but she asked for prayer. Sister Jean didn’t have any plans for next weekend, well, she does now. Loyola Chicago carried out its 101-year-old superfan’s plans to a T on Sunday, moving to the Sweet 16 with a 71-58 win over Illinois, the first No. 1 seed bounced from this year’s NCAA Tournament. Cameron Krutwig delivered a 19-point, 12-rebound masterpiece and the quick-handed, eighth-seeded Ramblers (26-4) led wire to wire. They befuddled a powerful Illinois offense to return to the second weekend three years after their last magical run to the Final Four. The heartfelt Salute Her Awards kicked off capturing the essence of the evening, celebrating strong black women who are committed to creating rich legacies. The legendary Cicely Tyson was memorialized for being a true example of resilience, innovation and a woman who built a legacy for generations to come. During her opening greeting, Valerie Jarrett, former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, president of the Obama Foundation and New York Times Bestselling Author, commended the awardees for their ability to lead in spite of global pandemic challenges. https://facebook.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03270e5fb8d65204361e530a2&id=2488dc23f1&e=136c74e292 Updates from the Salute HER Awards. Checkout Terry Ellis, founding member of Grammy-nominated girl group En Vogue, mading a special presentation to her bestfriend Holly Robinson Peete for supporting individuals living with Parkinson's disease and families of children with autism through the HollyRod Foundation. https://facebook.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03270e5fb8d65204361e530a2&id=985e8694cc&e=136c74e292 Celebrities making a whopping amount of cash can afford anything luxury in this world, and expensive cars are one on their list. Jay Leno is one of the wealthiest comedians and a car enthusiast. Among his collections, the 1994 McLaren F1 is the most expensive, costing as much as $12 million. Jay Z drives Maybach Exelero, and that’s a limited edition. The one he drives was sold by Bryan Williams at a starling $7 million cash. The 2005 Maybach Exelero is one of the expensive cars and the rarest on the earth. Floyd Mayweather owns Koenigsegg Trevita worth a ridiculous $4.6 million. Flo Rida drives a Bugatti Veyron it's worth $1.7 Million. Bugatti Veyron is one of the fastest cars which we consumers can buy. It powers an 8.0 L quad-turbocharged engine which could shift as high as 431.072 KPH. Attorney Patrick Bradford and other Black antitrust lawyers filed the attached brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Alston v. NCAA. The antitrust case is about the NCAA’s ongoing refusal to pay (mostly Black) Division I football and basketball players fair compensation, even as the NCAA and its member school take in billions in TV revenue. The case will be argued in the high court on March 31, fitting for “March Madness” for which the NCAA’s TV contract is priced at $19.6 billion over the next several years. All eyes will be on Capitol Hill Monday as the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing on the District of Columbia statehood bill. The bill filed is identical to the one filed in the previous Congress that passed the House but was not voted on in the then-GOP controlled Senate. This time, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has more co-sponsors than any other previously filed D.C. statehood bill. It’s also gaining popularity among Americans. https://youtu.be/9Y2kGAIO6-M Black scholars are displaying excellence in the realm of academia and making history in the process. West Virginia University student Amaya Jernigan recently became the institution’s first Black woman president of the Student Government Association, WVU Today reported. he appointment is historic as it marks the first time in the school’s 154-year history that a Black woman has been at the helm of the student government. Jernigan—a Maryland native who is majoring in biology—has been dedicated to driving change on campus. The junior, who led the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Eta Omicron Chapter, has spearheaded campus-wide efforts centered on mentorship, culturally competent counseling, and gender-neutral bathrooms; all of which were created to cultivate inclusivity. https://www.wboy.com/top-stories/amaya-jernigan-becomes-first-black-woman-elected-as-wvu-sga-president/ The family of Marvin David Scott III, a 26-year-old Texas man who died in police custody, are urging for the involved officers to face harsher disciplinary action than being placed on administrative leave. Scott’s family claims his untimely death was a result of excessive force, where seven officers restrained Scott while employing pepper spray and a spit hood. In response, seven involved officers have been placed on leave. The Texas Rangers and the Collin County Sherriff’s Department have launched separate investigations into the matter. Attendees of the #StopAsianHate rally filed into Atlanta’s Liberty Plaza on Saturday to demand an end to racism, misogyny, and white supremacy. Speakers from across the city and region gathered to rebuke the killings which took place on Tuesday in the Atlanta area. Located across the street from the Georgia state Capitol, Liberty Plaza was initially locked to those gathered outside. Organizers cheered after hearing State Rep. Bee Nguyen called the governor’s office to have the plaza opened. “White supremacy is a lie teller, and a life taker,” said speaker Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, calling for people of conscience to stand together. “Their deaths say that all of us must come together. Their deaths say that we can’t let racism or white supremacy have the last say.” Kirk Franklin is joined by current 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul for a conversation about hard work and the costs behind being successful. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chris-paul/id1550112679?i=1000513212008 All Nations Music releases their new "Glory Rise" video featuring Candy West and Cristabel Clack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua0R3njUHOM Texas Rep. Chip Roy clearly doesn’t understand what it means to speak out against anti-Asian hate. During a Thursday House Judiciary Committee hearing on discrimination and violence against Asian-Americans, Roy made inflammatory opening remarks which resulted in calls for him to step down. The comments deflected from the tragedy in Georgia, as well as the repeated attacks against members of the AAPI community. In response Roy’s Democrat colleague Rep. Grace Meng from New York had no problem letting him know that hijacking the House Judiciary Committee hearing was unacceptable. https://twitter.com/i/status/1372568728072822785 A man who survived the Atlanta spa massacre says authorities detained him before telling him his wife, Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, was killed in the shooting. Fear led Mario González to stay put in his room at Young’s Asian Massage when he heard shots ring out on Tuesday. But when help arrived, he was treated as a suspect instead of a victim. González told Mundo Hispánico that authorities assumed he was involved and handcuffed him, causing bruising to his wrists. He couldn’t say for certain if his mistreatment was because of his race. But he said that law enforcement did not seem to believe he was married to Yaun, who was white. Activist Tamika Mallory addressed the claims of Tamir’s Rice mother on Thursday, days after Samaria Rice released a statement accusing Mallory and other movement activists of financially profiting off her pain. Rice’s comments came after the Grammys where Mallory took the stage with rapper Lil Baby during a performance on Black Lives Matter and social justice. Rice, along with Lisa Simpson, whose son Richard Risher was killed by the LAPD released a list of demands, naming Mallory, Crump, S. Lee Merritt, Shaun King, Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah. Rice and Simpson say the individuals have profited off their pain, their families have yet to see a dime of the monies raised. Mallory confirmed she reached out to Rice once her statement went viral on social media. “Nothing we say today is an attack against Ms. Rice. I want to make sure that is stated from the very, very beginning. Quite frankly, Ms. Rice is right. I support 100% how she feels and what she has stated in terms of her pain related to her son,” Mallory said. The case of a six-year-old who appeared before a North Carolina judge for picking a flower out of a neighbor’s yard, illustrates the absurdity of a state law which functions to validate the school to prison pipeline, and most importantly, highlighted the need for reform in the juvenile courts. The Winston-Salem Journal reported the boy’s attorney gave him crayons and asked him to color a picture since he had trouble paying attention during his hearing. State law requires an accused, even as young as six, to take part in their defense. After learning that the boy appeared in front of the judge because his mother couldn’t make the intake hearing, the judge dismissed the case. National Geographic’s latest season of its anthology series, “Genius: Aretha,” was driven by the Holy Spirit, according to series writer Susan-Lori Parks. “This series is fueled by the Spirit; I prayed a lot to get this show made,” award-winning writer Suzan-Lori Parks (“Topdog/Underdog”) said of the Franklin series. The third season of the limited series will premiere with back-to-back episodes over four consecutive nights starting on March 21. Parks emphasized that the show didn’t come to life without a fight and the power of prayer is what got them through. LeBron James has a high ankle sprain and is out indefinitely, the Los Angeles Lakers announced Saturday. James exited the Lakers’ 99-94 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the first half after Solomon Hill collided with his right ankle. James knocked over a chair in frustration on his way to the locker room, and received X-rays and an MRI on the ankle after the game, sources told ESPN. Hill was called for a foul when the Hawks’ forward fell on James’ right ankle while trying to steal the ball. James immediately shouted in pain and rolled off the court, clutching his right leg. The Lakers called timeout to check on the 18-year veteran, with several teammates, coaches and members of the medical staff trekking across the court to surround James while he was on the floor. “I haven’t necessarily seen him scream and scowl like that probably ever,” teammate Kyle Kuzma said. Meagan Good has faced her own backlash for her image in the past. Now, she’s empathizing with singer and actress Chloe Bailey who recently became the target of criticism for partaking in the Bust It Challenge on social media. Chloe Bailey tearfully addressed the negative comments shortly after.“For every woman out there, don’t change who you are to make society feel comfortable. And I’m telling myself that’s not what I’m going to do…” She added, “…I feel like I’ve shown my a– more than I have with that like if you look at our performance videos, the last performance we had in December. Like, I was just so excited and on stage, and just being myself, so… I don’t know.” Serena Williams will not compete at this week’s Miami Open as the 23-times Grand Slam singles champion recovers from oral surgery, the Associated Press reported on Sunday. The 39-year-old Florida resident has won the Miami Open a record eight times and joins big names including Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer in missing the event. “Miami is a special tournament for me because it’s my home,” she said in a statement, cited by the Associated Press. “I am sad I won’t be able to see the incredible fans this year, but I look forward to coming back soon.” Williams fell to eventual champion Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals of the Australian Open last month. The legendary diva Diana Ross, her five children, four grandkids, her ex-husbands and onetime lover and boyfriend, are all now on the same page of happiness. Ross’ first husband and music executive, Robert Ellis Silberstein, father of actress Tracee Ellis Ross, had a strong dislike for Berry Gordy. According to the entertainment website, Iloveoldschoolmusic.com, Silberstein, Gordy, and Ross once had an interesting history together. The website points out that Ross dated Gordy for a long time and she ultimately became pregnant with Gordy’s baby in January of 1971. The baby girl, when born in August of 71, was named Rhonda Ross. Two months after becoming pregnant, Diana married Robert Silberstein. Ross and Silberstein produced two children together. Reports said Rhonda was told the truth about who her real father was when she was 13 years old. Britain’s Prince Harry has written the forward for a new book aimed at the children of frontline workers who died in the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing the pain he suffered as a boy after the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Harry wrote that losing his mother at age 12 left “a huge hole inside of me,” according to excerpts of the book printed in the Times of London. Diana died in a Paris car accident in August 1997. “Hospital by the Hill,” by Chris Connaughton, is the story of a young person whose mother worked at a hospital and died during the pandemic. It is being given to children who have experienced similar losses. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has been fined $50,000 for throwing his facemask behind the scorer’s table and toward the fans, as well as directing profanity toward game officials, the NBA announced Sunday. Nurse’s actions took place after the conclusion of the Raptors’ 115-112 loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday. Toronto was whistled for 12 more fouls than Utah, and that disparity resulted in a 41-14 edge in free throws for the Jazz. “(We) outplayed them all over the place. It’s a hard one to win,” Nurse said after the game. “It just didn’t seem like they were going to let us win tonight.” The reeling Raptors (17-24) have lost seven in a row heading into Sunday’s game against the host Cleveland Cavaliers. As the Tiger Woods car-crash investigation expands, it’s looking like the Woods never even hit the brakes as he careened off the road. On top of that, there’s no evidence he took his foot off the gas either. As far as the investigation is concerned, The Sheriff’s Dept. has been looking at the vehicle, an SUV, the crash site and many other pieces of evidence. They are also retrieving data from the SUV’s black box. So far, based on what investigators have pieced together, Woods didn’t even try to prevent the crash once he lost control of the vehicle last month. As a reminder, the LA County Sheriff said almost immediately after the crash there was no evidence of impaired driving and there was no evidence of alcohol. On the other hand, the Sheriff never attempted to get a warrant to draw blood in order to test for medications. Woods was recovering from back surgery at the time of the crash, and had been hosting a golf tournament — he couldn’t play because of his back. Woods suffered serious leg injuries. In fact, some reports say he broke both. He is also said to have suffered a “big gash” on his chin from the impact. He’s also said to be recovering at his home in Florida. Gregory Bush, a white man who killed two Black shoppers at a Kentucky Kroger plead guilty to federal hate crime and firearm charges on Thursday, according to the DOJ. The Oct. 2018 shooting claimed the lives of Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vickie Lee Jones, 67, when Bush opened fire at the grocery store located in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. “Today’s guilty plea will ensure that a violent and disturbed man will never get another chance to target and terrorize the Black community,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pamela S. Karlan said in a statement. Federal prosecutors contend that Bush, 53, did not know his victims and opened fire because of their race. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill denied a motion on Friday to delay or move Derek Chauvin’s trial, the accused murderer of George Floyd. The decision comes a week after Chauvin’s attorney’s filed the motion as a result of a $27M Minneapolis city settlement for George Floyd’s family. Chauvin’s lawyers will make opening statements on March 29. Cahill also ruled that police body cam video capturing Floyd’s harrowing death can be used in court. Lawyers have selected 13 jurors so far, with one alternates left. The jury is made up of three Black men, one Black woman, two multiracial women, four white women and two white men. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge made a permanent impression on the White House reporter pool on Thursday, after she was forced to give a short lesson on manners. “Good Morning,” Fudge says thanking White House Press Secretary Jen Pskai for the floor. After pausing in confusion, Fudge repeated herself, to which instantly the reporters responded. “Oh, thank you,” Fudge said back with a smile. “I was wondering if I was in this room by myself.” The Grio’s White House correspondent April Ryan captured the moment in real time inside of the press room. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMmtRE4joYw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again A number of young, White House staffers were asked to resign, suspended, or moved to remote work locations as a result of an archaic policy which aims to demonize workers over past marijuana use. The employment shakeups in the Biden White House points to a larger problem and rooted fears that the incoming administration may not be as progressive as once thought. The move also contradicts the trajectory of the national collective, who widely support the legalization of marijuana. A federal investigation is reportedly underway with Baltimore’s top prosecutor and her politician husband at the center of the probe. Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore, and her husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, are being investigated for potential campaign finance violations, according to Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton's tweet on Friday afternoon. He described the husband, 43, and wife, 41, as “Baltimore’s power couple” and added that there were “authorities issuing subpoenas for financial information as well as to city churches.” The Mosbys’ lawyer called the investigation a “political witch hunt in its purest form” and said his clients had committed no wrongdoings. A $150M lawsuit pertaining to the hit and run death of Nicki Minaj‘s father has been filed bon behalf of the rapper’s mother. The lawsuit, filed by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, alleges Charles Polevich drove recklessly back in February and was inattentive when he fatally struck Robert Maraj, who was walking on a street in Long Island. Police say after striking the 64-year-old, Polevich walked over to him, asked if he was okay and then fled the scene … later concealing his Volvo in a garage at his residence. https://youtu.be/Z5sjRbtqTcI Elsa Peretti, who went from Halston model and Studio 54 regular in the 1960s and ’70s to one of the world’s most famous jewelry designers with timeless, fluid Tiffany & Co. collections often inspired by nature, has died. She was 80. She died Thursday night in her sleep at home in a small village outside Barcelona, Spain, according to a statement from her family office in Zurich and the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation. Peretti’s sculptural cuff bracelets, bean designs and open-heart pendants are among her most recognizable work. She lent her classical aesthetic to functional goods, too, including bowls, magnifying glasses, razors and even a pizza cutter done in sterling silver, a metal she favored and helped popularize as a luxury choice. “Elsa was not only a designer but a way of life,” Tiffany said in a statement Friday. “Elsa explored nature with the acumen of a scientist and the vision of a sculptor.” Xiao Zhen Xi, 76, was just waiting at the traffic light on Market St. in San Francisco Wednesday when the suspect punched her by her left eye. Although she was caught off guard, immediately, she went into defense mode and hit the guy with a stick that she found. The man behind the cruel crime, Steven Jenkins, 39, was booked on two counts of assault likely to produce great bodily injury, and two counts of elder abuse, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. Jenkins is also accused of attacking an 83-year-old Asian man on Wednesday morning before being chased by a security guard on foot. Xie was left with a bruised eye following the incident. Her daughter told KPIX that her mother is “Very traumatized, very scared and this eye is still bleeding.” Xie’s family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with her medical expenses and it has surpassed the $50K goal and is now at $626,389 as of Friday morning. Funnyman Gary Owen and his wife, Kenya Duke after almost 2 decades are splitting and getting divorced. It was Kenya who filed filed divorce docs on Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court according to online records. Officially, Gary and Kenya tied in 2003 and they have two sons and a daughter together. Gary’s famous for his stand-up comedy, and he’s also appeared in several movies … including “Daddy Day Care,” “Think Like a Man” and “Ride Along,” just to name a few. Christian singer Jamie Grace announced that she won a golden ticket on the latest season of “American Idol” and will be going to Hollywood. “Surprise!! I’M GOING TO HOLLYWOOD!!” the successful CCM singer shared on Instagram Monday. “I made it through producer rounds, auditioned for Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan, and got two yeses (Lionel and Luke) which sent me to Hollywood!” Grace added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMbDAGjsS9v/?utm_source=ig_embed The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is facing backlash for its disparity in treatment between men and women players at its March Madness tournaments. On Thursday, Stanford University sports performance coach for the women’s basketball and golf team, Ali Kershner, posted a video on Twitter showing a stark difference between the women’s weight room facility at their NCAA bubble in San Antonio and the men’s weight room facility at their NCAA bubble in Indianapolis. “In a year defined by a fight for equality, this is a chance to have a conversation and get better,” Kershner wrote under the image, which showed that the men’s weight room facility was not only bigger than the women’s, but it also had more equipment and weight options for the athletes to train with. “We just signed a new artist, Wae. He is a Hip-Hop artist, a rapper. He’s coming out in March,” said Angel Sessions, a maverick in the music industry, about her “indie” label Atlas Elite Entertainment (AEE) roster. “I can’t wait for you to hear him.” Aside from rapper Wae and Angel, the AEE imprint has also singed her daughter R&B singer/songwriter Shardella Sessions. She is working on her debut EP and is currently promoting its first single “Everything.” Her vocals were used on the Mary Wilson tour where she served as a “Supreme.” That was in 2004. That following year she released her first Gospel album titled “He Loves You” via CD Baby. She was asked to perform with Fred Hammond at the San Diego State Fair in 2007. That same year she opened for Carl Thomas. Angel also helped Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire) with her vocals on The Stylistics 2010 project “Painted in the Sky.” https://youtu.be/AH0AZsgkQwU For some actors and actresses, being in front of the camera is what it’s all about , regardless of whatever life throws at them. It’s all about the art. Yet, life has a way of stepping in and testing one’s will to survive for self and family. Carl Payne, who played the character “Cole” on the 90s sitcom, “Martin” was a fan favorite. When the show ended in 1997, Payne still had to feed his family. To do so, Payne took a job as a Honda car salesman. When TMZ walked up on him to broadcast the story of his 9 to 5 job, Payne coolly said, “I got a family and there’s no shame in taking care of your family.” During an interview with “This is 50,” Payne said, “I will never be a cat that sleeps in his car or feel that I’m too good to work; a job is a job. I’m not too proud to work for a living to earn a check, especially since I have a family. I was fed up with the business (acting) but I still have to pay bills. Selling cars at the time was a no-brainer, it wasn’t that I was embarrassed by it.” The sounds of the award-winning Gospel ensemble Gregory D and Company, known for soul-stirring worship and high energy praise, has embraced tracks such as “More Than A Conqueror,” “I Am A Praiser” and their most recent Top 40-charting single, “My Time”. Now the six-time Rhythm of Gospel nominees are back with a brand new song entitled, “Created”, and the track is destined to put a smile on the faces of old and new fans. “Created” is available for pre-order now at https://smarturl.it/w9mb5x and www.GregoryDMusic.com with the single officially releasing April 9, 2021. In The Gospel Spotlight is Kelly Price and “Dance Party” Let’s dance! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmBnLQxaOE4 The brand new album Alone With My Faith from Harry Connick Jr., the iconic GRAMMY® and Emmy®-winning and Tony-nominated musician and actor, is available now! "Alone With My Faith" is in The Gospel Spotlight ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFnWw8_EvA4 DR. F JAMES CLARK and THE SHALOM CHURCH CITY OF PEACE drops Victorious In the Gospel Spotlight...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGcn1SowGhA GRAMMY® and Stellar Award-winning artist, actress, entrepreneur, and author Kierra Sheard-Kelly, is set to release a deluxe version of her chart dominating, #1 album KIERRA. The deluxe version is a 20-track musical trove with a blend of Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel sounds, which features the original 15-tracks including the #1 Gospel single “It Keeps Happening” and “Don’t Judge Me” (feat. Missy Elliott). New songs include “Out of My Mind” (feat. Camper), “Grace,” “Something Has to Break” (feat. Karen Clark Sheard), and more. KIERRA (Deluxe) will be released on April 9th. The album comprises production from reoccurring collaborators, Harmony “H-Money” Samuels and her brother J. Drew Sheard, songwriters Mia Fieldes, Varren Wade, Edgar “JV” Etienne, Justin Brooks, Sir the Baptist and vocals from Gospel Artists Todd Dulaney, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Le’Andria Johnson and Kierra’s nephew Jacob Sheard. Platinum hit makers H.E.R. and Tauren Wells release the new single “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix),” available now at all major digital music providers, in a co-artist release by the RCA and Provident Entertainment artists. The two acclaimed singer/songwriters united their talents on H.E.R.’s song “Hold Us Together,” to create an empowering duet on this new recording. "Hold Us Together" is in The Gospel Spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RKjE70sDuY Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, March 20 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7FrNUckhGw CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet dishes on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells airing Saturday, March 20 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrYAMz0x2oE CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, March 21 at 9 PM/8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hJ9UyCvHxI HBO is developing three more “Game of Thrones” prequels based on the fantasy fiction of author George R.R. Martin. “House of the Dragon, a Targaryen-focused prequel set 300 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” has officially been picked up to series by HBO. At the 2020 TCAs, HBO programming president Casey Bloys said the series would drop “sometime in 2022,” he said, according to Deadline. https://youtu.be/lCW7PsYTX68 The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is moving from October 2021 to April of 2022, two industry sources with knowledge of the situation tell Variety. It is expected that the country-music themed Stagecoach festival, which takes place the weekend after Coachella’s two weekends, will move as well. Reps for Goldenvoice, the event’s promoter, and AEG Presents, its parent company, either declined or did not respond to Variety’s requests for comment. The move, if it is officially confirmed, marks the fourth time the dates for Coachella, which takes place over two weekends at the Empire Polo Ground in Indio, Calif., have been rescheduled. The moment that Biden watchers and haters have been waiting for has happened. The president tripped while walking up the stairs to board Air Force One earlier Friday. He initially appearing to trip, get up, then trip a second time. He struggled to get up the second time for a brief moment, before making it up, turning to wave at the top of the steps before hustling inside. https://youtu.be/rwjmyZUA2O8 Nischelle Turner has been promoted to full-time host on “Entertainment Tonight.” The veteran Hollywood reporter will share hosting duties alongside existing host Kevin Frazier, making her the first Black woman to lead the popular entertainment news program. Turner dished with Variety about her history-making TV gig. “Make no mistake about it: I believe and have always believed that I was the best person for the job, but it was never lost on me that it was also bigger than just me,” she said. “I would be representing an underserved group of people who are finally getting a moment in the spotlight — and a well-deserved moment.” “There was always a thought in the back of my head, ‘Is the audience in America ready for two Black hosts up there together?’ and the answer that America gave us was ‘Yes,’ Turner said. In addition to hosting ET, Turner will host the upcoming show “Secret Celebrity Renovation,” set to premiere in the summer on CBS. Piers Morgan is calling out Gayle King for being a “PR mouthpiece” for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry following their interview with Oprah Winfrey. In the days after the bombshell conversation about royal protocols and racism within the monarchy, King told viewers on CBS This Morning that Markle has the receipts to back up her claims. She also noted that she has been in contact with Harry and Meghan amid the fallout over their Oprah interview, and the couple has apparently been spilling more tea to King. https://youtu.be/NYznvlvcDF4 Dr. Oz was left stunned when Wendy Williams confessed that she does not intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “No. I don’t trust it,” Williams told Dr. Oz during an appearance on the “Dr. Oz” show. “I’ve never gotten the flu shot either though, and you and I have talked about that. Several of the doctors on my team have told me, ‘Wendy, get the flu shot.’ I’ve never had the flu, I’m not getting a flu shot. I very rarely get a cold. I never have headaches. I don’t take an aspirin because I feel my heart murmur or something like that. I’m not getting — no! I don’t trust it. There, I said it.” https://youtu.be/DSxSN-UcynY Media mogul Byron Allen has fired off letters of intent to major ad brands in which he warns that he will take legal action against them if they don’t support Black-owned media. Allen is calling on ad agencies to allocate a minimum of 2% of their budgets to Black-owned media or face legal action. https://youtu.be/H8JnCb1_O98 One of the first novels about the pandemic will be a collaborative effort, with Margaret Atwood, John Grisham and Celeste Ng among the writers. The Authors Guild Foundation announced Thursday that it had reached a deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media to publish “Fourteen Days: An Unauthorized Gathering.” The story is set on a Manhattan rooftop in 2020 as the virus spreads worldwide and the rich are fleeing the city. Novelist and Authors Guild President Douglas Preston came up with the idea as a way to raise money for the foundation. The NFL said Thursday that it was investigating allegations that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson sexually assaulted multiple women after three massage therapists filed lawsuits against the star player. In lawsuits filed this week, two of the women claim that Watson touched them with his penis during massages last year, and the third alleges he forced her to perform oral sex. Watson, 25, has broadly denied that he acted inappropriately and said he looks forward to clearing his name. The women, who are not named in the lawsuits, are represented by Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee, who posted a picture Thursday of a letter from the NFL on his verified Instagram account that said the league had launched an investigation. Buzbee later deleted the post. Tokyo organizers and the International Olympic Committee are poised to finally make it official that most fans from abroad will be prohibited from attending the postponed Olympics when they open in four months. The announcement is expected to come after “five-party” talks on Saturday with the IOC, local organizers, the Japanese government, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the International Paralympic Committee. “People are waiting eagerly for an early decision so they can move to the next step,” Seiko Hashimoto, the president of the organizing committee, said Friday in a news briefing. “We need to be able to make the decision soon.” PATTERN Founder and CEO Tracee Ellis Ross spoke at the Inclusion in Action: CNBC Opportunity Forum on Thursday (March 18) to talk about her beauty brand, launched to treat and nourish all patterns of Black hair, and her own hair journey that led to the venture. https://youtu.be/Vk4YGN5wvG4 Oprah Winfrey has been widely praised for her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and now, fans want her to sit down with pop star Britney Spears who has been making headlines for several months. According to Entertainment Weekly, the singer who is the focus of the recent New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” is also reportedly interested in sitting down for a tell-all interview with Winfrey to “tell her story.” A source close to the star said, “Britney has considered speaking out about her past, mostly because she doesn’t feel others should tell her story.” “She’s always hated doing interviews, but if she ever takes that step, Oprah would most likely be her first choice,” the source added. A little girl putting on a brave face while saying goodbye to her grandfather before tearing up has melted the Internet. Snug in her carseat, the cutie pie is filmed by her mom (presumably) as she and Grandpa, her best friend, throw kisses back and forth to each other through her window. https://youtu.be/Wi5C7Xrehys Black candidates are not waiting for an invitation to lead and are pushing back on the myth of electability. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s impressive finish in both the November general election and the January runoff showed the power of Black organizers and Black candidates alike. Despite raising less money than his white counterpart, Jon Ossoff, Warnock finished with a greater voter share in the runoff election. Warnock also benefited from the powerful infrastructure laid in place by Stacey Abrams during her 2018 run for Georgia governor. More Black candidates need the infrastructure, investment, and support to not simply close gaps but clinch wins. A large field of Black women candidates announced congressional campaigns last year, invested in changing the country, one that they routinely invest in even though it has yet to prove a residual return. Two jurors were dismissed from the Derek Chauvin trial on Wednesday over concerns that their impartiality could be tainted by a $27M settlement between George Floyd‘s family and the city. One juror was a white man in his 30s while another was a Hispanic man in his 20s. At the request of Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill questioned seven jurors who were empaneled prior to the settlement announcement. The dismissal of two jurors is notable, but also hints that the perceived fallout over the $27M settlement did not have as large of an effect as thought. Two jurors were added on Monday, now totaling twelve. Five more will be selected in the coming days. A coroner’s report has confirmed a black man was killed when he was shot five times in the back by a white Ohio sheriff´s deputy last December. The results of a final autopsy released Thursday confirmed statements by the family of Casey Goodson Jr., who said the 23-year-old died after former Franklin County sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade shot him multiple times. The report is only a medical determination and not a legal finding – and it doesn’t imply criminal intent. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) was a guest on SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show and said he would like to talk with Senator Ron Johnson about his “racism and moral blindness” and spoke about the recent killings in Atlanta. https://youtu.be/WN8KYPQI4Jw Erica English, the host of The Heart Beat, interviews Shawn Ewing the mother of Kerrion Franklin and son of Kirk Franklin. https://youtu.be/2gdrY-e-rcs After taking a year off because of the pandemic, the NCAA Tournament made a triumphant and historic return Thursday by getting off to a very Black start after two teams from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) swept their play-in games to advance to the coveted field of 64 teams. The Texas Southern Tigers beat the Mountaineers from Mt. St. Mary’s University and the Norfolk State Spartans edged Appalachian State University to sweep their two “First Four” games played at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. It was the first time in NCAA Tournament history that a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and a team from the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) won games in the same tournament. Teen Vogue editor Alexi McCammond, 27, resigned from the publication days before her first day was slated to begin on March 24. McCammond, who is Black, is at the center of controversy after social media users uncovered homophobic and anti-Asian tweets from 2011. The tweets resurfaced around the time the publication announced McCammond as the new editor-in-chief on March 5. The decision between McCammond Vogue’s publisher, Condé Nast, amid pressure from readers, employees at the publication as well as Ulta Beauty and Burt’s Bees suspending their ads. The move comes as violence against AAPI communities has spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, culminating in a targeted attack on Tuesday in Georgia where six Asian-American women were killed in massage parlors. A new study highlights the challenges Black families are facing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as workers struggle to make ends meet in order to prevent eviction. Last week Congress approved the $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill which allocates $50 billion for rental assistance. Almost 10 million Americans are behind on their rent payments, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Data derived from a Feb. 3-15 U.S. Census Pulse study showed that “30% of Black families reported not being caught up on rent or mortgage payments, vs. 17% of all families.” 40% of Black families said they were unsure if they would be able to make their next payment on time, in comparison to 24% of all families. In addition, “50% of Black families reported that they were somewhat or very likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, vs 36% of all families.” The threat of homelessness is pervasive for Black families who are dealing with two pandemics at once, racism and COVID-19. The people who have been asking that question to Kanye West about his allegiance to Donald Trump finally got their answer on Wednesday after it was revealed that the troubled but talented artist accumulated personal wealth at a rate that’s unheard of during the former president’s only term in office. Bloomberg published an article Wednesday tabulating Kanye’s assets and estimated his net worth at an eye-popping $6.6 billion. That would not only make Kanye the wealthiest Black American alive but also the wealthiest Black person in American history. That huge net worth is due in no small part to his forays into corporate fashion with his own signature Yeezy line through Adidas as well as the Gap, both of which combined make up the bulk of Kanye’s net worth with a value of up to $4.7 billion. By contrast, Kanye’s music catalog — the medium through which we all came to know the gifted musician — is worth a relatively minuscule $110 million. HBO’s documentary “Tina,” about music icon Tina Turner, will debut March 27 in the U.S., available exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. “Tina” will chronicle the highs and lows of Turner’s rise to fame. It features interviews with the music icon as well as never-before-seen footage, audio, and personal photos. The new documentary will also highlight how Turner overcame some of her painful professional and personal struggles during her rise to global superstardom. https://youtu.be/w9IkVtLvflU Netflix has dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Jamie Foxx comedy series “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” Foxx has teamed with the streaming giant for the series inspired by his relationship with daughter Corinne Foxx. https://youtu.be/h82fLNNrcQI A raucous group of Florida spring breakers cheered on a handcuffed man Wednesday as he escaped from the back of a police car on Clearwater Beach and made a run for it. Police were breaking up a fight when they placed 18-year-old Dominic Glass in the squad car. https://youtu.be/NOlhAyySx2w The latest fight over mask-wearing took place Wednesday (Mar 17) at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. This one was sparked after three women whose refusal to follow American Airlines’ mask mandate led to the entire plane having to de-board. They were all gathered in the terminal and started booing them as cops led them off the Chicago-bound plane and through the gate. https://youtu.be/M27xAgdbLXk In a video that has gone viral, a 76 year-old Asian woman in San Francisco is shown trying to continue her beatdown of a white man as paramedics were wheeling him away on a gurney. According to the woman, and witnesses, the man had just assaulted her on the street unprovoked. https://cbsloc.al/3rZFIIJ A DoorDash delivery driver in Detroit was caught on video holding a pizza box upside down, dropping it, and then stuffing the slices that had fallen onto the ground back into the box to make the delivery. https://youtu.be/Ss0N9yXS_h4 An irate Wingstop customer in Antelope, Calif. was captured on video snatching a cash register, slamming it on the floor, then throwing it through the window after workers got his order wrong a second time. https://www.kron4.com/news/video-angry-customer-throws-cash-register-through-wingstop-window-in-northern-california/ On March 20, Fort Worth, Texas, will be in for a treat from two homegrown pugilists with a lot at stake. Dickies Arena will be rocking when former world champion Maurice Hooker (27-1-3) 18 knockouts, faces off against one of boxing’s hottest prospects, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (16-0) 16 knockouts. Hooker will be settling into his new weight class at 147 pounds. He held the WBO title in the light welterweight division and once competed for the unified championship in that class. And even though Hooker came up short, his performance and the amount of heart he showed during that bout earned respect throughout the sport. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Legendary DJ Terminator X, Norman Rogers, says the Chuck D/Flava Flav beef over using Public Enemy’s name last spring was most likely a hoax and “the beef has been squashed.” The beef seemed real after Public Enemy announced they are permanently “moving forward” without Flava Flav, firing one of hip-hop’s most memorable hype men after more than 35 years. The abrupt dismissal came just two days after the rapper sent a cease and desist order to the Bernie Sanders concert where Public Enemy was going to perform accusing the campaign of using the hype man’s “unauthorized likeness, image, and trademarked clock.” Flava Flav also had lawsuits against the group alleging he didn’t get his full due of profits. Terminator X, who is not performing with the group now, says “the beef has been squashed and was probably a publicity stunt.” Steve Harvey is standing up as a fellow father and telling everyone to “get off Kirk Franklin’s back” after the Gospel legend and his estranged son, Kerrion Franklin, went viral this past week after an intense call leaked. Steve Harvey, longtime friend of Kirk’s, is stand up for the Christian singer, claiming Kerrion “had it coming” and had no rght to call his father out on social media. On his morning show, Steve said, “Kirk Franklin has always been there for me. So I called him. And I told Kirk, Kirk said, ‘I’m having a tough day today.’ And I just called him to lift him up. Because you didn’t do nothing wrong. The pain that Kirk Franklin was in was for twofold. First of all, the betrayal of his son. That had to be devastating. That you would think so little of me. That you would take me in one of my rawest moments and try to destroy me by posting something that was purely between me and you. And his son knew exactly what he was doing. That’s why he posted it. But his son only posted the part that he thought could hurt Kirk. He didn’t post the part of what he was asking of Kirk. He didn’t post the part of what led up to Kirk’s anger. […] How you 33-years-old and posting something your father said. That don’t make no sense. That shows you the lack of manhood that this man has.” Over the last five years, Ryan Reis, the co-founder of The Whosoevers, a movement that seeks to deliver the message of the Gospel to schools and empower students to realize their true purpose in life, has seen hundreds of thousands of children, teens, and young adults come to Christ. “We’ve seen over 100,000 students give their life to the Lord in public school systems worldwide through our Kill the Noise tour,” Ries, who founded the group with P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval, told The Christian Post. “We’re getting into public schools through the Christian clubs and we’re filling the gymnasiums at lunch. We’re seeing a revival break out with hundreds of thousands of kids coming down to the floor, praying to be forgiven of their sins. Federal lawyer, writer and producer, MiAngel Cody (most notably known for leading the 90 Days of Freedom campaign alongside Kim Kardashian), has dedicated her career to the defense of men and women sentenced to life in federal prison for drugs and has fought to end the unfair policies that put them there. The new documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker, Nicole Jones, is out today and chronicles the work of this powerhouse, MiAngel Cody, and her team of fearless female attorneys from the Decarceration Collective. https://youtu.be/BUx4aI8Ykko Toys R Us has some new owners who are planning to reopen the toy stores in the U.S. Toys R Us went into liquidation in 2018, closing 800 stores, and leaving 31,000 employees out of work…with no severance pay. Fox Business News, analysts said the reason for the massive business downfall is the company “had huge debt and couldn’t keep up with trends.” A Tennessee pastor who confessed two decades ago to statutory rape has resigned after his church was recently removed from the Southern Baptist Convention for hiring him. Pastor Randy Leming Jr., who served at Antioch Baptist Church in Sevierville, announced his resignation on Feb. 28, the Baptist and Reflector reported on Thursday (March 11). 57-year-old Pastor Lavan Strickland struck a vehicle at a red light on March 14th, then attempted to flee the scene, only to be stopped by a utility pole he then crashed into, disabling his vehicle. The person he crashed into suffered a lower-back injury, while the pastor admitted to having ‘some Bourbon’ but refused any other specifics. Metro Nashville Police responded to the intersection of Jefferson St & Dr. DB Todd, Jr. Blvd on March 14, after a vehicle driven by Lavan Andra Strickland, 57, rear ended a vehicle stopped at the red light. The driver of the impacted vehicle sustained injuries from the wreck. FOLLOWING a bitter back and forth over Twitter, Candace Owens said she’s planning on suing Cardi B after the rapper tweeted a fake tweet from saying Owens’ husband cheated on her with her brother. “Just spoke with my family. I am 100% suing Cardi for that nonsense,” the conservative pundit wrote on Twitter. “You can’t just start throwing out wild lies against private members of my family because you’re upset someone called your out on your degenerate performance,” Owens continued. “I’ll keep you all posted.” While everyone else uses bubble wrap to pop mindlessly as a means of soothing the soul, Bradley Hart has found another alternative use that is just as satisfying, not to mention unbelievable. Hart has made portraits of everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Michael Jackson out of nothing but bubble wrap, filling each individual bubble with paint by hand. His most recent project is a huge portrait of Notorious B.I.G. “I load thousands of syringes with paint in preparation to begin the injection,” Bradley says, “I’ve done portraits on the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain Michael Jackson, David Bowie, John Lennon.” A Black woman has become the face of Missouri’s tourism campaign, nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers that their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state. The Missouri Division of Tourism kicked off the campaign Monday, describing the woman the agency dubbed Mo (after Missouri’s abbreviation) as “a character and tour guide of sorts,” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. She’s featured in a promotional video hiking, watching a baseball game and riding a roller coaster. Pictures also show her posing as a Foodie Mo, Barbecue Mo, Lake Mo, History Mo and more. On Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 11:45 a.m. via Zoom, in the Chincoteague Bay Breakout Room, Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs will speak at the 2021 “Bay to Ocean Writers Conference” (BTO). The writers’ conference is an event by the Easter Shore Writers Association (ESWA), serving the writing community in Delmarva Peninsula and voted the best writers conference by The Writers Magazine. Dr. Moseley-Hobbs is the author of the creative non-fiction book “More Than a Fraction: Based on a True Story.” Philadelphia-based, Stellar Award Nominated Choir Zak Williams & 1AKORD are the quintessential Gospel choir. Zak Williams & 1A invite you to a virtual concert experience and their return to the choir loft! Zak and 1A will perform classics, favorites, and new Gospel songs that will uplift, inspire and place you in the ultimate atmosphere of worship! Celebrate the joy of Jesus with Zak Williams & 1 AKORD - "THE RETURN" Virtual Experience on March 21 at 8pm via the Set Apart & Chosen Facebook Page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1S1pJ5ZOVA&feature=youtu.be Today, BET announced that DJ Cassidy’s groundbreaking, virtual series “DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic” returns to television for six new specials this year. The first installment of the specials, “DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic: The BET After Party,” premieres Saturday, March 27, following the 52nd “NAACP Image Awards.” The annual URBAN ONE HONORS heralds the exemplary accomplishments of African American women in this year’s tribute show premiering on Sunday, May 16, 2021, at 9 p.m. ET/8C. It will be simulcast for the first time on the sister network CLEO TV. Erica Campbell and Roland Martin will host the event. This year’s theme is ‘Women Leading the Change’ and will highlight the extraordinary contributions of women in business, media, health, politics, leading to impactful change within the Black community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFpJ_Q-E2mc Today, in a historical first, the NAACP announced that it will be awarding two recipients, NBA superstar Stephen Curry and The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), with the Jackie Robinson Sports Awards. Additional honorees announced today include Misty Copeland who will be honored with the prestigious Spingarn Medal, Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony who will receive the Activist of the Year award and Madison Potts who will receive the Youth Activist of the Year award. An historic firsts in the form of one of the foremost organizations providing financial aid and broad support for Black college students announced the recent election of its first-ever African American chairman of the board. The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) elected Milton C. Jones to Chair of the UNCF Board of Directors last week and made the formal announcement Tuesday with an official press release that lauded the Atlanta businessman and civic leader “becoming the first African American to hold that position.” One of the police officers being credited with helping to orchestrate the capture of a suspected white supremacist mass murderer near Atlanta is also being called out for his choice of language to describe the shootings that killed with people on Tuesday. Robert Aaron Long was arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder from the shooting spree that killed eight people, including six Asian women. As officials announced developments in the case during a press briefing Wednesday, announcing the arrest of Cherokee County Capt. Jay Baker seemingly excused Long’s murderous behavior as him having “a really bad day.” That questionable comment came as police quickly ruled out racism as a motive because Long said so, Baker and other officials said. There was also criticism of Baker saying Long had “an issue with porn” and targeted Asian massage spas because he saw the locations as “a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate.” The suggestion, critics argued on social media, was that the victims were to blame instead of the perpetrator of the heinous crimes. During a phone interview with Fox News on Tuesday night, Donald Trump again referred to the COVID-19 pandemic as the “China virus.” The former president used the racist term prior to a white gunman venturing out on a deadly shooting spree in Georgia, targeting Asian-owned spas. In an interview with Fox’s Maria Bartiromo, Trump said: “We got [the economy] to a level that the world has never seen before. We were the envy of the world and then when we got hit by the—as I call it the China virus, COVID—it obviously went down with every other economy.” The online magazine The Root has sparked fury on Twitter after publishing an article on Wednesday declaring “Whiteness is a Pandemic.” Written by Root senior editor Damon Young, the piece is in response to Tuesday’s deadly Atlanta Spa shootings. Gunman Robert Aaron Long, 21, reportedly confessed to investigators that he’s a sex addict and that he shot up the spa- killing eight people – six of whom were Asian women — because he wanted to “take out that temptation.” https://youtu.be/ARFwkjifWjU A California father and his girlfriend have been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for torturing his 4-year-old girl to death and burying her body in the desert. Ronald Dean Greer, and his girlfriend, Bianca Annie Mae Stanch are said to have hated his daughter Samiah so much that they brutally beat and tortured her daily over a period of time, KTLA reports. The child was 4 years old at the time of her death. The incident occurred nearly 10 years ago and the trial was delayed for almost a decade at the defense’s request. On March 12, Greer, and Stanch were sentenced to 32 years to life. The couple was found guilty of first-degree murder, torture and child abuse with a special allegation of causing death by a jury on Oct. 6, 2020, PEOPLE reports. A video making rounds on social media shows a retired Los Angeles police detective hurling racial insults and calling a Black man the n-word after a car accident. Former LAPD Central Bureau Homicide Detective John Motto, accosting a Black man in Santa Clarita, California on Saturday. As a result of the viral video, the Los Angeles District Attorney announced it has launched an investigation into the 370 cases that Motto handled before he retired, along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the LAPD. https://twitter.com/i/status/1371616488495349762 As pressure mounts for Andrew Cuomo to resign over dueling scandals, New York’s Democratic governor seemed to follow an age-old political playbook by seeing refuge with Black leaders ready to defend him. Cuomo on Wednesday stopped by a Black church in Harlem to have New York City’s Black political establishment come to his rescue from accusations of sexual harassment and allegations the governor knowingly rigged data about coronavirus deaths in the state’s nursing homes. The New York Daily News was there at Mount Neboh Baptist Church and reported that retired longtime Congressman Charles Rangel spoke of Cuomo like he was a relative and urged patience to allow the New York State attorney general’s office investigation to take its course before people rush to conclusions. Gospel artist Kirk Franklin, following a recently recorded argument with his oldest son, told a talk show host their relationship has not involved physical abuse. “I’m confident that there hasn’t been any physical abuse,” Franklin told Tamron Hall in an exclusive interview on her syndicated program on Wednesday (March 17). Hall interviewed Franklin and his wife, Tammy Collins, on her show that was already scheduled to feature gospel music, including a prerecorded performance by the gospel artist. https://youtu.be/a5xQto7Nf0I Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, revealed portions of her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and Fire departments in a series of Instagram posts on Wednesday. The 12 posts, which she shared with her 14.4 million followers, name the officers who allegedly shared photos of the helicopter crash scene where her husband and 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died. Bryant highlighted the names of the officers — Joey Cruz, Rafael Mejia, Michael Russell and Raul Versales — with red markings on her initial post. Earlier this month, she won a case against the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department to have the names of the four deputies released. Lawyers for Johnny Depp told Britain’s Court of Appeal Thursday that the actor’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, did not donate all of her $7 million divorce settlement to charity as she claimed, part of arguments seeking to overturn a ruling that the actor assaulted her during the couple’s marriage. The Hollywood star is seeking permission to appeal a High Court ruling in November, when he lost his libel lawsuit against The Sun newspaper for labeling him a “wife beater” in an article. Depp lost the case — thought to be one of the biggest English libel trials in recent history — following a three-week trial in July. The Panthers remain in pursuit of Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, no matter how much the Texans say publicly that Watson will remain in Houston. Joe Person of TheAthletic.com reports that the Panthers are still locked on Watson, viewing him as the single player who can do the most to turn the franchise into a Super Bowl contender. Trading for Watson is referred to as “Plan A, B and C” for the Panthers. Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx has acquired Brown Sugar Bourbon. The acclaimed actor announced this week that he is the new owner of the flavored whiskey brand, making him the latest celebrity to get into the liquor business. He follows, per MSN, George Clooney (Casamigos), Ryan Reynolds (Aviation Gin), Dwayne Johnson (Teremana Tequila), Kendall Jenner (818 Tequila), Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar (Santo), Nick Jonas (Villa One Tequila), and many others. Kanye West is reportedly worth $6.6 billion due to his sneaker and apparel business Yeezy. The hip-hop star and his Yeezy fashion line inked a 10-year deal with GAP for a collection that will launch this year. Per CNN, the combined value of West’s Yeezy sneaker partnership with Adidas and his clothing line with the Gap is worth $3.2 billion to $4.7 billion, according to a UBS report published in February. West also has “$122 million in cash and stock and $110 million from his music catalog, alongside $1.7 billion in other assets, including estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS business,” writes PEOPLE. The next arrival on the slate from Disney+ and Marvel is “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” The series brings back Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. https://youtu.be/IWBsDaFWyTE “The EP is to get people excited about the full album,” said three-time Tony Award nominated singer/actor Joshua Henry about the recent release of his EP “Guarantee.” .Henry is promoting the EP’s single “Hold Me.” “When you listen to ‘Guarantee’ it’s a mixture of true soulful R&B” he said. https://youtu.be/UFSJuhslN0w Ray J and Princess Love have decided to dismiss their divorce for the second time. The rapper has agreed to drop the divorce case he brought last year against his wife, according to LA Superior Court documents obtained by Page Six. Ray J filed for divorce in September, just months after Princess Love filed to divorce him last May. The couple filed to have their divorce dismissed on February 16 and their request was granted on March 1. Ray J recently opened up on TMZ Live about relocating to Miami from Los Angeles with his wife of more than four years and their two kids, daughter Melody Love, 2, and 1-year-old son Epik Ray. Idris Elba has inked a multi-book deal with HarperCollins to publish a range of children’s books. The actor’s book deal includes both picture books and fiction that he has developed with his writing partner Robyn Charteris, who serves as a creative consultancy for Mattel Toys and Lego, THR reports. The upcoming children’s books are set to launch in 2022. Darhyl “DJ” Camper and the H.E.R. debut project is in the news yet once again, as multi-Grammy-winning artist Take 6 is now claiming the songwriter-producer may have sampled their music on a song featured on the same “Focus” album. The song at issue is the H.E.R. hit song “Could’ve Been” featuring Bryson Tiller. According to legal representative Attorney James L. Walker, Jr., (@jameslwalkeresq), “you can clearly hear that a sample was taken from Take 6’s “Come Unto Me.” The writers or producers led by Camper have not provided us with any documents to show their was permission to use our client’s song. Mister Cee got personal about his sexual preferences this week during a stop on the Kitchen Talk Podcast with Maino. The DJ made it clear that he is attracted to transexual women, and reminded Maino that he’s been candid about this since his 2011 run-in with the law regarding a transgender sex worker, and 2013 case involving an undercover cop. https://youtu.be/q2jJuDHmnB8 Dick Hoyt, who inspired thousands of runners, fathers and disabled athletes by pushing his son, Rick, in a wheelchair in dozens of Boston Marathons and hundreds of other races, has died, a member of the family said Wednesday. He was 80. Dick passed away quietly in his sleep at his Holland, Massachusetts, home on Wednesday morning, Russ Hoyt, another of his sons, told The Associated Press. Tributes have flooded in for German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, who has died at the age of 51. Widely known as the “Queen of the Nürburgring,” Schmitz was one of motor racing’s highest-profile female drivers and a regular guest on UK TV motoring show “Top Gear.” She died on Tuesday after a “brave fight against cancer,” according to a tweet from Frikadelli Racing, a motorsport team Schmitz founded with husband Klaus Abbelen, a fellow racing driver. The Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday that it is delaying the April 15 tax filing deadline to May 17 amid the chaotic filing season which has resulted in numerous pandemic-related tax changes. The Treasury Department and the IRS said “the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.” The extension will happen automatically, and individual taxpayers do not need to file any forms to qualify for the extension. https://youtu.be/M1r5paaaUEI On Tuesday, Virginia State University student Afolabi Oyeneyin tweeted a video of himself being owned by his school’s president. The clip begins with Oyeneyin showing off his ball handing skills to various people outside of a campus building, engaging random folks in brief one-on-one challenges where he ultimately gets the best of them.He then sees Virginia State University president Makola Abdullah walking out of the building in a suit and approaches him in similar fashion, only to have the ball smacked out of his hand. Bystanders lose it. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Afolabi+Oyeneyin+on+utube&&view=detail&mid=C268DF379BF38A231CBDC268DF379BF38A231CBD&rvsmid=14394F15A134CE21FB3E14394F15A134CE21FB3E&FORM=VDQVAP ”My baby did not deserve to be shot, especially by the police,” said Daisha Smalls, the mother of a 1-year-old who was shot in the head as police fired at a suspect attempting to hijack her car. Smalls told her story Tuesday (March 16) at a press conference alongside her attorney, Ben Crump. She explained that she was pumping gas on March 3 when she heard police sirens blaring in the distance. Smalls said she was sitting inside of her vehicle with her son, Legend, in the backseat, when a man approached and told her to get out of the car. https://youtu.be/iNS3fHJWs_c The Southern Baptist church where 21-year-old mass shooting suspect Robert Aaron Long got baptized twice is now grieving for his victims and the families impacted by his deadly shooting rampage at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area that left eight people dead Tuesday, including six Asian women. Jerry Dockery, the lead teaching elder at the Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia, where Long worshiped with his family, prayed on Sunday that God would use his church to have leaders in various areas of the public and private sector “drawn toward you. Sixteen-time Grammy Award-winning gospel pioneer Kirk Franklin was at the center of controversy over the weekend after audio of him cursing at his adult son was leaked. Many in the gospel music world have since rallied around him, sending messages of support following his public apology. Franklin issued an apology on Saturday after his 32-year-old estranged son, Kerrion Franklin, leaked a portion of their recent argument over the phone where Franklin can be heard using profane language and physically threatening his son, who also cussed at his father. Calling accused Georgia massage parlor shooter Robert Aaron Long a ‘coward a** young man,’ LeBron James offered support to America’s Asian community on Wednesday following the tragic killing of eight people, including six Asian women, in the Atlanta area on Tuesday night. ‘My condolences goes out to the families of all the victims and the entire Asian community tonight on what transpired in Atlanta at the Aromatherapy Spa,’ James wrote in a social media post, adding, ‘Just senseless and tragic!!.’ Long, a 21-year-old Georgia man, has been arrested following three separate shootings at Atlanta-area massage parlors. Police do not currently believe the attacks were racially motivated, although six of the victims were Asian and there has been a reported increase in anti-Asian violence and harassment during the pandemic. The new character, Aaron Fischer, represents the first LGBTQ character to pick up Cap’s shield in the comic’s 80-year history. Marvel Comics has unveiled a first look at a new Captain America. The new character, Aaron Fischer, represents the first LGBTQ character to pick up Cap’s shield in the comic’s 80-year history.Fischer is described as “the Captain America of the Railways — a fearless teen who stepped up to protect fellow runaways and the unhoused. Marvel Comics is proud to honor Pride Month with the rise of this new LGBTQ+ hero.” Christians worldwide reacted this week after the Vatican issued a statement declaring that the Roman Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex romantic unions. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared on Monday that it is “not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage.” “As is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex. The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan,” the statement stressed. CBS says its daytime show “The Talk” will stay on hiatus for another week after a discussion about racism involving co-host Sharon Osbourne went off the rails last week. The network said in a statement that it is committed to “a process where all voices are heard, claims are investigated and appropriate action is taken where necessary.” Osbourne reacted angrily last week during a discussion about British television personality Piers Morgan, who she describes as a friend. Morgan left the “Good Morning Britain” show after he said he didn’t believe Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, when she said in an interview that she had considered suicide when unhappy with her life in Britain’s royal family. The Golden Globe Award-winning film “Minari,” which is now available on-demand, has released a faith featurette that highlights the spiritual and emotional aspects of the heartwarming movie. “Jacob is an incredibly fascinating character. He’s a man wrestling with God,” said Steven Yeun, the lead actor, of his role in the clip seen exclusively first on CP. “‘Minari’ follows a Korean American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American dream. The family’s home, however, is completely transformed with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Conductor James Levine, who ruled over the Metropolitan Opera for more than four decades before being eased aside when his health declined and then was fired for sexual improprieties, has died. He was 77. Levine died March 9 in Palm Springs, California, of natural causes, his physician of 17 years, Dr. Len Horovitz, said Wednesday. Levine made his Met debut in 1971 and became one of the signature artists in the company’s century-plus history, conducting 2,552 performances and ruling over its repertoire, orchestra and singers as music or artistic director from 1976 until forced out by general manager Peter Gelb in 2016 due to Parkinson’s disease. Cardi B and Candace Owens are sparring on Twitter once again and this time it has resulted in legal threats. It all started after Owens appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight Monday and criticized Cardi’s Grammy’s performance, saying she and Megan Thee Stallion’s duet was an “attack on American values” and “trying to make children aspire to things that are grotesque.” On Twitter, Cardi responded, writing: “Yaaaayyyyyyy WE MADE FOX NEWS GUYS !!! Wap wap wap.” Owens replied, “Just @ me next time, directly. You are a cancer cell to culture. Young black girls are having their minds poisoned by what you are trying to package and sell to them as ’empowerment.'” https://youtu.be/UnBZLFB7kLo Paige Bueckers came to Connecticut with a lot of hype surrounding her. The freshman guard has lived up to it so far, delivering record-breaking performances and earning a spot on The Associated Press women’s basketball All-American team Wednesday. She’s only the third freshman to make the AP team, joining Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris and UConn’s Maya Moore. Bueckers received 28 first place votes from the national panel of 30 media members that vote each week in the AP Top 25 poll. She was joined by Dana Evans of Louisville, Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, Rhyne Howard of Kentucky and NaLyssa Smith of Baylor. A Coalition of Los Angeles civil rights leaders are calling for the removal of “The Talk’’ co-host Sharon Osbourne by George Cheeks president and CEO of CBS Entertainment Group. The group intends to hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles amid ongoing accusations that Osbourne is a vile racist who has long been protected by her network bosses – and now her time is up. https://youtu.be/DHpvH2F1ZpE LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter recently became part-owners of the Boston Red Sox. The NBA star is now a minority owner of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the company that owns the Boston Red Sox, sources told the Boston Globe and ESPN on Tuesday. James and Carter have made history as the first Black partners in FSG’s history. https://youtu.be/rczYrKF9fjw The curtain is pulled back on the behind-the-scenes world of the dynamic but little-known voice arts industry in the latest issue of Global Communicator, the online magazine for and about people of color that features in-depth profiles on content creators, public relations and communications professionals, journalists, marketing and advertising executives. The voice arts industry has expanded along with the demands of a diverse group of consumers, the evolving entertainment culture, and the advancement of technology. This month, in its biggest issue yet, Global Communicator takes a look at the industry, from what it takes to get started to what it means to succeed. It features the personal stories and professional journeys of successful voice artists, including industry leaders, veterans, and working talent. endaya opens up in the latest issue of W Magazine about why she decided to speak up about the ‘ignorant’ comments Giuliana Rancic made about the faux dreadlocks she wore to the 2015 Academy Awards. During a rundown of Zendaya’s red carpet appearance, the former “Fashion Police” co-host suggested that the actress looked like she “smells like patchouli oil or weed.” She caught major heat from Black Twitter, who accused Rancic of being racist. https://youtu.be/g2uXdRJpp3Q Comedian Bill Burr is notoriously controversial, so the Recording Academy had to know what they were getting into when choosing him to present categories during the Pre-Grammy ceremony on Sunday. Predictably, some viewers found his jokes offensive and have taken to Twitter, which prompted a hilarious five-word response from his African American wife. Before announcing a handful of winning Latin and classical artists, Burr made quip about the preceding live piano performance. “Was I the only one that wanted to kill himself during that piano solo? I bought a suit for this,” he joked. “I thought I was going to be on TV. I’m such a moron. I’m losing so much money.” Burr – who was on-hand to present awards for best Latin rock or alternative album, best regional Mexican music award and best tropical Latin album – said, “The feminists are going nuts. Why is the cis-white male doing all this Latino stuff?” Eddie Murphy is speaking out about his love for his 10 kids, calling them “great, normal people” and that none are Hollywood brats. Speaking on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, the “Coming 2 America” star said his kids are the “center of everything.” https://youtu.be/as8n69p6OXY Wendy Williams is once again being mocked on social media for farting live on-air. This time, the daytime talk show host apparently burped and farted at the same time while discussing Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s divorce on her daytime talk show on Tuesday, per Page Six. She immediately apologized and carried on with the segment. https://youtu.be/2yAGF4FrAio Nick Cannon says he has embarked on a “journey of atonement” following the backlash he caught last summer for allegedly making anti-Semitic comments. ViacomCBS initially curbed Cannon after the actor/rapper/TV host suggested that Black people can’t be anti-Semitic because “the Semitic people and language have nothing to do with white people.” https://youtu.be/6_bITYsrWSg A TikTok video showing security tags placed only on makeup for dark skin at a Kentucky Walmart has gone viral. User Aly Nicoletta recently shared the short clip that shows yellow security tags on makeup products for darker skin tones, while lighter shades of makeup in the same section were tag-free. https://twitter.com/i/status/1366473952978210819 A 21-year-old man has been captured in southwest Georgia, hours after eight people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. Cherokee County sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker said Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was taken into custody in Crisp County on Tuesday night following a police car chase, about 150 miles south of Atlanta – about a three hour drive. The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office said it received information on the suspect’s car and spotted it driving along a highway whereupon police gave chase ultimately ramming the vehicle off the road. The eight women, many of them Asian, were shot dead in three separate shootings at two spas and a massage parlor in and around Atlanta. The mother of Tamir Rice is calling out activist Tamika Mallory for appearing alongside Lil Baby for his Grammy’s performance of “The Bigger Picture.” The performance featured the depiction of police brutality, with actor Kendrick Sampson and Killer Mike also making an appearance. In a Facebook post, per Insider, Samaria Rice shared a clip of Mallory’s portion, writing… “Look at this clout chaser,” she said. “Did she lose something in this fight i don’t think so. That’s the problem they take us for a joke that’s why we never have justice cause of shit like this.” In a separate post, she criticized the Grammy for profiting off Black death. “F*CK A GRAMMY WHEN MY SON IS DEAD,” she said. “F*CK ALL PIGS COPS.” https://youtu.be/od9xzOIuXus One of the women captured on video coughing on an Uber driver in San Fransico and pulling off his mask is facing years in prison over the incident. Arna Kimiai, 24, was in the custody of the SFPD on Sunday night but was released on $75,000 bail on Monday, CBS reported. She was captured on dashcam hitting and verbally abusing driver Subhakar Khadka on March 7 after he asked her and two other passengers to wear their masks. She tries to take his phone, calls him a n—–, and yells “Fuck the masks!” Another passenger, Malaysia King, 24, also coughs on Khadka and yells “And I got corona!” https://youtu.be/4nw7WzRyggY A new HBO docu-series has named the head of QAnon as Ron Watkins, the son of the founder of 8Chan. Q: Into The Storm is airing on HBO Max on March 21. Its filmmakers name Watkins, the son of 8Chan founder Jim Watkins, as Q, the head of the right-wing, pro-Trump conspiracy theory group. Ron Watkins is interviewed as part of the series as his father and other members of the group. It’s unclear why filmmaker Cullen Hoback thinks he is Q. Holback says he spent three years studying the right-wing group and he is interviewed for the series. Dozens of new Dead Sea Scroll fragments thought to have been hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome 1,900 years ago have been found in a cave. The fragments include lines of Greek text from the biblical books of Zechariah and Nahum and were radiocarbon dated to the 2nd century AD, experts confirmed. The Israel Antiquities Authority say more than 20 fragments were found in a remote canyon in the Judean Desert, south of Jerusalem – the first find of its kind in 60 years. They were discovered in the Cave of Horror, named in the 1950s after 40 skeletons of women, men and children were found after excavations – they were hiding from Roman soldiers during the 2nd century Jewish Bar Kochba Revolt. An order of Catholic priests has pledged $100 million in reparations to the descendants of people whom they owned as slaves during the early decades of the American republic. The announcement by leaders of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States is one of the largest initiatives of its kind by any institution, and the largest thus far by the church, the New York Times reported on Monday. The order has committed to raising the full sum in three to five years, with $15 million deposited in a trust already, reported the Guardian. All of the money raised by the Jesuits will eventually go to the newly created Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation, which was established in partnership with a group of descendants. Spike Lee is set to preside over the 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which is expected to take place July 6-17. The director and activist will be the first Black president of the festival’s jury. Lee was on track to preside over last year’s festival which was canceled due to the pandemic, and had vowed to return to the French Rivera-set festival if the health situation allowed for it. Lee was also supposed to have his film “Da 5 Bloods” play out of competition last year, marking Netflix’s return to the Official Selection. Several of Lee’s films — including “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986), “Do the Right Thing” (1989) and “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) — have premiered in Cannes. Elton John has condemned the Pope for ruling that same-sex unions cannot be blessed because they are sinful, accusing the Vatican of hypocrisy after it invested in the biopic Rocketman which was co-produced by his husband David Furnish. ‘How can the Vatican refuse to bless gay marriages,’ asked the 73-year-old singer, ‘yet happily make a profit from investing millions in Rocketman – a film which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to David?’. Italian media reported in 2019 that around a million euros (£860,000) of Vatican funds had gone towards the film via a Maltese investment group. The Hollywood production brought in $185million (£140million) at the box office. But the Vatican’s ruling on Monday, approved by Pope Francis, means Catholic clergy are prevented from blessing same-sex unions such as Elton’s marriage to David Furnish in 2014. Gonzaga and Baylor spent almost the entire season holding down the top two spots in the Top 25. Makes sense they’d hold down a bunch of spots on The Associated Press All-America teams. The Bulldogs’ Corey Kispert and the Bears’ Jared Butler led the way with first-team nods Tuesday from the national panel of 63 media members that vote each week in the AP Top 25 poll. They were joined by unanimous pick Luka Garza of Iowa, a two-time selection, along with Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois and Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State. Former WNBA star Candice Wiggins sees herself as a non-traditional Christian who has walked a rocky road. Three years ago, Wiggins says she was forced to retire early in part because she was bullied for being straight in a league she estimates is 98% gay. After telling her truth, though, Wiggins now reveals how she leaned on her faith after being attacked with “unimaginable anger.” “It was an anger directed toward me that I have never imagined was possible. It was unimaginable anger that I had sparked,” she explained to The Christian Post in an interview a day after the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. Wiggins is the daughter of famed baseball player Alan Wiggins who died at age 32 in 1991 from AIDS. She played for four WNBA teams and won a championship with the Minnesota Lynx in 2011. She was named the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year in 2008 when she was the No. 3 overall draft pick out of Stanford University. Nora Langdon, a modern marvel at 78-years-young, has gone viral for her ability to bench over 200 lbs and squat double her weight. Since starting her weightlifting career in 2007, Nora has competed in 22 powerlifting meets and has won 20. While most septuagenarians are slowing down to settle into that retired life, Nora is gearing up to be in the best shape of her life. An earlier report noted that Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) caught major heat in the weeks leading up to the Golden Globes last month after it was revealed that there are zero Black voters among the organization’s 87-strong membership. The failure to diversify the organization is clearly the reason why Black-led projects received snubs for this year’s Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has pledged to add at least 13 Black journalists to the organization. https://youtu.be/mz3th9RWVRE The Fisk Jubilee Singers, founded at the HBCU 150 years ago and instrumental in preserving America’s treasured Negro spirituals, has added another accolade to its rich history – a Grammy Award. At Sunday’s pre-telecast “Premiere Ceremony,” the vocal group’s “Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album)” was named Best Roots Gospel Album, earning them their first-ever Grammy award. “Hallelujah,” said director Dr. Paul Kwami in his acceptance speech who has served as the group’s musical director since 1994. https://youtu.be/yH9Ed-Z5G9g Entertainment One congratulates Jonathan McReynolds on his first GRAMMY® Award win. Announced during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards Premiere Ceremony, McReynolds won Best Gospel Performance/Song for his #1 hit single “Movin’ On” with Mali Music. The fan favorite single is featured on McReynolds’ latest effort, PEOPLE. “Movin’ On” marked McReynolds’ third number one single, preceded by the singles “Not Lucky, I’m Loved” and “Make Room.” The Gospel spotlight's Jonathan McReynolds In His Own Words.......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jonathanmcreynolds.htm WATCH KIRK FRANKLIN, KIERRA SHEARD, KELONTAE GAVIN & KORYN HAWTHORNE on THE TAMRON HALL SHOW ?Wednesday, March 17, 2021 On Friday, March 19, 2021, Sunday Best’s Season Five Winner Joshua Rogers will release his single “Still Gon’ Trust.” This song is the soundtrack to so many lives and will be an anthem for years to come. Known to the world as the youngest and first male Sunday Best's Winner, Joshua is no stranger to the Gospel industry. He has a smooth, versatile voice and when he sings it commands attention and draws in every listener. “Still Gon’ Trust” along with the accompanying video, will be available across all digital outlets on Friday, March 19, 2021. Malik Halfacre, 25, is accused of fatally shooting a family of four at a home in Indianapolis on Saturday night after he snapped when his ex-girlfriend, Jeanettrius Moore, refused to split her $1,400 stimulus payment with him. Halfacre reportedly shot up the victim’s family, including Jeanettrius’ 7-year-old daughter, Eve, her 23-year-old brother, Daquan, her 44-year-old mother, Tomeeka Brown, and her 35-year-old cousin Anthony Johnson. Jeanettrius was also wounded but managed to flee the home during the shooting. Johnson said Halfacre, an ex-con, waited outside of Moore’s home on Saturday evening but returned to search Jeanettrius’ purse, demanding to know where “the money” was. “Daquan was trying to save his sister. He was taking up for his sister,” Johnson said. “He stood up and said, ‘You cannot have the money. You cannot have her money.’” And with that, Malik pulled out a gun and started killing everybody. https://www.indystar.com/videos/news/crime/2021/03/14/indianapolis-quadruple-homicide-malik-halfacre-taken-into-custody/4695897001/ Former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson’s oldest daughter, Maia, has died. She was 25. Johnson made the announcement on social media on Monday, writing: “It is with incredible sadness that I have to share the news about the passing of my beautiful Daughter Maia. Maia, as my first born child, has been the joy of my, and her Mother Shikiri’s, life.” He continued, “She came into our lives just as we were both coming of age as adults and has been a constant beloved presence for both of us. We are heartbroken and devastated by her loss.” “Shikiri, Maia’s siblings, our family and me appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time,” he added. The cause of Maia’s death was not immediately known. Yaphet Kotto, an actor best known for his performances in “Alien,” the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” and the television series “Homicide: Life on the Street,” has died, his agent Ryan Goldhar confirmed to Variety. He was 81. Yaphet Kotto, an actor best known for his performances in “Alien,” the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” and the television series “Homicide: Life on the Street,” has died, his agent Ryan Goldhar confirmed to Variety. He was 81. Kotto’s wife, Tessie Sinahon, made the announcement Monday night on Facebook, stating: “I’m saddened and still in shocked of the passing of my husband Yaphet of 24 years. He died last night around 10:30pm Philippine time. …You played a villain on some of your movies but for me you’re a real hero and to a lot of people also. A good man, a good father, a good husband and a decent human being, very rare to find. One of the best actors in Hollywood a Legend. Rest in Peace Honey, I’m gonna miss you everyday, my bestfriend, my rock.” Loved ones of a DeKalb County pastor found shot to death inside his car are begging for answers as to why someone would kill him. Dr. Kevin D. Nick, who preached at Higher Dimensions Church International, was killed just miles away from his home and church on Friday night. “Why did you feel the need to shoot him four times – like why?” Marica Chisolm said. Chisolm, a long time friend of the pastor, said she doesn’t know why anyone would want to hurt him. He was a leader in the community and loved by many. “Giving, loving, loyal, helpful, funny, anointed, loved to sing, great friend,” Chisolm said. A 16-year-old was arrested over the weekend after police accused him in a shooting that killed a metro Atlanta pastor. Police in DeKalb County are still working to identify other suspects in the incident that led to the death of Kevin Nick, who was the pastor of Higher Dimensions Church International. Church officials announced Nick’s death Saturday, saying although they are “heavy-hearted, we rejoice knowing he is at peace with his God.” “Apostle Nick demonstrated a level of care and concern throughout his ministry,” the church’s overseer, Tremaine Dupree, said in a Facebook post. “He was certainly a general in the Kingdom and will be greatly missed by all whose life he so fervently touched.” “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines were featured on Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul Sunday” show last weekend and detailed how God interacts with them individually. The home renovation experts are gearing up to launch their Magnolia Network in July on Discovery+ and sat down with the media mogul to candidly share about their success and family life. During the long chat, Oprah, impressed by Joanna’s ability to hear from God, asked the designer to explain how she hears God’s voice. She inquired whether it was a “voice in your head, is it a feeling, is it prayer?” Joanna responded: “all three of those things, for sure,” along with an overwhelming “presence of peace.” Drew Brees has jumped off the playing field into a sizable job as a sports analyst for NBC. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback, who just announced his retirement yesterday, will join NBC Sports as a studio analyst for “Football Night in America” and game analyst for its coverage of Notre Dame Football. But the job seems to come with some promises of growth: Brees will also work on many of NBC Sports’ biggest events, including the Olympics and Super Bowl LVI. Brees unveiled his decision to join NBC Monday on the network’s “Today” morning program. The third season of National Geographic’s “Genius” will be exploring the life of the extraordinary singer, songwriter, pianist and civil rights activist, Aretha Franklin, in “Genius: Aretha.“ The award-winning Suzan Lori Parks (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) executive produced, wrote and ran the show. When asked about the project’s significance she said it was her duty to take part. “I love my sisterhood and I take that love very seriously,” shared Parks. “I’m just thrilled the powers that be, including the spirit of Aretha Franklin, trusted me to shepherd this project.” In a time where everything can be streamed from home, series and films are now on an equal playing field. Actor, David Cross (who portrays Jerry Wexler), said being a mini-series, sets the show apart. “It’s about being able to take the time and do it right, because we’re going over decades and decades…and different musical styles and what was going on culturally and politically in this country,” explained Cross. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R) is under fire for admitting he didn’t feel threatened when the white domestic terrorists stormed the U.S. Capitol after Trump convinced them that Joe Biden stole the presidential election. Speaking Thursday on the syndicated-radio program called The Joe Pags Show, Johnson noted that had the rioters been Black Lives Matter or Antifa, he most definitely would have been concerned about the threat of violence. https://youtu.be/6Yf_TWXTDlM Michelle Obama is weighing in about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. The former first lady was asked for her thoughts on Harry and Meghan’s remarks during a recent interview with Access Hollywood. “My hope is that, when I think about what they’re going through, I think about the importance of family and I just pray that there is forgiveness and there is clarity and love and resolve at some point in time,” Obama said. “Because there’s nothing more important than family.” Meghan also told Oprah that she felt “silenced” during her time as a senior working royal, leading her to struggle with mental health issues during her time at the palace. Franklin and his son Kerrion Rashad (Franklin), who’s been estranged from the family for years, got into a heated argument which Kerrion leaked audio of the counter to social media. “This is why I’m done. No father should speak to their children like this. If I have any issues it’s because of this type of treatment that I deal with behind closed doors,” Kerrion, 33, captioned in the Instagram upload. It’s important to note that nearly three years ago Kerrion called out his father, calling him“sneaky” and claiming he tried to “kill him.” When Rickey Smiley commented on the drama on his radio program, Kerrion responded by claiming counseling between him and his famous father came to a halt when the gospel singer “caused battery” and Kerrion pressed charges. “Threatening to beat my ass in front of TMZ too? Call me a liar again and I’ll release more tape,” Kerrion said. “I’m giving you a chance to leave me alone. I said I was done, and here yaw come. Everyone except my family. Now I face the world. I am bringing awareness to #ParentalAbuse, this was never about canceling My dad, this was never to sabotage his entire career. This was a call to treat me better.” This year’s NBA All-Star game put the spotlight on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the move has motivated Master P to invest in the future of tomorrow’s Black leaders, movers, and shakers. Master P took to Instagram and announced that he wants to own an HBCU. “I used to want to own an NBA team but now I want to own a HBCU,” P said in the caption of his video message. “This message is all about educating our people,” he continued. “Anybody that’s listening to this and has a business, I want y’all to join this movement with me. We need to make sure our kids get educated the way other the cultures are educated.” It’s rare, but sometimes, kids left to their own devices exhibit behavior that will make a mom cry tears of joy, and not frustration. In this case, video of a little boy calming down his younger brother who was on the verge of a tantrum has melted the hearts of thousands who have made the clip viral. A woman who goes by @Ashleyoutloud on Twitter captured the moving moment shared between two of her sons. She said her 4-year-old grew frustrated over being unable to play a video game that was in the process of charging. https://twitter.com/i/status/1371298855078170630 ”The Bachelor” ended Monday night with its first Black lead choosing a woman who had become embroiled in racial controversy, only to have broken up with her after production ended due to the transgressions. It all played out on ABC’s “After the Final Rose” in one of the most painfully-awkward finales in franchise history. https://youtu.be/z5IAvWDDRHU Jordan Rice, a graduating senior and homeschooler from Metro Atlanta, has been named one of 60 Presidential Scholars in the Arts candidates as part of the 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The candidates were nominated from almost 7,000 participants in the annual National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) competition. The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in many areas: academic success, leadership, and service to school and community. It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. The “Matter of Fact Listening Tour,” hosted by Soledad O’Brien, continues its exploration of difficult issues surrounding race and equity in a new digital presentation, “To Be An American: Identity, Race And Justice.” The special will stream beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, March 18, on matteroffact.tv and Hearst consumer media digital platforms reaching millions of consumers. An Australian man captured the moment when a woman accused him of faking his disability after he parked his car in the handicapped parking area. The footage was captured and uploaded on TikTok by user @pnuks who said a woman approached him and asked if the handicapped identification in his vehicle was actually his. Pnuks explained that he has one leg and you can’t notice that if he’s sitting in the car but the woman demanded to know if he was actually telling the truth. In a second part of the video, he confronts the woman inside of the restaurant and shows her his missing leg. In celebration of Women’s History Month, check out this special collection of beloved movies, series and specials featuring iconic ‘Female Leads’ who rule the screen and represent every kind of woman on Disney+. From historical (she)roes Ruby Bridges, Expedition Amelia, Jane Goodall: The Hope; to combat queens Mulan, Kim Possible, Spider-Woman, Brave; to audacious adventurers Anastasia, Alice in Wonderland, Moana; the FEMALE LEADS COLLECTION on Disney+ highlights the strength, power, and vigor of women across cultures, generations and genres. Nebraska’s Republican governor Pete Ricketts has launched a campaign against medical marijuana in his state, telling residents that legalizing the drug will kill their children. “This is a dangerous drug that will impact our kids,” Ricketts told reporters on Wednesday. “If you legalize marijuana, you’re gonna kill your kids. That’s what the data shows from around the country.” https://youtu.be/ty3-9YabAVc We the deal with Tucker Carlson, but John Oliver decided to go a step further on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight” Sunday to methodically and thoroughly explain why the Fox News host is a white supremacist. Armed with receipts, Oliver took the Fox News host up on his oft-repeated request that someone please “tell us in very clear language what a white supremacist is.” https://youtu.be/XMGxxRRtmHc Germany, France and Italy on Monday became the latest countries to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, though the company and European regulators have said there is no evidence the shot is to blame. Germany’s health minister said the decision was taken on the advice of the country’s vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven reported cases of clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated. “Today’s decision is a purely precautionary measure,” Jens Spahn said. In the audio, the argument got pretty heated in the 45-second clip between Kirk Franklin and his son Kerrion. The voice identified by Kerrion as Kirk Franklin exclaimed “I’ll put my foot in your a**,” after a muffled argument. Kerrion interjects, “I dare you,” as the argument continued. “I will break your neck ni***, don’t you ever disrespect me,” Franklin allegedly shouts toward the end of the clip. “I didn’t,” Kerrion responded and the call abruptly ended. In a separate Instagram post shared four days ago, Kerrion Franklin claimed to not be allowed access to photos of himself and his family from his childhood. “I know the damage you’ve been through even if I dunno what you been through,” he shared on Instagram. The upload, white text on a grey background stated, “I’m not allowed to have any childhood pictures of myself or my family. Some of the sh*t ii see yaw complain about is so surface. I’ve been through the fire.” The Vatican’s declaration that same-sex unions are a sin the Roman Catholic Church cannot bless was no surprise for LGBTQ Catholics in the United States — yet it stung deeply nonetheless. Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, said her organization’s membership includes same-sex couples who have been together for decades, persevering in their love for one another in the face of bias and family rejection. “The fact that our church at its highest levels cannot recognize the grace in that and cannot extend any sort of blessing to these couples is just tragic,” she said. She was responding to a formal statement Monday from the Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying Roman Catholic clergy may not bless such unions since God “cannot bless sin.” It was approved by Pope Francis. The Patriots and Texans have agreed to a trade. Offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, who has played his entire career in New England, is being traded to Houston for a swap of draft picks, according to multiple reports. The move comes days after the Patriots traded for offensive tackle Trent Brown from the Raiders. That move made Cannon expendable. The Texans have been looking to beef up their offensive line. They may hope that a better line could make quarterback Deshaun Watson more willing to play for them. Cannon, a cancer survivor, opted out of the 2020 season because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has reached agreement with the Washington Football Team on a one-year deal worth $10 million that could grow to $12 million with incentives, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday. Fitzpatrick is expected to head to camp as the starter, the source said, with competition from Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Shaunie O’Neal has finally addressed why very few cast members are married on VH1’s “Basketball Wives,” which is currently airing season 9. O’Neal, who serves as executive producer, came up with the concept for the reality TV series when she was still married to Shaquille O’Neal. Speaking to Tamron Hall on her talk show set to air on Friday, she explained why she found it challenging to cast women who were married to current and/or former NBA stars. https://youtu.be/NSvolHQcM4w Niecy Nash appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres talk show recently where she gushed about her marriage to singer Jessica Betts. The duo were friends for more than four years before they became lovers, and Nash refers to her as “my ‘hersband.” “You called her my wife,” Nash told DeGeneres. “I lovingly call her my ‘hersband.'” https://youtu.be/mGjuZwOwfZY ”The Talk” has canceled its live shows for March 15 and March 16 amid the CBS investigation into the heated exchange between hosts Sharon Osburne and Sherly Underwood. During Wednesday’s episode of “The Talk,” Osbourne had an emotional breakdown while defending her friend Piers Morgan against accusations that he’s racist for criticizing Meghan Markle. “Did I like everything he said? Did I agree with what he said? No,” Osbourne said about Morgan’s commentary following Prince Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. “Because it’s his opinion. It’s not my opinion…I support him for his freedom of speech, and he’s my friend.” She continued, “I’m not racist…I don’t care what color or what religion anyone is. Are you a nice person? That’s what I judge you on.” Serena Williams has listed her Beverly Hills mansion for $7.5 million, located in the guard-gated Summit Estates. Per New York Post, the tennis champ purchased the home in October 2017 for $6,680,000. The three-story, five-bedroom, seven-bathroom contemporary Spanish style estate sits on a quarter-acre of land, and spans 6,000 square feet. The property offers “scenic city views across the valley. Amenities include a wine cellar, a yoga room, a full bar and a gym,” the outlet writes. Outdoors boasts “a built-in Wolf barbecue and refrigerator located on the patio, a Baja style pool and an expansive lawn” as well as “a Control 4 smart home system and a Nest smart temperature control unit,” according to the report. Some of the home’s features include “custom cabinetry, custom plaster fireplaces and Bianco Bella polished marble countertops.” Nominees for the 2021 Oscars have been announced with “The Father,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Sound of Metal” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7" competing for best picture. This year’s nominees include some of our favorites culture icons, including Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman for their Netflix film, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield also earned a nomination for “The Judas and the Black Messiah.” Per Variety, Netflix’s “Mank” scored a leading 10 nominations, including nods for best director (David Fincher), best actor (Gary Oldman) and best-supporting actress (Amanda Seyfried), in addition to best picture. Following behind with six nominations apiece are “The Father,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Sound of Metal” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” received five nods. During Markle’s sit-down with Oprah last week, the biracial Duchess of Sussex admitted to having suicidal thoughts while living in the UK. Her husband Prince Harry said his father, Prince Charles, once stopped taking his calls and the family cut him off financially. He is living off the money left to him by his mother Princess Diana. Markle also revealed that her son Archie was denied a royal title and protection — and that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” “They didn’t want him to be a prince . . . which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security,” she told Winfrey, noting that senior members of the royal family worried her child might be born too dark and that would be a bad look for the royal family. Gayle King claims Meghan Markle has “plenty of receipts” to support her allegations of racism against the British royal family. Kim Gardner, the first Black woman to be elected St. Louis’ top prosecutor, appeared on “60 Minutes” Sunday to discuss the relentless pushback from the city’s police union and racist death threats she’s received as she tries to enact the reforms promised in her run for office. After asking St. Louis City Hall to fund an independent office to investigate police shootings, Gardner said she made enemies fast within the law enforcement community. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/kim-gardner-st-louis-prosecutor-black-woman-60-minutes-2021-03-14/ A sheriff’s deputy stunned a young dance group when he arrived due to a noise complaint, but instead, accepted their challenge to a dance off. And had the nerve to hold his own! Deputy Romain Brissett of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a Pensacola, Florida dance studio when a local resident mistook it for a nightclub. Daylight Savings Time was likely at fault for the mistake but as Deputy Brissett went inside to confirm his suspicions, he walked into the middle of a dance practice. On the floor were the girls of Pensacola Prancing Pirouettes. He spoke to the organizers, then asked the girls if they were any good – a challenge the group, known as “Three Ps”, were excited to answer. After showing Deputy Brissett a small performance, the girls then gestured they were challenging him in return. https://youtu.be/c8YM2VHhoN0 School officials in North Carolina are apologizing after racist hashtags were displayed on a classroom Twitter wall as part of a Civil War assignment for fourth graders. Kimberly Morrison-Hansley, a member of the Union County NAACP chapter, told The Charlotte Observer that the class at Waxhaw Elementary School was assigned to write tweets and hashtags that people living in North Carolina during the Civil War might have written if Twitter existed during that era. Students came up with hashtags such as “Slavery for Life,” according to a photo of the Twitter wall in a now-deleted post on the school Facebook page, WJZY-TV reported. Tiffany Haddish could not hold back the tears when she was told during a taping of her CBS show “Kids Say the Darndest Things” that the audio recording of her stand-up special, “Black Mitzvah,” had won a Grammy for best comedy album. She’s only the fourth solo woman to have won the honor since it was founded in 1959, and only the second woman of color after Whoopi Goldberg in 1986. https://youtu.be/W2yKEB4WaHU Dionne Warwick is taking aim at Wendy Williams once again, saying she’s looking to “invade” Williams’ platform. Speaking to Page Six, the 80-year-old music first touched on speculation that she doesn’t run her popular Twitter account. She also shared a message for Wendy, who doesn’t believe that Dionne runs her Twitter account. “And regarding Wendy? Well, Wendy’s got her own platform, which I’m going to try to invade very soon.” The “I Say a Little Prayer” songstress went on to add, “Yes, it’ll be fun. I’m gonna make it fun.” https://twitter.com/dionnewarwick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1370124795380080642%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2021%2F03%2F15%2Fdionne-warwick-says-shes-preparing-to-invade-wendy-williams-platform%2F The mid-season finale of TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, March 15 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, David Quinn and Vince Velazquez tap into their skills as veteran detectives when they get a call to a familiar side of town. When they arrive, they find 49-year old Renee Hutchinson strangled to death with signs of sexual abuse. The killer even attempted to destroy evidence by giving the victim a "bleach bath." Hutchinson's adult daughter provides the name of a few male suspects, but the detectives' investigation leads them down a shocking path. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fslHsTu_83s The Gospel Music Association is proud to announce its first Easter broadcast special, Because He Lives: An Easter Celebration. Conceptualized as a way to celebrate and recognize Christ’s death and resurrection through song, the star-studded line-up includes powerful performances by Amy Grant, Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy, CeCe Winans, Ellie Holcomb, Jekalyn Carr, Karen Peck & New River, Natalie Grant & Bernie Herms, Nicole C., and Zach Williams. Because He Lives: An Easter Celebration will broadcast worldwide on TBN Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 9:00 p.m. EST / 8:00 p.m. CST with additional broadcasts at 11:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 p.m. CST and Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. EST / 3:00 p.m. CST. New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and World Vision marked the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic declaration on Saturday, March 13, at 10 a.m. during their weekly food distribution in Stonecrest. With 560,000 individuals fed through this program, the collaborative effort marks a sobering milestone for the ongoing pandemic’s impact to local families and those now facing food insecurities. Early last year, New Birth’s ministry program, The King’s Table helped address local food insecurity faced by families in DeKalb County and surrounding areas. The effort began in January 2020 with 300 families taking advantage of free food and other in-demand household items. As the impacts of COVID-19 reached global proportions, New Birth saw a drastic spike in attendance, which now serves approximately 8,000 individuals each week. R&B singer-songwriter and producer, PJ Morton, has scored a Grammy® Award for his first-ever inspirational music album, Gospel According to PJ (Morton Records/ Tyscot), in the category of Best Gospel Album. The award was revealed during the pre-telecast of the 63rd annual Grammy® Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 14, 2021 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Mexican Music vocalist, Lupita Infante, announced the winner of the category and Morton accepted it virtually. The all-star set features performances from gospel music legends such as Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Commissioned, and The Clark Sisters, among others. The first radio single “All in His Plan” - featuring Mary Mary and Le’Andria Johnson – peaked at No. 1 on the Gospel Airplay chart. The current single, “Repay You,” features J Moss debut last week on the top 30 chart. The Gospel Spotlight's PJ Morton In His Own words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/pj_morton_intvw.htm RCA Inspiration congratulates Mali Music on his first GRAMMY® Award win. Announced during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards Premiere Ceremony, Mali Music won Best Gospel Performance/Song as a co-performer in the Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music #1 hit song “Movin’ On.” Mali Music, who’s also a co-writer on the soulful track (credited as Kortney Jamaal Pollard), garnered this GRAMMY® win on his fourth career nomination, following three prior nominations across Traditional R&B, Urban Contemporary, and Gospel categories. Also during the Premiere Ceremony, Kierra Sheard made a featured appearance in the all-nominee special performance that kicked off the show. The Gospel Spotlight's Mali Music In His Own words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/mali_music_intvw.htm In less than a week, several women who command the airways will be featured on a special Zoom. Entitled “God’s Women Commanding the Airways,” this Zoom will featured some of the most announced voices on some of the biggest FM, AM and Internet stations from across the country. Most recently highlighting this woman is Telishia Berry. She is the Editor-in-Chief of "Courageous Woman Magazine" and is set to feature these awesome women of God in the March/April issue." These ladies in radio have been commanding the airwaves to line up with God's divine word. They are trend setters. They are pioneers. They are women who hold it down on radio in their various states or country. They are the gate keepers in radio whom God has trusted with His sound. Presented by Toyota America and AARP Café Mocha 'Saluting Our Culture' Awards Series kicks off with the Salute Her Awards Streaming Sunday, March 21st At 7 pm ET. In celebration of Women's History Month, Café Mocha is honoring seven women for their resilience and innovation that include Holly Robinson Peete, Cynthia Erivo, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, LaTosha Brown, and more phenomenal female trailblazers. Kenny Lewis & One Voice drops "He's Been Good ft. Charles Jenkins" https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1apxpyvrrs9ngh3/AAAxxoh0E_n8XMz3zxlWxubra?dl=0 While it wasn’t the first time Ron Johnson downplayed the U.S. Capitol attack, the Republican senator from Wisconsin drew criticism for saying during an interview that he would have been more afraid of Antifa and Black Lives Matter protestors than Trump-supporting insurrectionists. Conservative talk radio host Joe Pags took to social media to defend the senator, claiming media outlets had taken the comments out of context. But listening to the full 15-minute interview reveals a more disturbing conversation and a potential preview of Johnson’s 2022 re-election strategy. Recently released court documents showed a group of Louisiana State Troopers joked about beating a Black man in a group text, making light of police brutality. After a high-speed chase last year, troopers texted each other, saying the driver would have “nightmares for a long time,” from the “ass whoopin” he got. Reports show troopers beat Antonio Harris despite his immediate surrender. Former trooper Jacob Brown texted his colleagues saying, “He gonna be sore tomorrow…warms my heart knowing we could educate that young man.” Evidence from an internal investigation showed Harris laid down on the ground with his legs and arms spread out away from his body. Brown was one of four troopers charged last month in the case. Troopers Dakota DeMoss and George Harper also chimed in with attempts at jokes about the encounter. At one point in the exchange, DeMos texted that Harris was “still digesting that ass whoopin” and “bet he don’t cross into LA anymore.” Mogul and rapper Rick Ross is furthering his efforts to cultivate equity when it comes to healthcare affordability and accessibility. According to AfroTech, the music artist—whose real name is William Leonard Roberts II—has teamed up with the Black-owned telehealth company JetDoc for the creation of an initiative that will provide $1 million in free doctor visits for Georgia residents. The racial disparities surrounding healthcare is a longstanding issue within the Peach State that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The Telegraph reported Black communities within Georgia experience health crises at significantly higher rates than other ethnicities and races. The world has changed, with whole industries caving to the rise of the internet, seems no one’s limited relying on scarce permissions from big business, anymore. Today, even in the case of fame — people can just go get it themselves. Right? n the new world, so to speak, this is not entirely a joke or presumptuous but, among things dwindling — let’s ponder: Movie theater attendance? T.V. channels, radio stations, and even JOBS; publishing houses, whole erected structures — like brick and mortar buildings, and close contact with other people (Covid 19, anyone?). We Zoom, stream, order food and shop for everything online. We create our celebrities online too, independent of the traditional, agreed? Let’s continue… The 63rd annual Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday, and the show was hosted by Trevor Noah. Here are the highlights: Taylor Swift won album of the year for “Folklore” and Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted” earned record of the year. Beyoncé won four awards, bringing her lifetime total to 28. She now holds the record for most Grammy wins by a female artist. Blue Ivy Carter, her daughter, also won her first award. Megan Thee Stallion was the first female rapper to win the best new artist award since Lauryn Hill in 1999. She also won best rap performance and best rap song for “Savage” featuring Beyoncé. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed a (slightly) PG version of “WAP” for the first time on television. The three children who died were a five-month-old baby boy and five and four-year-old girls. The two women who were killed were 30-years-old and 25-years-old. The children’s grandfather, Pastor Anthony Oliver, talked to FOX 35 News and was completely heartbroken over losing his grandbabies and his two daughters. https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/fhp-3-children-among-those-killed-in-horrific-orlando-crash It seems there are problems between a famous father and his son. That famous father is gospel’s Kirk Franklin and his son Kerrion Rashad (Franklin), who’s been estranged from the family for years and has very little communication with his father. His son Kerrion posted audio of an encounter the two had where the elder Franklin is heard using words that he is certainly not proud of. In the audio, Kirk can be heard cussing and threatening his son in several ways. “I’ll put my foot in your ass,” Kirk says at one point. Rashad interjects, “I dare you,” as the argument continued. “I will break your neck ni*gga, don’t you ever disrespect me,” Franklin seems to shout toward the end of the clip. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYMResF-jy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Boxing legend, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns is going at anti-vaxxers who are using his comments to co-opt the death of Marvin Hagler. That’s because before Hagler passed away on Saturday at 66, Hearns posted to his followers that Hagler was suffering from “the after effects of the vaccine.” However, there’s been no announcement of the official cause of death and his family have made no mention of a Covid vaccine being to blame. As we reported earlier, Hagler’s son James told TMZ his father was rushed to hospital with chest pains and was experiencing trouble breathing before dying about four hours later. Earlier on Saturday, Hearns wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of his old opponent: “A real true warrior Pray for the king and his family.. he’s in ICU fighting the after effects of the vaccine! He’ll be just fine but we could use the positive energy and Prayer for his Full Recovery!” LOOK AT GOD! MY HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAITH is an inspirational memoir about the life and career of trailblazing African American film publicist, Roz Stevenson, which will be available in all formats on Tuesday, March 16 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and everywhere books are sold. In the upcoming book, Stevenson shares her miraculous journey that spans four decades in the film industry, exploring everything from her initial struggles and failures at the bottom to her many triumphs and successes at the top. She contends when she had done all she could, God provided her with the perfect position, which led to her career as a trailblazing publicist with her company launching more than a hundred successful movie campaigns. Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter are the queen and princess of the Grammys. During the show’s pre-telecast ceremony Sunday, the Carter women won best music video for “Brown Skin Girl,” making 9-year-old Blue Ivy the second youngest person to win a Grammy and brings Beyoncé steps closer to becoming the most decorated woman in Grammy history. Beyoncé won her 25th Grammy on Sunday, hours before the main awards telecast begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. With 27 wins, Alison Krauss holds the title for most Grammys for a female artist. But Beyoncé will challenge her in a major way Sunday. The pop star, the leading nominee with nine, also scored multiple R&B and rap nominations and is competing song of the year and is a double nominee for record of the year. https://images.app.goo.gl/zrnxPbw1TMkwbtWo7 Trevor Noah took a careful approach hosting “The Daily Show” from his New York apartment during the pandemic, but he said traveling across the country to host the Grammys was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “If you get asked to host the Grammys, I don’t think you take long to say ‘yes,’” said the Emmy winner, who will host Sunday’s Grammy Awards from downtown Los Angeles. “All you figure out is the how.” Initially, Noah wondered if the Grammys would be like most other major award shows that were held virtually during the pandemic. But he was assured that his first time hosting the ceremony honoring music’s best would be in person. Noah said the ceremony, which airs at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS and Paramount+, will have a “music festival vibe” with parts of the show held outdoors. He expects an entertaining show with several performers set to hit the stage including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Cardi B and BTS. It could be a night for the history books for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé at Sunday’s Grammy Awards — for both good and bad reasons. Swift could become the first woman to win the show’s top prize, album of the year, three times. Her first surprise album of 2020 — the folky, alternative adventure “folklore” — is competing for the top honor, an award she first won in 2010 for “Fearless,” her breakthrough that helped establish her as a bona fide pop star even though she sang country music. She won again in 2016 for “1989,” her first full-length pop album that dominated the charts with a bounty of hits. Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra and Paul Simon are some of the male performers who have won album of the year three times. Beyoncé is bringing her Black parade to the Grammys: The pop star’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations Tuesday, making her the leading contender with nine. Beyoncé picked up song and record of the year bids with “Black Parade,” which she released on Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. The song, which reached the Top 40 on the pop charts, is also nominated for best R&B song and best R&B performance. Beyoncé’s “Black Is King” film that highlighted Black art, music, history and fashion is up for best music film while “Brown Skin Girl,” a song dedicated to dark- and brown-skinned women, is nominated for best music video. The singer also earned three nominations for her slick guest appearance on Megan Thee Stallion’s No. 1 hit “Savage,” including record of the year, best rap performance and best rap song. Sharon Osbourne is trying to clear her name after former co-host of “The Talk” Holly Robinson Peete revealed that she called her “too ghetto” for the CBS talk show! Holly made that revelation in an Instagram post on Friday. The 56-year old who appeared on the first season of “The Talk” between 2010 and 2011 said: “I’m old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too “ghetto” for #theTalk… then I was gone. I bring this up now bc I was mortified watching the disrespectful condescending tone she took w/her co-host who remained calm & respectful because… she HAD to.” Holly was reffering to Wednesday’s show where Osbourne got into a heated exchange with co-host Sheryl Underwood about racism and Piers Morgan. While speaking to Variety, Sharon said about Holly’s claims: “It’s an absolute lie – a 110% lie. I cannot have anyone fired… And that is not a term I use. That’s not in my vocabulary. I don’t speak like that.” She added, “The only ghetto I know is the Warsaw Ghetto and I think that’s the only time I’ve ever referred to something like that.” Meghan Markle has issued a request to Buckingham Palace to see the emails and text messages from former palace aides who accused her of bullying. Prior to her interview with Oprah, a senior palace aide accused the Dutchess of Sussex of bullying her during her time as a royal in Buckingham Palace. They said that Markle brought one aide to tears and displayed “unacceptable behavior” to two other aides as reported by the Daily Mail. However, Markle has filed a written request seeking evidence that supports the bullying claims. The source also revealed that Markle’s friend Janina Gavankar said one of the palace aides who made the accusation left due to their poor conduct and did not leave due to bullying at the workplace. In the wake of what’s already gone down, Franklin has issued an apology for losing his temper and saying what he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYoLo3HrSs/?utm_source=ig_embed One year ago today, Breonna Taylor was murdered by Louisville police officers who sprayed her home with bullets while she lay in bed asleep. She was murdered in the same place where she manifested the dreams she was working so hard to turn into her reality. But all of those dreams were violently stolen from her the night she was killed. She wanted to buy a home. She had already chosen the name of the daughter she dreamed of having. Breonna’s life was violently stolen from her—a crime for which even a single police officer has yet to be held accountable. Taylor’s death exemplifies what happens to Black women who are routinely caught in the crossfires of the war on drugs, riddled with restricted access to their reproductive and civil rights under the pervasive umbrella of systemic racism. Activists have renewed their calls for the arrests of the police officers involved in Breonna Taylor‘s death and demanded the state’s district attorney’s office prosecute them following recent developments making those legal options a realistic pathway to justice in Louisville. Commonwealth Attorney Tom Wine, who previously recused himself from the case under the guise of a purported conflict of interest, referred the investigation to Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s attorney general largely blamed for sabotaging the grand jury process resulting in weak charges for only one officer. But now, activists say, Wine — a Democrat — no longer has that conflict of interest preventing him from seeking justice for Taylor’s untimely death that resulted from a suspiciously obtained and botched no-knock warrant in search of a suspect who was already in police custody in the early morning hours of March 13, 2020. “Soul of a Nation” will focus on faith in its next episode with special guest host and six-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter BeBe Winans. The episode will look at the state of the Black Church, the intersection of faith and abortion and examine the role of forgiveness in the Black community. Winans, ABC News’ Linsey Davis, Sunny Hostin, Byron Pitts, Deborah Roberts and David Scott lead the hour. It will feature an exclusive interview with television personality and comedian Nick Cannon, a conversation with Botham Jean’s family and two survivors of the Mother Emanuel mass shooting in Charleston, S.C. The new episode of “Soul of a Nation” airs Tuesday, March 16 (10:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET) on ABC. Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who dominated boxing's middleweight division in the 1980s, has died at the age of 66, his wife Kay Hagler said on Saturday. Hagler, who legally changed his name to Marvelous in 1982, posted a record of 62-3-2 and ruled supreme until his reign as undisputed middleweight champion came to a controversial end in 1987 with a loss to Sugar Ray Leonard. "I am sorry to make a very sad announcement. Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time," Kay Hagler posted on the Marvelous Marvin Hagler Fan Club page on Facebook. A longtime community activist and church leader has died of complications from COVID-19. Bishop Omar Jahwar spent the last 25 years of his life fighting to change the lives around him. The last six months, he spent fighting COVID-19. Those who were close to him honor him with his likeness on their face coverings and t-shirts. “It’s been a long fight, and he had underlying issues that affected him. Really kind of what got to him,” said friend Antong Lucky. https://www.fox4news.com/news/beloved-dallas-bishop-passes-away-after-battle-with-covid-19 A voicemail left by the mayor of Michigan City, Indiana has residents calling for his resignation. In the voicemail, Mayor Duane Parry is heard saying, “They want a f***ing audience, you know – these Black guys, they all want a f***ing audience.” Parry was speaking on the voicemail of a local pastor. The mayor apparently thought the call had already ended when he made those remarks. The pastor who got the message couldn’t believe it. https://cbsloc.al/2Oj3fWo A high school basketball announcer in Oklahoma called players “f*cking ni**ers” for kneeling during the national anthem before a game and it was all caught on a hot mic. TMZ reached out to Matt Rowan who admits it’s HIS voice making the insanely offensive comments about the girl’s basketball team while they were kneeling for the national anthem. “I will state that I suffer Type 1 Diabetes and during the game, my sugar was spiking,” Rowan, 44, said in a statement. “While not excusing my remarks, it is not unusual when my sugar spikes that I become disoriented and often say things that are not appropriate as well as hurtful.” Rowan adds, “I do not believe that I would have made such horrible statements absent my sugar spiking.” TMZ Sports spoke with Rowan who added, “I’m absolutely speechless for my rhetoric. I want to offer my deepest apologies to these girls because I hurt them.” “[The N-word] should never be thought much less muttered.”Rowan says he does not “want to hide behind diabetes” — adding, “I want to take ownership of my actions. Never my intention to hurt anyone. I am sickened by what I said. I am so sorry for what I said.” J-Lo and A-Rod are still J-Rod. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez said Saturday that reports of their split are inaccurate, and they are working things through. A day earlier, multiple reports based on anonymous sources said the pop star-actor and the former baseball great had called off their two-year engagement. The couple started dating in early 2017. “All the reports are inaccurate,” said the joint statement Saturday “from Jennifer and Alex,” emailed to The Associated Press by representatives. “We are working through some things.” The New York Post’s Page Six was the first to report that the pair had split. The couple was given the nickname “J-Rod” three years ago after they landed on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodiguez reportedly called it quits over the scandal between the former Yankees player and “Southern Charm” star Madison LeCroy. Apparently, the couple decided to end their engagement after sources confirmed Rodriguez was linked to LeCroy despite the reality star saying she never met the athlete in person. In January, LeCroy revealed during a reunion special that she had been FaceTiming Rodriguez and told Page Six that he “never physically cheated on his fiancee with me.” According to the outlet, a source close to the couple said Lopez was embarrassed by the entire situation along with dealing with their own personal issues with Rodriguez. A Page Six’s source put it more bluntly: “The Madison LeCroy scandal was the reason they finally broke up. There were already problems, but Jennifer was really embarrassed by it.” James Cameron’s science-fiction blockbuster “Avatar” is poised to return to the top of the all-time movie box office charts this weekend after the film was re-released in China. “Avatar,” which debuted in 2009, held the global box office title for a decade until it was overtaken by Marvel superhero epic “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019. On Friday, Cameron’s film rung up an estimated $3.5 million in new ticket sales after it was re-released in China, where moviegoing has rebounded following theater closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.That put “Avatar” just shy of the $2.798 billion worldwide total collected by “Endgame,” according to distributor Walt Disney Co. Both films are now owned by Disney after the company bought entertainment assets from Fox in 2019. At the start of 2020, Lauren Daigle was living her dream: she had just kicked off her first-ever arena tour and was riding high on the success of her massive, Grammy-winning 2018 album Look Up Child. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “It was like whiplash,” the singer-songwriter tells PEOPLE. “We were moving so fast, and things were happening at such a rapid pace, and then all of a sudden we were standing completely still. It was like, ‘What just happened?'” As the pandemic sent the U.S. into lockdown that March, Daigle, 29, was forced to cancel the remainder of her tour after just 10 shows. https://youtu.be/R1EwKwayzLM When the CBS show “The Talk” debuted back in 2011 one of hosts was actress Holly Robinson Peete. However, she was subsequently let go from the show after that first season. On Friday, Peete tweeted that it was because Sharon Osbourne complained that she was “too ghetto.” Interesting information because earlier this week, Osbourne got into a heated exchange with co-host Sheryl Underwood over Osbourne’s defense of her longtime pal Piers Morgan, whose critique of Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey has been branded racist. “I’m old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too ‘ghetto’ for #theTalk … then I was gone. I bring this up now bc I was mortified watching the disrespectful condescending tone she took w/her co-host who remained calm & respectful because … she HAD to,” Robinson Peete tweeted. “I’ve always been a highroad girl but when I watched what everyone else saw on my former show … it triggered me and I wanted to speak out,” she added on Instagram. https://youtu.be/RGl-odCu--s SOME black Americans living in Evanston, Illinois, who will be given $25,000 each as part of the city’s $10million reparations program don’t think it’s enough. The payout is supposed to make amends for the racist housing policies in the city, north of Downtown Chicago, and a reparations program was established in 2019 – but some activists don’t think it’s sufficient. Evanston, Illinois, is the first US city to distribute the money meant to help compensate for a lack of generational wealth and systemic racism. However, Rev Michael Nabors, who is the president of the Evanston NAACP, thinks $25,000 is a “drop in the bucket.” “When it’s all said and done, however much money is raised for reparations… will only be a drop in the bucket for the suffering and the oppression that Black people experienced in this nation,” he told Newsweek. Situated east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., Ward 8 is historically one of the poorest and most violent parts of the city. And while redevelopment dollars are slowly trickling into the area, and crime stats are moving downward, its residents can still fall victim to the social ills that plague many big cities: high unemployment, continued violence, teen pregnancy, poor access to healthcare and homelessness.Yet for the last decade or so Raymond E. Bell has been doing his part to break the area’s cycle of poverty, and give its youth opportunities to launch careers in an ever-growing industry. Bell is founder of the H.O.P.E. Project, a six-month training and internship program that prepares those aged 18 to 24 years for careers in information technology. Since 2009, the H.O.P.E. Project has helped more than 2,000 students get high-paying jobs as help desk support specialists, cyberspace experts, system administrators and the like with such global companies as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, CACI, Chase Bank and Bank of America. In celebration of music during Women’s History Month, MOBE (Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment) is hosting a special Tuesday episode of their virtual MOBE Mondays series on Tuesday, March 16th at 7 pm ET, 6 pm CT, 4 pm PT. Women In Music: Preserving The Legacy At Our Music Museums promises an exciting conversation about preserving and celebrating Black culture at these institutions. Hosted by Gail Mitchell, Executive Director, R&B/Hip Hop at Billboard, the speakers include Tuwisha Rogers Simpson, National Museum of African American Music; Nwaka Onwusa, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Robin R. Terry, Motown Museum and Renee Foster, Universal Hip Hop Museum. During Elvis Presley’s singing, recording, and performing career, one that stretched parts of three decades, there were countless stories that he didn’t particularly like Black people, especially if they were not in music. He did like many well-known Black singers, especially, according to some music historians, if he could copy and use their vocal and musical stylistics to further his own career. The late Myrna Smith, who was a member of the Black singing group “The Sweet Inspirations” refuted claims that Presley was a racist. Smith, who with Cissy Houston (mother of the late Whitney Houston), Sylvia Shernwell, and Estelle Brown, formed “The Sweet Inspirations,” which provided background vocals for Presley at concert performances and for recording sessions from 1969 to 1977. https://youtu.be/iJcThpBOZZQ A California man is accused of murdering his wife, and then propping up her dead body on a couch as their kids opened Christmas presents. According to the Mercury News, William Wallace allegedly killed his wife, Za’Zell Preston, 26, on Christmas Eve 2011; which occurred during an argument. Preston and Wallace were reportedly in a violent relationship and he threatened to kill her on multiple occasions. The victim was reportedly studying to become a domestic violence counselor at the time. Wallace faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. He has been jailed in lieu of a $1million bail since his December 25, 2011 arrest, according to the report. The Gospel Spotlight's FRESH FIRE from EARNEST PUGH. On the heels of the success of his latest #1 single “God Wants To Heal You” the Gentleman of Gospel—Earnest Pugh is releasing a new single entitled “Thank You So Much.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhCvRNOKJOw New from Hez House - Kevin Lemons and Higher Calling "For Your Good" https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cdv38f807pr3285/AADXyets8QvtsFbRvTklEIqha?dl=0 The incomparable CeCe Winans is thrilled to release her newest album Believe For It, today. For over three decades she has consistently rolled out an array of music that has evolved into all-time classics. Now she’s back with her first live recording taped in Nashville, Tennessee. The highly anticipated Believe For It is an inviting 78 minutes of worship, offering 12 engaging tracks that highlight some of the biggest songs in Christian music today and became one of the most pre-added albums worldwide on Apple Music. The worshipper, the praiser and the preacher can all be heard and felt in this new release from Kendra Carr-Pineda. https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZkNLRXZjHineWfSGffBaY7lPRlvgfdXvonV Tune in this Sunday, March 14th at 12:00 PM EST to WABC TV's Here and Now with Sandra Bookman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfzFso3N9xg Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, March 13 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npzICTVVWak CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells airing Saturday, March 13 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6ubUbQh8Dk CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, March 14 at 9 PM/8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FD2-VePovg Today, BET+ announced the season two premiere of the hilarious and provocative fan-favorite, original comedy “Bigger,” executive produced by Will Packer and Will Packer Media, is set to return Thursday, April 22, 2021. The 30-minute, ten-episode series will be available exclusively on BET+, with all episodes available to stream at launch. KELLY ROWLAND SHARES SOME GOOD WORDS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kelly-rowland/id1550112679?i=1000512208457 The City of Minneapolis has reached a $27 million settlement with George Floyd’s family. Floyd’s family filed the wrongful death lawsuit in July against the city, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, the 3 other officers involved in the May 25 arrest of Floyd that resulted in his death. Chauvin is currently facing charges of third-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the killing. Video of Floyd’s arrest shows Chauvin kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. https://youtu.be/TINdYKm3lVs Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have split, Page Six reports. The A-list pair had dated for four years, becoming engaged in 2019 and cancelling a planned wedding twice. They own several pieces of property together and have started several high-profile business ventures in tandem, including an attempt to buy the New York Mets. The reasons for the breakup are not yet clear. The singer and actor is in the Dominican Republic shooting her upcoming film, while the baseball player is in Miami preparing for the upcoming season. Wednesday (March 10) is Carrie Underwood‘s 38th birthday, but she’s the one doling out the gifts. The country star used the occasion to share “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus,” one of the songs from her upcoming gospel album, My Savior, with fans. https://youtu.be/C4Sd5BL4j0A Former President Barack Obama reveals in an upcoming podcast with rocker Bruce Springsteen that he chose a career of public service in part due to his mother, an acknowledgement that lands in the middle of Women’s History Month. “My mom was a little bit of a free thinker,” Obama says in Monday’s episode of Spotify’s “Renegades: Born in the USA.” The Associated Press was granted early access to a snippet. Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, was an anthropologist who worked to help improve the lives of the poor in Indonesia. Obama called her “kind of romantic” and “not that practical” and said she put a “little bit of that into me.” Snoop Dogg, La La Anthony and Serayah have joined the cast of 50 Cent’s new Starz series “Black Mafia Family.” The network said in a press release Thursday that Snoop will have a recurring role in the new series, while Anthony, and Serayah will appear as recurring guest stars. An announcer covering an Oklahoma high school girls’ state tournament basketball game Thursday was caught on a hot mic using racial slurs. As the players on the Norman High School knelt during the national anthem, the NFHS Network broadcaster said, “They’re kneeling? F—ing n—ers. I hope Norman gets their ass kicked.” The Oklahoman’s Cameron Jourdan reported that the broadcaster was Scott Sapulpa, a former area high school football coach. The NFHS said in a statement, “We are aggressively investigating the incident and will ensure that any individuals responsible will have no relationship with the NFHS Network moving forward.” Norman Mayor Breea Clark said she contacted parents of the girls to ask how their daughters were doing. “[One parent] said her response was, ‘This is why we kneel,’ because there’s a problem,” Clark said. https://twitter.com/i/status/1370389926903226369 A year ago, Max Kumangai was dazzling crowds with a jolt of live Broadway excitement. Now he’s doing it with his bread. The triple threat from the musical “Jagged Little Pill” has leaned into a fourth skill as the pandemic marches on: baking and selling his own sourdough. From his Manhattan apartment, Kumangai delivers $15 bread loaves or $8 focaccia slices from his Humpday Dough company on foot or via subway. “I wanted to make connecting with people — at a time when it was difficult to connect — a part of the business,” he says. “It’s feeding me figuratively and literally.” Pedro Almodóvar exposed all his vulnerability in the semi-autobiographical film “Pain and Glory.” Now he returns his focus to women not only with the short film “The Human Voice”, an Oscar hopeful that arrives this week in the United States, but with an upcoming movie that reunites him with his muse Penélope Cruz. “Madres paralelas” (“Parallel Mothers”) will begin production on March 21 in Madrid “if the virus does not interfere,” said the Spanish director, who took advantage of the confinement and wrote the script after his plans to shoot for the first time in the U.S. were thwarted by the pandemic last year. Netflix seems to have missed the memo that sharing is caring, the streaming platform is putting wheels in motion to crackdown on password sharing. Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing.The popular streaming service has been using popups to ask some users to verify their account via email or text, or to “verify later.” “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” the screen reads, according to Streamable.com, which first reported the test. https://www.usatoday.com/videos/money/business/2021/03/12/netflix-cracking-down-password-sharing-and-we-freaking-out/4664714001/ “Black Panther” writer and director Ryan Coogler appeared on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast where he opened up about the challenges of making the sequel without his leading man Chadwick Boseman. Boseman died last August after a 4-year private battle with colon cancer. “I’m still currently going through it,” Coogler said about Boseman. “One thing that I’ve learned in my short or long time on this Earth is that it’s very difficult to have perspective on something while you’re going through it. This is one of the more profound things that I’ve gone through in my life, having to be a part of keeping this project going without this particular person who is like the glue who held it together.” Wendy Williams wants Khloe Kardashian to slow down on all the plastic surgery that she’s undergoing. On Thursday’s episode of her talk show, Williams reacted to the reality TV star’s physical transformation, most notably during her appearance on the “Lady Parts” segment on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on March 10. https://youtu.be/14FK2AKeZhw Luenell, the Original Bad Girl of Comedy, had plenty to celebrate on Saturday, March 6, throwing a private watch party for the sequel COMING 2 AMERICA, since she’s part of the ensemble cast, starring comedy legend Eddie Murphy. In COMING 2 AMERICA, Luenell portrays the character Livia. Look for her in the blonde wig! Hosted by funny man Russell Peters at his home, Luenell celebrated her birthday (March 12th) a week early by inviting a handful of her friends to a day party to preview the most highly-anticipated movie of the season. And to protect everyone, guests were given a COVID 19 test onsite – with results available within 10 minutes — prior to entering the party! Once inside, guests were treated to a taco bar, cocktails and cigars. Dr. Dre’s wife Nicole Young has been denied an emergency restraining order against her estranged husband after claiming she fears for her safety because he refers to her in his new track as a “greedy bitch.” Per TMZ, Nicole says Dre “has upped the ante and is now outright threatening me to keep my mouth shut or else.” https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-02-23-022321-dj-silk-dr-dre-1045188/ Cam Newton is re-signing with the Patriots on a one-year deal, sources have confirmed to ESPN. The contract is worth up to $13.6 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. About $6 million of the deal is tied to incentives, a source told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Newton posted a video on Instagram later Friday with a caption that read in part, “Run it back!! Chapter 2.” Quarterback Tom Brady has signed a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team announced Friday. While the Bucs did not reveal any details, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that it is a four-year contract extension that voids to a one-year extension. The deal ties Brady to Tampa through the 2022 season, sources said. As of Friday morning, before Brady’s new deal, the Bucs were $7.756 million over the $182.5 million salary cap, after using the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin and re-signing inside linebacker Lavonte David to a two-year extension. For the second time in as many days, major conferences have called off tournament games due to COVID-19 concerns — this time involving No. 11 Kansas and No. 16 Virginia. The Jayhawks withdrew from the Big 12 Tournament on Friday after a positive COVID-19 test within the program, which led to the cancellation of their semifinal matchup with No. 13 Texas. And earlier Friday, the Atlantic Coast Conference canceled the league’s semifinal game between the top-seeded Cavaliers and Georgia Tech due to a positive test, quarantining and contact tracing within the Cavaliers program. The announcement came less than 12 hours before the Yellow Jackets and Cavaliers were set to play the first of two semifinal games. The Turkish restaurateur first went viral in 2017 for the dashing way he salted meat, then again last fall when a woman twerked for him, prompting an angry reaction from her man. The famous butcher, born Nusret Gökçe, has gone viral yet again over a man’s reaction to the way he fed his date a strip of steak he had just seasoned. It wasn’t just the way that she took the meat, it was her boyfriend’s look of pain as it was happening. https://youtu.be/-2MVdmcHvgM Outfielder Nick Markakis has retired after 15-year career with the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles. The 37-year-od Markakis, who was a free agent, told The Athletic in a story published Friday that he was done playing after accumulating 2,388 hits, earning his lone All-Star selection in 2018 and coming within one win of reaching the World Series in his final season. Braves manager Brian Snitker called Markakis “the consummate pro in everything he did.” Major League Baseball will experiment with several rule changes in the minor leagues this season, including an automated strike zone, restrictions on defensive positioning and larger bases. The league said in a statement Thursday the “changes being tested are designed to increase action on the basepaths, create more balls in play, improve the pace and length of games, and reduce player injuries.” The league’s automatic ball-strike system will be used at some Low-A Southeast League games, the closest that computer umpires have come to the majors. A Black man who was arrested in Hollywood after his white neighbor called 911 on her white boyfriend, is on a mission to get the body-worn camera footage of the controversial encounter released. https://youtu.be/3UYCKEA1Wqs A statement from Buckingham Palace expressing concern about Oprah Winfrey‘s bombshell interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may have been light on words, but the optics behind the shameless subsequent public relations push by the Royal Family speaks volumes. In what sure seems like an effort to combat allegations of racism, high-profile members of the Royal Family — and Markle’s in-laws — have scrambled to be seen in public with Black people in recent days. Doing so follows a familiar script for anybody accused of being anti-Black and is tantamount to the oft-repeated tone-deaf statement that “some of my best friends are Black.” The latest evidence of that strong possibility came Thursday when Prince William, Harry’s brother, addressed the controversy in public for the first time. While visiting a London school — described on its website as an institution “for children from all backgrounds”– William resorted to a “racist bone“-esque tactic and denied the existence of any racism in his family. Military leaders, veterans and veterans groups are railing against Fox News host Tucker Carlson after he attacked the notion of pregnant women serving in the armed forces. Carlson called women in “maternity flight suits” a mockery of the U.S. military, and made a transphobic jab in his speech during a Tuesday night broadcast. His segment was in response to President Joe Biden’s acknowledgment that the military has tailored combat uniforms for women during his International Women’s Day remarks. https://youtu.be/c8jdJGJ3yzM Third-degree murder charges have been reinstated against the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill made the ruling Thursday morning and will be added to the second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter Derek Chauvin is already facing. The additional charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in prison and increases the likelihood of a conviction on at least one of the charges. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a suit against a former ice cream shop owner for falsely reporting Black Lives Matter protesters were threatening to shoot him, applying a new statue prompted by the “Central Park Karen” incident in May 2020. The suit accuses David Elmendorf, the previous owner of Bumpy’s Polar Freeze in Schenectady, New York, of using racial motivation to file a false report against demonstrators who gathered in front of his store on June 30, 2020, The Daily Mail reports. The suit also claims Elmendorf issued threats, and brandished a rifle and a baton. “The charges against David Elmendorf should serve as a warning that hate crimes will not be tolerated on my watch and we will not allow any individual to use the color of someone’s skin as a weapon,” James said while announcing the lawsuit. Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Rowland, best known as a member of Destiny’s Child, credits her faith in God with carrying her through the highs and lows in life. Rowland was featured on the latest episode of “Good Words with Kirk Franklin,” where she shared her journey of growing up in Houston, Texas, as a young girl filled with dreams to of success with Destiny’s Child and now as a solo artist and mother. “I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, I believe in faith more than I do religion,” she declared. Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino, Emmy Award-winner Peter Coyote and “God’s Not Dead” actor Kevin Sorbo are the stars of the new faith-based film “The Girl Who Believes in Miracles,” which highlights the miracle-working power of God. “The Girl Who Believes in Miracles” was created by 98-year-old Laurence Jaffe, who decided to start a new career as a filmmaker much later in life. https://youtu.be/aH6b6P18D34 “The Color Purple” turned into Grammy, Tony and Emmy gold for Cynthia Erivo. The performer’s brilliant performance in the Broadway revival won her the 2016 Tony for best actress in a musical. She performed songs from the play on the “Today” show, earning the Daytime Emmy for outstanding music performance in a daytime program. And the show’s soundtrack won best musical theater album at the 2017 Grammys. “I guess I didn’t expect to be this close this soon,” Erivo told The Associated Press of her almost-EGOT status. “I’m just going to keep working. If it happens, it happens. It’s not the thing I’m chasing. I’m chasing good work, good projects and good stories. Hopefully that’s what ends up happening as a result of those things.” Model Beverly Peele says she had a hard time bonding with her son after allegedly being sexually assaulted by his father, former fashion executive Peter Nygard. In December, the Canadian designer was arrested after he was indicted in the United States for allegedly using his fashion business to conceal sex trafficking and other illegal activity, federal prosecutors allege, per CNN. https://twitter.com/i/status/1369411105857093637 OWN announced today it has ordered the series “The Kings of Napa,” a new drama from acclaimed showrunner/writer/producer Janine Sherman Barrois (“Claws,” “Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”), who will serve as executive producer along with Michelle Listenbee Brown (“Love Is__,” “Real Husbands of Hollywood”) and Oprah Winfrey. The series was created by Sherman Barrois under her exclusive multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television to develop and produce new series. Academy Award-winning director Matthew A. Cherry (“Hair Love”) is set to direct the first two episodes. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are no longer speaking to each other weeks after their divorce filing. Kanye West reportedly changed his phone numbers and told his estranged wife that she is only able to contact him through his security. However, a source close to the couple said that West stopped speaking to her before the divorce was filed and despite that, the two are still co-parenting, according to Page Six. “Despite this, she trusts him around the kids. He loves them and is seeing a lot of them. She leaves the house and he arrives and hangs out with the kids. They have an army of nannies so the transition is easy.” The rapper also requested that Kim is not present during his visits to see their four children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. However, a nanny is always present when Kim is not home with the children and she trusts Kanye around them. Duke arrived at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament hoping to make an unprecedented run to extend its long NCAA Tournament streak. Instead, the Blue Devils abruptly had to pull out of the tournament and end its season due to a positive COVID-19 test and the resulting quarantining and contact tracing. The ACC announced that the Blue Devils’ quarterfinal game against No. 15 Florida State for Thursday night has been canceled. And athletics director Kevin White said Duke’s season is over, ending the Blue Devils’ streak of 24 consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996. After playing 15 seasons in Madison Square Garden as the dominant anchor of the New York Knicks, Patrick Ewing was beside himself Thursday in his return to the venue after security repeatedly demanded that he show ID to move around the building. Ewing was back in the Garden as Georgetown’s head men’s basketball coach. Fresh from his team’s upset win over top-seeded Villanova in the Big East Tournament, Ewing brought up the security drama at his post-game press conference. https://youtu.be/0e3KaSNVAws Imagine creating a work environment where every member of the family is gainfully employed. It’s also profitable enough to be the sole source of income — and don’t have to leave your house. For Rita and Mirthell Mitchell, that’s a dream come true. The couple built a brand based on their four kids. Now, Shalom, Sinead, Sade (Shasha) and Shiloh are brand ambassadors and content creators. Better known to the YouTube world as “The Onyx Family,” they have created a huge following. https://youtu.be/TUQc1Fai4wU It's been one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 was, as feared, a pandemic. I remember the teachers sending videos of them sitting in the empty classrooms reading books and singing songs in order to retain a connection with their students and continue their education from afar. June, during a virtual graduation ceremony, people cheered from their couch as teachers deemed students to become successful despite a pandemic. In the midst of the pandemic — which was disproportionately killing Black and brown Americans — news of the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (along with too many others) ignited a global protest movement that engulfed the news media. The streets were filled with Black people who had reached their limits from L.A. to Berlin to Rio de Janeiro. The Manhattan Bridge nearly resembled the Edmund Pettus Bridge during 1963’s Bloody Sunday as the NYPD surrounded protestors this summer. Scenes like this took place all over the country. It maybe safe to say that nothing will be the same. James Fortune releases new music to radio this week. It's the 3rd single from the chart topping "Dream Again" release. The single features noted vocalist Isaac Carree. Its a message of faith, hope, and optimism.. which is much needed during this time. It emphasizes putting one's faith and hope in God no matter what and reminding them that "It's Gonna Happen." The Gospel Spotlight's James Fortune and "It's Gonna Happen." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0x0yptfehl3cqir/AAAWXEfVkfcGo3bqDcAdyxWCa?dl=0 Country stars Mickey Guyton and Keith Urban are taking over as hosts for the Academy of Country Music Awards in April. With the announcement on Thursday by the ACM, dick clark productions and CBS, Guyton will make history as the first Black woman to host the country awards show. The show will air on CBS on April 18 from three Nashville music venues. Guyton is also performing at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, where she will sing her nominated single, “Black Like Me,” which is nominated for best country solo performance. She is also the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category. In a way, Lovato’s home represents her last three years. As Dancing With the Devil—out March 23—shows, the singer has mindfully deconstructed the systems in her life that weren’t working and rebuilt them. “I am now making choices—for the day, and then the future—about what it is I want and what’s going to make me the happiest,” she explains over Zoom. Reaching this place of total independence took time. The work started in 2018, after Lovato suffered an overdose, was hospitalized, and reentered treatment for her well-documented substance-abuse and eating-disorder issues. She’d been sober for six years, first seeking treatment in 2010, when most knew her from Disney Channel’s Camp Rock and Sonny With a Chance. As the years went on, Lovato found herself growing increasingly unhappy, which led to a relapse, then an overdose. She almost died. A new report finds African-Americans stand out from other demographics as the most concerned about the ongoing pandemic. A comprehensive new survey by Pew Research Center reveals 81 percent of Blacks say the COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health threat. Nearly half (49%) believe the virus is a legitimate threat to their personal health as well. These are higher rates than the other three demographics in the poll (Whites, Hispanics, and Asians). For comparison’s sake, only 57 percent and 26 percent of Caucasians in the Pew research have the same levels of concern, respectively. A total of 10,121 U.S. adults took part in this project, with 911 of those respondents being Black. Goldman Sachs is set to invest $10 billion in an initiative called “One Million Black Women.” CEO David Solomon tells Essence in an exclusive that the OMBW initiative will support Black women over the next 10 years through healthcare, jobs, and education. https://youtu.be/vxAo-dW71JI Christian comedian Thor Ramsey loves the Church. In fact, he’s spent much of his career poking fun at the stereotypes people have about Christians and the Church while still pointing people to the truth found in the Gospel. “You can only satirize something you love, and we love the Church,” he said in an interview with The Christian Post. “We love the Church because we love Jesus.” But over the years, he began noticing a disturbing trend among the Body of Christ: Churches, many of them large, were increasingly relying on gimmicks — and not the Gospel — to bring people to Christ. The NBA has fined Meyers Leonard $50,000, the maximum allowed by league policy, and suspended him from using all Miami Heat facilities and activities for one week in response to his use of an anti-Semitic term. Commissioner Adam Silver, in announcing those sanctions, also said that he believes Leonard “is genuinely remorseful” for using the slur. “Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,” Silver said. Leonard will also be required by the league to participate in a cultural diversity program. He has already met with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish organization that works to stop extremism and delivers anti-bias education. Author and speaker Jordan Peterson choked up in tears as he spoke about Jesus Christ in a recent podcast, leading some of his Christian fans to pray for his faith journey. In a March 1 episode of his podcast, the Canadian thought leader spoke with Jonathan Pageau, an icon carver and the editor of Orthodox Arts Journal, about a variety of philosophical and spiritual themes, including the conscience and Judeo-Christian narrative. https://youtu.be/2rAqVmZwqZM WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Amber breaking it off with her lady-love Puppy. https://youtu.be/nGS2eXDG1vU Hansel Enmanuel, a 16-year-old who lost his left arm in an accident at age 6, is going viral thanks to his eye-popping basketball highlight videos. The high schooler can be seen throwing down dunks, shooting threes, dishing assists, and running the floor with show-stopping prowess. During the Orlando Winter ShowDown tournament in Kissimmee, Florida, he dazzled virtual crowds at the three-game tournament, averaging 25 points and 11 rebounds. https://youtu.be/sXKcwQDa0p4 The season finale of TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, March 15 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, David Quinn and Vince Velazquez tap into their skills as veteran detectives when they get a call to a familiar side of town. When they arrive, they find 49-year old Renee Hutchinson strangled to death with signs of sexual abuse. The killer even attempted to destroy evidence by giving the victim a "bleach bath." Hutchinson's adult daughter provides the name of a few male suspects, but the detectives' investigation leads them down a shocking path. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fslHsTu_83s&feature=youtu.be Today, the NAACP revealed that legendary entertainer, film icon and two-time Image Award recipient Eddie Murphy will be inducted into the acclaimed NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame during this year’s ceremony. Additionally announced, Image Award Outstanding Female Artist nominee Jazmine Sullivan will perform--along with Grammy Award-winning singer Maxwell, who will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his debut album Urban Hang Suite--during the 52nd NAACP Image Awards airing LIVE on BET and simulcast across ViacomCBS Networks including CBS, BET Her, VH1, MTV, MTV2, and LOGO on Saturday, March 27th, 2021 at 8/7c. Presenters for the LIVE show include Alicia Keys, Andra Day, Arsenio Hall, Cynthia Erivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Obama, Misty Copeland, Regina King, Samuel L. Jackson, the cast of Tyler Perry's Sistas, Swizz Beatz, and Tracy Morgan. The non-televised award categories will be announced virtually March 22-26. Presenters include the cast of BET's Bigger (Tanisha Long, Angell Conwell, Rasheda Crockett, Tristen J. Winger, and Chase Anthony,) CeCe Winans, Damson Idris, Daymond John, Javicia Leslie, JB Smoove, Leslie Jones, Madalen Mills, MAJOR., Marcus Scribner, Method Man, Nicole Beharie, Retta, Reno Wilson, Susan Kelechi Watson, Tamar Braxton and Terrence Terrell. According to The Washington Post, Kenneth Hubert, a 63-year-old white man who self-describes as a “right-wing nutjob,” was recently charged with threatening to assault and murder Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a Black lawmaker from Missouri, and Rep. Steve Cohen, a Jewish lawmaker from Tennessee. Hubert was also charged with using interstate communication to make a threat and pleaded not guilty. On Monday a judge ruled that because of his violent history threatening lawmakers, he will remain in custody. His trial will begin in May. Hubert is accused of leaving a voicemail on Cleaver’s office phone in Missouri, calling him the n-word and advocated for his lynching. The call took place on Jan. 7, one day after the Capitol attack. At least one person was reportedly killed Wednesday as police responded with deadly force during ongoing protests against mounting student debt in South Africa. Photos and video circulating across social media showed violent scenes in the Braamfontein central business district of Johannesburg that included police dressed in riot gear firing rubber bullets at peaceful protesters calling for the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) to rescind its policy mandating students settle all debts before being allowed to register. selection in the Derek Chauvin murder trial resumed Wednesday morning, but not before the prosecution and defense attorneys debated a series of motions that were introduced. One of them centered on the so-called “spark of life” doctrine ahead of the anticipated reference to George Floyd‘s prior drug use during the trial. Chauvin’s defense attorneys are expected to claim Floyd’s drug use played a larger role in his death than the former Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck while he was handcuffed for about nine minutes. The Washington Post reported that Floyd “spent years using street drugs” and an autopsy found he “had a large amount of fentanyl, a small amount of methamphetamine and THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — in his blood” at the time of his death. However, the Hennepin County medical examiner determined that Floyd’s cause of death was “homicide” due to “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” which is consistent with what Chauvin was shown doing on the widely seen video from the fateful day. The lawyer representing at least a dozen women who have accused rapper T.I. and his wife Tiny of sexual assault is allegedly prepping a story with the National Enquirer. According to thejasminebrand.com, the details of the story are scarce, but attorney Tyrone Blackburn intends to provide a “spin story that refuses to identify any of the alleged victims,” a source tells the outlet. The source adds, “Blackburn repeatedly refusing to name the so-called “victims” he represents, you have to wonder what he is hiding from the public.” The couple’s attorney, Steve Sadow, tells thejasminebrand.com exclusively: “The Harrisses continue to deny in the strongest possible terms these scurrilous and unsubstantiated accusations. We await lawyer Blackburn exposing his anonymous accusers to the light of day by revealing their names. Only then will we be in a position to confront their allegations with true facts.” https://youtu.be/Wvfa7tR4NPk Former President Donald Trump is urging former NFLer Herschel Walker to run for the United States Senate in Georgia. “Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia?” Trump said in a press release. “He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL. He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!” https://youtu.be/wLzg6iGhzVY An Arkansas elementary school teacher has been put on leave after making a Black kindergarten student unclog a toilet full of feces with his bare hands. Karla Lasiter works for Crystal Hill Elementary School located in North Little Rock. The 5-year-old boy’s mother, Ashley Murry, is calling for her termination over the incident. In a statement, the district said, “Employees across the district work hard every day to create an environment where students feel safe and protected. As is district policy, we cannot disclose information in regards to disciplinary personnel matters.” Stacey Dash is sorry for the way she’s backed Donald Trump during his presidency, and for her inflammatory rhetoric on conservative platform Fox News. The 52-year-old former actress made the whiplash 180 in an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV. The woman who raised eyebrows for backing Trump’s statement after the 2017 Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally in Virginia that there were “very fine people on both sides,” for defending Trump’s claim that Mexican immigrants were drug traffickers, rapists and criminals and calling for an end to celebrating Black History Month, has apologized for the comments, and now has the nerve to blame her “arrogant pride and anger” on Fox News typecasting her as the “angry conservative black woman.” The Short-form video-sharing app Triller has acquired Verzuz, the virtual music-competition program created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Per Rolling Stone, the acquisition ends a recent partnership between the beat-battle project and Apple Music. “This is a momentous occasion not only for Verzuz and Triller but the music business as a whole,” Swizz Beatz and Timbaland said in a joint statement. “By putting Verzuz in the Triller Network ecosystem and expanding the Verzuz brand to be side by side with the powerful Triller app, we will be able to continue to grow and evolve the music business as a whole, as we have been doing. To have partners in Triller who share our vision, specifically to celebrate and elevate the amazing artists who continue to shape culture around the world and give the consumer more direct access, is game changing.” https://youtu.be/R1AZW5Bm8zE OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that “Our OWN Easter,” a one- hour gospel music special celebrating the glory of the Resurrection will premiere on the network Tuesday, March 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT following the critically-acclaimed drama series, “Queen Sugar.” The spiritual celebration will be hosted by gospel royalty and GRAMMY Award winner BeBe Winans and his talented multi-hyphenated niece Deborah Joy Winans who starred as Charity Greenleaf in the hit OWN series “Greenleaf” for five seasons. It will feature powerful, uplifting, and iconic performances by such artists as Fantasia, CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Anthony Hamilton and The Hamiltones, Ledisi, Travis Greene, Osby Berry, Jonathan McReynolds, with appearances by Cedric the Entertainer, Michelle Williams and others. Viewers will also experience inspiring spoken word from prominent faith leaders Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Pastor William Murphy and Priscilla Shirer. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Michael Regan to be the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), becoming the first Black person to lead that federal agency. Regan was nominated for the position by then-President-Elect Joe Biden in December to confront the hodgepodge of environmental issues left behind by Donald Trump and his administration that he is uniquely qualified to handle from Day 1. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rep. Marcia Fudge in a 66-34 vote as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday, making her the the second Black woman to hold the office and the first in decades. Fudge follows in the footsteps of Patricia Harris who was appointed HUD Secretary under President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Marshall A. Latimore, editor-in-chief and chief content officer of The Atlanta Voice, was found dead in Atlanta on Wednesday. He was 36. Atlanta police are investigating and a Fulton County medical examiner will determine the cause of death, according to Journal-isms. The Atlanta Voice’s official Twitter account confirmed the news Wednesday evening as his supporters shared their personal memories on social media. Tamika Palmer reserves most of her energies in advocating for her daughter Breonna Taylor behind the scenes fighting for justice. The heaviness she’s endured over the last year is palpable, but in the streets marching with community members who fiercely advocate and support her daughter is where she seems to draw strength. Palmer sat down with TODAY’s Blayne Alexander on Wednesday, where she talked about how her life propelled forward after joining the unfortunate club of Black mothers who lost their children to police violence. “I don’t even know the difference in the days anymore,” Palmer told Alexander. Adele will share custody of her 8-year-old son and won’t be paying child support to her now-ex-husband Simon Konecki, according to divorce documents obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The couple separated in August of 2019, and Adele filed for divorce the following month. A Los Angeles judge finalized the divorce last week. According to the documents, the 32-year-old Adele and the 46-year-old Konecki used mediation to amicably reach the terms of the split. Both waived the right to seek spousal support, and both agreed to joint legal and physical custody of son Angelo, who was born in 2012. The papers say they will seek to resolve any issues without litigation. LaMarcus Aldridge has played his final game for the San Antonio Spurs, with coach Gregg Popovich announcing Wednesday night that the team and the seven-time All-Star have mutually agreed to seek opportunities for him elsewhere. The Spurs will try to trade Aldridge before the March 25 deadline. If no trades are worked out, the team could simply buy Aldridge out and let him sign elsewhere as a free agent. “LaMarcus is not with the team,” Popovich said before the Spurs played the Dallas Mavericks. “He’s healthy, in that respect, but we’ve mutually agreed to work out some opportunities for him and that’ll be elsewhere. So, he won’t be with the team moving forward.” Stephen A. Smith’s new production venture Mr. SAS Productions, which currently produces Stephen A’s World and co-produces Why Not Us? for ESPN+, has struck a deal for its next big project — a premium documentary series celebrating and highlighting the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in American Society. The series will be produced in partnership with Propagate, the production company behind Hulu’s Hillary, and Confluential Films, the production company behind Black Love on OWN. Judas and the Black Messiah” was named the year’s Best Film today by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the world’s largest group of Black film critics. In addition to Best Picture, the film also earned two additional awards for Best Actor for Daniel Kaluuya and Best Supporting Actress for Dominique Fishback. Best Director: Regina King, One Night In Miami (Amazon Studios), Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix), Best Actress: Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu),Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.) https://youtu.be/sSjtGqRXQ9Y This week’s episode of WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” season finale finds Da Brat feeling less than impressed with Ree after she records her vocals for their new song from the comforts of her home. https://youtu.be/ZJrlNFUpXTQ The company owned by Christian financial guru and radio show host Dave Ramsey has lost one of its best-known personalities. Chris Hogan, once viewed as a successor to Ramsey, announced in a video on Wednesday (March 10) that he was no longer with the company. “Recently, it’s come to light that I’ve done some things personally that are not in line with Ramsey Solutions and as a result, I’m no longer a team member at Ramsey,” Hogan said in the brief video. “I’m sorry for the harm that this has caused.” The company said it was “deeply disappointed” in what it called Hogan’s “recent admissions.” A nun went down on her knees in front of policemen in a northern Myanmar town and pleaded with them to stop shooting protesters agitating against last month’s coup. Ultimately, however, she did not succeed. Video showed Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng in a white robe and black habit kneeling on a street in the town of Myitkyina on Monday, speaking to two policemen who were also kneeling. https://youtu.be/E-AkP9VvrFk As young people across the country struggle with both their mental and spiritual health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the leader of a national Christian youth conference felt God calling him to hold events across the nation — free of charge. Kingdom Youth Conferences, a youth event designed to impact students and leaders and inspire them to live out their faith, will bring its conference to Texas, Arizona, Florida and Colorado, beginning this month through April. “Kids need a sense of hope right now,” Ryan Edberg, Kingdom Youth Conferences co-founder, told The Christian Post. “I think that there’s a season of revival coming in the church, and I think it’s coming through the youth.” Lexi Underwood, breakout star of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, is set to portray Malia Obama opposite Viola Davis’ Michelle Obama and O-T Fagbenle’s Barack Obama in Showtime’s anthology series The First Lady, headlined by Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson. Davis executive produces the series, directed and executive produced by Susanne Bier and produced by Lionsgate TV and Showtime. The First Lady, created by Aaron Cooley, is a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Season 1 focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt (Anderson), Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Davis) Underwood will recur as Malia Obama, Barack (Fagbenle) and Michelle Obama (Davis)’s oldest daughter, whose open mind and intelligence pushes her parents to make socially conscious decisions. Prince Charles appeared to respond to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell Oprah interview by using Black healthcare workers for a PR stunt. During the Oprah interview, which aired Sunday night on CBS, Markle revealed that her son was denied a royal title and protection — and that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” “They didn’t want him to be a prince . . . which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security,” she told Winfrey, noting that senior members of the royal family worried her child might be born too dark and that would be a bad look for the royal family. https://www.instagram.com/clarencehouse/?utm_source=ig_embed On Wednesday (03-10-21), The Democrat-led House of Representatives approved a $1.9 trillion relief package, which will deliver President Joe Biden his first legislative achievement. The bill, otherwise known as the American Rescue Plan, passed with not one Republican vote. On the other hand Maine Rep. Jared Golden was the only Democrat to vote no. https://youtu.be/3EcyL9tu3Ys Netflix has announced the cast for its upcoming “Lost Ollie” limited series, with Jonathan Groff, Mary J. Blige, Tim Blake Nelson, Gina Rodriguez, Jake Johnson and Kesler Talbot lending their voices to the characters. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwDJoWJXAAwFHqc?format=jpg&name=small Today, BET announced the greenlight of “TWENTIES THE AFTER SHOW” hosted by B. Scott, for season two of the critically acclaimed hit-series “TWENTIES,” from the creator, writer, and Executive Producer Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad Productions. The GLAAD Media Award-nominated series will continue to, as hailed by Deadline, ‘redefine the queer Black narrative’ with a new companion conversation show. The half-hour series will touch on key themes explored in each week’s episode and highlight an esteemed roster of Black LGBTQ+ voices that haven’t always been given a platform to share their personal experiences. After being ousted from hosting “Good Morning Britain” due to his unhealthy obsession with Meghan Markle, Piers Morgan appears to have no regrets about his scathing commentary about the former actress. Morgan took to Twitter on Tuesday hours after exiting the morning show, writing “Thinking of my late, great manager John Ferriter tonight. He’d have told me to do exactly the same thing. @GMB #TrustYourGut,” he tweeted alongside a photo of the pair together. https://youtu.be/sG9rX6Ifzhw If anyone thought there would be some type of racial reckoning to suddenly come over the British tabloid press following Oprah Winfrey‘s bombshell interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, it’s time to think again. On the contrary, there is no evidence of contrition, as shown by at least two high-profile instances of white male journalists defending their past media treatment of the now-former royal couple who explained they fled Buckingham Palace and Britain in part because of the racism they experienced at the hands of the press. The racist media treatment in the UK pounced in 2016 when they first found out Harry was romantically involved with Markle, who is biracial with a Black mother. The British press hasn’t let up since. Following Meghan and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday, Beyoncé praised the Duchess of Sussex for her “courage and leadership.” “Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership,” the singer captioned a photo of the royal couple on her website. n Monday, Serena Williams also defended Meghan on social media. “Meghan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life – and leads by example – with empathy and compassion. She teaches me every day what is means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced,” Williams wrote, adding that she knows “first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us.” The first jurors were selected on Tuesday for the murder trial of a former police officer accused of killing George Floyd. The lawyers for Derek Chauvin moved to select the second potential juror they questioned. The trial is being live-streamed online, allowing viewers to see the proceedings. The first juror who was selected identified himself as a chemist who lives in Minneapolis and said he has not seen the video of Chauvin appearing to apply deadly pressure to the neck of Floyd, who was handcuffed and face down on a street’s hot pavement on May 25. Among the line of questioning extended to the first juror who was selected was how he feels about the Black Lives Matter movement. The juror responded in kind with conflicting messages. “I don’t love the Black Lives Matter organization, but I support the movement,” he said. But then he followed that up by explaining that he was aware of what “Blue Lives Matter” stood for and said he thinks that “all lives matter,” a phrase that undermines his initial assertion that he supports the Black Lives Matter movement. When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver temporarily shutdown the 2019-20 season March 11 after Utah center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 before the Jazz played the Thunder, Chris Paul shifted into overdrive in Oklahoma City. Chris Paul relives that day. https://www.azcentral.com/videos/sports/nba/suns/2021/03/06/chris-paul-coaches-relive-nba-suspending-2019-20-season-march-11/4610607001/ Michelle Obama is opening up to PEOPLE about her life this past year and what’s next. “These have been challenging times. Many people have struggled: jobs lost, people going hungry,” she said. “We’ve learned to count our blessings, the importance of health and family.” The 57-year-old former first lady also admits she’s ready for retirement. “I’ve been telling my daughters I’m moving toward retirement right now, [selectively] picking projects and chasing summer,” the former First Lady told People. “Barack and I never want to experience winter again. We’re building the foundation for somebody else to continue the work so we can retire and be with each other—and Barack can golf too much, and I can tease him about golfing too much because he’s got nothing else to do.” A Plano, Texas, mother is rallying her community for support after she claims her son was subjugated to extreme bullying during a sleepover with white classmates last month. Summer Smith told CBSDFW that her son SeMarion Humphrey, 13, has sustained repeated instances of bullying while attending Haggard Middle School. Despite her attempts to protect her son by reporting the abuse to school administrators for months, nothing has been done, Smith claims. Smith said the bullying became even more violent when her son was fooled into attending a sleepover at a classmates home. She says she believes that her son was befriended by a classmate a month prior to the sleepover as part of a planned effort to orchestrate the incident. “It was premeditated and it was obvious that SeMarion was only invited for their pure entertainment,” Smith said during a news conference on Friday. “How horrible must you be. This is not a prank. This is beyond bullying. You are evil, they are evil,” Smith said during a Friday news conference. https://youtu.be/aJCapIIu6vA Tony Award Nominee, SAG and GRAMMY® Award winning actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) plays the gospel legend and civil rights trailblazer, Mahalia Jackson. Lifetime's highly anticipated gospel biopic Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, will premiere Saturday, April 3 at 8:00pm ET/PT. An impressive list of Broadway stars including Tony® nominee Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play), Jason Dirden (Fences), Olivia Washington (The Butler) and Rob Demery (Lovecraft Country) join the film which is directed by Tony® Award-winner Kenny Leon and stars Tony Award nominee, SAG and GRAMMY® Award winning actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) as the gospel legend and civil rights trailblazer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDyweW59FZk The former founder and CEO of one of the most popular pizza chains in America suggested he’s still bitter over his firing and has had serious difficulty removing an anti-Black racial slur from his everyday lexicon more than three years after he lost his job for using it. John Schnatter, who was fired from Papa John’s Pizza in July 2018 for using the N-word on a conference call a couple of months prior, recently said during an interview with a right-wing propaganda news outlet that it’s taken him nearly two years to keep the hateful epithet from his consciousness. He didn’t say if he was successful or not, though. Appearing on the One America News Network (OAN), Schnatter was asked how he felt about headlines around the time he was fired. Even though he used the word, Schnatter said he “couldn’t understand” the backlash and insisted he is not a racist. Noted and academic Cornel West has made good on his threat to leave Harvard University after he publicly called out the renowned Ivy League school for failing to give him tenure. West’s decision to leave Harvard was announced Monday on Twitter along with the publication of an interview with him by the Boycott Times, which describes itself in part as a “publication of global dissent.” West, who said he would be taking his talents to Union Theological Seminary in New York City, told interviewer Mordecai Lyon that he thought Harvard had taken him for granted. On Monday a Kentucky judge ruled that the charges brought against Kenneth Walker, Breonna Taylor‘s boyfriend, would be permanently dismissed. The charges, assault and attempted murder of an officer, were dismissed without prejudice, barring any attempt to charge him in connection to the night of March 13, 2020, when Taylor was shot by police inside of her home, the Louisville Courier Journal reports. Last year Walker’s life changed when members of the Louisville Metro Police Department stormed Taylor’s apartment, in search of drug paraphernalia. Walker maintains he thought an intruder had broken in when he fired, striking officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg. In the exchange, Taylor was struck several times and succumbed to her wounds. Police never recovered any drugs after attempting to conduct the search warrant in connection to an investigation around Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover. Georgia legislators voted Monday to eliminate a Civil War-era statute which would allow residents to arrest someone suspected of committing a crime. Eliminating the statute served as an integral moment in restorative justice after lawyers representing the killers of Ahmaud Arbery referenced the law as a reason to avoid pursuing charges. House Bill 479 passed in the House with a 173-0 vote and will head to the Senate, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. If the bill passes in the Senate, Georgia will become the first state to repeal the citizens arrest law. Police in Mesa, Calif. had to subdue and arrest the co-owner of Chef’s Shared Kitchen after he pulled a gun out on a Black couple during a meeting. Now the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime. https://youtu.be/djtyQ0Y8rWs To be sure, Meghan Markle‘s disclosure that the Royal Family was concerned about how “dark” her baby would be is sad, unfortunate, disgusting and, yes, very racist. Those reprehensible comments contributed to a desire to kill herself, she confessed to Oprah Winfrey in a widely-marketed primetime interview that aired Sunday night. Markle, alongside her husband, Prince Harry, explained to Winfrey in uncomfortable detail why they took steps to separate themselves from the Royal Kingdom. The Duchess of Sussex, who is biracial with a Black mother, said before she gave birth to her son Archie, the Royal Family had “concerns and conversations as how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” While much of the other topics discussed with Oprah — she and Harry were not adequately supported by the Royals; Prince Charles, Harry’s father, stopped taking his calls. Pastor Mike, Jr. celebrates his second number one radio designation for his latest single, "I Got It." Pastor Mike, Jr. took to social media to express heartfelt thanks to radio and his loyal fans. "I Got It" follows up on the success of his breakout hit, "BIG," which served as the lead single from his debut CD "Live Free." BIG spent nine consecutive weeks on the charts and was named the Top Gospel Airplay Song by both BDS and Mediabase. Pastor Mike, Jr. took home two Stellar Awards and performed for the Stellar Awards Telecast as well as the Dove Awards. The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott have agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract, including $126 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal, which is technically for six years but voids to four so as to help Dallas against the salary cap, can be worth up to $164 million, a source said. Prescott’s signing bonus is $66 million, the highest in NFL history, with $75 million due in year one, Schefter reported. The first three years of the deal average $42 million per year, according to a source. Gonzaga’s bid to go wire-to-wire No. 1 is in its final week. The Zags received 61 of 63 first-place votes from a media panel in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday as they attempt to become the first wire-to-wire No. 1 since Kentucky in 2014-15. Baylor had two first-place votes and moved back into the No. 2 slot after dropping a spot last week. Illinois, Michigan and Iowa rounded out the top 5. No. 8 Arkansas is in the top 10 for the first time since reaching No. 1 in 1994-95. Valencia Love, the businesswoman who posted the $100,000 bond for R. Kelly following his arrest on various sex crimes, and later demanded her money back, is now speaking out about why she helped the disgraced R&B singer. As reported by Cheat Sheet, Love said she met Kelly while the two were attending the same high school, and remained in contact on and off over the years. Love said she did not volunteer to bail him out, but was asked to do so by several of Kelly’s associates who did not immediately have access to $100,000 in cash. Kelly promised her 10% interest and she opted to take the offer. “I’m a businesswoman, so when they said to me, ‘Hey, Rob needs your help. Do you think that you can bail him out? He’ll give you 10% of your money back,’” Love said. “I’m making $10,000 off of loaning my money out? Sure.” Eddie Murphy’s “Coming 2 America” was the most-watched streaming film on Amazon Prime during its first week of release. Per TheWrap, the feature comedy “has received mixed reviews since its release, receiving a 52% critics score and 48% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes,” the outlet writes. The sequel to the ’80s comedy topped “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run,” which premiered on the new Paramount+ streaming service. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) caught major heat in the weeks leading up to the Golden Globes last month after it was revealed that there are zero Black voters among the organization’s 87-strong membership. The failure to diversify the organization is clearly the reason why Black-led projects received snubs for this year’s Golden Globes. After a Los Angeles Times investigation exposed a lack of Black HFPA voters several Hollywood A-listers responded on social media, with Ava Duvernay noting that this has been “widely known” for years. The report also alleged that the HFPA voted not to hire a diversity consultant. https://youtu.be/bizgPxbQJAw The New York Times spoke to Black Britons after Prince Harry and Meghan’s television interview with Oprah Winfrey aired Sunday in America, and Monday in the UK. Based on video of the outlet’s interviews, it appears that the longstanding belief that racism played a role in the couple’s decision to leave the country was reaffirmed. Karen Louise, a British photographer, noted the negative slant that tabloids gave Markle, while giving Prince William’s wife Kate Middleton a positive spin on the same subject matter. She cited the “baby bump” example, where one tabloid gushed over Middleton cradling her growing belly, but complained about Markle rubbing hers. https://nyti.ms/3va2500 Piers Morgan stormed off the set of “Good Morning Britain” Tuesday after as co-host/weatherman Alex Beresford, who is biracial, called his trashing of Meghan Markle “diabolical” and based solely on his hurt feelings because she cut him off after one date. Beresford said Morgan has made it “perfectly clear” many times on the show that he doesn’t like Markle based on the fact that they went out for drinks on the same night that she later met Prince Harry at a party. Here’s Piers talking about Meghan “ghosting” him in 2018. https://youtu.be/OCBlbV0iO5g Piers Morgan and his co-anchor spoke to Thomas Markle about claims made by his daughter, Meghan, during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, and whether he was, as he claimed, accountable for his actions. https://youtu.be/ibYOEoBRbqs Here is this week’s episode of “Social Society,” in which Kendall Kyndall chats with celebrity hairstylist and star of the new makeover show “My Mane Problem,” Dr.Boogie. In the clip, Boogie shares the ins and outs of keeping natural hair gorgeous, healthy and flowing. https://youtu.be/FvbHaA237wY In partnership with Union Bank, LA Focus Charities is launching the virtual “We Got Your Back” townhall series on March 12. The FREE series of six town halls will focus on sharing vital information for women attempting to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The series kicks off on March 12—hosted by Myesha Chaney, author, entrepreneur, and first lady of Antioch Church of Long Beach— will focus on “Rethinking Small Business and Stepping Up Your Side Hustle. Guest panelists include actress/entrepreneur Wendy Raquel Robinson. MultiCare Inland Northwest Foundation will host a benefit concert, virtually, called Heart Strings for Hope, on March 9 at 6 PM PST. The virtual concert, which will be hosted by GRAMMY Award-nominee Bryan White, will raise funds to support MultiCare Behavioral Health Network programs and services in the Inland Northwest. With 22 musicians, the concert will feature performances from artists across multiple genres of music, headlined by three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Tim McGraw. McGraw will be joined by Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Mat Kearney, Matthew West, Jason Crabb, Matthew West and other notable performers. The Gospel spotlight's Kim Person's new single "Through It All." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXbEXPApbQQ&feature=youtu.be A federal judge in California has ruled that Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, can obtain the names of four Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who allegedly shared graphic photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, their daughter Gianna and seven others. An effort by Los Angeles County lawyers to keep the deputies’ names under seal was rejected Monday by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, the Los Angeles Times reported. The ruling means the names and details from an internal affairs investigation of the deputies could be added to Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit against the county and the Sheriff’s Department. The county, however, can appeal the decision. Queen Elizabeth II has broken her silence on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah. In a statement Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said Harry, Markle, and their son Archie will “always be much loved family members.” “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” says the statement. ”The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.” The US co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement is calling for a boycott of the Royal Family after Meghan Markle’s bombshell claims in her interview with Oprah Winfrey. Opal Tometi, 36, told TMZ she believed people should stop standing by the Palace after the Duchess of Sussex alleged one member of the family raised ‘concerns’ about Archie’s potential skin color when she was pregnant. Meghan told Oprah there were ‘concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born.’ Disney+ has quietly pulled Dumbo, Peter Pan, Swiss Family Robinson and The Aristocats off children’s profiles on its streaming service in what the company says is a bid to reconcile its history of using racist stereotypes and negative depictions in its films. The four films that have been pulled from the kids profiles still remain on adult profiles on Disney+ but now come with an advisory warning about the movies. As for the children’s movies getting the new warnings, in Dumbo, Disney notes the ‘crows and musical number’ as paying homage to racist minstrel shows. Minstrel shows, when white performers would dress in black face and make their appearance haggard, were used predominantly in the south as a means of pointing fun at enslaved and freed Black people. Politicians in Tennessee are advocating for Dolly Parton‘s rendition of “Amazing Grace” to become the state’s official hymn. Rep. Mike Sparks and Sen. Raumesh Akbari recently filed House Bill 938 petitioning for the move. The bill recognizes the hymn, written by John Newton in 1772, as one of the “songs of historic significance that have influenced this state,” and cites it as “one of the most celebrated songs in modern history.” For nearly three decades, Beth Moore has been the very model of a modern Southern Baptist. Now, because of her opposition to Trump and her outspokenness in confronting sexism and nationalism in the evangelical world, Moore has been labeled as “liberal” and “woke” and even as being a heretic for daring to give a message during a Sunday morning church service. Finally, Moore had had enough. In an interview Friday (March 5) she stated she is “no longer a Southern Baptist.” “I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists,” Moore said in the phone interview. “I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don’t identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven’t remained in the past.” Moore told RNS that she recently ended her longtime publishing partnership with Nashville-based LifeWay Christian. Pastor Robert Lee Hamilton Sr. had been saying to his family and his parishioners for the last five years that if Jesus didn’t come back first, he wanted to die while preaching at church on a Sunday morning. According to witnesses, after preaching what was described as an “eerie” sermon about being prepared for life after death Sunday, Hamilton sat down in his chair next to the pulpit, looked to heaven, suffered a massive heart attack, slumped to the ground, and died next to his pulpit. The minister was transported by emergency crews to a local hospital and pronounced dead just after 1 p.m. A former extra on HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” has gone viral after sharing photos of herself in ‘blackface’ after the make-up team darkened her complexion to match one of the cast members. Kelli Amirah released a TikTok video explaining how she was uncomfortable with the makeup team darkening her skin. Today, the official teaser video for Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming terror anthology series, “Them” debuted! From breakout creator Little Marvin and executive producer Lena Waithe, the new series premiering April 9th exclusively on Prime Video, explores terror in America. https://youtu.be/YULbffrh9aM Actor T.C. Stallings believes people will find themselves “lost without Scripture and prayer,” offering some simple, biblical steps that can be taken to help life move in the right direction. Stallings, whose new film “My Brother’s Keeper” releases on March 19, said in a recent episode of his “TCS Live” podcast that he’s certainly not perfect, but that he works diligently to keep one thing in line: his spiritual condition. The line, from the 1999 teen movie “10 Things I Hate About You,” was said by Gabrielle Union’s character Chastity to her friend Bianca, played by Larisa Oleynik. Twenty-one years later, Union delivers the line again in a recreation in a video shared on her Instagram. This time, ladies and gentlemen, the role of Bianca will be played by her step-daughter, Zaya Wade. https://youtu.be/F-1TCF9E9tA Candace Owens is launching a new talk show that she says will be a “space for conservatives to feel heard.” Her show, titled “Candace,” will debut March 19 on The Daily Wire. https://youtu.be/08TUjYITqZw Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer for the most weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday. Djokovic is in his 311th week in the top spot, one more than Federer has spent there. “Big day today,” Djokovic tweeted Monday. The 33-year-old from Serbia first reached No. 1 on July 4, 2011, a day after he won Wimbledon for the first time by beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final. Djokovic’s ascent represented the first time in nearly 7 1/2 years that a man other than Federer or Nadal was No. 1. Pharrell Williams’ new Miami hotel is now open for business and fans can book a room just in time for the summer. The singer/producer teamed up with hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman and developer Eric Birnbaum on The Goodtime hotel, located on Washington Avenue in Miami’s South Beach. https://www.instagram.com/pharrell/?utm_source=ig_embed The murder trial to hold Derek Chaiuvin accountable for the death of George Floyd opened Monday morning with jury selection, but that was quickly paused so that a judge could consider adding a new charge to the defendant. Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill will first decide whether Chauvin should be charged with an additional count of third-degree murder. The same charge was dropped in October on a legal technicality. For third-degree murder charges to stick, the law requires that someone cause the death of another person while committing an act inherently dangerous to others. A rare Kobe Bryant rookie card sold for $1.795 million at Goldin Auctions on Saturday, making it one of the most expensive basketball cards ever sold. The name of the buyer has not yet been revealed but the auction house noted that the card is one of two in the world. The “1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card — BGS PRISTINE/Black Label 10” was sold “at its level of perfection,” according to Goldin Auctions, per MSN. The 2021 NBA All-Star Game kicked off with a conversation between Vice President Kamala Harris and Michael B. Jordan, who discussed their love for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). “There are two things that led me to where I am at today,” said Harris, a graduate of Howard University. “My family and the HBCU I attended which was Howard University. I’m so happy that the NBA is celebrating our HBCUs.” https://youtu.be/AJEI8hB_VCs Thanks to a perfect 16-for-16 performance from the field — including multiple jump shots — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, as Team LeBron sailed to a 170-150 Win over Team Durant Sunday night in Atlanta. https://youtu.be/1jOdwR0xOy4 Highlights from All-star weekend. Steph Curry wins 3-Point Contest....https://youtu.be/QlyOZCQoS5U Highlights from All-star weekend.. NBA Slam Dunk Contest....https://youtu.be/a8Ng2btsXeI NBA star Joel Embiid is on a mission to combat homelessness. According to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cameroon native has pledged to make a huge donation to homeless shelters in the Philadelphia area. Embiid is donating $100,000 to Youth Service, Inc., Project HOME and Sunday Breakfast Mission. The three nonprofits are centered on providing immediate shelter, medical care and career and education resources for individuals experiencing housing insecurity. Through Embiid’s generous donation, 15,000 meals will be distributed to the homeless in Philadelphia, treatment will be provided for 1,000 people getting the COVID-19 vaccine, 4,000 clothing items will be given to homeless youth and adults and over 30 families who are homeless will be aligned with healthcare, employment and educational opportunities. Beyond those efforts, basic necessities and shelter will be provided for 300 homeless teenagers and a summer camp for underserved youth will be launched. Howard University is furthering its efforts to cultivate a new generation of leaders in the music industry and the institution will be able to do so with the help of a new grant. The HBCU recently received a $4.9 million endowment from the Warner Music Group-Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund. The gift will go towards the creation of the Howard University School of Business’ new music business center. The center will serve as the epicenter for all things music management and will offer certification programs, and executive-in-residence and internship opportunities. The center will also host an array of candid discussions with music executives to teach students about the ins and outs of pursuing a career in the music industry. The Royal Family was left reeling this morning after Meghan Markle tearfully revealed that the stress of royal life made her suicidal when she was five months pregnant, claimed Archie was denied the title of prince because he is mixed-race and said Kate Middleton made her cry before she married Harry in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. The couple also chose to reveal that they are having a baby girl to the tens of millions of people watching the CBS show broadcast in the US before accusing the Royal Family of racism and revealing the deep rift ‘Megxit’ has caused with Prince Charles and Prince William. Good Morning Britain” host Piers Morgan said Meghan Markle needs an Oscar nomination for her interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired Sunday, as he accused the Duchess of Sussex of lying about the hostility and racism she and Prince Harry faced from the palace, and questioned her claims of wanting to kill herself at one point. “They’ve trashed [Harry’s] dad, they’ve trashed his brother, they’ve trashed his sister-in-law. They’ve trashed everything the Queen has worked so hard for and we’re supposed to believe they’re compassionate?” Morgan said on his show Monday following the release of the full interview. https://twitter.com/i/status/1368831131764858881 Gabrielle Union revealed some of her darkest struggles over the past year in a frank talk about her mental health recently. The Bring It On star, 48, participated in Gwyneth Paltrow‘s In Goop Health virtual summit, which launched over the weekend. During their chat, Union opened up about experiencing suicidal ideation, along with hormonal issues related to a perimenopause diagnosis. ‘I’ve had so many rock bottom moments as an adult, starting with being raped at 19 at gunpoint at my job. It just felt like every so many years there was some major catastrophic event that was happening in my life,’ Gabrielle shared, as seen in E! News. Today is International Women’s Day, set aside to honor women everywhere. Denise Godwin of International Media Ministries says honoring women is something Christianity has done for thousands of years. “The early Church was known in their time as being people who affirmed and took care of women. In some early church research we were doing, a source was saying they believe Christianity went from a handful of people in Rome to millions of people in Constantine’s time not because it was the official religion, but because of the principles of protecting women.” Covid-19 is fueling a growing, hidden, “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence, abduction and trafficking, directed towards Christian women and girls around the world, according to Open Doors. This is one of the findings of a new report commissioned by the Christian persecution charity. The “Same Faith, Different Persecution: WWR 2021 GSRP (Gender-Specific Religious Persecution) Report”, published ahead of International Women’s Day, states: “The Covid-19 pandemic has made the vulnerable even more vulnerable. They face persecution and opposition in lockdown, from within their families and communities – hostile to their faith.” Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, in the midst of an outside review of its corporate culture and past handling of abuse allegations, has announced it will change its name. It also is calling for additional victims to come forward and report sexual abuse and harassment by its late world-famous founder. Last month’s investigative report confirmed allegations against the apologist dating back to 2004 and uncovered additional evidence of abuse continuing up until a few months before his death in May 2020. But while the investigation was conclusive, it was not comprehensive. Bill Maher clashed with radio presenter Charlamagne Tha God as the pair discussed sexual misconduct allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and President Biden. During Maher’s Real Time show on HBO Friday night, the panel discussed whether Cuomo needs to resign after he was accused by three women, including two who worked for the administration, of sexual harassment. Maher stated the he did not believe Cuomo needed to be the subject of an investigation into the allegations, which includes claims of inappropriate conversations and unwanted touching and kissing. Halle Bailey has defended her sister Chloe Bailey following disparaging comments by Beyonce’s dad Mathew Knowles. “How amazing is it that @ChloeBailey is already an icon,”wrote Halle on Twitter on March 7. “Just popped in to say that .. i ride for my sister till the enddd okayyyy.” Knowles was quite offended when he learned fans online often compare Chloe to his famous daughter. Chloe x Halle were signed to Bey’s Parkwood record label five years ago, with Beyonce also serving as their mentor. The 26th annual Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Taye Diggs, took place Sunday on a virtual and in-person stage with Nomadland and The Crown emerging as the big winners. The awards were noticeably more inclusive than the Golden Globes with its winners. Zendaya was honored with the SeeHer award, Daniel Kaluuya won for Best Supporting Actor in Judas and the Black Messiah. Michael K. Williams from Lovecraft Country and Uzo Aduba from Mrs. America took home awards for their supporting roles in a limited series or movie made for television. John Boyega received continued recognition for his role in Amazon’s Small Axe. Chadwick Boseman posthumously won for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and his wife Taylor Simone Ledward delivered another emotional acceptance speech. https://youtu.be/5DkmqXJcz54 Singer, songwriter, artist, and activist Mykal Kilgore has made history as the first openly gay, male artist to earn a nomination in the Grammy’s Best Traditional R&B category. Kilgore, an award-winning Broadway performer, received the nomination for his single, “Let Me Go”, which is the first release from his debut album, “A Man Born Black.” https://youtu.be/u6BpSBC8mFc Clinton Gardner and Nehemiah drops new song "All Things Well." https://www.dropbox.com/s/i5vh9q4pdog3mmv/CG_AllThingsWell_JRVmix2_Master1_mp3.mp3?dl=0 The Oprah interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has ViacomCBS’ stock soaring to a new high on Monday. ViacomCBS stock ended the trading day with a price of $83.66 a share, an increase of 12.7% from the morning and a new record high for the less than two-year-old company. The two-hour interview drew more than 17 million viewers. The bottom line is that those numbers are closer to what regular season NFL games pull in than pretty much everything else on broadcast TV (it was more than triple than what NBC drew for the Golden Globes in that same time slot a week ago. Michelle Obama shared an empowering message on Sunday to celebrate the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The former first lady revealed that the phrase “You Are America,” will be written in various languages and added to the exterior of the building. “Growing up on the South Side, it was easy to feel removed from the corridors of power—in Washington or even at City Hall,” Obama wrote in a post on social media. “Today, we unveil the words that will appear on the exterior of the Obama Presidential Center as a reminder that we stand on the shoulders of those who marched in Selma and all those who came before us and that the task of progress is now in our hands.” Obama continued, “That’s why Barack and I started the @ObamaFoundation—to provide inspiration and support to young leaders looking to make change. My hope is when young folks from my old neighborhood look up and see the words ‘You Are America,’ they never question whether they belong or whether they have the power to shape this country’s future.” One of Howard County, Maryland’s first COVID-19 cases, Theirrien “Tee” Clark, has received an honorary Doctor’s White Coat from John Hopkins Hospital for his miraculous recovery after a 46-day hospitalization. The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for medical students and was created by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993. During the ceremony, a white coat is placed on each student’s shoulders and often the Hippocratic Oath is recited, signifying their entrance into the medical profession. One year after the couple’s battle with COVID-19, Marcy Myles-Clark is set to release her debut book, Praying Wife, Healed Husband, a riveting account of Marcy’s spiritual fight on behalf of her husband, Tee. Carla Wallenda, a member of “The Flying Wallendas” high-wire act and the last surviving child of the famed troupe’s founder, has died at the age of 85. Her son, Rick Wallenda, said on social media she died Saturday in Sarasota, Florida, of natural causes. She was the daughter of Karl Wallenda, who had founded the troupe in Germany before moving to the United States in 1928 to great acclaim. She was the aunt of aerialist Nik Wallenda. The Looney Tunes character Pepe Le Pew has been cut from the new “Space Jam” animated feature after New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow noted in a tweet that the cartoon French skunk “added to rape culture.” Blow wrote: “RW blogs are mad bc I said Pepe Le Pew added to rape culture. Let’s see. 1. He grabs/kisses a girl/stranger, repeatedly, w/o consent and against her will. 2. She struggles mightily to get away from him, but he won’t release her 3. He locks a door to prevent her from escaping.” It’s true … Penelope Pussycat was often in Pepe’s clutches. https://twitter.com/i/status/1368200161558663168 The shooting of Tupac Shakur on September 7, 1996, which led to his death six days later in Las Vegas, followed by the deadly gun assault on The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls) on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, shook the world of hip hop to its core. Over the past two decades, many stories have been written, televised, and widely circulated pertaining to the murders of the two hip hop icons. While there were speculations as to who killed both Tupac and Biggie Smalls, the murder cases have officially remained unsolved. However, on Tuesday, March 9, the 24th anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.’s murder, both crime scenes will be made available for people to view and evaluate on a new and different level, thanks to CrimeDoor. https://fox40.com/news/local-news/crimedoor-app-allows-users-to-experience-crime-scenes-through-augmented-reality/ March is starting off as a BIG month for social media maven TS Madison! Madison is making reality show history as the first Black trans woman to star in and is executive producer her own reality series: The TS Madison Experience, which premiered March 4 on WE tv. The TTSME reality show debuted in the top ten on Twitter. Congrats to Ts Madison and World of Wonder Productions. A monster brawl went down over the weekend at a Bath & Body Works store in Arizona’s Fashion Square Mall, and it all reportedly started over a woman who refused to social distance herself while in line. Things got physical between the customer and an employee, which prompted other employees to jump in and take the woman to the ground. Things escalated when another woman (Tube Top) intervened on the customer’s behalf. Suddenly it was all out war, as an employee attempted to subdue Tube Top, who was throwing blow after blow. https://youtu.be/7v50wEKFyVQ Tessica ‘Gorilla Glue Girl’ Brown has imposters trying to cash in on her fame. Most recently, per TMZ, “someone tried to capitalize on Tessica’s Gorilla Glue fame and misfortune by posting a GoFundMe page pretending to be her.” The clout chaser posted a medical bill for $186k hospital and was able to raise around $500, according to the report. GoFundMe tells TMZ it suspended the account. Tessica’s manager, Gina Rodriguez, says there are several fake Twitter and GoFundMe pages out there and she’s warning people not to donate to them. A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to qualify for awards that average more than $500,000. A hearing had been set for Thursday. The judge instead ordered the NFL and the lead lawyer in the overall $1 billion settlement to resolve the issue through mediation. That process would appear to exclude the Black players who sued. Activists who gathered virtually and in person to commemorate a pivotal day in the civil rights struggle that became known as Bloody Sunday called on people to continue the fight for voting rights as they also honored giants of the civil rights movement, including the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died last year. The Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee marks the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — the day on March 7, 1965, that civil rights marchers were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. Lewis, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the Rev. C.T. Vivian, and attorney Bruce Boynton were the late civil rights leaders honored on Sunday. The day became a turning point in the fight for voting rights. Footage of the beatings helped galvanize support for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. A new executive order from President Joe Biden directs federal agencies to take a series of steps to promote voting access, a move that comes as congressional Democrats press for a sweeping voting and elections bill to counter efforts to restrict voting access. His plan was announced during a recorded address on the 56th commemoration of “Bloody Sunday,” the 1965 incident in which some 600 civil rights activists were viciously beaten by state troopers as they tried to march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. “Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have it counted,” Biden said in his remarks to Sunday’s Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast before signing the order. “If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.” Biden’s order includes several modest provisions. It directs federal agencies to expand access to voter registration and election information, calls on the heads of agencies to come up with plans to give federal employees time off to vote or volunteer as nonpartisan poll workers, and pushes an overhaul of the government’s Vote.gov website. Royal staff ‘nicknamed Prince Harry “the Hostage” before his wedding’ to Meghan Markle, insiders have claimed. Sources also said the Duchess of Sussex was ‘constantly looking’ for drama despite the best efforts of Palace workers in the build up to the 2018 ceremony. The fallout spiralled out of control when the Duke of Sussex reportedly said: ‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets’. Prince Harry, 36, is reported to have been livid when a tiara Meghan wanted to wear for their marriage was not available for an unplanned hair appointment. The Queen is said to have weighed in when the Duke clashed with her closest aide Angela Kelly over the accessory. It comes as tension is mounting in the Palace ahead of the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday night. Longtime Assemblies of God pastors and ministry leaders Bill and Esther Ilnisky died March 1 from complications of COVID-19. Bill was 88, and Esther was 92; they died 15 minutes apart in the same hospital room. Together, they pastored the Lighthouse Christian Center (formerly Calvary Temple Assembly of God) in West Palm Beach, Florida, for many years. A 2003 Charisma magazine article featured the story of how Bill led his church to minister to African children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, a ministry that began with the Holy Spirit using a Newsweek article to birth in him a burden for these orphans. Taylor Swift, BTS, Cardi B and Billie Eilish are set to perform at next week’s Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy announced Sunday that Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa will also hit the stage at the March 14 event. The show will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS and Paramount+. The Grammys were originally supposed to take place on Jan. 31 but were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The academy said in a statement that “artists will be coming together, while still safely apart, to play music for each other as a community and celebrate the music that unites us all.” Lee Isaac Chung, the writer and director behind the Golden Globe Award-winning film “Minari,” says the Christian character in the film was a real person and significant figure in his life who taught his family what it means to love others. “Minari” is based on Chung’s own childhood in the 1980s as his South Korean family pursued the American dream in rural Arkansas. After growing cobwebs for nearly a year, movie theaters in New York City reopen Friday, returning film titles to Manhattan marquees that had for the last 12 months instead read messages like “Wear a mask” and “We’ll be back soon.” Less than half of movie theaters are open nationwide, but reopenings are quickening. Theaters in many other areas reopened last summer around the release of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” but that attempted comeback fizzled. Throughout, theaters remained shut in the five boroughs. For a year almost to the date, one of the world’s foremost movie capitals stayed dark. For the third time in less than a year, the Cleveland Indians are having to isolate players because they broke COVID-19 protocols. Third baseman José Ramírez and slugger Franmil Reyes are being kept away from their teammates at spring training in Arizona after they reported to the team that they went out to dinner in violation of team and Major League Baseball regulations.Manager Terry Francona said Sunday that the two players were sent to their temporary homes as the Indians await word from the league as to when they can rejoin the team. Philadelphia 76ers teammates Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were ruled out of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game after being flagged by coronavirus contact tracing, prompting some players to question again why the exhibition was being played during a pandemic. The 76ers and the NBA learned of the situation with Embiid and Simmons — which stemmed from getting haircuts — on Saturday night and made the decision Sunday morning that neither could play about nine hours before the scheduled tipoff. The game in Atlanta is going forward as scheduled. Marsai Martin, actress and Executive Producer of 2019 film “Little,” guest hosts the second episode of the critically acclaimed/ratings highlight primetime newsmagazine “Soul of a Nation.” This episode features the next generation of Black Americans and their unique ability to trail blaze, innovate and live on the cutting-edge no matter what they have to overcome. Martin, ABC News’ Adrienne Bankert, Sunny Hostin, Zachary Kiesch and Janai Norman lead the hour which follows TikTok influencers as they navigate the popular social media app, unpacks the importance of Afrofuturism, details the history of sneaker culture and explores the story of Miss Lucille Burden Osborne, a woman who grew up with relatives who had been enslaved. The episode concludes with a musical performance by singer H.E.R. The second episode of this historic six-episode series will air Tuesday, March 9 (10:00 – 11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. As part of its Oscar Nominations Preview 2021 digital issue, TheWrap magazine published a piece on how Chadwick Boseman brought ‘grace and grit’ to his final film roles. In the piece Spike Lee, Colman Domingo, Delroy Lindo and others pay tribute to the charismatic actor who is picking up posthumous nominations and awards. Less than six months after dying unexpectedly of colon cancer, a disease he’d hidden from almost everybody since he received the diagnosis in 2016, Boseman’s remarkable performances in “Ma Rainey “and “Da 5 Bloods” won him the Actors Tribute at this year’s Gotham Awards, along with an array of critics’ prizes and the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for “Ma Rainey.” ANWA Cares presents You’re Gonna Live: A Night of Hope & Healing alongside Dr. Matthew Stevenson III and Pastors JJ & Trina Hairston. The must-see musical event seeks to educate our communities with information on COVID-19 that will equip them to make the best decisions for themselves and families. JJ and Trina Hairston will be speaking with some of the top doctors in their fields regarding the vaccine for COVID-19 - and inspire viewers with uplifting performances from Travis Greene, Israel Houghton, Erica Campbell, Jonathan McReynolds, Kierra Sheard, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Jekalyn Carr, Todd Dulaney and All Nations Music. This weekend in Hammond, Louisiana A&P Records honored singer-songwriter Titus Showers with a Billboard #1 plaque for his radio hit "It's Gonna Be Alright" (remix), which featured Jermaine Dolly. The plaque was presented by his sister and president/CEO of A&P Records Regina Showers-Gordon. In addition Titus was also presented with the Key to the City from Hammond, Louisiana Mayor Pete Panepinto, a key to the city from Roseland, Louisiana Mayor Wanda McCoy, a certificate and pocket watch from the Clerk of Court of Tangipahoa Parish Gary Stagna, and a proclamation from Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. Special guest included Stellar Award winner Isabel Davis and veteran entertainment executive Roland Jack. A steady stream of mourners filed into the FaithDome at Crenshaw Christian Center on the first of two days of a public viewing honoring the Rev. Frederick K.C. “Fred” Price, who built the massive megachurch and led its mostly Black congregation of 28,000. Price died in February after a bout with COVID-19. Attendees were required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken before entering. Once inside, they lined up at a distance from each other as they waited to pass Price’s closed casket. .Memorial Service For Dr. Fredrick K.C. Price...https://youtu.be/HtO8AbRoPfw It’s pretty much a done deal. The Senate approved a $1.9 trillion stimulus package Saturday. That move puts Democrats another step closer to giving President Joe Biden his first legislative achievement after a marathon period of voting. For now, the economic aid package heads back to the House for final approval. https://youtu.be/8vwNeWn9VP4 Academy Award-winning actor Regina King is generating Oscar buzz again this year for her directorial debut in the film “One Night in Miami,” the fictional account of a real-life meeting between Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke, NFL star Jim Brown and Cassius Clay, who later became Muhammad Ali. King tells Michelle Miller she believes God put her on earth to tell these stories in an interview for CBS News’ CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast March 7 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. https://youtu.be/K8vf_Cmh9nY Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s 1 Mic 1 Take is available now everywhere you listen to music! Click below to listen or watch the three tracks recorded live at Capitol Studios in 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E7QQT0dVro This will be the last week experiencing Brian Courtney Wilson’s biggest songs through a different lens, by focusing on the themes synonymous with his works. Peace includes iconic tracks “Still”, “Fear Is Not Welcome” and more! https://bcw.lnk.to/PeaceEM?utm_campaign=93007_MOTG%203.5_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,1ZRJ,4SQSQ,94AK,1 Motown Gospel presents Gospel Uplift...https://sozo.lnk.to/GospelUplift?utm_campaign=93007_MOTG%203.5_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,1ZRJ,4SQSQ,94AO,1 Leader Mitch McConnell is allegedly actively working behind the scenes to eliminate a Kentucky statute that allows Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to choose his replacement if the Senator does not finish his term in office. At the top of McConnell’s list of successors sits Daniel Cameron, a longtime protégé of McConnell and the embattled Kentucky attorney general who declined to pursue charges against the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor. McConnell is also reportedly considering former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft, whose husband handsomely donated to McConnell’s campaign, and Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams. President Joe Biden will need to go back to the drawing board regarding fulfilling the director role for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after Neera Tanden withdrew her nomination, facing fierce opposition in the Senate confirmation process. “Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation, and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities,” Tanden said in a statement on Tuesday night. The belief is that Shalanda Young, who was nominated for OMB deputy director, will serve as head of OMB until a nominee is selected. Republicans and Democrats are eyeing Young in hopes that she will be named as the next nominee to lead the OMB office in the director’s seat. The Black unemployment rate rose during President Biden‘s first full month as labor data suggested most of the jobs gains in February went to white workers. Analysts described the latest jobs report as evidence that the economy was rebounding, but the numbers showed that wasn’t true for Black workers. The new jobs report should, in theory, place an even greater urgency on Congress to pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which has stalled during varying degrees of debate for more than a month. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Dallas Police Department kept an officer on the force while he was secretly investigated for putting out hits on two people. Police Chief Eddie Garcia admitted to knowing about these allegations since 2019. Brian Riser was arrested Thursday. A 13-year veteran of the force, Riser is alleged to have ordered the kidnapping and killing of two people in 2017. Garcia could not explain why Riser remained on duty for almost two years. Garcia only recently took over as police chief last month. Garcia also said Riser was on patrol until his arrest, according to the Associated Press. Despite the two counts of capital murder, Riser remains employed by the department. Some 156 years after the end of the Civil War and the official abolition of slavery through the 13th Amendment, the idea of reparations is gaining currency in Washington. On March 1, Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, suggested the White House could “start acting now” on the issue. The comment comes just weeks after a House committee chaired by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrat of Texas, heard testimony on H.R. 40, a bill that would establish a commission on the legacy of slavery that would look at possible payments for descendants of enslaved people of African descent. RCA Inspiration & Provident Entertainment are recognizing Women’s History Month for March. On March 5th, pairing the voices of Koryn Hawthorne and R&B artist Queen Naija, on the new track from Koryn Hawthorne, “Speak To Me (Queen Mix)” feat. Queen Naija. March 19th, a new recording between H.E.R. and Tauren Wells on the inspiring new single “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix).” March 19th, the album from Kierra Sheard, KIERRA (Deluxe), will be available. March 26th, comes two tracks from DOE, who pairs up with hip-hop artist Wande, on “Good Now (Remix)” feat. Wande. DOE also releases the solo track “Good Now (Acoustic).” RCA Inspiration will donate a portion of profits from the above releases for the month of March, partnering with two organizations Step Up and Creative Girls Rock. https://korynhawthornemusic.lnk.to/SpeakToMeQueenMixFM!W&W Stellar Award Nominated Artist Christian Bolar is back with a powerful new radio single “We’re Ready.” Written by Branden Anderson (G.I., BGA Music Group) and produced by Daniel Bryant (Tamela Mann, G.I. Chante Moore), the worship ballad invokes listeners to allow God to have His way in their lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcB-ln_13Kk San Franklin drops new song "I Choose Free." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6789788?date=20210305&user_id=668306&signature=Y7vpBJ6jV6b8a4iZkDytE1uRH4c%3AAsFVDE2y Renowned faith-leader, author, and pastor E. Dewey Smith, releases "Your Presence Is A Gift," today under his new record label, Pebble Street Records. The prolific teacher and Atlanta-based Senior Pastor deliver "Your Presence Is A Gift" digitally on all streaming platforms. The beautiful ballad will precede a full album due later this year. http://smarturl.it/Edeweysmith In celebration of Women's History Month, Café Mocha Radio, the #1 nationally syndicated radio show for 'women of color,' announces its virtual Salute Her Awards, streaming Sunday, March 21 at 7 pm ET. Hosted by Emmy Award winner and Café Mocha co-host Loni Love, this year's 'creating a legacy' theme recognizes women who exemplify resilience and innovation with a commitment to building a legacy of connections for the next generation. Café Mocha announces the 2021 Salute Her Awards honorees; Cynthia Erivo, Grammy® Emmy® and Tony® Award-winner, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett Coronavirus Vaccine Scientific Lead, Holly Robinson-Peete, actress and philanthropist Melanie Campbell Black Women's Roundtable, Denene Millner, New York Times Bestselling Author, Pinky Cole entrepreneur and LaTosha Brown Voter rights activist. For former NFL star Benjamin Watson, abortion is a complex issue of justice, human rights, and dignity — and must be addressed holistically, from the economic and social disparities that drive the practice to the cultural mindset that normalizes it. When the Human Coalition — an organization dedicated to removing the stain of abortion from America — offered Watson the role of vice president of strategic relationships, he gladly accepted. Pope Francis walked through a narrow alley in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf for a historic meeting with the country’s top Shiite cleric, and together they delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence in a country still reeling from back-to-back conflicts over the past decade. In a gesture both simple and profound, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani welcomed Francis into his spartan home. Afterward, he said religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq’s Christians, and that Christians should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican said Francis thanked al-Sistani for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted” during some of the most violent times in Iraq’s recent history. With callused hands, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes plucks an old acoustic guitar at the juke joint his parents started more than 70 years ago. He checks the cafe’s inventory: jars of pickled eggs, beef jerky, pork hocks. He tends to the wood-burning stove, made from an oil-field pipe. And every morning, he eventually settles in on a stool behind the counter, waiting — hoping — that someone who wants to hear him play will drop in. Holmes, 73, is the last Bentonia bluesman, the carrier of a dying musical and oral storytelling tradition born in this Mississippi town of less than 500 people. And now, he’s a Grammy-nominated artist, with a recent nod in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for Cypress Grove, a record he hopes will help preserve the Bentonia blues long after he’s gone. Houston rapper Chucky Trill was killed early Friday in a shooting on an Atlanta-area interstate, his manager confirmed. The Gwinnett County Police Department identified an early morning homicide victim as 33-year-old Corey Detiege, who goes by his artist name, Chucky Trill. The rapper was visiting for NBA All-Star weekend, according to his manager. Atlanta, police said. The victim was shot at least once and died at a hospital. Detectives said the motive remained unknown. Chucky Trill was the son of rapper D of Trinity Garden Cartel and manager of Cash Committee Musik Group. Mark Pavelich, the speedy center from the Iron Range who played on the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team, has died at a treatment center for mental illness. He was 63. Officials in Anoka County, Minnesota, confirmed Friday that Pavelich died at the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, on Thursday morning. The cause and manner of death are still pending. “We are saddened to hear about the passing of 1980 Olympic gold medalist Mark Pavelich,” USA Hockey said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to Mark’s family & friends. (He is) forever a part of hockey history.” Drake is adding fuel to the Kim and Kanye flames. The 34-year-old rapper got fans talking about a rumored affair with Kim Kardashian after releasing his new song Wants and Needs on Friday. He namechecked Kanye West on the track: ‘Yeah, I probably should go link with Yeezy, I need me some Jesus / But soon as I started confessin’ my sins, he wouldn’t believe us.’ The song, released as one of the three tracks on his new EP Scary Hours 2, is the latest chapter in Drake’s long-standing beef with the 43-year-old rapper. Although Drake never mentions Kim by name on the record, social media immediately started buzzing that the Canadian artist was referring to a possible liaison with the 40-year-old reality star. Kenneth Petty’s sexual assault victim is speaking out once more about the harassment she has endured in the years since he allegedly raped her at knifepoint. Petty is a registered sex offender and was convicted of raping the woman when they were both age 16. Nicki Minaj claims her husband and the woman, referred to simply as Jennifer, were in a relationship at the time. Earlier this year, Jennifer took to social media and fired off a message to the Pettys in a short video. “This message is for Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty. Tell your f*ckin people to leave my family alone. Don’t call my f*ckin family. Don’t call my brothers. Don’t call anybody. Leave me and my family the f*ck alone!” she said. The woman claims she was pressured and coerced by the adults around her to drop the rape charges against Petty when she was a teenager, but he was eventually arrested for the assault. Michael Eric Dyson, the man tasked with having to school “The Bachelor’s” Chris Harrison on racism, spoke about their conversation Friday on “TMZ Live” and expressed how committed the TV host was in trying to understand his issues. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-03-05-030521-michael-dyson-v2-1051122/ For portions of the 1980s, “The Fat Boys” charted “big-time” with such hip-hop songs as “Wipe Out,” “Fat Boys,” “All You Can Eat,” “The Twist,” and others. The group consisted of Prince Markie Dee, Damon Wimbley, and Darren “Buffy” Robinson. Buffy, “The Human Beat Box,” passed away in 1995 due to health problems. It was reported that he weighed about 450 pounds at the time of his death. He was only 28. Prior to his passing, he had a son, Quinton Robinson, who was five years old when Buffy died. Quinton’s mother is hip hop rapper, Queen Pen. She was featured on Teddy Riley’s Blackstreet’s standout single, “No Diggity.” Her solo debut album, “My Melody” was produced by Riley in 1997. Hits from the album included “All My Love,” “Party Ain’t a Party,” and “Man Behind the Music.” According to industry insiders, when Queen Pen, Lynise Walters, had her and Buffy’s child, she was a teenager. Buffy was a young adult. https://youtu.be/CF95dXw_1_c Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall are guests on the next Kevin Hart podcast, Comedy Gold Minds with Kevin Hart, where they discussed their new movie Coming 2 America. https://youtu.be/DlOTLbqbe2g While appearing on “The Breakfast Club” to promote his new single “Leave the Door Open” with Anderson Paak along with their newly-formed band called Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars addressed claims that he was appropriating Black culture. During the interview, host Charlamagne the God asked Bruno, “People love to accuse you of being a cultural thief, which I find interesting because you are a person of color. What would you say to those people?” In response, Mars, who has a mixed racial background that includes Ashkenazi Jew, Puerto Rican and Filipino, explained that he does draw inspiration from Black legends like Prince and James Brown: “I’ll say, you can’t find an interview where I’m not talking about the entertainers who have come before me. The only reason why I’m here is because of James Brown, Prince, Michael [Jackson], that’s the only reason why I’m here. “I just like to sing for the ladies,” said singer/songwriter Denaron Babineaux who recently released a new single “Wild Out” featuring Young Dro from his upcoming debut album “Debut.” https://youtu.be/brJzyST7vKE Having watched the young woman play Bernie Mac’s niece on “The Bernie Mac Show,” has led many social media users to believe that they have a say on what Camille Winbush can do.Many of them nearly horrified to see pictures of her exposed herself, leaving them no choice but to express their disapproval. Nessa has caught wind of those comments and had this to say, “A friendly reminder that my worth as a human being is not measured by the pictures I take, the length of my resume, and the judgments of strangers,” Winbush captioned an Instagram selfie. “Be safe. Be kind. Be human.” A biracial Vancouver teen who took his car into Jiffy Lube for a buyer’s inspection was shocked to see that the name written on his service invoice was “George Floyd.” Dustin Hawkins recently bought a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS and told KENS-5 he was getting the buyer’s inspection at Jiffy Lube “to make sure nothing was wrong with it.” https://kens5.com/embeds/video/283-f70fe03a-6fc3-4a0c-a551-a2d9be89491e/iframe?jwsource=cl The family is grateful for the outpouring of love and condolences from around the globe. In honor of Dr. Price’s legacy, an open to the public lying in repose closed casket viewing is slated for Thursday, March 4th and Friday, March 5th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. On Saturday, March 6th, an 11 a.m. private family live streamed service will occur followed by a private family burial. The service may be viewed on EIF YouTube Channel, EIF Facebook Page, EIF website-watch now, and EIF on demand. Amid COVID-19 realities, the family is acutely aware and deeply concerned for the safety of others. Strict adherence to all safety protocols is appreciated and will be enforced. Pastor Reverend Bryant Wardell Raines February 3, 1977 – February 24, 2021 Macon , Georgia – Celebration of Life Services will be held 11:00AM Saturday, March 6, 2021 at Macon City Auditorium 415 First Street Macon, GA 31201. Reverend Bryant Wardell Raines served as the beloved Pastor of The New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church of Macon, GA. He was the newly elected President of the 6th District of The General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia Incorporated. He was the founder of “Heal the Hood Initiative” to combat violence and address the needs of the total community. On February 9, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, died in her sleep. She would have celebrated her 77th birthday on March 6. Instead, the public is invited to view the celebration of her life online on her birthday from 7p to 9p eastern. Just days before Mary passed she did an interview with TJ Lubinsky, the producer behind the “My Music” specials on PBS. <iframe title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/510269393" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Gospel Spotlight's new music from Angela Wilson featuring Mali Music "Winner." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK3Z3Y0nZ4M TWO ALL-NEW ORIGINAL MOVIES FROM THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ANTHOLOGY BY AUTHOR VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY LUST: A SEVEN DEADLY SINS SAGA DEBUTS APRIL 10 STARRING KERI HILSON, TOBIAS TRUVILLION AND DURRELL ‘TANK’ BABBS WITH SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY MS. JUICY, AND LETOYA LUCKETT AND ENVY: A SEVEN DEADLY SINS SAGA PREMIERES ON APRIL 17 STARRING SERAYAH, ROSE ROLLINS, AND KANDI BURRUSS WITH SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY DA BRAT AND DC YOUNG FLY BISHOP T.D. JAKES EXECUTIVE PRODUCES WITH DERRICK WILLIAMS AND SHAUN ROBINSON....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arOYvGg6x6Q A+E Networks have ordered a two-night, four-hour documentary event about the life and legacy of Janet Jackson. The project has the working title “JANET,” and coincides with the 40th anniversary of her debut album. Janet will executive produce the doc with brother Randy Jackson, and promises to offer unprecedented access to the singer’s life. Chris Harrison said in an interview Thursday that his current racial timeout from hosting “The Bachelor” shouldn’t be permanent, and he hopes to return. https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/210304_gma_strahan1_0740_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg Jody Watley, the Grammy award winner trendsetting icon in music, video, fashion and style has been appointed to be National Museum of African American Music’s first ever membership ambassador for the museum.Watley is one of the architects of 21st century pop. From her groundbreaking marriage of rap & R&B (1987’s “Friends,” a collaboration with hip-hop legends Eric B. & Rakim) to her vision-forward marriage of high fashion, street fashion and music in the ‘80s (long before it became the norm), to her fusion of jazz and underground club culture with keen pop instincts, and the ease with which she crossed and still crosses genre, she forged the template that is now everybody’s playbook. Keke Palmer — actress, singer-songwriter, producer, and television host — has signed an overall television deal with Entertainment One (eOne). “I am thrilled to be partnering with eOne to create entertaining, meaningful, fun television experiences that will deeply connect with audiences and be reflective of our current world,” Palmer said. “eOne’s commitment to allowing talent to bring their unique lens and lead the storytelling process made them an ideal partner for me.” Per Variety, eOne will manage worldwide rights and serve as the studio for all projects created under the deal. Palmer recently wrapped filming the feature “Alice” and is set to appear opposite Daniel Kaluuya in Jordan Peele’s new film. GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, announced today that out actress and producer Niecy Nash will host the virtual ceremony for the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. GLAAD also announced the awards ceremony will stream on GLAAD’s YouTube on Thursday, April 8 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. And for the first time ever, the virtual ceremony will also stream on Hulu on Thursday, April 8 at 10pm ET. The virtual ceremony will also stream on Hulu on April 8 starting at 10pm ET. The awards will be available to stream on-demand on Hulu until the end of June. This Friday, catch the first and final film performance of Pop Smoke! Bashar Jackson stars in “Boogie” the directorial debut of multi-hyphenate Eddie Huang (“Fresh Off the Boat”). The coming-of-age story follows a basketball phenom (Taylor Takahashi) living in Queens, New York navigating teen angst, romance and rivals. Philadelphia high school senior #ShanyaRobinsonOwens inspired many when she applied to more than 20 colleges and universities—and the latest update in her story will have you doing a double-take. Shanya recently revealed that in addition to being accepted into multiple schools, she has also received over $1 million in scholarship funds! Chick-fil-A is honoring those who give back. From March 1 to May 31, 2021, eligible organizations may apply for the fast food giant’s 2022 award, allowing them to potentially receive from $50,000 up to $350,000 in grants. According to the Chick-fil-A website, eligible organizations must “have a majority Black board of directors, executive leadership and staff or provide services that currently and intentionally impact Black communities or other communities of color in a quantifiable or measurable way.” https://youtu.be/_SONIJ8OvQI Evanston, Illinois is the first American city to fund reparations to Black residents, and leaders have announced plans to provide $10million over the next 10 years. According to an ABC News report, reparations of as much as $25,000 per resident that qualifies will be distributed to use toward housing. The city passed its reparations resolution in 2019, an effort spearheaded by 5th Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons. https://youtu.be/UAUUKTb9Wzs Black school resource police officer in Florida was recently fired for using the N-word. Any officer who uses a racial slur while on-duty has violated department policy, the Tampa Police Department said in announcing the termination of Delvin White, an eight-year veteran. White’s violations stemmed from talking on the phone in November when he said the words, “ghetto n******,” the Tampa Police Department wrote in a press release issued Tuesday. The officer’s body camera was somehow activated and recorded White saying the fateful words. After that recording sparked an investigation, White told his bosses weeks later that he also used the N-word during an arrest he made. White’s body camera, again, recorded that exchange, as well. The House voted Wednesday night to pass the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, advancing the historic criminal justice reform to the Senate. Civil rights leaders reacted with optimism at the prospects of being able to hold American law enforcement much more accountable for their actions than ever before. “Addressing our nation’s violent history of discriminatory policing requires passing legislation that advances systemic reforms and meaningful accountability,” Damon Hewitt, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Executive Vice President, said in a statement. “With the House of Representatives’ passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (JPA), we are one step closer to beginning the work of transforming the culture of law enforcement and creating a stronger, more equitable justice system.” Hewitt previously cited the “moral clarity” he said the law would bring with its enactment. Dr Anthony Fauci says Texas and Mississippi residents should still abide by public health measures, including wearing masks, even after their Republican governors dropped all COVID-19 restrictions to fully reopen their states. Texas Gov Greg Abbott and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced this week they would be scrapping all restrictions, which includes mask mandates, in a move that President Biden slammed as ‘neanderthal thinking’. Fauci on Thursday urged the residents of the two southern states to still adhere to the federal guidelines regarding public health measures. ‘My strong advice to them would be to continue to implement the public health measures,’ he told MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Breonna Taylor‘s mother has responded to the backlash over a Georgia teacher spreading lies about her daughter’s death. Susan McCoy at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, GA, told her students in a zoom class: “I’m sorry she was killed, but you know, when you hang out with people with guns and shooting, you’re likely to get caught in the crossfire.” Attorney Sam Aguiar, who represents Breonna’s mother Tamika Palmer, tells TMZ his client saw the video of the Zoom class and found it very disturbing. Tamika is proud of the students who spoke out against McCoy. McCoy has since apologized for her remarks, calling them ignorant. Taylor, 26, was shot eight times when three plainclothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment in March. https://youtu.be/1FS_oWubN9Q The father of Michael Brown Jr. has joined forces with other activists from Ferguson, Missouri, to demand $20 million from Black Lives Matter. The request comes after the organization revealed it raised over $90 million last year. Brown Jr. was fatally shot by a white police officer in August 2014. The Black Lives Matter movement gained national attention following the protests over the teenager’s death. The group received renewed attention in 2020 after the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was gunned down by white supremacists. Prianna Carey was at a Quick Trip in Dallas when a Black man – who had a receipt for his purchased items – was accused of stealing and taken down to the floor by a white security guard. “The man just jumped on him, he ain’t stole nothing,” said Carey in her supportive Facebook Live, as the guard sat atop the young man’s legs and held his shoulder. Carey stayed with the man and filmed his entire ordeal, constantly reminding folks that the brother had a receipt for the items he was accused of stealing, and that the security guard, himself, said he was “racist” when they asked him. https://youtu.be/nURvdKUAVnI A popular movie chain is being sued for racially profiling a Black man who its staff falsely accused of sneaking into a theater nearly two years ago in Arizona. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and other lawyers announced the lawsuit against AMC Theatres on Wednesday at a press conference alongside Larry Shelton, who recorded his encounter with theater staff that falsely accused him as well as officers with the Phoenix Police Department. Shelton during the press conference that said he has been experiencing anxiety and has not entered a movie theater since the encounter on March 10, 2019. He said it’s caused him to experience flashbacks of his youth growing up in the inner city when he was constantly harassed by police officers. It has been a long two weeks and counting for Arekia Bennett. Weeks after a vicious winter storm blew through the Gulf Coast, Bennett and other residents in Jackson, Mississippi, were still without water. A resident of South Jackson, Bennett says water issues have happened before, but nothing like the current crisis. “Ain’t like I’ve never been without water before,” Bennett said in a recent interview. “I don’t think my family has gone over two or three days, three days max [without water].” On Tuesday, Bennett traveled to her brother’s house in North Jackson to take advantage of his running water. She said depending on traffic, the commute can take her 40 minutes. “I just don’t like bothering people,” Bennett explained. “So, I haven’t been over here as much.” As the lead for Mississippi Votes, Bennett is used to navigating tough situations. Founded in 2016, Mississippi Votes is a civic engagement organization committed to the state’s progression. Today, the NAACP announced that Civil Rights Movement icon Rev. James Lawson will receive the prestigious NAACP Chairman’s Award and lead developer of the Moderna vaccine, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, will receive the Key of Life Award during the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. Rev. James Lawson will be recognized for his work as a social change advocate and his critical contributions to the civil rights movement, specifically the integral role in the nonviolent protests of the south in the 1960s. The Key Of Life Award will be given to Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett in recognition of her historical role as the scientific lead on the Vaccine Research Center’s coronavirus team which has been key to the development of the Moderna vaccine. Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ heats things up on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, March 6 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_5Z9mftif0 CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells airing Saturday, March 8 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpeVDdzntME CLEO TV highlights a new episode of CLEO SPEAKS airing Sunday, March 7 at 9 PM/8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. In this episode, CLEO SPEAKS features Sharon Chuter, Entrepreneur and Founder of Uoma Beauty and Pull Up for Change. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5XyARmgpwQ For five decades, KHVN Heaven97 has provided community news, talk radio, and gospel music to generations of people in Dallas/Fort Worth. Friday will be the station’s last broadcast. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/end-of-an-era-for-khvn-heaven97/2516557/ Christian leaders Beth Moore and CeCe Winans have issued an urgent call to prayer after Elicia Brown, one of Winans’ backup singers and a member of the Living Proof Live Praise Team, suffered a brain aneurysm during rehearsal. In an Instagram post, Winans, a Grammy Award-winning Christian artist, asked her followers to pray for Brown, who she referred to as her “dear sister and background singer,” after the 40-year-old mother suffered a brain aneurysm last Wednesday. She is] currently in stable but critical condition in the ICU,” Winans wrote. “Thank you for believing with me for her complete healing and peace for Elicia and her family!” Dove Award-winning and Grammy-nominated recording artist Karima, best known as the co-founder and member of the award-winning Contemporary Gospel trio Virtue, has signed with DARE Records. The new solo recording pact brings Karima’s soul-stirring soprano back to fans within the urban and contemporary Gospel/Christian markets. Her first musical release will be announced shortly. Hear Karma In Her Own Words In The Gospel Spotlight.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/karima_kibble_intvw.htm ITV has released its first branded clip of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey as the broadcaster vows to release the two-hour show despite Prince Philip’s ongoing health problems. The channel released a trailer at 4pm today ahead of the two-hour show next Monday, which featured the same footage put out by CBS in the early hours of this morning – but this time with ITV’s branding in the corner. The video clip from Meghan and Harry’s interview licensed by CBS owner ViacomCBS will be shown in 63 countries in addition to Britain and the US. The Duchess say she could not be expected to stay silent if the royal family played a part in ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ about her and Prince Harry. Aniah Blanchard was a 19-year-old college student and the step-daughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris when she disappeared and was murdered in Alabama in the fall of 2019. Now, her grief-stricken parents are fighting to get a new law passed because her alleged killer was out on the streets even though he was arrested for kidnapping and beating two men earlier that year. CBS News special correspondent James Brown and 48 HOURS investigate the shocking disappearance and murder of Aniah Blanchard, and her family’s quest for justice in “Fighting for Aniah” to be broadcast March 6 (10:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/sneak-peek-fighting-for-aniah/ It's the premiere episode of “TS Madison Experience,” starring the social media sensation, TS Madison, premiering Thursday, March 4 on WE tv. https://youtu.be/45E9ANpBgYo WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Sammy pulling up on Amber after he’s released from prison. https://youtu.be/TdBwHVrrsAU Zoe Saldana is catching heat for her responses to an Instagram post about Dominican Independence Day. The actress is reportedly receiving death threats for the comment she shared on a post on Refinery29’s Somos Instagram account on Feb. 27. Per Ace Showbiz, the 10-slide long post asked readers, “What to the Afro-Dominican is the 27th of February.” The comments on the post have been disabled, but screenshot shows Zoe wrote, “Maybe just say ‘What to the Dominican is the Independence Day.’ ” She then took to her Instagram Story to blast Somos’ post. “Don’t give your husband a reason to cheat.” The man shared that message from a pulpit with a Bible in his hand. Pastor Stewart-Allen Clark of 1st General Baptist Church in Malden, Missouri based an entire sermon around this sexist topic, and his message only got more offensive. “Ladies, here’s the thing you need to know about men: Don’t give him a reason to be like this ‘distracted boyfriend,’ ” Clark began, referencing the infamous meme showing a man walking with his girlfriend but checking out another woman’s rear end. This sermon is not from 1951. Not even 1971. It’s from Feb. 21, 2021. https://youtu.be/AQ-pXNJqqgA Cedric made the claim in an Instagram video shared last Friday, in which he honored Cosby as a part of Black History Month. The comedian said, “Bill Cosby was one of the first black men we saw on TV that was truly his own boss.” “He taught us to know our worth in this business, he showed us how to give back to our communities and institutions, he was/ is prolific, funny and audacious,” Ced added. “Cosby ruled on damn near every platform. Thursday nights became must see TV because of him. Film, stage, books, animation, [and] recordings, all were places he reigned supreme. So he has to be shouted out, for his contribution to the Black History of Comedy. Show the legend some recognition!” he continued. Cedric noted that “the controversy of Cosby’s current situation [his criminal conviction] is “not what his post was about.” https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-03-03-030321-cedric-the-entertainment-1049354/ Last month, an Alabama Winn-Dixie grocery store honored its 101-year-old employee by naming a grant in her honor. Romay Davis, born October 29, 1919, in King George County, Virginia, was first hired as a spry 80-year-old after her husband died in 2001. She decided to go back to work, and has been employed at the store ever since, even through the current coronavirus pandemic. Before her Winn Dixie run, she made history during World War II as a member of the first all-Black Women Army Corps unit. After the war, she began a three-decade career in fashion as a model in New York, acquiring several honors and accolades along the way, including a master’s degree and a Black Belt in Taekwondo. https://youtu.be/SiXPA7fmY1A The Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee's legacy includes change-makers and civil rights soldiers skilled in invoking the power of spirituality to overcome adversity. That legacy continues with the Symposium for Social Change, taking place March 6, 2021, as part of the 56th-anniversary commemoration March 5-7. These powerful, interactive sessions will feature FREE workshops and live panel discussions centered around intergenerational knowledge, tactics for nonviolent activism, and educational strategy. SiriusXM and the Recording Academy® join forces to celebrate the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards® with the launch of The GRAMMY® Channel. The GRAMMY Channel will feature a variety of music from this year's nominees across the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields, including top nominees Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Brittany Howard, DaBaby, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Phoebe Bridgers, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Taylor Swift and more, all leading up to the live broadcast of Music's Biggest Night® on March 14 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Listeners can also expect to hear music from GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Honorees such as Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Salt-n-Pepa, Selena and Talking Heads, as well as exclusive interviews with music's biggest stars from behind the scenes at the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZskcFSsbi9E Luther Wardlaw is one-fifth of the Chart-topping, Dove Award, and Stellar Award nominated Contemporary Gospel group The Wardlaw Brothers. Luther and his brothers have captivated audiences on stage and television with their dynamic style and charisma, and incredibly tight vocal harmony. They have ministered in churches across the country and abroad with a sincere passion for people and unwavering love for Jesus Christ. Luther is preparing his debut solo single "On The Way" which will release this spring. "On The Way" is written by Luther and will be released on his new label Ascension Records. https://youtu.be/cl5JUQw6E-0 The governors of Mississippi and Texas announced Tuesday that COVID-19 restrictions would be lifted in their states, permitting businesses to operate at full capacity and eliminating mask mandates in the middle of a pandemic which has disproportionately affected Black and brown communities. Black communities account for 14.7 percent of COVID-19 deaths in America, while Latino populations make up 12.2 percent according to the latest CDC data. The COVID-19 death rate shows just how large the death proportion is compared to the total population percentage. In the United States Black people make up 13.4 percent of the population, while Latinos make up 18.5 percent. The mandates were lifted one day after CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warned against moving forward as several variants of the virus continue to spread throughout the country. A brief exchange Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee about the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol drew attention to the FBI‘s history of systemic racism. But perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that the federal law enforcement agency’s Director Christopher Wray actually denied its existence. Under oath. As Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy was questioning Wray, he asked the director straight up: “Do you believe that the FBI is a systemically racist institution?” Wray, not skipping a beat, “No,” Wray answered Kennedy before offering a bit of whitesplaining. “Now, having said that, I do believe the FBI needs to be more diverse and more inclusive than it is,” Wray added. “And that we need to work a lot harder at that and we’re trying to work a lot harder at that.” On Tuesday Zamfara Gov. Bello Matawalle confirmed 279 girls were released after they were abducted from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Jangebe last week. A total of 317 girls were initially reported missing. It is unclear whether the number was made in error or if there are still girls who have yet to be rescued. The group of girls appeared with Matawalle and will be reunited with their families after undergoing medical examinations. The parents of the children watched and searched vigilantly over the last week after their daughters were taken during a Friday morning raid when armed gunmen ascended upon the school. TEDx speaker and empowerment consultant Pierce J. Brooks announced today that he will be speaking in participation of the TEDxOxnard event on March 20, 2021 at 2 p.m. The speech, titled, “Finding Meaning in Madness”, is Brooks’ second TEDx appearance and a follow-up to his “Playing the Game of Social Pressure” talk at TEDxResedaBlvd in 2020. Brooks is among an incredible lineup of speakers and artists scheduled to take the stage hosted at Pacifica High School in Oxnard, CA. https://theomnifirmla.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0ad182ed9e9cbce12a71ec62d&id=f19788271d&e=3e678a09d7 Actor and musician Chester Hanks, better known as Chet and the son of Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, described his conversion from atheism after being touched by the hand of God. Hanks, who has starred in recurring roles on TV shows such as “Empire,” made an appearance on the “IMPAULSIVE Clips” podcast, where he opened up about a time in his teens that his famous parents sent him away to a wilderness camp because of his bad behavior. https://youtu.be/6qK8Yyi_96Q A Black woman in Grosse Pointe Park was stunned Tuesday to see a KKK flag in the window of a home that directly faces her house. Jedonna Dinges says she installed a security camera after someone put a full gasoline container in her dumpster three weeks ago. The camera points toward the home of the neighbor in question, and he was not happy. Next thing she knew, her camera was filming a ku klux klan flag that had popped up in his window. https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/grosse-pointe-park-man-hangs-kkk-flag-in-window-facing-black-neighbor-sparks-outrage AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not backing down on his criticism of LeBron James by reiterating his belief that athletes should “stick to sports” and stay out of politics. Speaking in a news conference Tuesday, Ibrahimovic doubled down on his previous comments https://youtu.be/V-SrEXkpgE4 LaToya Ratlieff, a Florida woman who was shot in the face by a cop’s rubber bullet during a Black Lives Matter protest, said she is not surprised that the officer was cleared of any wrongdoing. “It was expected,” Ratlieff said at a news conference Friday, Revolt reports. “We’ve seen this happen too many times … when it comes to Black life.” https://youtu.be/W3vbveMFrE0 Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnan is joining Fox News as an on-air contributor. McEnan served as press secretary for less than a year under the Trump administration, and she pushed Trump’s unfounded claim that the presidential election was stolen by Joe Biden. Prior to joining the Trump team, McEnany was a commentator at CNN. She also worked in production at Fox News and she was a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. https://youtu.be/-TdB8Bk53BE Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall stopped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote their upcoming film “Coming 2 America,” the hotly anticipated sequel to the 1988 classic, out later this week. During the conversation, Kimmel asked how fellow comedian Louie Anderson came to be a part of the original film. According to both Murphy and Hall, Paramount demand a white actor appear in the film because the movie was too black. https://youtu.be/QPjloJjnEu8 In 2011, a 68-year-old Black veteran in White Plains, NY accidentally set off his Life Alert, and police were sent to his door for a welfare check. An hour later, he was dead – shot twice in the chest by responding officers, none of whom were charged with his death. The story was made into an 80-minute indie film with the blessing of his family. After first premiering at the Austin Film Festival in October 2019, “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain,” with Frankie Faison in the title role, has added Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment as an executive producer and is heading to the Berlin International Film Festival, carrying the weight of 2020’s global racial reckoning. https://youtu.be/PNaItXN6IwE According to the Hollywood Reporter, T.I. will not be returning for Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” T.I., real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., previously played a supporting role in the past two films. The reason for T.I.’s apparent absence from Ant-Man 3 is unconfirmed at this time. However, insiders close to the project said T.I. was never slated to return, despite the implication that the heavy allegations against him had to do with the decision. Dionne Warwick is gearing up to launch her own YouTube chat show called “Dionne Speaks” and she wants Wendy Williams to be her first guest. Warwick responded to an SNL skit that mocked the singer’s tense relationship with Williams. In the skit, “Dionne” (Ego Nwodim) asks Nick Jonas to fight the daytime talk show host with the rest of the Jonas Brothers. She also asks Dua Lipa (Melissa Villaseñor) to assist with egging Williams’ house. https://youtu.be/-1htC7EyPKo Author, minister, Princeton PhD, hip hop scholar and self-proclaimed student of the streets Dr. Michael Eric Dyson has a new series on Facebook Watch, One Question, One Mike, premiering on March 3. The show is part of Facebook Watch’s We the Culture programming, aimed at amplifying the voices of Black content creators. In the debut episode, GRAMMY award-winning rapper Big Sean discusses his journey with mental health, sharing about past suicidal ideation while holding a gun. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=202191694975283 From Charlamagne Tha God’s and iHeartMedia’s The Black Effect Podcast Network, comes a brand new episode of financial literacy podcast Earn Your Leisure — in today’s episode, hosts Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings are joined by one of the world’s most influential hip hop moguls, Fat Joe who has reinvented himself during COVID, including creating a top Instagram show where he hosts nightly interviews with the biggest names in entertainment. Rashad and Troy spoke with Joe about his music career, the inner workings of running a record label, becoming an entrepreneur, his plans for opening an organic bakery, and more. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-earn-your-leisure-31087183/?keyid%5B0%5D=Earn%20Your%20Leisure&pname=podcast_profile&sc=widget_share Stuart Weitzman global spokeswoman Serena Williams and her 3-year-old daughter Alexis “Olympia” Ohanian Jr. have debuted in their first-ever joint fashion campaign. The power duo showed off the brand’s spring ’21 campaign in a series of matching outfits as part of Stuart Weitzman’s Footsteps to Follow campaign. The effort seeks to encourage customers and viewers alike to look for ways in which different generations can inspire each other. https://youtu.be/6cuwa29mqjw While much of the cruise industry remains docked because of the pandemic, Royal Caribbean International announced that it will offer its first trips setting sail from Israel for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In conjunction with Israel’s health and tourism authorities, Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated sailings, where both crew and guests above the age of 16 will be vaccinated against COVID-19. Bolo the stripper says his OnlyFans page is booming following his appearance on “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” The exotic dancer was hired to perform at Cynthia Bailey‘s bachelorette party during the cast’s trip to Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Bolo, real name Michael Bolwaire, put on a steamy private show for some of the ladies on the Feb. 21 episode. The cast members involved with making sexy time with him after the cameras stopped rolling remains unclear, but Bailey was not one of them, according to Page Six. https://twitter.com/i/status/1366248078609629190 A new episode of TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, March 8 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, David Quinn and Vince Velazquez get a late night call to the campus of Clark Atlanta University where they find Spelman student Jasmine Lynn, slain as the result of a shot in the chest. Through the detective's investigation, they discover a local gang is connected to the shooting. Will the detectives be able to find their infamous prime suspect or will the gang members attempt to push this murder into a cold case file? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbhLuXlhfxY&feature=youtu.be After a year and a half, the Miss Universe competition will return with a live telecast on May 16. The 69th Miss Universe event will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. The last Miss Universe pageant was in December 2019 and its winner, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa, has worn the crown longer than anyone else. Paula M. Shugart, the president of the Miss Universe Organization, said in a press release Wednesday that they’ve spent months planning a safe competition. It will follow similar guidelines as November’s 2020 Miss USA competition held in Memphis. The extraordinary story of Britain’s first black aristocrat has been retold in a podcast about the chatelaines of the UK’s grandest stately homes. Lady Mansfield of Scone Palace, in Perth, spoke on the Duchess podcast about Dido Elizabeth Belle, who was born in 1761 to an enslaved woman and a British Naval officer stationed in the West Indies. Speaking to podcast host Emma, Duchess of Rutland, who lives at The Crown’s Belvoir Castle, Lady Mansfield gave a potted history of Dido’s early years. A Mississippi judge has ordered the state to pay $500,000 to Curtis Flowers, a black man who was wrongfully convicted – and jailed on death row for more than 20 years until the Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2019 and rebuked his prosecutor for racial bias. Mississippi Circuit Judge George Mitchell ordered Flowers, 50, be compensated $50,000 for each year he was in jail under a state law created in 2009 that awards compensation to victims of wrongful conviction and imprisonment. Jimmy Pritchard, 65, former president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, pastor of First Baptist Church of Forney, and a leader in the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention nationally and in Texas, lost a brief battle with COVID-19 and pneumonia Feb. 24, after being hospitalized a few days earlier. The church announced his passing at the Wednesday night prayer vigil where members had gathered to pray for healing, having received the crushing news from the family just an hour earlier. Four days later, the Sunday morning crowd at Forney wept for their loss, but offered praise that Pritchard was healed through his passage to heaven. Jahmil French, an actor best known for his role as Dave Turner in the Canadian teen series “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” has died. According to Deadline, Soundtrack creator Joshua Safran confirmed the news Tuesday on Twitter. “I can confirm my good friend, co-worker, and all-around inspiration, Jahmil French, passed away yesterday,” Safran wrote. “Only posting because I see the story getting out there. I will have more to say about him later. Right now we’re all just processing this devastating news.” In addition to Degrassi and Netflix’s “Soundtrack,” French also appeared in Pop TV series Let’s Get Physical and the 2017 film Boost, for which he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was just 29 years old. Miss Lawrence is speaking out about playing Miss Freddy, a stylist for Billie Holiday in Hulu’s “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” which is now streaming on the platform. The drama feature stars singer Andra Day as the iconic jazz musician as “she’s being targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics in an undercover sting operation led by federal agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair. Directed by Lee Daniels, the biopic examines Holliday’s struggles with addiction, fame and heartbreak. https://youtu.be/8L4CzqrJYS4 This week’s episode of “Millennials” starring Kyle Massey, Keraun ‘King Keraun’ Harris, Philip Bolden and Aaron Grady as 20-something roommates chasing their dreams in Los Angeles. The series recently debuted on AMC Networks’ newly relaunched streaming service ALLBLK. https://youtu.be/MIqhVFHltfc A restraining order against Tamar Braxton brought by her ex-boyfriend David Adefeso in a Los Angeles court has been dismissed. Per TMZ, neither Tamar nor David appeared for their court hearing on the matter Tuesday, so the judge dismissed the case and dissolved the restraining order. Adefeso filed for a restraining order last September amid claims that Braxton had made death threats against him and had assaulted him while he was driving. His filing came shortly after he called 911 after the singer threatened to kill herself. Tamar denied the abuse allegations the following month on “The Tamron Hall Show.” https://youtu.be/p7v6JuAQFVo Rapper Coi Leray and her father, “The Source” co-founder Benzino, have been airing out their dirty laundry on social media. It all started after Leray took aim at her dad on her remix of “No More Parties.” In the lyrics, she slams Benzino for not being a good father: “My daddy let me down, but I promise you, I won’t let up / I wanna say fuck that man but the shit won’t make me better.” Benzino has denied her accusations, saying Leray “was raised in a mansion and had everything she ever asked for. My other two sons are grown and would never say these things.” Benzino claims he “did everything right” as a father to Coi and now he’s being lied on. This week’s all-new episode of WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” finds Diamond detailing the physical violence between her and Pimpin. After the couple come to blows, Diamond opens up about Pimpin’ laying hands on her, and Da Brat doesn’t take the news too well. https://youtu.be/idhzvarkMFk Dr. Oz reportedly saved the life of a man after he collapsed at the Newark, New Jersey airport on Monday evening. The television host began giving him CPR before using a defibrillator after a man fell to the ground at baggage claim, according to TMZ. Oz — who’s full name is Mehmet Cengiz Öz —was at the right place at the right time as the man ‘flatlined’ while the doctor ‘shocked him back to life as a huge crowd watched’ from the terminal. Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs believes he lost reelection due to disinformation at the local level amid former President Donald Trump’s claim that the November election was “stolen” from him. “I’m worried that this malicious, this evil, this weird obsession [with] disinformation and misinformation will spread like wildfire, particularly in communities like Stockton,” Tubbs said, per journal-isms.com. “I made the false assumption that reality was reality and facts were facts and that people would see the truth in the matter and we’d be fine,” Tubbs told Akintunde Ahmad for Columbia Journalism Review. “We just thought that by using traditional media, by being on TV all the time, . . . by writing a response to our newspaper whenever they wanted one, myself, going online and doing Instagram Lives, and Facebook Lives, where people could ask questions. We thought that would be enough, frankly. . . .” The family of a five-year-old girl who suffered brain damaged after a car crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs’ assistant coach Britt Reid is calling for him to face charges. An attorney for Ariel Young’s family spoke out about her extensive injuries on Tuesday after she woke up from nearly two weeks in a coma following the accident on February 4 in Kansas City, Missouri. ‘This wasn’t a fender bender,’ the attorney, Tom Porto, told Good Morning America. ‘This was a serious, life-altering event.’ In anticipation of the release of seven-time GRAMMY Award winner Carrie Underwood’s My Savior, she debuts “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” featuring CeCe Winans. The new album will be released globally on CD and digital 26 March 2021, and on vinyl 30 April. You can pre-order the digital album now. https://youtu.be/ieajn3NK62c Grammy® Award nominated singer-songwriter, Deitrick Haddon, and Trap music king, Zaytoven, gave an explosive performance of their new collaboration, “Sick World," on ABC TV’s “GMA3” this week. “The beautiful thing is that you can’t put Gospel music in a box, and you can’t put Trap music in a box …,” Haddon told GMA3 hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach when they asked how the two superstars met up. “He [Zaytoven] has a love for gospel music. I have a love for gospel music and Trap music, believe it or not, and we just brought it together and created something so beautiful that I think everybody’s going to really enjoy it.” https://youtu.be/aMCvcmsGxI0 Amazon executive Charlotte Newman has filed a discrimination lawsuit in a district court in Washington DC against the company, in which she also accuses executives — current and former of racial insensitivity and sexual harassment. In her complaint, Newman claims the e-commence giant purposely doesn’t promote employees of color and pays Blacks and Latinos less than their White counterparts. https://youtu.be/CbDt6GWKp4E Conservative activist Candace Owens warned on Monday night that the Equality Act threatened to end competitive sport for women, describing the bill which passed the House last week as ‘unbelievably offensive’ and ‘quite frankly, insulting’. https://youtu.be/zXvWrBSkesU Soul of a Nation” is a groundbreaking news magazine presented by ABC News, that aims to put Black life in America front and center. The six-episode series will provide viewers with a unique window into some of the authentic realities of Black life, plus dive deeper into this moment of racial reckoning. Every episode will have a theme, exploring topics of spirituality, Black joy, activism in sports and the impact George Floyd’s death has had on the Black experience. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=775136923361221 CBS has revealed a teaser of the two-hour “Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” set to air on Sunday, March 7. The network said Winfrey spoke with the Duchess of Sussex in “a wide-ranging interview covering everything from stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood (and) philanthropic work, to how she is handling life under intense public pressure.” https://youtu.be/daOQ-RlOeKM Music legend Tina Turner is the subject of one of the most successful biopics ever made but a new documentary sees her confront her demons in her own voice. “Tina” by Oscar-winning directors Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin premiered Tuesday at the Berlin film festival. It traces Turner’s six-decade career as an unlikely triumph over abuse and discrimination. Paired with a musical about her that had its Broadway premiere in 2019 until the pandemic shut it down, the film is billed as the 81-year-old Turner’s farewell to her fans while introducing her to a “new generation." Bunny Wailer, a reggae luminary who was the last surviving member of the legendary group The Wailers, died on Tuesday in his native Jamaica. He was 73. Wailer, a baritone singer whose birth name is Neville Livingston, formed The Wailers in 1963 with late superstars Bob Marley and Peter Tosh when they lived in a slum in the capital of Kingston. They catapulted to international fame with the album, “Catch a Fire” and also helped popularize Rastafarian culture among better-off Jamaicans starting in the 1970s. Wailer died at Andrews Memorial Hospital in the Jamaican parish of St. Andrew of complications from a stroke in July, manager Maxine Stowe told The Associated Press. Naturi Naughton has been tapped to co-star opposite Eve in ABC’s hourlong pilot “Queens." The series per Deadline, tells the story of four estranged women who reunite to recapture their fame as a ’90s hip-hop group. Eve will play Brianna, a member of the Nasty Bitches who is now a wife and mother to five children. Naughton plays Jill, aka Da Thrill, a founding member of the Nasty Bitches. Deadline describes her as having lived a fast life and “had rugged rhymes and a troubling drug habit.” Jill is now “a devout Catholic living a quiet life in Montana with her husband. Tyrese and Samantha Lee are in the middle of a divorce, and it’s safe to say she might not move on with a fellow celebrity in the future. The two were married for four years when they announced their split earlier this year. In a new IGTV video, Samantha Lee answered a question that asks if she would recommend dating a celebrity. She said, “No!… I think a lot of women want a certain type of notoriety in being with a certain guy. That’s not where your worth comes from. That’s not where your validation comes from. Your worth comes from God, and God alone. It doesn’t matter who you’re with.” Apple TV+ has announced the Season 3 renewal to psychological thriller series “Servant” from Oscar-nominated director M. Night Shyamalan. Directed by Shyamalan and created by Tony Basgallop, “Servant” follows a Philadelphia couple in mourning after an unspeakable tragedy creates a rift in their marriage and opens the door for a mysterious force to enter their home. https://youtu.be/N1cOR0sRRIw Disney’s latest animated film, “Raya and the Last Dragon” is an adventure to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where Raya is tasked with finding the legendary last dragon to stop an evil force that has destroyed her world. Tune in to the premiere of “Raya and the Last Dragon” premieres in select theaters and on Disney+ with Premiere Access on March 5. A Christian movie that tells about a father who seeks reconciliation with his estranged son, is now available to watch. https://youtu.be/f8Qj6N7XuR8 Mathew Knowles has announced that he’ll soon be retiring from the music industry. “In the next two years, I will have transitioned completely out of the music industry… my plan is to be completely dedicated to mentoring, academia,” he told Page Six. “There’s nothing negative about [the decision]. I’m personally ready to move on. I’ll continue to teach about the music business.” Last month Knowles launched his new endeavor, his Impact podcast on iHeartRadio. PBS documentary on Justice Clarence Thomas, the only black justice currently serving on the U.S. Supreme Court, during Black History Month. “This video is currently unavailable to watch in your location,” the Amazon Prime page for “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words” reads. The film has a five-star rating on the platform. Additionally, the DVD version of the documentary is no longer available for purchase through the online retailer. The documentary’s producer Michael Pack of Manifold Productions Inc. told The Blaze that the documentary was pulled from Amazon Prime around Feb. 8., just eight days into Black History Month. The producer added that Amazon stopped streaming the documentary at its own discretion. A doctor who went viral as the “TikTok Doc” while at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital (OHSU) has been placed on leave at his new position in Florida amid allegations of workplace sexual assault and harassment. Dr. Jason Campbell, who worked as an anesthesia resident at OHSU, was recently hired at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. The university said in a statement Monday night: “The University of Florida and UF College of Medicine in Gainesville recently learned of a new hire who is the subject of allegations of misconduct from a previous institution. The employee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending investigation. They did not begin any official duties on campus nor have contact with any patients. The University of Florida is committed to providing a safe educational, work and residential environment that is free from harassment or misconduct.” https://kgw.com/embeds/video/283-aef468e2-5383-4abd-8038-ca5983eb9aa1/iframe?jwsource=cl D’Angelo headlined a VERZUZ event live from the Apollo Theater on February 27, and he was joined by some of his famous friends, including H.E.R, Method Man, Redman, with stars such as Common, Timbaland, Snoop Dogg and Babyface in attendance. https://www.instagram.com/thedangelo/?utm_source=ig_embed Enon Music Group (EMG) presents VERSES, a live virtual musical event with two dynamic vocalists sharing music and their musical experiences. This is the second installment of EMG's VERSES. This edition will feature vocalists April Hall and San Franklin. As a follow-up to last year’s No. 1 single, “Open Door Season,” perennial urban gospel hitmaker, Deitrick Haddon, teams up with Trap music king, Zaytoven (Gucci Mane, Migos, Future), for “Sick World” (Black Own Black Entertainment / Tyscot). It’s a deliriously relevant and infectious track that exudes the hard-bite of Childish Gambino’s “This is America” while offering the optimistic hope that Kendrick Lamar envisions in “Alright.” The Detroit native premiered the song during one of Joe Biden’s Inaugural events a few weeks ago and the Warner Bros. Records music staff has started working the song at R&B radio. Haddon and Zaytoven will perform the song on ABC TV’s “GMA3” on Monday, March 1 @ 1 PM ET. In the wake of an unpredictable and challenging 2020, global leader Bishop T.D. Jakes is bringing leaders from all areas of business and the nonprofit sector together to get clarity on the way forward. The reimagined 2021 International Leadership Summit is now a virtual event. From April 29 to May 1, industry thought leaders like Tyler Perry, Steven Furtick and Judah Smith will speak to a variety of topics including technology, global economics, faith and more. Dallas officials plan to open a new COVID-19 vaccine site in the southwestern part of the city next week as they begin moving their efforts away from the downtown convention center. The city also plans to hand over the entire vaccination process to an outside group. The city will receive 3,000 new doses next week, down from 5,000 in recent weeks, with plans for them to be distributed at an overflow parking lot at The Potter’s House church at 6777 W. Kiest Blvd. near Mountain Creek Lake. Emmy Award Winning -3x #1 Charting Artist- will honor the request of the Rochester, NY community to make an in-person and Virtual Appearance on Good Friday (April 2nd) at 7:30pm. According to Pugh, “Prior to release of “The Outpour Experience” (1st quarter of 2020) I had already planned a release concert at the home church of one of the writers Rufus McGee, who wrote the opening song “Your Glory” on the CD. Out of an abundance of caution and to comply with CDC Guidelines due to the global pandemic we postponed the concert with hopes of revisiting the idea once the Covid-19 Virus’ positivity rate decreased.” The “Night of Outpour” will be Pugh’s opportunity to make good on his promise to safely share ministry via an in-person setting with strict adherence to CDC Guidelines (social distancing and wearing of masks.) Pugh plans to share, both, old and new music to an intimate crowd of about 150 people (less than 25% occupancy of the seating capacity of the facility. Irv Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first African American to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, died Sunday at 81. He died Sunday morning near his home in Roseville, Minnesota. Cross, a defensive back, played nine seasons in the NFL after being a seventh-round draft pick out of Northwestern in 1961. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and recorded 22 interceptions during his career. A week after addressing minority hiring issues in the NFL on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin discussed the league’s lack of Black coaches in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tomlin expressed frustration at the lack of progress being made on the Black head coach hiring front. “I normally don’t talk publicly during the offseason, but this is a critical issue for us,” Tomlin said in the interview. “As important as this is for us in the NFL, it’s also important for us as a society. It deserves all the attention it gets.” Tomlin is one of only three Black head coaches in the NFL, along with Houston’s David Culley and Miami’s Brian Flores. A state appeals court in Texas ruled last week that a sexual abuse lawsuit could go forward against Paul Pressler, a former judge and influential Southern Baptist who helped lead a conservative revolt in the denomination in the 1980s and 1990s. Gareld Duane Rollins, Jr., who met Pressler in a Bible study when he was 14, sued Pressler in 2017, accusing the South Baptist legend of sexually abusing him for years, including an alleged rape in 1980. The alleged abuse continued until Rollins was in his 30s, according to the lawsuit. Rollins, who also served as an assistant to Pressler, has alleged that the abuse led to a lifetime of struggles with addictions and troubles with the law. Louisiana State Police have maintained that the in-custody May 2019 death of Ronald Greene was caused from injuries he sustained in a car crash following high speed chase. But they’re story has changed following the newly revealed bodycam footage, which shows Master Trooper Kory York dragging Greene “on his stomach by the leg shackles” following a violent arrest after the high-speed pursuit, according to internal State Police records obtained by The Associated Press. https://youtu.be/a7t_5DvZWuQ One week after a bombshell letter accused the NYPD and FBI of conspiring to assassinate civil rights leader Malcolm X, another stirring implication has been made. Kelly Wood, the daughter of a deceased former NYPD officer is speaking out about a letter that purports to show that her father, Raymond Wood, was involved in the assassination plot. Wood’s daughter Kelly told NY1 that the letter is forged and called the release of the letter a “slanderous act” and a “stain” on the “reputation that he worked so to protect.” “I know that my father did not write this letter,” Wood said. “I know that is not his signature and I know the envelope they’re using to somehow justify that the letter was mailed is also a fake.” Wood’s nephew Reggie presented the information to Malcolm X’s daughters in hopes to submit it as evidence into his murder investigation. Last year the Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced it would review the case following the release of an in-depth documentary detailing the conspiracy theories around Malcolm X’s death. Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous award for best actor in a motion picture, drama, at the 2021 Golden Globes on Sunday night for his performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman died last August at age 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer. His wife, Simone Ledward Boseman, delivered an emotional speech while accepting the award on his behalf. https://youtu.be/Ixi2Xdr1Kd8 For the first time ever, music icon Jody Watley guest appears on The Wendy Williams Show. Watley recently joined Wendy Williams for a chat on the show and talked about the 34th anniversary of her first album, working on new music and her new signature candle line ‘Sanctuary.’ https://youtu.be/NAGlFDBHJ6I Rapper and actor Common is known for using his artistry as an avenue to tell powerful stories and the Chicago native will continue to do so through the creation of a new film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Common—whose real name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn—is working on a film about civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. The film, dubbed God’s Long Summer, will delve into Hamer’s upbringing in Montgomery County, Mississippi and chronicle the experiences that led her down a path of fighting against injustice. Hamer joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in 1962 and spearheaded initiatives centered on voting rights. Two years after joining SNCC, she ran for Congress and co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party which was launched to encourage and increase Black political participation. As Texans continue to grapple with the aftermath of the winter storm, more efforts to provide relief for residents in need have been launched. One of them is being led by rapper Travis Scott. According to People, the Houston native—whose real name is Jacques Webster—created a program to combat food insecurity. Webster’s nonprofit the Cactus Jack Foundation—an organization he founded to empower youth in Houston—teamed up with the Houston Health Foundation and the City of Houston for the creation of an emergency food program. Through the initiative, 50,000 hot meals will be distributed to vulnerable residents in the Houston area who are homebound, senior citizens, disabled, low-income or unemployed. Russell Westbrook has been dedicated to empowering youth through education and the Washington Wizards point guard is taking his efforts further. According to People, the California native is opening a middle school and high school in Los Angeles. Westbrook is joining forces with the L.A. Promise Fund for the creation of the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy. The nonprofit organization is centered on providing youth with the tools and resources needed to thrive in college and in their professional careers. Research shows in California there is a significant achievement gap that stems from an unleveled educational playing field. Nearly a week after his accident, Tiger Woods is breaking his silence! Expressing his appreciation for all the love and support he’s received since his terrifying car accident, Tiger tweeted on Sunday, “It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts. To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time.” Woods was referring to the golfers who wore his signature red shirt and black pants during the final round of the WGC-Workday Championship in Bradenton, Florida. Jhonni Blaze of “Growing Up Hip Hop” dish about the current season of the show, which has seen her sparring with music manager Deb Antney, Da Brat and opening up about her personal battle with depression. She’s also about the drop a new video for the single “Back End,” and tells us why she’s “dope as hell.” https://youtu.be/S8LKZia9ZqE For the first time in television history, a commercial showing actual lactating breasts aired during the Golden Globe awards on Sunday. Frida CEO Chelsea Hirschhorn says breastfeeding “never gets any airtime because the end supposedly justifies the means,” she said. “The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.” Moms around the country are praising the video on YouTube. https://youtu.be/y_838QUw46Y Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram on Saturday to respond to a tweet from actress Evan Rachel Wood, who called Kobe Bryant a ‘rapist’ following news that the NBA star and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash. Vanessa shared a screenshot of the old tweet, which Wood sent out amid reports of Kobe’s death in January 2020. In her post, she called Bryant a “sports hero,” and also described him as a “rapist” — referring to his 2003 sexual assault case that was dismissed.“ Vanessa only recently became aware of Wood’s “rapist” tweet, so she responded to her on social media. “Your false, insensitive, defamatory and slanderous tweet on 1/26/20 is vile and disturbing to say the least,” she wrote. “Behavior like this is part of the reason why innocent black men go to jail for crimes they didn’t commit. An accusation doesn’t make someone guilty. You don’t know the facts of the case.” Latinos who immigrate to America bring negative stereotypes about Blacks, as they identify more with white supremacist ideology, according to a 2006 study. Paula D. McClain, a Duke University political science professor and lead author of the study, found that living in the same neighborhoods with Black Americans fuels the negative opinion Latino immigrants have of Blacks. https://youtu.be/LvRS7P33mAI The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. 2021 ceremony went full steam ahead with a field of nominees that featured many female directors, buzzy TV shows and notable shortcomings in its honors for Black storytelling. Chloe Zhao and her film “Nomadland” and Sacha Baron Cohen and his film “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” each won top movie honors, while “Soul” also took home multiple prizes at the 78th Golden Globe Awards. Chadwick Boseman, Jodie Foster, “Minari,” Andra Day and Daniel Kaluuya also received honors. In television, favorites “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Crown” and “Schitt’s Creek” won the night’s top TV awards while roles in “Small Axe” and “Ted Lasso” were also honored. The Globes ceremony was again hosted by Tina Fey (from the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center in New York) and Amy Poehler (from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles). This year’s special honors were conferred upon film icon Jane Fonda and television pioneer Norman Lear. Daniel Kaluuya, who took home a Golden Globe last night for his role in “Judas and the Black Messiah” was a guest on the Monday, March 1 edition of “Tamron Hall” to discuss his role as Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton in the historical drama. Kaluuya opens up about the responsibility of telling Hampton’s story and reacts to the film’s comparison to Spike Lee’s iconic biopic “Malcolm X” in an interview that was filmed last week, prior to the win. https://youtu.be/byKRRgzaINk Apple TV+ has revealed a first look at “Lisey’s Story,” the highly anticipated Apple Original limited series from creator and executive producer Stephen King, executive producer J.J. Abrams, director and executive producer Pablo Larraín, and starring and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Julianne Moore. Based on the best-selling novel by King, and adapted by the author himself, “Lisey’s Story” is a deeply personal thriller that follows Lisey Landon (played by Moore) two years after the death of her husband, famous novelist Scott Landon (played by Clive Owen). A series of unsettling events causes Lisey to face memories of her marriage to Scott that she has deliberately blocked out of her mind. White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond told “Axios on HBO” that it’s “doable” for President Biden to make first-term progress on breaking down barriers for people of color, while Congress studies reparations for slavery. Why it matters: Biden said on the campaign trail that he supports the creation of a commission to study and develop proposals for reparations — direct payments for African Americans. A House panel heard testimony on the legislation last week. A Louisiana police officer was shot dead last week during a mask dispute at a high school basketball game. Authorities confirmed the death of Cpl Martinus Mitchum, 38, of the Tulane University Police Department in a Facebook post on Saturday. John Shallerhorn, 35, was identified by police as the suspect who fatally shot Mitchum at George Washington Carver High School on Friday. When officers arrived to the scene, they found Mitchum suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. First responders transported him to University Medical Centre in New Orleans, where he later died from his injuries. Based on the accounts of 11 alleged sexual assault victims of T.I. (real name Clifford Harris) and Tiny Harris (real name Tameka Harris), a new lawyer from New York is seeking a criminal investigation into the celebrity couple. According to The New York Times, Tyrone A. Blackburn is representing 11 people who’ve claimed to be “victimized” (via drugging, rape or sexual assault) by the Harrises or members of their entourage. Reportedly, Blackburn issued letters seeking criminal inquiry in two states. He sent them to the offices of the U.S. Attorneys for the Northern District of Georgia and the Central District of California, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, and the state attorneys general of California and Georgia. Free-agent pass-rusher J.J. Watt has agreed to a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals, the team announced Monday. Terms were not disclosed, but a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the deal is worth $31 million and includes $23 million guaranteed. Rachel Lindsay has decided to take a break from social media after being harassed by racist white folks for speaking out about the racist “Bachelor” franchise. Lindsay has been catching heat following a heated exchange with former host Chris Harrison about the racist antics of “Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. https://youtu.be/ln36XeP7qaQ Cartoon Network has released their third anti-racism PSA in a series of four developed by Emmy-nominated Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar, and Ian Jones-Quartey, creator of “OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes.” https://youtu.be/zJkVgGYm4xo In the waning days of Black History Month last week, “Good Morning America” gathered “Grey’s Anatomy” stars Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey) and Kelly McCreary (Dr. Maggie Pierce) as well as Zoanne Clark — a doctor, writer and executive producer who has been with “Grey’s Anatomy” since the pilot — for a wide-ranging chat conducted over Zoom. https://youtu.be/GPp4q3SWP2Y Dutch poet Marieke Lucas Rijneveld has pulled out of transcribing/translating Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb” for a Dutch poetry collection after criticism that it would be inappropriate for a white person to do so. Rijneveld, the youngest author to win the International Booker Prize for the novel, “The Discomfort of Evening,” decided to step down from the role on Friday. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1366344396283777024/Roi-jfr6?format=jpg&name=240x240 Jeffrey Wright will voice Batman in a new series of stories called “Batman: The Audio Adventures” for HBO Max. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the podcast series is written by Saturday Night Live writer Dennis McNicholas and will be “a comedic take on the property that sees Jeffrey Wright lending his voice as the Caped Crusader.” Meanwhile, Wright is also set to star as Jim Gordon in the upcoming film “The Batman’ starring Robert Pattinson. Jeff “Mr. Trombone” Bradshaw strides into 2021 with a renewed sense of purpose on the heels of his newest album, the NAACP Image Award nominated STRONGER, Bradshaw’s first release since 2015. After a six year absence from the charts due to a life-threatening illness, Bradshaw’s unique tone and approach to multiple music styles is once again on full display on the sixteen track collection. https://youtu.be/bsBRa0DJ7K0 Former Notre Dame football and NFL player Louis Nix, who had been reported missing earlier this week, was found dead on Saturday. He was 29. No cause of death was announced. Nix’s family reported him missing on Wednesday to police. After several days of searching, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office tweeted at 8 p.m. ET Saturday that Nix had been located but did not report Nix’s condition. Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly shared a video on Twitter of some of his fond memories of Nix. https://twitter.com/i/status/1366041891217821700 It’s wild that in 2021 we still must explain when and in what context white people can use the N-word. While for some it may seem like a complicated discussion worthy of debate, the answer is simple: Not as a part of a discussion. Not as an example. Never. And yet debates persist, even among journalists and media personalities, about whether there are conditions where people can use it. But the focus on whether white people can use the word often ignores broader issues within workplaces, illustrating much deeper issues.The real question is why are white people so focused on being able to say a word that has always been an offensive term leveled at Black people. A common misbelief around the word is that it was used to mean simply someone who was ignorant, so that could warrant broader use of the term. “The word now ranks as almost certainly the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English, a term expressive of hatred and bigotry.”“Its offensiveness is not new—dictionaries have been noting it for more than 150 years—but it has grown more pronounced with the passage of time,” read the entry. “The word now ranks as almost certainly the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English, a term expressive of hatred and bigotry.” If successfully navigating the turbulent waters of politics is an indication of intelligence, then Stacey Abrams must be a genius, Ben Jealous, President of People For the American Way, a progressive social and political advocacy organization, recently suggested. Therefore, he concluded, building off that metaphor, her political genius is just like spades, the card game that is so popular with Black folks. The two longtime friends spoke virtually on Feb. 19 during a conversation facilitated by the University of Pennsylvania, where Jealous is a visiting scholar at the Annenberg School for Communication, the School of Social Policy & Practice as well as the university’s law school. The playful exchange between Jealous — who is also the former president of the NAACP — and Abrams — who has been widely credited for her role in first flipping Georgia blue and then later for Democrats’ victories in last month’s Senate runoff races — had a lot of truth to it. https://youtu.be/KBrRzPWDoYg A federal judge indefinitely blocking Joe Biden‘s 100-day pause on deportations came as the president’s administration already grants Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with way too much latitude, advocates say. Black immigrants like those from Haiti are of particular concern to immigration activists worried about their potential return to nations either mired in conflict, poverty, both or worse. The Texas judge’s ruling came on Wednesday, but Biden’s previously announced policy that prioritizes the deportations of people who allegedly pose a threat remained in effect. A Washington Post reporter called it “a win for Biden,” but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was among those maintaining that the interim guidance was a step backward. Ex-NFLer and now media personality Emmanuel Acho will host “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose” on Monday. That’s because longtime “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison recently took a leave of absence. Earlier this month Harrison stepped down after defending current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for a resurfaced photo in which she appears to be attending a plantation-themed fraternity formal in 2018, and previously “liking” Confederate flag-related TikToks; Harrison later said his comments in defense of Kirkconnell were made “in a manner that perpetuates racism.” On Monday, Acho – a best-selling author and the host of the online series “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man” – is set to interview current “Bachelor” star Matt James, as well as the three women who made it to the final episode. A Georgia high school teacher who told her students Breonna Taylor caused her own death by hanging out with bad people is fending off calls for her being fired. Susan McCoy, who teaches forensic science at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, GA. told that to her students in a zoom class: https://youtu.be/0agfPKgD6Do American-Filipino actor Lou Diamond Phillips spoke with SiriusXM Urban View host, Clay Cane about playing diverse characters and diversity and inclusion in the entertainment world. https://youtu.be/8Nd_Sdl6hio As a founding member of the R&B group, “En Vogue,” Dawn Robinson helped the ensemble become one of the world’s bestselling female groups ever. The group reached top-10 status on Billboard with such songs as “Hold On,” “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get it)” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” “Free Your Mind,” and “Don’t Let Go (Love). The group’s self-titled 2000 album produced two singles: “Don’t Mess With My Man” and “Dance Tonight.” Despite the album’s success, Robinson left the group, in part, because of various challenges and difficulties she was having with Saadiq, even though the two had known each other for many years. Robinson said in an interview with Halftime Chat that Saadiq was sort of jealous of her because music/entertainment writers wanted to interview her most of the time. Subsequently, Robinson accused Saadiq of not looking our for her financially. She said that she didn’t really go over the contracts like she should have because of the level of trust she had in Saadiq. Robinson said when a Lucy Pearl album didn’t come out as she was led to believe, it negatively impacted her financial status, which had a ripple effect on her ability to pay house mortgage payments. According to Robinson, Saadiq said he would help, but in the end, he didn’t come through for her. “I ended up literally losing my house,” said Robinson. A day after a league official told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears that the G League is investigating a claim made by Jeremy Lin that he was called “coronavirus” during a game, Lin tweeted that he’s “not naming or shaming anyone.” “I know this will disappoint some of you but I’m not naming or shaming anyone,” Lin tweeted Saturday. “What good does it do in this situation for someone to be torn down? It doesn’t make my community safer or solve any of our long-term problems with racism.” Professional baseball player turned gospel singer Todd Dulaney is now singing songs composed of words from the Bible and, as a result, is seeing God’s miraculous work. His latest single, “Revelation 4,” was taken directly from the words found in that chapter of the Bible. https://youtu.be/MzG-d1zLAoQ Eddie Murphy is still making music, but the last thing he wants to do is release it to the public.On an upcoming episode of “Tamron Hall,” Eddie — who appears with his daughter Bella — talked about the much-anticipated sequel “Coming 2 America,” which premieres on March 5 on Amazon Prime. https://youtu.be/BzmK2lpMl_Y The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. is gearing up for its annual Golden Globes this Sunday and responding to criticism for failing to cultivate an inclusive and diverse membership body. The group doesn’t currently have any Black journalists among its 87-person membership. In fact, the organization hadn’t had a Black member since at least 2002, when former HFPA president and board chair Meher Tatna joined. In an interview for Variety‘s talk with the heads of the big four awards bodies — Oscars, Globes, SAG and BAFTA — Tatna addressed the criticism. “As a person of color, it’s important to me,” says Tatna. “It’s just there are nuances, as an organization of immigrants, who write for our home country, that search [for international Black journalists] has not been easy, but that doesn’t mean we will give up. We will keep trying, and we will be part of the solution.” In observance of Black History Month, Wells Fargo has selected six African American minority depository institutions (MDIs) for equity investments: Broadway Federal Bank in Los Angeles, Carver Federal Savings Bank in New York, Citizens Savings Bank & Trust in Nashville, Commonwealth National Bank in Mobile, Ala., M&F Bank in Durham, N.C., and Optus Bank in Columbia, S.C. he financial commitment structure means that the investments are in the form of critical equity capital, which is foundational to the MDIs’ ability to expand lending and deposit-taking capacity in their communities. The WNBA and the NBA approved the sale of the Atlanta Dream on Friday, placing ownership in the hands of an investor group led by Northland real estate Chairman Larry Gottesdiener, company COO Suzanne Abair and former Dream star Renee Montgomery. https://twitter.com/i/status/1365346773942861826 Recently confirmed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he recommended the airstrike in Syria Thursday night that targeted the militia supported by Iran that attacked Americans earlier this month in Iraq. The reported death toll ranged from one to more than a dozen people in the attack on buildings in Syria operated by the Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, that was authorized by President Joe Biden. The U.S. military maintains that the Iraqi militia is responsible for killing a civilian contractor and injuring one American soldier as well as other troops in a missile attack on Feb 15. Kentucky legislators unanimously voted to approve a bill that would restrict the usage of “no-knock” warrants on Thursday, in an increasing effort to prohibit excessive force policies evoked in the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot last spring after Louisville cops raided her home during a botched raid. House members will now move forward with a vote. The bill, filed by Senate President Robert Stivers states that no-knock warrants can only be acquired with “clear and convincing evidence” that the “crime alleged is a crime that would qualify a person, if convicted, as a violent offender.” The warrants would have to be executed between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Meisha Ross Porter made history Friday after she was named the successor to New York City school chancellor Richard Carranza, making her the first Black woman to lead the largest public school system in the country. With over 1 million students and 1,800 schools under her jurisdiction, Porter, 47, says she’s ready for the challenge. “I’ve dedicated my life to @NYCschools, and cannot imagine a greater honor than the opportunity to lead as Chancellor. @NYCmayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza have laid an incredible foundation. I am ready to hit the ground running and lead our schools to a full recovery,” Porter tweeted on Friday. Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs were reportedly found by a good Samaritan in an alley, tied to a pole, miles from where they were stolen. Officials said the woman who turned in the dogs, Gustav and Koji, to a Los Angeles Police station on Friday night, recognized them from media reports, according to TMZ, which cited law enforcement sources. The woman reportedly found the dogs miles from the Los Angeles neighborhood where they were violently yanked from their walker, who was shot in the chest during the wild Wednesday night heist. The dog walker, Ryan Fischer, is recovering at an area hospital. Gaga, who offered a $500,000 reward for the return of the dogs, is reportedly ecstatic they were found safely and said she would “gladly” pay the woman who rescued them, TMZ reported. Barbed wire and concrete barriers surround the courthouse where the former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd will soon go on trial, a sign of the deep uneasiness hanging over a city literally set ablaze almost a year ago in the anger over his death. Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz, both Democrats, were sharply criticized for failing to move faster to stop last summer’s looting and destruction, which included the torching of a police station. Anything less than a murder conviction for Derek Chauvin is likely to test them — and the city — once again. Jury selection begins March 8 with opening statements March 29. Floyd, who was Black, died May 25 after Chauvin, who was white, pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and pleading that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges; three other fired officers go on trial in August. Bishop Charles Blake Goes Live on Facebook and Rebukes Church of God in Christ Leaders for Confusion Regarding People Not Being Able to Vote for Presiding Bishop and Calls for a postponement of the vote, says he is not leaving his post, and indicates there may have been some cyberhacking going on. He Also Reports That Hundreds of Church of God in Christ Pastors and Bishops Have Died Over the Past Year and That the General Conference Was Canceled for the First Time. The Rev. Junius B. Dotson, the top executive of Discipleship Ministries, died late Feb. 24, less than a month after announcing his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 55. His unexpected death brought together United Methodists of varied theological views in an outpouring of grief and love for a leader whose ministry touched lives across the denomination. LeBron James has responded fiercely to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s criticism of his political activism with a promise that he will never just shut up and dribble. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar also pointed out that Ibrahimovic clearly didn’t feel the same way about spotlighting social injustices when the 39-year-old called out racism in his native Sweden just three years ago. The AC Milan striker criticised James, 36, and other socially conscious athletes on Thursday in an interview with Discovery Plus. Ibrahimovic called it ‘a mistake’ for James and other athletes to get involved in political causes, saying they should ‘just do what you do best, because it doesn’t look good.’ James – who has backed numerous initiatives pursuing social justice, voting rights and other progressive causes – responded forcefully to Ibrahimovic’s stance after the Lakers’ 102-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. ‘I would never shut up about things that are wrong,’ said James. ‘I preach about my people and I preach about equality, social injustice, racism, systematic voter suppression, things that go on in our community,’ James added. Louis Nix, a former defensive lineman for the Giants who survived a shooting in December, has been reported missing by his mother. Nix left his father’s Jacksonville, Fla., home at approximately 10 a.m. on Tuesday and has not returned, according to a missing person poster shared to social media. Nix’s mother told Action News Jacksonville that she believes her son is in danger because “this is out of the normal for him.” She said she “can’t call him because voicemail is full and people he talks to daily have not heard from him, [which is] not like him.” Nix was shot during an attempted robbery while putting air in his vehicle’s tires at a Jacksonville gas station in December. Bronny James suffered a torn meniscus in his knee at a practice earlier this month and had surgery to repair it, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. James, the son of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ LeBron James, told followers on Twitch this week that he had suffered a knee injury. James is a sophomore at Sierra Canyon School, which hasn’t played any official games this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic but has plans to play a spring basketball season. James, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and plays guard, averaged 4.1 points in 15 minutes a game as a freshman for the national power. He played in all 34 games. LeBron James and partner Maverick Carter are producing a docuseries on Sierra Canyon’s 2019-20 season, “Top Class,” featuring Bronny and his teammates. It premieres this week on Amazon. The iconic Hollywood costumer, Ruth E. Carter is getting her props for being the first Black costume designer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and after the legendary Edith Head, she’s only the second costume designer to get the honor. Carter, of course, made history in 2019 when she won an Oscar for her work on Marvel’s “Black Panther.” https://youtu.be/vjoKY0uliDo In 2017, Black model Slick Woods, born Simone Thompson, was one of the most recognizable faces of superstar singer Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line. Noted for her bald head, full lips and gapped teeth, Woods had taken modeling to new levels. In 2019, Woods’ dentist noticed something suspicious during her routine dental appointment. After taking samples to be tested, several days later Woods received news that she had stage 3 melanoma. “I just dropped the phone. I couldn’t even cry,” Woods said in a phone interview with CNN Style. “It was so scary. The first thing I said to my doctor was at least I’m bald already.” Woods ultimately shared the news with her almost one million followers on Instagram that she was undergoing chemotherapy. She feels blessed by the support that she has received from those who follow her. Such a following is a long way from her life before fame. It looks like #ShereeWhitfield may have rekindled an old flame, now that her former man #TyroneGilliams has been released from prison. According to @tmz_tv, they spoke with Tyrone and he revealed that he was released from prison in Kentucky last week, and since then, he and Sheree have been spending quality time together in Philadelphia. Sheree is reportedly also helping him get readjusted to life outside of prison. He was able to get an early release due to COVID-19. The Gorilla Girl, Tessica Brown, is dealing with a new situation and a downright serious scare: Doctors found lumps in her breasts.he situation came to light when Brown’s manager, Gina Rodriguez, let it be known that Brown was getting a “mommy makeover,” which consists of a boob lift/implants. As part of a pre-surgery consultation, Dr. Michael Obeng — the doc who defeated the Gorilla Glue — examined her breasts earlier this week, and unfortunately discovered a lump in each of Tessica’s breasts. Brown subsequently had a mammogram which confirmed the presence of masses. She’s already had surgery to remove them, and they’re now being tested for cancer, reports TMZ. Actor, TV and podcast host LeVar Burton rose to fame on the classic 1977 miniseries “Roots,” based on Alex Haley’s novel about slavery. Now, decades later, Burton says the country is still grappling with issues rooted in slavery in an interview with Mo Rocca for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 28 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Thursday, during the Television Critics Association’s (TCAs) Winter Press Tour, Hulu presented the company’s lineup of upcoming original programming including the fourth season of Emmy®, Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winning series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the third and final season of comedy series “Shrill” starring Aidy Bryant, and new adult animation series “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.,” all of which join the company’s collection of premium original content. The company also announced a series order for new original limited series “Iron Mike” from 20th Television and the team behind “I, Tonya,” as well as an early third season renewal for “Animaniacs” from Steven Spielberg. https://youtu.be/pmcWPOH4Yqw Tyrese Gibson is no longer a married man. And now that’s he’s split from Samantha Lee Gibson, it appears he is not down with living single, either. He is going through another emotional crisis. In an emotional post on Instagram, Gibson begged the Almighty for forgiveness and for an end to the single life: “Dear God, With a healing heart I post this….. I am sorry for my sins and sorry for anything I’ve ever done to anyone rather I’m aware of it or not I just hope you find it in your heart to forgive me….. I have not met my BEST self yet and I know it…. I can’t wait to meet the NEW ME!!!!! This single life hits different especially since I could of never ever seen this coming…… Ever…. Back to the basics…. What’s your name? Where you from? Who yo momma nem? What you do? What’s your credit score? Jesus or Nah? Lol #TheVibes” Britney Spears‘ mom is speaking out to set the record straight. In a statement to Page Six, Lynne Spears denied Columbus Short’s claim that she once called him the N-word during a conversation with the pop star. “I want to be very clear. Those terrible words are not remotely in my vocabulary,” the former schoolteacher, 65, said. “I would never say that to anyone, much less my daughter. Ever.” As we previously reported, the 38-year-old actor claimed in his 2020 autobiography, Short Stories, that he overheard either Lynne or her ex-husband, Jamie Spears, using the racial epithet to describe him in 2003 after he allegedly slept with Britney, during a trip to Rome. He did not specify which parent said it. “I was next to [Britney] while she was on the phone with them crying while she had it on speaker,” he wrote before alleging that one of the Grammy winner’s folks asked her, “Why are you f–king that n–ger?” Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, February 28 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn1aUpZbVWE&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells, airing Saturday, February 28 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR7rrPbEWxk&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV highlights a third season of CLEO SPEAKS: POLITICS, PROSE & POWER airing Sunday, February 28 at 9 PM/8C. The groundbreaking and candid series showcases some of the most powerful and influential women of color in the country to tell their story and speak their truth in an intimate setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIbxSeXeHqw&feature=youtu.be WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Sarah admitting that she’s still sleeping with her ex Michael despite them always being on the outs and sparring over their kids. https://youtu.be/WJtbKXOUXMY RCA Inspiration presents #theblackout watch the replay..... https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=443638283542657 Donald Lawrence's music just hits differently. Check out the latest rendition of "Let My People Go" featuring Tank and The Bangas on YouTube. https://youtu.be/larlz-D_Cfo The maestro Kurt Carr released a new video for "Lift Every Voice and Sing" today. https://youtu.be/hBd5hwbMmbA The Gospel Spotlight's New music from Kelontae Gavin "Great." https://youtu.be/6b3ckS4012E The Gospel Spotlight's New music from All Nation Music "Yahweh." https://youtu.be/JLCvdskZ6hE The Gospel Spotlight's New music from Jason Nelson "Residue." https://spaces.hightail.com/space/EE9XyPfnV4/files/fi-75296297-10dd-46a1-99f6-ae4e2c38b7ad/fv-37bcb08a-4b3c-4bff-832c-404eb55e84a9/Jason%20Nelson-Residue%20320%20MP3.mp3 The year 2020, this pandemic, was a rough year for everyone but personally traumatic for me. I lost my brother to Covid-19 and this song HE KEPT ME means more to me now than it ever did. Most can relate that God has kept some from it, and brought some through it; not only physically but mentally. God is and will forever be A Keeper! Lamont Sanders drops new song....https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6657860?date=20210224&user_id=668306&signature=Ox1qW4GIDzvh0h7P38s8U1S1TO0%3AzCioWmlR Ta-Nehisi Coates will write a new Superman film for DC Films and Warner Bros. The project is in very early development, but the new film is being produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot. Hannah Minghella will also produce. There is no director attached to the project at this time and the search for an actor to play Kal-El / Superman has not yet begun. “To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates said in a statement. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.” Coates is the acclaimed author of bestsellers including “Between the World and Me,” “The Beautiful Struggle,” “We Were Eight Years in Power,” and “The Water Dancer.” A judge has denied Tory Lanez’s request for permission to speak publicly about the Megan Thee Stallion assault case. Lanez desperately wants to speak out his truth about what went down July 12 when he allegedly fired several shots at Megan’s feet and wounded her during an argument in Hollywood Hills. He previously took to Twitter to speak out about the charges, noting that the truth will come to light. Lanez has been charged with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. He is also accused of inflicting great bodily injury and has been barred from having any contact with Megan. If convicted, he faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison. Coming 2 America” is coming to you! The long-awaited sequel to 1988’s “Coming to America,” is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video next month. Fans have been waiting for the release of this film since last year but due to COVID-19 it was pushed back and fans wondered if the film would even be released. Just like Akeem in the original, the movie centers around Lavelle’s journey to adjust to his new world. But Prince Lavelle does need a sense of home and sends for his uncle from Queens, played by Tracy Morgan. Morgan is a veteran in the game but a new face to “Coming 2 America.” Our correspondent L.Marie spoke with the comedian about his experience filming the sequel. Angela Stanton King has angered the LGBT+ community for rejecting her trans child. King, a felon pardoned by former President Donald Trump, took to Twitter earlier this month to make clear that she does not support her son’s transition into a female. In a series of tweets on Feb. 16, she detailed why she doesn’t co-sign with the gender bender movement. “I wake up daily thinking about how morals, values, & common sense are no match for societal norms,” King wrote. “Thinking about how I fought for my son & sacrificed to raise him. While his Dad was rotting in prison. Just for him to grow up and decide he wants to be a woman. Seriously wtf.” Wesley Snipes has nothing but love and support for Mahershala Ali and the “young artists” involved with the next “Blade,” project. Ali will replace Snipes in an upcoming reboot of the franchise for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Snipes starred in three of the Blade movies: 1998’s Blade, 2002’s Blade II, and 2004’s Blade: Trinity. In a new interview with Uproxx, Snipes confirmed that he’s not involved in the revamp. “I don’t have any involvement, but I support the young artists and I support Marvel in their business decisions,” Snipes said. “It’s a beautiful thing. I think it’s a heck of a job. He’s got a heck of a job on his hands.” ”The Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell – among the remaining three women currently competing for the heart of the franchise’s first-ever Black Bachelor, Matt James – has made a new video addressing the racial controversy surrounding her recent past. Taking to Instagram, Kirkconnell addressed what has happened following her original apology statement, in which she admitted she was wrong and her “ignorance was racist” after photos surfaced of her attending an antebellum-themed “Old South” college party in 2018. A viral TikTok also showed Kirkconnell “liking” posts containing the Confederate flag and sharing QAnon conspiracy theories. Kanye West reportedly spent $13.2 million on his failed 2020 presidential campaign. According to the rapper’s Federal Election Commission report, he contributed nearly $12.5 million of his own money while raising a little more than $2 million from outside contributions. In total, Ye raised $14.5 million to fund his “Birthday Party” campaign, PEOPLE reports. The MOBE (Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment) Symposium celebrates Women’s History Month (March) with a week-long series devoted to Women in Advertising beginning Monday, March 1. Each of the five programs will air at 7 p.m. EST on the Symposium’s Facebook Live and YouTube Live channels and is part of MOBE’s Advanced Marketing Series. Hasbro is giving Mr. Potato Head a gender makeover. In an effort to “promote gender equality and inclusion,’’ the company said the beloved toy will be replaced with a gender-neutral Potato Head this year, the Associated Press reports. https://youtu.be/md9BU3t6MNg NEW TV ONE ORIGINAL FILM DON'T WASTE YOUR PRETTY STARRING KERI HILSON & DEBORAH JOY WINANS PREMIERES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 AT 8/7C ON TV ONE...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWkMrWILzs4&feature=youtu.be A bill designed to provide protection against discrimination based on sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation advanced in the House on Thursday, but not without resistance led by anti-LGBTQ Republicans. According to the historic legislation’s language, the Equality Act prohibits discrimination “on the basis of the sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition of an individual, as well as because of sex-based stereotypes.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1365059794852319239 At 1 p.m. EST Friday (Feb. 26), the NASA Headquarters building in Washington will officially be named after “Hidden Figure” Mary W. Jackson, the agency’s first African American female engineer. Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk will lead the ceremony set to air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website, and will livestream on the agency’s Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, as well as the NASA app. Members of Jackson’s family and other guests will join Jurczyk for the ceremony. In addition to unveiling a building sign with Jackson’s name, the event will feature video tributes with reflections on Jackson’s career and legacy from a variety of individuals, including William R. Harvey, the president of Hampton University, Jackson’s alma mater, as well as family and friends, current and former NASA employees and astronauts, celebrities, elected officials and others. The event also will feature a video of poet Nikki Giovanni reading an excerpt from her poem “Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea,” which is about space and civil rights. A judge who is also a former U.S. attorney appointed by President Barack Obama has been named as the special prosecutor to investigate the white couple who menaced peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters by aiming guns at them in St. Louis last summer. Richard Callahan, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, recently resigned as a judge in the state’s Cole County to accept the role as the special prosecutor who will ultimately determine whether Mark and Patricia McCloskey deserve criminal charges for their actions. Callahan, 73, told the Post-Dispatch that he plans to approach the McCloskey case the same as other politically charged cases he’s handled in the past. “I am going to approach it the same way I’ve done anything in the last 49 years — start with a blank slate, follow the evidence and see where it takes me,” said Callahan, who was appointed by Obama to be U.S. attorney in 2010. An influential activist and community organizer in Atlanta has died an untimely death, prompting an outpouring of emotion from the many people whose lives he directly affected. Haroun Wakil died Wednesday. He may have suffered a seizure before he was found dead, his friends told local news outlet 11 Alive. It was unclear how old Wakil was. Wakil founded and operated Street Groomers, an organization dedicated to cleaning up and protecting his community in Atlanta. The group’s mission was twofold, according to its website: “To clean up and take back the streets from those who terrorize our people and communities, including some drug dealers and some police officers who act as thugs targeting our people and communities of color;” and “To provide programs and projects for youth as viable alternatives to life on the streets.” He explained to 11 Alive in 2017 why he started Street Groomers, which patrols the West End neighborhood of Atlanta and promoting a safe environment for children. The Harlem community in New York City has long been synonymous with “Black America” despite its increasing gentrification of the area in recent years. The historically Black and brown neighborhoods of New York City are no strangers to gentrification. Still, some people in Harlem — a community that’s been all but synonymous with Black people — were caught off-guard this week when they saw a poster advertising the impending arrival of a new restaurant called Chalmette Fusion Bistro. The poster showed four young white people enjoying a meal at the eatery under a placard that said “The New Soul of Harlem” was “opening soon.” The smiles on the faces of the restaurant’s patrons not only suggested an obliviousness to the decided lack of diversity in a community known for multi-culturalism but they also presented a glaring contrast to two words hovering above their heads: “new soul.” Lifetime is airing a Little Women: Atlanta marathon this Friday (2/26) starting at noon ET/PT leading into the premiere of the Little Women: Atlanta Minnie tribute episode at 9pm, followed by the premiere of an all-new Little Women: Atlanta Unfiltered with Loni Love at 10:30pm ET/PT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtKyAqBWens&feature=youtu.be A Black man accused of attacking women on the subway in New York City was hit with hate crime charges because prosecutors say he specifically targeted “light-skinned women.” Khari Covington is facing 52 criminal counts for allegedly attacking seven women based on the color of the skin. If convicted, the 29-year-old Brooklyn man could be sentenced to life in prison, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. “This defendant’s alleged violent and unprovoked attacks endangered the women he targeted and caused widespread fear in the community,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement released Wednesday. “I am committed to prosecuting all hate crimes where victims, including as alleged in this case, are targeted because of their gender, skin color or race.” Covington told investigators he targeted the women because they are light-skinned, the DA’s office said. Covington’s charges include second-degree burglary as a hate crime, second-degree strangulation as a hate crime, third-degree assault as a hate crime and third-degree menacing as a hate crime. He was being held on $150,000 bail. The Gospel Spotlight's New Music from Bishop Charles R. Lyles...https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6580701?date=20210215&user_id=668306&signature=38Q6G2yV7M38OsqNCVjhezHJwPQ%3AmLpkrquM The Utah Jazz said in a statement they are cooperating with an NBA investigation into former guard Elijah Millsap’s allegations that executive vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey made racially-charged threats during an exit meeting at the end of the 2014-15 season. “The Jazz organization has zero tolerance for discriminatory behavior of any kind,” the team said in a statement Thursday. “We take these matters seriously. We have proactively engaged outside counsel to work in coordination with the NBA to thoroughly investigate this matter. We seek a comprehensive and unbiased review of the situation.” The Dallas Cowboys are about to feel the “sticker shock” of what Dak Prescott will ask for in negotiations and may have to give in on a three-year contract totaling $124.6 million, predicts long-time NFL agent Joel Corry. “I don’t think a deal will be done because I think Dallas will have sticker shock,” Corry tells 1053thefan, But if it can get done? We continue to be told that Dak’s ankle rehab is going fine. Not a factor. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, from 2018, got $94.5 million fully guaranteed. This Prescott’s deal would exceed that. Just like many sports fans around the world, Kyrie Irving believes it’s time for a big change. The basketball superstar took to Instagram on Wednesday suggesting the league alter its logo to honor Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. While sharing a graphic of what he thinks the new logo should look like, the athlete explained, that it has “Gotta Happen, idc what anyone says. BLACK KINGS BUILT THE LEAGUE.” Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, appeared to be on board with the idea as she reposted Irving’s picture of the logo, saying “love this. @KyrieIring.” His followers also seemed to be here for it too as Irving’s post alone garnered more than 1 million likes and close to 21,000 replies as of 2:15 a.m. ET Thursday. Mike Tyson is calling for a boycott of Hulu after the streamer announced its upcoming limited series on the famed boxer titled “Iron Mike.” In a press release Thursday, Hulu said the series will explore “the wild, tragic and controversial life and career” of Tyson, who was not involved in the project. He took to social media to call out Hulu for not consulting with him or offering compensation to tell his story. “Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” Tyson wrote on IG. “This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story. To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu’s concern for dollars over respect for black story rights.” As feds continue to round up suspects in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, authorities have knowledge of a new bombing plot targeting the nation’s seat of democracy. The revelation came during testimony from acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman on Thursday. She said that the same insurrectionists responsible for the January 6 attack now want to “kill as many members as possible” during President Joe Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address to a joint session of the Senate and House. While a date for that speech has yet to be announced, Pittman said the plot is why a razor wire perimeter, heavily armed security officers and other fortifying enhancements around the Capitol building have not been removed even though the attempted MAGA coup occurred more than seven weeks ago. Prince Harry’s Carpool Karaoke ride on Feb. 5 finally aired Thursday night. The Duke of Sussex joined fellow Brit-tured-Californian, James Corden, for an open-air double decker tour bus ride around Hollywood for the “Late Late Show” segment. The 36-year-old got candid about a number of topics as they sipped tea, in English tradition. https://youtu.be/7oxlCKMlpZw Amazon Prime Video announced today that the highly anticipated Amazon Original limited series The Underground Railroad, from Academy Award–winner Barry Jenkins, will premiere on May 14 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The 10-episode limited series is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead. https://youtu.be/Qn0MzTcryTA “Keeping It Special” by Ingram Street, is the 3rd single from their current album “Paint The Town” which so far has reached #6 on the UK Soul Charts. Written by Preston Glass & Ron Tyson of The Temptations, this smoothed out classic R&B ballad showcases Woody & Minquel’s vocal range and versatility with smooth falsetto and soulful improvisations. https://youtu.be/cCQQq90Y_9w Meet Yassin Hall, an e-commerce mastermind and self-made millionaire who is teaching middle and high schoolers at Genesis Preparatory Academy near Atlanta how to profit from Amazon and eBay. The course curriculum for the B.O.S.S. Amazon and Ebay Classes include: How to Set Up an eBay Store From Your Classroom to Earn Six Figures a Year; How to Sell on Amazon; Creating the Mindset for Being an Entrepreneur; and Understanding How to Manage Money. Kirk Franklin Tiny Desk Concert (NPR)....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRwId2RfmfA&feature=youtu.be Lifetime is airing a Little Women: Atlanta marathon this Friday (2/26) starting at noon ET/PT leading into the premiere of the Little Women: Atlanta Minnie tribute episode at 9pm, followed by the premiere of an all-new Little Women: Atlanta Unfiltered with Loni Love at 10:30pm ET/PT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIgIbiMcsoE&feature=youtu.be A former U.S. Marine and retired New York City cop is accused of attacking a Washington, D.C., police officer during the deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Per PEOPLE, Thomas Webster was allegedly captured on police bodycam carrying a large metal flagpole with a U.S. Marine Corps flag and yelling, “You f—— piece of sh–. You f—— mother——-, man.” https://youtu.be/OvfwVN9STGg Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser’s sister died Wednesday of complications from COVID-19, the mayor said. Mercia Bowser, 64, was Bowser’s older sister. She had been treated for COVID-19-related pneumonia. “Mercia was loved immensely and will be missed greatly, as she joins the legion of angels who have gone home too soon due to the pandemic,” Bowser said in a statement. https://youtu.be/ZaFrLxQHKuc Florida county has snubbed both Rush Limbaugh and Gov. Ron DeSantis by deciding against lowering flags in the conservative and racist talk show host’s honor following his death last week. The governor, whose questionable decision-making has been making headlines for months, moved to honor Limbaugh by issuing a memo directing the lowering of the American flag to half-staff on Wednesday at several locations across the state, including the Palm Beach County Courthouse and Palm Beach City Hall. Limbaugh was a longtime resident of Palm Beach County. But the Palm Beach County commissioner issued her own statement reminding DeSantis and anyone with hopes of having flags lowered for Limbaugh what exactly that specific honor is actually reserved for. In doing so, Commissioner Melissa McKinlay also accurately pointed to Limbaugh’s “divisive” history as yet another reason why the Palm Beach County government has no interest in flying the flag at half-staff for him. New developments are ramping up in the George Floyd murder investigation. According to The New York Times, Department of Justice prosecutors recently impaneled a grand jury and interviewed fresh witnesses in the ongoing investigation into Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. The findings come days before a state trial for Chauvin is slated to begin on March 8, and months after the DOJ-led investigation stalled under the Trump administration. The burden of proof lies on whether prosecutors can prove that the defendant willingly used unreasonable force, in turn violating someone’s constitutional rights. Former Attorney General William Barr stated he preferred to wait for the state’s findings before moving when asked why the investigation was in limbo. Earlier this month The Times revealed Barr rejected a plea deal from Chauvin which warranted at least 10 years in jail. Civil rights and social justice leaders convened virtually Wednesday morning to demand comprehensive congressional action and hold police accountable for their lethal and excessive actions that far too often involve Black lives. They united to urge Congress to move swiftly and pass the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act into law, describing the bill as a literal matter of life or death amid a national policing crisis. Their demands came just weeks ahead of the start of the George Floyd murder trial in Minneapolis and one week before the House was expected to vote on the crucial and timely legislation. Republicans in Tennessee are mad at a group of student-athletes for kneeling during the national anthem and want public universities and colleges to take action to prevent them from protesting. The state senators have a selective concern about upholding American rights and values. Sen. Janice Bowling was quoted by the Tennessean as saying the First Amendment is “sacrosanct” and that she respected “heritage and history.” Sen. Mark Pody expressed concern about the protest happening and being paid for by the state. But Bowling and Pody, along with three other Republican state senators in Tennessee, signed on to a Jan. 5 letter opposing President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. In their official capacities, with salaries paid for by the state, these five senators wrote the Tennessee federal delegation, relying on debunked claims of alleged voter fraud, and other similar rhetoric that in part fueled the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. It seems that their respect for American institutions and people is dependent on whether they like the outcome. Intending to raise awareness around racial inequality, members of the men’s basketball team at East Tennessee State University took a knee during a game last week. Illinois made history this week, marking a crucial moment in criminal justice reform by becoming the first state to eliminate cash bail. The bill signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker highlights the cash bail system which routinely and disproportionately affects Black and brown communities, who often struggle to raise the needed funds due to centuries of systemic racism. The law expands upon the groundwork laid by states like California, New York and New Jersey, which limited the use of a cash bail system. Thirteen-time Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams detailed his experience with the tangible spirit of God in an interview with Kirk Franklin earlier this month. On the first episode of the “Good Words with Kirk Franklin” podcast, Franklin invited his “123 Victory Remix” collaborator on to discuss his approach to life and his relationship with God. During the podcast, Williams detailed the lasting impact gospel music and the Pentecostal Church had on his formative years, which helped him discover his “purpose” in life. The government dropped drunken driving and reckless driving charges against Bruce Springsteen on Wednesday stemming from an incident in November, admitting that the rocker’s blood-alcohol level was so low that it didn’t warrant the charges. Springsteen pleaded guilty to a third charge, consuming alcohol in a closed area, the Gateway National Recreation Area. Better known as Sandy Hook, it is an Atlantic Ocean peninsula with views of the New York City skyline. Facing a judge and more than 100 onlookers in a video conference, Springsteen sat next to lawyer Mitchell Ansell and admitted he was aware it was illegal to consume alcohol at the park. Springsteen was fined $500 for the offense, plus $40 in court fees. The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that French actor Gerard Depardieu was charged in December with rape and sexual assault after authorities revived a 2018 investigation that was initially dropped. The office told The Associated Press that Depardieu was not detained when he was handed the preliminary charges on Dec. 16. The prosecutor’s office addressed the charges after the case was leaked to French media. French media reports said the charges relate to allegations made by an actress in her 20s that date back to 2018. An initial inquiry against the star was dropped in 2019 because of lack of evidence, but was later revived. French newspaper Le Parisien and broadcaster BFM TV said the woman alleged that Depardieu assaulted her on Aug. 7 and Aug. 13, 2018 at his home in Paris. The two met when Depardieu led a master class at her school, BFM TV reported. The Biden administration recently announced it will accelerate the process of replacing President Andrew Jackson’s image on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman, at least on the front. Jackson would still appear on the reverse side. This plan was first announced under the Obama Administration but was halted by President Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. As the excellent 2019 film portrayed, Harriet Tubman was a towering figure of courage and faith who risked her own life and freedom, time and time again, to rescue men and women from slavery. Tubman was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation in 1822. As a young girl, she was trained as a nursemaid and made to work driving oxen and trapping muskrats in the woods. Harriet’s owners frequently whipped her. She also endured the pain of seeing three of her sisters sold, never to be seen again. Tyler Perry has announced a new drama series coming to BET+. Tyler Perry Studios is working on “All the Queen’s Men,” which follows the female owner of an upscale strip club in Atlanta. No premiere date or casting has been announced yet. “I began my career in this direct-to-consumer business, so I know it well,” Perry said. “I know how much my audience value and seek our great content, anchored in our culture and experiences. BET+ is home to an extraordinary array of content including my movies, series, dramas, sitcoms and stage plays. I can’t wait to create even more great content for the BET+ viewers.” “Yo! MTV Raps” is being revived for the Paramount+ streaming service. Starting on March 4, the launch will also see the return of some iconic shows including VH1’s “Behind the Music” and MTV’s “Unplugged.” “Yo! MTV Raps” originally aired 33 years ago and ran for 7 years. https://youtu.be/0Pl9-ljAa1U Michelle peeped what her followers seen on screen and attempted to hold her sunken butt in place, but there was an obvious issue with her implant. K. Michelle was a kind of advocate for cosmetic surgery awareness when she documented the removal of her butt implants last year and how she lives with the decision to change the natural contour of her body and deal with the pitfalls of cosmetic surgery. Sultry songstress #KMichelle experienced one of the most embarrassing episodes on IG Live when the singer’s butt implant seem to have deflated while twerking to #Cardi B’s “Up.” Officials in The Episcopal Church are reacting to the United States Supreme Court opting to not reverse a decision granting a breakaway diocese $100 million in church properties. In a list of orders released Monday, the Supreme Court declined, without comment, to hear the combined cases of All Saints’ Episcopal Church v. Diocese of Fort Worth and The Episcopal Church et al. v. Diocese of Fort Worth. As a result, an earlier decision from the Texas Supreme Court in favor of the breakaway Anglican diocese will be allowed to stand, with a lower court judge tasked with implementing it. As Congress continues to drag its feet regarding the next COVID relief package, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation quietly launched a $3 million financial relief fund to help folks who are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. The foundation, which branched out from the Black Lives Matter movement created nearly eight years ago, said Thursday that it plans to make up to 3,000 microgrants of $1,000 each to people who it believes need it most. The foundation has already begun asking recipients to apply for the Survival Fund grants as it builds out its philanthropic arm. If approved, the money is deposited directly into recipients’ bank accounts or made available on prepaid debit cards, the foundation said — no strings attached. Caster Semenya is going to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge “discriminatory” rules that prohibit her from competing in certain track events because of her high natural testosterone, her lawyers said Thursday. The two-time Olympic champion in the 800 meters has already lost two legal appeals against World Athletics’ regulations that force her to medically lower her natural testosterone level if she wants to run in women’s races from 400 meters to one mile. The South African’s lawyers said there’s been a “violation of her rights” and wants the human rights court to examine the rules. One medical expert says Tiger Woods should be able to walk and even return to pro golf. Even though Woods was rushed into emergency surgery Tuesday morning after sustaining multiple leg fractures and shattering his right ankle in a scary rollover car crash in Los Angeles, the prognosis for his recovery is positive … as far as Dr. Bill Mallon is concerned. https://youtu.be/keMn6rTkYAA OWN has released the official trailer and key art for the new drama “Delilah,” from acclaimed “Greenleaf” creator Craig Wright, set to premiere on March 9.“Delilah” is executive produced by Wright, Charles Randolph-Wright, and Oprah Winfrey and stars Maahra Hill (“Black-ish,” “How to Get Away With Murder”) stars as Delilah Connolly, a headstrong, highly principled lawyer living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Delilah’s doing her best to raise two kids alone and keep her ties to family, friends and faith strong, all the while ceaselessly seeking justice for those who need it most, in a time when the rich and powerful of Charlotte and beyond will do anything to stop her. https://youtu.be/h7asNZdouYo Music mogul turned author, professor and activist Mathew Knowles has announced he will host his first podcast show on iHeartRadio. Impact will be a weekly one-hour program with Dr. Knowles sharing his perspectives on racism, health and wellness, entrepreneurship and the music business. “These four topics consume the American zeitgeist today and at the root of them all is money and power,” says Dr. Knowles. On Impact, he will separate truth from lies by discussing the facts without sensationalism, and sharing opinions rather than trumpeting the opinionated. Music mogul turned author, professor and activist Mathew Knowles has announced he will host his first podcast show on iHeartRadio. Impact will be a weekly one-hour program with Dr. Knowles sharing his perspectives on racism, health and wellness, entrepreneurship and the music business. Hear Matthew Knowles In His Own Words In the Gospel Spotlight.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/matthew.htm Nearly 30 years after first taking flight, “The Mighty Ducks” return in a brand new series, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.” Today, during Disney+’s first Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour (TCA), the service revealed the official trailer and key art for their original series “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers,” premiering Friday, March 26. https://youtu.be/OD3UhmRy4lg If you live in one of 10 contiguous South Oakland County, Michigan suburbs (one of the wealthiest counties in the United States), you are living on the stolen land and looted lives of a historically Black community called Royal Oak Township, dating back to 1819 and before Michigan’s 1837 statehood. White security and wealth were built simultaneous and interdependently through the destruction and annexation of historically Black Royal Oak Charter Township, now a .55 square mile remnant of an area that once spanned 36 square miles. With a multi-racial, intergenerational effort, they are currently engaged in work to create a campaign, Truth Toward Reconciliation: “The Vision, Journey, and Voices of Royal Oak Charter Township,” in southern Oakland County whose history is a microcosm of the destruction of black communities, i.e., Detroit’s Black Bottom, Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, and Rosewood’s Massacre. A GoFundMe page has been established for those who wish to support this campaign which includes the production of a documentary video, e-magazine, social media, conversations, inter-generational dialogues, truth-telling stories, and voices of those who have lived or currently live in this 36 square mile township and surrounding area. Debra Crosby was checking out at a Walmart in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday when she realized that her wallet was missing. She told NBC affiliate WTLV that she drove back to her home in Yulee wondering how she’d replace her vital contents, including her military ID. It was also during this trip home when she got a notification on her phone that someone was at her door – an unidentified man she now calls her “guardian angel.” https://youtu.be/6F7iqx0jm1A Today, BET announced the launch of “BET AmpliFIND,” a digital contest aimed to shine a spotlight on the hottest, unsigned artists through the power of social media. The contest goes live today at 6 pm ET. Artists around the country can submit their original music and performances at BET.com/Amplifind for entry consideration from February 25 – March 5. Music fans and industry tastemakers will vote to keep their favorite acts in the competition for a grand prize package that includes an exclusive one-on-one advisory with a top, A&R Executive at Roc Nation, @BETMusic IG Takeover, interview on BET.com, a cash prize, and more. Legendary producer & Hall of Fame songwriter Linda Perry is set to curate and perform at the upcoming two-day Rock ‘N’ Relief: Live Stream Series. Founded by Sean Penn and Ann Lee, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a non-profit organization dedicated to crisis response. Lady Gaga’s dogwalker has been shot four times in the chest while caring for her pet French bulldogs. Ryan Fischer was walking Gaga’s pet dogs Koji, Miss Asia and Gustavo in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening when he was assaulted by two men. Fischer was reportedly shot outside his home on Sierra Bonita Avenue, with the men stealing two of the singer’s dogs before fleeing the scene by car. Police arrived at the scene to find Mr Fischer conscious but barely breathing, according to reports. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in a “grave” state, Daily Mail has reported. Reach Records founder and hip-hop veteran Lecrae jumped on the latest single from his artist Hulvey, broadening the up-and-coming rapper’s reach. Hulvey, a native of Brunswick, Georgia, went from being a college dropout to scrubbing toilets at Publix, to Reach Records’ latest breakout artist. His mentor, Lecrae, announced last year that he’d be stepping aside from full-time music to make room for other younger artists coming up in the ranks. The 20-year-old artist said he is forever grateful. https://youtu.be/EvzJsh-SwUo Kicking off their brand-new season of Fixer Upper, beloved and quirky Chip and Joanna Gaines give back to their Texas community by remodeling a local girls’ emergency shelter. The husband and wife duo are no strangers to acts of kindness and paying it forward, and yet this house flip is set to have long-term benefits. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eu3wD9hXcAEGw-O?format=jpg&name=360x360 Former Olympic gymnastics coach John Geddert physically, emotionally and sexually abused athletes, according to criminal charges filed in Michigan Thursday that could carry up to a life sentence for the gold-medal-winning coach who worked closely for decades with disgraced Team USA doctor Larry Nassar. When former USA Women’s Gymnastics Coach John Geddert, 63, died in an apparent suicide Thursday, he “took a cowardly way out,” said Jamie White, an attorney who represents some of the accusers in the sexual abuse case tied to former Michigan State University sports medicine Dr. Larry Nassar. “There are a lot of young people and young women and girls ... who wanted to see justice play out, and that’s clearly not going to happen anymore,” said White, an East Lansing attorney who represents 70 women who were victimized by Nassar. A statue of a conservative figure who had opposed the right of women to vote stood in Portland, Oregon’s Mount Tabor Park until last summer’s racial reckoning, when protesters knocked it down. Last weekend, in the dead of night, someone crept in and put in its place a bust of York, the Black man enslaved by Lewis and Clark during their expedition. According to reports, officials believe the bust was crafted with a 3D printer. The person or persons behind it somehow got it into the park without being detected and placed it on top of the pedestal, which is around 10 feet high. On Friday night, as is routine, park rangers shut gates on the roads and locked them at 10 p.m. closing time. On Saturday morning, a maintenance worker discovered the York bust suddenly perched on the empty pedestal. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Representative Shirley Jackson Lee (TX-18) today re-introduced the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. “Juneteenth,” observed on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is also known as “Emancipation Day,” “Jubilee Day,” and “Juneteenth Independence Day.” On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which announced that, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, “all slaves are free.” Juneteenth is currently recognized by 47 states and the District of Columbia as an official state holiday or observance. In 1980, Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday. In the second episode of Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen’s podcast “Renegades: Born in the USA,” the former President backed the reparation of Black Americans, calling it “justified.” The two were on the topic of “race relations in the US” when they dug into the bill regarding reparations, which would study racial reparations for compensating Black Americans descended from slavery and victims of systemic racism. “If you ask me theoretically ‘are reparations justified?’ the answer is yes,” Obama said. Beyonce tapped Academy Award winner Viola Davis to rock her new clothing line alongside her daughter. Davis shared several photos on Instagram Tuesday modeling the new Adidas x Ivy Park collection “Icy Park,” which launched on Friday. In the photos, Davis poses with her 10-year-old daughter Genesis in matching items from the collection. “Thank you @Beyonce!! Genesis and I love @WeAreIvyPark’s new #IcyPark collection!!! ???? #AvailableNow #IVYPARK #Adidas,” https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpb9-oh6_G/?utm_source=ig_embed HBO Max has revealed the supersuit for the new highly anticipated character “Blackfire” (Damaris Lewis) from the action-packed DC series TITANS. Created by costume designer Laura Jean (“LJ”) Shannon, the suit follows the previously revealed “Starfire” and “Red Hood” costumes. Lewis plays the first-ever live-action “Blackfire” and was introduced to fans at the end of season two. The first two seasons of TITANS are now available to stream on the HBO Max streaming service with season three of the Max Original, which is currently in production, premiering later this year. https://youtu.be/9f_ziSiRmXE After Ne-Yo and his wife Crystal Renay Smith announced that they are expecting their third child together, critics were quick to call out the singer for allegedly making his former fiancée get her tubes tied. During her time on the short-lived VH1 series “Atlanta Exes,” Monyetta Shaw said after she and Ne-Yo had their two kids, they were done. Per MadameNoire, she was to have her tubes tied and burned, which she did, and he was supposed to get a vasectomy, which apparently didn’t happen. https://www.instagram.com/p/CLj1cWSH6UK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The original “Real World” cast is reuniting for a special set to debut March 4 on Paramount +. The streamer announced that “The Real World Homecoming: New York” will be a multi-episode docuseries starring all seven of the original MTV housemates: Becky Blasband, Norman Korpi, Kevin Powell, Eric Nies, Julie Gentry, Heather B. Gardner, and Andre Comeau. Tiger Woods was rushing to meet NFL stars Drew Brees and Justin Herbert at a golf club where they were due to film for GolfTV when he crashed on Tuesday morning and shattered his right leg. Woods rolled his Genesis GV80 at 7.12am on Tuesday morning, less than 15 minutes after speeding out of the Terranea Resort in Ranchos Palos Verdes, where witnesses said he seemed ‘impatient’ and eager to get on the road. The drive ordinarily takes around 20 minutes. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld has no problem spewing hate towards Tiger Woods as the famed golfer lays injured from head to toe after his single-car accident yesterday (02-23-21) in Southern California. A down-right pissed off Gutfeld reacted to the network’s wall-to-wall coverage of Woods’ crash, saying live on air that his “prayers are limited” for the superstar golfer. https://youtu.be/VzTjvJAQXDk The mother of Ahmaud Arbery filed a lawsuit on Tuesday alleging police and prosecutors attempted to “cover up” her son’s murder. Arbery is the 25-year-old Black man who was pursued by three suspected white supremacists and fatally shot last year while jogging through a Georgia neighborhood. At one point along his route, he stopped to check out a house under construction — and by doing so, two local men concluded he was criminal. https://youtu.be/8xLnpY4nEaI The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions are teaming up with Twitter on HFPA Presents: Globes Countdown Live, the official preshow for the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The preshow will be livestreamed on the Golden Globes Twitter account and website from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. PST/6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 28, prior to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting NBC’s coverage of the event starting at 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST. TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, March 1 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, David Quinn and Vince Velazquez meet with a neighboring town's police officer who asks if they will investigate his father's murder. After 28 years, the murder of Leonard Hill remained unsolved and the detectives set out to piece together this decades old crime. Their investigation leads them to Hill's family where they unearth a shocking revelation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNzgrUf_lP0&feature=youtu.be TV One announced the spring lineup of its original, critically-acclaimed auto-biographical series UNCENSORED, with all-new episodes premiering on Sunday, March 21 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. UNCENSORED, explores the lives of your favorite personalities as they provide first-hand accounts of their success, and obstacles they've faced throughout their careers. This season profiles Teddy Riley, Marsha Ambrosius, Donnie McClurkin, Kem, Remy Ma, Mona Scott Young, Lisa Leslie, and Jaleel White. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBMuOysqKj8&feature=youtu.be An Oklahoma man , Lawrence Paul Anderson is accused of murdering Andrea Lynn Blankenship, 41, as well as his own uncle Leon Pye, 67, and his four-year-old niece Kaeos Yates. Authorities say Anderson, 42, cut his neighbor’s heart out and cooked it for his family, before killing them too, police say. Anderson confessed “he used his shoulder to knock in the back door. There were two German Shepherd dogs in the house. Anderson said he killed the female resident and cut her heart out.” “He cooked the heart with potatoes to feed to his family to release the demons.” Last Friday, fellow Texans and female entrepreneurs Tyla-Simone Crayton and Kendra Scott struck a $100,000 deal on "Shark Tank" (ABC) for investment in the condiments company, Sienna Sauce.Crayton, flanked by her mom (Monique), pitched her product to the panel of sharks that also included Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, and Kevin O'Leary. Having built a billion dollar business "out of a spare bedroom" in her mother's home in Texas, Scott identified with Crayton, saying "I am your shark." In return for a financial commitment of $100,000--and mentoring the young entrepreneur--Scott will receive a 20% stake in the company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8VObl_NdII&feature=youtu.be Gospel Jazz Aficionado Richard D’Abreu, Jr. has been a lover of hymns since his time as a member of the renowned, Brooklyn-based Concord Baptist Church, led by the famed preacher, Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor. Since that time, he’s merged his passion for sacred music and his talent for jazz to create a unique style dubbed “Gospel Jazz.” The improvisational collaboration of the two is showcased on Richard’s debut release, Jazz In The Spirit. Featured on the 14-track recording, which was released on Juneteenth in 2020, is D’Abreu’s tasteful rendition of the hymn, “By and By.” Jazz In The Spirit project is currently available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and all other digital music outlets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU_NSt0rjF0 A Christian summer camp turns out to be the best way to heal a troubled teen in Netflix’s A Week Away. PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the trailer for the upcoming Netflix musical, hitting the streamer on March 26. Three songs from the movie’s soundtrack will also be released on Friday. The movie musical follows Will (Disney Channel’s Kevin Quinn), a troubled teen who has a run-in with the law and is given two options: go to juvenile detention or attend a Christian summer camp. Will chooses the latter and finds himself falling in love with a fellow camper Avery (Bailee Madison, also producing) as he heals the wounds from his past. https://youtu.be/dpLaoYw8xug In celebration of Easter, Sight & Sound Theatres will bring its stage production of “Jesus” to screens worldwide in a special live broadcast event. The original stage production — which focuses on the people the Son of God came in contact with when He walked the Earth and how He rescued them, from the Apostle Peter to Mary Magdalene — will air live from the Branson, Missouri, stage on April 2, with encore showings playing on Saturday and Sunday. “For more than 40 years audiences from all over the world have been coming to Sight & Sound to experience the Bible coming to life on stage,” said Sight & Sound Chief Story Officer Josh Enck. “Now, we get to go to them.” Pastor John Baker, founder of Celebrate Recovery — a global ministry born out of the heart of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church aimed at helping people recover from addiction and other “hurts, habits, and hang-ups” — has died. The Celebrate Recovery National team shared the news of Baker’s death in a social media statement Tuesday. The cause of death has not yet been announced. At its first in-person meeting since the pandemic took off a year ago, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee decided to cut ties with two churches whose pastors had been convicted of sexual offenses as well as two LGBT-affirming churches. But it was leaders’ concerns over ongoing tensions within the denomination that stirred Southern Baptists during the two-day gathering at its Nashville headquarters. Antioch Baptist Church in Sevierville, Tennessee, “knowingly employs as pastor a man convicted of statutory rape,” and West Side Baptist Church in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, “knowingly employs as pastor a registered sex offender,” the committee found. Both were disfellowshipped for violating SBC beliefs on sexual abuse. Towne View Baptist Church in Kennesaw, Georgia, and St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, were disfellowshipped for holding “membership and leadership standards [that] affirm homosexual behavior.” The pro-LGBTQ Human Rights Campaign has released a video encouraging greater acceptance of gay, lesbian and transgender people by Black churches. The organization officially released “Stone of Hope,” a 17-minute video, on Wednesday (Feb. 24), timed to Black History Month. HRC is promoting it on social media after plans to screen it at Black houses of worship last year were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ”Godfather of Harlem“ Season 2 finds Bumpy Johnson battling the New York Crime Families for control of the lucrative and murderous “French Connection,” the pipeline for heroin that runs from Marseilles to New York Harbor. With a distribution syndicate that includes black crime bosses from other major U.S. cities, Bumpy takes a cue from his friend Malcolm X’s message of black economic nationalism. https://youtu.be/FKc1uI7b8Z8 Lionel Richie is dating Lisa Parigi, and fans are calling him out on social media over their massive age gap. The 71-year-old “American Idol” judge is reportedly in a serious relationship with 30-year-old Parigi, whom he’s been dating since 2014. Lisa’s exact age is unclear but it’s believed she’s in her early 30’s. She also seems to get along well with the singer’s two daughters 22-year-old Sofia Richie and 39-year-old Nicole Richie. Back in October, Lionel posted a video of Sofia and Nicole singing Lisa “Happy Birthday” in the backyard of his mansion. He captioned the b-day video, “Happy Birthday My Love.. ?? @lisaparigi_ You always make everyone feel special…??Today we celebrate you… ?? #surprise #bday #latergram.” The Notorious B.I.G., the rapper whose deep-bellied delivery thrust hip hop forward and earned him designation as one of rap’s all-time greats, has proven a fount of fascination since his shock murder at age 24. Now Brooklyn’s favorite son is the subject of an intimate documentary entitled “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell” that draws upon candid interviews with his closest family members and friends, set for release on March 1 via Netflix. The feature-length look into the astronomic ascent and heartbreaking death of the artist born Christopher Wallace comes nearly a quarter-century after he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting as he visited Los Angeles on March 9, 1997, having released just one studio album — “Ready To Die” — in his lifetime. Black News Channel has expanded its reach more than 20-fold in about seven months, part of its new chief executive’s ambitious plan to shake up the cable-TV news landscape and provide an alternative that looks through the lens of Black Americans. Since he took over the channel last July, Chief Executive Princell Hair has struck distribution deals with Comcast Corp.’s Xfinity, AT&T Inc.’s DirecTV, Dish Network Corp. and others, boosting its potential audience to more than 52 million households from roughly 2.5 million. Mr. Hair also led a revamp of the network’s lineup, signing high-profile commentators Charles Blow and Marc Lamont Hill, whose shows will provide coverage and analysis the network’s executives and newscasters believe Black Americans aren’t getting anywhere else. Barack Obama has revealed that he broke a classmate’s nose during a fight after being called a racial slur. The former president recounted the locker room incident on episode two of his new Renegades podcast with Bruce Springsteen. https://youtu.be/zKgmLVDGr0w Last minute touches on a frilly white dress, a final coat of powder and it’s showtime for the Black Lives Matter-inspired collective making history at Milan Fashion Week. After a years-long battle to improve diversity on the Italian catwalks, a group of five black designers made their on-schedule debut Wednesday by opening the women’s Fall/Winter fashion shows. All this season’s shows are pre-recorded due to coronavirus, but AFP was given exclusive access to their preparations last week at Milan’s Circolo Filologico library, not far from the Scala. WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” which finds Deb and Tammy sit down with Ayana and try to convince her to end all the drama! https://youtu.be/Bsnal0mU2Yw Kechelle Wilson of Louisville, KY checked the video from her doorbell cam and found her mailman cartwheeling onto his back in her snow-covered front lawn and making a snow angel. She of course took it to Facebook. https://youtu.be/8f0XTO38J04 Mary J. Blige chopped it up with Ellen on her daytime talk show on Tuesday, during which the iconic soul singer discussed her milestone birthday. https://www.instagram.com/theellenshow/?utm_source=ig_embed André 3000 hit up Instagram this week to announce the launch of his new capsule collection featuring a sketch he did of an ant reading a book. André 3000 hit up Instagram this week to announce the launch of his new capsule collection featuring a sketch he did of an ant reading a book. The design, he explained, is only being used in this new project while he gets the trademark situation sorted out. “This is a sketch I did a while ago and I am told I have to use it now in the market place or it stops being mine. So I’ve made a few things with it. All the shirts are ethically-produced/made from recycled materials. Hope you enjoy,” he wrote in an Instagram post. Lifetime's highly anticipated gospel biopic Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, will premiere Saturday, April 3 at 8:00pm ET/PT. An impressive list of Broadway stars including Tony® nominee Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play), Jason Dirden (Fences), Olivia Washington (The Butler) and Rob Demery (Lovecraft Country) join the film which is directed by Tony® Award-winner Kenny Leon and stars Tony Award nominee, SAG and Grammy® Award winning actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) as the gospel legend and civil rights trailblazer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL09Y8W3B84&feature=youtu.be Global spiritual leader, thought provoker and celebrated GRAMMY®-recognized, Stellar Award-winning artist Charles Jenkins celebrates his fourth #1 single on the Gospel National Airplay chart with, “He’ll Make It Alright” (Charles Jenkins & Fellowship of Chicago). Fresh off the release of his new book, SEASONS: How To Grow And Succeed During Times Of Transition, the #1 single marks his 14th Billboard honor. Jenkins’ SEASONS is available now on Amazon.com and at CharlesJenkins.com; the single “He’ll Make It Alright” is available on all major digital streaming and retail outlets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJxC75CxP7I&feature=youtu.be Check out Beautiful Scars By Merry Clayton To Be Announced In February....https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gqahx0fhemlr7ju/AABodDE562GwFa2dJyFVO4R_a?dl=0 Bestselling author, renowned speaker, media-personality, and businesswoman Sarah Jakes Roberts today announced the forthcoming release of her fifth book, "Woman Evolve: Break Up with Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life," which borrows insights from the story of Eve to show how women can harness the disappointments and even mistakes of their past to transform their lives. The book will be released on April 6, 2021. Drawing on her own inspirational journey, Roberts explains how women can change their lives by facing their fears and moving through obstacles one step at a time. The book is named for the larger Woman Evolve lifestyle movement, which Roberts launched three years ago to help every woman realize her own potential, and includes podcasts, sold out tours, philanthropy, video content and more. Though inspired by scripture, "Woman Evolve" is written for all women regardless of faith. Each of the chapters include a "Work it Out" section, which takes the reader through exercises to help them identify their challenges and then move past them. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com From CCM's top artist Lauren Daigle comes brand new music. Hold On To Me, coming off the heels of the historic release Look Up Child which featured the #1 hits You Say and Rescue. Hold On To Me, reminds us that we can't do it alone and that God is always holding us. Lauren channels the fears and struggles that all of us have felt tin the last year into Hold On To Me as she reassures us that the God who created this world is still the God that delivers, holds and saves us. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tiger Woods is recovering from surgery following a major car crash in southern California on Tuesday morning. The Los Angeles County sheriff said Woods was “lucky to be alive” after the single car crash near Rancho Palos Verdes. Woods, 45, suffered a significant injury to his lower right leg, including fracturing the upper and lower parts of the tibia and fibula bones and breaking parts of a foot and ankle. A statement attributed to a doctor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center was released via the golfing superstar’s social media channels early Wednesday morning and provided an update on his condition. It offered thanks to his supporters and said in part that doctors inserted a rod into his tibia and screws and pins into his foot and ankle. The statement went on to say Woods is “awake, responsive and recovering.” Stacey Abrams the lawyer and voting rights activist appeared on CNN Monday night where she addressed Loeffler’s newly formed voter rights organization, Greater Georgia. Loeffler, a Republican, claims she intends to take back the state from the “radical liberal machine,” hoping to rile up voters who believe and engaged in the baseless claims of election fraud. “It’s deeply disheartening that a former U.S. Senator would spend her time and her resources to publicly engage in the type of conspiracy theories that say that only certain Americans should be valued and have their votes counted. That’s what Kelly Loeffler is proposing,” Abrams said. “But I can’t be surprised. She accepted the support of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon conspiracy theorist, because in her mind, winning at all costs is more important than protecting the United States and the fundamentals of our democracy.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A grand jury voted against indicting the officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died last March after officers pinned him to the ground in the midst of what was undoubtedly a mental health crisis. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who presented the case to the grand jury, condemned the decision and called for serious reform in a statement made directly after announcing on Tuesday. “Daniel Prude was in the throes of a mental health crisis, and what he needed was compassion, care, and help from trained professionals. Tragically, he received none of those things,” James said. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A group of key law enforcement figures involved in the response to the insurrection at the Capitol testified on Tuesday as the Senate Homeland Security and Rules committees held the first hearing about the lapses in security that led to the deadly rioting last month. While each of them shared their personal perspectives about the law enforcement failures that contributed to the Capitol riots, Capitol Police Capt. Carneysha Mendoza‘s harrowing testimony recalling the horrors she experienced during the insurrection seemed to resonate heavily. https://twitter.com/i/status/1364259358788452353 Just over a year after the untimely death of his firstborn son, TobyMac has released a song he says marks the first time he felt he could “scream hope from the mountaintop.” On Friday, the 56-year-old Grammy Award-winning singer dropped his first single of the year, along with a music video for “Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight).” With lyrics including the lines “Some face a lifetime of fallen tears / But He’s in the darkness, He’s in the cold / Just like the morning,’ He always shows,” the song offers an upbeat reminder that God is present, even amid pain. https://youtu.be/aVgetIvEIAs During his conversation with The Guardian to promote his film “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” Daniels explained the empathy he has for Billie Holiday. “Part of the reason I wanted to tell Billie’s story is, I understand addiction and the artist. I also understand the feeling of a lack of self-worth, thinking that you aren’t talented. When your father tells you things like that at a young age, no matter how old you get, that voice is in your head, he said. Daniels then explained that Patti “was the cause of my sobriety.” “I called her one night at 3am – it was when I was doing Precious [in 2008], and I kept rambling at her. She said to me, ‘You know God and you know Jesus,’ and I said, ‘Are you really gonna ruin my high now? What are you talking about, lady?’ But I said a prayer and that was the beginning for me.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Ava DuVernay has addressed the controversy surrounding the lack of Black voters among the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 87-strong membership. The failure to diversify the organization is clearly the reason why Black-led projects received shocking snubs for this year’s Golden Globes. After a Los Angeles Times investigation exposed a lack of Black HFPA voters, DuVernay and several Black Hollywood A-listers responded on social media by noting that this has been “widely known” for years. The HFPA confirmed to the outlet that there are no black members but noted it’s an issue they’re “committed to addressing.” The group provided no details about how they plan to go about it. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Kenya Barris, the creator/executive producer behind the “Black-ish” franchise, and the “Power” franchise executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, are joining forces to develop a series for Netflix based on “The 50th Law,” 50’s bestselling book written with Robert Greene. Barris and Hale Rothstein, who together executive produce Barris’ Netflix comedy series “blackAF,” will write the pilot and executive produce the potential series alongside Jackson via G-Unit and Greene, reports Deadline.com. Lionsgate TV will produce under Jackson’s overall deal at Starz. https://youtu.be/tlp66y9ML3o Charlamagne tha God has responded to being called a hoe by LaKeith Stanfield, saying the actor likes to get “online and play the victim.” Daniel Kaluuya, who stars opposite Stanfield in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” stopped by The Breakfast Club to speak on the project. While there, Charlamagne asked him if he looks at LaKeith differently, stating that he played the role of an FBI informant “too well.” While Kaluuya jumped to Stanfield’s defense, Lakeith stood up for himself as well. He called out Charlamagne on Instagram and wrote: “H*e… This is what h*es do. Get sonned by the reality. Get off me bro u a lame. Daniel ain’t an idiot. Leave me be dog and find somebody else.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Dr. Dre has new music coming and he’s already given fans a little teaser with a diss track about his estranged wife Nicole Young. The new track was previewed on Monday during an Instagram Live by DJ Silk. In the clip, Dre can be heard rapping about his ongoing divorce and the brain aneurysm he suffered last month. https://www.tmz.com/videos/2021-02-23-022321-dj-silk-dr-dre-1045188/ It’s all about “How many sets you doing?” with this new Crip-themed exercise class, “CRIPFIT.” Think CrossFit, but loc’d out. Posted to YouTube in early February by comedian Kreative Comedy (aka @reesetopher_), the workout incorporates the Crip walk and other gang gestures into movements that appear to boost strength, cardio and agility. https://youtu.be/wfk7pd8qGtA A student was booted from the UCLA cross country and track & field team after a video of him saying the N-word surfaced on social media. Head coach Avery Anderson announced on Monday that senior Chris Weiland, “has been dismissed as a member of the cross country and track and field teams.” The move followed a 4½-minute video posted to the Instagram account, “ucla_is_racist,” and widely shared over the weekend, according to The Los Angeles Times. The account seemed to have been deleted by Tuesday. https://youtu.be/jOFaFfMrTBo “It’s still taking shape,” said Jacqueline Jones, Assistant Dean for Programs and Chairman of the Department of Multimedia Journalism for Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communications, about the ½ million dollars donated to the university to finance a NBCU Academy. “This semester we’re mapping out the strategy to start in the Fall.” The grant came from NBCUniversal, which donated an overall $6.5 million to 17 academic institutions of which Morgan received $500,000. The grant will help to offer scholarships to the NBCU Academy that provides professional mentoring, new equipment, seminar course development and guest lecturers. The NBCU Academy will provide journalism training on multiple platforms to provide hands-on learning experiences. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com ABC News announced today award winning actor/producer Sterling K. Brown will be the special guest host for the series premiere of primetime newsmagazine “Soul of a Nation.” The premiere episode will dive into this moment of racial reckoning in present-day America tackling issues ranging from policing to reparations and segments highlighting the arts and entertainment. Brown, ABC News’ Adrienne Bankert, Sunny Hostin, Byron Pitts and Pierre Thomas lead this groundbreaking hour. It will feature interviews with actor and reparations activist Danny Glover, EGOT winner, producer and social activist John Legend and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, one of the many officers who defended the Capitol on January 6. Plus, Legend will give a special intimate musical performance. This historic six-episode series will debut Tuesday, March 2 (10:00 – 11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com D avid Oyelwo’s family adventure film, THE WATER MAN, has been acquired by RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, for North America, and by Netflix for the rest of the world. The film is the directorial debut of acclaimed actor David Oyelowo (Selma), which he also stars in, and is produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, ShivHans Pictures, and Yoruba Saxon. In North America the film is expected to be released day-and-date in theaters and PVOD on May 7, 2021 and Netflix will release the film internationally later this year. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Safaree Samuels claims he is done with married life and ready to call it quits with wife Erica Mena. The reality star took to Twitter on Tuesday to express regret over getting married in a now-deleted tweet. Savvy social media users captured screenshots of his confession, which prompted Mena to fire off a reply. In the tweet, Safaree said, “I mean this from the bottom of my heart getting married was 1 of my BIGGEST mistakes,” and added, “and it will never happen again. I’m walking away before I end up in jail over some dumb s**t. Nobody is worth my freedom.” Mena replied, “Since you always run to social media like a little girl I might as well join in. I absolutely agree with you on this You are the most selfish, vain and inconsiderate person. And not just with me but your only daughter.” In a follow-up tweet, Erica shared, “Out of RESPECT for my daughter and to honor my growth as a woman. I’m going to get back to doing what I do best. Make money and be only about my business. Entertaining social media with my issues isn’t my thing.” Erica concluded with, “Don’t let this Scorpio sting.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Pfeiffer syndrome is a rare genetic disorder causing complications with the skull and airway. It’s characterized by premature fusion of certain skull bones as well as abnormally broad and deviated thumbs and great toes. Most also have protruding eyes and conductive hearing loss. Caliyah Johnson, now 13 months, was born with Pfeiffer syndrome. But she “continues to crush milestones” according to the folks at Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she has undergone multiple surgeries. https://youtu.be/Wjhz1bUcNvY Tiger Woods suffered leg injuries Tuesday in a vehicle rollover in suburban Los Angeles and is undergoing surgery, authorities and his manager said. His condition wasn’t yet clear. Woods was alone in the vehicle and had to be extricated from it, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. No other cars were involved in the wreck that injured the golfer. The vehicle sustained major damage, and Woods was taken to the hospital by ambulance, authorities said. “Tiger Woods was in a single-car accident this morning in California where he suffered multiple leg injuries,” said his manager, Mark Steinberg. “He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=181608116741032 As of this report, it’s unclear what caused Tiger Woods accident. Authorities are investigating. Woods was in the area for his annual Genesis Invitational golf tournament at the Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades. https://youtu.be/Ip8LdrHHEyE Buckingham Palace has announced that the royal family will make a rare TV appearance hours before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s TV special with Oprah Winfrey airs on CBS next month. As reported by PEOPLE, Britians’ annual Commonwealth Day service has been canceled this year due to COVID-19, so the BBC will broadcast a TV special featuring senior members of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth will appear in a pre-recorded message. The broadcast will air March 7 — the same day as the 90-minute primetime CBS special with Oprah and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. https://youtu.be/zbKqx0b18hY Master P is known for changing the face of music, selling over 100 million records independently. Now he has his eyes set on shaking up the product and food industry. Master P and his business partner James Lindsay aka @askfly1, are reshaping the marketing and branding of snacks with @officialrapsnacks. The marketing is to include brand partnerships with some of the top celebrities in the world. Among the artists who have their own products under the company are Rick Ross, Migos and Cardi B. The brand is also including entrepreneurs as brand ambassadors. The owner of the wildly popular @SluttyVeganatl Pinky, has her own line of vegan chips with her likeness on the bag. Some may see the operation as simply a snack brand, but there is a chain of trickle down businesses relationships. From packaging manufacturing for the products, to trucking transportation that delivers the product, to the local mom-and-pop grocery stores and major supermarkets that house the products. The economic ripples of Rap Snacks travel far and wide. In 1946, Isaac Woodard, a Black army sergeant on his way home to South Carolina after serving in WWII, was pulled from a bus for arguing with the driver. The local chief of police savagely beat him, leaving him unconscious and permanently blind. The shocking incident made national headlines and, when the police chief was acquitted by an all-white jury, the blatant injustice would change the course of American history. PBS’s American Experience will present the film “The Blinding of Isaac Woodard” on March 30. Based on Richard Gergel’s book Unexampled Courage, the film details how the crime led to the racial awakening of President Harry Truman, who desegregated federal offices and the military two years later. https://www.pbs.org/video/trailer-blinding-isaac-woodard-american-experience/ Hilary Duff and Wendy Williams are reportedly being sued for slander by photographer Darryl Wilkins. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Wilkins is suing the actress for allegedly calling him a child predator, which Williams repeated on her popular daytime talk show. The drama started a few months back when Duff shared a video on social media showing her confronting the paparazzo while she was playing with her kids in a park. Williams also shared the clip on her show. “I’m not asking for your ID. I’m asking you to stop taking pictures of our 7-year-old children if you don’t know anyone that’s here,” Duff said in the video. The incident occurred on Feb. 22, 2020. “I’m asking you human to human, as a mother, if you don’t know anyone here, can you please stop taking pictures of our children playing football this morning.” https://youtu.be/CuiU2bcmcQY JJ Hairston recently released his 11th album, Not Holding Back – available everywhere now. Given the current political climate, death and destruction, political banter and general social unrest, our nation could use some words of peace. JJ is carrying a simple message teaching us all to not hold back in 2021, as 2020 “stole” so much for the world emotionally, physically and spiritually. Tune into his appearance on GMA3 this Friday, February 26 at 1pm ET. Hear JJ Hairston In His Own Words in The Gospel spotlight...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/J_J_Hairston_intvw.htm Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the poet, publisher, bookseller and activist who helped launch the Beat movement in the 1950s and embodied its curious and rebellious spirit well into the 21st century, has died at age 101. Ferlinghetti, a San Francisco institution, died Monday at his home, his son Lorenzo Ferlinghetti said. A month shy of his 102nd birthday, Ferlinghetti died “in his own room,” holding the hands of his son and his son’s girlfriend, “as he took his last breath.” The cause of death was lung disease. Ferlinghetti had received the first dose of the COVID vaccine last week, his son said Tuesday. Shailene Woodley confirmed that she’s engaged to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The actor discussed her relationship with Rodgers on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Monday, saying they got engaged “a while ago.” The 37-year-old Rodgers mentioned his engagement and thanked his fiancée while accepting his third career MVP award on Feb. 6 but didn’t say her name. “Yes, we are engaged,” Woodley said. “We are engaged. But for us, it’s not new news, you know, so it’s kind of funny. Everybody right now is freaking out over it and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’ve been engaged for a while.’” While defending Southern Baptist pastors who called Vice President Kamala Harris a “Jezebel,” prominent Southern Baptist pastor Tom Ascol declared Harris was going to hell. He also consigned journalists Anne Branigin and Jake Tapper to that fate for reporting on pastors who compared Harris to the biblical character Jezebel. “They’re going to hell. Kamala Harris is going to hell without Christ, and she thinks she’s doing well,” Ascol declared this week. “This Branigin is going to hell. Jake Tapper is going to hell, if they think what they’re promoting is actually right, good, and true.” Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, is also president of Founders Ministries, a group pushing Calvinism within Southern Baptist life. He made the comments during an episode of the group’s podcast “The Sword and the Trowel” on Tuesday (Feb. 16). Days after rapper Nelly put his abandoned St. Louis-area mansion up for sale, someone has swooped in and snatched it up. The 12-acre estate was listed on Feb. 11 at $600,000, and the hip-hop star received an offer on Feb. 18, per New York Post. Nelly bought the home in 2002 for $2 million and had planned to flip it, but the mansion has since sat idle. The killing of Ahmaud Arbery was seemingly covered up twice: once by his accused murderers and their apparent accomplices in law enforcement, and once by the subsequent high-profile deaths of other unarmed Black people to the hands of preventable police violence. But taken together, the deaths of Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd — in that order — have changed the world amid ongoing protests for criminal justice reform and heightened awareness of white supremacy. One year later, ahead of the pending murder trial, Arbery’s mother chooses to recognize the positive instead of allowing herself to be consumed by the obvious negative on the bad on the grim anniversary of her son’s death at the young age of 25. “It still hurts that I lost Ahmaud,” Wanda Cooper-Jones told the Atlanta Journal Constitution in an interview published Monday. “Knowing that Ahmaud was possibly involved in change tells me he didn’t lose his life in vain.” One of the most recognizable corporate brands has responded to the backlash over portions of a training program for its employees on the topic of race. Critics have complained that Coca-Cola is “forcing” its workers to “be less white,” but the soft drink company is pushing back against that narrative. Karlyn Borysenko, who describes herself as a “Former Democrat” and “Unwoke activist,” posted a tweet on Friday that went viral for bringing attention the “Confronting racism” training program by Coca-Cola in question. “BREAKING,” Borysenko tweeted. “Coca-Cola is forcing employees to complete online training telling them to ‘try to be less white.'” The tweet was accompanied by screenshots from the training session, including one portion entitled, “Understanding What it Means to Be White, Challenging What it Means to Be Racist.” Another part listed a number of answers addressing what it means “To be less white.” One of the answers was “be less arrogant.” Borysenko said the screenshots were “from an internal whistleblower.” Coca-Cola quickly shot down Borysenko’s premise that “an internal whistleblower” with exclusive access to the training video secretly shared screenshots. Describing the training as being “publicly available” on LinkedIn, Coca-Cola reportedly said in a brief statement that it “is not a focus of our company’s curriculum.” But it didn’t back away from the training, either. An independent probe launched after the death of Elijah McClain, found that police and paramedics made crucial errors, leading to the 23-year-old’s demise. The report released on Monday states that Aurora, Colorado, police officers involved in the fatal August 2019 confrontation did not have a legal basis to stop him, frisk him or physically restrain him. “At the time of the (ketamine) injection, Mr. McClain had not moved or made any sounds for about one minute,” a section of the 157-page report states, according to CNN. “In addition, EMS administered a ketamine dosage based on a grossly inaccurate and inflated estimate of Mr. McClain’s size.” McClain who stood at 5-foot-7, and 140-pound was administered enough ketamine for a man weighing 190 pounds, according to the panel’s findings. The investigation also claims that officers never “articulated a crime that they thought Mr. McClain had committed, was committing or was about to commit,” and that their intervention set up “ramifications for the rest of the encounter.” If posing with avowed white supremacists wasn’t embarrassing enough, Kelly Loeffler is going full throttle to establish relevancy by launching a voter rights organization in the state of Georgia. It’s the same state where Stacey Abrams spearheaded a collective to help push the state blue, ensuring that Loeffler, and her former colleague David Perdue, lost their Senate seats in a runoff election. In total Abrams’ organization Fair Fight helped deliver 800,000 Georgian voters and counting, to the polls. Loeffler announced the creation of “Greater Georgia Action Inc.” on Monday via Twitter. “As a senator, I was a voice for those who felt like their voice wasn’t being heard. But there is much more work to be done. We cannot leave behind the hard working Georgians who don’t fully participate in our democracy,” she said in an accompanying video. A teenager who was racially profiled in Texas for walking while Black has had all charges against him dropped days after his arrest for walking in the street during last week’s historic snowstorm that crippled most of the state. The dropped charges against Rodney Reese were announced Sunday, but not before the 18-year-old could speak out about the encounter with Plano police that was captured on bodycam video and released following community backlash from the arrest. Reese, wearing only a t-shirt and jeans, was carrying groceries while walking home alone on a street with no cars or pedestrians to be seen when he was stopped by officers as snow fell and blanketed the ground. He was returning from working at Walmart and repeatedly told the officers that he didn’t require any help or assistance and that everything was fine when they asked. However, the officers just wouldn’t believe Reese, got out of the car and accosted him because he exercised his Constitutional rights and refused to identify himself. That prompted the officers to get physical and aggressive, moving to restrain him and place him in custody – despite the absence of a single law having been broken. https://youtu.be/JqJ0eUaaQjc Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are teaming up for an eight-episode Spotify podcast series, swapping stories about their upbringings and even a White House singalong around a piano. The first two episodes of “Renegades: Born in the USA,” a conversation recorded in Springsteen’s guitar-filled home studio in New Jersey, were made available on Monday. Spotify has moved aggressively in podcasts over the past three years, and made other programming announcements Monday. The audio streaming service has already worked with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company, and the former first lady’s podcast is the service’s most popular original. Vanessa Bryant has responded to Meek Mill’s insensitive lyric about Kobe which appeared to reference the Jan. 26, 2020 helicopter crash that killed the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The lyrics were “Yeah, and if I ever lack, I’m goin’ out with my chopper, it by another Kobe.” Vanessa hit up her Instagram account Monday night to address Meek directly. “Dear @meekmill, I find this line to be extremely insensitive and disrespectful. Period,” she wrote on her IG Stories. “I am not familiar with any of your music, but I believe you can do better that this. If you are a fan, fine, there’s a better way to show your admiration for my husband. This lacks respect and tact.” Not long after Vanessa posted the message did Meek take to Twitter to write, “I’m going back savage in this shit … f#%k ya feelings!” He continued with more tweets, writing, “Ion trust people gotta play it raw ……” and “Head taps for n#%ga tryna pull my card!” It’s unclear if the tweets were in response to Vanessa’s message. But he later noted in a separate post that he apologized to Kobe’s widow privately. Voiceover actor Kevin Michael Richardson, a Black man, has been tapped to replace Harry Shearer as the voice of Dr. Hibbert on “The Simpsons.” The casting news follows criticism over non-white characters being voiced by white actors on the beloved animated series. “Moving forward, “The Simpsons” will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters,” the producers noted in a statement last June. Hank Azaria previously announced he would no longer voice Apu, telling Stephen Colbert at the time “I think the most important thing is to listen to Indian people and their experience with it,” he said. Nathan and Alicia Lawson is an African American couple that owns Time Away RV Resort, which will be the first recreational RV resort within walking distance of the NASCAR Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. It is conveniently located two miles off Interstate Highway 20, near a truck-stop/gas-station, and will be open year-round. Once completed, the new resort will feature near perfect, oasis-style landscaping, adding lush trees to the area’s already gorgeous natural landscape, as well as the area’s first large, family swimming pool. Construction includes the installation of 100 big-rig friendly, large pull-through sites, full hook-up, Wi-Fi, and cable access, plus a host of high-end resort amenities. During a November 2020 interview with Oprah Winfrey for her Apple TV+ series “The Oprah Conversations,” guest Stevie Wonder revealed plans for a permanent move to Ghana, citing frustration with political and social turmoil in the United States. https://youtu.be/CYAbQeDSS_Q Rapper/entrepreneur/activist Killer Mike‘s Atlanta barbershop was damaged by stray bullets from a nearby shootout. Interestingly, Mike says he’s gonna use the incident to appeal to folks for an end to senseless violence. https://youtu.be/54ctl9fD4RU With the single, “Black is Beautiful,” singer J. Morris is helping elevate black history education within this country. The song is part of a greater project titled ‘Black History: 365’, which was launched on February 5th and hit #7 on Amazon Music and #8 on iTunes in its first 24 hours. J. Morris is known for songs like ‘Scared of Us’ and ‘Money Motivation’, now his ‘Black is Beautiful’ single is on the path to become part of the fabric celebrating black history. https://youtu.be/XXTfDsgW92I The countdown until #BobbyShmurda returns home is officially on. Records show that the rapper is scheduled to be released as early as today, February 23. @TMZ_TV spoke with his mother, Leslie Pollard, about his plans once he is finally released. She revealed to the outlet that he plans to have an intimate dinner with his loved ones once he returns home. After that, he plans on keeping things real chill as he prepares to get right back into his music. André Leon Talley is embroiled in a legal dispute with former Manolo Blahnik USA chief executive officer George Malkemus and his husband Anthony Yurgaitis. Talley is facing eviction from a $1 million White Plains, N.Y., home over nonpayment of rent. The fashion influencer claims he owns the property. Talley’s attorney Erik Weinick said in a statement “We think we have a strong case and we look forward to having our day in court.” https://youtu.be/vicSt9xqU-4 LaShá Knox is an artist with oily anointed & highly impressive vocals as she remake "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6462958?date=20210204&user_id=668306&signature=013kZsqY_wfUoStN6Perp8FOcNo%3Ae5SPpnDf James Fortune releases new music to radio thi sweek. It's the 3rd single from the chart topping "Dream Again" release. The single features noted vocalist Isaac Carree. Its a message of faith, hope, and optimism.. which is much needed during this time. It emphasizes putting one's faith and hope in God no matter what and reminding them that "It's Gonna Happen." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0x0yptfehl3cqir/AAAWXEfVkfcGo3bqDcAdyxWCa?dl=0 Kirk Franklin is helping to shine the light on a Black-owned small business, right in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Franklin performed during the first-ever iHeartRadio Living Black! show, during which (with the help of his band) he performed “Love Theory” and “I Smile” in Fort Worth’s own Black Coffee. Wearing a sweatshirt featuring Breonna Taylor, Kirk gave an energetic performance right in front of the coffee shop. But, before kicking off the performance, Franklin chatted with Black Coffee’s owner, Mia, who revealed where her coffee shop got its name. She explained, “That was my first experience with coffee — my grandparents used to drink black coffee every Sunday, I’m a Black woman in a Black neighborhood, so it just fit.” Stevie Wonder is relocating to Ghana. The 22-time Grammy winner opened up about his decision to move out of the United States and settle down in Ghana during a November 2020 discussion with Oprah Winfrey, expressing his hope to live someplace where he feels valued. Speaking during an episode of The Oprah Conversation, Wonder revealed his big move when talking about his hopes for America. He told Winfrey, “I promise you [America], if you do the right thing, I will give you this song. I will give it to you. You can have.” He said he wants to “see this nation smile again. And I want to see it before I leave to travel to move to Ghana because I’m going to do that.” Winfrey expressed shock at the announcement, asking, “you’re gonna move permanently to Ghana?” Wonder responded by confirming, “I am”, before going on to express concern about his family, stating, “I don’t want to see my children’s, children’s children have to say ‘Oh please like me, please respect me, please know that I am important, please value me.’ What is that?” Female politicians receive the most hate online, and Vice President Kamala Harris is said to receive the vilest online attacks of them all. “We showed them 20 examples that were disgusting — and they were still up!” said U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, who has been warning Facebook executives about the online haters. Some of her meetings included one with Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, Detroit News reports. Facebook’s response, per Speier, was “Keep sending us these horrific examples,” she said executives told her, “and we’ll take them down.” Harris appears to be the most targeted American politician online because she is a woman and person of color who holds power. https://youtu.be/q7TCqVoIgwM A Kentucky cop has been fired for allegedly leaking police information to a Black Lives Matter protester after he claims his department ignored his concerns about internal racism. Jervis Middleton, a black officer with the Lexington Police Department, was accused of contacting activist Sarah Williams in May of last year and giving her details about tactics police intended to use in response to protests over the death of George Floyd. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council unanimously voted to fire Middleton on Friday after determining that his actions put fellow officers in jeopardy. But Middleton’s attorney, Keith Sparks, argued that the information he provided to Williams was covered by free speech and that he didn’t put anyone at risk, saying: ‘The only harm is imagined harm.’ T. D. Jakes via Instagram @bishopjakes: This has been an unforgettable week in Dallas! Three pipes burst, wet ceilings in our house. There is flooding in some areas of the church, fighting against the cold and losing. Yet, we are so much better off than some. I’m thankful. But I sure do pray this is coming to an end! Hopefully, this is the last night! Hang in there, Texas. We are all in the same boat! I’m praying for people that are cold and or thirsty! Hotels full, and grocery stores are empty…https://www.instagram.com/bishopjakes/?utm_source=ig_embed The family of Dr. Frederick K.C. Price announced his passing on the evening of February 12, following a brief bout with COVID-19. The family is grateful for the outpouring of love and condolences from around the globe. In honor of Dr. Price’s legacy, an open to the public lying in repose closed casket viewing is slated for Thursday, March 4th and Friday, March 5th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. On Saturday, March 6th, an 11 a.m. private family live streamed service will occur followed by a private family burial. The service may be viewed on EIF YouTube Channel, EIF Facebook Page, EIF website-watch now, and EIF on demand. Amid COVID-19 realities, the family is acutely aware and deeply concerned for the safety of others. Strict adherence to all safety protocols is appreciated and will be enforced. A longtime Charlotte community leader and pastor died suddenly Saturday night, Channel 9 has learned. Reverend Darryl Gaston was the pastor at Smallwood Presbyterian Church on Beatties Ford Road. Church leaders said Gaston died after dinner Saturday. Gaston was known for his tireless work in the community to improve the North End, Druid Hills and the Statesville Avenue corridor. “I matter. You matter, and we all matter.” That was more than Rev. Gaston’s catchphrase. It’s also how he is being remembered. The Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support in Dallas was hit hard by the recent winter storms, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped up to offer financial relief via their nonprofit Archewell Foundation. “Today the news of our damages reached Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex!” the shelter, which helps women and children escaping abusive situations. “Through their nonprofit, they are supporting us by replacing the roof at our transitional housing facility & helping us meet our immediate needs. THANK YOU, ARCHEWELL FOUNDATION!” The Sussexes’ donation will help repair the damage done at Annie’s House, the transitional housing facility, per PEOPLE. https://youtu.be/AZFnWaVgwSc Janet Jackson jumped on FaceTime to surprise UCLA gymnast Margzetta Frazier days after her floor routine set to the singer’s music went viral. According to Good Morning America, the athlete got a text on Friday (Feb. 19) saying she was getting a call in one minute. When the phone rang, it was Jackson. https://twitter.com/i/status/1363508428577062915 Multi-platinum R&B singer and Grammy Award nominee, Bobby V (formerly Valentino), who charted three No. 1 albums on Billboard’s U.S. Top R&B Chart and has been turning out hits for over a decade with songs like “Slow Down,” “Tell Me,” and “Anonymous,” has announced the release of his new single, REPLY, and the launch of his independent label, Veltree Music Group (VMG), based in Atlanta. https://youtu.be/tf-9avfkob0 LVMH’s Moët Hennessy has joined forces with Jay-Z and his Armand de Brignac champagne brand. The hip-hop star has reportedly sold half the company to Moët Hennessy for an undisclosed price. Per the Financial Times, Jay said the partnership will help take Armand de Brignac to “the next level of taste and distribution.” https://youtu.be/Xyb6ZrzThiI While speaking with Level, Lakeith Stanfield reveals he had panic attacks and needed therapy after filming his new movie ‘Judas and The Black Messiah.’ Stanfield — who portrays FBI informant William O’Neal, the man who helped in the assassination of Chicago’s Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya) — says the story made it hard for him to separate his real emotions from acting. “In the scene where I had to poison him, a lot of it didn’t end up making it to the final cut, but we shot [me mixing it in] Kool-Aid, and I had to go through all those emotions. With somebody like Daniel, who I just respect as a human and an artist, as Fred Hampton, it felt like I was actually poisoning Chairman Fred Hampton.” A marriage proposal took place recently in the NICU unit of New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital where their daughter has spent 10 months after being born prematurely. The original plan, noted Teon Kennedy, was to surprise his girlfriend, Martine Drouillard, by popping the question at her baby shower. But as the first surge of COVID-19 was overwhelming New York, Martine learned that she would have to deliver the baby early due to severe preeclampsia. On Feb. 11, 2021 – 10 months after Morgan’s birth and three days before Valentine’s Day — the moment finally arrived. Earlier in the month, Teon plotted with staffers about securing decorations for the room, a red carpet for Martine and organizing a socially-distanced celebration with pre-wrapped food. The life expectancy for Blacks and Latinos in the United States has reportedly dropped significantly amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Associated Press writes, “Minorities suffered the biggest impact, with Black Americans losing nearly three years and Hispanics, nearly two years, according to preliminary estimates Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” https://youtu.be/bnQus8Oe93o Today Nigerian Artist/Producer IceBeatChillz (Ice) video for his debut single “Area,” featuring Jamaican dance hall legend Beenie Man will be featured on MTV’s Spankin’ New! This TV feature follows recent premieres from IceBeatChillz, including an acoustic version of “Area” with GRUNGE CAKE, a special live mash up jam session video for “Area,” and newest single “Bad and Naughty” with Wonderland Magazine, in addition to a dance remix to “Area” with the UK’s Billy Da Kid with EDM.com, as well as the video’s TV premiere last week with BET Jams. Members of Malcolm X’s family have made public what they described as a letter written by a deceased police officer stating that the New York Police Department and FBI were behind the 1965 killing of the famed Black activist and civil rights advocate. Malcolm X was a powerful orator who rose to prominence as the national spokesman of the Nation of Islam, an African-American Muslim group that espoused Black separatism. He spent more than a decade with the group before becoming disillusioned and publicly breaking with it in 1964. He moderated some of his earlier views on the benefits of racial separation. A Capitol Police officer who battled Donald Trump’s MAGA Capitol-storming sycophants on Jan. 6 spoke to ABC News about enduring “relentless racist abuse” during the deadly insurrection. Officer Harry Dunn had spoken to BuzzFeed News in the days after the riot, but remained anonymous for the article. In the ABC News interview, which aired Monday on “Good Morning America,” Dunn recalled being surrounded by rioters, his lungs burning from pepper spray and bear mace, and bursting into tears. When one of his colleagues asked him what was wrong, Dunn said that he felt devastated by the blatant racism of the rioters. “I got called a [N-word] a couple dozen times today protecting this building,” Dunn recalled telling his colleague through tears. “Is this America? They beat police officers with Blue Lives Matter flags. They fought us, they had Confederate flags in the U.S. Capitol.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1346911809274478594 Cam Newton has addressed a viral video that shows him getting into a trash talking argument back and forth with a kid at his 7v7 football camp. The teen mocked the New England Patriots quarterback by calling him a free agent. Newton responded by saying he’s rich and asking the kid where his father is? “You about to be poor,” the young player responded, egging Newton on. “… I see there are a lot of things festering out there that I see have took place over the weekend,” Newton wrote in the IG caption, using a non-traditional font. “To the natural eye you see me asking the young man ‘Where is your dad at?’ but to me, talking to a child with everyone looking does me no good!! So instead of speaking or going back and forth with a child I wanted to have a man to man conversation with his father.” https://youtu.be/d7fXEvezbHg Deion Sanders was flying high Saturday after winning his first game as Jackson State University’s football coach 53-0 over Edward Waters. Then, he got to the locker room at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium and discovered that his personal belongings – including his credit cards, watches and wallet – were gone. His anger and frustration was apparent during his post-game news conference, where he told reporters that his belongings were “stolen.” But after the presser, JSU said in an emailed statement that Sanders’ belongings “were misplaced and have been found.” Sanders was not happy and whipped out another tweet stating, “Whomever putting out the lie that my belongings wasn’t stolen is LYING. My belongings were taken out of a zipped bag in my office and more items were taken as well from my office. We have retrieved them since being reported. My Staff member witnessed the crime.” https://youtu.be/gT6HHrBc7xE Rapper/actress Eve is set to return to scripted TV after her exit from the daytime talk show “The Talk.” According to Deadline, she will star in the ABC pilot “Queens,” which tells the story of four estranged women who reunite to recapture their fame as a ’90s hip-hop group. Eve will play Brianna, a member of the Nasty Bitches who is now a wife and mother to five children. Deadline reports, “Twenty years ago, Brianna was Professor Sex — one-fourth of the iconic 90s hip-hop group, the Nasty Bitches — rapping about money, sex and her all-around glamorous lifestyle. Today, Brianna is a proud wife and mother of five — in a stained sweat suit who barely has a second to breathe. Idris Elba has confirmed that he’s finally taking his beloved “Luther” character to the big screen. The actor portrayed DCI John Luther in the BBC crime drama series from 2010 and 2019. Speaking to The All-New Capital Weekender, Idris said filming on the feature will begin later this year. “Apart from making more music, people that love my film and stuff, listen, I’m going to be making Luther: The Movie, he said. “I’m super excited and I hope the fans are sort of excited for that. It’s been a long time coming for a movie, so I’m excited about that.” Mark “Prince Markie Dee” Morales of the legendary hip hop group The Fat Boys passed away last Thursday at age 52. At the time, there were no specific details regarding his death, but now his manager has confirmed that the artist had a cardiovascular issue that had gone untreated, and this may have been what caused his death. Markie’s manager Louis “Uncle Louie” Gregory explained to TMZ that just before he died, Markie went to a hospital because his hands and feet had swollen, and was told by doctors he would need a stent to alleviate a blockage in his heart, per the report. Unfortunately, he died before the operation could be performed. Family and friends of Markie suspect he died of a heart attack. Autopsy results are pending. NE-YO and his wife Crystal Renay have announced that they are expecting another child. On Sunday, the Grammy Award-winning artist, 41, announced: “Overjoyed to announce…… the family is expanding…????!” NE-YO wrote, adding “You ready baby? Let’s go!,” he wrote on social media. His message was accompanied by a video showing Renay’s baby bump. The couple is parents to sons Roman Alexander-Raj, 2½, and Shaffer Chimere Jr., 5. NE-YO is also father to son Mason Evan, 9, and daughter Madilyn Grace, 10, from his previous relationship. Devin’s mom has breast cancer and he is afraid. Can he catch it? Will his mom be ok? What can he do to help? Pink HOPE, the breast cancer warrior, will take Devin and Sammie on a magical journey to finding HOPE. Breast cancer has met its match! Pink HOPE and the HOPE Leaders by Tymika Chambliss is a fictional, children’s book that tackles the difficult subject, breast cancer, with a melanated, female superhero as the main character. Breast cancer isn’t an individual diagnosis. It affects the entire family, and more than likely, it can become a emotional struggle for kids. This is why Tymika wrote this book. Republican Austin Chenge, a Black Army veteran and businessman out of Michigan, has made clear that he will cancel Black History Month if elected governor. “I love my country, I’m a veteran and I love my state,” Chenge, 35, a Nigerian immigrant, said to FOX 17 Wednesday. “People are fed up–the way the politicians handle everything in the state. It’s time for a breath of fresh air.” Chenge said, who has his eyes set on challenging current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in next year’s election. Chenge is not pleased with how she has handled the pandemic. Jennifer Hudson is putting the focus on empowering Black women entrepreneurs. The Chicago native has teamed up with Mastercard for the creation of a platform designed to provide resources and support for African American women business owners. The effort—dubbed the Strivers Initiative—is a consumer-centered platform created to amplify the voices of Black women founders throughout the U.S. and spread awareness about their businesses. It was also launched to eliminate the racial and gender disparities surrounding access to capital. As part of the initiative, Mastercard is teaming up with the Fearless Fund—a venture capital firm founded by Arian Simone and Keshia Knight Pulliam—to provide grants for women of color entrepreneurs. The project was unveiled with an ad featuring Hudson that highlighted Black women business owners. Urban One and AT&T announced the launch of the "Black Future Makers" cross-platform campaign aimed at profiling three Black business owners who are paving the way for future generations. Hosted by award-winning film producer DeVon Franklin, the interviews highlight each 'Future Makers' accomplishments and examine their most pressing business needs. Cedric The Entertainer then pairs them with the resources they need to take their businesses to the next level. Throughout February and March, iOne Digital, TV One, and CLEO TV will feature the video interview series, highlighting Marcus Carter, Kenya Blane, and Gillissha Cox's journey to gain the entrepreneurial solutions they need for even greater success. https://vimeo.com/509034316/f3604f4013 A Black-owned digital platform designed to educate and empower innovators has received a major boost in venture capital funding. According to Afrotech, BeGreatTV has closed its seed investment round with support from an array of VC firms and celebrities. The platform—which is slated to launch in April—was created to provide audio and video lessons from Black and brown thought leaders across different industries. Founders Cortney Woodruff and Cortez Bryant developed the company out of the need for representation. They wanted to cultivate a virtual space where creators could see themselves reflected. Eight years ago, Shaka King was struggling as a Black filmmaker trying to make it in Hollywood. Now, his film “Judas and the Black Messiah” arrives as one of the most anticipated movies of the year. In 2016, King had got the idea for what would become “Judas” while hanging out with Keith and Kenny Lucas, of the comedy duo the Lucas Brothers. The brothers, who had worked with King on a television pilot, thought the story of the Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, the informant William O’Neal and the F.B.I. would make for a powerful crime thriller: “‘The Departed’ set in the world of Cointelpro.” “I thought it was the best idea I’d ever heard,” King recalled. “I could see the whole movie instantly.” https://youtu.be/6ivHf4ODMi4 Not long ago, Keith “One Time” Thurman sat atop the boxing world in one of the sport’s hottest weight classes, the welterweight division. After consecutive wins over Robert Guerrero, Luis Collazo, Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, ‘One Time’ held both the WBA and WBC titles. His bout against Porter was widely considered the “Fight of the Year” in 2016. When Thurman faced Manny Pacquiao, they were separated by only a point on the judges’ scorecards, and “One Time” suffered his first defeat. Since that July 2019 match, Thurman had his left hand surgically repaired, and his ring return still looms. Thurman, who is 29-1-0 with 22 knockouts, insists that he’s still a force to be reckoned with amongst the division’s elite and plans to prove it if given the opportunity. Historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country hold an immeasurable amount of cultural significance and a new endowment will ensure that historic areas on their campuses are preserved. According to Afrotech, several institutions have received funding from the National Trust.n The effort—dubbed the HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship—is being spearheaded by the leaders of the organization’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. Through the $650,000 initiative, the HBCUs will develop preservation plans for structures on their campuses, some of which were developed and constructed by Black architects. The project was designed to honor the rich cultural history harbored at HBCUs and empower the next generation of leaders. As part of the initiative, students will implement and lead the preservation strategy. Amongst the schools that have received grants are Tuskegee University, Benedict College, Morgan State University, Stillman College, Jackson State University, Philander Smith College, Lane College and Spelman College. The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 500,000 on Sunday,according to an NBC News tally — a milestone that underscores the grave threat the virus still poses nationwide even as more Americans get vaccinated. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 2,462,000 people worldwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The death toll in the U.S. is the highest in the world, even though the country has less than 5 percent of the global population. Prince Charles went to a London hospital on Saturday to visit his father, Prince Philip, who was admitted earlier his week for “observation and rest” after falling ill. Charles arrived at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital by car in the afternoon and stayed for about half an hour. The hospital’s website says visits are only allowed in “exceptional circumstances” because of the coronavirus pandemic. Philip, 99, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday on the advice of his doctor in what Buckingham Palace described as “a precautionary measure.” The husband of Queen Elizabeth II is expected to remain through the weekend and into next week. Philip’s illness is not believed to be related to COVID-19. Both he and the queen, 94, received a first dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus in early January. In 1963, Sidney Poitier made a film in Arizona, “Lilies of the Field.” The performance led to a huge milestone: He became the first Black winner of a lead-acting Oscar. Now, Arizona is the site of another career milestone for the legendary actor and filmmaker — Arizona State University has named its new film school after him. The Sidney Poitier New American Film School was unveiled at a virtual ceremony on Monday. The decision to name the school after Poitier, 93, is about much more than his achievements and legacy, but because he “embodies in his very person that which we strive to be — the matching of excellence and drive and passion with social purpose and social outcomes, all things that his career has really stood for,” said Michael M. Crow, president of the university. Danielle Brooks is returning to her musical roots in Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia. The Orange Is the New Black actress, 31, stars as gospel legend and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson in the upcoming Lifetime biopic. In the trailer, Brooks’ who plays Jackson attempts to navigate her rising fame amid the Civil Rights Movement. “All these white folks tell me how wonderful I am, then they get mad when I buy a house in their neighborhood,” she says. https://youtu.be/EL09Y8W3B84 Oscar-, Golden Globe- and four-time Emmy-winner Regina King is set to star in and produce “Shirley,” the feature film biopic about Shirley Chisholm, America’s first Black congresswoman. The film, produced by Participant, will be written and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Ridley, with production expected to begin later this year. The story tracks Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign, a groundbreaking historical moment, giving what’s described as “an intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait of one of the most ground-breaking political leaders of our time.” The Maine mansion that actor John Travolta shared with his late wife, actor Kelly Preston, has been put up for sale. The 67-year-old star of “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever” recently listed the home on Islesboro, an island off the coast of Maine, for $5 million, according to the Portland Press Herald. The couple bought the home in 1991 as newlyweds and turned it from a “very dark and somber” house into a bright family home for their soon-to-be-born son, Jett, according to a 1999 feature in Architectural Digest. Built in 1903, the 10,830-square-foot home has 20 bedrooms and sits on a 48-acre estate along the ocean. Preston, who had roles alongside Tom Cruise in “Jerry Maguire” and Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Twins,” died last year after a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57. Their first son, Jett, died in 2009 after suffering a seizure at the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas. CeCe Winans is a gospel singer who has won numerous awards, including 12 Grammy awards, 20 Dove awards, and seven Stellar awards. She has won multiple NAACP Image awards, Soul Train awards, and Essence awards and has sold 17 million records worldwide. CeCe has also been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the National Music City Walk of Fame. What some might not know, however, is that CeCe and her husband, Alvin Love II, followed God’s call later in life to become church planters and pastors. They co-founded Nashville Life Church in Nashville, Tenn., where their son Alvin Love III now serves as lead pastor and their daughter Ashley serves on staff. Initial signs suggest a smooth and amicable split between Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West. As “Kimye” becomes just Kim and Kanye with Kardashian filing for divorce Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, they do so with a prenuptial agreement in place, independent fortunes and a desire to share time with their four young children. The presence of the prenup means the couple likely kept much of their property — hers earned through reality TV and channeling her celebrity into several lucrative business ventures, his earned through music and fashion — separate during their 6 1/2 years of marriage. “Where rich, productive people are getting married, the prenup will usually say that ‘My income stays mine and your income stays yours,’” said attorney Daniel Jaffe, a major player in Southern California’s celebrity divorces for decades. “So if, in fact, that’s the case, there won’t be any major property issues.” A tentative settlement has been reached in a lawsuit that alleged James Franco intimidated students at an acting and film school he founded into gratuitous and exploitative sexual situations, attorneys for the plaintiffs said Saturday. The two sides filed a joint status report in Los Angeles Superior Court telling a judge a settlement had been reached in the class-action lawsuit brought by former students at the now-defunct school, Studio 4, though elements of the lawsuit may live on. The document was filed on Feb. 11, but the settlement has not previously been reported. Patrick Mahomes and fiancée Brittany Matthews welcomed their first child, daughter Sterling Skye on Saturday, they announced on Instagram. The new parents shared a photo of the newborn’s hand holding onto her father’s finger. The longtime couple began dating in their teens and got engaged in early September, with the quarterback popping the question to the former pro soccer player after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl ring ceremony. Later that month, they announced the pregnancy news, adding that they were “taking a small detour to the wedding.” https://www.instagram.com/brittanylynne/?utm_source=ig_embed Colorado Rockies veteran outfielder Ian Desmond is opting out for a second straight season. Desmond announced Sunday on his Instagram account that his “desire to be with my family is greater than my desire to go back and play baseball under these circumstances. I’m going to train and watch how things unfold.” He added “for now” in his statement to opt out, leaving the door open for a possible return. The 35-year-old Desmond is in the final year of a five-year, $70 million deal he signed in December 2016. He is scheduled to make $8 million this season. Colorado has a $15 million option for 2022 with a $2 million buyout. Benson Watch Co. has been selected for Qurate Retail Group’s Small Business Spotlight, a collaboration with the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation to strengthen diverse small businesses through increased exposure and various other pro bono in-kind services. The program, which will run throughout 2021, builds on Qurate Retail Group’s longstanding foundation of supporting small businesses and reflects the company’s and NRF Foundation’s commitment to increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups. https://youtu.be/h8-psV1xauw Beyonce brought the fire Saturday, via the ‘Gram, she dropped snaps and vids from her Icy Park line that showed up in stores (on Saturday / 02-20-21). On Sunday, it didn’t stop. Bey set more thirst traps for her followers with some additional looks from the winter-themed Ivy Park capsule for Adidas. Posting a lineup of latex bodysuits and some brown monochromatic garments, Queen B held court while striking some poses. LaKeith Stanfield has a message for Charlamagne Tha God after the radio personality took a shot at his portrayal of FBI snitch William O’Neal in “Judas & Black Messiah.” In the film, Stanfield plays Bill O’Neal who is facing five years in jail for pretending to be a federal officer and trying to steal a car. In exchange, he agrees to infiltrate the Black Panthers to give federal agents information on the group. Daniel Kaluuya, who also stars in the lead role of Fred Hampton, stopped by The Breakfast Club to speak on the project. Charlamagne asked him if he looks at LaKeith Stanfield differently, stating that he played the role “too well.” Daniel Kaluuya jumped to LaKeith Stanfield’s defense, Lakeith stood up for himself as well. He called out Charlamagne on Instagram and wrote: “H*e… This is what h*es do. Get sonned by the reality. Get off me bro u a lame. Daniel ain’t an idiot. Leave me be dog and find somebody else.” The Black Reel Awards (BRAs) announced today the film nominees for the 21st Annual Black Reel Awards. The winners will be revealed on Sunday, April 11, 2021 from 8-10pm, virtually across several media platforms. The story of a group of icons and friends who spend an evening together celebrating Cassius Clay’s heavyweight championship victory, One Night in Miami, led a crowded field of contenders receiving 15 nominations. Oscar and Black Reel Award winner Regina King’s debut film came within two nominations of matching Black Panther’s record of 17 nominations. The film received nominations for Outstanding Picture, Outstanding Actor (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Leslie Odom, Jr. and Aldis Hodge), and Outstanding Screenplay (Kemp Powers). King, who received an Outstanding Director nomination, becomes the first actress honored with a Director nod. https://youtu.be/ZprXMxKg--w R&B songstress, recording artist, and performer Jhene Aiko has recorded three studio albums under her name, which include “Souled Out” in 2014, “Trip” in 2017, and “Chilombo” in 2020. She has also recorded collaboration albums, including Twenty88 in 2016 with rapper Big Sean. While the Los Angeles native has experienced much success in music, she says that she no longer uses the n-word in her music. In a response to a social media inquiry about her ethnicity and using the n-word in her songs, Aiko responded …“Whispers, cat hair, Slauson asphalt and sand from Venice Beach,” she jokingly said. “I am less black than someone half black, but also less white than someone half white, and Asian is the least thing I am. So at this point, it’s whatever they want me to be.” https://youtu.be/XWdCWHAFd70 President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Texas where at least 30 people have died, 14million are without water and towns have been cut off from the electricity grid for seven days. The move – announced on Saturday – makes federal funding available to individuals across the state, including assistance for temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans for losses on uninsured property. The victims of the crisis including 11-year-old Cristian Pavon, who perished of hypothermia in his family’s mobile home a day after he was pictured enjoying the snow – the first he had ever seen in his life. Among the other dead are a man who reportedly froze to death in his recliner chair with his ‘nearly dead’ wife by his side; three children who perished in a fire as they huddled in a fireplace for warmth; and a mother and daughter died who from carbon monoxide poisoning as they bundled in their car in a garage. Panamanian gospel singer Jaime Murrell, who helped Latin America worship God in music that reflected the diversity of the region’s culture and history, died of COVID-19 on February 4. He was 71. Murrell, along with American singer Marcos Witt and other pioneering worship leaders in Venezuela, Mexico, and Brazil, brought Caribbean styles and influences into worship music. His 2000 album Prometo Amarte was nominated for the Dove Awards’ best Spanish-language album in 2001. He also contributed to La Oracion de Jabes (the Prayer of Jabez) album, which was nominated for the same award in 2003. Today, Murrell’s music is sung in churches across Latin America. As Naomi Osaka strode through the Champion’s Walk leading to the court for the Australian Open final — headphones on her ears, racket bag strapped to her back — she reached out her left hand to tap a panel marked with her name and the year of her previous title there. Not a big deal, she explained. Just a bit of superstition. Less than 10 minutes later, she began the match against Jennifer Brady. And less than 1½ hours later, Osaka won the last point, because that’s what she does when the stakes are the greatest on her sport’s biggest stages. Osaka improved to 4-0 in Grand Slam finals by grabbing six consecutive games to pull away in what initially was a tight contest, beating Brady 6-4, 6-3 at Melbourne Park on Saturday. “You don’t go into a final wanting to be the runner-up. For me, I feel like every opportunity that I play a Slam is an opportunity to win a Slam,” said 23-year-old Osaka, who will move up to No. 2 in the WTA rankings. “So I think maybe I put that pressure on myself too much, but honestly, it’s working out in my favor right now.” One year ago Natalie Decker made history as the first female driver to place top five in a top-three tier NASCAR race at Daytona, on February 14, 2020. Decker also became the highest-finishing female driver ever in a NASCAR Truck Series race, that Friday night at the NextEra Energy 250. Just two weeks ago it was announced that 23-year-old Eagle River, Wisconsin native would make her debut in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR’s second tier. So it’s fitting that Decker would unveil a new car to mark the occasion. “A step up to a new NASCAR series, new team, new sponsor and partners and new car—it’s a very big reveal,” Decker said, by video call, prior to the 2021 kickoff. Decker signed on to drive for RSS Racing/Reaume Brothers Racing and will be racing the No. 23 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Red Street Records, a record company co-owned by Rascal Flatts country music star Jay DeMarcus. Decker’s car, starting this weekend at the Daytona Road Course race, will feature the likeness of two-time Grammy Award winning gospel artist Jason Crabb. Former NFL player Kellen Winslow II agreed Friday to a change in his rape-case plea deal so he could secure a 14-year prison sentence. Once a first-round NFL draft pick and the highest-paid tight end in the league, the 37-year-old Encinitas resident had faced 12 to 18 years in prison following his convictions for raping a homeless woman and charges linked to misconduct with other women. But his attorneys disputed whether the sentences added up to 18 years. To avoid a courtroom battle, the prosecution and defense agreed to a change in Winslow’s guilty plea, swapping out one charge for another. To achieve this, Winslow’s guilty plea to sexual battery of a 54-year-old hitchhiker in Encinitas was dropped and replaced with a guilty plea to assault with the intent to commit rape. Singer Andra Day has opened up about the emotional experience that came with cutting off her “12 years of hair growth” to play Billie Holiday in an upcoming biopic. Speaking on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast, Day, 36, said there was “no way to do justice” to Holiday without “going that deep” with her physical transformation — which included losing weight, smoking cigarettes, and chopping off her long locks. https://youtu.be/USi-ppCfxEA Ashley O’Shay opens up about her new documentary “Unapologetic.” After two Black Chicagoans are killed, millennial organizers challenge an administration complicit in state violence against its residents. Told through the lens of Janaé and Bella, two fierce abolitionist leaders, “Unapologetic” is a deep look into the movement for Black lives, from the police murder of Rekia Boyd to the election of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. https://youtu.be/gDJnYQkBhKM Controversial conservative firebrand Rush Limbaugh passed away on Wednesday at the age of 70 from lung cancer. Limbaugh was, of course, also known for the vicious, nasty racist rhetoric that spewed from his mouth on his daily radio program. Limbaugh had the undying support of one black man, his show producer, James “Bo Snerdley” Golden, who got emotional while recalling the life of the late conservative talk radio pioneer. https://youtu.be/ahB3ePi65Tw On Tuesday in a subway station, cops say Alex Lowery was smoking a cigarette which is a violation of MTA rules. They approached him and escorted him out of the station, but as they walked up a flight of stairs to the exit, Lowery allegedly spat in an officer’s face. The man who allegedly attacked and injured several New York Transit officers was wrestled to the ground and pummeled. https://youtu.be/U_8x9hPJNRQ Actor, producer and former model Boris Kodjoe stopped by Casa Carlos for a revealing interview on the latest episode of The Carlos Watson Show. The following are some of the best cuts from the full conversation, which you can find on the show’s podcast feed. https://youtu.be/IGuIR3Dck9M This week’s celebrity divorces includes Kim and Kanye and now Talib Kweli and DJ Eque, are calling it quits. Eque filed docs Friday in L.A. in Los Angeles She and Talib, who also puts in time as an activist, made it official as man and wife back in May of 2009 at a private mansion in Bel-Air. Some of the guests included Queen Latifah and Questlove. https://youtu.be/XCUmqIQZ2pU $25,000 to pay off student loans may sound like a dream right now — Lance Gross, Keshia Knight Pulliam and TBS are partnering to make this dream a reality for three lucky alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with the “HBCU Cash Out Contest” For both actors, they’re HBCU graduates, this initiative is vital. Pulliam graduated from the illustrious Spelman College and Gross attended Howard University, sharing the same alma mater as Vice President Kamala Harris. “I think I made the greatest decision of my life going to an HBCU. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the exact same way. For me I feel Like HBCU’S are different from a PWI, it’s an extension of the village,” said Gross, the Tyler Perry House of Payne Star. Since the beginning of time, storytelling has been an important event in the African and African American communities. Through storytelling, questions are answered, history is s conveyed, lifelong lessons are taught, and perspectives are broadened. Leon Burnette, known affectionately as Mr. B The Guru, is a Civil Rights and Black Music Historian, Explorer, and Storyteller. https://youtu.be/dJ0O8BPDdI8 “We’ve been married since the crucifixion,” said Pastor Richard Hartley about his marriage, which along with his role as father, is presented in the USA Network unscripted docu-series “The Rev” airing on Thursdays at 10pmET. “I’m trying to get the kids out of the house. They about to retire and they never had a job! My daughter has two degrees and wants another and never had a job, and my son is giving concerts at three in the morning and he the only one there!” Richard has been a pastor for 14 years, founding Haven International Ministries in Queens, New York. His wife is his childhood sweet-heart, Stacey, and his son is Jordan and daughter Judea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WTwEisw5-w Today, four-time GRAMMY® nominated artist, composer, and producer, Mali Music, premiered his new video for “Blessed,” an up-tempo, hip-hop infused track from Mali’s latest album, The Book of Mali, which was released in August 2020. In addition to preparing the visual for “Blessed,” Mali has been busy with virtual performances and concerts. Also, he is nominated for a GRAMMY® Award at the 63rd Annual GRAMMYs for “Movin’ On,” his duet with Jonathan McReynolds. https://youtu.be/F1gbYAzQpLU TONY DICKERSON & THE ESSENTIAL BAND releases their new single "I AM GOOD!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-iGfEJEAKk&feature=youtu.be TONIGHT- February 19th, 8:00 PM EST Watch carl and his wife Beverly on Love & Business on Lock with Dr. CaSay & The Franchise Jay Claxton on Facebook Live! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com GREAT THINGS is the second single from Jason Hendrickson's EP "The Singles Volume 1" expected to be released in the 1st quarter of 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyJEuRb_LyM&feature=youtu.be With strong roots from the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection comes the ultimate worshiper himself, Rodney J. Harris makes Philly proud with his debut single entitled, "No 1 Like U." Rodney is a risk taker and believes that stepping out on faith with "No 1 Like U" is what God has called him to do in this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_GBprLZQXQ&feature=youtu.be Bishop Leonard Scott, the professor of hymns, teams up with the legendary Rance Allen in one of his last performances. They come together and breathe new life into the vintage spiritual “Throw Me Overboard.” https://spaces.hightail.com/space/9IPpJOVmQe/files/fi-36f898a8-e49e-45bc-8fce-d4a27126ac77/fv-01ad958d-5f43-48dd-a25a-1a16f53e0f0a/RADIO%20EDIT%20320%20MP3%20-Throw%20Me%20Overboard_JRV%20Mix%201_vox%20Up%203_4%20Min%20Version.mp3 Kim Kardashian, who built a business empire as a reality television star, filed for divorce Friday from her husband of nearly seven years, the rapper Kanye West, appearing to end one of the entertainment world’s most famed unions. The divorce petition was filed at the downtown offices of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, with Kardashian represented by prominent divorce attorney Laura Wasser. The development wasn’t a surprise to reality TV fans, as the pair had been living apart, NBC’s “TODAY” show reported in January. Kardashian disclosed over the summer that the couple had been struggling with West’s bipolar disorder. For CNN, last spring’s prime-time banter between Chris Cuomo and his older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, looks worse in hindsight as the governor’s administration is questioned about its role in failing to disclose the true number of COVID-19 nursing home deaths. CNN is covering that story, but not on Chris Cuomo’s show. The network said it had reinstated a prohibition on Cuomo interviewing or doing stories about his brother that it had temporarily lifted last spring. The brothers were both in the spotlight last March. Chris Cuomo caught COVID-19 and continued anchoring his show from his basement, while the governor dealt with New York’s hellish days as the nation’s early coronavirus epicenter. Andrew Cuomo’s near-daily briefing was widely televised and, to some viewers, embraced as a counterpoint to those held by former President Donald Trump. Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Cloris Leachman’s cause of death has been revealed as a stroke, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. The “Mary Tyler Moore Show” star died at 94 of natural causes at her home in Encinitas, California, on Jan. 27. Donnie Ryan of the medical examiner’s office in San Diego confirmed Leachman’s cause of death was a stroke with COVID-19 listed as another significant condition. It’s been a difficult week for us at The Urban Alternative, but we are continuing to thank God for His grace, covering and presence. It started last Friday with my positive COVID diagnosis for which I’m continuing to seek treatment, and coveting the prayers of our ministry family, partners and church members. I shared this news with our church last Saturday. Then, the winter freeze hit Texas and has caused so much damage to so many people’s homes, health, businesses, churches and more. https://www.instagram.com/drtonyevans/?utm_source=ig_embed Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary helps Pastor Dwight McKissic after home is damaged in Texas winter storm. Pastor McKissic Tweeted: Bad news: Major water damage, house/guest house, uninhabitable. Good news: Was given keys to incredible accommodations at the Riley Center/SWBTS for as long as I need to stay, no charge! I love it when the church acts like the church & we behave as a family. Joy unspeakable! Thx. Dr. Calvin Butts, Pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York, Said the Most Important Thing in the Entire PBS History of the Black Church Special. He Said That “When the Black Church Has Been Faithful and Obedient to God We Have Done Well.” Of Course What He Is Implying Is That When We Have Not Obeyed God We Have Not Done Well. https://youtu.be/BijAOYktT4k Ravi Zacharias International Ministries has halted fundraising efforts following the release of a report detailing the late apologist’s extensive sexual misconduct. A notice on the “Give” page on the RZIM website reads: “In light of recent revelations regarding our founder, we find it prudent to suspend all fundraising activities until a path forward can be envisioned that indicates care for all of Ravi’s victims as well as the staff and supporters of RZIM.” The announcement came nearly a week after the release of the full report from Atlanta law firm Miller & Martin, which conducted an independent investigation into the late apologist’s sexual misconduct with massage therapists at a spa he co-owned in Georgia. The investigation also detailed various predatory acts overseas in Southeast Asia. The mystery behind tennis star Naomi Osaka’s bizarre post-match message scribbled on a television lens following her stunning Australian Open semi-final win has been explained. The Japanese women’s world number three, 23, is in her second Melbourne grand slam final in three years after dominating childhood idol and US superstar Serena Williams in straight sets on Thursday. Osaka sent tennis viewers around the world into meltdown with a peculiar message aimed at her older sister Mari back home following her post-match interview on court. ‘Mari stop sending werid (sic) images in the groupchat!’ she signed off on a television lens. Osaka later explained her sister Mari, 24, who’s also a tennis player, often sends disturbing messages in their group chat. The Republican Accountability Project, a national anti-Trump group, is launching a $1 million ad campaign to provide backup to the 17 GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach or convict former President Donald Trump. The group, which previously vowed it would spend $50 million to back GOP lawmakers who impeached Trump as well as defeat his loyal supporters in office, will air the TV spots on Fox News, reports Politico They’re also funding billboards to rally behind the legislators who found Trump guilty of inciting rioters to attack the U.S. Capitol. https://youtu.be/iuVaUVUMrJE The Biden Justice Department is picking up where the Trump administration left off with the two-year-old legal battle against Omarosa Manigault Newman. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Omarosa in 2019, alleging that the former “Apprentice” star, who served as an adviser to former President Donald Trump, failed to file a required financial disclosure report after she was fired from the White House. According to Reuters, the government is seeking a civil fine of up to $50,000 from Omarosa, who spent 11 months as director of communications in the White House Office of Public Liaison before her December 2017 dismissal. A floor debate got heated along both racial and party lines at the Indiana Statehouse Thursday, with Republicans reportedly shouting down a group of Black lawmakers. According to USA TODAY, the dispute was over House Bill 1367. Democratic Rep. Greg Porter, a member of the Black caucus, walked off the floor overcome with emotion after several Republican lawmakers shouted down his warning of discrimination in the bill, which would allow students in a St. Joseph County township to leave racially diverse South Bend Community Schools to join a nearby school district that’s smaller, more rural and made up primarily of white students, according to USA Today. https://youtu.be/jNGHMvgkES4 A Texas mayor has resigned after he told residents to fend for themselves amid the winter power and water outages. Former Colorado City Mayor Tim Boyd announced his resignation Tuesday, hours after he received backlash for his Facebook rant, KTXS-TV reports. “No one owes you or your family anything; nor is it the local governments responsibility to support you during trying times like this! Sink or swim, it’s your choice!” he wrote. “The City and County, along with power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING!” https://youtu.be/EPjIfBdGdTM Some lucky Arizona State University students got a chance to sit down (virtually) with Angela Davis on Thursday. The legendary civil rights activist and scholar discussed pressing issues affecting the Black community and the role students play in the overall pursuit of racial justice during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the ASU Black African Coalition and Undergraduate Student Government. Other topics included mass incarceration and police brutality. Davis is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. https://youtu.be/9cccLfOhK3k Meek Mill has responded to the heat he’s catching over a new song that finds him mentioning Kobe Bryant and a helicopter. The Lakers star died last January in a helicopter crash, that also killed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, including the pilot. On Feb. 17, the lyrics to an unreleased song from the rapper leaked online and Kobe fans are not happy about this particular line: “Yeah, and if I ever lack, I’m goin’ out with my chopper, it by another Kobe.” Many found the line insensitive. However, Meek disagrees, calling those who feel some way about the lyric “zombies” that need to “wake up.” Beyonce’s BeyGOOD Foundation, Adidas and Houston’s Bread of Life are joining forces to provide aid to Texans who are still without water or electricity amid winter storms that brought record low temperatures to the state. Texas residents affected are urged to apply for up to $1,000 in aid via their Disaster Relief Assistance program. People can also donate to Bread of Life, which provides assistance to those in need. We send our prayers to those impacted by the winter storm,” a tweet posted by BeyGOOD said. The winter storm in the state has left millions without electricity and heat for several days. Residents are also suffering from a food and water shortage. Sean Paul says his recent comments about Jay-Z being jealous of his collaboration with Beyoncé were taken out of context. In 2003, Beyoncé joined forces with Sean Paul for the single “Baby Boy,” which turned out to be a massive hit. During a recent interview with a Jamaican radio station, the artist spoke about the issue he had with the collaboration — specifically with JAY-Z. According to Paul, Jay-Z didn’t want his then-girlfriend to get too close to him during the video shoot. But in a new interview with, HotNewHipHop Paul said his comments were taken out of context. https://youtu.be/8ucz_pm3LX8 Two people have been arrested after shooting a woman who shushed them in an AMC movie theater back on January 9 of this year. On Wednesday (Feb. 17), it was reported that U.S. Marshals apprehended the couple in Indiana, to be extradited back to Atlanta. The two were identified as 20-year-old Camryn King and 22-year-old Yvonne Crawford. The duo were charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. It’s reported that a 22-year-old victim visited the theater to see a movie with her wife. However, during the movie, she claims that a group behind her was being disturbingly loud, and when she turned around to shush them, they all began arguing. The victim alleges the man pulled out a handgun from the woman’s purse and began firing. A Florida man has been arrested after fatally shooting three of his family members, including his grandmother. Cornelius Whitfield is accused of murdering his uncle, Antonio Maurice Graham, 45; his grandmother, Patricia Ann Whitfield Sharpe, 66; and his great-grandmother, 83-year-old Sallie Hobbs Whitfield. Another relative was also shot but she managed to flee to a neighbors house and call police. https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/suspect-accused-of-killing-family-members-remains-in-jail-on-no-bond/ Ryan Russell, the NFL’s first openly bisexual player, admits he was reluctant to come out publicly and be a “distraction” to his team. Russell, a free agent, says he felt “selfish” coming out. Speaking with BBC Sport, the 29-year-old said prior to coming out, he decided on keeping his sexuality on the low. “I was finally in a place where I could provide for my mother, who had sacrificed so much for me,” said Russell, who grew up in Texas. “It felt almost selfish to come out. I thought, ‘I don’t want to be a distraction to my team, I don’t want to jeopardize our success on the field, and also my personal success or financial status.” Russell played briefly with the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Buffalo Bills, before he came out as bisexual in 2019 while sidelined with a shoulder injury. Apryl Jones is speaking out about her relationship with Omarion and their time on “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.” n a new interview with MadameNoire, the mother of two said Omarion’s team wanted to dispel rumors about him being on the down-low. “That whole situation with me and O on Love & Hip Hop was completely controlled. I never even wanted to do freakin’ reality TV,” Jones said. “His management thought it would be good for him to show who he was and his life because there were gay rumors.” She continued, “So to show he was in a relationship with a woman and having kids and all that, they thought it would be great. If you love somebody, you’re going to do it, but it just felt controlled. I wasn’t really myself.” Jones also explained that she “totally lost myself” while dating the singer. Today on THE REAL (02-19-21), Tessica Brown and the doctor who removed Gorilla Glue from her hair, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Obeng, appeared together, exclusively, for the first time on national television. Tessica takes the opportunity to publicly thank him and Dr. Obeng explains just how much her donation is helping to pay it forward for reconstructive surgeries for those who can’t afford it. https://youtu.be/HXAk3s9BZ0g Sorors of The Divine 9 were featured on “The Daily Show” Thursday to provide insight into this vital part of Vice President Kamala Harris’s background. Correspondent Dulcé Sloan got up close and virtual with Alicia Calvin and Jasmine Williams from Harris’ sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, and writer/historian Paula Giddings of Delta Sigma Theta, to school uninformed viewers about Black Greek organizations and the impact of Harris’ ascension to the White House. “I think little Brown girls like myself grew up imagining people in the White House looking like me, but to have a true example, it’s just amazing,” said Williams. https://youtu.be/FXiinKkU_bE Activist Tamika Mallory, co-founder of 2017’s Women’s March, and co-founder of social justice organization Until Freedom, is set to make her literary debut with “STATE OF EMERGENCY” via Charlamagne Tha God’s BLACK PRIVILEGE PUBLISHING, a new imprint from Atria Books at Simon & Schuster. Charlamagne shared in the book’s announcement that “Tamika is one of those people who’s ALWAYS on the frontlines fighting for us—not for self-serving reasons, but because she cares about Black People. STATE OF EMERGENCY is going to immortalize her words and give black people a study guide that will help us navigate our way to true freedom.” https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1361686142576431105/BBQpzoOs?format=jpg&name=small Motown Gospel, in joint venture with SANG GIRL! Inc., announces the signing of iconic singer and songwriter Kelly Price, as she readies the release of her new gospel project, Grace, on April 2, 2021. The 6-track EP is available for pre-order now, with the lead single, “Grace,” and an accompanying lyric video out today: https://KellyPrice.lnk.to/GRACE. The release of Grace comes fifteen years after Price’s acclaimed gospel album, This Is Who I Am, which hit #1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart and landed in the top ten of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Jonathan McReynolds shares the story behind his new single "Grace." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0gEcAmKUU8&feature=youtu.be Paris Hilton received a special gift for her 40th birthday: an engagement. Hilton announced her engagement to entrepreneur Carter Reum in her social media post on Wednesday — the same day as her birthday. She said on her website that the proposal was everything she had “dreamed of.” Hilton said she and Reum took a pre-dinner walk on the beach before he dropped to one knee at a cabana with flowers. She said the proposal was followed by a celebration with family and close friends. “There’s no one I’d rather spend forever with,” she said in the post. Country star Luke Combs has apologized for appearing with Confederate flags, saying he is now aware of how painful that flag is. Combs addressed the images during a conversation with singer Maren Morris on Wednesday during a panel for radio broadcasters about accountability in country music. It came weeks after another top country star Morgan Wallen was removed from radio stations and suspended by his label after being caught on video using a racial slur. Panel moderator and NPR music critic Ann Powers asked Combs about those images during a Q&A for the Country Radio Seminar, an annual country radio broadcasters conference, that was held online this year. “There’s no excuse for those images,” said Combs, a 30-year-old North Carolina singer-songwriter who has had two multiplatinum albums and several hit country songs. Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, founder and CEO of The Impact Network and the Senior Pastor of Great Faith Ministries International based in Detroit and Atlanta issues the following statement in response to Kevin Adell’s recent comments about former Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick: Bishop Wayne T. Jackson’s statement: “It saddens and seriously concerns me that a non African-American, non Person Of Color, local business owner whose primary income is generated by the presence and patronage of black people could so callously and condescendingly make demands to silence the voices that are supposed to represent our community. The remarks of Kevin Adell, whose platforms of the Word Network, WADL-TV 38 Detroit and 910AM Detroit, claims to celebrate and support African-Americans, resemble those of a plantation owner from an era where slavery was legal. It is not legal today! His self-assumed position of authority and self-righteousness reflects deeper concerns within our community that must be addressed; he should in no way have the comfort or confidence to say such foolishness.” Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, will be meeting with other leaders–local and national–to ensure these disrespectful remarks and demands do not go unnoticed, or unaddressed. This unacceptable conduct and oppressive attitude will not be tolerated. Next Friday, February 26, action thriller “Lazarus,” starring Sean Riggs (S.W.A.T., You) and R&B superstar Mya (Chicago), will debut exclusively on Tubi, FOX Entertainment’s free streaming service. The film, from Samuel Goldwyn films, is directed by R.L. Scott (Call Me King) and also stars Costas Mandylor (Saw IV), Aeriel Miranda (Straight Outta Compton), Shane Brolly (Underworld), Nicki Micheaux (In The Dark), Noel Gugliemi (Training Day), Linc Hand (68 Whiskey), and Adamo Palladino (Becoming Bond). “Lazarus” centers around a man (Riggs) who is killed, but his death is a brief affair. Upon regaining consciousness, he discovers he has been gifted with extraordinary powers that allow him to super-heroically fight the organization responsible for plunging his city into darkness. https://youtu.be/DelXSGmGIvQ PEOPLE is reporting that Kanye West is apparently not doing well amid the split from his wife Kim Kardashian and reportedly has limited contact with her and their children. A source close to the rapper told PEOPLE that the reality of divorce is coming close to Kanye since he has limited contact with his estranged wife and their children. They added that he knows what he’s about to lose since the marriage is practically over. Kim has consistently defended her husband’s antics publicly and privately with her family but a split is inevitable. “Kanye is not doing well,” the source tells PEOPLE in its latest issue. “He is anxious and very sad. He knows that the marriage is over, and there’s nothing that can be done right now. He also knows what he is losing in Kim.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Mark “Prince Markie Dee” Morales of the legendary hip hop group, The Fat Boys has passed. He was 52. Unfortunately, there are no specific details regarding Morales’ death, but that hasn’t stopped people on Social Media from paying tribute to him. At SiriusXM’s “Rock The Bells” channel where he worked as a radio host and DJ, they tweeted their condolences: “The Rock The Bells family is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Mark ‘Prince Markie Dee’ Morales earlier today,” the official page tweeted. “That voice and his presence can never be replaced. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.” Daniil Medvedev simply does not lose right now. Not to Top 10 opponents. Not to anyone, really. Certainly not to a drained Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open semifinals. Medvedev made it to his second Grand Slam final as he pursues his first major championship, overwhelming fifth-seeded Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 on Friday at Melbourne Park to run his winning streak to 20 matches. That includes a dozen victories against members of the Top 10. Ballerina Chloé Lopes Gomes, the first Black ballerina to join Berlin’s principal ballet company, the Staatsballett, has penned an update after going public in 2018 with racism allegations against her company. Last October, the company opted not to renew her contract for the summer. Lopes Gomes believed she was let go “because of the complaints I have made about the racist comments and unfair treatment that I have endured from my ballet mistress, though the company has said the decision was made for ‘artistic reasons.'” Lopes Gomes, 29, said she attempted to handle the matter internally, but when that produced zero results, she went public with her story to Der Spiegel, The Guardian and the New York Times. The update? Nothing has changed. https://youtu.be/-2Vss3QCgpc ESSENCE, the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities, announces plans and dates for the 2021 ESSENCE Festival of Culture. This year, with the theme ‘Live Loud,’ ESSENCE is thrilled to curate an invaluable hybrid experience that offers the best of in-person and virtual worlds via a celebration of the resilience, power and achievement of our community and the omnipresence of our culture. The Festival’s virtual programming will include powerful daytime interactive sessions and star-studded evening concerts and connections. Also, in continued partnership with the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana and under strict adherence to guidance from health agencies, ESSENCE will produce live-to-tape activations available only to local New Orleans and Louisiana residents, honoring essential workers and first responders. The entire Festival, which will present a ‘taste of New Orleans’ and a jam-packed schedule of can’t-miss content centered around culture, equity and celebration, will be broadcast on ESSENCEStudios.com – Friday-Sunday over two weekends, June 25-27 and July 2-4. WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Shawn and his felon bae Destinie still clashing over what appears to be the end of their relationship. Not willing to simply walk away from his lady love, Shawn makes one final move by repossessing her car. https://youtu.be/yyU5JYIk7kA Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ continues to dish out gourmet recipes with author Aliya King on this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, February 21 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUtCUuNpTcs&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX, hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells, airing Saturday, February 21 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I59Oi7dRvjQ&feature=youtu.be Veronica Petrucci drops single “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength.” https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6ksitykl4cfa0m3/AABEpzebcp5r26knpaZcbFbQa?dl=0 Compassion LIVE and Bri Babineaux are excited to announce the virtual album release concert for Babineaux’s soon to be released album The Encounter Continues on February 26th. The new album comes on the heels of The Encounter, a project that embodies worship experiences where believers intimately encounter God. The exclusive virtual album release concert encompasses fan favorites from The Encounter as well as new music from The Encounter Continues. The event, which will include special surprise guests and a VIP meet and greet with Babineaux, is sure to make fans want to dance, jump, and worship. “I’m super excited to be doing a live virtual experience of The Encounter Continues with Compassion International!” exclaims Babineaux. The organization is very important to me and I believe partnering with them provides the ability to understand someone else’s situation and the desire to take action to improve or help their lives. I’m truly honored to have them be a part of such a fun night.” Kelontae Gavin celebrates a new milestone with two #1s on the Gospel radio charts, as his single “Hold Me Close” hits #1 on both the latest Gospel Airplay Chart and the Mediabase Gospel Chart. The double #1s for “Hold Me Close” also mark another milestone as Gavin’s first #1 hit single at Gospel radio, following his previous Top 5 hit Gospel radio single “No Ordinary Worship,” which was featured from his debut album The Higher Experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uhASckDZ_Q Dead Sea squirrels” is the premise of a new series from VeggieTales co-creator Mike Nawrocki. Originally written as a children’s book series, Nawrocki’s creation has come to life as an animated TV series through his partnership with former Disney animator Tom Bancroft and producer Steve Taylor. Parents will love how the Bible-based stories give children a fun look into Jesus’ life. And the antics that the “Dead Sea Squirrels” Merle and Pearl bring to their modern-day adventures will bring laughter and joy to everyone. https://youtu.be/iljjS7I8qzQ Donald Glover has left his pact with Disney-owned FX and signed a multi-year, eight-figure overall deal with Amazon Studios. The deal is said to include a Prime Video channel dedicated to his work, which will see him develop several projects that he will executive produce. Malia Obama has reportedly signed on to write for an upcoming streaming series helmed by Donald Glover, who just inked an eight-figure production deal with Amazon Prime. Glover’s new pact with the streaming platform will see the Emmy and Grammy winner produce a number of as-yet undeveloped television projects, such as a potential new series dubbed “Hive.” He tapped writer Janine Nabers (“Watchmen”) to help lead the team which includes the former First Daughter of the United States, the Hollywood Reporter first reported. Cotton Candy scored a sweet victory Wednesday night when she won the first season of The Masked Dancer. The sugary confection was unmasked as Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, who claimed the Diamond Mask trophy. “I loved the journey and every single part about Masked Dancer,” the two-time Olympic gold medalist, 25, tells PEOPLE. “I love the fact that it was so mysterious. And I’m a huge fan of The Masked Singer, because me and my family, we love being detectives.” As for how winning the show’s Diamond Mask trophy compares to taking home a medal at the Olympics, Douglas says, “It’s definitely up there. I would say it’s neck and neck, to be honest.” When people think of Lecrae, the image that often comes to mind is one of a Grammy Award-winning rapper, but it’s his work outside of music that’s quietly making the greatest impact on people’s lives. His vast community service work is helping several families come out of poverty and avoid the cycle that befalls so many who are living in impoverished communities across the U.S. Lecrae said in an interview with The Christian Post that he hopes to be “a different picture of a black man in America.” Beyond his latest album Restoration, the Reach Records founder wants to help restore the black community. As a massive winter storm continues to surge across the U.S., churches are stepping up to respond. In many areas, power outages and rolling blackouts have left tens of thousands in need, and churches are offering warmth and shelter in the Name of Jesus. Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas, posted the announcement of its opening as a designated warming center in a Facebook post yesterday, requesting prayer “for our Texas family as we get through this winter storm.” S eiko Hashimoto has appeared in seven Olympics, four in the winter and three in the summer — the most by any “multi-season” athlete in the games. She made even more history on Thursday in Japan, where women are still rare in the boardrooms and positions of political power. The 56-year-old Hashimoto was named president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee after a meeting of its executive board, which is 80% male. She replaces 83-year-old Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister who was forced to resign last week after making sexist comments about women. The McDonald’s Corporation is being sued by Black current and former franchisees, employees and executives for decades of racial discrimination. McDonald’s has denied the Black franchisees the same opportunities as White operators and continually steered them to economically depressed and dangerous areas where low-volume sales, high rent and operating costs guaranteed failure. Legendary Chicago organizer, Wallace “Gator” Bradley “The Urban Translator,” is calling on McDonald’s to use Black History Month 2021 as a time to make things right, end the systematic racism that has denied Black franchisees equal opportunities and change the way it treats its Black employees. Heisman Trophy winner and NFL vet Herschel Walker pushed back against Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee during a virtual House subcommittee meeting held Wednesday to debate the merits of her reparations bill. The legislation would establish a federal commission to explore reparations for Black Americans. Walker, a conservative who backed Donald Trump, pushed back against the need for reparations. He told the subcommittee: “We use black power to create white guilt. My approach is biblical. How can I ask my heavenly Father to forgive me if I can’t forgive my brother?” https://youtu.be/gMQmykMBwoE The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round draft pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick that could turn into a first-rounder, league sources tell ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. The Eagles will receive the 85th overall pick in this year’s draft, and the conditional second-rounder can become a first-round pick based on Wentz’s playing time, according to sources. Wentz needs to play at least 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps for the 2022 conditional pick to convey to a first-rounder, according to sources. Fernando Tatis Jr. has agreed to one of the biggest deals in baseball history, a new 14-year contract with the San Diego Padres worth $340 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet official. During spring training in 2020, when asked about his goal of making it to the majors, Tim Tebow responded with this: “It’d be a lie if I said that wouldn’t be super cool. Of course that would be special. But I wouldn’t say it would be a success or failure if that did or didn’t happen.” Tebow referred to parts of his life as “seasons.” In that moment, he said, baseball was an important part of his life. It’s time for a new season. Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy winner, announced Wednesday night that he is retiring from baseball. The outfielder made it to Triple-A, but never the majors. Variety hosted a great conversation between Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams as part of its latest cover story. Davis is being lauded for her performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and is considered a lead contender in this year’s Oscar race, as is Abrams, who produced the documentary “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” which was just shortlisted for an Academy Award in the documentary feature category. Vanessa Williams made history as the first Black Miss America but she said the milestone was met with harsh criticism from the Black community. Speaking to on A&E’s The Table is Ours podcast, Williams said “I was not seen as a 20-year-old, who is a junior in college. I was seen as a symbol but also seen as a Black woman, and also seen as someone who was supposed to represent the American beauty. And there are a lot of folks that did not believe that having brown skin and being a Black woman represented the Miss America ideal,” she said. “I had death threats. I had sharpshooters when I did my homecoming parade. There were sharpshooters on the top of roofs of my hometown, just because of the threat, the threats that were, you know, against me because of who I was.” Williams said some of the threats came from “my own people.” Netflix announced a new animated musical feature, SULWE, based off of Academy Award ® winner Lupita Nyong’o’s #1 New York Times bestselling book of the same title. If your’re wondering … Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone she knows. All she wants is to be beautiful and bright. One night, Sulwe is visited by a shooting star sent by the Night, and embarks on a magical journey where she learns the eye-opening story of the sisters Night and Day. Sulwe is a story about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within. Byron Allen gave an overview of the content that his Allen Media Group Entertainment Studios is serving up during a presentation at the Television Critics Association panel on Feb 16. The company’s expanding portfolio includes The Weather Channel, Cars.TV, Comedy.TV and genres related to entertainment to travel and pets. Allen’s Entertainment Studios recently reached a settlement in his $10 billion racial-discrimination lawsuit against Charter Communications. Allen reached a deal last year to end his lawsuit against Comcast Communications, NBC News reported. He sued the company for $20 billion in 2015 for refusing to carry his lifestyle channels, arguing that it was because of his race. He brought a similar lawsuit against cable provider Charter for $10 billion for refusing to carry his networks. Allen’s attorneys linked a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to the case, which says all people should have “the same right” to contracts as whites. Several top NBA players are said to be apprehensive about participating in league-sponsored PSA’s focused on coronavirus vaccines, sources told ESPN. The NBA’s outreach to the agents of many of the league’s elite players — with hopes of getting stars to participate in PSAs to promote the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine — has been met with a tepid response, sources said. Player apprehensions about receiving the vaccine are consistent with those that also exist in Black communities throughout the country, agents and players told ESPN. https://youtu.be/jB7eCLT88fU Lauryn Hill’s critically acclaimed “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” album has reached diamond status more than 20 years after its release. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) shared the news on Tuesday, confirming that Hill’s debut album has sold more than 10,000,000 units since it dropped in 1998. She never released a follow-up album and Hill explained why in a recent interview on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast. “The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER. Did I say ever? Ever!” Hill said in a rare interview with the publication. https://youtu.be/T6QKqFPRZSA Vanessa Simmons is killing it .She is a fabulous host because she’s not your traditional host. She’s definitely very personable and knows how to connect with people. We’re talking about things that are untraditional like toxic relationships, birthing experiences for the black women, and even politics” says creator and executive producer Angela Marie Hutchinson of the new Facebook Watch show “Asking For A Friend” blob:https://www.facebook.com/227f0afc-6cfc-498e-b56b-d56f58b1964b This month, Soleil Moon Frye (Punky) and Cherie Johnson (Cherie) reprise their original roles in the iconic 80s sitcom “Punky Brewster.“ The new series follows Punky, now a single mother of three trying to get her life back on track when she meets Izzy (Quinn Copeland), a young girl in the foster system who reminds Brewster a lot of her younger self. The series also stars Freddie Prinze Jr. (Travis, Punky’s ex-husband), Noah Cottrell (Diego), Oliver De Los Santos (Daniel), and Lauren Lindsey Donzis (Hannah). After catching heat over his latest comments about the romance between Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey, Bossie Badazz has responded to the backlash in a new post on Instagram captioned “f*ck yall I said what I said.” https://www.instagram.com/boosienewig/?utm_source=ig_embed Today, Central City Productions, Inc. released a Call for Entries for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Submissions will be accepted online from February 1 – 19, 2021. To be eligible, projects must have been released via national distribution or online streaming and Gospel radio stations must have been broadcasting via terrestrial or online from OCTOBER 1, 2019 THROUGH JANUARY 31, 2021. Other qualifying rules and regulations will be posted online. Additionally, a timeline of important dates leading up to the Stellar Awards television broadcast was released. Nominations for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards will be announced on April 27, 2021. Beginning Friday, February 27th at 8pm EST through Sunday, February 28th, join Emmy/Golden Globe-nominated Host Anthony Anderson, for a dynamic, uplifting presentation of a historic global peace-building event to support the National Baptist Convention US, Inc.'s "I'M IN" initiative to enable better access to healthcare and technological resources in underserved communities. Join as one nation stands together in unity, love, and inspiration with a star-studded, international musical lineup sure to set a powerful tone to begin the process of healing and to create optimism for years to come. The groundbreaking event will offer musical performances by Israel Houghton, Fred Hammond, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Deitrick Haddon, Todd Dulaney, Le'Andria Johnson, Bryan Popin, and many more. Host Anthony Anderson ,Taraji P. Henson, Morris Chestnut, Lamman Rucker and Special Guest Presenter Pastor Shirley Caesar will offer uplifting joy. GRAMMY®, Dove®, and Stellar® Award-winning singer-songwriter, pastor, and independent Gospel Music Recording Artist Martha Munizzi is back! Munizzi, one of the most respected female voices in Gospel Music, is set to release her first album in over a decade, and her first single, "Glorious 2.0 (I'm Gonna Win)" will be available everywhere on Friday, February 26, 2021. The explosive Latin Gospel fusion track is reminiscent of Munizzi's first smash entry on the Gospel Music scene ("Glorious"), with a new twist! The song serves as the lead single from her highly anticipated upcoming LIVE album, "BEST DAYS", which is slated for release later this year. Recorded live at her home church in Orlando, FL, the project is certain to eclipse any other record that the praise and worship artist has done. Munizzi worked with up and coming producer David Outing (Tye Tribbett, Fred Hammond, James Fortune) to produce 10 brand-new tracks for the upcoming album. Deleon Carr honors the legacy of Duranice Pace with the release of “Keeper”, his new single hitting digital outlets and streaming platforms on Friday, February 19th. The song, originally written and recorded by Bishop Eric McDaniel features vocals by the fiery evangelist and soulful singer who made her transition in January. Carr waxes nostalgic in talking about the song, “Everyone has those songs that they can listen to and from it receive the push you need to LIVE. “Keeper” has been that song for me over the years. Whenever I’m down and need a reminder of what God has already done, it gives me strength to know He’s still able to keep me. Coined the Renaissance Man of Gospel by BET’s Dr. Bobby Jones, DeWayne Harvey makes his triumphant return to Gospel music through the release of his first solo project, DeWayne Harvey & Friends - “What The Lord Allows”. The title track, which is the first single from the album, features Grammy, Dove, and Stellar Award winning artist, Fred Hammond. The upbeat single, “What The Lord Allows”- written and produced by DeWayne Harvey - is destined to be a Gospel staple. The recording was leaked to YouTube and in the first 60 days of posting - without any publicity - garnered over 300,000 views. The lyric video of the song boasts over 700,000 views to date. The online success of the tune prompted several radio stations to download the song from YouTube to add to their playlists. News spread fast and wide on Wednesday that conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, 70, died after a year long battle with lung cancer. Needless to say, Limbaugh’s supporters began posting condolences to the radio host, who used the airwaves to repeatedly disseminate violent, harmful rhetoric directed at minorities, women and the LGBTQ community. Basically any topic that deserved nuance, education on the subject matter and reserve, Limbaugh routinely displayed the exact opposite. That same energy of dismissiveness was applied to the news of Limbaugh’s passing, where many recounted his ignorance and hate. Black Twitter specifically dug deep and promptly ran back a variety of moments recounting Limbaugh’s racist, sexist, xenophobic rhetoric which continually harmed Black communities. The autopsy results from a former NFL player found dead over the weekend were set to be released Wednesday. However, a Florida sheriff said that Vincent Jackson‘s family thinks the 38-year-old was suffering from a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that statistics suggest is widespread among former football players. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister spoke Wednesday with local news and revealed what he called “speculation” about the suspected CTE after he said with more certainty that Jackson was also an alcoholic. “Unfortunately he suffered from chronic alcoholism,” Chronister said about the “tragic” death.“We haven’t got the toxicology report back so can’t say with any certainty that was it but a lot of longstanding health conditions that contributed to his passing because of some alcohol abuse,” Chronister added. As the pandemic continues to wage war on Black and brown communities, Mother Nature’s relentlessness adds an additional layer of concern as winter storms surge throughout the Midwest and southwest. In Texas, around three million people have gone without power while officials issue storm warnings in the Dallas-Fort Worth areas until Thursday morning. Black and brown residents remain the hardest hit as a series of storms create arctic temperatures, in addition to the loss of heat and water. Officials estimate at least 30 people have died in the United States from the sudden turn in the weather. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced reform surrounding a Civil War-era citizens arrest law on Tuesday, which was initially cited as a reason to not pursue charges against the killers of Ahmaud Arbery. With some exceptions, the proposed bill would prevent private citizens from conducting arrests on others. The new bill, proposed by Kemp, states that a detained person must be released if authorities do not arrive within an hour. “Ahmaud was a victim of vigilante-style of violence that has no place in Georgia,” Kemp said. “And some tried to justify the actions of his killers by claiming they had the protection of an antiquated law that is ripe for abuse.” A student at a historically Black university (HBCU) in Georgia has accused one of her professors of trivializing the killing of Trayvon Martin by making an “insensitive” and “humorless” comment, according to a viral tweet. The professor at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) allegedly made disrespectful comments about a student wearing a hoodie and followed that up with a quip that referenced the unfortunate circumstances under which the unarmed Black teenager was brutally killed in Florida in 2012. Precious context is missing from the accusation, but so far the student’s tweet has generated more than 150,000 “likes” and more than 18,000 retweets in an indication that her claim was receiving an outsized amount of attention. One prominent Ivy League professor even chimed in on the conversation being had on social media. “Dance Moms” alum Kevin Cosculluela is facing sexual battery charges against two underage students, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to USA TODAY. Cosculluela, 25, who appeared on “Dance Moms” in 2013, was arrested in Orange County, Florida in January on seven felony charges, including multiple counts of sexual activity with a 16 or 17-year-old child, solicitation of a minor and lewd and lascivious conduct, according to Orange County Clerk of Courts records. The dancer pled not guilty to all charges during a court hearing Friday, records show. Demi Lovato’s drug overdose in 2018 resulted in the singer having three strokes and a heart attack, leaving her with physical limitations that still affect her. Lovato reveals publicly for the first time details about the near-fatal incident in “Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil,” a four-part docuseries debuting March 23 on YouTube Originals. In the trailer, Lovato says doctors told her family she had five to 10 minutes to live. https://youtu.be/jTiiD8L811w A memorial service was held over the weekend for Frederick K.C. Price, one of Los Angeles’ most prominent religious leaders and founder of the Crenshaw Christian Center. Apostle Price, who led services in the landmark FaithDome for many years, lost his battle with COVID-19 on Friday after weeks in the hospital. Price founded the Crenshaw Christian Center in 1973 and built it into one of America’s first Black megachurches, with 28,000 members and an estimated 15 million households watching televised church services every week. His son, Pastor Frederick Price, Jr., presided over Sunday’s service and talked about the pain of losing his father. Once again, Serena Williams came within reach of a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title, playing well enough to get to the closing days of a major tournament. And once again, Williams couldn’t quite get it done, as she was defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open semifinals. Osaka, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, will try for her fourth major championship on Saturday when she faces either No. 25 seed Karolina Muchova or the 22nd-seeded American Jennifer Brady. https://youtu.be/rA7QNJOsY_A Naomi Osaka won her semi-final match against Serena Williams 6-3, 6-4 at the Australian Open on Thursday, denying the tennis icon a chance for a 24th career Grand Slam singles title, a goal she’s been pursuing since 2018. Following the loss, Williams and Osaka hugged at the net. Before exiting the court, Williams addressed the crowd, holding her hand up and putting her hand on her heart in gratitude. The gesture had commentators and folks online speculating that the gesture was a final farewell to the sport, or at least the fans in Melbourne. https://youtu.be/V3Njs4ukH0k Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is urging NBA fans not to descend upon the city for the upcoming All-Star Game. According to CNN, several NBA players have already made clear that they are hesitant to participate in the big event on March 7. On Tuesday, Bottoms noted her concerns about fans coming to town for events amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. She said there will be “no NBA sanctioned events open to the public” and the city strongly encourages local businesses “not to host events in the city related to this game.” https://youtu.be/7HWzoCbzhbQ On THE REAL airing Wednesday, February 17, 2021, co-hosts Garcelle Beauvais, Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai debate the merits of Justin Timberlake’s apology to Britney Spears following the controversy over the documentary “Framing Britney Spears.” https://youtu.be/b4RykGC0AaI The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today that award-winning actress and activist, and current Critics Choice Award nominee, Zendaya will receive the fifth annual SeeHer Award at the 26th annual Critics Choice Awards. The honor will be presented by her “Malcolm & Marie” co-star John David Washington during the live ceremony on Sunday, March 7, 2021 from 7-10pm ET/PT hosted by Taye Diggs. https://youtu.be/CGZmwsK58M8 WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” finds Bow Wow and Da Brat explaining the reasons why they are not feeling Deb’s new project. Bow makes clear he has his own album to focus on and Deb’s collaborative album project with newbies and the legends is “not my concern,” he tells Da Brat. https://youtu.be/AfUc4QbbVm0 In a sneak peek of Sunday night’s episode of “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Cynthia Bailey’s bachelorette party turns into an erotic wild night when Porsha Williams asks Bolo, the male stripper hired for the event, to join the women for further late-night partying. He agrees, but only if filming has stopped, Page Six reports. Kandi Burruss then tells producers, “Hopefully, we can get you guys to turn off the cameras for a little while so that we can actually have fun.” “Yes,” Kenya Moore responds. On Wednesday, rapper Jeezy penned a loving tribute to his mother who has been laid to rest. Her cause of death is unclear. “You taught me to be a man when I was a boy,” he began his lengthy Instagram message. “Made me man up [and] be a father when I was a kid. Raised me to be a natural born leader when I was lost. You lifted me when I was down. Inspired me when I had no inspiration. Always told me I was Bigger than my circumstances.” The hip-hop star went on to call his mom his superhero and noted that she feared “nothing or no one,” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Video of a two year old toddler trying to show her dad what happened during service that morning went viral in 2019 and resurfaced this morning after it made the “Today” show’s “Morning Boost.” With toy mic in hand, the girl began copying the preacher. “So, I’m going to talk about Jesus,” she began before her pops, off camera, yelled, “Hallelujah!” https://youtu.be/pryhrPpaRpE Ballerina Kira Robinson recently went viral after she filmed her joyful reaction to unboxing pointe shoes that matched her skin tone. Since posting it to TikTok on Jan. 17, it has amassed more than 1.4 million views and has received thousands of comments from folks sharing in her excitement. “I received a lot of comments on my TikTok about how representation is super necessary in the dance world and how a lot of people don’t have that or see that often,” she told Good Morning America. The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center announces a “Call for Entries” for the 28th Annual “Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves” Short Film Festival” Saturday, March 27, through Sunday, April 11, 2021. Once again, BHERC invites filmmakers who are telling their stories through various genres to submit their works for consideration in what has traditionally been a blending of contemporary and traditional films. The entire festival takes place online on the www.BHERC.TV due to COVID – 19. The 9th annual Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF), presented by TD Bank in collaboration with Global News, announces the official online program and events lineup running February 10 – 21, 2021. Created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, TBFF returns for an impactful 9th edition which amplifies more Black voices through a record number of 154 films from 25 countries and various special events. https://youtu.be/oo0ExddWZHw KERI HILSON & DEBORAH JOY WINANS CHAT WITH THE LADIES OF ?THE REAL THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH Stars of TV One's DON'T WASTE YOUR PRETTY TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, February 22 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, David Quinn and Vince Velazquez recount the botched robbery of a young Hispanic male whose story involves several of Atlanta's criminal underworld. After months of hitting dead ends, the detectives receive intel that an unlikely teen duo are the prime suspects and have been bragging about several crimes that were committed in that span of time. Can the detectives link them to the death of the murder victim? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvoa73YHyXs&feature=youtu.be A reformed criminal, and a victim of the violent crime, award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Samson Styles searches for life's meaning, in the biographical-documentary feature "Killing Beef" streaming now on Apple TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oqoFWx-1mY&feature=youtu.be David Frazier has been a principal force in the Gospel music industry for 30 years as a musician, producer, and award-winning songwriter. David garnered a Top Ten hit with his solo single "God Is Doing Something Wonderful" and has written top ten Hits for many artists including: Ricky Dillard - "Release"; Hezekiah Walker and The Love Fellowship Choir - "Second Chance", "I'll Fly Away", "How Much We Can Bear", "We Made It", "Power Belongs To God", "I Need You To Survive"; Karen Clark Sheard - "Holy Thou Art Holy"; Pastor Shirley Caesar - "Favor"; Bishop T. D. Jakes - "His Presence Is Here". His singable songs have garnered numerous Stellar, Dove, and Grammy® nominations and awards. David's most recent noteworthy accomplishment is a Grammy® nomination for "Release" recorded by Ricky Dillard. The 63rd Grammy Awards show will be broadcast live on March 14 on CBS. David has released his new solo single "Never End." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ8-XmoPqPs&feature=youtu.be TV One announces the continuation of the REPRESENT OUR VOICE Town Hall series with two upcoming episodes that explore disparities in healthcare and concerns regarding the Black communities' hesitancy around the COVID-19 vaccine. CNN commentator and political analyst Karen Finney returns as moderator for both discussions which will simulcast on TV One and CLEO TV as well as on the networks' Facebook and YouTube channels. Episode four, "Critical Condition: Exploring Healthcare Disparities for African Americans", will air on Saturday, February 20 at 9 A.M. ET/8C. Congress held its first hearing on reparations for slavery since the May 2020 death of George Floyd, which reignited the Black Lives Matter movement. Members of the Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties met over Zoom Wednesday to discuss H.R. 40, which aims to ‘establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the institution of slavery.’ Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who’s spearheading the effort, argued her case with images, holding up pictures of a beaten slave and lynched black Americans. Former President Donald Trump has taken aim at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a scathing statement issued Tuesday. Trump’s harsh critique of McConnell comes after the Kentucky Republican voted no on impeaching Trump but held him “practically and morally responsible” for the deadly domestic terror attack on the Capitol on January 6. “My only regret is that McConnell ‘begged’ for my strong support and endorsement before the great people of Kentucky in the 2020 election, and I gave it to him,” Trump said in a statement. “He went from one point down to 20 points up, and won. How quickly he forgets. Without my endorsement, McConnell would have lost, and lost badly.” Trump went on to say of McConnell, “His numbers are lower than ever before, he is destroying the Republican side of the Senate, and in so doing, seriously hurting our Country. Rush Limbaugh, the monumentally influential media icon who transformed talk radio and politics in his decades behind the microphone, helping shape the modern-day Republican Party, died Wednesday morning at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer, his family announced. Limbaugh’s wife, Kathryn, made the announcement on his radio show. “Losing a loved one is terribly difficult, even more so when that loved one is larger than life,” she said. Rush will forever be the greatest of all time.” A spot on the Atlantic City Boardwalk where movie stars, athletes and rock stars used to party — and a future president honed his instincts for bravado and hype — was reduced to a dusty pile of rubble on Wednesday. The former Trump Plaza casino was imploded after falling into such disrepair that chunks of the building began peeling off and crashing to the ground. Overall, it took the structure less than 20 seconds to implode. “I got chills,” Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said. “This is a historic moment. It was exciting.” The Black owner of 14 McDonald’s franchises in Ohio filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the restaurant chain, on accusations of discriminating against Black franchisees. Retired Major League Baseball player Herbert Washington said that McDonald’s “steered” him and other Black owners into restaurants in poor Black neighborhoods, which yield less profit than stores in wealthier areas, and “pressured African American owners to sell to white people” after the company gave restaurants “unfair” assessments. https://youtu.be/T38woQ7fpdM NBA All-Star Chris Paul has an off-court project in the works: His first book. Paul’s “Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court” will come out in September, St. Martin’s Press announced Wednesday. Co-written with journalist and ESPN broadcaster Michael Wilbon, the memoir by the Phoenix Suns’ point guard is a tribute to his late grandfather and mentor, Nathaniel Jones, who died while Paul was in high school. The book’s title refers to a high school game, played after his grandfather died, when Paul scored 61 points — one for each year his grandfather lived. “‘Sixty-One’ is a celebration of my Papa Chilly who helped shape who I am today and what I value,” Paul said in a statement. Disney+ announced last December that a live-action film about Paul, which will be based on his book, was in development. Jordan Peele has tapped KeKe Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya to star in his newest directorial project. Kaluuya famously starred Peele’s “Get Out.” Details for the new project are not yet known but Peele wrote the script will direct and produce with Ian Cooper of Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. Kaluuya can currently be seen portraying Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The movie is slated for release on July 22, 2022. In her first interview since filing a civil lawsuit against actor Shai LaBeouf, singer FKA twigs is speaking out about their abusive relationship. Speaking with CBS’ Gayle King this week to discuss the lawsuit, twigs recalled some of the abuse she suffered. Despite seeing red flags from the very beginning, she still committed to her abuser and allowed him to break her spirit. https://youtu.be/kc-Yit_jcQ4 In the wee hours of Wednesday morning (Feb. 17), Mariah Carey released the new 7-minute late-night jam session version of her 2005 classic “We Belong Together” on streaming platforms. After performing an edited version of it last week on “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” Carey released the reworking this morning with the tweet, “Moments with the band 7 minutes late night mix of We Belong Together. More to come. Feeling inspired!” https://youtu.be/Tcd7DFu6pT4 Marie Holmes was a 26 years old single mother when she won the $188 million Powerball jackpot in 2015 in North Carolina. At the time, she was also financially supporting her criminal-minded boyfriend/ex-fiance Lamarr Andre McDow. Holmes eventually parted ways with McDow and now he is suing her over the generous gifts she gave him throughout their relationship but took back once they split. 'Iyanla Fix My Life' " Lotto Drama....https://youtu.be/SLrOQYDvAw8 Following news about the death of Nicki Minaj’s father comes reports about his abusive past and tumultuous relationship with his hip-hop star daughter. Robert Maraj is dead after being struck in a hit-and-run accident. Minaj has yet to speak publicly following her dad’s death, but in the past, she opened about their strained relationship. “When I first came to America,” she told Rolling Stone in 2010. “I would go in my room and kneel down at the foot of my bed and pray that God would make me rich so that I could take care of my mother. Because I always felt like if I took care of my mother, my mother wouldn’t have to stay with my father, and he was the one, at that time, that was bringing us pain.” A man who is alleged to have killed Nicki Minaj’s father in a hit-and-run incident on Long Island turned himself in to authorities Wednesday morning. TMZ reports, 70-year-old Charles Polevich was arrested as a suspect in Maraj’s hit-and-run. Polevich was detained and charged with two felonies, leaving scene of crime involving a person’s death and tampering with physical evidence. Police report that Polevich’s 1992 white Volvo hit Maraj in Mineola, New York. According to cops, Polevich “then exited his vehicle stood over the victim asked him if ‘he was ok,’ walked and returned to his vehicle and fled the scene.” After fleeing the scene, Polevich drove home while “avoiding intersections and did conceal his vehicle in the detached garage at his residence.” TMZ’s report states that Polevich’s bail has been set at $250k and he’s be ordered to surrender his passport in order to remain in New York state. A 2006 clip of Dave Chappelle explaining that celebrities aren’t crazy – rather, Hollywood is “sick” – is back in circulation in light of issues raised from the recent documentary, “Framing Britney Spears.” Chappelle was a guest on Bravo’s “Inside the Actors Studio” and shared with host James Lipton his thoughts on celebrities who are dismissed as being “crazy,” citing Martin Lawrence’s 1996 episode of running into the streets with a loaded gun, Mariah Carey’s infamous 2001 “ice cream meltdown” on “TRL” and his own situation of leaving a multi-million dollar Comedy Central deal and going to Africa as examples. https://youtu.be/kBX901GKPJw Jazmonique Strickland, the wife of a former Kalamazoo pastor, has turned herself in to law enforcement after being accused of sex crimes against children. An arrest warrant had been issued for Jazmonique, wife of Stricjavvar “Strick” Strickland who was arrested last year. According to WWMT, Jazmonique is charged with eight felony counts related to child sexual assault and human trafficking of a minor. She and her husband allegedly paid teenage boys between 2015 and 2018 to have sex with Jazmonique while Strick watched. He has denied this. https://youtu.be/kq13OmjNmnM Georgia substitute teacher Amelia Ressler has been charged with 19 counts of child molestation after she allegedly filmed herself masturbating in front of a class of elementary school students. The 30-year-old was arrested on February 5, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release posted to Facebook. Ressler reportedly masturbated in front of her second-graders during school hours, WAGA reported. https://youtu.be/F_raaEazPD4 Director Shaka King’s latest film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” tells the story of the 1969 murder of Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya). The film’s central point is the relationship that develops when FBI informant William “Bill” O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) infiltrated the Panthers. He provided information to the FBI that led to Hampton’s murder. He was 21. Reports said William even worked security for Hampton and had keys to Panther headquarters and safe houses, per face 2 Face Africa. He eventually provided the floor plan of Hampton’s apartment which the FBI and local police used to raid and murder Hampton. “I think he was sorry he did what he did. He thought the FBI was only going to raid the house,” Ben Heard, O’Neal’s uncle, said in 1990. William O'Neal set up Fred Hampton for $3oo. A Black Bay Area couple is speaking out about how their home was undervalued by a white appraiser. Speaking to ABC7, Paul and Tenisha Tate Austin said they spent about $400,000 to renovate the 1960s-built home that they purchased in 2016. After the major modifications, they had the house appraised and were stunned by the valuation. https://youtu.be/cI48hPRDaYo Boosie Badazz is catching heat over his latest comments about the romance between Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey. During an appearance on VladTV, the Baton Rouge hip-hop star was asked about Harvey’s “body count,” as she has been linked to Trey Songz, Diddy and his son Justin Combs, rapper Future, Lewis Hamilton, and Dutch soccer player Memphis Depay. When Vlad asked Boosie about Harvey’s list of male conquests, Boosie noted that it’s the men that deserve all the praise, not Lori. https://youtu.be/uqC8z7hVH9I A white Atlanta police officer shocked folks at a club after he came through the door and started rapping along to the song that was booming through the sound system – Jeezy and Kanye West’s “Put On.” https://youtu.be/-TDf2qT7dXU TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, February 22 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, David Quinn and Vince Velazquez recount the botched robbery of a young Hispanic male whose story involves several of Atlanta's criminal underworld. After months of hitting dead ends, the detectives receive intel that an unlikely teen duo are the prime suspects and have been bragging about several crimes that were committed in that span of time. Can the detectives link them to the death of the murder victim? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvoa73YHyXs&feature=youtu.be A reformed criminal, and a victim of the violent crime, award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Samson Styles searches for life's meaning, in the biographical-documentary feature "Killing Beef" streaming now on Apple TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oqoFWx-1mY&feature=youtu.be David Frazier has been a principal force in the Gospel music industry for 30 years as a musician, producer, and award-winning songwriter. David garnered a Top Ten hit with his solo single "God Is Doing Something Wonderful" and has written top ten Hits for many artists including: Ricky Dillard - "Release"; Hezekiah Walker and The Love Fellowship Choir - "Second Chance", "I'll Fly Away", "How Much We Can Bear", "We Made It", "Power Belongs To God", "I Need You To Survive"; Karen Clark Sheard - "Holy Thou Art Holy"; Pastor Shirley Caesar - "Favor"; Bishop T. D. Jakes - "His Presence Is Here". His singable songs have garnered numerous Stellar, Dove, and Grammy® nominations and awards. David's most recent noteworthy accomplishment is a Grammy® nomination for "Release" recorded by Ricky Dillard. The 63rd Grammy Awards show will be broadcast live on March 14 on CBS. David has released his new solo single "Never End." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ8-XmoPqPs&feature=youtu.be TV One announces the continuation of the REPRESENT OUR VOICE Town Hall series with two upcoming episodes that explore disparities in healthcare and concerns regarding the Black communities' hesitancy around the COVID-19 vaccine. CNN commentator and political analyst Karen Finney returns as moderator for both discussions which will simulcast on TV One and CLEO TV as well as on the networks' Facebook and YouTube channels. Episode four, "Critical Condition: Exploring Healthcare Disparities for African Americans", will air on Saturday, February 20 at 9 A.M. ET/8C. Congress held its first hearing on reparations for slavery since the May 2020 death of George Floyd, which reignited the Black Lives Matter movement. Members of the Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties met over Zoom Wednesday to discuss H.R. 40, which aims to ‘establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the institution of slavery.’ Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who’s spearheading the effort, argued her case with images, holding up pictures of a beaten slave and lynched black Americans. Former President Donald Trump has taken aim at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a scathing statement issued Tuesday. Trump’s harsh critique of McConnell comes after the Kentucky Republican voted no on impeaching Trump but held him “practically and morally responsible” for the deadly domestic terror attack on the Capitol on January 6. “My only regret is that McConnell ‘begged’ for my strong support and endorsement before the great people of Kentucky in the 2020 election, and I gave it to him,” Trump said in a statement. “He went from one point down to 20 points up, and won. How quickly he forgets. Without my endorsement, McConnell would have lost, and lost badly.” Trump went on to say of McConnell, “His numbers are lower than ever before, he is destroying the Republican side of the Senate, and in so doing, seriously hurting our Country. Rush Limbaugh, the monumentally influential media icon who transformed talk radio and politics in his decades behind the microphone, helping shape the modern-day Republican Party, died Wednesday morning at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer, his family announced. Limbaugh’s wife, Kathryn, made the announcement on his radio show. “Losing a loved one is terribly difficult, even more so when that loved one is larger than life,” she said. Rush will forever be the greatest of all time.” A spot on the Atlantic City Boardwalk where movie stars, athletes and rock stars used to party — and a future president honed his instincts for bravado and hype — was reduced to a dusty pile of rubble on Wednesday. The former Trump Plaza casino was imploded after falling into such disrepair that chunks of the building began peeling off and crashing to the ground. Overall, it took the structure less than 20 seconds to implode. “I got chills,” Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said. “This is a historic moment. It was exciting.” The Black owner of 14 McDonald’s franchises in Ohio filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the restaurant chain, on accusations of discriminating against Black franchisees. Retired Major League Baseball player Herbert Washington said that McDonald’s “steered” him and other Black owners into restaurants in poor Black neighborhoods, which yield less profit than stores in wealthier areas, and “pressured African American owners to sell to white people” after the company gave restaurants “unfair” assessments. https://youtu.be/T38woQ7fpdM NBA All-Star Chris Paul has an off-court project in the works: His first book. Paul’s “Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court” will come out in September, St. Martin’s Press announced Wednesday. Co-written with journalist and ESPN broadcaster Michael Wilbon, the memoir by the Phoenix Suns’ point guard is a tribute to his late grandfather and mentor, Nathaniel Jones, who died while Paul was in high school. The book’s title refers to a high school game, played after his grandfather died, when Paul scored 61 points — one for each year his grandfather lived. “‘Sixty-One’ is a celebration of my Papa Chilly who helped shape who I am today and what I value,” Paul said in a statement. Disney+ announced last December that a live-action film about Paul, which will be based on his book, was in development. Jordan Peele has tapped KeKe Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya to star in his newest directorial project. Kaluuya famously starred Peele’s “Get Out.” Details for the new project are not yet known but Peele wrote the script will direct and produce with Ian Cooper of Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. Kaluuya can currently be seen portraying Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The movie is slated for release on July 22, 2022. In her first interview since filing a civil lawsuit against actor Shai LaBeouf, singer FKA twigs is speaking out about their abusive relationship. Speaking with CBS’ Gayle King this week to discuss the lawsuit, twigs recalled some of the abuse she suffered. Despite seeing red flags from the very beginning, she still committed to her abuser and allowed him to break her spirit. https://youtu.be/kc-Yit_jcQ4 In the wee hours of Wednesday morning (Feb. 17), Mariah Carey released the new 7-minute late-night jam session version of her 2005 classic “We Belong Together” on streaming platforms. After performing an edited version of it last week on “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” Carey released the reworking this morning with the tweet, “Moments with the band 7 minutes late night mix of We Belong Together. More to come. Feeling inspired!” https://youtu.be/Tcd7DFu6pT4 Marie Holmes was a 26 years old single mother when she won the $188 million Powerball jackpot in 2015 in North Carolina. At the time, she was also financially supporting her criminal-minded boyfriend/ex-fiance Lamarr Andre McDow. Holmes eventually parted ways with McDow and now he is suing her over the generous gifts she gave him throughout their relationship but took back once they split. 'Iyanla Fix My Life' " Lotto Drama....https://youtu.be/SLrOQYDvAw8 Following news about the death of Nicki Minaj’s father comes reports about his abusive past and tumultuous relationship with his hip-hop star daughter. Robert Maraj is dead after being struck in a hit-and-run accident. Minaj has yet to speak publicly following her dad’s death, but in the past, she opened about their strained relationship. “When I first came to America,” she told Rolling Stone in 2010. “I would go in my room and kneel down at the foot of my bed and pray that God would make me rich so that I could take care of my mother. Because I always felt like if I took care of my mother, my mother wouldn’t have to stay with my father, and he was the one, at that time, that was bringing us pain.” A man who is alleged to have killed Nicki Minaj’s father in a hit-and-run incident on Long Island turned himself in to authorities Wednesday morning. TMZ reports, 70-year-old Charles Polevich was arrested as a suspect in Maraj’s hit-and-run. Polevich was detained and charged with two felonies, leaving scene of crime involving a person’s death and tampering with physical evidence. Police report that Polevich’s 1992 white Volvo hit Maraj in Mineola, New York. According to cops, Polevich “then exited his vehicle stood over the victim asked him if ‘he was ok,’ walked and returned to his vehicle and fled the scene.” After fleeing the scene, Polevich drove home while “avoiding intersections and did conceal his vehicle in the detached garage at his residence.” TMZ’s report states that Polevich’s bail has been set at $250k and he’s be ordered to surrender his passport in order to remain in New York state. A 2006 clip of Dave Chappelle explaining that celebrities aren’t crazy – rather, Hollywood is “sick” – is back in circulation in light of issues raised from the recent documentary, “Framing Britney Spears.” Chappelle was a guest on Bravo’s “Inside the Actors Studio” and shared with host James Lipton his thoughts on celebrities who are dismissed as being “crazy,” citing Martin Lawrence’s 1996 episode of running into the streets with a loaded gun, Mariah Carey’s infamous 2001 “ice cream meltdown” on “TRL” and his own situation of leaving a multi-million dollar Comedy Central deal and going to Africa as examples. https://youtu.be/kBX901GKPJw Jazmonique Strickland, the wife of a former Kalamazoo pastor, has turned herself in to law enforcement after being accused of sex crimes against children. An arrest warrant had been issued for Jazmonique, wife of Stricjavvar “Strick” Strickland who was arrested last year. According to WWMT, Jazmonique is charged with eight felony counts related to child sexual assault and human trafficking of a minor. She and her husband allegedly paid teenage boys between 2015 and 2018 to have sex with Jazmonique while Strick watched. He has denied this. https://youtu.be/kq13OmjNmnM Georgia substitute teacher Amelia Ressler has been charged with 19 counts of child molestation after she allegedly filmed herself masturbating in front of a class of elementary school students. The 30-year-old was arrested on February 5, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release posted to Facebook. Ressler reportedly masturbated in front of her second-graders during school hours, WAGA reported. https://youtu.be/F_raaEazPD4 Director Shaka King’s latest film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” tells the story of the 1969 murder of Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya). The film’s central point is the relationship that develops when FBI informant William “Bill” O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) infiltrated the Panthers. He provided information to the FBI that led to Hampton’s murder. He was 21. Reports said William even worked security for Hampton and had keys to Panther headquarters and safe houses, per face 2 Face Africa. He eventually provided the floor plan of Hampton’s apartment which the FBI and local police used to raid and murder Hampton. “I think he was sorry he did what he did. He thought the FBI was only going to raid the house,” Ben Heard, O’Neal’s uncle, said in 1990. William O'Neal set up Fred Hampton for $3oo. A Black Bay Area couple is speaking out about how their home was undervalued by a white appraiser. Speaking to ABC7, Paul and Tenisha Tate Austin said they spent about $400,000 to renovate the 1960s-built home that they purchased in 2016. After the major modifications, they had the house appraised and were stunned by the valuation. https://youtu.be/cI48hPRDaYo Boosie Badazz is catching heat over his latest comments about the romance between Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey. During an appearance on VladTV, the Baton Rouge hip-hop star was asked about Harvey’s “body count,” as she has been linked to Trey Songz, Diddy and his son Justin Combs, rapper Future, Lewis Hamilton, and Dutch soccer player Memphis Depay. When Vlad asked Boosie about Harvey’s list of male conquests, Boosie noted that it’s the men that deserve all the praise, not Lori. https://youtu.be/uqC8z7hVH9I A white Atlanta police officer shocked folks at a club after he came through the door and started rapping along to the song that was booming through the sound system – Jeezy and Kanye West’s “Put On.” https://youtu.be/-TDf2qT7dXU After a 40-year career in Christian music, Carman died in Las Vegas Tuesday night due to complications from surgery. He was 65. He was a one-name celebrity, and for those who knew him, the Christian singer and showman ranked in the highest echelons of American stardom, up there with the other mononymous divas: Madonna. Cher. Liberace. Carman. But if Carman’s star never quite secured its place at the zenith of American fame, he never let that dim his belief in his own celebrity, the awesome power of the concert-show-crusade-event, and his commitment to producing a pop spectacle for Jesus. African American entrepreneur LyNea “LB” Bell makes history with the launch of GOTCONN.com a privacy-based search engine. The search engine made its debut during a soft launch on the popular and fast-growing App “Clubhouse.” Guests were invited to test the functionality of GOTCONN and all were wowed by its speed and accuracy, but most of all the private search didn’t attract unwanted followers in the form of advertisers. “The internet can be very intrusive, and at times violating to a degree. GOTCONN was created as an alternative to big search engines that get your information and now follow your every move. GOTCONN is a way to take back your privacy,” says Bell. Like many Black women before her, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has stepped up to ensure accountability where others have declined. Last week, the Georgia prosecutor announced she opened a criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s insistence that the secretary of state find thousands of votes to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory in the state. She has since requested that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger preserve all records related to Trump during the 2020 election. Willis says she’s the state’s only entity with authority that did not have a conflict of interest when it comes to questions about legal repercussions stemming from the early January call from Trump pressuring Raffensperger to interfere with the election. Jordan Davis would have turned 26 years old on Tuesday had the teenager not been robbed of his life in 2012 by a white man who said he felt “threatened” by the volume of the music being played in the car in which the teenager was a passenger. His mother, Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, penned an emotional open letter to Jordan expressing her love for him and recounting all of the milestones he was unable to witness because he was “taken from us far too soon.” McBath posted the letter on social media in a thread that included rarely seen family photos of the two of them from when he was a baby up until the months before he was killed at age 17 in Florida. He was shot to death at a gas station in Jacksonville when 45-year-old Michael Dunn opened fire into the car he was sitting in with friends after Dunn complained about how loudly music was being played. Dunn was given a sentence of life in prison without parole and 90 years. The house of Harington and Leslie has an heir. “Game of Thrones” stars Rose Leslie and Kit Harington have welcomed a baby boy, their first child together. Harington’s publicist Marianna Shafran confirmed the birth Tuesday, saying Harington and Leslie are “very very happy!” No further details were given. It’s the first child for both the 34-year-old Scottish actor Leslie and the 34-year-old English actor Harington, who married in 2018. They announced in September that they were expecting the child. The New York Post’s Page Six first reported the news of the birth after publishing a photo of the couple running errands with the baby in London. Essence recently shared an excerpt from its Senior Entertainment Editor, Brande Victorian’s interview with “Mixed-ish” actress Tika Sumpter on its Instagram page. During the interview, Sumpter opened up about the second season of “Mixed-ish,” which returned on January 26 on ABC, and her upcoming wedding plans with her fiancé, Nicholas James. Sumpter, who has been engaged to James for four years, hinted at a wedding celebration coming soon by saying she is ready now. The actress also said she wants to have a party once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The 40-year-old said everyone deserves a party given the tough times they have faced amid the pandemic. She explained that her family is getting older, and some family members died due to COVID-19 complications. Vanessa Bell Calloway is speaking out about her experience working on 1988’s “Coming to America,” in which she played the potential bride for Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem. The actress says she originally auditioned for the lead role of Lisa, played by Shari Headley, and believes her dark complexion was the reason she did not get the part. “When you have white people hiring black people in movies, sometimes a certain look is wanted,” Calloway, 67, tells Page Six. “I just wasn’t light enough, even though Eddie had the final say on who played Lisa.” She continued, “That’s something that we’ve always dealt with within our race: A lot of men were indoctrinated by having a white woman or light-skinned woman on their arm.” A Florida history teacher who took it upon himself to redefine the N-word by removing its racial element was secretly filmed by his students and shared on Tik Tok. The series of videos have racked up over 2 million views and the matter is now under investigation by the school board. The student who filmed the video, known only as “Hector,” kept the camera on selfie mode, but the Island Coast High School teacher can be heard telling his students that slave owners did not whip their slaves. He also told his students, “The N-word just means ignorant. It doesn’t have any other meaning in any other vocabulary other than you are a stupid person. You are ignorant. You are not well-read. You are not well educated. That’s what it means.” https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/02/16/5632131991204180841/636x382_MP4_5632131991204180841.mp4 Music Icons, multiple Grammy Award-winners and multi-platinum selling artists Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. have released their new single, “Silly Love Songs.” The new offering is from the couple’s highly anticipated first studio album in three decades, Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons, due this spring. Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons marks the couple’s first album with Encore Endeavor 1 (EE1), a subsidiary of kathy ireland® Worldwide (kiWW®), which has a multi-recording agreement with music giant BMG. This project also marks kiWW’s second collaboration with BMG, with the first one making music history after Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable skyrocketed to Billboard’s top spot on the album chart. https://youtu.be/opop7ZULe2o “Feels like I am just starting,” said Rosita Stone, a very entertaining Latin American Achievement Award winning Spanish Pop singer and songwriter who left the business after the tragic accidental death of her husband. Stone withdraw from the business to grieve. Now, joining forces with Rock Solid Talent Entertainment label she is back again as a singer, songwriter, producer (piano and guitar) and dancer. “After…my husband died in a motorcycle accident…I was not available. Between my daughter and my love for the music…I can feel the joy.” https://youtu.be/LJyLmS3-10o The hilarious Quinta Brunson is headed to ABC with her own single-camera comedy pilot that will see her play the lead as well as write and executive produce. The project, titled “Harrity Elementary,” is a workplace comedy about a group of teachers brought together in one of the worst public schools in the country, simply because they love teaching. The teachers will rely on each other to make it through the day, and find a way to counteract the school district’s bullsh-t attitude toward educating children. https://youtu.be/MSElx7C1vLY French actor and filmmaker Yassine Azzouz is on the fast-track. Most recently he can be seen in the new action thriller from Saban Films REDEMPTION DAY alongside Gary Dourdan, Serinda Swan, Andy Garcia, Bradley Gregg, Martin Donovan, Samy Naceri, Khalil Kharraz, Ernie Hudson, and Robert Knepper. Yassine also recently completed post-production on his highly anticipated independent television series GURU. He will be showcasing the project for sales at a number of premiere festivals worldwide in 2021. https://youtu.be/TWjsU76dEIE Meet Michael Charles Pridgeon, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) that is the visionary of Break the Cycle, a program that will provide a resource for elementary and teenage children to learn and practice financial literacy. His vision for Break the Cycle is to demolish the generational curses of poverty, and as a result, create ways to close the wealth gap created by racial and social discrimination. Michael, who hails from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, created his current business Eminent Financial Services, Inc. in 2008. What started out as a part-time opportunity to provide income tax preparation services to family, friends, and associates, has now grown into a full-time one-stop shop for small-business owners and the financially underserved. Since its initial opening, Michael Pridgeon through Eminent Financial Services, Inc. has saved clients hundreds of thousands in taxes and has assisted in getting clients closed in over a million dollars in business loans. Global spiritual leader, thought provoker and celebrated GRAMMY®-recognized, Stellar Award-winning artist Charles Jenkins, continues his mark as an author with the release of the book SEASONS: How To Grow And Succeed During Times Of Transition. Additionally, as an artist, his gospel music single, “He’ll Make It Alright” (Charles Jenkins & Fellowship of Chicago) lands at #2 on the Gospel National Airplay Chart. Jenkins’ SEASONS is available now on Amazon.com and at CharlesJenkins.com; the single “He’ll Make It Alright” is available on all major digital streaming and retail outlets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJxC75CxP7I&feature=youtu.be Jonathan McReynolds is a celebrated, Dove Award winning and multi-Grammy nominated artist who is one of the most popular creators in Gospel music today. "Best Thing" is his first foray into the CCM field. Featuring interviews with Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, Bishop Michael Curry, Cornel West, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Rev. Al Sharpton, Yolanda Adams, Rev. William Barber II, BeBe Winans, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Evelyn Brooks Higginbottham, Bishop T.D. Jakes and more. https://www.pbs.org/video/trailer-ectdli/ NEW FROM TAUREN WELLS “Famous For (I Believe) " Featuring Jekayln Carr and Donald Lawrence & Co. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wkr9f32tn900wwh/AAA52Nc6-ZI4oCuOZC_dCgbda?dl=0 Tiphani Montgomery is the founder & CEO of the MILLIONS Conference, a powerful event for entrepreneurs who learn how to influence millions, make millions, and win millions to Christ through the power of entrepreneurship. Prior to launching MILLIONS, she founded KINGDOM ENTREPRENEUR UNIVERSITY – a high level online educational platform that has trained 3,000+ entrepreneurs worldwide on how to build a brand and business that impacts their generation. Tiphani is also the founder of COVERED BY GOD, a prophetic and teaching ministry designed to wake up and stir the church with an awakening of the Holy Spirit and build up God’s prophets and prophetic voices to impact the nations. Our vision is to see millions of people coming to Jesus Christ. We desire to make disciples of all men, women, and children – educating them through sound biblical teaching and the prophetic. Lisa Bellamy drops new EP 'What Will It Take' and a new single 'Nothing But the Spirit.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMhx7qTw5Fs&feature=youtu.be Chart-topping gospel singer Kelontae Gavin has a stern message for churches that overlook someone’s trauma for the sake of their gifts. The 21-year-old is gearing up for the release of his second full-length album, titled The N.O.W. Experience, and is using his platform to openly talk about his molestation and recovery. “I was molested from [age] five to 13, which led me into a lifestyle of perversion,” Gavin said to The Christian Post, revealing that his cousin was the perpetrator. At 17 years old, he served as a worship leader who helped bring other people hope but he found himself in a very hopeless situation. Noting that his life did not align with what he was singing about, he found himself wanting to walk away from God. “It’s scary to be gifted in the Church because sometimes your gift can cloud and block the thing that God really requires of you most, and that’s your heart,” he said, admitting that his molestation led to a life of exploring his sexuality. On the heels of the Senate’s acquittal of Donald Trump, the NAACP, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson and civil rights law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll filed a lawsuit against the former president, Rudy Giuliani and two white supremacist groups, citing their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday morning in Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that Trump and Giuliani, in collaboration with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, conspired to incite the riots to keep Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. It claims they did so in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era statute designed to protect both formerly enslaved African Americans and lawmakers in Congress from white supremacist violence. Reps. Hank Johnson and Bonnie Watson Coleman will join the litigation as plaintiffs in the coming days, according to a press release shared with POLITICO. John MacArthur’s Shepherds’ Conference for men in church leadership, which was expected to draw some 3,000 attendees to the megachurch in Sun Valley, California, next month, has been postponed due to “ongoing litigation” and “threats” from the state. “In light of our ongoing litigation and recent threats from the County of Los Angeles and the State of California, we have decided that the most prudent course of action at this time is to postpone the Shepherds’ Conference,” the church announced on the conference website and its social media platforms Friday. NBA legend Michael Jordan is donating $10 million to open two new health clinics in his home state of North Carolina, it was announced Monday. The funds will be going to Novant Health, which previously received $7 million from Jordan in 2017. The NBA Hall of Famer’s latest donation will go toward two medical clinics in New Hanover County, located on the southeastern coast of North Carolina. “I am very proud to once again partner with Novant Health to expand the Family Clinic model to bring better access to critical medical services in my hometown,” Jordan — owner of the Charlotte Hornets — said in a statement. “Everyone should have access to quality health care, no matter where they live, or whether or not they have insurance.” “Wilmington holds a special place in my heart and it’s truly gratifying to be able to give back to the community that supported me throughout my life,” he added. The 5-year-old girl who has been hospitalized since a Feb. 4 car crash in Kansas City, Missouri, involving Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid has awakened from a coma. According to a GoFundMe campaign created for the family of Ariel Young, the little girl has opened her eyes for the first time since the accident nearly two weeks ago. “Ariel is awake,” the girl’s cousin, Tiffany Verhulst, wrote Monday on the fundraising site, which is nearing close to $500,000 in donations for Ariel’s ongoing medical expenses. Ariel’s coma lasted 11 days. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose city was picked to host the NBA All-Star Game and skills competitions on March 7, raised major concerns Tuesday about the notion of fans coming to the city for the events. “People should not travel to Atlanta to party,” she said in a statement. “Under normal circumstances, we would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to host the NBA All-Star game, but this is not a typical year,” Bottoms said. “I have shared my concerns related to public health and safety with the NBA and Atlanta Hawks. We are in agreement that this is a made-for-TV event only, and people should not travel to Atlanta to party.” Simone Biles says she was so underfed at training camps back in the day that she used to sneak into the kitchens to steal food because she was hungry. “We would break into the cafeteria to eat,” she said of her time at the Karolyi Ranch when she was aged 12. The training camp is also where Biles claims she was sexually abused by Larry Nassar. The US gymnast says under the supervision of Márta and Béla Károlyi, she and her teammates were verbally abused about their weight and size. Food was also rationed and Biles says their eating was strictly monitored. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green sat down at the podium for his post-game presser after Monday’s 128-99 victory over Cleveland, took one game question, then steered the interview toward the Cavs’ decision to bench center Andre Drummond before the game, as they look to trade him to another team. It had Green seeing red. “I would like to talk about something that’s really bothering me. It’s the treatment of players in this league,” he said before launching into a three-minute commentary on the double standard he sees in the NBA when it comes to trades. “To watch Andre Drummond before the game, sit on the sideline, then go to the back and come out in street clothes, because a team is going to trade him, is bull***,” Green said. https://youtu.be/PNjhe6WrqTw Black Americans remain more religious than other Americans, according to a massive new survey. Yet fewer are attending or seeking out predominantly black churches. Two-thirds of black Americans identify as Protestants, but only 1 in 4 of these identify with historic black denominations. Yet retention is strong: 3 in 4 black adults have the same religious affiliation as when they were raised (significantly higher than the rate for Americans at large), while 1 in 4 black Americans who were raised as unaffiliated or as Catholic now identify as Protestant. Pew defined black churches as “those where the respondent said that all or most attendees are Black and the senior religious leaders are Black.” These are among the findings of “Faith Among Black Americans,” released today by the Pew Research Center. The study is Pew’s “most comprehensive, in-depth attempt to explore religion among Black Americans” ever, comprising both a national survey of 8,660 adults who identify as black or African American as well as guided small-group discussions and interviews with clergy. Rihanna’s lingerie line, Savage x Fenty, raised $115 million amid news that her Fenty fashion brand has parted ways with luxury giant LVMH. Operations at Fenty have halted and the brand’s website is expected to go dark in the coming weeks, according to Forbes. Rihanna made history in 2019 when she became the first woman to create an original brand at the famed luxury group. Her Paris-based label Fenty Maison offered ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories. Ayesha Curry made time to clap back at a critic of the latest issue of her magazine Sweet July, which finds the mom of three posing nude. Curry, 31, shared the picture to Instagram and wrote in the caption, “From our @sweetjuly BODY feature. So many natural wellness and skin remedies in this issue! @stephencurry30 got to pick the photo?. Shins and shoulders y’all, shins and shoulders.” One person responded with, “I thought you and your husband was a Christian couple.” “Very much so,” Curry, the wife of NBA star Steph Curry, responded. Another user wrote: “Is this the same person that was telling women to cover up a few years ago?” Never did that,” Ayesha fired back. https://twitter.com/i/status/1360325278036287493 Actress Ashley Judd is speaking out about her “grueling” 55-hour rescue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after shattering her leg. On Tuesday, Judd shared photos from the experience on her Instagram, explaining how she injured herself in the jungle. In a lengthy message, she praised “my Congolese brothers and sisters” who helped care for her. “Friends. Without my Congolese brothers and sisters, my internal bleeding would have likely killed me, and I would have lost my leg,” she wrote in the caption. “I wake up weeping in gratitude, deeply moved by each person who contributed something life giving and spirit salving during my grueling 55 hour odyssey.” Kodak Black is honoring Meadow Pollack, one of the victims of the Parkland mass shooting in 2018. The rap star, 23, visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Sunday, on the day marking the three-year anniversary of the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 17 people. The “ZEZE” rapper attended the socially distanced tribute in honor of Pollack (who was an 18-year-old victim of the shooting) and announced that he will be launching a $100,000 scholarship in her name at the Southeastern University Law School, where her brother is currently attending. https://youtu.be/wIc7WDD-Afk Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said Super Bowl MVP quarterback Tom Brady had motivation in leaving the New England Patriots to try to win another championship with a different franchise. The Bucs defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to claim Super Bowl LV 31-9 for Brady’s seventh ring overall but his first not under the leadership of coach Bill Belichick.“ I think his competitive spirit is so strong that he wanted to do it,” Arians told Ray Lewis of Showtime on Monday, via JoeBucsFan.com. “He wanted to show people. I’ve never said anything bad about Bill Belichick; I know everybody tries to say I do. His record speaks for itself. He is probably the greatest one ever. But I think (Brady) wanted to try a different way.” Entering Sunday’s NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500 — the “Great American Race” — driver Michael McDowell was a 100-1 underdog. After the race, which ended shortly after midnight in Florida thanks to two fiery crashes on either side of a rain delay that lasted nearly six hours, it was McDowell celebrating in victory lane. The win marked his first in the Cup Series after only four top-five finishes in 357 previous Cup Series starts during his first 13 seasons.+ “I just can’t believe it,” McDowell said on the track immediately following the race. “I’ve just got to thank God. So many years just grinding it out and hoping for an opportunity like this.” Criminal charges have been dropped against Amy Cooper, the white woman who made headlines last May for calling police to falsely claim she was being threatened by a Black man in Central Park. Prosecutors in Manhattan Supreme Court announced Tuesday that the case against Cooper is being dismissed because she completed five “psychoeducation and therapy” sessions that helped her “appreciate that racial identities shape our lives” and that “we cannot use them to harm ourselves or others,” Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi said, per NBC News. https://youtu.be/EZwPL1F4PJQ North West, the daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, has received an invitation from the Bob Ross Experience after her recent landscape painting went viral. Kim has clapped back at critics who claim her daughter’s artwork was not of her own doing alone. TMZ report, the team over at the Bob Ross experience was “thrilled” when they saw North’s painting, and now the child has been invited to pay a visit to the museum in Muncie, Indiana. The invitation includes a special class focused on the painter’s revered wet-on-wet painting technique from a certified instructor. In related news, art collector Vinoda Basnayake has reportedly purchased the Kanye West paintings featured on a 2020 episode of PBS’ Antiques Roadshow series. Laurence Fishburne and Alfre Woodard have joined the ensemble cast of “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” the highly anticipated animated series slated to premiere in 2022. Fishburne serves as an executive producer and he will voice the recurring role of The Beyonder, a curious and mischievous trickster. Based on Marvel’s hit comic books, “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur. After Lunella accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City via a time vortex, the duo works together to protect the city’s Lower East Side from danger. “Family Matters” star Jaleel White is opening up about the challenges he faced as a child actor — specifically a Black kid in Hollywood. In a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, White noted that several popular white child actors of that time received better treatment, such as “Wonder Years” star Fred Savage. “It’s fair of me now to definitely say– You were made to feel African-American. Fred Savage [Wonder Years] was always invited to the Emmys; he was always treated like a darling during this time. I was never invited to the Emmys, even to present. I was pretty much told that I would be wasting my time to even submit myself for nomination,” White said. White has been discussing his experience as a former child star on his recently launched podcast “Ever After.” His guests are other former child actors who dish about showbusiness. Most recently while and actress Mayim Bialik discussed their history as kid stars. Actress, author, and civil rights advocate, Donzaleigh Abernathy, daughter of the late civil rights icon Rev. Ralph Abernathy, has unwrapped her vocal gifts to pay homage to a historic speech by her godfather, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who she called Uncle Martin. Donzaleigh’s voice as lead soloist is heard on the social justice recording titled, “The Listening.” The music project is the brainchild of songwriter and composer, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, who was inspired by King’s 1967 speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence.” https://youtu.be/2K_B1_5oImw Tessica Brown is threatening to sue a popular blogger for claiming she lied about her ‘Gorilla Glue Girl’ saga. According to TMZ, an attorney repping Tessica’s management team fired off a cease and desist letter to Ashley Germon — who runs the IG and Twitter accounts @gossipofthecity_, — which has close to 610,000 combined followers. Brown wants Germon to stop spreading the claim she lied about spraying the superstrong adhesive in her hair as a replacement for her usual styling product. Former NFLer Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones has been arrested in Cincinnati and charged with misdemeanor assault after viciously beating a man during a bar fight. WCPO 9 reports that Jones was arrested early Monday morning after he punched and kicked a bouncer in the head until the man was unconscious. https://www.tmz.com/videos/0-sxmbamwc/ Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is still open to diving into politics. During a 2017 appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” the star said that he was “seriously considering” a run for president. Nowadays, he’s further alluding to a possible run with his new sitcom “Young Rock,” which chronicles his younger years. According to USA Today, each episode of the show features the star in mock interviews during a 2032 run for office. Despite having years’ worth of projects lined up in Hollywood, the star still hasn’t ruled out one day vying for the Oval Office. Two days after her father’s death from COVID-19, Stephanie Price Buchanan, the youngest daughter of the late Frederick K.C. Price, remembered the beloved televangelist in a touching tribute in which she called him her “first Valentine.” “On this Valentine’s Day my heart is heavy…I never thought he would go to the hospital and never come home. I was waiting, praying, sending him emails to read when he got home. I planned on reading him all his birthday cards. I even planned his 90th birthday party while waiting for him to get better,” Buchanan wrote in a post on Facebook. “I know he’s in glory, I have peace knowing that. But my heart…He will always be the absolute best. I will always honor him….He was my hero, my first Valentine….my heart broke Friday night and a piece of it went with him. I love you forever daddy. Your baby girl.” In an emotional message delivered Sunday, Pastor Ed Young and his wife, Lisa, revealed the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding the death of their 34-year-old daughter, LeeBeth, and reflected on God’s continued faithfulness amid their grief. On February 14, Ed and Lisa Young spoke publicly from the pulpit of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, for the first time since announcing their firstborn daughter passed away on January 19. “I would say in these 30 plus years of ministry and leading at Fellowship Church, we probably have never been as weak and as vulnerable as we are right now,” Lisa said. “We’ve experienced difficulty and we’ve walked through pain, but not like this, and only by God’s grace are we doing it.” Brian Houston, the founder of scandal-plagued megachurch Hillsong, has revealed he’s transitioning away from his current role as global senior pastor. The announcement comes amid the church’s barrage of multi-million dollar international lawsuits, his wife’s apology for body-shaming slurs and a hard-partying top staffer flaunting wild extramarital sex romps. The 66-year-old told congregants the news at the Australia-based church’s annual Vision Sunday event this weekend. While Houston and his controversial sex-book-author wife Bobbie will continue to be involved in Hillsong, he will be shifting responsibility for what is the crux of the empire to Gary Clarke, who is currently the lead pastor of Hillsong’s UK branch, he explained. Former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead Monday in a Florida hotel room, according to The Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office. The body of the 38-year-old Jackson was found at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET on Monday at the Homewood Suites in Brandon, Florida. Police said there were no apparent signs of trauma and the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death. According to hotel staff, Jackson, who is a South Tampa resident, checked into the hotel on Jan. 11 and had been staying in a room since that date. A photo emerged over the weekend of Deshaun Watson with his former and possibly future teammate. The Texans quarterback was out Thursday night in Miami with Dolphins players Raekwon Davis and Christian Wilkins, with whom Watson teamed for two seasons at Clemson. Watson has requested a trade from Houston and the Dolphins are one of the favorites to land the star. The photo was initially posted on Instagram by Watson’s marketing agent, Bryan Burney. The Texans have been steadfast in their refusal to engage teams in trade talks, with new GM Nick Caserio stating they have “zero interest” in dealing Watson. Naomi Osaka advanced Tuesday to a potential semifinal showdown against Serena Williams at the Australian Open. Osaka earned her 19th victory in a row by overpowering Hsieh Su-wei 6-2, 6-2, and will next meet the winner of the quarterfinal match Tuesday night between Williams and No. 2-seeded Simona Halep. Naomi Osaka advanced Tuesday to a potential semifinal showdown against Serena Williams at the Australian Open. “Normally I never look at my draw,” Osaka said. “But everyone has told me about my draw here, so I kind of had no choice but to know who my next opponent is. It’s definitely going to be really fun.” Seeded third, Osaka reached 122 mph (196 kph) on her serve against Hsieh. She hit seven aces, lost only two points on her first serve and was never broken. UConn, South Carolina, Stanford and Louisville are in line for the top seeds of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The women’s basketball selection committee revealed the top 16 teams to this point Monday night. The Huskies, who moved up to No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll earlier in the day, would be the overall top seed. UConn’s region would include Arizona, Baylor and Tennessee as the other three top seeds. South Carolina’s group has Maryland, UCLA and West Virginia. Stanford has N.C. State, Georgia and Indiana. Louisville would be joined by Texas A&M, Oregon and Kentucky. GRAMMY nominees Jarrett Johnson and Alvin Chea (of Take 6) were chosen by the DuSable Museum to join their 60th Anniversary on February 16, 2021. The dynamic duo will discuss the cultural and musical relevance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and their nominated version which the NAACP used to open the 2020 Virtual March on Washington. https://youtu.be/_xyAtPVOeYY Netflix has released the trailer for its upcoming documentary on the Notorious B.I.G. On March 1, “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell” will debut on the streaming platform, and it is the first-ever estate-approved documentary about the late hip-hop star, born Christopher George Wallace. https://youtu.be/fRj2NxkM84U “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” makes its Season 2 return on February 16, following Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play and for those who missed the last episode of season 1 on “The Oval,” it ended on a cliffhanger after Jean Peterson, who is the maid in the White House (played by Ashley Monique Harper), is discovered strangled to death (or is she?) by Lady Victoria’s son Jason Franklin (played by Daniel Croix Henderson). Kron Moore on the importance of strong black women on screen: “I think the representation of Victoria Franklin is something that we don’t see enough of in terms of a strong, powerful, intelligent, poised black woman. The optics of having a strong black woman in a lead role is very important. I don’t think there has been enough of that on television as a whole and we need to see more.” https://youtu.be/fbKThOPNiWw Recently “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss appeared on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live” show and briefly weighed in on the controversy surrounding her good friends T.I and Tiny Harris. Kandi told Andy that she didn’t want to speak on the situation but went on to share that she believes people are too quick to judge: “This society has become a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ instead of ‘you’re innocent until proven guilty’ and I do not like that. They’re like family to me,” she said. Kandi added, “I don’t like that, I don’t like when people start rumors on folks. I would like for society to stop be so quick to try to make somebody guilty without really taken the time to really get real evidence or anything.” Last December during Disney Investor Day presentation, president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige revealed that newcomer Dominique Thorne had been cast in the role of Riri Williams for Disney+ series Ironheart. A recent grad from Cornell University, Thorne made her film debut in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk and will next be seen in producer Ryan Coogler’s upcoming Judas and the Black Messiah. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and designed by Mike Deodato, the character of Ironheart first appeared in Invincible Iron Man issue No. 7 in a cameo appearance before making her full debut in issue No. 9 as a 15-year-old engineering student who lives with her mother and paternal aunt in Chicago following the death of her father before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a scholarship, as she is a certified genius. Working alone, she designs a suit of armor similar to the Iron Man armor using material stolen from campus and begins fighting crime herself, but while trying to prevent the escape of two inmates from the New Mexico State Penitentiary, her suit is damaged and she must return home and continue working on the suit, much to the dismay of her aunt. Original Iron Man, Tony Stark, eventually hears of Williams’ accomplishment and sets off to meet her and, after getting to know her, elects to endorse her decision to become a superheroine. Be Brave! Be Bold! Be True! Be You! These are all amazing affirmations from Kinyah Bean, the 12-year old founder and CEO of B Chill Lemonade, Inc. when she reminds herself daily of her uniqueness and purpose. It’s not every day that you find such a young person interested in being “the Boss!” Kinyah is loaded with youthful exuberance and imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit that reflects and radiates the meaning of empowerment and self-confidence. Bean was challenged at an early age by her dad, Demetrius Braddock, to start a business by the age of ten. At 8-years old, Kinyah decided that it was time to earn money from her God-given recipe. B Chill Lemonade, Inc. – the business – started with one glass of lemonade handcrafted by Kinyah in January 2017. Ever since then, her company has been committed to quenching every thirst, providing quality over quantity, and inspiring families around the world! This ambitious young entrepreneur now runs the business with help from her family – her Dad, Demetrius Braddock as CFO, her Mom, Valerie Braddock as COO, and her younger brother Demetrius Braddock, II as manager. People traveled across the country and stood in a block-long line to pay respects to Cicely Tyson at a public viewing Monday. Hundreds of admirers of the pioneering Black actor lined up outside Harlem’s famed Abyssinian Baptist Church on a wintry Monday. Some said they had come from as far as Atlanta or Los Angeles to be there. Many in the multigenerational crowd held photos of Tyson, who died Jan. 28. The New York-born actor was 96. Her family said masks and social distancing would be required at the viewing. Tyson was the first Black woman to have a recurring role in a dramatic television series, the 1963 drama “East Side, West Side.” Melvin E. Banks, founder of the largest black Christian publishing house in the United States, died on February 13 at age 86. Banks started Urban Ministries Inc. in the basement of his home in Chicago in 1970, focusing on Sunday school curriculum and Bible study materials for African American Christians. The ministry grew to serve more than 50,000 black churches. Remembering Frederick K.C. Price, one of Los Angeles’ most prominent religious leaders and founder of the Crenshaw Christian Center. He died from COVID-19 at the age of 89. https://youtu.be/gelG-v0Aq-s Duchess Meghan, pregnant with her second child, is set to sit down to chat with Oprah Winfrey for an “intimate conversation” in her first major broadcast interview since moving back to the U.S. CBS announced Monday that the 90 minute-long “Oprah with Meghan and Harry; A CBS Primetime Special” will air on Sunday, March 7, on CBS (8 p.m. EST/PST). The network said Winfrey spoke with the Duchess of Sussex in “a wide-ranging interview covering everything from stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood (and) philanthropic work, to how she is handling life under intense public pressure,” the network said in a statement. A married couple has been named to lead Hillsong East Coast, replacing the ousted former pastor Carl Lentz and his wife, Laura, according to an announcement by Hillsong founder Brian Houston during his sermon on Sunday, Feb. 14. Chrishan and Danielle Jeyaratnam, currently pastors at the Hillsong campus in Perth, Australia, have been named to the top spots at the embattled New York location. Their appointment comes on the heels of an independent investigation into the Manhattan megachurch that, according to an email from Houston on Friday, revealed “significant ways” the church had “failed to reflect Hillsong global culture.” The investigation was conducted in the wake of Lentz’s termination for “moral failures,” which were later revealed to include an extramarital affair. Halle Berry and Van Hunt, celebrated Valentine’s Day cozied up together in Los Angeles. On Saturday, the actress posted a sexy video that showed the couple from behind, with her topless and dancing on a balcony to Hunt’s song “Being a Girl.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CLP-nGfjWei/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The LAPD reportedly launched an investigation into a meme that mocked the death of George Floyd and was passed around the department on Valentine’s Day. The image reportedly included a photo of Floyd, a Black man, with the caption “You take my breath away,” Buzzfeed reports. The LAPD tweeted a statement on Saturday saying that it is “aware of allegations that an image was being passed around the department and this image was in the workplace.” The meme was allegedly created by an employee of the department. “A personnel complaint has been initiated and we are pursuing each allegation including interviewing the department member who brought it to our attention,” the LAPD tweeted. A situation inside the LAPD where someone thought it would be a good idea to distribute on Valentine’s Day a meme/photo of George Floyd with the caption “You take my breath away.” Najee Ali, an LA-based community activist said during a late Monday morning press conference in LA that they’re “not here to condemn or attack LAPD” and that they “simply want to hold them accountable.” Ali is also an ally and spokesman for Attorney Ben Crump who represents the Floyd family. “Any LAPD employee mocking the death of George Floyd should be terminated immediately,” Ali said. The Floyd family, who is still grieving his death, is also asking that those involved be terminated. “It’s scary knowing that we have racists that may come into our community are in charge of policing Black people,” Ali said. The production on the Colin Kaepernick Netflix film has been threatened and needs to take security precautions against anti-BLM protesters. Cast and crew working on the project, “Colin in Black and White,” were sent new, stiff measures to protect themselves and set bosses are clearly taking it seriously. Production sources say they were told the anti-BLM group was planning a protest last Friday at the location shoot. Fortunately, that protest did not materialize, but it caused worry among cast and crew. The production sources say the anti-BLM group that made the threat was the Proud Boys. “Colin in Black and White” is one of the most anticipated Netflix shows this year. The NBA issued a warning to LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma for violating the league’s anti-flopping rule in the team’s 115-105 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Attempting to block out Dillon Brooks of Memphis, James appears to forcefully fall to the floor after a slight nudge of the arm from Brooks. Brooks was called for a foul on the play and James went to the line, making both free throws. The incident involving Kuzma occurred was defending Brooks on a drive. Brooks extends his elbow to get past Kuzma and he flies out of bounds after receiving the nudge from Brooks’ elbow. No foul was called on the play. Today, on the Monday, February 15 edition of “Tamron Hall,” former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart gets candid about his recent, deeply personal op-ed that was published in The Players’ Tribune where he relived the 1998 rumor that falsely accused him of engaging in a lewd act with another man. Stewart opened up about how the experience shaped him both personally and professionally, and also shared that he has no regrets about being on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” alongside former wife, Porsha Williams, even though it brought the rumors back into the spotlight. https://youtu.be/8J8n8QkLijs The 16-year-old is the daughter of Donald Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway and The Lincoln Project co-founder George Conway has earned a golden ticket to Hollywood on “American Idol.” “I’m very excited. I’m Claudia Conway,” she said during her audition in front of judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on Sunday during the season 19 premiere. “My parents are high profile political figures.” https://youtu.be/R3L_ezsLKkc The director of an upcoming docuseries on Tekashi 6ix9ine says the rapper is “truly a horrible human being” but also a “social media mastermind.” In an interview with Page Six, “Supervillain” director Karam Gill said fans of the hip-hop star may be “shocked to realize how hyper calculated” he is. “Tekashi was someone who never did anything online on accident. Every click, word and action online was designed with care to spark a reaction,” said Gill. “I never really wanted to explore Tekashi’s story specifically, and actually was hesitant about the project at first because of how he has been such a toxic individual in our culture,” he added. But, “from a wider scope, I realized it’s an extremely important story that shines a light on where we are as a culture. We’re living in the era of manufactured celebrity, where people can create inauthentic online personas and rise to fame without any talent or morals. Tekashi’s story is exactly that — he’s someone who realized the power of having your own platform.” https://youtu.be/rKeH1THBBEU Days after the Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump following an impeachment trial over the deadly Capitol siege, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has warned that Vice President Kamala Harris could face similar charges. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) claimed Trump is “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events” that happened on Jan. 6, but noted that he’s “not eligible for conviction.” Graham appeared to co-sign the statement during his appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” He said Democrats have opened “pandora’s box” by pursuing two impeachment trials, and the move may come back to hurt them in the future. https://youtu.be/ELxFQD3H_iE Amid calls to reimagine policing in America, a new study suggested that having fewer white cops could reduce the rampant police brutality — much of it racist in nature — that has ravaged departments across the country since law enforcement was created in the U.S. The study, published Friday by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is entitled, “The role of officer race and gender in police-civilian interactions in Chicago.” But it was being used as a national model that can provide valuable insight “In the wake of high-profile police shootings of Black Americans,” the study’s abstract said. The main takeaway the study’s authors want for readers is that greater diversity can improve policing. The study “found that Hispanic and Black officers make far fewer stops and arrests and use force less than white officers, especially against Black civilians.” Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman on Friday was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, an honor bestowed by the government to express the highest levels of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. Goodman was also rewarded for his bravery on Jan. 6 by being promoted to acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms. Goodman, who is Black, was recorded on a since-viral video diverting an all-white mob of domestic terrorists away from the Senate floor after they and others violently — and illegally — broke into the U.S. Capitol while Congress convened to certify Electoral College votes from the 2020 election. Amid the ongoing scourge of gentrification in America, three allies have sued a Detroit landlord and are alleging housing discrimination against prospective renters who are Black. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are non-Black but claim property owners Alex DeCamp and Reimer Priester failed to rent to Black people, depriving existing tenants of “the social and professional benefits of living in a racially integrated society.” Two of the plaintiffs are a married couple who are former renters at the property and the third is a current renter. Filed in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, the suit alleges the plaintiffs are a predominantly white group of residents in the middle of a Black community. The trio raised multiple allegations against DeCamp and Reimer and three companies they co-own. Donald Trump‘s impeachment lawyers closed their presentation on Friday, but they also opened one big can of racially charged worms when they repeatedly showed videos in an attempt to disprove House Democrats’ claim that the former president incited the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. House Impeachment Manager and Virgin Islands Rep. Stacey Plaskett saw what everybody else did when Trump’s lawyers played their videos: a disingenuous attempt to scapegoat Black women, in particular, as hypocrites for their use of the word “fight.” Trump’s lawyers tried to play a dishonest game of semantics in the strategically edited clips that repeatedly showed people like Stacey Abrams and California Rep. Maxine Waters saying the word “fight” during speeches. They wanted the Senate to believe that was the same thing as Trump encouraging his followers to “fight like hell” at the Capitol. During the portion of the impeachment trial when Senators get to ask questions, Plaskett took the opportunity to address the implicitly racist elephant in the room. Civil rights leader Bayard Rustin’s relentless fight for social justice will forever be embedded in the fabric of American history. According to Variety, a new film about his life and legacy is coming to Netflix. The biopic—titled Rustin—is a project being created under Michelle and Barack Obama’s Higher Ground production company. The film will chronicle the journey of the openly gay activist who hailed from Pennsylvania and his fight for racial justice and gay rights. Rustin, an HBCU graduate who attended both Wilberforce University and Cheney University of Pennsylvania, moved to New York to study at the City College of New York in 1937. Some of his earliest activism work was alongside A. Philip Randolph when the two fought against discriminatory practices surrounding hiring for the war. Rustin was on the frontlines fighting against the segregated public transit system and was also jailed because of his sexuality. He was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington in 1963 where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. He served as an advisor for Dr. King during the 1950s and ‘60s. Tennis powerhouse Serena Williams is furthering her efforts to support Black entrepreneurs. In honor of Black History Month, a portion of proceeds from her jewelry company will be donated to a nonprofit dedicated to providing relief for Black small-business owners. The organization, dubbed the Opportunity Fund, is spearheading initiatives to aid diverse business owners who have been significantly impacted by the public health crisis. NBC News reported Black entrepreneurs have had to shutter their businesses at more than twice the rate of white entrepreneurs. Further research revealed between February and April of last year, Black-owned businesses declined by 41 percent. Cognizant of the alarming disparities, the Opportunity Fund created the Small Business Relief Fund to support businesses led by women, people of color and immigrants. Mark Clark would join the NAACP as a teenager, organizing his peers and demanding equity in housing, jobs and, ironically, education. But as word of the youth-driven Black Panther Party spread across the nation, Mark chose to start a chapter in Peoria, organizing local faith communities and starting the city’s Free Breakfast for Children program. Six months earlier, a charismatic and brilliant young man, a star student and athlete, Fred Hampton, had become chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. Born in cities nearly 200 miles apart, both Mark Clark and Fred Hampton would commit themselves to the liberation of Black people, to ensuring Black power. Mark would become defense captain, working with Chairman Fred. By that act, their lives would be forever bonded by love and liberation. And so, too, would their deaths be bonded forever, but by hate and white supremacy. At 4:30 on the morning of December 4th, 1969, 14 members of the Chicago Police Department acting on the orders of the Cook County State’s Attorney, Edward Hanrahan who was working with the FBI, ambushed the young Black Panthers, organizers, who were sleeping in their home. They fired nearly 100 rounds of ammunition into the house, and Mark was shot through the heart and killed instantly. Four other young Black organizers were shot that morning and wounded. And Chairman Fred Hampton was shot as he slept in bed with his 8-and-half-month pregnant fiancée, Akua Njeri. An entrepreneur from Texas is paying it forward by investing in the education of HBCU students. According to CBS46, 24-year-old Bryce Thompson created a scholarship fund to provide financial support for individuals attending historically Black colleges and universities. Through the $100,000 endowment—which was created by Thompson’s IAMS Foundation in collaboration with the scholarship matching platform Scholly—10 HBCU students who were facing financial barriers were awarded scholarships. Thompson—a proud Morehouse alum—is one of the founders of the TradeHouse Investment Group; a financial literacy and investment company dedicated to economically empowering disenfranchised communities. ”Bachelor” host Chris Harrison said Saturday he is “stepping aside” from the show “for a period of time” amid controversy over his defense of a current contestant whose past social media postings have been labeled racist. “This historic season of ‘The Bachelor’ should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” the host and producer of the ABC reality show said in an Instagram post. “To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special.” https://youtu.be/dNOPs7aQBFA Cori Gordon, 28, never imagined she’d become one of Amazon’s youngest Delivery Service Partners when she migrated to the U.S. from Jamaica in 2013. Bright-eyed and eager post completing her studies at Northern Caribbean University, Cori began her professional career working in the retail and automotive industries before realizing she had a penchant for entrepreneurship. “I experienced burn out working 80 plus hours for someone else,” Cori says. “After a bit of soul searching, I realized it was important for me to direct all those hours of energy into something I owned.” Cori searched online for business opportunities that presented a built in customer base and a clear track for success. “I knew right away the Amazon Delivery Service Partner program could be a great fit for me,” Cori says. “Everyone knows and loves the company and though I hadn’t led my own company before, the training and development resources they offered inspired me to apply.” Chart-topping sensation Kelontae Gavin continues to rise as a solo artist, songwriter, and musician, as he readies the release of his second full-length album. Titled The N.O.W. Experience, three tracks – “Hold Me Close,” “Hold Me Close (Reprise),” and “Victory” – are available instantly with album pre-order now. The album contains thirteen tracks and will be released on Friday, March 5th. The three instant grat tracks are co-written by Kelontae Gavin. The powerful lead single “Hold Me Close” has become his latest big hit among fans, marking its highest ranking thus far at radio, at #2 on the latest Gospel Airplay Chart. CBS should not have ignored the impact a car accident involving Andy Reid’s son, leaving a five-year-old girl in critical condition, had on the Chiefs’ performance while being thrashed by the Bucs four days later. No analysis. No emotion. No discussing how the tragedy might impact the game. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo waited until late in the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay’s 31-9 hammering of Kansas City before even bringing up the accident. Like Brown, Nantz gave the facts. That Nantz finally mentioned the accident was not enough either. The accident is a tragic occurrence. A parent’s worst nightmare. At the same time, we’re not using it to diminish the Bucs thoroughly dominating performance. But in order to tell the story of this game, doesn’t someone need to explain and discuss how this kind of tragedy, involving a team staffer, the head coach’s son, and a child now in a coma, affects the attitude, mental state, and overall performance of the Chiefs? While everyone speculates about Dak Prescott’s future, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback has made it clear what his intentions are moving forward. Cowboys tight end Blake Jarwin posted a photo of himself and Prescott from last season on Instagram with an important question for the Cowboys quarterback. “@_4dak , wanna run it back in a few months?” Jarwin asked tagging Prescott. Prescott responded emphatically by reposting Jarwin’s message to his Instagram Story. The Cowboys quarterback made it clear he has no plans to be anywhere but Dallas next season. “That’s the only way I see it,” Prescott noted. Bubba Wallace‘s car failed inspection twice for Sunday’s Daytona 500 and had to start at the back of the field. Greg Emmer, the car chief for 23XI Racing, was ejected as punishment. The No. 23 Toyota passed inspection on the third attempt. Wallace drives a new entry owned by NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. He had been slated to start “The Great American Race” in the third row. Instead, Wallace had to be one of 10 drivers who have to drop to the back of the pack during pace laps. Ariel Robinson, former winner on Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America,” claimed in a bond hearing on Friday that her 3-year-old foster daughter, Victoria Rose Smith, died after drinking too much water. Robinson, 29, was charged last month along with her husband, Jerry Robinson, in the death of Smith. On Jan. 14, police found the child unresponsive in the couple’s home in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The coroner determined Smith’s cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries. The couple now faces counts of homicide by child abuse, per PEOPLE. When Robinson appeared before a judge virtually on Friday, her bail request of $40,000 was denied. https://youtu.be/G1u0xOUrqUs Blac Chyna has been granted a jury trial in her defamation case against Kris Jenner and the Kardashians. A California appeals court determined that the former stripper (born Angela Renée White) had “substantial evidence” supporting her claims against the reality TV stars, according to Page Six. the lawsuit relates to the E! TV series Chyna had with her ex/baby daddy Rob Kardashian. The series, “Rob & Chyna,” premiered in 2016 and was canceled after only one season. According to documents obtained by TMZ, Chyna claims Kim Kardashian, momager Kris Jenner and Rob sabotaged the reality show by accusing her of assault, battery, domestic violence, defamation, and interference with prospective economic relations. Chyna claims the Kardashians interfered with the shooting of “Rob & Chyna” to the point that E! pulled the plug, claiming production was impossible. New Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer sent ripples throughout the sports world last week after defending his initial hiring of Chris Doyle, a former Iowa assistant coach accused of racism, saying Thursday he “vetted him thoroughly along with our general manager and owner.” After backlash and outrage ensued, Doyle resigned from the position two days later. Pharrell Williams’ “Blurred Lines” controversy with Marvin Gaye’s family is making headlines once more. Gaye’s estate previously won its copyright lawsuit over Pharrell and Robin Thicke‘s 2013 hit “Blurred Lines” single, — in which the duo are accused of ripping off Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” In 2018, a judge ruled that Williams and Thicke were liable for copyright infringement. In December 2019, Gaye’s family filed a motion in federal court alleging Williams lied under oath in the case. On Friday, a California federal judge ruled that Williams’ comments in the interview did not show he committed perjury. During the copyright suit, Judge Kronstadt awarded the Gaye family all future royalties for “Blurred Lines.” https://youtu.be/yyDUC1LUXSU Alisha Carter had a number of jobs that all disappeared due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She soon found herself supporting five children. She was a homeless mail carrier. https://youtu.be/nST40QCKJAo A new record-breaking rollercoaster will make its debut at the Six Flags Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia. The brand new rollercoaster named “Falcon’s Flight” will be completed by 2023 and will travel 2.5 miles per track at a speed of 155 miles per hour. According to CNN, the three-minute ride will also break the record of the world’s tallest free-standing rollercoaster structure and its cars will hold 20 passengers. Apostle Frederick K.C. Price, founder of the world-renowned Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, passed away this evening, Feb. 12, according to an announcement by his son, the Rev. Frederick K. Price, Jr., CCC pastor. Apostle Price, along with his wife, Dr. Betty Price, established CCC in 1973. At the time, the 300-member congregation worshipped at South Crenshaw Boulevard in Inglewood. In less than 10 years, the membership exploded with thousands seeking to join the fellowship. In addition, his Ever Increasing Faith television (EIF) program is one of the longest, continuously-running, Christian teaching programs on TV. EIF debuted in 1978 on KTTV in L.A. and currently broadcasts around the world. Also, the service airs on various media platforms including Facebook, YouTube Live, AppleTV, ROKU and Amazon FireTV. To absolutely no one’s surprise, the Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump following a contentious impeachment trial over the deadly Capitol siege. The House of Representatives impeached Trump last month on a charge of incitement of insurrection related to the January 6 event, which resulted in multiple deaths and sent the political sphere into a tailspin. https://youtu.be/jqD57iyuEfg Good things do happen to good people. Proof of that came on Friday (02-12-21) when Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman was honored with a standing ovation from the Senate at the conclusion of Friday’s impeachment trial session. Actually, Goodman got more than a standing ovation. The Senate also voted to award him with the Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts during the Capitol siege. Goodman is being seen as a hero for single-handedly diverting a crowd of rioters who breached the US Capitol away from the Senate chamber as lawmakers voted to certify President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. https://youtu.be/8mrOSgSAfWs Five years after the death of #AltonSterling, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council voted on a $4.5 million settlement for his family. On Wednesday, the council voted 7-4 in favor of offering the settlement to Sterling’s family after they filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the Baton Rouge Police Department, according to @abcnews. This comes after a $5 million settlement proposal was rejected by the governing council in 2020. Mayor Sharon Weston Broome Tweeted: “I am pleased our metro council was able to find a consensus and approve an offer of settlement in the Alton Sterling civil case. After nearly five years, the people of Baton Rouge are finally one step closer to getting much needed closure in this traumatic episode in our history.” When Barack Obama became the first Black President of the United States in 2008, it was an office that many people felt they would never see a Black man or woman reach – ever. In 2020, Kamala Harris‘ footsteps as a pioneer were historic on several fronts, to include becoming the first Black woman and first woman of any color to ascend to the office of the Vice President of the United States. She was also the first woman of Indian descent, and the first HBCU graduate to hold the second highest office in the world. And if President Joe Biden is the most powerful man in the world, Vice President Kamala Harris is the most powerful woman on the globe. While both Obama and Harris are Black, the 12 years between their historic victories showed a much different nation. “In 2008, we didn’t have hundreds of thousands of our young people on the street protesting racism and the sort of systemic racial issues that you see with the criminal justice system,” said Cornell Belcher, author of “A Black man in the White House: Barack Obama and the Triggering of America’s Racial-Aversion Crisis. “Those issues were propelled to the front and center, among 2020 voters who chose Biden and Harris.” When it comes to you Valentine’s Day entertainment, Amazon Prime Video wants you to know it has content for everyone.And if you have a Prime membership you have access to all of these titles at no additional cost on Prime Video. https://youtu.be/KrAefAZskC0 The truth is now coming out. For whatever reason, a hairdresser has made a mind-blowing admission that he uses Gorilla Glue on clients — but warns there is only one way to “safely” use it on hair. The stylist, a salon owner by the name of Eric Vaughn revealed in a now-viral TikTok video (see it below) that he uses the industrial-strength adhesive to secure hair extensions.“So I’ve been using Gorilla Glue on people’s hair for years, but this is the only way that you should ever use it — at the end of a sew-in,” he says as he demonstrates on a blond woman. “I’ll take my threads and knot them together, take a tiny little dot of Gorilla Glue, blow dry and cut that and that knot is going nowhere,” Vaughn says. He adds: “But don’t put this on your actual hair.” On this weekend’s Central Ave, B2K star Raz B talks exclusively to Julissa Bermudez about #MeToo and finally recognizing his years-long allegations against producer Chris Stokes. “I’m here to vindicate myself because I’m not going to allow for my voice to be silent,” says Raz B. “You’re not going to bully me…and really for me, it’s about me standing up for myself.” https://youtu.be/gOMKiwiYUoc BlackKung Fu Chick, a transmedia web series created, directed, and written by Rae Shaw, will make its world premiere at the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival, now thru Feb. 25. Set in South Los Angeles, Black Kung Fu Chick is an impactful, coming-of-age story that mirrors the lives of many teenaged Black girls, whose dreams are deferred by responsibilities they should not have to carry. However, the struggle to pursue one’s dreams also reflects the challenges faced by so many young women everywhere in a world that socializes them to put aside their ambition for obligation. Starring Taylor Polidore (Snowfall, Black Lightning), the series follows high school senior Tasha, whose aspirations of becoming a doctor are disrupted when circumstances force her to fight for the people she loves. https://youtu.be/t8mFWCilXr8 Before Feb. 13, 1983, the “Star Spangled Banner” was delivered before major sporting events without much variation from the way it was musically arranged in 1814, to the tune of a popular 18th century British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith. But Marvin Gaye crooned his soulful rendition at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game with an arrangement closer to his own sultry hit at the time, “Sexual Healing,” an unexpected groove that likely had folks thinking, “Mercy, Mercy Me.” https://youtu.be/RZ9WdCunvy8 With a black female driver being pursued by white police officers in Kentucky, the possibility for things going left for the person behind the wheel were exponential. However, we can gladly report that the situation ended on a very interesting and positive note.To say the wild pursuit in Kentucky ended on an up note is an understatement. That’s because one of the cops who approached her car with his weapon drawn, Hodgenville Chief James Richardson, actually HUGGED the distressed driver instead of slapping handcuffs on her. https://youtu.be/Hy8pKcqSo94 Social media can lend a voice to the voiceless — and being heard can be life-changing. Dallas rapper Tonio Hall got the attention of R&B legend Donell Jones when he posted his cover of Jones’ “Life Goes On” on social media. Impressed with Hall’s talents, Jones shared the cover with his Instagram followers, and the exposure has been a career boost. Understanding the importance of feeding his fan base, Tonio hopes to release one single per month until his much-anticipated EP drops later this year. It’s been a strange reality we living in and as an artist I was motivated to express myself,” said Grammy nominated Smooth Jazz saxophonist Richard Elliot about the reason for his latest album release “Authentic Life” (Shanachie Entertainment) – his first album in five years. “My tour dates were gone and I was sitting at home. We’re all going through extreme emotions. I feel lucky I have an outlet of music.” https://youtu.be/jVO9rInqVwE ALLBLK is releasing a new episode of the popular new docu-series, A Closer Look, which profiles R&B, Soul, and Hip-Hop artists whose song(s) have and continue to top the billboard charts and re-shape the music industry. The Third installment features Grammy nominated, singer-songwriter and actor, Eric Benét, premiering Thursday, February 25th on ALLBLK. https://youtu.be/i-AjMB4E964 After footage has gone viral of him being rushed off a stage due to a red beam being spotted on him, Kodak Black is now debunking those claims and putting a muzzle to the rumors. Remaining on the blogs since his pardon from Donald Trump and subsequent prison release, the Florida rapper has been accused of being a clone — which he denies — and is now denying that someone was targeting him at a recent event. In recent footage, social media has dissected each frame to find a red beam seen on Black’s hoodie near his stomach and as he’s pushed off stage by his security, the beam is then seen on the person standing next to him, still on stage.Black is now speaking out. In an IGTV clip he says, “You n***as on some crazy, like, Instagram, phone effects, like, putting beams on my clothes and sh*t like a b***h had a beam on me. Nobody’s brain even gon’ register like that, like, ‘let me put a beam on Yak.’ But I’m happy though. I’m in a happy space. It ain’t none of y’all business why I’m happy for. I’ve been seeing all this lil crazy sh*t, I’ma let y’all think whatever y’all think. I ain’t on no f**k sh*t. I ain’t go through sh*t! Y’all playin’ and sh*t. I’m really on some sh*t like separating entertainment from reality. Around the time they received complaints about inappropriate sexual relations between staff and volunteers at Hillsong NYC, the embattled Australia-based Hillsong Church was in the throes of investigating the sexual assault of a Philadelphia pastor’s daughter at its headquarters, a new report reveals. According to a Vanity Fair report featuring interviews with a number of Hillsong volunteers and former congregants, in 2018, Anna Crenshaw, who is the daughter of Victory Church Senior Pastor Ed Crenshaw, reported that Jason Mays, a Hillsong staff administrator, volunteer singer and the son of the church’s head of human resources, sexually assaulted her at a social gathering while she attended Hillsong College in Australia. It took a serious fight from Anna and her father to hold Mays, who is listed as creative director and head of sync at Hillsong Music, accountable. Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ, with the help of fellow chef-sisters Juliet and Justine of Harlem's "The Edge" Restaurant, continue to dish out gourmet recipes in this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, February 13 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNe1liZ8mEc&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX, hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells, airing Saturday, February 13 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY3Xy4Jn1yU&feature=youtu.be The national archives of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has digitally preserved records of the historic Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mother Bethel was originally founded in 1794 by Methodist preacher and former slave Richard Allen, who served as the first bishop of the AME denomination. The Presbyterian Historical Society, also based in Philadelphia, recently completed their digitizing project, making them accessible here, as part of an overall effort to chronicle African American Christian history. Margaret Jerrido, an archivist with Mother Bethel, told The Christian Post on Thursday that the project began in 2013, when the materials were first moved over to the Society for storage. Escalating its defiance of Los Angeles County public health orders, an evangelical megachurch in Sun Valley is gearing up to host an indoor conference expected to draw thousands of men from across the country in what officials fear could become a potential superspreader event. Grace Community Church, whose pastor has preached for the last six months to his congregation of mostly unmasked members that the pandemic is a hoax, is expected to draw at least 3,000 people to its sprawling campus from March 3 to 5. The Shepherds’ Conference includes speakers who will present in the church, which holds about 3,000, and in smaller sessions throughout the church complex. A few weeks after last year’s conference, two older men from Washington who attended the event — one of them a 90-year-old pastor — died of complications from COVID-19. John MacArthur, pastor for Grace Community Church, said in an April podcast interview the pastor was the “only person that we know of that came out of the Shepherds’ Conference and had that virus and ultimately died.” Ten weeks before the election and four months before then-President Donald Trump summoned his supporters to Washington and called on them to “walk down Pennsylvania Avenue” to the U.S. Capitol, where they staged a brutal and chaotic insurrection, one of his staunchest allies sat for an interview, the Capitol visible behind him. Evangelical leader Franklin Graham painted a harrowing picture of a battle on the horizon. What would happen, CBN’s David Brody asked, if Trump lost? Graham’s reply stated plainly the stakes as he saw them. “I’m just asking that God would spare this country for another four years to give us a little bit more time to do the work before the storm hits,” he said. “I believe the storm is coming. You’re going to see Christians attacked; you’re going to see churches close; you’re going to see a real hatred expressed toward people of faith. That’s coming.” Graham said of Trump: “God has put him in this position” to defend “Western civilization as we have known it.” The Democrats, by contrast, were “opposed to faith.” Televangelist and megachurch founder Frederick K.C. Price has been in the hospital for over a month now. Price has been literally fighting for his life after COVID-19 damaged his heart, lungs, and kidneys. “Satan is trying everything he can end his life,” Fred Price Jr. told the congregation of Crenshaw Christian Center (CCC) in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 7th. Price Jr., who took over the Head Pastor of CCC position in 2009, gave additional details of the harrowing ordeal Price (known to the church as Apostle Price) has endured. Price Jr. said his father and mother had both been diagnosed with COVID-19 and that Price was admitted to the hospital on January 5th due to complications with the virus. “COVID did a number on his body,” Price Jr. explained. The elder minister suffered from pneumonia, among other things. Things looked so grim that on January 27th, Price Jr. said the doctors told his family they had better come say goodbye to the patriarch. Price Jr. said he laid hands on his father, prayed, and spoke the word of God over him. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=882228385897164 Yoshiro Mori resigned as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on Friday after sexist comments made last week in which he said women “talk too much.” The resignation of the former Japanese prime minister at an executive board meeting has left a mess in its wake. And it comes just over five months before the postponed Olympics are to open in the middle of a pandemic with public sentiment overwhelmingly against the games. The pandemic is one reason, and the soaring costs are the other. The executive board did not immediately choose a successor for Mori, which CEO Toshiro Muto said would come “as soon as possible” and will be made by a review committee. A Virginia mom created her own toy company to help children learn about Black history with the intent of teaching them about far beyond slavery and the civil rights movement, reports “Good Morning America.” Tiffney Laing, of Ashburn, Virginia, launched Bevy and Dave in 2016 to help parents and educators explore Black history through the lens of leadership, rather than oppression. “When you understand the experiences of African Americans and Black people around the world, if you’re going to study the oppression, you also have to talk about how they were able to succeed beyond that,” Laing told “Good Morning America.” “I feel like children should be inspired by Black History and not be depressed by it.” “Can you imagine constantly being told something negative and never following up with something positive?” Laing added. “It does something to the spirit.” Dave Chappelle’s hit sketch comedy series is coming back on Netflix on Feb. 12. In the new ten minute clip titled “Redemption Song,” Chappelle said he was able to renegotiate his deal with ViacomCBS, and bagged millions in exchange for his blessing that ‘Chappelle Show’ can now be made available to Netflix subscribers. “I asked you to stop watching the show and thank God almighty for you, you did,” Chappelle said in the clip. “You made that show worthless because without your eyes it’s nothing. And when you stopped watching it, they called me. And I got my name back and I got my license back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Thank you very much.” https://www.instagram.com/tv/CLLdODIHcmW/?utm_source=ig_embed Megan Thee Stallion has been tapped to be the first-ever celebrity ambassador for the Black-owned natural haircare and skincare company Mielle Organics. In a statement, the hip-hop star said: “I’m excited to represent a global haircare brand that is Black-owned and women-led. It’s an incredible feeling to become an ambassador for a beauty brand that uplifts women to stand in their natural beauty.” WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode featuring Lacey’s dad coming after John for trying to come back into Lacey’s life. https://youtu.be/KqKXCIMi8g0 After catching heat from Britney Spears fans over the new documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” Justin Timberlake has issued an apology to the singer and Janet Jackson. Timberlake and Spears dated from 1999 to 2002. His “Cry Me A River” video features a Spears lookalike with Justin singing about her cheating on him. As noted by Page Six, Diane Sawyer asked Spears about the video in a 2003 interview and she started crying. That clip is featured in “Framing Britney Spears,” and fans of the pop star have been giving JT hell for weeks now. Tessica Brown, dubbed the “Gorilla Glue Girl” after she sprayed down her hair with the adhesive has been getting support from all over, and now comedian Loni Love has revealed that she will be gifting Tessica with a custom wig. While speaking to NBC LX, Loni revealed that she feels sympathy for Tessica and wants to help. “We know as black women how hard it is, our hair is so important,” Love said. “I’m one of the few black women — me and I think Whoopi Goldberg — [who] actually wear our hair in braids or locks because traditionally it has been known to be unprofessional. But the times are changing,” she said. “So I totally have empathy for Tessica and I want to help.” Lamar Odom put his ex-fiancée Sabrina Parr on blast last month, claiming she hacked into his social media accounts and locked him out. Now he’s back at it and this time he’s explaining why he cheated on her. That’s not all — the retired NBA player also claims Parr hooked up with Tristan Thompson. Thompson is the baby daddy of Odom’s ex-wife Khloe Kardashian. https://youtu.be/UEsvzrTvZds The Houston Texans have released star defensive end J.J. Watt, granting his request. Watt was drafted by the Texans in 2011 with the No. 11 pick and became the face of the franchise, winning three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2012 to ’15. Watt is one of three players to win that award three times. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will undergo a minor surgical procedure on his knee this offseason, a source confirmed to ESPN. The upcoming surgery was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times. A source close to the situation told ESPN that this was not a recent injury and that Brady, who led the Bucs to a victory Sunday in Super Bowl LV, had been planning the procedure for months. It wasn’t immediately clear which knee the procedure will be on. Twin centers Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey have retired from the NFL, Ramon Foster, a former teammate of Maurkice, announced on Twitter. “It’s my honor that my brothers from another asked me to announce the next stage in their life. After over a decade @MaurkicePouncey and Mike Pouncey are RETIRING from the @nfl,” Foster tweeted. Maurkice was drafted No. 18 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2010 draft, while Mike went 15th overall to the Miami Dolphins the following year. The two were instantly full-time starters for their teams, primarily at center, though Mike spent a season at right guard in Miami. “We began this journey at 6 years old and now at 31 we will close this chapter of our lives as I announce my retirement from the @nfl and walk away from the game,” Mike Pouncey said in a statement provided by Foster. Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer is defending his hiring of Chris Doyle, a former strength coach at the University of Iowa who was accused of making racist remarks, belittling and bullying players. Meyer’s decision to hire Doyle as the team’s director of sports performance came to light Thursday when the Jaguars announced his 28-member coaching staff. Meyer also confirmed the hiring of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, and former Louisville, Texas and South Florida head coach Charlie Strong as assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach. A number of Black players said that Doyle used racist language and treated them differently based on their race. Meyer said he researched Doyle, had some intense conversations with him, and is confident that there will not be problems. Actor Romany Malco is over the moon after welcoming his first child last month at age 52. On Monday, he opened up about becoming a first-time dad in a lengthy Instagram post. Sharing a photograph of himself with his newborn, a son named Brave, Malco wrote, “Not that anyone asked but in this pic I’m holding THEE main reason for my lack of activity on social media,” he said. Fans of the 1997 melanin-enhanced remake of Cinderella, with Brandy in the title role, got a special surprise ahead of the film’s midnight arrival on Disney+. Brandy teamed with singer/choreographer Todrick Hall to perform a medley of her songs from the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella soundtrack, and to shoot a music video, featuring original cast members Victor Garber (King Maximillian), Paolo Montalban (Prince Christopher), Jason Alexander (Lionel), Veanne Cox (Calliope), Bernadette Peters (Stepmother) and Whoopi Goldberg (Queen Constantina). https://youtu.be/hFjX5iOQjKQ Cedrick ‘Swab’ Cotton, former member of the popular 90’s R&B group Ideal, was fatally stabbed in southwest Houston, and the suspect is allegedly on the run. According to ABC 13, 46-year-old Cotton was killed in broad daylight on February 9. Brian McKnight’s oldest son, Brian McKnight Jr., put his famous father on blast a few years ago for abandoning his children. Now BJ is back at it and this time he is urging people to stop supporting his dad and following him on social media. “When it comes to my father. The proof is in the budding,” Brian Jr. posted on Wednesday, February 10, without detailing the family issue, per AceShowbiz. “If there are still people out there wasting their breath putting us down for speaking our truth, challenge them to question how they think they know our father better than us? Lol you know his body of work; we came from his actual nuts.” McKnight shares Brian Jr. with his ex-wife Julie McKnight. He is currently married to Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza, whom he wed in December 2017. They have no children together. As leader of the legendary multi-platinum selling rap group, The Wu-Tang Clan, RZA, or Bobby, as he is known to close friends and colleagues, had a particular way of putting beats to razer-sharp lyrics that made you feel part of a song’s creative process. Fans feel RZA’s music, both from Wu-Tang and his solo and collaborative efforts, on a cellular level. An urban-bred intellectual who expresses through a mic or camera lens, RZA is considered prophetic to his community and perhaps a unicorn to mainstream culture. As a film director, RZA paints complex portraits with colorful multi-faceted characters that inspire engagement and empathy. His latest directorial effort, the allegorical Cut Throat City (streaming on Netflix) features an all-star cast and examines the lives of people living in New Orleans’ economically depressed Lower Ninth Ward in the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Dre is not letting brain aneurysm and bitter divorce battle slow him down. The music mogul, 55, was spotted out to dinner with a “mystery woman” last night amid his separation from estranged wife Nicole Young. Turns out, the woman he was spotted dining with in Hollywood was Omarion’s ex/baby mama, Apryl Jones. The duo hit up BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Feb. 10th, and photos of them together almost broke Black Twitter. Jones, 33, is a former “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” star, famously known for being the ex of singer Omarion. HBO Max has ordered an eight-episode series order to “Rap Sh*to,” from Issa Rae, writer Syreeta Singleton and City Girls hip hop duo Yung Miami and JT. The project will be a half-hour comedy that follows two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group. Rae will write the pilot and executive produce with Yung Miami and JT serving as co-executive producers. Rae’s audio content company Raedio will handle music supervision for the series, per Deadline. The actress, writer, producer previously confirmed that her hit HBO series “Insecure” is coming to an end with its fifth season. The pressure is on Donald Trump’s lawyers criticized for their ineptitude as well as Senate Republicans after House Democrats on Thursday rested their case on the third day of the former president’s second impeachment trial. Democrats’ House Impeachment Managers laid out a series of compelling, calculating and meticulous arguments that painted a vivid picture of Trump’s systematic and steady inciting of his most violent supporters to act on his behalf. It all culminated, Democrats said, on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol, with Trump’s own words urging his followers to get violent under the disingenuous auspices of protecting the country following repeated baseless claims of election fraud (aka “the big lie”). Trump knew exactly what he was doing and saying, which is why he waited so long to address the attempted coup that has resulted in at least seven deaths, including multiple police officers, Democrats accurately said while introducing damning pieces of evidence such as previously unseen video of the right-wing extremists rumbling and defacing the Capitol. Now, the ball is in Trump’s lawyers’ court. Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse said there are three questions Trump’s lawyers must address as they present their case: 1) was the Capitol violence foreseeable? 2) did Trump encourage the Capitol violence? And 3) did Trump willfully encourage the Capitol violence? A Wisconsin judge on Thursday ruled that a teenager accused of murdering two people at an anti-police protest did not violate the terms of his bond by concealing his address from the court. Demands by a prosecutor to increase the bond of Kyle Rittenhouse and issue a warrant for his arrest were denied by Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce E. Schroeder at the hearing. “I’m gonna deny the motions,” Schroeder said, saying he didn’t think it would be lawful. Rittenhouse, 18, has been presumably living back in his native Illinois. But his exact location was unclear after a court notice sent to the address on file was returned by new residents at that location. He had been using a PO Box, instead. The terms of his bond mandated he reside at the address with which he provided the court. The mother of a young Black man shot and killed by a police officer in Ohio says his autopsy results show he was struck six times from behind with a “high-powered rifle” more than two months ago. Casey Goodson Jr.‘s mother revealed the autopsy results on Wednesday after keeping them concealed since the procedure on Jan. 11, more than a month after the shooting in Columbus. Tamala Payne‘s 23-year-old son was shot five times in his back and once in his rear end as he entered his home on Dec. 4, she said. The Columbus Police Officer who shot him — Jason Meade — apparently and inexplicably mistook the sandwiches Goodson was holding in his hand for a gun. Meade remains gainfully employed by the embattled Columbus Police Department also involved in a separate recent shooting of another unarmed Black man. Payne’s lawyer suggested she decided to go public with the autopsy results now because her son’s case hasn’t progressed as she expected it to. The minimum wage could finally get an increase, but it’s not so simple. Included as a part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 pandemic plan, Democrats aim to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a labor advocate and chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said the COVID-19 relief bill will include a minimum wage increase of $15 an hour. The bill would phase in the increase through 2025. Locked in at $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009. The 9-year-old Black girl who had been handcuffed and pepper sprayed by Rochester police is seen in newly-released bodycam video screaming in agony for 16 minutes in the back of the squad car. “Officer, please don’t do this to me,” she begs at one point as she sought relief from the pepper spray, which she said was burning her eyes. “You did it to yourself, hon,” a white female officer responds. City officials suspended the police officers who were seen in the initial video released Sunday spraying the face of the handcuffed child. https://youtu.be/3Yyj3iAs2eM It was an open field tackle that would make any linebackers coach proud. When Texas mom Phyllis Pena saw a man suspected of peeping into her 15-year-old daughter’s bedroom take off running, she channeled her inner J.J. Watt and tackled dude singlehandedly in the street. It was all captured on a Lake Jackson police car’s dashcam. According to KPRC, Pena said she had just returned from the store when she noticed the man, who police later identified as 19-year-old Zane Hawkins, looking into her teen’s empty bedroom around 7 a.m. She said she called the police after Hawkins ran away. Responding officers said they spotted a man matching the suspect’s description nearby, but he took off running in the direction of Pena’s home, where she was standing in the front yard. https://youtu.be/beyMgcKX2-A Attorneys for Britney Spears and her father sparred Thursday over how he should share power with a financial company newly appointed as his partner in the conservatorship that controls her money. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny overruled an objection of Jamie Spears’ attorney, Vivian Lee Thoreen, who argued that he should not yield previously granted rights and powers while working with his new co-conservator, The Bessemer Trust. Thoreen had argued that the proposed order Britney Spears’ court-appointed attorney Samuel Ingham III drafted to appoint the new co-conservator was “unclear and ambiguous by design” as he seeks to take authority away from Jamie Spears. Misty Copeland wants to encourage aspiring ballerinas with her new book for middle-school aged readers called “Black Ballerinas.” The book will be released this fall via publisher Simon & Schuster’s Aladdin Books imprint and illustrated by Salena Barnes. “Part of my mission is to bring awareness to the contributions of Black ballerinas. To give a sense of the rich histories of those who may not be documented in ballet history books, yet their careers—and legacies—are no less valuable and inspiring,” Copeland said in an interview with People. https://www.instagram.com/mistyonpointe/?utm_source=ig_embed ABC News says that next month it will begin airing “Soul of a Nation,” which the network believes is the first prime-time broadcast newsmagazine focused on Black life in America. The network has committed to six episodes that will air on consecutive Tuesday nights. No premiere date or time slot has been announced. Each episode will be centered on a theme, such as spirituality, activism in sports and the racial reckoning triggered by George Floyd’s death. Journalist Jemele Hill and actor Marsai Martin of “Black-ish” are among the guest hosts. Besides stories by ABC News journalists, episodes will present a variety of voices including Carmelo Anthony, Nick Cannon, Danny Glover, David Alan Grier, John Ridley, Saweetie and Janaya Future Khan. A new book sheds light on the experience of black Civil War soldier through never-seen-before photographs from the 19th century. The American Civil War, 1861-1865, was the first major conflict to be captured through photography as the new technology of the day. After tensions between the North and the South seethed for decades over slavery, the bloody and brutal conflict began in 1861: The Confederacy seceded from the Union and attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Until 1865, the war raged – leaving loss, devastation and destruction in its wake. Deborah Willis, a New York University professor that chairs its Department of Photography & Imaging, uses the medium to tell the story of African Americans during the conflict in her new book, The Black Civil War Solider. Serena Williams will be part of the weekend action at the Australian Open. Spectators will not. Williams overcame erratic strokes and two set points to beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (5), 6-2 Friday and advance to the fourth round. The surprisingly close match entertained a modest crowd in Rod Laver Arena, but government officials announced fans will be banned from the tournament for five days beginning Saturday because of a COVID-19 outbreak at a Melbourne hotel, although not a player hotel. The Grand Slam tournament had been the first in a year to allow sizeable crowds. Williams learned the news about the ban after her match.“No more fans? Wow. It’s sad,” she told ESPN. “Five days? I need to stick around then.” https://youtu.be/EFLD74qg5pE According to Page Six, Justin Combs is gearing up to premiere a new show called “Respectfully Justin” with host Justin LaBoy this month! The news sites reports that it will be a late-night show featuring Combs, who also serves as an executive producer, and professional basketball player turned social media sensation LaBoy; “discussing sex, relationships, music, everyday life, and ‘taboo’ topics.” Page Six notes that LaBoy will invite celebs to have raw conversations about what some might consider “off-limits” in society. The new show is set to premiere on Valentine’s Day on his dad, Diddy’s network Revolt with guests including Chris Brown and a special “Demon Time” segment. ALLBLK (www.ALLBLK.tv), the newly rebranded streaming service focused on Black programming from AMC Networks, is breaking into previously uncharted territory with the upcoming launch of its new weekly variety talk show, Social Society. Hosted and co-produced by actor and social media personality Kendall Kyndall (Games People Play), Social Society will provide a fresh look into each week’s trending topics and social buzz, while also featuring the best exclusive sketch comedy. Created by Sheena D. Carter and executive produced by Latisha Fortune, each episode will invite a variety of influencers, lifestyle experts, and tastemakers to a virtual roundtable for pointed conversations about Black culture, education, race, politics, and everything in between. Terrance Quaites, or “TQ”, burst onto the scene with an edgy look suited more for a rapper than a vocalist. However, his first hit “Westside” from his “They Never Saw Me Coming” album showed off his vocals and range on the R&B front. He found success as a singer and as a songwriter. He’s penned records for the likes of, Dru Hill, NSYNC, Jagged Edge, Lil Wayne, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and many others. As an artist, he has released nearly a dozen albums while enjoying worldwide acclaim. In fact, his international success has superseded his fame in the States, During his time on Cash Money Records, he would work hand and hand with legendary producers Mannie Fresh and Jazze Pha while sharing the stage with The Hot Boys, Juvenile, Lil Wayne, BG, and Turk. He provided hooks and vocals for The Big Tymers (Birdman and Mannie Fresh) as well. “There will never be another one like me,” Cynthia Erivo‘s Aretha Franklin declares in the final moments of the new trailer for Genius: Aretha. You can say that again. Though the United States produced many accomplished singers and musicians in the 20th century, everyone knows that there was no exaggeration or lying involved when Franklin was declared the Queen of Soul. The power of her voice and her music remains undiminished even after her death. Though there will never be another Aretha Franklin, multiple actresses are trying to recapture her magic. Jennifer Hudson is starring as Franklin in the film Respect. Now that Respect has been delayed until August, Genius: Aretha will be the first one out of the gate and will now be premiering on National Geographic next month. https://youtu.be/ryGpdVuuq_Y TV One celebrates Valentine’s Day with a special "REPRESENT BLACK LOVE" lineup featuring classic movies and shows. On Sunday, February 14 starting at 6 a.m./5C, the network air a special marathon of A DIFFERENT WORLD showcasing the 'Dwayne and Whitley's epic love affair. At 11 a.m./10C catch back-to-back airings of THE BEST MAN. Then settle in for a night of romance starting at 4 p.m./3C with three of the most iconic films in cinema history with MAHOGANY, CARMEN JONES and CLAUDINE. The networks' Black History Month programming continues with a full schedule of content that exemplifies this year's theme, "REPRESENT THE MOVEMENT." The network celebrates the young, "uplifted" and black leaders of the New Civil Rights Movement and what they hope for the future. The four female activists who will be featured in various spots throughout the month include Zyahna Bryant, Brea Baker, Nupol Kiazohu, and Kenidra Woods. Each activist will reflect and give their point of view on today's most important causes such as women's rights, criminal justice reform, freedom of speech, LGBTQ rights, racism, immigration and gun control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcBqC6NYdzc The love continues online with the launch of exclusive content from the cast of the TV One's original movie DON'T WASTE YOUR PRETTY. From Keri Hilson (“Think Like A Man,” “Almost Christmas”) to Deborah Joy Winans (“Greenleaf), the cast sits down to discuss what #BlackLove means to them. The content will be available across TV One’s digital and social platforms leading up to the film’s premiere on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 8 p.m./7C. Lifetime's highly anticipated gospel biopic Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, will premiere Saturday, April 3 at 8:00pm ET/PT. Tony® nominee Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play), Jason Dirden (Fences), Olivia Washington(The Butler) and Rob Demery (Lovecraft Country) join the film which is directed by Tony® Award-winner Kenny Leon and stars Tony Award nominee, SAG and Grammy® Award winning actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) as the gospel legend and civil rights trailblazer. In the movie, Dirden stars as Russell Roberts, the dashing, music-loving Reverend who falls for Mahalia when they first meet in the late 1940s while Kalukango takes on the role of Mildred, Mahalia’s talented and opinionated, long-time pianist. Washington portrays Estelle, a piano teacher Mahalia meets at church who goes on to become her life-long friend and Demery stars as the influential civil rights leader. TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, February 15 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. In this episode, David Quinn and Vince Velazquez revisit their first case as green, Atlanta homicide detectives in a cold-blooded murder of revenge. Dexter Freeman was suspected of operating a drug house in Southwest Atlanta. One fateful evening, he was found dead in the back of the drug house, a victim of an apparent drive-by shooting. The detectives discover that the four suspects returned to the home to address an earlier altercation. Despite the argument involving other people, it was Dexter who paid the ultimate price. The twists and turn that the detectives recount from their first homicide make for a ride-along to remember. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM0v0Em1rzw&feature=youtu.be TikTok personality Dazharia Shaffer, who was known as “Dee” on the video-sharing platform, has died, according to officials. She was 18. In a statement to PEOPLE, Coroner Shane Evans with the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office confirms that they responded to a suicide death on Tuesday for Dazharia. Dazharia’s father, Raheem Alla — who also goes by Rodney Andry — also confirmed her death in a video on TikTok. “I just want to thank everyone for their love and support of my daughter,” he wrote beside a montage of photos together. “Unfortunately she is no longer with us and has gone to a better place.” On a GoFundMe page that Alla created, he said his daughter — whom he lovingly referred to as his “little jelly bean” — died Monday and suggested that she struggled with her mental health. “Fear of Rain,” the new psychological thriller starring Harry Connick Jr. and Katherine Heigl, seeks to remove the stigma surrounding mental illness and promote greater empathy and understanding in society, according to the film’s stars and director. From Lionsgate, “Fear of Rain” follows Rain Burroughs (Madison Iseman), a teenage girl diagnosed with schizophrenia. Every day, Rain must decipher whether the disturbing images, harrowing voices, and traumatic feelings she experiences are real or conjured up in her mind. https://youtu.be/jFxOxLLzjG8 Lucasfilm says Gina Carano is no longer a part of “The Mandalorian” cast after many online called for her firing over a social media post that likened the experience of Jews during the Holocaust to the U.S. political climate. A spokesperson with the production company said in a statement on Wednesday that Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm with “no plans for her to be in the future.” “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable,” the statement read. Carano fell under heavy criticism after she posted that “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…. even by children.” Al Sharpton’s taken almost 17 years to officially call it quits on his marriage … he’s filed for divorce from his estranged wife. The Reverend separated from his wife, Kathy Jordan, back in 2004, but according to new legal docs … he just submitted the divorce paperwork Thursday in NYC. Sharpton and Jordan met in the ’70s when Al was touring with James Brown and she was a backup singer. They wed in 1980 and were together for 24 years before their split. Since then, the Rev’s been linked to multiple women, but has seemingly been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Aisha McShaw, since 2013. He has 2 adult daughters with Kathy. It’s unclear at this point if either Al or Kathy will be seeking spousal support. Less than one week after a crash that left three injured, including a 5-year-old who remains in critical condition, Britt Reid is no longer employed by the Kansas City Chiefs, according to multiple reports. The NFL will also investigate Reid, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who was in his second year as Chiefs outside linebackers assistant. Britt Reid hit two other vehicles in a Feb. 4 crash in Kansas City, Missouri, not far from the team practice facility, and the accident remains under investigation by the Kansas City Police Department. Pastor John Termini, a former real estate broker and his wife, Katie, have stepped in to lead the scandal-scarred Hillsong NYC in the wake of an explosive sex scandal that took down the church’s former celebrity lead pastor Carl Lentz. “My name is John Termini and I’m helping lead our church right now in this season. And I know this has been a really challenging time for our church to navigate. I want to take a moment … to say thank you that you’ve been praying with us, standing with us. We could not do this without you,” Termini said during a Jan. 24 broadcast to Hillsong East Coast churches. After a weekslong bout with COVID-19 left famed televangelist Frederick K.C. Price hospitalized with a ravaged heart, lungs and kidneys, sparking a global call for prayers, fellow televangelist Kenneth Copeland said he doesn’t believe the virus will kill his longtime friend. “For almost 50 years, Fred and Betty Price have been wonderful friends of our family. We have laughed together, cried together, and preached together. We’ve stayed in each other’s homes and have watched each other’s children grow up! We have truly lived life together,” Copeland said in a statement on Facebook urging prayers for Price Wednesday. “The first time I heard Fred Price in person was in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He ran onto the platform and shouted, ‘I am ready Freddy!’ What a man of God! What a man of faith and power! I don’t believe this disease can kill him. We as a family, and ministry, are standing strong for Apostle Frederick Price!” said Copeland, who leads the Texas-based Kenneth Copeland Ministries. Pope Francis will celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 17 in St. Peter’s Basilica rather than making the traditional walk from the Church of St. Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill, the Vatican said. Because of ongoing concerns about drawing a crowd and the potential that could have for spreading the coronavirus, the Mass and distribution of ashes will take place with a congregation of about 100 people at the Altar of the Chair in the basilica as has been the practice for the past several months, the Vatican press office said Feb. 5. Bradon Jacobs drops "Heal" featuring Jenipher N. Jones. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6494896?date=20210210&user_id=668306&signature=c_eRreeyQXITXC6M0SHYaq9Ueas%3AmWebmGWx Chick Corea, whose real name was Armando Corea, and a Grammy Award-winning pianist who played alongside fellow legends like Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz and Miles Davis, died Feb. 9, according to TheWrap. He was 79 years old. We’re learning of his death today (02-11-21) because that’s when it announced on his Facebook page. The post said he passed away Feb. 9 after a brief battle with “a rare form of cancer which was only discovered very recently.” https://youtu.be/2jAUZ139jGs In his first media availability as the official owner of the Jazz, Ryan Smith made a promise to his team and to the community about how the Jazz will go about dealing with matters of social justice. “It’s not that we’re going to be anti-racist; we’re going to be actively anti-racist as an organization,” Smith said. “And that means we’re going to take our time and our energy, and we’re going to use this platform to help make our communities more equitable from education to health care.” Earlier this week, teammate Donovan Mitchell expressed his disgust and sadness over news that a North Ogden, Utah charter elementary school allowed parents to opt their kids out of participating in Black History Month events. The decision, which has since been reversed following backlash, was made after a few parents asked for their kids to not participate. “I don’t know where to start…. racism is taught… and the fact that kids are being told by their own parents to not learn about black history and black excellence is sickening and sad!! And this is just part of the problem….. Smh,” Mitchell tweeted earlier this week. Outraged by the story, the Smith and the Jazz are seeking to address the issue head on with its new streaming program, “Black History Heroes,” for all K-12 students in Utah. https://youtu.be/XoEkRov-K0g A 10-year-old Louisiana girl who was abducted over the weekend was found safe after two sanitation workers spotted the suspected kidnapper’s vehicle, reports NBC News. The girl had gone missing on Sunday afternoon from a family member’s home in New Iberia. Police issued an Amber Alert for her and an arrest warrant for her alleged abductor, who police identified as Michael Sereal. Authorities said Sereal was last seen driving a silver Nissan Altima. Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, who work for Pelican Waste & Debris, said they had just started their route on Monday morning when they noticed a silver Nissan parked in the middle of a field in St. Martin Parish. Merrick said he immediately recognized the car from the Amber Alert. “I told the guy who rides with me, that’s the car. I pulled forward and backed up to block the entrance [to the field] and then called 911,” he told NBC News Wednesday. Robin Thicke admits he was abusing drugs and in a bad place during the height of his “Blurred Lines” fame. The singer is now making a comeback with his first album in seven years, set to drop on Friday. Thicke says the project, titled “On Earth, and in Heaven,” was inspired by his four kids. “In some ways, I’ve never been happier,” Thicke tells PEOPLE. The singer shares daughters Mia, 2½, and Lola, 23 months, as well as son Luca, 8 weeks, with fiancée April Love Geary, and son Julian, 10, with ex-wife Paula Patton. “In many ways, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. This album is a testament to all the love in my life and the people who have gotten me here.” The singers shared with the publication that he and Patton have grown closer over the past seven years as they co-parent amicably. We all remember the exact moment nine years ago when we first heard that Whitney Houston had drowned. On Feb. 11, 2012, at just 48-years-old, the golden-voiced phenom was found by her assistant face down in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton hotel suite in Los Angeles. She was due to perform at Clive Davis’ annual Pre-Grammy party later that night. https://youtu.be/Oih719Bv2uA Kevin Hart’s personal shopper allegedly stole more than $1 million from the comedian by making unauthorized purchases with his credit cards. Dylan Jason Syer, 29, has been charged on a 10-count indictment with grand larceny in the first and second degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the first and second degree, identity theft in the first degree and scheme to defraud in the first degree, per PEOPLE. Syer was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on Wednesday. The DA is taking him to civil court, “seeking to seize, restrain, and ultimately forfeit Syer’s assets up to the amount that he allegedly stole. Any recovered assets will first be used to make any victims of this crime whole.” HBO has announced the documentary “Tina,” about music icon Tina Turner, will debut March 27 in the U.S. The feature will be available exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. “Tina” will chronicle the highs and lows of Turner’s rise to fame. It features interviews with the music icon as well as never-before-seen footage, audio and personal photos, according to the report. Tessica Brown, the Louisiana woman who gained national attention for using Gorilla Glue in her hair, can finally let her scalp breathe now that she has had the glue removed from her hair. Brown flew to Los Angeles on Wednesday to undergo a special procedure by surgeon Dr. Michael Obeng in Beverly Hills. He offered to perform the $12,500 glue removal process for free, and it took about 4 hours to complete. TMZ documented the procedure. https://imagez.tmz.com/image/f0/4by3/2021/02/11/f094e5d4472340fcb50efcb41b85bf7d_xxs.jpg IMDb TV is teaming with LeBron James and Maverick Carter for “Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers,” a docuseries about a new mecca of high school athletics, nestled just outside of Los Angeles. Executive produced by James and Carter as part of their Uninterrupted brand, Top Class follows six principal players during the 2019-20 season of Sierra Canyon School’s boys basketball program. The back-to-back state champion Sierra Canyon Trailblazers exploded onto basketball’s national stage with one of the highest profile classes in history, including some of the nation’s highest-ranking players – BJ Boston, Amari Bailey, Bronny James, Shy Odom, Zaire Wade, and Ziaire Williams. https://youtu.be/PMF5xEQl9CU Spike Lee believes “we’re living historic moments,” now that Trump is out of the White House. In a new interview with Deadline, the acclaimed filmmaker gets candid about the state of affairs in America, from Trump’s impeachment to the COVID crisis, getting vaccinated and Hollywood’s ‘inclusion wave’. He also reflects on 2021 and the year ahead. “I think the world is a safer place now that Agent Orange is out of the White House, and last week, I got my Pfizer vaccine. I did not jump the line, did not cut the line,” said Lee. “I’m in the 1B group, and that includes educators. I’m a tenured professor at NYU graduate film school. So, I got my shot. My arm was sore for a day, but I feel fine now, and in less than three weeks, I go back for my second shot.” This year, YouTube launched #YouTubeBlackVoices Creator Class of 2021 in an effort to amplify Black voices globally. Members will be provide with resources to grow their channels through training workshops, partner support and grants from a $100 million fund. https://youtu.be/ZlLmbGCXsOY It looks like the NBA will not back Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban‘s recent request to ax the national anthem at future home games, according to a recent statement by the organization. “With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy,” a Wednesday statement from NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass. Bass’ statement goes along with the NBA’s decades-long policy which requires players to stand while the anthem is played. Reps. Stacey Plaskett and Joe Neguse emerged from day two of the Senate’s impeachment trial as prominent voices in the argument to bar Trump’s ability to run for office in perpetuity. Plaskett and Neguse are the only two Black House managers out of a total of nine assigned to argue before the Senate in the impeachment trial. Plaskett presented video she described as “chilling” on Wednesday which showed never-seen-before security footage as violent rioters broke into the building, along with footage of Officer Eugene Goodman leading Sen. Mitt Romney to safety. https://youtu.be/1eob-CGsFlM Some explosives have gone missing from the largest Marines training base in the U.S., and officials aren’t offering many details surrounding the disappearance. It was unclear both how many explosives and what type(s) of explosives have gone missing from the base in southern California, but officials opened up an investigation into the matter, the Associated Press reported. Local law enforcement has been notified about the disappearance from Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, but they are curiously not involved in the investigation. Training sessions involving thousands of Marines have been taking place there since last month and are scheduled to end next week. While no link between the two was immediately established, it’s important to note that the explosives were reported missing as an investigation was getting underway into the suspected infiltration of the U.S. military by right-wing extremists and white nationalists. Nearly a year after beginning his #WorshipWednesdays livestream services for stay-at-home worship services, gospel singer-songwriter and worship leader Israel Houghton is announcing pre-orders and sharing the first single, “Hymn of Breakthrough,” from a new live album Feels Like Home: The Quarantine Worship Experience. The album, which will be released February 26th, is derived from Israel & New Breed’s hugely successful live event of the same name last year which breathed electricity into the intimate #WorshipWednesdays setup for a three hour concert / worship experience. The Gospel Spotlights Israel Houghton!!! Hear Israel In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/israel_intvw.htm Death Saved My Life Premieres Saturday, February 13 at 8:00pm ET/PT on Lifetime..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej52LIH2ECU&feature=youtu.be Not only does the entire Senate have Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman to thank for diverting the advancing MAGA mob away from the chamber doors on Jan. 6, but Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, specifically, may have been mauled in the hallway had Goodman not diverted him from heading straight toward the insurrectionists. https://media12.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202102/1612998876295_nbc_spec_mitt_210210_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Tessica Brown, the TikToker who put Gorilla Glue in her hair because she ran out of her usual styling products, now regrets going public with the story. Speaking with Melicia Johnson for Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, Brown explained that she initially took her issue to social media because she was desperate for help. https://youtu.be/zwX0rsdlY80 Chris Harrison, host of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” appeared on “Extra” this week in an interview with correspondent and former contestant Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first Black bachelorette and the reality show’s fiercest critic when it comes to race. The interview did not go well for Harrison and a petition has been launched seeking his firing over appearing to defend a contestant’s resurfaced racist photos. https://youtu.be/9hmY1gSAuRk Country singer Morgan Wallen took to Instagram with an apology over his use of the N-word, and asks his fans not to defend him because he “was wrong” and now takes “ownership” of his actions. https://youtu.be/7-AW7itLhiw The University of Arizona is using virtual reality technology as part of an anti-racism project that allows participants to “walk in someone else’s shoes.” Dr. Bryan Carter, director of the Center for Digital Humanities, is using 360-degree cameras and virtual reality headsets to re-create common experiences of discrimination for its Anti-Racism Extended Reality Studio, or UA-ARXRS. “Being blamed for something you didn’t do or being racially profiled and followed around a grocery store or even being stopped for no reason at all by law enforcement,” Carter said. Trill or Not Trill, the nation’s top culturally responsive leadership institute, is proud to announce the launch of their new book We Wear Kicks to Work. Released in October 2020, the book merges theory, practice, and real-life stories within the world of higher education, leadership, and beyond. Available on paperback and Amazon Kindle, We Wear Kicks to Work redefines modern education and business tactics through pop culture analysis, case studies, and the creation of thoughtful, integrated solutions that appropriately reflect the current societal landscape. “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” finds Da Brat and Bow Wow not feeling Deb’s new project. Da Brat makes clear why she feels some type of way about Deb’s project. Will she be able to put her feelings aside and hop on the record or will she walk out? https://youtu.be/QBBz7DLsqEQ “My heritage is in Rock. I think I have the pipes for Gospel,” Jake Clemons laughed. He drops “We The People.” “I speak with my music. I try to be as truthful as possible, but not without hope.” Jake is a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, playing guitar as well as horn/sax, back-ground vocals and percussions. He also heads his own Jake Clemons Band. Jake replaced his uncle in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band – saxophonist Clarence Clemons – when he passed away. He has been in the band for almost 20 years now. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=we+the+people+jake+clemons&&view=detail&mid=C552DEC283A8E11B1341C552DEC283A8E11B1341&rvsmid=8C44378BF669841316408C44378BF66984131640&FORM=VDRVRV Contemporary worship music collective, Maverick City Music (founded by Tony Brown and Jonathan Jay), debuts at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Chart with the brand-new album, Move Your Heart. Additionally, the album’s lead single, “I Thank God” currently sits #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Sales chart. Currently, Maverick City Music dominates the charts across categories: #1 - Move Your Heart - Billboard Top Gospel Albums, Maverick City Music & UPPERROOM, #3 - Maverick City, Vol. 3: Part 1 - Billboard Top Gospel Albums, #7 - Maverick City, Vol. 3 - Part 2 - Billboard Top Gospel Albums, #8 - You Hold It All Together - Billboard Top Gospel Albums, Maverick City Music & UPPERROOM Weeks after Democrats took control of Congress and the White House, a Black lawmaker is making a renewed push for a national commission to examine the impact of slavery and reparations for descendants of millions of enslaved Africans. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Texas, announced the reintroduction of H.R. 40 to create the reparations commission last month, and next week the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is set to hear testimony on the bill. H.R. 40 has a long history in the House, championed for decades by the late Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and now by Lee. A Louisiana woman was arrested Tuesday in connection with the disappearance and death late last year of a Black teen whose body was found days after he was reported missing. Janet Irvin, 37, was jailed on charges of felony failure to report 15-year-old Quawan “Bobby” Charles missing and of contributing to juvenile delinquency, Sheriff Tommy Romero said in a news release and video statements. He said no bond has been set for Irvin, who was arrested in nearby Lafayette Parish and then moved to the Iberia Parish jail. Deputy Kathleen Breaux, a spokeswoman for Romero, said she did not know whether Irvin has an attorney who could speak for her. “I hope this arrest begins to help this family heal. and by no means is this case closed,” Romero said in a news release on video. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invites Episcopalians to deepen their participation in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation by dedicating offerings at observances of the Feast of Absalom Jones (February 13) and making individual donations to support St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC, and Voorhees College in Denmark, SC, two historically black Episcopal institutions of higher education. St. Augustine’s and Voorhees provide a liberal arts education to thousands of students, the vast majority of whom come from low-income households, and over 40% of whom are the first in their families to attend a four-year college. These schools also provide robust campus ministries which both evangelize and form young adults as followers of Jesus and his way of love. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced 16 nominees for its 2021 class of inductees, offering some satisfaction at last for fans who have long lobbied to see the Go-Go’s and Iron Maiden get on the ballot, while Foo Fighters and Jay-Z made it into contention in their very first year of eligibility. Jay-Z and Foo Fighters both released debut albums in 1995, landing them in the eligibility zone that requires nominees have a catalog dating back at least 25 years. Nominees making their first appearance on the ballot despite being previously eligible include Fela Kuti and Dionne Warwick, in addition to Iron Maiden and the Go-Go’s. Returning to contention after having been previously nominated: Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Chaka Khan, Carole King, LL Cool J, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner. The ultimate inductees for the 36th annual class will be announced in May, with honors set for the fall. The Dallas Mavericks will not play the national anthem prior to home games at the American Airlines Center this season. They have not done so for any of their 13 preseason and regular-season home games to this point, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed to Tim Cato of The Athletic on Monday that they will not play the song going forward even as fans return to the arena. Monday’s home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves was Dallas’ first this season with limited fans in attendance. An NBA spokesperson said “under the unique circumstances of this season, teams are permitted to run their pregame operations as they see fit.” Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams suffered a right ankle injury during her 6-1, 6-0 second-round loss to Italian veteran Sara Errani at the Australian Open on Wednesday. Williams, 40, was approaching the net while down 5-1 on serve in the first set against Errani and rolled the ankle after trying to stabilize herself to return the ball. The former world No. 1 immediately cried out in pain and took an injury timeout to receive treatment on the ankle, but she was visibly in distress as the doctor and trainer worked to determine the issue. Apostle Frederick K. C Price, founder of the Crenshaw Christian Church has tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before his 89th birthday on January 3. His wife, Dr. Betty R. Price also tested positive for the virus. “Happy 89th birthday Dad, I love you and honor you for the measuring stick of a man you’ve been my entire life,” his son Pastor Frederick Price Jr. posted on social media. “As many of you know my parents both tested positive for Covid-19. Once the frustration and annoyance passed, I reminded myself of their faith and the many challenges they’ve overcome. Coronavirus is just another notch on their belts. Thanks for all your prayers.” Michelle Obama and the puppets are bringing a new educational kids’ series to Netflix. Executive produced by Michelle and former President Barack Obama, the upcoming children’s series titled “Waffles + Mochi” will consist of 10 episodes aimed to encourage kids to eat healthily. The series will launch on March 16. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Etyg96nWYAAVJBy?format=jpg&name=small Longtime friends Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold are teaming up for a new talk show tentatively titled “Tisha & Tichina Have Issues.” The show will see them interview their celebrity pals. Each episode will be filmed from the pair’s homes, and feature candid discussions with A-listers and their closest confidants about their personal experiences and current events, per ET. “Tisha & Tichina Have Issues” is currently in development and will be shopped to networks and streaming platforms, according to the report. A teen from Northwest Indiana flies into the Black History books this month as the first ever female African-American Eagle Scout. “As a Scout, I want to be of service to others – lending a helping hand,” wrote Kendall Jackson in an essay for scoutingwire.org last May, when she was a Life Scout (the tier before Eagle). Jackson wrote about how she became interested in crossing the male service group’s gender and racial boundaries. https://youtu.be/GJ1V31Cuj3E Rihanna’s collaboration with the Paris-based luxury brand LVMH has reportedly come to an end. In a statement to Women’s Wear Daily, an LVMH rep said the luxury conglomerate and the singer “have jointly made the decision to put on hold the RTW activity, based in Europe, pending better conditions.” https://youtu.be/dksz6StTiBo An Idaho man standing in his own backyard was shot and killed by a cop who thought he was a suspect. According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, the incident occurred when a Bonneville County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a vehicle for a broken taillight in Idaho Falls. The passenger immediately took off running toward a residential neighborhood, while the driver remained on the scene, NBC News reports. https://youtu.be/yAafP2WWuGU NBA player Malik Beasley has been sentenced to 120 days in jail for one count of felony threats of violence. In December, the Minnesota Timberwolves player, 24, pleaded guilty to a couple of criminal charges surrounding an incident back in September when he pulled a weapon on a couple and their daughter. However, Malik wasn’t the only person charged in the incident, as his estranged wife Montana Yao was also charged with fifth-degree drug possession after nearly two pounds of marijuana was found in the couple’s home once police arrived at the scene—Malik’s drug charges were dismissed. Dr. Dre’s estranged wife Nicole Young is reportedly seeking the court’s help to go after the mogul’s alleged mistresses over money. Young is now trying to subpoena three women: singer Jillian Speer, model turned skincare entrepreneur Kili Anderson and Crystal Rogers, the ‘Queen of Latin hip-hop,” according to an exclusive report by the Daily Mail. They have all been named in a court filing in the bitter divorce. Young claims they are all former lovers of the music mogul. However, all three are fighting Nicole’s legal efforts to subpoena them as witnesses in the legal war with Dre. The couple’s nasty fight over his estimated $1billion empire centers on a pre-marital agreement they both signed in back in 1996. Young says one of the women “purchased a $2 million-plus home—in cash—back in 2019, and wants to know if Dre funded the purchase.” Young says the depositions of the women could affect her spousal support and the court’s decision on the prenup. Fans of NBC’s Wednesday night programming featuring “Chicago Fire”, “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med” get behind the scenes access as the shows celebrate their first virtual “One Chicago Day” tonight at 5 PM EST. https://youtu.be/aigxKPTarYk Kim Kardashian has clapped back at critics of her daughter’s artwork. The drama all started when the mother of four shared a photo of daughter North’s landscape painting. Social media users are highly doubtful that Kim’s 7-year-old “little artist” actually painted the artwork, which as PEOPLE points out, was done in a style similar to the works of famed artist Bob Ross. “i’m supposed to go but i can’t stop thinking about how north west did not paint this,” wrote one Twitter user, which Kardashian shared on her Instagram Story. “DON’T PLAY WITH ME WHEN IT COMES TO MY CHILDREN!!!” Kardashian wrote in a lengthy post. “My daughter and her best friend have been taking a serious oil painting class where their talents and creativity are being encouraged and nurtured.” NeNe Leakes has slammed reports that she has been dropped by her team. According to Lovebscott.com, NeNe is no longer represented by manager Steven Grossman at Untitled Entertainment or repped by ICM, and she has parted ways with attorney Darrell Miller of Fox Rothschild LLP. However Leakes took to social media to deny this. For all of you that are asking, emailing, in boxing, blogging, reporting etc. The ONLY statement i have… My team DID NOT let me go! No further statements at this time,” she tweeted on Tuesday. Aunt Jemima’s new brand name and logo has been revealed. The new name is Pearl Milling Company, the parent company PepsiCo announced on Tuesday. The new brand name is an homage to the original mill built in 1888 that began making the self-rising pancake mix in 1889, per MSN.com. https://youtu.be/efXD_7eTKUw You knew it was a matter of time before the 4-year-old girl who went viral with her made-up song, “Leave Me Alone,” would end up on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Milan Lloyd and her parents, Jovan and Malik Lloyd, appeared remotely on the daytime talk show Tuesday after video of her dramatically belting her freestyle “Leave Me Alone,” went viral. It all went down in the back seat of the Philadelphia family’s car while in a Chick-Fil-A drive thru. Asked by Ellen why she started belting the tune that day, Milan blamed her brother, explaining: “I said I wanted some juice and then he gave me water.” https://youtu.be/ak-Jm_DczXg Creating and maintaining a powerful social media presence is critically essential for success in today’s competitive, complex and changing business environment. Yet, for most small businesses or individual entrepreneurs, they don’t have large budgets to pay social media directors and teams to lead ongoing creations of eyepopping content and smart marketing strategies across popular social media platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and others. Fortunately, for small businesses and lone entrepreneurs, there’s Ripl, a company that is revolutionizing how social media can be effective – not expensive. Ripl, pronounced like “ripple. https://youtu.be/SwWvpOlOJ3U Marty Schottenheimer, who won 200 regular-season games with four NFL teams thanks to his “Martyball” brand of smashmouth football but regularly fell short in the playoffs, has died. He was 77. Schottenheimer died Monday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, his family said through Bob Moore, a former Kansas City Chiefs publicist. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. He was moved to a hospice on Jan. 30. Schottenheimer was the eighth-winningest coach in NFL history. He went 200-126-1 in 21 seasons with the Browns, Chiefs, Washington and Chargers. Terez Paylor, a national NFL writer for Yahoo Sports and Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, died unexpectedly Tuesday at age 37. Paylor worked for the Kansas City Star from 2006 to 2018, spending the last five seasons covering the Chiefs for the newspaper. He left to join Yahoo Sports, where he covered the NFL. “While we are shocked and saddened by Terez Paylor’s sudden passing, we also celebrate his extraordinary life that touched so many,” Ebony Reed, his fiancée and longtime girlfriend, said in an online post from Yahoo Sports. “Terez was an exceptional journalist whose passion for football made him a respected voice. His legacy will leave an enduring impact on sports journalism, the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans. Black and brown corrections officers in Minnesota were forbidden from guarding the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd, according to a new racial discrimination lawsuit. The eight corrections officers’ lawsuit also claimed that Derek Chauvin, who used his knee to apply deadly pressure to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, allegedly received preferential treatment behind bars from a higher ranking officer who is white. NBC News obtained a copy of the lawsuit that was filed Tuesday. It says in part that the corrections officers suing “were “segregated and prevented from doing their jobs by defendant solely because of the color of their skin.” The jail-wide policy was not a secret, either, the lawsuit says. An example of that policy in practice is when one of the officers suing was allegedly stopped from fully frisking Chauvin. A white officer was told to replace him and finish the job, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit specifically names Ramsey County Superintendent Steve Lydon as the one who “prevented” the corrections officers from doing their jobs because they were not white. After a marathon day of testimonies from House impeachment managers and Trump’s legal team, the Senate voted 56-44, declaring that moving forward with Trump’s second Senate impeachment trial is constitutional. House managers presented a montage of graphic seen before and never seen before footage of the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, where Trump supporters incited violence in a cowardly act of sedition. Six Republicans voted with Democrats including Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, and Pat Toomey. Senator Bill Cassidy was a new addition to the group, aligning with the original five Senators who previously voted that the trial stood on constitutional grounds. https://twitter.com/i/status/1359265545518989321 Authorities revealed that an investigation into a crash involving Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid which left two children injured, could take take weeks. During a Monday news conference Kansas City Attorney Howard Lotven revealed investigators were waiting for the outcome of Reid’s blood alcohol exam, which was sent to the Missouri state Highway Patrol lab, WDAF reports. “That usually takes 4-8 weeks. Only because they are testing those blood tests from all around the state,” said Lotven. On Feb. 4 Reid’s Dodge Ram collided with a Chevrolet Traverse stopped alongside Interstate 435. Inside the car were two children aged four and five, who both sustained injures in the crash. The five-year-old named Ariel is currently fighting for her life in the hospital. According to Ariel’s family she remains in critical condition. A GoFundMe to raise funds for Ariel has surpassed the $400,00 mark. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr denied Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ request for recusal in the Rayshard Brooks murder case on Tuesday, citing that his office could not find a conflict of interest. In a letter addressed to Willis, Carr wrote that “the responsibility for those cases remains with you and your office,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The District Attorney is dedicated to ensuring justice is done in these and all matters, and will handle these cases accordingly,” Willis said in a statement. The resolution comes nearly two weeks after Willis submitted a letter to Carr, alleging that her predecessor’s handling of the case warranted “sufficient question.” After Willis’ request, Carr had to decide whether he would assign the case to another prosecutor, take up the case in his office, or request for it to be taken up by the prosecuting attorneys council. “We knew that this was coming, but it was a very shocking moment when the Capitol was actually breached,” Jabir A. McKnight says of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot that has now led to more than 100 arrests. McKnight had a problem that morning: A trusted mentor cautioned him to work from home but his boss, a Democratic member of Congress, expected him to be at the U.S. Capitol, shadowing her. Electoral College votes would be counted and Joseph R. Biden Jr. would be on his way to the White House, but Republicans had threatened to contest the votes from several states. Supporters of then-President Donald J. Trump were expected to protest. It might get ugly and he would be in the thick of it. “Then we got an alert that there was a pipe bomb found outside that Cannon office [building], and that was shocking. I’m like, ‘Wow.’” McKnight is a communications director in the House of Representatives, wrangling journalists for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), one of 27 African-American women in Congress. Although none of them serve in the Democratic leadership — it has been 44 years since the last time that happened — Jackson Lee is their most visible standard-bearer. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Jabir+A.+McKnight+utube+capitol&docid=13830649286862&mid=DC91D3A46CA75E29E895DC91D3A46CA75E29E895&view=detail&FORM=VIRE A Georgia state representative has proposed a resolution to declare racism a public health crisis in the state. The resolution includes references to rates of use of force by police in Black and brown communities, exposure to racism’s effect on stress hormones, and more. Democratic state Rep. Sandra Scott, who represents Georgia’s 76th District, said in a statement that the declaration was “just the first step” toward better health. She added: “Racism and health are tied together on many different fronts: where we live, go to school, the air we breathe, our income, wealth, health care, and much more,” Scott said. “It is time for Black and brown people to stand up, speak out and demand better care in all areas of our life.” Scott is asking state officials to develop plans to tackle racial inequalities and engage communities in working toward coming up with solutions to the problem. Organizations including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, and more have already declared that racism is a public health issue. https://eurweb.com/2021/02/09/lawmaker-wants-racism-declared-a-public-health-crisis-in-georgia-video/ Rod Ponton, the Presidio County, Texas lawyer whose inability to turn off his cat filter during a Zoom court appearance went viral, is not on Twitter, and had no idea he had become a worldwide sensation until he started getting bombarded with calls from reporters – barely an hour after the hearing ended. https://youtu.be/KxlPGPupdd8 Peacock, The NBCUniversal streaming platform, has ordered a 10-episode limited series based on the “Best Man” movies. The series titled “The Best Man: Final Chapters” will follow the life events of the eight main characters in “The Best Man” and “The Best Man Holiday.” The original cast set to reprise their roles include Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau. Writer-director, Malcolm D. Lee, is also back to write and executive produce the series with Dayna Lynne North (Insecure). Diana Ross, who began singing with Mary Wilson when the two were teenagers, is mourning her Supremes co-founder, who died suddenly Monday night at age 76. “I just woke up to this news, my condolences to you Mary’s family. I am reminded that each day is a gift,” Ross tweeted, adding that she has “so many wonderful memories of our time together” and knows “‘The Supremes’ will live on, in our hearts.” At 15, Wilson was a founding member of the hit-making group that started as a quartet called The Primettes – formed with her Detroit housing project neighbor Ross, Betty McGlown and Florence Ballard. Motown founder Berry Gordy, whom The Primettes successfully lobbied to sign them to his label after he said they needed to change their name, said in a statement to USA TODAY that he was “extremely shocked and saddened to hear” of Wilson’s passing. “I was always proud of Mary,” he added. “She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.” Paris Hilton testified about abuse she says she suffered years ago at a boarding school in Utah, as she lobbied Monday for a bill seeking to regulate the state’s troubled teen industry. Hilton was sent to Provo Canyon School for 11 months at age 17 where she says she was abused mentally and physically, recalling that staff members would beat her, force her to take unknown pills, watch her shower and send her to solitary confinement without clothes as punishment. The socialite and reality TV star also spoke about the abuse in a documentary titled “This is Paris” that was released this fall. Hilton testified at a state Senate committee hearing at the Utah Capitol in favor of the bill that would require more government oversight of youth residential treatment centers and require them to document when they use restraints. The measure passed unanimously following emotional testimony from Hilton and several other survivors. Are we off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz — again? New Line Cinema is making a new adaptation of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” L. Frank Baum children’s novel, with Nicole Kassell, the visual architect of “Watchmen,” set to direct. Baum’s 1900 novel, now in the public domain, has spawned many adaptations over the years — most famously, of course, the 1939 MGM musical by Victor Fleming and starring Judy Garland. Kassell’s version will not be a musical. New Line said it will be a “fresh take” and a “reimagining” of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” It will have some advantages, too, since Warner Bros. owns New Line and the 1939 film. That means it can use some trademarked elements like the ruby slippers. The world-famous medieval Bayeux Tapestry may be off-limits to visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but its keepers have put a digital version online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. At nearly 70 meters (77 yards) long, users may have to be skilled at using the scroll function of their computers. The resolution is so clear in the online panorama that you can see the fibers of each stitch when you zoom in. The Bayeux Tapestry is thought to date to the 11th century, and depicts events leading up to the Norman conquest of England, bringing the era to life in vivid — and sometimes bloody — detail. Following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55, the football world’s attention deservedly focused in on Tom Brady. The future Hall of Fame quarterback had won his seventh Super Bowl by defeating the player most likely to challenge his GOAT status one day: Patrick Mahomes. But there was also a question as to how Mahomes would handle his Super Bowl defeat. Well, it didn’t take long to find out. After the final whistle sounded, the Chiefs quarterback was among the first players on the field to congratulate Brady on the win. And thanks to NFL Films, we can hear exactly what was said in the mic’d-up conversation. https://twitter.com/i/status/1359182772695359490 Veteran businesswoman Cindy Tawiah is proud to announce the opening of Maryland’s newest Black-owned spa. The Diva Day Spa Healing and Retreat Centre, located in the city of Upperco (just 30 minutes from downtown Baltimore), is a dream that’s been a decade in the making. The spa will offer detox sauna treatments, foot detoxes, healing and counseling services, and wellness workshops. “You can’t heal what you don’t reveal,” Cindy says on her core beliefs about the power of self-care. “We speak so often about self-care yet we are afraid to do the inner work that will get results.” For Cindy, The Diva Day Spa is designed to help clientele achieve those results by launching their journey of reflection and healing. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The pilot who crashed the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, killing all nine aboard, made a series of poor decisions that led him to fly blindly into a wall of clouds where he became so disoriented he thought he was climbing when the craft was plunging toward a Southern California hillside, federal safety officials said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board primarily blamed pilot Ara Zobayan in the Jan. 26, 2020 crash that killed him along with Bryant, the basketball star’s daughter and six other passengers heading to a girls basketball tournament. Zobayan, an experienced pilot, ignored his training, violated flight rules by flying into conditions where he couldn’t see and failed to take alternate measures, such as slowing down and landing or switching to auto-pilot, that would have averted the tragedy. Following the successful partnership of Lifetime with Bishop T.D. Jakes with Faith Under Fire and I Am Somebody’s Child, Lifetime reteams with the Bishop for two movies –Lust: A Deadly Sins Saga and Envy: A Deadly Sins Saga – based on two books from the Seven Deadly Sins anthology by Victoria Christopher Murray. Lust: A Deadly Sins Saga (wt) premieres onSaturday, April 17th at 8pm ET/PT and stars Keri Hilson (Love By The 10th Date), Tobias Truvillion (One Life to Live), and Durrell ‘Tank’ Babbs (The New Edition Story). Envy: A Deadly Sins Saga premieres on Saturday, April 24th at 8pm ET/PT and stars Serayah (Empire), Rose Rollins (The L Word), and Kandi Burruss (Real Housewives of Atlanta). Bishop T.D. Jakes and Derrick Williams serve as executive producers on both films, alongside TV host, Shaun Robinson, who under the Broader Focus initiative, will executive produce movies for the first time. Sixteen-time GRAMMY-winning artist, songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin and Sony Music Entertainment today announced the launch of “Good Words with Kirk Franklin,” a new podcast series that welcomes people from every cross section of life who seek inspiration and empowerment. Through intimate conversations exploring faith, redemption, and the realities of today's world, Franklin invites listeners into shared moments with some of the biggest names across entertainment, beginning with Pharrell Williams. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-words-with-kirk-franklin/id1550112679?mt=2&itscg=80085&itsct=pod_kirkfranklin_goodwords The incomparable CeCe Winans is back with her first live recording taped in Nashville, Tennessee. The highly anticipated Believe For It is an inviting 78 minutes of worship, offering 12 engaging tracks that highlight some of the biggest songs in Christian music today. Tracks such as, “King of Glory”, “Hunger” and Worthy of It All” will definitely lead fans back to the throne room. The award-winning trailblazer delivers two new cuts on the upcoming album “No Greater” and the title track, “Believe For It” which is NOW available world-wide, impacts Christian radio on February 26. CeCe’s long-time fans and new followers can mark their calendars to join her for a night to remember. Sponsored by Compassion International, Winans is set to host An Evening of Thanksgiving a concert special airing virtually on Sunday, February 21, 2021 featuring Carrie Underwood, Tauren Wells & Marvin Winans. Hip hop icon & Media Mogul Master P & Romeo Miller team up with film director LazRael Lison & soundtrack producer Tracy Bell (Asah Entertainment) on new romantic comedy film "Never and Again" scheduled to release February 11th on BET Plus. The highly anticipated film features star studded cast: Master P, Jackie Long (ATL, Games People Play), Denise Boutte (Why Did I Get Married, Meet the Browns) Ella Joyce (Set the Off, Roc), Christian Keyes (Saints & Sinners) Vanessa Simmons (Monogamy), Bebe Drake, Cymphonique Miller, Day 26’s Willie Taylor, Bishop Don Magic Juan and Jayson Bernard. Singer-songwriter John Legend, known for his contributions in the R&B realm, says he’d never have become a recording artist without the influence of his childhood church. “I grew up in a Pentecostal church in Springfield, Ohio,” the 11-time Grammy Award-winning artist said Friday (Feb. 5), during a virtual news conference for the upcoming PBS documentary series “The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song.” “And that was my first extensive exposure to music of any sort during that time, and it was what inspired me to want to sing, because I was around all this singing, and I wanted to be part of it.” Leaders at First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, voted Monday to keep indoor worship services suspended until 70% of the city is vaccinated as a more highly transmissible coronavirus variant spreads rapidly around the U.S. Linda Kurtz, the church’s associate pastor of Christian formation, made the announcement Monday night in a statement on Twitter. “Tonight, my church leaders decided to not resume in-person worship until 70% of our city has been vaccinated. Also tonight, my spouse’s church leaders are bullying him into resuming in-person worship ASAP. Our incidence rates remain sky-high. I’m worried for our safety,” Kurtz said. Alleah Taylor, the ex-girlfriend of NFL player Chad Wheeler, is speaking out for the first time following their domestic violence incident last month. Wheeler pleaded not guilty during an arraignment last week to criminal charges of first-degree domestic violence assault, domestic violence unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. Wheeler was arrested and charged after viciously beating Taylor unconscious twice on January 22 and leaving her for dead. At one point she woke up and he allegedly asked her, “Wow you’re alive?” — that’s when she ran into the bathroom and called 911, CBS reported. When police arrived, they heard her screaming, prompting officers to force entry into the home, the report said. Officers found the victim covered in blood and her left arm was limp. She was hospitalized and Wheeler was detained. https://twitter.com/i/status/1359122889702838272 Jonas Schwartz, who anchored pregame and postgame Jets coverage on SportsNet New York, is now suing the network and its parent company Sterling Entertainment Enterprises for racial discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York – as well as a complaint he filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – accuses SNY of taking Schwartz off a segment about “how football players were walking out of practice to support social justice” last August because he is white and later retaliating by firing Schwartz after he complained to HR about being the victim of discrimination. According to both the EEOC complaint and the lawsuit, reported by The Wrap, Schwartz was due to host the aforementioned segment with Jeané Coakley, Ralph Vachianno and Bart Scott. But Coakley said in a “loud, pained voice,” “No offense, but I don’t want to do this with a couple of white guys. You can’t understand what we are going through. Why are we doing this with white guys?” https://youtu.be/_1KltnLSSHE Former Chicago Bears linebacker Sam Acho is on a mission to encourage Christians to live boldly and transparently for Christ in a world that promotes superficiality and deception. “When God gets the glory, people around you benefit and the world around you thrives,” Acho said during a recent interview on “The Crazy Happy Podcast,” hosted by Pastor Daniel Fusco and Billy Hallowell. “When you’re who God created you to be, when you’re not faking or pretending or hiding and you’re using the gifts God gave you He gets glory because of that,” he continued. Super Bowl LV was expected to be a quarterback showdown. Arguably the greatest quarterback of all time — Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady in his first season with a new team — against arguably the greatest quarterback of the younger generation — Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes trying to win back-to-back titles. Only one quarterback was impressive Sunday night, and it was the 43-year-old Brady. If an entire unit could win MVP, the Buccaneers defense would deserve it. The Tampa D pressured the QB all night. Leading that stout defense Sunday night was second-year middle linebacker Devin White. When asked how he felt to be a Super Bowl champion, White said, “I’m so blessed. I’m so thankful … And I was just so thankful to be able to take the stage tonight. God was on our side and we put in a lot of work. I’m just so thankful.” https://youtu.be/lRkP0JWzAho The Robinhood app is being sued by the parents of a 20-year-old who died by suicide last year after believing he owed the company $730,000. Alex Kearns died by suicide in June 2020 after reportedly discovering he had a negative balance of $730,000 on the app, which his parents said led him to falsely believe he was in massive debt as the result of some risky trades. They have since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company. According to the lawsuit, Alex was sent an email demanding immediate payment of more than $170,000, but when he attempted to reach customer service to get to the bottom of the issue he was unsuccessful, PEOPLE reports. https://youtu.be/4X2qG_x_KaE Natalia Bryant, daughter of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, is launching a career in modeling. The teenager has signed with IMG Models, the agency announced on Instagram Monday. “I have always been interested in fashion since a very young age,” 18-year-old Natalia said in a statement. “I have a love for the industry and ever since I can remember I wanted to model. There is a lot to learn but I feel this is a great opportunity for me to learn and express myself creatively.” “I am beyond thrilled and so honored to be a part of the IMG family!” she wrote on her Instagram Stories. https://www.instagram.com/p/CLDuFPKBQ9K/?utm_source=ig_embed Halle Berry has clapped back at online trolls who are harassing her over her love life. It all started on Saturday when Berry shared a quote on Instagram that read, “Women don’t owe you s—.” One IG user commented, “@halleberry you’re right, men definitely don’t owe women anything, same as women don’t owe men anything. @halleberry you may have to start looking in the mirror, because it’s definitely you. What is it that you’re doing wrong? With all of your accomplishments, fame, beauty, it seems as if you can’t keep a man. I get the feeling that you’re too controlling, demanding and probably full of your self [sic]. IDK but it’s definitely you. Ask yourself, what is it that you’re doing wrong.” Berry replied, “Who said I wanted to keep them? I’m all about living your best life, if you make a wrong move, course correct and re-spin and start again!” Lee Daniels is adapting Sam Greenlee’s 1969 novel “The Spook Who Sat by the Door,” for FX, the cable network announced Monday. Daniels will executive produce the series through his company, Lee Daniels Television. The novel tells the fictional story of the first Black CIA officer hired by the agency in the late 60s. The book, as noted by TheWrap, was celebrated by the Black nationalist movement during the civil rights era and was previously adapted for the screen in 1973, starring Lawrence Cook. Per FX, “The story chronicles the quest of Freeman, who was recruited as part of an affirmative-action program. After a very competitive selection process he trains in high-level combat and espionage. However, following this arduous training, this model recruit is rewarded with a post in the reprographics (aka photocopying) department, ‘left by the door’ as a token of the CIA’s ‘racial equality.’” Shaunie O’Neal is not a selfish ex-wife. Nope. She says she’s rooting for ex-husband Shaq to remarry. And not only that, she’ll be there to watch him walk down the aisle. “When I see Shaq with a new woman I’ll be like, ‘Oh, is this the one. Please let this be the one. Like, girl, stick in there — you got this,’” the “Basketball Wives” creator/founder and producer told Page Six. Kirk Franklin was on “Today” Tuesday to promote his new celeb interview podcast “Good Words,” he got co-host Craig Melvin to belt a few lines from “Why We Sing.” https://media14.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202102/tdy_concert_kirk_franklin__753161.focal-760x428.jpg WE tv today announced a new series “THE TS MADISON EXPERIENCE,” starring the social media sensation, TS Madison, premiering Thursday, March 4. Produced by World of Wonder (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Million Dollar Listing” franchise), the six, one-hour episodes follow Madison as she navigates her authentic journey as an internet star while adapting to the new normal of today’s world. TS Madison is a loud, brash, and outrageous social media star and influencer with a huge following of adoring fans from her hilarious online shows, most notably, “The Queens Supreme Court.” Now, she turns her sights to her next goal – to be the first black, transgender woman to host a mainstream talk show. https://youtu.be/zfYYXuDQ6xc Christina Milian has been tapped to takeover Naya Rivera’s role in the YouTube-to-Starz Step Up TV series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rivera starred in the role of “Collette,” during the first two seasons of the series, based on the movies of the same name. Rivera’s family is said to have given their blessing to the recasting. Rivera was found dead in July, nearly a week after she disappeared during a boating outing in Ventura County, California, with her son, Josey. She was 33. The new teaser for “American Idol” shows controversial teen influencer Claudia Conway hoping to win a golden ticket to Hollywood. The 16-year-old is the daughter of Donald Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway and The Lincoln Project co-founder George Conway. A new clip from AI teases her audition in front of judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. https://twitter.com/i/status/1358972677055078402 The TikToker who put Gorilla Glue in her hair because she ran out of her usual styling products, has turned to a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills for help. According to TMZ, Dr. Michael Obeng says he can remove the adhesive spray product from her hair via a lengthy procedure. The Louisiana woman dubbed #GorillaGlueGirl finally took the advice of several social media users and checked herself into the hospital on Saturday. For some reason, a huge fight broke out at a trampoline park in Peoria, Ill late Saturday night (Feb. 6), with very little mask wearing and no police arrests. https://youtu.be/CwldmWMZZHo While death is inevitably a part of life, that truth doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to those who have died. Mary Wilson, one of the founding members of The Supremes, the legendary trio who went on to make music history with the legendary Motown Records, has died at the age of 76. Her death on Feb. 8 was unexpected, according to her publicist. There was no cause of death immediately announced. RCA Inspiration, one of the premiere labels in Gospel and inspirational music, announces a strategic partnership with the entertainment company Marquis Boone Enterprises, to release upcoming projects from Kelontae Gavin and Fresh Start Worship. The record label, under its partnership with the entertainment company, will provide a range of cross-departmental support including distribution, radio promotion, marketing, sales, publicity, production, among other areas. Led by Phil Thornton, SVP and General Manager of RCA Inspiration, and Marquis Boone, Founder of Marquis Boone Enterprises, the partnership’s preliminary releases for 2021 will include a full-length album from Kelontae Gavin, and a single from the Fresh Start Worship group. Founded in 2013, Marquis Boone Enterprises has garnered success in the industry with discovering and developing new young artists. The Atlanta-based artist manager, pastor and author has built an independent company managing fresh contemporary voices including Casey J, Bri Babineaux, Kelontae Gavin, and Fresh Start Worship. The family of a five-year-old girl fighting for her life after sustaining injuries in a multi-vehicle car crash involving Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid, recently launched a GoFundMe campaign, which doubled its intended financial goal. As of Monday, the family of the young child named Ariel raised over $300,000 for her recovery. But the case stirs up sentiment of the “haves” and “have nots” in a political and social climate triggered by the systemic injustices Black families continually suffer under, even before the pandemic. “Ariel who just turned 5 years old suffered swelling in the brain and bleeding around her brain, she hasn’t woken since the crash,” the girl’s aunt, Tiffany Verhulst, wrote on GoFundMe. “She is still in very critical condition.” Britt Reid, the son of Kansas City Chief head coach Andy Reid, became involved in the accident days before the team partook in Super Bowl LV where they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Reid was not present during the game. A former basketball coach claims his idea to showcase players at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) was “stolen” by a company affiliated with college athletics’ governing body and secured for TV rights. Now, he wants an equitable resolution, his lawyers say. Travis L. Williams, who used to coach at Tennessee State University and Fort Valley State University (HBCUs), is alleging he got cut out of a deal he proposed last year, according to a press release from the law offices of Ben Crump. After pitching the idea of hosting an HBCU All-Star game at the Final Four, a managing director with the NCAA directed him to Intersport Global, a white marketing firm that works with the NCAA and its annual Final Four efforts, the press release said. Intersport Global and the NCAA moved ahead without Williams’ and instead offered him “a small consulting role.” Williams turned down the offer. His lawyers say that “besides the impropriety of stealing this idea from an African American for the company’s own gain, Intersport Global lacks the diversity within its organization to host an HBCU event.” A press conference has been announced for Tuesday morning in Atlanta, where legal action could be announced. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries can be called many things: a Brooklynite, a Congressman, a high-ranking Democrat; the list goes on. But one thing you can’t call him is a liar. That truth has especially been on resounding display ahead of Donald Trump‘s second impeachment trial in the Senate, where Republicans have apparently already decided against a conviction despite overwhelming proof that the former president incited a deadly insurrection by a mob of his supporters at the U.S. Capitol last month stemming from his baseless lies of election fraud. During an interview with the Washington Post Monday morning, Jeffries called out those same Senate Republicans for failing to understand the gravity of their looming decision to acquit Trump of the single article of impeachment for inciting insurrection. If they vote to acquit Trump, it will set a dangerous precedent for future outgoing presidents who refuse to accept the election outcomes if they lose, Jeffries, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, reasoned. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt_SXDdK6qBv4FfJ8DybxKg The New York Philharmonic launched an on-demand video and audio streaming service Monday called NYPhil+ that is available for $50 annually or $4.99 monthly. Initial selections include David Lang’s “Prisoner of the State” and Julia Wolfe’s “Fire in My Mouth,” both with music director Jaap van Zweden, and a new concert featuring conductor David Robertson and pianist Emanuel Ax. Selections include five decades of “Live From Lincoln Center” PBS telecasts and Facebook broadcasts.There are no initial selections involving Leonard Bernstein, the Philharmonic’s music director from 1958-69. New programs will be added in future months. The Philharmonic stopped large-scale live concerts last March because of the new coronavirus pandemic. In the year since the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant crashed into a hillside on a foggy morning, killing all nine aboard, there’s been plenty of finger-pointing over the cause of the tragedy. Bryant’s widow blamed the pilot. She and families of other victims also faulted the companies that owned and operated the helicopter. The brother of the pilot didn’t blame Bryant but said he knew the risks of flying. The helicopter companies said the weather was an act of God and blamed air traffic controllers. On Tuesday, federal safety officials are expected to announce the long-awaited probable cause of the crash that unleashed worldwide grief for the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits and prompted state and federal legislation. “I think the whole world is watching because it’s Kobe,” said Ed Coleman, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor and safety science expert. She’s due to give birth to a daughter any day now. And Brittany Matthews was looking to the future after her fiancé and Patrick Mahomes’ team Kansas City Chief lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Super Bowl LV. ‘Not how we wanted it to end, but 15 played his heart out and I’m always and forever proud of him in everything he does!’ Matthews, 25, tweeted after the championship game ended. ‘Now let’s have a baby.’ The Buccaneers won 31-9 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday. Mahomes, 25, and Matthews, a former professional soccer player turned fitness trainer, met in high school and started dating in the 10th grade. NFL legend Tom Brady keeps at the top of his game with a spartan regime that means no coffee, white sugar, processed flour or any dairy products. Brady, 43, who recorded his seventh Super Bowl win last night as he steered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a comfortable 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, even cuts out certain ‘healthy’ vegetables – such as tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum and mushrooms – because they can cause inflammation. Several community leaders in Houston, and now several members of the U.S. Congress, are pushing to rename Negrohead Lake in Baytown, TX. NAACP President Dr. James Dixon said the name is embarrassing and an affront to citizens whose tax dollars are used to maintain the lake. “This is derogatory to our children and it fuels and perpetuates that racism is okay,” Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said at a news conference Monday. “Initially, they used the N word that I won’t use on television,” Ellis said. https://youtu.be/cOlsK_cWjAk Five-time Grammy-winning artist Yolanda Adams returns to Philadelphia radio to host her brand-new syndicated morning show on Philly’s Favor 100.7 FM. The Yolanda Adams Morning Show will debut on the new Philly’s Favor 100.7 FM on Monday, February 8, 2021 from 6 a.m. -10 a.m. (ET). The announcement was made today by Jonathan A. Mason, Sr. President, Jamjacker Enterprises, LLC. Philly’s Favor 100.7 FM, which launched last year, brings a 24-hour inspirational format to FM radio every weekday with a stellar line up of gospel music’s brightest stars. The mayor of St. Petersburg, Fl. is not happy with 50 Cent after he threw a massive party in the area over the weekend. 50 Cent hosted a party at a private airport hanger in the city, just outside of Tampa, Fl. There were reportedly rules that people had to wear masks and social distance, but footage from inside show very few masks were worn and there was hardly any social distancing. Guests paid anywhere from $85 to $7,000 to enter and get a table on the stage. DJ Fresh of Tampa also performed. St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman reacted to the party on Twitter with a message for the Power actor. “This isn’t how we should be celebrating the Super Bowl. It’s not safe or smart. It’s stupid. We’re going to take a very close look at this, and it may end up costing someone a lot more than 50 cent.” The Warner Bros film “Judas and the Black Messiah” tells the story of the 1969 murder of Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya as the charismatic Hampton, and LaKeith Stanfield portrays FBI informant William (Bill) O’Neal, the man who infiltrated the Panthers and provided the layout to Hampton’s apartment where he was murdered while sleeping with his pregnant fiancé Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback.) https://youtu.be/6ivHf4ODMi4 Nene Leakes has allegedly been dropped by her manager and attorney amid her fight for equality for Black women in reality television. According to Lovebscott.com, NeNe is no longer represented by manager Steven Grossman at Untitled Entertainment or repped by ICM, and she has parted ways with attorney Darrell Miller of Fox Rothschild LLP. Leakes took to social media to call out Grossman and rant about an alleged conspiracy against her, thejasminebrand.com reported. “You can’t turn on your teammate and get away with this @stevengrossman#DarrellMiller #Foxrothschild suppression, retaliation, discrimination, unequal pay, devaluation against black women is real, it’s painful and it hurts. I will fight for all women rights PS: FIX IT,” she wrote. Chevrolet shared a glimpse of how it’s teaming up with Walt Disney World® to reveal the new, all-electric 2022 Bolt EUV and redesigned Bolt EV on Feb. 14. The 15-second teaser features the legendary Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts as they catch a ride in the new Bolt EUV. To find out how the journey unfolds, join Chevrolet and TikTok creator Nick Cho aka @yourkoreandad for the reveal – previously recorded on location at Walt Disney World® – on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. EST at www.chevy.com/EV. Red Street Records – owned by Rascal Flatts’ member Jay DeMarcus – is proud to announce the label’s sponsorship of Natalie Decker as she joins RSS Racing, managed by Reaume Brothers Racing, for five races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This is a historic partnership – the first time a Christian music label has sponsored a NASCAR driver. David and Tiffany Spencer are a dynamic couple who are married under the bond of God's love and are dedicated in music and ministry. They released their "We Are One” single in January with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s. dream in mind, that we can get to the promised land united as one! "We Are One" is an up-tempo, inspiring battle cry and reminder that we should continue to labor together until we realize Dr. King's dream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TS8pIsfeJM&feature=youtu.be Pedro Gomez, an ESPN reporter since 2003 and one of the country’s foremost baseball journalists, died unexpectedly Sunday. He was 58. Gomez, who was based in Phoenix, covered baseball for Sports Center, Baseball Tonight and other ESPN studio shows, live events and radio. During his 35-year career, he covered more than 25 World Series and more than 20 All-Star Games. Michael B. Jordan, through his Outlier Society TV deal at Amazon Studios, will turn the life of Muhammad Ali into a limited series with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation producing. Jordan and Amazon Studios Head Jennifer Salke announced that they will be teaming up with Amazon Prime for the series tentatively titled “The Greatest,” and with the blessing of Ali’s estate. Jordan added, “This is character driven and compelling,” he said. “People know Muhammad Ali from his boxing days, but this is an opportunity to go beyond the ring, and more into the man. It’s going to give more of a 360 degree view of who he was. And no, I’m not playing that guy, I can say that for sure, and we are still in early stages here and can’t say too much. We are still putting the pieces together, but it feels like something to look forward to in the future.” TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, February 8 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez recount their past homicide investigations on the streets of Atlanta in their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic recreations from actors Angelo Diaz as David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vurckruQB0c&feature=youtu.be The family of two missing brothers say they have received death threats after the boys disappeared two months ago while playing outside their California home. Orson West, three, and his four-year-old brother Orrin were reported missing from California City just days before Christmas. Parents-of-six Trezol and Jaqueline West, who fostered the boys in 2018 and adopted them the year after, said the back gate had been left open when they vanished. Now the toddlers’ adoptive uncle Jamal Watkins has told ABC: ‘We offered a reward out of our own pockets. ‘It is misguided to blame uncles and aunts and grandparents for children who are missing that we love and care about and are trying to find.’ Worst Cooks in America winner Ariel Robinson, who has been charged with beating her adopted white daughter to death, tweeted about her three white children’s privilege after adopting them to ‘complete’ her black family. Robinson, 29, and her husband Jerry, 34, are both in jail on suspicion of beating their adopted three-year-old daughter Victoria to death on January 14 at their home in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The black couple have two biological sons. In February 2020, they adopted three white children – Victoria and her two biological brothers. It’s unclear why Victoria and her brothers were put up for adoption. On social media, Robinson gushed that they ‘completed’ her family and allowed her to teach all of her children equality by parenting them the same way despite their different races. A 6-year-old and a man in his 20s were injured in a shooting that happened at a church event in San Antonio on Sunday, WOAI reports. The San Antonio NBC-Affiliate is reporting the boy is expected to be OK, but the man is in critical condition from the gunfire. A church event was going on at Greater Faith Institutional Church in the city’s east side when a man, his girlfriend and the young boy showed up. A man, accused of waiting under a tree, then rushed up to their car and opened fire. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus says it was not a random shooting and he believes the suspect was allegedly targeting the man. News reports out of Virginia say a woman died within hours of receiving the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, according to her family. However, state officials say that her death and the vaccine may not be related. The woman, Drene Keyes, 58, received her Pfizer vaccine at a clinic in Warsaw, which is about 80 miles north of Newport News, before falling ill, Warsaw police Chief Joan Kent told NBC News. Keyes remained at the clinic for 15 minutes after the shot, as recommended, before returning to the clinic later that day, Kent said. She was rushed to VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital, where she died Saturday. “A co-worker said that she was trying to get in the car and said ‘something’s not right’,” her daughter Lisa Jones said. Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s vaccine coordinator, said he learned about her death immediately. The case is under investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley made it plain Sunday while discussing the Jan. 6 MAGA insurrection at the Capitol with CNN’s Jake Tapper. “One of the images that I’m haunted by is the Black custodial staff cleaning up the mess left by that violent White supremacist mob,” the Massachusetts lawmaker said on “State of the Union.” “That is a metaphor for America. We have been cleaning up after violent, white supremacist mobs for generations and it must end.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1358435903748923392 Jeep’s Super Bowl commercial will star Bruce Springsteen narrating a somber plea to end division in the U.S., in contrast to the lighter tone struck by many of the game’s other ads. The two-minute commercial, titled “The Middle,” finds Mr. Springsteen on the grounds of the U.S. Center Chapel in Lebanon, Kan., which he describes as the geographical middle point of the nation’s lower 48 states. https://youtu.be/D2XYH-IEvhI “The Chosen” is the first-ever multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus and now it’s coming to Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The series takes viewers on a journey that allows them to see sides of Jesus’ ministry that have never been depicted on film before. The eight-episode season debuts on Feb. 8 and will continue every Monday evening for eight weeks. https://www.instagram.com/p/CK2JagiHIof/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again M. Night Shyamalan has dropped the first preview for his new thriller “Old,’ and if you caught the Super Bowl game on Sunday then you already got to witness the first 30-second trailer that aired. The film is based on a graphic novel by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters titled “Sandcastle,” and stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Eliza Scanlen and Thomasin McKenzie. In the trailer, a family becomes trapped on a hidden beach where people age uncontrollably. https://youtu.be/kYiSRYZx5pQ Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has been tapped to star in “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” a new series for Paramount+ based on the 1963 novel by author Walter Tevis. The book spawned the 1976 film starring David Bowie. The story follows an “alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must grapple with his own past to determine our future.” “Chiwetel Ejiofor’s stage and film career are staggering in their bravery, commitment and quality,” co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet said in a statement. “He’s everything we could imagine and a million things we can’t. We couldn’t be more thrilled.” ABC’s “Mixed-ish“ is back for season two. The spinoff of “Black-ish“ tells the story of Rainbow (Bow) Johnson’s childhood of growing up in a biracial family in the ’80s. In the first season, Rainbow and her family are adjusting to their new life in the suburbs which isn’t quite comfortable with interracial marriage. In the second season, the Jonson’s are a bit more acclimated to their new environment but there are things that come up that make the Johnson’s still question their identity. Our correspondent L.Marie sat down with Tika Sumpter, who plays Bow’s mother Alica Johnson, to talk about what fans can expect from the Johnson’s in season two. https://youtu.be/WFdCTuS3OAA Lifetime’s “Wendy Williams: The Movie” was a massive hit for the network! Thanks to the success of Wendy Williams: The Movie and the previous week’s Salt-N-Pepa biopic, Lifetime is currently home to cable’s top two non-holiday movies in the past nine months (since Lifetime’s own The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel in April 2020). https://youtu.be/2CDfTJ4Utc8 The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today the film nominees for the 26th annual Critics Choice Awards. The winners will be revealed LIVE on The CW on Sunday, March 7, 2021 from 7-10pm ET/PT, with acclaimed film, television, and stage star Taye Diggs returning to host for his third consecutive time. https://youtu.be/6jpmxpkLyCI Candace Owens has said she is considering a bid to be US President. The 31-year-old conservative commentator and writer tweeted over the weekend that she was considering a presidential run. ‘I love America. Thinking about running for President,’ Owens tweeted. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/02/08/13/39024000-9236447-image-a-6_1612789349635.jpg Parents who wanted their children to opt-out of learning the Black History Month curriculum at a Utah charter school have reportedly dropped their requests. Black History Month kicked off last week at Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden, but some parents in the predominantly White community didn’t want their children to participate. So they demanded that the school allow their kids to “opt out,” per MSN. The school (which reportedly has only three Black students) “reluctantly” allowed them to do so. https://youtu.be/XoEkRov-K0g Pope Francis has appointed two women to Vatican posts previously held only by men, in back-to-back moves giving women more empowerment in the male-dominated Holy See. He appointed Nathalie Becquart, a French member of the Xaviere Missionary Sisters, on Saturday as co-undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, a department that prepares major meetings of world bishops held every few years on a different topic. The previous day, Francis named Italian magistrate Catia Summaria as the first woman Promoter of Justice in the Vatican’s Court of Appeals. The Bishop of Swaziland, Ellinah Wamukoya, died this morning (Tuesday) after contracting Covid-19. Her death was announced by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town, Primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Bishop Ellinah, known around the world for her advocacy on environmental issues, was admitted to hospital late last week and put on Oxygen therapy after contracting Covid-19. She was 69. Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will stay with Mercedes for a ninth season after signing a one-year deal, the team said Monday. Since joining Mercedes for the 2013 season, Hamilton has won six world championship titles — moving him level with Michael Schumacher on a record seven for his career. “Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track,” said Hamilton, who has won 74 races with Mercedes. Shaquille O’Neal’s Super Bowl kickoff show: Mercari Presents The SHAQ Bowl is in the books, and millions tuned in to catch multi-platinum recording artists Migos perform along with “Whats Poppin” breakout star, Jack Harlow during The SHAQ Bowl’s Halftime Show presented by Pepsi Stronger Together.The crowd for Harlow and Migos was warmed up by the big man himself, DJ Diesel aka SHAQ. Trap Soul star, Bryson Tiller also performed. Rappers Quavo, Offset and Nelly were also a part of the two celeb teams competing against one another in over-the-top-challenges like the Truff Hot Wing Eating Competition, Migos competing alongside Tim Tebow in a sit-up competition and more. https://youtu.be/5LiA1n_R2bE It’s being called groundbreaking. It’s the new feature-length hip-hop/R&B musical Hal King and it’s scheduled to be released by Gravitas Ventures and it will premiere across platforms on Tuesday (02-09-21). Set in a late-1950s jazz-era Midwestern town, Hal King brilliantly modernizes and musicalizes William Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V, and the iconic character of Young Hal. https://youtu.be/SonQV1sZ0lI Disney+ has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming Marvel television show “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” starring Anthony Mackie. Mackie co-stars opposite Sebastian Stan in the six-episode show that will connect the overarching Marvel movies. https://youtu.be/hRleaWdRrVc Fans of the Grammy-winning singer may have noticed him sporting artificial bruising on his face to major events and red carpets recently. He even wore a fully bandaged face to the 2020 American Music Awards, prompting many to speculate that he was taking jabs at ex-girlfriend Bella Hadid. His halftime performance at the 2020 Super Bowl also featured dancers wearing full-face bandages, and now inquiring minds to know: What’s the significance of the outfits? “The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated,” he told Variety ahead of his Super Bowl performance. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1356964755764871196/k8ErLqKl?format=jpg&name=small The premiere of The Equalizer kicked off with Queen Latifah’s character of Robyn McCall helping a teenager accused of murder. Queen Latifah previously shared that she was quick to signup for this take on the 1980s TV drama starring Edward Woodward because her character is a Black woman who stands up for the little guy. “Seeing those things in front of you and then having a role offered to you that almost mirrors what your life is like and what made you who you are, it was a no-brainer,” said Latifah, who also serves as executive producer. “Maybe I said yes a little too soon, because I don’t have the same knees I did when I was 25. But my heart is in the right place.” BMI, the music rights management organization, reached out to Gospel icon BeBe Winans and asked him to help disgraced country music singer Morgan Wallen. BMI wants Winans to “educate” Morgan on how to be more of an “empathetic person” after he was caught on camera using the N-word. BMI can not legally boot Wallen from the roster over the incident, they want Winans to help them make it make sense. “BMI condemns the hateful and offensive racial slur recently used by Morgan Wallen,” the organization said in a statement, per Deadline. “While unacceptable, under the terms of our consent decree, BMI is mandated to accept all songwriters who want to be a part of our organization.” https://youtu.be/JO9iFWcK19o The Louisiana woman dubbed #GorillaGlueGirl finally took the advice of several social media users and checked herself into the hospital on Saturday. Tessica Brown, took to TikTok on Feb, 4 to warn her followers not to use the industrial-strength adhesive as a hair spray, should you run out of your regular hair product and need something to hold you over. In a recent update, she shared photos online of her at the hospital attempting to get the hardened adhesive removed, according to posts on her Instagram. On Saturday, Brown posted two photos — one of herself on a hospital bed and another of the emergency room entrance to St. Bernard Parish Hospital. Gorilla Glue responded to the hot mess, telling TMZ that Brown could use rubbing alcohol on her hair — but warned that if the adhesive has been in place for a month, her hair is “likely fractured at the root.” Iconic artist and legend SHIRLEY MURDOCK, releases her new single "PEOPLE GET READY." It's the remake of the 1965 Curtis Mayfield hit, Shirley Murdock puts her anointed touches on this song. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/tAQUlSVxcu/files/fi-1c002cd4-9184-4ea2-ad90-557b6b6eaade/fv-c774bba4-1377-47e8-96df-c680555e15bf/(320mp3)%20-%20People%20Get%20Ready%20TS%20MASTER.mp3 “I believe I could tell at least 100 stories about specific times the Lord kept and delivered me, whether it be from sickness, trouble, carelessness or dangers seen and unseen,” shares, Reverend Luther Barnes. For more than three hit-making and award-winning decades, the celebrated Rev. Barnes has delivered the essence of gospel music no matter what the current musical fashion may be. This precious gift stems from his uncanny ability to create traditionally-rooted music in contemporary, finely-wrought productions. Reverend Luther Barnes is hopeful that his new single “You Kept Me,” will inspire others to stay in gratitude and to give thanks for to God for is keeping power. The Gospel Spotlight's Rev. Luther Barnes. Hear Rev. Luther Barnes In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lutherbarnes_intvw.htm The 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration hosted by television and radio personality Rickey Smiley aired, February 6, 2020 at 8/7c on BET. Led by the theme “Nothing Can Stop Us,” the highly anticipated night of praise and worship kicked off with a dynamic opening prayer by Pastor Mike Todd and featured an appearance by acclaimed actor Courtney B. Vance. High-energy performances by The NFL Players Choir with Erica Campbell, Voices of Fire presented by Pharrell Williams, PJ Morton with Zacardi Cortez & Darrel Walls, Koryn Hawthorne and gospel music pioneer John P. Kee featuring Kierra Sheard kept the spirit moving throughout the program. Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson was presented this year’s “Faith In Action Award” by celebrated NFL Legend Warrick Dunn (Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Atlanta Falcons). The son of a courageous cancer survivor, Watson is one of the NFL’s youngest philanthropists and is committed to causes that support families and youth in underserved communities. https://www.bet.com/video/super-bowl-gospel/2021/highlights/deshaun-watson-accepts-the-faith-in-action-award.html The Williams sisters made their presence known early Monday in the first round of the Australian Open. Serena, 39, pummeled Laura Siegemund 6-1 6-1 shortly after her older sister Venus, 40, rolled through Kirsten Flipkens 7-5 6-2. https://youtu.be/bsEpL8Bx6Zw Attorney Whitney Ali has been inducted into the prestigious Marquis Who’s Who registry of notable professionals for her role as a management level partner in the Law Offices of Zulu Ali & Associates, LLP, the largest Black-owned law firm in California’s Inland Empire. Since 1898, Marquis Who’s Who has recognized accomplished and prominent professionals in its biographical publications. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. Just two of the last 20 NFL head coaches hired are African-American and there are zero Black owners. This was not lost on James Brown, the host of CBS’ Super Bowl LV pre-game broadcast, who used his platform to bring light to the situation, calling it “pitiful.” Comparing the impact of Black players in the league to the opportunities given to them in leadership roles, Brown said: “As Black players have elevated the game there has been no commensurate rise to their standing as leaders of that game. When it comes to the hiring of Black head coaches, team and league executives, and Black ownership, frankly the track record is pitiful.” In addition to pointing out that just two of the last 20 head coaches hired by NFL teams have been Black, with only one Black team president (who’s the first ever) and no Black owners, Brown added that nearly half of the players in the Hall of Fame are Black, but just two of the enshrined head coaches and none of the six general managers. He also mentioned that since 1920, less than five percent of nearly 500 head coaches hired have been Black. As H.E.R. and Jazmine Sullivan with Eric Church were delivering spirited vocals of “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” respectively at Super Bowl LV, the lyrics were being signed in similar soaring fashion by Warren “Wawa” Snipe, a hearing-impaired rapper and interpreter who was declared a show-stealer by social media. Snipe, 50, won over the Internet with his exuberant expressions and joyful smile. According to CBS News, he majored in theater in college and in the 90s developed “Dip Hop,” which he describes as “Hip Hop through Deaf eyes.” He’s also an actor with a recurring role on The CW’s Black Lighting. He released his album, Deaf: So What?!, in 2016. https://twitter.com/i/status/1358562688071311360 National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, Grammy Award-winning singer H.E.R. and soul stirring Jazmine Sullivan brought the culture to Super Bowl LV in an impactful way before kickoff. “Today, we honor our three captains for their actions and impact in a time of uncertainty and need,” Gorman’s poem began. “They’ve taken the lead, exceeding all expectations and limitations, uplifting their communities and neighbors as leaders, healers and educators.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ejbSCjg2qo&feature=emb_err_woyt Tom Brady made his seventh Super Bowl title look familiar – despite moving south to a new team and conference during a pandemic. Brady threw two touchdown passes to old friend Rob Gronkowski and one to good pal Antonio Brown, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routed Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City 31-9 on their home field in Super Bowl 55 on Sunday. The GOAT earned his fifth Super Bowl MVP award and extended his Super Bowl titles’ record in his 10th appearance, nine with New England. The 43-year-old Brady broke his own mark for oldest player to win a Super Bowl and joined Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to win one with multiple franchises. “I’m not making any comparisons,” Brady said. “Experiencing it with this group of guys is amazing.” Today, leading live streaming, social selling online network talkshoplive® announced their month-long partnership with The King Center in honor of Black History Month. The site's built-in "donate" button, which appears on EVERY checkout site-wide, will direct all funds raised to The King Center's "BE LOVE" campaign, a growing movement of courageous acts to achieve justice. The "BE LOVE" campaign encourages participants to pledge to create what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called "The Beloved Community," a society driven by love in their thoughts, words, decisions and actions, honoring the humanity of every individual. www.TheKingCenter.org/belove In the end, it was an opponent he couldn’t beat. Leon Spinks, the former undisputed heavyweight boxing champ has succumbed to cancer after a 5-year battle. Spinks passed away Friday evening at the age of 67. He was surrounded by his wife Brenda and several other close friends and family, reports TMZ. Spinks’ health had been in decline. For the last five years, he had been battling prostate cancer. GOP-controlled state legislatures aim to pick up where the now-disbanded 1776 Commission left off. Republican lawmakers in several states are moving forward with legislation that would implement similar efforts. Bills proposed in Arkansas, Iowa and Mississippi prevent the use of the 1619 project as a part of teaching the legacy of slavery. The Arkansas legislature is considering two bills that would limit racial justice in the curriculum. House Bill 1231 would prevent schools from using the 1619 Project as a part of the curriculum. House Bill 1218 goes a step further by preventing lessons that promote the overthrow of the U.S. Government, division between certain groups of people or social justice for certain groups — including race, gender, political affiliation and social class. On Friday in Carroll County, GA (Metro Atlanta), a substitute teacher was charged with 19 counts of child molestation in the wake of an investigation by the local sheriff’s office. In a statement released by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Amelia Ressler, 30, was arrested after staff members at Mt. Zion Elementary School reported allegations of misconduct involving her engaging in “indecent and immoral acts while in the presence of school-aged children.” The school is near Carrollton, which is approximately 54 miles west of Atlanta. https://youtu.be/F_raaEazPD4 The Palm Springs International Film Awards today announced that Andra Day will be the recipient of the Breakthrough Performance Award for The United States vs. Billie Holiday. “Few jazz vocalists are more beloved than Billie Holiday, and Andra Day brings Holiday and her iconic voice back to life through a sympathetic and nuanced portrayal that sheds new light on the U.S. government’s role in seeking to muzzle a homegrown legend,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In her impressive feature film debut as an actress and her first leading role, it is our honor to present the Breakthrough Performance Award to Andra Day.” https://youtu.be/S5kZY80E_0M On this weekend’s Central Ave, Golden Globe nominee Regina King talks One Night in Miami and whether there is a void she is trying to fill in Hollywood. https://youtu.be/QOtDjT2e88s Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, and gubernatorial candidate just about a year ago was in a sunken place He was found naked and heavily inebriated in a hotel room in South Beach with a male sex worker. After that, everyone assumed his marriage was over. Actually, it’s not. He and his wife, R. Jai, have worked things out. “I think that the pandemic probably saved our marriage,” R. Jai told GQ. “In the sense that we couldn’t go anywhere,” Andrew added. https://youtu.be/yAGwthAsCpU Lost somewhere behind the battle between the two quarterbacks, there will be another that may do more to define the outcome of Super Bowl LIV: Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is charged with the task of trying to slow down the Kansas City Chiefs offense coordinated by Eric Bienemy. It may be the least discussed matchup in the battle for this year’s Vince Lombardi Trophy. Both coordinators were highly respected candidates for the seven vacant head coaching jobs when the regular season concluded in January. But neither was hired. Instead, despite a shift in hiring practices in the NFL over the years, nepotism and the “good old boys” network continued to put up barriers to the head coaching role. In fact, in a league where approximately 70 percent of players are black, the NFL’s 32 teams opened the 2020 season in September with only three black head coaches. By the end of the regular season, there were seven openings — but only two minority coaches were hired. Bowles and Bienemy were left on the outside looking in. In honor of Black History Month, Auto Trends with JeffCars.com goes one-on-one, with the woman who was responsible for one of the most successful deodorant ad campaigns from the seventies that still resonates today. Arguably some would claim it’s one of the most famous advertising taglines of all time. It ranks in the same league, as Nike’s “Just do it” or Wendy’s “Where’s the beef?” taglines. As those in the advertising world realizes, a great tagline can drive culture. It can cause one to dream. It can motivate one to move mountains. It can even lead one to be a part of change, joining a movement. Williams’ creative gifts has led her to embody the aforementioned attributes, with every campaign she touches. Carol H. Williams, who has been a trailblazer in the advertising world, since the seventies. https://youtu.be/ji2UWbS7k4Y Days after releasing her latest jam, “Up,” Cardi B finds herself being accused of jacking the track from New Jersey rappers Mir Pesos and Mir Fontane. “Up” is said be a rip0ff of a track called “Stuck.” “They stealing,” Mir Pesos said in an Instagram post comparing the two songs. “We want my money,” he added in a tweet. In response to the tweets about the similarities, Cardi, 28, posted an Instagram story of an old video of her singing the song and wrote:“From August 7th … I been working on this. Sorry lil boy never hurd [sic] of you.” https://youtu.be/rCiBgLOcuKU The 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration hosted by television and radio personality Rickey Smiley aired Saturday evening, February 6, 2020 at 8/7c on BET. https://youtu.be/nnlT_tLGtks The 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration hosted by television and radio personality Rickey Smiley aired Saturday evening, February 6, 2020 at 8/7c on BET. https://youtu.be/DBNdCns4Dk0 The 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration hosted by television and radio personality Rickey Smiley aired Saturday evening, February 6, 2020 at 8/7c on BET. https://youtu.be/J40Q-RxIAIo In the wake of corporations committing to invest in Black-owned brands, The Brown Beauty Co-op isn’t sitting still. The Washington, DC-based beauty cooperative, which is the premier destination for Black and brown beauty brands, will host an unprecedented retail workshop titled “The Brand & The Beautiful." This workshop will cater to Black and brown product owners, manufacturers, and sellers who are interested in breaking into retail and want to get insider information on how to design their brand pitch to get on shelves. Marilyn Monroe once said, “Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” For many women wearing a pair of high heels is a right of passage; a young lady transitioning into a woman. Whether it’s a night on the town or a casual day in the office, heels are an important staple in a lady’s wardrobe. In his newly released documentary “High on Heels,” Director Adelin Gasana takes a dive into the heel industry. From the ancient history of the shoes to modern-day health effects of wearing them, Gasana covers it all. https://youtu.be/R-t5WEpLuEs A COVID-19 vaccination site meant for hard-hit Latinos in a New York City community was recently taken over by Whites in surrounding cities of the state. Per CNN, the site at the Armory Track & Field Center in Washington Heights was launched on Jan. 14 by New York-Presbyterian Hospital and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Initially, vaccine appointments were offered to Latinos aged 65 and older living in New York state; however, lawmakers who represent the Heights have since updated that many of the first wave of vaccinations went to White New Yorkers over 65, who traveled to the site from other parts of the city and state. Not one, but two priests at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Arlington have tested positive for COVID-19. On Sunday, church members recognized one of them who lost his battle with the virus. An Arlington congregation mourned the loss of Father Alejandro Hernandez Garcia, who died Wednesday after being hospitalized in late January due to COVID-19. Breaking with tradition, Pope Francis has appointed Frenchwoman Nathalie Becquart as an undersecretary of the synod of bishops, the first woman to hold the post and have voting rights. The 52-year-old is one of the two new undersecretaries named to the synod, the body of bishops that studies major questions of doctrine and where she has been a consultant since 2019. Saturday’s appointment signals the pontiff’s desire “for a greater participation of women in the process of discernment and decision-making in the church”, said Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the synod. “During the previous synods, the number of women participating as experts and listeners has increased,” he said. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson paraphrased a line from the New Testament Saturday night as he accepted the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his COVID-19 relief efforts and other charitable causes during the pandemic. “To America, to the world, love is patient, love is kind, love changes things,” Wilson said, incorporating part of 1 Corinthians 13:4 into his acceptance speech during the NFL Honors show that aired on CBS the night before Super Bowl Sunday. The award is given to a player in recognition of his “outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on it.” Distrust is one factor hampering the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. That’s why health officials are turning to church leaders for assistance, especially in Black and minority communities. Although African Americans are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, that population also faces historical and logistical obstacles to getting immunized. So Black pastors are working to protect their flocks and communities by rebuilding trust, serving as role models, and providing venues for vaccine distribution. The Church Is Here ‘to save lives’ In Ohio, a Minority Health Advisory Group is working with African-American pastors and exploring the possibility of giving vaccines at churches. Bishop Timothy Clarke, senior pastor of First Church of God in Columbus, says, “Like an evangelist speaks to the unconverted, I’ve got to speak to the unconvinced, and I’ve got to advocate for this vaccine, because if people believe the lie then they are not going to do it.” Pregame festivities for the Super Bowl have started with a video recording of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as players from Tampa Bay and Kansas City lined up on each goal line. The NFL opened the season with the same show of racial solidarity and did it again before the final game. Both teams went to their locker rooms after the rendition by Alicia Keys. The league chose “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as an addition to the national anthem for opening weekend and for the Super Bowl after a national reckoning over race sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Dianne Durham, the first Black woman to win a USA Gymnastics national championship, died Thursday in Chicago following a short illness, her husband said. She was 52. Durham was a pioneer in American gymnastics. Her victory in the all-around at the 1983 national championships as a teenager was the first by a Black woman in the organization’s history. “I think between her and Mary Lou Retton, they felt they introduced more of a power gymnastics,” said Durham’s husband, Tom Drahozal. “Dianne was a pioneer for Black gymnasts as well … She paved the way for others.” That group includes Olympic champions Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas as well as Dominique Dawes, a gold medalist on the storied 1996 U.S. Olympic team. Simply put, Andra Day wasn’t ready to play Billie Holiday … at least in her mind. And according to director Lee Daniels, she tried to run from her extraordinary role as Billie Holiday. However she didn’t and now she is being rewarded. Day is celebrating two Golden Globes nods for “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” https://youtu.be/USi-ppCfxEA Political analyst Van Jones was confronted with a sobering reality during an appearance on “The View” Friday, after co-host Sunny Hostin questioned him regarding accusations of being a “political opportunist.” Van Jones forged into national prominence during the Obama administration where he served as the Special Adviser for Green Jobs in 2009. However in the years since his comments, and alliances have raised eyebrows. A lot of the blowback transpired after the election of Donald Trump, where Black audiences voiced disappointment in Jones taking a “balanced” approach regarding the former administration’s actions, resulting in policies which were overwhelmingly detrimental to Black and underserved communities. On Friday, the co-hosts of “The View” excoriated progressive activist Van Jones for working with the former Trump administration — and for taking a “smiling” photo with conservative commentator Candace Owens. https://youtu.be/4x-OYY5LnHg The former Ohio police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black man within seconds of seeing him last month had his bond set at a whopping $3 million on Friday afternoon as the prosecutor in Columbus kept the murder case moving swiftly. Former Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy was indicted earlier this week for the murder of Andre Hill, felonious assault and dereliction of duty for failure to inform his fellow officer that he felt threatened during the fateful encounter in the early morning hours of Dec. 22. Hill, 47, was walking out of a home’s garage and only holding a cellphone when Coy shot him, bodycam video footage revealed. Coy failed to render any medical aid to Hill in the crucial minutes after the shooting. A White Florida man has been sentenced to serve one year in jail after he confessed to fatally shooting his Black secret lover. Gardner Kent Fraser confessed to fatally shooting Dominic Jerome “DJ” Broadus Jr. outside of his (Fraser’s) home in Baker County on February 3, 2018. According to Pink News, Fraser said he shot Broadus in self-defense at first but later recanted his statement and his father, a former police officer, says his son committed the shooting to hide his bisexuality after investigators recovered a series of romantic text messages between Fraser and the victim from 2017 to 2018.Fraser was not charged with murder despite confessing to the shooting and was charged with tampering with evidence. A judge gave him the maximum sentence of one year in jail and four years of probation. The ruling has led to outrage within the community and protests outside the Baker County Courthouse. Kansas City Chiefs outside linebackers coach Britt Reid, the son of head coach Andy Reid, was involved in a multi-car accident on Thursday night. Police have confirmed the accident, a three-car pile-up, has left a five-year-old child with life threatening injuries. Reid, 35, is in hospital with undisclosed injuries and could be there for days, according to reports from ESPN, and is now not expected to travel to Tampa, Florida with his side for Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The incident report provided by the Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCPD) gives a description of the incident, which is reported to have been set in motion when a car ran out of gas on an on-ramp to Interstate 435 in Kansas City. After the driver of the vehicle called relatives for help, a second car arrived on the scene to provide assistance, also parking on the on-ramp near the Chiefs’ training complex adjacent to Arrowhead Stadium. At this point a third vehicle, driven by Reid according to Kansas City TV station KCHB, allegedly passed by and collided with the first car which had been in need of fuel. Soon after his victory, then President-elect Biden made an announcement destined to become a major game-changer. He put out the call to the legal and civil rights advocacy community to bring him names: names of public defenders, civil rights attorneys, legal stars of wide-ranging professional and demographic diversity who should be nominated for federal judgeships. It was a direct rebuke to the rollback of judicial diversity under the Trump administration, and with control of the Senate still undecided, it was aspirational. And then Georgia happened. Victories by Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff flipped control of the Senate, and with it, the entire judicial nominations landscape. Ending Mitch McConnell’s death grip on the Senate means that Biden’s judicial nominees can be confirmed, and – even more importantly – that Biden has latitude to make inspiring and even innovative picks. Reshaping the nation’s courts is a huge opportunity to protect the health, safety, rights, and life of every person in the United States. The unemployment rate continues to drop, but economists have warned those numbers could be tantamount to fool’s gold as it’s been a struggle to create new jobs during the pandemic. And while the Black unemployment rate has steadily declined in recent months, it still remains head and shoulders over any other demographic. Complicating that matter is the fact that while the unemployment rate dropped overall for Black workers and Black men, it actually rose for Black women, according to the monthly data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Functioning as a “Green Book” for the economy, the Black Dollar Index seeks to guide spending for those committed to racial equity. Launched by a group of Black professionals, the consumer advocacy index claims to measure corporate support and dedication towards Black America. The group behind the Black Dollar Initiative wants to make it clear that promises and donations alone are not enough. According to their website, the Black Dollar Initiative aims to hold corporations accountable in serving Black employees, consumers, and communities. It also seeks to empower Black consumers in making purchasing decisions. https://twitter.com/i/status/1357745155797897216 The history of Black Christianity in America will come to television screens this month in a documentary series based on a new book by Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr., a Harvard University historian who is simultaneously an admirer and a critic of its influential role in American society. Gates’ book, “The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song,” will be released Tuesday (Feb. 16), the same day the four-hour documentary will begin a two-day run on PBS stations, airing at 9 p.m. EST. Musicians John Legend and Yolanda Adams are featured in the series. Gates, who describes himself as a “spiritual person,” said at a virtual news conference Friday (Feb. 5) that while he is a critic of the Black church’ Barack and Michelle Obama have announced a slate of six new projects as part of their lucrative multi-year deal with Netflix, revealing that they will lead production on a variety of new TV shows and movies, including a film about the first man to summit Mt. Everest. Higher Ground Productions, which the former first couple founded in 2018 partnership with Netflix, revealed that it is currently working on varied line-up of four new films and two more TV series. Among them are a docuseries about national parks, a science-fiction movie, and a TV show based on a young adult thriller about a Native American teen who goes undercover. ‘We created Higher Ground to tell great stories,’ the Obamas said in a press release. ‘This group of projects builds upon that goal and the incredible path forged by films like “Crip Camp,” “Becoming,” and the Oscar-winning “American Factory.”‘ ‘From science fiction to the beauty of our natural world to the relationships that define us, Higher Ground continues to strive for fresh perspectives, compelling characters, and a healthy dose of inspiration,’ the couple continued. With a graduate in the White House, record-breaking donations pouring in, and coaches and players opting in, Historically Black Colleges and Universities are in the midst of their renaissance. HBCUs spent 2020 and the beginning of 2021 firmly in the spotlight, culminating in the inaugural parade when the Howard University band escorted alumna Vice President Kamala Harris. Crystal Howard, a senior at the private, historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina, Johnson C. Smith University, said the election was a tipping point in history. “It’s so amazing,” she said. “It’s so great to see representation. That our representation will be in the White House.” Leaders at schools in the Carolinas like Clinton College, the historically Black, Christian college in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and JCSU said they are seeing a resurgence in applications and interest. “I think what we’re doing is just reminding folks of the excellence that has been here all of these years,” JCSU vice president of student affairs Dr. Davida Haywood said. The impact of HBCUs on society is undeniable. Grammy-winning musician PJ Morton is the first artist in residence at Dillard University, a historically Black private university in New Orleans. Morton will teach master classes in songwriting, music publishing, studio production and talent management during the academic year that began in January, the school said in a news release Monday. “I’m so excited to be partnering with Dillard University. As both an HBCU graduate and a New Orleanian, it’s very important for me to pass on any and everything I can to educate and inspire,” Morton said in the statement. The program is a new one, school spokeswoman Lauren Fox said in an email. Morton’s team will offer internships in merchandising, studio production, management and videography, and a spring contest will choose one student to have a single produced by Morton Records, the school’s statement said. Morton has won two Grammy Awards and been nominated for 14 since 2012, according to the awards website. He won best traditional R&B performance in 2018 with “How Deep Is Your Love” and best R&B song in 2019 with “Say So.” After hosting the Oscars nine times, Billy Crystal wouldn’t necessarily rule out a tenth. But the 72-year-old actor would prefer some wider attention for his low-budget indie film, “Standing Up, Falling Down.” Perhaps even a longshot Academy Awards nomination. “If it happened, it would be unbelievable. I’m really thrilled just to be in the discussion and not for, ‘Hey, would you host again?’” Crystal said. In the movie, released in February 2020, Crystal plays an alcoholic dermatologist who befriends a down-on-his-luck comedian, played by Ben Schwartz. Crystal also serves as executive producer on the movie, shot in his childhood hometown of Long Beach, New York. A key scene takes place in the temple where he had his bar mitzvah. After starring in polished Hollywood classics like “City Slickers” and “When Harry Met Sally,” Crystal jokes that his latest project was a bit more scaled down. “My character, Marty, with no last name, that’s how small the budget was. We couldn’t even afford a last name for him,” he said. NFL players and their union want the league to continue fighting for social justice and they’re still seeking an increase in the number of minority coaches. After briefly joining NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on stage Thursday to highlight the remarkable collaborative effort it took to reach the Super Bowl on time, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith urged the league to make more progress. Two minorities were hired for seven head coach openings this offseason. There were three Black head coaches when the Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 and there are three now, despite several changes to the rule to help promote more opportunities. “When you look at the recent round of coaches and hirings, the nicest thing I can say is not good,” Smith said. “I believe that we should move to a system where there is somebody in charge at the National Football League of diversity inclusion. I think you have to increase transparency about what’s going on in the hiring process. I think you have to increase accountability where we actually use metrics to find out how well we’re doing on the field with head coaches, with assistant coaches, with team front offices, with league front offices and with NFL ownership. And I think you have to decrease the barriers that have existed for other people in this business to unionize.” There might be a kids-focused broadcast of the Super Bowl eventually. It just won’t be this year. Nickelodeon will still have a noticeable presence during Sunday’s coverage on CBS. Following the success of Nick’s presentation of an NFL playoff contest last month, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said there were some discussions about an encore for Sunday’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before deciding to keep everything on CBS. “It’s the biggest night of television for CBS, obviously, and that really is our motivation. It is all about getting as many eyeballs as we can on the CBS television network.,” McManus said. “Nickelodeon will have a real presence at the Super Bowl in some really creative ways.” There might be a kids-focused broadcast of the Super Bowl eventually. It just won’t be this year. Nickelodeon will still have a noticeable presence during Sunday’s coverage on CBS. Following the success of Nick’s presentation of an NFL playoff contest last month, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said there were some discussions about an encore for Sunday’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before deciding to keep everything on CBS. “It’s the biggest night of television for CBS, obviously, and that really is our motivation. It is all about getting as many eyeballs as we can on the CBS television network.,” McManus said. “Nickelodeon will have a real presence at the Super Bowl in some really creative ways.” Serena Williams withdrew from an Australian Open tuneup tournament citing a right shoulder injury on Friday within hours of setting up a semifinal match against top-ranked Ash Barty. The 23-time Grand Slam champion usually doesn’t play in a tournament in the week before a Grand Slam event, but made an exception before last year’s U.S. Open and for this Australian Open because of all the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 39-year-old American was playing her first tournament since withdrawing from the French Open before her second-round match because of an Achilles tendon injury in October. She, like all players traveling to Australia for the tournament, had to quarantine for 14 days and had limited practice during that time. The VH1 reality series “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle” has suspended production following a range of sexual abuse accusations against rapper/actor T.I. and his wife, Tiny. “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle” offers a glimpse into the famous couple’s life and had been in the process of shooting its fourth season in the ATL.“We are aware of the allegations, and while they are not connected to our show, we have reached out to T.I. and Tameka Harris, as well as local and state officials,” an MTV Entertainment spokesperson said in a statement. “Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.” “Pose” star Indya Moore is calling out NAACP and the Image Awards for past snubs of the series and cast. Her criticism follows the announcement of the NAACP Image Awards nominations on Tuesday, which failed to acknowledged trans actors of color. “Black people deserve home everywhere and anywhere but when black people are trans we seldom could even find home in our own homes and this rings true in many reflections and dimensions,” Moore began her lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, MadameNoire reports. “I love how we create space to celebrate uplift and acknowledge ourselves because we go often unseen in this industry.. only to do it to other black people. Are we not tired of singing the same sad song to each other?” she continued, noting there’s no ignoring the impact of Pose. “Nobody is going to tell me they didn’t see our enormously historic story telling, and didnt feel anything??? from the black trans women who performed our trauma for the world? Really? You only saw a black people deliver when they aren’t trans?” Teachers at a Wisconsin middle school are under fire after asking students how they would punish slaves. The unapproved lesson about slavery upset the parents of sixth-graders at Patrick Marsh Middle School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. So much so that several teachers have been placed on administrative leave over the assignment about ancient Mesopotamia and the Hammurabi’s Code of law in the ancient region. https://youtu.be/rP4NpcrVYNQ Jabari Johnson is an emerging artist that continues to gain followers and fans with his passion, commitment to the Gospel message, and powerful vocal gift. Johnson was awarded the 2019 "New Artist Of The Year" stellar award for his breakout album, "Day of Redemption". "Fixed Fight" he newest release from Jabari Johnson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcB6PxAJsQ8&feature=youtu.be Pastor Darren Farmer presents The Upper Room Apostolic Church Experience Volume 1-3. He is also known for songs like “Chilly Winds” featuring Keith Wonderboy Johnson and his recently released song “Be With Me” on Vol. 3 available digitally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJwVf2ifOsQ&feature=youtu.be New Music from Todd Dulaney is here. "Revelation 4" is a continuation of songs from scripture that Dulaney has shared over the past year. Dulaney is taking words taken directly from the scripture and creating anthemic songs that are ministering to audiences worldwide. The lyrics point vertically and focuses on the power and greatness of God. the chorus says "You will receive Glory, honor, power now and forever.." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzG-d1zLAoQ&feature=youtu.be Marshalee's most treasured credential is that she is a child of the Most High God, Jesus Christ, seeking daily to live in His image and to be one of His representatives. Her gifting as a singer has allowed her to take gospel music to both religious and secular audiences across the country and the Island of Jamaica, where she was born and raised. "Follow" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XauLn5vcI7M&feature=youtu.be In The Gospel Spotlight it's Voices of Fire with "Hit The Refresh." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0f5x9mmekdr0ojw/AABgeyYTrfigBukMGGZ3KSP4a?dl=0 A public viewing for the late award-winning actor Cicely Tyson, who died at the age of 96 on Jan. 28, will be held this month at the famed Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City where she was a member and attended every Sunday when she could, according to her pastor, the Rev. Calvin Butts III. The viewing, according to her family, will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=320875152687098 Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios has reached a settlement in his $10 billion racial-discrimination lawsuit against Charter Communications. Both parties put out a joint statement announcing the deal. “Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks has resolved and withdrawn the lawsuit against Charter Communications.” Allen reached a deal last year to end his lawsuit against Comcast Communications, NBC News reported. Allen sued the company for $20 billion in 2015 for refusing to carry his lifestyle channels, arguing that it was because of his race. He brought a similar lawsuit against cable provider Charter for $10 billion for refusing to carry his networks. https://youtu.be/nuGB_DjoGPs Christopher Plummer, the Canadian-born Shakespearean actor who starred in films including “The Sound of Music” and “Beginners,” died on Friday morning at his home in Connecticut. He was 91.“Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self deprecating humor and the music of words,” said Lou Pitt, his longtime friend and manager of 46 years. “He was a national treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us.” Deon Taylor is set to direct “Freedom Ride,” a period drama based on first-person accounts by several original Freedom Riders, including late civil rights icon and U.S. Congressman John Lewis. https://youtu.be/1zBY6gkpbTg Queen Latifah says Denzel Washington was the only reservation she had about signing on to star in the CBS remake of the 1985-89 series “The Equalizer.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1357705545847816193 Actor Dean Cain doesn’t believe in privacy when it comes to protecting his children, especially from predators in the trafficking industry. He stars in the new film “Trafficked: A Parent’s Worst Nightmare,” inspired by multiple true stories from American suburban families whose lives were uprooted after one of their children was abducted and trafficked. https://youtu.be/Y9Zzm_PR6XA Tracee Ellis Ross launched her haircare brand, Pattern, exclusively at Ulta Beauty in 2019, and now the beloved actress and fashion icon-in-the-making is pulling up a seat at the table as the Diversity and Inclusion Advisor in hopes of paying forward the opportunity to another woman of color. “I look forward to formalizing an already existing dialogue and partnership around diversity and inclusion with Mary Dillon and the Ulta Beauty team,” Ross said in a press release, according to Essence’s Girls United platform. “This work requires commitment and accountability from Ulta Beauty to ensure measurable goals are achieved. I am hopeful and optimistic our work together will create foundational change.” Pure Flix Entertainment, the faith-based film studio behind the God’s Not Dead franchise, has changed its corporate name to Pinnacle Peak Pictures. The move follows Sony Pictures Entertainment subsidiary AFFIRM Entertainment acquiring the Pure Flix subscription VOD service in November. That deal left Pure Flix Entertainment operating as a separate company, along with the indie studio’s God’s Not Dead trilogy. And newly-named Pinnacle Peak has started production on "God's Not Dead: We The People," the fourth installment of the franchise, with Isaiah Washington, David A. R. White and William Forsythe as leads from a script by Tommy Blaze. Members of Congress joined New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the House floor Thursday to share their experiences during the Jan. 6 deadly MAGA invasion of the Capitol. After telling her own harrowing story on Instagram, Ocasio-Cortez organized an hour aimed at “creating space for members to talk about their lived experience on January 6 and the need for accountability.” Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Florida said the experience reminded her of being at the Capitol the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, saying that both times, members focused their energy on trying to protect their staffers. Freshman Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri said she had flashbacks to her participation in protests against systemic racism and police brutality after Michael Brown in her Missouri home state. “I feel like I’m back. I feel like this was one of the days on the streets when the white supremacists would show up and start shooting at us.” Through tears, Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan said that while she wasn’t at the Capitol on the day of the insurrection, she watched on television and feared for the lives of her colleagues. https://youtu.be/T81u6Q-8cWo Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear says pastors and other Christians have no justification for calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “Jezebel.” “I realize that some pastors are likely unaware of the history of certain racial stereotypes in calling or comparing our Vice President to Jezebel, but that doesn’t make such statements any less unwise,” Greear tweeted, as Relevant Magazine reports. “There are times we will critique policies, but that should not include personal attacks on a newly elected official God has told us to honor and pray for. Let us speak clearly and boldly for righteousness, but in a way that honors what the Scriptures say about honoring our leaders. We don’t correct one sin through another.” Greear’s tweet comes after several Southern Baptist pastors have used the term to describe Harris. Four girls, ages 12 to 14, were arrested in the stabbing death of a 15-year-old girl at a Louisiana Walmart on Sunday. Authorities said a lot of evidence was culled from social media because the deadly encounter was livestreamed, showing the girls bragging about stabbing the victim in the face as they fled the scene. “Our whole case unfolded before us through live Facebook and Instagram,” Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso commented, according to WNYW. “We have videos of everything that took place, and it’s very disturbing, it truly is.” https://youtu.be/eqpf7-c_P0I This video of a man and his neighbors (a married couple) as the result of a clash they had over snow shoveling is disturbing. Surveillance footage shows the married couple yelling obscenities at the man before he grabs a gun and shoots them both in the middle of the street Monday morning in Plains Township, Pennsylvania during Winter Storm Orlena which dumped as much as 30 inches of snow in some regions. https://youtu.be/9_LLEUHPesk Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper says her relationship with her former group Salt-N-Pepa is over unless they apologize to her. The hard feelings between Salt-N-Pepa and their former followed the premiere of Lifetime’s Salt-N-Pepa biopic, Spin took to social media to note how she feels disrespected for being left out of the production.In a series of posts to her Twitter account, she said she’s disappointed to learn that “a decision was made to move forward with a Lifetime biopic that wrongfully excluded me from every aspect of development and production all the while using my image throughout, given that I played an integral role in the group’s story and success.” https://youtu.be/-pE-tulgbb0 Earl Simmons, synonymously known as rapper DMX, has recorded a rap verse for a new Christian song released by evangelist Mike Servin. The new single titled “Prayer” featuring Mike Servin, DMX and Kurtis Hoppie is reportedly from the movie soundtrack GTI. The mainstream rapper’s involvement in the faith-filled song has fans speculating on whether the professing Christian might follow in Kanye West’s footsteps and release his own gospel album. “Prayer” kicks off with someone speaking in tongues and then the intro line begins. “Satan we’re going to tear your kingdom down,” a male singer belt’s out. https://youtu.be/gs2WhEgF8Rs Acclaimed Christian singer Joel Vaughn said fighting the lies of the enemy is something he’s had to do his whole life but is now finding his identity in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Vaughn’s latest album, Louder Than The Lies, is now available from DREAM Records. The album chronicles his journey from self-doubt and depression to liberation in Christ. “It’s a theme that I thought of over the past year, but it’s a theme that’s kind of stretched in my whole life,” Vaughn told The Christian post of his album title. “I had before always struggled with my identity of who I really am.” The Nashville branch of the NAACP wants to educate disgraced country music singer Morgan Wallen on race after he was caught on camera using the N-word. O Tuesday, TMZ posted footage of the singer referring to one of his friends as a “p**sy ass n**ga.” After the clip went viral, Wallen sent a statement to the outlet issuing an apology, noting that he’s “embarrassed and sorry,” there are “no excuses” for the language he used and that he promises to do better moving forward. Meanwhile, the Nashville branch of the NAACP believes this 27-year-old white male is ignorant about good ole fashion American racism and the history of the N-word, so they want to sit down with him and educate him. https://youtu.be/JO9iFWcK19o After co-owning a Palm Beach Gardens property with her big sis Venus, where they lived together on and off since 1998; and splitting her time between secondary homes from Bel-Air to Paris, Serena Williams purchased a sprawling waterfront property in a posh enclave north of Miami that is all her own. https://youtu.be/-TeeIEh2IE8 This Women’s History Month, The D.I.V.A. Foundation will kick off a Virtual Women’s Health Awareness Tour on March 10 called “Sisters Circle: Know Your Status, Own Your Health.” Sisters Circle is powered by Gilead HIV through their Amplified Partnerships Initiative. The 90-minute event is designed to foster a conversation, between sisters, about overall health, sexual health, and HIV for Black women. Lil Uzi Vert shared a video on Instagram showing off a massive, pink diamond that he had pierced into his forehead. According to the Huffington Post, Uzi’s pal CEO Slow claimed on his Instagram Story that the artist (real name Symere Bysil Woods) paid $24 million for the stone. “I’ve been paying for a natural pink diamond from Elliot for years now. This one Stone cost so much I’ve been paying for it since 2017,” Uzi wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “That was the first time I saw a real natural pink diamond. A lot of M’s in my face.” Walmart has donated $14 million dollars to various racial equity initiatives, as part of a larger pledge of $100 million made in the wake of the death of George Floyd. A press release on its corporate website noted that the money will fund a wide range of initiatives, with $1 million to reduce student loan debt of HBCU seniors, $5 million to heart-healthy programs in Black communities, and $2.7 million going to COVID-19 vaccine awareness. https://youtu.be/_vIkNhZUmI0 Newly elected Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was stripped of her committee assignments on Thursday, following a contentious battle between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The resolution passed 230-199, with 11 Republicans voting with Democrats, The Washington Post reports. Greene was assigned to serve on the on the Education and Labor Committee, as well as the Budget Committee. Candace Owens the controversial conservative of convenience with a history of making provocative statements especially when it comes to Black people has now turned her clear anger toward New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the progressive Congresswoman who made comments this week about her experience being in the Capitol during the attempted coup as well as being a survivor of sexual assault. Owens dived headfirst into the conversation Wednesday with false conspiracy theories and even suggested that AOC lied not only about being in the Capitol during the insurrection but also about being sexually assaulted. It was a pitiful new low, even for Owens, who has offered sympathy for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, holds transphobic views, promoted “mob rule,” blames unarmed Black men for being killed by the police, supports anti-Black racists and is credited with inspiring deadly terrorism like the New Zealand mosque shooter in 2019. Massachusetts lawmakers are venturing forward in the fight to eliminate student loan debt, calling for President Joe Biden to cancel $50,000 in debt for each of the roughly 44 million Americans who are burdened with federal student loans. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have been vocal supporters of the measure and were joined by several of their colleagues at a press conference on Thursday to reintroduce legislation urging President Biden to use his executive power to act. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Alma Adams, Squad Member Rep. Ilhan Omar, and newly elected Rep. Mondaire Jones made appearances. As state-level hate crimes ticked upwards during Trump’s presidency, a new study reveals Black students enrolled at historically Black colleges and universities in higher numbers. The study, published by the Stanford University’s Center for Education Policy Analysis, analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education covering enrollment numbers, campus crime statistics, and hate crime information from 1999 to 2017. States that housed at least one historically Black college or university were selected in the study. The study is one of the first to examine the link between an increase in hate crimes and HBCU enrollment. It also offers sound data analysis for administrators at predominantly white institutions (PWI’s) to invest in creating a more inclusive environment for Black students and students of color. Researchers Dominique Baker of Southern Methodist University and UC Berkeley’s Tolani Britton focused specifically on hate crimes targeting African-Americans as well as persons from different racial, religious and gender groups. On Saturday, April 17, 2021 the 22nd annual Baltimore “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference’s Professional Talent Showcase offers performances by Hip-Hop’s E. Renee, Jazz’s Vincent Gross and R&B’s Shardella Sessions. The “ULMII” Entertainment Conference will be held via Zoom video conferencing (RSVP required) from 1-3pmET/10-12noonPT. Hosted by Magic 95.9FM’s Doresa Harvey (Ms. D.) and “ULMII” Founder/Publisher of The Pulse of Entertainment Eunice Moseley, “ULMII” is presented by Security Square Mall and The Baltimore Times. Nominees for the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® honoring outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances for the past year* were announced this morning by Lily Collins (Emily in Paris, MANK) and Daveed Diggs (Snowpiercer, BLINDSPOTTING, The Good Lord Bird) via Instagram Live. The nominees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning by Jason George (Station 19) and Elizabeth McLaughlin (Grand Hotel) who were introduced by SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. Among the notable nominees are Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis for their roles in Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” an adaptation of August Wilson play of the same name. As Variety notes, Boseman made history, becoming the first person to score four SAG nominations for his lead performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” his supporting role in “Da 5 Bloods,” and for his work in the ensembles of both films. Iconic NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, one of the most highly sought-after brand ambassadors and Beastmode Apparel, LLC founder and president, today announced the launch of a premium, crafted cannabis brand-platform. Oakland-made, Dodi™ Blunts will showcase 24kt diamond-infused blunts approved by Lynch himself. Dodi™ Blunts will launch March 2021 at 24 handpicked retailers exclusively in The Bay area. Ice Cube faced a lot of heat for meeting with Trump’s administration last year. Even after explaining that he went to the White House just to promote a “Contract with Black America” to help lift African Americans economically, many people still weren’t on board with his move. Despite that, Cube is continuing his efforts and will be meeting with the new president, Joe Biden soon. While appearing on the Ryan Cameron Uncensored radio show on Majic ATL, Cube said Biden's Administration actually reached out to him Tuesday, and they’re hashing out a time and a place for a meeting about his “Contract With Black America.” Will Smith and Larry Wilmore have teamed to breakdown the Fourteen Amendment in a new docuseries for Netflix. Smith asks “What does it mean to be an American? What about a citizen?” The actor will explore those questions and more with a panel of experts in “Amend: The Fight for America.” https://youtu.be/1h9gmJxvZU0 On the last Saturday in January, Johnny Thomas paused as a train snaked through the heart of Glendora, Mississippi. The accompanying roar reverberated through the predominantly Black Mississippi Delta town with a population of fewer than 200 people. “Ever heard of the other side of the tracks?” Thomas, the town’s mayor, asked. “That’s us.” In a community where the nearest hospital is more than 20 miles away, the phrase stretches past the proverbial. More than 50 percent of residents live in poverty. Lately, Thomas has felt pushed even further to the margins. No coronavirus vaccination sites for the general public are operating in Tallahatchie County, where Glendora is. The area’s only hospital, Tallahatchie General, doesn’t expect to have vaccines until mid-February. The nearest state-run drive-thru vaccination clinic is in neighboring LeFlore County, 30 miles away. Just 24 hours after the passing of Danny Ray, the legendary “Cape Man” for James Brown, Gil Saunders passes, he is best known as the decade-long lead singer of the legendary act Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Saunders died today (02-04-21) after long battles with M.S. and, more recently, lung cancer. The Philadelphia born Saunders boasted a powerful, gruff voice that was the near-perfect touch to handle both the group’s 70s hits on tour, and also the lead on The Talk It Up album. https://youtu.be/t-QcMG9N8dc A onetime flight attendant who conjured fictional nightmares during breaks on cross country red-eyes has a 7-figure deal for two novels. The Simon & Schuster imprint Avid Reader Press announced Thursday that T.J. Newman’s first book, the thriller “Falling,” comes out in July. The narrative is a horror story — a different kind of airplane read — that understandably gave the author chills. On a crowded flight from Los Angeles to New York, passengers are unaware that the pilot’s family has been kidnapped and the pilot must crash the plane to save them. Newman came up with the idea during one work shift when the passengers were sleeping. Juan Thornhill was exactly what the Kansas City Chiefs hoped he would be as a rookie. Selected 63rd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft with the Chiefs’ second-round pick, the defensive back out of the University of Virginia finished second on the team with three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), fifth on the team with 58 tackles, and he started all 16 games. But in that 16th and final game of the regular season, Thornhill went down with a non-contact injury in the first half, and it turned out to be a torn ACL. He missed the Chiefs’ entire playoff run, which culminated with them winning Super Bowl LIV. Kansas City is back again, set to take on Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV on Sunday, and Thornhill will step on the field this time. Throughout his knee rehab and up-and-down 2020 season, Thornhill said he also relied on God. There were 160 players back in isolation because a hotel quarantine worker tested positive for COVID-19. Six tune-up tournaments were suspended for a day so that 507 people connected with the Australian Open could be tested for the virus. Apparently, no worries. Australian Open organizers weren’t deterred at all, vowing that the year’s first Grand Slam tournament would start as planned next Monday, with all the tune up tournaments completed — somehow, tweaks are expected — between Friday and Sunday. The one-day shutdown was triggered — the Victoria state premier, a leading health official and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley all said — out of “an abundance of caution.” People wishing to pay their final respects to legendary actor Cicely Tyson will get a chance during a public viewing at a famed Manhattan church. The viewing for the actor, who died last week at age 96, will be held on Monday, Feb. 15, at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, according to a statement by her family through her manager Larry Thompson. The viewing will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and COVID-19 protocols will be in place, with masks and social distancing requirements. No photographs will be allowed, according to the statement. It is strange that some white Southern Baptist pastors can quickly call Vice President Kamala Harris a ‘Jezebel’, whose role is not even in the context of the church, but did not have the testicular fortitude to call Paula White a ‘Jezebel’, who is in the context of the church and who led them to destruction with some prominent white Southern Baptist pastors temporarily losing their minds and compromising their biblical convictions to even endorse her books. She led them to political failure and the last we heard from her she was calling on some angels to come out of Africa and South America to help Trump win the election. What an unmitigated disaster. The truth of the matter is there are many Jezebels in the church including in the Southern Baptist Convention and many of the Jezebels in the church are pastors’ wives, because these pastors’ wives control and dominate their husbands, the Ahabs of the church, and therefore they control the church and that is one of the reasons the church is in a mess today, and we have no fear of successful contradiction. A prominent Black pastor has left the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, and its parent group, the Southern Baptists Convention, could be the next to see him walk out the door. Dwight McKissic of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington said he has witnessed a pattern of racism within the Texas group since the early 2000s, including recent incidents involving a Rockwall pastor and the most “blatantly racist” letter he’s ever received. In the letter, author John V. Rutledge accused the Southern Baptist Convention of “foolishly repenting the sin of [being white].” He described Black people as “savages,” and “Negroes” who have “defiled and diminished” all areas of life, including the church. He added that they are being given “residences that they could not otherwise afford” and “unmerited entry into classrooms and boardrooms.” At the 69th National Prayer Breakfast, President Joe Biden called for those watching online to lean on their faith and see others not as Democrats or Republicans but “fellow Americans, fellow human beings.” “For me, in the darkest moments, faith provides hope and solace … clarity and purpose as well. It shows the way forward as one nation in a common purpose to respect one another, to care for one another, to leave no one behind,” he said. Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ, with the help of Basketball Wives L.A. personality Kristen Scott, continues to dish out gourmet recipes in this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, February 6 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uF57AU-Q_8&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX, hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells, airing Saturday, February 6 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKRKVarlRQY&feature=youtu.be An all-new episode of CLEO TV's new millennial love and dating drama series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES airs on Sunday, February 7, at 9 P.M. ET/8C followed by the season finale at 9:30 P.M ET/ 8:30C. The 10-episode prime-time series spinoff is based on the Emmy-nominated web series TOUGH LOVE which will conclude with this week's explosive season finale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-TYq9FiGUw&feature=youtu.be At the stroke of midnight on Friday, February 12, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” will begin streaming exclusively on Disney+. The beloved televised movie musical stars Brandy in the title role and Whitney Houston as “Fairy Godmother” alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Natalie Desselle Reid, Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalban, Jason Alexander, and Veanne Cox. Originally premiering on November 2, 1997 to sixty million viewers during “The Wonderful World of Disney” on ABC, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” became an instant fan favorite, beloved by critics and audiences alike and earning 7 Emmy Award nominations. Clarence Thomas‘ wife Ginni offered an apology to her husband’s Supreme Court clerks on Jan. 18 after using a personal Facebook account to cheer on the white supremacists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “I owe you all an apology. I have likely imposed on you my lifetime passions,” Thomas wrote in a private email list addressed to her husband’s staff obtained by The Washington Post. The email was sent to the Thomas Clerk World email list, which includes staff employed by Thomas over the three decades he’s held a seat in the Supreme Court. “My passions and beliefs are likely shared with the bulk of you, but certainly not all. And sometimes the smallest matters can divide loved ones for too long. Let’s pledge to not let politics divide THIS family, and learn to speak more gently and knowingly across the divide,” she continued. Thomas regularly uses a Ginni Thomas Facebook page to post controversial political hot takes, and is an avid Trump supporter. Before the chaos broke loose at the Capitol, Thomas wrote, “Watch MAGA crowd today best with Right Side Broadcasting, and then C-Span for what the Congress does starting at 1:00 p.m. today. LOVE MAGA The fired police officer who kneeled on George Floyd‘s neck for nearly nine minutes has a history of employing the same kind of brutal neck restraints on other Black and brown suspects, people who claim to be past victims of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin told the New York Times in a new bombshell report. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is hoping to introduce these claims as evidence of a pattern of Chauvin’s renegade style of policing that appeared to kill Floyd, who was handcuffed and face-down on a hot street’s pavement during the encounter that spurred ongoing nationwide protests against police violence, racism and what is often times the deadly combination of the two. Zoya Code, a Black mother, described her 2017 encounter with Chauvin and said she pleaded with him, “Don’t kill me.” Chauvin’s response? “He just stayed on my neck,” Code said. And then applied more pressure, she said, “Just to shut me up.” One person who was accused of panhandling in Minneapolis told the Times that Chauvin went for his neck after he resisted being handcuffed. The woman dubbed by LeBron James as “Courtside Karen” husband’s history of political donations could shed some light on her privileged behavior. Juliana Carlos made headlines for all the wrong reasons after she confronted James during the middle of a game Monday night in an exchange that allegedly included James calling her husband, Chris Carlos, an “ol steroid ass.” That was likely a reference to Chris Carlos’ muscular physique that he loves to showcase on his Instagram account, which was recently made private. The longtime employee at his family’s business in Georgia has a reported whopping net worth of $80 million. According to campaign finance website Open Secrets, Chris Carlos has donated to the likes of Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and many other Republican officials and organizations. Among them is now-former Sen. David Purdue. Chris Carlos donated nearly $30,000 to Purdue’s campaigns. The Ohio police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black man within seconds of seeing him was arrested Wednesday and indicted for murder in a rare instance of prosecutors charging members of law enforcement for deadly on-duty shootings. Former Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy, a 17-year veteran who was fired following the shooting of Andre Hill in late December, was charged with murder, felonious assault and dereliction of duty for failure to inform his fellow officer that he felt threatened. Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing Hill’s family, applauded the decision to indict Coy. What was supposed to be a normal day for shoppers and staff at a Chanel boutique in lower Manhattan turned out to be a complete nightmare. Video obtained by The New York Post on Wednesday shows four armed men ravaging through the boutique, snatching purses and luxury goods. According to the news site, the incident happened at 2 pm on Tuesday: “Move! Move!” someone aggressively yelled. The clip also showed two men holding open the store’s doors, while the others quickly grabbed several items. The Post notes that the men got away with more than $160,000. Teen killer Kyle Rittenhouse is under scrutiny by authorities over a bond violation. Rittenhouse is the Illinois teenager charged with killing two people during racial protests last summer in Wisconsin. Prosecutors are seeking to arrest him for failing to notify the court about the change in his address within 48 hours of moving, a violation of his bond terms. Authorities reportedly can’t find Rittenhouse. His lawyers are said to have intentionally written the wrong address on his forms, claiming they were advised to do so by a high-ranking official in the Kenosha Police Department. According to Fox6, the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion Wednesday, requesting a new arrest warrant and a $200,000 increase to his bond. https://youtu.be/_jdHu18WOZ0 A 43-year-old Black police officer, military veteran and father took his own life outside of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office on Monday after leaving a series of haunting videos on social media explaining that he’s “had enough” of racist policing and no longer wanted any part of it. “I’ve had enough of all of this nonsense. I’m serving a system that does not give a damn about me or people like me,” said Clyde Kerr III at the beginning of his video. “This killing that’s going on, especially by police, which I am, I can’t abide by this no more. I’m not having anything to do with this nonsense anymore. https://www.instagram.com/clydekerriii/?utm_source=ig_embed Former President Barack Obama has announced that construction of his highly anticipated presidential center in Chicago will finally begin this year. In a video message posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Obama said the Obama Presidential Center will break ground in Jackson Park in 2021, and it comes after a four-year delay. https://youtu.be/9Jz6gjjNkAI A proposal to rename the main airport in Las Vegas for one of Nevada’s longest-serving Senators could get tricky if the current racial reckoning happening across the country has anything to do with it. State officials have called to rename McCarran International Airport after former Sen. Harry Reid, who served more than three decades on Capitol Hill representing Nevada in both chambers of Congress. You may recall Reid used some colorful terms to describe Barack Obama. Reid's commentary was about what he saw as Obama’s ability to code-switch, thanks in part to the color of the then-presidential candidate’s skin as well as the eloquence of his speech. The Clark County Commission, a panel of all Democrats, is expected to consider the name change at a meeting later this month, according to the Associated Press. The person for whom the airport is currently named has a history of racism, which has partially fueled the calls for its name to be changed. Michelle Obama is set to release two new editions of her bestselling memoir, “Becoming” in both a young readers’ edition and a paperback edition. Both include new material from the former first lady. According to a statement from publisher Penguin/Random House, the new editions will be available beginning March 2. https://twitter.com/i/status/1356958284419395584 Told entirely through social media and smartphone screens, this bold adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” reinvents the world’s most enduring love story with style and lyricism, with Black and brown youth at the heart of it all. Blending text messages and Shakespearean dialogue, “R#J” takes us into the subversive love language of the moment, where GIFs, Spotify playlist exchanges, and Instagram profiles kindle romance and unexpected windows of vulnerability. Sundance shorts alum Carey Williams launches us into the impressive vision of his debut feature, where technology powerfully unveils timelessness. https://youtu.be/jLm90Q5rBH4 Lifetime's Wendy Williams: The Movie is the new queen of cable movies, besting all titles in the last nine months among Adults 25-54 (1.2 million), Women 25-54 (893,000), Adults 18-49 (958,000) and Women 18-49 (682,000) in Live+3 ratings (according to Nielsen Media Research). The biopic about the life of the talk show host drew 2.9 million Total Viewers in Live+3 and was the #1 telecast in prime on Saturday, January 30 with W25-54 and W18-49. Following Wendy Williams: The Movie, the documentary Wendy Williams: What a Mess! was Lifetime's best non-fiction telecast in more than two years among Total Viewers (2.6 million) and Women 25-54 (802,000) in Live+3. It currently ranks as cable's #1 documentary of the year among all key demos. WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Shavel demanding a commitment from Quaylon, or else. https://youtu.be/QkzIMKojhos Nick Cannon has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, forcing him to temporarily step down from hosting “The Masked Singer.” Actress Niecy Nash will reportedly fill in as host for the first few episodes, PEOPLE reports. Cannon is currently in quarantine, his representative told Variety, The fifth season of The Masked Singer is set to premiere in March, with Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy returning as judges. Colin Kaepernick’s activism is being celebrated in a mural and on billboards throughout Tampa ahead of Super Bowl LV. It’s all part of the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s partnership with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Their goal is to raise awareness about police violence and systemic racism against Black and brown people, the issues that prompted Kaepernick to kneel during the National Anthem played before the 49ers’ NFL games and what led to him being ostracized from the league. The free-agent quarterback partnered with Ben & Jerry’s late last year on an ice cream called “Change the Whirled.” He said at the time he hoped the flavor would raise the volume on his calls to abolish and defund the police. https://youtu.be/zVLdahbyUX0 Episode 4 of the Disney+ series WandaVision answered a few questions for fans, plus raised a few new ones. In “We interrupt this program,” we saw the return of FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park,) last seen in “Ant-Man and The Wasp.” Lamar Odom and former pop star Aaron Carter will face off in a celebrity boxing match later this year. According to TMZ reports, the boxing match between the 41-year-old retired basketball star and the 33-year-old singer will go down at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City on June 12. According to Celebrity Boxing CEO Damon Feldman, the event will be a three-round exhibition. It’s gonna be a war, man. It’s gonna be a knockout, there’s no doubt,” Feldman told TMZ. As far as what fans can expect to see from Odom, he added, “Well, after seeing him training, he was training down there with the same guy that trains Kevin Hart, and he was training good. … His comeback is gonna be phenomenal, and same with Aaron Carter.” Judith Hill is making a statement, bringing consciousness, poetry and strength to the listening public with her album, “Baby I’m Hollywood,” due for release March 5th with the title single of the same name released on Friday, January 22, 2021. https://youtu.be/QTDz4RdOX7Q Lizzo, is trying to convince us that she’s happy being obese. On Tuesday, the 32-year-old artist shared a video of herself wearing a sports bra and underwear, while rubbing her belly and reciting self-affirmations about loving her big stomach. She started “talking” to her belly as a way to practice self-love. “I started talking to my belly this year. Blowing her kisses and showering her with praises,” she captioned the clip on Instagram. “I used to want to cut my stomach off I hated it so much. But it’s literally ME.” https://www.instagram.com/lizzobeeating/?utm_source=ig_embed ”Gorilla Glue” was trending Thursday afternoon after a woman took to TikTok to warn her followers not to use the industrial strength adhesive as a hair spray, should you run out of your regular spray and need something to hold you over. The woman, whose hair appears to be permanently shellacked to her scalp, said she usually uses Got2b Glued freeze spray to “finish off” her hair, but ran out of the product. “So I used this,” she said, holding the Gorilla Glue spray toward the camera. “Bad, bad, bad idea.” “Yall look. My hair?” she said, tapping and rubbing her hardened follicles. “It don’t move. You hear what I’m telling you? It don’t move. I’ve washed my hair 15 times and it don’t move!” https://twitter.com/i/status/1357437467855622144 Video of a store in Naples, Florida showing both employees and customers of all ages not wearing masks has gone viral and caused outrage. Owner Alfie Oakes of Oakes Farms says he doesn’t think that masks work and denied that the virus has caused 400,000 deaths. The clip was shot by NBC News correspondent Sam Brock, who tweeted: “As #Florida fights community spread of COVID on a massive scale, this is a 15-second snapshot of a supermarket in Naples. Many employees and customers- even older ones- with no masks on inside. Store sign outside cites ‘medical exemptions,’ we can’t ask questions.” One user replied to Brock: “This is Oakes Farms, the owner is notoriously anti mask and he also rented buses to take many people to the Capitol on 1/6. Some of his employees have died of Covid at his farm. I would suggest pursuing this story. The owner’s name is Alfie Oakes.” https://youtu.be/gdKgVjZyERw LaShá Knox anointed & highly impressive vocals is a perfect combination for the remake of "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6462958?date=20210204&user_id=668306&signature=8HxwBqhzgjAur6ffQ4jovjrrZME%3Ab5ICaG4o As Americans prepare to watch the 55th Super Bowl this Sunday, many are unaware that large sporting events tend to promote criminal activities like human trafficking and sex trafficking. That’s why Minnesota Vikings star quarterback Kirk Cousins is trying to raise awareness and end human trafficking by encouraging everyone to join the International Justice Mission (IJM) – a global organization that works to end violence against people living in poverty. In an Instagram video, Cousins asked people to join “Team Freedom” and do their part to stop human trafficking. Cousins, along with other NFL players such as New England Patriots’ Jason and Devin McCourtys and Philadelphia Eagles’ Zack Ertz, are collecting pledges from people who want to see human traffickers locked up and off the streets. The NFL is calling for a ceasefire by the Buccaneers as we inch closer to Super Bowl LV. Despite this rare instance where Tampa Bay will be playing a home game as they make a bid for their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, it won’t exactly be a full-fledged home-field advantage. In an attempt to keep this “neutral site” game as even as possible for both the Bucs and Chiefs, the league is not allowing Tampa Bay to fire the cannons from their famed pirate ship after touchdowns and big plays. “The firing of the cannons after big plays is a tradition that defines what it means to be a Buccaneer fan and serves as a signature element of our home game experience at Raymond James Stadium,” the team said in a statement released on Tuesday. “However, we also acknowledge and understand the NFL’s position with regards to maintaining the integrity of a neutral site atmosphere for Super Bowl LV. While the cannons may not fire in their typical fashion, we look forward to showcasing parts of our tradition while working within the league’s guidelines.” Throughout most of 2020, kicker Ryan Succop was without a job. An injury-riddled 2019 season led to his release from the Tennessee Titans after six seasons, and with a pandemic raging, Succop had plenty of time at home to ponder his future. “Last year was a really difficult year for me, coming off of an injury, trying to play and maybe wasn’t where I needed to be, and really struggled when I played,” he told Sports Spectrum in an interview last week. “It was tough, it was frustrating, there was definitely some adversity. When you go through something like that, I think it’s human nature where you start to kind of doubt yourself.” Fast forward four months and Succop is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and busy preparing to play in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that drafted him with the last pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. A ruckus brought by China over Canadian T-shirts bearing an altered logo of the New York hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan continued Wednesday, with China’s Foreign Ministry saying it didn’t buy Canada’s explanation that the shirts were not an insult linked to the coronavirus. Canada’s Foreign Ministry said this week that the shirts using the “W” logo of the Wu-Tang Clan but with the group’s name replaced with “Wuhan” was not intended as a slight. It apologized for any misunderstanding. The Chinese-made T-shirts were reportedly ordered last summer by someone at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing and word of them began circulating recently on the internet in China. Chinese critics say the “W” is actually a bat and the shirt is meant to imply a connection between the animals and the virus outbreak in the city of Wuhan, playing on a stereotype about the Chinese taste for eating exotic species. The virus that causes COVID-19 is suspected of originating in bats and its outbreak was first detected in Wuhan. https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6227543136001 A family in Jefferson County, Alabama is in mourning after a father-of-two died from the British COVID-19 variant, aged just 35. Alfonzia Jackson Jr., 35, was diagnosed with the B.1.1.7 variant earlier last week while struggling to live at the UAB hospital. On Tuesday night, his wife, Ashley Jackson, took to Facebook around 9pm to announced that Alfonzia had died. ‘Lord this day has been hard,’ Ashley posted on Facebook. ‘I wouldn’t wish this on anyone as I said good bye to my amazing husband.’ She continued: ‘Our girls are going to truly miss you, you were an amazing dad and I will keep your memory alive through them and they will always remember you. ‘You are now our guardian Angel and you are at peace, rest on my amazing husband until we meet again.’ She also posted an emotional tribute featuring pictures and videos of the family, set to I’ll Be Missing You. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is celebrating Black History Month with a series of virtual and in-person events and programs to honor African Americans’ contributions to the genre, reports the Akron Beacon Journal. For folks visiting the museum in person there’s the exhibit, “It’s Been Said All Along: Voices of Rage, Hope & Empowerment.” The Hall’s weekly Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Vault podcast will spotlight African American inductees and their “unfiltered” induction speeches. This past Friday’s episode featured Gladys Knight and the Pips inducted by Mariah Carey, with Public Enemy inducted by Spike Lee and Harry Belafonte coming this Friday, The Miracles inducted by Smokey Robinson on Feb. 19, and Buddy Guy inducted by B.B. King and Eric Clapton dropping Feb. 26. Omarr Rambert, a recent UCLA School of Law graduate, decided in fifth grade he wanted to be a lawyer. The moment that his dream came true was captured in a video on Instagram that has since gone viral. https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/210125_gma_digital_college_grad_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg Khadijah Tribble is fighting hard for returning citizens with marijuana convictions. As Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Curaleaf, a leading medical and wellness cannabis operator, she is using her experience in government relations to help create equitable cannabis regulations that will give returning citizens a new start in the multi-billion dollar industry. The harm caused to the Black community through the criminalization of cannabis must be acknowledged in order to set a new path forward. One out of every four individuals who have a marijuana conviction lives above the poverty line. That means three out of four, or 75% of those individuals, are living in abject poverty. On THE REAL airing today, Thursday, February 4, 2021, guest Shad “Bow Wow” Moss spoke with co-hosts Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and guest co-host Carla Hall and addressed the recent social media backlash where he was seen performing on stage in a crowded Houston nightclub last month not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing. https://youtu.be/q5WjsFYhdoU During its Winter Press Tour, PBS announced an open call for submissions for long and short-form films by next-generation content creators. This initiative will further amplify the voices of diverse/BIPOC producers across public media, inviting submissions that explore a broad range of experiences, perspectives and points of view. Whether in the early concept stages of developing a film or nearing completion with final edits, PBS will offer funding support to the top entries, determined by editorial criteria. Upon completion, selected projects may be distributed across PBS platforms such as PBS.org and PBS Digital Studios, and/or broadcast through PBS’s national and local schedules. This Black History Month, #supportblackbusiness and help us bring a game to life that will help you honor Black culture and heritage All. Year. Long. Lift Every Voice and Meme is for the culture, by the culture! Lift Every Voice and Meme, the hilarious, adults-only Black card game that’s #BlackTwitter and Instagram inspired, JUST launched on Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/levam/lift-every-voice-and-meme-a-black-card-game Today, MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee will present a special four-part series in his podcast Into America —“Harlem On My Mind,” — bringing listeners into the interconnected lives of four Black creators in and around the Harlem Renaissance that helped define what it means to be Black in America today. The Great Migration ushered nearly 200,000 Black Americans into the three-square-mile Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem. A period of art, culture and intellectualism was born, and the likes of Marcus Garvey and Zora Neale Hurston became leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance. But so many other individuals contributed to this movement of social consciousness and self-determination. The latest episode of Facebook Watch’s talk show, Peace of Mind with Taraji, is now available! https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=147016737119457 This week’s episode of WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” finds Deb kicking off the group project with a bang! Will everything go as planned when Jhonni Blaze pulls up to the studio? https://youtu.be/S8LKZia9ZqE Monique Samuels’ exit from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Potomac is a permanent one. The reality star quit the show after the fifth season wrapped last year. She said during a recent interview that she’d never return to the show. During the season, she had a physical altercation with her former friend Candiace Dillard. She also previously alleged that some of her co-stars plotted against her and wanted to spread a rumor that her husband didn’t father their youngest child. “I will never be back on that show because too much has happened and to me, if people were really genuine and they really feel any type of remorse as they try to hold me accountable at a time that I wasn’t ready. Some of these ladies have done some really nasty, disgusting things and I’ve not had one apology in my direction. My husband has not been apologized too.” TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, February 8 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez recount their past homicide investigations on the streets of Atlanta in their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic recreations from actors Angelo Diaz as David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vurckruQB0c&feature=youtu.be Jay DeMarcus of the multi-platinum selling country trio Rascal Flatts has selected a Liberty University student as the winner of a music video contest he launched for artist Cade Thompson’s new single, “Every Step of the Way.” “Every Step of the Way” is now in rotation on KLOVE and other Christian AC and Hot AC/CHR radio stations across the country. Thompson is an artist on Red Street Records, which was founded by DeMarcus. Last year, the label launched a video contest encouraging young creatives to make a music video for the Christian single. Matthew Gates from Liberty University created a moving Christian video treatment for the single and was selected among numerous entries. Gates, from Bentonville, Arkansas, is at the Christian college studying film development. https://youtu.be/YMNaiYSweio One of the biggest names in country music will not have his songs played on a major chain of radio stations after he was heard saying a racial slur. Morgan Wallen, whose “Dangerous” album has remained on top of the Billboard chart for the three straight weeks, said in a statement he is “embarrassed and sorry” for using the racial slur. A clip shared by TMZ Tuesday shows him calling one of his friends the N-word. But his language has pushed Cumulus Media, which controls more than 400 radio stations in the United States, to remove Wallen’s music from their rotation, Variety reported. His songs were also removed from Apple Music’s Today’s Country playlist, as well as Spotify’s Hot Country Songs playlist, BBC reported. Wednesday afternoon, Big Loud Records announced it it suspending Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely. http:www.gospel-spotlight.com The wait is finally over. The 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards nominations have been announced. The top contenders in the motion picture drama category include “The Father,” “Mank,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” In the musical or comedy category, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “Hamilton,” “Palm Springs,” “Music” and “The Prom” will duke it out. The top TV categories include “Emily in Paris,” “The Flight Attendant,” “The Great,” “Schitt’s Creek” and “Ted Lasso” in the musical or comedy field; while “The Crown,” “Lovecraft Country,” “The Mandalorian,” “Ozark” and “Ratched” lead the way in the drama category. Netflix dominated the competition with 42 total nominations. The nominations for the 78th Golden Globe Awards were announced on Wednesday, with David Fincher’s “Mank” and “The Crown” leading the nods. Netflix has earned 42 nominations, with 22 in film categories and 20 in television, including for “The Crown” (six nods), “Ozark” (four nods) and “The Queen’s Gambit” (two nods). Surprisingly, the streamer’s “Da 5 Bloods” from Spike Lee was snubbed. The acclaimed film was the last project Chadwick Boseman shot before his death in August. Late actor Chadwick Boseman has earned two NAACP Image Awards nominations for his work in the Netflix films “Da 5 Bloods” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which received nine nominations overall. During the early days of the pandemic, the prospect of workers suing businesses for not protecting them from the virus was so great that many corporations lobbied for tort protection, aiming to be shielded from negligence claims. And yet there have been few actual lawsuits from the nation’s labor force. Certainly none in Hollywood. That is, until Jan. 15, when Timothy Hearl became the first actor to sue entertainment employers over COVID-19 working conditions. Unexpectedly, Netflix is one of the defendants in this suit after having made an under-the-radar jump into live entertainment last year with Stranger Things: The Drive Into Experience. Actor T.C. Stallings began his brand new podcast with an introspective and convicting question: “If you found out today that you only have 30 days left to live … what would you do?” Stallings, star of “War Room,” “God’s Compass,” and the upcoming drama, “My Brother’s Keeper,” questioned how this shocking hypothetical consideration holds the power to transform lives. “Would your goals change, your desires, your pursuits?” he questioned. “If you’re thinking about that and you’re saying to yourself, ‘I would change a lot,’ … I’m going to challenge you to rethink your perspective right now.” After being in remission from cancer over the past six years, singer Carman Licciardello had a major health scare following a recent surgery that led to internal bleeding. In an update shared on his Facebook page Thursday, it appears that Carman’s health is improving. “Praise the Lord! Carman is improving every day. He is making big improvements and on his way to a full recovery. We ask that you continue to pray for him and that he recovers quickly,” said the update on his Facebook page. Adults age 20 to 49 are the biggest spreaders of COVID-19 in the US, according to British researchers who say targeting this age group for vaccination could hasten school reopening. A team at Imperial College London used cellphone data from more than 10 million people to calculate that 65 of 100 infections originated from those ages 20 to 49 in the US. They found that people in that age bracket accounted for about 72 percent of the cases after schools reopened in October. Less than 5 percent came from children, and less than 10 percent from teens. Adults ages 35 to 49 accounted for 41 percent of new cases through mid-August, compared to 35 percent for adults ages 20 to 34, according to the peer-reviewed study published in Science. Black-owned MahoganyBooks in Washington D.C., a beacon of culture and conversation in the city’s Southeast region, had a last minute invite crash their recent virtual book club gathering. Husband and wife store owners Derrick and Ramunda Young were hosting the virtual “Very Smart Brothas Book Club” at their remote meeting on Jan. 26 when they introduced a “special guest,” former President Barack Obama. https://youtu.be/ErSorVgjDks A South Carolina high school principal made national headlines recently for his dedication to his students. Henry Darby, principal at North Charleston High School and 4th district city councilmember, took on a third job at a local Walmart to earn extra cash to help his students in need. His generosity earned him praise from his community, and now the retail giant has stepped up to help out in a big way, Black Enterprise reports. Darby’s manager at Walmart was unaware of his charity and only learned he was working three jobs once Darby’s story went viral. That’s when Walmart decided to recognize his acts of kindness. The company presented him with a $50,000 check on air during his TODAY show interview. https://twitter.com/i/status/1355158862106664963 The Atlanta Hawks intend to investigate Monday’s ‘Courtside Karen’ altercation between Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and a group of hecklers. Juliana Carlos was dubbed “Courtside Karen” after she interrupted Monday night’s game between the Lakers and Hawks by going off on Lebron while trying to defend her husband. After being kicked out of the arena, Juliana hopped on Instagram to explain what went down and also throw a few jabs at the basketball star — calling him a “f*cking loser” https://youtu.be/1HmD_jkCvf8 An R. Kelly associate pleaded guilty Tuesday to trying to bribe a witness in the singer’s sexual assault case in Brooklyn. “Me and another person offered Jane Doe money for her to not go forward with her complaint or testimony against Robert Kelly,” Richard Arline Jr., 31, admitted during a virtual hearing in Brooklyn federal court, per Page Six. “I knew what I did was wrong.” The complaints listed Arline Jr., Donnell Russell and Michael Williams as defendants, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s office in Brooklyn. “The defendants are separately charged with engaging in multiple crimes that were intended to undermine and subvert the integrity of the criminal justice system and victimize the women who have come forward with serious allegations of criminal conduct against the defendant R. Kelly,” Acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme said in the release. Former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Chad Wheeler pleaded not guilty during an arraignment on Monday to criminal charges of first-degree domestic violence assault, domestic violence unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. Wheeler was arrested and charged last week after viciously beating his girlfriend unconscious twice on January 22 and leaving her for dead. At one point she woke up and he allegedly asked her, “Wow you’re alive?” — that’s when she ran into the bathroom and called 911, CBS reported. https://youtu.be/hMQyPasMiF0 Hip-hop legend Ed Fletcher aka Duke Bootee, co-writer of the 1982 hit “The Message,” died on Jan. 13 of heart failure at his home in Savannah, Ga. He was 69. According to rollingstone.com, Fletcher served as a member of Sugar Hill Records’ house band. The label released the early work of groups such as the Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Fletcher after graduating from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania in 1973 with an English degree, played with local New Jersey bands before working at Sugar Hill. He would go on to write for, produce and mix for artists like Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, P. Diddy, Dr. John and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. https://youtu.be/PobrSpMwKk4 The official “Coming 2 America” trailer is here. Take part in the royal festivities on Prime Video on March 5. Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began. https://youtu.be/acxUWBg_7CM OWN has dropped the first promo trailer and tease art for new drama “Delilah,” from acclaimed “Greenleaf” creator Craig Wright, who serves as executive producer along with Charles Randolph-Wright and Oprah Winfrey. Maahra Hill stars as Delilah Connolly, a headstrong, highly principled lawyer living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jill Marie Jones appears as Tamara Roberts, Delilah’s confidante and best friend; Susan Heyward portrays Demetria Barnes, Delilah’s newly hired, fearless, and ambitious associate; and Ozioma Akagha plays Delilah’s unfailingly sunny secretary, Harper Omereoha. https://youtu.be/2R9D1SS4oD4 In response to House impeachment managers who filed a memo on Tuesday laying out their arguments regarding why Trump should be permanently barred from running for office, Trump’s legal team presented their own brief full of fallacies, falsehoods and misgivings. Trump’s lawyers Bruce Castor Jr. and David Schoen argue he should be exempt from the proceedings because he no longer holds office NBC News reports. The claim contradicts most of Trump’s post-election speeches and tweets where he willingly spread misinformation declaring himself the winner of the election along with falsely alleging voter fraud in predominantly Black areas within several battleground states. Following their termination, two Atlanta Police Department officers were reinstated Monday after tasing and violently arresting two historically Black college students during a viral arrest at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests this past summer. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the city’s Civil Service Board declared protocol was not followed in firing officers Mark Gardner and Ivory Streeter, who were let go on May 31, one day following the release of the viral video. Of the six officers involved in the brutal confrontation Gardner and Streeter were the only two who were terminated. The other four were placed on desk duty. Spelman College student Taniyah Pilgrim, 20, and her boyfriend Morehouse College student Messiah Young, 22, were participants in a Black Lives Matter protest when officers ordered them to exit a heavily trafficked area in their vehicle. Police claimed the two failed to exit the premises even though the road was blocked with traffic, and also stated they thought they were armed. They were forcefully pulled from the car, tased and sustained injuries from the arrest. No weapons were found at the scene. Pictures and videos of Black doctors, celebrities, and community leaders getting the vaccination are not enough to convince some people of the vaccine’s safety. Vaccine skepticism among Black Americans persists even as the urgency of vaccination continues. The Associated Press reported that residents of Tuskegee, Alabama, are skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine. Given the unethical 40-year study by the U.S. government of untreated syphilis in Black men, it’s not surprising the mistrust continues. There remains living residents whose family members were affected by the ramifications of the study. While many point to the Tuskegee experiment as a reason to be skeptical of the current COVID-19, the facts of Tuskegee differ from the current scenario. For decades the U.S. government failed to treat Black men for syphilis for the purpose of a medical study. On THE REAL airing today, Wednesday, February 3, 2021, guest co-hosts Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton of “Salt-N-Pepa” respond to the recent criticism from the group’s former DJ and third member DJ Spinderella who said she was excluded from their recent Lifetime biopic. https://youtu.be/umchLShBXCk On the first day of Black History Month, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum opened “Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets,” an outdoor exhibit featuring prominent African American men who have shaped our world. Carter G. Woodson, Alvin Ailey, Ryan Coogler and Kendrick Lamar are among the 27 men profiled in the exhibit, which is spread over two blocks of the Deanwood neighborhood in Washington D.C.’s Ward 7, around the Deanwood Recreational Center and Ron Brown High School. “Millennials,” the six-episode original sitcom will premiere weekly beginning Thursday, February 25 on AMC Networks’ newly relaunched streaming service, ALLBLK, announced today. The hilarious new comedy is centered on the lives of four 20-something roommates and their neighbors across the hall; as they navigate the chaos of being young and finding success, and themselves, in the city of angels. https://youtu.be/7qVhaZxF62g Country music star Morgan Wallen, whose tracks are at times laced with hip hop’s trap beats, has infuriated some of his biggest fans after being captured in a video using the N-word. This is the same artist whose initial “Saturday Night Live” booking was cancelled last year after he broke the show’s COVID-19 protocol and was seen kissing a girl at a packed party full of folks without masks. On Tuesday, TMZ posted footage of the singer referring to one of his friends as a “p**sy ass n**ga.” Several friends were gathered outside of his Nashville home following a night out. https://youtu.be/JO9iFWcK19o Kyetra Bryant told Fox 46 that she and her boyfriend bought tickets at an American Airlines self-serve kiosk and checked in luggage for a Thanksgiving Day flight out of Charlotte Douglas Airport. She said that on her bank statement, she found “African American, Africa Service Charge” posted on her bank statement, but not on her boyfriend’s statement after comparing their charges. Bryant said her attempts to get answers from the airline and credit cards involved were unsuccessful. And for the record, Mastercard released a statement saying that after its own investigation, “it is our understanding that American Airlines is not responsible for this error. American Airlines submitted the transaction correctly for a checked baggage purchase — including the proper merchant name. Our bank issuing and payment processing partners are working to understand how the error occurred so this does not happen again.” https://youtu.be/1sUqQJ8srRw Tom Brady hardly ever fumbles, but he totally dropped the ball this week when asked about his support for former President Donald Trump. Remember that time in 2015 when a MAGA hat was spotted in the then-New England Patriot QB’s locker during a post-game presser, and he said that Trump had done “amazing things?” During a Zoom press conference with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback on Monday, USA Today’s Nancy Armour brought up Shannon Sharpe’s recent comments on FS1’s “Undisputed,” pointing out that Black athletes (like LeBron James, for instance) could never voice support for a controversial figure (like Minister Louis Farrakhan, for instance) without catching a whole lot of hell. Sharpe said Brady got a pass for his support of Trump because he’s white. https://twitter.com/i/status/1354432982728118274 During Black History Month, Bounce and the Brown Sugar App have curated movies that celebrate the sacrifice, resilience, and contributions of African Americans, including Southside With You, With Drawn Arms, Gifted Hands, King (3 Part Mini-Series), Road To Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story and Lean On Me. Also included is the International film, Lara And The Beat which recognizes and celebrates cultural diversity. https://youtu.be/Q_6W8kpcsNs After six days and 73 feature films, the 2021 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony took place tonight, hosted by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, with jurors presenting 24 prizes for feature filmmaking and seven for Short Films. Honorees, named in total below, represent new achievements in global independent storytelling. Bold, intimate, and humanizing stories prevailed across categories, with Grand Jury Prizes awarded to CODA (U.S. Dramatic), Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (U.S. Documentary), Flee (World Cinema Documentary) and Hive (World Cinema Dramatic). This year’s impressive group of honorees was comprised of visionary films, actors, producers, and directors who were honored for their work this season, and their ongoing commitment to telling Black stories on film. They included: Delroy Lindo (Career Achievement Award), John Legend & Mike Jackson (Producers Award), Chadwick Boseman (Performance of the Year Award), Zendaya & John David Washington (NextGen Award), Shaka King (Director Award), Tessa Thompson (Actor Award), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Breakthrough Award), Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom, Jr. (Ensemble Award), Andra Day (Special Honoree Award), and Tommie Smith (Social Justice Award). The Critics Choice Association is thrilled to announce that in partnership with Nexstar Media Group, KTLA will air the 90-minute Celebration of Black Cinema special in Los Angeles on Saturday night, February 6th. In the latest episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered”, actor Morris Chestnut joins Jemele to discuss “Spell,” a new movie starring Omari Hardwick and Loretta Devine that he is executive producing. Morris also reminisces about his breakout role as Ricky in Boyz n the Hood, shares what has been key in sustaining his nearly 30-year acting career and gives Jemele the scoop on the next Best Man project. Plus, Jemele offers emotional thoughts about a recently deceased friend and keeps it real about a NFL player who recently was accused of domestic violence. Jennifer Lopez has been tapped to star in the upcoming Netflix action-drama “The Mother,” written by “Lovecraft Country’s” Misha Green. According to Deadline, Lopez plays an assassin who comes out of hiding to protect the daughter she gave up years ago. The actress will produce the film with her longtime producing partner Elaine Goldsmith Thomas for Nuyorican Productions, as well as her manager, Benny Medina; Roy Lee and Miri Yoon for Vertigo Entertainment; and Green. Niki Caro (Mulan) is in talks to direct. https://youtu.be/9QEGv7REuXw Jermaine Dupri stars in the newest episode of My Rhythm and My Blues discussing his chart-topping hits with Mariah Carey, Usher, TLC and more! Getting his start in Atlanta, he shares the importance of a collaborative and supportive music community on his career as well as education to advance Black leadership in the industry. https://youtu.be/lXocIzOS7VY “It’s from my EP. I’m still working on it, still recording songs,” said Shardella Sessions about her new single “Everything.” The R&B single, to me, has a Hip-Hop flavor to it; it’s written by Shardella with music by Roy Chase. https://youtu.be/L305EGK7P2o RCA Inspiration celebrates five nominations for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards®, dominating the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album with nods for Marvin Sapp, Kierra Sheard, and Koryn Hawthorne this year, along with two nods for Sheard and Kirk Franklin in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song. The powerhouse Gospel hit makers are nominated for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album and for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song. Marvin Sapp released his chart-topping thirteenth solo album CHOSEN VESSEL, Kierra Sheard released her chart-topping sixth studio album KIERRA and Koryn Hawthorne released her chart-topping sophomore album I AM. Kierra Sheard is nominated for “Something Has To Break” (feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard) and Kirk Franklin is nominated for his latest chart-topping song “Strong God.” Separately, RCA Inspiration artist Donald Lawrence was nominated as a producer, for Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album and Outstanding Producer of the Year (The First Ladies of Gospel: The Clark Sisters Biopic Soundtrack). Also, Netflix received a nomination for Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series) for “Voices of Fire.” GRAMMY-Award winning and multi-RIAA Platinum-selling group Casting Crowns have partnered with chart-topping hip-hop artist KB to create an anthem-like version of the group's single, "Start Right Here." “I feel united with Casting Crowns as co-conspirators for the Gospel," shares KB. "It was an honor to be invited to contribute to this powerful appeal to the Church’s greatest purpose - reflecting the glory of God over all things!” https://castingcrowns.lnk.to/StartRightHereHGAPR Brittany is now set to release her debut radio single “Great Is The Lord.” This upbeat high energy praise and worship hit will take you straight church! “Great Is The Lord”! Available February 12th on all digital music outlets! Two of gospel music's powerhouse vocalists, Monica Lisa Stevenson and Paul Porter, have teamed up to bring you the great new single... I'm Not Ashamed." https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6455416?date=20210202&user_id=668306&signature=wgTIhGBwL8ejgBdOLkleJZSEzuE%3Avb40Xut2 Dolly Parton and the Presidential Medal of Freedom just can’t seem to connect. First, former President Obama admitted in December that overlooking Parton for the nation’s highest civilian honor was a mistake he would try to remedy via the Biden administration. The country singer, who is famously apolitical, has revealed that she was offered the honor not once but twice by Trump, but couldn’t make it to either ceremony. “I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill and then they asked me again about it and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID,” she told the “Today” show’s Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Monday. (Parton has been married to Carl Thomas Dean since 1966.) Oscar-nominated animation house Laika is donating the funds to build a stop-motion animation studio at Bowie State University, marking the first such undertaking at a Historically Black College and University. The partnership is designed to boost the university’s animation curriculum and provide a direct pathway into the industry. Laika, which has seen all five of its feature films — Kubo and the Two Strings, Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, Coraline and most recently Missing Link — nominated for Oscars, began the initiative with the Maryland university by teaming on an internship program for BSU students. The relationship grew into the longer-term investment, with Laika now funding upgrades Bowie State’s greenscreen studio. Rapper Silentó, best known for the hit single “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” was arrested and charged with murdering his cousin in Georgia on February 1. Silentó (born Richard Lamar “Ricky” Hawk), 23, was taken into custody Monday morning and charged with felony murder in the death of Frederick Rooks, a statement from the DeKalb County Police Department via Twitter. Rooks was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds at a home in Panthersville, Georgia, on January 21. He was 34. https://youtu.be/vjW8wmF5VWc Judgment day appears to have come earlier than anticipated for scandal-ridden megachurch Hillsong — and at the unexpected locale of two regional court systems. The Australia-based institution is currently being sued in Norwalk, Connecticut’s housing court and a state Supreme Court in Australia over allegations of wholly unholy behavior. The Wall Street Theater Company, which Hillsong’s Connecticut branch rented for its weekly services, is suing the church for over $100,000, alleging unpaid rent, the theft of venue property and “immoral, oppressive and unscrupulous” actions, according to a complaint filed on Jan. 20 by the theater. Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren has apologized for a children’s Sunday school curriculum video that used Asian culture stereotypes to teach kids about the Bible. The video has been removed, but Michelle Ami Reyes, vice president for the Asian American Christian Collaborative, on Twitter described it as using Asian culture “as a prop for slapstick humor.” The video, she said, blurs and dishonors “distinctions and categories of Asian culture.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced that its national board has elected Deborah Archer as its new president. Archer becomes the first Black woman to head the organization’s 69 person board. After beginning my career as an ACLU fellow, it is an honor to come full circle and now lead the organization as board president,” said Archer in a written statement. “The ACLU has proven itself as an invaluable voice in the fight for civil rights in the last four years of the Trump era, and we are better positioned than ever to face the work ahead. This organization has been part of every important battle for civil liberties during our first century, and we are committed to continuing that legacy as we enter our second. I could not be more excited to get to work.” Twitter has permanently suspended the MyPillow USA account about a week after suspending CEO Mike Lindell’s account. The MyPillow account was suspended Monday for violating the ban evasion policy, Twitter confirmed to USA TODAY. Lindell, an ally and supporter of Trump, has continued to insist that the presidential election was rigged even after U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has begun. His account was banned after he continued to perpetuate the claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election. Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson, who is pregnant with her second child with husband Andrew East, revealed Sunday that she has tested positive for COVID-19. The gold medal winner in the 2008 Olympic games revealed her coronavirus test results in a lengthy note posted on her Instagram Stories. “They came back positive for COVID,” Johnson, 29, wrote. “Not going to lie… I’m nervous knowing I’m positive.” The “Dancing With the Stars” standout revealed earlier this month that she is pregnant with the couple’s second child. LeBron James was caught up in a furious war of words with a pair of fans during the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Atlanta Hawks. But the game wasn’t without its drama – after he was involved in an X-rated exchange with two home fans. During the game, LeBron claims Hawks fan Chris Carlos went ‘out of bounds’ with a comment at his expense. After allegedly retaliating, Carlos’ wife Juliana got to her feet, yanked her mandatory face-covering down and launched into an expletive-ridden rant. Just inches from the court, Juliana can be heard yelling: “Shut the f*** up. Still furious, Juliana took to Instagram after being kicked out to share her side of the story, all the while captioned:, ‘King James is a f***ing joke’ and ‘f***ing loser’. Despite the drama, LeBron said it was nice to have fans back in the arena as players ‘miss the interaction.’ A Charlotte woman has questions after noticing that her bank statement following a trip on American Airlines had a surcharge from the airline that, for some odd reason, mentioned her race. Kyetra Bryant told Fox46 that while traveling out of Charlotte Douglas Airport on Thanksgiving Day, she and her boyfriend paid for their tickets and checked-in luggage at American Airlines, but when she looked at her bank statement that Saturday, something wasn’t right. “I said hmmm, ‘African American, African service charge.’ https://youtu.be/Mi_G-zffYmA Singer Marilyn Manson is speaking out against allegations that he sexually abused five women, including actress Evan Rachel Wood. Wood, 33, detailed the sexual, physical, and emotional abuse she allegedly endured in an Instagram post on Feb. 1. The Westworld actress claims Manson (real name: Brian Warner) “started grooming [her]” as a teen and “horrifically abused [her] for years.” https://youtu.be/vXotsDdvHQQ The “90 Day Fiancé” franchise is expanding. The latest entry to the universe, a game show! “Love Games” is dropping on February 8 on Discovery+. The new streaming service features shows from TLC, Discovery Channel, HGTV, and the Food Network. “Love Games” brings together 24 of your favorite couples to face off in the “ultimate bragging rights” competition to see which couple knows each other best. https://youtu.be/7SGN4gJ4qQQ Meet Aiden Taylor… an 11-year-old author whose new book aims to help kids like him “love the way they are.” The sixth-grader has penned the children’s book, “Me and My Afro,” which follows all the adventures Aiden and his afro take together. https://youtu.be/BZTJ7ZSli10 Crunchyroll is partnering with Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina to develop a sci-fi animated series and that the global anime brand has crossed the four million subscriber milestone. According to the press release, Crunchyroll, the world’s most popular anime brand, is announcing a deal today with Idris and Sabrina, in conjunction with Idris’ Green Door Pictures and Sabrina’s Pink Towel Pictures, to develop “Dantai” (working title), a dark fantasy animated series for Crunchyroll’s global anime audience of more than 100 million registered users. Idris and Sabrina Elba will serve as executive producers. Crunchyroll is also announcing that the global brand has surpassed the four million subscriber milestone in January, just six months after breaking the three million subscriber mark. Tessa Thompson admits she was ‘really terrified’ to tackle the role of Irene in Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut “Passing,” based on Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel of the same name. “Passing” follows two women — Irene and Claire, played by Thompson and Ruth Negga. The duo pass as white as they reconnect after they were friends in their childhood, and they become obsessed with each other’s lives. https://youtu.be/YpByx1paLKw VH1 has dropped the trailer for season 9 of ”Basketball Wives,” which is set to premiere in over a week. The highly-anticipated new season features a few veterans and fresh newcomers. According to the press release, this season the wives’ sisterhood is tested like never before as they adjust to the pandemic while balancing life’s ups and downs, unresolved relationships and the fight against social injustices. https://youtu.be/eMkmOfFHbFM Gayle King is one proud mama after her daughter, Kirby Bumpus, wed Virgil Miller in December. King announced on CBS This Morning Monday that she is “over the moon” for her daughter, who got engaged to Miller in February 2019. King told Oprah Magazine that the wedding was an intimate gathering due to COVID restrictions, and was held at Oprah’s Santa Barbara estate. Kirby’s brother Will officiated the nuptials. https://youtu.be/N2vnDZphv6Q Rapper Eric B has reacted to the depiction of his past relationship with Wendy Williams in the new Lifetime biopic. Eric B of Eric B & Rakim fame is portrayed by Jamall Johnson in the film. The movie highlights his tumultuous relationship with Williams and how she aborted his baby and had s series of miscarriages with her ex-husband, Kevin Hunter. Eric B. caught wind of his portrayal in the film and reacted in a post on Instagram on Sunday. He posted a #throwback photo of him standing in front of a Rolls-Royce along with the caption, “Damn, I need a rental.” “To hilarious I laughed to well it made for great Tv,” he captioned the post. “But the truth is something different Try that!!!!!!!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CKt4pDzhHB-/?utm_source=ig_embed In surprising news, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced he will be stepping down as the chief executive officer in a press release. Bezos, an extremely wealthy man, will "transition to the role of Executive Chair" later this year, and Andy Jassy will take the reins as CEO and new subject of internet socialist ire. Jassy is currently the chief executive of Amazon’s cloud computing division and part-owner of the Seattle Krakens. Bezos' puzzling retirement comes out of the blue. Jeff Bezos’ is set to become a trillionaire, in part thanks to pandemic-driven demand that has sent Amazon stock soaring. But Bezos has a long way to go to become the world’s first trillionaire. At the time of publication, Forbes values the 56-year-old’s net worth to be $143 billion. He owns a 11.2% stake in Amazon, and his wealth has surged upwards from around $125 billion in March. Today, the full-list of nominees for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards were announced in a special virtual event on NAACP Image Awards’ Instagram channel hosted by Tony-award winning actress and singer Anika Noni-Rose, actress and singer Chloe Bailey, actress Erika Alexander, actor, dancer, and choreographer Nicco Annan, and actor and singer TC Carson. NAACP Image award-winning and Emmy-nominated talk show “The Real”, kicked-off the announcement revealing nominees in 15 categories ahead of the virtual event. The winners will be revealed during the two-hour LIVE TV special airing on BET and will be simulcast across ViacomCBS Networks including CBS, BET Her, VH1, MTV, MTV2, and LOGO on Saturday, March 27th, 2021 at 8/7c.NAACP additionally announced the nominees for the Special Awards categories which include Entertainer of the Year and Social Justice Impact. Nominees for the Entertainer of the Year award include D-Nice, Regina King, Trevor Noah, Tyler Perry and Viola Davis. Nominees for the Social Justice Impact award include April Ryan, Debbie Allen, Lebron James, Stacey Abrams and Tamika Mallory. The demand that Stacey Abrams to receive her flowers is acknowledged loud and clear as the lawyer and voting rights activist was recently nominated as a candidate for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Abrams, along with a group of voting rights organizations headed by Black women, helped to change the tide of the 2020 presidential election, which then culminated in a historic win in the Georgia Senate runoffs, which saw the state’s first Black and first Jewish Senator secure seats in Congress. “Abrams’ work follows in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s footsteps in the fight for equality before the law and for civil rights,” Lars Haltbrekken, a Socialist Party member of Norway’s parliament told Reuters. Abrams joins the Black Lives Matter movement as nominees, where the winner will be announced in October. Other candidates include Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the World Health Organization, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and climate activist Greta Thunberg. Stacey Abrams will speak about moving forward after a setback at the inaugural California Conference for Women, a virtual event to be held on March 4th. Abrams, the first Black woman in U.S. history to earn a major party nomination for governor, will share her own journey of moving from setback to success. Abrams is a lawyer, entrepreneur, and award-winning author of numerous books, including eight romantic suspense novels. Her TED Talk, "3 Questions to Ask Yourself about Everything You Do," has attracted more than 5 million views. She was named to the Forbes list of World's Most Powerful Women in 2020. Other keynoters include the first Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company Ursula Burns; iconic conservationist Jane Goodall; best-selling authors Angie Thomas and Glennon Doyle; and award-winning professor and best-selling author Adam Grant. California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom will also join the conversation with Ursula Burns. Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and several defendants named in a recent lawsuit, are battling charges filed against them regarding the Flint water crisis. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Snyder and eight other government officials with 42 misdemeanor and felony counts in January. All defendants named plead not guilty. Snyder’s attorneys are arguing to have the case thrown out, claiming the charges should have been filed in Lansing where Snyder’s office was located, instead of Genesee County where the charges were filed, according to a Jan. 25 motion obtained by the Detroit Free Press. Bipartisanship has its limits, particularly when it comes to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden invited a group of 10 Republican lawmakers to meet Monday to discuss proposed legislation for pandemic relief. Republican lawmakers are using bipartisanship to spin attempts to low ball pandemic relief. Led by Sen. Susan Collins, the group of legislators proposed a $600 billion relief package, representing only a fraction of the recovery plan proposed by Biden during his first week. Reduced direct stimulus payments from $1,400 to $1,000 were among the few details released by Republican lawmakers. Under the Collins-led proposal, payments would only be made to individuals earning $40,000 or less, $80,000 for couples. Donald Trump‘s legal team defending him in his Senate impeachment trial includes the former prosecutor who granted Bill Cosby immunity for the testimony that ultimately led to the disgraced comedian’s conviction for sexual assault. Bruce Castor was retained after Trump’s first set of impeachment lawyers quit because the former president wanted them to focus his defense on the election fraud conspiracy theories that he’s embraced and also fueled the attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol last month. The former Montgomery County district attorney in Pennsylvania decided against charging Cosby, a move that likely led to his losing bid for re-election that paved the way for his successor to not only change Cosby but also secure his conviction. While the likelihood of Trump being convicted by the U.S. Senate appeared increasingly slim, his choice of legal representation could hint at what the ultimate outcome will be. The Senate trial is scheduled to begin on Feb. 8. Two-time EMMY® and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television producer, entrepreneur, social influencer, and branding guru Rushion McDonald hosts a plethora of powerful talent this February on his popular podcast and syndicated radio show "Money Making Conversations." Featured guests this February on "Money Making Conversations" include: Kirk Franklin, Naturi Naughton, Anne Burrell, Rocco DiSpirito, Donatella Arpaia, Laurieann Gibson, Ryan Serhant, Melody Holt, Angel Rich, Christina Anthony, Sheila Eldridge, Marquis Lupton and William Way Jr., Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, Dante Simpson, Navarr Grevious and Mikáel Pyles, Brittany Pickens, Shelden Williams and Tommy Duncan. Deitrick Haddon is back, fresh off his #1 single "Open Door Season" with a new song that captures the true spirit of America and the world at large called “Sick World.” Sick World is the first release from Deitrick Haddon’s new record label Black Own Black Entertainment and was featured during the Inaugural Gospel Celebration, honoring the historical installment of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. For the eighth consecutive year, the 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will air on BET during Super Bowl LV week on Saturday, February 6th at 8/7c. Kicking off with an opening prayer by Pastor Mike Todd, the theme “Nothing Can Stop Us” is the inspirational message for this night of praise and worship during Super Bowl LV. Hosted by Rickey Smiley with performances by The NFL Players Choir, Erica Campbell, Voices of Fire presented by Pharrell Williams, PJ Morton, Kierra Sheard, Koryn Hawthorne, Zacardi Cortez and John P. Kee. Additionally, feature appearances from Desean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles), Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys), Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts), Teddy Bridgewater (Carolina Panthers), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and NFL Legend Cris Carter. The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will present Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson with this year’s “Faith In Action Award,” presented by NFL Legend Warrick Dunn (Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Atlanta Falcons). The White House speechwriter who helped President Barack Obama craft his response to the Charleston church massacre in June 2015 has penned a memoir about the subject. Cody Keenan’s memoir, “Grace: A President, His Speechwriter, and Ten Days in the Battle for America,” will be published in Fall 2022, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media announced Tuesday. It’s set around the time a white supremacist shot and killed nine Black parishioners in South Carolina. Kennan’s book will also cover historic events that immediately followed the tragedy, including protests calling for the removal of the Confederate flag that had long flown on Statehouse grounds in Columbia, a demand met that July. Also, the Supreme Court announced two historic decisions, ruling that same-sex marriage was protected under the Constitution and upholding much of Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Dustin Diamond, who played Screech on “Saved by the Bell,” died Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 44-years-old. “We are saddened to confirm Dustin Diamond’s passing on Monday, February 1st, 2021 due to carcinoma. He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago,” said Diamond’s rep in a statement, per PEOPLE. “In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.” https://youtu.be/k4Nd_HsmkAw Vanessa Bryant has responded to an article claiming her late husband Kobe Bryant had cancer and endorsed CBD oil. Bryan shared screenshots on Instagram of a fake People magazine article claiming the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation released a CBD oil and sending out free samples. Bryant noted that the article is a hoax and People was not involved with it. “LIES! Don’t get SCAMMED. Kobe NEVER USED CBD. @people doesn’t have anything to do with this either. (Pay attention to the fake website link),” the caption said. The article claims Kobe was a cancer victim but didn’t like to speak about his struggle with the disease. There’s even a quote from the NBA legend claiming he turned to CBD oil to ease his pain. The “Today” Show on Tuesday premiered the new ad for Amazon Alexa starring the “Sexiest Man Alive.” The premiere comes two days after Michael B. Jordan and Alexa shared a teaser of the ad on Instagram. Within four hours, the clip had more than 2.2 million views from the “Black Panther” star’s account. The ad features Jordan with Alexa-enabled eyes carrying out the demands of a user, a Black woman who falls under the spell of #AlexasNewBody. https://www.today.com/video/michael-b-jordan-stars-in-amazon-super-bowl-ad-today-shares-a-look-100392517737 Beginning in February, Walt Disney World Resort will unveil several new experiences inviting guests to celebrate soulfully at The Most Magical Place on Earth. Coinciding with and extending beyond February’s Black History Month, these offerings honor Black heritage and culture through music, food, art and more. “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” will debut Feb. 1, 2021, and continue beyond the end of the month at The American Adventure inside EPCOT. Featuring Joe Gardner from Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” this new exhibit showcases historic artifacts of famous jazz musicians, inviting guests on a musical tour of the United States to learn more about this colorful, inspiring and constantly evolving genre of music. In her latest memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” the singer claimed her older sister Alison was abusive towards her when they were children. “When I was 12 years old,” she writes, “my sister drugged me with Valium, offered me a pinky nail full of cocaine, inflicted me with third-degree burns, and tried to sell me out to a pimp.” Alison Carey says she suffered emotional distress from the singer’s allegations about her so now, she wants her famous sister to cough up at least $1.25 million! In new legal docs obtained by TMZ, Alison claims Mariah presented no evidence to back up the accusations of abuse in her 2020 book. Alison also accuses Mariah of making these outrageous claims despite knowing Alison suffers from trauma herself from the alleged abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of their mother. Prince William is catching heat for failing to acknowledge the racist abuse Meghan Markle faced, and the criticism comes as he calls for the end of racism in sports and on social media. Prince William, who is President of the Football Association, shared a series of tweets on Sunday condemning “racist abuse” after a few British players received hateful messages online. “Racist abuse – whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media – is despicable and it must stop now,” William wrote using the Kensington Palace Twitter account on Sunday. Washington Football Team president Jason Wright acknowledges the basic nature of the franchise’s interim name, but says he doesn’t “think it’s that weird.” In an interview with Jim VandeHei on “Axios on HBO,” Wright says he came from the “bubble” that considered the old name derogatory, but upon moving into his new role he “found out that the debate of folks closer to it was much more nuanced than that.” He added that “the right thing is to move forward into a new name, brand, and identity that captures the best parts of our history and allows us to innovate and move into the future.” https://youtu.be/1QEHeKmL2t0 Comcast NBCUniversal, in partnership with African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), is excited to announce the launch of Black Experience on Xfinity, a first-of-its kind destination of Black entertainment, movies, TV shows, news, and more. Curated by industry leaders, Black Experience will feature high-quality content from many of Xfinity’s existing network partners, at no additional cost, while investing millions of dollars in fostering and showcasing emerging Black content creators. The channel is the only one of its kind endorsed by the AAFCA, the world’s largest group of Black film critics that gives annual awards for excellence in film and television. His name was Sylvester Magee and when he died in 1971, it was said he was 130 years old. If true, Magee lived to be the oldest person ever documented, surpassing someone in France who was documented to have lived to be 122 years old. While there are some doubts about Magee’s record-breaking age, at the time of his death 50 years ago, a court record surfaced in Covington County, Mississippi that listed him as a young slave boy, along with his father, on a bill of sale in 1859. https://youtu.be/QMkImiK1yDs Chico DeBarge has been busted for possession and being under the influence of drugs and more. Chico DeBarge was pulled over near a shopping center on January 13. Cops say he was driving without his headlights on at night and didn’t have license plates. According to Burbank police … Chico DeBarge didn’t have any form of identification but ID’d himself as James … his older brother, who was also in the family singing group back in the day (and was also married to Janet Jackson briefly before it was annulled). Chico was driving with 2 female passengers, and cops found methamphetamines and heroin on him during a search. He was arrested, and was properly ID’d during the booking process. Chico DeBarge has been charged with drug possession, DUI and charged with false impersonation for the alleged brother act. Chico finally made bail and was released after nearly 10 days in lockdown. A police chief in Hamilton, Georgia has resigned and one of his officers was fired after video surfaced of an absolutely shocking, racist conversation between them in which they casually drop the n-word and say slavery met the needs of black people. These two absolutely superior white cops, Hamilton Police Chief Gene Allmond and Patrolman John Brooks, didn’t realize Brooks’ bodycam was recording during their racist conversation. https://youtu.be/mgsTUVvUBKk Denzel Washington has played a cop in a movie 13 times. In "The Little Things” Washington plays a disgraced Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detective who finds a chance at redemption when he believes a serial killer he once chased is on another murder spree. While Washington portrays a cop on screen, in real life he also makes it known he is not a fan of Black Lives Matter protests and calls to “defund the police.” The bottom line is he’s quite sympathetic to law officers and has no problem saying so. https://youtu.be/dep6gDPSj3Y Many Black employees – both former and current – have accused Comedy Central of using them in racially degrading ways, in attempts to make the cable channel appear to be more diverse and inclusive of African American workers. In many cases, the Black former and current employees were forced to attend meetings as props, when most attendees were white colleagues or white executives. In an interview with Business Insider, many of the African American employees spoke out against Comedy Central but wanted to stay anonymous for fear of long-term professional repercussions. nterestingly, for more than three decades, Comedy Central has been known for pushing the comedic boundaries with shows such as “South Park,” “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” and “Inside Amy Schumer.” PBS and WETA are announcing THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG will premiere February 16 and 17, 2021 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings). This moving four-hour, two-part series from executive producer, host and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, all the way down to its bedrock role as the site of African American survival and grace, organizing and resilience, thriving and testifying, autonomy and freedom, solidarity and speaking truth to power. Gregory Everett a young filmmaker in recently passed away as a victim of covid19. Gregory put together his award-winning documentary “41st And Central” a project that he literally put his whole soul into that chronicles the history of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black Panther Party and it’s rise under the leadership of Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter who was eventually gunned down along with John Huggins on the campus of UCLA January 17, 1969. https://youtu.be/fSVy-YtG5-s Today, director Jamila Wignot’s “Ailey” premiered at Sundance Film Festival. The biography opens with the 1988 Kennedy Center Honors and a majestic Cicely Tyson on staging praising Ailey.“Alvin Ailey has a passion for movement that reveals the meaning of things,” expressed the legend. “His is a choreography of the heart, drawing a whole new public to modern dance. Alvin Ailey is Black and he’s universal,” she continued.” The very spirit that has made him a pied piper of modern dance and that is his genius.” Wignot’s approach shares the Texas native’s love of poetry. Where Ailey conveyed poetry through movement, Wignot crafts visual poetry to evoke Ailey’s memories. Archival footage, layered with audio recordings expounds on the dancer’s upbringing and establishes the language of his inspiration. The Super Bowl 2021—and game-watching parties—will look a bit different when the Kansas City Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers February 7. Due to pandemic-related restrictions, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay will admit only about 22,000 fans—a third of whom are pre-selected, vaccinated health-care workers. One positive trend that hasn’t changed each team’s roster contains several people who are vocal about their Christian faith. Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett said, “First of all, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior. To God be all the glory.” In his social media posts, the athlete often uses the hashtag #TGBTG, for “To God Be the Glory.” Bucs placekicker Ryan Succop says “The more I spent time in God’s Word and the more I prayed, the more at peace I became in [high-pressure] situations.” Devin White, a second-year linebacker out of LSU, credits God for orchestrating his career and often speaks about trusting God’s perfect timing. “God makes no mistakes,” says White, who has tweeted out Jeremiah 29:11. Fellow second-year pro Scotty Miller, a Bucs wide receiver, echoed those thoughts after winning Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. “First and foremost, all glory to God, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said. “Wouldn’t be here without him.” Miller lists Romans 10:9 in his Twitter bio“ and Bucs head coach Bruce Arians made headlines in 2012 when he said Tampa was looking for “high-quality” players who care about “faith, family, and football.” Directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West first came across the name Pauli Murray while working on their Oscar-nominated documentary “RBG.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg had written “Pauli Murray” on the front cover of her first women’s rights brief before the Supreme Court to give credit for the idea she’d be arguing. Murray had, in 1965, written a law journal article positing that the 14th Amendment could be used to protect gender equality. It would be a foundational idea for Ginsburg. And it was just the tip of the iceberg of Murray’s contributions. Murray, who was Black and gender fluid, was in fact a pivotal figure in shaping litigation and thinking around gender and racial equality, years before the civil rights or women’s movements. Cohen and West track the extraordinary life of this little-known trailblazer in the documentary “ My Name is Pauli Murray,” which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival Sunday night. The trailer for the new film “Church People” — a family-friendly comedy that offers the timely reminder that the Gospel is enough — has been released. Starring Stephen Baldwin and Christian comedian Thor Ramsey, with special appearances by Donald Faison, Joey Fatone, Billy Baldwin, Chynna Phillips, “Church People” tells the story of real people with real struggles. The film follows their unique paths to discovering what faith in Jesus is all about. https://youtu.be/Xvnr8b4IkEI Actor Anthony Hopkins, 83, has shared the moment he received the COVID-19 vaccination after a year of ‘self-imposed quarantine.’ The Silence Of The Lambs actor wore a face shield and mask as he got vaccinated from inside his car at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. Hopkins called the moment the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ as he posted video of the injection to his Twitter account on Friday. Tyler Perry is getting the COVID-19 vaccine during an upcoming BET special to encourage the Black community to get their shots. The media mogul, 51, announced his plans while talking to Gayle King on CBS This Morning on Wednesday, admitting he was also ‘skeptical’ about the vaccine at first. Explaining the roots of this wariness, Tyler told Gayle: ‘If you look at our history in this country, the Tuskegee experiment, Henrietta Lacks, and things like that, it raises flags for us as African-American people.’ ‘So I understand why there’s a healthy skepticism about the vaccine.’ https://youtu.be/MLhqv1weMmM Grammy Award-winning duo for KING & COUNTRY teamed up with Lecrae and The WRLDFMS Tony Williams to remix their hit single “Amen,” and the song, now named “Amen (Reborn),” has been dubbed by the Smallbones as “a prayer” of healing in divided times. https://youtu.be/cf6XR_AsjEs The latest twist in the Deshaun Watson-Houston Texans saga played out on social media Saturday. Watson removed any mentions of the Houston Texans from his Twitter and Instagram profiles. The account descriptions now say he can be contacted through his agent or marketing manager. It definitely sends a message about the relationship between the team and its star quarterback. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is heading to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and a multitude of draft picks, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday night. The Lions will receive a third-round pick in 2021, a first-round pick in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023 in what is the first exchange of former No. 1 overall picks in the common draft era (since 1967). The deal cannot be made official until the start of the new league year on March 17. Tom Brady certainly appreciates what it must be like for Patriots fans watching him lead the Buccaneers (14-5) out of football’s purgatory into Super Bowl 55 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (16-2) — while his old team picks up the pieces from its first losing season since 2000. Brady said he cherished his “magical” run in New England, where he put down roots, helped build a dynasty and forged so many relationships that “shaped me into who I am as a person, as a player.” Win and he’ll have a seventh NFL title, breaking a tie he shares with three members of Vince Lombardi’s great Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s who took four league championships and then the first two Super Bowls. He’d also join hardwood great Oscar Robertson and baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as superstars who won a championship in their first year with a new team. Antonio Garcia tested positive for COVID-19 at some point during the Rolex 24 at Daytona and was pulled from the winning Corvette Racing team before the endurance event concluded. General Motors did not announce the Spaniard had tested positive until after the race ended Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. New data showing that two COVID-19 vaccines are far less effective in South Africa than in other places they were tested have heightened fears that the coronavirus is quickly finding ways to elude the world’s most powerful tools to contain it. The U.S. company Novavax reported this week that although its vaccine was nearly 90% effective in clinical trials conducted in Britain, the figure fell to 49% in South Africa — and that nearly all the infections the company analyzed in South Africa involved the B.1.351 variant that emerged there late last year and has spread to the United States and at least 30 other countries. Johnson & Johnson announced Friday that its new shot was 72% effective against preventing moderate or severe illness in the United States, compared with 66% in Latin America and 57% in South Africa. Laboratory tests had suggested that the vaccines authorized in the U.S. — one from Pfizer and BioNTech, the other from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health — trigger a smaller immune response to the South Africa variant. Next week. Travelers and commuters will be required to wear face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation as part of a sweeping new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. https://youtu.be/OEvMteaTnE0 The Pentagon and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are negotiating the final terms of an agreement that could see the military provide around 450,000 Covid-19 vaccinations a day. The figure is included in a draft agreement between the two agencies viewed by CNN that also calls for the deployment of 10,000 troops at 100 vaccination centers across the United States that would run through at least February 26 as a start. As it stands, the Pentagon would not provide additional vaccine doses so the plan seems to be dependent on the amount of vaccines supplied to each state being increased. On Tuesday President Joe Biden announced an increase in the weekly vaccine supply to states, tribes and territories — upping the current 8.6 million doses to a minimum of 10 million doses weekly. Several officials emphasize details of the agreement are still being worked out and could change before final approval for the deployment is given by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Two Montana brothers have been charged in the Capitol riot for leading the mob that chased Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman during the January 6 Stop the Steal chaos. Viral video from the incident shows Joshua Hughes and Jerod Hughes chasing Goodman, who led the mob away from the Senate Chamber while politicians were still evacuating. According to the Washington Post, Goodman’s actions gave police time to lock the doors to the Senate chamber. https://youtu.be/kaQ4BW66nVA U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced Friday. Lynch, who had already received both doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, was tested for the virus after a staff member in his Boston office tested positive earlier in the week. The congressman received his positive test Friday afternoon. Lynch’s office says that he did continue to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, such as social distancing and wearing a mask, even after receiving the vaccine. While there were zero issues with locating and prosecuting Black Lives Matter protestors, The Washington Post reports that the FBI and Justice Department are considering NOT charging up 800 Capitol thugs who stormed the building on January 6; leaving five people dead and dozens injured. On Saturday (Jan. 23), the article was published revealing federal law enforcement officials are privately debating on whether or not they should let some odd 800 terrorists walk free after the treasonous and deadly event. Currently, more than 100 people have already been arrested, including the Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs. The Trailblazing actress Cicely Tyson died Thursday at the age of 96, leaving behind more than just an impact with her movies; she left a thesis on how to live life to the fullest while remaining uncompromised. Her death came just two days after the release of her long-awaited memoir, “Just As I Am,” in which Tyson recounts her life and career filled with pitfalls and soaring heights; a beautiful footnote to a well-lived life and a job well done. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1355090006096764937/_aEnH4hE?format=jpg&name=small Hall of Fame basketball coach John Chaney, a zone defense innovator who led Temple to 17 NCAA tournament appearances, has died at the age of 89. The university said he died after a short, unspecified illness. Chaney spent 24 seasons at Temple, beginning in 1982-83 — the only season his Owls failed to reach the NCAA tournament or NIT. He went to the Elite Eight on five occasions, and Temple was ranked No. 1 for a stretch during the 1987-88 season, when the Owls finished 32-2 and went 18-0 in Atlantic 10 play. Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, Chaney won 516 games at Temple and 741 games overall. He still ranks among the top 40 college basketball coaches in career wins and was the first Black coach to reach 700 wins. A memorial to late civil rights icon and Georgia lawmaker John Lewis will replace a Confederate monument previously on display in the Atlanta area, officials announced this week. The activist-turned-representative — one of the “big six” leaders of the civil rights movement — died in July 2020 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2019. He was 80. The monument to Lewis will be erected in Decatur, just outside Atlanta, replacing the DeKalb County Confederate Monument — a 30-foot stone obelisk called “The Lost Cause” that was put up by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908, according to the Associated Press. As Atlanta’s WAGA TV station previously reported, “The Lost Cause” was placed in the town the same year the state’s legislature ratified an amendment that prevented African-Americans from voting. Here’s the deal: TidalWave Comics is proud to announce the addition of President Joe Biden and Madam Vice President Kamala Harris comic books to its popular “Political Power” series focused on political figures around the world. “Political Power: President Joe Biden” and “Political Power: Madam Vice President Kamala Harris” is now available. TidalWave has profiled politicians for more than eleven years using the unique storytelling properties of comic books. Nearly eight months after Coachella and Stagecoach was postponed for a second time, Riverside County health officials have canceled the festivals indefinitely. “The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival currently scheduled for April 2021 are hereby canceled,” the county’s public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said in an order on Friday. Kaiser said that the cancellation is a direct result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and concerns about large gatherings. “If COVID-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk,” the order said. The annual festivals were originally scheduled for April 2020, but because of the pandemic were postponed to October. In June, however, Kaiser announced that the festivals would be postponed once again. One of the three suspected white supremacists involved in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery had his request for bail denied once again after a judge heard his latest reason why he wanted to be released. William “Roddie” Bryan — who filmed his buddies chase down Arbery in a truck, trap him and shoot him in broad daylight in the middle of a road because they racially and falsely profiled the jogger as a burglar — made his second such plea weeks ago, but the judge’s ruling was made public on Thursday, according to local media outlet First Coast News. It was the second time Bryan’s request for freedom has been turned down. Bryan’s attorney Kevin Goughfiled a motion to grant bail because he said his client was suffering from a high blood pressure of 190/100. The range for blood pressure deemed normal is typically less than 120/80. In the motion, Gough tried to suggest that keeping Bryan behind bars would not only adversely affect his client but also negatively impact the pending murder trial. Miya Ponsetto, aka “SoHo Karen,” won’t face any disciplinary action in her public intoxication case, where she was detained by authorities last Feb. at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. According to TMZ, a L.A. County judge decided to drop the public intoxication charge on Thursday after her lawyer argued it was an isolated incident and pointed to her lack of a criminal record during the time of her arrest. One snippet of information that wasn’t made as readily available is that her mother, Nicole Ponsetto, was with her and charged for public intoxication as well. Unlike her daughter, she was ordered to 100 hours of community service and will have to complete a 12-month diversion program after pleading no contest to battery on a police officer. Federal authorities announced Wednesday that a social media influencer used his Twitter following to interfere in the 2016 election, posting memes encouraging Black voters to submit votes via text message. According to the criminal complaint, the individual, Douglas “Ricky Vaughn” Mackey, 31, actively engaged in targeted disinformation efforts to interfere with Black voters’ ability to cast their ballots. Mackey was arrested Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, and released on $50,000 bail. His case is the first in the country involving spreading false information through social media to encourage voter suppression. He faces a conspiracy to violate rights charge which could result in up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Mackey is accused of leveraging his Twitter presence to spread memes intended to appeal to Black voters with language that suggested it was possible to vote from home to avoid standing in line. Rock icon Rod Stewart and his son have reached a plea deal to settle misdemeanor battery charges stemming from an altercation with a security guard at a posh Florida hotel. Prosecutors and defense attorneys announced Friday that Stewart and his son, Sean Stewart, would not be going to trial for the altercation at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach on New Year’s Day 2020, the South Florida SunSentinel r eported. Terms were not released. Stewart, 76 and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is best known for such hits as “Maggie May” and “Tonight’s the Night.” The London-born singer was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016. Security guard Jessie Dixon told police then that the now 76-year-old Stewart and his family were at the check-in table for a private party that they weren’t authorized to attend. Rock icon Rod Stewart and his son have reached a plea deal to settle misdemeanor battery charges stemming from an altercation with a security guard at a posh Florida hotel. Security guard Jessie Dixon told police then that the now 76-year-old Stewart and his family were at the check-in table for a private party that they weren’t authorized to attend. Dixon said the group became loud and began causing a scene. Dixon told investigators he put his hand on the younger Stewart’s chest and told him to back up and make space, the report said. That’s when Sean Stewart, the rock star’s 40-year-old son, got “nose to nose” with Dixon. Sean Stewart then shoved Dixon backwards. Rod Stewart punched Dixon in his “left rib cage area” with a closed fist, a police report said. The “cancel culture” has now added the names of former U.S. presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson to its “get rid of” list. According to reports from several media outlets, the San Francisco School Board voted 6-1 to remove the names of the former presidents and other American Founding Fathers, along with the name of California Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein, from 44 local public schools. The former presidents were presumed by board members to have ties to racism or have “dishonorable legacies.” Other names on the chopping block include Francis Scott Key who wrote the poem from which the national anthem is based; former presidents William McKinley and James Garfield (who both served in the Union Army during the Civil War); James Monroe and Herbert Hoover; Paul Revere, a hero of the American Revolution; and author Robert Louis Stevenson. Sen. Feinstein’s name will be removed from one elementary school due to allegations that she once replaced a damaged Confederate flag outside of the San Francisco City Hall when she was serving as mayor in 1984. The Daily Mail reports the flag was a part of an 18-flag historical display located outside of City Hall and had been on display for 14 years before Feinstein took office. A former volunteer camp chaplain for the Boy Scouts of America who sexually abused multiple victims, including a developmentally disabled teen, has been sentenced to 40 years in a Rhode Island prison after pleading no contest to his crimes. James Glawson, 76, faced 11 counts of first-degree sexual assault against six young men, five in the 1980s during his time as a Scout leader, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced Thursday. The most recent victim, in 2019, was a resident of a group home with developmental disabilities. Seemingly from out of nowhere, model Lisa D’Amato is going at “America’s Next Top Model” creator Tyra Banks in an “open video.” She’s claiming Banks exploited her “childhood traumas” for profit. D’Amato, now 40, got a lot of notice in 2005 after coming in 6th place on Cycle 5 of “ANTM.” She came back in 2011 and took first place in Cycle 17’s “All-Star” competition. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKnDJVfhIS8/?utm_source=ig_embed “P-Valley” is the hot show on Starz that features beautiful, sexy, and scantily clad women dancing and showcasing their bodies in a strip club environment. The women execute acrobatic maneuvers on stage, along with respective signature and daring dance schemes that defy belief and gravity. There’s plenty of drama for the women who love artistically swinging on the pole – the club’s pole, that is, to the appreciative strip club patrons, who love to make it rains money on the performers. https://youtu.be/m-y31CjNx-g While she previously alluded back in 2010 that Raz B was lying about his allegations against Chris Stokes, in-between time, Moniece Slaughter, the mother of Lil Fizz’s son, has changed her views and went live on Instagram with Raz to confront Chris, other B2K members, Marques Houston, and more. During the live session, as Raz tells his detailed story of sexual abuse and molestation, Moniece gets emotional as she stands up for the singer, despite his bandmates lack of support for him and the trauma he’s dealing with since childhood — allegedly caused by his cousin and B2K manager Chris Stokes. Raz has also alleged that his brother Ricky Romance and Houston are among those who’ve abused him and/or groomed him throughout his childhood. Recently, Raz B has demanded Stokes sit down for a polygraph test to put the allegations to rest for good. Stokes has yet to publicly comment. #Socialites, thoughts? Aaron McDuffie Moore (1863–1923) was born in rural Columbus County in eastern North Carolina at the close of the Civil War. Defying the odds stacked against an African American of this era, he pursued an education, alternating between work on the family farm and attending school. Moore originally dreamed of becoming an educator and attended notable teacher training schools in the state. But later, while at Shaw University, he followed another passion and entered Leonard Medical School. Dr. Moore graduated with honors in 1888 and became the first practicing African American physician in the city of Durham, North Carolina. He went on to establish the Durham Drug Company and the Durham Colored Library; spearhead and run Lincoln Hospital, the city’s first secular, freestanding African American hospital; cofound North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company; help launch Rosenwald schools for African American children statewide; and foster the development of Durham’s Hayti community. Less than 24 hours after the death of Cicely Tyson was announced, the late screen and stage legend appeared in a pre-taped interview during Friday’s episode of “Live With Kelly and Ryan.” https://youtu.be/yxKANIfL1Yc H.E.R, Glennon Doyle, Kelly Rowland and Pharrell Williams are among the artists set to be featured on a new podcast from Sony Music Entertainment and gospel artist Kirk Franklin. The pair are launching Good Words with Kirk Franklin on February 9. The show will feature Franklin, a 16-time Grammy winning artist, having intimate conversations exploring faith, redemption, and the realities of today’s world. He will talk to these artists and activists about their thoughts around race, religion, politics, music and self-expression and Franklin will offer original music for the show. Nearly a week ago, Emmy & 2x NAACP Image Award-winning talk show host Loni Love hosted the Salt-N-Pepa Interview Special on Lifetime TV and landed #3 on the Top 50 Original Cable Telecast list. Love's back this weekend to kick off the all-new 30 minute after show, Little Women: Atlanta Unfiltered. The highly anticipated Little Women: Atlanta Season 6, continues with another two-hour block of fan binging programming on Friday, January 29, at 9pm ET/PT. On Tuesday, February 2nd at 10:00 am PT / 1:00pm ET, the nominees for this year’s 52nd NAACP Image Awards will be announced virtually on the NAACP Image Awards’ Instagram. Tony-award winning actress and singer Anika Noni-Rose (Jingle Jangle, Power), actress and singer Chloe Bailey (Grown-ish and Chloe x Halle), actress Erika Alexander (John Lewis: Good Trouble, Living Single), actor, dancer, and choreographer Nicco Annan (P-Valley), and actor and singer Terrence C. (TC) Carson (Living Single) will be presenting the nominees via Instagram. Tune-in and share the excitement at www.instagram.com/NAACPImageAwards! The NAACP Image Awards-winning and Emmy-nominated talk show “The Real” led by hosts Garcelle Beauvais, Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai will exclusively reveal nominees in 15 categories for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards on Tuesday, February 2nd ahead of the nominations announcement. “The Real” airs in national syndication, including on Fox Television Stations (check local listings). The 52nd NAACP Image Awards will air on BET Saturday, March 27, 2021, at 8:00 PM ET. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com STEPHEN ROBINSON rings in the New Year with the release of "He's A Wonder" the new single going for airplay from I Still Have My Smile, his latest album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7rHUvwqZJE&feature=youtu.be Gospel Spotlights PRAISE YOU. ZACARDI is paired with one of the premiere voices in Gospel music today, multiple Grammy and Stellar award winner FRED HAMMOND for a rhythmic and melody rich praise celebration second only to what the angels are doing in Heaven! https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6440903?date=20210129&user_id=668306&signature=TU-A9cn7IbrrLEijgawWRrIl0wQ%3ApFjYZTch Tye Tribbett’s official music video for his newest single “Anyhow” is out now! A raw proclamation that encourages people to persevere no matter how challenging the circumstance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?utm_campaign=86268_MOTG+1.29_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT%2C1UKC%2C4SQSQ%2C8HGM%2C1&v=QHbSj4po Tasha Cobbs Leonard is giving us an inside look at the themes behind her latest album, Royalty: Live At The Ryman! Over the last month, Tasha has re-released Royalty: Live At The Ryman in sections that draw attention to the themes woven throughout the project. This week she blesses us with Love + Acceptance. https://tcleonard.lnk.to/loveEM?utm_campaign=86268_MOTG%201.29_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,1UKC,4SQSQ,8HGK,1 Rising star DOE releases a new video for her single “Brighter,” available now. On the intimate live band performance, DOE plays guitar and delivers a soaring rendition of “Brighter” with her unforgettable rich vocals. A lively track lifting up the impact of God’s love in making life brighter, DOE co-wrote “Brighter” with Jonathan McReynolds, which is the lead single featured from her debut EP, DOE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d140bWHsvfg The moment Will Downing fans have been waiting for is finally here: The legendary R&B superstar has released his hotly anticipated album “Song Garden.” https://youtu.be/EpvPxqsUb-I Questlove responded with incredulous disbelief when he was first told about the footage. A landmark 1969 Harlem concert series that he hadn’t heard of? With Stevie Wonder? With Nina Simone? With Sly and the Family Stone, B.B. King and the Staples Singers? “I was like, ‘Yeah, right.’ I know everything that musically happened during that time period and I’ve never heard of this in my life. ‘Get out of here,’” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson recalled in an interview. “Then they came back and showed me the footage and I was just jaw-dropped.” That was the beginning of what would become “Summer of Soul (…or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” a concert-film time-capsule of a historic but largely forgotten festival. Known as “Black Woodstock,” the festival occurred during the same summer as Woodstock — and just 100 miles away — but received far less attention. https://twitter.com/i/status/1355242082584170498 Kanye West is facing two class-action lawsuits and could be hit with $30 million in damages over claims he mistreated and failed to pay up to 1,000 performers and backstage staff at his popular Sunday Service shows. The lawsuits relate to around 500 performers and 300 backstage staff who worked at the 43-year-old rapper’s extravagant, part Christian worship and part live performance shows that he has been taking across the US since 2019. Lawyers for the workers claim that during West’s first ‘opera’, the ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ at The Hollywood Bowl, in Los Angeles, in November 2019, he violated strict employment laws in California for hundreds of performers and backstage crew including hair stylists, make-up artists and costume designers, as well as actors hired to sit in the audience. Allegations include not paying hundreds of employees on time, or ‘at all’ in some cases, as well as not granting the overtime wages, meal and rest breaks and business expenses to which they were legally entitled as employees in the state, rather than individual contractors. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com From breakups to pregnancies to lawsuits, Wendy Williams has made a career out of deep dives into celebrity gossip. It helped her to gain a following in radio and now she spends a good 25 minutes during her talk show, “ The Wendy Williams Show,” devoted to the latest rumors, scandals and missteps of the rich, famous and cast member of “The Real Housewives.” In the last few years, however, the table has turned and Williams has become a hot topic herself. In 2019 she announced she had been living in a sober house due to addiction struggles and also filed for divorce from her husband, Kevin Hunter, accusing him of being “a serial cheater,” she said. Williams was also diagnosed with Graves’ disease, which forced her to take time off last spring to rest. The 56-year-old admits “It’s not so nice,” being the subject of tabloid fascination. But she’s taking control of the narrative with a new authorized biopic and a documentary debuting on Lifetime on Saturday. Nick Cannon is bouncing back from his pro-Black controversy by moving forward with his daytime talk show this fall. “It’s been a longtime dream of mine to host my own daytime talk show and that I’m able to do this in New York City, bringing daytime television back to the place that has fostered generations of talent, is very special to me,” Cannon said in a statement. The show titled “Nick Cannon” was postponed last year by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury after the actor/rapper/TV host suggested that Black people can’t be anti-Semitic because “the Semitic people and language have nothing to do with white people.” T.I. and Tiny have denied allegations from several women accusing them of sexual abuse. Earlier this week, former friend Sabrina Peterson accused the Atlanta rapper of once holding a gun to her head. She then posted a series of DM screenshots from more than a dozen anonymous women claiming the rapper and his wife sexual abused them and forced them to take drugs. “I didn’t know how many women he truly hurt & didn’t know what made me finally say something. Nonetheless, I’m blessed that I did,” Peterson continued. “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING, THIS ISH HAS GOTTEN REALLY REAL.” After twelve months in development, African American entrepreneur LyNea “LB” Bell announces the launch of GOTCONN.com a privacy-based search engine. In celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, Bell, hosted a private virtual unveiling of the search engine on the popular and fast-growing App “Clubhouse”. Guests were invited to test GOTCONN and were wowed by its speed, accuracy and functionality. The search engine also received high approval ratings amongst users during the beta testing phases. “I am so excited to be a part of the solution. The internet can be very intrusive, and at times violating to a degree. This search engine was created as an alternative for those looking to take back their privacy,” says Bell. Pope Francis apologized for staying sitting during an audience on Friday as he blamed the ‘troublesome’ sciatica that has caused him to cancel a number of events. ‘I would like to speak to you standing up but sciatica is a troublesome guest,’ the 84-year-old told members of the Roman Rota, a top Catholic Church tribunal. ‘So I apologize and will speak sitting down,’ he added at the meeting marking the opening of the Holy See’s judicial year. The Argentine pontiff was forced to delegate two masses on Sunday and Monday and postpone his New Year’s greeting Monday for ambassadors to the Holy Sea due to a bout of sciatica. Before Darrell Semien died on Sunday of bladder cancer, the 55-year-old Black man left his family with a single dying wish: He wanted to be buried near their home in Oberlin, La., and close to his old stomping ground at the sheriff’s office. So his widow, Karla, and their seven kids found a graveyard a few miles outside town, a quiet site surrounded by thick green forest. When they arrived Tuesday to take a look, she told The Washington Post, the overseer at Oaklin Springs Baptist Cemetery stopped them cold. “Oh, we’re going to have a dispute. We can’t sell you a plot,” Semien recalled the woman saying. “This is a Whites-only cemetery. There are no coloreds here.” Their interaction has since prompted the graveyard on Thursday to lift the race-based restrictions in its contracts, which stretch back to the site’s founding in the 1950s. But for Semien, who is White, the whole thing felt like a slap in the face. “It’s mind-blowing. He was good enough to protect you, being a police officer of all these years,” she said in an interview, “but he wasn’t good enough to be laid to rest in your cemetery?” Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA, said prominent Christian entertainer Lecrae “should never be allowed” to perform in Christian churches after he campaigned for Raphael Warnock, a pro-choice Democrat. Kirk, author of The MAGA Doctrine, made the comments at Pastor Jack Hibbs’ Calvary Chapel Chino church the week of the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Lecrae was a featured performer at a December 2020 event in Atlanta called “Get Out the Early Vote Rally & Concert,” which was hosted by Democrats Warnock and Jon Ossoff before Georgia’s runoff elections. While there, the artist stressed the importance of one’s freedom to vote. Freshman Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) said on Friday that she is getting out of harm’s way as much as it’s possible – by moving her congressional office and staff so that she no longer has to work near QAnon-loving Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA). On Twitter Bush documented that she was “berated” by a maskless Greene and her staff members. “I’m moving my office away from hers for my team’s safety,” she wrote. Bush, who is Black, said the hallway quarrel, coupled with recent revelations about Greene’s statements on social media, influenced her decision to move offices. Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and attorney Natalie Jackson have been retained by the family of a 16-year-old Liberty High School student who was violently body-slammed into concrete by school resource officer, Deputy Ethan Fournier. https://youtu.be/b2WFMI_o_ds Internationally recognized comedian Steven Harvey stunned many of his Christian fans after he revealed that he believes there’s more than one way to Heaven. On Saturday, Harvey posted a video on his official YouTube channel titled “How Steve Harvey Prays” that shows the “Family Feud” host at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the United Arab Emirates, a majority Muslim Persian Gulf nation where Islam is the official religion. While Christian expatriates in the UAE are allowed to worship in private, they are prohibited by law from praying in public or evangelizing. https://youtu.be/4J5dhOFPlM0 The woman with whom the late Ravi Zacharias allegedly had an illicit online relationship is asking to be released from a non-disclosure agreement following his ministry’s admission that he had indeed engaged in sexual misconduct involving various women. Canadian Lori Anne Thompson, whom Zacharias first met at a luncheon in 2014 where he was speaking, posted a screenshot earlier this week of an email between Boz Tchividjian, her attorney, and a lawyer from Miller & Martin, the law firm that is conducting an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. “I am assuming that we have not received a response because the estate of Ravi Zacharias has refused to release my clients from the confidentiality/non-disparagement clause of the settlement agreement? Please confirm,” Tchividjian writes in the email correspondence. An Army chaplain is under investigation after he saying transgender soldiers are ‘mentally unfit’ and ‘unqualified to serve’. Maj. Andrew Calvert made the comments beneath an article published on Facebook Monday detailing President Biden’s new executive order overturning a ban on transgender people in the military. Calvert, who is a member of the 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Hood in Texas, wrote: ‘How is rejecting reality (biology) not evidence that a person is mentally unfit (ill), and thus making that person unqualified to serve?’ He continued: ‘There is little difference in this than over those who believe and argue for a ‘flat earth,’ despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The motivation is different, but the argument is the same.’ Dallas Independent School District says a new secondary school opening in the fall of 2021 will be named after Dallas social justice advocate and pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church Frederick Douglass Haynes III. The school will be on the campus of Paul Quinn College and will serve students in grades 6-12, with plans to become an international baccalaureate program, the district says. “Educational inequity leads to poverty and poverty leads to violence. What you’re seeing here today is the school board addressing inequities in Dallas,” Dallas ISD Trustee Maxie Johnson said during Wednesday’s announcement. ”90 Day Fiancé” fans are dedicated. The question that always comes up, what happens to the couples after they leave the show? Do they stay together and make it work? Or was heartache always on the horizon? Season 8 of the hit TLC show has provided some of those answers for a few of the fan favorites. Tarik Myers, 46, and Hazel Cagalitan, 28, met on an Asian dating website. Fans of the franchise remember first being introduced to the couple back in 2018 during season 2. Fast forward to season 8, Hazel and her son officially moved to America to live with Tarik. The new film, “American Skin,” written, directed by, and starring Nate Parker, gives us a glimpse of the scenario. Parker’s character Lincoln Jefferson is dealing with the loss of his son at the hands of the police. When the officer is acquitted Jefferson decides to get justice his way. He and his friends take the police station, where the officer worked, hostage. Meanwhile, the Black community is outraged and begins to riot all over the city. Jefferson’s wife, played by Milauna Jackson, is sought after by the sheriff to ask the community to “keep the peace.” It’s a scene we’ve seen before in real life. https://youtu.be/un1Mjqdj03M Zendaya has addressed the criticism over the age gap between her and co-star John David Washington in the upcoming Netflix drama “Malcolm & Marie.” In the drama, the former Disney star, 24, plays the girlfriend of 36-year-old Washington. Fans are not feeling their 12-year age difference. One follower noted that the actress “was a Disney channel star, and because she plays a teenager in Spiderman and Euphoria, that age-gap becomes more noticeable.” Speaking with E! about the backlash, Zendaya said, “I’ve played a 16-year-old since I was 16. You have to remember, also, people grew up with me as a child. It’s like watching, I guess, your younger sibling now, you know, they’re grown.” “So it’s hard for people to wrap around the idea that I am grown in real life. You know, even though I do play a teenager on television still.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1353712749193388032 A Netflix fan-favorite, “On My Block,” has been renewed for a fourth and final season with series stars Sierra Capri, Jason Genao, Brett Gray, Diego Tinoco, Jessica Marie Garcia and Julio Macias set to return to Freeridge one last time for an epic conclusion to their stories. Season 4 will include 10 all-new episodes, with Co-Creator Lauren Iungerich (Awkward) returning as Showrunner and Executive Producer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us_AXwJKjjY A Texas-based rapper by the name of Martell Derouen, who performed under the name Kardone, has died of a gunshot wound. He was 34. Derouen is also said to be a “cousin” of mega-star Beyoncé. San Antonio police discovered Derouen’s body inside his apartment in central Texas on Tuesday while conducting a welfare check, the San Antonio Express-News reported. Officials have issued a warrant for the arrest of Sasha Skare, 21, who was confirmed as a murder suspect, according to local TV station KSAT. Many outlets are reporting that the deceased is Beyoncé’s cousin, however, it has not been confirmed by her people. Derouen recently tagged the star in his last Instagram post shared on January 3. Mulatto has opened up in a new interview about changing her stage name. Mulatto is a term once used to define hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey. It then became the term of mixed-race children from an era when Black people were treated like livestock and raped by their white slave owners, creating bi-racial children. https://youtu.be/7FXPcce_5cs Tomorrow, January 30 is the day! Time to celebrate the fabulous Miss Jody Watley and wish her a very Happy Birthday!Celebrities from around the world, including Jeff Goldblum, The Go Go’s, John Taylor (Duran, Duran), El DeBarge, Sananda Maitreya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Lynn Whitfield, Will Downing, En Vogue, Kym Whitley, Sherri Shepherd, Michael K. Williams, Stephanie Mills, Ts Madison, Shirley Murdock, Michael Colyar, Kenny Lattimore and many more send warm birthday tributes to the iconic pop, R&B and soul Grammy-winning trendsetting pioneer in music, video, fashion, and style. Join fans on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook using the hashtag #JodyWatley to remind everyone that Jody Watley fans still stand strong! Wendy Williams is promoting her upcoming biopic, so she has been an open book in the days leading up to the premiere. Williams chatted with DJ Suss One this week and recalled her sexy encounter with Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man. “I smoked a blunt … with Method Man while I gave him a bath and it was a one-night stand,” Williams said. “He’ll deny it, maybe not. It wasn’t in the movie because [he] is still very angry at me … for being me—for telling the truth. It was one night. We were in the club—a fight broke out and gunshots broke out. The fight was ridiculous. The whole Wu-Tang was there but it was only Meth up in the rafters. And see, that’s where I go to observe everything because I was by myself.” TikToker Lovely Peaches has reportedly been arrested for abusing a six-month-old puppy on video. Peaches, real name Brittany Johnson, was booked in Georgia on Friday after followers contacted police and PETA over the abuse, TooFab reports exclusively. The footage showed her choking and kicking the dog, spraying perfume in its eyes and hanging it by the neck from a coat hanger. Johnson claimed on Instagram Thursday that the dog had died, but TikTokers uncovered a photo of the dog being rescused by police. Stellar Award Nominated Artist Christian Bolar is back with a powerful new radio single “We’re Ready.” Written by Branden Anderson (G.I., BGA Music Group) and produced by Daniel Bryant (Tamela Mann, G.I. Chante Moore), the worship ballad invokes listeners to allow God to have His way in their lives. The lyrics boast “From this moment on Lord have Your way...We Are Ready.” Bolar’s previous radio single, “Place It In Your Hands,” landed at #2 on Kirk Franklin’s Praise station on Sirius XM Radio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcB-ln_13Kk&feature=youtu.be Former Seattle Seahawks player Chad Wheeler is embroiled in controversy after his arrest for felony domestic violence on Friday, concerning a physical altercation where he beat and strangled his girlfriend Alleah, a Black woman, unconscious. Her full name is being withheld from the press for privacy reasons. The incident adds to a lengthy list of domestic violence allegations made against NFL players, in which almost every year since 2014 a player makes national headlines after being exposed for physically assaulting a partner. In a police report obtained by TMZ, Alleah claimed the two were dating for six months and that the brutal attack transpired during a manic episode after Wheeler stopped taking his medication for bipolar disorder. Court documents say the incident transpired after Wheeler demanded Alleah stand and bow to him. On Wednesday afternoon Wheeler issued a statement on Twitter, apologizing for the “turmoil I have caused my family, teammates, fans, and those closest to me.” “The most important thing right now is that Alleah gets the care she needs and I get help. Both are happening,” he continued. Wheeler was arrested on Saturday and released Tuesday on $400,000, bail. He faces multiple charges including first-degree domestic violence assault, domestic violence unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9. In a decision that will undoubtedly shock and anger her constituents, Fani Willis, the acting District Attorney in Fulton County, requested another prosecutor to oversee the Rayshard Brooks case. In a Wednesday letter addressed to Georgia State Attorney General Chris Carr, Willis said the actions of her predecessor Paul Howard warranted “sufficient question,” as reason for her decision, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “My predecessor obtained arrest warrants against the following defendants for incidents that occurred during the campaign,” the letter states. “I believe his conduct, including using video evidence in campaign television advertisements, may have violated Georgia Bar Rule 3.8(g). In addition, as you are aware, my predecessor’s conduct also prompted a referral to the GBI for criminal investigation by you his issuance of grand jury subpoenas at a time when no Fulton County Grand Jury was empaneled.” Carr will now have the option to either assign the case to another prosecutor, take up the case in his office, or assign to the prosecuting attorneys council. If coverage over the last several years has taught us one thing about Georgia Republicans, it’s been that they have a tender spot for voter suppression. After losing several high-profile elections in 2020 and two crucial Senate runoff races earlier this month, Georgia Republicans have now turned their sights on trying to make absentee ballots use more difficult to cast. If a recent proposal introduced in the state legislature goes into law, those who want to vote away from polling places will be required to first submit a copy of their ID with their applications for absentee ballots, and then do the same thing again when they return the actual ballot. Despite no evidence of problems or valid concerns with absentee ballots, Senate Bill (SB) 29 was introduced by a freshman Republican lawmaker. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has signaled support for reducing the use of absentee ballots, including getting rid of no-excuse absentee ballots altogether. The secretary of state’s website for requesting a ballot has an assurance that the process is secure. Responding to the urgency of now, President Joe Biden has been churning out executive orders left and right since his inauguration last week. In his latest round of decrees, Biden rescinded the Mexico City policy, also known as the “global gag rule,” in a presidential memorandum. The policy prevents non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. aid from providing abortion-related services that include counseling, advocacy and referrals. The rule prevents those organizations from spending even their own money on such services. Biden has also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to review policies implemented during the Trump Administration that limited funding for providers domestically that offered services related to abortion referrals and advocacy and other family planning services. Stars Pay Tribute to ‘Groundbreaking Actress’ Cicely Tyson. Viola Davis, who worked with Tyson on How to Get Away With Murder wrote: “I’m devastated. My heart is just broken. I loved you so much!! You were everything to me! You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls. You gave me permission to dream….because it was only in my dreams that I could see the possibilities in myself. I’m not ready for you to be my angel yet. But…I also understand that it’s only when the last person who has a memory of you dies, that you’ll truly be dead. In that case, you will be immortal. Thank you for shifting my life. Thank you for the long talks. Thank you for loving me. Rest well.” https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es3NPIjW8AQrlfd?format=jpg&name=900x900 Stars Pay Tribute to ‘Groundbreaking Actress’ Cicely Tyson. Former President Barack Obama, who awarded Tyson with the Medal of Freedom during his presidency, wrote, “In her extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson was one of the rare award-winning actors whose work on the screen was surpassed only by what she was able to accomplish off of it. She had a heart unlike any other—and for 96 years, she left a mark on the world that few will ever match.” Michelle Obama wrote, “What struck me every time I spent time with Cicely Tyson was not necessarily her star power—though that was evident enough—it was her humanity. Just by walking into a room, she had this way of elevating everyone around her.” Tyler Perry said the news of Tyson’s death “brought me to my knees!” “She was the grandmother I never had and the wisdom tree that I could always sit under to fill my cup. My heart breaks in one beat, while celebrating her life in the next,” he wrote. ” She called me son. Well, today your son grieves your loss and will miss our long talks, your laughter from your belly, and your very presence.” Oprah Winfrey wrote, “She used her career to illuminate the humanity of Black people. The roles she played reflected her values; she never compromised. Her life so fully lived is a testimony to Greatness.” Stars Pay Tribute to ‘Groundbreaking Actress’ Cicely Tyson. Ava DuVernay shared on Instagram: “Your hugs I’ll remember. How your petite arms wrapped around me like mighty branches of a sunlit tree, strong and warm. Your laugh I’ll remember. How it came easily and heartily and sounded like good music. Your work I’ll remember. How your brave portrayals transformed the way the world witnessed Black women, whether they could accept what you shared or not. Your words I’ll remember. How each time I hung up the phone, I’d write them down so as not forget the precious jewels of encouragement and wisdom you’d gifted me. Your love I’ll remember. You loved me for some reason. You told me so often. I thank you for that forever and I’ll carry your love with me as I go. Bless you on your journey ahead, Your Majesty. Until we meet again.” Angela Bassett also wrote on IG: “Ms. Tyson, we are infinitely grateful for every day that God gave you to us. For all of us little black and brown girls who dared to dream big and bold that we, too, deserved to be seen, heard, and loved, both on the screen and off. Rest in Power, my sweet, beautiful QUEEN,” she wrote. On Sunday, January 24, Relentless Church donated more than $30,000 to church members in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The donations were made during the service where Pastor John Gray spoke to members about Intentional Generosity. During the sermon, Pastor Gray informed members of the congregation that the offering baskets that are typically used to collect donations for the church were instead being used to provide donations to church members in need. Members of the congregation were encouraged to take what they needed to help overcome financial hardships incurred by the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. After hiring the NFL’s first Black team president, Jason Wright, in August, Jennifer King has been named WFT’s assistant running backs coach, making her the first Black woman to coach in the NFL full time. She spoke on the achievement and recalled head coach Ron Rivera telling her she got the position. “Coach called me in and we had a conversation to let me know what was going to happen, so I was really excited about it but, you know, in the middle of a game week things are kind of hectic so I went back to my office and went right back to work.” She continued, “Having that personal mantra of really trying to be so good that you can’t be denied. And just keep going — if it’s something you really want you have to find a way to get it done and not take no for an answer.” A Florida woman was filmed repeatedly using the n-word in reference to two Black men who own a moving company and were working on her street. She also justified her actions saying that her use of the slur – six times in 30 seconds – was not against the law. “It doesn’t matter if I said it 100 times in 30 seconds,” Gina Brashear later told NBC2. “There’s nothing illegal about saying it.” https://youtu.be/tf7C6sTqTGk Brian Williams is trending Friday for being the victim of an epic troll on live television. During his Thursday MSNBC how “The 11th Hour,” Williams was apparently told in his earpiece that exclusive footage of Senate Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s meeting with Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago has come in. Williams went with it live, planning to watch the footage for the first time along with his panel and TV audience. But what played wasn’t McCarthy pledging his love to Trump after speaking out against his MAGA maniacs storming the Capitol. It was, however, Tom Cruise pledging his love to Renee Zellweger in the iconic “You had me at hello” scene from “Jerry Maguire.” https://youtu.be/3SNZ2neaTro A New Mexico man is accused of pulling a gun on a McDonald’s employee in the drive-thru over a mistake with his burger. Surveillance video from a McDonald’s in Albuquerque earlier this month shows 25-year-old Estevan Gonzalez pull up and tell an employee that his burger didn’t have cheese. “So, I took the burger from him, and I had the cook fix it,” the unnamed employee said on the video. About 10 minutes later, Gonzalez cut off other cars to get back to the window, authorities said. “He had the burger in his hand, and I said, ‘Is it still wrong?” the employee said. “He just came out with a pistol and (he said), ‘I’m gonna get my burger right cuz I’m sick of this s***.’” McDonald’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets® and Mighty Hot Sauce will be returning to participating restaurants nationwide Feb. 1 for a limited time! As an added bonus, from Feb. 2 – 6, customers can get a FREE 6-piece Spicy Chicken McNuggets exclusively on their McDelivery with Door Dash* order of $20 or more, using code SPICY. CEO & Founder of Hoop Mobb, Donyale Walton, says this first collection of Mobb Charms™ offers seven different charms. Women will be able to purchase a set of stainless steel hypo-allergenic hoops that will come with a charm of their choice, and they can add additional charms that suit their tastes. She opened Hoop Mobb a year ago, “For every time you’ve questioned if your hoops were appropriate, for every room you’ve walked in and felt the need to water yourself down, and to create a space to encourage you to be exactly who you are, at all times.” On Jan. 28, Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actress who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder" and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” has died. She was 96. “With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon," her family said in a statement provided by manager Larry Thompson. An all-new episode of CLEO TV's new millennial love and dating drama series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES airs on Sunday, January 31, at 9 P.M. ET/8C. The 10-episode prime-time series spinoff is based on the Emmy-nominated web series TOUGH LOVE, which gives the viewer a real look at mistrust and the act of forgiveness in this week's episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n09M38_v9NA&feature=youtu.be Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ continues to dish out gourmet recipes with the help of special guests in this week’s episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, January 30 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA-WdpxVvj0&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV serves up a second helping of quick and savory gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX, hosted by acclaimed chef Jernard Wells, airing Saturday, January 30 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly solo cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KpW8Dy67cg&feature=youtu.be If you’re like us, then you’re completely and utterly obsessed with Netflix’s Bridgerton and need to know if a second season is on its way. Well, it’s happening! Netflix confirmed Bridgerton season two on Wednesday, January 21. “Prepare for another social season. Bridgerton is returning for season two, only on Netflix,” reads a tweet from the show’s account. https://twitter.com/i/status/1352277273752305665 Two-time Golden Globe nominee and SAG Ensemble winner Dennis Quaid will star in MGM and LightWorkers’ faith-based family drama, On a Wing and a Prayer. The pic marks the actor’s third reteaming with filmmaker Sean McNamara after Soul Surfer and the upcoming biopic Reagan in which Quaid plays the title role as the 40th U.S. President. On a Wing and a Prayer will be released through MGM’s distribution and marketing joint venture United Artists Releasing. After a small-town pilot dies unexpectedly while flying the plane, passenger Doug White (Quaid) is forced to land the plane safely in order to save his entire family. Based on an astonishing true story, On a Wing and a Prayer follows one man’s harrowing journey to save his family from insurmountable danger. Cloris Leachman, an Oscar-winner for her portrayal of a lonely housewife in “The Last Picture Show” and a comedic delight as the fearsome Frau Blücher in “Young Frankenstein” and self-absorbed neighbor Phyllis on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” has died. She was 94. Leachman died in her sleep of natural causes at her home in Encinitas, California, publicist Monique Moss said Wednesday. Her daughter Dinah Englund was at her side, Moss said. A character actor of extraordinary range, Leachman defied typecasting. In her early television career, she appeared as Timmy’s mother on the “Lassie” series. She played a frontier prostitute in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” a crime spree family member in “Crazy Mama,” and Blücher in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein,” in which the very mention of her name drew equine commentary. Larry King‘s heartbroken wife Shawn has claimed the TV icon died of sepsis and was ‘ready to go’. The legendary late-night host died on Saturday aged 87 after a recent battle with Covid which saw him hospitalized. King’s seventh wife Shawn Southwick, whom he married in 1997 and was in the midst of a divorce at the time of his death, says he could not overcome an infection after beating coronavirus. She also revealed his last words to her, telling her over a video call from hospital: ‘I love you, take care of the boys’. Shawn said she was thankful she was able to speak with Larry, the father of her sons Chance, 21, and Cannon, 20, on video call before his death. The South Side Chicago home of Emmett Till and his mother has been granted city landmark status by the City Council. The move comes as a local group seeks to turn the property located at 6427 S. St. Lawrence Ave. into a museum. The new status will protect the home from demolition or drastic alterations, per Chicago Tribune. “A lot of times, history involving African Americans gets forgotten about,” said Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th. “We will repeat history if we don’t remember it and have these hard conversations,” she said. Fans looking for pregame entertainment before the Super Bowl will have another option this year. Shaquille O’Neal will be holding the virtual SHAQ Bowl on Feb. 7. It’s one of the few events taking place in Tampa, Florida, since many parties that traditionally take place during Super Bowl week have been canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The SHAQ Bowl takes the place of Shaq’s Fun House, which had been held the past two years in Atlanta and Miami. The three-hour special begins at 3 p.m. ET and will be available on Facebook and SHAQBowl.com. It will also be on LiveXLive across 20-plus platforms including YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Twitter. Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson believes it’s Curt Schilling’s racist comments that led to his latest Cooperstown snub and not the former pitcher’s support for President Trump or his conservative political beliefs, as many have suggested. A three-time World Series champion and six-time All-Star, Schilling has ignited controversy in retirement by directing hateful comments towards transgender people, journalists, Muslims, and other groups. ‘Freedom of speech got you freed out of the Hall of Fame,’ Jackson told NJ.com. ‘Freedom of speech got your a** out of Cooperstown, bro!’ After 17 seasons, Jason Witten is retiring from the NFL. He intends to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Dallas Cowboys in March when his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders expires at the end of the league year. Witten, 38, played 16 seasons with the Cowboys and spent 2020 with the Raiders. No tight end in NFL history has played more games than Witten’s 271, and only Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez has more receptions and yards at the position. Witten first retired after the 2017 season and spent 2018 as an ESPN Monday Night Football analyst but opted to return to the Cowboys in 2019. The HISTORY® Channel announces its new one-hour documentary, “Tuskegee Airmen: Legacy of Courage,” executive produced and narrated by “Good Morning America” anchor, Robin Roberts. The special explores the history, legacy and impact of America’s first Black military pilots and how their significant contributions to this country inspired the next generation of activists and leaders pushing for racial equality and civic change. Featuring archival footage, and personal anecdotes from Roberts, whose father was a Tuskegee Airman, this powerful documentary will shine a light on the incredible men who sacrificed their lives despite all odds stacked against them. https://twitter.com/i/status/1354836645997027330 In her highly anticipated book, “IDA B. The QUEEN: The Extraordinary Life And Legacy of Ida B. Wells,” authored by Michelle Duster, takes a different approach in telling her great grandmother’s story. “’Ida B. The Queen’ gives sort of an overview of the highlights of her life but also ties her story into what’s going on currently,” Duster says. Who better to tell Ida’s story than her great grand-daughter herself? Duster says …“I am extremely excited to have my great grandmother’s Ida B. Wells’ story released into the world in a different way that it has been before. I’m hoping the book will inspire people to believe that their voices are important.” The intimate biography portrays Wells’ journey from being a journalist to an important historical revolutionary figure in American History. Michelle Duster believes this book comes at such a crucial time in history. Wanting to capture the pure essence of the late great Billie Holiday, singer/actress Andra Day went to extreme measures. She revealed that she lost almost 40 pounds and started drinking and smoking to portray Billie Holiday in the biopic, “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday,” directed by Lee Daniels. “I put my family through it and I put myself through it,” Day said in an interview with Variety. “I went from 163 pounds to 124 pounds. I would talk like her and I don’t drink or smoke, but I started smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Not that I recommend people do this; I just was desperate because this is my first role.” https://youtu.be/USi-ppCfxEA OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced the addition of fourteen new roles plus directors for its new drama “Delilah,” from acclaimed “Greenleaf” creator Craig Wright. The series regulars include Kelly Jacobs, Khalil Johnson, and Braelyn Rankins along with LaMonica Garrett, Lyriq Bent, Joseph Callender (Overcomer), Michel Curiel (Sistas, The Walking Dead: World Beyond), Nigel Gibbs (Breaking Bad, Beautiful Boy), Leonard Harmon (Black Boots), Candace B. Harris (The Single Life, Valor), Gray Hawks (Outer Banks), Joe Holt (The Walking Dead: The World Beyond, The Punisher), Saycon Sengbloh (In The Dark, Scandal) and Amanda Tavarez (Queen Sugar, Cake: The Series), who recur. Amanda Gorman discusses reading her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration, what poetry means to her and her upcoming Super Bowl performance during an appearance Wednesday on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” https://youtu.be/IRGO5g1rqTw The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced feature films eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature and International Feature Film categories for the 93rd Academy Awards®. Eligibility lists by category can be viewed at Oscars.org/93rdFeatureEligibility. Complete 93rd Academy Awards rules can be found at Oscars.org/rules. Dak Prescott can now toast one new contract as he waits for another – and he’ll surely toast by sipping an Anheuser-Busch product. “He’s signing a long-term deal with ‘America’s beer,” a source tells Sports Business Journal, “before he signs one with ‘America’s Team.” That’s right. The Dallas Cowboys QB, who will be involved in negotiations with his NFL team regarding a long-term contract that both sides insist they desire, has closed a deal to be a spokesman for Anheuser-Busch InBev and their products, which include Bud Light and “possibly some of the brewer’s rapidly expanding portfolio of hard seltzer brands,” SBJ reports. Prescott’s other sponsorships have included Pepsi, Beats, PlayStation, Sleep Number and Dannon, AT&T, Adidas, Beats by Dre to Campbell’s Soup, 7-Eleven, New Era, Citi and Direct TV. During a visit to Atlanta recently, Diddy reconnected with his friend Rick Ross and filmed his arrival at Rozay’s estate. The video shot by both parties, complete with Diddy being astounded by the “Black excellence” he was witnessing, has gone viral. Ross’ guided tour included his classic vehicles, toy collection, and even horses. The spot was previously owned by Evander Holyfield. It’s 450,000 square feet, sits on over 300 acres and has 109 rooms. Ross said he charged $2.75 million to allow his crib to be used for a movie shoot. https://youtu.be/na4YBsUNSYo FKA Twigs is speaking out about the racism hurled her way during her relationship with British actor Robert Pattinson. The singer (born Tahliah Debrett Barnett) said people called her “the most hurtful and ignorant and horrible names on the planet” because they felt the “Twilight” star should have been with a white woman. “It was really, really deeply horrific and I think it was at a time where I felt like I couldn’t really talk about it,” she added, per Insider. “I feel like if I was going through that now, I would be able to talk about it and do some good with it.” Twigs and Pattinson got engaged in early 2015 but they called it quits in 2017 after more than two years together. https://youtu.be/EcQTMxHYMMY K. Michelle took to Instagram Wednesday to announce she’s exiting the VH1 reality series “Love and Hip Hop” to focus on a new project for Lifetime. The singer first appeared on “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” before moving on to “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” “K. Michelle: My Life” and “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.” “For 6 years of my life I was on a show called Love and Hip Hop it really helped me reach a lot of my goals at that time, I’ll never knock that blessing,” she wrote. “But I knew in my heart, I could no longer participate in something I was not passionate about, and had no desire to be on camera with any of the cast,” she continued. “I just didn’t care. I knew it was time for something bigger than throwing drinks. I wanted to turn my pain into purpose.” Cardi B is speaking out about the cost of coronavirus testing after having to pay for her team’s tests several times a week. “I get COVID tested bout 4 times a week,” she wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “My glam and management gotta get tested as well. Every time we get tested is about 250$ each. This is seriously a new business.” She also explained why frequent testing is required. “It’s necessary because if you in my space and you get COVID, I can get sued,” she tweeted. “If I do a commercial and I get COVID, the company can get sued,” she continued. “It’s all about not being a liability and is a requirement. The government should be paying for health care workers [but] we pay out our own pockets.” Cardi then noted that COVID testing “is becoming a business.” In the latest edition of Fox Soul’s Cocktails with Queens, LisaRaye McCoy weighed in on the colorism controversy surrounding singer DaniLeigh and her new song “Yellow Bone.” https://youtu.be/12MuwxIIru0 The Atlanta homeless man who rescued six dogs and 10 cats out of a burning animal shelter is getting new housing and a therapist for his heroic efforts. When the fire broke out on December 18 at W-Underdogs animal shelter, Keith Walker, 53, sprang into action. He happened to be on the scene to pick up his own pit bull Bravo, where the shelter’s founder, Gracie Hamlin, allowed the beloved pooch to stay every night, PEOPLE reported. https://youtu.be/2YHSdDv5zM0 Viewers of BBC Wales Today got an unexpected x-rated situation during a woman’s Zoom interview from her home. Yvette Amos was appearing on the regional BBC news program Wednesday to talk about unemployment caused by the pandemic when viewers spotted a dildo sitting on the shelf behind her. Twitter is now trying to figure out whether Amos placed it there on purpose; possibly on a dare, or because that’s just her sense of humor. Or did she simply forget to do a background sweep of problematic visuals like we all do before our work Zooms? https://youtu.be/sCfyvEbdwOI On Monday, February 8th, Jakes Divinity School Founder and Chancellor Bishop T.D. Jakes and Dr. Richard Roberts, the son of Oral Roberts, the founder of the renowned Oral Roberts University, will host a compelling Chancellor’s Virtual Master Class, entitled Leadership, Legacy, and Loneliness. Their dialogue will enlighten and encourage leaders as they continue to rise to the call to action and evaluate their response in a time of social and political unrest and leadership isolation. Millions of people are seeking answers and hope in today’s culture of unrest and suffering. The unexpected national success of Ascension’s The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz, which was the #1-Ranked Show on Apple Podcasts for 17 days and remains in the top 3 shows overall as of this writing, indicates that many are turning to God’s Word for truth and peace in difficult times. The show, which officially launched on January 1, now boasts over 9 Million downloads. In shooting to the #1 position on the Apple Podcasts Chart on January 2, it ousted long-standing offerings from The New York Times, NPR, Barstool Sports and The Daily Wire. Trump’s fate has never rested solely on the promise of Republican support in terms of the impeachment process. But in spite of that, New York Attorney General Letitia James holds a laser focus on holding corrupt individuals and institutions accountable. A Republican backed attempt to declare the second Trump impeachment as unconstitutional suggests Democrats might not meet the threshold for conviction. All but five Republican senators supported the motion introduced by Republican Senator Rand Paul. To successfully convict Trump, 17 republicans would need to vote in favor of conviction. Beginning the week of Feb. 8, the impending impeachment trial means that both sides of the aisle could be tasked with producing witnesses, and weighs the possibility that overwhelming evidence and public pressure could sway Republican senators to vote a different way. But instead of banking on the possibility that Senate Republicans who support Trump will gain a conscience, James continues to push forward in her own investigation. From the NYPD, to the NRA, to the former president, James maintains that no one is above the law. What do you get when you mix snitching with a person of color who upholds white supremacy? The answer is apparently Enrique Tarrio. According to a Wednesday report by Reuters, the Proud Boys leader worked as an undercover informant for federal and local law enforcement following a 2012 arrest. A 2014 transcript including information from a federal prosecutor, an FBI agent and Tarrio’s personal lawyer described Tarrio as a contributor to at least 13 people being charged with drug crimes and human smuggling while also helping authorities identify a gambling ring. Tarrio denied any involvement in playing a role as an informant. “I don’t know any of this,” he said to Reuters in a phone interview. “I don’t recall any of this.” CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers tweeted that Tarrio “is practically Tekashi 69,” referencing the New York rapper who notoriously testified against his fellow gang members on behalf of prosecutors stemming from racketeering and weapons charges. National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman moved the nation with her breathtaking poem, “The Hill We Climb” on Inauguration Day, and now she’s moving upward and onward with celebrating the unique contributions of Black people in America through the power of poetry. Gorman is scheduled to appear at the upcoming Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, to read a new piece summarizing the contributions of three honorary game captains who served as community leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic, USA Today reports. The honorary captains exemplify frontline workers who risked their lives and safety to assist others through unchartered territory and include Marine Corps veteran James Martin, COVID ICU nurse manager Suzie Dorner and educator Trimaine Davis. The three are scheduled to participate in the traditional coin toss at the beginning of the game. Black people voted out Trump and dealt a blow to white supremacy. Now that the previous administration has packed its bags, we know the work to upend systemic racism and systems rooted in white supremacy won’t end with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We have to hold steadfast the power of organizing. The Biden-Harris administration was made possible by decades of organizing by Black people in the face of centuries-old efforts to suppress our vote and deny our political power—and by everyday Black people who stepped up to get people registered and who voted themselves. We organized and won in Georgia even as white supremacists emboldened by Trump perpetrated violence at the Capitol and all over the U.S. in a desperate bid to hold onto power. With the new administration now in office, the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) will keep mobilizing and organizing to reverse centuries of disinvestment in Black communities to invest in a future where we can all be connected, represented and free. We will ensure that elected leaders make good on their promises to the movements that hold them accountable and the communities who put them into office. Atlanta is a microcosm of Black America. It is a successful portrait of black people; their experiences; their pitfalls and their accomplishments. The Atlanta entertainment environment has served as a “startup” for entertainment worldwide. So goes Atlanta, so goes the world?! “Atlanta Entertainment History: Jookin in the A” is a history of Atlanta’s local musicians and a tribute to the entrepreneurs who created the space to jook. From barrelhouse to bass, from honky-tonk to hip hop, hundreds of artists have passed through the jook joints of Atlanta on their way to stardom. This book pays homage to live entertainment and black entrepreneurship. It explores the social, cultural and economic impact entertainment has had in Atlanta, and hence, Black America. From the nightclub that was at the heart of the Riot of 1906 to the organizational support by the honorable Hosea Williams through the jailing of promoter Leonard Rowe as he fought for the rights of black concert promoters, Atlanta entertainment has had an impact on the struggle for civil rights in the country and in the business. Launched in the midst of a global pandemic, and high tensions of division, the first-ever Black cultural unity podcast called Bridge to U unites Black people worldwide. Available on Apple Podcasts, Bridge to U creates a safe space to have honest & constructive conversations on a number of oftentimes polarizing topics within the global Black community. he host, Executive Communications coach and speaker, Monique Russell, asks guests questions out of curiosity and not judgment because she believes that offering guests a space to share their experiences or explain their perspectives is the first step in understanding each other. Bridge to U uses curiosity and understanding as tools to build a bridge not a wall between each other and Black unity. If there was one thing that was extremely important to actress Ciera Payton, who portrays talk show diva Wendy Williams in her new biopic, it was trying to duplicate Williams’ breasts, which are described as “Big and Heavy.” According to Payton, “getting Williams’ boobs right” was the most challenging part for the Lifetime biopic, “Wendy Williams: The Movie.” The biopic airs Saturday, January 30 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and will air again over the following two nights. To attain the “authentic-looking” breasts, Payton said that she had to use socks – lots of socks and silicone cutlets,” which worked to perfection. However, the weight, said the 35-year-old actress from New Orleans, left her “very sore,” with back pains at the end of each day on the set. Wendy Williams' new movie and docu-series airs on Lifetime January 30. Listen to to the media mogul talk about her Lifetime biopic "Wendy Williams: The Movie." Da Brat, Eva Marcille, Gary With Da Tea and Rickey Smiley spoke to Wendy about the loss of her mother, her health, dealing with abuse, leaving her husband and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mzrJaLGLqU&feature=youtu.be Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris has responded to claims that her husband, rapper T.I., pointed a gun at her longtime (but seemingly estranged) friend, Sabrina Peterson. In a lengthy Instagram post Tuesday, the Atlanta-based entrepreneur noted that she never called the police on the hip-hop star, even though, for years, he has painted her as a “villain.” “The sad part about being a woman & BEING A BLACK WOMAN IS THIS! The public PRAISES OUR PREDATORS! @troubleman31 you PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD IN FRONT OF CHILDREN & I NEVER CALLED THE POLICE ON YOU! But for years you have painted me as the VILLAIN!” Peterson wrote. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKf1j5YgUoq/?utm_source=ig_embed Who is The Rev? What is The Rev? Why should you get to know Richard Hartley? Well, Richard “The Rev” Hartley is the outspoken and eccentric founder, pastor, and choirmaster of Haven International Ministries in Queens, NY. After traveling the world for years to coach choirs, he is happy to be back home with his family and ready to take his congregation’s choir to world-class status. Richard is married to his high school sweetheart and first lady of the church, Stacey. When it comes to family, Richard has a unique approach to parenting that sometimes clashes with the wife’s, but he always has a master plan for dealing with and raising their kids Jordan and Judea. Even though his methods may seem unorthodox, he always gets results. https://youtu.be/8elqa4g24mA TV One's hit true-crime show ATL HOMICIDE airs on Monday, February 1 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez recount their past homicide investigations cases on the streets of Atlanta in their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic recreations from actors Angelo Diaz as David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIVXsKPGCgk+&feature=youtu.be WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” finds rapper/producer Pimpin getting jealous when a new guy shows Diamond attention. “Diamond is looking at this new guy, whoever this is. She should be paying attention to me,” Pimpin says in the clip. “What the f*ck is going on?,” he adds. https://youtu.be/52MMnWQzIQQ An epic, hilariously funny, rags to riches, back rags to rubbing elbows with the richest people in the world, feature film "Who Is Gatsby Randolph" is seeking the Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Academy Award winner Thom Noble will host a virtual FYC screening, with a cast Q&A, for Oscar voters and media on Monday, February 1 at 7pm (PST). https://vimeo.com/423678137 Sekou Smith, a longtime NBA reporter and television analyst, died Tuesday after a battle with COVID-19. He was 48. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Smith went to college at Jackson State in Mississippi before starting his career at the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson. He then went on to become a fixture in the NBA universe — first as a beat writer covering the Indiana Pacers for the Indianapolis Star and the Atlanta Hawks for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before joining Turner Sports in 2009. For more than a decade, Smith starred across all platforms for Turner, serving as an analyst for NBA TV, a writer for NBA.com and a host of the Hang Time Podcast. Smith is survived by his wife, Heather, and their three children: Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron. Walgreens has tapped Starbucks chief operating officer Roz Brewer as its new CEO. The position will make her the only Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. After a three-year stint at Starbucks, Brewer, 59, will now replace current Walgreens CEO Stefano Pessina on March 15, the company said in a press release. https://youtu.be/180vsucSX3A MGM has tapped “Lovecraft Country” writer/director Misha Green to make her feature directorial debut on the next “Tomb Raider.” Alicia Vikander is reportedly set to reprise her role as Lara Croft, which she first took on in 2018’s “Tomb Raider.” The film grossed around $275M at the global box office. MGM’s “Tomb Raider” will be produced by Graham King via his GK Films banner, and Elizabeth Cantillon via The Cantillon Company, per Deadline. The film will be released theatrically in the U.S. via United Artists Releasing, and internationally through Warner Bros. Keyshia Cole is finally speaking out about why she was late to her Verzuz battle with Ashanti last week. Cole upset fans when she was over an hour late. Even Swizz Beatz, who organizes the Verzuz events with Timbaland, commented “This is very disrespectful,” and “Can’t lie man,” he said about Cole’s tardiness. On Friday, Cole’s DJ revealed that she was experiencing technical difficulties prior to the battle. https://www.instagram.com/keyshiacole/?utm_source=ig_embed Tory Lanez desperately wants to speak out about his Megan Thee Stallion assault case. So much so that the rapper has hit up the courts asking for permission to share his truth in the court of public opinion. Lanez, 28, is accused of firing several shots at Megan’s feet and wounding her on July 12 in Hollywood Hills. He previously took to Twitter to speak out about the charges, noting that the truth will come to light. “the truth will come to the light,” he wrote. “I have all faith in God to show that … love to all my fans and people that have stayed true to me & know my heart … a charge is not a conviction . If you have supported me or meg thru this , I genuinely appreciate u.” Safaree Samuels and Erica Mena welcomed their first child in 2020, and it appears the couple have no plans to expand their family anytime soon. During an episode of “Love & Hip Hop: Secrets Unlocked,” Mena made the surprise confession that her hubby doesn’t want to have another child with her over concerns about her weight. https://youtu.be/o2MIll0pZWI WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all new episode that finds Quaylon apologizing to Shavel for cheating on her, but will she be able to forgive him, or is she done with him for good? https://youtu.be/lPg1TsU1Dq8 During her recent appearance on the podcast, Grounded With Louis Theroux, singer FKA Twigs opened up about the alleged abuse she suffered while dating Shia LaBeouf. Her comments come a month after FKA, whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf, accusing him of “relentless abuse” including sexual battery and infecting her with an STD. https://youtu.be/aB8xsnhUcoE Pamela Anderson has announced that she’s quitting social media. The former Baywatch star and model announced on Instagram on Tuesday (26 January) that “this will be my last post on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.” “I’ve never been interested in social media,” she continued. “And now that I’m settled into the life I’m genuinely inspired by, reading and being in nature, I am free.” Anderson also urged her followers to “find the strength and inspiration to follow your purpose” and “not to be seduced by wasted time.” “That’s what THEY want and can use to make money,” she continued, concluding that social media companies have “control over your brain.” Several residents of Buckhead, a wealthy Atlanta neighborhood, are pushing to split from the city amid concerns over rising crime rates. 2020 was the deadliest year in Atlanta in decades, according to ajc.com. As such, Atlanta city council members have proposed a $1.6million plan to create a private police force for Buckhead. The move comes after Kennedy Maxie, 7, was shot in the head by a stray bullet while Christmas shopping with her family at Phipps Plaza on December 21. She died five days later from her injuries. Atlanta police are also working to track down the person who fatally shot a man in Buckhead early Sunday. The man was reportedly driving a Rolls Royce when another vehicle pulled up next to him at a red light and fired several shots. The driver, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, was hit multiple times but was able to drive into a nearby parking lot where he crashed into a tree. He later died at a local hospital. https://youtu.be/Bo8McZMkySw A police officer at a Florida high school slammed a student to the ground, where she hit her head and appeared to lose consciousness in shocking new footage. Questions have been raised about the level of force used by the school resource officer in the video, which shows the girl being thrown to the ground and appearing to go limp after hitting her head. The footage, shared on social media, was filmed Tuesday at Liberty High School in Osceola, Florida. https://youtu.be/ljhWV54memg GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly expressed support to execute prominent Democrats before taking office. CNN’s reported Tuesday that in 2018, Greene wrote on Facebook that “the stage is being set” to hang Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In 2019, she liked a Facebook comment suggesting Nancy Pelosi get a “bullet to the head.” Greene also frequently used her Facebook account to push the QAnon conspiracy that several politicians and celebrities are linked to a child sex trafficking. https://youtu.be/Q6gV7WUpqqg Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccine committee has proposed prioritizing shots to communities of color in order to tackle ‘structural racism’ in healthcare. The state’s 27-member COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee recommended Thursday that the next eligible group to get the shot should be the roughly 806,000 people that make up the BIPOC – black, indigenous, and other people of color – communities across the state. It also recommended people with underlying chronic conditions – about 1.8 million Oregonians – be next in line pitting these two groups ahead of some essential frontline workers and prisoners. The committee, made up of representatives and public health professionals, was set up by the state and tasked with the job of recommending the order in which vaccines are administered. The Department of Homeland Security has issued a federal alert for the first time in a year to warn of a heightened domestic terrorist threat in the weeks following President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security David Pekoske issued the threat bulletin Wednesday citing increased risk of domestic terrorism from ‘ideologically-motivated extremists’ who have been ‘fueled by false narratives’. It warned lawmakers and government buildings, the electric, telecommunications and healthcare sectors, and ethnic minority groups are among those at most risk of being targeted, while citing COVID-19 conspiracy theories as one motivator behind terrorist attacks. The warning comes in the wake of the riot at the US Capitol that left five dead – including a Capitol cop who was hit over the head with a fire extinguisher – after Donald Trump supporters stormed the building, sending lawmakers fleeing for their lives. To better inform the African American community about the coronavirus vaccine, Bishop T.D. Jakes of Dallas’ Potters House, brought in big name experts for an online event Monday called “In Conversations with America: Understanding the COVID-19 Vaccine.” https://youtu.be/JEXB0lyxqqs Hillsong pastors allegedly used worshipper donations to fund their lifestyles using the cash to pay for luxury apartments, designer clothes, cars and restaurants. Former members of the church told The New York Post how staff would use pre-paid expense (PEX) cards with funds made from tithes. Hillsong East Coast made nearly $13 million in 2019; 88 per cent of that came from ‘tithes & offerings.’ More than two thirds of the cash went on staff salaries, benefits and expenses as well as operating costs. The church is facing increasing scrutiny after recent revelations that former celebrity pastor Carl Lentz cheated on his wife of 17 years while other former Hillsong members have compared it to a ‘cult’. Hillsong has not commented on the most recent claims on the pastor’s spending habits. DailyMail.com has contacted the church. New music in the Gospel Spotlight from Matthew Aarons "Glorious." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzearRRf6o0&feature=youtu.be A Texas father-of-five was shot dead on Friday after he confronted the parents of a teenage boy who had been cyberbullying his 15-year-old daughter on social media, according to his heartbroken family. Brandon Curtis, 35, was shot multiple times according to a statement from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said Curtis, who worked as a commercial truck driver, was found shot in the street and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. His wife, Shantal Harris, said that her husband had gone over to the boy’s home because their daughter had been bullied by the same teen for the last nine months. She claims the bully would send her daughter messages saying ‘I’m gonna beat you up’ and ‘ho I’m gonna get you’, and also posts ridiculing her parents. She says that Curtis went to the boy’s house to speak with the alleged bully’s parents to try and resolve the situation. The IOC releases a plan for the Olympics. This is the rule book that the IOC and Tokyo organizers are set to roll out next week to explain how 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes and tens of thousands of others will try to safely enter Japan when the Olympics open in just under six months. Organizers and the International Olympic Committee are finally going public with their planning, hoping to push back against reports the Olympics will be canceled with Tokyo and much of Japan still under a state of emergency with COVID-19 cases rising. The rollout at Olympic headquarters in Switzerland is planned for Feb. 4, with Tokyo likely to present on Feb. 5. Russell Westbrook finally came face to face with the player who was traded for him last month, as the NBA’s Rockets faced the Wizards Tuesday night in Houston. John Wall led H-Town with 24 points in beating his former team, 107-88, before a reduced-capacity crowd. And the win came complete with trash talking between the two. https://youtu.be/YpVpuFFmvzQ Two more colleges announced Tuesday (Jan. 26) that they have removed racist symbols from their campuses following pressure from students and others. Alabama’s Jacksonville State University is renaming Bibb Graves Hall, a building that houses administrative offices and was named for a former governor of Alabama during the 1930s. He also led the local Ku Klux Klan. Alabama’s Auburn University and Troy University have already deleted Graves’ name from their campus buildings, both in the wake of the nationwide racial reckoning last summer sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. However, the University of Alabama’s College of Education building is still named for Graves. https://youtu.be/DEheH74tzcU After nearly seven years of employment at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Dena Simmons stepped down from her position as the Assistant Director last Tuesday (Jan. 19) citing her experiences with racism in the workplace, reports the Yale Daily News. The YCEI is a community-based initiative housed within Yale’s Child Study Center, the Department of Child Psychiatry for the School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital. Simmons was tasked with managing client relations and working on a social and emotional learning program called Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating, or RULER. In an email sent last Tuesday afternoon to the YCEI’s three directors and two YSM faculty members, Simmons announced her decision citing a “hostile work environment” where she “experienced racist and sexist behaviors from [her] colleagues.” Democrats in Congress reintroduced the Raise The Wage Act on Tuesday to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2025, moving the needle towards a living wage for millions of underserved populations. Black and brown communities who suffer under the weight of the pandemic and years-long diversion to economic prosperity would benefit tremendously, as those communities make up a large majority of minimum wage workers in comparison to population rates. Minimum wage workers risked their health throughout the duration of the pandemic and the time has passed for the government to protect this vulnerable population. According to the Economic Policy Institute, an increase in the federal minimum wage will result in a pay increase for “38.1 percent of all black workers and 23.2 percent of all white workers. Social media played a prevalent role leading to the subsequent arrests of the Capitol rioters who planned violence and terror on Jan. 6 during the Electoral College count in Congress. To date the FBI has charged at least 150 people with federal crimes pertaining to the events of Jan. 6, according to a report by the Associated Press. Authorities believe that at least 800 people made their way inside the Capitol. For law enforcement some of the arrests were made easier by the brazen rioters who posted their whereabouts and intentions on social media, casting hours of footage of themselves storming the Capitol. Lawmakers, school administrators, police officers and the like posted selfies on Facebook, and videos on Instagram and Twitter flaunting their participation. Black people with type I diabetes who contract COVID-19 are four times more likely to be hospitalized for diabetic ketoacidosis, according to a new study. Authored by Dr. Osagie Ebekozien, a professor at the University of Mississippi, the study provides new insight into the long term complications related to COVID-19. An assistant professor at the John D. Bower School of Population Health, Ebekozien also found that Latino patients with COVID-19 and type I diabetes were twice as likely to develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Ebekozien said he thought people won’t be surprised that there are disparities based on race but there could be surprises at the magnitude. In response to the disproportionate and devastating impact COVID-19 has had on Black communities and other underserved communities of color, the first of many "Choose Healthy Life" COVID-19 testing, vaccine awareness and education events took place at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, January 25th. At the event Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jacques DeGraff were tested to demonstrate the continued importance and ease of testing, even as vaccines begin to be available. Quest Diagnostics in partnership with the Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Action Plan and the United Way of New York City, provided the testing at this event and will support similar activities in New York City, Atlanta, Detroit, Newark and Washington, DC. over the coming months. Expressing pandemic related safety concerns, teachers in Chicago want to continue teaching remotely despite the district’s push for in-person classes. The Chicago Teachers Union announced Sunday that over 70% of its member teachers opted to continue remote instruction while waiting for vaccination. Chicago teachers have long pushed for equity in reopening plans that place a major emphasis on student, staff, and community safety. The district has maintained it is following the department of health guidelines for reopening. Elementary and middle school teachers were supposed to return to the classroom Monday with students expected to start on Feb. 1. The school district posted a letter online saying the teacher’s expected return would be pushed back to Wednesday. The union continues to push for teachers who have medically vulnerable relatives to receive an accommodation for remote work. Today, BET and media mogul Tyler Perry announced an exclusive news special, “COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community A Tyler Perry Special,” premiering Thursday, January 28, at 9 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her. In the midst of a world health crisis, Perry sits down with top medical experts Carlos del Rio, MD Executive Associate Dean, Emory School of Medicine at Grady Health System, and Kimberly Dyan Manning, MD Professor of Medicine at Grady Health System to address the public's concerns and fears about the COVID-19 vaccine. The half-hour special provides helpful and factual information for viewers looking to protect themselves and their families from this unprecedented crisis. Tackling issues head-on, Perry asks the hard-hitting questions to help the community gain insight into this new vaccine. “COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community A Tyler Perry Special” joins BET’s roster of informative specials that address the impacts of COVID-19 on the Black community and answers questions about the vaccine. It’s just not realistic to expect or assume elected officials can change the hearts and minds of Americans when it comes to racial equity. However, it’s more than possible to change the rules that govern those issues and that’s exactly what Joe Biden did on Tuesday. Specifically, Biden signed four executive orders meant to thwart discrimination against racial minorities, including a directive to ban any new Department of Justice contracts with private prisons and a requirement that the Department of Housing and Urban Development to buttress the implementation of the Fair Housing Act. https://youtu.be/SnKpmsVNr2Q Darwin Hobbs has entered into a partnership with FairTrade Services and Tyscot Records. “It's been over a decade since I recorded an album,” he says. “I spent time away from the music industry to regain a sense of focus and purpose. I needed to center myself and reestablish the reason why I record music. Once I learned that recording was still part of God's big plan for me, then I began to take the necessary steps to re-enter the arena. I decided not to sign another exclusive recording agreement, but to launch my own company, HeartArt Worship... under which I'll record music, write books and build a community where other creatives can gather and connect with each other.” The first offering under this new deal is Hobbs’ digital release, “Get Ready.” The Dream is defending himself against accusations of being biased against dark-skinned women after a 2017 clip from his stint as a judge on Rick Ross’ “Signed” television show recently resurfaced. The series featured aspiring entertainers competing in various challenges for their chance to get a record deal. In the viral video, artists were tasked with creating a song and performing it before judges Ross, Lenny S. and The Dream. Just Brittany, who is light-skinned, sang over his “Aston Martin Music” beat and received glowing remarks. She pointed out that Kaila used the same beat for her song. Kaila, a dark-skinned contestant, was called to perform her song. Despite a performance that folks on social media thought was far superior than Just Brittany’s, she was sent home on the spot. https://youtu.be/PDbc9IWeLpk As fencing is installed around the 130-year-old Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond, Va., in preparation for its removal, the monument itself has become an unlikely symbol of hope and persistence for many in the surrounding communities. Gov. Ralph S. Northam ordered the removal of the Confederate general’s memorial in June 2020, but it has been delayed by legal action from local residents who want it to remain.The 60-foot, 12-ton statue on Monument Avenue is covered in graffiti, applied and reapplied multiple times since June’s Black Lives Matter protests. Queen, 32, a well-known Richmond activist, has been here since the beginning of the takeover. She has a bright smile and is wearing earmuffs. Her frame is small but her voice is loud and confident. Former California State Assembly Speaker and San Francisco mayor Willie Brown’s 12-year run with the San Francisco Chronicle has come at an abrupt end. Earlier this month, Northern California’s largest daily newspaper announced that Brown’s column “Willie’s World” would be discontinued as of Jan. 24. Brown’s weekly commentary, which expressed controversial opinions as it provided insider political gossip and other updates of the goings-on in the city’s leadership circles, had become a fixture on the local San Francisco media landscape. “They are going digital,” Brown explained, offering an obviously clipped and misleading explanation of the newspaper’s decision. The Chronicle has for decades now been a digital publication. “It’s like a love song, ‘walk with me through life’,” said Grammy-winning Joss Stone, Joscelyn Stoker, about her new single release “Walk With Me.” “My son told me to rewrite it to be more…what’s going on in the world.” Born in England Joss is known for her gritty soulful vocals. In fact, her debut album in 2003 was titled “The Soul Sessions.” It became a multi-platinum selling project, over 2 million copies sold. Her second album release “Mind, Body and Soul” also became a multi-platinum selling project. Today, Joss Stone has accumulated over a billion streams of her music worldwide. https://youtu.be/Q8CEYbEJ0MY Jared Leto won an Academy Award but he says working with Denzel Washington in “The Little Things” was one of his greatest achievements. “[Denzel] is one of my heroes,” Leto points out in an interview. “He’s one of the best actors in the history of cinema.” Director John Lee Hancock is also notwithstanding of Leto’s praise. “John is great because he hires actors that he believes in. He takes off the shackles and lets you go to town.” It took a bit of convincing, however, to reel Leto into the role. “The Little Things” opens in theaters and streams on HBO Max on January 29. https://youtu.be/fauCzvN-Gbs Jymieka McDowell, 28, and Ryshawnna Poole, 39, are now behind bars and are accused of impersonating a police officer more than once. Police responded to a 911 call about a suspicious traffic stop at 1am. Sunday. The caller said they believed a Sarasota Police Department officer was in distress. With a message like that, police immediately responded to the scene and while searching for the supposed officer in distress, police came upon the two women pulling over a vehicle while impersonating police officers. The women didn’t just impersonate officers, they also LIVE-STREAMED their shenanigans their fake traffic stops where they used profanity and ordered occupants out of their vehicles. https://youtu.be/iralYw47T9A Master P is not here for the popular app Clubhouse being valued at $1 billion. The app which is predominantly used by industry taste-makers and black entrepreneurs is not black-owned. It’s being reported that venture capital firms have valued it at $1 billion. Master P took to social media to express his frustrations adding that black creatives are the primary reason for making the app blow up. “I keep telling people, we go on Clubhouse, we making another one of them a billionaire,” P said on the Trapital Podcast. “We just did it! Just for Clubhouse. We need to create stuff like that to where we control the narrative and we’re able to put the money back in our community and our culture.” Wendy Williams is looking for love while reflecting on her ex-husband Kevin Hunter’s extramarital affairs. During a recent interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Williams said her ex was a “serial” cheater and admitted she was aware of his affairs “almost since the beginning” of their 25-year relationship, per PEOPLE. “And that has nothing to do with him having this baby, or him having this side girl for almost 15 years of our marriage,” Williams continued. “I’ve known about her almost since the beginning. I’ve known that Kevin is a serial cheat.” Disney Parks has announced that it will be updating its 65-year old Jungle Cruise Ride at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California to better “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us,” according to a post on the Disney Parks blog. This includes the removal of tribal caricatures and “negative depictions of native people” in order to make the attraction more inclusive in its depiction of those cultures. Carmen Smith, creative development and inclusion strategies executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “With Jungle Cruise, we’re bringing to life more of what people love – the humor and wit of our incredible skippers, while making needed updates.” https://youtu.be/22aewfwCQ7k LIFETIME'S DEATH SAVED MY LIFE STARRING MEAGAN GOOD, LA'MIYA GOOD & CHIKE OKONKWO AVAILABLE NOW Premieres Saturday, February 13 at 8:00pm ET/PT on Lifetime....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3T_3T1vJ3g&feature=youtu.be Brian Snitker choked back tears as he remembered Hank Aaron’s affection for those who didn’t possess his unparalleled talent on the baseball field. During his post-playing career running the Atlanta Braves farm system, the Hammer had a penchant for looking beyond the can’t-miss prospects. Snitker was among those who spoke Tuesday at a memorial service honoring Aaron, who died last week from natural causes at the age of 86. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and former Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom were among those who spoke at the ceremony, which was held before a small, socially distanced crowd — including Aaron’s widow, Billye, and other family members — on the concourse directly behind home plate at Truist Park. The remarks were delivered in an exhibit known as Monument Garden, which prominently features a statue of Aaron delivering the swing that produced 755 homers. Ledisi has been tapped to play gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the upcoming biopic, “Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story.” “I am honored to be given a chance to paint the world through Mahalia’s eyes and sing her songs,” the Grammy-nominated singer said, per Deadline. Ledisi is starring alongside Columbus Short who has been cast as Martin Luther King Jr. The civil rights icon shared an intimate friendship with Jackson and she was present when he gave his impassioned “I Have A Dream” speech at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Ledisi said of Short’s performance on set: “Watching Columbus Short transform into Dr. Martin Luther King has been inspiring.” Short added, “I have dreamed of playing this role for many years. It’s truly a great honor to portray a man that has made such an indelible impact on society and to all of ours lives. I am thankful to Ericka for the opportunity and proud to play alongside a wonderful cast.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s recent speech informing senators about plans for an impeachment trial of Donald Trump went viral – not for excitement around prospect of Trump being held accountable for inciting an insurrection, but because Schumer accidentally accused the ex-president of having “incited an erection.” Speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate last Friday, Schumer said, “But make no mistake: there will be a trial and when the trial ends, senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the erection — the insurrection— against the United States.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1352637772851535873 The Washington Post removed an anecdote about prisoners from a 2019 feature on Vice President Kamala Harris. The publication explained that the story was “repurposed and updated” ahead of the inauguration. As of January 11, however, that anecdote no longer appears in the profile, with the online version noting that “[t]his story has been updated from an earlier published version.” “When The Washington Post published a 2019 campaign trail feature about then-presidential hopeful Kamala Harris’ close relationship with her sister, it opened with a memorable anecdote in which Harris bizarrely compared the rigors of the campaign trail to…life behind bars. And then proceeded to laugh—at the idea of an inmate begging for a sip of water,” Boehm wrote, calling it “an extremely cringeworthy moment” that painted Harris in a negative light. “But now that Harris is vice president, that awful moment has seemingly vanished from the Post’s website after the paper ‘updated’ the piece earlier this month,” Boehm added. “It should go without saying that choosing to run for the most powerful political office in the world is absolutely nothing like being behind bars—and getting to squeeze in a morning SoulCycle session before sitting down for an interview with a national newspaper is not remotely the same as dying of thirst. None of this is funny,” he continued. Harris was heavily criticized during the Democratic primary over her background as a prosecutor. CBS has suspended top TV station executives Peter Dunn and David Friend following an LA Times report on allegations of racism and misogyny. The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) met Sunday night with CBS officials regarding the disturbing revelations in the LA Times about the toxic work environment at the company, specifically the CBS Television Stations. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1353334996040347648/dy45rMlG?format=jpg&name=small Vandals have racially targeted the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Campus Y, a collaborative space that unites students, staff, faculty, and community partners in the pursuit of social justice. Officials said someone entered the building and “defaced several offices, leaving some anti-Semitic symbols and writing a racial epithet on a whiteboard.” A more detailed Facebook post said the hateful messages and symbols targeted women, Jews and people of color. A suspect has been identified, and police issued two warrants for their arrest. Police presence has been increased at the Campus Y as the investigation continues. https://www.wral.com/vandalism-break-in-reported-at-unc-building/19491901/ Kodak Black’s legal team has responded to criticism over the rapper vowing to donate $1 Million to charity if he was pardoned by Donald Trump. Kodak (real name Bill Kahan Kapri) thanked Trump for commuting his 46-month sentence related to firearms possession charge. On November 27, he tweeted: “If The President Them Free Me, I’m Gonna Spend 1 million on Charity within The First Year I’m Out. That’s on Everything.” After the tweet was deleted, TMZ questioned the rapper’s motives with the message, asking why it was erased from his social media accounts, The Blast reports. This prompted Black’s legal team to fire back. “Last week Kodak pledged 100k to setting up a scholarship fund in the name of Meadow Pollack, the week before he donated 50k to barstool fund to help small businesses. That’s 150k and he’s been out 5 days.” The lawyer added, “Can someone Identify what these sites that profit off the black community give back to the communities? Where are the food drops and sponsorships? What about covid relief?” he wrote. Michael Jordan is back to his winning ways. Except it’s not on the basketball court, where he’s considered to be the greatest of all-time. Nor is it on the golf course, where Jordan has spent a large bulk of his retirement. Last week, MJ and his Catch 23 fishing boat – an 80-foot Viking that pays homage to his basketball jersey number – won the team’s first sailfish tournament victory by winning the 58th The Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Release Tournament in Palm Beach, Florida. It will be a tale of two quarterbacks in this year’s Super Bowl, which will be played on Feb. 7 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Veteran Tom Brady, 43, the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be playing in the big game for an incredible tenth time. Brady will be up against Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 25, who will lead the Chiefs in their bid to defend their Super Bowl title. Many players on both teams have spoken about their Christian faith as well as Clark Hunt, the chairman, and CEO of the Chiefs. When accepting the AFC Championship trophy named after his father Lamar Hunt after Sunday night’s game, Clark Hunt on national television gave recognition to his team, their fans, his late father who founded the AFL and the Chiefs, and to God. At this point, everyone’s heard the joke: If Chick-fil-A was in charge of vaccinating Americans against COVID-19, the job would already be done — and we’d all have some sweet tea, too. In one South Carolina town, it turns out, it’s not a joke. Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie called local Chick-fil-A manager Jerry Walkowiak when one of his drive-through vaccination sites got pretty backed up. As the mayor said, “When you need help, call the pros.” Rather than just offering his advice to those coordinating the distribution site, the mayor praised Walkoiak for showing up in-person to help the site’s workers streamline their efforts. In the video, the Chick-fil-A manager could be seen jumping into a familiar role: Helping usher drivers quickly and efficiently through a line — a process for which the Atlanta-based restaurant chain has received praise amid the pandemic. https://twitter.com/i/status/1352644575307956225 Kellyanne Conway’s teen daughter wants her jailed for sharing an explicit photo of her online. According to a Variety report, Kellyanne shared a topless photo of her 16-year-old daughter Claudia on Twitter’s recently launched Fleets feature. Claudia addressed the incident in TikTok videos that have since been deleted. Her message, however, was recorded and shared by others to Twitter. https://twitter.com/i/status/1353926870774001665 Each month, about 374 girls are sex trafficked in Georgia. The average victim is just over 14 years old. This heinous industry affects every community in our state, regardless of age, race, or gender, and through strategic partnerships, we are taking action to end it once and for all. In February 2019, my husband, Governor Brian Kemp, signed an Executive Order, creating the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education (GRACE) Commission. Comprised of public officials, law enforcement, for profit and non-profit organizations, faith-based institutions, and subject matter experts, this commission set out to tackle human trafficking, seek justice for victims, and hold bad actors accountable. During the 2020 Legislative Session, the GRACE Commission spearheaded bipartisan legislation to bring stronger penalties to those convicted of human trafficking offenses, including foster parents and commercial drivers. We fought hard to protect victims and help survivors, giving them a voice and a path to brighter, more hopeful futures out of the shadows. The GRACE Commission rolled out further awareness and prevention measures this past September with a statewide hotline to allow Georgians to play a critical role in reporting trafficking. “Prodigal Son” on Fox has returned for a second season and it delved right into a Black Lives Matter storyline where even detective JT Tarmel (Frank Harts) faces the barrels of guns from his fellow men in blue. The first time I spoke to Frank was at the 2019 premiere party for “Prodigal Son” at The Roxy in New York City. https://youtu.be/cfGJQHixlQ0 A Rhode Island mother is mourning the death of the man who received a donated liver from her son. Alecia Williams says she developed a friendship with Mark Dupre, 65, who died following a Jan. 14 attack in his Manville, Rhode island, home. His wife, Kimberly Dupre, 60, was also killed in the attack. Police say Timothy McQuesten, 46, has been arrested and charged for viciously beating the couple to death with a hammer and crowbar, reports The Providence Journal. “It’s like reliving the story all over again because of the way that they died reminds me of the way that my son died,” said Williams,Her son Jasper was 24 when he was fatally stabbed outside his apartment after arguing with an acquaintance in December 2016. Jasper was an organ donor and Dupre received his liver, which ultimately connected him with Williams. Singer DaniLeigh has issued an apology in response to Black Twitter dragging her for filth over her new track titled “Yellow Bone.” Her original post has been deleted, and the backlash over the song prompted Dani to take a break from social media last week. She returned Monday to address the criticism and profess her love for a “chocolate man.” https://youtu.be/JmDHavx1pB0 Master P has announced his partnership with former Tesla engineer Richard Patterson to develop supercars called Trion Supercars. In an Instagram post, P wrote: “#RichardPatterson CEO of Trion, the first black-owned supercar manufacturer in America. He is a former engineer at Tesla, designing the Model S from scratch. He also designed the landing gear on the Boeing 777 and the folding seats system in the Dodge Minivan.” The hip-hop star continued, “Mr. Patterson has went on to create his own supercar the Nemesis RR, adding diversity in the automotive industry and empowering a culture of dreamers… In addition to the Nemesis RR models, Trion Supercars is currently in the process of creating affordable luxury SUVs and cars for the masses. Kobe Bryant ruled the court for years throughout his NBA career and firmly established himself as professional basketball’s Black Mamba, a nickname earned from his comparable qualities to the snake of the same name. “Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when threatened, highly aggressive,” according to National Geographic. The same can be said for Bryant, metaphorically and literally, as his play on the court was always exemplified by the aforementioned qualities that made him a legend in life. It has now been one year since he, his daughter and seven others perished in a helicopter crash in southern California on Jan. 26, 2020. He was just 41 years old. But Bryant’s “Mamba mentality” lives on, thanks in no small part to the history the suburban Philadelphia native made by exceeding expectations after going straight from high school to the NBA, excelling for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016 and leading his teams to five NBA championships. Bryant was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and an Oscar winner. To be sure, Kobe Bryant is not only sports history but he is also American history and world history. After four years of stalling, the push to replace Andrew Jackson’s image with Harriet Tubman‘s is being revisited, according to Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “The Treasury department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes. It’s important that our notes—our money—people don’t know what a note is—reflect the history and diversity of our country and Harriet Tubman’s image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that,” Psaki said during a White House press briefing on Monday. A timeline would be revealed by the Treasury Department. Janet Yellen, Biden’s nominee to head the department was confirmed by the Senate on Monday. Donald Trump may be gone from Washington, but Rep. Maxine Waters refuses to forget the damage he did to democracy and American society at large. The California Congresswoman was one of the 231 U.S. Representatives who voted for Trump’s second impeachment, a first for a sitting president. Waters, a consistent target of Trump’s brand of misogynoir, appeared on Jonathan Capehart‘s MSNBC show Sunday and ran down a laundry list of reasons for Trump’s Senate conviction. Saying that she “saw all the signs” of Trump’s threat to democracy, Waters suggested that without a conviction, the former president will continue to embolden the same white supremacist base that illegally stormed the Capitol earlier this month. “I felt he was very dangerous and of course it has turned out to be true,” Waters told Capehart. “He loves power – and so he showed his power when he … sent all of these domestic terrorists to the Capitol, to take over the Capitol. And that includes not only the Proud Boys, but the Oath Keepers, the QAnon, and the white supremacists. These people have been aligned with him.” From suing states over baseless voter fraud claims to being named in a defamation suit regarding those same accusations, Rudy Giuliani faces another reckoning in his career descent. The Associated Press reports Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit in Washington D.C. on Monday against the former New York City mayor, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer during his time in the White House. Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a whopping $1.3 billion in damages over Giuliani’s former tweets, speeches, news segment appearances and podcast episodes riddled with misinformation, claiming the company conspired to flip votes in favor of President Biden over Trump. It also states Giuliani falsely claimed the election was rigged by a Venezuelan company. In the name of #ProtectBlackWomen, Harlemites came out in full force over the weekend to march and advocate for a 31-year-old mom who was bitten, beaten, spit on and robbed on Jan. 18 after she refused a man’s offer to pay for her wine. Community members gathered in front of the liquor store on Saturday and marched for blocks calling for justice. Advocates included members of the victims family and the group Stand Against Violence East Harlem, ran by director Omar Jackson. The incident took place on Jan. 18 around 6 p.m. when the woman entered looking to purchase some wine after work. After she refused one of the men’s advances, she said one of the men grew angered and followed her outside where she was attacked. In the process, the men also stole her iPhone, worth around $750. “I couldn’t believe it, it was like an animal. That’s the only way I can put it, it was like an animal,” the woman, who wishes to remain unidentified, told NBC New York. Illustrator Michaela Goade became the first Native American to win the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal for best children’s picture story, cited for “We Are Water Protectors,” a celebration of nature and condemnation of the “black snake” Dakota Access Pipeline. “I am really honored and proud,” the 30-year-old Goade told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I think it’s really important for young people and aspiring book makers and other creative people to see this.” Tae Keller’s chapter book “When You Trap a Tiger,” in which a young Korean-American explores her identity and her heritage through her grandmother’s stories, won the John Newbery Medal for the outstanding children’s work overall of 2020. Jacqueline Woodson, whose previous honors include a National Book Award, won her third Coretta Scott King Award for best work by a Black author for “Before the Ever After.” And a tribute to Aretha Franklin, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” received the King award for best illustration. The awards were announced Monday by the American Library Association. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes cannot believe offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy could miss out on a head coaching gig for a third straight year. Bieniemy was once again a top candidate for essentially every vacancy. But unless he is hired by the Houston Texans, the Chiefs offensive coordinator will have to wait another year to go after a head coaching gig. Mahomes said Friday it is absurd Bieniemy has yet to be hired. It is still possible the Texans decide to hire Bieniemy. They are the final team with a vacancy, and thus can afford to wait until the Chiefs’ playoff run ends before making a decision. Derrick Johnson, CEO and President of the NAACP, told CNBC that the civil rights organization supports legislation reintroduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) to create a formal commission to explore reparation options for Black Americans. “This is the initiating process that members of Congress, particularly members of the Congressional Black Caucus, have been pushing for since the bill was initiated by John Conyers in the 70s,” said Johnson during a Monday, Jan. 25, interview on “The News with Shepard Smith.” “At the NAACP we supported that effort then, we continue to support the effort, it’s something that’s needed and necessary in order for many many individuals who have been harmed as a result of strict structural barriers to be made whole. ”H.R.40 has 147 Democratic co-sponsors in the House, and was originally introduced in January 2019. Republicans, predictably, have fiercely opposed to the bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in 2019 said it was not a good idea to impose reparations “for something that happened 150 years ago, for whom none of us currently living are responsible.” MLK/FBI director Sam Pollard is speaking out about the acclaimed documentary based on the government’s history of targeting Black activists. According to the official synopsis, the doc is an essential expose of the surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (labeled by the FBI as the “most dangerous” Black person in America), undertaken by J. Edgar Hoover and the U.S. government. The Emmy Award-winner and Oscar-nominee delves into the years when the FBI relentlessly spied on civil rights activist and leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The film premiered at 2020’s Toronto International Film Festival amid the wake of Black Lives Matter protests around the country. It was released theatrically and on VOD on Jan. 15, on Martin Luther King Day. https://youtu.be/Lvfxzht9KUA As the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their AFC championship Sunday night following a 38-24 victory of the Buffalo Bills, one member of the opposite team remained on the field to watch from a distance. Stefon Diggs, whose receiving prowess helped Buffalo claim its first division title in 25 years and first appearance in the AFC Championship in 27 years, stood alone on the opposite side of the field and watched the confetti fall on the Chiefs in their home stadium. https://youtu.be/YV8CtEo7wlw A 12-year-old track phenom has gone viral on TikTok with a display of her blazing speed. The footage shows middle schooler and Junior Olympian Jaiya Patillo on a treadmill sprinting at 17 miles per hour. Kevin Pontillo, Jaiya’s dad, said his daughter was training at No Name Athletics in Ohio with her coach, Skyy Simmons. He said Jaiya was jogging at 15 mph, so her trainer increased the speed to 17 mph. He said she could have gone up to 18, but stopped for safety reasons. Simmons posted the video of Jaiya on his TikTok account, and it garnered thousands of views. Her speed even caught the attention of ESPN, which posted the video on its TikTok account. It gained more than 40 million views in just days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd7aMDLr0Fk Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Chappell Music, the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group, are thrilled to announce today the launch of the yearlong campaign in 2021 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of music’s most historic record labels, Philadelphia International Records. The anniversary campaign will highlight the extraordinary musical output of this storied label and spotlight milestone musical moments, artists and songs from the remarkable Philadelphia International Records family that have defined the landmark label and its incredible impact over the past 50 years. https://youtu.be/bpkX1hTo4dM For the eighth consecutive year, the 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will air on BET during Super Bowl LV week Saturday, February 6th at 8/7c. The theme “Nothing Can Stop Us.” This year’s event will be hosted by Rickey Smiley and feature performances by The NFL Players Choir, Erica Campbell, Voices of Fire presented by Pharrell Williams, PJ Morton, Kierra Sheard, Koryn Hawthorne, Zacardi Cortez, and an exclusive performance by the living legend John P. Kee. Additionally, the show will feature appearances from NFL Player Desean Jackson-Philadelphia Eagles WR and Dak Prescott - Dallas Cowboys QB. The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will present Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson with this year’s “Faith In Action Award.” The son of a courageous cancer survivor, Watson is one of the NFL’s youngest philanthropists and is committed to causes that support families and youth in underserved communities. The Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition (BLACC) powered by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, announced today the partnership with iN-Hale Entertainment and All Tea No, Shade Productions in support of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7, 2021 with the theme of “Stigma Gotta Go.” “Stigma and shame are 2 parallel social ills that continue to fester in communities of color all across this country and play a role in the increasing number of new HIV diagnosis among Black Americans” stated Imara Canady, Chair, Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition (BLACC). NBCUniversal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion (GTDI) team today announced the opening of the application period for the Universal Writers Program now through February 21, 2021. The program identifies experienced and up-and-coming screenwriters with unique points of view that build upon the Company’s commitment to telling stories that reflect the vast diversity of its audiences. Writers selected for the one-year paid program will be given the opportunity to develop two feature scripts under the guidance of Universal Pictures, Focus Features and DreamWorks Animation production executives, as well as the studio’s first-look producers. Audible Inc. has announced the forthcoming release of “The History of Sketch Comedy,” episodic podcast, written and performed by Emmy Award-winning actor Keegan-Michael Key. Directed and co-written by Elle Key, and produced by Bigger Picture Media group and Clamor, the series is equal parts master class, personal journey and performance. Key weaves his vast knowledge of sketch comedy’s rich history together with his own experiences; offering laughs and insight to listeners over ten half-hour episodes. The audio series will premiere on January 28, 2021 and will be available exclusively on Audible. Audible members will be able to access the series as part of the newly launched Audible Plus catalog. Fantasy novel enthusiasts wish to turn the house of famed Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien in Oxford, where he wrote “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” into a meeting place for writers, screenwriters and filmmakers from all cultures and faith backgrounds. In 1930, Tolkien moved into the house at 20 Northmoor Road where his children would grow up during the Second World War. Project Northmoor is a charity created with the purpose of buying the house, currently for sale for roughly $6 million. The project has already raised about $1 million. Food Network has pulled Season 20 of its “Worst Cooks in America” competition series from circulation after its winner, Ariel Robinson, was charged with the murder of a 3-year-old child. The season is no longer available on streaming platforms, including Discovery+ (Discovery, Inc.’s new streaming service) or the Food Network website. “Worst Cooks in America,” hosted by Anne Burrell and Alex Guarnaschelli for Season 20, follows “two premier chefs” who “work to transform a team of hopeless cooks from kitchen disasters to kitchen masters, and the last recruit standing wins $25,000.” Robinson, a teacher, won the Food Network competition’s most recent installment on Aug. 2. Trey Songz was reportedly arrested on Sunday night during a KC Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium. Songz – real name is Tremaine Aldon Neverson – was taken into custody after allegedly getting into an altercation with a police officer. The dust-up started because Trey Songz refused to follow the stadium's coronavirus protocol, namely, that he allegedly refused to wear a mask. KCPD says fans were complaining that Trey wasn't following Arrowhead's safety rules re the virus and that once security was called and unable to get him to comply or successfully boot him outright, they called in the big guns and had police deal with him. Cops say Trey again refused to obey orders and was eventually told he was under arrest. They allege he punched an officer and put him in a headlock, which you can clearly see on video. More cops were called in and they were finally able to get it under control. https://www.tmz.com/2021/01/24/trey-songz-chiefs-game-fight-police-officer-arrest/ A teenage suspect has been arrested in a ‘mass murder’ which left six people dead, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, at a home in Indianapolis. The victims were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds early Sunday morning in the Northeast side of Indianapolis in Marion County. They were identified as mother Kezzie Childs, 42, father Raymond Childs Jr, 42, their 18-year-old son Elijah and 13-year-old daughter Rita. Kiara Hawkins, 19, was also killed, along with her unborn baby boy. Hawkins’ link to the family is unclear. https://youtu.be/WHpjxUAFg1k Federal authorities estimate that around 800 people stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan, 6 during the deadly pro-Trump Stop the Steal rally. More than 100 people have reportedly been arrested, but it is possible that the majority of rioters won’t face any criminal charges, per The Washington Post. According to the report, there is concern about overwhelming the local Washington, D.C. courthouses with these white domestic terrorists. https://youtu.be/d9zHdb3Lz3c The NFL on Friday revived interest in the case of Janisha Fonville, a Black woman who was fatally shot by a North Carolina police officer nearly six years ago. Fonville is one of nearly 90 people honored through an NFL program that recognizes victims of systemic racism and police violence. The league on Friday tweeted a picture of Fonville with the caption “Say Her Name: Janisha Fonville” and the hashtag #SayTheirStories. When the initiative was announced in September, the NFL released a list of names, including George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and many others, who would be featured on helmets and badges by NFL players and coaches. Each team decides who it will honor and how to display the names or initials during the season. The NFL’s tweet on Friday included a photo of Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley II wearing a helmet that bears her name. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsX8A6YU0AEV4sL?format=jpg&name=360x360 The emergence of new variants of the virus that causes Covid-19—including one in the U.K. that British officials say could be more deadly than earlier versions—signals a future in which health authorities are locked in a cat-and-mouse battle with a shape-shifting pathogen. Faster-spreading coronavirus strains that researchers fear could also make people sicker or render vaccines less effective threaten to extend lockdowns and lead to more hospitalizations and deaths, epidemiologists caution. But, they said, it doesn’t mean the contagion can’t be contained. More than the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, state legislators and advocates for reproductive rights, health, and justice stress the importance of seeing these issues as connected to larger struggles for social justice. “On this anniversary, we must commit to continuing the fight for something more — a vision of reproductive justice that affirms the lives of Black people everywhere,” said Monica Simpson, executive director of Sistersong, in an email statement. Simpson reflected on the police killings of Black people like Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and the radical imagination necessary to build a vision of the future beyond systemic violence and oppression. The VC firm Harlem Capital was built on the foundation of empowering entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and eliminating barriers that stand in the way of access to capital. Thanks to a new investment, the firm will be able to take its efforts further. According to CNBC, Apple recently invested $10 million in Harlem Capital. The investment was made as part of Apple’s $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative; an effort the tech giant unveiled following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Apple’s $10 million investment—which will be dispersed over the next 20 years—will support Harlem Capital’s mission to invest in 1,000 diverse entrepreneurs over the next two decades. Harlem Capital currently has 21 investments on its roster across an array of industries. Amongst the companies in its portfolio are the media platform Blavity, the digital cardiac rehabilitation and prevention program Moving Analytics and the wellness platform for expecting and new mothers dubbed Expectful. For 80 years, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund has led several impactful initiatives centered on fighting for civil rights and addressing systemic injustice. The nonprofit is taking its efforts further by educating and empowering the next generation of changemakers. The organization recently launched a scholarship fund for aspiring civil rights attorneys dedicated to driving change in the South. The fund—dubbed the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program—is inspired by the legacies of civil rights pioneers Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley. The two broke several barriers throughout their careers with Marshall—who founded LDF—becoming the nation’s first Black Supreme Court Justice and Motley making history as the first Black woman to become a federal judge. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1353695493369589763/SP_Gu6xB?format=jpg&name=small Filmmaker Ava DuVernay is known for bringing poignant stories to the silver screen and small screen and now the California native will bring the art of storytelling into the realm of podcasting. According to Variety, DuVernay has inked a multi-year partnership deal with Spotify. Through the deal, DuVernay’s multimedia production company ARRAY will team up with Gimlet Media—a subsidiary of Spotify—for the creation of scripted and non-scripted podcasts. Staying true to DuVernay’s mission of amplifying diverse narratives, she wants to use this partnership as a platform to continue to share powerful stories. “Recognizing the undeniable power of voice and sound, I’m thrilled to extend Array’s storytelling into the realm of podcasts,” DuVernay said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “The opportunity to work with Lydia Polgreen and her passionate team drew us to Spotify as a home for our audio narratives and we couldn’t be more excited to begin this new creative journey.” Approximately 40% of Americans say they will not take the COVID-19 vaccine, with many expressing concerns about possible side effects. In an effort to better inform and enlighten the public about the COVID-19 vaccine, global spiritual leader Bishop T.D. Jakes has brought together several of the world's leading coronavirus experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease official, for a panel discussion titled Conversations with America: Understanding the COVID-19 Vaccine. Conversations with America is a semi-regular, data-driven forum developed by Jakes to help Americans navigate difficult discussions. The event will premiere exclusively on the official T.D. Jakes YouTube channel on Monday, Jan. 25, at noon CT. The Twitter account for “Star Wars” is defending the Black host of its new web companion show for the upcoming “Star Wars: The High Republic” series after she became the target of vicious online racist attacks. Krystina Arielle, who will debut as host of “The High Republic Show” series later this week, has been flooded with racist messages about her past tweets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. One of her tweets last June read: “And I was in such a good mood. White People: You do not get to absolve people of racism. You do not get to point out their ‘Growth’ when they say black lives matter after treating us as if we don’t. You don’t get to accept apologies on our behalf. That shouldn’t need to be said.” Over the weekend, Arielle posted screenshots of some of the abuse she’s received, with the comment: “We(ll) the last 24 hours have been … not the greatest.” “Star Wars” responded with a tweet on its official account that reads: “Our Star Wars community is one of hope and inclusivity. We do not stand for bullying and racism. We support @KrystinaArielle.” One-half of the legendary R&B duo, James and Bobby Purify, James Purify died in Pensacola on Friday from complications due to COVID-19. James Purify and his brother Bobby were popular in the 1960s for their single, “I’m Your Puppet.” https://youtu.be/Tyvn3QR7BRk Maurice Griffin continues to climb the Gospel Radio Charts with, “Love Peace Happiness.” He secures the top spot as Greatest Gainer this week on the Gospel Radio Chart while simultaneously sliding into the number two spot for Most Added to radio. Griffin is closing in on the New and Active chart for this week with his streaming numbers rising. Griffin drives DSP streams over 400,000 with, “Love Peace Happiness.” The video`s views have climbed to over 432,000 with 650 shares on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2478322095810992 Maurice Griffin continues to climb the Gospel charts with his new single, “Love Peace Happiness.” The Gospel Spotlights Maurice Griffin!!! Hear Maurice Griffin In His Own Words..... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/mauricegriffin_intvw.htm A leaked video from Kanye West’s documentary on the making of his forthcoming “Donda” album has surfaced, showing Yeezy in the studio screaming at visitor, Chance the Rapper. https://youtu.be/l5sSyn5Ym0I Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen announced before Sunday’s NFC Championship Game that he plans to retire and join Fox Sports’ NFL coverage. Olsen spent the 2021 season with the Seattle Seahawks after nine years with the Carolina Panthers, where he became the first tight end in NFL history to have three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2014 to ’16. The Panthers released Olsen, 35, during the 2020 offseason under new coach Matt Rhule. He signed a one-year, $6.6 million deal with Seattle in February. It took the Kansas City Chiefs five frustrating decades to make their second Super Bowl appearance. Now, the defending champs are headed there for the second straight year. Showing no lingering effects from his concussion, Patrick Mahomes sliced up Buffalo’s secondary with ruthless efficiency Sunday night, helping the Chiefs roll to a 38-24 victory over Josh Allen and the Bills in the AFC championship game. The Chiefs will face a familiar foe — Tom Brady — and the NFC champ Buccaneers in two weeks in Tampa, Florida. The Miami Heat are bringing back some fans, with help from some dogs. The Heat will use coronavirus-sniffing dogs at American Airlines Arena to screen fans who want to attend their games. They’ve been working on the plan for months, and the highly trained dogs have been in place for some games this season where the team has allowed a handful of guests — mostly friends and family of players and staff. Starting this week, a limited number of ticket holders will be in the seats as well, provided they get past the dogs first. UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis a Columbus, Ohio native secured a victory for her Bruins on Saturday with a 9.95 floor routine that went viral in part for the way she incorporated the Crip walk. https://youtu.be/UYZ4GvoZih8 The 2021 “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference announces additional prizes added to the already $15,000 valued in services and products for its talent competition winners. The sponsors of the new prizes include television personality Melody Trice (“The Melody Trice Show”) with a “Gift Box of Merchandise” from her online retail store at www.UnLmtedAccess.com and from her MT Cosmetics line; singer, songwriter, producer, sound engineer and retail store owner Aaron Bessick with a “Gift Box of Merchandise” from his Top Shelf Boutique (www.ShopTopSheldBoutique.com), and Artist Manager/Guest Lecturer Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs with “Artist Management Consult” (ImaginationLunchbox.com / www.Anthony-Michael.com). According to census data, “the Black population in America has slightly increased over the past few years, is more educated and will be an even larger segment of the U.S. populace by 2060, per Jet Magazine. Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau released figures for Black History Month detailing statistics about where the African-American population is headed. There is are still noticeable gaps in wealth according to the census. Median income among Black households was $36,544 compared with $55,775 nationally. Screenwriter Walter Bernstein, among the last survivors of Hollywood’s anti-Communist blacklist whose Oscar-nominated script for “The Front” drew upon his years of being unable to work under his own name, died Saturday. He was 101. The cause was pneumonia, according to his wife, the literary agent Gloria Loomis. The U.K. variant is one of several that have emerged in recent months to cause concern among researchers. Others have emerged in South Africa and Brazil. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser for the Covid-19 pandemic, said on CBS on Sunday that U.S. authorities need to expand genomic surveillance to identify variants of the virus. Today, Double Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo (@CynthiaErivo) marked her birthday by honoring The Queen and unveiling the exclusive key art for National Geographic’s highly anticipated 8-part limited series, GENIUS: ARETHA. Erivo will star as the legendary Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in the third season of the Emmy award-winning global anthology series. This installation will explore Aretha Franklin’s musical genius and incomparable career, as well as the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she has had on music and culture around the world. GENIUS: ARETHA will premiere on National Geographic this March. https://www.instagram.com/cynthiaerivo/?utm_source=ig_embed Music producer Dallas Austin got candid about his relationship with TLC member Rozanda ‘Chilli’ Thomas back in the day. During an interview with Angela Yee for Fox Soul’s “Established with Angela Yee”, the producer revealed that he “wanted to kill everybody” when he found out that Chilli was quick to get cozy with his friend Usher after their breakup. https://youtu.be/Xzq9DUjo8wM Aaron Rodgers has now come within one victory of guiding the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl in two straight seasons, but judging by his comments after Sunday night’s NFC Championship loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there may not even be a chance for a third straight title-game appearance, at least in Green Bay. Addressing reporters after the Packers’ 31-26 defeat, Rodgers said his future is “uncertain” and talked repeatedly about “the finality” of this particular loss, indirectly hinting that he may or may not be under center with the Packers in 2021. USA TODAY Sports is marking the first anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others with a six-day series of stories, photos and videos looking back at the Lakers legend and the aftermath of his death. The Pro Bowl will still take place this year, though, admittedly, it will look quite different. The week of festivities will culminate on Sunday, Jan. 31 — when the game would’ve otherwise been scheduled — when a handful of players will represent their conferences in an AFC-NFC showdown on EA Sports’ Madden 21, the football video game. The Pro Bowl is being completed this way to prevent person-to-person contact as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge throughout the country. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Titans running back Derrick Henry, rapper Snoop Dogg and former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson will represent the AFC squad, while Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace and former running back Marshawn Lynch will play for the NFC. Property law scholar Thomas W. Mitchell, who was a 2020 recipient of a MacArthur “genius” fellowship for his work looking at how black and other disadvantaged Americans have been deprived of their real estate wealth, says black farmers alone have lost millions of acres of land and at least $250 billion in wealth over the last century due to “historic discrimination.” Mitchell shared the data during a virtual session hosted by Habitat for Humanity Friday to mark the 35th anniversary of the federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, reflecting on King’s vision of “the Beloved Community” — a community that includes diversity and allows for tension undergirded by love and leads to transformation. Dr. Dre’s personal drama with his estranged wife Nicole Young has taken a toll on the 55-year-old rapper/producer, according to insiders. Dre is currently home after being hospitalized following a brain aneurysm. Young, meanwhile, has detailed the physical abuse she allegedly suffered during their marriage in a legal filing submitted to Los Angeles County Superior Court on Dec. 29. In the docs, she claims Dre held a gun to her head twice. Most recently, Dre agreed to pay Nicole $2 million in spousal support to “pay for living expenses for the next few months.” Dre insiders claim he paid Young to keep her happy until they go to court again in April. Dre reportedly signed the agreement from his Los Angeles hospital bed earlier this month. Meanwhile, Dre’s father, Theodore Young, said his superstar son doesn’t give a damn about him. “I haven’t seen Andre since his grandfather died and I can’t even remember when that was,” the 73-year-old told The Post. “We have no relationship. My other sons love me. They tell me they love me. But coming from where I come from, most young men like Andre who have a big success don’t give a damn about their dad.” Theodore and the rapper’s mom (Verna) split after Dre’s birth. Verna has accused Theodore of abuse, which he denies. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have brought together some of the greatest in R&B and Hip-Hip with their Verzuz virtual shows, and now the super-producers are trying to make their dream battle between Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac a reality. On Friday (Jan. 22), Swizz and Timbaland both appeared on ESPN2’s “Jalen and Jacoby” and were asked to list their “holy grail” Verzuz match-ups. While Timbaland suggested Michael Jackson and Prince, Swizz named the two hip-hop icons. “My dream one, I want to figure out how to do Pac and Biggie in a way that the people is gonna really love it,” Swizz said. Timbaland replied “I got a couple ideas. I’ma text you,” he said. https://twitter.com/i/status/1352720890593746944 Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87. King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his production company, Ora Media, tweeted. No cause of death was given, but a spokesperson said Jan. 4 that King had COVID-19, had received supplemental oxygen and had been moved out of intensive care. His son Chance Armstrong also confirmed King’s death, CNN reported. A longtime nationally syndicated radio host, from 1985 through 2010 he was a nightly fixture on CNN, where he won many honors, including two Peabody awards. https://youtu.be/isNkOT63YlY Friday, three grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case filed a petition with the state House of Representatives, calling for the impeachment of Attorney General Daniel Cameron for mischaracterizing their findings and presenting bs to the media to make himself look better. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the petition alleges Cameron failed in his duties and breached public trust for his handling of the big case. Cameron was the special prosecutor in the case who presented evidence against the police officers accused of killing Taylor, who was home with her boyfriend when cops opened fire in a botched drug raid. The grand jury indicted just one of the cops, Brett Hankison, after Cameron’s presentation to the panel, but only for bullets that went through a NEIGHBORS’ unit. Emanuel Jackson, the man Black DC-area man that government prosecutors say repeatedly struck Capitol Police officers with a metal baseball bat. He will remain in custody pending trial. He was among the rioters at the US Capitol on January 6. He is still in jail, while most of the white Insurrectionist are getting fed organic food, are on house arrest, or free on bail. https://youtu.be/9v3Oj5-eRNI Pope Francis is once again canceling public appearances due to nerve pain. Francis will not participate in three events over the coming days “due to a recurrence of sciatica,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement on Saturday. The 84-year-old pope will go ahead with the Angelus blessing on Saturday, delivered from the Apostolic Library instead of a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square due to the virus resurgence. But he won’t say Mass in the Vatican Basilica on Sunday or a planned evening prayer at St. Paul’s Basilica to close out a week of prayer, and a meeting with the diplomatic corps to the Holy See set for Monday will be rescheduled, the Vatican said. Nerve pain also forced the pope to skip New Year’s ceremonies in St. Peter’s Basilica. To understand the present, we look to the past. Smithsonian Channel proudly presents an evening to explore our nation’s path to the present moment. Unlocking notable documentaries spotlighting the pivotal moments of history that paved the way to the nation’s present. The award-winning slate tackles the history of unrest in America and the momentous events that shaped our future. HOW WE GOT HERE “THE HISTORY OF CONFLICT IN AMERICA” begins Saturday, January 23 at 3pm ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel. https://youtu.be/AIrbJHB1GDU A prioritize Black, Latino, and other vulnerable communities in vaccination distribution, the state of Texas threatened to pull vaccines from the county altogether. A Thursday report by the Texas Tribune revealed the Commissioners identified 11 priority zip codes for those who meet the state’s vaccinations eligibility. The zip codes represented the most vulnerable to COVID-19 including Black and Latino neighborhoods. Upon learning, Texas state officials threatened to pull the county’s entire supply leading the county to abandon the new equity plan. According to the Dallas Morning News, data released by the county showed most of the vaccinations to date have gone to people in primarily white, wealthy neighborhoods. Even the Fair Park vaccination site, located within the 11 zip code target area, had vaccinated more people from outside the area than surrounding communities. High Point, North Carolina community members gathered on Friday to honor the life of Frederick Cox. Cox was an 18-year-old Black teen who was fatally shot in Nov. 2020 by a plain clothes Davidson County deputy while attending a funeral. As shots rang out from a drive-by shooting, Cox was struck as he attempted to usher attendees to safety. Cox’s family is advocating for justice, hiring civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump as legal representation to bring awareness to the case. Supporters are also using the hashtag #Fredslifematters in order to circulate the efforts. At age 61, Marie Osmond is eager for what the future holds for her. Just one year after the performer took over the role of co-host from Sara Gilbert in the CBS daytime show “The Talk,” Osmond announced in late 2020 that she was leaving to focus on new projects. A year prior, Osmond and her brother Donny Osmond ended their 11-year Las Vegas residency. Fast forward to 2021, Osmond has been happily spending extra time with her family. The “Paper Roses” singer shared that after years of struggling with her weight, she now has the energy and drive to run around after her seven grandchildren. And the former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant now hopes her journey in celebrating her body will encourage others to revamp their lifestyles and make new healthy habits. Osmond spoke to Fox News about maintaining her 50-pound weight loss, her favorite health tip, escaping the so-called child star curse, and why she won’t be reuniting with Donny, 63, on stage. There have been hard feelings between Salt-N-Pepa and their former DJ, Spinderella and now that Lifetime’s Salt-N-Pepa biopic is ready, Spin wants you to know she feels disrespected for being left out of the production. In a series of posts to her Twitter account, she says she’s disappointed to learn that “a decision was made to move forward with a Lifetime biopic that wrongfully excluded me from every aspect of development and production all the while using my image throughout, given that I played an integral role in the group’s story and success.” She also said letting the world know what’s on her mind because, “too often, Black women who have made meaningful contributions in their industry are left out of historical narratives.” Actress Gabourey Sidibe is showing her vulnerable side on an upcoming episode of Taraji P. Henson’s web series, Peace of Mind with Taraji. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=397532531342401 Variety is reporting Jay Z “made a deal” with Donald Trump to NOT campaign for or endorse Joe Biden in exchange for a full pardon for Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez. “President Trump granted a full pardon to Desiree Perez,” so reads the relevant section of the Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency. “Ms. Perez was involved in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics. Since her conviction, Ms. Perez has taken full accountability for her actions and has turned her life around. She has been gainfully employed and has been an advocate for criminal justice reform in her community.” Perez was arrested in 1994 for conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics. However, since she cooperated with the US Attorney’s office, she received a sentence of five years’ probation. Among other offenses, she was later charged with a parole violation and served nine months in prison in 1999, the article also stated. 22-year-old Christian OnlyFans model Lindsay Capuano, who prays every night, reveals she makes $200K a month on the platform posing naked for her hundreds of thousands of fans. Currently, she earns about $6,600 a day, with some fans tipping $1,000 to $3,000 a day.The Christian model, resides in Connecticut and is roud of showing off her nude body, she insists there’s no harm done because religion doesn’t “interfere” with her stripping. In fact, she says her equally devout parents are “so proud.” Capuano says, “God will love you no matter what – that’s what I was taught in my household, school and church. I pray every single night. I pray for whatever I feel I need to that day. I pray for my family, my fans, myself.” Keyshia Cole‘s DJ has addressed why the singer was an hour late for last night’s Verzuz event with Ashanti. The face-off between Ashanti and Cole had been postponed twice because of COVID-19 concerns, but it finally went down on Jan. 21. Cole, however, upset viewers of the virtual show because she was over an hour late. Even Swizz Beatz, who organizes the Verzuz events with Timbaland, commented “This is very disrespectful,” and “Can’t lie man,” he said about Cole’s tardiness. On Friday, Cole’s DJ revealed that she was experiencing technical difficulties prior to the battle. “She didn’t wanna come out ’cause her screen was blurry,” he explained on 97.9 The Box, per Complex. “On her end, her screen was blurry. She was there on time. I seen everything. She was there but she didn’t wanna come out because the screen was blurry and stuff wasn’t right, you know. We couldn’t hear [Ashanti’s] side, so it was a lot of technical stuff going on there.” Little Women: Atlanta returns with the highly anticipated premiere of season six on its new night Friday, January 22, at 9pm ET/PT. The season kicks off with Ms. Juicy, Minnie, the Tiny Twinz Amanda & Andrea, Abira and the return of Monie, as the ladies all come back together in Atlanta to pursue their dreams in the city’s vibrant hip hop scene. Starting on January 29th the series will premiere 90-minute supersized episodes at 9pm ET/PT every Friday night, followed by the all-new 30 minute after show, Little Women: Atlanta Unfiltered, executive produced and hosted by Loni Love (The Real). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_LfveSQxrE&feature=youtu.be The three-hour Lifetime original movie Salt-N-Pepa, about the groundbreaking hip hop duo, premieres Saturday, January 23 at 8 pm ET/PT. Stay afterwards to watch Salt-N-Pepa Interview Special, hosted by Emmy® and 2-time NAACP award winning, Loni Love (The Real, Café Mocha, Bridezillas) which features exclusive interview with Salt-N-Pepa, airing immediately after the biopic, at 11/10c. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnkhXl_edT4&feature=youtu.be Loni transformed into "Mary J Ross" as a celebrity contestant for RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. Yes, she's back as a special guest judge for RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 and fab as ever! All new TONGHT at 8/7c! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Today, BET announces the linear television premiere of the hit BET+ Original Series, “Bigger,” executive produced by Will Packer and Will Packer Media, beginning Wednesday, January 27 at 10:30 PM ET/9:30 PM CT on BET. The 10-episode first season will air weekly ahead of the previously announced season two, set to debut in 2021 exclusively on BET+. “Bigger,” follows a single-black-woman who is dealing with the threat of marriage to a boring-in-bed boyfriend and the sudden, random death of a college acquaintance. The tragedy drives her ambitious group of friends to take a deeper look at their stagnant lives, asking themselves— is there something “bigger” and better in life. The acclaimed comedy created by Felischa Marye stars Tanisha Long, Angell Conwell, Rasheda Crockett, Chase Anthony, and Tristen Winger. https://www.bet.com/video/bet-plus/2020/exclusives/searching-for-something-more-in-bigger.html Award-winning Christian singer Tauren Wells has added anti-human trafficking advocate to his resume and is charging people to join the fight against this form of “unbelievable evil” through fervent prayer and support. Wells’ latest single, “All God’s Children,” was released this month to help fight against human trafficking. He became passionate about this form of modern-day slavery after talking with his wife about the sexual exploitation of children. “It’s kind of something that I was aware of, but I had no empathy toward. So my wife was showing me different articles, there was all this energy around this topic in Hollywood and different spaces,” Wells told The Christian Post in a recent interview. “Then she sent me a video of Blake Lively talking explicitly about what was happening in the lives of those who are held captive by this unbelievable evil. I really don’t have any other language for it, other than I was grieved.” Popular worship leader Kari Jobe shared a heartfelt message on Wednesday after Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States, with former U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris sworn in as vice president. Christian leaders from across the political spectrum offered responses of unity and prayer on Inauguration Day but Jobe took her message a bit further by penning a personal letter to the new leaders. “Dear Mr President Biden,” she addressed the note posted on Instagram, “I want you to know that I’m praying for you, and the Vice President and your families.” Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army’s elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation Friday to become the nation’s first Black secretary of defense. The 93-2 vote gave President Joe Biden his second Cabinet member; Avril Haines was confirmed on Wednesday as the first woman to serve as director of national intelligence. Biden is expected to win approval for others on his national security team in coming days, including Antony Blinken as secretary of state. Dave Chappelle tested positive for the coronavirus just before his comedy show scheduled for Thursday, forcing his upcoming appearances to be canceled, a spokeswoman said. Chappelle was expected to perform Thursday through Sunday at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Those shows have been canceled and Chappelle is quarantining, his representative Carla Sims said in a statement. She said that Chappelle is asymptomatic. Chappelle had been performing socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June, and moved his shows to Austin during the winter, Sims said. Rapid testing for the audience and daily tests for Chappelle and his team were instituted. Lupita Nyong’o has narrated an audiobook of her award-winning 2019 story “Sulwe.” The story centers on a darkskin 5-year-old girl who wants to be beautiful like her mother and sister. The book, illustrated by Vashti Harrison, was inspired by Nyong’o’s experiences with colorism. https://youtu.be/tyxaVWUAYSk Soulja Boy has been accused of raping and assaulting his former personal assistant over a two-year period. The 30-year-old rapper is being sued by an anonymous woman, who claims he kidnapped and brutalized her shortly after she was hired in December 2018. In her lawsuit, the alleged victim said the harassment began when he sent her unsolicited pictures of his penis. According to PEOPLE, the woman, who filed as “Jane Doe,” also claims Soulja created a hostile work environment and failed to pay her wages. When the woman attempted to leave, she says Soulja locked her in her room “without hot water” for three days “until she was coerced into not leaving.” The woman alleged she was held hostage and sometimes sexually assaulted twice a day. She ultimately decided to move out in August 2020 after fearing she “would die” during a violent attack. A spokesperson for Soulja has denied her allegations, saying: “Soulja would never put his hands on a female. He wouldn’t beat a woman or put his hands on a woman … this is nonsense!!!” Netflix is reportedly struggling to keep the nude scenes from “Bridgerton” off porn sites. Specifically, folks just can’t get enough of the interracial sex between co-stars Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor. https://youtu.be/Zaz4lw2yIs8 Megan Thee Stallion has responded to the false report that charges were dropped against Tory Lanez in connection to shooting her. In a series of tweets, Megan called the report a “lie” and “fake news.” She also took aim at her alleged former lover, telling Lanez directly: “My story not changing and bitch you going to jail.” https://youtu.be/nuUzhf6CvTo Lil Kim is speaking out about who she would like to play her in a biopic that is potentially in the works about the pint-sized hip-hop star. “I have a few offers. I have a secret but I can’t tell you,” she said in an interview with ESSENCE. “It’s dealing with me and my life a little bit, kinda. You’ll know in like another month. It’s going to come out.” Kim went on to say that she wants people to know the real her. “I want people to know the real Kim,”she explained . “All the stories that everybody else tells, chile, don’t listen to it.” When it comes to her biopic, Kim wants to play herself. “I see my movie in parts. So I have to find the perfect little girl, then I have to find the teenager, then I have to find the perfect teenager into almost like young adult, and then I play the remaining part myself,” she said. “I love Teyana (Taylor). She’s my only other thought. There’s nobody else in the industry at all but Teyana. But, even before Teyana, I would love to give some little girls from Brooklyn a chance so I can connect. Really connect.” Today, powerhouse vocalist and Grammy-winning artist Judith Hill releases “Baby, I’m Hollywood!,” the electrifying title track of her upcoming studio album Baby I’m Hollywood available via The Regime on March 5, 2021. https://youtu.be/QTDz4RdOX7Q Comedienne Luenell has much to say about Azealia Banks digging up and cooking her dead cat, and Dr. Dre’s reputation for being a “notorious woman beater.” https://youtu.be/qPrLo_d4Thg Hank Aaron one of Major League Baseball’s greatest home-run hitters — passed away Friday at the age of 86. As a black man playing from 1954 to 1976, Aaron faced danger, discrimination, and those who sought his defeat simply for the color of his skin. But the 25-time All-Star and MVP didn’t let the hurdles ahead of him keep him from pressing forward. His resolve, he said, came from his Christian faith. When Aaron was playing — first with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves and then with the Milwaukee Brewers — he was protected by the FBI. Extra security measures were always taken when he was on the field over concerns for his physical safety. In fact, Aaron often slept in the ballpark on the evening before his games. At the end of his 1973 season, Aaron hit 713 home runs — one home run shy of beating Ruth’s iconic record. At the start of the next season, on his very first time at bat, Aaron matched Ruth’s record. That night, according to ESPN, Aaron called his mother to tell her: “I’m going to save the next one for you, mom.” Four days later, on April 8, 1974, surrounded by the largest crowd the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium had ever hosted, Aaron kept his word to his mother: He broke Babe Ruth’s record. A Connecticut man has been arrested on charges of assaulting a Washington police officer, whom he pinned between two doors during the Jan. 6 Stop the Steal riot at the U.S. Capitol. Patrick Edward McCaughey III reportedly told Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges “come on man, you are going to get squished,” as he pinned the cop between a riot shield that McCaughey was holding and the doors. https://youtu.be/7eQoda_QLIA Five children found dead after a West Virginia house fire late last month were shot dead by their mother, who then took her own life after drawing a red line on her face and writing a confession, in which she lamented she was not strong enough to defeat her ‘demons.’ Greenbrier County Sheriff Bruce Sloan revealed details of the shootings and fire on December 8 at a news conference on Thursday. He said Oreanna Myers, 25, shot her three sons and two stepchildren from her husband’s previous marriage at their home near Williamsburg. The children were identified as Shaun Dawson Bumgarner, 7, Riley James Bumgarner, 6, Kian Myers, 4, Aarikyle Nova Myers, 3 and Haiken Jirachi Myers, age 1. The children’s bodies with shotgun wounds to the head were found inside the home while Myers was found outside near a picnic table, Sloan said. The shotgun used in the murders was discovered next to the mother. According to Sloan, Myers was upset that her husband had been staying with relatives during the work week for logistical reasons, instead of coming home to her. Baseball lost one of its greatest figures Friday as Hall of Famer and longtime home run king Hank Aaron has reportedly passed away at the age of 86. According to CBS 46 in Atlanta, Aaron passed away early Friday morning. The circumstances of his death have yet to be reported. Aaron is entrenched as one of the game’s most important players. The 25-time All-Star is most famous for passing Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, finishing his career with 755 career home runs. That mark was later passed by San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds. However, Bonds’ suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs has shifted public perception, leaving Aaron as the “true” home run king in many eyes. Black Creatives looking for a space to be unapologetically black and undeniably uncensored need look no further than Videe0.com. Launched in the beta phase last June, the platform is a Black-owned video sharing platform that allows users to upload, share, like and comment on user-generated videos from all over the world. Videe0’s goal is to offer a space that empowers content creators to create content without the fear of censorship and ostracism. Users can upload various kinds of video content including, but not limited to: music videos, films, documentaries, audio recordings, video blogs, original short videos and educational and tutorial videos. https://youtu.be/bVojgyvxRE4 The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has voted “MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM” Best Film of 2020, VIOLA DAVIS Best Actress and CHADWICK BOSEMAN Best Actor both for their work in “MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM” And for the second time in the organizations 10-year history a tie for Best Director CHLOE ZHAO for “NOMADLAND” and REGINA KING for “ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI.” The announcement was made today by Mike Sargent, co-president, BFCC. Votes were cast and tabulated in NY at the organization’s annual meeting on January 15, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf_QIEX75_Y The critics have spoken! The votes have been counted, and the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is excited to announce the nominees for its 24th annual film awards. The OFCS, which is comprised of nearly 300 film critics from around the world, will be announcing the final winners on January 25, 2021. Despite an unusual movie-going season with the pandemic in play, OFCS handed out nods in a variety of categories, including Best Picture, Best Animated Feature, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress as well as Best Debut Feature. Da 5 BloodsDa 5 Bloods, First Cow, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Minari, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Soul, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Blacksmoke Music Worldwide celebrates the birthday of their founder, visionary and CEO, Mr. Kerry Douglas with a Gospel Mix Live Birthday Bash Virtual Concert Celebration on Saturday, January 23rd, 2021 at 6 pm ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEx7XUrCnlY&feature=youtu.be Kamala Harris closed out a full day of inauguration ceremonies by delivering a noted speech by the Lincoln Memorial Reflection Pool during the “Celebrating America” primetime special. After a historic and eventful morning where she was sworn in as the first Black woman to hold the second highest office in America, Harris filled out the rest of the day with pomp and circumstance, eventually leading to her returning to the U.S. Capitol still marred by the violence and destruction carried out on Jan. 6. As the Biden-Harris administration hopes to turn a new page in America’s chapter, Harris took on her first duties as President of the Senate, swearing in three newly elected Democrats: Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s first Black Senator; Jon Ossoff, the first millennial and Jewish Senator; and Alex Padilla, the first Latino to represent California in the Senate. However Harris’ absence from the Senate will be sorely felt as Padilla replaces her seat, meaning that there will be zero Black women serving in the Senate. In her first speech as Vice President she delivered a message of unification and reverence, a theme that ran throughout most of the days events. https://youtu.be/QJyV-1VwqpE As time moves further away from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol, a handful of the mob attendees can be found enjoying the comfort of their homes instead of a jail cell. One of which is Riley June Williams, the 22-year-old who was accused of plotting to steal Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s laptop and sell it to the Russians. Williams spent a total of three days in jail. According to the New York Daily News, the Pennsylvania resident was released to her mother’s care on Thursday after participating in one of the most absurd and shocking displays of cowardice in American history. While prosecutors opposed her release U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin disagreed, ruling that because she had no priors she would be allowed to return home under imposed travel restrictions. She is scheduled to appear in Washington D.C. federal court on Monday. A former boyfriend of Williams’ informed the FBI of her intent to steal Pelosi’s laptop days after the Capitol attack. She also snitched on herself by posting on social media.“I DOMT (sic) CARE I TOOK NANCY POLESIS (sic) HARD DRIVES I DON’T CARE KILL ME,” reads a post she wrote on the social media platform Discord. Video of Williams entering Pelosi’s office was used to identify her, including one that she recorded which shows her grabbing a laptop off of Pelosi’s desk. Williams faces up to 10 years in prison for the theft with an additional 20 years on a charge of disrupting a session of Congress. Congress voted Thursday to approve granting a waiver to Joe Biden‘s pick for Secretary of Defense, setting the stage for Lloyd Austin to become the first Black person to lead that federal agency. The next step is for the U.S. Senate to confirm his nomination. The 67-year-old retired Army general’s selection by then President-elect Biden caused a mini-bipartisan controversy because he has only been retired for fewer than five years. The law stipulates that secretaries of defense must have established at least seven years of being a civilian, which meant that Congress would need to grant him a waiver to be considered by the Senate — a move that was not guaranteed. There were 15 Democrats among the 78 U.S. Representatives who voted against granting Lloyd the waiver. California Rep. Katie Porter, a powerful Democrat, was one of them. Democrats were highly resentful of when Donald Trump‘s Defense nominee Gen. James Mattis was given a waiver and ultimately confirmed to the cabinet position in 2017. Granting a waiver to Austin may be seen as hypocrisy and could be used as political capital against Democrats, a truth that likely prompted those 15 votes. Social media videos show that disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has already been released from prison and reunited after having his sentence commuted in a flurry of last-minute clemency orders from Donald Trump late Tuesday night. The now-former president either pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly 150 people on his last day in office, and Kilpatrick — who was serving a 28-year prison bid for corruption — made the cut. In announcing the pardons and commutations, Trump simply said, “the safety of the community will not be compromised if [Kilpatrick] is released.” Conspicuously missing from Trump’s announcement was any mention of a nearly two-year-old letter the former mayor sent to him that was replete with gratuitous praise and compliments. The letter also painted the now-former president as a victim of the purported Democrat-led witch-hunt Trump has long decried. This week,135 civil and human rights organizations wrote members of congress asking they resist the urge to pass new domestic terrorism legislation. Led by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the groups pointed to issues with prior counterterrorism efforts, including the criminalization and targeting of marginalized communities. Calls for new domestic terrorism legislation surfaced after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. President Joe Biden named defeating domestic terrorism as a part of his administration’s top priorities. But the groups say this issue is not new and law enforcement, including the FBI, have existing laws to address the recent attack. Cell phone video of three Black teenagers — ages 16 and 17 — being detained by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies inside of a target in Southern California has gone viral and prompted an apology from the retail giant. The incident happened at the Target in Westlake Village. Video shows deputies holding the teens’ arms behind their backs and pushing them up against a checkout counter. “I was thinking I was going to die that night,” 17-year-old Malik Aaron told KCAL-9. “I already had that mindset that they were either going to kill me or one of my friends.” https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/14984641/2019/06/CBSN-WHITE-H-LosAngeles.png?w=420 NBC News posted a story today (Jan. 22) about how white parents in Southlake, Texas banned together and fought like hell to stop the school board from enacting a diversity education plan in the wake of multiple racist incidents in the local high school. The board was prompted to act in 2018, after video of Southlake students laughing as they filmed themselves shouting the N-word at a party went viral. https://youtu.be/MvXtyJ0eFwk Tiger Woods is said to have no interest in watching the new HBO two-part documentary about his 2009 sex scandal. “He’s not thrilled about this documentary,” a source says in this week’s PEOPLE. “He’s not even watching it, but his circle is. They’ll tell him what is said. https://youtu.be/CT-dTVVY8XM NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has perplexed the internet after a weird post-game exchange with Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz. Moments after leading his team to a 129-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans – the Jazz’s seventh straight win, thanks to Mitchell’s game-high 36 points – Shaq came straight for the star during his interview on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.” “I said tonight that you are one of my favorite players but you don’t have what it takes to get to the next level,” Shaq started. “I said it on purpose because I wanted you to hear it. What do you have to say about that?” Mitchell appeared thrown by the question. Alright,” he responded before expanding. “I’ve been hearing that since my rookie season. I’m just going to keep doing what I do.” Shaq said: “That’s what I wanted to hear you say, love your game brother, keep it up.” https://youtu.be/GFmk7kzDbiA Kodak Black will soon be somewhat of a free man all thanks to former President Donald Trump. However, the rapper will still have some legal things he would need to take care of, like his pending sexual assault case, according to TMZ. Ed Clements, the 12th Circuit Solicitor in Florence County, tells TMZ that their pending case against Kodak from 2016 has been disrupted because of COVID. Although jury trials are suspended and there’s no court date scheduled, TMZ notes that prosecutors still want to “aggressively” go after Kodak. The rap star was indicted in South Carolina on a felony charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Acclaimed Harlem Chef JJ continues to dish out gourmet recipes and special guests in this week’s episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, January 23 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv0q9Zd4_Hs&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV serves up a second helping of savory and quick gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX, hosted by acclaimed chef, Jernard Wells, airing Saturday, January 23 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Chef Jernard's weekly solo cooking demonstrations provide healthy alternatives to viewers' favorite classic dishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtgZo0kIJTU&feature=youtu.be An all-new episode of CLEO TV's new millennial love and dating drama series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES airs on Sunday, January 24, at 9 P.M. ET/8C. The 10-episode prime-time series spinoff is based on the Emmy-nominated web series TOUGH LOVE, which gives the viewer insight into injustice and intolerance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouwJmqskFII&feature=youtu.be A suicidal mother took her toddler daughter for pizza to celebrate her birthday – then shot the toddler dead, before turning the gun on herself, police say. Kanisha Richardson took daughter Ava to a Chuck E Cheese in Bridgeton, Missouri, for an early birthday party earlier this month. The mother and daughter were last seen alive last Monday, with a relative reporting them missing on Wednesday. Their corpses were found in a parked car on Saturday, near a gun, with police investigator Major Mark Mossotti telling the St Louis Post-Dispatch: ‘Everything points to a murder-suicide.’ Relative Niki Harris took to Facebook in the wake of the tragedy to reveal that Ava had been due to spend Monday – the day of her fourth birthday – at Walt Disney World in Florida. Gospel R&B singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and engineer, Andrew Music Williams is gaining exponential exposure, thanks to over 25 million views on the official music video for his recent collaboration with Grammy-Award winning R&B artist H.E.R. for LG's new theme song "Life's Good" alongside winners Claire Ernst and Jake Chapman. The independent gospel talent followed up his Stellar Awards Indie Music Showcase appearance by releasing a slew of new music, including his most recent official music video and single, "Matters The Most" featuring Price. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqWx8KBno3Y&feature=youtu.be Grammy Nominated & Stellar Award Winning Gospel Hit-Maker REV. LUTHER BARNES Continues to Fuel Hope With His Deeply Moving & Timely New Single “You Kept Me.” Barnes’s Previous Single “Look To The Hills” Hit #1 On The Gospel Indicator Chart & The Album Hit Top 5 on Gospel Albums Chart. https://soundcloud.com/shanachie-1/luther-barnes-you-kept-me-radio/s-PByjBLNTaD1 Hailed as a voice that “comes around once in 100 years” and widely celebrated by both white and Black audiences at home, her fame wasn’t enough to insulate her from the indignities and trauma of racism and segregation. On Easter Sunday, 1939, Marian Anderson stepped up to a microphone in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Inscribed on the walls of the monument behind her were the words “all men are created equal.” Barred from performing in Constitution Hall because of her race, Anderson would sing for the American people in the open air. Narrated by Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”), Voice of Freedom interweaves Anderson’s rich life story with this landmark moment in history, exploring fundamental questions about talent, race, fame, democracy and the American soul. Produced by Rob Rapley and executive produced by Cameo George, “Voice of Freedom” premieres Monday, February 15, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET. https://youtu.be/FhLPX7p5yw4 Amanda Gorman referenced the musical Hamilton in her soul-stirring inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb,” on the day she shook up the world. The next morning, her world was rocked on “Good Morning America” with a surprise message from Hamilton’s creator. “I almost fell out of my chair!” Gorman said Thursday after watching a surprise personal message from Lin-Manuel Miranda. Also a fan of Gorman’s work, the playwright shared words of appreciation in the inspiring video message that Gorman watched for the first time during her interview. blob:https://www.facebook.com/0576b2e8-a94a-49ea-aa7b-28ba3da31c5c MLK Jr. Day passed on Monday, and like many of us, Stevie Wonder also took to social media to celebrate the legacy of the civil rights leader icon. Wonder penned an open letter to Martin Luther King Jr. in which he notes the lack of progress in eliminating inequality. https://youtu.be/PihbAdLY710 WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta,” finds Diamond can’t mix business and pleasure because things can get complicated! https://youtu.be/MaBCjBf41Es WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all new episode that finds Amber taking her lady-love Puppy out to a night of fun! But will things get too wild? https://youtu.be/nOf-ftxBHYU Jay-Z is launching a fund to invest in minority-owned cannabis startups. In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, the rapper speaks about his first cannabis brand, MONOGRAM, social justice within the cannabis industry and the $10 million fund he has launched in partnership with The Parent Company to invest in minority-owned cannabis startups. “We were the ones most negatively affected by the war on drugs, and America has turned around and created a business from it that’s worth billions,” the shared with the publication. “It’s not a spreadsheet, it’s real people…I wanted to do something in a real, concrete way, where I do my part.” Floyd Mayweather is NOT engaged to his stripper girlfriend Anna Monroe — despite reports stating otherwise. According to the New York Post, the boxing champ, 43, has proposed to Monroe, 29, who works at his Las Vegas club Girl Collection. But a Mayweather source tells TMZ it’s not true. Monroe posted pictures on Instagram on Sunday showing off what appears to be her engagement ring. “Floyd was annoyed at first that news of their relationship broke because he wanted to keep it private,” a source told the Sun. “They had an argument about it but soon made up. And then he decided to pop the question on Saturday. he insider claims Monroe is ready to have Floyd’s baby. “Anna has told family and friends she’s getting married and wants to have a baby with Floyd this year. She hasn’t announced it on social media but everyone could see the huge rock on her hand on her latest Instagram snaps,” said the source. Tiger King’s Joe Exotic is currently serving 22-years in prison for plotting to kill his nemesis, animal rights activist Carole Baskin. He was hoping for a presidential pardon this week from Donald Trump. That didn’t happen, so he’s taking aim at Trump and his son. In a Tweet on Wednesday Joe Exotic wrote, “I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump.” “I only mattered to Don Jr. when he needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post,” he added. “Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first,” he continued, a possible reference to his legal team and supporters. https://youtu.be/VKPhRdFAQGA Dolly Parton is mourning the death of her younger brother. On Thursday, the country icon announced on Facebook that her brother, Randy Parton, “lost his battle with cancer.” He was 67. “The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time,” she wrote. “We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is joined by members of the family that have gone on before and have welcomed him with joy and open arms.” Dolly, who just celebrated her 75th birthday on Tuesday, went on to describe her brother as “a great singer, writer, and entertainer.” Stephen Lungu, a well-known evangelist and retired CEO of African Enterprise (AE), died Jan. 18 in Malawi in southeastern Africa from COVID-19 complications. He was 78. The announcement of Lungu’s death appeared on the AE website. The statement noted that the evangelist had diabetes for several years and was not able to fight off the virus. “We all prayed. However, it has pleased the Lord to rest him,” Stephen Mbogo, who succeeded Lungu as AE’s international CEO in 2014,” said in a tribute. Mbogo also cited Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” Known as “the Billy Graham of Africa,” Lungu grew up in a dysfunctional family in Zimbabwe, living on the streets and becoming involved in street gangs. Country singer Coffey Anderson, his wife Criscilla and their three children have left audiences laughing, crying, and simply enjoying the family’s day-to-day antics since the release of their popular Netflix reality TV show, “Country Ever After.” The Andersons invited cameras in to capture their ups, downs and inbetweens as Criscilla, a talented hip-hop dancer, battled cancer, Coffey grew his independent country music career, and the duo raised their young kids. King Von’s sister has fired back at Internet trolls accusing her of lusting after her late brother. The Chicago rapper remains fodder for social media over two months after he was fatally shot in Atlanta on November 6. Von‘s sister, Kayla B, is now trending after her old tweets about him surfaced, prompting many to believe she was interested in dating her own brother, The Blast reports. Kayla B was quick to squash that chatter in a video, making clear she ain’t down with incest, like folks are in the south. “Get y’all sick nasty asses on. Do I look like I’m from Down South? Me and my brother we from Chicago. We’re not from Down South where people f*ck they brothers and sisters. All y’all that sayin’ that, I hope y’all grandma die ’cause that’s some nasty sh*t.” Gabrielle Union has revealed that her husband Dwyane Wade is not a fan of her onscreen sex scenes – and often asks for a warning before watching her on TV. The 48-year-old actress has had a number of raunchy moments in her TV show L.A.’s Finest and she admitted basketball ace Dwyane, 39, doesn’t enjoy watching them, but sometimes he sees them without warning because she ‘forgets’ what she filmed. Speaking on the Renaissance Man podcast, she said: ‘He’ll ask before each episode: “Are you naked in this one?” Sometimes I forget, because we shot this stuff a year ago. And we’ll sit there with the whole family, popcorn, and he’s like …’ Rap group Tag Team, Cecil Glenn aka DC the Brain Supreme and Steve Gibson aka Steve Rolln, The Atlanta-based duo are back in the spotlight thanks to a new Geico commercial that remixes the lyrics of their lone hit “Whoomp! (There It Is)” to fit an ice cream theme – with “Whoomp” replaced by “Scoop,” and the “shaka-laka-shaka-laka” now “choco-laka-choco-laka” – as in choco-late syrup. https://youtu.be/vDAg3VkZPg8 Tere Tatiana is a name that should certainly ring a bell in the very near future. The charismatic 34-year-old serial entrepreneur and beauty influencer is not only making herself known in the areas of beauty and fashion, but she is also crushing barriers within the male-dominated trucking industry with her highly successful company, Labeled Blu Transportation. Take one glance at Tere’s Instagram account and you might say she belongs in a fashion magazine, not posted up alongside an 18-wheeler. However, shattering societal norms and defying the odds is something she has done all her life, and she wants to empower others to do the same. “When I first started back in 2012, it was literally taboo for women, especially black women to be involved in trucking,” said the Statesboro, GA native. “I didn’t know one single black female who owned a trucking company at that time, and although in recent years it has become more popular in our community, you still don’t see very many women.” To change that narrative, last November, Tere became the first black woman to launch virtual trucking classes specifically designed to teach black women the ins and outs of the lucrative trucking business. Stevie Wonder’s son is currently working on a winter internship with Dior, as he prepares to drop his capsule collection this spring. As reported by The Blast, Kailand Morris was photographed strolling the streets of Paris and following COVID-19 guidelines by wearing a mask. According to the report, Morris has walked the runway in major shows for Dolce & Gabbana, Pyer Moss, and Comme des Garçons. Most recently he was included in the 2021 V Magazine Calendar. As Joe Biden begins Day 1 of his presidency, the first order of business is to tug the final string attached to the thread of Trump‘s divisive policies, unraveling a slew of policies that helped divide the nation over the last four years. Biden’s executive actions carry out the vision of his 100-day plan, and will also target underserved Black populations stressed under the weight of two pandemics, racism and the coronavirus. Like his predecessor Barack Obama who once remarked he would use his “pen” and “telephone” to garner change when he was presented with gridlock from a majority Republican Senate, Biden has set out a series of 17 executive actions, 15 of which are executive orders, which he will sign into action on Wednesday. According to CNN, nine of the 17 actions directly reverse Trump’s policies. Undocumented migrants who live in America will be counted in the next Census, undoing Trump’s order to do the opposite in the summer of 2020. The switch helps allocate monies for underrepresented communities as well as contributing towards federal representation in Congress. reversing allocation of money and federal representation. Microsoft is launching an immersive Black History Month experience that will bring 13 of the world’s top museum exhibits to classrooms. The month-long virtual series is free for K-12 students and schools in the U.S. who enroll in the program. “Black History Month is a time for people to come together and learn lessons from the past and apply them today and in the future,” Global Sr. Community Program and Events Manager for Microsoft in Redmond, Washington Shy Averett, said. As reported by PEOPLE. students will learn about civil rights icons through exhibits on Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama; Muhammad Ali’s fight against systemic racism, there’s also a virtual scavenger hunt of George Washington Carver’s inventions, a tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; and a reading of “Hidden Figures” and “Let the Children March” from NBA & NFL players, per the report. Students will also learn about the history of slavery. “We need to know our history so we can know what our future will look like,” former Seattle Seahawks player Cliff Avril said in a statement. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1351698008975532033/bTDMGcrt?format=jpg&name=small Newly released scholarly research about Chicago social reformer Ada S. McKinley indicates her contributions to Chicago and to the field of human services have been ignored and marginalized due to her race. The report has spurred the 102-year old nonprofit she founded to call for the rewriting of history books to inform the public of one of the nation’s most profoundly successful, yet unheralded human services pioneers. In 1919, McKinley founded the South Side Settlement House, which served the largest area in Chicago and was the only settlement house fully staffed by African Americans. McKinley, according to Lee and Dieser, succeeded amidst the era’s white establishment and male domination. Facing sexism, racism and segregation, all while being denied the basic democratic right to vote, McKinley struggled financially. Yet passion fueled her work to serve Blacks during the flu pandemic of 1918-1919, the Great Migration from the South, the homecoming of World War I Black veterans lacking health care and services, and the 1919 Chicago race riots. “We believe race factors into the lack of historical information about McKinley,” said Dieser. “As someone who is white, I can say that white historians, whether consciously or unconsciously, wrote a white privileged history that ignored McKinley’s contributions, when compared, for example, to social reformer Jane Addams, the founder of Hull House,” Dieser added. From Sen. Bernie Sanders’ homemade mittens, to the Obamas to Lady Gaga, to all of the symbolic purple, the Internet had a field day with the multitude of activity worthy of commentary at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. USA TODAY put together a video montage of the most talked about moments, including the special relationships between Michelle Obama and George W. Bush, and the Obamas’ support of Vice President Kamala Harris. In addition to the “plum” flawlessness of Forever FLOTUS, fashion standouts in the montage include the $2,000 Dior Air Jordans sported by Kamala Harris’ nephew, the shoulder embellishments her step-daughter Ella Emhoff’s coat, and the pink coat/thigh-high boot combo worn by the president’s granddaughter, Natalie Biden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGZQUvSqWos The American political landscape, once dominated by pitchman-turned-president Donald J. Trump, is about to track in a new direction helmed by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice President Kamala D. Harris. Now that Harris has been sworn, she becomes the United States’ first female, first African American and first Asian American to assume, arguably, the second-most powerful office in the world. The Biden–Harris team is expected to hit the ground running with a 10-day blitz of executive actions and legislative proposals — including a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus and pandemic relief package — to turn around a country reeling from the recent siege on the U.S. Capitol and a public health crisis that has killed more than 400,000 Americans. Harris, also known for wearing her beloved “Chucks” (Converse) sneakers, has yet to be given a portfolio of issues to champion but is expected to be part of an “all hands on deck” approach to four major administration priorities: economic recovery, pandemic relief, climate change and racial justice. Dr. Tony Evans on praying for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsMMuJ4W8Ac8x46?format=jpg&name=small Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has spent the last 7 years in federal prison, is now a free man after having his sentence commuted by former President Donald Trump. Interestingly, that freedom came with or because of the help he got from a couple of unlikely supporters: Diamond and Silk! That’s right, the former Fox News personalities who refer to themselves as “warriors” for Trump, signed on in support of the commutation of Kilpatrick’s sentence. However, it’s not clear as to what the connection is between the ardent Trump supporters – whose real names are Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson – and Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was convicted in 2013 on 24 felony counts related to mail fraud, wire fraud, and racketeering, and sentenced to 28 years in prison. https://youtu.be/MwAioSrD_MQ HealthyWage—the world’s leading purveyor of financially-induced diet contests for individuals and corporate/team-based weight loss challenges, today announced the continuation of its A-list partnership with Sherri Shepherd—an actress, comedian and best-selling author who formerly served as an Emmy Award-winning network talk television co-host. Amid the popularity of Sherri Shepherd’s initial “HealthyWager” initiative through which participants vied to win up to $10,000 by hitting their own personal weight loss goal, the esteemed television personality has again teamed with HealthyWage for a re-boot of the initiative … again giving participants a chance to win up to $10,000 by hitting their own personal weight loss goal. As an added bonus and point of motivation, those partaking in Sherri Shepherd’s HealthyWager challenge will also receive a $50 cash bonus added to their grand prize. On Tuesday, Michael B. Jordon, the 33-year-old actor cozied up to girlfriend Lori Harvey, 24, as they posed for a mirror selfie on the ‘gram. “He love it here,” Harvey captioned the shot of Jordan resting one hand on her chest. Earlier this month, Jordan and Harvey made their romance official via Instagram. The two recently made a splash in St. Barts, where Harvey’s stepfather, Steve Harvey, is vacationing as well. Jordan, who was named “People’s Sexiest Man Alive” in November, was first linked to Harvey in the fall. The pair were spotted in Atlanta ahead of Thanksgiving. Journalist Jason Whitlock tells ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ how American freedoms are being obliterated under the guise of installing equality. https://video.foxnews.com/v/6223946051001#sp=show-clips Today clearly belonged to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. But the most talked about moment of this historic inauguration belonged to 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, whose appearance managed to outshine megawatt stars Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga, and had her trending No. 1 on Twitter with minutes. https://youtu.be/Wz4YuEvJ3y4 Vogue has announced that it will publish a limited print edition of its February issue featuring Vice President Kamala Harris. The move is in response to the backlash against an original cover that was widely slammed across social media. https://youtu.be/deXGKkoslUM Kim Kardashian and Kanye West don’t seem to be getting closer to reconciliation, and now Ye is apparently talking to divorce lawyers. A source told People that the couple had “completely” stopped marriage counseling sessions and that Kanye “is talking to divorce lawyers this week.” "The couple has tried to work on their relationship for a while but finds it hard to get on the same page,” the source said. “They haven’t lived together for some time and have been focused on their separate businesses and work while keeping their children’s happiness at the forefront.” “They are just not on the same page when it comes to their future as a family,” another source told PEOPLE. “And Kim is okay with it.” Kardashian and West share four kids together. Baby CEO, a rapper who first made headlines at 14, is reportedly dead at 20. No official cause of death has been announced and despite rampant social media tributes, his passing remains unconfirmed at this time, the Sun reported. However, news of the young rapper’s alleged death was first reported by hip-hop news site My Mixtapez to its 406,000 followers overnight. Twitter was lit up Wednesday morning with memorial posts to the young artist who was born Jonathon Brown, according to sources at juvenile court in Memphis, Tennessee. Baby CEO’s passing comes just three years after the death of Chicago-born hip-hop star Fredo Santana of Savage Squad Records fame. Baby CEO was often described by local media outlets as Santana’s “protégé” before the 27-year-old suffered a fatal seizure in 2018. Rapper Bow Wow woke up Saturday to dozens of angry comments from fans for performing at a packed nightclub in Houston amid the coronavirus pandemic. The 33-year-old artist documented his Friday night on his Instagram Story, showing off an extremely crowded nightclub featuring dozens of fans standing and dancing closely without masks. “So wait, people risking their life in a packed club to see BOW WOW??? BOW WOW?” one user tweeted. “Ppl really risking it all for Bow wow in the year 2021?!!” another quipped. https://youtu.be/BbDBkQIrQDo Filmmaker Scott Pryor understands the power of storytelling. A trial lawyer by trade, Pryor specializes in “death and catastrophic injuries,” often helping families affected by devastating, life-altering events. “We sit down with these families day in and day out, and we fight for them,” he told The Christian Post. “It’s really grounding because you really do empathize with the client and ultimately tell their story to a jury. We’ve found a lot of success in communicating our clients’ stories, making sure they’re more than just a claim number. They’re real people and their lives are really affected.” https://youtu.be/froEI_wGiJw Relentless Church is accusing Redemption Church of not following the terms of a settlement negotiated late last year following a lengthy legal dispute over property rights between the two megachurches in Greenville. In a court filing last week, the Pastor John Gray-led Relentless Church made a motion asking officials to force Redemption Church to adhere to the terms of the settlement agreement that came about in October 2020 to resolve a dispute about mortgage payments and property rights. The contentious dispute had centered on lease agreements and financial obligations for property off Haywood Road, where the Pastor Ron Carpenter-led Redemption Church had sought to evict Relentless early last year. Hundreds of pages of statements, memorandums, contracts and receipts were filed in court. A transition agreement disclosed that Carpenter would be entitled to a $6.25 million retirement payout after leaving the property in the hands of Gray. The terms of the settlement that the churches ultimately negotiated were not disclosed by the churches, and they are not subject to disclosure by the court. Gray’s attorney Devon Puriefoy declined Tuesday to specify what Relentless is alleging since “the terms of the mediation are confidential,” but he said they are urging Redemption to comply with those terms so the case can “get through the finish line.” Brittany Matthews is updating fans on Patrick Mahomes’ health. Shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, 25, took a hard hit midway through the third quarter of Sunday night’s football game against the Cleveland Browns, Matthews, also 25, thanked fans for their well wishes and shared an update on her fiancé’s condition. “I’m fine, Patricks fine, thanks for all the prayers!” Matthews tweeted. “WE STILL GOT A GAME TO WIN LETS GOOOOOO!!!” Matthews — who is currently expecting her first child with Mahomes — also continued to live-tweet the sporting event, during which she showed her support to Chad Henne, the Kansas City Chiefs backup quarterback who replaced Mahomes for the remainder of the game. “HENNEEEEEEEEE LFGGGGG,” she tweeted. Hall of Fame right-hander Don Sutton, who won 324 games and struck out 3,574 batters over 23 seasons in the major leagues from 1966 to 1988, has died at the age of 75 after a long battle with cancer. His son Daron revealed on Twitter that Sutton died in his sleep on Monday night at his home. Sutton spent the first 15 seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader with 233 wins. He also pitched for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s and California Angels before returning to the Dodgers for his final season. Corey Hines wasn’t ready to die. On Saturday, Jan. 2 though, the 32-year-old Texas preacher, who survived two brutal heart attacks just months ago amid the coronavirus pandemic, died gasping for air in the garage of his home. “‘I’m about to pass out,’” his sister, Chelsye Hines, said were his last words. His sister-in-law had desperately tried to get him his emergency heart medication but Pastor Hines slipped away into the unknown before she was able to get it to him. “That was it. He pretty much fainted,” Chelsye said. Some 30 minutes after an ambulance arrived, her brother was pronounced dead. The WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, co-owned by controversial former U.S. senator Kelly Loeffler, are closing in on the sale of the franchise. “As it relates to the Atlanta Dream, we understand a sale of the franchise is close to being finalized,” the WNBA said in a statement. “Once the sale negotiation is concluded, additional information will be provided.” Last summer, Loeffler, a Republican from Georgia, called Black Lives Matter a group based on Marxist principles that threatened to destroy America. She also said BLM is “anti-Semitic and doesn’t support the nuclear family.” Her comments were in direct opposition of NBA and WNBA players who are fighting for racial and social justice and prompted calls for her to sell the team. With the San Francisco 49ers boasting one of the NFL’s top defenses the past two seasons, many figured it was only a matter of time until defensive coordinator Robert Saleh became a head coach somewhere. Last week he was announced as the new leader for the New York Jets. Saleh’s vacancy was filled Monday, when the 49ers announced that the team’s inside linebackers coach, DeMeco Ryans, was being promoted to defensive coordinator. The 49ers were driven by the NFL’s second-ranked defense last season en route to Super Bowl LIV, a 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This year, despite a 6-10 record, the Niners still ranked fifth in the league (allowing 314.4 yards per game). Yet, the team’s only defensive All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2020, largely thanks to Ryans, was middle linebacker Fred Warner. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan hinted that Ryans would be promoted during a press conference on Jan. 4. Delonte West is now working at the drug rehabilitation center in Florida that he attended after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban helped the former homeless NBA player get his life back on track, a source confirmed to ESPN. West was treated at the Rebound therapy center in Florida. Cuban picked West up at a gas station last September after pictures circulated of him panhandling at an intersection in Dallas. Cuban also helped West to reconnect with his mother. Cuban is among several people involved in the NBA who in recent years have been attempting to help West, who publicly discussed his diagnosis of bipolar disorder during his NBA career. Tim Tebow is championing kids’ differences. The pro athlete drew inspiration from his advocacy work with special needs children to write his first kid’s book, Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember. The picture book, which was published on Tuesday, features the names of children Tebow met through his foundation’s wish-granting program, W15H. The result is a charming tale about celebrating differences that will inspire young readers. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Tebow discusses the new book (which follows a sight-challenged dog named after his own late dog Bronco), the challenges he’s faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and what married life has been like since his wedding to Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters last January. Claudia Conway, the daughter of former Trump mouthpiece Kellyanne Conway and Lincoln Project co-founder George Conway, has made her own name by criticizing her mom’s politics and Trump worship on TikTok. Her latest post has made headlines for its allegations of physical and verbal abuse against her mother. “this isn’t even bad but i’m not tryna put her in jail,” [sic] Conway says of a video she shared that shows an argument between the two, with Kellyanne calling her child an “ungrateful bitch” and tells her “You’re never gonna record another f*cking thing in your life. It’s going for a forensic analysis.” At another point, Kellyanne mocks Claudia’s speech and refers to her as “f*cking immature” and “an *sshole.” She also appears to hit Claudia more than once. The video ends with Kellyanne yelling that she wants Claudia out of the house. Tommy Davidson says Jennifer Lopez snubbed him once she reached A-list celebrity status. Davidson and Lopez starred together on the hit sketch comedy series “In Living Color” from 1990-1994. Lopez’s Hollywood career was launched due to her start as a Fly Girl on the show. https://youtu.be/cF1n50gY2oM Stellar and Dove Award nominated Artist G.I. prepares to release their first live album in their 20 year career: “The Score: Live in Richmond.” Slated for release this Friday January 22nd, “The Score” was recorded live at Speaking Spirit Ministries in Richmond Virginia and features live arrangements of G.I.’s hit songs over the last decade. This is the international group’s first compilation album of sorts. Stand out songs include “Get Up Live,” “I’m Ready,” their major breakout hit/crossover single “Pray and Don’t Worry Live,” and their most recent Top 20 hit single “So Good Live.” The album is a reunion in fashion as former G.I. member Artist Anderson (Marlon Anderson) made a surprise appearance at the concert bringing many fans out of their seats and to the edge of the stage. One concert attendee says, “It was like a Wu-Tang Clan reunion. Nobody knew Marlon was going to be there. When he came from the back and jumped on stage the crowd went bananas.” When asked what brought about the title of the new project, group member Lamonte says “Score” in definition is the number of points, goals, and runs achieved by a team. “Score” is also connected to the number 20. For 20 years, we’ve recorded, traveled, and ministered as a team: a team of ministers, singers, songwriters, musicians, actors, and most importantly brothers. Adrian B. King & Reverence are no strangers to the Gospel Music Industry and are established & ready to release THE KINGDOM SOUND. The Kingdom Sound is the “Sound Of Praise” that captures the attention of the “King”, and softens the “Hearts of Men”. It’s also the “sound” that prepares the way for God’s “Presence” to be made manifest amongst the people. We desire to see them all perceiving worship as an offering to God, which goes beyond singing and getting its fulfillment in imitating the life of Christ. Stellar Award nominated singer/songwriter, Prez Blackmon drops an up-tempo, contemporary churchy tune titled “Thank God For What Didn’t Happen.” It was inspired by his pastor, Bishop Noel Jones (City of Refuge LA). Happy Birthday” is one of today’s most recognizable songs. A tune used to celebrate birthdays from age 1 to 100 and beyond, the melody alone recalls warm memories of festive occasions shared with family and friends. Gospel Jazz Saxophonist Richard D’Abreu, Jr. loves the song. A favorite of his for years, the gifted musician, who has toured internationally and played for artists such as James Taylor, Patti LaBelle and Max Roach, decided to give the song a jazzy twist for his own birthday, on January 20th. He released the song, “Happy Birthday (from Me)”, just in time for his special day. The new track is currently available on all digital platforms including Apple Music. TV One's hit true crime show ATL Homicide premieres on Monday, January 25 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Thirty-year Atlanta PD veteran Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez recount their past homicide investigations cases on the streets of Atlanta along their quest to put heinous murderers behind bars. Real-life interviews are paired with dramatic recreations from actors Angelo Diaz as David Quinn and Christopher Diaz as Vince Velazquez. This season is filled with thrilling and jaw-dropping scenes to keep the true crime viewers on the edge of their seats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmxtUDy4fsk&feature=youtu.be During his final full day in the White House, President Donald Trump granted a combination of pardons and clemency to 143 people, including former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, rappers Kodak Black and Lil Wayne and former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. https://youtu.be/SRc_-V_LsQw President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have officially taken over the White House. The new Democratic dynamic duo were sworn in on Wednesday at the US Capitol. https://youtu.be/kAIqT_0_7p8 Joe Biden‘s presidential inauguration has literally been a long time coming. The career politician first ran for president back in 1988 and now, more than three decades later, he’s finally taken the oath of office he’s long been eyeing. Conversely, the rise of Kamala Devi Harris from California district attorney to the U.S. Senate to becoming the first Black vice president has been nothing short of impressive, which is to say nothing of how swift it’s all been. From the outset of Harris’ rise through the Democratic Party’s ranks, she’s been compared to Barack Obama. The former POTUS and FLOTUS attended the wreath laying ceremony with President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff at Arlington National Ceremony. Former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush were also in attendance, along with First Lady’s Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush. The Obamas played a pivotal role in Biden’s election and will undoubtedly serve as loyal supporters to the incoming Biden-Harris administration. Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony signals the official transition of power as a result of the historic 2020 presidential election in which Joe Biden claimed victory over Donald Trump. Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, made history as the first Black and South Asian woman elected to the office of Vice President. A group of Black leaders and entertainers helped the incoming Biden-Harris administration usher in a new chapter in America’s history, with the hopes to refresh and rejuvenate a deeply divided nation. Biden and Harris were sworn in at the West front of the U.S. Capitol building. Harris was sworn in first by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, while Biden was sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Andrea Hall, city of South Fulton’s fire captain leaded the Pledge of Allegiance during Wednesday’s ceremony. Hall, 47, is the president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 3920 which endorsed Biden early in his presidential campaign. She began her career in fire services in 1993, earning the rank of fire captain in 2004. “I just am intending to represent, my family, the city of South Fulton, women, African-American women, firefighters, and everyone in the nation, well,” she told the AJC. Amanda Gorman, 22, made history when she became the first national youth poet laureate in 2017. Gorman was reportedly hand picked by Dr. Jill Biden. The Los Angeles Native and Harvard alum focuses on the marginalization of Black people, womanism and inequities in her work. She read a poem titled, “The Hill We Climb,” in the tradition of other notables before her like Maya Angelou. “America is messy. It’s still in its early development of all that we can become. And I have to recognize that in the poem,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I can’t ignore that or erase it. And so I crafted an inaugural poem that recognizes these scars and these wounds. Hopefully, it will move us toward healing them.” Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, widely hailed for his heroics during the attempted Capitol coup, has been rewarded twofold for his remarkable valor. First, Goodman was the escort of Kamala Harris at the inauguration. Secondly, Goodman has been promoted to acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms, a position that allows him to escort Harris. President-Joe Biden has just appointed Dr. Rachel Levine as his assistant health secretary, which positions her to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate. Dr. Levine is currently a pediatrician and was appointed to her current position as Pennsylvania Physical General by Gov. Tom Wolf back in 2017. Even back then, she was one of the very few transgender people serving in an elected position nationwide. The Michigan nurse whose moving rendition of “Amazing Grace” went viral early in the COVID-19 pandemic sang the hymn for a nation Tuesday night at a COVID-19 memorial in Washington, D.C. attended by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. https://youtu.be/mSTqSYHwqzw A Black American woman accused of bragging in a Twitter thread about living in the Indonesian resort of Bali during the pandemic is facing deportation for that same social media activity, according to reports. Kristen Gray has been identified as the woman whose tweet about moving from her Los Angeles studio to a treehouse in Bali at a fraction of the cost in California apparently landed her in hot water with Indonesian immigration authorities. The attention generated from her Twitter thread put a spotlight on her overstaying her welcome after her visa allegedly expired. The Jakarta Globe reported that Gray allegedly “misused her visa.” Not to be outdone, though, Gray is accused of authoring an e-book that provided instructions for how people can move to Indonesia in the middle of the pandemic. Gray spoke briefly at an apparent immigration proceeding and suggested she was being deported because of her relationship with her girlfriend. “First off, I am not guilty,” Gray began. “I have not overstayed my visa, I have not made money in Indonesia.” She continued without making mention of the book: “I put out a statement about LGBT and I’m being deported because of LGBT.” After 8 seasons on Lifetime’s “Married at First Sight,” Pastor Calvin Roberson of Atlanta says he still believes in the process. After 8 seasons on Lifetime’s “Married at First Sight,” Pastor Calvin Roberson of Atlanta says he still believes in the process. The hit dating reality television series is on season 12, which debuted this month. Roberson is one of the experts on the show who paired up 10 single Atlantans, that are given two weeks to prepare to meet the individual’s they are partnered with on their wedding day. According to ajc.com, “the success rate of the show is around 30%, so far,” the outlet writes. Roberson serves up advice for the couples as they adjust to their new life together. https://twitter.com/i/status/1351707360570519554 A New Jersey couple has filed a lawsuit against rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie accusing him of causing more than $250,000 in damage to a rental mansion. According to Page Six, the lawsuit says the rapper (real name: Julius Dubose) left the $3.3 millon home with “bathroom toilets clogged and overrun by sewerage material which penetrated through the floors and damaging ceilings below.” The estate is owned by a local doctor, Lawrence Guarino, and his wife, Carol. Last week they filed a lawsuit in New Jersey’s Hackensack Superior Court. Boogie allegedly leased the home for a year, which was reportedly available for rent for $10,000 per month in 2017. At some point between that time and 2018, he is said to have abandoned the property. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Pharrell Williams is on a mission to teach coding to today’s youth. The award-winning artist has teamed up with Amazon and Georgia Tech to promote and teach music coding through a new initiative called “Your Voice is Power.” Pharrell’s education equity nonprofit, YELLOW, announced on Tuesday that the initiative will teach middle and high school students “coding while sparking conversations between the students and teachers about racial injustice.” https://youtu.be/H_pMPCb0qog DJ Cassidy is making history by being the first DJ to participate in the actual presidential inauguration of a president being sworn in while also incorporating a creative music sensation that he created entitled “Pass The Mic.” Some legendary Music Makers will be joining DJ Cassidy this afternoon for the virtual event and this evening’s TV special honoring the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inauguration as President and Vice President. Tonight’s special that Cassidy will also be participating in will be hosted by actor Tom Hanks. DJ Cassidy also became the first DJ to perform at the White House at the Obamas’ inaugural celebration. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Nas reflected on his hip-hop battle with Jay-Z during a recent appearance on Rick Rubin’s Broken Records podcast. Their beef began in the mid-1990s with the two lyrically trading shots, mostly famous on Jigga’s “Takeover” diss track, and Nas fired back with “Ether.” https://youtu.be/DlxtajlQyqQ A 23-year-old woman died in a freak accident in Columbus, Ohio, late Monday night after her head became trapped between her car and a payment machine in a parking garage. According to police, the incident was captured on security cameras. The video showed Victoria Strauss dropping her credit card while attempting to pay for parking. She is seen reaching down to pick up the card and accidentally steps on the accelerator in her vehicle. She collided with the kiosk, pinning her between her car door and the door frame. Strauss was found by a security guard around 5:40 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Strauss was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Three Spirit Airlines travelers were not trying to hear that their carry-ons were too big and had to be checked, instead choosing to fight the boarding agents who gave them the bad news. It all went down at Detroit Metro Airport on Sunday (Jan. 17) as passengers were boarding Spirit Airlines flight 646 to Atlanta. “The agents asked the group to verify that their carry-on bags were sized appropriately for the aircraft prior to boarding, at which time the passengers became combative,” Spirit Airlines spokesperson Field Sutton told The New York Post. “The agents attempted to calmly defuse the situation but were physically assaulted by these passengers as they closed a door to stop them from boarding the aircraft.”https://youtu.be/okv7mmrrW2c Texas Democratic lawmakers have been trying for years to remove Confederate Heroes Day from state calendars, and they’re hoping that 2021 could be the year that it finally happens. The holiday falls one day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day and simultaneously celebrates Confederate soldiers and Robert E. Lee’s birthday. A bill filed in 2019 to abolish the holiday failed, but lawmakers believe the amount of racial unrest last summer could work in their favor this legislative session. “The killing of George Floyd, a Texan, and the killing of Atatiana Jefferson, another Texan, at the hands of law enforcement, certainly do underscore the importance of removing a day of remembrance that brings to the mind slavery and oppression,” said state Rep. Nicole Collier. Houston state representatives Jarvis Johnson and Shawn Thierry filed two bills this session that attempt to abolish the holiday, with Johnson calling it a chance to erase hurtful imagery that serves as a reminder of the country’s horrible past. Chris “Ludacris” Bridges is a hip-hop icon, accomplished actor and successful restaurateur who is passionate about food – but he knows he “can’t cook a lick.” In the one-hour discovery+ special Luda Can’t Cook, from record-breaking producer Will Packer, Ludacris gets schooled in the kitchen by James Beard Award-nominated Chef Meherwan Irani to up his culinary game with international flavors and techniques. Indian cuisine is one of Luda’s favorites and Chef Irani gives him a master class in the foundations, from layering spices to frying and braising and making curry. Then in a test of his newly acquired culinary skills, he cooks and serves a menu of Indian dishes Ludacris-style to a room of VIPS, including his mom Roberta. It’s the last song my brother wrote…about world peace,” said Robert “Kool” Bell (Kool and the Gang) about the group’s new single “Pursuit of Happiness”, co-written by the late Ronald Bell, who co-founded Kool and the Gang (1964) with his brother Robert. “It’s to celebrate 40 years since the release of ‘Celebrate’ and to celebrate 50 years of Kool and the Gang.” https://youtu.be/rqj3lSQUsFU “After careful consideration and guidance from health experts and state and local government, we have decided to reschedule the 52nd NAACP Image Awards to March 27, 2021. As COVID-19 continues to ravage our country, particularly the African-American community, it is our utmost priority to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our staff, production teams, nominees, and all talent involved in this year’s awards ceremony. We look forward to uplifting and celebrating our rich culture and the outstanding achievements of our nominees when it is safe to do so and we appreciate everyone’s understanding during these unprecedented times.” Nominees in the categories of television and streaming, music, literature, film, and activism, will be announced on Wednesday, February 3rd. Nominating committee voting will now close on Wednesday, January 20th. On THE REAL, Minister and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr Center for Non-Violent Change, Dr. Bernice King joins the hosts on a very special day which honors her father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In a wide-ranging interview, Dr. King reveals what she believes her father would have thought about the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building and why she believes the President should be impeached. https://youtu.be/wix7o0FvtnU Wendy Williams the self-proclaimed Queen of media is spilling the tea on herself. The talk famed show host produced her biopic – “Wendy Williams: The Movie” – which is set to air on Lifetime on January 30. The film gives fans a raw and authentic look into her life. Starting from the issues she had as a young girl to her drug use and unfaithful husband. https://youtu.be/2CDfTJ4Utc8 Jennifer Lopez recently released the music video for her single “In The Morning,” after previously making it exclusively available on Triller. The song and accompanying visuals are “about a dark one-sided relationship and the realization that you can’t change anyone else … you can only change yourself,” Lopez explained. https://youtu.be/kk_HYB-AWrw During a recent episode of “The Rematch” with Ethan Thomas, #StephenJackson was a guest where he spoke about his friend #GeorgeFloyd and doing his part to make sure that his legacy continues to live on, as well as helping to look after his family. While speaking about his friendship with George Floyd, and the work that has been going into making sure that justice will be served when it comes to his case. Stephen also mentioned the amount of love that George’s family has been receiving from many others, including #KyrieIrving, who he said purchased a new home for George’s family. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com British model Katie Price is speaking out about her decision to place her autistic son Harvey, 18, in full-time care. “It breaks my heart,” she told The Sun. “I don’t want him to think I’m just getting rid of him.” Price, who has raised Harvey as single mother, is hoping to place him in a residential college that will teach him to live a more independent life. She said due to his disabilities, Harvey can sometimes lash out unpredictably. “You hear about people with autism being arrested and when they’re restrained they go mad and get sectioned,” she told The Sun. “That’s why I want to find the right college for him so if there’s ever a case where he kicks off, I’m involved.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com JERARD & JOVAUN drop new music “The New Orleans Medley.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUjmWs1khyE&feature=youtu.be The NAACP did not mince words when outgoing White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted about a hero who embodied love and faith in the pursuit of equality. Seeing McEnany tweet about honoring the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the NAACP challenged her to take action on the civil rights icon’s federal holiday by being silent. Conservative attempts to co-opt MLK’s legacy are not new, but on the heels of a failed coup this year’s cherry-picking of MLK quotes takes on a new life. Simply put, MLK Day is not a time for conservatives to wash away their sins against humanity. Ivanka Trump reportedly has been trying to salvage her political career. People across Twitter did not take kindly to her posturing. Freshman lawmakers Reps. Lauren Boebert and Madison Cawthorn rose to prominence on messages of hate but both offered tweets on Monday attempting to reset the conversation and distance themselves from the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Boebert has been under scrutiny for possibly leading “reconnaissance tours” of the Capitol prior to the attempted coup. Sens. Ted Cruz, Lindsay Graham and lame-duck Kelly Loeffler spent weeks undermining election results and feeding into conspiracy theories leading to the January 6 attacks. All three tweeted MLK Day messages as if people have forgotten their recent antics. While Graham did not support Cruz and Loeffler in their plan to object to the certification of Electoral College results, he previously tried to pressure the Georgia secretary of state to change election results. Georgia NAACP President James Woodall let off several tweets about his frustration at the way various individuals and entities take advantage of MLK Day. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Another Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, another tone-deaf tweet incorrectly co-opting the civil rights icon’s famous words. In what has all but become a tried and true American tradition, the NFL on Monday showed itself to be one of the most recent white entities to espouse Dr. King’s verbal brilliance while at the same time failing to grasp the true meaning of his words. Fresh off an exciting weekend of playoffs games, the association of professional football teams inexplicably decided it would be a good idea to observe the holiday by tweeting the following eight words Dr. King wrote nearly 58 years ago: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” That quote, of course, stands the test of time … unless you’re the NFL, which not so long ago blacklisted a player from being in the league because of his silent protest against police violence, racism and what is many times the deadly combination of the two. With that truth in mind, the NFL had absolutely no business co-opting MLK’s words that were actually in favor of the kind of protest started by Colin Kaepernick, who last played in the NFL in 2016 — the same year he began kneeling during the playing of the national anthem. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Try as she may, there is at least one way in which Melania Trump cannot plagiarize her first lady predecessor Michelle Obama: Favorability. The outgoing first lady, whose shameless imitations of Michelle Obama have been anything but flattering, isn’t seen as being nearly as favorable as the first Black first lady. In fact, the American people find Melania Trump to be more than 20% less favorable as she leaves the White House than they did Michelle Obama at the end of her husband’s two terms in office, according to the results of a new CNN survey. Melania Trump leaves Washington D.C with a favorability rating of 47%, according to the survey. Translated, that means that less than half of all Americans approved of her “job” as the first lady; a position that she used in part to advocate against cyber-bullying while standing by silent as her husband’s Twitter fingers typed out tweets of hatred on a daily basis. Things get worse for Melania Trump on a granular basis as the data is broken down along different demographics. For instance, at 55%, more than half of people of color who were polled held an unfavorable opinion of her. The same figure applied to all women surveyed. Conversely, the same poll taken four years ago found that Michelle Obama was leaving the White with a favorability rating of 69%, the same rating she enjoyed when she became the first lady in 2009. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The first Black man has been arrested, accused of participating in trying to overtake Capitol Hill. John Sullivan lives in Utah. His social media handle is JadenX. He is charged with causing civil disorder, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection to the January 6 riot in Washington, D.C. Sullivan recorded the only known video of the female rioter Ashli Babbitt as she got shot and killed by Capitol police. I have the videos. I’ve shared them with my viewers. these videos landed him in jail. He recorded the video and he branded it with his name. So police knew where to search. Sullivan said he was at the insurrection to document the event. Now he has become the fall guy for right-wing extremists who want to shift the blame and the focus away from themselves. A sweater owned by Nat King Cole, the bass guitar played by A Taste of Honey’s Janice Marie Johnson on their 10 million-selling “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” and a pair of custom, diamond-studded thigh-high boots from Miami rapper Trina are among the more than 1600 artifacts on display in The National Museum of African American Music, which had its official opening on MLK Day in Nashville. Monday’s socially-distant ribbon cutting with elected leaders, Museum board members, and community leaders marked the end of a project nearly two decades in the making. Only a limited number of spectators were allowed inside for the event, though a Facebook live stream of the program drew more than 1,000 viewers at a given time. “It’s a museum that celebrates African American excellence and culture in the heart of downtown Nashville, and for some that seems odd,” said Henry Beecher Hicks III, president and CEO of the NMAAM. After a monumental year of challenges and change, Lifetime’s unscripted hit series “Little Women: Atlanta” returns with the highly anticipated premiere of season six on its new night Friday, January 22, at 9pm ET/PT. https://youtu.be/U_LfveSQxrE ”Grown-ish“ is back for a third-ish season. Season 3b picks up with Zoe (Yara Shahidi) living life after dropping out of school. But back on campus, her old school mates are still dealing with college life and drama. This season, Aaron, played by Trevor Jackson, is getting back to his freshman roots as the campus activist. In the previous season, Aaron realized he didn’t agree with the organization he was a part of and took a break from them and a break from being as vocal as he was. But after a serious issue is brought to his attention he had to get back in his activism bag. https://youtu.be/5P3FKizP94c The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund announced the launch of a new program thanks to the generous donation from an anonymous donor in the amount of $40 million. The fund aims to cover the education and training of at least 50 new civil rights lawyers. Receipts must commit to eight-years of service towards racial justice work specifically in the South. “The donor came to us,” Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said, per New York Daily News. “The donor very much wanted to support the development of civil rights lawyers in the South. And we have a little bit of experience with that.” Snoop Dogg has been working closely with a couple of activists with ties to the White House in a lobbying effort before the president becomes a civilian again. Snoop and the others are trying to have the sentence of Death Row Records co-founder Michael ‘Harry-O’ Harris commuted after spending more than three decades behind bars. Harris, now 58, was convicted of attempted murder and kidnapping in 1988 and is currently being held at a Federal Correctional Facility in Lompoc, California. A 22-year-old Pennsylvania woman is facing criminal homicide and attempted murder charges for allegeing killing her 5-month-old daughter after stabbing her baby daddy. According to Williamsport police, when Corrie Shanikah Cowlay-Saunders was arrested on Thursday night, she allegedly confessed “I killed my daughter,” identified as Cailania Faltz. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1351258106920136706/df27v3Ab?format=jpg&name=small A California man has been arrested after allegedly living at O’Hare International Airport since his arrival in October. Aditya Singh, 36, was arrested on Saturday and charged with impersonation in a restricted area of the airport, and theft of less than $500, police say, per PEOPLE. Singh is accused of using a stolen employee badge to navigate his way around the airport for three months, the Chicago Tribune reported. https://youtu.be/IISRiMmWPvw Solange Knowles’ teenage son Julez Smith apparently leaked videos of himself and former Disney child star Skai Jackson. He supposedly did it because she supposedly cheated on him and he wanted to get back at her. Skai, the 18-year-old gained fame for her starring role as Zuri Ross in Disney’s TV series “Jessie.” She then became a popular internet meme, which made her famous. And she recently competed on “Dancing with the Stars.” The bad news is that over the weekend a graphic video of Skai Jackson and Julez began circulating on social media along with a group chat message of Julez trashing Skai after an obviously nasty break-up. Word is Julez was 15 and Skai was 17 when the video was recorded. A little over a year after Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson purchased his equestrian estate in Georgia, the actor is putting the property up for sale. According to ajc.com, the 46-acre, French country manor was listed this week for $7.5 million, which is about $1.5 million less than Johnson paid for the property in 2019, Mansion Global reported. Lawrence Jackson was the only Black America photographer in the Barack Obama White House. Now he has been chosen as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ official photographer. Jackson, who was a staff photographer for the Associated Press in Boston and Washington from 2000 to 2009, captured the Obama years for a book of White House photographs titled, “Yes We Did,” in 2019. The former president wrote the foreword, noting their commonalities as Black men. Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, T.I. and more of your favorite stars are speaking out against police brutality in a new video shared by NowThis News. In the clip, celebrities address the ways in which Black people have died at the hands of police, similar to a montage shared in 2016. https://youtu.be/uwkrCtxN1QE Martin Luther King III addressed his late father’s “fight against poverty and income inequality” in a New York Times video op-ed published on MLK Day. King III noted that at the time of his father’s assassination, he was “crusading for higher wages for Black sanitation workers.” “Their work conditions were abysmal. Low pay. No sick leave. And many were on welfare,” King III said. “In a speech to the workers, Dad said the issue is injustice. The issue is ‘the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants.' I think if my father saw the issues of poverty and income inequality that exist today, he would be greatly disappointed,” he added. “Back then, 25 million people were living in poverty. But today, it’s close to 40 million, and some say it’s much higher.” King III continued, “While billionaires pay a lower tax rate than the working class, Americans who teach our kids, deliver our food and drive our buses are struggling.” It wasn’t the lone tear from “Glory,” but Denzel Washington’s eyes appeared to well during a recent interview when he was read praise about him said by his son, actor John David Washington. The Oscar winner, 66, was speaking with Access Hollywood for his new movie, “The Little Things,” when host Sibley Scoles shared what his son, 36, said about his dad being named the greatest actor of the 21st century by The New York Times. Scoles told Washington that his son said in an earlier Access Hollywood interview: “It’s about time. I think he is one of the greatest to ever do it, so it was a very proud moment for our entire family.” Washington got emotional. He had to pause and collect himself. “Wow, I’m speechless,” he said. “I forgot what the question was, but I’m speechless. I didn’t know he said that.” https://youtu.be/KvG1HwPVc04 It’s “because I’m white” he told cops, while yelling at store staffers and other shoppers, including the child that was filming him. “I don’t know what county you are, but in my county, my sheriff said that’s an unlawful mandate. My sheriff said that.” he continued. The aforementioned sheriff, Iredell County sheriff Darren Campbell, has since released a statement maintaining that the man’s claims were false. He stated, “I wear a mask.” Walmart’s mask violator was informed about the county’s recent mask policies and escorted out of the store. https://twitter.com/i/status/1348808283746926593 Central City Productions, Inc. released a Call for Entries for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Submissions will be accepted online from February 1 – 19, 2021. To be eligible, projects must have been released via national distribution or online streaming and Gospel radio stations must have been broadcasting via terrestrial or online from OCTOBER 1, 2019 THROUGH JANUARY 31, 2021. Nominations for the 36th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards will be announced on April 27, 2021. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com UNSUNG PRESENTS: MUSIC & THE MOVEMENT –remembering the artists and songs that have provided the soundtrack to the fight for justice and equality – airing part one on Monday, January 18, 2021, at 8 P.M. ET/7C immediately followed by part two at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfFfeYZrzwY&feature=youtu.be Dwayne Johnson commemorated the 1-year anniversary of his father Rocky Johnson’s death by debuting a trailer for “Young Rock,” the upcoming NBC comedy series based on his life. According to NBC, the series will focus on Johnson’s formative years, and the former WWF wrestler will appear in each episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abcrXl6SQo0 Howard University alumni and students who were likely disappointed that the famous HBCU’s annual homecoming festivities were canceled last fall, it looks like they’re getting a second chance at it on Inauguration Day on Wednesday. That’s when one of its own, Kamala Harris, will officially be sworn into office and become the first Black woman to be Vice President of the United States. Harris—who studied political science and economics—graduated from Howard in 1986. But Wednesday is also when the Howard University drumline will escort her and soon-to-be President Joe Biden to the White House as part of the historic event’s virtual “Parade Across America,” which is substituting for the traditional march down Pennsylvania Avenue that can’t be held this year because of coronavirus pandemic social distancing guidelines. Howard’s drumline will be joined by one from the University of Delaware, Biden’s alma mater. President-elect Joe Biden plans to address the COVID-19 crisis within his first ten days in office, and ask Congress to prioritize offering legal status to an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. On Saturday, Biden’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain sent a memo to incoming White House advisers about the executive actions that he plans to sign in the first ten days of his administration. https://youtu.be/_8pLgGw7MzY CNN is reporting that Donald Trump is preparing to issue around 100 pardons and commutations on his final full day in office Tuesday. Trump administration officials who spoke with multiple news organizations say pardons are expected to be announced tomorrow before he leaves the White House for Florida and Biden becomes the 46th president on Wednesday. His latest move will be a continuation of his controversial December spree that saw full pardons granted to more than two dozen people — including former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. CNN hosts Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo had a moment of silliness on Friday when Lemon came out as “openly Black.” Their reaction was to an op-ed on Dan Abrams’ website Mediaite, titled “Don Lemon’s Remarks About Trump Voters and The Klan and Nazis are a Slap in the Face to 74 Million Americans.” In the piece, writer Tommy Christopher praises Lemon for comparing Trump supporters to Nazis, writing “Lemon — who is openly Black — responded by telling Cuomo that ‘if you are on that side you need to think about the side you’re on.’” https://youtu.be/Ce14WTJ0XWU Actor Samuel L. Jackson has played some rough-guy movie type roles in his long career in Hollywood. Yet, it was learned in real life, Jackson, once held the father of a civil rights icon hostage. It all happened when Jackson attended Morehouse College in 1969. There was a two-day protest on campus, and Jackson, along with a group of fellow student protesters, held Morehouse board members as hostages for 48 hours. One of the hostages was Martin Luther King, Sr., father of civil rights legend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jackson, who was heavily influenced by Black Power pioneers Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown, joined with other protesters, to demand changes to the curriculums at Morehouse, and more Blacks be put on the governing board of Morehouse. The college gave in, but not before Jackson was expelled. The extent to which the FBI spent to spy on Martin Luther King Jr. is explored in the new documentary “MLK/FBI” by director Sam Pollard. The film is based on a 1981 book by historian David Garrow. “I know the history of Ida B. Wells. I understand the history of America after Reconstruction and how African Americans have struggled through the years of Jim Crow and segregation and lynching,” the director said in an interview with The Atlantic. “I think one of the important things about this film is that it’s an opportunity not just for those of us who know this history, but for those who don’t, to come to grips with the complexity of American history.” https://youtu.be/Lvfxzht9KUA HBO Max shared the first official clip from the “Space Jam” sequel starring LeBron James. The clip was shared in a montage of films coming to the service in 202. Officially titled “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and produced by James and “Black Panther’s” Ryan Coogler, this new tale features a slew of NBA players including James, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul and Damian Lillard. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKHk9E_BHpc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Over the weekend Wendy Williams got a taste of her own medicine courtesy of her own BROTHER. He posted via an Instagram Live session saying she snubbed their mother’s funeral last November. Tommy Williams told fans how upset he was that his sister skipped out on their mom Shirley’s funeral, despite apparently still being in town. On Monday’s episode of “The Wendy Williams Show,” the host asked her audience: “Have you seen this nonsense my brother has been putting on the internet?” https://youtu.be/5MBq73iTx-g Cynthia Bailey says her relationship with her father has been strained ever since her mother appeared in a domestic violence PSA. “After my mom did Kenya’s domestic violence PSA, it caused a huge rift in my relationship with my dad,” Bailey said on Sunday’s episode of “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Bailey said the PSA opened up childhood wounds and caused a rift between she and her father Elijah. So much so that while planning her wedding to then-fiancé Mike Hill on Sunday’s episode, she questioned whether or not to invite him to their big day. https://youtu.be/8eV4TvGM0Jc A brave waitress in Orlando, Florida, is being hailed a hero after she managed to save two children from their abusive parents. Flavaine Carvalho was working the New Year’s Day shift at the Mrs. Potato restaurant when noticed an 11-year-old boy wasn’t being fed and had visible bruises on his body. “I just thought I need to do something,” Carvalho told CNN. “I could not see him go away without any help.” https://youtu.be/-144wukaclE On Apr. 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, while assisting striking sanitation workers. Over a half-century ago, the wholesale racial integration required by the 1964 Civil Rights Act was just beginning to chip away at discrimination in education, jobs and public facilities. Black voters had only obtained legal protections two years earlier, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act was about to become law. African Americans were only beginning to move into neighborhoods, colleges and careers once reserved for whites only. Now, numerous African Americans hold positions of power, from mayor to governor to corporate chief executive, vice - president and president. The U.S. is a very different place than it was in 1968. While some things have improved markedly for black Americans in the past 53 years, today we are still fighting many of the same battles as Dr. King did in his day. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., might be the greatest orator in American history. This year would have marked his 92nd birthday, but the civil rights icon’s words and speeches have grown to become timeless while greatly contributing to changing the tide of American history. Not only did King give speeches on the urgency of achieving racial integration in the U.S. but he also gave powerful addresses on the topics of poverty and the war in Vietnam. The legacy behind those and other sentiments he expressed in life has only magnified since his assassination more than a half-century ago. https://youtu.be/I47Y6VHc3Ms Morehouse College President, David Thomas joined SiriusXM Business Radio host Alan Fleischmann of ‘Leadership Matters’ to talk about his dreams for Morehouse in 2021, the far-reaching impact of investor Robert Smith’s gift to the Morehouse Class of 2019, and explained how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sparked his interest in Morehouse, back in the 1960s. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/5d6d35bf-dbf8-ef72-1081-314cc3d49d38/eef1cdbc-649a-417d-ba57-78c07ad690cc Several NBA franchises have led initiatives that sit at the intersection of sports and activism. One of the latest teams to unveil an effort centered on addressing racial inequities in entrepreneurship is the Milwaukee Bucks. The team has joined forces with the nonprofit The Lonely Entrepreneur for the creation of an initiative designed to support Black business owners. As part of the partnership the organization, Black business owners nationwide will have free access to the nonprofit’s digital community. Through TLE’s Black Entrepreneur Initiative, founders will be able to take advantage of weekly live group coaching, online courses and connect with like-minded business owners. TLE will also offer free memberships for the Madison Region Economic Partnership, the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Black MBA Association and MKE Black; three grassroots organizations that are centered on economic empowerment. Mogul Sean Combs has continually used his platform and resources to uplift marginalized communities. His latest efforts have been centered on empowering Black entrepreneurs. According to WWD, the Harlem native invested in Thirteen Lune; a platform designed to highlight beauty brands created by Black and brown founders. The platform—which officially launched in December 2020 by founders Nyakio Grieco and Patrick Herning—was created to push inclusivity in the realm of beauty forward and address the barriers faced by Black entrepreneurs when it comes to growing their businesses. Thirteen Lune was launched as a vessel to spread awareness about beauty companies owned and operated by people of color. The platform currently features over a dozen Black and brown-owned brands and will add more in the near future. From the lack of access to capital to the biases that exist in the realm of business, when stepping into entrepreneurship women of color are often faced with barriers. Walker’s Legacy—a company centered on leveling the playing field when it comes to business ownership—is on a mission to change the narrative by investing in the futures of HBCU students. The company recently teamed up with Howard University for the creation of a scholarship fund for aspiring women entrepreneurs. The $25,000 fund—dubbed the Walker’s Legacy Scholarship for Enterprising Women—is a collaborative initiative being led by Walker’s Legacy and the Howard University School of Business. Over the span of five years, young women who are a part of the institution’s business program and are facing financial hardships will receive an award of $2,500, a mentorship opportunity with Howard University alumna and Walker’s Legacy creator Natalie Cofield and access to the company’s global network of multicultural women entrepreneurs. In honor of what would have been Aaliyah’s 42 birthday on Saturday (Jan. 16), her estate shared an update with fans about the status of her music on streaming services. “We hear you and we see you,” the statement from the late singer’s Twitter account reads. “While we share your sentiments and desire to have Aaliyah’s music released, we must acknowledge that these matters are not within our control and, unfortunately, take time. Our inability to share Aaliyah’s music and artistry with the world has been as difficult for us as it has been for all of you. Our priority has always been and will continue to be Aaliyah’s music.” So far, only Aaliyah’s debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number,” is available on streaming services. It was announced last month that her official YouTube channel would be coming this year. The statement follows reports about an upcoming book in the works that will chronicle Aaliyah’s life and career. According to Billboard, “Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah” will drop Aug. 17, 2021. Today (1.18), on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Willie Jones shares his poignant, powerful new song “American Dream.” Penned by Jones, Josh Logan, Alex Goodwin (Nelly, Jason Derulo) and Jason Afable, who also produced the track, “American Dream.” The song is a patriotic protest against the racial injustice that continues to plague this country, recognizing civil rights leaders such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and those making an impact in the Black Lives Matter and current social justice movements like Colin Kaepernick. https://youtu.be/EjOcYEb0oS8 The spoils at the Sony Open belonged to Kevin Na, a winner for the fourth straight season after coming from three shots behind with six holes to play for a one-shot victory with a birdie on the final hole. The consolation prize belonged to Chris Kirk, and it felt like a win. Kirk stepped away in May 2019 because of alcoholism and depression, a decision he feels saved himself, his family and his career. He was playing the final event of a medical extension the PGA Tour awarded him for lost time, and he delivered a 65 to finish one shot behind. The birdie on the final hole gave him enough points to regain full status. Dick Button has always been the measuring stick for American men figure skaters. And no wonder, with seven straight U.S. titles and two Olympic gold medals. Nathan Chen has leapt into Button territory. Even with an error at the beginning of his free skate, Chen was unbeatable Sunday, winning his fifth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championship. Not since Button won each title from 1946-52 has any American man had such a streak of success. Throw in two world championships and being unbeaten since not medaling at the 2018 Olympics, and Chen already has a resume for the ages. At age 21. Returning to the sideline for the first time in nearly a month, Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey was upset with her team’s loss on Saturday, but even more with the circumstances surrounding it. The Basketball Hall of Famer was coaching in her first game since contracting COVID-19 on Christmas Day — and her team’s first game since the program went on pause Jan. 5 due to a team member testing positive. “The season will continue on. It’s called the almighty dollar,” Mulkey said Saturday after the No. 6 Lady Bears lost 75-71 to Iowa State, ending their 61-game home-court winning streak, which was the longest in Division I women’s basketball. “The NCAA has to have the almighty dollar from the men’s tournament. The almighty dollar is more important than the health and welfare of me, the players or anybody else.” Actor Anthony Anderson is putting the focus on empowering individuals through financial literacy. According to Black Enterprise, the Black-ish star and his mother Doris Anderson have joined forces with the financial services company Northwestern Mutual for the creation of a new initiative centered on money management. The new program was designed to educate individuals about the different facets of financial planning. Anderson will use his platform to share conversations with his Northwestern Mutual advisor as well as resources about setting a solid foundation for financial success. NPR reported 54 percent of households within the U.S. are experiencing serious financial problems. The funeral was stated to have occurred in Miami, where Shirley Williams lived. Before taking time off from her self-titled show to be with family, Wendy broke her silence stating, “She died. My mom passed away many, many, many, many weeks ago. You know how you lose track of the day and time? All I know was it was a long time ago.” While some time has passed, the legendary personality’s brother, Thomas “Tommy” Williams is still feeling hurt over his sister absence and decided to go live on YouTube to vent. Tommy starts with, “I really miss my mother.” He goes on to explain how he doesn’t “understand so many things that have occurred during this time,” and goes on to reference family issues that’ve been occurring and questions he’s not getting answers to, specifically why Wendy missed their mother’s funeral and how she went back to work, like nothing happened. #Socialites thoughts? Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff sat down with CBS News’ Jane Pauley Tuesday in Washington, D.C., for their first joint television interview since the election. Pauley’s extended interview with Harris and Emhoff for CBS SUNDAY MORNING was broadcast today Sunday, Jan. 17 on the CBS Television Network. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/kamala-harris-on-the-job-ahead/ The New Yorker has just released new video that is even more dramatic and upsetting than previous video of the insurrection. It plainly and clearly shows the Capitol insurrectionists storming the building as they told cops, “There’s a f***ing million of us out there. We are listening to Trump, your boss.” https://youtu.be/270F8s5TEKY Besides being the first president to get impeached twice, Donald Trump will have a stain on his legacy with arguably longer-lasting consequences: He’s about to become the only American leader in a century with more than 400,000 deaths from one event on his watch. The USA is expected to cross that somber threshold soon, likely by Monday, yet another reminder of how poorly the nation with the world’s largest economy has fared during the coronavirus pandemic. The current COVID-19 death toll is about 396,000. Phil Spector, the eccentric and revolutionary music producer who transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and who later was convicted of murder, has died. He was 81. California state prison officials said he died Saturday of natural causes at a hospital. Spector was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 at his castle-like mansion on the edge of Los Angeles. After a trial in 2009, he was sentenced to 19 years to life. While most sources give Spector’s birth date as 1940, it was listed as 1939 in court documents following his arrest. His lawyer subsequently confirmed that date to The Associated Press. Clarkson, star of “Barbarian Queen” and other B-movies, was found shot to death in the foyer of Spector’s mansion. Decades before, Spector had been hailed as a visionary for channeling Wagnerian ambition into the three-minute song, creating the “Wall of Sound” that merged spirited vocal harmonies with lavish orchestral arrangements to produce such pop monuments as “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Be My Baby” and “He’s a Rebel.” Actor and retired professional wrestler Mr. T has been actively using his platform to promote his Christian faith, which he believes is the antidote to a contagion that’s engulfing the United States. “We are fighting 2 contagious deadly virus[es]! One is COVID-19 and the other is hate!” he wrote on Twitter Tuesday. The television personality continued, “We got vaccinations for COVID and the love of God for all the haters!” Mr. T, who has been using his Twitter account to almost exclusively promote the Bible and his reflections on what’s happening in the world, said there is a vaccine for the coronavirus as well as for hatred. He then instructed his hundreds of thousands of followers on how to embrace the cure. “The vaccine works when it’s injected into our arm! The love of God works when you invite Him into your Heart!” he declared. A teen selling water bottles killed over $10. A young man shot at a skate park. A child gunned down on the Fourth of July. Their deaths were among the 157 homicides the Atlanta Police Department investigated in 2020, up from 99 in 2019 and the most in more than two decades. “It’s ridiculous that now, even during this pandemic, we got more gun violence going on than ever before,” said Columbus Ward, a longtime activist who lives in Atlanta’s Peoplestown neighborhood. The year’s violence claimed several victims in his community, including Deborah Houston, 59, shot outside a convenience store on Atlanta Avenue in October and Manvel Buckner, 49, shot on Martin Street in December. “It’s really scary because you don’t know who’s going to be killed or who’s going to be shot or where those shots are coming from,” Ward said. “It’s just everywhere.” Monday’s episode of Facebook Watch’s newest talk show, Peace of Mind with Taraji. Hosted by Taraji P. Henson and her best friend and co-host Tracie Jade, the series aims to shine a spotlight on the challenging mental health issues facing us today. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=1068026267012331 34-year-old Ferrin Roy was born with a 4-inch birthmark on her right cheek, and in her new book, “The Mark She Kept,” she shares how she has learned to love her unique feature, despite receiving negative attention for it throughout her life. “When the stares and the comments were in an overload, I thought about removing my birthmark,” she tells PEOPLE. “I met with a plastic surgeon. Then it really sunk in — if I removed it, it would be to satisfy the opinion of others. This is something I had since I was a child, so I grew with it. I had to tell myself, ‘This is you, and you have already accepted who you are.’ ”As PEOPLE notes, Roy credits her mom for instilling self-confidence. Friends, family and associates are celebrating the news that on Friday (01-15-21), former record industry executive/promoter Bill Underwood was granted a compassionate release from prison after 33 years due to the COVID19 pandemic. Underwood was sentenced in 1990, as part of the first round of drug convictions made under the newly enacted federal Sentencing Guidelines of 1987 and the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. He received (3) mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years on drug conspiracy charges, plus a 4th charge — a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Underwood’s defenders point out that the four charges comprise his first and only felony conviction and note the life without parole sentence was the result of a decision, not made by his jury at trial, but rather by his judge who was bound by the mandatory Sentencing Guidelines, at his sentencing hearing. https://youtu.be/lP8vm6iDrII Music producer Mixx may not be a household name yet, but give him time. He has already shared recording studios with and produced for hip-hop giants like Kanye West, DJ Khaled, Drake and French Montana. The voices of R&B artists Teyana Taylor and The Weeknd flow over Mixx’s beats. He has nine gold and six platinum plaques in his trophy case. He has five No. 1 Billboard Awards to his credit. A privileged retired career military man who was equipped with plastic zip-tie restraints when he stormed the U.S. Capitol last week with the alleged intent “to take hostages” has been released from jail into the comfort of his own home. A Texas judge decided that former Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Rendall Brock Jr. didn’t pose enough of a threat to society to keep him jailed despite his presence in the U.S. Capitol wearing full combat gear during an attempted armed and violent coup. Brock’s treatment in court stood in stark contrast to that of Black defendants who have been accused of far less than treasonous actions. A new development from the FBI confirms what the general public already understood, pointing to the insidious intent held by members of the Capitol Hill rioters who planned to carry out violence against members of Congress. In a filing pertaining to the detention of Jacob Anthony Chansley, prosecutors allege his own “words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States Government,” according to The Hill. Chansley also reportedly left a note for Vice President Mike Pence in the Senate chamber that read, “it’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.” Chansley’s image became one of the prominent images of the cowardly display of sedition, shirtless, donning a Viking hate and face paint. He was arrested days after Jan. 6 and was again the poster boy of white privilege after he was afforded organic meals by a judge while in detainment. Back Tulsa leaders don’t care about Sen. James Lankford’s intentions in previously supporting challenges to certifying the presidential election. Although Lankford has been credited with expanding support for the 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Committee, particularly with white conservatives, some Black Tulsans want him to resign. The Tulsa Massacre represents an all-too familiar repeated offense in American history where Black communities were victimized and ravaged by angry white mobs. Last week’s attack at the Capitol spoke to the deep trauma held within for descendants of slavery whose ancestors were subjected to violence at the hands of their white oppressors. Lankford apologized to Black Tulsans for his involvement in efforts to challenge the election, claiming he didn’t realize the baseless fraud allegations were viewed as an attack on Black voters. Public Radio Tulsa challenged Lankford for not taking full responsibility for his role in creating the atmosphere that led to the attack on the Capitol. Details continue to trickle in regarding the planning behind last week’s attack on Capitol Hill. As the FBI warns of more political attacks across the country, Black lawmakers and civil rights advocacy groups expressed concerns about the role several Republican congressional members may have played in the attack. A group of Republican elected officials and other major political figures followed behind Trump’s lead in promoting the ‘Stop The Steal’ hashtag fueling paranoia and fear around the baseless claims of election fraud. Some lawmakers did more than promote unfounded theories on social media and actively engaging with groups seeking to undermine the election certification. Ali Alexander, the mastermind behind ‘Stop the Steal’, says he received direct help from three members of Congress: Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar and Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama. Others like Reps. Majorie Greene and Lauren Boebert leaned into a massive disinformation network, leveraging their power and platforms to spread violent rhetoric. Boebert reportedly tweeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s whereabouts while the attack was underway. Greene has continued to tweet false claims since last week’s attack further riling up the base. During Wednesday’s impeachment debate, Rep. Cori Bush called on her congressional colleagues to address white supremacy within the Capitol grounds. “The 117th Congress must understand we have a mandate to legislate in defense of Black lives,” said Bush. “The first step in that process is to root out white supremacy starting with impeaching the white supremacist in chief.” The Rev. Silvester Beaman, pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware, who will deliver the benediction at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony next Wednesday, says he’s confident the president-elect will “seek after the heart of God” to lead the country. “This final blessing over the event is God’s opportunity to cover the nation in grace as we launch the Biden-Harris administration. I personally know that President Biden will seek after the heart of God, it has been his lifestyle over the years. In his toughest moments it has been the light of God’s love that has guided and sustained him,” Beaman said in a statement on Facebook Thursday. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com MyPillow CEO and Donald Trump confidante Mike Lindell was seen leaving the Oval Office carrying notes that, upon closer inspection, appear to spell out for a series of incendiary, 11th-hour acts that the president should take to overturn the election. Among the explosive proposals appears to be the phrase “…martial law if necessary.” Lindell’s notes were captured by Washington Post photographer, Jabin Botsford from a distance and half the page was not visible as it was folded lengthwise in left hand, which was also holding his cell phone. But when zoomed in on, several halves of paragraphs of the briefing are legible. The title of his notes, in all capital letters, includes the words “TAKEN IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE THE … THE CONSTITUTION” Still reeling from the aftermath of the deadly insurrection at the seat of the U.S. government last week, U.S. Capitol Police have designated Yogananda Pittman as the law enforcement agency’s acting chief. She has been with the force since April 2001 and was named acting chief on Friday, according to the U. S. Capitol Police (USCP) website. That came two days after pro-Trump extremists faced off and eventually overwhelmed security forces at the U.S. Capitol complex. Pittman is the first woman and the first African American to lead the law enforcement agency, USCP confirms to NPR. Sean Urbanski, a former University of Maryland student who stabbed and killed a Black Army lieutenant at a bus stop in May 2017, was sentenced to life in prison for what prosecutors said was a racially motivated hate crime. A Prince George’s County Circuit Court judge handed down the life sentence for Urbanski, 25. However, the judge denied the prosecution’s request for a sentence without parole. “I’m absolutely satisfied that justice was served,” said Maryland State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, whose office prosecuted the case. “I think it is highly unlikely that he will be paroled, at least anytime soon,” she added in an interview with NPR Friday. “However, the judge made that decision based on certain objective factors like the fact that this was his first offense.” Urbanski, who is white, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2019 for the killing of Richard Collins III. Dr. Dre. has been released from the hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm earlier this month. The music producer, whose real name is Andre Young, was discharged on Friday and will be monitored 24 hours a day by medical professionals, at his home, according to TMZ. On Jan. 5, Dre shared a post to Instagram announcing that he was “doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team. I will be out of the hospital and back home soon.” Vanessa Williams is an acclaimed actress, who has appeared on television shows, in film productions and stage plays for more than three decades. As a songstress and recording artist, she has enjoyed many hit records, such as “Dreamin’,” “Save the Best for Last” and “Colors of the Wind,” among others. And in the world of fashion, Williams, as a designer, has her own exclusive collection that she says “celebrates the beauty in every woman.” While Williams has achieved mega professional success over the past 32 years of her career in entertainment, such a fine future didn’t look so promising after she made history in 1983 as the first African American to win the crown of Miss America. Following her historic win, Williams received death threats. And there would be another surprise development that would rock Williams’ world. “A lot of people don’t like to be confronted with diversity, and I was the symbol of that, so I had to prove that I was smart enough, I was talented enough,” Williams said in an interview. She persevered, but just six weeks before her year-long reign as Miss America was set to end, Williams relinquished her title, after Penthouse, an adult-themed magazine, published naked pictures of her, a couple of which were in provocative positions with another nude woman. While it looked like Williams would not escape the fallout from the photos, she defied the odds, but it would take a few years and “re-imaging and rebranding.” ”We knew who Donald Trump was before he was ever coming down the escalator trying to announce his run for presidency,” said Angela Rye, political analyst and host of the podcast “On One” during her interview last week on “The Breakfast Club.” Rye got up at 3 in the morning on the West Coast for the socially-distant interview from her home. She spoke to DJ Envy, Charlamagne tha God and Angela Yee about a number of issues surrounding MAGA’s deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol. Asked whether legislators on both sides of the aisle would support the prosecution of his crimes because of how a jailed U.S. president would look to the rest of the world, Rye responded, “I think that’s a really great question, Envy, and I don’t know the answer to it. What I can tell you now is, how have we looked to the world for the last four years? We look crazy now.” A teacher from Pennsylvania is being praised for his kind and very thoughtful gesture during the coronavirus pandemic which has affected millions of families around the country, including some of his students from his school. Matthew Pierce, a teacher at the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA, which provides free education and on-campus housing for low-income kids — decided to use his stimulus checks to help students in need. According to CNN, Pierce has been using his stimulus payments to buy Uber Eats gift cards for many of the kids and their families. “This one is personal for me. Having been in need … I know what would solve one day’s worth of problems,” he said. “We have to model good civics. It’s not something we’re born with,” Pierce added. “We need to give back in times of need.” Regina King’s debut feature film as a director, “One Night in Miami,” is riveting. Not only is it an outstanding display of filmmaking and creativity, but an awesome show of courage and strength. The film revisits one night in Miami when four prestigious, legendary men (Malcolm X, Cassius Clay, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown) celebrated Clay’s win in a hotel room. Based on real events in that room. https://youtu.be/ZprXMxKg--w Bow Wow is in the crosshairs of a lot of folks who are coming for him for performing at a packed club this weekend? There’s also anger … and concern for the many hundreds of people who put their lives at risk just to be in the crowd. Bow Wow wasn’t alone. He was one of several artists who were in the house at a Houston area club to celebrate club promoter Larry Morrow’s birthday. Meek Mill and J. Prince Jr. were also there … neither seemed to be wearing masks. On this weekend’s Central Ave, record-breaking producer Will Packer (Night School, Girls Trip) responds to how the film and television industry in Georgia may have shifted its voter sentiment. “For me, it’s about who is putting the work in to treat people right – to demand the type of rights that we need for the people that live and work in this state,” said Packer. He adds, “I am fortunate in that I hire a lot of people in this state. It’s important to me that they have the right representatives looking out for their interests.” https://youtu.be/_mYYVzHqH7w Pastor William Dwight McKissic, Sr. says make no mistake about it, I believe the Bible speaks with supreme authority in every area, including race. Where any racial theory contradicts Scripture, Scripture rules overall! This is applicable to the CSP/SBC CRT kerfuffle. The SBC is openly rejecting the collective wisdom of men like Fred Luter, Tony Evans, Marshal Ausberry, The National African American Fellowship of the SBC, hundreds of African American pastors, and her own African American professors by dismissing our claims that there are beneficial aspects to CRT. For these reasons, we are pulling out of SBTC; and if the CSP/SBC policy is ratified in June, we are discontinuing our affiliation with the SBC also. We are “getting off the bus”! FRESH FIRE from EARNEST PUGH on the heels of the success of his latest #1 single “God Wants To Heal You” the Gentleman of Gospel—Earnest Pugh is releasing a new single entitled “Thank You So Much.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhCvRNOKJOw&feature=youtu.be Today, GRAMMY®-nominated emerging Gospel artist, Melvin Crispell, III released his stirring music video for “The Blessing” featuring award-winning songstress Maranda Curtis. The video marks the first release from Crispell’s Essential Worship Song Session series and is a cover of the #1 hit by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes and Elevation Worship. An atmosphere shifting performance with the duo’s powerful vocals shining on God’s constant covering and grace, “The Blessing” is a featured track off Crispell’s debut full-length album I’ve Got a Testimony, which released in 2020. https://melvincrispell.lnk.to/TheBlessing!W&W#music-services Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO The King Center, announces a schedule of virtual programs and events in celebration of the 2021 King Holiday Observance. Beginning Monday, January 11, 2021, and continuing through Monday, January 18, 2021, this year’s schedule includes Nonviolence365® Training, Beloved Community Global Summit, Beloved Community Teach-In, Beloved Community Awards (formerly Salute to Greatness Awards) and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service. The observance commemorates what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 92nd birthday. As we commemorate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King’s 92nd birthday, it’s important to celebrate him and his life, and recall the significance of what was perhaps his second most famous speech, which was also his last, as he was assassinated the next day. Some ascribe a prophetic element to what’s known as his “Mountaintop” speech. Indeed, his final words were, “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop, and I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will, and He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land!” The Mountaintop Speech was delivered in Memphis, at COGIC’s (The Church of God in Christ) Annual April Call Business meeting. It’s unclear if he prophesied his own death the next day, or was just ready for that, given all the threats he received and struggles that he overcame. More than five decades later, Dr. Glenn Plummer has taken up the mantle of Dr. King’s vision in, and vis a vis, Israel. Appointed as the first Bishop of Israel in 2019 by the same COGIC to which Dr. King delivered his Mountaintop Speech in 1968. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes, III, social justice advocate and senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dr. George Mason, senior pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, and Mayor London Breed, the first African American woman to become mayor of San Francisco, are joining together to host a national "Teach-In" in celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 4th Annual King Teach-In will be held virtually on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 11 a.m. CST. The event will be streamed live on Friendship-West's online platforms including the church website , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . NEW TRAILER FOR LIFETIME'S DEATH SAVED MY LIFE STARRING MEAGAN GOOD, LA'MIYA GOOD & CHIKE OKONKWO AVAILABLE NOW. Death Saved My Life Premieres Saturday, February 13 at 8:00pm ET/PT on Lifetime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3T_3T1vJ3g&feature=youtu.be We have just learned that The Piano Best Oscar winner Anna Paquin has landed the lead in Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate’s American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story opposite Zachary Levi. The drama, which Lionsgate is releasing, chronicles the true story of Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to become a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, and Hall of Fame quarterback. Paquin will play Brenda Warner, Kurt’s wife. Tessa Thompson, through her new production company Viva Maude, has inked an HBO deal with two shows already in the works. According to Deadline, Thompson’s deal with HBO and HBO Max will see the actress executive produce two book adaptations for “Who Fears Death” and “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.” “I’m beyond thrilled to officially launch my production company, Viva Maude, which has been a real passion project and labor of love over the last few years,” Thompson said in a statement. “I’m elated to begin this partnership and to bring entertaining and impactful television projects to my friends and collaborators at HBO and HBO Max. The Rev. Franklin Graham is calling out the 10 Republicans who sided with their Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives, all of whom voted Wednesday afternoon in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump for the second time. “Shame, shame on the ten Republicans who joined with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in impeaching President Trump yesterday,” Graham wrote in a Facebook post published Thursday afternoon. “After all that he has done for our country, you would turn your back and betray him so quickly?” Graham went on to say there has “never” been a president like Trump, whom he praised for leading the way in lowering Americans’ taxes, building a strong economy, presiding over record-low unemployment, signing into law major prison reform, defeating ISIS, and securing the country’s southern border. Most importantly for Christians, the famed evangelist argued, Trump “defended religious liberty like no president before him.” Political conspiracy theories helped fuel last week’s Capitol Riot, and some continue to spread, even in the church. Now, key pastors are stepping up to condemn them as dangerous lies. The widespread growth of conspiracy theories in 2020 has affected or involved various churches, leading a number of prominent pastors to speak out, urging their followers to think carefully about what they believe, and what they post. On Tuesday, Pastor Tony Suarez – one of President Trump’s faith advisors and a leader of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference – said it’s gone far enough. He called out specific conspiracy theories and asked those spreading them to apologize. “This is not the outcome I personally wanted. With that said, I cannot sit back and watch conspiracy after conspiracy be shared and not speak out,” he said on Facebook. Despite massive protests in 2020 against police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, fewer pastors, particularly white congregation leaders, say they are willing to preach sermons on race compared to 2020, a new report from LifeWay Research has found. The study, which was based on a survey of 1,007 Protestant pastors conducted Sept. 2 – Oct. 1, 2020, showed that only 74% of pastors agree that their congregation would welcome a sermon on racial reconciliation. Of that number, only 32% strongly agreed. In 2016, however, some 90% of pastors said their church would welcome a sermon on racial reconciliation, with 57% strongly agreeing. North Point Ministries, led by Pastor Andy Stanley, has announced a “phased approach” to reopening in-person Sunday services after it suspended such services for most of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The nondenominational multi-campus ministry based in suburban Atlanta announced on its website the staggered reopening plan for in-person adult and student services but assured that to create a socially distanced environment, it will continue to make adult services available online and on-demand. The Jaguars have hired Urban Meyer as their new head coach, turning to one of the most successful college coaches in NCAA history to help spur a turnaround of one of the NFL’s worst franchises. “This is a great day for Jacksonville and Jaguars fans everywhere,” team owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “Urban Meyer is who we want and need, a leader, winner and champion who demands excellence and produces results. While Urban already enjoys a legacy in the game of football that few will ever match, his passion for the opportunity in front of him here in Jacksonville is powerful and unmistakable.” Meyer’s hiring comes after regular communication between him and the Jaguars. Sources previously told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Meyer had been assembling a coaching staff, including some assistants from the college ranks, ahead of taking the Jaguars job. Charles Barkley is catching heat after suggesting star athletes should get priority COVID-19 vaccines because they pay more taxes than average Americans. “We need 300 million shots, give a thousand to some NBA players, NFL players, hockey players,” he said on TNT’s Inside the NBA. “As much taxes as these players pay, they deserve some preferential treatment.” https://youtu.be/DyB8W4ck0hM Tyler Perry is set to be honored at this year’s Oscars. The Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday that the Hollywood mogul will be the recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. “There has been such widespread generosity in our industry that limiting the Hersholt Humanitarian Award to one recipient, this year in particular, was impossible. So, we are breaking with tradition and giving two awards to honor that spirit,” Academy president David Rubin said in a statement. Tyler Perry’s hit OWN drama series “The Have and the Have Nots” will end its run after 8 seasons. “’The Haves and the Have Nots’ was the first scripted drama we aired on OWN, and to say it took off from the first day it hit the air is an understatement,” Oprah Winfrey said in a statement. “It’s all due to one man’s creativity and very vivid imagination, a man I refer to as my ‘big little brother,’ Tyler Perry. I thank Tyler, the incredible cast, the tireless crew and every single viewer who watched with bated breath each week and tweeted along with us these past eight years. I will be watching alongside you all during this final season.” https://youtu.be/Mq5JkS9Ryv0 Vertical Entertainment has unveiled an official trailer for Spike Lee’s “Son of the South,” a coming-of-age drama starring Lucy Hale and Lucas Till, based on the Bob Zellner autobiography, “The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement.” The story centers on “Zellner, an Alabama native and grandson of a Ku Klux Klan member,” who is “pulled into the center of the civil rights movement in 1961,” https://youtu.be/x0IjvDWw0i4 Rihanna has teamed with artist Lorna Simpson for a series of stunning collages for the January/February 2021 issue of Essence and 12-page portfolio titled “Of Earth & Sky.” “Lorna is a legend,” said Rihanna. “Honestly, I just didn’t think I could get her,” she added. “But I like reaching for the stars and I like challenging myself.” It’s official Sex And The City” will be making its return. Many fans have been wondering if Jennifer Hudson would be down to joins the ladies. While promoting her new animated film “Baba Yaga,” Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier asked J Hud if she would be down for the reboot. She said, “I hope so, that would be cool. I am down, I am down!” She says she hasn’t received any calls about it just yet but added that she is definitely interested. Meanwhile, one project Hudson can confirm is the Aretha Franklin biopic, “Respect,” which has had to move its release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ben Affleck reflected on his relationship with Jennifer Lopez during an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter‘s latest Awards Chatter podcast. While promoting his movie “The Way Back,” Affleck, 48, also opened up about the hate and negativity Lopez received during their romance. “People were so f—- mean about her — sexist, racist. Ugly, vicious s— was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now you would literally be fired for saying those things you said,” Affleck said during the podcast. The white woman who was involved in a physical altercation with a Black female security guard before the Capitol riots, has lost her job. In an ironic twist of events, Therese Duke was terminated after her daughter exposed her on social media. https://youtu.be/TSsR2RK7w5I There is loud demand from nearly all quarters of the general public for nabbing, jailing and tough punishment of the insurrectionists. There’s far more to the racial double standard story than just the embarrassing optics of selfie posing Capitol cops and insurrectionists and bare-knuckle treatment of police abuse protesters. Jake Angeli is a good starting point to underscore that. He’s the bare-chested guy, a self-anointed shaman with the weird, horned headdress seen in countless shots of the insurrectionists. He was quickly id’d (how could he not be), charged and jailed. He then launches a hunger strike until his demand for organic food is met. Marshalls and jailers scramble quickly and accommodate him even as prisoner rights advocates tweet furiously that the demands of Muslim prisoners and other prisoners of color with special dietary needs are rejected or get their requests for special foods only after public protests and lawsuits. Lynne Conner Smith is breaking her silence ahead of the release of the Lifetime biopic, “Wendy Williams: The Movie,” in which the rape is reportedly depicted. Earlier this week, the talk show host alleged in a panel discussion with reporters that Sherrick “date raped” her years ago before they went to a party together, according to People. “He mesmerized me with his twinkling eyes,” she said. “He flipped the interview around to where he was interviewing me. ‘I was just gaga over this man and he asked me to go to an opening party, an album release party, with him that night.’ She added, “And before the party, I was date-raped by him.” Smith told Page Six that Williams should let Sherrick “rest in peace,” because he “is not here to defend himself.” “Sherrick was a beautiful man, a genius with a voice like an angel,” Smith told us on Thursday. “We have three amazing children. This is quite painful to not only us but his nieces and siblings.” Chester Hollman III spent 28 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. In an interview with SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show, he opens up about being convicted by a Black prosecutor and later having his sentence upheld by a Black judge. https://youtu.be/RI4ML0TkxYs The facial expressions made by this baby boy as he listens to his grandfather play the saxophone was so moving that it has gone viral. The boy, Braylon, sits at what appears to be a dining room table. His gramps, Joe Sims, stands on the opposite side playing a sax rendition of Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s “You Know My Name.” Braylon, with a grin on his face, watches his paw paw intently, appearing to light up even more when a note strikes a chord, as if he’s thinking, “You better play that horn, Grandpa.” https://youtu.be/doFl8Pos_SA GRAMMY®-nominated gospel music pioneer and celebrated living legend John P. Kee returns with 2021’s new anthem, “It’s Gonna Get Better.” Fresh off his Billboard Gospel #1 album, I Made it Out, his new single serves as encouragement for all during the current times of political and social unrest. “It’s Gonna Get Better” features Kee’s signature vocals and unique blend of gospel and R&B. Kee’s “It’s Gonna Get Better” is available now at all major digital streaming and retails outlets. It the Gospel Spotlight Song of the week.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EP7ieeeGe0&feature=youtu.be A gospel singer who moved the hearts of many has passed away. 11Alive's Shiba Russell confirmed on Thursday evening that Duranice Pace has died. She's was the oldest of Atlanta's acclaimed sibling gospel group the "Anointed Pace Sisters." The sisters lived up to their "anointed" group name, with voices that touched anyone who heard them sing. A few years ago, it was a clip on social media that reintroduced Pace to the world and made her a viral sensation. In it, she sang the words, "I'll always be thankful" to some of her siblings on Thanksgiving. Pace brought Steve Harvey to tears when she appeared on his show about two years ago. "I didn't know if I was going to be alive, but God done kept me alive to see you, sir. And I'm just glad to be here. I can go to heaven now," Pace said during the 2019 interview. Joanne Rogers, an an accomplished concert pianist who celebrated and protected the legacy of her husband, the beloved children’s TV host Mister Rogers, has died in Pittsburgh. She was 92. Rogers died Thursday, according to the Fred Rogers Center. No cause of death was given. The center called her “a joyful and tender-hearted spirit, whose heart and wisdom have guided our work in service of Fred’s enduring legacy.” Joanne and Fred Rogers were married for more than 50 years, spanning the launch and end of the low-key, low-tech “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” which presented Fred Rogers as one adult in a busy world who always had time to listen to children. His pull as America’s favorite neighbor never seemed to wane before his death in 2003. GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard returns to ABC’s Good Morning America for an interview and performance of her current single, “In Spite of Me,” on Monday, January 18, 2021 at 8:45AM Local Time. Check local listings. This will be Tasha’s first appearance on the popular morning show since 2018, when she performed her #1 single, “I’m Getting Ready.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com OWN’s new Friday night unscripted series “Belle Collective” premieres on January 15, and centers on the personal and professional lives of five successful, glamourous boss women who are redefining what it means to be a southern belle in Jackson, Mississippi. https://youtu.be/MP-g4gEnC-Y New Music from Kierra Sheard "Something Has To Break" featuring her mother Karen Clark Sheard. The message in this song resonates with these trying times not to mention the powerful and anointed vocals of these ladies. The Gospel Spotlight is on this song.....https://pec.smcdp-aws.net/welcome?key=92BA5235-D0A6-D696-9D59-9A5F9FBADD44 Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The announcement came hours after it was reported Thursday that Biden tapped former South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison to lead the DNC. The news of Bottoms’ inclusion in Biden’s reimagined DNC was not expected since it was reported last month that she turned down an offer to be in Biden’s cabinet. This time around, Bottoms confirmed the report by tweeting that she was “humbled” by her nomination and “ready to build on our party’s progress to make a better future for all Americans.” New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the city of New York on Thursday, naming Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan and police commissioner Dermot Shea in relation to a string of civil rights violations spurred from the months of Black Lives Matter protests held across the city over the past year. “As the demonstrations continued, the very thing being protested — aggressive actions of law enforcement — was on public display,” James said at a news conference on Thursday. In the suit, the New York attorney general petitions for the installation of a monitor to oversee the NYPD, and points to repeated instances of violence enacted by the department in response to the demonstrations in 2020 from February to December. “There is no question that the NYPD engaged in a pattern of excessive, brutal, and unlawful force against peaceful protesters,” said Attorney General James in a released statement. “Over the past few months, the NYPD has repeatedly and blatantly violated the rights of New Yorkers, inflicting significant physical and psychological harm and leading to great distrust in law enforcement. With today’s lawsuit, this longstanding pattern of brutal and illegal force ends. No one is above the law — not even the individuals charged with enforcing it.” Sen. James Lankford, one of the 11 Senate Republicans who planned to object to the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden, is now apologizing to his Black constituents for not recognizing that his involvement in questioning the results would offend them. He later withdrew his objection after the pro-Trump siege of the Capitol. In fact, it was Lankford who was in the midst of his objection on Jan. 6 when his speech on the Senate floor was interrupted and Senators were rushed to safety – as the mob of Trump supporters broke into the building. https://youtu.be/IddkFaZhZdg Ashanti Smith, the black woman seen punching a Trump supporter after being swept up and attacked during the Capitol riot, is sharing her story exclusively with local D.C. journalist Leah Henry about how she ended up on the Capitol grounds that day and what led up to the punch, which led her to be fired from her job as a security guard. Smith, 28, said she was on a break from her job nearby when she saw the mob forming and got closer to take pictures. She said that’s when a female Trump supporter asked who she was there to support, President Trump or President-Elect Joe Biden. Smith said neither, and the woman accused her of being with Antifa. Smith said she didn’t know what Antifa was and asked the woman, “What did you call me?” That’s when things escalated. Other Trump supporters nearby began hurling racial slurs and she was swarmed. Smith said she was pulled to safety behind the nearby police barricade seen in the video, but at least two of the cops were adamant that she not stay with them and sent her back out into the crowd over the objections of officers that pulled her to safety. She was swarmed a second time by the MAGA rioters, and was again called racial slurs. Smith said she felt someone spit on her. “So, I automatically got into defense mode and I hit her, and I stepped back. … I didn’t wanna seem like the aggressor or that I was down there to cause any problems, because that wasn’t it. I was there to take pictures. https://www.instagram.com/_ashanti_s/?utm_source=ig_embed Child Trends published a report Wednesday finding that Black and Latino Households are almost twice as likely as their white counterparts to experience three or more hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Child Trends, 31 percent of Black and 29 percent of Latino households with children experienced three or more economic or health-related hardships. In an interview with NBC News, Dana Thomson, a researcher at Child Trends, said that such hardships do not only impact parents. “It’s easy to look at the hardships that we’ve identified and think that this is mainly happening to the parents,” said Thomson, who is also a co-author of the report. “But research shows that the stress that families and parents experience definitely trickles down to their children either indirectly through parent-child interactions or by the types of experiences that they’re able to provide, or directly.” https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1349349580555563010/7Udr3qwy?format=jpg&name=small With Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff’s victories in the Senate runoffs, the nation is once again realizing what we organizers have known all along: Georgia is a battleground state, thanks to the relentless work done toward investing in and turning out voters of color. I have always said that the demographics shifts in Georgia are the fire and organizing is the accelerant. Georgia is going through a massive demographic shift, which has created the opportunity for a different kind of politics in the South. The changes we are seeing now didn’t happen overnight — we have been on the ground for years doing the necessary work to get us to this moment by speaking to this new Georgia — young people, people of color (especially Black voters) and immigrants, all of whom are traditionally ignored or marginalized by political campaigns and elected officials. What people want, more than anything else, is to be heard — to be listened to, and to know their concerns are acknowledged, and that is at the core of our work. Members of the Project 21 black leadership network are available for interviews regarding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy as Americans prepare for the annual commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18. They note that many of the words and actions seen in political discourse over the past year conflict with Dr. King’s ideology. “As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let us not forget the barriers that have been broken down in the 21st century by his successors,” said Project 21 member Julian Boykin. “With Black History Month around the corner, we should also celebrate the more recent accomplishments of those individuals who have made a significant influence in our lives.” President Donald Trump is said to be so furious over his second impeachment that he has reportedly told aides not to pay Rudy Giuliani’s legal fees. According to The Washington Post, the president has become upset with his longtime friend and personal attorney, and wants to “personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred” during their failed attempts to overturn the results of November’s presidential election through the courts. The New York Times also spoke to an official who claims Giuliani is reportedly seeking $20,000 a day for his work on the election fraud case. White House officials have allegedly been told to block his calls to Trump. https://twitter.com/i/status/1349728225321107456 An investigation is underway after it was discovered that the panic buttons had been ripped out of the congressional office of Ayanna Pressley prior to the violent Trump mob storming the Capitol. Her chief of staff, Sarah Groh, discovered that the panic buttons installed in Pressley’s office had been removed as they attempted to barricade themselves in prior to the takeover. A rep for the congresswoman spoke to the UK’s Independent and revealed that the “relevant authorities” had been notified. “During the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Congresswoman Pressley’s Chief of Staff realized the duress buttons installed throughout the Congresswoman’s office suite had been removed,” said Ricardo A. Sánchez. “The matter has been raised with the relevant agencies and is currently under investigation.” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is standing by his decision to permanently suspend President Donald Trump from the platform. In a lengthy thread on the platform, Dorsey said he had concerns about the “dangerous” precedent the ban sets, but noted it was “the right decision.” “We faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety. Offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all,” Dorsey wrote on the platform. “That said, having to ban an account has real and significant ramifications. While there are clear and obvious exceptions, I feel a ban is a failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation. And a time for us to reflect on our operations and the environment around us.” From “very fine people on both sides” to “stand back and stand by,” “The Daily Show’s” Roy Wood, Jr. has put together a montage of Donald Trump’s inability to denounce white supremacists. All of his greatest hits are here, including that time he claimed never to have heard of former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, his inability to call out the Charlottesville racists and the “stand back and stand by” message to the Proud Boys during his presidential debate with Joe Biden. Also included are Trump’s retweets of racist material, including that video with retirement home folks yelling, “white power,” or pro-Trump material from the handle @whitegenocide. https://youtu.be/kvpaPfjgxc4 Issa Rae has confirmed that her hit HBO series “Insecure” is coming to an end with its fifth season. HBO Programming Executive Vice President Amy Gravitt announced the end of the beloved show on Wednesday. Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales and Alexander Hodge are all set to kick off production on the last season later this month, per Complex. “Prentice [Penny] and I are so grateful that HBO believed in our show from the beginning and kept faith in us to see our vision through the end,” Rae told Deadline. “We always planned to tell this story through five seasons, but we couldn’t have made it this far without the tremendous support of our audience. I feel blessed beyond measure to bring our characters’ stories to an end, on-screen at least.” The show was partially based from Rae’s online show “Awkward Black Girl,” which ran for two seasons on YouTube. Faith Fox, the mom of 9th grader Jamel Van Rensalier, told WBTV in December that her son’s enrollment contract at Providence Day School was terminated after she complained about the play’s use of the N-word and lack of diversity in her son’s classroom. Dr. Kimberly Ellis, scholar and niece of August Wilson, says she understands why Fox had concerns. “In this particular context, where he was one of two black children in the classroom, with that introduction, with that teacher, I can see the N-word being used as a weapon against him, even as it is read in the play Fences. And that is why I oppose the use in this context,” Dr. Ellis said. In a six-page letter to the school, Dr. Ellis further addressed concerns, citing the need of historical context including teachings of the Negro Baseball League, and an inclusive curriculum on Black history before the play is introduced to teenagers. https://youtu.be/9akZg1Lh-F0 CLEO TV's new series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES sheds light on the mental health impacts of heartache and grief in the next episode airing Sunday, January 17, at 9 P.M. ET/8C. The 10-episode prime-time series spinoff is based on the Emmy-nominated web series TOUGH LOVE, which takes a raw and vulnerable look at the very real challenges of losing a loved one and enduring a breakup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MytI8G-yvaA&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV welcomes the third season of the popular cooking show, JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, January 16 at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Chef JJ continues to entertain with uniquely prepared cuisine sure to leave viewers wanting more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tWTxP37eHk&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV serves up a second helping of savory and quick gourmet on the next episode of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX, hosted by acclaimed Chef Jernard Wells, airing Saturday, January 16 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. The Chef's solo cooking demonstration delivers satisfying southern cuisine while helping everyone keep their New Year's resolutions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF3fiI38Zro&feature=youtu.be Jonathan McReynolds follows up his chart topping collaborative single "Movin' On" with a powered packed new fan favorite titled "Grace". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0gEcAmKUU8&feature=youtu.be In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jakes Divinity School and Urban Renewal Center of Norfolk are hosting a virtual event titled "Lead Like King" on Monday, Jan. 18. The event will include entertainment and remarks from Andrew Young, a civil rights leader and former top aide to King, and Bishop T.D. Jakes. The event, which will include a scholarship drive and presentation of awards, will commemorate King's legacy of service to the church and society. As a trained theologian, King's public theology encompasses the vision of Jakes Divinity School to "form leaders for innovative ministry in the church and society." His focus on social justice and racial harmony captures the vision of the Urban Renewal Center to, "awaken society to its promised wholeness." Angela Wilson is excited about the release of her debut single “Winner.” the song features Mali Music.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK3Z3Y0nZ4M&feature=youtu.be KERI HILSON AND DEBORAH JOY WINANS STAR IN TV ONE’S NEW, ORIGINAL MOVIE DON’T WASTE YOUR PRETTY PREMIERING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 AT 8 P.M./7C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWkMrWILzs4&feature=youtu.be Eduard Florea, a member of the far-right Proud Boys group, was arrested on Tuesday night after police say they found Parler posts from him threatening the life of Sen.-elect Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.), as well as planning to take part in the Capitol riot last week. Florea responded to another user on Parler who posted “F— RAPHAEL WARNOCK LOSER” saying, “Dead man can’t pass shit laws.” He was arrested in his home in Queens, N.Y., where authorities said they found more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and military-style combat knives, NBC New York reported on Wednesday. Florea was reportedly not allowed to have that ammunition due to a previous arrest and conviction in 2013 for a firearms-related felony. “For those of you out there with similar intentions, heed this warning — knock it off, or expect to see us at your door,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said at a news conference. Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times by a Kenosha police officer in August, is speaking out about the incident in a new interview with “Good Morning America.” Blake, 29, was partially paralyzed in the Aug. 23 shooting that was captured on video and sparked protests in the city and across the nation. https://twitter.com/i/status/1349532686516305921 Siegfried Fischbacher, the surviving member of the magic duo Siegfried & Roy who entertained millions with illusions using rare animals, has died in Las Vegas, his longtime publicist tells The Associated Press. He was 81. Fischbacher died Wednesday at his home from pancreatic cancer, Dave Kirvin of Kirvin Doak Communications said Thursday. The news was first reported by German news agency dpa. Fischbacher’s long-time show business partner, Roy Horn, died last year of complications from COVID-19 at a Las Vegas hospital. He was 75. Actress Rebel Wilson has revealed that she was kidnaped while traveling in Africa. Speaking on Sky One’s travel show, “Straight Talking,” with host Ant Middleton, Wilson recalled the scary moment she was travelling with some companions in Mozambique and their vehicle was taken over by a group of gunmen. “We were on this cattle truck and these men came on another truck with a lot of guns,” she said, via The Daily Mail. “[They pulled up beside us] with the big guns and they were like, ‘Yeah, you’ve got to get off your truck.'” Dr. Dre’s estranged wife speaks out about being abused by the music mogul. While Dre remains hospitalized after suffering a brain aneurysm, Nicole Young has come forward with allegations of physical and emotional abuse against her ex. Young details the abuse in a legal filing submitted to Los Angeles County Superior Court on Dec. 29, amid their ongoing divorce proceedings. In the docs, she claims Dre held a gun to her head twice during their marriage. Young filed for divorce last summer after 24 years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.” They have since since been hashing out the financial terms of their separation. Most recently, Dr. Dre agreed to pay Nicole $2 million in spousal support to “pay for living expenses for the next few months.” Kirbyjon Caldwell, Houston megachurch pastor and former spiritual adviser to two U.S. presidents, was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that defrauded more than two dozen people out of millions of dollars through the sale of worthless Chinese bonds. But it may be another year until the 67-year-old, who has prostate cancer, enters the prison system because of the threats posed to his health by COVID-19. Caldwell was a spiritual adviser to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He grew Windsor Village United Methodist Church from roughly 25 members in the 1980s to more than 16,000 today — making it one of the country’s largest protestant congregations. Meet Billy Sanders, the sign language interpreter who went viral thanks to TikTokers and celebs like Halle Berry. The Internet has dubbed Sanders #ASLbae after signing for Mayor Muriel Bowser during the riots, per TMZ. https://twitter.com/i/status/1347425562399182854 Azealia Banks earlier this week unearthed her dead cat Lucifer and allegedly boiled him in a pot. She shared footage of the ritual online and immediately caught the wrath of animal lovers across the globe. https://youtu.be/usU3qVz0LRo NBCUniversal News Group launched NBCU Academy, a new, innovative, multiplatform journalism training and development program for four-year university and community college students through education, on-campus training and online programming. The initiative includes a curated onsite curriculum for hands-on learning experience with world-class NBCU News Group journalists, funding for accredited journalism programs and scholarships. Skylar Hughes was 11 years old when her mom, Rasheda Hughes, suffered a brain aneurysm. After falling into a coma, she died the following year. But Skylar wasn’t about to let a huge moment in her life go by without her mom’s spirit being a part of it. The Georgia teen, who spends time with her mother routinely at her gravesite, decided to wait 16 hours before opening her Dec. 18th decision email from Duke University, so that she could share that experience with her mom as well. “She was such a vibrant woman, and I get a lot of my qualities from her. She’s definitely my biggest inspiration. I probably go there once every week or once every two weeks. I bring lunch out there, and I just like catch her up to my life because I know she would want to be involved,” Hughes told reporters. The teen and her dad knelt at the gravesite with Hughes’ laptop, knowing that Duke has a mere 7% acceptance rate. https://youtu.be/GWfoJJSOj4M Wendy Williams is speaking out for the first time about how she was date-raped by R&B singer Sherrick, who died in 1999 at age 41. As reported by The Daily Mail, Williams was promoting her upcoming Lifetime biopic, “Wendy Williams: The Movie,” when she told reporters about being sexually assaulted by Sherrick, who was popular in the late Eighties and had one hit song, “Just Call.” Prior to his death last month, actor Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister legally changed his middle name to “Debo,” to honor his character in the 1995 comedy “Friday.” Lister died at 62 after being found unconscious at his Marina Del Rey condo. Sources say he was not transported to the hospital, and was pronounced dead on the scene. An official cause of death has not been revealed but he is thought to have died due to COVID-19 complications. His manager Cindy Cowan said, per CNN, that the actor fell ill a week before his death and his symptoms “got really bad, really quick,” adding, “He couldn’t breathe and felt very weak. It literally went so fast.” Congressional Black Caucus members made some of the fiercest statements in support of impeaching Donald Trump during debate on the House floor Wednesday afternoon. Showing little to no concern for rules of decorum or a false pretense of respectability, Black representatives took clear aim at the outgoing president for his incitement. Many of the representatives who spoke clearly named Trump’s incitement of white nationalist violence as being at the heart of the attack on democracy as an institution and their own lives. California Rep. Maxine Waters refused to let Republicans off the hook, calling them the Trump Party. Aunty Maxine kept it tight and did not mince words. https://twitter.com/i/status/1349444991500877833 The recent police killing of an unarmed Black man in Texas is under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies as questions mount about how what should have been a nonviolent encounter turned into a deadly shooting. Patrick Warren Sr. was killed Sunday after an officer responded to his family’s attempt to contact mental health professionals when they noticed his behavior changing at their home in the town of Killeen. But it was still unclear why the Killeen Police Department officer felt the need to not only Taser Warren — a 52-year-old man who, again, was unarmed — but also actually shoot him to death. S. Lee Merritt, the civil rights attorney retained by Warren’s family, described an overly aggressive police encounter that places a spotlight directly on the still-unidentified officer’s reckless, hasty and preventable actions. He also touched on how perilous mental wellness checks conducted by police have become for Black people, in particular. More than 38,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 in the first two weeks of the new year. Another 92,000 are projected to die from the virus over roughly the next three weeks, according to an ensemble forecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers are scary and reflect what public health experts have repeatedly warned: While the end is in sight — with the help of ongoing Covid-19 vaccinations — the nation is still facing challenging times ahead. Currently, more than 130,300 people are hospitalized with the virus, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. A 40-year-old Texas woman has died from the highly contagious UK strain of COVID-19. Felicia Parker passed away at a Houston hospital on Saturday, five days after she was admitted to the facility because she was having trouble breathing. Subsequent testing confirmed that Parker had contracted the UK variant of the coronavirus, known as B 1.1.7 and dubbed ‘Super COVID’ because it is feared to be up to 70 percent more transmissible. Relatives say they have no idea how Parker contracted that particular strain of the disease. So far, 82 ‘Super COVID’ infections have been detected in 10 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Moderna Inc’s CEO says the novel coronavirus will never disappear and will likely be around ‘forever.’ During a panel discussion at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, Stéphane Bancel echoed comments from public health experts who say COVID-19 is likely going to become an endemic disease, meaning it will always present in the population but circulating at low rates. ‘SARS-CoV-2 is not going away,’ Bancel said, according to CNBC.’ We are going to live with this virus, we think, forever.’ Additionally, he said he believes the firm’s coronavirus vaccine will be effective against infection by any of the new variants from the UK, South Africa or Brazil. The U.S. Capitol‘s “safe room” where members of Congress sought refuge during last week’s attempted coup has emerged as a potential coronavirus superspreader. But that wasn’t the reason why Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley decided against going there. The second-term member of “The Squad“ said in a tweet on Tuesday that her decision against hiding in the “safe room” was predicated on her opinion that her Congressional colleagues may be just as dangerous as the riotous mob that illegally and violently broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6. “The second I realized our ‘safe room’ from the violent white supremacist mob included treasonous, white supremacist, anti masker Members of Congress who incited the mob in the first place, I exited,” Pressley tweeted. “Furious that more of my colleagues by the day are testing positive.” That last part was a nod to Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal being the latest Congress member to test positive for COVID-19 after being in the “safe room.” Reps Bonnie Watson Coleman and Brad Schneider also contracted the coronavirus under the same circumstances. All three are Democrats. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Q’Anon conspiracy theorist representing Georgia’s 14th congressional district, announced Thursday that she will file articles of impeachment against President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 21, his first day in office, for “abuse of power.” “We have to make sure that our leaders are held accountable, we cannot have a president of the United States that is willing to abuse the power of the office of the presidency and be easily bought off by foreign governments … Chinese energy companies, Ukrainian energy companies,” she said on the far right-wing cable channel Newsmax. “So on January 21, I will be filing articles of impeachment on Joe Biden.” Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has responded to the backlash over the Kamala Harris cover. Twitter has overwhelmingly rebuked the lighting, styling and set dressing of Vice President-Elect Harris’ new cover of Vogue magazine’s February 2021 issue. It’s so bad that people thought the two covers (print and digital versions) tweeted out by Vogue over the weekend were “deep fakes.” “First, this is a weak shot. A lot of people have complained about the backdrop, but it could absolutely work if used correctly,” one photographer wrote, per Us Weekly. “The pose is unflattering, Harris looks uncomfortable, the angle of the photograph is unsophisticated, and the lighting is poorly done.” “Kamala’s team was informed by Vogue that the blue suit photo would be featured on the cover,” a source familiar with the shoot told Us Weekly. “So they were surprised to see that the more informal portrait had ultimately been chosen instead.” In her statement, Wintour explained that there was “no formal agreement” over which cover to use. Today, internationally acclaimed super-producer, songwriter, entertainer Bongo ByTheWay unveils his first production for the new year with extraordinary R&B sensations Jazmine Sullivan and H.E.R. for “Girl Like Me.” Available to purchase and stream today, the powerful, acoustic-style single will accompany Jazmine Sullivan’s forthcoming EP Heaux Tales, which arrived on January 8, 2021. https://youtu.be/8TLty1mCrPA Fantasia Barrino is gearing up to welcome her baby girl! The American Idol alum took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal the sex of her baby on the way. Videos posted on Barrino’s Instagram Story from her gender reveal party on Tuesday evening show pink fireworks erupting into the night sky. Her family cheers in the clip, shouting their excitement for the singer’s soon-to-be bundle of joy. Barrino also shared the news with an Instagram post of a cartoon baby sitting with a balloon display. “It’s A Girl,” she captioned the pic. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJsCkUNsw3Z/?utm_source=ig_embed Lecrae told us early last year that Restoration could very well be his last album with the exception of a Church Clothes 4 album. Well, that time is here now as Lecrae just announced it on his Instagram. Church Clothes 3 dropped in January of 2016, so this has been a long time coming. https://www.instagram.com/lecrae/?utm_source=ig_embed A remote workforce study from CyberArk found that most employees feel more productive working from home and want to continue after the COVID-19 pandemic passes. That’s true even though 78% admitted to having frequent technical issues and 34% said they’re suffering “Zoom fatigue.” However, poor security practices could force businesses to reconsider the long-term viability of remote work. Over half (54%) of the employees surveyed said they had received remote-work specific security training. Yet 67% admitted they disobey these policies. Other security-compromising habits include sending work documents to personal email addresses, sharing passwords, and/or installing rogue applications. Tim Lester, an NFL fullback best known for being Jerome Bettis’ lead blocker with the Pittsburgh Steelers, died at the age of 52 due to COVID-19 complications. Lester played eight seasons in the NFL after being taken by the Rams in the 10th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. Lester played three seasons with the Rams and four with the Steelers before finishing his career with the Cowboys. Stephen A. Smith believes Kyrie Irving should retire from basketball. The ESPN hot-take artist thinks Irving’s personal leave of absence is proof his heart isn’t into the game and he owes it to fans, the Nets organization and his teammates to step away. https://youtu.be/z81VQBtWnYU The Rockets have sent James Harden to the Nets in a blockbuster four-team trade that also involves the Pacers and Cavaliers, completing the unhappy star’s exit from Houston and setting up a potential superteam in Brooklyn. The Nets sent Houston a package that includes multiple players and draft picks and features guard Caris LeVert, who was then traded to the Pacers for Victor Oladipo, sources told ESPN. Center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince are headed from the Nets to the Cavs in the deal, sources told ESPN, while the Rockets receive Cleveland guard Dante Exum and Brooklyn forward Rodions Kurucs. Houston also receives Brooklyn’s three unprotected first-round draft picks in the deal — in 2022, 2024 and 2026 — plus pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027, sources told ESPN. The Rockets also get Cleveland’s 2022 first-round pick, via the Milwaukee Bucks, and Houston is sending a 2023 second-round pick to the Pacers, sources told ESPN. Wendy Williams is set to release her biopic “Wendy Williams: The Movie” later this month on Lifetime and the TV host is getting candid on her breakup with her ex-husband Kevin Hunter. Williams filed for divorce after Kevin Hunter reportedly got his mistress pregnant. https://youtu.be/2CDfTJ4Utc8 Comedy fans get ready for “Breaking News in Yuba County.” The new flick is directed by Tate Taylor, from a screenplay by Amanda Idoko. https://youtu.be/ENv0B-jX3O4 Rolling Ray—the viral internet star who became famous after appearing on “MTV Catfish: Trolls” in 2018, was reportedly hospitalized Wednesday (Jan. 13) after his wig caught on fire. Ray shared the news on Instagram Live, where video showed the entire right side of his face severely burnt. “Burned my whole skin. Legs, arms, feet, and everything,” he told his livestream viewers. “I love y’all and I want y’all to keep me in y’all prayers.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1349536714381996036 Marvel Studios’ new show “WandaVision” starring Paul Bettany (Vision) and Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff) marks the first series in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will streaming exclusively on Disney+ January 15th. https://youtu.be/zh26-WAaoA0 Jessa Duggar Seewald is now a pastor’s wife, as photos posted online over the weekend revealed. Duggar Seewald’s mother-in-law, Guinn Seewald, was the first to share the photos of her son, Ben, getting ordained. “Rejoicing in God’s abundance of mercy and grace as we attended the ordination of Ben as pastor to a precious church, praying for the Lord to be glorified through the teaching of the word and faithful care of the body of Christ,” the proud mother wrote in a Facebook post. A Florida pastor who crusaded against alcohol sales on Sundays is now facing child pornography charges, state investigators say. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported William Dalton Milam, 62, was arrested Monday on two counts of promoting sexual performance of a child and 25 counts of possession of child pornography. It was not immediately clear Tuesday if Milam has a lawyer. The Pensacola News Journal reports Milam is pastor at the Olivet Baptist Church in Milton and was an outspoken critic of the consumption of alcohol. He delivered a sermon there last Sunday. The upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series at Amazon has unveiled the show’s official synopsis. “Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.” Godfather Records Recording Artist Geneatha Wright has just released her newest project entitles, "In The Room" This single is an awesome body of work consisting of great Praise & Worship music but not limited to just one genre. This CD gives you a live experience of what her music ministry has to offer. Awesome singing accompanied by an amazing band will have you worshiping, praising and dancing from track 1 all the way to track 12. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ujmheashup0mnhb/Geneatha%20Wright%20In%20The%20Room.mp3?dl=0 DAMON LITTLE releases his new song "STAND UP." under his current label LITTLE WORLD MUSIC. Damon is an award winning singer, song writer and producer who is no stranger to the gospel industry. Known for his hit songs such as: "I Won't Be Defeated", "Because of You", "Be Alright" and "Straddle the Fence" just to name a few. https://gospelairplaynow.disco.ac/playlist-new/6333984?date=20210113&user_id=668306&signature=Hq0LsgiU9w8nL_3uFgAkN4Odjbs%3A02Uofs9T Coming off the success of their #1 Radio hit, “I'm Next”, Stellar Award Nominee Demetrius West reviewed the state of the world’s current condition and awoke with desire to make a musical statement. To that end, he solicited the help of over 100 of Indianapolis local artists to record a single that simply asks God to ?“Heal Our Land”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwaQuBVk1p0&feature=youtu.be WE tv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta” finds Jhonni Blaze getting together with Deb to talk about her mental health, depression and new perspective on life. https://youtu.be/cxjH2fs2d1Y On Wednesday, the House voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time for “incitement of insurrection.” The move comes exactly a week after the inspired a MAGA mob to storm Capitol Hill. The Democratic majority was joined by some Republicans, making the House’s move bipartisan unlike Trump’s first impeachment less than 13 months ago. https://youtu.be/wZPUKKY2ic8 Jordan Klepper has filed another report from the MAGA frontlines for “The Daily Show,” this time interviewing Trump supporters and exposing their ignorance of the U.S. constitution in the moments leading up to their invasion of the Capitol. https://youtu.be/YVDJqipoohc Several hours before the Capitol riots, Donald Trump thought he could use his so-called super-salesman expertise on Mike Pence to do his bidding as in overturning the election results. And how did Mr. Persuasion think he could convince Pence into buying his bullsh*t? By telling him: “You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a p*ssy.” The info comes courtesy of a New York Times report with new details about the schism between Pence and Trump. The former Minneapolis officer who kneeled on George Floyd‘s neck stripping him of life and dignity, will be tried separately from the three officers accused of aiding and abetting, according to a report by NBC News. Derek Chauvin‘s trial is scheduled to begin on March 8 according to a Tuesday ruling by Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill, who citied COVID-19 restrictions as reason to separate the trials. Cahill’s ruling obtained by Reuters claimed space limitations in the courthouse would “make it impossible to comply with COVID-19 physical restrictions in a joint trial involving all four defendants.” The other officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, who stood idly by as Chauvin issued state sanctioned violence, will be tried together in August. An investigation into the U.S. Capitol Police‘s suspected involvement with the domestic terrorists who illegally stormed the Capitol last week has drawn attention to the infiltration of white supremacists in the ranks of both law enforcement and the American military. Multiple officers with the U.S. Capitol Police have been suspended for their roles in all but aiding and abetting members of the mob that attempted a coup in a purported protest of baseless claims of election fraud. More than a dozen other officers are under investigation for possible offenses ranging from posting messages of support for the mob of domestic terrorists to “inappropriate” anti-Joe Biden activity online, the Washington Post reported. Those developments came on the backdrop of Capitol Police scrutiny that the department wasn’t properly prepared for the thousands of Trump supporters who were expected to become violent at the so-called “Stop The Steal” protest. By now the widely shared video of a Black woman security officer defending herself after she was hit by one of the angry pro-Trump extremists on Jan. 6, has made its rounds on social media. But the story behind the incident and the aftermath which has sorely affected the life of Ashanti Smith, the security guard, highlights another example of how punishment is swiftly handed down for Black people in comparison to how violent white extremists are coddled. A white woman behind Smith attempts to reach over to grab Smith’s phone, resulting in Smith hitting her. After Smith strikes the woman, a man violently pushes her, and three other men drag her to the police line. As the angry mob continues to harass Smith, a woman comes from behind and pushes her into the police resulting in more violence. Smith is caught in the crowd who continues to push and is hit with pepper spray as police attempt to disarm the crowd. The woman who pushed Smith was identified as Anne Lorenz and was charged with assault along with Smith. https://twitter.com/i/status/1346696228323659776 Rep. James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) suggestion of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a national pacifier came less than a week after a violent white nationalist attack on the U.S. Capitol. Meanwhile, reports indicate that pro-Trump insurrectionists are planning more incursions on D.C. and state capitols around the country. Reserved for school events and other special occasions, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” comes with a particular history and ritual that cannot just be inserted into this current moment. Clyburn and his colleagues rushed to make a symbolic gesture but failed to propose any meaningful legislation. https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1348854419073466369/L3h_M7TV?format=jpg&name=small Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed in a video Tuesday that she feared for her life during last week’s deadly MAGA invasion of the U.S. Capitol, saying that a “close encounter” during the chaos shook her to the core. “I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live video. “Not just in a general sense, but in a very, very specific sense.” Ocasio-Cortez said she could not reveal details of the encounter “due to security concerns,” but assured followers “I thought I was going to die.” Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder did not immediately respond to the reports that he and other former state officials were facing an imminent indictment for their roles in the deadly environmental disaster widely recognized as the Flint Water Crisis. However, the lawyer who secured a $600 million settlement for the water crisis victims in the predominately Black city of Flint, said he was excited as the prospects of charging Snyder and others. Cory Stern said the looming indictment means more justice is on the way. “News of criminal charges being brought against Governor Snyder and other former top Michigan state officials should put folks on notice that there is a reckoning coming for any person or party responsible for the Flint water crisis. And if state officials are being charged criminally, then we should expect more civil liability to follow,” Stern, who represents 2,600 children in Flint and was named Lead Counsel for plaintiffs in the proposed settlement for Flint residents, said in a statement hours after the Associated Press broke the news Tuesday afternoon. “One Night in Miami” is the feature film directorial debut, from Academy Award-winning actress Regina King. The film tells a fictionalized version of events following the 1964 heavyweight championship victory of Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) in Miami. After the win, Clay celebrated with Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir,) Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) https://youtu.be/K8vf_Cmh9nY Mariah Carey chopped it up with Questlove (né Ahmir Thompson) for a new episode of his podcast Questlove Supreme, during which she opened up about growing up biracial. “When people years from now tell my story — hopefully that happens — they’re gonna have to use that book as a template,” Carey told Questlove, of her memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” per PEOPLE. “This is my actual story. I look at a lot of people that I admired who didn’t get a chance to do that. They may have told their stories through their music and people interpret their stories.” She continued, “I know some people, Ahmir, like to have everybody else’s input and their perspective. But what I wanted was to tell my actual story, which doesn’t begin with, ‘Mariah Carey put out Vision of Love in 1990.’ No, it doesn’t begin with that. It begins [with me] coloring in the ‘wrong’ crayon with a brown crayon for my father, so they all freak out at me.” The five-time Grammy winner said her identity crisis heightened once she entered the music industry, noting that “there’s a thing where there’s a constant theme [with] being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Then [I was] a woman of color with all this ambiguity and [had] people deciding how they’re going to market me [at the time].” Actor Ernie Hudson’s Hollywood career spans 4 decades, with his most notable role being one of the original Ghostbusters. He can next be seen in the drama feature “Redemption Day,” in which he plays the boxing father to Gary Dourdan’s character. In a new interview with TooFab, the veteran actor says that while he had a great time working on the project, at 75, he is still on the hunt for “that one great role.” “But honestly, I’m okay,” he added, “If it happens that’d be great but at a certain point you gotta go you know what, ‘I’d love to get an Academy Award, but I gotta be okay with where it is.” https://youtu.be/TWjsU76dEIE Halle Berry remains disheartened that she remains the only woman of color to win a Best Lead Actress Oscar. Berry bagged the coveted trophy in 2002 for her role in “Monster’s Ball.” At the time, she was hopeful that her win would provide more opportunities for Black women in leading roles. “This moment is so much bigger than me,” she said on the Oscar stage nearly 20 years ago. “This award is for every nameless, faceless woman of colour that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.” Looking back on that moment, Berry said she “really thought that night meant that very soon after that, other women of color, Black women, would stand beside me,” the actress told the Mirror. There have only been five Black nominees since her win. https://youtu.be/llgL7mGYVTI Cynthia Bailey is suing her ex-husband Peter Thomas for breaching their agreement over a Bar One property that they both owned in Georgia. During an appearance on “The Wendy Show,” the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star addressed how Thomas failed to uphold his end of the deal. “Peter and I had an agreement. It was a three-year agreement — a contract over a piece of property here in Atlanta,” the reality star explained, via MadameNoire. “He pretty much made the terms himself and I was like ‘Okay, so in three years I’ll sell this back to you, you pay me off, or whatever.’” According to Bailey, when three years passed, her attorneys took legal action. “That didn’t happen,” she explained to Williams. “So, therefore, as soon as that date hit, then my lawyers went into ‘Okay, he’s in breach. We’re going to do everything we need to do to make sure you have the property again.’ It was as simple as that.” https://youtu.be/V7n6ry_b5Jo Cheryl James, a.k.a. Salt of Salt-N-Pepa fame is speaking out ahead of their upcoming biopic for Lifetime about the subjects she did not want to cover in the movie. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, James noted that she didn’t want to address her relationship with her father, or her past with her ex-husband Gavin Wray, with whom she shares two children. “They’ve been, in the past, delicate relationships. Nothing so much with myself or with Pep, because it’s our story,” she explained. James and Wray divorced in 2019. “I’m newly divorced… for about a year. And I went through a really difficult divorce. It was hard… one of the darkest times of my life because it took so long. I was with my husband for… my daughter’s 27… so 28 years.” https://youtu.be/WfNQ25ih8EY The star and creator of HBO’s “Insecure” has launched her first online class for folks looking to break into Hollywood. Teaming with MasterClass, the e-learning company that offers a lineup of celebrity-led courses, Rae is looking to share her approach to “creating outside the lines” and how she followed her own path to showbiz success in a series of 14 video lessons. The Emmy-nominated actor-writer-producer presents her signature do-it-yourself ethos and humor to provide advice for how students can find their own voice to take their ideas to the next level. In her lessons, Rae analyzes scenes from her breakout web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” as well as from “Insecure.” https://youtu.be/DZ4C0djzT3I “Married To Medicine” star Mariah Huq is taking legal action against the producers of the hit Bravo reality series that she helped create. According to All About The Tea, Huq has filed a complaint against the network, show producers, FremantleMedia North America and Purveyors of Pop, claiming harassment and discrimiantion on set. The outlet states, “An intellectual property and discrimination complaint has been filed by Mariah Huq and her attorney Bryan Freedman against NBC/Bravo/Fremantle and Purveyors of Pop.” All About The Tea reports that the suit accuses the network and producers of “breach of contract, breach of joint venture agreement, failure to prevent harassment and retaliation.” The National Baptist Convention has aligned with producers, Terk Entertainment Group and OCTET Productions, to produce “The 2021 Inaugural Gospel Celebration: An Evening of Inspiration and Unity. The two-hour virtual event features performances from inspirational music artists to celebrate the January 2021 Inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. The celebration lends a voice of hope and unity to the world. Through musical performances, a number of the nation's top gospel artists and notable celebrities will join together for a cohesive, COVID-Compliant celebration to give viewers a semblance of healing during this time of crisis. The responsible celebration will consist of a gospel concert that will be based at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. The 2021 Inaugural Celebration is being produced for domestic and international streaming along with broadcast distribution and pay-per-view. This event will also serve as a fundraising effort, benefiting The National Baptist Convention, a strategic initiative aimed at narrowing the disparity in healthcare in the African American community that has been highlighted during the current pandemic. Taylor Simone Ledward tearfully honored her late husband, Chadwick Boseman, at the 30th Gotham Awards on Monday while accepting the Actor Tribute Award for the “Black Panther” star. Ledward’s virtual appearance was her first public appearance since Boseman died in August at 43 after a private battle with colon cancer. She said it was an honor to receive the posthumous tribute on Boseman’s behalf “in acknowledgment not only of his profound work but of his impact on this industry and this world.” They got game, all right: Filmmaker Spike Lee’s daughter, Satchel, and son, Jackson, will serve as this year’s Golden Globe Ambassadors in a pair of historic firsts for the embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. Lee’s children with producer Tonya Lewis Lee are the first two siblings of color to be appointed ambassadors, the HFPA said Tuesday. Additionally, Jackson Lee is the first Black male ambassador. Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton shared a Christian message with “common sense” Americans after violence unfolded on Capitol Hill last week when hundreds of Trump supporters broke through barricades and stormed the Capitol building. A peaceful rally and protest were attended by tens of thousands of Trump supporters at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, but things escalated after some walked over to Capitol Hill and caused destruction to government property by forcefully entering the restricted Capitol building. Some even made their way to the House and Senate chambers and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, leaving many Americans alarmed. On Friday, Heaton decided to share some advice for Christians who were disturbed by what happened. She reminded believers that this world is not meant to be their final home. https://twitter.com/PatriciaHeaton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1347594164045692930%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackchristiannews.com%2F2021%2F01%2Fpatricia-heaton-reminds-christians-this-world-is-only-temporary-amid-unrest-in-america%2F As the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol rocked the country, Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman released a worshipful new song calling for peace and unity. The award-winning singer shared the song, titled “A Desperate Benediction,” on his Facebook page on Jan. 6, hours after Trump supporters and others stormed the U.S. Capitol building, stalling the certification of Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. “Words can’t describe the sadness that I feel as I watch the events currently unfolding in our country,” Chapman captioned a video in which he performs the song alongside his son, Will, and daughter-in-law, Jillian. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=442973326841013 Like millions of other Americans, Franklin Graham watched the disturbing images of last week’s riots at the U.S. Capitol with swelling concern and anger. Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham and head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said he was sickened to see “people attack my Capitol and break down the doors of my Capitol” and was dismayed to see how President Donald Trump riled up the protesters. “I don’t think it was the president’s finest moment,” he said. But Graham said he doesn’t expect the tumult at the Capitol to deter evangelical Christians from continuing to support Trump. On Tuesday, before leaving on a trip to South Texas, Trump said calls for his impeachment were divisive and his comments to supporters before the Capitol insurrection were “totally appropriate.” Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the 14,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, said Tuesday he had “absolutely no regrets” over his “enthusiastic support” of Trump over the last four years. In an editorial published over the weekend on Fox News, Jeffress called the storming of the Capitol “not only a crime” but “a sin against God.” Acclaimed songwriter, pastor, life coach, entrepreneur and social media influencer Jason Hendrickson makes a declaration of Great Things happening with his new single headed to radio this week. Great Things is the second single from Hendrickson’s EP The Singles Volume 1 was released last year. Ever the entrepreneur, Jason continued the expansion of his All Things apparel line with the release of his Banana Pudding dessert and flavored coffee. Called to equip believers with a ray of hope, his one minute motivations reach the masses via his social media pages. With a distinctively robust and commanding voice, Kim Harley brings abundant joy to audiences near and far as she leads worship every week at church in Brooklyn, New York. Kim made a conscious decision in her youth to give her life to Jesus. Throughout life, she has seen God’s hand carefully orchestrating and guiding her steps. Kim reaffirms her commitment in her new single, I Choose You. Kim Harley continues to lift her voice in praise to God for all that He has done and continues to do in her life. As I Choose You makes the rounds at radio. Kim continues work on her CD which is scheduled for a third quarter release. In the meantime, you can always find Kim lifting up the name of Jesus and praising God in song. Renarde Earl, Associate Vice Chancellor for Police and Public Safety at Fayetteville State University (FSU), has been appointed to serve as the Region VI Director of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police. The region includes the counties of Richmond, Scotland, Hoke, Cumberland, Sampson, Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, and Brunswick. Earl has more than 28 years of experience in law enforcement. He came to FSU in 2017 from Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he served as Chief/Director of Campus Police & Public Safety. At FSU, with a student body, faculty and staff of more than 7,500, Earl’s duties include providing leadership and support to the University’s Police and Public Safety Department which includes the police, property security/traffic enforcement, environmental health and safety, emergency management and telecommunications. ATL TV station CBS46 is reporting that Atlanta Police are looking for #YFNLucci as he’s a suspect following his alleged connection to a murder. Police officers were reportedly dispatched on December 10th after a man was shot. The man, who was identified as 28-year-old James Adams, was found with a gunshot wound to his head and rushed to the hospital where he passed away from his wounds. YFNLucci is being charged on multiple accounts including felony murder, aggravated assault, participation in criminal street gang activity, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Two suspects have already been arrested in connection to the murder, and police are currently searching for Lucci. The dynamic e-publication Global Communicator is celebrating this past year by looking back at its successful run of issues featuring compelling stories and timely themes. Relaunched in June 2020 by founder, public relations strategist and media consultant Gwendolyn Quinn, Global Communicator is a monthly e-publication for people of color that features in-depth profiles of public relations and communications professionals, journalists, marketing and advertising executives, and content creators. Covering communicators whose careers span politics, corporate, healthcare, television, film, sports, performing arts, music, education, faith-based, non-profit, fine/visual arts, brand development, publishing, community relations/affairs, government, fashion, beauty, special events, and more, the e-publication’s first season has been a win-win for readers and staff. Soulful singer and songwriter Patrick Dopson is a Dove Award-nominated artist and a Stellar Award-winning Chart-topping Gospel with hits like "God Is" and "God Is Able". After a few years away from recording and plowing through the unprecedented changes and challenges of last year, Dopson continues to push his anointed and poignant pen to craft healing and hope-filled music to inspire the world. “Over the last year, like many, I found myself writing from my own experiences and struggles with the multiple pandemics we’ve faced," Dopson shares. "Covid-19, the political and church divide, depression, isolation, loss, indifference, and fear have all come to undo our Peace. We all have sensed the ebbs and flows stemming from the challenges of 2020. When inundated with it all, it’s easy to forget the One orchestrating it all for our good and that His promises still stand true.” The world continues to seek peace and understanding amidst many social challenges. Dopson responds with his signature warm vocals on a powerful new single "Make It Alright". https://music.apple.com/us/album/make-it-alright-feat-john-p-kee-single/1546694254 Luke Smallbone, one half of the beloved duo For King & Country, celebrated the birth of his first daughter this month after suffering the loss of a child a few years prior. “Today is a very special day in our household…. as we just welcomed our first little girl into our family!!” Smallbone celebrated on Instagram. The singer said he and his wife, Courtney, “have always longed to have a girl” join their family. The Smallbones have three boys and he shared that they weren’t sure if they’d ever have a girl. TV One honors Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the premiere of UNSUNG PRESENTS: MUSIC & THE MOVEMENT – remembering the artists and songs that have provided the soundtrack to the fight for justice and equality – airing part one on Monday, January 18, 2021, at 8 P.M. ET/7C immediately followed by part two at 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfFfeYZrzwY&feature=youtu.be TV One dives into a third season of the nail biting true crime series ATL HOMICIDE, premiering on Monday, January 25 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. Viewers will reunite with the passionate and fearless veteran homicide detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez of the Atlanta Police Department as they disclose first-hand accounts of real-life murder investigations. Each episode follows the thirty-year Atlanta PD veterans as they reveal how they solved tragic crimes committed in the Atlanta metro area while working side by side as partners in the homicide division. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci93wH5QMWo&feature=youtu.be The administration officials and members of Congress who enabled President Trump’s attempts to delegitimize the presidential election did not truly believe he won. They chose to coddle the president’s deception (and, I suspect, self-deception) because they thought it would endear them to his most loyal voters, and they assumed no one would get hurt. “What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change,” an unnamed senior Republican official told The Washington Post in November. “He went golfing this weekend. It’s not like he’s plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20. He’s tweeting about filing some lawsuits, those lawsuits will fail, then he’ll tweet some more about how the election was stolen, and then he’ll leave.” I think Trump will indeed leave, as he finally said he would in a brief video Thursday. But that doesn’t mean there was no downside. It doesn’t mean no one got hurt. In Washington on Wednesday, we witnessed a “failed insurrection,” to use the phrase of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in which pro-Trump demonstrators, some armed with guns, stormed the Capitol and rioted inside. The chaos claimed multiple lives as it made credible all but the direst warnings about what Trump’s elevation to the highest office in our country could bring. Grammy Award-winning hip hop artist Lecrae believes there is a “spiritual war” taking place within America and people are misguided over who is truly in control of their lives. The artist wrote on Instagram, “There are two kingdoms at war. The empires of man and the Kingdom of God. Which one has true power? Which one leads people to real freedom?” “I believe God is challenging us to not idolize the empire. Or the ‘freedom’ it provides,” he added. “The devil has a plot but God has a plan.” His comments had been shared on Wednesday, the same day that the US Capitol building was overrun by a violent swarm of rioters. Then on Thursday, Lecrae reflected more on his position during an 11-minute video. https://www.instagram.com/lecrae/?utm_source=ig_embed Pope Francis will receive his Covid-19 vaccine this week, days after his personal doctor died from complications with the virus. The pontiff said it was an ‘ethical duty’ for everyone to get inoculated as Vatican City prepares for its rollout of the jabs. He told Italian news outlet TG5: ‘Everyone should get the vaccine. Without a vaccine, you are playing with health, life, but also with the health of others.’ The city state expects to receive enough doses to inoculate all 450 residents and workers. Influential Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore issued a blistering criticism of President Donald Trump and the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week and said that if he were a member of Congress, he “would vote to impeach” the president. “This is not about politics. This is about our country, about the rule of law and about the sanctity of human life,” Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote in a Jan. 11 op-ed posted on his website. “The president invited mobs to Washington — promising a ‘wild’ time — and told them to march to the Capitol,” he continued. “Despite the fact that there was not one thing that Vice President [Mike] Pence could have lawfully done, the president called him a coward, and whipped up crowds against him who, many of them, then chanted ‘Hang Mike Pence!’ while constructing gallows on the Capitol grounds. The FBI has warned officials in all 50 states that potentially violent and racist right-wing extremists are planning armed protests at state capitol buildings and the U.S. Capitol. According to an FBI bulletin, the pro-Trump protests start this week and continue until at least Inauguration Day, Complex reports. https://youtu.be/fuLCG_PoRxs A Tennessee police officer was caught on surveillance video fatally shooting a man he had kidnapped while on duty. According to PEOPLE, the Memphis Police Department confirmed on Sunday that Officer Patric Ferguson kidnapped 30-year-old Robert Howard from his home, forced him into the back of a squad car and drove him to another location before murdering him. Ferguson, who had been employed by the Memphis Police Department since October 2018, reportedly knew the victim and police allege he was “acting on his own accord.”After the killing, investigators claim Ferguson used his cell phone to search the Internet for information on how to clean up crime scenes and destroy DNA evidence. https://youtu.be/3QXu6rHuucY Spike Lee will receive the American Cinematheque Award during a virtual tribute on Jan. 14, and several Black actors will be on hand to honor the iconic filmmaker. The American Cinematheque announced the line-up of stage and screen stars who will pay tribute to Lee as he receives the 34th American Cinematheque Award. Colleagues and collaborators including Angela Bassett, Ryan Coogler, Jodie Foster, Rosie Perez, and ‘Da 5 Bloods’ – Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis and Isiah Whitlock Jr. – will honor the prolific filmmaker and celebrate his iconic repertoire of work, per press release. Kevin Hart has inked a deal with Netflix that will see him staring at least four films produced through his production company (HartBeat Productions). According to Deadline, the agreement also includes a first-look film producing deal for the comedy. The pact comes after Hart’s most recent comedy special, “Zero F**ks Given,” turned out to be Netflix’s biggest comedy film in 2020. Hart celebrated the news with and IG post: “Partnering with Netflix is an amazing opportunity for HartBeat and myself,” Hart said. “I am excited to act in and produce cutting-edge films with Netflix. I am extremely grateful to [Netflix executives] Ted Sarandos and Scott Stuber, we share the same creative vision and always put the audience first. This business is about growth and my HartBeat team continues to exceed my expectations with their ability to develop stories and relationships. Our goal is to make the HartBeat name synonymous with first-class entertainment and narratives.” In an effort to change the negative perceptions of African American Men in the media, 5J Entertainment in collaboration with a prominent assembly of Black leaders and professionals presents the documentary “What About Me,” airing in syndication from Feb. 6 – 28. The featured men include actor Marcus Scribner of ABC’s “Black-ish,” actor Timon Kyle Durrett of OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” actor Roshon Fegan of OWN’s “Greenleaf,” attorney Todd Belcore of Social Change and civil rights attorney J. Wyndal Gordon, “The Warrior Lawyer.” D. John Jackson of 5J Entertainment says the film “is a riveting look into the experience of African American men and their history in America. Black men and boys have endured extreme racism and prejudice in every aspect of their lives from, economics, jobs, politics and even social existence to this very day. Yet, we are still succeeding. However, the struggle continues, and our stories, emotions and traumas need to be explored, heard and discussed.” Folks on Twitter and other social media platforms are having their say about Tyrese getting all touchy-feely with Mary J. Blige and gettin’ shutdown in the process. The two were taking snaps at her 50th b-day party when Tyrese’s hands apparently got a little happy at being that close to Miss Mary and one of ’em found itself in off-limits territory. Mary had quickly turned into her gangsta-azz Monet Tejada character from Starz’s “Power Book II: Ghost” in order to check Tyrese. In the video, now with more than one million views on Twitter, when Tyrese puts his hand on Mary’s bare thigh, Mary abruptly shoos it away and hilariously (but in a serious tone) tells him “Aye, aye, aye, n*gga,” as a warning sign for him to back off. https://twitter.com/i/status/1348832057233993730 Proud grandma Tina Knowles-Lawson shared a video on Sunday of her 9-year-old granddaughter Blue Ivy showing off some dance moves. Knowles-Lawson posted the adorable clip on Instagram of the daughter of Beyoncé and JAY-Z dancing during a break at a ballet lesson. In her caption, Knowles-Lawson says Blue resembles her younger daughter, Solange Knowles. “This is Blue but I swear it looks like Solange dancing at this age,” she captioned the clip. https://www.instagram.com/mstinalawson/?utm_source=ig_embed The horror film “Spell,” directed by Mark Tonderai and starring Omari Hardwick and Loretta Devine, arrives to Blu-ray and DVD on January 12th. https://youtu.be/EFB-xzamOQM The fiery gospel foursome known as, Group Fire, has scored its first Gospel Airplay chart no. 1 hit with the scorching up-tempo jam, “More Than Friends.” In its 20th week on the national survey, it leaps from last week’s position of No. 5 to take the top spot for the week ending January 16th. “We are so humbled and amazed by the love the gospel music industry has shown us over the last two years,” says lead singer, Terelle Cooper, 24. “This everything that we’ve ever dreamed of for our group and we are so grateful to the programmers for playing our music and welcoming us into the gospel industry with open arms.” The track is the second single from the group’s forthcoming third album, Heal the Land, which is tentatively scheduled for a third quarter 2021 release. “We wanted a name that was special,” Terelle says of the boy band’s unique name. “We saw where God used fire a lot through the Bible, with Moses and the Burning Bush, the Hebrew Boys in the fiery furnace, Elijah with the chariot of fire, etc. We figured the same way He used fire in the Bible, we want Him to use us as well.” Join Bishop Leonard Scott January 13th at 6pm EST. This weeks talent is Kim Kenny, B.A., M.M. Artist/Educator. It's WorshipandWellnessWednesday! The Future Is Now 2021 conference goes down Feb. 8-12, 2021. This 5-day event will be jam packed days of amazing content and discussions. Recent developments and global conversations have been the catalyst to create panel discussions around relevant topics around the current and future landscape of Black economics and community. Panel discussions will be held daily February 8 – 12, each with an impressive group of industry leaders who will focus on solutions for black economics and community empowerment, and offer perspective on what’s ahead. Take advantage of forward-thinking keynote speakers, networking with influential attendees, and much more. Be a part of the change and register today. Angie Cleveland, is set to release her new EP, “The Faith Walk,” on January 15, 2021. The EP features her current radio single, “The Other Side of This (The Awakening Riddim),” which is produced by Redemption Sound Records’ own Judah Peters from Trinidad and Tobago. This new EP comes after her previous Prayer Music EP release, “Fervent Faith Prayer-EP,” which was released at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. A recent bulletin by the FBI warns of more pro-Trump extremist violence, according to ABC News. Following the attack mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week, the FBI sent a memo to law enforcement across all 50 states that an identified group plans to storm statehouses around the country. “The FBI received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on 16 January,” the memo reads. “They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment, a huge uprising will occur.” In the memo the feds warned local law enforcement that armed group plans to stage an uprising if lawmakers evoke the 25th Amendment, deeming Trump unfit to lead. The memo was comprised of information provided by several federal agencies including ATF, DEA, the Defense Department, Park Police and the U.S. Marshals who scoured social media and other sources. Calls for Vice President Mike Pence to trigger usage of the 25th Amendment grew louder on Monday after House members brought a resolution to impeach Trump to the floor. Last week’s attack at the Capitol did not go unnoticed to the millions of Black people who have watched those white people evade culpability for the parade of white rage and violence. In the days following, a growing number of members of the mob have met their consequences, detained and arrested over the complicit participation in one of the most shocking displays of treasonous cowardice in American history. Social media users are composing detailed threads that show videos of certain mob members being promptly escorted straight to jail. Federal law enforcement officials are bringing forth charges and actively searching for those who can be identified using social media videos and have also launched a murder probe into the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher. He suffered cardiac arrest in his last moments and was possibly exposed to a chemical agent. A second officer committed suicide in the wake of the attacks. According to a recently published story in the Associated Press, at least 90 people have been arrested from the violent mob comprised of mostly white supremacists and nationalists. Their intent was to invoke violence and even death in the name of their leader Trump, who urged them to march to the Capitol. More striking details pertaining to Miya “SoHo Karen” Ponsetto‘s arrest were recently revealed, highlighting the ways the 22-year-old uses aggression to deal with her frustration. Last week, Ponsetto was extradited by the NYPD from California back to New York City to face arrest for assaulting a Black 14-year-old named Keyon Harrold Jr., son of famed jazz musician Keyon Harrold. Ponsetto falsely accused Harrold Jr. of stealing her cell phone, which was later recovered by a third party. On Dec. 26, the same day she tackled and assaulted the Harrolds in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel, she also reportedly vandalized the Airbnb apartment she resided in during her stay in Manhattan. According to the New York Post, Ponsetto allegedly smashed a door with a fire extinguisher because she was locked out of the building. Details regarding the Airbnb incident were revealed during Ponsetto’s arraignment in relation to the Harrrold case. A 2017 video of Georgia’s Senator-Elect Raphael Warnock being arrested for simply kneeling down and praying in the Capitol rotunda has resurfaced, exposing the racial double standard when it comes to protests. When MAGA rioters stormed the Capitol, some cops stood and watched while others opened the barricades allowing the mob access. MAGA rioters with symbols of Nazis, the confederate flag and QAnon t-shirts stormed the building with some even taking selfies with cops. Those charging into the Capitol building were noticeably white. Their freedom to roam the halls came in stark contrast with video of Reverend Warnock being arrested on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda for kneeling down in prayer against Republican policies. “As a pastor, I believe the national budget is not just a fiscal document but a moral document. It reflects what we believe and who we are, for one another,” said Warnock at the time, according to Newsweek. Don Lemon lost it Monday night during a segment about Donald Trump being more concerned about his cancelled Twitter account than his MAGA sycophants invading the U.S. Capitol, leading to five deaths. “Shut up! Shut up! He is the biggest snowflake of them all…the biggest loser we’ve ever had as president,” said a fed-up Lemon on his show “CNN Tonight” while pounding his desk. “Why are you coddling his feelings all the time?” he asked, referring to a popular GOP talking point that suggests Trump should be given time to act out after losing the election before being expected to accept the results. “Really? Who’s the snowflake now?” asked Lemon. The anchor then brought up Jake Angeli, the widely-photographed MAGA rioter with the fur hat and horns, who is reportedly refusing to eat while in custody because the food is not organic. Lemon stared into the camera with a cocked head and said, “Snowflakes. Cowards.” Three African American health leaders — advocates for expanded health care who are on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 raging across California — took a moment to reflect on the state of health care as the holiday honoring civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. approaches on Jan. 18. Doctors David Carlisle, Elaine Batchlor and Adrian James are admirers of King and find his words of injustice in health care even more profound as hospitals and clinics are overflowing with COVID-19 patients — many of them African Americans and other people of color. “On the day that we celebrate the great civil rights icon’s birthday, Dr. King’s sentiment has never been more relevant than today, as the pandemic has laid bare the great health inequities that remain in this country,” said Dr. Carlisle, president and CEO of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles. Twitter is awash with video of MAGA Capitol rioters being hauled off of planes or detained in airport gates by police after learning they were labeled domestic terrorists and placed on no fly lists. White insurrectionists – including middle-aged mothers and young women – were unable to board planes after their assault on the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. Video of the arrests began building Monday under the top trending hashtag #noflylist. A white man in one video even screamed, “You treat me like a f**king Black person!” as cops had him faced down on the airport floor during his arrest. https://youtu.be/6znE8Z8Hghk DeVonta Smith was uncoverable, Najee Harris unstoppable and Mac Jones impeccable. With a performance that was both surgical and explosive, No. 1 Alabama won the College Football Playoff national championship game 52-24 against No. 3 Ohio State on Monday night. The final game of a college football season in a pandemic, a season that was uncertain to be played in the summer and filled with disruptions in the fall, ended in the most predictable fashion: Alabama (13-0) as national champion for the sixth time in the last 12 years under coach Nick Saban. For Saban, it was career title No. 7 overall, breaking a tie with Alabama great Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most by a major college coach. “To me this is the ultimate team,” Saban said. “There is more togetherness on this team than on almost any team we’ve ever had. They’ve had to overcome and to persevere so much through this season, and they have done it magnificently.” New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday he will not “move forward” with the Presidential Medal of Freedom that Donald Trump planned to present to him on Thursday. Belichick explained his decision in a statement: “Recently I was offered the opportunity to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents and admiration for prior recipients. Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award. “Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. One of the most rewarding things in my professional career took place in 2020 when, through the great leadership within our team, conversations about social justice, equality and human rights moved to the forefront and became actions. Dr. Dre reportedly remains in intensive care a week after he was taken to the hospital when he suffered a brain aneurysm. According to reports, doctors still don’t know what caused his brain to bleed. Hours after he was hospitalized over the health scare, the music mogul released a statement on his Instagram page Tuesday, in which he assured fans he’s “doing great” and will be out of the hospital soon. But a week later, and he remains down and out. According to the Daily Mail citing TMZ, Diddy’s house in Los Angeles has reportedly been targeted by burglars. Law enforcement told TMZ that an individual reportedly pried open a side door to the rapper and producer’s house in Toluca Lake, where his late ex-girlfriend Kim Porter tragically passed away on November 15, 2018. The burglar forcibly entered the property, which triggered the security system. TMZ reports that a caretaker was the one who discovered the break-in and realized somebody had rummaged through the house. As of right now, it is not known if anything was taken. It was said that police made a burglary report while Diddy, 51, and his family will be left to search the property to confirm if anything is missing. There is so much going on in the world, and we could all use a night to forget about all of the chaos and focus on God and his faithfulness. Experience from the comfort of your own home, An Evening of Thanksgiving with CeCe Winans on February 21st! Worship with 12-time Grammy award winner CeCe Winans as she brings music, joy, encouragement, plus a few surprise guests to your home computer screen. First Lady Melania Trump broke her silence on Monday about last week’s deadly riots at the Capitol by the president’s anti-government supporters. Trump wrote in a letter posted on the White House website that “violence is never acceptable.” "Make no mistake about it, I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation’s Capitol,” the letter stated. She also reacted to the Trump supporters killed during the attacks, including the police officers who died. “Most recently, my heart goes out to: Air Force Veteran, Ashli (Babbitt), Benjamin (Phillips), Kevin Greeson, (Roseanne) Boyland, and Capitol Police Officers, Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. I pray for their families comfort and strength during this difficult time,” she said. https://youtu.be/at5VQPTZ-UY Iman paid tribute to her late husband David Bowie on what would have been the music icon’s 74th birthday on Jan. 8th. In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, the supermodel, 65, said she will never remarry after the death of her ‘eternal love.’ “David is in our hearts and minds on a daily basis, for all of us,” she said of her family. “You know, this was my true love. My daughter once asked me if I would ever marry again and I said, ‘never.’ Over the weekend, Iman shared several posts on Instagram in honor of Bowie, whom she first met in 1990 after being introduced to him by a mutual friend. “My attraction to her was immediate and all-encompassing. I couldn’t sleep for the excitement of our first date,” Bowie later said of the star. “That she would be my wife, in my head, was a done deal. I’d never gone after anything in my life with such passion… I just knew she was the one.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ1OEh4l22j/?utm_source=ig_embed During the MAGA mob’s attempted takeover of the Capitol on Wednesday, one man in a white hat and backpack grabbed a police officer by the helmet, dragged him downstairs and began beating him along with other rioters who quickly swarmed the officer, kicking, punching and stomping him. One man even bashed the officer with a pole flying an American flag. The disturbing video of the outnumbered officer, first aired by CNN on Sunday, quickly went viral, garnering more than 1.6 million views on Twitter by early Monday. The officer seen in the video, as well as in other photos and videos of the moment that later surfaced on social media, has not been officially identified. It’s also not clear the extent of the injuries the officer suffered in the attack. https://youtu.be/yEptA86BZxg The Virginia-born Harvard grad, who has been covering the Trump White House since arriving at the network in 2017, will replace John King as the new anchor of “Inside Politics Sunday.” “Inside Politics Sunday with Abby Phillip,” from 8-9 a.m. ET on Sundays, is set to premiere on January 24th. But that’s not all. Phillip has also been named the network’s senior political correspondent. In honor of Phillip movin’ on up at CNN. https://youtu.be/W8PBRBlW50I A Black police officer is being hailed a hero for diverting a pro-Trump mob of right-wing extremists away from the Senate chamber during the terrorist attack on the Capitol building. In footage from the attack, Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman is seen confronting a crowd of rioters after they stormed the building on Wednesday. The quick-thinking officer leads the angry mob away from a hallway leading to the Senate chamber on the second floor, where politicians and staffers were evacuating. According to the Washington Post, Goodman’s actions gave police time to lock the doors to the Senate chamber. “Officer Eugene Goodman stood between a mob of rioters and the unguarded United States Senate,” Pennsylvania Senator Sharif Street tweeted. “His judgement and quick thinking led them in the opposite direction, saving the lives of Senators and quite literally an institution of democracy itself.” Michael B. Jordan appears to have made his relationship with Steve Harvey’s step-daughter official. On Sunday, Lori Harvey shared several Polaroid photos of her with the “Black Panther” star on Instagram. The duo were previously photographed together during the holiday season in Salt Lake City. They also reportedly got cozy ahead of Thanksgiving in November. That same month Jordan told PEOPLE what he was looking for in a romantic partner. “A sense of humor, true understanding, because [an actor’s] life is not conducive to a relationship—it’s really not,” he said. “Somebody that’s nurturing. I’ve got a list. That’s probably why my ass is still single, but yeah, it’s a list,” Jordan added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ4usXWFaOC/?utm_source=ig_embed Former Destiny’s Child singer LeToya Luckett has pulled the plug on her marriage to husband Tommicus Walker. The couple are getting divorced after three years of marriage. Taking to Instagram on Monday (Jan. 11), Luckett announced that they will continue to co-parent their children. After very prayerful consideration, Tommicus and I have decided to get a divorce,” Luckett wrote alongside a photo of the family of four. “It is my deepest desire for us to be loving co-parents and keep a peaceful environment out of respect for our children.” Award-winning journalist, producer and program executive Shawna Thomas has been named executive producer for CBS News’ CBS THIS MORNING. Thomas will begin her new assignment at CBS News’ flagship morning news broadcast with co-hosts Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil on Feb. 1. “Shawna Thomas is one of the top news minds in our field,” said Susan Zirinsky, president and senior executive producer of CBS News. “She’s a hands-on storyteller, accomplished journalist and an inspiring leader. Shawna has consistently embraced new ways and platforms to deliver high-quality journalism to audiences everywhere. She has the passion and experience to take CBS THIS MORNING to the next level during these transformational times.” SoHo Karen was arrested last week for falsely accusing a Black teen of stealing her cellphone and attacking him over it. Now a new video has surfaced showing her wild DUI arrest from 2020. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9133455/amp/The-moment-Soho-Karen-hit-cops-arrested-DUI-months-went-viral.html Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a nearly 8 minute video lacerating Donald Trump for inciting last Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol, and comparing the president’s followers to Nazis during Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” in 1938, when they destroyed Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues at the start of the Holocaust. The mob did not just shatter the windows of the Capitol, they shattered the ideas we took for granted. President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election, and of a fair election. He sought a coup by misleading people with lies … I know where such lies lead,” he said in a reference to his own father’s past as a member of the Nazi party. “…a failed leader. He will go down in history as the worst president ever. The good thing is he will soon be as irrelevant as an old tweet.” https://youtu.be/x_P-0I6sAck The Mavericks’ game Monday night against the Pelicans in American Airlines Center has been postponed because of COVID-19 related issues, the league announced Monday morning. The Mavericks, as of Sunday night, had four players quarantined because of health and safety protocols: Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson, who remain in Denver, and Maxi Kleber. Dallas closed its practice facility Sunday after Kleber’s test results. A third name is now contending for the Dallas Cowboys’ vacant defensive coordinator position. Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is scheduled to meet with the Cowboys for a formal interview Monday, a source told The Dallas Morning News. ESPN and NFL Network first reported discussions between the two sides. Sources have told The Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken that Dallas has considered Quinn a potential replacement for Mike Nolan for at least a month. The Quinn development comes a day after Cowboys officials interviewed Joe Whitt Jr. and Jason Simmons for the position, as The News’ Calvin Watkins reported. Those interviews were conducted virtually. Rapper Bow Wow posting a video of himself on a small boat with several women onboard. Bow Wow initially posted the clip to his Instagram, showing him dancing with at least 15 other people stuffed on a white boat. Social media users wasted no time clowning the pint-sized hip-hop star. He responded to the criticism by posting a new video of himself on a much bigger one. Meanwhile, Bow Wow recently revealed that he set to drop his final album. “I’ma do one more album. It’s gonna be the last one and it’s gonna be called ‘Before 30,’ and I’ma have Snoop [Dogg] narrate the whole thing,” Bow Wow said. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has dished about what fans can expect with the next film in the “Black Panther” franchise. “So much of the comics and that first movie is the world of Wakanda,” Feige told Deadline. “Wakanda is a place to further explore with characters and different subcultures. This was always and initially the primary focus of the next story. “We’re not going to have a CG Chadwick and we’re not recasting T’Challa. Ryan Coogler is working very hard right now on the script with all the respect and love and genius that he has, which gives us great solace, so it was always about furthering the mythology and the inspiration of Wakanda,” Fiege added. “There’s also the task of honoring and respecting the ongoing learnings and teachings from Chad as well.” Civil Rights Icon and President of The Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. was administered a dose of Pfizer’s BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago, IL. Rev. Jackson was accompanied by Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, an immunologist at the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and is one of the lead scientists who developed the COVID-19 vaccine. Sunday night the Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced the winners of the inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards during a special presentation broadcast on The CW. Produced remotely following COVID safety protocols, the ceremony was hosted by writer/director/podcaster Kevin Smith and actress/writer Dani Fernandez, and honored the most popular, fan-obsessed genres across both television and movies, including Superhero/Comic Book, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, Action and Animation. The full show will be available to stream for free on The CW App and cwtv.com. Hulu and NEON’s “Palm Springs” and Disney+’s “Soul” led the film winners, each earning three trophies. “Palm Springs” was recognized for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie, Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie (Andy Samberg), and Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie (Cristin Milioti). “Soul” earned Best Animated Movie, as well as Best Voice Actor in an Animated Movie (Jamie Foxx) and Best Voice Actress in an Animated Movie (Tina Fey). Actress Raven Goodwin has been tapped to star as Hattie McDaniel in a biopic about the first Black woman to win an Academy Award in 1940 for her role in “Gone With the Wind.” According to Shadow and Act, Goodwin, known for her roles in “Being Mary Jane” and the Clark Sisters biopic, will lead a film titled “Behind the Smile.” Goodwin shared the exciting news on her Instagram page, writing: “Hattie YOU did it. Because of your legacy, we are able to write and portray OURSELVES in whatever light we choose. I am forever honored. I look forward to bringing this important historical and relevant life story to the screen.” It was rough for most of the US Capitol police officers when the racist Trumpers came for them last Wednesday, but what about the Black officers in particular? Can you imagine what it was like for them? Buzzfeed spoke with a couple of them to find out. Management’s inaction left Black police officers especially vulnerable to a mob that had been whipped up by President Donald Trump, a man who has a record of inspiring racist vigilantes to action. One of the most defining videos of that day was of one of their colleagues, another Black officer, trying in vain to hold back the tide of rioters who had broken into the building and were hunting for Congressional members. BuzzFeed News spoke to two Black officers who described a harrowing day in which they were forced to endure racist abuse — including repeatedly being called the n-word — as they tried to do their job of protecting the Capitol building, and by extension the very functioning of American democracy. The officers said they were wrong-footed, fighting off an invading force that their managers had downplayed and not prepared them for. They had all been issued gas masks, for example, but management didn’t tell them to bring them in on the day. Capitol Police did not respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment about the allegations made by officers. They told the news outlet that their chief and other upper management left them totally unprepared and were nowhere to be found on the day. https://twitter.com/i/status/1346911809274478594 Charles McNeair was railroaded and falsely convicted when he was just 16-year-of age for raping a 57-year-old white woman he was in a relationship with. McNeair has been sentenced and continues to serve a life sentence in North Carolina. He has been incarcerated for over 41 years for allegedly raping a white woman who was 57 at the time. He was charged and locked up when he was 16 years old. He was accused of raping a 57-year-old white female who had invited him to her residence. As a 16-year-old black male who was illiterate at the time, he was threatened by his public defender attorney who told him to take the plea deal that he had set up for him, or else he would possibly face the death penalty if he didn’t take the plea deal. The deal was for a life sentence with the possibility of parole. There was no evidence presented beyond her accusation and the plea deal that he believes he was coerced into signing. While the victim was not harmed, her story differed from what McNeair indicates. He claims that he met the woman at a local supermarket where he worked bagging groceries. The defendant claims that he went to the woman’s home several times and that they had begun a romantic relationship. On the night of the incident which led to the case against him, he claims that he had gotten drunk and he had fallen asleep at her house where the woman was living with her parents. The woman’s father found him at the house and he called the police indicating that he found him after he had raped his daughter. That was all it took to get this man sent to prison for life in 1982. McNeair said that the woman was afraid of her father and she would not admit to their romantic involvement. There was a large age difference and she was also concerned that she might get in trouble for having sex with a minor. Unfortunately, the woman as well as her father are now deceased as well as the original attorney. McNeair had been turned down for parole earlier, however, he has another opportunity to go before the board later this year. Pastor, entrepreneur, and bestselling author, Real Talk Kim (Kimberly Jones-Pothier), is releasing her first e-course, which provides a world-class learning experience where students can watch or listen to the inspiring speaker offer practical and powerful tools to help students stop seeing themselves as inadequate and embrace who God says they are. The seven week e-course, “It’s Time To Shut Hell Up,” releasing on January 12, 2021, is based on Real Talk Kim’s bestseller, “Shut Hell Up: When the Enemy Brings Up Your Past, Remind Him of Your Future.” Hear Real Talk Kim In Her Own Words in the Gospel Spotlight!!!! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/realtalkkim_intvw.htm Yesterday, domestic terrorists attempted a takeover of the United States Capitol. We condemn this assault, as we condemn the values of white supremacy and authoritarian law that so obviously animated it. The events depicted in MLK/FBI demonstrate the bias and harassment Black activists have had to endure since the country's founding. This same treatment was visible during protests last summer. It is vitally important that those who are identified as having participated in yesterday's riot be prosecuted to the extent of the law, and not granted any special clemency because of the color of their skin. As much as the effort to secure the Capitol, this will test the character of our country. So long as the meaning of words like freedom and democracy are mutable, Dr. King's mission will be far from over. For the president, for his followers, these words are nothing more than code for white power. On this day we recommit ourselves to the values of nonviolence, love and diversity cherished by King and by so many in the freedom struggle, past and present. May their example remind us America is capable of more than what we saw yesterday. On Tues., Jan. 19, 2021, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will virtually host the fifth annual National Day of Racial Healing, an afternoon of essential and timely conversations about racial healing, equity and justice with leading advocates, artists and influencers. The 100-minute (approx.) online event will feature conversations, panels and performances featuring Ta-Nehisi Coates, John Legend, Padma Lakshmi, Yara Shaidi, Storm Reid and more. The program will be led by Kellogg Foundation President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron, and include performances by Aloe Blacc, Connie Lim (MILCK), Flor de Toloache, the Detroit Youth Choir, including an original poem by Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. The annual program is designed to bridge divides, affirm our common humanity and inspire action. Conversations explore the truth-telling and trust-building that lead to racial healing and a more just and equitable future for all. The event will also recognize work done by grantees implementing the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) process in communities across the U.S. After landing a huge investment from mogul Jay-Z, a Black-owned business has garnered more support from other stars. According to Forbes, Rihanna and H.E.R. have invested in Denise Woodard’s health-conscious brand Partake Foods. The concept for the company was developed after Woodard struggled to find food options for her daughter who had several food allergies. Dedicated to ensuring that healthy options were affordable and accessible and determined to break barriers as a Black woman entrepreneur, Woodard left her corporate job at Coca-Cola and focused on building Partake Foods full-time. She launched a Kickstarter campaign to get her business off the ground and sold cookies from her car. She later received investments from an array of VC firms and angel investors that included Arlan Hamilton’s Backstage Capital, The Factory, SoFi Venture, Chuck Muth and Jay-Z. The company announced it closed its Series A round with $4.8 million with new investors that include mogul Rihanna, songstress H.E.R., professional football player Bobby Wagner, the Black Star Fund, the venture capital firm Black Capital and other VC firms. The story behind one of basketball’s most iconic squads is coming to the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBA legend Chris Webber is creating a scripted series about the “Fab Five” that will delve into the journeys of the University of Michigan basketball players. The project—dubbed Fab Five—is inspired by an autobiography that Webber penned titled By God’s Grace. The series will capture his upbringing in Detroit and chronicle the experiences of Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson who all enrolled at the University of Michigan in the 90s and were recognized as college basketball’s greatest recruiting class after competing in NCAA championships. The men were the first all-freshman lineup to compete in NCAA championship games. Round two of the impeachment process could begin for Donald Trump sooner than expected. On Thursday, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee introduced Articles of Impeachment to have Donald Trump removed from office. The move came after Wednesday’s attack of the Capitol following condemnation of Trump’s instigation by several high-ranking and senior officials. On Wednesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted that she intended to draft Articles of Impeachment calling for Trump’s immediate removal by Congress. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have urged Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment which would place Pence in power if Trump was deemed unfit. The amendment was ratified after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and deals with the succession of the presidency. A cover for Vogue’s February issue surfaced on Twitter over the weekend, showing VP-Elect Kamala Harris wearing a black suit jacket, white tee shirt, dark cropped pants and black lace-up sneakers. Dozens of fans came out to condemn the cover, saying the low-quality photo fell short of Vogue’s usual style standards and appeared to have lightened Harris’ skin. The vice president-elect has not publicly commented on the cover, but journalist Yashar Ali claimed on Twitter that her team had signed off on a different image. A few hours later Vogue published a photo of a second cover that appeared to match the one Ali said Harris had approved, showing her in a powder blue suit. Some critics were so upset with the cover that they called for Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour to resign. The Melvin, Alabama community is mourning Pastor Tim Pearson who was shot and killed early Saturday morning. Choctaw County Coroner Rocky Bumpers said foul play is suspected. A family member told Newscenter 11 that Pearson’s wife was also injured, but she is now in stable condition. Pearson led the Mt. Mariah Baptist Church in Melvin for 14 years. Deacon Cornelius Banks said Pearson was admired by the entire community. “He’s like a drawing, he would draw you to him by what he believed in,” said Banks. “He would help me out a whole lot in the spiritual realm of things, he would strengthen me.” Now, Sheriff Scott Lolley has confirmed there has been an arrest made in connection to the murder of Tim Pearson. 18-year-old Melissa Hill turned herself in, and is being charged with both murder and attempted murder. Total bond has been set at $1,050,000. The investigation is still ongoing and there are no further details available at this time. “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin revealed on air Friday that her in-laws, who were both physicians, have passed away from the coronavirus. “We are in deep grief,” Hostin said. Although she said her husband is “intensely” private, they decided to share the news from a public health standpoint. Hostin urged viewers to take coronavirus precautions seriously, as her mother- and father-in-law were both “very careful” and still contracted the virus before dying over the holidays. “COVID is very, very serious,” she said. “It is not a joke, it is not a hoax.” The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is denouncing the violent riots that took place on Capitol Hill Wednesday, calling what unfolded an “insurrection.” Images emerging from that day show some in the mob holding crosses or signs displaying faith based messages. In a new statement, the NAE said it’s drawing a line and those who engaged in the violence aren’t representative of Christ’s teachings. “Followers of Jesus are peacemakers. Some images from the protests demonstrate a disturbing conflation of Christianity and a nationalist ideology that is far from the way of Jesus,” the statement reads. “Christians are commanded to seek the peace of the cities where they live, to love their enemies, to seek unity and to proclaim a message of peace.” Their statement went on to say the mob at the Capitol was provoked by leaders like President Trump who have employed conspiracy theories for political gain. Dr. Ed Stetzer of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College said Christians have fallen prey to such conspiracy theories because of an “echo chamber promoting ideas that are unmoored from reality.” No one likes to admit they were fooled. It’s tough to admit we were wrong. Now, many evangelicals are seeing President Donald Trump for who he is, but more need to see what he has done to us. It’s time for an evangelical reckoning says Ed Ststzer and the USA Today. I’m an evangelical, like about a quarter of the United States population. Evangelicals believe in the good news of the Gospel — that Jesus died on the cross, for our sins, and in our place — and we need to tell the world about that. But, that’s not what most people are talking about today. You see, white evangelicals embraced the president, some begrudgingly and some enthusiastically, because he addressed many of their concerns. Many evangelicals and leaders invested money, time, and conviction towards the promise of MAGA. In turn, Donald Trump made good on these investments from an evangelical perspective. Most evangelicals (me included) are grateful for the Supreme Court justices he appointed and for some of the religious liberty concerns he addressed. His anti-abortion stances surprised many (again, me included), and for that I was thankful. But, most of that is in jeopardy now because Trump is who many of us warned other evangelicals that he was. We reap what Trump has sown. He’s burned down the Republican party, emboldened white supremacists, mainstreamed conspiracy theorists, and more. Carrie Underwood has no plans to slow down when it comes to new music. In a Twitter video, the “Inside Your Heaven” singer revealed she is working on a gospel album titled “My Savior.” Described as a “companion” to her first Christmas album, “My Gift,” the new project will feature covers of gospel hymns she sang during her childhood. “When I was making this music, I felt like my soul was in such a great place, I wanted to keep making music like the music off of ‘My Gift,'” Underwood explained. The new project comes in response to fans’ requests over the years for a gospel album. “My Savior” will arrive “just in time for Easter,” she said. “It’s just been such a blessing to make music like this, music that is near and dear to my heart,” Underwood added. “I hope you guys enjoy listening to it as much as I loved making it.” “Gun and A Hotel Bible” is not your typical faith-based movie and the creators want viewers to know that God is big enough to handle “all of our feelings and all of our questions” regardless of how strongly we express them. Now available on global digital HD internet, cable and satellite platforms, the play “Gun and A Hotel Bible” is pegged as the first faith film for “skeptics and doubters.” The indie drama took home seven top awards in the LA Live Film Festival including “Best Feature.” https://youtu.be/ZA9Tocd0NKo The Buffalo Bills won their first playoff game since 1995 on Saturday with an impressive 27-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The New York Times reports that quarterback Josh Allen, who was instrumental in all three of the teams touchdowns, led Buffalo to score 17 points in a row, changing a 10-7 first-half shortfall into a 24-10 fourth-quarter lead. Allen explained that the team has come this far as a result of hard work and determination. “I think it’s just the guys we’ve brought in and how hard everybody’s working,” Allen said. “How much we care about our team, our brothers on the team, and our families off the field. We’re not trying to let anybody down and we’re here, we have a purpose and I think coach McDermott has been doing a good job of preaching that purpose to us when we’re on the field.” “We know how much this means to the city of Buffalo and the fans here and the alum that have played here. It’s a special place to play football but at the end of the day we’re on the field just playing for each other,” he added. The head coach, who is an outspoken Christian, has a history of exalting our Heavenly Father during times of victory, Sports Spectrum reports. https://twitter.com/i/status/1348043121905422337 With speed and resiliency, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson exacted postseason revenge and silenced those who doubted he could win when it matters most. In the Ravens’ 20-13 wild-card triumph in Tennessee, Jackson won the first playoff game of his career and delivered payback for last year’s upset loss to the Titans. The reigning NFL MVP changed the game with a 48-yard touchdown scramble late in the second quarter, the second-longest postseason touchdown run by a quarterback, and bounced back from an early interception to record the biggest comeback of his career. Jackson rallied the Ravens from a 10-0 deficit after being 0-6 in his career when trailing by double digits. “It feels great,” Jackson told ESPN’s Lisa Salters. “I’m happy we got it done.” Sunday’s NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat has been postponed, the league announced a little more than two hours before the scheduled 7 p.m. ET tipoff. The league said the postponement was due to ongoing COVID-19 contact tracing with the Heat, which prevented the team from having the league-required eight available players. The Celtics would also have been without nine players for the game, seven of them out due to the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the team announced earlier. They are: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Javonte Green, Semi Ojeleye, Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams and Robert Williams. Romeo Langford is recovering from right wrist surgery and Kemba Walker is out with a left knee injury, according to the team. That left the Celtics with eight players available. Like everyone else in America, singer/songwriter Keri Hilson has an opinion and she is on record as being one to question the so-called “democracy” of permanently banning Donald Trump from Twitter. Of course, the reason the social media platform booted him in the first place was because of his direct role in inciting the insurrection on Capitol Hill earlier this week. On top of that, most other social networks have followed-suit with similar bans and it seems the majority of people are down with it, but not Keri Hilson as she considers it dangerous. “This may be funny. But it is a little dangerous too. Take Trump out of it for a moment…A democracy must include freedom of speech. Imagine other leaders or popular figures not being able to voice their opinion if it opposes the majority of the world leaders. Our freedom of speech being taken from us. Slowly but surely (censorship). If the leader of the “free world” can be removed, imagine that same right of civilians. Imagine believing every time you read “false information detected” and propaganda. Deceptive reports. And flat out lies being the only thing we see.” It’s worth pointing out that Hilson totally omitted the reason WHY Trump was banned. In any event, because of the alleged posting (which has been deleted), Keri Hilson became a trending topic on Twitter late Saturday night. Rush Limbaugh deactivated his account hours after Trump was banned because of instigating the US Capitol riot and Sidney Powell and Mike Flynn, who were suspended for promoting QAnon conspiracy theories. Those looking for the account of the right-wing radio host Friday night were shown a notice that says: “This account doesn’t exist.” So far Limbaugh has not publicly commented on the removal. However, a lot of conservatives and Trump supporters are riding with him and declaring that they will also leave the popular social media site. Remember when “The Equalizer” first ran on CBS from 1985 to 1989 with late British actor Edward Woodward? Get ready for its return with Queen Latifah. The Queen will also be taking the lead role after two movie versions in 2014and 2018 that starred Denzel Washington and were directed by Antoine Fuqua. In the new version, Latifah will star as Robyn McCall, a divorced single mother with a mysterious past out for vengeance on the behalf of others while taking on her own enemies. The reboot had been in development since November 2019, with Latifah serving as one of the executive producers of the project via her Flavor Unit production company along with Davis Entertainment, Martin Chase Productions, CBS Television Studios, and Universal Television. https://twitter.com/i/status/1347968669054246912 Pop Smoke’s brother, Obasi Jackson, chopped it up with Taraji P. Henson on the latest episode of her Facebook series Peace of Mind. The actress spoke to Jackson about how he’s coping with the rapper’s death. The Brooklyn drill rapper was fatally shot on Feb. 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, during a home invasion robbery. It was later reported that his death was a targeted attack. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=143987450832223 Quibi, the shortform mobile streaming service that went bust six months after it launched, is currently “in advanced talks” about selling its catalog to Roku. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal has not been formally reached and “could still fall apart.” https://youtu.be/HxAMkQdNyuA Winters loves her full-time job as a YouTube creator. She currently has 200,000-plus subscribers, who faithfully view her videos on an assortment of topics, inclusive of business, video production, social media marketing, and activities in her eventful daily life. obligation as the first-ever digital correspondent/assignment explorer for National Geographic TV’s flagship show, “Explorer.” She later started a company in Metro Detroit, where she was raised, to help businesses in all aspects of creating video advertisements. While Winters, 26, was doing well by giving advice to businesses in the region, she knew she could do better, if she posted her advice to YouTube on her channel Erin on Demand. She followed through on her vision. Key executives at YouTube took notice of what she was doing and accepted Winters into YouTube’s Partner Program (YPP) following her first month. YPP allows creators to have greater access and more resources, specifically offering Winters ways in which to monetizing her YouTube social media platform Twitter finally got courage and permanently banned Donald Trump from the site. The move on Friday follows a temporary suspension of Trump’s account after Wednesday’s coordinated attacks on the U.S. Capitol and several other sites around the country. “In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action,” Twitter explained in a statement on its blog. NBC News reported that Twitter also banned high-profile accounts spreading QAnon conspiracy theories including those belonging to Trump cronies Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell. Details are emerging about the death of a police officer who died from injuries sustained during a coup attempt by right-wing domestic terrorists on Wednesday. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died Thursday. But it was the reported manner in which he sustained the injuries that contributed to his death that was under scrutiny in the hours after his death was announced. Sicknick, an Iraq War veteran, was “reportedly bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher during the siege of the Capitol,” according to a tweet from Politico reporter Ryan Lizza. He added that Sicknick’s death “will be investigated as a homicide.” After reportedly being “struck” by the fire extinguisher, Sicknick returned to the police station, where he collapsed before dying overnight. Monaco’s Prince Albert has issued a statement in which he shares his disbelief over the violent riots that erupted at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. This is not the America I know — the one I partially grew up in, went to school in. President Trump has to be held accountable,” the royal, 62, tells PEOPLE. “I was up at our country house, Roc Agel, so as soon as I put on the news before going to bed, there it was — live from the streets of Washington,” he says. “It’s just unbelievable. I’m still in shock, but at the same time, I’m not totally surprised because, unfortunately, this is where we were heading.”https://youtu.be/y9WPuA6EUaw Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) was a guest on SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show, and went into detail about her conversation with the Chief of Capitol Police before the violent insurrection on Capitol Hill, and how the massive security failure could have been prevented and invoked the assassinations of JFK and MLK when describing her experience inside the Capitol building. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/20092be7-aba0-4ea4-a405-af3f96455773 Gen. Colin Powell has emerged from his virtual bunker and he is irate. The former Secretary of State has been doing interviews the past two days calling out Donald Trump’s egging on of the Capitol ransacking, as well as the lack of military and police response as “disgraceful.” https://youtu.be/aHcObS-AS50 Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who on Jan. 6 posted two disparaging posts on Facebook aligning with the baseless claims to overturn the outcome of the election, while sending support to the majority white, violent mob that attacked the Capitol. Thomas’ actions follows a now deleted tweet by Ivanka Trump who called the pro-Trump extremists “patriots.” From spreading false information about Democratic supporter George Soros, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, to spreading xenophobic claims aimed towards immigration in America, Thomas happily aligns herself with the mind frame of far-right extremists. Miya Ponsetto, the woman more popularly known as “SoHo Karen,” was finally arrested for assaulting a Black teen following a viral — and quasi violent — confrontation in New York City the day after Christmas when she leveled false accusations of theft before doing her best linebacker impression and actually tackling him at a hotel where she wasn’t even a guest. The episode has traumatized 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. and his father, a famous jazz musician. After avoiding arrest for nearly two weeks, Ponsetto has nabbed in her car in California on Thursday. She was taken into custody and booked by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office after representatives from the NYPD flew to southern California earlier this week to help coordinate the arrest. But the feisty 22-year-old woman didn’t surrender easily. Ventura County Sheriff Capt. Eric Buschow said Ponsetto was borderline violent with his officers when they attempted to apprehend her. Police initiated a traffic stop when they saw Ponsetto driving near her home in the city of Piru, but she refused to stop for two blocks. Then when she finally did stop, she refused to get out of her car. Finally, the police had to resort to using some force on her. Tracy Chapman has settled her copyright infringement lawsuit against Nicki Minaj for $450,000, according to court documents. Chapman sued the rapper two years ago in October 2018, for sampling her 1988 song “Baby Can I Hold You.” The suit alleged that Minaj did not receive Chapman’s blessing to use the track on her own song titled “Sorry.” The singer said Nicki’s song “incorporates the lyrics and vocal melody” of the “most recognizable and memorable parts” of ‘Baby’. The suit pointed out that the “lyrics and vocal melody comprise approximately half” of “Sorry” and are “easily recognizable and identifiable as Chapman’s.” Chapman sought damages and an order preventing Nicki Minaj from releasing the track. Now that she has accepted the $450K offer, the two will not have to go to trial later this year. Carlysia Levert, daughter of the late R&B crooner Gerald Levert and granddaughter of The O’Jays lead singer Eddie Levert, recalls what happened when as a teen she opened up about being a lesbian. Carlysia, now 30, revealed that of all the people in and around her life, she was only concerned about what her grandfather (Eddie) and her mother (Carlene) would think about her sexuality because she loved them both very much and was extremely close to the two. Carlene must have sensed something before her daughter’s confession because when Carlysia was 17 years old, her mother asked her a direct question: “Are you gay?” The teen, not wanting to hurt her mother, told her the truth – sort of – by implying that “maybe it’s just a phase that she was going through. Yet, Carlysia knew in her heart-of-hearts that she loved women. Actually, Carlene got a heads up about her daughter after Carlene’s sister saw social media photos of Carlysia and her then-girlfriend. Carlysia was attending Spelman College in Atlanta. A Black woman who married a racist MAGA supporter is now openly having second thoughts without completely admitting it. The bottom line is she knew what she was getting into when she married him, but she did it anyway. Now, her husband’s and his family’s racism is messing with her mind. “The domestic terrorists we saw at the Capitol two days ago were just as bad as Black Lives Matter protesters!” that what her husband thinks. https://youtu.be/OxgaR2Z3XhU Netflix has released the trailer for the romantic drama and Oscar contender “Malcolm and Marie” set for worldwide release on February 5. https://youtu.be/CGZmwsK58M8 Ashanti and Keyshia Cole’s Verzuz battle has been pushed back once again. The singers were originally set to face off in December but the virtual event was rescheduled to January when Ashanti contracted the coronavirus. Verzuz’s official Twitter account announced Friday that Wednesday’s chaos at the U.S. Capitol and the surging COVID-19 cases as the reasons for postponing the event. G od gave me my first music video project,” said Dominga Martin, a film writer, producer and director. That music project was for Russell Taylor (VH-1). “I never really wanted to direct other people’s projects. I always wanted to write and direct my own stuff.” Martin’s first film project was a short film called Bum (2001) through her company House of Ming. Then she released Yellow (2005), which aired on BET. Yellow won the “Best Short Narrative Award” at the Hip-Hop Odyssey International Film Fest. In 2008 her project was a documentary called Fiche D’Identite where she followed the President of Senegal. In 2014 she toured Italy for 10 weeks producing and directing short films by request. In 2015 she wrote and directed a national commercial for Walmart starring Toccara Jones (“America’s Next Top Model”) for TV One. Dominga has also designed a 2021 academic curriculum in music, visual arts, dance, theatre and multi-media, as the Arts Ambassador for the Massachusetts Statewide Artist-in-Residence program via their Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. https://youtu.be/w2S5ImStiv8 Tommy Lasorda, the fiery Hall of Fame manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles and later became an ambassador for the sport he loved during his 71 years with the franchise, has died. He was 93. The Dodgers said Friday that he suffered heart failure at his home in Fullerton, California. Resuscitation attempts were made on the way to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday. Lasorda had a history of heart problems, including a heart attack in 1996 that ended his managerial career and another in 2012 that required him to have a pacemaker. He had just returned home Tuesday after being hospitalized since Nov. 8 with heart issues. Lasorda attended the Dodgers’ Game 6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 27 in Texas that clinched the team’s first World Series title since 1988. The actor who played Malik McGrath, a nurse on “ER,” has died. He went by the stage name Deezer D, but his real name was Dearon Thompson. He was 55. Thompson was found unresponsive at home Thursday morning in Los Angeles. His brother, Marshawn, says the family believes he died of a heart attack, but there is not yet an official cause of death, reports TMZ. The actor underwent major, open-heart surgery in 2009, a 6-hour procedure to replace his aorta and fix a leaky heart valve. By hiring former New England Patriots executive Nick Caserio to solve a large set of problems within the organization, the Houston Texans have created additional ones with star quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson offered input on potential general manager candidates, but the Texans neither considered nor consulted with those endorsed by their franchise quarterback, league sources told ESPN. Additionally, the Texans did not inform Watson that they intended to hire Caserio, and he found out about the hire Tuesday on social media. That contributed to Watson taking to Twitter that night to post, “some things never change….” Last offseason, Houston didn’t let Watson know that star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would be traded, which led to some disappointment. Now that it has happened again, Watson is said to be infinitely more bothered, sources told ESPN. Since Sunday night, when one of the NFL’s youngest players caused a stir by calling out one of its oldest and most accomplished, fans have fretted about “bulletin board material.” But the way Washington Football Team rookie defensive end Chase Young sees it, what he said running off the field — “Tom Brady, I’m coming! I want Tom! I want Tom!” — was a sign of respect for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, whom he considers the greatest of all time. “You think I’m not excited to play against the GOAT?” Young said Wednesday. “You trippin’. I’m not going to apologize for saying I want Tom. No, I want every quarterback I play against.” Young added, “Ask any edge rusher in the league who they want to sack, and most might say Tom Brady.” There’s something unique about the way NFL players talk about Brady. It’s not that Young and others haven’t praised other opponents this season, but there’s an admiration for the 43-year old superstar that’s absent for others. TV One dives into a third season of the nail biting true crime series ATL HOMICIDE, premiering on Monday, January 25 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. Viewers will reunite with the passionate and fearless veteran homicide detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez of the Atlanta Police Department as they disclose first-hand accounts of real-life murder investigations. Each episode follows the thirty-year Atlanta PD veterans as they reveal how they solved tragic crimes committed in the Atlanta metro area while working side by side as partners in the homicide division. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci93wH5QMWo&feature=youtu.be Mr. Del is saying goodbye as a Gospel and Christian Hip Hop music recording artist. After a 20-year career of breaking down barriers in music and ministry, performing in small churches, megachurches, clubs, and arenas, and recording Grammy® and Dove Award-nominated and Billboard chart-topping albums, the CHH innovator is bidding a bittersweet farewell. Mr. Del (Del Lawrence) began his career as a rap artist in the late 1990s with hardcore mainstream rap group Three 6 Maffia. In 2000, Mr. Del gave his life to Christ and began a journey of evangelizing young audiences through his signature southern and hard-hitting style of rap delivery. His farewell album MD 2020 is actually two albums that chronicle his career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUxlqliy3-c&feature=youtu.be In the aftermath of the US. Capitol invasion on Jan. 6, Christian artists took to social media to condemn the violence and stress the reality of spiritual warfare. On Wednesday, dozens of people breached security perimeters at the Capitol intending to stall Congress’ certification of the Electoral College votes and pressure Republican lawmakers into overturning former Vice President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. The protests resulted in four casualties and dozens of arrests. Some people who stormed the Capitol building did so with “JESUS 2020” signs, “In God We Trust” banners and a large cross, drawing condemnation from pastors and evangelical leaders across the political spectrum. “There are two kingdoms at war,” hip-hop artist Lecrae wrote on his Instagram page. “The empires of man and the Kingdom of God.” https://www.instagram.com/lecrae/?utm_source=ig_embed Richard Barnett, the MAGA clown and Capitol Building rioter has been arrested for unlawful entry of Nancy Pelosi’s office. Barnett is also the man seen in photos putting his feet up on Nancy Pelosi’s desk. Along with Barnett, another man who brought 11 Molotov cocktails, two handguns and an assault rifle to the Capitol on Wednesday was also arrested. The DoJ announced on a call with reporters on Friday afternoon that 15 people had been charged. Barnett, 60, was charged with unlawful entry. He was taken into custody at his home in Little Rock, Arkansas. It’s unclear where he now is or if he’ll be extradited but he is in custody. The other man, Lonnie Coffman, 70, was arrested after police found his red GMC pick-up truck near the RNC – where a pipe bomb was left. He has not been charged over the pipe bomb but cops found two handguns, 11 Molotov cocktails and an M-4 assault rifle in his vehicle. In total, even though it’s a fraction of the tens of thousands of rioters, a little over 80 people have been arrested in total and 55 are being pursued on federal charges, officials said on the call. Some of the MAGA mob rioters who stormed the US Capitol smeared their own feces throughout the building and left brown ‘footprints’ in their wake. Senator Chuck Schumer’s staffers found out on Thursday that some rioters had defecated in the Capitol, the NYDaily News reported via a source. They are believed to have defecated in one of the bathrooms after breaching the Capitol before ‘tracking’ their excrement in multiple hallways in the building. Brown footprints were found in parts of the Capitol hallways. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/01/07/3443960694961619316/636x382_MP4_3443960694961619316.mp4 US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund has announced his resignation in wake of the deadly “Stop the Steal” riots at the nation’s Capitol on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the police department confirmed that Sund will leave his post on Jan. 16. “It has been a pleasure and true honor to serve the United States Capitol Police Board and the Congressional community alongside the women and men of the United States Capitol Police,” Sund wrote in his resignation letter. Sund reportedly submitted the letter to the Capitol Police Board hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for him to step down over his department’s handling of the domestic white terrorists that breached the US Capitol. https://youtu.be/y9WPuA6EUaw US education secretary Betsy DeVos, one of Trump’s longest cabinet members, has resigned over the president’s rhetoric that lead to the deadly violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. DeVos resignation on Thursday came after transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, quit Trump’s White House over the insurrection, Newsweek reports. The chaos resulted in the deaths of at least 5 people including a police officer. In a letter to Trump, DeVos blamed him for “the mess caused by violent protestors overrunning the US Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people’s business”. “There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.” Davos said her resignation will be effective on Friday. A day after angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol as lawmakers were counting Electoral College votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win, Donald Trump delivered a pre-recorded message saying the angry mob does “not represent our country.” Amid the chaos at the Capitol on Wednesday, Trump called the white domestic terrorists “special” and added, “We love you.” https://youtu.be/ENlL-Uru-cM Miya Ponsetto, a.k.a. Soho Karen, cut off Gayle King by giving her the hand during their remote interview for “CBS This Morning,” not long before she was arrested in Ventura County on Thursday. In the interview that aired Friday, the 22-year-old – flanked by her lawyer and sporting a black baseball cap that read “Daddy” – attempted to justify the Dec. 26, 2020, incident in which she tackled 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. at a New York hotel, believing that he stole her iPhone, only to learn later that she left it in an Uber. “I was approaching the people that had been exiting the hotel, because in my mind, anybody exiting is probably the one that, might be the one that is trying to steal my phone,” Ponsetto said. “I admit, yes, I could have approached the situation differently or maybe not yelled at him like that and made him feel, maybe some sort of inferior way — making him feel as if I was, like, hurting his feelings because that’s not my intention. I consider myself to be super sweet. I really never ever meant for it to, like, hurt him or his father, either.” Asked if she was stopping everyone who was leaving the hotel, Ponsetto admitted she was not. President Donald Trump has reportedly suggested to his top advisers that he wants to pardon himself before leaving office. Trump will announce pardons on Jan. 19, and Bloomberg reports the people he is considering include Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and senior adviser Stephen Miller. His son Don Jr., daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, Lil Wayne and Kodak Black. Wayne is facing 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal weapons charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition while traveling from Los Angeles to Miami in December 2019. Kodak Black is currently incarcerated for allegedly falsifying documents to obtain a firearm. https://youtu.be/htoeq01i9oo Michelle Obama is speaking out against “infantile and unpatriotic” President Donald Trump, who she says is “willing to burn our democracy down for his own ego” following Wednesday’s Capitol Hill riot. One day after Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate and a mob of President Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol building, the former first lady took to Twitter to open up about the “many emotions” she’s experienced. “I woke up yesterday elated by the news of Reverend Raphael Warnock’s election victory,” Obama, 56, wrote Thursday. “He’ll be Georgia’s first Black senator, and I was heartened by the idea that the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church — the home parish of Dr. King and a spiritual and organizational hub during the Civil Rights Movement — would be representing his state in the United States Senate.” However, Obama said the euphoria of the Warnock’s victory was quickly overshadowed by the terrifying turn of events at Capitol Hill. She said her “heart had fallen harder and faster than I can remember.” “Like all of you, I watched as a gang — organized, violent, and mad they’d lost an election — laid siege to the United States Capitol,” she wrote. “They set up gallows. They proudly waved the traitorous flag of the Confederacy through the halls. They desecrated the center of American government.” The Los Angeles Police Department Thursday was looking into several physical altercations that erupted in downtown Los Angeles during a pro-Trump demonstration held Wednesday. “I don’t understand what’s going on in the world,” Berlinda Nibo, who was assaulted by some of the attendees, said. “I’m saddened by it. I’m heartbroken by it.” “It’s a shame that I can’t walk down my street anymore,” Nibo said. She said she was walking near the demonstration when she said the pro-Trump demonstrators began harassing her. “I’m walking by and they’re yelling at me because of my color, calling me the N-word calling me the B-word, saying, ‘All lives matter, Black lives doesn’t matter,’” she said. She said she yelled back and the crowd began following her, and then it turned violent. “He goes and smacks me in the face,” Nibo said of one of the demonstrators. “And then all of them start trying to jump me, and then people jump in.” “When they started pushing her around, this other woman that was a Trump supporter came up to her and ripped her wig off.” Natalicchio said. “Obviously, at that point, she began to try to defend herself.” If the Rev. Albert Mohler could rewind history, he says he would have had a different judgment on President Donald Trump. But the well-known evangelical figure does not feel remorse about his decision to support the president’s re-election and advocate that others do the same. Mohler is the longtime president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s flagship seminary in Louisville, Ky., and is a contender to lead the SBC when the faith group elects a new president in June. His decision late last year to support Trump’s re-election set off a firestorm as the SBC, the second-nation’s largest faith group, continued to grapple with race issues and, before that, its longstanding relationship with conservative politicians. Jeremiah Johnson of Jeremiah Johnson Ministries apologized to his followers Thursday for “inaccurately prophesying” that President Donald Trump would win a second term and warned Christians to repent of their idolatry of the populist leader. “I would like to repent for inaccurately prophesying that Donald Trump would win a second term as the President of the United States. I refuse to blame the saints and say, ‘It didn’t come to pass because they did not pray enough.’ Nor will I proclaim, ‘Donald Trump actually won, so I was right, but now it has been stolen from him,’” Johnson said in a statement. “I believe the first statement seeks to alleviate the prophetic messenger from the responsibility of what he prophesied, and the second statement is filled with potential pride and an unwillingness to humble himself and admit he was wrong,” he added. Pastor Dwight McKissic says America is under the judgement of God.https://twitter.com/pastordmack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1346987411058941952%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackchristiannews.com%2F2021%2F01%2Fpastor-dwight-mckissic-says-that-america-is-under-the-judgement-of-god-and-because-the-church-is-divided-by-race-her-voice-is-muted%2F Dr. Dre has reportedly agreed to a temporary, one-time spousal support payment of $2 million to his estranged wife Nicole Young. According to TMZ, Young was demanding $2 million per month, and another $5 mil in attorney’s fees, which a judge ruled in October Dre will not be responsible to pay. The music mogul agreed to the spousal support payment until the next divorce hearing in April. https://youtu.be/p2ivNeH8czQ A source close to Kanye West claims reports that the rapper is making sexy time with gay beauty influencer Jeffree Star is not true. Rumors that the duo are romantically involved first came from TikToker Ava Louise. She’s best known for going viral in last year’s “Coronavirus Challenge, where she licked an airplane toilet. On Wednesday, she posted a TikTok saying “a lot of people in the scene” have known about the affair between Ye and Star. “i can’t say WHO cuz he’ll sue me hint hint but it’s part of the reason Kanye’s so religious now it’s his self hatred ….” she added. “my source is legit I promiss [sic]” Starr appeared to fuel the rumors on Wednesday by posting a selfie along with the caption “I’m ready for Sunday Service,” a nod to Kanye’s cult of choir singers. The Donnie Simpson Weekend Show” will launch this weekend, Saturday, Jan. 9 and Sunday, Jan. 10. Each and every weekend thereafter he’ll be available on these affiliate stations/markets, including Atlanta, WAMJ-HD2; Baltimore, WWIN; Cincinnati, WOSL; Cleveland, WZAK; Columbus, WXMG; Philadelphia, WPPZ; Raleigh, WFXC; Richmond, WKJS and Washington, D.C., WMMJ. https://youtu.be/OL9VS0-g-8g On Jan. 6, some feigned shock and awe regarding the attempted coup at the United States Capitol. But one fact cannot be denied: Law enforcement at times aided and abetted the mob of white supremacists who stormed the Capitol grounds. Now lawmakers and critics are asking Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund to resign due to the breach of security. In addition, some are calling for an investigation into the events, like Reps. Mondaire Jones of New York and Jason Crow of Colorado. Some argued the police were outnumbered with only 2,000 officers, but it was evident that D.C. officials and law enforcement were well aware of the rally’s intentions as they highly publicized their plans over the last month. Group leaders even secured interviews with national outlets like The Washington Post. Due to the heightened violence in the last “Stop The Steal” rally held by the Proud Boys in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, questioning the preparedness of local law enforcement is valid. A growing bipartisan Congressional coalition is demanding for the president to be removed from office immediately even though there are less than two weeks remaining in his term. Conveniently, the U.S. Constitution allows for that to happen through one of three ways: resignation, impeachment or via the invocation of the 25th Amendment. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, on Thursday sounded the loudest alarm about the threat posed by Donald Trump following a mob of domestic terrorists heeding the president’s call for treasonous violence and illegally breaking into the U.S. Capitol, trashing the hallowed building and its grounds. At least four people died from the violence inspired by Trump, including one woman who was shot to death and the death of a police officer. LeBron James weighed in Thursday on the MAGA mob that stormed the Capitol with considerably less police pushback than the militaristic presence brought out for peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in the summer. The Los Angeles Lakers star, who hit 27 points, six rebounds and 12 assists in the Lakers’ 118-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, said the Black community was hit with a one-two punch this week with the Capitol riots and the news that the police officer who shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake in Wisconsin will face zero charges. “We live in two Americas. That was a prime example of that yesterday, and if you don’t understand that or don’t see that after seeing what you saw yesterday, then you really need to take a step back, not even just one step, maybe four or five or even 10 steps backwards,” James said. “Ask yourself: how do you want your kids, or how do you want your grandkids, how do we want America to be viewed as, how do we want to live in this beautiful country? Because yesterday was not it. In the days following the constant media attention surrounding Miya Ponsetto‘s whereabouts and the fact that she is still walking around as a free woman, the parents of Keyon Harrold Jr., the 14-year-old Black teen she attacked, are speaking out. Jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold and his partner, educator Kat Rodriguez, are taking a stand against Ponsetto’s futile efforts to avoid accountability in the disturbing Dec. 26 attack that took place in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in New York City. Ponsetto was caught on tape tackling and assaulting the Harrolds after she falsely accused the young man of stealing her phone, an item that was later returned by the driver of an Uber in which she was a passenger. Recently, Ponsetto’s lawyer told the New York Post that she wanted to publicly apologize to the teen, an effort that Harrold and Rodriguez frown upon. “This is not about an apology from someone who until a few days ago was claiming she did nothing wrong, and in fact alleged Keyon Harrold Sr. had assaulted her,” their statement begins. “Someone who targeted a 14-year-old Black child because of the color of his skin. What it is about is significant, societal change. It’s about a system that condones and emboldens racial profiling and considers Black people guilty until proven innocent. A system that exists and thrives because of institutions like the Arlo Hotel who enables the disturbing behavior of people like Miya Ponsetto, and instead of stopping the racist attack on our son, threw gasoline on the fire. It has now been reported that Ponsetto has now been arrested. Finally, some justice! Miya Ponsetto a/k/a “SoHo Karen” been arrested. Law enforcement sources say Ponsetto was taken into custody on Thursday via a joint effort by the Ventura County Sheriff and NYPD. She’s expected to be charged with attempted robbery for falsely accusing and assaulting a 14-year-old black child. https://youtu.be/7bNfQ9hVFCc Senator-elect Reverend Raphael Warnock was a guest on SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show, where he spoke out against Republicans who have their “fingerprints” on yesterday’s attack on the capitol. https://youtu.be/BOObWOXnVmU Tesla CEO Elon Musk just became the richest person in the world, with a net worth of more than $185 billion! According to CNBC, due to Thursday’s increase in Tesla’s share price, it pushed Musk past Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who had been the richest person since 2017 and is currently worth about $184 billion. What’s shocking is that Musk started 2020 worth about $27 billion, and was barely in the top 50 richest people. But Tesla’s rocketing share price — which has increased more than nine-fold over the past year have added more than $150 billion to his net worth, according to the news site. Elon Musk passed Warren Buffett in July to become the seventh richest person. In November, Musk raced past Bill Gates to become the second richest person. Musk has gained more wealth over the past 12 months than Bill Gates’ entire net worth of $132 billion. 50 Cent is back at taking shots at Floyd Mayweather. On Tuesday, the hip-hop star/actor/producer trolled the famed boxer in an Instagram post when he implied Mayweather was wearing beard implants. In the since-deleted post, 50 was commenting on an image of the boxing legend looking like he’s filling out his beard. 50 wasted no time shading the champ, suggesting Floyd took hair from his head implanted on his face. “LMAO,” 50 captioned the picture of Floyd. “He took hair from his ass and put it on his face. LOL WTF is really going on Champ?” https://www.instagram.com/p/CI24ndMlxOa/?utm_source=ig_embed The new Lionsgate romantic thriller, “Fatale,” starring Michael Ealy and Academy Award winner Hillary Swank will give you the much-needed escapism you seek. The film was released in theaters last December and arrives via on-demand on January 8. https://youtu.be/tPWURGgKJ7o CLEO TV kicks up the flavor this year with the season three premiere of the popular cooking show, JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, January 9 at 12 P.M. ET/11C. With exciting global cuisine, signature cocktails, and riveting conversation, the new episodes feature more of Chef JJ's celebrity friends and family as he turns up the heat with friendly cook-offs for viewers to enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31LK7iwFmzg&feature=youtu.be Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Award-winning Host Chef Jernard Wells returns with the all-new series premiere of NEW SOUL KITCHEN REMIX airing Saturday, January 9 at 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. For delectable, healthier versions of quick meals all ready within 30 minutes or less, viewers can join the chef extraordinaire for a savory season of simple and nutritious food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRBBgGO7Bw8&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV's new series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES is back this week with an all-new episode Sunday, January 10, at 9 P.M. ET/8C. The 10-episode primetime spinoff, based on the Emmy-nominated web series TOUGH LOVE, puts a spotlight on the challenges of dating and finding love as a Black millennial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfbYGZelsYk&feature=youtu.be TV One dives into a third season of the nail biting true crime series ATL HOMICIDE, premiering on Monday, January 25 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. Viewers will reunite with the passionate and fearless veteran homicide detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez of the Atlanta Police Department as they disclose first-hand accounts of real-life murder investigations. Each episode follows the thirty-year Atlanta PD veterans as they reveal how they solved tragic crimes committed in the Atlanta metro area while working side by side as partners in the homicide division. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci93wH5QMWo&feature=youtu.be An Alabama couple accused of kidnapping and killing 3-year-old Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney has been indicted on capital murder charges. Patrick Devone Stallworth, 40, and Derick Irisha Brown, 30, were charged last July with one count of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to kidnap a minor victim, Trussville Tribune reported. McKinney was abducted in October 2019 while at a birthday party in Birmingham. The kidnapping happened at Tom Brown Village public housing community off of Messer-Airport Highway. https://youtu.be/utjFlp8Zjvk Former President George W. Bush issued a statement on Wednesday in which he condemned the violence that erupted in Washington, D.C. over the certification of Joe Biden’s presidency. In a statement provided to PEOPLE, Bush, 74, said, “Laura and I are watching the scenes of mayhem unfolding at the seat of our Nation’s government in disbelief and dismay. It is a sickening and heartbreaking sight. This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic.” https://youtu.be/ICORB-yevHI Four people are dead — including one woman who was shot — after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol amid the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump had urged his supporters to fight against the event, and they responded to his call to action. An armed standoff with police officers took place at the House front door at about 3 p.m. ET. https://youtu.be/kWXJOQcYNpQ The two police officers who were part of the deadly raid that killed Breonna Taylor had been informed in December that Louisville Metro Police Department aimed to fire them. This week, their union confirmed that the two have been dismissed. Officers Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes had both been given pre-termination letters by Chief Yvette Gentry. https://youtu.be/3HZt7zQ8Ndc Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has called on Congress to impeach President Donald Trump after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday over the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. On Wednesday, Omar announced she is drawing up Articles of Impeachment against Trump, who is set to leave office in 14 days. https://youtu.be/uUYwDGMcb6U First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham resigned from her position following the riots at the U.S. Capitol. Grisham, who previously served as White House communications director and press secretary, issued a statement on Wednesday to announce her resignation. It comes as Trump prepares to leave the White House in two weeks when his term ends. https://youtu.be/Ot_E0BD9tLA Newly-sworn-in Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri said Wednesday that had the MAGA rioters who stormed the Capitol earlier in the day been Black, they “would have been shot.” ppearing on MSNBC, Bush said, “Had it been people who look like me, had it been the same amount of people, but had they been black and brown, we wouldn’t have made it up those steps,” Bush said. “We wouldn’t have made it to be able to get into the door and bust windows and go put our feet up on the desks of Congress members.” She added, “It was white privilege, and it was the call of our president and it was encouraged by our Republican colleagues. https://media13.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202101/n_msnbc_bush7pm_210106_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Kim Kardashian has not yet filed to divorce her hip-hop star husband Kanye West but her fans are already hoping she makes it official with her rumored lover Van Jones. Kardashian and Jones have worked together on prison reform, after meeting at the White House three years ago. The CNN commentator told Andy Cohen on “Watch What Happens Live” in 2019 that the reality star is “brilliant.” He also revealed that he and Kardashian chat “a couple times a week.” https://youtu.be/iv5I59L99fY Actress and singer Marion Ramsey has died. She appeared on Broadway in 1978 in the hit production of “Eubie.” However, she was best known as the squeaky-voiced, soft-spoken policewoman in the “Police Academy” franchise as Officer Laverne Hooks. Her first turn as Officer Hooks was in the original “Police Academy” in 1984. Ramsey was then featured in five of the six sequels that followed. https://youtu.be/1e_9GirqmoI In the latest episode of Facebook Watch’s newest talk show, Peace of Mind with Taraji, Taraji and Tracie discuss grief and loss after unexpected death. On Monday’s episode, rapper Asian Doll spoke about the loss of her ex-boyfriend King Von, and Obasi Jackson, shared how he is handling the unexpected death of his brother, rapper Pop Smoke. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=182388766907779 On this week’s season four premiere of WE tv’s ratings hit “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta.” https://youtu.be/Is3bBbWE4do Kevin Hart noted the hypocrisy of America’s law enforcement when it comes to the handling of lawless white citizens. Speaking out after seeing Wednesday’s riots at the Capitol building, Hart took to social media to comment on how the “Stop the Steal” protesters were handled by authorities. He shared an image showing individuals scaling the walls of the Capitol building and one of a white male with his boots kicked up on House Speaker Nancy’s Pelosi’s desk. https://youtu.be/C2npCYNnV18 Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Budget, and Homeland Security, will kick off the 117th Congress this week by reigniting legislation she’s been trying to get passed for years. On Monday, January 4, 2021, Jackson Lee re-introduced H.R. 40, a bill that would fund a committee to explore whether Black Americans should receive reparations for slavery. https://youtu.be/kyedB-fJz8k?list=PLD9qIQuezbwRXMwMfRzYEQ3qXhMlWiqH8 The e-commerce platform Shopify has deactivated President Donald Trump’s stores after an angry group of his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday in protest of the certification of Joe Biden’s presidency, leaving four people dead. In a now-deleted tweet, Trump responded to the stunning display of insurrection by telling the violent mob to “go home,” but added, “We love you. You are very special.” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday that Trump is “indefinitely” banned from Facebook and Instagram. “You can’t just dump your life story on somebody in a day,” 2020 Bachelor Matt James told Refinery29 over Zoom, hours before the premiere of the new season. “You learn this about them and you learn that about them. And then, because of these two things, that’s why they’re this way. https://youtu.be/IC5aEHT6RiM Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has done it once again: He is the NFL rushing champion for the second consecutive season after amassing 2,027 yards during the regular season. He’s the first back-to-back rushing champion since LaDainian Tomlinson (’06-’07). The Titans’ bruiser became the eighth player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard milestone, and the first since Adrian Peterson’s 2,097 in 2012. In doing so, Henry willed his team to a thrilling 41-38 victory Sunday over the Houston Texans. According to The Wall Street Journal, the woman who died from a gunshot wound to the chest on Wednesday was part of the group of terrorists who stormed Capitol Hill. The woman was shot by Capitol Police as a mob overtook the Capitol grounds. Former President Barack Obama released a statement following the vocal condemnation of his predecessors Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in response to Wednesday’s domestic terrorism at the Capitol. “History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election … But we’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise,” Obama wrote. He called for leaders in government to steer the path back towards securing the victory of President-elect Joe Biden’s and thanked those on opposite sides of the aisle for speaking out against Wednesday’s violence. Following Rep. Ilhan Omar’s calls to impeach and remove Trump from office, the NAACP released a petition echoing Omar’s call to action. “In the latest show of failed leadership, we witnessed the Capitol under siege by bad actors who had no other objective than to disrupt the constitutional proceedings of a fair and rightful transition of power. At this moment, President Trump is silent and continues to perpetuate lies and disinformation for his selfish amusement and personal gain,” the petition reads. Black voters in Georgia closed out the 2020 election cycle with a resounding victory, electing Rev. Raphael Gamlial Warnock as the first Black senator from Georgia. Warnock ran an issue-focused campaign building on his history of organizing as the leader of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, also known as America’s Freedom Church. “When I think about the arc of our history, what Georgia did last night is its own message in the midst of a moment in which so many people are trying to divide our country, at a time we can least afford to be divided,” the senator-elect said during an interview with CNN’s John Berman Wednesday morning. Albert Roux, the French-born chef and restaurateur who along with his late brother Michel had a profound influence on British dining habits, has died at 85. Roux died Monday after being unwell for a while, his family said in a statement Wednesday. The family did not reveal the location or cause of death. In 1982, the brothers’ restaurant in London, Le Gavroche, became the first British restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars, testament to its pioneering role in turning the capital’s culinary scene from one devoid of innovation into one of the world’s most intriguing gastronomic melting pots. Tyler Perry wanted to vote in the Georgia runoff THIS BAD … he hopped on a jet and flew all the way to Georgia to cast his ballot in person … because his absentee ballot never showed up. Tyler says he waited and waited for more than a month for his absentee ballot, but for some reason it never came. Tyler was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, so he hopped on his jet and flew back to the Peach State so his voice could be heard, along with more than 3 million others who cast ballots. Tyler got his prize … the “I voted” sticker which he proudly displayed. LeBron James‘ stature brings both adulation and hate. Last night we saw the darker side of his life as a public figure. Living a life in the public eye has always brought positives and negatives for celebrities and athletes. But the modern era and the advent of social media has broken down barriers, making the rich and famous more accessible. It brings fans closer but it also lets the critics and malcontents put their complaints into the world. LeBron James has received more than his share of digital hate over the years and it’s hard to imagine that somewhere in there weren’t a few idle threats of violence. But the threat that surfaced last night contained a specificity that certainly made it seem more than idle. The original Instagram post, which has since been deleted but was shared on Twitter by another user, included a picture of a weapon, a date, a location and a threat to ‘shoot @KingJames in the head during a timeout.’ With words and actions, several NBA teams showed dismay Wednesday hours after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump was able to storm the U.S. Capitol and in response to a decision by a Wisconsin prosecutor not to charge a police officer who shot a Black man last year. In Miami, the Heat and Boston Celtics released a joint statement saying they were playing “with a heavy heart” in a game where most players and coaches knelt for the national anthem. In Milwaukee, the Bucks and Detroit Pistons both took turnovers on their first possessions — intentionally, with all 10 players on the court kneeling. And in Phoenix, the Suns and Toronto Raptors stood in a circle and linked arms for the American and Canadian anthems. Earlier in the day at the Capitol, a mob delayed Congress from certifying the results of November’s election and paving the way for President-elect Joe Biden to be sworn in later this month. “It’s an embarrassing and shameful day in our country,” New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy said. Candace Owens is making headlines once again for her controversial remarks. In her latest comments, she claimed that “Black” categories on Netflix and food delivery service Uber Eats — which highlights black-owned businesses — are nothing more than “segregation.” Owens said on Twitter: “Netflix now has a category for ‘black cinema.’ Uber Eats now has a category for ‘black restaurants.’ The Left has reintroduced segregation back into American society under the guise of progressivism — they used #BLM propaganda to anger black people to the point of blindness,” The New York Post quotes. The 31-year-old went on to say that Democrats are rebranding “segregation” as “black empowerment,” and said that it wouldn’t stop there. “Keep believing evil white conservatives want to bring harm to you while the actual evil white racist progressives continue to destroy your life. Days after checking himself out of a Georgia hospital because people around him were dying, actor Louis Gossett Jr. is speaking and giving the inside story. Gossett Jr., 84, who is recovering from Covid-19 at home, spoke by phone to Ryan Cameron, host of WAMJ-Majic 1075/975 in Atlanta, about the reason he left the hospital against the advice of medical experts at the hospital. https://soundcloud.com/eurnews/louis-gosset-jr-interview-wamj-radio Netflix’s new “Bridgerton,” which features a color-blind cast, series has turned out to be a massive hit for the streaming giant. As reported by Variety, the Shondaland series is expected to be viewed by 63 million households within four weeks of its release. https://youtu.be/gpv7ayf_tyE Netflix has released the trailer and key art for its action/sci-fi flick “Outside the Wire” which debuts globally on January 15. Set in the future, Harp (Damson Idris), a drone pilot, is sent into a deadly militarized zone where he finds himself working for Leo (Anthony Mackie), an android officer, tasked to locate a doomsday device before the insurgents do. https://youtu.be/u8ZsUivELbs The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today the incredible line-up of talent that will join hosts Kevin Smith and Dani Fernandez at the inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards, helping them to honor the most popular, fan-obsessed genres across both television and movies, including Superhero/Comic Book, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, Action and Animation. Shohreh Aghdashloo, Aya Cash, Madelyn Cline, Mike Colter, Colman Domingo, Tom Ellis, Courtney Ford, Tiffany Haddish, Sam Heughan, Maddison Jaizani, Lennie James, Martin Kove, Javicia Leslie, Leah Lewis, Caity Lotz, Ralph Macchio, Kennedy McMann, Elizabeth Mitchell, Lindsey Morgan, Bob Morley, Genevieve Padalecki, Jared Padalecki, Brandon Routh, Chase Stokes, Eliza Taylor, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, and William Zabka, will all serve as presenters during the special ceremony, which will air on The CW Network on Sunday, January 10, 2021 (8:00-10:00pm ET/PT) and will stream the next day for free on The CW App and cwtv.com. With over 36.5 million views on his Youtube Channel, Haitian American comedian, content king, influencer and pioneer, ‘Se Joe’ Joseph Ducasse, dubbed as the ‘Eddie Murphy’ of Haitian-American has now taken his world-renowned, critically acclaimed talents to Amazon Prime Video. ‘Se Joe’ #1 Comedy Special ‘Nou Chaje ak Pwoblèm (We Got A Lot of Problems) is available on Amazon Prime Video. https://youtu.be/MEmXRwWE30g Tia McWilliams, on Jan. 1, became the first African American woman sheriff in rural Georgia when she took the reigns in Taliaferro County. McWilliams was elected in November 2020 to replace former Sheriff Marc Richards who retired on December 31, 2020. “This is a male-dominated world, but in the words of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, it’s a man’s world, but it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or girl,” McWilliams, who is also a mother of two, told WJBF Augusta. McWilliams hopes to bring developments to the sheriff’s office including an expanded 911 operations center “to create a more comfortable space and working environment” and an in-house training area “for our officers to be able to train and grow and develop their potential skills.” In an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol, protesters supporting President Donald Trump rushed the stairs of the building and smashed windows as they pushed their way inside. In a massive security breach, the protesters, waving blue Trump flags, made it to the doors of the Senate and House chambers as U.S. Capitol Police locked lawmakers inside for their own safety. They were heard banging on the doors of the House chamber and yelling outside as police officers rushed lawmakers out of the chamber and to safety. There were reports of gun shots outside of the House as an armed stand off took place at the doors of the chamber. Vice President Mike Pence, presiding in the Senate, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, presiding in the House, were removed from their respective chambers at the first hint of the breach for their own safety. https://youtu.be/PjDOukTjwLA Here’s the news a lot of people have been waiting for. President-elect Joe Biden will select Judge Merrick Garland as his attorney general nominee, according to a report on Wednesday. ??Even though Sen. Doug Jones (D) of Alabama and former deputy attorney general Sally Yates were previously mentioned as frontrunners, Biden is going with Garland, reports Politico.?? G?arland, as most will recall, was nominated by former President Barack Obama in March 2016 as his choice to fill the vacancy on the US Supreme Court following Antonin Scalia’s death.? However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didn’t care and refused to allow his nomination to be considered. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A woman was shot by police in the capitol building Wednesday afternoon and has died according to multiple reports after thousands descended on the hill following a “Stop the Steal” rally in which President Trump again claimed the election was stolen from him. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) told Fox News that he overheard “shots fired” on Capitol Hill police radios, and there are reports of at least one woman being shot in the chest. Trump has tweeted asking his supporters to “remain peaceful. No violence!” The Senate chamber has also been breached by protestors. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has requested the National Guard, and D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered a 6 p.m. curfew. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The COVID-19 death toll in the United States has hit yet another record high with 3,775 fatalities reported in a day, which is the equivalent of 2.6 Americans dying every minute. Daily deaths have now surged above the 3,700 mark three times within the past week. More than 357,000 Americans have now died of COVID-19 since the pandemic broke out. Cases and hospitalizations also continue to surge with 131,195 patients being treated for the virus yesterday, which is an increase of more than 5,600 in just two days, and 229,055 new infections reported. The number of people hospitalized nationwide has exceeded 100,000 for 35 days. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com While a literal insurrection is going on in Washington, down in Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff has gone on to defeat Republican David Perdue for a seat in the U.S. Senate. There, he’ll join fellow newly-elected Democrat Raphael Warnock and give their party control of the upper chamber. The Associated Press declared both men had won their races. The pair of upset victories will put Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in a decade. “It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate,” Ossoff said earlier Wednesday. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Dr Dre's LA home was almost burglarized when he was in the ICU after suffering a brain aneurysm. The intruders targeted his Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, home on Wednesday at around 2am when they discovered he was getting life-saving treatment in hospital. The four men were 'casing' the Pacific Palisades home on Wednesday at 2AM, but security guards confronted the men and they called police. Police arrived immediately and chased down the men, catching them. According to TMZ, all four men were arrested on the spot. Dre bought the home for $40M from Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen. Meanwhile, Dre, 55, is doing better as he recovers from a brain aneurysm. as reported earlier Dre took to Instagram to share a message of appreciation. Doctors say they don't know what caused the bleeding but are performing a series of tests to uncover the cause. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com THE WENDY WILLIAMS STORY…WHAT A MESS! – JANUARY 30 – 10PM In this feature length documentary, Wendy Williams, the self-anointed Queen of all Media, sheds her private persona and speaks directly to the camera, discussing every inch of joy and humiliation she has experienced since childhood. From her apartment in Manhattan, we’re with Wendy during the course of her divorce, as she deals with being a ‘Hot Topic’ and finds a way to right her ship again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CDfTJ4Utc8&feature=youtu.be LET'S TALK ABOUT SALT-N-PEPA – JANUARY 23 – 11PM After 35 years, the reigning Queens of Hip Hop are still going strong. Salt-n-Pepa sit down for a fun and intimate discussion about what makes their iconic partnership work, how these two very different personalities find the delicate balance to keep it going, and how their pioneering style continues to influence the music world today. Hosted by Loni Love, the special is packed with never-before heard stories about their lives and careers and share exclusive BTS footage, with a few surprises and special guests along the way! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Several 2021 Grammy contenders have declined their nominations because the artists in their category are all white. Three of the five acts nominated for best children’s album are outraged that they are nominated along with three white male acts and one white woman, per NPR. “After this year, to have an all-white slate of nominees seemed really tone-deaf,” said Boston-based singer-songwriter Alastair Moock, whose nominated album, “Be a Pain,” is about American heroes such as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Harvey Milk, and Rosa Parks. https://youtu.be/_yz2pO2K3ls The era of Kimye might be over. Page Six reports that “divorce is imminent” for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, according to sources close to the celebrity couple. Kim reportedly hired celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser to represent her in the proceedings. “They are keeping it low-key but they are done,” a source told Page Six. “Kim has hired Laura Wasser and they are in settlement talks.” Sources claim Kim and Kanye spent time apart over the holiday as they sorted out their separation. “Kim got Kanye to go up there [Wyoming] so they could live separate lives and quietly get things sorted out to separate and divorce,” the source said. “She’s done.” Meanwhile, TMZ reports that divorce is on the table, but that the couple is currently in marriage counseling trying to make things work. One source told E! News that Kim is holding out for the kids’ sake. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, two additional members of the coaching staff and two players have tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be available for the AFC wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. In making the announcement Tuesday, the Browns said special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer will serve as the acting head coach. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is expected to call the offensive plays in place of Stefanski, a source told ESPN. Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio also tested positive, Browns center and NFLPA president JC Tretter confirmed Tuesday. Wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, defensive backs coach Jeff Howard and tight ends coach Drew Petzing were the others to test positive. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Police in Bayonne, New Jersey have arrested a 60-year-old woman who was caught on video screaming expletives and racial slurs at a Black woman. The incident happened around 8 a.m. Monday when the victim, 40-year-old Tameka Bordeaux, was followed by a woman screaming expletives and racial slurs at her. Bayonne police have since arrested Claudia Emanuele, who is charged with bias Intimidation and harassment. https://abc7ny.com/woman-arrested-after-racist-tirade-caught-on-camera-in-nj/9406870/ The 2021 Grammys have been postponed to March over COVID-19 concerns. The ceremony was scheduled to air on Jan. 31 but fans will now have to wait until March 14 to see who takes home a golden trophy, TheWrap reports. https://youtu.be/_yz2pO2K3ls WE TV is set to debut the Zeus Network original docuseries “The Real Blac Chyna,” on Jan. 7, which will take viewers behind the scenes with one of the most impactful influencers in pop culture. https://youtu.be/0mAs7nl88nM Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy from “Real World 3: San Francisco” blamed potential Republican losses in the Georgia runoff races on “the African American culture” being “captured by the left.” “This is a massive wakeup call to conservatives, to Republicans, that it is — we’re going to lose our country and our values if we don’t engage in this culture war,” Campos-Duffy insisted. “Our ideas are not passed on in the bloodstream to our children, they are taught.” She revealed that she was “trying not to be too dramatic about this.” https://youtu.be/an2oAHb9-QE Lauryn Hill has revealed why she never dropped another album after the release of her iconic 1998 debut “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” “The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER. Did I say ever? Ever!” she said in a rare interview with Rolling Stone for its “500 Greatest Albums” podcast on Amazon Music. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and feature the hit singles: “Doo Wop (That Thing)“, “Ex-Factor“, and “Everything Is Everything“. The album earned 10 nominations, winning five awards. In 2015, it was included by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry. https://youtu.be/T6QKqFPRZSA Vivica A. Fox is catching heat for calling rapper Young Thug “a sexy ass-looking cockroach.” The comment was made during a Cocktails with Queens segment this week. The full conversation started when Fox was asked what she thought about Thug’s style. “You know he’s, like, just like a good sexy ass-looking cockroach,” Fox said. “And I don’t mean that mean. You know what I mean? It’s like, the hair and everything like that. He’s got rockstar quality. He could be a great animation character.” Social media users have accused Fox of pushing anti-Blackness and colorism with her statement. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com On the heels of the success of his latest #1 single “God Wants To Heal You” the Gentleman of Gospel, Earnest Pugh is releasing a new single entitled “Thank You So Much.” According to Pugh “Unfortunately, millions didn’t make it but I was one of the ones who did….three words sum up my gratitude…THANK YOU LORD!!! This is the 2nd single to hit radio from his latest CD “The Outpour Experience” that was released in May of 2020. The song was written by Kevin Davidson and Produced by Keith Williams and Michael Bereal. hear Earnest Pugh In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_intvw.htm On New Years Day 2021, Lawrence Banks, released a new single “Brand New” off of his highly anticipated debut album, simply titled “LB.” With a sound that captures his R&B roots, Gospel and Urban AC Radio will be the home for this new single. Having started out as a singer and rapper in his teens, “Brand New” delivers an upbeat, Saturday night vibe with a Sunday morning message. Rev. Raphael Warnock has defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler to become the first Black U.S. Senator from Georgia following an intense runoff campaign and close election Tuesday night. Warnock’s win pushed Democrats closer to possibly gaining control of the Senate pending results from the state’s other Senate runoff election between Democrat Jon Ossoff and incumbent David Perdue. At this time Jon Ossoff has the lead. Eric Jerome Dickey, the prolific Black author who helped bring the innermost workings of Black love, relationships and Black contemporary life to the mainstream, has reportedly died after battling a longtime illness. He was 59-years-old. Dickey’s death was initially shared by his cousin La Verne Madison Fuller and was later confirmed by his publicist. “It is with great sadness that we confirm that beloved New York Times best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey passed away on Sunday, January 3, in Los Angeles after battling a long illness. He was 59,” reads his publicist’s statement. Throughout his storied career Dickey rose to prominence as a New York Times best-selling author. Dickey wrote over 20 books over the course of his life with fan favorites including “Milk in My Coffee,” “Cheaters,” and “Sister, Sister.” Dickey, a native son of Memphis, Tennessee, left a career in the the aerospace industry as a software developer to pursue his creative talents, yearning to tap more into his artistic side. Less than 24 hours after he was apprehended while in possession of two weapons, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was released on Tuesday at the order of a D.C. Superior Court judge. As part of his release, he is barred from Washington D.C. until his next hearing in June. According to WTOP, Tarrio, a 36-year-old Miami native, plead not guilty to three counts: destruction of property and two felony weapons charges. Tarrio openly admitted to defacing a Black Lives Matter sign taken from Asbury United Methodist, a historically Black church, on Dec. 12. Tarrio’s banishment from the District is a likely morale blow held by the thousands of white supremacists who are expected to visit the city on Jan. 6 to protest the election results. Mourners gathered Tuesday in central Ohio for the funeral of Andre Hill two weeks after the unarmed Black man was ruthlessly shot and killed by a police officer. Friends, family, elected officials and local clergy sang the praises of Hill and recalled him as a loving and jovial person. But tucked neatly among those kind words for Hill, 47, was the still-simmering pain from a loss of life from police violence that was completely preventable. Hill’s sister, Shawna Barnett, in particular, spoke in no uncertain terms while addressing law enforcement as she eulogized her brother during the service. Barnett took to the podium to describe what has happened to her family since they learned not just that Hill was killed, but also how he was killed and by whom. “As a people, we should not have to have our loved ones sacrificed at the hands of evil and violence just to be even heard, looked at or even considered as equals. We shouldn’t have to scream, holler, march, protest or beg to be treated humanely and cordially as human beings,” she said to warm applause of encouragement. “We shouldn’t have to step out every day in fear, not knowing or thinking that we’ll never return to see our loved ones or they won’t return to us.” For the first time on television, the families of George Floyd, Jacob Blake Jr. and Eric Garner open up together in a raw and emotional conversation about their pain, anger and frustration over police violence. The exclusive joint interview airs this Thursday at 10pm ET/ 9pm CT on a special Dateline NBC, “Journey for Justice.” https://media13.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202101/2019_DL_Generic_Promo_Thursday_109c.focal-760x428.jpg Sources connected to Dr. Dre and with direct knowledge tell us, Dre suffered the aneurysm Monday and was rushed by ambulance to Cedars and was taken directly to ICU, where he remains. Our sources say the 55-year-old music mogul is stable and lucid, but doctors don’t know what caused the bleeding and they are doing a battery of tests. Dr. Dre has heard you and is feeling the love. He posted a message on Instagram thanking everyone for their love and support, saying: “Thanks to my family, friends and fans for their interest and well wishes. I’m doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team. I will be out of the hospital and back home soon. Shout out to all the great medical professionals at Cedars. One Love!!” Deitrick hit the ground running with a power packed 2021 New Year's Eve celebration featuring top Gospel artists and he's poised to continue into 2021 with new music and performances to share with fans. Deitrick Haddon delivers another heart grabbing single to radio with his newest release "Complete Me". https://vimeo.com/497434825 WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all new episode that finds Michael opening up to his baby mama Sarah about how stressed he is from dealing with his personal drama, specifically the headache that is his “psychotic” girlfriend Maria. https://youtu.be/uuEL4jzRdgg Mase is returning to the pulpit as the New York rapper is named the new pastor of Atlanta’s Gathering Oasis Church as of Sunday (Jan. 3). This past Sunday, the church officially welcomed Mase as their new leader, tweeting his photo on their official Twitter account, referring to him as Pastor Mason Betha. In 1999, Mase famously retired from Hip-Hop in order to pursue a calling from God. Subsequently, he became an ordained minister and continued his studies at Clark Atlanta University. After a five-year hiatus, Mase released his comeback album, ‘Welcome Back,’ and began working with 50 Cent‘s G-Unit group. Since his musical comeback, Mase has been straddling the rap game and ministering; however, now it appears Pastor Mason is ready to pick up his bible and hit the pulpit. In a new video, speaking on his position, Mase says, “I really see this generation being turned back to God’s hands. I think there’s been a major challenge with the city like being able to direct people back to God and I really welcome the challenge.” A brand-new episode of STEVE on Watch is AVAILABLE NOW. In today’s new episode, Steve virtually meets eight-year-old viral star Brandon and his family to talk about his success. https://www.facebook.com/SteveHarveytv/?__cft__[0]=AZWNTRlOH3KywgZ4hI-NLVH9MjcP-vMl7KJkGyQ0ZQkpkJ4huo0wykyaByZjl261XInvLl3yXDvy8ZqdBYsPOFnqVkGbaaImQw12q-F0M7xlpNYDtaKaaYIUInuRLdYI4mIySAJTbs30CGlgfq0dpUtm5IGdLxyg0v5aVTopf3o0EQ&__tn__=kC%2CP-R No officers will be charged over the August shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., which ignited weeks of protests. Blake was shot in the back seven times outside an apartment building after an alleged domestic violence incident with his baby mama. The injuries left him paralyzed. The officer who shot him, Rusten Sheskey, claims he thought Blake was trying to abduct one of his own children, so he opened fire. https://youtu.be/78b7RoNFYrs Jonathan McReynolds follows up his chart topping collaborative single "Movin' On" with a powered packed new fan favorite titled "Grace". "Grace" is reminiscent of your favorite hymn with Jonathan's signature touch. With background vocals echoing the sound of a Sunday Morning choir, "Grace" is a heart grabbing song that will resonate with listeners. The video for "Grace" was released earlier this year and touts over 700,000 views to date on Youtube. "Grace" has currently amassed 1.6 million a combined audio and visual streams. WENDY WILLIAMS: WHAT A MESS! – JANUARY 30 – 10PM. In this feature length documentary, Wendy Williams, the self-anointed Queen of all Media, sheds her private persona and speaks directly to the camera, discussing every inch of joy and humiliation she has experienced since childhood. From her apartment in Manhattan, we’re with Wendy during the course of her divorce, as she deals with being a ‘Hot Topic’ and finds a way to right her ship again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFC7knKm83k&feature=youtu.be Bond star Tanya Roberts, 65, passes away 24 hours after her partner made a premature statement saying she was dead when she was still alive in ICU. The actress died Monday night at L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Hospital, her partner, left inset, said. Lance O’Brien and rep Mike Pingel said she died Sunday. O’Brien was doing an interview with Inside Edition the next afternoon when he received a call from the hospital saying the 65-year-old Bond girl was still alive. ‘You are telling me she’s alive?’ he says into the phone before erupting in tears. O’Brien said he believed he had said his last goodbyes to his partner on Sunday. He said that due to covid measures he could only have limited contact. ‘I called her publicist Mike Pingel and I said I just said goodbye to Tanya,’ he said. Pingel later told the media that the actress had died before the correction was issued. Her death was then announced Tuesday. Today on THE REAL, (1/5/21), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks out about the Georgia Senate runoff election and President Trump’s attempt to overturn the Electoral College results. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) on the Georgia Senate Runoff Election: “Georgia, do what you do. Do what only you can do Georgia. Your work is not done. We have got to get control of this Senate, they have been obstructionists in every way, of realizing equity, of justice, of progress and of advancing a comprehensive relief package to meet the needs of the American people to address the scale and scope of this crisis, and to mitigate the hurt. Make no mistake about it, the reason why there are not $2000 cash recurring payments going to the struggling and hurting American people right now is because of Mitch McConnell and this GOP Senate, and Loeffler and Perdue, who have been the Bonnie & Clyde’s of corruption, who will put their personal interests ahead of the needs of Georgians.” https://youtu.be/Q5UxPbAVxr8 Bravo boss Andy Cohen shed more light on what really went down during the “Real Housewives of Potomac” Season 5 reunion. In the latest episode of “Watch What Happens Live” on Sunday night, Cohen addressed the backlash he’s been receiving over what fans deemed his biased treatment of cast member Monique Samuels. During the reunion, Cohen grilled Samuels about her husband’s income (or lack thereof), and the physical altercation between she and co-star Candiace Dillard Bassett. https://youtu.be/YyLhT274IdE Tim Tebow and Tauren Wells are challenging their followers to download Wells’ latest single, “All God’s Children” to help fight against human trafficking. “Over the course of the past several months, God has been opening my heart to ways I can lend my influences to causes that are greater and bigger than me,” Wells said in a video posted to his Twitter account. Wells partnered with the former professional football quarterback and his Tim Tebow Foundation to release the new single. On Instagram, they revealed that all the proceeds will “go directly to the fight against human trafficking all over the world.” One in 930 Americans have now died from COVID-19 as the US death toll continues to surge and hospitalizations hit record highs nationwide. More than 18,400 Americans died of COVID-19 in the last week, which marks the deadliest of the pandemic so far, and the seven-day rolling average for fatalities is now at just over 2,600 per day. There were 1,903 COVID-19 deaths and 180,477 new infections across the country on Monday. A record 128,210 patients are also currently being treated for coronavirus in hospitals across the country, which is up 25 percent compared to last month, according to COVID Tracking Project data. An extended cut of Chris Rock‘s “Tamborine” comedy special is being re-released on Netflix. The streaming giant teased that the Grammy-nominated 2018 stand-up special will include “never-before-seen jokes, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.” https://youtu.be/T2K2AFv2ryU Nicki Minaj married a man with a troubling past that involves rape and murder, and now one of his victims is speaking out. The hip-hop star and her husband Kenneth Petty recently became new parents to an adorable bouncing baby boy, who Nicki calls Papa Bear. But amid the headlines over becoming a first time mother, one woman claims that Minaj and her husband have been using their downtime to attack her. Petty is a sex offender and was convicted of raping the woman when she was, according to Nicki Minaj, 16-years-old and he was 15. The rapper claims the two were in a relationship at the time. The alleged victim, however, says both she and Petty were 16 and were never romantically involved, MadameNoire reports. The woman, who does not want to be named, recently fired off a message to the Petty's in a short second video obtained by NoseyHeauxLive. “This message is for Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty. Tell your f*ckin people to leave my family alone. Don’t call my f*ckin family. Don’t call my brothers. Don’t call anybody. Leave me and my family the f*ck alone!” Snoop Dogg and Eminem have been feuding since December, and their beef started after some seemingly shady comments were made during a radio interview. As reported by Complex, during a New Year’s Eve special on Em’s SirusXM Shade 45 channel, Em explained why he dissed the West Coast icon, which prompted Snoop to fire off a response. https://youtu.be/u6u62ecmRgA New video and audio has been released from an incident between police in Arlington, Va. and a Black photographer who was the target of a 911 call by white neighbors in Foxcroft Heights. Bodycam footage of the Dec. 21 encounter and audio of a neighbor’s call to police, which prompted the incident, were released as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Arlington branch of the NAACP. The media was shared with the outlet ARLnow. During the call, an unidentified female neighbor tells police that the photographer, who was at the time sitting in his parked BMW, was taking pictures of the gate to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, as well as “neighbors and people that are walking by.” “We confronted him and he just wouldn’t engage… he’s just sitting there taking pictures,” the caller says. “I’m not sure if that’s illegal but it’s kind of creepy.” Marlon Crutchfield, a professional photographer who’s retired from the military, was hired by a family on the block to take holiday photos. In a Dec. 23 Facebook post, Crutchfield said he was confronted by a neighbor — apparently the caller’s husband — but declined to answer his questions. https://youtu.be/O2OQ4ggPjLo Malachi Love-Robinson, also known as “Dr. Love,” made national headlines in 2016 after being busted for running a fake gynecology center. A year later he was busted again for car fraud. Love-Robinson capped off 2020 with yet another arrest on charges of grand theft and fraud. https://youtu.be/z5Pi7zUumh4 Veteran UFC Fighter, Kevin Casey has debuted a new video, for his song, “Eternity.” It stars 50-year-old video vixen Shana Mangatal in her first music video since Tupac’s “Unconditional Love” in 1999. The new video for Kevin’s song, “Eternity,” has amassed over 45,000 views on Instagram in just one week.https://youtu.be/Sf241whvgNk Maria Bakalova, the breakout star of Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat” sequel, says she has kept in contact with babysitter Jeanise Jones, who was a huge highlight of mockumentary. Jones, 62, claims she was tricked into participating in “Borat 2.” She quickly became a celebrated star of the movie when she appeared as a “babysitter” for Tutar (Bakalova), the 15-year-old daughter of Borat (played by Cohen). Jones believed Tutar was a child bride and in danger of being married off to an older man. https://youtu.be/UKdgd2G7GuM Wheels, which is an indie film centering on a DJ (Max) finding his way in Brooklyn. The drama won 6 awards in the last year on the festival circuit, and is loaded with cameos of hip hop legends, such as Lee Quinones of Wild Style, Nyck Caution, and the Beastie Boys editor, Neal Usatin. https://youtu.be/KochW-s6Shg Join a worldwide virtual event called Africa Rise! Healthier and Stronger on Jan 16th! Angelo & Veronica will sing their version of “The Prayer.” This free concert event will be live streamed to all of Africa and the Diaspora worldwide and will benefit healthcare particularly in the remote, rural communities in Africa. If you are in Europe, Asia, Latin America, the US or the Caribbean, you can join on your mobile devices. Register at: https://africarise2020.com Jermaine Dolly is back with a New Smash single to kick off the New Year! After having two back to back number 1 single in 2020 Jermaine Dolly releases another single called I'LL Go which is compelling from the first note! This song shows a worship side of Jermaine as he pleads with God by telling him wherever you send me I’LL Go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-NMQpqD9eA&feature=youtu.be Two weeks and Donald Trump will be out of office. Listen to Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris talk about the Biden-Harris Administration approach to tackling Coronavirus, getting Americans vaccinated and the importance of the U.S. Senate run-off elections in Georgia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaxmKiZ1U8E&feature=youtu.be Along with the onslaught of repeated voter suppression, Georgia voters are also being threatened with physical violence as the runoff Senate races wind down. Over the course of the weekend on the ground organizers and church leaders have amped up calls for transparency and protection in the face of repeated death threats and misinformation regarding the runoff races on Jan. 5. The threats mount as Donald Trump applies pressure and seemingly threatens Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffenspeger to overturn the election results. “This weekend, I received several calls from pastors and others who have received threats regarding Tuesday’s run-off election,” Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, an organizer and Presiding Prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District who oversees over 90,000 parishioners. Jackson also leads “Operation Voter Turnout,” a non-partisan coalition that works across different ethnic communities to help engage voters. Jackson also spoke out against tactics like “line warming” being used against voters to sway their decision while they stand in line to vote. Organizers are also working to feed correct information to voters after false claims amplified by Trump and his supporters continue to make their rounds on social media. Enrique Tarrio, the racist, emboldened leader of the white supremacist group the Proud Boys hate group, was arrested in Washington D.C. on Monday for the vandalization of pair of prominent Black churches in D.C. last month. Tarrio’s arrest was confirmed by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Tarrio, 36, was taken into custody after arriving in the nation’s capital ahead of Wednesday’s Proud Boys rally to protest the election results. He was arrested on suspicion of burning a Black Lives Matter banner torn from the Asbury United Methodist Church on Dec. 12 and was in possession of two high powered firearm magazines when he was taken into custody. Days after the attacks, Tarrio brazenly admitted to defacing the church’s property in an interview with The Washington Post. He confessed that at least four churches were vandalized. The arrest occurred hours after the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in conjunction with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit in the Washington D.C. superior court. The suit names Tarrio, Proud Boys International LLC, and a number of “John Does” who participated in the attack. A Black woman intends to sue a police department in upstate New York for becoming violent and using “excessive force” during what she called an “unlawful arrest” for a decidedly non-violent allegation. The episode in the town of Ulster was recorded by a bystander as well as an officer’s body camera. According to a press release, Shana Shaw was injured by Ulster County Deputy Sheriff Brian Woltman Jr. and an unidentified police officer after she was approached in a parking lot of the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant for allegedly failing to signal a turn. Woltman Jr. also accused Shaw, 26, without any proof of driving with a suspended license, something she said had recently been cleared up. She said the papers showing her license was no longer suspended were at her home. https://youtu.be/2wx1VeR5OW0 Trump began 2021 with politics as usual as concerns mount over a leaked tape where he pressured Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the presidential election and threatened him with a possible “criminal offense” during an hour-long phone call on Saturday. In response, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has expressed a similar sentiment regarding Trump’s insidious effort to disenfranchise Black voters in the state of Georgia, many of whom galvanized their efforts to help Joe Biden win and flip the state blue for the first Democratic voting majority since the 1992 presidential election. “President Trump’s last-ditch attempt to pressure the Georgia Secretary of State to overturn the unequivocal results of the presidential election places our democracy squarely at a crossroads, said Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the LDF in a recent statement. “After failing to win the Electoral College, and having lost scores of legal challenges, the President is now resorting to direct pressure in his attempt to remain in office and upend the will of the people. As his own administration has made clear, this was the most secure election in American history with no evidence of widespread voter fraud.” The LDF stands with Black Georgia voters and filed a suit in December regarding Trump’s mass attempts at disenfranchisement. TV One has announced the premiere date of its two-part documentary special UNSUNG PRESENTS: MUSIC & THE MOVEMENT –remembering the artists and songs that have provided the soundtrack to the fight for justice and equality – airing part one on Monday, January 18, 2021, at 8 P.M. ET/7C immediately followed by part two at 9 P.M. ET/8C. On hand to provide commentary about the new musical genre that emerged during pivotal movements in Black Americans tumultuous past and troubling present are Erica Campbell, Big Gipp, Raheem DeVaughn, Rev. Al Sharpton, Isaac Hayes III, Ronda Racha Penrice, Headkrack, Shante Paige, DJ Kemit, Dyana Williams, Angie Ange, Colby Colb, Rickey Vincent, Steve Ivory, Delores Thompson, Dave Washington, Billy Johnson, Jr., Kenny Gamble, P. Frank Williams, Keith Murphy, DJ Yella, Battlecat, Soren Baker, and Felicia “Poetess” Morris. In a message taped for what turned out to be his final week as “Jeopardy!” host, Alex Trebek urged the game show’s viewers to honor the season of giving by helping victims of the coronavirus epidemic. Trebek’s plea aired in the opening moments of the show that aired on Monday. “We’re trying to build a gentler, kinder society and if we all pitch in just a little bit, we’re going to get there,” he said. Trebek died November 8 at age 80 of pancreatic cancer but had pre-taped several weeks of shows that have continued to air. Monday’s show began the final week of programs that he left behind. His last week of shows were originally scheduled to air on Christmas week; two categories of clues on Monday were “December 21” and “Christmas on Broadway.” But to give Trebek’s final week wider exposure, “Jeopardy!” put them off until this week. The show’s executive producer, Mike Richards, told NBC’s “Today” show on Monday that Trebek was “an absolute warrior” in his last taping sessions. “He was in enormous pain,” Richards said. “He was, you know, 10 days away from passing away. And you will not sense that in any of these episodes.” A successor hasn’t been named. Longtime “Jeopardy!' champion Ken Jennings will be the first of a planned series of guest hosts on episodes that begin appearing next week. Yet another set of high-profile pastors are leaving scandalized megachurch Hillsong under unclear circumstances. Reed Bogard, 38, and his wife, Jess Bogard, 35, the lead pastors of the Australia-based institution’s Dallas branch, are stepping away from the once-celebrity-beloved international worship chain after over a decade of employment there. “Hey church, hope you’re doing well,” Reed says in a cutaway clip included in an hourlong Sunday sermon recorded live this weekend. “Just wanted to take a second on behalf of Jess and I to share some news with you. He goes on to say how the couple met at Hillsong College and served various staff roles at the church — including positions at three American branches — over the course of 15 years, all of which “has really taken a bit of a toll on Jess and I, on our family.” Without offering further explanation, he then announces, “We just really feel that it’s time to transition off of our staff and take some time to remain healthy, get healthy and to really see what this next season holds for us.” Justin Bieber is dismissing reports that he’s training to become a man of the cloth. The “Holy” singer took to social media on Monday to refute claims that he had entered the ministry at the controversial Hillsong Church, whose celebrity pastor Carl Lentz was recently ousted after revelations of alleged adultery. “IM NOT STUDYING TO BE A MINISTER OR ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE TO THAT,” he wrote, in all caps, in his “Stories” on Instagram, over the top of a screenshot of a Page Six headline last week. “HAVE NO DESIRE FOR THAT THIS IS FAKE NEWS.” The story quoted a source telling OK! magazine, “He wants to be a full-fledged minister next year.” In his denial, the 26-year-old pop star continued: “AND BTW HILLSONG IS NOT MY CHURCH.. FOR CLARITY I AM A PART OF CHURCHOME” — naming a nondenominational ministry based on the West Coast that preaches remote fellowship among its celebrity congregants, who are known to attend services at Hillsong while on the East Coast, according to a 2019 Marie Claire report. The man accused of shooting an East Texas pastor with his own gun is also a suspect in two other shooting incidents. Mytrez Woolen, 21, was arrested for capital murder and other charges after police say he shot and killed Pastor Mark Allen McWilliams, 61, Sunday morning at the Starrville Methodist Church near Winona. Woolen was determined not to be caught. He’s now sitting in the Smith County jail on a $3.5 million bond. The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the showcase of new independent work selected across the Feature Film, Short Film, Indie Series and New Frontier categories for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival will go down digitally via a feature-rich, Sundance-built online platform and in-person on Satellite Screens across the country (public health permitting) from January 28-February 3, 2021. Recognizing the diverse range of delicious food, rich history and culture that Black-owned restaurants contribute to the American experience, Pepsi launched “Dig In” a multi-year platform designed as a rallying call to support Black-owned restaurants. Pepsi introduced Dig In with a national ad spot on NFL Network Media featuring a symphony of standout Black-owned restaurants from four cities. The aim is to generate at least $100 million in sales for Black-owned restaurants over the next five years. The platform also serves as an invitation for Black restaurateurs to tap into a variety of resources offered by PepsiCo including business services, training and mentorship. The spot premiered December 26 and runs through February 8 on TV, and digitally on NFL.com. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson if giving back to a friend who helped him back when he was a down and out teen. When Dwayne and his mom were evicted from their home in Hawaii, Bruno Lauer took in the homeless teen, and again nine years later when he fell on hard times while trying to make it as a wrestler. On New Year’s Day, the 48-year-old “Fast & Furious” shared a clip of the sweet moment that he ‘”returned the favor” to Bruno by surprising him with a Ford F150 and promised his friend he’s “got him covered” when he chooses to retire. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2021/01/04/8006806172173907951/480x270_MP4_8006806172173907951.mp4 “It’s time for us to make a change.” With those words, long-time Compton, California resident Andre Spicer announced his candidacy for the Second District Councilmember seat in an exclusive interview and candidate profile with Reel Urban News. https://youtu.be/ggyJf2ETL6g PJ Morton drops "Repay" featuring J Moss. Check out the Making Of Gospel According to PJ Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvMYnRitv5U&feature=youtu.be Philadelphia native Trey Brown is the 14-year-old owner of SPERGO, a boutique fashion collection that includes sweatsuits, hoodies, boxer briefs, and accessories for both genders as well as children. The clothing company has already garnered a loyal celebrity following with people like rapper DaBaby, Meek Mill, and others spotted wearing his brand. Fashion isn’t the easiest industry to break into. One boy was not only able to beat the odds and launched his own clothing brand, but he also was able to catch the eye of music and fashion mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Power, Strength and Courageousness, SPERGO is a comfortable approach to designer fashion. Under the vision of CEO Trey Brown and creative director Sherell Peterson. SPERGO products represents the combination of comfortable luxury clothing and empowering greater possibilities! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoZ1x_foPVE The first radio single from the Grammy-nominated gospel troupe Anthony Brown & group therAPy's critically-acclaimed "Stuck in the House: The Pandemic Project" digital EP, is an earnest plea for divine help in a world full of weary and woe. The uplifting piano ballad showcases all of the spiritual pathos and promise that made their signature anthems "Worth" and "Trust in You" blockbusting hits. "Help" https://spaces.hightail.com/space/Ikt4ZgbwOh/files/fi-2bb8eb45-00a3-4515-8ccc-c14da499029f/fv-e740db64-dea6-41fa-b303-bfe0633e7d0a/Help%20(radio%20edit)%20(320).mp3 Pastor Mike, Jr. capped off 2020 with the designation of Big, his blockbuster hit single from the debut album Live Free as the Top Gospel Airplay song by Billboard and Mediabase on its year end charts. “WOW, God just continues to do great things, and I am glad about it”, states Pastor Mike, Jr. “While we experienced some tragedies and trauma that we wouldn’t want to go through last year, we also learned very valuable lessons, Big challenged us in the midst of the mess, to change our way of thinking and not only look for a miracle, but to declare it in spite of the present circumstances. My right now is not my end, we have to live with expectation that the same God that brought us to it is the same God with the same power that can carry us through it. Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forevermore. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that will raise us out of dead situations and give us a NEW HOPE.” Ne-Yo and his wife Crystal Smith are bouncing back from their near-divorce by renewing their vows and solidifying their commitment to each other. Ne-Yo posted a video on Instagram of the moment when he proposed to Smith during a New Year’s Eve gathering. “I love you,” he said. “We have decided that this is our forever. With that being said I need you to know that there is no where on the face of the planet that I would rather be. There is no one on the face of the planet that I would rather be with.” He then got down on one knee and asked: “Crystal Renay Smith. Will you marry me again?” Crystal gushed about re-marrying Ne-Yo in a post on social media. https://www.instagram.com/itscrystalsmith/?utm_source=ig_embed ‘South Park Guy’ cosplayer Jarod Nandin has died at age 40 after contracting coronavirus. The World Of Warcraft information website, Wowhead, broke the news of Nandin’s passing on Sunday. Nandin announced he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 after going to the ER for chest pains in mid-December. Chris Rock spent his time in quarantine grappling with his past and tackling difficult truths in therapy. During the latest episode of CBS Sunday Morning, the 55-year-old comedian sat outside his New Jersey estate with Gayle King for an interview that delved into his personal life. Rock, who recently received praise for his role in “Fargo,” told King that he attended therapy before coronavirus, but sessions ticked up when the pandemic began in March. https://youtu.be/Pt0TIwtpImo Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy,” the latest doc from filmmaker Stanley Nelson, explores how crack cocaine—and the government—inflicted untold damage on Black America. https://youtu.be/RbYdjyxDNtQ Pope Francis has said he is ‘saddened’ by Covid rule breakers who are ignoring travel restrictions during the pandemic and that they need to show a greater awareness of the suffering of others. Speaking after his weekly noon blessing on Sunday, Francis said he had read newspaper reports of people catching flights to flee government curbs and seek fun elsewhere. ‘They didn’t think about those who were staying at home, of the economic problems of many people who have been hit hard by the lockdown, of the sick people. (They thought) only about going on holiday and having fun,’ he said. ‘This really saddened me,’ he added in a video address from the library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The widow of former WWE star Shad Gaspard has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state of California and the city of Los Angeles, in connection with her husband’s drowning off Venice Beach, Calif. in May. Siliana Gaspard filed the suit on Dec. 21, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging there were insufficient signs warning of the dangers of swimming in the area, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The former wrestler went missing on May 17, while swimming with his 10-year-old son. Both got caught in a rip current while about 50 yards offshore. A lifeguard saw a “wave had crashed over Mr. Shad Gaspard and he was swept out to sea,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. https://youtu.be/8UgcKw1imV4 Al B. Sure shared an update about his health journey after suffering from a life-threatening condition. The singer recently posted video footage of himself inside his doctor’s office, getting tubes removed from his stomach, and he captioned the clip: “Ok, this is the final segment of my #medicaljourney (i hope and pray). Thank you for the love light and prayers to get me through 2020. i appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.” He then thanked his doctor, saying “Thank you Dr. Rosenberg for allowing me a few more years here with my loved ones.” https://www.instagram.com/officialalbsure/?utm_source=ig_embed The latest episode of Facebook Watch’s newest talk show, Peace of Mind with Taraji, is now available! In Peace of Mind with Taraji, Golden Globe Award-Winning Actress Taraji P. Henson and her best friend and co-host Tracie Jade shine a spotlight on the challenging mental health issues facing us today – particularly of those in the Black community. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=143987450832223 Beyoncé celebrated the new year by sharing with fans rare footage of her 3-year-old twins Sir and Rumi. In the clip posted to her Instagram account, the superstar singer can be seen driving around with her twins in a golf cart. “Did you have a good summer?” Beyoncé, who’s holding Sir in her lap, asks Rumi, who dances to Bey’s “Savage Remix” collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion. https://www.instagram.com/beyonce/?utm_source=ig_embed In the new film “Redemption Day,” Gary Dourdan plays Brad Paxton, who is a marine veteran who comes home considerably traumatized. Despite his state of mind, he has to go back into that lifestyle to the deserts of Algeria to rescue his wife who has been kidnapped. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CS_Eh4xyX8 Starz debuts the worldwide premiere of the music video for the “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” theme song, “Part of the Game,” performed by 50 Cent and NLE Choppa, with background vocals from Rileyy Lanez. The video, directed by 50 Cent and Eif Rivera, one of hip-hop’s most sought-after music video directors, debuted during the high-octane season finale of “Power Book II: Ghost” giving fans an exclusive look at the expanding “Power” Universe franchise. The video unveils a visual sneak peek at the very first footage from the series set to premiere Summer 2021. https://preview-g.starz.com/p/promos/new/vers0169519_pbk1_raising_kanan_part_of_the_game_music_video_org_26618_20_169___no_bug___summer_2021____2000k.mp4 Kodak Black’s efforts to be released from prison have hit yet another snag, as federal prosecutors have denied his attempts to reduce his sentence. VladTV reports that the reason his request was rejected is because his motion failed to cite a valid reason for why he’s deserving of less time. “(Kodak Black) has not presented ‘extraordinary and compelling reasons’ supporting his request for release,” assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce O. Brown wrote in response to the motion, per VladTV. “Stated more correction, (Kodak Black) has not presented ANY reason supporting his request for release. He merely states he is not an evil person and promises to participate in community-based programs aimed at helping the ‘younger generation.’ That simply is inadequate pursuant to the statute.” Brown noted that Black was originally facing 10 years in prison so he should be grateful that he received 46-months. Cell phone footage captured the moment Barry Allen, a Black man, confronted the white man for calling him the n-word. When the white male refused to stop using the word, Allen smacks him silly with a can of Twisted Tea — earning him the “TeaKO” nickname. https://twitter.com/i/status/1343968770684022784 Sunday night when Steph Curry dropped a career-high 62 points on the Portland Trail Blazers, leading the Warriors to a 137-122 victory at Chase Center. He let the numbers speak, loudly — “I got something for all y’all” — as a response to his critics. “I take all of that personally,” he said, channeling Michael Jordan in “The Last Dance” while referring to the social-media jabs. “It’s crazy. It reminded me of [NBA] 2K,” said James Wiseman, seeing a Curry takeover up close for the first time and acknowledging playing as Steph in the video game. After months of intense speculation and fan unrest, the New York Jets finally put an end to the Adam Gase era, firing the coach Sunday night after only two seasons. Jets CEO Christopher Johnson, who called Gase a “brilliant offensive mind” at the start of the season, made the announcement after the Jets finished 2-14. “While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization — especially in our leadership positions — it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction,” Johnson said in a statement. “We knew there was a lot of work that needed to be done when Adam joined us in 2019. Our strong finish last year was encouraging, but unfortunately, we did not sustain that positive momentum or see the progress we all expected this season. A pastor was killed and another person was wounded in a shooting Sunday morning at a Methodist church in the East Texas community of Starrville, officials said. Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said at a news conference that the suspect, who had been hiding in the church after deputies pursued him in a car chase Saturday night, had confronted the pastor when he entered the church shortly before 9:30 a.m. The pastor was armed and drew his gun, but the suspect lunged at the pastor and took the weapon from him, the sheriff said. The suspect, whose name has not been released, fatally shot the pastor, Smith said. Another person was being treated for gunshot wounds, and third was taken to a hospital after a fall during the shooting, the sheriff said. Authorities have not provided the names of the victims. The suspect used the pastor’s firearm in the shooting, Smith said. More disturbing details emerged in the shooting death of Andre’ Hill after new footage showed the 47-year-old Black man didn’t receive aid for several minutes after he was struck. The Associated Press reports that Hill laid on the ground for roughly 10 minutes before officers attempted chest compressions. The officers at the scene were prompted to do so by a supervising officer who inquired if any aid was given to Hill. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. New bodycam video was taken from the vantage point of several officers, who accompanied officer Adam Coy to the scene of the crime. A majority of the footage was taken from Officer Amy Detweiler, who was near Coy at the time of the shooting. Coy shot Hill while he held a cell phone on Dec. 22 in Columbus, Ohio around 1:30 a.m. Hill was visiting the residents of the house where he was killed. On Monday, January 4, the Muhaymin family and advocates from national and Phoenix-based organizations will mark four years since Phoenix police brutally killed Muhammad Muhaymin—an unarmed, Black, Muslim, disabled man—while mocking his faith. To date, none of the officers involved in this killing have faced any criminal or disciplinary consequences; all are still actively policing in Phoenix. Muhaymin was killed by Phoenix police in 2017 after attempting to bring his service dog into a public restroom. In August of 2020, new body camera footage was made public showing officers using their knees to pin Muhaymin’s head, neck and body into an asphalt parking lot. Before he is killed, Muhaymin can be heard yelling “I can’t breathe” and “Please Allah,” with an officer responding “Allah? He’s not going to help you right now.” The two men who are suspected of killing Ahmaud Arbery have submitted a request that no one refers to him as a “victim” during the upcoming trial. Travis and Gregory McMichael’s attorneys have filed a motion stating that prosecutors are prohibited from referring to Arbery as a victim in front of the jury. Their argument states that calling the young man a victim leads to a “conclusion that can’t be reached before a verdict.” The defense is arguing that a crime has not been committed and that they shot Arbery in self-defense and additionally claimed that calling him a victim will cause the jury to be prejudice against them. A graveside service was held for an Alabama pastor who served his congregation for more than 40 years before he died from COVID-19, and his wife, who had succumbed to the novel coronavirus two weeks earlier. The Coosada Church of Christ posted a video of the service that was held Saturday at Elizabeth Baptist Church in Mathews, Alabama, where John Thomas, who was the pastor of the church for 41 years, and his wife, Joann, had been laid to rest. Pastor Thomas died on Dec. 26, a night after his wife, Joann, died. They were married for 52 years. Kyrie Irving is paying it forward by investing in the futures of HBCU students. According to Forbes, the Brooklyn Nets point guard recently covered tuition costs for students at Lincoln University. Students who attend historically Black colleges and universities are disproportionately impacted by the student debt crisis. According to a study conducted by the United Negro College Fund, HBCU students borrow loans at higher rates, have higher levels of unmet financial needs and graduate with higher debt than students at non-HBCUs. Cognizant of the financial burdens faced by HBCU students, Irving was determined to step up and provide support. The generous gift was distributed amongst nine seniors attending the Pennsylvania-based institution. The donation was made through the K.A.I. Family Foundation; a nonprofit organization founded by Irving designed to empower youth from underserved communities through education and combat food insecurity. Christians should live out the righteousness of Jesus instead of acting out “reality show righteousness,” said Christian rapper Trip Lee. Social media and a culture that teaches people to film and publicize their own actions often engenders an attitude of performative goodness, said Lee in a Dec. 29 speech to the Cross for the Nations 2020 conference. He called this attitude “reality show righteousness.” “Reality shows play into things about human nature that were true even before reality shows existed. We love drama, but also we love to be seen,” he said. Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston said the Australian health service in the state of New South Wales was being “over cautious” after it issued a health alert for people who visited the megachurch’s car park at a time when the campus was closed. “The NSW (New South Wales) govt issued a health alert for people who visited our Hills campus between 8-8.45pm on 29 December. At that time the church was completely shut and the Christmas lights were switched off after Christmas night. The NSW govt had been made aware of that,” Houston, the church’s founder, wrote on Twitter. He added that he thought the health service was “just being over cautious in this instance.” The ongoing controversy over the money left behind by Prince when he died without a will is heating up again after Internal Revenue Service calculations showed that executors of the rock star’s estate undervalued it by 50%, or about $80 million. The IRS determined that Prince’s estate is worth $163.2 million, overshadowing the $82.3 million valuation submitted by Comerica Bank & Trust, the estate’s administrator. The discrepancy primarily involves Prince’s music publishing and recording interests, according to court documents. Documents show the IRS believes that Prince’s estate owes another $32.4 million in federal taxes, roughly doubling the tax bill based on Comerica’s valuation, the Star Tribune reported. The IRS also has ordered a $6.4 million “accuracy-related penalty” on Prince’s estate, citing a “substantial” undervaluation of assets, documents show. Prince’s death of a fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016, created one of the largest and most complicated probate court proceedings in Minnesota history. Estimates of his net worth have varied widely, from $100 million to $300 million. In its second weekend in U.S. theaters, “Wonder Woman 1984” earned an estimated $5.5 million in ticket sales according to studio estimates Sunday. It’s a 67% drop for the superhero sequel, which is simultaneously playing on 2,151 screens and streaming free for HBO Max subscribers. “Wonder Woman 1984” has made $28.5 million to date from the U.S., where about 39% of theaters are open and most major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, are closed. Internationally, it added $10.1 million, bringing its global total to $118.5 million. While $5.5 million would be a terrible second weekend for a $200 million movie in a pre-pandemic world, under the unique circumstances it was enough to top the domestic charts. In second place is Universal’s “The Croods: A New Age,” which saw a 25% increase in ticket sales in its sixth week in theaters. It’s made $34.5 million since it opened at Thanksgiving and is also now available to rent on premium video on demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfM7_JLk-84 Chris Rock talked about opening up in therapy, racism, the debate over cancel culture, his career and more in a revealing interview with Gayle King for CBS News’ CBS SUNDAY MORNING Sunday, Jan. 3 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. https://youtu.be/Pt0TIwtpImo Since getting his first big break in the movie “Boyz n the Hood” in 1991, actor Morris Chestnut has been pretty open about his life and career. However, there is one thing about his personal life that seems to be off-limits for Morris: talking extensively about his marriage to Pam Byse. It’s difficult to find out a lot about the couple’s 25-year marriage – an eternity in Hollywood – by looking on social media platforms or viewing entertainment shows on television. Morris and Pam have committed to keeping their marriage to each other a “private affair.” https://youtu.be/DeNNFhMnxJ0 Floyd Little, college and professional football Hall of Famer, has died after “nearly a year of confronting, even battling cancer,” his son Marc Little said in a statement Saturday. The great running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos passed away early evening Friday at home in Las Vegas with his wife, DeBorah Little, by his side, the family said. Little, born in Waterbury, Connecticut, was 78. He was a three-time All-American at Syracuse, where he wore No. 44 like Jim Brown and Ernie Davis before him. From 1964 to 1966, he ran for 2,704 yards and 46 touchdowns. Paul Westphal, a Hall of Fame guard who won a championship with the Celtics in 1974, played for the Knicks from 1981-83 and later coached in the league and in college, died Saturday. He was 70. He died in Scottsdale, Ariz., according to a statement from Southern California, where Westphal starred in college. He was diagnosed with brain cancer last August. A five-time All-Star guard, Westphal played in the NBA from 1972-84. After winning a championship with the Celtics, he made the finals in 1976 with Phoenix, where he was a key part of one of the most riveting games in league history. In his two seasons with the Knicks, he played 98 games, averaging 10.3 points and 5.5 assists. He landed with the team after five straight All-Star seasons, the last of which came with the Seattle SuperSonics. Gerry Marsden, lead singer of the 1960s British group Gerry and the Pacemakers that had such hits as “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and the song that became the anthem of Liverpool Football Club, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” has died. He was 78. His family said that Marsden died Sunday “after a short illness in no way connected with COVID-19” and that his wife, daughters and grandchildren are “devastated.” His friend Pete Price said on Instagram after speaking to Marsden’s family that the singer died after a short illness related to a heart infection. “I’m sending all the love in the world to (his wife) Pauline and his family,” he said. “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Joan Micklin Silver, who forged a path for female directors and independent filmmakers with movies including “Hester Street” and “Crossing Delancey,” has died. She was 85. Silver died from vascular dementia Thursday at her home in New York, her daughter Claudia Silver told The Associated Press. Famed fashion designer Alexander Wang is facing sexual assault allegations. The designer has been put on blast by watchdog Instagram accounts, @s—tmodelmgmt and @DietPrada, both have been sharing anonymous testimonies from males models accusing Wang of sexual misconduct, PEOPLE reports. In one TikTok video post, model Owen Mooney claims he was groped by the designer at a crowded New York City club in 2017. https://youtu.be/9f2wmJjRdcs For over a decade, The Kingdom of YAHWEH Angel’s of Freedom Prison Ministry has been a source of inspiration and hope to incarcerated individuals. The organization offers hope for a better tomorrow through renewal spirituality and individuals seeking to make reparations for their past missteps in life. King YAHWEH recently approved a budget of $1.5 million over the next three years to go towards the commissary of qualified incarcerated nonviolent criminals. Nicki Minaj had a baby 3 months ago and said to yourself, “I wonder what little dude looks like?” https://www.instagram.com/p/CJizFyJLX4k/?utm_source=ig_embed A Black man who was wrongfully handcuffed and accused of a crime by Virginia Beach police has contracted the coronavirus, according to WAVY. Jamar Mackey received a positive coronavirus diagnosis on Christmas Eve, according to his partner Shantel Covil, who spoke with the local news outlet. He began exhibiting symptoms days after the Dec. 19 police encounter and tested for COVID-19 on Dec. 22. Naturally, the couple is concerned about exposing their family, though Covil has tested negative, while monitoring her teen and infant son. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqcaJqdWMAA_wmQ?format=jpg&name=900x900 After falsely accusing the 14-year-old son of jazz artist Keyon Harrold of theft “SoHo Karen” seems to have a less than exemplary rap sheet of her own. According to the New York Post who confirmed though NYPD sources, the woman’s name Miya Ponsetto, 22. The uncovering comes after days of the NYPD and news outlets shielding her identify from the public, stating safety concerns. But the gag is that Ponsetto is documented for having two run-ins with the law last year, both cases are pending hearings early this year. On Feb. 28 she was arrested for public intoxication in Beverly Hills and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 28, according to the Daily Mail. Three months later on May 28 she was docked for drunken driving and was charged with several misdemeanor counts — two for driving under the influence of alcohol, one for driving with a suspended license and one for unlawful use of a driver’s license. In September she pleaded not guilty and will receive sentencing at a hearing on Jan. 14. As the United States goes into the New Year breaking single-day records for coronavirus deaths, data from the Centers for Disease Control suggests the true cumulative U.S. death toll is approaching half a million. Last week saw two new record daily totals of conformed Covid deaths of over 3,700, and as of Friday, the official U.S. death toll was 347,870. That’s according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard, which is generally regarded as the official source for confirmed coronavirus figures. But according to the latest available figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the true current death toll is likely much greater — and could surpass half a million in a matter of weeks. CDC tracks the number of deaths reported in excess of the average number of expected deaths based on prior years, and the latest figures show that since the pandemic began, 431,792 more people than expected have died. More than 20 million Americans have been infected with coronavirus as of Friday afternoon. US infections now make up nearly a quarter of the global total. December was the deadliest month of the pandemic yet in the US, with coronavirus killing more than 77,000 Americans in the span of 31 days – outstripping the previous record fatalities from April by nearly a third. The US rang in 2021 with a grim new record: coronavirus hospitalizations hit an all-time high for the fourth day in a row on New Years Eve with nearly 125,400 people in inpatient treatment. Another 227,315 new infections were confirmed on Thursday, bring the tally to 20,007,149, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The Rev. Dewey Corder, a former president of the Alabama Baptist Convention, died of COVID-19, pneumonia and heart failure on Christmas Day, his wife, Jackie, said. He was 80. Corder was known for “his faithfulness, complete integrity, never changing,” his wife said. “He was always honest about what he thought about Jesus,” she said. “That was his main thrust: Do you know Jesus?” Corder was president of the state Baptist Convention from 1992-94, and led some of the discussions with Samford University after the university’s board of directors voted in 1994 to break legal ties with the state convention. “I believe positively that it can be resolved in the best interests of the convention and Samford University in due time,” Corder said at the time. The state convention, which founded Samford, continued to fund the university in an agreement that was worked out later. The Miami Dolphins have announced that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will not be available for the team’s final regular-season game on Sunday after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Fitzpatrick, 38, was placed on the Dolphin’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday, a day after he last practiced with the team, ESPN reported. Miami is on the brink of a playoff berth and can clinch a spot if they beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, or if a number of other teams lose. They currently have a 10-5 record. The NBA is planning to roll out an ambitious aspect of its leaguewide contact tracing program by requiring players and many team staffers to wear sensor devices during all team-organized activities outside of games starting Jan. 7, according to a league memo obtained by ESPN. Only Tier 1 and Tier 2 individuals — designations outlined in the league’s health and safety protocols that include players and specific staff members, such as coaches — will be required to wear Kinexon SafeZone contact sensor devices on the team plane, the team bus, during practices and to and from the arena or their home practice facility in connection with team travel, the memo states. Not wearing the sensors is subject to discipline, but it’s unclear what the discipline might be. Players are not required to wear the sensors during games or at the team hotel when traveling. A testing period for the program began Dec. 23 and is expected to be implemented Jan. 7, according to a separate league memo obtained by ESPN. Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant posted a faith-filled message to Twitter in the wee hours of the morning Tuesday after leaving Monday’s game with an ankle injury. In the 21-word tweet, Morant wrote, “Every setback is a setup for a comeback. God wants to bring you out better than you were before.” Although Morant left the Barclays Center in a wheelchair, initial X-rays revealed no fractures, according to a report from ESPN. The reigning Rookie of the Year is expected to undergo an MRI sometime Tuesday. The Memphis Grizzlies ultimately succeeded in an overtime win of 116-111 over the Brooklyn Nets. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Louisville home was tagged with graffiti overnight. It’s a nasty looking scene as the front of McConnell’s home was covered in spray-painted messages including “Weres my money” and “Mitch kills poor.” https://youtu.be/VoevWB7YNZI Actress and singer Naturi Naughton is making moves on the romantic tip, but she’s being secretive about it. The “Power” star got engaged over the Christmas break — but she won’t reveal the identity of her fiancé publicly, reports Page Six. “He will be revealed at the wedding,” she told the gossip bog. Well, she did let slip that dude is a “Southern gentleman” who works in the music industry, and that they were introduced by her “Power” co-star Omari Hardwick. “I’m not keeping my fiancé hidden. I’m protecting him, our union, our relationship,” she told us, “We don’t need other people meddling or using their judgment.” Naughton also says she plans on keeping the nuptials a secret as well: “It will be somewhere in a remote location and you will hear about it later.” “Girls Trip” came out in 2017, the hilarious flick is still on the lips of actor Clifford Smith/Method Man. He was offered the role of Stewart Pierce, the cheating husband of Regina Hall’s character Ryan Pierce. However, the role ended up being taken instead by Mike Colter. In a recent conversation with Jemele Hill on her Unbothered podcast last month, Smith/Method Man told her what happened. “I was supposed to be that a-hole guy that [Mike] Colter played. So when I read the script, I was like I feel like I’ve gotta take a shower. It was like I couldn’t relate to the guy. I like characters I feel like I can hang out with…But this dude was like, ugh. I didn’t like him. I’m sorry, I just didn’t like him.” Smith/Method went on to praise the film and said that Colter did an excellent job. Smith/Method Man joked that maybe there’s a chance he’ll appear in part two. Of course, it all worked out for Method Man as he’s currently starring as Davis Maclean, on the Starz hit series “Power Book II: Ghost.” At 15 years of age, Schea Cotton was a bona fide basketball star. When he famously held his own as a teenager while working out with hoops legend Magic Johnson, it only solidified that he was head and shoulders above anyone else in his age group. NFL Hall-of-Famer Randy Moss even called Cotton the greatest high school athlete he had seen — all while the young athlete was selling out high school gyms, with everyone wanting to catch a glimpse of the phenom. Cotton seemed destined to be a “one and done” college player and many thought he could leap straight to the National Basketball Association. In the end, though, entry exam issues stalled his college career, nagging injuries repeatedly reared their heads, and his professional career was forced abroad. The “Can’t Miss Kid” ultimately never played a single minute on an NBA court. “What would you do if it didn’t work out?” Schea Cotton asks in “MANCHILD” (2020), a documentary released by 1091 Pictures and his own production company, Artru Group, recounting the child prodigy’s difficult life. https://youtu.be/VfMNPiR-G8Y Lifetime Movie Network is kicking off the new year with thirteen new thrillers including five additional Wrong movies produced by Hybrid and executive produced by and starring Vivica A. Fox. According to the press release, the three-month long stunt begins January 1 with “The Wrong Real Estate Agent,” in which Fox portrays a single mother, who, along with her teenage daughter Maddie (Alaya Lee Walton, The Wrong Stepfather), rent a beautiful house on several acres of land from Charles (Andres Londono, Narcos: Mexico), a realtor they know well and who lives nearby. However, after they move in, strange noises and occurrences lead them to suspect someone else may be living on their property. Tom Sandoval from Vanderpump Rules also stars. No one will deny that the #BlackEyedPeas had hits but it apparently hits home for the group’s founder #Will.i.am that the group is counted out in spaces that mean the most to him. Will.i.am spoke with his good friend #WyclefJean on “Run That Back” to talk about the Black Eyed Peas and how he feels disappointed with them not being celebrated as a Black group despite the fact they had reached huge levels of success. “In 2004, Black Eyed Peas we, we were just trying to get on. When you think of—like, I’m a Black dude but when you think of Black Eyed Peas, we got so big that…and it hurts, it still hurts a little bit that we’re not considered a Black group because we got that big,” Will.i.am said. He continued, “And when you think of Black Eyed Peas, you don’t think of—it’s no longer urban or Black culture, which is…it’s not good for the black community that Black Eyed Peas is not looked at as a Black group.” In Rick James’ 2007 book, “Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak,” the punk-funk singer, musician, and performer talks about Marvin Gaye, his one-time Motown label mate and how he set James up. It seems one day at Motown’s Recording Studio, Marvin and Rick were talking. Marvin asked Rick if he had gotten his bonus for his (Rick’s) record going platinum. Marvin told Rick that Motown always pays out a bonus when the artists’ records hit platinum. Rick said he hadn’t gotten a bonus. Rick became pissed about being overlooked. “The next day I got up early and went to Motown,” Rick writes. “I was mad. I went into Suzanne de Passe’s office and screamed, “Where is my bonus?” She told Rick that he needed to talk with Berry Gordy about any bonus, to which Rick replied, “I tried calling Berry but he was nowhere to be found.” Rick said he later learned that Marvin Gaye loved to start sh*t between the label and its artists. While Motown did sometimes give bonuses to platinum-selling artists, it wasn’t automatic and Marvin knew it. Rick said Berry Gordy did end up giving him some extra money, but the founder of Motown Records made it clear that in the future he should come straight to him if he (Rick) had any problems. “Marvin was just trying to rile me up and cause trouble,” Rick writes. “He knew I had a crazy nature and he knew that I would run straight to Motown and raise hell. Marvin was always like that…a crazy motherf*cker, but I loved him to death.” As promised Minneapolis police released the bodycam footage of a police involved fatality on Wednesday night. The shooting gained national attention, marking the first death at the hands of police since George Floyd‘s murder in May. Police released the name of the victim, identified as 23-year-old Dolal Idd. Idd, a Black male, died of multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death is homicide, according to a news release obtained by CNN. In the 27-second-clip officers can be heard ordering a white car to stop at a local gas station. The car boxed in by other vehicles, then reverses before moving forward. Officers command “Hands up! Police! Hands up!” Suddenly a shot was fired, shattering the driver’s side window. An officer can be heard yelling “f–k” before firing towards the car. The footage doesn’t show the moments leading up to the gunfire exchange or after. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Somebody has sent a very specific and frightening message to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. The very disturbing message is apparently related to the financial struggle that millions of Americans are dealing with these days. Pelosi’s San Francisco home was vandalized overnight … most of the damage was done to her garage door and driveway. The garage door was spray-painted with the words “Cancel Rent!” and “We Want Everything” in big black letters … and there’s also a mention about the failed $2,000 government stimulus checks. Pharmaceutical companies created corona-virus vaccines in record time – less than ten months. Now all the states are tasked with getting vaccine shots into the arms of millions of people with the same urgency because the numbers of COVID-19 infected and deaths continue to rise daily. Despite all the politicians and medical professionals endorsing the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging people everywhere to take it, there’s one doctor who said he won’t take it. Dr. L. Ray Matthews is a retired trauma/critical care surgeon and director of Surgical Critical Care at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Legendary actor Louis Gossett Jr. has COVID-19 and was hospitalized with it, but he bolted from the scene because the dire situation he was surrounded by freaked him out. Sources connected to the 84-year-old Oscar-winning actor say he tested positive and was so sick he couldn’t even stand. He was taken to a Georgia-area hospital, where he stayed for just a couple of days before getting the heck out of dodge. He was put in an area with all the other COVID patients, and the wave of deaths freaked him out. This week, Taraji and Tracie are addressing holiday despair and isolation, especially during the pandemic. On Monday’s episode, Mary J. Blige shared how she is conquering her feelings of isolation and on today’s episode, Dr. Akilah Reynolds joins the pair to discuss telling the difference between holiday blues and real depression and how to find a little joy this holiday season. Plus, Taraji and Tracie share how former guests Gabrielle Union and Tamar Braxton are planning on dealing with the holidays this year. blob:https://www.facebook.com/ee28f021-7ce6-4c12-a8af-8d0b3c84dba0 ”Central Ave,” the multicultural Atlanta-based entertainment magazine from super-poducer Will Packer, will cease production in February 2021. “They’re looking for a new home,” said one source to UrbanHollywood 411. The individual added that the possibility of the series finding a new home is “not likely.” A second source added, “Everyone on the show knows it’s ending.” “Central Ave” is hosted by Julissa Bermudez (106 & Park) and former Olympic track star Sanya Richards-Ross (a five-time gold medalist), who are the first women of color to co-host an entertainment magazine series. Aircraft flying in formation over the Lynchburg, Va. home of a former Tuskegee airman was supposed to be part of a birthday celebration. Instead, the flyover took place as a memorial, on what would have been Alfred Farrar’s 100th birthday Saturday. Farrar died just days before his birthday, but instead of cancelling the event, the roughly 20 pilots involved performed a memorial tribute. “Standing in the briefing room and talking you could definitely tell the air was much more somber and you couldn’t help but get choked up a little bit when we were talking about Alfred and his legacy,” Kyle McDaniel, one of the pilots who participated, told DC’s NBC4. https://youtu.be/KYaubO4LjIA In a continuing commitment to amplify the voices of social justice philanthropists of color and disrupt the philanthropy sector, Bridge Philanthropic Consulting (BPC) is publishing the second position paper in its new series called The Iconic Impact Initiative. The newest paper, W.A.P.: Women And Protest, highlights 12 Black women who are leveraging their celebrity, platforms, resources, and influence to fight injustice and advance anti-racism. They have chosen this mantle and are standing up for the cause of equity and justice at this moment of racial reckoning in the United States. W.A.P.: Women And Protest examines how these disruptors are using their voice to be a force in social justice and social change as artists and American citizens. The following women are featured in the paper: Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Lizzo, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Ava DuVernay, Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, Meghan Markle, and Naomi Campbell. Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan were seen together traveling the day before Thanksgiving on a flight to Atlanta. The latest spotting of the couple was yesterday when they were seen on their way to … Utah!? Hmm, maybe they plan on spending their New Year’s on the ski slopes? What else could a celebrity couple do in Utah? Snaps of the couple were published by The Shade Room Wednesday (12-30-20). The pics show Lori and Michael landing in Utah. The 23-year-old beauty could be seen walking in front of her rumored beau as they exited the plane. Similar to their Thanksgiving holiday trip, they chose to fly with Delta Airlines. Iyanla Vanzant announced in October that season 7 of her long running series “Fix My Life” will be the last. During a recent interview with Danielle Young, Vanzant further explained her decision to quit her longrunning life-coaching series, and the reason may surprise you. “I’m a teacher. That’s what I am. I’m an educator. I just happen to be a spiritual technician. I teach about spiritual technology and that’s what I’ve always done. That’s what I want to do. But I want to do it in a more intimate way. I want to do it where people come to me because they want to learn not because they don’t have a date on Saturday. And I want to do it where people aren’t scrutinizing my hair and my nails,” she explained. Dionne Warwick says she now counts Chance the Rapper as a friend following their viral Twitter conversation and subsequent phone chat. “I had the pleasure of talking with him on the phone… I got a new friend,” the singing legend told “Extra’s” Rachel Lindsay. After asking Chance on Twitter why he had “The Rapper” in his name, saying it would be like her going by the name “Dionne the Singer,” Warwick declared she was coming for any artist with “the” in their name. “The Weeknd is next,” she tweeted. “Why? It’s not even spelled correctly?” The “Blinding Lights” singer, also a fan replied, “I just got roasted by Dionne Warwick and I feel honored! You just made my day.” Starting off the year right, My Block Inc's favorite choir, Jason McGee & The Choir, launch their new video "It's Not Over," on New Years Day on YouTube. The song is a needed reminder that God has the final say, setting listeners into an encouraging mindset for 2021. BRYAN ANDREW WILSON is riding into 2021 with a fresh urban track entitled, "The Ride." The up-tempo groove - with a subtle trap loop - is all about "letting go and letting God" have His way in our lives. https://capitalentertainment.disco.ac/playlist-new/6122460?date=20201231&user_id=187292&signature=j5Dhec3KRv3CPYTU_Tz863wb0Po%3AAYTfP1ak ; Entrepreneur Deana Sanders has recently opened an all-new beauty supply store in the heart of Atlanta. The one-stop-shop offers everything the everyday women would need. Launching just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Deana has been able to thrive and overcome many challenges. She has even achieved a 6 figure salary in just under a year. Azriel Clary, who was one of R. Kelly‘s girlfriends, is speaking out about the backlash she receives from the Black community over her connection to the R&B star. Clary’s parents previously made claims that she was a minor when she got involved with the singer. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJbsHrPDM4j/?utm_source=ig_embed Morgan Freeman famously played New Jersey educator Joe Clark, the high school principal who inspired the 1989 movie “Lean on Me.” Clark died Tuesday after a “long battle with illness,” his family said in a statement. On Wednesday, Freeman paid tribute to Clark, calling him the “best of the best.” Joe was a father figure to school kids,” Freeman tells PEOPLE. “He was the best of the best in terms of education.” https://youtu.be/TKR_Tli5hbU The University of Wisconsin football team’s victory celebration after Wednesday’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl came with a party foul, as the glass trophy ended up shattered on the floor of the locker room during the post-game celebration. Coach Paul Chryst joked that he wanted “everyone to have a piece of the trophy” after UW defeated Wake Forest on Wednesday, 42-28. https://youtu.be/wJbFB8sOc5E The infamous #SoHo Karen has been identified by the NY Post as Miya Ponsetto. She is said to be a former cheerleader from California and believed to have gone to Simi Valley High School in Southern California. Ponsetto, 22, is the woman who is at the center of the incident involving a 14-year-old black boy she falsely accused of stealing her iPhone. The release of her name comes in the wake of new surveillance footage of the woman believed to be her tackling the teen to the ground in a New York City hotel. Dr. Drew previously downplayed the severity of COVID-19, now he has tested positive for the virus. The celebrity doctor revealed his diagnosis via Instagram on Tuesday via a photo of himself recovering in bed. His wife, Susan Pinsky, is also seen in the photo and she tested negative for the coronavirus. https://youtu.be/UzRqhs2z2H8 Couples risk everything to meet their felon fiancés at release, this season on WE tv’s smash hit docuseries “Life After Lockup.“ Whether it’s dodging a parole officer, negotiating with a halfway house, or being stuck under house arrest with someone they hardly know, the realities of being on the outside are starting to hit these newly released prisoners. Will they break the law and go back to jail, or save themselves and leave their lovers broken hearted? https://youtu.be/bbEsS2Lrphg Walmart has apologized to Sen. Josh Hawley after calling the Missouri Republican “a sore loser” in a tweet over his plan to object to the Electoral College results next week. Hawley announced Wednesday that he would object Congress certifying the presidential election results on Jan. 6. Walmart said the now deleted tweet, “Go ahead. Get your 2 hour debate. #soreloser,” was mistakenly sent by a member of its social media team who meant to publish it on their personal account, per MSN. Soon after the tweet was posted, Hawley responded, “Thanks @Walmart for your insulting condescension. Now that you’ve insulted 75 million Americans, will you at least apologize for using slave labor?” https://youtu.be/q047xA80evw Candace Owens has blasted Hilaria Baldwin for “faking” her Spanish heritage. Baldwin is the wife of actor Alec Baldwin, and she’s currently caught up in a hilarious controversy for “faking” her Spanish Heritage’. Owens took aim at Hilaria on Twitter, as well as “transracial” activist Rachel Dolezal for “pretending to be black.” It comes as Hilaria is being mocked on social media for ‘forgetting’ the English word for cucumber and faking a Spanish accent. As it turns out, she’s an average white girl from Boston. Owens tweeted: “So…Rachel Dolezal pretending to be black is a problem. @hilariabaldwin pretending to be Spanish is a problem. But grown men pretending to be female and destroying women in physical sports competitions is “stunning and brave.” Make it make sense.” Lamar Odom took to Instagram on Wednesday and claimed that his ex-fiancée Sabrina Parr has taken his social media platforms “hostage.” What’s up good people. I’ve been working hard to build my brand and a new team,” Odom shared. “Unfortunately my social media platforms are being held hostage by my ex and we are working hard to recover my passwords for IG and Twitter~ if any of y’all know someone who can get it reset for me hit my brand managers DM ASAP @savvygirlconsulting. … If you got an iphone im on club house so drop in, Im starting a room about Mental Health, Toxic and Abusive Relationships and Self Love.” “Thank y’all for loving me and supporting me I love y’all back,” he continued. “Now watch me work.” A lot of folks don’t agree, but some social media users have been accusing popular reality star Tiffany Pollard of transphobia after a clip of the dating show “One Mo’ Chance” went viral. Pollard, also known as “New York,” was a guest on the series to help Kamal Chance Givens – who previously appeared on her show “I Love New York” – find the right woman. In the clip, Pollard asks Tiffany Walker — one of the girls competing for Chance’s love: “You aren’t very forthcoming with me. You didn’t shed any light on the questions that I had, and I feel like you have a situation. I do believe that you are a man.” Walker, who is not transgender, said: “I know I’m not.” Pollard continued: “Does it bother you when I tell you that I feel like you’re a man? That you have genitalia, like penis and balls and sweaty d***? What does that do to you, does it f*** with you at all?” Walker said: “No, ” with the reality star saying: “That’s what scares me, and that’s why you’re going home.” A New York man is suing the company behind King’s Hawaiian for allegedly misleading consumers into believing that their products are made in Hawaii. Newsweek reports that Robert Galinsky filed the lawsuit after he purchased a package of King’s Hawaiian rolls and realized the delicious sweet bread is not made in “Hilo, Hawaii,” which is displayed front and center on the packaging. In smaller print on the back it states that the products are actually made in Torrance, California. In the class action lawsuit, Galinsky claims King’s Hawaiian “essentially invented this category of food” to deceive customers into paying more for what they believe to be rolls that are made on that part of the island. The 7-year-old son of “Married to Medicine Houston” star Ashandra “Shan” Batiste went viral this week after video of his breathless reaction to a Christmas gift – a Rawlings baseball bat – went viral. Logan Crumby didn’t want just any old bat. His dad, Ricky Crumby, wrote on Twitter, “He wanted that $50 Rawlings wooden bat more than the PS5!” “I already know what it is!” Logan exclaimed in the video as he ripped off the stubborn wrapping paper and held the prized possession while heaving, literally gasping in awe. https://twitter.com/i/status/1342537411201523712 The United States has hit a pandemic record of more than 3,900 deaths and 125,000 hospitalizations in a single day as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that there could be 82,000 more fatalities in the next 24 days. For the ninth day this month, deaths have exceeded 3,000. On Wednesday, the US reported 3,903 new deaths, bringing the country’s total to 341,505, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Hospitalizations increased again on Wednesday to 125,220. The US has recorded hospitalizations over 100,000 for the 29th consecutive day. New daily recorded infections hit 225,671.According to the CDC, the national ensemble forecast predicts that 12,400 to 24,300 new deaths will likely be reported in the week ending January 23, 2021. There is at least one federal judge who Donald Trump did not appoint. And not only is she a Black woman but she also just happens to be the sister of Stacey Abrams, the all-star Democratic champion of the people’s right to vote who basically secured Georgia’s electoral college votes that ensured Trump’s election loss to Joe Biden. So when U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner ruled on Monday that two Georgia counties must undo their purging of thousands of voters from the election rolls, the Republicans who worked so hard to remove those names got very mad at what they called a conflict of interest. Adding insult to the injuries sustained to Republicans’ egos, Judge Abrams Gardner’s order came one week ahead of Georgia’s pivotal Senate runoff elections that will determine whether Democrats control both chambers of Congress. The ruling allows more than 4,000 voters to keep their eligibility to participate in the election on Tuesday in two separate contests in which Democrats are trying to unseat Republican incumbents. Judge Abrams Gardner’s order followed a different judge denying a lawsuit asking for nearly 200,000 voters to be restored to the voter rolls. The fact that the person who ordered that purge reversal is Stacey Abrams’ sister really stuck in Republicans’ collective craw, shown by a series of Twitter temper tantrums. Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and co-counsels Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker have released the following statement in response to the expected firings of Det. Joshua Jaynes and Det. Myles Cosgrove in the Breonna Taylor case: “Thanks to the assertion from Louisville postal inspector Tony Gooden in May, we’ve known for over seven months that the warrant executed in the Breonna Taylor case was based on lies. Yesterday, the Louisville Metro Police Department finally admitted it in their intention to terminate the employment of Det. Joshua Jaynes and Det. Myles Cosgrove. “By including false information in a warrant affidavit, Det. Jaynes committed perjury and should be arrested and charged for breaking his oath as the affiant. Likewise, Det. Cosgrove recklessly opened fire into Breonna’s home with a complete disregard for human life, never identifying or acquiring a specific target before shooting and killing Breonna Taylor. Ultimately, both should be held criminally liable. The white woman caught on video attacking a famous Black jazz musician and his son and falsely accusing them of stealing her cell phone in New York City on Saturday has spoken out after it was reported that she will soon face some stiff criminal charges. The still-unidentified “Karen” called into CNN to be interviewed Tuesday and incredulously said that she was the one assaulted, not Keyon Harrold and his 14-year-old son, Keyon Harrold Jr. She said she told everyone who she saw in the Arlo Hotel lobby to “empty their pocket,” not just the father and son. When CNN informed her that the NYPD and the Manhattan district attorney’s office were looking for her, she expressed concern. “Of course I worry,” she said. “That’s not who I am. I actually… try very hard to make sure that I am always doing the right thing.” The interview was conspicuously missing any semblance of remorse. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/more-sports/new-video-emerges-of-black-teen-being-falsely-accused-of-stealing-iphone/vi-BB1cnuHz Joe Clark, the no-nonsense principal of a high school in New Jersey who gained notoriety for his bare-knuckles approach to education and was immortalized on the big screen in the Hollywood production, “Lean on Me,” has died at the age of 82. He died Tuesday following a long battle with an undisclosed illness, Clark’s family said in a press release. Known for using extreme methods of communication in his prized Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, Clark would routinely roam the hallways brandishing a bullhorn or baseball bat in an effort to both discipline and sow the seeds of learning into his student body — one that went from being ridden with truancy, drugs and crime to a group of straitlaced overachievers in the classroom. Highly scrutinized at first, Clark’s tactics ultimately gained attention across the country equally for its unique style as well as its effectiveness with a predominately Black student population in a neglected city near his hometown of Newark. Actress Dawn Wells, best known for playing Mary Ann on the hit sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” has died at the age of 82 after becoming infected with COVID-19. Her publicist announced that Wells died Wednesday morning of complications due to the coronavirus. “Truly, at the top of the list of hardest things to do is announce the passing of a friend or family member,” publicist Harlan Boll wrote. “I feel I lost both this morning with the passing of Dawn Wells – America’s favorite castaway, Dawn Wells, passed peacefully this morning, in no pain as a result of complications due to Covid at the age of 82.” Pastor Fred Thomas, a beloved comedian and cast member of the popular Rickey Smiley Morning Show, known for his “Church in 60 Seconds” segment, has died following a two-week battle with the new coronavirus, his family announced. Thomas, who founded the Word of Faith Church in McKinney, Texas, joined the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, led by fellow Christian comedian Rickey Smiley, in January. His son, Au’mon Wyatt, announced his death on his Facebook page on Dec. 23. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of my father Pastor Fred Thomas. This was not our will or desire, but it is the will of God in which we accept. Please pray for my family and I as we go through this trying time of loss. All will be well and we will make it through this as he would have wanted us to,” he wrote. Rudy Salas the lead vocals of the Latino band from LA called Tierra and who was also the co-founder of Tierra, passed away (12-29-20). No cause of death has been reported. Rudy Salas was 72. https://youtu.be/Vt0tq-rD38U Organizers of a conflict resolution training course for sheriff deputies in Los Angeles hope to make de-escalation techniques commonplace within law enforcement. The course is the product of a unique partnership between the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Safe Communities Institute at the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy and the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles. “We’re in a war situation right now,” said J. Edgar Boyd, the church’s pastor and chief executive, “but we’re planning for peace.” “Law enforcement organizations like LAPD, the Sheriff’s Department and CHP [California Highway Patrol] are really working hard to place some reforms and some changes that will cause sensitivity to be displayed by officers,” Boyd said. “This whole process of sensitizing law enforcement is something that is critically needed, not just for the community but for the officers and for the department as a whole.” Some 25 sheriff deputies from across the LASD attended the first course on Oct. 24. Justin Bieber is studying to become a minister according to OK! Magazine. The Purpose pop star, who has credited Hillsong Church for pulling him out of his most ‘dark’ times, is reportedly interested in taking a leadership role at the church following the controversial exit of pastor/former mentor Carl Lentz, 42. Following Lentz’s exit for what the church called ‘leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures’ in November, Bieber, 26, ‘believes he can take a leadership position in restoring order,’ according to insiders. Tyrese Gibson announced his divorce on Tuesday night and now he’s telling the world that his marriage came unglued after four years because, in his mind, the Black family is broken from being under an unrelenting attack. “I’ve wrestled with this question … How can we naturally know how to BE something we were never raised by? Most of us were raised in broken homes with NO examples of what being a husband, wife or FATHER is,” he wrote along with posting a video of happier times when their daughter was learning how to walk. “… I hope you know that I did the very best I could … I truly did,” he continued. “I pray we leave the door open because the God we serve is a mountains mover and can make a way out of no way.” Still, Gibson is holding out hope that he and Samantha can repair what’s broken. Joanna Gaines is no stranger to the small screen, but it’s so great to hear she’ll be returning for a new series called Magnolia Table that will premiere next month. The show will be available for streaming starting January 4 on the forthcoming new Discovery+ platform. Magnolia Table will give viewers a candid look into the Gaines family‘s lives, their go-to recipes and family traditions, and stories about how their favorite dishes came to be. https://youtu.be/YXfUHb_wirU ”The Infamous Future,” a documentary following the Black and brown boys of The Eagle Academy for Young Men will begin streaming New Year’s Day on HBO Max. Written and produced by John Campbell, the film explores the unique perspectives of the educators at The Eagle Academy for Young Men schools and their remarkable students, focusing on the success young men of color can have when they are benefactors of a quality education experience. https://youtu.be/GSkrK375H4s Isaac Hayes lll, best known for being the son and heir to his soul icon father’s estate, the late Isaac Hayes Jr. has created a new app called Fanbase. According to the press release, Fanbase is a photo, video and live streaming app that enables users to monetize content by gaining subscribers for $3.99 a month for exclusive content you create. Users decide what posts will be offered for free to followers and what posts are for subscribers. Whether you’re an Influencer, athlete, musician, model, foodie, fitness enthusiast, makeup artist, comedian, or brand, everyone has a Fanbase. https://youtu.be/RTDarJ6W2EE The recent Mackenzie Scott gift to 15 HBCUs on the heels of her earlier gift of over $120M to 6 HBCUs is, without a doubt, a game-changing event for the HBCU sector. Her interest in investing in HBCUs in a real and substantive way shines a welcomed spotlight on the value and importance of the work they do and have done, in positively impacting the lives of African American and other students of color they serve. This astounding generosity is a significant act of affirmation by someone of such considerable wealth and influence. Elfred Anthony Pinkard, President of Wilberforce, says as a sitting HBCU president, I am immensely grateful for this philanthropic largesse and proud and happy for my colleagues. And I am also keenly interested in how I might position the institution I serve to gain this interest, investment, and support. A statue in Boston depicting a formerly enslaved man kneeling at the feet of President Abraham Lincoln has been removed. The Emancipation Group Memorial was removed after critics saw it as demeaning and racist. Among them was social media influencer Tory Bullock, who started a petition over the summer pushing for its removal. It’s an amazing funeral, I’m here to provide a silent eulogy for this piece of artwork that’s been here for 141 years,” Bullock told CBS Boston on Tuesday as the monument was being hauled away. “I’m proud, I’m Black, and I’m young,” he said. “This image has been doing a lot of disservice to African-Americans in Boston and now it stops.” https://youtu.be/96V1y1SOJuk Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton officially became a “Sir” on Wednesday after Queen Elizabeth II knighted him. The honor was bestowed upon him as part of the New Year’s honors list. Hamilton received his knighthood alongside British performers, politicians, public servants and the unsung heroes who helped to combat the spread of coronavirus, treat it in patients around the country and limit its impact. The 35-year-old driver tied Michael Schumacher’s record for most F1 titles last month with his seventh. CLEO TV's new series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES returns with an all-new episode this Sunday, January 3, at 9 P.M. ET/8C. The 10-episode primetime spinoff, based on the Emmy-nominated web series TOUGH LOVE, puts a spotlight on the challenges of dating and finding love as a Black millennial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEGgRCt74wc&feature=youtu.be Two police officers who were part of the deadly raid that killed Breonna Taylor have been informed that they will be terminated by the Louisville Metro Police Department. The move comes nine months after Taylor was killed in her apartment when police attempted to search her home for drugs that they wrongly assumed were being stashed in the house. https://youtu.be/Lqsqe5HAAzg A conservative evangelical Christian singer with a history of defying COVID-19 health mandates plans three days of New Year’s gatherings in the Los Angeles area, including stops on skid row and at a tent city in Echo Park, raising fears that the events will be viral “super-spreaders.” Skid row activists plan a car blockade to stop Sean Feucht — a Redding, Calif., volunteer pastor and failed Republican congressional candidate — and his followers from staging what is billed as a “massive outreach” Wednesday evening on skid row, at the height of Los Angeles County’s pandemic crisis. Feucht’s plans come as California, facing record case counts and a severe shortage of intensive care hospital beds, has extended its stay-at-home order. Feucht began hosting “Let Us Worship” open-air concerts nationwide to push back against government restrictions on religious gatherings, then broadened his focus to cities that erupted in protest after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. ”SoHo Karen,” the white woman who falsely accused a Black teenager of stealing her cell phone in a now-viral video, is finally speaking out. Video of the woman lunging at the teen in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in Manhattan hotel was filmed by the boy’s father, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold. He posted the video on Sunday with the caption, “I am furious!!! We see this crap happening all the time, but it hits different when it hits home!!!” In a 20-minute phone interview with CNN, the still-unidentified woman said she confronted another person in the lobby and told them to “empty their pocket” before she targeted Harrod’s son, Keyon. Also during her sometimes rambling call with CNN, the woman claimed she was assaulted during the altercation with Keyon Sr. and his son, though she failed to provide further details, including who allegedly assaulted her. “That’s when everything got a little bit more serious,” she told the outlet. CNN withheld the woman’s name “because she said she has concerns for her safety unrelated to this incident.”https://youtu.be/n1Z8eYNKIuo Pioneer hip-hop dancing legend, Shabba-Doo, born Aldolfo Quinones, has died. He was 65. Toni Basil, who along with Shabba-Doo, was one of the members of the dance crew The Original Lockers that helped introduce the “locking” style of dance to breakdancing and hip-hop, announced his passing on Wednesday. No cause of death was given. “It is with extreme sadness the Lockers family announces the unexpected passing of our beloved Adolfo Shabba-Doo Quinones. In this difficult time, we are requesting privacy,” Basil wrote in a statement to Twitter. People are noting that earlier this week Shabba-Doo posted on Instagram that he was feeling sick but that he had tested negative for COVID-19. The Indiana University Health system where Dr. Susan Moore allegedly received subpar treatment has released a statement regarding her death. Dr. Moore, 54, a physician in Indianapolis, died last Sunday from COVID-19 after saying she was mistreated by medical professionals because of her race. The hospital issued a statement through President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis M. Murphy, who explained that Moore was “intimidating.” https://youtu.be/THL7aMdOKHs Atlanta city council members have proposed a $1.6million plan to create a private police force for Buckhead, one of its wealthiest suburbs. The move comes after Kennedy Maxie, 7, was shot in the head by a stray bullet while Christmas shopping with her family at Phipps Plaza on December 21. She died five days later from her injuries. https://youtu.be/YPlxGBha_yo According to a new survey, President Donald Trump is the most admired man in America this year, ending former President Barack Obama’s 12-year run. The annual Gallup survey was released this Tuesday with eighteen percent of the survey’s respondents naming Trump as their most admired man, compared to 15 percent who named Obama and 6 percent who named President-elect Joe Biden, the Hill reports. Three percent named National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, while two percent said, Pope Francis. The 2020 rankings are the 10th time Trump has ranked among the top 10. While that seems a bit strange, former First Lady Michelle Obama was chosen as the most admired woman for the third straight year. Roughly one out of 10 respondents chose her, compared to 6 percent naming Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and 4 percent picking First Lady Melania Trump, the Hill notes. While many Americans are waiting on the second stimulus check, Diddy decided to provide some COVID relief for struggling families in Miami. On Tuesday, the business mogul and entertainer announced that he will be “paying people’s rent, giving out cards and essential items” for those in need. The multi-millionaire was filmed on the streets of Miami in the Overtown neighborhood with his Sean Combs Foundation crew as he handed out $50 bills to a large crowd. Members of his crew were also gifting people with $20 bills to parents and their kids. The State of California announced that it has selected a Black-led-and-operated financial firm in Los Angeles to act as the intermediary charged with disbursing $500 million in COVID-19 grants to California small businesses and non-profits. The California Office of The Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), which operates under the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), says small businesses and non-profit organizations across California that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can begin submitting applications for relief grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. The application process begins now and runs through Jan. 8, 2021. A Los Angeles man who was captured on camera launching a racist tirade against an Asian American woman has been identified and his business is now under attack. YouTube user YamaBread CreamPan shared cellphone footage of the moment she was verbally attacked by an unruly white male who blames her for the coronavirus pandemic in America. The incident reportedly went down in a Southern California parking lot. https://youtu.be/kfGeke6YO9c Noelle Robinson, daughter of RHOA star Cynthia Bailey, has confirmed her split from girlfriend Alexis Powell. In a recent video from Robinson’s YouTube channel, the 21-year-old played a game of “Truth or Drink” and admitted, “Yes I am single. And I’ve been single for a few months now.” Robinson and Powell reportedly started dating in 2018 but they didn’t officially reveal their relationship until March of this year, around the same time Robinson admitted that she’s sexually fluid. “We met at school,” explained Noelle in a YouTube video in March. The reality TV star previously attended Howard University. “I think I actually met her like, maybe the third day of school? I came up to her, literally…she was doing a little YouTube survey, and I told my friend, ‘Come on, you gotta come over here with me and do this survey,’ because I just wanted to talk to her, whatever, see what she was about.” Republican Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, 41, has died from coronavirus eleven days after announcing he had tested positive for COVID-19. The father-of-two told supporters on Twitter on December 18 that he had the virus. He had since tweeted multiple times asking people to donate plasma if they have it. The following statement was issued by his campaign manager Andrew Bautsch on Tuesday night: ‘Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, 41, passed away this evening at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport due to complications from COVID-19. ‘Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Barnhill Letlow, Phd., and two young children. Six years after the tragic police shooting of Tamir Rice, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that no charges will be brought against any of the officers involved in his death. Due to the DOJ’s decision, the case has officially been closed. In a statement obtained by NPR, the DOJ announced it found a lack of sufficient evidence to “support federal criminal charges against Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback.” The Feds maintained that video footage from the shooting was of poor quality and could not help prosecutors determine what transpired. According to NPR, Rice’s family was informed of the decision on Monday. In response, Rice’s family attorney Subodh Chandra called the DOJ’s process “tainted” and inquired about additional information in relation to the investigation the Associated Press reports. “It’s beyond comprehension that the Department couldn’t recognize that an officer who claims he shouted commands when the patrol car’s window was closed and it was a winter day is lying,” Chandra said. “The Rice family has been cheated of a fair process yet again.” A Black New Jersey man is suing the town of Woodbridge, NJ and its police department, alleging he was falsely arrested and jailed for 10 days after facial recognition technology falsely identified him as the perpetrator of shoplifting. Nijeer Parks, who is Black, says police arrested him in 2019 for an incident in January of that year, where the perpetrator hit a police car before driving off. This was a surprise to Parks, who does not drive nor have a driver’s license. Parks told Business Insider that he had “never been” to the site of the shoplifting incident but was arrested after contacting the police to clear his name. Parks was identified using software developed by Clearview AI, which has been criticized by legal and tech experts for breaches in privacy and racial disparities in identification. According to NJ Advance Media, Parks fought the charges and ultimately got the them dismissed. Parks’ lawsuit accuses the police of excessive force, false imprisonment, and cruel and unusual punishment and seeks compensation for physical and emotional suffering. The first known U.S. case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant was detected in Colorado on Tuesday as President-elect Joe Biden warned it could take years for most Americans to be vaccinated for the virus at current distribution rates. Biden’s prediction of a grim winter appeared aimed at lowering public expectations that the pandemic will be over soon after he takes office on Jan. 20, while also sending a message to Congress that his administration will want to significantly increase spending to expedite vaccine distribution, expand testing and provide funding to states to help reopen schools. A California nurse has tested positive for COVID-19 just eight days after receiving the vaccination. ER nurse Matthew W., received the Pfizer vaccine on December 18, according to a post from Instagram. ‘Got my Covid vaccine! The 15 minutes afterward sitting around with a bunch of others while health care workers asked us how we felt made me think of an opium den. I’ll report back if I start to grow a third arm,’ Matthew wrote. But on Christmas Eve, Matthew, who works at two different hospitals in San Diego, began feeling sick after working a shift in the COVID-19 unit. He told ABC 10 News, that he first got the chills before coming down with muscle aches and fatigue. On December 26, he went to a hospital to get tested for the virus and tested positive. And while it is surprising, it’s not unexpected, according to health experts who weighed in on the case. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry dropped their debut podcast on Tuesday — and it features a cameo from their 19-month-old son, Archie. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released the podcast on Spotify, through Archewell Audio, per PEOPLE. The podcast comes two months after Harry and Meghan launched the website for their Archewell foundation. Archwell.com went live on October, featuring an email sign-up form and contact information, along with a breakdown behind the meaning of the name. The royal couple announced the foundation in April, noting that the Archewell name is connected to their son. “Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global COVID-19 pandemic, but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be,” the couple said in the statement. In finding ways to make up for what felt like lost days dealing with the effects of 2020, Public Enemy founder Chuck D devised an 8-day calendar he proposes as the 13th month. Datamber is a chance to snatch out of the Gregorian calendar space to prepare for 2021. Otherwise, the fast-growing networks (cue 5G), new devices, and streams of content and data could overwhelm anyone who has been too distracted by this year. “In terms of the branding, everything we’ve done has a deeper level of meaning including creating our own alphabet system and everything takes inspiration from 8-bit binary code,” He created the brand with London-based creative director, Kieran McIver, with who he has collaborated on projects for nearly a decade. The system developed fully defines the deeper digital aspects of this ‘Cyber Organizational Month.” It’s not just for geek heads and those that are ultra familiar with the internet, Chuck D feels society is now more comprised of what would be considered Netizens as much as citizens. The events of the societal world, including crime, carried over into cyberspace, now offer just as much rule and law punishment on the internet as in everyday life. It has that much power and yet most of us, while using any number of sophisticated gadgets, have little clue as to how it works, how to better manage it, and how to control our lives inside the cyberverse. Tyrese Gibson and wife Samantha are calling it quits. The 42-year-old Fast & Furious actor took to Instagram Tuesday night (December 29) to announce that he and Samantha were splitting up after nearly four years of marriage. “We have decided to make a statement of a painful and significant development in our lives,” Tyrese wrote. “After much thought, consideration, and prayer, We unfortunately have made the difficult decision to officially separate & divorce. Our intention is to remain the best of friends & strong co-parents.” Tyrese and Samantha married in February 2017 and share 2-year-old daughter Soraya. Tyrese is also dad to 13-year-old daughter Shayla from his first marriage to ex-wife Norma. In October, it was reported that Nicole Young, the estranged wife of producer and headphones mogul Dr. Dre was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for embezzlement. TMZ reported that Nicole Young was accused of withdrawing a total of $385,029 from a business account. A complaint was allegedly filed by Larry Chatman, Dr. Dre’s business partner. At the time, it was said that Dr. Dre did not file the criminal complaint, but reportedly made the missing money a part of his ongoing divorce proceedings with Young. According to a new update on this story, TMZ has learned that Dre actually went ahead and filed a police report, claiming Nicole embezzled that hefty amount from one of his companies. They further claim when Nicole was asked about it during her deposition, “she took the 5th.” Singer Melanie Fiona finally tied the knot with longtime beau, Jared Cotter, after postponing the ceremony three times due to the coronavirus pandemic. The couple exchanged their vows in an intimate wedding chapel in Los Angeles last week. The Canadian-born songstress posted a video on Instagram announcing her new relationship status, showing the couple donning face masks for their big day, and Fiona rocking a simple white dress. ESPN analyst and former NFL player Booger McFarland shared his thoughts on the downward spiral of freshly fired Dwayne Haskins from the Washington Football Team. He said that the young African American players, which constitute nearly 70% of the league, are too concerned with their brand, especially on social media. “Dwayne Haskins unfortunately is not the first case that I’ve seen like this and it won’t be the last. And it bothers me because a lot of it is the young African-American player,” McFarland said. “They come in and they don’t take this as a business. It is still a game to them.” https://youtu.be/rrN2Fsmz9tQ DarkChild Gospel celebrates the milestone of celebrated Stellar Award-winning vocalist Lowell Pye earning his first #1 Gospel National Airplay single, “Patiently Praising.” The autobiographical anthem by Fred Jerkins featuring Lowell Pye, “Patiently Praising,” marks the year 2021’s first #1 Gospel National Airplay single and the first-ever of Pye’s 30+ year career. The single reached #1 on the Gospel’s Indicator Chart on March 28, 2020. “Patiently Praising” is lifted from chart-topping album, A Project of Healing, by GRAMMY® Winner Fred Jerkins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po_44oy_TSs&feature=youtu.be Join PJ Morton on ABC Dec 31st 8:00PM EST/ 7:00PM CST Live on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021. Also checkout PJ's Making Of the Gospel According To PJ Documentary....https://www.dropbox.com/s/k51slwiz7t0u0zv/The%20Making%20of%20GAPJ%20-%20Trailer%2012.18.MP4?dl=0 The worshipper, the praiser and the preacher can all be heard and felt in the new release from Kendra Carr-Pineda.https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZkNLRXZjHineWfSGffBaY7lPRlvgfdXvonV Come Celebrate Fred Hammond’s 60th Birthday Wednesday, December 30th at 8pm EST. Check out http://fred60holidaybash.com/ for all of the details. During a news conference Tuesday, Atlanta police Lt. Pete Malecki say Dequan Reed, 24, is wanted on several charges including felony murder in the death of Kennedy Maxie. https://youtu.be/PueuQ3blCtI A Columbus, Ohio police officer was fired Monday after body camera footage showed him fatally shooting 47-year-old Andre Hill. Hill’s family and their attorney Ben Crump say they want the officer to be held fully accountable. https://youtu.be/091v-tU8Yoc Kamala Harris, the VP-elect, got her first dose of the Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. “OK, let’s do it,” she said, as registered nurse Patricia Cummings of the United Medical Center readied the needle. “That was easy. Thank you. I barely felt it. I barely felt it.” https://youtu.be/fOqFesnzLiU Omarosa Manigault-Newman appeared on MSNBC with host Alex Witt on Saturday where she described President Trump‘s behavior over his election loss as a “psychotic episode.” “I think Donald Trump is going through a psychotic episode. I think that he has come to terms with his loss, but his arrogance, his ego will not allow him to accept that he is not going to be president come January,” Manigault-Newman said. https://youtu.be/0sEr1stWnWs The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has strongly recommended that TV and film productions pause for a several weeks amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the area. “Although music, TV and film productions are allowed to operate, we ask you to strongly consider pausing work for a few weeks during this catastrophic surge in Covid cases,” the department said in an email, per FilmLA, the county’s film permit office. “Identify and delay higher risk activities, and focus on lower-risk work for now, if at all possible.” https://youtu.be/sPcuPC0RIxw The owner of an Atlanta gas station that is at the center of a months-long protest is selling his business over the controversy. It all started when locals brought attention to the racist treatment of customers in the store. According to CBS46, the demonstrations began outside the ExxonMobil station after one of the clerks was captured on video saying, “I don’t give a [expletive] about the Black neighborhood.” Since mid-October, organizers have protested outside of the gas station for 66 consecutive days. “We sent a clear message that we will no longer tolerate disrespect,” organizer Joe Jones told CBS46. https://youtu.be/iC4QZPMj7vk Atlanta Hawks guard Rajon Rondo and his girlfriend, Latoia Fitzgerald, are being sued for $1 million after a video surfaced showing their violent confrontation with a woman in a parking garage. The clip shows Rondo nudging the woman, identified by TMZ as Toktam Jorshari, before his girlfriend punches her in the face. The victim did not fight back in the video. She’s now hoping to get paid for the assault, which has caused her emotional distress according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles District Court. https://youtu.be/pPYd3FlGHIg The Chinese government has sentenced a citizen journalist to four years in prison for reporting on the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus. Zhang Zhan, a 37-year-old former lawyer, was sentenced to four years in prison in Shanghai on Monday for her reporting on the potentially deadly virus early this year. https://youtu.be/ruK6KhXC3Pg Bill Cosby is so worried about contracting the coronavirus behind bars that he has admitted to refusing to take showers. The disgraced “Cosby Show” star is currently incarcerated at SCI Phoenix, where he has been since being convicted in 2018 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. In a recent interview Cosby, 83, revealed he is tested for COVID daily. https://youtu.be/MpudhUl7kH8 A group of students and alumni at Liberty University are calling for a think tank at the evangelical Christian college focused on political activism to be shut down. More than 400 students have signed a petition calling on the Lynchburg, Virginia-based university to shut down the Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty, a think tank founded last year by then-Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The petition, titled “Liberty United Against Falkirk,” contends that the think tank has “waged war against decency, respect, and Christian charity, all while misrepresenting Liberty students and the Christian church.” Critically acclaimed multi-genre musical artist and social justice advocate Adrian Dunn has released a brand new concert film The Black Messiah. Currently streaming exclusively on the Black Music Experience (BME), this project is a telling of the Christmas story from a modern Black Justice perspective. A fusion of Gospel, hip hop, jazz and classical genres, this collection of eight songs all written by Dunn are meant to challenge, reshape and give the world a new perspective on George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. On this project, Dunn is joined by his acclaimed group The Adrian Dunn Singers, an all-black professional vocal ensemble established in 2018. Featured vocalists include: DarShaya Oden, Erica Renee, LaQuentin Jenkins and rapper/lyricist Tony Famous. Reality TV star Monique Samuels has announced that she is leaving “The Real Housewives of Potomac” after four years. The move comes after she has spent much of the current season sparring with her co-stars and compiling a binder of “receipts’ to use to put folks on blast. “It was a crazy ride. It’s not easy doing reality TV, and to be quite honest, y’all, I’m over it,” Samuels said during an Instagram Live on Sunday, December 27. “I appreciate everything that people have done for me. Everybody that’s been Team Monique, I love y’all, I thank y’all.” Monique said she’s quitting the reality show life to protect her family, Us magazine reports. https://www.instagram.com/mrsmoniquesamuels/?utm_source=ig_embed TODAY’s’ Harry Smith sat down with Carlotta Walls LaNier for the show’s series “Mr. Smith Goes to the Smithsonian” to hear her recount the incredible events of that day, as well as the days leading up and immediately following the day that she and eight others became the first Black students to attend Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. https://media13.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202012/1609248142571_tdy_news_smith_little_rock_201229_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Gabourey Sidibe’s fiance Brandon Frankel continues to shower her with love, weeks after he proposed to the actress. Frankel posted sweet photos of Gabby on social media days before Christmas in which he celebrated their “amazing year” together. In one post, he showed off a “surprise birthday dinner from my Queen.” In another, called himself “a lucky guy” to be boo’d up with the “Precious” star. Frankel also shared a photo of Sidibe proudly rocking her engagement ring, writing, “Despite 2020 being a totally ?? ??, I’d say we had a pretty amazing year. Continually thankful for this one right here. Excited to be ridiculous with you for the rest of our lives.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CJRWRDVlN16/?utm_source=ig_embed The police officer who killed an unarmed Black man in Ohio last week has been fired, according to a new report. Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy shot and killed Andre’ Hill within seconds of seeing him early Tuesday morning. A leader at the local police union confirmed Coy’s firing with the Associated Press. The firing came after local officials convened hours earlier on Monday to determine Coy’s employment status. The results from a preliminary autopsy revealed that the unarmed Black man killed by a police officer Coy in Ohio last week was the victim of a homicide. Lori Loughlin, best known as Aunt Becky from “Full House,” has returned to her Los Angels home after serving nearly two months in prison for her role in the college bribery scandal. The actress served her sentence at a federal correctional facility in Dublin, California, and was released Monday morning. “It’s the end of a very long ordeal,” a source tells PEOPLE. A second insider says that Loughlin, 56, “seems beyond relieved that she can put her prison sentence behind her.” Following her release, the Hollywood TV veteran had a tearful reunion with daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli, 20, and Isabella Rose Giannulli, 21, whom she shares with her husband Mossimo Giannulli. https://youtu.be/YvEiGpHiH80 Democratic Georgia Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock is speaking out amid police bodycam footage of a dispute with his estranged wife, Ouleye Ndoye. Fox News’ Tucker Carlson shared the footage in March, in which Ndoye can be heard telling a police officer that her husband deliberately ran over her foot, something Warnock denied. She also calls him “a great actor” and “phenomenal at putting on a really good show.” The incident occurred at the senator’s home in Atlanta. In the clip, Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, explains to the officer that he and Ndoye had an argument over divorce papers. When recently asked about the incident by CBS46, Warnock said in a statement: “I’m going to stay focused on my family, which includes their mother, and I’m going to stay focused on the people of Georgia, who, during a pandemic, are still waiting on relief all these months later while politicians including Kelly Loeffler are busy playing games.” The footage comes as Warnock prepares to face off against GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the 2020 Senate races next month. Medical officials did not find visible signs of injury on his wife’s foot, and Warnock was never charged with a crime, according to the report. The former couple finalized their divorce in May. The incident at a Manhattan hotel where a woman dubbed “SoHo Karen” wrongly accused a 14-year-old black boy of stealing her iPhone. The boy’s parents did a stint on ‘TMZ Live’ and explained that they had to have a ‘real-talk’ with him about what probably triggered the woman’s false assertion: his race. On Monday, jazz musician Keyon Harrold and his wife, Kat, appeared on ‘TMZ Live’ after video of the disturbing confrontation at the Arlo Hotel in NYC this weekend went viral. The bottom line is that Mr. Harrold captured what many might consider a “Karen” insisting his 14-year-old son had stolen her misplaced phone. It turns out that she was WRONG. And according to Keyon Harrold nobody offered an apology. https://youtu.be/zxCQHZsLt2M Police are investigating after a ceramic bust of Breonna Taylor installed earlier this month in downtown Oakland was vandalized. The artist, Leo Carson, told the Bay Area’s ABC7 that he intends to repair the sculpture as soon as possible, and that the vandalism felt like an attack on Taylor and the Black Lives Matter movement. “At first I was stunned and shocked and hurt and angry,” Carson said. “Just a whole flood of emotions. It felt like I was personally attacked and also they attacked Breonna Taylor and the BLM movement.” Carson said he intends to repair the sculpture and cast it in bronze. He’s launched a GoFundMe page to help pay the cost of the repair. https://youtu.be/OtFQ360Wiug Viola, a nationwide leader in the production and sale of premium quality cannabis products announced today the appointment of rapper, songwriter, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur, Tip “T.I.” Harris to the Viola team as the company’s Social Justice and Reform Ambassador. Founded by NBA veteran Al Harrington, Viola is dedicated to producing ultra-premium products rooted in purpose with extensive social equity work done through its recently launched charity, Viola Cares. T.I. brings decades of community advocacy supporting Black and other minority communities in need into his new senior advisory role at Viola. In this role, T.I. will direct the community impact strategy for Viola. Pioneering initiatives that make the cannabis industry more diverse, equitable and inclusive, he will drive Viola’s mission of racial equity and justice further by conveying the company’s core values as it continues to give back to communities most affected by the War on Drugs. There’s a parking garage for flying cars planned for Akon City, which are to be purchased using the new cryptocurrency “Akoin.” But the plans for Akon’s $6 billion project have raised as many, if not more, questions than answers for those already living in Ngueniene, the municipality in Senegal where the singer is planning the site. “Akon came to meet us. He said he’ll do this. It could be real or not real – but I think it’s real,” Magueye Ndao, mayor of Ngueniene, told Reuters, which spoke to local leaders about the project. “We welcome this project with open arms and pray that everything Akon told us will be realized.” The St. Louis-born Senegalese-American singer behind Akon Lighting Africa has made many promises for what the website describes as “the beacon of innovation and human development.” Even while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, a lot of people and some celebrities are still refusing to accept the reality of it. So, while some celebs have decided to act as if the situation is “normal,” Sean “Diddy” Combs is being the adult and is taking it seriously. That means, as much as he hates to do it, he’s canceling his famed annual New Year’s Eve party this year. https://www.instagram.com/yallknowwhat/?utm_source=ig_embed Alabama Baptist pastor Michael “Mike” Stancil died Dec. 26 after a six-week battle with COVID-19. Stancil, 49, was pastor of Fulton Bridge Baptist Church, Hamilton, and would easily be described by many as “a great friend, pastor, husband and father.” His parents Lonnie and Dorothy Stancil could have predicted those attributes would be true early on because of the strength of character he showed even as a child, teenager and young adult. He was known for loving people and investing in many. Along with his work through the church and in the community, Stancil also served a stint on the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. He is survived by his wife Michelle and children Lexi and Josh. Ciara went skiing for the first time over the weekend with her bestie Vanessa Bryant. The pair shared several photos and videos from their holiday festivities on social media, including a selfie shot of them in a gondola lift. The Grammy-winning singer captioned the image: “The Slopes Ain’t Ready.” The artist has been a pillar of support for Bryant following the death of her husband, NBA icon Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Both died along with seven others in a helicopter crash earlier this year. Kobe and Vanessa also share daughters Natalia, 17, and Bianka, 4, and Capri, 18 months. https://www.instagram.com/ciara/?utm_source=ig_embed Brotherly and sisterly love is NOT what’s going down when it comes to ‘Black-ish’ creator, Kenya Barris and his sister, Colette Barris. Seems there’s some serious “ish” between them. The TV producer is asking a judge to step in to force his sister to keep her distance … because he claims she’s cashing in on his name, and threatening his kids. Kenya Barris recently filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against his own sister, Colette Barris, who teaches professionally and also writes books — because he fears that she’s going to harm his kids. In court documents, Barris details years of alleged incidents in which he claims Colette straight up attached herself to his success to get opportunities in Hollywood. However, when her stalled projects didn’t work out — either because meetings went nowhere, or because Kenya refused to help her — he’s now paranoid that Colette will do something crazy and take out her anger against him on his six children. By this point in a terrible NFL season, it’s understandable if some players let their minds wander to the offseason. J.J. Watt isn’t happy to be seeing it with the Houston Texans. The Texans are 4-11 after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. It has been a miserable season for everyone involved. Watt was fed up, not just with the losing but apparently with some of his teammates’ commitment late in the season. He said the Texans owed their fans more than they’re getting. Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera continues to publicly share his growing frustration with Donald Trump. Rivera, a longtime Trump supporter, has been calling out the president’s behavior since losing the 2020 election. Over the weekend the former talk show host appears to have made clear that he has had enough, calling Trump an “entitled frat boy.” https://youtu.be/0Xgdvv5F22A President Donald Trump granted a pardon last week to cannabis entrepreneur and hip-hop producer Weldon Angelos. After being sentenced to 55-years in prison, Angelos was one of 15 people pardoned by Trump on December 22. He was sentenced to 55 years without the possibility of parole in 2004 for selling cannabis totaling $350 to an undercover officer with a concealed firearm on him at the time of his arrest. He refused a 15-year plea deal and was later convicted of 13 charges. “He had to provide means for his family and himself,” Snoop Dogg said of the case in 2017. Angelos collaborated with the rapper on his “We From the LBC” soundtrack in 2004. “It wasn’t like it was a violent crime he was committing – he was just hustling,” Snoop added. https://youtu.be/oNtFuxxw6JU Police in the Bay Area city of Hayward, California wrongly shot a teenager twice in the back and then removed the bullets “by hand,” according to a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit claims the officers shot the unnamed 17-year-old in the back in June, removed the bullets themselves before paramedics arrived, and then dropped him off at a juvenile facility, the Mercury News reported. “It’s barbaric, the way in which they tried to minimize the harm they caused this young man,” Adante Pointer, the lawyer for the teen’s family, told the newspaper. “It’s completely inappropriate and fortunately it didn’t cause more severe damage to him,” the attorney added. Mexican ballad singer and composer Armando Manzanero died at the age of 85, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday. Manzanero was hospitalized in recent weeks with COVID-19 and at one point was on a ventilator. But his manager, Laura Blum, said he died at a Mexico City hospital of complications from a kidney problem. Manzanero was a crooner best known for songs like “Somos Novios,” which, with translated English lyrics, became the 1970s hit “It’s Impossible” for Perry Como. López Obrador praised the Yucatan native as “a great composer, and the country’s best.” Deadliest Catch star Nick McGlashan has died aged 33, marking the eighth tragic death among the show’s cast and crew in the last decade. McGlashan, a seventh-generation fisherman and crabber who appeared on the Discovery Channel reality series for seven years, passed away on Sunday in Nashville, TMZ reported. The cause of death has yet to be determined, the outlet said, citing family and a medical examiner. McGlashan’s sister confirmed the news of his death on Twitter on Sunday night, writing: ‘This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. Please hold your loved ones tight.’ A fire early Monday morning at a Massachusetts church with a predominantly Black congregation is considered “highly suspicious” and is being investigated as a possible arson, authorities said. City, state and federal authorities are investigating the fire that heavily damaged the Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Fire Commissioner Bernard Calvi said at a news conference. The fire was reported at about 5 a.m., and although it was limited mostly to the basement and first floor the building is now unusable, Calvi said. No one was injured. There have been several smaller fires in the neighborhood recently and investigators are looking into possible connections. The Baltimore Ravens were fined $250,000 by the NFL for violating COVID-19 protocols, a person with direct knowledge of the punishment told The Associated Press on Monday. The team was not docked draft picks for the violations, which led to a coronavirus outbreak and the rescheduling of the Ravens’ Thanksgiving night game against Pittsburgh. Ravens coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Monday that the team had been fined for the violation of protocol. “We respect the league’s process and discipline process, and we accepted the discipline,” said Harbaugh, who was wearing a mask during his weekly Zoom interview the media. In Baltimore’s outbreak, 23 players wound up on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list, with several coaches and team personnel also affected. The game with the archrival Steelers eventually was played the following Wednesday, and the Ravens’ matchup with Dallas was moved to Dec. 8 in a rare Tuesday game. The Ravens suspended strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders for failing to report coronavirus symptoms and for not following protocol within the facility, not wearing a mask. An Atlanta homeless man risked his life to save all 16 of the dogs and cats inside a local animal shelter when it caught fire. Keith Walker, 53, who is homeless, had been heading to W-Underdogs on the afternoon of December 18 to pick up his pitbull, Bravo, for a walk when he saw the fire, shelter founder Gracie Hamlin told CNN. Walker – who boards his dog at the shelter at nights – then rushed into the burning building to rescue the six dogs and 10 cats trapped inside. Hamlin said that the firefighters had ‘called animal control, but Keith was already in the building pulling out the cats and dogs until they were all safe.’ Walker said he ‘was nervous as hell’ about his heroic act. ‘I’m not going to lie,’ he told the news outlet. ‘I was really scared to go in there with all that smoke. But God put me there to save those animals.’ Nick Cannon and his girlfriend Brittany Bell announced on Instagram Friday they have welcomed their second child together, a daughter. “The best gift ever ?? we have been surprised with… A GIRL!!!!!” Bell wrote, adding: “Powerful Queen Cannon came this week perfect timing for Christmas.” The former Miss Arizona U.S.A. also shares 3-year-old son Golden with Cannon. She posted several photos on IG of the family on Christmas Day. https://www.instagram.com/missbbell/?utm_source=ig_embed LeBron James and his wife Savannah have fired back at a report that their son teen Bronny is quietly shooting his shot at Larsa Pippen. “With everything going on in the world right now, this is the shit y’all talking about,” Savannah wrote on her Instagram Story. “At the end of the day y’all are talking about a minor. I don’t care what type of ‘celebrity’ y’all think he is, he’s a child and the bullshit needs to stop. Y’all got the right one.” LeBron also noted in a post shared on social media that if he and Savannah get involved it “won’t be cute.” The couple’s comments were in response to a report on Black Sports Online that falsely claimed 16-year-old Bronny liked Pippen’s Instagram photos and slid in her DMs. Aaliyah’s estate has announced that her official YouTube channel is coming next year. “Thank you for all of your love and support,” the announcement posted to the late singer’s Instagram account. “We are proud to announce that the Estate is now in control of the “Aaliyah” YouTube account. 2021 will the year of Aaliyah! See you all in the new year!” The news comes two months after the singer’s official estate confirmed an upcoming book is in the works that will chronicle Aaliyah’s life and career. According to Billboard, “Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah” will drop Aug. 17, 2021, under Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. Ashanti announced earlier this month that she tested positive for COVID-19, the same day the singer was scheduled to face off with Keyshia Cole for a Verzuz battle. Now the R&B artist is sharing a health update with fans. “Hey y’all. Just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers,” she wrote on Instagram Thursday (Dec. 24). “I’ve gotten so many calls, texts, emails and DMs checking in on me and my family and I’m super grateful for that. I’m feeling much better.” Ashanti continued, “Thanking God that my mom is out of the hospital and my dad is doing well,” she wrote of her parents who also tested positive for the virus. “Needless to say this will be a very different Christmas[,] but still filled with gratitude and love. Thanks Bink for dropping off the herbal tea’s.” Despite premiering simultaneously by streaming service, “Wonder Woman 1984” managed the best box office debut of the pandemic, opening with $16.7 million over the Christmas weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That’s only a faint glimmer of typical business during the holiday season, when cinemas are usually packed and box-office receipts are among the best of the year. Last year, “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” exceeded $32 million on Christmas Day alone. According to data firm Comscore, 35% of North American theaters are currently open. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNUcjqP11OY Actor Chris Pratt took to social media over the Christmas holiday to publicly share his digital worship experience as California churches continue to face restrictions on gatherings due to COVID-19 risks. The “Guardians of the Galaxy” star gave fans an inside look at what his LA home looked like on Christmas Eve as he, his wife and their new daughter watched Christmas Eve mass at home. In a series of Instagram Stories, Pratt showed his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, and their 4-month-old daughter, Lyla, in their living room watching the service. Trump took much-deserved heat for deliberately and vindictively gumming up the works in not immediately signing the 900-billion-dollar second stimulus bill. The list of those hurt by the delay runs off the chart; renters, the unemployed, small to medium-sized businesses, and the millions of the neediest of the needy. As usual, African Americans are a disproportionate percentage of the needy. But even if Trump had put his signature to the stimulus package immediately it wouldn’t help many Blacks. It’s not just the relatively miserly amount of money ladled out. Nor is it solely that the stimulus is again top-heavy with big payouts to corporate industry groups from the airlines to the big hotels. Nor is it the paltry $600 individual payout to individuals. The inherent disparity in who gets what and when, or even if, they get anything was glaringly apparent in the first much bigger and more expansive stimulus last spring. Blacks were far less likely to get a check than whites. They were far less likely to receive a payment on the same time basis as whites. They were far less likely to have access to bank and savings accounts to put the money in if, or when, they received it. The NFL says it is honoring Curtis Flowers, a Black man from Mississippi who was imprisoned more than 22 years and was freed in late 2019, months after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the last of his several convictions in a quadruple murder case. The NFL says players are wearing helmet decals this season “to honor victims of systemic racism, victims of police misconduct and social justice heroes.” The league said Wednesday on Twitter that Flowers is among those being recognized. The first Black president of an American college is being honored with a sculpture installed in the Vermont city where he was born in 1826. The larger-than-life marble bust of Martin Henry Freeman, a scholar, sits on a stack of books in a downtown square as part of the Rutland Sculpture Trail. “It’s a very soft, gentle portrayal of Martin Freeman,” said Al Wakefield, one of the sponsors of the piece that was installed in November. “I don’t know how many people remember either through historical writings what kind of person he was, but he’s depicted as a very gentle, kind, literary, artsy kind of a guy.” It’s the eighth sculpture to be added to the city’s sculpture trail aimed at celebrating local history and drawing more people to visit the working-class community. Among the pieces is a marble relief honoring the Vermont volunteers who served in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, made up of African Americans soldiers, during the Civil War. In 1856, Freeman became president of the all-Black Allegheny Institute and Mission Church in the Pittsburgh area, later named Avery College. Matthew Whitaker has been playing jazz piano for crowds around the world since age 11 – and has been doing so completely blind. Whitaker was born with retinopathy of prematurity that led to his blindness, but the now 18-year-old has caught the attention of scientists who want to study the prodigy’s brain to understand how he has mastered his musical talents. The pianist was asked to play a keyboard and participate in a series of auditory tests while completing an MRI brain scan. Scientists found that when Whitaker hears music his entire visual cortex, the region that processes visual information, becomes activated. These results suggest that Whitaker’s brain is using this region not being stimulated by sight to help him perceive music. Whitaker, from Hackensack, New Jersey, embarked on his music journey at the young age of three when he received a small Yamaha keyboard from his grandfather. Video of a toddler girl’s reaction to one of her Christmas gifts has gone viral showing that sometimes the simplest of gifts can cause the greatest joy. The viral video shows the baby, with the help of an adult, opening a wrapped gift on what appears to be Christmas morning. Family members, unwrapped baby toys and torn wrapping paper are seen in the background. As the baby removes the wrapping from her latest gift and discovers it’s a nice, fresh, waffle nearly the size of her head, her face lights up and she says twice, “Wow!” causing her family members to melt in laughter. She continues squealing with delight and eventually takes a bite. https://youtu.be/0kfAbLvArxk The suspect allegedly behind the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville has been identified as 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner, two law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News. Authorities believe Warner owned the RV that exploded in downtown Nashville early Friday, sources said. He also is believed to be deceased from the blast. Human tissue was found amongst the debris left behind by the explosion, and investigators will be conducting DNA testing. Metro Nashville Police Department Spokesman Don Aaron confirmed Warner’s identity to the Associated Press on Sunday. He did not provide any more details. However, Warner had experience with electronics and alarms, according to public records. Warner was believed to have lived at the home in Antioch, Tenn., searched for several hours Saturday by the FBI and several other law enforcement agencies. The home address on Google Earth shows the same RV parked in different places on the property dating back several years. It appears to be a “lone wolf” situation, but the motive remains under investigation. Authorities do not believe the city of Nashville is in danger. An Army Special Forces soldier has been charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder after allegedly opening fire in an Rockford, Illinois bowling alley complex on Saturday night, leaving three dead. Sgt. 1st Class Duke Webb, 37, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to the Rockford Register Star. Webb allegedly killed three men who were 73, 65, and 69 years old. He is also accused of shooting and injuring a 62-year-old man who is in critical condition, a 16-year-old girl, and a 14-year-old boy who “was shot in the face,” according to the Rockford Register Star. Webb was “taken into custody within several minutes of officers arriving on the scene” and is being held without bond, according to the Rockford Register Star. Producer Jermaine Dupri wanting police to go “code red” as far as increasing racial profiling over the shooting of a 7-year-old girl by a stray bullet? Well, unfortunately, that child has died. Kennedy Maxie died six days after she was struck by a stray bullet while Christmas shopping with her family in Buckhead this past Monday (12-21-20), according to reports. https://youtu.be/DQfL7P-3o88 Tragedy hit the college football world Saturday morning as a star running back was found dead in what’s being called an “accidental shooting.” Utah freshman Ty Jordan, the PAC-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, died of a gunshot wound back home in Texas, ABC 4 in Utah reported. A preliminary investigation by the Denton Police Department indicated that Jordan shot himself, while KUTV’s Josh Edmonds reported that the gun went off accidentally. Chicago-based R&B singer Jeremih is speaking out about his life-threatening bout with COVID-19 in hopes that it will bring more awareness about the virus. Jeremih, 33, spoke on camera with ABC7 Chicago to discuss the weeks-long health battle that almost did him in. “My heart was just beating irregularly. My liver and my kidneys were out — and I can talk about this now ’cause thank God I’ve made it and I’m still here — you know, I was on dialysis. They kept telling me the numbers weren’t getting any better,” the Grammy-nominated singer told reporter Samantha Chatman in the interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAKoWTOPkgg Rapper Meek Mill has been dedicated to empowering youth from Philadelphia. His latest effort was centered on helping bring the holiday wishes of underserved youth from his hometown to fruition. Meek—whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams—teamed up with a nonprofit to provide gifts for students and their families during the holiday season, CBS Philadelphia reported. Williams joined forces with the organization Twelve Days of Christmas Inc. to lead the initiative. The nonprofit—which was founded in Texas over two decades ago—provides support for low-income families. Williams and the organization recently donated Christmas gifts and groceries to 30 families in need at Paul Robeson High School in Philly. He contributed $30,000 to the social good project. “We’re living out the mission and passion of Twelve Days of Christmas. We’re providing holiday cheer for those families that are less fortunate,” Stephanie Mays Boyd, who serves as the Philadelphia Chapter President of Twelve Days of Christmas, said in a statement. “We went shopping. We checked off the list and we checked it twice. If a mother said that she needed an air fryer, guess what? She got an air fryer. If the families needed coats, if they needed pajamas, whatever they said that they needed, that’s what we got.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Beyond his business acumen billionaire Robert F. Smith is known for his philanthropy and he has been dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders. His latest effort is focused on leveling the playing field when it comes to STEAM education. According to CBS Denver, Smith is launching a high school to inspire students of color to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, the arts and math. The new school—dubbed the Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy—was created as a safe space where students from marginalized communities could be equipped with the skills, knowledge and resources needed the thrive in the STEAM space. Cognizant of the importance of representation, Smith wanted to cultivate a learning environment where Black students could see themselves reflected. School officials say the institution—which is built on the pillars of “inclusion, Blackness and interdisciplinary focus”—was inspired by the sense of community and cultural richness of historically Black colleges and universities. The public health crisis has exacerbated financial burdens for many families and NBA player Moe Harkless has stepped up to help those in need. According to The Post, the Miami Heat forward donated rent money to families in New York City. Cognizant of the financial strain the pandemic has put on individuals, Harkless—a New York native—wanted to support those who are struggling to make ends meet. The 27-year-old made a generous donation to New York City’s Last Resort Emergency Response Fund; a collaborative initiative being led by New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services and a nonprofit organization dubbed New Yorkers For Children to support children and families who have been significantly impacted by COVID-19. Harkless’ gift will cover one month’s rent for over 50 families in Queens where he was born and raised. “This means the world to me, to help me identify families from my hometown of Jamaica, Queens who are in need of having their rent covered during the holiday season who have been affected by COVID-19,” he said in a statement, according to the news outlet. Since the fund was established in March, over $1.5 million has been raised to distribute amongst families facing financial hardships. At 93-years of age, it’s hard to believe that actress Dorothy Steel made her big-screen debut in the blockbuster film “Black Panther” when she was 91. In the Marvel production, Steel plays a tribe leader in the fictional African land of Wakanda. “It was just amazing, it truly was,” Steel told an Atlanta television station when the movie was released in 2018. “If anyone would have told me I would be an actor, I would’ve said you got to be out of your mind.” In the film, her role advised the King of Wakanda, played by lead actor Chadwick Boseman. “Chadwick the king. Every day he would make sure I was on the set. He would come by and make sure he gave me a big old hug and kiss,” said Steel. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?fef=external&v=1949181395100977 “The second verse was brought about because we are in the position to directly address issues in the real world,” said Rock star Tash Neal (The London Souls) about his new solo single “Something Ain’t Right,” with accompanying music video. “The song was literally provoked when I watched the videos…of murder…televised…of black people being killed. It was too much.” Tash, a well known Harlem New York Rock guitarist, singer and songwriter of the duo The London Souls, was motivated to release a solo project to address his feelings on the racism issues currently at hand with the release of the “Something Ain’t Right” single. https://youtu.be/LwNMcTygQDs Clubhouse is the new invite-only audio app that is poised to be the next big thing in social media. The app works by allowing users to tap in and listen to conversations taking place in “rooms” about a variety of topics. There are rooms where you can tap in and listen from “the audience.” There is a panel that’s “on stage,” moderators are indicated by a green asterisk. The audio-only convos aren’t recorded. You’re either there or you miss it… for now. The conversations are random on topics including investing, how to pitch a start-up or podcast, love and relationship advice, tech and other random topics. Or you could stumble on the readings of the Gucci Mane memoir, Tyrese giving advice to young actors in the biz, or a Jay Z appreciation night that included Dame Dash and other producers featured on his projects through the years. On Saturday, December 26th, a group of the app’s users took innovation to the next level with an app performance of “The Lion King.” Marveling once again, Stephen Curry made 105 straight 3-pointers from the same baseline spot to finish practice Saturday leading into Golden State’s Sunday game at Chicago. The Warriors said they captured the final 103 on video at the Bulls’ practice facility. Curry’s shots were counted by his longtime shooting man, assistant Bruce Fraser, and coach Steve Kerr only heard about his shooting star afterward. Curry finally missed, then pumped his arms and yelled in delight. ”I think his previous record was 77. That’s insane,” Kerr said. ”I don’t know if the Guinness Book of World Records still exists. That was one of my favorite books growing up. If it still exists that should go in the book, because we have video evidence now apparently.” At least two NFL teams have reached out to Urban Meyer to see whether the former Ohio State coach would be interested in interviewing for — if not accepting — a head-coaching job at the next level, league sources told ESPN. Meyer, according to a source connected to one of those teams, did not dismiss the overtures and is considering whether to make the jump to the NFL. He intends to decide in the next week, before the NFL regular season is over, and teams expect to hear his decision in the coming days. Meyer would become one of the most intriguing candidates in this season’s NFL head-coaching cycle. He last coached at Ohio State in 2018 but has never coached at the NFL level. A North Carolina teacher who was laid off months ago won the $250,000 jackpot after he bought the winning ticket from a local gas station. Joe Camp worked as a preschool teacher for 20 years but was laid off in September and his father passed away several weeks later. Currently, he works as an employee at a local car dealership in Charlotte. Camp purchased two lottery tickets at his local gas station and was surprised when he hit the jackpot on Christmas Day. “Thursday morning, I went to the store and bought a scratch-off ticket like I usually do, And I bought two tickets. I didn’t win on the first one, so I tried the second and I scratched it off, and I fell to my knees at the gas pump.” Durell Rellz a flamboyant car salesman, for Richards Honda dealership in Baton Rouge, LA. is going viral thanks to his “unique” sales pitch. For the record, Durrell Rellz’s real name is Durell Smylie. He took to Twitter to post his creative video about the special discount he came up with, in order to hopefully bring in more buyers. He says the pandemic affected sales drastically, which is what inspired his off-the-wall video. But as you’ve probably figured out, it isn’t about how many cars he sells, it’s about the way he sells them. He begins the video by popping out of the trunk of a car and chanting, “Because I’m at, where the what? Where the money reside” before explaining the special. He describes the deal, saying: “I’m doing something really big this month. Any deal that y’all got and they beating us, I’m going to beat… Just give me your VIN and the paper, because I’m in.”http://www.instagram.com/ebiamby/?utm_source=ig_embed A church’s surveillance camera captured the explosion in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning, which injured at least three people. Police, who are calling it an intentional act, found possible human remains near the blast site. The video from Cross Point Church in downtown Nashville, shared on social media, shows thick plumes of black smoke rising from the burning vehicle at 6:30 a.m. outside the AT&T transmission building on 2nd Avenue North in the middle of a business and entertainment district. https://youtu.be/Vhw_KExZklQ K.C. Jones, who personified winning as a hard-nosed point guard and then coach of the Boston Celtics during a Hall of Fame career, has died, the Celtics announced Friday. He was 88. K.C. was Jones’ given name, although some joked the “C” stood for championships. It was easy to see why. He played nine seasons in the NBA, all with the Celtics, and won titles in eight of them — the third most in league history, behind only longtime teammates Bill Russell (11) and Sam Jones (10). That success carried over to his coaching days, when he won three titles (one as an assistant, two as a head coach) during Boston’s run of success in the 1980s with Larry Bird & Co. He also won a championship in 1972 as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Jones wasn’t flashy, and his playing days weren’t filled with gaudy stat lines; he averaged just 7.4 points in his career. But the 6-foot-1 guard was the consummate team player whose defense gave fits to opposing stars like Jerry West and Oscar Robertson and whose playmaking made the Celtics’ engine go. Australian golfing great Greg Norman has been hospitalized in the United States showing COVID-19 symptoms. Norman, whose two major titles came at the British Open in 1986 and 1993, had earlier tested negative for the novel coronavirus but on Friday he posted a picture on social media of him wearing a mask and lying on a hospital bed, using an expletive to suggest he had tested positive. A day earlier he had said he was experiencing mild symptoms that were “potentially COVID.” “I feel very flu-like, I have a mild fever, I have cough, I have aches and pains, I have a mild headache, so I am in self quarantine,” the 65-year-old had said on Thursday. His son, also named Greg, confirmed on his social media account that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19 and were isolating at home. Norman and his son had played together at last week’s exhibition PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida. For the second time in a week, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with churches over state-imposed COVID-19 restrictions on indoor worship. On Thursday, the justices threw out a lower court order that upheld California’s restrictions. The challenge had been filed by the Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministries over limiting attendance. They argued it was a violation of their First Amendment rights. Last week, in a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court sided with churches and synagogues in New York’s COVID-19 hotspots who argued that capping attendance was unconstitutional. The rulings come as the novel coronavirus is surging across the country, and states are dealing with record numbers of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Dr. Eric Christopher Cioe-Pena, the director of global health at Northwell Health in New York and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Hofstra University, says he worries the rulings may create a “huge hurdle” in the public health effort to fight the virus. “It’s very challenging. I recognize people’s right to gather for worship, but I don’t view the public health restrictions as a restriction on religious freedom,” he told Healthline. Duke University’s women’s basketball team will not play the remainder of the 2020-2021 season, citing health and safety concerns stemming from Covid-19, the school announced Friday. “The student-athletes on the Duke women’s basketball team have made the difficult decision to conclude their current season due to safety concerns,” Michael Schoenfeld, chief communications officer for Duke University, said in a press release. “We support their decision, as we have supported the choices made by all student-athletes at Duke during this unprecedented time. Duke will maintain our current schedule of competition in other sports and will continue to observe our rigorous health and safety protocols, which include daily testing for all student-athletes and are based on guidance from leading medical experts.” Jermaine Dupri has had enough of the senseless violence that is enveloping his beloved hometown of Atlanta. An ATL family is dealing with a heartbreaking tragedy after a seven-year-old girl was shot. Kennedy Maxie was out and about doing some holiday shopping with her family Monday night, December 21 when the shooting incident happened. She was in a car with her mother and aunt as they were riding when she was struck in the back of the head by a stray bullet. Jermaine Dupri has been an advocate for the city, he has now expressed his rage over the tragedy while calling for tougher policing to keep everyone in the city safe. https://youtu.be/DQfL7P-3o88 Last year, on Christmas Day, the Kanye West-led gospel group, Sunday Service Choir, released its debut album Jesus Is Born. Today, Dec. 25, West is keeping with the tradition thanks to a surprise EP of compositions titled Emmanuel performed by Sunday Service. Much like Jesus Is Born — which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart (dated Jan. 4, 2020) — the new project arrives as a “celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ,” according to the release. West executive produced and composed the sweeping and emotive Emmanuel, which includes five tracks of ancient and Latin-inspired new compositions. In October, JAY-Z‘s 21-year-old nephew Nahziah Carter was accused of sexual assault, and now it’s reported he’s been suspended from the University of Washington, The Seattle Times reports. While he had plans to leave school to go professional, The Times reports that the Washington Huskies star basketball guard’s plans have been foiled after being suspended indefinitely due to two sexual assault allegations against him from two women at his campus. Earlier this month, he wrote on Twitter: “After much prayer and conversation with my family. I have decided to leave the University of Washington and pursue my professional career. Coach Hopkins and the University of Washington has brought out the best in me. For that, I will forever be thankful. Forever a Husky!” Kodak Black sponsored a toy drive on Christmas Eve – to the tune of $20,000 – to bring joy to children this holiday season, while he’s in prison. The rapper provided gift cards, scooters and other toys for 60 families and about 100 kids in Broward County, Florida, which includes Ft. Lauderdale. Some of the children were in foster care. He also paid for their lunch, his lawyer, Bradford Cohen says. African American singer Sarah Palafox, who also performs under the name Sarah La Morena, is raising eyebrows these days every time she opens her mouth to sing. What amazes almost everyone is that the 23-year-old Black woman sings regional Mexican Music, complete with a perfect Zacatecan accent. https://youtu.be/Nkaey7uGUjw Little is known about the history of racial segregation in beach towns across the U.S. But Miami New Times reports of a surf collective called Textured Waves that wants to change that. Founded in 2019, the group aims to be a voice for Black women and other marginalized people who feel underrepresented in the predominantly white and male surf community. The group’s latest project, ROOTS, documents and showcases beaches with historical significance to the African-American community. https://youtu.be/liSf7KrVqqQ This holiday season has been special for the Winans family. CeCe Winans is celebrating her daughter Ashley Rose's baby. CeCe posted: I'm In Love ??...Wyatt Thomas Phillips! Born today and the best Christmas gift ever! Snoop Dogg is set to become a grandfather for the fifth time; his sons, Corde and Cordell Broadus are both expecting babies with their respective partners. Corde, however, recently took to his Instagram page to share a photo of himself and his partner, spiritual guru Soraya Love, and their daughter, Elleven, 2. In the caption to the post, Corde wrote: “With my Tribe. My village. My Ohana. Welcoming my newest seed on the way!!! Love you and see you soon Son ????.” Snoop Dogg’s wife Shante Broadus commented on her son’s post with six blue heart emojis. Soraya also commented with multiple yellow heart emojis before adding that Corde will be the best dad to their rainbow baby sky. A luxury automobile manufacturer is spreading holiday cheer by putting one of the most expensive cars in the world on display in a small French town. After Molsheim, France, located in the heart of the northeastern Alsace region, was forced to cancel its annual Christmas market due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bugatti gave the city, the brand’s birthplace and location of its current headquarters, “a special Christmas present” on Dec. 14. “In order to maintain a certain level of festivity, the French luxury brand decided to offer a special presentation that will be on exhibit right next to the beautifully decorated Christmas tree,” the carmaker said. “Since last week, passersby have been able to marvel at the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, safely locked in a glass container.” The one-off model, which has already been purchased by an unnamed owner, was built to commemorate the company’s 110th anniversary and pays homage to the design of the brand’s Type 57 SC Atlantic, of which only four were made in the 1930s. While three of the coveted classic cars designed by Jean Bugatti, the eldest son of the company’s founder, are accounted for, the fourth, all-black Atlantic has been missing since World War II. If found today, experts have estimated the vehicle could be worth more than $100 million. Authorities believe an explosion that rocked the downtown Nashville area early on Christmas Day was a deliberate act, according to Metro Nashville Police Department. Police spokesman Don Aaron said the 6:30 a.m. explosion, which shattered glass and damaged buildings, was believed to be “an intentional act.” Police earlier said they believe a vehicle was involved in the explosion. He said three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, although none were in critical condition. Police and fire crews were on the scene, as were investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In regular pandemic-free times, the northern city of Nazareth is probably the best place in Israel to get into the Christmas spirit. Its roads are lined with festive lights, the holiday market is packed with people and delicious food and drink are happily consumed. This year is different, with COVID-19 regulations calling off hallmark events in favor of a more socially distanced season. Still, Jesus’ hometown is doing its best to celebrate Christmas — and even drape newborns in festive cloth. “The atmosphere is here; nothing can change that. There’s the atmosphere, the lights, the Christmas tree. But there are no activities,” explains Sharif Sharif-Safadi, director-general of Nazareth municipality. Usually, the city is host to a Christmas parade that sees some 150,000 people gathering in celebration. There are concerts, fireworks, a Christmas market, mass prayers and packed hotels and restaurants. None of that will occur this year. A COVID-19 patient beat a fellow patient to death with an oxygen tank last week at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, authorities said. The victim, an 82-year-old Latino man, was being treated for a COVID-19 infection in a two-person room with suspect Jesse Martinez, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Martinez, 37, reportedly became upset when the victim, a Catholic, started to pray. He then struck his octogenarian roommate with an oxygen tank. Thursday, the Sheriff’s Department said. Another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, Africa’s top public health official said Thursday, but he added that further investigation was needed. The discovery could add to new alarm in the pandemic after similar variants were announced in Britain and South Africa, leading to the swift return of international travel restrictions and other measures during a major holiday season. “It’s a separate lineage from the U.K. and South Africa,” the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told reporters. He said the Nigeria CDC and the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases would analyze more samples. Facebook Watch is premiering Peace Out 2020, the ultimate year-end special and goodbye party to 2020 produced by ATTN: and hosted by Keke Palmer and David Dobrik on Tuesday, December 29 at 12pm PT/3pm ET. You can watch the special on the Facebook Watch page: www.facebook.com/facebookwatch. A woman who alleges she had a years long intermittent sexual relationship with Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, is suggesting that he be removed from the pulpit because he’s not fit to be a spiritual leader. “We all have sinned and we’ve all fallen short, but we can’t keep thinking that it’s OK to get your ‘get out of jail free card’ every time you do this,” said the woman, Tunya Griffin, who serves as associate director of university/community partnerships at the Rochester Institute of Technology. “That’s not grace at all. And so the response of the church is around this ideal: if somebody falls we help them get up. We clean them up and we bring them back into the fold. OK, yes, we do. They fall. We clean them up. We bring them back in. But that does not mean that you bring them back in to occupy the same space,” she said. People celebrating Kwanzaa celebrate the first day of the annual holiday observation by lighting the first candle in the name of Umoja, which means unity. Here’s a quick snapshot of the history, legacy and true meaning of the African American holiday. Kwanzaa was born of the Black Liberation Movement of the ’60s. Dr. Maulana Karenga, the co-founder of the Organization Us, developed the seven-day holiday to align with the organization’s principles, Ngozu Saba, and to promote its philosophy of reaffirming and restoring the “best of” African thought and practice. Its name is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruit. The second “a” was supposedly added to the holiday spelling to create symmetry between the word length and the number of principles. Kwanzaa is not a religious ceremony, rather a culturally inclusive one. Ingathering is a major theme: The language of Kwanzaa, Swahili, was chosen because it is widespread across the mother continent and has a lack of tribal association. Three Black kids currently have the highest Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in the world that surpasses Bill Gates, Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. Mensa, the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world, has identified the Black geniuses as Ramarni Wilfred, Anala Beevers and Alannah George. https://youtu.be/Gtn1KY_TO7c For Malik Sinegal, dreams do come true. The 23-year-old recently became the youngest African American ever to be certified as a Boeing 777 pilot. The Boeing 777 is the world’s largest twinjet plane, and it is typically not piloted by beginners. Yet, Sinegal flip the script – midair! https://youtu.be/04EOZCyZpR0 Actress Gal Gadot (“Wonder Woman”) has responded to the fury over her casting as Cleopatra. Gadot told the BBC that she doesn’t agree with the calls for an Arab or African woman playing the last queen of ancient Egypt. “First of all if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian,” she said. “We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.” Elizabeth Taylor famously played Cleopatra in director Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1963 film. Gadot said she will do her life justice in the upcoming drama from director Patty Jenkins for Paramount. https://youtu.be/rrTOeLNQnZs ABC is cooking up a sequel to NBC’s “LA Law” starring Blair Underwood. According to Deadline, the project would see the actor reprise his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins alongside a new team of young lawyers. According to Deadline’s exclusive report, the new “ LA Law” is written/executive produced by Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow co-creator/executive producer Marc Guggenheim and Arrow/Legends writer Ubah Mohamed, and directed/executive produced by Emmy winner Anthony Hemingway. “For all those LA LAW fans from back in the day… We are working on something new for ya. I’ll definitely keep you posted!,” wrote Underwood on Twitter. Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Ranch has finally been sold to a new owner for $22M. According to the Wall Street Journal, billionaire Ron Burkle, co-founder of investment firm Yucaipa Companies bought the property. Burkle purchased the estate, which sits on 2,700 acres, for roughly 20% less than its value was five years ago. Burkle was one of the late King of Pop’s business advisors who worked closely with him before his shocking 2009 passing. One of his main tasks was to mediate with creditors who wanted MJ to pay his debts. The famous property is located 40 miles from Santa Barbara and had initially been on and off the market for years, first listing for $100 million in 2015. It’s officially Christmas day and we’re celebrating making it through 2020, which has been a year to remember to say the least. While some of us won’t be able to be near our loved ones, we can all agree that Christmas with Black families is its own unique experience, which is the #ChristmasWithBlackFamilies sketch is still so funny years after it debuted. https://youtu.be/_q_eoWdNIFk In what could be his final radio broadcast, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh thanked his faithful listeners and noted that he has “been able to outlive” his terminal cancer diagnosis during an emotional sign-off Thursday morning. “Even if I can’t make it back, know that this is where I want to be, I will always want to be right here with you and I won’t quit fighting to be right here with you,” Limbaugh said. Conspicuously absent from his address was any of the racist language that he’s long come to be reviled for among liberals and celebrated among conservatives. It was only earlier this month when he suggested there could be a looming civil war between liberals and conservatives in America. He said at the time on his eponymous radio show that “there cannot be a peaceful coexistence” and declared states with right-wing voters were “trending toward secession.” The comments were the latest dog-whistling from the proud supporter of President Donald Trump who has been a lightning rod for controversy over his career that spans nearly five decades. https://youtu.be/zs4nnuWTnIM Lip fillers react badly to one of the coronavirus vaccines, a FDA advisory committee has noted – putting celebrities including Kylie Jenner at risk. Anyone with cosmetic facial fillers could experience swelling and inflamation, according to experts, after several trial participants faced side effects. A California-based dermatologist said the reaction was immunological. Dr. Shirley Chi said any side effects were easily treatable with steroids and anti-histamines, adding: ‘Your immune system which causes inflammation is revved up when you get a vaccine, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Vanessa Bryant has shared a touching Christmas throwback with her late husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant, who both tragically died in a helicopter crash earlier this year on January 26 in California. ‘Always Together, Never Apart Together Forever In Our Hearts,’ Vanessa, 38, wrote alongside a slew of heart emojis for the picture – which would have been their last Christmas together as a family. The black-and-white family portrait also includes daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka and one-year-old Capri, posing beside Christmas trees. Oprah Winfrey has sold most of her stake in OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network to Discovery Inc. in exchange for more than $35 million in the company’s stock. Winfrey’s company, Harpo Inc., filed to sell half of the 1.34 million shares received in the transaction, according to reports. The OWN content is expected to be part of a new streaming service, Discovery+, which launches next month. Among the shows currently airing on OWN are “Queen Sugar,” “David Makes Man,” “The Haves and the Have Nots,” “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” and “Ready to Love.” In January, the network will begin airing the former WGN slave series “Underground,” featuring new episodic introductions by cast members and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage. Beyoncé and her BeyGOOD foundation are working to save the homes of Americans who are facing eviction amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Phase Two of the BeyGOOD Impact Fund will now help those impacted by the housing crisis,” the foundation announced on Tuesday. “The housing moratorium is set to end on Dec. 26, resulting in mortgage foreclosures and rental evictions. Many families are impacted, due to the pandemic, [which has]resulted in job loss, sickness and overall economy downturn.” The organization added that: “Beyoncé is giving $5,000 grants to individuals and families facing foreclosures or evictions. All necessary documentation must be provided to the NAACP.” Applications open on Jan. 7, 2021 and funds will be dispersed later in the month. Round 2 of the grants will open in Feburary. A German father-daughter music duo known as King Khan is suing Rihanna saying she used one of their tracks in an Instagram post to promote her Fenty cosmetics line. According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, King Khan and Saba Lou claim they created and own the music and lyrics for a song called “Good Habits (and Bad),” which appeared in RiRi’s post. Dr. Dre has reportedly filed the prenuptial agreement that his estranged wife Nicole Young claims is no longer valid. According to TMZ, the hip-hop mogul declares that all properties acquired during the marriage are separate, “what he acquires is his, and what Nicole Young acquires is hers,” the outlet writes, but Young stands to walk away with a hefty payout if the prenup holds up in court. Young, 50, filed for divorce over the summer after 24 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple married on May 25, 1996 and share two adult children, son Truice, 23, and 19-year-old daughter Truly. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have released a family holiday card with 19-month-old son Archie and their beloved pets. The card is an illustration of a photo taken by Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, and was taken at the couple’s home in Montecito, California. The card was released through Mayhew, Meghan’s animal welfare organization patronage in the U.K., per PEOPLE. “The original photo of the family was taken at their home earlier this month by The Duchess’s mother,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said. “The small Christmas tree, including the homemade ornaments and other decorations, were selected by Archie, and the tree will be replanted after the holidays.” Hollywood and Broadway legend Debbie Allen made a virtual visit to the “Tamron Hall Show” Wednesday (Dec. 23) to discuss her new Netflix documentary with Shondaland, “Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.” The reimagining of the classic Christmas ballet shines a light on the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) and her gifted students. Two of Allen’s former students, JoAnn Carrasco and the star of Netflix’s “Tiny Pretty Things” Kylie Jefferson, appeared on the show and discussed their experience working with Allen. https://youtu.be/D6WzQsyatss Shemar Moore has revealed to fans that he tested positive for COVID-19. In a message shared on social media, the actor explained that he thought he was suffering from food poisoning before a test for the potentially deadly virus yielded a positive result. “I HAVE COVID!!!!” he posted. “Just found out moments ago…I am gonna stay wrapping presents… Yes… I have been tested and told that I HAVE COVID!!!” The 50-year-old TV star then acknowledged that his holiday festivities won’t be the same. “My Xmas n New Years is clearly not gonna be the best… my last year and a half have not been the best… This is a hard time for ALL OF US… the WORLD!!! But…I BELIEVE in the sun shining through the rain!!!” He added, “Stay safe and appreciate everything and everybody you have and had!! MUCH LOVE!!!!” Holiday movies are a favorite pass time for most during the holiday season. If you’re looking for options outside of the classics BET+ and ION TV have you covered. BET+ has several original Christmas movies, two including “My Wife and Kids” actress Jennifer Freeman. She stars in “The Business of Christmas” and “The Christmas Kiss.” She also stars in ION Television’s “Beaus for Holly.” https://youtu.be/Lx74-k6AERM Taraji P. Henson is opening up about the suicidal thoughts she had amid the COVID pandemic. Speaking on her Facebook Watch series, “Peace of Mind with Taraji,” the “Empire” star admitted that she considered taking her own life this year. blob:https://www.facebook.com/241c3e6a-dafa-4d63-9e4f-7b94f50f032e Hey everybody it’s Bowlegged Lou! I’m here to wish everybody a Happy House Party Full Force Christmas. ?? I’m sharing with everybody our very first (in our career) Christmas songs which feature a hilarious House Party Bullies performance and video of the 12 Days of Christmas. We are still celebrating the 30th anniversary of House Party from March 2020 till the end of March 2021. https://youtu.be/SOlesNuRmZs Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” remains the quintessential holiday anthem in the Black community. “A lot of black people would say, ‘Christmas doesn’t start until we play ‘This Christmas,’ ” said Nadine McKinnor, 79, who co-wrote the song with Hathaway. “It always got love. It’s a Wakanda thing, honey!” he track was released Dec. 9, 1970, and has since been covered by artists such as the Temptations, Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, and the group formerly known as Lady Antebellum. “As with everything that we create in this culture, it starts with us, and then when it’s great, it resonates outside of our community — it becomes a part of the fabric of America,” said Lalah Hathaway, 52, Donny’s Grammy-winning daughter. “I think my father would be tickled.” https://youtu.be/PhKVSZsRxQM Three high school teens who have been friends since elementary school put their heads together last Spring and came up with a genius way to buy food from struggling local restaurants forced to scale down due to COVID, and give those meals to frontline health care workers who often go with little to zero food breaks as they work around the clock to save lives. Christopher Barnaby, Shane Daughtry and John Prince came up with “Friends4Frontlines,” a fundraising effort that uses the money to help keep local restaurants afloat by purchasing meals for local hospitals, particularly for those working during the often-overlooked night shift. “I remember one time specifically a woman wrote us a heartfelt message saying that it was her only meal for the day,” Daughtry recalled during an interview on”Good Morning America” Thursday. “It really shows how much work they actually have to go through. They don’t have time to get their own food. They can’t even bring their own food many times, I believe. It really hit home knowing that we were making a difference.. Marvin Sapp and The Chosen Vessel Cathedral present A Chosen Christmas! The virtual Christmas celebration will stream at 7 p.m. CST December 24 and 25 on the following platforms:Facebook @marvinsapp Youtube @marvinsapp and @thechosenvesselcathedral Instagram @marvinsapp This jubilant musical will feature live performances from the dynamically gifted Chosen Vessel Cathedral music department, under the leadership of Dr. Myron Williams, and also from Marvin Sapp himself. It will be an evening celebrating the wonder and hope of the season with the "churchy but funky" signature of Sapp and his Chosen Vessel Cathedral crew! Christmas With The Campbells! Spend This Christmas with Gospel Music's Fave Family! Multiple Grammy winners Warryn & Erica Campbell and their three children Krista, Warryn III, and Zaya, invite you to share their favorite holiday with them. Tune in on Christmas Day, 6:00 pm EST/3:00 pm PST, as The Campbells invite you into their home to share their holiday traditions and perform Christmas tunes on Facebook & YouTube. Don't Miss This Special Afternoon of laughs, singing, and More! Columbus, Ohio police on Wednesday released body camera footage from the police shooting that killed a 47-year-old Black man, identified as Andre’ Hill, earlier this week, according to the Associated Press. Hill, who was armed only with a cell phone, is the second Black man fatally shot in the city by police in recent weeks following the tragic shooting of Casey Goodson Jr., who was killed while holding a sandwich. On Wednesday, protesters gathered in front of City Hall with a sign that read, “Columbus Is Not Safe For Black People.” “This city, not only is not safe for black people, but the city officials, they’ll say one thing and do another and we just want people to be aware of that and to continue to organize,” said Hana Abdur-Rahim, the co-executive director of Central Ohio Freedom Fund, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Hill’s case stirred national sentiment over the revelation that he was holding a cell phone, not a weapon, when he was shot early Tuesday morning. No weapons were recovered at the scene. In addition, police turned off their body cameras leading up to the shooting, but activated it directly after. https://youtu.be/mNAvmWsfkn8 Americans are rightly frustrated that government leaders who were elected to serve them instead pushed through a $900 billion stimulus package which would only provide direct payments of $600 to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples. A new poll shows that while most Americans across the aisle agree that relief is needed to combat the fallout of the coronavirus, the majority say the allotted amount is not enough. Thirty-one percent of voters said up to $600 per person is the right amount of support, while 54 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans said the stimulus checks aren’t enough, according to Morning Consult/Politico polling. While the bill made headway through Congress, Donald Trump, in an unforeseen turn of events, threatened to veto the bill, urging legislators to amp up the amount and eliminate “wasteful and unnecessary” items from the legislation. Congressional leaders want Trump to move forward, with the promise that more relief is on the way. Trump has until Monday to sign the bill. However, there may be enough support to override Trump if he does decide to veto. On the heels of its star pastor Carl Lentz’s fall from grace, celebrity church Hillsong is now facing fresh accusations of behavior by former members. “Being at Hillsong was really traumatizing,” former Hillsong member Noemi Uribe told Business Insider in a damning exposé. While at the Australia-based megachurch’s Boston branch, Uribe came out as bisexual, to which her pastor reportedly responded by telling her that if she “were to start practicing” her homosexuality, “that’s where there’s a problem” — while also preaching that “everyone is welcome” at Hillsong. Uribe said she already suffered from clinical depression and anxiety, but her pastor’s alleged unaccepting response to her sexuality and her experience at Hillsong further distressed her to the point where, in June 2019, she said she considered killing herself. Following a harrowing night where she thought about purposefully overdosing, Uribe said she was admitted to a psychiatric inpatient program — “none of the pastors ever [visited] from Hillsong” — and left the church five months later. Brian Houston, senior pastor and founder of embattled megachurch Hillsong, has taken to Twitter to share a vague distrust of the media and an indirect dismissal of recent accusations against the church following an exposé by Business Insider. “Just because the media say it, doesn’t make it true. Just because people chatter, doesn’t make it right. Judge by your own experiences, not the grandstand noise. The best is yet to come,” Houston, 66, wrote in a since-deleted Tweet Friday morning. The tweet comes a day after accounts surfaced from a variety of former Hillsong members who accused the celebrity-studded institution of exploitation, homophobia and racism. Britain tonight banned all arrivals from South Africa, as well as travel to the nation, after discovering two cases of a mutant Covid-19 strain which is driving a massive second wave among young people in the country. The new mutant, called 501.V2, was announced in Cape Town last Friday and is believed to be a more extreme variant than Britain’s new Covid strain which has plunged millions into miserable Christmas lockdowns. Cases in South Africa have soared from fewer than 3,000 a day at the start of December to more than 9,500 per day, with the mutant accounting for up to 90 percent of those new infections. More than 8,500 have been hospitalized – surpassing the country’s first wave peak of 8,300 inpatients. Matt Hancock said: ‘This new variant is highly concerning, because it is yet more transmissible, and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant has been discovered in the UK.’ A small Minnesota town has granted a conditional use permit for a whites only church, and locals have fired off a petition in hopes of stopping it from happening. The Asatru Folk Assembly in Murdock, Minnesota cites its pre-Christian religion that originated in northern Europe. The group, based in Brownsville, California, says teachings and membership are for those of strictly European bloodlines. https://youtu.be/fKuNeTIYDzw Gucci Mane, 40, and his wife Keyshia Ka’oir Davis, 35, welcomed their first child together — a baby boy they named Ice Davis. “My wife just gave me a 7 lb. 1 oz. baby boy. His name [is] ICE DAVIS 12/23/20 thank you Mrs. Davis. He’s here!!!!!!!” Gucci announced on Instagram alongside a photograph from Ka’oir’s blue-themed pregnancy photoshoot. Keyshia also shared an image from the same shoot with the caption “He’s here!!!!!!!!!! ICE DAVIS 12/23/20 7 lbs. #ThankYouLord,” she wrote. “OMG he is soooooo darn CUTE & PERFECT.” A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. deputy was reportedly caught in the act of having sex while the deputy’s mic was left on for the dispatcher to hear. According to TMZ, the act took place next to the Bates Motel set and a female could be heard moaning as the dispatcher tells the deputy that the mic is on. However, the female continues to make the erotic noises and there is no audible response to the dispatcher. In response to the incident, the L.A. Sheriff’s Department wrote in a statement, “The deputy was immediately relieved of duty and an administrative investigation has been opened. The deputy’s peace officer’s powers have been suspended and the proper administrative action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.” Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. (M.O.B.B. United), a community and sisterhood of nearly 200,000 moms with 15 local chapters nationwide advocating for fair and just treatment of Black boys and men in American society, has been recognized by Facebook for its efforts to affect positive change. After participating in the 2020 Facebook Community Accelerator program aimed at arming participants with training, mentorship and funding to grow their communities, MOBB United has been awarded an additional $25,000 grant by the tech company to help further its mission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUKkgnJGaNI&feature=youtu.be Chef Resha and Chef Bren Herrera pack a savory punch in the kitchen alongside Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells as they prepare a flavor-packed meal and must-haves on the season finale double header of NEW SOUL KITCHEN airing at Saturday, December 26 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M./8:30C. The chefs hearty homemade spins on these classic dishes are the perfect solution for restaurant cravings during the winter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpkP1zrZh3Q&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV kicks up the flavor this new year with the season three premiere of popular cooking show, JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ airing on Saturday, January 9 at 12 P.M. ET/11C. With exciting global cuisine, signature cocktails, and riveting conversation, the all-new episodes feature more of Chef JJ's celebrity friends, family as he turns up the heat with friendly cook-offs for viewers to enjoy. Don't miss Carl Brister's Christmas Special honoring our veterans streaming online now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa4RhRC82Uo&feature=youtu.be Today, hip hop fans are mourning the passing of John Fletcher, better known as Ecstasy from the legendary rap group Whodini. The sad news was brought to the world via musician Questlove on Wednesday (12-23-20) in an Instagram tribute. “One love to Ecstasy of the legendary #Whodini,” he said. “This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. This is sad man.” Ecstasy, 56 (born on June 7, 1964), along with Jalil Hutchins, formed Whodidni in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1982. In 1986, DJ Grandmaster Dee joined the group. As of this posting, there’s no official word on the cause of death, but some are speculating that his death – after a bout he had with pneumonia last year – was COVID-19 related. Whodini went on to record the hit singles, “The Haunted House of Rock,” “Friends,” “Freaks Come Out at Night,” becoming a vital name in the hip hop scene. Following the news of Ecstasy’s death, Jermaine Dupri penned and posted this tribute: “My God, this one hurts me so bad, I can’t even believe I’m posting this,” he said. “Ex, you know I love you. Thank you for every word, every conversation, every good time. May your soul rest in power.” Former NBA star Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman is now owner of the historic Ebony, Jet catalogue after a bankruptcy judge approved the $14 million sale Tuesday of Ebony Media Operations. Ebony was forced into bankruptcy last July after defaulting on more than $10 million in loans. Bridgeman, owner of Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Lenexa, bid $14 million for the company in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston on Friday, The Wall Street Journal reports. It was the only serious offer received. Ebony and Jet sold off its iconic photo archive in July 2019 in a private sale in Chicago as part of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy action. Both publications were once considered bibles of the culture — offering compelling stories and snapshots of Black American life as well as intimate moments of black celebrities. According to CNN, the Ebony/Jet archive contains photos from 1945 to 2015, with about 1 million printed images, 3 million negatives and contact sheets, and several thousand hours of video footage. Some photos have never been printed and thus have never been seen by the public. Bridgeman’s NBA career spanned 12 years mostly with the Milwaukee Bucks. He is franchisee for several restaurant chains and once tried to buy Sports Illustrated but dropped the bid last year. A new study examining how minors are victims of police violence has found that Black children were six times more likely to be fatally shot by law enforcement than their white peers. The study examined cases over a 16-year period, and the results were published in the journal Pediatrics. Hispanic children were three times more likely to be shot to death than White children, the study found, per CNN. https://youtu.be/odKQlGVR14M Pastor Jamal Bryant threatened legal action against “Real Housewives of Potomac” cast member Monique Samuels after she accused him of having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in his congregation while dating fellow castmate Gizelle Bryant. During Sunday’s reunion-special episode, Samuels addressed the rumor that Jamal and his ex-wife Gizelle are “pretending” to be together again for the sake of the show, calling their relationship a business “arrangement.” She also asked if it’s true that the pastor had a baby with another woman while with Gizelle. Pastor Jamal fired back at Monique, claiming she defamed him on the show and he issued a cease and desist letter — obtained by TMZ — accusing her of “maliciously spreading inaccurate and unfounded information” on TV. Her husband, former NFLer Chris Samuels, fired back at Pastor Bryant with a cease and desist letter, claiming Bryant has been spreading lies about him having CTE, that he cheated on his wife and verbally assaulted another woman, per TMZ. Chris wants the pastor to remove all mentions of him on his social media accounts and issue a public apology within 3 days … or else face a lawsuit. https://youtu.be/YCMCmN-yH0I A shocking video has been released showing the moment a Los Angeles mother was severely injured and later died after rolling under her own Range Rover after it experienced a parking malfunction. The video which was obtained by @cbseveningnews , shows 41-year-old Shadi Farhat, who is a mother of two, exiting her 2017 Range Rover when the SUV begins to roll backwards, and pulling her underneath. Farhat is able to get to her feet before collapsing again. She passed away days after the incident. After four seasons of co-hosting “The Talk,” Eve’s final episode was on Friday and the rapper/actress said a tearful goodbye to viewers. “I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. I’ve said it a few times that I truly, genuinely, for real, love you,” Eve told her co-hosts, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood and Carrie Ann Inaba. https://youtu.be/Zds6HHAfCqU R&B legend and songwriter Shirley Murdock behind hits such as, “As We Lay,” “Go on Without You,” “Husband,” and also known for her vocals on Zapp and Roger Troutman’s hit single “Computer Love” has released a rendition of a favorite holiday classic, “Winter Wonderland” on all digital streaming platforms. https://youtu.be/3s8UzBSOzIM Pixar’s new flick “Soul“ is the first animated feature from the studio with a Black lead. The film tells the story of Joe Gardner ( voiced by Jamie Foxx) a musician and teacher, who suffers an unfortunate accident right before his big break. https://youtu.be/xOsLIiBStEs Netflix has dropped the trailer for a mockumentary about the craziness of this year titled “Death to 2020,” and it hails from “Black Mirror” masterminds Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, starring Samuel L. Jackson. https://youtu.be/veUqfcyZ_Bo ”Bridgerton,” the highly anticipated first series from Shondaland at Netflix, created by Chris Van Dusen (Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy) is arriving just in time for Christmas and the buzz online has been immense. Inspired by the bestselling novels, the series follows Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market. As her pursuit of love unravels, the high society scandal sheet written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown casts criticisms on Daphne who has caught the eye of London’s most desirable Duke. Hoping to follow in her parent’s footsteps and find a match sparked by true love, Daphne’s prospects initially seem to be unrivaled. But as her older brother begins to rule out her potential suitors, the high society scandal sheet written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) casts aspersions on Daphne. The Staples Center may have been empty of fans, but the Los Angeles Lakers showed off their NBA championship rings Tuesday night in a ceremony filled virtually with families, friends and millions of fans worldwide. Just 72 days after LeBron James, Anthony Davis and their teammates finished off the Miami Heat in the NBA bubble, the Lakers returned from the shortest offseason in league history to get their reward. The coaches, executives and 11 returning players from last season’s championship team received their rings in a brief, warm ceremony before their regular season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. The families of the Lakers’ players and coaches appeared in short, heartfelt videos of introduction before the players walked up to an individual podium to grab the rings by themselves. https://youtu.be/dE-qbZiccfY The sports world is perplexed and outraged by the decision of Washington Football Team second year quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who just regained the starting job after being benched earlier this year for a now injured Alex Smith, to reportedly invite strippers into his home following Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Pictures of the encounter show Haskins without a mask, and only one of the dancers wearing one. Haskins was already fined nearly $5,000 in October for violating COVID-19 protocols after making reservations for a family friend at the team’s hotel, but in that case the exposure risk was avoided because the reservation was discovered and canceled prior to the friend’s arrival. Haskins issued an apology for the ill-timed, maskless stripper celebration on Twitter Tuesday before making his account private. He said he spoke to head coach Ron Rivera on Monday and “took full accountability for putting the team at risk.” He added, “It was irresponsible and immature of me and I accept responsibility for my action.” https://youtu.be/EYAj4slYxaM Megan Thee Stallion is speaking out about why her hit song “WAP” with Cardi B “freaks men the hell out.” In case you missed it… check out the music video above. The visual has received over 300 million views on YouTube. Some people just don’t know what to do when a woman is in control and taking ownership of her own body,” Meg told the magazine. “I feel like for a long time men felt like they owned sex and now women are saying, “Hey, this is for me. I want pleasure. This is how I want it or don’t want it,” it freaks men the hell out. It just comes from a place of fear and insecurity, like why would anyone be mad about my WAP? It belongs to me.” Despite the “WAP” hate, Megan Thee Stallion earned four Grammy nominations for next year’s ceremony. https://youtu.be/hsm4poTWjMs Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the floor during the first half of the Gators’ game against rival Florida State on Dec. 12. Johnson was carried off the floor on a stretcher and was taken to a local hospital. Johnson was reportedly in critical but stable condition before being transported from Tallahassee to a hospital in Gainesville two days later, where he was put in a medically induced coma, according to his grandfather. On Tuesday, Johnson’s condition was upgraded to stable, with the program saying he was breathing on his own and speaking with doctors. One week later, Johnson is out of the hospital. After a week of contradictions in the case of a Chicago woman who was subjugated during a botched police raid, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced on Monday that 12 cops involved in the case have been placed on administrative leave, the Associated Press reports. According to WLS the group includes 11 officers and one sergeant. Their names have not been released while the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigates. Lightfoot’s decision is the latest in a series of developments after Chicago’s top attorney, Corporation Counsel Mark Flessner, stepped down in relation to the raid of Anjanette Young‘s home in Feb. 2019. On Monday two other city officials’ departures were announced, Caryn Jacobs from the Deputy Corporation Counsel and Kathy Fieweger, director of public affairs for the law department. Young, caught off guard after cops stormed into her home, stood naked in her living room for over 40 minutes while cops searched for an individual who lived in a neighboring apartment, and refused to leave when she informed them of their mistake. This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time — due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic. Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months. But preliminary numbers suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year, or at least 400,000 more than in 2019. U.S. deaths increase most years, so some annual rise in fatalities is expected. But the 2020 numbers amount to a jump of about 15 percent, and could go higher once all the deaths from this month are counted. That would mark the largest single-year percentage leap since 1918, when tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers died in World War I and hundreds of thousands of Americans died in a flu pandemic. Deaths rose 46 percent that year, compared with 1917. A holiday celebration at a church in a small town in North Carolina has led to 97 Covid-19 cases as of Tuesday morning, and this number is expected to grow in the coming days, a spokesperson for the local health department told TODAY. The gathering took place at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, located south of Asheville, over the Dec. 5 weekend and was a multi-day event, according to a statement from the Henderson County Department of Public Health and its communications manager, Andrew Mundhenk. As of Dec. 17, the county had linked 75 cases to the event, and the health department is still working to identify close contacts of attendees. Of the confirmed 97 cases, all are among attendees, Mundhenk said. The health department is not aware of any deaths at this time. However, “some cases” from the event have resulted in hospitalizations, Mundhenk said. The health department did not have specifics on how many. The ex-wife of Georgia senatorial candidate Raphael Warnock accused him of running over her foot in his car during a domestic dispute in March, and told police he is ‘a great actor’ obsessed with his reputation. Police bodycam footage of the incident, shown by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, shows a tearful Ouleye Ndoye, 35, telling cops that her then-husband had injured her foot while trying to drive away with their children. Ndoye, who works to combat human trafficking in the office of the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, called police over the incident. Warnock told cops he did not believe he ran over her foot and medics found no injuries. He said the pair had argued that morning over divorce papers while their two kids were present.Medical officials did not find visible signs of injury on his wife’s foot. A police report, referring to Grady Memorial Hospital first-responders, noted that an inspection of Ndoye’s foot showed no broken bones, swelling or contusions. Warnock was never charged with a crime. The couples’ divorce was finalized in May, after four years of marriage. Pastor William Lamar IV of Metropolitan AME Church in Washington D.C. reflects on the way forward and the role of the Black church in today's social justice climate. He is speaking out after the Proud Boys vandalized his church. The church is committed to following the way of Jesus. The path can be arduous. It requires living into the rhythms of work and rest, of serious engagement and holy playfulness. On Dec. 12, the communal rhythms of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., where I am privileged to pastor, were violently interrupted. Our property was violated by people who do not believe what we believe, who do not long for the world for which we yearn. That incident dazed me, then enraged me, but the overriding emotion I feel now is joy. I am in no way joyful about the violation. My joy arises from my deep knowledge that God and the ancestors have called you and me into the ongoing struggle, the beautiful struggle, of co-creating a new heaven and a new earth. We will not retreat. We will not be paralyzed. This spirit-strengthening, world-changing resolve is nurtured and nourished in some churches. Those are the churches that I believe you seek. They will welcome you. The church cannot thrive without your gifts. And the church remains a powerful life force in our communities, animated by our ancestral hopes and our present dreams. There are churches that are committed to the life of the spirit, the life of the mind, and transforming the status quo into vibrant, flourishing human community. Your spiritual hunger can be satiated in the right church. Your intellectual curiosity can be nurtured in the right church. And you can help to demolish inhumane systems and build thriving communities in the right church. It may be hard for some folks to fully comprehend this, but in the entire 231 years that the U.S. Senate has existed, there have only been 10 senators who are Black. All but three of them were elected and just two of that already small number are women. As of Tuesday morning, there were three sitting U.S. Senators who are Black. It was already known since last month that figure was going to decrease by one when California Sen. Kamala Harris and her running mate Joe Biden won the presidential election, making her the first Black vice president in American history. Tuesday afternoon California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Alex Padilla, the California Secretary of State. Before the announcement, Newsome had been facing pressure to name a Black woman to succeed Harris in the Senate. After all, there were already several Latino Senators. Without Harris, there was just one Black Senator who is a democrat and another who is a Republican. But no Black woman, a void that was glaring to critics of Newsom’s decision. It seemed logical — especially during a calendar year marked by national protests that were part of a larger racial reckoning — that Newsom would not only select a Black person, but also a Black woman to fill the seat. To be sure, the ensuing debate following Newsom’s decision had everything to do with the absence of a Black woman in the U.S. Senate and nothing to do with the fact that Padilla would be the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate. It had to do with the representation of Black people in the U.S. The smoke that has swirled around owner Daniel Snyder and his Washington Football Team for much of this season just will not stop. For five months now, allegations have continued to surface, revealing sexual misconduct toward women employed by Snyder’s franchise during his two decades as owner. Each round of incidents seemingly paints Snyder’s organization in even more unflattering lights. Each unveils problems more widespread and damning than those before it. One of the first bombshells came on Saturday in the New York Times, which detailed the ugly feud between Snyder and his three minority owners. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Snyder’s team paid a female former employee $1.6 million in 2009 as part of a confidential settlement after the woman accused Snyder of sexual misconduct. The NFL’s investigation of Snyder and his organization remains ongoing, and the league had no comment on the matter because the process remains incomplete. Milwaukee Bucks star Jrue Holiday wasn’t yet on the team when they spearheaded a historic sports boycott in August when players refused to come out to play an NBA playoffs game after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. But the former New Orleans Pelicans guard is already showing that he supports the team’s effort to forge better racial relations. On his Instagram, he and his wife Lauren announced their intention to donate the rest of Holiday’s 2020 NBA salary to Black-owned businesses, initiatives and nonprofits. He said he was motivated by both the pandemic and national reckoning on race as protesters, driven to action by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, took to the streets for months-long demonstrations. A 71-year-old black man in South Carolina was forced to stand naked in his yard as police held him at gunpoint after he peeked outside his door when he heard the officers searching for teenagers suspected of breaking into cars. Jethro DeVane is now suing the city of Rock Hill and its police department over the June 2019 ordeal that he says left him embarrassed and fearing for his life. Body camera video of the incident, which was released by DeVane’s lawyer on Tuesday, showed the elderly man peering out of the door of his Rock Hill home at about 4am on June 3 last year. One of the officers cursed at him, told him not to close the door and then ordered DeVane out of his home, the lawsuit says. A former black diversity recruiter at Google says the company is ‘racist’ in its hiring practices and claims the tech giant fired her for her efforts to improve minority representation. April Christina Curley, who is black started working at Google in 2014 with the specific objective to ‘fundamentally shift the relationship (or lack thereof) that Google had with Historically Black Colleges and Universities,’ claiming that the tech giant has previously ‘NEVER hired an HBCU student into a tech role.’ She claims her efforts to promote black and brown job candidates was routinely met with resistance from hiring managers and she was allegedly subjected to demeaning treatment, such as being told that her Baltimore accent was a ‘disability’ she should disclose internally. Monday evening she took to Twitter to explain in a lengthy thread her efforts to recruit candidates, the alleged resistance from Google and the reasons why she believes she was fired. The NAACP is accusing President Trump and the Republican Party of violating the Ku Klux Klan Act with their efforts to overturn election results in key battleground states. In an amended lawsuit filed Monday night, the civil rights organization added the Reconstruction-era law to their case against the president’s campaign that was filed last month. “Defendants’ efforts to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters — targeting cities with large Black populations, including Detroit, Michigan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Atlanta, Georgia — repeat the worst abuses in our nation’s history, where Black Americans were denied a voice in American democracy for most of the first two centuries of the Republic,” the new lawsuit reads. Kevin Durant shook off 18 months of rust in a matter of minutes. Durant looked good as new against his old team, Kyrie Irving was even better and the Brooklyn Nets emphatically kicked off the Steve Nash era with a 125-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night in the NBA’s season opener. Durant finished with 22 points in 25 minutes of his first official game since rupturing his Achilles tendon while playing for Golden State in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. It’s a new start for Durant, but he did the same things he’s been doing for years. “I tried not to make too big a deal out of this whole thing and realize I’ve been playing this game since I was 8 years old, so just got to revert back to what I know,” Durant said. Check out PJ Morton tomorrow morning on the Today Show (NBC) bringing some Christmas cheer! Hear PJ Morton In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/pj_morton_intvw.htm Compassion LIVE announces Still, a one-night-only streaming concert event with gospel superstar Brian Courtney Wilson. Filmed LIVE with his band and vocalists, along with a very special guest, the anointing fell and made this a once-in-a-lifetime event that fans are sure to enjoy. “I am excited about linking up with Compassion and Godsey Media to bring this virtual offering to you,” says Wilson. It will be an evening filled with passionate performances, special guests, and surprises that will make for a very enriching evening, all while helping children around the world at a time when it is needed most.” The virtual event is inspired by Still, Wilson’s fifth studio album, which released this October amidst some of the most uncertain and questionable modern times. Acknowledging anxiety, frustration, and fear, inevitably compounded by current events, yet doing so through a lens of hope, Still artfully navigates the spaces between fact and faith. TV One announces a partnership with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) to broadcast the Ceremonial Swearing-In of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) of the 117th United States Congress on Sunday, January 3, 2021 at 4 P.M. ET/3C. The historic broadcast, presented by FedEx, will feature remarks from the CBC and Congressional leaders including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD), Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA), Rep. James Clyburn (SC), Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH)and Rep. Karen Bass (CA).President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will also be in attendance to speak before new and returning CBC members who will take their ceremonial oath. Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter John Legend, Kenny Lattimore, and Kierra Sheard-Kelly will perform at the ceremony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPX5oSiEth4&feature=youtu.be TV ONE will present REPRESENT OUR VOICE, a town hall episode designed to explore the major issues in education impacting the country right now, including the academic, physical and emotional toll from virtual learning, the out-of-control costs of higher education, and policing in schools. CNN commentator and political analyst Karen Finney will moderate episode four which will simulcast on TV One and CLEO TV as well as on the networks' Facebook and YouTube channels on Sunday, January 3, 2021 at 3 P.M. ET/4C. The National Urban League and The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, which is the first and only inspirational concert sanctioned by the National Football League (NFL) and lead by Atlanta Native-Melanie Few; are collaborating to present THE BLEND: GA SENATE SEAT EDITION; a holiday feel-good virtual give back event for the nation promoting voter engagement in preparation for the January 5th, 2021 Senate seat run-off elections in Georgia. Co-hosted by Rickey Smiley and Erica Campbell, THE BLEND: GA SENATE SEAT EDITION is an inspirational, fun, uplifting, motivational, living room-style PRAISE PARTY mixing old school and new school Gospel Music with appropriate R&B and Hip-Hop music – with sounds by DJ DEX (“Sirius XM”). This edition will promote voter engagement for the very important senate race in Georgia. Viewers will be encouraged by Marc H. Morial, April Ryan, Jermaine Dupri, Sonja Norwood, Kierra Sheard, Isaac Carree, Bri Babineaux, JJ Hairston, Kelontae Gavin, Travis Greene and more. U.S. Surgeon General challenged Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James to get the COVID-19 vaccine. While appearing on the KTLA 5 Morning News in Los Angeles, Dr. Jerome Adams made his plea to the athlete. He said: “LeBron James, I know you’ve been a big supporter of masks. I want to know when you’re going to take the shot. Not the basketball shot, but the COVID shot. Because I did it because I know it’s safe, and we want to make sure people understand this is how we end the pandemic.” Adams says if LeBron publicly vouches for the vaccine he believes it could send a HUGE message to anti-vaxxers. “That’s how we promote confidence,” Adams said. “We want people to lead by example.” He then urged LeBron: “Take the shot, LeBron,” Adams said. “Take the shot. And encourage people to go to TheFightIsInUs.org, LeBron, and give plasma … that’s how they can save a life this holiday season.” Right-wing networks Fox News and Newsmax are walking back claims of election fraud amid the threat of lawsuits for defamation. The networks have fired off wild allegations against voting-machine and software manufacturers Smartmatic and Dominion, linking both to Joe Biden’s election win. “Newsmax would like to clarify its news coverage and note that it has not reported as true certain claims made about these companies,” host John Tabacco said Monday. The company attributed the “opinions and claims” to “various guests, attorneys and elected officials” who appeared on the network. “Newsmax has found no evidence that either Dominion or Smartmatic owns the other or has any business association with each other,” Tabacco said. “We have no evidence that Dominion uses Smartmatic’s software or vice versa. No evidence has been offered that Dominion or Smartmatic use software or reprogram software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election.” Tabacco also noted that Smartmatic’s software was only used in Los Angeles during the 2020 election, and not in the battleground states where the alleged fraud occurred. Skylar Mack was sentenced to prison in the Cayman Islands for breaking COVID isolation protocols. Now her family is pleading with President Donald Trump and the U.S. government for help. The 18-year-old college student faces a four-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to breaking the Cayman Islands’ mandatory 14-day Covid-19 isolation for visitors. https://youtu.be/cTZKiMa1B_k Stephen and Ayesha Curry are donating thousands of books to schools around Oakland, California. “We along with our entire team at Eat. Learn. Play. understand the importance of early childhood education, especially when it comes to literacy,” Stephen and Ayesha tells PEOPLE in an statement. The couple co-founded the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. “Nothing is more basic, more essential, more foundational, or more important to a child’s success in life than the ability to read well. We know there is a lot of work to be done, but with partners like Literati, we’re hopeful that we will be able to make an impact on these children’s lives.” https://youtu.be/qnh-ekqALrY It’s no secret that California Governor Gavin Newsom was lobbied hard to fill the seat of Kamala Harris with another black woman after Harris was elected as Joe Biden’s Vice President. The bottom line is it’s not going to happen as Newsom has selected the state’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Harris’ US Senate seat. Newsom and Padilla made the announcement on Tuesday. Padilla will be the first-ever Latino to represent California in the US Senate. He will serve out the rest of Harris’ term, which is set to expire in 2022, at which point he will have the option to run for a full term. Jamar Latin, also known as X is a 19-year-old clothing designer and entrepreneur. He has recently launched a luxury clothing line titled, "Label X". X is quoted to be the next Virgil Abloh, the creative director behind popular high-end brand OFF WHITE. His brand LABEL X is even attracting the attention of many Hip Hop stars like G Herbo & Coca Vango. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyoBf_0_xkc Dedicated to serving others in ministry and dentistry, Scott Dentistry's very own Dr. Leonard Scott and Dr. Brooke Scott are featured in this month's edition of IUSD Alumni. Find out how Dr. Scott got his start in dentistry, how three generations came together to serve the community's dental needs and how ministry never stops by clicking here to read the article https://archives.iupui.edu/handle/2450/12705 Rihanna is serving up traditional food from her Barbadian roots via an upcoming cookbook. The nine-time Grammy winner revealed her plans in an interview with the UK tabloid Closer. The inspiration to start a cookbook comes from her home-cooked meals during the pandemic lockdown. Says Rihanna, “loves food from my Barbadian roots,” primarily the use of fresh fish. The international superstar said she eats “well on a day-to-day basis” but she also loves indulging in comfort foods. “I won’t deprive myself. If I want a cheeseburger, then I am going to have one. I will exercise three or four times a week as well – feeling healthy is important to me,” she told Closer magazine. Lifetime has released the trailer for the forthcoming documentary about late music icon Whitney Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown. “Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” premieres early next year and will take viewers inside some of the struggles that were faced by the mother and daughter, per PEOPLE. Houston died on Feb. 11, 2012 at age 48 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California just hours before she was scheduled to perform at Clive Davis’ Grammy Gala. Three years later, on July 26, 2015, Bobbi Kristina died under similar circumstances as her mother. She was 22. https://youtu.be/ZT8Xx01fqpU Denzel Washington plays a sheriff on the hunt for a killer who is terrorizing Los Angeles in writer-director John Lee Hancock’s psychological thriller “The Little Things.” Washington co-stars opposite Rami Malek and Jared Leto, who portrays the prime suspect, Albert Sparma. https://youtu.be/1HZAnkxdYuA “Fatale” is the new Lionsgate romantic thriller starring Michael Ealy and Academy Award winner Hillary Swank. Former college basketball star and current married sports agent Derrick Tyler gets more than he bargained for following a one-night stand with a mysterious woman named Valerie portrayed by Swank. https://youtu.be/tPWURGgKJ7o Coming 2 America, streaming globally on Amazon Prime Video on March 5, 2021. In COMING 2 AMERICA Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) returns to America as the King of Zamunda with his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) to embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that takes us from the lush and royal country of Zamunda back to the borough of Queens — where it all began! https://youtu.be/sY8gUtyeAKE Dwyane Wade’s 13-year-old came out as transgender earlier this year, and the NBA star and his wife Gabrielle Union have since showered Zaya Wade in love and support. D. Wade paid tribute to his daughter in a message shared with his millions of followers on Instagram. “Unconditional love, simply put, is love without strings attached. It’s love you offer freely,” Wade captioned a pair of photos featuring his child. “You don’t base it on what someone does for you in return. You simply love them and want nothing more than their happiness. This type of love, sometimes called compassionate or agape love @zayawade.” Mike Tyson claims his aggressive and violent daughter wanted to fight Boosie Badazz because the rapper doesn’t support transgenderism in children. Earlier this year the boxer confronted Boosie for the alleged transphobic comments he made about Dwyane Wade’s daughter, Zaya. Tyson’s daughter also had a few choice words for Booise that day, and their encounter nearly turned physical. https://youtu.be/MoReYdrAt4Q Prayers and condolences surround the sad news that Her Grace Bishop Dr. Iona E. Locke, founder of Abyssinia Christ Centered Ministries and a Presiding Prelate of the Christ Centered Ministries Assembly, passed away on Friday, December 18, 2020, released in a statement by Gwendolyn Quinn, public relations professional, on behalf of Bishop Locke’s family. The much-beloved and renowned pastor was noted for her dedication to the Word, devotion to the global community, her powerfully anointed preaching, and her influential teachings and recordings. Bishop Locke’s Official Necrological Arrangements include her Laying In State Ceremony, to be held Sunday, December 27, 2020, beginning at noon EST, at the Abyssinia Christ Centered Ministries in Southfield, MI. A Service of Entombment will follow on Monday, December 28, 2020, at noon EST in the Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, MI. Bishop Locke will be further memorialized with The Celebration of Victory, scheduled for May 16, 2021; details are to follow. Singer/actress Michelle Williams is mourning her father, who died this weekend at the age of 68. Williams shared the news on her Instagram page, where she penned a loving tribute to Dennis Williams. “I just don’t know what to say or where to start. Daddy, you fought harder than those of us that are in good health! For 15 years, you FOUGHT!!! You truly outlived moments where we thought you wouldn’t make it!!” Williams wrote. “Mommy said last night she sang songs to you and you looked so content and had a look of peace in your eyes,” she continued. “You weren’t in any pain either!! The Lord took you in his arms this morning and I’m so thankful that you are resting in Him!!!” Prayers and condolences surround the sad news that Her Grace Bishop Dr. Iona E. Locke, founder of Abyssinia Christ Centered Ministries and a Presiding Prelate of the Christ Centered Ministries Assembly, passed away on Friday, December 18, 2020, released in a statement by Gwendolyn Quinn, public relations professional, on behalf of Bishop Locke’s family. The much-beloved and renowned pastor was noted for her dedication to the Word, devotion to the global community, her powerfully anointed preaching, and her influential teachings and recordings. Bishop Locke’s Official Necrological Arrangements include her Laying In State Ceremony, to be held Sunday, December 27, 2020, beginning at noon EST, at the Abyssinia Christ Centered Ministries in Southfield, MI. A Service of Entombment will follow on Monday, December 28, 2020, at noon EST in the Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, MI. Bishop Locke will be further memorialized with The Celebration of Victory, scheduled for May 16, 2021; details are to follow. The senior pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Jamal Bryant, is facing another round of allegations that cast new doubt on his relationship with ex-wife and baby mama Gizelle Bryant. During a recent episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac, titled “Reunion Part 1,” Monique Samuels accused Jamal of cheating on Gizelle (again). Meanwhile, Karen Huger claimed that the two were faking their romance. So, will the rumors impact Jamal’s career? Articles are being written and videos are being made saying he is on the verge of being fired from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. https://youtu.be/YCMCmN-yH0I Darius Twyman’s rendition of “Carol of The Bells” is not your traditional Holiday Classic. He lends his sultry raspy voice to a smooth jazz infectious arrangement that puts the listener into a festive mood while maintaining that soothing sound for the entire family to enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ODJ2DRK3yQ&feature=youtu.be Staff and members of Grace Community Church, which is led by Pastor John MacArthur, say multiple people have been infected with COVID-19 but those with knowledge of the cases are being pressured to remain silent, according to a new report. Reporter Julie Roys spoke with a leader at the California-based megachurch who asked to remain anonymous, but whose identity she confirmed. The leader claimed there are church staffers, professors at MacArthur’s school, as well as members of the church’s Filipino ministry who have the coronavirus. One infected leader of the Filipino ministry has been hospitalized. The leader told Roys that staff and members are “being pressured not to report new COVID cases to the health department for fear of being shut down.” A Georgia mega-church pastor has contracted coronavirus just days after attending a White House Christmas party. Jentezen Franklin, of Free Chapel in Gainsville, was absent from Sunday service after testing positive for the disease, his colleague, pastor Javon Ruff, said. “We want to make you aware that pastor Franklin has come in contact with Covid, but he is doing perfectly fine,” Mr Ruff told the congregation, according to local media reports. He added: “He actually is doing great. He went and got tested and his test came back positive so he is doing the right thing to do and staying quarantined and continuing to be distanced. “We’ll continue to pray and lift him up.” Mr. Ruff also announced that the church’s Christmas Eve service will be held virtually “out of an abundance of caution.” Parts of Europe were in full panic mode Monday morning as public health officials there reported what seemed to be the outbreak of a new mutant strain of Covid-19 that is described as being exponentially more contagious than the one that’s already caused a global pandemic. The new strain’s apparent epicenter is in the United Kingdom, from where Britons were scrambling to leave major cities like London in an effort to escape looming lockdowns. But the mutation of the coronavirus has already been reported well outside of London, including in the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Iceland and even Australia. Public health experts have traced those cases back to the U.K., where Covid cases have been surging in recent weeks. They said it’s not out of the ordinary for a virus to mutate. However, this particular version of Covid is extraordinary because of its higher levels of contagion. Joelle Gamble has been named the Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. As a newly minted member of the National Economic Council, Gamble brings with her a multitude of experience, currently serving on the Biden-Harris Transition’s domestic economic policy team. On Dec. 17 the Biden administration formally announced the nomination of Michael Regan as the next Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Susan Rice will lead the White House Domestic Policy Council and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge has been picked to be the next U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary. Biden vowed to have a cabinet that looks like America. Civil rights activist and school desegregationist Barbara Rose Johns will be honored with a statue in the United States Capitol, which will replace a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Monday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Lee’s statue, which signified Virginia’s contribution to the National Statuary Hall Collection 100 years ago, will be replaced with a statue of Johns. Lee’s statue was removed from the Capitol overnight, according to The Hill. Jamar Mackey, the man who was detained by Virginia Beach police after being wrongly accused of credit card fraud, called the experience of being handcuffed in front of his fiancée and son “dehumanizing” during an appearance Tuesday on “Good Morning America.” “Basically we were just sitting down, enjoying the holidays, trying to get some lunch with my family. Next thing you know, I’m in handcuffs,” Mackey said. “No words, no explanations.” After officers perp-walked Mackey out of the Lynnhaven Mall, they eventually realized that Mackey was not their suspect and explained to him that he fit the description – of a Black man with dreads, wearing all black and with a child wearing red – who was using stolen credit cards. https://amp.abcnews.com/GMA/News/video/man-speaks-wrongful-arrest-police-mall-74857494 Kevin Greene will be remembered for his long blond hair, his charisma, and the havoc he created for opposing quarterbacks. The Hall of Fame linebacker, considered one of the fiercest pass rushers in NFL history, died Monday, it was confirmed by the family and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 58. No cause of death was given. “I regarded him as a personal friend and a true Hall of Famer in every sense,” Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker said in a statement Monday. “He possessed the most incredible can-do attitude of anyone I ever met. He was a great player, but more than that, he was a great man.” A two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Greene finished his 15-year NFL career with 160 sacks, which ranks third in league history behind only Bruce Smith (200) and Reggie White (198). He also had 23 forced fumbles and five interceptions. Notre Dame, less than 24 hours after losing 34-10 to Clemson in the ACC championship game, was selected for the College Football Playoff on Sunday. The Irish are the fourth seed and will play No. 1 Alabama in a national semifinal Jan. 1 in Arlington Texas. The game was moved from the Rose Bowl because of COVID-19 restrictions in California. The other semifinal will have No 2 Clemson against No. 3 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Grammy Award-winning singer Lizzo gave her mom a big, early present for Christmas this year. On Sunday, the singing sensation shared a video in which she surprised her mother, Shari Johnson-Jefferson, with a sparkling new Audi, complete with a red bow on its hood. “Got my mommy a brand new Audi for Xmas,” she began in her caption for the clip. “I remember crying in my car when my daddy passed, no job no money nowhere to live, wishing I could one day provide for my family,” she continued. “I couldn’t do it for my dad so ima make sure I spoil Mama. Happy holidays y’all. The Instagram post got over 3 million “likes” from fans and Lizzo’s celebrity friends, who celebrated the sweet gesture. When he came on board as UPS’s chief marketing officer in June 2018 after a 34-year career at Xerox, Kevin Warren was only the second outsider in the company’s 113-year history to join in at the C-suite level. Now, in a business that has long prided itself on promoting from within, Warren brings to the package delivery industry a new set of eyes and a mandate to drive the company’s success in the world of e-commerce. Warren’s selection reflects a “major uptick in the number of CMOs with ethnically and/or racially diverse backgrounds; positive signs that companies are taking seriously the importance of increasing diversity at the most senior levels of leadership,” according to a report released in May by leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart. Michelle Obama‘s When We All Vote organization announce Celebrate Georgia!, a drive-in concert experience ahead of the Senate Runoff Election, in partnership with Live Nation Urban, ONE Musicfest, The New Georgia Project, BET, More Than A Vote and more. To build momentum and excitement around the election on January 5th, the concert will take place on January 3rd from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST at the Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta, GA. Celebrate Georgia! will feature performances with leading local and national talent: Monica, Rick Ross, DJ Drama, Jack Harlow, Pastor Troy along with Kenny Burns and Su Solo who will serve as hosts. The show will include segments from When We All Vote Co-Chairs Michelle Obama, Janelle Monáe, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington and Chris Paul, and Ambassadors Jeezy, Common, Jidenna, Darren Criss, Sophia Bush, Tommy Dorfman and more. The special evening will also spotlight the work of When We All Vote, leading partners and volunteers while also celebrating voters Say Their Name” is a podcast series narrated by Adell Coleman and produced by Chris Colbert of DCP Entertainment. The series focuses on the assault and killing of unarmed Black people by police and in ‘Stand Your Ground’ states, highlighting incidents throughout the United States. Detailing harrowing stories from as far back as 1993 to today, Say Their Name offers a personal look at these events through the eyes of family members and those closely involved in the cases. The show amplifies underrepresented stories and spreads awareness while building movements and directly supporting these families & communities through a crowdfunding campaign. DCP Founder and CEO Chris Colbert personally traveled the country to gather these important stories: Archie “Artie” Eliott III, Jamar Burns-Hill, also known as Jamar Clark, Robbie Tolan, Danny Ray Thomas, John Crawford III, Kaldrick Donald and Duane “Wane” Strong Jr. Dionne Warwick’s viral tweets have become a bright spot in a trying 2020, and Twitter has taken notice. The 80-year-old music legend joined Twitter in 2012, but only recently started making headlines over her musings, from asking Chance the Rapper why he put “rapper” in his stage name, to asking all of Twitter how to tweet Snoop Dogg, to calling out some man asking her to buy him a PlayStation 5, to sending well wishes to Taylor Swift. Now one of Warwick’s tweets has its own billboard in New York City’s Bryant Park: “Please do not bring that foolishness into 2021,” the Dec. 11 tweet reads. The billboard with Warwick’s tweet is one of several from real people pulled for Twitter’s end-of-year out-of-home campaign. In addition to New York, the social network has bought billboards and murals in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco/Oakland — all to pitch the idea that Twitter was the place to keep it real, reports Variety. According to Twitter, users have posted more than 6 million tweets about 2020 to date Iconic superstar singer Jody Watley is celebrated prominently in Selena: The Series’ on Netflix. There’s a dinner table scene in “Selena: The Series” where the young singer and her dad discuss an upcoming performance in Mexico. This will be Selena’s first time there, and the setlist has to be right. “I wanna do the new Jody Watley song,” she tells her dad. He quickly rejects the idea of an English-language song. I’m Mexican and American, right?” Selena asks. “You want me to be only half of who I am? Watley’s music plays a pivotal role in the hit Selena docu-series, now streaming on Netflix. Her mega-hit, “Looking for a New Love,” the song Selena wants to debut in Mexico is featured in the series. Selena prevails and does perform “Looking for a New Love” in Mexico. It looks like things are getting worse between The Real Housewives of Potomac stars Candiace Dillard and Monique Samuels; and now, the drama seems to be transcending across the Bravo franchise. Candiace Dillard and Monique Samuels got into a physical altercation during season 5 of RHOP, which has caused a major debate amongst the cast and viewers as to who was wrong and who was right. It even caught the attention of The Real Housewives of Atlanta vet Porsha Williams, who is close friends with Monique Samuels. Porsha Williams has been vocal in defending Monique, but Candiace Dillard isn’t too fond of her recent comments. During a recent episode of Bravo’s “Chat Room,” Porsha Williams told co-hosts RHOP star Gizelle Bryant, Hannah Berner and Kate Chastain that Monique Samuels told her she believed Candiace Dillard sued her after the fight for nothing more than a financial gain. Porsha Williams said. “She [Monique] felt like, the whole reason Candiace was suing her was to pay for her mom’s house. She was suing because it was a money grab…This was said to me personally out of Monique’s mouth.” It’s safe to say Candiace Dillard didn’t like Williams’ comments. In a recent interview, Candiace explained that she’s never met Williams and doesn’t appreciate the allegations being made. Dillard said. Tori Kelly brought Christmas early with A Tori Kelly Christmas, singing traditional Christmas carols you know and love, including “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Let It Snow” (featuring Babyface). Watch Tori sing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” live in the ‘A Tori Kelly Christmas: Live At Capitol Studios’ now! https://youtu.be/Usz5vn1hUVg TV One has announced the premiere date of its two-part documentary special UNSUNG PRESENTS: MUSIC & THE MOVEMENT –remembering the artists and songs that have provided the soundtrack to the fight for justice and equality – airing part one on Monday, January 18, 2021, at 8 P.M. ET/7C immediately followed by part two at 9 P.M. ET/8C. On hand to provide commentary about the new musical genre that emerged during pivotal movements in Black Americans tumultuous past and troubling present are Erica Campbell, Big Gipp, Raheem DeVaughn, Rev. Al Sharpton, Isaac Hayes III, Ronda Racha Penrice, Headkrack, Shante Paige, DJ Kemit, Dyana Williams, Angie Ange, Colby Colb, Rickey Vincent, Steve Ivory, Delores Thompson, Dave Washington, Billy Johnson, Jr., Kenny Gamble, P. Frank Williams, Keith Murphy, DJ Yella, Battlecat, Soren Baker, and Felicia “Poetess” Morris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfFfeYZrzwY&feature=youtu.be As announced last week, on Monday, President-elect Joe Biden and incoming First Lady Jill Biden received their first doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19, with the president-elect receiving his with media present at ChristianaCare Hospital in Newark, Delaware. So far, a very limited number of healthcare workers and high-ranking government officials have gotten access to the vaccine under continuity-of-government protocols outlined by Presidential Policy Directive 40. Jill Biden had previously received her dose of the COVID-19 vaccine “earlier in the day,” Biden’s office said, with Biden joking to the media present that “she loves shots.” There’s a highly contagious new coronavirus strain spreading in parts of the U.K., and it has prompted several countries to close their borders to Brits. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday is also taking action by asking several airlines to require negative COVID tests for travelers flying into New York from the United Kingdom. https://youtu.be/CYESb3tbOUQ Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump released the following statement on the bodycam footage of the killing of Joshua Feast, a 22-year-old Black man, who was shot to death by La Marque police officer Jose Santos on Dec. 9, 2020, as he was running away, posing no threat. Today, the City of La Marque released the video footage captured by Officer Jose Santos’ body camera on the night he shot and killed Joshua Feast. As we had previously suspected, Officer Santos didn’t give Joshua any verbal commands, but shot him in the back as he tried to run away. This footage portrays one thing: A defenseless man was shot in the back when he had not disobeyed a single lawful command and posed no threat to the officer. All eyes are on the upcoming Georgia Senate Races that will decide the course of our country for years to come. The state is at a crossroads in politics that goes well beyond one story, with pivotal moments, movements and citizens on the ground that brought the state to the political boiling point that led to Georgia’s historic flip to blue. The new podcast Gaining Ground: The New Georgia is threading these narratives by going deeper into the people responsible for this moment and exploring how all of these stories collectively have and will continue to shape history.,These stories are told by Georgians, about Georgians, for Georgians, with the goal of driving Georgians to the polls for the runoffs. Atlanta natives and journalists Rembert Browne and Jewel Wicker serve as hosts for this podcast collaboration between Atlanta-based Tenderfoot TV and Crooked Media’s Pod Save America. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Toni Morrison’s first novel, “The Bluest Eye.” Oprah Winfrey chose the work for her book club 30 years ago, and TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager, who says it’s her favorite book, spoke with the TV titan about their mutual love of the story. The novel takes place in Morrison’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio, and tells the story of a young African-American girl, Pecola, who grows up during the years following the Great Depression. Set in 1941, the story tells that due to her mannerisms and dark skin, she is consistently regarded as “ugly.” As a result, she develops an inferiority complex, which fuels her desire for the blue eyes she equates with “whiteness” and beauty. https://media11.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202012/1608558286600_tdy_pop_jennas_last_book_toni_morrison_oprah_201221_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Laverne Cox has teamed with Shonda Rhimes to produce a weekly podcast series set to debut in February. According to Deadline, the “Orange Is The New Black” star will host “The Laverne Cox Show” (w/t), produced by Shondaland Audio and iHeartMedia. The series will feature “intimate” conversations with guests. The project is the latest collaboration between Cox and Rhimes as the actress is set to star in Rhimes’ upcoming limited Netflix series “Inventing Anna,” about New York grifter Anna Delvey. Cox said, “I’m thrilled to be continuing and expanding my relationship with Shondaland by doing my first podcast with Shonda’s amazing team along with iHeartRadio. I can’t wait for everyone to hear the incredibly interesting conversations I have had with my guests.” https://youtu.be/bUof-gzBKTE Audio of Tom Cruise lashing out at crew members on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7: for neglecting COVID-19 safety protocols was released online last week. Several of the actor’s Hollywood colleagues have defended the recording (such as George Clooney) but actress Leah Remini is giving it the side-eye. Remini, a former fellow Church of Scientology member, has been publicly critical of Cruise in the past. In a post on the Scientology-monitoring site Underground Bunker, Remini said the audio was released “all for publicity” because Cruise actually has an opposite stance on health. https://youtu.be/0s8p0V1Un7s Season 2 of Will Smith’s hit Snap Original series “Will From Home” premiered on Dec. 14, with singer Jason Derulo helping to kick things off. Smith is back for the second episode featuring Alicia Keys, and this week, Will is spotlighting everyday heroes across the country for their acts of selflessness and bravery, such as Patrick Mock’s bakery. During the pandemic, the spot was one of the only places in the neighborhood that stayed open. He started making hundreds of free meals a day, delivering them to unhoused and elderly people in the area, and to a local hospital. Nearly a year later, Patrick’s still doing it. https://youtu.be/xhBQZ_15izA Nick Jackson, now 13, has become the first Maryland native to win the Junior Bull Riding Championship. Jackson has been riding mini bulls since he was seven, according to CBS Baltimore. https://youtu.be/FSOMzMe2FTA KeKe Palmer has opened up once again about her skin condition and how Tyler Perry once offered to pay for a dermatologist. “What I’ve dealt with, with my skin, has been so traumatic and big that people have literally reached into their own pockets to help me,” Palmer tells PEOPLE (the TV Show!). I remember when I was 14 and Tyler Perry pulled my mom aside at the NAACP awards and literally said, ‘I would pay for her to go to a dermatologist, to the best dermatologist, to help her with her skin,'” Palmer shared. “So what I’ve dealt with, with my skin, has been so traumatic and big that people have literally reached into their own pockets to help me.” “I’m grateful to Tyler Perry to this day. I don’t tell many people that story, but I was so grateful to him for helping me because he had the resources and he was paying it forward,” she added. After a viral video showed Virginia Beach police detaining an innocent Black man at Lynnhaven Mall Saturday, Chief Paul Neudigate said his department will review his officers’ handling of the situation, according to The Virginia-Pilot. The video, shared Sunday by activist Shaun King, shows cops handcuffing a man who was eating with his family. Police escorted him outside and said he matched the description of a suspect, who an officer said was a “Black male with dreads that was wearing all black and was with a boy wearing red.” "Are you serious right now?” the handcuffed man asked in the video. He said this kind of treatment is why people are marching and why people say “Black Lives Matter.” After several minutes, the man was released and the officer who handcuffed him apologized. In a statement Sunday, the police chief said the department wanted to review what happened and address people’s concerns. “Certainly, anyone would be upset about being detained for something they didn’t do,” Neudigate said. “While the video shows the officer stayed calm and respectful throughout the brief encounter, we must ensure the situation merits the response. We are gathering all the facts to evaluate the incident so we can address the concerns people have raised.” https://youtu.be/ITWPw-Dwmbk An 18-year-old college student’s white privilege ran into a brick wall in the Cayman Islands and has landed her in prison. Skylar Mack, of Georgia, is facing a four-month sentence after removing her electronic tracking device and leaving her residence before her mandatory 14-day quarantine was finished – so she could watch her boyfriend in a jet-ski competition. The college student and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Vanjae Ramgeet of the Cayman Islands, were both sentenced to four months for violating the strict COVID-19 measures. They had both pleaded guilty, but their attorney, Jonathon Hughes, said he will argue for a less severe sentence next week. Mack is a pre-med student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. She arrived in the Cayman Islands on Nov. 27 and was supposed to spend two-weeks in quarantine as mandated by the government, which electronically tracks anyone who arrives in the British Caribbean territory. However, she broke quarantine on Nov. 29 when her boyfriend picked her up to attend his jet-ski event. https://youtu.be/cTZKiMa1B_k Now that a second coronavirus economic stimulus package is all but officially a go, we’re getting closer to a guarantee that most American adults will be receiving additional compensation from the government in the wake of a global pandemic. But as with most things bureaucratic, it’s just not that simple — even though it should be. The recent developments on Capitol Hill meant to provide relief to citizens (and, of course, corporations) whose lives have been upended by the pandemic have instead caused some confusion as anxiety builds surrounding the respiratory illness that’s virtually made the United States the world’s epicenter for COVID-19. The New York Times reported that the House and Senate finally agreed on a $900 billion deal that the president signed Sunday night, and a vote could come as early as Monday for an early holiday present to the millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet. Critics — including Democrats such as President-elect Joe Biden — have said the amount approved isn’t nearly enough. But the consensus is that it’s better than nothing, and Democrats are already looking to the next stimulus package expected to take shape shortly after Biden is sworn into office. Morehouse School of Medicine has been dedicated to changing the narrative surrounding diversity in the medical industry and now the Atlanta-based institution will be able to further its efforts through a new partnership with the healthcare company CommonSpirit Health. The $100 million, 10-year partnership was fostered to address the racial health disparities that have been brought to the forefront amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the initiative, the prestigious school and the company are creating an undergraduate and graduate program that will provide career development opportunities and training for Black physicians in an effort to bring more culturally competent doctors into the medical industry. At least 300 students who participate in the program will go on to do their residency training in underserved communities. Anjanette Young‘s whole life changed last year when she was subjugated to humiliation after Chicago Police officers mistakenly raided her home while she was naked and afraid in 2019. Young announced that she would be pouring back into her community, after receiving the generosity of strangers. The social worker will be donating the proceeds from her GoFundMe, which on Sunday totaled over $51,000, to social justice efforts. The monies are scheduled to go to the social justice and counseling ministry at Progressive Baptist Church where Young is a longtime member. “I’ve had so many people reach out to me offering support,” she told CBS 2 Chicago. “It’s been somewhat overwhelming.” “I want to be able to honor the code of being a social worker, advocating and supporting others, uplifting the community,” she continued. The fundraiser was set up by a professor from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, who reached out to Young after watching her story. The NBA's Norman Powell is doing his part to uplift his community by donating $100,000. The 27-year-old San Diego native’s loved ones distributed cash amongst 200 families from his alma mater Lincoln High School on Saturday to help them purchase gifts for the holidays. “I know you’ve heard pay it forward and so every opportunity we’re paying it forward and to our Southeast community, Lincoln High School community, we try to give back and do something there,” Powell’s mother Sharon said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “Times will get better. It doesn’t rain every day.” This isn’t the first time Powell and his family have led a community-focused project. For Thanksgiving, he purchased food for over 250 families in an effort to combat food insecurity. The Powells' are considering taking their social impact efforts further through the creation of a nonprofit organization. The athlete isn’t the only NBA player giving back this holiday season. Earlier this month, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell made a $12 million donation to his former school—the Greenwich Country Day School— for the creation of scholarships for low-income students, a teacher’s fund and the construction of a new state-of-the-art gym facility dubbed D.O.N.! The Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. The donation was the largest gift the school has ever received in its 94-year history. Comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish has been candid about her experiences in foster care and now she’s on a mission to empower children who have faced similar circumstances. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles native is launching an internship program to align foster youth with opportunities in the entertainment industry. The initiative—dubbed the She Ready Internship Program—is a collaborative effort being led by Haddish’s She Ready Foundation and the nonprofit Ready to Succeed. The organization provides youth with the resources and support needed to thrive academically and build a solid foundation to launch successful careers. Through the internship program, students between the ages of 18 and 25 who are interested in pursuing careers in media, arts and entertainment will be provided with paid internships and mentorship opportunities. The initiative is being sponsored by HBO, Kovert Creative, United Talent Agency and Artists First. If you’re a beautiful woman on a date with a heterosexual man and the wine is flowing and the ambiance is right and he knows you’re romantically interested in him, but he doesn’t try to kiss you…that’s a RED FLAG! Either your breath stinks or something else stinks or he’s just not that into you! Either way, a woman should never beg a man to show her affection. That’s the cruel reality that Wynter is facing with Jay. He told her before the date that he cares more for Joy – his number one draft pick – than he does for Wynter, his number two. Still, Wynter tried to get him in a lip lock anyway. Instead of kissing her on the lips, Jay gave her a peck on the cheek. Pharrell Williams revealed in the latest episode of N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s “Drink Champs” that the bulk of tracks on Justin Timberlake’s hit debut album, “Justified,” were originally meant for Michael Jackson. “You hit me and said, ‘Yo, I just sent Michael Jackson some beats!’,” N.O.R.E. recalled while chatting with Pharrell. “You said to me, ‘He told me, “NOPE! I don’t think N.O.R.E. would rhyme on that. I was like, ‘My life is done!'” Pharrell added to the recollection: “John McClain was his manager at the time. We sent him pretty much all the stuff you guys are hearing on the first Justified album — that’s all Michael stuff. All but one song, they were written for Michael.” https://youtu.be/hfa6-PZ46Lo We have a deal! It was announced by Senate leadership that a bipartisan agreement on an approximately $900 billion economic relief package has been made. It went down late Sunday afternoon and will deliver emergency aid to a faltering economy and a nation besieged by surging coronavirus cases. https://www.msnbc.com/american-voices/watch/mitch-mcconnell-announces-deal-on-covid-relief-negotiations-98127429638 Newly elected congresswoman Cori Bush was nominated to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday. Nominees were announced by the House Democratic Steering Committee and confirmed by Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York. “Congresswoman Bush, a civil rights activist and community organizer who has fought for justice on the streets of Ferguson and across the country, will bring first hand experience as the committee tackles systemic racism and criminal justice reform,” Bush will join colleagues Congressman-elect Mondaire Jones, of New York, and Congresswoman-elect Deborah Ross, of North Carolina as the newest committee members. The leaders of two majority-black megachurches in major cities announced this week that they will no longer affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention. In op-eds announcing their decisions to leave, Charlie Dates of Chicago’s Progressive Baptist Church and Ralph D. West of Houston’s The Church Without Walls both criticized SBC seminary presidents’ declaration that critical race theory was “incompatible” with the denomination’s statement of faith. The two pastors brought up recognizing the reality of systemic racism alongside the truth and authority of Scripture. Last month, in a joint statement and individual remarks, the six presidents of SBC seminaries called critical race theory “unbiblical” and instead emphasized the need to turn to Christian teachings alone, not secular ideas, to confront racism. “How did they, who in 2020 still don’t have a single Black denominational entity head, reject once and for all a theory that helps to frame the real race problems we face?” Dates wrote in an op-ed Friday for the Religion News Service. Tiger Woods and his son Charlie have shown that the statement ‘like father like son’ may well ring true after all after showing off their synchronised shots. The pair are set to tee off together this weekend at the 2020 PNC Championship in Orlando, which will offer golf fans their first full glimpse of the 11-year-old on the course. The Florida competition – which takes place over two days on December 19 and December 20 – allows major champions to compete in a 20-team, 36-hole scramble alongside one family member. Saturday night, December 19, 2020, is the date that will go down as the digital debut of the “SI Awards” which honored some of the best athletes in the world, including LeBron James. The event was co-hosted by Cari Champion, Richard Jefferson, Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Lindsey Vonn, with performances by Shaquille O’Neal aka DJ Diesel, Steve Aoki and Gucci Mane. The event also saw Lebron James receiving the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award in honor of his social activism efforts during a year filled with uncertainty and division. And for the third time, James was named Sportsperson of the Year. James previously won the award in 2012 and 2016. This year, the Lakers’ superstar player is one of five recipients, joined by Breanna Stewart, Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Osaka and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin finalized their divorce Wednesday. It took a little over two year after she first filed. The couple’s divorce documents reveal that the couple — who share children Xen, 19, and Ezekiel, 11 — will share joint legal custody and physical custody of Ezekiel, who will alternate weeks with his parents, reports Page Six. https://youtu.be/jSb4AGSn5xk The Hawthorne James filmography is an impressive one. For more than 40 years, the Chicago native has earned a place on the big screen. However, it wasn’t until 1991 when James secured the role that would cement his Hollywood legacy. Playing corrupt record label owner ‘Big Red’ in the film “The Five Heartbeats”, Hawthorne showed off his vast range of emotions while adding his own flavor to the movie’s famous funeral scene. Earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his master’s degree from the University of Michigan, James bypassed law school to pursue an acting career. The move allowed James to study Shakespeare in London and molded him into a decorated actor with more than four decades of work under his belt. Hawthorne has producer credits as well. There was a time in movie and television productions when making a period piece followed a certain pattern: white actors played the roles of white history makers and white female actresses played the roles of white women history makers. Those days may be over. Following the success of the 2019 film, “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” Hollywood filmmakers are reevaluating how to approach casting of period dramas. “The Personal History of David Copperfield” re-imagines Charles Dickens. In the film, Black actress Rosalind Eleazer plays Agnes, the love interest of Dickens, which traditionally would have been played by a white actress. Netflix’s upcoming period piece “Bridgerton” will feature an entirely color-blind cast (see trailer above). The production is produced by Shonda Rhimes and is based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling novels set in Regency London. The production will showcase Black and mixed-race actors, playing lords and ladies alongside of their white counterparts. https://youtu.be/sIsKen3y-mU Dionne Warwick announced to the world that she wants Teyana Taylor to play her on the small screen in a potential series. Dionne Warwick has become a Twitter maven and her latest Twitter fun move involved pitching Netflix on a series about her life and career. However, the legendary entertainer made clear she would only want to see Teyana cast as her. Flash forward a day or two later and Dionne and Teyana are talking and striking up a deal. According to sources, via TMZ, Warwick reached out to Karen Civil, a member of Teyana Taylor’s team connected them by phone. The source says Dionne and Teyana spoke for a while about Dionne’s biographical series ideas, and Teyana expressed her desire to play the part. It’s fast forward to the 1980s with Patty Jenkins! Directed from a screenplay she co-wrote and based on characters from the DC Comics, “Wonder Woman 1984” releases on December 25 in theaters and HBO Max. Gal Gadot stars as Wonder Woman, alongside Pedro Pascal (“Game of Thrones”/”Narcos”) who plays Maxwell Lord. EUR correspondent Fahnia Thomas spoke with the director about monopoly, wishes, and bravery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss0nmwGiPLg&feature=emb_title Follow astronauts Commander Gordon Adewole (David Oyelowo) and Sully (Felicity Jones) as they try to return to earth after a mysterious global catastrophe in Netflix‘s post-apocalyptic tale “The Midnight Sky.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYF7tY4eUX8 As we round out a globally challenging year and approach a new one, many are looking forward to also renewing their minds, bodies, and spirits. When it comes to cleansing the negative experiences of 2020, Makhosi Nejeser, a fully initiated Sanusi (Zulu Shaman) suggests traditional methods of personal healing, consciousness development, and transformation to start anew. With years of study and practice in ritual ceremonies, her insight on transcending the tumult includes suggestions for growth and endurance. Nejeser bridges understanding between esoteric truths and practical and real-world applications. By breaking down complex spiritual ideas practiced by our ancestors, she makes them more approachable and relevant to contemporary growth seekers. President Barack Obama has unveiled his top songs of 2020 in an all-new playlist, curated for Spotify. The tracklist includes songs that defined 2020 for many of us – including viral sensations like Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce’s “Savage Remix” and Internet Money’s “Lemonade,” in addition to long-time friend Bruce Springsteen’s latest single “Ghosts,” Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” Bad Bunny’s “La Difícil,” Jhené Aiko’s “Summer 2020,” and much more. Professional boxer Abner Mares (31-3-1) conquered three divisions en route to becoming a four-time world champion. His exciting fighting style made him a must-see-tv fighter, and he quickly became a fan favorite. He’s also helping others in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with his philanthropy. The former Olympian is proving to be the goods outside of the ring as well. Not only does he serve as a boxing analyst for both Showtime and Telemundo, but his philanthropy work has been top-notch as well. From turkey giveaways for Thanksgiving to being invited as a guest speaker for students and staff members at the Alternative Education Division of Orange County Department of Education, he’s making an effort to give that same energy back to the community outside the ring. Akeem Ali, a Jackson, MS native rap artist, is the topic of discussion with his latest viral record, “Keemy Casanova“, out on all platforms. On this record Akeem Ali’s fresh sound takes listeners on a nostalgic ride back into the 70’s while still maintaining a new and unique feel that captivates his audience. https://youtu.be/ucDEtxfeIZI Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a public health pediatrician whose research exposed the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, answers questions about the vaccine and allergies, and when kids might be able to get the vaccine. If you have a history of allergies to food, pets, insects or other things, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you proceed with vaccination, with an observation period. If you have a history of severe allergic reaction, or what is called anaphylaxis, to another vaccine or injectable therapy, your doctor can do a risk assessment, defer your vaccination, or proceed and then observe you after vaccination. The currently authorized Pfizer and soon-to-be-authorized Moderna vaccine are not applicable for children. More research and clinical trials need to be done to include younger children in COVID-19 vaccine trials. ICE is scheduled to deport 26 Black and brown families with young children from two deportation centers located in Pennsylvania and Texas on Dec. 18, according to Amnesty International. Earlier this week a federal court in Washington D.C. lifted the stay of removal protecting the groups located at the Berks and Dilley family detention centers from being deported back to their respective countries. Advocacy groups and members of Congress are calling on the Department of Homeland Security to halt the deportations as well as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to review the asylum claims denied under Trump administration policies which have been overturned in federal courts. Amnesty International points out that the UCIS has authority to intervene in these matters due to the fact that the law is being pursued in favor of outdated policies. If the families are deported, they will face the same dangers they encountered as a means for escape. Michigan’s former elections director Christopher Thomas isn’t surprised that the integrity of Detroit’s election process has continuously come into question since the presidential election. Thomas, who consulted on Detroit’s election this year, said the false claims of election fraud are heightened because Detroit is almost 80 percent Black. “The race factor has been there for decades,” Thomas told BridgeDetroit, referring to the treatment and suspicion that the city faces when it comes to election integrity and fraud claims. Over the past 45 years, Thomas has built a name for himself in election administration and integrity. He played a pivotal role in November’s election as senior adviser to Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey because of the pandemic. In 2018, Thomas worked with the Michigan Proposal 3 committee to pass the proposal that allowed for no-excuse absentee voting. After the pandemic and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s March stay-at-home order, he became very concerned about how Michigan would “accommodate a very large mail election.” Just a week after the House of Representatives recognized Urban One Inc. founder Cathy Hughes for 40 years of achievements in media, the United States Senate followed suit thanking Hughes for her leadership across several entities. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland praised Hughes, calling her a “titan of the airwaves,” during a Dec. 15 meeting of the Senate. “This year, her pioneering radio company, Urban One, celebrated 40 years on the air. Cathy Hughes has left an indelible mark on the state of Maryland and inspired millions of listeners across the country,” he said. On Dec. 10 District of Columbia Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton gave a stirring speech in front of her congressional colleagues where she praised Hughes for her trailblazing career in media, which spans more than 40 years. “Cathy Hughes, the founder and chairperson of Urban One, has dedicated her career to amplifying the voices of Black people and their perspectives through the airwaves,” Norton said. In 2016, the Cathy Hughes School of Communication at Howard University was named for her, and in 2019 she made history as the first Black woman to be inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Join us for the last installment of The HistoryMakers Year in Review for the years 2019 and 2020. What a difference a year makes as 2019 found The HistoryMakers busy holding regional receptions and returning to Los Angeles to mount for the first time its An Evening With…PBS-TV taping and fundraiser with An Evening With Debra Lee, showcasing the life and career of media and entertainment mogul Debra Lee, former CEO of BET. In a new episode of “Peace of Mind With Taraji,” singer and reality star Tamar Braxton opens up about her suicide attempt and admits that she thought her 7-year-old son, Logan, would be better off without her. In the heartbreaking clip, Braxton, 43 explains, “Logan was the reason why I made that decision. I just felt like he deserved better. I felt like I was embarrassing him, being a fool on TV.” https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=1085954228525887 Howard Johnson is a legendary soul singer from the 70s and 80s. He was the frontman for Niteflyte before having a successful solo career. He was known as the “Prophet of Soul” but eventually ended up working directly with former Druglord Michael “Harry O” Harris. Howard said one night he had to pull a 45 out of a briefcase to protect Lydia Harris, “Harry O” Harris' wife. I didn’t deal directly with Suge but I was the Vice President of Lifestyle Records which belonged to Harry O and Lydia Harris. Harry O everyone by now knows he is the one who put up the money for Death Row. I never met Suge but we were somewhat rivals because our first single was with Dana Dane and we had Jewel on the record and it never came out because she was signed to Suge. Suge and Harry O had a falling out so that’s why we never released that record.” https://youtu.be/-GuSg1yUosM For the first time, NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is opening up about his private battle with prostate cancer since being diagnosed 11 years ago, hoping to shed light on the health challenges facing Black people. In an essay for WebMD, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer revealed that he’s had prostate cancer, leukemia and heart bypass surgery. Abdul-Jabbar wrote that while he’s received some of the best medical attention over the years as an NBA star, he’s aware of how others in the Black community do not. Every Christmas, actor Terrence Howard probably conjures up visions of a deadly incident that happened in 1971, just a few days before Christmas that involved his father. As Terrence, who was almost three years old at the time, was waiting in line with his two siblings, his pregnant mother Anita Howard and father, Tyrone Howard, to see Santa Clause at a popular department store in Cleveland, Ohio, a man and others waiting accused Tyrone Howard and his family of cutting the line. Words were exchanged, followed by eyewitnesses telling law officers that responded to the deadly crime scene that they saw the man, who was identified as Jack Fitzpatrick, pin Tyrone Howard to the wall and kneed him in the groin. Tyrone pulled out a nail file and stabbed the man to death in front of traumatized kids and adults. https://youtu.be/_iE32a0RP_g “It’s a true story of Scottish history,” said Brooke Burfitt (Plan Z), who stars in the Lifetime holiday movie presentation of “Christmas at the Castle” with Dan Jeannotte (Hallmark’s “Good Witch”). “It’s a Celtic Christmas.” Christmas at the Castle airs on the Lifetime network Wednesday, December 23, 2020, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It follows Blaire Henderson (Brooke) a perfume expert from New York who is ordered by her boss to acquire a rare fragrance located in a remote town in Scotland owned by Aristocrat, Earl Alistair McGregor (Dan), who refuses to sell it. Her attempt at convincing him to tell her the secrets to the fragrance makes for a very light and heart-felt movie. A new episode of “Power Book II Ghost” debuts this weekend and co-star LaToya Tonodeo wants you to know that there is only one tongue she wants in her mouth … on the set that is. Yes, you guessed it, that one tongue is hers. “For kissing scenes, I said no tongue,” Tonodeo said about shooting love scenes on the hit Starz series in which she plays Diana, a love interest of Michael Rainey Jr.’s character, Tariq. https://www.instagram.com/toyofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed Singer Sean Kingston had a lot of issues with jewelers in the past and has even been sued several times for allegedly receiving his items and not paying! Despite his rocky history, it looks like he‘s still having trouble in this area. According to TMZ, there’s currently a warrant issued out for his arrest due to an allegedly unpaid tab. Law enforcement sources tell the news site that Sean had some jewelry delivered to him, but has yet to pay for the goods. Court records show that he’s been charged with grand theft because of this. Although cops don’t plan to actively track Sean down, the warrant is in their system. Since being issued, Sean has taken to his Instagram to laugh off the claims. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family of a young Black man killed by police last week in Texas confirmed their worst fears: Joshua Feast was fatally shot in the back. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the 22-year-old‘s family, shared the details of the report during a news conference Wednesday evening. “It is very consistent with literally what the witness’ accounts were from that night,” said Crump about the shooting in the town of La Marque on Dec. 9. “When it entered, it caused all kinds of damage and literally the injuries caused Joshua Feast to be dead on arrival at the hospital.” Crump previously uncovered La Marque Police Officer Jose Santos’ prior history of violence, pointing to bodycam footage from 2013 which showed him beating a man and holding his head underwater as he yells, “I can’t breathe.” At the time Santos was employed by the Galveston Police Department. A former dean at one of the nation’s most recognizable historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) has quietly emerged as a finalist for one of Joe Biden‘s remaining top cabinet positions. Leslie T. Fenwick, who served as the dean emeritus of the Howard University School of Education for nearly a decade and remains a faculty member as a professor of educational policy and leadership, was identified as one of two people the president-elect is considering to lead the U.S. Department of Education. If Fenwick is selected and confirmed, she would be the first Black woman and just the third Black person to be Secretary of Education in the federal agency’s more than 40-year existence. Fenwick’s official Howard University bio shows she is more than qualified for the job. The wife to former Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert is a former school teacher and administrator who rose through the ranks of higher learning to become a major player in the national education game for both her research and commentary. After continuous demands for justice in the name of her daughter were denied, Breonna Taylor‘s mother, Tamika Palmer, is using her platform to hold President-elect Joe Biden accountable. Palmer ran a full-page ad in Tuesday’s Washington Post, displaying a letter directed to the new administration. The letter was in conjunction with the Grassroots Law Project, which launched a website, bidenjusticedemands.com. “Your campaign’s stated commitment to prioritize police accountability prompted so many of us to vote this year,” Palmer states. “Now, we need you to fight for Breonna and for the other families that have joined the sad sisterhood and brotherhood of people who have lost loved ones to police violence. Actions speak louder than words. We need your actions to show that you are different than those who pay lip service to our losses while doing nothing to show that our loved ones’ lives mattered,” she continued. A U.S. Senator has asked streaming services to make content free over the holidays to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In a letter addressed to executives at Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Hulu, Maine senator Angus King suggested their services be provided for free this holiday season. “Many Americans have already turned to your platforms as ‘safe at home’ tools, responsible alternatives to public gatherings at locations like movie theaters, concert venues and sports arenas. Yet as the weather grows colder across much of the country and safe outdoor recreation options are further restricted, Americans are faced with even further social isolation — and increased free time — during the holidays. This is a risk; it could also be an opportunity for creative, socially responsible thinking,” King wrote. A Charlotte, N.C. mother says her Black son was kicked out of a predominantly white private school that he had attended for 10 years after she complained about his 9th grade class reading “Fences,” a play by Black playwright August Wilson. Faith Fox had an issue with the racial slurs uttered throughout the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, which deals with racism in America during the 1950s. She said her son and his classmates at Providence Day School were set to read the play, and that the school told parents in early November that students would not say the n-words while reading in class. They said that part of the lesson would include “considering the word itself and some of its more nuanced aspects of meaning.” Jamel’s mom was still concerned. According to the New York Times, “Faith Fox, a lawyer and single mother, said in an interview that she imagined her son’s mostly white class at the Providence Day School reading the dialogue out loud. She said her main concern was that the themes were too mature for the group and would foster stereotypes about Black families.” Tropicana has apologized for an ad campaign that suggested parents sneak away from their kids to indulge in a secret stash of alcohol as a way to relax amid the stay-at-home stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. The orange juice company recently released their newest slogan, “#TakeAMimoment,” after reviewing results from a survey they conducted about how parents are making time for themselves. The hashtag referenced the cocktail mimosa, made of champagne and orange juice. The campaign also featured celebrities including Molly Sims, Gabrielle Union and Jerry O’Connell. “Parents, you’re juggling it all! Find the ultimate moment of brightness for yourself – wherever and whenever – with a Tropicana mimosa, of course! #TakeAMimoment to help make your mornings a little brighter. #Tropicana,” the company tweeted at the time. Jake Paul is being sued by a man who claims he was assaulted at the YouTuber-turned-Boxer’s afterparty for his fight against Nate Robinson. At a celebratory party following Paul’s win by knockout in late November, a man named Gabriel Dos Santos claims he was brutally beaten at the post-fight bash. Per legal documents obtained by TMZ, Dos Santos says Paul’s entourage beat the crap out of him as they were kicking people out of the party. In his suit, filed by attorney Simon P. Etehad, the man claims Paul’s crew repeatedly kicked and punched him in his face, body, arms and legs. Dos Santos says the brutal beatdown left him bruised and battered. He’s suffered a fractured cheek, dislocated shoulder cuts to his face and bruises on his forehead and eyes. Although Paul didn’t place any limbs on Dos Santos, he’s still being condemned for negligently hiring and supervising the alleged attackers. On the new Cold As Balls podcast from Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud, sports journalist and podcast host Jemele Hill, discusses the need for more females of color in sports, Colin Kaepernick and returning to ESPN, and the 49’ers being her favorite NFL team. She also suggests a name change for the Cold As Balls podcast. https://youtu.be/3mvQ_Pscs0Y Jeremih opened up about his harrowing battle with COVID-19 during an appearance on “Sway’s Universe” on Tuesday. While he appeared on the show to promote his new holiday album with Chance the Rapper (which includes two new tracks along with songs from their earlier holiday releases), Sway broached the topic about ten minutes into the interview, asking Jeremih whether his experience should be a “less” for anyone who still somehow believes the pandemic isn’t that big a deal. “What I can say is, man, it definitely is real,” Jeremih said. “I didn’t take it for granted. And truth be told, I’m a living, walking testimony. To let y’all know, I was really down bad for the last month and a half. While I was in there — you know, I don’t even remember the day I went in. That’s how messed up I was.” Jeremih said that he had to look through photos of his time in the ICU to jog his memory of the experience. “I had the tube down my throat for about a week and a half,” he said. “I was really, like, in a dream, and I ain’t gonna lie, I woke up about two times and all I remember is just seeing a white light. The family of a 19-year-old Black man who died in police custody two years ago in a rural town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against two police chiefs, two officers, the state’s Office of the Medical Examiner and others. The lawsuit by the family of Anton Black was filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. The family accuses the two officers and a police chief of causing Black’s death by using excessive force and the Medical Examiner’s Office of “improperly concealing police wrongdoing” and misrepresenting the man’s “death as attributable to natural causes.” Police footage of the 2018 incident shows officers pinned Black down for more than five minutes as they handcuffed him and shackled his legs as his body eventually went limp. His mother stood nearby, yelling his name and begging for him to respond. He was later pronounced dead. Lauren Daigle is speaking out after being banned from participating in a New Year’s Eve broadcast out of New Orleans due to her appearance last month at a French Quarter evangelistic event. “I’m disappointed that my spontaneous participation has become part of the political discourse and I’m saddened by the divisive agendas of these times,” the Christian singer, whose success has allowed her to cross over into the pop mainstream circuit, said in a statement to a Louisiana news outlet on Thursday. Daigle sang at the Nov. 7 “Let Us Worship” rally near Jackson Square, which was spearheaded by Sean Feucht and criticized for gathering a large crowd of worshipers in violation of New Orleans’ coronavirus restrictions. Jeremy Bulloch, the English actor who first donned a helmet, cape and jetpack to play Boba Fett in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died Thursday. Bulloch died at a London hospital from health complications after years of living with Parkinson’s disease, his agents at Brown, Simcocks & Andrews said in a statement. He was 75. As the Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett, Bulloch made off with a froze-in-carbonite Han Solo in 1980's “The Empire Strikes Back,” then zoomed around the desert of Tatooine in a jet pack in 1983's “Return of the Jedi.” The director and stars of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” shared how they felt God’s undeniable presence as they filmed alongside Chadwick Boseman in what would be the late actor’s final performance. Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman and Michael Potts star alongside Boseman and Viola Davis in George C. Wolfe’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The film follows the talented-but-hardened blues singer Ma Rainey (Davis) and her band members Levee (Boseman), Toledo (Turman), Cutler (Domingo), and Slow Drag (Potts) as they gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927. https://youtu.be/I0Vv8cVEXhU In the midst of personal and worldwide turbulence, Tyler Perry is staying positive and forging ahead. In a transparent and self-reflective Facebook post, the billionaire film mogul gives a glimpse into his personal life as he sits in the throes of a midlife crisis. “This is what a midlife crisis looks like,” writes Perry in the caption of a post-workout selfie. “I’m 51, single, and wondering what the next chapter in my life will look like. Whatever it looks like I’m going to walk with God, be the best father and man I can be, hold my head up high, and try to look my best doing it!! He goes on to encourage his followers to stay uplifted and push forward as he is determined to do in his own life. “In a world with so much sadness, please try and stay in the good!” he continues. “Merry Christmas and let’s look forward to 2021 bringing us peace!” “The Lord Jesus Is Coming!” is a one of a kind song that shares a blessing of hope for those who have found Christ, a trumpet call to those who have not heard the Gospel, and a loving call of encouragement and warning to those have rejected God’s saving grace. Christian Film Producer, Patrick R. Carberry has released his first ever single ‘The Lord Jesus Is Coming’, produced by Demo My Song, a beautiful breakthrough song filled with praise and an uplifting, timely message for everyone. https://youtu.be/nl0pMhQaD5w More than a third of black Americans are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine, a recent survey shows. Kaiser Family Health Foundation polling found that black Americans are among the groups least likely to want to get vaccinated against coronavirus, even if a scientists deem vaccines safe, effective and the shots are given for free. In the U.S. black people – and Latin people – are almost three times more likely to die from Covid-19 then whites, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC), due to economic disparities. The troubling paradox is not lost on public health authorities, politicians or hospitals. Illinois’ largest county is recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday and a paid day off for county workers. Juneteenth will be one of 14 government holidays granted to all Cook County employees next year. Juneteenth marks the June day in 1865 that Union soldiers told enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended and they were free. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the South in 1863, but it was not enforced in many places until after the end of the Civil War. “This year, Cook County and the nation have experienced unprecedented racial and civil unrest,” Commissioner Stanley Moore said Thursday. “The call to recognize Juneteenth in light of these unfortunate events is stronger than ever.” Juneteenth is not a federal holiday. Gov. J.B Pritzker has said he wants to make it a state holiday. The NBA Foundation plans to donate $2 million in grant money to seven different organizations aimed to increase educational and economic opportunities in the Black community. Those organizations include exalt, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Marcus Graham Project, Operation Dream, Team Inc, The Knowledge House and the Youth Empowerment Project. The NBA said those organizations align with its foundation’s mission “to provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development for high school, college-aged, job-ready and mid-career Black men and women in communities across the United States and Canada.” This marks the first donation the NBA Foundation has made after the league’s Board of Governors pledged this summer to donate $300 million toward the foundation. The NBA’s 30 owners plan to reach that total by giving $30 million through the next 10 years. The state’s new $62 million relief fund for Black Oregonians will stop allocating grants and deposit the remaining $8.8 million with a federal court while legal challenges against it continue. The Oregon Cares Fund agreed to deposit its money with the court Thursday after plaintiffs challenging the fund’s constitutionality, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Plaintiffs also asked U.S. Judge Karin Immergut to issue a preliminary injunction or restraining order to stop the fund from distributing money on the basis of race. Disgraced pastor Carl Lentz was allegedly caught having sex with a young celebrity by his dog walker, The Sun can exclusively reveal. Lee Martin, who was the Lentz family dog walker in New York for many years, says he walked into the apartment and heard the pair having sex in one of the bedrooms. He then saw megachurch pastor Carl and the star — whom The Sun has decided not to name — come out of the apartment “looking flushed.” “They lived in a building in Manhattan where I had the majority of my dog walking business,” Lee told The Sun. Hillsong staffers used the church like a seedy dating service, “sleeping around” with volunteers and asking them to send nude pictures — according to a group of volunteers who allegedly complained about the situation. The whistleblowers also claimed the organization — which has been rocked by recent revelations that its former leader, Carl Lentz, had multiple tawdry affairs — was “a breeding ground for unchecked abuse.” Page Six is told that in 2018, a group of former “high-level” volunteers — and one who was still a volunteer at the time — sent a letter to the trendy ministry’s leaders warning of “verified, widely circulated stories of inappropriate sexual behavior amongst staff/interns.” We’re told that one person employed by the church was asked to step down after it was revealed that, as the letter put it, he had “multiple inappropriate sexual relationships with several female leaders and volunteers and was verbally, emotionally, and according to one woman, physically abusive in his relationships with these women.” Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years after a ruling Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Lausanne-based court halved the four-year ban proposed last year by the World Anti-Doping Agency in a landmark case that accused Russia of state-ordered tampering of a testing laboratory database in Moscow. The ruling also blocked Russia from bidding to host major sporting events for two years. Russian athletes and teams will still be allowed to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, as well as world championships including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, if they are not banned for or suspected of doping. A Texas mother who disguised a life-size doll as her dead daughter has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for abuse of a corpse. Tiaundra Christon, 23, traveled from College Station to Houston with her 2-year-old daughter, Hazana Anderson, to visit boyfriend Kenny Hewett, authorities said. The child was sexually assaulted, beaten to death and left in a vehicle for several days before Christon and Hewett dumped the body in a lake, KBTX-TV reported. https://youtu.be/Gwz5l6rkJ-c A 27-year-old Texas man has been charged with fatally stabbing his wife and two children before being found in bed with their bodies. Bryan Richardson is facing three counts of murder, the Coppperas Cove Police Department says in a statement, per PEOPLE. On December 12, authorities responded to a welfare check for Richardson’s wife, Kiera Michelle Ware. When they entered the home, they found him on a bed with the bodies of his wife, son and daughter, covered in blood. https://youtu.be/fwWoGg7p1kc Jackson State University received a commitment from four-star JUCO cornerback De’Jahn Warren this week, flipping him from Georgia State. The program at JSU is led by Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. This week marked “Signing Day” on Wednesday, the first day that college recruits can officially sign with the schools they will attend next year. T.I. is catching heat after saying he calls spending quality time with his daughter ‘thot prevention hours.’ Tip made the comments during a conversation with rapper 21 Savage on a recent episode of his ExpediTIously podcast. While speaking about how they’re both protective of their daughters, T.I. described spending quality time with them as “thot prevention hours.” His comments were in response to 21 saying he’s overprotective of his daughters more so and his sons. “Because sons can’t get pregnant,” T.I. said. “You can’t keep her from running into one of them niggas. Me and Lil Duval call it thot prevention hours. Keep your daughter off the pole. You spending time going to daddy-daughter dances and taking her on trips where it’s just you and her, those are thot prevention hours.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1339672568886910977 Clippers executive Jerry West is being sued by a man who claims he helped the team land Kawhi Leonard, and he has a voicemail message from West to prove it. Wilkes tells TMZ Sports … West left the voicemail for him on July 1, 2019, in which he’s “expressing concern that Kawhi would choose the Lakers over the Clippers.” Wilkes says, “In the same message, Jerry thanked me for all my efforts in getting Kawhi to sign with the Clippers.” The man who sounds like West is also heard taking shots at the LA Lakers, saying, “Hey there, this is Jerry calling. I really want to thank you a lot for trying to help. I heard this morning that everyone over in the Lakers camp thinks they’re gonna get him.” “I just find it hard to believe that he would want to go to that sh*t show where he would not even be … wouldn’t even get his name in the paper and he wouldn’t be the face of the franchise that’s for sure.” Grammy-winning vocalist Patti Austin decided to do what she does best in a bid to get out the vote in Georgia, despite not residing in the Peach state. “I know you’ve gotta be tired of washing hands and wearing masks/ But you can save the planet’s ass!,” Austin belts in the brassy big-band ditty, “Georgia Ur Votin 4ME2.” The song was posted by the political action committee MeidasTouch. Georgia’s Jan. 5 runoff vote will determine whether or not the entire U.S. Senate goes Democrat or Republican. Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock are facing an uphill battle against incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both of whom are accused of insider trading. https://youtu.be/g6dMPBgobzY The daughter of Rick James is producing a limited series about the late funk singer, which is in development at UCP. Ty James will executive produce the series, currently under the working title “Super Freak.” According to TheWrap, no network or streaming service is attached to the project — yet. The series is described as a “funkadelic mix of music biopic and true crime.” “Super Freak” will “focus on James’ attempts to make a comeback in the early ’90s, which were derailed when he was convicted for two instances of kidnapping and torturing two different women while under the influence of crack cocaine,” the outlet writes. He served three years in prison for the crimes. https://youtu.be/QYHxGBH6o4M Rickey Smiley has called out The Atlanta Journal-Constitution over an article they ran about his morning show switching stations. The comedian is the host of The Rickey Smiley’s Morning Show at Hot 107.9. Starting in January, radio personality Headkrack will take over the slot at 107.9 while Smiley’s show will switch over to Classix 102.9. AJC reports…. Headkrack, who used to work with Smiley, started his own morning show a year ago out of Atlanta. The Negro Leagues have officially been elevated to major league status. In a statement, Major League Baseball called the move a “longtime oversight,” noting that everyone who played in the leagues, which ran from 1920 to 1948, “will become a part of Major League Baseball’s history.” https://youtu.be/wBHmk5gcskk Former Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro has died in his native Virginia at age 28 from a reported heart attack. The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office announced his death on Wednesday night without revealing a cause, but Fox Baltimore reported that a family member said that Taliaferro died from a heart attack. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reacted to the news in a statement on Thursday. ‘We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lorenzo Taliaferro,’ Harbaugh said. ‘Lorenzo was a kind, smart, respectful and determined young man — someone always committed to his teammates and well-liked by everyone in our organization. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Lorenzo’s family. May he rest in peace.’ The National Prayer Breakfast will be a virtual event next year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The gathering has been held annually, usually on the first Thursday of February, for nearly seven decades and draws thousands of attendees from around the world. The virtual 2021 breakfast will be streamed online, confirmed A. Larry Ross, a longtime evangelical public relations expert and friend of the Fellowship Foundation, the nonprofit that organizes the prayer breakfast. Details of the event are still being finalized but there will be no large group gathering due to the pandemic. Every president since Dwight Eisenhower has spoken at the invitation-only event. It has often been one of the first major post-inauguration speeches given by a new president. The Biden transition team could not confirm whether President-elect Joe Biden has been invited to speak. Biden, a Catholic, has attended the breakfast in the past. Former President Barack Obama doubled down on his ‘defund the police’ criticism saying the slogan concerns not just white people but individuals like his mother-in-law who may fear officers won’t help them in times of need if the system changes. Obama faced backlash earlier this month for saying the ‘snappy slogan’ could alienate people. In an interview with The Daily Show on Tuesday he said more people would support the movement if it was better explained, adding the slogan ‘defund the police’ may sound too scary for some people to support. https://youtu.be/vy3IsfyS2Ng When “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin asked Thursday’s guest Rev. Raphael Warnock about the robotic attacks of his Republican opponent for U.S. Senate, Kelly Loeffler, (she robotically accused him of being a “radical liberal” a total of 13 times during their recent debate), Warnock initially refused to take the bait. “I can’t be distracted by that,” he said. “As we say in the South, God bless her heart.” But eventually, he pounced. “Listen, Kelly Loeffler’s trying to change the subject and I don’t blame her,” he continued. “She cannot justify why she still has that seat. She was appointed to that seat because she is a high Republican donor and she’s an investment professional and she didn’t waste any time trying to make good on her investment.” https://youtu.be/raEaw3IqPzk President-elect Joe Biden will reportedly select Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Regan, 44, is currently the secretary for North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the state’s EPA equivalent. He would be the first Black man and second Black person to hold the role of EPA chief. Picking Regan suggests Biden wants a longtime veteran at an agency responsible for the bulk of the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks. https://youtu.be/rFMXVndAyM0 Christmas came early for the congregation of Transformation Church in Bixby, Oklahoma, and the people they blessed with $3.5 million in gifts Sunday. The megachurch, pastored by Michael and Natalie Todd, encouraged its congregation and community with a Giving Spree Sunday service in which Transformation blessed families and nonprofits with debt forgiveness and even a new house for one especially downtrodden and deserving family. Pastor Mike Todd posted on his Instagram: “3.5 MILLION DOLLARS GIVEN AWAY TODAY.” He shared the tear-filled responses from his members of his congregation receiving parts of the blessing, saying: “TC NATION — YOU DID THIS! I’m so proud to lead such a generous church!” The LeBron James Family Foundation has announced the launch of House Three Thirty, a multipurpose facility that aims to serve the community in the NBA star’s hometown of Akron, Ohio. The facility will provide job and financial health training, and other resources, including counseling for those looking to start small businesses. https://youtu.be/fY3ywnihjiQ Vanessa Bryant has fired back at her mother allegedly demanding $5 million in financial support in a lawsuit. Bryant’s mother, Sofia Laine, filed court documents in California, alleging that she worked as a “longtime personal assistant and nanny” for Kobe Bryant’s family, and was never paid for it. Laine also claims that prior to Kobe’s death earlier this year, he promised to take care of her “for the rest of her life.” According to People, the court docs continue, “Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant’s promises did not see the light of day as he is now deceased, and Vanessa Bryant took each and every step she could to void and cancel all of Kobe Bryant’s promises made to [Laine]. Vanessa Bryant did not intend to honor any of the Bryants’ representations, agreements, and promises at any stage.” https://youtu.be/qLCOXchOI1A Jamal Bryant, pastor of Atlanta megachurch New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, has responded to Monique Samuels’ about his personal life. During Sunday’s reunion-special episode of “Real Housewives of Potomac,” Samuels addressed the rumor that Jamal and his ex-wife and fellow cast member Gizelle Bryant are “pretending” to be together for the sake of the show, calling their relationship a business “arrangement.” She also asked if it’s true Jamal had a baby with another woman while with Gizelle. https://youtu.be/YCMCmN-yH0I Thursday’s “Tamron Hall,” Grammy-winning singer Fantasia Barrino and her husband Kendall Taylor Skyped in from their home in North Carolina to share details of their three-week journey from courtship to marriage and their challenging three-year road to fertility. https://youtu.be/7UZfoS3gL2Q Lil Baby threw a birthday party for George Floyd’s daughter Gianna as she turned seven Wednesday. The 26-year-old musical artist held the bash in his native Atlanta, at a house that was decked out in balloons and other elaborate decorations. A buffet of sweets looked to be on tables in the background for the joyous occasion, that comes at the end of a tragic year for her family. The party thrown by the rapper, whose real name is Dominique Jones, also had a special room set up for for manicures and hairstyles. The dashcam video captured a horrific scene: a Kansas sheriff’s deputy in a patrol truck mowing down a Black man who was running, shirtless, across a field in the summer darkness after fleeing a traffic stop. Lionel Womack – a 35-year-old former police detective from Kansas City, Kansas – alleges in a excessive force lawsuit filed Thursday that he sustained serious injuries when Kiowa County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Rodriguez intentionally drove over him during the Aug. 15 encounter. The dashcam video captured a horrific scene: a Kansas sheriff’s deputy in a patrol truck mowing down a Black man who was running, shirtless, across a field in the summer darkness after fleeing a traffic stop. Lionel Womack – a 35-year-old former police detective from Kansas City, Kansas – alleges in a excessive force lawsuit filed Thursday that he sustained serious injuries when Kiowa County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Rodriguez intentionally drove over him during the Aug. 15 encounter. A Michigan man who spent more than 37 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit was finally freed last month after a key witness admitted that she had lied. Walter Forbes, 63, walked free on November 20 from the state’s Kinross Correctional Facility where he had spent 37 years following the wrongful conviction for murder and arson. Forbes was arrested back in 1982 and sentenced to life in prison after a man, Dennis Hall, died in an apartment fire that had been deliberately lit. He became a suspect in the case after it emerged that Forbes has broken up a bar fight between Hall and another man, the Detroit Free Press reports. Hall went on to shoot Forbes the day after he had broken up the fight. Hall ended up dying soon after when a fire was deliberately set in his apartment. Police immediately considered Forbes to be a suspect given their recent altercations. An innocent Philadelphia man has been freed after spending 19 years in prison because two police officers wrongly claimed he’d raped a woman and then shot at them, when he’d in fact saved her from a different man .Attorneys for Termaine Joseph Hicks claim cops made up the story of him shooting at them – and even planted a gun on him that was owned by another officer. Despite the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols prohibiting more than three players from gathering, at least six Texans players, including quarterback Deshaun Watson, attended a grand opening for Watson’s new restaurant franchise Tuesday. Watson, a minority owner of the cheesesteak franchise Lefty’s, was joined by several teammates, family and friends at the opening. Teammates pictured at the event included Tytus Howard, Duke Johnson, Laremy Tunsil, Roderick Johnson and Brandin Cooks. The Houston Chronicle also reported that Charles Omenihu was in attendance. According to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, “Group Activity Outside of the Club Facility a. Groups of more than three (3) Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 Individuals, including players, are prohibited from gathering outside of the Club facility or team travel.” New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Sunday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens will assume playcalling duties against his former team less than a calendar year after the Browns fired him. “I think Freddie’s experience in this league of calling plays and coordinating an offense is something that fits into what we’re doing now,” said coach Joe Judge, who also noted that the Giants have allowed assistants to call plays in practice throughout the year to prepare for this exact situation. The set of ESPN’s SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt will look a little bit different during the upcoming days after the anchor revealed Thursday that he had tested positive for coronavirus. “Won’t be doing shows for a bit after a positive Covid-19 test,” Van Pelt tweeted. “Thankfully, no fever & I feel fine. Just can’t smell or taste anything which was my clue to go get a test.” Van Pelt, a 20-year ESPN veteran, becomes one of the network’s highest profile on-air personalities to contract the virus. Earlier this month, ESPN senior fantasy analyst Matthew Berry and college basketball analyst Dan Dakich also announced they tested positive. The US set a new record for coronavirus deaths reported in 24 hours with more than 3,700 on Wednesday amid troubles with the vaccine rollout. The harrowing tally from Johns Hopkins University marked the fourth time daily deaths have exceeded 3,000 throughout the pandemic. All four have occurred in the last week. The nationwide seven-day average for daily new fatalities now stands at 2,507, according to the COVID Tracking Project, with a total of more than 306,000 to date. The COVID Tracking Project’s Wednesday death toll stood at 3,400 as of 8pm – below the count from Johns Hopkins but still a record. Hospitalizations also set a new record on Wednesday with 113,069. The number of people hospitalized has exceeded 100,000 for 15 days in a row, with daily increases every day since December 5. Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler has been trying to do damage control after she proudly posed for a selfie with a known white supremacist last week. However, the damning photo with a former Ku Klux Klan leader has instead magnified attention to her affiliation with and welcomed support from people who have not only made unabashedly racist comments but also defended those hateful sentiments. Loeffler is running for re-election against the Rev. Raphael Warnock — a Black man — in a runoff scheduled for early next month. Her campaign said she was unaware that the infamous selfie she took last week was with Chester Doles, who pleaded guilty to a hate crime in 1993 for brutally beating a Black man in Maryland because he was riding in a vehicle with a white woman. The Baltimore Sun reported at the time that “Doles’ agreement to testify in the beating case angered fellow Klansmen, including Robert Tweed, who calls himself the imperial wizard for the Territorial Klans of America.” But a quick look at who else Loeffler has accepted support from and aligned herself and her campaign with — including and especially Donald Trump — inserts doubt in the narrative that she was unaware of Doles and his racist, hateful exploits. Kamala Harris says she feels a “very big sense of responsibility” as the country’s first African American, first Asian American and first female vice president. “I’ll be thinking about my mother. I’ll be thinking about all those girls and boys,” Harris said, speaking exclusively to “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts in an interview that aired Wednesday. “I feel a very — I don’t want to say heavy weight in a way that it sounds like a burden. But I feel– a very big sense of responsibility.” A white man who murdered two Black Kroger shoppers in 2018 was sentenced to two life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Gregory Bush, 53, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in Jefferson Circuit Court to two counts of attempted murder and wanton endangerment for the Oct. 24, 2018 shooting of of Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vickie Lee Jones, 67, at a Kroger supermarket in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. He originally plead not guilty to three federal hate crime charges and three federal gun charges, but later plead guilty to amended charges as part of a plea deal. Bush was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder which means he will be placed under treatment and medication during his prison sentence. Bush also plead guilty to federal hate crime charges in February, but evaded execution because Attorney General William Barr agreed to not to seek the death penalty. A series of delays from law enforcement officials to declare the shooting a hate crime was met with resistance from the local community who viewed the timeline of the case as evidence of premeditated thought. Insecure” actor and activist Kendrick Sampson was the subject of police brutality during a recent trip to Cartagena, Colombia. Sampson shared disturbing footage of him being accosted and assaulted by a police officer who eventually brandished his gun on Wednesday. The video was taken by someone who witnessed the event from across the street. The individual later shared it with one of Sampson’s friends, Natalia Reyes, who posted it to Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/kendrick38/?utm_source=ig_embed Notable Blacks who we have lost this month. Olympic gold medalist Arnie Robinson Jr., died at home on Dec. 2 in San Diego, according to The New York Times. He was 72. His son confirmed with the outlet that his death was the result of the coronavirus. He was described as “one of the greatest long jumpers in history.” Noted civil rights activists and former Memphis city councilman Rev. James L. Netters Sr. died on Dec. 13, according to the Associated Press. He was 93. His cause of death was not immediately known, but was confirmed with a message on the Mount Vernon Baptist Church’s website. Netters served as pastor for over 60 years and was one of the most prominent voices marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the sanitation workers strike in 1968. Charlie Pride was 86 and Tommy "Tiny" Lister was 62. Succumb from Covid-19. Conventional diversity initiatives tend to focus on inclusion and engagement that can sometimes appear performative. Some companies donate in the millions to show solidarity while others hashtag the latest trending movement. The police killing of George Floyd and the protests that have continued since has inspired companies, from Apple, PepsiCo, LEGO to college institutions, to take a different approach, with a renewed focus to bolster relationships with the communities they interact with. Some are now partnering with local leaders to begin working towards substantive goals. “Investing resources and building partnerships between Black and Brown communities and corporations that are not exploitative, but are truly generative, that’s lasting change,” Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, author of “Race, Work and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience” and a business professor at the University of Virginia, said. “It’s helping to build businesses and business owners who are from the community, and will continue to serve that community and extend beyond that community,” Roberts explained. The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to review a court decision that the NCAA has said blurred “the line between student-athletes and professionals” by removing caps on education-related money that certain football and basketball players can receive. The case will be argued in 2021, with a decision expected before the end of June. The high court’s decision to hear the case comes after a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May. The panel upheld a lower court ruling barring the NCAA from capping education-related compensation and benefits for student-athletes in Division I football and basketball programs. Division I conferences can still independently set their own rules. Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief legal officer, said in a statement that the NCAA is pleased the court will review the case. “The NCAA and its members continue to believe that college campuses should be able to improve the student-athlete experience without facing never-ending litigation regarding these changes,” Remy said. The landmark production partnership between CBS and the NAACP will be the focus of a zoom panel discussion on Friday, Dec. 18. Two of the integral dealmakers behind the pact announced in July – NAACP President Derrick Johnson and attorney Darrell D. Miller, Esq., Partner, Fox Rothschild – will discuss the deal’s timeliness and significance as part of Courageous Conversations, a virtual discussion series with media and entertainment thought leaders, produced by the Walter Kaitz Foundation. Media executive Angela Northington’s ENTertainment Speakers Bureau partners with the Kaitz Foundation for this special second episode, which will top off with President of CBS/NAACP Production Partnership, Sheila Ducksworth, who will speak on content initiatives and what the public can expect to see from the collaboration. “BROKERING REAL CHANGE: Roundtable Discussion on the Landmark CBS/NAACP Partnership” will go down Friday, Dec. 18, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT) with moderator Darold Cuba, journalist and Center for Public Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. Amazon Studios will exclusively release “Coming 2 America” globally on Prime Video March 5th, 2021. Until then, check out these newly released photos from the production. Eddie Murphy previously gushed about reprising his “Coming to America” role more than 30 years after the original. “After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward,” Murphy said in a statement. “We’ve assembled a great team that will be led by Craig Brewer, who just did an amazing job on Dolemite, and I’m looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen.” Patti LaBelle, who is a Democrat and Obama supporter, recently chatted with OprahMag.com about how she deals with political strife within the family. “Guess what? I didn’t choose my family. I choose my friends,” she told the publication. “I love Billy. He has a Republican mind. And, guess what? I don’t. But do I hate him for having the mind that he has? No, I can’t.” Labelle added that she and her son recently spoke on the phone. “He was saying, ‘I love you and I’m so sorry.’ You give people chances, when sometimes, they don’t even know what they’re doing or why,” she explained. “So I can’t beat him up for the rest of his life. I decided to take the high road with him by letting him know that you make mistakes—but when my name comes in that mistake, that’s a no-no. Certain things happen in life, and I just keep going on, because I love him.” LaBelle continued, “I am a Gemini, I have so many personalities,” she joked. “I never know when she’s going to show up and show out, and a lot of times, she shows out—and then, the next day, I feel bad for the person who had to deal with Priscilla, because she’s a witch with a capital B, and I can’t help it.” Howard Hewett has given new life to one of the standout songs on his 2008 holiday album “Howard Hewett Christmas.” The former Shalamar singer has released a video for “That’s Christmas,” a George Duke produced track. https://youtu.be/oRe0dkzVJWc Michael B. Jordan is launching a basketball showcase in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, called Hoop Dreams Classic. “This past year has been the tipping point for so many, including myself, in revving up support for Black people,” the “Black Panther” star said in a statement, per Us Magazine. “As a Newark native, I am committed to bringing change to the community and am honored to be able to present The Hoop Dreams Classic as a way to celebrate the value of community, education, and Black college experiences.” Jordan continued: “Through our shared love of basketball, I look forward to bringing the communal spirit of HBCUs to the city that helped shape me into the man I am today.” Jordan partnered with WME Sports, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), and Scout Sports and Entertainment/Horizon Media (Scout) on the one-day event, which will take place on December 18, 2021. Keshia Knight Pulliam has announced that she’s engaged to actor Brad James. The “Cosby Show” alum, 41, shared the exciting news in post on Instagram on Wednesday. “I said Yes!! ???? I LOVE YOU @mrbradjames!!!” Pulliam has a 3-year-old daughter, Ella Grace, whom she shares with ex-husband, NFL star Ed Hartwell. “This is my favorite photo from our magical engagement dinner,” she added. “My desire is a lifetime and beyond filled with love & family. My heart is so filled with joy!! So excited to continue to choose each other & our family every day.” The couple first met on the set of the TV movie “Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta” in 2019. OWN is premiering three original holiday movies this December, with the third and final film, “First Christmas,” airing Tuesday, December 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT starring Idara Victor. This film centers on Halle Downing (Victor), who was given up for adoption and placed in foster care at a young age. Downing receives the blessing of a lifetime when she is invited to spend Christmas in New Orleans with the biological family she never knew she had – The Moores. https://youtu.be/OV-gABvpSVE A Morehouse College alumnus has gifted the historically black college an art collection worth $1 million. His generosity was in an effort to help diversify the art world. According to CNN, the collection includes works by McArthur Binion, Rashid Johnson, Amy Sherald, Mickalene Thomas and Ivy Haldeman. “I will always be grateful for my Morehouse education and the springboard it created for my career on Wall Street and in business, and I want to recognize that with this gift,” Business executive George Wells, 42, said in a statement. Today the NAACP announced that the 52nd NAACP Image Awards will broadcast live on BET Saturday, February 20, 2021, at 8:00 PM ET. Additionally, the NAACP Image Awards Dinner, which traditionally takes place the night before the telecast, will live stream over six nights February 15-19, 2021. The virtual ceremonies will recognize winners in more than 60 non-televised award categories in the fields of television and streaming, music, literature, film, and activism. Nominations for the 52nd NAACP Image Award will be announced on January 22, 2021. Due to an overwhelming number of entries, nominees in the eight literary categories will be announced on February 3, 2021. British actress Naomi Ackie has been tapped to play Whitney Houston in the forthcoming Clive Davis/Sony biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” The film follows Houston’s life and rise to fame. The legendary singer passed away in 2012. Davis previously said that the project wll be a “no holds barred” portrait of the artist, and he won’t sugar-coat anything. Speaking to Variety, Davis, who signed Whitney to her record contract and was her mentor, said, “I have a mission here. I have a mission to make sure that for all time that the full picture of Whitney Houston is captured in a no-holds-barred film that is musically rich and shows her genius and more of her character than we have seen to date.” https://youtu.be/eH3giaIzONA Hip-hop icon MC Lyte recently dopped a Choice Mix for Red Bull Radio, which is an hour long curated playlist of hits from female rappers including Queen Latifah, Cardi B, Keyshia Cole, Beyoncé, Lyte herself and many more. “I took the mix around the world,” Lyte, born Lana Moorer, told Page Six. “We went to Africa, we went to Columbia, we started in the US and ended in the US, but I was able to span over four decades of women within hip hop.” Lyte believes female rappers today have more freedom of expression than they did when she dropped her debut album, “Lyte as a Rock” in 1988. “Some things you hear now, you would’ve never heard back then,” Lyte said. “There are women who have been here before and paved that trail for the next female MC to come out and be comfortable being wild.” The Powerhouse Fellowship Soul Choir is one of Canada’s most sought after choirs. Founded by Shawn Cotterell, Powerhouse took home a 2020 Gospel Music Association Canada Covenant Award this year for Gospel Album of the Year for their IT’S NOT OVER – LIVE album. Cotterell and Powerhouse are continually working and are ending the year with a new holiday single release “The Manger” featuring Grammy® Award-winning R&B singer Chrisette Michele. https://youtu.be/eYnzPteL9AA WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Shavel shooting her shot with her friend Jay. https://youtu.be/Kg_K1Jq1MBs Fox has opted not to greenlight an “Empire” spinoff based on the character of Cookie Lyon, played by Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson. Disney TV Studios’ 20th Television, which produces the project with Imagine TV, is currently shopping the potential series to Disney outlets ABC and Hulu, per Deadline. Complex previously wrote of the spinoff: ”No official info regarding the plot of the untitled project have been announced, however, sources described the story as focusing on Cookie’s move to Los Angeles, with the possibility of other familiar characters also popping up along the way.” Staff at Boston Medical Center marked the arrival of the coronavirus vaccine to its hospital by doing a choreographed dance to Lizzo’s “Good as Hell.” Footage by the hospital, posted on TikTok, shows front line workers celebrating the arrival of Massachusetts’s first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which received emergency authorization by the FDA Friday and was shipped out early Sunday. “We are excited to have been the first Massachusetts hospital to receive the Pfizer vaccine and are ready to start vaccinating our health care workers this week,” the hospital said in a Facebook post. https://youtu.be/Lq_boK4zoEs Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes a temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the face. It can occur when the nerve that controls your facial muscles becomes inflamed, swollen, or compressed. The condition causes one side of your face to droop or become stiff. U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff recommends monitoring people who get Pfizer or Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine shots for possible cases of Bell’s palsy, saying it’s not necessarily a side effect but worth watching out for after a handful of trial participants got the condition, which causes half of your face to droop. California ordered 5,000 more body bags and has dozens of refrigerated trucks on standby as the state experiences its “most intense” COVID-19 surge to date, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. The state reported 32,326 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, amid “historically high” case numbers, the governor said. Its 14-day average positivity rate is 10.7% — the highest it’s been since the beginning of the pandemic. Two weeks ago, that rate was 6.9%. There were 142 new deaths reported on Tuesday, with the seven-day average at 163 per day as of Monday. That number was 41 a month ago. 12-year-old Caleb Anderson of Marietta, Ga., started reading at the age of 6 months. He’s now a sophomore in college where he’s studying calculus, U.S. history, humanities and macroeconomics. Anderson loves outer space and wants to be an aerospace engineer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQaMVwPUUfg Police in Mississippi are looking for the parents or guardian of a toddler who was abandoned at a Goodwill donation center with just a note and a change of clothes. The 2-year-old boy was left behind the facility in Southaven on Monday morning, according to the Southaven Police Department. The note reportedly read: “child abandoned … no phone number for mom.” Surveillance cameras captured images of a Black man and a woman believed to have been involved with abandoning the the child, who has not been identified by name, PEOPLE reports. https://youtu.be/v9gKmFVtH_g Checkout Stellar Gospel Music Award Nominee Jai Reed's New Christmas Single "Praise Him" https://soundcloud.com/1goodknight/praise-him-by-jai-reed The Sounds Of Imani drops new single. The Song "Come Praise The Lord" is an upbeat, motivating, dance, and praise track that will keep you on your feet. The song encourages, uplifts, and brings joy to your soul. "Everybody get on your feet and shout cause he made you free. "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EqR_TvuZ8g&feature=youtu.be Tom Cruise was secretly recorded cursing out the film crew on the U.K. set of “Mission: Impossible 7" after catching two of them breaking COVID-19 guidelines. Leaked audio obtained and published Tuesday by The Sun captures Cruise shouting, “If I see you do it again you’re f—ing gone,” at crew members who he believed were breaching careful protocols set in place to keep the virus at bay. Variety and The New York Times confirmed the authenticity of the recording with two sources close to the production. Cruise screamed: “We are the gold standard. They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing. I’m on the phone with every f—ing studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you mother——-. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!” https://youtu.be/bU7_w_SP_3Y A recent video posted to YouTube by On Site Public Media (OSPM) shows a white officer restraining a Black man by placing his knee in his back at the same location George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on Memorial Day weekend. The footage captures a Dec. 4 incident where 12 squad cars and 20 uniformed officers went to a “non-violent” offense” at the corner of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, also known as George Floyd Square. At the end of the clip, a prompt askes viewers to help identify the officer and points out that he wore a Blue line badge. The video also shows the officer’s badge number was covered with black tape. The release of a prisoner who has maintained his innocence while serving a life sentence for murder in Minnesota since he was a teenager drew attention to the questionable circumstances surrounding his case and conviction. Myon Burrell was freed Tuesday night after media organizations reported there was new evidence that all but exonerates him in the killing of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards in 2002. He was charged when he was just 16 years old and prosecuted by then-Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. Burrell has long suggested Klobuchar didn’t investigate his case thoroughly enough and blames the now-sitting U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate for being the “source of everything that happened, with her charging me. Edwards was killed in her home when a stray bullet hit her while she was sitting at a table doing homework. She died the same day. The Hennepin County Attorney’s office described Burrell as a “gang member” and suggested he fired the fatal shot that was intended for a rival. But at the time of the murder investigation, the lead homicide detective offered “major dollars” for names while evidence was limited. There were no fingerprints, no gun or any DNA. Key evidence that could have helped the case had gone missing or was never obtained, including a convenience store surveillance tape that Burrell says would have cleared his name. Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott recently donated $40 million to Morgan State University, making it the largest individual donation the historically Black college (HBCU) in Baltimore has received since it was founded. The monies will go towards “student success, spur research and further our strategic plan,” the school stated from its official Twitter account on Tuesday. Morgan State said it is on a mission to become one of the leading public research universities and was selected due to the university’s commitment to racial justice and equity. “This monumental gift will change lives and shape futures. I thank Ms. Scott for her due diligence and acknowledgment of the substantive value Morgan offers to so many throughout this nation and around the world, and entrusting that we will ensure the enduring impact of her generosity is truly transformational for many years to come,” said President David Wilson. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of houses of worship in Colorado and New Jersey that opposed capacity limits on worship services. In the Colorado case, the court ruled 6-3 to send the lawsuit, brought by the High Plains Harvest Church, back to the lower courts, where the church had lost. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented, saying the case was moot because Colorado had already lifted all the limits. “There is no reason to think Colorado will reverse course — and so no reason to think Harvest Church will again face capacity limits,” the dissent said. The 150-seat church filed suit in May, arguing Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ order capping attendance to 50 people was too restrictive. Lower court judges had refused to sign off on an order that would have made the church exempt from those restrictions. A Toledo pastor sentenced to life in federal prison for leading a child-sex trafficking ring with two other pastors is asking for compassionate release during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Anthony Haynes, 41, the former leader of the Greater Life Christian Center, was sentenced to life in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of grooming a girl who was then 14 years old to have sex with him and then-pastors Cordell Jenkins and Kenneth Butler. Two handwritten motions have been filed by Haynes in U.S. District Court requesting a ruling regarding compassionate release during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He filed his first motion for compassionate release Oct. 30, and a letter regarding that motion’s status was filed Monday. Making her fourth start in the U.S. Women’s Open, and 147th career LPGA start, Amy Olson started strong. Strengthened by a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, she held the lead after Thursday’s first round. After the conclusion of Saturday’s third round, she found herself just one stroke off the lead, very much in contention for her first pro victory. Her husband, Grant, who is the linebackers coach at North Dakota State (their alma mater), had flown into Houston for the weekend to watch his wife compete at Champions Golf Club. By Sunday morning, however, Grant had left. He flew home after learning of the unexpected death of his father, Lee. Heartbroken, Amy continued on at the U.S. Open. Sunday’s action was delayed by rain, so the final round took place Monday. Though she didn’t win, Amy finished strong. At 2-under-par, Olson tied for second, just one stroke behind winner A Lim Kim. It marks Olson’s second runner-up finish at a major tournament. In speaking with the media afterward, Olson acknowledged feeling very weak the past few days, but said the Lord carried her through. Anjanette Young was naked and handcuffed when Chicago Police officers burst into her home on Feb. 21, 2019 during a wrong raid incident that Mayor Lori Lightfoot tried to cover up. CBS 2 first interviewed the social worker last November. Young filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the video last year, but was denied by the police department. CBS 2 was also denied a similar FOIA request, the outlet reports. https://youtu.be/J93jbFP95HE Today” co-host Craig Melvin appeared briefly on the show Wednesday morning to thank well-wishers and his in-studio family for lifting him up after the loss of his older brother. Lawrence Meadows died of colon cancer last week at the age of 43. His “Today” fam offered him their best wishes and shares memories of Lawrence. Melvin thanked them and said his family is “in a pretty good spot” now that his brother is no longer in pain. “Our family is relieved. As you guys know, you’ve been along from the beginning of the journey, he was suffering at the end,” Melvin said. “You have someone that you love and that you cherish, you don’t want them to suffer anymore. His suffering is over.” https://media14.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202012/1608125934659_tdy_news_melvin_lawrence_201216_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Sasha Obama as they say broke the Internet Sunday night after a photo of a woman who looks like the former first daughter began circulating. The image sparked positive and negative criticism, but many are convinced that the young woman in the photo is not Obama. There is no confirmation that the photo is of Sasha, but that didn’t stop the haters of the Obama family from vilifying her. Obama, 19, is the youngest of Barack and Michelle Obama’s daughters. She’s a student at the University of Michigan. Her older sister, Malia, is enrolled at Harvard University. She previously made headlines over a viral video of her rapping on TikTok. Video circulating around Twitter appears to show Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters spitting on Cleveland Browns receiver Jarvis Landry as Landry was walking away during their Monday Night Football game this week. If the projectile was actually saliva, and if Peters was deliberately aiming it at Landry, not only is it the nastiest sign of disrespect one human being can show toward another, it could be deadly in this time of COVID-19. https://youtu.be/0Z4J6TOFJaQ The trailer for “Outside the Wire,” a Netflix feature film with Anthony Mackie and Damon Idris is out. Set in the future, Harp (Damson Idris), a drone pilot, is sent into a deadly militarized zone where he finds himself working for Leo (Anthony Mackie), an android officer, tasked to locate a doomsday device before the insurgents do. “Outside the Wire” is directed by Mikael Håfström. https://youtu.be/iwYhA5YvdNc Actor, Tatyana Ali spoke with SiriusXM Urban View host, Clay Cane about her journey with colorism in the tv and film industry, working with Janet Hubert on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and shared a message she has for Janet Hubert that she didn’t get a chance to say to her at the reunion. https://youtu.be/YP5epEznqTw The Critics Choice Association announced today the incredible talent that it will recognize, virtually, at the third annual Celebration of Black Cinema on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. The ceremony will be hosted by author and media personality Bevy Smith. Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) will receive The Career Achievement Award, having conquered the big screen, small screen, and stage, moving audiences with his impactful performances, John Legend & Mike Jackson (Giving Voice) will receive The Producers Award, Tessa Thompson (Sylvie’s Love) will receive The Actors Award after earning critical acclaim as both star and executive producer of Amazon’s highly anticipated film Sylvie’s Love, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Trial of the Chicago 7) will receive The Breakthrough Award, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom, Jr., will receive The Ensemble Award for their work in One Night in Miami, Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) will be recognized with the Special Honoree Award for her work in The United States vs. Billie Holiday and Black filmmaker Tommy Oliver (40 Years A Prisoner, Black Love) utilized his platform as a multi-hyphenate visual artist to channel the energy of several protests, seeking to inspire, incite, and challenge those who would see the final images. “It was drilled into my head…all those lessons,” said Country singer/songwriter Ashley Wineland about the meaning of the first single “Daddy’s Creed” from her upcoming album. “Honestly, I am so grateful for that. I wrote it before the pandemic, I was going through something and I thought of this ‘to change what is going on around me.’ It inspired me to write this song. I think this song can speak to everyone, especially right now.” https://youtu.be/gP0mle0DpDw Mike Tyson believes TuPac would still be alive had he not been in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 to watch the athlete spar with Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand. “I feel a little guilty about him coming to the fight and me pressuring him … I was supposed to go out with him that night. I promised to go to the 662 with him that night, but I just had a little baby and her mother was provoking me to stay home, so I stayed home,” Tyson said in an interview with DJ Vlad. https://youtu.be/b_0rF453vqI Mr. Dalvin of Jodeci new solo venture the single “GoodTimez,” featuring Tali was released in October. He also recently produced the remix to Jodeci alum JoJo‘s latest single “Special” featuring Snoop Dogg. https://youtu.be/6sUHNmCiTgk Dr. Dionne Mahaffey, founder of Culture Greetings, a woman-led and Black-owned greeting card company, announces the launch of a new print-to-store integration partnership with Walgreens. Through the technology integration with the Walgreens Photo Prints and Store Locator APIs, in addition to the Culture Greetings’ mail-to-recipient delivery option, customers will now have the choice to pick up their customized printed greeting cards in any of the 9,277 Walgreens or Duane Reed locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. “The launching of this new partnership and integration reflects a significant first for the Walgreens API team,” said Andrew Schweinfurth, Manager, Walgreens Developer Relations. “As we welcome Culture Greetings and founder Dr. Dionne Mahaffey, we acknowledge that she is the first African American female founder to join the platform.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The dynamic and award-winning duo Lionel & Leslie have been ministering in song together for more than two decades. Since their 2011 full CD release of 'He Will Make A Way', the duet extraordinaire been busy completing and promoting, their new EP release, 'GRATEFUL' featuring the recent single, 'Praise Him', which is currently charting on BDS Gospel Chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJJgnryzp_U&feature=youtu.be New Christmas Music from Rick Dorn "A Merry Christmas" from the Netflix Movie "Holiday Rush" https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=VuKhxiyLd1Y Coming off the success of their #1 Billboard Radio hit, “I'm Next”, Stellar Award Nominee Demetrius West reviewed the state of the world’s current condition and awoke with desire to make a musical statement. To that end, he solicited the help of over 100 of Indianapolis local artists to record a single that simply asks God to ?“Heal Our Land”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwaQuBVk1p0&feature=youtu.be I am often asked the question, why do I remain in the Southern Baptist Convention? A recent joint statement on race made by the six seminary presidents of the SBC has brought that question back into discussion once again. The crux of the seminary presidents’ statement is as follows: “In light of current conversations in the Southern Baptist Convention, we stand together on historic Southern Baptist condemnations of racism in any form and we also declare that affirmation of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message.” Initially, for the sake of unity and in the name of Christian charity, I was supportive of the statements released by the council of presidents and the resolutions committee. However, it then became apparent to me that these statements were merely paving the way for rescinding Resolution 9 at the upcoming annual meeting. African American SBC pastor, Rev. Joel Bowman of Louisville, Kentucky, upon reading the seminary presidents’ statement posted: “I’m done with the Southern Baptist Convention! It took them 150 years to condemn chattel slavery, but only 1 year to condemn Critical Race Theory. It has no credibility on the issue of racism! None!!! President Obama’s election was historic. However, it did not remove white supremacy from the US. Likewise, Fred Luter’s historic election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention did not remove white supremacy from it. Two prominent conservative evangelical supporters of President Donald Trump have recognized Joe Biden as president elect following the results of the Electoral College. Electoral College delegates met on Monday and confirmed the results of the Nov. 3 election, in which Biden won with 306 electoral points, well above the 270 needed to win. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and longtime Trump supporter, responded to the news in a Facebook post Monday evening. He said that rather than focusing on the disappointment with the result, he was “grateful” for the Trump administration. Graham went on to say that he believed “President Trump will go down in history as one of the great presidents of our nation, bringing peace and prosperity to millions here in the U.S. and around the world.” Citing “concerns that affect all ethnic groups in the SBC,” the president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention issued a statement on behalf of the group related to the “breadth and depth” of a recent statement by presidents of the six Southern Baptist seminaries. Marshal Ausberry, who is also pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fairfax Station, Va., and first vice president of the SBC, said his hope was for Southern Baptists to achieve unity, adding: “As brothers in Christ, we of all people should be able to dialogue and resolve all of our concerns.” “We affirm that all such ideologies do not supplant, by any means, the supremacy of Holy Scripture. And where such ideologies conflict with Scripture, it is Scripture that governs our worldview, our decisions, and our lives.” Ausberry wrote: “We affirm that systemic racism exists, and like all Southern Baptists we oppose racism in all its forms. We do realize that there are theories and constructs that help us to see and discover otherwise undetected, systemic racism in institutions and in ourselves.” One of three white males charged in connection with the death of Ahmaud Arbery was captured on police body-cam admitting that he tried to block the victim as he was running from his killers. Arbery was shot dead while jogging on a residential Georgia street after being chased by father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael. William “Roddie” Bryan has insisted that he was simply a witness to the McMichaels hunting down and killing Arbery on February 23, claiming he had zero involvement with the slaying. He was arrested following public outcry over his cell phone footage which captured Arbery’s killing and catapulted the case into the national spotlight. https://youtu.be/JxFQQ0ubyxI Tragedy has hit a Texas family in the worst way after two teenage brothers were fatally shot while sitting in a car parked in a driveway. The shooting occurred Saturday night outside of a home in Rosharon, Texas, PEOPLE reports. Authorities responding to calls about gunfire found Jonathan Massey, 17, and Devin Massey, 15, dead inside the car. Another male victim was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. According to the report, a witness claims multiple suspects in masks approached the victims and began shooting before fleeing the scene.“ This was just a random act of violence,” Rebekah Foley, a family friend, told ABC13. The victims “had just come home from the grocery store” when they were shot. “They had no chance,” Foley added. Lakewood Church received a $4.4 million Paycheck Protection Plan loan during the coronavirus pandemic, according to federal data. The loan was disbursed in July of this year. U.S. Small Business Administration data, which was released at the beginning of December, showed that Lakewood Church’s PPP loan was created by Bank of America. The megachurch’s hefty loan was the third-largest PPP loan approved for a Houston-area entity during all of July and August, according to Chris Matthews at Houston Business Journal. The church, like many other businesses, was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lakewood’s in-person services were halted due to the pandemic, but were able to resume in October, at 25 percent capacity. According to a statement from Lakewood spokesperson David Iloff, the church’s PPP loan was used to provide support for the church’s employees. Back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has committed to the Milwaukee Bucks long-term. Antetokounmpo’s agent, Alex Saratsis, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that it will be for the full five-year, $228 million supermax, including an opt-out after the fourth year. “This is my home, this is my city,” Antetokounmpo posted on Twitter and Instagram on Tuesday. “I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.” Jamie Foxx hit up his Instagram account to share details about the “unimaginable hardships” his family have faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the post, the actor gave a “beautiful shout-out” to his younger sister Deidra Dixon. He captioned a photo of his sibling: “Over the past few months she has been tested… Emotionally and physically… I have watched her grow from a little girl in the hood to doing hair for the biggest movies on the planet… I’ve also watched her grow as a caretaker for our family… we have been hit with unimaginable hardships during this pandemic.” Dixon is a hairstylist who has worked on numerous Hollywood blockbusters, including “5 Bloods,” “Avengers: Endgame” and her brother’s films “Baby Driver” and “Django Unchained.” Check out this week’s new episode of the hit WE tv series “Beyond the Pole: Living Under Lockdown.” https://youtu.be/Vdv8B6-eooA The power of radio is not lost on David Linton, a member of Black Radio United for the Vote collective, a collaborative effort between 11 Atlanta-based black radio stations and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. The initiative, spearheaded by KISS 104.1/CMG Atlanta Director of Branding and Programming Terri Avery, spawned from a discussion among several black radio program directors on creating positive changes while looking toward the future. After Atlanta gained national attention for voter suppression during the past primary election, the discussion was sparked. https://youtu.be/c_XhJj7PHPk On the Tuesday, December 15 edition of “Tamron Hall,” Tony-nominated actress and Broadway legend Sheryl Lee Ralph joined Tamron to help celebrate military families during “HALLelujah it’s the holidays – a week of gifts galore” with a special holiday mashup of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Sheryl also discussed her Audible project, “Redefining DIVA 2.0: Life Lessons from The Original Dreamgirl” and shared her gratitude for military families. https://youtu.be/1BpW_siIJWs Naomi Campbell made headlines earlier this year after wearing a full hazmat suit while traveling during the COVID-19 crisis. “Safety First NEXT LEVEL,” she wrote on Instagram back in March. Now the supermodel has revealed to the Wall Street Journal that she buys her protective gear in bulk via a subscription on Amazon. https://youtu.be/9iqFRaCoyvw Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta” cast members Sierra Gates and BK Brasco recently took to social media to announce their engagement. In an interview with MadameNoire, the couple talked about their relationship and their decision to be celibate for a year. "We love each other like love. A different type of love. We even took sex out of the equation for a whole year,” she said, adding that God told Brasco that He would bless him if he didn’t touch her for a year. “When he told me that I was like, ‘Boy, you just wanna cheat! Do what you wanna do!’ And he was like, ‘I really need to do this for my own mental. I really need to line myself up and I really need to be a better man for you.'” Motown legend Smokey Robinson recently recorded a Hanukkah message for a woman who used to live on his street in Detroit. Jeff Jacobson and his brother used the Cameo app – which allows people to purchase short, personalized video shout-outs from celebrities – to send the message as a gift to their mom. Smokey just destroyed the pronunciation of Hanukkah and Twitter is tickled. https://twitter.com/i/status/1338253345580969984 The family that loves to laugh together is keeping it real on their new digital series, Mann Family Dinner. David and Tamela Mann's part reality show and part “mukbang,” the series features David, Tamela, their son, David Mann Jr., and daughters Tia Mann, Porcia Morrison, Tiffany Mann, and Sonya Hurd. https://youtu.be/FB-cGjSYMtM In the spirit of the holiday season, Vincent Bohanan & SOV performed a free virtual concert on Monday, December 14th The lively production featured songs both new and familiar, all arranged by the virtuoso choirmaster himself. https://youtu.be/MqJfcfqnElE The premiere episode of Facebook Watch’s newest talk show, Peace of Mind with Taraji, is now available. In Peace of Mind with Taraji, Golden Globe Award-Winning Actress Taraji P. Henson and her best friend and co-host Tracie Jade will shine a spotlight on the challenging mental health issues facing us today – particularly of those in the Black community. Through personal interviews with both celebrities, experts and everyday people, the series will show how to provide support, bring awareness and help eliminate the stigmas of mental health issues. blob:https://www.facebook.com/78cf3704-cebd-4645-b364-06bc78f8dab7 Internationally renowned actor JIMMY JEAN-LOUIS has earned a Best Actor Nomination for his outstanding performance as “Francis” in Apolline Traoré’s film DESRANCES at the forthcoming Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), the African continent’s equivalent to the Oscars. He is also a Producer on the film, which has earned a total of 10 nominations. The AMAA ceremony will take place live in Lagos on Sunday, December 20th, 2020. https://youtu.be/upfB0xIHc_U The new season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” just began and a hot topic this season is where Kenya Moore and her estranged husband Marc Daly stand. In September of last year, it was reported that the couple split after 2 years of marriage. Kenya Moore announced the news in a statement saying, “It is with profound sadness that I regret to inform my fans that I am divorcing my husband Marc Daly. Due to recent and ongoing circumstances, I can no longer continue in the marriage. My sole concern and focus is and will always be my daughter, Brooklyn, my miracle baby. She was made in love and true commitment. I ask for our privacy to be respected moving forward.” In last night’s episode of “RHOA” (Dec. 13th), Kenya Moore said she was in the final stages of deciding if she was going to file for divorce or custody of their two-year-old daughter Brooklyn. Rapper Offset fired back at Snoop Dogg’s criticism of his wife Cardi B and her hit song “WAP.” Snoop believes the track is too vulgar. Let’s have some, you know, privacy, some intimacy where he wants to find out as opposed to you telling him,” Snoop told Central Ave host Julissa Bermudez during a recent interview. “To me, it’s like, it’s too fashionable when that in secrecy, that should be a woman’s…that’s like your pride and possession. That’s your jewel of the Nile. That’s what you should hold onto. That should be a possession that no one gets to know about until they know about it.” Following his comments, TMZ caught up with the Migos member who suggested Snoop should stay out of women’s business. “I love Snoop man, but she grown. I don’t get in female business,” he told the outlet. “I hate when men do that. I don’t do that.” https://youtu.be/hsm4poTWjMs A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a lawsuit filed by the Michael Jackson estate over an HBO documentary about two of the late pop star’s sex abuse accusers can go forward in private arbitration. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with two lower courts and ruled in favor of the Jackson estate in its decision on “Leaving Neverland.” Unless there are further appeals, the case will go to a private arbitrator, which the Jackson estate argued was required by the 1992 contract at the center of the lawsuit. That means the proceedings will be largely shielded from public view, though Jackson attorneys said in court filings that they would like for them to be as open as possible and sought private arbitration because it was the only way available to sue under the contract. The decades-old agreement to put a Jackson concert on HBO required that the cable channel not disparage Jackson, which the lawsuit says it did by airing the molestation allegations of Wade Robson and James Safechuck in “Leaving Neverland.” Voting rights activist and lawyer Stacey Abrams further solidified her place in American history as a member of the Electoral College for the state of Georgia on Monday. Abrams had a front-row seat as she conducted roll call for electors to cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden. 538 electors in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., formally cast their votes for president and vice president Monday, with the majority confirming Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. “I am pleased to announce that Joseph R. Biden has received 16 votes for the president of the United States,” she said after the roll took place to a round of applause and cheers. Abrams first expressed her excitement around being selected to the electoral college in November via a Tweet. “Georgians decided, and as an elector, I will be proud to join 15 fellow Georgia Democrats in casting my vote for @JoeBiden, winner of Georgia’s 16 electoral votes and President-Elect of the United States,” she wrote. This weekend’s attack on Black Lives Matter and the sanctity of Black churches harboring a safe space for protest and revolution came to a head when white supremacists descended upon the nation’s capital to protest Trump’s impending departure from the White House. Local Black Lives Matter activists are assigning accountability on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and local law enforcement for what they claim is inaction on several fronts. “I hold Mayor Bowser responsible for this,” said Ne Ne Taylor, a co-organizer with Black Lives Matter DC in an interview with WTOP. Taylor and other BLM leaders believe Browser and the Metropolitan Police Department failed to protect and serve citizens and counter-protesters in the face of violence and racism, by allowing MAGA and Proud Boys members to saunter through the streets of D.C. unscathed. The tragic shooting of Kris Smith in Louisville, Kentucky, signaled a disturbing string of Black Lives Matter protesters whose lives have been lost to gun violence or mysterious deaths. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Smith, 42, was fatally shot Friday. His body was discovered inside of a car and identified by a local chaplain. There were no suspects in custody as of Monday. Smith is the second activist following the shooting of Hazma “Travis” Nagdy to be murdered in the wake of Breonna Taylor demonstrations and a surge of gun violence in the city. He was added to the more than 150 people who were killed in Louisville in the past year. Ann Reinking, the Tony Award-winning choreographer, actress and Bob Fosse collaborator who helped spread a cool, muscular hybrid of jazz and burlesque movement to Broadway and beyond, has died. She was 71. Reinking died Saturday while visiting family in Seattle, said her manager, Lee Gross. No cause of death was disclosed. Tributes poured in from the Broadway community, including from Tony Yazbeck, who called her “an absolute inspiration” and Leslie Odom, Jr., who thanked Reinking for being a mentor: “She honored the calling for real. RIP to a legend.” Bernadette Peters took to Twitter to say her heart was broken and Billy Eichner said she was “one of the most mesmerizing people I’ve ever seen on stage. A singular genius. RIP.” Trained as a ballet dancer, Reinking was known for her bold style of dance epitomized by her work in the revival of the Kander and Ebb musical “Chicago,” complete with net stockings, chair dancing and plenty of pelvic thrusts. A Lim Kim made her first U.S. Women’s Open appearance a memorable one Monday, closing with three straight birdies to tie the record for the largest comeback and win the biggest event in women’s golf. And in the final major of this pandemic-disrupted year in sports, she won wearing a mask. Starting the final, frigid round at Champions Golf Club five shots behind, the 25-year-old South Korean wore a heavy down jacket between shots and delivered a 4-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Amy Olson and Jin Young Ko. “Still can’t really soak in that I’m the champion,” she said, minutes after being soaked in champagne on a day with temperatures in the 40s. Lamar Jackson took a shot at Paul Pierce during his postgame presser Monday night after missing most of the fourth quarter of the wild Ravens-Browns game due to what he said was “cramps.” But with a few minutes left in the game, he made a dramatic return from the locker room, entered the game on a fourth down and immediately threw a touchdown pass to put the Ravens ahead. Later, after the Browns tied the game, he drove the Ravens down the field in the final minute to set up the game winning 55-yard FG by Justin Tucker. After the game, Jackson spoke about his injury and said he “didn’t pull a Paul Pierce,” referencing this time that Pierce had to be carried off the court in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA finals, only to make a “miraculous” comeback to lead the Celtics to a victory over the Lakers. https://youtu.be/Tm4MceNw_oA Microsoft has teamed with Warner Bros. for a coding-education campaign tied to the 2021 release of the movie “Space Jam: A New Legacy” starring NBA star LeBron James. The campaign, which runs through Dec. 30, is calling on fans to submit ideas for an original Xbox arcade-style video game. Two winners will have their creations turned into arcade-style games that will be available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in 2021, per geekwire.com. As noted on the Xbox news site, the prize package also includes: Winners’ names featured in the game credits; an exclusive winner’s bundle with signed and authenticated LeBron James memorabilia, Space Jam: A New Legacy merchandise and Nike VIP packs, and a personalized Xbox Series S console; a private friends and family screening of the film; and a virtual Microsoft coding workshop for their local community. http://www.instagram.com/kingjames/?utm_source=ig_embed The three-part reunion special for “The Real Housewives of Potomac” kicked off Sunday with Monique putting Gizelle’s personal life on blast with her “thirst book” of receipts. As reported by PEOPLE, the drama between Monique and Gizelle was sparked when host Andy Cohen inquired about the status of Gizelle’s relationship with her ex-husband-turned-boyfriend, Jamal Bryant. http://www.instagram.com/bscott/?utm_source=ig_embed In the latest PSA from the NFL’s “Say Their Stories” initiative, Houston Texans wide receiver Randall Cobb narrates the story of Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, a 45-year-old mother, speech pathologist and assistant pastor who was one of the nine victims of the 2015 Emanuel AME Church Shooting in Charleston, S.C. “I think of my mother. I think of my aunt. I think of my grandmother going to church and sitting in a Wednesday service,” Cobb said. “It’s in my mind, I feel like it will always be something that’s in my mind when these traumatic situations happen. Hearing Chris [Singleton] speak about that situation and his family’s ability to be able to forgive and to know that that’s what his mother would have done in that situation is very powerful. And if we can continue to push forward our lives could be a lot more cohesive.” https://youtu.be/afYZFnftG-Q Should President Obama be more careful about who he roasts, considering Donald Trump and Kanye West both ended up running for president? These and other burning questions are addressed in #44’s return to “The Daily Show,” airing tonight on Comedy Central. Obama discusses his new memoir “A Promised Land” which chronicles the first four years of his presidency. Previously, host Trevor Noah interviewed President Obama at the White House as one of the final interviews he conducted as president. The in-depth interview was recorded over the weekend and will air on “The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah” at 11pm ET/PT tonight on Comedy Central. The interview will also be available on all of the series’ social platforms, including “The Daily Show’s” YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/WB64L66hsvc It’s OFFICIAL, the next president of the United States is Joe Biden. President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win became official just before 5:30 p.m. Monday, with California’s votes pushing him over the 270 vote threshold. https://media14.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202012/n_wh_deadline_biden_201214_1920x1080.focal-1000x563.jpg The rollout of the first coronavirus vaccine began Monday morning as the first doses of the Pfizer medication were administered to health care workers and nursing home staffers. And live on TV for the world to see – at 9:23am – was an African American critical care nurse from Northwell Long Island Jewish Medical Center getting vaccinated. https://youtu.be/aqaiNf8Ks3g A Black ER doctor in Arizona was prohibited from returning to work after he posted a viral tweet about a coronavirus surge. Cleavon Gilman tweeted on November 22, “Just got to work and was notified there are no more ICU beds in the state of Arizona.” After having to treat COVID patients in the waiting room, he told reporters that he felt a “moral obligation” to speak out. In a follow-up tweet he added: “What happened to the 175 beds??? We likely don’t have nursing to staff them. This is not good.” He also directed a message to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey: “ZERO ICU Beds!! @dougducey what are you going to do??” He added: “An ICU bed without staff is like a plane without a pilot – USELESS!!” https://youtu.be/xI_XpOOMpMQ A freak accident out of Russia is being used as a cautionary take for those who like to take a bath with their cellphone plugged into a nearby outlet. A Russian woman died after her iPhone fell in the tub while she was bathing, the Toronto Sun reports. Olesya Semenova, 24, was found dead by her roommate after she was electrocuted to death in their apartment. “I screamed, shook her, but she was pale, not breathing, and showing no signs of life,” her roommate told the emergency operator, noting that she felt an “electric shock” when she touched Semenova. Paramedics confirmed that Semenova’s iPhone 8 fell in the water while plugged into an outlet and charging. “The tragedy reminds us once again that water and an electrical device connected to the electricity grid are incompatible,” the Russian Emergency Ministry said. A Louisiana truck driver has become the 10th man to be executed by the U.S. government. Alfred Bourgeois, 56, was sentenced to death in 2004 for sexually abusing and killing his 2-year-old daughter in Texas. He was executed at the Federal Correctional Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Friday, two days after the government executed Brandon Bernard. Bourgeois’ lawyers has argued he deserved mercy due to his low IQ. https://youtu.be/N8cN_JF83Yw American churches and religious groups appear to be interested in racism-linked reparations. According to reports, the surge in conversation in this area is high among Protestant churches that were active during slavery. Many white religious leaders are said to be addressing how to make amends through financial investments that benefit Black Americans. https://youtu.be/T4w3iRaxx8I Tyler Perry has donated $100,000 to the legal defense fund of Kenneth Walker, Variety has confirmed. Walker’s girlfriend, Breonna Taylor, was fatally shot by plainclothes police officers in her Louisville, Ky. apartment on March 13. Walker was in the apartment at the time of the incident, and fired a warning shot at the officers, believing them to be intruders. Though the officers contend that they announced themselves before entry, Walker has said that they did not and that the shot was an act of self-defense. There has since been a legal dispute between Walker and the officers, who claim that officer Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg by Walker’s warning shot. Reports have come back inconclusive on the matter, with no concrete evidence that the bullet that struck Mattingly was or was not from Walker’s gun. However, Mattingly is suing Walker for assault and emotional distress. A GoFundMe page was created on Nov. 10 to raise money for the upcoming legal battle, with a goal set at $100,000. Perry helped Walker to surpass it with his donations on Sunday, which came in waves – first $10,000, then another $10,000, followed by $50,000 and $30,000. Sources close to Perry confirmed to Variety that it was Perry who made the donations. Bill Gates says he expects that coronavirus-related lockdowns could drag on into 2022 with restaurants closing their doors for the next six months. The billionaire Microsoft founder offered his predictions during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday as the US set new records for new cases, hospitalizations and deaths over a seven-day period. Asked how bad he thinks the COVID-19 crisis will get in the next few months before vaccines become widely available, Gates said: ‘Well, sadly, the next four to six months could be the worst of the epidemic. https://youtu.be/dCt23D8VXpc John le Carre, the spy-turned-novelist whose elegant and intricate narratives defined the Cold War espionage thriller and brought acclaim to a genre critics had once ignored, has died. He was 89. Le Carre’s literary agency, Curtis Brown, said Sunday he died in Cornwall, southwest England on Saturday after a short illness. The agency said his death was not related to COVID-19. His family said he died of pneumonia. In classics such as “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Honourable Schoolboy,” Le Carre combined terse but lyrical prose with the kind of complexity expected in literary fiction. His books grappled with betrayal, moral compromise and the psychological toll of a secret life. In the quiet, watchful spymaster George Smiley, he created one of 20th-century fiction’s iconic characters — a decent man at the heart of a web of deceit. Florida men’s basketball player Keyontae Johnson remained in critical but stable condition Monday afternoon after collapsing during a game over the weekend, the school said in a statement. The Gators announced that Johnson had been transported to a hospital in Gainesville, Florida after receiving his initial treatment in Tallahassee. As of Monday afternoon, he was “following simple commands and undergoing further tests,” according to the school. Johnson’s grandfather, Larry DeJarnett, told USA TODAY Sports earlier Monday that his grandson was in a medically induced coma and that doctors hoped to bring him out of the coma later in the day. “He may have had activity in the brain, so they induced the coma,” DeJarnett told USA TODAY Sports. “They put him on medication to keep him sedated.” Jerry Falwell Jr. spent millions in Liberty University money to regularly promote Donald Trump, hiring his allies and paying for political adverts, according to a report by Politico. The disgraced former president and chancellor of Liberty, resigned in August amid allegations of an extra marital affair, is said to have used the funds to set up a university-funded campus ‘think tank’ in 2019. Politico reports how Fawell, one of Trump’s most vocal and ardent supporters in the 2016 election, created the Falkirk Center on campus to promote the Republican and his supporters. It then hired one of Trump’s former advisers as well as his current attorney Jenna Ellis. It has been pushing Trump’s baseless election fraud claims since his defeat to Biden using social media and podcasts. Politico also details how the Falkirk Center bought at least $50,000 in Facebook adverts to promote Trump and other GOP hopefuls; He gave more than $2 million to Republican Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition in 2018, they say. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will host its 162nd commencement ceremony, virtually, on Friday, December 18, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. via the University’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Smokie Norful, renowned gospel singer and pastor, will serve as the commencement speaker. The ceremony will recognize both spring and fall 2020 graduates and include the commissioning of Army officers. Seventeen graduates will be awarded the Chancellor’s Medallion, an honor bestowed to students with the highest cumulative grade point average from each of the University’s five schools of study. An alumnus of UAPB, Norful is senior pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bolingbrook, IL and is an internationally-acclaimed musician, music composer, and recording artist. His debut and now-classic gospel record, “I Need You Now,” catapulted him to worldwide recognition and commercial success with four number one Billboard albums and more than 2.5 million albums sold worldwide. He’s earned two Grammy awards, the first in 2005 for Contemporary Soul Gospel Album of the Year for his debut album Nothing Without You, and a second in 2015 for Best Gospel Performance/Song, “No Greater Love.” Pastor Norful is also the recipient of several Stellar, Dove, Soul Train, and NAACP Image Awards and a multi-gold certified artist by the Recording Industry Association of America. Hear Smokie Norful In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/smokienorful.htm Denzel Washington has opened up about working with Chadwick Boseman on Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and recalled how the actor’s wife took great care of him on set. Washington produced the film based on August Wilson’s award-winning play. The official synopsis from Netflix reads; “Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary Mother of the Blues, Ma Rainey (Academy Award winner Viola Davis). Boseman plays an ambitious trumpeter named Levee. The actor died in August at the age of 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. The cast and crew did not know during filming that he had been undergoing treatment for the disease. https://youtu.be/ord7gP151vk Season 2 of Will Smith’s hit Snap Original series “Will From Home” premiered today (Dec. 14)! In the first episode, singer Jason Derulo joins the Hollywood superstar to surprise father-son duo, Chuck and Aiden, whose inspirational story has been a bright spot during this dark year. https://youtu.be/zfOisjFW9K8 Verzuz has revealed that its last battle of the year will go down between West Coast icons Too $hort and E-40. “Y’all know we had to do a BIG holiday party!” it's the caption on the official Verzuz Instagram. The face-off is set for Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET. The announcement follows news that Too Short, E-40, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg are joining forces for a new album. As 2020 comes to a close, the inspirational sports drama “The Last Champion” seeks to highlight the power of community, love and forgiveness, the film’s stars say. Starring “Yellowstone” actor Cole Hauser, “The Last Champion” follows John Wright (Hauser), a former championship wrestler and promising Olympian, who is forced to leave his hometown in disgrace after being stripped of his medal when it was discovered that he had cheated by using steroids. https://youtu.be/yhfvGu4pYXw The Cleveland Indians are changing their name after 105 years. Citing three people familiar with the decision, The New York Times reported Sunday night that the team is moving away from a name considered racist for decades. The Indians have been internally discussing a potential name change for months. A team spokesman told The Associated Press the franchise has no immediate comment on the report. The Times said the team could make a formal announcement later this week. It’s not known when the name change will take effect or if the team has settled on a new moniker. Cleveland’s move away from Indians follows a similar decision earlier this year by the NFL’s Washington Football Team, which was previously known as the Redskins. Philadelphia Eagles rookie Jalen Hurts was more than the spark the Birds needed in his first start as quarterback. Hurts ran for 106 yards and threw for 167 yards and one touchdown as the Birds snapped a four-game losing streak, keeping them within reach of first place in the woeful NFC East. Miles Sanders had 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 24-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The Saints (10-3) had won nine in a row and were 8-0 over the past two seasons without Drew Brees before running into the inspired Eagles. OWN has announced that the network will expand its popular Friday night unscripted programming lineup with “Belle Collective” premiering Friday, January 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The new series from the producers behind the hit “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” centers on the personal and professional lives of five successful, glamourous boss women who are redefining what it means to be a southern belle in Jackson, Mississippi. https://youtu.be/HareIQzBiSs In a page seemingly taken right out of Donald Trump‘s white supremacist campaign playbook, a photo showing Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler smiling alongside a former Ku Klux Klan leader with a brutally racist history has gone viral this weekend. Chester Doles apparently posted the photo on his Facebook after the two of them posed while smiling at an event on Friday. A pro-Jewish organization first brought attention to the photo. The group described Doles in part as someone who “nearly beat a Black man to death.” The photo surfaced nearly three weeks before the incumbent Loeffler is scheduled to square off against the Rev. Raphael Warnock in a run-off election for her U.S. Senate seat. Warnock is African American. Doles notably pleaded guilty to a hate crime in 1993 for brutally beating a Black man in Maryland because he was riding in a vehicle with a white woman. The Baltimore Sun reported at the time that “Doles’ agreement to testify in the beating case angered fellow Klansmen, including Robert Tweed, who calls himself the imperial wizard for the Territorial Klans of America.” The racist, violent social media videos showing a far-right group vandalizing Black churches during a protest in Washington, D.C., against the presidential election results evoked imagery of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) burning crosses, one of the churches’ pastors said. The Proud Boys were in the nation’s capital to support the president during the day, but when night fell they turned violent. Clad in military apparel along with bulletproof vests, Proud Boys members skulked the streets of the District of Columbia before coming upon the Asbury United Methodist Church and the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church — both historically Black churches in Northwest Washington. Not only did the Proud Boys violently rip pro-Black Lives Matter signage off of the Asbury United Methodist Church, but they also lit it on fire in a ceremony likened to one of the KKK‘s signature intimidation tactics historically used against Black people. ”Today” co-anchor Craig Melvin is mourning the death of his older brother, Lawrence Meadows, who has died at 43 from colon cancer. “We lost our older brother this week. Lawrence Meadows was a husband (to Angela, his childhood sweetheart), father (to Addie, 11 and Lawson, 7) Baptist minister, entrepreneur, and one of the best human beings you would’ve ever known,” Melvin wrote in a tribute on Instagram Saturday. “Colon cancer robbed him and us of so much.” Melvin’s “Today” co-anchors took a moment this morning to send their love and condolences. https://media12.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202012/tdy_criaf.focal-760x428.jpg Black liberals are currently at odds on social media after “leaked” audio of President-elect Joe Biden surfaced in which he’s heard pretty much telling civil rights leaders what he’s not going to do for Black Americans.The meeting occurred last Tuesday, during which Biden made clear his belief that Republicans used the “defund the police” movement to defeat Democrats in down-ballot races in the November election, Forbes reports. “That’s how they beat the living hell out of us across the country, saying that we’re talking about defunding the police. We’re not,” Biden said in audio obtained by The Intercept. “We’re talking about holding them accountable.” Many suspect Biden’s camp “leaked” the audio, as there’s nothing in it that’s detrimental to the career politician. If anything, Biden’s words appear to be a direct message to the core constituency that he’s trying to appeal to, which are the casual racists known as white moderates. In the audio, Biden cautioned the use of anti-police rhetoric that could negatively impact the Democrats running in the Georgia Senate runoffs. He also warned against getting “too far ahead of ourselves,” but vowed to ultimately deliver on police reform once he’s in office. https://youtu.be/yXznNSMX43Y Florida Gators star forward Keyontae Johnson continues to be in critical but stable condition at a Tallahassee hospital after collapsing during a game Saturday following a timeout. Johnson, the Southeastern Conference’s preseason player of the year, was taken off the court on a stretcher after falling head first onto the court while coming out of a timeout during the first half of Florida’s game against rival Florida State. He had just dunked in transition before the timeout. Johnson was transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital as shocked teammates, opposing players and both coaching staffs looked on, many in tears. Like many of his Florida teammates, Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. Although the cause of Johnson’s ailment was not immediately known, the coronavirus can lead to myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle. At its most severe, myocarditis can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and has been a documented cause of death for young, otherwise healthy athletes. https://youtu.be/O4_yzFTK3ME Films starring Sidney Poitier and the voice of Eddie Murphy are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The 1963 film “Lillies of the Field,” adapted by James Poe from the 1962 William Edmund Barrett novel of the same name, starred Poitier as an African American itinerant worker who encounters a group of East German nuns, who believe he has been sent to them by God to build them a new chapel. Poitier, who became the first Black person to win the Oscar for best actor, said, “‘Lilies of the Field’ stirs up such great remembrances in our family, from the littlest Poitiers watching a young and agile ‘Papa’ to the oldest – Papa Sidney himself!” “Shrek” – voiced by Murphy, star Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz – was also on the list after becoming a major hit on its 2001 release with $484 million in worldwide grosses, leading to three sequels, a TV holiday special and a Broadway adaption. https://youtu.be/S0LBIxKRCHw Films starring Sidney Poitier and the voice of Eddie Murphy are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The 1963 film “Lillies of the Field,” adapted by James Poe from the 1962 William Edmund Barrett novel of the same name, starred Poitier as an African American itinerant worker who encounters a group of East German nuns, who believe he has been sent to them by God to build them a new chapel. Poitier, who became the first Black person to win the Oscar for best actor, said, “‘Lilies of the Field’ stirs up such great remembrances in our family, from the littlest Poitiers watching a young and agile ‘Papa’ to the oldest – Papa Sidney himself!” “Shrek” – voiced by Murphy, star Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz – was also on the list after becoming a major hit on its 2001 release with $484 million in worldwide grosses, leading to three sequels, a TV holiday special and a Broadway adaption. https://youtu.be/S0LBIxKRCHw The highly anticipated Verzuz battle between Ashanti and Keyshia Cole has been rescheduled due to COVID-19. Hours before the event was scheduled to take place, Ashanti took to Instagram to announce she had tested positive for the potentially deadly virus. “Hey all, I can’t believe I’m saying this but I tested positive for COVID-19,” Ashanti wrote on Instagram. “I’m OK and not in any pain. I’m actually down to do the Verzuz from my house … We’re trying to figure it out.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CIt28ZADvHj/?utm_source=ig_embed In a sign that everything in the world just might turn out OK, there’s been another social media sighting of Sasha Obama living her absolute best young life. Without any context, a photo was tweeted Sunday showing the youngest Obama daughter wearing a crop top and staring blankly into the yonder, perhaps while attending a party. That last part was conjecture since the only evidence she was at a gathering is the stalkerish stare of a young Black man pictured in the background, seemingly entranced by Obama’s presence. Obama is also styling rocking a cowrie shell choker, multiple apparent waist chains above a sarong-type garment unsuccessfully trying to hide her lower half. The tweet summed up the situation pretty accurately: “sasha obama is a HOT girl!” After last week’s dramatic ending with Nyya, the narcissist getting kicked off the resort and walking into the sunset, Nephew Tommy tried to put the love back in Ready to Love by hosting a Texas-style barbecue so everyone could regroup and refocus. Instead of just one person being sent home this week, Tommy threw a little salt in the scenario and told cast members two of them would be sent home: One lady and one man. That caused everybody to become busy bees and start pollinating and planting seeds all over the place, trying to ensure they had at least two people to claim them as top draft picks so they could remain in the game! Adriana, aka Pop Tart, has been vacillating between Rashid and Khalfani since day one. Pop tart and Rashid went on a date to solidify their feelings for each other. Still, Pop-Tart can’t seem to get enough of Khalfani. And that gets on Denise’s nerves, who promised to stop acting so possessive and controlling over Khalfani, who is her top draft pick. Denise wants Khalfani to know she won’t sit still while he plays games with Pop-Tart. Anthony is Denise’s back-up draft pick. Four-time Grammy-nominated and NAACP Image award-winning producer and arranger George Nash Jr.‘s latest single “Closer & Closer” featuring DaQuela Payne and Joe Jordan has achieved the #1 Independent Soul position on the Global Soul Charts. The single is also currently #16 across the UK Soul Charts for Top 30 True Soul. “Closer & Closer” is available for streaming and download now across major digital platforms including Apple Music and Spotify. George Nash Jr.’s smooth a decorous sounds have been responsible for seven Top 10 Billboard hits on the R&B, Adult Contemporary, and Urban Adult Contemporary charts. He is top arranger to great vocal talent including Eric Benet, Eddie Levert, Maurice White (of Earth Wind and Fire) and Tamia. George’s fuse of these genres makes him an early catalyst in the Neo-Soul movement of the 1990s that helped the genre cross over into a mass-market appeal. https://youtu.be/yC8lNzITSa8 Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has been named as "TIME" magazines “Person of the Year.” The Biden-Harris ticket will have no easy way through the next four years to make good on promises of reform, unity and advancement. Together their fates are inextricably linked, making history on several fronts. Harris is the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to be elected as vice president and more votes were cast in this presidential election than any other in history. To date, the Biden-Harris ticket secured more than 80 million votes, even while Trump continues to debase the country’s democratic process with unproven voter fraud claims repeatedly shot down by federal courts led by judges he appointed. As the suspicion around the coronavirus vaccine harbored among Black community members steadies, health officials are working overtime to establish a sense of trust for a system broken by centuries of medical racism. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, is attempting to promote that trust by touting the black scientists, medical experts and researchers who have led to the formation of the various vaccines, including the work of viral immunologist, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. Corbett has led COVID-19 research efforts since the top of the year and retains more than a decade’s worth of experience in scientific research. Keisha Lance Bottoms turned down the chance to serve in President-elect Joe Biden‘s cabinet, one of the Atlanta mayor’s advisers said Saturday. The statement from Rashad Taylor confirmed reports from Friday that Bottoms didn’t accept an offer from Biden. However, it was unclear which cabinet position she turned down. “Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was honored to have been offered a role in the Cabinet, which she respectfully declined,” Taylor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement on Saturday. “The Mayor’s focus remains on the people of Atlanta and the great state of Georgia. Out of respect for the process, and the other candidates under consideration, no additional comment will be forthcoming on this matter at this time.” New Yorker reporter Charles Bethea tweeted Friday that “sources” told him Bottoms “was offered — and declined — the Ambassadorship to the Bahamas.” Bethea suggested that role was a far cry from the cabinet positions for which Bottoms was reportedly among those being considered, including the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). University of Florida star basketball player Keyontae Johnson remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition nearly 24 hours after he collapsed mid-game against Florida State University on Saturday in Tallahassee. The school said Johnson was accompanied by his parents, head coach Mike White as well as the associate athletic director for sports health. It was unclear exactly what “critical but stable condition” means in Johnson’s case. Critical condition is defined as “very sick or injured and likely to die,” while stable condition means that he’s maintaining that critical condition. Johnson was one of the multiple members of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team who contracted the coronavirus over the summer. It was unclear if his status as a Covid survivor has played a role in causing him to collapse Saturday afternoon. The woman who drove a car into a group of Black Lives Matter protesters in New York City has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment for the collision that hospitalized six people. Despite the seriousness of what transpired, Kathleen Casillo was released on her own recognizance and given a court date. The 52-year-old resident of Queens was described by an eyewitness as one of two “white women” in the BMW that allegedly “sped” through the protest shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday. According to CNN, Mellody Hobson was recently appointed to serve as the chairwoman of Starbucks’ board of directors. The appointment is historic as it marks the first time a Black woman will be at the helm of the world’s largest coffeehouse chain’s board. Hobson—who serves as Co-CEO and President of Ariel Investments—has been a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion within major corporations. The Chicago native, who is a Princeton graduate, has served on the boards of companies that include DreamWorks Animation, Estée Lauder and Groupon. She is currently a board director at JPMorgan Chase. She has been on the board at Starbucks since 2005. Through her philanthropic efforts, Hobson has been dedicated to empowering underserved youth from her hometown. She is the board chairwoman of the nonprofit organization After School Matters which provides afterschool programming for children in Chicago. There is a new report that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West may still be together, but “very much live separate lives.” Kim has work with projects that are important to her, and Kanye has his,” a source told People. “Their lives don’t overlap much.” “Kim seems happy” and is “very focused on work and causes,” they added. “She strongly believes she can make a change when it comes to prison reform. This is her passion. Her family is very proud of her.” A few days back, Kim K attempted to halt the execution of Brandon Bernard, but failed to convince Trump and the US District Court of the Southern District of Indiana to stay his execution. Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump is demanding the release of body cam footage in the killing of Joshua Feast following the identification of Officer Jose Santos as Joshua’s killer. Joshua Feast, a 22-year-old Black man, was shot to death by La Marque Police Officer Jose Santos on December 9. https://youtu.be/9lyAD2qGNDw The Donald Trump administration will see three more federal executions take place before Trump leaves office, after two recent executions which many found to be a shocking precedent for a lame-duck president. Reporter Wesley Lowery joins Tiffany Cross to discuss. https://www.msnbc.com/cross-connection/watch/trump-administration-will-see-three-more-federal-executions-sparking-controversy-97615941599 Days after churchgoers filed a lawsuit against coronavirus restrictions in Virginia limiting in-person religious gatherings to 25 people, Gov. Ralph Northam told Christians ahead of Christmas that they “don’t have to sit in the church pew for God to hear your prayers.” “Christmas is two weeks away. The holidays are typically times of joy and community. We gather together, we celebrate our faith, and we celebrate with family,” Northam, a Democrat, said at a press conference on Thursday, according to National Review. He continued, “But this year we need to think about what is truly the most important thing. Is it the worship or the building? For me, God is wherever you are. You don’t have to sit in the church pew for God to hear your prayers.” “Worship with a mask on is still worship,” he added. “Worship outside or worship online is still worship.” The governor then suggested that churchgoers had contributed to the spread of the virus in Virginia. “Quite frankly, we know that a lot of the spread is coming from this because these individuals that are in a place of worship and contract the virus then go out to their place of work or to the grocery store or the convenience store or wherever and that’s how this is spread,” he said. The Paley Center for Media today announced the latest selection to its Paley Front Row Presented by Citi series: Making Holiday Magic! A Look Inside Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. This behind-the-scenes look at Netflix’s latest holiday hit will premiere on the Paley Center’s dedicated channel on Verizon Media’s Yahoo Entertainment on Monday, December 14, at 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST. Cast and crew of Disney football drama “Safety” glad that film focuses on strength over struggle. https://youtu.be/sFOCxFiTqwM It’s a daddy/son thang with Wiz Khalifa and Sebastian. People are coming for the rapper because he kissed Sebastian “Bash” Thomaz, on the lips. He was seen showing his affection on social media and it sparked the raging debate. Although there are many that don’t have a problem with it, others, however, took issue with Wiz Khalifa kissing his son given Sebastian’s age. he’s seven. Naomi Campbell has said people haven’t given Africa the credit the continent deserves when it comes to creativity. The 50-year-old model, who lives in London, explained she was going to attend Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria, by phone but felt the need to attend in person to raise awareness of the work of young, African designers. The supermodel told The Observer that her appearance at the showcase of thirty under-30s collections at the show would help the young designers to gain global recognition at Fashion Week events around the world. Naomi explained she doesn’t want Africa’s representation to just be a trend saying: ‘There has, in the past, been the wrong perception about the continent and the creativity that comes out of it. ‘Right about now, everyone’s kind of got it, finally – for example, that Nigeria is one of the biggest emerging markets with the under-30s, so everyone is looking in this direction. But we don’t want Africa to be considered as a trend.’ Stars including musician Wiz Kid and Vogue editor Edward Enninful were also among attendees at the style event. Naomi said supporting African designers’ innovation and sustainability is a way of helping to push the fashion industry into positive change. The Y.M.M.G (a/k/a ‘The Righteous Mafia’) international tour has been confirmed to begin in 2021.The artists on this label have been getting a lot of global recognition due to their many thriving social media outlets & music platforms. The United States, Asia, Germany, Africa, and UK are some of the few countries that have been streaming the upbeat sound of Y.M.M.G making plays skyrocket. ITunes, Spotify, and Tidal, to name a few, have proved to show these rising stars are in high demand. Y.M.M.G has been enticing their audience for years & now finally because of the overwhelming requests from fans, Yahweh Magazine Music Group is ready to take the global stage. Some people defy their true age but Chef Babette Davis heads the class – by far. At 70 years old, she could easily pass for 40-something based on her youthful face and rocking, skin-tight body. To be honest, there are people who have seen her and thought she was in her mid-30s. While Davis is blessed with such age-defying attributes, her boundless energy and zest for living is evident in everything she does. In addition to the blessings sent from on-high, Davis’ secret on earth is living as a world-class chef, fitness expert, and motivational speaker. Davis is founder and operator of the Stuff I Eat Restaurant, which she opened in 2008 in Inglewood, California. She also produces online cooking classes and is an in-demand speaker at health summits and other motivational engagements across America. The late Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, a former White House butler who served under 11 presidents, lived a life that exemplified what some may consider the most honorable attributes a human can possess: service, dignity and devotion. Jerman served faithfully as a cleaner, doorman and butler for more than half a century; he exuded dignity in every area of his life and was devoted to bettering others’ lives within and outside of the confines of the White House. Jerman began his career in the White House as a cleaner under the Dwight Eisenhower Administration in 1957 and went on to work in various capacities until his retirement during Barack Obama’s presidency in 2012. For more than half of his life, Jerman was indeed a staple in the White House. He was a man who prided himself on delivering first-class service to White House occupants, often making them feel at home. One of his grandchildren made it a point to further his legacy. Jamila Garrett wrote a tribute to Jerman in a poetry book she is authoring. “As nothing is permanent, I am releasing the dedication to my 3(rd) poetry book, “Slither a little early,” Garrett wrote in an Instagram post. “This book is dedicated to Wilson Roosevelt Jerman: ‘Thank you for showing me how to live the definition of love. We are love. Rest In Peace Granddaddy. I will never stop pushing.’ Thank you.” Before actor and comedian Kel Mitchell decided to surrender to the “call” he felt “all through my life” to become a pastor, he worried that perhaps he would have had to sacrifice his secular calling. Even though he didn’t have a blueprint for how he would simultaneously navigate being a pastor and working in the entertainment industry successfully, the ’90s pop culture icon — known for “All That,” Nickelodeon’s longest-running live-action series that ran from 1994 to 2005 and was recently rebooted, as well as popular spinoff “Kenan & Kel” — said he took the leap of faith into spiritual leadership last year, trusting that God’s plan would work just fine. “There was a time where I felt like how will it be accepted? You know? How can I do this? I even searched around, like ‘Lord, send me people that have done this’ and I had no other actor or someone in the entertainment business that I could turn to that I knew was a youth pastor but also currently on television. So I was trying to figure that out,” the 42-year-old said in a recent interview with The Christian Post. As he wrestled with the decision, it was his wife, Asia Lee, with whom he welcomed a second child — a boy named Honor Mitchell — in October, who gave him the deciding shot of inspiration. Jason Lee’s grit, determination and unwavering passion have made him one of Hollywood’s most sought-after entertainment visionaries. The entrepreneur has been CEO, event producer and brand ambassador for more than a decade. His sideline as celebrity relationship connector for The Conglomerate Group included big names like Chris Brown, Kris Jenner, Rob Kardashian and Jamie Foxx. The California native has begun to question the motives of mass-media powerhouse Viacom, the company that kept him on contract through Love & Hip Hop and Wild ‘N Out! He’s not shy about his distaste for the company and wants to remake his brand into a venue for “conscious” content. Lee hopes his cultural journey opens up avenues for African-American employment. This has been a rough week for people in general, and celebs in particular as far as the coronavirus is concerned. Earlier this week the virus seemingly took the life of Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister. Today comes news of the passing of Charley Pride — the first Black man to a breakthrough and dominate the country music scene — dying from the dreaded virus. The legendary singer passed away Saturday in Dallas due to complications from COVID-19 — this according to his PR team, which announced Charley’s death. Actor Carol Sutton, who made appearances in “Steel Magnolias” and “Queen Sugar,” died Thursday night of complications from Covid-19. She was 76. The actor spent her last months at the Touro Infirmary in her native city of New Orleans, where she was treated for the virus. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell confirmed Sutton’s death and remembered the late actor in a statement released on Friday. “Carol Sutton was practically the Queen of New Orleans theater, having graced the stages across the city for decades,” she wrote. “The world may recognize her from her performances in movies and on TV — whether it’s ‘Treme’ or ‘Claws,’ or ‘Runaway Jury’ or ‘Queen Sugar’ — but we will always remember her commanding stage presence, her richly portrayed characters and the warm heart she shared with her fellow cast and crew in productions such as ‘4000 Miles’ and ‘A Raisin in the Sun.’ May she rest in God’s perfect peace.” It looks like COVID-19 is the reason for the seemingly sudden demise of actor Tommy “Tiny” Lister. In fact, just days before his death, he told interviewer Brandon Jay that he was looking forward to taking the vaccine for COVID. https://youtu.be/dr0Ifj0Ux3k Gators All-SEC forward Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court during the opening minutes of UF’s 83-71 loss Saturday morning at Florida morning and was in critical but stable condition after being transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Following the Gators’ seventh straight loss to their in-state rivals, coach Mike White did not address reporters and no further updates were available on Johnson’s condition, UF spokesman Denver Parler said. White did share his thoughts on Twitter, writing, “Please keep praying for @Keyontae and his family. We all love him.” White remained in Tallahassee with Johnson, who UF officials said would remain in the hospital overnight. Meanwhile, Florida players, assistant coaches and support staff returned to Gainesville by bus. Actress Regina Hall combined with attitude and her wicked sense of humor is showing how to celebrate a b-day. She is leaning into her 50th, TODAY, Saturday (12-20) with a hilarious home video and song she wrote — in which she gives praise for reaching a life milestone … and still looking great while doing it — something RH is well aware of, as you can see. https://www.instagram.com/p/CItpzVjAcBs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The rumors came to an end last month when Tayshia Adams replaced Clare Crawley in the extraordinary 16th season of “The Bachelorette.” While shooting this season has been completely different from what Tayshia experienced in her past seasons of the franchise as a contestant, the excitement and the drama is just as thrilling- if not more. She says the primary difference in being The Bachelorette as opposed to a contestant is trying to balance so many different relationships. “Other than that, I was comfortable. I feel good!” Lil Wayne, yesterday, entered a guilty pled. He was busted in the first place because of an anonymous tip. When the officers boarded the plane to speak to the passengers, Weezy told them he had a gun in his bag. Which was true ’cause authorities found a gold-plated Remington 1911, .45-caliber handgun loaded with 6 rounds of ammunition. They also claim they found something else: a bag containing personal use amounts of cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone. Lil Wayne pled guilty to the gun charge Friday in Miami, and his sentencing is scheduled for next month. The veteran rapper, who was convicted of a felony gun charge in NY back in 2009, finds himself now facing up to 10 years in prison. “Cheer” star Jerry Harris, already facing federal child pornography charges, has been indicted on new charges that allege he solicited sex from minors at cheerleading competitions and convinced teenage boys to send him obscene photographs and videos of themselves. The new seven-count indictment that was made public on Friday was not unexpected. In the original complaint filed in September, not only did prosecutors allege that Harris admitted to FBI agents to asking a teenage boy to send him lewd photographs of himself, but that he requested on Snapchat child pornography from at least 10 to 15 others he knew to be minors. Academy Award–winning actor Matthew McConaughey, who recently released his bestselling memoir Greenlights, says attending church on Sunday is a necessity for him to stay grounded. In a clip from an interview with SiriusXM host, Victoria Osteen, who’s also the wife of megachurch Pastor Joel Osteen, McConaughey talked about his faith journey beginning with his New Testament-style Methodist upbringing in Uvalde, Texas, where his mother wouldn’t allow them to take the fact that the sun rose this morning for granted. “I need the ritual of church on Sunday to do inventory on my last week to learn something to take into the week, to propel me into that week that I can feel like I can apply in my life,” the father of three said in the interview which will air in full on Dec. 16 at 12 p.m. ET on Joel Osteen Radio. https://youtu.be/aMT1wUDqlJs Singer LaTocha Scott of the R&B group Xscape has opened up about her weight loss journey during an interview. Scott decided to get serious about her health because she was tired of being called the “big girl” in the group. As noted by Madame Noire, rapper Biggie Small famously called Xscape ugly. Scott shared that she kicked off her health journey by working out regularly and following a vegan diet. The late Dr. Maya Angelou was a legendary poet, author, and civil rights advocate. As an author she is perhaps best known for her 1969 memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” She made history as the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman. While Angelou was a fierce advocate of the Civil Rights Movement, many who followed her career were surprised that she married the same white man three times! The man’s name was Paul Du Feu, who was a British construction worker, painter, and once posed nude in the British Cosmopolitan magazine many decades ago. In a 1975 interview with People Magazine, Angelou and Du Feu talked about their interracial marriage and how they met. “This tall, handsome Englishman came up and asked if I were alone,” Angelou said during the interview. “I said, ‘Yes, why ?’ and he told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world and could he take me to dinner – right now? Well, we’ve never been apart a single night since, except for professional commitments.” Angelou would later tell all who asked that she and Paul married three times because they loved each other that much. The United States recorded more than 3,300 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday – the largest single-day toll since the start of the pandemic – as it authorized the use of Pfizer’s vaccine, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in a country where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people. The Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech, which was shown to be 95 per cent effective in preventing the disease in a late-stage trial. It said the vaccine can be given to people aged 16 and older. Healthcare workers and elderly people in long-term care facilities are expected to be the main recipients of a first round of 2.9 million doses this month. FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn held a virtual press conference on Saturday morning in which he reassured the American public that the vaccine was safe and that doctors are prepared to deal with possible severe allergic reactions of the kind that was witnessed in a few cases in the United Kingdom. President Donald Trump blasted the Supreme Court as having ‘no wisdom, no courage’ on Friday night after it dismissed a case filed by the attorney general of Texas which asked them to intervene and overturn the election in four states which Joe Biden won. The SCOTUS decision to not even hear the case dealt a crippling legal blow to Trump’s legal strategy, adding to the long list of failed lawsuits his campaign has filed in an effort to change the election results as the president still refuses to concede and continues with unfounded claims of voter fraud. ‘The Supreme Court really let us down,’ Trump claimed, as he took to Twitter to voice his disapproval. Donald Trump supporters have voiced outrage after the Supreme Court refused to hear a case to throw out millions of American votes in the election, with Rudy Giuliani raging that its ‘censorship’, Diamond and Silk asking for military intervention and the Texas GOP chairman calling for secession. The Supreme Court on Friday denied a Hail Mary effort by the attorney general of Texas who had asked the court to intervene and overturn the election in four states that went for Joe Biden, dealing a monumental blow to Trump’s flailing legal strategy. The president’s loyalists instantly hit out at the decision calling for various forms of drastic action in response. A coalition made up of 37 CEOs across various businesses and industries is promising to create 1 million new jobs for Black Americans over the next 10 years. This collective organization, OneTen, has announced that it will combine the power of these companies to hire and promote 1 million Black Americans over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement. OneTen was founded by Ken Chenault, Chairman and Managing Director of General Catalyst and former Chairman and CEO of American Express; Ken Frazier, Chairman and CEO of Merck; Charles Phillips, Managing Partner of Recognize, Chairman of the Black Economic Alliance, and former CEO of Infor; Ginni Rometty, Executive Chairman and former CEO of IBM; and Kevin Sharer, former Chairman and CEO of Amgen and former faculty member at Harvard Business School. A group of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) athletes have filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA and its Academic Performance Plan (APP). The plaintiffs, J’ta Freeman, Austin Dasent and Troyce Manassa, allege the NCAA’s APP is based on a formula that includes metrics the NCAA knew would discriminate against Black Student athletes at HBCUs. The suit goes on to say the APPs postseason bans represent a pattern of intentional discrimination against student-athletes at HBCUs. According to HBCU Gameday, the APP requires teams to hit specific academic benchmarks using a metric called the Academic Progress Rate (APR). Punishment for failing to hit the benchmarks can range from cutting practices to a postseason ban. Author J.K. Rowling says individuals who’ve undergone transgender surgeries have been sending her “heartbreaking letters” detailing their regrets. In an interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, the Harry Potter series author said many people now fear for their safety and losing their jobs for daring to say that biological sex is an immutable trait. Earlier this year, Rowling penned a lengthy essay articulating her concerns about the implications of transgender ideology, particularly how it undermines women’s rights. She subsequently likened the experimental hormone drugs being dispensed at gender clinics to a “new form of gay conversion therapy.” Rowling further warned that a medical scandal was at hand, and that organizations and individuals who embraced radical trans dogma while vilifying those urging caution would soon “have to answer for the harm they’ve enabled.” Time Magazine has named President-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as 2020’s Person of the Year. “For changing the American story, for showing that the forces of empathy are greater than the furies of division, for sharing a vision of healing in a grieving world, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year,” wrote Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal. “The Biden-Harris ticket represents something historic,” Time tweeted alongside a video of the announcement. “Person of the Year is not just about the year that was, but about where we’re headed.” As this unprecedented year draws to a close, VaShawn Mitchell helps fans celebrate Christmas at home. The Stellar Awards and Dove Award winner releases HOME FOR CHRISTMAS today on all digital platforms. The 6-track Christmas EP features all original music and offers a range of holiday songs for any at-home celebration. Mitchell, well-known for bridging the gap between worship and praise, brings his signature flair to holiday music on HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. Mitchell gives us music for every holiday occasion while reminding us of the ultimate Gift of Jesus and His hope and love given to us on Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OW-C8GvPVE&feature=youtu.be DOMINIQUE SIDE makes her way back into the music industry as an artist with a Christmas Advent classic “O Ven, O Ven Emmanuel. This classical bilingual rendition was thoughtfully made to include as many as possible in experiencing holiday cheer especially during this pandemic. O Ven, O Ven, Emmanuel is available everywhere music is sold and streamed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1D3xLLghIY&feature=youtu.be Today, three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist and songwriter, DOE, released her powerful live performance video for her poignant single “Take Me Back” via YouTube Premiere. With heartrending lyrics, “Take Me Back” offers an authentic and raw declaration of our need for God’s redemptive nature. The single is off DOE’s new self-titled EP, which released on October 30th by Jonathan McReynolds’ Life Room Label in partnership with RCA Inspiration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj9oZLgaC2E&feature=youtu.be GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard has been named Billboard’s Top Gospel Artist of the Decade. News of the top honor came late last week, as Billboard began announcing its year-end and decade-end charts. Cobbs Leonard was also named the Top Female Gospel Artist for the 3rd consecutive year. This year alone, Tasha Cobbs Leonard earned two additional RIAA® certifications—one Platinum certification for her hit single “Break Every Chain,” and a Gold certification (her third) for the #1 radio single “You Know My Name.” She was also awarded highest honors as Gospel Artist of the Year at the 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards and Artist of the Year at the 35th Annual Stellar Awards. Towards the end of Marvel Studios’ presentation at Disney Investor Day on Thursday, Marvel boss Kevin Feige paid tribute to the late, great Chadwick Boseman. While doing so, he confirmed that Boseman’s character of T’Challa will not be recast in Black Panther II. “I wanted to acknowledge the devastating loss of a dear friend and member of the Marvel Studios family,” Feige said. “Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally. His portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past.”Feige continued, “To honor the legacy that Chad helped us build through his portrayal of the king of Wakanda, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.” The sequel is being written and directed by Ryan Coogler and is slated to be released on July 8, 2022. No further details were given about the Black Panther II storyline. Production has wrapped in the UK on C.S. Lewis biopic The Most Reluctant Convert, directed by BAFTA-winner Norman Stone. Theater actor Max McLean stars in the indie film, which is an adaptation of his U.S. stage production of the same name. Shot in and around Oxford, the film charts the spiritual journey of the renowned writer prior to the publication of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and before his marriage to Joy Davidman. The film reveals Lewis as an Oxford Professor in 1950 looking back to the period of his youth from 1908 to 1931 when he slowly and reluctantly changed his views from atheism to Christianity. Boston College, which managed to escape the worst of the coronavirus outbreak and the schedule and roster shuffling that has affected so many other college football teams, is passing on the opportunity to play in a bowl so players can spend Christmas with their families. BC is the first school to forego the postseason because of the pandemic.“A lot of these young men haven’t hugged their loved ones since June,” athletic director Pat Kraft said Thursday in a conference call with reporters. “I’m very, very, very proud of them and the sacrifices they’ve made.” Meanwhile, four more major college football games scheduled for Saturday — including two with ranked Big 12 teams — were canceled, bringing the total to 10 for this week. No. 13 Oklahoma will not play at West Virginia because of COVID-19 issues with the Mountaineers. No. 23 Texas paused its football activities, calling off the season finale at Kansas. And the 10th-ranked Duke men’s basketball team said it will not play any more nonconference games this season. Rapper Sandy ‘Pepa’ Denton of Salt-N-Pepa fame fame has filed a lawsuit against a doctor who botched her butt job. According to reports, the hip-hop star was involved in a car accident in 2018, and her butt implants were shifted as a result. Pepa turned to Dr. David Sayah a year later seeking relief for the extreme pain in her hips and back. Pepa thought the doctor finally removed the implants during the third and final surgery in Feb. 2020. When she continued to experience butt pain, she went to see another doctor and an MRI discovered a “large amount of biopolymer silicone and dead scar tissue remaining.” Pepa says she’ll likely suffer pain from the injuries for the rest of her life. She’s suing Dr. Sayah for disfiguring her. A few weeks ago beloved comedian Sinbad suffered a stroke. Now, he has sent a message through his kids. In an Instagram post, Paige and Royce Adkins delivered a video message about their dad’s health. The good news is, even though he’s still hospitalized, Sinbad’s on the upswing. https://www.instagram.com/sinbadbad/?utm_source=ig_embed Facebook Watch has released the official trailer for its newest talk show, Peace of Mind with Taraji, ahead of its premiere on Monday, December 14 at 9amPT/12pmET. The U.S. government and more than 40 states have sued Facebook over its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, claiming the popular social media platform engages in illegal tactics to crush competitors. “For nearly a decade, Facebook has used its dominance and monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition,” New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced in a press conference. “Facebook used vast amounts of money to acquire potential rivals before they could threaten the company’s dominance.” https://youtu.be/w_NttxixCfI A 22-year-old California woman has been charged with two counts of murder after crashing her vehicle into another car that killed a husband and wife, and injured their three young daughters. Grace Elizabeth Coleman, of Newport Beach, was driving under the influence when her Range Rover crashed into the family of five. https://youtu.be/H2EtXdWnSyg Singer / Arranger / Producer Jarrett Johnson and legendary Bass vocalist Alvin Chea of Take 6 have been nominated for a Grammy this year for Best Arrangement for their recording of the 115-year-old anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Veterans of the Civil Rights era recall the singing of the venerable anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at nearly every march, rally or strategy meeting. It is a hopeful plea for equality. Now known as the Black National Anthem in the U.S, it was dubbed the Negro National Anthem in 1919 by the NAACP. https://youtu.be/_xyAtPVOeYY Disney has confirmed that “Sister Act 3” is in the works starring Whoopi Goldberg with Tyler Perry attached to produce. The project comes almost 30 years after the last movie. “Sister Act” is about a singer who goes into hiding as a nun after witnessing a crime. The film premiered in 1992 and was a huge hit at the box office, grossing over $231 million against a $31 million budget. The sequel, “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” released the following year. According to Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production boss Sean Bailey, the third title in the franchise is in development. Oscar winner Goldberg is also producing the film. It was previously announced that “Insecure” co-EP Regina Hicks and then Star showrunner Karin Gist were working on the script. FKA twigs has accused ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf of physical, emotional, and mental abuse in a new lawsuit. The New York Times details the suit, which was filed in Los Angeles by the singer, whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, US Weekly reports. “I’d like to be able to raise awareness on the tactics that abusers use to control you and take away your agency,” said the Grammy nominee, who co-starred in LaBeouf’s semi-autobiographical film “Honey Boy.” One incident cited in the suit occurred during a February 2019 trip to a desert, and twigs alleges LaBeouf woke her up in the middle of the night and choked her. On the way home, he was driving recklessly without his seatbelt, threatening to crash the car unless she “professed her love for him.” The actor is also alleged to have knowingly given twigs an STD. The Kardashian-Jenner clan have signed a multi-year deal to “create global content” that will stream exclusively on Hulu. “Excited to announce our new multi year partnership with Hulu and Star and what’s to come in 2021 @hulu,” Kris Jenner tweeted Thursday. The new content from the family is expected to premiere in late 2021, PEOPLE reports. The deal comes months after E! announced that their reality series, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” will end next year. The show initially premiered in 2006. Malik Beasley’s wife, Montana Yao, claims she’s been kicked out of the family home after filing for divorce amid the basketball player’s cheating scandal with Larsa Pippen. Sources tell E! News that Yao filed for divorce shortly after the NBA star was spotted in Miami holding hands with Pippen. Yao says she was “blindsided” after seeing photos online of the Minnesota Timberwolves guard looking very much like he’s coupled up with Scottie Pippen’s estranged wife. Last week, Jay-Z offered an initial glimpse into the world of his upcoming cannabis line, Monogram. The event was marked by the debut of the site the Monogram website and the brand’s Instagram account. Monogram is the first brand born out of the entrepreneur’s partnership with Caliva, one of the largest vertically-integrated cannabis companies in the U.S. https://youtu.be/4AimWTExfFU Thomas “Tiny” Lister Jr., the giant, musclebound actor who rose to fame through his portrayal of neighborhood bully Deebo in the cult classic movie “Friday,” has died. He was 62 years old. Lister, known equally for both his famous grimace as well as his infectious smile, was reportedly found dead Thursday in his apartment in Marina Del Rey, California. After friends and family couldn’t reach him, they requested authorities perform a wellness check at his home. There was no cause of death immediately reported, but police said they believe he could have died naturally. Condolences were pouring in across social media expressing sorrow at the unexpected loss of an iconic figure to so many people who grew up watching Lister on the big and small screens. Ice Cube, the mastermind behind the 1995 movie, tweeted Thursday night that he missed Lister already. Despite a series of 11th hour attempts and delays, Brandon Bernard was executed by lethal injection on Dec. 10 at the age of 40 at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terra Haute, Indiana. His lawyers exhausted all of their resources, leaving Bernard’s fate up to the Supreme Court, who denied a last minute request to stay the execution for 14 days. Bernard was put to death as the result of a 1999 trial where he was found guilty as an accomplice to murder, at the age of 18. The news that former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has been designated to return to that cabinet position under Joe Biden‘s administration confirmed the worst suspicions for civil rights leaders and industry advocates who had been lobbying for a Black person to be nominated. Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge was their consensus preferred USDA candidate, but on Tuesday it was announced that she would instead be nominated to serve as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It proved to be somewhat of a bittersweet announcement that, on one hand, still meant Biden’s cabinet would continue to “look like America,” a reference to his pledge to have a diverse set of the president’s closest advisers that he is making good on. However, on the other hand, it also signaled that Biden would instead nominate Vilsack, who led the USDA during both of President Barack Obama‘s terms, but not without controversy. In this case, Vilsack’s primary offense was the 2010 firing of Shirley Sherrod, a Black woman who served as the USDA’s Georgia Director of Rural Development. And it wasn’t just that he fired her, it was also how he fired her and the circumstances surrounding her firing. Brandon Scott‘s name will undoubtedly be added to the list of emerging young Black mayors elected to metropolitan cities across America, but it was his afro that became the central focus when he was sworn into office. Scott, a 36-year-old progressive Democrat, ran on a platform of reform in an effort to divest from previous old-guard politics which left Black and brown Baltimoreans at a disadvantage. Baltimore is also still healing from the 2015 death and subsequent trial of Freddie Gray’s murder, coupled with the loss of Congressman Elijah Cummings, who represented Maryland’s 7th Congressional District covering portions of Baltimore. Scott was sworn in Wednesday during a private ceremony and flanked by his family, marking the beginning of what some hope to be a resurgence, where previous city leadership left in a swarm of ethical violations and controversy. The mother of a young Black man shot in the back by a police officer in Ohio is speaking out for the first time and questioning why her son was “murdered in cold blood.” Casey Goodson Jr. was killed Friday in Columbus as he attempted to walk into his grandmother’s home while holding Subway sandwiches that Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade apparently and inexplicably mistook for a gun. The 23-year-old’s mother claims the police have changed stories multiple times, prompting suspicion of some kind of a coverup. “My son was murdered in cold blood, and we don’t have no answers as to why he was murdered,” Tamala Payne told CBS News on Wednesday. “It is not a question to me at all at this time if my son was murdered or not.” Payne said she has been left with more questions than answers since law enforcement hasn’t been fully forthcoming or transparent. Tiffany Haddish recently called out the Grammys for inviting her to host a ceremony but refusing to pay for her time, hair, makeup, or wardrobe! During an interview with Variety, the star explained: “All of that would have to come out of my pocket. I don’t know if this might mean I might not get nominated ever again, but I think it’s disrespectful.” She added, “I was like, ‘The exposure is amazing but I think I have enough. I appreciate you guys asking. And as much as I appreciate the honor of being nominated, that’s not OK,” Haddish compared the ordeal to being asked on a date and then being told you have to pay for it yourself! The recording academy faced tons of backlash over its move. Now, a Grammys exec is speaking out to issue an apology to the superstar. Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy Interim President and CEO, posted a video to Instagram early Thursday morning saying, “To me, that was wrong,” Mason said. “I’m frustrated by that decision. It was a lapse in judgment, it was in poor taste and it was disrespectful to the creative community. I’m part of the creative community. I know what that feels like, and it’s not right.” Not every rapper who identifies with “trap” music has shown an eagerness to evolve into community leadership outside of their storied street-entrepreneurial beginnings. Yet trap music impresario Jeezy has gone from encouraging a “Trap or Die” mentality to providing political thug motivation in recent years, endorsing President-Elect Joe Biden in the 2020 election, tweeting support for Hillary Clinton in 2015, and giving fans on both sides of the tracks the unforgettable song “My President Is Black” in time to inspire energy in Barack Obama’s historic 2008 victory. The Georgia resident and “Recession 2" rapper tells “Rolling Stone” how he came to endorse Obama and record the political rap record which became an unofficial campaign theme song (and whose video featured a cheerful cameo from the late John Lewis), how monetary policy factored into his political awakening, and the importance of the upcoming Senate runoff in Georgia on January 5th.” ShowBiz Stories (SBS), founded by Marion J. Caffey (producer, Apollo Amateur Night), launched, December 10 featuring personal and moving stories submitted via video by dozens of artists from across multiple disciplines, from theatre and music to television and film. Anyone can submit their own video on the Tell Us Your Story page at showbizstories.com/upload/. Since the dawn of time, humans have used storytelling to communicate, entertain, and educate. SBS is The Truth Behind the Curtain; the new global home where fans not only get to watch but also participate and share their industry-related experiences. Sharing Stories Worth Telling – Telling Stories Worth Sharing. https://youtu.be/qAK-aOw_bVU As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the globe, new findings from the 2020 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey show that Americans with lower income face more severe health and financial hardships compared to their counterparts in other wealthy countries. The survey, published today in Health Affairs, compared the health experiences of adults with lower income and income-related disparities across 11 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Fielded between February and May 2020, during the early months of the pandemic, the survey reveals that although income-related disparities exist in other countries, they are far worse in the U.S. — and Americans’ health is suffering as a result. These greater inequalities could be undermining efforts to respond to the pandemic in the United States, including prospects for effective vaccination of the U.S. population. Featured in the blockbuster DreamWorks movie “Trolls World Tour” (starring Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick & Mary J. Blige), coveted admission into the Screen Actors Guild, a hit song collaboration "Time" with pop star Ariana Grande, and a recent Billboard #1 plaque for his contributions to the Trolls World Tour movie soundtrack, 2020 has been quite the year for gospel star Brent Jones! To add to this spectacular year, Brent Jones has now been awarded Gold & Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA) - to certify over a million albums sold of “Awaken My Love”, his critically-acclaimed collaboration with superstar Childish Gambino (who made history as the first rapper ever to win Record of the Year & Song of the Year - 62nd Annual Grammy Awards). http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Stellar Award Honors Hall of Fame inductee and platinum-selling pioneer of Gospel Jazz has found Sunday's Best Musician! Ben Tankard launched his quest to find and inspire new talent and allow upcoming musicians an opportunity to appear on his next album. After judging entries based on presentation, professionalism, talent, and skillset fit with the style of the track he would record, Tankard selected two winners - flutist Brandon Marceal and vocalist Tracey Phipps. Brandon Marceal is an amazing freelance flutist who is creating quite a buzz by presenting a unique and refreshing voice to Contemporary Jazz, Hip Hop, Gospel, Funk, Country, and Rock music. Tracey Phipps is a rising R&B singer and songwriter whose sultry vocals and airy falsetto flow in a combination of new school R&B meet a flare of the 90s. Brandon and Tracey will perform with Tankard on his new album SHINE that will release in 2021. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN goes back in time this week as the chefs share recipes from their childhood with Chef Bren Herrera and Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, December 12 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. This episode will give viewers comforting dishes to complete their holiday spread. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cBu3gSECQ0&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV's new series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES which airs this Sunday, December 13, at 9 P.M. ET/8C with an encore presentation on TV One on Wednesday, December 16 at 10 P.M. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un1TAQgC-O4&feature=youtu.be Family-friendly musical Buttons chronicles the heartwarming story of two orphans who discover new purpose and meaning in their lives when they meet unexpected strangers. Though this holiday film originally screened in 2019, it is returning to the big screen for a one-night special on Dec. 17. The star-studded cast features the talents of Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury and Roma Downey, with Kate Winslet and Robert Redford narrating. Churches, schools and other organizations who want to screen the film for their communities have the opportunity to partner with Faith Content Network. https://youtu.be/uIbGnzzAiLw EPIX has released the first teaser trailer for Forest Whitaker’s “Godfather of Harlem,” premiering in April. “Godfather of Harlem” tells a story inspired by infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X – catching Malcolm’s political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. Season two will see Bumpy continue his struggle to reclaim command over Harlem from the Italian mobsters by attempting to seed internal discord and sever their vital heroin pipeline. Meanwhile, Malcolm X will be forced to choose between violent and nonviolent response to the near constant threats to his life and his relationship with Bumpy will be severely tested. https://youtu.be/D9gUMCWID-U Americans’ confidence in soon-to-come coronavirus vaccines is back down with less than half of people in the US saying they will get the shot and less than a quarter of black American saying they plan to get vaccinated, a new poll reveals. According to the latest AP and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey, levels of trust in a vaccine are about the same on the potential eve of one’s approval as they were in May. Black Americans are particularly wary of the shot, despite the fact that they’ve suffered a disproportionate share of the US’s coronavirus deaths. A black or Latinx person is nearly three times more likely to die of COVID-19 than a white person, and about four times more likely to be hospitalized for the infection. Jerry Falwell Jr. has dropped a defamation lawsuit he filed in October against Liberty University, just months after he resigned in August as president of the Christian school following a series of personal scandals, Falwell and a university spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. In his lawsuit, Falwell alleged that Liberty damaged his reputation because it accepted without verifying what he called false statements made by a man who had an affair with Falwell’s wife and attempted to extort them. “I’ve decided to take a time out from my litigation against Liberty University, but I will continue to keep all options on the table for an appropriate resolution to the matter,” Falwell said in a statement. In a statement, the school said its leaders are pleased he has dropped the lawsuit and is working to find someone to succeed him. “Falwell’s unilateral and voluntary dismissal was not prompted by any payments, promises, or other consideration from Liberty,” the school said. Tyler Perry dropped nearly $100,000 so disgraced Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz and his family could live in a luxury Los Angeles mansion, the UK’s Sun is reporting. Perry, 51, covered six months of rent upfront on the 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom Manhattan Beach home — valued at $4 million — where Lentz, 36, and his family moved after unloading their New Jersey home days before he was sacked from the megachurch for infidelity. The Sun reports that in addition to splurging on the $16,000-per-month rental, Perry has been a shoulder to cry on for Lentz, who’s been “leaning” on Perry since his dramatic fall from grace. Another source told the paper the pair have been “consistently” talking with each other. “Tyler has been friends with Carl and his wife, Laura, for years and is sticking by them and their kids during this difficult time,” a source said. Indeed, Perry posted a picture of himself on a plane reading Lentz’s “Own the Moment” in 2018, and the pair now share a PR firm in Hollywood power players Sunshine Sachs, who also rep Ryan Seacrest and Meghan Markle. Hillsong has hired an independent law firm to investigate its inner workings after Lentz’s tarnishing of the megachurch’s million-dollar brand. Disgraced megachurch pastor Carl Lentz had multiple affairs – but is still getting a payoff, Hillsong church founder Brian Houston claimed in a bombshell secret recording. The former head of the megachurch’s New York branch and onetime personal pastor and confidante of Justin Bieber was fired last month, then admitted he cheated on his wife. New York City-based designer Ranin Karim, 34, alleged to The Post that she had a months-long relationship with the married pastor and father-of-three which started last summer, claiming he was “like a drug” to her. But in a leaked audio recording of a meeting of church executives and top donors held around November 19, Australian Hillsong founder Houston revealed alleged that Lentz, 42, had “more than one affair.” A Florida megachurch pastor has urged his congregants against taking the COVID-19 vaccine, falsely claiming it will ‘alter your DNA’ and be used to track people down, and to ‘believe in divine immunity’ instead. Guillermo Maldonado, who is the founding Pentecostal pastor of King Jesus International Ministry based in Miami and is an avid Trump supporter, preached conspiracies about the vaccine to his congregation on Sunday. ‘That is exactly what’s happening with COVID-19. They’re preparing the structure for the anti-Christ,’ he said in a live-streamed bilingual sermon. Players have taken a knee, unfurled slogans and demanded tougher action only to find European soccer remains infested with racism. But on Tuesday, at the end of a year of striking gestures against racial injustice and discrimination worldwide, elite players of the Champions League took the extraordinary step of refusing to continue playing in Paris after a match official was accused of using a racist slur. In a show of solidarity, the players from Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir left the field and didn’t return until Wednesday night, when play resumed with a new referee team. The Army has announced that 14 senior leaders and enlisted personnel at Fort Hood in Texas have been fired or suspended following an investigation into the toxic culture of violence that includes murders, sexual assaults and suicides. U.S. officials said Monday that the purge comes in the wake of the disappearance and killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillen. “I have determined that the issues at Fort Hood are directly related to leadership failures, leaders drive culture and are responsible for everything a unit does or does not happen to do,” Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said at a Pentagon news conference Tuesday. “I am gravely disappointed that leaders failed to effectively create a climate that treated all soldiers with dignity and respect,” he said, “and have failed to reinforce everyone’s obligation to prevent and properly respond to allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. https://youtu.be/gi5ndnmK1oU Ray Perkins, the former Alabama receiver who replaced Bear Bryant as Crimson Tide’s coach and started the transition with the New York Giants that led to two Super Bowl titles, died Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. He was 79. The school announced the death Wednesday, and daughter Rachael Perkins posted the news on her Facebook page. No other details were immediately available. “He served the University of Alabama with great class and integrity,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said on the Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference. “He was a great coach and had a tremendous impact on the game, and he was a really, really good person and a really good friend.” Perkins left a head coaching job with the NFL’s Giants to replace Bryant following the 1982 season. It was a dream job for the former Crimson Tide star receiver. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com LSU is self-imposing a one-year ban on postseason play for this season as part an effort to cooperate with an NCAA probe into rules violations. “LSU leadership made this decision after careful deliberation and review of the NCAA rules violations that have been discovered in the university’s cooperative investigation with the NCAA” and Independent Accountability Resolution Process, the athletic department said in a statement. “This decision reflects LSU’s commitment to compliance with NCAA regulations and maintenance of institutional control.” Much of the NCAA’s investigation of LSU’s football program pre-dates the promotion Ed Orgeron to head coach during the 2016 season and hiring of current athletic director Scott Woodward in 2019. MSNBC, the news-based television cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal has been lauded for its reporting of news, politics and commentary on topics that are tailor-made for political news junkies. Coinciding with the coming inauguration of Kamala Harris, the first woman of color serving as Vice President of the Unites States, MSNBC named Rashida Jones, also a woman of color and established news executive, to be president of MSNBC. “I don’t know that any of us have fully comprehended the seismic shift that just occurred in news,” said Tiffany Cross, a producer and host who also has a recently published her book, “Say It Louder! Black Voters, White Narratives & Saving Our Democracy.” Cross continued: “I think it catapults MSNBC light years ahead of the competition. MSNBC has a vision to create the look of America on and off the screen.” “Pose” actress Indya Moore has launched a new campaign that aims to bring the spirit of Santa Claus with transgender youth this Christmas. As reported by PEOPLE, Moore’s new social media campaign called TranSanta seeks to connect generous people with transgender kids who are homeless, in foster care or who are generally at-risk, who won’t receive presents this holiday season. “For the holidays, we want to show trans young people that they are loved, supported and have a family around the country and world of people who will care for them,” Moore said in a statement. “We are transing Santa — join us! Transness is so beautiful and we are celebrating our magic.” A suspect in connection with the November shooting of Texas rapper Mo3 has been arrested. Mo3 was gunned down on an interstate in the Dallas, according to TMZ. The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Melvin Noble, was on the come up in the rap game. He was also a known associate of Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz. Fox 23 reports that the gunman, Kewon Dontrell White, 21, is facing a murder charge as well as a charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. He’s currently in federal custody, Dallas police said in a news release Wednesday. Police have not released a motive in the case. Dionne Warwick has clapped back at Wendy Williams for discussing the singer’s past marijuana charge. “A friend alerted me that Wendy Williams was spending a lot of not nice time speaking on me,” Warwick, 79, tweeted on Wednesday. “I tuned in to her show to catch the last few minutes of her speaking about me and as in the past, she seems not to be able to speak without maliciously made comments.” “My hope is my name will refrain from being spoken or thought of by her as this conversation was held a few years ago letting her know there was, nor would be any need, for her to say the name Dionne Warwick for any reason,” she said. “I don’t believe one has to be mean to get noticed.” She added, “There’s an old saying you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! Try it Wendy you might like it,” along with a clown and smiley emoji. RCA Inspiration dominates two Gospel song charts, with top honors for two Gospel icons on the latest radio charts out this week. Celebrating their latest #1 hits - the Kirk Franklin single “Strong God” is #1 on the Gospel Airplay Chart - and the Marvin Sapp single “Thank You For It All” is #1 on the Mediabase Gospel Chart. The two acclaimed Gospel superstars continue to deliver empowering anthems to inspire and bring us closer together in fellowship with God during these times. “Strong God” marks Kirk Franklin’s third single off his #1 hit album LONG LIVE LOVE which featured the previous two #1 singles “Love Theory” and “Just For Me.” Franklin also sets a new record with most #1’s as the leader on Gospel Airplay, with “Strong God” marking his eighth #1 on the Gospel Airplay Chart. It’s also his thirteenth Top 10 on the chart. “Thank You For It All” is Marvin Sapp’s lead single off his #1 hit album CHOSEN VESSEL and is his fifth #1 at Gospel radio. The Muzik Firm is an innovative band of musicians led by De’Miyon Hall, former drummer and music director for the “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight. The Muzik Firm has released 3 singles to date: "This Christmas" featuring Carla Anderson (2018), "The Duet" (2019), and "Alchemy" (2020). They are now releasing a new Christmas single "Oh, Holy Night" featuring Gospel singer Zacardi Cortez. https://promo.theorchard.com/89cOu5YYTfek0vlZ2CGZ Actress & Author Jennifer Freeman ("My Wife & Kids", "You Got Served") is making sure we keep the Happy in Holidays with her not one, not 2, but 3 Christmas Movies premiering this month. BET+ taps actress Jennifer Freeman for their Christmas movies "The Business of Christmas" and "The Christmas Kiss". Her third film "Beaus of Holly" premieres on ION Television. Jennifer's co-stars include the talented Daphne Reid (Fresh Prince of Bel Air) as her mother in "The Business of Christmas", Golden Brooks (Girlfriends), Taj V Simpson (Tyler Perry's "The Oval") and Michael Copan ("Power Rangers") round out a few of her co-stars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB8GZ3IfLrI&feature=youtu.be The ladies from the first viral video, "Get Your Booty To The Poll" are back to encourage Georgians to vote in the Senate Runoff election. Get Your Booty to the Poll has teamed up with The New Georgia Project to release another PSA- this time aimed at the state of Georgia to remind voters to complete their entire ballot, and to remind them about the senate runoff election on January 5th. The video was directed by Angela Barnes, produced by Paul Fox, and features some of Atlanta's finest exotic dancers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMJgzBO_ut4&feature=youtu.be WE tv’s “Bridezillas” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Veronica sparring with her fiancé Kenny on the night before her wedding. In an exclusive clip, the bride-to-be makes clear that she doesn’t even want to be in the same room with her man.https://youtu.be/KYwjYGVamTc New details are emerging in the fatal shooting of Casey Goodson Jr., a 23-year-old Black man who was killed Friday by a Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy in Columbus, Ohio. Deputy Jason Meade is named as the officer who fatally shot Goodson on that fateful day. Goodson was apparently inside his home holding a sandwich when he was fatally shot in front of his mother and two toddlers, according to a new report by the Associated Press. Police maintained Goodson was outside of his home and tried to justify the lethal force because they mistook the sandwich for a gun. The details follow the announcement that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost declined to take up the case citing that Columbus police took three days to bring the case to their attention. Columbus police also waited two days before they released Goodson’s name as the victim. Law enforcement officials in Georgia have determined that the cause of death for a Black teenager found hanging over the weekend was suicide. Omari Bryant‘s family has maintained that the 18-year-old was not suicidal. However, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said there was no evidence of foul play, local news outlet WALB News reported. Friends, family and community leaders are calling for an independent investigation into the “suspicious” hanging. Omari Bryant’s body was hanging in front of a motel early Saturday morning in the town of Homerville and people close to the 18-year-old are doubting the cause of his death is suicide. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is conducting an autopsy on Bryant to determine the exact cause of death. However, the top law enforcement department in the state will not be investigating Bryant’s death. That will have to be left up to the Homerville Police Department. In the meantime, lawyers representing Bryant’s family were calling for the GBI to get involved. “In addition to conducting our own investigation, we are calling for the GBI to conduct an independent investigation into this suspicious death of a young man loved and respected by his family and community,” Francys Johnson, a partner with the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law firm and former Georgia NAACP president, said in a statement. More than 1,000 influential Black women penned an open letter to President-elect Joe Biden, making good on a promise to hold his administration accountable when it comes to their unique and separate best interests. The letter, organized by the advocacy group #WinWithBlackWomen, calls on the Biden-Harris transition team to appoint and consider Black women for remaining cabinet positions as the incoming administration rolls out its nominees. The note appeared hours before a scheduled meeting with civil rights leaders Tuesday and a special announcement regarding Biden’s health team. Biden has only nominated two Black women to the 15 cabinet positions, many of which have already been fulfilled. Over the past two weeks Linda Thomas-Greenfield was named as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations while Cecilia Rouse was picked to lead the Council of Economic Advisors. Brandon Bernard, 40, is expected to die by lethal injection Thursday, but his lawyers are using every resource they have to work against the clock to gain clemency, stemming from a 1999 trial where he was found guilty as an accomplice to murder. A website created by Bernard’s attorneys includes important details regarding his fight for clemency. As of today, his execution is scheduled to go as planned at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terra Haute, Indiana unless Trump‘s administration intervenes. Bernard’s case is full of complexities that don’t warrant an open and shut conviction. Five jurors who convicted Brandon now want to see his execution stayed, including the initial prosecutor who argued against his case. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The news that Doug Jones was President-elect Joe Biden‘s choice to be the next U.S. attorney general quickly drew attention to the former Alabama senator’s successful prosecution of former KKK members who bombed a historic Black church in Birmingham that killed four little Black girls in 1963. On that fateful day more than 57 years ago, four Klan members planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite at the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing 14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley and 11-year-old Denise McNair. Nearly two dozen others were injured in the blast that became known as the Birmingham Church Bombing. Nate Parker’s drama “American Skin,” has been acquired by Vertical Entertainment and is set for release next year in the U.S. on Martin Luther King Jr. day. Parker (The Birth Of A Nation), Omari Hardwick (Kick-Ass), Theo Rossi (Luke Cage), Beau Knapp (Seven Seconds) star in the film which has Spike Lee attached as an executive producer. As reported by Deadline, “the film charts how after witnessing his 14 year-old son’s murder by a white police officer who goes uncharged, Marine veteran Lincoln ‘Linc’ Jefferson takes matters into his own hands in a series of events he hopes will finally lead to justice for his son.” Nice White Parents” is the latest podcast to get the TV treatment. Following a bidding war with the Obamas’ production company and Netflix, HBO secured the rights to adapt the five-part New York Times and Serial Productions podcast as a half-hour comedy. Issa Rae will executive produce through her Hoorae banner. The“Nice White Parents” podcast launched in July and “is described as a satirical look at the conflict and comedy that arise when highly resourced white parents, who claim to have the best intentions, wield their influence over generations of Black and brown students within the New York public school system.” Today, during Day 2 Main Stage programming at WrapWomen’s Power Women Summit 2020 in Los Angeles, the largest annual gathering of the most influential women in entertainment, media and technology, Regina King opens up about her upcoming directorial debut “One Night In Miami,” finding vulnerability in four iconic Black men, hiring as many women as possible behind the scenes, and how John Singleton helped her on the path to becoming a director. Tina Turner is speaking out about surviving her abusive marriage to Ike Turner. In a new interview with the Guardian in support of her new book, “Happiness Becomes You: A Guide To Changing Your Life For Good,” the music icon said: “Over the years I have summoned up my inner lion and overcome each health problem. Illness has given me a greater appreciation for health and reminds me to live each day to its fullest,” she explained. Turner added, “Buddhism found me. The abuse I endured in my 20s and 30s had become obvious to people around me, and at different times a number of them suggested that I learn about Buddhism.” The singer said it was through Buddhism that she was able to “leave the unhealthy environment with no regrets.” August Wilson is getting a stamp! The award-winning playwright will receive one of the nation’s highest honors when he appears on a U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp, to be dedicated Jan. 28 on USPS’ Facebook and Twitter pages. One of America’s greatest playwrights, Wilson is hailed as a trailblazer for helping to bring nonmusical African American drama to the forefront of American theater. He’s collected a ton of accolades for his work, including seven New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards; a Tony Award, for 1987’s “Fences”; and two Pulitzer Prizes, for “Fences” and 1990’s “The Piano Lesson.” Walter E. Williams, a prominent conservative economist, author and political commentator who expressed profoundly skeptical views of government efforts to aid his fellow African-Americans and other minority groups, died on Tuesday on the campus of George Mason University in Virginia, where he had taught for 40 years. He was 84.His daughter, Devon Williams, said he died suddenly in his car after he had finished teaching a class. She said he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension. As a public intellectual, Mr. Williams moved easily between the classroom and public forums that gave him wide reach. He wrote a syndicated column, lectured across the country and frequently appeared on the radio as a substitute host for the ardently conservative Rush Limbaugh. Anita Hill is launching a new app with the Hollywood Commission next year that aims to hold the industry’s rapists and serial abusers accountable. “All of the practices in the world are not going to work unless people trust them. So we’ve got to build a values-based system and, perhaps most importantly of all, we have to ensure accountability,” Hill said during her keynote address at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit. “We can be better in the entertainment industry. But to do that we have to make changes.” https://youtu.be/H2GStfG1hPc Brown Sugar, the popular subscription streaming service from Bounce, will feature a curated collection and popular returning titles that’ll bring the warm and fuzzies this holiday season. December’s curated collection of Christmas Cheer includes: A Christmas to Remember a heart-warming tale full of laughter starring Robin Givens; A Perfect Gift where Ruben Studdard (“American Idol”) and Golden Brooks (“Girlfriends”) learn through hard times what Christmas is all about; Clara’s Ultimate Christmas, a fun family film about a little girl whose Christmas goes haywire; the Bounce original A Stone Cold Christmas starring Demetria McKinney (“Saints & Sinners,” House of Payne”) as a shrewd businesswoman solely focused on money who finds herself face-to-face with the love of her life and more. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com WEtv’s “Braxton Family Values” retuns with an all new episode this week, and finds Towanda checking in on sister Traci to see how she’s doing following a family fallout. https://youtu.be/UEAKKo9qs5k Hip-hop icon Kurtis Blow is recovering after having heart transplant surgery in Los Angeles on Sunday. “We give all glory to God for the perfect heart and transplant,” his wife, Shirley Walker, told Black Press USA. “He is out of surgery. Keep the prayers and praises up. God does all things well.” The rap star, whose real name is Kurtis Walker, has a history of heart ailments. After recovering in 2019 from surgery to repair an aortic artery, the music pioneer was rushed back onto the operating table for a second procedure. Recently, Blow teamed with other artists to help Rocky Bucano and former Def Jam President Carmen Ashhurst work on the Universal Hip Hop Museum, which breaks ground this month in New York. The city shelled out a $3.75 million grant to help build the museum. Nipsey Hussle’s estate has been valued at over $4 million dollars. TMZ reports that a majority of the late rapper’s net worth comes from his shares of companies he owned as well as personal luxury items. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com NBA superstar LeBron James has clapped back at critics from the media who continue to diminish his milestones and contributions. The Los Angeles Laker made his feelings quite clear on the matter during a recent appearance on the Road Trippin’ program. James took the opportunity to directly address his naysayers and haters. https://youtu.be/yapU4SQQ39c Will Smith’s original series “Will From Home,” available exclusively on Snapchat, is set to return for a second season on Monday, Dec. 14, this time honoring everyday American heroes. Each of the 10 episodes this season will highlight extraordinary citizens such as Sonja Frazier, the Taco Bell employee whose remarkable courage and quick thinking saved a man’s life; Chef Willie Ray, who began giving out free meals in his community to those impacted by the major windstorm that left hundreds without power; determined 8-year-old, Aaron Moreno, who began selling plants to help support his mother and reunite his family; and the generosity of Chinatown resident, Patrick Mock, who, after his community was hit particularly hard during the pandemic, began delivering free meals to elderly residents and hospitals to support them through this unprecedented time. Smith will be joined by a host of celebrity friends and guests including Alicia Keys, DJ Khaled, Jason Derulo, Jill Scott, Lil Nas X, Liza Koshy, Ludacris, Black Thought, Master P. and many more. https://youtu.be/xhBQZ_15izA Jemele Hill and Cari Champion’s hosts of Vice TV’s “Cari & Jemele (Won’t) Stick to Sports” asked Jake Paul if it was racist to knock Nate Robinson out cold like he did. Paul called it a “sh*tty” question, but appeared to catch on when he was asked a second time amid chuckling. Hill and Champion are trending on Twitter today after Vice TV tweeted video of the moment, which was the episode’s “question of the day.” A contingent of folks online, believing the pair were really asking Paul if the knockout made him racist, lost their minds. Chicago rapper Twista posted a rather disparaging meme about actress Gabourey Sidibe and now he’s getting his just desserts for doing it. In a now-deleted meme, he shared side-by-side images of Sidibe and model Bernice Burgos. The post/meme compares two fictional women (but using Sidibe and Bergos as “avatars”). Option A depicts a financially stable woman with no children, her own house, and a car that features an overweight Sidibe. Option B is a woman with no job who has no car, three children by three men and 12,000 followers on Instagram. It features a flattering image of Burgos. Twista then asked his 438K followers “Who y’all choosing A or B. WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Michael popping up on Sarah after missing their court date. The ex-couple are caught up in a nasty child custody battle. https://youtu.be/7uKiRcaF4kA The fourth season of WE tv’s hit series “Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta” returns on Thursday, January 7 at 9pm ET/PT. This season, growing political division collides with pandemic pandemonium, leaving the OG’s of Atlanta hip hop on the brink of disaster. Bow Wow’s past comes back to haunt him when a mystery woman leaks a shocking secret. Da Brat’s in love, but can’t escape drama in the dirty A. Ms. Deb drops a bomb that threatens Waka and Tammy’s core beliefs and their happiness. COVID literally takes Ayana Fite’s breath away, leaving her fighting for her life, as well as her friendships. Rivalries, grudges, and new and returning characters shake things up, forcing ATL’s hip hop royalty to face the music. https://youtu.be/4pz7rAUKBGk Hip-Hop icon Too $hort has revealed that a new rap supergroup is on the horizon consisting of himself, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and E-40. As reported by NME, Too $hort told a podcast recently that he and the other rappers are preparing to serve up several new songs “into the new year as a package deal”. https://youtu.be/zKy2LgtwEdY MAJOR. CHATS WITH THE LADIES OF ?THE REAL WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH WATCH DEBORAH COX ON THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH VaShawn Mitchell Invites You to the Home For Christmas Virtual Concert Experience Join Vashawn Mitchell for the Home For Christmas Virtual Concert Monday, December 14th at 8PM CST/9PM EST. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Paramount Pictures has acquired the Reckless Love feature from a pitch by To All The Boys: PS I Still Love You scribe J. Mills Goodloe. Super-producer DeVon Franklin is attached to produce via his Franklin Entertainment label, which has a first-look deal at Paramount. The film is based on the c behind critically acclaimed Christian worship song of the same title by Cory Asbury, one of the top Christian singer-songwriters. Goodloe will pen the screenplay, which will follow the love story between Cory and his wife Anna, who live in Kalamazoo, Michigan and have four children. Released in 2018, the song spent 68 weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart, 18 weeks at number one and 55 weeks in the top 10. The single, which has over 300 million total streams and more than 125 million views on YouTube, was also nominated for a 2019 Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. Israel Houghton will serve as executive producer with Ashley Brucks and Alex Rosario overseeing the project on behalf of the studio and Katarina Hicks overseeing for Franklin Entertainment. Controversial gospel star Le’Andria Johnson has announced she is “divorced” again. In earlier years, she revealed that her first marriage failed because she was too young and that her second ended because it was a poor choice she made while drunk. “This woman right here is not perfect!!!! This woman right here has and will make mistakes!!!! This woman right here is now divorced!!!! Yeah you heard it!!!! This woman right here is currently working in the studio for her new album!!!! This woman right here WILL BE ALRIGHT!!!!” she announced on her social media accounts Sunday. Since rising to fame after winning BET’s gospel singing competition “Sunday Best” 10 years ago, Johnson’s personal life has been the subject of many controversial headlines. The United States just recorded its highest weekly COVID-19 death toll as it experiences a surge in cases. The nation recorded a seven-day average of 2,249 deaths last week, according to The New York Times, breaking the previous record of 2,232 set in April. There have been more than 283,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. as of Tuesday morning, according to data from the Times. In addition, the nation is averaging about 200,000 cases per day, and has recorded more than 15 million cases in total. The records come as the U.S. experiences a surge heading into the winter months, when experts have warned that the colder weather would force more people indoors, where the virus spreads more easily. The body of a 28-year-old woman was found in the trunk of a car after it crashed during a police chase in Texas, authorities said. Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety discovered the remains of Briana Teirra Johnson on Saturday while searching a white Honda they’d been pursuing. Cops first spotted the vehicle speeding around 7:45 a.m. and pulled it over in Beaumont, about 85 miles east of Houston. But the driver, Victor Campbell Jr., allegedly zoomed off, leading the troopers on a chase that ended when he crashed near the parking lot of a church thrift shop. Surveillance video from Johnson’s house in Houston allegedly showed Campbell dragging her out just before 5 a.m. and loading her body into the car, the report said. Sources told the outlet that Campbell occasionally stayed at Johnson’s house, though it’s unclear what their relationship was. The National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee is looking for a new leader. Terri Lee Freeman has resigned as president after serving in that role since 2014, the Memphis-based museum said Thursday. Freeman led the museum through the 50th anniversary of the death of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 2018. The museum is located on the grounds of the former Lorraine Motel, where King was killed while standing on a balcony on April 4, 1968. The museum has also been the site of peaceful protests demanding racial equality and denouncing police brutality after the killings of George Floyd and other Black men during confrontations with authorities in recent years. The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday that Freeman has been named executive director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore. She begins her new job Feb. 15, the newspaper said. Vandals daubed white paint over the faces of Black historical figures on a mural outside a Black cultural archive in Amsterdam in what one of the archive’s founders called a racist attack Thursday. The vandals also stuck stickers on the mural saying in Dutch “soot-smudge Pete is genocide,” a reference to the long-running and increasingly polarized debate about the children’s holiday season character Black Pete, who is seen by Black activists and others as a racist caricature. “It’s super shocking and worrying. We see it as an attempt at racist intimidation,” said Mitchell Esajas, one of the founders of The Black Archives, a collection that documents the history of Black emancipation in the Netherlands. Esajas said that archive staff have filed a criminal complaint with police. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker swore in Justice Kimberly Budd as the chief justice of Massachusetts’ highest court on Tuesday. Budd, 54, becomes the first Black woman to serve as chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, which traces its history to the late 17th century. She replaces former Chief Justice Ralph Gants, who died in September. Her nomination was confirmed by a 7-0 vote by the Governor’s Council. Baker, who nominated Budd, has called her “an exceptional and dignified jurist that has served on the Supreme Judicial Court with fairness and integrity.” Budd, a former federal prosecutor, has served on the court since 2016. The Newton resident had previously served on the Massachusetts Superior Court. Earlier in her career, she prosecuted cases in the major crimes and drug units as an assistant U.S. attorney before going on to work in the general counsel’s office at Harvard University. President-elect Joe Biden has selected Rep. Marcia Fudge to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. The offer to lead the roughly $50 billion housing agency comes after weeks in which Fudge launched a bid to become the first Black female Agriculture secretary. Fudge, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, and her allies in the Congressional Black Caucus had lobbied openly for the USDA job. Biden is now leaning toward choosing former Obama agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack, however. Today, the NAACP met with President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris about the ongoing racial justice crisis that has plagued our nation. In the face of an unprecedented pandemic, an escalation of police violence against Black people, and a current presidency rooted in white supremacy and bigotry, the NAACP calls on the incoming Biden administration to create a new position–National Advisor to the President on Racial Justice, Equity and Advancement. “The structural inequality that is rooted deep within our society must be addressed, and after four years of regression on social, civil, and political matters that profoundly impact the American people, specifically, Black people, we must prioritize the transformation of our nation into a more just, equal society in which all Americans can succeed and thrive,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP. “The creation of National Advisor to the President on Racial Justice, Equity and Advancement is a bold action that has the potential to yield significant results on behalf of millions of Americans.” Barack Obama chops it up with “Desus & Mero” this Sunday and a clip of the interview shows the former president commenting on the pair’s pitiful basketball performance against Sen. Cory Booker, which took place on their show last season. Let me just say that I saw some of the footage of y’all with Booker,” Obama said while walking into the chat with Showtime hosts Daniel “Desus Nice” Baker and Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez in a preview video released Monday. “Before you say anything, that was a deepfake and fake news. Do not misrepresent us,” the pair pleaded. “If you post that video on Twitter, it would be disclaimed and there would be a little note on the bottom. “I’m just saying, here’s the good news: Looks like y’all could play for the Knicks,” Obama, a noted basketball fan, shot back. https://youtu.be/RAhQzrsLS-s Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson is naming Jalen Hurts his new starting quarterback, and the rookie will start Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Carson Wentz, the team’s franchise quarterback to this point, will back up Hurts. “We’re not where we want to be as an offense,” Pederson said, according to the team’s website. “I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the team over the hump, to try to get everybody playing better.” Hurts came off the bench in the Eagles’ 30-16 loss to the Packers on Sunday and outperformed Wentz. Hurts finished 5-of-12 for 109 yards with a touchdown and an interception while rushing five times for 29 yards. Wentz ended 6-of-15 for 79 yards and was sacked four times. Olivia Jade Giannulli, the daughter of Lori Loughlin, has broken her silence on her parents’ involvement in the college admissions scandal. The 21-year-old popular YouTuber sat down for Tuesday’s episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk, where she opened up about mother and father, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, serving prison time for their role in the controversy. https://www.instagram.com/oliviajade/?utm_source+ig_embed Emmy®-nominated producer Jesse Collins, Oscar®-nominated producer Stacey Sher and Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh will produce the 93rd Oscars®, Academy President David Rubin announced today. It will be their first involvement with the Oscars, which airs live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, April 25, 2021. “The upcoming Oscars is the perfect occasion for innovation and for re-envisioning the possibilities for the awards show. This is a dream team who will respond directly to these times,” said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “The Academy is excited to work with them to deliver an event that reflects the worldwide love of movies and how they connect us and entertain us when we need them the most.” TV veteran Jackée Harry has announced that she is joining the cast of “Days of Our Lives,” the long running soap opera on NBC. Appearing on the TODAY show this week, Harry shared the good news with hosts Hoda and Jenna, and she also discussed her upcoming holiday film “A Christmas For Mary.” “I am going to be joining the cast of [a] big, big soap opera on NBC, DAYS OF OUR LIVES,” she revealed. In related news, Harry and Vivica A. Fox stopped by “The Tamron Hall Show” Monday to talk about their new holiday film on OWN titled “A Christmas For Mary,” and both opened up about individuals that helped them along the way. https://youtu.be/2t8AbL4CZZA Jill Scott opened up about her experience of motherhood during an appearance on the Tamron Hall show. https://youtu.be/qtrBgVSyeqE UMC (www.UMC.tv), the streaming service created by BET founder Robert L. Johnson which focuses exclusively on Black TV and film, will be rebranded as ALLBLK in January 2021. Launched in November 2014 under Johnson’s RLJ Entertainment entity, UMC was part of AMC Networks’ November 2018 acquisition of RLJ Entertainment. The first quarter launch will find the service debuting a premium, new look and feel as ALLBLK ramps up production on a robust slate of original series heading into the new year – including the previously announced multi-cam comedy, Millennials; MC Lyte sitcom, Partners In Rhyme; legal drama, Lace; haircare makeover series, My Mane Problem; and the Datari Turner/eOne reality series, Notorious Queens. Disney+ has rolled out a lot of original content since its launch. Their newest film “Safety” tells the heartwarming true story of Ray-Ray McElrathbey. Ray-Ray, also known as Ray, was starting his college football career in 2006 as a safety on the Clemson Tigers football team when life almost knocked him out of bounds. His mother was battling an addiction and was sent to rehab. This left Ray’s younger brother facing the possibility of going into the foster care system. Instead of letting his bother go into the system, Ray decided to care for him but it wasn’t easy. https://youtu.be/m0j8O2swT5o Sister Souljah has announced that she will release a sequel to her bestselling novel “The Coldest Winter Ever” next spring. Titled “Life After Death,” the new book will center around the protagonist from the original story, Winter Santiaga. Ari Lennox has been supporting Black Owned Businesses on her Youtube series. Now, she’s joined with Google and the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. to create a jingle (short & catchy song) specifically for a D.C. based plant shop called Grounded. https://youtu.be/eZyYxAIS30g The Wall Street Journal Magazine spoke with legendary director George C. Wolfe about working with Chadwick Boseman on his final role opposite Viola Davis and Colman Domingo in the upcoming Netflix film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The film is based on August Wilson’s award-winning play from producer Denzel Washington. Wolfe says, “We were doing it in a very casual way, and I assumed that when Levee got to the big speech that Chadwick was going to stop. But he didn’t stop. He kept going, and Levee took over—it was raw and explosive. Afterwards, Chadwick just started to sob, and Colman hugged him, and then Chadwick’s girlfriend basically picked him up.” (Boseman and his girlfriend, Taylor Simone Ledward, got married before his death.) https://youtu.be/ord7gP151vk Rashida Jones, a senior vice president with a wide portfolio at NBC News and MSNBC, will become president of the network on February 1. The Wall Street Journal, which broke the news of her appointment, said that Jones will be the first Black person to run a major cable news network. The transition was announced by NBCUniversal News Group chair Cesar Conde on Monday afternoon. "She has an outstanding track-record and she leads with a laser-like focus and grace under pressure. I know she will be an excellent leader for MSNBC," Conde wrote in an internal memo. Conde said that Griffin came to him shortly after the presidential election and spoke about "his desire to depart at a time of his choosing and when he felt confident about the strength of the network he loves." Transitions in Washington, D.C. often lead to turnover in the news business as well. Griffin, 64, "has many interests and passions outside news -- and he is energized right now by the prospect of being able to participate in them professionally," Conde said in his memo. Signaling what could be a result of a surge of progressive legislators in Congress, the House on Friday passed the most sweeping bill ever aimed at decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level by removing cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Advocates of the measure worked for years behind the scenes with congressional leaders to present the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment & Expungement (MORE) Act, legislation that not only deschedules cannabis but also creates a pathway to erase nonviolent federal marijuana convictions. The bill will travel to the Senate, where its future is uncertain. However, a runoff race in Georgia could turn the tide. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com One of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations announced the honorees for its annual awards ceremony recognizing people working to promote social, racial and economic justice in their communities. The National Action Network (NAN) Wednesday revealed the five winners’ names for this installment of the Triumph Awards, a yearly tradition that began more than a decade ago. Actress Angela Bassett, activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham, DJ D-Nice, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts and actor/producer Tyler Perry were all named as recipients of Triumph Awards at the 11th annual ceremony, which will go virtual for the first time on Monday night. Actress Angela Bassett, activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham, DJ D-Nice, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts and actor/producer Tyler Perry were all named as recipients of Triumph Awards at the 11th annual ceremony, which will go virtual for the first time on Monday night. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Bounce has announced the full roster of honorees for the 2020 Bounce Trumpet Awards which annually recognize the outstanding accomplishments of African Americans who have succeeded against great odds and inspired success in others. This year's 29th annual ceremony - entitled The Bounce Trumpet Awards: Stand Up - will honor individuals who have risen to fight social injustice for Black Americans and will premiere on Sunday, December 13th at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. This year's honorees: Supermodel, businesswoman and actress Naomi Campbell will be honored with the Vanguard Award, "Grown-ish" and "Black-ish" star-turned-activist Yara Shahidi will receive the Trailblazer Award, Stacey Abrams will be bestowed with the Valor Award and Track & Field star Tommie Smith will be given the Xernona Clayton Award of Distinction. Special guests helping to pay tribute to the honorees are Grammy-award superstar Mariah Carey, Oscar nominated director Lee Daniels, actor/activist Jesse Williams, actor Trevor Jackson, political activist Angela Davis and former Congressman Bakari Sellers. The ceremony will feature musical performances from Busta Rhymes, Anthony Hamilton, Terrace Martin and Bell Biv Devoe. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Wearing a black dress, Wendy Williams confirmed on her talk show Monday (Dec. 7) that her mom, Shirley Williams, has died. “In the name of my mother, because my mother, she’s like, ‘You got ’em, they’re long, you show ’em,'” said Williams regarding the amount of leg shown in her dress. “She also talked me into picking out this outfit today. She’s also died.” Williams said that her mother actually passed away, “many, many, many, many weeks ago. You know how you lose track of the day and time? All I know was it was a long time ago. The five of us, my mom, dad, my siblings, the five of us — she will always be here.” https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/12/07/1087337006820208846/636x382_MP4_1087337006820208846.mp4 Vanessa Bryant shared a loving birthday tribute on social media to her daughter Bianka, who turned 4 on Saturday. Bryant posted the message on behalf of their entire family, including her late husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna, who were killed in January in a helicopter crash. “Happy 4th Birthday Bianka! We love you sooooooo much. You bring so much sunshine to our days,” Vanessa captioned a photo of the birthday girl. “God bless you baby girl. Love, Mommy, Daddy, Nani, Gigi and Koko,” she added, referring to daughters, 17-year-old daughter Natalia and 1-year-old Capri. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tennis star Serena Williams latest project is inspired by her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. According to Black Enterprise, Williams recently launched a jewelry collection that celebrates the essence of motherhood. The capsule collection—dubbed By My Side—is part of her company Serena Williams Jewelry. It features an array of pieces including matching “Queen” and “Unstoppable” necklaces, heart-shaped pendants and earrings. Williams says the pieces were designed to celebrate the impact and influence that mothers have in the lives of their children. “My heroes are moms because women are superheroes,” she said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “The capsule is a celebration of women and their strength, of their courage and perseverance. And of course of the tremendous power of mothers to mold and inspire their daughters not just with fashion and style, but with determination, poise and power.” Williams has used her jewelry company as an avenue to celebrate and spread awareness surrounding things she’s passionate about. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she donated proceeds from her jewelry line to a relief fund for small Black-owned businesses. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com “Black Panther” star Letitia Wright appears to have deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts after receiving backlash regarding a video she posted on the platform Thursday night. The video, which was from the YouTube channel “On The Table,” questions the legitimacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. It also appears skeptical of climate change, accuses China of spreading COVID-19 and includes transphobic comments. Wright tweeted the link to it on Thursday night with the prayer hands emoji, and it was deleted shortly thereafter. YouTube has also removed the video in question for violating its terms of service. Now, Wright’s entire Twitter account seems to have been deleted, with the handle @LetitiaWright yielding a “This account doesn’t exist” flag when one searches for it. Her Instagram account also appears to have been deleted. Representatives for Wright did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Talk” has tapped Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth as the daytime show’s new co-hosts. Beginning next year, Kloots and Welteroth will replace Eve and Marie Osmond, joining returning hosts Sharon Osborne, Carrie Ann Inaba and Sheryl Underwood, TheWrap reports. After four years co-hosting “The Talk,” Eve announced her exit from the CBS daytime talk show last month. The rapper/actress says she is now focused on “expanding her family,” Deadline reports. Pastor Jamal Bryant Asks the Question, Should the Black Church Give Out the Vaccine? Strangely, There Are Some People Who for Some Reason Think That the Church Is the Wrong Place to Deal With the Issue of the Vaccine. Jamal Bryant Then Asks the Question if You’re Not Going to Take the Vaccine Please Tell Me What You Are Going to Do. And Then He Brings Up Another Plague-pandemic That Is Killing More People Than the Coronavirus Plague. https://www.youtube/watch?reload=9&v=0i0dcJdVFBM&feature=youtu.be Known as the real Godfather of Harlem, who also owned The Apollo Theater, Dr. Guy Fisher became respected as the Robin-Hood for the people was released October 28th from Yazoo Mississippi Federal Prison after serving 38 years for being involved in the heroin enterprise with the infamous drug lord Nicky Barnes’ The Council. Nicky betrayed him and Guy was sent to prison for LIFE. While in prison Fisher earned a Master’s Degree and PHD. in Sociology. After being introduced by Gene Anthony Ray (Fame/Leroy) Debbie Allen took a real interest in his novel VICIOUS CIRCLE and helped him start a writing program for a class of his fellow inmates. Miss Allen has long believed that his true story is as gritty and dynamic…as “American Gangster,” “The Godfather of Harlem” and “New Jack City” combined and could become a symbol of possibility and change. “The one thing that took hold of me, and freed me from hatred, was when I started writing,” Dr. Fisher says. “I have known Debbie Allen Nixon for almost 35 years! and I have been writing manuscripts and true stories but I wanted to start writing the screenplay and asked her to send me a few samples. Shortly thereafter I received approval to open a Book and Screenplay writing Class while in prison. Because of Debbie Allen, more than 100 men have published. books and screenplays.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation announced it has launched a major initiative to support excellence and equity in the arts with gifts totaling $500,000 to The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, Hartford Stage, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The initiative is named in honor of Joyce C. Willis, a former Roberts Foundation board member, founding member and past board president of The Amistad Center, board member of The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and ardent supporter of Hartford Stage. Willis, who retired from The Hartford Financial Services Group as Vice President of Corporate Communications in 2005, died of COVID-19 in June. “By committing substantial financial resources to this initiative, The Roberts Foundation is leveraging our genuine commitment to both excellence in the arts and racial equity to meet this moment and advance real change for the better,” said Olivia White, secretary of the Roberts Foundation. “The board is thrilled that we can support organizations that meant so much to Joyce in their efforts to lift up Black artists and engage diverse audiences.” Amazon Prime Video has released the official trailer for Education, the fifth and final film in Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology series. https://youtu.be/9uxPGMubvbQ Listen to new music from rising star and acclaimed songwriter Shy Riddick featuring Tynisha Keli t"How U Feel (Remix). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTvt7EaIVn4&feature=youtu.be The Powerhouse Fellowship Soul Choir is one of Canada's most sought after choirs. Founded by Shawn Cotterell, Powerhouse took home a 2020 Gospel Music Association Canada Covenant Award this year for Gospel Album of the Year for their IT'S NOT OVER - LIVE album. The popular choir also garnered high-profile appearances this year in two movies: the Netflix original series "Self Made" Inspired by the life of Madam C. J. Walker staring Academy Award-winner Octavia Spencer and, the Lifetime Television Network movie event "The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel". Cotterell and Powerhouse are ending the year with a new holiday single release "The Manger" featuring Grammy® Award-winning R&B singer Chrisette Michele. "The Manger" is written by Sean Simmonds and Fred Busse and produced by Simmons. Instrumentation is by Mario Maitland, III. https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-manger-feat-chrisette-michele-single/1540851229 Pastor Tyrone Jefferson drops "Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bhm0epsy2b9qhj8/AADRhXvew7FwYN-JTANGDieNa?dl=0 Natalie Desselle Reid, an actress who had roles in the films B.A.P.S. (1997), Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011) and on the sitcom Eve, died Monday. She was 53. Reid’s death was confirmed by Je’Caryous Johnson, CEO of Je’Caryous Entertainment, which was planning a stage adaption of B.A.P.S. It is with great sadness and heavy, heavy hearts that Je’Caryous Johnson and the entire Je’Caryous Entertainment family mourns the passing of one of our own, our sweet, unforgettable actress/comedian Natalie Desselle Reid,” Johnson said in a statement. He went on to describe the actress as a “show-stopping personality.” “Immediately upon meeting and working with her, we fell in love with her undeniably witty, always giving and caring and hilariously show-stopping personality,” Johnson added. https://youtu.be/JHBvRde4dSM While Vivica A. Fox and Jackée Harry stopped by “The Tamron Hall Show” Monday to talk about their new holiday film on OWN titled “A Christmas For Mary,” both opened up about individuals that helped them along the way. https://youtu.be/2t8AbL4CZZA Wall Street Journal Magazine spoke with legendary director George C. Wolfe about working with Chadwick Boseman on his final role opposite Viola Davis and Colman Domingo in the upcoming Netflix film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The film is based on August Wilson’s award-winning play from producer Denzel Washington. Wolfe says, “We were doing it in a very casual way, and I assumed that when Levee got to the big speech that Chadwick was going to stop. But he didn’t stop. He kept going, and Levee took over—it was raw and explosive. Afterwards, Chadwick just started to sob, and Colman hugged him, and then Chadwick’s girlfriend basically picked him up.” (Boseman and his girlfriend, Taylor Simone Ledward, got married before his death.) https://youtu.be/ord7gP151vk La La Anthony launched her own show on Facebook Watch earlier this year called La La Anthony Reclaim Your Life. For the series, Anthony joined forces with her friend Karrueche Tran to help empower two women. “It was inspiring to take two women who just weren’t feeling really great about themselves,” Anthony said. “When you look good, you feel good,” she said. “But most importantly it was about what was going on internally. It was so inspiring to watch the transformation happen during the show, and they left feeling so confident with the tools to go out there and tackle the world and feel good about themselves. That’s something I’m really proud of and would love to get back to filming once productions are officially back up.” Selena Quintanilla’s husband Chris Perez and her sister Suzette hit up social media to praise Netflix’s new “Selena” TV series, which released Friday. The coming-of-age story follows the late Tejano singer as she chases her dreams, and the heart-wrenching and life-changing sacrifices she and her family make as they navigate the highs and lows of success, loss, love, and music. Part one of the two-part series is currently streaming on the platform. Suzette and Chris shared their reactions to the series on social media. Both were members of the singer’s band before her tragic death in 1995. Selena was murdered by her fan club’s president Yolanda Saldívar. https://youtu.be/-0wz7n-h71M The backlash against Meek Mill was swift last night after he shared his $20 donation to a group of at least 8 young Black boys in Atlanta who were selling water, telling them to split it … as he sat behind the wheel of a $400,000 vehicle. The Internet collectively called him a cheapskate and he has since defended his actions. After backlash ensued over the video, he responded by insisting, “They appreciated it. They just hustling kids.” https://youtu.be/dCQATCs_yRM Tory Lanez continues to deny shooting his alleged former girlfriend, rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Friday night, the Canadian rapper was asked by a fan in an Instagram comment to come clean about the incident. Lanez has repeatedly denied the allegations on his latest album, “Daystar,” as well on social media and most recently in court. “I realize that not every body heard me say ‘no I did not’ on my album,” he wrote, “… becuz they mistaked [sic] a black man expressing his innocence for insensitivity … as if we ain’t all fighting the same fight, as if exiling a successful man is the answer to a problem bigger than him … you’ll get more than u need to know when court resume.” There’s a loophole in the 13 Amendment that allowed a form of slavery to exist after the Civil War ended in 1865, and is still legal to this day. The 13th Amendment states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” https://youtu.be/Olkf-Fo21pY Bob Dylan has sold publishing rights to his catalog of more than 600 songs, one of the greatest treasures in popular music, to the Universal Music Publishing Group for an undisclosed sum. The catalog includes such modern standards as “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” a body of work that may only be matched for its breadth and influence by the Beatles, whose songs were re-acquired by Paul McCartney in 2017. The songwriting legend earned an estimated $300 million from the sale, according to The New York Times, which first reported it. Dylan, 79, topped the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time in 2015 and the song “Like A Rolling Stone” was named by the magazine as the best ever written. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, the only songwriter to receive the award. This is Lauren Daigle’s third year reigning as Billboard’s top Christian artist. But her music—from powerful reminders of God’s presence to the comforting nostalgia of Christmas—has struck her differently in 2020. In an interview with Christianity Today, the singer talked about seeing her recordings in a new light, describing the songwriting process as a “prophetic exchange” with God. She marvels at how the Lord has used her songs, which broke records on the Christian charts, to speak into a moment she never could have imagined. Efforts to create a public art project honoring those killed during race riots in Chicago in 1919 are gaining traction. The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project is working to create and install markers at 38 locations where people were killed. The riots remain among the deadliest incidents of racial violence in Chicago history. The effort is being led by Peter Cole, a Western Illinois University professor, and Franklin Cosey-Gay, who leads the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Protection. The project recently received a $2,500 Illinois Humanities grant, according to a WIU new release. Over the summer the project organized historic bike tours to draw awareness. Midshipman Sydney Barber had her doubts about applying for the top student leadership position at the U.S. Naval Academy. A Black woman had never held the post in the 44 years women have been able to attend the 175-year-old institution. A Black academy alumna of another generation saw her potential. Navy Capt. Tasya Lacy, class of 1997, pressed Barber to apply. Next semester, Barber will become the first Black woman to be the academy’s brigade commander. The brigade commander represents about 4,400 midshipmen — future Navy and Marine Corps officers — before the academy’s commandant. It’s a top leadership position that enables a midshipman to lead peers in achieving the goals of the brigade. Dick Allen hit the ball so hard, fans in Philadelphia started showing up in batting practice during his rookie season just to watch him hammer shots over the Coca-Cola sign atop the left-center field roof at Connie Mack Stadium. The rousing attention, he got that early. The rightful acclaim, sadly, he had to wait much longer. Allen, a seven-time All-Star slugger whose fight against racism during a tumultuous time with the Phillies in the 1960s cost him on and off the field, died Monday. He was 78. The 1964 NL Rookie of Year and 1972 AL MVP had a lengthy illness while at home in Wampum, Pennsylvania. “Dick will be remembered as not just one of the greatest and most popular players in our franchise’s history, but also as a courageous warrior who had to overcome far too many obstacles to reach the level he did,” the Phillies said in a statement. Allen’s No. 15 was retired by the Phillies in September, an honor that was considered way overdue by many for one of the franchise’s greatest players. Montgomery is marking the 65th anniversary of the 1955 bus boycott with a series of events. Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested Dec. 1, 1955 after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery. Her action helped ignite the yearlong boycott of the bus system by Black passengers and ushered in the civil rights movement. “For the 65th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, we remember the individuals who sacrificed everything to provide future generations a better world,” Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed. Reed is the city’s first Black mayor. The events include free admission to the Rosa Parks Museum, lectures, a unity walk and other activities. Actor David L. Lander, who played the character of Squiggy on the popular ABC comedy “Laverne & Shirley,” has died after a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis, his wife said. He was 73. Lander died Friday in Los Angeles, surrounded by his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Kathy Fields Lander said in an email Saturday to the Associated Press. “It was very peaceful,” Lander said. “He had a tough battle with MS for 37 years and he persevered like no one I have ever seen, and it taught me a great deal about the important things of life.” Lander is survived by his wife and a daughter, Natalie Lander. Singer Jeremih has beat COVID-19! The Chicago R&B singer was released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital Friday night after a weeks-long battle with coronavirus. He’s currently home recovering. In a statement to TMZ, the star thanked his loyal fans who have been praying for him through his tough health journey. “First and foremost, I would like to thank God and the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for saving my life. I will be forever grateful.” He went on to say, “I would also like to thank my family and friends for all their prayers and well wishes. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. A special thanks to Chance The Rapper, 50 Cent, and Diddy for their love and support.” A Twin Cities minister has been charged with molesting a 17-year-old girl. Robert P. McKenzie, 49, of Brooklyn Park, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. McKenzie was booked into jail and has since been released on bail before a Dec. 16 hearing. A message was left Monday with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations. McKenzie is a co-founder of Word of Faith Ministries, a Christian church that operates from a hotel in St. Louis Park. According to the criminal complaint: The teenager told police that she was in her bathroom in May when McKenzie touched her sexually. She told him no and grabbed his hands in an effort to get him to stop. On Nov. 8, he touched her sexually in the home’s kitchen. McKenzie allegedly admitted to the allegations, adding, “I had a perverted thought.” In the waning days of his dark, dark presidency, Donald Trump announced via Twitter on Sunday that his buddy and personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani tested positive for COVID-19. “@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!,” Trump tweeted. Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley will come under a new stay-at-home order beginning TONIGHT, Sunday night after their available intensive care unit capacity fell below 15%, creating a critical shortage of ICU bed space in hospitals. https://youtu.be/hpj_STsZrUw Word on the street is that Jeezy and his fiancée Jeannie Mai have called a time out on their impending nuptials. Jeannie underwent surgery on her throat a few weeks ago. However, it seems Jeezy wasn’t very available to give her comfort, etc., because of his schedule which included a very high visibility Verzuz battle with rapper Gucci Mane. “Jeezy wants to hold off on marriage. They’re engaged, so there’s no need to rush things,” is what one of the ATL rapper’s buddies says. He also said: “Probably [they’ll get married] in 2025 or something like that.” Today, Legendary comedian, actor, writer, producer, author and Twitter Star, George Wallace will release his newly anticipated book: “Bulltwit…and Whatnot” The Online Ramblings of GEORGE WALLACE with Foreword By Patton Oswalt. Wallace, also known as the New Mr. Las Vegas, has been a legendary staple in Hollywood and Vegas as a star whose longevity in comedy and as an actor and writer has defied most odds. Most recently, unexpectedly he has become a Twitter sensation and social media star, garnering over close to a million followers, who adore his Twitter rants. IMDb TV today ordered the Original true crime docu-series, Moment of Truth from Amazon Studios, and also announced a series in development with award-winning filmmaker dream hampton. Moment of Truth will premiere early in 2021 on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service. Moment of Truth is a five-part docu-series that tells the never-before-seen story behind the murder of beloved husband and father, James Jordan, and exposes the checked history in the small North Carolina town where the heinous crime and subsequent trial occurred. The docu-series newly examines the crime which took place not far from where Mr. Jordan lived with his wife and raised his five children, including NBA superstar Michael Jordan, who was at the height of his global fame when his father was killed. Comedian Loni Love recently took to social media with a heartfelt post dedicated to her longtime boyfriend, James Welsh, on the event of his “89th” birthday celebration. In the comments section, the fans were slow to catch the joke, and some of them fell for it, believing Welsh really is 89. Those who figured he could not be that old simply laughed and joined the comedian in wishing her beau a happy birthday. Some hours later, Love shared another update with her fans. This one featured Welsh wearing a small blue birthday hat while seated outdoors at what looked like a roadside cafe. Love and Welsh have been quarantining together for some time now. In May, the comedian told Closer Weekly that she and the actor have grown closer. Boxing legend James Toney predicts a ‘vicious’ outcome in a potential bout between him and former heavyweight champion of the world, Mike Tyson. Toney’s masterful skillset in the ring also qualified him eligible to be enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as well. However, that honor is still pending because of the pandemic. With Tyson’s recent exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. and Iron Mike’s upstart, ‘Legends Only League,’ Toney wants in on the action by setting his sights on a showdown with Tyson or spark a rematch with Roy Jones Jr. who handed Toney his first career loss in 1994. Former NBAer current NBA analyst for ESPN/ABC, Jalen Rose also hosts a podcast called “Jalen Rose: Renaissance Man.” The newest episode features him interviewing veteran journalist Katie Couric. Here’s some of what he had to say about getting with Kouric: As a black man in this time of social unrest, I love that an outspoken white woman like Couric doesn’t mind making other people feel uncomfortable about the truth by talking about difficult subjects. I pay attention to that, so I was really looking forward to picking her brain. And of course, being the vet she is, Katie tossed every question back to me, which made for an insightful and fun discussion. https://playlist.megaphone.fm/packs/media/assets/images/megaphone-pause-815c340ae6cc4dffb865b4ec07959cac.png There is no doubt that #SnoopDogg was hands down one of the top moments during the recent #MikeTyson and #RoyJonesJr. fight as he handled the commentary. He definitely brought the laughs during the event, causing some people to crown him the real winner of the event. Now it looks like Snoop will be trying his hand at the boxing world by teaming up with #Triller to launch a new boxing league. According to @espn, Snoop announced that he would be partnering with Triller for “The Fight Club,” which will have at least five to eight events a year with Snoop serving as the host and announcer. Similar to the Tyson-Jones fight, the events will bring together boxing along with the musical acts to match. The press release continued to state that the league will be “connecting celebrities from various backgrounds, from breakout social media stars and professional athletes renowned for their athletic abilities to celebrated musicians and well-known actors and other stars. MSNBC has announced the launch of its new weekend morning programming block with Tiffany Cross, premiering Saturday, December 12, and Jonathan Capehart, premiering Sunday, December 13. The two programs will build upon MSNBC’s expanded weekend lineup by bringing two political veterans with keen inside knowledge and vast cultural perspectives to the timeslot once held by “AM Joy.” https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/tiffany-cross-jonathan-capehart-to-launch-new-msnbc-shows-on-weekends-97092677837 The Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council Friday unanimously voted to decline Breonna Taylor‘s mother’s request for a new prosecutor to investigate her daughter’s police killing, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. Council members claimed they did not have the legal authority to grant the request. Tamika Palmer filed the motion with the council in October after a grand jury empaneled by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron declined to bring forth charges in Taylor’s March 13 death at the hands of the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD). Only one of the three officers initially charged in the case faces three charges of wanton endangerment for firing into a neighboring apartment. After months of seeing the coronavirus ravage other parts of the world, COVID-19‘s widespread effect on the U.S. has increasingly hit home for many Americans as states see as a continuous stream of people become diagnosed with the respiratory illness that turned into a global pandemic. And after a brief spate of the fake news that Black people were somehow immune to contracting the coronavirus, a steady and troubling number of Black folks — including those who are notable and famous — have not only since been diagnosed but many have also died of complications from it. Juan Williams, who appears on the Fox News show “The Five,” serves as the program’s liberal-leaning voice. He’s currently isolating while the show is scheduled to be broadcast from home for the “foreseeable future.” For many generations, the blackface assistant of Santa Claus—known as Black Pete—has been a beloved central figure at Christmastime for the Dutch. But a growing number of people in the Netherlands have been turning against that racist tradition. “I think we have reached the tipping point,” Bert Theunissen, a professor of history at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, told the Christian Science Monitor in 2018. However, despite the increased backlash, including a plea from the Rev. Jesse Jackson to end it as well as a global racial reckoning, the so-called celebration is still going on as planned this year. The Dutch have long viewed the nation as a bastion of liberalism and welcoming of diversity. However, the rise of right-wing extremists in response to immigration has forced many of them to re-evaluate the national character. That has no doubt caused many to rethink their cavalier attitude about Black Pete and realize that the character represents slavery and oppression of Black people. When Freda met Johnny – Freda Payne and Johnny Mathis, that is – chemistry and musicality abounded as they breathed delicious life into George & Ira Gershwin’s classic, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” As a tantalizing sneak peek evidence of Freda Payne’s first project since 2014’s acclaimed Come Back to Me Love, the sound of these legends’ voices together on one mic for the first time anywhere/anytime is a treat for the ears and hearts of all, arriving just in time to warm them for the holidays…a season of love, sharing and wistfulness as special for the singers as it is their ardent fans. https://youtu.be/WMzEMFi5__g H.E.R. is a soulful R&B singer, who plays electric guitar with the style of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Yet, she has her own style of singing and her own manner of playing the guitar. While it is more common to see female singing recording artists playing piano during their performances, it’s a bit more of a rarity to see the combination of a female singer-electric guitarist, especially one that has designed a Fender Stratocaster for the iconic guitar maker. In essence, she is the first Black woman to have her own signature Strat, which she showcased when she appeared on “Saturday Night Live” this past October (2020). https://youtu.be/M_Ejh9b_RiI Los Angeles Lakers fans are too thrilled these days because the chances of winning another championship in 2021 just got better. If you haven’t heard, the team announced on Thursday that they have officially re-signed both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. First up was James’ deal. He inked a two-year, $85 million contract through the 2022-23 season on Wednesday. The extension will take him into his age 39/40 season. AD, Anthony Davis was a free agent this off-season, but he signed his new deal with the Lakers only hours after James on Thursday morning, opting for a five-year contract worth up to $190 million. https://youtu.be/1MHtVqdOSfE Kenya Moore was on the “Wendy Williams Show” in the “Hot Seat” Where she revealed an interesting story about what went down after a date with Kanye West. “I did go out with Kanye once,” Moore told Wendy. “That was a disaster.” https://youtu.be/ccgR7rSSnc8 When 2020 began, there were four African American Fortune 500 CEOs. When the year ends, there will be three.Jide Zeitlin stepped down as Chairman and CEO of Tapestry, the fashion holding company that owns Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman. When Zeitlin stepped down this past summer, he cited “personal reasons.” He was appointed CEO of Tapestry in September of 2019. He was a previous member of Tapestry’s board of directors since 2006, serving as chairman of the board since 2014.After Zeitlin left his top-level executive position, only three other Black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are left. They are Kenneth Frazier of Merck & Co, a pharmaceutical company; Marvin Ellison of Lowe’s, one of the nation’s leading hardware chains; and Roger Ferguson, Jr. of TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America), a major company that helps participants invest in equities to diversify retirement funds. Greenleaf” actress Lynn Whitfield took to Instagram to show off her newfound sewing skills and her first design. In the video, she says she feels like a kid in a candy store with all the possibilities. “I made this skirt In this time of staying in, I’ve been feeling a passion to make things as I see them… as I imagine them… as I design them to be. Maybe in some intimate way, I can shape what my world would look like, feel like, even in the simple exercise of making a holiday skirt. “In part it’s nostalgic… The women in my family were always preparing for some event, big or small, and they loved it… Mardi Gras, Easter, Christmas… It didn’t need to be expensive but it always had to be beautiful. The women in my family love a good skirt! “Making my holiday skirt… this felt like something new for me to explore… a hands-on expression of myself through fashion. It was grounding to imagine and design something as I saw it. And I love it… #xoLynnWhitfield” The Chosen resulted in an epic television series that has been viewed by 50 million people, with 50 different languages, and in 180 countries. The Chosen is about the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of his relationship with each of his Disciples. The first season ends with Jesus still with us in the current day still spreading His ministry. https://youtu.be/X-AJdKty74M MGM and The Black List announced the launch of a two-year feature film script writing partnership to discover new voices with unique perspectives from historically underrepresented communities around the world. Together MGM and The Black List are committed to identifying new writers who want to tell original stories with universal appeal for the big screen. Every six months over the next two years, The Black List will deliver a shortlist of new feature film writing candidates to MGM for consideration. MGM will then look to select one writer from each six-month cycle to receive a two-step Guild minimum blind script deal and the opportunity to work with the iconic studio. The first opt-in period for the partnership begins December 3, 2020 and will close February 23, 2021. Fredro Starr is on the record saying that an ONYX vs. M.O.P would be the bomb-diggety! “I think that would be perfect, ONYX and M.O.P. I’m cool with Fame and Billy that’s our peoples. I wanted to do a Verzuz against M.O.P. because they came out when we came out. They represent Brooklyn we represent Queens but we had that same energy almost. Dr Dre’s eldest daughter LaTanya Young has revealed that she has not seen her superstar rapper father in 17 years. In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV Young, 37, said she wants a relationship with her Dre, and she makes clear that she is not after his riches. The hip-hop icon is allegedly worth about $800 million. https://youtu.be/thJxp6a7jU4 Black Panther star Letitia Wright, 27 is facing calls for her to be recast in the movie’s sequel after her online comments about a COVID-19 vaccine. However, the British actress herself liked tweets that read ‘cancel Black Panther 2 immediately’ and ‘nah she needs to be recast’ after she continued her Twitter tirade by claiming that people are ‘canceled’ as soon as you ‘don’t conform to popular opinions.’ Wright faced the backlash after she posted a YouTube clip that questioned the efficacy of the coronavirus jab on Thursday night. Cynthia Erivo will star and produce a new film based on the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, an 19th century princess who was ‘gifted’ to Queen Victoria. The Two-time Oscar-nominee, 33, will portray the story of the Egbado princess of the Yoruba people, orphaned and enslaved by a west African king, before travelling to England where she was renamed and taken in by the Queen’s court. While her position in court put her at the centre of aristocracy, it did not protect her from public scrutiny or suffering or stop others from being ‘suspicious’ of her because she was an educated black woman. Cynthia says ‘I am excited to embark on this journey. It has taken a long time to get to a point where we can even begin to realize this dream. ‘As a Nigerian-British woman, to get the opportunity to tell the story of another Nigerian-British woman who until now has been erased from the history books, is an honor. Even more actors are signing on to Amazon’s Lord of the Rings adaptation. Lenny Henry, Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Peter Mullan are just three of the names announced as joining the New Zealand-filmed project, according to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. And 17 more names were also added to the cast of the streaming series, which has an anticipated budget of up to $1billion. Addai-Robinson is best known for her roles in Power and The Accountant, while Henry has appeared in Broadchurch and Doctor Who. Mullan is known for his roles in Ozark and Westworld, and was nominated for an Emmy for his work in 2013’s Top of the Lake. Also joining the cast are Maxim Baldry (Years and Years), newcomer Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman (Top of the Lake), Anthony Crum (The Wilds), Maxine Cunliffe (Power Rangers Megaforce), Trystan Gravelle (The Terror), Thusitha Jayasundera (Broadchurch), Fabian McCallum (You, Me & The Apocalypse), Simon Merrells (Knightfall),? Geoff Morrell (Rake), Lloyd Owen (Viva Laughlin), Augustus Prew (The Morning Show), Peter Tait (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Alex Tarrant (Filthy Rich), Leon Wadham (Power Rangers Beast Morphers), Benjamin Walker (Jessica Jones) and Sara Zwangobani (Home and Away). NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns revealed he has lost seven members of his family to COVID-19, including his mother who died as a result of the virus in April, stating that he has seen ‘a lot of coffins in the last seven months’. Towns, 25, was speaking to ESPN about the upcoming NBA season, scheduled to tip off on December 22, and the difficulties it will present him amid his off-court tragedies. ‘I’ve been through a lot, obviously starting out with my mom,’ Towns said Friday. ‘Last night I got a call that I lost my uncle. I feel like I’ve been hardened a little bit by life and humbled.’ He did not say which other members of his family had passed away. The 25-year-old said that he is still trying to process the death of his mother as he looks to protect the rest of his family from the ongoing pandemic. His father, Karl Sr., also tested positive for coronavirus earlier in the year but has recovered. ‘I’ve seen a lot of coffins in the last seven months,’ Towns said. ‘I have a lot of people who have – in my family and my mom’s family – gotten COVID. I’m the one looking for answers still, trying to find how to keep them healthy. RCA Inspiration continues to deliver a trailblazing range of talent as one of the premiere labels in Gospel and inspirational music, garnering major honors and top rankings on Billboard’s 2020 Year-End Charts in their Gospel categories. Measuring sales, airplay, and other music consumption data from Billboard’s charts in the past year, RCA Inspiration and its parent group Provident Entertainment garner top rankings in Gospel label and imprints lists. Provident Label Group has been named #2 on Billboard’s 2020 Year-End Charts for Top Gospel Labels, Top Gospel Albums Labels and Hot Gospel Songs Labels. RCA Inspiration has been named #2 on Billboard’s 2020 Year-End Charts for Top Gospel Albums Imprints and Hot Gospel Songs Imprints, with Verity also #4 on the list of Top Gospel Albums Imprints. RCA Inspiration’s artists and fan favorites that continue to impact the charts, from new songs to compilations from Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Marvin Sapp, Kierra Sheard, Koryn Hawthorne, Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Mali Music and more. Tis the season to be jolly, but with the pandemic, this holiday will be a little different from the past. If you're looking for music to awaken your inner joy, look no further than Brandon Camphor & OneWay (BC1Way). Join BC1Way on Friday, December 4th at 8pm EST on BC1Way.com for their "Christmas Joy" Holiday Special which will include a visual presentation of the music from the EP! Two-time GRAMMY®- nominated, Billboard Music and NAACP Image Award-winning songstress Koryn Hawthorne, has teamed up with Dove Award-winning hip-hop artist KB, to release a refreshing remix to her chart-topping hit single “Pray.” Available now on all digital music providers, “Pray (Remix)” offers an artful match up of Hawthorne’s soulful vocals and KB’s melodic flow. https://korynhawthornemusic.lnk.to/PrayRemix!Koryn THE GOSPEL LEGENDS commemorate three successful decades together. And although some members have come and gone over the course of all those years, the Pringle brothers have remained the heart and soul of the group all along. Their 8th studio album, Just One Touch, due for release December 11, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-obz78B-6bg&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV's new series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES premieres episode two on Sunday, December 6, at 9 P.M. ET/8C with a simulcast broadcast on TV One on Wednesday, December 9 at 10 P.M. This week's episode takes viewers down a drama-filled path with close friends whose dating preferences lead to conflicts and misunderstandings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE6e8kzdHlE&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN showcases fun, delicious recipes for brunch, the unofficial fourth meal, with Chef Resha and Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, December 5 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. This episode will provide quick and easy, yet elegant meal tips to spruce up viewers brunch menus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgzC8hBY2I&feature=youtu.be There may be even more evidence to suggest Taylor Swift is engaged to her boyfriend of four years, Joe Alwyn. Swift fans have been chattering nonstop ever since she announced she's rerecording her old music. It's no surprise, then, that they dove deep into the singer's surprise preview of “Love Story” 2.0 and found possible Easter eggs. Fans were quick to catch the not-so-subtle shade thrown at Scooter Braun in the hilarious Ryan Reynolds Match.com commercial, which featured the rerecording of “Love Story.” But all that drama may have overshadowed an even bigger reveal. One fan on Twitter pointed out there seems to be a pretty suspicious lyrical change in the new version of “Love Story.” They heard, “It's a love story; baby just said yes” instead of “It's a love story; baby just say yes.” Keke Palmer always keeps it real on social media, whether it's about her beauty routine or social injustice—and her latest Instagram post is one of her most personal yet. On December 1, the 27-year-old actor and musician opened up about her struggle with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, as well as the chronic acne she's been experiencing as a symptom. In addition to a series of unfiltered photos that show her acne and scarring, she also posted a lengthy and heartfelt caption detailing her journey with PCOS. “Hey you guys, for some of you this may be TMI, but for me my platform has always been used for things much greater than me,” she started her lengthy caption. She then goes on to describe how PCOS—a hormonal disorder that can have side effects like acne, painful periods, and excessive hair growth—has been “attacking me from the inside out” her entire life. Before getting her diagnosis, she said she'd tried everything to cure her acne that was “so bad that people in my field offered to pay for me to get it fixed,” including two rounds of Accutane, changing her diet, and following the classic—misguided—advice to “drink more water.” Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause and Dancing With the Stars's Keo Motsepe are dating. They shared some cuddly selfies on Instagram in December 2020 that seemed to confirm the relationship, and in one clip on his Stories, he calls her “baby." This is Stause's first public relationship since her messy split from This Is Us star, Justin Hartley. Alison Lurie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose satirical and cerebral tales of love and academia included the marital saga “The War Between the Tates” and the comedy of Americans abroad “Foreign Affairs,” died Thursday at age 94. Lurie, a professor emerita at Cornell University, died of natural causes, according to her husband and partner, Edward Hower. Praised by The New York Times as one of the country’s “most able and witty novelists,” Lurie broke through commercially in 1974 with “The War Between the Tates” and received her highest acclaim for “Foreign Affairs,” winner of the 1985 Pulitzer. Current COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. have surpassed 100,000. The number of people in hospital blew past the previous record level of 60,000 in early November, and has been rising ever since. Speaking to Newsweek, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned: “January is going to be terrible,” with the outbreak expected to reach its worst level yet. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and member of the White House COVID-19 task force explained: “I think January is going to be terrible because you’re going to have the Thanksgiving surge super-imposed upon the Christmas surge. So it’s entirely conceivable that January could be the worst.” “At least two to 2.5 weeks, maybe even three, between two and three weeks from when the travel [for Thanksgiving] started, that’s when you’re going to see the peaks,” Fauci noted. Pfizer chairman Albert Bourla told Dateline host Lester Holt that the pharmaceutical company was “not certain” if the vaccine prevented the coronavirus from being transmitted, saying, “This is something that needs to be examined.” In a prime-time special titled “Race for a Vaccine” set to air Thursday, Holt questioned Bourla and other individuals involved in the development and distribution of the medicine. In November, Pfizer announced that its vaccine candidate had been shown to be more than 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 and has applied for emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Disgraced celebrity pastor Carl Lentz was accused of sexual misconduct as far back as 2017 –and Hillsong church leaders knew about it, leaked emails obtained by DailyMail.com reveal. Lentz, who baptized Justin Bieber, was fired last month after admitting to cheating on his wife of 17 years Laura. The couple have since moved with their three children to LA, selling off their $1.5 million home in Montclair, New Jersey and renting a beach hideaway for $16k a month. The 42-year-old, who is attempting to rebuild his marriage, isn’t laying low in the wake of the scandal, instead he’s been spotted all around town – most recently on Thursday. He was photographed stripping off his shirt to tan on the beach while his wife and kids waited to pick up their Japanese takeout order. After LeBron James signs a two-year contract extension with the Lakers, speculation grows that he wants to be part of the league’s first active father-son duo with Bronny. The big news is that LeBron James just signed an $85M dollar, two-year max contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. Pharrell Williams has announced his new non-profit, Black Ambition, was inspired by the civil unrest that rocked the nation this year. The initiative aims to support Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who are launching tech, design, healthcare, consumer products, and service startups. “Recent events and tragedies have illustrated the always existent stark divisions in the American experience, and while entrepreneurship has long been a tenet of the American dream, marginalized people have faced long-standing barriers to success,” the artist said in a statement, per Complex. “With Black Ambition, the goal is to help strengthen the pipeline of talented entrepreneurs and close the opportunity and wealth gaps derived from limited access to capital and resources.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com ”Black Panther” star Letitia Wright has set off a firestorm and says she’s being cancelled after tweeting a video that promotes anti-vaccination propaganda. On Thursday, the British actress posted a video on Twitter that makes unsubstantiated claims about coronavirus vaccines. Twitter’s rebuke was swift, with folks calling her “irresponsible” and “reckless” for sharing such unproven claims as fact. Don Cheadle called the video “Hot Garbage,” adding he would “never defend anybody posting this.” Wright has been defending her right to “simply ask questions” ever since, telling irate fans on Twitter regarding the forthcoming COVID-19 vaccines, “I’m just concerned about what’s in it that’s all.” She also tweeted this morning, “My ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies.” After more back and forth with fans, she tweeted: “if you don’t conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself….you get cancelled.” Not only is Rudy Giuliani passing BS as he tries to convince key Republican legislators to overturn the election for Donald Trump, he’s also passing GAS! On Wednesday, Giuliani, who of course is President Trump’s personal flack, appeared to let one rip at least twice during the nearly five-hour hearing before state legislature in Lansing. The very familiar sounds happened during a heated exchange with Rep. Darrin Camilleri, who confronted Giuliani over the New York Times article claiming he lobbied Trump for a preemptive pardon. https://twitter.com/i/status/1334344279305695232 Cardi B has addressed the response to her controversial “WAP” track with Megan Thee Stallion, noting how the No. 1 single sparked a war of words between herself and conservative commentator Candace Owens. In an interview with Billboard, Cardi claims she helped Owens gain millions of followers. “There’s certain people I want to curse out, but I don’t want to give them clout,” she said. “For example, when me and Candace Owens got into an argument, I gave that bitch 2 million followers.” Owens previously noted that Cardi’s music “contributes to the disintegration of Black culture and values.” Cardi says she will no longer rant about her critics on social media. Instead, she will go in on them via her OnlyFans account. TMZ rolled up on Sen. Cory Booker outside of the U.S. Capitol Thursday to get his reaction following girlfriend Rosario Dawson premiering as Ahsoka Tano in “The Mandalorian.” “It was a phenomenal episode and clearly the force is strong with her,” he said through his mask. The former Democratic presidential candidate was also asked about being a hard core Trekkie and having to support a girlfriend from the rival “Star Wars” universe.https://youtu.be/21rhQcclCE0 Kerry Washington and newcomer/rising star, Ariana DeBose star in the new Netflix film “The Prom.” The film also includes an all-star cast featuring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, and Keegan-Michael Key. https://youtu.be/TJ0jBNa6JUQ The House of Representatives has approved legislation to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level and seek to “address the devastating injustices caused by the War on Drugs.” In a vote of 228-164 on Friday in the Democratic-led House agreed to remove marijuana from the schedule 1 classification of narcotics. It’s doubtful the bill will pass the Republican-led Senate, however. https://youtu.be/fH1eE_Bh2WI The NBA will reportedly ease up on testing players for marijuana for the 2020-21 season. According to sports writer Ben Dowsett, “League sources: Continuing a theme from the Orlando bubble, the NBA will not test its players for marijuana for the upcoming 2020-21 season,” he wrote on Twitter. Adding, “sources say this decision is largely based on COVID safety – just another way of limiting unnecessary contacts. However, there’s also significant expectation from many in the league that the entire marijuana testing program is on the way out in the near future.” All four co-hosts of “The View” are in agreement with the reallocation of funds from police departments to other initiatives that can better address specific policing situations. The only issue dividing the ladies is calling the movement, “Defund the Police.” On Wednesday, the “hot topic” being discussed was former President Barack Obama’s recent statement that the “Defund the Police” term hurt Democrats in the election because people thought it meant “stop funding the police,” which for many voters would be a step too far. Sunny Hostin was on an island trying to defend the term’s use, while Sarah Haines, Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg – although 100% behind reallocating police funds – agreed more with Obama’s belief that the slogan is misleading and may have cost the Democrats votes in some areas of the country. https://youtu.be/PlkTbO_1yDU Black lawmakers and activists are giving the side-eye to President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks. As reported by The Hill, Linda Thomas-Greenfield has been tapped as the next ambassador to the United Nations, and Cecilia Rouse will chair the Council of Economic Advisers. Several Cabinet positions must still be filled, and these two women are reportedly the only Black members. Observers say they’re not enough. Advocates are pressuring Biden because in his first speech as president-elect, he promised Black voters that he’d have their backs. NAACP President Derrick Johnson noted that it’s “early in the process.” https://youtu.be/RDMsAWvH5Y8 Teyana Taylor appears to have announced her retirement from the music industry. The singer took to Instagram on Friday to share Spotify’s year-round stats of her “2020 Artist Wrapped,” and thanked her fans for their support. She also called out the music industry for making her feel “super under appreciated as an artist.” She writes: “I ain’t gone front in times of feeling super under appreciated as a artist, receiving little to no real push from the ‘machine,’ constantly getting the shorter end of the stick, being overlooked … I’m retiring this chapter of my story with the comfort that i can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world!” Today’s premiere of “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” along with Mimi’s new Christmas anthem “Oh Santa” featuring guests Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande that premiered last night on YouTube. The special has a storyline: “Faced with a holiday cheer crisis, the North Pole knows there’s only one person who can save the day: Santa’s great friend, Mariah Carey. Combining musical performances, dynamic dancing and groundbreaking animation, the undisputed Queen of Christmas jumps into action to create a holiday spectacular to make the whole world merry.” Other celebs in the special include Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris. Extra special appearances are also made by Carey’s twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe. https://youtu.be/G2bx3FzgJ6o Boosie Badazz is suing Mark Zuckerberg after his Instagram account was shut down in August. The rapper pleaded with Zuckerberg to restore his Instagram page after he was banned for constantly promoting sexually suggestive photos from his OnlyFans account. https://youtu.be/vztVwBM1TDA Rickey Smiley chat with President Barack Obama about his new book, A Promised Land. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjVz8z6XF38&feature=youtu.be Today, Entertainment One (eOne) and JamesTown Music announce the release of JJ Hairston 11th album, Not Holding Back. The 12-track ensemble seeks to provide hope, healing and inspiration for all post the Pandemic of COVID-19. Hairston’s Not Holding Back devotional book will be available in late January 2021. The album Not Holding Back will be available for purchase on all major digital retail and streaming outlets on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2021. Pre-Order album sales begin December 11, 2020. Gospel Spotlight's JJ Hairston!!! Hear JJ Hairston In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/J_J_Hairston_intvw.htm Talk show host Wendy Williams executive produces the biopic on her life, revealing the highs and lows she has experienced throughout the years. Wendy has made herself the go-to source for great celebrity dish on her hit talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, but recently the spotlight has turned towards her. The authorized project provides a revealing look at Wendy’s journey, from her scrappy upstart days in urban radio to the success of her own syndicated talk show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CDfTJ4Utc8&feature=youtu.be OWN announced today that the network will expand its popular Friday night unscripted programming lineup with “Belle Collective” premiering Friday, January 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The new series from the producers behind the hit “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” centers on the personal and professional lives of five successful, glamourous boss women who are redefining what it means to be a southern belle in Jackson, Mississippi. https://youtu.be/_f3tjdqhEUs Fred Hampton, one of the major figures in the original Black Panther Party that rose to prominence during the civil rights era in the 1960s, was assassinated on Dec. 4, 1969. It marks the 51st year since he was killed by police in an example of the politics of law enforcement using unnecessary force against Black men — an unfortunate trend that has lingered for centuries in America and continues to thrive in 2020. Hampton was only 21 at the time of his death, but his accomplishments and contributions to empowering Black people in America have lasted for decades. But it was because of those very advances that united minorities in opposition to the police state in which many of them lived that ended up getting him killed. Law enforcement began “heavy surveillance” of him before the fateful police raid in Peoria, Illinois, where he died and other Black Panther members were injured. https://youtu.be/Wy1gveC3GVs Executive produced by Shonda Rhimes, the Netflix documentary film “Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” shines a light on the work of trailblazing icon Debbie Allen and her reimagining of the classic ballet performed annually by the gifted students of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA). In honor of Shonda Rhimes and Debbie Allen’s launch of their newest Netflix film, Tara James, a black female visual artist, who shows her love of the Hot Chocolate Nutcracker by creating amazing Hot Chocolate Holiday Digital Art Images. A Dallas eatery founder at the center of a Black Twitter and respectability politics firestorm is reportedly no longer affiliated with his former business partner, according to Eater. Taste Bar and Kitchen’s chef-owner Don Bowie confirmed with Eater that he and Kevin Kelley have been embroiled in a contentious legal battle, where Kelley formally parted ways with Taste earlier this fall. Kelley opened True Kitchen + Kocktails in August as a result of their split. Bowie also accuses Kelley of stealing the recipes for several dishes at True Kitchen, including the popular chicken and waffles. Both Kelley and Bowie deny the accusations against them as they await the outcome of a judgment. True Kitchen + Kocktails trended on social media earlier this week, not for their menu selections or ambiance, but over comments made by Kelley who blasted patrons for dancing in the lively restaurant. “All this twerking s–t, don’t bring it here because we’re a restaurant,” Kelley says in the video. “If you wanna do it, get the f–k out my restaurant. Don’t do it again. I don’t want to hear it if you don’t like it, get out because I don’t need your money.” The fallout stems from lawsuits the two filed against each other, where Kelley accused Bowie of inappropriately taking out Payroll Protection Program loans in the restaurant’s name, and claimed he stole cash and food from the restaurant. In a countersuit, Bowie claimed Kelley compromised a pending business deal and ruined his reputation with the stealing accusations. A Black, Los Angeles man is recovering from injuries sustained during an encounter with the police which began as a plea for help. On Tuesday an unnamed man was tased by deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department while he attempted to assist victims of a nearby car crash in South Los Angeles, according to VICE. Police claimed they used a taser as a last resort. A video recorded by witnesses has over 25k likes with over 9K tweets. The video’s vantage point from across the street shows the exact moment when officers employed a taser, sending the man hurdling into the street. As he lays on the ground a man exits out of a nearby house and runs to intervene. Barack Obama endured one of the most difficult days of his post-presidency on Wednesday after progressives, activists and blue check social media influencers blasted him over his criticism around the call to defund the police. While the blows were severe, the call-outs were legitimate. In an interview with Snapchat, Obama pontificated that the “snappy slogan” alienates people. “You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done,” he said. What remained unsaid is that Obama was referring to segments of the white population who are uncomfortable with facing the sobering fact of racism in law enforcement. His words weren’t fictional like a beloved children’s book, but they exposed a canyon between Democrat elites and progressives facing an issue that has real-life effects and consequences, most specifically, death. Comedian Leslie Jones amped up her spicy commentary on Wednesday night when she gave a play-by-play on Donald Trump‘s baseless claims around election fraud. Jones began the practice of her hilarious breakdowns during the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and again during the Winter Olympics in 2018. But when MSNBC covered Trump’s 46-minute video statement lying about him winning the election and awkwardly pointing to charts and graphs that no one could see or understand, Jones was fed up. "You know how sad you look, you f—–g stupid f—–g child. You up here with a chart that you can’t even read,” she began. “Listen let me tell you something, I can’t believe anybody that’s a fan of me can’t look at this stupid motherf—–r and not be f—–g embarrassed. I’m so f—–g embarrassed. I hope—god—-t, can we cut off access to the other countries of seeing this type of s–t? she continued. Jones claimed Trump will go down in history worse than President Richard Nixon, who stepped down after he was impeached over to the Watergate scandal. The marriage maybe over between Malik Beasley and Montana Yao. Sources tell E! News that Yao filed for divorce shortly after the NBA star was spotted in Miami with Larsa Pippen. Yao says she was “blindsided” after seeing photos online of the Minnesota Timberwolves guard holding hands with Scottie Pippen’s estranged wife. A source close to Yao told TMZ Sports that Beasley was getting cozy with Larsa while his wife was waiting for him to return to their home in Minnesota to celebrate his 24th birthday on November 26. Larsa is 46 and Beasley is 24. She is still married to Scottie. A major illegal distributor of erectile dysfunction drugs on the internet has been busted in a joint operation involving Spanish, pan-European and U.S. authorities. The raids took place a variety of cities in Spain, where the gang had many of its operations. Police started investigating the group — which is reported to be one of the biggest worldwide distributors of illegal pharmaceuticals — three years ago and found that along with ED drugs, members had branched out into selling other pharmaceuticals illegally, including Covid-19 and HIV medications. Authorities said the gang had amassed a client base that in Spain alone involved a network of 6,000 regular customers, most of whom acted as dealers. The firm dealt with its clients via the so-called “dark web” and took payments in untraceable cryptocurrencies. The ringleader is a German man based in Singapore, whose identity and age were not revealed. He was arrested with a business partner in Munich on Oct. 13. Specifics on where the two are being held and what charges they face were not immediately available. ”I had the thought of, ‘I’m too old to do this. I’m too old to go back to school and be back on campus,’ but my kids encouraged me and were there for me,” said Tyra Muhammad, a 46-year-old grandmother who returned to college nearly 30 years after she began, alongside three of her five children. Last month, all four made headlines after graduating from Grambling State University at the same time. “People at times would think we were all siblings [on campus] together, so I appreciated that,” said Tyra, an English major who entered Grambling State as a freshman in 1994. She told “Good Morning America” that she met her husband in school and the two married at the end of Muhammad’s freshman year, when she was 19. The couple soon started their family and Muhammad paused her college career when she became pregnant and it was too hard physically to continue her classes. A brand-new episode of STEVE on Watch is AVAILABLE NOW – Steve meets the face behind Chelsea’s Charity, 11-year-old Chelsea Phaire. After the death of her beloved grandfather, Chelsea turned to art to cope and then decided, with the help of her family, to create a charity that helps other kids pursue their artistic interests. https://www.facebook.com/1c55e46c-05b6-4f11-8644-0a62290b6e8a Today, three black-led startups from across the U.S. won $2 million in investment capital during the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund Virtual Tour focused on backing Black founders. The tour was hosted by Steve Case’s Revolution, Opportunity Hub, 100 Black Angels & Allies and Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab. Together they funded three companies who were selected from more than 450 Black startup founders who applied to participate in the pitch competition from across the U.S. Steve Case also announced that Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund will commit to investing at least $100K into any round of $1M or more in the tour’s semifinalists and finalists. [Time period: by March 31, 2021] Those companies include Abode, Kanarys, Inc., Lillii RNB Inc, Rheaply, Zirtue, Qoins, Sota-OG, WeatherCheck, DrugViu, and Cultured Decadence. Meanwhile, investor Alice Vilma of Morgan Stanley also announced on the virtual stage that all five finalists will receive a spot in the 2021 Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab cohort. Break out the Baileys and whip out your whisks, because the Baileys Holiday Baking Club is making it fun and easy to treat yourself and your loved ones this Holiday season. Award-winning Talk Show Host, Comedian and Author Loni Love joins The Baileys Holiday Baking Club as one of the featured not-so-expert celebrities (and viewers at home) who partners with an expert baker to learn how to mix up the perfect Holiday treats, all while giving back in an effort to continue to support small businesses and meaningful causes during the season of giving. Today, viewers can check out Love's episode, of the three-part series, available on Bailey's official Instagram (@BaileysUS). One lucky winner and an intimate group of their loved ones (up to five family or friends, 21 years or older) will also have the opportunity to win a private Zoom baking class with Loni Love and Katherine Berman! Participants of legal drinking age can enter this once-in-a-lifetime Holiday experience at bakingclub.baileys.com. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. U.S. only. Enter by 12/17/2020 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Subject to Official Rules. Angelo & Veronica drops He's Not a Baby Anymore" (Remastered) Lyric Vid from New Christmas EP! Christmas CD Specials.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiUn5F_esss&feature=youtu.be California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new regional stay-at-home order on Thursday, and it comes as the state’s COVID cases surge. As reported by Daily Mail, a record 9,702 people are currently hospitalized across the state, with 2,147 in intensive care, leaving the state with fewer than 1,800 available beds. https://youtu.be/-93Mz9xurUg Hollywood actress China Anne McClain announced that she is leaving the hit show “Black Lightning” to do God’s work. In a lengthy Instagram post, the actress revealed that season four of the superhero series will be her last season amid rumors that the CW show is actually headed for cancellation, which she confirmed. “All this is an illusion. It’s an illusion. This industry for what it is and everything people look to and praise, it’s not important,” she said in a somber video posted to her social media. “God is moving me in more than one way than just this show. It’s bigger than just this show. I’m doing God’s work now and I’m not doing anything else. I’m just gon’ put it plainly.” The Georgia native said the global pandemic has put these into perspective for her. McClain revealed that she was already planning to leave the show and will only do God’s work from now on. Barack Obama said in an interview released Thursday morning that black men could be prompted to vote for Donald Trump because he is the ‘stereotypical macho’ public figure who acts ‘tough.’ ‘Well, look, I think men generally are more susceptible to public figures who act tough, sort of a stereotypical macho style. I don’t think Black men are immune to that any more than white or Hispanic men are,’ the former president told Snapchat’s ‘Good Luck America’ in part two of the three-part interview. Obama also warned Democrats not to take the black vote, or any group, for granted and assume they always have certain demographics’ vote assured. A statement from the Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention denouncing racism and critical race theory as incompatible with their beliefs, has come under fire from some Christian academics. Prominent Dallas Pastor Tony Evans denied affirming it Wednesday. “Members of the 2019 Resolution Committee of the SBC, without my awareness or permission, used my name in their recent Affirmation of Recent Statements from Christian Leaders on Critical Race Theory. Upon reading this affirmation, I need to state that their use of my name and what I said in a sermon titled Race & Reconciliation released on 11/15/20 needs clarification of what I fully said. They have referenced a portion without giving it the context of my sermon,” said Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and the first African American to earn a doctorate in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Disgraced celebrity pastor Carl Lentz had multiple affairs – but is still getting a golden parachute, Hillsong church founder Brian Houston claimed in a bombshell audio recording, DailyMail.com can reveal. The former head of the megachurch’s New York branch and favorite of famous members including Justin Bieber, was fired last month and admitted he cheated on his wife. The focus was initially on his 34-year-old mistress, New York City designer Ranin Karim, who went public days after the scandal emerged claiming that she broke off a months-long secret relationship with the married pastor in early November. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/12/02/4886618008389793643/636x382_MP4_4886618008389793643.mp4 Hilary Swank and Michael Ealy are turning heads and turning up the heat in their new film, “Fatale” from Director Deon Taylor. The first look trailer was released today and in it we find Ealy, who stars as Derrick, a successful and married sports agent who after a one night stand with police detective Valerie Quinlan (Swank), finds his life upended when she entangles him in a murder investigation. https://youtu.be/tPWURGgKJ7o Warner Bros. announced Thursday that it will release its full 2021 film slate online for a one-month period each, exclusively on HBO Max. Each of the films will be simultaneously released in theaters and available to stream for a limited time. The move comes as movie theaters continue to take a hit amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported by NBC News, “AMC shares dropped more than 15 percent, while Cinemark was down 14.5 percent.” https://youtu.be/OO9Y_2xG0t0 OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that it has acquired the critically acclaimed historical drama “Underground” to air beginning Tuesday, January 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The dramatic series from Sony Pictures Television will have a revitalized presentation on OWN, with newly filmed episodic introductions by cast members, never-before-seen behind the scenes footage and more. WE tv has released an all-new sneak peek for the jaw-dropping 90 minute special, “Beyond the Pole: Living Under Lockdown,” premiering Thursday, December 17 at 10pm ET/PT. The series is a behind the scenes look at Atlanta’s hottest dancers. Last season, the ladies faced a fierce and fiery mentor on the hustle to financial freedom. For their TV return, it’s all about virtual strip clubs and OnlyFans. https://youtu.be/caQT1iYQjkc Keke Palmer and Common have been tapped to host YouTube Original’s Bear Witness Take Action, 2 – premiering on December 5th. According to the press release, the 2-hour program will highlight discussions on racial injustice, while inspiring viewers to “take action” toward equality and the protection of Black lives. This will be the second installment of Bear Witness, Take Action, with appearances by Anthony Anderson, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Mark Cuban Jemele Hill and more, with performances by Patti Labelle, Rapsody and Saint JHN. https://youtu.be/bGU6GNgFrhc Comedian Dave Chappelle flipped out on a fan at the Four Season Hotel in Austin, Texas, last month, according to DailyMail.com. Chappelle was in the city doing a socially-distant live comedy show on November 16, 17, 18. Chad Laboy, 31, says he was at the bar celebrating his engagement with friends when one of them went over to greet the superstar without wearing a mask, and that’s when all hell broke loose. “My friend didn’t have her mask on when she walked over to his table and rightly so, they chastised her for it,” Laboy told the outlet. He claims Chappelle thought he was being recorded, so Dave and six of his crew stormed over to his table maskless. “Chappelle and his group accosted me and my friends on two occasions and none of them were wearing a mask. They put our health at risk,” he added. https://youtu.be/u1gJWi01qsQ Adrienne Cooper, the 25-year-old African American founder of skating brand Moonlight Roller, has pulled over $3 million in sales since launching her roller skate line in May 2020. Moon Boots have since been purchased in 49 states and across the globe, including the U.K. and Australia. But Moonlight Roller doesn’t just stop at skates. Contributing to the culture, it also offers titled Moonlight x Mobile, a mobile skate rental counter to transform any space into a pop-up skating rink. Moonlight x Mobile has already approved franchises n Seattle and Austin. A single mother in Alabama is raising 12 children after taking in her five nieces and nephews whose parents died of coronavirus. For Francesca McCall, 40, the decision to add five kids to her existing brood of seven was simple, after her younger sister Chantale passed away from the virus on September 16, followed by her brother-in-law, Lance Martin, a month later. She said she and Chantale had made a promise long ago to look after each other’s children if anything happened to either of them, so when the unthinkable happened, she was ready to step up. Now the blended family of 13 – with children ranging in age from one to 17 – are settling into their new normal at McCall’s home in Birmingham. ‘We are just going to try to raise them to be the best that they can be,’ McCall said. Celebrity fashion shoe designer Jessica Rich is giving her fans a full access pass into her life on her digital reality show Boss AF, which can be viewed on Instagram @BOSSAFLA. The 10-minute mini-series is meant to showcase the day in the life of the young mogul and goes behind the scenes of the process of building her brand and working with high-profile VIP clients such as Cardi B, J.Lo, Kylie Jenner, Normani, and Saweetie while also juggling a personal life. “I just feel like my life has always been very interesting because of juggling a lot of things since moving from Michigan and going to New York then making something out of nothing,” Rich said. “It’s a great behind-the-scenes story of a young entrepreneur’s life, the challenges she faces on a day-to-day basis and how she keeps it all together.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CEm6LydhQe0/?utm_source=ig_embed Bhad Bhabie hit up Instagram this week to apologize for her messy response to cultural appropriation accusations. Earlier this year, the 17-year-old rapper took to Instagram live to clap back at criticism over her hair and makeup after her fans accused her of wanting to look Black. She responded with a rant in which she repeatedly asked, “Who wants to be Black?!?” “Y’all just want to hate me, no matter what I do,” she said. “I fuckin’ get my makeup done, now I’m Black! Get the fuck outta here … Thats the makeup light. It’s supposed to—I guess it’s not supposed to—but it just made me look darker … Y’all are stupid as fuck. If I wanted to be fuckin’ Black, you would hear me talkin’ about, ‘I’m Black. I’m Black.’ I would be sayin’ the n-word, I would be doing shit Black people do … Who wants to be Black!? I don’t understand that. I just can’t comprehend it.” The host of a swingers event in New Orleans revealed 41 out of 300 guests contracted COVID-19. Naughty Events owner Bob Hannaford revealed in a blog post that he and his staff took several precautions to ensure the safety of attendees. He wrote that they performed temperature checks, practiced social distancing, and sanitized prior to check-in. The guests also wore color-coded bracelets to show who had antibodies and who tested negative for the virus as reported by the New York Post. “We issued wristbands in one color to indicate who had antibodies and therefore was not contagious. We issued a second color to those that showed us a very recent negative COVID-19 test. The wristbands even had each person’s date of their test circled.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com NBA star Malik Beasley and “socialite” Larsa Pippen sent social media into a frenzy earlier this week after they went public with their relationship. In paparazzi photos taken on Nov. 23, Pippen, 46, was seen shopping and holding hands with Malik, 24, as they strolled through a Miami shopping center. Social media users were even more shocked after Malik’s wife publicly spoke out to react to the news. Montana Yao said she had no idea her husband was out with Larsa: “Wow… I don’t even know this man…” Yao, who shares a child with the Minnesota Timberwolves guard, wrote on her Instagram Story on Tuesday. She added, “This is wild y’all I’m seeing it for the first time just like y’all.” A close source to the star says Malik and Montana have actually been separated for months and that the athlete has already started the process to get a divorce. A close source to Larsa also shares that she was fully aware Malik is still married to Montana, but after talking for some time, Larsa and Malik bonded over their pending divorces. The trial for Eric Holder, the alleged killer of Nipsey Hussle, has been delayed for at least 90 days due to COVID-19 concerns, according to New York Daily News. “I really don’t how we can realistically expect to see this case go to trial anytime in the next 90 days or more,” the report quotes Judge Robert J. Perry as saying. “Mr. Holder, I don’t know what to tell you except that the court system and this county are plagued by a sickness that we call the COVID virus, and the court system has been very much impacted. You have the right to a speedy trial. What counsel is suggesting is that we have you come back on the 21st of January and see where we are and try to have a trial within 30 days of the 21st, but you’ve heard my comments, I don’t think that’s going to happen.” https://youtu.be/lUHi891xfEQ Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions is collaborating with truTV comedian Adam Conover on a new Netflix sketch comedy series based on the bestselling book “The Fifth Risk” by Michael Lewis. The show will be loosely about President Donald Trump’s ascension to the White House and the inner workings of government. The new show will be called “The G Word with Adam Conover,” and will begin filming in early 2021. According to a Netflix source the project is “more of a focus on going inside how the government actually works, not specific to any one administration.” https://youtu.be/8VNsN1T0rjY As an actress, Regina King has had an exceedingly busy couple of years. After an Oscar win for If Beale Street Could Talk in 2019, King won an Emmy for The Watchmen in September, and her film directorial debut, One Night in Miami — the first by a Black female director to be selected by the Venice Film Festival — premieres Dec. 25. “I feel like this is the path I was supposed to be on,” says King, 49, one of PEOPLE Magazine’s People of the Year. “I don’t necessarily see it as a renewed purpose. But I have a little more power now, in my choices, and in my ability to amplify a message,” she tells PEOPLE. “I have things I’m very passionate about. And I feel very lucky to be able to use my art and my voice collectively.” In addition to her powerful roles in front of and behind the camera (One Night in Miami is about a fictionalized meeting between Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown in 1964), King has spoken out about the importance of voting, especially when it comes to marginalized communities, and been vocal about her dismay at the division in the country. Wednesday, Dec. 2, on “The Real,” co-host Jeannie Mai shares her struggle to get healthy and strong again after her recently illness and surgery. She encourages everyone to find like-minded people to exercise with (from a safe distance) and to find ways to support each other through the pandemic. https://youtu.be/Wi_RGFYoYLU R&B star and Maroon 5 keyboardist, PJ Morton, returns to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk to celebrate the sounds of his Grammy Award nominated album, “Gospel According to PJ.” In 2018, he piled 14 musicians into NPR’s Washington, D.C. office for an astounding Tiny Desk concert that has earned over 1.4 million YouTube views. This time, he invited gospel stars J Moss, Darrel `Musiqcity’ Walls and Zacardi Cortez to join him virtually as he and a scaled-down band perform a three-song set – including the No. 1 hit “All in His Plan” - from a New Orleans studio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyK2H0G4jrE Renown songwriter, producer and worship leader Bill Moss Jr. responds to the nation's civil unrest and social injustice conversation with the release of a powerful, purposeful and passionate new worship anthem, "Brand New Day." The new single is available now on digital music outlets everywhere. "Brand New Day" is an intentional call to action to encourage us as a society to pause our conflicts, look past our differences and reach out and support one another to effect change-change that could ultimately help us realize a collective goal to dismantle racism and achieve racial justice. The Gospel Spotlight's Bill Moss Jr.!!! Hear Bill Moss Jr. In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/billmossjr_intvw.htm A new study by Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), in partnership with Virginia Tech, tested tap water from 343 cities in 46 states and found that 79% of homes had detectable levels of lead in water. Moreover, 40% of homes had lead levels above the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended limit for children (1 ppb). Lead in water has been in the news for years, but Healthy Babies Bright Futures’ newest report is the first study to focus on the highest risk population – bottle-fed infants drinking formula made with tap water. Baby formula made with tap water is far more likely than breastmilk to contain significant lead levels, and 16 percent of U.S. babies are exclusively formula-fed. Seventy-five percent of infants consume at least some formula. This important new study reveals that there is far more lead in tap water than is safe for babies. In fact, no levels of lead are considered safe. One of the leading organizations in the fight for Black voters‘ rights and education sued the state of Georgia over the practice of voter roll purging. According to GregPalast.com, the suit was filed Wednesday in the United States District Court Northern District of Georgia and accuses Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger of violating the National Voter Registration Act by removing around 198,000 citizens who moved from previous addresses listed on their voter registration. The case names LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter, Barbara Arnwine, founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition and C.K. Hoffler of Rainbow PUSH were named as plaintiffs. They are working against the clock to reinstate those purged prior to the Dec. 7 voter registration deadline so voters can participate in the Jan. 5 runoff elections between Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler who face Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively. The suit claims voters were improperly purged when they had not moved residences. The state also alleged voters submitted change of address forms, which was disputed by the USPS. Lastly, the suit says Georgia was onboarded with a contractor who used the wrong voter list and was not on the approved list of licensees by USPS. For someone whose job entails distributing accurate information, Kayleigh McEnany has never been concerned with facts and figures, much like her predecessors. The White House press secretary blew a loud dog whistle on Wednesday when she insinuated that the summer’s unrest over police violence against Black communities during the pandemic, is worse than gathering for a holiday party… during the pandemic. “If you can loot businesses, burn down building, engage in protests, you can also go to a Christmas party…& you can do it responsibly,” she said according to a tweet from White House pool reporter Yamiche Alcindor. A new survey is seeking feedback from people living in Virginia’s capital city to help the commonwealth decide one of the locations and operators for multiple planned gaming resorts that are expected to bring lucrative economic development. The survey follows criticism from African American business leaders that they and local residents have been virtually excluded from Virginia’s plans for a casino. The online survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZT297J6 and encourages residents and business owners in Richmond to answer 11 key questions “on what the City should look for in an operator and site for a resort casino.” The survey will only be available through Dec. 14. It is part of the process to get a casino referendum on the ballot in an election next year. Virginia plans to open five casinos throughout the commonwealth, but this survey is only regarding the one for Richmond. The other cities where casino resorts are expected to be built include Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth, which all have significant Black populations. However, there appears to have been no opportunity for Black people and Black-owned businesses in Virginia to participate in the economic development aspect of the ambitious legislation that residents will ultimately vote on. A Fort Worth woman jailed for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election while on supervised release for a federal conviction is asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn her conviction on illegal voting charges, according to legal documents filed Monday. Crystal Mason said she cast her ballot — which, like most provisional ballots, was ultimately not counted — on the advice of a poll worker. Mason told the court during her trial and appeals that she did not realize she was ineligible to vote under Texas law, which required her to first complete her sentence on a federal tax fraud conviction. The request for review by the state’s highest criminal court was filed by Mason’s attorneys as well as the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the national ACLU and the Texas Civil Rights Project. Her legal team argues that Mason did not intend to vote illegally and that the provisional ballot is specifically for voters with questions about ineligibility. WE tv’s “Bridezillas” returns this week with an all-new episode that finds Veronica not happy with her dress days before her wedding. The bride-to-be opts for an entirely new wedding dress days before her wedding because her custom made gown makes her look “like a sausage,” she says. https://youtu.be/_DZCa7TKzYw Wednesday, Dec. 2, on “The Real,” Michael Rainey, Jr. drops in to chat about Power Book II: Ghost and why 2020 may actually have been his best year yet! Also, Ricardo Chavira visits to talk about his role as Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father, in Selena: The Series, on Netflix. He also explains his initial hesitation in taking the part. Wednesday, Dec. 2, on “The Real,” Michael Rainey, Jr. drops in to chat about Power Book II: Ghost and why 2020 may actually have been his best year yet! https://youtu.be/71MJLjzQUTE Lifetime unveils airdates for two all-new authorized biopics and three new documentaries centered on some of the most iconic women in pop culture history—Salt-N-Pepa, Wendy Williams and Whitney Houston, airing on three-consecutive Saturdays. The three-hour Lifetime original movie Salt-N-Pepa, premieres Saturday, January 23 at 8 pm ET/PT, followed by the documentary Salt-N-Pepa Interview Special, hosted by Loni Love and featuring exclusive interviews with Salt-N-Pepa, airing immediately after the biopic, at 11 pm. Wendy Williams: The Movie, the first biopic about Wendy Williams, premieres Saturday, January 30 at 8 pm ET/PT, accompanied by the documentary The Wendy Williams Story…What a Mess!, featuring a raw and emotional interview with Wendy, airing at 10 pm. And finally, the new documentary, Whitney & Bobbi, about the heartbreaking parallel lives and ultimate fates of pop legend Whitney Houston and daughter Bobbi Kristina, premieres Saturday, February 6 at 8 pm ET/PT. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Mickey Guyton has become the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country music category. The 37-year-old singer’s “Black Like Me” song has been nominated for Best Country Solo Performance. The Pointer Sisters previously made history with the song, “Live Your Life Before You Die,” when it was nominated in 1976 for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. After the nominations were announced last week, Guyton shared an emotional video about her historic nomination. https://www.instagram.com/mickeyguyton/?utm_source=ig_embed Today President Barack Obama pre-taped an interview with SiriusXM host Joe Madison to promote his new memoir, A Promised Land. When asked about African-Americans potentially being skeptical about taking a COVID-19 vaccine given past medical experiments on the community, President Obama said he would “absolutely” take the vaccine himself. https://youtu.be/yNEggfPggyY Rafer Johnson — a decorated Olympian and American hero — has died. He was 86. Johnson, an exceptional athlete and Olympic gold medal winner became an adored symbol of good sportsmanship and civic generosity, died Wednesday at his home in Sherman Oaks, California. https://youtu.be/dCGpVqiRDOQ A high school teacher from Staten Island, New York, is under investigation after appearing naked and masturbating during a video conference Monday. According to the New York Daily News, the unnamed teacher works at Tottenville High School, and the incident occurred during a Google Meet call, sources told to the paper. “The investigation is active and ongoing at this time,” a NYPD spokeswoman told the publication Tuesday night. https://youtu.be/D4caLqk5Osk A video ad from Nike Japan against bullying and racism has sparked calls to boycott the company. The ad, “Keep Moving: Yourself, the Future,” released on Nov 30, features biracial athletes and minorities of Korean descent. The commercial shows several teen girls bullied in school over their differences, but they ultimately find confidence through their athletics, namely soccer. The video has been viewed 14.1 million times on Nike Japan’s Twitter feed and has garnered plenty of critical comments. https://twitter.com/i/status/1332519583882862595 Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Tyrese have reportedly ended their 3-year feud. The two actors’ public beef first began in 2017 when Tyrese publicly criticized The Rock for signing on to do a spinoff of the “Fast & Furious” franchise. At the time, Tyrese called Dwayne “selfish” for agreeing to do the “Hobbs & Shaw,” spinoff. The two starred in four “Fast & Furious” films together and Tyrese also said Johnson wouldn’t respond to his text messages despite the two having been friends. Dwayne previously said it was “pretty disappointing” that Tyrese made their disagreement so public. “I always feel like a beef requires two people to actually jump in it, and it was really one-sided, and he had voiced his opinion a lot on social media,” Dwayne said. “Apparently, he was going through some stuff too in his personal life. We haven’t talked and I don’t see where we would, and to me, there’s no need to have a conversation.” Now, it seems things have apparently cooled between the two men. “We talked,” Tyrese told Comedy Central’s Stir Crazy with Josh Horowitz this week. “We talked for at least four hours. It was great.” https://youtu.be/--8SchmAOnM Lifetime announced yesterday that Emmy & 2x NAACP Image Award winner Loni Love will host and executive produce all-new 30 minute after show, Little Women: Atlanta Unfiltered. After a monumental year of challenges and change, Lifetime’s unscripted hit series Little Women: Atlanta returns with the highly anticipated premiere of season six on its new night Friday, January 22, at 9pm ET/PT. The season kicks off with Ms. Juicy, Minnie, the Tiny Twinz Amanda & Andrea, Abira and the return of Monie, as the ladies all come back together in Atlanta to pursue their dreams in the city’s vibrant hip hop scene. Yvonne Matthews releases a Christmas EP YVONNE'S CHRISTMAS WISH FOR YOU. "My Christmas album feels like a newborn baby," Yvonne shares. "The excitement of preparing for its arrival and then the joy of putting my eyes on the completed project have given me renewed hope and a new resolve. YVONNE'S CHRISTMAS WISH FOR YOU includes a mix of Gospel, Soul and Jazz arrangements. The album is available now on all digital outlets and features the single "My Christmas Wish." https://open.spotify.com/album/3zZm9HHN3fFhzNgnFhWdmc?highlight=spotify:track:4e6d3ZNiO1DVil1L4JLBqR Songwriters Under the Covers with Victoria Shaw returns with more intimate storytelling and acoustic performances from bestselling songwriters, hosted by award-winning songwriter Victoria Shaw. Shaw’s genuine friendships with fellow songwriters provide rare access to the stories behind some of pop, rock and country music’s top hits. New episodes begin with the Songwriters Under the Covers Holiday Special featuring Jim Brickman and Dave Barnes, premiering nationwide Wednesday, December 2 at 8 p.m. Sasha Obama appears in a new TikTok video alongside six friends, who are all singing and dancing to Popp Hunna’s song Adderall (Corvette Corvette). The clip was deleted shortly after being posted, but not before it was downloaded by many users. The video has racked up millions of views on social media, with many users slamming Sasha and her friends for not wearing masks and socially-distancing in the video. It’s not known when it was recorded. Sasha recently went viral after appearing in another TikTok video showing her lip-syncing the N-word. The video was later removed and the account was deleted. https://youtu.be/ZOWsEiIdRdU Blackish” star Miles Brown released a new music video for “KID” featuring hip hop legend Slick Rick and singer/songwriter Angelo Arce today. The song appears on Miles’ debut hip hop album “We the Future,” out now via Acme Music Co. On the fun and upbeat bop, which is accompanied by a playfully animated video, Miles rhymes about wanting to stay a kid and enjoy every minute of his childhood. Miles recent stopped by The Tamron Hall show to perform “We the Future Rmx.” https://youtu.be/vrtRQSTokHM A day meant for people to come out and pay their respects to a Florida teen who was fatally shot by a Brevard County sheriff’s deputy this month turned into yet another horrific event. The burial service for Sincere Pierce ended abruptly Saturday afternoon when the teenager’s mother, Quasheda Pierce was struck by a bullet. The gunfire came as the pastor finished his prayers at Riverview Memorial Gardens and Pierce’s friends and loved ones placed flowers on his casket and suddenly a loud pop was heard. Investigators said they think Pierce, 39, was shot when a gun that a 16-year-old had with him accidentally went off. The mother was taken to a hospital, but the severity of her injury was not immediately known. The sheriff’s office says the teen is not facing charges, though, they are still investigating and said they will let the state attorney decide if charges should be filed. Mica Paris, one of the most respected female voices in Britain's storied musical landscape, is set to release her first album in over a decade. Gospel is available everywhere on Friday, December 4, 2020. This passion project for Paris comes on the heels of her highly successful BBC special “Gospel According to Mica: The Story of Gospel Music in Six Songs”, which features the Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and is being released on Warner Music. The album Gospel seamlessly weaves together new material, traditional gospel classics to contemporary covers, whilst providing her own authentic gospel interpretation of timeless popular music, such as U2’s "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For" to Rag N Bone Man’s "Human" and the first track recently released is Mica’s stirring cover of Labi Siffre’s “Something Inside) So Strong.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9hZSlUqz9w&list=PL7_mwdfwUwi38ZiDEkroAY0UcYjrJOjw3 A life lesson from Bishop Leonard Scott...."Genesis 50:20 says, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” This scenario is a beautiful example of seeing God in control of every situation and not holding any grudges against those who have wronged you. His brothers and others abused Joseph, but he saw God orchestrating a much higher job, of which he was an integral part. We must focus on what God is up to rather than our personal feelings." Gospel Spotlight's Bishop Leonard Scott.!!! Hear Bishop Scott In His Own Words...."Dr. Leonard Scott" Interview (gospel-spotlight.com) Vice President-elect Kamala Harris‘ senior staff is shaping up to be a proper representation of the voters who are largely credited for her and Joe Biden‘s historic election. Not only are the top three staffers Black but they are also women, a combinatory nod to the group often called the backbone of the Democratic Party. The last addition to Harris’ staff is Tina Flournoy, who was formally picked on Tuesday to be the vice president’s chief of staff. The transition for Flournoy shouldn’t be too difficult since that’s the same role she’s been working in for former President Bill Clinton. Flournoy has also had stints as a senior adviser to Democratic National Convention Chairman Howard Dean and as an Assistant to the President for Public Policy at the American Federation of Teachers. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Georgia Republican official on Tuesday took direct aim at Donald Trump and blamed him for the threats of death and violence various election workers have been getting as the state certified the presidential election in favor of Joe Biden. Gabriel Sterling, the Voting Systems Manager for Georgia’s Secretary of State’s Office, delivered an emotional speech that was at once a condemnation of Trump and a plea for the violence to end. He even said one election worker had a noose sent to him, an ominous threat in a state with a rich history of lynching's by vigilante mobs in search of so-called justice. http://www.gospel-spotlight.comonald Trump is headfirst in a deep decline after his desperate attempts to thwart the election continue to increase one month prior to him leaving office. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tuesday’s episode of “The View,” host Whoopi Goldberg pointed out that Trump’s freedom days might be numbered, especially if New York Attorney General Letitia James has anything to do with it. “I think its very exciting that, you know, he can pardon himself federally. But there are all these people waiting,” said Goldberg. “Letitia James is waiting with her little foot, she is patting that foot, waiting for him to make a step out. Because he keeps saying he’s going to run in 2024. You’re not going to run if you’re in jail my friend, and that is something you must also think of. I’m just saying,” she said. The hosts were discussing recent comments from Fox News host Sean Hannity, who suggested Trump pardon himself and his family. Hannity’s “guidance” comes after the incredulousness of Trump pardoning his former national security adviser Michael Flynn last month. In 2017 Flynn admitted to foreign lobbying crimes related to the ongoing FBI probe into the Trump administration’s contact with Russia during the 2016 election. The entrepreneur and designer has extended his collaborations with Allen Iverson & Reebok through the new release. December 1, 2020. The wildly popular ‘Iverson Classic’ All-American basketball game co-founded by NBA superstar Allen Iverson, Jai Manselle and Bobby Bates had to take a break this year due to the pandemic. But, the stunning Manselle-designed sneakers for the game (originally planned to be exclusive to the players) will see a wide release today through Champs Sports. The sneakers are a reimagining of the Reebok Question silhouette, wrapped in dark tones of suede, leather and nubuck. The outsole features a striking kente-cloth inspired pattern that is reminiscent of the jerseys Iverson wore while playing for Georgetown University. Pulling inspiration from Georgetown, Virginia, Africa, Philadelphia, and streetball culture into a cohesive design that feels radical and classic at the same time, these kicks have an aesthetic that is markedly different from anything else on the market. Noah Harris has just become the first Black man to be elected president of Harvard University’s student body. On Tuesday, he appeared on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to credit late Congressman John Lewis as his motivation and biggest inspiration. Harris, a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is a junior government major and also co-chairs the Undergraduate Council’s Black Caucus. He said that his three main goals will be improving student life, increasing access to mental health and wellness, and diversity inclusion. Harris told O’Donnell that civil rights icon Lewis had a “profound impact” on him and that he hopes to embody his “love of country.” https://youtu.be/ccZUfZMnDPk From living room workouts to virtual graduation ceremonies, this year, people came to YouTube in search of content that made them laugh, reflect, move and much more! This included videos that reflected their emotions and serious conversations happening around the world – including Dave Chappelle’s 8:46, which came in at #1 on the Top Trending Videos list with over 29 million views. https://youtu.be/3tR6mKcBbT4 Former President Barack Obama sat down with late-night host Stephen Colbert for a round of out of the ordinary interview questions. Colbert asked Obama why he didn’t honor country music icon Dolly Parton with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. “That’s a mistake. I’m shocked,” the 59-year-old told Colbert. “Looking back at your eight years, do you realize that’s the mistake you made?” the Emmy-winner asked. “Actually, that was a screwup,” Obama admitted. He was on the show to promote his new memoir, “A Promised Land.” “I’m surprised. I think I assumed that she had already gotten one, and that was incorrect.” https://youtu.be/Ze9tXvt9GUk Tuesday, Dec. 1, co-host Garcelle Beauvais reveals to the ladies of The Real how she spent her birthday/Thanksgiving weekend – in quarantine, due to several crew members on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills set reportedly testing positive for COVID-19. She assures them she herself has tested negative so far and she is thankful she can continue to co-host The Real from home! https://youtu.be/_23f5_jH0rA Rosie Perez is opening up about her battle with the potentially deadly coronavirus. In an interview with Uproxx, Perez, 56, revealed that she contracted COVID-19 a year ago while traveling to Bangkok to film her upcoming series, “The Flight Attendant” for HBO Max. “I had contracted COVID when we flew to Bangkok,” Perez recalled. “And at that time, they were saying ‘It’s a new respiratory tract infection. It’s a virus that’s going around. We don’t really know what it is and what it does, but it attacks the respiratory system first and then travels to other parts of your body.’ “ “It was terrifying,” she continued. “I remember my manager was with me, and I said, ‘Tarik, don’t let me die in Bangkok.’ And he goes, ‘Oh my God, you’re scaring me.’ And the head of the ICU says, ‘You should be scared, sir. This is serious. We’re going to have to put her in a separate room.’ “Perez goes on to explain that at the time, the virus “was new. [This] was in December.” “I remember the doctor saying to me, ‘The mask that you have on, the mask that I have on, every time you go outside, every time you meet someone wear that mask — not just for you, but to protect them too,’ ” she said. “And I haven’t forgotten it.”https://youtu.be/OP_WC5oOCe8 Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley is opening a new door into the familiar backdrop with his new comic book offering, “The Other History of the DC Universe.” As the name implies, Ridley shines a light on different perspectives of the iconic moments of DC history, from the eyes of heroes of color. ‘The Other History of the DC Universe” kicks off with Jefferson Pierce, a.k.a. Black Lightning for its first issue. The inclusion of Black Lightning was a no brainer to Ridley, whose view of comics changed with seeing the hero on the cover of Justice League #173. The sight of Black Lightning talking to members of the legendary Justice League proved to Ridley that someone like him could exist in the same world as the superhero elite. “I love comics. I read comics, but I remember the first time I saw Black Lightning as a hero. When I went to the comic book shop, this was mid-’70’s and I was young. But I had to pull back,” Ridley, a longtime comic book fan, recalled while speaking at a media roundtable to promote “The Other History of the DC Universe” about his fateful trip to purchase comics the week he was introduced to Black Lightning. “And I remember getting that bag that week and honestly, I remember like it was yesterday, and spilling the bag out and going through them and seeing Black Lightning and seeing a hero who looked like me, was a teacher like my mother was. That was really, really impactful for me.” There’s no denying #Mulatto’s talent or the fact that she’s blowing up. After being featured as part of this year’s XXL Freshman Class, Big Latto has proven to be a force to reckon with in this rap game. But there’s one issue that continues to haunt her as her career blossoms–her stage name. Mulatto has received criticism for using Mulatto as the name she performs under given the word’s racist history. Mulatto was once used to define hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey. It then became the term of mixed-race children from an era when Black people were treated like livestock and raped by their white slave owners, creating bi-racial children. During an interview with @HipHopDX, Mulatto hinted at possibly changing her controversial stage name from Mulatto to her alternate-nickname Big Latto. “I can’t say too much because we’re working on something right now, but I would be lying to say it hasn’t crossed my mind before,” Mulatto told DX. “It is a controversy that I hear and see every day as far as my name goes, so I would be lying to say no I never thought of that. But I can’t say too much because right now, because it’s going to be a part of something bigger.” Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow explains how the app ‘Kindli’ works on ‘Fox & Friends.’ Tim Tebow spoke to “Fox & Friends” on Monday about his recent launch of Kindli, the first-ever “social unity” app, which focuses on positivity and being kind. “We really believe in kindness, we believe that it is contagious. We also really believe that we could be a home for the pay-it-forward movement,” Tebow said about Kindli, which is free to download. Tebow emphasized that, despite the difficult and heartbreaking coronavirus pandemic over the last nine months, “even in that time, I have see a lot of unsung heroes that have truly, really believed in acts of kindness.” Gospel singer Darrell Walls, a member of the popular The Walls Group, made his first comment after a video of him kissing another man leaked online. Walls reportedly shared the video privately on Instagram with his close friends but the video leaked and is now circulating the internet. The clip shows Walls and an unidentified male smiling and laughing as they share a few words before they turn and kiss each other. Following the video’s public circulation online, Walls deleted his Instagram account. However, he tweeted a message to God on Thursday. He tweeted, “You Are Good, Oh Lord… You Are Good” after the video became public. Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19. Hamilton tested positive on Monday, the day after his victory at Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, in a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix at the same circuit this weekend. Hamilton tested negative three times the previous week, including Sunday afternoon ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, but he woke up Monday morning with mild symptoms and subsequently tested positive. He was informed Monday that a contact prior to his arrival in Bahrain also had tested positive. The 35-year-old has already secured this year’s drivers’ title, but he will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix and could miss the season finale the week after in Abu Dhabi if he fails to return a negative test following ten days in isolation. It is not yet clear who will replace Hamilton at Mercedes, which has won 11 of this year’s 15 races. Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller V has been suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Fuller said the violation was a result of his taking prescribed medication not permitted under the policy. “Earlier this year, I sought treatment from a medical professional who prescribed medication that he believed to be permitted under the NFL’s drug policy,” Fuller wrote on Instagram. “As it turns out, my trust in this professional was misplaced because this medication was NOT a permitted substance under the NFL Policy on Performance Enhancing Substances. Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez revealed in an Instagram post on Monday morning that he’s been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor and will undergo surgery on Tuesday. Sanchez wrote that the doctors believe they’ve caught the tumor before it spread to his entire body. “It’s always God’s plan, and it will always be bigger than my plans,” Sanchez wrote on Instagram. “I know that it will not be an easy bump in the road, but I know I have my amazing wife supporting me, along with family, coaches and friends reaching out.” Sanchez remained resolute in his statement. Variety reports that Tina Mabry and Gina Prince-Bythewood are set to adapt the NY Times best-selling novel “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” for Searchlight Pictures. Mabry will direct from an original script by Prince-Bythewood. Edward Kelsey Moore’s debut “Supremes” novel follows best friends Odette, Barbara Jean and Clarice, who consider Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat diner a “home away from home” in their Indiana town. According to a synopsis, the trio (known as “The Supremes”) has “weathered life’s storms together for decades through marriage and children, happiness and the blues. Now, they will have to rely on their strong bond to survive their most challenging year yet as race, heartbreak and illness stir up the past and threaten to destroy their friendship.” According to Variety, Mabry and Prince-Bythewood first teased plans for a collaboration while reflecting on their mentor-mentee relationship during an alumni spotlight interview for Slamdance. A dozen years ago, Hezekiah Walker & Love Fellowship Crusade Choir released the original version of this song on its classic “Souled Out” album. Over the years, it has developed an audience of its own within the church community as worship teams and choirs around the globe have performed it and made it popular. Now, Walker makes a cameo on a fresh update by the song’s composer, Jason Clayborn. The gritty-voiced Louisville, KY choirmaster and his group, The Atmosphere Changers, offer a simple new rendition that is faithful to its antecedent. The breezy, mid-tempo groove and the easy-to-sing along with lyrics make this a sure bet to take off and rocket this remix to new heights of fame as a staple in modern day church songbooks. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/wWjyYPqQKZ/files/fi-45fdd1d8-a3e2-483e-80fc-9e2618f137bf/fv-c4ec4d37-ec7c-41b2-bf4a-bf444ceebca0/You're%20All%20I%20Need_Radio_HiRes_48.24%20192.mp3 In honor of World Aids Day, CR8 Agency's very own Kri Peck has partnered with Ready Set PrEP to help eliminate stigma, raise awareness, and help eradicate HIV. Ready Set PrEP is a program that offers free PrEP to people without prescription drug insurance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-mwBP4E6PM&feature=youtu.be Coming off the heels of his critically acclaimed album STILL, Brian Courtney Wilson presents an innovative six-day bible reading plan in partnership with YouVersion. The eponymous devotional is presented in a 'podcast style' and offers six powerful days of reflection and encouragement. Join Wilson on this devotional journey offering a deep dive into his music's scriptural and biblical context. As we enter this final month of the unprecedented past year, Wilson aims to deepen the listeners' time with God with a thoughtful and contemplative devotional plan. Wilson encourages everyone to share their response and thoughts to the plan on social media using the #StillDevotional. Fans can begin to listen to Still: A Devotional Series with Brian Courtney Wilson today on bible.com and the YouVersion Bible App under the Plans section. Veteran indie radio promoter & emerging Gospel/Inspiration songwriter, Patrick Noble Allen, recently released the official music video for his debut, mid-tempo, urban contemporary track, ’Look To The Hills’. Filmed in the Atlantic Station District of Atlanta, GA, the video prominently features Allen and showcases his first music video performance. “Surprisingly, I was very comfortable doing it. I lived the 1st verse. Those types of situations can be extremely challenging. So, it was important for me to vividly express the emotions of the lyrics on screen and make them relatable to the viewer. I’m looking forward to the next opportunity.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoixJBsat9I&feature=youtu.be Rihanna may have a new man in her life—well, sort of. Sources tell People that the singer and beauty mogul is dating A$AP Rocky—but the two have been friends for a long time, and this isn’t the first time romance rumors have popped up. The New York Post reported they were out together in New York City on November 30 with a group of friends, which certainly isn’t evidence they’re actually together, though we’d love to see it. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have hit red carpets together in the past, including 2019’s The Fashion Awards in London. And this summer she tapped him to star in a Fenty Skin campaign. (He was also an opening act on part of her Diamonds World Tour in 2013.) https://youtu.be/EpGCCKB3Oag Kate Middleton has impeccable style, so if there's anyone who can pull off wearing a blouse backward, it's her. That's maybe-possibly what happened on November 28, when the Duchess of Cambridge shot a video Q&A posted to the Kensington Royal Instagram page. In it she's wearing a gorgeous purple blouse from Gucci. https://www.instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/?utm_source=ig_embed Actor Elliot Page, star of Juno and Umbrella Academy, has come out as transgender, revealing the name change and that his pronouns are he/they. Page outlined all of this in an Instagram post published December 1. “Hi friends,” he wrote. “I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life.” Page continued, “I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey. I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self. I’ve been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community. Thank you for your courage, your generosity, and ceaselessly working to make this world a more inclusive and compassionate place. I will offer whatever support I can and continue to strive for a more loving and equal society.” Mike Tyson claims he was high during his fight with Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday. The Tyson-Jones heavyweight exhibition fight went the full 8 rounds at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and was unofficially ruled a draw. Afterward, Tyson, who last fought in 2005, said he would “absolutely” do another exhibition. He also admitted that smoking marijuana has never affected his abilities in the ring. “Listen, I can’t stop smoking,” he told reporters after the fight. “I smoked during fights. I just have to smoke, I’m sorry. I’m a smoker. … I smoke everyday. I never stopped smoking.” https://youtu.be/c6Wd4RVR1wI Lil Wayne has released side A of his “No Ceilings 3” mixtape and it includes a nod to President Donald Trump. Weezy gives Trump a shout out on the track “Life Is Good,” a track originally made popular by Future and Drake. https://youtu.be/KTdRPXYaMkY WEtv’s “Braxton Family Values” returns with an all new episode this week, and finds Towanda and Sean talking about their future. Sean hints at marriage to Towanda but there’s only one problem… she has a tattoo on her wrist of her ex husband. https://youtu.be/Dm9UmAUbsUA Starz, a Lionsgate company, released the first look trailer and photo from its new STARZ Original series “Run the World.” The eight-episode, half-hour series is created by Leigh Davenport (The Perfect Find, “Wendy Williams: The Hot Topic,” “Boomerang”) who will executive produce with showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser (“Living Single,” “black-ish,” Lionsgate’s “Dear White People”). The series is currently filming in Harlem and is produced by Lionsgate Television. https://preview-g.starz.com/p/promos/new/vers01407512_rtw1_tease_trailer___seismic_licensed_org_21414_20_169_coming_2021___starz_spotl_2000k.mp4 Vernon Jones, a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives rose to the national spotlight in April 2020 after publicly criticizing his own Party and endorsed Trump for reelection. He later spoke at the Republican National Convention, garnering both criticism and adulation from amongst his peers and the public. Now, Jones is peddling the false narrative of the U.S Presidential Election being hijacked by those on the “left.” However, wide consensus states that no voter fraud took place and that the allegations currently being pushed by Mr. Jones and even the White House are simply unsubstantiated. But I digress, the point of me writing this piece is to say that Jones’ actions are an enigma to Democratic leaders and to everyday affiliates of the party. Nikema Williams, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia called him: “An embarrassment” who fails at representing the values of the party. https://www.facebook.com/1f272da2-d0a9-46d5-97f5-65676c9dbafb A Russian TV station is catching heat over a skit in which an actress donned blackface to play a ratchet version of Barack Obama. In the footage, the actress is wearing gold chains, a red bandana, and black gloves — and there even appears to be some rapping, The only English words in the skit are “Black Lives Matter.” According to TMZ, the segment ran on a satirical show broadcast by Russia’s NTV channel. In the skit, host Tigran Keosayan introduces the Obama-actress by saying, “We now go live to the dark side of America’s history, Barack Obama.” https://youtu.be/QEDVmfhCdbQ Ice-T has shared an update about the health status of his wife Coco Austin’s father who contracted the novel virus over the summer. The rapper’s father-in-law Steve had to be hospitalized in Arizona in July due to the coronavirus. Ice says Steve is now “on Oxygen indefinitely.” https://youtu.be/sRFe3cfgcPU Lifetime’s next installment in its “Ripped From the Headlines” franchise is a project from actress Meagan Good titled “Death Saved My Life.” According to TheWrap, Good will star in the small-screen film alongside Chiké Okonkwo (“Being Mary Jane”) and Good’s real-life sister, La’Myia Good (“The Wood”). The Good sisters will portray siblings in the thriller which is inspired by the true story of a “woman who faked her own death in order to trap her husband after he hires a hitman to kill her.” A beautiful expression of brotherly love has gone viral after their mom shared video of the moment on Facebook. A young man with Down Syndrome was overcome with raw emotion after his older brother revealed that he had gotten a tattoo of him on his arm. Enamored, the younger brother, Erick, repeatedly ran his hands over the image, which showed his face inside the mouth of a lion. The gesture so moved him that he gave his older brother, Rafa, a kiss, and then a long embrace. https://youtu.be/wl0Ab3SR1hU It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since the legendary #PattiLaBelle turned into a viral food sensation when her Patti Pies created a phenomenon in the aisles of Walmart. To give insight into just how good business is going, #Walmart revealed that during the recent Thanksgiving season, Patti LaBelle’s signature sweet potato pies were selling at a rate of 1,500 per hour! According to @FOXBuisness, a spokesperson for Walmart confirmed that Patti LaBelle sells a jaw-dropping 36,000 of LaBelle’s sweet potato pies every day—which translates to 1,500 pies every hour. That’s an estimated 25 Patti Pies per minute for the past five years. “With [the holidays] just around the corner, Patti Pie is expected to remain at the top of customer’s lists when shopping for their holiday meal,” a spokesperson for Walmart said in a statement. More than two years after a Pennsylvania jury found Bill Cosby guilty of sex crimes, the state’s Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear a two-pronged appeal, with Cosby’s lawyers asking for a new trial or drop the case. Cosby scored a legal victory in his sex assault case, when, back in June, the Supreme Court accepted the entertainer’s appeal to overturn his 2018 sex assault conviction. In April 2018, he was found guilty on three counts of sexual assault. The appeal could pave the way for the conviction to be possibly overturned in the future. https://youtu.be/OetP6T3re9g TV One’s new original holiday film CHRISTMAS DILEMMA is set for Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 7 P.M. ET/ 6C with an immediate encore at 9 P.M. ET/ 8C. The film marks the first project directed by Essence Atkins and builds on the actor’s longstanding relationship with TV One. As an actor, Atkins’ TV One credits include original films such as Girlfriend’s Getaway and its sequel, along with Coins For Christmas, and Coins For Love. Filmed in Atlanta, the movie stars BJ Britt (Being Mary Jane, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Brittany Hall (Ballers, Satisfaction) , Carl Anthony Payne II (Martin, 5th Ward), and Christopher B. Duncan (Black Lightning, The Jamie Foxx Show). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fHd2tApPQY&feature=youtu.be The 2020 “Soul Train Awards” were Chris Brown led the pack as the evening’s most awarded artist, dominating in four categories and H.E.R. followed closely with two awards: Best R&B/Soul Female Artist and The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award for “I Can’t Breathe.” Charlie Wilson performed a duet with Smokey Robinson before honoring the memory of gospel legend Rance Allen with a rousing tribute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25VQZA7yL-c&feature=youtu.be Multi Grammy Award-winning platinum selling artist, Lecrae, has received two 2021 Grammy Award nominations this year. The first in the category of Best Christian Contemporary Music Performance/Song for “Sunday Morning,” featuring Kirk Franklin. The song is featured on his ninth studio album, Restoration, which was released his own imprint, Reach Records on August 21, 2020. One of the best ways to celebrate the season is sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping on sparkling apple cider and listening to Christmas classics playing in the background. Gospel artist and gifted songstress Michele Sweeting loves the spirit of the holidays, especially the celebration of the birth of the Savior. The consummate vocalist and graduate of the Big Apple’s renowned Music & Art High School is known for her rousing performances including her first single, a rendition of “Center of My Joy,” which launched her career and took New York City by storm. Now, the Pastor of The People’s Church and the anointed worship leader has just added a brand new holiday favorite to the Christmas collection with the release of her new single, “Oh Holy Night.” The song is currently available on all digital outlets. Christmas Joy is here, it's in the atmosphere and people everywhere are preparing for a very different Christmas! Even though it won't be the same, the signs of Christmas are here! If you don't have the holiday spirit quite yet and are looking for new songs to awaken your inner joy, Brandon Camphor & One Way (BC1Way), one of the most exciting young vocal groups in Contemporary Christian Music, have released a new single, "Christmas Joy" that will have you dancing, laughing, smiling, and singing! Sure to become a holiday classic, the Motown/Jackson 5 inspired festive track celebrates all the things we love about about Christmas: jingling bells, children laughing, families gathered by the fireside, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp2hVpx6yn4&feature=youtu.be Actress and activist Laverne Cox took to IGTV over the weekend to detail a transphobic attack involving her and a male friend in Los Angeles. The incident occurred while Cox and her companion were walking in Griffin Park. Cox said they were “aggressively” approached by a man who asked them for the time. “The friend that I’m with looks at his watch and tells him the time, and then the guy who asked for the time says to my friend, ‘Guy or girl?,'” she said. “My friend says, ‘F*ck off.'” The tense exchange quickly escalated with the man attacking her friend. When Cox pulled out her phone to call 911, the guy fled,” Cox explained. “This dude was looking for trouble … because I happened to be a trans person in public,” she said. “That’s all it felt like. This isn’t shocking to me – obviously, this is my life. I’ve dealt with this a lot, but it never fails to be shocking, I guess… I’ve been trans my whole life, I’ve been harassed and bullied my whole life. None of this is new, but it’s still just kind of like … why do you need to be aggressive?” Barack Obama has given former actor Drake his approval to play him in a potential biopic about the former president. “I will say this, Drake seems to be able to do anything he wants. I mean, that is a talented, talented brother. So, if the time comes and he’s ready…,” said Obama during a recent interview on Complex’s 360 With Speedy Morman. “Drake has, more importantly I think, my household’s stamp of approval,” he added. “I suspect Malia and Sasha would be just fine with it.” Drake’s acting career began on the Canadian teen drama “Degrassi,” before he transitioned into a hip-hop artist. According to PEOPLE, the rapper first expressed interest in playing Obama in an in 2010. “I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him,” he said during Obama’s first term in office. “I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice.” Lifetime’s biopic on Wendy Williams is set to air in January. Ciera Payton has been cast to portray the talk show host while Morocco Omari will portray Williams’ ex-husband Kevin Hunter. The TV host is teaming with super-producer Will Packer for the project, which will chronicle her early days in radio up to her split from her husband and business partner. Wendy and Kevin called it quits after he got his mistress Sharina Hudson pregnant. The biopic is about “her scrappy upstart days in urban radio to the success of her own syndicated talk show,” a release said, via Page Six. Young Hollywood took the Amazon Studios & ABC Signature original series “The Wilds” by storm. The 10-part series follows a group of teenage girls from different backgrounds who survive a plane crash and are left on a deserted island. https://youtu.be/tUQ2vMSQf4M Jody Watley is always full of surprises. The Grammy-winning, trendsetting pioneer in music, video, fashion and style recently joined other R&B legends of the 80s on DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic: BET Soul Train Edition,” which also featured Sheila E, Chaka Khan, El DeBarge, Deniece Williams, Morris Day, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Lisa Lisa, George Clinton, and many more. DJ Cassidy included an all-star surprise line-up for his set, including Jody Watley giving homage to she and her fellow musical legends who gave birth to some of the greatest dance records of all time. The ‘highly anticipated,’ DJ show premiered after the Soul Train Awards, and also aired on VH1 and MTV2 on Sunday, November 29.https://youtu.be/PbfOstcxvwU Summer Walker, who recently took to social media to put her growing baby bump on display, is now putting her boyfriend on blast for allegedly being a deadbeat to his other children. Earlier this month, the singer confirmed that she is expecting her first child with producer London On Da Track, who has other children by at least two different women. Walker posted a series of messages to her Instagram Stories, claiming London is not a good father and telling Black men that they need to do better when it comes to their parental duties. She even referred to her own father as a “lame.” “Black men gotta start doing better when it comes to being a father my grandfather lame, my father lame, & dis n#### lame. lol and I guess the cycle will just continue,”Walker wrote. She then blamed her issues with London On Da Track on the generational trauma from slavery. “I guess n##### still dealing with the shackles of mental slavery or some s###, back when white men ripped you from your families and beat you to death if you tried to protect them. It goes deep. S#### really sad,” she added. A grandmother in North Carolina thought she was on another long-distance video call with her daughter’s family when all of a sudden … “they’re right outside!” Rebecca Cowles, 57, from North Wilkesboro, hadn’t seen her daughter, Nacole, 41, and four of her grandchildren in 18 months because they live in Florida. She got a big surprise when during their video chat, the group pulled into her driveway. “Oh my baby!” Cowles screamed while running into her grandson’s arms. Rebecca also met for the first time Nacole’s youngest child, Mayshiana, born during the pandemic, which had caused Nacole to avoid travel while pregnant. https://media14.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202011/1606742093880_tdy_parents_hoda_grandmother_surprise_boost_201130_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Venture capitalist Fred Eshelman gave $2.5 million to a group of Trump supporters promising to help overturn the election results. Eshelman is now suing to get his money back. According to Business Insider, Eshelman is suing True the Vote Inc., claiming the Houston-based organization failed to fulfill the conditions of his monetary gift. True the Vote is a vote-monitoring organization. Complex reports that in the lawsuit, it says that Eshelman “regularly and repeatedly” asked for updates on True the Vote’s investigation but was “consistently met with vague responses, platitudes, and empty promises of follow-up that never occurred.” https://youtu.be/rT_XTRtA45Y Former child star Rick Schroder is catching heat — including death threats — for helping to post bail for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old suspected white supremacist who travelled from Illinois to Kenosha, Wis., in August, where he fatally shot two Black Lives Matter demonstrators. “This was Kyle’s life being destroyed,” Schroder told the New York Post about why he contributed to the teen killer’s bail. “This is his freedom at risk. It infuriated me to see an innocent 17-year-old young man being tried and found guilty before trial.” The “Silver Spoons” and “NYPD Blue” star put up “hundreds of thousands” of dollars toward Rittenhouse’s $2-million bail, and a lot of folks are pissed off about it. https://youtu.be/hbS-bi9Kp3g Four months after former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died at age 74 from the coronavirus, his widow and assistant are clashing over money. According to TMZ, Lisa Reichert — who was Herman’s executive assistant for 9 years until his death — has filed docs in Henry County, Georgia opposing Gloria Cain’s attempt to serve as administrator to her late husband’s estate. Reichert claims Herman promised her a severance package and she fears the widow won’t deliver. https://youtu.be/8dlUixr82YE Retired former boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has called out messy Black folks for mocking NBA veteran Nate Robinson. Robinson was knocked out in his professional boxing debut on Saturday night by YouTuber Jake Paul. The match occurred at Staples Center in Los Angeles just before the Mike Tyson–Roy Jones Jr. exhibition on Saturday. Robinson took a hit so hard that he is now the center of jokes and mockery on social media. As a former boxer, Mayweather is not down with people taking aim Robinson, and he made his feelings clear in a post on Instagram. “Nate, I’m proud of you and I will always stand behind all my brothers,” Mayweather wrote. “I will never kick my brother when he’s down.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CIL9YNalPR7/?utm_source=ig_embed The 2020 “Soul Train Awards” aired November 29, 2020 at 8 PM EST on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2 was hosted by best friend duo Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold, who also brought their chemistry to the stage as the show’s opening musical acts. Chris Brown led the pack as the evening’s most awarded artist, dominating in four categories including Best R&B/Soul Male Artist and the shared honors of Song of the Year, Best Dance Performance and Best Collaboration with Young Thug for their hit “Go Crazy.” H.E.R. followed closely with two awards: Best R&B/Soul Female Artist and The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award for “I Can’t Breathe.” Honoring artists across 12 categories, the 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” also recognized Summer Walker (Album of the Year), Megan thee Stallion (Rhythm & Beats Award), Brandy (Soul Train Certified), Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Saint Jhn & Wizkid (Video of the Year), Snoh Aalegra (Best New Artist) and Kirk Franklin (Best Gospel/Inspirational Award) for their special contributions to the genre. The hosts kicked things off with an electrifying song and dance tribute to the power of Black women. Brandy performed a medley of her recent hits “Say Something” and “Boderline.” Ella Mai sang her latest single “Not Another Love Song.” Lucky Daye shut the stage down with Babyface for a performance of their new collaboration “Shoulda.” Charlie Wilson performed a duet with Smokey Robinson before honoring the memory of gospel legend Rance Allen with a rousing tribute. Additional performers included Jazmine Sullivan, Snoh Aalegra and CeeLo Green. After accepting the Lady of Soul Award, Monica brought down the house with a jam-packed performance of her chart-topping hits. In addition to electrifying performances, this year’s highly anticipated Soul Cypher featured R&B stars PJ Morton, Chanté Moore, Shanice and Stokely. Ella Nicole and Moses Sumney took the BET Amplified Music Stage, a platform for emerging artists. Presenters included Andra Day, Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Deon Cole, Nicco Annan, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Brandee Evans. Just in time for the holidays, celebrated rising gospel music star and Summerville, South Carolina native, Kelontae Gavin, offers a brand-new EP, “Hold Me Close: EP Experience.” The long-awaited EP is now available at all major digital retail and streaming outlets. The lead single, “Hold Me Close” is co-written by Kelontae Gavin, Marquis Boone and TedyP; and produced by Marquis Boone, TedyP and Quantez Blount. The title lead single, “Hold Me Close,” is currently #6 on Billboard Gospel’s National Airplay Chart. Kelontae Gavin shares, “Hold me close is a song for every person from every walk of life. I’m not just excited for the church to hear it, but the world to hear it.” “Hold Me Close: EP Experience” showcases Kelontae Gavin’s signature powerhouse vocals and continues to solidify him as a millennial worship leader unafraid to proclaim his faith. The single “Hold Me Close” marks the follow up to his Top 5 breakthrough radio smash, "No Ordinary Worship," which spent 53 weeks on the Gospel Airplay Top 30 chart, crossed over onto mainstream radio spending multiple weeks on the Adult R&B Airplay Top 40 chart, and generated over 15 million streams. State of the Masses brings together two of the world’s most successful Gospel Choirs - Mississippi Mass Choir (MMC) and Chicago Mass Choir (CMC) - for a behind the scene look at their past and present state of affairs; including classic video vignettes and never before seen photos. Participants will include CMC President CEO, Dr. Feranda Williamson; Producer/Composers, Percy Gray Jr. and Jeral Gray; and Lead Singer, Felica Cummins-Welch. Representing MMC will be Co-Founder/Executive Dir., Producer: Jerry Mannery; Co-Founder and widow of Frank Williams: Katrina Williams; Co-Founder/Producer/Composer: David R. Curry Jr; CoFounder/Producer/Composer: Jerry C. Smith; and Lead Singer: Lillian Lilly. This virtual event will go down Monday, November 30, 2020, 7:00 PM CST on Facebook LIVE: TMMC1 or CHICAGO MASS CHOIR, YouTube: The Mississippi Mass Choir or Chicago Mass Choir; Periscope: @missmasschoiraccess. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Today, two-time GRAMMY® nominated, Dove Award and multiple Stellar Award-winning maestro and Gospel icon, Kurt Carr released the music video for his heart-rendering single “Blessing After Blessing,” off his latest album Bless Somebody Else. The new music video comes at a pivotal point this year reminding us during this holiday season that despite what this unique year has looked like, there is still much to be grateful for. https://youtu.be/MyC87BULK0g Pandora announced today Dolly Parton will bring some holiday cheer to the Pandora LIVE stage as she's joined by Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Brett Eldredge and Carly Pearce for a special virtual celebration on December 4 at 9pm ET / 6pm PT. Pandora LIVE is the continuation of the popular live event turned virtual series that features top artists from all genres, including country, rock, R&B and more. Listeners can RSVP for the free event. To get in the holiday spirit leading up to the event, attendees can tune into Christmas Radio and Holiday Hits on Pandora. Both stations now feature Modes, a new feature that allows users to customize their station listening experience based on a musical theme. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Troy Douglas Clark, a behind-the-scenes music industry veteran who worked as both a talent manager and background vocalist, died of liver failure on November 25, 2020 at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, CA. Two of Clark’s longtime industry friends, recording executive Neily Dickerson and singer Earnest Pugh, have announced a virtual concert celebrating Clark’s life. Pugh and Judith Christie McAllister will host the virtual Facebook Live concert Friday, December 4, 2020 @ 9 PM ET/ 6 PM PT on the @SetAPartandChosen1 page. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Fresh off of Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday provides another chance to support Black-owned companies offering online discounts and sales during the holiday season. Not only is it an opportunity to grab some good deals as gifting becomes increasingly urgent in the next few weeks, it’s also the perfect time to support Black businesses that have disproportionately suffered during the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, this year offers no shortage of Black-owned businesses to support, with the internet being the great equalizer for companies that don’t have a physical store. But if you’re still having problems finding a Black-owned business to support, there is, of course, an app for that. Prior to the pandemic, there were about 2.6 Black-owned businesses in America. At that point, an estimated 80% of them failed in their first years. But since the pandemic hit, they’ve been closing at about double the rate of small businesses not owned by Black people. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Several key additions to Joe Biden‘s incoming administration were announced Sunday night following some criticism that the president-elect’s growing group of advisers lacked the proper amount of Black representation. That chorus of concern is expected to die down, at least in the interim following Biden’s latest selections that carry historic implications. One of those selections is Cecelia Rouse, who was tapped to be the next chairperson of the Council of Economic Advisers, an influential three-person panel defined by the White House as being “charged with offering the President objective economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy.” If confirmed by the Senate, Rouse would be the first Black person to ever hold the position. Two of the most visible Black women who worked on Joe Biden‘s presidential campaign have been rewarded with key communications roles for both the president-elect and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The new positions for Symone Sanders and Karine Jean-Pierre, who were both senior advisers on Biden’s campaign, were announced Sunday amid reports of an all-female senior communications team for the White House’s incoming administration. Jean-Pierre, who was Harris’ campaign chief of staff and advised Biden on strategy, communication and engaging with crucial communities such as Black people, women and progressives, will be the White House’s principal deputy press secretary. Prior to joining Biden’s campaign, Jean-Pierre was the chief public affairs officer for MoveOn, a liberal public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Sanders, for her part, will be the chief spokeswoman for Harris. Before coming on board as an adviser for Biden’s campaign, Sanders was a political pundit whose national profile grew while serving as national press secretary for Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. Another Black life was senselessly taken earlier this week with signs pointing to the sobering revelation that the death was a result of racism and vigilante violence. On Nov. 23, a 47-year-old white man named Robert Paul Keegan fatally shot Aidan Ellison, a 19-year-old Black man, in the chest. Ellison was sitting in his car in a Stratford Inn parking lot in Ashland, Oregon, KMVU reports. The two reportedly got into a confrontation about Ellison’s loud music around 4 a.m. that morning. Keegan was arrested and plead not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm, and reckless endangering on Nov. 27. Keegan is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 21, 2021, and is being held in the Jackson County Jail without bail. A Maryland woman shot dead her police officer husband and then killed herself, authorities said. Just 12 hours before Det. Timothy Eugene Francis was shot dead, his wife, Christina Lynn Francis, shared a video of the couple’s wedding on Facebook. The post lamented over the couple getting ‘lost in petty s***’ and the ‘marriage wasn’t put together for a great [reason].’ ‘We had 6 years of experience and [memories] that should have taken [precedence] over everything in everything we did,’ she wrote. Kim Kardashian West explained Brandon Bernard’s case in an impassioned Twitter thread Sunday. Bernard, 40, was given the death penalty in 2000 for killing Todd and Stacie Bagley with the help of four accomplices, all of whom were teenagers at the time, in Killeen, Texas. He is set to die by lethal injection on December 10 if a judge doesn’t grant clemency. Kardashian said that while Bernard’s actions were inexcusable, she believes he was not given a fair trial and does not deserve to die for something he did when he was 18. Dave Prowse, the British actor who gave the imposing physical presence — but not the voice — to Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died on Saturday in a hospital in London. He was 85. Mr. Prowse’s death was confirmed by Thomas Bowington, his agent. Mr. Prowse’s family did not release a cause of death, but he retired in 2016 because of ill health, Mr. Bowington said. Standing 6-foot-6 and with a physique honed by years of weight lifting (he was once the British heavyweight champion), Mr. Prowse had the perfect presence for the role of Darth Vader, whom he played in 1977’s “Star Wars,” in “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and in “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. A disgraced former Hillsong church pastor claims he is ‘stronger and happier’ than ever after launching a new church. Pat ‘Pasquale’ Mesiti created Reborn Ministries for churchgoers who have lost their way amid the coronavirus pandemic. The church on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and features online Sunday sermons hosted by the 60-year-old, whose life fell apart in 2016. The self-confessed sex addict was caught sleeping with prostitutes in Darlinghurst and was stripped of his authority to preach in the Hillsong church. As Sen. Kamala Harris begins her transition into the role of vice president, the pressure is mounting for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill her open seat with a candidate who represents an intersectional and diverse background. Newsom and his family are under a quarantine mandate due to his children being exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, which means the California lawmaker will have ample amount of time to parse over the decision. “We are working through the cattle call of considerations. I want to make sure it’s inclusive, I want to make sure that we are considerate of people’s points of views,” he told reporters earlier this month. Michelle Obama has opened up about how the process to transition power to the Trump administration in 2016 was quite difficult for her and husband Barack Obama. “I was hurt and disappointed — but the votes had been counted and Donald Trump had won,” the former first lady wrote in a lengthy Instagram post this week. “My husband and I instructed our staffs to do what George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of power — one of the hallmarks of American democracy.” Obama went on to explain how she and Barack had invited the Trump staff to their offices and shared insight from their experiences in the White House. https://youtu.be/0t1ZigPtxx4 Actress LisaRaye McCoy is already on the lips of folks because of her comments about Halle Berry’s bedroom skills … or lack thereof. Well, after last night’s “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” we suspect she’ll be on folk’s lips all over again. If you missed it, the actress sat down with her mother and her daughter to discuss tensions in their family on the latest episode of the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network series. https://youtu.be/XpmAjwQxRcc Nate Robinson got (KO) Knocked Out last night by YouTuber Jake Paul and he’s still taking hits. Those additional hits started immediately for the former Knicks star Saturday night as he became Twitter’s punching bag, with Steph Curry and wife Ayesha chiming in. “Gonna shock the world bro,” Robinson said in a previous tweet, to which the Warriors superstar joked after the fight, “I see no lies.” Curry’s wife Ayesha also commended Robinson for stepping out of his comfort zone despite the result. “Don’t care about the KO, I just think it’s cool to see someone trying something new and stepping out of their comfort zone. That’s dope and inspiring. You don’t have to just be one thing. I never want to live a life where I look back and say I didn’t try something I wanted,” she posted. https://twitter.com/i/status/1332899999647215616 Wondering about the Tyson-Jones fight. It was unofficially ruled a draw. The Mike Tyson/Roy Jones Jr. heavyweight exhibition fight surprised a lot of fans and went the full 8 rounds at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Afterward, Tyson, who last fought in 2005, said he would “absolutely” do another exhibition. https://youtu.be/EqVOPo8MteQ Mangrove,” is one of five films from the “Small Axe” anthology by Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”). Based on true events, the film chronicles the 50th anniversary of the day in 1970 when 150 protesters of West Indian and African heritage in Notting Hill, West London, took to the streets because of police brutality. In a reign of racist terror, the local police raid Mangrove—a lively community base for locals, intellectuals and activists—time after time. https://youtu.be/yyVRkWsIJcM Wesley Snipes recently announced a big-screen action-film project that he is spearheading titled, “Indigo.” He described “Indigo” as “Foxy Brown meets Mission Impossible.” “Foxy Brown” is a 1974 movie that featured Pam Grier. In the action-packed film, Grier, as Foxy Brown, was the kick-ass, one-woman wrecking crew that couldn’t be stopped by the bad guys. Grier is considered to be the first and greatest female action film star of all time. Grier, who combined beauty with physicality in “Foxy Brown” and numerous other movies, won’t be easy to duplicate. Yet, Snipes is on the hunt .According to Snipes, he is looking for the perfect female action star wherever she is. “We are doing a global virtual casting,” said Snipes. “We have a body movement specialist, where we would take them through a training program, bringing a grand masters from various disciplines like martial arts, dance, cinematography, directing; all of the things that go into the qualities that you need to become an action star. We will have all of that Blade-esque mixed, hybrid type of action content. Folks are puzzled over a bizarre video by Bill Cosby’s spokesman which compared the disgraced comedian’s sexual assault conviction to the police killings of black people across America. The brief video where Andrew Wyatt appears and was posted on Cosby’s social media accounts Friday, in which he begins by saying “These aren’t normal times.” “In this 21st century, we have witnessed the senseless murders of black men and women at the hands of a few bad law enforcement officers — but not all. We have witnessed the unjust conviction and incarceration of a true American treasure and citizen, actor-comedian Bill Cosby, and we are witnessing a pandemic unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime.” https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIGCmcbHJbA/?utm_source=ig_embed Police raided an illegal party this past weekend in Spain, where they found an African prince and others breaking the country’s new curfew. Authorities also freed six people who claimed they were locked in at the illegal closed-door party, imprisoning them against their will. The ages and sexes of those attendees were not immediately known, but all filed a kidnapping complaint with police the day the party broke up. Prince Randy Koussou Alam-Sogan was among those found at the establishment in Madrid, shortly after 6 a.m. on Oct. 25.The prince is president and chief investment officer of BLH Group, a pan-African investment advisory firm. He is also part of the royal family of the former kingdom of Dahomey, which existed from 1600 to 1904, and is now known as the Republic of Benin. It’s all about family for Cardi B and Offset this Thanksgiving. Amid their reconciliation, the married couple celebrated the holiday on Thursday with their 2-year-old daughter Kulture Kiari. In an adorable Instagram post Cardi, 28, shared on Thanksgiving, the toddler was pictured sitting down in a burgundy and beige outfit complete with a matching beret. “Happy Thanksgiving Cardi also shared a series of snapshots on her Instagram Story, showing her husband and family members dancing inside what appeared to be their Atlanta home. She also shared photos of their extravagant dinner. The star officially called off her divorce from the Migos rapper earlier this month, weeks after their public reconciliation. In one story post, Cardi jokingly removed Kulture’s pacifier after the little one didn’t want to get dressed for the holiday. “Behaving soo bad,” she captioned her photo. The rapper initially filed for divorce from Offset, 28, in September. Lil Yase — an up-and-coming Bay Area rapper — was shot and killed this weekend in what amounts to a mysterious murder with no explanation thus far … TMZ has learned. Sources close to Yase say… he was, indeed, shot early Saturday morning — and his body was discovered somewhere in the southern section of the East Bay … which is miles away from where he was last seen. Sources tell us Yase was hanging out with his crew late Friday night at a recording studio in Marin County — slightly north of San Francisco — and left on his own at one point around 11:30 or midnight, telling his buddies he’d be right back.He had just posted a photo of himself on Friday, showing his Thanksgiving festivities … with a caption that read, “If my n**** trippin den I’m trippin it’s up wit UNK ” It’s his last post on IG — and has since gotten tons of tributes from fellow artists in the Bay Area and beyond in the comments. The San Francisco 49ers and other teams may need to find a temporary new home after Santa Clara County on Saturday banned all contact sports from holding games and practices for the next three weeks. County officials issued the directives in response to rising cases of the coronavirus in the area. The rules take effect Monday and will last until Dec 21. The 49ers have home games scheduled for Dec. 7 against Buffalo and Dec. 13 against Washington at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The team also practices at that site in the county. “We are working with the NFL and our partners on operational plans and will share details as they are confirmed,” the team said in a statement. A person familiar with the situation said the NFL and 49ers prepared possible back-up plans before the season in case the Niners needed to move their operations and have an NFL stadium ready for games. The person spoke on condition of anonymity and gave no details on what those plans are because the league hadn’t made any announcement. Matt Patricia opened his final postgame news conference with the Detroit Lions by thanking his wife and children for their support. Patricia probably knew what was coming. His boss, general manager Bob Quinn, might not have expected the same fate. The Lions fired Patricia and Quinn, who hired the coach to replace Jim Caldwell, and effectively ended the franchise’s attempt to replicate the success the men helped Bill Belichick achieve in New England. The moves were made Saturday, surprising no one. “It clearly wasn’t working,” Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said on a Zoom call with reporters. The duo joins a long list of general managers and coaches that failed to help the franchise win over the last several decades. Since Detroit won the 1957 NFL title, it has won only one playoff game — and that was way back on Jan. 5, 1992. “We can’t hide our past, that’s for sure,” said Hamp, who succeeded her mother in June to lead the franchise her late father bought in 1963. “But I’m very dedicated to turning this ship around and really making a difference.” The reported assassination of Iran‘s top scientist overseeing the country’s nuclear program has prompted one conspiracy theory in particular examining who was behind the killing. But regardless of which country launched the attack, there seems to be one unverified consensus on social media: Donald Trump was probably involved in some way, shape or fashion. Considering that Trump as recently as Thanksgiving day was still pushing his unfounded, angry lies that Joe Biden didn’t win the election legitimately — and how the president is on record as downplaying a pandemic that has killed more than 260,000 Americans, and counting — there was a growing chorus from folks who thought it was perfectly plausible for Trump to orchestrate or at least take part in an international assassination for the sole purpose of sabotaging the incoming presidential administration (a potential double-whammy that would also upset Barack Obama, who as the president worked to establish peaceful relations with Iran). As Thanksgiving week draws to an end, more experts are warning the Covid-19 pandemic will likely get much worse in the coming weeks before a possible vaccine begins to offer some relief. More than 205,000 new cases were reported Friday — which likely consists of both Thursday and Friday reports in some cases, as at least 20 states did not report Covid-19 numbers on Thanksgiving. The US has now reported more than 100,000 infections every day for 25 consecutive days, with a daily average of more than 166,000 across the last week — almost 2.5 times higher than the summer’s peak counts in July. The number of Covid-19 patients in US hospitals is just off record levels: more than 89,800 on Friday, only a few hundred lower than the peak set a day earlier, according to the COVID Tracking Project. And daily Covid-19 deaths in the US have been increasing. The daily average across seven days was 1,477 on Friday. But more than 2,100 deaths were reported on each of the two days before Thanksgiving, the first time that level was crossed on consecutive days since late April. For the past week, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC, was holed up in a Vatican guesthouse, receiving meals at his door. On Saturday, Gregory stepped out of his quarters and into history, becoming the Catholic Church’s first African American cardinal during an installation ceremony in Rome. Gregory was one of 13 men — and the only American — elevated to the College of Cardinals during Saturday’s ceremony. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, two of the bishops were not in Rome for the ceremony, another first in church history, according to Vatican News. In keeping with the Pope’s concerns for Catholics who have been historically marginalized, the other new cardinals include men from Rwanda, Brunei, Chile and the Philippines. Gregory, 72, already the highest-ranking African-American Catholic in US history, told CNN this week that he has been praying, writing homilies and letters to well-wishers, and reflecting on his new role. “It’s been a time to thank God for this unique moment in my life and in the life of the church in the United States,” Gregory said. “I hope it’s a sign to the African American community that the Catholic Church has a great reverence, respect and esteem for the people, for my people of color.” A Black Louisiana sheriff’s deputy has sued a white former judge, saying a racial slur in her private text messages defamed him and has hurt his ability to do his job since being made public. Assumption Parish Deputy Erick Taylor filed a federal lawsuit Friday in New Orleans against Jessie LeBlanc, who resigned as a judge in February, The Advocate reported. As a judge, LeBlanc “harassed, humiliated and attacked him, which caused damage to his life, family, profession and reputation,” the lawsuit states. LeBlanc “will vigorously defend these allegations and, particularly, the allegations relating to her performance as a Judge,” attorney Jill Craft said in a written statement to the newspaper. LeBlanc’s resignation came two days after a television interview in which she acknowledged and apologized for using the slur to describe Taylor and a Black law clerk in a string of texts to the parish’s chief deputy about the end of the chief deputy’s eight-year affair with the judge. A viral meme catapulted into internet infamy over the last week, promising a piece of financial relief under the burdensome weight of student loans. Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, a personal finance expert, television-radio personality and author who is also known as The Money Coach shared on Instagram what she said was a little known fact regarding The CARES Act, part of the $2 trillion economic relief package signed into legislation in March due to the coronavirus. Cox wrote that employers are able to pay up to $5,250 towards employees’ federal student loans per request of the employee. The deadline for the payment to be made is Dec. 31, 2020. Cox also provided links to the application form and information regarding the IRS. But just because—America—many were skeptical and wondered if there was more to this than advertised. Especially for Black borrowers, who disproportionately suffer under the weight of systemic oppression, the student loan relief conversation has always remained vital as a pathway for financial relief and independence. With the holiday shopping season officially in full swing, it’s a foregone conclusion that the biggest retail corporations will rake in the big bucks from their faithful customers and new ones alike. But what about the smaller players in the business game? Without any support, many of those companies come just as quickly as they end up going away. A lot of the time, those businesses are Black-owned. “Nationwide there are more than 2.6 million black-owned businesses,” Black business owner Antwon Davis told NBC News. “But eight out of 10 fail within the first year and a half because of a lack of exposure, a lack of capital, and a lack of business acumen.” Black people have major spending power, though — to the tune of more than $1 trillion annually — so in theory, there should be no excuse not to throw a few bucks to the companies owned and operated by Black folks. And what better time to do so than on Small Business Saturday, which this year falls on Nov. 24? This year offers no shortage of Black-owned businesses to support, with the internet being the great equalizer for companies that don’t have a physical store. They threw her new cellphone on the roof of the station house and placed nails under the wheels of her pickup truck. As she prepared to answer a call, someone poured tobacco juice in her boots. It was too much for Timika Ingram to bear. “It caused me pain, sleepless nights, suffering, anxiety,” said Ingram, whose four years as a firefighter in North Carolina amounted to a collection of indignities. Other Black firefighters who endured similar treatment in the Winston-Salem Fire Department recently brought their complaints before the city. The grievance they filed in October calls for Chief William “Trey” Mayo to be fired for failing to discipline white firefighters who, the group said, have created a hostile work environment through comments in person and on social media. “It’s a festering problem that has become even more disease-ridden and even more detrimental to the life of the individuals who work here because of the current chief,” said 28-year veteran firefighter Thomas Penn, a leader of the group that calls itself Omnibus. Across the country, firefighters are confronting incidents of racism and discrimination as part of a burgeoning movement to call out and address racial injustice in America. Two Black women sued the city of Denver in September, saying its fire department discriminated against them because of their gender and race. One alleged a captain overseeing her training said she should “keep her head down and act like a slave” to graduate from the program. In this age of fast-talking and often overbearing television news correspondents, many have been in the business far longer than CNN’s Abby Phillip. Yet Philip, 31, is a breath of fresh air. During the recent presidential election night coverage, and the days that followed, more people turned to CNN than any other news outlet, to get their information about the historic election. What viewers witnessed was a strong team of correspondents, with Phillip at center stage. She has been touted for presenting journalistic brilliance, rooted in deep perspectives and wisdom of the political landscape. Phillip was superbly praised, especially when she talked about the role Black women played in the presidential election. “For Black women, this has been really a proving moment for their political strength, in carrying Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination through the primary,” Phillip told the NY Times. https://youtu.be/YzzqY6osuUA It might be more than two months late, but Mike Tyson’s showdown with Roy Jones Jr at the Staples Center in California is fast approaching. With just hours until the eight round charity exhibition bout, the odds have dramatically fallen in favour of ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson. Tyson may have retired from the ring more than 15 years ago but fellow boxing icons Evander Holyfield – who had his ear bitten by Tyson in a now infamous bout – and Danny Williams have backed the 54-year-old to not only win, but ‘seriously hurt’ Jones Jr under the lights in Los Angeles. But not all believe it will be quite so smooth for Tyson. David Haye and Lennox Lewis have sided with underdog Jones Jr, claiming his ‘combinations’ and ‘skill’ are good enough to see him dominate in any era of boxing. Whether you’re sitting firmly in Tyson’s corner or believe Jones Jr can pull off a spectacular feat, nobody watching this one can say for sure which way it will play out between two iconic fighters. Kevin Hart released “Zero F***s Given” earlier this month, his latest standup show that was filmed during the pandemic in his own home! While many fans can’t get enough of it, others don’t seem to be enjoying his new work. On top of receiving a few negative reviews from critics who called Hart “unfunny,” his show led to criticism due to a part in his set where he discusses his 15-year-old daughter’s love life. In the special, Hart joked that his daughter once told him, “‘Dad, I don’t like Rob no more.’ I like this boy named Tim.’ Instantly, in my mind, I said, ‘My daughter a hoe. This is hoe sh*t. Hoe activity right in front of my face.'” Many condemned the comedian for his remarks, and now Hart is speaking out to defend himself against people who claimed he was demeaning his daughter but also attacking Black women in a conversation he had on a new app called “Clubhouse.” The other “Dr. Dre,” Andre Brown, of “Yo! MTV Raps” fame, has been hit with another setback to his health. Brown, 56, who’s been battling diabetes for years recently announced that he had a leg amputated and his family started a GoFundMe account to help with the medical costs. Via Rolling Stone, Dre said on Memorial Day that he slipped and fell down a flight of stairs at his sister’s house. He suffered an injury to his right ankle, and later developed a life-threatening infection. “The infection that was in my feet had started eating away at my bones,” he told the publication. “If I had waited another day, I’d have been septic, and I could’ve died.” The bottom line is that doctors amputated his leg below the calf. He was fitted with a prosthetic and underwent physical therapy. Dre developed diabetes around a decade ago and last year he had lost his sight. Vanderbilt University senior Sarah Fuller made history as the first woman to play in a Power 5 football game when the Commodores faced the Tigers of Missouri University on Saturday afternoon. Fuller, a soccer player by training, joined the game after halftime as Vanderbilt’s placekicker following absences from players who were exposed to Covid-19. https://twitter.com/i/status/1332761311671947265 “When I read the book it related to me,” said two-time Academy Award-winning film director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind) about his interest in directing the Imagine Entertainment drama Hillbilly Elegy starring three-time Tony Award-winning Glenn Close (Air Force One), three-time Academy Award-winning Amy Adams (Arrival), and Gabriel Basso (“iCarly”). “What peak my curiosity were the family members.” The Hillbilly Elegy drama, which premiered on Netflix on November 24, 2020, is based on the memoir (Harper Press) of J. D. Vance focusing on three generations of his Kentucky Appalachian family striving for the American dream. https://youtu.be/KW_3aaoSOYg Mo’Nique recently took to Instagram to announce that she’ll be joining the popular app, OnlyFans! The 52-year-old actress and comedian uploaded a video to IG, sharing how she was given the wrong impression at first. But after someone let her know it’s a platform to connect closer to fans. Mo’Nique said she will not be sharing adult content like some influencers and celebs have been doing. Instead of showing her “special treats,” Mo’Nique said her “OnlyFamily” will be filled with workout and cooking content. She said it will also be a space where “everyone can give each other love.” Idris Elba is set to interview former Beatle Paul McCartney for a BBC One holiday special. The 60-minute programed titled Idris Elba Meets Paul McCartney will see the actor interview the music legend about his career and impact on pop music history. Idris says: “When I was asked if I wanted to speak to Paul McCartney, after I realized it wasn’t a joke, I immediately said yes… who wouldn’t?! I am a massive fan of Paul’s! His work has inspired and driven me as a musician, and once I get through the shock of sharing the stage with him, I’m excited to talk about his music and craft. What an honor! Looking forward to sitting with you Paul.” Paul says: “I’m looking forward to sitting down to a chat with the mighty Idris!” Author Patricia A. Thomas’s one-of-a-kind book, “God Reveals a Mystery!,” is receiving great acclaim in the Christian community as she answers the puzzling question about what happened to the dinosaurs, by using The Holy Bible’s scriptures and these animals’ correct name. With a world-wide fascination of the dinosaurs, a cloud of mystery surrounds these intimidating creatures’ demise, because their true name has been obscured over time. However, Thomas simply explains in her book that if we use these animals’ correct name, which is in The Holy Bible, the answer to what happened to them will become eye-opening. Many know that the name dinosaur (dinosauria) was coined in 1842. The made-up name dinosaur means “terrible lizard” in Greek, but the Adam-given name, according to Genesis 2:20, that was given to them thousands of years ago, is serpents or dragons and many know them also as snakes. Therefore, dragons are not mythical, but were instead cursed by God during the time of the Garden of Eden, according to Genesis 3:14 (NIV): So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.” In other words, God’s dragons now drag on the ground. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis this year, EMG also created a relief fund to support Philadelphia area musicians who lost employment due to the mandatory closure of churches. Dr. Garland Waller and EMG created "The Levites Relief Fund" and distributed financial assistance to men and women whose only source of income is through music ministry. EMG is celebrating five years of facilitating prolific and professional Gospel music in ministry and the faith-based marketplace. A 5-year celebratory Virtual Concert will stream on Sunday, November 29 at 7PM Eastern. You can watch EMG artists perform and hear from the EMG staff and team as they share the past five years and offer a glance into the future next years. Watch the Enon Music Group Virtual Concert on EMG YouTube channel or Facebook page. Accomplished singer-songwriter and chart-topping artist VaShawn Mitchell celebrates this holiday season with the release of HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, a 6-track Christmas EP featuring all original music. HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is available for pre-order today, and releases digitally everywhere December 11. Mitchell, well-known for bridging the gap between worship and praise, brings his signature flair to holiday music on HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. Gospel Spotlight's VaShawn Mitchell!!! Hear VaShawn Mitchell In His Own Words.....http://gospel-spotlight.com/vashawn_mitchell_intvw.htm Angela Moss Poole brings a fresh sound to contemporary Christian/Gospel music with a new single "Born To Die.". She is a nationally acclaimed songwriter whose songs are being translated and shared all over the world. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/ANGELA-MOSS-POOLE-BORN-TO-DIE-TldvcCBFJpdHcjdqRFLbk The Café Mocha Network continues its ‘Stand in Soulidarity’ series ‘a celebration of culture’ by paying tribute to the Resilience of New York with the second Salute THEM [Together Heroes Emerge Momentous] Awards hosted by Emmy & 2x NAACP Image Award winner Loni Love streaming Black Friday, November 27, 2020 at 7PM EST on SaluteTHEMAwards.com. https://facebook.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03270e5fb8d65204361e530a2&id=168ddbf71f&e=136c74e292 Civil rights pioneer Bruce Carver Boynton, who inspired the “Freedom Rides” of 1961, died Monday at age 83. Boynton’s arrest at a segregated bus station in Virginia in the late 1950’s led to a Supreme Court ruling that prohibited segregation at bus facilities. “He did something that very few people would have the courage to do. He said no,” U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson said of Boynton in 2018. “To me he’s on a par with Rosa Parks.” https://youtu.be/1zBY6gkpbTg The ladies of the talk show “The Real” are catching heat over comments they made about inmates using the popular app TikTok. During their discussion, Loni Love noted her disapproval over prisoners having access to social media. “A lot of them are doing it because they get money. They put their Cashapp in their account and they’re getting money.” https://youtu.be/wyBdCh6W9GY A man who works for the Virginia Department of Corrections says he was placed on leave just days after raising concerns about systemic racism at his job. “The timing is very suspicious,” said DOC employee Michael Murphy. He tells 8News he’s worked in corrections for 30 years, eight of which, with the Virginia DOC. He says that while working as a unit manager at State Farm Correctional Center in Powhatan County, he noticed a pattern within the department: hard-working, qualified Black employees getting passed over for promotions. "There’s been a practice, I noticed of African Americans being laterally moved involuntarily, several hours from their workplace,” Murphy said. “In one case, it was five hours away from her workplace.” Murphy believes it’s designed to make them quit. “It is happening very disproportionately to Blacks. I find it to be incredibly unfair and very discriminatory,” Murphy said. So, as a manager, he decided to speak up. He first filed an EEOC complaint with the State of Virginia. Then, on Sept. 24, he filed a formal grievance with his immediate supervisor. He says he alleged, “systemic racism within the department.” Then, five days later, Murphy said, “I was put on administrative leave for lack of civility.” Model Halima Aden has announced that she is quitting the runway life after losing touch with her own reality while navigating the fashion industry. The 23-year-old shared a series of childhood photos, fashion photoshoots on social media, noting that she was pressured to compromise her religious beliefs for her career. https://www.instagram.com/khalimaaden/?utm_source=ig_embed Michael Jordan is donating $2 million to the non-profit Feeding America using proceeds from the ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance.” The series chronicles the NBA legend’s career with the Chicago Bulls, and it turned out to be quite profitable for Jordan. In a statement, MJ reflected on the financial hardships of many Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic: “In these challenging times and in a year of unimaginable difficulty due to COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to pause and give thanks. I am proud to be donating additional proceeds from The Last Dance to Feeding America and its member food banks in the Carolinas and Chicago to help feed America’s hungry.” https://youtu.be/Peh9Yqf1GXc Apple TV+ and Mariah Carey today released the official trailer for “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” giving a first look at the epic holiday extravaganza that will launch globally on Friday, December 4 exclusively on Apple TV+. https://youtu.be/KA7GxpLH_5A Former NBA star Lamar Odom has teamed with producer Jojo Ryder (American Heist, Hawaii Five-O) for a documentary chronicling the athlete’s life and career, including his battle with substance abuse and marriage to Khloe Kardashian. The multiple-episode series will feature appearances by some of Odom’s NBA colleagues including Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss, Trevor Ariza and others. From his personal life, Liza Morales, the mother of Odom’s three children will also appear in the doc and offer testimony about their co-parenting relationship. “Bachelorette”Star Tayshia Adams opened up about racism and the Black Lives Matter movement during a rare conversation about race on the hit dating series. Adams confessed to biracial contestant Ivan Hall on Tuesday’s episode that the death of George Floyd changed her perspective as a Black/Latina woman. She became emotional during their date while explaining her experience as a woman of color in America. https://youtu.be/Q4eh66Z-2K8 Written by Chas Bronxson, a songwriter and podcast curator on Chuck D’s Rapstation Network, Anthem Tongue Radio; “Dear Beyoncé” is a harmonic and humorous look at the bygone era of ‘stans’ in a catchy musical tribute to Beyoncé. https://youtu.be/4N20opKnNQY Rumor has it that Halle Berry once had sex with an ex of LisaRaye McCoy, and McCoy appears to still he feeling some way about it. The “Players Club” star put the actress on blast during a recent episode of Fox Soul’s Cocktails With Queens. When the panelists began discussing which celebrities could be good in bed, the women speculated about how Toni Braxton gets down. LisaRaye was quick to note: “We don’t know what [Braxton] is doing in the bedroom. She might be like Halle Berry.” Co-host Claudia Jordan then replied: “Wait … What do you mean about Halle Berry. She’s not supposed to be good in the bed?” When her statement caught Berry’s attention, the Oscar-winning actress responded in a tweet that included a HotNewHipHop post linking to a story titled, “LisaRaye McCoy Suggests Halle Berry Is Bad In Bed: ‘That’s What I Heard.'”Berry clapped back with: “Ms. @TheRealLRaye1, ask my my man @vanhunt he’ll tell ya all y’all need ta know,” she tweeted along with a crying laughing emjoi face. Megan Thee Stallion recently unveiled her new collection with Fashion Nova, now the rapper is hitting back at claims that the clothing line includes stolen designs. The hip-hop star addressed the controversy during a Morning Hustle interview on Tuesday. https://youtu.be/RIUt8pmKMoY Lil Wayne‘s sneak attack of an endorsement for Donald Trump‘s re-election may have invigorated the president’s base, but it also left some of his most loyal fans conflicted on whether they should continue supporting a rapper who apparently approves of the racist-in-chief’s hateful ways. Fast-forward nearly a month later and that same group of Lil Wayne fans seemingly remains split after it was announced that the veteran rapper was planning to release another installment of one of his most successful series of mixtapes. The end result was an apparent suspicion that Lil Wayne is dropping new music to distract from his support for Trump and undo any of the cancellation process that may have been underway by some of his fans. And it just might work, which would be sad. DJ Khaled on Wednesday posted a brief social media video about the upcoming release of Lil Wayne’s “No Ceilings 3” project. Just in time for the holidays, celebrated rising gospel music star and Summerville, South Carolina native, Kelontae Gavin, offers a brand-new EP, “Hold Me Close: EP Experience.” The long-awaited 4-track EP is now available at all major digital retail and streaming outlets. The lead single, “Hold Me Close” is co-written by Kelontae Gavin, Marquis Boone and TedyP; and produced by Marquis Boone, TedyP and Quantez Blount. Kelontae Gavin shares, “Hold Me Close" is a song for every person from every walk of life. I’m not just excited for the church to hear it, but the world to hear it.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4VseW2UAsU&feature=youtu.be Black Friday officially kicked off the 2020 holiday shopping season, but the coronavirus pandemic has affected consumers’ spending habits considerably in myriad ways. Black consumers, in particular, have not been exempt from that truth, throwing into question their reliably formidable buying power at a time when businesses need as much patronage as they can get. Black shoppers spent $1.4 trillion in 2019, according to the most recent buying power statistics. Nielsen, which provides analytical insights about the habits of consumers, projected that figure to reach $1.8 trillion by 2024. But with the unfortunate combination of Black unemployment remaining sky-high and low-wage job hiring's, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a steep drop-off from the traditional levels of holiday spending. It wasn’t too long ago when Black people used to set the standard for spending during the holidays. In 2014, Black consumers were predicted to lead all holiday spending by shelling out 17 percent more than other racial backgrounds. Six years later and it could be a completely different story with the pandemic not just affecting if we shop but also how we shop. A racist white man who rented property to a Black family with children has been given a relatively light prison sentence after he pleaded guilty and openly admitted to being motivated by his racism for discriminating against and “threatening to kill” the tenants in North Carolina. The “justice” was far from swift. Douglas Matthew Gurkins was sentenced nearly six years after he drove to the Black family’s home in Greenville and threatened them with bodily harm while “yelling racial slurs” because he said they did not “belong” there. Gurkins, 34, “told the family that they did not belong in their home and then threatened to shoot the family, to include four minor children, and any other African American that came onto the property” according to an FBI press release that references the fateful encounter in December 2014. “After making this threat, the defendant brandished a metal rod in a threatening manner.” In August, Gurkins, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal interference with the Fair Housing Act. He was sentenced on Monday to just 28 months in federal prison, a fraction of the maximum penalty he was facing of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. However, there was no mention in the press release of Gurkins being fined. In an effort to support the restaurant industry as it rebounds from the impact of COVID-19, Discover announced today that it will be giving $5 million to Black-owned restaurants. Consumers can go to Discover’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to nominate their favorite Black-owned restaurant, and 200 nominees will be randomly selected to receive $25,000*. “COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on businesses across the United States, and we want to help effect positive change by offering financial support to Black-owned restaurants, a segment of the economy that has been disproportionately impacted during this pandemic,” said Julie Loeger, Discover Executive Vice President and President of U.S. Cards. “Through this campaign, people across the country can support their favorite Black-owned restaurants. By sharing the names of these establishments on social media, it not only helps promote these businesses, but it also nominates them for a chance to receive $25,000.” At the ripe old age of 8-years-old, Tyler Stallings says he’s been on a mission to help homeless veterans for half of his life. During an appearance on “Good Morning America” Thursday, the little “superhero” revealed he’s raised $50,000 and counting for his cause. “It’s been a journey but a rewarding one,” his mom Andrea Blackstone told “GMA.” “I just want to encourage people to listen to their kids because you never know where their ideas can go.” Tyler and his mother were then surprised with $25,000 to continue to help veterans in need. The organization where Tyler volunteers, Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training (MCVET), also received a $25,000 check. https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/191205_gma_breakfast7_830_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg With Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reportedly testing positive for COVID-19, joining the multitude of recent positive tests in their organization, the team’s game that was scheduled Thanksgiving night against the Pittsburgh Steelers was moved to Sunday afternoon at 1:15 p.m. EST. But the consequences of their COVID situation extend beyond Baltimore. ESPN’s NFL reporter Adam Schefter joined SportsCenter yesterday to discuss Jackson’s positive test and what it could mean for the Ravens/Steelers matchup and future NFL games. https://youtu.be/cy6pmXsxaV8 President Trump surfaced Thursday to take questions from reporters for the first time since he lost the presidential election and he’s still swears that he won. He also yelled at a reporter who was following up on Trump’s declaration that if the electoral college formalizes Joe Biden’s victory, they will have “made a mistake, cause this election was a fraud.” When Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason tried to ask a follow up, Trump barked back: “Don’t talk to me that way. I’m the President of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the president that way.” https://youtu.be/Mj8EN-UTOpc TV One’s new original holiday film CHRISTMAS DILEMMA is set for Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 7 P.M. ET/ 6C with an immediate encore at 9 P.M. ET/ 8C. The film marks the first project directed by Essence Atkins and builds on the actor’s longstanding relationship with TV One. As an actor, Atkins’ TV One credits include original films such as Girlfriend’s Getaway and its sequel, along with Coins For Christmas, and Coins For Love. Filmed in Atlanta, the movie stars BJ Britt (Being Mary Jane, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Brittany Hall (Ballers, Satisfaction) , Carl Anthony Payne II (Martin, 5th Ward), and Christopher B. Duncan (Black Lightning, The Jamie Foxx Show). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fHd2tApPQY&feature=youtu.be Today, two-time GRAMMY® nominated, Dove Award and multiple Stellar Award-winning maestro and Gospel icon, Kurt Carr released the music video for his heart-rendering single “Blessing After Blessing,” off his latest album Bless Somebody Else (Kurt Carr Gospel/RCA Inspiration). The new music video comes at a pivotal point this year reminding us during this holiday season that despite what this unique year has looked like, there is still much to be grateful for. Written and produced by Carr, “Blessing After Blessing,” is one of the sixteen tracks from the album filled with messages of thanksgiving, hope and reassurance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyC87BULK0g&feature=youtu.be The 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” is taking center stage this Thanksgiving weekend with dynamic performances and a celebration of music that brings people together. Babyface, Brandy, CeeLo Green, Charlie Wilson, Ella Mai, Jazmine Sullivan, Lucky Daye, Monica, Smokey Robinson are set to perform at the annual showcase. Hosted by Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold, the 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” airs Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 8PM ET simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2. Key of A/Tyscot/FairTrade celebrates Anthony Brown and group therAPy’s nomination in the 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards. This is Anthony and group therAPy’s second GRAMMY® nomination; “Worth” was nominated for Best Gospel Performance /Song in 2015. During the hour-long live-stream event, Anthony Brown and group theraAPy was announced amongst the nominees for Best Gospel Album for their 2019 release of 2econd Wind: Ready. The album produced the 2019 summer viral anthem “Blessings on Blessings,” and fan-favorite “This Week,” both songs reached number #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart. Gospel Spotlight's Anthony Brown!!! Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm Former President Barack Obama said Republicans made white men think of themselves as victims Wednesday – and that Donald Trump’s surprise success with Hispanic voters was partly because of his appeal to evangelical voters. He explained in an interview Wednesday with The Breakfast Club that what motivates people to vote is often about ‘the stories that are being told.’ ‘What’s always interesting to me, is the degree to which we’ve created, you’ve seen created, in Republican politics, this sense that white males are victims. They’re the ones who are like under attack,’ Obama noted. ‘Which doesn’t jive with both history and data, and economics.’ https://youtu.be/jezBwRpwszM The NFL’s Thanksgiving Day plate just became a little lighter. After multiple Baltimore Ravens tested positive for COVID-19 this week, the league moved Thursday night’s game between the Ravens and undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers to Sunday afternoon. The decision marks the first time since Week 5 that the league has postponed a game due to COVID-19 concerns. Monday, coach Jim Harbaugh revealed that running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins had tested positive for COVID-19. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, five more players – quarterback Trace McSorley, defensive end Calais Campbell, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and offensive linemen Matt Skura and Patrick Mekari – also tested positive this week. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that the team “severely limited” along the offensive line with players ruled out due to close contact to those who had tested positive. Alicia Keys has teamed with MasterClass to share her songwriting approach in an online-video class. Keys’ class is available through the $180 annual subscription plan, which generally consists of more than 3 hours of lessons. The plan also gives users access to the full catalog of 90-plus classes. https://youtu.be/PbeaQXYW7DY The Weeknd has called out the Recording Academy after he was snubbed for next year’s Grammy Awards. His fans are giving the Grammys the side-eye after the singer received zero nominations, even though, as TMZ points out, his single, “Blinding Lights,” topped the charts and his album, “After Hours,” hit to #1. https://youtu.be/wwPO5Vz9Mg8 John Boyega is only 28, but being a professional actor of 10 years and a veteran of three “Star Wars” films has given him insight into what it’s like for a young performer breaking into Hollywood. “I always tell young actors who are getting into it, they’ve got their first franchise or first big role: You’re gonna have to navigate people assuming that you’re a piece of (expletive),” says Boyega. “Normally the assumption is you keep quiet, you keep cashing checks and you keep it moving. That’s the hardest thing to navigate, when you don’t feel that way.” This year, Boyega has made it clear he doesn’t feel that way, that he isn’t going to bite his tongue. In July, he gave a fiery speech at a London protest in the wake of George Floyd’s death, shouting through a megaphone and fighting back tears. He wondered aloud whether he’d have a career afterward. “Black lives have always mattered,” Boyega told demonstrators. “We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting.” Meghan, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, revealed in an essay published in the New York Times on Wednesday that she suffered a miscarriage in July. The former actress and wife of Prince Harry said the moment occurred while she was caring for her son Archie. “I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,” Meghan wrote, describing how she felt a sharp cramp, and dropped to the floor while holding her son. "Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears,” she wrote. “Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.” Meghan added: “Sitting in a hospital bed, watching my husband’s heart break as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine, I realized that the only way to begin to heal is to first ask, “Are you OK? Singer Fantasia has announced that she and her husband of five years Kendall Taylor are expecting their first child together. The couple revealed the news during an Instagram Live. Fantasia has two children from previous relationships; 19-year-old Zion and 8-year-old Dallas. The singer gave birth to Zion as a teenager and last year she posted a series of photos and videos of her daughter in honor of her 18th birthday. A Michigan girl who sparked national outcry when she was handcuffed and held by police at gunpoint when she was just 11 years old has died from COVID-19. Honestie Hodges died on Sunday at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids after testing positive for coronavirus two weeks ago on her 14th birthday. Her grandmother, Alisa Niemeyer, says the teenager had been in intensive care prior to her death and that she had no underlying health conditions. News of her death was shared on a GoFundMe page created to help support Honestie’s mother and the teen’s four siblings while she was in hospital. Honestie first fell ill on her 14th birthday on November 9 and she was taken to hospital suffering stomach pains. She tested positive for coronavirus that day and was sent home to quarantine. Honestie was rushed back to hospital via ambulance that same night when her condition worsened and she was placed in the ICU. She received iron and blood transfusions as her condition continued to deteriorate, her grandmother said. The teen was placed on a ventilator on November 14. Twenty-seven new plaintiffs, all former Black McDonald’s franchisees, joined an ongoing federal lawsuit against the fast-food chain claiming the company engaged in systemic discrimination and denied them the same opportunities as White franchisees. The new amended complaint now has 77 named plaintiffs in the lawsuit originally filed by 52 Black former franchisees on Sept. 1, 2020. The claims now include nearly 300 stores with compensatory damages that average between $4 million and $5 million per store, exclusive of punitive damages. The plaintiffs allege McDonald’s sold itself as a recruiter and developer of Black talent, profited from its Black consumer base and maintained a two-tier system that pigeonholed unsuspecting Black owners and assigned them horrible locations guaranteed to fail. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Alabama was No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season Tuesday night, followed by Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State. Texas A&M was fifth and Florida sixth, giving the Southeastern Conference three of the top six teams. Alabama is No. 1 in the CFP rankings for a record 19th time. Unbeaten Cincinnati from the American Athletic Conference at seventh has the best ranking for a non-Power Five team in the seven-year history of the selection committee’s top 25. No. 8 Northwestern, Georgia and Miami rounded out the top 10. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena has been arrested in Mexico’s Yucatan state for a situation involving an apparent custody dispute, just two weeks after he won the Babe Ruth award for the Most Valuable Player in the postseason. The Yucatan state prosecutors’ office confirmed Tuesday that Arozarena was detained “for problems relating to his ex-partner.” The office did not explain what those problems were, but video posted on social media suggested it may have involved a dispute over a child. He has not been formally charged yet. Mexican law allows a two-day period for prosecutors to decide whether to bring charges. Normally suspects are held in jail pending that decision. “We are aware of reports that Randy Arozarena was detained in Mexico,” the Rays said in a brief statement. “We are gathering more information on this situation, and we have no further comment at this time.” Arozarena has made no public comment and it was not clear if he had a lawyer yet. Local media reported that Arozarena married a Colombian woman earlier this month in Merida, the Yucatan state capital. Jaden Smith and supermodel Cara Delevingne star in the romantic drama “Life in a Year,” for which the first official trailer just dropped. Smith, 22, stars as Daryn, a 17-year-old student who falls for Delevingne’s Isabel — who has a year to live. https://youtu.be/VTAro0MHeWs T.I. is catching some heat for saying women do not want a man who “who ain’t got no b——.” The rapper, who often makes headlines for cheating on his wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, made the comments during a recent segment of his podcast “ExpediTIously.” “Them women don’t really want a man who ain’t got no b——,” T.I. said. “That’s what attract you to that n—- ’cause he had b—–, that energy, that misogyny you speak so poorly of.” His remarks sparked debate on social media, with many of his fans divided on the issue. Gabourey Sidibe is off the market. Her boyfriend, Brandon Frankel, has proposed and the actress, 37, shared the exciting news on social media. On Tuesday, she posted a video of the two together on Instagram, flashing her engagement ring. https://www.instagram.com/gabby3shabby/?utm_source=ig_embed The family of a Dallas man who was killed during a suspected robbery say they have lost faith in the police working the case. Deonte Hicks, 27, reportedly drove to Houston to meet a woman he met online — but police say he was robbed and killed. The family believes he was a victim of catfishing — when a person pretends to be someone else on social media, usually with sinister intentions. Hicks was fatally shot on May 10, while standing outside of his car, according to Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Department, per PEOPLE. After the slaying, two unknown Black males were seen fleeing on foot “in an unknown direction of travel,” the Crime Stoppers release says. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ea4HKUUWsAEN_Sc?format=jpg&name=small In August, gospel singer KD French appeared on “Today” to perform “The Fridge Again,” her hilarious ode to putting on pandemic pounds while quarantined. Now she’s back with an original song making its premiere: “It’s Thanksgiving Time.” https://youtu.be/PbCvd-qJEqY Hezekiah Walker and a drove of volunteers from Love Fellowship Tabernacle and the Local DC9 Union organization Feed the Hope converged upon Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park to unload food from an 18-wheeler. The food giveaway was sponsored with the Christian organization Feed the Hope. “We expected to be in the park until about 4 p.m.,” says Walker, who has hosted a food giveaway every year for the past 18 years. “But this has been a challenging year for so many people, and those who wanted boxes were there early. We handed out all of the food faster than ever before.” A Brooklyn native, Walker is committed to serving the community that is still the home to the original location of Love Fellowship Tabernacle. Walker says: “Evangelism is the epitome of Ministry, and service is an extension of evangelism. It is always a joy to see the effect that this type of outreach has on the community. Feeding the multitudes is something I wish I could do every day.” Entertainment One (“eOne”) celebrates its nominations across categories for the 63rd GRAMMY® Awards, that goes down January 31, 2021. eOne label artist Royce 5’9” received a nomination for Best Rap Album for “The Allegory”; Jonathan McReynolds received a nomination for Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Movin On,” with Mali Music from his album “PEOPLE.” Patrick Noble's 'Look To The Hills' official music video drops THIS Friday 11/27/2020. Strippedown Music Group is preparing the global release of R&B/Soul Singer and Songwriter Alexx Daye's new single, “Long Time Dreams," this Friday. The single became the #3 Most Added on Urban AC radio in its first week, and will officially drop on all digital platforms November 27, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1UT-cYd50o Florida deputy under investigation for fatally shooting two Black teens in Cocoa on Nov. 13 remains employed despite a storied history of violence that his department had full knowledge of, according to Florida Today. Cocoa residents Angelo Crooms, 16, and Sincere Pierce, 18, were killed during a traffic stop conducted by Brevard County Sheriff’s Office deputies Jafet Santiago-Miranda and Carson Hendren. Santiago-Miranda fired the fatal shots, according to The New York Times. Eight shots can be heard on the dashcam video footage of the shooting. A third unnamed person was riding with the teens and was let go after being questioned by police, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports. The sheriff’s office maintains the vehicle was stolen, claiming Santiago-Miranda fired “in an attempt to stop the deadly threat of the car from crashing into him,” after the pursuit came to a halt on a local street. Police say they commanded the vehicle to stop seven times, before opening fire. Authorities also say they recovered two guns from the vehicle. Both Santiago-Miranda and Hendren have been placed on paid administrative leave until the end of the investigation. It was already pretty established that Black and brown folks were leery of being inoculated with the coronavirus vaccine, but the results of a new survey have resoundingly underscored that truth despite the coronavirus‘ disproportionate effect on their respective communities. The survey, released Monday, was conducted in part with the NAACP and set out to address “attitudes and impacts of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance in the Black and Latinx communities.” But what the survey found likely dashed any optimistic expectations its organizers might have had going into it. Just 14 percent of the 1,050 Black people surveyed in early September said they trusted the vaccine would be safe. Only 18 percent of Black respondents said that they believe it will be effective and actually work. Conversely, survey responses from the Latinx community in each of those categories were more than double that of their Black counterparts. Micah Johnson, a former second baseman and outfielder for the White Sox, Dodgers, Braves and Rays, has indulged in his longtime passion and is now a professional artist of critically acclaimed and highly sought-after fine art paintings. His latest work, which opened at Art Angels over the summer, was inspired by an overheard question posed by his nephew: “Mom, can astronauts be Black?” Many of his paintings feature real subjects wearing an astronaut’s helmet, while they paint or draw or learn the cello or simply play hopscotch. The helmet represents the dreams Black kids have and the opportunities that are hopefully open to them. He uses colors and images that children can relate to. He wants Black children to see themselves in a fine art world that is historically dominated by white artists and subjects. https://youtu.be/04I1c0HV-xE “Trolls (Holiday) did so well I didn’t want to mess it up,” said Joel Crawford about directing the DreamWorks Animation, The Croods: A New Age – distributed by Universal Pictures and in (opened) theatres November 25, 2020, and Video On Demand on December 25th. “Been here at DreamWorks since 2006 and worked on many projects as a storyboard artist. I’ve taken movies scene by scene…all these things that add up to me being a director.” Joel’s natural progression led to directing the Troll’s Holiday short animated film to directing this feature animated film The Croods: A New Age. https://youtu.be/GkXeVIfbJOw Tuesday, Nov. 24, as co-host Adrienne Houghton says, “today’s the day!” The Real welcomes back co-host Jeannie Mai! She has a lot to say about what she’s been doing while recuperating from throat surgery and how she realized she’d been prioritizing work over her health. https://youtu.be/BDYuu83O5b8 Trump supporters within the conspiracy movement Q’Anon believe that Democrats are running a pedophile ring and eating babies to extract a life-extending chemical from their blood. And that these child eaters/molesters include Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, George Soros, Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey. https://youtu.be/tTeRofqTdlg Tiffany “New York” Pollard is no longer available … as a single lady. She’s now engaged. We learned the news from the self-proclaimed ‘HBIC’ during the “I Love New York Reunited” reunion special, which aired on VH1 Monday night. After connecting with some of the memorable contenders from her dating show, “I Love New York” — including season one winner, Patrick “Tango” Hunter, and season two winner, George “Tailor-Made” Weisgerber — and taking a stroll down memory lane, Pollard shared that being on the show taught her a lot about herself and her love language. “Doing this experience has taught me my love language,” said Pollard. “It has brought me full circle as a woman. To find love the way I did, I stopped looking for it and it literally found me. I’m engaged. It’s just 21 days old.” BET alumni will celebrate the network’s 40-year anniversary during a virtual retrospective on Friday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. EST. The event, hosted by former BET on-air personality Angela Stribling, will be presented as a webinar for public viewing on HBCU GO TV, BET Alumni Reunion YouTube channel and the BET Worldwide Facebook page. The presentation will provide viewers a unique glimpse into what it was like for many employees, both on the air and behind the scenes, to work at (what was at that time) the only Black-owned cable network, and will focus primarily on a 20-year period of BET’s evolution beginning with its inception in 1980 until 2000 shortly before Viacom purchased the network from its founder and chairman Robert L. Johnson. Donnie Simpson (Video Soul), Ed Gordon (Conversations with Ed Gordon and BET News anchor), Bobby Jones (Bobby Jones Gospel) and Charlie Neal (BET Sports anchor and play-by-play commentator) headline an illustrious group of the network’s early and most recognizable on-air personalities, and will be joined by former BET senior executives Jefferi K. Lee (production) and Curtis Symonds (affiliate sales and marketing), all of whom will share their reminiscences as the company evolved into the pre-eminent platform to expose Black music, artists and culture to the masses. Netflix has yanked Dave Chappelle’s comedy sketch series “Chappelle’s Show” from its platform. The series originally aired on Comedy Central from 2003 to 2006. The comedian famously walked away from the show in 2005 due to creative differences. Chappelle revealed in a lengthy Instagram video Tuesday that he requested for the series to be removed because he “never got paid” by ViacomCBS after he quit. “If you are (expletive) streaming that show, you are fencing stolen goods,” Chappelle said in the 18-minute video titled, “Unforgiven.” “They stole that (show) from me, they just took it.” “I found out these people were streaming my work and never had to ask me or they never had to tell me,” he continued. “Perfectly legal because I signed the contract, but is that right? I didn’t think so.” Chappelle signed a deal with Netflix in 2016 for five stand-up specials that have been released on the platform, including “Dave Chappelle: Equanimity,” “Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin” and “Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones.” a deal with Netflix in 2016 for five stand-up specials that have been released on the platform, including “Dave Chappelle: Equanimity,” “Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin” and “Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS returns with its mid-season premiere on Thursday, November 26, exclusively on BET+. https://youtu.be/qQcL-Xj87tw Hamza “Travis” Nagdy, a young protest leader known for calling out the injustice done to Breonna Taylor, was shot and killed early Monday morning in Louisville, Kentucky. Nagdy, 21, was reportedly the victim of a suspected car jacking. According to USA Today, he was transported to University of Louisville Hospital, where he later died as a result of his injuries. The Louisville Metro Police Department is investigating, and no suspects have been identified. Nagdy is the the latest grassroots leader/advocate against anti-police brutality to die in a random attack that progressive and woke Black folk are giving the side-eye to. “He’s irreplaceable,” said Antonio T-Made Taylor, an independent reporter who mentored the victim. “Travis really believed he could help change systemic racism. He believed he could be a big part of that change. RCA Inspiration celebrates seven nominations for the 63rd GRAMMY® Awards. Dominating with four nominations in the Best Gospel Performance/Song category are Melvin Crispell, III for “Wonderful Is Your Name”; Travis Greene for “Won’t Let Go”; Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents The Good News for “Come Together” and Mali Music as a co-performer in the Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music song “Movin’ On.” In the Best Gospel Album category, Kierra Sheard is nominated for KIERRA. Tauren Wells receives two nominations, in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song category for “Famous For (I Believe)” feat. Jenn Johnson and in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category for CITIZEN OF HEAVEN. Separately, Kirk Franklin receives a nomination as a featured performer on Lecrae’s “Sunday Morning” in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song category. Grammy winners PJ Morton and Yolanda Adams come together for a warm, slightly Jazzy Christmas song about the birth of Jesus. The mid-tempo track which closes PJ's #1 album, "Gospel According to PJ," is a holiday track that can be played all year round. The gentle horns, simple message and the mellow blend of the voices of Adams and Morton, makes this a delicious saucer of Christmas cookies. Please serve some to your listeners this yuletide season and help make the season bright for your audience. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/nkTakFLgjj/files/fi-9f8a6427-d39e-4b95-985d-0e4059965bd8/fv-afdb5be8-64eb-4613-b0e5-fb25a5073555/13%20Do%20You%20Believe_rvsd%20EQ%20-%20varispeed02-01_(2488%20mastered)%20320.mp3 Wednesday, November 18, Grammy Award-winning artist Lecrae shared his road to restoration with Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) youth during a visit to the Rockdale Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC) to inspire youth to reach for their dreams. Lecrae is not only a platinum-selling recording artist but also a New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, thought leader, and philanthropist. Youth from DJJ's Chat and Chew Book Club at the Rockdale RYDC and female youth from the Macon Youth Development Campus (YDC) discussed life topics with Lecrae, including how he handles his success, money management, maintaining integrity in difficult situations, and the importance of self-worth. Lecrae donated copies of his book, I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith, to youth ahead of his visit to the Rockdale facility. He performed several of his hit records, including the single "Set Me Free" off his latest album, Restoration. Approximately ten female youth from the Macon YDC were able to join the Chat and Chew virtually. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkjTT5thoWc&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration announces a record deal with Voices of Fire, to release new music from the new choir, in partnership with Pharrell Williams’ company i am OTHER. The newly-formed choir stars on the Netflix docuseries “Voices of Fire,” led by Williams’ uncle Bishop Ezekiel Williams. The docuseries debuted on the streamer Friday November 20th and Williams serves as an executive producer on the project. The Voices of Fire choir will record its first full-length album, to be released by RCA Inspiration in partnership with i am OTHER at a future date. Bounce, the first and only broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, has acquired the exclusive world broadcast television premiere rights to With Drawn Arms, the result of a long-term collaboration between Tommie Smith and the artist Glenn Kaino, who co-directs with Afshin Shahidi. The critically-acclaimed and compelling documentary, produced by Jesse Williams (Grey's Anatomy, Power) and Oscar®, Emmy® and GRAMMY®-winner John Legend, explores the impact and the legacy of American track star Tommie Smith's then-shocking symbol of protest against social injustice while receiving a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Bounce also announced that Smith will be one of the four honorees for the upcoming Bounce Trumpet Awards which annually recognize the outstanding accomplishments of African Americans who have succeeded against great odds and inspired success in others. The list of prestigious past honorees includes Rep. John Lewis, Muhammad Ali, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, The African-American Women of the United States Congress, Quincy Jones, Maya Angelou, Ambassador Andrew Young, Spike Lee and many others. This year's 29th annual ceremony - entitled The Bounce Trumpet Awards: Stand Up - will honor individuals who have risen to fight social injustice for Black Americans. Smith will be receiving the Xernona Clayton Award of Distinction, named after the esteemed founder of the Trumpets. Sunday, Dec. 13, Bounce will debut The Bounce Trumpet Awards: Stand Up at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT followed by the world broadcast premiere of With Drawn Arms at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Motown Gospel joins the music community in celebrating nominations for iconic choirmaster Ricky Dillard, in the 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards. A pioneer of contemporary choir music, Ricky Dillard, and his soulful choir earns a GRAMMY® nod for Best Gospel Performance/Song for their breakout anthem of the year, "Release (Live)." The song reached number one on both the BDS Gospel Airplay Charts and the Mediabase Published Gospel Chart. Released in May, Dillard's aptly titled album Choirmaster also receives a nomination in the Best Gospel Album category. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The 2021 Grammy nominations were announced on Tuesday, with Beyonce topping the list for the most nominations. The 21-time Grammy winner is nominated in nine categories, including record and song of the year for “Black Parade.” She is followed by Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift, who are tied with rapper Roddy Ricch with six nominations. Doja Cat, Billie Eilish and Megan Thee Stallion (featuring Beyoncé) received nods, while Kanye’s “Jesus Is King” is up for best contemporary Christian music album category. The virtual show will be broadcast on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 31, and hosted by “The Daily Show’s” Trevor Noah. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Erykah Badu has opened up about her relationship with ex-boyfriend, hip-hop star André 3000. In a new Musicians on Musicians segment for Rolling Stone, Badu chops it up with singer Summer Walker, and recalled her relationship with the father of her 23-year-old son, Seven. “When we became boyfriend and girlfriend in the ‘90s, we didn’t become friends first. We were attracted to each other first,” she said. “We had stuff in common, but we didn’t learn all of that until over the years. We have a 23-year-old son. Over these years, we’ve just become closer and closer as friends, as humans, as man, as woman.” She went on to say.. “He just left Dallas, actually. He came down for my grandma’s memorial. He’s one of my best friends on the planet,” she shared. “I care for him so very much, about his livelihood, his art, his feelings. And I’m a super big fan of him. I’m assuming he’s also a fan of my music. We’re really close.” CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN Host, Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Best-selling Cookbook Author Chef Jernard Wells is dishing out perfectly portioned holiday-inspired recipes just in time to beat the social-distancing blues of having to miss out on Mom's home cooking. The popular Food Network Chef shared, "I love showing millennials (and people of all ages) that cooking simple gourmet with smaller portions is easy using everyday kitchen tools like ramekins, pressure cookers and air fryers. These recipes are great for whipping up your favorite holiday comfort foods or repurposing your thanksgiving leftovers, while staying home and staying safe." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1abkXhaKbKY&feature=youtu.be Rapper Wiz Khalifa and Michael Strahan have been hit with a lawsuit by one of the business partners of their cannabis brand Khalifa Kush. According to court documents provided by The Blast, the director and managing agent for Cuzzi Consulting, Inc., Carlos Arias, claims that Wiz and Strahan “pilfered more than $100,000,000 in assets from Nominal Defendants.” Arias’ lawsuit also claims a “breach of fiduciary duty, aiding and abetting fiduciary breaches, conversion, corporate waste, tortious breach of an express or implied agreement, unjust enrichment, money had and received, professional negligence, civil conspiracy, and declaratory judgment arising out of Defendants’ wrongful conduct concerning the usurpation and misappropriation of assets from Nominal Defendants KKE USA and the Khalifa Kush Joint Venture.” Alfonso Ribeiro has opened up about why he wasn’t on set with original Aunt Viv, Janet Hubert, during the recent “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reunion. The HBO Max special aired Thursday, Nov 19 in celebration of the beloved comedy’s 30-year anniversary. Hubert and Will Smith reunited for the first time in 27 years for the reunion taping. Ribeiro, who played Carlton on the show, didn’t stick around for the emotional moment between Smith and Hubert. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he claims he couldn’t be on set that day due to filming commitments with “America’s Funniest Home Videos”. “Unfortunately I had to go shoot that day. All of the social media content and the photographs were taken without me,” he said. “I literally did my own photo shoot on the couch so they could put me in the group photo. The actual special was filmed in one day, but all the other stuff was done on the other days.” Meanwhile, Hubert also addressed speculation about why Ribeiro didn’t show up, telling fans to “let it go.” Gabrielle Union is executive producing a comedy series for Showtime called “New Money,” TheWrap reports. The project is in collaboration with Unions I’ll Have Another production company, Lodge Freeway Media’s Jemele Hill and Kelley Carter, who will also executive produce the potential series. “New Money” centers on “Black women who have solidified their careers, achieved financial independence and moved past the awkwardness and money struggles of their twenties,” TheWrap reports. Hallmark Channel has announced its new holiday slate of titles featuring Holly Robinson Peete, Tamera Mowry-Housley and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Hallmark kicked off its annual holiday programming event in October and will roll out new Christmas films through the end of the year. Viewers can get cozy on the couch with 40 features during Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas and Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas lineups. https://youtu.be/HlIX1LlC4Is Anthony Mackie has been tapped to star in and produce an action film for Netflix called “The Ogun,” in which he plays a desperate father searching for his kidnapped daughter in Nigeria. Mackie plays Xavier Rhodes (no relation to the NFL defensive star), a man who brings his teenage daughter to Nigeria to find a cure for the rare genetic condition that he passed on to her. But when his daughter is kidnapped, Rhodes goes on a rampage through the criminal underworld to find her before it’s too late, testing his powers to the limit. Mackie will produce the project with Jason Michael Berman for Mandalay Pictures. Americans from coast to coast have lined up in large numbers for free goods from food banks, as unemployment caused by the pandemic leads many to seek Thanksgiving assistance they never dreamed they would need. With the unemployment rate having doubled since before the pandemic, Thanksgiving is proving a stressful time for many families. In Los Angeles Monday, Snoop Dogg was handing out a turkey and all the trimmings to 2,500 Inglewood residents who had pre-registered for a drive-through event at the SoFi Stadium, home to the LA Chargers and Rams. The 49-year-old rapper, who in 2018 published his own cook book full of Thanksgiving recipes, has been handing out free Thanksgiving turkeys to the community since 2013. ‘Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays,’ he said, in a series of interviews to promote his book at the time. ‘It’s a double-hitter – you got good food and you got good football on the same day.’ For actress Jenn Gotzon, the heartwarming new family film “The Farmer and The Belle: Saving Santaland” is highly personal. “I went through a very bad relationship, and I felt ugly, I felt worthless, I felt fat,” the model and actress told The Christian Post. “After working with therapists and pastors, I realized I didn’t see myself as God saw me. And then I learned that 90% of women in the world struggle with the same lies: ‘If I’m not beautiful, then I’m not worthy to be loved.’ This became the motive behind making the story that is the movie. I wanted to create a biblical pathway to empower girls and women with God’s truth about value and beauty.” https://youtu.be/-WJmjnou5Rs At a time when the nation is reeling from the chaos of 2020, “Christmas Chronicles 2” encourages audiences to remember the importance of family, generosity, and togetherness, Director Chris Columbus said. In an interview with The Christian Post, Columbus (writer of “Gremlins,” director of “Home Alone”) said he intended the new Netflix film starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn to “be the kind of film … that you can watch with your whole family.” “We’re in a bit of a divided country right now, and it’s the film is about bringing people together, it’s about bringing families together,” Columbus said. “I think that we as a country need to get back to that place where we all support each other. We all look out for each other. And I mean that in the best possible sense.” Martha, 79, said getting divorced from ex-husband Andrew Stewart in 1990 ‘was a terrible thing for me,’ and that they haven’t spoken since is even ‘more painful.’ Of her five months at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia in 2005, Martha says she ‘got through it’ and ‘learned how to crochet.’ She also ‘reupped my ceramics’ because they had a ‘fabulous ceramics studio,’ calling it ‘my best memory.’ The mogul also discussed her friendship with Snoop Dogg, her teenage modeling days, and how she has never felt sexy. Reflecting on her viral pool selfie this summer, she said it was a ‘mistake,’ but it led to her discovering what a ‘thirst trap’ is – and she loves the concept. “Jeopardy!” record-holder Ken Jennings will be the first in a series of interim hosts replacing Alex Trebek when the show resumes production next Monday. Producers announced Monday that Jennings, who won 74 games in a row and claimed the show’s “Greatest of All Time” title in a competition last year, will host episodes that air in January. A long-term host to replace Trebek, who died of cancer on Nov. 8, will be named later. “By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers,” the show’s executive producer, Mike Richards, said. The show is in its 37th year of syndication, and Trebek was its only host. It is still airing shows that Trebek filmed before his death. The Café Mocha Network continues its ‘Stand in Soulidarity’ series ‘a celebration of culture’ by paying tribute to the Resilience of New York with the second Salute THEM [Together Heroes Emerge Momentous] Awards hosted by Emmy & 2x NAACP Image Award winner Loni Love streaming Black Friday, November 27, 2020 at 7PM EST on SaluteTHEMAwards.com. The evening’s honorees include Grammy Award-winning Queen of Rock & Soul, Author, Actress and Philanthropist Patti LaBelle, Hip Hop Legend| Beat Box Creator Legendary| Get Fresh Crew Rapper |MC| Motivational Speaker Doug E. Fresh, Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre Misty Copeland, Vice President, Community and Government Affairs at FreshDirect Larry Scott Blackmon, One of the first African American woman to own a bank in the United States Kiko Davis Snoddy, and Miss Liberia USA, Activist, and Organizer Nupol Kiazolu. https://facebook.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03270e5fb8d65204361e530a2&id=0a28fe5e49&e=136c74e292 David N. Dinkins, the first and only Black person to hold the post of mayor in the city of New York, died Monday night. He was 93 years old. The New York Post reported his death first. Dinkins died of natural causes at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, according to NBC New York. His death came about a month after his wife died. Even though he only served a single term in office, Dinkins left behind a legacy of decreasing the city’s crime at a record rate, something that many people often incorrectly ascribed to Rudy Giuliani, who succeeded him in 1993. David Norman Dinkins was born in Trenton, N.J., on July 10, 1927. After finishing high school in Trenton, Dinkins enlisted in the U.S. Marines and ultimately earned a Congressional Gold Medal. https://youtu.be/ePtvnjZTDRk Black women have done it before and are being asked to do it again in the state of Georgia. The ask? To help deliver votes ensuring progressive leaders win in a highly contentious Senate runoff race. On Jan. 5, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, will face off, as will GOP Sen. David Perdue and his Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. The highly watched race will determine the future of the Senate and Joe Biden administration’s ability to deliver on its vow to restore the “soul of the nation,” one of the president-elect’s rallying calls during his presidential run. The senate race in Georgia is the difference between Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes in the senate or Mitch McConnell continuing to hold the country hostage.” Capitol Hill veteran Shuwanza Goff was named as Joe Biden‘s new Deputy Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs as the president-elect’s string of important cabinet announcements continued Monday. She will be the first Black woman to work in that official capacity. Goff is expected to help lead efforts to help propel Biden’s legislative efforts through Congress with a position carrying major weight, especially as the incoming administration rolls out policies promising to lengthen, ensure and enrich the lives of Black people in America. Goff brings with her years of experience working with members of Congress and their aides to pass legislation. Biden’s team poached Goff from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who she worked for for 12 years. Prior to her new appointment, Goff made history as the first Black woman Floor Director for the House of Representatives under Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland. During that time, she set the legislative schedule and determined which bills came to the House floor. “President-elect Biden, in choosing Shuwanza Goff to be his Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs and liaison to the House, has selected a highly experienced and talented individual,” Hoyer said in a released statement. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services could prove vital in changing the tide of distrust between Black communities who have historically experienced health disparities due to 400 years of systemic racism. The calls for President-elect Joe Biden to nominate a Black person for the cabinet post have grown louder, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden says that he’s committed to picking cabinet members who reflect a diverse America, but will he again listen like he did when it was expressed to him the importance of nominating a Black woman as vice president? Diamonds Ford was charged with attempted murder for shooting a member of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office SWAT team. She mistook him for an intruder after he didn’t immediately identify himself while serving a warrant at her home. Ford has stated, through her attorney, that the 911 phone call she made during the perceived threat on her home proves that she was acting in defense. Looks anytime Black folks exercise their gun rights under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, they end up in jail. Some might say the law was specifically designed to give white folks the right to kill Black citizens, while at the same time entrap Blacks who to attempt to defend themselves (against suspected white supremaicts). https://youtu.be/VtIHKFmnnyk Although it’s been a longstanding Justice Department policy not to indict a sitting president, Donald Trump will be out of the White House January 20th, and New York Attorney General Letitia James has her ears pinned back ready to pounce. Trump could attempt to pardon himself, or he could step down prior to January 20 and allow Vice President Mike Pence to pardon him. But a pardon only pertains to federal crimes, and won’t protect Trump from AG James and Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. Vance has been seeking Trump’s tax returns in connection to a criminal case that is widely believed to involve tax fraud. Trump fought the effort all the way to the Supreme Court, where he lost. Now, the Supreme Court is set to rule on Trump’s last attempt at an appeal. A win for Vance would accelerate any potential prosecution. Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump; co-counsels Matthew Dietz and David Cronin; Keenya Robertson, National Fair Housing Alliance Chairperson; and Antoine Mickle will hold a virtual news conference on Nov. 24 at 11 a.m. ET to announce a federal lawsuit against River Point Community Association, River City Management Services, Shantell Hughes (community president), and Sharleen Thompson-Messinese (property manager). On Oct. 20, 2020, Mickle, a homeowner and resident of the River Point community in Jacksonville, Florida, received a letter from the River Point Community Association advising him that the Black Lives Matter flag displayed on his property was in violation of the community’s rules and was considered a “nuisance.” Although there were many other flags displayed throughout the community including those in support of sports teams, the Trump campaign, and Blue Lives Matter, the owners of those flags did not receive any letters of reprimand and were not asked to remove them from their properties. It is evident from the Association’s actions that Mickle was harassed and discriminated against because of his race and support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Five NBA players and several officials from the National Basketball Players Association met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday to discuss their work on social justice issues. The trip was prompted by the Vatican reaching out to the players’ union to learn about their work for social change. The delegation included Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, Houston Rockets wing Sterling Brown and free agents Anthony Tolliver, Marco Belinelli and Kyle Korver. They gave the Pope an Orlando Magic jersey and a golden basketball. After the meeting in the papal library of the Apostolic Palace, Tolliver called it an “incredible experience.” He added, “With the Pope’s support and blessing, we are excited to head into this next season reinvigorated to keep pushing for change and bringing our communities together.” https://youtu.be/fMk33zZULTo In his new podcast, “Ever After,” actor Jaleel White, most famous for his portrayal of the irksome 90’s uber-nerd Steve Urkel, on ABC’s smash hit “Family Matters,” deconstructs child stardom with rare insight and empathy. Now a fully grown parent, producer, actor and comedian, he looks back fondly on his Mid-90’s fame and shares the microphone with a series of fellow child stars to see how their paths diverged from their early days of fame. https://s3.castbox.fm/f0/5f/bb/9cffae60b3f10acdda465d270d810b6c9d_scaled_v1_400.jpg UNESCO, IICBA (International Institute for building capacity in Africa) and the Paris based Cartooning For Peace will host two virtual training sessions and raising awareness webinars in English and in French, on how to use cartoon art to visually send messages on the themed “Silencing The Guns” project through peace, social awareness and highlighting human rights issues and press freedom. The purpose of the project is to create awareness among youths and youth leaders from African Universities in Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda between the ages of 20 and 28 about building peace initiatives and possibilities through cartoons. Cartoon art will be used as a teaching and literary tool to promote a safe and stimulating environment and atmosphere for ideas and dialogues. Participants will then create their own cartoons on relevant local and social issues. CLEO TV has announced the premiere date of the new series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES airing Wednesday, November 25, 2020, at 10 P.M. ET/9C with a simulcast broadcast premiere on TV ONE. Subsequent episodes will debut on CLEO TV on Sunday's beginning November 29 at 9 P.M. ET/8C with encore airings on TV ONE on Wednesday's at 10 P.M. ET/9C starting on December 2. A spin-off of the Emmy-nominated web series TOUGH LOVE, this 10-episode series follows a new group of young, unapologetically Black millennials living in Los Angeles, as they participate in a social experiment about love and relationships within the Black community. As they start to open up, they reveal intimate secrets and discover deceit that might jeopardize their tight-knit friendship circle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srXfy3p8xdQ&feature=youtu.be 3 time Dove Award Winners Angelo & Veronica are excited to present the newly remastered Christmas singles, "Don’t Take Christ Out of Christmas” and “He’s Not a Baby Anymore”. “Don’t Take Christ Out of Christmas” (Remastered) EP is available at digital outlets Nov 26th (Thanksgiving). Angelo & Veronica also have a new full length album and new single coming 2021. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/agitg5ef0cc89gb/AABqudkFTyOOMkJZt13wRdAUa?dl=0 Worship leader Josh Baldwin was among the thousands who joined Bethel songwriter Kalley Heiligenthal as she prayed for the resurrection of her daughter, Olive, who died last December. Nearly a year later, Baldwin says that prayer of faith shifted everything in his life. The singer/songwriter and worship leader released his new album, Evidence, in October, and along with boldly embracing his authentic country-tinged musical style, Baldwin said he was also honored that Heiligenthal decided to step back into music and record a song with him for the project. Baldwin’s song “Safe in Your Arms,” featuring Heiligenthal, is a worshipful ballad they wrote a few years ago for one of her records but was never released. The musician decided to rework it in his style and ask the grieving mother if she would be willing to sing again with him for the album. https://youtu.be/ftplkbORYTg Bruce, the fiberglass shark made from the “Jaws” mold, is ready for his close-up. The 1,208 pound, 25-foot-long, 45-year-old shark, famous for being difficult to work with on the set of Steven Spielberg’s classic thriller, on Friday was hoisted up in the air above the main escalator of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles where he will greet guests for the foreseeable future. And this time, he cooperated. It is the culmination of years of planning, including a seven-month restoration by special effects and makeup artist Greg Nicotero. The shark is expected to be a major draw for the museum, which plans to open its doors to the public on April 30, 2021. Super fans know that the “Jaws” crew started calling the shark Bruce after Spielberg’s lawyer Bruce Ramer. They’ll also know that the Bruce that will greet guests in the museum wasn’t technically in “Jaws.” He’s a replica and it’s the last of his kind. The three mechanical Great Whites designed by art director Joe Alves were destroyed when production wrapped. But once the film proved to be a box office phenomenon, a fourth shark was made from the original mold. Tyler Perry is kicking off Thanksgiving week with a major act of kindness. On Sunday, the star opened up his Atlanta movie studio, Tyler Perry Studios, for four hours to feed 5,000 families with a combination of food boxes and gift cards for local supermarket chain Kroger. Perry, 51, personally funded the event, called TPS Giving, and studio employees donated their time to volunteer and hand out all of the goods. “Tyler was heartbroken seeing people all over the country stand in line for food so he decided he wanted to give back to his community in Atlanta,” a source close to Perry tells PEOPLE. “Hopefully this encourages others who are able to, to give back during the holiday season in a year that has been difficult for many.” Cars lined up over 12 hours before the official start of the event. To maintain proper COVID-19 safety protocols, the event was drive-thru only, and all employees working the event were tested ahead of time. The Madea franchise creator has become one of the most charitable celebrities, and this isn’t the first time he has helped his own community in Atlanta as well as people whose stories draw his attention. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees told ESPN on Saturday night that doctors have been encouraged by his progress, specifically improvement in lung function and the continued dissipation of the pneumothorax suffered in the first half of last weekend’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers. They have also discovered additional rib fractures, he said. Brees went on injured reserve Friday afternoon, meaning he must miss at least three games while recovering from cracked ribs and a punctured lung. With the lung injuries the main concern, Brees said he has undergone X-rays and CAT scans and has been seen by doctors every other day this week. They have confirmed a total of eight rib fractures on his left side and three on the right, he said. That’s more than double the total from testing performed Monday, which revealed five fractured ribs. One of the most promising NFL seasons by a rookie quarterback came to an end Sunday. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow effectively ruled himself out for the remainder of the 2020 season after he was carted off the field in Sunday’s 20-9 loss to the Washington Football Team at FedEx Field. Burrow suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter after he was sandwiched by two Washington defenders who converged on him on a third-and-2 pass attempt. On Sunday afternoon, Burrow sent out a tweet thanking people for support and suggesting he was done in 2020. “Thanks for all the love,” Burrow said. “Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year.” Alex Smith proved he could make a roster, throw for a lot of yards and withstand a pounding. He can finally add something else to the story of his comeback from a gruesome leg injury: a win. Smith won a game for the first time since Nov. 11, 2018 — one week before he broke the fibula and tibia in his right leg. Washington beat Cincinnati 20-9 in a game in which Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was carted off the field with a left leg injury. “Another step, another thing I never thought I’d be doing again,” Smith said. “It’s one thing to come out and get that first playing time and a whole other deal to play winning football as a starter. It’s amazing to get a win.” Football fans noticed a slightly different look when they tune into Fox Sports’ NFL pregame coverage yesterday. The familiar faces seen each week on “Fox NFL Kickoff” and “Fox NFL Sunday” did not appear on set at Fox’s studios in Los Angeles due to health and safety concerns, Fox Sports announced. Chris Myers hosted both shows, with analysts Reggie Bush and Charles Woodson alongside. The regular cast from “Fox NFL Sunday” — Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer — appeared remotely. Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little has entered hospice care, according to ex-Syracuse teammate Patrick Killorin. Killorin shared the update Saturday night on Facebook, where he’s provided periodic updates on Little’s health since May when Little’s bout with cancer became public. “Today we are going to talk about a new stage in Floyd’s journey. … Hospice,” Killorin wrote. “Floyd’s courageous battle with a difficult disease (cancer) is now at a critical stage in his life. This is a time when a husband and wife must make important decisions regarding potential end of life decisions.” Killorin, who spearheaded a campaign that raised more than $134,000 for Floyd’s medical expenses, added, “Through your thoughts and contemplation, send your love and prayers for peace to Floyd, DeBorah and family. Let them know they are not alone and that their courage and love in their battle evoke our own, and in that in our prayers, we are one with them in their thoughts, their hearts and their tears.” The brother of rapper 21 Savage was fatally stabbed in South London on Sunday night. Terrell Davis, 27, was killed in Brixton during an argument with an old friend, Daily Mail reports. According to a source, Davis had gone shopping for his grandmother and was on his way to her home with the items when he encountered the friend. Some things popped off and Davis, a drill rapper known as TM1way, was stabbed. No arrests have been made, according to the report. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a Black woman who held a top diplomatic post in the Obama administration, as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Born in 1952, Baker served as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs from 2013 to 2017. She’s also a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington, DC. The decorated diplomat grew up in Baker, La., where segregation and racism were harsh realities of her early life and college years at Louisiana State University. But life’s biggest test would come during her service in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994 where she found herself held at gunpoint. Thomas-Greenfield describes that surreal moment, the choice she made and the lesson her mother taught her that helped her survive. https://youtu.be/8UKzc7JCcqo Former President Barack Obama made his TikTok debut Friday, amid the release of his new memoir titled “A Promised Land.” On TikTok, Obama launched the “pass the book” challenge, telling fans that his new book “expresses the incredible hope I have in you. Take this and pass it on,” he says in the clip, holding his book before “passing it on” to the next person. To celebrate the memoir’s release, Obama shared a list of “memorable songs from his administration. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Em-fk7rW8AQPfEZ?format=jpg&name=small Auburn University has renamed its student center after the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, who was the school’s first Black student government president. The formal ceremony was held Friday to honor Harold D. Melton, with a banner unfurled at the top of the building revealing its new name. “In 1987, this young kid comes over here, he gets the whole student body excited, and they elect him their president,” Auburn University President Jay Gogue said in a statement released by the Georgia Supreme Court. He told Melton: “You honor Auburn by allowing us to honor you.” The Harold D. Melton Student Center is the first building on Auburn’s campus named after an African American. “I never imagined this kind of honor,” Melton said in a statement. He said his tenure as an Auburn student was easier than that of Harold Franklin, who in 1964 was the university’s first Black student. Jada Pinkett-Smith has announced her timely new animated short “Cops and Robbers,” is set to premiere Dec. 28 on Netflix. Directed by Arnon Manor, the project was written and performed by Timothy Ware-Hill in response to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Manor used one of Ware-Hill’s poems for their collaboration, Variety reports. https://youtu.be/lsU7W3IwCV4 Video has surfaced of a Black man chastising a white woman for apparently cursing out at an 8-year-old Black child because he was riding his toy bike on the sidewalk. “You wanna curse an 8-year-old kid out? Would you have said that to a little white kid?” the man said to the woman as they argued in front of a store. “Absolutely,” the lady replied. The man asked what made her think she could “come into my community and talk to our kids like that.” When the woman said that in her community, kids ride bikes in the street, the man said, “This is our community, this is our playground,” pointing to the sidewalks. https://youtu.be/7DVxzjw_sqI Women are breaking barriers in the realm of sports. According to ESPN, WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon has been named full-time assistant coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Weatherspoon—a Naismith Hall of Famer—is no stranger to coaching. Prior to being appointed to her new position, she served as a two-way player development coach with the Pelicans and the franchise’s G-League affiliate. She was also the women’s basketball head coach of her alma mater Louisiana Tech between the years of 2009 and 2014. Her appointment is historic as it marks the 8th time in NBA history that a woman has been named assistant coach. Songstress Jill Scott is known for tapping into the power of truth through her artistry, and now the Philly native will let her voice be heard in a new arena. According to Blavity, Scott has teamed up with iHeartMedia for the creation of a podcast. The podcast—dubbed Jill Scott Presents: J.ill the Podcast—made its debut on November 18. The show—which is co-hosted by singer-songwriter Aja Graydon-Dantzler and radio personality Laiya St. Clair—will feature candid conversations that delve into topics like wellness, motherhood, relationships, culture, politics and entertainment; all through the lens of Black women. The podcast will also have an array of guests from different walks of life to provide their perspectives on cultural events. “J.ill the Podcast will spark unfiltered conversations by and for Black women who influence culture and uplift sisterhood,” Scott said in a statement. The digital divide is a longstanding issue that has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. As more schools make the transition to solely online instruction, due to the spike in coronavirus cases, actor and comedian Marlon Wayans is ensuring students from underserved communities are equipped with the tools needed to continue learning. Wayans recently donated computers to children in Harlem. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 59 percent of parents with lower incomes say their children will likely face digital barriers when it comes to completing schoolwork. Further research revealed that one in five parents said their children would not be able to participate in online learning because they did not have access to a computer. 2020 BLACK MUSIC HONORS TO CELEBRATE LEGENDARY MUSIC ICONS ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 AT 12 P.M. EST/11C ON BOUNCE TV. EN VOGUE, DEBORAH COX, FRED HAMMOND AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC TO RECEIVE AWARDS AND RECOGNITION; RICKEY SMILEY TO HOST SHOW TO AIR IN NATIONAL SYNDICATION FROM NOVEMBER 21 THRU DECEMBER 13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7c6KzFgILY&feature=youtu.be As COVID-19 infections rise in the U.S., the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) has issued a statement pleading with churches to stop meeting in person. Bioethicist Dr. Jeffrey Barrows, who co-authored the statement, says the healthcare industry is once more feeling the burden of a large number of cases. “We believe the church is a major priority in our lives, but it should not become an idol by itself,” says the statement, which was written by Barrows and Dr. Christopher Hook, a hematologist and medical ethicist. “Loving God with all our heart, mind and strength is our first priority, and it can be done with our families outside of church. It can be done via the gifts of electronic communication that allow us to join virtually with other church members. We are not being prevented from having Bibles, reading Scripture and singing songs of praise because we can do them at home and with the church through these virtual tools.” Jeremih, who was hospitalized due to complications of COVID-19, has been moved from the ICU as he recovers. According to a statement obtained by Billboard on Saturday (Nov. 21) from a spokesperson for Jeremih’s family and team, “Jeremih has been transferred out of ICU. He will spend the rest of his recovery time in a regular hospital room. The true healing begins. Thank you all for your continued prayers and wishes.” The R&B singer had reportedly been on a ventilator in a Chicago hospital while battling the novel coronavirus. Earlier in the week, a representative for Jeremih’s family told CNN that the virus had “viciously attacked his body,” and that they wanted to remind others that “COVID-19 is real and not to be taken lightly. It’s important for people infected to quarantine and let their families and friends know ASAP. There’s no shame in contracting COVID-19, and people that have it need to be responsible and considerate of others.” Lena Waithe’s wife Alana Mayo has filed for divorce, just one year after they tied the knot in San Francisco. The Emmy winner announced in January that they had separated, two months after the wedding. They released a joint statement at the time through USA Today: ‘After careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways. We have nothing but support for one another and ask that you respect our privacy during this time.’ Waithe, 36, and Mayo, 35, had been together for over three years, and they got engaged in Tokyo on Thanksgiving Day, 2017. She revealed last November on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that they secretly got married at a San Francisco courthouse. The Twenties creator told guest host John Legend: ‘We snuck and did it. We didn’t really make any announcements.’ She added: ‘We got married right in front of Harvey Milk’s bust. It was her idea, like all good things are. She was just driving and she saw the courthouse and she said, “We should get married there.” And I said, “cool, I’m down.”‘ Former NBA star Lamar Odom has reunited with his fiancé Sabrina Parr a week after announcing that she had broken off their engagement. We previously reported, a year after confirming plans to tie the knot, Odom and Parr called off their engagement earlier this month. Parr shared the news on Instagram, noting that Odom has some personal issues that he needs to sort out. “Y’all know I’m honest and transparent so I have to be the first to let you guys know that I am no longer engaged to Lamar,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “This has been a difficult decision for me to make but it is the best for myself and my children.”“Lamar has some things that he alone has to work through,” she continued, adding that she loves him “dearly” but is “no longer able to be by his side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs.” A week after posting the message, Parr was back on social media sharing a selfie with Odom kissing her cheek. In the caption of the Instagram post she wrote: “Made it in time to celebrate our 1-year engagement anniversary @lamarodom.” Taking a look at the successful childhood care er(s) of twin sisters Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Housley it could be assume it was all peaches and cream. That wasn’t the case. Tia says she a Tamara were treated differently. As an example, Tia says Tamera was constantly told her hair was a “distraction.” Casting directors even advised Tia to go after Latina roles. https://youtu.be/2t89ZvZ_RT8 Lisa Rinna and her husband Harry Hamlin are reportedly ‘worried’ about their daughter Amelia’s new romance with Scott Disick, because he has ‘baggage’. At the start of the week, model Amelia, 19, was seen putting on an affectionate display with Scott, 37, during a romantic stroll on a beach in Malibu, California. And according to The Sun, the potential of their teen daughter embarking on a romance with the father-of-three has become a cause for concern. A source told the publication: ‘Lisa isn’t going to acknowledge this publicly for now because she’s still trying to wrap her head around it and thinks this is a phase. ‘But when she does speak about it she’ll keep her cool but really, she’s worried… That’s her youngest kid. ‘She really does like Scott but both her and Harry don’t want someone that age with so much baggage to be with their baby girl, especially given Amelia’s own mental health issues.’ Reverend Al Sharpton’s nonprofit civil rights charity, the National Action Network, paid more than $80,000 to the preacher’s relatives last year, tax records have revealed. Receiving the bulk of the family-friendly funds was Sharpton’s 33-year-old daughter Ashley Sharpton, who was paid $63,250 for social media and consulting work for NAN, according to a 2019 tax filing obtained by the New York Post. The reverend’s niece Nikki Sharpton, 45, also got some love from the organization, raking in $13,750 for special event work at NAN’s Atlanta location. And Sharpton’s estranged wife Kathy Jordan Sharpton, from whom he separated in 2004, received a $5,000 grant from NAN, the filing showed. The money doled out to Sharpton’s relatives represented a tiny fraction of the $7.5million NAN spent over the course of the year, when it received $7.8million in revenue. As the president of NAN, Sharpton was paid $327,570 in 2019. That salary included a one percent raise from the year before. An African-American scholar who regularly upends the way mainstream U.S culture views race politics says white guilt and “enormously seductive” post-1960s liberalism, not racism, are responsible for the death of Michael Brown on a Ferguson, Missouri street in 2014. Shelby Steele, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute, has long raised the hackles of progressives with his views on race relations, multiculturalism and affirmative action. His new documentary What Killed Michael Brown?, a collaboration with his award-winning filmmaker son Eli Steele, turns the culturally dominant view about the unarmed black teenager’s death on its head. “We wanted to understand what really happened in Ferguson. What did it mean for us as Americans?” Eli told Zenger News. “And why had Americans responded to Ferguson the way it did? These questions about America’s response to Ferguson—not the actual shooting of Brown—were really what drove the focus of our documentary.” https://youtu.be/ZIbAI1vEl-E Robert Smith, the richest Black person in America, will have to give a hefty amount of his wealth back to the IRS. According to reports, the amount is almost $140 million based on tax evasion tactics that Smith has admitted to using after he was exposed following a four-year U.S. tax investigation by The Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Services. Smith, 57, has been cooperative with the two powerful government agencies. https://youtu.be/Mt6VNSdw-A8 Alabama is now a unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll, and Northwestern moved up to No. 11 on Sunday for its best ranking in 24 years. For the second straight week, the top eight teams in the poll held their spots. The Crimson Tide received all 62 first-place votes after beating Kentucky 63-3, making Alabama the first unanimous No. 1 this season and the first team to do it in the regular season since 2018. Notre Dame was No. 2, followed by Ohio State, Clemson and Texas A&M. Florida was No. 6, and No. 7 Cincinnati and No. 8 BYU also held their spots. The rest of the top 10 was No. 9 Oregon and Miami. Mario Barrios (26-0-0 with 17 KOs) remained undefeated on Halloween night with a knockout of Ryan Karl (18-3-0 with 12 KOs) in front of a Showtime pay-per-view audience. The WBA 140-pound champ stopped Karl in the sixth round on what may have been the card of the year. The night delivered big-time with all four televised bouts ending in knockouts. Barrios and Karl delivered a fan-friendly tug-of-war, fought in close quarters. Eventually, Karl would wilt from huge shots fired in the heated battle. This win elevated the 25-year old Barrios up the junior welterweight ladder. The San Antonio native kept his word by defending his title in front of a home crowd. After the bout, Barrios opened up about a potential fight against Regis Prograis and much more. The 2020 Black Music Honors was a night of unforgettable performances and special musical tributes. The two hour televised special, which aired November 21st on Bounce TV was hosted by Radio and Television personality Rickey Smiley. Grammy® Award-nominated R&B legends En Vogue received the Urban Icon Award, Grammy® Award-winner, actress and Broadway star Deborah Cox received the Entertainer Icon Award, and multiple Stellar and Grammy® Award-winning producer Fred Hammond received the Gospel Music Icon Award. The National Museum of African American Music was honored with the Legacy Award. Mary Cosby, the only Black cast member on the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” is speaking out about her decision to marry her step-grandfather Robert Cosby. Cosby tied the knot with her granny’s widow “in order to gain access to her grandmother’s money, property and the church she led during her life.” https://youtu.be/Dr6aSTPzTt0 New details have been coming to light in the days after Bobby Brown Jr. was found dead in his Los Angeles home earlier this week. The developments followed the 28-year-old’s family and girlfriend addressing the latest fatal tragedy to affect singer Bobby Brown‘s family. Bobby Brown Jr. was suffering from an illness in the days before his death Wednesday, his father’s lawyer said. “Bobby Brown Jr. was not feeling well a couple days before his death, with flu-like symptoms,” Christopher Brown, Esq. of Brown & Rosen LLC, said in a statement. “This is a tragic loss and we will be letting the authorities conduct their investigation of his death. We ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time and there will be no further comments.” It was unclear if whatever ailment he had contributed to his death. That information has been “deferred pending additional information,” the coroner’s office said Friday. Donald Trump Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus and is quarantining at his cabin. So far he’s not displaying any symptoms, his spokesman said. The news was first reported by Bloomberg. https://youtu.be/6542vTKJyls The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, died in a Belgrade hospital on Friday after contracting coronavirus, according to a statement from the church. Irinej, who was 90, led an open-casket funeral service for the church’s top cleric in Montenegro, Metropolitan Amfilohije Radovic, on November 1. Three days later, Irinej was admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. Amfilohije’s body had been displayed in an open casket during the service before being interred in the crypt of the church in Podgorica, Montenegro. A large crowd had gathered in front of the crowded church, with only a few of the attendees inside the building wearing face coverings. Video of the service showed mourners kissing the deceased cleric’s hands and forehead, as is custom. None of the priests, including Irinej, who performed the liturgy, wore masks. Myles Garrett has been slowed down just when the Browns need him most. Cleveland’s dynamic star defensive end and the NFL’s leader in sacks will miss Sunday’s game against Philadelphia and maybe more after testing positive for COVID-19, dealing the Browns a major blow as they try to end an 18-year playoff drought. “He is a good player,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday. “We know that. We do not want to be without him, but we are.” The Browns (6-3) won’t have Garrett against the Eagles and there’s no predicting when he’ll be back. According to league rules, a player who tests positive for coronavirus can’t return to the team until at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms, plus at least 24 hours after symptoms have passed. A Washington County (Minnesota) judge has rejected a divorce settlement filed by Derek Chauvin’s estranged wife due to the possibility of fraud. Days after Derek was officially charged with manslaughter and the murder of George Floyd, Kellie Chauvin filed for divorce on May 31. However, divorce attorneys have looked into the paperwork and claimed it may have been a ploy to protect their assets against lawsuits in civil court as reported by Star Tribune. Judge Juanita Freeman wrote in her ruling back in October that a “court has a duty to ensure that marriage dissolution agreements are fair and equitable. One badge of fraud is a party’s transfer of ‘substantially all’ of his or her assets.” Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who was captured on video shooting three people during protests in Kenosha, Wis., in August and was charged with killing two, has been released from jail after posting $2 million bail, the sheriff said. Sheriff David Beth of Kenosha County said Mr. Rittenhouse was released on Friday afternoon. A lawyer for Mr. Rittenhouse said the teen’s supporters had raised the money needed to win his release as he awaits trial. Ricky Schroder, an actor, and Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow who is also an ally of President Trump, made donations that put the bail fund “over the top,” the lawyer, L. Lin Wood, wrote on Twitter. MLK/FBI is an essential expose of the surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (labeled by the FBI as the “most dangerous” Black person in America), undertaken by J. Edgar Hoover and the U.S. government. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists. https://youtu.be/Lvfxzht9KUA He’s a highly respected two-time Academy Award-winning actor. And Mahershala Ali opened up about a particular aspect of his approach to film acting this week, when he was a guest on Common’s podcast Mind Power Mixtape. Ali, 46, explained that simulating a love scene would go against his Islamic religion, which has strict protocols when it comes to modesty. It came up when Ali was discussing one of his earlier film roles, in the 2008 movie The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. ‘So my old agent called me and said, “Mahershala, you got the part,”‘ he recollected. ‘And I said, “There’s just one thing… There is that one sex scene where they kiss… If there’s a sex scene, I can’t do it.”‘ He later added, ‘I don’t do simulated sex.’ Nonetheless, Mahershala indeed went on to act in the film, and he explained to Common how Benjamin Button director David Fincher manage to construct the scene while still respecting Ali’s beliefs. ‘Taraji and I begin to kiss, and we fall out of the frame… It wasn’t clear if [Fincher] was trying to have like some bumping and grinding … which I doubt he was,’ he said. ‘But for me even … at that time, 15 years ago, I was still like, “OK, I can only go up to this point,” just because of — just trying to hold a space of respect for my religion.’ After making its World Premiere at Urbanworld Film Festival, the feature drama PARADISE CITY sets a digital release for December 4, 2020, with presale tickets starting on November 20. Starring Chris Petrovski (Madam Secretary) and American rapper Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones, the film will be available to stream on these platforms: iTunes, Amazon, Google, Vudu, Tubi, Pluto, and more. https://youtu.be/44a6Ajz3l80 The pictures show Justin from January, when he was battling lyme disease. Videoing his iPad screen, he said: “Now watch, I will go to images, I, I mean, this was a time when I was really unhealthy, battling lyme disease, right? “All the top photos are me looking disshevelled right? I was obviously going through a tough time.” He continued: “But there are so many new photos that I service to the media, but they continue to use these photos, whats the deal? “It’s frustrating me, I wish they would change it, I have asked them to change it, I have done a lot of photoshoots since then and they could just… they don’t have to put these photos but they do, I don’t know why.” Justin then turned the camera on himself, and said: “Look at my skin now, there are so many photos they could choose!” https://youtu.be/v1SIOo4nXq0 A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for a total of $495,000. Boston-based R.R. Auction said Friday the collection privately held by the late American blues artist Tony Glover, a longtime Dylan friend and confidante, was sold as individual lots Thursday, with a majority of the key pieces going to a bidder whose identity was not made public. The collection included transcripts of Glover’s 1971 interviews with Dylan and letters the pair exchanged. The interviews reveal that Dylan had anti-Semitism on his mind when he changed his name from Robert Zimmerman, and that he wrote “Lay Lady Lay” for Barbra Streisand. Dylan, 79, was close with Glover, who died last year. The two men broke into music in the same Minneapolis coffeehouse scene. Glover’s widow, Cynthia Nadler, put the documents up for auction online.The reclusive Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2016 after giving the world “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’” and other anthems of the turbulent 1960s.Included in the auctioned items were lyrics Dylan penned after visiting folk legend Woody Guthrie in May 1962. The lines, never made public until last month. A contestant on “Wipeout” has died after completing the game show’s obstacle course, authorities and sources close to the production said Friday. The man in his 30s was declared dead at a hospital shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Los Angeles County coroner’s spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani said. The cause of death has not been released, and the man’s name was being withheld until relatives could be notified. The reality competition show, in which contestants navigate an extreme obstacle course featuring giant balls and pitfalls that often result in spectacular crashes, ran on ABC from 2008 until 2014 and is being rebooted by TBS and production company Endemol Shine North America. Two people close to the production said the man had completed the course on the show’s set in Santa Clarita, California, when he needed medical attention. He was helped by on-site medical staff until paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The show stopped production Thursday and Friday and has a planned week off next week, they said. Its contestants undergo a medical exam before competing. “Black Panther” star Letitia Wright is finding dating to be damn near impossible now that she’s a Hollywood superstar. As the December cover star for Dazed magazine, the actress, 27, opens up about trying to find love in this digital era. Wright explains how her friend told her to try dating apps, joking, “She has the benefit of exploring without somebody going, ‘Oh my God! Wakanda Forever!’ She doesn’t have that problem.” “Wakanda Forever” is a reference to Marvel’s “Black Panther.” https://youtu.be/ky9LIpIJoOg If you missed last night’s Gucci Mane/Jeezy Verzuz battle, Gucci Mane straight went there! He played “Truth” … his infamous diss track boasting about fatally shooting Jeezy’s friend Pookie Loc, and it got real. Jeezy immediately stood up, but instead of charging at Gucci or threatening violence, he hit back with a speech about why they were doing this battle. Jeezy said, “I brought you here to show you the world care about what the f**k we got going on, because we are the culture.” On Friday, Nov. 20, The Real welcomes rapper and political activist Michael “Killer Mike” Render and actor and activist Jesse Williams who share the details of their newest venture– Greenwood, a banking platform that will address the unique needs of Black and Latinx communities – and talk politics. https://youtu.be/_YzKiLxzEDQ Trina and Towanda Braxton recently appeared on “The Morning Hustle” to promote the new season of their reality show “Braxton Family Values.” During the conversation, they touched on everything from their troubled sister Tamar, their past romances, and the status of Toni Braxton and Birdman’s relationship. https://youtu.be/RqL3VpdYqvA French Montana joins Ebro Darden on the latest episode of Rap Life Radio to discuss his new mixtape CB5, his decision to get clean, ending his feud with Jim Jones, his relationship with Lil Durk, and more. " Being rich and sick is not the vibe. Being sober is like the new high for me. My new thing is, you damn near poor if all you got is money. There’s a new thing I call the triple R: you gotta be rich in spirit, rich in health, and rich in money, man. That’s the real rich.” Longevity and consistency are what defines icons. Morgan Heritage are a true testament of the latter as the band celebrates over two decades in the music business in a series of many music celebrations to come. The multi-GRAMMY luminaries have delivered a musical gift with the re-release of their Family & Friends Vol.1 with an added bonus track of a live performance in Milan, Italy. https://youtu.be/mhRQjuw82mw Kalia Love Jones is a young filmmaker who has taken the transformative words of former First Lady Michelle Obama to another level. At just fourteen years old, she is now the writer, producer and director of an animated short called “The Power of Hope.” Kalia got the idea for the film when she was twelve. Her parents supported the idea but encouraged her to earn her own money to finance her film. Kalia rose to the challenge and a year later her film was complete thanks to the funds she acquired from recycling. While appearing on the syndicated news show “Central Ave,” Dwyane Wade shared how he felt after seeing Mike Tyson come to his defense after rapper Boosie made offensive comments about his transgender daughter. The boxing star pressed Boosie real hard over the transphobic public comments he made about D-Wade’s 13-year-old child Zaya. Tyson didn’t hold back at all and even questioned Boosie if the hateful comments stemmed from his own insecurities with his sexuality and gender identity! During Wade’s interview, the 38-year-old athlete told host Julissa Bermudez: “I actually talked to Mike about that early in the pandemic. We had a conversation. I appreciated from a standpoint of, you know, Mike is someone who has never tried to be perfect. He is someone who has learned from this journey of life.” Wade added, “For him to be able to drop that nugget on the world, to me, it was great to hear him say that.” TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, concludes the current season with UNCENSORED: Best of Big Breaks this Sunday, November 22 at 10 P.M./9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, November 25 at 10 PM/9C. This episode of UNCENSORED highlights some of Black Hollywood's most elite talent including Ne-Yo, Tasha Smith, Kirk Franklin, D.L. Hughley, Jermaine Dupri and Nick Cannon who reflect on their journey to success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szqx1pA281Q&feature=youtu.be Anthony Brown and group therAPy will take to the virtual stage as they present Stuck in the House – The Live Concert on Sunday, November 29 at 8:00 p.m. EST, for one-night-only. Setting the stage to give fans a much-needed spiritual revival and healing so many yearn for during this season of uncertainty, this intimate night of praise and worship will feature songs from Anthony's latest album, Stuck in the House – The Pandemic Project. Fans will enjoy the live rendition of the melodic spirit soother "Yadiyah (I Love You)," worship songs "Help" and "Father I Stretch," the feet stompers "Something Good" and "History," and the powerful social-justice moving "Call to Action." Ranin Karim, who says she had an affair with former Hillsong Church pastor Carl Lentz, speaks in her first televised interview about their alleged relationship. https://youtu.be/g9hjrmPLado President Obama dropped into “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday to talk about his new book “A Promised Land,” and spoke at length about how his eldest daughter Malia is more like him in temperament, and Sasha is a “mini Michelle.” He said that Sasha “has the same look, the same attitude” as Michelle, and he’s scared of both of them. https://youtu.be/qUed6Ug4Cgo Thursday’s edition of “Tamron Hall,” Grammy Award-winning artist Ne-Yo and his wife Crystal Smith made a virtual appearance to discuss the singer’s decision to publicly announce his divorce on a podcast. As it turns out, the couple are quarantining together during the coronavirus pandemic, which helped them reconcile their differences. https://youtu.be/fWSk3XWEgI0 When Billboard announced Cardi B as its 2020 Woman of the Year, folks had plenty to say about it — and their comments have not been kind. Cardi has heard the criticism and she took to social media to clap back at her haters. https://youtu.be/hi_TarfCEkQ There was a very special moment when Sirius XM Radio’s Joe Madison surprised singer Dionne Warwick during an interview about her upcoming Christmas and 80th birthday fundraiser that will take place on Saturday, December 12 as a live online event. Joe had Ms. Warwick’s childhood friend Gwendolyn King (former Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration) waiting on the line, and Ms. King committed $10,000 to the organization “Hunger: Not Impossible,” which will receive portions of the proceeds from the Grammy winning legend’s upcoming live stream celebration. The surprise and the donation brought Dionne Warwick to tears. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/abc34977-fb7d-4a6d-bd22-cb0673b24480 Chadwick Boseman‘s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, has been appointed personal representative with limited authority over the late actor’s estate. The “Black Panther” star died in August without a will. According to court documents obtained by ET, Boseman’s estate is valued at $939,000, which Ledward is now in possession of. As The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) reaches midway of the month-long 26th Annual African American Film Marketplace & S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase (AAFM SEMSFS) airing online at www.BHERC.TV now through Saturday, November 28, 2020, Executive Director and Festival Curator John Forbes is pleased to announce the programming for the final two weeks of the festival. As the festival begins its closing two weeks, BHERC invites the public to consider the festival as their choice or entertainment, inspiration and enlightenment during the upcoming Holiday season and recently stricter imposed nation-wide stay-at-home orders. The festival continues to offer the complete portfolio of 140 films that may be sorted and selected by genres such as: Action, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Historical, Horror, Inspirational, Music, Romance, Sci-Fi, Spoken Word, and Thriller. They may also explore by topics such as Art, Diversity, Family, Faith-Based, LGBTQ, Mental Health, People with Disabilities and Social Justice. Former President Barack Obama made time to surprise popular YouTube twins Tim and Fred Williams on their channel, “TwinsthenewTrend,” after they reacted to a song on his latest playlist. The song that sparked the virtual chat is “The Times They Are a-Changin’” by Bob Dylan. Obama included the track on a playlist that he shared earlier this week on social media, calling them “memorable songs from my administration.” https://youtu.be/2jWjk5zA12U Halle Berry has shared intimate details about exploring her sexuality as a young girl. In a Q&A video posted to her Instagram on Thursday, the actress revealed that she had her first orgasm at age 11. “I remember my first orgasm,” she recalled to stylist and longtime friend Lindsay Flores. “I did it to myself.” The Oscar winner then noted that at the time, she was “figuring out my sexuality — like most girls.” https://www.instagram.com/halleberry/?utm_source=ig_embed A California pastor is continuing his journey on NBC’s The Voice after advancing through the Battle Round portion Tuesday night. Jim Ranger is a campus pastor and worship leader at New Life Church in Bakersfield, California. He first secured his spot on Team Blake with his rendition of Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” during his blind audition. Now, his journey continues as he heads to the four-way knockout round after beating fellow contestant John Sullivan during this week’s one-on-one battle performances. The 38-year-old says his life has always revolved around worship music because both of his parents were musicians and his father is a preacher. https://youtu.be/_4Ad31ba9Lg Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz has confirmed he has tested positive for COVID-19. Holtz, 83, told ABC Columbia on Thursday that he is recovering from the virus. “I don’t have a lot of energy right now,” said Holtz, who’s best known for his 11-year tenure at Notre Dame that included a Fiesta Bowl win and a national championship in the 1988 season. Since his retirement from coaching in 2004, Holtz has worked as an analyst for ESPN and has made numerous public appearances supporting President Donald Trump. Will Smith hit up the latest episode of Red Table Talk to further explore why he mistreated actress Janet Hubert during their time together on “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Hubert played Aunt Viv for three seasons on the beloved comedy series before she was replaced by Maxwell Reid. The actress previously criticized both the series and Smith, blaming him for her allegedly being blacklisted in Hollywood. Reports of a feud between Hubert and Smith have circulated over the 27 years since. The two recently reunited for the first time for the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reunion special, now streaming on HBO Max. The CDC issued new guidance on Thursday advising Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving, warning doing so may increase the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Why it matters: The U.S. has seen over 1 million new coronavirus case in just this past week — and indoor household gatherings nationwide could make the situation even worse. “One of our concerns is people over the holiday season get together, and they may actually be bringing infection with them to that small gathering and not even know it,” Henry Walke, the CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager, said on a call with reporters. “We’re very concerned about people who are coming together sort of outside their household bubble.” The state of play: The agency said that Thanksgiving celebrations should only include current household members when possible. A research team has been following more than 800 Black American families for almost 25 years. They found people who had reported experiencing high levels of racial discrimination when they were young teenagers had significantly higher levels of depression in their 20s than those who hadn’t. This elevated depression, in turn, showed up in their blood samples, which revealed accelerated aging on a cellular level. Research is not the first to show Black Americans live sicker lives and die younger than other racial or ethnic groups. The experience of constant and accumulating stress due to racism throughout an individual’s lifetime can wear and tear down the body – literally “getting under the skin” to affect health. These findings highlight how stress from racism, particularly experienced early in life, can affect the mental and physical health disparities seen among Black Americans. To soothe Donald Trump’s hurt feelings for losing his presidential re-election bid, his boy Geraldo Rivera proposed naming the COVID vaccine after him. “I had an idea with the world so divided and everybody telling him he’s gotta give up and time to leave and time to transition … why not name the vaccine The Trump? Make it, like, ‘have you gotten your Trump yet?’ It would be a nice gesture to him. And years from now it would become kind of a generic name. Have you got your trump yet, I got my trump, I’m fine. I wished we could honor him in that way.” Bobby Brown Jr. was reportedly experiencing flu-like symptoms before his death, but he had not tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). The UK Mirror reports that Brown Jr. told his friends that he was ill and predicted he may die just hours before he passed away on Tuesday. https://youtu.be/Et8vGF14Z-8 Attorney Christopher Brown of the of Boston based Brown & Rosen LLC, has issued a statement on behalf of Bobby Brown: November 19, 2020 Boston, MA On November 18, 2020, Bobby Brown Jr died. He was 28 years old. “Bobby Brown Jr. was not feeling well a couple days before his death, with flu-like symptoms. This is a tragic loss and we will be letting the authorities conduct their investigation of his death.” Said Christopher Brown, Esq. of Brown & Rosen LLC, counsel to Bobby Brown. “Please keep my family in your prayers at this time. Losing my son at this point in our lives has devastated my family. There are no words to explain the pain.” Said Bobby Brown. “We ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time and there will be no further comments.” Said Attorney Brown. Thursday, Nov. 19, The Real has a treat for viewers when co-host Jeannie Mai drops in to “say” hello – and even though she’s on vocal rest, she has some special messages and good news for her fellow hosts and the Real Fam! https://youtu.be/sUOaVh2KXOg Joe Rogan welcomed Donnell Rawlings and Dave Chappelle to his podcast this week, where COVID-19 and the 2020 election were two of the hot topics they touched on. “I’m far from an economist, but I will say that planning for your future is a good thing,” Chappelle said about two hours into the discussion. “It’s a necessary thing. Even though it’s uncertain, you have to remember the sun does rise every morning. So just keep moving.” https://youtu.be/C7t_LxpzYTg Tanya LaReese, Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist brings to the world a music video that reflects a renewed hope for the future. She recruited community members ranging from ages 4 months to 70 years old to create the music video for a song she wrote, “God Give Us Peace.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ2gMewf5JM&feature=youtu.be With a laid back, soulful style, singer-songwriter Angela Predhomme expresses emotion with honesty and passion. She has a knack for writing catchy melodies and lyrics that touch your heart, and sings with bluesy overtones that hint of her roots in Detroit. Predhomme’s songs have been heard by millions through television, film, radio, and in major retail chains. https://youtu.be/DI01ISqnTPY Carol Burnett is so glad we had this time together, as she sang in her signature song. Now, she’s added a lot more time, and a lot more songs, to be glad about. Since its original run from 1967 to 1978, most viewers have only seen heavily chopped versions of “The Carol Burnett Show,” and many fans had no idea that singing and dancing were an essential part of a series that was actually more classic variety show than modern comedy sketch show. “What we were doing in essence was kind of like a Broadway musical revue every week, kind of like vaudeville, with sketches and then musical numbers. And of course in television the “v” of vaudeville became the “v” of variety show,” Burnett told The Associated Press this week. “The problem was, when we went into syndication all those years ago, they cut it down to a half hour, and all the music was cut out.” But now, 65 episodes drawn from the show’s 11 seasons on CBS, which brought it 25 Emmy Awards, have been revived and expanded, most to their original hour length under the title “The Best of The Carol Burnett Show,” and can be seen streaming for the first time on services including Tubi and The Roku Channel. Charlotte Kirk wants to talk. She’s dying to talk. She is clearly agonizing over what to say next. The question she’s been asked is, “How are you feeling?” The answer isn’t hard to guess. For the past 20 months, the 28-year-old, little-known British actress has been at the center of multiple Hollywood scandals that have taken down not just one but two of the industry’s mightiest players—Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara, ousted in March 2019 after his 2013 affair with Kirk was exposed by The Hollywood Reporter, and vice chair of NBC-Universal Ron Meyer, who lost his job in August when it was revealed that he, too, had been sexually involved with Kirk back in 2012—and thrust her into a role she could never have imagined and certainly never asked to play. She has, in fact, become an entirely new type of Hollywood archetype. In a town famous for attracting and then chewing up pretty young things, here was a pretty young thing who chewed up the town—the mogul slayer. And she did it all without uttering a single line of dialogue—at least not in public. Fired Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz and his wife are said to be seeking professional help to mend their marriage after he admitted to having an affair. Lentz was publicly sacked from his job as head pastor of the church’s location in New York City earlier this month after he confessed on social media that he had been cheating on Laura, his wife of 17 years and mother of his three children. It was later revealed that Lentz, who was close friends with Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey, was having an affair with Brooklyn designer Ranin Karim, 34, who spilled details of their drunken nights together and how he told her that she was the best sex he’d ever had. Tyler Perry has had a booming month, winning the People’s Choice Award for People’s Champion over the weekend, and now being named WSJ Magazine’s Entertainment Innovator of the Year. Gracing the cover of the magazine’s November Innovator’s Issue, the 51-year-old Hollywood powerhouse – writer, director, producer and studio head – continues to solidify his empire while opening up about the past year’s hardships. ‘Even after everything that’s going on in the world—the pandemic and the racial inequality and police brutality—I have to remain hopeful. It lives in me.’ With a net worth of $1 Billion dollars and an undeniable reputation as a prolific businessman and all around good natured human being, Perry is the true embodiment of the American dream. Speaking to WSJ. Magazine about his endless resume of accomplishments that include 14 tv series, 22 movies and $2B in revenue through Tyler Perry Studios, the magnitude of both his success and hardships as a Black man is not lost on him. Amazon Studios acquired worldwide rights to Coming 2 America from Paramount Pictures. This long-awaited sequel to the iconic comedy Coming to America will launch worldwide in over 240 countries and territories on Prime Video on March 5, 2021. Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began. Original cast favorites from Coming to America return including King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), Queen Lisa (Shari Headley), Cleo McDowell (John Amos), Maurice (Louie Anderson) and the motley barbershop crew. Joining this star-studded ensemble are Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha and Teyana Taylor, making Coming 2 America the most anticipated comedy film of the year. https://youtu.be/gYYylfwQu-s Prince William has “tentatively welcomed” an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding a BBC interview in 1995 with his mother, Princess Diana, royal officials said Thursday. William, who is second in line to the throne, said in a statement that the probe is “a step in the right direction.” He added that it “should help establish the truth behind the actions” that led to the interview as well as “subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time.” The BBC announced Wednesday it has appointed a retired senior judge to lead an investigation into the 1995 interview after Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, made renewed complaints this month that journalist Martin Bashir used false documents and other dishonest tactics to convince Diana to agree to the interview. The investigation will consider if the steps taken by the broadcaster and Bashir were appropriate, and whether those actions influenced Diana’s decision to give the interview. It will also look into how much the BBC knew about the “mocked-up bank statements” that Charles Spencer claimed Bashir produced, purporting to show payments made to staff working for Spencer and the royal family. The Russian hacker group known as REvil has named televangelist Kenneth Copeland as its latest victim, threatening to release 1.2 terrabytes of sensitive data if he declines to pay their unspecified ransom demands. REvil on Wednesday issued a statement saying it had taken over the servers of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, the Texas-based international church of the prominent 83-year-old pastor. ‘Absolutely all servers and working computers of the company are hacked and encrypted,’ the group said in the statement on the Dark Web, which was reviewed by DailyMail.com. REvil released images of a file library purporting to show the stolen data, and claiming the information included ‘financial documents, contracts, bank documents, sales history, [and] emails.’ Boosie was shot in the leg over the weekend in Dallas, just days after his friend, Mo3, was killed there last week in a fatal shooting. While earlier reports claimed that he was “ok” recent reports stated that he’s now having complications and may have to get his foot amputated. The rapper took to his new Instagram account this Thursday morning to let fans know that he is not fine. He said: “Yes I’m not doing good. I have a short amount of time to find a specialist doctor who’s work on fixing body parts, that cost hundreds of thousands.” Sources close to Boosie tell TMZ he is NOT getting his foot amputated — contrary to reports — but he did have a couple of surgeries for his gunshot wound. It was said that Boosie did have a procedure to remove bullet fragments, and he had some screws put in to make sure his foot properly heals. The 38-year-old has diabetes, which led to speculation about potential amputation. However, sources say the only medical decisions in relation to his diabetes had to do with his pre-surgery diet. Missy Elliott came through for a bride-to-be by paying for her wedding dress after reading the woman’s emotional tweets. Earlier this week, Ireanna Bradshaw posted a photo of the $1300 wedding gown she wanted from David’s Bridal — and shared concerns that she wouldn’t be able to afford it. “Im getting Married in March & trying to move into our own place,” she tweeted alongside a photo of the dress and images of her future husband. “Excited but overwhelmed. I have been saving money; but its still a struggle. I found my dream dress and I want to get it so bad but between saving for the move- i dnt think it will be possible…..” “Early Congratulations. May God Bless you both with an Unbreakable Union and full of Love & Happiness,” Elliott replied. “Your Dress is paid for now. I don’t know you but I saw you said the dress of your dreams & figured I would help when I saw you post ya cash app. May Blessings pour on your Beautiful Wedding Day with your Future husband,” she wrote. Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has suffered a torn right Achilles tendon and is expected to miss the upcoming season, the team said Thursday. The team said in a tweet that an MRI performed in Los Angeles had confirmed the injury. Thompson was injured during a pickup game in Southern California on Wednesday. General manager Bob Myers had said athletic trainers would head to Southern California to accompany Thompson as he got his test. The injury could be a severe blow for the Warriors, who finished worst in the NBA last season as they struggled without Thompson and at times without Stephen Curry, who was nursing a broken left hand that sidelined him for more than four months. Tiger Woods still has one tournament left this year that might feel as big as any to him. The PNC Championship announced Thursday that Woods will play with 11-year-old son Charlie in the tournament that has paired major champions with their sons since 1995, the year before the 44-year-old Woods turned pro. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be playing with Charlie in our first official tournament together,” Woods said. “It’s been great watching him progress as a junior golfer, and it will be incredible playing as a team together in the PNC Championship.” The PNC Championship is Dec. 19-20 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando in central Florida. Before their game tonight (Nov. 20) against Purdue, the University of Minnesota will unveil a new uniform combination with one noteworthy tweak. In place of each player’s last name on the back of their jersey will be the message “End Racism.” The move was revealed Thursday through a video shared on the Gophers’ social media. “I think that a lot of people want to return to normalcy, but a lot of people need to realize that normalcy wasn’t really a good thing,” said a player at the video’s outset. https://youtu.be/SumUURW2Xig Activist and community organizer Walter Palmer remembers coming up in West Philadelphia’s Black Bottom in the 1950s and 60s during a period of pronounced political activity amongst the city’s Black residents and leaders. Palmer, 86, has spent the past 70 years teaching and training grassroots networks of Black community organizers across Philadelphia, and electoral politics have been a mainstay of his work. “I started out as a teenager, 18, 19, and was actively engaged in politics,” recalls Palmer. In the late 50s, he organized and won a number of critical local and statewide campaigns that addressed issues of housing, segregation, workplace discrimination, and education, and even trained a slew of local elected officials like Councilmember Curtis Jones and former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fatah. But Palmer says he’s never been wedded to a single political party. He founded one of the earliest Black independent political organizations in the city during the late 50s and remembers running Black candidates like acclaimed civil rights activist Cecil B. Moore and Pennsylvania State Sen. Hardy Williamson on both Republican and Democratic tickets as a way to leverage the specific needs of Philadelphia’s Black community. “Black people were locked into the Republican Party for 100 years because of Abraham Lincoln,” said Palmer. “Then we got wedded to the Democratic Party for over 50 years because of Franklin D. Roosevelt. We get married to these images and these people, but they don’t live where we live and they don’t come from where we come from.” Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land” memoir sold nearly 890,000 copies in the U.S. and Canada in its first 24 hours after release on Tuesday, in all formats including pre-orders, e-books and audio. The first-day sales was a record for publisher Penguin Random House. "We are thrilled with the first day sales,” said David Drake, publisher of the Penguin Random House imprint Crown. “They reflect the widespread excitement that readers have for President Obama’s highly anticipated and extraordinarily written book.” As noted on the former president’s official website, the “highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.” CLEO TV has announced the premiere date of the new series TOUGH LOVE: LOS ANGELES airing Wednesday, November 25, 2020, at 10 P.M. ET/9C with a simulcast broadcast premiere on TV ONE. Subsequent episodes will debut on CLEO TV on Sunday's beginning November 29 at 9 P.M. ET/8C with encore airings on TV ONE on Wednesday's at 10 P.M. ET/9C starting on December 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srXfy3p8xdQ&feature=youtu.be It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas and we all could use some joy. As the 2020 holiday season approaches and the incredibly eventful and challenging year comes to a close, vocalist Robert E. Person is determined to spread some love and happiness with his CHRISTMAS JOY collection of holiday songs. https://roberteperson.hearnow.com/ CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN is back with elite vegan dishes to add to upcoming family gatherings when Chef Ahki joins Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, November 21 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Viewers will be surprised how much these healthy substitutes imitate the real thing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vosIVjYChSE&feature=youtu.be Titus showers drops "Have yourself A Merry Little Christmas." https://www.dropbox.com/s/3t7dz9asvzdo8fy/Titus%20Showers-Have%20Yourself%20A%20Merry%20Little%20Christmas.mp3?dl=0 Dr. Inga Johnson, offers a needed voice in the kingdom and in the marketplace. Her single release “Supernatural Favor Declaration” is the missing link to those faith walkers between their now and their future. Kingdom and Marketplace Leader, Speaker, mentor, coach, Apostle, Pastor, Prophet, Philanthropist and Author are all words that describe Dr. Inga Johnson. Dr. Inga prides herself in making others needs a priority. She helps entrepreneurs, businesses and nonprofits turn their dreams into a reality by helping obtain funding and professional coaching certifications. She helps others brand and publish to name a few. There’s not a stone she will leave unturned to help people reach their greatest potential. During what should be a time of celebration for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with Howard University alumna Kamala Harris advancing to the highest levels of American government following this month’s historical election has instead become a time of survival for both the institutions and their students as their shared broader populations disproportionately suffer from the coronavirus pandemic. It was in that context that the three members of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) on Monday announced intentions to re-open their campuses and resume in-person classes for certain students for the upcoming spring semester. The decision for Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College was not an easy one, school leaders said. However, HBCU experts have also described the situation as being increasingly existential for both the students and the schools. “After assessing the COVID-19 situation and hearing from our students and families who very much want to return to campus, we have developed a plan that will allow up to 1,200 students to live and learn on campus beginning February 1, 2021,” Morehouse President David A. Thomas said in a statement on the school website. Similar statements from Spelman and Clark Atlanta were issued, as well. All three laid out plans to maintain the health and safety of students, faculty and staff with a fraction of each school’s population expected to arrive at their respective campuses to begin classes on Feb. 1, 2021. h African American students interested in going to college can attend the United Negro College Fund’s (UNCF) Fall 2020 virtual Empower Me Tour. Set for this Friday and Saturday (November 20 & 21, 2020), New York, District of Columbia, and New Jersey. The Empower Me Tour is an extension of the goals of the UNCF. Founded in 1944, the UNCF, a non-profit, has raised more than $5 billion and helped more than 500,000 students attend 37 private historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). When strategizing empowerment, there are words with friends and there are words with public domain. While your words reflect personal perspective they sometimes come with the trajectory of a defining movement. Either way, your words can be used against you. Currently, there’s friction within the Democratic Party over whether use of the term “Defund the Police” cost them seats in Congress. The phrase was a popularized by-product of the George Floyd/Black Lives Matter protests. It was one of many chants used to demand change in law enforcement. However, it was the one that had the most blowback. In late September, after the Kentucky Attorney General’s press conference announcing a lack of criminal charges for the officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s murder, NBA commentator Charles Barkley used his TNT platform to say the following: “You know, I hear these fools on TV talking about ‘defund the police’ and things like that. We need police reform and prison reform and things like that. Because you know, who ain’t gonna defund the cops? White neighborhoods and rich neighborhoods. So that notion they keep saying that – I’m like, wait a minute. Who are Black people supposed to call? Ghostbusters?” Joe Biden‘s yet-to-be-named presidential cabinet could very well just come down to being a case of basic math. The President-Elect has vowed to assemble a group of executive leaders for the government’s federal departments that “looks like America,” an ambiguous pledge that, between the lines, carries the connotation of appointing people who reflect the evolving racial makeup of the United States’ ever-browning population. Complicating matters, though, is the fact that Black folks make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, a statistic that suggests Biden could keep his word by appointing just two Black people, which is just about 13 percent of the 15 cabinet positions. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond officially joined the Biden administration Tuesday after it was announced he would serve as a senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. While that is not a cabinet position, Richmond’s appointment may just be the beginning of a so-called Black wave of top Biden advisers who are African American. Just when you thought Donald Trump’s “lawyer” Rudy Giuliani couldn’t embarrass himself any worse than booking a press conference outside of a Philly Four Seasons landscaping service thinking it was the Four Seasons hotel, his black hair dye ran amok during a press conference today for the whole world to see. The former New York City mayor was in the midst of arguing that Trump campaign reps weren’t allowed close enough to properly observe ballot counting in Pennsylvania for the presidential election, which Trump has refused to concede despite the Associated Press and other major news outlets declaring Democratic challenger Joe Biden the winner two weeks ago. https://youtu.be/9drmVDt9Ef8 A third grade teacher filmed audio of an angry mother calling her to complain about her son’s assignment that involved filling in an electoral map to determine who won the election. “The answer was nobody! That was the answer, nobody. Not Joe Biden! It was nobody,” said the mother, who is heard on the phone call arguing that six states are still in play and should not have been counted toward Biden’s win. https://youtu.be/1gDMSaQ-0r8 A Texas’ El Paso County is reportedly paying inmates $2 an hour to move the bodies of deceased victims of the COVID-19. According to CBS, the county has nine inmates who are working to move the bodies. Chris Acosta, public affairs director at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, described the prisoners as “low-level offenders” and said they are “provided full PPE by the morgue/hospital.” https://youtu.be/_4V4D-mjCUw Nelly has been tapped to play Rock n’ Roll legend Chuck Berry in the Buddy Holly biopic “Clear Lake.” According to Variety, Colin Hanks has also joined the cast as Holly’s manager Norman Petty, while Diane Guerrero and will star as Holly’s wife Maria Elena Holly. Holly is credited for helping to give rise to rock n’ roll music. He is most celebrated for the hits “Rave On,” “That’ll Be the Day,” and “Peggy Sue.” The singer died in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa on Feb. 2, 1959, along with fellow rock singers Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The tragedy is referred to as the “Day the Music Died.” “Clear Lake” will center around how Holly and other famous musicians in the late 1950s made an impactful change in the Civil Rights movement. Will Smith and actress Janet Hubert reunited for the first time in 27 years for the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reunion. “After 27 years, being here today and having the conversation that Will and I had together, it’s healing,” Hubert said during the taping with Smith, Today.com reports. Hubert originally played Aunt Viv for three seasons before she was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid. The actress previously criticized both the series and Smith, blaming him for her allegedly being blacklisted in Hollywood. Reports of a feud between Hubert and Smith have circulated over the 27 years since. “We never really together publicly talk about Janet, and what happened, and for me it felt like I couldn’t celebrate 30 years of ‘Fresh Prince’ without finding a way to celebrate Janet,” Smith tells co-stars Reid, Karyn Parsons (Hilary), Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton), Tatyana Ali (Ashley), DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jazz) and Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey) in the reunion taping. Naya Rivera’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their 5-year-old son Josey, following the boating accident that claimed her life four months ago. Rivera was found dead in July, nearly a week after she disappeared during a boating outing in Ventura County, California, with her son. She was 33. According to the investigative report, Josey said they counted “1, 2, 3” and jumped off the pontoon boat together at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Once in the water, the child said his mother told him to get back on the boat. “She helped him onto the boat and then he then heard [Naya] yell ‘help’ and she put her arm in the air. She then disappeared into the water,” the investigative report states, per PEOPLE. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Dorey is suing Ventura County, the county’s Parks and Recreation Management, and the United Water Conservation District for wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress. https://youtu.be/LIMnRiNQMW0 Relatives of Atatiana Jefferson have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Fort Worth, Texas, and the former officer charged in her death. The 28-year-old Black woman was fatally shot by ex-cop Aaron Dean in her home through a window. Dean was indicted in December by a Texas grand jury after he was charged with Jefferson’s killing. He shot Jefferson through her bedroom window while responding to a welfare check around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 12, and he “didn’t have time to perceive a threat” before opening fire, the family’s attorney, Lee Merritt, said. Jefferson was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew moments before her death. https://youtu.be/lFqVYOAOIgE Anna Reed, the girlfriend Bobby Brown Jr., posted a tribute to him on social media a day after news of his death. Brown Jr., the son singer Bobby Brown, was found dead at the age of 28, according to TMZ. He was the half sibling to Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of Brown Sr. and late singer Whitney Houston. Like her mother, Bobbi Kristina died after being found unconscious in a bathtub. Police found Brown Jr. after being called to his home for a “medical emergency,” BBC reports. Reed wrote on her Twitter page: “The heavens gained an angel but I lost my soul mate.” In another post on November 15, he wrote to Reed, “Hey @AnnaReed1998 I LOVE YOU.” On November 17, Reed wrote, “Overdose is a lesson, if you ain’t learn then you lethal,” but it’s not clear what she was referring to. In the latest viral video of a mask request devolving into a racist rant, a white couple gets upset and starts slinging the n-word at their Lyft driver after he asked that the man put his mask “back on.” Lyft has permanently banned the man following the incident that occurred Tuesday (Nov. 17) in Issaquah, Washington. according to Newsweek.com. The driver. David Kangogo, said he had picked up a couple at about 9.30 p.m. when, mid-ride, he noticed the man had taken off his mask. Lyft requires both drivers and riders to wear face coverings in the COVID-19 pandemic. “So I said, ‘Sir, could you kindly put your mask on,'” Kangogo, 30, told Newsweek. “He ignored me the first time, I repeated [it] and told him he’s putting me at risk and all the other passengers I pick up after him.”Kangogo said that’s when the man, identified only as Joe, called him the n-word. “He said, ‘Oh, shut up n*****, you don’t know s***,” Kangogo said. “So I just pulled over and got out of the car and told them I have canceled the ride, they can go ahead and get another driver.” The video begins with the man exiting the car and telling Kangogo, “You’re a sand n****r. That’s what you are. You’re a f**king sand n****r.” Coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than a quarter of a million Americans, as of Wednesday night, marking a sobering milestone just under 11 months since the first case was identified in the U.S. on January 20. The U.S. remains the country with the most fatalities in the world, its 250,029 deaths exceeding the death toll of the next-hardest hit country, Brazil, by more than 83,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. It comes as cases and hospitalizations continue to climb steeply, with a record 76,958 people being treated for in U.S. hospitals as of Tuesday, and nearly 162,000 new infections. Tragedy has hit Bobby Brown‘s family once again after the singer’s second-oldest son has died. Bobby Brown Jr., a budding singer himself, was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Wednesday. He was just 28 years old. One of his father’s seven children, Bobby Brown Jr. was found by emergency medical technicians responding to a call Wednesday afternoon. It was unclear who notified the authorities. Los Angeles Police Department public information officer Jeff Lee told USA Today it didn’t appear that there was any evidence of foul play. TMZ reported Bobby Brown’s death first Wednesday evening. No cause of death was reported immediately and the local coroner was expected to examine his death. Bobby Brown Jr. was apparently in the process of trying to launch his own successful singing career. Posts from his Instagram show he was prepping a music video for a song called “Say Something” back in September. The Florida police officers who killed two Black teenagers in a hail of bullets shot at the car they were driving in last week are defending the shooting despite dashcam footage that suggests the officers didn’t need to resort to lethal force. Ben Crump, the civil rights lawyer who is representing the families of Sincere Pierce, 18, and A.J. Crooms, 16, said the video shows the teenagers “posed no threat.” But the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said the teens were being pulled over about “a possible stolen car” before the teens tried to flee, which “forced” an officer to open fire. The department pointed to the video as proof of its claims. The dashcam video from the scene shows at least one officer repeating orders for them to exit the vehicle, but it was unclear if the teenagers heard him. https://www.facebook.com/watch/BrevardCountySheriff/ Wednesday, Nov. 18, The Real welcomes guest co-host Eboni K. Williams, the first Black cast member of The Real Housewives of New York, who recently debuted her new podcast Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams. https://youtu.be/ONoRwjvS5F8 This week’s episode of WEtv’s “Braxton Family Values” finds Traci struggling to process the death of her niece. In an exclusive clip above, the singer and reality TV star breaks down over the loss during a therapy session. It’s a heartbreaking moment as Traci open up about why her niece was so special. https://youtu.be/WLWkSY0KcFc Singer and reality TV star Tiny Harris has opened up about the daughter she delivered stillborn over ten years ago. Harris has been married to rapper T.I. since 2010 and the couple have two sons together and a daughter. Their first daughter, Leyah Amore, was stillborn in 2007, six months into a complicated pregnancy. https://youtu.be/g3YQSUCp4Tg Erica Campbell recently sparked conversation online among her fans with her controversial comments about hoes and housewives. In case you missed it, in an Instagram post, Campbell made clear that: “You can’t sow Hoe seeds and reap marriage benefits. Your brain and body don’t switch like that. You gotta prepare you mind for marriage because it’s ministry.” Campbell wanted to clarify her message about hoe behavior could apply to men and women. “I know some guys who’ve gotten married and the night before they get married, they’re texting all the other girls, ‘I’m getting married tomorrow.’ That’s a little late to be telling her. That should have happened a long time ago. You have to get your mind, your heart and your sprit ready to just be with one person because it does take work,” she said, per MadameNoire. Actress Holly Robinson Peete claims Donald Trump called her the N-word during the season nine finale of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Peete recalled the moment on Tuesday during an interview on SiriusXM’s The Karen Hunter Show. She claims the president used the slur when it came down to choosing a winner of the competition between Peete and singer Bret Michaels. Peete didn’t actually hear Trump use the N-word, she found out about it after taping had finished. As noted by MadameNoire, Noel Casler, a comedian who worked on the show, revealed it in a tweet last year, but this is the first time Peete is speaking on it publicly. https://youtu.be/CtEFBSaDW9Q Houston based Pastor & Recording artist Marcus Jordan has announced the launch of his new praise & worship experience titled" Churching With Pastor Marcus Jordan". The event will take place November 27th 7pm at ST. Paul MBC in Houston, TX with special guest national recording artist Earnest Pugh. After securing his 1st Top 50 single earlier this year, veteran indie radio promoter & emerging Gospel/Inspiration songwriter, Patrick Noble Allen, will release the ‘Look To The Hills’ official music video Friday 11/27/2020. A mid-tempo, urban contemporary track, his debut composition features himself and chart-topping indie Gospel/Inspiration artist & fashionista, Keyondra Lockett (‘Trouble Won’t Last’). ’Look To The Hills' is also available on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon Music. https://youtu.be/Ioh4ZOnEmB4 Smokey Robinson has teamed with Audible for his new project “Smokey Robinson: Grateful and Blessed,” in which he shares the stories behind some of his greatest hits. This Audible original is the personal recollections of an icon and recounts a legendary career spanning 70 years with unprecedented detail through raw, unmediated storytelling and music performance. Zendaya is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars – and one of Black Hollywood’s wildest dreams. At just 24 years old, the actress has led two successful series on two of the biggest networks in TV land; costarred in a huge blockbuster Marvel film; and become the youngest woman ever to win the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama, Euphoria. As much as the actress and activist has broken barriers in her past, it’s her present and future in Hollywood that’s winning. For ESSENCE’s November + December issue, Zendaya graces the cover with stunning and picturesque black and white imagery that pays tribute to icons of the past while squarely establishing her as a leading force in the present and an icon of the future. The special issue is part of the brand’s ongoing 50th anniversary celebration and also features Zendaya on three bonus digital covers. The 2020-21 NBA schedule will feature a play-in tournament and an NBA Finals that could run all the way until July 22 — keeping some players from competing in the Olympics. The league’s 75th season, delayed and shortened because of the coronavirus pandemic, will begin Dec. 22 and look like none other. The NBA announced Tuesday how it will make up the 72-game schedule, which won’t be entirely known until well after it’s started. Teams will play 42 intraconference games, with each club facing the others within its conference three times apiece. Teams will play the remaining 30 games against the opposite conference — one at home and one on the road in a return to cross-country travel and playing in arenas after completing last season in a “bubble” environment. When that’s finished, the play-in tournament, approved Tuesday by the board of governors on a one-year basis, follows involving the teams with the seventh through 10th-best records in each conference. They will play for the final two playoff spots in the East and the West. Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics won’t have the luxury of hanging around once they’ve wrapped up their event. No late-night parties in the Athletes Village. No nights — or early mornings — on the town. Instead of getting to know their global neighbors, Olympic athletes will be encouraged to leave Japan a day or two after they’ve finished competing. From the opening ceremony to life in the village on Tokyo Bay, the postponed 2020 Olympics will be like no other. There’ll be stringent rules and guidelines — and maybe vaccines and rapid testing — to pull off the games in the middle of a pandemic that has been blamed for more than 1 million deaths worldwide. Five months later than originally scheduled, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards with the first pick of the 2020 NBA draft on Wednesday night. The Golden State Warriors took center James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick, and guard LaMelo Ball followed as the third pick to the Charlotte Hornets. Edwards, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound guard from Atlanta who spent his lone collegiate season at Georgia, joins a young Timberwolves core led by star center Karl-Anthony Towns and point guard D’Angelo Russell. Edwards led all Division I freshmen with 19.1 points per game and was the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year. Brandon Marshall the 6’5" former All-Pro receiver now has a podcast and fitness show.Growing by leaps and bounds, I AM ATHLETE is in its second season. Other former NFL standouts—Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor— join Marshall for every episode. The set stays lit and the topics jump from sports and politics to relationships, money, mental health and beyond. Today BET announces performers and presenters for the 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” featuring an exciting lineup of some of the brightest stars in R&B, Gospel, Adult Urban Contemporary and soul. “Feed Your Soul,” is the theme this year. Performances includes Babyface, Brandy, CeeLo Green, Charlie Wilson, Ella Mai, Jazmine Sullivan, Lucky Daye, Monica, Smokey Robinson with appearances by Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Brandee Evans. The 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” airs Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 8PM ET simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2. Also The sixth annual Lady of Soul Award will be presented to Grammy Award-winning singer, actress, philanthropist and entrepreneur Monica. Gratitude is still possible. Even now. Ahead of the holidays, Pastor Shirley Ann Caesar Williams talks with Sisters from AARP about how we can have gratitude during turbulent times and shares suggestions for finding peace. As a 12-time Grammy-winning gospel music singer, songwriter, recording artist, author, and pastor whose career has spanned six decades—six!—she also discusses her incredible legacy and why she continues to make music and share messages of hope. Tune in Wednesday, November 18, 2020 @ 7PM EST on Sisters from AARP's Facebook page. DARE Records has partnered with 95.7 Hallelujah FM (iHeart Media) to present its first-ever virtual special holiday event, the “Hallelujah Countdown to Christmas” series, which will be broadcast on the station’s streaming platforms, including WHAL-FM (Memphis, TN); WHLW-FM (Montgomery, AL); WMXC-FM (Mobile, AL); WERC-FM (Birmingham, AL); WSOK-FM (Savannah, GA); WTLM-FM (Auburn, AL); and WHLH-FM (Jackson, MS). The holiday special will air on December 11, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. CT, and will feature performances by DARE Records artists Keke Wyatt and Juan and Lisa Winans; and newcomers Shontelle Norman-Beatty and Travis Malloy. These one-of-a-kind, inspirational performances are also captured on the new EP recording DARE Records Presents Countdown To Christmas, executive produced by Michael-Anthony Taylor, for fans to enjoy again and again. The EP will be available on Friday, December 11, 2020, on digital and streaming platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and Tidal, among others. Damon Little releases his new song "STAND UP" under his current label LITTLE WORLD MUSIC. Damon is an award winning singer, song writer and producer who is no stranger to the gospel industry. Known for his charting hit songs such as: "I Won't Be Defeated", "Because Of You", "Be Alright" and "Straddle the Fence" just to name a few. Mr. Little is the national spokesperson for UOAA (United Ostomy Association of America) an organization that supports ostomy issues and promotes positive social change. George Salamy, a representative of the organization states "Damon is an incredible young man that loves people and has a heart of gold and we support him". The new song "STAND UP" is a movement song that brings unification to all races, no matter which country or community you may live in. The song will promote unity, justice, love and peace uniting all to take a stand. President Donald Trump took to Twitter Tuesday to fire top U.S. election security official Chris Krebs amid his agency contradicting GOP disinformation about voter fraud. Krebs’ termination was sparked by a statement that declared 2020 the most secure election in history. https://youtu.be/3lynZDjpXiw A college basketball coach accused of physically and mentally abusing his players and staff as well as making racist comments was not fired. Despite the effective proof of more than two dozen people going on record with the allegations and an investigation into the claims, Gregg Marshall was not only allowed to resign from his position at Wichita State University but he also walked away with a nearly $8 million payout. Marshall officially stepped down Tuesday, nearly a month after the Athletic published the bombshell reports he assaulted one of his former players and a staff member and tried to do the same to a student-athlete who played another sport. On top of that, Marshall also allegedly made racially and ethnically insensitive comments to his players. Although it was in shame, Marshall was allowed to resign with the assurance of receiving millions of dollars instead of being fired on the spot without any financial severance or settlement like other coaches have been for doing less. Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of killing a white Philadelphia police officer nearly 40 years ago. Born Wesley Cook, the activist and journalist was driving in his taxi in Philadelphia just before 4 a.m. on Dec. 9, 1981, when police officer Daniel Faulkner conducted a traffic stop of a light blue Volkswagen. His brother, William “Billy” Cook, was the driver. Abu-Jamal, parked just across the street, approached the scene. Within minutes he had been shot in the chest and Faulkner had been shot dead. Abu-Jamal was arrested as the accused perpetrator. The details of precisely how those fateful minutes unfolded remain one of the most debated accounts in recent case history. However, since his conviction in 1982, there has been enough evidence stacking on the side of those who maintain Abu-Jamal’s innocence that entire books, movies, and fashions have been dedicated to the Free Mumia cause. A Chicago PHD student has been charged with murdering her ex-boyfriend of three months after reportedly stalking him at his Washington DC home. Nijinsky Latassia Dix, 37, from Jacksonville, Florida, was arrested Saturday after police say they found her kneeling at victim Terry Hickman’s feet holding a gun. Hickman, 44, was pronounced dead at the scene. Dix, who works at the University of Notre Dame, was later charged with second degree murder while armed. One person familiar with the former couple is said to have told police they dated for just three months, breaking up in May. That person said ‘the woman was stalking the decedent and that she was from out of state but somehow found out where he resided’, NBC Chicago reports. A woman who quit Hillsong has accused the global religious organization of a toxic culture where female volunteers were frequent victims of sexism, sharing her story amid ongoing controversy over the church’s firing of Justin Bieber’s disgraced pastor Carl Lentz. New Yorker Janice Lagata, who joined the church in 2005, admitted that she was initially ‘deep’ in the Hillsong lifestyle, and even moved to Sydney to base herself at the church’s international headquarters for three years before deciding to leave in 2016. In an open letter that she shared on her blog, Lagata went further into the details about her experiences in the church, blasting what she described as Hillsong’s ‘toxic’ culture, while admitting that she feels sorry for Lentz, who she believes is being used as a scapegoat by leaders. ‘The toxic leadership culture of Hillsong NYC was not a creation of Carl Lentz,’ she wrote. ‘It’s a preset of the structure. And he, unfortunately, ran with it. We all did.’ Giancarlo Granda first noticed that something was off about Becki Falwell while in bed with her. It was around three or four in the morning, Granda recalls, when he woke up and noticed Becki staring at him without blinking. It’s what he’d later come to call “the look” — something that, eight years later, still creeps him out. But Granda is neither squeamish nor skittish. And nor was he, as a 21 year old, primed to let something a little odd like Becki’s “dark, black eyes” fixating on him in the night give him pause. After all, he was waking up at Cheeca Lodge, an exclusive resort on the Florida Keys’s Islamorada, just weeks after having first met Becki poolside at Miami’s glitzy Fontainebleau hotel. Becki and her husband Jerry Jr., who, Granda recalls, was sleeping on the couch that night, had invited Granda to the resort for a good time. Granda was only dimly aware of who he was with: education administrators at a Christian university. But where others saw bible thumpers with an axe to grind against modernity, Granda says he saw a “hot cougar,” an outlet for his own business idea, and, eventually, a second family. Sinbad‘s family was seeking “prayers for his healing” after the 64-year-old comedian and actor recently suffered a stroke. They were cautiously hopeful and told the Associated Press that he has already begun his “road to recovery,” which is an important first step for any stroke survivors, doctors say. “We are faithful and optimistic that he will bring laughter into our hearts soon,” a family statement said in part. Well wishes from Sinbad’s fellow celebrities were pouring in. It was unclear when Sinbad suffered his stroke or what treatment he was receiving, but beginning recovery quickly is key. Footaction, a lifestyle retailer dedicated to celebrating and championing cultural pride through product, advocacy and community engagement, announces its multi-year partnership with artist and entrepreneur B. Simone. Launching the partnership with an women's capsule collection, B. Simone’s apparel assortment will be exclusively available online and in select Footaction stores nationwide beginning today. Amazon Studios has dropped the official trailer for Oscar and Emmy-winner Regina King’s feature directorial debut, “One Night in Miami” …, written by Olivier-nominated Kemp Powers, based off his 2013 stage play. https://youtu.be/ZprXMxKg--w A quick teaser for Apple TV+’s star-studded “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special” was released today ahead of the show’s debut on Apple TV+, Friday, Dec. 4. Guest stars will include Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris, all to take part in this one-of-a-kind holiday event. Extra special appearances are also made by Carey’s twins, Moroccan + Monroe. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Mariah+Carey%e2%80%99s+Magical+Christmas+Special%e2%80%9d+trailer&docid=608024506039470302&mid=D7425446AFE3748B6808D7425446AFE3748B6808&view=detail&FORM=VIRE NBC’s new streaming platform Peacock is relaunching “Saved By The Bell.” This version of “Saved by the Bell” is more of a continuation with a new generation of Bayside high students. Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkely reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano, who now work at Bayside high. Tiffany-Amber Thiessen, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Lark Voorhies make special appearances throughout the season. https://youtu.be/O0uCr5-5p5Q The official trailer and key art for season one of “The Wilds” is available now. The ten-episode Amazon Original series will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Friday, December 11, 2020 in more than 240 territories around the world. https://youtu.be/tUQ2vMSQf4M Mike Tyson admits he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during their second bout in 1997 because he “wanted to kill him” at that moment. “I might do it again,” Tyson said when asked about the incident by Jim Gray on Fox News. “If he does what he was doing to get bitten, I would bite him again.” “I bit him because I wanted to kill him. I was really mad about my head being bumped and everything. I really lost consciousness of the whole fight. It took me out of my fight plan and everything.” https://youtu.be/zKPMVex-UKk Spike Lee is set to direct a musical based on the creators of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. According to Variety, the film is based on David Kushner’s Esquire article titled: All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra. Lee will direct from a screenplay penned by Kwame Kwei-Armah. Matt Jackson’s Jackson Pictures will produce the film alongside 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks, per Variety. The Paley Center for Media today announced the latest selection to its acclaimed Paley Front Row Presented by Citi series: BET+’s Tyler Perry’s Ruthless. “When Tyler Perry and BET present a television series you know it’s going to be riveting, entertaining and addictive,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s President & CEO. “Ruthless once again proves why Tyler Perry is continuously recognized and praised for his trailblazing work.” This exciting program will publish just in time for the midseason premiere of the smash-hit series on the Paley Center’s dedicated channel on Verizon Media’s Yahoo Entertainment starting tonight at 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST. Sitcom veterans Alec Baldwin, 62, and Kelsey Grammer, 65, are teaming up for a new ABC show. The Emmy winners will star in a yet to be named multi-cam show from the co-creator of Modern Family, Christopher Lloyd, and executive producer Vali Chandrasekaran, it was revealed on Tuesday. According to Deadline, both Baldwin and Grammer will also serve as executive producers on the project which has been ordered straight-to-series by ABC. The series will follow the reunion of three men who were roommates when they were young twenty-somethings and had a falling out. Baldwin and Grammer have been tapped to play two of the lead characters, however, the third character has not yet been cast. The untitled project is slated for the 2021-22 television season. Tracey Davis, an author and daughter of Rat Pack entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and actress May Britt, has died. She was 59. Davis’ ex-husband Guy Garner told The Associated Press that Davis died in Franklin, Tennessee, on Nov. 2 after a short illness, but the cause of death was not yet determined. Davis wrote about her experiences as the daughter of one of the greatest entertainers ever, whose career kept them apart during her childhood years, in her 1996 book “Sammy Davis Jr.: My Father.” The book was about her journey to reconnect with her father later as an adult. It was co-written with Dolores A. Barclay, a former editor at the AP. She wrote a second book, “Sammy Davis Jr.: A Personal Journey With My Father,” in 2014. In her books, she wrote about his experiences encountering racism throughout his career. MGM announced plans last month to develop a Sammy Davis Jr. biopic based on Davis’ first book. Shazam! star Zachary Levi has signed on to topline The Unbreakable Boy, an inspirational true story drama from Lionsgate and I Can Only Imagine and I Still Believe producer Kingdom Story Company. Jon Gunn is the screenwriter and director behind this project. He is the writer and executive producer of I Still Believe and also helmed the faith-based film Do You Believe? Based on the book by Scott M. LeRette with Susy Flory, The Unbreakable Boy follows Austin, a kid born with a rare brittle-bone disease and autism. But what makes Austin unique is his joyous, funny, life-affirming worldview that transforms and unites everyone around him – especially his dad, Scott (Levi), who changes his life as he comes to see Austin not as the symbol of something broken, but the triumph of an indestructible spirit. Beyoncé has channeled Jane Fonda’s 80s workout videos to promote her latest Ivy Park collection. The 39-year-old on Tuesday launched the second part of her Drip 2 collection, called Drip 2.2: Black Pack, accompanying the release with a video drenched in delightful, cheesy ’80s’ness, complete with VHS glitches, basic pastel graphics and an echo in the audio. https://youtu.be/lAerFsWo9Bg How can “faithless electors” end up handing Trump the presidency? “The Daily Show’s” Trevor Noah explains it’s “a lonnnnnng shot” that this would happen, (“about as likely as Mitch McConnell being on the cover of Men’s Health), but theoretically, Republican state legislators can install electors that would ignore the will of voters in their state and vote for Donald Trump, even if Joe Biden won their state. Noah explains what electors exactly are, how they came about, and the various loopholes that allow for faithless electors to vote against their state’s electorate. https://youtu.be/TvmPZNxXRiM Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wasted no time in cheerleading Trump’s bogus claim that he’s still President. In a speech on the Senate floor, McConnell not only egged Trump on in pushing his fraudulent claim that he was cheated out of the Oval Office, but harped that Trump was “100 percent within his rights” to scream that there were “irregularities” in the voting. There is not a shred of evidence of any “irregularities” in the voting and McConnell almost certainly knows that. McConnell doubled down by not uttering a mumbling word about the outrage of Trump’s flat refusal to do anything to assist Biden in his transition to the Oval Office. https://youtu.be/TrD7WUFki8s People Magazine has named Michael B. Jordan as the “Sexiest Man Alive?” “It’s a cool feeling,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story about the publication crowning him Tuesday night with its annual distinction. “You know, everybody always made that joke, like, ‘Mike, this is the one thing you’re probably not going to get.’ But it’s a good club to be a part of.” People noted, “From chiseling his body to carry on the boxing legacy of Apollo Creed as his son, Adonis, in 2015’s Creed to portraying Black Panther’s ruthless villain Erik Killmonger in 2018, Jordan, now 33, continues to make his mark in Hollywood — and the world.” During an appearance Tuesday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Jordan talked about his new title, getting made fun of by his friends, Jimmy predicting his win, being ahead of NBA legend Michael Jordan in the rankings, working with Denzel Washington on his new movie “A Journal for Jordan,” growing out his mustache during quarantine, shooting in Berlin for his other movie “Without Remorse,” and driving 203 mph on the Autobahn. https://youtu.be/LKp5K1_C7u0 Tuesday, Nov. 17 the hosts of The Real welcome Tyra Banks, who discusses Dancing With The Stars and her new SMiZE Cream ice cream! She speaks about how emotional she was when co-host Jeannie Mai was forced to leave DWTS recently for health reasons, and also shares how she balances her career and motherhood. https://youtu.be/z9W-w5c4E98 MasterChef Junior” star Ben Watkins has died at the age of 14 after a battle with a rare cancer. Watkin was diagnosed in July with Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma, a rare soft tissue tumor that affects children and young adults, People reported. His death comes three years after both his parents were killed in a domestic violence incident in 2017. https://youtu.be/wOe5WKX9XII Netflix and popular music producer Pharrell Williams are gearing up to release a new series that follows the making of a new gospel choir meant to “take gospel music to a new dimension.” The unscripted project titled, “Voices of Fire,” premieres on Nov. 20 and follows Williams and gospel leaders as they embark on a quest to find undiscovered talent in Williams’ Hampton Roads, his hometown in Virginia. https://youtu.be/dX3z9-9C-1k The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has unveiled the winners of the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which recognize the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified CCA members. Dick Johnson is Dead takes home the most prestigious award for Best Documentary Feature as well as Best Director for Kirsten Johnson. My Octopus Teacher wins the awards for Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary. “We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a diverse group of films and filmmakers and subjects this year of all years, on the fifth occasion of the CCDAs, and with 2020 being what it is,” said Christopher Campbell, President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Branch. A brand-new episode of STEVE on Watch is AVAILABLE NOW – Steve has a conversation with close friend, actress, entrepreneur and Kandi Buruss. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1075793699540539&ref=external The first jointly produced series from Wondery and Universal Music Group (UMG), “Jacked: Rise of the New Jack Sound,” premieres today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Wondery App and wherever you listen to podcasts. Oscar® Nominee and Golden Globe® Award-winner Taraji P. Henson hosts and also serves as a producer on JACKED with Barry Michael Cooper serving as consulting producer. The six-part series focuses on the complex relationships of a group of teenagers from Harlem who would create a sound that forever changed music. Told through Wondery’s style of immersive, character-driven storytelling, JACKED features dozens of interviews including band members and managers, and extensive music from UMG’s catalog. From 1987 to 1992, New Jack Swing’s innovative fusion of hip-hop and R&B dominated the charts. Isaiah Washington took to Twitter on Monday to call out his former “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Katherine Heigl. Washington posted a photo of the actress, along with the caption, “This woman once proclaimed that I should ‘never’ be allowed to speak publicly again. The world agreed with her proclamation back then and protested for my job and my head in 65 languages. I wish I was on Twitter in 2007, because I will NEVER stop exercising my free speech.” https://youtu.be/K3v5hfq3wdg In the latest clip released from “The Oprah Conversation: President Barack Obama,” available to stream for free on Apple TV+ until December 1, Obama talks Oprah Winfrey about the different standards that he and First Lady Michelle Obama were held to and held themselves to while in office. “Truthfully, Michelle and I, we felt that we should have higher standards in terms of how we behave, and ethics, and fidelity to the truth,” he said. “Part of it, undoubtably, because we were firsts and felt very much the need to exceed expectations rather than just meet them.” https://www.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2020/11/17/obama-oprah-book-interview-marriage-birtherism-jk-orig.cnn Justin Bieber shared several faith-inspired posts leading up to his People’s Choice Awards performance of his single “Holy” and revealed he wishes to lead people to God. “All my life I felt in my heart I was supposed to entertain. I had been given these abilities that I wanted to showcase. My heart as I get older is to ask God to refine my heart. To make sure my intention remains pure,” Bieber wrote Sunday on Instagram along with a video of rehearsal footage of him singing “Holy.” “My intention is to inspire, uplift, empower and lead people to know and see the love of God,” he continued. “To remind people of the joy and wonder that is all around us.” https://youtu.be/KAlSY5MPlkU Dr. Alveda King, niece of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and director of Civil Rights for the Unborn, and Ginger Howard, Republican national committeewoman for Georgia, come from different backgrounds and cultures. Yet the two share a passion for moral and social justice. The women met a few years ago and quickly formed a bond of sisterhood; often spending time at each other’s homes and shopping together. They never thought about writing a book about racial reconciliation in America. That is until two years ago. https://youtu.be/m1i6307jHbw On the morning of August 8, 1978, the Philadelphia Police Department, at the direction of hardline Mayor Frank Rizzo, engaged in a confrontation with the radical Black organization MOVE and fired thousands of rounds of ammunition into the West Philadelphia home of the social justice group. When the smoke cleared, a police officer named James Ramp had been killed and an unarmed MOVE member named Delbert Africa had been beaten to within an inch of his life by three police officers. Delbert and his wife Debbie Africa were imprisoned for the cop’s death that day. Their son, Mike Africa Jr., has committed his life to finding out the truth about what really happened and fighting for the release of the parents that he has only ever known through prison walls. His journey is chronicled in HBO’s feature documentary “40 Years a Prisoner,” debuting Tuesday, December 8 (9:00-10:50 p.m. ET/PT). Using eyewitness accounts and archival footage, the film illuminates the story of a city grappling with racial tension and police brutality with alarming topicality and modern-day relevance. https://youtu.be/Dr9SPaqjrxU It’s unclear when pastor Carl Lentz lost his way, but his moral compass appeared to be on the fritz at a very private post-Super Bowl party held for Jennifer Lopez last year on a yacht in Miami. One party attendee described Lentz, 42, as a “womanizing manwhore” and said Lentz’s wife, Laura Lentz, wasn’t at the party. The eyewitness told Page Six that Lentz and his famous pastor pal, Rich Wilkerson Jr., were “partying their asses off” and “acting really weird” on the yacht. Lentz was seen flirting with various women all night long and at one point, they sat on his lap. Although there was no indication that Wilkerson Jr. acted inappropriately towards women himself, the pair’s fanboy behavior raised eyebrows. Despite the party being super exclusive, it was said Lentz and Wilkerson Jr. were running around recording videos of attendees, including rapper Too Short, to brag about how close to celebrities they were. After using his legs to pull the Arizona Cardinals back into a game they trailed for the majority of the afternoon, quarterback Kyler Murray used his arm to win it. Fans are still talking about the "Hail Murray." https://youtu.be/VQsemjPaCjU In 2012, Stockton, California, elected 22-year-old Michael Tubbs to his hometown’s city council. From that celebrated victory to his 2017 rise to mayor of the Central Valley city, media pundits and Democratic Party insiders have hailed Tubbs, calling him one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars. Tubbs’s future as a force in the Democratic party still remains almost certain, but on Nov. 3, the 30-year-old Stanford grad suffered an unexpected blow. As of Friday, Nov. 13, Tubbs was trailing Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln in his reelection bid. Lincoln, who has never held political office, was leading Tubbs by almost 4,000 votes. Lincoln currently has 43,751 votes (55.05%) to Tubbs’s 35,724 votes (44.95%), with more ballots to be counted. With this loss, Tubbs, the 79th mayor of the seat of San Joaquin County, joins a club of one-term Stockton mayors who couldn’t pull off a run for a second term. https://youtu.be/leQ3L2nI7_8 When Victor Glover and an international crew of three other fellow astronauts lifted off in a Space X Falcon 9 rocket (Resilience) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Nov. 15, Glover made history. While he is not the first Black astronaut to fly in space, he is the first to be delegated to a long-mission assignment, which will be carried out for six months at the International Space Station, 200 miles above earth. The spacecraft docked safely at the International Space Station on Monday night, Nov. 16. Glover is the first African American to be a part of NASA’s inaugural commercial human flight in history, named Space X Crew-1. Glover is not only a member of the Crew Dragon Spacecraft, but he is also the pilot and second-in-command for the mission. During the six months, the crew’s mission will include conducting science experiments and maintenance tasks, before returning to earth in the spring of 2021. Lil Wayne is back in the headlines. This time it’s because he’s just been hit with a federal weapons charge and is now facing some serious prison time if convicted. The news site reports that the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida slapped the rapper with 1 count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The charge stems from a December 2019 incident where federal agents searched Wayne’s plane at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. At the time, the rapper was a passenger on that plane, which made a stop in Florida on its way to California. While Wayne’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, said his client was “cleared” to leave even though guns and drugs were reportedly found on the plane, it appears now the feds believe Wayne was wrongfully in possession of a weapon and ammunition, TMZ reports. In a new statement to TMZ, Srebnick tells the news site that Wayne was charged for possessing a gold-plated handgun in his luggage in December but “there is no allegation that he ever fired it, brandished it, used it or threatened to use it. There is no allegation that he is a dangerous person.” As he continued to talk about Wayne, who was convicted of a felony gun charge in NY in 2009, Srebnick said “The charge is that because he was convicted of a felony in the past, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm.” “Bridezillas” returns to WE tv this week and drama is set to unfold when Roshonda tells her mom to put her feelings aside and get over being cheated on by her husband — but mom ain’t trying to hear it. While Roshonda understands her mother’s pain, she’s too focused on her own wedding plans to allow her parents’ drama distract her. https://youtu.be/faTGfb88vdg Megan Thee Stallion is not only set to drop her debut album, “Good News,” this Friday, she’s also launching her Fashion Nova collection on Wednesday (Nov. 18). Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the rapper said she’s representing all body types with her fashion line. Meg (who is 5’10”) is most excited about the new denim she came up with for the brand targeting tall girls. “I’m so excited for my fashion line to launch because we’re finally getting jeans for the long-leg girls, like fashion jeans have always hugged my booty real good, real tight fit, great, great stretch, but they always look like capris,” Megan said. https://www.instagram.com/theestallion/?utm_source=ig_embed Saturday (11-14-20) a scene played out in Dallas, Texas that is becoming more and more familiar to Americans: thousands lining up for free food.The free food giveaway was sponsored by the North Texas Food Bank, and the organizations called largest ever. https://youtu.be/lZODnJ8gAL8 The family of George Floyd is keeping his legacy alive through the power of education. The George Floyd Memorial Foundation—a national nonprofit spearheaded by his sister Bridgett Floyd—has teamed up with Texas A&M University-Commerce for the creation of an internship program for Black men. The initiative, dubbed Be His Legacy, is a collaborative effort between the organization and the institution’s African American Male Mentorship Program. It was designed to empower students to evoke change and garner professional experience tackling societal issues like social injustice, police brutality and the denial of civil rights. The two-semester program was launched to inspire more Black men to get involved in the civic engagement space. Floyd’s sister Bridgett says the initiative will further the George Floyd Memorial Foundation’s mission of eradicating systemic racism and promoting social justice. “We are honored to launch the ‘Be His Legacy’ internship in conjunction with Texas A&M University at Commerce,” Bridgett, who serves as president of the foundation, said in a statement. Howard University is putting the focus on advancing racial and gender diversity amongst the next generation of leaders and the institution will be able to further its efforts with the help of a new donation. The Washington, D.C.-based HBCU recently received a $1 million gift for the creation of a global leadership center. The endowment was provided by philanthropists Heather and Jim Murren, will fund the development of Howard’s Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership. The center—which will be a space for students across an array of majors—will focus on leading research surrounding gender equality as it relates to the Black diaspora and within the United States. It will also provide students with mentorship, internship and scholarship opportunities. The program will help students in fostering connections with women entrepreneurs, social justice leaders and policymakers. The center will be spearheaded by J. Jarpa Dawuni, Esq., Ph.D. who serves as an associate professor of political science at Howard. NBA player Robert Covington is on a mission to empower student-athletes at his alma mater. According to The Tennessean, the Houston Rockets forward recently donated $1 million to Tennessee State University. Covington’s generous donation will go towards the creation of a new practice facility for the HBCU’s women’s and men’s basketball programs. The new building—which will be dubbed the Covington Pavilion—will house courts, locker rooms and offices for faculty. The project is slated to break ground in 2021 and the institution plans on enlisting a Black-owned firm to construct the facility. “I wanted to leave a legacy,” Covington said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “It’s not just for me, it’s for everyone else to come behind me. To have a facility of that caliber, it’ll take the kids to a new mindset because they’ll be able to focus in, within their own environment.” Tennessee-Martin men’s basketball coach Anthony Stewart has died suddenly at the age of 50. No cause of death was given. Stewart had been head coach of the Skyhawks since 2016, when he was promoted from associate head coach to the top spot to replace Heath Schroyer, reports ESPN. He had been the associate head coach under Schroyer for two seasons. As head coach, Stewart led UT Martin to a 22-13 record in his first season at the helm, earning a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The 22 wins equaled the school record for most in a season. The school’s athletic director Kurt McGuffin said Sunday, “We are stunned to hear this tragic news. Coach Stewart was a true leader to every one of the young men he coached. He emphasized the meaning of a college degree and instilled professionalism in each of his student-athletes. We ask for privacy during this difficult time.” Corrine Bailey Rae was trending on Twitter Monday morning because it appears she has been disregarded and her fans are not having it. A new artist that calls himself Ritt Momney has gained traction with his cover of Rae’s biggest selling record, “Put Your Records On,” a song the British native wrote about Black girl liberation and the celebration of their natural hair. Billboard tweeted its spotlight article on the rising Salt Lake City artist Friday, titled “Ritt Momney doesn’t care if ‘Put Your Records On’ is his only pop hit.” Her fans quickly took issue with Billboard referring to the song as “his” and have been saying her name ever since. https://youtu.be/qmZ0mV-rHTw e-Conomy Africa 2020, a new report released today by Google and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), estimates that Africa’s Internet economy has the potential to reach 5.2% of the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, contributing nearly $180 billion to its economy. The projected potential contribution could reach $712 billion by 2050. Driving this growth is a combination of increased access to faster and better quality Internet connectivity, a rapidly expanding urban population, a growing tech talent pool, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and Africa’s commitment to creating the world’s largest single market under the African Continental Free Trade Area. In a “60 Minutes” interview on Sunday, former President Barack Obama spoke about how his political ambitions weren’t always fully accepted by his wife, Michelle. Before she became “Forever FLOTUS,” Mrs. O was quite clear in her objections to his White House pursuit, and it took a while for her to come around even after he was elected, he reveals. No. 44 writes about this at length in his new book The Promised Land. Here’s what he said about it Sunday night, followed by his full “60 Minutes” interview. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/barack-obama-60-minutes-2020-11-15/ A former Google director and president of a local school board in San Francisco have resigned after his wife tweeted a disturbing comment about VP-elect Kamala Harris. Jon Venverloh resigned from his position as president of the Las Lomitas Elementary School District on Sunday and said he needed to focus on his family in a statement. The resignation comes after his wife Mehridith Philips Venverloh tweeted that Kamala Harris was chosen as Vice President because ‘All she needs to be qualified is a black p****! No brain needed!’ He added in his statement that his wife’s tweet would have caused a distraction in the workplace and her views did not reflect his during the election. It reads, ‘I stood for election to be a trustee because I care about doing the right thing for ALL of our kids in our District. However, given my wife’s social media posts, which expressed reprehensible views that I do not agree with, I know that my continued service would be a distraction from the work that needs to be done in the District over the two years remaining in my term.’ “The Real” co-host Adrienne Houghton got emotional during a segment on the show Wednesday when the ladies discussed Carl Lentz’s firing from Hillsong and his admission that he’d had an affair. “What he did is absolutely wrong and I’m sure that his family is feeling that more than we are, and that’s what we really have to remember,” Houghton, who’s married to worship leader Israel Houghton, said on the daytime talk show. https://youtu.be/szbAvj7pFDU Kyler Murray gave the Arizona Cardinals a win to remember against the Buffalo Bills with an unforgettable highlight play. With Arizona down four and time running out, Murray scrambled and heaved a 43-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, who came down with the ball when 2 seconds remained on the clock. Murray also rushed for two TDs in the 32-30 victory. Unbelievable!!! Tom Lasorda has been hospitalized and is in intensive care in Orange County, the Dodgers announced Sunday morning. Lasorda, 93, attended the Dodgers’ Game 6, championship-clinching win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 27. He was admitted to the hospital nearly a week ago. The team said he is “resting comfortably.” The former Dodgers manager has remained a fixture at games over the years since retiring in 1996 and still holds an official title within the organization: special advisor to the chairman. The 2020 season was his 70th with the club, dating back to his time as a pitcher in the 1950s. After winning a difficult race to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of seven Formula One championships on Sunday, the hardest thing for Lewis Hamilton was containing his emotions. His voice could be heard breaking as he thanked his team over the radio moments after crossing the line at the Turkish Grand Prix, while underneath the helmet the tears were starting to build up. “All these emotions were running through me and I was trying to stop it,” Hamilton said in his post-race news conference. “I was thinking about my whole career, from when I was 5 when I drove in a go-kart, from when we won the British championship, driving home with my dad and singing ‘We Are the Champions’ and dreaming of being here.” Moments after victory No. 94 and title No. 7, he sat in his car with his head in his hands. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com After a 15-year effort by his family and members of Congress, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to authorize a posthumous Medal of Honor award for U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Alwyn Cashe. Introduced by U.S. Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), the bill waives a federal law that requires a Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the actions that prompted it. The House of Representatives passed it on Sept. 22, but its momentum slowed while Senate Republicans were focused on Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation process. The bill will go to the White House to be signed into law. It permits the Department of Defense to waive the five-year rule for Cashe. Cashe died on Nov. 8, 2005, from injuries he sustained while rescuing his fellow soldiers from a vehicle destroyed by an Improvised Explosive Device in Iraq. In Episode 9 of his series, “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” former NFL player Emmanuel Acho sat down with members of the Petaluma, California, police department. Acho and the officers had a transparent discussion about topics including George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and the movement to “defund the police.” https://youtu.be/pM-HpZQWKT4 Claudia Jordan, who once did a stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” says she thinks the only reason that President Donald Trump, then host of the show, was kind to her was because he wanted to sex her. Jordan, who now hosts “Out Loud with Claudia Jordan” on Fox Soul appeared on the “Political Junkeez” podcast Friday, where she discussed her interactions with Trump during seasons 2 and 6 of the NBC reality competition series. On top of this new revelation by Jordan about Trump’s intentions,it was just last month that Jordan claimed Trump attempted to kiss her twice and told her not to date black men because they weren’t as financially stable. https://youtu.be/edZENR_wvb8 Now that Kamala Harris is Vice President-elect, some folks who aren’t familiar with her are digging up anything they can find and making up stuff about it. Such is the case with an old snap that’s making the rounds on social media showing TV host Montel Williams with his arm around Harris which naturally lead to a lot of (incorrect) online speculation over their history. https://youtu.be/awOb5uHqFEg CynthiaBailey was able to keep her 250 wedding guest coronavirus free. The Real #Housewives Of Atlanta reality star Cynthia Bailey recently shared the news that weeks after her large wedding none of her guests have tested positive for COVID-19. According to Bailey, all the precautions that she and her now husband, Mike Hill, took were worth it in the end. She said, “Our hard work paid off because we haven’t had anyone — it’s like, I don’t know, a couple, two or three weeks since the wedding happened — and no one has called or reached out and said anything about testing positive due to our wedding. So God is good.” After initial reports broke, it’s now confirmed that Louisiana rapper #LilBoosie did get shot in his leg during a shooting in the parking lot in Dallas, TX. He’s said to be doing ok with a non-life threatening injury below his knee. Details are still emerging. The shooting comes just days after rapper Boozie’s buddy, rapper/singer Mo3 was shot dead in Dallas on a freeway. Word is Mo3 had been feuding with a fellow rapper, but it’s unclear if there’s any connection between that and his slaying. Meanwhile, police haven’t arrested a suspect yet in Mo’s death case. It’s also unclear if there is any connection between his fatal shooting and Boosie’s incident. Chadwick Boseman’s Manager has memorialized the actor with a new arm tattoo. Chris Huvane of Management 360 posted on Instagram and Facebook a photo showing off the tat of the “Black Panther” star. “Now you’re permanently near my heart, CB,” Huvane captioned the Oct. 21 post. He reportedly commissioned artist Nathan Kostechko to design the ink featuring Boseman smiling with his hand over his forehead. It all started in a church choir in Birmingham, Alabama for Rekeshia Bennett There, she honed her skills and fulfilled her spirit, becoming proficient at her craft at an early age. Church choirs have produced some of our greatest musical talents, and Bennett seems to be no exception. Although the coronavirus pandemic stalled some things for Bennett, her ability to release music wasn’t one of them. Earlier this year she released a single, “Rising Star,” and recently followed that up with, “God Flow.” https://youtu.be/7zTkT8jnH2g Dolly Parton says her upcoming holiday musical, “Christmas on the Square,” teaches that forgiveness, and asking for forgiveness, are essential to blossoming both emotionally and spiritually. Hitting Netflix on Nov. 22, “Christmas on the Square” follows Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski), a curmudgeonly and wealthy woman who returns to her small hometown after her father’s death. It’s not long before her intentions are clear: She plans to evict everyone from the town and sell the land to a mall developer. “The deadline to be out of your homes is now Christmas Eve,” Regina tells heartbroken townsfolk as they huddle in the local church. But after listening to stories of the local townsfolk — including a young pastor and his wife — reconnecting with an old love, and accepting the guidance of an angel, Regina’s heart begins to soften. https://youtu.be/M5anWrBFPmY Sean “Diddy” Combs the other day posted a video to his TikTok account. “Working on my dive” is how he noted the video which showed the entertainment mogul in swim trunks at the end of a pool, putting on goggles, taking a deep breath before diving head, hands and feet first into the water. The short clip racked up over 700,000 views in under 20 hours and went viral across platforms. https://www.tiktok.com/@diddy?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F&referer_video_id=6894689782094466309 Actor Adrian Holmes joins forces with Hollywood veteran Holly Robinson Peete to spread some holiday cheer with Hallmark Channel’s “The Christmas Doctor.” The heartwarming story centers on Dr. Alicia Wright (Peete), who is offered an assignment away from home a week before Christmas. Luke, a mysterious man (Holmes) from her past, journeys to find her and brings with him a revelation that could change Alicia’s life forever. https://youtu.be/6K19QQmXPZY A Florida teacher has been removed from the classroom as officials investigate controversial remarks she made during a social studies lesson conducted on Zoom. Poinciana High School teacher Tracey Brown was recorded by students saying that she had “a right to dislike blacks” during a class about the US constitution that veered off topic. According to WTFV, talk turned to the Black Lives Matter movement, prompting Brown to tell one of her students: “You’re implying that black lives are more important than anyone else and I have a problem with that.” As the discussion continued, Brown brought up an incident from her teenage years. “I was 16 years old and I was attacked on a MARTA train by a gang – wearing bandannas, gang sign, language of blacks in metro Atlanta,” she stated without proof. ABC’s “For Life” season 2 premiere happens on November 18 at 10|9c. https://youtu.be/FiIhFe4xQzc Chance the Rapper’s wife, Kirsten Corley Bennett, opened up in a recent Instagram post about the difficulties of married life. In a fall-themed family photo posted Tuesday, the celebrity entertainer’s spouse described her relationship with Chance, whose real name is Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, as “two imperfect human beings who are doing their best to cultivate a home rooted in love [and] grace.” “It would be irresponsible to say otherwise, or give y’all the impression that it’s a walk in the park,” continued the 27-year-old Kirsten. “It forces you to confront a lot of parts of yourself you didn’t know were there, especially in this season of being home way more than we’re used to. … But I believe it is worth it, when you both commit to doing the inner work.” “A reminder to stand in gratitude, for the family we have created, flaws [and] all,” the former model added. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHayxBuDz27/?utm_source=ig_embed Sources close to the situation tell TMZ … Jeremih is currently on a ventilator within the ICU he’s being treated at, and we’re told his condition has recently gotten worse. Jeremih is fighting for his life, battling COVID-19 — he’s currently hospitalized in the ICU and the prognosis is bleak … sources tell TMZ. Sources with direct knowledge tell us the R&B singer is being treated at a hospital for COVID-19. It’s unclear how long he’s been admitted, or how long he’s had the virus … but he is not doing well. Word that he was seriously ill started percolating online Saturday — with rappers like 50 Cent, Chance the Rapper, producer Hitmaka and others asking for prayers on Jeremih’s behalf, but not necessarily saying what exactly was wrong with him at first. Fitty was the only one who gave a bit more insight, claiming it was COVID-related — while also saying Jeremih was hospitalized in his native city of Chicago. 50 wrote, “pray for my boy Jeremih he’s not doing good this covid s*** is real.” He added, “he’s in ICU in Chicago.” Rihanna has joined forces with Pharrell Williams for work on her forthcoming ninth studio album. In an interview with Allure for their December/January issue, Williams gave an update the project dubbed R9 by Rihanna fans. “Rih is in a different place right now,” Williams said. “Like, wow. She’s from a different world.” He went on to say… “I’m willing to bet, because Venus is gaseous, that if they had a telescope that could zoom through all that s—, you’d see Rih laying there naked.” The music star then compared making music to getting into “a house.” “There’s more than one way inside the house,” he said. “It’s not just the front door. The side doors, windows, patios. There [are] so many ways, so I don’t know that we have the time to really unpack that.” Justin and Hailey Bieber just made the end of their relationship with their former pastor and spiritual advisor Carl Lentz Instagram official. Following Lentz’s firing from Hillsong Church last week and the subsequent announcement he had an extramarital affair, The Sun reported that Justin was letting his former friend stay at his New York City apartment, after Lentz was spotted having a tense conversation with his wife Laura outside the singer’s East Coast pied-à-terre. But it seems, at least judging by social media, that this offer of a helping hand was extremely short-lived as both Bieber and his wife recently unfollowed the disgraced megachurch pastor. Late Friday afternoon, Target apologized for pulling Abigail Shrier’s book, “Irreversible Damage: the Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” and said it has placed the book back in its online store. After receiving a complaining tweet from just one person, Target removed a book — “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters” by Wall Street Journal contributor Abigail Shrier — because it is spreading “transphobia.” The back-and-forth between the critic, known only as @BlueIris04, and Target’s support account, @AskTarget, was screen-shotted before the complainant, whose Twitter name references “ACAB,” which stands for “All Cops Are B*******,” made his or her account private, TheBlaze reported. “I think the trans community deserves a response from [Target] as to why they are selling this book about the ‘transgender epidemic sweeping the country,’” wrote the critic. “Trigger warning: Transphobia.” arget replied: “Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We have removed this book from our assortment.” In a move to expand its reach with Christian audiences, Sony Pictures is buying a streaming service launched by the makers of the “God’s Not Dead” film franchise. The Culver City-based studio on Thursday said it has agreed to purchase the faith-based subscription video service Pure Flix, which charges viewers $13 a month (or $84 a year) to stream evangelical-friendly movies and TV shows. Financial details were not disclosed. Following the transaction, the Pure Flix service will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Affirm Entertainment, which is the sister company of Affirm Films, the Sony Pictures division responsible for producing, distributing and marketing faith-based films including “War Room,” “Heaven Is for Real” and “Miracles From Heaven.” The deal is the latest move by the studio, owned by Tokyo electronics giant Sony Corp., to tap the often lucrative audience for movies and television programming aimed at churchgoers. Sony expanded its Affirm Films unit, run by Executive Vice President Rich Peluso, by launching a television arm in December. Paul Hornung, the “Golden Boy” who starred for Notre Dame in the 1950s and the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s, has died at age 84, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Friday. Hornung, born Dec. 23, 1935, in Louisville, Kentucky, was one of only seven players to win the Heisman Trophy and be named NFL MVP by The Associated Press. The others were Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Earl Campbell and O.J. Simpson. “The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Paul Hornung,” said David Baker, the president and CEO of the Hall in Canton, Ohio. “He was an outstanding player and an incredible man. Known as ‘The Golden Boy,’ Paul was above all a leader to whom the Packers looked for the big plays in the big games — especially during the team’s dynasty years under coach Vince Lombardi in the 1960s. “We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Paul’s memory.” Hornung won the Heisman in 1956 while playing for a 2-8 Notre Dame team. In becoming the only player to win the award while starring for a losing team, Hornung led the Fighting Irish in passing, rushing, scoring, kickoff returns, punt returns and punting. On defense, he led the team in passes broken up and was second in tackles and interceptions. The Miami Marlins are hiring Kim Ng as their new general manager, making her Major League Baseball’s first female GM, the team announced Friday. Ng, 51, has most recently served as MLB’s senior vice president of baseball operations for the past nine years, when she was the highest-ranking Asian American female baseball executive. She has also served as assistant general manager for the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, working with teams that made the playoffs eight times and won three World Series titles. “On behalf of Principal Owner Bruce Sherman and our entire ownership group, we look forward to Kim bringing a wealth of knowledge and championship-level experience to the Miami Marlins,” Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said in a statement. Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Dodgers won a World Series in Texas and the Los Angeles Lakers just won an NBA title in Florida, Brooklyn’s Mike Tyson will soon fight what may be his final match in Los Angeles. Former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. vowed at an official press conference recently, ahead of their November 28 fight in Los Angeles, that both men are training as hard as they did in their primes for their upcoming match. “I looked at film of Roy when he was at his best because that’s the guy I anticipate fighting,” Tyson said. “I’m in the best shape. I boxed seven rounds so far, and it keeps improving. I’m boxing younger guys and hungry guys, and it’s showing me that, from the looks of things, I’m doing really well.” On “The Real,” it’s “cuffing season”! But in the current times of COVID, it is being referred to as “coving season.” The ladies of The Real discuss whether or not they would break quarantine during the pandemic to “cuff” for the company of a man. If so, how they would do it? Co-host Adrienne Houghton talks about growing up in a blended family and then marrying into one. She offers advice to parents living in a similar situation and having a difficult time with it. https://youtu.be/W0f25DK-_x8 Ta-Nehisi Coates appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Tuesday to promote the adaptation of his book “Between the World and Me” coming to HBO this month. The author also spoke about out why he didn’t celebrate Joe Biden’s win, talks about the difficulties of having his book “The Water Dancer” adapted into a film and shares a story about interviewing Chadwick Boseman while covering a protest for their college newspaper. https://youtu.be/oGvQhx6VnfU Ice Cube is staying in the political/activist realm as he is set to be a headline speaker at the annual gala for the Zionist Organization of America/ZOA. For those that don’t know, the ZOA is the nation’s oldest pro-Israel organization. But what’s really interesting about this move by Cube is that it comes in the wake of him being called out for sharing anti-Semitic images on social media earlier this year. ‘I gotta say it was a good day’ when my friend Cube readily and happily agreed to speak at our ZOA Gala,” ZOA president Morton Klein said in a statement, quoting one of the rapper’s best known hits. Cube, 51, and Klein became friends after the rapper was accused of anti-Semitism in June when he shared a string of images and memes amplifying anti-Jewish tropes including a Star of David enveloping a black cube, reports the NY Post. Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch is speaking out against backlash she got for singing at a Trump rally, and calling it an honor. “Regardless of political beliefs, I find it an honor to be able to sing the national anthem anywhere and it just so happened to be at a Trump rally,” she said. “And I know I caught a lot of backlash for that. I did have a duty as an employee of the Miss Mississippi Corp. as well as a representative of the state of Mississippi.” According to People, Branch is referring to a criminal justice reform roundtable at the White House with President Donald Trump that she participated in 2018. That same year she sang at a rally. “If you can’t get a seat at the table, you can’t make a difference,” she added. “I found that to be an inspiring and moving moment for me because it shows that I can accomplish things and I can accomplish my goals and really make a difference in the world.” “Protect Black Women at All Costs.” That’s the message on the sweatshirt worn by singer, rapper, and songwriter Christopher Watson in the video for “Truth Is,” his latest single. But even if his empathy weren’t emblazoned on his clothing, viewers would still get the message from his music. Watson‘s songs are warm, smart, welcoming, ingratiating, and instantly appealing. Everything he does makes his social consciousness – and his integrity – manifest. Times are troubled, but Watson‘s sound is as soothing as a cool balm on sunburned skin. https://youtu.be/xl_d9PciqeE Jonathan McReynolds follows up his chart topping collaborative single "Movin' On" with a powered packed new fan favorite titled "Grace". "Grace" is reminiscent of your favorite hymn with Jonathan's signature touch. With background vocals echoing the sound of a Sunday Morning choir, "Grace" is a heart grabbing song that will resonante with listeners. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXEl7A-VcV4&feature=youtu.be Benita Jones drops “Still Everything” is an uplifting power ballad inspired by Benita Jones’ 2018 divorce and a subsequent relocation to a new city to restart her life as a single mother of two teens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEO4rEE73a8 TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, continues with UNCENSORED: Best of Black Hollywood this Sunday, November 15 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, November 18 at 10 PM/9C. This episode of UNCENSORED highlights some of Black Hollywood's most elite talent including Paula Patton, Nia Long, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, Tyra Banks and Nick Cannon who reflect on their personal and professional lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHzpUBZaefc&feature=youtu.be Worship leader and choir director Angela Wilson is excited about the release of her debut single “Winner” which features Mali Music.” She wants everyone to know that with God all things are possible, just seek Him, put in the work, and wait on Him; He will answer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK3Z3Y0nZ4M&feature=youtu.be A well-respected Atlanta-area high school principal has drowned on a Puerto Rican beach while trying to rescue his wife, who also perished in the ocean during a weekend getaway. Jamar Robinson, the principal of Westlake High School in South Fulton, and his wife AnnMari Robinson, an assistant professor at Georgia State University, have been identified as the tourists who died last Sunday in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The couple leave behind their two sons, ages 14 and 15, including a boy with special needs, who are now staying with relatives. Jamar and AnnMari were swimming when a strong rip current dragged the woman out to sea. Her husband went after, trying to get his wife to safety, but they both ended up being pulled under. “There is no pandemic.” The words from the white-haired pastor echoed inside the cavernous megachurch in Los Angeles. It was Aug. 30, only 18 days after L.A. County public health officials had demanded that Grace Community Church stop holding indoor services. But the pastor, 81-year-old John MacArthur, kept the doors open, delivering defiance from his pulpit every Sunday. County health inspectors tried to enter the church in previous weeks but were blocked by security guards. “We do not consent to a search or visit,” a security guard told the inspectors, reading from a prepared statement in early August. “This is a Jesus Life Matters protest.” If the inspectors had been allowed inside, they would have seen thousands of congregants sitting side by side, most without masks. MacArthur repeatedly insisted no one from the church had contracted the coronavirus or been hospitalized with COVID-19. Yet congregants have indeed been stricken and hospitalized. They included a young couple who were hospitalized and a visiting pastor who died of the disease shortly after attending a church conference in March. County health officials launched an outbreak investigation at the church in October after three other people contracted the coronavirus. Church officials in a statement released last month dismissed the investigation, saying it involves three part-time employees who have not been hospitalized. Three among 7,000 congregants is not an outbreak, they said, and they encouraged worshipers to keep attending services. “ Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered an unusually inflammatory public speech Thursday night, starkly warning about the threats he contends religious believers face from advocates for gay and abortion rights, as well as public officials responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to a virtual conference of conservative lawyers, the George W. Bush appointee made no direct comment on the recent election, the political crisis relating to President Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his defeat or litigation on the issue pending at the Supreme Court. However, Alito didn’t hold back on other controversial subjects, even suggesting that the pressure Christians face surrounding their religious beliefs is akin to the strictures the U.S. placed on Germany and Japan after World War II. Two clips have been released from Oprah Winfrey’s upcoming interview with President Barack Obama on “The Oprah Conversation,” to air Tuesday, Nov. 17 on Apple TV+. “The Oprah Conversation: President Barack Obama” interview will explore the transformative years leading up to President Obama’s historic presidency, the accomplishments that led him to the White House, and the monumental expectations placed upon him during his pivotal time in office. In this candid conversation, Oprah and President Obama will also talk about his new insightful and deeply personal memoir, “A Promised Land.” https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=vimeo+oprah+and+obama&cvid=83eae1cae804401585dba82b300fc525&pglt=43&PC=HCTS&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dvimeo%2boprah%2band%2bobama%26cvid%3d83eae1cae804401585dba82b300fc525%26pglt%3d43%26FORM%3dANNTA1%26PC%3dHCTS&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=D83A529D2A60948BE156D83A529D2A60948BE156&FORM=WRVORC A Television series is in the works based on Terry McMillan’s beloved novel “Waiting to Exhale.” McMillan shared the news on Twitter and also revealed that Lee Daniels is producing. https://youtu.be/oD4Znm8U1Sg “The Ride” starring Ludacris, and based on the real-life story of BMX star John Buultjens. As a hateful, racist teen growing up in Glasgow, Scottland, Buultjens was adopted by an interracial couple following a violent upbringing with his parents. https://youtu.be/JyLXkPJDs7c Former “Love and Hip Hip” star Moniece Slaughter says Black reality TV stars are treated like slaves compared to their white counterparts. In an interview Moniece also noted that Black reality TV personalities routinely receive lower pay. “We’re not being managed by Kris Jenners. We don’t have, you know, a collective of people who are like ‘We know your worth, we’re gonna fight for your worth, and we’re not gonna let you do anything that is below what you’re worth,’” Slaughter said. She added,“ And so we don’t get treated the same. We don’t get paid the same and we don’t have ownership. So we are literally a slave to the machine and it’s sold to you one way and then once you get in it you didn’t have Kris Jenner representation therefore you got stuck in a bad deal.” https://www.instagram.com/moniece_slaughter/?utm_source=ig_embed The family of late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla is facing a $1 million lawsuit after producing a Netflix series based on the artist. Moctesuma Esparza, who produced the 1997 “Selena” biopic starring Jennifer Lopez, filed a lawsuit against the streaming giant, Selena’s father Abraham and her sister Suzette Quintanilla, claiming Abraham signed a contract agreeing to give him the rights to his daughter’s life story in 1995. Esparza says they even discussed a possible series based on Selena’s early life, as a follow-up to the biopic. But Esparza claims the Quintanillas breached the contract when they went on to produce a show with Netflix, titled “Selena: The Series,” which premieres Dec. 4. https://youtu.be/rOhuZRkafjA From the OWN network and record-breaking producer, Will Packer comes the latest episode of “Ready to Love,” an unscripted series which follows successful black men and women in their 30s and 40s, who are searching for their perfect match. Hosted by Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles, the series offers a unique twist on a typical dating show, highlighting the men’s perspective in their search for true love. https://youtu.be/QBTwOPvM7DE In an exclusive announcement on his social handles this morning, Will Smith released the trailer for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion” from Westbrook Media and revealed that the special will debut on HBO Max on Thursday, November 19. https://youtu.be/3Kz2vYa5ZPA In a new interview with VladTV, Boosie Badazz reflects on his recent conversation with Mike Tyson, during which the famed boxer confronted the rapper over his controversial comments regarding Dwyane Wade’s transgender child Zaya Wade. https://youtu.be/fWl7kHhCwHw UPS has lifted restrictions on its dress code and appearance policy as it relates to facial hair and Black hairstyles. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company will loosen the ban on afros, braids and beards. The company previously did not allow employees to have facial hair and male employees also were prohibited from having long hair to their collar. https://youtu.be/6fmuzc67mfI Conservative activist Candace Owens appeared on Fox News this week to accuse Barack Obama of hating America by the time he left the White House. In an interview with Sean Hannity, Owens slammed Obama’s recent claims about racism in the Republican party, noting that white American voters “gave him literally everything he has.” “The language that he’s using, the rhetoric that is coming out of former president Barack Obama’s mouth is nothing short of absolutely despicable in my opinion,” said Owens. “This is a man who ran on the American dream. Everyone remembers where they were the night Barack Obama won,” she continued. “There was a kinetic energy on the ground. It felt like we finally had arrived at a place in this country where we could put the past on the past. He ran on that image. He didn’t run on race, he didn’t run on denigrating half of Americans,” she explained. A Georgia judge has denied bond for the white father and son charged in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery. The judge noted in his ruling on Friday that Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, took the law into their own hands back in February when they hunted Arbery down in their pick up truck and shot him dead in a residential street. https://youtu.be/QmE_4CBiJ7g Veterans United Home Loans surprised 11 vets on Nov. 11 by paying off their mortgages. Among the 11 recipients of this incredible gift was Hank Bolden, an atomic vet, or one of thousands of soldiers exposed to secret nuclear weapons tests during the Cold War. Bolden was exposed to radiation in 1955 while serving in California and was given just a few years to live. He is now 83 and a jazz saxophone student at the University of Hartford, on track to complete his degree. https://youtu.be/Lv_71OI5BEQ Chicago Mayor Lori Lightoot is shutting down the city for at least 30 days amid a rise in new COVID-19 cases. Lightfoot says the stay-at-home advisory will begin on Monday, Nov. 16, and has called for residents to cancel their traditional Thanksgiving plans. https://youtu.be/pn4hV5m22QU Today, November 13th, LECRAE will release a deluxe edition of his Restoration album featuring 6 brand new additional songs. Most of the artists featured on Restoration: The Deluxe Album are all signed to Reach Records including Andy Mineo, Hulvey, Wande, WHATUPRG, and 1K Phew. Ty Brasel and Rapsody are also featured on the deluxe edition. The original Restoration album released on Reach Records featured artists across all genres including John Legend, Kirk Franklin, YK Osiris, Jozzy, Dani Leigh, Marc E. Bassy, BJ The Chicago Kid and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3sk71ffTpo&feature=youtu.be Former President Barack Obama opens up about his 8 years in office in an upcoming memoir called “A Promised Land” … and he admits the presidency took a toll on wife Michelle. As reported by TMZ, Obama says he could sense an “undercurrent of tension in her, subtle but constant.” “It was as if, confined as we were within the walls of the White House, all her previous sources of frustration became more concentrated, more vivid, whether it was my round the clock absorption with work, or the way politics exposed our family to scrutiny and attacks, or the tendency of even friends and family members to treat her role as secondary in importance,” he writes. Activists and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana are calling for an independent investigation into the death of Quawan “Bobby” Charles, a Black 15-year-old whose body was found several days after he was reported missing. His mother, Roxanne Nelson, said her family filed a missing persons report Oct. 30 in the St. Mary Parish town of Baldwin. Her son’s body was found the evening of Nov. 3 about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away in woods near the Iberia Parish town of Loreauville. Nelson said Thursday that sheriff’s investigators told her this week that her son drowned, but they also were waiting for toxicology test results. “This is a nightmare,” Nelson, told The Associated Press, adding that she’s heard conflicting accounts of what preceded her son’s disappearance. “I’ve had to go on a wild goose chase just to get information.” A fundraising page, set up to raise $15,000 for Charles’ family, had brought in more than $160,000 by Thursday. It’s topped by post-death photographs’ of Charles’ face, with parts of his lips missing, and the face of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was lynched in 1955. https://youtu.be/ivbvGWFr8-g There appeared to be further confirmation that the white man who shot and killed a Black jogger in Georgia in what has been described as a modern-day lynching is a raging racist, according to testimony at his bond hearing on Thursday. Travis McMichael, who, along with his father and their friend allegedly racially profiled Ahmaud Arbery before arming themselves and hunting him down with the intent to kill him under false pretenses, was described as a raging racist by the defense’s witnesses as well as the prosecution in court in Brunswick, Georgia. The “best friend” of McMichael — Zachary Lincoln — admitted under oath that the two of them “exchanged text messages littered with racist tropes and ugly stereotypes about African-Americans and Asians,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But civil rights attorney Lee Merritt was live-tweeting the court proceeding and filled in the blanks for people who were unable to watch the bond hearing being streamed live online. Merritt tweeted that the contents of the text thread in question referred to “slant eye fucks” and “crackhead gold-teeth wearing” Black people. The revelation was the latest evidence that McMichael likely had racist motivations in going after Arbery, who was 25 when he was confronted by McMichel’s father Gregory, their friend William “Roddie” Bryan and Travis McMichael in February. Make no mistake: Donald Trump is definitely mad. But as the saying goes, there is often a method to one’s madness. In this case, Trump — who allegedly is in debt by as much as over $1 billion — is suspected of desperately trying to line his and Republicans’ pockets during his final days in the White House while masquerading his grifting as purported victimization of voter fraud allegations that have been widely debunked by elections officials across the country. The charade is being put on as a way to keep his political power and clout once he’s finally forced to vacate the White House and admit he lost his bid for re-election. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank is one of the people who have this burning suspicion about Trump’s true intentions on refusing to concede the election to Joe Biden, whose electoral college wins are further cementing his victory that Republicans are finally coming around to acknowledge. But Trump has been adamant about the alleged election fraud without providing any proof as Twitter keeps flagging is tweets with disclaimers about their veracity. That’s because his denial of reality is lucrative for him and his family, Milbank wrote this week. Hollywood director David E. Talbert says “people have been taught not to believe,” and he hopes his new movie, “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” will inspire people to believe again. A heartwarming tale, “Jingle Jangle” shows audiences how the power of belief and faith can change the world around them. Set to be released on Netflix Friday, the whimsical musical features a top cast of actors including the legendary Phylicia Rashad, Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, newcomer Madalen Mills, Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville and singer Ricky Martin. https://youtu.be/aYPUYVgwLWY Debbie Allen is a woman of many hats, but her latest move is bringing ultimate joy. In an exclusive first look at her upcoming documentary Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, a Shondaland production premiering Nov. 27 on Netflix, the actress and producer, 70, takes viewers on a magical journey of what life is like preparing for a large production at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. “As a young girl, The Nutcracker was so important to me,” Allen, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of DADA this month, says in the trailer. “I decided to take it on with different styles of dance and music and make it fun.” “This is about woman power,” Allen tells her students. “Women rule the world. I don’t care what they say … Every day is not just a rehearsal for Nutcracker, it’s a rehearsal for the rest of your life.” https://youtu.be/iT5-nIVMiQs The creators behind the blockbuster film “I Can Only Imagine,” Jon and Andrew Erwin, announced their upcoming movie, titled “The Unbreakable Boy.” The successful Christian filmmakers revealed that they started casting this month for the film, which follows the true story of Iowan Austin LeRette, an autistic boy with a rare bone disease. LeRette’s faith-centered story was chronicled by his father, Scott, in the book The Unbreakable Boy. According to the casting announcement, the story is “told in the charmingly unpredictable voice” of a young man. The film is “a funny and inspiring true story of a young couple stumbling through parenthood, who finds constant inspiration from the joy and optimism of their spectacularly unique son.” The story of the first Black congresswoman is heading to the big screen. Danai Gurira will star in “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm,” portraying the titular political trailblazer in a story that follows Chisholm’s historic 1972 presidential run. Cherien Dabis will direct the film, from a script written by Adam Countee. Stephanie Allain will produce through her Homegrown Pictures banner, with Gabrielle Ebron as an executive producer. Though Gurira will play Chisholm, the movie is not a biopic, instead focused more centrally on the campaign and how “the Chisholm Trail was populated by young people who sought social and political change during one of the most turbulent times in American history.” At the time, Chisholm had already made history as the first Black congresswoman, and according to a description of the piece, “recognized that she could make real change by challenging the status quo through her efforts to gain enough delegates to speak for the people at the Democratic Convention.” Morris Brown College, which made headlines when Jamal Bryant’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church established scholarships there from a gift by Kanye West, is close to reaccreditation 17 years after a financial scandal cost it millions in federal aid and almost all its students. President Kevin James said his job has been “to bring this institution out of the grave.” “We’re now walking and breathing again,” James said Tuesday. “Now it’s time to go to the next level.” West donated to the Georgia church in October 2019 shortly after announcing he had become a born-again Christian. In turn, Pastor Bryant redirected part of it to MBC for scholarships in the names of the rapper’s mother, Donda, and Vanessa Long, widow of the church’s late shepherd, Eddie Long. Brian Houston, global senior pastor of the international Hillsong Church, announced Thursday (Nov. 12) that an independent investigator will review the “inner workings” of Hillsong’s New York City branch after the firing of its lead pastor, Carl Lentz, last week. “We need a solid foundation for a fresh start and new beginning,” Houston said in a tweet, adding, “The best is yet to come.” On Nov. 4, Houston emailed staff and members of Hillsong East Coast about Lentz’s termination. The email, which was obtained by Religion News Service, cited “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures” for Lentz’s firing but did not reveal more details, saying to do so “would not be appropriate.” Houston later posted a similar statement on the church’s website. Thursday, November 12, ABC celebrated the series premiere of “Big Sky,” from creator and visionary storyteller David E. Kelley, with a star-studded virtual premiere, including series stars Ryan Phillippe, Katheryn Winnick, Kylie Bunbury, Brian Geraghty, Dedee Pfeiffer, Natalie Alyn Lind, Jade Pettyjohn, Jesse James Keitel, Valerie Mahaffey, John Carroll Lynch, and Gage Marsh. https://youtu.be/-SWh_yodDno The hosts of The Real welcome Jeezy, who gives everyone an update on co-host Jeanne Mai’s recovery, and relates the details of what led up to her emergency throat surgery. He also chats with the ladies about his new talk show, Worth A Conversation and why the world needed a show like his. And he shares all the details on his podcast, The (Re)Session Podcast By Jeezy, and his new album, The Recession 2. https://youtu.be/BDCc2w-XNt8 kweliTV, the ad-free SVOD service for global independent Black cinema, has released their November 2020 slate of new titles, including love story BLACK MEXICANS, the first Mexican fictional film about the Afro-Mexican community, and the worldwide premiere of anticipated documentary CRAWFORD: THE MAN THE SOUTH FORGOT. Plus, not-to-be missed comedy can be found on “Comedy Curated by Lil Rel,” the channel curated by kweliTV’s Head of Comedy, Lil Rel Howery. In addition, kweliTV has kicked off a program of kweliLIVE virtual events exclusively for kweliTV subscribers. Events include special screenings, Q&As and more, launching with a hip-hop meditation event on November 4 to bring calm to the community in the wake of the election. Coming up, kweliLIVE will feature powerful and inspiring talks and screenings into the new year, culminating in January with voting rights activist Desmond Meade. Tyga is allegedly under fire again with his landlord for not paying rent and leaving the home severely damaged. Tyga’s former landlord is suing him for over $32K in unpaid rent and damages from April 2020. The landlord claims Tyga left thousands of dollars worth of damage, including gouges in the kitchen’s white oak flooring, marble. Tyga didn’t just stop there. The landlord also claims that there was a basketball hoop installed without his permission. The hoop resulted in leaving the driveway damaged. Also, new locks were apparently installed without permission, which destroyed the entry door. CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN prepares memorable medleys on this week's episode featuring Chef Essie Bartels who joins Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, November 14 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Viewers can look forward to tasty, heart-warming staples just in time for the winter season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pudCbRNhNvM&feature=youtu.be Toneisha Harris the runner-up in this year’s The Voice vocal competition on NBC, has dropped an inspiring new track, “Forgive Me.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trImqvufuMQ&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration is celebrating three nominations for the 2020 Soul Train Awards, with chart-topping hit makers Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp and Koryn Hawthorne receiving nominations for Best Gospel/Inspirational Award. The award-winning musical trailblazers continue to create innovative sounds in Gospel/Inspirational music with their latest hit projects. Franklin’s latest album is LONG LIVE LOVE, Sapp’s latest album is CHOSEN VESSEL, and Hawthorne’s latest album is I AM. The 2020 Soul Train Awards presented by BET will air on Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 8 pm EST, simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2. Gospel recording artist Shontelle Norman-Beatty is blessed with phenomenal talent. She shows off her vocals on her first single, a contemporary spin on the classic “Jesus Will Fix It (Trouble in My Way),” available on digital and streaming platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and Tidal on Friday, November 20, 2020. Released during the country’s unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, Shontelle Norman-Beatty has also survived her bout with the devastating COVID-19 virus. https://youtu.be/jN3zVyhnRD0 New to the Houston area, Pastor Elvis Piggot extends a personal invitation to the Gospel music community with a special emphasis on the Houston area to join him and renowned worship leader, Dr. Earnest Pugh as they host a series of free concerts and worship services throughout November and December. The worship series will aim to uplift, inspire, and encourage the community by hearing the melodic gospel sounds by recording artists, Zacardi Cortez, Cedric Ballard, Kirisma Evans, and Gene Moore. Dr. Pugh will lead worship on each night, and Pastor Piggot will provide a message during each service. This is a family friendly series for all to enjoy. Social distancing will be in place, and all safety measures advised by the City of Houston will be practiced. Philly singer Jaguar Wright made some bold accusations regarding Common in a video that surfaced back in August. She claims the rapper sexually assaulted her back in the day when they toured together. “We go to bed and he like, ‘Come on Jag,’” she states in the video above. “‘Nah, nah I’m tired n**ga. I was on stage all night and I wanna lay down.’ I lay down on the bed with all my clothes on — I’m a rape survivor. I know how to buy myself a little time just in case a n**ga try to get out of hand. You gotta pull my pants down and by the time you get my pants down, I promise you I’m booking off in your jaw. ”She goes on to say…“The next thing I know I’m waking up in the morning and I feel something poking in my face and s**t … I open my mouth and this n**ga tried to stick his d**k in my mouth while I’m asleep. Lonnie f**king Lynn, Rashid, Common — whatever the f**k you want to call yourself. That’s why I stopped f**kin’ with him, because n**ga if you gonna try to stick your d**k in my mouth while I’m asleep, there ain’t nothing you won’t do.” Wright added: “ “But I also understand that she may be going through some things that I don’t understand. So in all truth, I went through different emotions. I was like why is she saying this? This is not true. How’s this gonna affect me?” “So @common is praying for me? Good! I’ll pray that the cowardice behavior your displaying on social media pays off for you! When did you get so lame? #iuse2lovehim,” she wrote. Jill Scott has announced her new podcast, Jill Scott Presents: J.ill the Podcast, will launch next week, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday. The talk show-style podcast will feature conversations on relationships, culture, health, art, and will be co-hosted by fellow singer-songwriter Aja Graydon-Dantzler and radio personality Laiya St. Clair. “J.ill the Podcast will spark unfiltered conversations by and for Black women who influence culture and uplift sisterhood,” said Scott. “2020 has been a challenging year for our community, and our hope is that this show will continue to keep our love village connected, entertained and empowered. These are valuable discussions about how we’re feeling and what’s happening in the world today.” Business is booming at the sex shop located near Four Seasons Total Landscaping, the Philadelphia family business that served as the backdrop for a Trump campaign press conference following the election. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani ranted about voter fraud near the sex shop shortly after Biden’s victory. https://youtu.be/kUlpJjR8rkU 50 Cent had a few words for Atlanta rapper Tip “T.I.” Harris over his comments about the death for Chicago artist King Von. Von was murdered outside of an Atlanta hookah bar following a physical altercation with Quando Rondo’s entourage. T.I. appeared to to comment on the incident in a post about Atlanta being a progressive city and warned outsiders, “Stop coming her e to kill each other.” His comments sparked outrage among King Von’s crew, who took that to mean gangs should do their killing on their own home turf. Von’s sister Kayla B made time to clap back at T.I., writing on her Instagram stories: “Wasn’t u just [with] other b###### at Copper Cove. I stay seeing [you] cheating mind your business @troubleman31,” wrote Kayla on her Instagram Story. She added, “And these [are] FACTS! But the energy he [always] putting in [people] business [needs] to be the same energy he [needs] to make it right [with] his daughter!!!!! Now [where] is my brother @50cent get on his a##!” 50 Cent answered Kayla by calling out Tip. On his own Instagram page he encouraged T.I. to chill on scolding the culture. Ticketmaster may require proof of coronavirus vaccination to attend future concerts. The ticketing giant is planning to roll out a system that would require music fans to provide either proof of a coronavirus vaccination or a recent negative Covid-19 test to attend events. Ticketmaster would work with third-party entities (health firms and vaccine distribution providers) to verify vaccine status through its digital ticket app. https://youtu.be/Dkb83QeoXZQ As Jeopardy! fans mourn the loss of Alex Trebek, speculation around who could replace him as host on the beloved quiz show is mounting—and a lot of people want to see LeVar Burton in the role. The actor and children's television host is best known for starring as Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and for fronting the PBS educational show Reading Rainbow. Other names that have been touted as possible Trebek replacements include Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, actress Rosie Perez and ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. Even controversial podcast host Joe Rogan has been mentioned in the discourse. The Weeknd will bring his popular falsetto vocals to the 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced Thursday that the three-time Grammy Award winner will perform on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Weeknd said he’s humbled by the opportunity. “We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position,” the singer said in a statement. “I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage.” Bridezillas” returns to WE tv this week and we have an exclusive clip of the shenanigans set to go down when Alex threatens to kick her bridesmaids out of her wedding. https://youtu.be/IETXh1x41Is Country music legend Charley Pride finally got his due at the CMA Awards Wednesday night with a long overdue lifetime achievement award. The 86-year-old broke barriers as the first major Black star in a genre that still counts very few folks of color. Pride accepted his award from current African American country star Jimmie Allen during Wednesday night’s live, televised ceremony. https://youtu.be/FxM4GDimobE The sister of late rapper King Von has taken to Instagram to blast the Atlanta mortician who allegedly leaked his autopsy photos online. Von’s sister Kayla B is demanding that Airport Mortuary Shipping Services fires the staffer. King Von was murdered outside of an Atlanta hookah bar last week, following a physical altercation with Quando Rondo’s entourage. Rapper T.I. reacted in a post about Atlanta being a progressive city and warned outsiders, “Stop coming here to kill each other.” The new Relativity Media original film “Come Away” tells a different version of why Peter Pan went to Neverland and wanted to stay a lost boy and why Alice In Wonderland went on her adventures. Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo star in the film as Peter and Alice’s parents. When tragedy strikes the family the ends find a way to come by using their imagination. While Peter wants to stay a lost boy, Alice knows that it’s time to grow up and put childish things away. https://youtu.be/3DV8quMlgq0 The U.S. hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations Tuesday and surpassed 1 million new confirmed cases in just the first 10 days of November amid a nationwide surge of infections that shows no signs of slowing. The new wave appears bigger and more widespread than the surges that happened in the spring and summer — and threatens to be worse. But experts say there are also reasons to think the nation is better able to deal with the virus this time around. “We’re definitely in a better place” when it comes to improved medical tools and knowledge, said William Hanage, a Harvard University infectious-disease researcher. Newly confirmed infections in the U.S. were running at all-time highs of well over 100,000 per day, pushing the total to more than 10 million and eclipsing 1 million since Halloween. There are now 61,964 people hospitalized, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Dr. Pastor Sabrina McKenzie has opened Credit Marketplace, a new and innovative credit repair agency with a mission to serve urban cities nationwide during these challenging economic times. “With 31 million plus people on unemployment, we simply cannot wait on the government to save us,” exclaims McKenzie. “It’s vital for small businesses to step up to the plate and create jobs, training and wealth opportunities for our communities to survive and thrive.” To launch this new business brand, Dr. McKenzie partnered with Detroit’s Real Estate Mogul, Lakina Fulks. Fulks has 10 years of experience in the business, closing multimillion dollar deals and has coached agents. This dynamic duo paired up to help jumpstart the economy through credit restoration, financial education and literacy. CNN’s Don Lemon on Wednesday ran through the lies that have been spread on social media by President Donald Trump’s adult children since their father’s election defeat. The “CNN Tonight” host noted that Donald Trump Jr. has tweeted out all kinds of “unhinged and unfounded” claims about election fraud, while Eric Trump shared a fake video last week that falsely claimed to show ballots cast for his dad being burned. As for Ivanka, Lemon noted that she shared an Associated Press tweet that called Alaska for her father. Lemon said, “Think about this, Ivanka. If you believe the Alaska projection enough to cheer about it on Twitter based on a projection by the media, then maybe you should be just as confident in your father’s loss and Joe Biden’s win, they are projections as well.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1326755519315517440 Los Angeles fire crews Wednesday responded to reports of smoke coming from a home that property records show belongs to the production company of Denzel Washington. Authorities said smoke could be seen coming from the second floor of the multi-level home in the first block of Beverly Park Circle, an exclusive, celebrity-filled enclave in Los Angeles. Despite a thorough search of the 28,887-square-foot residence with thermal imaging cameras, there was no active fire discovered, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The smoke on the second floor was determined to be from one of several furnaces in the home that was recently serviced and was taken offline, according to the department. There were no injuries and all occupants of the home were allowed to return back inside shortly. https://youtu.be/Z4sS5HOfQp8 Jeffrey Toobin has been fired by The New Yorker following an investigation into last month’s incident in which he exposed himself on a Zoom call with his colleagues. Toobin announced his dismissal in a tweet on Wednesday, writing: “I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer. I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work.” A spokesperson for The New Yorker also confirmed Toobin’s firing. “As a result of our investigation, Jeffrey Toobin is no longer affiliated with the company,” the spokesperson tells Variety. Donald Trump’s election denial is off the charts and Trevor Noah has some thoughts about it. On “The Daily Show” Wednesday, the host weighed in on the White House being forced by the boss to continue on as if the election didn’t happen, Trump going underground since the race was called, and, with lawsuits being thrown out around the country, Republicans turning to the public to find evidence of voter fraud. https://youtu.be/EXzfMAzy9mI The year 2021 marks a key centenary for black women. It’s 100 years since Dr. Meta Loretta Christy became the first black woman in America to graduate from what is now the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. It will also mark two years since Dr. Ashley Roxanne Peterson, now 26, graduated as the youngest black female osteopathic physician in America from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The practice of osteopathic medicine began in the United States in 1874; however, it wasn’t until 1892 that Dr. Andrew Taylor Still coined the name and founded the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri, at a time when osteopathic medicine was largely believed to be fraudulent. Osteopathic medicine takes a whole-person and preventative approach to health care. Osteopathic physicians believe the body’s systems are interconnected and work together to heal the body. Country singer Jimmie Allen continues to rise on the charts, but he can’t think about his own success without giving praise to one of the stars who paved the way for him: country music trailblazer Charley Pride. Allen has been reflecting on Pride’s impact on Black country artists like himself and rubbing elbows with the Country Music Hall of Famer this week on the set of the 2020 Country Music Association Awards, where Pride will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Allen is nominated for new artist of the year. In a video diary he shot for The Associated Press, Allen showed himself hanging backstage with Pride. “Mr. Charley Pride over there,” he said with a big grin while pointing his camera in the direction of the singer who has 29 No. 1 country hits. “It’s gonna be a good day,” added Allen, holding his guitar in hand, as he waited for his turn at rehearsals. https://youtu.be/25ys0vc4tTI Shane Bieber and Trevor Bauer love to talk pitching. They bonded as teammates with the Cleveland Indians, and stayed in touch after Bauer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds last year. Bieber got a text from Bauer before this season started. The right-handers had the same Las Vegas odds for the Cy Young Award. “I said … why don’t we go 2 for 2, or something like that?” Bieber said. Why not, indeed. Bieber was a unanimous winner in the American League on Wednesday night, and Bauer became the first pitcher to take home the NL honor for the majors’ oldest franchise. “Nobody’s more deserving of it than him and he knows what he wants and he knows how to go out and get it,” Bieber said. “And we keep in touch. I was truly pulling for him and you know, so is my family. And I know he feels the same way, so it’s special.” TV One's newest suspense-drama film BLOOD ON HER BADGE premieres next Monday, November 16, 2020 at 8 P.M. ET/7C. Inspired by true crime events, this gripping film details the journey of an ill-fated romance and stars Rayven Symone Ferrell (The Hate You Give, The Bobby Brown Story) Tequan Richmond (Boomerang, Everybody Hates Chris). BLOOD ON HER BADGE tells a true crime tale of Dee Johnson (Ferrell), a charming and eager young cop. As Dee settles into her new career, she falls for Trey (Richmond) a captivating younger man. As life begins to fall into place, Dee begins to make risky decisions that ultimately alter her objectivity. With no real moral grounding, Dee allows herself to be manipulated by her lover, resulting in tragic repercussions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfKvV8dnF7I&feature=youtu.be Former President Barack Obama will sit down for interviews with “60 Minutes” and “CBS Sunday Morning” on Sunday, November 15, in what will be his first television interviews following the 2020 presidential election. Exactly 12 years ago, Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, appeared on “60 Minutes” after he was elected as the 44th president of the United States. The former president will return to CBS News to speak with Gayle King for “CBS Sunday Morning,” and Scott Pelley for “60 Minutes.” The interviews will be conducted in Washington, D.C. The discussions will be Mr. Obama’s first since Joe Biden, his vice president and close friend, became the projected 46th president. The interview will also focus on the upcoming release of Mr. Obama’s new book, “A Promised Land,” which is one of the year’s most anticipated books. Lucille Bridges, the mother of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges, who walked with her then-6-year-old daughter past crowds screaming racist slurs as she became the first Black student at her all-white New Orleans elementary school, has died at the age of 86, the city’s mayor announced Tuesday. Bridges gave birth to Ruby in Tylertown, Mississippi, in 1954 — the same year as the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, decision that ended racial segregation in schools. Her daughter went on to become an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, memorialized in Norman Rockwell’s famous painting “The Problem We All Live With” which depicts a tiny Ruby in a white dress carrying her notebooks and a ruler surrounded by much taller U.S. Marshals. Ruby Bridges once credited her parents as the forces behind her history-making achievement. A Louisiana investment adviser was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in prison for his part in a $3.5million fraud in which a Texas megachurch minister who was spiritual adviser to George W. Bush tricked people into buying worthless Chinese government bonds. Gregory Alan Smith, 58, of Shreveport, also was ordered to pay nearly $3.6million restitution and a $100,000 fine, Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said in a news release.Smith ‘persuaded multiple victims to invest approximately $3.5million with his co-defendant, Kirbyjon H. Caldwell,’ the statement said. “My parents are the real heroes,” the U.S. Marshals Service once quoted her as saying during a ceremony at an art gallery showing the painting. “They (sent me to that public school) because they felt it was the right thing to do.” Laymetha Reed Guy is offering joy and light to all who will listen via her SEASON OF JOY IN THE AIR Christmas album. The SEASON OF JOY IN THE AIR is a sonic tapestry of holiday bliss. The album includes the festive favorite "Joy To The World" and a heartwarming original song "Remembering You" written by Laymetha. "Remembering You" is dedicated to Laymetha's mother who passed away from cancer and to all who have succumbed to Covid-19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dga1zy2QnJw&feature=youtu.be Britney Spears fears her father and will not resume her career so long as he has power over it, her attorney said in court Tuesday. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny declined to suspend James Spears from his central role in the court conservatorship that has controlled his daughter’s life and career for 12 years as Britney Spears’ attorney Samuel D. Ingham III requested at the contentious hearing. But the judge said she would consider future petitions for his suspension or outright removal, which Ingham plans to file. “My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” Ingham told the judge. “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.” The pop star has been on an indefinite work hiatus since early 2019. James Spears’ attorney, Vivian Lee Thoreen, defended what she said was his perfect record in his run as her conservator, which has seen her net worth go from in debt to well over $60 million. Pastor John Gray revealed that he stepped away from leading Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, to work on his marriage and family. “A few months ago I sat down from leading at Relentless. My life wasn’t in order,” Gray wrote on Instagram Friday. “Church isn’t first. My wife is.” Along with the lengthy post, the minister shared a professional photo of his wife, Aventer, posing in a gown. He then proceeded to honor her as he has done in times past after rumors of affairs circulated in the media claiming the pastor was unfaithful to his wife of eight years. “This is my wife. She is from God. She is a life giver. She is a kingdom builder. Her name is Aventer. I met her at church. She was worshipping God through dance. Over time, she allowed me in her life and let me dance with her. She took my ring and said yes and we began our forever journey,” Gray said. Mo3, a Dallas rapper (with singing skills) was killed Wednesday afternoon by a man who gunned him down on an interstate in the city. The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Melvin Noble, was on the come up in the rap game. He was also a known associate of Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz. The shooting took place on Interstate-35 just before noon, according to TMZ. He was driving on the freeway when another car pulled up next to him. Apparently Mo3 stopped his car and a gunman got out of his and approached the rapper. TMZ reports that Mo3 also got out of his car and started running down the interstate with the gunman chasing him. The gunman fired multiple rounds with at least one striking Mo3 in the back of the head. Other cars on the highway also scrambled to flee the scene as the shots were fired. Pharrell Williams has announced his forthcoming skincare line is launching Nov. 25. Named Humanrace, the line was crafted with the singer’s longtime dermatologist, Elena Jones. “Sometimes you need to cleanse your spirit. Sometimes you just need to cleanse your mind. Sometimes you’ve just got to get rid of some dead skin.” Pharrell Williams‘ voice washes over its listener clean and cool, like a stream of water descending on a pebble. “Sometimes you’ve got to get rid of some bad habits. Sometimes you just need to be humidified, brought to life. Sometimes your spirit needs that.” The Humanrace skin-care line includes the Rice Powder Cleanser, Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator, Humidifying Cream and Routine Pack. Meanwhile, Pharrell has joined forces with MasterClass and Uninterrupted for a new film series, “The Power You Hold.” Just released, a hot brand new inspirational soul stirring up tempo remix single by Full Force featuring Faith Evans, Sheila E and Uncle Reece entitled “I’m God Good (God’s Always Grindin Remix),” produced By Full Force & D-Fyne. It’s on Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify and other digital outlets all over the world. This song’s origin comes from Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital in New York City where Paul Anthony of Full Force wrote the song in his hospital bed while undergoing chemo treatment while fighting for his life dealing with mantle cell lymphoma. The original song before the remix is entitled I Feel good, I Look Good & I’m God good. Faith Evans and Sheila E jumped on the song with their talents and also because of their love in their hearts. https://youtu.be/ciOrW7jwGwQ A recent New York Times report revealed findings of its investigation into voter fraud — with Republican and Democratic election officials in every state reporting zero evidence of illegal voting. The NYT made calls to secretaries of state, and they responded either directly or through comments from state election officials, with all 50 indicating nothing suspicious in their election processes. https://youtu.be/ZxBaMbQMeEs Political analysts as well as former and current White House officials fear Donald Trump is a “counterintelligence risk,” and there is concern that he will spill national security secrets. The Washington Post spoke to a number of these officials who point to Trump’s bitterness and frequent attacks on federal agencies and the “deep state.” https://youtu.be/xhbpHpAwgkk Jenna Bush Hager has shared a few throwback photos on Instagram of her giving Malia and Sasha Obama a tour of the White House for the first time more than 10 years ago. “Twelve years ago (!!!) today—I drove from my job teaching in Baltimore to meet my mom and sister in DC to show the next residents of this house their new home,” Hager wrote in the caption. “Barbara and I taught the girls how to slide down the banister and all the secrets of the White House we loved as little girls—the best hiding spots, the movie theatre, and bowling alley,” she wrote. “We showed them our rooms that would soon be theirs. Twelve years! PS I love my ‘teacher outfit’ it makes me nostalgic for that time.” https://www.instagram.com/jennabhager/?utm_source=ig_embed Brett Hankison, the former Louisville Metro Police officer charged in the Breonna Taylor shooting case, has been named in a sexual assualt lawsuit. A woman has accused Hankison of assault after meeting at a Kentucky bar where he also worked as security. https://youtu.be/E3M-Us0lJ3w Pattie LaBelle’s son William Holte appears to be caught up in some bizarre controversy with a former Pennsylvania Republican congressional candidate. Dean Browning, a white man who just lost his election bid, took to his Twitter account on Tuesday to share a pro-Donald Trump message. However, in the post, he described himself as a gay Black man. “I’m a black gay guy and I can personally say that Obama did nothing for me, my life only changed a little bit and it was for the worse,” the since-deleted post read. “Everything is so much better under Trump though. I feel respected – which I never do when democrats are involved.” And with that, Twitter users immediately concluded that Browning posted the anti-Obama message to his main account by mistake, after forgetting to switch to his faux page. Twitter sleuths uncovered what they believe is his fake account, where Browning poses in digital blackface as a Trump-loving gay Black man named Dan Purdy under user name @DanPurdy322. The account was created last month and follows Browning, the president and GOP politicians. Browning apologized for not making clear that he simply quoted a message he received from Purdy, but people weren’t buying it. It wasn’t long before a man claiming to be Dan Purdy posted a video defending Browning. But the sleuths noted that Purdy appears to be William Holte, who happens to be the son of Patti LaBelle. Angelina Jolie’s dad, actor and avid Trump supporter Jon Voight released a bizarre video Tuesday attacking the results of the 2020 election and President-elect Joe Biden, saying the U.S. is now entering the “greatest fight since the Civil War.” “This is now our greatest fight since the Civil War. The battle of righteousness versus Satan, yes Satan — because these leftists are evil.” Leftists,” the 81-year-old star explains, are “evil, corrupt, and they want to tear down this nation.” https://youtu.be/eL43dp58P3w The United States Postal Service worker who claimed he witnessed ballot tampering in Pennsylvania has reportedly recanted his story. According to The Washington Post, Richard Hopkins admitted to fabricating the widely publicized claims that an Erie postmaster ordered staffers to illegally backdate mail-in ballots sent after Election Day. https://youtu.be/_LRrSRljMi8 ”Unapologetic” is a riveting civil rights film, a story producer Morgan Johnson said no one has told “through the lens of young women grassroots organizers.” The opening scene is gripping; a freezing Chicago day, suddenly scores of determined millennial demonstrators including fearless Janaé Bonsu and Bella BAHHS (Black Ancestors Here Healing Society) descend on a packed restaurant. https://youtu.be/XH8LAs2Mefg The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed four more players on the COVID-19 list, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The move comes a day after the team announced a player had tested positive for COVID-19 and later placed tight end Vance McDonald on the list. Running back Jaylen Samuels, offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins and linebacker Vince Williams joined Roethlisberger on the list Tuesday, two days after a 24-19 win at Dallas that pushed the Steelers to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. The reserve/COVID-19 list is for players who have either tested positive or been in close contact with someone who has. All players who have been in close contact must quarantine for five days and are unable to visit the team’s practice facility, although they can participate virtually. They must pass COVID-19 tests throughout the week to have an opportunity to play Sunday, when the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals. No. 1 Alabama at LSU and No. 5 Texas A&M at Tennessee will not be played Saturday because of COVID-19 issues, raising the number of Southeastern Conference games postponed this week to three. The SEC said Tuesday that the Aggies and Volunteers will be rescheduled for Dec. 12, but the Crimson Tide’s game against the defending national champion Tigers is in danger of not being played at all after COVID-19 cases in LSU’s program. “While it is unfortunate to have multiple postponements in the same week, we began the season with the understanding interruptions to the schedule were possible and we have remained focused throughout the season on the health of everyone around our programs,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “We must remain vigilant, within our programs and in our communities, to prevent the spread of the virus and to manage activities that contribute to these interruptions.” Both Alabama and LSU are coming off their open dates and LSU already has a game against No. 6 Florida scheduled for Dec. 12 that had to be postponed last month because of an outbreak that shut down the Gators for two week. Tiger Woods has gotten to spend some extra time with his green jacket. Maybe that’s just what he needs to rekindle a spark in his magnificent game, to prove again that he’s not all washed up. Nineteen months removed from that magical Sunday at Augusta National — and a quarter-century since he first played the Masters as an amateur — Woods looks very much like an aging golfer whose best days are behind him. But this hallowed course has always been the place where he shines the brightest, no matter the personal tribulations, no matter the injuries, no matter the inevitable march of time. Will the 44-year-old be able to muster those mystical forces one more time? “Do I expect to contend? Yes, I do,” Woods said Tuesday, not hesitating in the least. “This is a golf course in which having an understanding how to play and where to miss it and how to hit the shots around here, it helps. The golf course keeps getting longer. It gets a little bit more difficult as I’ve gotten older and I don’t quite hit it as far. When I first came here, it was a lot of drivers and a lot of wedges. Now it’s a little bit different and a little bit longer clubs into the holes, but still understanding how to play it definitely helps.” Today BET announces the hosts and nominees for the “2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” across 12 different categories. Going down Sunday, November 29th, the “2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” PRESENTED BY BET will simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2 at 8 PM EST with a one-hour pre-show beginning at 7 PM EST, followed by the debut of DJ Cassidy’s groundbreaking, virtual series “Pass the Mic.” Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold will host and co-producer the awards. The iconic best friend duo will return to the “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” stage for the third time. H.E.R. leads the nominees receiving eight nominations including ‘Best R&B/Soul Female Artist’ and double nods in each of the ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriters Award,’ ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Video of the Year’ categories. Chris Brown received seven nominations including ‘Album/Mixtape of the Year,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Best Dance Performance,’ ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Video of the Year’ for the hit single “Go Crazy” with Young Thug. Beyoncé and Young Thug received six nominations, including ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Video of the Year.’ Other top nominees include Chloe x Halle, Summer Walker and Usher with five nods each, followed by YG with four nominations. Brandy and PJ Morton round out the group with three nods apiece. Central City Productions will present the 2020 Black Music Honors in national broadcast syndication November 21 thru December 13, 2020. Rickey Smiley returns as host of the star-studded two-hour special. The honorees for this year’s Black Music Honors include Grammy® Award-nominated R&B legends Rhona Bennett, Terry Ellis, and Cindy Herron of En Vogue, recognized as one of the top 5 highest selling female groups, who will receive the Urban Music Icon Award. Grammy® Award-winner, actress and Broadway star Deborah Cox will receive the Entertainer Icon Award. Multiple Stellar Awards and Grammy® Award-winner and producer Fred Hammond will receive the Gospel Music Icon Award. The National Museum of African American Music will be honored with the Legacy Award. Performers include Musiq Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn, Tweet, MAJOR., June’s Diary, Brian Courtney Wilson, D Smoke, Evvie McKinney, Marvin Sapp, RL, and Sheléa. https://vimeo.com/329624710/cd2c8539db Did you know that almost 7 in 10 new parents found their ability to cope with their pregnancy or baby had been impacted as a result of COVID-19? Or that nearly 70% of new parents felt the changes brought about by COVID-19 were affecting their unborn baby, new born or young child? The ‘Babies in Lockdown’ report, published earlier this year by charities Best Beginnings, Home-Start UK and the Parent-Infant Foundation, left no doubt that 2020 has been a tough year for many parents and their children. Inspired to bring ‘a spark of hope for the kids of Lockdown’, London based multi-award winning Gospel singer and songwriter, Sarah Téibo is determined to help individuals, families and communities have a special Christmas this year, with the release of her first ever Christmas single ‘Hear the Sound’. She releases the Charity single in aid of Best Beginnings, a UK charity which has reached well over 3 million UK families with vital support that helps to give every child the best start in life. 50p from the sale of every single will go towards helping the charity reach and support even more families across the UK. Rising star DOE makes a Top-10 debut with the release of her first EP project DOE, available now. Released on October 30th, DOE’s five-song EP celebrates a hit debut at #6 on Nielsen’s Current Gospel Albums Chart. The first solo project from the three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist/songwriter, DOE’s self-titled EP is released by Jonathan McReynolds’ Life Room Label in partnership with RCA Inspiration. Featuring the lead single “Brighter,” along with “I Try,” DOE brings a rich, modern sound and lyrical candor in her performances throughout the rest of her EP, self-reflecting on life’s path and God’s loving guidance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykEUTNoFhaA As the country observes Veterans Day, it’s important to remember that the history of especially Black people in the American military is a complicated one. On its surface, it’s yet another one of the countless ways that Black people have helped build this country and keep it safe. However, beneath that veneer lies some ugly truths that haunt the U.S. military’s legacy to this day. And while much of that has to do with Black soldiers‘ time enlisted in the armed forces, the way that Black veterans have largely been treated has been the subject of much scrutiny since Crispus Attucks became the first American casualty of the Revolutionary War. During the War of 1812, Black soldiers helped defeat the British in New Orleans. By the end of the Civil War, 10 percent of the union forces were Black. The 54th regiment, which was an all-Black fighting unit, was immortalized in the movie “Glory” and fought a number of important battles, eventually losing more than half of its troops. Two of Frederick Douglass’ sons also fought in the Civil War and Harriet Tubman severed as a scout for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers. During World War I, Black soldiers were given full citizenship, although they still fought in segregated units. Many credit Black soldiers for bringing jazz music to Europe and France. A federal government employee who is refusing to perform a crucial component of her job that is effectively obstructing America’s democratic process is Emily W. Murphy and she’s the administrator of the General Services Administration charged in part with facilitating a peaceful transfer of power from an out-going presidential administration to the incoming one. And in a timely fashion, too. But there’s an asterisk here that can’t be ignored: She was appointed by Donald Trump‘s administration — the same bunch backing a lame-duck president who has filed a flurry of frivolous lawsuits and ordered U.S. Attorney General William Barr to have the Department of Justice investigate his disingenuous and unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. (CNN reported that an official staffer who worked in the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section quit Tuesday morning, saying in an email that Barr’s orders were “abrogating the forty-year-old Non-Interference Policy for ballot fraud investigations in the period prior to elections becoming certified and uncontested.” Translation: Trump’s claims are bogus, at best.) Murphy has apparently decided against issuing the requisite “letter of ascertainment” that clears the way for Joe Biden‘s team to begin the necessary transition process. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Affordable Care Act appears set to survive its third challenge after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday heard the latest arguments against President Barack Obama‘s signature healthcare law more commonly known as Obamacare. While certain elements of Obamacare remain at risk of being eliminated, two Supreme Court justice suggested the overall law would remain intact. The showdown on Capitol Hill came one week after the presidential election and nearly a month following Donald Trump‘s successful nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in hopes she would play a role in helping to repeal Obamacare. The looming ruling in the case has serious implications for Black people, in particular, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disproportionately affect that underserved community. The highest court heard the case Tuesday at the urging of the White House, which is in lame-duck mode after Joe Biden won the presidential election last week. Biden has announced his own healthcare plan that he says he intends to institute in his first 100 days in office. But Trump likely saw an opportunity to take one of his last policy swipes at Obama. Javaid Perwaiz, a Virginia OB/GYN, has been convicted of healthcare fraud which involved performing unnecessary hysterectomies on women. Perwaiz, 70, was found guilty on 52 federal counts related to his alleged multi million-dollar scheme to bilk insurance companies. At the time of his 2019 arrest, he reportedly owned two private practices in Chesapeake, VA. https://youtu.be/OQucRFbRRZ8 Right wing media outlets are still mad at Whoopi Goldberg for telling Trump supporters on Monday to “suck it up” over his election loss. As the hosts of “The View” celebrated Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, Goldberg addressed Trump supporters who are demanding a recount and alleging voter fraud. “Let me say this to you,” she said. “When you-know-who was elected four years ago, Hillary Clinton didn’t say ‘hey, wait a minute, this doesn’t feel right, stop the count.’ She didn’t say ‘this isn’t right, I’m not going for it.’ She didn’t say any of that. So, all of you, suck it up. Suck it up like we sucked it up, and if you’re not sure that you’re comfortable with Joe Biden, do what we did. https://youtu.be/pCL9hCMCHis Tonight’s season premiere of “S.W.A.T.” takes on the police killings of African Americans as part of a systemic pattern, and you can thank star/executive producer Shemar Moore and executive producer Aaron Rahsaan Thomas for the choosing to focus on the subject matter. “We’ve been successful for three years playing super-cops and entertaining folks,” Moore told the Associated Press. “For ‘S.W.A.T.’ to take on what’s been happening around this country, in the world, is very brave and very bold.” https://youtu.be/ORv48clDSYg Production on “Real Housewives of Atlanta” had to shut down recently after one of its crew members tested positive for the coronavirus. This particular crew member was around the majority of the RHOA cast. A source alleges, “Everything is shut down right now. They’re pausing everything until everyone can be tested and quarantined.” The source continues, “It’s a really scary situation because this affects more than just the cast, but their families as well.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com TV One’s edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today’s most notable personalities, continues with UNCENSORED: Best of Black Hollywood this Sunday, November 15 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, November 18 at 10 PM/9C. This episode of UNCENSORED highlights some of Black Hollywood’s most elite talent including Paula Patton, Nia Long, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, Tyra Banks and Nick Cannon who reflect on their personal and professional lives. Buckingham Palace has sent a clear message to war hero Prince Harry by reminding him that he’s no longer part of the British royal family. The prince reportedly asked to have a wreath of poppies laid at the national memorial in London to servicemen and women who have fallen, but it was turned down, per PEOPLE. Prince Harry was “saddened and disappointed,” says a source, by the denial of his request for a wreath that was reportedly created by the official organizers of the event, and ready and waiting for him, according to the report. https://youtu.be/c2xjghmG7rw In the spirit of this summer’s racial reckoning, Oprah Winfrey has decided to spotlight Black-owned and led businesses for her annual list of “Favorite Things,” including Telfar, Mented, KaAn’s Designs, and more. “Because so many people want to support Black lives in any way they can, we’ve found many Black-owned businesses that deserve to be celebrated,” O said in a Facebook post. “It is my hope that this year’s list will inspire you to express your gratitude for the people that matter most.” https://youtu.be/HB2rahGYzKE ; Lifetime keeps the gifts coming this season, adding four new holiday movies to its already impressive lineup for It’s a Wonderful Lifetime slate. As the #1 holiday destination, Lifetime now totals a remarkable 34 movies and includes Too Close for Christmas starring Chad Michael Murray and Jessica Lowndes; The Christmas High Note; Christmas at the Castle; and My Sweet Holiday. Additionally, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Lifetime will run a “Best of It’s a Wonderful Lifetime,” with repeats of the best movies from this year’s slate. A Georgia woman took things way too far and was recently arrested after she pretended to be an FBI agent to ensure she got some free Chick-fil-A. Newsweek reports, Kimberly George Ragsdale allegedly told Chick-fil-A workers in Dallas, Georgia, she was a federal agent and would have them arrested if they didn’t give her free food, according to local police. Ragsdale reportedly demanded free meals from the Chick-fil-A several times throughout the past week culminating with her arrest on November 5th. Her behavior made the restaurant staff suspicious and they eventually contacted police. When authorities confronted Ragsdale, 47, in the parking lot of the Chick-fil-A, she allegedly told the arresting officer she was a federal agent and that her credentials were electronic. Mike Tyson has revealed that he used to pass drug tests using the urine of his infant child. In the latest episode of his Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast, the famed boxer dished about the prosthetic penis he used while being tested during the prime of his career. “I put my baby’s urine in it. And sometimes, one time I was using my wife’s [urine] and my wife was like ‘Baby you better not hope that it comes back pregnant or something,’ ” Tyson told guest Jeff Novitzky, the vice president of athlete health and performance for the UFC, in the episode. He continued, “And I said, ‘Nah, so we ain’t gonna use you any more, we’re gonna use the kid.’ Cuz I got scared that the p— might come back pregnant. … That’s what I was afraid of.” https://youtu.be/xF2sovNKVws A Korean-based electronics conglomerate is using a song from rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard off his album “N**ga Please” to sell its latest washer and dryer to everyday Americans. It’s not the first time “Got Your Money” was used in an ad. Boost Mobile boosted it for commercials in 2013 and 2014. https://youtu.be/EEwxtg35BUo Fox News host Neil Cavuto went viral Monday shortly after he was shown cutting away from White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany mid-speech as she continued claiming, without any proof, that Democrats have rigged the election. As she was spewing, Cavuto cut away saying, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. She is charging that the other side is welcoming fraud and welcoming illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue showing you this.” https://youtu.be/48iGFmG-iCk Gospel hitmaker Kerry Douglas has compiled some of the hottest songs in Gospel music for the eleventh edition of Kerry Douglas presents Gospel Mix XI, Songs of Hope, Faith and Inspiration available for pre order now. Gospel Mix XI hits stores and digital outlets on November 20th. The seventh season of WEtv’s “Braxton Family Values” has kicked off and finds the sisters reuniting after a tumultuous trip to Napa to support Trina before her wedding. Following a year of love and loss, 2020 has been a year like none other for the Braxton Family. https://youtu.be/F50C6QnVez0 Beyonce has inked a multi-year deal with home-fitness company Peloton to create a “series of themed workout experiences.” These workouts will reportedly be inspired by the singer’s live performances, starting with the choreography in her Netflix Homecoming concert special. “I’ve been a Peloton member for several years, and I’m excited to partner with a company that helps people, young and old, be the best versions of themselves, in an innovative and adaptable way,” Beyoncé said in a statement. https://www.instagram.com/onepeloton/?utm_source=ig_embed OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has picked up the evocative documentary film “OWN Spotlight: (In)Visible Portraits” from thought leader, storyteller and filmmaker, Oge Egbuonu, as her directorial debut to air in 2021.Nearly three years in the making, (In)Visible Portraits is a powerful celebration of Black women sharing their stories of struggle, resilience and beyond. Described by Egbuonu as a “love letter to Black women and a reeducation for everyone else,” the documentary shatters the too-often invisible otherizing of Black women in America and reclaims the true narrative as told in their own words. The film illuminates the history of how we got here, dismantles the false framework of the present-day reality and celebrates the extraordinary heritage of exceptional Black women whom have come before as well as igniting hope for the next generations. https://youtu.be/_eTQnfRvfMw Inquiring minds want to know who will replace Alex Trebek — who died Sunday after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer — as host of “Jeopardy!“? Back in 2018, Trebek dropped two names to take over hosting duties for him. According to Newsday, “one was Alex Faust, a 31-year-old Brooklyn native and play-by-play voice for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The other was CNN senior legal analyst Laura Coates, 40, who responded at the time, via Twitter,” the outlet writes. Coates said she was “Incredibly honored & humbled [Trebek] 1) knows who I am 2) thinks I’d be a great host of my fave game show ever that I grew up watching w/ my family & still watch w/ my own kids (who saw him say this & now think I’m a genius).”“Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings and CNN senior legal analyst Laura Coates are possible names in the running for host of the long-running game show. https://youtu.be/I8YbygOVXeQ A Marshall, Arkansas police chief has resigned after wishing death on all Democrats amid Joe Biden’s election win. Police Chief Lang Holland took to Parler—a website described as a “free speech social media focused on protecting user’s rights”—to call for violence against people that don’t share his extremist political views. “Death to all Marxist Democrats,” he wrote before adding: “Take no prisoners leave no survivors! Throw water on them in restaurants. Push them off sidewalks.” Screenshots of his posts have been shared across social media platforms. https://youtu.be/nsgoyisOwDM Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown has reached a $750,000 settlement with the city of Milwaukee, over his 2018 run-in with police over a parking violation. Brown slapped the city of Milwaukee and its police department with a lawsuit, claiming officers’ use of a stun gun during his arrest for a mere parking violation constitutes excessive force and that they targeted him because he is Black. Brown’s attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court, accusing police of “discriminating against Mr. Brown on the basis of his race.” The lawsuit alleged that officers involved in his arrest used their incident report to try to reframe what happened to give the impression Brown resisted and obstructed them. https://youtu.be/YvX66DoKRdU Keke Palmer is catching heat for suggesting EBT cards should only be used to purchase healthy foods. The actress/singer shared her take on the matter on Twitter on Monday, writing: “Imagine if your EBT card could only work on healthy items.” As expected, several fans flooded her comments to note that “healthy items” are not always affordable and accessible to everyone in America. Palmer went on to tag Kamala Harris and Joe Biden in a tweet stating that “EBT cards should swipe free on all items considered healthy.” The food fight started when Palmer shared her thoughts about pricey healthy food. She stated, “You never realize what healthy food is actually worth until you decide to eat extremely healthy and notice that everything is a million dollars .. !!! I see corporations know the nutritious valuable off top.” The death of rapper King Von has allegedly sparked some inner fighting within his personal crew. Over the weekend, King Von’s manager, Jameson Francois, called out the folks making speculations about his death — taking aim specifically at Von’s ex-girlfriend, Asian Doll. Francois says Asian has been speaking to King Von in the afterlife through her spiritual advisor. “Let one more person from the outside that’s close to Von keep on with all this goofy shit,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. “I promise I’ma expose all that goofy shit, ’cause I was there n got shot behind this. Y’all stop blaming people y’all don’t even know what happen or who was involved. Y’all see one camera angle and think y’all figured it out. That goes for [ex]-girlfriend, family, or whoever.” Keke Wyatt has opened up about her son Rahjah’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. During a conversation with the 18-year-old in a new YouTube video, the singer said she “couldn’t believe it” when she first received the heartbreaking news about her son’s health.. https://youtu.be/pYqq-cZ4IIo “Goodbye 2020” a new single for the times we are in. “Goodbye 2020” is performed by Jazzy Rita Shelby and written by Shelby and Eddie Lawrence Miller. It’s the perfect anthem to end a year that has impacted the globe. https://youtu.be/-vr_NRriXng Healthcare and pharmaceutical company #Pfizer, has just announced that its vaccine is over 90% effective. According to @reuters, Pfizer said on Monday that the experimental vaccine it has been working on, alongside #BIONTech, has proven itself to be effective in most coronavirus cases they have tried it on. Both companies are the first to release successful data from a clinical trial of the vaccine. “Today is a great day for science and humanity,” Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive said. “We are breaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it the most with infection rates setting new records. The first release from this new partnership will be Stellar and Dove Award Nominated Group G.I.’s first ever live album “The Score: Live in Richmond." The full project is slated to be released on Friday January 22nd 2021, while pre-orders start on Friday November 27th 2020. When fans pre-order the album, they will instantly receive (2) songs from the upcoming project: “So Good Live” & “Get Up Live.” Branden Anderson, CEO and Founder of BGA Music Group says "We are excited to partner with UAMG on the release of G.I.’s first ever live album. We know this partnership will be successful given the years of experience UAMG brings to the table. Paul Wright, CEO and Founder of United Alliance Music Group adds "UAMG is excited to partner with BGA on the release of G.I.’s new project. G.I. has delivered consistent quality music over the years and are pioneers in the urban gospel music genre. Black conservative pastor who advised President Donald Trump died Monday, his church announced. Bishop Harry Jackson “transitioned to be with the Lord,” the announcement said. It was unclear how old Jackson was and the cause of his death was not immediately disclosed. Jackson was a senior pastor at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland. Religion News Service reported that Jackson was one of the people in attendance at a White House ceremony in September held in honor of then-Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett — an event labeled as a so-called “superspreader” incident that resulted in numerous people contracting the coronavirus. At least two different evangelical leaders who also advise Trump contracted Covid-19 following that event. As the country’s first Black Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris begins her new position in January, so will the U.S. Naval Academy’s first ever black female brigade commander. Officials announced Monday that Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber will hold the highest leadership position within the brigade for the spring semester. While she’ll be the first Black woman to serve in the position, she’ll be the 16th female to hold the rank since women were allowed to attend the Naval Academy beginning in 1976. Earning the title of brigade commander speaks volumes, but the title itself is not nearly as significant as the opportunity it brings to lead a team in doing something I believe will be truly special,” Barber said in a statement. “I am humbled to play a small role in this momentous season of American history.” https://youtu.be/16L9qJFWwHk It’s unclear which the president is spreading more of: the coronavirus or conspiracy theories. Errol Webber — a Black Republican still licking his wounds from the whooping Rep. Karen Bass put on him in the race for California’s 37th Congressional District last week — hasn’t announced that he’s tested positive for Covid-19, chances are that he’s just drinking Donald Trump‘s election denial-flavored Kool-Aid. That would be the only logical explanation for Webber refusing to concede a race that national and local news outlets quickly called after Bass won more than 86 percent of the vote on Election Day. Webber threatened on Monday to “audit the vote counting procedures” in an obviously MAGA-motivated move that has all but parroted Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud after it was widely determined that the president lost his bid for re-election thanks in no small part to Black and Latino voters — the same demographics when taken together that comprise the largest voting bloc in California’s 37th Congressional District. Joe Biden has quickly gotten to work as the president-elect while his predecessor complains without proof that he’s been defrauded of the presidency. The two decidedly different approaches to leading the country were especially on display Monday after Biden made it official that he had selected a Black woman to co-chair his new coronavirus task to effectively confront the deadly Covid-19 pandemic that has proliferated on Donald Trump‘s watch. The move to appoint Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith to be one of three doctors to lead the task force made it clear that Biden was making good on his promise of following the science — not politics — in order to finally make some inroads in stopping a virus that has killed at least 238,000 Americans. White-on-white violence is likely not the kind of post-election bloodshed that pundits imagined ahead of Donald Trump losing to Joe Biden. But in typical 2020 fashion, here we are. A driver who crashed at the scene of a Trump “stop the steal” rally found out just how angry the president’s supporters are after a group of MAGA mafia minions responded in part by playing the role of judge, jury and nearly executioner. And, of course, the politically-fueled confrontation stemming from a protest over the election’s verified results was all captured on a viral video by a ready and willing bystander. In the end, the driver was only cited for a misdemeanor, no one was arrested and responding officers didn’t even pull a gun. Imagine that being true if the parties involved were any color but white. https://twitter.com/i/status/1325899149171167239 Longtime host Alex Trebek died Sunday following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Alex Trebek was 80. George Stephanopoulos’ rep is lobbying for the ABC News anchor to become the next host of the hit game show “Jeopardy!,” a highly placed person with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. Stephanopoulos’s agent Alan Berger did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment, but a knowledgeable individual close to the “Good Morning America” co-host denied that he was “actively” pursuing the role. However, the highly placed person told TheWrap that Stephanopoulos has his eye on the lucrative position and that his agent was lobbying hard at ABC, where he serves as ABC News’ chief anchor and political correspondent. CBS announced a new diversity pledge Monday that will have a visible impact on its staple of reality shows: All future casts will contain at least 50 percent Black, indigenous and people of color. That means hits like Survivor, Big Brother, and Love Island will be far more diverse starting with the 2021-2022 season. “The reality TV genre is an area that’s especially underrepresented, and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production and all phases of storytelling,” said George Cheeks, president and chief executive officer for the CBS Entertainment Group. “As we strive to improve all of these creative aspects, the commitments announced today are important first steps in sourcing new voices to create content and further expanding the diversity in our unscripted programming, as well as on our network.” On Monday, Nov. 9, the ladies of The Real discuss stereotyping that they have experienced in Hollywood throughout their careers. Co-host Adrienne Houghton recalls that it wasn’t until her role in Cheetah Girls that she was able to finally represent Latinas as a whole instead of as the stereotypical Hispanic female. Meanwhile, co-host Loni Love calls for allies of people of color in the industry to break the molds regarding ethnic representations. https://youtu.be/F8tCObNNhYk Today is the official premiere of 50 Cent’s exclusive interview with Spotify’s Creative Director, Head of Urban Music, Carl Chery. 50 Cent’s sit down is part of an ongoing, limited interview series produced under Spotify’s RapCaviar umbrella, which will be live on Spotify apCaviar’s Twitter and Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/rapcaviar/?utm_source=ig_embed Attorney General William P. Barr, wading into President Trump’s unfounded accusations of widespread election irregularities, told federal prosecutors on Monday that they were allowed to investigate “specific allegations” of voter fraud before the results of the presidential race are certified. Mr. Barr’s authorization prompted the Justice Department official who oversees investigations of voter fraud, Richard Pilger, to step down from the post within hours, according to an email Mr. Pilger sent to colleagues that was obtained by The New York Times. Former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the team, seeking more than $22 million in salary owed under his deal when he was fired in January. The suit, filed Monday in Harris County District Court in Houston, claims Luhnow was unaware a camera was used to steal signs during the team’s run to the 2017 World Series title, which baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred found violated baseball rules against electronics. Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were suspended for the season last Jan. 13 by Manfred and fired by the Astros later that day. The team was fined $5 million and stripped of its first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021. Clemson University is developing a reputation for producing NFL first-round draft picks at the quarterback spot. After Deshaun Watson won a national title with the Tigers, the Houston Texans selected him with the 12th pick in 2017. Experts project current Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, who captured a national title as a true freshman, to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, long before Clemson produced these two amazing talents, Woodrow ‘Woody’ Dantzler was the top Tiger on campus. Dantzler was one the first signal-callers to thrive in the spread offense. In 2000, Dantzler set an ACC record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 220 against Virginia. The following year, he became the first QB in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. As a motivational speaker, he gears his speeches toward diverse skill building and critical thinking while trying to tackle communication issues among today’s youth. He also mentors current Clemson football players through the university’s Tiger P.A.W. Journey Program. Senator Katrina Robinson from Tennessee is facing multiple federal charges after she reportedly stole over $600,000 in federal funds to use for her wedding and lavish lifestyle. Robinson was accused of stealing $600,000 from the $2.2 million in federal grants provided to The Healthcare Institute, a nursing school she directed, from 2015 to 2019. She apparently used the stolen money to cover her wedding and honeymoon costs, as well as the legal fees for her divorce. She also bought a 2016 Jeep Renegade for her daughter, a $500 Louis Vuitton handbag, home improvements, and invested in a snow cone business run by her children. University of Notre Dame students are now subject to mandatory coronavirus testing with stricter penalties if they leave town before getting their test results after thousands of fans stormed the football field and threw parties to celebrate a double-overtime upset over Clemson. The mass of students, players and coaches crammed close together on the field in the minutes following the Fighting Irish’s 47-40 win Saturday night in South Bend, Indiana, over then-No. 1 Clemson. Many were not wearing masks or had them pulled down. All Notre Dame students are required to undergo coronavirus testing before they leave South Bend for the extended winter break, Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins told students in an email Sunday night. Jenkins didn’t specifically reference the storming of the field, but rather “many gatherings” over the weekend. The Southeastern Conference is taking a hit from COVID-19. The conference on Monday postponed Saturday’s game between No. 20 Auburn and Mississippi State because of positive COVID-19 cases and quarantining within the Bulldogs’ program. The SEC requires programs to have at least 53 scholarship players available for games. Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said the Bulldogs were just a player away from having to postpone last Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. Larsa Pippen dropped a bombshell Monday afternoon when she revealed that she used to date Tristan Thompson before he met Khloé Kardashian. Pippen, 46, spilled the tea during a new interview on the Hollywood Raw podcast, claiming she was dating the 29-year-old NBA player shortly before he began hooking up Kardashian in 2016. “I was kinda seeing Tristan before Khloé. Before Khloé or any of them knew he existed,” said Pippen, estranged wife of Scottie Pippen. “I was seeing him, I had him come to L.A., I brought him to a party Kim [Kardashian] had. I introduced him to all of them.” Days later, Tristan began pursuing Khloé. “Then a week later, or 10 days later, he started seeing Khloé,” Pippen explained. President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to make vast changes to many Trump policies during his first 100 days in office. Biden will first tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and establish a coronavirus task force. Additionally, his administration intends to rejoin the Paris climate accord, according to The New York Times. Biden also plans to walkback Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization. https://youtu.be/cYpQO8M5u4o Soccer star Megan Rapinoe thanked Black women for turning up and showing out for the 2020 presidential election. The Associated Press made the call on Saturday morning for Biden over President Trump after more results from swing-state Pennsylvania came in. Rapinoe, who has publicly been critical of Trump, thanked Black women in a tweet immediately after he was projected winner. “Cannot understate how historic and incredible this is for @KamalaHarris and for Black women and South Asian women everywhere, and for America. Let’s not look back, ever,” she tweeted. Many athletes shared LeBron James’ reaction post to the election results. James posted a meme on Twitter of his Game 7 block against Andre Iguodala during the 2016 NBA Finals, only with Biden and Trump’s faces superimposed. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A Georgia election worker was forced into hiding after a tweet falsely claimed to show him throwing out a ballot. A widely shared video racked up millions of views on Twitter, claiming the poll worker crumpled up an absentee ballot. As it turns out, he did no such thing. https://youtu.be/vlK5M2Tim0E A New York City designer has claimed that she and Hillsong pastor, Carl Lentz, who baptized Justin Bieber, had a serious but secret relationship during which he told her he was an unmarried sports agent. According to a report from the Sun, Ranin, 34, said she dated the megachurch pastor for more than five months before their breakup last week. Lentz, the celebrity magnet of a pastor who brought the global megachurch Hillsong from Australia to the US, was fired on Wednesday after acknowledging on Instagram that he cheated on his wife, Laura. Just days later, Ranin, who wished to keep her last name private, claimed that she wasn’t just a fling. ‘I wasn’t there for just sex, we both found comfort and a deep, special connection with each other. I am very hurt because we both feel the same way about each other,’ Ranin told the newspaper. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Televangelist Kenneth Copeland has appeared in a bizarre video where he fake laughs for almost a minute as he mocks the media for calling the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. The 83-year-old Texas pastor – who is estimated to be worth $760million – regularly films his services and was seen on camera making the strange comments earlier on Sunday. ‘The media said Joe Biden’s president! Hahahahaha ha ha ha ha…,’ Copeland continued. Former Vice President Biden was declared the winner in the presidential race on Saturday as he captured 290 Electoral College votes, well past the 270 needed to secure the top office in the land. He also garnered the lion’s share of the popular vote. Copeland’s sarcastic laughter over his own comments continued for 40 seconds whipping the crowd up into a frenzy before ending with a final ‘whoop!’ from the pastor. https://twitter.com/i/status/1325513157926932480 He is wasting no time. President-elect Biden on Monday named several health experts who will serve on his coronavirus task force when he takes office. The experts include Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) who said he was forced out of his position earlier this year after opposing the Trump administration’s pressure to promote unproven treatments. https://youtu.be/oQJhPf91g1c Cardi B joined the slew of celebrities, athletes and influencers who took to social media to celebrate the news of Joe Biden winning the 2020 presidential election. She also reflected on the harassment she has received from Donald Trump supporters. “I knew who was going to win,” Cardi said of Biden in a message to her fans on social media. “God knows better. You know why God put Joe Biden in place? Cos you Trump supporters were getting out of line. Ya’ll were becoming real bullies,” she added. She went on to explain that the hate she received from the Trump cult began when she was supporting Senator Bernie Sanders. “Ya’ll have been putting me through s** for a hot min. Ever since I started talking to Bernie. These Trump supporters that got a blue check on Twitter, y’all been coming at me every week for attention,” Cardi said. “Y’all tried to scare my sister off the beach, y’all broke a pole on my husband’s car.” https://youtu.be/o71LtfUtSAo Former President George W. Bush called for unity amid a divided America following Joe Biden’s election win. In a statement, Bush revealed he spoke with Biden and Kamala Harris on the phone and offered “my prayers for his success and my pledge to help in any way I can.” https://youtu.be/6-SzzkVm95I Someone else in the Trump circle has tested positive for the coronavirus. Housing Department Secretary Dr. Ben Carson's, office confirmed the news, making him the latest official who attended a White House election night party to get COVID-19. “Spoke with my brother Dr. Carson earlier and he is doing extraordinarily well. He is so grateful to have access to powerful therapeutics. We also pray for the millions who celebrated over the weekend and may have exposed themselves to COVID19,” tweeted Armstrong Williams, who advised Carson’s presidential campaign. Carson tested positive for the virus Monday, his deputy chief of staff Coalter Baker told ABC News. News of Carson’s diagnosis comes just days after it was revealed White House chief of staff Mark Meadows also contracted the virus. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tamera Mowry-Housley honored her late niece Alaina Housley with a loving tribute she shared on social media over the weekend. Alaina died two years ago when 28-year-old former Marine Ian David Long opened fire on the crowd at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, on Nov. 7, 2018. Police found Long dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, CNN reported. On Saturday, Mowry-Housley posted a throwback photo of Alaina holding Tamera’s baby girl Ariah, along with a video clip of her neice and her daughter in a swimming. Alaina was 18 at the time of her death. https://www.instagram.com/tameramowrytwo/?utm_source=ig_embed The family Whitney Houston remembered the late singing sensation as she was posthumously inducted into the 2020 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this past weekend. ‘This is something that Whitney always wanted,’ Houston’s aunt Pat Houston said, as she accepted the award on behalf of her niece with Whitney’s mother Cissy. ‘I remember in 2009 we were in London and Whitney looked at me and said, “This is really special but there’s only one thing missing – I got to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,”‘ Pat recalled. ‘She did it,’ Cissy added. Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z, will narrate the audiobook for “Hair Love,” based on Matthew A. Cherry’s Oscar-winning short film. Cherry announced the news on social media, posting a clip that samples the four-minute long audiobook. The touching tale, which follows an African American dad attempting to do his daughter’s hair for the first time, took home an Academy Award in 2020 for best animated short film. Last May, it was released as a children’s book with illustrations by Vashti Harrison. Cherry’s short film — which he wrote, directed and co-produced with Karen Rupert Toliver — will also be developed into an animated TV show at HBO Max called “Young Love,” based on the characters from “Hair Love.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Oprah has unveiled her annual Favorite Things list, and while it’s no Goop gift guide a few bigger-ticket items did make the cut. Oprah’s Favorite Things appears in the December issue of O, The Oprah Magazine and includes 72 items ranging from kitchen appliances to tech to beauty. And in keeping with her mission to amplify black voices and stories, the 66-year-old mogul revealed that most of her Favorite Things this year come from black-owned or -led companies. ‘The elves and I have worked overtime in search of fantastic treats for everyone,’ Oprah said. ‘And this year, there’s a special twist. Because so many people want to support black lives any way they can, we’ve found dozens of absolutely gorgeous gifts from black-owned businesses that deserve to be celebrated, because we believe black lives— and black businesses — matter,’ she went on. Alex Trebek, the host of the long running TV game show has died from pancreatic cancer. He was 80. “Jeopardy is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” a “Jeopardy!” spokesperson told TMZ. Trebek, who had been the host of Jeopady since 1984, had been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer since announcing the news back in March 2019. He immediately started chemo after the diagnosis but made no plans to retire and continued hosting his game show … as impressively as ever. https://youtu.be/7cInGyxCY9k The viral video that became a protest anthem this year for everything from police brutality to folks in government has been applied again – this time to the outgoing President of the United States. A crowd of Biden-Harris revelers outside the White House began chanting “You about to lose yo’ job!” to Donald Trump, invoking the words of Johnniqua Charles earlier this year in a video of her arrest. The South Carolina resident was homeless, dealing with an addiction, and estranged from her family when she had a run-in with a security officer outside a strip club. While being detained, she broke out in song. “You about to lose your job,” she sang, while doing a little dance. The security guard who detained her posted the video and the rest is history. https://youtu.be/E0rh3Aks8mg Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ ancestral village in southern India was lit on Sunday, literally, after she and President-elect Joe Biden were projected to win the presidency. Firecrackers and sparklers were set off, and prayers were held in Thulasendrapuram, the village where Harris’ maternal grandfather was born and raised, after she made history by becoming the first woman, the first Indian American and the first Black woman to win the second-highest U.S. office. Residents wrote “Congratulations Kamala Harris. Pride of our village” in colorful powder in front of their homes. Also in celebration, residents handed out buckets of freshly made traditional sweets and played music, according to Reuters. At the village temple, a priest performed a special prayer Harris’ honor, and residents waved posters featuring a photo of Harris. https://youtu.be/EFLHgUL-qeU Dr. Frederick was one of many rejoicing over Harris’ triumph. Members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority expressed their excitement as well. “I am just ecstatic,” one of Harris’ sorority sisters told NBC Washington. “I can’t even put the words to it. I’m just excited to see what happens. What a time to be a student at Howard.” Harris—who studied political science and economics—graduated from the institution in 1986. The Washington, D.C.-based institution’s president Wayne A. I. Frederick penned a powerful statement that was shared on the university’s website. He wrote about Harris’ dedication to civic leadership and her relentless fight to advocate for underrepresented and underserved groups. “A new dawn has broken in America,” read the statement. “Senator Kamala Harris has swung her Howard hammer and shattered the proverbial glass ceiling into pieces that will not be put back together. As the new Vice President-elect, we know she will continue advancing her vision of a nation where all people – regardless of race, creed, gender, background, or ethnicity – have access to equitable opportunities to grow and succeed. At a time when the Black community is coping with the disproportionate social and economic impacts of COVID-19, a global reckoning with systemic racism, and the loss of some of our cultural and social icons, we are proud to call Howard University alumna Kamala Harris a monumental catalyst for collective joy and positive change.” Much of the credit for the historic election of Joe Biden has been readily given to Black women, a powerful voting bloc who Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris rightfully paid tribute to during her victory speech Saturday night. One night later, though, actress and Democratic activist Eva Longoria provided a different narrative for who exactly pushed Team Biden across the electoral college finish line. During an appearance on MSNBC with Ari Melber, Longoria described how relieved she’s felt since the election — “democracy won,” she said — and noted that Biden has a lot of people to thank for his victory. “Mostly people of color,” she said. “The Black and brown communities delivered for Biden.” But Longoria said she took umbrage at the notion that Latinos “showed support for Trump” and insisted it isn’t true. “It’s not the narrative that needs to be out there,” she said. “Latinos delivered big for Biden,” she added. She said Democrats won Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan “because of Latinos.” Time For Homes recognizes National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 15 through 22nd) to promote education, action, and awareness about hunger and homelessness. Though we are reminded of the ongoing humanitarian crisis this week, we need to act throughout the year to remedy these gross injustices. Hundreds of thousands, if not more, individuals and families are homeless, and many millions face food insecurity. The ongoing pandemic is devastating communities that could scarcely function before—the rates of housing insecurity and food insecurity are rising with every passing day. Almost seventeen million more Americans are going hungry this year than last. The mother of Nicole Brown Simpson — the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson who was killed in a murder that he was infamously acquitted of more than 25 years ago — has died, the former football star-turned actor-turned commercial pitchman said in a video he tweeted Sunday night. Simpson said Juditha Brown died Sunday. Simpson made the announcement during a video that began with his camera trained on a photo of him and some of his football teammates, many of whom he said had died. That led him to talk about Juditha Brown’s death. “Today I lost someone that was incredibly special to me,” Simpson said. “Her name was Juditha Brown, the mother of Nicole Brown.” He did not say what was the cause of her death. Following Kamala Harris’ barrier-breaking triumph, books penned by the Vice President-elect are flying off the shelves. According to the Associated Press, pieces of literature written by Harris rose in sales. Children’s literature inspired by Harris made the list as well including her picture book Superheroes Are Everywhere which empowers youth to lead change in their communities and beyond, and the book Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice—written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Laura Freeman—which covers her coming of age story. Another book that has grown in popularity is a children’s picture book titled Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea which was written by her niece Meena Harris. The Harper Collins-published book follows the chronicles of two sisters on a mission to evoke change in their community. Among the books that landed on Amazon’s top 10 bestsellers list after the historic election was her 2019 memoir The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. The book—which is a New York Times bestseller—takes a candid look into her upbringing and delves into the influences that led her to pursue a career in the realm of politics. When social entrepreneur Nikki Porcher walked through the doors of a business expo four years ago, she was captivated by the array of small businesses that filled the room. However, amongst the many creators and makers whose products and services were on display during the event, there was one missing element that stuck out like a sore thumb: the absence of Black women entrepreneurs. Disheartened by the lack of representation, Porcher’s drive home was one of deep reflection. She thought about the Black women whose businesses often fell under the radar due to the lack of awareness and was determined to create a platform where they can be seen, heard and celebrated. The passion to fill the void led her to her purpose and ultimately planted the seed for her nonprofit organization Buy from a Black Woman. A week after deputies fatally shot a 21-year-old Black man near Vancouver, Washington during a drug investigation, law enforcement officials have yet to clarify whether he fired a handgun at officers. They also have not released the names of the three Clark County deputies who fired on Kevin E. Peterson Jr. in a US Bank parking lot in Hazel Dell on Oct. 30, The regonian/OregonLive reported. And they have not disclosed if detectives found drugs on Peterson or in the car where authorities say they first encountered him. “All of your questions are valid, however we are unable to answer those,” said Det. Sgt. Marc Langlois of the Longview Police Department, an investigation spokesperson. “The investigation is active and ongoing.” Lori Harvey has reportedly accepted a plea deal in her hit-and-run case. She was arrested in Beverly Hills on Oct. 20, 2019, following the car accident in which her car was rolled. Earlier this year, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office charged Harvey with one count of resisting/delaying/obstructing a peace officer, and one count of hit and run resulting in property damage. Both are misdemeanors, and she will avoid jail by accepting the plea deal. Lori, the stepdaughter of Steve Harvey, has been sentenced to 2 years of probation. The stipulations of her probation have not been revealed, per TMZ. It is reported, she initially walked away from the scene. An eye witness claims Harvey crashed her Mercedes SUV into another vehicle, flipping her car. The source claims she had been texting and driving. The driver of the other vehicle pulled Harvey from her car, and she allegedly attempted to flee the scene. Once police arrived at the crash, she began Face-Timing with her famous father. Strike Back Studios has acquired the Award Winning indie thriller DISRUPTED from Realization Films. The film is set for a limited theatrical run in cinemas beginning in Los Angeles along with another five key markets beginning on November 11th, before expanding across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand for a Digital and Video On Demand launch beginning on November 17, 2020 on the following platforms: Digital TVOD – Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, Fandango, Microsoft. Cable TVOD – Comcast, Verizon, Direct TV, Dish Network, InDemand, Vubiquity. One-third of “The Breakfast Club” is making moves into television with the Fox Soul streaming network. According to The New York Post, Angela Yee announced the premiere of Established with Angela Yee, a new celebrity interview series on Thursday nights at 10 p.m.The personality, who also co-owns Juices For Life, a juice bar in Brooklyn with Styles P, is steadily building her business empire. When country singer Coffey Anderson was 4 years old, a pastor spoke a powerful proclamation over his life. “We were singing at a revival in Bangs, Texas, at New Testament Holiness Church, and before the pastor came out, they asked me and my sister to sing [the gospel song] ‘Christian Automobile,’” Coffey recalled in an interview with The Christian Post. “The band was playing, and the pastor comes out and goes, ‘who is singing that?’… And he prayed over us that God would use our gifts for Him. I tell everybody, I guess it worked because look where we are right now. Look what’s happening. Are we really taking our gifts and letting Him use it?’” Coffey, along with his wife, hip-hop dancer Criscilla, and their three young children, 8-year-old Ethan, 6-year-old Emmarie, and 3-year-old Everleigh, are the stars of the new Netflix reality series “Country Ever After” that debuted on Friday. The 12-episode show, backed by Lightworkers, follows the Andersons as they raise their children, navigate their professional lives, and live out their faith amid life’s challenges. Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson told CNBC Wednesday he doesn’t have much faith in a Joe Biden presidency and he doesn’t believe Black Americans have benefitted from supporting the Democratic Party. “I think Black Americans are getting a little bit tired of delivering huge votes for the Democrats, and seeing minimal return in terms of economic wealth and closing the wealth gap, job creation and job opportunities,” Johnson, the millionaire entertainment magnate and philanthropist, told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble. “And Joe Biden was not an inspiring candidate for many Black Americans. And some of them stayed at home. Some of them voted for Trump.” Johnson, the first Black billionaire, has his doubts that Biden and the Democratic Party will deliver on promises they made to Black Americans during this election cycle, particularly when it comes to the coronavirus’ effect on the Black economy. “Borat 2” star Jeanise Jones has been tapped to appear in the satirical comedy feature “Reincarnated Royal” from former “South Park” writer Jane Bussmann. “People don’t have words for what they are seeing on the news other than WTF, is Doctor Evil back?” says Bussmann. “Spin-doctors can’t be bothered to hide anything anymore. There’s zero justice, so we thought we’d have some fun.” “Anyway, we’re done with depressing stuff. People are really hurting right now and we want someone to be punished. Vigorously,” says Naisola Grimwood, co-creator of “Reincarnated Royal.” Bussmann adds, “We set out to write something sensible about the pandemic, but we kept testing it in front of live audiences and sh*t just escalated.” Martin Folsom, an 18-year old high school senior student from Florida, is graduating as valedictorian of his class despite the challenges of being homeless over the years. “It’s been a rocky road, a lot of hardships. But seeing myself now about to graduate, about to go to college — it feels good knowing all the stuff I’ve done was worth it,” Folsom said in a video featuring the 2020 graduates of Duval County Public Schools. Folsom, who is graduating from A. Philip Randolph Career Academies in Jacksonville, says that he wants a better future for him and his family and it is what inspired him to strive harder to finish as valedictorian. A retired Air Force officer from Albuquerque will become the first Black state senator in New Mexico’s 108-year history. In his first attempt at elected office, Democrat and retired Capt. Harold Pope Jr. unseated Republican Sen. Sander Rue, who is white, and held the suburban district since 2009. Tuesday’s election is transforming both chambers of the Legislature to more closely reflect New Mexico’s demographics. For the first time, the House will be the majority female, with 37 women out of 70 representatives, up from 32. It’s likely that three more state Senate seats will be held by women, increasing the total to 12, or less than one-third of the 42-person chamber. NBA star JR Smith went viral over the weekend for a little joy ride he took Sunday in celebration of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The free-agent guard, fresh off winning a title with the Los Angeles Lakers, is seen in the viral video cruising past what appeared to be Donald Trump supporters in Los Angeles, blasting the YG & Nipsey Hussle anthem, “FDT,” a.k.a. “F*** Donald Trump.” https://youtu.be/sBc2D3gW4kg The highest-ranking Black staffer in the White House, who just a few months ago tried to convince America that the president should be granted four more years in office, just happened to quit his post one day before Donald Trump‘s campaign for re-election failed. Ja’Ron Smith, the now-former Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, said his resignation from the Trump administration had already been in the works. In what could be a telling sign of a Black man trying to desperately disassociate himself from the four-year indelible stain on American history that was the racist Trump administration, the official statement about Smith’s “planned departure” from the White House was tweeted from his personal Twitter account instead of the verified account he used as a White House staffer. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Following Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ historic triumph, several congratulatory messages poured in on social media, including one that encompassed words of wisdom from former First Lady Michelle Obama. Obama shared a powerful message applauding Biden, Harris and their families on the win, honoring those who were on the frontlines leading civic engagement initiatives and fighting against voter suppression and shedding light on what the path to progress in America will look like. “I’m beyond thrilled that my friend @JoeBiden and our first Black and Indian-American woman Vice President, @KamalaHarris, are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House. Our country sorely needs it,” she wrote. “Thank you to all of you who poured every ounce of your hope and determination into this democracy over these past four years, registering voters, getting them to the polls, keeping folks informed. More votes were cast in this election than ever before. It’s because of you.” As the nation grapples with looming societal issues like racial injustice, the public health crisis, climate change and a myriad of other matters, young voters made sure their calls for change were heard at the polls. There was a significant increase in youth voter turnout, especially amongst young voters of color. Data from AP VoteCast and the National Election Poll showed President-elect Joe Biden received an outpour of support from Black voters between the ages of 18 to 29. In Georgia and North Carolina—two states that have historically been red—90 percent of Black youth voted for Biden. Youth votership in Georgia contributed to 21 percent of the state’s votes. The state of Michigan saw a significant increase in young voter turnout with 9.4 percent of early votes coming from youth. The New York Times reported that nationally 62 percent of youth voted for the Biden-Harris ticket. Kamala Harris has officially made history by becoming the first Black Vice President-elect of the United States. Her triumph signifies progress for historically underrepresented and disenfranchised groups who have been far too long excluded from the political table. Harris stands on the shoulders of Black women throughout history who have relentlessly fought for political rights. The Howard University graduate’s feat was also made possible by the perseverance of fellow HBCU alumnae who unwaveringly worked to tip the scale towards change. Among the women who led the charge was political powerhouse Stacey Abrams. The Spelman College alumna—who was a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2018—has put in years of work when it comes to getting out the vote in the state of Georgia and was instrumental in turning the swing state blue. Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) acknowledged that he urged President-elect Joe Biden to choose a Black female running mate, making a private case that he strongly believed it would help him win more votes against President Donald Trump. “I said to him in private that I thought that a lot of the results would turn on whether or not that woman was a Black woman,” Clyburn, credited with resetting Biden’s Democratic primary trajectory, told CNN’s Dana Bash on Saturday about the running mate search. “I gave him all my advice to him in private. But I am very pleased that it was a Black woman selected. I think it cemented his relationship to the Black community.” Biden’s presidential victory also means that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) will become the first woman and first Black vice president-elect in America. Polling predictions frustrated and mystified voters on election night, as they did four years ago, when now-President Donald Trump far exceeded the prognosticators’ expectations. One area where this year’s polls were mostly in line with expectations, however, is religion. Exit polls conducted with voters by Edison Research for the National Election Pool and by AP VoteCast show that white evangelicals and Catholics changed their minds very little from 2016. Support for Trump among white evangelicals remained constant (82 percent), according to VoteCast, but somewhat lower in the NEP exit poll (76 percent) — in keeping with 2016 results. Likewise, Catholics, who evenly split their vote in 2016, were also split between Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden this year. Trump got 47 percent of the overall Catholic vote this time, according to the NEP, and 50 percent, according to VoteCast. It was a good time for Alabama to have a bye week. The Crimson Tide take over the No. 1 spot in the Amway Coaches Poll as the top five gets a complete overhaul. Alabama moves up thanks to Clemson’s double-overtime loss at Notre Dame. The Tide received 55 of 62 first-place votes. They return to action next Saturday against struggling LSU. Notre Dame, meanwhile, leapfrogs two places into the No. 2 spot thanks to its big win. The Fighting Irish got four No. 1 votes, their first of the season, helping them pass Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who handled their business against Rutgers, claimed the remaining three first-place votes. Clemson slips only to fourth, still well positioned to keep its streak of College Football Playoff appearances alive but with no margin for error going forward. Lamar Jackson’s 9-yard touchdown run with 11:08 left in the game at Indianapolis gave Baltimore a 21-10 lead — and the NFL record for consecutive games with 20 or more points. The Ravens have now done it 31 times after starting the day tied with Denver for the record. The Broncos did it 30 times with Peyton Manning from 2012-14. Baltimore also needs four yards rushing to reach 100 as a team in a 31st consecutive game. The Ravens are tied with Carolina for the third-longest streak since the 1970 merger and have won a league-high nine straight road games including all three this season. Matt Ryan took advantage of Denver’s thin secondary to throw three touchdown passes and the Atlanta Falcons turned back Denver’s bid for a second consecutive comeback to beat the Broncos 34-27 on Sunday. Ryan completed 25 of 35 passes for 284 yards with one interception. Atlanta (3-6) improved to 3-1 under interim coach Raheem Morris. Atlanta led Denver (3-5) 20-3 at halftime. Drew Lock, trying to lead another fourth-quarter comeback, threw two touchdown passes and ran for a 10-yard score in the final quarter that made it 34-27. With Atlanta leading by seven points, the Broncos took the ball at their 20 with 44 seconds remaining and no timeouts. Following three incompletions by Lock, a fumbled snap ended the possession. The 2020 North Carolina Black Business Expo that will go down November 9 – 15, 2020. Due to Covid-19, this event will be virtual! blob:https://www.facebook.com/8488de2f-220b-4407-b9b7-595bd04b3bcb New Edition lead singer Ralph Tresvant says he was once ambushed by a fan wearing a maid costume at the height of his fame. Tresvant tells Page Six that the wild encounter occurred when he was around 15 years old. The determined fan dressed up as a maid to sneak into his hotel room. “When I checked in my room, she was lying in the bed. It was an old lady, too,” he explained. “I said, ‘I’m sorry — I think I’m in the wrong room.’ And she said, ‘Oh no, you got the right room, baby,’ and pulled the covers back.” https://youtu.be/9paC0OiJxXk Keegan- Michael Key and Ricky Martin star in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.” Keegan- Michael Key and Ricky Martin play two evil Christmas toy stealing masterminds. https://youtu.be/aYPUYVgwLWY Eboni K Williams called in to SiriusXM’s Bevelations on Radio Andy yesterday to discuss her new podcast “Holding Court with Eboni K Williams.” While talking to SiriusXM’s Bevy Smith, Eboni K Williams shared which RHONY cast member she has bonded with the most saying “you know, I’ve, I’ve gone through it with Leah McSweeney.” https://youtu.be/lQuFXkFiYUI LeBron James is gettin’ him some “gitback.” The NBA superstar sent out a funny, but serious message when he took to Twitter to express his feelings on Joe Biden‘s presidential victory over Donald Trump. James tweeted an edited photo of President-elect Joe Biden “blocking” President Trump after the former vice president clinched the race for the White House on Saturday. Those who are familiar, know the original image is of James when he famously and fabulously blocked then Golden State Warriors player Andre Iguodala layup shot during the 2016 NBA Finals. The snap James shared Saturday shows Biden’s face edited onto his body and Trump’s face edited onto Iguodala’s. Joe Biden has been projected to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, clearing the way for Kamala Harris to become the first woman and first Black woman vice president-elect. The Associated Press called the race late Saturday morning after it was determined that Biden won the race in Pennsylvania, which carries enough electoral college votes to push him past the threshold to become president-elect. Biden’s win caused Trump to be the first incumbent American president to lose re-election in nearly 30 years. While defeating Trump was a priority for civil rights groups, they also emphasized the deep significance of Kamala Harris’ rise to the executive branch of government. Sen. Kamala Harris, the American daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, is Joe Biden’s choice for vice president. Biden wins and Harris breaks a three century-old barrier to become the nation’s first female vice president, first Black vice president and first Black female vice president. Geraldine Ferraro was the first female vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, in 1984. In 2008, Alaska’s then-governor Sarah Palin was Republican John McCain’s running mate. Today, Black female mayors lead several of the United States’ biggest cities, including Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco. Black women are police chiefs, gubernatorial candidates, and, in growing numbers, congresswomen. Now, Black women, who once had no chance of even voting for president – much less being president – will see one of their own a step away from the Oval Office. Flomaton (Alabama) Police Captain Scott Walden is under investigation after he made political and potentially dangerous comments on Facebook about supporters of Joe Biden. The negative comments were made on Walden’s personal Facebook page where he reacted to a post critical of people who voted for Biden saying: "They need to line up ev1 of them and put a bullet in their skull for treason.” His comment was in response to a user who wrote: “The idiots that voted for Biden hated Trump enough to throw the country away. Thank the lying liberals and Democrats news media.” https://youtu.be/vk4kfzVC0bc An amazing video spoofing the 2020 presidential election with the epic final battle in “Avengers: Endgame” has gone viral. The video which debuted on Facebook depicts Joe Biden as Captain America, preparing for a showdown with Donald Trump’s Thanos. Biden soon finds help in Kamala Harris, who swoops in as Falcon as her debate mantra “I’m speaking” is heard through Biden’s earpiece. Georgia figureheads Stacey Abrams and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms then emerge as Okoye and Shuri of “Black Panther,” with Barack Obama filling in for T’Challa himself. Other cameos include Bernie Sanders as Doctor Strange, Pete Buttigieg as Spider-Man, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke as the Guardians of the Galaxy, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as Captain Marvel and Nancy Pelosi as the Wasp. https://www.facebook.com/watch/jhpfilm/ Joe Biden has won election as the nation’s 46th president, defeating Donald Trump and ending his presidency by winning a series of tight contests across national battlegrounds. NBC, CNN, ABC and the Associated Press all called the race for Biden shortly before 11: 30 a.m. Saturday after a grueling vote count that had the country on pins and needles. The projections came seconds after Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania grew to more than 30,000 votes after Philadelphia reported about 3,000 ballots. Biden won 85 percent of that count, and more ballots from the city are expected later today. Kamala Harris who just became not only America’s first female, but first Black and first South Asian vice president-elect. She now represents a new face of political power after an election all about who wields power and how they use it. Harris, 56, tweeted the video of herself on the phone with President-elect Joe Biden shortly after the networks and the Associate Press projected their win. “We did it, we did it, Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States,” she said with a signature laugh. https://youtu.be/FUMu9jwxZLc A Los Angeles man was arrested after he recorded a video stating he will shoot Democrats if Joe Biden wins the election. The unidentified man posted the video on Instagram early Friday morning and said he will take action if Biden wins as President-elect. He states,” At this point, like, if Biden gets in, I’m just gonna do like a school shooter, just take out all these Democrats and a few pedophiles on the way out. If I go to hell, I’m taking these motherf–kers with me.” Local police and federal agents later tracked down the video and took the man into custody then placed him on a psychiatric hold. The video caused major concern due to a large demonstration that was scheduled to take place in downtown Los Angeles. Maya D. Wiley recently announced that she will run for mayor of New York in next year’s race. The current mayor, Bill de Blasio, will not run because of term limits. In a video kicking off her campaign, Wiley implied that there’s a “crisis of confidence in our city’s leadership.” Wiley knows de Blasio well because she once served as his top attorney. Since leaving the mayor’s circle, Wiley has gained a large following as a political and legal analyst on MSNBC. https://youtu.be/1lOUbu1rX7c On Friday, Nov. 6, the ladies of The Real discuss if it’s fair for women to be given an extra hand to get ahead in the world. Co-host Loni Love doesn’t think anyone should be given anything they don’t deserve, but she does believe in affirmative action, because it gives qualified people a chance they might not otherwise have. https://youtu.be/LA1ytyJMi44 Dr. Dre‘s estranged wife has filed legal docs to obtain paperwork relating to any children the mogul may have fathered with other women during their 24-year marriage. Nicole Young is trying to dig up documents showing paternity actions Dre may have been involved in. Young is also trying to subpoena three women Dre allegedly had affairs with: singer Jillian Speer, model turned skincare entrepreneur Kili Anderson and Crystal Rogers, the ‘Queen of Latin hip-hop,” according to the Daily Mail. They each have been named in the latest court filing in their bitter divorce. Nicole claims the women are former lovers of the Dre, and she’s reportedly trying to get them to spill the tea on her soon-to-be-ex-husband. https://youtu.be/u7q_UWXbsL0 While he’s been locked up for the past year and a half, YNW Melly is now being sued for millions by the families of slain YNW members, YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser, both of whom he’s accused of killing, and allegedly confessed about it. As Melly recently flaunted his shiny new grills and enjoyed watching strippers twerk outside of his jail cell, courtesy of his mother, he’s now been hit with wrongful death civil suits filed on behalf of the families of Juvy and Sakchaser. The suits, which each are seeking “tens of millions” of dollars have been filed against Melly, his mother Jamie King, his manager Jameson Francois, and his co-defendant YNW Bortlen. There are less than 150 Black women pilots in the United States. That equates to less than one percent representation in the entire career field. Sisters of the Skies aims to change that. The professional group of Black women pilots formed with the goal of boosting their numbers through mentorship, professional development, STEM, outreach and scholarships. They’re hoping that through their programs, more Black women will get their licenses to become airline transport pilots, military pilots, commercial pilots, or certified flight instructors. “Young ladies don’t know what they can accomplish because sometimes in order for us to be something, you have to see something,” an SOS member told Good Morning America. “I have been mistaken more times than I care to count for someone other than a pilot.” Lori Loughlin could be released from prison by Christmas. The actress began serving her two-month prison sentence last month for her involvement in the college admissions scandal. As part of her sentence she was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and serve 150 hours of community service, PEOPLE reported. Lori’s husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, also agreed to a plea deal in August. He was sentenced to 5-months in prison, 50 hours of community service and pay a $250,000 fine. https://youtu.be/u5-xWzqtlGQ Lucasfilm, the company behind film “Red Tails,” is encouraging folks to honor the Tuskegee Airmen on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, by launching an educational curriculum guide for grades 6-12, a social media campaign, and making the documentary “Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War” permanently available on its website. Additionally, Lucasfilm will be adding written profiles on Tuskegee pilots, nurses, and ground personnel to its website leading up to Veterans Day. And for the month of November, it’s offering “Red Tails” for free on Disney+. Lucasfilm also released “Celebrate the Tuskegee Airmen,” a reel narrated by “Red Tails” star Leslie Odom Jr., which spotlights the Airmen’s story and legacy. https://youtu.be/QmcpILi1Rxc Years after their deaths, Whitney Houston, the Notorious B.I.G. and T. Rex’s Marc Bolan will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joining them as part of the hall’s 2020 class are Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and the Doobie Brothers. Houston, T. Rex, B.I.G. and the Doobie Brothers are being inducted after being on the ballot for the first time. The Rock Hall’s annual induction ceremony was originally supposed to take place in May at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, the city where the rock museum is located, but things changed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, HBO will air a taped special airing Saturday at 8 p.m. EST, with big names like Bruce Springsteen, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Alicia Keys making appearances alongside some of the inductees. A Savannah man has been charged in the fatal shooting of Chicago rapper King Von in Atlanta on Friday morning. Timothy Leeks, 22, was charged with murder after the Atlanta Police Department secured warrants on Saturday, police confirmed to USA TODAY. King Von, 26, whose real name is Dayvon Bennett, was shot Friday during an argument between two groups of men that “escalated to gunfire.” Bennett was taken to an area hospital, where he died. Police in Texas have arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of shooting dead the actor Eddie Hassell. D’Jon Antone was arrested on Wednesday on a capital murder charge following what police said was a robbery which went wrong. Hassell, 30, was best known for his roles on the NBC show Surface and in the 2010 movie The Kids Are All Right. He was shot outside his girlfriend’s apartment in Grand Prairie, a Dallas suburb. The actor was shot in the abdomen and taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. Brax, a social media influencer and rapper, has died at the age of 21. Born Braxton Baker, she was working on two albums and three novels at the time of her death, according to an Instagram post from her mother, Letricia Loftin, on Thursday. The specifics of Brax’s death are still unclear. “At the time of her ascendance she laid in sacred form,” Loftin’s post reads. “There were no scratches there were no bruises, her internal and external being was completely pure. It was a spiritual release. God retrieved the angel He loaned us.” Brax had also been pursuing a singing career and choreography, among various other talents. Her mother’s post also indicates that fashion projects were in the works, specifically ones that involved “Black queer revolutionary womxn.” Justin Bieber launched the “next chapter” of his YouTube series where he gives viewers a peek into his home life and marriage during the lockdowns that includes a couples’ counseling session with Pastor Judah Smith. In the documentary special, Bieber, who hasn’t been on the road since 2017, opened up about having to cancel his tour dates due to the COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide. https://youtu.be/RUcLuQ17UV8 Tye Tribbett has released his brand new single, “Anyhow.” We all know that the phrase “hallelujah anyhow” is a raw proclamation that encourages us to persevere, no matter how challenging the circumstance. Marked by gritty determination, “Anyhow” is a necessary addition to the soundtrack of this year. https://youtu.be/Q0u2FBVKDhM While ballots are still being tallied in the historic American Presidential race and a final result on the occupant of the White House for the next four years remains undecided, daily digital show #RolandMartinUnfiltered has emerged as a clear winner on Election Night 2020 generating more than 555K views on Facebook Live, YouTube and Periscope during an 8-plus hour live stream. ?Award-winning journalist and BIN Commentator Roland S. Martin of #RolandMartinUnfiltered kept viewers up to speed on developments up and down the ballot nationwide all night long on Election Night 2020, anchoring an exclusive live special from the heart of Washington DC at Black Lives Matter Plaza, "Election 2020 - Black Voters Matter." TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, continues with UNCENSORED: Best of Hip Hop this Sunday, November 8 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, November 11 at 10 PM/9C. This episode of UNCENSORED highlights some of Hip Hop's greatest artists, featuring commentary from Faith Evans, Snoop Dogg, Charlamagne Tha God, K. Michelle, Rick Ross, Jermaine Dupri, Lala Anthony and Nick Cannon who reflect on the biggest music and moments in hip hop history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS7sjyh4TwQ&feature=youtu.be Al Roker just shared some bad news. He has prostate cancer. Roker, 66, made the announcement this morning on the “Today” show. The revered weatherman and journalist said that he will be taking time off to undergo surgery. https://youtu.be/Ol8VlUooqqo The City of Daytona Beach, Fla. has sworn in its first Black police chief. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young, 42, replaces Chief Craig Capri, who is retiring from the police department after a 30-year career. He’s been the chief of Daytona PD since 2017. Young served as the department’s deputy chief since 2017 and has been a member of the command staff for the past six years. https://youtu.be/Dhua6gdeOmU Kanye West has been hit with a $1 million class action lawsuit over his live Nebuchadnezzar opera, which premiered last year. The rapper hosted the show at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Workers claim West failed to pay their wages, as well as failing to pay minimum wage and overtime. Several employees have sued West and Live Nation. Additionally, a hair assistant on the production also claims she is owed “unpaid wages, continuing wages, damages, civil penalties, statutory penalties and attorney’s fees and costs”. https://youtu.be/QB8fs-udAfA Migos rapper Offset will make his film acting debut in the STXfilms feature “American Sole.” Offset (born Kiari Cephus) joins stars Pete Davidson, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Camila Mendes in the drama, from writer/director Ian Edelman. “This is my first feature film as an actor. After doing NCIS, I knew I wanted to do more acting. Landing this role in American Sole is dope,” the rapper said. “Not only do I get to star in the movie, but I get to bring my skills to the table as the curator and executive producer for the soundtrack. I’m bringing my world to the big screen. I hope the world is ready.” DaBaby says he’s going to therapy after the recent death of his brother, Glen Johnson. Johnson died by suicide Tuesday in their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. His death was reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Prior to taking his own life, he shared an Instagram video of him sitting in his car while holding a gun, TMZ reported. The video showed the father of three speaking about how he’s “been wronged,” while crying. Rapper King Von and two others were shot and killed early Friday outside an Atlanta hookah bar. “The preliminary investigation indicates that Dayvon Bennett, aka King Von, and a group of men left the Opium Nightclub and went to the Monaco Hookah Lounge, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, per NBC.com. “Once there, two men approached the group in the parking lot, and the two groups of men started to argue with each other. The argument quickly escalated to gunfire between the two groups.” Fans of Summer Walker suspect she is pregnant with her first child with ex-boyfriend London on da Track, and Erykah Badu will be her doula. According to The YBF, one of London’s three baby mama’s has confirmed that Summer is pregnant. Last month, the singer announced on Instagram that she and London had called it quits. Gospel music powerhouse Anthony Brown and group therAPy releases new album Stuck in the House: The Pandemic Project, featuring the single “Call to Action,” a powerful song unifying all people for the betterment of the world right now and generations to follow. Along with the eye-opening “Call to Action,” other standout songs on the nine-track album includes the up-tempo feel-good stompers “Something Good” and “History." The evoking worship songs “Help” and “Father I Stretch,” and the melodic spirit soother “Yadiyah (I Love You).” https://smarturl.it/ABStuckInTheHouse CMA nominated singer/songwriter Mickey Guyton has released the new music video for her latest heartfelt anthem “Heaven Down Here”. Directed by Sarah McColgan, the timely track and video display a relevant reflection of the world and a plea to God through Guyton’s lens. “Sitting at home and watching the world burn down around me during this pandemic led me to write Heaven Down Here”, explains Guyton. “It is a song asking God to spare a little love for this world in need. This song came from the very depths of my heart and has given me a renewed sense of self. It has real raw emotion and was written with a therapeutic intent of healing my heart. I hope that everyone can hear that intent and receive the same healing.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvR-L9IsH9M&feature=youtu.be Stacey Abrams has responded to the outpouring of support and recognition heaped upon her in the wake of Georgia voters pushing Joe Biden past Donald Trump in the state’s election during the early hours of Friday morning. She was being largely credited for her role in getting out the vote in the state and her successful efforts at organizing against the same kind of voter suppression efforts suffered by her historic gubernatorial candidacy two years ago. Ever the humble public servant, Abrams instead deflected the praise being lavished on her to pay homage to other individuals and groups who also helped pave the way for a Democratic presidential nominee to win the state of Georgia for the first time in nearly 30 years. “My heart is full,” Abrams tweeted Friday morning. She then selflessly asked Georgians to name other people she may have missed “who’ve been in the trenches and deserve the plaudits for change.” Voters in the congressional district represented by the late John Lewis were responsible for casting the ballots that pushed Joe Biden past Donald Trump in Georgia as the president got closer to meeting his political demise. The development came as America anxiously awaits the presidential election results in several key states. Absentee ballots from Clayton County voters were tabulated overnight and have given Biden the slimmest of leads over Trump, whose path to winning 270 electoral college votes were all but eliminated by the early morning developments. As of about 6:30 Friday morning, Biden was enjoying a lead of more than 1,000 votes. It was a significant achievement considering he trailed Trump by hundreds of thousands of votes after all of the ballots cast on Election Day were counted. Donald Trump managed to find a new way to further divide the country as he perpetuated the lie that voter fraud was the cause of his shrinking leads in key battleground states expected to tilt the results in favor of Joe Biden. As of early Friday morning, Biden’s lead among electoral college votes placed him just one state away from victory, a fact that Trump tried to counter by distorting the circumstances and falsely describing himself as a victim. Those unproven claims that have repeatedly been made since Election Night and offered without any proof have prompted his most ardent supporters — including and especially armed ones — to hit the streets in protest. Ironically, it appeared they were actually protesting the long-established American political democratic tradition of legally counting and verifying ballots. Ice Cube is still quite deep in his feelings over all of the backlash he’s received for aligning himself with Donald Trump‘s campaign to be re-elected. At least, that’s the image he projected Thursday morning when he suggested in a tweet that Black people should be thanking him — not vilifying him — for allegedly getting Trump to vow to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the Black community. The tweet prompted Roland Martin, the no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is journalist, to be the latest voice of truth. He was also armed with receipts galore while explaining to Ice Cube in no uncertain terms why Trump has effectively “played” the rapper into believing in the president’s so-called Platinum Plan can be effective, let alone instituted. https://youtu.be/snXlL-sR1Q4 The clear and present existential threat to Donald Trump‘s presidency the legal votes cast in the 2020 election has prompted some of the most loyal Republicans to freak out, panic and blame each other as their racist in chief claims without proof that he’s the victim of voting fraud. While the lies spouted by Trump are nothing new to anyone who’s been paying attention, the public in-fighting displayed by Republicans loyal to Trump — henceforth known as Trumpublicans — hasn’t really been seen before; at least not on the scale that’s been unfolding since the counting of absentee ballots overnight into Thursday helped Joe Biden make up crucial ground in swing states that are expected to help him secure election victory. Trump is reportedly very angry. TV One today announced the premiere date for its new original holiday film CHRISTMAS DILEMMA is set for Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 7 P.M. ET/ 6C with an immediate encore at 9 P.M. ET/ 8C. The film marks the first project directed by Essence Atkins and builds on the actor’s longstanding relationship with TV One. As an actor, Atkins’ TV One credits include original films such as Girlfriend’s Getaway and its sequel, along with Coins For Christmas, and Coins For Love. Filmed in Atlanta, the movie stars BJ Britt (Being Mary Jane, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Brittany Hall (Ballers, Satisfaction) , Carl Anthony Payne II (Martin, 5th Ward), and Christopher B. Duncan (Black Lightning, The Jamie Foxx Show). Grammy Award-winning Christian artists for King & Country have released their first full-length Christmas album, "A Drummer Boy Christmas," during what they describe as “hopeless times.” The brothers say they want the birth of Christ to help people “turn to something that is much more everlasting” than current events. “My hope is that the birth of Jesus will be something that is celebrated with a different vigor this year,” Luke Smallbone told The Christian Post in a recent interview. After several months in pandemic-altered theaters, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” will head to home release on Dec. 15, Warner Bros. said Thursday. “Tenet” will be available digitally as well as on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K just before the holidays, potentially bringing an end to its turbulent but singular run in theaters. The film remains the only major Hollywood release to test cinemas during COVID-19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pk_TBkihU CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN brings a uniquely crafted approach to the sandwich and fries staple in this week's episode featuring Chef Resha who joins Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, November 7 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Trust us, this is not your typical school night dinner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXWtPwkhj10&feature=youtu.be Entertainment One’s (eOne) GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer James Fortune celebrates, his 7th #1 Gospel single as an artist, “Nobody Like Jesus” featuring beloved artist Lisa Knowles Smith. Topping the charts once again further solidifies James Fortune as a mainstay in the gospel music industry. Gospel Spotlight's James Fortune!!! Hear James Fortune In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/james_fortune_intvw.htm The fact that we are currently waiting on pins and needles to hear the result of Georgia’s ballot count is in large part a testament to the blood, sweat and tears shed by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and her war on voter suppression. The race was not supposed to be this close. https://youtu.be/ZPlUVhPHnO0 The 90’s teen horror film “The Craft” has been given the reboot treatment from Columbia Pictures and Blumhouse Productions. The reboot reportedly follows a story similar to the original 1996 film (including some of the rituals), which starred Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk and Rachel True. https://youtu.be/SxEqB--5ToI Love & Hip Hop: New York” star Erica Mena has shared the first photos of her 9-month-old daughter’s face to her Instagram on Wednesday. One photo shows Mena and baby Safire Majesty wearing matching pants and one image of Safire rocking a cute bow headband. The proud mother captioned the photo, “The BEST part of 2020 ?? My Safire Majesty,” Mena wrote in the caption. https://www.instagram.com/iamerica_mena/?utm_source=ig_embed Netflix director Remi Weekes’ releases his debut feature “His House,” which centers on two Sudanese refugees who are given asylum in Britain but under some pretty strict rules. They can’t work and they must not leave the deteriorating house which they are assigned. They are further tormented by a ‘night witch’ and ghosts/spirits who live in the walls. https://youtu.be/DYY0QJhlXjc David Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie are serving up a new spin to the stories behind Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. The latest trailer for “Come Away” has dropped, starring actress Keira Chansa as Alice and Oyelowo and Jolie as her parents Jack and Rose. https://youtu.be/FXGL3uU0lxY It’s official…. actress Lashana Lynch has been confirmed as the new 007, and she’s making history as not only the first Black woman to take on the iconic role, but the first Black person period. https://youtu.be/0RzN_KaaGNw Paula White, President Trump’s “spiritual adviser,” has gone viral again for a prayer service she held Wednesday, Nov. 4, with the purpose of summoning “angels” to aid in Trump’s re-election campaign. In the video, White says “demonic covenants” and “demonic confederacies” are trying to “hijack the election” and the “plan of God.” “We break and divide every demonic confederacy against the election, against America, against that who you have declared to be in the White House. We break it up in the name of Jesus.” White declared from the pulpit. https://youtu.be/AUmMUmLYT1Y The City of Philadelphia has identified the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., the 27-year-old Black man who killed last month during a confrontation with law enforcement. During a press conference Wednesday, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw named Sean Matarazzo, 25, and Thomas Munz, 26, as the officers involved in the deadly incident, ABC News reports. Officials also released audio and bodycam footage of the officers’ interaction with Wallace in the moments leading up to his death. https://youtu.be/xDD1-rLiNZg Metro Nashville Public Schools student who is African American and has autism has sued the district over a “Let’s Make A Slave” lesson taught to his fourth grade class earlier this year. The “lesson” at Waverly-Belmont Elementary School focused on a slave owner’s speech to white Virginia colonists on how to control slaves. Among other statements, the suit shows the speech included comparing African Americans to horses, tarring slaves, and setting them on fire. The suit contends that by being forced to hear the speech and go through the lesson, the boy was subjected to a “racially hostile environment” and he and his classmates were told to pretend they were actually slaves. https://youtu.be/QhP5GbJnZCU The Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods member who kidnapped rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine in July 2018 was sentenced Wednesday to 24 years in prison. Anthony “Harv” Ellison was convicted for the kidnapping in a fall 2019 trial. He was also convicted for retaliatory-related gang violence that involved 6ix9ine’s then-manager Kifano “Shotti” Jordan and an innocent bystander named Mark Hobdy. 6ix9ine was showing off approximately $15,000 to $20,000 in cash and flaunting his $750,000 chain before all of it was snatched in a robbery, kidnapping and beating that landed him in the hospital. https://youtu.be/FQn1u-6y2U0 Voters in Rhode Island have decided that its racist name has got to go, and it has nothing to do with “Rhode” or “Island.” It’s the “Providence Plantations” part of RI’s official name, “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” that was the subject of a referendum on Tuesday’s ballot. After years of criticism for its racist connotations, the ballot question to remove “and Providence Plantations” passed with nearly 53 percent of the vote. https://youtu.be/-HK9G0gT5v0 A year after announcing their plans to tie the knot, Lamar Odom and fiancé Sabrina Parr have called off their engagement. Parr confirmed the news on Instagram Wednesday night, noting that the former NBA star has some personal issues that he needs to sort out, PEOPLE reports. “Y’all know I’m honest and transparent so I have to be the first to let you guys know that I am no longer engaged to Lamar,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “This has been a difficult decision for me to make but it is the best for myself and my children.” “Lamar has some things that he alone has to work through,” she continued, adding that she loves him “dearly” but is “no longer able to be by his side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs.” Deitrick Haddon delivers another heart grabbing single to radio with his newest release "Complete Me". The contemporary mid tempo starts off with the powerful lyrics, "I thought about how much I need you Lord, I just want to please you Lord, hold me up when I fall short... only YOU can complete me Lord." It's a melodic prayer to God. It speaks to the need for God to be one's strength in hard times. The chorus says "Nobody else in the world compares to You, You complete me." With everything going on in the world, "Complete Me" is sure to resonate with listeners. "Complete Me" is the second single off of the chart topping and celebrated 2019 release from Haddon, "TIME (Truth Is my Energy)". "Complete Me" is also a fan favorite from the TIME album. A video for "Complete Me" is forthcoming. Rapper Kanye West officially launched his new school, Yeezy Christian Academy. The hip-hop and fashion mogul released the school’s first promotional video days before the election featuring a group of children, including West’s 7-year-old daughter, North, and his 4-year-old son, Saint. Kourtney Kardashian’s children — Mason Disick, 10, and Penelope Disick, 8, were also featured in the video. The celebrity children were joined by other kids as they all sported blue outfits with the letters YCA on the front of their T-shirts. In the video, the kids are heard saying the academy’s mantra: “Dear Future, I still believe in you.” Black celebrities, artists, and athletes have been using their platforms to encourage people to vote in the 2020 election in light of the rampant racial strife and injustice around the country. John Legend, who has been a strong advocate for Black empowerment through civic engagement throughout his career, reminded people to vote for the Biden/Harris presidential ticket at a campaign event in Philadelphia on Monday. During the event, he lambasted President Donald Trump for his greed and called his “Platinum Plan” for Black folks nothing but “fool’s gold.” He also took a swipe at rappers like 50 Cent and Lil Wayne who have come out in support of Trump in the past several weeks. “We need a president we can trust. That’s the kind of president Joe Biden will be. And he won’t only reverse the damage of the last four years hand-in-hand with Senator Kamala Harris, they will build back a better economy and country than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many to stay indoors to combat the viral spread. While inside, people have been getting into different hobbies to promote self-care during anxious times. For one woman, her love of floral arrangements in her pastime led to a business opportunity. Talia Boone is the founder of Postal Petals, a farm-direct delivery service that allows consumers to order flowers in bulk for DIY activities. What motivated Boone to start her business was when she wanted to make her own floral arrangements at home while in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic and couldn’t find any options to buy flowers in bulk for her DIY projects since she wasn’t buying as a business. “I recognized a hole in the marketplace and decided it was a business opportunity,” says Boone in an interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE via email. Dr. Rashae Kapree Barnes received her Ed.D. in educational leadership and supervision from Virginia State University, becoming the youngest scholar to receive her degree from the university. In addition, Rashae also earned a master’s in media management. The Coatsville, PA, native was determined to create a new path and leave a legacy for her family. Barnes began her career as an English teacher but soon began to gravitate toward her passion for media and entertainment. “I’ve actually worked in the media and entertainment industry for over 10 years but I was juggling my career in education, career, and freelancing with media,” says Barnes. Gaining experience hosting red carpet events, conducting interviews, and working with major media companies, including BET, gave Barnes the confidence to move forward. “When I became pregnant with my daughter, I decided I no longer wanted to be on someone else’s schedule. As uncomfortable as I was, I became a full-time media and entertainment entrepreneur.” Optiv Security, a security solutions integrator delivering end-to-end cybersecurity solutions, today announced its Black Employee Network will be offering $40,000 over four years in scholarship funds. The scholarship will be awarded to an individual who identifies as Black and/or African American and is studying a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subject in an effort to increase diversity in the cyber and information security fields. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A senior pastor at celebrity-loved mega-church Hillsong has been sensationally sacked over alleged ‘breaches of trust’ and ‘moral failures’ – six years after he baptized close friend Justin Bieber. Carl Lentz, 41, who co-founded the New York City branch of the Australian church back in 2010, was fired by the organization’s leader Brian Houston, Hillsong confirmed in a statement that was emailed out to congregation members and then issued publicly on Wednesday. ‘This action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures,’ Mr Houston revealed, however he claimed that it would ‘not be appropriate’ to share more details of Lentz’s alleged offences. Mr Houston added that this course of action was ‘not taken lightly and was done in the best interests of everyone, including Pastor Carl’. LeBron James is pleading with citizens of Akron, Ohio to help police in a murder case involving his good friend’s sister … saying Wednesday, “My city I need y’all to go to work.” Bron’s lifelong pal, Brandon Weems — who’s the Cleveland Cavaliers’ director of scouting — lost his sister earlier this week in what officials have ruled a homicide. According to News 5 in Cleveland, 37-year-old Ericka Weems was found by family members in Akron on Monday with a gunshot wound to her head. Police say they’ve launched an investigation … but so far, they’ve made no arrests and say they’ve yet to identify any suspects. LeBron is pleading for help to change that … begging people of his hometown of Akron to come forward if they have any knowledge of the case. A cable news network’s interview with a Black voter in Detroit was going viral Wednesday after he eloquently and accurately addressed the overt acts of voter intimidation by Trump supporters looking to stop ballots from being counted in Michigan’s election, which Joe Biden was projected to win. The interview was especially notable for his phrasing of words — using a crafty combination of “picking cotton” and “presidents” — to contextualize the value of Black voters in America while also addressing a false narrative that blames Black voters for making the 2020 election closer than it was expected to be. The interview aired live on MSNBC after videos showed throngs of Donald Trump‘s supporters confronting ballot counters and chanting for them to stop tabulating the votes, something the president’s campaign called for earlier in the day. People could be seen angrily yelling at vote-counters and menacing them as workers scrambled to cover the glass windows that separated the two groups. https://twitter.com/MichaelEDyson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324131056879095813%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4045161%2Fpicking-cotton-picking-presidents-black-voters-viral-video%2F As much of America experiences a range of emotions anxiously waiting for every presidential vote to be counted, there seems to be a growing sense of satisfaction from civil rights advocates as final results in certain statewide elections have provided somewhat of a silver lining to the national political fray. The race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump to secure 270 electoral college votes has dominated the news cycle amid an election whose results have been delayed in part because of a record number of absentee ballots cast during a pandemic. But other items on various ballots across the country were decided in no uncertain terms, prompting civil rights groups to rejoice over the bright spots in an otherwise stormy political forecast. Criminal justice reform advocates were delivered several key victories, including the election loss for a Georgia district attorney who investigated Ahmaud Arbery‘s killing earlier this year. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com In Israel, the sight of an African American man dressed in full Hasidic regalia tends to attract second glances even from people who don’t recognize this person as an internationally-known Orthodox Jewish rapper. Above all else, however, Nissim Black craves authenticity. He is who he is and can live with the attention. “I get a lot of stares. Mostly good,” Black said. “They could be staring at you because you look different, or they could be staring at you because they like your music, and they don’t necessarily know how to come over and tell you so.” https://youtu.be/NJzEqTD2X7Y Director Anthony Mandler has cast Letitia Wright, Jamie Bell and Michael K. Williams in his civil war drama “Surrounded,” which is set to begin production in New Mexico in November. The project is the first film from Blackhand Media, a partnership between Mandler and BRON Studios. Mander will direct from a screenplay by Andrew Pagana and Justin Thomas. “I couldn’t be more excited that Surrounded is the first film under my partnership with Aaron L. Gilbert’s Bron and the Blackhand Media banner,” said Mandler. “I’ve always loved the Western genre and the opportunity to tell this story from the eyes of a Black female during the Wild West is an honor.” Meanwhile, Wright can next be seen in “Mangrove,” which tells the story of the “Mangrove 9,” a group of British black activists who were tried for provoking riots during a protest in 1970. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com In the latest episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered”, White House correspondents Yamiche Alcindor and April Ryan join Jemele to discuss what it’s like covering President Donald Trump, and the impact of their verbal confrontations with the president. They also discuss how their career paths led them to the White House, and the significance of having black journalists represented in the presidential press corp, and how they expect the election to unfold. Plus, April, who has now covered four presidential administrations, compares and contrasts the different administrations. The Tyscot Records family is still stunned by the sudden and unexpected passing of Bishop Rance Allen. He was joyously looking forward to doing some promotional things regarding the Rance Allen Group's new holiday track, "I'm So Glad It's Christmas." However, Bishop Allen was proud of it and he'd want all of his fans to be aware of it, so we are doing all that we can to spread the word about this awesome song - the Rance Allen Group's first holiday offering since their classic 1974 rendition of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." https://spaces.hightail.com/space/JMIRBhaLvs/files/fi-524190b6-fc44-4794-af1f-4fa76b851486/fv-28851e93-6020-4548-a63d-143338ed41f8/Rance%20Allen%20Group%20-It's%20Christmas-192mp3.mp3 Gospel musician, producer and Anointed Radio Network Founder, Pastor Jaylon Calhoun, is taking us higher with the release of his newest uplifting single, "Wake Up Blessed." The energizing, genre-bending Christian EDM track debuted via AMP Records on October 20. Calhoun’s style has grown in scope and depth, since originally being compared to music heavyweights Luther Vandross and Fred Hammond. The evolution of his music to more energizing and soulful electronic beats continues to be an area of passion and purpose as he takes his message of hope beyond the boundaries of the church. Southern Baptist leaders encouraged Christians to be patient, pray and trust God as they await the results of the race for the White House between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. In electoral votes, Biden holds a 253-213 advantage as ballot counting continued Wednesday (Nov. 4), according to The Associated Press. AP had yet to declare a winner in six states. Of those six states, Biden leads in Arizona and Nevada, while Trump led in Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. If AP’s count holds up and Biden wins the two states in which he is leading, he would have the 270 electoral votes needed to become president. Donald Trump is already demanding a recount in Wisconsin (where Joe Biden has now been declared the winner by 20,000 votes) as he continues to rage over the election results and cry “fraud,” claiming his lead mysteriously “vanished” overnight thanks to “surprise dump ballots.” https://youtu.be/hw_iciIWISY As President Donald Trump appeared to be leading in the election results last night, CNN’s Van Jones noted his dismay over the right race. Jones said “a lot of Democrats are hurt tonight” before noting the difference between a political victory and a “moral victory.” “The political victory still may come. But I think for people who saw babies being snatched away from their mothers at the border, people sending their kids into schools where the n-word is now being used against them, for people seeing this wave of intolerance, they wanted a moral victory tonight. We wanted to see a repudiation of this direction for the country. And the fact that it’s this close I think is — it hurts. It just hurts.” https://youtu.be/4W4SVjOUlCE Progressive Democrat Cori Bush, a leader in the 2014 Ferguson uprising over the police killing of Michael Brown, made history Tuesday after becoming the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress. Bush clobbered Republican Anthony Rogers with a staggering 85 percent of the vote (or more than 80,000 votes) in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, which includes St. Louis and Ferguson. The win follows her stunning primary upset in August over 10-term incumbent Congressman William Lacy Clay, whose family has represented the St. Louis-area congressional district for more than 50 years. https://youtu.be/ptwz7mHCyRw Ritchie Torres, an openly gay Democrat, has made history by becoming the first Afro-Latino LGBTQ person elected to the United States Congress. Torres won in New York’s 15th district in the Bronx, beating his Republican challenger, Patrick Delices, 88.5% to 11.5%. https://youtu.be/TTZz-rrJNnc Evangelical leaders such as Tony Evans, Max Lucado, A. R. Bernard and Kenneth Ulmer are encouraging communities to rise above political partisanship and societal divisions to live out the Gospel by pursuing peace as extremist groups threaten violence nationwide through Inauguration Day. Some 200 evangelical leaders have signed onto a letter titled “A 2020 Call for Biblical Peacemaking: Evangelical Leaders’ Statement on Violence and Division,” that urges believers to rise up as peacemakers. The letter was borne after Christian leaders became increasingly concerned about the “targeting of specific religious, racial and political groups with rhetoric and even, in some cases, violence,” they said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. “We know that elections, especially a deeply divisive election such as this one, can create pressures to act in ways that dishonor Christ’s teachings and biblical values,” states the letter. “We must reject these pressures and not compromise our faith.” Arletha A. Patterson loves God with all of her heart. Having grown up around the church, she exudes a passion for the work of the ministry and gives special attention in providing care for God’s people from the very youngest to the aged and elderly. She has a genuine love for Gospel music (and is a dedicated choir member), but wouldn’t necessarily consider herself a songwriter. Little did she know, God had plans for her that would far exceed her expectations. Patterson's new single "Even In This" features the song stylings of Candace Potts and Brandon Gaines and heads to radio this month. The song is available on all digital outlets and streaming platforms. According to national election results tabulated by the Associated Press, Kanye West passed 60,000 votes in the race for the White House. The rapper was on the ballot in 12 states. His exact count, as of 10:30 a.m. PT Wednesday, was 60,761. https://youtu.be/RssDzKDwaI8 The seventh season of “Braxton Family Values” premieres Thursday on WEtv and finds the sisters reuniting after a tumultuous trip to Napa to support Trina before her wedding. In a dramatic turn, the ceremony kicks off with an unexpected issue that divides the family. Will Trina’s walk down the aisle be the fairytale she always wanted? https://youtu.be/OnRfmIInwEo Now that his children are all grown up, Will Smith could not help but feel nostalgic. The 52-year-old Hollywood actor has not let his successful career hinder him from making his family his top priority. On November 1, Will took to Instagram to share a picture of his daughter, Willow, when she was a little girl, as well as snaps of the latter as a fine young lady. Beside the picture, Will wrote about how he could not imagine that Willow, whom he calls “My Bean,” is now 20. He added that she had broken and rebuilt him, and that it was “unimaginable.” In the pictures, Will marveled at Willow’s beautiful transformation from being an adorable little girl to a woman of flair and substance. He wrote:“It is my wildest pleasure to love & to serve you. Happy Birthday, to my Halloween Queen ?? @willowsmith” It’s a solo album,” Jazz Keyboardist Gail Jhonson said about her new album “Joy” (Shanachie) featuring her all female band Jazz in Pink. “The label is helping me brand my band.” The Jazz in Pink band was founded 12 years ago by Gail, flutist Althea Rene and promoter Kyna Hubbard. Through the years it has had over 50 musicians as members. https://youtu.be/skIU7OAKJao Nelly honored his late sister Jackie Donahue with a lovely performance on “Dancing with the Stars” Monday night. Donahue died in March 2015 from cancer. PEOPLE previously reported, she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in March 2001. The cancer was in remission for nearly two years before Donahue suffered a relapse in 2003. Nelly formed the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign to find a bone marrow donor for his sister but one was never found. Donahue died at age 31. https://youtu.be/Olw4tjVf77c Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann is under fire for calling President Donald Trump a “whiny Kunta Kinte” in a now-deleted tweet. He made the remark in response to Trump firing shots at Fox News for airing speeches from former President Barack Obama. “Actually, Fox puts him on more than anybody else, which is sort of shocking to me because Fox has changed a lot. Somebody said, ‘What’s the biggest difference between this and four years ago?’ I say, ‘Fox.’ It’s much different,” said Trump during an on-air “Fox & Friends” interview. “In the old days, they wouldn’t put, you know, they wouldn’t put Sleepy Joe Biden on every time he opened his mouth. They had other networks for that, frankly, and it was run a much different operation. I’m just telling you it’s much different,” he added before praising the network’s leading opinion hosts but excluding the news department. Lizzo is showing off her patriotism by stripping down to nothing more than the American flag for an Election Day photo shared to Instagram. In the caption, she expressed hope for the future of America. https://youtu.be/JMywuDW8p90 Joe Biden asked for “patience” early Wednesday morning and said neither presidential candidate can declare victory in an election that has seemingly turned into a much closer contest than polling suggested it would be. Results have already been called in many states, setting the stage for the election to be decided by five states. The developments came as Donald Trump tweeted without proof that “they are trying to STEAL the Election.” The tweet was flagged by Twitter because the social media site determined that “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.” As of early Wednesday morning, Biden was leading Trump in the race to 270 electoral college votes 224-213, according to a running tabulation by the Associated Press. Jaime Harrison, the Democratic nominee challenging U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, was projected to fall short in his historic bid to replace an incumbent who was largely seen as vulnerable. The Associated Press projected Graham’s win with fewer than half of the precincts reporting in what was a much less competitive race than expected. Georgia state Sen. Nikema Williams, chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, beat Republican Angela Stanton-King in the Atlanta-based district to replace the late congressman John Lewis in the U.S. House of Representatives. A special election runoff to become Lewis’ short-term replacement takes place next month, but that winner will only be in Congress until Williams is sworn in on Jan. 3. Neither Williams nor Stanton-King is running in the special election. Stanton-King, 43, is a reality TV personality and outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. D.C. police say that three individuals stabbed three people claiming to be members of the white supremacist group Proud Boys during protests early Wednesday morning in Northwest Washington. The stabbing victims, two men and one woman were taken to a local hospital, 2D Watch Commander Lt. Neal tells local ABC news affiliate WJLA. The victims told police the attackers were associated with Black Lives Matter. At this time, there is no proof associated with the victims’ claims. https://youtu.be/9Dz5I7jvoXA Mary Nichols, an influential California attorney known and respected in environmental policy circles across the United States, is finding herself at the center of racial storm brewing at home. Black employees say racism is widespread at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the organization Nichols chairs. In September, African American employees hit CARB with a 13-page letter alleging that they have been experiencing racism – widespread, routine and systemic, they point out – at the air-pollution and climate agency. The “Concerned Black Employees at CARB (CBE CARB),” the Black group that submitted the letter, says its members have been the target of cynical comments at the organization and that they have been excluded from promotions, and have had to face other atrocities because of the color of their skin. Killer Mike, iconic musician and salient voice for social activism, is being celebrated with an all-new mural created and painted by artist Fabian Williams aka Occasional Superstar. Currently up in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, just around the corner from Mike’s barbershop and the birth place of Martin Luther King Jr., the mural depicts Killer Mike’s ‘Never Stop’ commitment to his family and local community through activism, entrepreneurship and art. https://youtu.be/r4vIARbcCdA It’s FALL programming and that brings back two popular OWN shows and introduces two new shows into the mix! It’s going to be a season of Black Love, dating, weddings, exploring relationships and discovering if you have met “your one.” There is, Ready To Love, hosted by Thomas “Nephew” Miles. Put A Ring On It, hosted by relationship expert, Dr. Nicole LaBeach tests couples that are ready to walk down the aisle…by introducing a twist into their relationships! https://youtu.be/CHF3qdqCTkk A judge in Cleveland reportedly tossed Adrian Broner in jail after holding him in contempt of court in relation to a civil lawsuit filed by a woman he allegedly assaulted back in 2018. Judge Nancy Maragaet Russo was absolutely through with Adrien, who reportedly failed to meet any of the deadlines she set for him to hand over evidence showing why he has not been able to pay the $800,000 judgement he now owes the woman involved in the case. Adrien stood in court on Oct 5, telling the judge that he only had $13 to his name. Well, Judge Russo pulled out the receipts, as she saw a video he recently posted on the IG, where he was showing off large stacks of money. Chris Rock is not a fan of historical civil rights movies because they “make racism look very fixable.” “I hate all Civil Rights movies,” Rock said recently on the How Neal Feel podcast with Neal Brennan. “Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the effort and they should exist. The problem is they only show the back of the bus and the lunch counter. They actually make racism look very fixable. They don’t get into how dysfunctional the relationships were.” https://youtu.be/XY1VOd-KzVc “Bridezillas” returns with an all-new episode this week on WE tv, and Jessica fires her wedding planner on her wedding day! https://youtu.be/woJggseAmdc Karew Entertainment celebrates two wins at the 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards. Gospel singer Kierra Sheard won “Gospel Worship Recorded Song of The Year” for her smash hit, “Something Has To Break (Live)” produced by Karew Entertainment president, J. Drew Sheard II, written by Kierra Sheard, Mia Fields, and Jonathan Smith and features Tasha Cobbs Leonard. This award comes from Sheard’s latest album, Kierra. For Karew’s second win, legendary gospel group The Clark Sisters won “Traditional Gospel Album of The Year” for their album, The Return. This album has received rave reviews from fans, and it’s leading single, “Victory”, was #1 on gospel radio play for two weeks in a row! It also includes collaborations with mainstream producers Jermaine Dupri, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Warryn Campbell, J. Drew Sheard II, Mano Hanes, Kurt Carr, and a special feature from hip hop icon, Snoop Dogg. Many of you already know about the passing of one of Gospel's greatest worshipers, Bishop Rance Allen. Bishop Allen touched the hearts and souls of so many during his time on the earthly realm. He was certainly a blessing to the Tyscot family. So, this Wednesday, we will be honoring his legacy on #WorshipandWellnessWednesday. Join Dr. Leonard Scott, Bryant Scott and Sidney Scott as they reminisce about the moments we shared with this Gospel Giant! Wednesday, November 4th at 1pm EST. Tyler Perry has heard all the criticism about his writing style and he’s bringing changes to his studios in Atlanta. After previously catching heat from fans for not having a writers room, the filmmaker plans to hire up-and-coming writers and filmmakers to help expand his brand. “We’re super excited about the young, up-and-coming filmmakers and new writers that we’re working with,” Michelle Sneed, Tyler Perry Studios president of production and development, tells Variety. “Tyler has solidified his place in the industry; his brand is amazing, and we’ll continue to grow that. Then on the other side, we’re working on promoting, providing a platform and advocating for this new talent, both in front of and behind the camera.” The news comes after Perry was criticized for revealing that he does not have a “writers room” for his projects, unlike most television shows. With Michigan a key battleground state that Democrats hope to flip back to blue following Donald Trump’s narrow win in 2016, some of the state’s favorite sons have come out in support of the Biden-Harris campaign on the day before the presidential election. Just hours after Stevie Wonder called upon residents of his home state to support the Biden ticket during a rally in Detroit, a campaign ad featuring Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” — a song he rarely licenses — hit the Internet. Eminem has been a vocal critic of Trump in songs, freestyles and in interviews. https://youtu.be/5p3iMZBzW7M Trump held a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan that went on into the early morning of Election Day. During his event, he took a moment to boast about a rapper who he couldn’t even remember his name. “I love your sound, I love your music,” Trump told the crowd. “And speaking of sound and music and other things – one of the biggest superstars in the world… Lil Pimp!” Trump later corrected his gaffe before [Lil Pump] joined him on stage to voice his support for the President. “Hello everybody how you guys feeling? I’ve come here to say Mr. President I appreciate everything you have done for our country. You brought the troops home and are doing the right thing. MAGA 202020 don’t forget that!” the Gucci Gang rapper said. Lil Wayne’s support for Donald Trump has allegedly cost him his girlfriend. After the rapper endorsed Trump’s re-election last week, not only did he lose a ton of fans, he has now lost his Dominican girlfriend, Denise. She’s a supporter of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and one of her friend’s explained to MTO News, “[Denise] was shocked when she saw Wayne come out with Trump. She’s so disappointed in him.” The friend continued, “She broke up with Wayne. It wasn’t just his Trump support, but that was a big part.” Denise appeared to confirm their split on IG Live and the two are no longer following each other on the platform, according to the report. The small Indian village of Thulasendrapuram saw several dozen people file inside of a Hindu temple, carrying roses and strings of sweet-smelling jasmine, to pray for Kamala Harris. In a report by the New York Times, Harris’ maternal grandfather was born in Thulasendrapuram more than 100 years ago. On Tuesday, Thulasendrapuram, which is about an eight-hour drive from the southern city of Chennai, pulled together in a special ceremony at the main temple to wish Harris good luck. https://youtu.be/Ix_6hNm-Ilk ABC and Dick Clark Productions have tapped Taraji P. Henson to host the 2020 American Music Awards from Los Angeles later this month. “The AMAs brings together the music community to celebrate what really drives all artists — the fans,” Henson said in a statement. “I’m proud to take the stage as this year’s host and also a fan for what promises to be an electrifying night of music.” Leading with the most nominations are The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch, with eight nods each. Megan Thee Stallion has a total of five nominations, including new artist of the year as well as several nominations alongside Cardi B for their hit, “WAP.” First-time nominees DaBaby and Doja Cat each earned four nominations. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the hosts of The Real welcome Tara Setmayer, host of podcast Honestly Speaking with Tara, CNN Political Commentator and Senior Advisor to The Lincoln Project. Tara discusses what Election Night tonight will look like and warns that with all of the changes to voting methods this year, we all shouldn’t be too concerned if it’s a few days before a winner is declared. Co-host Loni Love is anxious about how people are going to behave tonight and she’s encouraging everyone to remain “civilized” and also to stay at home. Meanwhile, co-host Adrienne Houghton has some thoughts on why so much of the Latino community is supporting Donald Trump in the election. https://youtu.be/2oLcgkf38kc Vivica A. Fox became emotional reflecting on her 1996 hit film “Set It Off” while co-hosting ET on Monday. “You’re going to make me cry!” Fox said on the show. “I love them,” she said of her castmates Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Kimberly Elise. “We made history together and I think that’s why I’m so emotional.” Directed by F. Gary Gray, the story follows four close friends who plot a bank robbery. “I am so proud of the director, F. Gary Gray, who over 20 years ago when we made that film, he really was a stickler for making the storyline believable,” Fox said. “He was so professional, he was just… we were throwing out pages, and rewriting it and making things work because he didn’t want us to be laughed at.” The Louisiana man who was arrested two years ago for the fires that burned three historically black churches in the state has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Holden James Matthews, 22, was sentenced Monday to three counts of using fire to commit a felony and three counts of intentional damage to religious property, which is a hate crime under the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996, ABC News reports. https://youtu.be/4x2kIsQGaiA A 99-year-old Mississippi man, born the son of a sharecropper on a plantation, is reminding all of us about the importance of exercising the right to vote. Dr. Robert H. Smith Sr., of Jackson, Mississippi wore a face mask while dropping off his absentee ballot in October and donning his “I Voted” sticker. “I remember when I couldn’t vote,” Smith told ABC News. Smith lives in Hinds County, the most populous county in Mississippi. He said he stood in line for approximately 20 minutes alongside his son to submit his ballot in-person last month. He shared how proud the moment made him feel after overcoming a number of obstacles throughout his lifetime. On Tuesday, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shared pictures of Delonte West at a recovery center. In the photos, the former NBA guard looks happy while playing frisbee and kayaking with others at the facility. Cuban picked up West at a Dallas gas station in September and is reportedly covering the cost of his rehab treatment. “I can just confirm that I found him and helped him,” Cuban told The Washington Post at the time. “The rest is up to Delonte and his family to tell.” https://youtu.be/ABwTtaAIDxg Liberty University has announced that it’s reorganizing its leadership structure following the resignation of former president Jerry Falwell Jr. Liberty’s Board of Trustees met Oct. 29-30 and announced Tuesday that they voted unanimously to restructure the leadership for the prominent Lynchburg, Virginia-based evangelical Christian school. According to the new model, a chancellor will be hired to serve as the spiritual leader for the university and a separate president will be hired to oversee academics, operations, and employees. The board also voted to name 10 trustees to a president and chancellor search committee, which will begin a planning process for presenting candidates for the two leadership positions. A multi-campus evangelical Christian church has reopened its doors after coming to an agreement with local officials in North Carolina, who had previously ordered it to close its buildings in Mecklenburg County following a coronavirus outbreak involving nearly 200 people. Mecklenburg County had earlier issued an Abatement of Imminent Hazard Order for United House of Prayer for All People Church that went into effect Oct. 24. The order prohibited all in-person gatherings at the church’s Mecklenburg County locations until at least Nov. 5. The order came after nearly 200 people who attended a week-long convocation at the church’s Charlotte location earlier last month tested positive for coronavirus. The convocation was also linked to six deaths and at least 10 hospitalizations. McDonald’s is hiring a new chief diversity officer as it struggles with charges of harassment and racism at all levels of the company. Reginald Miller will become the company’s global chief diversity equity and inclusion officer on Nov. 9. Miller was previously the chief diversity officer at VF Corp., the owner of brands such as The North Face, Timberland and Vans. “Reggie and I share the same goal: that in order to move forward, we must move away from the notion that the responsibility of diversity lies with one person, one department or one group,” McDonald’s human resources chief Heidi Capozzi said in a letter to employees that was viewed by The Associated Press. Miller replaces Wendy Lewis, who retired in September. Award-winning journalist and BIN Commentator Roland S. Martin of #RolandMartinUnfiltered will bring the funk on Election Night 2020, anchoring an exclusive live special from the heart of Washington DC at Black Lives Matter Plaza, "The Black Information Network Presents: Election 2020 - Black Votes Matter - hosted by Roland Martin." The six-hour live stream and radio simulcast airs on Tuesday November 3, 2020 from 7 p.m. ET until 1 a.m. ET on #RolandMartinUnfiltered via FaceBook Live, YouTube, Periscope, and Black Information Network/IHeart Media. Bounce, the first and only broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, today announced a partnership with the NAACP to live stream the group's 2020 Special Election Coverage: The Reckoning. BounceTV.com will live stream the special coverage on election night, Tuesday, November 3 starting at 7:00 p.m. (ET) with timely, relevant, and authentic stories of the Black experience hosted by Ed Gordon and featuring political analysts, pollsters, regional correspondents, concerned citizens, elected officials, and celebrity guests. Bounce will also join with the NAACP in hosting a Virtual National Town Hall to review the outcome and impact of this pivotal election on Wednesday, November 4 from 8:00-9:00 p.m. (ET). Today is Election Day, and although many people are focused on the critically important presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, there are many other high profile elections happening across the country where Black women are at the forefront. This election season is a pivotal time in our political history. This year a Black woman became her state’s first Black elected official. An Afro-Latina may become the first to serve in Congress. And Kamala Harris is the first Black and South Asian woman nominated on a major party’s presidential ticket. Black women have made strides in the political space, but we’re not done yet. There are 20 races across the country where Black women can make a lasting impact on Election Day. Listening to this speech can be haunting as Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks of an election in similar terms as what’s at stake in the current 2020 election. With Mercury in retrograde, I’m sure those of you who study numerology can find deeper meaning in this. https://youtu.be/9tRhyqhC_7o Candace Owens may want to think twice before appearing on live TV again after uttering a very telling Freudian slip during an interview with Tucker Carlson Monday night. The conservative pundit who makes a living from going out of her way to prove just how much she really hates her Black self presented further evidence of that truth while discussing the prospects of election-related violence breaking out across the country. Only when she tried to vilify “mob” protesters and predict worse case scenarios to spark fear in white voters in a very transparent effort to bolster support for Donald Trump‘s re-election bid, Owens actually told on herself and all but admitted she wants to see rioting and looting so she can blame Antifa — whether its truly the culprit or not — in an effort to stick to a favorite talking point from conservative media. It was seemingly the first time Owens admitted what people have long suspected of her con artistry, whether she meant to or not. A brief clip of Owens’ self-confessing exchange with Tucker was going viral Monday night after she let Fox News viewers know how she really feels about what she called “mob rule.” The world is watching with collective anxiety as the United States holds what sure seems like the most consequential presidential election in modern history. But as Donald Trump and Joe Biden wage a war of words against each other amid a pandemic and record unemployment, there are a number of other candidates campaigning for public offices across the country that also carry heavy implications that can’t be ignored. From people running for Congress to those seeking U.S. Senate seats — as well as incumbents fighting to remain in office — a change in the balance of power on Capitol Hill is looming large in certain pockets of America depending on how the elections turn out. And while the presidential election may not be decided anytime soon, that may not also be true for some of the down-ballot races, many of which polling shows are close contests. Senate candidate Jamie Harrison in North Carolina, Mississippi Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Espy, Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock, Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath, Cori Bush, Democratic nominee for Missouri Congress and Florida U.S. House Of Representatives: Pam Keith are races to watch. The Black Lives Matter movement got a favorable ruling Monday from the Supreme Court. The justices tossed out a federal appeals court decision that allowed a Black Lives Matter protest organizer to be sued by a police officer injured by an unknown assailant. The 2016 incident in Baton Rouge, La., followed the shooting death of Alton Sterling by a white police officer, which triggered weeks of protests across the U.S. The officer, identified as John Doe, was struck in the face by a rock. He sued DeRay Mckesson, a Black Lives Matter activist, on the theory that he “knew or should have known … that violence would result.” The police killings of unarmed Black men and women like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have mobilized millions of people around the world to demand an end to police violence, racial injustice, and economic inequality. However, protesters are not just flooding the streets chanting “Black Lives Matter” – they’re also protesting with their dollars and holding corporate America accountable for their role in the fight to dismantle structural racism. Many multinational companies have responded by launching initiatives and investing millions of dollars to empower the Black community. From Apple to Nike to JP Morgan Chase, these corporations are putting their money where their brand is. As part of its longstanding commitment to support small minority-owned businesses, American Express announced a new video podcast series last week that aims to uplift the history of Black entrepreneurship and the Black businesses that are thriving today. Titled “Build to Last,” the series is hosted by award-winning journalist and author Elaine Welteroth who interviews small business owners about the strategies they’ve used and pivots they’ve made to navigate a period of civil unrest and uncertainty. https://youtu.be/d1uS3Rie3yo In 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that only 3% of U.S commercial airline pilots were Black. Despite the lack of diversity, many Black aspiring pilots have defied the odds and fulfilled their aviation pursuits. One Biloxi, Mississippi’s native dream and dedication allowed him to make history at an age when most of us are trying to figure out what to do next. Twenty-three-year-old Malik Sinegal is now the youngest African American ever to become a certified Boeing 777 pilot in the country — a feat he wasn’t even aware he had accomplished until he was contacted by a representative from Boeing to congratulate him. The Boeing 777 is the world’s largest twinjet plane, and it’s usually not for beginners. “The Triple 7 is one of the airplanes that people usually don’t touch until they’re around their forties or fifties or they’ve been at the airlines for a very long time,” Sinegal says. Amid the massive protests surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Michael Brown and other African Americans, a predominantly black group has been quietly spreading the hope of Christ on the scene. It's the Church of God in Christ International Department of Evangelism. “When we go out, we don’t get involved in political sides. That’s not our assignment,” IDOE President Elijah Hankerson, 48, told The Christian Post. “When we show up, the message is simple: Christ and Him crucified.” COGIC has become a major force for winning souls after Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake in 2013 tapped Hankerson to transform a department largely focused on credentialing itinerant evangelists. Today, 12,000 volunteers join in a multifaceted ministry with arms dedicated to students, responding to natural disasters, bringing the Lord into tense confrontations, and training believers to witness. Federal authorities are expected to put back into place a “non-scalable” fence around the entire perimeter of the White House on Monday as law enforcement and other agencies prepare for possible protests surrounding the election, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to CNN. The fence, the same type that was put up during protests this summer, will encompass the Ellipse and Lafayette Square. It will go down 15th Street to Constitution Avenue and then over to 17th Street. The fence will then run up to H Street and across by Lafayette, and then come down 15th Street, the source said. NBC News was first to report the new fencing. A Secret Service spokeswoman declined to comment to CNN, saying the agency does not comment on security measures. The extra layer of security marks the most high-profile example to date of authorities preparing for unrest following this year’s election, particularly if there is no clear winner come November 4. RCA Inspiration celebrates five wins at the 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards, with Dove Award wins for Tauren Wells, Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, and Kierra Sheard this year. Winning two awards, Tauren Wells took home one of the night’s top honors, Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, for CITIZEN OF HEAVEN. Kirk Franklin won Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year, for LONG LIVE LOVE. Travis Greene won Gospel Worship Album of the Year, for BROKEN RECORD. Kierra Sheard, won Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year, for “Something Has to Break (Live)” feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Tauren Wells: “Famous For (I Believe)” Dove Awards performance feat. Jenn Johnson, Christine D’Clario, and Jekalyn Carr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZjnJCjGVhk Entertainment One (“eOne”) celebrates Gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds’ 51st annual GMA DOVE Award win for “Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year.” McReynolds’ viral hit-single “People” won the award and was accompanied with a re-imagined performance to accommodate the absence of a live audienceduring the shows telecast, due to COVID-19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbENpLrNoRg&feature=youtu.be Gospel Spotlight's new music!!! "CREATED TO WIN" the new song from Algeron Wright.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeJ-kD6IwuI&feature=youtu.be Gospel Spotlight's new music!!! Monica Lisa Stevenson "I'm Not Ashamed" featuring Paul Porter. Hear Monica Lisa Stevenson In her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/monicalisastevenson_intvw.htm Anthony Brown releases moving visual directed by Daniel Bowie for current single, "Call to Action." The video and song message unifying all people for the betterment of the world right now and generations to follow. Gospel Spotlight's new music "Call To Action."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrb8eshuZK8&feature=youtu.be Barack Obama was in the barber’s chair for a special episode of HBO’s “The Shop: Uninterrupted,” the chat show from LeBron James and his childhood friend and production partner Maverick Carter. HBO is offering the special free to non-subscribers on YouTube and HBO’s website from Oct. 31 to Nov. 28. Obama sat down for a socially-distanced conversation with the newly-minted NBA champion and Carter about a handful of topics surrounding the current social and political climate. During the episode, which aired on Oct. 29, the trio discussed the NBA’s Black Lives Matter activity, Obama’s counsel during decisions about whether or not to continue playing amid ongoing incidents of racial police killings, and other topics. https://youtu.be/jvy9OWNGPgk Tensions ahead of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania are running high. The race is more politicized than ever, voters fear mail delays or court rulings could invalidate their votes, and President Donald Trump is holding rallies throughout the state warning, with no evidence, of widespread efforts by Democrats to rig the election. That has left some voters, especially those who routinely confront racism and discrimination, concerned about intimidation at the polls. A recent report by a worldwide nonprofit that tracks militia groups said Pennsylvania is one of five U.S. states at high risk of violence through Nov. 3. The claim is based on recent activity by white supremacist groups such as Proud Boys, Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia, and 3%-ers. Barbershops are considered a cornerstone within the Black community and as Election Day nears these establishments are being used as vessels to increase voter turnout. According to Freethink, a grassroots effort dubbed Shape Up the Vote was created to empower individuals to exercise their right to vote. Shape Up the Vote was founded earlier this year by Andrew Glass. The effort was launched to encourage barbers to take actionable steps towards equipping their clients with the tools and resources needed to vote. Barbershops participating in the initiative displayed posters to remind clients of important registration and election dates, led conversations at their shops about the importance of voter registration and provided customers with voter information handouts and registration forms. As Election Day nears there has been a concerted effort to combat voter suppression within communities of color and several professional athletes and sports franchises are stepping up to create safe spaces where individuals can exercise their right to vote. According to NBC News, over 40 stadiums and arenas have been transformed into polling sites. Among the sports facilities being used are the Washington, D.C.-based Entertainment and Sports Arena, the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Many of the stadiums and arenas are allowing people to cast their votes regardless of what districts they live in. “What we found is that when polling stations are closed, even if others open, that can suppress the vote, because people may not have access to transportation or they may prefer to go to polling places they know and have used before,” Alison Parker, who serves as U.S. Managing Director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement according to the news outlet. Kenny Lewis & One Voice’s highly anticipated upcoming album, Undefeated, is available now for pre-orders. The album’s leading single and title track, “Undefeated”, is currently climbing the charts and debuted number four on Billboard’s Digital Single Sales chart. Features from the upcoming album include Pastor Michael Lampkin, Charles Jenkins and Sunday Best finalist, Tiffany Andrews. Gospel Spotlight's Kenny Lewis!!! Hear Kenny Lewis In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kennylewis_intvw.htm Songwriter, producer and singer Juan Winans releases his brand new single titled “NOW.” Executive produced by Michael-Anthony Taylor, the song can be accessed now on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, YouTube, and other digital retail and streaming sites. “NOW” features snippets from the late Congressman John Lewis’ 1963 speech at the historic March on Washington. Hezekiah Walker says that Vincent Bohanan & SOV embodies the strength and vitality of the millennial Gospel choir sound. “Any Day Now,” the first single released by Vincent Bohanan & SOV since they signed to Walker’s HezHouse Records, reached #2 on the Digital Singles Chart this week – and is destined to be a top player in the coming months. HezHouse released a beautiful lyric video for the single. “Any Day Now” is the first single off of Bohanan’s upcoming release Live in Chicago that was recorded in the Windy City’s historic Greater Harvest Baptist Church. https://youtu.be/VR0TvHjtYYw Celebrated Two-time BMI and Stellar Award-winning Songwriter and Producer Derrick Starks took to social media to unveil the cover for the highly anticipated release of The Whitfield Company as well as to offer up details about their upcoming virtual CD release online experience. “God bless the memory of the Maestro, Minister Thomas A. Whitfield. This is faith becoming sight”, says Starks. “God placed in my heart a desire to record this wonderful group of singers in Tommy’s memory. The Whitfield Company is a class act, this choir is certifiably an American treasure; they are celebrated by music lovers all over the world and we can’t ever forget the impact Thomas Whitfield made on Gospel music. I am a recipient of his wisdom and instruction, and of course, I am not alone. We all carry a piece of him with us and TWC wears it so very well. This means a lot to me as it is the first full project on my label, Starks Music Group and I am filled to overflowing that God has graced us to see this come to fruition. If we weren’t in pandemic, we would have a huge celebration and all come together, but through the auspices of technology, we get the chance to share in this momentous occasion through virtual observation. I am filled with so many emotions, but in high rank are excitement and gratefulness.” Cardi B lawyers have filed to dismiss her complaint for divorce from rapper Offset. Weeks after announcing their separation, Cardi confirmed on social media that she and her estranged hubby had reconciled. The couple reunited for Cardi’s 28th birthday in Las Vegas, and were seen showing plenty of affection. “I just be starting to miss [him]… It’s hard not to talk to your best friend. And it’s really hard to have no dick,” Cardi told fans during an Instagram livestream. She also shot down allegations that she’s bipolar. “I know I’m not bipolar ’cause I took a test.” Today Netflix is debuting the teaser and key art for “Bridgerton,” the streamer’s first series from Shondaland created by Chris Van Dusen (Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy). Inspired by the bestselling novels, the series follows Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market. As her pursuit of love unravels, the high society scandal sheet written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown casts criticisms on Daphne who has caught the eye of London’s most desirable duke…https://youtu.be/sIsKen3y-mU Wesley Snipes has opened up about serving prison time for tax evasion and how it helped him become a “better person.” In a new interview with The Guardian, the actor said, “I hope I came out a better person.” I came out a clearer person,” added Snipes. “Clearer on my values, clearer on my purpose, clearer about my relationship with my ancestors and the great god and the great goddess above, and clearer on what I was going to do once I had my freedom back.” “The biggest thing I got from it was learning the value of time and how we often squander it … I understand that very clearly now, having been away from my family and loved ones two and a half years,” he continued. Snipes, 58, served three years in prison after he was sentenced in 2008 and fined $5 million for tax evasion. Queen & Slim” star Jodie Turner-Smith will play Queen Anne Boleyn in a three-part drama that will air on the ViacomCBS-backed U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 U.K. Directed by Lynsey Miller and penned by Eve Hedderwick Turner, the psychological series will detail the final months of the life of King Henry VIII’s second wife. “I am so excited to join these exciting filmmakers in bringing the story of one of history’s most controversial queens to the screen,” said Turner-Smith in a statement, from Variety. Madame Tussauds in Berlin, Germany, has literally dumped Donald Trump’s statue in the trash ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election. The move was made as a “preparatory measure” in case the former reality television star does not win a second term. “Today’s activity is rather of a symbolic character ahead of the elections in the United States,” said museum marketing manager Orkide Yalcindag in a statement to Reuters. After rumors swirled last week that Tiffany Haddish and rapper Common had called it quits, the actress appeared on Extra to set the record straight. “I feel like it’s gonna work. I haven’t felt like this about a relationship ever,” Haddish shared with former “Bachelorette” star Rachel Lindsay for Extra. “We laugh all the time. He’s actually really funny. I’m like, ‘You should do this comedy movie with me.’ He’s like, ‘I don’t want to exploit our relationship’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t want to be in no relationship where we making no money!’ “ President Trump declared November 1 as a day of remembrance for Americans who were killed by illegal immigrants to acknowledge his policies regarding illegal immigration reform. He made the proclamation Friday as the last few days of his re-election campaign are slowly coming to an end. As reported by Fox News, President Trump claimed, “On this National Day of Remembrance, we pause to honor the memory of every American life so egregiously taken from us by criminal illegal aliens. As sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and as American citizens, these precious lives are an irreplaceable piece of our national community.” By the way, Nov. 1 also happens to be a very important holiday for Mexico and other Central American countries, Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. Entrepreneur and respected communicator JoAnn Scaife has launched an intriguing new weekly podcast, Black History Matters 365. Scaife was recently named the national spokesperson for Black History 365 Education (BH365), a new educational organization focused on documenting the history of Black persons, groups, and cultures in North America. Recent guests on the podcast have included authors Joel A. Freeman, Ph.D., and Dr. Walter Milton, Jr. of Black History 365: An Inclusive Account of American History; Chris Sanders, former NFL wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans; Dr. Susan West, vice president and chief of staff at Belmont University; and Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr., Civil Rights Movement activist, and Freedom Rider. When Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki strolled around the Lynchburg, Va., campus of Liberty University, the evangelical school which Falwell led as president, they would play a secret game called “Would you rather.” The middle-aged couple would point to students, men and women, and imagine what it would be like to have sex with them, according to a former student who said Becki told him about the game. The former student, a member of a band with the Falwells’ son Trey, has said that Becki initiated oral sex with him while he stayed overnight at the Falwell home, following other attempts to seduce him. She confided to him the details of the game she and her husband would play, and told him multiple times how she and Jerry would take note of students’ appearances. “Her and Jerry would eye people down on campus,” the former student, who was 22 when Becki performed oral sex on him and is now 32, said. “She didn’t go into specifics, but said, ‘Oh, me and Jerry play games all the time, like “Would you rather?” with people on campus.’ I’ll never forget that.” “American Idol” alum Nikki McKibbin, who reached the final three on the show’s inaugural season in 2002, has died at the age of 42. Season one runner-up Justin Guarini broke the news Halloween night on his Instagram page. The Grand Prairie, Texas native famously finished third in the competition behind Guarini and winner Kelly Clarkson in the reality show’s storied first season on Fox. She had reached the finals after impressing judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson with performances of songs by Melissa Etheridge, Alanis Morissette, Bonnie Tyler, Janis Joplin and finally Alannah Myles with her rendition of “Black Velvet.” According to a tweet by Redeye Radio host Gary McNamara, McKibbon suffered an aneurysm and was on life support until last evening. Bishop Rance Allen, of the Grammy® Award nominated inspirational soul and gospel trio, The Rance Allen Group, passed away at the age of 71. “While recovering from a medical procedure at Heartland ProMedica [in Sylvania, OH], Bishop Rance Allen passed away around 3 AM this morning,” said Allen’s wife of 49 years, Ellen Allen, and his manager, Toby Jackson, in a joint statement. “I wasn’t expecting to hear this news this morning,” said Tyscot Records President, Bryant Scott, who was nearly speechless upon hearing of the singer’s death. “This is a great loss to us personally but also to the church community at large.” The Rance Allen Group’s progressive brand of Gospel and Allen’s signature grunts and squalls have inspired a generation of gospel artists ranging from Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond to John P. Kee and Bryan Andrew Wilson. In the 1970s, they pioneered a fusion of R&B rhythms with spiritually charged message music on hits such as “Ain’t No Need of Crying,” “I Belong to You” and their cover of The Temptation’s “Just My Imagination” as “Just My Salvation.” The retro-soul vibe carried over into the group’s hits of the last two decades such as “You That I Trust,” “Miracle Worker,” and “Something About the Name Jesus,” which has clocked over 175 million streams. The Gospel Spotlight has compiled several interviews with Rance Allen. Listen and enjoy!!! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rance_intvw.htm OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today a first-look deal with multi-faceted producer Holly Carter and Relevé Entertainment, an All3Media America company. The partnership will focus on creating and producing unscripted series and specials for the network’s audience of Black women viewers that explore faith, love, sisterhood, relationships and unity. Carter is the founder of Relevé Entertainment, which specializes in television/film production, talent partnerships, and brand development. The company consistently delivers high-quality, “break-through” family and faith-based programming that engages national audiences. Most recently, Carter created and executive produced “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel,” the highest-rated original TV movie of 2020. Allen West, the retired Army colonel and former congressman who was once charged with using some of the harshest interrogation tactics in Iraq and described the coronavirus pandemic guidelines as “tyranny,” has once again made the news for all the wrong reasons. His name was a trending topic on Twitter because the Republican defended a caravan of pickup truck-driving Trump supporters on a Texas highway surrounding a Biden campaign bus in an apparent act of intimidation Friday. https://youtu.be/iCxJGYjrDEQ Aside from being part of the legendary hip hop group Outkast, rapper Big Boi is known for his philanthropic work throughout the city of Atlanta. The Georgia native’s latest effort was centered on supporting individuals working at the polls. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the music artist, whose real name is Antwan André Patton, recently donated meals to poll workers in Atlanta. Patton joined forces with World Central Kitchen a nonprofit dedicated to combating global food insecurity and Postmates to have 150 meals delivered to people working at polling sites throughout the city. Poll workers were treated to chicken and shrimp tacos. Patton took to Instagram to share information about the effort and encourage people to exercise their right to vote. “We wanted to show some love this weekend to all those working hard at the polls in my hometown of ATL,” he posted. “Shoutout to @Postmates and @wckitchen for helping me make this happen! We were able to donate over 150 meals.! Now get out there and GO VOTE.” When Deon Nicholas launched his company Forethought, he set out to change the landscape of artificial intelligence. Now the tech entrepreneur is receiving support from the likes of Diddy and LL Cool J. According to Forbes, the company has raised $17 million in Series B funding. Nearly three years ago Nicholas, a former Dropbox engineer, teamed up with engineer Sami Ghoche for the creation of Forethought. The company has developed a tool called Agatha which merges artificial intelligence and natural language processing to help businesses predict issues that may arise over time in an effort to provide better customer service. Through the power of AI, Forethought has solved over half a million claims. The United States of America is seemingly on the verge of being more divided than ever as one of the most consequential presidential elections in modern history is set to take place just two days from now. But there is a growing sense that things could get even worse depending on the election’s outcome and, perhaps more importantly, how that outcome is reached. What exactly “worse” means is up for debate. But with politically partisan tensions already at boiling points in key pockets of the country, fears of election-related violence have been lent further credence as the president’s racist politics of fear continue to embolden his base of far-right, white supremacist militias and otherwise violent racists that has all the ruminations of a looming civil war. In two different locations in Oregon, two severed deer heads were found in places clearly designed to send a message. One was in front of a Black Lives Matter sign, while the other one was found in front of a Biden-Harris sign and a Black Lives Matter Sign. Lake Oswego police are investigating the situation but can’t say right now if this was a form of voter intimidation or a hate crime, reports KATU. In an email to the outlet, a spokesperson said “whether or not we classify the case as a Bias Crime or Incident or some other classification has no bearing on how we investigate the incident. We will take the case where the facts lead us and, if we are able to determine there was bias involved, then we will add that classification to the cases.” https://youtu.be/20UIlmPdGpM The first round of economic impact payments funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, has been opened to a new group of Americans. Incarcerated individuals can now apply to receive their stimulus payments of up to $1200. According to a June report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the IRS initially sent nearly 85,000 payments, totaling about $100 million, to incarcerated individuals. After the report raised concerns about the payments, the IRS decided that payments to incarcerated people were not allowed under the CARES Act and ordered that the payments sent should be returned. Then a class-action lawsuit was filed. Lawyers argued that denying the payments solely based on an individual’s incarcerated status was against the law. The language of the CARES Act does not explicitly say that incarcerated individuals cannot receive payments. Actor Eddie Hassell, who appeared in the 2010 Oscar-nominated film “The Kids Are All Right” and the NBC TV show “Surface,” was shot and killed Sunday in Texas. He was 30. Grand Prairie police officers responded to a report of the shooting Sunday morning. They found Hassell suffering from apparent gunshot wounds and transported him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The motive is under investigation, but detectives confirm a car was taken from the scene and later recovered. Shawn McWilliams held a gun inside a dark room at a new armory in Denver’s historically Black Five Points neighborhood, explaining the importance of practice to a group of mostly new gun owners, all of them Black. “If you just got your concealed carry permit this year, we want you here,” McWilliams said. “I want to train you.” The 1770 Armory and Gun Club is Colorado’s first Black-owned gun club, and it opened its doors recently as Black people increasingly are arming themselves amid a pandemic and racial division within the United States. In Aurora, a church pastor recently started a gun club for Black residents and other people of color after seeing a demand for it in his community. “Given the place in which we are in America — politically, racially — African Americans don’t feel safe anymore,” said Wanda James, the gun club’s co-owner. “It’s a sad scenario when people don’t feel comfortable in their homes, walking down the street or in their cars.” The shooting of a Black man by law enforcement in Washington state threatened to increase tensions around Portland, Oregon, where protesters against racial injustice have clashed repeatedly with right-wing groups. Friends and family identified the dead man as Kevin E. Peterson Jr., 21, and said he was a former high school football player and the proud father of an infant daughter. In a statement, Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins said a joint city-county narcotics task force was conducting an investigation just before 6 p.m. Thursday and chased a man into the parking lot of a bank, where he fired a gun at them. A firearm was recovered at the scene, Atkins said. Authorities have not named the person who was shot, but Kevin E. Peterson Sr. told The Oregonian/OregonLive the person was his son, Kevin E. Peterson Jr. Atkins referenced the Peterson family in his remarks but did not confirm Peterson was the person who was killed. The events of 2020 already had Eddie Hall on edge. Then, the troubles of a nation in turmoil landed on Hall’s doorstep in suburban Detroit in September when racist graffiti was scrawled on his pickup truck and shots were fired into his home after his family placed a Black Lives Matter sign in their front window. “I’m in combat mode. I’m protecting my family,” Hall, a 52-year-old Black man from Warren, told The Associated Press. Some experts say police brutality, the coronavirus pandemic that has taken disproportionate physical and financial tolls on Black people, and other issues around race have increased anxiety levels among African Americans, like Hall. The attacks on Hall’s home were investigated as a hate crime and 24-year-old white neighbor, Michael Frederick Jr., eventually was arrested and charged with ethnic intimidation and other crimes. “We, as Black people, have all of the normal human stressors — work, family, finances — and then we’re inundated with racial pressure at all levels,” said Jessica Graham-Lopresti, assistant professor of psychology at Suffolk University and co-founder of Massachusetts-based BARE — Black Advocacy Resilience Empowerment. Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, senior pastor of Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California, is urging leaders in the black community to speak up about the importance of mental health to a culture he says is “crippled” with fear. Ulmer, who also serves as presiding bishop of Macedonia Baptist Church Fellowship in Johannesburg, South Africa, said that many black men are facing mental health challenges today fueled by racial unrest, systemic racism, and police killings of George Floyd and other unarmed black people. “I know very few men who don’t wince when they come to a red light or there’s a police car behind them,” he told The Christian Post. “There’s a fear of being misunderstood, harassed, or mishandled by the police. It’s very real.” The influential author said he’s even encountered families who refuse to send their children to school — “not because of COVID but because of today’s climate and what seems to be the expendability of black men.” Longtime Oklahoma coach Billy Tubbs, who won a school-record 333 games, died Sunday. He was 85. Tubbs had battled a form of leukemia since 2015, according to a statement. He died in Norman, Oklahoma, surrounded by his family. “Many are aware of his remarkable achievements as a basketball coach, but we will remember him for way more than all of his wins, conference titles and NCAA Tournament success,” Tubbs’ family said in a statement. “He was a fierce competitor in everything he faced and that was never more evident than in his final days.” In 31 years as a head coach at four schools, Tubbs went 641-340 with 12 NCAA tournament appearances. He’s best known for his Oklahoma tenure, where his fast-paced style was known as “Billy Ball.” Oklahoma had been to just one NCAA tournament in 32 seasons prior to Tubbs’ arrival. In his third season, he took the Sooners to the first of eight straight tournament appearances, including four Sweet Sixteens. His 1987-88 team featuring Stacey King, Harvey Grant and Mookie Blaylock went 35-4 and lost to Kansas 83-79 in the national title game. The music world lost two legends with the passing of Marcus Hutson and Nicholas Caldwell, two members of the quintet the world knew as The Whispers. But twins Wallace “Scotty” and Walter Scott and Leaveil Degree keep their memory alive by continuing to perform all over the world—and releasing new music well into their seventies. The trio’s new single “How Long” is a response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It paints a picture of unity and love while calling out Americans for mistreating of blacks and brown people. https://youtu.be/s6-xckEn5R4 Rudy Giuliani continues to go off about his controversial “Borat 2” scene. The former mayor of New York recently got into a heated debate with Fox News anchor Lisa Kennedy about the film as well as his allegations against Hunter Biden, son of presidential candidate Joe Biden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHFH3vTjPCQ The First Lady of Gospel Music isn’t just a throwaway title bestowed upon Pastor Shirley Caesar, but one earned through longevity, awards and records sold. You name it and the flamboyant singer has accomplished it throughout her seven decades-long career. Caesar is still using her brand of anointing to be a vessel for a message. Her latest release, “Take Your Knee Off My Knee”, is a rockin' song that addresses the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality with the refrain that “enough is enough” from the gospel great. https://youtu.be/igVXzd1a9yQ Kah-Ma-La, not Ka-Mah-La is how Senator Kamala Harris‘ first name is pronounced and she wants those who have mocked her name to know that they are acting childish. During an interview with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central, the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate explained that a name is the first gift a family gives a newborn child. https://youtu.be/zl0S7v0BGYM Gervonta “Tank” Davis delivered a Knockout over four-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz in the most significant fight of his career, retaining his WBA Lightweight title and picking up the WBA Super Featherweight title Saturday night on SHOWTIME PPV® at the Alamodome in San Antonio in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions. It was the first major boxing event with fans in attendance since COVID-19 forced a halt to U.S. sports in March with an announced crowd of 9,024. It was both fighters’ pay-per-view main event debut, and Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) and Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19 KOs) delivered an all-action war that had the fans on their feet from start to finish. https://twitter.com/i/status/1322746263503327232 The Tokyo Game Show unveiled a life-like android woman and she reportedly “smells” like a human, according to some clips released to Youtube.In various clips, the android waves into the camera and was one of several AI’s (artificial intelligence) being used to promote an upcoming PlayStation 4 game titled ‘Detroit: Become Human,’ that was developed by French firm Quantic Dream and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://youtu.be/ACtozUE6Rzw 41-year-old Houston rapper Montana22 was killed while shielding his girlfriend’s 11-year-old son from gunfire at a West Houston apartment complex. Despite the rapper’s attempt to protect the child, the boy did not survive his injuries.The incident occurred in the city’s Mid West neighborhood, when shots rang out in the afternoon. Although authorities had held the identities of both victims, an ex-girlfriend confirmed that the man killed was Montana22, real name Emanuel Solomon, who leaves behind three children. The ex says Solomon lived at the complex with his current girlfriend and her son. As police continue to investigate, they believe three armed suspects were waiting at the complex before opening fire and jumping into a waiting black Pontiac sedan to flee the scene. Rance Allen of Monroe, who is known as the ‘Father of Contemporary Gospel Music,” has died The Church of God in Christ announced in a statement on Saturday. He was 71. “Bishop Allen’s unique vocal ministry was an indispensable sound within the Church Of God In Christ and Christendom,” the Pentecostal–Holiness Christian denomination organization said in a statement. “His gift transcended the boundaries of musical genre as he remained a sought after personality called to perform on global venues.” Mr. Allen, a pianist and guitarist, formed The Rance Allen Group with his brothers Tom, a drummer, and Steve, a guitarist, in 1969. The group was nominated for Grammy Awards in 1981, 1991 and 2004 and inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2018 the group won Stellar Awards’ named Traditional Duo/Chorus Group of the Year for their recording “Live from San Francisco.” Just days ahead of one of the most consequential presidential elections in modern history, Maxine Waters is reclaiming her time when it comes to Black voters — just not all of them. The Democratic California senator visited SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show” Friday and had some choice words for Black voters intending to cast ballots for Donald Trump as the president ramps up his anti-Black racist rhetoric while speaking to nearly all-white people at his rallies that don’t require attendees to wear masks. The combination of the aforementioned factors proved to be a bridge too far for Waters, she told Madison. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/befbb931-4b9f-4b88-84ae-3603e0297db5 At the height of his career, award-winning hip-hop artist Lecrae wondered what it would look like to walk away from it all. Wrestling with past trauma and the role he played in white evangelicalism, he would leave behind “116,” the slogan he’d fashioned from Chapter 1, verse 16 of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans (“For I am not ashamed of the gospel”). He made plans to leave Reach Records, the record label he had co-founded, and his success as a Christian artist. In his book “I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith,” released this week, Lecrae, 41, whose full name is Lecrae Davaughn Moore, chronicles how he found his way back instead. Restoration isn’t just the theme of the book or the title of Lecrae’s latest album, which features appearances by John Legend, Kirk Franklin and BJ the Chicago Kid. It also is his mission in this chapter of life, he told Religion News Service. That includes caring for others in Atlanta through partnerships with Love Beyond Walls and Masks for the People. “I think if I did not tell the truth about my vantage point and my perspective, I was going to continue to be a slave to people’s opinions and a slave to the status quo and not being a peacemaker, but being a peacekeeper,” he said. “In order to make peace, you got to stir up some things.” https://youtu.be/8j4pZPQhHBk ; Two icons of their sports have endorsed President Donald Trump for reelection. NFL great Brett Favre and NHL star Bobby Orr publicly lent their support to the President’s campaign on Friday, making them among the most prominent figures in sports to do so. Golf icon Jack Nicklaus said on Thursday that he had voted for Trump and encouraged others to do the same. In a tweet, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback praised Trump’s stances on freedom of speech, the Second Amendment and police. “My Vote is for what makes this country great, freedom of speech & religion, 2nd Amnd, hard working tax paying citizens, police & military,” Favre wrote. “In this election, we have freedom of choice, which all should respect. For me & these principles, my Vote is for @RealDonaldTrump.” Hall of Fame defensive back Herb Adderley, who played in four of the first six Super Bowls as a member of the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, died Friday at the age of 81. Adderley’s 60-yard interception return for a touchdown capped the Packers’ 33-14 rout of the Raiders in Super Bowl II. His Packers defeated Kansas City in Super Bowl I. “The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Herb Adderley,” Hall of Fame CEO David Baker said in a statement. “He was a great player and an even greater man. Herb left an indelible mark on the Game and was respected tremendously by players and personnel across the league.” Los Angeles Chargers safety Nasir Adderley, Herb Adderley’s cousin, called him a “unique soul who has had such an incredible influence on my life.” Games between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are often close and always notoriously fierce. The intensity is heightened this week with the Steelers being 6-0 and the Ravens being 5-1, and with AFC North supremacy on the line. Throw in the fact that history will be made between Ravens coach John Harbaugh and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, and Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET showdown in Baltimore has the makings of one of the most memorable clashes in recent memory. Sunday’s iteration of the rivalry will pit Harbaugh and Tomlin against each other for the 25th time in the regular season, the most of any coaching matchup in the Super Bowl era, according to Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN). Harbaugh holds a 13-11 edge, dating back to the coaches’ first meeting in 2008. Two-thirds of the games have been decided by four points or fewer, including four overtime games. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes from the four-time Grammy-winning singing group “TLC” has been dead 18 years, but memories of her talents linger on. Yet, if there’s one thing that stands out more than her brilliant singing career, it is the incident on June 9, 1994, when she set fire to NFL star Andre Rison’s mansion in Atlanta, burning it to the ground. At the time, the two were girlfriend and boyfriend. While Left Eye mentioned the fire numerous times during interviews through the years, another piece of the puzzle was made public when Pepa, of the Grammy-winning hip hop duo, “Salt-N-Pepa,” revealed some interesting things about the fire, Left Eye, and Rison, in her 2008 autobiography, “Let’s Talk About Pep.” One night, he and Lisa are watching TV and my video comes on, and he gets all excited and says something like “Pep, that’s my girl!” Pepa said the night of the fire, “Salt-N-Pepa” was in concert in Atlanta and got Left Eye and Rison backstage passes. Somehow, Left Eye assumed that Pepa and Rison had been together. As result, Left Eye lit up Rison’s mansion, burning it to the ground. Legendary gospel singer Rance Allen has passed away. While the family has not officially revealed the cause of death, GSN is hearing social media rumors which suspect that the singer died as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Bishop Rance Allen was the lead vocalist for the gospel music group The Rance Allen Group. Rance, a vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter, formed the group with his brothers Tom (drums) and Steve (bass guitar); another brother, Esau (percussionist). The Gospel Spotlight remembers our great friend Rance Allen. Hear Rance Allen In his Own words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rance_intvw.htm Mel B maybe experiencing financial issues that have caused her to look to Eddie Murphy for more child support. The 45-year-old Spice Girls singer, who is mother to Murphy’s 13-year-old daughter Angel Iris Murphy, has asked for the superstar actor’s financial records so she can assess what he pays her monthly to cover costs for their kid, according to court document filed earlier this month. “Eddie and Melanie have both established careers in the entertainment industry,” her lawyers write in the new documents. “Melanie is a singer, songwriter and television personality. Eddie is a legendary comedian and actor. “Until recently, Melanie has been fortunate in her career to sustain a comfortable lifestyle for herself and Angel. Unfortunately, Melanie’s income has dramatically reduced, such that she must consider modifying child support for the first time.” County transportation officials this week gave a “sneak peek” of the $128 million renovation of the A Line’s Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station and the Rosa Parks Customer Center in Watts. The customer center, the nearly completed station renovation/modernization project includes a public plaza, transit security center, transit court and mobility hub. Other improvements to the station include an extended rail platform and new southern entrance to the platform, as well as new artwork, lighting, landscaping, signage, upgraded elevators, escalators, stairs and a mezzanine between the A and C Line platforms. https://youtu.be/y7xB_SkgLJM The first, and according to some, the best James Bond ever, Sean Connery, has died. He was 90. The Scottish actor’s death was confirmed by his family, BBC reported Saturday. The report states he died overnight in his sleep while in the Bahamas, where he was known to be living in his final years. When it was over, Connery had starred in 7 Bond films between ’62 and ’83. Among them were “From Russia with Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball,” “You Only Live Twice,” “Diamonds are Forever,” and “Never Say Never Again.” On Friday, October 30, it’s Halloween on The Real! The hosts celebrate this spooky holiday by representing The Most Outrageous Moments of 2020 with Loni Love as The Last Roll of Toilet Paper, Jeannie Mai as Naomi Campbell in her COVID Airport Attire, Garcelle Beauvais as The NBA Bubble, and Adrienne Houghton as Teddy Riley vs. Technology in his Verzuz battle against Babyface. https://youtu.be/wJNNtynfoDo Entertainers, athletes and influencers are uniting for “HBCU Good Trouble Takeover…Walk. Run. Stroll to the Polls,” a virtual pre-party on Election-Day-Eve, Monday, November 2 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET on a variety of social platforms. The livestream is sponsored by Verizon Media and Citi, with a grant by Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and includes musical performances by 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, and more. HBCU Heroes, founded by NBA veteran George Lynch, marketing entrepreneur Tracey Pennywell, and media personality/branding strategist Kwame Jackson, is producing the extravaganza. Today, six-time GRAMMY nominee and platinum-selling artist Tauren Wells has released a gospel rendition of his moving single “Famous For (I Believe).” The reimagined track was produced by award-winning producer Donald Lawrence and features GRAMMY Nominee Jekalyn Carr. “Famous For (I Believe)” is the second single from Tauren’s critically acclaimed album Citizen of Heaven. https://taurenwells.lnk.to/FamousForJekalynCarrDonaldLawrence!PRoct30 Tauren Wells has been nominated for three 2020 Dove Awards - Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, Pop / Contemporary Album of the Year for Citizen of Heaven, and Short Form Video of the Year for the track “Citizen of Heaven.” Viewers can tune in to the global broadcast Friday, October 30th at 8 pm EST / 7 pm CST exclusively on TBN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YixsrYfXTuI&feature=youtu.be Today, two-time GRAMMY® nominated, Billboard Music and NAACP Image Award winning, inspirational artist, Koryn Hawthorne, releases a heart-rending new video covering Elevation Worship’s “Graves Into Gardens.” The "Graves Into Gardens" cover marks the third video released from her Essential Worship Song Session series, giving an intimate, worship-driven live band performance. The chart-topping artist previously released two songs in the Essential Worship performance series, of “Know You,” and “How Great featuring Matt Maher” from her sophomore album, I Am. https://essentialworship.lnk.to/JQwd4H7XRC Tori Kelly is here with her first-ever holiday album – A Tori Kelly Christmas. Tori teamed up with 11-time GRAMMY® winner Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds & Scooter Braun as executive producers for the album. The timeless collection features two new holiday originals penned by Tori, and a wide range of beloved holiday songs, including a vocal collaboration with Babyface on “Let It Snow.” https://torikelly.lnk.to/TKXmas!MTG?utm_campaign=70917_MOTG%2010.30_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,1IPX,4SQSQ,6XIO,1 Rising star DOE releases her debut EP, DOE, available now. Marking the first solo project from the three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist/songwriter, DOE’s self-titled EP is released by Jonathan McReynolds’ Life Room Label in partnership with RCA Inspiration. Led by her single “Brighter,” which has already garnered accolades from fans and peers for her sparkling voice and fresh melodies, DOE’s EP includes four other songs, including “I Try,” “Hey You” (with Jonathan McReynolds), “Good Now,” and “Take Me Back.” https://DOE.lnk.to/ITryVideo!W&W Candace Owens — the infamous, self-hating conservative Black talking head who has a history of sympathizing with Hitler and blaming Black people for the police killing them — inexplicably suggested that Lil Wayne‘s endorsement of Donald Trump lends credence to her decidedly failed so-called “Blexit” campaign to purge Black voters from the Democratic Party. Wayne caught a lot of folks off-guard Thursday with his stated public support of Trump’s campaign to be re-elected. But Owens reacted through a series of tweets that shows she feels vindicated by the rapper’s endorsement of her preferred candidate. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The list of rappers openly and unabashedly supporting Donald Trump‘s campaign for re-election just got even longer after Lil Wayne offered his full-throated endorsement of the president Thursday night. With just a few days left until the election, there’s still plenty of time for other rappers who may [also?] be feeling some misguided sense of peer pressure to dive headfirst into the sunken place and follow suit by endorsing Trump. However, it seems pretty safe to assume that ASAP Rocky will not be one of them. ASAP Rocky has an estimated net worth of $10 million that he probably doesn’t want to pay higher taxes on. ASAP Rocky has already made it quite clear how he feels about Trump without saying a single word — especially after the president demanded that the rapper publicly thank him and his administration for purportedly helping him avoid jail time abroad for an assault charge last year in Sweden. At the time, the White House wanted Rocky to lavish praise on Trump in hopes of boosting the president’s image among Black people. But Rocky wasn’t here for all that. There were already reports showing that Black voters have been casting their ballots early in record numbers, but now we have a little bit more data about who exactly among them is fueling this outpouring of electoral activity. According to the top executive at a political analytics firm, older Black voters are not just making a serious difference, but they’re also doing so to historic proportions in key battleground states that are crucial to the election’s outcome. The data provides a unique snapshot of a portion of one of the most coveted voting demographics as both Joe Biden and Donald Trump continue their relentless courting of Black voters up until the 11th hour with just five days before the presidential election. In the latest twist in Dr. Dre‘s nasty divorce, his estranged wife Nicole Young is now trying to subpoena three women: singer Jillian Speer, model turned skincare entrepreneur Kili Anderson and Crystal Rogers, the ‘Queen of Latin hip-hop.” They have all been named in the latest court filing in the bitter divorce. Nicole, 50, claims they are all former lovers of the music mogul, and she’s reportedly trying to get them to spill on her soon-to-be-ex-husband. However, all three are fighting Nicole’s legal efforts to subpoena them as witnesses in the legal war with Dre after 24 years of marriage. As it was previously reported, the couple’s nasty fight over Dre’s estimated $1billion empire centers on a pre-marital agreement they both signed in back in 1996. Dave Chappelle’s hit sketch comedy series “Chappelle’s Show” will be added to Netflix on November 1. “The best news you’ve heard all year: Chappelle’s Show is coming to Netflix US,” Netflix wrote on Twitter. “Chappelle’s Show” originally aired on Comedy Central from 2003 to 2006. The comedian famously walked away from the series in 2005 (and $50 million) due to creative differences. https://youtu.be/Wb0c9Nvuq34 Howard Hewett has found a healthy and entertaining way to keep busy during the Coronavirus shutdown. First, he takes his fans with him on his weekday walks through his Southern California neighborhood, where he shares his thoughts on a variety of subjects. The subject of his most recent walks, which he calls, Fresh Air Cardio Conversation…and Life, or FACC…and Life for short, has been the upcoming election. In addition to his daily walks and conversations, each Friday evening, he performs what he calls “Shut-In Mini Concerts,” on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/watch/HowardHewettFanPage/ Global nonprofit Points of Light is partnering with Morehouse College, the nation’s only historically black college focused on educating men, to launch “Listen. Learn. Act to End Racism,” a new initiative designed to empower businesses, nonprofits and individuals to use their influence to fight against systemic racism. In cooperation with leading experts, Listen. Learn. Act to End Racism will host a series of virtual and in-person community forums that will feature leaders in the racial equity movement, partnering organizations, grassroots organizers and everyday people who have experienced racism and are fighting against injustice. Each community conversation will provide strategies for taking action and resources for deeper learning so that participants can have the tools necessary to launch effective social issue campaigns in their communities. https://youtu.be/mRKEM0a6EIc Keke Palmer has released a new song urging Americans to vote on Election Day on Nov. 3. The track titled “Actually Vote” boasts the lyrics: “There’s a little something happening on Nov. 3 / Everybody’s posting / All political and woken / On your social / So outspoken / That’s sweet, but that tweet doesn’t do enough for me,” Palmer sings. “Young people like to talk that big talk / Young people are the biggest voting block / You can only make a change if you check that damn box.” https://youtu.be/yGOAXdva_LE NFL star Russell Wilson and wife Ciara are paying it forward to a local Washington charter school. The couple are giving $1.75 million to the Cascade Midway Academy after founders Garth Reeves and Scott Canfield reached out to Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation for help amid the COVID pandemic, PEOPLE reports. “We’ve always held the belief that life’s successes start with a good education, but recognize that access isn’t always created equally for all,” Wilson and Ciara said in a statement posted to the Why Not You Foundation’s website. “The Why Not You Foundation was created with the concept of empowering youth to lead with a why not you attitude and that’s why it was important for our foundation to partner with Scott, Garth, and Cascade Public Schools to help open doors for kids from less fortunate backgrounds,” they added. Another day, another report about a prominent Black man supporting Donald Trump. Flint City Council member Maurice Davis, a lifelong Democrat, spoke before Vice President Mike Pence’s address at Flint Bishop Airport saying he supports President Donald Trump.The Trump fans cheered him on as he continued, “Right now the narrative has been spent, ‘President Trump is full of hate.’ Let me tell you something, the Democrats are full of hate. I have been a Democrat all my life, 64 years. The last four years I voted for Hillary Clinton. This year I decided to go with President Trump. I am not a bootlicker, I am not an Uncle Tom. https://youtu.be/FaSlMkLoeJ0 Louisville Police Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly has filed a lawsuit against the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor for “battery, assault, and distress.” Mattingly, one of the officers involved in Taylor’s killing, filed the suit on Thursday, claiming he is entitled to damages because Kenneth Walker allegedly shot him in the leg during a botched raid on Taylor’s home by law enforcement on March 13. Mattingly, alongside Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, fired 32 rounds into Taylor’s apartment, and he now claims that he experienced “severe trauma, mental anguish and emotional distress” on the night that Taylor was killed, People reports. Judge Judy Sheindlin and her new court show are headed to IMDb TV. According to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, Sheindlin’s upcoming new reality tv series (currently titled “Judy Justice”) is similar to her long running “Judge Judy” program, and will see her presiding over small-claims cases. https://youtu.be/2JYLc7aP8Og Whitney, the artist’s second studio album, has been certified RIAA Diamond (10x Platinum), joining Whitney Houston and The Bodyguard (Soundtrack) to make Whitney Houston the first Black recording artist (male or female, solo or group) with three Diamond albums in her discography. Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, and The Estate of Whitney E. Houston would like to thank Whitney’s fans for their abiding love for her music and making this achievement come true. On January 15, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the induction of Whitney Houston into its Class of 2020. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will replace the live 35th annual Induction Ceremony with an exclusive special honoring the Class of 2020 Inductees. The program will air on HBO and HBO Max on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 8pm (EST). https://youtu.be/3JWTaaS7LdU On today’s special Halloween episode of ‘Tamron Hall,’ Tamron dazzled her audience with three different costumes inspired by the legendary award-winning singer and performer Diana Ross. Also on today’s show, Tamron spoke with another member of The Supremes, Mary Wilson, who was wearing one of her original gowns from her years as part of the iconic female singing group. https://youtu.be/Z9QyNYDGzW0 Looters picked apart a black-owned boutique in Philadelphia in minutes. The premise for most of the people looting was the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. In situations like this, there are also those operating as opportunists. Unfortunately for the La’Vanter Boutique, it was among at least 200 small businesses targeted by looters. The owner is Jameelah Scurry. A GoFundMe was created on Wednesday to help Scurry get back on track and community members have already donated $24,000 of its $30,000 goal. The president met with rap star Lil Wayne at his resort in Doral, Florida Thursday. The rapper tweeted about the pair’s ‘great meeting’, sharing an image with Trump. ‘He listened to what we had to say today’, Lil Wayne wrote; Trump retweeted him. The meeting with Lil Wayne comes after other prominent black artists 50 Cent and Ice Cube appeared to lend their support to the president. Like most awards shows in the age of the coronavirus, the Dove Awards look a little different this year. The annual showcase of top artists in contemporary Christian music won’t return to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Due to COVID-19 precautions, show producers instead pre-taped artist performances and stories for a program to be aired Friday at 8 EDT/7 PDT on TBN. A total 20 artists take the Doves stage this year, including for KING & COUNTRY and Lecrae, Mandisa, Jeremy Camp, We The Kingdom and Pastor Mike Jr. Christian singer Natalie Grant has contracted COVID-19 and although she said she is keeping positive, the singer is worried about her asthmatic daughter. “Well, a positive Covid test wasn’t in the plan, but here we are,” Grant wrote in a post on Tuesday. “I’m terribly achy, extra tired, can’t taste anything and just super bleh, she said of her symptoms. Grant revealed that she is just at the start of her battle but she is confident that she will make a full recovery. The Crown has released its latest trailer for series four, offering fans their first chance to hear Emma Corrin’s recreation of Princess Diana‘s iconic voice. The preview shows the young royal pleading ‘to be loved’ by the Royal Family after marrying into the firm at a young age as Prince Charles felt increasing pressure to wed and secure his future on the throne. Gillian Anderson also offers her version of Margaret Thatcher’s Iron Lady drawl as she plays a ‘dangerous game’ by clashing with the Olivia Colman’s portrayal of The Queen after being elected as Prime Minister, vowing she doesn’t mind ‘making enemies’ as she divides the nation with her Parliamentary views. https://youtu.be/OiXEpminPms Kentucky’s attorney general wants a court to seal evidence against the only police officer charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor as her mother is now demanding a prosecutor be appointed to review the case. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Ann Bailey Smith on Wednesday was cool to a request from Daniel Cameron’s office. Smith suggested that attempts to seal records in the case of Detective Brett Hankison were an effort to selectively release evidence to the public that the district attorney wants in the public domain. ‘I don’t see you coming to this with clean hands,’ Smith said. The judge noted that state prosecutors have already released morsels of information related to evidence in Hankison’s case. In the battle for control of the U.S. Senate this year, the Deep South is fielding more Black candidates than it has since Reconstruction. In South Carolina, Jaime Harrison is raising a previously unfathomable amount of money in what has become a competitive fight to unseat one of the more powerful Republicans in the Senate. He’s joined by Raphael Warnock in neighboring Georgia, the leading Democrat in a crowded field running for the seat held by an appointed Republican. Mike Espy and Adrian Perkins, meanwhile, are launching spirited bids for the Senate in Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively. Their candidacies come during a year of deep reckoning in the U.S. over systemic racism and represent a more diverse type of political leader in the South, where Democrats have tended to rally behind white moderates in recent years in often ill-fated attempts to appeal to disaffected Republicans. A south Louisiana sheriff is adding photographs of five 19th century African American sheriffs — two of whom went on to be state senators — to the portraits displayed in his office’s waiting room. “Terrebonne Parish’s African-American sheriffs played crucial roles at critical times in the development of our parish and our nation,” Sheriff Tim Soignet said in a news release Friday. “The photos … will ensure that their places in history are properly recognized.” He planned a ceremony at 1 p.m. Monday to add the pictures. Voters elected some during Reconstruction, which covered the post-Civil War years to 1876 in Louisiana, and some in the following 12 years, the news release said. Researchers were unable to find portraits of three other African American sheriffs who served between 1872 and 1888, said Deputy John DeSantis. Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Saturday’s game against Boston College. “Trevor has authorized us this evening to announce that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now in isolation,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement Thursday night. “He is doing well with mild symptoms but will not be available for this week’s game against Boston College. “While we certainly will miss Trevor, this is an opportunity for other guys to step up and we’re excited about competing against a very good BC team on Saturday. Go Tigers.” Lawrence released a statement on social media, saying his symptoms were mild and that “the only thing that hurts is missing an opportunity to be with my teammates this weekend and play the game I love.” Jack Nicklaus, the legendary golfer, took to Twitter late Wednesday to endorse President Trump and urged Americans who have not made up their minds to give the incumbent another look. Nicklaus pointed out what some see as the president’s shortcomings and how he can be perceived at times, but he said he’s learned to “look past that and focus on what he’s tried to accomplish.” Nicklaus, 80, is an 18-time major champion who recovered from a coronavirus diagnosis in March, mentioned in the post that he was raised in the Midwest in a middle-class family. He said his grandfathers worked on the railroad and relished living in a country where the American dream is achievable. Late ESPN reporter Vaughn McClure was honored during Thursday night’s NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. McClure died earlier this month at age 48, PEOPLE previously reported, at his home near Atlanta, Georgia. His cause of death has not been publicly released. Earlier this week the Falcons announced that a tribute would be set up for McClure at his spot in the press box at Mercedes Benz stadium for the rest of the season. In Dave Roberts’ first four years as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he led the squad to win its division each year, and to the World Series twice. Yet, for a franchise that hadn’t won a World Series since 1988, his performance was often viewed as not good enough. In his fifth year at the helm, Roberts led the Dodgers back to the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and they secured the championship Tuesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in six games. Now, he can rightly be considered among the best managers in the game. With the World Series win, Roberts becomes the first manager of Asian heritage to win the World Series (his mother is Japanese American; he was born in Naha, Japan). And he’s the third non-white skipper in a row to win the World Series, after Alex Cora and Davey Martinez. Roberts, whose father is African American, is the Dodgers’ first Black manager. The annual Muhammad Ali Festival, a community wide celebration that marks the anniversary of Muhammad Ali’s passing and celebrates his impactful legacy and love for Louisville, will take place June 4-13, 2021. With the recent societal issues that continue to shake up our world—the coronavirus pandemic, a reawakening of racial justice and equality, and a consequent downturn in the tourism industry—the expanded 2021 Muhammad Ali Festival is crafted to provide inspiration, entertainment, education, and activation through events that generate a sense of unity, justice, and a rebirth of Muhammad Ali’s hometown of Louisville. The Festival will kick off with the annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards on June 4 and conclude with the Derby City Jazz Festival on June 11-13. Key partners in the 2021 Ali Festival include Louisville Tourism, the Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Sports Commission and Derby City Jazz Festival. If celebrating the big 4-0 on a private island with friends and family amid a pandemic that has killed nearly 1.2 million people worldwide wasn’t unbelievable enough, Kim Kardashian was given the birthday gift of a lifetime – her deceased father. Kardashian shared a video Thursday of her gift from husband Kanye West: a 3-D hologram of Robert Kardashian Sr. Umi Sushi in Atlanta is catching heat after a Black couple was refused service due to a dress-code violation. Kaylan Colbert, an attorney, captured the moment on her cell phone camera when she and her husband (Steve) were escorted out of the restaurant because her hubby was wearing sneakers. Steve, who is wearing white Nike Air Force 1 shoes, points out to the staff that another patron (a white woman) is sitting at the bar and wearing Adidas sneakers but the managers seeming act like they don’t see her, or at the very least, make clear the she has the complexion protection. “This is pure racism, she has on Adidas,” Steve says in the video, which the couple posted on social media. “We were standing by her, but they are refusing to look down at her shoes to confirm that she has on sneakers,” Colbert tells Eater. “At one point, someone does look down and says, ‘They’re high-end sneakers.’ The lady actually kicks her foot out and she said, ‘Yeah, these are Adidas.’” https://youtu.be/AuFG9N7x-OA CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN brings true flavor to staple family dishes on this week's episode featuring Chef Bren Herrera who joins Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, October 31 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. Bring your palate, but check the salt and pepper at the door. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asbZaveTy_o&feature=youtu.be BeBe Winans wrote a song that has been on my heart for some time. Following the untimely death of Freddie Gray, he began to write the song ”Black Lives Matter”. More recently after witnessing the horrific tragedies of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many other countless lives being cut short, Winans was moved to complete the record in an effort to help support the Black Lives Matter movement. The proceeds from the song, “Black Lives Matter”(YouTube Link) will be donated to Black Lives Matter & Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiUJkqvmqBY&feature=youtu.be Garland Waller, better known as “Miche,” is a well-known name throughout the Gospel Music industry. He is widely known as the talented musician and producer for Pastor John P. Kee for 25 years. For his many years of producing and writing award-winning sacred music, his genius aptitude as a musician, and for his leadership as an executive in Gospel music, Miche has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Sacred Music Degree from Wayland Baptist Theological Seminary. "I never dreamed I would be in this position," Miche says. "I wish that my grandfather and mother were still alive to see this, and to know that I kept my promise to only play, produce, and write God's music." Jerry Falwell Jr. is suing Liberty University for firing him over a pool boy sex scandal earlier this year. In a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Virginia, he claims the Christian school affirmed the ‘false’ claims of 29-year-old Giancarlo Granda and damaged his reputation as a result. He also believes that Granda is being bankrolled by Democratic operatives who take issue with him supporting Trump and donating to his campaign. Granda claims he had a years-long affair with Falwell’s wife Becki and that Falwell sometimes watched them having sex. Falwell admitted that Becki had an affair but insisted he had no part in it. He maintains that he upholds Liberty’s values, despite reportedly being seen drinking on occasion – something that is frowned upon by the school – and cavorting with students. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea promoted Juanita Holmes to NYPD chief of patrol on Thursday, making her the first woman to hold the position. She is already the highest-ranking Black woman on the force. It was part of a series of hierarchy shifts Shea announced Thursday. Holmes’ promotion takes effect Friday. The move comes after the NYPD’s former Chief of Patrol, Fausto Pichardo, abruptly retired from the department earlier this month. Holmes started with the NYPD in 1987 as an officer and was promoted 7 times up to her retirement in 2018, before coming back to the NYPD in 2019. She previously commanded the NYPD’s School Safety Division, Domestic Violence Division Unit, Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Training, Borough Commander of Queens North (the first African American woman to serve in this position), Police Service Area 2 and the 81 Precinct. Oprah Winfrey hosted a virtual town hall in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio as part of OWN’s Own Your Vote get-out-the-vote initiative, and the Democratic presidential nominee showed up to lend support. Joe Biden dipped in during Oprah’s chat with 94-year-old Michigan voter Mildred Madison, who traveled 300 miles from Chicago to Detroit to ensure that her vote counted. Mildred has been caring for her sister just outside of Chicago. She normally votes absentee, but when her ballot for the August primary in Michigan was late, she decided she didn’t want to take any chances with the general election. Madison seemed pleasantly surprised when Biden slid in for the surprise. Barack Obama has reacted to Jared Kushner’s recent comments suggesting Black Americans need to want to be successful to benefit from Trump’s policies. Kushner made the remarks on “Fox & Friends” on Monday, claiming the president can help the Black community “break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.” Critics noted that Kushner’s comments highlight his white privilege. https://youtu.be/2WDi9uOU5lE New York Giants offensive lineman Will Hernandez has tested positive for COVID-19, sources confirmed to ESPN, and is expected to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list later Thursday. A positive test was discovered on Wednesday night, according to a statement by the team, which didn’t identify the player. The player and those in close contact with him were told to remain home Thursday. In total, eight players and two coaches were not at the team’s facility Thursday, and they will participate in remote meetings for the time being. The two coaches were defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and outside linebackers coach/senior assistant Bret Bielema. As of now, the Giants players sent home as close contacts have not been deemed high risk, a source told ESPN, which means they could return to work as early as Friday if things stay on track. Michael Reynolds was ordered by Federal Judge Eli Richardson to pay Conese Halliburton $1 million during a court hearing on Monday. In July 2018, Reynolds broke into Halliburton’s home while intoxicated after attending a bachelor party and assumed he returned to his Airbnb. During the confrontation, Reynolds called her several racial slurs and threatened to cause bodily harm in front of her two children. Earlier this year, Reynolds resigned from the NYPD in January due to public backlash. He pleaded no contest to several counts of assault with fear of causing bodily harm and criminal trespassing. Reynolds also spent 15 days in jail and also declared bankruptcy. Halliburton’s lawyer, Daniel A. Horwitz, said this was a win for his client but it is only the beginning. Seek out “City So Real” either to confirm your suspicions about how this city functions, or to affirm your idea of Chicago as the brash epitome of American character, from politics on down. Premiering 6 p.m. Central/7 p.m. Pacific and Eastern Standard time Thursday on National Geographic Channel, then available Friday on Hulu, “City So Real” covers nearly three staggering years. Those years include the most recent mayoral race up through a newly added fifth chapter devoted to the early- and mid-2020 pandemic fallout and every sort of social upheaval, violent as well as peaceable. https://youtu.be/QyQ85DEVpbc Bridezillas” returns with an all-new episode this week on WE tv, and we have an exclusive clip of fans can expect! Joseph negotiates with the father of the bride before she will be allowed to “join her husband.” It’s a Nigerian thing. But will it play out well or will there be a big blow up? https://youtu.be/8RhVAV_uoqw The Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson, has been pushed back to summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second time the film has been delayed. “Respect” is now moving from Jan. 15, 2021 to Aug. 13, 2021. Hudson has spoken out about the biopic, noting that she shared a special connection with Franklin. Before her passing in 2018, the music icon gave Hudson her blessing to play her on the big screen. https://youtu.be/PBfVR_u_lGQ Director Mark Tonderai gets real during interview for the Halloween mystery thriller film Spell featuring Omari Hardwick and Loretta Devine. “Spell” follows Marquis Woods (Omari Hardwick) while flying his family to his father’s funeral in rural Appalachia. An intense storm hits causing Woods to lose control of the plane. He soon awakens wounded, alone, and trapped in Ms. Eloise’s (Loretta Devine) attic. Eloise claims she can nurse him back to health with a hoodoo figure she’s made from his blood and skin. Unable to call for help, Marquis desperately tries to break free from her dark magic and save his family from a sinister ritual before the rise of the blood moon. https://youtu.be/fTznGVd8nyo Iyanla Vanzant has announced that the upcoming season of her long running series “Fix My Life” will be the last. “This is my last season. This is my legacy season, I’m out. We out. 2020,” she announced during a virtual press conference. “This season we deal with the massive breakdowns that have occurred in families and relationships as a result of the pandemic, [and] as a result of the shutdown. We’re dealing with some very compelling issues,” Vanzant said. https://youtu.be/vH6dFnAfNC4 Wayne Brady is calling out social media networks to take more responsibility in protecting minors. Brady appeared on “The Talk”, and expressed his concern about platforms like Facebook and Instagram making it easy for perverted men to send inappropriate private messages to underage users. https://youtu.be/OjpyERKWGH8 Tamar Braxton revealed on “The Tamron Hall Show” on Wednesday that she contemplated suicide long before she acted on it this summer. “Were you at home at the time?” Hall asked the singer of her July suicide attempt. “Did you take pills?” Braxton replied, “It’s so hard to say, Tamron, because I feel like there’s a responsibility for- you know, I call them family, my fans, who watch. I don’t want to give any examples. But what I will say is, that was my lowest point of life.” https://youtu.be/FvOWu0fD_6U Pharrell Williams has officially entered the hotel business. The singer/producer teamed up with hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman and developer Eric Birnbaum on The Goodtime hotel, located on Washington Avenue in Miami’s South Beach. “One thing I’ve noticed in my life is that places that were amazing at one time always have a great chance of being amazing again, because there’s something about the energy of that latitude and longitude where The Goodtime is located that just works,” Grutman says. “To me, it was the best block, and to be able to be part of it coming back, is just so special to me.” The seven-story building is three years in the making and was designed by architect Morris Adjmi. Williams compares the vibe to “being in a Wes Anderson film,” he told Vogue about the hotel’s aesthetic. “It’s like Margot Tenenbaum.” https://www.instagram.com/pharrell/?utm_source=ig_embed For months, Fox News host Tucker Carlson and others in the right wing media have claimed to have unearthed deep corruption by the Biden family, including incriminating documents supposedly on Hunter Biden’s laptop left in a Delaware computer shop that was turned over to Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer. Time reported that emails and photos from Biden’s laptop were being shopped around Kiev last fall by someone looking to “sell it to Republican allies of President Trump.” Days later, Politico reported that the material was being shopped around by a “Ukrainian oligarch looking for help with a potential legal jam” as early as spring of 2019. Earlier this week, the star witness for Fox News and Trump, Tony Bobulinski, claimed he only came forward because he was outraged that no one was paying attention to the New York Post story that first reported of Biden’s hacked emails. But Ben Smith of the New York Times reported that Bobulinski was working with Trump’s campaign to pitch the story to the Wall Street Journal, before they settled for giving it to the New York Post. Wednesday’s episode of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Carlson said that “his team” had acquired the “damning” documents from Biden’s laptop. But he can’t expose them because they “vanished.” https://youtu.be/Wuul_R-vwhI “Borat” fans have raised over $114,000 of its $100,000 goal as of Thursday morning for the professional babysitter who makes an appearance in the sequel and claims she was tricked into participating. Jeanise Jones, 62, says she feels betrayed after she was recruited for the comedy to babysit Tutar (Maria Bakalova), the 15-year-old daughter of Borat (played by Sacha Baron Cohen). She is tasked with teaching Tutar about modern women of the world, and that females are not born to be uneducated servants and slaves. Jones also encourages Tutar not to undergo plastic surgery purely at her father’s behest. Jones thought she was signing up to appear in a film about women’s rights. She had no idea Baron Cohen was a world-famous comedian when she was asked to participate in the mockumentary. https://youtu.be/JvPTCvUnNQA The president is ramping up his racist rhetoric to rally his hateful base of supporters as polling shows he’s fighting an uphill battle that seemingly keeps steepening with less than a week before the election. While Donald Trump has also taken what appear to be clear and measured steps to rig the election in his favor, just for safekeeping, he decided to employ anti-Black racist tropes while targeting Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris as well as her U.S. Senate colleague, Ilhan Omar, in a speech at a rally in Arizona on Wednesday. The same president who has repeatedly lashed out at the media for covering him accurately had the audacity to call Harris “angry,” a triggering and loaded word that has real racist connotations when directed at Black women, in particular. Of course, Trump — who surely cannot use the N-word (at least, not in public) — knows that and intentionally leaned into his anti-Black rhetoric that has become increasingly prevalent on his campaign trail. Trump, a strategic racist if there ever was one, gaslit last week’s racist incident at another of his rallies when Georgia Sen. David Perdue intentionally mispronounced Harris’ first name. Award-winning filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick announced they will be rereleasing their blockbuster film “Courageous” with new scenes and a new ending. The fourth film from Sherwood Pictures is scheduled to be rereleased next year in theaters. The brothers said viewers “will get to see what happens to many of the characters ten years later! It’s a new ending with a few surprises!” “Courageous” was originally released in 2011 and grossed a total of $35.2 million, over 17 times its $2 million budget. The Christian film follows Sheriff’s deputy Adam Mitchell (Alex Kendrick) who “endures a terrible personal tragedy that causes him to question what is really important to him. Taking comfort in his religion, Adam vows to become a better parent to his teenage son (Rusty Martin), and convinces his friends on the force to sign a pledge that they will all strive to become better Christians and better parents,” the film synopsis reads. More than 156,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the “Peanuts” holiday specials air on network television instead of the Apple TV+ streaming service. Recently, it was announced that the specials, which include “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” would be on Apple TV. Started by Michael Nebbia and addressed to Wildbrain Studios and Apple, the petition garnered over 156,000 signatures by Wednesday morning. “For over 50 years, we have celebrated the holidays with the airings of the Peanuts holiday specials on TV – first on CBS, then on ABC,” explained the petition. “To our shock and dismay, last night it was announced that Apple had swiped the football from us and claimed the specials for their Apple TV platform, leaving us devoted fans who have grown up with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang in the dark, unable to watch.” The North Carolina pastor accused of urinating on a Delta airline passenger two weeks ago has been identified, authorities said Tuesday. Daniel Chalmers was arrested by the Wayne Metro Airport police in Detroit after the Delta flight landed at the Detroit Metro Airport on Oct. 12, according to a police report. The Wayne County Airport Authority provided the police report Tuesday to the Winston-Salem Journal in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Chalmers’ age, hometown and cellphone number were redacted in the report obtained by the Journal. Alicia Beverly, the passenger, told police that she was sleeping at 2:45 a.m. aboard the plane when she felt someone standing over her, according to the report. “So I woke up and looked to my right and seen this guy standing next to me,” Beverly said in her statement to police. “Shortly after I started to feel something warm and I jumped and screamed … and that’s when I felt my skirt was wet.” Afterward, a flight attendant moved Beverly to another seat, the report said. Garnering acclaim as an unwavering artist who “bares his soul,” Will Downing is sharing another piece of himself with the release of “So Many Good Die Young,” set to drop on November 11, 2020.“So Many Good Die Young” was co-written and co-produced by Will Downing and Randy Bowland. The song touches the soul and make you stop and think. It’s a celebration of life and memories of loved ones who will forever remain in our hearts. Kevin Boseman, older brother of late actor Chadwick Boseman, is celebrating two years of being cancer free. The 48-year-old dancer and choreographer shared the news on his Instagram Story on Oct. 14. “Today marks my official two-year remission anniversary,” Kevin wrote. “October 14, 2020.” He continued, “I was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and underwent four rounds of chemotherapy. I’m in remission!!!!! You read right. I am in remission.” Kevin noted that he shared the news “because while it’s been a year of profound loss and tragedy for so many of us, this is good news.” Tyra Banks is speaking out for herself on reports that she doesn’t want Real #Housewives stars competing on “Dancing With the Stars.” An insider previously claimed that Tyra Banks, who is the host and an executive producer for the show, wanted to ban Housewives from appearing. They said: “Tyra Banks has never been a fan of the Housewives, but the real reason she doesn’t want them on her show is that Bethenny Frankel, NeNe Leakes and Teresa Giudice do not make headlines anymore.” They added: “Tyra wants reality stars like Carole Baskin from Tiger King— not a decade-old franchise that no one talks about anymore. If Tyra thought for one minute that the Housewives would get her show ratings, she would welcome them to the dance floor in a second.” Now, Tyra Banks is making it clear that she never made those comments, and is convinced someone is hating on her. She states: “I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t even understand. You know what, there are some people out there who are just trying to stir stuff up. First of all, I have nothing to do with casting. Second of all, I’m a freaking businesswoman. The Real Housewives are some of the biggest stars in this country. So that’s just somebody trying to hate, and there’s a lot of that going on right now.” She added that she might know who said it but hasn’t put them on blasted yet. On Wednesday, October 28th, former White House Advisor and reality star of The Apprentice, Omarosa Manigualt Newman joined the digital tri-weekly talk show The Special Report with Areva Martin and continued her spree of brazenly candid and eye-opening remarks from her tenure as one of President Donald Trump’s White House Advisors. Following her latest claims on the British morning talk show “Lorraine,” where she said First Lady Melania Trump is “repulsed” by the President, Omarosa’s latest claim is that POTUS and FLOTUS may be heading towards divorce following the end of their term. Areva Martin, a civil rights attorney and political correspondent for CNN, went on to ask Omarosa for her thoughts on Trump’s storming out of his 60 Minutes interview, his alleged use of the N-word while filming The Apprentice, and Trump’s repeated verbal name calling and attacks of black women. Common announces the release of his new project, A Beautiful Revolution Pt 1, out Friday, October 30. This instant hip hop classic and call to action from the modern-day renaissance man – a GRAMMY-, Emmy-, and Oscar-winning artist, activist, actor, and two time New York Times Bestselling author – features seven new songs and two new interludes that catch Common at a new prime in his career. With a core band that includes Robert Glasper (keys), Karriem Riggins (drums), Burniss Travis (bass), Isaiah Sharkey (guitar), and PJ (vocals), plus features from Black Thought and Lenny Kravitz, A Beautiful Revolution Pt 1 is music meant to “uplift, heal, and inspire listeners dealing with racial injustices as well as other social injustices,” says Common. https://youtu.be/aklwLoLwc_A Jaden Smith, in partnership with the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation (WJSFF), is joining forces with LyftUp, Lyft’s purpose-driven program that gives underserved communities equal access to affordable, reliable transportation. The rideshare company, along with Jaden Smith and WJSFF, will offer transportation access to their network of individuals in need through a $50,000 ride credit donation. This will help these nonprofit partners get the community to work, and also provide accessibility to healthy groceries and clean water. Two of the notable non-profit partners that will help with distribution of funds are the I LOVE YOU Restaurant (Jaden’s org known for providing vegan meals to the unhoused) and 501cTHREE (Jaden’s org providing clean water to folks in Flint, MI). “Proud to be partnering with Lyft on their LyftUp initiative. Together, we’ll be providing rides to communities who need them most,” said Jaden Smith. The eight-episode docuseries TRIAL 4 delves into the story of Sean Ellis, a man who served 22 years in prison after being found guilty of killing Boston Police Detective John Mulligan in 1993. Though law enforcement presented evidence linking Ellis to the murder, further investigation revealed corrupt police officers, questionable witnesses and enormous pressure within the department to solve the case. https://youtu.be/Q_X_WqC75Yc The life of actor/choreographer/musician Columbus Short has been punctuated with trauma that extends well beyond the plot lines of his previous role on the hit series Scandal. Short has lived many lives packed into one-from a family filled with turmoil to tumultuous love affairs and enough scandals of his own. But somewhere in the middle, Short’s realization that there has to be a better way comes into full view. “Short Stories” not only details Columbus Short’s journey from childhood to Hollywood, it shows how even the most checkered of pasts can create a different person with the right amount of will and drive, especially when it comes to fulfilling your true destiny. Gospel music veteran, Kenny Lewis of Kenny Lewis & One Voice will be encouraging people to vote on an Instagram Live voter rally set to down Monday, November 2, 2020 at 7pm EST. For this conversation he has also joined forces with other gospel choir leaders including the Grammy-nominated writer/producer/psalmist Jason Clayborn, Stellar Award winner Jonathan Nelson and Grammy-nominated Choirmaster Ricky Dillard. The rally's title, "We're Undefeated When We Vote" is inspired by Kenny Lewis & One Voice's latest single, "Undefeated." The Gospel Spotlight's Kenny Lewis!!! Hear Kenny Lewis In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kennylewis_intvw.htm Powerhouse singer Tamika Patton is a Philadelphia native who consistently delivers great Gospel music with heart and with soul. Her latest release "Stand On His Promises" is a churchy, anthem of faith reminding everyone to trust in God at all costs because “A promise is a promise, and God’s word is true”! "Stand On His Promises" is written by Patton and the late Eric B. Franks and features Korey Mickie. The official music video is available now on Youtube and was directed by Gavin "itsdolomic" Brown, The Safe House Productions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5bIC3BM7II&feature=youtu.be Spike Lee, the cinematic champion of bringing important Black imagery to the big screen, has always been a visionary filmmaker. That’s why it should come as no surprise that “Drop Squad,” a film he executive produced, is seemingly more relevant than ever after it was released 26 years ago today. The truths revealed in the movie that is also an acronym that stands for the “Deprogramming and Restoration of Pride Squad” are all but mirrored in society today in large part because of the election of Donald Trump, which has not only emboldened white supremacists but also had similar effects on Black people eager to prove their loyalty to a racist president. And there is a long line of both, to be sure. https://youtu.be/MiiP52rd4lY The woman injured in a police shooting in suburban Chicago last week that killed her boyfriend suggested that cops left him to die even though he was still alive, sharply contradicting a narrative provided by the Waukegan Police Department. Tafara Williams, recovering from “substantial” injuries she sustained in the shooting, spoke Tuesday for the first time since Marcellis Stinnette was killed Oct. 20. She described in an emotional video the series of events that led to the fateful encounter in Waukegan. The video was posted to social media just a few hours after lawyers held a press conference to allow the families of Wiliams and Stinnette an opportunity to address the public. Williams, who is 20 and also shared a young child with Stinnette, recounted the harrowing night that included a police officer pulling up in a squad car behind them while they were legally parked in her vehicle on the side of a street. She said the police car didn’t have its lights or sirens on when it pulled up. She also said she turned on all of her car’s interior lights so the officer would see that she and Stinnette, 19, were unarmed and not a threat. TV One has announced the premiere date of its newest suspense-drama film BLOOD ON HER BADGE airing November 16, 2020 at 8 P.M. ET/7C. Inspired by true crime events, this gripping film details the journey of an ill-fated romance and stars Rayven Ferrell (The Hate You Give, The Bobby Brown Story) Tequan Richmond (Boomerang, Everybody Hates Chris) Miguel Nunez (The Family Business, Bronx SUI) Tetona Jackson (Boomerang, All Night), and Johnell Young (Wu-Tang: An American Saga). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfKvV8dnF7I&feature=youtu.be Robbie Montgomery is speaking out for the first time following the murder plot controversy impacting her son, Tim Norman. Robbie and her son/business partner James Timothy “Tim” Norman had a huge falling out several years ago and they’ve been estranged ever since. To make the situation even worse between them… Norman was arrested over the summer for an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving his nephew Andre Montgomery, and Miss Robbie’s grandson. Robbie has been quite on social media since news broke, but she recently made time to share a message to family, friends and fans for their love and support. “I truly appreciate all the love, prayers, cards, calls, and messages, of support my family and I have received from you all,” she wrote in the caption of a photo of her making a heart with her hands. “May God bless you all.” https://www.instagram.com/msrobbiesweetiepies/?utm_source=ig_embed The third season of WE tv’s smash hit docuseries “Love After Lockup” is back and follows lovebirds hoping to make their way down the aisle with the jailbirds who may or may not be conning them. https://youtu.be/gt5YcEZrZqA Jared Kushner allegedly said New Yorkers deserve to suffer COVID-related deaths and sickness because Governor Cuomo did not beg his father-in-law for help. Kushner is now threatening to sue for having his words plastered across Times Square. Kusher and his wife Ivanka Trump have threatened to sue The Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans, over billboards in New York City that put both senior White House aides on blast for their response to the coronavirus. https://youtu.be/A5XKSUzWsS4 Longtime R&B/soul singer, entrepreneur and radio personality Alyson Williams unveils her latest release, the single “Summer Nights in Harlem.” The veteran singer brings a jazzy, mature, grown-folks vibe to “Summer Nights In Harlem” as well as sweet sultriness to the accompanying “flip-side,” the ballad, “The Romance Of You”. It’s the sound Ms. Williams has been known for, dating back to her years when she was the first R&B singer signed to Russell Simmons’ Def Jam Records during the 1980’s. https://youtu.be/xEp6FXC5xMU On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the hosts of The Real welcome back Vice Presidential nominee Senator Kamala Harris! Senator Harris talks about the run-up to Election Day as the country turns out to vote in record numbers. She discusses whether the long voter lines are due to that record-breaking early turnout or voter suppression? And she reveals her opinion about the “wholly illegitimate process” of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. https://youtu.be/ZWAaeYjvo6Q The Minneapolis teen who used her cell phone camera to record the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis officers is slated to receive a national courage award. Darnella Frazier, 17, was on the scene of the tragedy that occurred on Memorial Day, after officers attempted to arrest Floyd on suspicion of forgery. Frazier’s footage, which she posted on her Facebook page, shows the victim handcuffed and on the ground with Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the back of his neck, with Foyd pleading: “Please, I can’t breathe.” https://youtu.be/GXKMih20Ur0 In a “CBS This Morning” exclusive, two grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case told co-host Gayle King that prosecutors from the Kentucky attorney general’s office never presented grand jurors with the option to consider indicting officers on more serious charges for Taylor’s death. In addition they described what they say happened during the grand jury proceedings and how they felt blindsided by public comments from the Kentucky attorney general. Last month the Kentucky attorney general told a local Fox affiliate, “If the jurors wanted to make an assessment about different charges they could have done that.” Former ESPN SportsCenter anchors Jemele Hill and Cari Champion joined Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris for the latest installment of “Red Table Talk.” The ladies gathered for a conversation about mean girls and women supporting other women at work. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=658114171555874 A Chicago security guard was stabbed multiple times by a female customer after he told her to wear a mask in the store. The Chicago Police Department said 18-year-old Jayla Hill and Jessica Hill,21, were visiting a Snipes sneaker and clothing store in West Chicago around 6 p.m. Sunday when one of its security guards told the pair to wear a mask. They started arguing with each other when Jayla punched him in the chest and grabbed him by the hair as reported by The Chicago Sun-Times. Shortly after, Jayla pinned the 32-year-old victim to the ground as Jessica stabbed him in the neck, head, and back multiple times with a knife. Emergency medics transported him to Mount Sinai Hospital and said he was in critical condition. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today its first ever food programming block with four all-new original cooking shows premiering on Saturday, Nov. 14 featuring celebrated African American chefs. The programming starts at 12 p.m. ET/PT with “Lovely Bites” starring Chef Connie “Lovely” Jackson, followed by “Tregaye’s Way” at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT starring Chef Tregaye Fraser, “Food Fantasies” at 1:00 p.m. ET/PT featuring several celebrity chefs each episode, and “Tanya’s Kitchen Table” at 1:30 p.m. ET/PT starring Chef Tanya Holland. https://youtu.be/ERzTsUSwcOM On October 28—just a day after sister Kim Kardashian West was dragged online for hosting a private island party during a pandemic—it was confirmed Khloé tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year. “Just found out that I do have corona,” she says in an exclusive Keeping Up With the Kardashians clip from E!. “I have been in my room. It’s gonna be fine, but it was really bad for a couple days.” She continues, “I suffer from migraines, but this was the craziest headache. I wouldn’t say it was a migraine. The coughing, my chest would burn when I would cough.” Khloé also suffered from vomiting, shaking, and hot and cold flashes. “Let me tell you, that shit is real,” she says. “But we’re all gonna get through this.” Ava DuVernay’s non-profit ARRAY ALLIANCE is launching its second ARRAY Drive-in screening event on Friday, Oct. 30 and Sat. Oct. 31. This latest cinema experience is a community empowerment activation featuring two Oscar-winning films: SELMA amplifies the importance of voting to activate change as we approach the upcoming presidential election. GET OUT is the perfect psychological horror thriller to screen on Halloween. In addition to the films, the open to the public screenings in ARRAY’s Historic Filipinotown/Westlake neighborhood will include on-site voting booths provided by LA Vote mobile voting center, on Friday, Oct. 30. Attendees can vote in person or drop-off their ballots. Friday, Oct. 30 – SELMA, directed by Ava DuVernay and on-site voting via LAVote.net’s mobile voting center. Saturday, Oct. 31 – GET OUT, directed by Jordan Peele. In the fourth episode of Red Table Talk: The Estefans, Wednesday, October 28 on Facebook Watch, the Estefans are joined by the family of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, including her mother Gloria Guillén and her sisters, Mayra and Lupe, for an emotional conversation about the tragedy at the Fort Hood army base in Texas. In April, 20-year-old Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén was found dead outside a Texas Army Base. Now, her devastated family on Red Table came to demand justice and seek answers. Vanessa’s heartbroken mother sat down for an emotional one-on-one conversation with Gloria and reveals why she feels there is more to the story surrounding her beloved daughter’s death. Vanessa’s impassioned sisters share their gut-wrenching journey and the important work they’re doing to ensure this never happens again. The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has announced the nominees for the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA). The winners will be revealed in a Special Announcement on Monday, November 16, 2020. The Critics Choice Association will once again be honoring the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified CCA members. Showtime has announced the return of “Dexter” for a limited miniseries. “Dexter” ran for 8 seasons and centered on a serial killer who kills other serial killers. The dark comedy will pick up eight years after the widely panned finale episode. Michael C. Hall is returning for the titular role. https://youtu.be/YQeUmSD1c3g Evelyn Lozada has been living her best life! Fans recently noticed that the former “Basketball Wives” star has been spending some time with singer Marc Anthony. The two hanging out was first uncovered by social media users who started comparing the backdrops of recent social media posts by Marc and Evelyn. Last month, Evelyn, 44, posted a series of photos taken inside a fancy looking home. In one snap, she showed off her kids swimming in the pool. She also shared another shot where she poses in front a mirror which showed the background of the home. Fans quickly noticed that her IG photos match images from the real estate listing for the 50-year-old’s $19 million-dollar mansion. While the stars have yet to comment on their relationship publicly, sources tell The Blast that two have been getting to know each other for the past few months. It was said that Anthony actually flew out Lozada and her two kids, 27-year-old daughter Shaniece Harrison and six-year-old son Carl Leo Crawford to all spend time together. Today, Netflix debuted the trailer for “Selena: The Series” – A coming-of-age story following Selena as she chases her dreams, and the heart-wrenching and life-changing sacrifices she and her family make as they navigate the highs and lows of success, loss, love, and music. Part one of the two-part series premieres on Netflix on December 4, 2020. https://youtu.be/-0wz7n-h71M “Move past fear,” said Grammy nominated Brian Courtney Wilson about the meaning of the title to his new album “Still.” “You got to stay focused on your assignment. It’s in the Bible. Be still and keep moving without doubting and move mountains.” “Still” is the Chicago native’s fifth album and since 2009 he has garnered multi-Grammy nominations, a Billboard Music Award nomination, and has won multiple Stellar Awards, a Dove Award and an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award. Featured artists on “Still” include Maranda Curtis and Jeff Pardo. Grammy nominated Eric Roberson (United Tenors) co-wrote the track “Waiting” which encourages one to recognize when God has answered your prayers. The Gospe Spotlight's Brian Courtney Wilson!!! Hear Brian Courtney Wilson In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/brian_courtney_wilson.htm Blacksmoke Music Worldwide Founder and CEO Kerry Douglas counts the joys of life a little sweeter as he recovers from an extensive bout with COVID-19. The venerable record company executive, award winning hit making radio promoter and most recent proud father was conducting “Gospel Music business as usual” when COVID-19 stopped him in his tracks placing an indefinite hold on his daily activities. “I knew something was wrong, I just couldn't put my finger on it. I was fatigued and tired and then the flu like symptoms set in. We don’t know why things happen, but we can certainly learn something from the situations we encounter in life”, says Douglas. “This Coronavirus is very real and its effects are far reaching. It has a huge impact in the African American community and other communities of color because most of us are plagued with one or more underlying conditions and don’t have access to health care and hospitals. Chrissy Teigen lost her son Jack only weeks ago and has quietly been dealing with the pain ever since with the help of her husband John Legend. On Tuesday the 34-year-old supermodel opened up about her heartbreaking ordeal in a brave essay posted to Medium. ‘I had no idea when I would be ready to write this. Part of me thought it would be early on, when I was still really feeling the pain of what happened,’ began the cover girl as she detailed her loss and how the kindness of strangers has helped her recover. Teigen said flowers and notes from fans have meant a lot to her. 'After we first lost Jack, I found myself incredibly worried that I wasn’t able to thank everyone for their extreme kindness,' she shared. Many shared 'incredible personal experiences,' books and poems. 'I wanted to thank everyone, share our story with each individual person. But I knew I was in no state to. For me, the “no need to respond” note was such a true relief. I thank you for each and every one of those.' “The Voice” co-stars Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are engaged and sharing the good news on social media. Shelton and Stefani posted a picture Tuesday announcing the engagement between the country star and the pop singer. “Hey @gwenstefani thanks for saving my 2020… And the rest of my life.. I love you. I heard a YES!” Shelton wrote. A representative for Shelton confirmed the couple recently got engaged while in Oklahoma, where Shelton lives. The two stars met as judges on the singing competition show years ago. After Shelton divorced Miranda Lambert and Stefani divorced her husband Gavin Rossdale in 2015, the two later began dating. The two have recorded duets together, including “Nobody But You,” which just won a CMT Music Award last week. Britain’s Prince Harry says it took him many years and the experience of living with his wife, the former Meghan Markle, to understand how his privileged upbringing shielded him from the reality of unconscious bias. Harry talked about racial inequality and social justice in a video discussion with the Black Lives Matter activist Patrick Hutchinson as part of the GQ Heroes Conference, which is being broadcast this week. “Unconscious bias, from my understanding, having had the upbringing and the education that I have, I had no idea what it was,” Harry said. “I had no idea it existed and then, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realize it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife’s shoes.” From the beloved opening lines of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” to the rousing, children’s-choir conclusion of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” President Donald Trump’s campaign rallies have been filled with classic songs whose authors and their heirs loudly reject him and his politics. It’s become a sub-cycle in the endless campaign cycle. The Trump campaign can hardly play a song without the artist denouncing its use and sending a cease-and-desist letter. Neil Young, John Fogerty, Phil Collins, Panic! At The Disco and the estates of Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and Prince are just a few of those who have objected. Campaigns have been turning popular songs into theme songs for more than a century, and American artists have been objecting at least since 1984, when Bruce Springsteen denied the use of “Born in the U.S.A.” to the Ronald Reagan reelection campaign. But this year, the issue has reached an unprecedented saturation point, indicative of a wide cultural divide between the president and his supporters and musicians who don't believe in Trumps politics. The Los Angeles Dodgers were the best team in baseball all season, and Tuesday night, walked away with the ultimate prize, holding the World Series championship trophy for the first time in 32 years. Dodgers’ fans, who took over Globe Life Field, danced in the aisles, and screamed into the night, celebrating as if Orel Hershiser was back on the mound and Kirk Gibson was at the plate. The Dodgers, defeating the Rays, 3-1 to win the World Series in six games, finally have their own heroes and piece of history to celebrate. “This is our year," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "We said it. This is our year. Everyone in this ballpark wearing Dodger blue, everyone all over the world wearing Dodger blue never wavered. This is our year. These players right here showed what toughness is all about. Resiliency. I’ve never been around a group that’s closer, that’s tougher, that I love more." Mission accomplished. Gospel music icon Marvin Sapp has another #1 hit single with “Thank You For It All,” topping three Gospel song charts this week. “Thank You For It All” is #1 on the Airplay Chart and the Mediabase Gospel Chart, marking his first #1 at Gospel radio since “Yes You Can” in 2015, and his fifth #1 overall at Gospel radio, which began with “Never Would Have Made It” in 2007. “Thank You For It All” also rises to #1 on the Hot Gospel Songs Chart, dethroning Kanye West’s “Follow God.” The Hot Gospel Songs Chart is measured by listener consumption data from radio airplay, streaming, and digital downloads. Marking Sapp’s first #1 on the Hot Gospel Songs Chart since “My Testimony” in 2012, “Thank You For It All” is his fourth #1 overall on Hot Gospel Songs, which also began with “Never Would Have Made It” in 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYormAJoEk8 Jimmy Russell & BOC (Because of Christ has been giving God praise in the DMV and beyond for over 20 years now. Known for riveting church songs and moving spiritual ballads, the beloved ensemble has just dropped a brand, new single entitled, “When Jesus Comes”. A real toe-tapper, “When Jesus Comes”, is a reminder of the future return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The song is available now on all digital outlets. Church of God In Christ (COGIC) leader Bishop Charles Edward Blake, Sr. will not seek another term as presiding bishop and chief apostle at the next election. “I have made the decision to not seek re-election as a member of the general board or as presiding bishop,” he said to members of the denomination in a video news release. “I have requested that the general board grant me emeritus status at the time of the next election.” Bishop Blake will continue as senior pastor of the West Angeles Church in Los Angeles, California. His decision does not affect his pastoring. Billy Graham’s evangelist grandson has denied he is the man who urinated on a woman during a red eye flight from Las Vegas to Detroit. Earlier this month, Alicia Beverly, 28, reported that she had been sleeping on a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit on October 12- 13 when she awoke to find a man urinating on her. Initial news reports alleged that the perpetrator was a prominent ‘North Carolina pastor’ who had a bad reaction to a sleep aid. In a statement posted to Twitter on Monday, Will Graham attempted to shut down rumors he was behind the shocking act. ‘For some reason people who don’t know me have accused me of inappropriate actions on a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit on October 12 -13,’ he wrote. Hillsong Church is launching a new location in Atlanta, Georgia, led by husband-and-wife duo Sam and Toni Collier, the first-ever African-American lead pastors of a Hillsong church. “We want to start a movement that not only changes Atlanta, but changes the world,” Sam Collier, author, adviser to the MLK Jr. family, and founder of A Greater Story Ministries, told The Christian Post. “Just like God did with Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta nearly 60 years ago, there was a model that was built that went on to impact the entire world. We want to be a model of unity and understanding and bring about revival.” The mission of Hillsong Atlanta, Collier told CP, is to “reach and influence the world by building a large Christ-centered, Bible-based church, changing mindsets and empowering people to lead and impact in every sphere of life.” Urban One today announced that veteran television executive Michelle L. Rice has been named President of TV One and CLEO TV. Since February 2018, Rice has served as General Manager with full management oversight of TV One, the general entertainment network serving a diverse audience of adult Black viewers, and spearheaded the 2019 launch of CLEO TV, an aspirational cable network targeting Millennial and Gen X women of color. Netflix is quickly becoming Jaden Michael‘s home field. The actor, who recently battled the undead in the Lorne Michaels comedy Vampires vs. the Bronx, has been tapped to play Colin Kaepernick in the streamer’s upcoming limited series about the athlete and activist’s upbringing. Colin in Black & White is a six-episode drama that will “provide an introspective look at Kaepernick’s adolescent years as a Black teen growing up with a white adopted family. It will follow his journey to become a great quarterback while defining his identity and lending meaningful insight into the acts and experiences that led him to become the activist he is today.” Kaepernick will narrate the series as his present-day self. Jamie Foxx‘s little sister, DeOndra Dixon, has died. She was 36. The Oscar-winning actor revealed the news on Instagram on Monday, sharing a black and white photo of himself with his sister. A source tells PEOPLE Dixon died on Monday, Oct. 19. “My heart is shattered into a million pieces… my beautiful loving sister Deondra has transitioned…,” Foxx wrote. “I say transitioned because she will always be alive… anyone who knew my sis… knew that she was a bright light…” https://www.instagram.com/iamjamiefoxx/?utm_source=ig_embed Christian TV and film producer DeVon Franklin and his wife, actress Meagan Good, hosted a faith-inspired Biden for president event on Sunday. The “GOTV L!VE: A Soul of the Nation Gospel Concert Special” was broadcast nationally via video stream and over 65 gospel stations. “We are ready for a new administration, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the leaders that we need to see the progress and changes we all want,” Franklin said at the beginning of the event. https://youtu.be/36jh6rxdqmU Kanye West made an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” on Saturday and revealed that he’s launching a gospel university. West talked for nearly three hours about his relationships with God, the music industry, his presidential run, abortion, racism and wanting to lead a free world. In the episode, he also disclosed that he would be reimagining gospel singing and launching a university. https://youtu.be/5LsCmVHCrc8 Season five of NBC’s “This Is Us,” debuts Tuesday and viewers will get to see the Pearson family as they navigate both the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement. Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall Pearson, says he can relate to how his character — a Black man who was adopted into a white family —feels in the aftermath of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, as his white TV relatives look to him on what they should do to make him feel better. Brown says he received “tons of phone calls from white friends saying, ‘What can I do? Let me know? Is there something I should be doing?’ and it’s like, ‘Guys, I appreciate where your heart is, I really do, but I’ve got like every other white person calling me saying this. I need you to go pick up ‘White Fragility’ (by Robin DiAngelo.) I don’t know. Do what you’ve got to do, but I kind of just need a break. You don’t realize you’re inundating me, in a very sweet way, but I’m still trying to figure out what my next step is.’ It’s hard enough to represent yourself rather than represent all of Black America,” he said. Rioting, vandalism and looting erupted in Philadelphia on Monday night hours after police fatally shot a 27-year-old black man armed with a knife during a domestic disturbance call. Late into the night, growing anger boiled over into a violent riot near the Philadelphia Police 18th District building. Several officers were injured by bricks and other projectiles thrown at them by a crowd of demonstrators. At least 30 officers have been hurt with 12 hospitalized including one female Philadelphia Police Sergeant, 56, who suffered a broken leg after being hit by a speeding pick-up truck that was videoed driving towards a line of officers close to the city center shortly before 1am, according to Philadelphia Police. Local reports also suggest at least 30 people have been arrested. An Asian man who worked as a Sotheby’s realtor is facing charges for telling two black men they were in a ‘no-n***** zone’ while proclaiming ‘I’m a racist’ in shocking confrontation in Arizona caught on video. Paul Ng was arrested and booked on two disorderly conduct charges, both misdemeanors, after he confronted 25-year-old YouTuber Andre ‘Dre’ Abram and his roommate in Scottsdale on Friday morning around 7am. The two were recording a podcast for Abram’s YouTube channel near Main Street when Ng approached them and asked what the two men were doing. https://youtu.be/gahE4b29YIc Authorities found the body of an aspiring hip-hop artist inside the trunk of a Virginia man’s car after he crashed on a Miami highway, police said. Robert Deupree Avery Coltrain, 25, was arrested and charged with illegal transport of human remains and second-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old Brian Trotter. Trotter and Coltrain had known each other for a decade and Trotter was an aspiring rapper, according to Trotter’s family. A Miami-Dade police report said Florida Highway Patrol responded to a crash on the Palmetto Expressway on Sunday afternoon and found Coltrain and his silver Acura. The family of a black man who was killed in police custody while being filmed for a cop reality TV show last year is suing a Texas county over his death. Javier Ambler, 40, died in March 2019 after he was chased by Williamson County sheriff’s deputies for failing to dim his headlights to oncoming traffic. The deputies pursued the father-of-two for 22 minutes into downtown Austin in a police chase that was captured on camera for an episode of A&E network’s Live PD. He was tasered multiple times during the encounter and was heard telling cops he couldn’t breathe before losing consciousness, body camera footage showed.He was pronounced dead an hour later. In a wrongful death lawsuit filed in the Western District of Texas on Sunday, Ambler’s parents claim cops had used excessive force during their son’s arrest to ‘produce more “entertaining” content’ for the show. Dez Bryant is back in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens signed the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver to their practice squad, the team announced Tuesday. Bryant has been out of the league for two years. Bryant appeared to acknowledge the deal in a tweet Tuesday: “My emotions running high right now… I’m thankful…I can’t stop crying.” The biggest question is when Bryant will suit up for the Ravens. Baltimore’s wide receivers rank last in the NFL in receptions (58) and receiving yards (737). Bryant, 31, could become a physical possession-type receiver for reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and can complement the speed of Marquise Brown. Odell Beckham Jr.’s season is officially over. The Cleveland Browns announced the star wide receiver suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. Beckham underwent an MRI on Monday morning, which confirmed the tear. He was injured on the Browns’ second snap Sunday while attempting to chase down a Cincinnati Bengals defender following a Baker Mayfield interception. Tua Tagovailoa’s winning personality helped the Miami Dolphins avoid any locker room backlash when he was promoted to replace popular veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. Plus, Tagovailoa’s teammates believe he’s really good. “You wouldn’t think he was a rookie if you watched him in practice,” defensive end Shaq Lawson said Monday, when the Dolphins returned from their bye weekend. “The kid is incredible, and I’m looking forward to going out there and playing with him Sunday. “I’ve seen how athletic he is, how incredible a player he is. He’s going to lead this team in the right way.” Coach Brian Flores promoted Tagovailoa last week, and the Dolphins’ top draft pick will make his first NFL start Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. It should be no surprise that in Forsyth County, Georgia, a man wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt to his local polling place was pulled out of the early voting line. “When the poll worker stopped me in line, I was really kind of shocked, but I thought alright here we go, so I pulled out my phone and started recording,” explains Zach Arias. The poll worker told Arias that his BLM attire violated a law that forbids candidate campaign material beyond a certain point. https://youtu.be/xZoj4SLUV1c A professional babysitter who makes an appearance in “Borat 2” claims she was tricked into participating in the film and now she feels betrayed. Jeanise Jones, 62, was recruited for the comedy to babysit Tutar (Maria Bakalova), the 15-year-old daughter of Borat (played by Sacha Baron Cohen). She is tasked with teaching Tutar about modern women of the world, and that females are not born to be uneducated servants and slaves. Jones also encourages Tutar not to undergo plastic surgery purely at her father’s behest. Jones thought she was signing up to appear in a film about women’s rights. She had no idea Baron Cohen was a world-famous comedian when she was asked to participate in the mockumentary. She also believed Tutar was on her way to being sold into the sex trade, MSN reports. https://youtu.be/JvPTCvUnNQA NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock has released a new trailer for the “Saved by the Bell” reboot. The comedy is an updated version of the 90’s TV show starring a new cast and featuring some returning characters. https://youtu.be/O0uCr5-5p5Q The CW has served up the first full look at Javicia Leslie as the new Batwoman in the brand new, redesigned bat suit. During DC FanDome in September, Leslie trounced on the new features for the character Ryan Wilder, saying that she wanted to celebrate her natural hair and curves. “Ryan’s journey starts from a place of ‘What can this Batsuit do for me?’ But it’s not long before she realizes the power of its symbol and what it can do for everyone else in Gotham City,” said executive producer Caroline Dries of Batwoman’s new look. “As Ryan embraces everything that makes her special, she adjusts the suit to fit her physically and figuratively. This meant creating a new body design and new cowl that was undeniably a statement that screamed ‘powerful,’” she explained. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, the hosts of The Real speak to Nigerian Media Personality/TV Host Chuey Chu, who breaks down the #EndSARS movement, explains what the protests are all about and how people can help. Then the ladies discuss whether being gifted with an expensive Birkin Bag is a true sign of love, or just a great photo for the ‘gram. https://youtu.be/t8Pa5I3zyGU Last week, Ellen DeGeneres’ guest host Tiffany Haddish interviewed her longtime friend Marlon Wayans and took the opportunity to delve into an issue that is apparently still a thing. Haddish asked him why he’s never cast her in any of his movies. https://youtu.be/V3NN83h8orc Toni Braxton has released new visuals for her latest single “Gotta Move On,” which features guitar and a guest appearance from H.E.R. https://youtu.be/PREVbXxH3go Ballerina Misty Copeland says her profession has to evolve along with the world’s racial reckoning or else it will cease to exist. “As the world is changing, as it grows more diverse, if the ballet world doesn’t evolve with it, then it’s going to die,” Copeland told reporter Jenna Adae. The first black woman to become the principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre said that after George Floyd’s death and the focus on Black Lives Matter, for the first time in her 20-year career, people are starting to believe her when she says the lack of diversity within the global ballet industry is a problem. The leader of the NXIVM sex cult has been sentenced to 120 years in prison. Keith Raniere used NXIVM as a self-help workshop to force at least over a dozen women and teen girls to have sex with him. His alleged crimes are documented in the HBO series “The Vow,” which was recently picked up for a second season. Raniere was found guilty of federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges back in June 2019, PEOPLE reports. https://youtu.be/tmEOPOwZ_Ys A 12-year-old aspiring rapper from Fort Worth, Texas has been sentenced to seven years in a juvenile detention facility for shooting a one-year-old child (who survived). According to reports, at the time of the shooting, the juvenile — who goes by the stage names Lil Rodney, Baby Savage, and 30Shotz — was on probabtion for an arson case and had been fitted with an ankle monitor. The boy, an alleged Crips gang member, told the judge during a hearing that was conducted via a Zoom that he cut the monitor off because he wanted to attend the funeral of a friend. Protesters took to the streets of Philadelphia Monday night hours after a pair of white police officers shot and killed a Black man who had a knife but did not appear to be threatening the lives of the cops, according to a viral video of the shooting. Walter Wallace Jr., who was said to have suffered from mental illness, was killed on a West Philadelphia street as his mother begged police not to shoot him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu5FY_3S844 Protesters upset over police brutality took to the streets in Philadelphia overnight. This coming hours after police shot and killed a man with a knife in West Philadelphia on Monday afternoon. Officers opened fire when they say the man walked toward them near 61st and Locust Streets, refusing to drop the knife. The man who was shot and killed by police was identified as 27-year-old Walter Wallace, Jr. His killing led to a night of protests and riots in West Philadelphia. Civil rights leaders along with other people and groups opposed to the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett were seemingly left with no other options but to shake their heads in disgust and disappointment that the president was successfully able to both rush and politicize the process just one week before Election Day. The now-former 7th Circuit Court of Appeals judge was sworn-in Monday night on the South Lawn of the White House by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas with her husband and Donald Trump beside them just a few short hours after the Republican-led Senate finished pushing through her nomination in record time. Many civil rights leaders found it to be an egregious affront against democracy not only that Barrett was filling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s death but also that the newly-installed justice could end up being Trump’s tool to secure his victory for an election in which 60 million people have already voted. In today’s example of just how racist the Trump administration is, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner had some pretty telling words while discussing his father-in-law’s so-called Platinum Plan for Black America. Kushner, apparently trying to appeal to Black people during an interview on Fox News Monday morning, completely disrespected the coveted voting bloc and implied they are “complaining” about society’s ills to the point that he openly doubted whether they even want to be “successful” or not. “The thing we’ve seen in the Black community, which is mostly Democrat,” Kushner brazenly began, “is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.” Kushner’s remarks could possibly be construe as resorting to a familiar racist — and false — trope about lazy Black people who only moan about their problems instead of working to find solutions when white people throw them a proverbial bone … like … the Platinum Plan? Religion can now be added to the growing list of areas experiencing racial reckonings after Pope Francis announced this weekend that an African American was among the 13 people who have been promoted to the Catholic Church‘s rank of cardinal. That will make Wilton Gregory, an archbishop based in Washington, D.C., the first Black American cardinal in the Vatican’s history. But perhaps equally as notable as Gregory’s new appointment is the fact that members of the Catholic Church can rest assured that he — much like the pope — will not hold his tongue when it comes to opining on controversial topics. There may not be anybody else who knows that fact better than Donald Trump, who was on the receiving end of Gregory’s disappointment in June when the president visited a shrine honoring Pope John Paul II as America began protesting George Floyd‘s police killing. The president visited the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in what USA Today called “a brief photo opportunity” with first lady Melania Trump holding a bible after law enforcement and soldiers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse legal and nonviolent protesters. When Gregory showed up at the same place a day later, he made no secret of how he felt about Trump — who has encouraged police to “not be too nice” to “thugs” — being there. One of the main things missing from the overall electoral equation four years ago has seemingly fueled the 2020 early voting turnout: Black people, who were criticized in part as scapegoats for the election of Donald Trump because their share of the vote plummeted in 2016. But statistics show it’s doubtful that will be true this time around as more Americans have already cast their ballots in the early voting period than all of the early voting in the election that Hillary Clinton lost. Whether that surge is due to Black voters may not be known until exit polling is finished. One thing, however, that is known is that registered Democrats have accounted for more than half of all early ballots reported, compared with just 31 percent of Republicans, according to the Associated Press. And if the constant images of long, winding lines of people waiting to vote that are populated by Black folks is any indication, we may already have our answer. AspireTV, the network that celebrates and reflects Black culture and urban lifestyle, is partnering with REVOLT, the Hip Hop centered platform owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, to host the virtual symposium entitled “Stop Killing Us! Challenging Police Practices In America" on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. ET. Moderated by Tanika Ray, panelists include Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, David Banner, Rev. Stephen Green and Mayor Aja Brown. The full panel discussion will stream on both AspireTV and REVOLT websites, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter platforms. WNBA star Candace Parker is on a mission to change the narrative surrounding gender disparities in sports ownership and she’s empowering her daughter to follow suit. According to CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Sparks player and her 11-year-old daughter Lailaa Nicole Williams recently became part-owners of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City team. The team—which is slated to officially start competing in 2022—has a star-studded ownership group. Among the collective of notable owners is tennis phenom Serena Williams and her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. as well as actresses Uzo Aduba, Eva Longoria, America Ferrera and Natalie Portman. October is National Women’s Small Business Month, honoring the accomplishments of female owned businesses and their importance to the economy. Innovative entrepreneurs Dina Marto and Courtney Rhodes are women of color with notable careers, decades working in music and marketing, who recently joined forces to start C&D The Agency – C for Courtney and D for Dina. Marto is General Manager of Grand Hustle Records and every day, well she is hustling, on the grind seriously taking care of business with rapper, actor, songwriter T.I., among others on the label. “I am currently working with T.I. on his internal management team, helping him run his operation and I’ve been doing that for about three years now. Previously I worked at Island Def Jam with LA Reid for six years on his A&R (artists and repertoire) team,” says Marto who was born in Amman, Jordan and grew up in Marietta, Georgia. While at Def Jam Marto was A&R coordinator for albums by several rap and R&B stars including Young Jeezy, Nas, Rick Ross, Janet Jackson, and LL Cool J. Rhodes has “acquired a unique niche for identifying and accommodating brands’ need analysis” with some 20 years of experience in devising marketing and sales strategies for her clients including Ford, Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia) and CBS-TV. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Monday, Oct. 26, the hosts of The Real discuss the very real issue of election anxiety and how to deal with it. Co-host Garcelle Beauvais admits she’s struggling with it, and co-host Loni Love encourages people to take a break if needed and to keep hope alive. https://youtu.be/uKJYuy5MvOU “The Craft: Legacy” introduces a new coven of witches this Halloween season. Blumhouse productions expands the world of the cult 1996 hit “The Craft” with a new foursome of aspiring teenage witches coming into their power. https://youtu.be/J60ueFp-jv8 Cardi B has clapped back at racists saying Hermés Birkin bags “lost their value” because Black female rappers wear them. Cardi’s response is to a social media post about how rappers make the pricy handbags less “exclusive.” Hermés Birkin bags typically range anywhere from $12,000 to $200,000. “I’ve been seeing this tweet right. It had me and it had other female rappers on it. They were talking about if we could get Birkins from the Hermés store and they [were] also saying how we depreciate the value of a Hermés Birkin bag. I find that really interesting because, first thing first, I definitely could get a bag. Actually, I got four bags today from the Hermés store,” the 28-year-old hip-hop star said in a video shared on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/iamcardib/?utm_source=ig_embed The ladies from the first viral video, “Get Your Booty To The Poll” are back to encourage Georgians and the whole US of A to vote. Get Your Booty to the Poll has teamed up with The New Georgia Project to release another PSA- this time aimed at the state of Georgia to remind voters to complete their entire ballot, and to remind them that there are TWO senate races this year. The video was directed by Angela Barnes, produced by Paul Fox, and features some of Atlanta’s finest exotic dancers. https://youtu.be/_kJPDyMS2k0 Samuel L Jackson is not only an amazing actor, he is a family man as he has been married to LaTanya Richardson for about 40 years and has a daughter, Zoe, with her. The 36-year-old is the spitting image of him, as several pictures have shown over the years. She also seems to have picked up on his dress sense as they have been seen sporting similar styles. Jackson credits his success to his wife and daughter while referring especially to the time they found him passed out after getting drunk at a friend’s bachelor party.The actor is grateful that his wife sent him off to rehab when she could have just left him. He claims they are the reason he kept going and finally got clean. The 71-year-old definitely understands the importance of a present father as he never had one growing up. He said his daughter deserves two parents which is one reason the couple stayed together. LEGACY FIVE (Southern Gospel / 4X Dove Award Nominee) & THE WARDLAW BROTHERS (Gospel / Dove and Stellar Award Nominee) are two groups, from two genres in Christian music traditionally separated more often by race than by the style of music. While the current climate of our nation is plagued with reoccurring racial injustices and cultural clashes, Legacy Five and The Wardlaw Brothers have joined together to be an example of one unified body in a ground-breaking collaboration called "9 MAKES US 1." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAknsgQdJIU&feature=youtu.be Tacoma-based 3x multi-platinum, Grammy Nominated R&B singer-songwriter Will Jordan recently released the official music video for his lead single, "Back To Me," from his soulful debut EP, BE GOOD. The talented R&B singer’s 8-song EP was released on all major platforms on October 13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PeR0uete2E R&B artist MAJOR., titled “Doves Cry.” Mr. "Why I Love You" is back with a powerful melodic expression laced with his signature falsetto set to reach deep in the hearts & souls of every listener. “Doves Cry” is a conversation to lovers & the world beyond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhPujNN2KPM&feature=youtu.be Todd Galberth is not content with the 75 million streams his self-penned anthems such as “Lord, You Are Good,” “For My Good” and “I’m Getting Ready” (as recorded by Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Nicki Minaj) have earned him over the last four years. The rising star and praise and worship leader is destined to add several more millions of streams to his career tally with an exciting new track, “Better Than Good," which debuts at No. 1 on Gospel Digital Songs Sales chart for the week ending October 17, 2020. The track is available on all digital service platforms. Multi-Award-winning singer-songwriter, Tiff Joy, isn’t resting on the laurels of her recent No. 1 Gospel Airplay chart hit “Release” with Ricky Dillard & New G. The Chicago-based songstress has dropped a new praise and worship anthem, “You Are God Alone." It’s an infectious, mid-tempo proclamation of faith. The track bustles with explosive energy and percussive abandon. In a confident and at times, deliciously raspy vocal texture, she rattles off a litany of adjective names of God such as Redeemer and Protector. On the deliriously satisfying climatic vamp, she shouts off a melodious litany of adjectives that extol and exalt the names of the Lord. It’s a perfect companion to her past hits such as “Amazing” and “Release” with the legendary Chicago choirmaster, Ricky Dillard. A 17-year-old Georgia girl will spend four years in juvenile detention for plotting to attack a historic Black church. The unnamed racist teenager was arrested in November 2019 when authorities discovered her plan to kill members of the century old Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Gainesville. Her sinister plot was reportedly similar to the plans of white supremacist Dylann Roof, who fatally shot nine Black members of the Charleston, South Carolina church on June 17, 2015. https://youtu.be/7iKaTBQ8Wyc Patrick Mahomes is officially a “#GirlDad.” On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and fiancée Brittany Matthews announced they are expecting a baby girl, sharing a video from their gender reveal, which also involved their adorable pups. “Baby Girl,” Matthews captioned the clip on Instagram. “P.s- Yes, my dogs walked down a runway with pink paws for the reveal.” Khabib Nurmagomedov kneeled down and put his head in his hands. Tears streamed from his eyes. The burden he had been carrying for the past three months had been released. The typically stoic champion’s emotions got the better of him. Nurmagomedov, one of the best fighters in mixed martial arts history, submitted Justin Gaethje — whom many said would be Nurmagomedov’s toughest test — via triangle choke at 1 minute, 34 seconds of the second round Saturday in the main event of UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi.This was Nurmagomedov’s first fight since his father and head coach Abdulmanap died in July from complications of COVID-19. And afterward, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. Antonio Brown and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reached an agreement on a one-year deal, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter Antonio Brown and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday. While contract language still has to be finalized and Brown has to pass COVID-19 protocols before he can join the team, Brown is likely to make his Bucs debut in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 8. Both sides wanted to complete a deal that reunited Brown with quarterback Tom Brady. The Seattle Seahawks were also in the mix before Brown and the Buccaneers reached an agreement. NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace stars in a powerful and provocative new spot from Root Insurance, in which he addresses Donald Trump’s demand that he apologize over the noose controversial. Back in June, NASCAR notified Wallace that a noose was found hanging in his garage stall at the Talladega Superspeedway. https://youtu.be/IRfr5F3kBpc Jason Hardesty, a 32-year-old UPS driver, has amassed a rather large collection of selfies taken with dogs he comes across while delivering packages to his neighborhood route in New Orleans. “Every time I see a dog, I definitely get more excited than I used to,” the 11-year UPS veteran told “Good Morning America.” His canine capers have helped Hardesty earn nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, with thousands of likes on each post. https://youtu.be/5ChT_5gmBZ0 The talented comedian started her weight loss journey in November 2012. After several months of putting in hours at the gym, she lost about 80 pounds. When she starred in the 1999 sitcom, “The Parkers,” Mo’Nique weighed her heaviest, tipping 300 pounds. By May 2013, the actress had reportedly shed a lot of weight, leaving her at an impressive 218 lbs. She documented her progress on social media in an effort to inspire her fans. The comedian’s family is one of the greatest motivations that has kept the mother of four returning to the gym, and for her, it is gratifying that it’s all paying off. In the post, Mo’Nique made sure to let her fans know her progress was a result of hard work and persistence rather than going under the knife. LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment has partnered with CNN Films for a new documentary about Black Wall Street and the 1921 massacre in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Salima Koroma will direct the project, titled “Dreamland: The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street,” which is now in production. In a statement, SpringHill’s chief content officer Jamal Henderson noted that this documentary highlights the company’s goal of producing stories showing “the fabric” of American history. The youngest daughter of former POTUS Barack Obama has the Internet shook with a batch of TikTok videos that suddenly surfaced, went viral, then disappeared from the platform just as quickly. Sasha Obama went viral simply by lip-syncing the City Girls rap on Money Bagg Yo’s “Said Sumn.” If you know City Girls and their particular Miami-drenched, n-word infused, sexually explicit vernacular, and you remember Sasha as a seven-year-old holding her Daddy’s hand as he and the family took the stage at Chicago’s Grant Park on Nov. 4, 2008, like it was yesterday, then you understand why the Internet is thrown! The now 19-year-old, who appeared in the Tik Tok clip with a friend, had JT’s verse down word for word. https://youtu.be/kZ16GJgW5mI Social media users are convinced that Donald Trump is travelling with a Melania Trump look a like because the real first lady is quarantined while battling COVID-19. Thursday, Melania Trump was photographed smiling while boarding Marine One wearing a black sleeveless dress and black glasses. Critics claim her smile is proof that the woman in the images is not the real Mrs. Trump. Many noted that the teeth of the mystery woman is another dead giveaway that she’s not Melania. “Good luck finding any photos of Melania smiling like that,” George Conway, husband of former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, tweeted. The 1983 dance drama “Flashdance” is being given the reboot treatment at Paramount Television Studios. The series will stream on CBS All Access, which will soon be rebranded as Paramount+. Tracy McMillan is writing the script which will be executive produced by Angela Robinson, who will also direct the pilot. Lynda Obst will also EP, as she was associate producer on the original Jennifer Beals-led movie Paramount Studios. https://youtu.be/VzALZjoIx0g Meet Terri Burns… the younger and first Black female partner at GV, formerly known as Google Ventures. Burns joined the company in 2017 as a principal on the investing team, and has since made history by becoming partner. “There’s a part of me that’s like, ‘It’s really great that we are moving into a space where different types of people — young people, folks of color — are getting a seat at the table and having lots of opportunities,'” she tells CNBC Make It. “This is an exciting moment that I’m grateful for and looking forward to,” she says. “But I also feel like there is still a lot of work to be done and that’s something that I feel very dearly and take very seriously.” Lil Pump is the latest entertainer to endorse Donald Trump for president. Late Sunday night, the 20-year-old rapper took to his Instagram story to share a message to fans, letting them know who he’s voting for in this upcoming election. ”All I gotta say is Trump 2020 b****,” he said while explaining why he’s now #TeamTrump. “F*** I look like paying a extra 33 is tax for Biden, b***** ass n—. F**** sleepy Joe n— Trump 2020 b****.” Following his video, Pump, whose real name is Gazzy Garcia shared another post to Instagram; a photoshopped picture of himself sitting with the president along with the caption that read: “THE DAY I MET TRUMP #trump202022020.” Rapper Asian Doll a.k.a. Asian Da Brat fired shots at Wendy Williams recently after the talk show queen dissed her over her tweet about dating murderers. Williams was referring to a post Asian shared last week, in which she bragged about only dating serial killers. “Please have at least 3 body’s [sic] before you talk to me Boy I like killers,” the 23-year-old tweeted on Tuesday. When Wendy addressed Asian’s buffoonery on her daytime talk show, the hip-hop star clapped back in a now-deleted post on Instagram in which she accused Wendy of drug use. She also claimed to have once witnessed Williams getting high. “It’s the loud clap for me but even tho your doing your job don’t act like you don’t know me when you was on that FaceTime call coked up looking slow lol,” she wrote. Iggy Azalea has officially joined the single mothers club after she and baby daddy, rapper Playboi Carti, called it quits. Word is the foreign born rapper was aware that Carti was cheating when she got pregnant to try and save the relationship. Apparently his cheating didn’t stop during Iggy’s pregnancy. She recently took to her Instagram Story to post a cryptic message about the breakup. “You lost a real 1,” Iggy wrote. “People take loyalty for granted & that’s why I’d rather be alone. One thing I’ll never understand is how liars live with themselves. That s–t don’t eat y’all up inside?” Azalea later confirmed the breakup rumors via IG. “What I mean last night was that I’m raising my son alone & I’m not in a relationship,” she explained. A video of strangers in Philadelphia who broke out in dance while waiting in line to vote has gone viral. The clip drew attention from a number of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Wanda Sykes. “I see you #Philly! We know winning this jawn is crucial,” Sykes tweeted. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay added, “I love us so much. We rise. Always.” Comedian Sarah Cooper said it all with her tweet, “Voter suppression but make it fun.” https://youtu.be/Ft0y7F6cXhY “Let’s Talk About Race” is a compelling photo essay published in O, The Oprah Magazine, and it aims to challenge the ways we view race, race relations, and stereotypes. The magazine’s editor-in-chief Lucy Kaylin commissioned photographer Chris Buck for the project, which has been described as “Oprah’s vision of the future.” As The Huff Post notes, each of the three photos in the essay depicts “women or girls of color in a role reversal from the ways in which they are stereotypically seen - or not seen - compared to white women or girls.” One image shows East Asian women at a nail salon being pampered by white female beauticians. Another image shows a young white girl at a toy store standing before a row of black dolls, and the last image shows a white female maid tending to a posh Hispanic woman while she’s on the phone.“The main thing we wanted to do was deal with the elephant in the room — that race is a thorny issue in our culture, and tensions are on the rise. So let’s do our part to get an honest, compassionate conversation going, in which people feel heard and we all learn something — especially how we can all do better and move forward. Boldly, with open hearts and minds,” she added. Buck said producing the eye-opening photos for O magazine will hopefully inspire others to explore and talk about race. In a recent interview, #TylerPerry opens up about reconciling with #SpikeLee. As far as Spike Lee‘s former criticism of some of his characters where he referred to them as “coonery and buffoonery,” Tyler says that his critique in particular kind of hurt. Despite this, he still named one of the soundstages on his Tyler Perry Studios lot after the filmmaker: “If any criticisms stung, it would have been his, because I had so much respect and admiration for him. People’s opinions are their opinions, but that doesn’t negate the fact of the work that he’s done. And he’s due the honor of having a stage named after him and more than that.” Tyler continues and explains that Spike Lee actually reached out to him following an interview Tyler had with another media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, where they discussed a feud similar to theirs between Harlem Renaissance writers Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Tyler says Spike decided to come to Atlanta to speak with him directly: “I opened the door. I said, ‘Come in here, so I can beat your ass.’ And [Lee] said, ‘Fair enough.’ And we sat and we had a conversation. … He laid out his views and his opinions, which I respected. And he heard mine, and he respected them. So we can both exist in the same world with very different …” Back in 2016, Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar released his book called “Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White,” and in it he writes about reclaiming the political process, starting with children. It’s information that’s still relevant today. “The U.S. used to have the best schools in the world, and that’s not happening anymore. The grade scores for U.S. students [have] dropped with regard to other countries. We flipped down, and the quality of education here in America is starting to fade a little bit. And we need to do something about that because knowledge is power. And the power that we have in our educational system has made it possible for us to take leadership,” Abdul-Jabbar said on “CBS This Morning.” The six-time champion has been a social and political activist throughout his 20-year career. He famously boycotted the 1968 Olympics, and supported Muhammad Ali’s decision to refuse induction into the military during the Vietnam War. Now that viewers at home are beginning to notice that Wendy Williams has been having difficulties on-air, “Wendy Williams Show” staffers are speaking out about what’s allegedly going on behind-the-scenes. Sources close to ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ exclusively tell lovebscott.com that they believe Wendy is self-medicating (again) with “prescription pills, some kind of opioid.” “The production staff is at a loss for what to do,” the source says. “Because of COVID, the staff sits in the audience every show, and they’re constantly worried she’s going to pass out on the air like before. Some days it’s so bad, the producers will pull the plug and air a repeat,” the source continues. “But It’s a big production and they can’t keep wasting money like that.” In 2017 Wendy infamously passed out mid-show during the Halloween episode. “It’s an awful situation, and everyone involved around her is both concerned and over it. Everyone feels bad for all the personal drama she’s gone through the last few years at the hands of her ex-husband, but what can they do?” says the source. There is nothing but praise for Rhymes because of a personal achievement he recently pulled off that will provide inspiration to anyone who has a goal. As you can see from the very dramatic before and after Instagram pics below that the rapper put the work and dedication in to make a remarkable change in his body and no doubt, his mind. He says he’s now in “the best shape” of his life. He also tells fans to also look out for new music. DON’T EVER GIVE UP ON YOURSELF!! LIFE BEGINS RIGHT NOW!!! MY DEDICATION IS DIFFERENT!! I WOULD NEVER PUT OUT AN ALBUM AND NOT BE IN THE BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE!! I RESPECT MYSELF TOO MUCH AND I RESPECT Y’ALL TOO MUCH!!!! I’M ONLY HERE TO INSPIRE!! #ELE2THEWRATHOFGOD DROPPIN’ 10.30.20 PREORDER & MERCH AVAILABLE NOW!! The feature documentary “Welcome to Pine Lake” will debut on SHOxBET, the new partnership between Showtime and BET, on Monday, October 26, at 12 p.m. ET/PT. The fascinating story delves beneath the surface of a tranquil, inclusive community to reveal a foundation of historical systemic racism. Initially premiering on streaming service CBSN as part of CBSN Originals (the documentary unit of CBS News’ streaming service), "Welcome to Pine Lake" delivered the highest viewership of any CBSN original program and is the first feature documentary that CBSN has streamed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw8OiPqg4B8&feature=youtu.be Michael Jordan has evolved into a fierce advocate for healthcare equality and he’s taking his efforts to the next level. According to CNN, the NBA Hall of Famer recently opened a new clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina. The clinic, the second location opened by Jordan, was designed to eliminate the socio-economic barriers standing in the way of accessibility to quality healthcare. Amid the pandemic, systemic inequities surrounding healthcare have been pushed to the forefront of a national conversation and Jordan wants to ensure that individuals have the support and resources needed to stay safe during this unprecedented time. The facility, dubbed the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic, houses an X-ray room, exam rooms and areas for physical therapy. Insurance isn’t a requirement for individuals seeking treatment. Jordan unveiled the first clinic in Charlotte in October 2019 and to date, the medical facility has served over 3,000 people and distributed more than 13,000 COVID-19 tests during the public health crisis. From eliminating the student loan debt for Morehouse College’s 2019 graduating class to launching an internship program for students of color, billionaire Robert F. Smith has been dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders. His latest effort is focused on providing HBCU students with the support needed to pursue careers in STEM fields, HBCU Connect reported. Smith recently donated $50 million to The Student Freedom Initiative. The nonprofit organization is centered on addressing the disparities surrounding student loan debt pertaining to students from disenfranchised communities. The nonprofit not only provides students of color from low-income households with financial support, but it also aligns them with paid internships, tutoring and mentorships. Juniors and seniors who are pursuing STEM-related degrees at historically Black colleges and universities will be eligible to receive support through the initiative over the next five years. Participating HBCUs will be unveiled in November. Evangelist Franklin Graham and leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have responded to Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions, calling it “unthinkable in light of the Word of God” and explaining that no pope or priest gets to “define sexuality or the family.” “For Pope Francis to attempt to normalize homosexuality is to say that Holy Scriptures are false, that our sins really don’t matter, and that we can continue living in them,” Graham, the president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, wrote on Facebook. “If that were true, then Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection wouldn’t have been needed. The cross would have been for nothing. No one has the right or the authority to trivialize Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf,” Graham added. Ebony Davis was about 12, she said, when pastor Rickie Rush handcuffed her to another girl and beat their bottoms with a paddle, chasing them as they ran. Lashawn Harris was in middle school when Rush bent him over and cuffed his hands to his ankles before paddling him, he said. Dewayne said he was about 6 when Rush strapped him face down on a table, pulled down his pants, then thrashed his bare skin. These accounts, two of which were reported to Dallas police in recent weeks, add a troubling dimension to abuse former members of Inspiring Body of Christ Church have said they suffered at the pastor’s hands. They also bolster recollections of other congregants, who said Rush’s beatings have spanned decades. Ebony Davis was about 12, she said, when pastor Rickie Rush handcuffed her to another girl and beat their bottoms with a paddle, chasing them as they ran. Lashawn Harris was in middle school when Rush bent him over and cuffed his hands to his ankles before paddling him, he said. Dewayne said he was about 6 when Rush strapped him face down on a table, pulled down his pants, then thrashed his bare skin. These accounts, two of which were reported to Dallas police in recent weeks, add a troubling dimension to abuse former members of Inspiring Body of Christ Church have said they suffered at the pastor’s hands. They also bolster recollections of other congregants, who said Rush’s beatings have spanned decades. William Blinn, a screenwriter for the landmark TV projects “Brian’s Song” and “Roots” and the Prince film “Purple Rain,” has died. He was 83. Blinn died Thursday of natural cases at an assisting living community in Burbank, California, his daughter, Anneliese Johnson, said Saturday. He won Emmy and Peabody honors for the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song,” which dramatized the friendship of Chicago Bears players Brian Piccolo and Gayle Sayers. It was a hit when it aired and is a enduring favorite with sports fans and critics. Last month, Hall of Fame running back Sayers died at age 77. Blinn’s work on “Roots,” the blockbuster 1977 miniseries adapted from Alex Haley’s book about his African American ancestors in slavery and freedom, won an Emmy and a Humanitas Prize. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour has apologized after black staffers called for her to resign and revealed she used a racist word and dismissed their concerns about cultural appropriation. In a lengthy New York Times article published on Saturday, 18 black journalists who have worked with Wintour said Vogue favored employees who are thin, white and from elite backgrounds. Eleven of them called for her resignation following offensive incidents involving Wintour’s use of the word ‘pickaninny’, and cultural appropriation controversies involving Kendall Jenner’s false gold teeth and Karlie Kloss’s Vogue photo shoot as a Japanese geisha. However, Naomi Campbell, one of the first black supermodels, who appeared on the cover of Wintour’s first September issue in 1989, vehemently defended the editor. And three other people of color told the Times that Condé Nast had made positive changes and that Wintour had promoted them to top roles. Jill (Duggar) Dillard recently revealed that she’s distanced herself from her parents and siblings and their strict upbringing. Dillard was a main figure in the popular TLC series, “19 Kids and Counting,” which followed her Christian parents and their ultra-conservative household. After seven years on air, Jill went on to star in the spinoff series, “Counting On,” along with her sisters until she decided to quit the show in 2017. Now, 29, she’s opened up about why she and her husband, Derick Dillard, have distanced themselves from the family. “Our control to choose what jobs we were allowed to accept and even where we were allowed to live was taken away from us,” Jill told People. She explained that they felt as if they had lost the power to dictate their own lives. It progressed to the point that they, as a couple, felt it was interfering with their own goals, and that caused conflict with the network and the family’s plans. Mike Tyson tragically revealed that ‘happiness for me is death’ in an upcoming Netflix documentary based on the 54-year-old boxing legend. Iron Mike is being trained by Rafael Cordeiro ahead of his exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr, 51, in California next month. And coach Cordeiro let slip, in a Portuguese YouTube interview, that Netflix are filming a documentary with Tyson based on his eventful life in and out the ring. One day while filming, Cordeiro asked a down-in-the-dumps Tyson what happiness means to him. And the former world heavyweight champ said: “Happiness for me is death, because I saw many bad things and lost many bad things in my life.” Even though Chrissy Teigen recently suffered a miscarriage, she and husband/entertainer John Legend are moving on up – again.. The high-profile celebrity couple has said goodbye to a house they once owned in Beverly Hills. The new home for Legend and Teigen has 10,700 square feet, six bedrooms and nine bathrooms. The mansion, with a price tag of $17.5 million, is in the mountains above Beverly Hills. The neighborhood where Legend and Teigen will now call home is in the Beverly Hills Post Office (BHPO), a community that is known for its seclusion and upscale lifestyle. The residents of BHPO have the world’s most famous zip code: 90210. The HISTORY channel has announced the new nonfiction series “Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman” (working title) hosted and executive produced by the Academy Award-winning actor as part of A+E Networks MIPCOM upfront presentation. Produced by Freeman and producer Lori McCreary’s production company, Revelations Entertainment, the six one-hour episode series will reveal in detail history’s greatest convict escapes from some of the most notorious prisons in the world. https://youtu.be/AxpXcJibw8s The 2020 BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” is heating up with a newly announced lineup of presenters and performers. Hip Hop powerhouses Snoop Dogg and T.I. alongside R&B superstar Monica are set to present. Five-time Grammy Award-winner and global icon Lil Wayne and Grammy Award-nominated Rapper Cordae joins previously announced performers including 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Burna Boy featuring Chris Martin, City Girls, Gucci Mane, Jhenè Aiko, Lil Baby, Mulatto, Quavo, Tobe Nwigwe and Ty Dolla $ign. Comedians, actors, hosts of the “85 South Show” podcast and stars of “Wild N’ Out” – comedy supergroup 85 South (Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and Chico Bean) will co-host the annual show premiering Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Rapper Offset was almost arrested while live-streaming himself driving through a pro-Trump rally on Saturday. The guys currently married to Cardi B, was pulled over by Beverly Hills police after he drove through a crowd of Trump supporters and allegedly waved a handgun. Beverly Hills police surrounded Offset’s vehicle with guns drawn. He refused orders to take his hand off his steering wheel and turn off the engine. Lil Boosie had no clue that Mike Tyson, of all people, was gonna blow his mind. Tyson ask the Louisiana rapper something that social media has been asking him for years, but of course it was never to his face and it came via a physical force that’s also intimidating. Lil Boosie,has VERY STRONG opinions on gay and transgender people. https://youtu.be/Oq56pAdXqi8 Serena Williams chatted with her ex-boyfriend and friend, rapper Common, for ESPN’s “The Undefeated,” and she explained how if she were a man, she would have long ago been considered the greatest of all time. “I think if I were a man, I would have been in that conversation a long time ago,” Williams said. “I think being a woman is just a whole new set of problems from society that you have to deal with, as well as being black, so it’s a lot to deal with — and especially lately. I’ve been able to speak up for women’s rights because I think that gets lost in color, or gets lost in cultures. Women make up so much of this world, and, yeah, if I were a man, I would have 100 percent been considered the greatest ever a long time ago.” One of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matters movement says she was notified by federal authorities about a possible violent plot targeting her. Alicia Garza tweeted Friday afternoon about the potential threat to her life and others and used it as a rallying call for voters to help get Donald Trump out of the White House. The news followed recent reports of foiled plans to kidnap governors and overthrow state governments just days ahead of a presidential election that has a nation braced for an outpouring of anger no matter who wins. Garza, who along with Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi founded Black Lives Matter in 2013, tweeted that the FBI paid her a visit to tell her the federal law enforcement agency had arrested a suspected white supremacist who was armed and has her name on a list. In the late 1980s, Rudy Houston was a well-recognized and talented model and dancer, perhaps best remembered as the leading man in Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately” video. He was the guy that women went crazy over because of his looks and dance moves. Houston was also the man who singer Pebbles was asking in her song, “Mercedes Boy,” if he wanted to ride with her in the song’s video, released in 1988. “Yes, it is true that I have transitioned from male to female,” Houston said in a statement that appears on I Love Old School Music’s website. “I began my transition from male to female in 1995. I needed time away from the entertainment industry to find my inner peace and embark on my intense and wonderful journey to womanhood. I am finally at peace. I am currently residing in L.A., where I work as an artist painting portraits and abstracts.” https://youtu.be/7jF4OgSMsl4 Former Sacramento Kings player Zach Randolph’s wife Faune Drake Randolph has filed for divorce after he tweeted a shocking statement about his estranged wife. According to The Blast, Faune filed for divorce last week against the retired-NBA player at a courthouse in Los Angeles. Prior to the divorce, the couple were married for six years and had five children together. However, they also knew each other since childhood and raised in the same church. Last month, Randolph tweeted the following about Faune stating that “married a ho.” After the public caught wind of the tweet, he claimed someone hacked his Twitter account The family of the Detroit woman with cerebral palsy who was mistakenly declared dead at a funeral home in August has filed a lawsuit against the first responders on the scene. According to PEOPLE, Beauchamp’s family has sued the Southfield EMS Paramedics for $50 million for declaring her dead when she was “very much alive,” family attorney Geoffrey Fieger said in a statement. https://youtu.be/Euj_KQceP4Y LisaRaye McCoy has announced that she’s joining the subscription website OnlyFans.com. The 53-year-old actress and talk-show host made the announcement on her Instagram page. Her basic subscription price will be $20 a month. She goes on to explain that this may be a good idea because she says she has lots of content to share but doesn’t want to share it on Instagram where people are always going to have something to say: “If I could have a place that only MY people come to. Only MY fans, only MY likes, only MY members, only MY people that mess with me…you know what? I could do a OnlyFans page.” Rapper Rick Ross has dropped $1 million on an 87-acre plot of land in Fayetteville, Georgia, located 20 miles outside from Atlanta. According to TMZ, the land comes with 2 houses on the property that could be renovated for Rick’s personal use to turned into rentals. The property is adjacent to his own estate. Ross made the announcement about his investment on social media. The land is located near Ross’ 45,000-square-foot mansion that boasts 109 rooms, an indoor and outdoor pool, a movie theater, and a bowling alley. “The Lord started speaking to me. That’s how ‘Truth’ came to me,” said Charles Martin, singer/songwriter/actor and member of Deitrick Haddon’s Stellar Award winning group Voices of Unity. His new single is “Truth.” “It’s important to have private time with the Lord. He said, ‘You need to be consistent.’ So I been consistent in what he want me to do.” Martin has a long career as a vocalist for Voices of Unity and a sought after background singer whose clients have included Fred Hammond and Deitrick Haddon. https://youtu.be/o3C17YUUiuk An Italian couple has tied the knot in “three mini weddings” to accommodate the country’s 30-guest Covid-19 rule for nuptials. Jacopo Cattelani and Gulia Fabbiani learned about the measure a few days before the wedding in the commune of Fiorano Modenese in the northern Italian province of Modena on Oct. 17. “We had three mini weddings, which lasted four hours each, so that we could celebrate with everyone. We had already postponed everything in May; moving it again would have been impossible,” the bride said. Friday, October 23, the ladies discuss whether mothers should feel guilty for putting themselves first, especially during a pandemic. Co-host Garcelle Beauvais gives examples of how her needs often taken a backseat for her children and how the pressures of being a mother frequently lead her to tears. She advises that self-care is absolutely necessary to be a better parent. https://youtu.be/foJIeKmJ_Co In a new interview Carl Crawford talks his professional and personal relationship with Megan Thee Stallion, claiming he wants her to settle her contractual issues, and adding that he’s unsure about their “personal stuff.” The 1501 Certified Entertainment founder says, “Well, the media makes it look like that we parted ways. But we’re still in heavy talk. We’re still contractually together, so of course we want her to do well. You don’t want her to do bad because it’s not going to benefit us if she does bad, you know? So, we want her to do well. We just want her to honor her contract. That’s the whole big deal behind the situation.” “They didn’t want to honor her contract but, they wanted to switch a few things and they never talked to me about it; they just sent the lawyers to me and all that stuff so… it was just really one of those deals to where you just – things kind of went left and it’s just unfortunate. Oh yeah there’s going to be a resolution as far as like you know, trying to get the contract renegotiated or whatever like that. We’ll definitely handle the business part but, just far as the personal stuff… I don’t really know about that. The business part is what we’re working on so we’ll definitely take care of that hopefully soon. We did that situation and that’ll take care of itself at one point and everybody can move on. That’s the best for everybody in my mind.” Christmas has come early for Aaliyah fans, as an upcoming book has been announced that will chronicle her life and career. According to Billboard, “Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah” will drop Aug. 17, 2021, under Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. Written by journalist and author Kathy Iandoli, the title “will focus on the span of Aaliyah’s life and career — from her earliest beginnings singing in Detroit all the way through to her game-changing musical era with Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and the late Static Major,” revealed in a press release. “The book also includes a deep dive into her tumultuously abusive entanglement with R. Kelly and an intense investigation on the crash that ended her life.” Jay-Z announced Friday that he is launching his first line of cannabis called Monogram in a joint venture with California-based weed company Caliva. Monogram debuted its website and Instagram account Friday, providing fans with a glimpse of the product. According to a press release, Monogram aims to “redefine what cannabis means to consumers today,” with “careful strain selection, meticulous cultivation practices and uncompromising quality.” Jay-Z joined Caliva as Chief Brand Strategist last July as part of a multi-year partnership. Bounce, the first and only broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, released the teaser trailer of their all-new original true crime special Dying To Be Famous: The Ryan Singleton Mystery. Dying To Be Famous: The Ryan Singleton Mystery is an intriguing six-episode, true-crime docuseries. Bounce’s first which follows the extraordinary true story of the mysterious death, and likely murder, of Ryan Singleton, a young African American male, and aspiring film producer, who, after setting out to pursue fame and fortune in Hollywood with two of his friends, ended up dead in California’s Mojave Desert, his body dumped, mutilated and missing all vital organs. TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, continues with UNCENSORED: Black Girl Magic, the first of five new bonus episodes this Sunday, October 25 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, October 28 at 10 PM/9C. This episode of UNCENSORED celebrates some of entertainment's most notable black women, including Lala Anthony, Paula Patton, Tiffany Haddish, Niecy Nash, Tamar Braxton, K. Michelle, Nia Long, Tyra Banks, Le'Andria Johnson, LisaRaye McCoy and Tisha Campbell Martin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRoKPGbCfjI&feature=youtu.be Today, gospel star Anthony Brown reveals the cover to his timely new album, Stuck in the House: The Pandemic Project. The album is a follow-up to 2econd Wind: Ready, which debuted at No. 1* on the Gospel Album Sales chart and generated over 1 million on-demand streams in its first week. Gospel Spotlight's Anthony Brown!!! Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN delivers good taste and health-conscious meal options on this week's episode with Vegan Chef Influencer Chef Ahki along with Restaurateur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, October 24 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. The chefs prepare dishes sure to leave your family wanting more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZdBfWWTpAk&feature=youtu.be GRAMMY®-winning mega-hit makers Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox have teamed up with a lineup of music superstar friends, on the new single “CHANGE”, available now on digital music providers. In conjunction with the release of “CHANGE” the new song will also be played today, October 23rd, at the top of every hour on all iHeartRadio R&B stations. the song feature.Common, Kirk Franklin, Boyz II Men's Wanya Morris, Rotimi, PJ Morton, Smokie Norful, Gary Clark Jr., Anthony Hamilton, Eric Bellinger, Angel, Big Rube, Jac Ross, Keedron Bryant and the Detroit Youth Choir. Urging change, proceeds from the song are benefitting the Social Change Fund, a charitable initiative created by philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade to support critical and timely issues impacting the Black community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JksD150R7W8 Jekalyn Carr delivers her long-awaited fifth album, CHANGING YOUR STORY, this Friday, October 23. Jekalyn recorded the anticipated album last year in Atlanta, GA, at the famed "Praise In The Park" festival. CHANGING YOUR STORY is the first-ever album recorded at the Cellars Amphitheater, and the historic event generated the first #1 song to recorded at Praise In The Park. Power-packed and full of energy, Carr harnessed the incredible enthusiasm of the over 12,000 people in attendance to produce this formidable 13-track project that only continues to bolster her extended position in Gospel music. An evangelical megachurch in Los Angeles that has defied L.A. County public health orders and held indoor worship services for the last several weeks has been struck with an outbreak of the coronavirus, public health officials confirmed Thursday. Grace Community Church in Sun Valley has seen three confirmed cases, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Public health officials are investigating the outbreak and said they will work closely with the church to help limit transmission of the coronavirus in the church, which has an estimated attendance of 7,000. The county did not provide any further details about whether the cases were confirmed among staff or worshipers. Attorneys for Grace Community Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Multiple coronavirus cases broke out this week at a Texas megachurch whose pastor attended last month’s “superspreader” Rose Garden ceremony. The Gateway Church’s spokesman, Lawrence Swicegood, told The Independent that there have been a handful of cases among the church’s more than 1,000 part-time and full-time employees. He said the cases were not related to Senior Pastor Robert Morris’s attendance of the Rose Garden ceremony, where Judge Amy Coney Barrett was formally nominated to the Supreme Court. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Covid-positive employees had come into contact with Pastor Morris. The landlord of a trailer park in Colorado got creative with his attempt at voter intimidation by threatening to double the rent collected from his tenants if Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins the presidential election. The Washington Post reports that the short note was allegedly sent to residents by the owner of a Fort Morgan, Colo., trailer park on Monday, claiming that a Democratic victory would lead to “more in taxes, utilities, gasoline, groceries, new permits, fees and regulations … everything!” “This also means YOUR RENT will be increased to cover these expenses,” the note continued. “Most likely, rent would DOUBLE in price!” Aubrey O’Day previously claimed she had an affair with Donald Trump Jr., and she even wrote a song about him. Now she’s back with more bombshell allegations about the Trump family. O’Day took to Twitter during Thursday night’s Presidential Debate with some not so shocking claims against the president’s kids. Last year, O’Day said her affair with Don Jr. ended when his then-wife discovered text messages between them. She said, “We both thought we were each other’s soulmates. It’s something we spoke about often. A soulmate is someone you spend a period of time, moment, of life with that you’re connected as one. I had that with Don.” Last night, she took aim at Trump for attacking Joe Biden’s deceased son Beau Biden. “since trump has now lowered this debate to trashing family.. -don jr HATES his father. -ivanka is a lesbian on the low. -eric fucked miss universe on the apprentice board room table while with his now wife. #Debates2020,” she tweeted. O’Day also included a GIF that said, “I have the receipts.” A granddaughter of the Rev. Billy Graham, Jerushah Duford, said she is voting for Joe Biden this upcoming election despite her pro-life views and accused President Donald Trump of trying “to hijack our faith for votes.” “I spent the better part of my life watching my grandfather look to the example of Jesus to how to conduct himself how to treat people,” Duford, whose mother Gigi Graham the eldest child of Billy and Ruth Graham, said in a recent interview. “Scripture talks about doing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly, and these are tenants of our faith that I do not believe our president demonstrates in any way.” NFL star DeForest Buckner was baptized this week and made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. “Today I surrendered my whole self to Jesus and chose to trust Him with my life whole heartedly,” Buckner wrote on Instagram Tuesday after being baptized at Eagle Church. “My walk with Christ is only beginning and I am grateful for the support surrounding my journey of Faith.” Buckner recently became a defensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts, which signed him to a four-year contract, making him one of NFL’s highest-paid defensive linemen. The athlete had his best game with his new team Sunday by posting five tackles and four quarterback hits, which helped bring the Colts to victory over Cincinnati. Former President Barack Obama was rallying for his former VP Joe Biden in Philadelphia Wednesday when he slammed President Trump for his reported bank account in China. Obama believes he would have caught major heat from conservatives and Fox News if he had a “secret Chinese bank account” like Trump. The president reportedly paid more to foreign governments than he paid in federal income taxes. “Listen, can you imagine if I had had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for re-election? You think Fox News might’ve been a little concerned about that? They would’ve called me ‘Beijing Barry,’” Obama said at the rally. “It is not a great idea to have a president who owes a bunch of money to people overseas. That’s not a good idea.” Chelsea Handler called out ex-boyfriend 50 Cent after he took to social media this week to note his support for Donald Trump’s re-election. On Monday, the rapper shared a screenshot of a report on Joe Biden’s proposed tax plan. According to reports, taxpayers in New York City, New Jersey and California who earn more than $400,000 could see their combined state and local rates rise above 60%. Handler responded in his comments — tweeting, “You used to be my favorite ex-boyfriend.” 50 then joked that the election was “effecting my love life now.” He added, “@chelseahandler I love ya Gator, don’t let Trump and Joe Biden come between us girl.” Handler replied, “Hey f–ker!” she wrote. “I will pay your taxes in exchange for you coming to your senses. Happily! Black lives matter. That’s you, f–ker! Remember?” 50 previously made clear that he doesn’t care that “Trump doesn’t like black people” … he’s still riding the Trump train. It’s the tale of a another white racist who couldn’t handle the smallest bit of reality, all while, he was wearing a Burger King crown. The absolute insanity went down earlier this week in Jamaica as a Jet Blue flight to JFK in New York City was preparing to depart from Kingston. According to reports, a man initially got aggravated when he was told there was no more overhead space for his bag, and began cussing loudly as he walked to his seat. But then he really went HAM when he got into it with a nearby female passenger over seating assignments. https://youtu.be/c347lYAC_sg Radio personality Charlamagne Tha God is the latest celebrity to slam rapper 50 Cent for supporting Trump’s re-election. “WHAT THE F*CK! (VOTE ForTRUMP) IM OUT,” 50 Cent wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week. His comment was in response to Biden’s tax plan that would increase taxes on Americans who make over $400,000, while those who make less would receive tax cuts. “F*CK NEW YORK The KNICKS never win anyway. don’t care Trump doesn’t like Black people 62 percent of you are out of ya fucking mind,” he added. https://youtu.be/EfonicukLCs During the “Ma Rainey” preview event this week, Davis described the “Black Panther” star as the epitome of “an artist.” “That’s just who he was,” she said, reminding viewers she played his mother in “Get On Up.” “Chadwick is my baby,” said Davis. Davis went on to say, “We are in the business, that a lot of times people have business conversations that masquerade themselves as artistic conversations. They don’t understand the difference between getting on set and demanding their vegan food being brought to them or their vegetarian dishes, or the dietary concerns, having that car ready. They don’t know the difference between that and making choices as an actor and getting down and dirty and doing the work and leaving your ego and your vanity at the door. He loved it. He demanded it.” she added, “He demanded it in every single way.” https://youtu.be/ord7gP151vk Spike Lee will receive the American Cinematheque Award during a virtual tribute on Jan. 14, 2021. Lee’s Hollywood career spans three decades and includes features such as “School Daze,” “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever,” “Crooklyn,” “Clockers,” “Girl 6,” “Get on the Bus,” “He Got Game,” “Summer of Sam,” “Bamboozled,” “25th Hour,” “She Hate Me,” “Inside Man,” “Miracle at St. Anna,” “Red Hook Summer,” “Old Boy” and “Chi-Raq.” “As a cultural arts organization that celebrates the importance of film in our society, Spike Lee is the perfect choice for the Cinematheque’s annual award,” said American Cinematheque chair Rick Nicita. “Spike’s ability to perceive and depict the tone of contemporary society is shown in his movies, ranging from ‘Do the Right Thing,’ ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ ‘Malcolm X’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ to name only a few. He continues his outstanding output with this year’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ and ‘American Utopia.’ http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Netflix has dropped a teaser for Pharrell Williams’ new docuseries “Voices of Fire,” which follows his journey to create a gospel choir in his hometown community of Hampton Roads, Va. The new docu-series will chronicle his search for undiscovered talent of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds, per The Hollywood Reporter. Williams is joined by his uncle, Bishop Ezekiel Williams, and they collaborate with a team of influential gospel leaders who will take viewers around the community to find singers with diverse backstories. https://youtu.be/Lh1G6FgGdW0 Saturday Night Live” released the two promos filmed by this weekend’s guest host Adele and musical guest H.E.R. The two powerhouses appeared with cast member Kate McKinnon in the spots, and all were masked up. “Hi, I’m Adele and I’m hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ this week with musical guest H.E.R.,” the “Hello” singer announced in the clip, to which McKinnon seems confused. “Wait, her or her?” the comedian asks, pointing to both singers. After a bit of back and forth, McKinnon declares, “Yes, me. It is I who will be musical guest this week.” “Or maybe me?” H.E.R. clarifies as the three nudge to get some screen time. https://youtu.be/tqPHZi3GlyE Kristen Welker Thursday night emerged a the real winner of the final presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump as the moderator managed to calmly keep control of the conversation while directing it with an unflappable precision that even prompted the president to offer her a compliment. The NBC News White House correspondent, who became the first Black woman to moderate a presidential debate in nearly 30 years — handled herself with a firm grace that seemed to help keep the candidates in line and on-pic (more so than their first debate, at least). She expertly weaved pressing themes into her line of questioning and strictly enforced speaking limits for each candidate without anyone having to resort to the infamous “mute” button that producers threatened to use if Biden and Trump interrupted and talked over each other. The final presidential debate between Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump was a tame fare compared to the first one, but things got a little testy when the topic turned to the contentious topic of immigration Thursday night at Belmont University in Nashville. When moderator Kristen Welker asked Trump about the recent reports that more than 500 children separated from their families at the border, the president defended the policy and began bragging about building a wall along the nation’s southern border. Welker asked Trump twice how his administration would reunite the kids with their families as the president repeatedly pointed to the cages in which the children were being held that he said were built under Barack Obama‘s presidency in 2014. Trump never answered the question. An unarmed Black teen was killed and his girlfriend was critically wounded in a police shooting Tuesday night in suburban Chicago that has prompted more questions than answers. Marcellis Stinnette, 19, died in the shooting in the Illinois city of Waukegan that police claimed only happened because the car he was a passenger in reversed toward the officer who shot them. However, witnesses said the police officer hit them with his car before he opened fire. In the end, another unarmed Black man lost his life and his family is demanding answers for an incident that at face value seems like it was completely preventable. At least three people die from coronavirus, five more are hospitalized and 82 infected after week-long event at the United House of Prayer for All People in Charlotte, North Carolina. The United House of Prayer for All People in Charlotte, North Carolina hosted the events between October 4 and 11 that was attended by more than 1,000 people, including people from out of state. The Mecklenburg County Health Department said those infected include event attendees and their close contacts. This is now considered the single largest outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Mecklenburg County. REVOLT is behind a new captivating documentary that takes a close look at the passionate struggle for social equality happening today, and the robust grassroots efforts propelling the movement forward. “From Pain to Power: A REVOLT Special” will premiere on Monday, Oct. 26. "From Pain to Power: A REVOLT Special” spotlights the fight for social justice, starting at the March on Washington and spreading to the streets of Kentucky, Atlanta, and beyond. The film features intimate interviews with Tip”T.I.” Harris, Tamika Mallory, Mysonne, Ben Crump, Drumma Boy, Shabazz the OG, Dr. Frank Smith, Ms. Opal Lee, Linda Sarsour, Bridgett Floyd, Lonita Baker, Angela Williams, and Mothers of the Movement: Kadiatou Diallo, Thelma Pannell-Dantzler, Sybrina Fulton, Wanda Johnson, Maria Hamilton, Gwenn Carr, and Tamika Palmer. In “The Prom” from Netflix, Dee Dee Allen (three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (Tony Award winner James Corden) are New York City stage stars with a crisis on their hands: their expensive new Broadway show is a major flop that has suddenly flatlined their careers. Meanwhile, in small-town Indiana, high school student Emma Nolan (newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman) is experiencing a very different kind of heartbreak: despite the support of the high school principal (Keegan-Michael Key), the head of the PTA (Kerry Washington) has banned her from attending the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose). https://youtu.be/Zt9v3f35l5Y On Thursday, October 22, the ladies discuss the proper way to let a friend know you don’t care for her significant other. Co-host Garcelle Beauvais wants to be told if her friends don’t like her boo. Co-host Loni Love claims that she would keep her opinion to herself and let her friend find out on her own if he isn’t all that! She also reveals that her friends actually like her boyfriend James more than they like her! Co-host Adrienne Houghton confesses that her husband Israel is much better at maintaining friendships than she is. https://youtu.be/PEFUKYfqlqA Some of the best classic films and shows have been created by Tyler Perry. While some fans can’t get enough of them, others believe they offer stereotypical or negative depictions of Black people. In recent months, Perry has been criticized for his writing, with some claiming that all of his work continue to cover the same topics. In a new cover story for Variety, Perry speaks about many things including the backlash over his work in entertainment. He told the outlet: “When I hear that kind of stuff, I’m thinking, ‘Are y’all looking at the ratings? Do you understand that the audience is in love with this?’” he says. “Because if you’re complaining about my writing, you’re not the audience. My audience loves the way that it’s done and the way the stories are told. And from the beginning, it’s always been about being true to them.” LeBron James‘ SpringHill Company has inked a multi-project deal with Audible, focused on producing culturally influential audio content. According to the press release, the multi-project slate kicks off with More Than A Vote: Our Voices. Our Vote. The first-of-its-kind special, produced in collaboration with Cadence 13, will launch in support of the More Than A Vote initiative, a new voting rights organization led by a coalition of Black athletes and artists including James aimed at combating voter suppression and misinformation that disproportionately disenfranchises communities of color. More Than A Vote is available for pre-order today at Audible.com/morethanavote, and will premiere on October 27th for free within the Audible Premium Plus catalog. The superintendent of an Indiana high school issued a video apology this week after a photo caption in the school’s 2020 yearbook listed an African American student on the boys’ basketball team as “BLACK GUY” instead of by his name. The image from the Brown County High School yearbook went viral on social media, prompting the video message from school district Superintendent Laura Hammack on Tuesday. https://youtu.be/xhmX6l4lsTk Journalist Jason Whitlock says President Trump is gaining ‘clear momentum’ with black male voters in the lead-up to the election. The sportswriter, 53, made the declaration during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Wednesday – just hours after he sat down with the Commander-in-chief for an interview with the website OutKick. ‘I think we have been carrying on a facade for three-and-a-half years as black men that somehow we can’t relate to Donald Trump, that we didn’t celebrate him in hip-hop music for decades, that he wasn’t friends with countless black athletes, entertainers, celebrities,’ Whitlock stated. He added that Trump’s ‘masculinity’ and his disdain for political correctness were ‘things that a lot of black men can relate to.’ https://youtu.be/DAg9ECrsHoQ Radio personality Charlamagne Tha God has credited President Donald Trump with attempting to reach young black male voters, a group he said ‘never gets courted’ during election campaigns. The influential 42-year-old radio host said Democratic Party marketing tended to speak to the interests of older black men, assuming that all other black people will share their concerns. ‘When it comes to those black people you see who maybe [are] showing support for Trump, I just think because Trump is actually talking to young Black male voters,’ he said. ‘He’s directing ads towards them. They are a group that, you know, never gets courted. I mean, black people don’t get courted either as a whole, but that old Democratic regime speaks to old black men and they think that everyone else in the black community, the black family is supposed to fall in line … they think the rest of us all speak the same language. ‘So Trump is targeting young Black males. And promo ad and marketing, it works.’ Republicans voted Thursday to advance Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination for a full Senate floor vote with not a single Democrat showing up for the Judiciary Committee hearing. Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham held the vote first thing Thursday morning as Democrats boycotted the motion and instead placed poster images of people who rely on the Affordable Care Act in their hearing room seats. As Democrat senators’ names were called out there was silence, opposed to the Republican members answering ‘aye’ when prompted with the motion to confirm Barrett’s nomination. A judge has dismissed a lesser murder charge against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was charged with 3rd-degree murder after he was captured on video in May pressing his knee on the neck of Floyd for 8:46 second before he died. On Thursday, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said prosecutors did not have probable cause to charge Chauvin with third-degree murder, which is a crime committed without premeditation or intent to kill. The judge said the evidence supports taking a second-degree murder charge to trial. If convicted, it could lead to decades in prison. Legendary country music artist Garth Brooks received high honors at last Wednesday night’s Billboard Music Awards, earning the 2020 Icon Award. “If I had to think of one person or one entity, it would be God Almighty, for through Him all things are possible,” Brooks said. Fellow music entertainer Cher introduced Brooks and presented him with the award. “Since his debut album, it seems Garth Brooks has stood at the very top of the music world,” Cher began in her tribute to the iconic country performer. “Breaking down barriers, topping the charts and redefining the very nature of country music, both in the studio and on stage.” Jennifer Hudson has spoken out about her Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” competing with National Geographic’s limited series on the queen of soul. The Oscar-winning actress shared a special connection with Franklin. Before her passing in 2018, the music icon gave Hudson her blessing to play her on the big screen. Meanwhile, Cynthia Erivo has been tapped to play Franklin in Nat Geo’s Genius: Aretha. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hudson had this to say about the two projects: “I know that Aretha was adamant that [her life] be a film. If it’s not a film, it’s nothing. I’m just honored that she picked me to play her. I mean, who can say that? And again, I would have never done it without her wishes.” “Respect” was set for release in theaters in August 2020, but has been pushed back due to the coronavirus. It will have a limited release in the U.S. on Dec. 25, before a wide release on Jan. 15, 2021. Amber Rose has opened up about her relationship with ex Kanye West, claiming the bipolar rapper has bullied her since their 2010 breakup. Rose told host Adam22 of the “No Jumper” podcast that she “didn’t get anything” from their time together. https://youtu.be/dLxSkZ5X4w0 Terrence Howard‘s case against the show “Empire” and 20th Century Fox Television is over their use of his likeness to promote the former hit Fox TV show about a family owned record label and all the drama that came with it. The actor is accusing 20th Century Fox TV officials of using his likeness from the movie “Hustle & Flow” to promote “Empire. Howard, who played Lucious Lyon on the show for 6 seasons, says the bosses at Fox TV failed to offer a satisfactory answer when he asked how they came up with the “Empire” logo – since he never sat for a photoshoot. He says he ultimately determined the image was taken from the “Hustle & Flow” scene where “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” was being recorded in a studio. Howard insists he should be compensated for use of the image as he would have been paid by officials at Paramount – the studio behind Hustle & Flow – if 20th Century Fox got a proper license to use his image from the movie. Howard is suing for damages and wants an accounting of all the Empire merchandise using the logo, according to TMZ. Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, has fired back at claims he acted inappropriately in the upcoming “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” Multiple media outlets have described his scene in the upcoming comedy. Giuliani previously revealed that he called the police after Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen tried to prank him at The Mark Hotel in New York City on July 7. Cohen was reportedly wearing a pink bikini when he interrupted the spoof interview, PEOPLE reported. https://youtu.be/0Rsa4U8mqkw Celebrity’s Soul Food, “The fastest growing soul food chain,” is making its mark. Dr. Fredrick Jacobs, the Chief Executive Officer and mastermind behind this ingenious concept is giving “soul food,” its due credit nationally as they make history. Celebrity’s Soul Food and their new franchisees have become the new catalyst of soul food to the world. Dr. Jacobs (known as Dr. J, The Counselor), the exceptional CEO of Celebrity’s Soul Food® shares about the launch of the first national and fastest growing soul food franchise in America, multitasking, and his passion for food. The Celebrity’s Soul Food menu spotlights local flavors and specialties, serving up soul food prepared from scratch and utilizing high-quality ingredients. Dishes vary from classic favorites such as Fried Chicken, Shrimp & Grits, Cornmeal-Dusted Catfish, and Braised Oxtails to innovative twists such as Gold-Dusted Chicken Wings, Jerked Jackfruit Pineapple Bowls, Barbeque Glazed Alligator Ribs, and Red Velvet Chicken & Waffles. Comedian and actress Niecy Nash is cooking up her own daytime talk show. CBS Television Distribution is reportedly preparing to shoot a pilot presentation for the show with James Corden’s Fulwell73. Nash previously hosted Style Network’s “Clean Hous” between 2004 and 2011. News of the project coincides with Nash speaking out about the criticism she has received over her surprise wedding to singer Jessica Betts. LisaRaye McCoy has offered some insight into why Stacey Dash quit the ‘Single Ladies” show that they starred in together. The Queen Latifah produced series aired on VH1 for three seasons with the fourth season on BET. Dash did not return for season 2, and at the time she said her exit in 2011 was personal, as she had to focus on raising her kids and the shooting schedule made parenting quite challenging. “I truly enjoyed playing Val on Single Ladies, but I have decided to leave the show. I have to be back in L.A. with my children right now and the Single Ladies shooting location makes that impossible,” Dash said. “I wish VH1 the best of luck with the show and in maintaining the strong fanbase we developed in season one.” McCoy had nothing but positive words to say about her co-star at the time. The University of Texas Longhorn Band will not play their traditional alma mater song “The Eyes of Texas” at Saturday’s football game against Baylor University after a survey of members revealed several students aren’t willing to play it. The song has divided the university community in recent months over its ties to minstrel shows where performers wore blackface. The band has yet to play at a football game this season, due to safety restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. https://youtu.be/Y9qaiWeCqZE Five musical superstars have joined forces in the fight against breast cancer on the newly released song “PINK”. The new single features Dolly Parton, Monica, Jordin Sparks, Sara Evans and Rita Wilson – who herself is a breast cancer survivor., This special collaboration benefits Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization. PINK Features legendary artists from country, pop and R&B. The moving lyrics and vocals provide listeners with hope for a future where no one loses someone they love to breast cancer and “PINK is just another color.” With his 9th studio album, Restoration, the book I Am Restored, How I Lost My Religion but Gained My Faith, and 3 part YouTube video narrative, The Road To Restoration, out now, Lecrae takes an even deeper journey into the Restoration ecosystem with "Self Discovery," the 6th single released from the album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk3HZwJAqjY&feature=youtu.be Our Forever President Barack Obama spoke nothing but the unadulterated truth about Donald Trump‘s clear and present threat to democracy, America and the world at large while making his case in favor of Joe Biden‘s candidacy in his first campaign speech of the season in Philadelphia on Wednesday. They were Obama’s strongest words against his successor, whose notable shortcomings as commander-in-chief include downplaying the coronavirus pandemic to historic deadly proportions and stoking the country’s racist flames to the point that the United States is teetering on an all-out civil war less than two weeks ahead of Election Day and one night before the final presidential debate. Democrats have been hoping for a voting surge like when Obama ran for president — something Obama hinted at in between accurately calling out Trump’s presidential deficiencies. “We need to turn out like never before,” Obama said. “We cannot leave any doubt in this election.” While much of the recent attention by candidates has been focused on securing support from Black men voters, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign on Wednesday released a trio of new ads targeting all Black voters, but especially Black women, a group that has long been called the backbone of the Democratic Party. Even though one of the ads addressed Donald Trump‘s infamous question he posed to Black people four years ago — “What do you have to lose” by voting for him? — all three of them more than answered it. https://youtu.be/SGXHAwi4rtA The nefarious measures being executed by the GOP not even trying to be stealth in their tactics of voter suppression. Just two weeks ago, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive to limit the number of ballot drop-off boxes to one per county. This means in Harris County (the greater Houston area), which previously had 12 drop-off boxes for every 2.4 registered voters, is now limited to only one. The action was challenged in a lawsuit and just last week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the governor’s suppression – Black Robes Matter. The next day, Harris County had record-setting turnout for its first day of early voting. While seeing strong voter engagement was heart-warming, the high number of long lines, especially in Black and brown communities, was heartbreaking. Many waited between six and 12 hours, an experience also occurring in the swing state of Georgia. Also last week, in Virginia, voter registration suffered a setback when an unrelated utility repair led to an accidental fiber optic cable getting cut, causing a complete website outage on the last day of registration. Fortunately, the courts approved a 48-hour extension. When discovering the same site experienced a crash on the registration deadline for the 2018 midterms. Nigerian army soldiers shot multiple people protesting police brutality in the city of Lagos Tuesday night amid a weeks-long spate of violence in the West African country. The soldiers reportedly opened fire directly on protesters in the Lekki neighborhood on the first night of a 24-hour curfew. While the death toll was both unclear and unconfirmed in Tuesday night’s shooting, the New York Times reported that a police officer said at least 11 people died as a result. As the violence has steadily progressed over the past two weeks, Nigerians protesting police brutality have given birth to a top trending social media hashtag, #ENDSARS, a reference to the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of police officers accused of terrorizing citizens. Grammy-nominated worship leader Kari Jobe will be releasing her new album, The Blessing, on Friday and says her music was birthed out of a difficult time in her life. The Blessing is Jobe’s first album in more than three years and features her song of the same name, which became a global worship anthem this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Jobe said the song was the last one written for her album and she felt an urgency to release it, hoping it will speak to those struggling with fear and depression. “I felt compelled for it to be released quickly, which was a week before the pandemic hit. It’s just been such a journey,” She told The Christian Post on Wednesday. The more you know NASCAR. The more you love NASCAR,” declares Dr. Jennifer Satterfield-Siegel. She was a recipient of the Industry Ambassador award at the recent virtual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards. Satterfield-Siegel says it is “super cool” to currently be the only African American woman NASCAR race team owner. Other words came to her mind when she describes how she’s accelerated into the fast lane with her husband, Max Siegel, who is the exclusive manager of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program. "It’s very rewarding. I love the space that we are in with helping to develop drivers for the sport. I love that,” the pediatric dentist maintains adding there is a strong support system for her race team. Quibi, the shortform mobile-focused streaming service, is going bust just six months after it launched. The Wall Street Journal broke the news Wednesday. A short time later, Quibi founders Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman confirmed in a Medium post that the platform would be going out of business. “It is with an incredibly heavy heart that today we are announcing that we are winding down the business and looking to sell its content and technology assets,” Katzenberg and Whitman wrote in their open letter to employees, investors, and partners. Shonda Rhimes has detailed her decision to leave ABC and the straw that broke the camel’s back was a request for a Disneyland pass. For 15 years, Rhymes created TV magic (and made history) at the network, with shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and “How to Get Away with Murder.” She reportedly make more than $2 billion for Disney, but had a constant battle with ABC, which is owned by the studio. The writer producer tells The Hollywood Reporter that her creativity was limited at the network. “I felt like I was dying,” she said of her work producing nearly 70 hours of annual television. “Like I’d been pushing the same ball up the same hill in the exact same way for a really long time.” The final nail in the coffin was hammered in 2017, over a pass to Disneyland. The Black woman who was in President Trump’s camera shot at last week’s Town Hall on NBC, nodding in agreement with just about everything he said, became instafamous and the target of Anti-Trump trolls. Mayra Joli, the Miami lawyer who the Internet dubbed “nodding lady,” said her employees have been receiving hate messages urging them to quit. “The more they trashed him, the more I wanted to find out more about him, and I’ve been supporting him since. The rest is history,” Joli told Fox News. “Donald Trump taught me that I cannot just be silent, and I have to think for myself.” https://youtu.be/XI7NMJzSraY Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump released the following statement in response to Nigerian security forces opening fire on peaceful protestors last night in Lagos, Nigeria: “It is unacceptable for a government to brutalize and murder its own people. We are calling for transparency and accountability from the Lagos government on the cruel and unnecessary violence used against these peaceful protestors. https://youtu.be/6ckz1kyeU-E Having kids and growing up comes with a lot of responsibilities, and sometimes you forget to have fun! Tia Mowry has found a solution to making sure that she and her husband Cory Hardrict can still get it on despite their hectic schedules. The star revealed that they schedule when they’ll have sex on the “What to Expect” podcast, adding that becoming parents has made it harder. Mowry, 42, and Hardrict, 40, have been married since 2008 and have a son Cree, 9, and daughter Cairo, 2. Aja Smith, a Black Republican running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, has filed a complaint against Facebook, Twitter and Google. In her grievance dated Oct. 6, 2020, and addressed to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, Smith accuses the three California-based tech companies of violating the Federal Election Campaign Act by supporting Democratic candidates. Aja Smith, a Black Republican running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, has filed a complaint against Facebook, Twitter and Google. In her grievance dated Oct. 6, 2020, and addressed to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, Smith accuses the three California-based tech companies of violating the Federal Election Campaign Act by supporting Democratic candidates. On Wednesday, October 21, the ladies discuss the proper way to address a loved one when they begin to put on unwanted pounds. Co-host Adrienne Houghton advises that any approach should be done with love and wishes that her friends had said something to her when she started to gain some extra weight. https://youtu.be/XkOFmE4RRHY Set to go into production in Atlanta, GA is “Super Turnt,” the sequel to the 2020 film Turnt, written, produced, and directed by Mann Robinson. Christina Cooper has now joined the project as a producer alongside creator and mastermind Mann Robinson. Returning from the first film are Jamal Woolard as Rilla, Torrei Hart as Rita, Dennis L.A. White as Detective Kruthers, Che Mack as Zina Holloway, Lunden De’Leon as Rilla’s mother, Calico Jonez as Marcus, and Mann Robinson as Courtney Thomas. New additions to the sequel are Ashley Rios replacing Khalidah Medlock as Rilla’s Wife Ladonna, Harry Lennix, Brad ‘Scarface’ Jordan, E. Roger Mitchell, Duane Finley, Adrian Lockett, Tracey Love, Patrice Fisher, Melanie Halfkenny, Troy Robert, Anthony Strong, and Mercedes Sanders. https://youtu.be/WqQK3FuFncs With the goal of fostering a community and the creativity it curates, UMe’s Urban Legends division will launch “Women With A Message,” a campaign highlighting grassroots activism, leadership innovation and self-determination from women who have redefined industry, sports and political activism. The campaign will feature conversations amongst influential women who are crafting and delivering the global message of equality in real time. Rooted in the importance of representation and inspiration, the campaign’s music and editorial content is designed to motivate both women and men to help spread the message of equality and respect. The Dallas Cowboys made a pair of roster transactions on Tuesday, waiving wide receiver Ventell Bryant and cornerback Saivion Smith in the wake of their 38-10 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals, the team announced. In a corresponding roster move, reinstated defensive end Randy Gregory has been activated from the Commissioner’s Exempt List and added to the 53-man roster. Le’Veon Bell once carried the ball a league-leading 321 times in a single season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He doesn’t figure to get nearly as many chances with the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s just fine with the two-time All-Pro running back. Bell has been the focal point of defenses for the majority of his career, whether that was in Pittsburgh or during his short stint with the New York Jets. But now Bell’s on a team with so much offensive firepower that he could only marvel while watching them beat the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. “I was just like, ‘This is unbelievable,’” said Bell, who had to return a week’s worth of negative COVID-19 tests before joining his new team. He took the practice field for the first time Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s game in Denver. Stan Van Gundy is headed to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he’ll take over a promising team that includes 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson and reigning Most Improved Player Brandon Ingram. Van Gundy agreed to a four-year contract, said a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms had not been revealed publicly. The coach said on his Twitter account Wednesday that he was “excited to join a talented New Orleans Pelicans team” and thanked team owner Gayle Benson and others for the opportunity. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination. “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” Francis said in one of his sit-down interviews for the film. “What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.” While serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis endorsed civil unions for gay couples as an alternative to same-sex marriages. However, he had never come out publicly in favor of civil unions as pope. The Church of God in Christ, a predominantly African American body of 6.5 million members, is holding its first-ever national ballot drive. Another 10 or so smaller Holiness denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church with 2.5 million adherents, are joining COGIC in urging people to go to the polls. Stringent Holiness groups historically have refrained from entering or emphasizing politics, which they see as worldly in nature. Most civically active pastors have been Baptist like the Revs. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the late Democratic Congressman John Lewis. NewsOne’s The Black Ballot is a weekly series of panel discussions addressing the intersection of Black America and politics. Tonight, Shelly Bell, founder of Black Girl Ventures, and Shawn Rochester, author of “The Black Tax,” join NewsOne’s Managing Editor Bruce Wright to break down “Who’s Minding Our Business”: an examination of candidates’ plans for Black entrepreneurship, the wealth gap, personal finance and more. Watch live at 6 p.m. ET on NewsOne’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/NewsOneOfficial. TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, continues with UNCENSORED: Black Girl Magic, the first of five new bonus episodes this Sunday, October 25 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, October 28 at 10 PM/9C. This episode of UNCENSORED celebrates some of entertainment's most notable black women. These include Lala Anthony, Paula Patton, Tiffany Haddish, Niecy Nash, Tamar Braxton, K. Michelle, Nia Long, Tyra Banks, Le'Andria Johnson, LisaRaye McCoy and Tisha Campbell Martin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRoKPGbCfjI&feature=youtu.be The MACRO X HBCU Entertainment Summit (www.StayMACRO.com), presented by Amazon Studios, will go virtual this year for its second annual showcase of panels, conversations and inspirational messages from notable talent and changemakers in the entertainment business. This year’s event will premiere online on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 10:00am EST on www.staymacro.com and include appearances by Kenya Barris, John David Washington (Morehouse College Alumnus) MACRO Founder & Chief Executive Officer Charles D. King, Steve Pamon (Morehouse College Alumnus), Chris Paul and Terrence J as well as a host of industry executives, experts and influencers—many that are HBCU alumni. Megan Thee Stallion was quick to hit up social media to call Tory Lanez “crazy” after he proclaimed his innocence in their controversial shooting case. Lanez also says he and the “WAP” rapper are still friends, despite allegedly shooting at her during an argument. He dished further about the incident for the first time on video Tuesday, hopping on Instagram Live to defend himself against Megan’s accusations. Lanez is accused of shooting at Megan’s feet several times and wounding her on July 12 in Hollywood Hills. The Canadian-born artist took to Twitter recently to react to the two felony charges he’s facing over the incident. “the truth will come to the light,” he wrote. “I have all faith in God to show that … love to all my fans and people that have stayed true to me & know my heart … a charge is not a conviction . If you have supported me or meg thru this , I genuinely appreciate u.” Dr. Dre’s wife Nicole Young has filed legal docs demanding he turn over the original version of the “ironclad prenup” at the center of their divorce battle. In the docs, she says Dre’s failed to produce the prenup even though the law is clear he must turn over all relevant financial, business and personal documents. She says because Dre hasn’t produced it … she doesn’t know which version of the alleged prenup he’s referring to, and calls his refusal to share the info an “intentional abuse” of the divorce process. In his response to the divorce filing, Dre noted that the couple have a prenuptial agreement that he wants enforced. The hip-hop mogul reportedly has no issue paying spousal support, but any distribution of property should be controlled by the prenup. Daniel Cameron is being guarded by armed security after citing “detailed threats against the attorney general, his wife and members of his family,” in the wake of his handling of the Breonna Taylor case. “The attorney general’s protective detail determined that given the credibility of such threats, additional personnel and resources were needed to provide the appropriate level of security,” Elizabeth Kuhn, a spokeswoman for Cameron, said in a statement Wednesday morning. https://youtu.be/UhjitDjMo6o Tekashi 6ix9ine is being sued by the woman he allegedly sexually abused at a party in 2015 when she was just 13. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, claims that the rapper and Tauquan “Tay Milly” Anderson sexually assaulted her, and the incident was filmed and later posted online. The victim suffered “severe emotional and psychological injuries,” court documents state, TMZ reports. 6ix9ine’s attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells the outlet that the rapper will “defend the lawsuit vigorously” once he’s properly served. In Barack Obama’s scheduled drive-in rally tonight in Philadelphia, he’ll talk directly to Black voters — and Black men specifically — in an effort to earn their vote for his former vice president and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The POWER Interfaith coalition, a Pennsylvania-based progressive group, conducted a poll this month, reported first by Politico, that found that 72 percent of Philly’s Black male voters under the age of 50 are backing Biden. Comparatively, 91 percent of Black voters above 50 years old in the same survey are supporting the Democratic nominee. Among the younger male voters, 14 percent are casting a ballot for Trump and 9 percent are undecided. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has endorsed presidential hopeful Joe Biden. Steele has been vocally anti-Trump, and noted his concerns about this administration in piece published by NBC News. “Many of Donald Trump’s supporters bring legitimate concerns to the table. During my time leading the GOP, I endeavored to address these and other grievances through the lens of unity and growth. But Trump has energized the party through the exact opposite means — by focusing on stoking division and eroding our core principles,” Steele wrote. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have launched the website for their new Archewell foundation. Archwell.com went live on Wednesday, featuring an email sign-up form and contact information, along with a breakdown behind the meaning of the name. The royal couple announced the foundation in April, noting that the Archewell name is connected to their 1-year-old son Archie. “Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global COVID-19 pandemic, but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be,” the couple said in the statement. The thrill is officially gone between Tyrice and his felon bae Chanda. In the upcoming episode of “Love After Lockup,” Tyrice explains that he hasn’t heard from Chanda in three months, ever since she got out of jail. Meanwhile, before she went ghost, Chanda admitted that she was “talking to” 9 other guys while locked up, which Tyrice was clueless about. https://youtu.be/s28PHY76Z-c Actress Niecy Nash puts it this way if you’re no longer a fan of hers after her recent same sex marriage. “If I lost a fan because of who I love, then that wasn’t a real fan,” is the response from Nash — who wed Jessica Betts in August — while chatting with her Instagram followers. “Who/how I love has nothing to do with my art. I’m still a skilled, Emmy-nominated, award-winning actress,” she wrote. She added, “I didn’t stop being great at my craft because of where I lay my head … All I know is I’m happy and my projects are lit … Can’t wait for those who never stopped riding to see!” See God through my music,” said Gospel’s Brianna Collins about her new single release “Honor and Praise” produced by Drew Baxter. “This song…my gratitude, at the time, about what God had done in my life thus far – my mother helped me with it. I released it on my own. I’m all about worship. It’s a lifestyle.” The “Honor and Praise” single was written by Brianna, a Kingdom Image Award nominee, and her second single, “Thank You” produced by Bishop Robbie Baxter, from an upcoming EP project to be released in 2021. https://youtu.be/EfKIf0wrPJM Wendell Pierce has officially got the blues. The actor, known for his performances in The Wire and Treme, announced he will be portraying legendary artist B.B. King in a new film. “We are official. Preparation has begun on a film where I will be honored to play the great, BB King. Humbled.,” Pierce tweeted Monday. Fans are already praising the casting, citing the duo’s resemblance and the actor’s acclaimed body of work. Rapper 50 Cent on Tuesday confirmed that he’s backing President Trump for re-election, saying he could become “20 Cent” under Democrat Joe Biden’s plan for higher taxes. “Yeah, i don’t want to be 20cent. 62% is a very, very,bad idea. i don’t like it !” the Queens-raised rapper, born Curtis James Jackson III, wrote on Twitter. His latest tweet featured a clip from Fox News, with Trump campaign adviser Katrina Pierson quoted making the joke about changing his name. ‘I don’t care Trump doesn’t like black people … I don’t want to be 20 cent under Biden’: Rapper 50 Cent backs president Trump because of Biden’s 60 percent tax plans for those earning over $400K. Nickolas Callen Harborth, 19, has been indicted for criminal mischief, damage/destroy worship or school, a third-degree felony in connection with vandalism at two predominantly Black churches in July in Gatesville. Harborth, 19 was arrested on July 31 and was booked into the Coryell County Jail. His bond was set at $10,000. His name did not appear on the jail’s online roster Thursday. A 15-year-old boy was also arrested. His name was not released because of his age. WATCH BRANDY & RAY J ON THE TAMRON HALL SHOW WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 Join Dr. Colleen Hawthorne for the "Mental Health Summit" Presented by Tim Storey & the Red Songbird Foundation. On Saturday, October 24, 2020 the Red Songbird Foundation will host their first ever virtual Mental Health Summit to openly explore and further de-stigmatize the complex face of trauma and the importance of mental health. The Gospel Music Association announce more performers for this year’s 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards. Artists scheduled to perform include "Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year" nominee Tauren Wells featuring Christine D’Clario, Jenn Johnson and Jekalyn Carr, Jeremy Camp, Travis Greene, Pastor Mike Jr., The Sound and Switch. Ben Crump called for a new, independent prosecutor to re-open the legal investigation into Breonna Taylor‘s killing after a grand juror suggested that the Kentucky attorney general’s office lied while presenting the case centered on a controversial Louisville police shooting back in March. The civil rights attorney represents Taylor’s family and has already secured them a record settlement for her killing. But thus far, justice has been elusive. With the unidentified grand juror’s revealing statement about what exactly was — and wasn’t — presented to the grand jury, Crump said Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron “failed” to do his job. A photo of an on-duty police officer in full uniform was going viral Tuesday because the cop was wearing a pro-Donald Trump mask at a polling place in Florida as voters were casting their ballots early. The incident that prompted a swift rebuke from the Miami Police Department came amid warnings of voter intimidation after the president has seemingly been encouraging it to happen. The officer in Miami was identified by the Miami Herald as Daniel Ubeda after the photographer posted it to social media Tuesday morning. While it was unclear whether Ubeda was there as a voter or in a professional capacity, what was clear is that the person who snapped the photo is a lawyer. That person, Steve Simeonidis, called for Ubeda to “be suspended immediately” for what he described as “city funded voter intimidation.” Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said Monday that his lung cancer is terminal. He made the announcement about his “death sentence” on his eponymous radio show more than 10 months after he first went public with his late-stage illness. Back in February, Limbaugh, 69, said he intended to seek treatment for the cancer. On Monday, he said that treatment had not been as effective as he had hoped. “The scans did show some progression of cancer,” Limbaugh said in part. “It’s not dramatic, but it is the wrong direction.” https://youtu.be/zs4nnuWTnIM Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, the officer who was shot in the leg while carrying out a search warrant at Breonna Taylor’s apartment, seems to think that because none of the officers knelt on her neck as in the George Floyd police killing, that race shouldn’t be a factor in their case. Speaking out for the first time exclusively to ABC News and The Courier Journal in Louisville Tuesday, Mattingly said, “This is not relatable to George Floyd. This is nothing like that.” Mattingly has been accused of raiding Taylor’s house under the guise of a narcotics investigation. The officers claimed that they were executing a late-night “no-knock'” warrant. Mattingly said he was shot at by Taylor’s boyfriend, after which the police opened fire which resulted in Taylor’s death. https://youtu.be/GG7OOKbJxOE He just couldn’t help himself. A Memphis rapper who bragged in a song and music video about getting rich off of unemployment fraud has been arrested on charges of fraudulently obtaining $1.2 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits. Nuke Bizzle (real name Fontrell Antonio Baines), 31, was charged Friday with allegedly obtaining and using debit cards that were pre-loaded with unemployment benefits administered by the California Employment Development Department (EDD). The debit cards he received were issued in the names of third-parties, according to a 32-page complaint filed against him by U.S. State Attorney Nicola T. Hanna of the Central District of California. The investigation found that 92 debit cards pre-loaded with more than $1.2 million in fraudulently obtained benefits were mailed to addresses in Beverly Hills and Koreatown that Baines had access to, according to an affidavit submitted by the Department of Justice. https://youtu.be/QZKnNhCTmeA As the theater business continues to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, AMC Entertainment has warned it could run out of cash by year-end. “At the existing cash burn rate, the company anticipates that existing cash resources would be largely depleted by the end of 2020 or early 2021,” AMC said in its filing. “Thereafter, to meet its obligations as they become due, the company will require additional sources of liquidity or increases in attendance levels.” https://youtu.be/OO9Y_2xG0t0 Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), a national organization providing support to publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), is continuing to celebrate the long standing legacy of HBCUs Homecoming with a virtual concert and fundraiser. Taking place on October 25th at 8:00 pm ET, the celebration and concert will stream on TMCF’s YouTube channel and simulcast on both HBCU Nation and AspireTV. The fun at-home experience includes an evening of programming hosted by TMCF national ambassador and actor/producer Terrence J and actress Brandee Evans. Additional program highlights include HBCU Homecoming DJ Sets and a Unity Step Performance with appearances by Ne-Yo, Lil Baby, Lucky Daye, Shaquille O’Neal, and Deion Sanders. On Tuesday, October 20, the ladies of The Real discuss the challenges of being a Black woman in today’s society. Co-host Garcelle Beauvais explains how every day is a fight and that she just wants equality! Co-host Loni Love gives examples of how she and her Black sisters are treated differently from others, but has hope that change is coming. https://youtu.be/OZTnCtmea2s The 2020 BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” is heating up with a newly announced lineup of presenters and performers. Snoop Dogg and T.I. alongside R&B superstar Monica are set to present. Five-time Grammy Award-winner Lil Wayne and Grammy Award-nominated Rapper Cordae joins previously announced performers including 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Burna Boy featuring Chris Martin, City Girls, Gucci Mane, Jhenè Aiko, Lil Baby, Mulatto, Quavo, Tobe Nwigwe and Ty Dolla $ign. Comedy supergroup 85 South (Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and Chico Bean) will co-host the annual show premiering Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Additionally, the show will simulcast on BET Her, VH1 and MTV2. Michael K. Williams has revealed that he channeled his own “trauma” to play Montrose Freeman in HBO’s hit sci-fi drama “Lovecraft Country.” “He’s traumatized,” Williams tells PEOPLE of Montrose, who is struggling with sexuality issues. He’s also a victim of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. “We meet this man, and he’s already a survivor of the Tulsa Massacre. He moved to the south side of Chicago, which is kind of a war-zone in itself. This is also happening through the Jim Crow era.” Williams continues: “He has issues, unresolved issues about himself that he was never allowed to explore.” Naomi Campbell opens up in the November issue of Vogue about racism in the fashion industry and how she’s mentoring the next generation of Black models. “Now you understand the strength of my family,” Campbell told the publication while accompanied by her mom and aunts in London. “You understand where I come from.” The 50-year-old iconic supermodel stuns in a white Dior Haute Couture gown on the Vogue cover. Inside the issue, she slams the British media, calls out her country for not doing more to address racism and shares details about her personal life amid the ongoing COVID pandemic. The final 2020 presidential debate will go down Thursday, October 22 (9 pm ET) at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, and Trump has already fired shots at Kristen Welker, the moderator of the event. Trump claims Welker is crazy and biased in favor of Biden, calling her “terrible and unfair” in a tweet on Saturday. “She’s always been terrible & unfair, just like most of the Fake News reporters, but I’ll still play the game. The people know! How’s Steve Scully doing?” Trump tweeted along with a retweet from son Donald Trump Jr., linking Welker and her family to prominent Democrats. Author and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended by The New Yorker for masturbating on a Zoom video chat between staffers and WNYC radio last week. Toobin says he did not realize his video was on. “I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers,” Toobin told Motherboard. “I believed I was not visible on Zoom. I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video,” he added. As noted by vice.com, Toobin’s Conde Nast email has been disabled and he is also taking some time from CNN as the network’s chief legal analyst. “Jeff Toobin has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted,” CNN said in a statement. A young woman with cerebral palsy who was mistakenly declared dead at a funeral home in August has died at a hospital in Michigan. Timesha Beauchamp, 20, died at Detroit’s Children’s Hospital Sunday of massive brain damage, PEOPLE reports. Her death comes two months after she was discovered alive at a Detroit funeral home. “This is the second time our beloved Timesha has been pronounced dead, but this time she isn’t coming back,” the family said in a statement, per The Associated Press. Beauchamp had a heart attack at her home in August and was found unresponsive when paramedics with Southfield Fire Department arrived. They performed CPR and failed to revive her after performing life saving procedures for 30 minutes. Beauchamp was declared dead after an ER physician reviewed her medical data. Her body was released directly to the family and Beauchamp was transported to James H Cole Home for Funerals in Detroit. Over an hour later, staffers saw she was alive and called paramedics, who rushed her to the hospital where she was put on a ventilator. The family reportedly lawyered up, and their attorney said Beauchamp was about to be embalmed when she opened her eyes. “They would have begun draining her blood to be very, very frank about it,” the family’s lawyer Geoffrey Fieger told WXYZ-TV. “The funeral home unzipping the body bag – literally – that’s what happened to Timesha, and seeing her alive with her eyes open.” Netflix will drop the third season of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman” this week, and comedian Dave Chappelle is among this season’s guests. During the conversation, Letterman notes how late civil rights icon John Lewis, who was famously beaten by a police officer, died after the police killing of George Floyd sparked a renewed push for basic human rights. https://youtu.be/FFKIrzJTlWg Letitia Wright has shared her thoughts about continuing the “Black Panther” franchise without Chadwick Boseman. The 26-year-old actress believes it’s too soon to talk about the future of Black Panther series, following Boseman’s death in August due to colon cancer. “We’re just still mourning Chad, so it’s not something I even want to think about,” she told Porter in a new interview. “The thought of doing it without him is kinda strange. We’re just grieving at the moment, so it’s trying to find the light in the midst of it.” Producers behind Disney/Marvel’s “Black Panther” are said to be unsure on how to move forward with the sequel following the death of Boseman. Marvin Sapp has created another powerful album with Chosen Vessel, his 13th solo album. Released on October 9th, Chosen Vessel debuts at #1 on Nielsen’s Current Gospel Albums Chart and at #2 on Gospel Overall Consumption Chart. The Gospel spotlight's Marvin Sapp!!! Hear Marvin Sapp In His Own Word....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/sapp_page.htm Former ABC network executive Channing Dungey will take over as chairwoman of Warner Bros. Television Group, the AT&T unit said Monday, replacing veteran television executive Peter Roth, who will step down next year. Dungey, who is currently vice president of Original Series at Netflix, has previously worked at Walt Disney’s ABC network for over 14 years. In 2016, Dungey was promoted to president of entertainment at ABC, becoming the first black person to run entertainment programming at a major US broadcast network. Dungey will start her tenure early next year and will report to Ann Sarnoff, chief executive of Warner Media Studios and Networks Group. Jeff Bridges says he is being treated for lymphoma and his prognosis is good. The 70-year-old actor channeled his The Dude character from “The Big Lebowski” in a statement on social media about the diagnosis Monday evening. He said he understands the disease is serious. He expressed gratitude to his family, friends and medical team and promised to keep fans posted on his recovery. Bridges is a seven-time Oscar nominee known for his roles in “Starman,” “True Grit,” “The Last Picture Show” and many other films. He won an Academy Award in 2010 for “Crazy Heart” and was most recently nominated for playing a grizzled lawman in “Hell or High Water.” James Redford, filmmaker, environmental activist, philanthropist and the son of Robert Redford, has died. He was 58. His wife, Kyle Redford, confirmed the news on Twitter, writing: “Jamie died today. We’re heartbroken. He lived a beautiful, impactful life & was loved by many. He will be deeply missed. As his wife of 32 yrs, I’m most grateful for the two spectacular children we raised together. I don’t know what we would’ve done w/o them over the past 2yrs. “ Eight black former University of Iowa football players are demanding $20 million and the firing of head coach Kirk Ferentz over alleged racial discrimination they encountered while playing for the Hawkeyes, but the school is refusing to acquiesce. The university general counsel’s office released its response Sunday to a 21-page certified letter dated October 5 from civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is representing the players. ‘We respectfully decline your monetary and personnel demands,’ read the letter from general counsel Carroll Reasoner. The former players are Akrum Wadley, Aaron Mends, Jonathan Parker, Marcel Joly, Maurice Fleming, Reggie Spearman, Kevonte Martin-Manley and Andre Harris. BET’s “Sunday Best” winner and Stellar Award nominee Geoffrey Golden returns with a new live recording and a timely, global declaration in See Revival. With a heart for God and the people of God, Golden creates an atmosphere of expectancy throughout the 10-track album inspired by Isaiah 43:19 and available now through sales and streaming platforms.“ The Gospel Spotlight's Geoffrey Golden!!! Hear Geoffrey Golden In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/geoffreygolden_intvw.htm Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, spoke with TIME about how we can create compassionate and safe online communities. The royal couple says there is a need to educate others about the impact of online communities in people’s lives offline. While hosting a specially curated edition of TIME100 Talks, Harry and Meghan spoke with Edward Felsenthal, Editor-in-Chief and CEO of TIME, about the state of the digital world. https://youtu.be/gywamht_zDY Shortly before the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened to the public in 2016, Kobe Bryant was granted a private tour through its sports gallery, thanks to his $1-million donation. He eventually handed over some of his own memorabilia, including a Los Angeles Lakers uniform and a pair of shoes that he wore during the 2008 NBA Finals. Those items had not yet made it into the museum’s gallery, but after Bryant’s sudden death in a helicopter crash in January, which also killed his daughter Gianna Bryant, the museum said Monday it has decided to display his jersey. It was set to hit the museum floor in March, but the pandemic delayed those plans…until now. The Photo-shopped pic is drawing some attention. Fifty Cent doesn’t care ’cause he has publicly pledged his allegiance to Trump. Ice Cube is trying to have it both ways … trying to do that (“Platinum Plan”) deal with Trump without committing to him. Eric Trump took to Twitter shared the (fake) image of both Ice Cube and 50 Cent wearing ‘Trump 2020' hats along with the caption “Two great, courageous Americans!’ Apparently not feeling comfortable with the “compliment” and especially the pic, Ice Cube responded to Eric with a simple “N*gga Please …” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com OWN Spotlight: Black Women OWN The Conversation – Vote!” is premiering today, Tuesday, October 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on OWN featuring an in-depth virtual conversation regarding the critical nature of voting and the importance of casting a ballot in 2020. “Bridezillas” returns to WE tv this week. Bridesmaid Symoan hates all of her dresses one day before the wedding! What is she going to do now? And what happens when the elder women in her life side-eye the designer? https://youtu.be/QGVnAm4m_c0 This Tuesday, the First Lady’s chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, shared that Melania Trump has decided not to accompany President Trump to a campaign rally this evening in Erie, Pennsylvania, out of an “abundance of caution.” In a statement, she claims Mrs. Trump continues to feel better every day following her recent recovery from COVID-19, but has a ”lingering cough,” The Hill quotes. Despite a worldwide pandemic keeping them from the stage, the famed Dance Theatre of Harlem found a way to do what they do best anyway – uplift and inspire through movement. For “Harlem Week” in August, which was virtual this year, the troupe released a video called “Dancing Through Harlem,” which showed the members dancing and leaping through Harlem landmarks, including the Harriet Tubman sculpture, the Apollo Theater, and the Frederick Douglass Statue in the opening credits. https://youtu.be/H1Ybm6ToJBI In a rare move that should tell you the importance of this election, members of the four historically Black sororities set aside their friendly competition to come together for an online campaign that encourages folks to vote. It all stared when Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris shouted out her AKA membership during her acceptance speech, as well as other historically Black Greek organizations, known as the Divine Nine. https://youtu.be/sWilCKWiH2A A Shelby County, Tennessee, poll worker was fired Friday after election officials learned that he had turned away voters who were wearing masks and T-shirts that said Black Lives Matter. The poll worker out of the Dave Wells Community Center in North Memphis was fired after he asked someone wearing a BLM T-shirt to turn it inside-out, the election commission said. Voters are usually asked to do that if they’re wearing clothing with the name of a political candidate on the ballot, but “BLM” is not political, the election commission said. The worker was fired on the spot. Elections administrator Linda Phillips said he’d been informed several times what the rules were. “He was given very clear instructions. He was given clear instructions the next day, and again didn’t pay attention to them. So he was terminated,” Phillips said. On October 27th, six-time GRAMMY® nominee and platinum-selling artist Tauren Wells will lead an all-star cast of pop-culture influencers in a candid, no-holds-barred conversation about the intersection of faith and culture. He will be joined in the studio by friends Tim Tebow, Tori Kelly, Rich Wilkerson, Jr., Annie F. Downs, Travis Greene, John Crist, and Social Club Misfits as they engage in a dynamic and broad-ranging discussion where tough questions are asked and meaningful conversations are had about mental health, the struggle to find unity in diversity, and how to find hope in tough times. Early bird tickets are available NOW and will open up to general on-sale October 20th. Worship Leader Christian Anderson is a rising star in the world of Gospel music. A singer, songwriter and composer as well, in the past three years alone, she’s shared the stage with Karen Clark-Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Kim Burrell, Anthony Brown & Group Therapy, Jonathan Nelson, Zacardi Cortez and John P. Kee. She’s appeared in Kurt Carr’s live recording “Bless This House” and has served as one of the lead vocalists for the Alabama Gospel Choir’s European Tour. Now, this Greensboro, North Carolina-based artist is carving out her own niche with her sweet vocals and beautiful spirit to match. As a follow-up to her 2018 release, “Lift Your Name”, Christian delivers another powerful track with the release of “Yeshua”. The new track is available now on a variety of digital music outlets including iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon and Spotify. Get ready to move your feet, clap your hands and leap for Joy!!! It's Durmond Glanton and his NEW single "Rejoice"! Guaranteed to put a praise in your spirit, this single will encourage you to know that it doesn't matter what you're going through, or what your situations may look like, Psalms 34:1 declares that "I will Bless the Lord at ALL times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8ED5NZGAzY&feature=youtu.be Black man‘s hanging death in Colorado was ruled a suicide even though the incident was never fully investigated by police, according to a crowdfunding effort looking to raise money for the burial of someone described as an “active protester.” DeAndre Rogers “was found hanging in a carport in Grand Junction, Colorado on September 21, 2020,” a GoFundMe account says he is the 32-year-old father of eight. “Before the investigation was even complete, the police and coroner ruled it a suicide, even though there are several avenues that have not been pursued with the Investigation. ”Rogers has a history with the Grand Junction Police Department, according to the GoFundMe. A video purportedly shows him at a police station with others leading a protest over “the inhumane treatment they received from the residents and police department in Grand Junction, including how the officers urinated in his clothes upon his release from jail.” The GoFundMe goes on to say, “The circumstances of his death and the investigation are questionable to say the least.” LA based Civil rights activist Najee Ali, Director of Project Islamic Hope, has canceled his Starz subscription in response to rapper/actor/producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson‘s announcement that he has endorsed Donald Trump for re election as President of the United States. Just in case you didn’t know or forgot, 50 Cent helped create and produce two of the Starz Network’s most popular shows “Power” and “Power Book ll Ghost.” “50 Cent has the right to endorse and vote for anyone he chooses. I also have the right to not financially continue to support his career and business projects. The Trump presidency has been a disaster for people of color and the less fortunate. Publisher TidalWave has announced Sen. Kamala Harris is the latest edition to its Female Force series of biographical comic books. Harris, the VP running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, joins TidalWave’s ever-growing library of more than 200 comic book biographies. Written by Michael Frizell, drawn by Juan Burgos, this 22-page book is available both digitally and in print and can be found on multiple platforms. Also special hard cover of the comic book will also be available with cover by famed comic book artist Dave Ryan, per press release. On Monday, October 19, the ladies welcome author and global health advocate Chelsea Clinton, to discuss her newly released children’s book, She Persisted in Sports. She has some strong criticism toward President Trump for putting his staff at risk following his COVID-19 diagnosis, and wonders about his ongoing obsession with her mother, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. https://youtu.be/m8TxSUK_Ik4 Cynthia Bailey and Mike Hill jumped the broom last week in front of almost 200 of their family and friends in the midst of a pandemic. While the ceremony and reception were beautiful, the couple was apparently missing one thing–coverage from Bravo. According to @TMZ_tv, who spoke with production sources at the network, a camera crew from Bravo was set to be on location for Cynthia’s wedding, which quickly changed when the location of the event changed. The wedding was reportedly set to take place outdoor, and was moved to an indoor venue because of Hurricane Delta. The venue change reportedly made Bravo change it’s mind, and the network decided it wasn’t “safe or appropriate” to send a crew to film in a closed space. “Bad Hair” is a horror-comedy written and directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People”) making its Hulu debut on October 23. The film is set in 1989 Los Angeles where Anna (Elle Lorraine “Insecure”) – an overlooked assistant at a music video channel- is looking to get her big break in front of the camera. Her dreams come to a screeching halt when her boss leaves the company, and new management takes over. A new executive, ex-model Zora (Vanessa Williams) steals Anna’s ideas for revamping the network, but not before telling her to change up her look if she wants to get ahead. https://youtu.be/DmrTRblGeKw Samuel L. Jackson and his daughter Zoe Jackson are producing a docuseries about marginalized communities and gang culture. The duo will partner with Ample Entertainment for the self-shot series, titled. “Life on the Edge.” “No one has ever looked at these groups from a fresh perspective – from the inside out. These are young people trying to find a place in a chaotic world up against extraordinary odds. I can’t think of stories more worthy of telling,” said Samuel L. Jackson and Zoe Jackson in a statement. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” from Netflix is headed to theaters AND your streaming device. Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) — who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry — spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives. https://youtu.be/ord7gP151vk The Beastie Boys had never before licensed any of their songs for an ad until this presidential election. During Sunday’s Steelers/Browns game, their 1994 classic “Sabotage” was featured in a spot for the campaign of Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The ad focuses on how the COVID-19 shutdowns have decimated the live music industry. It highlights a club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Blind Pig, that remains shuttered after a 50-year run as a pillar of the community. The owner blames its closing on what he considers Donald Trump’s shortsighted response to the coronavirus crisis. https://youtu.be/SW86jyTsYe4 Excavation crews are breaking ground on Monday at a new site in Tulsa, Okla., in an effort to find the remains of Black victims of one of the nation’s bloodiest race massacres. This will be the second such excavation led by the city this year, as it tries to determine where the estimated 150 to 300 victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre were buried. Historians say white mobs targeted the area of the city known as Black Wall Street, killing Black residents and looting and burning businesses, homes and churches to the ground. In the latest search, Tulsa is focused on two areas of the city-owned Oaklawn Cemetery. The first is called the Original 18 site. “Funeral home records and other documents for 1921 show that at least eighteen identified and unidentified African American massacre victims were buried in the city-owned cemetery,” according to an announcement by Tulsa city officials. Please keep KELLY PRICE and her family in your prayers, as her mother, Claudia Price-North, has transitioned. An official statement from Kelly Price:“It is with so many unexplainable emotions that I must make the acknowledgement that Sunday, October 18, 2020 my mother, Claudia Price-North took her last breath and said goodbye to the world. This is something I wasn't prepared for, none of us were and I don't know that anyone under any circumstances ever could be. Respectfully I ask for the sake of her husband, her sister, my sister and myself along with the rest of the family that we be given time to process this loss privately. We know that Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal. We need healing right now, so please keep my family in your prayers.” – Kelly Price. Details for the homegoing service of Mrs. Claudia Price-North will come in a more formal announcement in the days to come. TV ONE will present the first episode of REPRESENT THE VOTE: OUR VOICE, OUR FUTURE, a three-part series of virtual town halls designed to tackle various social, economic and political issues impacting black women voters across the U.S. CNN commentator and political analyst Karen Finney will moderate the series which will debut on TV One and CLEO TV's Facebook and YouTube channels starting Thursday, October 22 at 12 P.M. ET/11C with an encore presentation on Saturday, October 24 at 12 P.M. ET/11C on TV One and CLEO TV. Liam Neeson’s thriller “Honest Thief” stole the top spot at the box office in yet another quiet weekend of moviegoing. The Open Roads Films movie brought in $3.7 million in North America the weekend of its U.S. debut. The film, starring Neeson as a notorious bank robber who turns himself in but was double crossed by two FBI agents, opened in Canada last week. The film also played well in markets including Miami, Chicago, San Diego and Atlanta, according to the studio. “Honest Thief” overtook “The War with Grandpa,” which claimed No. 1 last week. Despite coming in second, the comedy starring Robert De Niro earned $2.5 million. It has garnered $7.3 million domestically within a 10-day timespan. https://youtu.be/_TLtcw7ixRc Regina Hall has inked a first-look TV deal with Showtime. The actress will develop and produce TV projects under her production company RH Negative. She is currently developing a one-hour special that she will star in and executive produce. “I am excited to call Showtime home,” Hall said. “Working with Amy has been such a delightful and organic experience. I am thrilled to expand our partnership to create smart, meaningful and impactful stories.” “Regina is an undeniable and brilliant force in Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera,” said Amy Israel, executive vice president, scripted programming, Showtime Networks Inc. Join host Tia Mowry (Family Reunion) for “Build Your Dreams Week”, a series of at-home activities the whole family can enjoy, starts October 19th on OvertheMoonNetflix.com to celebrate the launch of Netflix’s newest animated feature film event Over the Moon, releasing globally (ex. China) on October 23rd. https://youtu.be/P_zuK_pergw 50 Cent is now venturing into the horrorw.gospel-spotlight.com film game. The rapper’s G-Unit Film & Television has joined forces with Eli Roth’s Arts District Entertainment and 3BlackDot film studio to produce three horror films. Roth is best known for “Cabin Fever” and “Hostel,” while 3BlackDot is co-financier of “Queen & Slim.” The partnership will allow them to create the films “others are too afraid to make,” according to Roth. Kanye West has called out “Saturday Night Live” for using actress Issa Rae to mock him. Rae hosted the long running sketch comedy series on Saturday and she took a shot at Kanye’s presidential campaign during her opening monologue. https://youtu.be/cXfSL1XOIdM T.I. has come to Ice Cube’s defense after the rapper caught heat for working with Trump’s reelection campaign on the Platinum Plan for Black America. Trump’s “Platinum Plan” is a four-year plan that includes a $500 billion package for the Black community and aims to create 3 million new jobs and 500,000 new Black-owned businesses. Ice Cube tweeted, I hope all these people with podcast and radio shows telling the world I’m too unqualified and uneducated to talk about a document I created, don’t get asked to pull out their Communications degrees and show you they are qualified and educated enough to speak to you over airwaves. https://youtu.be/wOrY9I690OU Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has warned that a space rock, known as Asteroid 2018VP1, is set to reach Earth a day before the presidential election on Nov. 3rd. Tyson made the announcement on Twitter, noting that the rock is approaching Earth at more than 25,000 mph. The asteroid is reportedly the size of a refrigerator but Tyson makes clear that even if it enters Earth’s atmosphere, there is no cause for worry. “It may buzz-cut Earth on Nov 2, the day before the Presidential Election,” Tyson wrote on Twitter. “It’s not big enough to cause harm. So if the World ends in 2020, it won’t be the fault of the Universe.” Leslie Jones has opened up about her departure from “Saturday Night Live,” and she has made it clear she does not miss the sketch comedy show “at all.” “I don’t miss it. At all,” she said in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight. “That job was hard, man,” Jones added “That job was like two jobs and very restrictive too. I wasn’t very free there.” Jones first joined the NBC series in 2014 as a writer before being bumped up to a prominent cast member position. She earned three Emmy nominations during her five seasons. The comedian tells ET that she only misses her fromer SNL co-star, Kenan Thompson. Last fall Jones announced she wouldn’t be returning for SNL’s 45th season. Actor John Leguizamo is not down with his fellow Latin Americans supporting Republicans and the re-election of Donald Trump. “Latin people for Republicans are like roaches for Raid. Let’s just get real,” Leguizamo told Bill Maher on Friday’s “Real Time.” When Maher cited a report that Trump is polling well with young Latino men, Leguizamo responded, “I just feel like there is a level of self-hate or just a lack of care for the rest of your Latin brother and sisters who are in cages who are being demonized by this president. I mean, hate crimes against Latin people are way up,” he said. “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson got engaged to former NFL player Kelvin Hayden in 2018, three years after the duo started dating. While things seemed to be going pretty well, fans began wondering if they were still an item after she was recently seen celebrating her birthday without him. While Taraji didn’t speak on her relationship status at that time despite all the speculation, she’s now opening up about their status, confirming that they are no longer together. The 50-year-old appeared on the ”Breakfast Club” where Taraji, host Charlamagne Tha God, Tracie Jade, and Jay Barnett discussed how trauma impacts intimate relationships. While sharing her experience, Taraji revealed that it “just didn’t work out” between her and Hayden. Michael B. Jordan is producing a movie based on the DC and Milestone Comics character Static, popularly known as Static Shock. Jordan announced the project Friday on Twitter, which he will produce through his Warner Bros.-based Outlier Society production company. “I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centered around Black superheroes; our community deserves that,” Jordan said in a statement. “Outlier Society is committed to bringing to life diverse comic book content across all platforms and we are excited to partner with Reggie and Warner Bros. on this initial step.” Court documents have been released showing why Bobby Shmurda was denied parole in September. The rapper will continue to serve his max prison sentence until December 2021. Bobby has been locked up since December 2014, when more than 15 defendants were charged with various crimes, including murder, attempted murder and drug dealing. Shmurda was facing a maximum sentence of 8 – 25 years on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, reckless endangerment, and drug and gun possession. Joey Logano spent the final 40-plus laps at Kansas Speedway keeping an eye on Kevin Harvick in his rear-view mirror. Now, he can look ahead to the NASCAR Cup Series finale at Phoenix. Using every bit of the track Sunday to hold off the winningest driver this season, Logano took the checkered flag on a cold, blustery Sunday to secure a spot in the championship round of the playoffs. Harvick was followed across by Alex Bowman and Brad Keselowski as postseason contenders swept the top four spots in the opener of the round of eight. Jason Kokrak was playing for the 233rd time in his 10th season on the PGA Tour without ever having won, so he didn’t need any reminders Sunday in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek that anything would come easily. He watched Xander Schauffele stuff a wedge to 5 feet for birdie and roll in a 45-foot birdie putt from the thick collar of the 13th green on the next hole to tie for the lead. Holding his nerve to the end and delivering all the key shots, Kokrak matched the low score of the week with an 8-under 64 to overcome a three-shot deficit at the start and win by two shots to finally be able to call himself a PGA Tour winner. Amid the global health crisis, several initiatives have been unveiled to support Black-owned businesses that have been significantly impacted. Among the efforts is one being led by Google. The technology company announced it will donate $2.35 million to Black-owned, Atlanta-based tech companies, BET reported. The donation is a part of a larger initiative launched by Google called the Black Founders Fund. Through the $5 million fund, the Google for Startups Program will provide grants between $50,000 and $100,000 to businesses launched by Black founders. According to the Harvard Business Review, Black founders only receive less than 1 percent of venture capital. The fund was created in an effort to address the lack of access to VC funding. Scientist and physician William Augustus Hinton’s contributions will forever be embedded in the evolution of the STEM industry. Hinton, who made history at Harvard Medical School by becoming its first Black tenured professor nearly a century ago, will be posthumously honored by the Ivy League institution. According to The Harvard Crimson, the Harvard Medical School’s Holmes Society is being renamed after Hinton. The society—which is one of five that Harvard Medical School or Harvard School of Dental Medicine students are assigned to upon enrollment—was originally named after physician and writer Oliver Wendell Holmes who graduated from Harvard in 1829. After Holmes’ racist past was unearthed, two medical students petitioned to have his name removed. The petition, which garnered over 1,000 signatures, was supported by current students, alumni and faculty. From films like Porgy and Bess to hit songs like “The Candy Man,” Sammy Davis Jr. played an integral role in shaping the landscape of the entertainment industry and now his contributions will be the focus of a new biopic. According to Deadline, MGM is slated to release a film about Davis’ journey. The movie—inspired by a book penned by his daughter Tracey Davis and Dolores A. Barclay titled Sammy Davis Jr.: My Father—will delve into the entertainer’s personal life; capturing his childhood and rise to fame. It will also focus on the racism Davis endured in the entertainment industry during the Jim Crow era and how he used his platform to fight for social justice. “I am thrilled to know my father’s life, both private and public, will be brought to the big screen with this team of storytellers,” his daughter Tracey said in a statement. “My father was an extraordinary man, who experienced tremendous joys and fought tough battles throughout his years coming up in the industry. His was not an easy road, but, like he did in all aspects of his life, he gave it everything he had. We plan to do the same with this film.” Lena Waithe is slated to produce the biopic through her Hillman Grad Productions company alongside Rishi Rajani. Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev from Sight Unseen will also serve as producers. As Election Day nears several influential individuals across different spaces are using their platforms to spread awareness about voter suppression and ensure that people within the Black community exercise their right to vote. Among those is entertainment mogul Tyler Perry. According to BET, Perry recently funded an initiative designed to mobilize African American voters in Florida. The effort—dubbed Park & Praise—is being spearheaded by the Equal Ground Education Fund; a grassroots organization centered on equal access to education about voting and empowerment. Through the project, the organization will target 25 Florida counties where nearly 250,000 Black residents reside. Equal Ground Education Fund is joining forces with Florida-based community organizations, places of worship and businesses to increase the Black voter turnout. The organization will host several events, featuring live performances, where individuals can drop off their absentee ballots. Perry is donating $500,000 to support the Equal Ground Education Fund’s efforts. The global health crisis has exacerbated financial woes for several historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is on a mission to ensure the institutions that are pillars in the Black community are able to survive the pandemic. The sorority recently raised $1 million to benefit HBCUs. The fundraising effort was part of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s HBCU Impact Day. The annual event was designed to support the financial security of accredited HBCUs across the nation. Dr. Glenda Glover, who serves as AKA International President and Chief Executive Officer, says HBCU Impact Day is part of a larger four-year, $10 million fundraising effort. A group of Black scholars and activists have banded together to rebuke misinformation, alternative facts, and other means of dissuading African Americans from voting in the 2020 presidential election. The National Black Cultural Information Trust, a Pan-African initiative led by Washington, D.C.-based cultural communications specialist Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor, aims to counter fake social media accounts that often discourage Black voters from participating in elections. “The disinformation used to target Black communities is cultural,” Aiwuyor said. “It’s cultural disinformation, which uses cultural issues to infuse false information and cause confusion.” As Autumn comes and cooler weather prevails, Kandy Apple Redd, raise the temperature with with a new sexy sound on “Do Things.” The video for “Do Things” helmed by award winning Director Gabriel ‘Video God’ Hart, depicts the seasons in New York City with the duo performing in many popular locations including Central Park and Times Square, celebrating the treasures of pre-pandemic New York – a ‘love letter’ of sorts to the beleaguered city in crisis. “Do Things” is streaming everywhere. http://lnk.to/DoThingsEL The African-American Museum in Louisville, Ky unveiled a new art exhibit called Unarmed: An Afternoon of Images and Reflection, which was created in memory of black victims of police violence. New York artist, Raafi Rivero, created a series of sports jerseys, each designed in the colors of a victim’s local sports team. The number is the victim’s age and stars on the jerseys represent how many times that person was shot. Rivero said he began the project in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin, and as there were more and more victims, he added jerseys, including Breonna Taylor’s. https://youtu.be/-sr8Sg7gPi8 Actor and producer, Tyler Perry, has joined the End SARS campaign. The billionaire expressed disgust about the situation in Nigeria. He noted that Africa’s most populous country should be one of the greatest on earth. Perry tweeted his reaction to ongoing nationwide protests on Saturday. I hate that a country, with enormous potential to be one of the greatest in the world, is going through so much horror. I stand with Nigeria. #ReformTheNigeriaPolice #ENDBADGOVERNANCE”, he tweeted. President Donald Trump attended a high energy church service Sunday morning at the International Church of Las Vegas, where he pulled out eight bills – which looked to be $20s – to add to the collection plate. The service was part concert, part prayer session and even part rally, as the church’s pastor Paul Marc Goulet, ticked off a list of Trump’s accomplishments. ‘He gave the church back a voice,’ Goulet said. ‘He’s given a voice to the unborn,’ the pastor added, earning Trump loud cheers and a partial standing ovation from the crowd. Goulet also thanked Trump for making his third appearance at the non-denominational Christian church, where members worship to music and flag dancers. ‘This is your third time here. That means you’re really a church member,’ Goulet said. Trump attended the indoor service alongside aides Hope Hicks, Kayleigh McEnany and Dan Scavino. Kirstie Alley came under attack on Twitter Saturday night after declaring: ‘I’m voting for Donald Trump because he’s NOT a politician.’ The Cheers actress, 69, shared her views on the presidential race, tweeting: ‘I voted for him 4 years ago for this reason and shall vote for him again for this reason. ‘He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly. There you have it folks there you have it’. But Alley, who is a high profile follower of the Church of Scientology, quickly faced backlash for her tweet. It had been shared more 60,000 times and liked 204,000 times as of Sunday morning. Alley’s name was soon trending on the site. Her views sparked a fierce reaction online from some, including director Judd Apatow, who tweeted: ‘Shelly Long was way funnier than you.’ Long starred alongside Alley in Cheers. Actress Patricia Arquette tweeted: ‘Well my vote for Biden canceled yours out. I have done my civic duty of the day.’ The new Archbishop of York has slammed Downing Street for snubbing his predecessor – Britain’s first black archbishop – of an automatic life peerage. Stephen Cottrell said he was ‘disturbed’ by news that John Sentamu – head of York’s diocese for 15 years – would not be given a seat in the House of Lords, saying it was a ‘custom of many years’. A government spokesperson said Sentamu, 71, who retired in June, was left off the list to keep numbers in the House of Lords down. While there is no automatic right for archbishops to be given a life peerage, his predecessor David Hope and the former archbishops of Canterbury Rowan Williams and George Carey were all made life peers when they stepped down. ‘Disturbed to find out today that whether it be through negligence or intent my predecessor, Sentamu has not been given the peerage that has been the custom for many years,’ said Archbishop Cottrell. ESPN NFL reporter Vaughn McClure has been found dead at his apartment in Atlanta at age 48. No cause of death has been announced for the journalist, who covered the Atlanta Falcons for the sports channel’s NFL Nation section. McClure covered the team during their Super Bowl LI run in 2017 and was a regular contributor on ESPN’s television and radio coverage of the Falcons and the NFL. This past Tuesday, social media users were outraged to discover via Twitter that former N.W.A. member and actor, Ice Cube has collaborated with the Trump Administration. The news was revealed when Katrina Pierson, senior advisor to the Trump campaign publicly thanked the rapper using the social site for his assistance in consulting the Administration on its “Platinum Plan.” Originally introduced at a campaign rally in Atlanta back in September, the Platinum Plan is an economic proposal intended for Black Americans with the goal of financially empowering them through four pillars: opportunity, security, prosperity, and fairness. After viewing both his and the Trump Administration’s proposal for Black Americans, very little of Cube’s suggestions went into the Platinum Plan. Trump’s proposal is nothing more than empty promises written in a vague manner to create false hope amongst Black voters in order to win over some of their ballots this election. Cube’s proposal addresses a wide range of topics such as reparations, the implementation of affirmative action at all educational institutions, mandatory civil rights and anti-racism classes at all elementary schools, changing the way schools are funded, a formal apology to Black Americans for past wrongs, revamping the credit score model, eliminating three strikes, removal of Confederate statues, and lots more. All subjects Trump’s plan either fails to touch on or fully implement. Ex-army sergeant #AkeishaNorris has filed a lawsuit against rapper #YoungDolph after she claims she was fired for twerking to his music in a viral video he shared, causing a mental breakdown. The video in question was posted Sept. 2018, and it featured Norris dancing along to one of his tracks. Dolph eventually took the video and put it on his website in the lead-up to the release of Role Model. Afterward, her superiors in the Army National Guard saw the clip and disciplined Norris. She was relieved of her duty as sergeant while on active duty in Kuwait, and she was subsequently sent back to the United States. In the legal docs, Norris said that she used to be friendly with Dolph, and has claimed that she developed PTSD after he posted her image without her consent. She is suing the rapper for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A recently released video shows the R Kelly being punched by another inmate and not one guard intervened or even “raised a finger” to help him until the attack was well underway. In a new court filing. Kelly’s legal team asserts that the singer, who is being held at the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center on federal sex abuse charges, was assaulted in August by Jeremiah Farmer, who had punched Kelly repeatedly to get media attention for himself, according to a CNN report. The August assault left Kelly with “significant physical and psychological injuries,” the filing said. His lawyers have not released the video. The guard, identified as “D. Szyhowski,” ordered Farmer to stop beating Kelly and sprayed Farmer with pepper spray, citing a Bureau of Prison report. In their filing on Friday (10-16-20), Kelly’s attorneys wrote that Farmer “roamed a great distance within the MCC before carrying out that act, without any opposition. A Chicago man was arrested after he sexually assaulted his cousin during her remote learning class on Thursday. Police arrested 18-year-old Catrell Walls on Saturday after the seven-year-old victim told investigators and her father about the abuse. The heinous act took place around 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a home and it was filmed while a remote learning session was live via Google Meets. Prosecutors said the child signed in during an independent study session which is conducted between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and students are instructed to stay on mute and turn their cameras off. However, the victim signed on to the session at 1:10 p.m. and was on mute but left her camera on. Four students were also logged on and two of them noticed Walls forcing the victim to perform a sexual act and said “What’s going on? What’s happening?” Their comments alerted the teacher who was using a separate computer while conducting the session and she told everyone to log off. The incident was reported to the school’s principal and they contacted the victim’s family along with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and police. The teacher also told investigators she saw Walls pick up the computer and turning it off. While speaking to a crowd during his Friday rally in Georgia, Donald Trump shared that he may resort to drastic action if Americans don’t vote for him to be re-elected. Trump told his supporters, “I shouldn’t joke because you know what? Running against the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics puts pressure on me.”He then asked the audience what he should do if he “lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics,” adding “Could you imagine if I lose? My whole life, what am I going to do?’ he asked. I’m going to say ‘I lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics.’ I’m not going to feel so good.” He went on to jokingly suggest “Maybe I’ll have to leave the country? I don’t know.” The new Netflix film, “A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting“ stars Tamara Smart who plays Kelly Ferguson, a babysitter turned superhero. While she is babysitting the young boy she is watching after, he is abducted by the boogeyman, played by Tom Felton (“Harry Potter”). She (Kelly Ferguson) is approached by a secret society of monster-fighting babysitters that help her on her mission to rescue the young boy. https://youtu.be/MKR33fJ_yPw Growing up in New Orleans’ 7th Ward can be rife with challenges. The horror stories far exceed the successful ones. Ross’s journey is an exception, and an exceptional one. Surrounded by a solid family with community values, Williams attended Tulane University where he studied sociology. He has gone on to become the author of two best-sellers within an eight-month span. “Made It Out” is testimony not only to his journey, but also to the similarities of surviving the streets and corporate America. His follow-up book, “Crabs In A Barrel: War On Racism,” gives a different perspective on the phrase that focuses more on the barrel than on the crab. Taylor Simone Ledward, the wife of the late Chadwick Boseman, has asked the court to be appointed administrator of the estate of the actor, who died in August at the age of 43. Boseman, who died after a four-year battle with colon cancer, died without a will, with an estate with an estimated value of $938,500, according to papers filed in Los Angeles County probate court on Thursday. It should be noted that some assets are not necessarily subject to probate, so his holdings could be larger than that amount. The recently crowned NBA champs, the Los Angeles Lakers are out of the bubble in Orlando and back in SoCal. The team and their significant others celebrated the trophy with a victory dinner at the posh Nobu in Malibu. https://youtu.be/OoSBAthYITM In the aftermath of catching all kinds of heat for hooking up with Donald Trump on his so-called “Platinum Plan” for Black America, Ice Cube is striking back with a defiant tweet. “When I got [the] bus to school. Homies called me a sellout. When I started rapping in 1983. Bangers called me a sellout,” Cube (above) wrote. “When I left NWA. They called me a sellout. When I start doing movies. Rappers called me a sellout. When I started my own [3-on-3 basketball] league. The arena said it was a sellout.” https://youtu.be/snXlL-sR1Q4 Five-time Grammy singer and recording artist Mariah Carey is one of the best-selling female solo recording artists of all-time, with a portfolio full of memorable hit songs since bursting onto the music scene in the late 1980s. Yet, she also has vivid memories of the racism she endured growing up a bi-racial child in the 1970s and early ‘80s in Huntington, New York, about 32 miles from New York City. Carey is one of three children born to a white mother and an African American and Venezuelan father. In her new book, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” the 50-year-old writes about several incidents that opened her young eyes to bigotry and racism. One incident that stands out in her mind was when she was a young girl and one of her grade school friends came over to the house for a visit. he parents didn’t know I was Black. "They didn’t know that she (their daughter) was going to go into a Black man’s house,” Carey writes. “They’d only met my mother. The girl burst into tears because she was so freaked out. Mind you, my father is this gorgeous, tall man that looked like a movie star to me and then to see that happen. It just changes your perspective on things, and it twists it. It was just heartbreaking.” Ahead of the release of T.I.’s 11th studio album ”The L.I.B.R.A.,” (The Legend Is Back Running Atlanta), the rapper spoke with the New York Post to share what fans can expect from his new project. He told the outlet that the album features some of his kids. His son Domani, 19, appears on the appropriately titled “Family Connect,” which is one of two tracks produced by his oldest son Messiah, 20. Meanwhile, his 19-year-old daughter Deyjah, closes out the album with “Deyjah’s Conclusion.” “Deyjah ain’t really one for the spotlight,” T.I. explained. He said of his daughter who made headlines earlier this year after he revealed on a podcast that he goes with her to the gynecologist to make sure that she was still a virgin. “But I said, ‘I got a spot for a song. Do you want to speak on behalf of the women of your generation?’ I didn’t expect her to do it, and she was like, ‘I got something to say.’ The things that she had to say were so powerful.” “My debut was 10 years ago, it became pretty successful reaching the Top 40’s,” said Poland born Jazz vocalist Yola Nash about her debut album “Another Girl,” which garnered a Billboard #1 single “I Wanna Be Loved By You.” Currently Nash is promoting her sophomore album “Touched By Love.” https://youtu.be/_BfH3AigI7o Friday, October 16, the ladies discuss celebrating Thanksgiving during a pandemic. Co-hosts Adrienne Houghton and Garcelle Beauvais reveal how they plan to spend the holiday while keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy. Co-host Loni Love dishes out advice on other ways to celebrate without putting oneself at risk of contracting COVID-19. https://youtu.be/88hC6KpCc10 Rapper Kodak Black filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, claiming he was abused and “tortured” at Big Sandy maximum security prison in Kentucky. He even spoke out on Instagram to share details with fans about what he was experiencing inside the facility. According to the latest updates by TMZ, the rapper’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, said that after making complaints, Kodak was finally transferred to a safer place. Kodak was recently moved to USP Thomson, a high-security prison in Illinois, where the rapper says the guards are treating him better than in Kentucky. Police released footage that paints a fuller picture of their interaction with a black Versace executive who accused them of racial profiling for an incident earlier this month. After taking the device out of his pocket, he begins filming, claiming that the officers are harassing him because he’s black. “OK, I am in Beverly Hills right now, and I am getting f*cking searched for shopping at the store I work for,” he says. Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira’s ‘Americanah’ series with HBO has been cancelled due to production delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nyong’o was set to star in and executive produce the adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s acclaimed, best-selling novel. The project was greenlit as a 10-episode limited series last year, with Gurira serving as writer and showrunner. Tony-nominated actor Anthony Chisholm, known for his work in venerated playwright August Wilson’s final installment of the “Pittsburgh Cycle,” has died, his talent management company confirmed. He was 77. “The Katz Company is saddened to announce the passing of our longtime friend and client, Tony-Nominee, Anthony Chisholm,” president Jeremy Katz said. “Affectionately called ‘Chiz,’ he was an actor and storyteller like none-other, embodying loyalty, devotion, and compassion to his artistry.” Actress Rhonda Fleming, the fiery redhead who appeared with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, Ronald Reagan and other film stars of the 1940s and 1950s, has died. She was 97. Fleming’s assistant Carla Sapon told The New York Times that Fleming died Wednesday in Santa Monica, California. ‘Suddenly my green eyes were green. My red hair was flaming red. My skin was porcelain white,’ Fleming remarked in a 1990 interview. ‘There was suddenly all this attention on how I looked rather than the roles I was playing. ‘I’d been painted into a corner by the studios, who never wanted more from me than my looking good and waltzing through a parade of films like ‘The Redhead and the Cowboy.’ Ice Cube has defended his decision to work with Donald Trump on a plan for black Americans as he finally went on CNN after blasting the network and host Chris Cuomo for canceling his interview the day before. The rapper insisted he is ‘working with whoever is in power’ and that he is ‘not on nobody’s team’ during an interview with Cuomo Friday night. https://youtu.be/OUgzHvDBafE Movie theaters outside of New York City will be allowed to reopen on Oct. 23 after a months-long hiatus spurred by the coronavirus, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday. Theaters will be required to cap capacity at 25% with a maximum of 50 people per screen, and only in counties that have a positivity rate below 2% on the 14-day-average and no cluster areas, Cuomo said. Moviegoers will be required to wear masks except when seated and eating or drinking. Theaters will be required to meet enhanced standards for air filtration and ventilation. The governor announced the move at a Saturday briefing where he said New York was making progress in tackling COVID-19 “clusters” in certain areas of the state, including Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. For the first time this season more than half of this weekend’s NFL games will welcome fans, the league said on Saturday as it oversees its 2020 campaign amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine of the 14 Week 6 National Football League games will permit fans, while 18 of the 32 teams across the league have been approved to welcome ticket holders, a spokesman said. The NFL was forced to shuffle its schedule earlier this week due to positive COVID-19 tests among players and personnel. The novel coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the United States, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reporting 8,028,332 total infections and 217,918 deaths. More timely than ever, Brian Courtney Wilson drops his fifth studio album "Stil" that promotes peace & reflection in the chaos of modern times. Acknowledging anxiety, frustration, and fear, inevitably compounded by current events, yet doing so through a lens of hope, "Still" artfully navigates the spaces between fact and faith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealrHkVPal0&feature=youtu.be Noted songwriter and musician Christopher J. Watkins is back on the scene with a highly anticipated new solo single release “Coming My Way”. Christopher is most known for his work with the group Chris and Kyle with True Spirit. He steps forward with new music and a sound that is more personal and defined. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjJkfeceEo4&feature=youtu.be While the outcome of the 2020 presidential election remains to be seen, Democratic nominee Joe Biden absolutely crushed President Trump in terms of the number of viewers who watched their competing town halls on Thursday night. CNN reported Friday that Biden’s town hall on ABC averaged 14.1 million viewers on Thursday night, easily surpassing the Nielsen ratings for President Trump’s town hall on NBC. While that alone comes as a surprise to prognosticators, who assumed that even Trump haters would tune in to watch the expected train wreck, there’s an even bigger ratings shocker. Biden’s ABC viewers alone surpassed Trump’s on NBC as well as MSNBC and CNBC, both of which carried the simulcast. The Trump town hall averaged 10.6 million viewers on NBC. On MSNBC, Trump reached 1.74 million viewers, and on CNBC, about 671,000 viewers. The president’s total audience across the three channels was 13.1 million, about one million fewer than Biden’s audience on ABC alone. https://youtu.be/oaZtoUe3TJo Chicago’s former top-cop Eddie Johnson has been accused of sexual assault and harassment in a new lawsuit. The plaintiff, Cynthia Donald, said Johnson told her “Now you know you belong to me,” after a forced sex act on her at CPD Headquarters in the summer of 2016. Donald was Johnson’s personal driver when he was on the job and she has reportedly been a Chicago cop for 14 years. She says in the 33-page lawsuit filed on Thursday that Johnson forced her to engage in sex acts to keep her job. https://youtu.be/7jS9iO8-uDE After declaring earlier this year that the “the Black vote will not be free” in 2020, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has launched a political party called Our Black Party. https://youtu.be/EPrwCM0H9z8 Megan Thee Stallion penned a heartfelt op-ed for The New York Times published Tuesday, in which she calls on the protection of Black women. The rapper keeps it real about her experience with violence, specifically as it relates to rapper Tory Lanez, who this week was ordered by a L.A. judge to stay at least 100 yards away from the hip-hop star. He is also to have no contact with Megan amid his criminal case for allegedly shooting her. https://youtu.be/Oq6c76gUsts Singer, Songwriter, Trumpeter, Johnny Britt set the summer season ablaze with his single ‘MO JAZZIN’ featuring his former Motown/MoJazz labelmate Guitarist, Norman Brown. USA Today reports this week that the song has hit #1, on Mediabase Smooth AC chart. https://youtu.be/PDWyL6mB5P0 Every week, Emmy nominee Amber Ruffin, will respond to the week’s news with sketches and monologues doused in charm, seriousness and nonsense on Peacock‘s late-night series “The Amber Ruffin Show.” Fridays are for Ruffin! Spectrum has announced the end of “L.A.’s Finest,” its first original series starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. The show was first picked up by the Spectrum Originals platform in 2018 and ran for two seasons. The decision to end the cop drama comes a little over a month after the second season debuted. Chaka Khan chopped it up with comedian Luenell on the YouTube channel VladTV. Chaka Khan says that she had no interest in working with Ariana Grande again.https://youtu.be/LFQs6mXUbRY A Georgia man has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd. Spike Lee took to social media to announce the murder of the beloved Atlanta-based actor, who appeared in multiple films by the director. Byrd appeared in Lee’s “Bamboozled,” “Clockers,” “Get on the Bus,” “Girl 6,” and “He Got Game.” The 70-year-old was gunned down near his home in Atlanta on Oct. 3. Bestselling author Don Winslow’s latest viral video calls out President Trump over his longstanding racist rhetoric and contempt for Black women. The 88-second spot begins by noting Trump’s “long history of racism” before pointing out that the president “especially hates Black women.” The ad runs clips of Trump verbally attacking and insulting Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) as well as journalists Abby Phillip, Yamiche Alcindor and April Ryan. https://youtu.be/PVGQ87t6Duk The Black woman who was in President Trump’s camera shot at Thursday night’s Town Hall on NBC, nodding in agreement with just about every thing he said, became an instant focus of social media, and the subject of a Miami Herald piece that uncovered her identity. Her name is Mayra Joli, an immigration lawyer, five-time beauty queen and Trump supporter who ran as an Independent for Congress in Miami in 2018. During that campaign, she dubbed herself Miami’s, Master of Selfies,” according to the Herald. The Herald reported that after the forum, she greeted 45 and told him, “We have your back.” Trump asked her where she’s from. She replied, I’m from the Dominican Republic, but I’m American, I’m an American.” Rapper Tory Lanez has been ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Megan Thee Stallion, and is to have no contact with her amid his criminal case for allegedly shooting the hip-hop star. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, made an appearance by phone on Tuesday for a Los Angeles court hearing, and he did not enter a plea. His bail, raised from $35,000 to $190,000, was promptly posted, per USA Today. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Daymond John, the founder and CEO of FUBU and Co-Star of ABC’s four-time Emmy Award winning show, Shark Tank, has announced the forthcoming Black Entrepreneurs Day presented by Chase for Business. In conjunction with Medium Rare (Shaq vs. Gronk), Black Entrepreneurs Day presented by Chase for Business is a primetime special at the intersection of business and entertainment. The free global live-stream celebrating Black business & entrepreneurship will air on October 24th beginning at 7PM EST on Facebook via Daymond John’s Page and across Facebook channels. The stream will also be simulcasted by LiveXLive (NASDAQ: LIVX) across 20+ other platforms including: LiveXLive, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Twitter, and more. On Thursday, October 15, “The Real” ladies discuss a theory that women who stand by men who cheat, are cheaters themselves. Co-host Adrienne Houghton has an idea, based on her own experience, about why some women stay with their cheating men. https://youtu.be/5NvPx3IlB0o The word around the league for as while now was that Tyronn Lue was was the Clippers choice for head coach if there was ever a vacancy in that department. Now, Doc Rivers has been let go and is now coaching the 76ers, there’s obviously an opening and the Clippers have Lue as head coach. Not only are the Clippers making news by hiring Lue, the team is also naming Pistons and Nuggets star Chauncey Billups an assistant. An all new episode of “Love After Lockup” returns this week and finds Heather unpacking her jealously issues on her #FelonBae, Dylan. “I know that Heathers been cheated on in the past, and she has trust issues, but if you’re going to be jealous of me interacting with your 90-year-old aunt on oxygen, how are you going to feel about it when I go to the gym, or to get the mail?,” says Dylan. https://youtu.be/g4Gg95NwK3I ABC is sharing personal journeys of Black families and individuals across America rising above obstacles and pushing through systemic racism to achieve personal and professional success. These families and individuals will tell their stories in their voices. The docuseries follow the experiences of Black families across America. https://youtu.be/A9aOkiwaVrw Stacey Abrams has joined forces with athletes and artists from the More Than a Vote coalition to launch a new animated video on the history of voting. The project was produced in partnership with LeBron James’ SpringHill Company, with the goal of encouraging people to vote. “Fair Fight Action is happy to partner with the athletes and artists from the More Than a Vote coalition on Civics for the Culture,” Abrams, founder and chair of Fair Fight Action, said of the animated short. https://www.instagram.com/fairfightaction/?utm_source=ig_embed Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has taken measures to protect his own life just weeks after his apparently pro-police presentation to a grand jury neglecting to take Breonna Taylor‘s life into account. The irony was hard to ignore as on face value it would appear that Cameron — who was famously called a “sellout” by activist Tamika Mallory — is prioritizing his own existence without ever having tried to seek true justice for Taylor, whose existence which was violently snatched away from her loved ones in March when Louisville police officers and detectives killed her in her own home during the botched execution of a suspiciously obtained no-knock warrant. A Black woman airplane passenger said she recently found herself being urinated on by her seatmate during a flight back from Las Vegas. She recalled the horrific experience to Fox 2 Detroit, which reported that the culprit was not immediately arrested for his misdeed. Alicia Beverly said,she woke up after feeling a warm sensation on her side. Once she became fully alert and understood what was happening, she said she jumped up and screamed, waking up the plane’s other passengers. “I jump up and I seen his private area out and I screamed and that woke everybody up,” Beverly said. “By that time I actually looked at him and I see him shake himself off and I’m like this man just peed on me! I looked and there was a puddle of pee in the seats!” Beverly’s seatmate had not been officially identified as of Thursday morning. Fox 2 Detroit would only describe him as “a well-known pastor from North Carolina.” Beverly said she had to sit in wet clothes for hours until the plane landed at the Detriot Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, where the pastor was taken into custody. His fate is up to the FBI, which handles incidents during air travel. With younger voters expected to account for a major portion of the electorate this year, NewsOne’s The Black Ballot invited panelists from that demographic to sit down and discuss some of the more pressing issues facing them that could influence the way they vote. Mikelina Belaineh, a lawyer and community regeneration advocate and Rachel Howell the president of Howard University‘s Student Association, joined moderator Bruce C.T. Wright the managing editor of NewsOne.com, to break down what’s most important to them heading into one of the most anticipated elections in modern history. Michael Deegan-McCree, the partnerships coordinator at The Bail Project, was also scheduled to join the panel but was unfortunately unable to attend. Kanye West did not make it to Wednesday night’s (Oct. 14) 2020 Billboard Music Awards, but he took some time out on Thursday (Oct. 15) to post a rolling thank you to his fans. Seated in a moving SUV and wearing a neon green/blue sweatshirt, West celebrated his nine nominations and four wins, which included Top Gospel Artist, Top Christian Album and Top Gospel Album (Jesus Is King) and Top Gospel Song (“Follow God”). “I wanted to just thank God for my nine Billboard nominations, it’s the most of the night … the four wins,” he said in the clip. (Post Malone was nominated 16 times and won nine awards.) “Thank the Billboard Awards, thank all of my fans, thank all of my Christians that’s been praying for me, praying for the day when I would serve the Kingdom. You know, God just keeps showing up. The incredible increase and the favor.” Well-known contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter Chris Rice is now facing “credible” allegations of sexually assaulting a former male student, Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, announced Thursday. Robert H. Cunningham, the church’s senior pastor, said the allegations against Rice, who is known for hits such as “Smile,” comes in the wake of a 2019 investigation of one of their former pastors, Brad Waller, that proved he had abused “multiple students in our youth ministry.” Although Rice was not an employee of the church, he was close friends with Waller and had been hired on multiple occasions between 1995 and 2003 “to lead worship at our youth and college retreats,” Cunningham said. Through this arrangement, Rice was able to develop close relationships with “multiple students” and one of those students recently came forward with abuse allegations. While encouraging Christians to “vote your conscience” in the upcoming general election on Nov. 3, prominent California megachurch pastor Fred Price Jr. said that a conscientious decision can include abstention because voting “for the lesser of two evils is still evil.” “Some of you have decided I’m going to vote for the lesser of two evils. Hey, if that helps you sleep at night, I get it. Do you know that you’re still voting for evil? The lesser of two evils is still evil. It’s just less evil than the other evil,” said Price, who leads Crenshaw Christian Center, adding that he still plans on voting this election. He was responding to the question “How should Christians vote?” on Facebook Tuesday. The Browns sent Odell Beckham Jr. home with an illness Thursday, and they’re on high alert because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think we’ve been on high alert,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on Zoom before Thursday’s practice. “I think that’s just 2020. We just make sure that we’re following every protocol there is and keep everybody safe.” Beckham hasn’t tested positive for COVID-19, Stefanski said, adding the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was sent home out of an “abundance of caution.” Beckham was most recently tested for the coronavirus Thursday, Stefanski said. The Browns will learn the result Friday, if not sooner. Some other NFL teams have had to temporarily shut down their facilities and games have been postponed due to positive cases. Democratic Vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris‘ camp will pause her campaign travel through Sunday after her communications director tested positive for coronavirus, the Biden campaign announced Thursday. The campaign said that the vice presidential nominee, who tested negative for the virus on Wednesday, was “not in close contact” with the aide, Liz Allen under CDC guidelines. However, Harris will still pause her travel “out of an abundance of caution and in line with [the] campaign’s commitment to the highest levels of precaution,” the campaign said. https://youtu.be/iVpaZbFUrBY CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN is bringing the family together on this week's episode with Influencer and Private Chef Resha along with Restauranteur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, October 17 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. The chefs prepare dishes sure to leave your family wanting more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W63Ylerk_Zo&feature=youtu.be TV ONE announced today the presentation of REPRESENT THE VOTE: OUR VOICE, OUR FUTURE, a three-part series of virtual town halls designed to tackle various social, economic and political issues impacting black women voters across the U.S. CNN commentator and political analyst Karen Finney will moderate and host the series which will debut on TV One and CLEO TV's Facebook and YouTube channels starting Thursday, October 22 at 12 P.M. ET/11C with an encore presentation on Saturday, October 24 at 12 P.M. ET/11C on TV One and CLEO TV. Sen. Kamala Harris gave Amy Coney Barrett an expert level history lesson on the history of America suppressing Black people‘s ability to vote, and the judge seemed ambivalent to it all. It was another telling moment during the week-long grilling by senators during Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill. During Harris’ second straight day of questioning Barrett on Wednesday, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee ran down a litany of facts surrounding both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965, two laws that were designed to grant Black people the right to vote in America. She brought them up because Democrats have been laying the foundation to establish Barrett’s likelihood that she will help overturn several existing laws once she gets confirmed. Notably, the VRA along with the Affordable Care Act and the Roe v. Wade decision have all been under attack by the same Trump administration that nominated Barrett. Lindsey Graham allowed what appeared to be a Freudian slip when he was disingenuously trying to show that Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett would not work to reverse landmark U.S. Supreme Court. decisions. The senator from South Carolina and ranking chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee was presiding over Coney’s confirmation hearing Wednesday morning when he suggested that he believes that legal racial segregation took place during “the good old days.” To be sure, Merriam Webster defines a Fruedian slip as “a slip of the tongue that is motivated by and reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind.” All of which made the strange remark very telling for a Republican incumbent who is scrambling to secure his re-election against a Black Democratic challenger in a year that has been partially defined by protests against racism. This year has been marked by a global pandemic, but another public health crisis has also been growing behind the scenes: people being charged with racially motivated and hate crimes. The last example of such racist violence alleged by the U.S. government came Tuesday when a Michigan man was charged by federal prosecutors with a hate crime for “willfully causing bodily injury to an African-American teenager because of the teenager’s race.” But the devil was in the details as Lee Mouat, a 42-year-old white man, stands accused of repeatedly calling a group of Black teens the N-word before retrieving a bike lock from his car and hitting one of them in the face with it, breaking his jaw and knocking out several teeth. All because they allegedly would not turn down the music they were playing on a portable speaker. This is an important election this year. Besides Joe Biden and Donald Trump getting the attention for their campaigns, Kanye West has remained adamant about his presidential run as well, and to some people’s surprise, his name has actually appeared on the ballot in some states. However, one person who was not interested in seeing Kanye’s name on the ballot when she went to do early voting, was the Sheryl Lee Ralph. While appearing on the Wendy Williams Show, Sheryl expressed how upset she was to see Kanye’s name on the ballot. “I voted early, and when I saw Rocky and Kanye on the ballot I almost threw up,” Ralph said. “I was so upset, I said, ‘Why would you do this? Why would you create such an awful distraction in this, a very important election?" Trump senior advisor Katrina Pierson sent social media into a frenzy on Wednesday after she publicly thanked Hip-Hop icon Ice Cube for assisting the President on developing “The Platinum Plan.” Feeling blow back Ice Cube hopped on Twitter to speak out again. He said: “Black progress is a bipartisan issue. When we created the Contract With Black America we excepted to talk to both sides of the isle. Talking truth to power is part of the process. In another tweet, he quotes the Washington Times article which pointed out that he once “rapped about arresting Trump.” He added: “I will advise anybody on the planet who has the power to help Black Americans close the enormous wealth gap.” While responding to a fan who showed him an old tweet where he said he would never endorse Trump (“never endorse a mothaf–ka like Donald Trump”), Cube says it ain’t true. John Legend has had some moving performances of his material at too many award shows to count, but none like the one Wednesday night at the Billboard Music Awards. When he opened with the whisper, “This is for Chrissy,” you knew you were about to need some tissue. Legend poured his whole heart into “Never Break,” which he dedicated to his wife Chrissy Teigen less than two weeks after they announced the loss of their pregnancy. https://youtu.be/b1UkquKdJng Nicki Miaj took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal the gender of her newborn baby. The hip-hop star gave birth to her first child with husband Kenneth Petty on Sept. 30, in Los Angeles. She announced on social media this week that she welcomed a bouncing baby boy. Nicki also shared the congratulatory messages from some of her fellow artists, including Beyonce. “Thank you to Queen B, Kim & Ye, Riccardo Tisci, Winnie, Karol & everyone who sent well wishes during this time. It meant the world to me,” wrote Minaj on Instagram. “I am so grateful & in love with my son. Madly in love,” she added. “My favorite liddo boy in the whole wide world.” Snoop Dogg was filmed going through the process of registering to vote in California and he did so without putting down his blunt. The hip-hop icon registered through the state’s online portal, and it marked the first time he has ever registered to vote. https://youtu.be/waPWr3qOO2o Hollywood appears to be fresh out of ideas as studios continue to churn out remakes and “re-imaginings” of the classics… but “with a spin.” Usually the “spin” is simply casting Blacks, gays or transgenders for leading roles and calling it “diversity.” The 2001 Nicole Kidman supernatural, psychological horror film is currently in development for a remake. In the meantime, Kidman can next be seen in David E. Kelley’s “The Undoing,” in which she plays a wife and mother named Grace whose perfect life is shattered when a friend is brutally murdered, and Grace’s husband becomes the prime suspect. https://youtu.be/QWoiNlLqLR8 Amazon Studios has announced a series based on the 1997 thriller “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” “We are thrilled to have I Know What You Did Last Summer with our incredible partners at Amazon Studios,” Sony Pictures TV Studios co-president Jason Clodfelter said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Neal Moritz and Original Film’s development consistently fires on all cylinders and that is proven once again with Sara Goodman’s contemporary and pulsating character weaving suspense thriller.” https://youtu.be/yiAlcLlJpQE All he was trying to do was come up with a creative way to promote Duke University library’s curbside pickup procedure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Duke librarian Jamie Keesecker crafted a simple-but-catchy synth-pop beat, wrote some light, punchy lyrics detailing the library’s checkout system and presented it with crude, stick-figured, colored-penciled video. Nearly 700,000 views later, “Library Takeout” is now everybody’s jam. It’s also available on Spotify and Apple Music. https://youtu.be/e1iGEM9NMFM The couple who went viral for waving their guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home were recently indicted by a grand jury in St. Louis. Now they are back in the headlines for allegedly leaving a signed postcard for a pancake house employee on Tuesday. The photo says “Patty & Mark McCloskey v. the Mob,” and shows them with their arms crossed in front of their home under an American flag, along with the caption: “Still standing.” https://youtu.be/iWfKsC4ez6Y “Bridezillas” returns to WE tv this week. In an exclusive clip, bridesmaid Korie shows up for McKenzie’s wedding day and she’s immediately given the boot over her attitude. https://youtu.be/9mupSETCF8g Weeks after announcing she had filed for divorce from her cheating husband, Cardi B has confirmed that she and Offset are back on. The estranged couple recently reunited for Cardi’s 28th birthday in Las Vegas. The two were seen partying together and showing plenty of affection, fueling speculation that their divorce is off. “I just be starting to miss [him]… It’s hard not to talk to your best friend. And it’s really hard to have no dick,” Cardi told fans during an Instagram livestream on Tuesday. She also shot down allegations that she’s bipolar. “I know I’m not bipolar ’cause I took a test.” Offset gifted the her with a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Birkin bag and even a billboard in honor of her big day, which won her over. “I do like material things,” said Cardi. “What do you want me to do, the ni**a gave me a Rolls-Royce and I snub him? And I really wanted some dick for my birthday.” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, issued the following statement today in opposition to the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to serve as Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States: "Today, the NAACP submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee strongly opposing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Coming in the middle of a presidential election in which over seven million people have already voted, the Barrett nomination is as illegitimate as it is corrupt. Instead of forcing a nomination onto our highest court, the Senate should address the harms of the global pandemic raging across the country and disproportionately affecting the lives and livelihoods of African Americans. Under the "advice and consent" clause of the Constitution, the Senate must rigorously and meticulously scrutinize a Supreme Court nomination. Weeks and even months are necessary to fulfill this solemn duty. The Senate's timetable here is designed to fail. Fast-tracking this nomination—even as individual Senators have contracted coronavirus—will deprive the American people of the public, exacting review that should be afforded to a lifetime appointment to the Court. The next president should decide who sits on the Court. Ava DuVernay is set to adapt the acclaimed nonfiction book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” for Netflix. The project will be her first feature for the streamer, which she will write, direct, and produce. DuVernay’s adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s New York Times bestseller will explore the “unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how our lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions dating back generations.” On Instagram, DuVernay wrote, “An honor. Thank you for your work, @isabelwilkerson. Thank you for introducing me to this gem, @oprah. Thank you, @tendo, for giving this project wings. May it soar and bring light.” Chart-topping hip-hop artist KB recently released the new album His Glory Alone, which blends rap verses with big contemporary Christian choruses, and said his decision to fuse the two was inspired by the impact worship music has had on his life. KB, who recently parted ways with Reach Records and signed on with the Sony Imprint Essential Sound, has always repped HGA which means His glory alone. “The beginning of my mission was that I wanted to help people to realize who they were, and who God was,” the artist told The Christian Post in an interview about the meaning of his signature tag which is now his latest album title. The Florida native went on to say that when people recognize God for “His goodness and His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness, and His strength,” it changes everything in their life. http://www.gospel-spotlight-com Zach Sobiech chose to make each moment of his life matter until his untimely death of cancer. His legacy is the story behind CLOUDS on Disney+, and the true story behind the movie is filled with faith and hope. CLOUDS is based on the book “Fly a Little Higher,” by Laura Sobiech, Zach’s mother. Netflix NFLX.O, the world’s largest streaming service, said on Tuesday it has stopped offering free trials in the United States. “We’re looking at different marketing promotions in the U.S. to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience”, a Netflix spokesperson said, confirming media reports. The company has pulled down the free-trial option from its website for the United States. The Verge news website had reported that the streaming service started phasing out the option for U.S.-based subscribers this month, after spending the last couple of years phasing out the option in a number of countries around the world. Amy Cooper, the white woman who called the police on a black birdwatcher in Central Park, made a second, previously unreported 911 call in which she falsely claimed the man had ‘tried to assault’ her, prosecutors said Wednesday. The development came during a virtual court hearing for the 41-year-old earlier this morning in which she was arraigned on one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree — a charge that carries a sentence of up to one year in jail. Amy Cooper was filmed hysterically dialing 911 on Harvard-grad Christian Cooper on Memorial Day, falsely telling an operator an ‘African American man is threatening my life’. Prosecutors said Wednesday that Ms. Cooper made a second 911 call, which was not captured on video, in which she again claimed Christian Cooper threatened her and also told dispatchers that he ‘tried to assault her.’ Malcolm Jenkins is passionate about many subjects, including mental health awareness. Going to weekly therapy helps him cope with stress and he wants young men to know it’s not a weakness. Jenkins, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Saints and Eagles, spent time Tuesday with students in New Orleans talking about the importance of mental health and psychological effects of racism. “I don’t think I have overcome (racism),” Jenkins told The Associated Press. “I think it’s something that I deal with daily. I just have learned the tools to maintain and cope. For me, the more I try to deal with these issues and try to face these things head on, the more stress that comes along with it. And one of the things I had to insert into my weekly routine is therapy. And so mental health, anxiety, depression, all things that I had to deal with, every week for the last three years, I speak to my therapist just to be able to have a place to process my own feelings, my own stress, because it’s real. The Clemson Tigers proved once again Saturday night why they are the No. 1 team in the country, as they easily dispatched No. 7 Miami, 42-17, to improve to 4-0 on the season. The star for the Tigers on this particular night in Death Valley was senior running back Travis Etienne. Etienne carried the ball 17 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns (an average of 8.8 yards per attempt) while also catching eight passes for 73 more yards. In the process, Etienne added another record to his ever-increasing list of accomplishments: the most games in which a player has scored at least one rushing or receiving touchdown. His 39th game with a touchdown broke the previous NCAA Division I mark held by Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon. Dustin Johnson became the most prominent player to test positive for the coronavirus since golf resumed in June, forcing him to withdraw Tuesday from the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. The PGA Tour said in a statement that Johnson notified officials he was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and was given another test that came back positive. Johnson is the No. 1 player in the world and the reigning PGA Tour player of the year after winning the FedEx Cup for the first time. He has not played since he tied for sixth at the U.S. Open last month. The NFL has canceled the Pro Bowl as it focuses on completing its full regular season and postseason amid the coronavirus pandemic, the league announced Wednesday. Las Vegas, which had been scheduled to host the game, will instead host the Pro Bowl after the 2021 season. This will be the first time since the 1949 season that the NFL hasn’t held some form of a postseason all-star game. Regardless, the NFL said it will still name Pro Bowl teams at the end of the season in the usual format, through votes by fans, players and coaches. Fan voting begins Nov. 17. No. 10 Florida and defending national champion LSU are now scheduled to play in December. Unfortunately for coach Dan Mullen, the stadium still won’t be packed. The Southeastern Conference postponed Saturday’s LSU-Florida game a day after Mullen had 19 players and coaches test positive for COVID-19. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said Wednesday the number is now up to 21 positives with considerably more in quarantine because of contract tracing. Those players likely would have been unavailable against the Tigers, leaving Florida with fewer than 50 scholarship athletes and less than the SEC’s threshold (53) for holding games amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bravo counts down to the election of a lifetime with a pivotal conversation, “Race in America: Our Vote Counts,” airing Sunday, November 1, at 10 PM ET/PT. The special will also be simulcast on E!. In this election, the Black vote is more important than ever before. Ten Bravolebrities and celebs are coming together to talk about the issues America faces today and to put it all in the context of Black history. The 90-minute special from Executive Producers Leslie D. Farrell and Dorothy Toran is produced by Lauren Grace Media. An Instagram model claiming to have the biggest “cheeks in the world” is not happy with her size because she thinks they’re actually too “small.” Anastasia Pokreshchuk, who has spent thousands of dollars to enhance her cheekbones wants to go bigger. “You may think that they are too big but I think that they’re a little bit small, I need to refresh them again soon,” the 39-year-old said. Anastasia, from Kyiv, Ukraine, shared that she first got cheek injections when she was 26-years-old. But she stopped counting after years went on. “After I had the injections and saw the changes in my cheeks, I fell in love with them. I love them, I want them to look like this, and I’m very happy.” She added, “I regularly inject other parts of my face myself. I understand that they look weird for other people but I don’t mind.” For the better part of the afternoon, Ice Cube was trending on Twitter. This is rarely a good thing and Cube took his own account to clarify. Rewinding for a second, earlier in the day, Trump administration aide Katrina Pierson sent a tweet thanking Cube for his participation in the government’s “Platinum Plan” for the Black community that would help end racial injustice. As the backlash built (some gasping at how could Cube go from N.W.A. to MAGA), Cube put out his own statement where he explained that he had been in contact with both parties in recent weeks after he shared a video on Twitter that talked about a Contract With Black America and how each party could address racial inequality. “Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me. Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA,” Cube said in a tweet. Founded in 2010 by Wayne T. Jackson and Dr. Beverly Jackson, The ImpactNetwork is the largest privately owned African American, inspirational tv network in the world, focused on urban faith, family, lifestyle, culture and entertainment. Impact currently reaches over 90 Million homes on cable and satellite tv, broadcasting on Dish, Direct, ATT U-Verse, Verizon, Cox, Comcast, Altice, Frontier Cable, and Spectrum Charter. And is expanding its reach digitally through new channel launches on digital, OTT, and connected TV outlets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdd-G-0b1Mc&feature=youtu.be Variety Entertainment presents an amazing celebration of Gospel Music with Ricky Dillard, Maranda Curtis, & Jekalyn Carr. Award winning TV/Radio personality Darlene McCoy is hosting the night of music. Andrea René Williams is known as a former GRAMMY Awards Manager and a current publicist, who has represented artists such as Gladys Knight, Pastor Charles Jenkins and the late Andraé Crouch. Now Williams returns with an inspirational, CCM jam called “Who Do I Run To.” https://www.amazon.com/Who-Do-I-Run-To/dp/B08JP4P98X Amazon Prime Video will say so long to 2020 with the new comedy special Yearly Departed, a comedic memorial for a year that somehow still isn’t over yet, from Executive Producer Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), who will also appear. Hosted by multi-talented comedian Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens), Yearly Departed will premiere this winter exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Yearly Departed is a series of eulogies for the year 2020, where a lineup of all-women comedians will deliver everything from casual sex to beige Band-Aids and everything in between that we’ve “lost” in 2020. The Kallayah and Dakara tour continues. The “Today” show Wednesday morning was the latest stop for Kallayah Jones, the Decatur, GA woman whose happy dance after acing a job interview at a sports bar went viral, and Dakara Spence, the woman who interviewed her, saw her lil’ praise break on the security camera and shared it online. The pair appeared virtually from their homes to talk about the moment that has moved so many viewers around the world. https://youtu.be/gmLcQqeMkFQ A rep for Tamar Braxton’s ex boyfriend David Adefeso has responded to reports about his alleged drama with singer Toni Braxton. It was noted that Adefeso seems to be catching heat from Tamar’s superstar sister. “David, You Weasel…you Ferret,” Toni shared in a text image post on her Instagram. “You are beyond contempt. Once again, DO NOT include my children in your SHENANIGANS. Please leave my family ALONE!” Fans were left questioning what exactly triggered her message to Adefeso. The post coincides with claims that David took advantage of Tamar following her alleged suicide attempt in August. Soon after that incident, there were rumors of domestic violence, with David and Tamar both denying being the aggressor. Adefeso’s rep says Braxton’s message stems from legal drama between David and Tamar, and at the heart of it has nothing to do with Toni’s children. “David wishes the Braxton family nothing but the best and has moved on from this ordeal stronger. He’s focused on justice for Nigeria and releasing his app, Sootchy, that will address wealth disparity and help reduce educational debt within minority communities.” Today, BlackMenVoting.com, a political action committee based in Los Angeles, released a celebrity support ad featuring Jenifer Lewis, one of the stars on the ABC sitcom ‘black-ish.’ An outspoken civil rights advocate, Lewis is known for speaking her mind on civil and human rights issues. I want to talk to the brothers right now,” said Lewis. “A lot of you are not in the habit of voting, but this election, we need you. Brothers, we need you. Please vote Biden-Harris.” A month after “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett opened up about his his 2019 hate crime attack, comes the announcement that he will make his directorial debut with “B-Boy Blues,” an adaptation of James Earl Hardy’s best-selling book from 1994. According to Page Six, the movie “chronicles the troubled relationship between two black men — Mitchell Crawford, a 27-year-old journalist, and Raheim Rivers, a 21-year-old bike messenger, or B-boy, who meet at a Greenwich Village bar in 1993,” the outlet writes. Ludacris is joining the Netflix family with his new CG animated series titled “Karma’s World.” The streaming giant has ordered 40 11-minute episodes of the series inspired by the rapper’s oldest daughter, Karma Bridges. Deadline reports the series will follow a 10-year-old Black girl named Karma Grant, who has big dreams of becoming a music star and offers young viewers a lot of valuable lessons along the way. Last night, DL Hughley welcomed sports journalist and podcast host Jemele Hill to his conversation series, “DL Uncut” from Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud. On the heels of the closing of the 2019-20 NBA season, DL and Jemele reflect on the NBA’s 90-day playoff journey, and the growing impact of social activism in sports. The first trailer for Zazie Beetz and Winston Duke’s “Nine Days” has dropped from newcomer Edson Oda. The story centers on a purgatory of sorts, where unborn souls undergo a nine-day-long test to see which one of them will be born into life on Earth. https://youtu.be/A73FnWETvr8 Federal prosecutors want reality TV star Jerry Harris to remain behind bars until his trial on child pornography charges. They claim the 21-year-old “Cheer” star “exhibits all the signs of a serial child predator.” https://youtu.be/oh3vjNdRxsQ YouTube Originals today announced that HBCU alumni 2 Chainz and La La Anthony will host “HBCU Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard,” featuring performances from 2 Chainz, Saweetie, Chloe x Halle, NLE Choppa and Tye Tribbett with FAMU’s Marching 100 and Choir, and appearances from Desi Banks and Pretty Vee with additional names to be announced soon. The global livestream premieres Saturday, October 24 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on YouTube, in addition to BET serving as the exclusive broadcast partner set to air the event at 8pm ET/PT. In what would have been George Floyd’s 47th birthday, his sister Bridgett Floyd is participating in a national advertisement for Biden for President. Separately, the George Floyd Memorial Foundation – created by the family of George Floyd – has also partnered with the National Urban League in an effort to encourage the public to vote in the upcoming Nov. 3 election. “My brother should still be here today,” said Bridgett Floyd. “In honor of his birthday, we’re encouraging change through voting in every way we can. Through this, my brother can receive justice.” Nipsey Hussle’s estate is suing notorious L.A. street gang the Crips over trademark rights to “The Marathon Continues.” The rapper/entrepreneur (born Ermias Joseph Asghedom) was gunned down outside his Marathon Clothing store on March 31, 2019. According to TMZ, Nipsey’s brother Samiel Asghedom has waged a legal battle against Crips LLC. over “The Marathon Continues” slogan, which became synonymous with Nipsey’s brand after his death. The suit accuses the gang of attempting to trademark the phrase shortly after Nipsey was fatally shot. The estate notes that Nipsey’s family already owns “Marathon” trademarks for various services and products. A Facebook video going viral shows a black man wearing a Trump mask and “Black Voices for Trump” hat being kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for allegedly pulling down his mask to eat peanuts. But at least one website questions whether it was all orchestrated to create a viral video for social media’s right wing. In the video, a flight attendant demands that the man deplane as a female passenger recording the incident asks the flight attendant to explain what the man did wrong. The woman recording says the man was following the rules by wearing his mask and only pulled it down to eat. The woman recording also says she believes the man was targeted because of his Trump gear. The man is eventually escorted from the plane. https://youtu.be/p0-El1GDnZ8 NBA star LeBron James gifted his daughter Zhuri with a little house for her birthday. She turns 6 on Oct. 22. “EARLY BDAY GIFT MY PRINCESS!!!!!” James says on a video posted on social media. “LOVE YOU BABY Z.” https://youtu.be/dPbsF2cDaCc Tackling today's most pressing topics, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Master Class welcomes Gayle King, anchor for CBS' This Morning; Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta; Angela Rye, attorney and CEO of IMPACT strategies; Meagan Good, actress; and Bozoma Saint John, chief marketing officer for Netflix; to a robust lineup of national voices. Designed and created by Bishop T.D. Jakes, Master Class—exclusively offered at Woman, Thou Art Loosed!— will help women advance in their spheres of influence across business, entertainment, healthcare, technology, finance and ministry. During this year's virtual event Oct. 15-17, which nearly 10,000 women are expected to attend, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Master Class will discuss current topics including Black Lives Matter, education, mental health and social justice in entertainment—led by Good and Saint John. Just-added session titled "What You Do vs. Who You Are"—featuring panelists King, Lance Bottoms and Rye—will address balancing a work persona with one's overall identity. The first day of Amy Coney Barrett‘s confirmation hearing all but solidified that it was a matter of when and not if she would become the newest justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Therefore it may behoove Democrats to change their messaging from one of absolute defiance to one that brings awareness to related political issues just three weeks to the day before the general election. One way they could do that is drawing attention to Republicans’ tradition of packing the courts that dates back to President Barack Obama‘s nomination of Myra Selby — a Black woman judge — to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in early 2016. But Republicans, led by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, blocked Selby’s confirmation. Instead, Donald Trump ended up winning the election that year and soon afterward nominated Barrett to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which she was ultimately confirmed to and still serves on to this day. Had the Senate granted Selby a hearing, she likely would have been confirmed instead of having that seat “stolen” from her, as NAACP adviser Leslie Proll noted after Trump nominated Barrett. Sen. Kamala Harris‘ expert questioning of Amy Coney Barrett was an intricate mix of a campaign speech that drew on her prosecutorial acumen in order to effectively bring attention to what she described as Republicans’ true motivation behind the judge’s eleventh-hour nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Democratic vice-presidential nominee on Tuesday evening contrasted Republicans “rushing” to confirm Barrett with how they have also been delaying passing a bill that would grant financial relief to taxpayers reeling from the devastating economic and social effects of the global coronavirus pandemic. Harris said that’s because they want Barrett to help decide the election’s results should it be contested and go all the way to the Supreme Court. For nearly five decades, McDonald’s has been the leader in providing quick, delicious and savory breakfast options to their customers. McDonald’s now have a new McCafé Bakery lineup. Beginning Wednesday, October 28, customers can enjoy a new Apple Fritter, Blueberry Muffin or Cinnamon Roll at breakfast time (or break time…or lunch time…or coffee time…or me time, or…anytime, really). Each new menu item will be available all day at participating restaurants nationwide, because you never know when that sweet craving will hit. These craveable options will be offered alongside the beloved McCafé cookies and pies, marking the first addition of bakery items to McDonald’s core menu in over eight years. Pastor San Franklin drops new music "The Free Project." https://youtu.be/v7N0bp-SUR4 On Tuesday, October 13, the REAL welcomed Senator Elizabeth Warren, who had a lot to say about the upcoming election. She shares why she believes it’s so important to have female voices in politics and especially why we need to hold our government leaders accountable for promises made to communities of color. https://youtu.be/SLA-sJuxCqE Amid their successful collaborations with Travis Scott and Latin star J Balvin, McDonald’s is denying cover up allegations while they face two major racial discrimination lawsuits filed against them by current and former Black employees and franchise owners. The Washington Post reported, one lawsuit, filed by two former executives in January 2020, claim the chain “conducted a ruthless purge” of its Black leaders and fostered a “hostile and abusive work environment” for Black executives and franchise owners. A second lawsuit, filed in September and comprised of 52 Black franchise owners, claims they were subjected to “systematic and covert racial discrimination” since the 1980s. Dr. Dre’s estranged wife, Nicole Young, is under investigation for alleged embezzlement. According to TMZ_tv, a letter sent to Nicole from attorneys for Record One recording studio alleges that she drained the primary business account for the studio by writing a check to herself for more than $350,000. The letter claims that she “decimated” the company’s bank account, and the lawyers even attached a photo of the check she allegedly wrote to herself. On Tuesday, Dr. Dre’s business partner, Larry Chatman, filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department claiming that Young withdrew the funds without authorization, TMZ reports. Nicole allegedly claimed she had a right to the money because her name is on the account. However, she could be charged with embezzlement. TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, highlights actor Omari Hardwick on the season finale this Sunday, October 18 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, October 21 at 10 PM/9C. On this episode of UNCENSORED, Omari reflects on his past as a struggling actor, the help he received from veteran actor Denzel Washington, and the audition that changed his life and set him on the path to even larger roles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-36IpmxxuEM&feature=youtu.be Dominic West’s wife Catherine FitzGerald is ‘shocked, heartbroken and devastated’ after pictures emerged of him in a passionate embrace with Lily James taken in Rome on Sunday. The actor, 50, and the Mamma Mia! star, 31, didn’t seem to mind who saw them as they cuddled up to one another and shared a ride on an electric scooter while taking in the sights, tenderly touching throughout the day. A female friend of Catherine who came to console her at the family home near Chippenham, Wiltshire, told MailOnline on Monday that she has seen the pictures and is ‘devastated’ as she thought they were ‘very much together’ with a ‘good marriage’. The only information still “shrouded in mystery” in the Breonna Taylor case are the “actions and statements” of Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s prosecutors during grand jury proceedings, according to the latest court filing in a grand juror’s quest to speak openly. The anonymous grand juror asked Jefferson Circuit Judge Annie O’Connell to deny the state’s request to delay any potential disclosure the judge might grant until Cameron’s office has an opportunity to appeal. O’Connell hasn’t ruled on either motion. Kevin Glogower, the grand juror’s attorney, said in his motion that Cameron “cannot choose to part from the rules in disclosing information and then use his position to prevent others from responding to his misleading remarks.” A team of USA TODAY reporters explored how the policies of the past and present have made Black, Asian, Hispanic and Indigenous Americans prime targets for COVID-19. They found: America’s education and economic systems are still unequal, disproportionately leaving people of color out of higher-wage jobs. When COVID-19 struck, more people of color were serving as essential workers directly in the path of the virus. Decades of discrimination in housing corralled people of color into tightly packed neighborhoods, fueling the virus’ spread. Those neighborhoods tend to lie in “food deserts,” leading to diabetes, obesity and heart disease that make people more likely to die from the virus. Environmental policies designed by white power brokers at the expense of the poor has poisoned the air they breathe, fueling cancers and leaving communities weakened in the path of the virus. A lack of federal funding left the most vulnerable communities cut off from healthcare at the most critical moment. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary leadership has voted to keep the names of school founders who owned slaves on buildings, but also approved the creation of a $5 million scholarship for African-American students. At their recent fall meeting, SBTS trustees unanimously voted to keep names like founding president James P. Boyce and founding faculty members John Broadus, Basil Manly Jr., and William Williams on assorted campus buildings. The trustees also approved a measure that, beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year, will set aside $1 million for an endowment to help qualified African-American students at SBTS via the Garland Offutt Scholars Program. SBTS will also set aside $1 million for the scholarship fund every three years until they have reached a goal of $5 million. In a new interview with CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King, Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker reiterated his previous claims that Louisville Police did not identify themselves during the botched drug raid that left Taylor dead. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/kenneth-walker-breonna-taylors-boyfriend-sits-down-with-gayle-king-in-exclusive-interview/ Lakers’ defeat of Miami Heat is down 57% from Toronto Raptors’ victory over Golden State Warriors last year. ABC’s broadcast of the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the 2020 NBA finals was no match for “Sunday Night Football” on NBC, according to the earliest available Nielsen numbers. The Lakers’ 106-93 defeat of the Heat was down 57% in TV ratings from the big finish of 2019’s NBA finals, when the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors. Of course that Game 6, which aired in June, wasn’t up against the NFL. Eddie Murphy’s hotly anticipated “Coming 2 America” will hit Amazon Prime in December. Variety reports the Paramount Pictures is negotiating a sell of the comedy to Amazon Studios worth an estimated $125 million, with possible tie-ins with McDonald’s and Crown Royal. Murphy previously gushed about reprising his “Coming to America” role more than 30 years after the original. “After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward,” Murphy said in a statement. “We’ve assembled a great team that will be led by Craig Brewer, who just did an amazing job on Dolemite, and I’m looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen.” https://youtu.be/KFroCRDXw5E Darius McCrary and Kellie Williams are best known for playing siblings Eddie and Laura Winslow on the ’90s sitcom “Family Matters.” Now they are reuniting for a new movie in which they play a married couple. The film, Christmas in Carolina, is a holiday rom-com that follows Elle (Atlanta‘s Joslyn Y. Hall), a career-driven investment banker who has given up on love (and Christmas) until she meets Wesley (David L. Rowell), a former NBA player and CEO of a small marketing firm. On a whim, Wesley invites Elle home for Christmas in South Carolina with his parents (Williams and McCrary). With some trepidation, Elle accepts and is given a much bigger gift than she could have imagined. McCrary is currently making headlines over his interest in transgender artist Sidney Starr. McCrary posted a video of Starr dancing to Lloyd’s “Bass Line” and captioning the post, “The #Undeniable@sidneystarrbad what’s understood don’t need to be explained xoxoxo …” Starr’s fired off a “Thanks baby baby” in response, leading many to wonder whether the two were dating. R&B group Allure are upset about not receiving a mention in Mariah Carey’s memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.” In an interview with Vulture, Carey said, “If somebody or something didn’t pertain to the actual meaning of Mariah Carey, as is the title, then they aren’t in the book.” In the memoir, the music icon describes her marriage to Tommy Mottola and how they created the boutique label Crave. Carey recalls one of the acts signed was “The Negro League.” Allure have noted that they were also a part of the early stages of the label, and they’re not happy for not being acknowledged. https://www.instagram.com/officialallure97/?utm_source=ig_embed Netflix’s latest release, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” has Oscar buzz written all over it. The film was written and directed by Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin. Boasting an all-star cast, the story is based on real life events that followed protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. What started as a peaceful anti-Vietnam war rally, turned into a violent altercation between protesters, Chicago police and the National Guard. https://youtu.be/FVb6EdKDBfU Rapper Common has signed on to host a new show for Audible called “Mind Power Mixtape” beginning next month. The podcast is an Audible original show and will feature “intimate, candid and soulful conversations between Common and six revolutionary artists and activists as they discuss success, spirituality, self-care, music, inspiration and overcoming obstacles,” Audible said in a description of the podcast. Common’s lineup of confirmed guests already includes Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali, comedian Tiffany Haddish, “Patriot Act” host Hasan Minhaj, activist Bryan Stevenson, rapper Nas, and Misty Copeland, the first Black female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. Former “Basketball Wives” star Royce Reed took to social media blast to her baby daddy Dwight Howard for neglecting his kids. Recently, Howard took to Instagram to show off his celebratory antics following a Los Angeles Lakers win. A screenshot of a text exchange with his special lady appears in the post, which prompted Royce to go all the way off. Reed and Howard share a son, and Royce claims the NBA star hasn’t seen their child in months. Reed claims their son wants to change his name and was crying because his father was “in his same city but won’t call, text, visit, or send note by pigeon.” That’s when Howard’s special lady (his reported fiancé) stepped into the conversation with a subliminal shot aimed at Royce. Royce hit back by calling the woman a “child” who needs to tell her “dad” (AKA Howard) to take care of her siblings (referring to his children). Fans of K. Michelle are concerned after she shared a series of alarming messages about the drama unfolding in her personal life. The singer took to her Twitter account this past weekend to share her frustration with the ever-increasing harassment she’s receiving. “I have constant hate mail no matter how hard I try to help my community. I have people showing up at my home to get video footage of me,” K. Michelle tweeted before explaining that a woman attempted to extort her. “I got a girl black mailing me4money telling me my husband is cheating on me, he’s mad @ me for talking 2her,my grandma just had a stroke, I got people trying 2stop my career, I have people making fun of my surgery & health, I have a random dude I never slept with lying on me.”After K. Michelle tweeted “I just can’t do it anymore,” her fans were quick to send encouraging messages. Music industry veteran Bu Thiam was sued in Atlanta on Friday for $3 million dollars after allegedly failing to pay royalties to songwriter Maurice “Verse” Simmonds. The lawsuit filed in Fulton County requests a full accounting from Thiam and his company Bu Vision. The company signs songwriters to share in the income on their song placements. But, the lawsuit states that Simmonds, known in the industry as “Verse”, has not been paid for his hit songs. “I’ve written for the likes of Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and Trey Songz, to just name a few and still have not been paid for nearly a decade,” Simmonds said in discussing the suit. The lawsuit requests that the Court order Thiam to place all monies in a trust pending the outcome of the suit. Rapper Asian Doll, also known as Asian Da Brat, is catching heat after voicing her support for President Trump. “I f*ck with the n*gga Trump because the n*gga giving out a lot of money right now,” she said in a video post to fans. “I get my money in different ways, so I be around a lot of people who get they money in different ways too and they is up.” After noting her support for Trump re-election, fans didn’t hesitate to come at her sideways. Despite the backlash over the video, Asian Da Brat stood by her comments, telling followers to “suck my d*ck.”Fans took to social media to bash the rapper for not being informed on political issues. Asian Doll ultimately issued an apology. Former NFL star Herschel Walker has blasted celebrities who claim black people are oppressed in the US. The athlete, 58, shared a video on Twitter in support of President Trump in which he pointed to his own story after growing up as a ‘poor black kid from South Georgia’ who went on to represent his country in the Olympics. Walker, who competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics as part of the US bobsleigh team, finishing seventh, said it was one of his greatest honors. So, all the entertainers all the athletes out there that are telling these people, we African Americans are oppressed, well, we’re not. We can do whatever we want to do.’ ‘Being at the Olympics, I saw so many other countries had envy of the United States of America.’ Oprah Winfrey is trying her all to make sure everyone votes. The billionaire media mogul wasn’t above doing a bit of footwork, as she sat down to cold call Texas voters and urge them to go to the polls or drop off their absentee ballots on or by November 3rd. Oprah’s day at the phone started off on a high note after the super-celebrity reached one starstruck fan who was ready to put democracy into action ASAP. The O Magazine covergirl, 66, was dressed for the moment in the video from her at-home phone banking session, which was done in partnership with Beto O’Rourke’s Powered By People organization. Megan Thee Stallion has spoken out against violence towards black women as she hits back at her critics in a powerful op-ed, months after she was allegedly shot by fellow rapper Tory Lanez. The 25-year-old addressed the shooting in an essay published by the New York Times on Tuesday, as Lanez was ordered to keep 100 yards away from her following a court hearing in Los Angeles. Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete said, ‘Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place,’ she wrote. ‘My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. ‘Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted.’ The New York Philharmonic has cancelled an entire season for the first time in its 178-year history, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the performing arts. Philharmonic President Deborah Borda said Tuesday that cancellations caused by the coronavirus pandemic caused $10 million in ticket losses on its $87 million budget for 2019-20 and another $20 million in losses for 2020-21. It comes as the latest blow to New York’s cultural scene in what would normally be the thick of the fall arts season, leaving many city dwellers dreading a winter with few opportunities for a night on the town. The wife of Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor recently found herself the victim of a racist white woman during a simple trip to a neighborhood store, showing that while Karens may have fallen out of the daily news cycle, they are still very much around. Gisele Barreto Fetterman, a Brazilian-native who is married to Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, managed to document the racist encounter by recording a brief video of what white woman on Sunday in the suburban Pittsburgh town of Braddock. The second lady of Pennsylvania recounted her experience to the New York Times. She said the Karen approached her while she was waiting in line and said aloud, “‘Oh, there is that N-word that Fetterman married.’” The Karen also called Fetterman a “thief” and repeated, “You don’t belong here.” Fetterman, who became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2009, said she finally paid and walked to her car sobbing and crying when the Karen came back around and offered one last racial slur for good measure. That’s when Fetterman said she decided to pull out her cellphone and start recording. Fetterman, 38, posted the video and described her experience in a tweet Sunday night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0i1P53GDTA The NBA‘s theme for its “bubble” restart playoffs season was one of racial justice, but the professional basketball league gave new context to Black Lives Matter when its playoffs ended Sunday night without a single person testing positive for the coronavirus. It showed not only that employing the right strategy can help contain, or keep out, the virus, but also that it was taking the health seriously of its athletes, most of whom are Black. And as Covid-19 continues to disproportionately affect Black and brown people, that’s no small feat, a truth that prompted people across social media and pundits alike to credit NBA Commissioner Adam Silver with making all the right moves while the American government does not. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Joe Collins, the Republican Navy veteran running against U.S. Rep Maxine Waters in California, released an ad Monday that has already racked up millions of views on Twitter alone. He took a page from fellow Black GOP candidate Kim Klacik, who is running to replace late longtime Rep. Elijah Cummings and went viral with an ad showing her walking through blighted neighborhoods in her district and blaming it on Democratic leadership. https://youtu.be/TN1fLH2CP44 With just 21 days left before Election Day, Kanye West has released his first presidential campaign ad. West shared the roughly one minute long video on Monday afternoon in a tweet to his nearly 40 million followers. In the video, he discusses how Americans should focus on strengthening their religion and faith to improve the country. https://youtu.be/-U-6nA2E26o “Evil Eye” a new horror anthology is a story about a superstitious mother convinced that her daughter’s new boyfriend is the reincarnation of a man who tried to kill her 30 years ago. https://youtu.be/iAFvll9rYzA The cast of Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) is filming the show’s 13th season. There is a recently reported story by B. Scott on www.lovebscott.com that RHOA’s Porsha Williams and Tanya Sam were allegedly involved in a sexual encounter with a male stripper during a cast trip to Charleston, South Carolina. The stripper, B.O.L.O. The Entertainer, has adamantly denied his role in what is being reported. Yet, the website posting was a follow up of the episode that aired on The B. Scott Show, a podcast hosted by B. Scott, a television personality, radio show host, and internet/podcast celebrity. https://www.instagram.com/michaelbolwaire/?utm_source=ig_embed The rapper Fabolous and his lady, Emily Bustamante, are now parents for the 3rd time together. Over the weekend, the shoe designer, 39, and the rapper, 42, shared a video of her hospital bracelet with the date “10/10,” to her Instagram Story on Sunday night. Emily also shared a video of her oldest daughter Taina Williams tucking the newborn in. So far, Fobolous, whose real name is John David Jackson, hasn’t spoken publicly on the newest addition. Emily B and Fabolous share two sons, Johan, 12, and Jonas, 5. Emily also has a 22-year-old daughter, Taina, from a previous relationship. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Yelp has announced that it will start issuing warning labels for businesses that have been flagged for racist behavior. This means that any business receiving a verified complaint about racism will have a huge banner at the top of the screen saying that the business acted in a racist manner. Yelp told the publication Eater that this includes “the use of racist language, symbols, or sentiment that clearly discredits the Black Lives Matter movement.” The move comes after Yelp noticed a rising number of reviews alleging racist behavior from businesses. The site recorded a 133% growth in incidents spurred by media reports or social media posts compared to last year. The company says they have already put up over 450 alerts on businesses pages. https://youtu.be/AMBWiB-MJ3w Scarface has revealed that he’s begun the process to receive a kidney transplant. The news comes nearly a week after the Geto Boys rapper took to Twitter to announce that he’s searching for a kidney donor. The Houston native revealed in April that he suffered kidney failure during his battle with coronavirus. Israeli actress Gal Gadot has been slammed on social media after she was cast to play Cleopatra in the upcoming historical epic about the iconic Egyptian queen. The 35-year-old on Sunday confirmed she will play the titular role in a new movie after Paramount Pictures won the rights to the film in a bidding war between Universal, Warner Bros., Apple and Netflix. The casting however, immediately drew outrage from social media users. Cleopatra was black and North African. Critics argued it was inappropriate for Gadot, a white Israeli woman, to play such a role and suggested the part be given to an African or black actress instead. The emotions of a last-second win against the New York Giants could not overcome the disappointment the Dallas Cowboys felt Sunday after losing quarterback Dak Prescott for the season. Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that required surgery Sunday night. The injury occurred on a 9-yard run while being tackled by Giants defensive back Logan Ryan. Prescott left the field, his right leg in an air cast, on a cart and in tears. He was taken to a local hospital for surgery to clean out the wound and repair the fracture, a procedure that went “very well,” a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Cowboys head team orthopedist Dan Cooper brought in noted foot and ankle doctor Gene Curry to do the repair Sunday night, the source said. A source told ESPN’s Todd Archer that Prescott faces a recovery timetable of four to six months. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, rapper Travis Scott offered to pay tuition for one semester for five students that currently attend historically black colleges and universities. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, rapper Travis Scott offered to pay tuition for one semester for five students that currently attend historically black colleges and universities. Jokingly, Scott initially told his followers that he was stockpiling cell phones because he kept breaking his in excitement. He played along with his fans when they suggested he replace their Airpods, clothing, and a PlayStation 5. Jokingly, Scott initially told his followers that he was stockpiling cell phones because he kept breaking his in excitement. He played along with his fans when they suggested he replace their Airpods, clothing and a PlayStation 5. Popular Christian singer Chris Tomlin revealed that his new Christmas song “Miracle of Love” was inspired by his own little Christmas surprise. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Tomlin revealed that his wife, Lauren, is unexpectedly pregnant with their third daughter. The baby is scheduled to be born 11 days before Christmas so he decided to write a song that paralleled the birth of Christ and his own miracle. Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan died Sunday at his home in California due to a non-specified polyneuropathy, his family announced. He was 77. Morgan played 22 seasons in the big leagues from 1963-1984. Although he began his career with the Houston Astros when they were known as the Colt .45s, he’s best-known for his years as a member of the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” teams of the 1970s. https://youtu.be/K2N9TorBCDY The Los Angeles Lakers, behind the spectacular play of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and a supporting cast including Rajon Rondo and others, got the job done on Sunday and won the 2020 NBA Championship against the Miami Heat. The win was the Lakers’ 17th over all and their first since 2010. The win also marks the 4th title for James who’s two titles shy of tying Michael Jordan. Speaking of James, a few days ago, he said that he doesn’t think about his legacy, and that it will “be told the way it’s supposed to be told.” LeBron and Lakers fans are upset with Skip Bayless saying that LeBron James’ 4th ring is fraudulent and to get it, he got every break in the book. https://youtu.be/1a8tsswFgqA See viral sensation Kallayah Jones’ reaction to meeting Ellen DeGeneres on Monday’s episode (Oct. 12). The talk show host welcomed Jones and her new boss Dakara Spence, who saw security camera footage of Kallayah celebrating in the parking lot after acing her interview and posted the joyful moment online. It’s now been viewed over 20 million times. https://youtu.be/oSjNUJeT8zs Pixar is taking audiences behind-the-scenes of the making of “Soul” to show the stressful challenges of completing the film amid the coronavirus pandemic. Kemp Powers, co-director and writer on the film, shared the news during a virtual press conference. https://youtu.be/xOsLIiBStEs On Monday, Oct. 12 on “The Real,” the ladies of The Real discuss whether or not they would break quarantine during the pandemic to “cuff” for the company of a man. If so, how they would do it? https://youtu.be/W0f25DK-_x8 Singer Normani has revealed that her mom, Andrea Hamilton – a breast cancer survivor – is battling the disease once again. On Sunday, Hamilton shared the news on Instagram. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” she wrote alongside a photo of a rosary, adding, “I did it once and I’ll do it again! #CancerWho.” Normani also posted her mom’s message on IG, along with the caption “we got this mommy.” She also described her mom as “my warrior” in the comments and called her “the strongest woman that I know.” As a segment about The Lincoln Project was airing Sunday on “60 Minutes,” their latest anti-Trump ad was being unfurled on YouTube, this time targeting 45’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the election. https://youtu.be/3BmFkB1_vN8 A street in Miami will soon be renamed after Trayvon Martin. Located in front of the Miami high school that Martin attended before he was gunned down by Geroge Zimmerman, the 0.3 mile stretch will be renamed Trayvon Martin Avenue this coming week. According to CNN, Miami-Dade County commissioners approved the resolution to name a portion of NE 16th Avenue after the late 17-year-old. https://youtu.be/ngCHXiK_ZuY Jim Carrey returned for the second episode of the new “SNL” season, this time appearing as the fly that landed on Mike Pence’s hair during the Vice Presidential debate on Wednesday. Maya Rudolph also showed up to play Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris opposite Beck Bennett as Pence, and Kate McKinnon as moderator Susan Page. https://youtu.be/xI_lxFv203I Meghan Markle opened up in a recent interview about the moment she was asked about being a new mom and if she’s OK and how she’s coping. Her candid response at the time received a global reaction. The former actress and her husband Prince Harry made an appearance on the podcast “Teenager Therapy” to mark World Mental Health Day on Saturday. One of the hosts asked the Duchess of Sussex, “How are you?” Markle recalled her emotional interview with ITV journalist Tom Bradby in October 2019, who asked her nearly the same question. https://youtu.be/O-FWTESaeoY The mentally ill Black man in Texas whose arrest sparked national outrage after white officers mounted on horses led him by rope across town to the jailhouse, is now suing the city of Galveston and its police department for $1 million. Donald Neely, 44, was homeless at the time when he was arrested for trespassing at the Park Board of Galveston on Aug. 3, 2019, the Houston Chronicle reported. Galveston police previously released bodycam video from the two horse-mounted white officers who led Neely down the street by a rope with his hands cuffed behind him. https://youtu.be/8fwwQHn5Iv4 Celebrate International Chef's Day with New Soul Kitchen's Celebrity Chef's Virtual Press Conference & Cooking Demonstration on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 2P.M. ET/11 A.M. PT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tpvnszTHPY&feature=youtu.be Dick Clark productions and NBC today announced superstar Brandy has been added to the star-studded lineup of performers for the “2020 Billboard Music Awards,” and will perform from the Xfinity Stage. Hosted by Kelly Clarkson, the “2020 Billboard Music Awards” (BBMAs) will broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Singer, songwriter, producer, and actress Brandy will mark her BBMA performance debut and delight fans with a rendition of her hit “Borderline” as well as “Almost Doesn’t Count” and “No Tomorrow” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Hezekiah Walker’s Hez House Entertainment label, in partnership with RCA Inspiration, one of the premiere labels in Gospel and inspirational music, are releasing the new single “Any Day Now,” from celebrated choir Vincent Bohanan & SOV. The new single will be available on Friday October 16th at digital music providers and be released to Gospel radio. “Any Day Now” marks the first single from the multiple Stellar Award-nominated group, off of their upcoming Live in Chicago album, which will also mark their first full-length release under the Hez House Entertainment label, distributed exclusively by RCA Inspiration. The first artist signed to the new label by two-time GRAMMY® winner Hezekiah Walker, Vincent Bohanan & SOV (the Sound of Victory Fellowship Choir) mark a new level of ongoing music collaboration with Walker, a fellow Brooklynite and longtime family friend. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Mogul Shawn Carter has been a champion for social justice and amid the unrest following the recent acts of police brutality he is ensuring that those on the frontlines fighting for change are supported. According to Revolt, the Roc Nation founder posted bail and covered legal fees for demonstrators in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. On October 8 protests erupted after it was revealed that the police officer who fatally shot 17-year-old Alvin Cole outside of the Mayfair Mall on February 2 would not face charges. Among those who were arrested at the demonstration were his mother Tracy and his sisters Tahudah, Taleavia, and Tristiana. It was reported that police officers used excessive force when arresting Tracy and she was taken to the hospital after her arrest. Nearly two dozen people were arrested during the protests. “Our hearts break for the family of Alvin Cole and the Wauwatosa community,” read a statement from Dania Diaz, who serves as the Executive Director of Team Roc; Roc Nation’s social justice branch. “Not only did the District Attorney’s Office fail to hold Officer Joseph Mensah accountable for killing Alvin, but the local police also arrested and injured Alvin’s mother Tracy and his sisters as they peacefully protested alongside Jacob Blake’s father.” Team Roc also released a call-to-action asking for individuals to contact Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and demand a special prosecutor be appointed to the case. From leading initiatives designed to empower disenfranchised communities to his Netflix show Trigger Warning, rapper and activist Killer Mike has been a fierce advocate for Black economic empowerment and he is furthering his efforts through the creation of a new online financial institution. According to Tech Crunch the Atlanta native, Michael Santiago Render, has teamed up with a group of businessmen to launch a digital bank. The Greenwood platform—whose name is derived inspired by the prosperous Tulsa, Oklahoma-based African American business district that was horrifically destroyed by white supremacists—was designed to support small Black and Latinx-owned businesses. It was developed as an avenue to align legacy businesses with the resources needed to thrive in an everchanging economy and equip new business owners with the financial tools needed to establish a solid foundation for success. Businesswoman Mellody Hobson is known for making power moves in corporate America and her latest accomplishment will be breaking barriers at her alma mater. According to CBS News, Princeton University will rename one of its residential colleges after Hobson. The honor is historic as it marks the first time in the Ivy League institution’s 256-year existence that a residential college has been named after a Black woman. Hobson’s namesake will replace that of former President Woodrow Wilson. The school, which will be dubbed Hobson College, is slated to open in 2026. Hobson, who currently serves as the President and Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, graduated from Princeton in 1991. Looks like Candace Owens reportedly paid for some of their travel to be a part of her simultaneous BLEXIT “Back the Blue” rally for Black folks at Donald Trump’s balcony address at the White House Saturday. ABC News reported that the controversial conservative’s BLEXIT group, a campaign urging Black Americans to exit the Democratic Party, foot the bill for some Black people to attend the event, which was Trump’s first public briefing since testing positive for COVID-19. Attendees were asked to bring a mask and to fill out a form that notified them that BLEXIT would cover their costs, in addition to having to take a COVID-19 test the morning of the event, ABC reported. “We are not interested in participating in your obvious media angle here to slander/attack the president regarding COVID-19,” Owens told ABC News, adding that the event was about “supporting law enforcement in minority communities.” Mona Scott-Young, creator of the hit franchise “Love & Hip Hop,” is expanding her company into the scripted space and creating an international presence. Scott-Young, who runs Monami Entertainment and Monami Productions, tells Deadline she has several projects in development, including a remake of classic South African drama “Shaka Zulu.” She’s also collaborating with BLM Activist Tamika Mallory, Aaron Hernandez’s wife Shayanna Jenkins, and the future of VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop” franchise remains solid. The NBA owners have said the “politically correct” words when it comes to racial equality. Yet, when it comes to putting money where its mouth is, the owners’ message of inclusivity and Black Lives Matter is questionable. The Ringer reported recently that 80% of political donations from NBA owners go to the Republican Party. And just over 18% go to the Democratic Party. According to the Federal Election Commission, almost $15 million from NBA owners go to the Republican Party. Owners who are favoring Donald Trump to be re-elected as president of the United States, have voted for him with their money. The support for Trump from the majority of the owners comes with full knowledge that the president is not a fan of the Black Lives Matter movement. Five owners that have donated money to Republican Party causes have included Jim Buss (Los Angeles Lakers), Dan DeVos (Orlando Magic), James Dolan (New York Knicks), Tilman Fertitta (Houston Rockets), and Juliana Holt (San Antonio Spurs), have all donated money to the Trump 2020 reelection campaign. Sunday night in “The Bubble” in Orlando, game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers captured their 17th title. The Lakers dominated and rolled to a 106-93 win over the Miami Heat, ending on a high note, one of the most turbulent seasons in league history. https://youtu.be/LGhx-KZ_LZc Although, Bill Burr’s monologue on the recent Saturday Night Live accusing white women of hijacking the black social justice (woke) movement has outraged white feminists, an African American minister, actually, applauds his “using his white privilege to tell white America the truth. Minister Paul Scott, founder of the Durham NC based Black Messiah Movement says that Black Lives Matter stopped being black after the George Floyd murder and has been taken over by white liberals pushing an agenda. Scott says that he is part of a Black Nationalist tradition that goes back almost 100 years before Black Lives Matter , a tradition that was advocated by Martin Delaney, Marcus Garvey, Kwame Ture and many others that advocated Black self-determination. https://youtu.be/O1xgXJ5_Q34 As far as Shaquille O’Neal daughters are concerned, he wants them to not date until they’ve accomplished their own goals. In a new interview with Us Weekly, O’Neal, the father of three boys and three girls: Taahirah, 24, Amirah, 18, and Me’arah, 14 says this …“I want them to be fully educated. I want them to be fully independent. I want them to have most of their goals accomplished and once they get 18 and they become little mini-adults, I’m not going to be the dad that says, ‘Do this, do that.’ I’ll just try to, you know, guide them in the right path.” “In a perfect world, I’d like them to have a bachelor’s [and] master’s going into their own field where they can own their own company. They won’t need anybody.” https://youtu.be/cFiD1HXURfw Amid the unrest stemming from the recent harrowing incidents of police brutality, several initiatives have been launched to address systemic racism in America. Among those is an effort being led by actress Kerry Washington and social entrepreneur and author Wes Moore dubbed The Black Voices for Black Justice Fund. The fund is designed to support activists and grassroots organizations on the frontlines fighting against injustice. White privilege is defined as “inherent advantages possessed by a White person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.” Kelsey Kennedy, founder of the small, woman-owned CBD brand, Blossom and Stone, acknowledges being a White woman who has enjoyed a privileged life. Protests across the country over the senseless police murders of Black men and women in what has been called a racial reckoning in America has not gone unnoticed by Kennedy. Born and raised in South Orange County, California she said her family never talked about race when she was growing up. These later few months have been an eye-opening experience for me. While I always knew of my white privilege on a surface level, I don’t think I fully understood the depths of it until this year. While I can’t erase it, I can try and use it to help showcase and promote voices, perspectives, and opinions that are different from my own. Witnessing so many of my former favorite brands have their true colors exposed as a consequence of the Black Lives Matter movement, I knew that I wanted Blossom & Stone to be better from the start,” Kennedy states. Atlanta-based activist Sir Maejor Page has been arrested for allegedly spending more than $200,000 in donations earmarked for the Black Lives Matter movement. According to multiple news stories, Page, 32, used some of the money to purchase an $112,000 home and vacant lot in Toledo, Ohio, where he was recently arrested. https://youtu.be/5MGvh_3NF04 The now very popular fly costume sold out on the website HalloweenCostumes.com and they told TMZ that their supplier ran out of the costume days after the Vice Presidential debate. The accompanying accessories are also sold out on the site as well but the costume company is hoping to restock on Friday. Another costume company, 3 Wishes, took the opportunity to create short white-haired wigs with flies if anyone wants to be the perfect Mike Pence for Halloween. The description for the “Debate Fly Wig” reads, “MAKE YOUR HEAD GREAT AGAIN! Look fly and steal the spotlight at your next party with this Debate Fly Wig, perfect for when being a fly on the wall just won’t do!” Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, who came to power primarily as the result of the Oromo youth protest movement known as Qeerroo, has talked about cultural attitudes behind different communities’ relative success twice in the last two years by comparing the development of Jewish Americans and the underdevelopment of African Americans.Abiy argued that Jews have become prosperous and powerful Americans by forgetting their past oppression, while Blacks have caused their own suffering and underdevelopment by focusing on their past victimization. The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner asserted that American Jews collectively decided to avoid dwelling on their past mistreatment and to look forward to their future achievement. On the contrary, he said, by focusing on their racial oppression and exploitation and by ignoring their future, African Americans have remained at the bottom of U.S. society. https://youtu.be/V7cSwfB9c7Qhttps://youtu.be/V7cSwfB9c7Q Donald Trump‘s campaign left a ticket at the vice presidential debate last week for late rapper Tupac Shakur just weeks after Sen. Kamala Harris named him as the “best rapper alive.” Obviously what the Trump campaign did is a problem. We’re talking disrespect to Tupac Shakur and his family. At least that’s how Mopreme Shakur, the late rapper’s stepbrother sees it. Speaking for the family, he says the Trump campaign using 2pac as a prop to mock Kamala Harris was NOT cool and though he wants an apology, he’s realistic and is not holding his breath. Yesterday, Saturday (10-10-20), Donald Trump held his first public event since being diagnosed with COVID-19, as he seeks to show the public that he is fit to resume his presidential campaigning. Trump was not wearing a mask as he addressed a crowd from a White House balcony, where he spoke about “law and order” issues in the country. The president, first told his supporters that he is no longer taking medicines against Covid-19, telling them he was “feeling great.” During his brief speech, he rambled on about how his administration has done more for Black and Latino people in this country than any other president in history. Although he has claimed this before, he wanted to make it clear again that “I’ve done more for the Black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln. He added, “nobody can dispute it.” LeToya Luckett, won two Grammy Awards with the group during her six-year stint with the R&B unit that consisted of Beyonce Knowles, LaTavia Roberson, and Kelly Rowland. In 1999, following the release of “Destiny’s Child’s” second album, “The Writing’s on the Wall,” which contained the major hit “Say My Name,” original members Luckett and Roberson were both booted from the group. The reasons, although never completely clear, centered on financial issues, along with the two singers desire to secure outside management to represent them instead of Mathew Knowles, who managed the group at the time. On a recent Instagram Live chat with her fans, Luckett was asked by a woman to give advice on continuing to do something after one had experienced severe setbacks. Luckett told the woman and other fans that when she departed “Destiny’s Child” at the age of 18, it was a scary time for her. Luckett explained how difficult it was finding her way in Los Angeles at such a young age. She said God called her to continue singing, even though singing had left a bad taste in her mouth after what happened with “Destiny’s Child.” “I’m telling you, during my journey, I was staying in people’s houses,” Lockett said, adding that she struggled to afford food. “I’ve never told these stories before but I even slept in a car in L.A. while I was making my first album. Not a lot of nights, but a few.” Percy “Master P” Miller is set to receive the I Am Hip Hop award at the ceremony on Oct. 27. Percy “Master P” Miller built No Limit Records into an empire, selling over 100 million records since the label’s launch in 1991. “This year because of the pandemic everything’s different. I’ve taken this time to work on my package food products,” Master P told Variety. “My Uncle P’s rice pancake and the Hoody Hoos cereals. I’ve been developing quality products with my team. I am honored to receive this award from BET, I’m grateful.” A Houston woman and her boyfriend have been charged for the murder of two-year-old Maliyah Rosalie Bass who was discovered in a sewage drain. Sahara Ervin, 20, and Travion Thompson, 21, were arrested Tuesday and charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence. The couple appeared angry and distraught in public upon discovering the child’s death. They initially claimed that the child went missing while playing in the courtyard. During the search, Thompson even scolded the police saying, “Y’all are supposed to have four, five dogs looking for my baby. During a Thursday appearance on ”Watch What Happens Live,” music icon Mariah Carey talked about a few things like her memoir, ”The Meaning of Mariah Carey.” While doing that, Carey opened up about her family’s encounters with racism, revealing that her 9-year-old son, Moroccan, was recently bullied by a white supremacist. Carey, 50, explained to host Andy Cohen that she reads certain chapters to Moroccan and his twin sister Monroe to illustrate her encounters with racism and to give them a “greater understanding and, ultimately, a greater reservoir with which to deal with the situation itself.” LeBron James is probably not enjoying his Saturday after being denied a game 4 victory in the NBA Finals as his LA Lakers face the Miami Heat for the NBA championship. On top of that, he’s also got Trump going in on him … again during an appearance on “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” as he went off about the “Marxist” Black Lives Matter movement and the NBA for allowing social justice messages on team jerseys. “I’ve done so much for the Black community and people don’t want to see that,” he claimed, then insisted James should stay out of politics. “He’s a great basketball player, but people don’t wanna see a guy that way. They don’t want to see that. We have enough difficulty during the week, you don’t wanna sit down watching a basketball game and then watch somebody that hates your guts, okay, so he’s a hater.” Also, Trump told Limbaugh that “Black Lives Matter” as an expression, is racist because it sows division between Black people, white people and other races. Following his 8th-round knockout of Jeison Rosario, Jermell Charlo became trainer Derrick James’ second unified world champion. If Derrick James wasn’t already the best trainer in boxing today, he has firmly placed himself in the top ranks this year. Based in Dallas, James trains two unified world champions: welterweight Errol Spence Jr. (26-0 with 21 knockouts) and junior middleweight Jermell Charlo (34-1 with 18 knockouts). A former fighter himself, James’s knowledge of the sport is on full display every time one of his pupils steps in the ring. And on Saturday night Charlo joined his stablemate Spence as a unified world champion. James is the only active trainer to have two reigning unified champions, making a strong case for him to nab the coveted Trainer of the Year award a second time. When TV host Jeannie Mai made the statement that when she marries rapper Jeezy, she’s going to submit to him, it naturally freaked a lot of folks out. “The actual definition of submit is to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person. I’m gonna say right here, that I Jeannie Mai, going into my marriage, I want to submit to my man.” https://youtu.be/hXJGKbVfok4 White House coronavirus response task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx is warning that the Northeast is experiencing ‘troubling signs’ of a ‘very different’ style of coronavirus spread as temperatures drop in the region. Birx said Thursday that fall’s cooler weather in the region has led to coronavirus spreading faster within small gatherings of families and social groups, than in schools and workplaces where people are following precautions. ‘What we’re seeing in the community is much more spread occurring in households and in social occasions, small gatherings where people have come inside, taken off their mask to eat or drink or socialize with one another,’ Birx said Thursday at a roundtable discussion at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, Connecticut. A judge has ruled that Fuller Theological Seminary can expel students who have engaged in extramarital activity or have entered a same-sex marriage, and still receive federal funding. Two former students expelled for being in same-sex marriages filed suit against the California-based evangelical school, claiming that the standards violated Title IX Civil Rights law. United States District Judge Consuelo Marshall granted Fuller’s motion to dismiss the suit on Wednesday, ruling that the seminary met the standards for a religious exemption to Title IX. “Here, although the text of the Religious Organization Exemption may be read to require the ‘religious organization’ and ‘educational institution’ to be two separate entities, the ordinary meaning of the term ‘organization’ is sufficiently broad to include [Fuller’s] board of directors,” wrote Marshall. White men make up the majority of Trump‘s top federal prosecutors, data from a report conducted by The Associated Press shows. The research comes during a deep racial reckoning in America, where Black communities are bludgeoned over the increasing unrest and state sanctioned violence enacted by judges, police and prosecutors and vigilantes emboldened by the lack of action in the criminal justice system. The AP analyzed government data from over three decades of data which found a decline in diversity than Trump’s last three predecessors. Eighty-five percent of his Senate-confirmed U.S attorneys are white men compared with 58 percent in Democratic President Barack Obama’s eight years, 73 percent during Republican George W. Bush’s two terms and at most 63 percent under Democrat Bill Clinton. Of the 93 U.S. attorney’s office’s counted, 79 are led by white men, even though they make up less than a third of the population. Nine are women, while two are Black and two are Hispanic. With both National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Family Caregiver Month approaching, Brandon Burke is releasing his first book, Rediscovering Dad & Discovering Myself: A Journey Through the Impact of Alzheimer’s. The six-year Alzheimer’s advocate and caregiver shares his father-son relationship, family history and journey leading up to the diagnosis that has changed his life. From the looks of things former NBA player Delonte West is headed towards healing and recovery after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted a photo of West riding horses at a rehab facility. “Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you, Delonte West. A long, long, long way to go, but he has taken the first steps and shared these with all of us as a thank you for the love and support,” Cuban tweeted Friday afternoon. West, 37, checked into a facility last week with the help and urging of Cuban who seemingly made good on his repeated promises to cover the cost of West’s treatment. West’s story made a turn after a photos of him begging for money on the streets of Dallas circulated on social media in September. The incident was just one of many that surfaced showing West emaciated and incoherent on the streets of his hometown Washington, D.C. and Dallas. Earlier this year a video leaked showing West being beaten in the middle of the street in his Washington, D.C., prompting his supporters to urge the NBA to interven. Popular CCM artists Jaci Velasquez and Evan Craft are the latest Christian celebrities urging Christians to vote this November, asking members of the Hispanic Christian community, in particular, to cast their vote “in a way that most honors God.” The two singers have joined My Faith Votes — a nonpartisan, faith-based organization that provides resources to help Christians “Pray, Think, and Act” — as spokespeople to encourage Hispanic Christians to vote in the upcoming elections. Saturday (10-10-20) is the big day for “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey and Fox sportscaster, Mike Hill, who will be getting married. The 53-year-old model recently dished on her luxury wedding, revealing that it will have a total of 250 guests! Now despite the pandemic, Bailey is making sure that her show will still go on. She recently told Page Six that their chosen venue, the Governors Towne Club in Acworth, Ga., will provide socially-distanced seating that is both indoors and outdoors. On Friday, Oct. 9, the hosts of The Real speak about how people of color need to come together to fight racism, especially discrimination borne from the Covid-19 crisis. Co-host Loni Love makes the point that the Civil Rights Act is not just for Black people, and the social justice protests are fighting for many of us. https://youtu.be/76vmhAQnnWY The CBCF has partnered with long-time sponsors to bring CBCF Sunday, the grand finale of the Annual Legislative (ALC) conference, to BET on Sunday, October 11. The day will close out the inaugural Virtual Annual Legislative Conference starting at 10 am ET with the “Day of Healing” broadcast, and end with the “Phoenix Awards” broadcasting at 8 pm ET on BET & BET Her. Similar to former Prayer Breakfasts, the televised A Day of Healing will host celebrities, political leaders, top gospel artists, and ministers. Music and a strong message resonate across denominations and religions. The program, hosted by Kirk Franklin, will include a message from TD Jakes and will feature Donnie Simpson as the Voice of God. The Day of Healing, premiering at 10 am ET, will feature a Motown Gospel Revue that includes performances by The Clark Sisters, Tye Tribbett, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and Evvie McKinney. Legacy Five and The Wardlaw Brothers unite for a ground-breaking collaboration called "9 Makes Us 1". Their nine voices fuse under the nine Fruit of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Goodness, Faithfulness, Patience, Kindness, Self-Control, and Gentleness to convey one message - unity. This effort is a strategic and God-appointed mission to desegregate Christian music genre classifications by putting race aside to demonstrate black and white men bonding in a multicultural cohesive environment all to the glory of GOD. The result is a beautiful and influential song of the same name "9 Makes Us 1". Gospel music icon Marvin Sapp will release his 13th solo album on October 9th. Recorded live at his new Fort Worth, Texas based church, the album – titled Chosen Vessel – is his first live album since 2011 and the first recorded in his new home city. Fans can get an intimate look at the making of Chosen Vessel, as well as experience Sapp performing some of the songs live, during a virtual release party being held October 9 at 7 p.m. CST. The virtual event can be experienced live on Marvin Sapp’s YouTube, Facebook and Periscope platforms: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7M9afaCP6r8QtCpHHaxVxQ On October 27th, six-time GRAMMY® nominee and platinum-selling artist Tauren Wells will lead an all-star cast of pop-culture influencers in a candid, no-holds-barred conversation about the intersection of faith and culture. He will be joined in the studio by friends Tim Tebow, Tori Kelly, Rich Wilkerson, Jr., Annie F. Downs, Travis Greene, John Crist, and Social Club Misfits as they engage in a dynamic and broad-ranging discussion where tough questions are asked and meaningful conversations are had about mental health, the struggle to find unity in diversity, and how to find hope in tough times. Tasha Cobbs Leonard dropped her brand new album, Royalty: Live At The Ryman, but she didn’t stop there! Her new version of “In Spite Of Me” is available now, featuring Ciara! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE15aoHyIl8&feature=youtu.be&utm_campaign=66962_MOTG%2010.9_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,1FO2,4SQSQ,6JE5,1 The CBS program “48 Hours” is offering network television’s first in-depth interviews with lawyers on both sides of the case against the three white men charged in the February killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man. The prosecutor and defense attorneys speak with CBS News correspondent Omar Villafranca about the viral video of the shooting, what they say it shows, and what it doesn’t. https://www.cbsnews.com/live/ Rapper Tory Lanez (real name is Daystar Peterson) has responded to the two felony charges he’s facing for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion after the two had an argument in an SUV earlier over the summer. Lanez is accused of shooting at Megan’s feet several times and wounding her on July 12 in Hollywood Hills. On Friday, the Canadian-born artist took to Twitter to speak out about the charges, noting that the truth will come to light. “the truth will come to the light,” he wrote. “I have all faith in God to show that … love to all my fans and people that have stayed true to me & know my heart … a charge is not a conviction . If you have supported me or meg thru this , I genuinely appreciate u.” Bill Cosby has scored a legal victory in his sex assault case, as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced it will hear oral arguments in his appeal to overturn his 2018 sex assault conviction. Back in June, the Supreme Court accepted Cosby’s appeal, and his spokesperson noted at the time that the disgraced TV star was “extremely thankful.” The appeal could pave the way for the conviction to be possibly overturned in the future. Cosby, 82, is currently serving a three-to-10 year sentence in a state prison for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand. Back in April 2018, he was found guilty on three counts of sexual assault. https://youtu.be/OetP6T3re9g The largest coalition of members from historic African American women’s organizations, including – The Links, Jack & Jill and the four major Black sororities – have written a letter to Sen. Kamala Harris just to make sure she knows, “We Got Your Back!” https://youtu.be/I1FrnnideP4 Barbie is addressing racial bias and discrimination on her YouTube page. The Mattel doll is shown chopping it up with her Black friend, Nikki. ”There is a huge movement going on. Millions of people across the world are standing up to fight against racism, and they’re doing this because too often and for such a long time, people have been treated unfairly, and in some cases even hurt by others, because of the color of their skin,” she says. Nikki listens patiently, then proceeds to enlighten Barbie about her own experiences with discrimination as a young Black woman, offering a story about a sticker-selling incident as an example. https://youtu.be/RCzwoMDgF_I NeNe Leakes has moved on to her next business venture following her departure from “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” The reality star shared a photo Thursday of her new restaurant called The Linnethia Lounge. “Opening soon…Keep yo eye on me,” she captioned a photo of the restaurant exterior. “Dress code: Fly,” she added. The lounge is located in the suburb of Duluth, and offers “Valet, live music, small bites, Sunday party brunch, Hookah, grown & sexy nite, tv’s, 21 and up,” the bio reads on Instagram. Despite the irregularities associated with the year 2020, black-owned cosmetic brand, Center IN, withstood the limitations by the sheer quality of its products and services. The company’s growing popularity for its all-natural skincare products has increased sales ten-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team at Center IN consists of black women wielding that “black girl power” to push the brand’s inventory consisting of skincare and haircare products entirely designed by them. Center IN Skincare & Candles was founded by Licensed Esthetician, Nesha Blair, and entrepreneur, TK Trinidad. Christmas has come early for fans of “Doctor Who” as BBC America announced during the New York Comic Con that the special “Revolution of the Daleks” will premiere this holiday season. The Doctor herself, Jodie Whittaker, appeared at the virtual panel for the series, along with co-stars Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham). The trio gave fans more insight into Doctor’s fate following the Season 12 finale. https://youtu.be/5rDq3uX0zAo Shaquille O’Neal has four NBA titles, released rap albums and even starred in a couple of Hollywood pics, but the one thing he hadn’t done until recently was VOTE in a presidential election. Actually, it was his first time voting in his entire life. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession,” O’Neal said on Wednesday’s episode of “The Big Podcast.” “You know I always like being honest on my podcast. I’ve never voted before, America. But, now I’m doing all these voting campaigns, and you know one thing I never like to do is be a hypocrite.” O’Neal recently teamed up with the Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum to launch the “#MyStartingFive” voting challenge, which is encouraging people to nominate five friends on social media and remind them to vote. Lizzo shared an Instagram video of herself peeling a nipple pastie off, telling fans it’s a teaser of her OnlyFans account. “Help. My nipple pastie won’t come off. I’m scared. It’s been on for two days and I don’t know what to do. It hurts so bad,” Lizzo says in the clip before attempting to peel it off. “I’ve put oil on it … oh my God, it hurts so bad. You guys, what do I do?” she continues, wincing in pain. “I think I’m taking off the skin.” https://www.instagram.com/lizzobeeating/?utm_source=ig_embed With less than a month remaining until the general election, HBO Max has revealed the trailer for A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, which will premiere on the platform on October 15. The timely special marks the first time in 17 years that the original cast of the Emmy and Peabody Award–winning hit Warner Bros. Television drama series will come together with creator Aaron Sorkin and executive producer/director Thomas Schlamme for a special theatrical stage presentation of the “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode from the show’s third season. https://youtu.be/g868M-27qpI Style icon June Ambrose has partnered with Puma as the brand’s new creative director. ‘The collaboration was made possible by way of her long-standing relationship with JAY-Z, who serves as the creative director for PUMA Hoops. “The connection between style and sport is timeless and it’s something I’ve always wanted to put my spin on,” Ambrose said in a statement. “Beyond the collections, it’s important to me that the collaboration is rooted in social impact, and Puma’s work in the social justice space to empower youth through sport makes them the perfect partner.” The official trailer for the CBS All Access adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Stand” has dropped based on the 1978 book about a global pandemic. The new trailer features Whoopi Goldberg as the 108-year-old Mother Abagail, Alexander Skarsgård as the Dark Man; and James Marsden as Stu Redman. The series will premiere Dec. 17, with episodes streaming weekly for CBS All Access, subscribers. https://youtu.be/N2tviyrdsxs Gospel music icon Marvin Sapp launches his upcoming new album Chosen Vessel with an album pre-order available now via digital music providers. Set for release on Friday October 9th, the album features the lead single “Thank You For It All” and the brand new song “Undefeated” – both available immediately with pre-order. Jekalyn Carr drops new music "Jehovah Jireh." It's our song of the week in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yjey4J2b5Rs Featured in the new DreamWorks blockbuster movie “Trolls World Tour” (starring Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick & Mary J. Blige), features on rap superstar Childish Gambino's critically acclaimed CD "3.15.20", and a new song collaboration "Time" with pop star Ariana Grande, 2020 has been quite the year for gospel star Brent Jones! At a ceremony last weekend, Brent was also awarded a #1 plaque for his contributions to the Trolls World Tour movie soundtrack as well as membership into the Screen Actors Guild! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LMJzMie-wg Tory Lanez is accused of shooting at Megan Thee Stallion’s feet, hitting her, after she left a SUV during a fight in the Hollywood Hills on July 12. He has been charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. A Louisiana priest was arrested last month for allegedly recording himself having sex with two dominatrices on the altar of his church. According to Nola.com, authorities identified the priest as Rev Travis Clark, and the women as adult film actress Mindy Dixon, 41, and 23-year-old Melissa Cheng. The Catholic priest was reportedly caught in the act on September 30 by a passerby who noticed the lights in the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church were on after hours.That’s when the witness looked inside the church and saw Clark allegedly having sex with the women. The witness said the women were dressed in corsets were wearing high-heeled boots, according to Nola.com. According to the news site, stage lighting, sex toys, and a cellphone on a tripod were also said to be on the stage. Both women reportedly told officers who arrived to the scene that they were filming ‘roleplay’ with Clark. All three were then arrested on obscenity charges because they were in view of the public. The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Thursday, with the total rising by 338,779 in 24 hours led by a surge of infections in Europe. Europe reported 96,996 new cases, the highest total for the region ever recorded by the WHO. Global deaths rose by 5,514 to a total of 1.05 million. Lamar Jackson didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice for the Baltimore Ravens, but ESPN insider Adam Schefter said the MVP’s knee injury wasn’t considered serious. There might be some legitimate concern though after seeing the latest update on Jackson. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic is reporting that Jackson didn’t practice for a second-straight day. This is the first time that Jackson has missed back-to-back practices. Last week, Jackson completed 14-of-21 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also added 53 yards and another score on the ground. It was a solid performance for the Louisville product, who struggled in Week 3 against the Chiefs. YouTube today announced a global slate of new and returning projects, dedicated to amplifying Black voices, says Malik Ducard, the channel/site’s VP, Content Partnerships. The announced titles continue YouTube’s long-standing commitment to celebrate a broad and diverse set of perspectives on its platform. This includes new projects that have come directly out of the recently announced $100M #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, including a documentary series from Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and a HBCU Homecoming livestream special. “YouTube is committed to spotlighting community-driven storytelling and the important issues that people of color and other marginalized communities face everyday,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content for YouTube Originals. “Now more than ever, it’s essential that we develop, support, and elevate content that is created by and for the Black community.” The Walt Disney Company announced today that “Soul,” the all-new original feature from Pixar Animation Studios, will debut exclusively on Disney+ on December 25, 2020. https://youtu.be/xOsLIiBStEs On Thursday, Oct. 8, the hosts of The Real address the fact that because of today’s technology, the Black community is finally getting justice. Co-host Garcelle Beauvais feels that because of the Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent quarantine, people were forced to pay attention to George Floyd’s death when it was captured by media. Co-host Loni Love thinks that before social injustice was so widely publicized, it was being denied and now it can’t be. And The Real welcomes superstar Mary J. Blige! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she shares how she has partnered with the P.O.W.E.R. of Sure to address health disparities among Black women and why this initiative is deeply personal to her. https://youtu.be/8Xm_fNai4K0 Eboni K. Williams the famed attorney and TV host has joined the “Real Housewives of New York City,” making her the first Black ‘“housewife” on the network’s hit series! Williams, 37, who is currently the host and executive producer of Revolt Black News, released a statement about joining RHONY. She said: “NYC is filled with successful and dynamic Black women. I’m excited to join this legendary franchise as the first Black housewife,” she said in a statement. “Can’t wait to share a slice of life in this city that hasn’t been seen before.“ The 46th season of “Saturday Night Live” kicked off last weekend with Chris Rock and Megan Thee Stallion. It also marks comedian Chris Redd’s fourth season with the show. Redd is an actor, writer, stand-up comic and rapper. Redd has become an audience favorite, known for his spot on impressions of Soldier Boy, Offset and actor Sterling K. Brown. He received an Emmy in 2018 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the “SNL” song “Come Back, Barack.” https://youtu.be/Y1eAv5dvImM Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the next episode in its “Academy Dialogues: It Starts with Us” conversation series titled “Reaching Gender Equity in Hollywood.” Anita Hill, chair of the Hollywood Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality and professor at Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, moderates this conversation with Oscar®-winning actor Geena Davis (“A League of Their Own”), award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el (“Honey Boy”), Academy governor and composer Laura Karpman (“Lovecraft Country”), and EVP Creative for Sony Pictures Animation and Oscar-winning producer Karen Rupert Toliver (“Hair Love”) about their personal journeys to becoming agents of change. https://youtu.be/eLwhy6pOejo A new report from the UCLA-based Center for Scholars and Storytellers found that Hollywood studios could lose money from movies that lack diversity. In the study titled “Beyond Checking A Box: A Lack of Authentically Inclusive Representation Has Costs at the Box Office,” researchers noted that a lack of authentic diversity in films could result in huge financial losses for studios. “Storytelling that lacks AIR in race, gender and sexuality can have immediate and significant costs,” said Gerald Higginbotham, a UCLA psychology doctoral student, and co-author of the report. CLEO TV's NEW SOUL KITCHEN is bringing a soulful vibe to this week's episode with Vegan Chef and Wellness Influencer Ahki along with Restauranteur, Entrepreneur and Host Chef Jernard Wells this Saturday, October 10 at 9 P.M. ET/8C and 9:30 P.M. ET/8:30C. The chefs invite us to join them for some full course fun in the kitchen - no meat required. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OuX2v9SjIA&feature=youtu.be Todd Galberth, known for his exuberant and contagious musical style, is recognized in the Gospel arena as a passionate praise and worship leader who is changing how this nation worships God. As a seasoned songwriter and vocalist, Galberth has graciously combined his multiple talents to help usher people into God’s presence. Todd Galberth drops his latest single, “Better Than Good,” a song that is sure to be on the lips of worshippers around the world. Federal and state authorities in Michigan unveiled charges against 13 people accused of separate plots to kidnap Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer over coronavirus restrictions she imposed in the state, detailing the harrowing allegations in court papers on Thursday. Six suspects face federal charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and were arrested Wednesday. A criminal complaint filed in federal court Tuesday and unsealed Thursday identifies the suspects as Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta. The six are accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home and place her on trial for treason before the November election. Seven more people linked to a militia group known as the Wolverine Watchmen are in custody on state charges, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. The seven are accused of attempting to find the home addresses of law enforcement officers to target them, making threats of violence intended to "instigate a civil war" and engaging in planning and training to attack the Michigan capitol building and kidnap government officials, including Whitmer. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-speaks-out-kidnap-plot/ The Kentucky Attorney General on Wednesday filed a motion asking a local court to dismiss a request by an anonymous grand juror to speak publicly about the panel’s deliberations in the Breonna Taylor case. Daniel Cameron issued a statement expressing ‘concerns with a grand juror seeking to make anonymous and unlimited disclosures about the grand jury proceedings’ which he called secretive by firm legal precedent in order to protect the safety of all involved. He said it would ‘set a dangerous legal precedent’. Cameron said: ‘As I’ve stated prior, I have no concerns with a grand juror sharing their thoughts or opinions about me and my office’s involvement in the matter involving the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor. Billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith set out to befriend Donald Trump’s inner circle while reportedly under investigation for tax evasion. Smith, who has been named by Forbes as the richest black man in the country, went viral last year when he pledged to pay off $34 million of student loans for 400 students at an Atlanta university, prompting praise from Jamie Foxx and Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Bernice. But in August it was revealed that the 57-year-old IT mogul is under investigation in a years-long case over alleged evasion of as much as $200 million in taxes. According to Bloomberg, investigators are examining whether Smith failed to pay taxes on vast sums in offshore accounts in Bermuda, Nevis, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Belize. An NFL investigation into the league’s first COVID-19 outbreak reportedly found ‘several specific incidents’ of Titans players breaking protocol after a group of Tennessee players allegedly practiced at a local school on September 30 – a day after team activities were suspended at the onset of the virus flare-up in Nashville. An NFL spokesman told DailyMail.com on Wednesday evening that the investigation started ‘last week,’ but he declined to comment further. A Titans spokesperson did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment. Also, the headmaster of a private school in Nashville confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that several Titans, including quarterback Ryan Tannehill, practiced on its field September 30. On Thursday afternoon, ESPN reported that the Titans had been warned on September 29, at the onset of their outbreak, that in-person team activities were strictly forbidden until the club was COVID-free. A new portrait of Queen Victoria’s black goddaughter, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, is now on view at Osborne, the seaside home created by the Queen and Prince Albert. Per a statement, the painting—created by artist Hannah Uzor—is based on a photograph currently housed at the National Portrait Gallery in London. It’s one of a series of works commissioned by English Heritage to spotlight historical black figures whose stories have previously been overlooked. “What I find interesting about Sarah is that she challenges our assumptions about the status of black women in Victorian Britain,” says Uzor, whose family and children share Bonetta’s Nigerian heritage, in the statement. “ … To see Sarah return to Osborne, her godmother’s home, is very satisfying and I hope my portrait will mean more people discover her story.” TLC singer T-Boz is speaking out about how the group was done dirty after Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes passed. In a new interview with Hollywood Unlocked, the singer recalled the single moment that put the group back on the map. She also calls out the industry players she claims wanted nothing to do with TLC after the death of Left Eye. https://youtu.be/p33jNdmEeVw Today U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Joe Madison to break down the brand new civil rights report about how the Trump Administration has undermined 50 years of progress in fair housing in the United States. They also covered Sen. Brown’s legislation to protect workers and small businesses and the breaking news that the next Presidential debate would be virtual and that Donald Trump would not attend. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/f460bc8c-0697-43d0-be49-aef7120c88ec COVID-stricken President Trump managed to have an hour-long call-in interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network Thursday morning that made news on several fronts. In addition to announcing that he won’t “waste my time” participating in a virtual second presidential debate, which the debate commission announced Thursday would take place in lieu of the planned town hall due to the president’s coronavirus diagnosis, Trump also referred to Sen. Kamala Harris as a “monster.” https://youtu.be/bALZxUPzFWI Wednesday’s vice presidential debate had its share of interruptions and according to receipts calculated by CBS News, most were done by Vice President Mike Pence. The outlet found that Pence interrupted Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, twice as many times during Wednesday’s debate. Pence, according to CBS News, cut off Harris ten times, while Harris interrupted him five times. The news organization also found that Harris spoke for 35 minutes and 20 seconds compared to Pence’s 38 minutes and two seconds. https://youtu.be/GSImF11iaRc In graphic new bodycam video released by Louisville PD Thursday, Breonna Taylor’s body is shown motionless in her hallway for several minutes (her body is blurred) as a SWAT team cleared her apartment. She is then checked for a pulse before an officer repeats, “She’s done.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZ-VfsME9A A Texas man is accused of disguising himself a Black man before murdering his baby mama. Andrew Charles Beard, 33, has been charged with the killing of 24-year-old Alyssa Burkett, the mother of his infant daughter. On Monday morning, Beard surrendered to Carrollton police and charged with murder for allegedly shooting and stabbing Burkett as she arrived to work on Friday morning. During their investigation, authorities learned the pair were involved in a custody battle over their 1-year-old daughter. Burkett’s boyfriend told police that Beard had been tracking the victim because “he seemed to always know where she was.” Authorities discovered a tracking device attached to her car and one was found on the boyfriend’s vehicle, according to the report. When officers executed a search warrant on Beard’s property, they reportedly found the same tracking devices and two bottles of dark brown foundation makeup. Burkett’s sister, Madison Grimes, addressed the killing on Twitter. “The man that murdered my sister posed as a BLACK man. How disgusting is that. This story deserves to be heard! I cannot even process this,” she wrote. Niecy Nash appears alongside her new wife in Jessica Betts in the music video for Betts’ latest single, “Catch Me.” The video shows Nash wearing a wedding dress on the beach and also features a recording of the couple reciting their wedding vows from their recent nuptials. https://youtu.be/SQl2TnRk_Ms Geto Boys rapper Scarface revealed in April that he suffered kidney failure during his battle with coronavirus. Now the 49-year-old is searching for a kidney donor. “I need a kidney y’all any volunteers? B+ blood type,” he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “I fought COVID double bilateral pneumonia—both lungs—and kidney failure in my house,” he said. “I went back to the hospital. I just got out of the hospital [on April 20] … I gotta change my entire diet, I gotta do dialysis four days a week, three hours a day. That’s taking all my blood out, cleaning it and putting it back in my body.” Pop megastar Mariah Carey is known for her numerous number one hits and elaborate ensembles, but in her new book, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the singer revealed that her faith is what defines her. Throughout the pages of her new memoir, the Grammy Award-winning songstress shared of her harrowing childhood and lack of parental and familial love. Carey first detailed having an experience with God after a frightening blowup in her family, while being consoled by her great aunt “Nana Reese.” The experience with God, following the traumatic event, awakened her faith. “It was as if she looked directly into the essence of me. In that instance, we were not a frightened little girl and a consoling elder, but two souls ageless and equal,” Carey described of her moment with her Nana Reese after a brawl broke out between Carey’s dad and brother. “She told me,“She told me, ‘Don’t be scared of all the trouble you see, all your dreams and visions are going to happen for you. Always remember that.’ As she spoke, a warm and loving current spread out from her hand to my leg, gently coursing through my body in waves and rising up and out of the top of my head,” the singer explained in her book, which rose to the top of Amazon’s best-selling books. Director Colin Trevorrow has just tweeted that Jurassic World: Dominion will halt production for two weeks after some positive COVID-19 tests turned up. Even though they’re negative now, the pic halted. They’ve got time. The film was just moved from June 11, 2021 to June 10, 2022. Per a Universal spokesman: “Late last night, we were informed that the Jurassic World: Dominion production experienced a small amount of positive tests for COVID-19. Even though subsequent tests proved negative this morning, due to our rigid protocols and to ensure that the safety and well-being of our entire cast and crew is paramount at all times, those who initially tested positive are currently self-isolating, as are those who they have come into contact with. As a result filming has been temporarily paused and will resume in accordance with established safety guidelines.” Christian singer Jason Biddle, who premiered his first official single, “Come On In,” said only God could help him out of his physical and mental addiction to drugs and alcohol. Biddle’s life journey is one of battling addiction and, after nearly dying of an overdose, finding redemption and healing. He testifies about his life-changing journey through his music. The former star baseball player, who tried out for the Cincinnati Reds, began a career as a contractor after an injury. He became addicted to alcohol and drugs and knew he couldn’t overcome it without God’s help — even if that meant suffering consequences. https://youtu.be/29WbfpqnLyY New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has tested positive for COVID-19, he confirmed on social media Wednesday. In a tweet, Gilmore said he is asymptomatic, urged people to take the coronavirus seriously and thanked those who have reached out. The Patriots have canceled Wednesday and Thursday practices. They are scheduled to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Gilmore is the second Patriots player to test positive, along with quarterback Cam Newton. Practice squad defensive tackle Bill Murray also was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday. Two more Titans player have tested positive for COVID-19, a person with knowledge of the results confirmed to the Tennessean on Wednesday. The person could not be identified because no official announcement has been made. It’s devastating news for the Titans after they had returned only negative test results on Monday and Tuesday, which had coach Mike Vrabel hopeful his team could return to practice soon and play their game against the Buffalo Bills as scheduled Sunday. Serena Williams has told how she loves representing ‘beautiful dark women’ as she discussed her thoughts on body confidence and the Black Lives Matter movement. The tennis champion, 39, appears on the front cover of British Vogue’s November issue and told the publication how she feels she has been ‘underpaid’ and ‘undervalued’ in the past in comparison to her male and white female counterparts. She said: ‘I’ve never been a person that has been like, “I want to be a different color” or “I want my skin tone to be lighter.” ‘I like who I am, I like how I look, and I love representing the beautiful dark women out there. For me, it’s perfect. I wouldn’t want it any other way.’ Howard University alumna Dackeyia Q. Sterling has launched Entertainment Career Center: The Database, an online subscription database that helps entertainment industry professionals, emerging talent and college students find new career opportunities and sharpen existing skills in Fashion, Film/TV, Gaming, Music and Sports. Sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program, Entertainment Career Center offers up-to-date listings, inspiration, career information and much more. Users can access and browse 15 different categories ranging from career sites and internships to entertainment fellowships, grants, scholarships, staffing agencies, streaming services, training programs and more with one simple tool. Wednesday, Oct. 7 on The Real, co-host Jeannie Mai makes an extremely personal statement that she intends to take a submissive role in her marriage to fiancé Jeezy. She explains her reasons her to her surprised co-hosts. Co-host Garcelle Beauvais recalls the time she posed for Playboy Magazine, and says that though it was “an honor,” since very few Black women appear on the cover, she wouldn’t do it again. https://youtu.be/yw9xBBTJMLE Beloved singer and actress Kelly Rowland is pregnant with her second child! The star revealed the exciting news as she graced the November cover of Women’s Health. While speaking with the outlet, the 39-year-old shared that she and husband Tim Weatherspoon “had been talking about it loosely, and then COVID happened, and we were just like, ‘Let’s see what happens,’“ Kelly said before admitting that she got pregnant right away. As exciting as this is, Kelly, who shares son Titan, 5, with husband Tim, admits she hesitated to share the news publicly because of all that’s been going on in the world. Blac Chyna previously announced that fans could FaceTime with her for $950 a session, and $250 for her to follow them back on Instagram. Now comes word that she’s allegedly pulling in $20 million a month on her OnlyFans account. Chyna charges her fans $50/month to access her explicit content, and according to experts at SlotsUp, she’s the most popular media personality on the platform, AllHipHop.com reports. In a statement to PEOPLE, Chyna’s lawyer previously said, “Yes, Blac Chyna is connecting more directly and creatively with her fans via FaceTime and Instagram follow backs during the Covid-19 pandemic! Like the true entrepreneur she is, Chyna is adapting to current realities and trying to bring more fun and joy to quarantine life.” A member of the group Pretty Ricky has been arrested for using coronavirus relief money to fund a luxury lifestyle, such as splurging on a $96,000 Ferrari. Baby Blue (Diamond Blue Smith) and his co-conspirator Tonye C. Johnson have been charged in a $24 million COVID-19 relief fraud scam. The duo are facing charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Smith, who was featured on “Love & Hip Hop: Miami,” allegedly falsified documents for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, for which he received $427,000. He’s also accused of fraudulently obtaining another loan worth almost $1 million. Derek Chauvin, the now ex-Minneapolis cop who was charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, has posted bond and has been released from prison. As has been widely reported, Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death after video shot by a teenager showed him with his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 40 seconds. Three other former MPD officers are also charged with aiding and abetting in the death, which ignited protests and cries for racial justice locally, nationally and globally. In June, Chauvin’s bail was set at $1.25 million or $1 million with conditions. Court records show he posted non-cash bond of $1 million on Wednesday, Oct. 7. https://youtu.be/OuHGaDYtBd4?list=PLqTeHCJEcJ40vgT5WY8gwNXS37sVmsz6q The couple who went viral for waving their guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home have been indicted by a grand jury in St. Louis. Mark and Patricia McCloskey were each charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon in July. According to The Associated Press, the grand jury added the charge of tampering with evidence on Tuesday. https://youtu.be/1R8qHTj_fR4 Netflix has been indicted on criminal charges over “Cuties,” the French coming-of-age film that conservatives have criticized for promoting the sexualization of children. According to the Texas Tribune, a grand jury in Tyler, Texas, indicted the streaming giant over the content that allegedly “depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the visual material was created, which appeals to the prurient interest in sex. https://youtu.be/M0O7lLe4SmA The War With Grandpa (opening in theaters, 10-09-20),” starring Robert De Niro as Grandpa was produced by the Peart Family, which consists of Marvin Peart, CEO of Brookdale Studios/Chief Business Officer and Founding Partner of 101 Studios and Rosa Peart, Co- Founder, Marro Media Company. https://youtu.be/ZfFYX0gNLeU Donald Trump has not been good for Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria in 2017, but the Governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, has decided to endorse Donald Trump for president. While urging the roughly 5.5 million Puerto Ricans living domestically to go and vote on Election Day, she told voters they should evaluate which candidate will help the island in its hardest moment. “Use your vote and evaluate who represents and thinks about Puerto Ricans in their most difficult time,” Vázquez said during her interview on local station Telemundo before adding, “It is Donald Trump.” During her appearance, Vázquez was also asked about Trump’s infamous visit to the island where he was seen throwing paper towels to Puerto Ricans devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. According to a translation by Ortiz Blanes, the governor replied that people needed to move on because “no one is perfect.” Shark Tank” investor and FUBU founder Daymond John has announced Black Entrepreneurs Day, a free and virtual event that will celebrate Black entrepreneurs. John aims to “inspire” and provide guidance to Black business owners via the livestream, scheduled for Oct. 24. John will be leading the conversations that will include advice and insight from top business leaders and celebrities, including Shaquille O’Neal, Gabrielle Union, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, BET’s co-founder Robert Johnson, Chase Bank’s Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion Brian Lamb. “I hope they see Bob Johnson, who created BET, who inspired LL Cool J to become who he is. I hope they also hear and see how Shaquille or Gabrielle have failed and how I have failed and overcame those obstacles,” John tells PEOPLE. “We’re human beings, and you can be also greater than us if you take away some of these key things and just start applying yourself.” LisaRaye McCoy is speaking out about her awkward exchange with her sister Da Brat during an episode of “Cocktails With Queens,” where the rapper made a surprise visit for LisaRaye’s birthday. Things went left after Da Brat decided to stop by for what turned out to an unwanted surprise appearance. Claudia Jordan and the other hosts, Vivica A. Fox and Syleena Johnson, were all about trying to keep things happy. However, happiness wasn’t what McCoy was experiencing, because unbeknownst to most, the sisters are not in a good place with each other. https://youtu.be/Wk5oGu-sb1g Bridezillas” returns to WE tv this week. Roxanne’s bridesmaid walks out over her boujee attitude, and warns that she’s going to lose more friends before the wedding. https://youtu.be/GnacpHLyKgQ Tara L. Paige of Dallas created a virtual haven for Black women to find inspiration for their patios, balconies, and outdoor spaces during the pandemic… but the community of 200,000 has become so much more. Paige is the brainchild behind a new popular Facebook group, Black Women Who Love Outdoor Living Spaces. She’s encouraging women to “make their outside a beautiful living space together.” After creating the group in April, its membership has already reached as far as Thailand, South Africa, and beyond. https://youtu.be/K_lGeyU1Bgw The third season of WE tv’s smash hit docuseries “Love After Lockup” returns with six new episodes on Friday, October 9. The highly-addicting series follows lovebirds hoping to make their way down the aisle with the jailbirds who may or may not be conning them. https://youtu.be/PJlcNpUjc_U Ocean Spray, known for their ads featuring farms knee deep in cranberries, quickly jumped on the free publicity generated by a 37-year-old TikTok user who broke the Internet with video of himself long boarding down an Idaho Falls street while sipping the brand’s Cran-Raspberry drink and lip-synching Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” Nathan Adopaca, aka 420doggface208, captured the hearts of more than 50 million viewers who have now seen his “Morning Vibe” video. https://youtu.be/OtzVKUCZE5w Morgan Freeman serves up a surprising narration on 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’s “Savage Mode II” album. In a new interview with GQ, the actor explained that he was looking for a project that was the opposite of the “nice guy” that he usually portrays, and working with the two rappers was the perfect fit. “What happens is you sort of get locked into a position,” Freeman explained. “Henry Fonda was in it, Spencer Tracy was in it, James Stewart was in it, even though he played a couple of bad guys. You don’t really don’t want to be cast into a mold, but after a few years, it’s bound to happen. Every [offer] that’s outside of what you consider [your] mold is fun to do. I got to jump at it.” Althea Bernstein claimed 4 white racists set her on fire in Madison, Wisc. over the summer, but an extensive investigation was unable to prove the attack occurred. So the case has been close. Bernstein claimed she was attacked by four white men in June while she was stopped at a red light in downtown Madison. She told investigators that said someone yelled a racial epithet at her, threw lighter fluid on her through her open car window and ignited it with a lighter. She was treated for the injuries sustained at the hospital. https://youtu.be/or2mOyfth4c Protesters streamed through the streets of Wolfe City, Texas chanting the name of Jonathan Price — the black man who was killed by a police officer over the weekend. The march went past the gas station where Price, 31, was gunned down Saturday while intervening in a fight between a man and a woman, witnesses said. Wolfe City Officer Shaun Lucas responded to a call for a domestic fight just after 8 p.m., using a Taser on Price and then firing his weapon. Price — described as a “pillar of the community” — died at the hospital. Lucas, who is white, has since been charged with murder. Singer Johnny Nash, known for the 1972 mega-hit “I Can See Clearly Now,” died Tuesday. He was 80. His son confirmed his death to CBS Los Angeles, noting he passed away at home in Houston. Nash died the same day as guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who had been battling cancer. Born John Lester Nash, he sang at Houston area churches and made his professional debut in 1957 with “A Teenager Sings the Blues.” His debut on the charts came in 1958 with a cover of Doris Day’s “A Very Special Love.” He was among the first artists to bring Jamaican reggae to US audiences and he also helped launch the career of Bob Marley. In fact, according to Nash’s website, he was one of the first non-Jamaican singers to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica. https://youtu.be/NkwJ-g0iJ6w It’s not a Gospel single but I would sing it in church,” giggled R&B/Pop singer/songwriter Tanya Nolan about her hit single “No Pressure,” from her self-titled debut album, which was re-released as “No Pressure.” “God be speaking to my heart. This song is about to open up doors.” The “No Pressure” track was originally released in 2019. It was featured in the 2020 Grammy Review section of potential Grammy nominated projects. The single also became eligible for a 2020 NAACP Image Award nomination, but unfortunately didn’t make the top 10. “It was written effortlessly, flowing like water. So good…the feeling I got,” she said. https://youtu.be/sV6SlEf1Y2Q Stephen “tWitch” Boss joined Access Daily’s Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover to chat about his roles as announcer on “Ellen’s Game of Games” and new co-executive producer of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” https://youtu.be/uxTRZdxxERY On Tuesday, October 6, the ladies of The Real discuss Megan Thee Stallion’s performance of “Savage” on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, in which she protested the Breonna Taylor ruling and injustice against Black women. Co-host Garcelle Beauvais commends the rapper for using her platform in such a powerful way, and co-host Adrienne Houghton also applauds her for getting her message out. Co-hot Loni Love reveals she has seen some postings from Black women who were upset with Megan’s suggestive moves, but she advises them to let other Black women be who they are. And co-host Jeannie Mai reminds everyone that the use of the popular “Savage” was an effective method in getting Megan’s communication out to the world. https://youtu.be/QvfFTj4aEDA Earlier this year, Kanye West revealed he had the coronavirus. His wife Kim Kardashian is now opening up about what it was like taking care of him during his tough battle. In an interview with Grazia magazine, the reality star revealed that she had a difficult time caring for Kanye as he fought the virus while also trying to take care of their four kids alone as he tried to recover. “Kanye had it way at the beginning, when nobody really knew what was going on,” Kim shared. “It was so scary and unknown.” The beauty mogul explained that she only had herself and the couple’s four children, daughters North, 7, and Chicago, 2, and sons Saint, 4, and Psalm 1 and “no one else in the house to help” at the time. “I had to go and change his sheets and help him get out of bed when he wasn’t feeling good,” Kim recalled. “It was a challenge because it was so unknown. Changing his sheets with gloves and a face shield was really a scary time,” she said, later adding that “Maybe our planet needed a break.” A second grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case is looking to speak out amid accusations that Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron used the jurors as a shield to protect the police. https://youtu.be/J54jyx37dSc Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has responded to criticism from rapper Megan Thee Stallion who slammed him during her “Saturday Night Live” performance. If you missed the SNL season premiere, she played audio from activists Malcolm X and Tamika Mallory during her performance to protest Cameron’s handling of the case of Breonna Taylor. Cameron said her performance showed “something that I’ve had to experience because I’m a black Republican, because I stand up for truth and justice as opposed to giving in to a mob mentality, and those are the sorts of things that will be hurled at me in this job.” “Let me just say that I agree that we need to love and protect our black women,” he added during his “Fox & Friends” interview on Tuesday. “There’s no question about that. But the fact that someone would get on national television and make disparaging comments about me because I’m simply trying to do my job is disgusting.” https://youtu.be/J9wq14EnezU Michelle Obama comes for President Trump in a new video titled “Closing Argument.” The former first lady spends 24 minutes accusing him of “willful mismanagement” of the coronavirus crisis and of racism. She calls on Black and all young voters not to ‘waste’ their ballots. https://youtu.be/5l_Xz2MIh4s Ahead of her vice presidential debate with Mike Pence this week, Kamala Harris, on the cover of ELLE magazine, is speaking her mind. In the November 2020 issue, which hits newsstands Nov. 3, Harris explained that growing up she understood “you had to dedicate yourself to fighting for justice on some level or another.” “That the measure of you is so much bigger than you; it’s the impact you have, it’s what you do in service to others,” she continued. “And that’s how I was raised. I was raised that it is not about charity and benevolence, it’s about your duty. No one’s going to congratulate you for it — it’s what you’re supposed to do.” She said she will not ignore those who are the least visible in the country. TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, highlights legendary actress and singerJenifer Lewis this Sunday, October 11 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBs9QxbL7_c&feature=youtu.be During the 2020 Election cycle, The Impact Network will present IMPACT THE VOTE: Voice of the People, an informative and provocative virtual roundtable hosted by award-winning journalist, Ed Gordon. The discussion will highlight essential conversations that bring awareness, attention, and action to remedy the cycle of cultural and societal issues facing the African-American community. The Gospel Spotlight's Ed Gordon!!! Hear Ed Gordon In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ed_gordon.htm Apple TV+ has ordered “The Supermodels” docuseries event that will explore the iconic careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. “My sisters Christy, Linda, Cindy and I are extremely thrilled to share our story with the world and there could be no better partners than Brian Grazer, Ron Howard which is a dream come true to bring it to life, as we knew they would respect and honor our story. We hope our journey seen in the docuseries will encourage, motivate and inspire young people around the world. We look forward to this great adventure ahead with director Barbara Kopple,” said Campbell in a statement. Rihanna has responded to the heat she’s catching for using an Islamic Hadith during the runway show for her fashion brand Fenty. The 32-year-old Bajan singer debuted the Savage X Fenty fall 2020 line on Amazon Prime on October 2, and she was immediately hit with criticism for using in the show a collection of written accounts of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, called Hadith. The show featured a Hadith sped up and mixed for a dance track that played as models worked the runway. The topic of the Hadith is reportedly about judgment day and the end of days. https://youtu.be/p_Na3mMjPr8 Actress Armelia McQueen, best known for her roles in Broadway’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and in 1990’s “Ghost,” has died at the age of 68. Her friend Dorian Hannaway confirmed McQueen’s passing on Sunday, Oct. 3, writing in a Facebook post, “You are truly an angel now. My dear friend Armelia crossed over yesterday. She leaves us cherishing her memory as she was one of the greatest friends you could ever have. The only thing bigger than her beautiful soul was her extraordinary talent.” McQueen was part of the original cast for “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” which eventually led to her Broadway debut when the cabaret musical opened there in 1978. Her performance in the musical earned a Theatre World award the same year. https://youtu.be/l-n6rr-HgH8 Eddie Van Halen, the all-American guitar hero who, with his namesake hard-rock band Van Halen, redefined the sound and possibilities of the electric guitar in the 1970s and ’80s, died on Tuesday at age 65. The cause was throat cancer. https://youtu.be/SwYN7mTi6HM Trey Songz has confirmed that he tested positive for the coronavirus, telling fans that he’s “down but not out.” The 35-year-old singer shared the news on social media on Monday. “Here with a very important message to let you know I tested positive for COVID-19,” Songz said in a video message posted to Instagram. “I’ve taken many tests as I’ve been out protesting, food drives, of course I have a very young son at home, so I get tested periodically and this time it unfortunately came back positive.” “I will be taking it seriously,” he continued, noting that 1/1000 Black people have died from the virus. “I will be self-quarantining, I will be in my house until I see a negative sign.” In just two months the highly-anticipated Netflix series about the life of #Selena will officially drop on the streaming service on December 4th. #SelenaTheSeries, is a biographical drama about beloved Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, starring #TheWalkingDead star Christian Serratos in the lead role. The Netflix series will depict her childhood and rapid rise to fame, in addition to the difficult choices she and her family made to further her music career. Part one will consist of six one-hour episodes. Selena’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla, previously spoke about the series, saying “With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family, and the impact she has had on all of our lives. We are excited to partner with Campanario and Netflix to give fans a never-before-seen glimpse at our story and highlight why Selena will remain a legend for generations to come.” ?? & ??: (@netflix @selenanetflix) The Amazon Studio Original “Black Box” depicts the aftermath of a young African American Male, Nolan Cole, who loses his wife and memory in a car accident. Cole who is played by Actor Mamadou Athie, undergoes experimental treatment to help regain his memory but instead it causes him to question who he really is. The Black Box allows patients to re-experience lost memories. However, the experiences Nolan face throughout the film are much darker than he predicted. One of the main themes portrayed in the film is mental health. https://youtu.be/1uE2XMaOziA A disturbing audio recording has surfaced of a white Louisiana State trooper describing how he viciously beat and choked a Black man in 2019. The victim, Ronald Greene, died from the injuries he sustained during the violent confrontation with police. The incident occurred after a chase with law enforcement which ended when Greene ran his vehicle into a tree, NBC News reports. Greene allegedly became unresponsive and died during transport to a local medical facility. His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in May against seven police officers connected to his death. Now, a year after the tragedy, The Associated Press obtained audio from the body-camera mic of Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, and he’s heard telling another individual what went down during that fateful night with Greene. Ben Crump tweeted, “I beat the ever-living f*** out of him,” Louisiana Trooper Chris Hollingsworth BRAGGED after killing #RonaldGreene, a Black man. Cops tried to cover up his death saying it was due to a crash, but audio from Hollingsworth’s bodycam PROVES this was death by COP!! DISGUSTING. https://youtu.be/HGfDGFN9fiQ Melania Trump called her husband’s alleged sidepiece, Stormy Daniels, “the porn hooker” in yet another leaked tape by her one-time friend and adviser, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. The audio, recorded in 2018, finds Melania venting about the fact Stormy was getting A-list treatment with a Vogue cover story. The September 2018 issue was right around the time that Stormy’s hush-money scandal was dominating the news cycle. Melania says … “Go Google and read it, Annie Leibovitz shot the porn hooker, and she will be in one of the issues.” Wolkoff responded with confusion about the term “porn hooker,” forcing Melania to say Stormy’s name. Can you imagine how Fox News would’ve reacted had Michelle Obama complained about the traditional first lady Christmas duties during her time in the White House? https://youtu.be/VKPEDWnYONk Multiple award-winning recording artists Patti Austin, Chaka Khan, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Brenda Russell, Sheila E., Terri Lyne Carrington, India.Arie, Ledisi, Siedah Garrett, Lisa Fischer, and Lalah Hathaway have formed TWIST (Tuff Women In Strange Times), a dynamic coalition of superstar female talent to rally voters to the polls for Election Day 2020. Together with special guest, noted activist, academic, and author Angela Davis, they will all appear during a series of special voter encouragement videos under the banner TWIST2020. Actress Jackee Harry is hosting a virtual table read of her iconic series “227,” as part of the next “Zoom Where It Happens” special. Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, Loretta Devine, LaTanya Richardson-Jackson, and Blair Underwood are set to take part in the event, set for Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6P/9P ET.https://www.instagram.com/jackeeharry/?utm_source=ig_embed Today, The Living Legends Foundation announces the launch of it’s new podcast and streaming video series, Music Day: A Verified Hit. The new service is scheduled to formally kick off on October 13, catch the legendary R&B singer Eddie Levert, lead singer of the O’Jays TODAY, Tuesday, October 6 at 2 pm PT/5 pm ET on Facebook on the Living Legends Foundation page. Toneisha Harris, the runner-up in this year’s The Voice vocal competition on NBC, has dropped an inspiring new track, “Forgive Me” (Connected Sound Music Group), on all major digital service platforms. The dramatic tune is recorded in the retro-R&B style popularized by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Tones, and Andra Day. Atlanta’s Jerrell Moore, who was introduced to Harris by a mutual friend, wrote and produced it. “He came to me with the song,” she recalls. “When I heard it, I said, ` Wow.’ I not only liked the sound, but the words spoke to me. It caused me to repent myself.” Although, she wants to eventually record an R&B album, Harris picked a gospel song for her first outing because of all of the hurdles she had to leap over to get to this point in her life and career. “I just wanted to thank God with a song,” she says. “I wanted to honor him first.” Algeron Wright declares overcoming victory in his new single, Created 2 Win. The song is resonating with fans and Gospel music lovers around the country. Created 2 Win is Wright’s latest single since the release of his last project Live with Family and Friends . Wright penned Created 2 Win with collaboration from Christopher Lawrence Grey hoping to have a song that spoke to people as they faced every day challenges in these unprecedented times. Zendaya has booked her first role after her history-making Emmy win. She’s set to play Ronettes frontwoman Ronnie Spector in a new biopic, Deadline reports, and Spector personally chose Zendaya to play her. The untitled movie will reportedly explore the singer’s childhood in Spanish Harlem, her experience forming the Grammy-winning group with her sister and cousin, and her tumultuous marriage to record producer Phil Spector, who signed the group and helped craft their 1963 hit “Be My Baby.” While the Ronettes released successful songs, including “(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up” and “Walking in the Rain,” under Phil’s watch, Spector endured his abuse outside the recording studio. She detailed his manipulation in her 1990 memoir, Be My Baby. That book, written by Spector and Vince Waldron, will serve as the source material for the movie’s script, which Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury is in talks to write. Featured in the new DreamWorks blockbuster movie “Trolls World Tour” (starring Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick & Mary J. Blige), features on rap superstar Childish Gambino's critically acclaimed CD "3.15.20", and a new song collaboration "Time" with pop star Ariana Grande, 2020 has been quite the year for gospel star Brent Jones! At a ceremony this weekend, Brent was also awarded a Billboard #1 plaque for his contributions to the Trolls World Tour movie soundtrack as well as membership into the Screen Actors Guild! GRAMMY®-winning artist/songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart with her newest album, Royalty: Live at The Ryman. The acclaimed new project, accompanied by striking live performance videos, is already being called the singer’s most vulnerable and mature recording to date. Last night, executives from Motown Gospel also surprised Tasha with news that her debut album, Grace, had been certified Gold by the RIAA®, having sold over 500,000 album equivalents. Released in 2013, Grace is a fan favorite, yielding hits such as “For Your Glory,” and the career-launching “Break Every Chain,” which earned a GRAMMY® and was certified Platinum (with over 1 million song equivalents) last year. Famed legend Gospel artist Bebe Winans has done it again with another mid-tempo smash. The message of this song is so positive and strong. "In Jesus Name" The Texas cop who shot and killed a Black man who was only trying to de-escalate and intervene in a domestic violence situation was arrested Monday, days after the latest instance of police shooting Black people first and asking questions later. Wolfe City Police Officer Shaun David Lucas was charged with the murder of Jonathan Price, who has been described as a “hometown hero,” according to CBS 11 News in Dallas-Fort Worth. As of early Tuesday morning, Lucas had not been fired. Instead, he was placed on administrative leave. A judge set his bail at $1 million. Donald Trump, still sick and highly contagious after being diagnosed with the coronavirus just last week, marked his return to the White House on Monday by promptly taking off his mask. The president has gleefully sneered in the face of health professionals and levied skepticism regarding the spread of the virus before and now after contracting it himself. Not to be outdone, while recovering this weekend, the former business mogul vacated his hospital bed for a grandstanding photo opportunity, and now faces scrutiny for putting himself and his staff in danger. A local activist in Louisville, Kentucky, claims a second grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case wants to go on record regarding the proceedings. The revelation, made by organizer Christopher 2X, comes less than one week after the transcripts were made public due to an unnamed juror who filed a motion for the transcripts to be released. According to CNN, 2X is the head of an organization called Game Changers, seeking to eradicate gun violence through education. “It was obvious that not only the original grand juror who filed is feeling something,” 2X said at a press conference Sunday afternoon according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. “Now we’ve got a number, and who knows … how many more want to feel freely to say, ‘Here’s my version of what happened with the Breonna Taylor evidence that we were presented with.'” The additional juror will wait to come forward until after a hearing for the first juror concludes on Wednesday. Carlos Kelly, pastor of the Beulahland Bible Church in Macon and Byron, GA, along with multiple award-winning producer and songwriter David Frazier have come together to present the Beulahland Bible Church Music Ministry (BBC Worship). "I Still Believe" is a high-energy contemporary track that is a timely song of encouragement for listeners today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqm3QqsIsFk&feature=youtu.be California megachurch pastor Greg Laurie, who attended the Sept. 26 White House nomination ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, has announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Other prominent evangelical pastors who attended the event in which several other attendees have since tested positive for coronavirus say they have tested negative. Laurie, the 67-year-old author and senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, told the Christian Broadcasting Network Monday that he has the coronavirus. At first, he said, the symptoms started with fatigue, aches, pains and fever. He added that his sense of taste has been affected. The Texans have fired head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien and named associate head coach Romeo Crennel the team’s interim head coach. The McNair family, who own the team, fired O’Brien after the Texans fell to 0-4 on Sunday, losing to the previously winless Vikings. “On behalf of my family and our entire organization, I want to sincerely thank Bill O’Brien and his family for their impact on our franchise,” Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. “Bill’s leadership moved our organization forward as he guided us to four AFC South division championships, 52 wins and multiple playoff appearances during his tenure.” Sadie Robertson is going to be a mom! The Duck Dynasty alumna and her husband, Christian Huff, are expecting their first child together. On Sunday, the couple announced on their respective Instagram accounts that they are going to be the proud parents of a little bundle of joy. “SCREAMING WITH EXCITEMENT TO SHARE THIS NEWS! Baby we already adore you,” Sadie, 23, captioned a photo of herself and Huff cuddled up on the couch and showcasing their sonogram. A 31-year-old Black man in Texas was shot and killed by a Wolfe City police officer Saturday night while trying to intervene in a domestic violence dispute, officials with the Texas Rangers confirmed. Friends and family of Jonathan Price said he was trying to break up the volatile situation before he was killed at the Kwik Check gas station. The Texas Rangers have released few details on the shooting or the officer involved, other than to say the officer was placed on administrative leave. Relatives and friends said Price was a city employee and beloved in the Wolfe City community, about an hour northeast of Dallas. His mother, Marcella Louis, told local news outlet WFAA that she was in bed when she got the call about the shooting. She rushed to the gas station to get near her son. Witnesses said a man and a woman were in an argument, and Price tried to step in. The man assaulted Price, and when officers arrived, they used a taser on Price before the shooting. https://youtu.be/6547GKfrYBM Kevin Hart became a father of four last month when wife Eniko gave birth to her second child with the comedian. The Harts officially introduced their newborn daughter to fans on Monday with a photo shared to Instagram. “When your heart literally lives outside of your body all over again,” Eniko wrote alongside the sweet image of baby Kaori Mai wrapped in a onsie. “Ori my girl you are everything I could’ve ever imagined plus more.” In the post, Eniko described her newborn as “My light,” followed by a purple heart. https://www.instagram.com/enikohart/?utm_source=ig_embed SZA hit up Twitter on Sunday to make clear that she was legal when she dated Drake. Drake, 33, surprised fans recently when he claimed they dated in 2008, but the 29-year-old songstress clarified that they actually dated the following year. Her tweet was in reference to Drake’s lyric in the new 21 Savage song “Mr Right Now,” on which Drake raps: “Yeah, said she wanna f*ck to some SZA, wait, Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08.” After the song’s release, some people pointed out that SZA was 17-years-old when Drake claimed they hooked up. But SZA insists she was not underage and explained … “lol I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 with wait . Anybody who really knows me and was around during this time can confirm.” She added, “I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening. Completely innocent . Lifetimes ago . Facebook Watch has greenlighted Peace of Mind with Taraji (WT), a new talk show centered on mental wellness with Taraji P. Henson and co-hosted by her long time best friend Tracie Jade Jenkins, who is the Executive Director of Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation. The show will begin production later this year. The series is the latest among a diverse slate of talk shows featured on the platform including Red Table Talk, Red Table Talk: The Estefans and STEVE on Watch. Facebook also announced a number of new mental health and emotional features and products in advance of World Mental Health Day (10/10) across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. https://youtu.be/Fn3S3dTxUDM Chadwick Boseman’s brother has opened about the last conversation he had with the “Black Panther” star the day before he died from colon cancer. “Man, I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game,” the late actor said to his brother, Pastor Derrick Boseman, who tells The New York Times that he understood exactly what Chadwick meant. “When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done,'” he added. “And the next day he passed away.” Boseman was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2016, and never disclosed his health battle publicly. Many of his fans, friends and colleagues were shocked when he died on Aug. 28 at age 33. Dolly Parton is still looking good and feeling good at 74. Yep, the country icon turned 74 in January and she has no intention of slowing down. And Dolly said she’d love to pose for Playboy again for her next birthday. “I don’t plan to retire. I just turned 74 and I plan to be on the cover of Playboy magazine again,” she told 60 Minutes Australia recently. “See I did Playboy magazine years ago and I thought it’d be such a hoot if they’ll go for it — I don’t know if they will — if I could be on the cover again when I’m 75.” In October of 1978 Parton first appeared on the magazine’s cover, wearing a strapless top and bunny ears, when she was 32. She was the first country star to grace the cover. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Rihanna is catching some heat online for using an Islamic Hadith during the runway show for her fashion brand Fenty. The 32-year-old singer debuted the Savage X Fenty fall 2020 line on Amazon Prime on October 2, and she was immediately hit with criticism for using sacred Muslim sayings/verses in her show, called Hadith. https://youtu.be/wz3LVfecNLg Kallayah Jones told Atlanta’s CBS46 that she has been homeless for two years and lost a number of jobs due to the pandemic. On September 29, she went in for an interview. The venue’s manager, Dakara Spence said she saw something special in Jones during the interview. “She had a great energy I felt it as soon as she walked in she seemed really positive,” Spence told the outlet. Jones felt the good energy as well, which manifested in a sudden happy dance that was captured on the venue’s surveillance camera. Spence said, “I called her phone and I said I’m going to hire you and I seen your happy dance so you can continue dancing. She was just screaming through the phone and it was just a beautiful moment for me.” https://youtu.be/bMUYHj8vyj0 Jim Carrey nailed it as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for the season 46 premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” The show kicked off with a parody of the first presidential debate that took place in Cleveland on Tuesday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsije1KetVw Four days after a debate in which President Trump might have exposed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to COVID-19, South Carolina’s Democratic Senate candidate, Jaime Harrison wasn’t taking any chances. “Tonight I am taking this seriously,” he said. “That’s why I put this plexiglass up. Because it’s not just about me — it’s about the people in my life that I have to take care of as well. My two boys, my wife, my grandmother.” Harrison brought a plexiglass divider to the debate because Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, may have been exposed to the virus earlier in the week by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who serves on the committee and has tested positive. https://youtu.be/vDSMHgc9ftw Ryan Murphy of “American Horror Story” fame has announced his next project will center on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Netflix has picked up “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” a limited series co-created by Murphy and his longtime collaborator Ian Brennan. The grisly story will be told from the point of view of Dahmer’s victims and on the “police incompetence and apathy” that enabled Dahmer to kill 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, the year he was finally arrested. https://youtu.be/iWjYsxaBjBI MGM’s No Time to Die is officially heading to April 2, 2021 Easter weekend, and vacating its November 20 release date. Interestingly enough, this puts the James Bond film starring Daniel Craig on the same weekend with Universal’s F9. Universal is providing no comment on that release date change. UPDATE: The F9 release date indeed has changed. “MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of No Time To Die, the 25th film in the James Bond series, will be delayed until 2 April 2021 in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience. Legendary Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, per a report Monday from the Tallahassee Democrat’s Jim Henry, who said the 90-year-old “feels good, and sounds good.” Henry reported that Bowden tested positive for the virus after being treated for a leg infection at a Tallahassee hospital and that he is getting retested Monday. “I don’t feel bad, yet,” Bowden told Henry. “I guess I can loaf around the rest of the week. I just have to keep an eye out” for symptoms. Notable Cornerstone Church Pastor and author John Hagee has tested positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement made by his son, Pastor Matt Hagee. During a livestreamed worship service on Sunday, Matt Hagee told those gathered in-person and online that his father was “diligent throughout this entire COVID pandemic to monitor his health.” Matt Hagee said that his 80-year-old father tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday, adding that the virus was “discovered very early” and that “his medical team has him under watchful care.” The Gentleman of Gospel—Earnest Pugh is gearing up for a benefit concert for the Houston-based Non-Profit Organization Veterans Emergency Relief (VER). All proceeds from the concert will benefit the organization’s Annual Food Drive Initiative benefiting veterans and their family members. The virtual event will be hosted by FriendlySky. Pugh released his highly anticipated CD The Outpour Experience, earlier this year and his single God Wants To Heal You dominated radio taking the top spot on the Gospel chart. The Live Virtual Experience Concert will take place on Friday, October 23rd at 6pm CST/7pm EST. According to Pugh there will be a few surprise features as well. Throughout his entire career, renowned author Walter Mosley has penned powerful, thought-provoking pieces of work and now the bestselling novelist will be honored for his contributions to the literary world. The National Book Foundation announced that Mosley will be the recipient of its 2020 lifetime achievement award. The honor is historic as it marks the first time in the nonprofit’s 31-year history that a Black man has received the lifetime achievement medal. Mosley has penned over 60 books that span across an array of genres. His first novel—a mystery book titled Devil in a Blue Dress—was released in 1990, became a bestseller and served as the inspiration for the 1995 film starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle. The 1998 television film Always Outnumbered, which starred Laurence Fishburne, was also inspired by one of Mosley’s novels. Mosley has also written several plays and has penned essays and op-eds that have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and other publications. He has garnered several accolades for his work including a Grammy award, an Edgar Award, PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and NAACP Image awards. In just 24 hours, Oneya Johnson, a 22-year old man who lives in his car in Lafayette, Indiana, recently earned one million followers, all because of his creative video. In other clips that have become popular, Johnson views other TikTok users’ content and angrily yells upbeat messages and praises at the screen. His angry reactions, facial expressions, and loud voice are funny to those who watch Johnson do his thing. https://youtu.be/CFSVYvvok4k Spike Lee took to social media earlier today to announce the murder of Thomas Jefferson Byrd, an Atlanta-based actor who had appeared in multiple films by the director. “I’m So Sad To Announce The Tragic Murder Of Our Beloved Brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd Last Night In Atlanta, Georgia,” Lee said in a post. The famed director also shared a photo of Byrd as the character Errol Barnes in his 1995 film, “Clockers.” The Atlanta Police Department responded to a call of a person injured at 1:45 AM Saturday. Byrd was found unresponsive, and emergency medical workers pronounced him dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the back. Along with Spike Lee’s “Clockers,” Byrd also appeared in Lee’s “Get on the Bus,” “Bamboozled,” “He Got Game,” “Red Hook Summer,” “Chi-Raq” and more. He was also a successful theater actor, nominated for Broadway’s 2003 Tony Award as Best Actor for a revival of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts’ marriage is already facing some obstacles and it’s mostly because of Niecy’s family, reportedly. Evidence of this sentiment is a text message believed to be from a source close to the pair has circulated online, suggesting the newlyweds will “split” in 2021. “So I heard Niecy Nash and her wife are having issues,” the alleged text reads. “Apparently Niecy’s family isn’t happy with their marriage. Plus her wife wants to be more out in public with their marriage more advocating Gay Rights and Niecy doesn’t want that.” Folks are giving rapper Megan Thee Stallion props for using her platform as a musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” to go in on Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. https://youtu.be/J9wq14EnezU A 27-year-old former bread seller Olajumoke Orisaguna captured the world’s attention a few years ago when a photo of her carrying a massive bag of bread loafs ontop of her head went viral. She was discovered on the streets of the city of Lagos by international photographer Ty Bello, who was shooting with English rapper Tinie Tempah. Unintentionally, Orisaguna came out in one of the images. Days later, Bello shared pictures from that shoot on his social media but with interest of finding out who the bread seller was in the photo. Last night was the season 46 premiere of NBC’s legendary sketch show, “Saturday Night Live” and guest host Chris Rock had a good time going in on Donald Trump. From the jump, the funnyman hit the stage stage wearing a mask and kicked off his monologue by addressing the “elephant in the room” — COVID-19. https://youtu.be/r2fFJvh0pp8 Omari Hardwick (“Power,” Sorry to Bother You), Loretta Devine (“Black-ish,” Crash) and John Beasley (The Sum of All Fears, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) star in the terrifying thriller SPELL, coming to Premium Video-On-Demand and Digital in time for Halloween on October 30 from Paramount Home Entertainment. https://youtu.be/fTznGVd8nyo The Gospel Music Association is excited to announce the first round of performers for the 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards. Artists scheduled to perform include Artist of the Year Nominees Tasha Cobbs Leonard and for KING & COUNTRY featuring Lecrae and WRLDFMS Tony Williams as well as Apollo LTD, Jonathan McReynolds, Leeland featuring Mandisa, Sinach and Maverick City Choir and We The Kingdom with more performers yet to be announced. The broadcast happens Friday, October 30th at 8 pm/7 pm CST on TBN. Praise & Worship recording artist, Benita Jones (formerly Benita Washington), has a testimony to share. Last week, the car that she and her manager, Jarita Jackson, were riding in was broadsided by a teenager. The impact was so strong that the car literally flipped over and was totaled. “Benita recently wanted to start learning the piano,” Jackson says. “We were on our way back from going to a music store to buy a keyboard and the car was t-boned. We literally crawled out of the car and we were helped by some bystanders. The miracle is that no one involved was badly injured – not even the other driver. We had some bumps and bruises. We went to the hospital to get checked out, but God was merciful and everyone will be fine. ” This past summer, Jones released her first album in a decade, The Entreating, a live concert session. Hear Benita Jones (formerly Benita Washington) In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/benita_washington_intvw.htm As if the situation surrounding Donald Trump‘s case of the coronavirus couldn’t get any less predictable, it turns out that the president’s personal physician who’s been under fire for telling apparent lies (go figure) graduated from the same medical school from which Dr. Umar Johnson earned his much-maligned doctorate. That fact was an interesting twist to an already convoluted story centered on Dr. Sean Conley, who has given the media conflicting reports about Trump’s treatment (in other words, he lied) and has been accused of following the White House’s script to paint an optimistic picture of the president’s health that admittedly wasn’t completely accurate. Conley admitted Sunday to lying a day before when he downplayed Trump’s health prognosis “to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, that his course of illness has had.” Conley explained to reporters that he lied because he “didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction.” NBA star Chris Paul is putting the focus on furthering his education during the off season. According to HBCU Game Day, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard has enrolled at the North Carolina-based Winston-Salem State University. Paul, a native of Winston-Salem, announced that he had officially enrolled in classes at the historically Black university during an episode of First Take. He attended Wake Forest University for two years before being drafted into the NBA. Paul has deep ties to WSSU. Both of his parents, Robin and Charles Paul, attended the school. He also hosted a star-studded charity basketball game at the school that included the likes of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. He has donated $25,000 to WSSU’s athletic program through his philanthropic organization, the Chris Paul Foundation. When Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke stepped foot on Duke University’s campus 57 years ago in pursuit of advancing her education, she was breaking barriers for generations of students of color that would follow in her footsteps. Reuben-Cooke, one of the first Black students to enroll at the North Carolina-based university, is being posthumously honored by the institution in a special way, CNN reported. Duke University recently announced it would name one of its campus buildings after Reuben-Cooke. It marks the first time in the school’s 182-year history that one of Duke’s academic buildings will be named after a Black woman. The building, which houses sociology and psychology programs on Duke’s West Campus, will now be called the Reuben-Cooke Building. Reuben-Cooke, a native of South Carolina, was a fierce advocate for social justice. During her undergraduate studies at Duke, she was a student activist who was actively involved in the civil rights movement. After graduating from the university in 1967 she went on to have a promising career in the realm of law. She earned a law degree from the University of Michigan and served as an attorney at the Washington, D.C.-based Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering firm. Later in her career, she took on the role of associate director at Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Public Representation. Harvey Weinstein has been hit with six new sexual assault charges in his Los Angeles criminal case, the L.A. District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday. The amended complaint added an additional three felony counts of forcible rape and three felony counts of forcible oral copulation; Weinstein now faces a total of four counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force. If convicted, Weinstein faces up to 140 years to life in prison. Jalen Ramsey and Golden Tate brought their family feud to the field. Ramsey and Tate reportedly threw punches and ignited a postgame brawl Sunday between the Giants and Rams that escalated to include dozens of players and coaches pushing and shoving to clear the sea of bodies. The only surprising thing is that it took four quarters for years of bad blood stemming from Ramsey’s perceived mistreatment of Tate’s sister to boil over, especially after Ramsey lifted Tate off his feet and drove him into the turf during the second half of the Rams’ 17-9 victory. The Fox broadcast went to commercial before the fight and returned with footage of other players mixing it up. Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey doesn’t have to worry about free agency any time soon after signing a five-year, $98.75 million extension with the team. The deal will kick in at the end of Humphrey’s rookie contract, keeping him with the Ravens through the 2026 season. The 2017 first-round draft pick gave thanks to God during a press conference announcing the extension, and he said he rededicated his life to Christ at the beginning of his NFL career. “I just can’t thank God enough for how He’s kept me aligned,” Humphrey said. “Now that I’ve dedicated my life to Christ, it’s opened so many doors and opened my eyes so much.” Humphrey — who was named a first-team All-Pro as Baltimore finished with the best record in the NFL last season — credited his family for guiding him in his faith journey. The 28th annual Hamptons International Film Festival, presented by HamptonsFilm, will go down virtually and in drive-ins Out East from October 8-14, 2020. With the hybrid model of this year’s festival it allows for people across the US and not just in the Hamptons region to experience the lineup, something that hasn’t always been accessible. The festival will open with a screening of WITH DRAWN ARMS, a documentary about the legacy of Olympian Tommie Smith’s fist-raising moment at the 1968 Olympics. The festival will also screen Regina King’s ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… as Closing Night, feature a screening of the documentary TIME and host “A Conversation With…” Leslie Odom, Jr., among the programming. Amid the news of President Trump contracting the coronavirus, Twitter has been suspending accounts for wishing serious bodily harm or death towards him. After President Trump tweeted that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, Twitter users created various jokes, memes, and videos to commemorate the historic moment. However, Twitter admins say it is against the social media platform’s policy to create “content that wishes, hopes or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm, or fatal disease against an individual. Several other public accounts have condemned the tweets, stating it was insensitive to wish for Trump’s ultimate demise. In a counterargument, other users stated Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and scientific protocols was a form of “karma” along and his infamous quote “It is what it is” in reference to the 200,000 Americans who died from the virus. Lenny Kravitz has had hit records and packed concert venues. However, he admits that finding his sound and identity in the music business was a struggle, in an interview with Michelle Miller for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast Sunday, Oct. 4 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Kravitz opens up to Miller, co-host of CBS THIS MORNING: SATURDAY, to talk about his childhood as the son of “The Jeffersons” star Roxie Roker, his career, his relationship with Lisa Bonet of “The Cosby Show” and his new book, Let Love Rule, out next week. “I didn’t want the book to be about rock stardom, fame or any of that,” Kravitz tells Miller. “This was about getting there, finding my voice.” Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike but this Halloween it’s up to him to save Salem, Massachusetts. https://youtu.be/kY3SuNvqQPw It happened super organic,” said two-time Grammy nominated Koryn Hawthorne about her sophomore album “I Am” (RCA Inspiration). “I think overall the message is Jesus Christ. The album feels like a journey, it moves…signifies strength.” The new single “Pray” is co-written by Hawthorne, Troy Taylor, Jeremy Hicks and Daniels Breland, with Taylor and Hicks producing. The single was released with an accompanying music video that premiered on BET Networks. “ https://youtu.be/mhmx1ai4hro New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, according to multiple reports via Twitter.That’s obviously not good news for all concerned because the designation means a player has either tested positive for the coronavirus or has been in “close contact” with an infected person. However, there seems to be no need for continued speculation because ESPN is reporting that Newton did indeed test positive and will not play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Look for either Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer to start in place of Newton. Niles Fitch and Isabella Blake-Thomas (“Once Upon A Time”) star in the “Secret Society of Second Born Royals.” Best known as the younger Randall on “This Is Us,” Niles is carving out quite an impressive career, starting with the notable “Secret Society of Second Born Royals” as Disney’s first Black prince. https://youtu.be/Zq2OLayDn9k Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who spent 17 years pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, died Friday after a one-year battle with pancreatic cancer. The 84-year-old Gibson was considered the greatest pitcher in Cardinals history. Gibson played with the Cardinals from 1959 through 1975. While there, he won two Cy Young awards and played in three World Series, winning two. He also developed a reputation for being a particularly intimidating adversary. Gibson died on the 52nd anniversary of his record-setting 17 strikeout World Series game against the Detroit Tigers in 1968. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was hospitalized on Saturday after announcing that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. "In consultation with my doctors, I checked myself into Morristown Medical Center this afternoon," Christie said on Twitter. Christie said he's feeling "good and only have mild symptoms," but he felt this was an "important precautionary measure" because of his history of asthma. "I am thankful for our hardworking medical professionals and look forward to coming home soon," he said. The former governor announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19, almost a week after attending an event at the White House where a number of attendees – including President Trump – later tested positive for the virus. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Friday released the grand jury transcript from Breonna Taylor‘s case in the form of audiotapes. “The recordings cover the grand jury’s sessions Sept. 21-23 and are parsed into 14 audio files, with witnesses’ personal information redacted because of concerns of threats that have been made to officials and officers,” the Louisville Courier Journal reported. The written transcript was expected to be released later in the day per a judge’s order. A closer listen to the estimated 20 hours of audiotapes revealed that an investigator for Cameron’s office told the grand jury without any proof that the suspiciously obtained warrant for Taylor’s home was not served as a no-knock warrant and that officers identified themselves, contradicting the claim of Taylor’s boyfriend and at least 123 other witnesses. Another portion of the audiotapes includes an interview with a detective who was on the scene at the time of the shooting in March and suggested police did nothing wrong. Cameron also released a statement about an hour after the transcript was released. It is what it is. World Smile Day just happens to have fallen on the same day Donald Trump tweeted that he and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus. It was hard to tell what exactly to make of what could just be a coincidence in a year that will go down in history as one of the worst ever for all of mankind. In that perspective, there is absolutely no reason to smile during this year’s installment of World Smile Day, especially as the globe has been brought to its collective knees thanks to the first pandemic in more a century. Yet here we are, observing another World Smile Day as the president of the United States is in Walter Reed with just about one month ahead of perhaps the most consequential American election in modern history. Not just observing it, but also watching the World Smile viral hashtag ascend the trending ranks of Twitter, Trump’s preferred method of communication. Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Friday night that she has tested positive for coronavirus, the latest major political figure to say they have Covid-19 after attending a Rose Garden event last Saturday where President Donald Trump announced his Supreme Court pick. “Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians,” Conway tweeted. “As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic.” Jordan Shanks, a Millennial filmmaker, photographer, and screenwriter, will unveil his new photo collection, Love Letters to America: Part II and short film, Never Again during a gallery exhibition, titled Racial Awakening. The opening will take place in Richmond, Virginia on Friday, October 16 from 6-9 p.m. ET; members of the media are invited to attend a special preview on Wednesday, October 14 from 5-8 p.m. ET. The latest gallery and online collection will feature 20 striking images captured in Ferguson, MO; Baltimore, MD; Richmond, VA; and New York City, as Shanks has traveled the country, documenting America’s continued struggle for racial equality. The exhibition will also feature the Southern premiere of Shanks’ second film, Never Again, which chronicles social justice movements, and follows the dramatic removal of Confederate statues in his hometown of Richmond, VA, the former capital of the Confederacy. Amazon Studios has set a release date for Oscar and Emmy-winner Regina King’s feature directorial debut, One Night in Miami …, written by Olivier-nominated Kemp Powers, based off his 2013 stage play. The critically-acclaimed film will open in select theaters on December 25, 2020, followed by a global launch on January 15, 2021 exclusively on Prime Video. https://youtu.be/Q5iDMZsAgBU Megan Thee Stallion is not playing with this COVID when it comes to performing on “Saturday Night Live’s” season opener. In one of two promos for the show, she pops in next to guest host Chris Rock in a face shield, gloves and form-fitting PPE suit, while Rock just rocks a “Rock” mask and short-sleeved button up. The other promo plays on the theme from Megan and Cardi B’s “WAP” single when she asks Rock if he can “read her lips” through the mask. https://youtu.be/vaWlZGd3srE From Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”) comes the fantasy adventure “Roald Dahl’s The Witches.” The film stars Oscar winners Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérable,” “Ocean’s 8”) and Octavia Spencer (“The Help,” “The Shape of Water”), Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci (“The Hunger Games” films, “The Lovely Bones”), with Kristin Chenoweth (TV’s “Glee” and “BoJack Horseman”) and award-winning comedy legend Chris Rock. Newcomer Jahzir Kadeem Bruno (TV’s “Atlanta”) also stars, alongside Codie-Lei Eastick (“Holmes & Watson”). https://youtu.be/9nlhmJF5FNI Good friends Ciara, Vanessa Bryant and her 17-year-old daughter Natalia, and La La Anthony got together to play a fun game of football. “Let’s go QB,” Ciara said to Anthony in the video. “So I’m about to go ‘danger, danger,’” the TV personality, 39, explained to Natalia and the R&B singer. “When I say ‘hut,’ you get that motherf—ing ball and you run!” Bryant, by the way, is not seen in the clip, as she may have been the one recording the excitement. Meanwhile, her baby with late husband Kobe, 15-month-old Capri, can be seen watching the game play out on a sprawling lawn. https://www.instagram.com/ciara/?utm_source=ig_embed President Donald Trump will spend a “few days” at a military hospital after contracting COVID-19, the White House said Friday, as the virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans spread to the highest reaches of the U.S. government. Trump “remains fatigued,” his doctor said. Trump depart the White House by helicopter late Friday for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The White House said the visit was precautionary and that he would work from the hospital’s presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to continue his official duties. https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/201002172510-marine-one-lands-white-house-1002-large-169.jpg We could all use a reminder to be still in the current climate. To reflect and absorb. To listen more than we speak. Brian Courtney Wilson helps us ponder on all of this with his brand new single “Still” out today! Brian Courtney Wilson's eagerly awaited fifth studio album, STILL, is available now for pre-order / pre-save. Today's pre-order advances the full-length digital release on all platforms, Friday, October 16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealrHkVPal0&feature=youtu.be New from Gospel Recording Artist Doe - "Brighter" formerly of Forever Jones Doe offers a refreshing sound with uplifting and introspective messages that people are in need of more than ever right now and she's excited to share her artistry with the world! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0bm5hnetrt53alu/AABJ1N8XZsn8Fbbdt9dQ5BzRa?dl=0 Cardi B has responded to being called a flop because she hasn’t dropped any new music all year. Aside from releasing “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi appears to spend more time entertaining her followers on social media, rather than giving fans what they really want. A new album. During a conversation with SiriusXM radio on Wednesday, the rapper slammed rumors that her label is over her and that’s the reason why she hasn’t put out more than one track all year. https://youtu.be/Hc46Ny3GnRI Melania Trump was secretly recorded ranting against Christmas, Obama and her President Trump’s child-separation policy at the border. The first lady’s former friend/assistant Stephanie Winston Wolkoff appeared on Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN where she shared part of the recorded conversation she and Melania had in 2018. https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/10/02/melania-trump-i-dont-care-jacket-stephanie-winston-wolkoff-intv-sot-vpx-ac360.cnn Herschel Walker hopped on his social media to gripe about former Vice President Joe Biden’s assertion during Tuesday’s presidential debate that Antifa is an “idea,” not an actual organized terrorist organization. The avid supporter of President Trump said he couldn’t understand why Trump had to condemn white supremacist organization The Proud Boys while Biden wasn’t expected to do the same with Antifa. “The Proud Boys, I’ve never heard of,” Walker said. “So I was confused why [moderator] Chris Wallace would ask the president about the Proud Boys. ‘Cuz I’ve never seen the Proud Boys break any windows, assault any police officer, kill anyone. Never seen them destroy a business, try to intimidate anyone, destroy a restaurant, but I have seen BLM and Antifa do that.” "Tyler Perry’s BRUH” tracks the story of four thirty-something year old friends in present-day Atlanta, trying to find themselves as men and navigate life, careers and courtship. Finding romance has been a constant bump in the road for the guys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrvgvT9nkMc&feature=youtu.be TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, highlights legendary actress and singer Jenifer Lewis this Sunday, October 11 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, October 14 at 10 PM/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErMcUqjUAus&feature=youtu.be Country music superstar Carrie Underwood recently released her first-ever full-length Christmas album My Gift, and revealed that it needed a Christian proclamation before it could be completed, and her single “Hallelujah” was it. With all the unrest in the world, the “American Idol” alum said her Christmas album was a “much-needed” creative escape for her in this season. Underwood teamed up with award-winning artist John Legend for “Hallelujah.” The single was written by Legend and submitted for Underwood to sing alone on My Gift, but she thought Legend should also be featured in the piece. https://youtu.be/9LTwPO1_HmY Dr. Dre has emerged victorious in a legal battle with estranged wife, Nicole Young. A judge has denied Young’s request for $1.5 million a month to pay for various expenses, including security, as her attorneys claim she’s been receiving death threats. The judge also dismissed her request that Dre pay out $5 million for her lawyer’s fees, TMZ reports. According to officials, both men gained access to social media accounts from athletes in the two sports leagues, along with other online accounts including emails between December 2017 and April 2019. On Thursday, federal authorities announced that two men are accused of hacking social media accounts and emails of athletes in the National Basketball Association and National Football League often extorting them and ransoming their log-in credentials for profit. Ronnie Magrehbi and Trevontae Washington are charged “in separate criminal complaints with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse,” the Department of Justice release said. TV host and personality Ananda Lewis has revealed that she’s been battling stage 3 breast cancer for the past two years. The the former host of BET’s Teen Summit and The Ananda Lewis Show is sharing her story during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hers is a cautionary tale for women, as Lewis admits regret over never having mammograms. “For a really long time, I have refused mammograms, and that was a mistake,” said Lewis in a video message shared on Instagram. “I watched my mom get mammograms for almost 30 years almost, and at the end of that, she had breast cancer, and I said, ‘Huh. Radiation exposure for years equals breast cancer. Yeah, I’m going to pass. Thanks anyway.’ Issa Rae has announced the launch of her new Hoorae media company for film, TV and digital content. Formerly Issa Rae Productions, Variety reports that Hoorae includes HBO’s “Insecure” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” The company’s slate also features: “Tre Cnt” and the “Seen & Heard” docuseries for HBO, as well as “Rap S—” for HBO Max, “Perfect Strangers” for Spyglass, “Ghost in the Machine” for Netflix and “Sinkhole” with Monkeypaw and Universal. It’s time to celebrate National Hair Day with the official trailer for Hulu’s upcoming film BAD HAIR. The film will premiere on October 23rd, only on Hulu. https://youtu.be/DmrTRblGeKw NeNe Leakes has made clear that she’s not returning to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” after announcing her departure from the hit Bravo series last month. “I am not going to return to Housewives, that’s not what this is about,” Leakes said during an interview with Extra‘s Billy Bush. “If I wanted to return to Housewives, I could have. I had an offer.” https://youtu.be/h8K6113cBRk On behalf of the Kool Kids Foundation, Hakim Bell and Muhammad Bell, YOU are invited to the 70th birthday celebration for Robert “Kool” Bell, co-founder of Kool & the Gang. The event goes down Sunday, October 11th, 2020 at the Par 440 Restaurant & Lounge Short Hills, NJ. Proceeds from the celebration will benefit the Kool Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Robert “Kool” Bell and his departed wife, Sakinah Bell. The goal of the organization is to help cultivate music education for our youth, which in turn will inspire and encourage kids to share with their communities what they’ve learned, thus creating more productive individuals. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing restrictions, reservations for this event are limited. Season seven of “Braxton Family Values’” is a little over a month away, and WE tv has given fans its first extended look at what’s in store. After a tumultuous trip to Napa, the sisters reunite to support Trina before her wedding. But in a dramatic turn, the ceremony kicks off with an unexpected issue that divides the family. Following a year of love & loss, can the Braxtons come together and find their harmony once again? “Braxton Family Values” Season 7 premieres Thursday, November 5 on WE tv. https://youtu.be/vGpmYiyBB-M “Black-ish” star Marsai Martin is prepping a new unscripted series about trailblazing Black women tentatively titled “Baddies.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is being shopped to buyers via Martin’s Genius Entertainment label and ITV America’s Sirens Media. “Black women have always contributed to American culture,” said Martin in a statement. “They’ve just never gotten the recognition. This show is a fun way of letting people know how dope we are.” If picked up, “Baddies” will be the first TV series produced by Martin, who is the youngest person in Hollywood to executive produce a major studio feature with 2019’s “Little.” Jhené Aiko kicks off NPR Music’s Tiny Desk “home” concerts, which is “bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.” https://youtu.be/XVMJXZYgNfc Keke Palmer had to get some fans right together after they came at her sideways for showing love to Tyler Perry. “I want to be like Tyler Perry when I grow up,” she wrote on Twitter on Monday. “He’s like a modern Walt Disney.” And with that single tweet, several KeKe fans lit up the comment section of her post to criticize Perry for not having a writer’s room. Previously… Perry responded to criticism that he doesn’t have a writers room, as he writes all of his scripts on his own. The animated preschool series “Ada Twist, Scientist,” based on the book series from author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts, is coming to Netflix courtesy of series creator Chris Nee (“Doc McStuffins”) and Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company. The show centers on eight-year-old Ada Twist, a “young Black scientist who will explore helping people through scientific discovery, collaboration and friendship,” and solve mysteries with the help of her two best friends, Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck. https://youtu.be/5tQcSKH37AY President Donald Trump is not letting up on his attack against Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. On Thursday(Sept. 18) he said “if a woman is going to become the first president of the United States, it can’t be her.” “That would rip our country apart,” Trump told supporters during a campaign rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, per Business Insider. “This is not what people want. And she comes in through the back door — this would not be what people want, especially because it’s her.” A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) and a long-forgotten invention to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within. From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert and featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and “This Day” performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility. The revelation that Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus set off a domino effect of potential consequences, including his possible death from an illness that he once dismissed as a “hoax” and lied to the American people about. But what about the president’s personal health? Does he have any pre-existing conditions that might present any challenges to him recovering from COVID-19, which is responsible for killing more than 200,000 people in America and more than one million worldwide? The questions kept pouring in as details were scarce following Trump’s tweet early Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania, tested positive. Chrissy Teigen revealed on Wednesday that she suffered a pregnancy loss after being hospitalized for “excessive bleeding.” Teigan and her husband John Legend shared the sad news on social media, noting that “despite bags and bags of blood transfusions,” her bleeding could not be stopped. “We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before. We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough,” Teigen, 34, wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “We never decide on our babies’ names until the last possible moment after they’re born, just before we leave the hospital,” she continued, sharing some black-and-white photos from the hospital. “But we, for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. So he will always be Jack to us. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever.” The Colorado police force is under scrutiny for the August 2019 death of Elijah McClain is catching heat once again over recently released video of a Black woman hogtied in a patrol car. The woman is seen riding upside down for more than 20 minutes following her arrest in August 2019. She even calls the white officer “master” and begs him to lift her from the floorboard. https://youtu.be/GvcOjUXjwsc It has been reported that Sacha Baron Cohen would return as Kazakh journalist Borat in a sequal to his 2006 mockumentary. Amazon Studios has dropped the full official trailer. It's titled “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe To American Regime For Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” the film follows Borat and his daughter’s journey to the White House to marry her to Vice President Mike Pence. Amazon said the feature will premiere on October 23. https://youtu.be/0Rsa4U8mqkw For centuries, Black people in America have been subjected to systemic racism that has touched every sector of their lives. With ongoing displacement, exclusion, bias, segregation, and socioeconomic injustices, an overwhelming population of Black people find themselves woefully and wrongfully denied fair housing, a quality education, bountiful employment, affordable health care, and a fair justice system. For White people, it’s the opposite. Yet, what if the tables were turned, which presented a reversal of Black and White roles in America? Imagine if Black people were the privileged sector of society and benefactors of golden opportunities in their lives. Suppose White people were transmuted to assume subservient roles that many Black people have struggled to shake since slavery. In the recently released film, “Negative Exposure,” such reversals of Black and White roles come to fruition. https://youtu.be/9Pz6w8fdM1g There were many Peaches in Peaches & Herb throughout the decades, but only one Herb. And today is his 78th birthday. Born Herbert Feemster on Oct. 1, 1942, in the Anacostia section of Washington D.C. , Herb changed his last name to Fame and got his start in the music business after graduating from Roosevelt High School. While working in a record store, he crossed paths with musician and record producer Van McCoy, who would go on to record the iconic disco staple “The Hustle” in 1975. Their first of seven albums together, “Peaches & Herb,” was produced by McCoy for MCA Records and generated the lone hit single, “We’re Still Together.” Next, Peaches & Herb signed with MVP/Polydor and released the album “2 Hot,” which went gold. It’s first single, “Shake Your Groove Thing,” also went gold and peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1979. The follow-up single was the triple platinum, Grammy-nominated hit “Reunited.” With a wink to the 1960s Peaches & Herb hit “United” (originally recorded and made a hit by The Intruders), “Reunited” reached No. 1 on both the Hot 100, the Billboard R&B chart, and in Canada. It was nominated for a Song of the Year Grammy in 1980. https://youtu.be/26J0uDIGErM Thursday’s episode of Tamar Braxton’s ‘Get Ya Life!,’ the new WE tv docuseries that takes viewers on the singer’s journey to turn her life around. This week, Tamar is caught in the middle of a disaster between her new boo and the path to relaunch her music career. Cameras roll while David fights to protect Tamar from witchcraft. https://youtu.be/HtCn7AgQNpg As the 2020 presidential nominees arrived in Cleveland for their first debate Tuesday night, Democratic State Rep. Bernadine Kennedy Kent and her husband James Whitaker came out to greet one of them as he came off the plane. And it wasn’t Biden. According to a pool report, the two-term lawmaker went aboard Air Force One to greet President Trump before the debate. The lifelong Democrat had turned off members of her own party long before throwing her support behind the president’s reelection. She was kicked out of the House Democratic caucus in June 2018 after she sent a letter on Ohio Legislative Black Caucus letterhead without permission. She hasn’t been to the Statehouse since May 2019, telling the Columbus Dispatch in July she has continued to serve constituents from home. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said Kent’s Trump endorsement does not reflect the strong support among Ohio Democrats for Joe Biden. CLEO TV SPICES UP THE FALL WITH THE SEASON 2 PREMIERE OF NEW SOUL KITCHEN THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 9PM ET/8C. Award-Winning Chef Jernard Wells Welcomes Culinary Influencers Chef Ahki Taylor, Chef Bren Herrera, Chef Essie Bartels, And Chef Resha Purvis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyelsupZl2A&feature=youtu.be The velvet tone of Darwin Hobbs - once hailed as gospel music's answer to Luther Vandross - is making a welcome return to the microphone on "Get Ready" - the veteran crooner's first new recording in a decade. It's an upbeat, engaging, horn-rimmed Urban AC-styled song anticipating a special outpouring of God's blessings. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/diWsrIo2wG/files/fi-3db3b00f-4b06-4897-bbdf-bac24e4f0fcb/fv-c349e900-8877-495c-a052-bd80278a969a/GET%20READY%20RADIO%20VERSION%20320.mp3 Donald Trump supposedly had a game plan going into Tuesday night’s debate, including using a Black woman in the audience as a prop, but in classic form he failed to execute it miserably when he instead resorted to racist antics in between his frequent lies and interruptions of Joe Biden. The president’s handlers who helped prepare him for the first presidential debate expressed concerns to NBC News about how easily Trump veered from his reported intention to bring attention to Alice Johnson, the grandmother who was granted clemency by the president in 2018 after serving more than 20 years in prison for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. Johnson, 65, was supposed to be used by Trump in that moment to highlight the president’s purported strides in criminal justice reform as a way to stand in stark contrast to the strict and consequential 1994 crime bill that Biden supported. NBC News reported that Trump planned to use that moment “to point to Alice Johnson in the audience and demand that Biden apologize.” Kanye West recently took aim at the music industry, dubbing it “modern-day slavery,” over the contracts artists are forced to sign, but Charlamagne tha God claims the rapper is taking advatange of his own musicians. “When you sign a music deal you sign away your rights,” Kanye tweeted last month. He later vowed to return the 50 percent share of masters he has of artists signed to his label G.O.O.D. Music. One of those artists, Big Sean, thanked Ye in a tweet, saying that the move would “help so much.” Charlamagne claims Big Sean signed a “terrible contract” with Kanye and that he is owed millions. “The restraint that Big Sean shows to Kanye West is remarkable,” Charlamagne said during the Breakfast Club’s Rumor Report on Wednesday. “It lets me know that he really is a healed individual because Kanye West—I hope one day Big Sean tells his story. Just know, Kanye West owes Big Sean a whole lotta money, and he’s got Big Sean in a very terrible contract to be out here screaming about giving folks their masters back and all types of other things.” Nicki Manaj has given birth for the very first time. Congrats to Nicki and husband, Kenneth Petty for the birth of their first child. Nicki Minaj gave birth on Wednesday in L.A. However, the new parents have yet to share the sex or the name of their new bundle of joy. Nicki announced her pregnancy back in July, posting a series of photos showing her looking at least 6 months along and captioning one post, “#Preggers.” Netflix released images of Chadwick Boseman in his final film, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which debuts on Dec. 18. The film stars Viola Davis, and is based on August Wilson’s award-winning play from director George C. Wolfe and producer Denzel Washington, the streamer announced on social media Thursday. Essence magazine has made the bombshell announcement that it was furloughing a number of staffers and only paying their salaries through the end of this week. The publication said in a statement that it notified the impacted staffers on Tuesday and “will pay everyone impacted throughout this week and will cover their medical benefits premiums throughout the furlough.” It is unclear how many staffers are affected. The furloughs are expected to last less than six months. Emmy-nominated live event producer Jesse Collins has become the first Black executive producer of the Super Bowl halftime show. The NFL, Jay-Z’s RocNation and Pepsi said Tuesday that Collins will join longtime director Hamish Hamilton for the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show on Feb. 7 in Tampa Florida. “Jesse Collins is innovative, creative and one of the only executive producers that speak fluent ‘artist vision.’ He‘s a true artist,” said RocNation’s Nation chief operating officer Jay-Z. “Jesse’s insight and understanding create both extraordinary shows and true cultural moments. After working with Jesse for so many years, I look forward to all there is to come.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Sarah Collins Rudolph was 12-years-old when Ku Klux Klan members bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Alabama on Sept. 15, 1963, killing her sister, and three other Black girls. Rudolph “never received an apology, support, medical care, counseling or any kind of help or acknowledgement from the state for her injuries,” her lawyers said in a letter to Gov. Kay Ivey. The letter notes that at the time of the bombing, state officials and segregationist Gov. George Wallace, “played an undisputed role in encouraging its citizens to engage in racial violence, including the violence that stole the lives of four little girls, and irreparably injured a fifth.” https://youtu.be/AE7IfRIIXdk Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), recently unveiled the second edition of the Jobs and Justice Act, aimed at increasing the upward mobility of Black families in America. The bill was first introduced in 2018 by then-CBC Chair Cedric Richmond (D-La.). The Jobs and Justice Act of 2020 includes over 200 bills addressing a wide range of issues, from community and economic development, and educational opportunities, to health disparities, environmental justice and comprehensive criminal justice reform. “When we developed the Jobs and Justice Act of 2020, we knew that Black America was going to need policies that not only solved the imminent issues but addressed the long-term impact of COVID-19 on our community, said CBD Chair Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37). “I am proud to present the second edition of the Jobs and Justice Act, which is a direct response to critical issue areas including the short term and long-term impact of COVID-19. An heir to the Seagram’s liquor fortune has been sentenced to a little over six years in prison for her role in the NXIVM sex-cult. Clare Bronfman, 41, is accused of using her fortune to silence victims of the group’s leader, Keith Raniere. https://youtu.be/RoZv0UbWbQo Percy Miller posted a new video Wednesday to promote his latest hustle. Intent on “mastering” the cereal game, longtime rap mogul and entrepreneur Master P (a.k.a Uncle P) wants folks to try his new Uncle P’s Hoody Hoos Cereal. “You got milk. We’ve got cereal. We’re changing the game,” Miller says in the ad. He points out, “The more we make, the more we give,” referring to the charity aspect of the business. A percentage of every cereal box sold goes to providing inner city kids in the community with education, resources and activities to help build their future,” according to his website. https://youtu.be/aYnMAHbRbWg President Trump’s supporters are now chanting “lock her up” toward Minnesota’s Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. During a rally in Duluth Wednesday, Trump targeted the first term congresswoman and Somali refugee while criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s pledge to significantly increase refugee admissions from numbers Trump has cut it to during his first term. https://youtu.be/ZvQErakUChM Singer-songwriters Morris “Mac” Davis and Helen Reddy died Tuesday. They were both 78 years old and died surrounded by their families. Best known for her hit, “I Am Woman,” the Australia-born singer had multiple others, including “Delta Dawn,” “Angie Baby” and “You and Me Against the World” as well as her cover of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” from the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans has been postponed. The NFL said in a statement Wednesday that a new game date and time will be announced as soon as possible, adding that the postponement will “allow additional time for further daily COVID-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel.” The postponement follows positive COVID-19 tests among the Titans from four players — starting nose tackle DaQuan Jones, linebacker Kamalei Correa, long-snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson — and five team personnel members this week. Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that some of the players who tested positive were experiencing flu-like symptoms. Now, the Titans report up to 11 have tested positive to COVID- 19. New music from Travis Greene "Good and Loved" featuring DOE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaIvqmFaE9c&feature=youtu.be Secret grand jury recordings in the Breonna Taylor case will be released on Friday after a judge granted a two-day delay. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a motion on Wednesday asking a court in Louisville for a week’s delay to allow the names of witnesses and their personal information, including addresses and phone numbers, to be redacted. Cameron’s office said this afternoon that a judge granted a shorter delay, saying the material should be made public on Friday. The audio recordings were originally supposed to be released on Wednesday. On Tuesday night, Cameron sought to defend himself ahead of the release of records that the grand jury was shown. He has been accused by an unidentified juror of publicly misrepresenting the incident with his submission of evidence and by recommending that only one of the cops should be charged. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Tuesday that he never recommended murder charges against police officers for Breonna Taylor’s death. The grand jury handed down no charges in connection with Taylor’s death. “Ultimately our judgment is that the charge that we could prove at trial beyond a reasonable doubt was for wanton endangerment against Mr. Hankison,” Cameron said in an exclusive interview with WDRB-TV. Former detective Brett Hankison faces three counts of wanton endangerment for shots fired into a neighbor’s apartment. He pleaded not guilty on Monday. An unarmed homeless black man was shot dead by two California deputies after they allegedly stopped him for jaywalking, and authorities have released a photo they said shows the man reaching for a deputy’s firearm during the struggle. Video surfaced to social media on Wednesday that showed Kurt Andras Reinhold, 42, being shot dead by two Orange County Sheriff’s deputies at an intersection in San Clemente. Dwayne Johnson has revealed the cast for Young Rock, his upcoming NBC comedy series inspired by his life. The project comes from Johnson and Fresh Off the Boat creator/executive producer Nahnatchka Khan. Production is expected to start soon in Australia. Young Rock will chronicle Johnson’s formative years, with the actor and ex-WWE star set to appear in each episode. It received a straight-to-series order in January. Johnson announced the cast Wednesday with photos on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/therock/?utm_source=ig_embed Renowned race and religion scholar Michael Eric Dyson, an ordained Baptist minister who currently serves as professor of sociology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., will join the faculty of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee at the beginning of 2021. Dyson, a progressive author and activist who is known for his scholarship and commentary on popular culture in national media, will join the Nashville-based research university as the centennial chair and distinguished professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science. At least eight members of the Tennessee Titans, including three players, have tested positive for coronavirus this week, marking the first outbreak in the NFL. The NFL issued a statement on Tuesday confirming the new cases, adding that the Titans and the Minnesota Vikings, the team they played on Sunday, have immediately suspended all in-person activities. “?On Tuesday morning, the Titans COVID testing results returned three new player positives and five new personnel positives,” the statement read. “Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration.” An Illinois State football coach abruptly quit the team Thursday, leaving a note on the door while exiting the facility. Kurt Beathard, who was the Redbirds’ offensive coordinator, told The Pantagraph he let a note that said “All Lives Matter to Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ” before he left. Officials told the newspaper Wednesday he was no longer a part of the team and declined to comment on why he abruptly left. His departure apparently followed an incident involving a “Black Lives Matter” poster in the locker room. Sources told The Pantagraph that the poster was taken down from the Illinois State locker room in the school’s football building. Beathard denied any involvement in the locker room saying that someone put a sign on his door and that he took that down. Georgetown football player Dijon Williams was arrested by United States Marshals in Georgia after he was deemed a suspect in a first-degree murder case in Washington, D.C, Fox News confirmed on Tuesday. The Washington Metropolitan Police Department put out a statement regarding the arrest. “On Monday, September 28, 2020, Mr. Dijon Williams was located and arrested in Georgia by members of the United States Marshall Service Fugitive Task Force,” the statement read. “Mr. Williams is pending extradition to the District of Columbia for his role in the homicide of Nurudeen Thomas, which occurred on July 21, 2020 in the 4100 block of 14th Street, Northwest.” Usher today announced the birth of his newborn daughter, Sovereign Bo Raymond. The 41-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Usher Raymond, shared the news on Instagram Wednesday afternoon. “We are feeling blessed and full of love with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, Sovereign Bo Raymond,” the singer wrote. ‘Isn’t She lovely’ by Stevie Wonder on repeat ?? ?? ??.” Usher welcomed the baby Sovereign Bo with girlfriend, Jenn Goicoechea, a 37-year-old VP of A&R at Epic Records. The couple has reportedly been dating since Oct. 2019, after they were seen hanging out backstage at the Hollywood Bowl. Jody Watley knows fragrance. Yes, the beloved singer is best known as a Grammy award winning pioneer in music, video, fashion and style – but she is also a successful entrepreneur and oversees Jody Watley signature brand line. The iconic and always fabulous trendsetter welcomes the much-anticipated ‘Sanctuary’ luxury soy candle and fragrance room spray with its comforting notes of green tea, lemon and vanilla limited-edition, available now at https://jodywatleyshop.com It appears reparations bill AB3121 is set to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsome later today. Likely among the most prominent recognitions of the need for reparations in American history the bill will set up a commission to study the effects of slavery and Jim Crow on Black Americans in California in groundbreaking ways. Lead expert Attorney Antonio Moore presented the bill on the California senate floor in August. Sacha Baron Cohen has been quietly filming the follow up to his 2006 mockumentary, “Borat,” and it’s expected to drop just before November’s election. The “Borat” sequel will debut on Amazon next month. An exact date has not been announced, but Variety said the film, titled “Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan,” will premiere shortly before the presidential election on Nov. 3. https://youtu.be/7cCyFGmRgSU The 90’s teen horror film “The Craft” has been given the reboot treatment from Columbia Pictures and Blumhouse Productions. “The Craft: Legacy” is a continuation of the original film, set to drop just in time for Halloween. The film will release at midnight on October 28 via video on demand. https://youtu.be/J60ueFp-jv8 In the case of those two LA County Sheriff’s Deputies who were ambushed at the Compton Metro station, the Sheriff’s Department is to announce charges this morning against a suspect, reports the LA Times. The two deputies, who have not been publicly identified by the Sheriff’s Dept, were shot in the face and head while sitting in their patrol car near the train station. They underwent surgery and were expected to recover. Both have since been released from the hospital. https://youtu.be/WMVLZljIV8A Among Trevor Noah’s takeaways from the first presidential debate Tuesday night between President Trump and former VP Joe Biden, was an observation about the moderator, Chris Wallace. Noah came up with several suggestions to put in place that allows moderators to deal with someone like Trump and his constant interruptions. Noah joked that “At one point, Chris Wallace was this close to looking at Trump and saying, “N**ga you got to shut the f**k up!” https://youtu.be/e3NoIG6CtU4 Stunned reactions throughout the Late Night arena after the first presidential debate Tuesday night between President Trump and former VP Joe Biden from Jimmy Kimmel (with Sen. Bernie Sanders) https://youtu.be/MO1o66Ti2bA Stunned reactions throughout the Late Night arena after the first presidential debate Tuesday night between President Trump and former VP Joe Biden with Steve Colbert (with Sen. Cory Booker) https://youtu.be/o_ls5xpXX1s LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company have inked a four-year, first-look deal with Universal Pictures. “LeBron, Maverick and the team at SpringHill are content creators with a purpose, and we’re excited to partner with filmmakers who challenge us to tell stories that move culture forward,” said Donna Langle, Chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. “SpringHill’s projects are compelling, entertaining, inspiring and aim to start important conversations, which we need now more than ever.” Universal and SpringHill have already announced three projects currently in development: “an untitled film based on the book “Shooting Stars” by LeBron and Buzz Bissinger, New Kid, based on the 2019 graphic novel by Jerry Craft, and Catch the Wave, a project based on an original pitch by Ali Kinney.” Kevin Hart is a daddy again. In fact, he’s now officially a father of four! Hart, 41 and wife Eniko, 36, gave birth to the couple’s second child together, a baby girl named Kaori Mai Hart. On Tuesday, September 29, Eniko wrote on Instagram. "Thankful • grateful • blessed," wrote Eniko. "a little bit of heaven sent down to earth.. welcome to the world baby girl.. we couldn’t love you more..” Baby Kaori Mai joins three big siblings: brothers Kenzo Kash, 2½, and Hendrix, 12, plus sister Heaven, 15. Dr. Dre refuses to entertain his estranged wife’s request for $2 million in monthly spousal support. Nicole Young is asking the court to grant her nearly $2 million a month in temporary spousal support amid her divorce battle with the hip-hop icon. Meanwhile, TMZ reported on Tuesday that Dr. Dre already supports her lifestyle, so he refuses to pay a penny extra. According to legal documents, he allows “Young to stay in his Malibu mansion which reportedly costs around $25 million. He also covers her various expenses, noting that their business manager pays her AmEx Centurion Black Card bills,” the outlet writes. Five years after a 31-year-old mother and her 7-year-old son were murdered by an alleged Maryland drug dealer, the prime suspect in the killings was finally charged last week. Federal investigators arrested Andre Ricardo “Poo” Briscoe, 37, on drug distribution and gun charges in May for his connection to the killing of Jennifer Jeffrey and her son, Kester Browne. Last week he was indicted for allegedly murdering the woman during a May 27, 2015 armed robbery, and shooting her son multiple times to prevent him from telling police about the murder. https://youtu.be/Y3tg8Hn9gzk The first presidential debate quickly devolved into a chaotic mix of vicious personal attacks, repeated interruptions and unadulterated lies as Joe Biden squared off against Donald Trump on Tuesday night. While there were a number of telling and unfortunate moments sprinkled throughout what CNN’s Dana Bash called “a shit show,” one of the lowlights was when Trump refused to outright condemn “white supremacists and militia groups.” He also had some real kind words for the Proud Boys, a group that the Southern Poverty Law Center has recognized as a hate group. “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by! But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left,” he said. And in case there was any doubt about Trump’s message, NBC News reported that the Proud Boys were celebrating on their online platforms. https://youtu.be/5ycmyML195c In the wake of recent calls to shift responsibility for non-violent intervention away from police departments, lawmakers and community advocates around California are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2054, also known as the CRISES Act. CRISES is an acronym for Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems. AB 2054 calls for the authorization of a pilot grant program that would allow community-based organizations instead of the police to respond in emergency situations, including incidents requiring mental health intervention, which often involve people experiencing homelessness. Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), the author of AB 2054 and a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, hosted a press conference September 22 featuring community advocates and family members of individuals who were killed by police officers while experiencing mental health crises. Tuesday, Sept. 29, the ladies of The Real have some follow-up questions for co-host Garcelle Beauvais after her revealing conversation with Jamie Foxx on her podcast. In an outrageous Girl Chat, Garcelle reveals some shocking secrets, and admits she could be interested in a relationship with her former co-star! https://youtu.be/RaRs_mkukkY According to news sources WAFB, police say chart-topping rapper NBA Youngboy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was among 16 people who were taken into police custody on Monday, Sept. 28. As of right now, he’s facing a number of drug, felony possession, and stolen firearms charges. Police say the others also face similar variations of the same charges. No further details were shared. However, in a fan-recorded video that has been circulating online apparently shows the moment the rapper was arrested while shooting a new music video for “Choppa City.” Fans also noticed that as reports of the arrest surfaced, NBA Youngboy deleted all of his social media, including his Instagram and Twitter. Day one of ABC’s 2020 VirtuFall panel series featured dynamic panels from the cast and executive producers of the critically-acclaimed comedy “black-ish,” and host and executive producers of the classic game show revival “Supermarket Sweep” with Leslie Jones. In the first ABC panel of the day, Anthony Anderson (executive producer, star), Tracee Ellis Ross (producer, star), Laurence Fishburne (executive producer, star), Kenya Barris (executive producer), and Courtney Lilly (executive producer), joined a fun-filled session discussing what to expect with from “black-ish” this Fall. https://youtu.be/1aMphc5I2_Q California Governor Gavin Newsom has made it a crime for first responders to take photographs of deceased victims "outside of job duties,” said Assemblyman Mike Gipson. Gipson introduced the legislation in May, titled “Invasion of Privacy: First Responders,” after it was reported that Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies shared photos of Kobe Bryant’s crash site with colleagues. Newsome signed the Kobe Bryant Act of 2020 (AB 2655), on Monday. Violation of the law will result in a misdemeanor, PEOPLE reports. Billboard Music and NAACP Image Award winning, inspirational artist, Koryn Hawthorne, has delivered another chart-topping album with, "I Am," which released on September 18, 2020. Hawthorne’s sophomore album debuted at #1 on Nielsen’s Current Gospel Album Chart and #2 on the Gospel Consumption Chart. The Gospel Spotlight's Koryn Hawthorne!!! Hear Koryn Hawthorne In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/korynhawthorne_intvw.htm Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff gave fans a tour of the “Fresh Prince” mansion, ahead of its rental event on Airbnb. We previously reported…the iconic mansion from the hit series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is available for rent for a limited time on Airbnb — and Smith will play host! https://youtu.be/uQ6xbsl6kSo TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, highlights legendary actress and director Debbie Allen this Sunday, October 4 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, October 7 at 10 PM/9C. On this episode of UNCENSORED, Debbie Allen talks about her first big break as a dancer, choreographer and director, her relationship with older sister, Phylicia Rashad, and the compelling reason why she has dedicated her life to teaching dance and the arts to youth from across the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QrE9pHAh7E&feature=youtu.be Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” writer Sam Jay is getting a weekly late-night show on HBO, to be exec produced by “Insecure’s” Prentice Penny. Jay joined the writing staff of the NBC sketch series in October 2017 and Jay’s first hour-long comedy special, “3 In The Morning,” was released on Netflix in August 2020. The new 30-minute show will see Jay tackle the top trending topics in urban and world culture for the week – including race, politics, sexual identity, science, celebrity, religion, and more – and examines them from her unique and subversive point of view. https://youtu.be/D2EcvFfzu-o “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins has been tapped to direct a sequel to Disney’s live-action version of “The Lion King.” Jon Favreau directed the 2019 movie, which featured an all-star voice cast of Beyonce, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover and James Earl Jones reprised his role as Mufasa from the original 1994 animated film. There is no word if the same cast will return for the sequel, which will focus on Mufasa’s origin story. The prolonged coronavirus crisis in California has kept Disney‘s theme parks completely closed and its Florida parks open with limited capacity has forced the company to announce that it will lay off 28,000 employees across its parks, experiences and consumer products division. In a letter sent to employees Tuesday, Josh D’Amaro, head of parks at Disney, detailed several “difficult decisions” the company has had to make in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, including ending its furlough of thousands of employees. Former New York mayor and ex presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is financing liberal activists in a campaign to attract Black voters in Florida, an important battleground state in Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s quest to defeat President Trump. Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris stars in the $3.4 million ad campaign led by Priorities USA and BlackPAC. In the spot, entitled One Nation, Harris, the first Black woman and Indian American to be on a major party presidential ticket, offers a hopeful message of unity to “heal our nation.” It will run on both broadcast and digital media beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30. https://youtu.be/IVR6LvDgTAY Gabrielle Union and NBC have “reached an amicable resolution” following her dismissal from “America’s Got Talent” and complaint about a toxic and racist workplace culture. Union was fired from the music competition show last November, amid claims of “racially charged incidents” involving contestants and producers. Union even noted that a young Black contestant was booted from the show because AGT producers wanted a performer that “America could get behind.” Here is a joint statement by NBC and Union about reaching a resolution this week: “We’ve reached an amicable resolution. NBC Entertainment appreciates the important concerns raised by Gabrielle Union and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds can be treated with respect.” BET has announces the nominees for the 15th annual “Hip Hop Awards,” honoring the past year in hip hop music across 17 categories. Rising superstar, and winner of the 2019 Hip Hop Awards “Best New Hip Hop Artist,” DaBaby, leads this year’s nominations with an impressive 12 nods. DaBaby’s 12 nods includes ‘Best Live Performer,’ ‘Lyricist of the Year,’ ‘Hip Hop Artist of the Year,’ ‘Impact Track’ – Rockstar (BLM Remix) and two nominations in the ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Best Hip Hop Video,’ and ‘Best Collab’ categories. Additionally DaBaby makes history, with two entries in the ‘Hip Hop Album of the Year’ category with “Blame It On Baby,” and “Kirk” both receiving nominations. Naya Rivera’s sister, Nickayla has responded to reports that she’s moved in with the late actress’ ex-husband and is helping him raise Naya’s five-year-old son. According to ET, Ryan Dorsey and Nickayla moved in together less than three months after Naya passed away in an accidental drowning in California’s Lake Piru. While there are whispers that Dorsey and Nickayla are romantically involved, an insider claims that is not the case. “Since the devastating loss of Naya, Ryan’s role in parenting has of course been amped up,” the source told ET. “He’s the primary caregiver, but has been relying very heavily on Nickayla. He would not be able to do this without her help and involvement.” Chadwick Boseman fought for Sienna Miller to be compensated fairly on their film “21 Bridges.” In a new interview with Empire, Miller opens up about her involvement with the 2019 action thriller and why the late “Black Panther” star donated part of his salary to boost her rate. “I didn’t know whether or not to tell this story, and I haven’t yet. But I am going to tell it, because I think it’s a testament to who he was,” the actress said, noting that at the time he approached her about joining the production she “really didn’t want to work anymore.” “I’d been working non-stop and I was exhausted, but then I wanted to work with him,” she added. But when the studio refused to meet her salary demands, Boseman stepped in. https://youtu.be/BVZDhunTrYA Chris Rock has revealed that when he met Cardi B in her heyday he pushed for her to launch a career in comedy. The comedian recently made an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” where he recalled efforts to get the rapper her own show before she became a hip-hop star. https://youtu.be/CydXQjn8zxw Willow Smith opened up about her mother’s “entanglement” with August Alsina on Monday’s episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook Watch show “Red Table Talk.” Jada, 49, previously addressed allegations that she had a sexual relationship with the singer while still married to Will Smith. “I want to put it on the table. I’m so proud of you. To be able to see you and Dad do that, for me, that was like, ‘OK, that’s the real deal,'” Willow, 19, said. “That’s real love.” In August, Jada and Will appeared on “Red Table Talk” to set a few things straight after Alsina, 28, claimed Will gave his blessing to the affair with his wife — which the couple denied. Mark Cuban was spotted in Dallas on Monday picking up former NBA star Delonte West at a gas station. According to reports, the Mavericks owner is helping West get back on his feet after disturbing photos surfaced last week showing the former athlete standing on the side of a road in Dallas, holding a sign and begging for money. Mark Cuban was spotted in Dallas on Monday picking up former NBA star Delonte West at a gas station. https://youtu.be/ABwTtaAIDxg Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris weighed in on President Trump’s reckless financial situation revealed in the bombshell New York Times story that outlined his chronic tax avoidance. On MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes,” Rice said that Trump’s reported $421 million debt is “very much a national security concern, from a security clearance point of view. But also … for the reason that we don’t know who has leverage over him.” Sen. Harris raised the same issue on “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” asking Trump through the camera, “Who do you owe the money, too? And do you owe debt to any foreign nation? Do you owe anybody money who’s impacted by your decisions as President of the United States?” https://youtu.be/JM7QPRKSFE4 The transcript from the grand jury proceeding for Breonna Taylor‘s police killing will be released after a member of the grand jury filed a motion accused the Kentucky attorney general of possibly distorting the truth and leaving the panel no other choice than the weak indictment that didn’t hold police accountable for the young woman’s death. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron agreed to the request late Monday night, the New York Times reported. It was unclear when and how the transcript would be released. The development came amid nationwide protests over the decision to only charge one of the three police officers involved in shooting with wanton endangerment for shooting bullets that hit another apartment instead of for those that struck and killed Taylor in her own home March 13. “The full story and absolute truth of how this matter was handled from beginning to end is now an issue of great public interest and has become a large part of the discussion of public trust throughout the country,” Kevin Glogower, the unnamed grand jury member’s lawyer, wrote in the motion that was filed Monday afternoon. The New York State Supreme Court will officially review how the NYPD handled its violent arrest of Eric Garner — an arrest that resulted in his death following an officer employing an illegal chokehold on the 27-year-old Black man in 2014. New York State Supreme Court Judge Joan Madden made the decision on Thursday, CNN reported. “Although the arrest and death of Eric Garner has received considerable attention in the press over the past six years, many facts relating to his arrest and death, and the investigations and any disciplinary actions taken in response to his death, have not been disclosed to the public or to the family of Mr. Garner,” Madden wrote in her decision. Garner’s mother has been fighting for this review for years and petitioned for a summary judicial inquiry, which CNN defined as “a procedure created by the New York City charter that allows for certain people to be allowed to petition a judge to conduct an inquiry into ‘any alleged violation or neglect of duty in relation to … the government or affairs of the city’ in which the people being investigated may be required to attend and be questioned.” Recording artist La'Donna Lynn has announced the upcoming release of her sophomore project titled "At The Alter" scheduled to release October 2nd. The Jazzy/Traditional styled singer offers a powerful anthem that ushers the listener into a place of worship. "At The Alter" brings a message of spiritual enlightenment to the masses. Continuing her message of God's power from her 2019 single "He's Able". This new gospel ballad written and produced by La'Donna, "At The Alter" speaks the importance of conversing with the Lord on a deeper level. At The Alter is currently available for pre-order. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDrp4DEHjTU Christian singer Natalie Grant believes some American churches have allowed religion and politics to lead them, and her message to believers is that now isn’t the time to be legalistic, but instead to press into the presence of God. Grant released her 10th studio album, No Stranger, on Friday and says her new music is a collection of songs focused on her revelation that God’s presence is the answer to everything needed in this world today. No Stranger is a collection of songs created by Grant and her husband, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Bernie Herms, who produced the record. The 11 songs are orchestral arrangements composed by her husband, who co-wrote half of the album’s tracks. The singer insists that God shows Himself to everyone who seeks Him. Grant says He is not a stranger to anyone and that is where the inspiration for her album title came from. Model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen has been hospitalized in Los Angeles after suffering heavy bleeding during her pregnancy. The 34-year-old took to social media to explain her situation and told fans she’s been bleeding heavily despite being on bed rest for the last few weeks. ”We all know I’ve been on bed rest for a few weeks,” Teigen said via her Instagram Stories. “And that’s super serious bed rest, like get up to quickly pee and that’s it. I take baths twice a week, no showering… I was always, always bleeding. I’m about halfway through pregnancy and blood has been going for a month. So like, maybe a little less than a month. We’re talking more than your period, girls, but definitely not spotting. A lot of people spot and it’s usually fine.” Teigen who is expecting her third child with singer John legend continued to explain: “Every time I’d go to the bathroom it would be blood, but honestly, just laying there would be blood,” she continued. “But today, the big difference was that it kind of was like you were to turn a faucet on to low and leave it there. It’s so weird because I feel really good. I’m usually at my happiest pregnant, mood-wise. I feel happier than I do not pregnant. That’s why it’s so hard for me to come to terms with [the situation]… It was at the point today where it was never stopping bleeding.” Russell Wilson has been great to start the 2020 season. Historically great. According to Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network, “Wilson is the first QB in the 101-year history of the @NFL with 4+ TD passes in each of his team’s first 3 games.” With a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, Russell broke Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ record for most touchdown passes through the first three games of a season: Wilson also became just the fifth passer in league history with five touchdown passes in back-to-back games: Coming into Sunday, Wilson had thrown for 610 yards, nine touchdowns and just one interception, completing 82.5 percent of his passes. Those are video game numbers. https://youtu.be/sqgrMeGpk58 Today Lyft has announced that Michael B. Jordan, in partnership with his Outlier Society Fellowship, are joining forces with LyftUp. Together they will provide young people of color and recent college graduates of underserved communities in Los Angeles and New York with access to free rides to employment-related destinations such as job interviews, mentorship events, internships and career counseling. In these trying emotional and financial times, it’s more important than ever for underserved communities to have access to affordable transportation. This is a way to relieve some of the everyday stresses associated with finding a way to potentially life-changing opportunities. https://youtu.be/yImMyOkeaKQ Sony Pictures Television has nabbed global distribution rights to the documentary “Who You Gonna Call?” which chronicles the life of Grammy-winning musician Ray Parker Jr., creator of the smash hit song “Ghostbusters.” Directed by award-winning filmmaker Fran Strine (“Hired Gun”), the documentary follows Parker’s struggles growing up on the racially charged streets of Detroit in the 1960s and escaping violence to rise in the music industry, where he toured with Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones at the age of 18. The film looks back on Parker’s successful music career before getting the call from Ivan Reitman to write and perform the hit song for the 1984 film “Ghostbusters.” He wrote, produced and performed with numerous music icons including Barry White, New Edition, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, The Temptations, The Carpenters and The Supremes. Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison pleaded not guilty Monday to three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment related to Breonna Taylor’s killing. Hankison was fired from the department in June, three months after he and two other offifers, Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, conducted an improper raid on Taylor’s home and fired at least 22 shots. Taylor was hit several times and died on the scene. Hankison was fired, the other two remain on the police force. https://youtu.be/YMQgd806meE Former Pussycat Doll pussycat is set to appear on the series premiere of “Dr. 90210,” where she seeks help for her botched labia. The new reality series follows four female plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills — and Peralta meets with Dr. Cat Begovic for a consultation. https://youtu.be/BdNxXN6UXds A 16-year-old boy was told by his teacher to remove a Trump 2020 flag from his bedroom wall or else be kicked out of class. The student, at Colusa High School in California, was in his bedroom participating in an online Chemistry class when the teacher demanded that the flag be taken down or placed out of view. “You can sit up, remove the flag, or reposition your camera within the next 15 seconds or I’m kicking you out of class,” the teacher said. A video of the incident shows the teacher counting to 15 seconds. https://youtu.be/Ndmrs7m7NNM A man happened to livestream his own carjacking Sunday in the Nation’s Capital. The video posted on the victim’s Facebook page shows him sitting in his car speaking in what appears to be Amharic for about 30 minutes. Then, as if in a horror movie, two young men are seen through the rear and side windows approaching the car from behind. “Get out the f**kin’ car!” they yell. With the livestream still going, the two men climb in and drive away with the car. https://youtu.be/ZSvFqsR1k6s National Geographic Documentary Films announced today that the critically acclaimed five-part documentary series from Participant and Kartemquin Films, CITY SO REAL, will air in an unprecedented one-night, five-hour, commercial-free event on Thursday, October 29 beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT. All five episodes will then be available on Hulu the following day – Friday, October 30. From twice Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Steve James (“America to Me,” “Hoop Dreams”) and his longtime producing partner Zak Piper (“Life Itself,” “The Interrupters”), the fascinating and complex portrait of contemporary Chicago delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of a quintessentially American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election. https://youtu.be/QyQ85DEVpbc Monday, Sept. 28, the hosts of The Real compare notes about discussing racism with their significant others, as they all have experience with bi-racial relationships. Co-host Loni Love explains that she’s “not sleeping with nobody who’s not down for my people,” and that she and boyfriend James have been having many more conversations about their respective backgrounds due to this summer’s social unrest. https://youtu.be/tKZXERkrt00 Within 24 hours of news that President Trump allegedly paid less taxes than regular working folk on millions of dollars in income, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign has responded with a new ad. The video posted on Twitter compares the amount of taxes that regular folk like teachers, firefighters and nurses typically pay compared to Trump’s alleged tax bill. “Teachers paid $7,239. Firefighters paid $5,283. Nurses paid $10,216. Donald Trump paid $750,” the 30-second spot points out. As of Monday morning at 9 a.m. ET, the video had more than 2.2 million views on Twitter. Nashville based league of singers Byron Harvey & Team are a dynamic group of ministers who love singing for God and for the betterment of humanity at large. The group is lead by frontman and founder Byron Harvey, an ordained minister who is known for his robust vocals and anointed songwriting. Their new single and proclamation of God's authority, love, and peace is "God Is Justice." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L7VAI6iJeE&feature=youtu.be Demetrius West and Jesus Promoters literally do it again as "I’m Next," the infectious single from their sophomore album takes the number one spot on the BDS radio chart. “God does all things well and this feat is beyond words”, says West. “We were grateful when Open the Floodgates topped the charts and gave us the opportunity to take our ministry to audiences across the nation. God honored and favored us with another number one and we are simply overjoyed for this. The first teaser trailer for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 presented by Amazon Prime Video was released Monday ahead of its Friday, Oct. 2 premiere. The event features performances by Bad Bunny, Ella Mai, Miguel, Mustard, Roddy Ricch, and Rosalia plus a combination of models, actors and dancers including Lizzo, Bella Hadid, Big Sean, Cara Delevingne, Christian Combs, Demi Moore, Laura Harrier, Normani, Paloma Elsesser, Paris Hilton, Willow Smith. https://youtu.be/ISnPZFSFy-0 Chairman Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers have reached a mutual decision that Rivers will step down as head coach of the L.A. Clippers. “Doc has been a terrific coach for the Clippers, an incredible ambassador, and a pillar of strength during tumultuous times,” Ballmer said. “He won a heck of a lot of games and laid a foundation for this franchise.” Rivers, 58, was the most successful head coach in Clippers history, compiling a record of 356-208 over seven seasons. Under his direction, the Clippers made the playoffs six times and reached the Western Conference semifinals in 2020, 2015, and 2014. Before arriving in Los Angeles in 2013, Rivers spent nine seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning a championship in 2008. NeNe Leakes took to Twitter to lash out at Andy Cohen and Wendy Williams after they discussed her “Real Housewives of Atlanta” departure on “Watch What Happens Live” on Sunday. Leakes did not mention their name in her series of tweets, but it was clear who her fury was direct at. “Both are f their ratings are LOW! Bye QUEENS,” Leakes tweeted Sunday. She then added, “She on cocaine so they should stop using her to talk! They both need my help with their poor ratings.” She also advised Cohen to “Keep trying me sir and imma let the world know who you really are” and “The racist is the master manipulator! They using me for ratings like they have always done.” President’s Trump’s former campaign manager, Brad Parscale, is reportedly under psychiatric care at a Fort Lauderdale hospital after being talked out of suicide attempt over the weekend. https://youtu.be/9fpzeLlirj4 ”Hamilton” star Daveed Diggs is now co-starring in the new Showtime series “The Good Lord Bird.” This limited series tells the story of abolitionist John Brown and his efforts to end slavery. Diggs plays the great Frederick Douglass who Brown seeks out to help him with his fight. It is known that Douglass helped with the underground railroad and was a free black man that often spoke publicly about the unjust conditions of slavery. But he didn’t involve himself in slave revolts which is what John Brown was about. Brown went through the south freeing slaves and killing their slave masters if it came down to it. https://youtu.be/wAe13u1dliA The powerless and voiceless look to Reverend Sharpton to get their voices heard. “People have called me an ambulance chaser, but we are the ambulance.” He is referring to victims’ families who have been helped by Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN), providing everything from the media attention these families need to pressure prosecutors to take action towards justice, to gaining the attention of congress for policy reform, as well as emotional and financial support in some instances. Now, with his new book, Rise Up: Confronting A Country At The Crossroads, Reverend Al Sharpton outlines his unrelenting position on the weightiest political and societal issues of our time, recounts some hard lessons learned and offers an inside glimpse into the mentors who shaped the man we see today. Most importantly, Reverend Sharpton outlines his plan for an America at the crossroads. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for Brazoria County after a deadly amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, was found in Lake Jackson’s water supply. As reported by PEOPLE, a Do Not Use Water Advisory was issued to eight cities in Texas, warning of the brain-eating bacteria in the water supply. State and local officials are reportedly working with the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency to resolve the issue. https://youtu.be/Xl-1LsnUcaE The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times claims he thought Blake was trying to abduct one of his own children, so he opened fire. Video of the Aug 23 incident shows three officers standing with Blake before he walks toward the driver’s side of his car. An officer with his gun drawn follows Blake, then grabs the back of his shirt while firing multiple shots into his back. Blake appears to go limp before he is seen lying on the ground surrounded by officers. Michael Cohen, the former attorney and personal fixer for Donald J. Trump, once vowed to take a bullet for the President. But was brought to its knees by the President’s own lies and personal madness. Now, imprisoned in his home, his life, reputation and livelihood destroyed, Cohen is on a mission to right the wrongs he perpetuated on behalf of his boss. “Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen” is a raw and unfiltered shining of a light into the dark corners of our current American Apocalypse. The newest episode of the “Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen” podcast features Omarosa who discusses being a Black woman on Trump’s team, Trump being a racist and Lara Trump’s infamous offer. Dr. Anthony Fauci virtual-visited Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show” and answered all the mask-related questions that you didn’t know you had. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsym3reI-QU One of the Louisville officer’s involved with the death of Breonna Taylor intends to file civil lawsuits against those calling him a “murderer” for his role in the fatal shooting of the 26-year-old. Attorney Todd McMurtry posted video on Twitter last week that appeared to show Police Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly being driven away after he was shot during the March 13 incident at Taylor’s apartment. In the tweet, McMurtry says: “They called him a ‘murderer,’ when all he did was defend himself.” In an email to The Courier Journal on Friday, McMurtry said statements that the officer is a murderer “are defamatory and actionable.” Mattingly intends to file civil lawsuits related to those statements. Dr. Dre’s daughter Truly Young has called out 50 Cent over his recent comments about her parents divorce. In a post on Instagram earlier this month, 50 Cent posted a screenshot of a Daily Mail headline that read, “Dr. Dre’s estranged wife Nicole Young wants $2M in monthly support.” He captioned the post, “These b*tches be crazy how do you even ask for 2 million a month.” Truly caught wind of the comments and responded to the post on her Instagram Story on Friday. “Haha… Coming from an ugly, washed up, early 2000s rapper who filed for bankruptcy and is only envious of my family’s wealth and lifestyle,” she wrote in a comment on the post, which she also shared on her IG. “Have fun spending the rest of your savings on steroids. F*ck you.” Nene Leakes is speaking out about her exit from “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” claiming she was “forced” off the show by Bravo executives. In a Twitter exchange on Saturday, a fan asked if a Leakes spinoff series is in the works, to which the reality TV star replied, “They don’t think I deserve to work at all in any [capacity].” “It sound[s] like they forced you out!” another fan said, and Leakes responded: “They definitely did.” https://youtu.be/BIxcCVqvUpU Candace Owens has come to the defense of Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron over his handling of the Breonna Taylor case. The bestselling author and Trump loyalist claims Cameron is being “racially attacked by the left” since his announcement of the grand jury’s decision in the Taylor shooting investigation. Owens appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Thursday to share her thoughts about the public’s reaction to the case. https://youtu.be/Hvxu7sbdwG0 Bullets were flying outside Taylor Swift’s ritzy Tribeca townhouse Sunday evening when shots broke out during an armed robbery at a local shop — the second shooting on the upscale block in a month, sources and witnesses said. The robbery took place at Patron of New York, a sneaker store at 151 Franklin St., shortly after 5 p.m., next door to the Grammy-winning pop star’s $18 million home, with police recovering several shell casings. Police said four shots were fired, though no one was hit. The New York Times’ bombshell report Sunday night that revealed Donald Trump‘s tax information over the past couple of decades has prompted an angry chorus of demands across social media calling for the president to be arrested. The new report on Trump’s taxes shows that he “has been more successful playing a business mogul than being one in real life.” The report came two days before Trump’s first debate against Joe Biden and one day after the president nominated Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s replacement on the U.S. Supreme Court with just barely more than a month until Election Day. Aside from the expected outrage on social media, there were also inevitable comparisons to Al Capone, the infamous Chicago gangster of the 1920s whose ultimate downfall was tax evasion, a term that became a top trending topic on Twitter hours after the Times’ story broke. “The tax returns that Mr. Trump has long fought to keep private tell a story fundamentally different from the one he has sold to the American public. His reports to the I.R.S. portray a businessman who takes in hundreds of millions of dollars a year yet racks up chronic losses that he aggressively employs to avoid paying taxes. Donald Trump‘s former social media guru-turned campaign manager who used Facebook to nefariously target Black voters has been reportedly placed in an involuntary psychiatric hold in Florida over concerns he could kill himself. Brad Parscale, who ran Trump’s re-election campaign until he was replaced in June, reportedly had guns handy and was threatening to die by suicide. The 44-year-old who still works for Trump apparently barricaded himself in the Fort Lauderdale home he shares with his wife, who called the police and said “her husband was armed, had access to multiple firearms inside the house and was threatening to kill himself,” according to Local 10 news. The Washington Post reported that even though Parscale was armed and allegedly had additional guns he could use, police “safely negotiated for him to exit the home.” It was the kind of scenario that has many times resulted in deadly police violence when Black people find themselves similarly in need of help. Comedian and mogul Kevin Hart is making boss moves in the entertainment industry. According to AfroTech, Hart is expanding his partnership with SiriusXM. Under the multi-platform deal, the Philadelphia native will produce an array of new regular and live programming for his Laugh Out Loud Radio channel. Additionally, Hart and his team will develop videos, radio shows and podcasts through his entertainment company Laugh Out Loud that will be featured across all of SiriusXM’s digital platforms. Hart says the new deal will be instrumental in furthering his mission to elevate the comedy industry. “When we launched LOL three years ago, we promised it would be the future of comedy – and we believe in the power of audio as a key part of our future. SiriusXM has been an incredible partner since day one,” he said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “With this new deal, we’re providing a platform for comedians to connect with listeners through different audio formats, reaching them everywhere they consume content.” Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel was smiling when he was asked what it felt like to finally reach the NBA Finals for the first time, after getting into the league in 2001.“I actually came in in ’98,” Vogel said, offering a polite correction. Either way, the point was clear: This opportunity was a long time coming. Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Paul Westhead, Bill Sharman and John Kundla all won championships in their first seasons as Lakers coach, and now Vogel has the chance to join that group. The 47-year-old New Jersey native will see the finals stage for the first time this week when the Lakers face off against the Miami Heat. Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke will not return in 2021, the team said before its final game on Sunday, ending his tenure as a one-year, shotgun stopgap for a pandemic-shortened season with a last-place finish in the AL East. Hired on the eve of spring training after Alex Cora was caught cheating during his time in Houston, Roenicke took over a roster that would soon shed 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts and 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price, who were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ace Chris Sale (Tommy John surgery) and Eduardo Rodriguez (COVID-19) never threw a pitch for the team this year. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom also commended Roenicke for navigating the coronavirus shutdown and for holding the team together when racial protests interrupted the season. Josh Allen might get the credit for saving the Buffalo Bills from a monumental second-half meltdown. The third-year starter was more upset that he helped put the team in that position to begin with. Two second-half turnovers led to the Los Angeles Rams rallying from a 25-point deficit, but Allen bailed the Bills out by completing a 3-yard pass to tight end Tyler Kroft with 15 seconds remaining to secure a 35-32 win on Sunday. “Yeah, probably just got too relaxed and that’s on me,” said Allen, whose five-touchdown outing (including one rushing) was clouded by two turnovers that led to Rams TDs. “I’ve got to be better for our team and our offense,” he added. No matter how bad things might have seemed a week ago, the Atlanta Falcons somehow managed to make it even worse. Yep, another epic fourth-quarter collapse. This one could spell the end for embattled coach Dan Quinn, who already carried the burden of the biggest squandered lead in Super Bowl history. The Falcons surrendered a 16-point advantage in the final 6 1/2 minutes to the Chicago Bears, who got three touchdown passes from backup quarterback Nick Foles and pulled out a 30-26 win on Sunday. It would have seemed downright improbable — if it hadn’t happened for the second week in a row. Atlanta (0-3) became the first team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games in which it led by 15 or more points in the final period, according to STATS. “These last two weeks have been nothing short of crushing,” said Quinn, the sixth-year coach who desperately needed a strong start after two straight losing seasons. Rex Burkhead can’t remember the last time he scored three touchdowns in a game. But he said every time he reached the end zone Sunday was for James White. Burkhead had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving TD, and Bill Belichick joined George Halas (318) and Don Shula (328) as the only coaches in NFL history to reach 275 regular-season victories in the New England Patriots’ 36-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. “We tried to go out there and play for him,” Burkhead said of White, who missed his second straight game after his father, Tyrone, was killed in a car accident. “He’s a brother to me. I really feel his pain.” With White out, the Patriots’ running backs picked up the slack for an offense that struggled early. Sony Michel finished with nine carries for 117 yards. As a team, New England (2-1) rushed for a season-high 250 yards. Prepping in the relative warmth of a gym before heading out with leggings and long sleeves to make her French Open debut against the tournament’s No. 9 seed, Coco Gauff got a pep talk from Dad. “His goal was to become an NBA player, and he didn’t make it. He told me: ‘You’re living your dream. Not everybody gets to do that. Just have fun on the court.’ That really changed my perspective,” the 16-year-old Gauff recounted. “I was really nervous going into the match. That just calmed me down. I realized it’s just a tennis match. I’m doing some things that people wish they could do.” On a rather unusual start to things at Roland Garros — postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Day 1 arrived in September instead of May, with only 1,000 spectators allowed instead of more than 30,000 as COVID-19 cases rise in France — Gauff offered the latest proof that she can do most of what she wishes to on a tennis court. Gauff stayed steady at the most crucial moments to beat Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-3 and reach the second round. The Pittsburgh Steelers spent two quarters trying to hem in Deshaun Watson. It didn’t take. After watching the Houston quarterback move the Texans up and down Heinz Field with remarkable ease, the Steelers blew up their meticulously put-together game plan and went back to their default setting: attack. Might want to stick with that one. Probably for good. Slicing into the backfield relentlessly, the Steelers put the clamps on the Texans in the second half to rally for a 28-21 victory that pushed them to 3-0 for the first time in a decade. Houston managed just 51 yards and two first downs in the final 30 minutes to fall to 0-3. It’s been five years since Kathie Lee Gifford said goodbye to her late husband Frank, and now, the TV host and actress is channeling her pain to tell the story of a widow’s loss. “Loss is loss. Everybody’s details are different, but the power of it is the same. It’s real,” Kathie Lee, 67, said in a new interview with Extra TV. “The deeper you love somebody, the greater your pain you’re going to feel when you lose them.” In her new rom-com movie, Then Came You, Kathie Lee plays Annabelle, a lonely widow who plans a trip around the world with her husband’s ashes. During her first stop in Scotland, she meets an innkeeper, played by Craig Ferguson, who changes her life forever. While she and Annabelle both went through the grief of losing their husbands, the former Today show host said the role wasn’t autobiographical. “The only way that I’m similar to her at all in this movie, it’s not autobiographical at all is that she’s a widow, I’m a widow, that’s it.” David Oyelowo has revealed his beloved father Stephen has passed away following one-year battle with colon cancer. The Les Misérables actor, 44, took to Instagram on Friday to pay tribute to his ‘protector, guardian, hero and encourager’ who ‘fought so hard to stick around’ for his family in a heartbreaking post. The grieving thespian wrote: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I bring the news of the passing of my BELOVED father. ‘My brothers and I knew him as our protector, guardian, hero, encourager and our lovely Daddy. You probably knew him as @the_leaf_blower, because of his hilarious antics with that very noisy device!’ Yara Shahidi will be sprinkling some fairy dust for Disney. Shahidi is set to play Tinkerbell in Disney’s live-action Peter Pan redo. She will join Jude Law, who is set to play Captain Hook, and Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson, who will play Peter and Wendy. David Lowery, who directed Pete’s Dragon for the studio, is on board to helm Peter Pan & Wendy, based on Disney’s 1953 animated movie and co-wrote the script with Toby Halbrooks. Shahidi broke-out came on the ABC series Black-ish and led the series spin-off Grown-ish. On the features side she led the adaptation of YA novel The Sun Is Also a Star. Tamika Mallory, the co-founder of the Women’s March, has harshly criticized Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, comparing him to ‘sell-out N**roes’ who participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Mallory spoke at a press conference in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, where she blasted Cameron over a grand jury’s decision not to directly charge officers in Breonna Taylor’s killing. ‘Daniel Cameron is no different than the sell-out N**roes that sold our people into slavery and helped white men capture our people to abuse them and to traffic them,’ she said. ‘That is who you are Daniel Cameron. Celtics forward Gordon Hayward originally planned to leave the NBA bubble when it was time for his wife, Robyn, to give birth. However, that all changed after an ankle sprain suffered in the Celtics’ first playoff game forced Hayward to leave the bubble. While at home, it was decided that the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter would return to the Orlando campus and not leave again, even for the birth. So Hayward FaceTimed into the delivery room Wednesday in Indiana for the birth of his son, Gordon Theodore, ESPN.com reported. The birth came just hours before Boston’s 112-109 loss to the Heat in Game 4. It is the couple’s first son after having three daughters. Drivers may choose to join the new statewide “Florida Stands with Israel” movement by ordering a specialty license plate for their vehicles. The new plates will represent Florida’s partnership with the Jewish state. “This kind of warmth is why Florida has always been a leading destination for Israeli-Americans,” said Israeli-American Council (IAC) Board Member and IAC for Action Board Chairman Shawn Evenhaim. “This gesture celebrates a long and close relationship. Florida and Israel share many ties, including bilateral trade, common values and leadership in cutting-edge fields that have a quality of life impact for all citizens.” Through the legislature and recent signing of HB 1135 by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the plate was authorized. The Carolina Panthers will be without running back Christian McCaffrey for multiple weeks thanks to a high-ankle sprain he suffered during a 31-17 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The timeline McCaffrey was given after the injury was four to six weeks. The superstar vows to return sooner than that. “They say four to six weeks, well, that’s a challenge to me,” McCaffrey said in a news conference Monday. “Hopefully I can get back a lot earlier than that, but I’m gonna attack this.” The No. 8 overall pick out of Stanford in 2017 took to Instagram this week to share his thoughts about the rash of injuries to star players in Week 2 and the faith in God that sustains him during trying times. President Trump announced Saturday that he would nominate federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, setting up a bitter confirmation fight in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. In a Rose Garden ceremony, Trump called Barrett “one of our nation’s most brilliant and gifted legal minds,” saying “she is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution.” On Friday, Sept. 25, the hosts of The Real discuss whether teachers should be prohibited from displaying personal items that reflect their political beliefs, sexual identity, and other personal items on their desks or classrooms during the school year. Co-host Adrienne Houghton explains how she supports this ban and why she does not plan to have her future children attend traditional school. Janelle Monaé and Kieresey Clemons join the ladies to talk about their new film Antebellum, the fears they had taking on their difficult roles, and if they ever plan to collaborate musically together. https://youtu.be/4jA7FNYBgBg While speaking with Chicago Tribune’s Nina Metz, “Girlfriends” star Reggie Hayes spoke about the classic sitcom that recently started streaming on Netflix as well as many other things including his health and acting career. The actor who gained fame for his role as William Jerrome, reveals that his life has been pretty rough, 20 years after the hit show premiered. On Friday, the Chicago native was hospitalized for congestive heart failure in Los Angeles. Hayes explained to Metz, “We’re still not sure what’s going on, I gotta take more tests. But I have congestive heart failure and it was difficult to breathe. So I was in the hospital overnight, they were having trouble getting my blood pressure back down. Seems like the more they look, the more problems they find.” However, Hayes noted, that “the good thing is, I don’t have the coronavirus.” Keifer Sykes plays professional basketball in Turkey, not Los Angeles or New York. He hasn’t yet made his NBA dream fit inside his 6-foot frame. And life off the court has been pock-marked with losses and tragedies tied to the gun violence that has riddled the streets of Chicago for a century. The former University of Wisconsin-Green Bay star had his successes and heartbreaks documented in the award-winning 2018 documentary “Chi-Town.” Audiences saw Sykes become the first college graduate in his family’s history. they watched as he led Green Bay to a Horizon League Championship for the first time in more than a decade. Sykes’s strong will has now turned him into a philanthropic brand. His Free10Foundation provides mentorship to inner-city kids, holds clothing drives and Christmas parties for Chicago’s poorest, and assists children who have been victims of trauma. https://youtu.be/Rbaow1I535c As remote learning and employment have increased during the coronavirus pandemic, so have cyberattacks by criminals holding data hostage for a ransom. One recent target was Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, the 12th-largest school district in the U.S. The scope of the attack on the district’s technology systems is not yet known, a Sept. 12 statement from the district said. “If it is determined in the course of our investigation that personal information has been compromised, we will take steps to notify affected individuals as appropriate,” the district said, adding that the FBI was investigating. Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) has upped its game and offers relevant films in this pandemic period at the 58th New York Film Festival (NYFF58) running until October 11. Director of Programming Dennis Lim says, “Movies are neither made nor experienced in a vacuum, and while the works in our program predate the current moment of crisis, it’s striking to me just how many of them resonate with our unsettled present, or represent a means of transcending it.” This year’s Main Slate showcases films from 19 different countries, including new titles from renowned auteurs. Frederick Wiseman explores behind the scenes of the Boston city government in “City Hall;” indictments of America’s racist past and present in Sam Pollard’s “MLK/FBI” and Garrett Bradley’s “Time, dealing with the crisis of Black mass incarceration in America.” The longtime personal trainer to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg honored her in his own special way on Friday as she lay in state at the U.S. Capitol. Bryant Johnson, who was famously captured in the documentary “RBG” during one of his morning workouts with the famed Justice, dropped down and did three pushups in front of her flag-draped casket. https://youtu.be/wVBsaRFEwOM Today, chart-topping, two-time GRAMMY®- nominated and multi award-winning inspirational artist, Koryn Hawthorne, released her new music video for the powerful single “Know You.” The new video marks the second video released from the songstress’ Essential Worship Song Session series, following the debut of her music video “How Great” featuring contemporary Christian music artist and songwriter, Matt Maher. The album version of “Know You” features worship leader and songwriter, Steffany Gretzinger, and highlights Hawthorne’s pursuit to know God’s heart above all. https://essentialworship.lnk.to/oVFpyXPvRC Tune in every week on Sundays at 5pm (EST) for Suya Soul Live home-singing music sessions hosted by TolumiDE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcZjWd63AZk GRAMMY®-nominated recording artist Natalie Grant releases her tenth studio album, No Stranger, today (9/25) across all digital streaming platforms and select physical retailers. No Stranger is Grant’s first full-length project in five years, following her 2015 chart-topping release, "Be One." “Praise You In This Storm” - https://youtu.be/4fo0A7jpLsk Charles Barkley and Sahquille O’Neal have been accused of defending the Louisville police officers who killed Breonna Taylor and blaming the black EMT’s boyfriend for opening fire first. Barkley and O’Neal were discussing Taylor’s death and the decision not to indict any officers in her killing during the TNT pregame show ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets game on Thursday. Barkley argued that Taylor’s death couldn’t be compared to the police killing of black man George Floyd because Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker first fired a shot at officers when they entered her apartment with a ‘no knock’ warrant. ‘I don’t think this one was like George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery and things like that,’ Barkley said. Barkley and O’Neal immediately came under fire on social media for their comments as they were accused of ‘defending the police’. One person branded them: ‘Skin folk, not kin folk.’ ‘Charles and Shaq both throwing black women under the bus,’ one account with the user name Justice for Breonna Taylor wrote. ‘SHAME, I used to be a fan.’ British pop star Ed Sheeran is being sued for copyright infringement for lifting parts of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his track “Thinking Out Loud.” The 1973 song was co-written by Ed Townsend, whose family filed a lawsuit against Sheeran in 2016, accusing him of lifting the “melody, harmony and rhythmic components” from Gaye’s track, per ABC News. Sheeran initially responded to the suit by claiming public domain gave him permission to use the chord progressions and drum patterns for “Let’s Get It On.”During a hearing on Tuesday in front of Sony Records, Townsend’s daughter was joined by music icon George Clinton to fight for Black artists. https://youtu.be/lp-EO5I60KA As #MariahCarey’s memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey” is approaching release, more excerpts from the book are being shared to the anticipating public. Most of Mariah fans are excited to learn more about the intimate inner works and personal life experiences of the superstar singer songwriter. Mariah tells it all in the upcoming book, including allegations of abuse by her older sister. So far from the snippets of Mariah’s memoir her lavish baths aren’t just for relaxation, but also a place where Mariah gains musical inspiration. Fans also got a piece of vulnerability from Mariah when she recently sat down with Oprah Winfrey on “The Oprah Conversation.” Family Guy has cast YouTuber Arif Zahir to voice Cleveland Brown after Mike Henry, a white man, announced he would be stepping down from the role because “persons of color should play characters of color.” Henry announced his departure on social media in August, saying in a statement, “It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.” After being off the radar since his RNC speech, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development popped up Thursday evening at the Values Voter Summit in Washington D.C. trying to argue that race is being manipulated this election cycle in order to create chaos and divide Americans. “In this election season, everything is race. And, obviously, it’s being manipulated along those lines,” he said during an interview with Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins. “Things have changed so incredibly dramatically in this country, but in order to create the kind of chaos that’s necessary to make people want a change, you divide them, you divide them in every way you possibly can: by race, by gender, by age, by income.” On Saturday, November 7, 2020 1-3pm PT at the 21st annual Los Angeles “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference via Zoom video conferencing the heads of two record labels, two management companies and a music producer to speak on the Professional Panel. The conference offers a “Q and A Session” with the panelists, a “professional talent showcase,” and a “national talent competition.” One winner from each category – singer, songwriter, dance or acting – in the competition will be selected by the panel to receive the 2020 ‘ULMII Best Artist” Award and over $15,000 valued in prizes. Jennifer Lopez and Colombian singer/songwriter Maluma have dropped a two-part music video for the songs “Pa’ Ti” and “Lonely.” The video, which debuted on TikTok Thursday, tells the story of a wealthy woman (Lopez) who falls in love with a man (Maluma) who turns out to be an undercover agent. https://youtu.be/A1kuaEuLX78 A photo of former NBA star Delonte West has gone viral, showing him dirty and apparently homeless while begging for money. Now the league and his former coach Doc Rivers, and the NBA Players Association have offered to help the 37-year-old. The photo was reportedly taken in Dallas, and shows West holding a sign while standing on the side of the road. He allegedly asked fans for money on the street. Barack Obama gave out his ‘phone number’ to the American people so they can text him and share “how you’re planning on voting this year.” “All right, let’s try something new. If you’re in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687,” he tweeted and posted to Instagram Wednesday. Obama is using a service called Community that allows subscribers to receive text messages from him and write back. "Enough Is Enough" the new song from Carl Brister is in The Gospel Spotlight!!! This hit song is the Gospel Spotlight song of the week....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RbeshNe0q0&feature=youtu.be Keyla Richardson much-awaited 8-track debut EP "So Good" is set to be released Friday, September 25, 2020. The EP features lead single and title track, “So Good,” which landed at #1 on the Gospel Airplay chart. Keyla Richardson is in The Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Keyla Richardson In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/keylarichardson_intvw.htm On Friday, September 25, the NAACP will host a conversation with Vice Presidential Candidate Senator Kamala Harris. Moderated by CNN Commentator Angela Rye, the event will include Leon W. Russell, Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, and Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO, and other leaders. Senator Harris will discuss the national reckoning on racism, the global pandemic and her vision for the future of America. The conversation is a premier event of the NAACP’s 111th national convention and will take place starting at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT. Chris Rock will help kick off the premiere of the 46th season of Saturday Night Live on October 3. This will mark his third appearance as host of the NBC sketch comedy show. An old song has been given new life after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron defended a grand jury’s decision to bring charges that have nothing to do with the actual police killing of Breonna Taylor. The decision led to angry protests around the country, but not all of them have come in the form of demonstrating in American streets: At least one protest came in the form of a song that gained new relevance from the developments in Louisville, thanks to a viral tweet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP4X4tf_Vyk There was a growing sense of incredulity over a grand jury’s decision to indict a fired cop for endangering the lives of Breonna Taylor‘s neighbors instead of recommending anything less than manslaughter for the egregious and preventable police killing in Louisville. Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing Taylor’s family, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday morning and said the decision to charge Brett Hankison with wanton endangerment “doesn’t make sense.” He said Taylor’s family was “outraged, they were insulted, and they were mostly offended.” Crump then said what was probably on a lot of people’s minds, too: “We’re trying to figure out what did the Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron present to the grand jury.” That seems to be the central question that Cameron was dodging during a press conference after the decision was announced. When asked about it, he would only say that the grand jury proceedings were “secret.” Death row inmate Christopher Vialva was executed Thursday night, making him the first Black person to be executed by the Trump administration as well as the first man in 70 years to be executed for crimes committed as a teenager. Vialva, 40, was convicted in 2000 of killing youth ministers Todd and Stacie Bagley during a carjacking in Texas when he was just 19 years old in 1999. Vialvo is the seventh inmate executed by the federal government this year. There had been a 17-year pause in executions before U.S. Attorney General William Barr reinstated them last year. The Black American Music Association (BAM), has announced a partnership with the Voting Rights Are Civil Rights Initiative. The effort is specifically focused on protecting the vote in 14 swing states and 54 counties with high African American and Latino populations. BAM and the Voting Rights Are Civil Rights Initiative have aligned with several entertainment industry groups, community organizations, activists and former election commissioners. Together the coalition is focusing on three main initiatives – recruiting GenZ to help staff the polls; educating people on their legal rights so they can make sure their votes are counted and how to address voter suppression and intimidation. To accomplish this they are recruiting and training poll workers; providing unique information from professional election administrators and providing information and tools to fight voter suppression tactics and intimidation. Lydia Salett Dudley the gifted Jazz and Gospel music artist that's an educated and celebrated Jazz pianist, singer, composer and arranger. She is a consummate musician and performer. She recently dropped a single and music video called “Whatcha Gonna Do?”, highlighting the national upheaval taking place in our country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEzm6k1OY9Q The wait is over! Vocalist San Franklin's adept and full-bodied voice has been heard on a plethora of Grammy®, Dove, and Stellar Award-winning albums from music's top artists in Christian, Country, R&B, and Jazz music. San Franklin is now sharing her extraordinary talent, her trials and triumphs in life, and her anointed ministry in a musical body of work called THE FREE PROJECT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7N0bp-SUR4&feature=youtu.be The co-hosts have an emotional discussion about justice, about being valued, about the way the city of Louisville, KY, has handled the case – and how we all have the power to make some needed changes for the future. Then activist Rachel Cargle visits to explain the concept of “unlearning,” and reversing the whitewashing of history. https://youtu.be/wJHHSqG3u4I Peyton Elizabeth Lee stars as Sam in “Secret Society of Second Born Royals.” She is a teenage royal rebel second in line to the throne of Illyria. Sam and fellow royals with special powers attend a top-secret training camp learning how to harness their powers to save the world. Noah Lomax (Mike) is Sam’s best friend and bandmate in the Disney+ original movie “Secret Society of Second Born Royals.” https://youtu.be/Zq2OLayDn9k Nicole Weider, a fashion model turned women’s activist and filmmaker, says the new film “Switched” shows the harms of bullying and advises young people not to attack each other but instead “lead with love” because everyone is facing their own battles. The faith-based film debuted on Digital and Video on Demand on Sept. 4 and will be released on DVD Oct. 6. https://youtu.be/I-OrHZGx2IE On the heels of an exhilarating year, singer and songwriter Whitney McClain drops new music, releasing her “Letters from a Broken Heart” EP. McClain introduced “Fireplace,” the first cut from project this past winter; which has amassed over 2 million views to date. https://youtu.be/2QbmwcdOnlA 2x GRAMMY® Award-winner Fantastic Negrito has announced the premiere of “Searching for Captain Save a Hoe (Feat. E-40),” a thought-provoking modern reinvention of legendary Bay Area rapper E-40’s 1993 classic, “Captain Save A Hoe.” An equally inventive companion video was directed by Isaiah Frazier. https://youtu.be/4Z4xw2gLsH0 Joy Reid was a guest on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday to talk about the lack of charges in Breonna Taylor’s death at the hands of police. The host of MSNBC’s “The Reid Out” also breaks down the details of what happened to her, including the police arresting her boyfriend Kenneth Walker for trying to defend her. Additionally, Reid speaks about the difficulty of explaining police brutality to her children, explains that the police are trained to shoot to kill and explains what it really means to defund the police. https://youtu.be/8Ma7Pgz-FF4 CATCH THE SEASON FINALE OF CLEO TV'S ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON FOR ALL THINGS FASHION THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 AT 9 P.M. ET/8C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXK5x_4TdeQ&feature=youtu.be Season two of CLEO TV's New Soul Kitchen returns with a double-header on Saturday, October 3 at 9p.m. ET / 8C and 9:30p.m/8:30C. Chef Jernard Wells returns to prepare even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. Acclaimed chef, cookbook author, and family man Chef Jernard is not only bringing his arsenal of down-home dishes to viewers, but is teaming up with four of America's most talented chefs to spice things up by incorporating their delicious mouth-watering recipes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tpvnszTHPY&feature=youtu.be The #1 independent recording artist, 2018 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award recipient and three-time Stellar Award nominated singer, songwriter and producer Bryan Popin current radio single "Beautiful Savior" featuring Tasha Page Lockhart has entered the Gospel Airplay Top 30 chart. This marks Popin's 6th Top 30 single on the Gospel Airplay chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJLd8IqQ4Z0&feature=youtu.be Bill Gates said in a recent interview that the coronavirus pandemic might not end until 2022 — painting a dark picture for 2021. Gates said on “Fox News Sunday” that the COVID-19 vaccine will likely come in early 2021 and the U.S. will return to something-like-normal in summer 2021. It won’t be until 2022 when the pandemic ends. “The end of the epidemic, best case, is probably 2022. But during 2021, the numbers, we should be able to drive them down, if we take the global approach. Gates said he’s still frustrated the U.S. does not have a solid testing strategy for the coronavirus. He said the lack of testing has led to a massive spread of the virus. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the chief science officer at the World Health Organization, recently said that the pandemic might not end until 2022, too. The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington will reopen to the public on Friday — one of four Smithsonian Institution museums that are involved in the latest phase of reopening, the Smithsonian announced on Monday. For the museum, which is dedicated to telling the African-American story for all Americans, the reopening comes just a few months after new developments began to unfold in the nation’s history. The museum was closed in March amid by the pandemic, and since then the nation has erupted in social justice protests addressing racism and police violence after George Floyd was killed in police custody in May. The protests will give the museum a new chapter in its narrative. Florida prosecutors are dropping charges of soliciting prostitution against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, according to court papers filed Thursday. Kraft, 79, was accused of paying for sex acts at the Orchids of Asia Day spa in Jupiter, Florida, on consecutive days in January 2019. Kraft pleaded not guilty but issued a public apology for his actions. Palm Beach County prosecutors lost a key court decision this week that led to the court tossing video and audio surveillance of Kraft allegedly soliciting a woman at the Orchids of Asia Day spa. “Although there was probable cause to make an arrest, the evidence cannot prove all legally required elements of the crime alleged and is insufficient to support a criminal prosecution,” according to a court filing by the office of Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg. ”The Masked Singer” returned to FOX Wednesday night, and its first casualty was rap veteran Busta Rhymes. Although he was masked up as The Dragon, there was no mistaking that gravelly, New York-heavy voice when he stomped onto the stage to perform LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.” https://youtu.be/E48MndPfgxM Lizzo is speaking out about how she’s proud to represent for the body-positivity movement. The Grammy Award-winning artist tells Voguse that despite her bold fashion statement, she believes many of her style choices were “instantly political” because of the way she looks. https://youtu.be/kTCMb-DJh9g Award-winning author James McBride’s novel “The Good Lord Bird” has been adapted into a limited series on Showtime. The series and book are based on actual events that took place during slavery and focus on the abolitionists’ movement. It tells the story of abolitionist John Brown, a white man, who literally fought for the freedom of slaves. John Brown who is played by Ethan Hawke (“Training Day”) would try to free slaves from their masters by any means necessary, which often meant killing them. His efforts led him to take over the United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. An event in history that many are unaware of. The history that we are taught would have you to believe abolitionists only assisted with the underground railroad. That isn’t the case, most got their hands dirty and put their own lives on the line. The English department of the University of Chicago has announced that this year it will only accept graduate students committed to working in Black Studies. The department announced the decision in a statement on its homepage. “English as a discipline has a long history of providing aesthetic rationalizations for colonization, exploitation, extraction, and anti-Blackness. Our discipline is responsible for developing hierarchies of cultural production that have contributed directly to social and systemic determinations of whose lives matter and why,” the statement read. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tyra Banks has responded to rumors that she’s engaged to boyfriend Louis Bélanger-Martin. The online chatter about her relationship status began after Banks, 46, was spotted out and about wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring in August. But the former supermodel attempted to curb the speculation on Wednesday by making clear it was not a diamond engagement ring. “They’re talking about the ring … The ring is a crab. It’s shaped like a crab … and it’s an opal, not a diamond,” said Banks in an interview with Tamron Hall. “It is not a crab opal engagement ring. It is just a ring.” She added that it’s “annoying” that the press thought a crab ring was an engagement ring. “The press gets it right sometimes but a lot of times they’re bored,” she said. Colin Kaepernick has called for the dismantling of white supremacy policing after a grand jury opted to bring no criminal charges against the three white officers who shot dead Breonna Taylor back in March. “The white supremacist institution of policing that stole Breonna Taylor’s life from us must be abolished for the safety and well being of our people,” the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback tweeted. On Wednesday, a Jefferson County grand jury indicted a former Louisville police officer in the Taylor case. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron says his office determined that two of the three officers who fired their weapons were justified when they fatally shot Breonna Taylor. Officer Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly were returning fire and within their rights to defend themselves, according to Cameron, who spoke in Frankfort Wednesday afternoon at the Kentucky History Center shortly after a grand jury announced it was charging only one of the officers involved in Taylor’s death. The grand jury indicted former Louisville Metro Police officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment, all connected to Hankison firing his gun and endangering Taylor’s neighbors. None of the counts are for firing into Taylor’s apartment, or directly linked to her death. Amidst America’s reckoning with racial injustices and an ongoing turbulent political climate, Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” podcast provides listeners with Jemele’s bold, unfiltered take on current events each week in real-time on some of the hottest topics of the day. In the latest episode, music artist Big Sean joins fellow Detroit-native, Jemele Hill, to discuss the making of his #1 album Detroit 2, while coping with mental health challenges, and anxiety/depression. Moreover, Big Sean discusses why artists need to squash their beef and unite against racism, and stories behind his collaborations with Eminem, Nipsey Hussle, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Dave Chapelle. Plus, Big Sean talks about his #1 mission to inspire others, while Jemele Hill addresses the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) and how it has been politicized. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Hulu has apologized for promoting its Breonna Taylor documentary just moments after the grand jury decision was announced. Earlier this month, the documentary “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” debuted on the streaming network, which explores her life and death through personal accounts from Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker, her mother, Tamika Palmer, and others. Taylor, 26, was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police Department during a botched, no-knock raid on March 13. During a White House press conference Wednesday, Donald Trump refused to commit to a “peaceful transfer of power” should he lose to Joe Biden. “Win, lose or draw in this election, will you commit here today for a peaceful transferal of power after the election?” a reporter asked. “There has been rioting in Louisville, there’s been rioting in many cities across this country, red and- your so-called red and blue states. Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election?”“Well, we’re gonna have to see what happens,” Trump replied. He then suggested that “ballots are out of control.” Trump replied, “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There’ll be a continuation,” he said. “The ballots are out of control. You know it, and you know who knows it better than anybody else? The Democrats know it better than anybody else.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1308912123091865600 Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed the police killing of Eric Garner, has been arrested during a traffic stop in Brooklyn on gun possession charges. According to the New York Post, Orta was pulled over around 2 a.m. for overly tinted windows, according to police. Cops allegedly found a 9mm handgun on him during the stop. “They saw drugs, took him out of the car and found a gun,” a police source said. He was taken into custody with charges pending, according to the report. Orta was released from prison in May after serving four years on gun and drug charges. Protests erupted across the United States Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday morning following a Louisville grand jury indicting only one of the three officers who killed Breonna Taylor on charges that were not directly tied to the young woman who the police fatally shot in her own home more than six months ago. The anger and frustration among protesters who took to the streets in various cities turned violent at times, including at least two police officers being shot in Louisville. Notably, protesters marched in the streets of Louisville, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., in powerful demonstrations of unity against a criminal justice system that had failed them once again by discounting the value of Black lives in order to protect a law enforcement system that continues to kill Black and brown people with apparent impunity. But protests were not only limited to those four cities as there was seemingly outrage everywhere. Wednesday night at least two Louisville Metro Police officers were shot in the city’s downtown area, just eight hours after an indictment was returned in the Breonna Taylor case, the Louisville Courier Journal is reporting. https://youtu.be/TDqttEsE-uw Revolution, Opportunity Hub (OHUB), and 100 Black Angels & Allies announced today that they are partnering to host the Equity Edition of Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Tour, a virtual event that will take place from December 1-3, 2020, in partnership with Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab (MCIL). The week will include a series of virtual panels with nationwide leaders on how to best support Black founders as well as a $2M virtual pitch event for Black-founded startups based in the U.S., but outside of Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. Founders can apply to pitch at tour.revolution.com until October 25th. Meghan Markle used to make her living on television, playing Rachel Zane on Suits for seven seasons. But since her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018, her TV appearances have been few and far between—not counting news coverage of her life, of course. But she and Prince Harry popped up on the Time 100 special on ABC on September 22, their first time on television since stepping away from their royal roles and settling in Markle’s home state of California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had an important message to share about voting, a cause the duchess especially has been publicly discussing for months. “We’re just six weeks out from Election Day, and today is National Voter Registration Day. Every four years, we are told the same thing, that ‘this is the most important election of our lifetime,’” Markle said. “But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter. Because you do. And you deserve to be heard.” When you hear the name Alicia Keys, two things probably spring to mind: her insane musical talent and her gorgeous, glowing skin. In August, Keys announced she was launching a skin-care line, among other gifts, of her very own with E.L.F. Beauty. According to a press release, the new lifestyle beauty brand is “a culmination of Keys’s personal skin-care journey and her passion for bringing light into the world,” and it will let her “further explore conversations about inner beauty, wellness, and connection.” https://www.instagram.com/aliciakeys/?utm_source=ig_embed Rev. Al Sharpton joined MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell Wednesday night to discuss the “outrageous and unbelievable” justification of the grand jury for not directly charging the officers with the murder of Breonna Taylor. “Grand Juries are usually totally framed by what the prosecutor puts before it because that’s the only lawyer in the room,” Sharpton said. “Breonna Taylor was not even mentioned in the indictment,” he continued. “If anyone wants to know why we are saying Black lives should matter, they are clearly saying in Louisville today it did not matter.” https://youtu.be/otNG2LFnA8E Hartford Police have released new body camera video after a woman’s arrest earlier this week went viral. On September 21, Sydnee Ransom was arrested after an officer pulled over her car which was registered stolen in the police’s system. The arrest prompted several officers to respond to the area and several videos were taken of them arresting Ransom. The new Hartford Police body camera footage shows Ransom being booked at the precinct after being charged with interfering with police and reckless endangerment. Ransom is shown apologizing to the police for “acting crazy.” She said she didn’t know her car was involved in a suspected crime. https://youtu.be/HezEdpE2LIY With less than two months left before Election Day, campaigns both defending and opposing Proposition 22 — the ballot initiative that aims to keep gig company drivers classified as independent contractors — are revving up their efforts to reach out to Black voters. Earlier this month, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart pumped another $70 million into their campaign to pass Prop 22. The total funds those app-based companies and others have spent on the Yes on Prop 22 public information effort is now $181 million, making it one of the most expensive California initiative information campaigns ever. The opposition, made up of mostly labor organizing groups, has raised about $4.8 million so far, with funding coming mostly from labor organizing groups. Today, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), unveiled the second edition of the Jobs and Justice Act. The comprehensive legislation developed by the Congressional Black Caucus is aimed at increasing the upward mobility of Black families in America. The bill was first introduced in 2018 by then-CBC Chair Cedric Richmond (LA-02). The Jobs and Justice Act of 2020 is a package of over 200 bills championed by members of the CBC. This omnibus bill addresses a wide range of issues, from community and economic development, and educational opportunities, to health disparities, environmental justice and comprehensive criminal justice reform. It is a bold proposal to advance Black families in the 21st Century. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, the hosts of The Real talk about how the mayor of Louisville, KY, has declared a “state of emergency due to the potential for “civil unrest” as the city awaits the state attorney general’s announcement about whether he will charge officers in Breonna Taylor’s shooting death. Is this declaration overkill, a precaution or an intention to incite riots? The ladies discuss. Then Ken Jeong drops in to reminisce with co-host Adrienne Houghton about her time as The Flamingo on The Masked Singer, and discuss their new show, I Can See Your Voice. And Adrienne makes a confession to Ken she knows where he lives! https://youtu.be/MJaoXmlt0pc It was recently confirmed that a seven-episode miniseries about the life of #RickJames and his brother/former manager LeRoi Johnson, is currently in development with a projected 2021 filming date. Fans will finally get the chance to get an in-depth look at the wild and interesting life of Rick James, along with his brother and former manager LeRoi Johnson. The reported seven-episode miniseries titled “Brother’s Keeper” is from filmmaker Addison Henderson, who is working exclusively with Johnson to tell the authorized version of Rick James’ life. The project is set to focus on Rick and LeRoi’s early days before fame in the Buffalo projects to their worldwide achievements. Cardi B, her sister Hennessy Carolina and her sister’s girlfriend Michelle Diaz have been named in a defamation lawsuit seeking damages for a beach altercation with a group of Trump supporters. Carolina and Diaz are accused of battering, assaulting, threatening and defaming three people who confronted them over parking ‘ettiqute’ at a New York beach earlier this month, MSN reports. According to a lawsuit filed in Suffolk County on Sept. 21, plaintiffs Peter Caliendo, Pauline Caliendo and Manuel Alarcon say Carolina started filming the interaction while “shouting foul and threatening language and defamatory statements.” The suit claims Carolina “sprayed her copious spittle upon said plaintiffs as she raged.” They also accuse her of using “racist” and threatening language such as “F–k these n—-s before I bring my f—–g n—-s to beat your f—–g a– for real.” Carolina published footage of the incident online to her “9.5 million followers.” Cardi B also shared the video on social media. RCA Inspiration celebrates five nominations for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, with nominations in all Gospel categories. Honoring some of the top artists and releases over the past year, Kirk Franklin, Koryn Hawthorne and Donald Lawrence are all nominated. Kirk Franklin and Koryn Hawthorne are nominated in the category of Top Gospel Artist. For Top Gospel Album, the two nominations include LONG LIVE LOVE, the latest chart-topper from Kirk Franklin, and GOSHEN, the hit album from Donald Lawrence presents The Tri-City Singers. Kirk Franklin also garners a nomination for his album’s smash hit single “Love Theory,” in the category of Top Gospel Song. The 2020 Billboard Music Awards airs on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 8 pm ET on NBC. The sports world has lost yet another legend. Gale Sayers, the Chicago Bears Hall of Fame halfback, passed away on September 22nd at age 77. Although a definitive cause of death has not been given, in 2017, Sayers’ wife revealed that he had been diagnosed with dementia in 2013, and that it was likely caused by his football career. https://youtu.be/3uvtsFU0RC8 CLEO TV TURNS UP THE HEAT THIS FALL WITH SEASON TWO OF NEW SOUL KITCHEN PREMIERING BACK-TO-BACK ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 STARTING AT 9PM ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tpvnszTHPY&feature=youtu.be FATAL ATTRACTION, returns with all-new stories documenting jaw-dropping cases in TV One's "True Crime Monday" programming block on Monday, September 28 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. Each new episode documents new stories, new drama, and never-before-seen footage that offers viewers first-hand accounts into jaw-dropping cases involving crimes of passion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLqPf3s3W4g&feature=youtu.be A Jefferson County grand jury has indicted a former Louisville police officer for wanton endangerment in the Breonna Taylor case. On Wednesday, former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, one of the three officers involved in the death, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment of the first degree. The charges stem from Hankison firing shots that hit other apartments in the raid, not Taylor. https://youtu.be/GFaGypvG1MQ According to Reuters, Wells Fargo made big plans to achieve some diversity goals, including a pledge to increase the number of Black leaders in five years. However, it’s been said they haven’t been able to make that happen and their excuse for it is actually shocking. Two participants in a summer Zoom meeting with Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf told Reuters on Tuesday that the company is unable to meet its diversity goals because there is a limited pool of qualified Black talent. According to NBC News, he also reiterated the assertion in a company-wide memo about diversity initiatives on June 18. Scharf reportedly said, “While it might sound like an excuse, the unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of black talent to recruit from.” After his comments were made public, he immediately faced backlash. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared a tweet saying, “Perhaps it’s the CEO of Wells Fargo who lacks the talent to recruit Black workers.” The NAACP denounced the decision to indict only 1officer in the Breonna Taylor case. The injustice we’re witnessing at this moment can be sensed throughout the nation. Kentucky’s Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s failure to bring substantial charges against the officers who murdered Breonna Taylor causes angst and pain for far too many Americans still reeling from a pandemic. The charges of wanton endangerment in connection with the murder of Breonna Taylor does not go far enough and is a miscarriage of justice for her family and the people of Louisville. Atrocities committed against the people of this country by the authorities cannot and should not go unanswered when miscalculations are made. The continuous and blatant failure of a system sworn to protect the very citizens it endangers is all too telling of its efficiency and viability. The justice system failed Breonna Taylor and, as such, failed us. From the officers’ ill-informed conduct to the city official’s delayed response, their actions have discredited their pledge and responsibility to the greater community. It is unacceptable that, once again, culpability has eluded those guilty of state-sanctioned murder. Four people have been arrested and charged in connection with the killing of Michael Ronnell Williams, a Black man whose body was found burning in a ditch in rural Iowa on September 16. According to Iowa authorities, his death was “not a random act of violence.” Williams was reportedly strangled at a home and his body dumped in rural Kellogg. He knew at least one of the suspects, Steven Vogel, 31, for years. Vogel has been charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. The other suspects, Julia Cox, 55, Roy Garner, 57, and Cody Johnson, 29, face charges for abuse of a corpse, destruction of evidence, and accessory after the fact, per CNN. https://youtu.be/datXkuC03gE You may know Sterling K Brown for his compelling roles such as Randall Pearson on This Is Us, Reggie on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, or Christopher Darden on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. This time around the brilliant actor has taken on an even more meaningful role. Sterling championing a new cancer enlightening series Survivorship Today and his production company, Indian Meadows is a champion for diversity in the industry. Survivorship Today is an initiative by Bristol Myers Squibb to share the stories of people across the country who are affected by and living with cancer today. The series features survivors of the disease to call attention and understanding to their personal triumphs and everyday challenges, inspiring others to take action and garner more support. Jodie Turner-Smith says it was quite challenging being a new mom and balancing her emotions during protests surrounding the death of George Floyd. The “Queen & Slim” star recalls being home in California with husband Joshua Jackson as the nation erupted over the police killing of Floyd. “We decided to live in West Hollywood for the birth [to be closer to a hospital in case of an emergency], so I was hearing the sirens and the marches,” the “Queen & Slim” star recalls in a new interview. “I could hear all the unrest outside the door, and it actually took me a while before I could watch the video of George Floyd because I was nursing my daughter and you think about the generational trauma that we already carry and deal with and pass on.” “I was trying really hard not to pass on that fear, sadness and anxiety through my breast to my child,” she added. “I had to shut a lot of it down and just stay insular and inside my family for a bit.” The Washington Post reported Wednesday that President Trump allegedly said privately to senior officials that a lack of initiative, rather than racism, had prevented Black Americans from progress in the United States. The Post story, which sourced two dozen current and former U.S. officials, put remarks Trump made in private in the context of other derogatory remarks it said he privately made about other groups, including Hispanics and Jewish Americans. The Post said many of the officials spoke candidly on the condition of anonymity because they said they feared retribution. Officials said that in one instance, Trump said following phone calls with Jewish lawmakers that Jews “are only in it for themselves” and “stick together” in an ethnic alliance. In response to first lady Melania Trump’s planned 2018 trip to Africa, the president reportedly said he “could never understand why she would want to go there.” According to a former senior White House official who spoke to the Post, Trump responded to staffers who challenged him on his views by saying, “No one loves Black people more than me.” https://youtu.be/6ZajPHLAY0o One of the Louisville officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor insists he and his colleagues did nothing wrong on the night of the botched raid. Taylor, 26, was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed with boyfriend Kenneth Walker when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment on March 13. Three undercover officers, Myles Cosgrove, Brett Hankison and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, conducted an improper raid when they burst into Taylor’s home and fired at least 22 times. The Secretary of State of Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, admitted to CNN that they did not use a postal service licensee to check the names and addresses of voters on their purge list to verify that they had moved (we did!). This means that his entire 2019 purge is illegal under the National Voter Registration Act, Section 8(c)(A). In other words, he flat-out lied. He said he used a “respected licensee,” a complete fabrication. His office has reportedly said, “The Post Office is our licensee.” There is no such thing; that’s why the law specifically states, “Postal Service licensee”. The Palast Fund retained the USPS licensee, Merkle Inc. Now we know the key reason he removed tens of thousands of voters wrongly—disproportionately Black, low-income and young voters. Today, Greg Palast and The Palast Investigative Fund’s attorney sent a formal, legal notice to Georgia’s Secretary of State. The letter demands that the Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger review our evidence that he wrongly removed 198,351 voters from Georgia’s registration rolls. The bishop who delivered a sermon at the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle says he heard the voices of slaves during the ceremony. “After I preached the sermon, I just remember it was like I could feel slaves around the place,” Bishop Michael Curry, 67, tells PEOPLE. “I don’t mean to be spooky, but it was like their voice was somehow heard that day. I included one of their songs, ‘There is a Balm in Gilead.’ https://youtu.be/5gonlKodrmk L isaRaye McCoy is catching heat for labeling bisexual men as “suspect” during a recent episode of the web series “Cocktails With Queens.” The actress was speaking with co-hosts Claudia Jordan, Syleena Johnson, and Vivica A. Fox about Andrew Gillum, the former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate who got caught up in a gay scandal earlier this year. https://youtu.be/0LEOKdyJXGQ Bridezillas” returns to WE tv this week and we have an exclusive clip of the upcoming premiere episode! Nakosha wants more alterations done to her dress and suffers a hilarious wardrobe malfunction. https://youtu.be/49Wkqmf_uRE Today, the Pro Football Hall of Fame member spoke about the new gig and the state of HBCUs in general during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.” Sanders also addressed comments from ESPN personality Bomani Jones that declared Sanders would “fail” in his new job if he focuses on himself and not the players. https://youtu.be/f7QCa4XbMr8 A bill introduced Monday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding the ongoing protests against racism and police violence would all but provide an incentive to inflict harm on people participating in those demonstrations, critics say. The Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act “creates new criminal offenses and increases penalties for those who target law enforcement and participate in violent or disorderly assemblies,” DeSantis tweeted on the same day he introduced the controversial new legislation. On the surface, the bill seemingly takes steps to protect the police. But a deeper look at the Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act revealed language that could be interpreted as inciting violence against protesters, many of whom have been marching as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. In particular, under the first part of the bill that is devoted to “new criminal offenses to combat rioting, looting and violence,” there is a section that addresses protesters who obstruct roadways. Those found to be guilty of doing so could face 3rd-degree felony charges. In addition, however, any driver who just happens to hit protesters obstructing a roadway “is NOT liable for injury or death caused if fleeing for safety from a mob.” In other words, drivers who claim they feared for their safety and hit or run over protesters — described as being part of a “mob” — will not face any criminal charges. Georgia police officers shot and killed a Black man on Saturday in Brunswick, the same coastal city where Ahmaud Arbery was “lynched” in a killing that was allegedly covered up by local law enforcement. The Brunswick Police Department officers involved in Saturday’s shooting claim that Charles Eric Moses Jr. shot at them before they fatally returned fire. Ther account provided by police was a familiar one that described Moses, 33, running upon seeing officers. The GBI said “A weapon was recovered at the scene,” but there was no information about where on Moses’ body he was shot. The general description of the shooting made it sound like he could have been hit in the back as he fled. It may be hard for some to believe the police’s account on face value following the fallout from the killing of Arbery, who was jogging when he was racially profiled and ambushed by his accused murderers in Brunswick in February. “The Passion of the Christ” star Jim Caviezel recently shared new details about the highly anticipated sequel of the blockbuster hit. On Thursday, Caviezel said he received a new draft of the next installment of “The Passion of the Christ.” “Mel Gibson just sent me the third picture, the third draft. It’s coming,” he said. Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in 2004 for the film, went on to share the sequel’s film title. “It’s called ‘The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection.’ It’s going to be the biggest film in world history,” he declared. Despite its lack of industry support, the first film earned a staggering $612 million worldwide with a production budget of just $30 million. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Tuesday, Sept. 22, The Real welcomes Ray J, who discusses his new album, RAYdiation X, his marriage to Princess Love and why he would be open to counseling now when he hasn’t been in the past. He also reveals that, although he didn’t tell his wife that he was filing for divorce, he now wants to get back together with her! https://youtu.be/IADWgBt1eQo ESSENCE Girls United, the premier destination for young Black women leaders and cultural disruptors – announces the first-ever ESSENCE Girls United Summit, sponsored by Ulta Beauty and McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden movement. Led by young Black women for young Black women, this impactful summit will convene the next generation of scholars, activists, leaders and creators to empower young Black women on topics that matter to them. The ESSENCE Girls United summit will go down virtually on Saturday, October 10, 2020 from 6 P.M. – 10 P.M. ET on ESSENCE.com and ESSENCE Studios. On October 9th my album ‘Chosen Vessel’ comes out,” said Bishop Marvin Sapp, founder of Lighthouse Full Life Center in Michigan and now Senior Pastor of The Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas one of three major milestones celebrated. The three milestones of the 11-time Grammy nominated singer/songwriter are the new position as head pastor of The Chosen Vessel in Fort Worth, Texas, the release of his 12th album “Chosen Vessel," and his “Marvin Sapp Radio Show.” He is currently promoting its single “Thank You for It All.” The Gospel Spotlight's Marvin Sapp!!! Hear Marvin Sapp In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/sapp_page.htm Kodak Black previously spoke out from prison about the poor treatment he has been receiving at the Kentucky facility, claiming he was tortured and humiliated. Now, he has decided to take legal action to put a stop to the madness. According to TMZ, the Florida rapper is suing the Federal Bureau of prisons along with its director and the warden of the Big Sandy maximum-security prison, saying he had his rights violated ever since he was transferred there in October 2019. Kodak claims Big Sandy guards put a “gang beating” on him shortly after he arrived, allegedly as retaliation for the injured Miami prison guard, TMZ reports. He claims the guards even embarrassed him after they “flicked” his testicles during the big beatdown. Alicia Keys made some history with her performance on “The Late Late Show” Monday night. The singer-songwriter and her piano set up shop outside of the Television City studio to perform “Love Looks Better” off her new album ALICIA for the show’s first ever drive-in concert in the parking lot. Audience members literally drove up to and around the stage and kept socially distant from other cars while taking in the concert. https://youtu.be/4o3Ph5RZwv0 Foodies can raise their forks to events showcasing African-American, African and Caribbean cuisine as Black Restaurant Week embarks on a local market tour this fall with Pepsi as its first-ever national title sponsor since its founding in 2016. Through diverse menu selections and virtual events, Black Restaurant Week spotlights restaurateurs, bakers, chefs, caterers, food trucks and more to celebrate inspired flavors and generate social and economic support for the Black culinary community. Black Restaurant Week’s impact on the Black culinary community in 2019 included a 25-40% increase in revenue for participating restaurants during each local celebration. Chart topper Kierra Sheard hits another #1 milestone, as the GRAMMY® nominated and Stellar Award-winning inspirational artist and actress garners #1 on the latest Gospel Airplay chart for her single “It Keeps Happening.” The hit song marks her first #1 single at Gospel radio as a solo artist, and her third #1 overall on the Gospel Airplay chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO5RPuLqAcc Dr. Inga Johnson, offers a needed voice in the kingdom and in the marketplace. Her single release “Supernatural Favor Declaration” is the missing link to those faith walkers between their now and their future. Kingdom and Marketplace Leader, Speaker, mentor, coach, Apostle, Pastor, Prophet, Philanthropist and Author are all words that describe Dr. Inga Johnson. Dr. Inga prides herself in making others needs a priority. She helps entrepreneurs, businesses and nonprofits turn their dreams into a reality by helping obtain funding and professional coaching certifications. She helps others brand and publish to name a few. There’s not a stone she will leave unturned to help people reach their greatest potential. TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, highlights producer and TV personality Yandy Smith-Harris this Sunday, September 27 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, September 30 at 10 PM/9C. On this episode of UNCENSORED, Yandy Smith-Harris talks about her hustle from intern to music executive at Violator Records, the ups and downs of building a hip-hop TV franchise, and the moment in her marriage that almost broke her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-3tKm31xe0&feature=youtu.be During more than 20 years of the Woman, Thou Art Loosed! international gatherings, women have firmly stood at the forefront of social change, unafraid to use their voices for justice. As the U.S. continues to grapple with COVID-19, women are coming together, motivated by faith, to worship, reflect and learn virtually as the conference goes completely digital Oct. 15-17. Designed and created by Bishop T.D. Jakes, Master Class—exclusively offered at Woman, Thou Art Loosed! -will help women advance in their spheres of influence across business, entertainment, healthcare, technology, finance and ministry. WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all new epsiode that finds Andrea and Lamar sparring over the “temptations” that they’re kids are exposed to while adjusting to life in Los Angeles. “It’s way too many temations out here. Satan is real. He will try and take your soul,” says Andrea. https://youtu.be/wdtlnJ3WK4Y The Louisville Metro Police Department is currently under a state of emergency “in anticipation” of an announcement in the Breonna Taylor case. Taylor, 26, was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment on March 13. https://youtu.be/N55j1Dzl-Eo Michael Jordan has joined forces with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin to create a new single-car NASCAR Cup Series team that will feature Bubba Wallace as its driver. The NBA legend will reportedly serve as principal owner of the team with Hamlin a minority partner while he continues to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. The opportunity comes at just the right moment for Wallace, 26, who announced a week ago that he will be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports after the 2020 season. In May, Vanessa Bryant filed a claim against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for allegedly sharing unauthorized photos of the scene of the Jan. 26 helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant their daughter Gianna, and seven others. In her claim, she alleged that Sheriff Alex Villanueva personally assured her that deputies were securing the crash site to ensure her privacy, the Los Angeles Times reported. “In reality, however, no fewer than eight sheriff’s deputies were at the scene snapping cell-phone photos of the dead children, parents and coaches,” the claim states, according to the Times. “As the department would later admit, there was no investigative purpose for deputies to take pictures at the crash site. Rather, the deputies took photos for their own personal purposes.” Bobby Shmurda has been denied parole and will continue to serve his max prison sentence until December 2021. The 26-year-old Brooklyn rapper (Ackquille Pollard) was interviewed by the New York state board of parole last Tuesday, and he was denied an early release, according to Variety. The rapper has been locked up since December 2014, when more than 15 defendants were charged with various crimes, including murder, attempted murder and drug dealing. Shmurda was facing a maximum sentence of 8 – 25 years on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, reckless endangerment, and drug and gun possession. “We only get one first time at things and I just want to make sure I’m absorbing everything and I’m present in the moment so that I can enjoy it all,” actress Courtney Nichole says about landing her dream gig on Tyler Perry’s new comedy series “Assisted Living” on BET. Starring Na’im Lynn, J. Anthony Brown, Tayler Buck, Alex Henderson, and longtime Tyler Perry collaborators David and Tamela Mann, the series centers on Jeremy, a patriarch of a young family with teenage children, loses his job and decides to move to the backwoods of Georgia to help his crazy grandfather. Grandpa Vinny has foolishly purchased a terribly run-down home for the elderly and he is in way over his head, but comedy ensues as Mr. Brown and Cora show up at the right time as needy investors. https://youtu.be/_qTn9aVPP5I Kobe Bryant‘s mother-in-law, Sofia Blaine told Univision’s ‘El Gorda y La Flaca’ show That Vanessa Bryant told her to “get out” of the house after NBA star’s death. Also, she claims Vanessa ordered her to give a vehicle back. Vanessa provided a statement to the program in response to her mother’s claims. “My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly, and yet my mother had the audacity to do a television interview speaking negatively of me while shedding tears for a car and a house that were not in her name,” she wrote. She has removed all her diamond jewelry, emptied the apartment I provided and put away the furniture to make it look like she doesn’t have my support. “My husband and I have supported her financially for the past 20 years, and continue to do so, in addition to her monthly alimony. “Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive of my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away. “Now I see what is most important to my mother and it’s more than painful. I hope that everything that is coming out about our personal relationship ends here.” Jasmine Cephas Jones, who stars in the original cast of Hamilton on Disney+, earned her first Emmy Award for her performance on Quibi’s #FreeRayshawn. On September 19, her father Ron Cephas Jones won an Emmy for his performance on NBC’s “This Is Us.” The father-daughter wins put them in the history books as the first ever to both bring home Emmy Awards in the same year. Kanye West has responded to Mase for criticizing him on the track “Devil in a New Dress,” over his decision to quit rap and turn his life over to Christ. West has been on a crusade lately against the music industry, comparing it to “slavery” over the suffocating contracts that artists choose to sign. Ye claims to be a God warrior these days, but he previously criticized Mase for stepping away from spotlight at the height of his career. In 1999, Mase announced he was done with music and opted to instead go off and pursue “a calling from God.” Last week, the hip-hop-star-turned-pastor posted a message to Kanye, calling on him to apologize over his previous comments about Mase answering God’s call. Old Navy is offering to pay its 50,000 employees paid time off to work at the polls in November’s presidential election. Employees will be paid for eight hours of work on Nov. 3 and would still “be eligible for compensation from their local jurisdiction,” the retailer announced earlier this month, CBS reports. https://youtu.be/Jc_7AzCnauU Claudia Jordan is firing back at the parent company of Just Peachy wine after she was curbed for supporting Black Lives Matter. According to Page Six, the former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star began working with Biagio Cru and Estate Wines in 2016, but two years later, the company terminated her contract over her public support of Black people seeking fair justice under America’s system of white supremacy. Jordan claims she was hired to promote and market Just Peachy and in return receive three percent ownership/and three percent of all the money earned, according to the report. But in 2018, Biagio stopped paying her and attempted to “terminate the contract due to Jordan’s alleged support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement,” the legal documents allege. A white teacher in San Antonio says she was fired after she declined to stop wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask at the school. Lillian White was a teacher at Great Hearts Western Hills, a charter school on the city’s north side. She started attending weekly in-person training sessions at the school in July, wearing homemade masks printed with the phrases, “Black Lives Matter” and “Silence is Violence.” “For about a week and a half I was wearing these masks and no one said anything. A couple of the other teachers came up and asked for some if I had any extras and I made them some.” But she says one Friday, she received a text message from the assistant principal, saying, “We’d like you to stop wearing these masks. Parents will be coming around more and we don’t discuss the current political climate.”White says she continued to wear the mask, citing her commitment to what Black Lives Matter stands for. She told KENS: “This is human rights and it should be something that is promoted at our school. It’s an excuse to not talk about it by saying this is politics, talk about it on your own time. It’s just an excuse because they’re uncomfortable with the conversation.” Wendy Williams has shared her thoughts about NeNe Leakes’ exit from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” During Monday’s episode of her eponymous TV show, Williams said MONEY is the root reason for Leakes’ decision to walk away from the Bravo show that made her famous. “It’s a money thing,” said Williams, who has a close relationship with NeNe. “She said she can’t do it. She knows what she’s worth and she can’t be there. There’s not enough filming time for her to make sense and there’s not enough money in it for her to make sense.” https://youtu.be/BIxcCVqvUpU Tuesday marks National Voting Registration Day, which falls exactly 42 days away from Election Day. But in order to participate in the democratic process and cast a ballot in what just may be the most consequential election in modern history, you have to first register to vote. That’s what today is all about. Aside from registering to vote, there are a number of ways people are encouraged to take part in this important day. If you haven’t registered to vote yet, there are a number of resources in place to assist you with that. With the controversy over mailing absentee ballots seemingly not going anywhere, it’s important to pay attention to the voter registration deadlines associated with your state so you don’t miss the opportunity to register and find yourself on the outside looking in on Election Day. A half-dozen more cops with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) were being investigated for their roles in the killing of Breonna Taylor, according to a new report. Though the exact details were not immediately clear, the LMPD’s Professional Standards Unit has launched a probe of the six cops. That’s the group that “investigates whether officers broke department policies,” the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. The news of the new investigation came as Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron was purportedly deciding whether to charge any or all three LMPD officers who fired the deadly shots that killed Taylor in her own home more than six months ago. Cameron, a Black Republican who is also a favorite of Donald Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell, has been accused of delaying charges and demanding further evidence of a crime despite apparent overwhelming proof of not just malfeasance but also an alleged coverup of the botched no-knock warrant that led to Taylor’s killing. The white, Trump-supporting bar owner who killed a Black Lives Matter protester in Nebraska has been found dead from an apparent suicide in Oregon, according to reports. Jake Gardner killed himself Sunday, the same day he was expected to turn himself in to authorities for the “manslaughter” of James Scurlock in Omaha in May. Gardner, a local bar owner, originally faced no criminal charges at all, courtesy of Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine. The DA argued that Gardner shot Scurlock in self-defense despite Scurlock being unarmed. Kleine later allowed a grand jury to review his decision, with the independent panel ultimately moving last Wednesday to indict Gardner on charges of manslaughter, the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, attempted first degree assault and terroristic threats. The Emmys may have had a “Friends” reunion with Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox, but Tuesday night the celebrated sitcom is getting revamped for a new generation. Gabrielle Union is hosting an all-Black cast reading of “Friends.” The star-studded Salli Richardson-Whitfield-directed event, taking place Tuesday from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. ET at Zoom Where It Happens, will feature Sterling K. Brown, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Uzo Aduba, Aisha Hinds, Kendrick Sampson, and Jeremy Pope. Bathe will play Rachel with Brown as Ross. Aduba, who won her second Emmy on Sunday for her work in “Mrs. America,” will take on Phoebe. Monica will be played by Hinds and Pope will be Chandler. She was hospitalized in July after being found unresponsive in a hotel room in Los Angeles. And in a lengthy Instagram post Monday, Tamar Braxton thanked God for giving her a ‘second chance’ at life. The singer and TV reality star, who’s 43, shared: ‘God thank you for saving me! You know my true heart. Despite what the world may think of me, you kept me here for a reason. You are a God of second chances, and this second chance I won’t take for granted.’ Braxton wrote that she had been dealing with mental health issues ‘for some time’ and that it ‘is not a joke’. She said she had been putting all her time and love into her work, family and relationships and leaving nothing left over for herself. Deion Sanders will be the next head football coach at Jackson State, he announced Sunday on his new podcast. “God called me to Jackson State,” Sanders said on the first episode of “21st & Prime.” Jackson State announced the hiring on Monday. Sanders, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame following a stellar NFL career during which he also played Major League Baseball, is a first-time head coach at the collegiate level. https://youtu.be/Zjf9b3UxhW8 RAY J CHATS WITH THE LADIES OF?THE REAL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsj6zaB-MUU&feature=youtu.be Jekalyn Carr delivers beautiful new cover for her fifth album CHANGING YOUR STORY. The anticipated live album is available for pre-order this Friday, September 25, and the new single “Jehovah Jireh,” is offered for immediate download with the album's advance purchase. Join Dr. Colleen Hawthorne for an online program at the Smithsonian. Dr. Hawthorne will give tips on how to find meaningful connections during the lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. September 22nd 2020 2:30 -3:15 pm EST. Celebrating her 20th year in ministry, Gospel powerhouse vocalist Monica Lisa Stevenson has teamed up with gospel music hall of fame Paul Porter, to bring you one of the best collaborations of the year - “Im Not Ashamed”. This toe-tapping, inspirational single, written by Vashawn Mitchell and produced by Derrick Stevenson and Thomas Hardin, Jr. , fuses contemporary, quartet and blues, to make this hit. The Gospel Spotlight's Monica Lisa Stevenson!!! Hear Monica Lisa Stevenson In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/monicalisastevenson_intvw.htm Earlier this month, archaeologists in Colonial Williamsburg broke ground on a project set to unearth the history of First Baptist Church, one of America’s oldest black congregations. The Virginia house of worship traces its roots to 1776, when a group of enslaved and free black people gathered to pray and sing at Green Springs, a plantation located a few miles outside of the colonial city. At the time, the United States had just declared its independence from Great Britain. African American individuals were forbidden from gathering in large groups, but they defied the law by conducting secret meetings in a brush arbor. According to Michael E. Ruane of the Washington Post, black preacher Reverend Moses was regularly whipped for leading such gatherings. By 1791, enslaved tavern worker and preacher Gowan Pamphlet had grown the congregation to as many as 500 members, according to historian Linda H. Rowe. The church expanded even further after local white businessman Jesse Cole stumbled upon one of its outdoor services; Cole was reportedly so moved by the meeting that he offered the group use of his carriage house on Nassau Street. By 1828, notes NBC News, the physical church established at the site boasted more than 600 members. Several Black families have joined forces to buy more than 96 acres near Toomsboro, Georgia – about two hours outside Atlanta, and now they might soon be getting the reality TV treatment. Renee Walters and Ashley Scott, the two women who spearheaded the operation. said they were moved to take action following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. https://youtu.be/6mt5CyBoCyU With one in 10 eligible voters now between the ages of 18 and 23 – an estimated 73 million voters of color, and as millions of children and young adults across the nation prepare to return to school in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the new protocols it necessitates, Usher’s New Look (UNL) today announced its fall 2020 educational programming that marks its most extensive back-to-school initiative since the Foundation launched 21 years ago. A major highlight of the robust fall curriculum and programs is the relaunch of UNL’s groundbreaking I Can’t, But You Can campaign, a youth-led voter registration and awareness initiative designed to equip young people between the ages of 12-19 with educational insights about democracy and the democratic process. I Can’t, But You Can also offers youth various opportunities to impact upcoming elections, with the goal of impacting policies and positive outcomes in their communities across the country. The new trailer for Steve McQueen‘s anthology series “Small Axe,” has dropped, which is a collection of five films, all co-written and directed by the “12 Years a Slave” director. The stories of “Small Axe” focus on London’s West Indian community, whose lives are impacted by racism and discrimination. The trailer features footage from all five entries. “I dedicate these films to George Floyd, and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere. ‘If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.’ Black lives matter,” McQueen said earlier this year. https://youtu.be/xmOHYtbvYO8 Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, funk legend George Clinton, and co-counsels in the copyright lawsuit against Sony Music and Ed Sheeran will hold a news conference outside of Sony Music headquarters to highlight the music industry’s history of stealing intellectual property from Black artists and the loss of generational wealth for their families. They will be joined by the daughter of the late Ed Townsend, who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Marvin Gaye, to discuss the lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial in November. Chris Rock has revealed that he struggles with a nonverbal learning disorder, and spends several hours a week in therapy. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the comedian recalled his process during his early days in stand-up. “I had this great combination of big ego and low self-esteem,” he said of his early career. “And the ego gets you out onstage, but the low self-esteem is the thing that makes you practice so much because you don’t believe in yourself at all.” Rock said the COVID-19 lockdown has forced him to work on himself, including finally learning how to swim. The parents of the two toddlers who went viral are suing President Trump after his campaign altered a video of the boys that he shared across social media. The video shows two best friend toddlers, one Black the other white, running down a sidewalk to hug. Trump’s team doctored the video, showing the Black toddler running away from the white toddler. They gave it the title “Terrified toddler runs from racist baby.” The clip also included CNN’s logo on the bottom. Twitter removed the clip for violating platform policies. The parents of the toddlers filed a lawsuit with the New York Supreme Court, arguing that the actions of Trump, his campaign, and the guy who made the video, Logan Cook, were “extreme, shocking and outrageous” and “beyond the bounds of decency.” https://youtu.be/ElQ1hAjMFmk ”The Daily Show” posted video Friday of President Trump being destroyed by the very words that he repeatedly uses to mock his Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden. For example, Trump’s claims about Biden “hiding in his basement” during quarantine was met with video of news reports about Trump literally hiding in his bunker during Black Lives Matter protests outside the White House. His claims that Biden is getting “slower and slower” were countered by the famous video of Trump lumbering gingerly down a ramp following a speech. https://youtu.be/2dX1ILg0Oro Season 7 kicks off welcoming the show’s newest co-host, Garcelle Beauvais, and her fellow co-hosts have a special surprise for her from her longtime friend Jamie Foxx! Then co-host Loni Love addresses how important Season 7 of The Real is in today’s changing world. https://youtu.be/-6a6iW86EHc Ellen DeGeneres wasted no time addressing a summer full of sexual harassment allegations among her producers in today’s Season 18 premiere of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” blob:https://www.ellentube.com/46badce3-03fb-4a4b-bce8-aeb73e37cbea Candace Owens tweeted on Saturday that 1,000 people or so contacted her saying that copies of her book ‘Blackout’ are getting stomped on by Amazon employees, before they are shipped out. “I know it must have pained you to ship out all 90,000 copies you had in stock, but this is unacceptable,” Owens said in her tweet direct at Amazon. On top of that, she also alleged a smear campaign including a picture of a book copy that she said was rubbed with Vaseline before it was sent. Comedians Larry Wilmore and Amber Ruffin are set to lead weekly shows on NBC’s new streaming platform Peacock, and now titles, premiere dates, and trailers have been released. Peacock has ordered 11 episodes of “Wilmore,” which debuted Friday, Sept. 18. https://youtu.be/k-EANpI2TiU Tyler Perry’s heartfelt Emmy Awards speech about a quilt given to him at age 19 by his grandmother and it's significance. https://youtu.be/nTgfVDL1xAo Alfre Woodard recently opened up about her acclaimed film “Clemency,” in which she stars as a death row warden facing her 12th execution. Directed by Chinonye Chukwu , “Clemency” won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019, making her the first Black woman to receive the honor. Chukwu has now signed on to direct a new film about Emmett Till. “Clemency” premiered amid the civil unrest over the American justice system. Woodard spoke to Vulture about how the timely film adds to the national conversation about police violence against unarmed Black Americans. New York City megachurch Pastor A.R. Bernard’s battle with COVID-19 was a lonely one. He was placed on oxygen, watched his life flash before his eyes, and began to have out-of-body experiences when he was hospitalized in March. Bernard, the 67-year-old pastor of Brooklyn’s 37,000-member Christian Cultural Center, said the virus desensitized him to death and the “spirituality of death.” And it forced him to reckon with the reality of darkness. The parents of NFL running back James White were in a turning lane in Broward County Sunday afternoon when a 32-year-old motorist plowed into the side of the vehicle, killing Tyrone White, a Miami-Dade police captain. Tyrone White’s wife, Lisa White, sustained life-threatening injuries. Daniel Chamberlin was driving a 2018 Subaru when he hit the passenger side of the Whites’ 2014 Volkswagon Passat, according to a police report. The impact caused the Passat to strike a curb and then flip, trapping the Whites inside. James White was scheduled to play with the New England Patriots on Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks but was inactive. Throughout her entire career living legend Cicely Tyson has brought pivotal roles to life in films and on television and her storied journey in the entertainment industry will be the focus of a new memoir. According to Essence, Tyson is releasing a book about her life that is slated to hit bookshelves in 2021. The memoir, titled “Just As I Am,” will delve into the Harlem native’s introduction to the performing arts, her career as a dancer and her pivot to acting. Aside from highlighting the barriers that Tyson has broken in the industry, the book will take a deep look into her personal life; candidly chronicling the friendships that she developed with influential individuals whose work stood at the intersection of the arts and social justice including Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin and others. In "Just As I Am" she also writes about her connections to creatives in the industry now, like Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes and Viola Davis, who are standing on the shoulders of the trailblazers that paved the way. A steady and troubling number of Black folks including those who are notable and famous have not only since been diagnosed but many have also died of complications from COVID-19. The latest Black celebrity to test positive for the coronavirus was Vivica A. Fox. The 56-year-old actress made the announcement ahead of her hosting duties for the E! network’s live coverage of the red-carpet pre-Emmy Awards show Sunday night. “I am terribly sorry I cannot be with my E! family tonight!” Fox said in a statement. “Unfortunately, I have tested positive for coronavirus. So, in an abundance of caution, I am isolating myself at home.” Live From the Red Carpet” Emmys pre-show was missing the hosting team of Giuliana Rancic and Vivica A. Fox. Brad Goreski and Nina Parker greeted folks because Rancic and Fox has come down with COVID-19. In a video shared by E!, a few minutes into the show, Rancic explained. “Hey, everyone. As I go into my 20th year on the E! red carpet I have to say I do not take missing an award show lightly, but unfortunately this year is just so different,” Rancic shared with fans. “As part of E! and NBCUniversal’s very strict testing guidelines, especially before an event like this, I did find out that I tested positive for COVID-19. Now as much as I didn’t want to hear that, I’m very thankful I heard it before I traveled and possibly could have exposed other people. So for that, I’m thankful.” Rancic continued, “As far as my health, I’m doing well. My husband Bill and our son [Duke] also did test positive, but we’re all doing well and taking care each other so I’m going to get back to doing that. But I just want to say I’m wishing you all the best and please protect yourselves and protect those around you. Take good care and I’ll see you on the next red carpet.” Pamela Hutchinson, one of the 3 sisters in The Emotions, has passed away. She was 61. Pamela’s passing was posted on the sisters’ official Facebook page on Sunday, noting that she made her transition on Friday, explaining that she succumbed to health issues she’d been battling for years. “Now our beautiful sister will sing amongst the angels in heaven in perfect peace,” the post stated. “During this time, the family kindly asks for fans and friends to respect our privacy. We appreciate all kind words, photos, and videos you may want to post for our beloved Pamela and of course your loving prayers.” For the second year in a row, the lead drama actress for a Emmy has gone to a fresh face: a first-time nominee and the youngest on the ballot: Euphoria’s” Zendaya. Zendaya has made history with this win, not only for becoming the youngest-ever Emmy winner in the category (she turned 24 just a few weeks ago; the incumbent winner Jodie Comer was 26 when she stepped on-stage to accept her statue in 2019), but also for being the second-ever Black woman to win the category, following Viola Davis (“How To Get Away With Murder”), who won in 2015. She thanked her family, team and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. “I appreciate you so much; you’re my family,” said Zendaya, addressing Levinson, who based the series on his own battle with drug addiction. “I’m so grateful for Rue. I’m so grateful that you trusted me with your story.” The Television Academy gave out a record number of Emmy nominations to Black actors in 2020. Over the weekend, the Emmys followed that up by giving a record number of awards to Black performers. Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (both of HBO’s Watchmen), Uzo Aduba (FX on Hulu’s Mrs. America) and Zendaya (HBO’s Euphoria) all won honors during Sunday’s ceremony. They join Eddie Murphy, Maya Rudolph and Ron Cephas Jones, who won guest acting Emmys on Saturday. The seven Emmy wins by Black actors tops the previous high of six, set two years ago. Rudolph also won a second Emmy this week for outstanding voiceover performance for her work on Netflix’s animated series Big Mouth. Black actors (Laurence Fishburne and Jasmine Cephas Jones of Quibi’s #FreeRayshawn) also earned both short-form acting awards. With her win for lead actress in a limited series or movie, King tied the record for most Emmys won by a Black actor, with four. She now shares the mark with Alfre Woodard. After picking up Venice’s Golden Lion award, Chloé Zhao’s “ Nomadland ” has won another prestigious honor: The Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award. No film has ever won both. TIFF programmers announced the winners Sunday. Zhao’s film features Frances McDormand as a widowed wanderer of the modern American West. Set for a Dec. 4 release, “Nomadland” has already been hailed as a top Oscar contender, but winning the audience award at TIFF is promising for its Oscar chances. In the past decade, every People’s Choice winner has secured a best picture nomination and a handful have gone on to win, including “Green Book,” “12 Years a Slave,” “The King’s Speech” and “Slumdog Millionaire.” Christian artist TobyMac has suffered another tragedy. The popular Christian musician posted the heartbreaking news on social media today that his sister, Kristen McKeehan Carroll, has died. Kristen passed away on the morning of September 3, 2020 at the age of 52. Kristen was one of four siblings, and had six children of her own. Bryson DeChambeau is the U.S. Open champion. In a breathtaking performance Sunday at Winged Foot, on a course so demanding no one else broke par, DeChambeau blasted away with his driver and had short irons from the ankle-deep rough on his way to a 3-under 67. When his 7-foot par putt fell on the 18th, DeChambeau thrust those two powerful arms into the air. This was validation that his idea to add 40 pounds of mass, to produce an incredible amount of speed and power, would lead to moments like this. Two shots behind Matthew Wolff going into the final round, he passed him in five holes, pulled away to start the back nine and wound up winning by six shots. It took a last-minute comeback and another collapse by the Atlanta Falcons, as Mike McCarthy notched his first win with the Dallas Cowboys in his home debut, albeit in a fashion much more dramatic than the coach likely would have wanted. https://youtu.be/Y2bu5qENekY The legal and political worlds collided in spectacular fashion Friday after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was reported less than two months away from Election Day. As Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden expressed his condolences for the loss of Ginsburg, long the Court’s liberal bastion, the president was busy announcing his intentions to move swiftly to fill her spot. All of the above has amounted to a looming political battle expected to be drawn along Party lines in a situation that nearly mirrors one from four years ago following the death of Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in February of 2016 — nine months before Election Day that year. In that case, though, then-President Barack Obama‘s nomination of Merrick Garland descended into political purgatory as Republicans refused to participate in the process, leaving the Supreme Court vacancy unfilled until the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed Neil Gorsuch, who Donald Trump successfully nominated. (Trump also got Brett Kavanaugh confirmed to the Supreme Court last year.) Throughout her entire career actress Tracee Ellis Ross has used her artistry as an avenue to bring diverse narratives to television and she will continue doing so through a new production partnership. According to Deadline, the black-ish star recently inked an overall deal with ABC Signature. As part of the multi-year partnership, Ross will develop content through her production company Joy Mill Entertainment that will be featured across all of ABC Signature’s platforms. She says she wants to use this collaboration with the television production studio to continue to amplify stories that illustrate the different layers of humanity. “I love sharing stories and using storytelling as a way to connect and celebrate humanity,” she said in a statement. Meharry Medical College has been dedicated to addressing healthcare issues that plague underserved communities and the HBCU will be able to further its efforts thanks to a major gift. According to Forbes, the Nashville-based institution received a $34 million gift. The gift—which was given to the school as part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $100 million commitment to historically Black colleges and universities over the span of four years—is historic as it marks the largest amount of money the institution has ever received. In an effort to increase the representation of Black doctors in the medical field, the funding will go towards scholarships that will eliminate financial burdens for students pursuing medical degrees. The donation will also support the creation of resources like financial counseling. Lena Pringle, an anchor at Jacksonville, Florida‘s WJXT News Channel 4, has taken to the air showcasing her short natural hair and she doesn’t care what haters have to say. In a day and age when many Black women would rather wear weaves, hair extensions, and long-hair wigs, Pringle has chosen to wear a short, natural hair style that many Black female television news reporters and anchors across the country go to great lengths to avoid. “Shoutout to the people who told me I wouldn’t be able to get or keep a broadcast job with a short natural haircut,” Pringle tweeted. “Jokes on you, huh?” The tweets have received more than 100,000 likes as of September 11. Academy-award-winning actress Halle Berry and Netflix are in the final stages of talks pertaining to worldwide distribution rights to Berry’s mixed martial arts (MMA) drama “Bruised.” According to credible entertainment platforms, the streaming giant Netflix and Berry are close to sealing the deal which is reported at $20 million. https://youtu.be/YjwAc8pTD4s It's been awhile, but Saturday night it all came together for non-other than Eddie Murphy who won his FIRST ever Emmy! It’s pretty hard to believe, but before last night it hadn’t happened. He was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” last year. In a segment on his Fox News show last week, Tucker Carlson said America “must defeat” the Black Lives Matter movement “if we’re going to survive as a country.” “Anarchism goes by many names. Right now, it’s called ‘antifa’ and ‘BLM.’ But the poison is always the same. And the consequences of imbibing it never change,” Carlson said on Thursday, Yahoo reports. “If we’re going to survive as a country, we must defeat this.” https://youtu.be/HgaFgljFd4A Dancing with the Stars” contestant Nelly and his pro partner Daniella Karagach chat with Access Hollywood’s Zuri Hall about their performance to “Ride Wit Me,” how hard he work since joining the show and if thinks the judging on the show is fair. https://youtu.be/AhvJudc6ItE Nicole Young says her estranged husband Dr. Dre has been secretly transferring his assets including his trademarks without her knowledge. Legal documents filed by Young claims the hip hop mogul has created a new “holding company and transferred his assets such as his trademarks for “Dr. Dre” and “The Chronic” after he kicked her out of his home and threatened to divorce her back in June. However two days after the alleged threat, Young filed for divorce on the 22nd of June. The paperwork also states Dr.Dre filed the trademarks in 1997, a year after their wedding. Sources close to Dr. Dre called the move an “act of a desperate woman who finally realized that the iron-clad prenup she signed doesn’t win her the lottery” as reported by TMZ. Young also claimed Dr. Dre ripped up the prenup several years into their marriage but the mogul has denied those claims. Today, Quibi announced ‘ALL HER WITH ANGELA RYE,’ a new original docu-series hosted by Angela Rye. Hosted by journalist, strategist, and commentator Angela Rye, ‘ALL HER WITH ANGELA RYE,’ is a groundbreaking five-part docuseries that shines a light on incredible, everyday women across the country that are standing up and speaking out against injustice in all its forms. As each woman shares her story, we will come to understand the history that can be made when we each do our part to tackle what needs changing in our world today. Will Smith has announced that the iconic mansion from his hit series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is for rent on Airbnb and the actor will play host! “If this place looks familiar that’s because it’s just as fly as it was when I first rolled up the driveway,” Smith said in a statement on Airbnb. “I’m back. And this time, I’m handing you the keys so you’ll have my wing of the mansion all to yourself but my sneaker collection is off limits, aight?” The mansion’s current owners are allowing Smith to play host for the property for a limited time. Donald Trump is saying he will nominate a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “without delay.” It will also set up an all-out confirmation battle in the Senate just weeks before the elections. “We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay! Trump tweeted this Saturday morning. Vanessa Bryant has been going through a lot since her husband, Kobe, and daughter, Gianna, were killed in that now infamous helicopter crash this past January. Her mother, Sofia Laine, revealed during a recent interview that her daughter kicked her out after the tragic death of the NBA super star. In the interview (in Spanish) that’s set to air on Univision on Monday, Sofia Laine claims that her relationship with her daughter is on the rocks. However, in the sneak peek shared to Instagram, Sofia was seen saying that Kobe Bryant has been laid to rest in a private cemetery. Then she started crying, saying that Vanessa not only told her to leave the house, but she also demanded that she return her car, as well. American Airlines (AA) is drawing backlash for allowing its employees to wear pins supporting the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. “Clearly we live in a time where it is so important to have a dialogue about this important issue of racism in our society and try to find common ground,” an American Airlines executive said in a recent company-wide statement. “American is truly committed to having an inclusive culture that is welcoming to all and a reflection of our country and world.” The uniform pin was designed by AA’s Black Professional Network as a symbol of support. Black team members asked if they could wear a Black Lives Matter pin after learning that other airlines are allowing their employees to do so. American Airlines decided to allow them to do it. Some AA employees vowed to wear pins supporting police officers. There are also customers who are saying they will not fly with American Airlines in the future. Nevertheless, American Airlines is sticking by its decision. “We believe Black Lives Matter is an expression of equality, not a political statement,” American Airlines said in a statement. “It doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter, rather that in our society Black lives should matter and be valued the same as others. This decision underscores our belief that all people, regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, deserve to be treated with equality and respect. President Obama’s Statement on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Justice Ginsburg inspired the generations who followed her, from the tiniest trick-or-treaters to law students burning the midnight oil to the most powerful leaders in the land. Michelle and I admired her greatly, we’re profoundly thankful for the legacy she left this country, and we offer our gratitude and our condolences to her children and grandchildren tonight. Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought to the end, through her cancer, with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals. That’s how we remember her. But she also left instructions for how she wanted her legacy to be honored. https://youtu.be/1ATPkri_iFI iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally and Charlamagne Tha God, one of the most influential and authoritative voices in media, announced today a historic joint venture partnership to launch “The Black Effect Podcast Network.” The Black Effect Podcast Network is positioned to become the world’s largest podcast publisher dedicated to Black listeners, bringing together the most influential and trusted voices in black culture for stimulating conversations around social justice, pop culture, sports, mental health, news, comedy and more. The multi-genre venture will feature a luminous roster of marquee talent and culture-shifting voices committed to enlightening, educating and entertaining audiences curated by Charlamagne himself. The programming will provide a bridge to understanding information and interaction rooted in diverse perspectives. WACO (Where Art Can Occur) Theater Center, Los Angeles’s premiere non-profit gallery and cultural center, announced it will host a Virtual Celebration to raise funds for its programs and families impacted by COVID-19. The event, which is a free and open public benefit program, will stream on WACO’s Facebook and YouTube channels on Saturday, September 19th, at 5:00 pm (PDT). A virtual art auction preview can be viewed by texting WACO2020 to 243-725. Virtual art gallery will be available until Sunday, September 27. The online event will be hosted by WACO Co-Artistic Directors Richard Lawson and Tina Knowles Lawson, champions of art and culture who founded the non-profit gallery and performance complex. The Commerce Department announced plans to restrict access to TikTok and WeChat this coming Sunday as the Trump administration’s executive orders against the two apps are set to take effect! The Department said that as of Sunday, any moves to distribute or maintain WeChat or TikTok on an app store will be prohibited, CNN notes. While WeChat users will also be banned from transferring funds and processing payments through the messaging apps, further restrictions are expected to be announced later, including against other apps if they are seen to be used as workarounds, the news site notes. Robin Givens has issued a cease & desist to keep her marital business out of the upcoming Mike Tyson biopic starring Jamie Foxx. On Thursday, Page Six reported that Givens has taken legal action to keep her name out of the script. She reportedly served both Tyson and Foxx with documents last month demanding “that Mr. Tyson cease and desist from further defaming Ms. Givens, and to put those producing, writing and/or directing the proposed Tyson biopic, and those producing Mr. Tyson’s podcast, on notice that they are to refrain from portraying Ms. Givens in a false, negative and defamatory light.” Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington. She was 87. Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said. Her death just over six weeks before Election Day is likely to set off a heated battle over whether President Donald Trump should nominate, and the Republican-led Senate should confirm, her replacement, or if the seat should remain vacant until the outcome of his race against Democrat Joe Biden is known. A 911 call made by Jerry Falwell Jr.’s wife just days after his resignation from Liberty University revealed that he was losing ‘a lot of blood’ after allegedly injuring himself on a trash can in a fall while drunk. In the call record of the incident, Becki Falwell refused to cooperate with officers after she called to report that her husband was bleeding heavily and would not go with her to the hospital, the Huffington Post states. Dispatchers arrived to find Falwell with lacerations under his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, and above both his right and left eyes, as he slurred his speech with empty alcohol containers nearby. Things went left on “The View” Friday with the appearance of a Black guest from the right. Kim Klacik, the Maryland GOP candidate running for Baltimore’s congressional seat last held by the late Democrat Elijah Cummings, gained national attention over the summer after her campaign ad showed her walking through the city’s poorest neighborhoods and blaming Democratic leadership for poverty and crime. https://youtu.be/CdwsdbP_-xM In an image-obsessed society, celebrated animator Tony Bancroft is highlighting the importance of inner beauty through the new children’s film “Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs.” Featuring the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Claflin and Gina Gershon, “Red Shoes” is an animated, modern retelling of the “Snow White” fairytale. https://youtu.be/rsRGaZk0PII The trailer for “Benedict Men,” a new sports documentary series executive produced by Stephen Curry, has dropped. Launching on Quibi, the new mobile subscription service, “Benedict Men” follows the high school basketball team at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey, through their 2018-2019 season. St. Benedict’s Gray Bees consistently rank in the top 25 high school basketball teams in the country. https://youtu.be/UX-wY5dAHiE Justin Bieber teamed up with Chance The Rapper to create a new gospel-inspired track filled with positive vibes and love. The Biebs dropped the music video to his new single “Holy” at midnight on Sept 18. In just the first few hours, the video gained millions of views from fans online. However, it’s almost unfair to call the new visual “a music video” as it’s realistically a five-minute movie, according to the singer himself. https://youtu.be/pvPsJFRGleA Blake Shelton’s faith-filled single “God’s Country” took the honor of Single of the Year at the 2020 ACM Awards in Nashville Wednesday night at Music City’s Ryman Auditorium. The country star’s single beat out competing nominees from Old Dominion, Kacey Musgraves, Lee Brice and Lady A. The prestigious award was presented to Shelton by singer Cam during the live broadcast on CBS. https://youtu.be/o7pT_bDt_Tc Earlier this week, Kanye West attempted to upload his Universal Records contracts, and referred to the music industry as “modern-day slavery.” Meanwhile, a Twitter user with the handle @lavidaNOTA, who calls himself The Authority, is a South African record label owner who read over the contracts noted that Jay Z sold the masters to Kanye’s first six albums just so he could get his own masters back. Kanye West is back on Twitter following a temporary ban after he posted legal documents related to his record contracts on Wednesday. A Twitter user with the handle @lavidaNOTA is a South African record label owner who read over the contracts and claimed Jay Z sold the masters to Kanye’s first six albums to Def Jam just so he could get his own masters back. Ye responded in a post, writing “Don’t let the system pit us against each other … JAY IS MY BROTHER.” Earlier we reported that ‘Cheer‘ star Jerry Harris, 21, was arrested on child pornography charges. Following reports, the U.S. Attorney’s Office released the sexually-explicit evidence, including photos and screenshots of messages in Harris’ child porn case. While the disgraced Netflix docuseries star has admitted to exchanging photos and videos with underage boys (upwards of 15 boys) and repeatedly soliciting them to connect in person, the shocking evidence made public was the nail in the coffin. As the federal charges pile up in a 28-page complaint, included are disturbing text and social-media messages. In screenshots, Harris allegedly wrote to one teen boy on Snapchat, who was performing a cheerleading position called “the needle,” “Do it naked and take a video and show me.” In a separate exchange, after the boy told Harris he was only 13, he allegedly proceeded to request pictures of the boy’s “face …. and booty.” After giving in and sending photos of his private parts to Harris, he allegedly reciprocated with photos of his own, including one of him masturbating. Harris is also accused of enticing a 15-year-old boy into performing anal and oral sex in a bathroom during a cheerleading camp in 2019. Several musicians from late night TV shows claim “systemic racism” is to blame for a lack of “economic parity,” when it comes to streaming residuals and wages. More than three dozen live television musicians have signed an open letter to the TV networks calling for parity with actors, directors and writers – when it comes to wages, health care contributions and residuals payments on streaming platforms, per Deadline. Several musicians from late night TV shows claim “systemic racism” is to blame for a lack of “economic parity,” when it comes to streaming residuals and wages. https://youtu.be/-yL7VP4-kP4 ”Love & Hip Hop” star Masika Kalysha is being accused by her former landlord, David Weintraub, of not paying her rent and squatting in his house. He also claims she stole some of his appliances after leaving the property. During his recent appearance on Brandi Glanville‘s podcast, the “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” the producer described Masika as “the biggest garbage can human being.” ”Love & Hip Hop” star Masika Kalysha is being accused by her former landlord, David Weintraub, of not paying her rent and squatting in his house. He also claims she stole some of his appliances after leaving the property. During his recent appearance on Brandi Glanville‘s podcast, the “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” the producer described Masika as “the biggest garbage can human being.” The Real, the Daytime Emmy®-nominated, NAACP-winning talk show, premieres its seventh season on Monday, Sept. 21. New co-host Garcelle Beauvais joins Daytime Emmy®-winning co-hosts Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai to kick off a season of social awareness. The show will also be broadcasting remotely this season. An Oregon sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave Saturday after he was caught on video advising local militia members how to get away with using lethal force while protecting the area from “Antifa,” whom he blamed for the wildfires currently ravaging the state. Clackamas County deputy Mark Nikolai was filmed on duty and in uniform appearing to push the conspiracy theory that Antifa, or left-wing anti-fascists, set the fires. Nikolai was placed on administrative leave for what his department called “inappropriate statements’ about the wildfires. The video, posted on September 11 by freelance journalists, shows Nikolai advising the armed militia members on when it’s appropriate to perform citizen’s arrests, ID checks, and shoot to kill without facing any criminal charges. https://youtu.be/_Vdxl_7xhAI Mariah Carey dropped a cover of “Out Here on My Own” Thursday, a song originally performed by Irene Cara in the movie “Fame.” Carey tweeted Friday that the track was “from the depths of the vault,” along with the studio log from a July 17, 2000 session showing her version of Cara’s song, which was set to appear on a soundtrack album originally titled “All That Glitters.” The song will now appear on Carey’s upcoming “The Rarities” collection, due out on Oct. 2. Today, the 35th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards Artist of the Year, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, releases the title track “Royalty” with a captivating performance video, from the highly awaited album Royalty: Live At The Ryman. The album is now available for pre-order. The Worship Artist returns with the powerful mid-tempo worship song “Royalty,” a follow-up to the album’s breakout debut singles “Pour It Out” and “Release The Sound.” The melodic praise title song reminds listeners that God’s view of them has always been a vision of us as His children: “I am royalty/I am who You called me….My Father is King/I believe I am Yours.” Wanting to give fans the experience of making the album at the historic Ryman Auditorium during the global pandemic, Tasha Cobbs Leonard will stream the documentary film event, An Audience of One: The Making of Royalty. This one-night-only streaming event takes place on Thursday, September 24, at 7:00 p.m. EST. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5HAYxBpjbA&list=PLlg2WY8jJNAe4V4Mq5QMY8U3pYpWh7mwK&index=2&t=1s&src=Linkfire&lId=3cc45b60-063c-464f-842d-3b925d8b19c4&cId=88171ca4-c325-4454-a8fb-9bc6c38cab7a&utm_campaign=63264_MOTG%209.18_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT%2C1CTC%2C4SQSQ%2C63TC%2C1 Evvie McKinney – “Look No Further” Evvie McKinney floors us again with her powerful vocals & the just as powerful message of this new single, “Look No Further”. In a time of uncertainty all around, the peace this song brings is unparalleled. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEJ5LH-5D3U&src=Linkfire&lId=7a7e8476-08a2-4f2f-ada5-c01deb265453&cId=88171ca4-c325-4454-a8fb-9bc6c38cab7a&utm_campaign=63264_MOTG%209.18_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT%2C1CTC%2C4SQSQ%2C63UX%2C1 JUAN & LISA WINANS’ single, “It Belongs To Me (feat. Marvin L. Winans)” is the Gospel spotlight song of the week.!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P0reaSHWSg&feature=youtu.be Regardless of race, age or geographical location, WE ARE ALL FAMILY. . “We Are Family” was written by Praiz’ uncle Tony Metcalfe in the late 80’s. Praiz’ produced this new version which features his family, friends and a few artists he has produced. This quarantine style video was shot on individual cellphone cameras and has received over 110k views on Facebook. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caTrkDnBwoY&feature=youtu.be Jabari Johnson is an emerging artist that continues to gain followers and fans with his passion, committment to the Gospel message, and powerful vocal gift. Johnson was awarded the 2019 "New Artist Of The Year" stellar award for his breakout album, "Day of Redemption". "Fixed Fight" he newest release from Jabari Johnson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQMn301St_s&feature=youtu.be Deitrick Haddon delivers another heart grabbing single to radio wiht his newest release "Complete Me". https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ylvckjjnvt3oejf/AADVrtnQyK4eOjfomr7ZP8Iga?dl=0 JudahBand is back with an uplifting new single titled "Up From Here". Its a message of hope, perseverance, and belief that things will get better. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yuqdmo886q3yxge/AACXf7fzLHhCFrdF5KImZF_Wa?dl=0 Chris Rock held no punches in a recent interview with the New York Times, waxing poetic as well as speaking in blunt terms about everything from his latest acting role in the “Fargo” TV series to what life has been like for him and his family during the coronavirus pandemic to the nationwide protests against police violence. An while the comedian did, of course, crack jokes at times, he was plenty serious when the conversation turned to the topic of racism as Rock offered a metaphor about “mentally handicapped” white people being predisposed to not fully grasping Black folks’ plight for racial equality. Today, Billboard Music Award and NAACP Image Award winner and two-time GRAMMY®- nominee Koryn Hawthorne, released her highly anticipated album, I Am. The new album is the second full-length project from the dynamic inspirational artist. In conjunction with the album release, Hawthorne has released a new single, “How Great,” and a video featuring contemporary Christian music artist and songwriter, Matt Maher. “How Great” demonstrates how her journey has come full circle, referencing the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” which she performed on NBC’s The Voice and received her first #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart with five years ago. https://essentialworship.lnk.to/mpfIhcn8RC!W&W Dani McGhee-Barlow "D. McGhee" is best known for her fresh, live, energetic, edgy style that she delivers with a mission to reach and save the lost so that they may experience God's favor. Her official music video for "Rescue" will premiere Friday, September 18 on YouTube at 8:45 PM Central. The video premieres on the Dedicated Music Group YouTube channel. D. McGhee will also host a Drive-In Video Premiere event on Sept 18 at 7 PM. The "Rescue Video Drive-In Premiere" will be held at New Direction Christian Church Memphis, TN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB9RhFmwJXY&feature=youtu.be Nike unveiled the 2.0 version of its Colin Kaepernick Icon Jersey at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 17. By 10:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 17, the jerseys were all sold out. Many of them immediately popped up on eBay, selling for way more than the Swoosh’s $150 price tag. The jersey’s triple-black colorway pays homage to the four years since the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback took a knee to peacefully protest against systemic racism and social injustice during the national anthem. The jersey incorporates the athlete’s former number 7 along with his signature K emblem and a small recreation of his bust on a patch across the hem of the shirt. https://youtu.be/vWpz8QrS1qE Chrissy Teigen has accidentally revealed that she and husband and John Legend are expecting another boy! Teigen, 34, announced last month that she’s pregnant with her third child. She later shared on Twitter that she is on “official 2 week bed rest,” but she did not reveal why. On Thursday, however, she addressed the complications that led to her bedrest in a video shared to her Instagram Stories. That’s when she referred to her unborn child as a “he,” saying, “It’s so weird because the baby’s really really healthy. He’s big. He’s probably, oops! That was stupid.” Realizing that she accidentally spilled the tea, Teigen covers her mouth before adding, “hahahahaha might as well tell you,” she captioned the post. Ray J is moving forward with the divorce from his estranged wife Princess Love, the singer has dropped a new single titled “Hurt You.” According to the press release, “Hurt You” precedes Ray J’s fifth studio album, RAYDIATION X, due Fall 2020. https://youtu.be/hsj6zaB-MUU Nationally syndicated talk show host and author Wilmer Leon believes despite what most political polls are saying and making history at their convention, Democrats still face an uphill battle to defeat President Donald J. Trump in November’s election. The host of Sirius/XM’s “Inside The Issues” says there are flaws in Democrats’ political strategy and the prospects for voter suppression are real. He also believes many of the policies are already in place that are designed to deny and discourage minorities the chance to vote or not to have their votes counted. As the author of “Politics: Another Perspective,” the political scientist and former Howard University professor gives the Republicans credit for their ability to “stay on message” and their marketing strategy gives them an edge in the race. On Thursday’s “Good Morning America” Alicia Keys thanked essential workers on the frontline of America’s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with a trio of songs at a safe social distance. During the event in New York City to honor nurses Charles Alfred and Chinyere Okoro, the 15-time Grammy winner sang a trio of songs, “Good Job” and “Love Looks Better” from her new album, “Alicia,” and her NYC anthem “Empire State of Mind.” ADRIENNE HOUGHTON OPENS UP ABOUT LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS ON CLEO TV'S ALL THINGS ADRIENNE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 AT 9 P.M. ET/8C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCqcnlXqUxc&feature=youtu.be Big Brother” fans watching the live feed Wednesday night took to social media in droves after catching houseguest Memphis Garrett dropping the n-word in reference to a Black housemate, and a change.org petition to get him tossed is already afoot. Memphis was speaking to housemate Cody Calafiore about David Alexander, one of four African Americans cast in the current All-Star season. During Memphis’s conversation with Cody, many live feed viewers said they heard Memphis say, “Dude, David’s a n****r” before getting a hand signal from Cody to stop talking. A second camera angle showed Memphis’ reaction to Cody’s hand, appearing that he realized his mistake. https://www.tmz.com/2020/09/17/big-brother-memphis-garrett-n-word-racism-live-feed-david-alexander/ Rihanna’s annual Savage X Fenty show is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video next month, where the singer will debute the latest collection of her lingerie line. The event will air Oct. 2 and feature performances from Travis Scott, Bad Bunny, Ella Mai, Miguel, Mustard, Roddy Ricch, and Rosalía. Bella Hadid, Big Sean, Cara Delevingne, Christian Combs, Normani, and Paloma Elsesser are turning and will walk the runway, alongside newcomers Lizzo, Demi Moore, Paris Hilton, Rico Nasty, Willow Smith, and more.The Savage X Fenty Fall 2020 collection will be available for purchase in Amazon’s fashion store and on the Savage X Fenty website. Jake Gardner, the white bar owner who fatally shot a 22-year-old Black man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Omaha on May 30, has been charged with multiple felonies, including manslaughter. The grand jury rejected Gardner’s claims that he acted in self-defense in the death of James Scurlock. He also faces charges of attempted first-degree assault, making terroristic threats and weapon use. https://youtu.be/xfEgT9Z09JU Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris, the star of the Netflix series “Cheer.” Harris, 21, was arrested earlier today (09-17-20), just days after he was sued by twin brothers accusing him of sexual misconduct, according to a report. https://youtu.be/kkrcwlW5YyU Former US President Barack Obama‘s long-awaited memoir is set to go on sale starting November 17, two weeks after this year’s presidential election. It’s also worth noting that it will come in two parts. Volume one is titled “A Promised Land” and according to publisher Penguin Random House, the book will trace Obama from his childhood through his first term in the White House, culminating in the death of Osama bin Laden. “SNL” announced in a tweet Wednesday that Jim Carrey is joining the show as Joe Biden. Series creator Lorne Michaels confirmed that Maya Rudolph will also be back as Kamala Harris. The actress debuted her take on Harris in a sketch last September. As Biden, Carrey will presumably be facing off in debate against Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump. WNBA star Maya Moore, who’s skipping out on the 2020 season to focus on criminal justice reform, has revealed that over the summer she married a man whom she helped free from prison. On Wednesday, the 31-year-old baller turned activist and her husband Jonathan Irons, 40, whose wrongful conviction from 23 years ago she helped overturn, appeared on ‘Good Morning America‘ to share the news that they tied the knot this summer. Moore says, “We wanted to announce today that we are super excited to continue the work that we’ve been doing together, but doing it as a married couple. We’re excited to share this new chapter of life together.” During an interview with Vivica A. Fox on her FOX Soul talk show, Trina Braxton gave an update on sister Tamar following her suicide attempt last month. Trina says Tamar intends to speak out once she’s ready, but in the meantime, she’s holding up well. https://youtu.be/VhFb62BDnWI During a recent interview with The New York Times, Chris Rock took aim at the Democrats, Nancy Pelosi and Trump – comparing the president to a “landlord” and explaining “we’re in the predicament” because “no one has less compassion for humans than a landlord.” He then compared Trump the the child ruler in the 1987 film “The Last Emperor.” https://youtu.be/AHrZWg3Z-as Catch PJ Morton on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" tonight! Chicago’s very own, Grammy Nominated Worship Artist, Todd Dulaney, presents "Dulaneyland Drive-In Experience." The former New York Mets baseball player is producing a live concert in the parking lot of Calvary Church of Naperville. He hopes that this live music worship experience will bring hope to all who are in attendance, whether they attend physically, or virtually. The Gospel Spotlight's Todd Dulaney!!! Hear Todd Dulaney In His Own Words.....http://gospel-spotlight.com/todddulaney_intvw.htm International Gospel recording artist and Stellar Award winner Calvin Bridges releases a music video for his new single "Breathe" impacting radio now. https://youtu.be/IFrnzvKJuzQ Cedric Ballard readily accepts his commission as God’s ambassador to encourage people through his new single, Blessing Me. The Houston native discovered his love for music early on, first starting with the drums before taking up singing at the age of 14. Cedric had his heart set on making it in secular music, but God had different plans for his life and ministry. As Cedric surrendered his will to the Lord, doors began to open for Cedric to sing and minister across the country. https://youtu.be/5Nf_SbU_w_Q Christian Hip Hop Lyrical Poet D-Win knows the power that lies in the word of God. He uses Bible based lyrics and urban rhythm and syncopation to weave a narrative as he goes into all the world with the good news of salvation and redemption. Today, D-Win is ready to share his testimony with all who will hear. Testimony, his new single is available on digital outlets and streaming platforms. https://youtu.be/ZM1f7x-f6K0 Many people are familiar with the distinctive voice of Hope McCants even if they don’t know her name. Hope has been a permanent fixture leading worship over the years at prominent and premiere Bible conferences, revivals and retreats across the south as well as the east coast of the United States. In addition to being a singer and teacher of the Word, Hope McCants is a very proud mother, minister’s wife, and most importantly, a worshiper who possesses a unique and sensitive gift of leading people to experience the presence of God. As God would now ordain for Hope to take her ministry to the next level, Hope answers the call with the release of her debut single, Hearts Cry. Craft Recordings announces the release of The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection, a brand new, comprehensive compilation that spotlights The Gospel Truth Records—an imprint of the legendary soul label, Stax Records. Set for a November 13th release date and available digitally today, The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection includes all 17 singles – plus their respective B-sides – issued by the imprint between 1972 and 1974. Physical formats of the title, which can be pre-ordered now, include a two-CD set, as well as a vinyl edition. The three-LP set was pressed at Memphis Record Pressing and comes housed in a handsome triple-gatefold jacket. The collection also includes in-depth liner notes from Jared Boyd, a Memphis-based journalist and host of NPR’s Beale Street Caravan, who captured new interviews with Stax Records executive Al Bell, trailblazing gospel artist Rance Allen, and Mary Peak Patterson, who helped establish The Gospel Truth Records label. One week after Reuters published an explosive report on an alleged sexual and financial relationship between Jerry Falwell Jr., his wife and a Miami man named Giancarlo Granda, responders were called to the Falwells’ house in Bedford County, Virginia. According to records and 911 audio obtained by HuffPost, on the night of Aug. 30, Jerry Falwell Jr. was intoxicated and apparently injured; his wife, Becki Falwell, described “a lot of blood right now.” Alcohol use lurked behind the series of scandals that led Jerry Falwell Jr. to resign as president of Liberty University last month. Jill Duggar Dillard responded after making headlines last week for drinking an alcoholic piña colada. The reality star revealed that she drinks “socially.” “We have boundaries,” Dillard told PEOPLE in a new interview. “In our faith, we believe like we’re not supposed to get drunk. So, with drinking, it’s not like we’re just like going crazy.” “It’s more socially here and there, or at home, for a date or something,” the Duggar daughter continued. “Our kids are pretty young right now, but I think it’s good for them to see a healthy balance.” Chris Rock doesn’t think Jimmy Fallon was trying to be hurtful when he impersonated the comedian while in blackface back in 2000 on Saturday Night Live. The actor, 55, defended Fallon, 45, in a new interview with the New York Times, calling the late night host a good friend and ‘great guy’ who would never aim to offend. ‘Hey, man, I’m friends with Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great guy. And he didn’t mean anything,’ Rock told the paper. ‘A lot of people want to say intention doesn’t matter, but it does. And I don’t think Jimmy Fallon intended to hurt me. And he didn’t.’ Comedian Michael Jr. announced that he’ll be hosting an interactive virtual comedy tour called “Laugh Your Mask Off” featuring families from across the United States that he’ll be talking to live on Zoom. “I am Michael Jr. and I get to bring laughter to people. But I don’t just bring laughter for the sake of comedy, I actually use laughter to inspire people,” the comic said in an Instagram video shared with The Christian Post. The “Selfie Dad” actor said the world has “extremely uninspiring things going on” and he wants to counter all of it in a positive way. Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris‘ footwear has the internet going nuts. In fact, it’s been like that for the last week after she wore a pair of Chuck Taylor sneakers during a visit to Wisconsin. Tuesday, her kicks also got an outsized reaction when she rocked a pair of Timberland boots — affectionately known simply as “Timbs” — during separate visits to her home state of California to survey damage from the wildfires and Nevada to discuss how the coronavirus has affected Latinos. An encounter with A'ngela Winbush at church one afternoon years ago changed Anthony Faulkner's life. The R&B star encouraged Anthony to start singing and consider doing it professionally. His current singles “Closer” featuring A'ngela Winbush and “You Are Amazing” are available on all digital outlets and the official music videos are available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_xWMCRaZ0I&feature=youtu.be Life for Gregory Cheadle has been hell ever since President Trump pointed at him at a 2016 rally and said, “Look at my African American over here! Look at him!” Appearing Tuesday on “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon,” Cheadle described how being singled out by Trump at the June 3rd rally in Redding led to angry voicemails from family and friends, his Facebook page filled with people calling him an Uncle Tom and the N-word, folks threatening physical harm, and his girlfriend calling it quits because she didn’t want to be associated with him. Tia Mowry-Hardrict says parents should be teaching their children about “different cultures” starting “at a young age.” On Tuesday’s premiere episode of the Dear Media podcast Being Bümo, the mother of two opens up to host Chriselle Lim about the responsibility that parents have to talk to their children about being anti-racist. “It starts at home,” she said. “What people have to understand is this behavior is learned, so it’s about communication. It’s about bringing awareness. It’s about sharing stories. It’s about teaching your child about different cultures, at home, at a young age.” The actress added, “I think what’s important, and how you can be anti-racist, is not running away from the problem and saying, ‘Oh, gosh, you know what? This is a little much. I’m not even gonna talk to my child about this.’ No, I think we all should have this conversation,” she adds. Earlier this week, many were shocked at the reports that the breakout star of the Emmy-nominated Netflix hit “Cheer,” Jerry Harris, was under official FBI investigation for allegedly soliciting sex from minors. Now, Harris has spoken out for the first time and denied the allegations against him via an official statement from his legal representation. Although Harris has not been formally charged with a crime, authorities are researching claims that he “solicited sexually explicit photos and sex from minors.” A spokesperson for Jerry Harris, addressed the investigation, saying “We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager. We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed.” https://youtu.be/yahAPtuZmeY The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation hosted a National memorial planting ceremony in Marin City, CA, Queens, NY, Trainer, PA and Fayetteville, NC on Sunday, September 13th. TASF’s President and Tupac’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, expanded the Memorial Planting ceremony and made it available to the public so everyone could collectively take time to cherish those who are no longer here with us. Nielsen recently released findings from its first ever “Promoting Racial Equality in Sports” study capturing U.S. sports fans’ attitudes on racism. Conducted in July 2020 following nationwide protests against systemic racial injustice and incidents of police brutality, the study sheds new light on support among sports fans for the Black Lives Matter movement and their beliefs on the roles of different players in the sports ecosystem in driving positive social change. According to the Nielsen Sports study, sports fans outpace the general population in terms of support for racial equality and related movements. Drilling into the numbers, nearly 7 in 10 sports fans indicated support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Additionally, nearly 1 in 3 sports fans have personally contributed either time or money to Black Lives Matter. Tisha Holman, Digital Marketing, Brand and Social Media Strategist, Founder and CEO of Mind Your Business, LLC has created The Digital Day Planner, the ultimate physical planner for all businesses managing digital content. The Digital Day Planner is perfect for small businesses and brands that want to extend their social media presence beyond just getting likes and are ready to monetize their brands and create authentic engagement. Many corporations and small businesses have difficulty constructing and executing an effective plan, which is precisely why Tisha Holman developed the Digital Day Planner, sharing her ‘secret sauce’ for effective content planning. The pages of The Digital Day Planner are designed to help brands create an online presence that will help them capture the #1 spot in their industry and grow their revenue. https://youtu.be/JFHNRoZ6-Uk TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, highlights rapper, actor and TV personality Eve this Sunday, September 20 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, Sept 23 at 10 PM/9C. On this episode of UNCENSORED, Eve opens up about her trial by fire with the Ruff Ryders, the dynamics of her interracial marriage, and the career-changing decision that led to her first Grammy Award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx-XBAr-a40&feature=youtu.be The Gospel Music Association (GMA) 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards recognizing an array of new songs and first-time nominees, as well as esteemed performers and hit songs that have been a bright light during this difficult time, will air exclusively on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) on Friday, October 30th. Zach Williams and for KING & COUNTRY lead the Artist nominations with five (5) nods in addition to Hillsong Worship, Kirk Franklin, and Jonathan McReynolds with four (4) nominations. Multiple Grammy® Award-winning recording artist and producer Tye Tribbett’s current single,“We Gon’ Be Alright,” hits #1 on Gospel Airplay, Gospel Indicator and Mediabase Gospel charts. “We Gon’ Be Alright” is Tribbett’s first #1 radio song as a solo artist and his second overall with “Victory” spending three weeks at #1 in 2006. The “At Home” performance music video of “We Gon’ Be Alright,” has surpassed 1.2 million in views and the song has generated 6.5 million on-demand streams. Most recently, Tribbett performed the song at the 2020 Essence Festival of Culture and opened the 35th Annual Stellar Award Show, which aired on BET. Gospel Spotlight's!!! Hear Tye Tribbett In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/tye_tribbett_intvw.htm Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph (165 kph) winds and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and trapping people in high water as it pushed inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South. Moving at an agonizing 3 mph, or about as fast as a person can walk, the storm made landfall at 4:45 a.m. close to Gulf Shores, Alabama, about 30 miles from Pensacola. It accelerated to a light jog as it battered the Pensacola and Mobile, Alabama, metropolitan areas encompassing nearly 1 million people. The Maryland diocese of the Episcopal Church has become the latest religious institution to pledge racial reparations for slavery and systemic racism. The church voted last weekend overwhelmingly in favor of a million dollar seed fund that would go towards programs that would benefit Black people in Baltimore and across the state. Officials say the fund is a big step in repenting of the church’s historic role in benefiting from slavery and other forms of systemic racism in Maryland. The diocese will use existing funds for the initiative’s capital, which will represent about 20 percent of the operating budget, and is urging churchgoers to give more. Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, is denouncing televangelist Pat Robertson for comments he made about the Black Lives Matter movement being “anti-God.” Cullors said she recognizes not everyone may agree with the vision of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, “but to blatantly disregard our work and equate it to destroying a religion is reckless.” Pat Robertson — host of “The 700 Cub” spoke out against Black Lives Matter on his show, saying the movement wants to destroy Christianity by accusing the religion of “being racist.” Cullors said that “Christianity was built on empathy; not hate. Until hate and racism is eradicated, America will continue to be a divided nation.” Shaquille O’Neal has partnered with American Express on a new grant program benefiting Black-owned small businesses. The partnership includes a $10 million commitment to support Black-owned businesses over the next four years through an initiative called the “Coalition to Back Black Businesses.” Vanessa Bryant has called out Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva after he put NBA star LeBron James on blast. During a radio interview Monday, Villanueva challenged James to match a $175,000 reward for information regarding the shooting of two deputies who were ambushed by a gunman in Compton over the weekend. James hasn’t publicly responded to Villanueva, but in a series of posts on her Instagram Story on, Bryant condemned the sheriff for even suggesting that LeBron match the reward money. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eh-NJV0WsAEAtFu?format=jpg&name=small He can interrupt people all he wants to without pushback because he’s the so-called POTUS, but not Ellesia Blaque of greater Philadelphia. Not last night. The assistant professor of literature at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania was one of the few masked, socially-distant audience members in attendance at President’s Trump’s town hall moderated by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. https://youtu.be/29mJJ4zFxcM Michael Colyar has turned his life around and is living his best life ever with nearly 10 years of sobriety. He is starring in a hit Christmas film “Holiday Heartbreak,” with Country Wayne, AJ Johnson and LisaRaye McCoy being released on BET during the holiday season. With his new daytime online smash talk show, “The Michael Colyar Morning Show,” (on Facebook and YouTube), an upcoming Comedy Special, a tour de force one-man play, “Michael Colyar’s Momma,” and a revolutionary Master Course in comedy that he will be shooting in VR (Virtual Reality). Mr. Colyar says he is ‘smack dab,’ in the middle of his dream and gives all the credit to God, Sobriety and his Mom. Jemele Hill is a seasoned sports journalist and broadcaster, who has worked for The Atlantic magazine and ESPN. Cari Champion is a veteran sports reporter and broadcast journalist, who has worked on the Tennis Channel and ESPN. Hill and Champion together…are making history on television as they embark in uncharted territory for Black women. On their new late-night cable talk show on Vice TV, called “Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports,” Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m., the two African American women are on a platform and in a time frame usually given to white males. The two women, however, are not shrinking violets, but instead emboldened communicators. https://youtu.be/DL6V0RTKWs0 Chicago radio station 670 The Score fired on-air host Dan McNeil after he criticized the outfit of ESPN sideline reporter Maria Taylor. News of Taylor’s, 33, debut on Monday Night Football was making the rounds on social media when McNeil posted a screenshot of her and referenced the adult film industry: “NFL sideline reporter or host for the AVN annual awards presentation?,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet. https://youtu.be/qGKEL8fcTnI The plastic crown worn by the Notorious B.I.G. in the 1997 “King of New York” photograph, shot by Barron Claiborne, has sold for nearly half a million dollars. On Tuesday, Sotheby’s conducted its first-ever auction dedicated to hip-hop items. Biggie’s crown, which was signed by both Biggie and Claiborne, sold for $594,750. Kanye West posted a video of himself apparently urinating on his own Grammy statuette, in one of his toilets at home and being subjected to a golden shower. Hard to say for sure if this is real or not, but the imagery is striking … and gross too. He captioned his post and makes it clear he ain’t sorry for this, writing … “Trust me … I WONT STOP.” Presumably, this is one of the 21 Grammys Kanye has to his name — awards he’s boasted about in the past, but which clearly don’t mean all that much to him these days. https://www.instagram.com/kanyewestt_official/?utm_source=ig_embed Model Emily Ratajkowski penned an essay for The Cut in which she alleges that photographer Jonathan Leder assaulted her during a photoshoot in 2012. Her allegations coincide with the release of Ledger’s new book of never-before-seen nude and semi-nude pictures from the shoot. Ratajkowski claims it was published without her permission. Leder denies her accusations. In a new essay for New York magazine entitled “Buying Myself Back When does a model own her own image?” published on Tuesday morning, she recounts the photoshoot with Leder at his home when she was 20 years old and trying to build her portfolio. WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns this week with an all new epsiode that finds Sarah worried her baby daddy Michael won’t show up to her daughter Rayne’s birthday party. https://youtu.be/izMw8c9ilv4 A student at a historically Black college (HBCU) in Alabama has been found dead nearly one week after he was first reported missing. Adam Dowdell was in his second year at Alabama State University in Montgomery when he never returned to his dorm last week. The 22-year-old’s body was found Monday, AL.com reported. Dowdell’s mother said her son’s friends contacted her they hadn’t heard from him. Toya Cohill ended up contacting police last Wednesday, sparking an investigation that ended Monday with the discovery of his body in Montgomery. All of the circumstances surrounding Dowdell’s disappearance were not immediately clear. However, what is known is that Dowdell went to an ATM with a fellow student the night of Sept. 8. That was the last time anybody heard from him. It was not clear what happened to the friend Dowdell went to the bank with. Alabama State University’s president said in a brief statement that he and the entire university family were mourning Dowdell’s death. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is heralding a new bill that it says will make vast improvements in the lives of Black families, in particular, with significant legislative efforts to bridge the gaps specifically affecting them in the employment and criminal justice arenas. Divided into two parts, the multi-faceted Jobs and Justice Act of 2020 makes provisions that, if passed, would “increase the upward social mobility of Black families, and help ensure equal protection under the law,” the CBC‘s ambitious new sweeping legislation says. The first part of the bill, devoted to jobs, is broken up into five subcategories to address the nation’s most pressing needs on the employment front during a time when there is unprecedented joblessness, especially among Black people. The jobs portion of the bill addresses various aspects of employment such as workforce development, community and economic development, poverty, housing and wealth creation as well as education. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend just celebrated a big wedding anniversary, their seventh, on September 14—and naturally they celebrated on social media in a very Chrissy and John way. Teigen posted a video clip of their two children, Luna and Miles, wishing them a “Happy Anniversary.” In the caption she wrote, “Happy 7th anniversary! 14 years together! @johnlegend love u buddy. My best pal. You’re like a brother to me!!” Legend responded in the comments with the face palm emoji and “Thank you?” https://www.instagram.com/chrissyteigen/?utm_source=ig_embed A judge in Oklahoma on Monday ordered the release of police video showing a white driver who was pulled over by cops and not only refused to follow orders and resisted arrest but also physically assaulted officers before he shot them both at point-blank range. And he lived to tell about it! The Tulsa police dashcam and bodycam videos from the shooting were recorded during a traffic stop in the early morning of June 29, when the driver, David Ware, was guilty of doing exponentially more than what it routinely takes for cops to shoot Black suspects on sight. In fact, the footage showed the officers — Sgt. Craig Johnson, who died from the shooting, and Officer Aurash Zarkeshan, who survived — giving Ware an excessive number of verbal warnings before pepper-spraying him in the face multiple times. Join Bishop Leonard Scott Wednesday, September 16th at 6pm EST His special guest will be Kelontae Gavin on #WorshipAndWellnessWednesdays! Cardi B is finally calling it quits from husband Offset after nearly three years of marriage. Their relationship woes have played out on social media over the years, with endless rumors about his infidelity. Word on the street is that Offset got one too many Instagram groupies and strippers knocked up (allegedly), and Cardi has had enough of looking foolish trying to defend him and their marriage. Cardi, 27, filed for divorce from the Migos member, 28, on September 15. The divorce petition was filed with the Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta. A court hearing is set for November 4. Meghan Markle reportedly has a first project lined up as part of her and husband Prince Harry’s mega-deal with Netflix. The Sun reports that she’s pitching a documentary about Patrisse Cullors, one of three Black women who founded the Black Lives Matter movement. Also, The Mirror quoted a source who said that Markle pitched the doc to Netflix because she’s been “blown away by the incredible work Patrisse has done” in spearheading the BLM movement. Janelle Monáe says her “Antebellum” thriller will certainly “trigger” some people as it weaves themes of white supremacy, slavery and racism throughout the narrative. https://youtu.be/7MPib67BDHY Naturi Naughton opens up about motherhood, her parenthood journey, and upcoming album in a new interview with PEOPLE. The “Power” star says her new music will highlight “some of the emotional struggles I have as being a single mother.” Naughton and her ex, known only as Ben, welcomed daughter Zuri in July 2017. The former couple split shortly after the birth. “I love being a mother,” Naughton says. “It’s hard work. It is a challenging balance.” LeToya Luckett Monday gave birth to her second child with husband Tommicus Walker. Luckett, a Destiny’s Child founding member, happily made the announcement via Instagram. Sharing a sweet animated image of her baby’s feet, Luckett, 39 wrote: “TYSUN WOLF WALKER Overjoyed! Thank you Heavenly Father.” The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will go virtual for the first time in its nearly 100 year history. Organizers have reduced the total number of participants and facial masks and social distancing will be enforced. Marchers will not be making their way down the traditional 2.5-mile parade route, Macy’s said in a statement. https://youtu.be/a51tI4Tp_io John Boyega is stepping down as global ambassador for British perfume brand Jo Malone after the company removed him from the Chinese version of a cologne commercial he co-created. In a series of tweets Monday, the “Star Wars” star cited the brand’s failure to notify him that he had been cut from the Chinese campaign. Nelly got his Salsa on during the season premiere of “Dancing With the Stars” Monday night – the first in the show’s new Tyra Banks era. The Austin, Texas native was in all red everything as he punctuated his routine with Daniella Karagach by nailing a backflip – with a smile. https://youtu.be/qtNluVSMhfM President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen continues to tell anyone that Donald Trump is a racist. Cohen’s latest declaration came Monday on “The View,” his latest virtual stop to promote his new book “Disloyal.” Co-host Sunny Hostin asked him about the origin of Trump’s hatred toward his White House predecessor, Barack Obama. After saying that Obama’s law degrees are a factor, Cohen added, “Why he despises him to the extent that he does, I believe it’s purely racial.”“I believe it’s solely predicated on the fact that Barack Obama is black,” Cohen affirmed. https://youtu.be/pw4NL1sxREs McDonald’s USA, through its Black & Positively Golden movement, announces the virtual return of its 14th annual Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour. Benefitting Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), the four-part concert series, themed “Gospel City Playlists,” will begin September 27 and run weekly (every Sunday) through October 18 on BET.com and BET Network’s YouTube channel at 8 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. CST. This year's theme will come to life through the virtual showcase of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Detroit. Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard, Smokie Norful, William Murphy and many others, will sing fan favorites. Anthony Ponder and Ministry’s Desire are gearing up for the forthcoming project, "The Re-Process," slated for the first quarter of 2021. The new single is “That’s Just Favor." It is our way to remind everybody that as believers, God’s favor is ours by default. We don’t have to fight or work for it, it’s our promise by the best promise keeper ever,” says Ponder. September 25 is a big day for APMD, as they will not only be releasing their latest single, but also a LIVE virtual concert exclusively on Gospel Artist Entertainment’s Facebook page. Marcus G. Morton is one of the most sought after worship leaders in the country. As a mentee of Grammy® winning producers Kevin Bond and Percy Bady, this sought after vocalist has sung with Kenny Lewis and One Voice, Dewayne Woods, San Franklin and is a member of multi-Stellar Award winning group, JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise. Marcus G. Morton is preparing for the release of his debut project, "Mighty and Great." Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced a $12 million settlement Tuesday afternoon with the family of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman fatally shot by police in her apartment six months ago. In addition to the payment, which is the largest settlement ever paid by Louisville police, the deal includes several policing reforms, such as changes to the approval process for and execution of search warrants, the hiring of a team of social workers to accompany police officers and a commitment to pursue increased drug and alcohol testing of officers involved in any shooting. Fischer said the city did not acknowledge any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is coming under fire from religious and political leaders in his state for suggesting that black churches should lead support for a coronavirus vaccine. His suggestion comes at a time when a majority of U.S. voters continue to express reticence about being first in line to get it. “We are not guinea pigs. This will not be another Tuskegee and we are not going to allow it. Ned Lamont is being called to the carpet and anyone else, any other legislator that is on this bandwagon, let him and his family take the vaccine first. Let Bill Gates and his family take the vaccine first. Let the legislators take the vaccine first. We don’t need it. We’re OK,” civil rights attorney Tricia Lindsay said at a press conference Thursday in response to Lamont’s suggestion. Leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention are increasingly dropping the “Southern” part of their Baptist name, calling it a potentially painful reminder of the convention’s historic role in support of slavery. The 50,000 Baptist churches in the convention are autonomous and can still choose to refer to themselves as “Southern Baptist” or “SBC.” But in his first interview on the topic, convention president J.D. Greear said momentum has been building to adopt the name “Great Commission Baptists,” both because of the racial reckoning underway in the United States and because many have long seen the “Southern Baptist” name as too regional for a global group of believers. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements on Tuesday to normalize relations with Israel, becoming the latest Arab states to break a longstanding taboo in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran. https://youtu.be/2VoE_Lg3LfY Kim Kardashian West announced that she will join two dozen celebrities in temporarily freezing their Instagram and Facebook accounts on Wednesday because the platforms “continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation — created by groups to sow division and split America apart.” The announcement from such a high-profile user is likely to be a PR disaster for Instagram and Facebook, as well as a boost to the #StopHateForProfit campaign. Kardashian West is the seventh-most followed account on Instagram with 188 million followers. She currently has 30 million followers on Facebook. Madonna has teamed with screenwriter Diablo Cody, producer Amy Pascal and Universal for a biopic on herself. In this case, call it an autobiopic as the music and pop culture icon is not only co-writing the script with Cody, who won an Oscar for writing Juno, but directing the project as well. “I want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer – a human being, trying to make her way in this world,” said Madonna. “The focus of this film will always be music. Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive. There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me. It’s essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.” Madonna and Cody have been teasing the news on Instagram and while the project is currently untitled, the singer-songwriter does call it Live to Tell at one point. Kanye West built a white wall around the Los Angeles home he shares with wife Kim Kardashian and their four children. The 43-year-old rapper made the decision to erect the walls around the ranch house where he has also based his church, Sunday Service. The walls surround two different buildings, with entrance to one building via a circular tunnel. Kanye West has stated he is ‘not putting no more music out till I’m done with my contract with Sony and Universal’ at the start of a Twitter rant on Monday night. ‘I’m not putting no more music out till I’m done with my contract with Sony and Universal … On God … in Jesus name … come and get me,’ he wrote. ‘I need to see everybody’s contracts at Universal and Sony I’m not gonna watch my people be enslaved I’m putting my life on the line for my people The music industry and the NBA are modern day slave ships I’m the new Moses,’ West added. “The Git Up” singer Blanco Brown is on the road to recovery after a head-on car crash on Aug. 31 that left him with “significant injuries.” An update from BBR Music Group on Monday (Sept. 14) revealed that after the collision near his home in Atlanta, the Grammy nominee “suffered significant injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he underwent a 12-hour surgery to address those traumas.” Netflix has given a 10-episode, straight-to-series order to a new animated take on Norman Lear’s classic sitcom “Good Times.” Lear and his Act III Prods. shingle is partnering with basketball star Steph Curry and his production company, Unanimous Media, as well as Seth MacFarlane and his shingle Fuzzy Door, to develop the show. Both Act III and Unanimous are based at Sony Pictures TV, which is behind the animated “Good Times.” Tyra Banks bravely made her debut as host of Dancing With The Stars on Monday evening during the show’s season 29 premiere. And fans of the long-running celebrity competition series took to Twitter to ruthlessly BLAST the 46-year-old supermodel’s performance. A majority of the tweets desperately begged for the return of veteran hosts Tom Bergeron, 65, and Erin Andrews, 42, who were shockingly canned in July. Bergeron had been with the Dancing With The Stars franchise since it launched in 2005, while his former co-host Andrews joined the show in 2014. JK Rowling is embroiled in yet another trans row after it was revealed that the villain in her latest book is a male serial killer who dresses as a woman to slay his victims. Troubled Blood – written under Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith – is set to be released on September 15 and will see detective Cormoran Strike work out what happened to missing GP Margot Bamborough. An early review of the 900-page book by The Daily Telegraph – in which the critic states the book’s ‘moral seems to be: never trust a man in a dress’ – sparked immediate backlash online. Furious readers rushed to Twitter to share their thoughts, making #RIPJKRowling trend in the UK. The director of Cuties, Maïmouna Doucouré, has defended her film after coming under a barrage of criticism over claims it hyper-sexualizes young girls. Speaking in a panel at the Toronto Film Festival on French filmmakers Monday, Doucouré explained how the indie film now streaming on Netflix was a social commentary on how young girls are treated. ‘It’s because I saw so many things and so many issues around me lived by young girls, that I decided to make this film and sound an alarm and say we need to protect our children,’ Doucouré explained. The FBI is investigating allegations that celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris solicited sexually explicit photos and sex from minors, multiple sources told USA TODAY. Agents executed a search warrant Monday afternoon at a home in Naperville, Illinois, as part of that investigation. “The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,” Siobhan Johnson, FBI special agent and public affairs officer, told USA TODAY. She declined further comment. Harris, who gained national prominence when he was featured in Netflix’s recent “Cheer” docuseries, has not been criminally charged. Harris, 21, did not respond to a request for comment. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said NFL social justice initiatives were “propaganda” on Sunday as scattered protests marked the first full day of the 2020 season. Kaepernick, who launched his kneeling protests in 2016 to draw attention to racial injustice, questioned the sincerity of the NFL’s stance against racism, citing the fact that fellow player-activist Eric Reid remained unemployed. Reid, who joined Kaepernick’s protests in 2016 when the two played for the 49ers, was released by the Carolina Panthers in March in a move that surprised many. The 28-year-old safety, who continued to kneel last season during the pre-game playing of the US national anthem, has not been hired since. SoFi Stadium was devoid of fans on for Sunday Night Football due to the coronavirus pandemic, but full of victory for the hometown Los Angeles Rams. Sadly, that winning feeling wasn’t reflected in the ratings for NBC and the NFL in SNF‘s season opener. The team’s first game at its sparkling new $5 billion digs saw the Rams take down the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 in a grinding battle in which Rams running back Malcolm Brown score two touchdowns. Fighting right to the end against that wall of the Rams’ defense in a rough and tumble showdown, the Cowboys early on also saw starting linebacker Leighton Vander Esch exit with a collarbone injury. All in all, not a good start for Mike McCarthey’s first game as the Cowboys’ coach. Gospel Recording Artist Brianna Collins lives to worship God. The Kingdom Image Award Nominee, blessed with a captivating voice and a heart filled with praise, has been singing since her parents caught her humming at the dinner table as a kid. Now, the University of Akron student, working towards her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music, is releasing a brand new single entitled, “Honor and Praise”, and it’s just the jam to get your feet moving and your arms waving. The song will release on Friday, September 25, 2020, but pre-orders are available starting Tuesday, September 15, 2020. The single will be available on all music digital platforms including Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon and Spotify on the day of release. BET's Sunday Best Season 9 Finalist Keyla Richardson unveils the cover artwork to her forthcoming debut EP release "So Good," which is slated to arrive Friday, September 25. Fans can pre-order the 8-track EP, "So Good" now and receive two instant grat tracks including, "Corona Can't Hold Me Down" and the EP' title track and No.1 radio hit, "So Good," which she performed on the AT&T Emerging Artists Stage at the 2020 Stellar Awards. https://youtu.be/x77tXjyC888 Worship leader, recording artist, songwriter, producer and Record label executive for his independently owned PKR Ministries, Purcy Robinson celebrates his debut at #1 on the Digital Song Sales chart this week with his current song "All Glory Goes To You." Andrew Gillum, former rising superstar in the Democratic Party, sat down with Tamron Hall during the season 2 premiere of the “Tamron Hall Show” and revealed for the first time that he identifies as bisexual. Gillum, joined by his wife of 11 years, R. Jai at various points throughout the wide-ranging interview, revealed for the first time that he identifies as bisexual and discussed the current state of his marriage. https://youtu.be/Y7FBMa1cYE4 Broadcast Veteran Sybil Wilkes to Moderate First-Ever Divine 9 Roundtable - Tuesday, September 15th at 7pm ET. Former Tom Joyner Morning Show co-host joins forces with The Divine Nine for a historic collaboration on a 9-Point Activation Plan for the 2020 Election Award-winning journalist and broadcast maven Sybil Wilkes has partnered with the Divine 9 to moderate an engaging roundtable discussion featuring Black Greek leadership from each organization. The unprecedented event will highlight the Divine 9’s 45-day election season strategy focused on harnessing the group’s collective influence to Inform, Empower and activate the African American community to vote. Bishop Leonard Scott will be on Faith Star Radio with Apostle Veryl Howard TONIGHT! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Shontelle Norman-Beatty, background vocalist and former member of the New Edwin Hawkins Singers, revisits her traditional gospel foundation with her second-ever single release, “Jesus Will Fix It.” The electrifying “Jesus Will Fix It” takes a traditional take on the original beloved classic, while adding a new-sound showcasing Shontelle’s incredible range. “Jesus Will Fix It” will be available Friday, November 6, 2020 on all major digital outlets for purchase and streaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c50fOAEo0gk&feature=youtu.be Earlier today, fans took to social media to congratulate actor Idris Elba and wife Sabrina Dhowre after reports claimed that the two welcomed their first child together, a baby boy. It was reported by multiple outlets that the 48-year-old actor “confirmed to ET Canada” that he and the model were now parents to a new baby, claiming he said this while promoting his new film, ”Concrete Cowboy,” at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday. “It really resonates with me, I’m a father of two boys, and definitely I can’t wait for my youngest to see this film,” the actor said during an interview. Apparently, some took it as Idris revealing he had welcomed a new child. ET later updated their story to make things clearer for readers: “A source close to Elba confirms that he was referring to his godson when saying he is the father of ‘ two boys.’ The actor is married to Sabrina Dhowre and has an 18-year-old daughter, Isan, and son, Winston, 6, from previous relationships.” The Star then followed up with a tweet of his own, shutting down the false reports. A judge has pushed back the criminal trail of Nicki Minaj’s husband involving allegations he failed to register as a sex offender when he moved to California with the hip-hop star. According to reports, Kenneth Petty was due to start the trial this week but it has been delayed by five months. The new date is now Feb. 23, according to the Daily News. A woman from Ljubljana, Slovenia, has been jailed for two years after she deliberately sliced her hand off with a circular saw as part of a wild insurance scam. According to TMZ, Julija Adlesic, 22, from Ljubljana, Slovenia, cut off her hand with a circular saw and then filed a disability claim stating that the accident happened while she was cutting branches. She and her boyfriend reportedly had at least five insurance policies on the woman that totaled around $1.16 million. https://youtu.be/mi8M_oM3P7c R&B singer Anthony Hamilton while in quarantine has been keeping busy with ADCOLOR. Hamilton joined forces with the company which is presenting its ADCOLOR Everywhere virtual event. It is the premier organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting professionals of color and diversity in the creative industries. The organization was founded in 2005 by Tiffany R. Warren. ADCOLOR’s goal is to create a community of professionals who support and celebrate one another, while bringing authentic, diverse perspectives to their organizations – aiding in helping companies share innovative ideas that address the biggest challenges they face in creating a more diverse and inclusive culture. Javicia Leslie is speaking out about making history as the first Black actress to play Batwoman for live-action TV show or movie. Leslis has been tapped to play the iconic character for The CW — picking up where actress Ruby Rose left off when she exited the show after season one. “When I read the character description, it was definitely me. I love the idea that it’s goofy meets bada** meets a person who doesn’t like to be told what to do. A person who does not like to follow the rules. I loved the fact that Ryan was just who I am, just a hot mess!” Leslie joked during Saturday’s Batwoman panel at DC FanDome. A Ghanian preacher has left the congregation of his Florida church devastated after he shot and killed his estranged wife outside her office. Sylvester Ofori, 35, who heads the Floodgates of Heaven International Ministries and believes he is a prophet, is being held in Orange County Jail after gunning down his wife Barbara Tommey, 27, on Tuesday (Sept. 8). The murder was captured on CCTV and happened outside the Navy Federal Credit Union. Days before the killing, Ofori told his brother-in-law “if I don’t kill your sister I am a fake pastor” during a heated exchange, The Sun reports. Mariah Carey is a superfan of Tina Fey’s 2004 film “Mean Girls,” so much so that the singer wants to be in a follow-up to the hit comedy. Carey and Fey recently appeared on Billboard‘s “Quizzed” video series and the former SNL writer tested the singer’s knowledge of the teen comedy. Carey breezed through the quiz and noted her disappointment that the Plastics didn’t sing her hit single “All I Want for Christmas is You” for the talent show in the film. https://youtu.be/KPYq6AzJLbc Jennifer Lopez found a way to promote the one-year anniversary of her Hustlers film by incorporating it into the “WAP” viral dance challenge. J-Lo’s moves in the movie link up perfectly with the choreography assigned to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s song. She wrote Sunday night (Sept. 18) “#WAPchallenge: Ramona Edition” in a tweet that included a link to her video on TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/tag/hustlers In a deal rumored to be worth $30 million, Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to the Sam Levinson-directed romantic drama “Malcolm & Marie” starring Zendaya and John David Washington. Netflix describes “Malcolm & Marie” as an “achingly romantic drama in which a filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) return home following a celebratory movie premiere as he awaits what’s sure to be imminent critical and financial success.” https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eh0fQl8UwAAXK9h?format=jpg&name=small Conservative activist Candace Owens says LeBron James is to blame for the Saturday night ambush of two Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies. The stanuch Trump supporter claims the NBA star has stirred up anti-police sentiment that led to the attack on the officers. Authorities on Sunday announced a $100,000 reward in connection with the search for a Black man, aged 28-30, who was seen on video shooting the two two sheriff’s deputies, CBS Los Angeles reports. “Why does this happen? Because pea-brained celebrities that are idolized like @KingJames tell young black men that they are “literally being hunted”,” said Owens, referencing a May 6 tweet in which James responded to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. She also blamed athletes and entertainers who support BLM for the shooting. New details surrounding the death of Naya Rivera have been revealed after the Ventura County Medical Examiner released her full autopsy and investigative reports. Rivera was found dead in July, nearly a week after she disappeared during a boating outing in Ventura County, California, with her 4-year-old son Josey. She was 33. According to the investigative report, Josey said they counted “1, 2, 3” and jumped off the pontoon boat together at Lake Piru. Once in the water, the child said his mother told him to get back on the boat. She helped him onto the boat and then he then heard [Naya] yell ‘help’ and she put her arm in the air. She then disappeared into the water,” the investigative report states, per PEOPLE. https://www.instagram.com/nayarivera/?utm_source=ig_embed Motown Records has launch a new label spearheaded by label president Ethiopia Habtemariam and EMI Records’ recently-appointed president Rebecca Allen. Announced today (Sept. 14), Motown Records U.K. will have its own dedicated team and resources, and an appetite for signing local artists. The first executive appointments are managing director Rob Pascoe and marketing director Afryea Henry-Fontaine, both Universal Music Group veterans, with more recruits to be announced in the coming weeks. Two months after Princess Love made a request to dismiss her filing to legally end her marriage with Ray J, the singer has made his own filing to move forward with the seperation. Ray J is also asking for joint custody of the couple’s two children: 9-month-old son Epik Ray, and daughter Melody Love, 2, according to The Blast. Michael Passons, a founding member of Avalon who left the Christian band 17 years ago, is opening up about his departure from the group. The singer-songwriter, 54, revealed during Wednesday’s episode of Jonah and the Whale podcast that he was actually kicked out of the Grammy-winning musical act because he is gay. Recalling his exit to host Josh Skinner, Passons said that he was confronted by his former bandmates on June 30, 2003, to leave Avalon. “Avalon showed up at my house and told me I was no longer in the group,” he said. “And it was all because of who I am.” Doug Williams endured some painful blindside hits as an NFL quarterback, but he embraced a recent one when he was informed that a certain foundation had endowed a scholarship in his name at his alma mater, Grambling State University. “When I asked who did this, I was told the donor wished it to be anonymous,” said Williams, a senior vice president for the Washington Football Team. “Ha, you know I have my connections at Grambling. I made a phone call and found out it was Peyton Manning’s foundation and it was endowing a half-dozen scholarships at historically Black colleges and universities [HBCUs]. Peyton is a Louisiana boy. I know he’s given to a lot of wonderful causes without publicity, but this was a most pleasant surprise for me.”Manning’s Peyback Foundation, which was founded in 1999 by Peyton and his wife, Ashley, has endowed six scholarships at four HBCU schools in his home state of Louisiana and two in Tennessee, where he played collegiately at the University of Tennessee. Williams, the first Black quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, has his name on the Grambling endowment at the request of the Peyback Foundation. Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield announced he had reversed his decision to kneel during the national anthem. Mayfield explained Saturday afternoon in a prepared statement he posted on Twitter and Instagram that he wouldn’t kneel after all because he believed it would “only create more division or discussion about the gesture, rather than be a solution towards our country’s problems.” Mayfield vowed June 13 on Instagram to kneel in protest of social injustice and racial inequality. The pledge came in the wake of George Floyd’s death. At the time, Mayfield also said he didn’t mind if he lost some fans who disagreed with him. On Aug. 14, Mayfield told reporters he had no regrets about the promise to kneel. The players have said they will protest and, if they do, ESPN says they will televise it. Normally ESPN only shows the honor guard and singing of the Star-Spangled Banner prior to games. However, for their opening Monday Night Football double-header, ESPN will also televise the “black national anthem,” a song known as Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing. In addition, the network will also “show social justice movements, actions, as they happen.” “Our policy is to cover the anthem when it’s newsworthy. That’s not going to change,” ESPN Executive Vice President of Event and Studio Production Stephanie Druley told reporters. “We are going to continue as we’ve done with the NBA and the WNBA. We will cover social justice movements, actions, as they happen. We’re not going to shy away from that.” Druley stressed that ESPN does not view the social justice protests as being political. “The Deputy who repeatedly struck Roderick Walker is being terminated from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office by order of Sheriff Victor Hill for excessive use of force,” is what the statement from Clayton County Sheriff’s Office says. The fired deputy’s name was not released by the department. A WSB-TV (Atlanta) reporter also posted to Twitter a photo of Roderick Walker’s injuries from what appears to be from inside of a jail, where he’s behind plexiglass in a jail uniform … with a swollen eye. Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California schools planning to incorporate The New York Times’ 1619 Project into curriculums. On Sunday, the president tweeted that the Department of Education would be “looking at” claims that California intends to teach students about America’s history of slavery via the 1619 Project. Department of Education is looking at this. If so, they will not be funded!” Trump tweeted. One Twitter user responded to trump’s message with, “All that the 1619 project wants to do is speak of the beginning of America at the time that Slavery began. It was black men and women who built this country from the origins.” Other noted that this is Trump and the revisionists latest attempt at erasing “the history of slavery.” Premiering September 19, MSNBC is rolling out its new weekend prime-time lineup featuring anchors Alicia Menendez and Joshua Johnson as part of the network’s continued investment in live programming on Saturdays and Sundays. At the height of both an election year and a global pandemic, MSNBC is doubling down on its commitment to delivering breaking news coverage and analysis seven days a week. “American Voices with Alicia Menendez” will air on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 8 p.m. ET. “The Week with Joshua Johnson” will air Saturdays and Sundays from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. MSNBC’s new weekend lineup also includes anchor Yasmin Vossoughian who will host “MSNBC Live” Saturdays and Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. Netflix is responding to backlash surrounding its controversial French film “Cuties.” The hashtag #CancelNetflix began trending on social media this week after folks who have not watched the film accused the streamer, and director Maïmouna Doucouré, of sexualizing young girls. https://youtu.be/M0O7lLe4SmA Recognizing the disparities within the healthcare market for black communities across the nation, esteemed civil rights attorney, author and advocate Areva Martin has launched Butterflly Health, a behavioral health app that is specifically crafted for underserved communities. The consumer-based health app allows users to self-identify and join several community groups that fit their descriptors. Within these groups, or “teams” as the app describes them, users can connect with others who may be experiencing similar feelings. The defense lawyers for the four ex-Minneapolis cops charged in the death of George Floyd are claiming Floyd swallowed fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, before his arrest. Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Floyd family, is not buying it and isn’t gonna let it fly. In fact, he accused the defense team of blaming the dead, a legal maneuver that “flies in the face of what we see with our own eyes on the video,” he added, referring to viral cellphone footage of an officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck before his death. “The only overdose that killed George Floyd was an overdose of excessive force and racism by the Minneapolis Police Department. George was lucid, cooperative, obeyed commands and had situational awareness when he died,” Crump said in a statement. “The world witnessed his asphyxiation on video, and now defense counsel is asking us to disbelieve our own eyes. Multiple autopsies determined that he died of asphyxiation because of the officers kneeling on his back and neck.” https://youtu.be/e4a-EYicE4A After two deputies were shot and left in critical condition Saturday night, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance footage that appears to show the shooting in Compton. https://youtu.be/v5h_etYRiq0 Superstar and social activist Naomi Osaka has bagged another US Open title to add to her trophy case. Osaka, had to do it via a comeback against top seeded Victoria Azarenka with a score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open final. It’s her second win in Flushing Meadows and third Grand Slam win. https://youtu.be/Tq6eSJmYNSE Reggae fans around the world are mourning the passing of Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, the lead singer and songwriter of Toots and the Maytals. Hilbert, hailed as one of reggae’s foundational figures, died Friday in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 77. https://youtu.be/gbaaQTBOrZg Hundreds of firefighters battled two large wildfires Friday that threatened to merge near the most populated part of Oregon, including the suburbs of Portland, and the governor said dozens of people are missing in other parts of the state as the death toll is expected to climb significantly. Authorities in Oregon, California, and Washington State reported at least 25 dead on Friday. Oregon’s emergency management director, Andrew Phelps, said officials are ‘preparing for a mass fatality event’ and that thousands of structures have been destroyed. Governor Kate Brown said more than 40,000 Oregonians have been evacuated and about 500,000 are in different levels of evacuation zones, either having been told to leave or to prepare to do so. Just a month after announcing her pregnancy, Kelis has welcomed her third child, a baby girl! The singer took to Instagram for a Live session on Saturday to share the big news. While speaking with fans, the 41-year-old Milkshake hitmaker revealed she gave birth to her baby following “intense labor,” and was also planning to document her post-pregnancy weight loss journey. ”Hey, so I’ve been kind of MIA…but for a really good reason cause I just had my baby,” she said to viewers in her video. She went on to explain, “it was intense. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’m generally a really private person, with my personal life, but I wanted to kind of bring my fam into sort of talk about all of these women’s things we go through that no one really tells us about.” She then revealed, “I had my baby a week ago and I had a girl by the way – so very excited about that – it’s my first girl! I wanted to bring you into my process.” Actress Candace Cameron Bure said she will not apologize for posting a photo showing her husband groping her. The outspoken Christian shared the photo on her Instagram story over the weekend. In it, her husband, Valeri, is resting his hand on his wife’s breast (while fully clothed). The photo caused a stir with some of the “Fuller House” star’s 4.4 million followers because she later took to insta-story to clap back at the comments she received. “For all of you Christians that are questioning my post with my husband’s hand on my boob — my husband of 24 years — thinking it was inappropriate, it makes me laugh because it’s my husband, we have so much fun together,” Bure, 44, shared in a series of videos. “He can touch me anytime he wants, and I hope he does. This is what a healthy, good marriage and relationship is all about.” The Hallmark Channel star initially apologized, but then took it back. Friday, the Clayton County Sheriff's Office in Georgia launched an investigation after a viral video started circulating around social media showing two officers tackling a Black man, who was reportedly a passenger in a cab, in front of his children. The events supposedly leading to the man being held on the ground were detailed in an Instagram post, written by someone claiming to be the man's cousin. The post said that the man was riding in a Lyft, which was pulled over for having a broken tail light. https://twitter.com/i/status/1304715122179534855 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has flipped the script on the Best Picture Oscar nomination eligibility. Film wanting to be considered for this category must prove they are inclusive on and off-screen. The new inclusion standards are outlined in the Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, PEOPLE reports. The new changes will be required for contenders in the Best Picture. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged rapper and actor T.I. for promoting an unregistered initial coin offering on social media. Decrypt reports the rapper along with four others were charged for the fraudulent operations. The SEC said T.I. claimed to be a co-owner of the streaming platform FLiK and tried to convince fans to invest in the company via social media. Among the four suspects was Atlanta-based film producer Ryan Felton who allegedly raised funds using ICOs for FLiK and digital trading platform CoinSpark then transferred the FLiK coins into his personal bank account. He exchanged the digital coins for $2 million and used it to purchase Ferrari, jewelry, a million-dollar home, and other items. New from Netflix, It’s “The Playbook,” a series that profiles legendary coaches as they share the rules they live by to achieve success in sports and in life. Through emotional and in-depth interviews, each coach reveals the critical moments in their personal lives and careers that ultimately helped form their coaching philosophies. Featured coaches include the Los Angeles Clippers’ Doc Rivers; two-time FIFA World Cup-winning coach Jill Ellis, the winningest coach in U.S. soccer history; Premier League’s José Mourinho, one of the most decorated football managers of all time; Serena Williams’ famed tennis coach, Patrick Mouratoglou; and hall of fame basketball player and coach Dawn Staley. https://youtu.be/Iapq84suC3c Idris Elba has teased that a movie version of his popular British detective series “Luther” is still in the works. “There isn’t a real formal plan for Luther at the moment,” he recently said during a Zoom event, per Sky News. “I’ve made it very clear that I’d like to see Luther come back as a film. And I can tell you this, that we are this close to making a film of Luther.” Elba told the UK Metro back in 2018, “It will be more murder, more Volvos, more frowning Luther,” he said. “Essentially we just want to try and take it to a much bigger remit and scale and perhaps international as well.” “I try to see music visually,” said lead guitarist Blake Aaron about the titled of his September 18, 2020 album release “Color and Passion” (Innervision Records). “Music makes a lot of color to me.” Blake is currently promoting the latest single release from the upcoming project titled “Day Light.” The “Color and Passion” album features saxophonists David Rahn (“Vivid”); Najee (“Sunday Strut”); flutist Kim Scott (“Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”); bass players Darryl Williams, Hussain Jiffry and Mel Brown; drummers Tony Moore and Eric Valentine; keyboardists/pianists Rob Mullins, Tateng Katindig and Mike Whittaker; horn players/arrangers David Mann and Lee Thornburg, and guitarist Adam Hawley (“Sunday Strut”). Two of the singles, “Fall for You” and “Groovers and Shakers” went #1. https://youtu.be/lP1DAggU9H0 Have you heard about Ice Cube‘s “Contract With Black America” campaign? He’s been out promoting it to make it part of the conversation in the upcoming presidential election. Ice Cube says the contract serves as a “blueprint to achieve racial economic justice.” He also said in a conversation with TMZ Live that he's been in contact with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump to outline his demands. “The end game is to get a candidate to adopt this plan because it’s needed for Black America,” said Cube as he discussed his contract. Ice Cube says he washed his hands of identity politics. In other words, he’s willing to vote Trump back into office if he meets his demands before his Presidency is up. Usher recently announced his own Las Vegas residency will go down next year. In an interview this week, he teases fans with a sneak peek of what they can expect. “I’m in the process of collecting all of the moments that have happened in my life, be it videos [or] live performances,” he tells Entertainment Tonight,. “I’m trying to figure out how to recreate those. [People] can look and say, ‘Man, I remember that video or those moves.” “Since I was 21 years old, I’ve really anticipated getting to go to Vegas and play the shows the way that they did in the early days,” he said. “The vibe of Las Vegas is everything on steroids — the best clubs, the best shows, the best food, all of it. To finally be able to get this opportunity, to share myself and also to share my history with my audience, I can’t wait for it.” https://www.instagram.com/usher/?utm_source=ig_embed A woman feeling the weight of being confined to her home during the pandemic decided to do something drastic to “free” herself. “We had the pandemic, we had all the killings and the social unrest and the divisiveness, and it was driving me crazy, making me very sad, very depressed, and I honestly did not feel free,” said Linda Harris. “So I thought of Harriet and her walk to freedom.” At the time of her interview with Fox 5 DC, Harris and seven other women were 116 miles into the path taken nearly 200 years ago by former slave Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad. ADRIENNE HOUGHTON SHARES HER FASHION MUST-HAVES ON CLEO TV'S ALL THINGS ADRIENNE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 AT 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrQEWIjZANU&feature=youtu.be Rising gospel music star and Summerville, South Carolina native, Kelontae Gavin, offers a brand new single, “Hold Me Close,” available at all major digital retail and streaming outlets now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4VseW2UAsU&feature=youtu.be Lecrae will join Prison Fellowship and opening act, The Birdsongs, a Christian rock band, for a two-hour event intended to bring hope and restoration to men incarcerated at St. Clair Prison in Springville, AL. The HOPE event will feature live performances from The Birdsongs, Lecrae and conclude around with an impactful conversation with the men who will view the event from a safe distance. GRAMMY, Dove and Stellar Award-winning artist, producer, composer, arranger and musician Aaron Lindsey announces the launch of MultiEthnic Records, a boutique Los Angeles-based label representing a variety of artists and genres. For Lindsey, the label is the culmination of a 20-plus year career in which he has worked with leading artists including William McDowell, Israel and New Breed, Marvin Sapp, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kenny Lattimore, David & Nicole Binion, India.Arie, Thalles Roberto, Darlene Zschech and Karen Clark Sheard to name but a few. For Christian singer/songwriter couple Jeremy and Adrienne Camp, writing and recording an album together in the midst of a global pandemic — though unconventional — was an act of worship. “We’ve led worship together for years and always talked about recording something together, but it never seemed like the right timing,” Jeremy, a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, told The Christian Post. “And then the coronavirus hit.” In the last weekend before indoor theaters shut down due to COVID-19, “I Still Believe” — an Erwin brothers film following the true-life story of Camp and his journey of love and loss — opened to roughly $9 million at the box office, beating out several Hollywood blockbusters. Country music icon Dolly Parton, along with CCM artist Zach Williams, has topped Christian music charts with “There Was Jesus,” a song bringing hope to millions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The duet increased by 2% to 10.5 million airplay audience impressions in the week ending Sept. 6, topping the Christian AC Songs tally. Though she has amassed 25 No. 1 hits on Hot Country Songs, seven leaders on Top Country Albums, and two No. 1 hits on the all-genre Hot 100 songs chart, “There Was Jesus” marks Parton’s first No. 1 on the Christian charts. https://youtu.be/37wV6D49iEY A Black Democratic state lawmaker who is challenging the appointment of a Black woman to the Florida Supreme Court contended Thursday that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is engaging in “racial tokenism” by choosing someone the court itself has already ruled is not eligible for the position. State Rep. Geraldine Thompson said in an online news conference that DeSantis only chose Renatha Francis for the high court because she shares his conservative ideology, not because he is trying to achieve racial diversity. Thompson says Francis doesn’t meet the constitutional requirement of being a Florida Bar member for at least 10 years, a point the Supreme Court noted two weeks ago when it ruled DeSantis had exceeded his authority by appointing an ineligible candidate. The court did not undo the appointment, however. On Friday (09-04-20), four elevator mechanics filed a lawsuit against Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. and Mitsubishi Electric US Holdings, Inc. In their Complaint, they describe supervisors at Mitsubishi referring to Black workers as “undesirables,” “lazy,” and “dumb ass n***ers,” delegating them menial tasks and failing to provide them with the same training opportunities. Plaintiffs LeiRoi Bowie, Gabriel Ross, Lavell Roberson and Craig Martin also state Mitsubishi failed to provide Black mechanics with a safe work environment, and take remedial and effective action to stop the harassers from continuing their harassment, and deter others from engaging in similar racist conduct. Miami Dolphins players released a two-minute, 17-second video on Thursday night letting everyone know that they will not take the field for the playing of two anthems before Sunday’s season opener. Multiple teammates explained in rhyme why they wanted to make a stand without following along with the plan the league had set forth, which included the playing of America’s national anthem as well as the Black national anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing.” https://youtu.be/L3e9-ne16HE There were barely any fans at the usually sold-out, deafening Arrowhead Stadium due to COVID-19 social distancing, but boos were still heard among the roughly 17,000 of a possible 76,400 who were in attendance as opposing players linked arms during what was billed as a “moment of unity.” https://youtu.be/6Fiy8IJM9rQ Will Smith teased fans with a preview of the upcoming HBO Max reunion special for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The cast gathered on the set of their hit show on Thursday to tape the special in celebration of the show’s 30th anniversary. https://www.instagram.com/willsmith/?utm_source=ig_embed Alicia Keys and the NFL have teamed to launch a $1 billion endowment fund focused on supporting Black-owned businesses and communities. Keys announced the full details of her latest initiative, revealing NFL bosses will be contributing to the fund. In an interview with Billboard, the singer said the recent protests have inspired her to raise awareness about social injustice and systematic racism. https://twitter.com/aliciakeys?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1299895675749044225%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2020%2F09%2F11%2Falicia-keys-and-nfl-announce-1-billion-fund-for-black-owned-businesses-communities%2F Since it was published in 1965, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” has sold millions of copies around the world, and it will now reach a new audience with the Audible release of an unabridged audio version. Ilyasah Shabazz, the third daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, said she hopes the audiobook, performed by actor Laurence Fishburne, “will inspire today’s activists and create a shared understanding with the civil rights leaders of the 1960s.” “His life resonates with so many people who find themselves at a crossroads, especially young people in underserved communities,” Shabazz told NBC News. “When you have people who are weary — whether they are young or they are old — with the way that our system works, they seemed to find a lot of solace in it.” https://youtu.be/C7IJ7npTYrU Tamar Braxton’s new WE tv docuseries “Get Ya Life!” premiered on Thursday, and viewers got a glimpse of her clashing with ex-boyfriend David Adefeso over sex. The six-episode series promises to take fans on her journey with motherhood, love and her career as she records a new album. At the time the show was filmed, Braxton was still dating Adefeso. Earlier this week, however, The Blast reported that he had filed for a restraining order against her, and it comes less than two months after he allegedly found the singer unresponsive in their Los Angeles hotel room following a suicide attempt. David claims a physical altercation between the two prompted him to contact police. https://youtu.be/EEDsK9pQk9g Gospel music icon Donnie McClurkin took to Instagram Thursday to slam a report that he’s suffering from a life-threatening disease. “What [in] the world!!!! So, now I’m supposed to be hospitalized with some kind of cancer???? Someone posted that I was sick and used a 5yr old hospital picture and info!!” McClurkin captioned his post. In a video message, the singer and pastor made clear that the is “alive” and “well.” https://www.instagram.com/donmac6453/?utm_source=ig_embed While in his usual enhanced state, Snoop Dogg ran down a list of people that Donald Trump has offended with racist hate speech. This appeared to be “sparked” by reports this week of #45 disparaging the military and veterans. “So, me and my homeboys sittin’ up here talkin’ about all the people that President Trump disrespected… Women, gays, transgenders, Blacks, Mexicans, Asians, and now veterans,” Snoop said in the video posted on Wednesday (Sept. 9). “Hmmm. Seem like he’s disrespecting every color in the world and everything that ain’t what he is, which is a racist.” https://www.instagram.com/snoopdogg/?utm_source=ig_embed Neve Campbell has confirmed that she’s coming back for the “Scream” revival. “Scream 5” is in the works at Spyglass, and David Arquette has confirmed his return, reprising the role of Deputy Dewey Riley in the previous four installments of the horror movie series. https://youtu.be/klYy6DzOufc Regina King has joined the cast of “The Harder They Fall,” a new Western for Netflix starring Idris Elba and Jonathan Majors. Additional cast members include Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, Edi Gathegi and RJ Cyler. As reported by Variety, the new movie is written by Samuel and Boaz Yakin. The story follows Nat Love (Majors), an outlaw who reunites with his gang to seek revenge on the man who killed his parents (Elba). On this day in 1971, a Saturday morning cartoon starring The Jackson 5 premiered on ABC. Creator Motown Productions had two main goals for its fictionalized portrayal of the group, showcase their music and milk their superstar status. In the program’s short run, they managed to do both. https://youtu.be/SM6qSap8PLU WE tv’s “Life After Lockup” returns with a four-part self-shot event beginning September 11. The stars of “Life After Lockup” are serving a fresh new take on fast-paced and heart-wrenching storytelling, this special event features a mix of unseen footage and self-shot stories captured during quarantine using cell phones, Go Pros, video diaries, and interviews recorded on Skype, according to the press release. https://youtu.be/VSsqG-AjclM The nation forever changed 19 years ago when 3,000 people were killed in New York City, at the Pentagon and in a field in rural Pennsylvania in terror attacks orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Ever since then, the horror of it all replays like a bad movie on the anniversary and fresh wounds are reopened. The stories of 12 African-American firefighters — Leon W. Smith Jr., Shawn E. Powell, Vernon Cherry, Andre Fletcher, and Ronnie L Henderson; Gerard Jean Baptiste, Keithroy Maynard, William L. Henry Jr., Karl Joseph, and Tarel Coleman. Keith Glascoe and Vernon Richard — who gave their lives at the World Trade Center site to save others on 9/11 have gone largely untold. Craig Kelly, a former firefighter and a grief counselor who worked with the fallen heroes’ families, was compelled to chronicle the aftermath of their deaths and made his research into a documentary, “All Our Sons–Fallen Heroes of 9/11,” which was released in 2004. The tribute memorializes the fateful day’s of these heroic lives and what they meant to their communities. https://youtu.be/2UcsS-heeQE Veteran journalist Bob Woodward‘s explosive series of interviews with Donald Trump has not only revealed the president’s blase approach to the coronavirus — an approach that arguably led to nearly 200,000 Americans dying — but it also offered further confirmation of his racist feelings toward Black people and about white privilege. Excerpts from audiotapes of Woodward’s upcoming book about Trump were published Wednesday and featured the president saying in his own words how severe of a public health threat COVID-19 posed to the U.S. That interview, in particular, took place before Trump repeatedly described the coronavirus to the American people as a political “hoax” being pushed by Democrats during an election year. The end result has been more than 190,000 deaths of Americans, including notable individuals like Herman Cain who refused to wear personal protective equipment like masks because he believed and repeated Trump’s claims downplaying the coronavirus’ true threat. Trump later on Wednesday admitted he downplayed the threat — only after the audiotapes were released — and said he didn’t want people to panic if they knew the truth. One of the multiple prosecutors who recused themselves from Ahmaud Arbery’s murder case over shady links to the accused killers could soon find herself out of a job after a candidate qualified to challenge her re-election bid in south Georgia. Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson’s office worked with one in the trio of jailed white men charged with playing separate murderous roles in the killing of Arbery, a Black man who was jogging when he was allegedly racially profiled, chased down by armed men, trapped in the middle of a road and shot dead in February in the coastal town of Brunswick. Gregory McMichael worked for more than 20 years with Johnson’s office as an investigator, prompting her to recuse herself over what she described at the time as a conflict of interest. But there should be no conflict of interest when it comes to a case of blatant murder, Georgia NAACP President James Woodall argued in a tweet months ago while slamming Johnson in a tweet. Jesse Mitchell is a rap artist with a gritty delivery and a soul that is anchored in the Lord. His music can contain hard-core, straight forward flowing lyrics, but, he can also deliver high praise driven contemporary Gospel anthems and melodic ballads. As a relatively new artist, his versatility is appealing to a growing fan base and his new music continues to distinguish him in the Christian music genre. Determined to heat up this summer and continue to deliver fresh music, Jesse released a powerful new single "Chain Breaker". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLqz3mmo5zQ&feature=youtu.be Two distinct presidencies are the subject of a new documentary. “The Way I See It” from Focus Films. The production is based on the New York Times #1 bestseller of the same name and it gives viewers an unprecedented behind the scenes look into American History. https://youtu.be/7L4ktHbelhc Texas Tech officials are now investigating after video of a young woman boasting about having COVID-19 while at an outdoor party went viral. The woman not only proclaimed that she had the virus, but also the entire group of people around her in the shot. No one appeared to be wearing masks. The Twitter user who posted the clip on Sept. 5, Taylor Smith, captioned it: “What’s happening at Texas Tech. Side note, I do not know this girl but she was brave enough to post this for others to see! If you are selfish like this with no regards for others safety, f*** off!” Texas Tech officials are investigating after video of a young woman boasting about having COVID-19 while at an outdoor party went viral. https://twitter.com/i/status/1302345573308170243 Mara Brock Akil has signed a multi-year, overall deal with Netflix. Under the deal, Brock Akil, the executive producer known for “Girlfriends,” will write and produce scripted content and other creative projects for the streaming giant, Variety reports. “It is a dream to partner with the force of Netflix, for we have the same goals—telling human stories for a global audience,” Brock Akil said. “I’m excited to have a home that allows me the creative freedom and support to do what I do best– paint portraits and murals of women, Black people and anyone else whose story is missing from this golden age of television. Representation matters and so does who you build with– I can’t wait to work closely with Channing Dungey and her team to launch some great stories.” During a preview of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City series premiere, it was revealed that one of the stars married their grandmother’s second husband to take over their family business. According to US Weekly, Mary Cosby revealed she is a “Pentecostal First Lady” and has taken over her family business after marrying her late grandmother’s second husband, Robert Cosby Sr. Her biography reads that the couple has been “been married for 20 years and have one teenage son together. Small but mighty and always dressed to the nines, her unconventional past has made her guarded and she quickly finds herself on shaky ground with some of the ladies.” This reveal has led to some fans of the franchise to wonder why she would marry and have a child with her “grandfather” just to gain the family’s inheritance. One fan wrote on Twitter, “now lookie here Mary Cosby…..you could’ve took that one to grave beloved.” The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) will present the panel series, La Conversación, centering the Afro-Latinx experience. La Conversación will highlight the exclusion of the Afro-Latinx experience in film/TV, particularly its origins and its impact now. Other hot-button issues include the barriers Afro-Latinx creatives face in Hollywood, diversity and inclusion efforts, as well as the value Afro-Latinx voices add to both Black American and Latinx productions, among others. ”Enslaved” is the highly anticipated six-part docuseries featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson. It provides a never-before-seen look at the transatlantic slave trade. Episode 1 launches the epic story of the transatlantic slave trade, as told from the ocean floor. Divers from Diving With a Purpose go in search of sunken slave ships. Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson goes on a personal journey to meet the tribe of his ancestors for the first time. https://youtu.be/GaJUi-Wexv0 During an unprecedented year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice protests, the first-ever Salute THEM [Together Heroes Emerge Momentous] Awards will recognize individuals and organizations who have “initiated global change” and will take place during the annual CBC Annual Legislative Conference Week. https://youtu.be/BOxMDv90xK8 Vairrun Strickland from the TBS’ hit reality show “Lost Resort,” is an increasingly popular cast member and is much more than a pair of biceps. The Chicago native from West Englewood is on a mission to increase awareness of the mental health challenges often faced by black males. In Lost Resort, nine cast members come together in the jungle of Costa Rica as they try to overcome personal challenges with the help of mental and spiritual healers. Strickland, a longtime firefighter, shared how extremely long hours, fighting fires and encountering traumatic life or death situations had hindered his ability to process his emotions and communicate effectively during romantic relationships. He often bottled everything up. “In my line of work, you can’t show emotion. You have to be able to do chest compressions on a young boy with a straight face, while his family is crying next to you asking if he is going to make it, and you know he probably won’t,” he said. “Then, one day you just lose it and you’re emotional and you feel depressed, but you don’t really understand what is going on.” Authorities in Oregon now say more than 500,000 people statewide have been forced to evacuate because of wildfires. The latest figures from Thursday evening come from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. That’s over 10% of the state’s 4.2 million population. OEM also reported Thursday that wildfires have now burned a record 900,000 acres statewide. Authorities say the wildfire activity was particularly acute Thursday afternoon in northwestern Oregon as hot, windy conditions continued. At a news conference Thursday, Gov. Kate Brown said there have been deaths, but the exact number is not yet known. There have been at least three reported fire deaths in the state. Orlando police say the husband of a woman shot and killed outside of a Navy Federal Credit Union on Tuesday has been charged with first-degree murder in her death. Authorities say the victim was an employee at the credit union. She’s been identified as Barbara Tommey, 27. Investigators say she was shot and killed near the front door of the bank by her husband, Sylvester Ofori, 35. In an update on Wednesday morning, police said the two had been going through a divorce and she was no longer living with him. After officials spent hours looking for Ofori following the shooting, a search warrant was served at his apartment and he was taken into custody. Sylvester Ofori is the pastor of Floodgates of Heaven church. https://youtu.be/Y4NbSNI5UXs Delores Washington-Green, whose silvery soprano sweetened the music of the legendary gospel group The Caravans, has died at 82. Mrs. Washington-Green, who faced various forms of cancer five times since the 1970s, died Sept. 2 of complications from the disease at the home of her niece Verlda Brown, according to her son Leonidas “Lee” Green. She joined The Caravans in 1958. Around that time, the lineup also included Albertina Walker, Inez Andrews, Shirley Caesar and Cassietta George. “Love Theory (Remix),” the new single from Kirk Franklin x Wyclef Jean, is available now at digital music providers. The new digital single with sixteen-time GRAMMY®-winner Kirk Franklin and three-time GRAMMY®-winner Wyclef Jean marks the first time Franklin has paired up with Jean, and is released in conjunction with the latest episode of Wyclef Jean’s show “Run That Back!” with Franklin. https://kirkfranklin.lnk.to/LoveTheoryRemix NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, 26, announced Thursday that he will be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports after the 2020 season. “This was not an easy decision as I have nothing but the utmost respect for Richard Petty and his family, but I believe it’s time for someone else to take over the reins of the No. 43,” Wallace, who has raced with Richard Petty Motorsports for three seasons, wrote on Twitter. “Thank you to the King and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to start my Cup Series career. I’ve grown so much as a driver and as a person since joining them. We’ve got nine more races together, and I hope we can finish the 2020 season on a high note,” his post continued. The announcement comes less than three months after Wallace — the only top-tier Black NASCAR driver — was at the center of a noose controversy. AJ Collier and The Band of Believers delivers a compelling turn on this newest album AJ COLLIER LIVE WITH THE BAND OF BELIEVERS, available everywhere today. Featuring the lead hit singles “Lift The Savior”and “Hosanna”, this project debuted #8 on the iTunes top 200 Gospel Charts. AJ Collier & B. O. B. take their calling to new heights, with a confident message of celebration and serving God in relevant new ways, incorporating innovative beats, and other sounds in their chart-topping release. CLEO TV announced today the season two of New Soul Kitchen returns with a double-header on Saturday, October 3 at 9p.m. ET / 8C and 9:30p.m. /8:30C. Chef Jernard Wells returns to prepare even more robust recipes in the series' extended, 30-minute format. Acclaimed chef, cookbook author, and family man Chef Jernard is not only bringing his arsenal of down-home dishes to viewers, but is teaming up with four of America's most talented chefs to spice things up by incorporating their delicious mouth-watering recipes. A grand jury empaneled by Kentucky’s attorney general is set to decide “very soon” whether to charge one, some or all of the officers involved with the botched no-knock warrant that led to Breonna Taylor‘s killing earlier this year, according to a new report. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is finally presenting the findings from his office’s completed investigation into the shooting that happened nearly six months ago. “The presentation was expected to take at least two days,” but it was unclear when it began. If it started Tuesday, then the grand jury could make its decision before the week’s end. Cameron — a Black Republican and avid supporter of Donald Trump who has been described as Mitch McConnell‘s “protégé” — and his office have been accused of both politicizing the case and dragging their feet when it came to bringing charges. Get ready to continue the laughs! The BET+ hit series “BRUH” from Tyler Perry returns from it’s mid-season break September 10, 2020. Titled “Playing With Fire” and “On Thin Ice,” the first few episodes will not only have you laughing until you can’t anymore, but will also have you picking your jaw up from the floor! Tia Mowry has opened up about her relationship with fame, struggles with self-image and the discrimination she faced as a teen star. “To this day, I’m always telling my beautiful brown-skinned girl that she is beautiful,” Mowry says of her daughter in a candid conversation on ET’s Unfiltered. “And the same thing even with my son. I tell him how handsome he is, I tell him, you know, he is smart. Because I know what it feels like for someone to devalue your worth, and I don’t want my children to ever, ever, ever, feel that. And not have the strength, or the foundation, to not believe it. To believe that they are worthy.” The actress recalls a moment during the height of the popularity of “Sister, Sister,” the show she starred on with her twin sister, Tamera. “So my sister [Tamera] and I wanted to be on the cover of this very popular [teenage] magazine at the time,” Mowry recalls. “We were told that we couldn’t be on the cover of the magazine because we were Black and we would not sell.” Halle Berry made Hollywood history in 2002 when she won the Academy Award for best actress for the film “Monster’s Ball,” making her the first Black woman to win the award. Nearly two decades later, the actress remains the only Black woman to receive the honor. “I thought Cynthia [Erivo, the star of ‘Harriet’] was going to do it last year. I thought Ruth [Negga, nominated for 2016’s ‘Loving’] had a really good shot at it too,” Berry said in an interview with Variety. “I thought there were women that rightfully, arguably, could have, should have. I hoped they would have, but why it hasn’t gone that way, I don’t have the answer.” Berry said after her massive Oscar win she thought she would have an endless selection of roles to choose from… but the opposite happened. Cardi B revealed during a recent Instagram Live with fans that a Trump supporter leaked her address online after she criticized the president. “Sh*t gets so intense that a Trump supporter posted my address and encouraged people to dox my home, to put my house on fire,” she admitted. “I literally hired a private investigator, and served them with a warrant and arrested this boy.” Cardi said, “This boy was a f*cking teenager. His parents were shook.” Conservative activist and Trump supporter Candace Owens recently escalated her feud with Cardi B when she taunted the rapper over her interview with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. 2020 has posed unthinkable challenges and boundless opportunities to defy the odds. The 2020 Los Angeles Black Business Expo (LBBE) is ready to seize the moment Saturday, September 12th! This year they have gathered yet another impressive list of speakers, authors, coaches, consultants & vendors who are power packed with a plethora of information, products and services to help attendees maximize grow, start or pivot all facets of their businesses and personal lives. Headliners include Dr. George Fraser, Les Brown, Reginald Grant, Dr. Rosie Milligan, Jewel Diamond Taylor, Byron Nelson, Brian Franklin, Dr. Cherilyn Lee, Doris F. Mosley, Dr. Stephanie Audrey, Richard Yeargin III, Norma T. Hollis, Melvin Burrell, Bob Grant and many more. Jussie Smollett opened up about his 2019 hate crime attack in a interview with activist Marc Lamont Hill on Wednesday. The former “Empire” star appeared in an Instagram Live with Hill, during which he discussed his ongoing trial. “It’s been beyond frustrating, and I certainly am not going rogue,” he said about the case. “I’m still taking the advice of my attorneys and everything like that, but I don’t really see, honestly, what staying quiet has really done, like, where it has gotten me. … It’s so much bigger than me.” https://www.instagram.com/marclamonthill/?utm_source=ig_embed Disney is facing a new round of controversy, including calls for a boycott, after it was revealed that the new live-action remake of “Mulan” thanked Chinese government agencies that have been accused of extreme human rights violations in the Xinjiang province. The company’s remake of “Mulan” launched on its Disney+ streaming service on Friday, where eagle-eyed viewers noticed the film’s credits thanked several Chinese entities, including the Public Security and Tourism bureaus for Turpan and the Xinjiang government’s publicity department. The province is home to detention camps that have held Uighur Muslims, where detainees have allegedly been subjected to terrible human rights violations, such as torture and forced sterilization. Black businesses and Black banks will get a hefty share of funds tied to Bank of America’s massive pledge to advance racial equality and economic opportunity. The nation’s second-largest bank just announced its initial progress by directing $300 million to four key areas: $200 million to minority entrepreneurs, businesses, and funds; $50 million to minority depository institutions; $25 million in support of jobs initiative; and $25 million in support of community outreach and Initiatives. The first outlay is linked to the Charlotte, N.C.-based banking powerhouse’s June promise to commit $1 billion over four years to support racial equality. “What About the Kids,” the latest short film from writer and director Jim Wahlberg, highlights the devastating nature of opioid addiction and the role faith plays in recovery and healing. The film, which premiered virtually on Tuesday night, follows Chloe (Layla Scalisi), the 8-year-old daughter of drug addicts. After her mother dies from a drug overdose, she’s sent to live with her grandparents. Though they love her, taking on the responsibility of a small child forces them to restructure their lives and future. In the face of struggles, Chloe’s grandmother, Debbie (Patti D’Arbanville), relies on her deep faith and prayer to carry her family. Diana Rigg, the acclaimed British actor, has died at the age of 82, according to Variety. Rigg is probably best known for her role as Lady Olenna Tyrell—a.k.a. the Queen of Thorns—on Game of Thrones. Olenna was a beloved character thanks to her unapologetic attitude and quotes like “I’ve known a great number of clever men. I’ve outlived them all. You know how? I ignored them.” But Rigg was a star of stage and screen long before GoT. She famously played Emma Peel on television's The Avengers from 1965 to 1668. (Uma Thurman later took on the role in a 1998 feature film.) She also has a James Bond film on her résumé: On Her Majesty's Secret Service from 1969. “We are very sad to hear of the passing of Dame Diana Rigg, the legendary stage and screen actress who was much beloved by Bond fans for her memorable performance as Tracy di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the only woman to have married James Bond,” the franchise's official Twitter account posted. Martin Lawrence is paying homage to his career as a standup comic with a new merchandise line, available now via martinlawrencestore.com. “You’ve been asking,” Martin told Complex, “and now it’s here, the launch of my official Martin Lawrence store. I’m excited to share that the store launches today and features all sorts of gear, including sweatshirts, socks, and blankets, some of which include your favorite Martin quotes and characters paying homage to the Martin lifestyle.” https://www.instagram.com/martinlawrence/?utm_source=ig_embed Shirley Caesar, Senior pastor of Mt. Calvary Word of Faith Church in Raleigh, NC ministers each week from her Facebook Page the Word of God Live for one hour on Sunday. During her most recent service, she talked about the importance of voting and to make sure you are registered to vote. She also said, “Tell Satan, you got to go and take corona with you!” Before closing out her broadcast, she shared that she will be releasing her newest single entitled “Take Your Knee Off My Neck” on Friday, September 11, 2020. The Gospel Spotlight's Pastor Shirley Caesar!!! Hear Pastor shirley Caesar In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/shirley_caesar_intvw.htm The R&B world has lost another soulful soul. Ronald Bell (a/k/a Khalis Bayyan), co-founder of the legendary band, Kool & the Gang, has died. He passed away on Tuesday, September 9, 2020 at the age of 68. With his older brother, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald/Khalis began playing together in the mid 1960’s as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, NJ. By the end of the decade, after a few personnel changes, the group became known as Kool & the Gang. With contributions from group members, Ronald/Khalis wrote the smash hits, “Jungle Boogie”, “Hollywood Swinging”, “Get Down On It” and the band’s first number one record, “Celebration”. In addition, their classic, “Summer Madness”, featured Ronald/Khalis on the ARP synthesizer. https://youtu.be/3GwjfUFyY6M Switzerland’s supreme court has dismissed the appeal of two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya against track and field’s rules that limit the naturally high testosterone levels in female runners. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled last year that Semenya would have to take testosterone-reducing drugs in order to compete professionally. Semenya was born with XY chromosomes, making her testosterone levels three times that of an average woman. The WarnerMax original feature film, Charm City Kings, is set to premiere on HBO Max on Thursday, October 8. Charm City Kings won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival for its cast that includes Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Meek Mill, Will Catlett, Donielle Hansley, Kezii Curtis, Chino, Lakeyria “Wheelie Queen” Doughty and Teyonah Parris. https://youtu.be/8Cvrs-BCs6o Inmate firefighting crews, made up of more than 2,000 inmate firefighters per year, have helped extinguish many of the biggest wildfires in California. However, once they’re released, they cannot serve in that profession under current law because of their criminal records. Now, AB 2147, a law that would lift that restriction, has been sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign after passing both the State Senate and Assembly on Aug. 30. The bill allows nonviolent offenders who’ve participated in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations’ fire camps to have their records expunged after release. https://youtu.be/yxGZsSw_rKE An interview with Jerry Falwell Jr. ended up getting brought to a grinding halt after the former Liberty University president’s wife interrupted him to cut off the whole thing. Falwell was contacted by Reuters for his response to renewed allegations against him from Michael Cohen’s autobiography: Disloyal: A Memoir. In his book, Cohen offers numerous unflattering accounts about Donald Trump when he served as the president’s personal lawyer. One part of the memoir suggests Cohen got the Falwells to endorse Trump during the 2016 election in exchange for helping them prevent a collection of their explicit photos from going public. Reuters flagged Cohen’s claim since it corroborates their previous reporting on the Falwells, and according to his book, Cohen planned to suppress the photos with a “catch and kill” scheme, the same tactic he used to try and cover up Trump’s extramarital affairs. Toward the end of the call, Becki Falwell, who has not commented on the Cohen book or the photographs, could be heard urging with her husband to cut short the conversation with Reuters. “Hang up the g**damn phone,” she told her husband. “Hang up the phone, Jerry!” Weeks after President Donald Trump called for a boycott of Goodyear Tires, talk of a different kind of boycott is trending. This time, the calls for a consumer boycott are over a pro-Trump display at arts and crafts store Hobby Lobby. Hashtag #BoycottHobbyLobby started trending after Twitter user Kari Brekke shared a photo on Twitter Sunday of a display of decorative letters arranged to read “USA Vote Trump” and the caption “In a Hobby Lobby.” As of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the tweet was liked more than 46,500 times and retweeted 12,100 times. It is unclear whether the display was designed by a Hobby Lobby employee or a shopper. Hobby Lobby did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment. Serena Williams needed a shot she hit left-handed, to reverse a deficit that reached the scale of a set and a break after 45 minutes of her quarterfinal against Tsvetana Pironkova on Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Williams ended up on the right side of a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 score after more than two hours to get to the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for an 11th consecutive appearance. A postmatch interview with Naomi Osaka on Tuesday featured video messages from the parents of Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin, two shooting victims whom Osaka has remembered on her face masks during the US Open. Osaka, the No. 4 seed, joined the ESPN telecast not long after her 6-3, 6-4 win over Shelby Rogers. “I just want to say thank you to Naomi Osaka for representing Trayvon Martin on your customized mask,” Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, said. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Continue to do well, continue to kick butt at the US Open.” California University of Pennsylvania football player Jamain Stephens, 20, has died, the school announced Tuesday. Stephens, a senior defensive lineman, was the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jamain Stephens. Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where Stephens played, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday his cause of death was related to complications involving COVID-19. It is unclear how he contracted the disease. TV One's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities, highlights singer and actor Tyrese this Sunday, September 13 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C The episode will re-air on Wednesday, Sept 16 at 10 PM/9C. On this episode, Tyrese opens up about his marriage, the colorism he faced while growing up, and how the late director John Singleton changed his life when he cast him in the iconic film Baby Boy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJV7_vSXf9c&feature=youtu.be Bishop Charles H. Ellis III and the Greater Grace Temple Mass Choir present their new single entitled COVERED, featuring Gospel Chrystal Rucker. COVERED is a powerful, choir supported ballad, that brings the 100 voice choir impact back to the music forefront. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j54r63bfudpzafl/AAASflqlHp135l1zThC3_H2da?dl=0 DeLeon Carr inevitably showed his roots with the debut of Church Boy Soul, his 2017 introduction into the Gospel arena. He now stands ready to give a little more of the same but in a uniquely different way as he releases "I Got It" the first single from his new project "Life Is." I Got It is scheduled to be available on digital outlets and streaming platforms on September 8th. The album is set for release in mid- October. A series of events capped off an eventful weekend for singer/songwriter, musician and pastor Jason Hendrickson as Friday served as backdrop for the release of a new lyric video for his radio single "Hold On" featuring Pastor Monique Walker and Brooke Lynne. https://youtu.be/SlnaONZMgR0 The childhood home of iconic musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone will be indefinitely preserved in North Carolina. The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, in partnership with World Monuments Fund and Preservation North Carolina, recently secured permanent protection of the singer-songwriter’s childhood home in Tryon, the trust announced in a statement Tuesday. Advocacy organization Preservation North Carolina was granted a preservation easement for the home. The legal agreement binds all current and future owners to permanently protecting the building’s “authentic character.” The house can be renovated, but it cannot be demolished. After 20 seasons, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” will be coming to an end with the final season airing in early 2021. The decision to end the show was made by the Kardashian-Jenner family and announced on Tuesday. “It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians,’” the famous family said in a joint statement, signed by Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian West, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Scott Disick. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com More than a dozen companies, including Zillow and M.M.LaFleur, are promising to add at least one Black director to their boards within the next year, as businesses across America slowly get their leadership to look more like the customers they serve. The companies all made the pledge as part of the launch of an initiative by The Board Challenge, which is pushing to get more diversity into boardrooms. The Board Challenge’s co-founders will check in with each of them after six months and again at 12 months to monitor their progress, while also helping them to find candidates. “America has been reminded again in tragic fashion that we must redouble our efforts to build a more inclusive society,” Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital and a co-founder of The Board Challenge, said in a statement. “Business leaders can’t let this moment pass us by without playing our part and taking this tangible step to build a more diverse boardroom.” For the first time, a Black woman will lead Kentucky’s Louisville Metro Police Department, which has been been heavily criticized since officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor in March. Mayor Greg Fischer announced on Monday that Yvette Gentry will serve as interim chief of the department, according to The Courier-Journal. Gentry is a former Louisville Metro Police deputy chief who retired from the force in 2014. She will be the first woman and the third African American to serve as chief of the Louisville Metro Police. Interim Chief Robert Schroeder plans to retire at the end of September after four months in the role. Schroeder took over on June 1 when Fischer fired longtime Chief Steve Conrad after learning officers did not have body cameras turned on during the fatal police shooting of the owner of a popular West End eatery. The San Francisco 49ers have announced the nine recipients of grants the team is awarding as part of a $1 million commitment to organizations creating social change. Team CEO Jed York announced plans to award the grants on May 30 following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Floyd died after an officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes. The two-month selection process included members of 49ers ownership and the front office, as well as players, and led to the groups revealed Wednesday. The final picks were determined by the 49ers representatives on the Players Social Justice Council, led by defensive lineman Arik Armstead, offensive lineman Ben Garland, defensive end Dee Ford, defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson and former cornerback Jamar Taylor. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have revealed their list of requirements for online speaking engagements. The Telegraph obtained a copy of the virtual request form from the firm representing the couple, New York-based Harry Walker Agency. A source told Newsweek the form was “pretty standard for high-level clients at HWA.” Among the requirements, organizers must give details of any sponsors and “what they are receiving in return for their sponsorship,” even before issuing an invitation to the couple. A full list of who will be in the audience must also be provided and the couple’s fee — said to be up to $1 million — must be known in advance. The rules stipulate that “the fee will need to be paid directly from the contracting organization’s account.” Moderators must also be cleared Harry and Meghan. Donald Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. According to The Hill, a member of the Norwegian Parliament nominated the President for the prestigious award for his role in brokering relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The nomination came after Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a four-term member of Parliament and chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said Trump should be considered because of his work “for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East.” “No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize,” Tybring-Gjedde, told The Associated Press. As ABC News notes, the lawmaker nominated Trump on Wednesday, adding that “Donald Trump meets the criteria” for the Nobel Peace Prize.” New details about Tamar Braxton and David Adefeso’s troubled relationship are coming to the surface. Earlier it was reported that Adefeso filed a restraining order against her in regard to a domestic violence situation but now it sounds like, at least from Braxton’s point of view, that he may have been the aggressor. Sources close to Tamar say that the estranged couple got into a heated altercation recently while driving to check Tamar into a mental health facility for treatment. Apparently, Tamar had some questions for David after he shared a post to his Instagram featuring her 7-year-old son, Logan Herbert. The source says Tamar told David that he was “around for the wrong reasons and could not be trusted.” David Adefeso reportedly became irate and allegedly told Tamar they were going to “end up in a ‘murder-suicide.’” Niecy Nash stunned fans last month when she announced her surprise wedding to singer Jessica Betts. The actress opens up about their love story in the latest issue of PEOPLE, saying Betts is “the most beautiful soul I have ever met in my life.” “[My marriage] has absolutely nothing to do with gender and it has everything to do with her soul,” said Nash, who divorced her second husband Jay Tucker in March. “I was not suppressing my sexuality my whole life,” says Nash of the her decision to marry a woman. “I love who I love. At one point in my life, I married twice and I love those people. And today I love this person. I’ve done everything I wanted to do on my own terms and my own way. So my choice now in a partner has nothing to do with who I’ve always been. It’s a matter of who I am in this moment,” she continued. According to the Department of Homeland Security, white supremacists will remain the most “persistent and lethal threat” in America through 2021. Violent extremists have taken advantage of the social and political unrest sweeping across the nation. As such, Politico reports that the most recent version of the State of the Homeland Threat Assessment anticipates an “elevated threat environment at least through” early 2021. https://youtu.be/LVQomlXMeek A new “Black-ish” spin-off is in the works over at ABC, this time focusing on the elders in the Johnson family. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new show titled “Oldish” will center on Earl “Pops” Johnson (Laurence Fishburne) and Ruby Johnson (Jenifer Lewis). This would mark the fourth installment of the “Black-ish” franchise, after “Grown-ish,” and “Mixed-ish.” The original series stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. The elder Johnsons will “move to a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Los Angeles” and it’s there that they’ll “meet characters who represent the old and new faces of the community as they try to make it work as a married couple again.” The killing of Botham Jean by white, female, off-duty police officer Amber Guyger will be explored in the new season of Discovery’s “Impact of Murder” set to air on Thursday (Sept. 10). https://youtu.be/FGcmAd58mh4 Former President Barack Obama hopped on a video call with Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris for a new ad about what life is like campaigning with Joe Biden. In the nearly five-minute clip from the Biden campaign, Harris asked Obama to speak about his relationship with his former VP. “What do I need to know? Like, what’s the thing about the ice cream? He loves ice cream. Tell me about that.” “Ice cream is big. Pasta with red sauce, he can go deep on that,” Obama responded. “He really does like those aviator glasses,” the former president added. “He knows he looks good in them.” Obama said the main thing to know about Biden is that “Joe has never lost his sense of why we do this.” The police chief in Dallas announced Tuesday that she plans to resign from her post after receiving tons of backlash for the way she and her department have presided over protests in the city against law enforcement. However, absent from any reports of her looming resignation is how U. Reneé Hall — the first Black woman to be chief of police in Dallas — [mis]handled the infamous Amber Guyger shooting of Botham Jean in his own home in 2018. Hall’s letter of resignation also made no mention of Guyger, who the police chief previously defended not firing from the force for more than two weeks after the now-convicted and incarcerated former cop illegally forced her way into the 26-year-old Black man’s apartment and instantly shot him because she purportedly confused his apartment for hers. Instead, Hall, 49, focused on what she called her accomplishments while leading the Dallas Police Department (DPD) since 2017. The outpouring of public condolences following last month’s unexpected death of Chadwick Boseman included a veritable who’s who in Hollywood. But Lupita Nyong’o, who famously starred alongside Boseman in the global blockbuster hit, “Black Panther,” was not among them; that is, until Tuesday, when she posted a moving, heartfelt eulogy mourning the death of “my friend,” making social media users who read it a collective emotional wreck. Tuesday, it was Nyong’o’s turn to honor “the beloved,” as she referred to him in a tweet. “I write these words from a place of hopelessness, to honor a man who had great hope. I am struggling to think and speak about my friend, Chadwick Boseman, in the past tense. It doesn’t make sense. The news of his passing is a punch to my gut every morning,” she wrote in part. “I am aware that we are all mortal, but you come across some people in life that possess a immortal energy, that seem like they have existed before, that are exactly where they are supposed to always be – here! … that seem ageless…. Chadwick was one of those people,” she continued. Peacock has ordered two seasons of the highly anticipated series adaptation of Morgan Cooper’s lauded fan film BEL- AIR. The announcement was made today by Will Smith via his social media channels. Set in modern-day America, BEL-AIRis a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, BEL-AIR will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show. https://youtu.be/WAfJpyBgcgA AMC today released the official trailer and key art for its first-ever episodic anthology series, Soulmates, premiering Monday, October 5th at 10pm ET/9c. The highly-anticipated new series, which explores the consequences of a science that can unequivocally tell you who your soulmate is, stars an outstanding ensemble cast of actors including Sarah Snook, Kingsley Ben-Adir, David Costabile, Sonya Cassidy, Charlie Heaton, Malin Akerman, Bill Skarsgård, Betsy Brandt, JJ Feil, Laia Costa, Shamier Anderson, Georgina Campbell and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. https://youtu.be/aTDLDqnLK0k Regina King has made history at the Venice Film Festival by becoming the first Black female director to be selected to premiere in its 88-year-long history. Speaking in a press conference via Zoom at the festival on Monday, King spoke about her directorial debut “One Night in Miami,” and the pressure for it to perform well. “Unfortunately, across the world, that’s how things seem to work. One woman gets a shot and if she does not succeed, it shuts thing down for years until someone else gets a shot,” she said, according to Variety. https://youtu.be/8TO3gp3j8_4 Jelly Belly founder David Klein has been inspired by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to launch a golden ticket treasure hunt. Klein sold his stake in Jelly Belly in 1980. His current candy company is Spectrum Confections. In a press release, he says, “We are going to have the ultimate treasure hunt where the winner will be receiving a key to one of our candy factories.” https://youtu.be/tLo3bmJm_28 Returning the Favor is back with all-new episodes in continuation of its fourth season on Facebook Watch! Emmy-Award winning host Mike Rowe leads the series, spreading positivity and unity in each episode as he surprises hometown heroes making a difference in their communities. In this episode, filmed in February pre-pandemic, Mike Rowe visits Santa Rosa, CA and Letita Hanke – one of the only African American female roofers in northern California. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1601605666677640 Harry Belafonte made history in early 1968. But it was lost to history. While the Vietnam War was raging and civil unrest was convulsing American cities, TV talk show host Johnny Carson did something special: He stepped away from “The Tonight Show” perch for a week.Then something even more special happened: Belafonte took over. For five nights, the Black singer, actor and activist entertained white middle America with his cool wit and an astonishing array of guests — the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Sidney Poitier, Robert F. Kennedy, Paul Newman, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Petula Clark, Bill Cosby, Diahann Carroll and Lena Horne, among others. That fascinating week of late night is the subject of the new Peacock documentary “The Sit-In,” which airs Thursday and celebrates Belafonte’s strategic and profound mix of art and politics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk49xNDC40w Video of Jacob Blake speaking from his hospital bed was released over the weekend by his family’s lawyer Benjamin Crump. “Twenty-four hours, every 24 hours it’s pain, nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe, it hurts to sleep, it hurts to move from side-to-side, it hurts to eat,” said the 29-year-old father of six, who was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha, WI police officer on Aug. 23. The shooting has left him with staples in his stomach and back, and paralyzed from the waist down. https://youtu.be/26m44Ea2xRU A small group of naked and semi-naked protesters sat outside the Rochester Public Safety Building on Monday with mesh bags over their heads in silent protest against the death of Daniel Prude, who died following a police encounter during which officers placed a “spit hood” over his head. Their demonstration followed the peaceful gathering at that same location by 1,000 people Sunday night that saw no injuries or arrests. The lack of confrontation was attributed to the presence of community elders, and leaders from the Black Lives Matter movement said Mayor Lovely Warren and the Rochester Police Department in separate statements. https://youtu.be/7E9jxy0Bm84 A college professor in Argentina who had been battling COVID-related symptoms collapsed and died during a virtual lecture in front of class. Paola De Simone, 46, taught 20th-century world history at Universidad Argentina de la Empresa in Buenos Aries. According to reports, moments before her death, she complained about having trouble breathing during the Zoom session on Wednesday (Sept. 2), the Sun reports. Multi-Award-winning R&B singer/producer and Maroon 5 keyboardist, PJ Morton, has broken Kanye West’s summer-long hold on the top spot of Top Gospel Albums with his new digital album, "Gospel According to PJ." The all-star set interrupts the 18 consecutive weeks at #1 that West’s gospel soundtrack, "Jesus is King," enjoyed. "I’m overjoyed that Gospel According to PJ is #1,” Morton says. “This album was a labor of love, so for people to be supporting it the way they are, lets me know that it was truly, ‘All in His Plan’. Thank you to every single artist, musician and engineer that was a part of making this album. Thank you to every single radio station that has been playing the music and lastly, thank you to everyone at Morton Inspiration and Tyscot Records.” Repay You,” a mid-tempo Urban Inspirational song of gratitude, was originally released by Trin-i-tee 5:7’s lead singer, Chanel, in 2014. It was a full-circle moment for Morton. At the age of 15, he got his first song placement when Men of Standard recorded his tune, “Don’t Lose Your Candlestick,” which was produced by PAJAM’s J Moss. Now, Moss is appearing on his album. “I wasn’t going to try to produce him,” Morton says in deference. “I [just] did the music and I sent him the demo of me singing it as a guide, but I just wanted him to be J Moss and I knew he would…From my first placement ever in life to now being on my album? I couldn’t write a better story.” https://spaces.hightail.com/space/mxuTtXgPno/files/fi-842fd5e6-1eb7-465c-b5ea-49260fe6c921/fv-554b5748-71d1-4e48-a1e5-a0457aea1a85/03%20Repay%20You_final%20mix%20pda%20f%20UPD%201%20-%20EQ3_(2488%20mastered).wav Jonathan McReynolds invite you to an amazing virtual celebration of “people." Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonathan is unable to hit the road for a traditional tour, and he is using his virtual platform on four different dates, focusing on Passionate, Churchy, Free, & Deep people all over the world. For each tour date, Jonathan will perform songs from his latest album to reach different types of people. Jonathan is even offering merchandise for the tour as well as physical copies of his latest album, "People". Lionsgate is preparing for the “at home” release of “Antebellum,” a racially-charged horror flick that has Janelle Monae going back in time to the antebellum south. The Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz film stars Monae as Veronica Henley, a successful author who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. “Antebellum” will hit On Demand next Friday, Sept. 18. https://youtu.be/loSmOCTlcBk The Golden Girls” is being revived for a brief TV return with an all-Black cast. On Monday it was announced that Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard would add a bit of color to the beloved characters. The stars shared a promo photo on social media featuring the original “Golden Girls” stars, along with an image of their own faces animated over them. The beloved series aired on NBC from 1985 to 1992 and starred Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty as four older women living together in Miami. For the revival, Ross will star as Rose, King as Dorothy, Woodard as Sophia and Lathan as Blanche. According to TMZ, Tamar Braxton‘s boyfriend has reportedly asked a court for protection against the singer in what he describes as a domestic violence situation. David Adefeso filed for a restraining order Tuesday in L.A. seeking to prevent domestic violence. It is unclear what he’s alleging she might’ve done. So far, the court has not approved his request just yet and neither has Adefeso or Braxton spoke out on his filing. His latest move comes shortly after the incident involving the singer two months ago. He was the one who called 911 saying Tamar was threatening to kill herself. Sources say she was very upset that same day before making the threat. Back in June, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell encouraged teams to sign quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The former San Francisco 49er has not played since the 2016 season, when he kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. He was subsequently blacklisted. However, amid protests over the police-deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Tayor, the NFL has conceded to the fact that Black lives do in fact matter. The league seems to have committed to an anti-racism campaign. Many players have opted to wear social messages displayed on their helmets and/or team hats. Meanwhile, EA Sports has added Colin Kaepernick to its Madden 21 roster. Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, has publicly condemned the individuals she claims are profiting off the death of her son. In a lengthy letter obtained by TMZ, Cooper-Jones calls out the 2.23 Foundation, I RUN WITH MAUD, and additional foundations and groups that are using Arbery’s name without permission for personal agendas. ‘It is with great disappointment that I must now elaborate on this situation with the founders of 2.23 and creators of I Run with Maud when I am still grieving, still advocating, still seeking justice, and still trying to adjust to the loss of Ahmaud. “I cannot in good conscience support a page that now appears more like a business opportunity for its staff rather than getting justice for my son. So, I want to shed some light on this so that I continue to prepare myself for the true fight of justice for Ahmaud, protecting his character, and being strong for my family,” the letter goes on to say. Naomi Campbell is being sued by her Russian billionaire ex-boyfriend for millions. Vladislav Doronin, a real estate developer, says the supermodel owes him millions for a loan, and he alleges she held onto his property once they separated seven years ago. Campbell and Doronin dated from 2008 to 2013. In the court documents obtained by TMZ, Doronin, 57, accuses Campbell, 50, of refusing to pay back the money and she is also in possession of his personal belongings worth over $3 million. A teenage TikTok star is catching heat after sharing her “new” song that was actually a cover of Ashanti’s “Foolish.” Danielle Cohn, 16, is getting clowned by Ashanti fans after she seemingly referred to “Foolish” as her own song, rather than a cover. She’s even selling merchandise to promote the single. When she posted a clip of her lip-syncing to her version of the song, she failed to give Ashanti credit for the original. Giving new meaning to being a Cleveland Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., was called out by the baby mama of rapper Chief Keef for allegedly having a poop fetish. On the “No Jumper” podcast “Thots Next Door,” Slim Danger said the Browns receiver “likes to be sh*tted on” during sex and once requested a pic of her on the toilet. While balking at being asked to s**t on demand, she agreed to the pic – and instead took a whole video of herself on the toilet defecating. “That’s how I got flown out. …I sent it to him. [Within] the next maybe two hours, I was in Houston. https://youtu.be/5PEvwOn8k5I Former NBA star Stephon Marbury is speaking out about he and JAY-Z‘s feud that goes back years. Their beef allegedly began after the hip-hop star mentioned the athlete in lyrics to his 2003 classic, “La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again).” On the track, Jay raps about Marbury being robbed of $150K in jewelry in 2000. In a new interview, Marbury addressed the diss while accusing Jay of making “crack babies” while selling drugs. According to Marbury, his issues with Jay began over a woman. He added, “You’re not an advocate for Black people, you sold drugs to Black people and you rapped about it and talked about it. How do you do that? Like, I’m trying to figure that part out. David and Victoria Beckham are reportedly “petrified they might be super-spreaders” after secretly contracting coronavirus in early March and giving it to a number of people on their staff. According to The Sun, the Beckhams were in Miami on March 1 to support David’s soccer club Inter Miami. An anonymous friend told the outlet, “They attended a couple of swanky networking events as David had promotional duties, and were shaking hands and kissing fans and various club dignitaries. They then flew back to London, and were whisked straight to their Cotswolds mansion.” The couple returned to their country estate to celebrate their eldest son Brooklyn‘s 21st birthday on March 6 before returning to Miami again where they started to come down with coronavirus symptoms. David A.R. White and Andrea Logan announced over the weekend that they ended their marriage sometime ago. The Pure Flix founder and “God’s Not Dead” actor and Logan, an actress and producer, were married for over 16 years. The duo, who have three children together, announced the news on Friday. “For some time we have wanted to share some personal family news. Andrea and I have made the most difficult decision to end our marriage,” White stated on Instagram. Civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton says defunding the New York Police Department is something a ‘latte Liberal’ in the Hamptons might support but that proper policing on the ground is necessary. Sharpton made the comments during an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday amid a wave of rising crime in New York City and a gun violence filled Labor Day weekend. He pushed back at recent calls to defund the NYPD and other police departments across the country, saying that policing needed to be re-imagined instead. Meet the four Black women entrepreneurs who have launched a much-needed masterclass called The Collective Movement, a platform that educates others about investing in real estate & stocks, structuring a business, branding, and digital product creation. They are Sierra Nicole, founder of Financially Lit in Dallas, TX; Neko Cheri, founder of Excell University in Atlanta, GA; Derricka Harwell, founder of BeautifyCredit in Southhaven, MS; and Natalie Birdsong, founder of Hair By Natalie B. in Chicago, IL. Starting out as four complete strangers who met online and came together in the middle of a pandemic, they have since created a multi-million dollar business network that addresses the nationwide economic disparity. Owners Kara Sax and Tamara Keller of The Sax Agency have been making major noise in the areas of branding, collaborative marketing, project management, advertising, and media as a whole. As a certified Black, woman-owned marketing and consulting agency, their portfolio spans a large and diverse client base. From dealing with Fortune 100 companies, athletes and entertainers, to startup brands and nonprofit organizations, these women make things happen for their clients. Meet Ebony Robert, founder and CEO of Ebony’s Beauty Hair and Skin Care, whose handcrafted all-natural hair and skincare products are now available in Walmart stores nationwide. Ebony, a mother of five boys, launched the business two years ago, but says that her love for the beauty industry started at a very young age. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Ebony built her business from the ground up and continues to fulfill her dream of being a woman entrepreneur. Last year, she grossed almost six figures while working as a full-time teacher. Howard University has been putting the focus on empowering the next generation of leaders in STEM and the Washington, D.C.-based institution will be able to further its efforts thanks to a major donation. The university recently received a $550,000 grant from The Guy Foundation. The foundation, which is based in the UK, provides funding for an array of STEM-focused research projects; including ones that are centered on quantum biology and bioenergetics. The Howard University donation will go towards the school’s Quantum Biology Laboratory (QBL) which is led by Founding Director Philip Kurian. The grant will support the evolution of research on electrodynamics, biosystems and quantum theory. The donation was a historic move for the foundation as it marks the first time that it has awarded a grant to an institution outside of the UK. DC Comics is known for bringing vibrant stories and imagery to the pages of its comic books and an upcoming novel will highlight influential women across different spaces, Billboard reported. The comic book publisher is launching a young adult novel dubbed Wonder Women of History. The book will encompass the narratives of 17 trailblazers in entertainment, politics, sports and other industries whose contributions have been instrumental in shaping the landscape of their respective fields. Among the women who will be featured include athletes Serena Williams and Dominique Dawes, singers Beyoncé and Janelle Monáe, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and activist Marsha P. Johnson. The comic book will not only highlight the stories of powerful women of color, but it will also amplify the work of Black creators. Wonder Women of History will feature illustrations from an array of artists including Ashley A. Woods, Safiya Zerrougui and Bex Glendining. It will be edited by author Laurie Halse Anderson. Wonder Women of History is slated to be released on December 1, 2020. https://twitter.com/billboard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1302029968394850306%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4009888%2Fdc-comics-wonder-women-of-history-serena-williams-beyonce-janelle-monae%2F SheaMoisture is furthering its efforts to combat racial systemic injustice. According to AfroTech, the personal care company recently announced the creation of an advisory council of notable Black women activists designed to support social entrepreneurs and changemakers fighting for justice. In June, the company unveiled a $100,000 initiative—dubbed the Social Justice Coalition—that was created to provide five activists with $20,000 to further their efforts in evoking social change. The advisory council, which is under the Social Justice Coalition umbrella, was developed to foster mentorship opportunities for grassroots activists and provide guidance for SheaMoisture’s future social and racial justice initiatives. Among those included on the advisory council are Until Freedom Co-Founder Tamika D. Mallory, NAACP’s Director of Youth and College Division Tiffany Dena Loftin, professor Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton, professor and activist Ilyasah Shabazz, Principal of Black Futures Lab Alicia Garza and others. The best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, CeCe Winans, release her new single “Never Lost.” The timely and inspirational song is the debut single from Winans’ upcoming, highly-anticipated live worship album, her first non-holiday release since 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPHXL8Poku0 Conspiracy theories are as American as apple pie and their origins date back even before the founding fathers created this nation. Some historians will tell you the first American conspiracy was a plot to kill George Washington. There was even a book written about it, but American history likes to forget some of its ugly ways. In 1692, a colored slave woman was used as a pawn to spark the first conspiracy ever to land on the shores of America: The Salem Witch Hunt. From February 1692 to May 1693 hundreds of people (mostly teenage women) in colonial Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft, with no basis in fact or reality. “The Hunt” led to the actual Salem Witch Trials; a time in which hundreds of people were jailed, and many were even publicly hanged or executed. There was never any proof of actual witchcraft. Most of the persecuted women were of lower socioeconomic status and easy scapegoats to give the conspiracy someone to blame. It’s the first known case of mass hysteria this country has ever seen. The fact that something so ridiculous could have seeped into the minds of so many people may seem archaic, but American history could be doomed to repeat itself. Today, the Salem Witch Hunt is seemingly taking place in the form of a right-wing conspiracy group called QAnon. Earnest Pugh's Music Video World Premiere "THANK YOU SO MUCH"goes down Wednesday, September 9, 2020. Prolific singer-songwriter Jekalyn Carr lands at the top spot of the Gospel Airplay Chart this week with her current song "Changing Your Story." Undoubtedly one of this generation's most celebrated young talents, Carr, has amassed a bevy of successes at her young age. This historic accomplishment marks Carr's 4th #1 song by the young age of 23, and "Changing Your Story" is her 6th Top 10 radio single. The Gospel Spotlight's Jekalyn Carr!!! Hear Jekalyn Carr In Her Own Words.....https://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jekalyncarr_intvw.htm Season 10 BET's Sunday Best finalist Jamal Roberts has released new single titled "He's Preparing Me." The Meridian Mississippi native is coming off a successful run on BET's hit singing competition Sunday's Best. Roberts beat out hundreds of auditioning hopefuls to make it all the way to the top and final 3 contestants. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ArqOXj52Y9y_bzUQ6aieIQPrzAePuOU9/view Fesh off of being snubbed by Republicans, the party to which Candace Owens has pledged her unreciprocated allegiance, the woman who once sympathized with Adolf Hitler and has repeatedly blamed Black men for getting killed by police is now resorting to publicly attacking a Black woman in order to save her sunken career from completely tail spinning. As Democrats champion Black women, Owens Sunday decided to mock Cardi B on Twitter as “illiterate” after the rapper’s recent and widely viewed interview with Joe Biden. Cardi clapped back in the realest of ways by part by mentioning how the Republican National Convention didn’t invite Owens to speak despite her devotion to all-things Donald Trump. “You want to call me a dumb bitch, you want to call me illiterate … girl, you’re getting pimped out by White men,” Cardi B said in part of a video she posted to Instagram on Sunday night. “You have been this man’s cheerleader. You’re a beautiful Black woman, you talk great, amazing … and this man didn’t have the decency to let you talk at the Republican convention.” https://www.instagram.com/iamcardib/?utm_source=ig_embed Award-winning mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis has been hailed for performances on recital stages and in opera houses around the world. With live theatrical performances put on hold due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Bryce-Davis found her career at a standstill while the country faces a major health crisis as well as racial turmoil. To inspire viewers during this uniquely somber time, the artist has recorded her performance of composer Gaetano Donizetti’s aria, “All’afflitto e dolce pianto” (“To the afflicted”). The beautiful new video, featuring Bryce-Davis’ gorgeously full-bodied voice along with news headlines, photos, and personal videos, was co-directed by Bryce-Davis and independent filmmaker Jon Goff. Actor Trai Byers is in the explosive and compelling film, “The 24th.” Well-known for his role in “Empire,” Byers stars in the little known story about “The 24th” Infantry Regiment. A must see film for all, “The 24th” is especially required viewing all those opposed to “taking a knee.” “The 24th,” a riveting depiction of how black soldiers, who sacrificed their lives fighting overseas for the United States—and its flag—were killed, peed and spat on by racist whites right here in America just because they were black. https://youtu.be/N8RPmwxUySk Mr. and Mrs. Obama will celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary next month and Michelle spoke candidly about the up and downs of her marriage with guest Conan O’Brien. https://www.instagram.com/michelleobama/?utm_source=ig_embed Donald Trump’s former personal attorney is spilling all his former boss’ tea, revealing Trump not-so-secret obsessive hatred for former President Barack Obama along with some other alleged racist behavior over the years. In Michael Cohen’s new tell-all book, “Disloyal: A Memoir,” Cohen reveals Trump hired a “Faux-Bama” to participate in a video in which Trump “ritualistically belittled the first black president and then fired him,” according to @CNN, who obtained a copy of the book prior to its publication. The memoir doesn’t name the man who was allegedly hired to play Obama or provide a specific date for the incident, but it does include a photograph of Trump sitting behind a desk, facing a Black man wearing a suit with an American flag pin on the lapel. An Ohio radio station anchor – Kyle Cornell – is out of a job, after he called Sen. Kamala Harris the “first colored vice-presidential candidate.” Cornell made the comments on the air during a Cleveland Indians’ baseball game. His exact words were spoken in a news promo about Harris’ historic feat, which he said, “The U.S. officially has its first colored vice-presidential candidate. More coming up after the game on News Radio WTAM 1100 Cleveland.” Cornell was fired within hours of his words, but later apologized. The coronavirus has claimed another life. This time it’s the life of former Temptations lead singer Bruce Williamson. Williamson passed away Sunday night at his home in Vegas after battling COVID-19, according to TMZ. Williamson, a Compton native, joined the legendary R&B group in 2006 and sang with them until 2015. He also sang lead on the Temps albums, “Back to the Front,” and “Still Here.” He once said he did “more in six months of being a Temptation than many artists have done in a lifetime.” https://youtu.be/pA6pQyO4zhc Taraji P. Henson is ready to retire the “strong Black woman” label because the phrase belittles Black women’s pain. The “Empire” star explained in an interview through Essence’s Wellness House that the “Strong Black Woman” descriptor “dehumanizes our pain. It belittles our tears. It belittles our pain. We’re supposed to be able to watch our brothers and sons and fathers get murdered in the street but we can take it because we’re strong.” “We can deal with it, we can handle it,” she continued. “And that’s just not true.” Henson added, “We’re not fairies. We don’t magically rebound from pain,” she said. “We hurt and suffer just like others.” https://www.instagram.com/tarajiphenson/?utm_source=ig_embed Photos have emerged of Chadwick Boseman‘s loved ones and friends as they gathered to say their final goodbyes to the late actor over the weekend. They assembled at private ocean side memorial in Malibu on Saturday according to photographs obtained by The Sun. In addition to Boseman’s wife Taylor Simone Ledward, the memorial was also attended by a number of his friends and co-stars, including Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke. https://www.instagram.com/zelafrica/?utm_source=ig_embed Hall of Famer Lou Brock, who at the time of his retirement in 1979, was the all-time leader in stolen bases, has passed away, according to ESPN. The Cardinals and Chicago Cubs observed a moment of silence in Brock’s memory before their game at Wrigley Field on Sunday. Dick Zitzmann, Brock’s longtime agent and friend commented, “Over my 25-plus years of being his agent, he was perhaps the happiest Hall of Famer I’ve ever encountered.” He also said, “I think he led a life that will never be duplicated.” Although the exact cause of Lou Brock’s death has not been reported, in recent years he had his leg amputated due to complications from diabetes, as well as blood cancer. https://youtu.be/8VTlf3JW4LM Christian rocker Zach Williams is gearing up to get back on the road after months in quarantine for a Drive-In Theater Tour with Big Daddy Weave and says this season has helped him to rely on his faith more than ever. The tour, sponsored by Awakening Events, kicks off on Sept. 10 in Marion, Virginia, and will reach 28 markets before concluding on Oct. 30 in South Carolina. All tour locations will follow local health guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Williams has seen many successes over the past few years. The Grammy Award-winning “Chain Breaker” singer leads the nominations for the upcoming Dove Awards. Christian singer and American Idol alum Colton Dixon and his wife, Annie, are delighted over the fact that their identical twin girls, Ava Dior (“Dior”) and Athens Elizabeth, arrived on Aug. 18. “We are over the moon to experience life with these twin girls,” the couple told People magazine. The Dixons’ happy ending, however, did not come without its scary moments. After a 30-hour labor followed by an emergency C-section, Dior was born with no pulse. Dixon told People, “In that moment, we had a choice: faith or fear,” he said. “We watched and prayed as the doctors and nurses resuscitated our daughter back to life.” “After several days in the NICU, Dior was able to join us at home, happy and healthy. That was a great day,” he added. “Life doesn’t always happen the way we want it to, but we believe that life is more about the way we respond to things than what happens to us. We thank God and our amazing doctors and nurses for our two little miracles.” Twenty-four-year-old Caroline Enjewi was overjoyed when the results of her pregnancy ultrasound revealed that she was carrying twins. She saw it as God’s will after her first child was stillborn. But her expectations turned into a nightmare when she delivered her babies by cesarean section in Yaounde, Cameroon. Her twin newborn girls were conjoined at the buttocks. “I was shocked when I realized that my twins were conjoined. I was worried why does this occur to me? Later, I just had to accept the fact. I have never seen conjoined twins before. It is not easy for the babies lying on a particular spot for long. The cry of one baby disturbs the sleep of the other. I cannot breastfeed or bathe the babies without help from someone. It is not really easy for me taking care of the babies. I wish things could be done a little bit fast[er] so that my babies can be evacuated abroad for special surgery,” Enjewi said. In a litmus test for American moviegoing in the pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” brought in an estimated $20.2 million through the holiday weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters. The result could be greeted as either the rejuvenation of U.S. cinemas — more Americans went to the movies this weekend than they have in nearly six months — or a reflection of drastically lowered standards for Hollywood’s top blockbusters given the circumstances. About 70% of U.S. movie theaters are currently open; those in the country’s top markets, Los Angeles and New York, remain closed. Theaters that are operating are limiting audiences to a maximum of 50% capacity to distance moviegoers from one another. “Tenet” played in 2,810 North American locations, about three-fourths of what most major releases typically launch in. Vertical Entertainment has announced the upcoming release of “Then Came You,” a romantic comedy written by and starring Kathie Lee Gifford. Fathom Events will premiere the film for a one-night showing in theaters nationwide on Sept. 30, and it will then be available on-demand and digital release starting on Oct. 2. Joining the Emmy Award-winning TV host on-screen are actors Craig Ferguson (“The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”) and Elizabeth Hurley (“Bedazzled”). https://youtu.be/7XW_gGCMPVw It wasn’t another player who ended Novak Djokovic’s perfect season in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Sunday. It was his own imperfect behavior – an angry smack of a tennis ball that inadvertently hit the throat of a linesperson and defaulted the world’s No. 1 player from the first Grand Slam tournament in eight months. The almost unfathomable sequence of events played out in virtual silence in the emptiness of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s largest tennis venue, but nonetheless rocked the tennis world, and ensured that Djokovic, a 33-year-old Serb, would not come away with his 18th Grand Slam title. Bob Baffert endured the lowest of lows and highest of highs within minutes in the Kentucky Derby. He was disappointing before the horses left the paddock after Thousand Words reared up and fell on its side, getting disqualified and injuring Baffert’s assistant trainer. That emotion was quickly replaced by Authentic’s front-running victory that gave Baffert a record-tying sixth Derby win. Then Baffert found himself down again, literally, getting knocked to the grass by a skittish Authentic in the winner’s circle. “This is the craziest year ever,” he said. Authentic kicked away from heavy favorite Tiz the Law in the stretch on Saturday, winning the 146th Derby by 1 1/4 lengths without the usual crowd of 150,000 on hand at Churchill Downs for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bay colt ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.61 under John Velazquez, who won his third Derby. R. Kelly may have come upon a way to get out of of jail. It’s up to a judge and a request is already in following last week’s attack on him by a fellow inmate. Kelly’s attorney Michael I. Leonard says in a legal action taken this past Friday (09-04-20) that not only did the Bureau of Prisons not protect his client, but also that personnel at the facility encouraged the inmate, Jeremiah Farmer, to attack Kelly. McDonald’s has been hit with a discrimination lawsuit by several dozen Black former franchisees, claiming the company denied them “equal opportunity to economic success” compared to white franchise owners. https://youtu.be/mmpvqA1B0Bo A stellar previously unreleased track from Patti LaBelle, “Ain’t Nuthin’ But A Feelin’,” recorded during the sessions for her 1989 album Be Yourself, is out today for the first time, on a digital EP with six brand new mixes. https://youtu.be/RrpqVrBfmVo Tiffany Haddish recently contracted the coronavirus and spoke about it in a video uploaded to YouTube. In that same video, she spoke to Dr. Fauci regarding COVID-19’s effect on African Americans. By the way, her timeline for experiencing the virus was around three months ago after two people she had been in contact with came down with it. https://youtu.be/_FZXfgT_IRg Tyler Perry had been declared a billionaire and he’s not only building a super huge mansion/estate, but it will also have a landing strip. TMZ came up with pics and video of the 35,000-square-foot mansion he’s building on 1,200 acres near Atlanta. https://youtu.be/eBHQWLMxxPg It’s been several months since Breonna Taylor was tragically killed while asleep in bed, no arrests have been made in the death —but a new development could hopefully change things. It was recently discovered that at least one officer involved in her death was wearing a body cam, despite the local police department previously saying that none were used. President Trump is vehemently defending himself against allegations that he has privately disparaged veterans for their military service during his time in office even as his campaign has sought to showcase his support for those in uniform. The characterization of Trump as a commander in chief who privately denigrates veterans even while he publicly lavishes praise upon them and claims them as part of his voting base is freighted with political risk ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was quick to jump on the issue, calling Trump’s alleged comments “disgusting” and calling for him to apologize. The bombshell article, written by the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine, cited unnamed sources who said Trump referred to American Marines who died in World War I as “losers” and “suckers” and recounted several other anecdotes of Trump making cruel remarks about people who serve in the military. Master P has announced the launch of his “Uncle P’s Louisiana Seasoned” food line, which is being described as an alternative to Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s. Both brands are reportedly undergoing a rebranding after criticism over its racist packaging. https://youtu.be/jrILwJE916g It’s a year away, but for Usher fans, he will take up Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, starting July 16, 2021. The 4,300-seat venue will host a show that spans his two-decade career, featuring old hits as well as more recent songs and brand-new music. It’s be produced Live Nation and Caesars Entertainment. “I cannot wait to perform for an audience,” Usher says in an interview with Billboard. “In Vegas, I get a chance to create the show that I want, and I get a chance to be with my fans who’ve been cooped up for months and months.” Colin Kaepernick sent a message to LeBron James in which he thanked him for speaking up following the police shooting of the unarmed Black man Jacob Black in Wisconsin last week. “Four years ago August 14, 2016, I began protesting against systemic racism and social injustice,” Kaepernick wrote the a letter. James shared the letter on his Instagram story, adding that he will be “standing/kneeling right next to you brother!” The letter continued, “Truth is what I sought. Solidarity is what you showed me. Love is what moves us forward. Thank you for staying true.” West Virginia University has established a scholarship honoring pioneering Black mathematician Katherine Johnson. The scholarship will benefit students studying math or science within the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, WVU said in a news release Wednesday. WVU alumna Deborah Miller established the endowed Katherine Johnson Math Scholarship. It will be awarded to undergraduates with preference given to Black students. Johnson died Feb. 24 in Newport News, Virginia. She was among the first Black students to attend WVU, where she did graduate work after earning bachelor’s degrees at West Virginia State College. Johnson calculated rocket trajectories and earth orbits for NASA’s early space missions and was portrayed in the 2016 hit film “Hidden Figures.” Even with Donald Trump‘s steady denial that he never called U.S. military soldiers killed in combat “suckers” and “losers” — as first reported in the Atlantic and co-signed by a former senior administration official — the truth of the matter is that the president has a long and detailed history of disrespecting American servicemen, especially those who have died for their country. Case in point: Army Sgt. La David Johnson. And while no one can forget the way Trump maliciously mocked the late Sen. John McCain in death. “I like people who weren’t captured.” Nearly three years ago in an unfortunate episode when Trump denied telling Sgt. Johnson’s widow — Myeshia Johnson — that her husband “must’ve known what he signed up for.” Myeshia Johnson, was pregnant at the time with their third child, had a sitting member of Congress listening to the condolence phone call which Trump all but shrugged at the notion of a widow grieving her soldier husband’s death in combat. Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson was in the same vehicle with Myeshia Johnson when Trump called and later confirmed Trump’s callous comments. Beyoncé is furthering her efforts to support Black-owned businesses that have been significantly impacted by the public health crisis. According to Billboard, she recently donated $1 million to provide grants for Black entrepreneurs whose businesses are on the verge of shuttering. The donation was made through her BeyGOOD foundation. In July, the philanthropic organization teamed up with the NAACP for the creation of an initiative dubbed the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund. Through the fund, $10,000 grants were awarded to Black-owned businesses in Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York. A report released by the New York Fed revealed that 41 percent of Black-owned businesses across the country closed between February and April. When it came to securing Paycheck Protection Program loans, only 12 percent of Black and Latinx business owners who applied received the amount they asked for. An elementary school in Maine’s largest city has been named for the state’s first African-American legislator. The former Riverton School formally became the Gerald E. Talbot Community School during a ceremony on Monday. Portland Schools Superintendent Xavier Botana said that with the new name “we continue your work by tirelessly removing those barriers to opportunity for all of our students, and giving them the tools they need to continue to change the world for the better.” Talbot, 89, said he was humbled by the honor. He talked to students about the value of education, and urged all people to help others to show that “we all matter.” “Whether you’re black or white, or green or red, we’re all people and we all need the same thing — equality,” he said. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Houston Texans have agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract extension with quarterback Deshaun Watson, his agent David Mulugheta told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday. The total value of the deal, to be signed later Saturday, is $177.54 million with nearly $111 million in guarantees, trailing only quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ 12-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs as the largest in NFL history. Watson will make $39 million per year in base salary, on average, over the next four years, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL during that time frame. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Beyoncé‘s birthday set social media on fire. The queen of everything is 39 years old and we’ve had the pleasure of seeing her evolve over more than 20 years. From her days in Destiny’s Child to her solo debut hit single “Crazy in Love” in 2004 to the groundbreaking “Lemonade” in 2016, Mrs. Carter has certainly and rightfully earned her place in pop culture history. This year it seems Queen Bey may have something extra special in store after it was reported that she recently “took over” a TV studio “in the Hamptons to record a top-secret video.” As of Friday morning, it was still unclear what would come of whatever she was doing there. But Beyoncé’s loyal legion of followers — more popularly known as the Bey Hive — were still celebrating their queen’s birthday as if was their own. Friday Twitter was lit with shout outs from a nonstop stream of celebrities who took the time to tweet their tidings and wish Beyoncé that happiest birthday. Nickelodeon has announced it canceled an upcoming animated TV series about a little Black girl after the show was accused of culturally appropriating a similarly styled short film that prompted comparisons between them for all the wrong reasons. “Made By Maddie, which was set to premiere later this month on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. channel, but that will no longer be the case after people said it looked too much like “Hair Love,” the Academy Award-winning short that focuses on natural hair (among other issues) and was adapted from Matthew A. Cherry‘s celebrated book of the same name. https://youtu.be/kNw8V_Fkw28 One Yard is a space to celebrate all things HBCU and Homecoming. One Yard is a platform that will offer informative and entertaining content about HBCUs and Homecoming. One Yard will host several virtual events late September-October to celebrate Homecoming. One Yard will host the first ever virtual HBCU Homecoming Experience including step shows, brunch and cooking demos and more. https://vimeo.com/451577610/76a751afcb In the midst of a pandemic, those looking for love must now navigate life and relationships around the world while trying to stay alive. From award winning producer Re’Shaun Frear and writer, Dee LaSure comes “Pandemically Single” a scripted comedy series. The show will premiere the first 3 episodes pre-Labor Day, Sunday, September 6, 2020 at 3p.m. & 7p.m. PST, during Labor Day weekend on LaSure TV on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFXUEZR8_K2miNWSKGxUCCQ. Get ready for “The Boys in the Band” a new Netflix film about a group of gay men who gather for a birthday party in 1968 New York City, only to find the drinks and laughs interrupted when a visitor from the host’s past turns the evening upside down. https://youtu.be/862Pb9oDDAo Neneh Cherry’s daughter Mabel has announced her new Kangol clothing line that is inspired by her famous mother. The British R&B singer teamed up with Kangol and retailer H&M for the new collection, for which she also serves as the face of the streetwear brand. The young designer recently dished about the line to Vogue, telling the publication, “I remember my mum wearing Kangol when I was growing up and, you know, thinking in general that she was not just a great mum but also such an inspiration – such an icon to have in the house,” Mabel explains. “I was very conscious that she wasn’t a regular mum, she was a cool mum!” The NBA announced that LA Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell has been named the 2019-20 NBA Kia Sixth Man of the Year. This marks the third straight year and the fifth time overall that a Clippers player has won the award, which is the most for a franchise in NBA History. https://youtu.be/SDnSXmrOlcU Producers behind Disney/Marvel’s “Black Panther” are said to be unsure on how to move forward with the sequel following the death of Chadwick Boseman. According to AJC.com, neither Disney executives nor director Ryan Coogler knew about his health challenges. The cast and crew were reportedly gearing up to begin filming the sequel next month. Kevin Feige, Marvel’s chief officer, was reportedly notified about Boseman’s failing health by email in house before he died. Now, Disney is faced with two options on how to proceed with the “Black Panther” franchise. Hire a new actor and risk upsetting fans or allow Leticia Wright, who plays Black Panther’s sister Shuri, to take over the role (which actually occurs in one of comic series). Wright shared a poem on Instagram Tuesday, in which she refers to Boseman as “my brother, an angel on Earth.” “Love & Hip Hop: New York” star Yandy Smith-Harris was arrested along side RHOA’s Porsha Williams last month while attending a peaceful protest in Louisville, Kentucky, in honor of Breonna Taylor. Porsha was also arrested in July during protest outside the home of Kentucky’s Attorney General. She was facing a felony charge but it was later dropped. Meanwhile, Yandy is speaking out about the heinous conditions inside the jail they were held at, noting that “the amount of humiliation is crazy.” "The bathroom is just completely disgusting, like feces on the toilet. Feces on the floor. You would think there was a puddle of water, but it was urine,” she said in an interview. Smith went on to describe that there was only one toilet for the 40 women being detained. “They gave us blankets when we checked in. We would hold the blanket in the cell for women that had to use the bathroom.” Beatroot Music, the only Black-owned music distributor in the U.S. and part of the Made in Memphis Entertainment (MIME) family of companies, has signed a distribution deal with Gospel star Wess Morgan. Morgan is among the first Gospel artists to sign with Beatroot, helping to establish its presence within the genre as it expands its Gospel catalog. Under the terms of the agreement, Beatroot will distribute Morgan’s back catalog — including his four previous albums and standalone single “Get Me Thru” — as well as his upcoming works. That back catalog, which has racked up over 24 million streams to date, will be re-released on all services September 4th, including BMI Christian Music Award-winning song “I Choose to Worship,” which also received multiple Gospel Music Association Dove and Stellar award nominations. New music from Morgan is expected to be released shortly. The Gospel Spotlight's Wess Morgan!!! Hear Wess Morgan In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Wess_Morgan.htm Gospel legend Betty Griffin Keller "So Much To Thank God For," the first single from the debut project of the New Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir enters the top 100 on radio and the CD hits digital outlets and streaming platforms September 4th. Keller is humbled as people still request to hear her signature song "You Can Make It." “As we have had the chance to reconnect with radio, I am just in awe of the testimonies around You Can Make It”, says Keller. “ I recorded that song at least 25 years ago and some of the radio stations said they can’t close the show without someone calling and asking them to play it. God is faithful and we are grateful. ” When Sight & Sound Theatres creators Dan Deal and Kristen Brewer decided to tackle the biblical account of Queen Esther for their next live stage production, they had no idea just how timely the story would be. Mere days before the spectacular stage production was set to premiere back in March, Sight & Sound was forced to close its doors due to lockdown orders in response to the novel coronavirus. Over 400 performances of “Queen Esther” scheduled for the following nine months were canceled, and over half a million tickets were refunded. Despite setbacks, Sight & Sound decided the show must go on — digitally. On Friday, “Queen Esther’ made its worldwide debut on the new streaming platform, Sight & Sound TV. The new film “Fatima,” now available in theaters and on-demand, tells the story about the power of faith in times of global turmoil. The film is based on the popular account of the “Three Secrets of Fátima,” which came from the true story of three young Portuguese shepherds, Lúcia Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. The children, who grew up in the Catholic faith, witnessed a series of apocalyptic visions and prophecies which they say were given to them by Mary, mother of Jesus, starting on May 13, 1917. The trio claimed to have been visited a total of six times between May and October 1917. https://youtu.be/mxRBXRI-jv4 Naomi Osaka spiked her racket after one errant forehand late in the second set at the U.S. Open, then flung it the length of the baseline after a missed backhand return ceded that tiebreaker. Facing an opponent competing in just her second major tournament, two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka eventually figured out a way to turn a tight one into a runaway and beat 18-year-old Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 by claiming the final five games at Flushing Meadows. “While I was playing, honestly, I was cursing myself out,” Osaka said during an on-court interview, “so you wouldn’t want to know what I was saying.” Gospel music icon Marvin Sapp launches his upcoming new album Chosen Vessel with an album pre-order available now via digital music providers. Set for release on Friday October 9th, the album features the lead single “Thank You For It All” and the brand new song “Undefeated” – both available immediately with pre-order. Chosen Vessel marks the twelfth album from the celebrated Gospel singer, songwriter, and producer. The Gospel Spotlight's “Thank You For It All.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYormAJoEk8&src=Linkfire&lId=86f82d48-fdac-4534-821f-074e13111ebe&cId=1d681ba4-6479-4561-967c-533a58a7ab54 Jonathan Nelson drops "Manifest." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WbkHC6js8k&feature=youtu.be Today, emerging Gospel artist and BET “Sunday Best” winner (Season 9), Melvin Crispell, III, releases his debut album I’ve Got A Testimony. Now available everywhere, the new album features ten tracks and marks Crispell’s first full-length project. In conjunction with the release of the debut album, Crispell has also released a live performance music video of his infectious praise anthem “Wonderful Is Your Name." https://MelvinCrispell.lnk.to/WonderfulIsYourNameVideo!W&W Robert Pattinson has tested positive for coronavirus, prompting “The Batman” to suspend filming in the United Kingdom days after it went back into production, according to a source familiar with the situation. Warner Bros. confirmed earlier on Thursday that production was being halted after a crew member tested positive but did not confirm the person’s identity. Vanity Fair first reported that Pattinson was the one who had coronavirus. A group that includes a predominantly African American church has filed a lawsuit against the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma seeking reparations for survivors of a 1921 race massacre and their descendants. Filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court, the complaint seeks “to remedy the ongoing nuisance” caused by the race riot that took place over 99 years ago on May 31 and June 1, 1921, in the city’s Greenwood district. Plaintiffs include 105-year-old survivor of the riot Lessie Benningfield Randle, the historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church of Tulsa as well as several residents and descendants of victims of the massacre. “Defendants’ unlawful acts and omissions in the years and decades following the Massacre blighted the Greenwood neighborhood, endangering the health and safety of the Greenwood community,” the lawsuit argues. The Army has promoted an African American woman chaplain to the rank of colonel for the first time. Chaplain (Col.) Monica R. Lawson was given the new status in a ceremony streamed live Wednesday (Sept. 2) on the Facebook page of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School. The African Methodist Episcopal minister is the chief of recruiting and accessions for the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. “As an African American woman who has always been proud of the skin that I’m in, in this time this is a bright spot in a sea of what seems to be darkness never-ending,” Lawson said during the ceremony in the auditorium of the school at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. Cam Newton is officially the new starting quarterback of the New England Patriots. A person familiar with the situation said Thursday that Newton was announced as the starter during a team meeting. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team has not publicly announced the decision. The Boston Globe first reported the decision. The move was expected after the 2015 league MVP outperformed second-year Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer during training camp. Newton, who signed with the Patriots in July after being released by Carolina, succeeds Tom Brady following his departure to Tampa Bay in free agency. Cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, appear to be prevalent among Big Ten athletes, said Penn State’s director of athletic medicine, impacting roughly one-third of all athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Wayne Sebastianelli, who is also the team doctor for Penn State football, said Monday during a meeting of the State College Area School District board of directors that cardiac scans of Big Ten athletes who contracted COVID-19 showed “30 to roughly 35 percent of their heart muscles” indicated symptoms of myocarditis. “And we really just don’t know what to do with it right now,” he said. “It’s still very early in the infection. Some of that has led to the Pac-12 and the Big Ten’s decision to sort of put a hiatus on what’s happening.” Andrew Gillum and his wife will be featured on the season premiere of “The Tamron Hall Show” in what has been billed as a chance for the former Florida gubernatorial candidate to open up about the hotel incident earlier this year that led to him entering rehab. According to a press release from “The Tamron Hall Show,” Gillum “will discuss his swift fall from grace, his rehabilitation experience in the face of adversity and share what life looks like now” during the episode scheduled to air Monday. Gillum’s wife, R. Jai Gillum, was also a part of the exclusive interview “to discuss the impact this has had on their marriage and their family and what the future holds.” https://youtu.be/7yZ_AaDZY-k An activist in New York City who has been described as “Afro-Latina” revealed that she is actually a white, Jewish woman who’s been pretending to be Black all along. It was a stunning admission that harkened back to Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who also faked being Black as the leader of an NAACP chapter in Washington State. The person now-formerly known as Jess La Bombera on Thursday published an open letter of sorts on Medium under her real name — Jessica A. Krug — and admitted “the truth, and the anti-Blackness of my lies,” as her post is titled. Krug wrote about her “experience as a white Jewish child in suburban Kansas City under various assumed identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim” and said she feigned “North African Blackness” before pretending to be a Black American and then finally settling on a “Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness” identity. Michael Forest Reinoehl, the man suspected of fatally shooting a right-wing supporter of the Patriot Prayer group, was killed late Thursday when a task force came to arrest him. The 48-year-old was reportedly shot by officers from a federally led fugitive task force in Lacey, Wash., The New York Times reports. The victim, Aaron J. Danielson, an pro-Trump radical, came into downtown Portland and clashed with protesters demonstrating against racial injustice and police brutality. https://youtu.be/fsDWXx5tYfk Dr. Dre’s estranged wife Nicole Young is reportedly seeking nearly $2 million per month in temporary spousal support amid their divorce battle. According to TMZ, she also wants $5 million to cover her legal fees. Young filed for divorce in June after 24 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. The TMZ reports adds that she still “lives in their Malibu home, as well as has access to their cars, personal chefs, etc.” This current world reckoning on race sparked by the police killing of George Floyd has led to perhaps the most serious effort to date by the National Hockey League to address racism within the predominantly white sport. The league and NHL Players’ Association are planning mandatory inclusion and diversity training for all players at camp; partnering with the Hockey Diversity Alliance to launch a grassroots program for young players of color in the Toronto area; and working together on several inclusion committees aimed at encouraging diversity among executives, pro and youth players and fans.“We applaud NHL players for recognizing the importance of this moment and for coming together as part of a genuine movement for change,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We look forward to working with all voices of change to fight for equality and broaden access to the game we all love.” Star Trek: Discovery” has added the first nonbinary and trans roles in the franchise’s history to join for Season 3. Trans actor Ian Alexander, will play a trans character named Grey, who is “planning to be a host for a symbiotic alien species that lives in different hosts over its lifetime,” per nbcnews.com. https://youtu.be/qoLxTLwzHSw Ashley Nealy, a 32-year-old Atlanta resident, is speaking out about her decision to participate in late-stage COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. Nealy applied by answering a social media ad looking for volunteers. She told a news anchor that she signed up because she wanted to make sure the trials were diverse. “I actually wanted to do a clinical trial before I even saw the ad I had registered at the website that Dr. Fauci mentioned, the COVID prevention network, and I never heard a call back. So when I saw the ad, I was like, let me just see if they’ll accept me for this trial. So I signed up and less than two hours later actually got a call to participate in the trial,” Nealy said. Deploying the cover of two pandemics, COVID-19 and racism, these anti-democratic forces have weakened the U.S. Postal Service in an effort to stifle the voices of the American people. These “voter piranhas” have created obstacles at the state and local levels including changing and reducing polling locations with little or no notice; limiting staffing and voting equipment, purging voters, opposing drop boxes, thus creating long lines and increasing the possibility of exposure to COVID-19. The people most affected by these strategies are communities of color, the elderly, young and low-income voters. The National Bar Association, as the largest organization of Black lawyers and judges in the country, has vowed to fight for our democracy. The NBA will take on these anti-democratic forces in the courtroom, in the newsroom and in the field of the election process. Mikal Smith, the son of Illinois and former NFL head coach Lovie Smith, was arrested in Arizona this week on sex-trafficking charges. Mikal has been indicted following an investigation accusing him and Aprel Mae Rasmussen of running a prostitution ring from December 2018 and September 2019. Smith reportedly used surveillance and threats to keep one victim under his control, according to ABC 15. Mikal has been indicted on charges of conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise, money laundering in the first degree, pandering, receiving earnings of a prostitute, sex trafficking, and threatening or intimidating, the report states. https://youtu.be/QbK06xCwkEE Jane Fonda has opened up about who she regrets not sleeping with in the entertainment industry. In a new interview with The New York Times, the Hollywood star and activist set the record straight about her experiences with various celebrities, including Marlon Brando and Marvin Gaye. Fonda and Brando starred together in the 1966 drama “The Chase,” and she described the late actor as “disappointing” when it comes sexual intimacy. She also reveals that while she doesn’t “think about” missing her chance with Che Guevara, she does regret not sleeping with Marvin Gaye. “Who I do think about, and what is a great regret is Marvin Gaye. He wanted to and I didn’t. I was married to Tom [Hayden],” she said. “I was meeting a lot of performers to try to do concerts for Tom and the woman who was helping me do that introduced me to Marvin Gaye… apparently he had my picture on his refrigerator. I didn’t find that out until later, after he was dead. Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder‘s endorsement of Joe Biden is the latest support from a growing number of Republicans for the Democratic nominee. But Snyder’s alleged nefarious role in the Flint Water Crisis that disproportionately affected Black people and killed at least a dozen people should prompt Biden to reject the endorsement, according to what appeared to be a growing sentiment across social media. Calling Donald Trump a “bully,” Snyder on Thursday officially came out in support of Biden’s candidacy in an op-ed published in USA Today. If it wasn’t already apparent all the things that Americans have lost under Donald Trump‘s administration — lives and jobs, for starters — thousands of Black women of all ages who are leaders in their respective industries took it upon themselves to pen a scathing open letter to the president emphasizing his shortcomings when it comes to Black people in particular. The letter served as a response to Trump’s infamous question he asked Black voters when he was a candidate four years ago: “What do you have to lose?” The letter — signed by “Concerned Black Women Leaders” and attached to an online petition seeking signatures to “stand in solidarity” with them — covers everything from the unemployment crisis to police violence surging under Trump to COVID-19 and more. Police shooting and killing Black males is all but a centuries-old American tradition among law enforcement in the U.S. But the fact that this apparent rite of police passage is still thriving in 2020 and only seems to be gaining momentum instead of slowing should give any American citizen pause as an increasing number of Black people — especially males both young and old — continue to be added to a growing list of victims with what seems like a new shooting every week. Following what seemed like a brief respite of police killing unarmed Black people, the unfortunate trend has made a comeback in a major way in recent weeks with a number of shootings that have been described as nothing short of murder. However, whether the shootings are justified or not, the same lethal force use against Black suspects is rarely seen with white people suspected of doing worse. Case in point: In just the past few days, it’s been reported that four Black men had been killed by police officers from separate departments across the country. Two of those shootings involve cops shooting their targets in the back. Dorothy Norwood, affectionately known as the "World's Greatest Storyteller" and a living legend, is surpassing her own ground-breaking achievements, with the remix of her chart-topping single, "Oh Jesus", now featuring Dorinda Clark-Cole. Norwood is currently in the studio finishing up with post production on her 53rd solo album entitled "The Journey Continues" releasing in the Fall of 2020. The Gospel Spotlight's Dorothy Norwood!!! Hear Dorothy Norwood In her Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/dorothy_norwood_intvw.htm CeCe Winans drops new music "Never Lost." It's the Gospel Spotlight Song Of The Week.....https://www.dropbox.com/s/l31fluivm36vudw/CeCe-NeverLost-LyricVideo.mov?dl=0 Jemila Richardson releases her next single HE WILL SUPPLY....https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/uVTh5IAKSis6IVoJzbaf8 ADRIENNE HOUGHTON SHARES HER LATEST BEAUTY SECRETS FOR BEAUTIFUL, GLOWING SKIN ON CLEO TV'S ALL THINGS ADRIENNE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 AT 9 P.M. ET/8C...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ryFiu45yrU&feature=youtu.be The mayor of Rochester, N.Y., on Thursday suspended seven police officers involved in the arrest of a Black man that resulted in his death after they covered his head and held him to the ground in March.Mayor Lovely Warren announced the move one day after the Rochester Police Department released footage from the arrest, prompting protests. She also criticized police Chief La'Ron Singeltary for his handling of the case. Daniel Prude, 41, died March 30 when his family took him off life support, seven days after officers who encountered him running naked through the street put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. https://media12.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202009/tdy_news_geist_black_man_200903_1920x1080.focal-860x484.jpg Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have signed a multi-year deal with Netflix, that will see them produce documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming under their unnamed production company. “Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection,” Meghan and Harry said in a statement, PEOPLE reports. “Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.” Join rolling out & AARP for an important health discussion on Love and Laughter During a Global Pandemic on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 6pm EST. Featured panelists include Loni Love, EMMY Winning Talk Show Host, author and comedienne; Rodney Perry, self-proclaimed “Hardest Working Man in Comedy”, actor and producer; and Guy Torry, amazing actor and hilarious stand-up comedian. Viola Davis called out the New York Post over its biased coverage, and urged fellow artists to boycott racist media. The actress and producer took to social media to compare The Post’s coverage of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse to the publication’s past coverage of Trayvon Martin, who was stalked and murdered by George Zimmerman in Florida on Feb 24, 2012. On Friday, Davis posted screenshots of one article referring to Rittenhouse as a “suspected teen gunman” with a photo of him cleaning doing community service work. The headline on the Martin article said he had “traces of marijuana” in his system when he was fatally shot by Zimmerman, per New York Daily News. “You are foul for this,” the “How To Get Away with Murder” actress directed at The Post on Instagram. “You are apart of the problem!!!,” she added. MSNBC host Joy Reid devoted a segment of her show on Wednesday to stereotypes about Muslims, after Trump, Ilhan Omar and several groups called on her to apologize for her on-air Islamophobia. On Monday’s “The ReidOut,” she touched on Trump’s response to violence among his supporters in Portland and Kenosha, asking a panel, “When leaders, let’s say in the Muslim world, talk a lot of violent talk, and encourage their supporters to be willing to commit violence … in order to win against whoever they decide is the enemy, we in the U.S. media describe that as they are ‘radicalizing’ those people, particularly when they’re radicalizing young people, that’s how we talk about the way that Muslims act. When you see what Donald Trump is doing, is that any different from what we describe as radicalizing people?”https://youtu.be/rzPloMpG2EM Actor Clarke Peters is speaking out about his experience working with Chadwick Boseman in Spike Lee’s acclaimed Netflix movie “Da 5 Bloods.” The project is one of Boseman’s last movies before his death on August 28 at age 43. Boseman had been privately battling colon cancer since 2016, something many of his friends and colleagues were unaware of, including Lee and Peters. On “Good Morning Britain,” Peters recalled his first impressions of Boseman on the set of the war drama, which was filmed on location in Thailand. “I have to say with a little bit of regret that I probably wasn’t the most altruistic in that environment, but hindsight teaches us a lot of things,” Peters said. “What I’m addressing is basically, my wife asked what Chadwick was like. I was really excited to work with him. I said, ‘I think he’s a little bit precious.’ And she said, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Because he’s surrounded by people who are fawning over him.’ “He has a Chinese practitioner, who is massaging his back when he walks off set. He has a makeup lady massaging his feet. His girlfriend is there holding his hand,” Peters said. “And I’m thinking maybe the Black Panther thing went to his head.”Once learning of the health struggles Boseman was experiencing at the time, Peter added while holding back tears, “I regret even having those thoughts because they were really looking after him.”https://youtu.be/hDvWb1ESZss John Boyega has spoken out about the treatment of Black characters in the latest Star Wars trilogy, accusing Disney of wanting to profit off ethnic actors before pushing them to the sideline. “You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything,” he told British GQ magazine. “[But] what I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.” Critics have also slammed the studio for ignoring Boyega’s Finn character in “The Rise of Skywalker.” Teyana Taylor channels Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Elijah McClain and the mother of Emmitt Till in the poignant video for her new song, “Still.” https://youtu.be/xwX1pdimy1g Join CBS All Access and fans from around the world for a virtual celebration of Star Trek Day on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The virtual event will bring the “Star Trek” community together and provide fans with exclusive programming and initiatives including panels with the cast and creatives from nine “Star Trek” television series, exclusive news from the “Star Trek Universe” on CBS All Access, curated “Star Trek” series marathons and more. Additional information on free Star Trek Day programming and initiatives can be accessed at StarTrek.com/Day.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1LlbbPQeHk Ben & Jerry’s is launching a six-part podcast that aims to encourage listeners to “dismantle systemic racism” and white supremacy. The ice cream brand has teamed with Vox Media for the “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America,” project, based on ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jeffery Robinson’s presentation. “In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, America faces a racial reckoning — one that requires an honest look at the American history that has allowed and encouraged white supremacy to thrive for the last 400 years,” the companies behind the podcast said in a joint statement on Tuesday. Police officers in the Nation’s Capital shot and killed a Black teen in Southeast D.C. Wednesday afternoon as he was running away, sparking further protests and a demonstration outside of the mayor’s home. Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon, “Uniformed police officers had information that there were guys in the neighborhood with guns, specifically. That’s what they were looking for and evidently that’s what they found.” While two suspects ran from officers, D.C. police say one of the suspects “brandished a firearm,” and in response, an officer fired once, hitting the suspect. The suspect was pronounced dead after all “life-saving efforts failed,” police added. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Dr. Steve Perry have launched their new charter school Capital Prep Bronx, which aims to serve disadvantaged students. Nearly 200 middle schoolers (6th and 7th graders) are enrolled for the fall semester, which kicks off Sept. 8 with a fully remote schedule. The goal is to expand the student body to 650 students from grades 6 to 11. “My dream has always been to provide children in communities like the Bronx the high quality education they deserve,” Diddy said in a press release. “We’re not just teaching reading, math and coding. We are grooming future leaders that will change their communities and the world.” The official schedule for the upcoming presidential debates was released Wednesday, revealing when and where Joe Biden would square off against Donald Trump as the 2020 election rapidly approaches. But while those two will have three times to go at it, the candidates for vice president won’t get a second chance to make their first impressions. That means Kamala Harris has just one shot to humble Mike Pence on a national stage before — as polls predict — she and Biden are elected to replace arguably the most corrupt and dishonest presidential administration in American history. And all indications are that Harris is more than ready to rise to the occasion when they square off in Salt Lake City, Utah. Murk aka "Ms. P31" is an ordained minister, author, and one of Christian music's most powerful and outspoken female rap artists. Her "P31" title track and music video spread virally and on national television earning her the monicker "Ms. P31". The anthem sparked a movement fueling her mission to influence and empower women of all ages to discover their God-given power and purpose in the world. The new effort "31 GANG" features rapper Dee-1 on "No Ring", which celebrates Kingdom love and relationships. Powerful singer D. McGhee joins Murk on "Doin' The Most" that gives a shout out to the queens who are grinding and winning in life, all while keeping God first. Dove and Grammy® Award-nominated artist, producer, and music mogul Mr. Del steps to the mic to collaborate with Murk on "Classic". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MnJqwbFQfc&feature=youtu.be The award winning film – Mr. SOUL! – directed by Melissa Haizlip continues to wow audiences across the nation in virtual cinemas this week and will expand through Labor Day Weekend. This monumental film is a tribute and an important look back at America’s first “Black Tonight Show” that aired directly from New York on public broadcasting from 1968-1973 at the height of the Black Power Movement and the Civil Rights Movement. Aptly titled SOUL!, this groundbreaking show was produced and hosted by Ellis Haizlip aka Mr. SOUL! He was hip, smart, innovative, political and gay. Letitia Wright posted a touching tribute to actor Chadwick Boseman, her onscreen brother in Marvel’s “Black Panther,” following his death last week from colon cancer. Wright shared a poem on Instagram Tuesday, in which she refers to Boseman as “my brother, an angel on Earth.” https://www.instagram.com/letitiawright/?utm_source=ig_embed Finding love again, feeling free in that love, while also having autonomy to practice self-care is apart of R & B artist Tweet’s life now and she’s sharing that love with the world in her new single “Neva Felt This Way.” “Coming out of a heartbreak, I finally found someone who loved me unconditionally,” she said. “This person is my best friend and that’s what the song comes from, just finding out how to receive unconditional love as well as give it.” https://youtu.be/OJ7cqXtMSZk The winner of the CBS reality show “Rock Star: Supernova,” Lukas Rossi, to speak on the Industry Panel at the Saturday, November 7, 2020 21st annual Los Angeles “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference from 1-3pmPT via Zoom video conferencing. The conference offers a panel “Q and A Session,” a “professional talent showcase” and a “national talent competition” of singers, songwriters, dancers and actors. One winner from each category will be selected to receive the 2020 ‘ULMII Best Artist” Award and over $15,000 valued in prizes. Rock star Lukas Rossi is currently promoting his new “Summertime” album. Chicago gangs have reportedly formed a pact to shoot cops on sight, according to the FBI. Chicago police have been warned that about 30 gangs in the city, including the Latin Kings and Vice Lords, have agreed to “shoot on-sight any cop that has a weapon drawn on any subject in public, according to an alert from FBI officials sent out Aug. 26, Yahoo reports. The “Potential Activity Alert” was based on “a contact whose reporting is limited and whose reliability cannot be determined,” the alert states. https://youtu.be/3LRNWXfmNyY Following the death of Howard University alum Chadwick Boseman, the university’s president wrote a heartfelt message celebrating the life of the Black Panther star, who lost a four-year battle with colon cancer and died on Aug. 28. On the Howard University website, Wayne A. I. Frederick left a message for the real-life hero who captivated audiences around the world with his talent. https://www.instagram.com/howard1867/?utm_source=ig_embed Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver has died of complications of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19, the National Baseball Hall of Fame said in a statement Wednesday. He was 75. He died peacefully in his sleep Monday, the organization said. Seaver played 12 seasons with the Mets, winning the National League Cy Young Award three times. After having been a league-wide joke for the franchise’s hapless play since their inaugural season in 1962, the team, which was dubbed the Miracle Mets, was able to overcome years of failure and win the 1969 World Series as Seaver won his first Cy Young Award. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, announced Wednesday evening that he, his wife and their two young daughters had all tested positive for the coronavirus. While he said they had all recovered, he also admitted on an Instagram video that he and his wife “had a rough go” with COVID-19 and encouraged people to wear masks so they don’t meet the same fate that he and his family did. His daughters are 2- and 4-years-old. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes turned the day he received his Super Bowl ring into an engagement party, after popping the question to longtime girlfriend Brittany Mathews, who has shared new videos and photos from her special day. The 24-year-old quarterback popped the question to his 25-year-old girlfriend Tuesday, at the Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium, with Matthews sharing a slew of pics and videos Wednesday. Among them is a video where you can hear her reaction to the proposal, as recorded by her friends. https://www.instagram.com/patrickmahomes/?utm_source=ig_embed An upcoming animated TV series about a little Black girl is being accused of culturally appropriating a similarly styled short film as a promotional push for the new show has prompted comparisons for all the wrong reasons. “Made By Maddie, which is set to premiere later this month on Nickelodeon‘s Nick Jr. channel, is about a budding 8-year-old fashion designer who “uses her imagination and design ingenuity to turn every problem into a positive with the perfect fashion fix.” And while that description decidedly does not match that of “Hair Love,” the Academy Award-winning short that focuses on natural hair, it was the similarities between what the characters look like from each project that became a trending topic on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. Eaze, California’s largest marketplace for legal cannabis, today announced expanded efforts to support an equitable cannabis industry: A major menu expansion in Los Angeles featuring Black and POC-owned brands, and the Social Equity Partners Program, a multi-point initiative to assist and elevate equity license holders. Eaze’s Social Equity Partners Menu, which already features well-recognized brands Cloud 9, KGB Reserve, and SF Roots in Northern California, is debuting all of its equity brands in the greater Los Angeles market and welcoming LA-based Dreamt, Blaqstar Farms, and Bay Area-based James Henry SF and Oakland Extracts to the menu. Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, co-counsels Dale Galipo and Carl Douglas, and the family of Dijon Kizzee will hold a virtual news conference on Sept. 2 at 4 pm ET. Dijon Kizzee was killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s officers after he was stopped for bicycle riding code violations. He was shot over 20 times in the back by police who then left his lifeless body, handcuffed, for hours. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, is suing the city of Louisville and its law enforcement over the March 13 police raid that left Taylor dead. Taylor, 26, was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed with Walker when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment. A search warrant revealed cops believed Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, 30, was hiding drugs or money at the apartment. https://youtu.be/OfDcSsdEIQs Tyler Perry has officially reached billionaire status. The filmmaker has reportedly earned $1.4 billion in pre-tax income since 2005, and is currently worth $1 billion, according to the latest issue of Forbes. From his TV shows and movies, to the fact that Perry owns 100 percent of everything he creates, the Forbes report details his rags-to-riches journey. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com In celebration of Chadwick Boseman’s life and Hollywood career, the 2013 sports drama “42,” in which he stars as MLB’s first Black ballplayer Jackie Robinson, will be re-released in AMC theaters this weekend. The film will screen at 740 locations nationwide including Regal, Cinemark, Alamo Drafthouse, Marcus, Harkins and other chains. AMC is offering the feature at 300 of its locations, starting Thursday with tickets at $5 apiece. https://youtu.be/I9RHqdZDCF0 During an unprecedented year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice protests, the first-ever Salute THEM [Together Heroes Emerge Momentous] Awards will recognize women, men and organizations who have “initiated global change” and will take place during the annual CBC Annual Legislative Conference Week. This year’s Salute THEM Awards include: Family Legacy Award - The Clark Sisters, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Lamman Rucker, Marla Gibbs, Rehan Staton and Jahmal Cole. Musical tributes by Tamela Mann, Anthony Hamilton and Jac Ross! With a special presentation from hip hop legend Yo-Yo; narrated by Cafe Mocha's own Angelique Perrin. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Deitrick Haddon delivers another heart grabbing single to radio with his newest release "Complete Me". It's a melodic prayer to God. It speaks to the need for God to be one's strength in hard times. "Complete Me" is the second single off of the chart topping and celebrated 2019 release from Haddon, "TIME (Truth Is my Energy)". "Complete Me" is also a fan favorite from the TIME album. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ylvckjjnvt3oejf/AADVrtnQyK4eOjfomr7ZP8Iga?dl=0 The Trump administration said Tuesday it is issuing a four-month freeze on residential evictions. Millions of Americans are reportedly in danger of getting evicted by the end of September. With this eviction moratorium, Trump is bypassing Congress in an attempt to get a handle on the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Kanye West previously revealed that he and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, had considered an abortion when she was pregnant with their first child. He made that shocking revelation during his first presidential campaign rally back in July. At the event in South Carolina, West also said that if he were elected president, he would fight to keep abortion legal but would strongly discourage it by offering people $1 million for every child they have. In an interview with Nick Cannon, Kanye West talked more on that topic while sharing what he and Kim were going through when they thought about terminating her first pregnancy. Chadwick Boseman, was most known for playing the superhero in the title role of “Black Panther,” was a person of faith from childhood who shared biblical wisdom along the path of his career. The actor, who also portrayed baseball great Jackie Robinson, civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall and singer/dancer James Brown, died at age 43 on Friday (Aug. 28), after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016. From the impression he left on a pastor of his youth to his own words at the 2018 commencement of Howard University, his alma mater, Boseman demonstrated a Christian life that included service, overcoming stereotypes and a desire to depict strong characters. “After his family released their statement, I realized that he was living with his illness the entire time I knew him,” said “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler in a statement. “Because he was a caretaker, a leader, and a man of faith, dignity and pride, he shielded his collaborators from his suffering. He lived a beautiful life. And he made great art.” Two-time Grammy Award-winning Christian singer Lauren Daigle said she’s missed performing in front of people and having interactions with fans during the lockdowns that postponed her tour dates. In an interview with Apple Music, Daigle ran through her ‘At Home With’ playlist and explained why, as an artist, she thrives on connecting with people through her music and discussed Kanye West’s newfound faith and singer Billie Eilish. “I miss it being in front of people,” the 28-year old said about missing being on the road. “You need human interaction to see the way it lands on someone’s soul. You need that experience as an artist.” Daigle will be heading back on the road in 2021 and is missing tour life. Actor Jim Caviezel, who burst on the Hollywood scene in 2004 with his iconic role as Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” is an outspoken Catholic who openly discusses his faith and devotion to God. “The way God sees us is who we really are,” Caviezel recently told the “Edifi With Billy Hallowell” podcast, going on to speak about a range of issues, including his new movie, “Infidel.” The feature film, which releases in theaters on Sept. 18, is described as a “contemporary Middle East thriller” surrounding an “American kidnapped while attending a conference in Cairo, who ends up in prison in Iran on spying charges.” A former sheriff in Arkansas who was forced to resign over his racist views and language replete with the N-word was reportedly being shown “compassion” for his racism and has been allowed to keep getting paid even though he is no longer officially a law enforcement officer. Ex-Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright was apparently secretly recorded speaking his racist mind in public, at one point even calling a woman a “n*gger lover,” prompting a court to ask for his resignation. https://twitter.com/i/status/1299887061013540864 While the disturbing trend of police killing Black people never ended, there seems to be a renewed spate of such preventable violence in recent weeks. That truth, unfortunately, includes Damian Daniels, a military veteran who was shot twice in the chest in front of his newly purchased home in Texas after cops were dispatched there to perform a wellness check last week. S. Lee Merritt, the civil rights attorney representing Daniels’ family, has described the scenario that led to the deadly Aug. 25 shooting as a fateful collision of factors that places the blame directly on law enforcement’s inability to respond to a nonviolent situation without lethal force. A military veteran who served as one of the nation’s first Black U.S. Marines received a medal and a car parade from the New York Senate as a 95th birthday present. Sen. Jim Tedisco Friday presented the New York State Liberty Medal, the Senate’s highest honor for service and valor, to Ambrose “Cowboy” Anderson of Gloversville, who served during the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. Tedisco joined Anderson’s family and friends to present the Liberty Medal outside his Gloversville home. Noting the many African Americans who served at the time but never get the recognition they deserved due to racial discrimination. Sen. Tedisco said: “I am proud and honored to help rectify that in some way with this long-overdue heartfelt recognition by the state of New York for Ambrose Anderson’s courageous service.” Amazon has teamed with Blumhouse Television to serve up “Welcome to the Blumhouse,” a series of eight horror movies produced by both studios. The series is set to kick off on Oct. 6, with four of the eight movies releasing this year: The Lie, Black Box, Evil Eye, and Nocturne. The titles are set to premiere worldwide on Amazon Prime in October. https://youtu.be/DD5F0ets7ps Known for being frugal, NFL star Richard Sherman is handing out financial advice to young people in a new digital series. Launched in August 2020, “Adulting With Richard Sherman” is a 12-part digital show produced by Million Stories Media. The new media company, a project from the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship, offers programming focusing on career, money, and budgeting matters for millennials and young families. https://youtu.be/-N8Iu7xBxEo The man who posted the video of a police officer shooting Jacob Blake in the back seven times says he did the right thing but feels a certain responsibility for the subsequent violence and two deaths it caused in his city. Kenosha resident Raysean White speaks to Wesley Lowery for a 60 IN 6 report premiering on Quibi Wednesday (09-02-20) evening at 8:00 PM ET. The shooting of Blake, who is Black, by a white Kenosha officer, leaving him partially paralyzed, sparked violent street protests during which three persons were shot, two of them killed. White was in his apartment across the street when he began videotaping police and Blake with his phone. https://youtu.be/4bfa8TCglRQ Netflix is set to explore what life could have been like for Latasha Harlins had she not been fatally shot by a convenience store owner in 1991 at the age of 15. Harlins’ murder was a catalyst for the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, and “A Love Song For Latasha” will explore the teenager’s life and dreams through accounts from her family and friends. https://youtu.be/xCvjaaqqVzU Kanye West claims he spent $50M last year on his Sunday Services. In a new interview with Nick Cannon, Kanye dishes about his religious and political beliefs, and at one point he opens up about how God “brought me to my knees multiple times.” You know, God has a calling on all of us and he uses us in different ways,” he said. “I would do Sunday Service and there would be atheists who would come and tell me, ‘Well, maybe you shouldn’t mention Jesus’ name so much.’ And that’s all I need to hear. I was like ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!’ Thank you for inciting the riot,” he continued. He goes on to claim that he spent $50M last year on his gospel choir. https://youtu.be/fd0hEO8zTMw Jamie Foxx has teamed with Netflix for a comedy series starring the actor and inspired by his relationship with daughter Corinne Foxx. According to Variety, Bentley Kyle Evans will serve as EP/Showrunner on the series titled “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me,” while Foxx and his daughter will also executive produce. David Alan Grier co-stars as a recurring character along with Kyla-Drew, Porscha Coleman, and Jonathan Kite, Heather Hemmens and Valente Rodriguez. Foxx and Corinne previously collaborated on the Fox competition series “Beat Shazam,” which Jamie hosts and his daughter serves as DJ. It has been reported earlier this year that Donald Trump is polling better than expected among Black men. A conservative outlet interviewed a group of Black conservatives in California vowing support for Trump and calling Black Lives Matter a “fake” movement that tries to pull the Black man away from the traditional nuclear family. “As you can see, black conservatism is the new punk rock,” said Trump supporter Nick Cunningham in the video. Another, who goes by MAGA Hulk, added “We’re the rebels! You wanna be cool, come join our cause.” https://youtu.be/JPHWGTrg_Cg On Wednesday morning, “Good Morning America” revealed the celebrities that will compete on ABC’s revamped, Tyra Banks-hosted “Dancing With the Stars.” They’ve pulled notables from the usual categories of sports, music and TV, but this time added someone widely suspected of cold blooded murder. The cast includes rapper Nelly, former NFL player Vernon Davis, NBA vet Charles Oakley, “The Real” host Jeannie Mai, Disney Channel star Skai Jackson and Carole Baskin, whose fame is rooted in suspicion that she had her husband killed in the Netflix docuseries “Tiger King. ”https://youtu.be/0XAy9N71fbE WE tv’s “Love After Lockup” returns this week with the mid-season finale, and emotions run high when #FelonBae Lindsey grows frustrated with the new house that Scott is trying to fix up for her and her child. https://youtu.be/KdW2P2DPsGU Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and co-counsels Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker released a statement in response to a revelation that prosecutors tried to get Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover to say that Breonna Taylor was part of an “organized crime syndicate” in exchange for a plea deal. Glover refused. https://youtu.be/KdLl24JamUQ Multi-Award-winning R&B singer/producer and Maroon 5 keyboardist, PJ Morton, “All In His Plan,” has generated over 3 million streams to-date and it also leads this week’s Mediabase Gospel Airplay chart. The bluesy, retro ballad features poignant performances from Le’Andria Johnson, and the platinum-selling duo, Mary Mary. The track anchors Morton’s first-ever gospel music album, "Gospel According to PJ." Gospel Spotlight's PJ Morton!! Hear PJ Morton IN His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/pj_morton_intvw.htm The Gentleman of Gospel, EARNEST PUGH, the singer-songwriter and worship leader known for No. 1 gospel hits such as his recent “God Wants to Heal You” and “I Need Your Glory,” has added author to his resume. The soulful singer will publish his first book, "Abiding in the Place of Worship: Wisdom and Insight for Today’s Worshipper," on November 13, 2020. The book is based on Jesus’ “Parable of the Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37). Gospel Spotlight's Earnest Pugh!! Hear Earnest Pugh IN His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_intvw.htm To celebrate the highly anticipated new series LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, HBO has announced Lovecraft Country: Sanctum, a series of exclusive virtual reality events transporting invited guests into a world inspired by the show. The series airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max. In a first-of-its-kind, groundbreaking social VR event series, 100 select influential voices will experience three events consisting of immersive theater, escape rooms, art installations, puzzles and a live concert, via the Oculus Quest headset, all inspired by LOVECRAFT COUNTRY. https://youtu.be/733csFVU7QM Usher is all set to become a daddy again for the 3rd time. His girlfriend Jenn Goicoechea is pregnant. This will be the couple’s first child and they are said to be “thrilled and very excited” according to a report on Us Weekly. The good news reportedly comes in just in time for the couple’s one year anniversary when they went public with their relationship at the Hollywood Bowl concert in Oct. 2019. The couple shared a sweet kiss at the concert that was later shared online. Cardi B’s love for Balenciaga is definitely mutual, as the high fashion label has tapped the rapper to serve as the new face of the brand. Her 2020 winter campaign was unveiled over the historic Louvre in Paris. Cardi appears in the billboard wearing a blue evening gown while laying on a lawn and surrounded by yellow children’s toys. The photos were self-shot in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 lockdown. https://www.instagram.com/iamcardib/?utm_source=ig_embed California is now one step closer to making racially-motivated 911 calls a “hate crime” punishable by jail or a hefty fine. AB 1775, by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Huntington Park), would increase the criminal penalties imposed when a person knowingly makes a false 911 call for the purpose of harassing another. The maximum penalty would be up to $2,000 and a year in jail. The bill also classifies blatantly false reports as a form of intimidation, allowing the victim of these calls to file a lawsuit against the person who knowingly made the false report. An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airs Thursday and finds Tahiry uncertain about accepting Vado back in her life. Last month, the duo made headlines when a heated confrontation resulted in Vado being escorted out of the boot camp after he tried to choke her. https://youtu.be/X4KaPFYY-XA Megachurch pastor John Gray announced that he has “submitted to a process of restoration” that will sometimes take him away from his church in the wake of new allegations of infidelity, some of which he admits are true. “I’m sorry for the areas of my life that I left unattended, that I was apathetic about, the areas where I have treated the calling of God, the grace of God and the hand of God casually in my life. For every area of behavior that has dishonored the holiness of God, I want to tell you that I’m sorry. There have been a number of things, blogs, some of them accurate, some of it not. But all of it, my responsibility,” the embattled leader of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, said in an address to his church and family Sunday. “I apologize for putting the name of God in harm’s way and I and I alone take the responsibility for the actions that harmed and injured God’s sheep. Liberty University is opening an independent investigation into Jerry Falwell Jr.’s tenure as president, a wide-ranging inquiry that will include financial, real estate and legal matters, the evangelical school’s board announced Monday. In a statement, the board said it had retained an outside firm to investigate “all facets” of the school’s operations under Falwell, and that it was “committed to learning the consequences that have flowed from a lack of spiritual stewardship by our former president.” “We must find a way to look after one another — as if we were one single tribe.”Marvel Studios has released a video tribute to it Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died Friday at 43 after a years-long secret battle with colon cancer. Headlined ‘You Will Always Be Our King,” the clip has racked up more than 2.35 million YouTube since its posting Sunday. https://youtu.be/4VSx2E7WE50 TV One's original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED resumes for season three with its premiere episode debuting on Sunday, September 6 at 10 P.M. ET/9C. The edgy docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities including actor Larenz Tate. Probably best known for his role as the smooth talking, poet-reciting Darius Lovehall from the cult classic film, Love Jones but, Larenz rose to fame after playing the role of O-Dog in the 1993 teen drama film Menace II Society. He has gone on to star in both iconic television series and movies that continue to move the culture. Larenz opens up about how he has seamlessly maintained his leading man status for nearly two decades, shows his softer side when reflecting on how his wife stole his heart, and gives an impassioned message about the realities of existing as a Black man in America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzqPkq3S1d0&feature=youtu.be Breonna Taylor‘s life and death will be explored in an upcoming documentary episode headed for FX and Hulu. According to FOX29, the episode is called “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” and it will air Sept. 4 at 10 p.m. ET on FX and be available for streaming the following day on Hulu. The episode is part of a new docuseries produced by The New York Times called “The Weekly.” Adele sparked a lot of social media chatter Monday morning for a polarizing photo she posted over the weekend. The British pop star posted a picture to Instagram of herself wearing a bikini top with a Jamaican flag printed on it and she was also sporting some Bantu knots for her hairdo. Adele captioned the photo, “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London” along with emojis of the Jamaican and British flag. https://www.instagram.com/adele/?utm_source=ig_embed A video has gone viral showing a woman spewing racist comments towards a group of Black women in Los Angeles. According to ABC7, the incident occurred on Sunday morning when the three Black women — Brittany, Jessyka and Raquel — were on their Sunday morning run at Dockweiler State Beach. https://www.instagram.com/p/CEhaI2xgc74/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Kimora Lee Simmons has teamed with her two daughters, Ming Lee, 18, and Aoki Lee, 21, to launch of Baby Phat Beauty, an extension of her Baby Phat urban brand. The new beauty line was revealed on social media in a post featuring the first product, the Shimmer Dreams three-piece kit. According to PEOPLE, the set comes with a “glittering high shine lip gloss, a nourishing hand lotion and a shimmering body spray,” the article states. The nine-item collection is available in three individual sets, each reflecting the personalities of Kimora and her daughters. LeToya Luckett dished with fans on her Instagram Live over the weekend, and got real about losing her spot in Destiny’s Child. Luckett and LaTavia Roberson were booted from Destiny’s Child 2000, and they later filed a lawsuit against the group’s manager, Mathew Knowles. It was settled out of court. “Coming out of that, I wasn’t the most secure person because I was so used to having a team mentality and to think of going out on my own was terrifying,” the singer said during her IG Live. “The thought of singing made me angry. I didn’t believe I had a voice, I didn’t believe I could sing, I didn’t believe I could return to the music industry.” Luckett then became emotional describing her journey after leaving one of the most iconic girl groups in music. Yesterday, California Rep. Barbara Lee called to speak with SiriusXM Urban View host Laura Coates about the 2020 race and election meddling. During the interview, Representative Lee told Coates: “There are so many reasons why we must vote for the Biden-Harris ticket, regardless of what perspective you’re coming from it’s important if you really want to make sure that our democracy is not, actually dismantled, and this administration and you see how he has operated and who he is, in terms of his dictatorial approaches to government, dismantling all of the apparatus of government.” Clarence Burke Sr., an ex-Chicago detective who managed his kids, The Five Stairsteps, died July 16, one day before his 91st birthday. His children— Clarence Jr., Keni, James, Dennis and sister Alohe – recalled their early music career and some of their father’s wild moments in a candid interview with the Chicago Sun-Times. The Five Stairsteps are best known for their 1970 Stan Vincent song “O-o-h Child,” which played Aug. 18 after Jill Biden’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. https://youtu.be/C1XwW8A49Pg Former NFL star Herschel Walker said his support of President Trump has caused him to lose some friends. Speaking about his friendship with Trump to USA Today, Walker made clear that the president didn’t ask him to speak at the Republican National Convention last week, he volunteered. “In society today, if you’ve got a Black friend, oh, jeez you’re like king,’’ Walker told USA Today Sports. “But not one time has (Trump) asked me to speak for him. I don’t even think he knew I was going to speak this time. I’m the one that asked.’’ Harry Belafonte released a statement after a senior aide to Donald Trump posted a doctored video that made it look like Joe Biden was catching a nap when a local news anchor attempted to interview him via satellite. The video was In fact from 2011, when Belafonte was doing a series of press junket interviews and lost audio contact with the local station in Bakersfield, CA. Dan Scavino, a senior aide to Trump and White House director of social media, tweeted the video out Sunday from his private account. It was made to look like a news anchor was trying to interview Biden, trying to wake him up. The sound of snoring also was added to the video, which received more than 2.1 million views. A petition has been launched calling for a statue of Chadwick Boseman to replace a Confederate memorial in the late actor’s hometown in Anderson, South Carolina. The Change.org petition has generated more than 27,000 signatures. The Confederate monument was put up in 1902 in front of a courthouse and shows a soldier on a platform. Its inscription reportedly says, in part, “The world shall yet decide, in truth’s clear, far-off light, that the soldiers who wore the gray, and died with Lee, were in the right.” Nick and Kanye responded to Stephanie Mills during a conversation on Cannon’s podcast. “They’ve called both of us coons. They’ve called us crazy. They’ve called, these, all of these names. Like I saw somebody I love dearly, Stephanie Mills said that you and I are ‘paid slaves’ and playing and acting like we’re toys, or playing with our toys and we need to take our toys and go back home,’” Cannon said. “My last name’s a slave name. Where is home, exactly, Stephanie?,” West responds. “People keep on saying I think that y’all, you and Republicans are in cahoots,” said Ye. “They’re saying that they’re paying you to do what you’re doing to be a distraction,” Cannon responds. https://www.instagram.com/iamstephaniemills/?utm_source=ig_embed Starz has given a series order to the third spinoff of “Power” which will find Joseph Sikora reprising his character Tommy Egan. “Power Book IV: Force” will center on Egan after he “cuts ties and puts New York in his rearview mirror for good,” according to Starz. https://youtu.be/_r5SnqS1gYo Harvest Magazine and host Teri Washington invite you to join the conversation with the legendary Richard Smallwood, as he talks about his mental health journey and the future of Gospel music. Wednesday, September 2 7PM Eastern. A growing number of athletes, actors and other in?uencers across the country are standing up for Democracy and supporting the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) work to restore the voting rights to 1.4M returning citizens in the state of Florida. John Legend has donated his own money, hosted fundraisers and raised awareness through social media – and by showing up in court – on behalf of FRRC’s e?orts to register formerly incarcerated individuals to vote, and to pay their administrative ?nes and fees. And Kevin Hart has donated money, and used his voice to support criminal justice reform. LeBron James – through his More than A Vote (MTAV) initiative – has raised awareness and donated money to FRRC’s Fines & Fees program. The 1.2 million people who tuned in August 31st to watch the newest installment in the Verzuz battles, Brandy verzuz Monica, were not disappointed. The two mega singers squared off in person in Atlanta; the first time they have been in the same room in eight years. Monica began the evening by paying homage to the late Chadwick Boseman, saying, “the level of devastation this year is unprecedented” and added Chadwick Boseman, “was a man that was dedicated to the arts.”Monica decided to let Brandy go first, but before Brandy got started, Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris appeared on the screen, acknowledged looking forward to the evening and urged people to vote. Civil rights activist Najee Ali director of Project Islamic Hope and a coalition of activists are calling for an independent investigation by the California Attorney General office in the shooting of an African American man Dijon Kizzee. Kizzee was shot and killed by LA County Sheriff deputies in South Central LA on Monday afternoon (08-31-20). Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass will headline the presentation ceremony of the Noted Community Philanthropist Award to Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson. The award will be presented the first week of September and will be Facebook Livestreamed. Hutchinson was chosen for the award by the Justice for Marc Fitzsimmons Committee. According to Committee President Donna Dymally, “Hutchinson has worked tirelessly and effectively to build self-reliance and self-sustainability through its donor program of cash grants and awards to dozens of community grassroots organizations and individuals over the years. We are proud to honor him and the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable for their vital community assistance work.” The 24th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which took place August 21 – 30 virtually via the newly launched ABFF PLAY platform, wrapped ten days of festivities with ‘The Best of the ABFF Awards,’ hosted by Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker with a simulcast on IMDb (www.imdb.com). Presenters included: Lee Daniels (The United States vs. Billie Holiday), Laz Alonso (The Boys), Bevy Smith (BEVELATIONS), Logan Browning (Dear White People), Sinqua Walls (American Soul), La La Anthony (Power) and Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods). The ceremony closed with an emotional performance by Grammy Award-winning Gospel and R&B Artist Bebe Winans singing his new single Black Lives Matter. The full awards show and highlight reel of ‘The Best of the ABFF Awards’ is available to watch on abffplay.com and www.imdb.com/festival-central/abff/. On the eve of National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, BLK announces its commitment to safe, trusted and accessible elections by engaging its community to recruit poll workers for the upcoming Presidential election, in partnership with the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan business coalition co-founded by the CAA Foundation and Democracy Works. As part of a national movement to recruit 250,000 new poll workers, BLK will encourage its employees and consumers to sign up to serve through Power the Polls. These actions are part of BLK’s broader commitment to civic engagement, uniting Black singles while highlighting civic duty and responsibility. Underscoring the importance of the Black community taking action in this critical election, the initiative allows users to connect in fun and innovative ways, while supporting a culturally responsible call-to-action to amplify Black voter turnout. Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and co-counsels Patrick Salvi II and B’Ivory LaMarr issued the following statement on behalf of the Blake family: “President Trump reached out to the pastor of Jacob Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson, to arrange a phone conversation with her. He appropriately referred the White House to the legal team, but, as President Trump acknowledged during his televised briefing, he declined to have a call if Ms. Jackson’s legal team monitored the call. The family’s primary objectives are to support Jacob’s recovery and to ensure justice for him. If the call had occurred, Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blake’s shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do — examine your heart.” The cast of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” have agreed to come together for an unscripted reunion special set to air on HBO Max. According to Deadline, series star Will Smith will reunite with co-stars Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Back in April, Smith and the original cast paid tribute to the late James Avery, who played Uncle Phil. The special will be taped on Sept. 10, and will mark the 30-year anniversary of the series’ premiere on NBC. PBS announced that Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America, a ground-breaking, two-hour documentary film by acclaimed historian Dr. Gretchen Sorin and Emmy–winning director Ric Burns – will air on PBS on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Chronicling the riveting history and personal experiences of African Americans on the road from the advent of the automobile through the seismic changes of the 1960s and beyond, “Driving While Black” explores the deep background of a recent phrase rooted in realities that have been an indelible part of the African American experience for hundreds of years – told in large part through the stories of the men, women and children who lived through it. The sports world and beyond is now dealing with the death of legendary Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson dead at 78. The coach led Georgetown for 27 seasons, including to the 1984 national championship. He built the program into a Big East powerhouse, took the Hoyas to three Final Fours in the 1980s, won seven Big East titles and led the 1988 United States national team to a bronze medal in the Olympics. His coaching legacy includes the recruitment and development of four players in the Basketball Hall of Fame: Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson. Thompson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, was a pioneer credited with opening the door for a generation of minority coaches. His national title run in 1984 was the first by a Black head coach and altered the perception of Black coaches. Also of note, 97 percent of the students who played for him left Georgetown with a college degree. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Grammy-winning gospel performer Kirk Franklin can’t be onstage these days but he’s featured virtually in an upcoming benefit to draw attention to poor children across the globe who are affected by COVID-19. Franklin has joined World Vision, Food for the Hungry and Compassion International in the “Unite to Fight Poverty” virtual concert that was televised and streamed online Friday (Aug. 28) on Daystar Television Network, Facebook, YouTube and PureFlix. In an interview with The Breakfast Club this week, Christian hip hop artist Lecrae talked about the challenges of being a Black man in America and what it was like to deconstruct from a “western, political, evangelical version of Christianity.” “I’m a hip hop kid who found the Lord,” said Lecrae, “but I found America’s version of Christianity, which was detrimental to my psyche, and it was drenched in white supremacy. So I had to deconstruct my faith, come to grips with who God is, and strip away the nationalist mindsets that were drenched in it.” Join Bishop Leonard Scott this Wednesday, September 2nd at 6pm EST. He will have special guest, Darwin Hobbs on #WorshipAndWellnessWednesdays! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Keyla Richardson drops new single that will take you to church " Prayer Will Change Things." Ropbert Copeland drops new music "You're All I Need." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKC7X2kCknI&feature=youtu.be "God Will Make It Better" comes from the heart of Arthur Jae with the faith, confidence and trust in God. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHZFn85slVA&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Arthur+Jae+%22God+Will+Make+It+Better%22+September%2C+2020&utm_campaign=New+Music&utm_medium=email The tragic announcement that Chadwick Boseman lost his life to colon cancer last week was alarming on its own. After all, to say that the talented 43-year-old actor was young is an understatement. But a closer look at the circumstances surrounding Boseman’s death reinforces an unfortunate truth: Black people are disproportionately diagnosed with colon cancer in a trend that also has heightened implications for Black men, in particular. Boseman’s family said in a statement that the megastar filmed multiple movies “during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy,” never once letting on in public that he was suffering from a type of cancer that many times is believed to only affect older people. In fact — especially for Black people — colon cancer does not discriminate against age. It is, however, linked to “racism,” according to one prominent cancer researcher. “African-Americans are 40 percent more likely to die from colorectal cancer,” Rebecca L. Siegel, the American Cancer Society’s scientific director of surveillance research, recently told the New York Times. “It’s because of later-stage diagnosis, it’s because of systemic racism and all that this population has been dealing with for hundreds of years.” U.S. authorities have charged three Maryland men, who presented themselves as pastors to defraud more than 1,000 church members and other investors in a $28 million Ponzi scheme. The three – identified as Dennis Mbongeni Jali, 35; John Erasmus Frimpong, 40; and Arley Ray Johnson, 61 – “allegedly recruited investors at churches, presenting themselves as pastors concerned about the investors’ financial freedom,” U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said in a statement.“The indictment alleges that instead, the defendants used new investments to further their Ponzi scheme and to fund their lavish lifestyles, including luxury vehicles and private jets.” The three men were indicted on July 27 but it was unsealed Friday. The charges include wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. Black women are displaying excellence in the realm of academia. According to Spectrum News, Monique Mendes recently made history by becoming the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Rochester. News about Mendes’ historic appointment comes after Jasmine Bowers became the first Black person to earn a doctorate in computer science from the University of Florida. Tennis phenom Sloane Stephens is on a mission to empower the next generation of players in the sport. According to People, the Florida native has teamed up with the United States Tennis Association and Mercedes-Benz USA to raise funds for youth sports organizations. “This is something that we can all get behind and it’s for a good cause. And it’s something we’re all super passionate about — helping junior tennis and NJTL chapters and with the USTA. I’m super excited to be a part of it,” she said in a statement, according to the news outlet. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson has put the focus on supporting Black-owned businesses that have been significantly impacted by the public health crisis. According to Black Enterprise, Johnson teamed up with Carver Federal Savings Bank and MBE Partners for the creation of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) designed for minority and women-owned businesses. His company EquiTrust Life Insurance Co., MBE Partners and Carver Federal Savings Bank have secured a total of $325 million to provide loans for women and minority-led businesses, nonprofits and religious organizations. Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray got emotional after his incredible 50 point outing against the Utah Jazz to force a do-or-die Game 7. The tears weren’t rooted in his performance, but rather the social injustice going on outside the bubble. After winning Game 1, the Nuggets dropped three straight games against the Jazz before Murray stepped up big in Games 5 (42 points) and 6 (50 points) to extend the series to a final Game 7 on Tuesday. https://youtu.be/CSRoF3Hgt9k Rappers T.I. and 50 Cent are joining forces on a new hip-hop murder series with CBS All Access. According to Variety, the project titled “Twenty Four Seven” will highlight three historic hip-hop murders, and is based on a book, written by Matt Diehl and Derrick Parker, called “Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations From NYPD’s First ‘Hip-Hop Cop.” Protesters and police clashed near Black Lives Matter Plaza late Sunday during another night of unrest in the nation’s capital. Video from journalist Ford Fischer shows protesters throwing water bottles at D.C. police officers before tear gas was deployed. https://youtu.be/-WlN4g-wOnk Kentucky’s Attorney General says his office is now in possession of the FBI ballistics test in the Breonna Taylor case… but claims it’s not conclusive. Daniel Cameron told The Courier Journal the ballistics test was leading to a delay in the investigation of Taylor’s killing by Louisville Metro Police. “We’ve received the FBI ballistics report in the Breonna Taylor investigation,” Cameron tweeted. “There is still additional analysis that must take place, & our office does not plan to make an announcement this week. We continue to work diligently to follow the facts and complete the investigation.” https://youtu.be/Lg2sXxn_I1U Naturi Naughton for six seasons portray Tasha St. Patrick on the hit STARZ crime drama “Power.” She is reprising the role in the first of four planned spinoffs, “Power Book II: Ghost.” The action kicks off less than 48 hours after the murder of her ex-husband James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick.) Tasha has been arrested for the crime, covering for the real murderer, her son Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey Jr.) Tariq is now responsible for holding the family down while maintaining a 3.5 GPA in college, in order to gain access to his inheritance. https://youtu.be/_r5SnqS1gYo A day after prosecutors told a judge they were seeking a harsher sentence for Derek Chauvin, the ex-cop who killed George Floyd in front of the whole world, has asked to have the murder charges dismissed. According to the Daily Mail, Chauvin’s attorney filed a motion in court stating there was no probable cause to support the murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. The documentation claimed the fentanyl in George Floyd’s system caused his death instead of the prolonged pressure from Chauvin kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes. Additionally, it stated several pre-existing conditions contributed to his death. Spike Lee has opened up about working with actor Chadwick Boseman in the 2020 film “Da 5 Bloods.” Lee honored Boseman with a heartfelt tribute during his annual Brooklyn MJ Block Party for Michael Jackson‘s birthday Saturday. The Oscar winner said he was “floored by the crushing news and loss of a great brother,” and dedicated Jackson’s song “Gone Too Soon” to him. Lee also recalled what it was like working with Boseman on his film “Da 5 Bloods.” “We filmed Da 5 Bloods in Thailand, and it was hot, jungles, mountains, and Chadwick was there with us all the way. I never, ever suspected that anything was wrong. No one knew he was going through treatment, chemotherapy,” Lee shared. https://youtu.be/D5RDTPfsLAI Brandy’s former “Thea” co-star Thea Vidale says she’s rooting for Monica during the upcoming virtual Verzuz between the two singers. “Let’s go—I’m rooting for Monica !” she wrote on Twitter. When folks slammed her remarks, the comedian fired back by setting a few things straight. “I’m tired of people coming at me sideways about Brandy,” she wrote. “I never said she wasn’t talented. I do and will always fundamentally disagree with her and her mama’s disrespect while we worked together on my sitcom. And I stand by that sh-t !!” Thea added, “Your favorites can be wrong sometimes,” she wrote. “Stop being selective about that, just because you like a celebrities work ! ! We are all humans who do sh-t that we need to be checked for, sometime !!!!” Actress/comedian Niecy Nash announcing via social media that she got married to another WOMAN! Nash, who is know for her starring roles on shows like “Claws,” “Scream Queens,” and “Reno 911, ” surprised fans Monday posting a photo of the wedding. “Mrs. Carol Denise Betts,” Nash wrote to Twitter. Though she’s known popularly as Niecy Nash, the actress’s legal name is Carol Denise. She was previously married to Jay Tucker and Don Nash. https://www.instagram.com/jessicabettsmusic/?utm_source=ig_embed A white police officer in South Carolina said the n-word twice while angrily accusing a Black man of calling him the racial slur. In the video shared by TMZ, Sgt. Chad Walker is seen mid-tirade against a group of patrons outside a bar Saturday night. One man called him out for the way he was treating some of the people of color … specifically, the Black guy he claims called him the n-word. Walker questioned which “people of color,” then pointed to the Black man and asked, “The gentleman right there that called me a n**ger?” After stunned silence, he repeated, “That guy? Who called me a n**ger?” Sgt. Walker’s been suspended by the Columbia PD and its Chief has apologized, saying the officer failed to fulfill the standards of the department. The Chief added … “The repetition of the racial slur and failure to de-escalate the situation were inexcusable.” Sgt. Walker will remain on suspension until the department concludes his disciplinary conduct review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jyTcg1xg64&has_verified=1 The man cops were reportedly looking for on the night they shot EMT Breonna Taylor in the botched no-knock raid, was offered a plea bargain that would have required him to say Taylor was part of his “organized crime syndicate.” Jamarcus Glover, 30, was arrested last Thursday after warrants were issued for his arrest in July on drug charges. According to police, Glover and Taylor used to date years ago, and he used her address and phone number as his own in the run-up to her death. Four prominent female doctors of color have joined forces to launch a new television program aimed at addressing the unique health concerns and inequities in women and the Black community called The C4PEMD. Members of the esteemed panel of experts are Dr. Amber K. Brooks, Dr. Tamika Knox, Dr. LaKesha Legree and Dr. Kristen Trulear-Jackson. During this roundtable-style talk show, the doctors will cover a myriad of topics from mental wellness to motherhood. The candid conversations will be informative-backed by research and science – but each doctor infuses her vibe and personality on the subject. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Bounce, known as the first and only broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans is gearing up for the U.S. premiere of a new documentary special about the death of Michael Jackson and a true movie inspiring an unbelievable story of Steve Pemberton. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Jackie Robinson’s daughter, Sharon, opened up to Access Hollywood’s Kit Hoover about the shocking passing of Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer. Sharon shared she “couldn’t believe” Chadwick had passed. When Sharon got the news, “I couldn’t believe it. I got 5,000 texts all at one time and I just turned off my phone. I was like, ‘I cannot deal with it.’ I turned off the television.” https://youtu.be/yE7-xalYSNM Flags flew at half-staff Sunday at South Carolina’s capitol to honor native son and “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman. The flag of South Carolina and the United States were set to the lowered position around 7 a.m. Sunday and will remain in that state until sunset. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster Saturday ordered the honor for Boseman, who grew up in Anderson, South Carolina. McMaster tweeted “To honor the life, contributions and memory of a truly extraordinary son of South Carolina @chadwickboseman – I have ordered the flags atop the Statehouse to be lowered to half-staff tomorrow, Sunday August 30, 2020, from sunrise to sunset.” He also added that Boseman’s family would receive the flags after they were taken down. https://youtu.be/kFjQbQ6Ulq0 Leslyn Lewis stands out from her competitors for leadership of Canada’s Conservative Party. She’s the only woman. The only person of color. The only immigrant. She’s also the one who speaks most publicly about the importance of her faith. Lewis is a long shot for party leadership, behind political heavy weights Peter MacKay and Erin O’Toole. But the fact that she’s even being considered as a credible contender has come as a surprise to many political observers. Chadwick Boseman passed away on Friday evening after a four-year battle with colon cancer. His final tweet, sent out by his estate sharing the devastating news of his passing with the public, has now become the most-liked tweet in Twitter history. In the 24-hours following the announcement, the tweet has garnered over 6.2 million likes. Twitter’s official page acknowledged this accomplishment, quote-tweeting: “Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. ”https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Egjby7kWoAA1PRI?format=jpg&name=small ABC paid tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman with a commercial-free broadcast of “Black Panther” and special on his life following his death from colon cancer.The Marvel Studios hit — which starred Boseman as King T’Challa — will air without interruption at 8 p.m. Sunday then will be followed by “Chadwick Boseman — A Tribute for a King.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com ; Donald Trump is trying to set up a meeting with Jacob Blake’s family during his visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday after the shooting victim’s father said the president should have called earlier this week and mother says she missed his call. The president’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump revealed to Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace that Trump has reached out to Blake’s family and wants to meet with them this week. Director Spike Lee yesterday revealed a new version of Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us” short film during his annual Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson block party celebrating the King of Pop’s birthday, which this year took place virtually. “Great protest songs can’t get old, stale or non-relevant because the struggle still continues,” he said. “That’s why THEY DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT US is the anthem during this chaotic, pandemic world we are living in.” https://youtu.be/PoEa9bzeTu0 ; Famed OJ Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden is the defense attorney for one of the two males charged with the murder of rapper Pop Smoke. Two of Pop Smoke’s alleged murderers, Corey Walker and Keandre Rodgers, attended a pretrial hearing for their case on Monday. Darden, who is resenting Walker, was not at the hearing but sent another attorney to appear on his behalf. Attorneys questioned if Rodgers’ case should be moved to juvenile because of his age. Kamala Harris may be the first Black woman to be nominated for vice president on a major party’s ticket. But the first Black woman to run for vice president in the nation’s history was trailblazing newspaperwoman Charlotta Spears Bass. The groundbreaking journalist and civil rights activist ran in 1952 on the Progressive Party ticket. She’s now the subject of a new PBS/WNET “American Masters” 12-minute short film, the final installment of a series focusing on 26 American women from 1890 to 1920. Kierra Sheard has opened up about fatphobia in the music industry, recalling a specific experience that almost caused her to walk away from her career. “I think the year was 2004. I was like a sophomore or junior in high school, and I used to be over 300 pounds. I remember I was trying to get signed to this record label; they basically said I looked like the Pillsbury doughboy and I shouldn’t shoot full-body images. So every time they encouraged me to do shoots from the waist up,” she said. She also recalled an audition for a Broadway show and met with “really hard, deep words—like they wanted to leave me broken…They did not care about my feelings or me being a human…It’s been over 15 years and the words still haunt me.” As Hyundai North America’s first chief communications officer, Dana W. White knows what it is like to have two feet in two worlds. “Growing up I always knew about the power of communication, the power of words,” she said, talking about her childhood in Charlottesville, Virginia. “My grandfather, who was born in 1896, founded the oldest black newspaper in the state. I used to cut ad sheets every month and write copy and process black-and-white photos [at the paper]. The entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in me and my family.” While the weekly black newspaper, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune, is gone, the family’s entrepreneurial spirit lives on. “ In an exclusive interview with @guardian, #ToniBraxton discussed her upbringing, career, and more. During the conversation, she expressed that sex is something she wishes would’ve happened more often, at a younger age. “I regret not having more sex when I was younger. I should have drank more. I should have partied more. Smoked more, she stated. The 52-year-old added that her religious upbringing is why she didn’t. Jeanette Epps was initially selected to become an ISS crew member two years ago but was removed from the assignment due to an unforeseen last-minute crew change. For the new expedition—which is slated to be a six-month mission—she will join fellow NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Sunita Williams. The launch will take place in 2021. “Jeanette Epps is the natural addition to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission,” associate administrator for human exploration and operations at NASA Kathy Lueders told CNBC. “She fully complements the other members of the first Boeing full duration crewed mission. Epps, a Syracuse, New York native, took to Twitter to express her excitement about being selected for the mission. “I’m super excited to join Suni Williams and Josh Cassada on the first operational Boeing crew mission to the International Space Station,” she said in a video. Black women are rising up the ranks in academia and breaking barriers in the process. According to Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Dr. Namandjé Bumpus made history by becoming the first Black woman to chair a department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In the wake of the horrific shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, his family has received an outpour of support as they embark on a path towards healing. Among those who have stepped up to extend help is NBA star Donovan Mitchell. According to The Hill, the Utah Jazz guard recently announced that he will donate sales generated from his latest sneaker release to Blake’s children. Three of his sons—ages 3, 5 and 8 years old—were in the backseat of the car as they witnessed police officer Rusten Sheskey fire seven shots into their father’s back. Cognizant of the psychological and emotional damage that can stem from the ordeal, individuals are rallying around Blake’s children. Mitchell recently took to Instagram to share he would donate $45,000 of sales from his new D.O.N Issue #2 Spidey-Sense sneakers to an education fund for Blake’s kids. Adidas matched the donation, bringing the total to $90,000. The controversy continues for the Falwell family. This time, a former Liberty University student said Becki Falwell, wife of former Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr., initiated a sexual encounter with him in 2008. The student was 22 years old at the time. A Politico report details the alleged relationship. Friday night, alumni said they’re coming together to pray for the university. “Praying for the school board. Praying for the school leaders. Praying for Jonathan Falwell. Praying for Jerry and Becki.” Dwayne Carson said in a Facebook video. Carson was the campus pastor at LU from 1988-2011. He made the plea on Facebook calling on alumni and to pray for the school. His message has been shared by hundreds. “We’re going to spend a lot of time tonight asking for God to give wisdom. And the for the school as it moves forward,” said Carson. It’s easy to make judgments about public figures, according to Chris Tomlin, the award-winning Christian artist. Tomlin said this proved to be true in the process of writing and recording his latest album, “Chris Tomlin and Friends,” a collaboration with multiple country music artists. He said he enjoyed partnering with Thomas Rhett, as well as members of the groups Florida Georgia Line and Lady A, in part because he was able to hear their individual faith stories and to experience what God was doing in their lives. “Especially when they’re in the public eye and in country music, sometimes [the view] is just partying and alcohol and whatever comes with it all,” Tomlin said – who said he found something very different. Jessa Duggar Seewald shared her testimony in a video posted on her YouTube channel where she talked about her struggles and how she truly surrendered to God. In the “Counting On” star’s video on Sunday, she revealed that she did not really take her faith seriously until she was a young adult. “If anybody was ever the problem child in the family, I probably could claim that title. I always joke that I probably gave my parents more gray hairs than any of the rest of them combined,” Seewald said. Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton offered a touching tribute to her late friend who loved Jesus. “My friend Sue Ackerman died today,” Heaton said on Instagram Wednesday. “We met in NYC in the 80’s. She was one of the earliest members of Redeemer Presbyterian Church with @timkellernyc where she met her devoted husband Russ.” Heaton described the close relationship her friend, Sue, had with her husband, Russ. https://www.instagram.com/patriciaheaton/?utm_source=ig_embed Andrew McCutchen has relished these past few days in the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse, having difficult, important conversations with baseball teammates about racial injustice. As a Black man in a sport that’s filled with mostly white and Hispanic players, he doesn’t feel it’s a burden to lead in the discussions. He’s just glad that on Jackie Robinson Day, they’re conversations that everyone is willing to have, even if the answers aren’t always clear. “People want to know what’s next, want to know the answers,” McCutchen said. “It’s OK to not have the answers, it’s OK to not know what’s next. “What’s not OK is not caring what’s next.” Thias marks the 65th anniversary that Emmett Till was brutally murdered in 1955. As his story continues to reverberate throughout racial justice movements till this day, a group of filmmakers are preparing to tell his story for the big screen. According to Shadow and Act, a feature film is being developed based on Till’s death. It will also follow the life of his mother Mamie Till Mobley, whose fight for justice and insistence of an open casket funeral became a launching point for the civil rights movement. Friday evening at 7 p.m. EST, The Black National Convention (BNC) will address some of the most pressing issues for Black people in America today. The multi-hour event will be live streamed from its official site and will feature guest speakers, performances and political education. Policy proposals will also be introduced ahead of the November elections where Black people will play a crucial role in determining who will lead the country in the coming years. BNC is organized by the Electoral Justice Project (EJP), a group linked to the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL). Halle Berry is planning to act as her own legal counsel in a divorce case against her estranged husband, actor Olivier Martinez. Her former attorney accepted the change on July 30, with Berry signing off Aug. 11, according to Entertainment Tonight. Steve Harvey just got some good news. Facebook Watch has picked up the second season “STEVE on Watch,” from Steve Harvey’s East 112 and Film 45. Its set to premiere on Monday, September 14. Actor Chadwick Boseman was married when he died on Friday from colon cancer, his family says it happened in the final months of his life. “He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side,” Boseman’s family said in a statement. “The family thanks you for your love and prayers, and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.” https://youtu.be/Xz5qG3C11G0 A Detroit lawmaker says Donald Trump seemed “very receptive” to a request to have Kwame Kilpatrick’s lengthy prison term commuted. Michigan state House Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (D-Detroit) said she handed Trump a letter during the National African American History Month Celebration at the White House last February on the 27th, which she hopes will bolster Kilpatrick’s presidential pardon request. https://youtu.be/wsdvPQJgdY0 Literati, an Austin-based literary startup previously known only as a children’s book subscription platform, has announced their expansion into books for adult readers through their luminary book club platform, featuring a club led by Stephen Curry. Curry’s club, titled Underrated, is an exploration of what it means to break barriers. It will include powerful stories of people—from sports to social justice—who defy the odds to achieve true greatness. Chadwick Boseman leaves a legacy in an industry did will not be forgotten. He was brilliant and a true hero in every way. His career grand slam includes barrier-breaking roles as the great Jackie Robinson, in 42, soul music icon James Brown in Get On Up, legal mastermind Thurgood Marshall, who dealt Jim Crow its death blow, in Marshall and, of course, the magnificent and trailblazing Marvel superhero Black Panther. His South Carolina upbringing, coupled with his college years at Howard University, fostered a strong sense of self and pride that enabled him to lend a regal air to all his roles. Humble in spirit but mighty in his deeds, Chadwick always maintained his dignity and never ever lost sight of what really mattered in life. Always ready to put in the work, he never stopped challenging himself as an actor. His role as fallen Vietnam squad leader Stormin Norman in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and the upcoming film adaptation of pioneering playwright August Wilson’s award-winning Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom with Viola Davis is proof of that. Boseman lost is 4 year bout with Colon cancer, he was 43. Project Islamic Hope, a leading Los Angeles civil rights organization, will hold a Candlelight vigil in memory of “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman who died Friday (08-28-20) at the age of 43 from cancer. “Chadwick Boseman and his unforgettable portrayal in the film of the Marvel super hero “The Black Panther” was one of the most memorable and empowering movies for African Americans in the history of cinema. https://youtu.be/3Z0RoYgFizA For over a decade, singer Raheem DeVaughn has been on a mission to create music that evokes change while maintaining the energy of love. Today he pushes that goal forward with the release of his latest single, “Marvin Used To Say.” The poignant and timely song speaks directly to the ongoing social turmoil and the unfortunate fact that not enough has changed since fellow D.C.-native Marvin Gaye asked “What’s Going On?” nearly 50 years ago. https://youtu.be/Q7aOFfcr8f8 Candace Owens is pregnant. And instead of simply posting the happy news and call it a day, she chose instead to make it political. Congratulations to Candace and her husband. https://www.instagram.com/realcandaceowens/?utm_source=ig_embed With retail stores declining amid COVID-19, Lord & Taylor, one of the country’s oldest department store chains, is going out of business after filing for bankruptcy earlier this month. The company announced Thursday that it will permanently close the remaining 38 stores and shut down its website. The retailer is currently holding going out of business sales in stores and online. https://youtu.be/NT8mVJux1o4 Love in the Time of Corona” is a two-part limited series that follows for stories of love during the Corona pandemic shelter in place orders. The series stars Tony® and GRAMMY® Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. (“Hamilton”) as James and his wife Nicolette Robinson (“The Affair”) as Sade. Tommy Dorfman (“13 Reasons Why”) as Oscar, Rainey Qualley (“Mad Men”) as Elle, Gil Bellows (“Patriot”) as Paul, Rya Kihlstedt (“One Mississippi”) as Sarah, Ava Bellows (“This Too Shall Pass”) as Sophie and L. Scott Caldwell (“Lost”) as Nanda. https://youtu.be/TeinzLLNFdk Amber Riley served up an emotional tribute to her former Glee co-star, Naya Rivera, on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Thursday. Rivera was found dead in July, nearly a week after she disappeared during a boating outing with her 4-year-old son. She was 33. https://youtu.be/4WM1xKKsXBc On ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” Thursday, host Maria Taylor told a story about her father giving “the talk” to her 19-year-old brother, highlighting the message with the warning “comply or die” when being stopped by the police. Taylor said that her brother made sure to comply during one particular traffic stop, and “complied” when the officers asked if they could search the car, although he was perfectly within his rights to deny their request. The cops claimed they saw “sticks and stems” in the back and hauled her brother off to jail. Her brother didn’t tell the cops that their father was a member of the FBI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGKEL8fcTnI Masika Kalysha has been fired from the show “Double Cross” after faking her own kidnapping. The singer and reality TV star is catching heat for an epic fail of a promotional stunt for her OnlyFans account. Earlier this week, the former “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” star posted a disturbing clip on Instagram claiming to have been kidnapped. Clad in lingerie, she tearfully claimed her kidnappers wouldn’t let her go unless people subscribed to her OnlyFans account and left tips. Jacob Blake, Sr. told CNN’s “New Day” that he spoke to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for a full hour and found the experience comforting, like talking to his own family. The father of 29-year-old James Blake, Jr. says he and Blake’s mother’s were initially nervous to talk with the Democrats’ Presidential ticket, but says Biden and Harris calmed his fears. “It felt like I was speaking to my uncle and one of my sisters — literally, literally.” Blake said, adding, “It felt like they knew what was going on. And, they didn’t act like they were in a hurry to go anywhere. They spent time with us.” When asked if President Trump has reached out, Jacob said, “That’s a negative.” PJ Morton drops new album "Gospel According To PJ From the Songbook of PJ Morton....https://smarturl.it/ukr2ld Today, in prelude to the release of her highly anticipated album Royalty: Live At The Ryman, Tasha Cobbs Leonard releases two new songs: “Pour It Out” and “Release The Sound” with compelling performance videos, captured inside of the historic Ryman Auditorium. The album is also available for pre-order. Her first full album of new music since the top-selling Heart. Passion. Pursuit. in 2017, Royalty: Live At The Rymanis an in-depth worship experience featuring an eclectic range of musical styles. The album, which features guest appearances by Kierra Sheard (“You Must Break”) and We The Kingdom (God So Loved),” was recorded audience-free at Nashville’s historic music hall on August 3, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5nui13f_Fw&list=PLlg2WY8jJNAe4V4Mq5QMY8U3pYpWh7mwK&index=2&t=0s&src=Linkfire&lId=3cc45b60-063c-464f-842d-3b925d8b19c4&cId=d3d58fd7-4c47-11e6-9fd0-066c3e7a8751 New music from Tauren Wells and Donald Lawrence and the Company - performed on the Stellar Awards! "Trenches" https://www.dropbox.com/sh/watp7m5endoxoo6/AAAS5S3RexHUv97_UtWwKxSla?dl=0 In the wake of yet another senseless police shooting, six-time GRAMMY® nominee and box office star, Tyrese Gibson today delivers a new single that captures the urgency with which we need to address the nation’s racial unrest and the continued onslaught of police brutality. The single, “Legendary” featuring CeeLo Green, poignantly illuminates the racial disparity of two-Americas, while the soul-stirring video titled “8:46” made its programmatic debut today (August 28) during BET’s exclusive broadcast of the “Get Your Knee Off My Neck.” https://tyrese.lnk.to/legendary Monday, August 31st, the independent gospel singer Veola Sophia a native from The Bahamas will debut her latest studio endeavor, a single entitled ‘He Can Work It Out.’ The elegant new track is a beautiful excursion through Veola Sophia’s talent for inspiring her listeners with masterful lead vocals and relatable lyricism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVxlme7YznU&feature=youtu.be Natalie Grant debuts new song, “No Stranger,” from her upcoming album today, along with the lyric video for the song. “No Stranger” serves as the title-cut of Grant’s tenth studio record, now slated for release Sept. 25, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfAbaWXse5k&feature=youtu.be The critically acclaimed award-winning Southern Hummingbird, Tweet, makes a triumphant return to music, following a three-year hiatus, with her new single “Neva Felt This Way.” The melodic track beautifully showcases Tweet’s signature vocals, over a piano-laced accompaniment. One of her most personal songs to date, Tweet deploys the lyrics, and her sultry style paints the picture of a relationship where undying love and happiness has transpired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ7cqXtMSZk&feature=youtu.be Public Enemy have dropped the 2020 remix of their classic “Fight the Power” along with the announcement that a new album—their first in more than two decades—is coming soon via Def Jam. “What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?” will be the first Public Enemy record on the label, the home of their debut over two decades ago. Frontman Chuck D said returning to Def Jam was “necessary.” https://youtu.be/hyugWs-cDg8 The NBA and its players’ union reached an agreement to resume the playoffs on Saturday. As part of the agreement, arenas controlled by teams will be converted into polling locations for the November election, New York Times reports. https://youtu.be/eYE6ZiHFrWM Michael Jordan has reportedly been a crucial intermediary between NBA owners and the players association in talks about the NBA season, according to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. https://youtu.be/_uPpjDwz7Jk Porsha Williams was arrested Tuesday while attending a peaceful protest in Louisville, Kentucky, in honor of Breonna Taylor. She was arrested alongside “Love & Hip Hop: New York” star Yandy Smith-Harris, who documented the arrest on her Instagram page. According to TMZ, Williams’ activism and arrests protesting Taylor‘s death will be heavily featured on the upcoming season of “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” https://www.instagram.com/yandysmith/?utm_source=ig_embed Jazzy Rita Shelby (aka LaRita Shelby) with Willie Daniels have compose the song “Standing Strong.” It is an anthem to the great people who have come before us and it is their strength that we draw upon for what we face today. Releasing it on the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington is a fitting time to remember and pay homage to our ancestors and champions for justice. “Standing Strong” https://youtu.be/aUbgoqQyvts A new live-action “Resident Evil” series is headed to Netflix. Inspired by Capcom’s expansive Resident Evil survival horror game franchise, the series will tell an all-new story across two different timelines. https://www.instagram.com/nxonnetflix/?utm_source=ig_embed The man cops were reportedly looking for on the night they shot EMT Breonna Taylor in the botched no-knock raid, has been arrested on drug charges. Jamarcus Glover, 30, was arrested Thursday after warrants were issued for his arrest last month on drug charges. According to police, Glover and Taylor used to date years ago, and he used her address and phone number as his own in the run-up to her death. https://youtu.be/hYgD9t4iDtI Alice Marie Johnson, the woman President Donald Trump granted clemency after Kim Kardashian pushed for her release from prison, praised the president and the reality TV star during her speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention. Johnson, 65, called for criminal justice reform during her speech on Thursday and noted that while imprisoned, she thought she would only “be reunited with my family as a corpse,” per PEOPLE. https://youtu.be/5uq_4mk6Vw0 TV One joins the National Action Network (NAN) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as media partners confirmed to stream the 2020 Virtual March on Washington on TVONE.TV and MYCLEO.TV. https://player.theplatform.com/p/L9TCEC/UcK_iMgi3Gzk/select/TDlGWglmgcNz?autoPlay=true&t=4 Joe Biden‘s campaign on Thursday was set to kick off the first in its new series of roundtable discussions for and about Black men in the wake of the latest spate of police violence that prompted a renewed round of protests around the country. The “Shop Talk” discussions will be held weekly in an effort at engaging Black men and was launched partially as a response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who officers shot at least seven times in the back after he was walking away from the police to enter his car on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Civil rights leaders have united to condemn violence against protesters from white militias and the cops who enable them. On Thursday, members of the NAACP, National Action Network, National Urban League and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law released a statement addressing the two people who were shot and killed on Tuesday at a protest for Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested for the killings and was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Rittenhouse’s social media accounts show that he’s pro-Donald Trump and pro-police with various posts about “Blue Lives Matter“. The Republican National Convention ended Thursday night by snubbing the reviled, anti-Black conspiracy theorist, Candace Owens, who it had previously not only supported but also encouraged her self-hatred. One week after the Democratic National Convention successfully executed surprise speeches from people who were not listed on the official schedule, the only thing unexpected about the RNC was the omission of Owens as well as any mention of Herman Cain (two Black diehard soldiers for Republicans and the latter of whom literally died supporting Donald Trump and the party. Broadway Financial Corporation and CFBanc Corporation Combine to Create the Largest Black-Led Minority Depository Institution in the U.S. Community development finance leaders City First Bank of DC and Broadway Federal Bank in Los Angeles expand access to capital in underserved urban areas. “For the last year, we have been working on creating the largest Black bank in the history of the country. We will have a national footprint and hope to eventually have branches in every urban market. It has taken a lot of time and effort to get to this point.” ~ Virgil Roberts Chairman of the Board Broadway Federal Bank. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s (SCLC) chapter in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and Pearson Online Academy, announced today a new partnership that will award fifty full-tuition scholarships to Black students across the country to attend Pearson Online Academy, a private K-12 online school from Pearson that serves students around the world. The new Freedom and Empowerment Scholarship program rewards students who would benefit from the personalization, flexibility and safety that the full-time online school provides. Ten scholarships have been designated for students who demonstrate a passion for social justice advocacy and desire a flexible schedule to support their advocacy efforts. Applications are being accepted now and scholarship recipients will join Pearson Online Academy’s incoming student body in September. Chart-topping country music singer Jimmie Allen — who is currently sitting at the top of the Country Airplay Chart — has announced that he will be performing at Mid Atlantic Event Group’s next drive-in concert Saturday, September 5, 2020. As with MAEG’s previous drive-in concert, Allen’s exclusive Northeastern performance will take place at the Oxford Valley Mall at the Old Boscov’s Parking Lot in Langhorne, PA. https://youtu.be/OVdemLamwHs Earlier today, SiriusXM host Joe Madison spoke with former NBA star Chris Weber and Jacob Ali-Wertheimer, grandson of Muhammad Ali, about the Black Lives Matter protests and the future of the NBA season. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/8ed7d377-22a8-434c-8960-67a3695bcc7f The GoFundMe fundraiser for Jacob Blake, the Black man shot by Kenosha police Sunday, Aug. 23, has raised over $1.5 million since it was created just days ago. As the world saw via cellphone video, 29-year-old Blake was shot while walking away from police and getting into an SUV. One officer is seen holding Blake’s shirt, and then seven gunshots can be heard. The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah addressed the police killing of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot multiple times in the back by Kenosha police on Sunday. Noah compared the shooting to the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, the young white boy who was taken into custody unscathed after being charged with homicide over the fatal shootings of two people during protests over the Blake incident. Noah noted that Rittenhouse fatally shot two protesters and was not arrested at the scene because police viewed him as a vigilante. “How did Dylan Roof shoot up a church, James Holmes shoot up a movie theater, and both live to tell about it? Why is it that the police decide some threats must be distinguished immediately, while other threats get the privilege of being defused?“I’m asking these as questions but I feel like we know the answer. The answer is that the gun doesn’t matter as much as who’s holding the gun, because for some people black skin is the most threatening weapon of all.” A video showing California police officers demanding that a Black shop owner show proof that he owned the store has gone viral. Yema Khalif owns Yema clothing store in the Boardwalk Shopping Center on Main St. in the town of Tiburon. He and two other people – including his wife, Hawi Awash, who also runs the store – were unloading inventory in the wee hours of Saturday morning when cops rolled up asking to see his ID. https://youtu.be/lawjqwJybNA WATCH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON AND BEAUTY INFLUENCER DULCE CANDY GET GLAM IN A MIRROR-FREE MAKEUP CHALLENGE ON CLEO TV'S ALL THINGS ADRIENNE ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 AT 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChDLQUGij0I&feature=youtu.be Many Americans would agree that our nation is in turmoil. With a pandemic that’s worsening, racial injustice that’s crippling minorities and a high-stakes election that will determine the country’s future, it’s a pivotal time. Recording Artist Lydia Salett Dudley, a gifted jazz musician with a Master’s Degree in Jazz Composition from North Carolina Central University, felt compelled to share her heart about current events in a brand new song called “Whatcha Gonna Say?” Featuring the sounds of Dudley and her band, and the rap of K Hill, the new, up-tempo single is available now on all digital music outlets. e. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEzm6k1OY9Q R. Kelly was reportedly “attacked” by a fellow inmate in jail on Wednesday, the singer’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, confirmed to Yahoo Entertainment. Kelly has been in custody at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center for over a year awaiting trail for various sex crimes, including child pornography. “Yesterday an inmate attacked R. Kelly at the MCC in Chicago,” Greenberg tweeted on Thursday. “We received conflicting reports as to the extent of his injuries. We have not been provided any information from the jail, nor has Mr. Kelly called. We are hopeful that he was not seriously injured.” Greenberg then called for the release of his client for his own safety. CNN anchor Don Lemon has urged democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to speak up about the ongoing protests in Kenosha, Wis., amid calls demanding justice for Jacob Blake. While covering the second night of the Republican National Convention, Lemon addressed the violent demonstrations that erupted in Kenosha after a white police officer shot an unarmed Blake multiple times front of his young children. https://youtu.be/kp7oPgIwpZ8 Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis claimed there may not have been an incident if the protesters were not out in the streets. The Kenosha, Wisconsin police chief blamed two protesters who were fatally shot for their own deaths because they violated curfew. Chief Daniel Miskinis held a press conference on Wednesday to offer an update on the protests that have overwhelmed the city after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old father of three, was shot in the back on Sunday by police. Miskinis said that the two victims who were shot during a protest on Tuesday bore some responsibility. NBA player Kenny Smith walked off the set of Wednesday’s NBA on TNT broadcast in support of the league-wide protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake. Smith said as he unplugged his microphone, “For me, I think the biggest thing now … as a Black man, as a former player, I think it’s best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight.” As colleagues Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley watched in stunned silence, Johnson responded, “I respect that,” as Smith left the studio. https://youtu.be/n79AJupR96Y Residents in Sen. Kamala Harris’ ancestral village haven’t seen her in years, but they are praying for her victory by sacrificing coconuts in Hindu temples. Others are pasting up posters or cheering the vice-presidential hopeful on social media. In Tamil Naidu, she would win overwhelmingly. Residents see her as America’s first Indian-American nominated for national office, not so much as the first African-American or the latest woman to be nominated for the vice presidency. This year’s Women’s Equality Day takes on an updated sense of urgency amid national protests for social justice. And while much of the discourse has centered on law enforcement, women’s rights have also — and rightfully — been a part of the growing conversation being had by people from all walks of life. That includes celebrities who, even though being paid upwards of millions of dollars, are still being shortchanged depending on gender as statistics show that women earn pennies on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. That wage gap can get even wider when factoring in race. The “Riverdale” star tweeted that she was “the only black series regular but also paid the least.” While the tweet was accompanied by an “lol” and a crying laughing emoji, it also brought attention to something that is no laughing matter and a cause that has been championed by other Black celebrities for years now. Stephen Curry, Ava DuVernay and Sterling K. Brown are among the list of famous folks who made public demands for an end to the gender pay gap coinciding with Women’s Equality Day on Wednesday. The notion of white folks being able to commit violent crimes only to be peacefully arrested is neither a coincidence nor a foreign concept as opposed to the manner in which Black and brown suspects are treated when facing similar allegations, which far too often ends in death. Alleged murderer Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old white male who is accused of shooting at people protesting in Kenosha, Wisconsin is another example. Here are a few names of violent white folks peacefully arrested: Nicholas Arnold Schock, Gregory and Travis McMichaels, Anthony J. Trifiletti, Matthew Bernard, Mark Boisey, Lorne Brown, Patrick Crusius, Aaron Dean, Amber Guyger, James Holmes, Michael Mattioli, Dylann Roof, Matthew Sloan, and Grady Wayne Wilkes. Fox News host Tucker Carlson is predictably supporting the vigilante teen accused of fatally shooting two people and injuring another during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin Tuesday night. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, faces a first-degree intentional homicide charge in Kenosha County after using an AK-47 to fire at people protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake. On “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Wednesday, the talk show host appeared to justify Rittenhouse’s actions, saying it’s understandable given violence and chaos in the city “allowed” by its Democratic governor. https://youtu.be/rhkTteu3CoM Kevin Hart took to social media Tuesday to call out NBC News for using his photo on a story about Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt. Hart’s image appears on a Facebook post about the outlet’s coverage on Bolt testing positive for COVID-19. The headline read: “Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive, tests positive for coronavirus.”The comedian responded by capturing a screenshot the article and mocking the outlet on social media. “No comment. I must of gotten really fast & tall overnight….I want to take advantage of this moment & race anybody in the world,” he wrote alongside the photo. “Sh*t just got real. I am also no longer doing comedy due to my Olympic training schedule.” https://www.instagram.com/kevinhart4real/?utm_source=ig_embedFormer Shortly after the Milwaukee Bucs began a ripple effect of boycotted playoff games throughout the NBA Wednesday over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the Washington Mystics set off the WNBA’s league-wide protest, arriving to the bubble in Bradenton, Florida wearing T-shirts depicting seven holes in the back, representing the location and number of times Blake was shot by police. Four of the WNBA teams — the world champion Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx — were already on site for their games and met for about an hour to make a decision on whether they would play. The Mystics, whose T-shirts in the front also collectively spelled out Jacob Blake’s name, decided they did not want to play, and the other teams then joined them in that decision. The players for those teams then met on court and kneeled in solidarity. https://youtu.be/F-ESvIr-lY8 According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA season will continue, following reports of a possible league-wide boycott in protest of police brutality and social injustice. Key members of the Lakers and the Clippers voted on Wednesday to end the season, while the rest of the teams wanted to continue playing. While the playoffs will resume after all, there won’t be games on Thursday, according to Wojnarowski. “We are hopeful to resume games either Friday or Saturday,” the league said in a statement. Oprah Winfrey Network announced Wednesday the one-hour special “OWN Spotlight: They Call Me Dad,” a celebration of Black fatherhood that’s set to premiere on Tuesday, September 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT (immediately after OWN’s hit drama series “Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots”). The special gives viewers exclusive access to a group of famous black fathers away from the spotlight and doing the most admirable thing imaginable – being a loving dad. Through a series of personal profiles, the special follows five celebrity Black fathers from diverse backgrounds, in their homes and unguarded, as they showcase the joys, fears, and fulfillment that being a dad brings while also shifting the narratives for a more accurate representation of Black fatherhood. From braiding hair to coaching sports teams to difficult conversations about how to deal with law enforcement, viewers will get to see parenthood from a father’s perspective. The special will feature Bishop T.D. Jakes; two-time Super Bowl champion Malcolm Jenkins, DJ and social media phenom, D-Nice, Grammy Award-winning artist Anthony Hamilton and Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin. https://youtu.be/mHU22EBFtrw Tanzania’s incumbent president John Magufuli is facing a tough opponent in his upcoming re-election bid on Oct. 28 — literally. Chadema MP Tundu Lissu survived 16 gunshot wounds in an unsolved assassination attempt outside his Dodoma residence in 2017 and has spent the past three years living in self-imposed exile in Belgium. Lissu, the former president of Tanzania’s bar association, the Tanganyika Law Society, returned home in June to announce his intention to run against Magufuli, who was elected under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party banner in 2015 after promising to crack down on corruption and improve infrastructure in the East African country. Jody Watley, an icon, Grammy-award winning trendsetting pioneer in music, video, fashion and style recently received major shout-outs posted on her Instagram (@jodywatley) for her timely spoken-word anthem “The Healing,” from fellow artists Will Downing, Raheem DeVaughn, Terry Ellis, YoYo, and Kenny Lattimore. Watley’s latest release, “The Healing,” with lyric video touching on the civil unrest and Black Lives Matter stretches globally with a message that resonates with listeners everywhere. The beautiful living legend reminds us to keep living, keep loving and keep moving forward. https://youtu.be/lSpUjd0yYoU Apparently some Republicans like to play with fire ’cause they keep comin’ for Cardi B and every time they do, they get burned. Think Tomi Lahren, among other, who went at Cardi and got their butts handed to them. Another Republican, DeAnna Lorraine, obviously didn’t learn from her fellow GOPers and came for Cardi by making an unflattering comparison between the rapper and the current First Lady during the latter’s speech at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. “America needs far more women like Melania Trump and far less like Cardi B,” the politician tweeted, leading the superstar to fire back, “Didn’t she used to sell that Wap?” In response, Cardi posted a dated nude photo from the First Lady’s days as a Slovenian model with the caption: “This pic giving me ‘yea you fuckin wit some wet ass pussy’ vibes …just sayin.” Netflix is announcing the cast of its upcoming quarantine-produced series Social Distance, which premieres this Fall. Set in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, SOCIAL DISTANCE is an eight-part anthology series that showcases the power of the human spirit in the face of uncertainty and isolation. Each standalone episode is told through a virtual lens and captures the unique emotional experience of being forced apart by circumstance and having no choice but to communicate remotely and rely on technology to maintain any sense of connection. https://youtu.be/794bTb0Y8rA TV veterans Kim Coles (“Living Single,” “In Living Color,” “One on One”) and Mark Curry (“Hanging With Mr. Cooper”) join Dorien Wilson and Kellita Smith for the seventh season on “In the Cut.” Created by Bentley Kyle Evans, Bounce’s popular comedy is back in the barbershop for an all-new season starting August 26. https://twitter.com/i/status/1296207638439563264 Aaliyah’s estate has announced that the late singer’s entire music catalog may soon be made available on streaming platforms. The estate shared the update on Aaliyah’s Instagram profile, writing, “We are excited to announce that communication has commenced between the estate and various record labels about the status of Aaliyah’s music catalogue, as well as its availability on streaming platforms in the near future. Thank you for your continued love and support. More updated to come!” https://youtu.be/A5AAcgtMjUI Marrying Millions” is back on Lifetime, for Season 2, and there are a few new couples mingling in the millionaire mix. Meet Rodney Foster, who made his millions in the wine industry. Rodney is the founder of Edelheiss Wine, and often shares with viewers that he is worth “$5 million and growing.” In addition to his millions of dollars, Rodney says he owns a townhouse in one of Washington, D.C.’s most expensive neighborhoods and he has recently also purchased a Lake House in Maryland. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A 17-year-old has been arrested over a shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin last night that left two protesters dead and another injured in a possible vigilante attack amid a wave of looting. Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois and charged with first degree intentional homicide. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The company that operated the helicopter that crashed in late January, killing Kobe Bryant, his teen daughter and seven others, is suing two air-traffic controllers who they blame for the tragedy. The suit is in response to a complaint against Island Express Helicopters. The company claims the crash was “caused by a series of erroneous acts and/or omissions” by two air-traffic controllers at Southern California TRACON, which provides air traffic control services to airports in the region. https://youtu.be/jfJS8s7-hW4 TV One's original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED resumes for its third season with premiere episodes debuting on Sunday, September 6 at 10 P.M. ET/9C. The edgy docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities including actor Larenz Tate, singer/actor Tyrese, rapper/TV personality Eve, producer/TV personality Yandy Smith-Harris, actor Omari Hardwick, actress/singer Jenifer Lewis and actress/choreographer/director Debbie Allen. This season also includes five bonus episodes including UNCENSORED: Black Girl Magic, UNCENSORED: Scandals, UNCENSORED: Hip-Hop, UNCENSORED: Black Hollywood and UNCENSORED: Big Break. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ATOoOMBvm0&feature=youtu.be An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airs Thursday and finds Phaedra wanting Medina to keep it real about how he really feels about their relationship. https://youtu.be/Ob0jwhChncw A Kalamazoo pastor is accused of sexually abusing four young males that he also paid to have sex with his wife while he watched. The Rev. Stricjavvar “Strick” Strickland, of Kalamazoo’s Second Baptist Church, has reportedly been charged with 11 felonies connected to incidents with the youths spanning three years from 2015-2018. https://youtu.be/MqxRylZQ4OA The co-director of Beyoncé’s Disney+ visual album “Black Is King,” is set to direct a movie musical based on the Tony-winning Broadway reimagining of Alice Walker’s 1982 novel “The Color Purple.” Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders, and Quincy Jones are reportedly behind the project for Warner Bros. Director Blitz Bazawule reportedly caught their attention with his movie “The Burial Of Kojo” on Netflix. The film won Best Narrative Feature (World Cinema) at Urbanworld Film Festival. It also won the Grand Prize at the 2019 Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt. Idris Elba will teach boxing to disadvantaged young people for a four-part limited series on BBC Two titled “Idris Elba’s Fight School.” The students will be mentored by Elba throughout the competition. The British actor went through similar training for “Discovery’s Idris Elba: Fighter.” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has rejected an endorsement from white nationalist Richard Spencer, calling his views “absolutely repugnant.” Spencer, 42, previously backed Trump in the 2016 election. But on Sunday he explained in a tweet why he’s now endorsing Biden, Newsweek reports. “I plan to vote the for Biden and a straight democratic ticket. It’s not based on ‘accelerationism’ or anything like that; the liberals are clearly more competent people,” he wrote. For nearly seven minutes, ESPN commentator and former NFL player Ryan Clark went off about the dubious nature of the NBA’s current protests against racial injustice after being asked to comment on Doc Rivers’ tearful response to the Jacob Blake police shooting. Clark’s main point was that the demonstrations we see within the NBA bubble this season – the Black Lives Matter messages on the court, and various pro-Black messages on the backs of jerseys – ultimately have no teeth when it comes to effective protest, because they’re sanctioned by the league. https://youtu.be/zJtrdW0Mx28 All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. Called off: Games between Milwaukee and Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland. The NBA said all three games would be rescheduled, yet did not say when. The dramatic series of moves began when the Bucks — the NBA’s team from Wisconsin, a state rocked in recent days by the shooting by police officers of Jacob Blake, a Black man — didn’t take the floor for their playoff game against the Magic. The teams were set to begin Game 5 of their series shortly after 4 p.m., with the Bucks needing a win to advance to the second round. Players had been discussing boycotting games in the bubble after the shooting of Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Since he wasn’t formally accused of or admitted to any wrongdoing, former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said he will walk away with a severance package totaling $10.5 million after his resignation Monday night in the wake of a sex scandal. Falwell, 58, told The Washington Post that he’ll get $2.5 million over the next 24 months plus another $8 million after that period in retirement benefits per a contract he signed with Liberty University in July 2019. “The board was gracious not to challenge that,” Falwell explained. “There wasn’t any cause. I haven’t done anything.” Hurricane Laura is a Category 4 and continues to strengthen as it heads for a destructive landfall near the Texas and Louisiana border Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. A catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds will batter the region and a threat of flooding rain and strong winds will extend well inland. Residents along the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts should finish preparations now for a major hurricane strike. Follow any evacuation orders issued by local or state officials. Arnold Spielberg, father of filmmaker Steven Spielberg and an innovating engineer whose work helped make the personal computer possible, has died at 103 years old. Spielberg died of natural causes while surrounded by his family in Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to a statement from his four children. Spielberg and Charles Propster designed the GE-225 mainframe computer in the late 1950s while working for General Electric. The machine allowed computer scientists at Dartmouth College to develop the programming language BASIC, which would be essential the rise of personal computers in the 1970s and 80s. Jacob Blake’s mother has apologized to President Trump for missing his call after she and her husband said they are praying for police officers and denounced the violence that has rocked Kenosha since his shooting. In an interview with CNN, Blake’s mother Julia Jackson, reiterated her comments from an emotional press conference on Tuesday, where she denounced the riotous violence that has erupted after police officers shot her son multiple times in the back as he entered his car on Sunday. https://youtu.be/kCxoRNOwuXs Over the years, throngs of protesters — many of them people of faith — have assembled to remember the March on Washington. This year, the gatherings will both resemble and differ from the first one on Aug. 28, 1963. While there will be renewed speeches for racial justice, more participants will be watching on distant screens Friday than listening in person. Speakers and listeners will be particularly focused on reducing police brutality and protecting and mobilizing voters for the upcoming election. As groups from the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network to the NAACP to the Movement for Black Lives finalize their plans, some religious leaders may take in all three organizations’ events. Michael Cohen has claimed he negotiated with pool boy Giancarlo Granda in 2015 to stop the publication of explicit photographs of Jerry Falwell Jr’s wife Becki, with whom Granda had a six-year affair. Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, who was recently released from prison on campaign violations charges, previously said he was involved in the photo scandal. He claimed he intervened on Falwell’s behalf to stop the photos from coming out several years ago, but he did not name who was threatening to release them. In an interview on Wednesday however with CNN, he claimed it was Granda. Timothy Collins "Timothy" has released his debut single “The God Of The Turnaround” and is getting favorable airplay on Gospel radio stations around the country. “The God of The Turnaround” is an endearing heartfelt ballad that introduces Timothy’s smooth, tender vocals and gives a glimpse into the singer's passion-filled heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGAv7Kr1rFw&feature=youtu.be This year has been nothing short of phenomenally BIG for Mike McClure, Jr. known as Pastor Mike, Jr. His breakout single, Big from his album Live Free made its way to the top of the radio chart and maintained the top spot for more than 9 weeks. On Gospel’s biggest night, Pastor Mike, Jr. took home coveted Stellar Award for Best New Artist of the Year and Best Hip Hop/Rap Album of the Year. Social media has been buzzing all week as noted producer, two time BMI Award winning songwriter and Starks Music Group CEO Derrick Starks announced the imminent release of "Trust," the new single from the highly anticipated new disc from the legendary Whitfield Company. With a history that spans some 4 decades, The Whitfield Company is recognized all over the world as one of the premiere and celebrated choirs in Gospel music. Founded by the iconic Thomas Whitfield, TWC has left a treasure trove of memorable classics including Hallelujah Anyhow, I’m Encouraged, He Saved My Soul, Wrapped Up, Praise His Name and countless others. Their last disc Still, released in 1998 spent ten weeks on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and featured the ever popular Hold On, Blessed Be the Ties and If Jesus Goes With Me. The bible admonishes us to encourage one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Singer, songwriter, pastor, visionary leader and influencer Jason Hendrickson finds himself blessed by God with many gifts and uses them all to inspire, encourage and equip people from all walks of life to cling to faith and the promises of God. His new single, "Hold On' bears witness to that truth. https://youtu.be/3ydSXrD16Ts Several of the largest restaurant companies in America are facing bankruptcy or struggling to pay debts amid COVID-19. Restaurants across the nation are struggling with the capacity restrictions on indoor dining. USA Today reports that Applebee’s and The Cheesecake Factory are on a newly updated list of national eateries facing a grim financial future. California Pizza Kitchen had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and plans to close some locations, according to the report. A police officer in Lodi, California, found himself in a gun battle that ended with a suspect shot several times and taken into custody. Footage of the 5 a.m. shootout, caught on the bodycam of Lodi Police Department officer Joravar Atwal, was just released by authorities. Police later identified the shooter as Marco Aquino, 37, who suffered multiple non-fatal gunshot wounds. Police say he was armed with an assault rifle and a handgun. A motive for the initial reports of shots fired by Aquino was not released. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7vs1s5 The recent police shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23rd in Kenosha, Wisconsin has sparked local and national outrage, as the African American community is impacted by yet another incident of police brutality. This Friday, August 28, on the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, The National Action Network (NAN) and supporting activists will descend on the nation’s capital to address this critical issue with the Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks. BET News will air coverage of the event in a LIVE two-hour special titled “A March for Action.” Marc Lamont Hill hosts an in-depth conversation on this call to action and its urgency as our nation prepares for the biggest presidential election in a generation. “A March for Action” will air Friday, August 28, LIVE from 11 am – 1pm ET on BET. https://youtu.be/uxwMjHg-VGY DMANI Entertainment is giving a behind the scenes look at of some of the biggest music tours including BTS footage in the the video above. Watch as they discuss their work with hip-hop greats including Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, French Montana, Playboi Carti + more and how they make every show and tour run flawlessly from start to finish. https://youtu.be/fCXDynjeYmM To recognize the anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington and its impact on the Civil Rights Movement, Facebook, in partnership with Will Packer Media and Jesse Collins Entertainment, will premiere a one-hour special, “Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today” on Thursday, August 27, 2020 hosted by Queen Latifah. https://www.facebook.com/watch/facebookapp/ WE tv’s “Love After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode, and finds Shavel gifting Quaylon with a car. Why is she being so giving? Is Quaylon using her? https://youtu.be/cGp1EL8p9EI Lawyers for megachurch pastor John Gray said Monday that he is being blackmailed and extorted after the leader of Relentless Church in South Carolina was accused of engaging in another inappropriate relationship.The latest allegation against Gray came last Friday from a 48-year-old Houston woman who identified herself as “Mary” during an interview with online personality Tasha K, which was broadcast on YouTube. The Houston woman said during her interactions with Gray, she sent him partially nude photos at his requests and he video-chatted with her while revealing his underwear. She claimed that he also met with her in Houston and invited her to visit his home and she declined because she feels he may have wanted to sleep with her. “There are allegations that there were phone conversations between the two parties, and that’s essentially the extent of the allegations,” attorney Devon Puriefoy of the law firm Truluck Thomason told Greenville News. Puriefoy was not immediately available to discuss the situation when contacted for comment by The Christian Post Tuesday. Jerry Falwell Jr. quoted civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday to say he was relieved after stepping down as president from Liberty University over a six-year sex scandal involving a Miami pool boy who claims he liked to watch him having sex with his wife. The 58-year-old evangelist has been dubbed a hypocrite for allegedly engaging in his wife Becki’s sexual relationship with Giancarlo Granda, who claims Becki picked him up by a hotel pool when he was 20 and she was 44 in 2012. Granda said Jerry not only knew about their affair but enjoyed watching them having sex. He claimed he was ‘not involved’ and that he was devastated when he found out about it. Monday night, after first claiming he’d only taken a leave of absence from his $1million-a-year job, Jerry confirmed that he’d resigned. On Tuesday, he went further, telling a local newspaper in Lynchburg, Virginia, where Liberty is based: ‘It’s a relief. ‘The quote that keeps going through my mind this morning is Martin Luther Ling Jr: “free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I’m free at last.” Rivals in life, the rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur are being united for an auction at Sotheby’s, the first-ever dedicated hip-hop auction at a major international auction house. Bidders will be able to vie for the crown worn and signed by the Notorious B.I.G. during a 1997 photo shoot held three days before he was killed in Los Angeles. They’ll also get to bid on an archive of 22 autographed love letters written by Shakur at the age of 15-17 to a high school sweetheart.The auction will be held Sept. 15 and features over 120 hip-hop-related lots. The items can be viewed in person — reservations are required during the pandemic — at Sotheby’s in New York City and the exhibition will also be available to the public online via its digital gallery. Grammy Award-winning producer and artist Peter CottonTale released a new single “Pray for Real” this year, featuring Tobi Lou and Chance the Rapper and the song is now trending on the Billboard gospel charts. The artist, formerly known as Peter Wilkins, has been a member of the Chance the Rapper’s affiliated group, the Social Experiment, for some time. The music producer has often collaborated with Chance the Rapper on past albums. “Pray for Real” is predominately performed by Chance the Rapper and features a curse word. The single was recently the No. 1 most added single and has over 23 million streams. https://youtu.be/DUjztjrQpaI LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions released the new film “Words on Bathroom Walls” Friday, and the eye-opening film depicts a teenager’s struggles with mental illness. Actor Charlie Plummer portrays a highschool senior battling demons caused by severe schizophrenia in the Thor Freudenthal (“Diary of a Wimpy Kid”) adaptation of Julia Walton’s YA novel of the same name. Plummer gives a riveting performance, and Christian viewers will appreciate the many spiritual components throughout the film. https://youtu.be/4E1-RnpOe8Q Erik Moses has been named president of Nashville Superspeedway, the first Black man to hold that title at any NASCAR track. Moses most recently served as president of the XFL’s DC Defenders and now leads the charge of the scheduled Nashville reboot in 2021. The 1.33-mile concrete track was built in 2001 by Dover Motorsports and hosted NASCAR and IndyCar events until 2011. Dover announced the hire before Saturday’s Cup race at the Monster Mile. The gunman who killed at least two people and injured another Tuesday night at a protest over a police shooting has reportedly been identified as a white teenager with a possible link to local law enforcement in Kenosha, Wisconsin. While there has been no official confirmation from law enforcement, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old, was widely identified on social media as the shooter who fired fatal shots from an AR-15 after users tracked down his accounts and uncovered images of him with police. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EgVsPdlX0AA_fh5?format=jpg&name=360x360 The legendary choirmaster Ricky Dillard has reached number one on both the BDS Gospel Airplay Charts and the Mediabase Published Gospel chart with anthem of the year “Release” featuring Tiff Joy. “Release,” which is the first single from the top-selling Choirmaster album is Dillard’s second-best performing song of his career since his single “Amazing” spent a record-setting 30 weeks at number one on the BDS Gospel Airplay chart in 2014. The Gospel Spotlight's Ricky Dillard!!! Hear RickyDillard In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rickydillard(!)_intvw.htm The gentleman of Gospel, Earnest Pugh was recently honored in Los Angeles, CA by The Burke Management Firm for reaching #1 on the Radio AirPlay Chart for his smash hit single “God Wants To Heal You.” This makes Pugh’s third #1 single. "Although the song was recorded over 12 years ago, its timeless relevance continues to resonate in the hearts and minds of listeners across the globe," says Vanzil Burke, Pugh's Business Manager. The Gospel Spotlight's Earnest Pugh!!! Hear Earnest Pugh In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_intvw.htm New hit music in the Gospel Spotlight from Koryn Hawthorne - "Speak To Me".....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDFl9goQD_c&feature=youtu.be Over the weekend, two-time GRAMMY®- nominated and Billboard Music Award-winning artist, Koryn Hawthorne, took over Spotify’s #BlackGirlMagic playlist, making history as the first Gospel artist to do so. The unapologetically Black playlist provides an energetic mix of R&B, Rap, Pop and Gospel music, and features hit singles from artists including Beyonce, Chloe x Halle, H.E.R., Tamela Mann, Mary Mary, Megan Thee Stallion, Mary J. Blige, Lizzo and Hawthorne herself. The #BlackGirlMagic playlist is a continued extension of Spotify’s Black Music Month campaign, and past playlist curators include Kelly Rowland, Marsai Martin, Gabrielle Union-Wade and Tracee Ellis Ross. Listen to Koryn’s #BlackGirlMagic playlist on Spotify here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4ezQVslkJiT?si=qv_DTJQ9S120LuNuemx5iw WatchCarl Brister's interview with the talented, Grammy-Nominated Saxophonist, Tia Fuller, and join the conversation on Instagram Live Tonight. Youth Leaders from the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center will join Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the Hon. Elihu Harris and civil rights icons for a moving online tribute to the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis Friday, August 28, at 7 pm PDT. The streamed event is scheduled on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, at which Congressman Lewis spoke at the age of 23. The evening will be hosted by Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris and includes historic and recent film and photos. The streaming is free of charge and there is no registration required. The event may be viewed at https://learn.nonprofitleadershipalliance.org/BLEHLecture/ and no advance registration is require. “Uncle Tom” was one of the top trending topics on Twitter Tuesday morning following the opening night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) that featured several Black men making the case for Donald Trump to be re-elected. More than 6,000 “Uncle Tom” tweets were posted following speeches from Democratic Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones, former professional football star Herschel Walker and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. They each took turns trying to dispel any notion of racism in America or among its leadership despite Trump’s repeated personal demonstrations to the contrary. “The Democratic Party does not want Black people to leave their mental plantation,” Jones, who has been called an “embarrassment” to Democrats, said Monday night at the RNC. “We’ve been forced to be there for decades and generations. But I have news for Joe Biden: We are free. We are free people with free minds.” Walker, who was one of Trump’s employees when he played in the USFL — another of Trump’s failed business ventures — said his “soul” was hurt when he learned people called the president racist. “I take it as a personal insult that people think I would have a 37-year friendship with a racist,” Walker said Monday night with a straight face during his official endorsement of Trump’s re-election. Multiple fires continue to burn in Kenosha, Wisconsin amid protests over the police shooting yet another unarmed Black man. Jacob Blake is fighting for his life in a hospital, and a white Kenosha, WI, police officer is under investigation after being captured on camera firing at least seven shots into the man’s back, sparking more protests against overzealous police, brutality and excessive use of force. https://youtu.be/yVoRaJKmV_k The man who filmed the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin is speaking out about the “traumatic” experience. CNN spoke with Raysean White after Blake was shot multiple times in the back by the Kenosha police. The incident was captured in a graphic video causing major protests. He’s just another example of George, Breonna Taylor. I’m glad he didn’t die,” White told CNN, making reference to other recent victims of police violence. “This is constantly showing Black people not to trust the police. “This is showing proof of how the police officers, like, constantly killing Black unarmed Black men for no reason — because they have a badge, and they feel like they have power to shoot,” White continued. White, who filmed the video from across the street, said that as a Black man, he could’ve easily been the one who had a violent encounter with the Kenosha police. “It could have been me, too. I stood right here, it could have been me,” he said. “I’m just witnessing it, recording it. I was so angry.” A portion of Figueroa Street outside Staples Center will be renamed in honor of former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Figueroa Street will be unveiled as Kobe Bryant Boulevard between Olympic Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, according to Los Angeles City Council member Herb J. Wesson Jr. https://youtu.be/HGBF4R9AVds Bun B is letting it be known that he supports Megan Thee Stallion after she went on Instagram Live last week and said Tory Lanez was the person who shot her back in July. Bun B shared his thoughts Sunday in a lengthy video. Seventeen minutes in, the iconic Texas rapper slammed Lanez and anyone not defending Megan. “F*ck Tory Lanez, and I don’t care if this go viral or none of this sh*t,” Bun B said. “I’m from Houston and if somebody would have done something to Megan in this city, we would’ve rode.” Bun B went on to acknowledge that Megan doesn’t have her immediate family to support her during this time. “She ain’t got her momma no more, her momma is gone,” he said. “Her daddy is gone. Her grandmother is gone. All the people that loved her and cared about her unconditionally that looked out for her and would have protected her ain’t there. So, as an OG in Houston, I’m standing up. Tory Lanez is some ho ass sh*t. Period. Yeah, I know Tory. I know his manager. I know all of ’em, man. F*ck all that though. F*ck all that.” Shanta Atkins has released her highly anticipated single “Made Up My Mind.” Most may know her as the younger sister to the Grammy Award winning Gospel duo “Mary Mary”. Shanta’s experience as a recording artist has her prepped to now blaze a trail all her own. “Made Up My Mind” displays Shanta Atkins powerful vocal ability and anointing. The single is just what fans and the gospel music industry have been waiting for from Shanta. https://youtu.be/QRs3dcn-2Jw The most recent third season of Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” ended with an episode centered around the World Famous Apollo Theater, where Midge Maisel’s eyes were starting to open regarding racism’s nooks and crannies within the entertainment industry, thanks in part to her brief exchange with Moms Mabley, played by the Emmy-nominated Wanda Sykes. The episode also included a Hines brothers dance recreation and a musical performance from the character Shy Baldwin (played by LeRoy McClain and vocals by Darius de Haas), as well as a stand-up set from Midge herself, played by Rachel Brosnahan. CBS All Access has announced the premiere date of its highly anticipated limited series “The Stand” starring Whoopi Goldberg and based on Stephen King’s acclaimed plague novel. The story is about a group of survivors of a superflu, who are led by the 108-year-old Mother Abigail (Goldberg), who is receiving visions from God. Whoopi joins a cast that includes Jovan Adepo as Larry Underwood, Owen Teague as Harold Lauder, Brad William Henke as Tom Cullen, and Daniel Sunjata as the soldier Cobb. Alexander Skarsgard will play Randall Flagg, the leader of the evil survivors. Gospel singer KD French appeared on “Today” Tuesday to talk about her song “The Fridge Again” and video that has been shared more than 10 million times to date. She says the reaction is “insane; I’m sweating in crevice areas I didn’t know I had.” But, she adds, “I’m overwhelmed with joy. https://media14.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202008/tdy_pop_KD_french_200825_1920x1080.focal-760x428.jpg Humbl Hustlr is an Atlanta-based foundation that is doing remarkable work in the community to improve the quality of life for young black men, helping them to blossom, through an array of programs, into the next generation of successful leaders. Anchored by Hustl Print founder Lorenzo Gordon, the organization highlights the work of young professionals, entrepreneurs, and “corporate Hustlrs” who are making things happen behind the scenes, but do not always get the recognition and acknowledgement they deserve. Before six judges, teens from various Atlanta-area high schools presented their business concepts for an opportunity to win $1,000. The winner was Isaiah Waller of Booker T. Washington High School, followed by the runner-up, Jordan Jackson of Luella High School and then Aboubacar Barrie of Therell High School, who placed third and won a $250 prize. Following the pitch competition was a basketball clinic and community cleanup in the Vine City community. Allen Iverson has penned a heartfelt tribute to fellow NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant. In an essay published in The Players’ Tribune on August 24, dubbed Kobe Bryant Day, Iverson reflected on how Bryant inspired him to be a better player. “Me and you, every single time we stepped on that floor, we were going to war. But it wasn’t an animosity thing. There was never any beef,” Iverson wrote. “It was like heavyweight fighters beating the hell out of one another. And then at the bell, it’s nothing but love and respect. Greatness needs company, and we needed each other. Mike needed Prince like Prince needed Mike. Tyson needed Holyfield like Holyfield needed Tyson.” https://youtu.be/mokGU4CUiGw Stephan James stars in a new series alongside Lawrence Fishburn and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Hamilton). #FreeRayshawn is a series on the new digital platform Quibi, that tells the story of a young black man on the run from the police. https://youtu.be/fT6Vuok_sJ8 Today Brittany Glodean releases a massive amount of music and film and she says there’s even more to come before the summer ends. “BGLO The Movie” is a high energy music film directed by Phred Mosbey. It’s being called a Visual EP because all the music in the film is available on a soundtrack by the name of “BGLO The EP.” The film showcases the multi-talented Brittany Glodean and her 16 dancers. Brittany is seen as a lead dancer, a school teacher and an old school DJ. The film contains music written by Chuckii Booker, Boy Russ, Brittany Glodean & Janelle Paris. The soundtrack is produced by Chuckii Booker. https://youtu.be/9URmN2Lv16k There has been much praise for the Democrats in the wake of their national convention last week. Rapper/actor/entrepreneur/activist Ice Cube recently took to social media calling out the Dems, saying they haven’t done enough to show they deserve the vote of Black people in the upcoming 2020 presidential election. “So, over the last four days the Democratic National Party held their convention,” said Cube. Lots of people getting up there and talking and, everybody really eating it up, throwing their hands in the air like they just don’t care damn near. What I didn’t hear is, ‘What’s in it for us?’ What’s in it for the Black community besides the same old thing we’ve been getting from these parties? What’s in it for us, for real?” CBS News today launches CBS Village, a new cross-platform franchise that will showcase the organization’s inclusive reporting, giving voice to diverse communities. CBS Village will be a dedicated brand for original reporting on issues that affect traditionally underrepresented communities featured across all CBS News platforms. Led by CBS News’ newly created Race and Culture Unit, this franchise will cover the breadth and depth of the American experience, with stories delivered on CBS News broadcasts, CBSN and digital platforms. Scott Peterson’s conviction for killing his pregnant wife Laci will stand, but the California Supreme Court has overturned his 2005 death sentence. According to The Associated Press, the justices cited “significant errors” in jury selection as the reason for overturning the death penalty. https://youtu.be/9A3h_OaBl8c LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers blew out their playoff opponent, the Portland Trail Blazers, on “Mamba Day” Monday. But honoring the late Kobe Bryant with a win was not the only thing on his mind after the game. Another unarmed Black man was shot by the police again.“If you’re sitting here telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman, or detain him, or before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here, you’re lying to not only me, you’re lying to every African American, every Black person in the community because we see it over and over and over,” James talked to reporters about the Kenosha, Wis. police officer who grabbed 29-year-old Jacob Blake by the t-shirt as he was getting into his car, and fired seven shots at point blank range into his back. He is currently hospitalized. According to a family attorney, his three children aged three, five and eight were in the back seat. https://youtu.be/wMYxmUCmakk Jennifer Lopez has announced plans to drop her own makeup and skincare line called JLo Beauty. The line is in collaboration with Inglot Cosmetics, and the actress/singer posted two selfies on Instagram along with the caption “Sunset glow… #JLoBeauty coming soon.” As reported by PEOPLE, according to a trademark filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in December 2019, JLo Beauty will offer cosmetics and skincare products. https://www.instagram.com/jlo/?utm_source=ig_embed Pasquale Raucci, also known as Paddy Duke, was fired by New York radio station Hot 97. Raucci was identified as being part of the mob that killed Yusuf Hawkins in 1989. In a recent HBO documentary called “Storm Over Brooklyn” that highlighted the tragic details surrounding Hawkins’ death due to an angry Italian mob in Bensonhurst. Raucci was reportedly shown in the documentary. Details about Raucci’s hiring at Hot 97 surfaced as well, and it was noted via his LinkedIn page that he has been working with Hot 97 for almost 20 years. Raucci was employed by Emmis Communications in 1994 and worked with Angie Martinez during her time at the radio station. Sunday(08-22-20), Hot 97 released a statement on Raucci following the airing of the Storm Over Brooklyn segment featuring the news of Raucci/Duke’s involvement in the killing. “After watching HBO’s Storm over Brooklyn, HOT97 was shocked and took swift action. Paddy Duke is no longer employed by HOT97. The march for social justice continues.” NFL Washington Team President Jason Wright was a guest on SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show” and told host, Joe Madison that Colin Kaepernick should have another chance to play again. “If he wants to play in the league, then his gifts should make room for him. I don’t see any reason why not.” “The Real,” the Daytime Emmy®-nominated, NAACP-winning talk show, welcomes new co-host Garcelle Beauvais. She joins Daytime Emmy®-winning co-hosts Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai. The 7th season of The Real will begin Monday, Sept. 21. “We are so thrilled to have Garcelle joining our ‘virtual’ Girl Chat Table,” said executive producer Rachel Miskowiec. “Her extensive career in front of and behind the camera, and her willingness to share her life and her points of view on important topics with us make her the perfect addition. We can’t wait for Season 7 to begin!” Anthony Anderson knows how to have a good time! The “Black-ish” star chatted with Access Daily’s Scott Evans about earning his ninth Emmy nomination, revealing that he plans to moon the camera if he takes home the Best Actor trophy during this year’s virtual ceremony. “I will be naked under my tuxedo robe with my full ass out,” Anthony promised. “In the event that I win, I will literally and figuratively show my ass!” https://youtu.be/JuSRvUK_zBk A win over the Orlando Magic to take a 3-1 series lead in the playoffs was of zero importance to Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill after the game, because another Black man had been shot by police. This time, in his team’s home state. It was enough for him to consider blowing off the entire COVID-affected season. “Watching stuff that happened in Wisconsin the other day really breaks my heart. We’re down here playing in the bubble to do these things for social justice and all that, and to see it all still going on and we’re just playing the games like it’s nothing, it’s just a really messed up situation right now,” Hill said in postgame comments. Jacob Blake, 29, is currently hospitalized after being shot by a Kenosha, Wis. police officer seven times in the back as his three children reportedly watched. As the U.S. continues to practice social distancing, there is no need to be socially isolated. With more than half of Americans reporting the coronavirus is harming their mental health (for women and Blacks, this number increases), feelings of loneliness, depression and despair can easily infiltrate if care is not taken. To encourage social interaction and help women not just survive, but thrive, T.D. Jakes' popular conference Woman, Thou Art Loosed! is offering a special virtual experience, Oct. 15-17. Motivated by faith, as the U.S. grapples with COVID-19, the start of school and other social issues, women are coming together virtually this fall to worship, reflect and learn as the legendary Woman, Thou Art Loosed! conference goes completely digital for the first time in its 20 plus-year history. Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, a leading performer of American roots music known for his introspective and haunting style, has died at 38. New West Records publicist Brady Brock confirmed his death, but did not immediately provide details. Earle was the son of country star Steve Earle and over the weekend his family posted an Instagram announcement of his death, telling his fans, “So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys.” His family also posted lyrics from the ballad “Looking for a Place to Land,” from Earle’s 2014 album “Single Mothers.” Dolly Parton said that recording her latest single — “Mary, Did You Know?” — off of her upcoming Christmas album was a very moving experience for her. “I got very emotional recording ‘Mary, Did You Know?’ Parton wrote on Instagram of her new single, released Friday. “It’s the sweetest song about beautiful things being born out of unexpected situations and that’s a message we all need to hear now more than ever.” https://youtu.be/WGkSsgrTS9s The man who exposed Planned Parenthood’s selling of baby body parts from abortions is facing possible seizure of his assets if he fails to raise $600,000 in less than two weeks, his lawyer has warned. U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick ruled Wednesday that that Planned Parenthood could begin seizing the assets of pro-life activist David Daleiden of the Center For Medical Progress and those of his organization unless they manage to pay an appeal bond. Orrick issued the ruling as he denied post-trial motions from the defendants seeking a reduction of charges after a judgment was rendered against Daleiden, CMP and his CMP colleagues last year related to charges they faced after the release of undercover videos. While the findings of the undercover videos riled conservatives across the nation, Planned Parenthood claims the CMP videos were deceptively edited. Last fall, following a civil trial, a jury found CMP guilty of several crimes, including violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, wiretapping and engaging in a civil conspiracy. The civil trial additionally yielded a judgment ordering Daleiden and other defendants to pay $2.3 million in damages. In a claim likely to intensify the controversy surrounding one of the most influential figures in the American Christian conservative movement, a business partner of Jerry Falwell Jr has come forward to say he had a years-long sexual relationship with Falwell’s wife. Giancarlo Granda says he was 20 when he met Jerry and Becki Falwell while working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in March 2012. Starting that month and continuing into 2018, Granda told Reuters that the relationship involved him having sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on. Granda showed Reuters emails, text messages and other evidence that he says demonstrate the sexual nature of his relationship with the couple, who have been married since 1987. Jerry Falwell Jr. has resigned as president of Liberty University after a pool boy claimed the evangelist watched while he had sex with his wife. A school official confirmed on Monday – the first day of classes for students – that Falwell had agreed to resign, the Washington Post reports. He had already taken an indefinite leave of absence earlier this month after a photo of himself with his pants unzipped, standing with his arm around a young woman whose pants were also partly undone, was shared online. Usain Bolt has today confirmed he is self-isolating after taking a Covid-19 test just days after partying with guests including England star Raheem Sterling for his 34th birthday in Jamaica. The sprint star, who turned 34 on Friday, posted a video on his Twitter page after reports from Nationwide90fm, a radio station in Jamaica, that he had contracted the deadly disease. The Olympic legend confirmed he is in self-isolation at his home in Jamaica after taking a Covid-19 test on Saturday. However the retired athlete neither confirmed or denied having Covid-19. But he does say he is not suffering from any symptoms. Not even a global pandemic could diminish the powerful spirit of praise, worship and celebration during the historic virtual broadcast of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards Sunday night on BET and BET Her. Led by hosts Kirk Franklin, Jonathan McReynolds, and Koryn Hawthorne, the 35th Anniversary Stellar Gospel Music Awards awarded trophies in 28 categories for the year's best performances in the genre -- including six statues presented to the night’s big winner, host and Gospel icon Kirk Franklin. From the first moments featuring welcome remarks by Stellar Awards Founder and Executive Producer Don Jackson and powerful show open by Tye Tribbett of his uplifting anthem “We Gon’ Be Alright,” through the final credit roll, the “Greatest Night in Gospel Music” lived up to its claim to fame. The complete list of winners....https://files.constantcontact.com/8d05b0cf701/7076cade-0ed7-4dd4-8cc0-0a533941b31f.pdf Entertainment One celebrates 4-wins at the virtual broadcast of the 35th Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Entertainment One’s own Jonathan McReynolds co-hosted the biggest night in gospel music alongside Kirk Franklin and Koryn Hawthorne. Gospel legend John P. Kee's I Made It Out delivered three Stellar Awards for Traditional Male Vocalist, Traditional Album of the Year and Traditional Choir of the Year. JJ Hairston (JamesTown/Entertainment) won Praise & Worship Album of the Year for Miracle Worker. Gospel Spotlight's JJ Hairston!!! Hear JJ Hairston IN His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/J_J_Hairston_intvw.htm Conservatives can’t wrap their head around why political activist Candace Owens was not included in the lineup of people speaking at the Republican National Committee, which kicks off Monday. Owens has been a staunch Trump supporter for much of his presidency, even going so far as minimizing the impact that white supremacy has had on Black culture. She also created the #Blexit movement with the goal of persuading Black Americans to turn away from the “racist” Democratic Party. In a now-deleted tweet, Owens said she would have “crushed” former President Barack Obama at the RNC, had she been invited to speak. “Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. And the consequences of that failure are severe,” Obama said. “One-hundred-and-seventy-thousand Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before.” A Black man was shot in the back multiple times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Sunday, a bystander's video showed, prompting community protests and widespread anger. The incident comes just three months after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. The man, identified by his family as Jacob Blake, 29, is in serious condition at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, the Kenosha Police Department said in a statement. Blake's family has since confirmed that he is out of surgery and stable. https://media12.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/202008/wisconsin-shooting1_resized.focal-860x484.jpg The first trailer for “The Batman” starring Robert Pattinson was released on Saturday during the DC FanDome, giving fans their first look at the iconic superhero, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as Penguin. https://youtu.be/NLOp_6uPccQ A powerful new video is now available for the creative reimagining of Stevie Wonder’s “Black Man,” remixed by Brennan Williams (aka Will Coloan), producer and founder of Coloan Records. Featuring historic images of more than 100 influential Americans and global figures, as well as a spoken introduction by Motown legend Stevie Wonder himself, the video was also directed, edited, and produced by Williams. https://youtu.be/OHlYEhPbTBE The classic novel by author Charles Dickens is coming to the big screen with a modern flair in “The Personal History Of David Copperfield.” The film takes place in the 1800s with a modern flair with the diversity of the cast. David Copperfield is played by Dev Patel ( Slumdog Millionaire). Actress Rosalind Eleazar stars as David’s love interest in the film. She expresses how the diversity of the cast wasn’t really discussed on set. There was more of an unspoken feeling of this is how it should be. People of color took up space in these times as well and this is a story that everyone can relate to. “ It’s a story about a young man trying to find his place in the world,” says Eleazar. Earlier this month, TikTok threatened to sue President Trump over the executive order he signed that bans the popular video sharing app in the United States. On Saturday, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance officially announced plans to follow through with legal action against the Trump administration. https://youtu.be/H5GQ9em53Rw LeToya Luckett has reportedly dumped her husband Tommicus Walker following reports that he’s been cheating on her with Instagram groupies. Her husband has allegedly been having an affair as the couple awaits the birth of their second child. Word has it that Walker has been spending romantic time with a woman who is shopping their sex tape. Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley will write the new Batman comic series with plans to turn the icon superhero into a person of color. During a DC FanDome virtual panel on Saturday, DC publisher Jim Lee confirmed that Ridley is writing the miniseries. An illustration of the character was also released. The four-issue comic is scheduled to release in January. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EgDQmCnXsAAW_-7?format=jpg&name=900x900 Brandy and Monica are gonna do Verzuz! News of the long-awaited battle between the frenemies was announced by the Verzuz creators Swizz Beatz and Timbaland Saturday. It’s set to go down Aug. 31 live from Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. Back in May, Monica addressed the possibility of making a Verzuz appearance with Brandy, just as long as it was a “celebration” rather than a battle. She said she was hesitant to participate because she feared the public would once again try to pit her and Brandy against one another and reignite beef rumors. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee intends to take voting rights away from protesters via new legislation designed to curb demonstrations over social justice. According to The Hill, Lee quietly signed a bill upping penalties on some forms of protest. The new law stipulates that anyone who “illegally” camps on state property could face a Class E felony and six years in prison. If found guilty of a felony, the individual loses the right to vote. https://youtu.be/rKZhLvOKZVs America’s most inspirational singing competition “Sunday Best,” on BET has announced it’s season 10 winner - Stephanie Summers (Colorado Springs, CO). Summers will receive a recording contract with RCA Inspiration, a prize of $50,000, an opportunity to be a featured performer on the McDonald's Inspiration Gospel Tour and the title “Sunday Best.” Professional voting is now open for the 51st anniversary Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. Tyscot Records has three of its artists up for their recent releases. Baltimore, Maryland’s Anthony Brown & group therAPy album, 2econd Wind: Ready earns a nomination for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year while the single Blessing on Blessings pulls Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year. R&B singer and Maroon 5 keyboard player, PJ Morton, will release his first-ever gospel album, Gospel According to PJ on August 28th. The first radio single from the project, “All In His Plan,” is currently in the Top 5 on the Gospel Airplay chart. The bluesy ballad Le’Andria Johnson and Mary Mary. That song is vying for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year. VaShawn Mitchell, a three-time past Dove Award winner, is up for another award for his album, Elements, for Gospel Worship Album of the Year. The set features the radio singles “God Can Do Anything.” RICKEY SMILEY & DAUGHTER AARYN SMILEY SET TO APPEAR TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH ON ABC'S "GMA3: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW." Father and Daughter Will Discuss Senseless Act of Gun Violence that Impacted Aaryn Smiley on 4th of July Weekend in Houston, TX. Omarosa won’t be participating in the Republican National Convention (RNC), neither will former Congresswoman Mia Love. Or Gregory Cheadle, Donald Trump‘s “African American” and now-former Republican who the then-presidential candidate embarrassingly racially profiled on national TV giving him a sincere shout out at one of his infamous rallies in 2016. While Trump has lost public support from the above Black folks, chances are more than likely Candace Owens will be right there spouting one of her trademark intellectually disingenuous diatribes that regurgitate Trump’s laughable lies about how no other president has done as much for Black people as he has. However, despite what seems like an inflated percent of the small number of Black folks who have decidedly hopped off the Trump train in these four disastrous years, polling numbers show that he is still enjoying basically the same amount of support, 8 percent, from Black voters that he was in 2016. Amid the pandemic, several individuals within the music industry have spearheaded initiatives launched to support vulnerable groups. Among those leading efforts is singer and songwriter Anthony Hamilton. According to WCNC, he recently hosted a supplies drive in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Cognizant of the obstacles faced by families that stem from the public health crisis—like food insecurity and the lack of accessibility to protective equipment—Hamilton was determined to help people in need. Saturday, he teamed up with other volunteers to distribute face masks, hand sanitizer, groceries, and school supplies to residents in the Dillehay Courts community. Those who attended were also able to register to vote at the event. Andrea Wishom has been appointed to serve on Pinterest’s board. Wishom’s appointment is historic as it marks the first time the image sharing social media company has had a Black board member. It also marks the third time a woman has been appointed to serve on the board. Wishom, who currently sits at the helm of the real estate company Skywalker Holdings, is an award-winning media executive. During her tenure as an executive at Harpo Studios, she spearheaded and produced programs that garnered high ratings including Super Soul Sunday, Oprah’s Next Chapter, Oprah’s Farewell at The United Center, President Barack and Michelle Obama and The Legends Ball. She has an extensive background in content creation, marketing and media. She also serves on the boards for several companies and organizations including C.A.S.E.L., The Make-Believe Association, The Poetry Foundation, The George Lucas Educational Foundation, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and Tory Burch LLC. After a season of highs, lows and virtual performances, BET has a new “Sunday Best.” Stephanie Summers of Colorado Springs, Colorado won season 10 of the gospel singing competition on Sunday night. Jada Spight came in second place. Jaheim recently took to the IG to reveal he ‘s down with Donald Trump. Period. End of story. In his video he said that Trump has “saved a lot of people,” then posted a lengthy caption describing his reasoning behind the Trump support. Jaheim apologized to Trump “for all the misinformation since he’s been in office.” He said, “we the people have turned our backs on this great man who been working effortlessly to restore the balance for the Republic and didn’t even take a paycheck.” Jaheim then called out Democrats for lying countless times to the people and said, “you all are so far gone you can’t see maybe it’s the same water they been poisoning Flint with because we all followed wrong side for years it’s time to wakeup.” Actor Kadeem Hardison joined “The Clay Cane Show” to discuss the new Netflix series ‘Teenage Bounty Hunters’ which he stars in. During the interview, the actor told host, Clay Cane about the time Roseanne Barr threw a phone at a producer and said he was shocked that her show got a reboot over ‘A Different World’ after that incident, but he’s not surprised by her racism. https://youtu.be/SoguYRkz-x0 Pastor Rob McCoy faced a judge in a California courthouse for a contempt of court hearing against Godspeak Calvary Chapel for violating a court order from the county that restricted them from holding indoor worship services due to the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. Judge O’Neill found Godspeak Calvary Chapel and Pastor Rob McCoy in contempt of the court’s order. The county was seeking a total of $,6000 in fines, $1000 for each violation (two Sundays with three services each equals 6 times of holding indoor worship services), but Judge O’Neill imposed a $500 fine for each of the violations which totaled $3000. Pastor McCoy wasn’t issued any penalties, and the Judge said the church didn’t have to pay attorney fees. Kanye West has been accused of “disrespecting Islam” with the names of his new Yeezy Boost sneakers. Adidas unveiled the new line of shoes earlier this week: the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Israfil and Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Asriel, which are named after the Islamic angels of music (Israfil) and death (Asriel). Israfil is one of four archangels in Islam. He is usually depicted with a horn, which he will blow on Qiyamah – or the day of judgement. Asriel is Islam’s archangel of death and is said to transport the souls of the deceased after they have passed on. The announcement was met with a lot of criticism from Muslims who have taken to social media to criticise the ‘Jesus Walks’ rapper and Adidas for “making a mockery of Islam.” Katy Perry joined Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for an interview this past week and revealed what her relationship with her pastor parents is like. The pop star also set the record straight about her own belief system. “Relationships with your parents change inevitably, doesn’t matter who you are, what amount of success you have or don’t, it shifts as your parents get older, you become a little bit more of the parent,” Perry said of her parents, who are both now in their 70s. “I guess I had to make a choice a while back, I had to agree to disagree with my parents or not have parents.” The 35-year-old “Firework” singer, who is on a promotional run for her upcoming album, Smile, said she made that decision when she was in her 20s. It was then she stopped trying to “change their core belief system.” Vanessa Bryant paid an emotional tribute to her late husband Kobe Bryant, who died alongside 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a January 26 helicopter crash, on what would’ve been the former Laker’s 42nd birthday. “To my baby~ Happy birthday,” Vanessa Bryant wrote Sunday in a message posted to her Instagram page. “I love you and miss you more than I can ever explain. I wish you and Gigi were here to celebrate YOU! I wish I could make you your fav food or a birthday cake with my Gigi. The Los Angeles Lakers will wear special “Black Mamba” uniforms Monday in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers. Monday, which is Aug. 24 — or 8/24 — represents the two numbers Bryant wore as a Laker. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed remorse for the league not listening to Colin Kaepernick in 2016 when the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback peacefully protested during the national anthem. Appearing on former NFL player Emmanuel Acho’s social media video series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” Goodell was asked by Acho to publicly express his remorse and apologize to Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2016 season. “I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to,” Goodell said. Goodell also expressed disappointment about how the league’s players’ peaceful protests were being portrayed. Melania Trump went viral on Monday (Aug. 17) after a video surfaced of her refusing to hold President Donald Trump’s hand despite his multiple attempts. Rihanna and 50 Cent were wasted no time mocking the awkward moment. The singer shared the clip to her social and added her 2016 hit, “Needed Me,” as a backdrop. The song features the chorus, “Didn’t they tell you that I was a savage?” https://www.instagram.com/p/CEAINuSnxn9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The New Mutants is finally coming to theaters nationwide. Just in time, Regal Theaters will be reopening after a long pandemic shut down. https://youtu.be/W_vJhUAOFpI ; MasterP is looking a lil’ strange these days as he seems to have not only a problem with his brother, C-Murder but with Monica and Kim Kardashian who are trying to help C-Murder get out of prison for what may be an unjust sentence. Master P, Percy Miller, went to Instagram and posted a rant saying that C-Murder needs to start taking responsibility, for his actions and expressed a bunch of grievances he’s had with his imprisoned brother over the years. The Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association (CPPA) are not expected to back former Vice President Joe Biden for president and will not endorse Donald Trump‘s bid for the presidency. The CPPA is trying to go neutral, it appears. Besides this election it say it won’t seek to endorse candidates in future presidential or mayoral elections following a vote by its board of directors and a group of 30 officers. The CPPA’s 2016 endorsement of Trump marked the union’s first ever presidential endorsement, sparking divisions within the group and ultimately costing former CPPA president Steve Loomis his job. In her historic speech accepting the vice presidential nomination for the Democratic party, Sen. Kamala Harris introduced her family — among them her beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, “The Divine Nine” and others from historically Black colleges and universities. The California Democrat’s shout-out echoed worldwide. She is the first HBCU graduate and the first member of a historically black greek letter organization named to a major party ticket, Harris’ nomination has created a groundswell of enthusiasm among black greek member organizations whose combined membership exceeds two million globally. Another person has been indicted as an accomplice alongside “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” star Tim Norman in a murder-for-hire plot. Waiel “Wally” Yaghnam of St. Louis was charged with one count conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. As we reported earlier, Norman is now facing the same charge in addition to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Yaghnam 42, is not only an insurance agent but he’s also a music producer who produced several tracks on Nelly’s iconic Nellyville album. A group of 50 ministers who graduated from Liberty University have sent a letter to school leadership demanding that President Jerry Falwell Jr. be “permanently removed” from office. Falwell agreed to take an “indefinite leave of absence” earlier this month following a controversial social media post showing him with unzipped pants and his belly hanging out while his arm was wrapped around his wife’s pregnant secretary who wasn’t able to zip up her pre-pregnancy shorts. The letter was sent to Liberty’s board of trustees and acting University President Jerry Prevo. The nondenominational Southern Evangelical Seminary has released a statement simultaneously condemning racism and warning Christians against supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, claiming the movement espouses a “godless agenda.” This week, the faculty and staff of the influential Christian institution in Matthews, North Carolina, said they felt compelled to release a statement about current issues related to racism and social justice in light of the recent social unrest. SES said that while it affirms that “black lives matter” as a subset of “all human lives are sacred,” it “must separate itself emphatically from the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement which espouses beliefs that are antithetical to basic foundational tenets of the Christian faith.” “[The] BLM organization, and many of its related positions, are explicitly anti-Christian,” the SES statement explains. “Holding to mis-defined notions of love, freedom, and justice, BLM stands against the nuclear family, promotes homosexual and transgender ideologies, and is an admittedly Marxist organization.” Grammy Award-winning, Billboard-topping artist Lecrae opened up about the painful yet rewarding process of restoration following much success, deep depression, and almost losing his marriage. The founder of Reach Records has released what might be his final full-length album, Restoration. It’s his most vulnerable album yet. The album is accompanied by a three-part YouTube series, titled “The Road to Restoration,” and a book to be released Sept. 13, titled I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion But Gained My Faith. As social distancing and restrictions on large gatherings have brought theater productions to a halt, TBN has teamed up with Sight & Sound Theatres to bring the production “Jonah” into people’s living rooms. The theatrical production of the biblical account made its world television debut on Friday at 8/7 p.m. Central time on TBN for one night only. Filmed in front of a live audience in its 2,000-seat theater at Sight & Sound’s studio in Pennsylvania, “Jonah” has been seen by more than 2 million people on stage both in the Lancaster and Branson, Missouri, theaters. The original state-of-the-art production of “Jonah” can be seen on-demand through the TBN app, Aug. 21-23 only. Fans of the late Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant now have a tribute song to help them celebrate his honor. Respected singer/songwriter, soulman and actor Martin Luther McCoy has released “Kobe Moon” on his Rebel Soul Music. https://youtu.be/9UQwoe1cTNg TV Africa, based in Accra, Ghana, and currently airing in 42 African countries, has revealed that it is currently implementing plans to bring their programming to the United States market by early 2021 at the latest. Network executives have eyed a major opportunity to reach the African diaspora in the U.S., and deliver content to them that connects them with people, news, and original programming that is authentically African. https://youtu.be/kXWCW1QLAI8 Defunding or abolishing police departments has become a national debate in the wake of George Floyd’s death, but Minneapolis residents say abolishment isn’t necessarily a clear-cut answer. Some even view abolishment as punitive — a unilateral response to their speaking out against police brutality. The city approved its first budget cut to the police department late last month. Residents raised concerns regarding whether those most affected had been considered in the discussion of the broad-sweeping removal of the police department from the city’s charter. To change the police department, the city charter needs to change. On August 5, the Charter Commission had the option of approving any of four motions but opted for more time — pushing a vote on the City Council’s charter amendment to Sept. 2. Peacock announced a robust original film slate launching in September. ANTHONY will premiere on Friday, Sept. 4, and THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW and BLACK BOYS will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 10. https://youtu.be/QK6hajUaLSk Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have “endless gratitude” to Tyler Perry for allowing them to live in his Los Angeles estate with their 1-year-old son as they transitioned out of the senior roles with British royal family. “They’re really grateful to Tyler Perry for his kindness,” a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE. “They have endless gratitude to him for helping them during a complicated time.” https://youtu.be/j05guPSsWcw HBO Max takes over initial U.S. distribution from Sony Picture Classics of the gritty drama Charm City Kings digitally releasing the presentation on August 21, 2020. Charm City Kings is an adaptation of the Lotfy Nathan motion picture documentary “12 O’clock Boys.” Theatrical release, by Sony Picture Classics, was originally slated for April 14th, but has been delayed by the health pandemic. An Overbrook Entertainment production, Charm City Kings, is a mirror image of urban life lived on the streets of Baltimore. “Charm City,” the nickname given to Baltimore, and “kings” is what talented street dirt-bikers call themselves. ”Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” star Tokyo Vanity slammed the music industry in a recent Instagram post over the criticism she receives for being a plus-size rapper. On Thursday, she shared her frustrations about being asked to write songs for “h-es” who she claims can’t rap. “Welcome to the industry where they wanna sign me to be a writer for h-es who can’t rap,” she wrote. “Where I’m not fine enough to be marketed as a artist but when I’m in the studio the n—as who wanna sign me slick be trying to f–k this same woman who ain’t fine enough to be a rapper make it make sense…” Parents of Black boys looking to go that extra mile when it comes to their virtual learning situation, particularly within the STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Math) field, may want to consider offered instruction from an HBCU grad who’s about to expand his online operation this fall to a full time school. Gerald A. Moore, Sr., a Norfolk State University grad committed to introducing a variety of technologies to Black boys, is the founder/CEO of Mission Fulfilled 2030, a nonprofit committed to impacting 100,000 Black boys in the STEM field by 2030. This fall, Moore will roll out an improved online platform through The Gerald Moore Technology School for Black Boys where course offerings include: Coding; Web Design; App Development; Basic Electricity; Automotive Technology; Google Docs; and Technology Entrepreneurship. This Sunday, music fans, Gospel enthusiasts and anyone looking for a little inspiration can tune into the highly-anticipated 35th Anniversary Stellar Gospel Music Awards premiering on BET and BET Her as a two-hour virtual special on Sunday, August 23 at 6 p.m. ET/5C (with an encore at 9 p.m. ET). The award show will also run in national broadcast syndication in 210 markets starting August 29 – September 27 (check local listings). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ4PZBn_N3o&feature=youtu.be Today GRAMMY and Stellar Award-winning singer and songwrter, Le'Andria Johnson, unveiled her single, "Hold On". The song is the first new music from Johnson since her last album,Bigger Than Me (2017), and her 2018 hit, "Better Days," which was featured on Greenleaf's Season 2 Soundtrack. Since then, she has been showcased on other music including Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers' #1 smash, "Deliver Me," from the Goshen album, PJ Morton's "All In His Plan," The Gospel According to PJ, and earlier this year, Rodney Jerkins' "Come Together," a song which benefitted covid-19 relief efforts. On the beautiful ballad, Johnson who has been very open about some of her own personal challenges, wields her powerful contralto to inspire listeners to "hold onto God's unchanging hand" throughout life's trials.https://LeAndriaJohnson.lnk.to/HoldOnPR Actress Lori Loughlin was sentenced to a 2-month federal prison sentence Friday for her role in the 2019 college admissions cheating scandal. As part of her sentence, the star must also pay a $150,000 fine and serve 150 hours of community service, PEOPLE reports. Friday morning, her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, also agreed to a plea deal which will see him serve a 5-month prison sentence, serve 50 hours of community service and pay a $250,000 fine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Be8KWlsnB4 Tyra Sanchez , winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in its second season, was arrested Thursday in Atlanta for vandalism. According to TMZ, the retired drag queen is facing one count of criminal damage to property after allegedly spray-painting graffiti on an apartment building. Atlanta PD said officers responded to a vandalism call around 10:30 a.m. at the apartment complex. The security guard there told cops someone spray-painted “Don’t Move Here Ever” on the side of the building, and another witness said they saw the suspect in the act of tagging the wall. The hit Netflix series “Stranger Things” is bringing a “drive-into” experience to downtown L.A. this October. The website promises “a brand new event concept where you drive into the world of Hawkins and experience the upside down” with “mind-blowing audio and visual effects.” The hour-long experience, which will be socially-distanced and COVID-19-safe, will go down at a currently undisclosed location in central L.A. Tickets will be released August 26th starting at $59 per car. https://youtu.be/Qhrb1VaFpBM Billionaire Robert F. Smith has caught the attention of the feds who are looking at him for potential tax crimes according to a report from Bloomberg. Smith, by the way, made headlines last year when he committed to paying off the student debt of the entire Morehouse College 2019 graduating class. The Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service are trying to determine whether Smith, 57, failed to pay American taxes on roughly $200 million in assets that flowed through “offshore structures,” the Bloomberg report says, citing people familiar with the matter. https://youtu.be/lVuKhmtCpnw Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, has lost her race for a seat on the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners. According to The Miami Herald, Fulton lost this week to Mayor Oliver Gilbert by less than 1 percent, receiving only 331 fewer votes. “This pic is where my journey begin, I thank God for an awesome experience,” Fulton said in a statement Thursday. “I’d like to say THANK YOU to my wonderful family & friends, my team, donors, supporters & especially everyone of you who voted for me. Plz know, positive change will come in due time.” https://youtu.be/-yBSabf7BUk Kimberly Klacik, a young Black Republican woman running for Congress in Maryland’s 7th District, is seeking to occupy the seat once held by the late Elijah Cummings. Her campaign ad, shot on the streets of Baltimore City, has gone viral for her “all Black lives matter” suggestion that “Black people don’t have to vote Democrat.” “Democrats don’t want you to see this. They’re scared that I’m exposing what life is like in Democrat-run cities. That’s why I’m running for Congress. Because all Black lives matter. Baltimore matters. And Black people don’t have to vote Democrat,” she says in the ad. https://youtu.be/7S_Xl2eOeeY Heidi Klum says her ex Seal is preventing her from taking her four children to Germany later this year to film “Next Top Model.” The supermodel has now requested a hearing with her ex-husband over the issue, ET reports. In the filing, Klum claims the singer does not want the children traveling to Europe amid COVID-19. The ex couple share custody of the kids but they primarily live with Kilm and she says the time their father spends with them is “sporadic at best.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com An Atlanta woman decided to write a song about her struggle with the refrigerator during this pandemic, and at least 7 million people on Facebook could likely relate. KD French posts her share of singing videos, but this one – with lyrics acting as the little voice inside of our heads, contemplating whether or not to make that trip back to the fridge – has resonated with about 7 million views. https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/viral-video-about-the-battle-with-the-fridge/85-832aca35-efad-4774-b081-87c6e4e56b13 The social justice group Until Freedom has announced BreonnaCon, a multi-day event in Louisville designed to demand justice for Breonna Taylor. From August 22 to August 25, the community convention will feature workshops, training, women’s and men’s empowerment programs, a school supplies giveaway, community BBQ, and much more, WHAS11.com reports. https://youtu.be/v6pcA8_uUoY In an interview on Wednesday’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Sarah Palin called out how the media treated her as 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate compared to Joe Biden’s VP pick Kamala Harris. Carlson said Harris is being treated as a “rock star, a celebrity, the Dalai Lama reincarnated,” while Palin predicted that “the media” would treat the Democratic ticket like “delicate pieces of China.” When asked if she would have done anything differently during her campaign in 2008 when she was running with John McCain on the Republican ticket, Palin said “I would’ve gotten a lot better coverage had I compromised my convictions.” She went on to say, “I would not have prostituted myself in terms of changing any of my positions in order to garner better press.” According to CNN, a new study has found that black newborns in America are 3 times more likely to pass away when looked after by white doctors. The study was published Monday in the journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America’ (PNAS). The study shows data of 1.8 million hospital births in Florida from 1992 to 2015 that was captured and analyzed by researchers from George Mason University. ADRIENNE HOUGHTON AND MOM NILDA GET CANDID ABOUT DECISION TO JOIN 3LW AND MORE ON CLEO TV'S ALL THINGS ADRIENNE ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 AT 9 P.M. ET/8C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWfijVT7cQw&feature=youtu.be Platinum-selling chart topper Tauren Wells delivers a new single, “Trenches (Sunday A.M. Version) w/Donald Lawrence & Company” along with a second version “Trenches (Sunday A.M./Stellar Awards Version),” available now. Available via digital music providers, the two tracks are also being released as his latest radio single, going out to Gospel radio. You can also catch Wells on the Stellar Awards red carpet, which will stream on the Stellar Awards’ Facebook and Instagram pages beginning at 5 pm EST/4 pm CST on Sunday August 23rd. https://taurenwells.lnk.to/TrenchesSundayAM!PRAug21 Today, the debut album of rising star and BET “Sunday Best” winner (Season 9), Melvin Crispell, III – I’ve Got A Testimony, is available for pre-order on Apple Music, iTunes, and Amazon Music. Marking Crispell’s first full-length project with RCA Inspiration, the pre-order includes five songs available instantly, including new single “Wonderful Is Your Name,” and featured tracks “Not the End of Your Story (Sunday Best Performance),” “Without You,” “My Favorite Gift (featuring Joshua Copeland),” and “He Can,” from his first EP, Prologue III. The new album features ten tracks and is releasing on Friday, September 4th. A Louisiana man sentenced to life in prison for less than $30 of marijuana has now been released from prison after nearly a decade of serving his time. According to KTLA5, Derek Harris‘ life sentence was recently reduced to time served, amounting to nine years. He was released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, according to a Tuesday press release from the Promise of Justice Initiative, which is a New Orleans-based nonprofit organization. Harris’ freedom comes at a time when prisons across the country face elevated risks from the coronavirus. Fred Perry & 2nd Generation are a father and son Quartet group hailing from Bolivar, TN. They are godly proud of their new single, “I Appreciate You,” written and produced by the eldest of the 3 sons, Frederick E. Perry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmcf7xSPMaI&feature=youtu.be The huge hit song “Every Praise”, which was certified Gold in December of 2019, is now certified platinum by the RIAA. Hezekiah Walker performed “Every Praise” at the Minneapolis memorial service for George Floyd. Gospel Spotlight's Hezekiah Walker!!! Hear Hezekiah Walker In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/hezekiahwalker_intvw.htm The Clark Sisters Live Virtual Experience presented by Karew Entertainment will go down Sunday, August 30th at 7pm EST on Facebook Live. This is the first ever virtual concert for the 3x Grammy Award-winning group. Gospel Spotlight's Dorinda Clark Cole!!! Hear Dorinda Clark Cole In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/dorinda_intvw.htm The City of Los Angeles agreed to settle a lawsuit for excessive force against the Los Angeles Police Department for $985, 000 for the wrongful shooting a black high school student in the back while he was on the way to school. On February 10, 2015, Jamar Nicholson, along with Jason Huerta and their schoolmates were rapping in an alley a block from school when an LAPD officer, Miguel Guitterez, recklessly assumed there was a robbery in progress. The officer shot at the four students, striking Nicholson in the back and nearly hitting Jason Huerta. In his third campaign for president, former Vice President Joe Biden — who found his “comeback kid” moment in South Carolina on this year’s primary trail — has formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in a speech Thursday — 33 years after he made his first bid for the White House. Under day four’s theme of an “America’s Promise,” Biden assumed center stage at the Chase Center in Delaware — more than 800 miles away from Milwaukee, where the speech was slated to take place in person before the coronavirus pandemic upended the committee’s plans and forced a shift to a mostly virtual format. https://youtu.be/HqmThemEasw Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sat down with PEOPLE magazine for their first joint interview since Biden named Harris as his VP running mate. “It’s really, really, really important to have someone [like Harris on the ticket] with this intellectual capacity, educational background, backbone and stature,” Biden said of his selection to People. “It’s going to change a lot.” When asked if Harris would be the kind of VP to call him out when he’s wrong, the former vice president said, “Yes, she is.” “We already have that understanding. I’m going to be the last one in the room — and there to give him honest feedback,” Harris added. “Being vice president to Joe Biden to me means supporting his agenda and supporting him in every way.” https://youtu.be/WNBfjtakfeE Uber and Lyft have been granted a stay, which means Lyft and Uber will NOT suspend their ride-hailing services in California, Thursday at midnight, after a state appeals court ruled in their favor regarding an injunction against the companies. The move follows a court order in California that requires the companies to reclassify drivers as employees. “While we won’t have to suspend operations tonight, we do need to continue fighting for independence plus benefits for drivers,” said Lyft spokeswoman Julie Wood. https://youtu.be/6q0D_JBKmJc Prince Harry and Meghan Markle participated in a virtual call with young UK leaders as a part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. Despite stepping back from their royal duties earlier this year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are still the president and vice president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. As reported by Entertainment Tonight, during the call, the couple praised Queen Elizabeth II for her role in the Commonwealth. https://youtu.be/M_VgCctli2A Netflix is apologizing Thursday after the marketing of its upcoming release “Cuties” was met with swift backlash online. The critically-acclaimed French-language picture, which won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance this year, follows Amy, an 11-year-old girl who joins a group of dancers named “The Cuties” at school and soon becomes aware of her burgeoning femininity — upsetting her mother and her values. Netflix recently began promoting the September 9 release of the film, but their poster did not sit well with many online. https://youtu.be/M0O7lLe4SmA ESPN national columnist and essay writer Robert “Scoop” Jackson began noticing how pro athletes—especially young NBA stars—started lifting their voices to address civil rights concern by using their platform in professional sports about four years ago, which was roughly the same time that NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began protesting police brutality against black men by taking a knee during the national anthem. Jackson’s new book, “The Game Is Not a Game: The Power, Protest and Politics of American Sports,” sprang from his leaving behind the grind of deadline reporting for ESPN’s website to writing essays for the network. In the book, he “digs deeper” into this sudden influence by those who were once told to “shut up and dribble. As the nation’s double dose of health and economic crises continue, many consumers believe that federal assistance to make ends meet has virtually disappeared. While the $600 weekly federal supplement to augment state unemployment benefits expired July 31. And the Paycheck Protection Program again stopped accepting applications on August 8. A recent policy analysis developed for the Brookings Institution suggests that the wages and earnings of economically vulnerable workers left little – if any – funds for regular household savings. “Unemployed respondents, on average, report a household income of $33,000 which is well below the U.S. median household income of $78,500 and less than 130% of the federal poverty line for a family of four,” wrote authors Jevay Grooms (Howard University), Alberto Ortega (Indiana University), and Joaquin Alfredo-Angel Rubalcaba (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Based on the New York Times #1 bestseller comes The Way I See It, an unprecedented look behind the scenes of two of the most iconic Presidents in American History, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan, as seen through the eyes of renowned photographer Pete Souza. As the Official White House Photographer, Souza was an eyewitness to the unique and tremendous responsibilities of being the most powerful person on Earth. https://youtu.be/7L4ktHbelhc Jay Manuel, who was the Creative Director on the hit series “America’s Next Top Model,” is now opening up about his time on the show and his fallout with series creator Tyra Banks. Speaking to Variety, Jay dished about being “scared to speak up” during “uncomfortable” moments on the show. “There were just certain people working on the show in a senior position where several producers, not just myself, became very scared to speak up,” he expressed. “I actually brought my concern first to another co-executive producer because I was too scared to even take it up higher to an executive producer.” One such “uncomfortable” moment included a photoshoot in Cycle 4 where the models were asked to swap “races” and put in blackface. While Jay objected to the shoot, Banks and executive producer Ken Mok didn’t share his reservations, E! Online reports. The state of Michigan is expected to pay about $600 million to victims of the Flint water crisis. The move is part of a major settlement that is set to be announced this week, per New York Times. The contaminated water disaster occurred in one of Michigan’s poorest, blackest cities, which is being mismanaged by suspected white supremacists. https://youtu.be/nwdiLeONpBs Grammy winning artist Le’Andria Johnson has finally settled her long divorce battle with now ex-husband, Michael Underwood. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville signed the order this week and granted Johnson’s wishes for a divorce. Attorney James L. Walker, Jr. of the Atlanta-based firm, Walker & Associates represented Ms. Johnson. “We are pleased with the decision from the court and Le’Andria is ready to move forward with her life,” said Walker (@jameswalkerjresq). “This has been a very challenging time for her and we want to thank her family and millions of fans for their undying support.” Despite Underwood’s claims on social media that he was concerned about his son, Attorney Walker attempted to arrange a visitation schedule that got rejected by the father. Johnson said. https://youtu.be/n3SeaKTbrmc Tyler Perry dropped in on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday and spoke about having to produce TV shows, with staffers and crew members all staying at his sprawling production studios in Atlanta to prevent any potential COVID-19 transmission. He said that quarantining 377 people is like hosting an “adult summer camp.” He also calls for people to continue having uncomfortable conversations in order to make true progress and talks about Madea’s Farewell Play. He was also asked where the fiercely independent Madea would stand when it comes to wearing a mask. https://youtu.be/-0pEd4qbjP0 Jason Mitchell’s Hollywood career forges ahead following sexual misconduct allegations and his troubles with the law. The actor is set to executive produce and star in the biopic “50 Shots” from TruVision Films, in which he will play Sean Bell, the 23-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by police officers in Queens on Nov. 25, 2006. Mitchell confirmed his involvement in the film in a video posted on Instagram. He said Bell’s father, William Bell, gave his “blessing” to move forward with the project. Clive Davis says the biopic he’s working on about the life and career of Whitney Houston will be a “no holds barred” portrait of the artist, and he won’t sugar-coat anything. Speaking to Variety, Davis, who signed Whitney to her record contract and was her mentor, says, “I have a mission here. I have a mission to make sure that for all time that the full picture of Whitney Houston is captured in a no-holds-barred film that is musically rich and shows her genius and more of her character than we have seen to date.” Time magazine’s special cover project, “The New American Revolution,” was created with artist and producer Pharrell Williams. For the project, Pharrell curated a series of essays and conversations between Black leaders that explore America’s oppressive past and visions for a more equitable future, with perspectives from Kenya Barris, Angela Davis, Imara Jones, Naomi Osaka, Yara Shahidi, Tyler, the Creator and more. “In assembling this project, I asked some of the most qualified people I know in every field – from Angela Davis to Tyler, the Creator, to Representative ­Barbara Lee – to talk with us, and with one another, about the way forward,” he wrote in his own essay published as part of the project. “I wanted to convey a vision of a future filled with the artists, creators and entrepreneurs who can fulfill the promise of this country’s principles.”He continues: “America’s wealth was built on the slave labor of Black people: This is our past. To live up to America’s ideals, we must trust in a Black vision of the future.” Two former Louisiana State University students said recently released Washington Football Team running back Derrius Guice raped them months apart in 2016, when he was a rising star freshman on the LSU football team. A USA TODAY investigation found that the women’s allegations were shared at the time with multiple people at the school – including at least two coaches, an athletics administrator and a nurse – yet the school does not appear to have investigated. TMZ is reporting that the LA County D.A. is overlooking the felony assault charge of a firearm a month after Megan Thee Stallion was shot in both feet as she exited an SUV with Tory Lanez. Tory was only charged with possession of a firearm and it might be possible that he will be charged with felony assault after the district attorney asked the LAPD to further investigate the shooting. The situation in California is getting scary as far as Lyft and Uber are concerned. Efforts to bring gig economy companies in compliance with state labor law AB5 could happen this week. By Friday, the millions of Californians who use Uber and Lyft to hail rides may find themselves forced to resort to other modes of transportation. If and when the companies resume service here, it could be in a dramatically different form reports the LA Times. https://youtu.be/6q0D_JBKmJc Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are celebrating women empowerment — and the massive success of their new single, “WAP” — by giving away $1 million via Twitter and Cash App. “Today women who Tweet with #WAPParty and their $Cashtag will have a chance at receiving a portion of the 1M dollars through Cash App,” the announcement reads. “To celebrate and honor the inspirational conversation that’s been happening in response to the song, Megan and Cardi will be giving back to women in a big way, starting today.” The 2,000 randomly chosen winners will each receive $500. The giveaway ends today. There is outraged after newly released footage backs suspicions that Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri wasn’t the aggressor in a 2019 altercation with a cop. The whole incident occurred after the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors 114-100 on June 13, 2019, to win the NBA championship. As the president of the Raptors, naturally, Ujiri wanted to hurry to the court so he can celebrate with his team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkvtW5CUAMY Reds Announcer Thom Brennaman said an anti-gay slur before the game calling Kansas City, "one of the fag capitals of the world". He would later apologize later during the game knowing he would lose his job because of the remark. https://youtu.be/Tnw0ZOgbrM4 TV One announced today that production for its new original film DON'T WASTE YOUR PRETTY directed by Tamara Bass has concluded in Atlanta, GA. The film, written by Katrina O'Gilvie, is based on the eponymous novel penned by award-winning author and media personality Demetria L. Lucas is slated to premiere in 2021. The cast of DON'T WASTE YOUR PRETTY includes Keri Hilson ("Think Like A Man," "Almost Christmas"), Redaric Williams ("The Yard," "The Young And The Restless"), Deborah Joy Winans ("Greenleaf"), Jasmine Burke ("Saints & Sinners"), Kaye Singleton ("American Soul") and Rainey Branch ("Being Mary Jane," "Grey's Anatomy"). Kamala Harris paid a moving tribute to Black women while accepting her nomination to be Democrats’ candidate for vice president on the third night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). As the first woman of color to enjoy the distinction, Harris made sure to first recognize the Black women who paved the way for her to be in such a historic position while delivering her keynote address Wednesday night. Whenever the topic turns to Barack Obama‘s presidential superiority (and, inevitably, it does), there is never any question of how Trump will react. The president’s incurable case of Obama envy ALWAYS gets the best of him. ALWAYS, as in he always tweets in all-capital letters in an unfortunate effort to get some attention. You know, the same kind of “attention” that Obama clowned Trump about while delivering his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) Wednesday night. Obama absolutely owned Trump in a DNC speech that called out the president’s inability to be the president; on the most basic of levels, at that. Emphasizing “the stakes in this election,” Obama said he never expected his policies to be continued under a Trump administration.“I did hope,” Obama said, however, “for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. That he might come to feel the weight of the office. And discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care. But he never did.” GRAMMY Award winning producer and artist and Chicago native, Peter CottonTale, new single, “Pray For Real,” featuring Tobi Lou and long-time collaborator Chance the Rapper is moving up the charts. “Pray For Real” is lifted from CottonTale’s debut album CATCH and is available now at all major digital streaming and retail outlets. Peter CottonTale’s critically acclaimed debut album, CATCH, features 31 artists including, Kirk Franklin, Tiff Joy, New Direction, Fred Hammond, PJ Morton, Daniel Caesar, Jeremih, Jamila Woods and more. CATCH is a 17-track contemporary hybrid fusing gospel, hip-hop and R&B. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xreY5Lgw0Hk A judge in Georgia has denied bail for a Black driver who claims he shot in self-defense at a truck trying to run him off the road while yelling racial slurs at him in June. William Marcus Wilson, a 21-year-old bi-racial man charged with murder in the shooting that killed a teenage girl despite being legally permitted to carry a gun, has been held behind bars for more than two months in a case centering on the kind of Stand Your Ground Law that has routinely allowed white defendants similarly charged in other states to post bond and be released while awaiting trial. However, even after hearing from a parade of witnesses that included people inside what Wilson’s lawyers have called a “truckload of belligerent racists” offering inconsistent accounts, Bulloch County Superior Court Judge Michael Muldrew apparently resorted to a familiar trope when denying bail. Muldrew decided at a preliminary hearing Tuesday that “Wilson’s anger appeared to have overtaken him when he had contact with the person in the truck,” which renders him “a significant threat to persons in the community.” A private school in Ohio faces major criticism after parents say the school won’t let their six-year-old attend wearing dreadlocks. According to Cincinnati Enquirer, Asten Johnson comes from a family that sports dreadlocks long and proud. However, the Zion Temple Christian Academy in Avondale told the Johnsons that the hairstyle is not allowed at the school, according to Asten’s mom, Christina Johnson. This came as a sudden surprise to the family, considering Asten was enrolled in the school last year while wearing dreadlocks, according to his parents. The family had to make the tough decision to comply with the school rules or to send Asten to another school. They decided on the latter. “What’s disheartening about Zion Temple is it’s in the middle of a Black community, and it’s a predominantly Black school,” Christina Johnson said. “How can you not accept your own people?” Pensacola, Florida native, singer and Season 9 Sunday’s Best finalist Keyla Richardson celebrates her first Gospel Airplay No.1 and Mediabase Gospel Radio No.1 song with “So Good.” “So Good,” which released in 2019 also landed at No.1 on the Gospel Indicator Charts for 8 weeks. A self-trained gospel singer who’s passionate about ministry, Keyla will make her Stellar Awards debut performing her hit song on The Emerging Artist Stage, which will air on BET Networks and BET Her on Sunday, August 23 at 6 p.m. EST. The Gospel Spotlight's Keyla richardson!!! Hear Keyla In her Own words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/keylarichardson_intvw.htm There are singing sibling acts who have made an everlasting impact in Gospel and Christian music. Sibling duo groups Dawkins & Dawkins, Mary Mary, Anointed, and BeBe & CeCe Winans have delivered hit songs and albums and have won an impressive heap of music awards. A new brother and sister duo called Tichenor is making a strong entrance into Gospel music with a fresh vibe and fresh music. Tichenor has combined their individual unique vocal stylings into a harmonious and soulfully fluid musical experience. The duo has released their debut single “I Trust You Lord – Step By Step” that is the perfect mix of Gregory’s smooth crooning and Denise’s powerful churchy bravura. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAyifqcRhks&feature=youtu.be Newly outspoken Christian Kanye West urged the social media app TikTok to consider making a Christian version of their technology that is suitable for children. The billionaire fashion designer, rapper and 2020 presidential hopeful took to Twitter to share that he had a vision about a faith and family-friendly version of the Chinese company TikTok. “A vision just came to me… Jesus Tok,” West Tweeted. “I was watching TikTok with my daughter and as a Christian father I was disturbed by a lot of the content but I completely loved the technology.” Callie Evans and Audri Williams, teachers at Albany, Georgia’s Monroe Comprehensive High School, thought they’d do something encouraging to get their students hyped for the virtual school year. https://www.instagram.com/audriwill_/?utm_source=ig_embed An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airs Thursday and finds Kurupt ready to leave the boot camp after a night of fighting with his lady-love Toni. https://youtu.be/djT2MEaSFLk Howard University President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, who is also a physician, has a preliminary diagnosis for America’s condition while fighting the coronavirus. “I would say the patient is critically ill, but it is a treatable disease if you follow the prescription,” said Frederick, who helms the historically black university in Washington, D.C. with an enrollment of about 10,000. “If you follow the social-distance protocols, get tested, and stay home when you’re feeling sick, you will recover.” Democrats, Republicans and Independents would all be in favor of choosing a Black male celebrity to be the next “celebrity president” of the United States once the current one is voted out of the White House. Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” has teamed with research data and analytics group YouGov for an ongoing polling initiative seeking the celebrity that Americans most want to see as the next president. Of course, Morgan Freeman is leading the poll, and he’s in front across all three major party lines. https://youtu.be/noPjcgUDOV0 The rich white couple in St. Louis who got a lot of attention for brandishing automatic guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in June are set to speak at the Republican National Convention next week. Joel Schwartz, one of the lawyers for Mark and Patricia McCloskey, confirmed that the couple has been invited to take part, but it remains unclear on what day, as final details are still being worked out, according to NPR. The McCloskeys are not exactly home free, so to speak, for their infractions of the law back in June. The reality is they are facing felony charges for waving firearms “in a threatening manner” at demonstrators as they marched through the couple’s neighborhood en route to the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, who lives nearby. The couple, both attorneys, said they armed themselves because they felt threatened by the protesters. Images of the incident went viral on social media. https://youtu.be/O8k_e1E3Xc0 A mother in Portland, Ore. has designed a poster aimed at helping parents and teachers educate their children about racism. Taimani Reed – a photographer, brand designer and illustrator – in June launched her project “A is for Ally,” a collection of art which focuses on the ABCs of acceptance and words associated with oppression.“I just couldn’t figure out how to talk to my kids,” Reed told “Good Morning America.” “I was watching George Floyd yelling for his mama and my own kid was like, ‘Mama, what’s wrong?’ That was such an emotional moment. I didn’t want to tell him, ‘The world is horrible,’ but I also didn’t want him to grow up not knowing.” https://www.instagram.com/taimaniemeraldcreative/?utm_source=ig_embed The woman who went viral in June for not wearing a mask at a Jacksonville, Fla. Pier 1 store and deliberately coughing on a woman undergoing cancer treatment has been arrested and charged with assault. Heather Sprague told police she was watching 52-year-old Debra Vecchio Hunter berate employees in the store over having to wear a mask when she decided to film the antics with her phone. Hunter saw Sprague filming and turned her ire toward the woman. Sprague, who was wearing a mask, was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. https://youtu.be/XGDJSH7wUWQ Sheriff Darryl Daniels of Clay County, Florida can no longer be referred to with that title because it was stripped from him by Governor Ron DeSantis after being arrested due to an investigation of a sex scandal. Daniels, one of 48 sheriffs to give an endorsement to the Trump/Pence re-election, was charged with tampering with evidence in addition to three misdemeanor counts of giving false information to law enforcement. As far as Daniels is concerned, his arrest and investigation is nothing more than “dirty politics” at work. He stated that any issues with the scandal were personal and didn’t affect his job as sheriff, although the sex scandal included an order he gave to staff. https://youtu.be/Ghtb-k8sPSE One of the men who was convicted of killing Michael Jordan‘s father over 20 years ago has been granted parole. Larry Demery is set to be released from prison Aug. 6, 2023—more than 30 years after his involvement in the slaying of James Raymond Jordan, according to WSOCTV. He was denied parole in two previous hearings. In 1996, Demery was convicted of the first-degree murder of Jordan. In July of 1993, Jordan had been sleeping in his Lexus at a rest stop off Highway 74 in Robeson County when Demery and another man, Daniel Green, approached the car and fatally shot him. His body was dumped off a bridge in South Carolina, and was discovered with a bullet wound in the chest 11 days later. https://youtu.be/gh0QNtBVl2Q Rapper Common has launched a self-help wellness series on YouTube called “Com&Well,” which aims to provide fans with self care tips and mental health wellness advice. The six-episode series features live conversations with his health and wellness teams, and also finds Common sharing his work-outs and hobbies designed to maintain a healthy peace of mind. The series is filmed in his home using Skype, Zoom and YouTube, and guests include Grace Harry, Yancy Berry and Ron Finley. https://youtu.be/a3Y_zj5lMls “Better Call Saul” co-creator Peter Gould says the upcoming final season of the series will have a “Breaking Bad” tie-in that may surprise fans of the former AMC series. During a Zoom session with Daniel Fienberg for the Hollywood Reporter, Gould was asked how the creative team is approaching the end of Saul while being mindful of how the character also shaped “Breaking Bad.” Gould said the fates of certain characters may “throw them into a different light,” adding “I don’t know if all the joints are going to be absolutely even. I’d sure hope so,” he said. “We’re going to do our best to sand it down.” https://youtu.be/ZXn8Pntes00 Join Dr. Leonard Scott Wednesday, August 19th at 6pm EST as he will have special guest, Ruth La'Ontra on #WorshipAndWellnessWednesdays! Gospel Spotlight's Ruth La'Ontra!!! Hear Ruth La'Ontra In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ruthlaontra_intvw.htm The talent on The ICHO Group’s roster have combined to earn nine nominations at the 51st Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards. The ICHO Group’s nominated clients include: Travis Greene, Kierra Sheard, J.J. Hairston and Dr. Holly Carter. Gospel Spotlight's Travis Greene!!! Hear Travis Greene In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/travisgreene_23NOV2015_intvw.mp3.mp3 The Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr has been accused of raping a woman twice in a New York City hotel room in 2013, according to a civil lawsuit filed on Tuesday. The woman, identified in the lawsuit only as “Jane Doe”, said she met Gooding in a Manhattan bar in August 2013 and was invited to join him for drinks at a nearby hotel. Gooding asked her up to his hotel room, where he said he needed to change his clothes. The actor then raped her, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the southern district of New York. Gooding’s attorney, Mark Jay Heller, said the allegations were untrue. “The allegations are false. It’s an event that took place seven years ago. No complaint was ever lodged. We believe the allegations and the complaint will be dismissed,” Heller told Reuters by phone. The woman at the center of NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer’s abrupt exit is the same actress whose involvement with Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara led to the executive’s ouster last year. Sources say Charlotte Kirk, the actress whose affair with Tsujihara had been detailed in a March 2019 Hollywood Reporter story, also had been in a romantic relationship with Meyer. In the case of Tsujihara, text messages showed that he lobbied for Kirk to be considered for a number of Warners movies, an abuse of power that led to his ouster 11 days after THR first reported on the relationship. With Meyer, Kirk’s professional trail leading back to Universal was not apparent. Last September, Atlanta resident Kevil Wingo was booked for drug possession into the Cobb County Detention Center, where he ultimately died. Now video has been released of the 36-year-old repeatedly yelling that he couldn’t breath as deputies and medical personnel witnessed him slowly dying. According to 11Alive, the details of Wingo’s death were concealed for nine months until the sheriff’s office finished its internal affairs investigation in June. The report says no staff member committed a crime or went against jail policy, nor was any disciplinary action recommended. https://youtu.be/cgQCe8F5Lmo On Tuesday, the Mizell family released a statement via Run-DMC‘s social media channels. “Upon hearing this news we have mixed emotions,” they wrote. “We truly hope that these indictments are a solid step towards justice being served in the murder of Jay.” Then, they acknowledged that there are “other families out there” who also don’t have closure because of an open case. “We pray that this case gives them hope,” the Mizell Family said. https://www.instagram.com/rundmc/?utm_source=ig_embed Country music legend Dolly Parton announced this week she will be releasing a new Christmas album on Oct. 2. It will be her first holiday offering in three decades and will feature collaborations with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, big band crooner Michael Bublé, late-night comedian Jimmy Fallon and entertainment icon Willie Nelson, among others. Netflix is looking to celebrate Black voices and authors with a new live-action preschool series. The streamer has ordered twelve five-minute episodes of Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices, which will feature Black celebrities and artists reading children’s books written by Black authors, which highlight the Black experience. Hosted by author Marley Dias, the collection of books and conversations center around themes of identity, respect, justice, and action. Among the celebrities involved are Tiffany Haddish, Lupita Nyong’o and Common. Nyong’o will be reading her own story “Sulwe,” while Haddish will read “I Love My Hair” by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, and Common “Let’s Talk About Race” by Julius Lester. If you’ve been trying to find “the next Tiger Woods” on the golf circuit, perhaps consider Tiger’s own son, Charlie. The apple may not fall far from the tree when it comes to ability on the links. The 11-year-old won a US Kids Golf event at Hammock Creek golf course in Palm City, Florida, over the weekend and he put on quite a dominant show in the process. Woods won the nine-hole tournament by five strokes, shooting a 3-under 33 to clear finish atop the field. Charlie had a clean round, tallying three birdies and no bogeys. The Charlotte Hornets indefinitely suspended a radio announcer who claimed he accidentally used a racial slur on social media.John Focke said his use of the N-word was an unfortunate typo as he commented on the Utah Jazz-Denver Nuggets playoff series and the 1-on-1 battle between stars Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray. “Shot making in his Jazz-[N-word] game is awesome! Murray and Mitchell going back and forth what a game!” his tweet said. GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Q Parker releases his new single "I Need You" from his forthcoming album, The Bridge Project: Brothers United. The track serves as the forthcoming album's second single, following its lead single "Made For" featuring Q Parker, Avery Wilson, Deitrick Haddon, and Eric Dawkins. In light of the current political state of unrest, “I Need You” champions unity, humanity, community and brotherhood. https://www.dropbox.com/s/mwius5g71qyp6to/3%20-%20I%20Need%20You%20RCL%20Main.wav?dl=0 “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” star Miss Robbie Montgomery and her son/partner James Timothy “Tim” Norman had a huge falling out several years ago and they’ve been estranged ever since. Now to make the situation even worse between them comes word that Norman has been arrested for an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving his nephew Andre Montgomery and Miss Robbie’s grandson. James ‘Tim’ Norman, 41, was arrested by FBI agents in Jackson, Mississippi, on Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire, resulting in death, and was booked into the Madison County Detention Center. According to a criminal complaint, Norman allegedly conspired with exotic dancer Terica Ellis to kill his nephew, Andrew Montgomery, who was shot dead in St. Louis on March 14, 2016. https://youtu.be/n30rmeQfCec As the world mourned the death of George Floyd and fight for justice for Black Lives, many also began to speak out against the injustices, including police officers themselves. One particular Officer, whose story we shared after he went viral for his Tik Tok video was recently fired from duty by the Greensboro, NC Police Department for expressing his thoughts. Former officer Ja’Quay Willams posted a video on his account where he spoke about the murder of George Floyd, and pleaded for other officer’s to not stay silent when they see a fellow officer doing something bad. He encouraged other officers to not be afraid to step in. Following anonymous accusations leveled in a June 28th blog post against ESSENCE and its owner and chair Richelieu Dennis, our company launched a comprehensive and independent review by the law firms Proskauer Rose and Morgan Lewis that included investigating claims of sexual harassment and other issues that may adversely impact workplace culture. This included outreach to the anonymous accusers and interviews with current and former employees. Today, we are providing an update on the review process and sharing the findings released by Proskauer Rose, led by partner Keisha-Ann Gray, concerning sexual harassment. The investigation concluded that these claims are not substantiated. There were no suggestions or allegations of any sexual harassment by Dennis from witnesses in any of the interviews, nor were there ever any formal or informal complaints made to the company – despite ESSENCE engaging outside HR consultants and internal professionals, unrelated to Dennis, during the entire tenure of Dennis’ ownership with whom complaints could be filed. Media personality Rocsi Diaz is best known as the former co-host of BET’s music show “106 & Park,” where she reached 85 million homes worldwide during her time on the hit series. She has since gone to host “The Daily Share,” “Dating Naked,” “Behind The Movie,” “People TV’s Chatter” and most recently the new reality series, “Canonball“. “Cannonball” is a 10-episode competition series that features contestants from all across America facing off in one of the biggest, wettest, slippery-est water sports competitions ever created. From sliding off a 100-foot waterslide to rocketing off one of the world’s fastest drop towers, contestants battle a variety of water obstacles to win a $10K cash prize, the press release states. WE tv’s “Love After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode, and finds former inmate Chanda opening up about her troubled childhood and past drug use to her prison pen pal, Tyrice. https://youtu.be/PmDE9x2PdY8 “I knew it would be a song to reach all audiences,” said two-time Gospel Image Award winner Steve Dalton about the single “God Is Love.” The single, released by Steve Dalton and The Leviticus Singers of Charlotte, broke a “Gospel Airplay Internet Radio Chart” record by staying at #1 for 20 weeks straight, breaking the 17 week record of Micah Lee for his “Don’t Break” single. “It has that type of appeal to it. “Steve said the song was a divine inspiration. https://youtu.be/5k5-gBqIzG0 Colin Kaepernick has joined Medium’s Board of Directors to help amplify stories of race and civil rights and give a platform to people of color. Medium CEO Ev Williams said in a statement on Thursday that Kaepernick’s insight is “desperately needed” in the industry. “I met Colin a couple years ago and have been wanting to work with him ever since. When he launched Kaepernick Publishing in February, we started a conversation and quickly realized how closely our ideals and sensibilities align. I know he will bring valuable insights and leadership to Medium, especially in this moment when the world is finally catching up to his vision on racial justice,” he wrote. Supermodel and anti-racism activist Naomi Campbell is teaming up with Studio71 to build and diversify her digital content portfolio. According to Variety, the partnership will allow Campbell to grow content via ad sales, channel optimization, and brand partnerships across social media and video sharing platforms. On Facebook she has 1.9 million followers, on Twitter she has over $700k and on YouTube, Naomi has 440,000 subscribers, where she hosts an interview series “No Filter with Naomi. With 25 years of chart-topping hits and over 25 million records sold, multi-platinum R&B legends 112 are following up their latest single “Spend It All” with the black lives matter-inspired record and music video, “For Us,” on August 21. The newly revamped duo has partnered with global music distributor, ONErpm, to drop their highly-anticipated 112 FOREVER: Slim & Mike EP across all major digital platforms on August 28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h05_QpDTbpQ&feature=youtu.be The Grammy® Award winning R&B singer, producer and keyboardist for Maroon 5 – has come full-circle with his first-ever spiritually-themed album, "Gospel According to PJ" an all-star experience featuring a who’s who in the genre, ranging from Kirk Franklin to The Clark Sisters. Space City is heavily represented with Yolanda Adams, Brian Courtney Wilson, Darrel `MusiqCity’ Walls of The Walls Group, Zacardi Cortez and Kim Burrell. Most of the album was recorded this summer at the height of the national quarantine. From his New Orleans recording hub, Morton supervised the Houston sessions via Zoom, FaceTime and AudioMover. The thirteen-track set releases to all digital service platforms globally on August 28th. The Gospel Spotlights PJ Morton!!! Hear PJ Morton IN His Own words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/pj_morton_intvw.htm The Gospel Spotlight an innovating company that puts you inside the Entertainment Industry with important news, the arts, lifestyles and more announces a new series. It's called "The Playoffs." Hear your favorite artist go one on one in a musical playoff. Today in "The Playoffs" it Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Tamela Mann. Njoy!!! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/tashatamela.mp3 Members of George Floyd’s family delivered an unexpected address during the opening night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in an effort to both bring attention to the police violence that claimed their loved one as well as makes sure their names are remembered. Floyd’s brother Philonise said George “should be alive today” before running down a list of the names of other victims of senseless police violence, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Stephon Clark, Sandra Bland and too many others. “George was selfless. He always made sacrifices for his family, friends, and even complete strangers. George had a giving spirit,” Philonise Floyd added. “A spirit that has shown up on streets around our nation, and around the world—people of all races, all ages, all genders, all backgrounds—peacefully protesting in the name of love and unity.” Michelle Obama‘s comments Monday night at the Democratic National Convention about Donald Trump hit him where it hurts. Tuesday morning he called her speech “extremely divisive” and unworthy of praise. She was over her head,” Trump said, repeating a slightly mangled version of a line Michelle Obama used to describe him. “She gets these fawning reviews,” Trump said during a White House ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. “If you gave a real review, it wouldn’t be so fawning.” Trump’s critique came in the wake of the former first lady’s blistering attack on him during the opening night of the DNC. In taped remarks, Mrs. Obama referred to Trump as “the wrong president for our country.” Kanye West is continuing his vie for president amid reports that he’s being backed by Republicans, and now Utah is the latest state that’s allowing him on its ballot this November. According to Associated Press, the 43-year-old rapper qualified for the Utah ballot as an unaffiliated presidential candidate. State Elections Director Justin Lee explained that his office verified that West’s campaign collected the 1,000 signatures from registered voters necessary to appear on the ballot. Candace Owens ambitious Blexit organization has been trying to convince Black people to leave the Democratic Party as a way to help sway the 2020 election in favor of Donald Trump‘s re-election efforts. But, according to a new poll, that effort has been completely — and, perhaps more notably, embarrassingly — in vain as a higher number of Black voters are rallying around the current Democratic ticket than they did the 2016 version of it four years ago. Black voters are supporting Joe Biden in record numbers heading into the Democratic National Convention, a new CBS News poll found. Ninety percent of Black voters identified themselves as being pro-Biden versus 6 percent of Black voters supporting Trump, the poll’s results showed. CBS News reporter Bo Erickson tweeted Sunday that the 90 percent figure “is higher than the 72% percent of Black voters backing Hillary Clinton heading into her nominating convention in 2016.” A reboot of the 1995 movie “Clueless” is coming to NBC’s new Peacock streaming service. It was previously reported that CBS TV Studios had ordered a reimagining of the popular feature film, now a cult classic. The story centers on Cher Horowitz, a high school student who befriends a new student named Tai Frasier and decides to give her a makeover. https://youtu.be/RS0KyTZ3Ie4 The dynamic duo is back as Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba return for the second season of the Jerry Bruckheimer and Sony Pictures Television-produced series, L.A.’s FINEST on Wednesday, September 9 when all 13 episodes drop On Demand. Next up, from the sunny streets of Los Angeles to deep below the London underground, Spectrum Originals will also debut TEMPLE, a Mark Strong-led eight-part thriller set to premiere Monday, October 26. Tavis Smiley has been ordered to pay $2.6 million to PSB for having multiple affairs with his subordinates. In March, a jury in Washington DC found that Smiley breached the morals clause in his contract and awarded PBS $1.5 million. Smiley, who hosted a talk show on the network, was dismissed back in 2017 following “troubled, but credible allegations” PBS said it had received against Smiley. It seems the big problem is the PBS’ “morals” clause. It bars romantic relationships in the office and also disallows employees from acting in a way that would impact the employee or network in a negative way. Smiley first sued PBS for wrongful termination, claiming racial bias contributed to his dismissal. The network counter-sued, arguing that Smiley owed for a season that didn’t air, USA Today reported. https://youtu.be/27jBzXtCqY4 Lizzo has won her legal battle over songwriting credit for her hit single “Truth Hurts.” Lizzo was sued late last year by two songwriters who claim they helped come up with a famous lyric in the song. In a post on Instagram, Justin and Jeremiah Raisen say the line “I just took a DNA test turns out I’m 100% that B*tch” came from a writing session which they were a part of. https://youtu.be/P00HMxdsVZI Laurence Fishburne known for The Matrix” franchise has revealed he has not been invited to reprise his role for the upcoming fourth installment in the film series. The actor played Morpheus in the trilogy opposite Keanu Reeves. Speaking to New York Magazine, Fishburne says he has “not been invited” back to the production along with original stars Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss. “I have not been invited,” Fishburne told the publication. “Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it’s great.” has revealed. Michelle Obama had one message for Americans at Monday night’s Democratic National Convention: “If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can; and they will if we don’t make a change in this election.” It was a dire warning, but it captured the essence of a speech filled with bleak imagery and painful reality. https://youtu.be/uBJabgcHP3Q The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Monday became the first major college to pivot to online classes after reopening in person. The reversal took one week. Since the university started courses in person Aug. 10, it has reported at least four clusters of outbreaks of COVID-19 in student living spaces. Undergraduate courses will go remote Wednesday, and the university said it will reduce the density in its dorms. UNC was one of the first and largest universities to bring students back to campus for in-person classes. It was under close scrutiny as a potential harbinger for other institutions planning on resuming face-to-face instruction this month or next. Conservative radio host #RushLimbaugh caused a firestorm on social media after he referred to Kamala Harris as a “hoe” and proceeded to insinuate that her political career was due to her personal relationships. While reading an article about how Harris “brazenly slept her way” into politics, he repeated and seemingly agreed with a meme referencing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as “Joe and the Hoe.” The right-wing host was talking about the recent firing of veteran NBA photographer Bill Baptist, who shared the meme on Facebook. Jason Wright becomes the NFL’s first Black — and youngest — team president. The 38-year-old former running back is making history for the league with its record of white-only team leaders. Wright is also expected to help turn things around for the Washington Football Team as it attempts to claw out of a series of dire crises, including breaking a long losing streak, overcoming scathing allegations of sexual harassment, and an overall perception of a toxic atmosphere. “Hopefully, having not grown up in [Washington’s] front office allows me to bring some catalytic thinking,” Wright told The Washington Post, whose predecessor was Bruce Allen who held the position for 10 years. MC Lyte and her husband are calling it quits after three years of marriage. The rapper, born Lana Michelle Moorer, has filed for divorce from John Wyche, TMZ and The Blast report. Lyte, 49, reportedly cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. The couple tied the knot in 2017, after meeting that same year on Match.com. They married in an intimate ceremony in Montego Bay, Jamaica, PEOPLE reports. Sharon Stone has condemned “non-mask wearers” for the fate of her younger sister, who is hospitalised with coronavirus and “fighting for her life”. The actor, 62, shared photographs on Instagram of the equipment in her sister’s room, as well as a medical worker in full PPE. She wrote in the caption: “My sister Kelly, who already has lupus, now has Covid-19. This is her hospital room. One of the Non-Mask wearers did this,” Stone wrote. “She does not have an immune system. The only place she went was the pharmacy.” The creator of the new Disney Channel cartoon “The Owl House” has opened up about how the lead character of the show is bisexual — a reflection of her own sexual orientation. Luz Noceda is believed to be the network’s first bisexual lead character. Series creator Dana Terrace told Twitter followers last week that her “stubbornness” in getting leadership at the children’s television network to back her on having a bisexual lead character for the show that debuted in January has “paid off.” Jayson Tatum had career playoff highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-101 on Monday in Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. “Offensively, it doesn’t feel like he’s got 32 at the end of the night,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “He just plays the game within himself. He did a lot of good things tonight.” Jaylen Brown scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. Fred VanVleet scored 30 points and led Toronto’s sizzling 3-point attack as the defending NBA champion Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 134-110 in the opening game of their first-round playoff series Monday. VanVleet went 8 of 10 from 3-point range and the Raptors shot 22 of 44 from beyond the arc as a team as they maintained playoff intensity even without any fans attending postseason games at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. The Raptors’ 22 3-pointers matched a season high and set a franchise playoff record. America’s most inspirational singing competition on BET, “Sunday Best,” has announced it’s season 10 finalists - Jada Spight (Buffalo, NY) and Stephanie Summers (Colorado Springs, NY). The season 10 finale of “Sunday Best” airs Sunday, August 23rd at 8PM ET/PT and voting is now open to the public at BET.com/SundayBestVote. The season 10 winner will receive a recording contract with RCA Inspiration, a cash prize of $50,000 and the title “Sunday Best.” SEASON 10 FINALE EPISODE SET TO FEATURE PERFORMANCES BY THE CLARK SISTERS, ERICA CAMPBELL, JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS, KIERRA SHEARD & SEASON 9 WINNER MELVIN CRISPELL III BET.com/SundayBestVote For the first time in its 108-year history, a Black woman will sit at the helm of the Girl Scouts of the USA. According to Forbes, Judith Batty was recently appointed as interim chief executive officer of the youth leadership development organization. For Batty, the appointment is a full-circle moment. She participated in the nonprofit’s programs as a child and in adulthood served two terms on the National Board and most recently served as International Commissioner and member of the Executive Committee. Outside of her work with the Girl Scouts of the USA, Batty has also held an executive-level role at ExxonMobil where she was the first Black woman to serve as General Counsel of the company’s affiliate in Japan. In her new role, she will be responsible for developing strategies to expand the organization’s reach and impact. She succeeds Sylvia Acevedo who served as CEO for four years. From her writing credits for some of the most definitive songs to her endeavors in the hospitality industry and everything in between, Kandi Burruss is known for making boss moves across different spaces. Her entrepreneurial journey will be the focus of a new course at Georgia State University, the institution reported. The course—which will be offered to Georgia State Law students—is part of the school’s Entertainment, Sports and Media Law Initiative which is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to pursue careers in different areas of the entertainment industry. Rapper Ludacris was the subject of last year’s course and Burruss’ business moves will be highlighted during the fall semester. As Election Day nears, NBA star LeBron James is furthering his efforts to ensure that individuals exercise their right to vote. According to ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers player has teamed up with the MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers to transform Dodger Stadium into a polling site for the November election. The effort is being led through James’ nonprofit More Than a Vote; an organization that he launched in June to encourage the Black community to register to vote and to spread awareness about voter suppression tactics being used throughout the country. The partnership with the Dodgers is historic as it is the first time an MLB team has utilized a stadium as a voting center. Amid the pandemic, Dodger Stadium was used as a coronavirus testing site and a space to distribute food for families battling food insecurity. The polling site will be open five days prior to November 3 for all registered voters in Los Angeles to cast their votes. Rapper 21 Savage is furthering his efforts to empower youth. The music artist—whose real name is Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph—recently donated laptops to children in DeKalb County, Georgia. Abraham-Joseph organized the effort as a way to address the digital divide. As many schools have shifted to virtual learning amid the pandemic, he wanted to ensure students have accessibility to the tools needed to learn. During his fifth annual “Issa Back 2 School Drive”, which was hosted at the Decatur-based Glenwood Road Flea Market, volunteers distributed backpacks, face masks, laptops and other school supplies. http://www.gospel-spotlight.comSeason 10 BET's Sunday Best finalist Jamal Roberts has announced the upcoming release of his debut single titled "He's Preparing Me". The highly anticipated single will be released nationally to all digital outlet stores on August 21st. WATCH: Gospel Singers Guess The Singer Behind These Famous Vocal Runs In 'Who Ran That? Vol. 2'......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD3_6XEPpXs&feature=youtu.be The killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay has basically remained a complete mystery since the incident happened nearly 18 years ago. But, today federal prosecutors will announce the indictment of two men who have long been suspected of participating in the killing of the D.J., whose real name was Jason Mizell. The men, Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan, Jr., were indicted on charges of murder while engaged in drug trafficking, according to two law enforcement officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity according to the NY Times. https://youtu.be/KF6KOSmBDg4 Rapper Cardi B had a wide-ranging discussion with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden for Elle Magazine, covering everything from COVID-19 to police brutality. But first and foremost, she told Biden, “I just want Trump out. His mouth gets us in trouble so much.” https://youtu.be/o71LtfUtSAo Will Smith and Kevin Hart are teaming for a remake of the 1987 classic “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” for Paramount Pictures. The original Thanksgiving comedy starred Steve Martin and John Candy and centers on a man struggling to travel home for Thanksgiving with an oaf of a shower curtain ring salesman as his only companion. https://youtu.be/VWGqGHMO294 In anticipation of the 2020 presidential election, “All In: The Fight For Democracy,” examines the often overlooked, yet insidious issue of voter suppression in the United States. The film interweaves personal experiences with current activism and historical insight to expose a problem that has corrupted our democracy from the very beginning. With the perspective and expertise of Stacey Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, the documentary offers an insider’s look into laws and barriers to voting that most people don’t even know is a threat to their basic rights as citizens of the United States. https://youtu.be/t6jVGswLPd8 Apple has won an intense bidding war for an untitled Africa-set thriller with Idris Elba playing lead and also producing with Genre Films’ Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon. The film is described as a “spy movie with romance” set in Africa. The script comes from Travon Free, best known for “Black Monday” and “The Daily Show.” Netflix has tapped “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris to produce a documentary feature based on the life and career of civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The project will be directed and produced by Emmy-nominated Nadia Hallgren, and Barris will co-produce with Roger Ross Williams, Lauren Cioffi with Geoff Martz executive producing. Kim Kardashian and Monica are on a mission to free C-Murder from prison. C-Murder, born Corey Miller, is serving life in prison for the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Steve Thomas in 2009. Miller, brother of rapper Master P, appealed after one of the jurors, Mary Jacob, revealed she (and other jurors) received “brutal” pressure to vote guilty. But his murder conviction was upheld by the court. Kenneth Jordan, a key witness in trial, filed a sworn affidavit, in 2018 stating, “I know the individual that I saw shoot the gun was not Corey Miller.” Jordan says Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives pressured him to lie under oath, or else he would face a 10-year sentence on unrelated criminal charges. Trump-loving conservatives Diamond and Silk believe their ouster from Fox News could be the result of “systemic racism.” The network parted ways Lynette “Diamond” Hardaway and Rochelle “Silk” Richardson in April after they pushed coronavirus conspiracy theories on Twitter. The duo claims white news anchors at the network did the same but suffered no consequences. Silk previously claimed the global health crisis is “man-made” and “engineered,” and possibly has a “little deep-state action going on behind the scenes.” She also questioned whether the World Health Organization has a “switch” to “turn this virus on and off?” Twitter also deleted a tweet from the pair that suggested Americans should defy the sheltering guidelines and expose themselves to coronavirus in order to build up a resistance to the deadly contagion. Freeform’s new romantic-comedy limited series, “Love in the Time if Corona” takes an interesting look at that question. In one of the first productions to take place during the Covid-19 pandemic, the ensemble-led show was shot using remote technologies from the cast’s actual homes. The series follows four interwoven stories about the hopeful search for love and connection during this time of quarantine. It begins during the early stages of the stay-at-home order and includes the events that ignited the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests. https://youtu.be/eSDiZyNu6Ok Last week, the California Supreme Court ruled that Los Angeles County had to pay $8 million to the family of Darren Burley, an unarmed Black man who died under circumstances similar to George Floyd. In 2012, Deputy David Aviles placed his knee on Burley’s neck and back while restraining him. Aviles weighs 200lbs. Burley died 10 days later in the hospital. The violent murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police has inflamed the country and sparked protests in California and around the nation and the world. Gucci Mane and his wife Keyshia Ka’oir are expecting their first child together. The couple announced the exciting news on social media on Friday. “My wife pregnant my life is great @keyshiakaoir,” Gucci 40, wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Ka’oir showing off her baby bump in black lingerie that she accessorized, diamond jewelry and stiletto nails. Tiffany Haddish in a recent interview with fellow comedian Luenell on DJ Vlad’s YouTube show, the actress/comedian admits she couldn’t read as a child and up until her teen years. She also finds it ironic that she was nominated for a 2018 Grammy for the audiobook version of her memoir. “The Last Black Unicorn.” https://youtu.be/mN2wi6KLID4 Kanye West has a lot on his plate these days, specifically his highly controversial presidential run—now he has just been acknowledged for his latest album. The 51st annual Dove Award nominations were recently announced and Kanye scored multiple nominations for his chart-topping gospel album “Jesus Is King.” First-time nominee Kanye West earned three nominations for his highly successful hit gospel album “Jesus Is King.” The album debuted at the top of the gospel charts back in November and has remained there for several weeks. The Recording Academy has announced a renaming and redefining to the “Best Urban Contemporary Album” label for the Grammys. The category, which was added to the award show in 2012, will now be known as “Best Progressive R&B Album.” “The Academy accepts proposals for rule changes from members of the music community throughout the year that are carefully reviewed and, if accepted, ultimately ratified at our annual Board meeting, a process that we are proud to have continued in this challenging year,” said Harvey Mason Jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “ Rena Scott has a new single taken from her (music vault) called “Driftin On A Dream,” written by her and the late great Skip Scarborough in 1982. That same Rena toured all over the US and Europe with the Crusaders, performing in top R&B/Jazz Festivals with crowd’s up to 50,000, featuring Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Sticks Hooper, side men Eddie Watkins on bass and Barry Finnerty on guitar. In 1983 Rena recorded “Driftin On A Dream” with the Crusaders performing on it. https://youtu.be/xObMb0ws3wI ; Amid the Black Lives Matter protests over the police-killing of George Floyd, Tamron Hall is using her platform to urge followers to use their voices to inspire change. But one thing that remains a constant in her life is the unsolved murder of her sister Renate 16 years ago. https://youtu.be/8PelL5H0T0E Every since Quakers Oaks decided to rebrand the “racist” packaging of its Aunt Jemima pancake products, the founder of Michele Foods Inc. has seen a huge increase in sales of its syrup. Michele Hoskins is founder of Michele Foods Inc., a multi-million dollar business whose products are sold in more than 10,000 stores nationwide. Warner Bros, Apple, MGM, Lionsgate and Universal are among the studios in a bidding war at the virtual Cannes Film Festival over the world rights to the film “Emancipation.” Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film stars Will Smith as a real-life historical figure named Peter, who was a “runaway slave forced to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey North where he joined the Union Army.” On the eve of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), there is a growing movement calling for LeBron James to be included among the slate of speakers scheduled to take part in the historic occasion being held remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic. The calls came as the NBA superstar has been increasingly vocal when it comes to politics and social justice. The idea for James to speak at the DNC seemingly began during Saturday morning’s episode of AMJoy on MSNBC during a panel discussion about what Democrats needed to do in terms of outreach to Black men in particular. Tiffany Cross, the anchor who was moderating, asked her Black male panelists for their opinions on the matter, prompting journalist Elie Mystal to suggest LeBron speak at the DNC. Black women are making historic moves in the realm of STEM. Jasmine Bowers recently became the first Black person to graduate with a doctorate degree in computer science from the University of Florida. Bowers—who earned her master’s degree from North Carolina A&T and double majored in Math and Computer Science at Fort Valley State University during her undergraduate years—developed a passion for technology at a young age. From creating Excel files for her wish lists to utilizing different tech tools, technology was something that was embedded in her childhood. She pulled her inspiration from her mother who is a self-taught engineer. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of children as they return to school has been pushed to the forefront of a national conversation. According to CNN, athlete and mogul Serena Williams is leading an effort focused on ensuring that underserved schools have the resources needed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus among youth. The tennis star joined forces with the apparel brand Bella+Canvas, Scholastic and the National School Board Association for the creation of the #MasksForKids program. Through the initiative, they will donate 4.2 million face masks to schools throughout the U.S. Additionally, 54 million children will receive learning materials. Donald Trump’s brother, Robert Trump, who served as a real estate developer-executive at the Trump Organization, passed away on Saturday. He was 72 years old. “It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight,” Donald Trump said in a statement. “He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.” https://youtu.be/9d9iprbBN2k Building upon the momentum and public engagement generated by 20 Seconds or More and 20 Segundos o Más, the high-impact music video PSAs that have become global anthems and rallying cries around the importance of handwashing in the fight against COVID-19 since launching in April and July, respectively, Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) today released Behind the Mask. Behind the Mask is an original new song and music video designed to increase the use of face masks as an effective means of stopping the spread of the coronavirus around the world. It is the third installment in a trilogy of COVID-related music video PSAs produced by Hip Hop Public Health, the New York-based, nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to build health equity through the transformative power of music, art and science. https://youtu.be/NUdQHW01L6o “Family Guy” voice actor Mike Henry is stepping down from his role as Cleveland Brown. Henry announced his departure on social media on Friday, saying in a statement, “It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.” Henry has provided the voice of the character since the Fox animated series’ debut in 1999. Actor Wendell Pierce is petitioning to become the new voice of Cleveland Brown. He took to social media to pitch himself, writing “Now that Mike Henry has consciously given up the role of Cleveland, I am publicly starting a campaign to voice the role myself on ‘The Cleveland Show.” Tina Turner teamed with Norwegian producer DJ Kygo on a remix of her classic hit, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” Kygo announced the news on Instagram, sharing a picture of himself with Turner, along with the caption: “Can’t believe I’m releasing a collab with @LoveTinaTurner this Friday! ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ is one of my all time favorite songs,” he wrote, adding, “It feels surreal to get the opportunity to work with such a legendary artist. Can’t wait for you all to hear it.” https://youtu.be/TNYGLMQxZ64 The success of faith-based films in recent years has led to a resurgence of Christian movies being made. Although state lockdowns in response to COVID-19 has led to the closure of movie theaters nationwide and upended theatrical debuts, streaming services have continued to offer Christian and faith-themed content for audiences. Some films will also be among those that spearhead the reopening of movie theaters in the U.S. “Switched” – Sept. 4....https://youtu.be/I-OrHZGx2IE The success of faith-based films in recent years has led to a resurgence of Christian movies being made. Although state lockdowns in response to COVID-19 has led to the closure of movie theaters nationwide and upended theatrical debuts, streaming services have continued to offer Christian and faith-themed content for audiences. Some films will also be among those that spearhead the reopening of movie theaters in the U.S. ‘Queen Esther’ – Sept. 4....https://youtu.be/XjG_sPG7Yig LeBron James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter have secured $100 million in funding to form a new company with an unapologetically Black agenda. The duo have consolidated their trio of media companies into a single entity called SpringHill Co. According to Footwear News, the company “received backing from investors that include financial services firm Guggenheim Partners LLC, News Corp. media executive Elisabeth Murdoch, the University of California’s UC Investments and entrepreneur Jason Stein’s SC.Holdings,” the outlet writes. Ayesha Curry launched her new lifestyle magazine in April “Sweet July,” and her family takes center stage in the first issue. In an interview with PEOPLE, the best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and wife of NBA star Steph Curry dished about the issue and her hope that “people find a sense of peace” from the publication. “I’m so nervous and excited about it,” she said. “This first issue is all about presence and gratitude, which I think is so important, not only in life, but especially right now. I just hope that people find a sense of peace from it.” Ten time Grammy winner Chaka Khan has always lived up to her hit song, “I’m Every Woman…It’s all in me.” Chaka not only stars in Disney’s “The One and Only Ivan” as circus performer Henrietta, but revealed she once ran away and joined the circus. The zoo has never been a favorite place of mine.” “I love to travel and got into the traveling aspect of it,” she said. “I learned quite a few things while I was in the circus. But I’ve always been against the cruel treatment of animals and caging them. So the zoo has never been a favorite place of mine.” Jemele Hill and Cari Champion have been tapped to host a new weekly talk show that’s slated to debut this summer on Vice TV. “Over an initial order of eight episodes, the show aims to unpack the biggest topics and headlines of the week from the worlds of culture, politics, sports and business.” “Think about how many shows on TV, right now, or that you’ve ever seen, feature two black women whose opinions are actually driving the show,” Hill said. Champion added that they hope to explore “uncomfortable” topics, and they’re open to a myriad of guests – especially Rhianna. Former President Barack Obama is speaking out amid Donald Trump‘s opposition of money for the USPS, which could have a grave impact on the elections. Thursday, the president said he opposes election aid for states and an emergency bailout for the United States Postal Service in order to restrict how many Americans can vote by mail. Considering nearly 180 million Americans are eligible to vote by mail, Trump’s moves could cause widespread delays, long lines and voter disenfranchisement come November, an issue that already gravely impacts Black people. Now, former President Obama is speaking out against Trump, arguing that even if Trump wasn’t trying to give money to the USPS because of voting, the USPS is still suffering from the pandemic and needs money for other tasks. “Everyone depends on the USPS. Seniors for their Social Security, veterans for their prescriptions, small businesses trying to keep their doors open,” Obama tweeted. “They can’t be collateral damage for an administration more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing a virus.” RZA is a rapper, producer and all-around creator known for his legendary beats as a part of the Wu-Tang Clan rap group. Thus, it makes sense that Good Humor sought out his talents to replace a jingle that has a racist history. According to NBC News, the song “Turkey in the Straw” gained popularity in American minstrel shows and Good Humor has been using it as their jingle. https://twitter.com/i/status/1293895079485153282 As Joe Biden‘s presidential running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris is treading new territory, although she isn’t the first Black woman to run for vice president, Harris is the first to run on a major party ticket and the first HBCU graduate to run. Considering the racist and sexist history of this country, political commentators were bound to spew such rhetorical misogynoir at Harris. Just this week in Australia, Johannes Leak published a demeaning cartoon in Rupert Murdoch’s The Australian newspaper, a publication known for its conservative views. The drawing depicts a smiling Biden saying “it’s time to heal a nation divided by racism.” Then in the next panel, it depicts Harris standing behind Biden as he says, “So I’ll hand you over to this little brown girl while I go for a lie-down.” A Virginia mayor is being urged to step down after joking on social media that Joe Biden “just announced Aunt Jemima” as his running mate. Luray Mayor Barry Presgraves, 77, said he was sorry at a town council meeting on Monday for the Aug. 2 Facebook post that was later removed — but not before a council member, town officials and residents in the community called for the three-term mayor to resign. https://youtu.be/kPytaoHqySU Rising Rap star ASIANAE has made a splash with the visual for her debut single “Dumb” with more than 130K views on YouTube since the video’s release. Asianae held a label signing party on June 22. A host of family and friends celebrated Asianae’s accolades at a mansion in Atlanta. https://youtu.be/3UyIh2r6lTo “They’re friends of mine that I met throughout my life. Every single person is a big part of making me who I am today,” said Rock star Lukas Rossi about the massive 82 cameo appearances in his music video for the title track of his new album “Summertime.” “I am supper blessed to have them come out in these times.” https://youtu.be/0f4smZ1Otuc Former NFL player-turned motivational speaker, and best-selling author Trent Shelton has a new book, Straight Up: Honest, Unfiltered, As-Real-As-I-Can-Put-It Advice for Life’s Biggest Challenges, which offers advice and insight to guide today’s young adults. His latest work, “Straight Up,” features insights, inspiring advice and life lessons for teens and young adults on a variety of topics such as: friendship, love, finding success, making it through trauma, having a healthy relationship with social media, identifying toxic relationships and how to forgive and overcome fear, via press release. Motown Gospel is honored to celebrate six nominations in the upcoming 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards. Multi-Dove Award winner Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Gene Moore, and gospel legends The Clark Sisters were recognized across six categories with nominations. Tasha Cobbs Leonard earn high honors as the only gospel artist nominated in the coveted Artist of the Year category. Gene Moore celebrates his first GMA Dove Award nomination for Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year and the legendary gospel group, The Clark Sisters received two Dove nominations for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year. Jonathan Traylor releases his major label debut project, The Unknown, in its entirety, featuring breakout tracks “You Get The Glory” and “I Trust You,” available digitally everywhere today. https://youtu.be/PVgLgCy-C3E?list=PLdgZfq5HPeyhzoaMGDMQdMGLHIoVtRZ59 Lecrae is prepping a couple of months of activity with the Aug. 21 release of his “Restoration” album the Oct. 13 arrival of a new book, “I Am Restored.” The Atlanta hip-hop artist is also holding a virtual album release party at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 3 on the streaming platform, Set.Live. The gathering will be a ticketed event with prices ranging from $10 for access to the livestream to $125 for a VIP experience that includes a virtual post-show meet and greet with Lecrae. Zach Williams and For KING & COUNTRY led the way in nominations for the 51st annual GMA Dove Awards, which were announced Thursday (August 12). Each had five. Hillsong Worship, Kirk Franklin and Jonathan McReynolds were nominated in four categories. Williams, For KING & COUNTRY and Hillsong were nominated for “Artist of the Year,” along with Lauren Daigle and Tash Cobbs Leonard. Chris Renzema, Cochren & Co., Elle Limebear, Switch and We The Kingdom were nominated for “New artist of the Year.” “Promises” by Maverick City Music, “Miracle Worker,” by JJ Hairston, “Proverbs 3,” by Todd Dulaney, “Something Has To Break,” by Kierra Sheard, and “Only You Can Satisfy,” by William McDowell and Chris Lawson were nominated for for “Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year.” Gospel Music Association (GMA) Director Jackie Patillo says this year’s theme is, “Carry The Change.” There will be no live audience for this year’s Dove Award show, which will be prerecorded and will air on TBN Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. Central. Fifteen-time Grammy winner, global superstar Alicia Keys has joined forces with GRAMMY-nominated R&B sensation Khalid for her new single “So Done.” A slow-burn R&B jam, the song sees the pair’s soulful voices crooning smoothly over a sleek guitar-driven instrumental, with lyrics about saying goodbye to any sense of false self. https://youtu.be/XDCXT7C7lnk To honor Bobbi Brown’s almost 30-year artistry legacy and steadfast support of makeup artists, the brand is expanding it’s roster of Global Artists in Residence.Makeup Artist Mali Thomas joins existing Artists in Residence, Nikki DeRoest and Romy Soleimani, to strengthen the brand’s artistry expertise and translate the Bobbi Brown philosophy with a fresh, modern eye. Empowering women to own their individuality and embrace their natural beauty, the Bobbi Brown brand’s unique teaching-based approach to artistry is simple yet powerful: makeup should help you look and feel like the best version of yourself. The 2020 “Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Fest” (ILICFF) recently announced the winners of the “Best Films Made BY Kids” and “Best Film Made FOR Kids” Awards. The community screening event was opened to the world this year because it was held at the Euble Blake Center in Baltimore via Zoom video conferencing. Attendees from as far as Spain and Japan were able to join the event. The ILICFF event was co-hosted by founder Anthony Michael Hobbs (Anthony-Michael.com) and radio personality Doresa Harvey (Magic 95.9FM). Eubie Blake Director Derek Price opened the event. Twenty-one short films were screened during ILICFF – 11 made by youth and 10 made for youth. During the intermission a trivia contest was held with winner Anne-Sophie receiving branded merchandise (cups, hoodies, tank tops and socks) from Imagination Lunchbox, LLC – producers of the “Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Fest”. Venus Williams a known fan of Wonder Woman and this week EleVen by Venus Williams announced the launch of their limited edition Wonder Woman collection. The fashion-forward activewear brand created by global tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams, introduces the EleVen by Venus Williams x Wonder Woman Collection offering premium athletic staples that bring out the best in fierce women who are competitive, compassionate and ready for anything life has to bring. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are expecting baby number three! On Thursday the couple released their music video for the song “Wild,” where they are filmed on the beach with their two kids — Luna, 4, and Miles, 2. Chrissy and John are then pictured on the beach as he holds her from behind and she holds her stomach, which has a visible yet small baby bump. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQgTf1Szf-M Some exciting news for all “Doctor Who” fans, Christopher Eccleston is returning to play the Time Lord for a series of audio adventures. “After 15 years, it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing,” the British actor said in a statement. Eccleston played the role in the show’s 2005 revival, but quit after one season due to creative differences with show bosses. https://www.instagram.com/bbcdoctorwho/?utm_source=ig_embed A new book, Finding Freedom, claims that the faith of Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle plays a major role in her life and got her through her “darkest moments.” According to “a close friend” interviewed by the authors of the book, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, Markle often prayed and her faith has been an integral part of her life. The co-authors, two top royal reporters who have worked behind the scenes since the couple first met, insist that “all information” in the book “has at least two sources.” They reveal in the book that both Markle and Prince Harry have been on a “journey of faith together” during the entire duration of their relationship. Ex-49ers star Dwight Hicks and dozens of black former University of Michigan student-athletes are seeking fair treatment as the school settles lawsuits with the victims of Dr. Robert Anderson. https://youtu.be/7J_FMYl3WQ0 Tekashi 6ix9ine is out and about in Los Angeles where he took a trip to Nipsey Hussle‘s mural to “pay his respects” and folks are in their feelings about it, too. The trouble-prone NYC based rapper whose known far and wide these days as a SNITCH decided to show some blatant disrespect to Nipsey Hussle, disguising it as the opposite. https://www.instagram.com/6ix9ine/?utm_source=ig_embed Rapper Boosie Badazz is pleading with to Mark Zuckerberg to restore his Instagram page after he was banned this week. The reason the rapper was booted off the platform is unclear. Fans and followers of his account claim it was because he constantly promoted sexually suggestive photos from his OnlyFans account. https://youtu.be/vztVwBM1TDA Billionaire rapper and 2020 presidential hopeful Kanye West revealed his campaign platform on Sunday, a document calling for the fostering of a “culture of life” in the United States and the restoration of prayer in classrooms. West, who took to Twitter on July 4 to announce his long-shot candidacy after undergoing a spiritual awakening in recent years, posted the short platform to his campaign website. While Democrat and Republican Party platforms tend to be thousands of words long and touch on various political issues, West’s platform comes in at just over 400 words. Jack Cassidy, the nephew of David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy of the “Partridge Family,” has released a new Christian single, titled “Run at the Giant,” after overcoming drug addiction. The song explores his story of overcoming drug abuse, which he pegs as the giant in his own life. Cassidy comes from a famous family, starting with his grandmother, Oscar Award-winning actress Shirley Jones. His uncles David and Shaun Cassidy were both teen pop stars, and the talent in the family continues with his parents and now him. “Millionaire (Good Like That),” the official music video from acclaimed chart toppers Tauren Wells and Kirk Franklin, is available now. The new music video made its world broadcast premiere on the BET Soul and BET Gospel networks, as well as digitally on BET.com, and is released today on Tauren Wells’ YouTube channel. https://taurenwells.lnk.to/MillionaireMusicVideo!PRaug13 Entertainment One Nashville celebrates a total of 10 nominations for the 51st DOVE Awards across various categories. Voting for the final winners will run August 20th through August 27th. The celebration will air exclusively on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) on Friday, October 30th. Jonathan McReynolds, Todd Dulaney, Pastor John P Kee, and JJ Hairston are named among those being celebrated by The Gospel Music Association. Grammy-winning singer Jill Scott has signed on to star in a “Mahalia!” Biopic playing the queen of gospel Mahalia Jackson. The project will be executive produced by Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah, and is based on the novel “Mahalia Jackson” by Darlene Donloe. Jabari Johnson is an emerging artist that continues to gain followers and fans with his passion, committment to the Gospel message, and powerful vocal gift. Johnson was awarded the 2019 "New Artist Of The Year" stellar award for his breakout album, "Day of Redemption". "Fixed Fight" the newest release from Jabari Johnson. Jabari called on songstress Krystal Broussard to assist in delivering a powerful message to listeners and followers of Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQMn301St_s&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration celebrates twelve Dove Award nominations this year, with the full list of nominees just unveiled for the upcoming 51st Annual GMA Dove Awards, taking place in October. Seven artists are nominated, with hit makers Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Kierra Sheard, Le’Andria Johnson, Donald Lawrence, Donnie McClurkin, and Kurt Carr amongst seven categories for their acclaimed releases over the preceding year. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Three men connected to R. Kelly have been charged in federal court for using threats and bribes to intimate several victims in the racketeering case against the singer. The complaints unsealed Tuesday list Richard Arline Jr., Donnell Russell and Michael Williams as defendants, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s office in Brooklyn. https://youtu.be/3HDCRknNLII Meghan Markle and Prince Harry moved out of Tyler Perry’s home in July and into their own family home in southern California, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year,” the rep tells ET. https://youtu.be/bVcvwpahehA Emerging Praise & Worship Artist, Demarcus Kelly, Is Set To Release New Album "Endless Pursuit" Friday 8.14!! Tune in Saturday 8.15 for the "Endless Pursuit" Release Concert! Starz is giving “Power” fans a look behind the scenes of its new spinoff “Power Book II: Ghost,” set to premiere on Sept. 6. Michael Rainey Jr. reprises his role as teen drug dealer Tariq, who must face the repercussions of his past while adjusting to a new college environment. https://youtu.be/A3VoMEOceUY Hulu‘s has dropped the trailer for its new original film “Bad Hair,” a horror satire starring Elle Lorraine as a woman who gets a weave in order to fit in at her image-obsessed job. https://youtu.be/oDNFCV3oLY0 The City of Manhattan Beach, just twenty-two miles southwest of Los Angeles, is famous for its beautiful scenery, with beaches, parks, and other properties that offer breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Several years ago, GQ magazine called Manhattan Beach, home to one of the nation’s six best beaches. A petition is currently being circulated demanding the city of Manhattan Beach create a new and more descriptive plaque to be placed in Bruce’s Beach Park, describing the municipality’s past racist behavior against the Bruces and other Black families. In addition, the petition calls for the city to issue a public statement, provide monetary restitution for revenues lost by Black Manhattan families for 95 years, and return the land that was taken from the Bruce family and others. The petition has garnered almost 10,000 signatures. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris of the new 2020 Democratic presidential ticket chose Curtis Mayfield’s “Moving on Up” for their coming out party on Wednesday, almost 30 years to the day that the legendary musician and singer-songwriter became paralyzed in a tragic accident. Mayfield was about to take the stage at an outdoor concert in Brooklyn when a gust of wind from a fast moving storm knocked a lighting rig onto his neck, paralyzing him from the neck down. Several subsequent surgeries weren’t able to restore his mobility, nor his ability to continue playing guitar. https://youtu.be/324akR35czE A police officer in Salt Lake City has been suspended and is under investigation after ordering a K9 to bite a Black man’s leg while he was kneeling with his hands up. The victim suffered serious injuries and required several surgeries, CBS News reports. https://youtu.be/eF6OtvxJBXo Fox Rich is a fighter. The entrepreneur, abolitionist and mother of six boys has spent the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who is serving a 60-year sentence for a robbery they both committed in the early 90s in a moment of desperation. Check out "Time." https://youtu.be/sppM34yrQnE Back in 2018, Jerry Jones came across plantation’ish for saying that his Dallas Cowboys players will stand for the national anthem, “toes on the line,” or face consequences. On Wednesday, during his first appearance before the media in 109 days, and in a summer that saw worldwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans due to systemic racism, it appears that his stance may have softened.“That was then, this is now,” Jones said. “We’re going to have grace.” https://youtu.be/CRH59gC5rvI Nick Cannon intends to hit ViacomCBS with a $1.5 billion dollar lawsuit after he was dropped last month over anti-white comments. Cannon is now demanding the rights to his MTV show “Wild ‘N Out,” according to the Shade Room. “It is just that simple, Wild ‘N Out belongs to Nick!” his team told the outlet. “The show was created by Nick Cannon with his idea and original thought. Wild’N Out has brought billions of dollars in revenue to Viacom since 2015. And Nick deserves and has earned everything it is worth.” The first virtual edition of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), now in its 24th year, will feature a robust slate of speakers including Stacey Abrams, Kenya Barris, Mary J. Blige, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Gabrielle Union and Lena Waithe, as well as panels ranging from the business of Hollywood to spotlights on new films and television series. The festival will offer a mix of live and on-demand content from August 21st to 30th at abff.com. George Zapantis, a 29-year-old security guard with a history of mental illness from Queens, was killed after a five-minute struggle with police on June 21. The New York Police Department has now posted a new, three-hour video showing Zapantis’ cries during his arrest. In the footage, the suspect is seen at the door of his home before growing angry and attacking police. The mass of bodies bring him to the ground as his shouts turn to squeals, and then silence. One day after announcing he’s leaving the NFL Network after 14 years, Deion Sanders announced Wednesday that he’s moving on to Barstool Sports. “BREAKING NEWS: Primetime. Primetime. Primetime. It’s a new age. Primetime has joined Barstool Sports,” tweeted Barstool, along with a video of Sanders talking about his new gig. “Now, I have the platform that I can spread what I got to the masses. Oh baby, thank you !” Sanders exclaimed. “Barstool has the young generation of fans I want to help cultivate. I want to mold you. I want to talk to you. I want to speak to you. See, I love to speak my mind and now baby I got the platform to do it year-round. Controversy ain’t never scared me. See, podcasts are the future; I’m so excited about this opportunity, but I’m also excited to continue my relationship with the NFL … in some capacity.” Jodie Turner-Smith is opening up about her four day labor experience at her Los Angeles home in April. In an essay for the September issue of British Vogue, the actress reflects on her pregnancy journey and welcoming her first child, a daughter, with actor Joshua Jackson. “Every stage of my pregnancy brought its own challenges and lessons,” she said. “Nobody really teaches you about what your body goes through to bring a child into the world until you’re actually doing it.” Turner-Smith and Jackson opted for a home birth amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to the “negative birth outcomes for Black women in America.” Stephanie Mills take on Kanye West. "First, I know that Kanye is suffering mentally. I know that he’s swinging high and low and I really pray and hope that he gets help,” she started. “But I must say that I’m disappointed because if he’s trying to help our community by running for president, it’s not helping our community. He’s not qualified to be president. Neither is the person at the White House at this time.”Mills then turned her attention to Nick Cannon, who recently told TMZ that he “loves” the idea of Kanye running for president and that he would vote for him at the polls. “You I don’t understand,” Mills said in her video. “For you to come out and do what you did, like supporting Kanye, what is that?” https://www.instagram.com/iamstephaniemills/?utm_source=ig_embed After reports that Kanye West‘s presidential run is being backed by Republicans as a way to spoil votes for Joe Biden, his recent meeting with Jared Kushner further puts a spotlight on the rapper. According to the New York Times, Kushner and West met privately last weekend. Donald Trump‘s son-in-law/adviser and the rap mogul linked up in Colorado, where Kushner was traveling with his wife, Ivanka Trump. Those familiar with the meeting told the Times that West had been camping in Colorado with his family and afterward, he flew to Telluride to connect with Kushner and Ms. Trump. Kanye was not accompanied by his wife, Kim Kardashian West, according to the people knowledgeable about the meeting. As the public awaits answers on whether the cops involved with Breonna Taylor‘s killing will be charged, the Kentucky Attorney General investigating her death had a meeting with Taylor’s family. According to Courier Journal, Daniel Cameron initiated the meeting with Taylor’s mother, sister, aunt and family attorneys. The Wednesday meeting was confirmed by Cameron’s attorney general office as well as by Sam Aguiar, who’s representing the Taylor family. Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, said in a statement that she was receptive to the meeting and she said Cameron “seemed sincere and genuine.” She explained that Cameron didn’t discuss which direction he’s leaning in. However, after the meeting, Palmer said she’s “more confident” that “truth will come out and that justice will be served.” “We let him know how important it was for their office to get all the facts, to get the truth and to get justice for Breonna,” Palmer said. “We all deserve to know the whole truth behind what happened to my daughter.” Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden delivered remarks alongside Sen. Kamala Harris, his pick for vice president, marking the first time the two appeared together as running mates. They spoke from Wilmington, Delaware, on how they plan to “restore the soul of the nation and fight for working families to move the country forward.” https://youtu.be/ADd3bhmIeQs Viola Davis celebrated her birthday by sharing a photo of her birth home, which is located on a former plantation in South Carolina. “The above is the house where I was born August 11, 1965. It is the birthplace of my story,” Davis posted on Instagram. “Today on my 55th year of life… I own it… all of it.”She also shared a “Cherokee Birth Blessing” that read, “May you live long enough to know why you were born.” https://www.instagram.com/violadavis/?utm_source=ig_embed On Monday, PETA jumped into the national discourse on Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s provocative video for “WAP.” “If “Tiger King” taught us anything, it’s that tigers and other wild animals are abused for music videos, selfies, and gawking roadside zoo visitors. So if real animals were used instead of computer-generated imagery, the message sent is that animal exploitation is Okurrr—and it isn’t. If Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion really care about pussy liberation, they wouldn’t use suffering big cats as props.” An Open Letter from Cornel West and Others to Defeat Trump, Discredit His Movement, and Elect Progressives reads: We, the undersigned democratic socialists, want to make clear that the priority for the left in 2020 should be the electoral defeat of Donald Trump and the Trumpist Republican Party in November. At present, the only way to accomplish that will be to vote for his Democratic opponent. The racist, xenophobic, misogynist authoritarianism of Trumpism poses an immediate existential danger to people of color, to immigrants, to reproductive rights, to trade unions, to LGBTQIA people, to Muslims, to Jews, to members of other religions, and to democracy itself. After being delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, FX’s ”Fargo” season 4 will now premiere on Sunday, Sept. 27. The network announced in March that production on the last few episodes had been delayed to prevent the spread of the potentially deadly virus. https://youtu.be/I4ISTHi45_s Right after Donald Trump patronized women and pushed housing discrimination in his “suburban housewives” tweet Wednesday morning, he randomly railed against HBO’s Bill Maher, tweeting, “Watched @billmaher last week for the first time in a long time. He’s totally SHOT, looks terrible, exhausted, gaunt, and weak. If there was ever a good reason for no shutdown, check out this jerk. He never had much going for him, but whatever he did have is missing in action!” https://youtu.be/dDh4cNtY4gs Soulful Gospel Recording Artist Lady Cassaundra Webb has released traditional styled new single “You Are Holy.” Cassaundra has spent years sharing the stage with music greats such as Earnest Pugh, Kenneth Williams, James Hall, VaShawn Mitchell, Le’Andria Johnson, Dorinda Clark-Cole and Shirley Caesar to name a few. Now she is embarking on a new season on her musical journey with “You Are Holy.” Alisha Moore drops "Reach." https://spark.adobe.com/page/dD6jYfbgbGHIV/ Comedian Larry Wilmore is set to lead a weekly show on NBC’s new streaming platform Peacock. The streamer has ordered 11 episodes set to premiere in September. This marks his first return to hosting since Comedy Central canceled “The Nightly Show “in 2016. Leslie David Baker, who played Stanley on NBC’s “The Office,” launched a Kickstarter campaign for a spinoff centered on his character. Baker and his business partner, producer Sardar Khan, have since passed their goal of $300,000 to shoot the pilot. They plan to shop it to networks and streaming platforms. Rohan Marley has apologized to his daughter Selah for ‘any contributions’ his ‘arguing’ with her mother Lauryn Hill – coupled with his absence- may have had in her life. Selah, 21, criticized her parents in a Instagram Live stream on Monday, during which she opened up about the “trauma” she endured as a child with her “angry” mother and daddy issues. At one point, she tells fans that she would Google what it was like to have a father. Sumner M. Redstone, the billionaire entrepreneur who saw business as combat and his advancing years as no obstacle in building a media empire that encompassed CBS and Viacom, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 97. Stevie Nicks urged fans Tuesday to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously, calling it a “silent killer hiding in the shadows.” “Everyone gathering at the beaches ~ in the bars~ block parties ~ etcetera ~ Let’s get drunk and make out and by the way ‘Can I have the other half of your drink?’~ We are heading for a crash; People are dying because people aren’t wearing their masks,” the Fleetwood Mac singer penned in a Facebook post, citing the Washington Post. “If I get it, I will probably never sing again. Put me on a ventilator and I will be hoarse for the rest of my life~ I don’t have much time… I am 72 years old….,” she wrote. Seattle’s Black Police Chief Carmen Best Announces her Retirement After the City Council Cut her Pay and Reduce the SPD Force. https://youtu.be/4lkVSPgQ2QA A historic New York City church has decided to devote $200,000 — about a tenth of its budget — to provide housing assistance and youth anti-racism training. The Rev. Jacqueline Lewis, the African American leader of the multiethnic Middle Collegiate Church, said the initiative is a way for her church to make amends. She noted that the church began after Dutch Reformed settlers bought the land that eventually became Manhattan from the Lenape, a Native American nation, in an unfair transaction. Its early clergy also included slaveholders. “We are doing reparations,” she said of the plans for a portion of the church’s $2.3 million budget for the fiscal year that started July 1. Issa Rae has teamed with Jordan Peele’s Moneypaw and Universal Pictures on the female-lead sci-fi feature “Sinkhole.” The story centers on “a young family that moves into its dream home despite the gaping sinkhole in the backyard. The mysterious sinkhole manages to fix broken and destroyed things. However, the story asks, what if that thing is a person?” Universal beat out more than 10 studio bidders for screen rights to the Leyna Krow short story, in a low-seven-figure deal. The divorce proceedings between #TracyMorgan and his estranged wife #MeganWollover is heating up. There are reports that Tracy is asking for joint custody of their daughter Maven, 7, suggesting that both sides pay child support for her—-and finally that Megan should revert back to her maiden name and drop his permanently. However, according to court documents, Megan stated that she and Tracy have a prenuptial agreement and that both sides have acquired property and other assets during their nearly five years of marriage and she wants them split up in accordance with the pre-nup. BET presents “Ruff Ryders Chronicles,” the definitive story of Ruff Ryders Entertainment. The five-part production about the iconic hip hop label founded by the Dean brothers Joaquin (Waah), Darin (Dee) and sister, Chivon Dean, will feature interviews with trailblazing artists Swizz Beatz, Eve, DMX, The LOX and more. https://youtu.be/zI19DjtI_JE “We are one, part of each other,” said Grammy-nominated lead guitarist Norman Brown about the meaning of the title to his 12th album and 3rd project on the Shanachie Entertainment imprint. “God created all of this. Everything is interconnected like machines are interconnected.” Brown connected with a group of musicians that included Peter White (guitar), Jeff Lober (piano), Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis (keyboard), and David Mann (sax) to complete the “Heart to Heart” project. https://youtu.be/N95a-DDFO0E An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airs Thursday night and finds Hazel-E and De’Von going to the hospital to figure out whether she is pregnant or not. https://youtu.be/lrNR5ZMhIh0 “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is getting a dramatic reboot based on Morgan Cooper’s viral clip and is “currently being shopped” to various online streaming services, including Netflix. This time, the story of the street-smart teen who moves in with his rich uncle in Bel-Air, California will not be a comedy, BBC reports. https://youtu.be/kD3ISIM_kU8 Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Rowland slammed cancel culture, saying it’s created a god complex in those promoting it. The former Destiny’s Child singer took to Instagram Thursday to thank God for His grace and forgiveness. “In this ‘cancel culture’ we live in, I am SO grateful God NEVER canceled me, and I’m sure he could’ve many-a-times!” she declared. The “Dirty Laundry” singer encouraged everyone to stop passing judgment. Raymond Allen, the actor known for his roles as Woodrow “Uncle Woody” Anderson on “Sanford and Son” and Ned the Wino on “Good Times,” died Monday after suffering with respiratory issues. He was 91. Allen had been previously diagnosed with a bacterial infection in May, but tested negative for coronavirus. He had been treated at a health care facility in California since 2016 after struggling with pneumonia. He was found there unresponsive on Monday morning. Allen is survived by his daughters, Ta Ronce and Brenda Allen. A North Carolina woman celebrated her 100th birthday over the weekend with an astounding six generations of family members present. Julia Lee Kelley has lived to see 173 descendants in total: five children, 30 grandchildren, 88 great grandchildren, 49 great great grandchildren, and 1 great great great grandchild. Her family holds an annual reunion around this time of year. But with COVID-19 in the air this year, the reunion was turned into a drive-thru celebration of Kelley’s 100th birthday. Joe Biden announced Tuesday that California Sen. Kamala Harris is his VP running mate. “I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate,” he tweeted. Harris, 55, is the first Indian-American on either major party’s presidential ticket. Biden and Harris will deliver joint remarks on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post. Black Writers Weekend 2020, virtual experience will stream online on Thursday, August 27th through Saturday, August 29th. The festival which is powered by, AAMBC Inc, has amplified black creative voices for over 12 years through literacy programs and events furthermore contributing to the elevation of black excellence. Atlanta based comedian Tyler Craig has passed away at the age of 54. Fellow comedian Rickey Smiley announced the news about Craig’s death via his Twitter page.“I’m saddened this morning to find out about the death of comedian Tyler Craig,” “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” host captioned on his page. “Watch him grow into a great talent. Rest In Peace King!!!” https://youtu.be/37evIBtPSQQ Fans of Lakeith Stanfield expressed concern for the actor following an alarming message he posted on social media. According to Newsweek, in one now-deleted clip, the 28-year-old “Get Out” actor said, “I like to be by myself because i can hurt myself and no one tells me to stop or fakes like they care.” Another post was captioned, “Reality is boring and moves too slow and no one is trustworthy.” https://www.instagram.com/lakeithstanfield3/?utm_source=ig_embed Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment has reached a settlement deal in a lawsuit over the rights to “King Richard” – the life story of Serena and Venus Williams’ father, Richard Williams. Smith is set to play Richard in Warner Bros.’ upcoming film drama “King Richard.” The project has hit a snag, however, as TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia filed a lawsuit against the studio and Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment production company, claiming breach of contract, among other things. Mike Tyson’s return to the ring has reportedly been delayed. Tyson’s highly anticipated exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. has been pushed from Sept. 12 to November. Jason Derulo and Will Smith took to social media Sunday to share videos that featured Smith helping the singer on his golf swing. “Set it up. We’re going to get your swing right. Set it up right to the ball,” Smith told Derulo. “Bend your knees a little bit.” Derulo then swings hard and appears to hit Smith in the mouth, knocking out his two front teeth. Smith revealed his chipped teeth in the video, but it could be part of an elaborate prank. https://www.instagram.com/willsmith/?utm_source=ig_embed Lauryn Hill’s daughter Selah, who she shares with Rohan Marley, spoke candidly about her relationship with her famous parents on Instagram Live. Monday (August 10), Selah engaged in a two-hour dialogue with fans and opened up about the “trauma” she endured as a child with her “angry” mother and absent father. "Honestly guys, I’m just hurting. I can’t even front that I’m not,” she said. “I’ve been hurting for so much of my life and so much of my life has been me avoiding how much I’m really hurting just from the circumstances.” Video of an Australian woman being choked by police and violently wrestled to the ground for not wearing a mask has reportedly sparked an internal investigation. According to local outlet 7News, her decision to walk the streets bare-faced was a breach of the Chief Health Officers orders under Stage 4, which mandates the wearing of masks. She also faces separate charges of resisting and assaulting police. The woman was subsequently found to have had an exemption for wearing a mask from a doctor, according to 7News. https://youtu.be/eBT9fuTJDRE Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris has confirmed that audiences will finally get to see a previously shelved episode from the hit ABC series. Barris shared the update via Instagram on Monday, noting that an episode titled “Please, Baby, Please” from season 4, which was banned from seeing the light of day for over two years, will now be available for fans to watch on Hulu, Deadline reports. Body cam video showing the 2018 arrest of an 8-year-old boy with special needs went viral Monday (Aug. 10) after it was shared by attorney Ben Crump. Crump said the boy, who has special needs, had an Individualized Education Program in place at the school. NBC News reported that the boy had allegedly punched a lunch supervisor in the chest, prompting a substitute teacher – who Crump said “had no awareness or concern about his needs and who escalated the situation by using her hands to forcibly move him – to call the police. https://youtu.be/uMLg-GFTHeM The Pac-12 has officially announced that the 2020 fall football season has been cancelled. According to Stadium’s Brett McMurphy, he was informed that official announcement was scheduled for Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott’s 1:30 PM PT press conference. That means no USC Trojans football in 2020. The growing safety concerns and rising knowledge of the long-term impact of the coronavirus are ultimately what led to the cancellation of the Pac-12 football season this fall. Fred and Tim Williams, the 21-year old twins who have become YouTube sensations by filming themselves listening to various songs for the first time, went viral last week over their latest episode involving “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. https://youtu.be/0l3-iufiywU Actor Chris Pratt and author Katherine Schwarzenegger announced the birth of their first child together on Monday on social media — and shared a sweet photo with their new baby girl. The couple said they named their daughter Lyla Maria Schwarzenegger Pratt. https://www.instagram.com/prattprattpratt/?utm_source=ig_embed The stars of OWN’s hit megachurch drama “Greenleaf,” the critically-acclaimed series from Lionsgate, award-winning writer/executive producer Craig Wright, and executive producers Clement Virgo, Kriss Turner Towner and Oprah Winfrey, will take a look back at the beloved show in a one-hour special airing Tuesday, August 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following the series finale. The special will feature “Greenleaf” cast including Merle Dandridge, Keith David, Lynn Whitfield, Lamman Rucker, and Deborah Joy Winans sharing favorite moments from the past five seasons and answering questions from the devoted fans. The penultimate (8/4/20) episode of “Greenleaf” garnered a season-high 2,117,000 viewers and continued to be Tuesday night’s #1 cable telecast among Women 25-54 and W18-49. During its current season, “Greenleaf” is the #1 original series across broadcast and cable for African American women, households and total viewers. https://youtu.be/mkUbGgNzSLU Donald Trump was giving his coronavirus briefing yesterday and was whisked out of the room due to what looked like some kind of immediate security threat. All is well ’cause he returned a few minutes later with news that his removal was due to a shooting outside the White House. https://youtu.be/Dn7LqBLChkk Rapper Sean “Diddy” Comb’s son was injured early Wednesday after a Tesla collided with his red Ferrari a little after midnight in Beverly Hills, according to media reports. The Tesla, barreling down Sunset Blvd., lost control and smashed into the left side of King Comb’s rear bumper, ripping off part of it, and causing the car’s airbags to deploy, TMZ reported. King, 22, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene — but didn’t go to the hospital. After failing a field sobriety test, the Tesla driver was arrested for DUI and hauled away in cuffs. The Big Ten is expected to cancel the 2020 college football season in a historic move that stems from concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, multiple people with knowledge of the decision told the Free Press. “It’s done,” one high-ranking source in the Big Ten said Monday afternoon. Sources said the presidents were in favor Sunday of not playing fall sports in the conference. Michigan and Michigan State — which both have physicians as presidents — were among the schools in favor of ending the seasons, sources said. Multiple sources said early Monday morning that presidents voted 12-2 to end the season, though the Big Ten said Monday afternoon no official vote had taken place. Greg O’Dell was a successful businessman and consultant who never thought he would work for the government. He didn’t want to deal with red tape and bureaucracy. But about a dozen years ago, Washington, D.C., officials talked him into going to work for the city. https://youtu.be/GE8NCXpUWtY On Aug. 10, a California Superior Court judge ruled that rideshare companies Uber and Lyft must change the classification of their drivers from independent contractors to employees. The ruling was a major victory for California lawmakers in their yearlong struggle to enforce AB 5, the controversial worker classification bill that went into effect Jan. 1. https://youtu.be/wVIq4nFqY-c TikTok is reportedly planning to sue President Trump over the executive order he signed last week that bans the popular video sharing app in the United States. Sources tell NPR that TikTok plans to file the federal lawsuit Tuesday, arguing that the executive ban is unconstitutional and pointless because Trump’s national security justifications are “baseless.” “It’s based on pure speculation and conjecture,” the source said to NPR. “The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around.” https://youtu.be/gwGO0ZE82dg CeeLo Green in an exclusive interview with Far Out, the 45-year-old musician shared his love of old pop music and offered his thoughts on the current genre while sharing what he thinks it is lacking. “We are adults. There should be a time and a place for adult content,” Green started off. “As adults and artists, we should at least attempt to be each other’s accountability partners in some regard,” he said. “The stereotypes that are celebrated and perpetuated, ultimately make the perception a reality. It is disenfranchising and it has caused a great deal of problems.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CDt59aSB_ik/?utm_source=ig_embed Amazon has ordered a series adaptation of “A League of Their Own,” and much like the 1992 Penny Marshall film, the series will focus on female professional baseball players. The series co-created and executive produced by “Broad City” alum Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham, with Jacobson also starring, per Variety. J.D. Wesley drops new single "Favored." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i9Ydvcm4DM&feature=youtu.be COVID-19 Survivor, JARELL SMALLS, new single, "WE NEED YOUR POWER" reflects this new generation's traditional sound with a Quartet flavor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snmrPBRqYH4&feature=youtu.be TV One announced today it posted double-digit second quarter gains among all key demos in Prime and Total Day. TV One P/25-54 and P/18-49 Prime ratings increased +18% and +27%, respectively. TV One posted similar ratings gains in Total Day with an increase of +21% for P/25-54 and +25% for P/18-49. Additionally, in second quarter 2020, TV One ranked as the #5 network among African American P/25-54 against all ad-supported cable networks and is currently the #5 network, season-to-date, among African American W/25-54. The Gospel Renaissance Livestream has partnered with Fight Tyme Music, a global live stream distribution company out of Las Vegas Nevada, to broadcast a live streamed social media concert globally. Gospel entertainment, featuring live performances by Charles Jenkins, Lecrae, B-Slade and Kelontae Gavin. The Seattle Kraken announced Friday that Everett Fitzhugh has been tapped to serve as the team’s broadcaster, making him the first Black play-by-play announcer in the NHL. “As someone who’s worked in hockey for over a decade and who has a long-held passion for broadcast hockey, to be named team broadcaster for a brand-new NHL franchise — particularly one with an organization as strong as the Kraken — is a dream come true,” said Fitzhugh in a statement, per PEOPLE. A Maryland man who allegedly raped a woman last year killed that same woman last week after he was released from jail because of the coronavirus. Ibrahim Bouaichi, 33, shot and killed himself after he was tracked down by police Wednesday, according to the Washington Post. Bouaichi was suspected of raping Karla Dominguez in October 2019, and she testified against him at a preliminary hearing last December. Bouaichi was held without bond in Alexandria, Va., until April, and was scheduled to stand trial March 30 on charges of rape, sodomy, strangulation, abduction and burglary. A “major gas explosion” involving three homes in northeast Baltimore has left one dead, at least two hospitalized and multiple people, including children, trapped under rubble, according to the Baltimore Fire Department. The three homes at Labyrinth and Reistertown are “pretty much crumbled” and the force of the blast blew out windows at homes all along the street, said fire department spokeswoman Blair Adams. https://youtu.be/CPxvNZXHM9U Tucker Carlson seemed to confirm speculation that Kanye West is running a spoiler campaign aimed to help Trump by taking votes away from Joe Biden. Carlson dedicated a significant portion of his Friday show on Fox News to praising West as the embodiment of “core conservative” principles. https://youtu.be/6MJCc8afwqw A large group of protesters in Wisconsin bum rushed the private home of Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah Saturday, Aug. 8, vandalized his home and injured him and his girlfriend in the process. When Mensah attempted to speak with the group, he was physically assaulted. Mensah ran back into his home, armed protesters approached the rear door and a single shotgun round was discharged by a member of the group into Mensah’s back door. Multiple agencies helped Wauwatosa police disburse the crowd. Protesters were angry because Mensah had killed three people in the line of duty in a span of five years. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office had already ruled two of Mensah’s deadly shootings, including that of Jay Anderson Jr. in 2016, as self defense. The third, the deadly shooting of Alvin Cole earlier this year, is still under review. Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough pointed out Donald Trump’s multitude of racist moments after the president tried to portray preemptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as racist based on his latest gaffe. Trump pounced on Biden’s suggestion that the Latino community was diverse, “unlike the African American community with notable exceptions.” The former vice president clarify his remarks in a series of tweets, but Trump had already seized the opportunity to gain political points, claiming Biden “totally disparaged and insulted” Black Americans. https://youtu.be/TPsLijm_A44 In what appears to be a widespread, coordinated attack, dozens of stores, banks and other businesses were broken into across downtown Chicago overnight, reports CBS2. The looting spread from the Loop, up to the Near North Side. https://youtu.be/b1jEdAd1IzE The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 fell 16% to about 7,200 people last week, the first decline in deaths after four weeks of increases, according to a Reuters tally of state and county reports. The country posted more than 376,000 new COVID-19 cases for the week ended August 9, or an average of roughly 53,000 per day. New cases have now fallen for three straight weeks, though the United States still accounts for a quarter of the global total of 20 million cases. More than 100 Black male activists, preachers, rappers and celebrities signed an an open letter Monday calling on Joe Biden to pick a Black woman as his running mate. The letter makes clear that if he does not succumb to the liberal pressure of choosing a Black woman to “save” him, then he will lose the election. As someone who has said throughout the campaign that VP Joe Biden needs to choose a Black woman VP, the urgency for that pick has gone from something that SHOULD happen to something that HAS to happen,” the open letter said. This week Biden is expected to announce his running mate. “Tiger King” star Carole Baskin has slammed Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” video because it features exotic cats. The Big Cat Rescue CEO tells Billboard that the rappers’ use of the cats as props sends the wrong message that it’s cool “glamorize” having them as pets. https://youtu.be/hsm4poTWjMs Zoë Kravitz is calling out Hulu for lack of diversity after the streaming platform cancelled her series, “High Fidelity.” The actress shared an Instagram post in which she thanked the cast, crew and viewers alongside a slideshow of photos from the series, writing sarcastically, “At least Hulu has a ton of other shows starring women of color we can watch. Oh wait.”https://www.instagram.com/zoeisabellakravitz/?utm_source=ig_embed Lifetime cable network has announced that one of its upcoming Christmas movies will be its first to feature a same-sex romance as the lead story. “We’re proud that we were able to share an amazing storyline last year featuring a same-sex kiss in ‘Twinkle All the Way,’” Lifetime and LMN head of programming Amy Winter said, according to The Wrap. “And this year, we’re even more proud to announce one of our Christmas movies will feature an LGBTQ lead story because, at Lifetime, the holidays truly are for everyone,” Winter added, referring to the film “The Christmas Set Up.” A guitar that Jimi Hendrix played in the early Sixties — when the guitar god was an R&B sideman and fledgling rocker based in New York City — sold at auction Saturday for $216,000, nearly four times its pre-auction estimate. According to GWS Auctions, Hendrix began playing the Japanese sunburst electric guitar after he was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1962. “After leaving Fort Campbell Jimi moved to Clarksville, Tennessee for a short time where he played on the Chitlin’ Circuit with the likes of Wilson Pickett, Slim Harpo, Sam Cooke, Ike and Tina Turner and Jackie Wilson before moving to Harlem, New York in early 1964 where he stayed until late 1966 playing venues such as Cafe Wha and the Cheetah Club,” the auction house stated. Nick Cannon is planning on voting for Kanye West in the upcoming presidential election. The former “Wild in Out” host may be trolling but he made the confession while speaking with a TMZ paparazzo, per Complex. “I love it,” said Cannon about Ye’s White House goals. Azealia Banks fans are concerned about her well being after she posted several alarming posts alluding to suicidal thoughts. On Saturday, the controversial rapper took to her Instagram Live story where she made clear that she is “done here.” https://www.instagram.com/azealiabanks/?utm_source=ig_embed Jason Sudeikis plays Ted Lasso, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. The series also stars Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster and Nick Mohammed. https://youtu.be/6KeG_i8CWE8 Minnesota Vikings linebacker Cameron Smith has a heart condition that will require surgery and force him to miss the entire 2020 season, a realization that was made only after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Smith announced the diagnosis Saturday in an Instagram post and said the open heart surgery will fix a bicuspid aortic valve. Tamela Mann returns with a hot new single that is destine to top the charts. Tamela Mann drops the awesome new single "Touch From You".....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfIPybCnc0w After watching the Cardi B/Megan Thee Stallion “WAP” video, thousands of fans criticized Kylie Jenner’s appearance in the video and created a petition to have her completely removed. There were video cameos of Sukihana, Mulatto, Normani, and Rosalia in Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP,” Looks like fans were disappointed when Kylie Jenner made her appearance in the 4-minute clip. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDrMO-JhP3i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Oprah Winfrey’s monthly magazine will cease publication at the end of the year. Staffers at O: The Oprah Magazine were informed Friday that its last issues will print in December 2020. The Oprah Magazine is a joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Tyler Perry was one of the first producers to set start dates for his TV shows after developing a plan how to safely restart production amid the coronavirus pandemic. His new safety rules are said to be in compliance with federal and local government regulations, and reportedly go above and beyond the unions’ recommendations, according to Deadline. Perry was also one of the first to set start dates for his shows filming in North America. Earlier this month, his two BET series, “Sistas” and “The Oval,” began production at his Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. According to news reports, one person is dead and 20 others were shot and injured after several people started shooting at a block party overnight in Washington D.C. DC police say at least three shooters opened fire from different locations at the gathering. Christopher Brown, a 17-year-old father-of-one was killed. Simon Cowell, the man who came to fame as a judge on “American Idol” finds himself hospitalized after breaking his back. Cowell’s injury happened in an accident while he trying out a new electric bike on Saturday, according to published reports. Orange Is the New Black” alum Danielle Brooks has been tapped by Lifetime to star as gospel legend and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson. The project is the next original film from “Robin Roberts Presents” will be directed by Kenny Leon, who previously helmed the all-Black remake of “Steel Magnolias” for the network. LeBron James and his More Than A Vote group recently announced a partnership with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to help Florida voters with past felony convictions. James teamed with Trae Young, Skylar Diggins-Smith and other Black celebrities and athletes to form the voter rights organization, with the goal to fight against voter suppression. The group donated $100,000 for FRRC’s fines and fees fund, which pays off the outstanding debts of convicts, who have served their time but are still unable to vote in Florida, reports CBS Los Angeles. On Saturday President Trump signed four executive orders to provide relief from economic damage sustained during the coronavirus pandemic after talks between the White House and Democratic leadership collapsed Friday afternoon. Immediately his action has set up an impending battle with that Democratic leadership because the Constitution gives Congress the power to appropriate federal spending. The bottom line is that Trump has limited authority to act unilaterally — and risks a legal challenge if congressional Democrats believe he has overstepped according to Axios. https://youtu.be/AWnZ6C2vbmY A Virginia woman, Bashira S. Tripp, was arrested on Thursday after allegedly running her partner over in a parking lot. Tripp, 34, has been charged with aggravated assault, after witnesses claimed she intentionally hit the victim with her car. https://twitter.com/i/status/1291499042401333248 Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, has received an apology from Elysian, Minnesota Mayor Tom McBroom as part of her dropping a defamation lawsuit against him. Reynolds filed a defamation lawsuit last year against McBroom over his 2017 tweet where he stated she would spend her settlement money on “crack cocaine.” https://youtu.be/ACLDhs9vcsM The chief of Portland Police has called for the violence in the city to stop after it saw its 70th night of protests on Wednesday, saying ‘enough is enough’. Meanwhile, Portland police declared a riot Wednesday for the second night running after protesters gathered outside of a police precinct in the south-east of the city. In a press conference yesterday, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said that those ‘dedicated to just provoking a police response’ through vandalism and violence are draining police resources. ‘This is not forwarding the goals’ of the Black Lives Matter Movement, he said. Lovell, who is Black, also wrote in the New York Times on Monday that the riots were ‘drowning out the voices that need to be heard’ The stock market is crazy right now as a result of the coronavirus. But don’t let your fears drive your financial decisions. https://youtu.be/sDbIpYVZHiM Karew Entertainment in partnership with Motown Gospel released The Clark Sisters’ newest single, “His Love” featuring hip hop icon Snoop Dogg today. This is the second single from their critically acclaimed album The Return, preceded only by “Victory” that ranked #1. “His Love” is an up tempo melody. Randy Weston has released the visual to his brand new single “Up From Here”. The single is now available everywhere. The track is being delivered just in time, as it offers a message of hope to people everywhere fighting for equality and a healthy universe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neIqOS07V-U&feature=youtu.be African American stakeholders are ramping up their outreach to undercounted census tracts where Black Californians live after the U.S. Census Bureau announced this week that it will stop the national count at the end of September. The state too is intensifying its last-ditch initiatives to achieve an accurate count of all Californians as enumeration goes into its final stretches. Federal legislation that would have extended it through October has stalled in the U.S. Senate. Black Lives Matter is shouted, printed, painted and posted everywhere in today’s racial-and-social-justice-aware political climate, but those lives may be threatened by low participation in the U.S. 2020 Census. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is teaming up with a vegan, cruelty-free cosmetics company to launch a new lifestyle beauty brand. As reported by CNN, in a statement published Wednesday, the Oakland, California-based e.l.f. Beauty said that Keys’ range of “skin-loving, dermatologist-developed, cruelty-free products” will have an “inclusive point of view” and an “authentic voice” that “aims to bring new meaning to beauty by honoring ritual in our daily life and practicing intention in every action.” Tom Eckerle, a Leelanau County, Mich. Road Commissioner, is facing calls to resign after he went on a racist rant during a public meeting and later said in an interview that he did not regret it. Eckerle was asked before a Road Commission meeting on Tuesday why he was not wearing a mask. He reportedly responded by saying: “Well this whole thing is because of them n***** down in Detroit.” According to a CBS News report, Road Commission chair Bob Joyce called out the comment, but Eckerle doubled down on his use of the racial slur. “I can say anything I want…Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us,” he said. When later asked during an interview if he regretted it, Eckerle said “No, I don’t regret calling it an n*****,” he told Interlochen Public Radio on Thursday. “A n***** is a n***** is a n*****. That’s not a person whatsoever.” Masks, food trucks and private flights — these are just some of the staples of Tyler Perry’s “Camp Quarantine” production set. Perry’s Georgia-based studio is one of the first to resume production this summer after the coronavirus pandemic forced Hollywood to grind to a halt. Armed with a 30-page plan for keeping all 360 production and crew members safe on set from COVID-19, the media mogul gave “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King a behind-the-scenes look at how Tyler Perry Studios is producing content while staying coronavirus-free. https://youtu.be/WGnP4SfHpZo Charles Gregory, an Emmy-nominated hairstylist who frequently collaborated with Tyler Perry on his films and TV shows, died of complications from COVID-19 on Wednesday. Gregory shared on social media two weeks earlier that he had tested positive for the virus and was moved into the hospital. His death was mourned by filmmakers like Tyler Perry, Ava DuVernay and Lee Daniels, with whom he was most recently working on Daniels’ film “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday.” Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine is quite literally taking its activism to the streets — posting 26 billboards across Louisville, Ky., demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician who was killed in her apartment by police in March. The billboards, one for each year of Taylor’s life, were erected in Taylor’s hometown on Aug. 6, the magazine said. They feature the magazine’s September cover image of Taylor with a call to action that reads: “Demand that the police involved in killing Breonna Taylor be arrested and charged.” Shortly after running back Derrius Guice was arrested Friday on domestic violence-related charges, the Washington Football Team announced it was releasing the 23-year-old running back. Guice faces charges that include one count of strangulation, a felony, according to a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. The other charges are three counts of assault and battery as well as one count of destruction of property. New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker has been charged with four counts of robbery with a firearm stemming from a May 13 incident in Miramar, Florida, officials announced on Friday. Baker, 22, is accused of stealing cash and watches from four men at a house party. Initially, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar was also accused of being involved in the robbery and pulling a gun, but prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the 28-year-old, citing insufficient evidence, Broward State Attorney Mike Satz said. Former Angels employee Eric Kay has been charged by federal authorities in Texas with distributing fentanyl in connection with the overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.An affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Kay filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth said the longtime member of the Angels’ media relations department and Skaggs had a “history of narcotic transactions” and that Kay would “distribute these pills to [Skaggs] and others in their place of employment and while they were working.” Kay, 45, was arrested and made his first court appearance Friday at the Mahon Federal Courthouse in Fort Worth. As the pandemic was starting to pick up steam in March, a Black entrepreneur and father of twins decided to start a foundation with the goal of empowering other Black parents to start businesses. James Oliver, Jr., founder of WeMontage, custom photo collage, launched the ParentPreneurs Foundation, which provides resources to help ParentPreneurs grow their businesses and gives them access to products and services to help ease their parenting lifestyle. An online community allows members to engage with like-minded Black people around the world and participate in exclusive events. Today, two-time GRAMMY®- nominated and Billboard Music and NAACP Image Award-winning artist, Koryn Hawthorne, released a new single “Speak to Me” off her highly anticipated sophomore album, I Am, which is available for pre-order now. Unveiling the album cover, the I Am pre-order is live on Apple Music, iTunes, and Amazon Music, with the album to be released on Friday September 18th, comprising ten tracks. “Speak to Me” marks the second single off the new album. https://KorynHawthorneMusic.lnk.to/SpeakToMeVideoPR San Franklin drops new single "Set My Feet." https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/WJfarvT8xv5A96nJerG3h Megan Thee Stallion hosted a virtual Q&A for fans on Instagram Live, where she opened up about feeling betrayed by her friends following the shooting incident with Tory Lanez. https://youtu.be/UM-yxc-f5ic Guyger is currently serving a 10 year prison term in Texas for shooting Botham, 26, inside his own apartment at the South Side Flats on September 6, 2018. Guyger’s defense team is filing an appeal to overturn her 2019 murder conviction. Guyger’s attorneys are hoping to have it changed to negligent homicide, citing insufficient evidence, according to the Dallas Morning News. During a brief filed Tuesday, Guyger’s lawyer argued that because she thought that Jean was an intruder (remember, he was in HIS apartment) justified her use of deadly force. https://youtu.be/2Cov0AsAvyg Jurnee Smollett-Bell has opened up about the controversy surrounding brother Jussie Smollett’s alleged 2019 hate crime attack. The actress addressed the incident for the first time in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, in which she admits that the ordeal has “been f—king painful” for her family. “One of the most painful things my family’s ever experienced — to love someone as much as we love my brother, and to watch someone who you love that much go through something like this, that is so public, has been devastating,” Jurnee said. Watching the show’s episodes give viewers a front row seat to not only see women strippers do their thing but also hear their stories describing elements and circumstances in their respective lives – the good and bad. If one is still wondering what the “P” stands for in “P-Valley,” the show’s creator, Katori Hall’s 2015 stage play “Pussy Valley” should clear up confused minds. Make no mistake, Hall pitched Starz to use the full name like she did for her stage play, which is the foundation for the new cable series. The network, according to Hall, was squeamish about being so bold and declined to use the complete name. https://youtu.be/e8FubGEMvxQ Lizzo has inked a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios. The singer will work alongside Amazon Studios to develop projects that will debut exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, Variety reports. “I’m so excited to partner with the amazing team at Amazon. Thank you to Jen Salke and the rest of the team for making this dream come true. I can’t wait to get started and share my vision with the world,”Lizzo said, per the outlet. https://www.instagram.com/lizzobeeating/?utm_source=ig_embed The reality star best known for pursuing Tiffany “New York” Pollard on VH1’s hit show “I Love New York” will be getting his own reality series! The dating competition reality show is called “One Mo’ Chance,” and it’s produced by both Ray J and Princess Love. The show is still filming “bubble style” where contestants have been tested and quarantined together. He’ll touch on several subjects … from the relationship he has with the mother of his kids to his brother Ahmad “Real” Givens’ death from colon cancer in 2015. https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that blocks Americans and companies from making transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok. The ban goes into effect in 45 days, unless Microsoft or some other American company buys the popular video sharing app. https://youtu.be/gwGO0ZE82dg Jerry Falwell Jr. has agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence from his role as president and chancellor of Liberty University, the school announced Friday. The private evangelical Christian university issued a one-sentence statement making the announcement. The statement said the Executive Committee of Liberty’s board of trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met Friday and requested that Falwell take leave, “to which he has agreed, effective immediately.” The United States has recorded more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, the highest number of daily fatalities in three months, Johns Hopkins University’s real-time tally showed Thursday.The country, which has seen a major resurgence in coronavirus since the end of June, added 2,060 deaths in one day as well as more than 58,000 new cases. U.S. deaths from the coronavirus pandemic exceeded 160,000 on Friday, nearly a quarter of the world’s total, according to a Reuters tally, as the country debates whether schools are ready to reopen their doors in the coming weeks. The country with the most coronavirus cases, the United States recorded 160,003 deaths and 4.91 million cases. Coronavirus deaths are rising in 23 states and cases in 20 states, according to a Reuters analysis of data the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks. KP Pound was having trouble working out while quarantined and her daughter, Kynsley, stepped up. Pound told Good Morning America that it all started when Kynsley asked her fitness-minded mom if she’d worked out that day. When Pound expressed being unmotivated due to the rut of quarantine life, Kynsley said, “I’ll motivate you!” https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/video/year-moms-motivating-personal-trainer-72203892 The "Greatest Night in Gospel Music" returns to television when the 35th Anniversary Stellar Gospel Music Awards premieres on BET Networks as a two-hour virtual special on Sunday, August 23 at 6 p.m. ET. Confirmed performers include Anthony Brown, CeCe Winans, James Fortune, Koryn Hawthorne, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, Jonathan McReynolds, Travis Greene, Kierra Sheard, Marvin Sapp, Tye Tribbett, Tauren Wells, Zacardi Cortez, Pastor Mike Jr, DOE, Rich Tolbert Jr., and more. Emerging artists set to make their Stellar Awards debut include Group Fire, Keyla Richardson, Melvin Crispell III, and Titus Showers. The show’s star-studded digital red carpet will be hosted by Gospel artist Jekalyn Carr on Stellar Awards Facebook and Instagram pages at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 23. Chairman Fred Hampton was 21 years old when he was assassinated by the FBI, who coerced a petty criminal named William O’Neal to help them silence him and the Black Panther Party. But they could not kill Fred Hampton’s legacy and, 50 years later, his words still echo…louder than ever. https://youtu.be/sSjtGqRXQ9Y Keke Palmer has been tapped to host the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 30. The news follows the announcement that the actress will join the cast of the Disney+ revival of “The Proud Family.” Palmer will voice a new character, a 14-year-old activist named Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, on the animated series. https://youtu.be/rEeOFaxeOnY Garrett Rolfe, former Atlanta Police Department officer who fatally shot RaysharBrooks at an Atlanta Wendy’s, is suing Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to get his job back. According to TMZ, Rolfe is suing the mayor and the city interim police chief Rodney Bryant. He claims that his June 13th firing violated his constitutional right to due process. The ex-officer feels officials violated a law that states there should be an investigation, notice and a hearing before firing him. In the lawsuit that TMZ obtained, Rolfe insists that Brooks became violent before the shot that claimed his life. He also explained that he was “within the scope and course of his duties.” ”Insecure” star Issa Rae will executive produce a two-part documentary for HBO exploring the history of black television. HBO announced the documentary titled “Seen & Heard,” at its virtual Television Critics Association sessions Wednesday. The project, which is currently in production, “will explore the history of Black television through the eyes of trailblazers who produced, created and starred in a number of groundbreaking series.” “Black people have such a rich, but often unacknowledged history in Hollywood,” said Rae. “We have defined American culture and influenced generations time and time again across the globe. I’m honored to pair with Ark Media to center and celebrate the achievements of those who paved a way for so many of us to tell our stories on television.” Multimillion-selling R&B/pop pioneer and seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winner, Toni Braxton has released the official video for her latest single, “Dance,” today. Directed by Mike Ho, the video encapsulates the single’s high energy as Toni exudes confidence in her performance with her soulful vocals and sultry choreography. https://youtu.be/Ib_3r1bx3Eo “Star Trek: Lower Decks” focuses on the support crew serving the Starfleet’s least important ship, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in year 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies. https://youtu.be/V3RkBKedKWw Justin Bieber has often expressed how his rediscovered relationship with God changed his life for the better, and the star took to Instagram on Wednesday (Aug. 5) to share a touching moment of faith. The series of photos show Bieber and his wife, model Hailey Bieber, getting baptized in a lake. “The moment @haileybieber my wife and I got baptized together,” he captioned the beautiful photos. “This was one of most special moments of my life. Confessing our love and trust in Jesus publicly with our friends and family.” https://www.instagram.com/justinbieber/?utm_source=ig_embed Nia DaCosta is going from Candyman to Captain Marvel. The filmmaker has signed on to direct the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel starring Brie Larson, EW has learned. DaCosta, who most recently helmed the upcoming Candyman sequel, is taking the Captain Marvel reins from Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who directed the first film. Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand who worked on Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch, has died. He was 38. Reyes was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack on July 25, according to TMZ. Though he survived, Reyes never regained consciousness, and his family elected to take him off of life support the next day. A cause of death has yet to be determined; Reyes’ wife told TMZ that he had no known pre-existing health conditions. Zoe Saldana has expressed regret for playing legendary musician Nina Simone in Nina, the controversial 2016 biopic directed by Cynthia Mort. Saldana openly discussed her missteps with Pose creator Steven Canals during a chat about their experiences as Afro-Latinos in Hollywood and the timely conversation surrounding colorism within the Latino community on Tuesday. She explained that since taking on the role of Simone, which required her to wear a prosthetic nose and to darken her skin, she’s put in a lot of work to avoid making such a mistake again in the future. https://www.instagram.com/bese/?utm_source=ig_embed A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to threatening to burn down a Black church in Virginia days after one of the church’s leaders took part in a vigil for George Floyd. John Malcolm Bareswill, 63, entered the plea Wednesday, nearly two months after he was arrested on charges related to his alleged threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a news release. Authorities said Bareswill, who lived in Catawba, North Carolina, also made racist remarks when he called the Baptist church in Virginia Beach to make the threats in June. He could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison during his hearing in November, the release said. The “Greatest Night in Gospel Music” returns to television when the 35th Anniversary Stellar Gospel Music Awards premieres on BET Networks as a two-hour virtual special on Sunday, August 23 at 6 p.m. ET. Also simulcast on BET Her, the virtual production will acknowledge all award winners from the Stellar Awards pre-show and main show, with select categories being presented in the broadcast. Led by the superstar trio of Kirk Franklin, Jonathan McReynolds and Koryn Hawthorne as hosts, the show will celebrate 35 years of excellence. Kelya Richardson was a fan favorite on BET's Sunday Best. Though see did not win the competition, her new single "So Good" is winning in the hearts and minds of many gospel music fans. "So Good" is the Gospel Spotlight song of the week. Hear Keyla Richardson In Her own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/keylarichardson_intvw.htm Jonathan Trayler is signed to the historic Motown label and he intends on making some noise. His new album "Unknown" is a testament of who he is. Jonathan Traylor is coming at you with a fresh new dope sound. Hear Jonathan Traylor In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jonathantraylor_intvw.htm Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said Wednesday that he had apologized for posting a photo of him in unzipped pants and arm around a woman — but also defended the incident as a vacation “costume party” that was “just in good fun.” The now-deleted photo showed Falwell, a leading evangelical supporter of President Donald Trump, with his pants unzipped and his underwear showing beneath, while he had one arm around a woman whose shorts also appeared to be unbuttoned and his other holding a glass with a dark-colored liquid. The photo appeared to be on board a yacht. The posting — which was quickly withdrawn — drew a sharp backlash and charges of hypocrisy because the evangelical university that he leads prohibits students from having sexual relations outside of a “biblically-ordained” marriage and consuming media with lewd lyrics, sexual content and nudity. Chicago rapper FBG Duck was shot dead Tuesday after four gunmen emerged from a pair of cars and opened fire while he was standing on a sidewalk — a brazen daytime ambush that also wounded two innocent bystanders in one of the city’s high-end shopping districts. Duck, whose real name is Carlton Weekly, was 26. Duck belonged to a faction of the Gangster Disciples street gang and police are looking into whether his shooting was retaliation for a recent music video in which he mentioned his dead rivals, The Chicago Tribune reported. The NBA’s Board of Governors and the National Basketball Players Association have finalized plans to create the first NBA Foundation that will work to spur economic growth in the Black community, announcing Wednesday that the initial contribution will be $300 million over the next decade. Each team will donate $1 million annually, or $30 million collectively, over those 10 years. An eight-person Board of Directors will be installed, with four of those seats going to representatives from the board of governors, three seats to NBPA players and executives, and one to the league office. Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential campaign has launched a new national ad focused on Black Americans, urging them to stand up to President Donald Trump the way their ancestors stood up to “violent racists of a generation ago.” The one-minute ad, which was shared exclusively with The Associated Press before its digital and television release on Thursday, is meant to drum up support among Black Americans, a key constituency for Biden, ahead of November’s general election. The ad, titled “Better America,” also takes a direct swipe at Trump, without mentioning the Republican president by name. Famed Detroit producer Detail, real name Noel Fisher, has been arrested on 15 charges of sexual assault. According to Variety, Fisher, best known for his collaborations with Beyoncé and Lil Wayne, was arrested on Wednesday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, after five felony assault charges and 15 sexual assault charges were filed against him. He is reportedly being held on $6.3 million bail. In this current era of social distancing, perhaps the most glaring part of NBA 2K21’s new “official video gameplay trailer” released Thursday (Aug. 6) is not the new shot meter (at the 0:08 mark), not the UCLA sighting (at 0:25), not the Neighborhood/Park/Beach2K tease (1:15), but the sight of sold-out arenas. Remember those?This latest version becomes available on Sept. 4, and pre-orders are being taken now. https://youtu.be/JLsDWPsx23c Sam Beal’s decision not to play this season should not make a major impact on the Giants. The fact it could — that so much was riding on a cornerback who has missed 26 of a possible 32 career games due to various injuries — is an ominous preseason sign for a defense coming off three straight bottom-third-of-the-league finishes.Beal joined more than 50 others around the NFL in exercising every player’s collectively bargained right to opt out due to COVID-19 health concerns. It is not clear if his decision will be classified as voluntary ($150,000 cash-advance stipend) or if he is a high-risk case ($350,000 cash-advance stipend) based on personal or family situation. Bishop Larry D. Trotter & Sweet Holy Spirit Choir have just the record to heal the soul and encourage the down trodden. With COVID-19 running rampant throughout the country, and Bishop Trotter recovering from the deadly disease himself, he wants everyone to know that it's gonna be alright! Bishop Larry D. Trotter & Sweet Holy Spirit Choir's new gospel single entitled "Alright", is a traditional, praise and worship song that extols the experience of all believer's when they wait patiently on the Lord. He will come through every time - on time, and it's gonna be "ALRIGHT!" The Gospel Spotlight's!!! Hear Bishop Larry Trotter In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Bishop_Larry_D_Trotter_intvw.htm MSNBC host Chris Hayes says Republicans are up to “dirty tricks” with their embrace of Kanye West on the campaign trail, if the rapper is indeed serious about running for president. On his show “All In” Wednesday, Hayes played tweeted video of a Trump election lawyer dropping off signatures to get Yeezy on the ballot in Wisconsin. https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/how-the-gop-is-trying-to-use-kanye-west-89618501563 Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and co-counsels Mark Marderosian and Michele Rayner-Goolsby have filed a civil lawsuit against Walt Disney World, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and associated entities for the wrongful and traumatic arrest of Hester Burkhalter. Then 69-year-old Ms. Burkhalter, her husband, their disabled adult daughter, and their two youngest children arrived in Orlando from North Carolina for what they believed to be their dream vacation in April 2019. Ms. Burkhalter suffers from severe arthritis and was recommended, by her doctor, to treat it with CBD oil. https://youtu.be/I9AGFUffGeA With Downtown LA’s skyline and the sunset as a backdrop, Ava DuVernay’s non-profit ARRAY ALLIANCE is bringing a free cinematic experience to its Historic Filipinotown/Downtown LA neighborhood on August 14 and 15.With movie theaters still closed in Los Angeles due to the COVID-19 health pandemic, ARRAY DRIVE-IN, a two-night community cinema pop-up, will screen two powerhouse films centered on iconic musical performers, Prince and Selena. The critically acclaimed, biography SELENA will screen Friday night, August 14. Saturday night’s featured film is PURPLE RAIN, starring Prince in his acting debut, playing The Kid. You’ve heard of Yacht Rock? Now there is “Yacht Soul.” A massive Yacht Soul playlist has been put together with the most representative songs like “Turn Your Love Around” by George Benson, “After The Love Is Gone” by Earth Wind & Fire, and more. ADRIENNE HOUGHTON REVEALS HER JEWELRY COLLECTION ON CLEO TV'S ALL THINGS ADRIENNE THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 AT 9 P.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpJtDpXqDLA&feature=youtu.be The mayor of Los Angeles has ordered utility shutoffs for residents that host illegal house parties and large gatherings amid COVID-19. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Wednesday that he has authorized the Department of Water and Power to shut off utilities to homeowners who violate coronavirus restrictions. “While we have already closed all bars and nightclubs, these large house parties have essentially become nightclubs in the hills,” he said during a press conference, as reported by Deadline. Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta” star Mimi Faust is engaged to former WNBA player Tamera “Ty” Young. The couple announced their engagement on Instagram Saturday, along with a photo of Faust’s diamond engagement ring. Young has “She said yesII” written in cursive across her palm. Young dedicated a post celebrating the exciting news to “my beautiful and fine loving fiancé.” https://www.instagram.com/mimifaust/?utm_source=ig_embed Migos rapper Takeoff is at the center of a lawsuit filed by a woman who claims he raped her at a party in Los Angeles in June. according to documents obtained by TMZ. Takeoff is adamantly denying the allegations. His attorney, Drew Findling, tells TMZ, “We have reviewed the allegations and have similarly done our own due diligence. What has become abundantly clear is that the allegations made against Takeoff are patently and provably false. The claims and statements made regarding this lawsuit indicate that the plaintiffs’ representatives have not spoken with relevant witnesses or reviewed available evidence.” He continues, “Takeoff is renowned for his artistic talent as well as his quiet, reserved and peaceful personality. In this instance, those known personality traits have made him a target of an obvious exploitative money grab. A woman claims her child choked on a blue surgical face mask that was baked into a McDonald’s meal. According to BBC, Laura Arber found the mask after her daughter Maddie began eating her chicken nuggets. “My little daughter just started choking and I put my fingers down her throat to loop it out there was just blue with the sick. I thought what on earth is this?!” she told local news in Aldershot, England, where the incident took place. WE tv’s “Love After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode and here is an exclusive of one of the couple’s featured this season. Meet Scott, a 51-year-old entrepreneur who uprooted his New York life for 27-year-old Mississippi belle, Lindsey, who landed in jail for possession of drugs and a firearm. Though they’ve never met in person, Scott has been supporting the former cheerleader throughout their relationship; and plans to move Lindsey and her daughter into the dream home he is renovating to her specifications. https://youtu.be/iCwD2sURFDE Kelis is expecting her third child and second with husband Mike Mora. The singer and chef, 40, announced the exciting news on Instagram Wednesday via a photo of a positive First Response Early Result pregnancy test. https://www.instagram.com/kelis/?utm_source=ig_embed Oprah Winfrey is catching heat from Black critics and lawmakers over a video that went viral Tuesday of her saying white privilege gives white people a “leg up” in society. The clip, part of Winfrey’s series “The Oprah Conversation,” features the media mogul insisting that all white people benefit from privilege because of their skin color. “There are white people who are not as powerful as the system of white people — the caste system that’s been put in place — but they still, no matter where they are on the rung, or the ladder of success, they still have their whiteness,” Winfrey said in the viral video. https://twitter.com/i/status/1289353929789018113 The family of Stephon Clark, who was shot and killed by Sacramento police in 2018, is speaking out over demands that the NFL pull a new PSA spotlighting the case. “Enough is enough. I am sick and tired of the smear campaign against my brother who is no longer here to defend himself. Shame, shame on Anne Marie Shubert, shame on the California District Attorney’s Union… shame, shame, shame,” Clark’s brother, Stevante Clark, said during a family press conference held Wednesday outside the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office. https://youtu.be/4sJhNoFbcdY During Jamie Foxx’s virtual “Tonight Show” visit Wednesday (Aug. 5) to promote his new Netflix movie “Project Power,” he and host Jimmy Fallon played “Auto-Tune Up,” where they put the popular vocal tuning technology to seriously boring copy. After Fallon autotuned an Amazon review of a screwdriver set, Foxx turned the DVD copyright infringement warning into a summer bop. Fallon came back with an autotuned Combos ingredient list and then Foxx dropped the mic with instructions on how to spider-proof a shed. https://youtu.be/CgyKnvdJLGQ While discussing mental health amid the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing protests over racial injustice with Michele Norris, the former anchor of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Michelle Obama explained that her low-grade depression, as she calls it, is not “Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting.”In part, the former First Lady says she also blames the Trump administration’s response to current events for her depression. https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed Conservative commentator Candace Owens swears that the coronavirus, which has killed 701,000 people world wide and nearly 160,000 in the United States, is being used by liberals to hide their presidential candidate, keep Donald Trump from hosting his rallies and push for mail-in voting,“ which allows for tons of rigging.”Her latest flare up is from an interview with conservative outlet The Daily Caller, which she tweeted Tuesday. “Coronavirus is the greatest rigging of an American election that has ever taken place— and we are all unwitting participants,” she said in the video. An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airs Thursday night and finds Kurupt and Toni sparring over his drinking problem. https://youtu.be/msGmSP-Nikk Cori Bush, a onetime homeless woman who led protests following a white police officer’s fatal shooting of a Black 18-year-old in Ferguson, ousted longtime Rep. William Lacy Clay Tuesday in Missouri’s Democratic primary, ending a political dynasty that has spanned more than a half-century. Bush’s victory came in a rematch of 2018, when she failed to capitalize on a national Democratic wave that favored political newcomers such as Bush’s friend, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This time she was able to pull out the victory winning 49%-46%. Bush’s supporters said protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis and outrage over racial injustice finally pushed her over the edge. Todd Burton and Terence Burton, two-thirds of the Contemporary Gospel group Half Mile Home mourn the passing of their mother, Sheila M. Burton from complications resulting from Breast Cancer on Monday, August 3rd. The Burton Family is deeply saddened with the untimely passing of our beloved matriarch, Sheila Burton. The Gospel Spotlight is sending up prayers for the family and ask that you do the same. Hear Half Mile Home In their Own words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/halfmilehome_intvw.htm Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State to President George W Bush, was asked in a recent interview if she believes that systemic racism exists today in the United States. “I would like to have a better definition of systemic racism so that we can actually address it,” she responded during a Zoom interview with New York Times journalist Peter Baker at the Aspen Security Forum. The African American Republican conceded that “something is in the system” when it comes to racial disparities in education and policing, “but I think we have to break it down,” she added. https://www.c-span.org/video/?474487-2/aspen-security-forum-discussion-condoleezza-rice# Celebrities are demanding justice for 23-year-old Elijah McClain in a new video that calls out politicians by name for ignoring public pleas. Janelle Monae, Cassie, Meagan Good and more appear in the PSA, demanding that the involved officers be held accountable for the carotid hold and ketamine injection inflicted upon McClain after they stopped his walk home from the store for looking “suspicious.” https://youtu.be/4mPsY_GNJ4A Talib Kweli has been permanently banned from Twitter following “repeated violations,” a spokesperson for the social media site confirmed. The Brooklyn rapper was suspended after allegedly launching a harassment campaign against 24-year-old activist Maya A. Moody. His beef with her began a month ago, after a Twitter user posted a list of rappers who are married to Black women. Kweli was on the list. Moody responded by noting: “Literally almost all of them are married to lightskinned women but that’s a conversation for another day.” As reported by Complex, he would continue to harass Moody over the next several weeks, insisting he would only stop when she apologized or deleted her Twitter. He also targeted her on Instagram, and made her the topic of an hour-long IG Live. In response to calls for more diversity among corporate leaders in America, Assemblymembers Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) and Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) have co-sponsored AB 979. The legislation requires publicly held corporations headquartered in California to have at least one member on their board of directors from an under-represented community by the end of 2021. The bill defines under-represented groups as “Black,  African American, Hispanic,  Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native.” Jay-Z’s Roc Nation team has partnered with Long Island University to establish the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment. Based in the rapper’s hometown of Brooklyn, the partnership will provide undergraduate students with opportunities to work in the music, sports, and entertainment industries. The program offers degrees in music, music technology, entrepreneurship & production, as well as sports management. Enrollment for the new school will begin with the fall 2021 semester, and 25% of the incoming freshmen class will receive Roc Nation Hope Scholarships. Hope Scholars will graduate debt-free. Dr. Dre’s estranged wife Nicole Young has reportedly filed documents contesting their prenuptial agreement. Young, 50, filed for divorce in June after 24 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. In his response to her petition, Dre revealed that the couple have a prenuptial agreement that he wants enforced. The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) today announced the virtual edition of its 2nd Annual AAFCA TV Honors. Launched last year with tremendous success, AAFCA was at the forefront of honoring Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us,” including recognizing breakout star Jharrel Jerome’s performance. This year AAFCA is pleased to honor a number of outstanding shows, creators and performers, including ABC’s Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson-produced “For Life” for Best Drama and HBO’s “Insecure” for Best Comedy. Viola Davis (“How To Get Away with Murder,” ABC) and Sterling K. Brown (“This is Us,” NBC) will be honored as Best Actress and Best Actor respectively. Jeremy Pope and Laura Harrier who star in Netflix’ “Hollywood” will be honored as Breakout Performers. TV trailblazer Kenya Barris will receive the ICON Award for “Black-ish” on ABC and now “#blackAF” on Netflix. HBO’s “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children” and “The Last Dance” from ESPN Films/Netflix will receive top documentary honors. “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel” (Lifetime) was named Best TV Movie. “I Promise,” the inspiring documentary series on Quibi, chronicling the first year of LeBron James launching the I Promise School in his hometown, will receive the organization’s inaugural award for Best Short Form. Amanda Seales is speaking out once again about her decision to leave “The Real.” The actress/comedian previously blamed poor, white leadership behind the scenes for her decision to walk away from the daytime talk show. “Our topics are being picked by someone who doesn’t. Our chat is produced by a White man—who even if he has the best of intentions, he has a disconnect from his experience in the world from what we’re going to be addressing,” Seales explained during an interview. WORK IT makes you want to have a dance party in your house! Starring Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy and Jordan Fisher, WORK IT is the 2020 dance comedy you never knew you needed! With millions already anxiously awaiting the premiere, August 7, 2020, exclusively on Netflix; the trailer has already amassed three million views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1Ja4ZZo_No Fox News star Tucker Carlson appears to be quite triggered over the possibility that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden could pick a Black woman as his VP running mate. During his show on Monday night, Tucker — whose former head writer was recently outed as an outspoken racist— said it is “probably illegal” for Biden to prioritize Black women, calling his list of candidates unqualified, per The Daily Beast. https://youtu.be/6cuA-eYjK-Y David Lacey, the husband of LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, has been charged with three counts of assault with a firearm after waving his gun at Black Lives Matter protesters on his porch. Lacey was captured on video on March 2 pulling a gun on activists in front of their home and threatening to shoot them if they didn’t get off his property, NewsOne reported. The demonstrators were airing out their grievances with Jackie when her husband opened the door and threatened to shoot them. Tiffany Haddish says she has lost 20 pounds since she started dating rapper Common. “I’ve lost 20 pounds since I’ve been in this relationship,” she shared on the latest episode of Steve-O’s podcast, Steve-O’s Wild Ride. “I feel more confident in me and it’s not him that’s doing it.” Haddish admits she’s “way happier” being in a relationship with the hip-hop star. “It’s like knowing I got somebody that cares about me, that really has my back,” she said. “It seems like he does, anyways. And I love it. I love him.” Haddish went on to gush, “This is hands down the best relationship I’ve ever been in — knock on wood!” Disinfecting products have been hard to come by since the coronavirus pandemic, and the shortage is not expected to end anytime soon. Benno Dorer, the CEO and Chairman of Clorox, said it’s popular wipes will be back on shelves at American retailers sometime in 2021. https://youtu.be/_KgqdXPT9RI Debuting at #1 on Billboard, the "Trolls World Tour" soundtrack has now been atop the charts for 21 weeks straight! “What an honor to be a part of such a great movie and now the soundtrack! Good clean family fun,Trolls World Tour is so dope – I love the wholesome themes & the music is absolutely amazing!” says Brent Jones. A singer/songwriter extraordinaire who's pioneering work with his urban group Brent Jones & T.P. Mobb set the stage for Kirk Franklin and urban contemporary gospel, JDI artist Brent Jones' new CD "Nothing Else Matters" is the highly anticipated follow-up to "Open Your Mouth and Say Something", which topped the Billboard charts for over 54+ weeks, earning widespread critical acclaim and multiple award nominations including the 2019 Dove Award and 2019 Stellar Award. Daywind Music Publishing is celebrating its songwriters, Lee Black, Jason Cox, and John Darin Rowsey, who were recognized for writing on some of the most performed songs in Christian music last year. BMI, one of the largest performing rights organizations which collect royalties from radio, television, and other performances, honored the three writers at the 2020 BMI Christian Awards celebration, announced online this year on BMI.com. Daywind Music Publishing’s catalog, Christian Taylor Music, and its exclusive songwriters Lee Black, Jason Cox, and John Darin Rowsey, were among those honored by BMI for some of Christian music’s top played songs on radio. A life-sized statue of the Rev. Billy Graham will be installed in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall collection sometime next year, replacing a statue of a white supremacist that both the state of North Carolina and the U.S. House want removed. Last week, a North Carolina legislative committee approved a 2-foot model of the statue depicting the famous evangelist who died in 2018. Sight & Sound Theaters will present its first-ever live worldwide broadcast of “Queen Esther” after its stage production was canceled earlier this year due to lockdown orders in response to the novel coronavirus. The live performance will be available to watch on Sight and Sound’s new streaming platform sight-sound.tv on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. Eastern time along with other stage productions by Sight & Sound Theaters on Labor Day weekend. U.S. District Judge Esther Salas has addressed the tragic shooting of her 20-year-old son, who was gunned down at the family home last month. Salas’ husband Mark Anderl was also wounded in the shooting by Roy Den Hollander, who reportedly committed suicide after the ambush. https://youtu.be/sLWJPlAIPvE “God told me…get rid of industry and get to ministry,” said Michael Stuckey, former lead singer for Ricky Dillard and New G, about his new album “Live in Ghana.” “I had two managers, because I got a big voice. They wanted to make me a new Donnie McClurkin.” Michael explained that God gave him orders to perform in Ghana for free. “I got rid of my managers and did it myself. I spent nine months doing Uber, raising funds because it would cost me $40,000 – I raised $30,000,” said Stuckey about the new album. https://youtu.be/7xg4EU_Dcco Per the Associated Press, Kanye West has withdrawn his petition to appear on the New Jersey ballot for the 2020 presidential election. The publication has obtained email correspondence between an unidentified person writing from a Kanye 2020 address telling Administrative Law judge Gail Cookson the news that West is pulling his petition to appear on the state’s ballot. BET presents “Ruff Ryders Chronicles,” the definitive story of Ruff Ryders Entertainment. The five-part production about the iconic hip hop label founded by the Dean brothers Joaquin (Waah), Darin (Dee) and sister, Chivon Dean, will feature interviews with trailblazing artists Swizz Beatz, Eve, DMX, The LOX and more. Following the explosive conclusion to BET’s “No Limit Chronicles,” the “Ruff Ryders Chronicles” will premiere Wednesday, August 12 at 10/9c on BET. https://youtu.be/p0HbHwAUyZg Ryan Reynolds is apologizing for marrying actress Blake Lively at a former plantation. Reynolds, 43, and Lively, 32, married in 2012 at Boone Hall, a former slave plantation in South Carolina. “It’s something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for,” Reynolds said in a new interview with Fast Company. https://www.instagram.com/blakelively/?utm_source=ig_embed Chip and Joanna Gaines are ready to see some more fixer uppers. In a move that should boost the already considerable anticipation for their upcoming network, the duo announced Tuesday that they’re bringing back Fixer Upper — the HGTV home renovation series that made them household names. New episodes of Fixer Upper will be on the lineup when Magnolia Network, a joint venture between the Gaineses and Discovery Inc., launches on linear and digital in 2021. With just under six weeks to go until the start of the regular season, the NFL could soon have a crisis on its hands, and that’s because one of the league’s biggest stars isn’t on board with the idea of playing football this year. During an interview with WSJ. Magazine this week, Odell Beckham made it clear that he thinks the 2020 season should be canceled. The Browns receiver didn’t mince words when he was asked his thoughts about playing during a pandemic.“I just feel like the season shouldn’t happen,” Beckham said. “And I’m prepared for it to not happen and I wouldn’t mind not having it.” Oprah Winfrey will honor Rep. John Lewis with a primetime CBS special set to air on Tuesday (Aug. 4). Winfrey will host the event, dubbed “John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero,” with Tyler Perry, Gayle King and Brad Pitt. The special will air on CBS at 10 p.m. ET on Aug. 4, and across several ViacomCBS brands — including OWN, BET, MTV and Smithsonian, Variety reports. Colorado’s Aurora Police Department has opened an internal investigation after a Black family (with children) were handcuffed at gunpoint after mistaking their SUV for a stolen vehicle. According to witnesses, a police vehicle pulled behind the family and an officer ordered them to exit the SUV at gunpoint. Brittney Gilliam, who was driving the car, was with her six-year-old daughter, 12-year-old sister, and 14-year-old and 17-year-old nieces on Sunday during the traffic stop. “If you wanted to place me in handcuffs at that point, I would have gladly agreed to that because you had a job to do and you did it under the right protocol, but you pointed a gun at four kids and then you proceeded to start handcuffing the kids,” Gilliam said of the officers’ reaction. Interim Chief of Police Vanessa Wilson said she called the family to apologize and offer help “especially for the children who may have been traumatized by yesterday’s events”. https://youtu.be/OuiLfWVTuaY NFL icon Emmitt Smith announced over the weekend that he and his wife of 20 years are calling it quits. The Dallas Cowboys running back shared the news in an Instagram post, in which he and wife Pat released a joint statement announcing their decision. The two noted that they intend to continue to co-parent their children as well as run their various businesses and charities. https://www.instagram.com/emmittsmith22/?utm_source=ig_embed During an Axios interview that aired Monday on HBO, President Trump declined to say whether he found the late Rep. John Lewis’s life “impressive,” but twice made a point to mention that the civil rights icon should have come to his inauguration. Asked how he thinks history will remember Lewis, Trump told reporter Jonathan Swan, “I don’t know. I don’t know John Lewis,” adding, “He chose not to come to my inauguration. I never met John Lewis, actually, I don’t believe.” https://youtu.be/zaaTZkqsaxY A racist white couple in California have been arrested on hate crime and vandalism charges after targeting a Black man with their racist rhetoric. According to reports, the couple were unprovoked when they got out of their truck at a traffic stop, did a Nazi salute and shouted “only white lives matter” at a Black man and his girlfriend, per Fox News. Gregory and Rachel Howell, both 29, were arrested on Friday and released the same day on bail, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office records. https://twitter.com/i/status/1286194861100503040 New single from David and Tamela Mann "Touch From You" available on Spotify this Friday August 7, 2020. Hear David and Tamela Mann In Their Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/David_Tamala_Mann.htm Join Bishop Leonard Scott for his next #WorshipAndWellnessWednesday! His good friend, Bishop Rance Allen will be joining him and showing some never-before-seen concert footage. Join us live on Facebook or Youtube on Wednesday, August 5th at 1pm EST! Bishop Leonard Scott is going live! Due to COVID-19 and Social Distancing, we will be having Sunday service in the parking lot at TPWC Indy at 2800 E. 39th St. but will also be streaming all services ONLINE! If the weather does not permit outside service, service will be held at Rock Community Church at 5601 E. 71st Street. Brandon Camphor & OneWay are making noise with their first radio single in five years – “God of Mercy” which recently debuted at No. 30 on the Gospel Airplay chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emcQ_ixJJ08 Candice Eden counts herself blessed to be a part of the Kingdom during this time. The celebrated author, singer, songwriter and speaker values her relationship with Jesus above all and has learned firsthand how to receive the love of God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Her new single, "It Is Enough", is the song of the redeemed. https://youtu.be/p2TgTrOmGXE Oprah Winfrey has announced that her August 2020 book club selection will be Isabel Wilkerson’s exploration of race and hierarchy in the U.S., “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” The 59-year-old author and journalist won the National Book Critics Circle award in 2011 for her previous book, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” about the Black migration from the South in the early 20th century. In “Caste,” she examines American history and the treatment of Blacks and finds what she calls an enduring, unseen and unmentioned caste system — not unlike those in India or Nazi Germany — that has yet to be fully confronted. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=575374036466344 Lena Waithe is developing a drama series about open marriages with Amazon Studios. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the project has the working title “Open,” and should it move forward, the series would be the first to tackle the subject of nontraditional marriages. https://www.instagram.com/lenawaithe/?utm_source=ig_embed Southwest Airlines says it’s cutting back on its COVID-focused cleaning protocol. Specifically, the airline is now only disinfecting high-touch areas like lavatories and tray tables between flights. Armrests and seat belts will not be disinfected between flights. The change was announced in a memo to employees, that USA Today obtained Monday. The new cleaning protocol focuses on the bathrooms and tray tables which the memo describes as, “the most important areas to clean between each flight as they are prone to contamination from Customer use and food/beverage consumption.” The airline says it has a perfectly good reason for the policy change. It’s because of a recent increase in flight schedules. That means there is less time between flights for crews to clean. Pretty Ricky singer Diamond Blue Smith (AKA ‘Baby Blue’) is accused of punching a pregnant woman in her stomach and choking her out. The woman, who claims she is five months pregnant with the singer’s child, took to social media on Sunday to detail the abuse she allegedly suffered. Using the moniker “Red Spice” on social media, the woman shared a lengthy post in which she accused Smith of choking, punching, and slapping her during her pregnancy, per MadameNoire. https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed Monday, Kanye West reportedly filed signatures to appear on the Arkansas ballot this fall as an independent presidential candidate. TMZ reports that the rapper added his newly confirmed vice presidential running mate Michelle Tidball to the petition. “Tidball is a 57-year-old white woman that Kanye met in Cody, Wyoming. She runs an online Bible study, works in a dental office, and is a self-described “biblical life coach,” who charges $65 for a 50 minute one-on-one session.” The Bachelorette” is getting a bit more colorful now that Tayshia Adams has been tapped to replace Clare Crawley for season 16. Rachel Lindsay, the first Black female contestant on the ABC dating series, says she is “more than happy to pass the torch” after hearing about Adams’ casting news, per PEOPLE. “When I stepped in as Bachelorette, I wanted to pave a way for more diversity, for more people who look like me and who didn’t look like the typical lead,” Lindsay told Entertainment Tonight on Monday. “So to see another Bachelorette of color, I’m thrilled.” An 11-year-old boy a Nigerian went viral last month with a video showing his ballet skills as he dances barefoot in the rain. The clip has earned the kid multiple scholarship opportunities, PEOPLE reports. “A friend who lives in the UK sent me the video,” Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance, told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Within a day, I was trying to find him.” Harvey tracked down Anthony Madu and his dance school teacher, Daniel Ajala Owoseni, and offered him a full scholarship to attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop. https://www.instagram.com/leapofdanceacademy/?utm_source=ig_embed Bishop Hezekiah Walker performed his uplifting worship anthem "Every Praise" toward the end of George Floyd's private memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota and now the hit song has been certified Platinum and Billboard’s #1 Song of the Decade. Bishop Walker says, “To God be all of the glory.” Details are limited, but it looks like Bishop Walker is set to ink a new label deal with RCA. His focus will be on choirs starting with Vincent Bohanan & SOV and Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling. Earnest Pugh has invited fans and followers into his home every week for the last couple of months to share cooking secrets via his YouTube page. The award winning singer who recently released his 12th CD, "The Outpour Experience" featuring the number one hit "God Wants To Heal You" has grown a huge following with his cooking vignettes. Hear Earnest Pugh In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_intvw.htm The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC) will present a Virtual Convention. The jam-packed conference will showcase a little of everything experienced at in-person conventions. Nightly services are set for Aug 10 – Aug 14, 2020 7p -9p (EST); and webinar classes will end the week on Aug 15th from 10a – 2p (EST). Dr. Marabeth Gentry, president, says the 2020 theme is “Singing through Crisis.” It is our declaration to faithfully do what we are called to do whenever, wherever and in whatever. Rihanna has given her loyal fans — dubbed The Navy — an update on the status of hotly anticipated new album. During the virtual launch party of her new Fenty Skin line on July 30, the singer teased that she’ll be dropping new music sooner than expected, and promises it will be worth the wait. https://youtu.be/J8o893pfGtc The streaming giant Netflix has announced its August 2020 releases, which includes the new thriller “Project Power” starring Jaime Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which drops August 14. https://youtu.be/xw1vQgVaYNQ Common’s upcoming Audible Original “Bluebird Memories: A Journey Through Lyrics & Life” premiers, August 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJy3PY4BraA Blackfilm.com has exclusively learned that director Deon Taylor (The Intruder, Black & Blue) recently completed a new film centered on COVID-19 called “The Fear.”Starring Power’s Joseph Sikora, Clifford “TIP” Harris, Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor, Terrence J., Ruby Modine, Annie Ilonzeh, Iddo Goldberg, and Jessica Allain, the film was written and shot during the pandemic crisis. Filmed inside Strawberry Lodge, a ski resort by South Lake Tahoe, the thriller centers on a group of people who are locked in at the lodge during the pandemic crisis. Having to cope with each other, while keeping their distance and maintaining of level of sanity is a test that no one wants to fail. Bodycam footage from the two officers accused of murdering George Floyd, leaked to DailyMail.com on Monday, shows Floyd saying, “Mr. Officer, please don’t shoot me” before the struggle that ended with his death on May 25. Transcripts from the videos were released in mid-July but a judge in Minneapolis had ruled the video could only be viewed in the courthouse, meaning only select people have seen the footage, which includes more than 18 minutes from Officer Alex Kueng’s bodycam and 10 minutes from Officer Thomas Lane. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/07/30/1972607531549437991/636x382_MP4_1972607531549437991.mp4 Get ready for a holiday classic as RCA Inspiration releases a special edition of Christmas, the beloved album from Kirk Franklin and the Family, available for pre-order now. The sole holiday album from Kirk Franklin, released in 1995 marking his second album, Christmas is being issued in a limited vinyl edition on Friday, October 2nd 2020, celebrating the record’s 25th anniversary. Available in limited quantities, the vinyl edition can be pre-ordered online via Walmart, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Award Winning Songstress Lindsay is back with another "HOT" single! “I Don’t Need A Reason.” Lindsay has been singing since she can remember. With a renewed heart for the Lord and a life dedicated to His service, she releases here second single, "I Don't Need A Reason." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmcWwK-fkmU&feature=youtu.be Brandé Elise & Danielle Gray welcomed media and VIP guests into the wonderful World of UNOIA for an exclusive virtual media teleconference/product review of their Lifestyle and CBD line. The media teleconference took place via zoom with select media outlets. Participating media were sent UNOIA products for their own review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWtfmEGJ-MI CONGRESSMEMBER KAREN BASS, HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP JAMES E. CLYBURN, DIVERSITY EDUCATOR JANE ELLIOTT, FORMER WHITE SUPREMACIST T.M. GARRET, PASTOR MICHAEL SMITH (THE JACKSONVILLE CHURCH), AMONG OTHERS, JOIN THE LORNA M. JOHNSON GLOBAL INSTITUTE VIRTUAL TOWN HALL WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5 AT 6 P.M.ET/3 P.M. P.T. on http://www.lornamjohnson.com/townhall ”Starting today, merchants in the U.S. with a verified Business Profile on Google can add a Black-owned business attribute to their profile, making it easier for customers to find and support them. As part of our $300 million commitment to support underrepresented entrepreneurs, we’re also integrating the attribute into the digital skills training programs we offer Black business owners through Grow with Google Digital Coaches,” Jewel Burks, Head of Google for Startups U.S., said in a blog post. Burks said with this attribute, their goal is to make Search and Maps more inclusive and help support Black-owned businesses. Tiff Joy drops new single "You are God." https://spaces.hightail.com/space/Lt4qKTV8pK/files/fi-9d6835ef-ef0c-48ec-b037-580bdc2e8037/fv-e8109185-0491-4f5e-9e79-1091117abf7e/You%20Are%20God%20Alone%20-%20320%20radio%20edit.mp3 Prayers up for Peter Thomas. The ex-“RHOA” co-star has announced that he has contracted the coronavirus. Via his Instagram story, the Jamaican born businessman gave an update on his health Sunday. He informed his followers that after five negative tests, the bad news finally came through on the sixth one. “COVID-19 got me,” said the caption with a video of Thomas looking grim from his bed. Hear Peter Thomas in His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/peterthomas_intvw.htm The priest of a Roman Catholic Church in New Jersey is being criticized by a local activist group after he asked a lector to refrain from wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt during mass. Two weeks ago, Rev. Brian Needles, the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in South Orange, New Jersey, sent a letter to the lector, 68-year-old Tom Morris.According to a copy of the letter shared online by the SOMA Black Parents Workshop, Needles explained to Morris that “several people” complained about his attire at mass. The religious leader asked Morris to refrain from wearing the shirt when lectoring and said that he prefers males wear a collared shirt when they lector. “A t-shirt, incredibly enough, can be a real source of division and distraction,” the letter declared. In an era when celebrity social-media posts are deeply hit or miss, Usain Bolt has blessed Twitter and Instagram with almost impossibly cute pictures of his baby daughter and revealed her perfect name, Olympia Lightning Bolt. The world-renowned sprinter shared the photos in honor of his girlfriend Kasi Bennett’s birthday on July 7, which makes the posts all the more wholesome. “Now we have started a new chapter together with our daughter Olympia Lightning Bolt I look forward to what the future will bring for us but be reassured that I will be the ROCK for this family,” Bolt wrote on Instagram. KeKe Palmer appeared on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” on Sunday night, and confessed that she “expected” her ABC morning talk show, “Strahan, Sara & Keke,” to be canceled. Palmer previously slammed accusations that her ABC morning show was cancelled due to her Black Lives Matter activism. https://youtu.be/V3i7rJG9qNw William “Roddie” Bryan, the man who filmed the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, is under investigation for alleged child molestation. According to the New York Post, the Georgia Bureau on Investigation launched a sex crimes probe against Bryan on July 17. First Coast News lists the case as “child abuse/molestation” involving a white female victim. Bryan was arrested on May 21 for his role in the Arbery killing. He is facing charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. https://youtu.be/DFqGagh_7RE Congresswoman Karen Bass is one of several high-profile Black women that Vice President Biden has publicly said he’s considering. Congresswoman Karen Bass on meet the Press....https://youtu.be/Zcpul6p3it8 President Donald Trump announced last week he will soon ban Chinese-owned video app TikTok from the United States. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One Friday. “I have that authority. I can do it with an executive order or that,” he said. https://youtu.be/CtT5r6VIeB4 Kerry Washington and her Simpson Street production company have renewed an overall TV deal with ABC Studios for three more years. Washington will work on projects for broadcast, cable and streaming, TheWrap reports. “Since its inception, Simpson Street has focused on using art and entertainment to amplify the human experience and weave narratives that honor our unique differences while connecting us through our shared humanity,” the actress said in a statement. “I’m so proud of the foundation we’ve laid, and I am excited to extend our partnership with Jonnie Davis and the extraordinary team at ABC Studios who have shared in our vision from the very beginning.” https://youtu.be/qNuiBNp7JgM The summer release of Janelle Monae’s “Antebellum” has been removed from the August theatrical line-up as COVID-19 continues to impact movie chains. The Lionsgate film stars Monae as an author who is stuck between present day and slavery in the 1800s. She “finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. The summer release of Janelle Monae’s “Antebellum” has been removed from the August theatrical line-up as COVID-19 continues to impact movie chains. Lisa Bonet fans have been showering her with love and praise on social media after her ex-husband Lenny Kravitz wished her current husband Jason Momoa a happy birthday. “Happy Birthday Jason. One family. One love,” Kravitz posted on Twitter on Saturday, to which Momoa responded, “Love you ohana. Miss u.” Bonet and Kravitz called it quits over 20 years ago but still maintain a close friendship. They share daughter Zoë Kravitz, who also took to social media to wish Momoa a happy birthday. https://www.instagram.com/lennykravitz/?utm_source=ig_embed Weeks after confirming her split from ex Stacey Ervin Jr., Simone Biles has a new boyfriend. On Sunday, the Olympian, 23, shared photos on Instagram of herself cozying with football player Jonathan Owens. In one of the images, the Houston Texans safety, 25, is standing behind Biles while leaning in to kiss her neck. https://www.instagram.com/simonebiles/?utm_source=ig_embed Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz were in anniversary bliss over the weekend hitting fans with a flurry of posts celebrating their 10 years of matrimony. “My love, you are my dream come true!!” Keys wrote to her husband on Saturday (Aug. 1). “You always make me smile. You make me laugh and think and grow and dream and reach and stretch and I am in awe of our love! 10 joiiiwwnnntttttttzzzzzzz!!!!!! It’s so fast bc it’s so much fun! and so true and real and genuine! I adore you!!! Here’s to so much more of the greatness we create together!!! Deeply appreciating and loving every moment.” https://www.instagram.com/aliciakeys/?utm_source=ig_embed John Boyega stars in the Steve McQueen’s anticipated series “Small Axe,” which will air on Amazon and the BBC later this year. The anthology drama tells five stories from within London’s West Indian community between the 1960s and 1980s. Boyega’s episode, titled Red, White And Blue, will feature the “Star Wars” actor as Leroy Logan, a real-life Metropolitan Police officer who wanted to change the force from within after witnessing his father assaulted by two cops. CNN President Jeff Zucker has announced plans to launch a “new and expanded” team to “shed a light on the growing movement against institutional racism.” “I could not be prouder of the impactful work that CNN has done on every platform in the last few years – and especially in the last several weeks – covering race and racial injustice in America,” Zucker said in an internal staff memo, The Hill reports. “Our reporting has been powerful, emotional, and helped to shed a light on the growing movement against institutional racism. Today, I am pleased to announce that we are making an even more significant, sustained commitment to ensure race coverage is a permanent part of our journalism.” Prayers are going up for singer #FrankOcean and his family during this difficult time. It is being reported that his younger brother RyanBeaux is reportedly one of two victims that have unfortunately passed away in a fatal car crash Sunday morning. According to @abc7la, “the initial investigation revealed the vehicle was traveling south on Westlake Boulevard when the car appeared to leave the roadway and collide with a tree in the center median. The force of the crash caused the car to rip in half and was found by Ventura County sheriff’s deputies engulfed in flames.” Unfortunately, both passengers were pronounced deceased at the scene. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Ava DuVernay is bringing a ten-part social experiment series to NBC “Home Sweet Home.” According to Deadline, “each episode of the series follows two families who lead very different lives for a life-changing experience. It explores what it’s like to walk a mile in another person’s shoes by challenging racial, religious, economic, geographic, gender and identity assumptions as participants exchange homes for a week and experience the life of someone unlike them,” the outlet writes. DuVernay is producing this via her production company Array Filmworks with Warner Horizon Unscripted Television. It was back in February 2017 when we first heard about 2x Grammy Award winning Gospel Recording Artist Bishop Hezekiah Walker, landing an $80 million deal with New York City. The deal would include a major project that would assist in helping low income housing and seniors own and have better living conditions built in the borough. Fast forward to 2020 and that is exactly what he has done with the Hez House Apartments. Bishop Walker says, ”Construction is set to start this fall as we get ready to give back to the community, ultimately leaving a Gospel Legacy and Heritage behind.” Dave Chappelle was spotted hanging with David Letterman in the comedian’s hometown for what looks like a new episode of Letterman’s show. The two grabbed coffee Wednesday in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and photos captured them sitting on a bench outside Dark Star Books and Comics. According to TMZ, the duo were followed by a camera crew, possibly shooting an episode of Letterman’s interview show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” Chappelle has also been hosting socially-distanced comedy — which he’s dubbed ‘Chappelle Summer Camp’ — and Letterman made an appearance. Karen Bass in recent weeks has emerged as a dark horse candidate for Vice President of Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden. The head of the Black Caucus also has released telling statements around her lineage tying her to America. On Wednesday Bass stated “My ancestors built the Capitol, but yet there are monuments to the very people that enslaved my ancestors…” Is this a signal of the input the #ADOS the movement has had on the 2020 election? Or has Joe Biden already picked Kamala Harris? In a sign that that things may be looking up for Tamar Braxton, who was recently hospitalized following an attempt at suicide, she is back on social media. Apparently she hit up Instagram to not only give praise to her boyfriend, David Adefeso, for saving her life after her suicide attempt, but to also hint that she might be engaged. Tamar also took the opportunity to address the rumors that her sisters were blaming David for her mental issues. https://www.instagram.com/tamarbraxton/?utm_source=ig_embed Jamie Foxx had been cast to play Mike Tyson. Last month, the actor confirmed that the movie is now in the works. “It’s a definitive yes,” said Foxx while on Mark Birnbaum’s Instagram Live series “Catching Up.” The Oscar-winner said he’s excited to show audiences the “different lives” of Tyson. But, how does Tyson’s ex-wife Robin Givens feel about the biopic? https://youtu.be/z336su-HymA Kenya Moore is giving “Real Housewives of Atlanta” fans a tease of what’s to come when season 13 kicks off later this year. In an interview Moore addressed rumors that NeNe Leakes might not be returning. The former Miss USA also revealed she and her estranged husband Marc Daly are working on their relationship, while still co-parenting their 18-month-old daughter, Brooklyn. We have been quarantined apart, so that has been difficult in and of itself. But the goal prior to being quarantined is definitely working on our relationship.” Filming is well underway for ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 13. The ladies are entering their second month of filming. Kandi has been front and center this season and still remains the highest paid ‘RHOA’ housewife. Not only is she filming ‘RHOA’ and working on more spin-offs, but she’s moved into producing specials for Bravo. We’ll see her continuing to expand her brand and see Kandi’s juggling being mom to newborn Blaze and working on all her businesses. https://www.instagram.com/kandi/?utm_source=ig_embed British star Idris Elba says a movie version of his hit BBC TV series “Luther” is happening. Speaking to the press on Friday after receiving one of BAFTA’s highest honours, the BAFTA Special Award at the Virgin Media BAFTA Television Awards, Elba said: “I’ve maintained I’d like to see it come to a film, and that is where I think we are heading towards — a film. And I’m looking forward to making that happen. It is happening.” The London-born star is being recognized by BAFTA for both his craft and for championing diversity and new talent. Original “The Real” co-host Tamera Mowry-Housley is leaving the daytime talk show after seven years, she announced. Mowry-Housley, 42, wrote in an Instagram post that she had “NO intention” to share the news Monday, “especially in light of the news of my dear friend Naya, but now some reports are coming out and I’d rather you hear it from me first.” The TV personality and actress said she planned to pursue “amazing new opportunities” in her “next chapter” and spend more time with her family. She married former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley in 2011 and the couple has two children together: Aden, 7, and Ariah, 5. https://www.instagram.com/tameramowrytwo/?utm_source=ig_embed Wilford Brimley, the folksy character actor famous for his roles in films including “Cocoon,” “The Natural” and “The Firm,” has died. He was 85. The mustachioed star – a former Marine who served in the Korean War – got his start in John Wayne’s 1969 Western “True Grit” and TV’s “Gunsmoke.” He was widely recognized for his work as a spokesman for Quaker Oats and Liberty Medical Supply. The actor died Saturday morning at a hospital at his home state of Utah, where he was on dialysis and being treated for diabetes and other medical ailments. On Thursday, Tamar Braxton revealed in a lengthy Instagram statement that “it was only God’s grace and his mercy on my attempt to end my pain and my life that I am here to utilize my voice.” “Over the past 11 years there were promises made to protect and portray my story, with the authenticity and honesty I gave,” she wrote. “I was betrayed, taken advantage of, overworked, and underpaid.” Braxton said her cry for help to television executives “went totally ignored.” https://www.instagram.com/tamarbraxton/?utm_source=ig_embed Toni Braxton is using a vibrator to rejuvenate her under-eyes. “This thing right here, okay, I am going to admit, it is a vibrator. But I call it a face tingler,” said the gorgeous Grammy Award-winner in her Vogue Beauty Secrets video. “I haven’t used it on anything else other than my face, okay? Just FYI,” she assured viewers. Other than that, Braxton also advised fans to take it easy if they’re thinking about trying out the beauty hack for themselves. “There’s three settings…but I wouldn’t advise putting it on three,” she warned. The Eagles’ Doug Pederson on Sunday became the second NFL head coach to test positive for COVID-19 since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. Pederson, according to multiple reports, relayed the news to his team Sunday. He is in self quarantine at home. Saints coach Sean Payton, a golf buddy of Pederson’s, came down with the virus, testing positive in March. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford on Saturday became the eighth member of the team to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Stafford was put on the list after results came back from the team's third round of testing on Friday. Players are put on the list either if they've tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has the coronavirus. Players must stay on the list until they are medically cleared to return to their teams. A bivocational Southern Baptist pastor resigned from his church Wednesday (July 29), after backlash resulting from his participation in an annual birthday celebration for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a leader in the Confederate Army and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Will Dismukes, who is also a first-term Republican state representative, resigned from his position at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church after a deacons’ meeting. Four days earlier, he gave the invocation July 25 at the birthday celebration for Forrest. The event was held in Selma, Alabama, on the same day as ceremonies honoring the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. This week media mogul Oprah Winfrey‘s television network, OWN, has announced that it will be launching the “OWN Your Vote” as a bipartisan initiative to encourage Black women to go out and vote in the critical 2020 election in November. “We find our nation on the precipice, a true tipping point,” said Winfrey in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “Our audience has a powerful voice. I am proud to be a part of this movement that will create the change we want to see for our country.” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is focusing on Black education and success as part of his Build Back Better proposal; offering free tuition to HBCUs. According to Essence, Biden’s campaign released a statement saying the former vice president is determined to have an economy where “every American enjoys a fair return for their work and an equal chance to get ahead. An economy more vibrant and more powerful precisely because everybody will be included in the deal.” Biden’s campaign also addressed how Black Americans and minorities are suffering during the coronavirus pandemic. Vintage shopping goods have become a widely successful niche market in various sectors, however, many BIPOC-owned brands have trouble getting mainstream placements inside boutiques due to a lack of diversity. One Chicago-based woman decided to use the opportunity to create a new marketplace to help spotlight brands from women and entrepreneurs of color. Shilla Kim-Parker is the owner of Thrilling, a digital marketplace for vintage goods sourced from local BIPOC and women-owned stores across the U.S. The Harvard Business graduate credits her interest in building her business from listening to stories from her grandparents from North Carolina. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has cancelled the live induction ceremony in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “To protect the health and safety of our Inductees, their families, crews, and our attendees, we’ve made the decision that the scheduled live event is not possible,” John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a statement. “Together with HBO and executive producer Joel Gallen, we will still create an exciting program honoring our 2020 inductees, by telling the stories of their incredible contributions to music and impact on a generation of artists that followed them.” Multimillion-selling R&B/pop pioneer and seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winner, Toni Braxton has announced that her 10th studio album, ‘Spell My Name,’ will be released on August 28th and today, she shares her new single, “Dance” from the new album. https://youtu.be/PgA6hdK0gq4 Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, can relax now. That’s because Petty has now been granted the green light to attend the birth of the couple’s child — no matter when or where it happens!! According to new legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Petty was just cleared by a judge in California to have his bail restrictions loosened to allow him to leave his residence, even after hours. The judge ordered Petty to remain on “location monitoring” but will have ‘not residential restrictions’ which means he can leave the house whenever Nicki goes in to labor!! Phaedra Parks and her boyfriend Medina Islam are being accused of faking their relationship for this season of Wetv’s “Marriage Boot Camp.” Parks previously admitted that she and Islam haven’t had sex yet, and they also reportedly live in different states. During the taping of the show, the mother of two also revealed she and Medina hadn’t had “a lot of dates” prior to joining the cast, but wanted to use the show as a means to test “where he wants to go”. https://youtu.be/0RhGoU1qQUQ Multiple GRAMMY®-nominated iconic choir director Ricky Dillard celebrates the opulent history of Chicago house music, and his own musical influences, with Choirmaster: The Chicago House Music Remixes, available digitally today. Creatively curated and produced by 3-time GRAMMY®-winning producer Max Stark (Kirk Franklin, Tori Kelly), the new EP includes dance-friendly remixes of hit songs from Ricky’s critically acclaimed album, Choirmaster. In celebration of Dillard’s three-decade career, the remix song titles pay homage to some of the streets, neighborhoods and venues that have been a part of Ricky’s musical journey. Kanye West has taken to Twitter to insist that his tears over abortion at his presidential rally were not a meltdown, and voiced ‘concern for the world that feels you shouldn’t cry about this.’ He added backlash over his comments were an attempt to ‘Distract, Discredit, Dismiss To Destroy.’ The 43-year-old rapper’s latest posts ended six days of Twitter silence, which followed a string of outbursts on the social media site where he accused his wife Kim Kardashian-West of trying to lock him up in hospital.The couple are currently living apart and Kanye’s latest tweets come just days after Kim flew from LA to his ranch in Wyoming for a tearful meet up. Reach Records founder and beloved hip-hop artist Lecrae revealed that he’s considering retiring from music after his upcoming album, Restoration. The popular Christian entertainer was a guest on Rapzilla’s “Community During Chaos” Instagram live session on Tuesday alongside artists Coop and CJ Luckey. During the interview, Lecrae spoke of Black Lives Matter, the “White Blessing” incident, the LGBT community, and his new album and book. “I’m a prophet. I’m going to say what’s true,” Lecrae said, speaking of his tendency to advocate for what he believes. “Whether that’s ‘send me, I’ll go,’ whether that’s rebel, rebel against the culture, whether that’s equality, whatever it is I’m going to be about that.” Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand have donated $100 million toward fighting systemic racism over the next 10 years. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement are both recipients of $1 million in support from the Jordan Brand. The Black Voters Matter Fund will receive $500,000, People reports. “I’m all in with Jordan Brand, the Jordan family and our partners, who share a commitment to address the historical inequality that continues to plague Black communities in the U.S.,” Jordan said in a statement. “There is a long history of oppression against Black Americans that holds us back from full participation in American society. We understand that one of the main ways we can change systemic racism is at the polls.” The iconic Soldier Field, home to the Chicago Bears, was unusually packed for a summer night. But the crowd wasn’t there to see a football game. They were there to see a miracle — or, at least, a film about one. More than 70 cars lined up Tuesday night (July 28) for a screening of “Fatima” — a new movie about the Virgin Mary’s reported 1917 appearances to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal — complete with photographers to capture cars arriving on the blue carpet and some screening-day swag — “Fatima” face masks. “This is a different sort of a tailgate tonight, without the brats and the hamburgers and the hot dogs and so forth. You might call this a prayer tailgate,” Bishop Joseph N. Perry of the Archdiocese of Chicago said before the film. Today, an esteemed group of music and entertainment industry leaders, led by Michael Mauldin, Demmette Guidry and Judy Klein, announced the Black American Music Association (BAM). BAM is a non-profit 501(c)(6) professional trade association introduced in June of 2018. The organization was created to “Preserve, Protect, and Promote the Legacy and Future of Authentic Black American Music as a global art form.” BAM acknowledges the economic impact and cultural influence of Black American Music worldwide and will galvanize the industry to become the unified voice of culture and the governing body for the art form. BAM will advocate for and support its membership, through programs, campaigns, and initiatives to heighten the visibility, viability, and values of leading genres, artists, producers, creatives, and music professionals. Starz has dropped a 30-second teaser for “Power Book 2: Ghost,” that will show the impact the events of the Power finale had on Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and Tasha (Naturi Naughton). The trailer also gives viewers the first glimpse of the spin-off’s new characters, including Mary J. Blige. https://youtu.be/_r5SnqS1gYo Megan Good will be discussing marriage, relationships and love during the lockdown on the Black Love: How We Can Support Each Other Better panel at the first annual LA Homecoming Virtual Summit and Celebration of HBCU’s History and Culture, a special partnership between Motown Records and the non-profit black youth mentoring organization, Whole and Seen. “LA Homecoming was created out of a desire to give back to my community during these challenging times.” says Whole & Seen Founder and LA Homecoming creator, Melissa Eno Effa. Being very transparent and honest, Good shared how quarantine has been an adjustment for she and Devon, who have now been married for 8 years. “The truth is, I travel a lot, he travels a lot. She said, “I don’t know when we’re going to get a straight 5 months again where it’s just us…I choose to cherish this time, even when he’s getting on my nerves.” Black contestants of the hit CBS reality series “Survivor” are speaking out about how they were edited into stereotypes while the racist whites were protected from scrutiny. Ramona Gray Amaro, the first Black woman to compete on the show, told NPR, that the predominantly white producers created scenarios that forced Black contestants into stereotypes. They also cut out the racial slurs and discriminatory actions of other contestants. “We can’t swim … we butt heads, we’re athletic, but maybe not smart and strategic,” she said. “I’m just saying, ‘Do right by us.' https://youtu.be/lqJM_05fFuk Loon entered prison back in 2008 due to drug charges and had been trying for years to get released—and the time has finally come! Loon’s case was picked up by former music producer and criminal justice advocate Weldon Angelos in 2018 through his criminal justice platform The Weldon Project. From there several letters were written on Loon’s behalf championing his prison release from a host of celebrities, including Faith Evans, Kevin Garnett, Freeway, Baby Bash, Jeremy Meeks, and recent clemency recipient Alice Johnson, whose sentence was commuted by President Trump at the request of Kim Kardashian West. As recently as Thursday evening, Major League Baseball medical director Gary Green said that the sport’s protocols to stage a representative season amid a pandemic could work. An explosion of coronavirus cases affecting more than half of the Miami Marlins’ roster had already thrown the schedule into turmoil, but the outbreak had been contained to just one team. “Twenty-nine out of 30 is a pretty good batting average if you’re playing baseball,” Dr. Green said. Zak and his choir have released another radio hit. "Mighty God" from their album THE NEXT CHAPTER. The song is heating up gospel radio and quickly becoming another choir favorite song. https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-next-chapter-feat-1-akord/1470590413 Today, three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist, composer, and producer Mali Music unveiled “Cry,” a soul-stirring new ballad from his soon to be released fifth album, Book of Mali (August 14th). The song not only showcases Mali’s depth as a vocalist and songwriter, but also his prowess as a guitarist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r78njI2acic&src=Linkfire&lId=526c0414-b68a-49ca-881c-3ef021eeeab8&cId=fd0758d9-8864-4cb4-9f34-2399833c61a3 "He Keeps On" music video follows DRK 2 LGHT on 'a day in the life' of Rob, CD, and Javon. The fellas link up for a high-energy, amusing day with the scenic National Harbor - Washington, DC Waterfront as their backdrop. Their performance and personalities in this video define the dynamic chemistry of their inherent brotherhood. This song is shining it's light as the Gospel Spotlight song of the week.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2BVCTYaC_U&feature=youtu.be K-Ci Hailey returns to his roots with a new single "Jesus Saves." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC4gtnh17U0&feature=youtu.be Ellen DeGeneres has issued an apology for allegedly fostering a toxic workplace at her talk show. Numerous former staffers spilled the tea in a Buzzfeed article about what’s really going on behind-the-scenes. The article prompted an internal investigation by WarnerMedia. The comedian began her message, “Hey everybody – it’s Ellen. On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show,” Ellen wrote, per PEOPLE. Rep. John Lewis was a “forceful vision of freedom,” said former President Barack Obama in the eulogy he gave at the Democratic congressman and civil rights activist’s funeral on Thursday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwIhtSJWM5Q Tamar Braxton is finally a free woman after WE tv agreed to part ways with the singer. The move comes amid her criticism over the network’s “excessive and unfair” work demands. Braxton allegedly tried to end her life over the slave treatment she suffered from executives. In a new statement from WE tv, the network says it “will work with her representatives to honor her request to end all future work for the network.” The decision comes a day after the singer detailed her frustrations with the network in a lengthy post on social media. Braxton currently has two series at WE tv: “Braxton Family Values” and the upcoming “Get Ya Life!,” which is set to air later this fall, TMZ reports. Tamar Braxton is opening up about her July 16 suicide attempt, claiming she wanted to “end my pain and my life,” after years in the “toxic” reality TV business. She’s speaking out about her healing process and divulging more details about her downward spiral. On Thursday, Braxton, 43, revealed in a lengthy statement on Instagram that she attempted suicide after suffering “pain” for the past 11 years while working as a reality TV star. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EeM2378U4AQpNqb?format=jpg&name=360x360 The white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, a Black teenager, in Ferguson, Mo., was cleared by a grand jury and a federal investigation back in 2014. Six years later, a new investigation has come to the same conclusion as the first: Darren Wilson will not be charged for his death. Following a “reexamination” into the case, St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell announced in a press conference Thursday that his office could not find concrete evidence to charge Wilson with murder or manslaughter under Missouri law. Ice-T made a virtual appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, and gave an update on his father-in-law’s health status. Earlier this month, Ice’s wife, Coco Austin, revealed that her father Steve had to be hospitalized in Arizona due to the coronavirus. https://youtu.be/sRFe3cfgcPU On the heels of KEM’s smash hit “Lie to Me” – which has maintained the No. 1 spot on the Adult R&B Songs chart for six weeks in a row – the R&B superstar releases his new single, “Live Out Your Love” featuring the iconic Toni Braxton. https://youtu.be/IS_SfCF4ASM The romance between Sammy Davis Jr. and Kim Novak is the focus of a budding feature film called “Scandalous!,” and their relationship’s interracial nature is the least of what inspired the title. Actor Jeremy Pope, an Emmy nominee for “Pose,” will play Davis Jr. The film is being shopped and the plan is to shoot this fall in Los Angeles.” The Davis/Novak romance is rumored to have started more strategically than naturally. Davis had been the victim of brutal racism from the days he got his nose flattened in the army from constant fights with other soldiers and was not allowed to stay in the Vegas hotels where he performed, until friend Frank Sinatra interceded. He would later tell a biographer he wanted to show them all by dating Hollywood’s most desirable white woman. Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson, 39, has been indicted by a grand jury on 48 charges of theft and embezzlement of over $600,000 in federal funds. Prosecutors claim Robinson’s vocational school, The Healthcare Institute, received more than $2.2 million in federal grants between 2015 and 2019, per Yahoo Finance. She is accused of using $600k for her own personal enrichment. https://youtu.be/pTaji-OzQBw TNT’s “Inside the NBA” made its return along with the NBA Thursday night, and Kevin Hart’s virtual visit provided the night’s most laughs. The comedian was there to promote his new Quibi show “Die Hart,” but could barely get past describing it as a “short series” and “mini-series” without co-hosts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal drowning him out with their laughter at the irony, considering Hart is vertically challenged. https://youtu.be/zWxSj5735Mw Gabrielle Union is speaking out about Terry Crews’ ‘disappointing’ response to her beef with NBC, “America’s Got Talent” producers and Simon Cowell. Union is suing NBC for firing her from the hit competition show last year after she spoke out about the racist and toxic workplace culture. After Union’s firing from AGT, Crews gushed about his positive experience on set as host of AGT. “People hit me all day long and are like, what’s happening? And the only thing I know for sure is that Terry Crews gets three checks from NBC. So, I don’t know if being worried about job stability — which listen, we all know that if you speak up about racism and white supremacy, you absolutely can be shown the door,” Union said on Hill’s podcast. “I don’t know if that’s the motivation.” AUTHOR, ACTRESS, SONGSTRESS, KIM CASH TATE drops "IF I DIDN'T HAVE YOU" is the debut single from "Cling The Series" Season 2 Soundtrack. It's our song in The Gospel Spotlight this week....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqzJjTAIQjI Today, Jody Watley continues to remain relevant as one of the architects of 21st-century pop. From her groundbreaking union of rap and R&B (1987’s “Friends,” a collaboration with hip-hop legends Eric B. & Rakim) to her vision-forward amalgamation of high fashion, street fashion and music in the 1980s, to her fusion of jazz and underground club culture with keen pop instincts, and the ease with which she crossed and still crosses genre, Jody Watley forged the template that is now everybody’s playbook. Her timely spoken-word anthem release, “The Healing,” with the lyric video touching on the civil unrest and Black Lives Matter stretches globally with a message that resonates with listeners everywhere. https://youtu.be/qrH56KhroDM An alleged gay, white male launched into a racist rant against a sanitation worker before physically attacking a pedestrian for recording the moment on his mobile phone. The President of Black Lives Matter Brooklyn has turned to Twitter for help in identifying the man in the now-viral clip. Anthony Beckford, who is running for a New York City 2021 Council Seat, shared a video of the attack on social media, which occurred on the Upper East Side. https://twitter.com/i/status/1284941075824746496 Detectives Oliva Benson and Elliot Stabler are set to reunite on the upcoming “Law & Order: SVU” spinoff series. During an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of “The Talk,” Christopher Meloni revealed that his former co-star Mariska Hargitay will be making a cameo on his new show. https://youtu.be/g4cRbelsoZw It’s Hammertime again at an Alabama high school. Dr. Quentin J. Lee, the principal of Childersburg High School, has gone viral with his COVID-19 parody to MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” It comes as schools across Alabama prepare to reopen for the new school year. In the parody, Dr. Lee goes over procedures like wearing masks, checking temperatures, and social distancing at least 6 feet apart from one another. https://youtu.be/oeAN8Xxz0q4 Dr. Dre has filed a response to his estranged wife’s divorce petition. Nicole Young, 50, filed for divorce last month after 24 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple married on May 25, 1996 and share two adult children, son Truice, 23, and 19-year-old daughter Truly. Dre also have four children from previously relationships. His son Andre Young Jr. died at age 20 in 2008. Nicole was previously married to NBA player Sedale Threatt. In his response, Dre revealed that the couple have a prenuptial agreement that he wants enforced. Mrs. Young is asking for spousal support and a division of property, PEOPLE reports. A senior executive of Australia’s Today show says he was told not to look at or speak to Ellen DeGeneres when she appeared on the program. Neil Breen, who now has his own radio show, said Ellen’s staff were the only ones who were allowed to interact with her – and they ‘walked on eggshells’, laughing so loudly at her jokes during the interview that he had to tell them to be quiet when she appeared in 2013. He added that Ellen’s people dictated everything – from seating, to lighting, to how the interview would work – adding that he found the whole situation ‘bizarre’. He spoke out as the 62-year-old American chat show host, whose philosophy is ‘be kind’, faces an investigation over allegations of racism, bullying and a ‘toxic environment’ behind the scenes of her show. The NBA made its return inside the Disney World bubble on Thursday night as every member of the Pelicans, Jazz, Clippers, and Lakers protested racism during the national anthem. On courts emblazoned with the words ‘Black Lives Matter,’ players in BLM warmups, coaches and even officials knelt and locked arms in a demonstration that technically violated a 39-year-old league rule requiring everyone to stand for The Star-Spangled Banner. NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained during Utah’s 106-104 win over New Orleans in the early game, the circumstances have changed considerably. The Lakers won a thriller over the Clippers in the night cap, 103 - 101. https://twitter.com/i/status/1288968880153452544 The Buffalo Bills sent their rookies home from the team’s facility Thursday as a response to five positive coronavirus tests this week, the team told ESPN in a statement. Bills defensive backs Dane Jackson and Siran Neal were placed on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, with a league source telling ESPN that both players tested positive for the coronavirus, leading the team to decide to conduct the day’s meetings virtually. Players also can be placed on the COVID-19 list if they came into contact with someone who is a known carrier. Eight years seems like a lifetime to wait, finally GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Brandy releases her highly anticipated seventh studio album, b7, today. Also today, she releases the powerful video for her new single “Borderline.” The dark, edgy track has Brandy interrogating her relationship with love over a hypnotic, downtempo groove. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr2r3H477uY&feature=youtu.be Malik B., co-founder of The Roots, has died at the age of 47, his cousin Don Champion confirmed. “Mourning my beloved cousin today,” wrote Champion on Twitter. “He was so talented and had a huge heart. I still remember when he and The Roots were starting out. He’d give me and my dad their cassette tapes to listen to. I miss you already, Malik.” A cause of death was not given. https://www.instagram.com/theroots/?utm_source=ig_embed A new trailer for Beyonce’s feature film “Black Is King” was revealed on her Instagram page Wednesday ahead of tonight’s midnight debut on Disney Plus. The film is composed of music videos for songs from “The Gift,” an album Bey executive produced as a companion to the 2019 live-action remake of “The Lion King,” for which she voiced the role of Nala. https://www.instagram.com/beyonce/?utm_source=ig_embed The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards will reportedly be held virtually this year amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. The Television Academy confirmed that producers reached out to some “nominees to inform them of our intent to deliver a live show that is both celebratory and safe.” We look forward to sharing information with you in the weeks ahead, as we solidify our plans for TV’s biggest night,” the statement read, per PEOPLE. Dascha Polanco clarifies her earlier tweets about the #Emmy nominees that didn’t sit well with many in the Black community. https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed The 24th,” a feature film about the all-Black 24th Infantry Regiment that rioted after clashing with the Houston Police Department in the early months of World War I, has been acquired by Vertical Entertainment and will now get a VOD/digital release on Aug. 21. It was originally slated to premiere at SXSW before COVID-19 shut everything down. The film was produced, directed and co-written by Oscar-winning “Blackkklansman co-writer Kevin Willmott. Trai Byers, Bashir Salahuddin and Aja Naomi King star in the film. https://youtu.be/YmA1DlCQdRs In celebration of #NationalGirlfriendsDay, TV One will host a marathon featuring the hit series Girlfriends. Grab your crew and catch up on these fan favorite episodes starting Saturday, August, 1 at 6 am ET until 8 pm ET. The show stars Emmy-nominated actress, Tracee Ellis Ross as Joan, Golden Brooks as Maya, Persia White as Lynn and Jill Marie Jones as Toni. Since the first publication of Oprah's glossy lifestyle magazine, O, 20 years ago, the media mogul and magazine's namesake has always been on the cover. For the first time ever, she's ceding the space. Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Kentucky woman who was asleep in her home when police officers broke in and shot and killed her, is August's cover star. Singer, songwriter, and activist Nona Hendryx in conjunction with Nubian Q.U.E.E.N.X., have partnered with the international feminist group JASS (Just Associates) to present a “Musical Meditation and Celebration of Radical Healing” on Friday, August 14, 2020. This global, multi-artist virtual online event is designed to share and affirm our connections and power in a time of uprising and crisis through music, dance, poetry, and guided meditations. Featuring female performing entities from around the world, including noted activist, academic, and author Angela Davis, this event will be live-streamed on the StreamYard platform beginning at 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST/2:00 MT/7:00 p.m. UCT. Adrienne Houghton is giving viewers a taste of her favorite vegan recipes on the next episode of CLEO TV's ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON airing Saturday, August 1 at 9 P.M. ET/8C with an encore episode at 12 A.M. ET/11C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2j4fRXhvo0&feature=youtu.be Romany Malco is a face we’ve seen in both TV and film for years. Whether it was as Jay in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Zeke in Think Like a Man 1 & 2 or as Conrad Shepard on Weeds, fans have appreciated the humor and relatability he brings to every project. While currently starring in the hit ABC drama, A Million Little Things, Malco is releasing a passion project 20 years in the making. “Tijuana Jackson: Purpose over prison.” https://youtu.be/h1KQnrRVAKs The coronnavirus has now claimed the life of former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. He was 74. Reports say Cain had been hospitalized for COVID-19 in the Atlanta area. There were also reports that he been placed on a ventilator. “We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight,” a post on his website said Thursday. “He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle.” WE tv’s “Love After Lockup” returns this week with an all-new episode, and we have an exclusive clip of one of the couple’s featured this season. https://youtu.be/HFFpCKX3GiI 50 Cent has apologized to Megan Thee Stallion after trolling her online over the shooting incident with Tory Lanez. “Damn I didn’t think this shit was real,” 50 wrote on Instagram. “It sounded so crazy @theestallion i’m glad your feeling better and i hope you can accept my apology. I posted a meme that was floating around. I wouldn’t have done that if i knew you was really hurt sorry.” https://www.instagram.com/50cent/?utm_source=ig_embed Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are living separate lives according to sources that Page Six is quoting. West and Kardashian hooked up for a brief reunion reuniting in Wyoming earlier this week following his very public bipolar episode. Their were photos of the two having what seemed to be a very intense conversation in a vehicle, Kardashian, 39, appeared to be weeping, after which she flew back to Los Angeles by herself. Although sources absolutely denied any divorce plans, Page Six is told they have been living separately for some time. West, 43, now lives full time at his $14 million Wyoming ranch, while Kardashian is based in LA with their four kids and her family. This weekend, model and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey launches her channel on social retail platform talkshoplive®! On Sunday, August 2nd at 7 PM ET/6 PM CT, Cynthia will host her first LIVE event on the platform, where she’ll show off her gorgeous line of luxury leather, CB Vior. https://www.instagram.com/cynthiabailey/?utm_source=ig_embed Dr. Clark returns in 2020 to present Shalom Church and Friends. This new offering was recorded live and features Shalom Church Choirs collaborating with some of the most talented singers and musicians from the St. Louis area. The first single from the forthcoming Dr. F. James Clark Presents Shalom Church and Friends album is "Lord Do It Again". This powerful traditional song features a soul-stirring Dr. Clark on the lead vocals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbxkR4Bg4aM&feature=youtu.be Lupita Nyong’o wasn’t able to attend her brother Peter Nyong’o’s wedding in the flesh due to coronavirus travel restrictions, so she did the next best thing. The 37-year-old Us star revealed Thursday that she’d watched her little brother’s nuptials to Wanja Wohoro on her laptop from the comfort of her home. She shared a photo of her viewing setup to Instagram, along with some sweet wedding photos from her brother’s wedding in Kenya. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/07/30/17/31376960-8577155-Lovebirds_Lupita_had_set_her_MacBook_Pro_up_against_her_window_a-a-8_1596127807046.jpg Toni Braxton sent a subtle message of support to her family as she broke her silence for the first time since sister Tamar was hospitalized after an alleged suicide attempt. The songstress, 52, took to Instagram to share a vintage photo of her loved ones together, captioning the post: ‘Family is everything! Especially sisters!’ https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/07/30/14/31371666-8576605-image-a-3_1596116204729.jpg Matthew McConaughey can now add “author” to his impressive resume. The Oscar-winning actor, 50, announced on social media Wednesday that he is releasing his first memoir, Greenlights, inspired by personal writings he’s penned throughout his life. https://www.instagram.com/officiallymcconaughey/?utm_source=ig_embed Major League Baseball has postponed this weekend’s scheduled series between Toronto and Philadelphia because of concerns about the coronavirus after two Phillies staffers tested positive. “Major League Baseball will coordinate with health experts and the Major League Baseball Players Association in planning for the Phillies’ resumption of play, and will provide further scheduling updates as necessary,” the league said in a statement Thursday. Bounce will broadcast live the farewell memorial service for Rep. John Lewis today, Thursday, July 30, starting at 11:00 a.m. (ET). The funeral will also be live-streamed at BounceTV.com. The final service for the Civil Rights Icon before his interment will take place at the Ebenezer Baptist Church – once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. - in Atlanta, the city which Lewis honorably represented for decades as a member of the House of Representatives. Lewis passed away July 17 at the age of 80.President Obama will deliver the eulogy. Global Communicator, the e-publication for communications professionals, has once again teamed with music producer Brennan Williams, founder of Coloan Records, to create a specially curated playlist highlighting the theme for the July 2020 issue: Social Justice. Dedicated to the legacies of recently departed civil rights icons, the Rev. C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis, this month’s special 30-track collection is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. Ruth La’Ontra the North Carolina-based singer will be shining her light for all the world to see and hear when her band stage a virtual concert Friday, August 14, 2020 @ 8:00 PM EST from the Family Worship Center of Florence, SC on La’Ontra’s Facebook page. Fans can cash app donations at: $NCGAGALJ. Hear Ruth La'Ontra shine her light in the Gospel Spotlight, In Her Own words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ruthlaontra_intvw.htm Tuesday night in Richmond, Virginia, George Floyd’s family unveiled a hologram in his likeness over the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on historic Monument Avenue. The event was organized by the George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project, reports Yahoo! News. https://youtu.be/pPKvDDYlTtc Attorney General William Barr clashed with black congressional Democrats over whether systemic racism exists in U.S. police forces. Barr, who testified Tuesday to the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee, acknowledged that black Americans’ concerns about police “are legitimate” but said it’s “an oversimplification to treat the problem as rooted in some deep-seated racism generally infecting our police departments.” Black-on-black crime, Barr said, is more of a threat to young African American men than police misconduct. At age 26, on the same day Donald Trump was elected in 2016, Michael Tubbs became the youngest and the first African American mayor of his hometown of Stockton, California. From HBO and Directed By Emmy® Winner Marc Levin (HBO’s One Nation Under Stress, Class Divide) comes STOCKTON ON MY MIND, which chronicles Tubbs’ extraordinary personal and political journey, exploring how growing up amid poverty and violence shaped his vision for innovative change. https://youtu.be/4nVqsNtOZOI When Meghan Markle stepped out in a necklace bearing the initials “H” and “M,” she allegedly pissed off palace aides. Markle was photographed wearing the $300 14-carat gold chain early in her relationship with Prince Harry. In the best-selling new book “Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, veteran royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand report that the former actress caught heat over the necklace. “She was advised that wearing such a necklace only served to encourage the photographers to keep pursuing such images — and new headlines,” Scobie and Durand write in the book, per PEOPLE. Tiffany Haddish joins Talib Kweli for the latest episode of People’s Party podcast. Throughout the episode she talks about getting her start and the various roles she’s had throughout her career. https://youtu.be/2cXJXDIhbvE Freeform’s highly anticipated limited series “Love in the Time of Corona” will premiere as a special two-night limited event, beginning SATURDAY, AUG. 22, at 8 p.m. EST/PST and continuing SUNDAY, AUG. 23, at 8 p.m. EST/PST, the network announced today in the first teaser trailer for the series. The episodes will also be available on Hulu the following day. https://youtu.be/TeinzLLNFdk Instagram has deleted a post by Madonna in which the pop star shared a coronavirus conspiracy theory with her 15 million followers. She captioned the video with claims that a vaccine for Covid-19 has “been found and proven and has been available for months”. She continued: “They would rather let fear control the people and let the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” The video shows Dr Stella Immanuel, a primary care physician in Houston, Texas, claiming to have treated 350 coronavirus patients with hydroxychloroquine. She was speaking with a group called America’s Frontline Doctors outside the US Supreme Court building. Nina Mitchell, a 17-year-old who has become the first Black female to be named valedictorian in her high school’s 159-year history, achieved the honor 61 years after her grandmother also earned the top GPA of her graduating class. Mitchell graduated from DeKalb High School in DeKalb, Illinois, with a 4.549 GPA. She was president of the Honor Society and Key Club. She was also a founder of the Spanish Honor Society, a member of Spanish Club, was part of the principal’s advisory board, a founding member of the peer mediation program, played volleyball and ran track. In her community, Nina was the first Black chair of Youth Engaged in Philanthropy, a legislature with the Illinois YMCA Youth and Government and a member of the Youth Advisory Council. Naomi Campbell dished with Andy Cohen remotely on “Watch What Happens Live” Tuesday, and addressed Anna Wintour’s recent statement to Vogue staff about not doing enough to elevate diverse voices. https://youtu.be/coIbxDfVX40 A museum in Houston honoring the nation’s Black Buffalo Soldiers was vandalized with graffiti, including with an apparent swastika, according to the facility.Residents who live near the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum discovered the vandalism, which had to have happened either Monday or Tuesday. The museum was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The outside brick wall was spray-painted with what appears to be a swastika symbol and words that appear to read “Sucks Democratic Party,” according to a Facebook post by the museum’s CEO Desmond Bertrand-Pitts. https://youtu.be/wXSTnaLyEVc Tracy Morgan and Megan Wollover are separating after nearly five years of marriage, the couple announced Wednesday. “Sadly, after nearly five years of marriage, Megan and I are filing for divorce. This is a challenging time for all involved, so I ask that you please respect our privacy,” Morgan tells PEOPLE in a statement released through his rep. “We can confirm that Megan filed for divorce yesterday,” a rep for Wollover says in a statement. “This is a private matter for the family. Megan’s primary focus remains the best interest of the parties’ daughter. She asks that the family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time.” Real Housewives of Potomac” star Gizelle Bryant is opening up about her ex-husband, colorism and the possibility of remarrying. In an exclusive interview, Bryant revealed that she first addressed the subject of colorism when her children were adolescents. “When my children were young, they said that their mother was white. They would tell that to their friends,” she tells the outlet. “And, and one day they told me that and I was like, what do you mean. They were taking it from a child’s perspective of I’m white as in that’s the color of my skin, [and] not a race perspective. So, I was like, all them kids that you told I was white, you go back tomorrow and you tell them that your mommy is Black.” After looking around at what’s going on in the world as far as racial injustice is concerned actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish is saying no to motherhood. “I’m a little older now and people are always asking when I’m gonna have some babies,” the 40-year-old comedian told Carmelo Anthony on his viral YouTube series, “What’s in Your Glass.” https://youtu.be/7eof24riX8k A 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department committed suicide on Tuesday just 13 days after being promoted to Deputy Chief of Criminal Networks. He was 57. Deputy Chief Deon Boyd’s body was found at the Chicago Police Department’s Homen Square Detention Center, the subject of journalistic investigations, federal lawsuits, and more recently, protests, according to CBS Chicago. The Chicago-Sun Times reported Boyd shot himself. https://youtu.be/FoKCIA3dQYo 24-year-old Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes has just become the youngest owner in sports after taking a minority stake in the MLB’s Kansas City Royals team. The Royals officially announced on Tuesday that the Chiefs quarterback has become the newest member of the ownership group. The move arrives after Mahomes, who grew up playing football and baseball, led his team to victory at Super Bowl LIV, spawning a new 10-year contract extension, valued at $503 million. https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed A Michigan man went to the “most racist town in America” to hold up a Black Lives Matter sign and film the reactions from locals. YouTuber Rob Bliss shared video of his interactions on social media, showing people threatening him and hurling racist language. https://youtu.be/ltmlvk9GAto A college student and former college football player is in critical condition after accidentally bumping a man in a Queens, New York deli, and being shot by the man in retaliation. Malachi Capers, 20, is a former defensive end at Division III Buffalo State, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. He is expected to survive. Surveillance video of the incident from two cameras – one inside the bodega, and the other outside – has been shared on social media by NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison in a plea for information about the suspect, Jeffrey Thurston, who remains at large. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/07/29/7892135887614949545/636x382_MP4_7892135887614949545.mp4 MacKenzie Scott — formerly MacKenzie Bezos — has given nearly $1.7 billion to various charities, including several HBCUs. Scott 50, reportedly the third richest woman in the world, bagged $38 billion after her 2019 divorce from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Howard University, Xavier University of Louisiana and Hampton University were all beneficiaries of her massive donation, CBS reports. A new study by a German veterinary university found that dogs with only one week of training were able to identify individuals infected with the novel coronavirus. According to the study, conducted by the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, properly trained dogs were able to sniff out the potentially deadly disease in the saliva of more than 1,000 people who were either healthy or infected, with a success rate of 94 percent, PEOPLE reports. https://youtu.be/3SUmf1Nj34g New details have emerged surrounding Tamar Braxton’s alleged suicide attempt on July 16. Braxton is said to have sent an email to her WEtv bosses accusing them of destroying her family and making her “suicidal.” Braxton noted that “the final stake into the heart of my family” was “the day you dug up a secret I’d never shared with anyone, a secret I was so ashamed to talk about that I hid it even from my own mom: the fact that I had been assaulted and raped repeatedly from age 6 to age 16, sometimes multiple times a day.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1283880697090867200 Todd Burton, Terence Burton and Darryl Brownlee known collectively as Half Mile Home is set for the release of their new single and concept video Lord, I Need You, heading to digital platforms and streaming outlets. https://youtu.be/iR53x8mbOOQ The late U.S. Rep. John Lewis was a beloved public servant with an enduring legacy as a Civil Rights icon. Alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis was on the frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement, risking life and limb, to combat the racial injustices in America. Often called “the conscience of the U.S. Congress,” he dedicated his life to preserving human rights and freedom for all. BET will honor the legacy of this American hero by airing live coverage of his funeral service from Atlanta’s historic religious center, Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary. BET News will simulcast sister network CBS’ coverage led by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and CBS This Morning Saturday co-host Michelle Miller on site in Atlanta. Coverage will begin Thursday, July 30 at 10:45 a.m. ETon BET and BET HER. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that the “umbrella man” seen in a viral video smashing the windows of an Auto Zone store during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis is suspected to be a 32-year-old member of the biker gang Hell’s Angels, who police said were attempting to spark a race war in a demonstration that until then had been peaceful. A subsequent investigation revealed that he was also an associate of the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood, a white supremacist prison and street gang based primarily in Minnesota and Kentucky. Laverne Cox still can’t believe she was nominated for her fourth Emmy! The “Inventing Anna” star was left speechless when Leslie Jones surprised her with the news that she had snagged a nomination for Surprising Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her single-scene return to the final season of “Orange Is The New Black.” https://youtu.be/kcYdhrAN5YM Tamar Braxton’s new reality show is being pushed back as she continues to recover from a suicide attempt on July 16. “Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life!” was set to air on Thursday, but WEtv has moved the premiere date Sep. 10. “Tamar Braxton has been an incredibly important member of the WE tv family for more than a decade, and our first concern is for her recovery and well-being,” a statement from the network reads, per PEOPLE. “Given the current situation, we are postponing the premiere of Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life! until September 10. This series was conceived by Tamar and is a real portrait of a dynamic woman juggling the demands of being a single mother, a new relationship and her career.”https://youtu.be/gLqDuhbpRkc Using a fill-in-the-blank quiz, LifeWay Christian Resources’ Mark Croston evoked phrases that have long spoken to the consciences of Black folks. He was teaching the early morning Bible exposition at the 2020 Black Church Leadership and Family Conference (BCLFC), held July 20-24 as on online-only event during the COVID-19 pandemic. Croston, LifeWay’s national director of Black church ministries, traditional cultural rhetoric segued into the weeklong event as a spiritually uplifting educational, motivational and recreational time for Black churches and others involved in urban ministry, outreach to Black communities, and parenting Black children. The more than 4,500 who registered for the event fueled an average daily viewership of about 2,300, Croston said, nearly double the 1,200 or so who have typically attended the event, which has been held for nearly 30 years at Ridgecrest Conference Center. Because of the online format, training will be available free through Aug. 31. On stage Christian Hip-Hop’s Cory Walker is CYB, stands for Count Your Blessings, and in September he releases a new project titled “Today We Ready.” He is currently promoting the title track as the first single. https://youtu.be/LlKjd56An0c Often, what sports fans see and hear while watching a game doesn’t reveal the full story. What happens off the field frequently determines the results on the scoreboard. Hall of Fame football coach Tony Dungy and James “JB” Brown, a pair of nationally known sportscasters, believe those positive stories should be shared. Over their careers, they met a number of athletes who were strong Christians and at the top of their game. Unfortunately, their testimonies did not make it onto television. Together, they created Beyond the Game with Tony and JB, a sports interview program that broadcasts weekly on GospelTruth.TV. The show puts a spotlight on the character, humanitarian work and values that motivate athletes, coaches and other figures in sports. The history of Black Catholics in the U.S. is a dramatic mix of struggles and breakthroughs, but it has been largely ignored in the curriculum of Catholic schools. Amid the national tumult over racial injustice, there are high-level calls for the schools to teach more about the church’s past links to slavery and segregation, and how Black Catholics persevered nonetheless. In the archdioceses of Chicago and New Orleans, top leaders are encouraging their schools to place a new emphasis on teaching about racial justice, as well as the history of Black Catholics. The National Catholic Educational Association is forming an advisory committee to study how similar initiatives could be launched in the thousands of Catholic schools nationwide. Top rated performing arts school, White Hall Arts Academy is continuing to break barriers for its performing arts students with the recent announcement of a partnership with leading audio software technology company, Izotope, to build a music production and learning computer lab at its South Los Angeles headquarters. After receiving a $25,000 grant from The Lewis Prize for Music fund in June, White Hall Arts Academy also committed to paying it forward in a collaboration with local non-profit organization, Friends of the Children - Los Angeles. The program will provide $10,000 worth of instruction in voice, instrumentation and stage performance. WHAA will also be able to make referrals to FriendsLA for enrollment in their long-term mentorship program for systemically disadvantaged youth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC2HftpIdEw The Emmys 2020 nominations are officially out—and Black actors are dominating several major categories. Most notably is the outstanding lead actress in a limited series group, which includes Regina King (Watchmen), Octavia Spencer (Self Made), and Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere). One fan wrote on Twitter, “3 out 5 of the actresses for limited series are Black,” while another posted, “The Black excellence is tangible.” This year’s Emmy nominations see big moments for Zendaya (Euphoria), Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish), Issa Rae (Insecure), Don Cheadle (Black Monday), Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), and Billy Porter (Pose). A Black Lady Sketch Show also received a nomination for best variety sketch series. This marks Zendaya’s first-ever nomination. It hasn't exactly been a summer full of things to look forward to, but Rihanna is here to change that. After more than a year of speculation about what would be next for the singer's growing beauty empire, Rih revealed earlier this month that Fenty Skin—a skin care spin-off of her now legendary makeup line, Fenty Beauty—would officially be coming by the end of the month. https://www.instagram.com/fentyskin/?utm_source=ig_embed The Rev. Tim Blackmon denies the allegations of misconduct that led to his firing from Wheaton College late last month, saying the split was caused by a clash of cultures between his “Dutch upbringing” and the “deeply religious and very Midwestern culture of Wheaton College.” “Almost all of the challenges that I’ve had at Wheaton have been related to my sense of humor that has been misinterpreted or lost in translation,” Blackmon told Religion News Service. In particular, he said, the culture at the evangelical Christian school in suburban Chicago does not allow people to easily discuss the subjects of race and sex. Washington Nationals players have voted not to travel to Miami this weekend for a series against the Marlins after players and staff members for the team tested positive for the coronavirus. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that Major League Baseball will make the ultimate determination on this matter and adds “it’s hard to see it going against the will of the players.” Robert Copeland drops "you're all I Need" featuring Jemila Richardson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKC7X2kCknI&feature=youtu.be BYRON CAGE drops new single "I CAN'T GIVE UP." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r850kkbvrs854so/AAB2HStD7MWrqW6c-iZepqbfa?dl=0 The controversy surrounding Sen. Tom Cotton’s “necessary evil” comment about slavery was low hanging fruit for “The Daily Show’s” Trevor Noah. The Arkansas Republican told an outlet in his hometown that he’s opposed to a proposed law that would mandate the teaching of The New York Times’ 1619 Project in schools. He said it would framed the U.S. as an “irredeemably corrupt, rotten and racist country” and would teach students to “hate America.” https://youtu.be/Vn6cgvn8X9E An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airs Thursday night and finds Kurupt and Toni struggling to work together. https://youtu.be/mWeXm-0O59A Today Florida Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL) was a guest on SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show in advance of Attorney General Bill Barr’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee discussing the federal deployment in Portland and other cities around the U.S. and telling host, Joe Madison Trump is using the protests “as a vehicle for his re-election.” https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/assets/images/live/clip/a9b55645-68ff-4537-b6a7-27d1fef804a1_300x300.png Earlier this month, Walmart announced that as of July 20, face coverings would be mandatory for all but those whose medical conditions prevent it. The move was an attempt to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Well, so much for the Walmart mask mandate for customers. https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed Monday, Kim and Kanye were seen headed to a Wendy’s drive-thru. They appeared to be in good spirits despite rumors that their marriage is crumbling. Hours later, new photos circulated showing what appeared to be an emotional conversation between the two with Kim K breaking down and crying inside the car. While tears streamed down her face, Kanye West appeared to be very verbal and animated. According to multiple reports, Kanye West went to the emergency room after suffering major “anxiety” issues but due to overcrowding, he left within minutes. Later that same day, a fire truck and ambulance were spotted at the rapper’s isolated ranch. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube moved quickly to remove a viral video shared by the President of the United States that showed “doctors” making false and misleading claims about the coronavirus, but not after it was seen roughly 14 million times. The video, which was published by the right-wing outlet Breitbart News, shows a press conference in front of the Supreme Court featuring people wearing white lab coats and calling themselves “America’s Frontline Doctors.” During the gathering, reportedly organized by the Tea Party Patriots, the “docs” claimed that “you don’t need masks” to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and said studies showing hydroxychloroquine is an ineffective treatment are “fake science” and sponsored by “fake pharma companies,” according to CNN. Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech has filed for divorce from “Riverdale” star Vanessa Morgan after six months of marriage. Morgan, 28, is currently pregnant with their first child. News of their separation comes days after she announced her pregnancy on social media, PEOPLE reports. There’s been endless rumor and speculation about T.I.’s relationship with his daughter Deyjah Harris ever since his controversial comments about her hymen. On Monday, Tip took to Instagram to address the chatter. He specifically called out The Shade Room for pushing a negative narrative about him and the teenager. In the post, T.I. shared a conversation between himself, Deyjah, and other family members regarding their portrayal on the gossip site. T.I. wrote. “We usually just dismiss it or laugh it off cause only WE KNOW WHATS UP WIT US?? BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is proud to pay tribute to the best and brightest in Christian music with its annual Christian Awards celebration. The honorees were announced today on BMI.com and across the organization’s digital platforms, celebrating the encouraging and uplifting music of BMI’s Christian songwriters. The Song of the Year “Who You Say I Am,” written by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan and published by Capitol CMG Publishing and Hillsong MP Songs. The song was nominated for Top Christian Song at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards and won the GMA Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year in 2019. For the second year in a row, the Songwriter of the Year award went to Ethan Hulse, who wrote “Confidence,” “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” “Known” and “Scars.” In 2019, Hulse won his first BMI Award and was simultaneously named Songwriter of the Year. Essential Music Publishing won Publisher of the Year award. For more than 35 years, music lovers around the world have known Grammy® Award-winning, multi-platinum selling and Billboard Hot 100 charting recording artist Fred Hammond as a gifted vocalist, songwriter, musician, producer and arranger. Today, Hammond's radio single "Alright" reached #1 on the Gospel Airplay chart. This marks the his third #1 at Gospel radio and his fourth overall in his career. hear Fred Hammond In His Own words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/fred_hammond.htm Renowned Gospel artist Chris Bryd drops "Holding On." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jh2PZ_TpQ4 Robin Givens recently called into a couple of SiriusXM shows today to promote her directorial debut with Lifetime’s A Murder to Remember. Givens spoke with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live on his exclusive channel Radio Andy. During their conversation, Robin Givens spoke about the upcoming Finding Mike biopic starring Jamie Foxx. https://youtu.be/z336su-HymA Kanye West’s mental health issues are said to be linked to his unresolved grief over his mother’s death in 2007. Donda died at age 58 of a heart attack, a day after multiple elective plastic surgeries paid for her by her famous son. https://youtu.be/gbDreyrgygk Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson took to social media to reveal that he was considered to play Willie Wonka in Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The role ultimately went to Johnny Depp. https://www.instagram.com/therock/?utm_source=ig_embed Bill Moss Jr. is at the top of his game with the release of his new single, "Testimony of Praise." Featuring power-packed backing vocals by Michigan's renown Baptist, Missionary and Education (BME) State Choir, "Testimony of Praise" will be available on digital music outlets everywhere beginning July 24, 2020. Hear Bill Moss Jr. In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/billmossjr_intvw.htm Former first lady Michelle Obama has filmed and posted a video reminding voters that we’re just 100 days away from the 2020 election that “could not be more important for the future of our country.” https://youtu.be/TGd1Xy_ha4o Ryan Dorsey, the ex husband of actress Naya Rivera, is speaking out publicly for the first time about the “Glee” star’s death. Ryan Dorsey, the ex husband of actress Naya Rivera, is speaking out publicly for the first time about the “Glee” star’s death. Rivera and Dorsey married in 2014 and welcomed their son, Josey Hollis, a year later. Their marriage was short, as the former couple finalized their divorce in 2018. On Saturday, Dorsey posted an emotional tribute to the mother of his son, expressing gratitude for their time together. https://www.instagram.com/dorseyryan/?utm_source=ig_embed Kyrie Irving is paying it forward to the WNBA. The Brooklyn Nets star is giving $1.5 million to players who choose to sit out this season due to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns or social justice issues, PEOPLE reports. “With the help of Natasha Cloud and Jewell Loyd, I have connected with several WNBA players who have decided to play and those who have decided not to play,” said Irving, 28, whose donation is through his newly formed KAI Empowerment Initiative. Keedron Bryant, the 13-year-old viral star whose inspiring George Floyd tribute anthem “I Just Wanna Live” touched listeners and led to a record contract, released a heartbreaking second video for the track and including references to black men and women who have died at the hands of police. The clip opens with a group of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as a giant American flag drips blood above them. Bryant, on his knees and surrounded by young people, begins singing as a white police officer aims a gun at his face. https://youtu.be/pEaV6lbplPw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have denied contributing to a new book about their life in the Royal Family. The book, “Finding Freedom,” was written by royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, and it features testimony from numerous palace insiders about what led to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departure as senior members of the British royal family. According to an excerpt from “Finding Freedom,” Harry and Meghan were left feeling like outsiders during Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas speech last year, and there were no photos of the couple. The authors said “For Harry and Meghan, it had been yet another sign that they needed to consider their own path.” President Donald Trump says he will not visit the body of John Lewis, who is lying in state in the Dome of the Capitol. “I won’t be going. No,” President Trump told reporters at the White House before he left for North Carolina. https://youtu.be/ZeuC-qGt5M0 It’s been five years since Bobbi Kristina died after being in a coma for nearly six months. She passed away from lobar pneumonia July 26, 2015. Her father, Bobby Brown, took to social media to pay tribute. He shared a pic of his namesake as a little girl and the caption read: “There’s no way to explain how I feel I miss you so much little girl you stay in my heart on my mind every day daddy loves you.” https://www.instagram.com/kingbobbybrown/?utm_source=ig_embed On the current season of Showtime’s “The Chi,” it features the show’s first transgender actress, Jasmine Davis. Davis plays Imani on the show, and as noted by the Chicago Tribune, “Imani is a beautiful, gentle and stable presence amid the chaos around her. She is the loyal girlfriend of Luke James’ Trig, and is there by his side to help him right to some long-festering wrongs.” The Chicago native said she was initially hesitant to pursue the role when her agent and manager brought it to her attention. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Edojrv8UcAA9F08?format=jpg&name=small The two people that were seen at a Walmart in Marshall, Minn. over the weekend wearing swastika masks as face coverings are banned from visiting any Walmart for one year. A rep for the company told local NBC station KARE 11 on Saturday that the two customers were issued trespass notices from the local police department over the Saturday incident. https://youtu.be/W96tbfoxq04 For over forty years Dan Willis has led a thriving, multicultural Christian community in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. He is the Senior Pastor of The Lighthouse Church of All Nations. Pastor Dan’s driving force has always been that of a peacemaker and to unite people from every nation and background; regardless of age, gender, or race. Pastor Dan has now put his experiences and his practices of building and sustaining a multicultural ministry in a thought-provoking book THE MULTICULTURAL CHURCH: Embracing Unity and Restoration. In this mind-stimulating and heart-mending book, Pastor Dan shares what he has learned, the mistakes he has made, and what can be done to successfully minister to a diverse culture today and in the future. Ebony S. Small, offers a needed voice in ministry that discusses the intersections of faith, womanhood, and leadership. Ebony S. Small's debut book “The Leader In You,” shares insightful information about her journey that both empowers and inspires. “The Leader In You” is a thoughtful and sagacious book that seeks to cultivate and amplify influential leaders with the church. Small offers practical and spiritual insight on how to grow leaders for the Next Generation and invites readers to discover their leadership gifts and skills. Grammy award winner Michael "Mike" Keith, of multi-platinum R&B group 112, has tested positive for COVID-19 in the midst of promoting the band’s new single and music video, “Spend It All.” Keith is uncertain where he may have contracted for the virus, although he and band member Slim, have been working to prepare for a full slate of summer music releases. According to TMZ, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner reportedly gave birth to their baby girl, Willa. Neither Jonas nor Turner has confirmed the news. News of Turner's reported pregnancy broke in February, less than a year after the couple tied the knot in May 2019 in Las Vegas (they held a second ceremony later that summer in France). Gospel Artist Andrea René Williams Wins 2nd Place In Montgomery County Contest! Rich Nation Entertainment celebrates the release of its newest signee, acclaimed worship leader, Nia Allen’s, Every Nation (EP). The six-track EP, Every Nation, is available now at all major digital retailers. Every Nation features six uplifting songs, including the lead-single, "Every Nation," recorded live at Hopes House in Los Angeles, based off Revelation 7:9-11, describing what worship will look like in Heaven. Every Nation was created to capture a sound that all believers are able to sing - regardless of their race, culture or background. Amazon Studios announced today, 100 days out from this year’s U.S. Presidential Election, the documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy will open in select theaters on September 9 ahead of its global launch on Prime Video on September 18. The film features Stacey Abrams, the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States, and the founder of Fair Fight Action, the nation’s premier organization battling voter suppression. CeCe Winans is going to be a grandma! Her daughter Ashley Rose announced recently that she’s pregnant with her first child.“This is really for my clients cause I know soon I’ll be bumping into them while styling their hair, the Nashville stylist wrote on social media. Baby Phillips coming this holiday season. Thanks to my mom for the shirt! I think she’s slightly more excited than I am.” https://www.instagram.com/ashrphil/?utm_source=ig_embed Olivia de Havilland, the two-time Oscar winner and one of the glamorous stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age in the 1940s, has died, her publicist said. She was 104. De Havilland died at home in Paris, the city where she lived since the ’50s. Her publicist said she died of natural causes. https://youtu.be/oCZyVfC1D3U A Christian nonprofit organization that fights world hunger asked Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) to resign from its board after he confronted a female colleague and then reportedly used a sexist expletive after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was out of earshot. Bread for the World announced Yoho’s resignation in a statement on Saturday, saying that his “recent actions and words as reported in the media are not reflective of the ethical standards expected of members of our Board of Directors.” Bishop Larry Trotter highlighted the importance of getting tested and practicing virus safety measures. The bishop is sharing his experience when it comes to protecting yourself from the coronavirus, especially when your guard is down around your family. Bishop Larry Trotter, senior pastor of the Sweet Holy Spirit Church in the South Chicago neighborhood, recently tested positive for COVID-19. He believes he may have gotten it from a relative visiting from Florida. Before beginning their series rubber match with the Phillies and traveling back home to host the Orioles, multiple Marlins players reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. At least four Miami Marlins players have tested positive for COVID-19. One of those players is starting pitcher Jose Urena, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, while one of the position players is reportedly first baseman Garrett Cooper. Urena was scheduled to start against Philadelphia Sunday but was scratched a few hours before game time. Jon Heyman reported that Urena “feels fine,” while details regarding the names of the remaining two position players to test positive unclear. Aldrick Rosas has gone from kicking off for the New York Giants to being kicked off Big Blue following his arrest for an alleged hit-and-run in June. Rosas had received a second-round tender from the team but that was before his arrest in California. To replace the former Pro Bowler, New York is signing former Jets kicker Chandler Catanzaro, according to ESPN, after cutting Rosas following his arrest for an alleged hit-and-run in June. BET will honor the legacy of former U.S. Representative John Lewis with an exclusive news special called “JOHN LEWIS: IN HIS OWN WORDS,” airing tonight, Sunday, July 26 at 7:30 PM ET/PT on BET and BET HER. Hosted by CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan, this BET and CBS NEWS production will weave together compelling footage of the former Congressman’s life and his own inspiring words to present a powerful reflection of his tireless dedication to the non-violent fight for racial equality and justice. Joy Reid is the first Black woman to anchor a cable primetime news show, and in an interview with Black Enterprise, she opens up about her career journey and the launch of her new show, “The ReidOut,” which premiered Monday night on MSNBC. https://youtu.be/Lt3y56-NUrg In a tribute fit for a hero, the body civil rights icon and Georgia Congressman John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge one last time on Sunday in Selma, Alabama. https://youtu.be/JXEbYn3jw3w August Alsina is speaking out once more about his “entanglement” with Jada Pinkett Smith. The singer spoke about the romance with Lil Wayne on his podcast recently, and when asked if he still loves the actress, Alsina replied, “Absolutely! I feel like when you experience a certain type of experience on this planet and you experience a certain type of love, I will always have love for her as a person… The experience really did help to transform me and bring out the king in me.” India.Arie releases a new lyric video, “Rollercoaster,” a supercharged response to the outrageous iniquities and chaos of the world. Over her 20-year career, India.Arie has released eight albums of social commentary and spiritual teachings starting with her very first hit song “Video.” https://youtu.be/_O8qGJWfQFQ Kanye West has issued a public apology to his wife Kim Kardashian. “I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter,” West, 43, tweeted Saturday afternoon. “I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.” His apology comes in the wake of his actions last week in which he let off a firestorm of tweets against Kim for attempting to “lock him up” after his bizarre presidential campaign rally in South Carolina. Saturday night in Austin, Texas at a largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protest, a man was shot dead by a driver who sped toward the crowd before opening fire. The dead man, identified as Garrett Foster, was pushing his paraplegic fiancee in her wheelchair just moments before the shooting. https://youtu.be/qFJO2L_kJr4 “Rick and Morty” actress Spencer Grammer was stabbed but expects to recover quickly after attempting to help quell an altercation Friday night in New York City. The New York Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY that a “36-year-old female victim and a 32-year-old male attempted to break up a dispute” Friday night between a man with an “unidentified sharp instrument.” Grammer, the daughter of actor Kelsey Grammer and actress Doreen Alderman, and her friend were among the other diners who stepped in to help. The Oprah magazine, called O, is apparently over. Begun twenty years ago in print, and 10 years ago digitally, there are reports that O will cease print operations with the December issue. The website may continue. One editor has hinted at that on social media. This is a surprise since the magazine has been considered a success in Hearst’s shaky empire of publications that include Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Harpers Bazaar and Marie Claire. O has a reported average paid circulation of 2.2 million copies and a 10 million print audience. A nine-year-old girl has been named as the youngest person to die from coronavirus in Florida, as her family say they have no idea where she caught the virus. Kimora ‘Kimmie’ Lynum, nine, of Putnam County, Florida, died from coronavirus complications on July 17, despite not having any known pre-existing health conditions. Lynum, who is the fifth minor to have died of coronavirus in Florida, had been taken to the hospital due to a high fever, her cousin Dejeon Cain said, according to CNN. A memorial service in Alabama on Saturday for John Lewis kicked off days of tributes to the revered civil rights leader and congressman, including the high honor of lying in state Monday in the Rotunda of the US Capitol. Lewis, the senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a man known as the ‘conscience of the Congress,’ died of cancer on July 17, aged 80. At a service Saturday in an arena at Troy University in Alabama, the state of his birth, his surviving siblings and others paid tribute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Vop5QmMcc Regis Philbin, the famed TV personality whose hosting career spanned six decades, died at 88 years old on Friday, July 24. "We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday," Philbin's family told E! News in a statement. "His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him – for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about." Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has opted out of the 2020 season, he wrote on social media, becoming the first NFL player to publicly say he won’t suit up this year. Duvernay-Tardif, 29, is a medical school graduate from McGill University in Canada, and he had been assisting as an orderly in a long-term care facility in the Montreal area during the coronavirus pandemic. Beloved “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek has been battling cancer for a little over a year now and in his new memoir, The Answer Is … Reflections on My Life, he admits that he’s not afraid of death nor does he believe in a specific God or afterlife. The book was released this week and in it the 80-year-old TV personality is honest about the emotional toll his bout with pancreatic cancer has had on him. Trebek writes that his ability to overcome his diagnosis “is simple biology. You get treatment and you get better. Or you don’t. And neither outcome is an indication of your strength as a person.” The first-ever multiseason show about Jesus, “The Chosen,” was officially given the green light to begin production of season two. VidAngel, a streaming company that allows users to filter language, nudity and other content from mainstream entertainment, announced on Thursday that the company’s groundbreaking original series “The Chosen” will be returning for a second season. Kicking off production in September, season two will “explore the building of Jesus’ group of disciples and the personal and interpersonal pros and cons of Jesus’ growing notoriety as they take their ministry on the road,” the company said. https://youtu.be/VPL7WCzsXHw Mel Gibson was hospitalized for one week back in April after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. The controversial actor was admitted in the United States after he tested positive for the illness. Mel’s representatives confirmed the diagnosis, according to The Telegraph. The 64-year-old’s representative said: “He tested positive in April and spent a week in the hospital.” They continued: “He was treated with the drug Remdesivir, while in the hospital, and has tested negative numerous times since then as well as positive for the antibodies.” Despite being Australian, Mel has resided in the United States for several decades. Three people were injured when gunshots rang out in Louisville as a black militia group carrying semiautomatic weapons and a far-right organization carrying heavy firearms came face-to-face during demonstrations Saturday. According to local reports, an argument erupted between Black Lives Matter supporters and members of the far-right Three Percenters militia on the corner of Fifth and Jefferson Streets in Louisville on Saturday shortly after 1pm local time. But the shooting took place a few blocks away in Baxter Park, where an estimated 200 armed members of the Atlanta-based ‘Not F*****g Around Coaltion’ had gathered before marching toward the main protest site in downtown. The Boston Red Sox unveiled a massive Black Lives Matter mural at Fenway Park on Wednesday ahead of Opening Day this week. The team revealed the 250-foot black and white billboard, which features the words “Black Lives Matter” in Red Sox brand font with the team logo at the end. Located adjacent to Fenway Park, the mural faces the Massachusetts Turnpike and debuted ahead of the team’s exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The billboard was unveiled after the 61st anniversary of Elijah “Pumpsie” Green debuting as the Red Sox’s first black player in 1959 — making Boston the last MLB team to integrate. Ciara and Russell Wilson are over the moon about the birth of their son Win Harrison! One day after the couple announced they had welcomed their second child, Ciara, 34, shared an adorable photo of her family of five together at home. In the image, Ciara cradles the couple’s newborn son in her arms while standing beside her husband, their 3-year-old daughter Sienna and the singer’s 6-year-old son Future Zahir, whom she shares with her ex-fiancé, rapper Future. Biz Markie has been in the hospital for weeks. The beat-boxing DJ/musician, 56, has been hospitalized while treated for type 2 diabetes, according to a new TMZ report. Biz Markie’s reps say he doesn’t have COVID-19. Even though he is currently at a hospital in Maryland, the seriousness of his condition isn’t known. “He is receiving the best care from an amazing team of medical professionals and we remain positive about the outcome,” his representative said. Last year it was reported that Blac Chyna was served at home with a $2 million defamation lawsuit from her ex Pilot Jones, and now she’s been dismissed from it. In 2017, Jones initially sued Chyna and her ex-fiancé Rob Kardashian for cyberbullying and defamation, claiming they outed him as bisexual on social media. However, before the alleged actions, the couple accused Jones of selling photos of him and Chyna making out, and alleged he’d also insinuated that he was the father of Dream Kardashian — all claims that Jones continues to deny. Alyson Rae Lawson is the owner of a 7-Eleven franchise in Arlington, Texas who is making headlines for selling out bottles of Black Girl Magic wine from McBride Sisters Collection. The brand is owned by sisters Robin and Andrea McBride – founders of the largest Black-owned vintner in the country. “It kind of blew out of the water,” Alyson told Fox News of the massive success of Black Girl Magic wine. Detroit gospel artist Carl B. Phillips, is releasing a cover version of the Stevie Wonder classic song , "Heaven Help Us All", on Friday July 31, 2020. The song will be available on all digital outlets. Joined by fellow gospel artist Stephen Anderson and James Murray, this updated version of "Heaven Help Us All", speaks to the current conditions the world is facing including coronavirus, injustices, and loss of lives. https://www.dropbox.com/s/icflso2k423asqy/Carl%20B%20PHillips%20Heaven%20Help%20Us%20All.mp3?dl=0 Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are suing unnamed photographers after images surfaced of their son Archie playing in the backyard of their Los Angeles home. The invasion of privacy lawsuit alleges that unnamed individuals snapped recent pictures of the toddler with the caption that they were taken during a family outing in Malibu, PEOPLE reports. The couple claim, however, that Archie has not been in public — and certainly not in Malibu — since the family’s arrival to the U.S. Ava DuVernay discusses how Donald Trump’s “law and order” phrase is a dogwhistle for a certain brand of thinking. DuVernay has launched the Law Enforcement Accountability Project, which promotes works of art combatting the forces that shield police officers from consequences for misconduct in the line of duty. https://youtu.be/b-0HlFss9w4 Regina Hall opens up about the second season finale of her hit Showtime comedy “Black Monday,” starring Don Cheadle. The show is an 80s comedy that follows the employees of second-tier Wall Street trading firm the Jammer Group in the year leading up to “Black Monday“, the day when international stock markets crashed in 1987. Hall plays the ruthless and ambitious Dawn, who is “brash like the boys” and totally ride or die. The season two ends with a twist – Dawn locked up after “having taken full credit for the titular Black Monday scam in order to help her on-and-off again beau Mo (Cheadle) avoid life in prison,” per Vulture. https://twitter.com/i/status/1285215887042072576 Eminem is said to be worried that ex-girlfriend Mariah Carey will share personal details about their sex life in her upcoming memoir. “Eminem’s Achilles heel has always been Mariah Carey,” a source tells Us Weekly. “They had a very toxic relationship. He knows that Mariah is going to say very negative things about him. He is expecting the onslaught, and almost welcomes it.” The source claims “Marshall is stressed out that Mariah is going to say sh*t that he was bad in bed or a selfish lover because he has always been very insecure about that.” “She knows that.” Eminem and Mariah were linked in 2001 and the rapper later noted in a 2002 interview with Rolling Stone that “I just don’t like her as a person.” Raven-Symone says she’s open to joining “The Real” after two of its co-hosts, Amanda Seales and Tamera Mowry, exited the talk show. “There’s always conversations to be had,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “But I’m gonna stay true to what I’ve been setting goals towards during corona, and that’s to focus on my skills as a director and EP and a creator, and really take what I’ve learned in the industry and pass it along to people that are beginning.” Rave, 34, went on to say, “I don’t mind helping out where they need me to. As long as we’re corona safe, I’m down for the cause.” The 4th annual “Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Fest” (ILICFF) scheduled to go down Saturday August 8, 2020 from 1-3pmET at the Eubie Blake Center will go online via Zoom Video Conferencing to address current health-pandemic venue requirements. The “ILICFF” event will screen short films made by youth and for youth from 10 different countries – India, United States, Taiwan, Hungary, Germany, Australia, Spain United Kingdom, Spain and Japan. It is presented by the Eubie Blake Center and is hosted by “ILICFF” Founder Anthony Michael Hobbs and Magic 95.9FM’s Ms. D. The brothers’ band, Instruments of Musick, just released an EP titled “Determination” and is currently promoting its second single “Country Gospel,” which is accompanied by a music video. “My brother and I did a little demo and it turned out to be a six song EP.” We both play by ear. We don’t read notes,” said Garwin McKinney about his ability to play the lead guitar and his brother Gary aka Fatman’s ability to play the pedal-steel guitar. The Detroit natives’ EP includes vocal support from three of their sisters and Fatman’s wife. The Gospel duo is taking their musical ministry from the Church to bringing it to the streets where God’s Word is badly needed. https://youtu.be/6utXaPn3p9M Coming soon it's The Michelle Obama Podcast: Listen Free on Spotify July 29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwclrGhSb_I Today, two-time GRAMMY®- nominated hitmaker, Koryn Hawthorne, released her new single “Pray” with an accompanying music video. The new video dropped this morning with a world premiere broadcast on BET Gospel, BET Soul, BET Her, and BET.com. The new song marks the Billboard Music Award-winning artist’s first official single off her sophomore album, I Am, which is slated for release this fall. “Pray” is now available on all digital providers. "Pray" is the Gospel Spotlight song of the week..........https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhmx1ai4hro&src=Linkfire&lId=7dd501b9-c79c-4739-a458-2539a9a5b31c&cId=fd0758d9-8864-4cb4-9f34-2399833c61a3 The funeral of John Lewis is scheduled to be held Thursday (07-30-20) in Atlanta at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Thursday’s home going service will culminate a nearly week long “celebration of life” that will include stops in Troy, Selma and Montgomery, Ala., and Washington, DC. The late Georgia Congressman and civil rights icon will also lie in state or repose at each locale, allowing members of the public to file past his casket. The family has requested that all participants wear masks, regardless of whether the event is indoors or outdoors. https://youtu.be/wyZt5uAcMCA LeBron James used his first postgame news conference from Orlando’s COVID bubble to bring attention to Breonna Taylor. https://youtu.be/zKj4VszEM9E Tamar Braxton‘s boyfriend David Adefeso is allegedly catching heat from her family for mentioning her frustration with WEtv during the 9-1-1 call he made after she allegedly attempted suicide. Braxton sent an email to her WEtv bosses accusing them of destroying her family and making her “suicidal.” The letter was sent weeks before her suicide attempt on July 16, Page Six reports. During the 911 call, David is heard saying, “She’s been drinking and she’s on medication for depression.” He continued, “She was very angry earlier on. She’s had trouble with the network, the company she’s working with, and they did something today. Adefeso is reportedly heard crying and saying, “F**king network.” Ciara and Russell Wilson have welcomed their baby boy into the world. Mrs. Wilson headed to Instagram to share a video from the delivery room to announce the arrival of Win Harrison Wilson. According to the video’s caption, Win was born yesterday, Thursday (07-23-20). He clocked in at 8lbs 1oz. https://www.instagram.com/ciara/?utm_source=ig_embed Joy Reid premiered her new MSNBC show, “The ReidOut, ”and pulled in near-record numbers of viewers for the debut show on Monday. She brought in 2.6 million overall viewers, which made it the second-most-watched regularly scheduled episode to air in the 7 p.m. hour in MSNBC’s history. Only her predecessor Chris Matthews has managed more, when 2.77 million tuned in to an episode of “Hardball” in 2018. https://youtu.be/D1GUZ8-jrZo The Virginia high school named after Confederate war general Robert E. Lee will be renamed to honor the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis. The Fairfax County’s school board voted Thursday to rename the school after the late congressman, who died Friday following a battle with cancer. He was 80. The new name, John R. Lewis High School, goes into effect this school year, USA Today reports. During a speech from the House floor on Thursday, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed Congressman Ted Yoho’s “rude” and “abusive language” to her of earlier this week. Ocasio-Cortez says Yoho accosted her on the Capitol steps and called a “f*cking b*tch” over her views on police reform. https://youtu.be/Q3Xjv03Qrtc Taraji P. Henson is developing an “Empire” spinoff focused on her character Cookie Lyon. The series is currently in development with EP’s Danny Strong (“Empire” co-creator), Yolanda Lawrence and Stacy Littlejohn, Deadline reports. The spinoff is part of Henson’s new First-Look deal with 20th Century Fox TV and her TPH Entertainment production company. Back in April, Henson and “Empire” co-creator Lee Daniels spoke about the possibility of continuing Cookie’s saga. In light of #KanyeWest’s recent mental health struggles, his wife #KimKardashian is reportedly refusing to let the cameras for their hit show, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” film Kanye or their kids right now. KUWTK is not documenting any of Kanye’s current bipolar episode, an order that came from Kim herself, production sources told @tmz_tv. The Volunteer State Mass Choir First Ballot Nominee "Gospel Artist Of the Year" Dove Awards Voting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWsE0H6nn9U&feature=youtu.be The wait is finally over as multi-platinum R&B superstars 112 have released their highly anticipated new single and music video, "Spend It All" across all digital platforms. Along with the sultry record, 112 will roll out a hat trick of additional cuts in the coming weeks, “For Us” and “Looking For Love,” on August 7 and August 21, respectively. The chart-topping group is set to deliver the first official album project since their 2018 split, the 112 FOREVER EP, on August 21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM5g3tliVU0&feature=youtu.be Join Dr. Stacie NC Grant onight at 9pm EST for a powerful LIVE that just may change your speaking career! Don't Miss Dr. Stacie's powerful LIVE training "Unapologetically Profitable In Business." It starts at 9PM EST tonight, July 23, 2020. Register via this link http://FreeLiveTraining. destinydesignersuniversity.com Genji Jacques, the man who has been dubbed the Haitian Denzel Washington has been added to the cast of the upcoming film “The Sweetest Girl: A Forbidden Love Story.” https://youtu.be/BeexdktEVos Rapper Lil Baby has sparked debate on social media after he said Black people can be racist. The comment came during a discussion about police corruption and systemic racism with Rolling Stone writer Charles Holmes, who insisted, “Black people can’t be racist.” https://youtu.be/PU7vGTPZ7lA President Donald Trump announced plans Wednesday to send federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque as part of his effort to curb violence in the cities. The initiative, dubbed “Operation Legend” in honor of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed last month in Kansas City, Mo., will send “hundreds of skilled law enforcement officers to help drive down violent crime,” Trump said from the White House. The president is preparing to send hundreds of federal agents into both cities from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security, per Politico. The board of trustees for a school district in Texas has voted unanimously to retain its headline-making grooming policy that prevented two Black students from attending school unless they cut their dreadlocks. Kaden Bradford and his cousin, Deandre Arnold, were both suspended in January by the Barbers Hill Independent School District. Bradford, who was a sophomore, transferred to another school. Arnold wasn’t allowed to walk at graduation because he refused to cut his dreadlocks, a situation that caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. https://youtu.be/aInpfPQRnyc A new DNA study published Thursday sheds fresh light on the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, from the legacy of rape that can be seen in today’s genetics to how disease likely decimated some groups forced to work in deadly conditions. For example, DNA from one African region may be under-represented in the US because so many slaves from there died of malaria on American plantations. The grim results from a paper, which appeared in the American Journal of Human Genetics, compiled genetic data from 50,000 consenting research participants from both sides of the Atlantic. It cross-referenced these with detailed records from slave ships that transported 12.5 million men, women and children between 1515 and 1865. Some two million died on the journey. President Donald Trump executed a stunning turnaround Thursday and announced that many U.S. schools will have to delay reopening despite his repeated urgings that they must open in the fall. After pushing for weeks for schools to reopen and stressing the risks of keeping them closed, Trump said school districts in coronavirus hot spots ‘may need to delay reopening for a few weeks. That’s possible. That’ll be up to governors.’ https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/07/23/5156614825017100616/636x382_MP4_5156614825017100616.mp4 The NFL team formerly known as the Washington Redskins have rolled out a temporary name for the 2020 season. The organization will be known as “Washington Football Team” until it comes up with a more permanent name change amid criticism over its history as a racial slur against Native Americans, ESPN reports. The plan is to remove the former name/logo physically and digitally over the next 50 days, and the team will use the new name and new uniforms for their first game of the season on Sept. 13. 3X Grammy Award nominee and popular singer-songwriter Brian Courtney Wilson releases Marvin Gaye classic, "Inner City Blues," July 24, on all digital platforms. Recorded last year for a special Motown Records 60th celebration, Wilson will re-release an extended version of the song as a response to the current movement for change, and justice. As relevant today as it was almost 50 years ago, "Inner City Blues," remains a powerful declaration against the injustices and police brutality that face the Black Community. Brian also launches a new conversation series on Instagram and on the Houston-based Amazing 102.5 radio station called "Breathe Again with Brian Courtney Wilson." "Breathe Again" will premiere tonight, Thursday, July 23 at 7:00pm EST on Instagram Live @BrianCourtneyWilson with Pastor Juanita Rasmus, co-pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church in Houston TX, and author of the upcoming book "Learning To Be." The weekly radio show will premiere Sunday, August 2, at 12:30 pm CST. Hear Brian Courtney Wilson In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Brian_Courtney_Wilson_mar2009_intvw.wav As far as Damon Dash is concerned, folks need to stop assuming Kanye West is crazy. But keep in mind those words came out of the mouth of a man who a lot of other folks think IS crazy, too. And, even though it doesn’t matter, Dash says he doesn’t “give a f–k” if West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, and her family disagree. https://youtu.be/VaXp3vVinkc President Donald Trump announced Thursday he’s canceling the Jacksonville, Florida portion of the Republican National Convention due to the state becoming a COVID-19 hotspot. “So I told my team it’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida component of the GOP convention, we’ll be starting in North Carolina for the Monday as has always been planned,” Trump said at the top of his Thursday press briefing. https://youtu.be/fUboQWTNTHE Mike Tyson has been hinting at his return to the ring for a few months now, and it’s finally happening. The boxing champ will fight Roy Jones Jr. in an 8-round exhibition match on September 12, that will be available on both pay-per-view and on social media platform Triller. The fight – dubbed the Frontline Battle — will take place in Florida, TMZ reports. The news comes a day after Tyson-announced his “Legends Only League,” which will support older athletes hoping to return to their sports. Philo and TV One announced a distribution agreement today, adding the channel to Philo's lineup of 60+ channels for $20 per month. This marks TV One's first vMVPD distribution deal. Philo subscribers can watch a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming on TV One, including classic series, movies, and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult black viewers, including popular original series Unsung, Uncensored, ATL Homicide, and Fatal Attraction. BET+ announces “TYLER PERRY’S MADEA’S FAREWELL PLAY” will launch exclusively on the platform Thursday, August 27. In Tyler Perry’s final stage run as Madea, he pulls together some of his audience’s favorite characters for a family gathering. Madea, Mr. Brown, Cora, and Aunt Bam are all under one roof for over two hours of pure joy. Madea is in rare form, as she tries to be a support for her great-grandchildren, and daughter Cora. While at her granddaughter’s home, Madea uses her combination of tough love and old southern wisdom to help the family navigate their new normal. All seems fine until Mr. Brown takes a trip that leaves audiences in stitches. As always, Perry’s blend of incredible music and laugh out loud moments make the Madea Farewell Play great food for the soul. The nation paid its final respects Thursday to the Rev. C.T. Vivian, a pioneer of the civil rights movement who helped end segregation across the South and left an abiding imprint on U.S. history. The funeral for Vivian, a close ally of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., began at around 11am at Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Vivian died Friday in Atlanta at age 95. https://youtu.be/5o0O30XJB58 A Change.org petition called JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR, demanding justice for her has garnered more than 10 million signatures, the second-highest number in the website’s history. Law student Loralei HoJay, who created the online appeal, according to a Change.org press release, calls for the firing and arrest of the three Louisville Metro police officers who were involved in the March 13 raid on Taylor’s Louisville home, where she was shot to death. The anti-Trump Republicans behind The Lincoln Project are lightening quick and brilliantly on point with their ads dismantling Donald Trump’s idiocy , and #45’s behavior keeps them working around the clock. While preparing a story about their ad pointing out Trump’s praise of accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. https://youtu.be/2uLJkpH__os Christian author and filmmaker DeVon Franklin announced that he’s struck a deal with CBS where he plans to “create new opportunities for people of faith and people of color.” Franklin, president and CEO of the Franklin Entertainment production company, made the announcement on Instagram on Tuesday. https://www.instagram.com/devonfranklin/?utm_source=ig_embed Al B. Sure fans are aware that he and late model Kim Porter share a son, 29-year old singer and actor Quincy Brown. But in a new interview, Al B. dropped a bombshell when he revealed that he and Porter were actually married. “I posted something the other day, talking about my ex-wife, yeah I said it, my ex-wife. Kimberly.” https://youtu.be/IrMMCPFRlm8 Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was charged in George Floyd’s death, is now facing nine felony income-tax charges, along with his estranged wife. Chauvin and Kellie — who filed for divorce in June — have been charged with “multiple tax-related felonies,” according to a press release from the Washington County District Attorney. https://youtu.be/nroESspNwVU Serena Williams’ two years old daughter, Olympia Ohanian, is now a co-owner of “Angel City,” the new women’s soccer team launching in Los Angeles. “This makes her the youngest owner in pro sports.” Olympia’s father, Alexis Ohanian, took to Instagram to touch on his decision to become an investor of the team while also securing a better future for his daughter. “As someone who spends hours kicking around a football with my two-year-old daughter, I want her to have a front row seat to this revolution,” he wrote. “I’m personally investing on behalf of my family because creating more opportunities in women’s sports is important to my wife @serenawilliams and me, and we want to be a part of making a better future for our daughter.” https://www.instagram.com/olympiaohanian/?utm_source=ig_embed Rumored lovebirds Lena Waite and Cynthia Erivo are collaborating on the upcoming musical drama “Talent Show” from Universal Pictures. The story hails from Duane Adler, the writer behind “Step Up,” and follows a “failed songwriter who returns home to Chicago to lead a group of at-risk youth in their annual talent show.” In addition to writing the final script, Waithe will serve as executive producer and Gandja Monteiro will direct. This Friday, July 24th at 7:00PM EST / 4:00PM PST, join Black Theatre United (BTU) member, actor and activist Viola Davis as she moderates a virtual Town Hall with Leader Stacey Abrams, Founder of Fair Fight and Fair Count and Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, Vice President of Fair Count, in a conversation titled “Our Voices. Our Votes. Our Time.” Register for free at www.BlackTheatreUnited.com Black Information Network, the recently launched 24/7 comprehensive national audio news service dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective, announced today that Roland S. Martin has joined the network as a Commentator. Martin will exclusively curate custom commentary segments for BIN to be broadcast daily throughout the network’s 24-hour news feed. Listeners can hear Martin’s BIN Commentary on the iHeartRadio app, available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices, as well as on local AM/FM broadcast radio stations across the Atlanta, Augusta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, GA, Detroit, Greenville, Macon, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Riverside, San Francisco and Seattle markets, with additional local markets being added. What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organizers of the protest—including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale—were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history. Coming to Netflix starting October 16, 2020: “The Trial of the Chicago 7” Garcelle Beauvais is spilling all the tea! The new “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star got candid with Access Hollywood about joining the hit Bravo show. The actress teased that the upcoming reunion was super tough and stressful and it also was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” regarding her relationship with Lisa Rinna. https://youtu.be/bS9a_c5T9DM Wendy Williams will be returning this fall. She will be broadcasting from the purple chair in her Manhattan studio and NOT her home. Williams announced Tuesday that her show will resume production for season 12 in-studio on Sept. 21. Michael Epps a Chicago native shared his thought’s on the new season of “The Chi,” where he plays Jake. Epps is proud to have worked with the cast for another season. He says fans of the show can expect the “grown-up” Jake. Michael Epp’s also has an ear and pen game for music. Currently, he has a single out called, “Drip” under the moniker of Mikey. https://youtu.be/RL3cK4ib97s The senior ABC News exec who was placed on administrative leave last month over claims she often made racist remarks about Black staffers, has been fired. An internal investigation “substantiated” that Barbara Fedida made “some of the unacceptable racially insensitive comments attributed to her,” Peter Rice, chairman of ABC News parent Walt Disney Television, said in a company memo, NBC News reported. https://youtu.be/hf3iE81xa2M The explosive season finale of “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” shows back-to-back episodes, series stars Javon Johnson and Ptosha Storey have taken viewers on a wild journey as Richard and Nancy Hallsen — the butler and butler’s wife who are in service to President Hunter Franklin (Ed Quinn) and First Lady Victoria Franklin (Kron Moore). https://twitter.com/TheOvalOnBET?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285990570683400193%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2020%2F07%2F22%2Fjavon-johnson-and-ptosha-storey-talk-tyler-perrys-the-oval-ahead-of-season-one-finale-eur-exclusive%2F Disney announced last month the re-imagining of the popular Splash Mountain ride with a story inspired by the animated movie “Princess and the Frog“. As noted by PEOPLE, Splash Mountain is “based on the 1946 Disney film “Song of the South,” which has long been criticized for its problematic portrayal of the post-Civil War South and for employing racist stereotypes.” Disney intends to update the theme to feature its first Black princess, Tiana, who was voiced by Anika Noni Rose. Rose is speaking out about what we can expect. https://www.instagram.com/anikaaroundtheworld/?utm_source=ig_embed Adrienne bares it all as she gives us her nighttime skin-care routine on the next episode of CLEO TV's ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON airing Saturday, July 25 at 9 P.M. ET/8C with an encore episode at 12 A.M. ET/11C. From moisturizing masks to the best cleansers and toners, Adrienne takes off the glam to give us all her flawless skin secrets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2j4fRXhvo0&feature=youtu.be In a season where brotherly love seems to be waxing cold, where racial tensions are high, and no end to a pandemic seems to be in sight, God continues to send us gentle reminders that His love for us is never ending... New single from Darius Paulk affirms to us that God is yet still taking care of His people and His love goes ON & ON. Bishop T.D. Jakes has called on West Virginians to get tested during the pandemic and to wear face masks, declaring that it’s “easier to wear a mask than wear a ventilator.” A native of South Charleston, Jakes’ brief message was posted to Facebook last Friday by the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs. It included a link to a government website that listed where free COVID-19 testing was available. After civil rights icon and Democratic Congressman John Lewis’ death was announced Friday, Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear honored his memory by sharing one of his tweets from 2015. The tweet, which included a smiling mug shot of the late congressman, said: “Even though I was arrested, I smiled bc I was on the right side of history. Find a way to get in the way #goodtrouble.” While other SBC leaders like Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Russell Moore, president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, also noted Lewis’ passing as a great loss for the nation, some from the evangelical Christian community are unhappy with their praise of Lewis because of his support for issues like Women and LGBTQ rights. Kim Kardashian has broken her silence on Kanye West’s ongoing bipolar disorder episode. On her Instagram Story, Kardashian, 39, shared she felt the need to comment on her husband’s health because of “the stigma and misconceptions about mental health” as he goes on Twitter tirades about his family, divorce and her friendship with Meek Mill. Kardashian also explained that families who struggle with someone who suffers from mental illness are “powerless unless the member is a minor.” Through her recent book Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope, writer and speaker Jasmine Holmes amplifies the voice of black Christian mothers by highlighting her own concerns and advice for her toddler-aged son Wynn. She offers the church as a window to see what black boys face as they grow into men in America. By giving voice to the underrepresented perspectives of their mothers, Holmes offers the church a way forward toward racial unity and understanding. Erykah Badu has announced a new line of vagina-scented incense called “Entanglement,” which she plans to sell online “all thru august,” she said. Looks like the singer has been inspired by the Jada Pinkett Smith/August Alisna affair drama. https://www.instagram.com/erykahbadu/?utm_source=ig_embed UN-RULY, a beauty platform dedicated to Black hair and women, has teamed with iconic Black hair care brand, Dark & Lovely, to spark an overdue conversation about protective hairstyles with the release of their short film, “Pretty Shouldn’t Hurt.” https://youtu.be/zlWS8Qw_Z1k Bravo producers have added actress Drew Sidora and Canadian YouTuber LaToya Ali to the cast of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”Ali, 33, currently resides in Atlanta and has over 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube. Last month, she confirmed her marriage was ending to husband Adam Ali of six years. They share three children. Sidora, 35, is known for her roles on That’s So Raven, The Game, Hindsight and the TV movie CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. She is married to Ralph Pittman and they share two children. An all-new episode of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” airs Thursday night and finds Vado explaining why talking to other women does not qualifies as cheating. https://youtu.be/ebG30hPBsFo A mass shooting took place in Chicago Tuesday night that left at least 15 people wounded at a funeral on the city’s South Side. Police say that one of the victims remains in “extremely critical condition,” and another in critical condition. The shootout took place outside Auburn Gresham neighborhood, where mourners had gathered for a large funeral being held for a man who had been killed in a drive-by shooting. “At that time, attendees of the funeral exchanged gunfire,” First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter of the Chicago Police Department said. https://youtu.be/9SsVM3C7dJQ Trader Joe’s will be rolling out new branding for some of their international food products, after a California teen launched a petition calling for a change to its “racist packaging.”Briones Bedell , 17-years-old launched a Change.org petotion two weeks ago. The petition cites the “Trader Ming’s” label for Chinese products, “Arabian Joe” for Middle Eastern products, “Trader José” for Mexican products, “Trader Giotto’s” is for Italian food, and “Trader Joe San” brands their Japanese cuisine. A new day brings another new series of jaw-dropping Kanye West reveals about wife Kim Kardashian. Insiders believe they are headed for a divorce. According to US Weekly, Kim is meeting with divorce attorneys this week following Ye’s controversial comments about aborting their first child and subsequent Twitter rant about his wife trying to have him locked him up in a psychiatric hospital. Terrell Owens is trying to prove that at age 46, he still has some speed left in the tank. A viral video of him racing wide receiver Tyreek Hill of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs proves that while pushing 50, T.O.’s still in pro-football form. Hill is recognized as one of the fastest players in the league and had also considered trying out for the Olympic track team. https://youtu.be/TzC9W5c6hcM Amanda Seales says she’s exhausted with having to be the strong black woman all the damn time. During an extremely candid interview with The Breakfast Club this week, the comedian and media personality revealed that she had a nervous breakdown in the spring, and spoke at length about the toll of having to maintain a hardened exterior as a black woman, particularly how it inadvertently and unfairly comes to define your outward personality. https://youtu.be/j2quvfIj6Fg Robert Hawkins released a the EP - RESERVED and HAPPY Music DVD that debuted at #10 on the Top Music Videos Chart. His current Urban Inspirational single "Finished Work" showcases Robert's exuberant contemporary Gospel and Worship style. Robert is bringing his fervent worship and edgy urban praise to the virtual space. Robert kicks off his "Worship N The Warehouse Virtual Tour" this week. From July 24 - August 1 fans can join Robert, his band, his singers, and his dancers for a vibrant virtual worship experience. The "Worship N The Warehouse Virtual Tour" will stream across multiple platforms by multiple tour sponsors and organizations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocOhMiAmhVo&feature=youtu.be Movieguide® and Timothy Plan® are pleased to announce the opening of the 2021 Kairos Prize script competition for uplifting and inspiring scripts. “The Kairos Prize is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for faith-filled scriptwriters to share their stories with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, Movieguide® publisher and founder. “We’re here to honor spiritually uplifting content that edifies viewers and inspires them to seek out what is pure, good, lovely and true.” The Kairos Prize will award $15,000 to a grand-prize winner. A 20-year-old black medical student in London is revolutionizing medicine after noticing “a lack of teaching about darker skin tones, and how certain symptoms appear differently in those who aren’t white,” he told The Washington Post. Malone Mukwende, who recently completed his second year of medical school at St George’s, University of London, decided to address the issue himself by writing the book “Mind The Gap: A Handbook of Clinical Signs in Black and Brown Skin.” It details the clinical presentations of diseases and their differences as they appear on melanin-enriched skin. Malone realized early in his studies that current medical literature was insufficient for diagnosing diseases that would otherwise affect vast numbers of darker-skinned people, leading to misdiagnosis. I’ve never been in love before, but I know when it happens, I will know,” said R&B’s J. Brown, a multi-Top 15 chart-topper, about the content of his recently release single “Hopelessly in Love." “I speak primarily about love. So I told my manager to stay on the same page. It’s a happy track.” https://youtu.be/TPxsaopiKdA Harriet Tubman’s great-great-great niece has responded to Kanye West’s comments about the famed abolitionist during his South Carolina campaign rally. “Harriet Tubman…never actually freed the slaves,” West said. “She just had the slaves go work for other white people.” https://youtu.be/JAkqUNDSS7g Today, Granity Studios releases GEESE ARE NEVER SWANS, created by the late NBA legend and New York Times bestseller Kobe Bryant. This powerful and gripping novel, written in collaboration with Eva Clark, is an extraordinary tale of a young swimmer who struggles to overcome his grief and personal torments while finding his rightful place in the world. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A teaser trailer was released for “Redeeming Love,” an adaptation of the bestselling allegorical novel and is being produced by Roma Downey (‘The Bible”) and Cindy Bond (“I Can Only Imagine”). “This book has literally changed countless lives, and this movie will change, I believe, even substantially more lives,” Producer Bond says in the trailer. https://youtu.be/c0AaKyoXyBs Roddy Ricch and 50 Cent pay tribute to their late collaborator Pop Smoke, Monday (July 20) in his posthumously released music video “The Woo.” https://youtu.be/G6XthQpk8uk Powerful singer and songwriter Jekalyn Carr has earned her 6th Top 10 at Gospel radio with "Changing Your Story." Additionally, the singer -songwriter has cracked the Top 30 on the Mediabase R&B Radio chart for the first time with her single, "Power Of Love." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGbJAqpxEjg&feature=youtu.be Georgia Democrats have selected Chairwoman Nikema Williams, a state senator from Atlanta, to replace Representative John Lewis on the ballot for the November general election following his death Friday. https://youtu.be/YKtUZVSKig4 Andrew Gillum, former Democratic gubernatorial, emerged on social media Monday to provide an update about his battle with depression and alcoholism. Gillum has been in a self imposed exile following a wild night out in March involving a man who reportedly overdosed on crystal meth in a South Beach hotel room. https://www.instagram.com/andrewgillum/?utm_source=ig_embed The American Cancer Society presented Share The Light – a virtual live streaming event hosted by Carrie Ann Inaba, moderator of CBS’s daytime series The Talk and judge for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars last week. The virtual magical event gathered celebrities and friends to celebrate the spirit of cancer survivors and bring vital attention to the unique needs of the cancer community during this unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. The NFL Player’s Choir raised the voices to support the efforts of the American Cancer Society with a fun socially-distanced performance of the classic “Little Light of Mine.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZotQgKI2yGs&feature=youtu.be GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Brandy is set to release her highly anticipated new studio album, b7, July 31, 2020. In addition, her single “Baby Mama” featuring Chance the Rapper is currently at #7 at radio on the Adult R&B Chart. Released around Mother’s Day, the track is an ode to raising her daughter Sy’rai and a larger anthem to all mothers working hard to support their family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exKC1W-Tu_U&feature=youtu.be With the release of his stylistically eclectic and hard-hitting debut album Cruelty, emerging artist Allocai is not merely sharing the often-harsh truths of his life experiences and his journey from darkness and pain to hope and light. With his no-holds-barred 11-track collection, the Jamaican-born, Los Angeles based singer-songwriter is also paving the way and making it safe for indie musicians to dig deeper within themselves, own and embrace and own their feelings (no matter how painful) and find fearlessness in their vulnerability and authenticity. https://youtu.be/T4F-i-3oO4c Tamar Braxton is “alert and responsive” and speaking to her family and doctors following an alleged suicide attempt last week. According to The Blast, Tamar has been moved to a mental health facility for treatment. “Out of respect for Tamar’s privacy and that of her family, no additional information is available at this time.” Keyshia Cole is back on the market after splitting up with her boy toy and baby daddy, Niko Khale. Cole’s 6 million followers noticed she had unfollowed Khale and deleted all but three photos on her Instagram. The two remain on good terms for the sake of the children. Cole, 38, and Khale, a 24-year-old aspiring singer and songwriter, began dating after being introduced by producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins when Niko went by the stage name Ace Primo. Keyshia went through a messy divorce from former NBA player Daniel Gibson, with whom she shares 10-year-old son, Daniel Gibson, Jr. Last month marked the 20th Anniversary of the release of Nelly’s diamond-certified debut album, Country Grammar, and to celebrate, the hip hop icon is taking fans back to the summer of 2000 with a special live performance of the album in its entirety, for the first time ever. The show will be broadcast around the world on MelodyVR as part of its ongoing Live from LA series, on July 25th at 6pm PST / 9pm EST / 2am + 1 day BST. https://youtu.be/RIR6xu8iCWo Tiffany Haddish says she is loving her fresh new look. The “Girls Trip” star shared a selfie on Instagram, showing off her clean-shaven head. “Just Loving my new look thought I’d share it with y’all,” Haddish captioned the pic. “The best part is when water hits my head it feels like kisses from God. #sheready for more of Gods Love!”https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyhaddish/?utm_source=ig_embed Nia Long‘s new film with Omar Epps, “A Fatal Affair,” which started streaming on Netflix over the weekend is not exactly getting rave reviews and it appears she’s not too thrilled about it, either. One of the things that have her upset is that the movie was headed up by a white director, Peter Sullivan, and it only employed 3 black crew members. According to the actress, who is also listed as a producer on the movie, “A Fatal Affair” wasn’t initially proposed as a Black-led feature. After Netflix greenlit it and once Long was attached to star, a Black screenwriter, Rasheeda Garner, was hired to revamp the script, according to NY Daily News writer Karu Daniels. The first images from inside the “bubble” court at Orlando’s Walt Disney World complex found their way onto the Internet Tuesday, showing “Black Lives Matter” written on either side of the court, the team benches using chairs placed at safe distances apart and plexiglass in front of the announcer’s booth. There are also lots and lots of video screens framing the court. Those will show fans live streaming in from home, because no fans will be allowed in the stands due to the pandemic. https://youtu.be/mGtoYpbVeqI This woman could’ve easily photographed her violent mauling and slow demise. Instead, her ill-advised selfie, taken at the heart-stopping moment that a black bear approached her and two other women and began sniffing them, was just another selfie – which she has now shared. https://youtu.be/8-9sF8nI6oY Kanye West went on a wild Twitter rant Monday, claiming that his wife Kim Kardashian is trying to have a doctor “lock me up.” In a series of now-deleted tweets, the rapper called out Kim and her mom, Kris Jenner, asking them to contact him as they were trying to “lock me up like on the movie Get Out.” “Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughters life yesterday,” West wrote on Twitter, referring to his comments about North West during his presidential campaign rally over the weekend. Every year, tens of thousands of people – many in elaborate costumes – convene in San Diego for a pop culture extravaganza. Hollywood studios peddle their upcoming blockbusters, stars talk their latest comic, sci-fi, fantasy or horror projects and fans browse and buy an array of comic books and memorabilia. But not this year. Comic-Con is moving to an online edition. Downtown San Diego may be a lot less colorful this week, when the 51st Comic-Con was scheduled to be held. But that doesn’t mean the tights, zombie makeup and capes are forgotten. Tune into an important conversation this Thursday, at 7:00pm EST on Root Access Live with Civil Rights attorney Benjamin Crump. On the Monday, July 20th edition of “Tamron Hall,” “The Dissenters” co-hosts Emmy Award-winning actress Debra Messing and entrepreneur, activist and lawyer Mandana Dayani joined Tamron to discuss their vision for the podcast that launched in May. https://youtu.be/wuTXq6qrlvo On the inaugural episode of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden joined host Joy Reid for a special one-on-one interview to kick off the debut of the show to discuss the impact of COVID-19, Trump’s rhetoric and his selection for a potential vice presidential candidate. https://youtu.be/HnwmP0qE_PE Nene Leakes took to Instagram Thursday to show support for Tamar Braxton after the singer’s alleged suicide attempt on July 16. “When you are a strong person, you manage stress differently! People tend to judge the outside. Strength on the inside abilities to cope,” Leakes wrote. “A lot of strong people cry in the dark and hurt alone. I talk to Tamar often! Spoke to her yesterday and tried to pull her thru this moment. Spoke to her and David today!” https://www.instagram.com/neneleakes/?utm_source=ig_embed Stand-up comedian, W. Kamau Bell was a guest on SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Karen Hunter Show” and spoke with host, Karen Hunter and co-host Drew McCaskill about learning to laugh through pain, how comedy has given him room to explore tough topics. https://youtu.be/arELcjToEqI Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game of Major League Baseball’s pandemic-delayed regular season. The Washington Nationals announced Monday that Fauci — a self-described fan of the reigning World Series champions — accepted the team’s invitation to have the pregame honor Thursday night. The Nationals host the New York Yankees to open the season nearly four months after it originally was scheduled to begin. Spring training was halted in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak and teams resumed preparing to play this month. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban declared that the “National Anthem Police in this country are out of control,” leading to a tense exchange on Twitter with Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican who represents Texas. Cuban initially tweeted “Bye” on Sunday evening in response to a tweet from Mark Davis in which the Dallas-based conservative talk show host expressed enthusiasm about the Mavs but added he would no longer be a fan “the minute one player kneels for the anthem,” suggesting Cuban could help guide the Mavs and NBA “to do whatever gesture they wish without insulting the nation.” https://twitter.com/mcuban?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285032212782604289%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblackchristiannews.com%2F2020%2F07%2Fmavericks-owner-mark-cuban-says-players-can-kneel-for-the-national-anthem-without-being-disrespectful%2F The Ballon d’Or, awarded annually to the world’s best footballer, will not be held in 2020 due to the “lack of a sufficiently level playing field” caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi won the trophy in the men’s category last year, while US striker Megan Rapinoe won the women’s category. Organisers France Football said the awarding of the prize, which has been given out every year since 1956, would be “not worthy” of the trophy’s history. This week Earnest Pugh lands at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay Chart with his smash hit “God Wants To Heal You, ”the lead single from his highly anticipated recently released “Outpour Experience LIVE” CD. The Outpour Experience is Pugh’s 12th project and features Amber Bullock and Betty Keller with masterful production by Michael Bereal, Keith Williams, and Marque Walker. Leave it to the likes of Jahana Jones McCoy to put a new spin on an old favorite. She effortlessly transforms If You’re Happy (and you know it) into an exquisitely crafted Summertime experience. The result is a rhythm filled song full of melody and praise under the banner of the Happy Song. The song was released on Friday, July 14th via Enon Music Group/Sony/The Orchard and is available on digital outlets and streaming platforms. U.S. District Judge Esther Salas was assigned the Deutsche Bank/Jeffrey Epstein civil case less than a week ago. Her husband and 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl, were shot Sunday evening by a gunman dressed as a FedEx driver. Son died, husband is in critical condition. The alleged gunman is men’s rights activist Roy Den Hollander, who has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to multiple outlets, including CNN, ABC, and the New Jersey Globe. Michelle Obama posted the sweetest tribute video of John Lewis following news of his death over the weekend. On Saturday, the former FLOTUS shared footage of Lewis dancing to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” during a campaign event in Georgia two years ago. https://www.instagram.com/michelleobama/?utm_source=ig_embed The Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University release their album, Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album), with previously-released track “Glory / Stranger (feat. Derek Minor & Shannon Sanders)” on Spotify’s New Music Friday Playlist. The album, which is more than 150 years in the making, is a collection of 12 songs that beautifully represent and communicate the powerful and vibrant history of Fisk University, Fisk Jubilee Singers®, and the city of Nashville. It features the group from the stage of Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, with guest appearances by Ruby Amanfu, Keb’ Mo’, and CeCe Winans, among others. https://fiskjubileesingers.lnk.to/CelebratingFisk The Music Specialist announced today that it has expanded its services for the second time in 2020 – this time, adding a Christian music division to serve more artists. Allen Johnston, Founder & CEO of The Music Specialist, stated that the company has partnered with Bryan Erby’s One Nation Under God Records to handle all music under the Gospel genre. The new services are available immediately. Stephen Thomas released his debut album CHANGES in 2012. CHANGES boasted the break out hit "True Praiser - Hustle Hard" (featuring J. Robinson). Stephen followed up with a string of hit singles "Search Me Lord" (2013), "Best Days" (2016) which landed on the iTunes Hot Singles chart at #2, and "Like It or Not" (2017). Stephen's new single "Too Close" was recorded a few years ago and held until the time was right for the release. The kairos time for Stephen to deliver an encouraging message of faith and perseverance through this song is now. "Too Close" is produced by Stephen's long time producing partner Reggie Hamlet (Tamar Braxton, Mario, Jennifer Lopez). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxLdS3nmmmE&feature=youtu.be Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) was driving through her Los Angeles district when she happened upon a police stop involving a Black man. So she stopped and hopped out of her car to make sure the situation was safe for “the brother.” “They stopped a brother, so I stopped to see what they were doing,” Waters, 81, tells the person who recorded the Friday incident. According to the Daily Mail, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office stated that the Black man was stopped by the cops investigating a burglary. An officer said that Waters initially pulled her black SUV up to the traffic stop and began yelling at the deputies. The cops told her that she was obstructing traffic and asked her to pull over. She was later released with a warning after she refused to sign a citation for the possible violation, the spokesperson said. https://twitter.com/i/status/1284963340461252612 Nicki Minaj has announced that she and husband Kenneth Petty are expecting their first child together. The hip-hop star shared several photos on Instagram showing off her growing baby bump. https://www.instagram.com/nickiminaj/?utm_source=ig_embed In any event, a source told People Mag that Kim K is “furious” with West after he revealed that they’d considered getting an abortion after she found out she was pregnant with her first child, daughter North, in 2013. “Kim is shocked that Kanye spoke about North at the rally,” the source says. “She is furious that he shared something so private.” https://youtu.be/kQFqX_yCrjk Wu Tang’s Rza is back in the director’s chair with his new film “Cut Throat City.” The film takes place in New Orleans during the aftermath of one of the most devastating Hurricanes in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjsS3x-0PsA Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and the family of Calvin Horton, a man who was killed by a business owner while protesting in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, will hold a news conference Tuesday, July 21 at 12:30 p.m. CT in Minneapolis on what would have been Calvin’s 44th birthday. The family and attorney Crump will be joined by the activist community demanding that the district attorney arrest and file charges against the business owner, 59-year-old John Rieple. MSNBC has officially tapped Joy Reid to host new evening news and opinion show “The ReidOut” which premieres TODAY/TONIGHT at 7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific. Reid will be joined by inaugural guests former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (Atlanta), Mayor Lori Lightfoot (Chicago), former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Lawrence O’Donnell, host of MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.” https://youtu.be/dX2gap5NRxM Tamar Braxton reportedly sent an email to her WEtv bosses accusing them of destroying her family and making her “suicidal.” The letter was sent weeks before her alleged suicide attempt Thursday night. Braxton allegedly detailed her downward spiral in an email explaining that her family is in “disarray.” She went on to call the network “cruel white slave masters who once chained our forefathers, and the oppressive police forces that now terrorize our communities,” she added, “I hope those ratings were worth it because you succeeded in destroying a great black family.” https://www.instagram.com/tamarbraxton/?utm_source=ig_embed Iesha Mars is the young woman that was put on the spot by #KanyeWest at his South Carolina “rally” on Sunday and feels she was treated unfairly by the rapper seeking to be president. https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed Kanye West held his first presidential rally Sunday at the Exquis Event Center in North Charleston, SC, and some might say the moment truly highlighted the depths of his mental illness. As reported by TMZ, the rapper rambled through a number of topics — even suggesting that Harriet Tubman did NOT free slaves, “she just siphoned them off to other oppressive white folks,” the outlet writes. https://youtu.be/vR_F_zfoWnQ Wendy Moten may have launched her career as a pop/R&B artist and taken cool detours into jazz throughout her fascinating career, but her heart clearly belongs to Nashville. https://youtu.be/R6qknOC6A-M Legendary game show host Alex Trebek, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer last March, shared he started to regain his strength as he began recording “Jeopardy!” He said he’s at a stage in his life when “you want to just ease yourself into the next level” instead of continuing with “such a low quality of life.” The show hadn’t been recorded since the COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March, and shows recorded earlier were being aired during the period. But when producers ran out of new material, they decided to resurrect popular episodes from years past. Trebek, a longtime spokesperson for Christian humanitarian group World Vision, said he recorded show openings at home for a batch of special “Jeopardy!” episodes that will be released this month. The host, who has a degree in philosophy from the University of Ottawa, said “Jeopardy” is a quality program and that he would stop hosting if “I start slipping.” NFL players are publicly pleading with the league to address several health and safety concerns on the eve of training camp. The league informed teams on Saturday that training camps will open on time even though discussions with the players’ union regarding testing for the coronavirus and other health and safety protocols are ongoing. Rookies for Houston and Kansas City are set to report Monday and rookies for other teams are due on Tuesday. Players for all teams are scheduled to report by July 28. Many prominent players expressed their thoughts in a social media blitz Sunday. Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time golf major winner, said Sunday that he was ill with COVID-19 earlier this year and his wife Barbara had also tested positive for the coronavirus. At 80 years old, Nicklaus is in the higher risk category for being seriously ill with the disease, which has killed more than 140,000 people in the United States. He said he counted himself lucky to have come through with a relatively mild case. Speaking during a weather delay in final round play of the Memorial Tournament that he hosts, Nicklaus said that while he had symptoms of the illness, his wife was asymptomatic. The couple self-isolated at their home in south Florida from March 13 to April 20. Bill Nye “The Science Guy” took to TikTok to break down the reasoning behind different skin colors and how all human beings are the same. Showing a map that depicts the intensity of UV light across the globe, he said, “It turns out the closer you are to the equator, the more intense the ultraviolet light is.” He went on to explain, “It turns out that everybody on earth is descended from people who lived here, in Africa,” while noting that as people migrated away, the amount of UV light they were receiving lessoned. “Our skin is where we make vitamin D; if you don’t get enough ultraviolet, then you don’t get enough vitamin D,” he said. Rev. Al Sharpton thoroughly dressed down the President of the United States on Sunday in an interview with TMZ. Earlier in the day, Fox News Sunday aired an interview with #45, who randomly threw Sharpton’s name into an exchange about renaming military bases. Asked if he really plans to veto a bill that would rename bases like Fort Bragg that are named after Confederate generals, Trump shot back, “I don’t care what the military says. I’m supposed to make the decision.” “We’re going to name it after the Rev. Al Sharpton?” the president asked. https://youtu.be/pv91fDbhG9g The black woman busted for dumping paint on the Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower live-streamed her entire stunt — and repeated her actions hours later in Harlem and Brooklyn. Bevelyn Beatty, 29, posted videos to her Facebook page showing her dumping, then smearing paint on the mural at Trump Tower, as well as BLM murals in Harlem and on Fulton Street later in the night. She bragged in a separate video, “Ya’ll, we did an all-nighter. Let me tell you something, yesterday was epic.” https://youtu.be/nFb-4tX-5tY Florida Senator Maco Rubio posted earlier via Twitter Saturday afternoon, according to a screengrab obtained by Business Insider: “It was an honor to know & be blessed with the opportunity to serve in Congress with John Lewis a genuine & historic American hero. May the Lord grant him eternal peace.” The photo in the tweet shows Rubio chatting with Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings, who passed away in October 2019, After realizing his boo-boo, Rubio deleted the tweet, replacing it with a new tribute and image. He also acknowledged his mistake. Nueces County in Texas has confirmed that 85 infants under the age of one have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as they urge the public to use greater caution. Among the children who tested positive was a baby boy under six months old, who died from the infection. Another was a newborn whose mother also had the virus. It is not known how the children are suspected to have become infected and an update on their condition was not given. Public Health Director Annette Rodriguez confirmed in a press conference Friday that the 85 infants are each younger than one but offered no other details. Nick Cannon, a new daytime syndicated talk show, which had been set for an Oct. 5 national launch, will not debut this year. I hear production has shut down on the talker in the latest fallout from the anti-Semitic remarks the actor-comedian recently made on his podcast. “We are standing by Nick in our hope that by fall 2021 he will be able to use his extraordinary talent and platform to entertain, enlighten & unite his audience on the Nick Cannon talk show,” the companies behind the show, Lionsgate and its division Debmar-Mercury, said in a statement, in which they condemned anti-Semitism and racism. Republican political consultant Roger Stone appeared to use a racial slur during an interview with Morris W. O’Kelly. Stone, 68, was due to enter prison July 14 to begin a 40-month sentence for obstructing the congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He had his sentence commuted by Donald Trump on July 10. O’Kelly asked him why he thought he had been pardoned, suggesting it was due to his friendship with Trump rather than the merits of the case. I’m guessing it was more than just luck, Roger, right?’ There was a pause, then what sounds like Stone’s voice can be heard telling someone on the other end: ‘I don’t really feel like arguing with this n***o.’ https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-the-mo-kelly-show-28067784/episode/roger-stone-melts-down-on-the-68674750/?keyid%5B0%5D=The%20Mo%27Kelly%20Show&keyid%5B1%5D=Roger%20Stone%20Melts%20Down%20on%20The%20Mo%27Kelly%20Show&sc=podcast_widget Two weeks after announcing his unlikely bid for president, Kanye West will hold his first campaign event in South Carolina on Sunday at 5 p.m. The 43-year-old rapper’s rally will be at the Exquis Event Center in North Charleston for registered guests only, according to a campaign document obtained by Politico. Amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, all attendees will be required to wear masks, sign a COVID-19 liability release form and practice social distancing. On Saturday evening, the former President Donald Trump supporter urged his 29.8 million Twitter followers to help him acquire signatures to get on the state’s ballot. Over a half million pastors, church staff members, and ministry employees kept their jobs and continued serving their communities during the pandemic thanks to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, according to a list released last week. As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March, the government offered grants to cover payroll costs for employers, including religious organizations, as a way to keep the economy going and reduce layoffs. A list released Wednesday by the Small Business Administration (SBA) showed that at least 11,500 Christian organizations took advantage of the opportunity and received loans of $150,000 or more. Trevor Lawrence quarterback of the Clemson Tigers, has a busy future ahead of him. Outside of trying to win his second national title in three years, he’s also in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and a Heisman Trophy candidate. This offseason, he’s put on his activist cap and helped organize and lead “Black Lives Matter” protests on his campus. Now, he can add a wedding to the list of responsibilities. Lawrence dropped to one knee Friday on the field at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Marissa Mowry, who announced the engagement on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/marissamowry210/?utm_source=ig_embed In a world where her son's identity was starkly under-represented, Janet Hubert wanted to create something to inspire him, and millions of other kids like him. And so, JG & the BC Kids was born. Toonz Media Group (TMG), Elijah Rock Productions, and Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment announced today that they have started pre-production on a feature-length animated movie, which will be followed by a TV series. This is the last record of music I’ll be doing,” said Brian McKnight about his latest album release titled “Exodus.” “My 20th album … I’ve been doing this the same way for 30 years. I’d love to see the world with my wife and not be working.” Brian is a living legend with 16-Grammy wins to his credit. Dame Dash has accused Lifetime of exploiting his relationship with late singer Aaliyah, while filming the reality tv series “Growing Up Hip Hop”. Dash called out Tara Long directly, claiming the president of eOne’s unscripted television is a ‘racist,’ Complex reports. https://www.instagram.com/duskopoppington/?utm_source=ig_embed ; Snoop Dogg and DMX will face off in a Verzuz “battle of the dogs” on July 22. The upcoming installment of the virtual music series will feature the two hip hop stars playing their hits for a friendly competition. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Loni Love recently opened up to talk show host Tamron Hall about her relationship with boyfriend James Welsh amid the COVID-19 lockdown. https://youtu.be/MIYXdluUx-A The daughter of televangelist and Bishop T.D. Jakes has bought a $4 million estate in Calabasas, California. Sarah Jakes Roberts is one of Jakes’ five children, and the thirty-something influencer has built up her own empire by way of a podcast, multiple book deals, millions of social media followers and sold-out nationwide preaching tours. Cam Newton took to Instagram to share a personal photo of his 1-year-old son Caesar, who he shares with Instagram model La Reina Shaw. https://www.instagram.com/cameron1newton/?utm_source=ig_embed Darrell Kelley is speaking truth (and truth to power) with an ongoing array of worldwide hit singles addressing key issues – including “The Coronavirus,” “Ahmaud” and “Police Brutality.” While these and other politically charged songs – including the fiery title track and “Vote Him Out,” form the core of The Audacity, the Atlanta based singer/songwriter’s latest full-length album, Darrell balances them with songs about love, hope and unity that offer a constructive way forward beyond these anxious and challenging times. https://youtu.be/mn5v8k-2r1s To elebrate the 30th anniversary of her debut album, Mariah Carey is releasing a memoir titled “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.” The book will be released in print and on Audible on September 29, https://www.instagram.com/mariahcarey/?utm_source=ig_embed The world has lost a legend; the civil rights movement has lost an icon, the City of Atlanta has lost one of its most fearless leaders, and the Congressional Black Caucus has lost our longest-serving member. The Congressional Black Caucus is known as the Conscience of the Congress. John Lewis was known as the conscience of our caucus. A fighter for justice until the end, Mr. Lewis recently visited Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC. His mere presence encouraged a new generation of activists to “speak up and speak out” and get into “good trouble” to continue bending the arc toward justice and freedom. The City of Ashville, North Carolina has passed a decision to provide reparations for Black American residents of the city. Council members passed the resolution with a 7-0 vote on Tuesday, according to the Asheville-Citizen Times. https://youtu.be/6C5gqcOP448 ; Several organizations including National Action Network Los Angeles, The Baptist Ministers Conference and The NAACP, came together 10 a.m. Saturday July 18, 2020 to march and then hold a news conference in front of the Wallis Annenberg Building, Los Angeles. The purpose of the march and press conference is to demand elected officials push legislation that will increase police accountability in the state of California. Joliet police Sgt. Javier Esqueda has been stripped of his police powers and placed on administrative leave after he blew the whistle on the death of Eric Lurry in police custody. According to CBS 2, Esqueda said enough was enough after he watched video of fellow officers appearing to suffocate Lurry until he died. https://youtu.be/-Yns9oho2Os Saturday, former President Barack Obama reflected on the late Congressman and civil rights legend John Lewis and his “enormous impact” on America’s history. Obama recollected that his election as the first Black president was possible because of the sacrifices of John Lewis. “I first met John when I was in law school, and I told him then that he was one of my heroes. Years later, when I was elected a U.S. Senator, I told him that I stood on his shoulders,” Obama wrote in a statement following Lewis’ death. “When I was elected President of the United States, I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made.” https://youtu.be/E4P02rNysh8 Popular Christian singer and YouTube star Jamie Grace has been vocal about her encounters with racism and on Monday she revealed she’s lost followers as a result of it. “I lost about 3,000 twitter followers after sharing my personal stories as a victim of racism and articles about things like white privilege and how to be anti-racist,” Grace tweeted to her hundreds of thousands of followers. The “Beautiful Day” singer expressed her gratitude for those who are still around. “So to everyone that’s still here… thank you… and… Nothing’s changed on my end!! Still black!” she quipped. The pop star is taking legal action against two Twitter users who claimed on social media that he sexually assaulted them. And Justin Bieber has won the first round in the defamation suit, with the Los Angeles Superior Court granting a motion to subpoena Twitter to identify the people behind the accounts, according to NBC News. The defendants in the complaint are only identified as Jane Doe 1 and 2 – on Twitter they had the names Danielle and Kadi – and cannot be served until they are identified, the outlet reported. Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL linebacker who’s now an ESPN analyst announced that he’s releasing a new book inspired by his popular social media show called “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man.” Acho announced this week, that his viral internet series, “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” is being turned into a book that will be published by media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey is said to have partnered with Acho because of how much his new series has impacted her. https://youtu.be/oseOoeqdgWY John Lewis (D-GA), the renowned civil rights leader who served as a symbol of the movement throughout his more than three decades in Congress, died Friday at the age of 80 from pancreatic cancer. As Chair of SNCC, John Lewis was one of the “Big 6” leaders of the historical March on Washington on August, 28, 1963, and was the youngest speaker. He also played a key role in the marches from Selma to Montgomery and joined Hosea Williams and hundreds of civil rights marchers to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on “Bloody Sunday” and suffered a fractured skull that day. For 34 years, Mr. Lewis served Georgia’s 5th district and our country with the same burning desire to ensure America’s promises were accessible to all. He never hesitated to tell the truth about this nation’s history and injustices. In his very first Congress, John Lewis introduced a bill to create an African American history museum in Washington, DC, but the bill was blocked by Senator Jesse Helms for 15 years. But Mr. Lewis persisted, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016 and is by far the most popular museum on the National Mall. A fighter for justice until the end, Mr. Lewis recently visited Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC. His mere presence encouraged a new generation of activists to “speak up and speak out” and get into “good trouble” to continue bending the arc toward justice and freedom. Based on the National Book Award-winning novel by bestselling author James McBride, THE GOOD LORD BIRD, is a new limited series coming to Showtime, starting October, 4 at 9/8c. THE GOOD LORD BIRD is told from the point of view of Onion (Joshua Caleb Johnson), a fictional enslaved boy who becomes a member of Brown’s motley family of abolitionist soldiers during Bleeding Kansas – a time when the state was a battleground between pro- and anti-slavery forces – and eventually finds himself participating in the famous 1859 raid on the. U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry. Brown’s raid failed to initiate the slave revolt he intended but was an event that hastened the Civil War. https://youtu.be/H-Tm63y-S4s Evelyn Lozada has responded to the recent comments her ex-husband, former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, made about his 2012 domestic violence case. https://youtu.be/8jWWKjXf7SM Lena Waite is calling on Emmy voters to show more love to Black shows and content creators of color. After reading Hollywood Reporter’s 2020 Emmy forecast that highlighted predominantly white TV shows, Waite noted her objection and penned a response for the publication. https://youtu.be/41IXNRWzBIo Commenting on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp suing her for violating his ban on making face masks mandatory, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tells TODAY that “this filing of a lawsuit is simply bizarre, quite frankly.” https://www.today.com/video/atlanta-mayor-keisha-lance-bottoms-lawsuit-over-mask-mandate-is-bizarre-87861829925 Restoration is coming! There is healing on this album, but you have to be willing to admit you're broken in order to be healed," expresses Lecrae about his 9th studio album, Restoration, set to drop August 21st. The album features John Legend, Kirk Franklin, YK Osiris, Jozzy, Dani Leigh, Marc E. Bassy, BJ The Chicago Kid and more. Shining it's Light, the Gospel Spotlight song of week..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j4pZPQhHBk&feature=youtu.be Emerging from the Washington DC metropolitan area are three Gospel recording artists who are three award-winning songwriters and three preacher’s kids “PK’s” who have united with one mission – to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and have fun doing it! With a plethora of individual music awards, honors, and hit songs to their credit, CD Porter, Rob Mercer and Javon Inman have come together as DRK 2 LGHT. This weeks song in the Gospel Spotlight is "He Keeps On" DRK 2 LGHT debut single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BR_t1P-30I&feature=youtu.be Tonight CCM Magazine and Root Magazine have joined together to bring a live listening event with Nashville Life Music to share the heart behind the album, introduce the group and preview the new songs. Join Alvin Love III and Dwan Hill tonight on Facebook at 7:30 PM Central on the CCM Magazine, Root Magazine, Integrity Music and Nashville Life Music pages. Motown Gospel/Capitol CMG emerging artist Jonathan Traylor returns with an installment of new music today, adding two new songs—“Ain’t Nobody Mad But The Devil” and “Bigger Dreams”—to his major label debut project, The Unknown. Currently in its third release installment, The Unknown is an innovative playlist-styled album that is being continuously updated with new songs and video content over the course of the year. https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.emlfiles4.com%2Fcmpimg%2F7%2F9%2F7%2F1%2F3%2F2%2Ffiles%2Fimagecache%2F53115%2Fw660_156065_jtthumbnail.jpg&t=1595022503&ymreqid=578bcfd1-325e-b178-2fa4-23004a016c00&sig=7kXoCTwRoAt0JAqdEeSmUQ--~D ?Randy Weston is gearing up to release his brand new single "Up From Here". The single is now available for pre-order, and will be available everywhere on August 7, 2020. The brand new visual for his new single will debut exclusively on BET Gospel on August 6, 2020. https://ffm.to/judahbandupfromhere Tamar Braxton Thursday evening was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles after being found unconscious. “There was a medical emergency call generated related to a possible overdose at 9:45 p.m.,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told The Blast. “The person was then transported to a nearby hospital.” The website said her boyfriend, David Adefeso, found her “unresponsive and sources believe it was a possible suicide attempt.” “Tamar has had a very tough and emotional day,” her rep said in a statement to the website. “More information will be coming in the next few days. Please pray for her.” The Rev. C.T. Vivian, a treasured civil rights veteran who marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has died at his home in Atlanta, his family revealed Friday. He was 95. Vivian’s daughter, Denise Morse, confirmed the passing and said that he was “one of the most wonderful men who ever walked the earth.” Vivian suffered a stroke about two months ago but appeared to be on the mend before “he just stopped eating” and died of natural causes, friend and business partner Don Rivers said. Media mogul Tyler Perry is making moves to heal his adopted city of Atlanta. He purchased 1,000 Kroger’s supermarket gift cards — and turned them over to Atlanta police to hand out to the community. “This is about the community that I love, that I live and work in,” Perry said in a statement to the NY Post. “This about good people who are in need of a hand up, not a hand out.” “This is about the good police officers who do their job well every day, some of which are my personal friends,” the statement said. “This is about trying to bridge unity in a city that adopted me and held me up high enough to reach my own branch on the tree of success.” Apple TV+ has a new unscripted short series from director Gotham Chopra “Greatness Code.” The seven mini episodes feature untold stories from the greatest athletes in the world. The first season examines one pivotal moment that defined an athlete’s career. Season one features four-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lebron James; six-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady; Olympic gold medalist and co-captain of the US women’s national soccer team Alex Morgan; world’s fastest man and eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt; five-time Olympic gold medalist and 15-time world champion swimmer Katie Ledecky; 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater. https://tv.apple.com/us/show/greatness-code/umc.cmc.4xpk6thd1574yu8hy2xdozyz6 Lee Daniels has teamed with ABC to give “The Wonder Years” the reboot treatment, and this time with an all Black cast. Daniels will exec produce the comedy from ‘Big Bang Theory’ writer Saladin Patterson, with original series co-creator Neal Marlens and star Fred Savage. During an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Thursday, Donald Trump’s niece confirmed what all of humanity had already deduced about her uncle. Mary Trump, who was given the green light from a judge this week to speak publicly about the Trump family and her book, “Too Much and Never Enough,” responded bluntly when asked point blank if she had ever heard her uncle use racist slurs. “Oh yeah, of course I did, and I don’t think that should surprise anybody given how virulently racist he is today,” Mary Trump said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ0VJLhFHMA Fox is reportedly under pressure to fire Nick Cannon for the alleged anti-Semitic/anti-white comments he made on a recent episode of his podcast. After he was fired by ViacomCBS over the remarks, Cannon said the company was attempting to “make an example of an outspoken black man,” and that the company banned “all advertisements that supported George Floyd and Breonna Taylor who we are still seeking justice for.” Sources told DailyMail.com the actor was forced to apologize by Fox in order to keep his job on “The Masked Singer.” Fox has confirmed he will not be fired. Nia Long, in an interview with Insider, revealing that her agent told her directors for the film didn’t give her the role of Alex Munday ” because she looked too old” to appear alongside Drew Barrymore, who was only four years younger. “I was like, “What?” Long recalled. “I love Drew Barrymore, I think she’s amazing, but I think that was just a nice way to say you’re a little too Black. Personally, that’s what I think. Because if you notice there were no brown skin [actors]. I mean, honestly, I would have been the blackest thing in the film.” Louis Gossett Jr. has been acting for nearly 70 years, and the Academy Award winner is showing no signs of letting up. Gossett Jr., 84, tells Michelle Miller in an interview for CBS SUNDAY MORNING that he’s continuing to hone his craft. “I used to think about retiring,” Gossett Jr. tells Miller in an interview to be broadcast Sunday, July 19 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. “As long as I’m here, there is a job to do for the benefit of us all, for what it’s worth.” In a wide-ranging interview, Gossett Jr. talks with Miller about his start in acting, his childhood and his first brush with racism in Hollywood. A group of Redskins cheerleaders are opening up about some disturbing experiences that happened in 2013 while doing a calendar photo shoot in Costa Rica. In an article published by The New York Times and titled "Redskins Cheerleaders Describe a Trip to Costa Rica That Crossed a Line," interviews with five cheerleaders who were involved with the trip spoke on anonymity, but revealed some of the things they were asked to do."Some of the cheerleaders said they were required to be topless, though the photographs used for the calendar would not show nudity. Others wore nothing but body paint. Then some of the cheerleaders were given a "special assignment" in which male sponsors picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub and although the cheerleaders said it didn't involve sex, they felt as if the team was "pimping" them out. Michelle Obama will let her own voice be heard on a new podcast. The former first lady will host “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on the streaming service, the Obama’s Higher Ground and Spotify announced Thursday. The podcast will exclusively debut on Spotify on July 29. “My hope is that this series can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we’re all trying to answer in our own lives,” Obama said in a statement. New from 2019 Sunday Best Gospel Winner Melvin Crispell III drops "Wonderful Is Your Name" https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vdz9uhoojr4qsax/AADnxWq1XQ9_-aM7xfjFuXSpa?dl=0 Speakers Magazine is celebrating three years of publishing and Dr. Stacie NC Grant is also celebrating her third annual business conference, awards Gala and VIP Breakfast for business owners and entrepreneurs globally. The event, Faithpreneur Weekend2K20, will go down August 13-15. The coronavirus kept surging in hot spots around the U.S. on Thursday, with one city in South Carolina urging people to pray it into submission, a hospital in Texas bringing in military medical personnel and morgues running out of space in Phoenix. In South Carolina, where the coronavirus crisis was deepening, the mayor of Charleston asked for spiritual help. “We do turn to God at a time like this,” Mayor John Tecklenburg said. Declaring a day of prayer and remembrance in what for centuries has been nicknamed the Holy City for the number of church steeples dotting its colonial skyline, Tecklenburg was surrounded by pastors of various faiths who prayed for the dead, the sick, their families, health care workers, scientists seeking a vaccine and politicians. Charleston is one of the biggest hot spots in a state that’s among the worst in the nation for the rate of new cases. The United States shattered its daily record for coronavirus infections on Thursday, reporting more than 77,000 new cases as the number of deaths in a 24-hour period rose by nearly 1,000, according to a Reuters tally. The loss of 969 lives was the biggest increase since June 10, with Florida, South Carolina and Texas all reporting their biggest one-day spikes on Thursday. Andy Stanley, leader of the multi-campus North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, announced Tuesday that in-person services have been suspended until 2021 because he cannot guarantee the safety of members in the wake of increasing coronavirus infections. “Based on the uptick in COVID-19 cases, the results of our attendee surveys and the experiences of churches that have already reopened we’ve decided to suspend in-person adult worship services for the remainder of the year,” Stanley announced on Facebook. Actress Galyn Gorg, who appeared in “Robocop 2” and an episode of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” has died at 55 from cancer, her family confirmed to TODAY. Gorg, who also appeared in three episodes of the television hit “Twin Peaks” and multiple “Star Trek” shows, died in Hawaii on Tuesday, a day before her 56th birthday. Terry Crews, the Christian actor and host of primetime programs including “America’s Got Talent” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” has denounced the website Pornhub. A grassroots effort has been launched to shut down the global pornography website Pornhub amid allegations that its profiting off the trafficking of underage girls who are forced to perform sex acts in videos. In a short message posted to his Twitter account on Tuesday, Crews stated his opposition to the widely visited porn website, parodying the radical call to “defund the police.” Colin Kaepernick has inked a first-look deal with Disney that will allow his Ra Vision Media to create projects that focus on race, social justice, and equity. The partnership will also spotlight Black and Brown content creators. The first project coming out of this partnership is docuseries about the last five years of Kaepernick’s life. Veteran journalist Jemele Hill is attached to produce. Kap’s Disney deal follows news about his new scripted series for Netflix titled “Black & White.” Chelsey Green and The Green Project drops their fresh new EP, ReEnvisioned, a dynamic and empowering collection that in only four tracks showcases their passions for contemporary and traditional jazz, R&B and funk with a touch of classical violin. The EP lays a foundation for an upcoming full-length album that will include elements of her gospel roots as well. Zindzi Mandela tested positive for the coronavirus the day she died, according to her son Zondwa Mandela. According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Zondwa, 33, says the family is waiting for “a complete and full autopsy” to come back, per PEOPLE. “But there were other tests that were conducted and my mother did in fact test positive for COVID-19 on the day of her passing,” Zondwa told SABC News. “Although this doesn’t therefore mean that she died of COVID-19 related complications, but simply that she tested positive for it.” Taye Diggs chatted with “Access Daily” host Kit Hoover about parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic and how he’s doing in quarantine. The actor, who shares 10-year-old son Walker with ex-wife Idina Menzel, shared some special things they do together like take midnight swims and long walks. https://youtu.be/FfS36TNw6QE Amid increasing restrictions around the world as the number of coronavirus cases spikes, the vacation hot spot of Andalusia on the southern coast of Spain is requiring everyone to wear face masks at all beaches and swimming pools as of Wednesday. People who violate the new rules could face fines of up to $114 (100 euros), according to the government Ministry of Health and Families. The Atlanta teenager suspected in the killing of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner surrendered Wednesday, authorities said. Julian Conley, 19, was accompanied by his attorney Jackie Patterson when he arrived at police headquarters after a felony murder warrant was issued for his arrest Tuesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. He also faces a charge of aggravated assault. Conley turned himself in after investigators released a photo of him carrying a gun. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Conley’s attorney said his client was arrested “solely because he refused to cooperate” with authorities. https://youtu.be/_GPhk7b7en8 Tamar Braxton returns to reality TV with “Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life!”, premiering Thursday, July 30 at 10 p.m. on We TV. https://youtu.be/iNQBL2aAM-k In spite of news reports on Tuesday that he had dropped out of the race, the Oklahoma State Election Board announced on Wednesday that Kanye West has qualified for the state’s general election in November as an independent. The rapper filed in Oklahoma on July 15 to qualify him to run as an independent on the November ballot, per PEOPLE. West paid the required $35,000 filing fee and also submitted a statement of candidacy. CBS Television Studios and the NAACP have reached an agreement on a multi-year partnership to develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary content for linear television networks and streaming platforms. The announcement was made today by George Cheeks, President and CEO of the CBS Entertainment Group, and Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. As part of the agreement, CBS Television Studios’ creative leaders will work with the civil rights organization to establish a dedicated team of executives and infrastructure to acquire, develop and produce programming. The partnership will focus on producing premium content that expands the number of diverse voices contributing to an ever-evolving society, and by telling inclusive stories that increase the visibility and impact of Black artists in a growing media landscape. #BlackTwitter is furious with #NickCannon for apologizing after being fired from Viacom over his “Anti-Semitic comments.” ??????https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed An appellate court has revived libel claims from a Trump supporter named Roslyn La Liberte against MSNBC’s Joy Reid. La Liberte claims Reid used “her substantial social media presence, fame, and reputation as a hard-hitting journalist” to publish “fake news” to her followers that La Liberte “screamed abhorrent racial slurs” at a 14-year-old boy, New York Post reports. An appellate court has revived libel claims from a Trump supporter named Roslyn La Liberte against MSNBC’s Joy Reid. La Liberte claims Reid used “her substantial social media presence, fame, and reputation as a hard-hitting journalist” to publish “fake news” to her followers that La Liberte “screamed abhorrent racial slurs” at a 14-year-old boy, New York Post reports. Reid retweeted the message and La Liberte responded by hitting her with a defamation lawsuit. The woman believes Reid’s comments “were also born out of her personal animus and dislike of President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and supporters of each, including those wearing MAGA hats.” As a result of Reid’s statements, La Liberte said she received “hundreds if not thousands of hate messages” and death threats. Reid tweeted an apology to La Liberte and the teenager, saying, “It appears I got this wrong.” But that didn’t stop the woman from filing a lawsuit against Reid for defamation and requesting punitive damages. Shaquille O’Neal recently provided an assistance by staying with a stranded motorist who had a blown-out tire on a Florida highway. The incident occurred Tuesday on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, after O’Neal, 48, saw the driver pull over to the side of the road. On a Facebook video posted by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Department, the driver can he heard telling deputies that her tire blew out, forcing her to stop. The police wrote on Facebook: “Yesterday, Shaquille O’Neal was traveling through Alachua County on I-75 when he witnessed a crash. He stopped to check on the welfare of the driver and remained with her until law enforcement arrived.” The post adds that O’Neal fist-bumped the two deputies on the scene “before going on his way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhN5S4rauAM #MeganTheeStallion released a statement regarding the injuries she suffered in an incident involving #ToryLanez, and new footage from the incident shows the moment they were stopped by #LAPD. Tory is laying in the street, as Megan limps out of the car. https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed Yusef Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn,” directed by Muta’Ali Muhammad debuts Wednesday, Aug 12 (9:00-10:40 p.m. ET/PT), it tells the story of Yusuf Hawkins, a black teenager who was murdered in 1989 by a group of young white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Hawkins’ death and the official response to it sparked outrage in New York, unleashing a torrent of racial tension and spurring tireless civil rights activism that exposed deep racial prejudices and inequities which continue to plague the country today. https://youtu.be/4-BCcFZ4i2g CNN host Chris Cuomo was irate over Donald Trump hawking Goya Food products during a pandemic that has killed more than 140,000 Americans, and from the resolute desk in the Oval Office no less. https://youtu.be/xDlzMiEV75k Supermodel Beverly Johnson has revealed that she is engaged at age 67. Johnson opened up about Brian Maillian in a new interview with PEOPLE, saying: “This is the first time I’ve dated someone so close to my age! We know the same songs and we’ve lived through a lot of the same things.” She also said of the 70-year-old financier, “As I was breaking boundaries in the fashion industry, he was doing the same on Wall Street.” The two largest independent African American owned gospel recording labels in the world - Blacksmoke Music Worldwide and Tyscot Records – pulled over 27,000 viewers for a special Facebook-YouTube live virtual event entitled, Trust in You, this past Sunday. The two company CEOs – Kerry Douglas (Blacksmoke) and Bryant Scott (Tyscot) - came together to swap stories on their humble beginnings, the grind to make it to the top of the music world and to celebrate the labels’ rich music catalogs. The over two-hour presentation was moderated by K.D. Bowe. Veteran radio announcers Pam Morris and Frank Walton zoomed in to provide perspective on the importance of independent record labels keeping gospel music fresh and relevant. Hear Dr. Leonard Scott In His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/drleonardscott_intvw.htm Whoopi Goldberg, Meghan McCain and Sunny Hostin of “The View” got into a heated discussion over the Tucker Carlson story at Fox News. The hot topic was Carlson’s recent on-air, glossed-over explanation of past racist stories published online by one of his show’s former staffers, Blake Neff. Neff resigned from the show after the stories leaked to the public. https://youtu.be/NCYrMb2LfE0 Megan Thee Stallion is setting the record straight about the injuries she suffered after a wild night out with rapper Tory Lanez turned near fatal. According to TMZ, witnesses reported people arguing in an SUV before someone fired shots in the air and the vehicle took off. When the law enforcement located the vehicle shortly afterward, they found the rappers inside along with another woman. Megan was taken to a hospital immediately after Tory was arrested, and treated for the wounds to her foot. Cops listed Megan as a “victim” in the incident.https://www.instagram.com/theestallion/?utm_source=ig_embed The stars of #WildNOut show their support for #NickCannon following ViacomCBS announcing their termination of business with him. #DCYoungFly #PrettyVee #Conceited #Hitman ??: (@cliftonprescod) Diddy: “Nick come home to @revolttv Truly BLACK OWNED!!!! ????? we got your back. And Love you and what you have done for the culture. We are for our people first!!!! For Us ! By US! Let's go!!!! https://www.instagram.com/theshaderoom/?utm_source=ig_embed With an abundance of caution, The Living Legends Foundation, Inc.® has chosen to postpone the 2020 Awards Dinner & Gala scheduled for Friday, October 9. 2020 to Friday, October 8, 2021. The 2021 date will coincide with the 30th Anniversary Celebration and will once again be held at Taglyan Cultural Complex Hollywood, California. Nick Cannon is apologizing for anti-Semitic sentiments made recently on his podcast, a day after ViacomCBS cut ties with the TV host. “First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth during my interview with Richard Griffin,” Cannon tweeted Wednesday evening. He continued: “They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from. The video of this interview has since been removed.” Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills was one of the dozens of protesters who were arrested Tuesday outside the home of Kentucky’s attorney general. Stills, 28, was protesting the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black emergency technician who was killed by police in March. Stills, a longtime advocate of racial justice, was one of 87 people arrested and charged with intimidating a participant in a legal process, which is a felony in Kentucky. They were also charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. Police said the protesters were on the front yard of Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home and refused to leave the property when told they were trespassing. Anthony Brown & group therAPy, have racked up another No. 1 smash with their soulful track “This Week” which grabs the No. 1 spot on the Gospel Airplay chart for the week ending July 18th. It’s the Maryland ensemble’s second No. 1 in a year. Their Go-go-flavored “Blessings on Blessings” topped the same chart this past September. Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm Stellar Awards-nominated gospel choir, Kenny Lewis & One Voice will release "Undefeated," written by Kenny Lewis and hit producer -Ay'Ron Lewis (Kirk Franklin, James Fortune) this Friday, July 17. “Undefeated” is the first single from the versatile choir’s upcoming album scheduled for release this year and includes guest artists, Pastor Charles Jenkins, Tiffany Andrews and Pastor Michael Lampkin. Hear Kenny Lewis In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kennylewis_intvw.htm Nick Cannon has responded to ViacomCBS dropping him after he “failed to acknowledge or apologize” for spreading “anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.” Cannon is under fire for calling white and Jewish people “lesser than” black people during his podcast “Cannon’s Class.” He also said melanin contains soul and compassion, which white people lack. ViacomCBS cut ties with Cannon following backlash he received over the comments, and condemned his “hateful speech” and failure to “acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism.” Cannon is now firing back at the company, taking to Facebook to request full rights to Wild ‘N Out, the show he hosted and produced for VH1, a ViacomCBS-owned cable channel. The All Nations Music and RCA Inspiration newly-released album by All Nations Music, Come Alive, has made a smash debut on the latest Gospel Album charts. The first album release from All Nations Music, Come Alive makes a 1-2 debut on two Gospel Album charts – debuting at #1 on the Current Gospel Albums Chart, and #2 on the Top Gospel Albums Chart. The Come Alive album made a hit debut digitally on the iTunes albums chart as well upon its release Friday July 3rd in all genres of albums, debuting at #5 on iTunes albums that day, following new album releases from Willie Nelson and Lil Wayne. All Nation Music’s seven-track album features the uplifting anthem “Bless Your Name” (feat. Chandler Moore) as the lead single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MXO0dkCGJA George Floyd‘s family attorney, Ben Crump, has filed a lawsuit against the city and its police force. Crump and his co-counsel, Antonio Romanucci, announced the civil suit on behalf of the Floyd family with a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis. https://youtu.be/uE3Qu6oDuAA CLEO TV spices up the weekend with a cooking challenge between Adrienne and her husband, Israel Houghton, on the next episode of ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON airing Saturday, July 18 at 9 P.M. ET/8C with an encore episode at 12 A.M. ET/11C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2j4fRXhvo0&feature=youtu.be Simone Biles just did a gymnastics pass so powerful that at the end, she fell over. In a mesmerizing five-second clip that she posted to Twitter on Tuesday morning, she performs a double tuck out of a double layout. In nongymnastic terms, she basically flies down a runway, occasionally vaulting off the ground, using its resistance to flip even higher into the air. The joyful clip comes just weeks after she was filmed performing a triple-double dismount, a move that has never been done before. https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles/status/1283100868804583424 Another celeb has tested positive for the coronavirus. Tuesday, former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Shereé Whitfield made it known that she has tested positive for COVID-19. “I know I have been MIA,” Whitfield, 50, said on Instagram. “I’ve really just been at home, self-quarantining, for the past week and a half. I just want you guys to know that it is no joke. I’m feeling much better today.” The reality star said she plans to share more of what her symptoms were, but added that she has just been “out of it.” https://www.instagram.com/shereewhitfield/?utm_source=ig_embed The Michael Jackson Estate announced today that THE MICHAEL JACKSON CHANNEL has officially launched on SiriusXM as of today, July 15. The channel will be available on the SiriusXM app, internet-connected devices and smart speakers in your home. Additionally, channel 50 will become The Michael Jackson Channel from July 15 at 12:00 pm ET through July 21. Kanye West is reportedly dropping his attempt to enter the 2020 race for president of the USA. “He’s out,” adviser Steve Kramer told New York Magazine’s The Intelligencer. I Steve Kramer was hired to help West get on ballots by gathering signatures in two key states. https://youtu.be/hYBJlOXo2Qg Tyra Banks has been tapped to take over hosting duties from Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews on “Dancing with the Stars”. The supermodel will not only host the show, she’ll also serve as an executive producer, PEOPLE reports. “I’ve been a fan of ‘DWTS’ since its beginning … The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances … it’s always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk,” Banks said in a statement. “Tom has set a powerful stage, and I’m excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats.” Angela Yee has opened up about her interview with August Alsina, claiming he was respectful while dropping the tea about his past sexual relationship with married actress Jada Pinkett Smith. https://youtu.be/Q91Z1gW_iHw Jamie Foxx new film PROJECT POWER happens on the streets of New Orleans, where word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user. The catch: You don’t know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. https://youtu.be/xw1vQgVaYNQ WE tv’s hit series “Love After Lockup” returns for its third season this week, and will follow all-new couples hoping to make their way to the altar with the jailbirds who may or may not be conning them. https://youtu.be/56xGVmJ1GzY Pharrell, Rihanna, JAY-Z and Mary J. Blige are among a group of celebrities seeking justice for Danroy “DJ” Henry, a Black student at Pace University who was fatally shot by a white police officer in 2010. The group sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr asking the Department of Justice to reevaluate whether discrimination played a role in Henry’s death, and if so, to “deliver the justice that restores this young man’s reputation, while giving hope to other young Black men who are just like him and desperate for change.” On Oct. 17, 2010, police were called to a fight outside a Westchester County sports bar where Henry, a 20-year-old college football player, was celebrating with his teammates. News outlets reported that Henry was unarmed and in his car when officer Aaron Hess approached him. At that point, Hess claimed that Henry sped towards the officer in his car, at which point Hess shot Henry. Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD foundation has teamed with the NAACP to grant small Black-owned businesses financial aid in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund will award the grants to businesses in five major cities—Houston, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis. Select applicants will be awarded $10,000 to help their businesses open during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Forbes reports. ViacomCBS is ending its long-running relationship with Nick Cannon after he made anti-Semitic comments on his podcast. In the June 30 episode of “Cannon’s Class,” the actor and TV host interviewed Professor Griff, a rapper who was a part of Public Enemy before leaving the group after making anti-Semitic remarks. On the podcast, Cannon said Black people are the “true Hebrews” and talked about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories involving the Rothschild family. Nick Cannon has shared his thoughts on White people and the Jewish community, and their relationship to the Black and Brown community in a recent episode of his podcast. Cannon was joined by rapper Professor Griff, who was once a part of Public Enemy, on the June 30 episode of his Cannon’s Class podcast. The two men discussed a number of topics, but on Tuesday (July 14), Nick was trending on Twitter after a clip about him referring to White and Jewish people as “the true savages” began circulating on social media. The actor-rapper was sharing his thoughts on the power White and Jewish people have and the ways they’ve treated “melanated” people, citing their actions as instinctual because they’re survival tactics. https://twitter.com/i/status/1283087941271801861 A $19 million settlement between Harvey Weinstein and some of his accusers was rejected Tuesday by a U.S. District judge. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in Manhattan said Weinstein’s accusers in the proposed class-action settlement were too varied to be grouped together. Lawyers for several women who had opposed the deal praised what they described as Hellerstein’s swift rejection of a one-sided proposal. For the first time in Vogue magazine’s 107 year history, the publication tapped a Black photographer to shoot Viola Davis for its July/August cover. Dario Calmese is a New York-based artist whose work has been instrumental in the Black fashion community for years. For Davis’ cover shoot, he replicated “The Scourged Back,” a 1863 photo of an enslaved man whose back is ravaged by whipping scars. Viola displays the strength and courage that “The Scourged Back” image has come to represent. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) announced today that Tonya Veasey, communications and marketing agency founder and CEO will lead the organization as its new president and chief executive officer. For more than 20 years, Veasey has provided award-winning counsel to top corporations, nonprofits, public entities and elected officials in issues management, crisis communications, corporate social responsibility; and diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. Apple today released the official trailer for “Ted Lasso,” a new original comedy series from Jason Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence, that will premiere globally with the first three episodes on Apple TV+ Friday, August 14. Following the premiere, new episodes will debut weekly on Fridays thereafter on the streaming service. https://youtu.be/3u7EIiohs6U Two white people were arrested after what police called a racially-motivated attack on a Black hotel clerk in Connecticut last month, an incident captured in part on the hotel’s surveillance camera. Philip Samer and Emily Orbay were found in Brooklyn, N.Y. and taken into custody by U.S. marshals. Sarner was charged with second-degree assault, third-degree assault and imitation based on bigotry and bias. Orbay was charged with two counts of third-degree assault and imitation based on bigotry and bias. https://youtu.be/bal9LDqBqcg Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, will officially launch tomorrow offering more than 20,000 hours of premium content from networks and studios including NBC, Bravo, USA Network, SYFY, Oxygen, E!, CNBC, MSNBC, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Universal Kids, A&E, ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, HISTORY, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Universal Pictures, DreamWorks, Focus Features, Illumination, ViacomCBS, Paramount, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. and Blumhouse. In addition, the service will feature Peacock Original movies and shows. Tory Lanez attended a house party over the weekend with Megan Thee Stallion and Kylie Jenner. Tory ending up in cuffs. According to TMZ, an argument reportedly broke out. When cops arrived at the scene they found a gun in his car. Witnesses reported people arguing in an SUV before someone fired shots in the air and the vehicle took off. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that cops got a description of the SUV and located it shortly afterward, and found the rappers inside along with another woman. Law enforcement sources also say 4 shell casings were recovered from the scene outside the home. It has been reveal that Megan was listed as a “victim” in the incident. She was taken to a hospital immediately after Tory was arrested, and treated for the wounds to her foot. Acclaimed producers Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum are teaming with Netflix for a feature adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.” The story comes from the New York Times best-selling collection “If It Bleeds” and, as reported by EW.com, it follows a young boy who befriends an older billionaire who lives in his small-town neighborhood, with the duo bonding over the man’s first iPhone. But when the man passes away, the boy discovers that not everything dead is gone, and finds himself able to communicate with his friend from the grave by leaving voicemails on the phone that was buried with him. Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has accepted an invitation from a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The two spoke via a Zoom call on Friday, with Mosberg dressed in a concentration camp uniform. “I grew up in Los Angeles, and never really spent time with anyone from the Jewish community and didn’t know much about their history, this has been such a powerful experience for me to learn and educate myself,” Jackson said on the Zoom call, according to the Jerusalem Post. https://www.instagram.com/0ne0fone/?utm_source=ig_embed During Covid-19 we've all had to pivot, change directions, and set on a different course. For Lecrae, that change of direction took him back to where he began with Reach Records. In this exclusive with Variety and candid video, Lecrae reveals the inspiration behind why he chose to return to his indie roots and shares valuable advice that aspiring or even established artist should consider. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2VmAbLVPoA&feature=youtu.be Princess Love is not quite ready to call it quits with husband Ray J. The reality TV star has reportedly filed for a dismissal of her divorce from the singer, two months after she initially took legal action to end their marriage, PEOPLE reports. Ray J and Princess tied the knot in 2016. Back in May, Love, 35, filed papers in LA County Superior Court, TMZ reported. She and Ray J had already been living separately after their epic Las Vegas meltdown last year, in which Love accused him of abandoning her and their daughter following a blow up the BET Awards. Following the incident, Love said she had no desire to be married any longer and Ray J was photo’d out and about without his wedding band. Tuesday nights TLC will proudly introduces DOUBLING DOWN WITH THE DERRICOS, premiering Tuesday, August 11 at 10pm ET/PT. Fans of TLC will fall in love with this energetic and loving young family with 14 children comprising quintuplets, triplets and two sets of twins — all of whom were remarkably conceived naturally. Sleepless nights, sibling squabbles and a living room full of toe-tripping toys is the norm for any family with kids. Magnify that by 11 with triplets on the way and you have the Derricos, who celebrate life and embrace its hurdles and drama with open arms every day. The new kids on the block in TLC’s popular family neighborhood, Karen and Deon Derrico always wanted a large family but never in their wildest dreams expected to be quite so blessed (though multiples are prevalent on both sides of their family)! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NIlYntX6t8 Nearly two years after Kim Porter was found dead at the age of 47 of lobar pneumonia, her ex and father of her son Quincy claims she was murdered. Singer Al. B. Sure shared his theory in a now-deleted Instagram video that shows him riding in a car and crying while soul music plays in the background. As noted by MadameNoire, the clip was recorded the morning of the Soul Train Awards and the same day he learned of Porter’s sudden death. LisaRaye, Vivica A. Fox, Claudia Jordan, and Syleena Johnson sound-off on the Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith #RedTableTalk from over the weekend, and fans are convinced that LisaRaye knows all the tea on them. https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodunlocked/?utm_source=ig_embed Houston Rockets star guards Russell Westbrook and James Harden both tested positive for the coronavirus before the team departed for Walt Disney World. Monday, Westbrook announced his positive test result on social media. Later that day Harden’s positive results were made known. https://youtu.be/QaoAQ6UhynA Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. expressed his support for changing the name of Lynchburg, the Virginia city where his prominent evangelical Christian school is based. Although noting that the city is named after John Lynch and not the racially charged practice of lynching, Falwell said in a statement released last Friday that it would end any confusion. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Naya Rivera’s body has been recovered from Lake Piru following a six-day search after the “Glee” actress disappeared from a rented boat, authorities confirmed. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced that a body found at the Southern California lake Monday morning has been identified as Rivera. She was 33. https://youtu.be/nLySv7OBQQ8 LeBron James and other NBA stars rallied to the defense of sportswriter Adrian Wojnarowski after the ESPN scribe was suspended for emailing an expletive to U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. Los Angeles Lakers star James tweeted “#FreeWOJ” with the emoji of bumping white and black fists on Sunday, in support of Wojnarowski. Other NBA standouts who are backing Wojnarowski include Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers, his teammate Patrick Beverley, Anthony Tolliver of the Memphis Grizzlies, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets, Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat. The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is proud to announce the appointment of the museum's first Music Industry Relations Committee (MIRC) of the Board of Directors. Eighteen individuals representing all avenues of the music industry have been selected to lead this committee including: artists, record label executives, talent managers, media executives, media personalities, entertainment attorneys, entertainment marketing professionals and entertainment strategists. The role of the committee will be to serve as a liaison to help the museum cultivate and maintain relationships in the artist community and with executives in the music industry. Join Carl Brister for The Virtual Love+Unity Fest Concert is tonight! Robert "Kool" Bell is one of the featured guest! Brian Courtney Wilson re-records "Inner City Blues." It drops July 24, 2020. This song is as relevant today as it was almost 50 years ago, and remains a powerful declaration against the injustices and police brutality that face the Black community. https://umusic.app.box.com/s/6y7nbm7b4ht5hqpakqgcmtndy7trihve 35th Stellar Award Nominee for Rap/Hip Hop Album of The Year, Lawrence Hancock is back with his newest release, Who I Am (LV Productions/Symphonic). This 11-song collection will be available on July 24th on all platforms worldwide. From beats that shake the concrete to heart-felt ballads that speak, Lawrence Hancock gives the music enthusiast an experience from start to finish on this his 6th studio album. The return of “Family or Fiance” serves to help you know where your own relationships stand! Met Chase and Eric in Season One, who had been together for seven years and had a lovely “meet-cute.” Chase forgot her mobile phone while hanging with friends and Eric returned it to her the next day.Fast forward, seven years, and they have been inseparable ever since. The twist…the night before Eric proposed to Chase, yet ultimately, got engaged; he cheated on her. Thus, bringing them to the house, where we met Tracy McMillan, relationship expert and relationship moderator. The premise of the show is whether or not you should marry the love of your life or should you heed the warnings of your disapproving family? Idris Elba has inked a first-look deal with Apple TV+. According to Deadline, Elba will produce global series and feature films for the streaming service through his Green Door Pictures production company. The company is behind such titles as Ricky Staub’s Concrete Cowboy, the comedy In The Long Run, and Quibi’s Elba vs Block. Green Door also produced the recently canceled Netflix comedy series Turn Up Charlie. “I’ve made it very clear that I’d like to see Luther come back as a film,” Elba said. “And I can tell you this, that we are this close to making a film of Luther.” Bryshere Gray is dealing with a domestic violence charge. The actor/rapper who starred on Fox’s “Empire” was arrested Sunday night in connection with a domestic violence incident at his Goodyear, Arizona home. Officers responded to a Circle K store/gas station Sunday evening after a 911 call reporting that a woman had been assaulted. Police said the victim flagged down a citizen shortly before at another gas station and said she had been assaulted at her home “for several hours” by her husband, who she identified as Gray. The question was, “If Captain Hook was moonlighting as a handyman, he might replace his hook with what tool?” NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, leading a team of fellow Hall of Famers in the in the final round of “Celebrity Family Feud,” gave a second answer that has gone viral for both its explicit nature and host Steve Harvey’s profanity-laced delayed response. https://youtu.be/iq-28pyG2J0 Today, the California Chanteuse, R&B sensation, singer/songwriter Paloma Ford announces August 7th as the official release date for her highly anticipated, new body-of-work X Tapes. The rapturous announcement is backed with the unveiling of the project’s official cover art, creatively directed by Paloma, as she channels nostalgic sentiments tied to the direction of the overall project. As bystanders were filming the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday, a man in a black baseball cap brazenly approached the site, took a can of red paint out of a brown paper bag and splattered its contents all over the “V” in the mural. He then scurried off as the woman filming said disappointingly, “Come on,” and warned that she had him on video. https://youtu.be/uWR3V0DAzSg LifeWay’s 27th annual Black Church Leadership and Family Conference (BCLFC) is being held online this year July 20-24 and will be available to watch for free through LifeWay Digital Pass. The BCLFC serves as a leadership development conference and spiritual retreat. While attendees are typically predominantly African American, conference leaders say everyone is invited to attend. Teaching content is also designed for parents of Black children, church leaders who want to reach Black communities and leaders desiring to become more multicultural. Kelly Preston, actress and wife of Hollywood star John Travolta, has died of breast cancer at age 57. Travolta confirmed the news in a message on social media. “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer,” he wrote on Instagram late Sunday evening. “She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side.” Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, has died at age 59. Zindzi reportedly died at a Johannesburg hospital early Monday morning, but her cause of death has not yet been revealed, per PEOPLE. The Nelson Mandela Foundation issued a statement on her passing, writing, “We have been shocked to wake to the news of the untimely passing of Zindziswa Mandela … Zindzi was someone we had come to know well and to love. She was our friend,” they wrote, adding that their “thoughts are with her family and friends.” “Good Morning America” brought together seven mothers — the mothers of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Botham Jean, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Antwon Rose and Trayvon Martin — who have all lost a son or a daughter, for a conversation with ABC News’ Deborah Roberts to discuss their shared bond in mourning, and their journeys and sacrifices as Black mothers in America. https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/200712_Black_moms_collage_rectangle_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg Actress Naya Rivera's body has been recovered from Lake Piru. Ventura County officials said Monday that a body had been found at the lake, and law enforcement sources have confirmed it is her, according to TMZ. A press conference is scheduled to happen at 2pm Pacific. After making a statement on the track of Formula One’s Syrian Grand Prix on Sunday with a dominating win, Lewis Hamilton upped it with a statement at the podium, where the Mercedes driver raised his fist in the black power salute. The gesture, he said afterward, signaled his commitment to fighting racism. Hamilton is the lone black driver in F1 and has spoken out about his support for the Black Lives Matter movement since the killing of George Floyd. This is the first time the world champ has given the black power salute to cement a victory, and Hamilton insists his stance is vital in prompting change. The country band formerly known as Lady Antebellum has filed a lawsuit against a Black blues singer over use of her stage name. Amid the ongoing protests and civil unrest over police brutality and race relations in America, Lady Antebellum decided it was time to change the band’s name to Lady A. Only problem is, Seattle-based blues singer Anita White has performed under the name Lady A for decades. Lady Antebellum announced in June that they were dropping the “Antebellum” from their name as the word refers “to the period of history before the Civil War, which includes slavery.” A major copyright infringement lawsuit was filed today in federal court against producer Darhyl “DJ” Camper, the artist H.E.R. (Gabrielle Wilson) and songwriter Justin Love for the hit song “Focus.” Andre Sims (@andresimspiano) sued the trio after Camper went on social media and admitted he saw Sims playing his own song “Endless Minds” on YouTube and took it for “Focus” song. Sims said he tried to notify Camper and the other writers, however, no one would cooperate in sharing any info on the song or the copyright associated with the song or the estimated $3 million the song has made and still makes. https://vimeo.com/414639755/b8307b6794 John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, says the struggle is real for our African American farmers, and the causes range from Trump’s U.S.-China trade deal, to farm bailouts and COVID-19. “The administration was a little slow to react to ensure that monies were in place for farm operating dollars so that we can plant and harvest on time. …Many of the farmers are unsure of their future,” said Boyd, a fourth-generation farmer on his family farm in Baskerville, southern Virginia. He discussed the frustration of Black farmers on “Bloomberg Markets” with Bloomberg’s Vonnie Quinn. Wendy Williams is ready to get back to work after she took a break from her talk show back in May due to complications from Graves’ disease.“Recently, Wendy has been dealing with symptoms from her Graves’ disease which is causing fatigue. In consultation with her doctor and as a precautionary measure, she will be taking some time off as she continues to receive treatment,” a spokesperson for the show previously said in a statement to Variety. Williams had been filming her popular daytime talk show from home since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday (July 10), she took to her Instagram “How you doing? Welcome to my apartment. You know it’s a hard time for us, but we’re in this together like they say…Thank you also for giving me love and asking when I’m coming back,” she said. Our show is a part of phase four, right now here in New York City we are in phase three I can’t wait to get back!” Rapper Kid Cudi is speaking out about his mental health and battle with anxiety and depression. “When we’re young, we face a lot of pressure to do things that harm us. We pretend to be happy when there’s a raging violent storm inside of our heart,” Kid Cudi says in a new video premiering on PEOPLE. “Once it was difficult for me to find the words. Anxiety and depression ruled my life for as long as I could remember. I was scared, I was sad, I felt like a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions.” “I turn my pain into music,” Kid Cudi says. “And my music is how I am different. And my difference is my power.” His remarks come ahead of the Well Beings virtual town hall event this week. An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Seattle, Washington Saturday after a passenger threatened to kill everyone on board. Video footage from the incident shows the man – wearing a face mask – moving through the cabin of Flight 422 bound for Chicago O’ Hare yelling: ‘I will kill everybody on this plane unless you accept Jesus was a black man.’ As he moves past alarmed passengers in their seats he is heard shouting ‘accept it’ and ‘die in the name of Jesus’ multiple times. ‘The man became extremely belligerent and physically aggressive during the ascent,’ an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said.Three passengers, including a law enforcement officer, and a flight attendant helped to subdue the man. MSNBC has officially tapped Joy Reid to host a new evening news and opinion show titled “The ReidOut.” “I’m honored and thankful for this opportunity,” Reid said in a press release. “I’ll always be proud of the work we did on AM Joy by pushing the envelope and tackling pragmatic conversations. I’m eager to carry that same energy into the 7 p.m. hour where we can continue to build on bringing in diverse, smart, and accomplished voices to the table on topics that are important to our viewers.” Just less than two weeks after one of his most prominent corporate sponsors urged him to change the name of his football team, Washington owner Daniel Snyder plans to announce the retirement of the “Redskins” nickname and reveal a new team name Monday morning.The new name remains unknown, but Warriors, Red Wolves and Redtails have ranked among the post popular choices among fans on social media. The latest episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talk” set a new record for the most views in 24 hours for a Facebook Watch original episode, with more than 15 million views reported in less than a day. While the numbers aren’t officially verified yet, this smashes the previous record of 7.6 million, held by another “Red Table Talk” episode featuring Jordyn Woods. Black Americans are dying from Covid-19 more frequently than white people. But two researchers found it’s not because of obesity or poverty. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management professor Christopher Knittel and graduate research assistant Bora Ozaltun analyzed daily Covid-19 death rates for a nearly two-month period for counties and states to understand the correlation between Covid-19 deaths and patients’ typical commutes, exposure to pollution, race and other factors. While African Americans are dying at higher rates than white people, the researchers found obesity, poverty and smoking weren’t correlated to those deaths. Diabetes was ruled out, too. “Why, for instance, are African Americans more likely to die from the virus than other races? Our study controls for patients’ income, weight, diabetic status, and whether or not they’re smokers,” wrote Knittel in the study. “We must examine other possibilities, such as systemic racism that impacts African Americans’ quality of insurance, hospitals and healthcare, or other underlying health conditions that are not in the model, and then urge policymakers to look at other ways to solve the problem.” More than 26,708 black people have died in the U.S. pandemic, and four of the five counties with the highest death rates from Covid-19 are predominantly black. After nearly 110 years of naval aviation, a Black woman is set to be a U.S. Navy tactical pilot. Lt. Madeline Swegle will receive her “Wings of Gold” this month, according to the Naval Air Training Command. “BZ to Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle on completing the Tactical Air (Strike) aviator syllabus,” the Chief of Naval Air Training wrote on Facebook, using the abbreviation BZ for Bravo Zulu, which means “well done.” Lt. Swegle’s completion of the tactical air training program paves the way for her to fly fighter jets such as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter or the EA-18G Growler, according to the Navy Times. https://youtu.be/bVHS5ugEKmk Congratulations to Byron Scott and CeCe Gutierrez who jumped the broom. On Saturday evening, the “Basketball Wives” star said “I Do” to Byron Scott in a wedding ceremony that was streamed online for family and close friends. “Today I married the love of my life, my best friend, my soulmate …” she shared on Instagram. Byron added, “Today was a good day… Me and the Mrs…” The back story Byron Scott reached a settlement in his nasty divorce, which will leave him paying his ex-wife $7,000 a month in support but he gets to keep his seven movie posters signed by Denzel Washington. His ex-wife, Anita Scott, reached a deal that Byron will pay his ex $7k in spousal support, plus $2.4 million from various bank accounts. Anita also keeps their Culver City home, while Byron is awarded both the Playa Vista condo and his new Hermosa Beach mansion. They will sell their timeshare and split the profits. Social media influencer, serial entrepreneur and author Jazmine Ameerah Cheaves, known by her fans as as “Lookin Ameerah” or “BiggJazz,” is a 24-year-old mogul that has generated millions from her cosmetics products, touring lash seminars and now, she’s got something for your kitchen. BiggJazz owns The Glam Trap, a full-service beauty studio in Atlanta, GA. The Georgia State University graduate began to host eyelash classes in 2016 and at her very first class tallied an enormous payday, clearing $50,000 in one day. Even more impressive, though, is her ability to identify opportunities even in the midst of hardship. When the Covid-19 pandemic crippled the nation this spring, BiggJazz was forced to close her beauty shop for the safety of her customers. However, she tapped into her creativity and love for cooking to launch her own line of cookware called Lookin Ameerah Cookware, which consists of colorful and flamboyantly styled accessories and cooking products. In just a few weeks, the company is already a hit, with online sales soaring through the roof. Also, BiggJazz is the author of Lookin a Cookbook, which contains some of her favorite recipes and is releasing her own line of seasonings and sauces. Just less than two weeks after one of his most prominent corporate sponsors urged him to change the name of his football team, Washington owner Daniel Snyder plans to announce the retirement of the “Redskins” nickname and reveal a new team name Monday morning. The YouTube community is mourning the loss of Nicole Thea. The internet sensation, who was pregnant and expecting a baby boy with boyfriend Global Boga, has died at the age of 24. Her family confirmed the heartbreaking news on her Instagram, and shared that Thea’s unborn son, who she hoped to name Reign, had also passed away. Atlanta rapper Rudolph Johnson, better known as Lil Marlo, is dead, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office. The medical examiner’s office confirmed to NBC News on Sunday morning that a deceased individual by the name of Rudolph Johnson was brought in during the last 24 hours after reports surfaced of the rapper’s death. Johnson was reportedly 27, though the medical examiner’s office told NBC News he was 30. Cause of death has yet to be determined, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office. The Atlanta Police Department confirmed that officers found a 30-year-old man who was shot in a vehicle on I-285 near the Benjamin E. Mays Drive overpass after responding to a call about an accident on Saturday night. Hootie & the Blowfish singer Darius Rucker announced on Saturday, July 11, that he and his wife, Beth Leonard, have split after 20 years of marriage. “Beth and I would like to share that after much reflection we have made the decision to consciously uncouple,” he captioned a photo on Instagram of the pair at the CMA Awards in 2017 while referring to the phrase Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin introduced to the world when they broke up in 2014. The fact that the STEAM Academy is finishing up its fourth annual day camp this week is a miracle of sorts and a tribute to the value of relationships. In mid-March, when the world as we knew it shut down, the CEO of the T.D. Jakes Foundation was six weeks away from hosting 500 kids at the Potter’s House megachurch campus in southern Dallas. When Hill announced that the program was going online, 5,000 students signed up. She asked her friends in the business community to come to the rescue. And they did, providing technology resources, online programming and money. Florida shattered the national record Sunday for the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic, adding more than 15,000 cases as its daily average death toll continued to also rise. According to state Department of Health statistics, 15,299 people tested positive, for a total of 269,811 cases, and 45 deaths were recorded. California had the previous record of daily positive cases — 11,694, set on Wednesday. New York had 11,571 on April 15. After a 170-year old New Albany church in Indiana saw its statue honoring a woman who escaped slavery after the Civil War was defaced with “BLM” graffiti, its pastor spoke out, calling the vandalism “a slap in the face to everybody.” “This whole situation was really depressing for a lot of our church members,” Pastor LeRoy Marshall said “This is a slap in the face to everybody,” a week after someone spray-painted the letters “BLM” and other designs on the nine-foot-tall limestone sculpture of Lucy Higgs Nichols, a Civil War nurse, and her infant daughter, Mona. While the sculptor and restorationist David Ruckman chiseled the paint away soon after it was defaced, a sense of loss remained prevalent among the congregation. Wheaton College’s now-former chaplain is vigorously disputing the college’s reasons for recently dismissing him and labeling as false the college’s assertion that he had made “inappropriate comments and actions of a racial and sexual nature.” In an interview with the Tribune, Tim Blackmon, who is Black, Thursday not only took issue with the college’s statement this week of specific allegations against him, but also objected to the college’s statement that “he did not dispute that he said or did any of these things.”“I have categorically denied (these allegations) from the beginning, because they are a complete misconstrual of the comments,” Blackmon said. College officials Wednesday night issued a response to Blackmon’s statement, listing a set of alleged actions, including Blackmon using a slur to refer to an Asian American employee of the chaplain’s office, suggesting that a female staff employee sit on his lap, and placing a graphically illustrated manual of sexual positions on a staff member’s desk. Thandie Newton opens up about her Hollywood experience, racism in the industry and being sexually assaulted in a candid new interview with Vulture. The actress also confessed to not feeling fully accepted by the Black community because she is biracial. She also has been dismissed and mistreated by white people. In the interview, she recalls media outlets referring to her sexual assault as a teenager by director John Duigan as an “affair.” “What I am evidence of is: You can dismiss a Black person. If you’re a young Black girl and you get raped, in the film business, no one’s going to f—–g care. You can tell whoever the f-ck you want, and they’ll call it an affair,” she said. Several key executives at Essence magazine have stepped down after they were put on blast in an explosive exposé about the publication. As reported by Page Six, a group going by Black Female Anonymous explained in a lengthy letter published on Medium why the magazine is “fraudulent” (among other things). Essence denied the allegations, insisting that the staff shake up was already in the works, and not the result of the group’s letter. Richelieu Dennis resigned as interim CEO, Page Six reported on Wednesday, but will remain on as the chairman of Essence. COO Joy Collins Profet, board member Michelle Ebanks and chief content officer Moana Luu — who were mentioned in the piece that alleged a toxic workplace at Essence — have also followed suit. Vh1’s new hit show “Love & Listings” is back for season 2 and there are new faces joining the cast. “Love & Listings” follows young and successful black professionals in the real estate industry. The show showcases the ups and downs of dealing with a high-end clientele and the pressure of selling luxury homes. But this season, newcomers Maverick and Devon add a different element to the show. Maverick and Devon are brothers and cofounders of SocaLocations, which focuses on luxury vacation rentals and locations for film and TV shoots. http://www.vh1.com/video-clips/q1jyw5/love-and-listings-andrew-and-julissa-are-ready-for-a-family The OWN network’s virtual series “Girlfriends Check In” returns this Saturday with new episodes featuring some of your favorite female comedians, female rappers, and a special episode featuring the legendary Clark Sisters. https://youtu.be/oYf2amV5Uzo Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer Stokley is back with a hot, new summer anthem “Vibrant” featuring Snoop Dogg. Vibrant comes just in time to help give listeners feel-good vibes to help make social distancing and isolation more lively. https://youtu.be/pfrfl4CQYf4 Amid rumors Charlamagne Tha God may be leaving The Breakfast Club, comes word that the DJ has inked a deal with Comedy Central for his own show this fall. Charlamagne is still negotiating the details of the half hour talk show, with topics ranging from current events and cultural issues. No title has officially been set yet. Pastor John Onwuchekwa, lead pastor of the diverse but predominantly black Cornerstone Church Atlanta, announced Friday that his congregation has voted to leave the Southern Baptist Convention, hinting at racial concerns with the world’s largest Baptist denomination. “On Sunday we voted as a church to leave the SBC. I don’t say this for applause (there’s nothing particularly commendable about our decision). I only mention it to bring clarity surrounding where (and with whom) we stand in days like this. Frankly, we should’ve done it sooner,” Onwuchekwa wrote in a series of tweets last Friday. Awakening Events and The Salvation Army have teamed up this summer to support Americans in need by hosting a star-studded nationwide drive-in theater concert tour. Among the list of Christian performers participating in the 50 drive-in theater concert tours is Casting Crowns, Michael W. Smith, TobyMac, Mac Powell and Steven Curtis Chapman. The acts will present $44,000 worth of donations in checks to The Salvation Army while onstage. Davon McNeal was one of several children killed by gun violence over the July Fourth weekend while doing everyday things: playing in the yard, walking through a mall, watching fireworks. Davon was caught in the crossfire, a shooting sparked by a neighborhood beef. An 18-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for the shooting and charged with first-degree murder. Los Angeles Lakers star Rajon Rondo was less then impressed with his hotel accommodations at the NBA quarantine ‘bubble’ in Florida and compared his room to a Motel 6. Rondo, 34, was one of hundreds of players who traveled to Orlando ahead of a 22-team league tournament scheduled for July 30th. The league will resume after a three months lock down because of coronavirus pandemic. Players are being housed in three Walt Disney World resorts across the city, but Rondo called his room at the Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, where the highest seeds are placed, a ‘Motel 6.’ John Howard & The End Time Levites drops new single "The Name Of Jesus Is Lifted High." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GfvYGXO-cA&feature=youtu.be Today, three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist, composer, and producer Mali Music released “Mo’Lo (Like You)”. The song is the second single from his forthcoming fifth album, Book of Mali, which will be released on August 14, 2020. “Mo’Lo (Like You)” is one of twelve tracks featured on the highly anticipated Book of Mali. The song fuses R&B and hip-hop melodies with Mali’s soulful lyrics expressing his wish to be closer to God, perfectly showcasing his eclectic and unforgettable sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WDuPQQL9MU&feature=youtu.be&src=Linkfire&lId=e63d7791-5d78-4f9e-bb66-f786eb29d30d&cId=6e0363d0-21a8-4e80-81d1-056cabc171e5 Billionaire Robert F. Smith is calling on large corporations to invest 2% of their annual net income over the next decade to help empower Black communities. Smith’s proposal is part of his new “2% Solution,” which “calls on big banks to capitalize the financial institutions that service Black-owned businesses and minority-run entrepreneurial ventures,” per Minority Business Development Agency. “Nowhere is structural racism more apparent than in corporate America,” Smith said in a keynote address he gave at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy last week “If you think about structural racism and access to capital, 70% of African American communities don’t even have a branch, bank of any type.” Don Lewis is a double Harvard graduate and ex-Partner at Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP. Lewis says that well over a year ago he blew the whistle on financial foul play at Pierce Bainbridge, the law firm Rudy Giuliani hired for the Ukraine fiasco, and was viciously retaliated against. As it turns out, a former firm partner recently said: “No question [Lewis] called this 100% correctly.” Lewis says, “Even though I was spot on, certain of my former partners continue to lie to discredit me in an attempt to avoid liability.” The highly anticipated new album from AVANT is available now on all streaming and download platforms. “CAN WE FALL IN LOVE“, is an open-letter with raw honesty and intensity. Returning once again to add his signature style, producer Travis Sayles (Dark Child Productions) joins forces with Avant’s songwriting and lead vocals. https://youtu.be/cLdsbdKfv3o Rickey Smiley’s daughter Aaryn is speaking out about her road to recovery after being caught in the crossfire of a shooting in Houston over the weekend. The 19-year-old explained on social media earlier this week that she was hit in the leg by a hollow tip bullet and another bullet failed to penetrate the metal frame of her car, per MadameNoire. “I could’ve lost my life yesterday,” she wrote. “If it was another hollow tip bullet and the metal didn’t stop it from coming into the car where my head was I would be dead.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Steve Dalton & The Leviticus Singers of Charlotte have seen how the message of divine love has captured the Gospel community with their latest single, “God Is Love”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k5-gBqIzG0&feature=youtu.be KERRI THOMAS is the 2017 NOLA Gospel Awards Female Vocalist of the Year and her 2017 single “God Is in Control” won the Rhythym Of Gospel Award Praise and Worship Song of the Year. She is back with new music "My Keeper."https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Kerri-Thomas-My-Keeper-RADIO-l4KH5IQvxI31U1LcfjBWD Kenny Lewis is back with the 1st single "Undefeated" from his upcoming album. Undefeated was written by Kenny Lewis and hit producer -Ay'Ron Lewis(Kirk Franklin, James Fortune). https://www.dropbox.com/sh/azkjl7i857lqjbk/AABUfyTPrvWnsnwTaZu8r0_va?dl=0 "Birds never worry about where their next meal comes from. Anxiety is a uniquely human thing, and if all of God's creations can rest in His glory, I want to as well." Anna Golden’s back with a new song that dives into the vulnerability of being human and finding the Lord’s goodness in creation around you. “Birds” is her new song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmyRkrcLc-U&utm_campaign=52254_MOTG%207.10_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email Meghan Markle’s legal battle with a British newspaper is getting uglier. The Duchess of Sussex has moved to stop the publication of personal details of five friends who spoke out in her defense to PEOPLE magazine last year. New court documents from Markle’s legal battle with The Mail Sunday reveal the lack of protection she received from the palace during her pregnancy. According to Entertainment Tonight, the Duchess allegedly felt “unprotected by the institution” when it came to defending her against the racist the British press. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Jada Pinkett Smith has come to the table to come clean. She admitted she did have an affair with singer August Alsina. On Friday, Jada and her husband, Will Smith sat down for a tell-all conversation on her Facebook show, Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch. She revealed that she developed a friendship with August around four years ago. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=718425758995043 Wheaton College announced Friday it has dismissed the school’s chaplain for “inappropriate comments and actions of a racial and sexual nature” toward staff members. In an email to students, staff and faculty of the evangelical Christian college, the school’s president said the action was taken against Tim Blackmon after an outside review of his conduct. “While Reverend Blackmon did not engage in sexually immoral relationships or physical sexual misconduct, the investigation revealed conduct inconsistent with Wheaton’s policies and commitments,” college President Philip Ryken wrote. “Following this investigation and adjudication, as well as a trustee review process, Tim Blackmon is no longer employed at Wheaton College.” The behavior dates to late last year, with a more than four-month investigation concluding in April. Blackmon was fired May 26, but the college held off on making an announcement for more than a month. It did not explain the delay. Before he was a Democratic congressman and before he was a civil rights activist, Rep. John Lewis preached to the chickens on his family’s farm as a young boy. It’s a story staffers of Lewis can repeat by heart because they’ve heard it so many times. “They would bow their heads; they would shake their heads,” he recounts in footage from an appearance at a Houston church in the new documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” “They never quite said ‘Amen,’ but they tended to listen to me much better than some of my colleagues on the other side listen to me today in the Congress.” The documentary, presented through a partnership including Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films, traces the journey of Lewis, now 80, from the fields of Alabama to the halls of Congress. https://youtu.be/z_oEkOdIXdo Atlanta police have released a photo of the Black male suspect in the shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner Saturday. According to CNN, Turner was riding with her mother in the family car when gunshots ripped through their vehicle — fatally striking the child on July 4. Enough is enough,” Bottoms continued. “If you want people to take us seriously and you don’t want us to lose this movement, we can’t lose each other.” Tyler Perry intends to pay for Secoriea’s funeral. “I’m outraged today because I’d rather be paying for 8-year-old Secoriea Turner’s college than her funeral,” the entertainment mogul told People, adding “when does this end?” All 8 episodes of new comedy series Woke set to premiere on September 9 on Hulu. With a fresh outlook on the world around him, Keef must now navigate the new voices and ideas that confront and challenge him, all without setting aflame everything he’s already built. The series stars Morris, T. Murph and Blake Anderson. https://youtu.be/WeV8GCRs__E Rudy Giuliani has revealed that he called the police after Sacha Baron Cohen tried to prank him at The Mark Hotel in New York City on July 7. Cohen was reportedly wearing a pink bikini when he interrupted a spoof interview with the 76-year-old former Mayor of New York City. https://twitter.com/RudyGiuliani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1281314207410139142%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2020%2F07%2F09%2Frudy-giuliani-admits-he-called-cops-on-comedian-sacha-baron-cohen-over-prank%2F Gospel radio station KHVN is adding the nationally syndicated Marvin Sapp Radio Show. KHVN will begin airing The Marvin Sapp Radio Show July 11. Marvin Sapp recorded his 12th album in February. The first single, “Thank You for It All” is currently impacting radio, and the album – Chosen Vessel – will be released later this year. Marvin Sapp has received 24 Stellar Awards, 2 Soul Train Music Awards, 2 BET Awards, 2 Dove Awards and 8 BMI Songwriter’s Awards. Sapp became Senior Pastor of The Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas September of 2019. Marvin Sapp Is In the Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Marvin Sapp In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/sapp_page.htm SAN FRANKLIN is into her season to flourish musically with a highly anticipated debut album called THE FREE PROJECT. Recorded live in Nashville, San's album represents her vocal agility and significant anointing that will now be experienced via a global platform. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/WJfarvT8xv5A96nJerG3h Lecrae and the Reach Records family will join Live Free USA and Billy M. Honor, Director of the New Georgia Project’s “Loose The Chains” program in delivering the first batch of masks and sanitizers to Fulton County Jail Friday, July 10th at 1pm. The institution will be the first to receive the allotment of masks and personal protective equipment (PPE). A special amount of the PPE will be set aside for families of the incarcerated when visitation restrictions are lifted. Remaining hand sanitizers will be distributed to protesters, the homeless, and other directly impacted communities. Lecrae has a partnership with Live Free USA's Masks For The People initiative to supply 70,000 mask. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWS8zYa336c&feature=youtu.be Crowned the #1 nationally syndicated radio show for women of color, Café Mocha is calling all female DJs to join the ‘Mocha Mix’ movement hosted by hip hop legend and co-host Yo-Yo. The highly covenant final 10 minutes of the two-hour weekend show has become a ‘staple’ for listeners over the years; thanks to mixes from Mc Lyte and DJ ID who brought the best blend of Old School & R&B. Now, they are looking for the next ‘fierce’ female DJ to kick off the weekend party celebrating Café Mocha’s 10th anniversary. The winner’s mixes will be showcased across Café Mocha affiliates in over 35 markets and SiriusXM Channel 141.To enter, prospective contestants must visit Café Mocha Radio website to submit a [five minute] audition video link for consideration. The Supreme Court issued a mixed verdict Thursday on demands for President Donald Trump’s financial records that will keep his tax returns, banking and other documents out of the public eye for the time being. By 7-2 votes, the justices upheld the Manhattan district attorney’s demand for Trump’s tax returns, but kept a hold on Trump’s financial records that Congress has been seeking for more than a year. Actor Will Smith said that he thinks Americans should elect people who have God in their lives and love in their hearts following the uprising against racism in the nation. Smith has been in the news lately after a former family friend, R&B artist August Alsina, claimed the “Men In Black” actor and his wife have an open marriage. Rather than address the latest headlines about his marriage, the Hollywood icon joined CNN political commentator, pop culture critic, and CEO of IMPACT Strategies, Angela Rye, on her social media show “On 1” to discuss how he believes God and love can impact the conversation on race in America. https://youtu.be/slghRUErWaI Kanye West has posted and deleted a pro-life tweet calling six-month fetuses ‘souls’ that ‘deserve to live’. The controversial rapper’s pro-life stance comes as he and Planned Parenthood have engaged in a fierce back-and-forth after he claimed it was an organization run by ‘white supremacists to do the Devil’s work’. Kanye, 43, shared a screenshot of a Google search, asking: ‘What does a 6 month fetus look like?’ Andrew “Rube” Foster, who had been a great pitcher, and then an astute manager for the Chicago American Giants, saw possibilities as more Black people moved north in the Great Migration to work in factories. He reached a handshake agreement with the son-in-law of the man who owned the Chicago White Sox to play in their old Southside ballpark. Rube Foster schooled his teams in the disciplined skills that thrill so many baseball fans: sharp pitching, fleet defense, bunts and stolen bases. The American Giants often drew more fans than the White Sox. In 1920, Rube Foster brought together the owners of six other African American clubs to begin the Negro National League. Co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., slammed her Democratic rival, the Rev. Raphael Warnock who leads the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, for not rejecting the Black Lives Matter movement which she says in part is seeking the “removal of Jesus from churches.” “I adamantly oppose the Black Lives Matter political movement, which has advocated for the defunding of police, called for the removal of Jesus from churches and the disruption of the nuclear family structure, harbored anti-Semitic views, and promoted violence and destruction across the country. I believe it is totally misaligned with the values and goals of the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream, where we support tolerance and inclusion,” Loeffler wrote. Following the huge mural in front of the White House in Washington D.C. is another painted Thursday morning on Fifth Avenue, directly in front of Trump Tower. Donald Trump blasted it as a “symbol of hate.” The city closed off Fifth Avenue from 56th to 57th streets early Thursday as the work got underway. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rev. Al Sharpton took part in the painting. The Black Lives Matter mural is one of five that will be created in each of the city’s five boroughs. https://youtu.be/uTVFkk-Z5JM The Family Business,” a riveting television drama launches its second season on BET+. https://youtu.be/tmKBChJsRfw Blac Chyna has been ordered to pay her former landlord Michael Kremerman more than $58K in their ongoing legal battle. Kremerman slapped the former stripper with a lawsuit last year for a breach of lease. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, he claims that in 2017, Chyna signed a one-year lease for a 6-bedroom, 5-bathroom, $4.5 million Studio City home from Kremerman at $16,000 a month. Pop Smoke was shot and killed by 4 masked gunmen in February. Initially, it appeared to be a home invasion robbery in the Hollywood Hills. However, it was later reported that it was a targeted attack. TMZ reports the LAPD served multiple search warrants around Los Angeles early Thursday morning and 5 people were arrested on warrants in connection to the rapper’s murder. 3 adults and 2 juveniles were taken into custody. However, it’s unclear what the suspects are being charged with. Showtime is developing a limited series about the life of singer, actress and activist Lena Horne. “Blackbird” will follow Horne from her early years dancing at the Cotton Club at age 16, through World War II and stardom of the MGM years, being blacklisted in Hollywood during McCarthyism, fighting injustice in the civil rights movement and her triumphant return to Broadway. Simone Biles has confirmed her split from Stacey Ervin Jr. after three years together. The Olympic champion opens up about the break up in Vogue’s new cover story exploring her life and sports career amid the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s hard being young and having that long of a relationship and then ending it,” the four-time gold medalist told the publication. “But it was for the best.”Biles and Ervin sparked breakup rumors earlier this year after fans noticed she unfollowed him on social media. On Friday, July 10 at 4amPT / 7amET on Facebook Watch, Steve Harvey is joined by Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top racing series, for a powerful new interview to discuss the recent controversy surrounding the noose found in his garage and President Trump’s Twitter accusation. Actress Naya Rivera has gone missing after she and her 4-year-old son rented a boat for an outing on a Southern California lake. The boy was found alive, but alone on the boat, Rivera is presumed dead. A separate boater found Rivera’s son, Josey, in a pontoon on Lake Piru three hours after the actress rented the vessel. https://youtu.be/hhOHHikvCRs Pulitzer Prize®-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) have chosen global content leader Lionsgate to be the home for a wide-ranging partnership to develop Hannah-Jones' landmark issue of The New York Times Magazine, The 1619 Project, and hit New York Times podcast, 1619, into an expansive portfolio of feature films, television series and other content for a global audience. As part of the ground-breaking venture, Lionsgate has partnered with Oprah Winfrey as a producer who will provide stewardship and guidance to the development and production of the 1619 Project. SupeRadio, LLC and LOX Entertainment announced an affiliation and sales partnership agreement to syndicate two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Tye Tribbett's one-hour daily radio show, What's The Word with Tye Tribbett, which is set to debut September 2020. What’s the Word with Tye Tribbett will air one-hour daily featuring spotlight guest interviews, inspirational words for the day moment, and listener interactive features on topics including family and business. Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving has produced a TV special seeking justice for Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old black emergency medical technician who was shot and killed in her bed by Louisville, KY police. Additionally, the program is titled ‘#SayHerName: Breonna Taylor‘ and premiered Wednesday, July 8 at 7 PM ET on PlayersTV, a digital and broadcast network. New court docs have revealed more disturbing details about the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT that was killed by police during a botched, no-knock drug raid on her Louisville, Kentucky apartment. According to the New York Times, Taylor was alive for six minutes after being shot multiple times and she was not offered any medical attention, according to the 31-page complaint filed by her family. “In the six minutes that elapsed from the time Breonna was shot, to the time she died, we have no evidence suggesting that any officer made entry in an attempt to check and assist her,” the family’s lawyer Sam Aguiar told the Times. “She suffered.” A nurse in Ohio was fired after a video of her using a racial slur over the Fourth of July weekend went viral, according to Newsweek.com. The video shows a biracial woman, surrounded by police, telling the man filming why she’s allowed to use the n-word without repercussion. That’s when the nurse, a white woman, interrupts her and shouts the slur to his face. The cops then move her and her biracial friend along. https://twitter.com/cloutlordbray?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1279464441654980609%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2020%2F07%2F08%2Fohio-childrens-hospital-nurse-reportedly-knocked-out-then-fired-for-yelling-n-word-in-viral-video-watch%2F British singer Adele wants her new album to be full of soul, that's why she has reportedly teamed with R&B producer Raphael Saadiq to aid in the effort. The project will be the follow-up to Adele’s “25” album, which she dropped five years ago. According to The Sun, Adele has asked Saadiq to oversee her upcoming album and also collaborated with John Legend on several songs. The release date has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. CLEO TV heats up your summer with more episodes of ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON premiering Saturday, July 11 at 9 P.M. ET/8C with an encore episode at 12 A.M. ET/11C. The series delves into the intimate details of Adrienne's lifestyle and how influential her Latin heritage has been. In this upcoming episode, Adrienne challenges herself by swapping roles with her glam team to see if her beauty knowledge expands beyond their areas of expertise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2j4fRXhvo0&feature=youtu.be The University of Washington has extended its projection of how many people are likely to die from coronavirus in the US to November 1, predicting at least 208,255 deaths by then, based on the current scenario. But if 95% of the population wears a mask in public, that number would drop to approximately 162,808, the university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said Tuesday. Last week, the IHME forecasted about 175,168 total deaths by October 1, based on the current scenario. But if almost everyone wears a face mask, that number would fall to just over 150,000. Meghan Markle is joining forces with Michelle Obama for a gender equality summit this month. The former actress-turned Duchess of Sussex will be a special guest at the 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit next week, PEOPLE reports. The event is set to go down virtually this year from July 13 to 15. “The present is female! But don’t take our word for it. Hear Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex’s advice for global girls leaders when she takes the stage at the 2020 @GirlUp Leadership Summit, happening virtually July 13-15!” GirlUp said in the official tweet Tuesday. Mary Kay Letourneau, the former Washington middle school teacher who made headlines for raping her 12-year-old student, has died of stage 4 cancer. She was 58. Letourneau was a 34-year-old married mother of four in 1996 when she initiated a sexual relationship with sixth-grader Vili Fualaau. Despite a court ordering her to stay far away from the boy, she had two children with him before he was 15. She was ultimately sentenced to more than seven years in prison for child rape. Today, DoorDash is launching new initiatives to support Black-owned restaurants on the DoorDash and Caviar platforms. These new initiatives come as part of DoorDash’s commitment announced last month to support Black communities and Black-owned businesses, including donating $1 million, with $500,000 going to Black Lives Matter and $500,000 to create a fund to be directed by the Black@DoorDash Employee Resource Group (ERG) towards state and local organizations. Civil rights activist Najee Ali director of Project Islamic Hope and a coalition of activists are calling for the arrest and prosecution of LA County Sheriff deputy Miguel Vega, who shot Alex Guardado 5 times in the back killing him last month in Gardena. The activists are also calling for the immediate resignation of LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva in response to his failure in transparency and leadership since he’s been in office. NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace just signed an endorsement deal with Beats by Dre. “We weren’t going to announce this until later this week, but hate cannot win the day,” Beats by Dre, which was acquired by Apple in 2014, wrote on Twitter. “No one should ever be asked to apologize for standing up for what’s right — we are proud to welcome @bubbawallace to the Beats by Dr. Dre family.” John Carpenter announced this morning the release date change for HALLOWEEN KILLS and shared a new tease from his Twitter and Instagram accounts. The film will now open in theaters on October 15, 2021 along with an IMAX release in October 2021. https://youtu.be/rHhZDYVoV7w Former NBA player Stephen Jackson is defending Philadelphia Eagles star DeSean Jackson over his controversial Instagram post that was widely criticized as anti-semitic. As previously reported, DeSean posted to his Instagram story, “The Jews will blackmail America. [They] will extort America, their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.” The Eagles responded with a strong statement condemning their player’s post, and Stephen Jackson was not happy about it. He ripped the team for being quick to call out DeSean’s comments as anti-Semitic, while saying nothing regarding racism against black people. He even brought up the 2013 incident when former Eagles player Riley Cooper publicly said “nig**r,” which he said the team did nothing about. Stephen Jackson also said that DeSean was “speaking the truth.” Netflix is teaming up with Pharrell Williams on a new unscripted project. The streamer has ordered docu-series, Voices of Fire, that will explore the singer’s hometown community of Hampton Roads, Virginia as it builds one of the world’s most inspiring gospel choirs. The project is set to premiere on Netflix later in 2020. In Voices of Fire, Bishop Ezekiel Williams — Pharrell’s uncle and a well-respected musician in the area — and his core team of influential gospel leaders will venture out into Hampton Roads to find undiscovered talent. With the belief that diverse backstories can give their collective voice a greater meaning, the Bishop and his team will search for people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. From Executive Producer Jason Katims, the Netflix series Away is a thrilling, emotional drama on an epic scale that celebrates the incredible advancements humans can achieve and the personal sacrifices they must make along the way. As American astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) prepares to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars, she must reconcile her decision to leave behind her husband (Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) when they need her the most. https://youtu.be/52y_1eC0UgQ The United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus, on Tuesday posted 60,209 new cases, a record for a 24-hour period, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. The country was just shy of three million cases, at 2,991,351, the Baltimore-based university said in its latest data. The death toll stood at 131,362, with 1,114 additional deaths counted. Broadway star Nick Cordero died Sunday after battling COVID-19 and his wife, Amanda Kloots, says he is now with God. The grieving spouse shared the news in a post on Instagram. “God has another angel in heaven now,” Kloots wrote. “My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth.” The 41-year-old actor had been in the intensive care unit due to coronavirus complications. He stayed there for three months before his passing. The WNBA season is scheduled to tip off later this month and hopes to shine a spotlight on the call for social justice reform. The league and the Women's National Basketball Players Association announced the 2020 season will be dedicated to addressing the nation's "long history of inequality, implicit bias and racism" that disproportionately impacts communities of color. The season will highlight the Black Lives Matter movement and the Say Her Name campaign with related slogans available for players to wear on their uniforms. Tuesday Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., sent a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert objecting to the initiative, adding that she was "incredibly disappointed to read about efforts to insert a political platform into the league." https://twitter.com/KLoeffler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1280607299636211713%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Flive-updates-protests-for-racial-justice%2F2020%2F07%2F07%2F888159078%2Fsay-her-name-wnba-dedicates-2020-season-to-social-justice-initiatives The two biggest independent gospel recording labels in the world – Blacksmoke Music Worldwide and Tyscot Records – are coming together for the first time Sunday, July 12 @ 7 PM ET/ 6 PM CT for a special YouTube live event of candid conversation about the ups and many downs of being an indie, classic music and dynamic performances entitled, Trust in You. Instead of a Versus battle, this will be a celebration of the labels’ rich music catalogs. There will be tracks like Blacksmoke’s “I Trust You” by the Grammy® Award nominated group, James Fortune & FIYA and Tyscot’s “Trust in You” by Grammy® Award nominated, Anthony Brown & group therAPy. My goal with ‘Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison‘ is to redefine success as we know it and teach others that monetary gain, social status and the acquisition of THINGS mean nothing without purpose.” – ROMANY MALCO.....https://youtu.be/h1KQnrRVAKs Brad Pye Jr., passes July 5, from multiple illnesses. He was 89. A Los Angeles area trailblazing sportswriter and broadcaster, Brad Pye Jr. was the first Black sportscaster in Los Angeles. He held the position of sports director for radio stations KGFJ, KACE, KDAY, and KJLH, the four major Black stations in Los Angeles. Mr. Pye was the sports editor for the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper for nearly 30 years, during which time the newspaper won top awards from the National Newspaper Publishers Association for 10 consecutive years. Brad Pye Jr. pioneered the efforts for Black journalists to be allowed in the press areas of professional sports teams. He was also the first Black administrator for the NFL Commissioner and the first Black public relations and scout for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers. Halle Berry caught some major heat over the weekend after revealing her plans to play a transgender man in an upcoming film. During a conversation on Instagram Live with hairstylist Christin Brown, Berry said she’s been preparing for the role for a few years, describing it as “a character where the woman is a trans character. So she’s a woman that transitioned into a man,” she said. Adding, “She’s a character in a project I love that I might be doing.” Berry’s remarks did not sit well with some folks, who accused her of misgendering the character. They also slammed the actress for wanting to play a character that should actually be reserved for a transwoman. The Conservative group The Lincoln Project, progressive PAC MeidasTouch and bestselling writer Don Winslow each released ads posted in the last 24 hours, each quickly racking up millions of views. The Lincoln Project, co-founded by conservative attorney George Conway, mocks the loyalty of Trump’s inner circle in “Whispers”: https://youtu.be/bk6d4TgO2NY Terry Crews and CNN’s Don Lemon went at it Monday night over a number of topics. The “America’s Got Talent” host appeared on Monday night’s show to discuss the backlash he’s receiving for his views on the movement, including his tweet Saturday: “Are all white people bad? No. Are all black people good? No. Knowing this reality- I stand on my decision to unite with good people, no matter the race, creed or ideology. … Given the number of threats against this decision-I also decide to die on this hill.” Lemon asked why was it so important that he “die on this hill.” https://youtu.be/lzR8x_jlGaI Lin-Manuel Miranda took to social media Monday to respond to critics calling for Hamilton to be canceled for its glorification of slave owners. The 40-year-old playwright responded on Twitter in a thread debating critiques of the musical that debuted Friday on the Disney+ streaming service. Hamilton was a US Founding Father and first Secretary of the Treasury who also promoted the abolition of the international slave trade in New York City. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/07/07/00/30465310-8496145-image-a-7_1594079563533.jpg Since contracting COVID-19 in March, Tom Hanks has been, by most measures, busy. He and his wife, Rita Wilson, flew home after recuperating in Australia, where he had been shooting Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley film. He hosted a from-home episode of “Saturday Night Live” and saw his new World War II naval drama “Greyhound” steered from theatrical release by Sony Pictures to Apple TV+ — the streaming service’s biggest movie yet. For many, Hanks’ contraction of COVID-19 was the first loud alarm bell that went off in the early days of the pandemic. If “America’s Dad” could get it, so could anyone. The decision to go public with their diagnoses, Hanks said in a recent interview, was twofold. He didn’t want any rumors about why the production was shut down. And if he was going to serve as an overdue public service announcement, so be it. The incomparable Betty Griffin Keller makes her triumphant return to the forefront of the Gospel music scene with new music hitting the radio airwaves in July. The infectious churchy track So Much To Thank God For expresses her appreciation to God for His goodness down through the years. Almost 3 decades ago, Keller took a hiatus from her college studies to join Reverend James Cleveland’s Southern California Community Choir, where she delivered memorable performances on Nothing Too Hard For God and I Have A Determination. Reverend Cleveland took note of her penchant for connecting with the audience and seized the opportunity to add her to the James Cleveland Singers. Keller’s continued association with Reverend Cleveland would result in a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance for Somehow I Made It from the Having Church CD in 1991. Keller would record and release an eponymous solo album featuring the hit Eagles’ Wings and the song which became her signature, You Can Make It. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has apologized and adds he has no hatred toward the Jewish community after posting on Instagram Monday an anti-Semitic message that he attributed to Adolf Hitler and admiration for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. The Eagles on Tuesday responded by calling Jackson’s posts “offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling” and said the team would take “appropriate action.” https://youtu.be/6MZmOURgFuI Prince Harry and wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, say it’s past time for Britain to confront its “uncomfortable” racist history. “There is no way that we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past,” said Harry alongside Meghan, during an online discussion published Monday with young Black leaders from across the British Commonwealth, which includes countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, per NBC News. https://youtu.be/-bjTI5DZClc Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic mayor of Atlanta, has tested positive for coronavirus, she announced Monday afternoon. https://youtu.be/5vgf3HCiphE The Chiefs and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes have reached agreement on a 10-year contract extension that ties him to Kansas City through the 2031 season, the team announced Monday. League sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the deal is worth $450 million over the 10-year period and could be worth up to $503 million. The extension includes a $140 million injury guarantee, as well as a no-trade clause. It also includes the ability for Mahomes to have outs if certain “guaranteed mechanisms” aren’t exercised, a source told Schefter. In DIE HART, Kevin Hart plays a fictionalized version of himself who’s tired of being the comedic sidekick. He gets his wish when a famous director offers him his dream – to be a leading man action star – but there’s a catch: Kevin must first train at the world’s greatest action star school, run by a lunatic played by John Travolta. https://youtu.be/vfABQnhPADQ Steffanie a freelance journalist in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex reports, even when there are questionable uses of deadly force by law enforcement officers, even when there are videos that clearly show officers misused their authority – like in the cases of Eric Garner, George Floyd and Rashard Brooks just to name a few – there is always someone who comes to the defense of these bully, liar, killer (BLK) cops. Even when internal investigations recommend punishment or termination against these bad cops there always is someone trying to convince us that our lying eyes have deceived us. Police unions have created a wall of protection around bully, liar, killer (BLK) cops. According to The Marshall Project, a non-partisan criminal justice system watch-dog, of the fifteen largest metropolitan police departments in America with a mostly Black and Brown workforce, police union representatives are White men. Only in Memphis where the police force is majority Black the police union is led by a Black man. Chrissy Teigen took to social media last week to share a photo of her breasts after getting her implants removed in June. In an Instagram Story on Thursday, the 34-year-old gave fans a peek at her “new” breasts. https://www.instagram.com/chrissyteigen/?utm_source=ig_embed “Palm Springs,” made a true statement at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival when it reportedly sold to Neon and Hulu in a deal worth $22 million. That means it is the most expensive festival transaction in history. Essentially, the rom-com pulls from the classic “Groundhog Day” and has a raunchy comedic edge. The time-loop film starts when carefree Nyles (Adam Samberg) and reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milioti) have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding. Things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the day, themselves, and each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ighjBHUYoo Of all the victories and accolades WNBA star Maya Moore has experienced, none quite compares to what she calls “a worshipful moment” outside a Missouri prison on Wednesday. After a 13-year friendship with a prisoner she worked to clear, Moore saw him walk out as a free man. https://www.instagram.com/mooremaya/?utm_source=ig_embed Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom declared ‘enough is enough’ after an eight-year-old girl was shot dead on the Fourth of July when at least two gunmen opened fire on her mom’s car, as dozens of other scenes of violence and chaos erupted around the country. Secoriea Turner was killed after her mother Charmine Turner drove through an illegal barricade that had been set up by activists around the restaurant where Brooks was shot dead by a police officer. https://youtu.be/wkn3-UeYxjY Charlie Daniels, who went from being an in-demand session musician to a staple of Southern rock with his hit “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” has died at 83. A statement from his publicist said the Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday at a hospital in Hermitage, Tennessee, after doctors said he had a stroke. He had suffered what was described as a mild stroke in January 2010 and had a heart pacemaker implanted in 2013 but continued to perform. Amy Cooper, the NYC woman who made headlines for calling the police to falsely claim she was being threatened by “an African-American man,” who asked for her dog to be leashed in Central Park, will be prosecuted over the encounter. “Today our office initiated a prosecution of Amy Cooper for Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree,” a press release said Monday. “Our office will provide the public with additional information as the case proceeds. At this time I would like to encourage anyone who has been the target of false reporting to contact our office. We are strongly committed to holding perpetrators of this conduct accountable.” The charge is a class A misdemeanor, which can carry up to a year in prison, USA Today reports. Ennio Morricone, the Oscar-winning Italian composer who created the coyote-howl theme for the iconic Spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and often haunting soundtracks for such classic Hollywood gangster movies as “The Untouchables” and the epic “Once Upon A Time In America,” died Monday. He was 91.Morricone’s longtime lawyer, Giorgio Assumma, said “the Maestro,” as he was known, died in a Rome hospital of complications following surgery after a recent fall in which he broke a leg bone. https://youtu.be/PYI09PMNazw JudahBand is back with an uplifting new single titled "Up From Here". Its a message of hope, perseverance, and belief that things will get better. The high energy youthful group shows another side of their musical prowess with the newest offerring at radio. The official video will be released in the coming weeks! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yuqdmo886q3yxge/AACXf7fzLHhCFrdF5KImZF_Wa?dl=0 EMG has built a roster of artists that include dynamic choirs, powerful soloists, and Stellar Award-nominated groups who have topped the radio and sales charts. The growing label has now released their first compilation album EMG 2020: 10 GREATEST HITS which includes 10 of their top hit songs. EMG 2020: 10 GREATEST HITS showcases EMG's diverse roster of contemporary and traditional groups including Christopher L. Ervin & Abraham's Descendants, Fresh Anointing, Zak Williams & 1AKORD, Kergyma Community Choir, Robert Copeland, Jemila Richardson, Derrick McDuffey & Kingdom Sound, and Stephen Robinson. Earnest Pugh continues to minister healing to the global masses with the release his latest single, God Wants To Heal You. The song pushes #1 this week as it continues to serve as a source of comfort as our continues to face the challenges of the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXLqDjV4eMU&feature=youtu.be Starting July 8th,Dr. Leonard Scott be hosting his very own internet radio show called #WorshipAndWellnessWednesdays. Thank you Awesome God Radio for giving me this platform to encourage people to live the lives they were created to live; a life full of worship and wellness. Join me for my show debut this coming Wednesday on Facebook Live. #WWW #WorshipAndWellness #WorshipAndWellnessWednesday #BlessYourBones Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline to file taxes has been extended through July 15, 2020. Unnisha Paige is here to help with all of your tax needs. Additionally, she is helping female business owners flip their businesses and turning them into millionaires! During our economic climate, it is so important to have multiple streams of income. Unnisha Paige is doing just that by teaching girl bosses how to infiltrate the tax business. During the pandemic, many women have cut back on excessive shopping, getting their hair done, and buying cosmetics, but they will always need to get their taxes done. Unnisha is showing women how to build additional streams of income, while helping them get tax breaks that many business owners don't know about. Lawrence Hill is soon to release “What The World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love” which is a much-needed call to bring peace during these troubling times. Lawrence, one of the original members of The Edwin Hawkins Singers, delivers a message of love with his new single. https://video-email.tf/SyObBJ2RI Sharon Paige, who came to fame as a singer who worked with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, particularly on the memorable ballad, “I Hope That We Can Be Together Soon” has passed. While not a permanent member of the Blue Notes, Paige was a frequent collaborator who took on a larger role after the departure of lead singer Teddy Pendergrass. https://youtu.be/Aqxnv19_bck The sixth-great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings has shared an image of himself posing alongside the third US president as part of a photo series that he says holds ‘a mirror’ to America. Shannon LaNier was photographed by British photographer Drew Gardner for the Smithsonian Magazine’s article, American Descendants. LaNier, who is a TV host in Houston, shared the images of him dressed in similar attire as Jefferson on Instagram. ‘As the 6th great grandson of TJ & #SallyHemings, I’m only 1 example of how #slavery has not only separated the country but also made us more in common & connected than some may think!’ he continued. While his attire was similar to Jefferson’s in the portraits, LaNier chose not to wear a wig. President Trump has tweeted condemning ‘anarchists’ following the vandalism of a statue of black abolitionist Frederick Douglass last night. The statue, which was ripped from its base in Rochester, New York state, is believed to have been the first monument in the nation erected to honor a black American. Police discovered the statue dumped at the brink of the Genesee River gorge about 50 feet from its pedestal, with damage to the base and a finger. It is not clear who the perpetrators are. The statue stood over the Underground Railroad where Douglass and Harriet Tubman helped shuttle slaves to freedom, said police. President Donald Trump responded to the vandalism in a tweet this afternoon, stating: ‘Statue of Frederick Douglass Torn Down in Rochester. This shows that these anarchists have no bounds!’ As activists demand a full investigation into the death of a white New Jersey pastor’s adopted black son found hanging from a tree and question possible murder motives, authorities say they are still investigating after the medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. Amani Kildea, 20, of Long Valley, was identified after his body was found. Kildea, who was known as a gifted athlete, was also a member of the anti-pedophile group Pedo Got Caught, which catfishes and exposes child predators similar to the television series “To Catch a Predator.” Kildea was also the adopted son of the senior pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Succasunna, Tom Kildea, and his wife, Janice. The couple adopted him from Ethiopia at the age of 5. Donald Trump is going after NASCAR for banning the Confederate flag from its races and he’s targeting Wallace a little over two weeks after an investigation into a noose found in his garage stall concluded. Via Twitter, Trump asked if Wallace had apologized for what he has determined as a “hoax,” referring to an incident in which a noose was reportedly found in the driver’s garage at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. “Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?” Trump tweeted. “That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!” Rickey Smiley revealed Monday that his daughter was a victim of gun violence in Houston, Texas, over the weekend, after being shot three times Sunday night. “I’m just so angry right now,” the host said on his Rickey Smiley Morning show on July 6. https://youtu.be/09UN2SeTWgk Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and co-counsels Dale K. Galipo, and Lara Herrmann announced that they are filing a claim of excessive force against the City of Tacoma and Officer Ryan Bradley of the Tacoma Police Department in the death of Bennie Branch. In the course of checking on his homeless mother, Branch was fatally shot in the back last month. Crump, Galipo and Herrmann will held a news conference via Zoom Monday, July 6 at 2:30 p.m. PT to discuss the case. Saturday in Martinez, CA — where a large mural reading “BLM” was stenciled and filled in with paint by the people there in front of their local courthouse — something city officials approved and even advertised as a community-led holiday event. The painting of the mural was scheduled from 9 AM to 3 PM, but not too long after folks there finished up the job, two Trump supporters decided they wanted to deface mural. https://youtu.be/wreC9U9pTSc A predominantly Black group of heavily armed protesters marched through Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta Saturday, calling for removal of the giant Confederate rock carving at the site that civil rights activists consider a monument to racism. Video footage of the Independence Day rally posted on social media showed scores of demonstrators dressed in black – many in paramilitary-style clothing and all wearing face scarves – quietly parading several abreast down a sidewalk at the park. Many of the protesters carried rifles, including military-type weapons, and some wore ammunition belts slung over their shoulders. Although African Americans appeared to account for the vast majority of the marchers, protesters of various races, men and women alike, were among the group. The board of directors of EBONY Magazine has agreed to a leadership change and the removal of CEO Willard Jackson Jr. Several weeks ago, the board commissioned an independent inquiry into a number of transactions that Jackson led, and the investigation is ongoing. “The board of directors individually and collectively understands the legacy and value of EBONY to Black communities globally,” said Jacob Walthour Jr., newly elected chairman of EBONY’s board of directors and co-founder of Blueprint Capital Advisors, a black-owned asset manager. “Founder John H. Johnson conducted himself and EBONY business with a level of class, integrity and honor that has come to define Black professionalism in America. While the board expects that EBONY will always need to adapt its business model to stay relevant, it must never compromise the core values of Mr. Johnson.” New census data confirms that non-white people and Hispanics make up the majority of Americans age 16 and younger. The Associated Press: For the first time, nonwhites and Hispanics were a majority of people under age 16 in 2019, an expected demographic shift that will grow over the coming decades, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. At the same time, the number of non-Hispanic whites in the U.S. has gotten smaller in the past decade as deaths surpassed births in this aging demographic, according to the Census Bureau population estimates. Kanye West is announcing he’s running for president … in 2020. Even though it comes as a surprise for most folks, you could say he’s making good on a promise he made back in 2015 at the MTV VMAs. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States,” West tweeted Saturday evening, along with the hashtag #2020VISION. As the NBA prepares for the conclusion of the season in Orlando, Florida, Stephen A. Smith thinks the biggest challenge players will face in the city is the lack of sex due to the COVID-19 lockdown. “Do we really think that the ‘recreational activities’ that these guys are accustomed to are going to be compromised for three months?” said Smith on Tuesday’s edition of First Take. As noted by CBS News, ” as teams start traveling to Orlando next week, we should start getting more information about how everything in the bubble is going to look.” “Teams will practice at staggered times in order to promote social distancing and keep everyone healthy. “ Famed music producer Nile Rodgers and his late production partner Bernard Edwards first teamed with Diana Ross 40 years ago on her “Diana” album, which dropped May 22, 1980. It went on to become the best-selling LP of her career. The album featured the hits “Upside Down” and the gay anthem “I’m Coming Out,” which was inspired by the Diana Ross drag impersonators at GG’s Barnum Room in midtown Manhattan. “All of a sudden a lightbulb goes off in my head,” Rodgers previously shared with the New York Post. “I had to go outside and call Bernard from a telephone booth. I said, ‘Bernard, please write down the words: ‘I’m coming out.’ And then I explained the situation to him.” While Ross immediately connected with the empowering lyrics of the song, she had no idea “I am coming out” was a gay thing. “She didn’t even get that,” he said. Twenty staffers at the “Tamron Hall Show” were reportedly given the boot, and some are calling it a “slap in the face.” As reported by The Daily Mail, “around 20 people lost their jobs”, which insiders are calling “a giant blood bath.” https://twitter.com/tamronhall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1278408826694307841%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2020%2F07%2F05%2F20-employees-fired-from-tamron-halls-talk-show-its-a-giant-slap-in-the-face%2F No one in the world of comedy was more admired, and loved, than Carl Reiner. Reiner was the rare untortured genius of comedy, his career a story of laughter and camaraderie, of innovation and triumph and affection. His persona was so warm and approachable — everyone’s friend or favorite uncle — that you could forget that he was an architect of modern comedy, a “North Star,” in the words of Billy Crystal. Reiner’s death Monday at 98 from natural causes prompted an outpouring from those he inspired, a group that included Mel Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, George Clooney, Billy Eichner and millions more. Jimmie Johnson and his family took every precaution to avoid the coronavirus.They washed their hands frequently, diligently followed the face-mask guidelines and even left their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the less densely populated Aspen, Colorado. And yet both Johnson and his wife still tested positive for the virus this week — knocking the seven-time NASCAR champion out of what was expected to be his final Brickyard 400. Johnson is the first NASCAR driver to test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 and it will end his streak of 663 consecutive Cup starts. Amanda Seales has opened up about her decision to walk away from “The Real.” Seales claims it was her decision alone to not renew her co-host contract for the award-winning daytime talk show. There are rumors that the producers didn’t invite her back. The August Alsina/Jada Pinkett Smith/Will Smith love triangle tale continues with the Smiths denying any involvement. Jada will be booking herself on “Red Table Talk,” presumably to address the situation. The 27-year-old New Orleans bred singer is calling BS on both Will and Jada. In a follow-up Instagram post Alsina appears to directly address Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith. “My heart has no malice or hate toward anyone on this planet. I just simply want the chains off & I’m willing to DIE getting there. The gift of freedom is yours to have, God promises us that, but only if you’re willing & God is not a man that HE should lie.. & I’m His SON, so neither would I.” https://www.instagram.com/augustalsina/?utm_source=ig_embed It is official the cause of death of Bonnie Ponter of the Pointer Sisters was cardiac arrest. Bonnie, whose real name was Patricia Eva Pointer. The late singer’s death certificate lists her as divorced, and an entertainer in the music industry for 50 years. The document officially states her cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest. She also had been dealing with liver disease as well as other underlying health issues, according to the coroner’s report. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is set to deliver a message July 4th concerning the current state of affairs in America, the world, the coronavirus global pandemic and other critical subjects that will stream live on REVOLT’s YouTube page at 11am EDT/8am PDT ( https://www.youtube.com/c/RevoltTv/ ) Jay-Z’s annual Made in America festival will not be taking place this year due to the coronavirus, and increasing civil unrest over systematic racism and police brutality. The annual event is typically held in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend, but has officially been canceled due to the parallel pandemics that have grappled the nation. The festival will be rescheduled for 2021. Paramount Pictures has secured global rights for Lee Daniels’ biopic on the life of Billie Holliday starring Multiple Grammy and NAACP Image Award Nominee Andra Day. According to Variety, the pic was sold by Endeavor Content in an eight-figure deal out of Cannes’ virtual market this week. Daniels will direct and produce from a script written by Suzan-Lori Parks, who was the first Black American woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for her play TOPDOG/UNDERDOG. She also penned the “Native Son” script in 2019. “The United States vs. Billie Holliday” follows the iconic jazz musician and singer as “she’s being targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics in an undercover sting operation led by federal agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair. The biopic will examine Holliday’s struggles with addiction, fame and heartbreak. Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has been retained to represent Ednitta Wright, who was subjected to police interrogation for using a Hampton Inn pool with her children on June 28, although she was a guest at the hotel. https://youtu.be/j_gqbmQoA_A Craft Recordings is proud to reissue two significant titles from New Orleans royalty: Classified from R&B piano virtuoso James Booker and the GRAMMY® Award-winning After the Rain, from soul singer Irma Thomas. Both LPs will be available July 31. These albums are not only significant to the rich, musical culture of New Orleans but are also standouts in Rounder Records’ vast catalog. The legendary root’s label, which is celebrating its 50th year throughout 2020, will be reissuing key titles, as well as special box sets via Craft Recordings. Additionally, the label will be planning events, an original podcast series, curated playlists, exclusive video content, and limited-edition merchandise. The Washington Redskins said Friday that the team will “undergo a thorough review” of its name, which is considered a derogatory term by Native Americans. This comes a day after FedEx, the sponsor of the team’s stadium in Prince George’s County, Maryland, since the late 1990s, asked the team to consider changing the name. Washington’s NFL team has found itself under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks in the wake of the protests prompted by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody and the outcry over systemic racism in the U.S. Team owner Dan Snyder has refused, for years, to change the team’s name. But, on Friday, he said the review “allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field.” Thirty-one players were positive for COVID-19 in Major League Baseball’s first round of coronavirus testing, the league and players’ union announced Friday. Seven staff members also tested positive. The 38 positives represent 1.2% of 3,185 samples collected for the first set of results. For comparison, the NBA on June 26 reported a 5.3% rate of positive tests (16 of 302) among players, while MLS announced a positive rate of 2.7% (18 of 668) among players two days later. The family of Korryn Gaines has won an appeal in an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit against the Baltimore County Police. The 23-year-old mother of two was fatally shot inside her home by police in 2016. Last year, a judge overturned the decision of a jury that awarded more than $38 million to the Gaines family, who sued the department in 2018. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” will reportedly be performed live or played before “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to each NFL game during Week 1 of the upcoming season. The song, consider the Black National Anthem, was originally written as a poem by civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson in 1899. It was later set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson. The announcement comes after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently apologized for the league’s handling of Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protests and the movement he inspired. Strahan, Sara & Keke” has reportedly been canceled by ABC, after being pulled off air in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show hosted by Michael Strahan, Sara Haines and Keke Palmer is being replaced with “GMA 3: What You Need to Know.” The network had not announced that the daytime show is over, but a spokesperson said: “We’re proud of our teams at ‘SSK’ and ‘GMA3’ and how quickly they transitioned to producing a daily show to give people the news and information they need during an unprecedented pandemic, and conversations continue about how the show will evolve in the months ahead.” D.L. Hughley is back on the press circuit promoting his latest book “Surrender, White People!: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace,” is available now. During an interview on The Clay Cane Show on SiriusXM Urban View, the comedian touch on a myriad of topics, including Black Trump supporters. “I think you can be a Black Republican and be a redeemable human being,” said Hughley. “However, you can’t be a Black Trump supporter and be a redeemable human being. You can’t. It’s impossible to be humane and a Black Trump supporter. It’s impossible to do that based on all the things he does and continues to do. The things he says and how detrimental he’s been.” During a July 4th primetime special starting at 8pm/ET, CNN will honor fellow Americans who defend freedoms, demand equality for all, and are working on the front lines to protect us from the spread of the coronavirus. While many traditional Fourth of July events have been canceled across the country, CNN’S THE FOURTH IN AMERICA will showcase musical performances from U.S. military bands, iconic singers, Broadway performers, and feature firework shows in multiple U.S. cities. CNN’s Don Lemon and Dana Bash will co-anchor the special event, with Lemon in New York City and Bash in Washington, DC. The special will feature Jewel, Barry Manilow, Martina McBride, Kenny Loggins, Andy Grammer, Carlos Santana and Cindy Blackman Santana, CeCe Winans & Nashville Life Singers, at Benatar and Neil Giraldo, The O’Jays, Don McLeanand more. A Black Facebook employee, joined by two others who were denied jobs at the social network, has filed a complaint against the company, saying it discriminates against Black workers and applicants in hiring, evaluations, promotions and pay. The charge was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Oscar Veneszee, Jr., who has worked as an operations program manager at Facebook since 2017 and claims he has not been fairly evaluated or promoted despite his “excellent performance” at the company. Two others joined Veneszee’s complaint, saying they were unlawfully denied jobs at the company despite being qualified. Facebook said in a statement it takes discrimination allegations seriously and investigates every case. Returning to BET for season 10 is America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best,” Sunday, July 5th at 8/7C. Season 10 welcomes back GRAMMY®-winning Kirk Franklin as host; returning as judges are GRAMMY® winning Erica Campbell, GRAMMY® nominated Kelly Price and GRAMMY® nominated Jonathan McReynolds. Kicking off in Sunday Best fashion, the series returned from Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, the first two episodes of season 10 begin with the contestants performing acapella with no band support, as the judges narrow the field from 20 to the top 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz3PMLpr3jw&feature=youtu.be All Nations Music and RCA Inspiration release the new album project from All Nations Music, Come Alive, which is available at digital music providers Friday July 3 . Come Alive marks the debut project from All Nations Music,delivering a personal worship experience to listeners in the global ministry led by All Nations Worship Assembly’s Founder and Senior Pastor, Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson, III. Come Alive brings new music to listeners worldwide beyond the church walls, led by the first single “Bless Your Name” (feat. Chandler Moore). Shining it's light. The new song “Bless Your Name” is in the Gospel Spotlight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3gzvOQj7Do Top-selling artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard, releases a new 4-song EP, Intercession, available today on all platforms. Announced for the first time earlier this week, Intercession is a 20-minute worship set that was captured LIVE at Nashville’s historic Ocean Way Nashville. A powerful long-form video, featuring each song from the EP, will premiere during a live chat with Tasha on her YouTube channel today at 12pm ET. The inspiring lead single “Let It Fall” reminds listeners that the glory of God was never meant to be driven or controlled by us; it was meant to be carried. BeBe Winans is sharing a song with you that has been on his heart for some time. Following the untimely death of Freddie Gray, he began to write the song ”Black Lives Matter”. More recently after witnessing the horrific tragedies of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many other countless lives being cut short, he was moved to complete the record in an effort to help support the Black Lives Matter movement. "Music has always been a way to bring positivity, hope and people together so I wanted to create a song that could help bring a sense of peace to this world for our children, including my own. Black. Lives. Matter." The proceeds from the song, “Black Lives Matter”(YouTube Link) will be donated to Black Lives Matter & Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative. It's the Gospel Spotlight song of the week!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiUJkqvmqBY&feature=youtu.be Katy Perry joined SiriusXM’s CBC Radio One this week to reflect on her career and her new single, “Daisies,” and said she fought off thoughts of suicide before her engagement and pregnancy by remaining grateful. The pop star admitted her most recent battle with suicidal thoughts happened after the release of her last album, Witness. “My career was on this trajectory when it was going up, and then I had the smallest shift, not that huge from an outside perspective. But for me it was seismic,” Perry told SiriusXM’s CBC Radio One. She admitted contemplating suicide following the 2017 release and breaking up with her now fiancé Orlando Bloom. Get Ready, Get Ready, Get Ready for a dope virtual concert with Carl Brister!!! Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential candidate, was hospitalized with the coronavirus, conservative news outlet Newsmax reported Thursday. Cain, who hosts a regular show on Newsmax TV, was stable and not on a ventilator as of Thursday afternoon. The 74-year-old former pizza restaurant executive was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2006, but beat significant odds by surviving the disease and becoming cancer-free. In April 2019, President Donald Trump announced that he would appoint Cain to serve on the Federal Reserve Board. Megachurch pastor Darrin Patrick’s cause of death has officially been ruled a suicide, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department. Patrick died May 7 in Pacific, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis. The cause of death was a gunshot wound and the medical examiner ruled it a suicide, Franklin County Sheriff Steve Pelton told Religion News Service. Patrick was a teaching pastor at Seacoast Church, a multisite megachurch based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and the founding pastor of the Journey Church in St. Louis, where he lived. The title sponsor of the Washington Redskins’ stadium wants the NFL team to change its name. “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name,“ FedEx said in a statement Thursday. The company paid the team $205 million in 1999 for the naming rights to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. In addition to the stadium name and sponsorship agreement, FedEx CEO Frederik Smith is a minority owner. Majority owner Daniel Snyder has shown no indications he’ll change the name since buying the team in 1999. A song dedicated to all those who have lost loved ones during police brutality, Covid 19 and the unknown tragedies worldwide. "Call His Name" Austin L. Carr is shining his light. "Call His Name" is the Gospel spotlight song of the week......https://youtu.be/_a5n-SUfIcA A group called Black Female Anonymous wrote an exposé via Medium at Essence Magazine.The article put the Black female-targeted outlet on blast over alleged toxic working conditions and demanded that four top execs step down. One of the execs named, Richelieu Dennis, resigned as CEO Tuesday. In their article, the women claimed that Dennis, 49, had a “surface-level commitment to Black women” but that he is actually “driven by greed and a debaucherous sexual appetite.” The piece also alleges “he has a history of sleeping with women on the Sundial staff [the beauty brand that produces SheaMoisture, and which he sold to Unilever in 2017] … For the women who don’t seemingly consent, he openly sexually harasses them at private company events.” Caroline Wanga, who joined the company Monday as chief growth officer, will serve as interim CEO of Essence Communications. Nia Long and Omar Epps are back together on-screen in “Fatal Affair” for Netflix. The production is scheduled to premiere July 16, Ellie (Nia Long) tries to mend her marriage with her husband Marcus (Stephen Bishop) after a brief encounter with an old friend, David (Omar Epps), only to find that David is more dangerous and unstable than she’d realized. Fatal Affair is directed by Peter Sullivan. https://youtu.be/bxWPPrDpqr8 Shakedown” is Kim Waters 24th album. The Smooth Jazz sax player is also a composer, pianist and music producer who is ranked among the top five instrumentalists in Jazz. A Maryland native currently residing in Georgia, Waters is known for his dissent Contemporary Jazz sax playing. He is known for taking Hip-Hop music, R&B, Reggae and Pop genres and twisting them into his style of Contemporary Jazz. On “Shakedown” he reinvents Ella Mai’s hit “Boo’d Up.” https://youtu.be/UIp0Hs6Wz4o Mary J. Blige has announced the launch of her first Sun Goddess Wines collection. The limited-edition label is in collaboration with the Fantinel Winery, and features two new wines: an Italian Pinot Grigio Ramato (rosé) and Sauvignon Blanc, per PEOPLE. https://www.instagram.com/therealmaryjblige/?tm_source=ig_embed Family or Fiancé” returns to OWN this month for another explosive season of couples seeking the blessings of their disapproving families before their upcoming weddings. Under the guidance of host and relationship expert Tracy McMillan, the couples and extended families live under one roof for three days and participate in activities designed to strengthen their bond, unpack their differences, and show some very complicated relationships in a whole new light. In the end, the experience will either confirm the families’ concerns, leaving these couples to reconsider their unions, or provide the families with a renewed understanding and persuade them to give their blessings to the couple’s happily ever after. https://youtu.be/TZv6ivkoaXU NBA veteran Chris Paul is set to take inquiring minds inside the challenges that historically Black colleges and universities face when recruiting for their basketball programs. According to Deadline, the series will follow “schools over the course of the 2020-21 season as programs try to compete with bigger schools for top prospects.” While Paul didn’t attend a historically Black college himself, he has paid it forward to various HBCU programs, including a $25,000 donation to Winston-Salem State. “Everybody in my family went to HBCUs except for me,” he said. “So I understand the importance of them. They don’t always get the same funding that a lot of other schools get, so I’m trying to bring a lot of that knowledge to the forefront because it’s education.” Earnest Pugh selected by Houston-based Non-Profit Organization, Veterans Emergency Relief (VER ) to host a star-studded 4th of July Concert honoring veterans. It's the 40th anniversary presentation of A CAPITOL FOURTH, the national July 4th TV tradition on PBS, Saturday, July 4, 2020 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET/7 central, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. Join Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams, Trace Adkins, John Fogerty, Renee Fleming, Vanessa Williams and more. Deborah Joy Winans, the real-life member of a famous musical church family, has spent the past few years living with another faithful bunch that, despite being fictional and more melodramatic, shares something with her own: Mistakes are made, but they just keep coming back to God. On “Greenleaf,” the original series on the Oprah Winfrey Network, now in its fifth and final season, Winans portrays Charity Greenleaf, the youngest daughter of a family that runs a Black megachurch in Memphis, Tennessee. Winans’ character has miscarried one of a set of twins, has coped with a husband who is questioning his sexuality and has striven to gain what she views as her rightful place in her family and in her church. As the final season starts, Charity is helping a global church conglomerate take over her family’s Calvary Fellowship World Ministries. Winans, a 30-something Detroit native who describes herself as a nondenominational Christian, talked with Religion News Service about the show that moved her from stage to screen and about the real-life events the country has faced since production for the show wrapped. Multi-platinum R&B superstars Slim and Mike of 112, today announced a new July 24 release date and single art for their highly-anticipated single "Spend It All". The newly reimagined group have been busy preparing to release their first album since their 2018 split, spending the bulk of their quarantine in the recording studio. Donald Trump is not happy about the fact that NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is moving forward with plans to paint “Black Lives Matter” along Fifth Avenue, near Trump Tower in Manhattan. The president is calling the mural “symbol of hate.” Trump is criticizing city officials for agreeing to shift roughly $1 billion from the police department as part of its budget for the coming year. He complained that the financial cuts, paired with plans to paint the mural along Fifth Avenue, were an affront to law enforcement. Reality TV star NeNe Leakes has landed a spot as co-host on E!’s new series, “Glamsquad Showdown,” and the news comes amid reports that she has been ‘fired’ from “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”Leakes will star alongside Brad Goreski in the competitive beauty series that “celebrates the best celebrity ‘glam squads’ in the business.” She’s also appearing on TBS “Celebrity Show-Off." History is being made on two fronts today at the University of Pennsylvania as Dr. Erika James begins her first day on the job as dean of the world renown Wharton School. She is both the first woman and first person of color to lead the prestigious business school. Prior to her deanship, she served as the senior associate dean for executive education at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=264670701265042 Lenny Kravitz is set to drop an autobiography this fall titled “Let Love Rule.” The memoir will be co-written by biographer and songwriter David Ritz, and will cover the first 25 years of the Grammy-Award winning singer’s life. Kravtiz will narrate the audiobook version himself, PEOPLE reports. The 15-year-old daughter of White House counselor and Donald Trump cheerleader Kellyanne Conway has made headlines for being a growing TikTok sensation, strictly for having the direct opposite political views of her mother. Claudia Conway, 15, has amassed a large following for her relentless anti-Trump and pro-Black Lives Matter videos. After New York Times journalist Taylor Lorenz tweeted about Claudia’s videos Monday night, her profile was flooded with views and she suddenly has over 40,000 followers. She used one of her latest posts to say, “While I have everyone’s attention, let’s push for the arrest of the perpetrators of Breonna Taylor.” Today, on National Postal Worker Day, Samantha Bee, host of TBS’ Emmy Award-winning Full Frontal launched the #MailedIt campaign, which is a social movement to save the United States Postal Service (USPS) and it’s currently trending #1 on Twitter! Key voices includes Stacey Abrams, Soledad O’Brien, April Reign, Phoebe Robinson, Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, Khloe Kardashian, Bette Midler, Jessica Pimentel, Tony Goldwyn, April Reign, Joy Behar and more have already Tweeted Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) and asked him to bail out the post office, which is in danger of closing in October if they don’t receive government funding. Will Smith‘s rep has responded to reports that he gave singer August Alsina a “blessing” to have an affair with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. “I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation. Due to the transformation from their marriage to [a] life partnership that they spoken on several times, and not involving romanticism, he gave me his blessing,” August said in an interview with Angela Yee. Will‘s rep told The Sun that this report is “wrong.” Jada‘s rep previously released a statement that the claims are “absolutely not true.” Meanwhile, Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ film about slavery has landed at Apple Original Films after a massive bidding war. Warner Bros, Apple, MGM, Lionsgate and Universal were reportedly battling it out at the virtual Cannes Film Festival over the world rights to the film. Walmart has announced that it will cease selling of All Lives Matter merchandise, after being accused of racial discrimination. The items in question were sold by third-party provider Old Glory via the Walmart website. A Walmart rep claims the company only recently learned that the phrase “All Lives Matter” is simply an angry response from critics of Black Lives Matter activists. “We fundamentally believe all lives do matter and every individual deserves respect,” a Walmart rep said in a statement to USA Today. “However, as we listened, we came to understand that the way some, but not all, people are using the phrase ‘All Lives Matter’ in the current environment intentionally minimized the focus on the painful reality of racial inequity.” Kanye West has released his first new music since 2019’s Jesus Is King and the companion Sunday Service Choir album Jesus Is Born. The song is “Wash Us in the Blood,” and it’s something West previously mentioned in an April 2020 feature for GQ magazine as one piece from a 54-track playlist he had been tinkering with. Just like Jesus Is King, this one is a song of worship. https://youtu.be/h0U2QUGKbSE Actor Terry Crews has said the Black Lives Matter movement shouldn’t turn into Black Lives Better as anti-racism protests continue to be held across the United States. The America’s Got Talent host made reference to the BLM movement in a tweet on Tuesday when he said that anyone who was a child of God was his brother and sister. ‘If you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed and ideology,’ he said. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Former “Glee” star Amber Riley remembers the time early in her career when a producer told her that she and other actors of color were “a little more disposable, because that’s the way the world is.” As her professional trajectory continued, she witnessed her fair share of bad behavior, and knew who would — or would not — be held accountable. “Being told that the white girls are not fireable is being told that you’re disposable,” she tells Variety. Riley recalls all this in the wake of “Glee” actor Samantha Ware revealing that the show’s star, Lea Michele, allegedly threatened in 2015 to “s— in [her] wig.” Riley’s support of Ware on social media led to Black actors with similar experiences reaching out, and prompted her to create #unMUTEny, a movement to “end Black silence in the entertainment industry, hold power structures accountable for suppressing Black experiences and confront microaggressions with courage.” The inevitable became official Tuesday when the Minor League Baseball season was canceled, putting the final note on the Blue Wahoos' 2020 season. The decision was announced after a meeting among the MiLB board of trustees. The finality arrived Tuesday after more than three months of uncertainty, following the decision to suspend spring training on March 12 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Since then, all 162 minor league franchises across the nation were unsure when, or if, a 2020 season would occur. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise around the country, especially in states like Florida—home to two NBA franchises, and most crucially the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex that is slated to host the restart of the 2019-2020 NBA season—NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a TIME100 Talks discussion that there’s no guarantee the 22 NBA teams who qualified for the relaunched season will even travel to Central Florida. Teams are tentatively scheduled to arrive in Orlando between July 7-9. “[It’s] never ‘full steam no matter what,’” says Silver in a Talk that aired Tuesday. “One thing we’re learning about this virus is that much is unpredictable.” The Atlanta Hawks have committed their arena as an early voting site for Georgia's upcoming elections. The basketball team has also challenged other NBA franchises to become civically involved ahead of the November election. In a press conference Monday, leadership from the Hawks and Fulton County, where the team is based, announced that hundreds of State Farm Arena staff will be trained as volunteer poll workers, parking around the area will be free for voters, and several team-controlled billboards will push "get out the vote" messages beginning in July. The 700,000 square foot arena will allow voters to spread out. Rihanna has called out Kentucky’s Attorney General over the lack of accountability for Breonna Taylor’s killers. The singer addressed AG Daniel Cameron directly in a post on Instagram in which she asked why the cops who murdered the aspiring nurse haven’t been arrested. “Over 100 days after #breonnataylor was MURDERED!! Her killers are at home watching Netflix on the couch. WTF is America?!” the message read. “yerrrrr @danieljaycameron , where we at with this my brother?!” Cameron previously noted on Twitter that he is “in the process of determining what investigatory steps we believe we need to take place.” He also explained that the FBI “is conducting an individual investigation into the facts surrounding the shooting” and said that “at the conclusion of the investigation, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division will determine if the officers’ actions violated federal law. Twenty-five years ago today, Phyllis Hyman was scheduled to perform at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. She was to join The Whispers for their 30th anniversary celebration, the group learned upon their arrival for sound check that Hyman was ill and might cancel her performance. Hyman, battled with bipolar disorder, had overdosed that afternoon on pentobarbital and secobarbital in her New York City apartment. She was found unconscious at 2:00 p.m., and died three hours later at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital. She was six days shy of her 46th birthday. Her suicide note read in part:.”I’m tired. I’m tired. Those of you that I love know who you are. May God bless you.” https://youtu.be/m-haOBrgrc0 Anthony Mackie recently chopped it up with actor Daveed Diggs about the lack of diversity on the set of Marvel movies. In an episode of Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, the two spoke about the responsibility that influencers have to push for greater representation behind the scenes. https://youtu.be/1xDnEqMLGZo Today marks the launch of BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective. BIN is focused on service to the Black community and providing an information window for those outside the community to help foster communication, accountability and a deeper understanding. BIN will leverage the resources, assets and financial support of iHeartMedia, and fills the void for a 24/7 well-distributed all-news audio service for the Black community. Beyoncé’s momz, Tina Knowles-Lawson, goes after Kentucky’s Black Attorney General, Daniel Cameron. She’s calling him out for failing to bring charges against the police officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor. She’s not mincing her words. Tina Knowles-Lawson reposted photos that were allegedly taken over the weekend at Cameron’s engagement party. In the pics, the Attorney General is seen smiling in various poses with his fiancé and their family members. Beyoncé’s mom was totally pissed seeing the AG living it up while the officers involved have faced no consequences, except for one who was fired, but is appealing. She wrote, “I was shocked to learn that the attorney general for Kentucky is a 34-year-old black man. We are ASHAMED of you brother!!! Coonery at it ‘s finest! ????” Actress/writer Lena Dunham agrees that “white privilege” is the primary reason she was able to star, write and executive produce her own HBO series at the age of 23. “Whenever I found out I’m trending, I have to immediately check if I’m alive! Then, I try and see if there’s a constructive dialogue to have on Twitter. Often there isn’t, but today there really WAS,” she wrote on Twitter. “It actually wasn’t a dialogue – it was just me agreeing that the Hollywood system is rigged in favor of white people and that my career took off at a young age with relative ease, ease I wasn’t able to recognize because I also didn’t know what privilege was,” Dunham added. A teen who spent most of his life homelessness was named valedictorian at his Florida high school, and now has his sights set on a career in federal law enforcement. On July 23, Martin Folsom will graduate at the top of his class from A. Philip Randolph Career Academy in Jacksonville. The 18-year-old will take with him a 4.06 grade point average. “It’s been a rocky road,” Folsom says in a video released to “Good Morning America.” “Been a lot of hardships but seeing myself here right now, about to graduate and go to college, it feels good knowing all the stuff I’ve done was worth it.” https://www.facebook.com/GoodMorningAmerica/posts/10157679001132061 Led by a warrior named Andromache of Scythia (aka Andy), a covert group of mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die are recruited for an emergency mission. It’s up to Andy and Nile (KiKi Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK-X2d0lJ_s Lena Waithe’s groundbreaking comedy “Twenties” is getting a second season on BET. The series follows the adventures of a queer Black girl, played by Jonica T. Gibbs, who is chasing her dreams of becoming a screenwriter in Los Angeles alongside her two best friends. “It took a long time to get this show on the air, but it was absolutely worth the wait. I needed THIS phenomenal cast and crew to make it happen. I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with this amazing group of people and our incredible viewers” Waithe said Friday in a statement. It's the #1 new comedy series on cable for African Americans age 18-49, according to Nielsen. https://youtu.be/-VehvghhXhw Dr. Dre and his wife of 24 years are ending their marriage because she has filed for divorce. Nicole Young filed the paperwork citing the usual irreconcilable differences as the reason for her split from the hip-hop mogul, reports TMZ. Dr. Dre (Andre Young) and Nicole got hitched back in 1996 May 25. They have 2 adult children together: a son named Truice and a daughter named Truly. Sources connected to Nicole say there is no prenup. Dre’s net worth, according to Forbes, is estimated at $800 million. BET is presenting the comprehensive story of Master P and No Limit Records with a new production titled “NO LIMIT CHRONICLES.” The five-part docuseries will recount the remarkable journey of the label, from its extraordinary rise to decline and rebirth to prominence. Featuring interviews from No Limit insiders Master P, Romeo Miller, Snoop Dogg, Silkk The Shocker, Mia X, Mystikal, Fiend and Mr. Serv-On. “No Limit Chronicles” will premiere Wednesday, July 29, at 9 PM ET/PT on BET. https://youtu.be/qIF6xuoQmIQ Ne-Yo’s former finance and the mother to his children is now engaged. Monyetta Shaw announced the exciting news on social media, showing off the bling. Ne-Yo’s current wife, Crystal Smith, hopped in the comments of the Instagram photo to note her excitement, writing, “You betta!!!!!” Monyetta responded with kissy emojis, the report states. Both ladies have been amicably co-parenting the children Shaw shares with her R&B singer ex. https://www.instagram.com/monyettashaw/?utm_source=ig_embed Colin Kaepernick has teamed with Ava DuVernay for a new scripted series for Netflix titled “Black & White.” The six-episode scripted show examines the early years of the athlete with the former NFL quarterback lending his voice for narration, per Sports Illustrated. The show will highlight key events of his youth that helped shape the activist that he would become during his NFL career. Kierra & Karen Clark Sheard “Something Has To Break” rocked the BET Award 2020......https://youtu.be/ccXpybjkJzQ BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) paid tribute to the best and brightest in Gospel music with its Trailblazers of Gospel Music celebration. Todd Galberth (Song Of The Year), Kirk Franklin (Song Writer Of the Year) and Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing (Publisher Of The Year). In addition to the major award winners, BMI also paid homage to the Twenty Most Performed Gospel Songs of the Year (2019). This year’s winners were Maranda Curtis, Chanda Mukula, VaShawn Mitchell, Jonathan McReynolds and Terrell Demetrius Wilson, Jeffery L. Thomas II and Dwight Washington II, and Wendi Henderson Wyatt. To honor these achievements, BMI created a page on its website where fans can watch special video messages and performances, listen to award-winning music and learn more about their favorite Gospel songwriters: https://www.bmi.com/trailblazers2020. The Clark Sisters sing at the 2020 Essence Festival’s “Get Lifted” https://youtu.be/m4HSlblAldo Beyoncé used her platform Sunday while accepting the BET humanitarian award to relay a direct appeal to viewers: Go vote. “Your voices are being heard and you’re proving to our ancestors that their struggles were not in vain,” said the superstar singer at the BET Awards, which celebrated its 20 years of highlighting excellence in Black-led entertainment. But the ceremony, filmed virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, kept much of its focus on topics such as systematic racism and equal rights. Beyoncé was honored for her philanthropic work and relief efforts during the COVID-19 crisis. She said voting in the upcoming election was the way to end a “racist and unequal system” in America. In the 1930s, a Black postal worker named Victor Hugo Green published the “Negro Motorist Green Book.” The segregation-era guide helped Black people avoid violence and discrimination as they traveled by identifying safe and welcoming businesses and places. The Green Book stopped publication in 1967, a few years after the Civil Rights Act was passed. Crystal Egli, co-founder of Inclusive Journeys, is the company behind the idea for a digital Green Book. The priority of the digital Green Book is to keep Black and people of color safe, Egli thinks it’s important for “allies to know where these inclusive businesses are” before they spend their dollars. Black executives and other corporate leaders of color in Massachusetts have launched a social justice fund to support minority communities. The goal of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund is to provide “essential support, resources and thought leadership for uncovering and dismantling systemic racism and all of its various and insidious forms.” Organizers say they have about $20 million in commitments to help launch the fund, primarily from the companies where the 19 founding members work, as well as from their own personal wealth. They hope to raise at least $100 million, and begin issuing grants in a few months. Barack Obama tipped his cap. So did three other former U.S. presidents and a host of prominent civil rights leaders, entertainers and sports greats in a virtual salute to the 100-year anniversary of the founding of baseball’s Negro Leagues. The campaign launched Monday with photos and videos from, among others, Hank Aaron, Rachel Robinson, Derek Jeter, Colin Powell, Michael Jordan, Obama and fellow former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter at tippingyourcap.com. On the receiving end of those tributes are many of the Negro Leagues’ greatest alumni: Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, “Cool Papa” Bell and Jackie Robinson. During the 2020 BET Awards Kirk Franklin's “Just for Me” – WINNER of Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational. Kierra Sheard has announced that she will be headed to the altar. The GRAMMY® and Stellar Award-winning gospel songstress revealed that she is now engaged to be married to her “dream” fiancé, Jordan Kelly. https://youtu.be/s2HqsOSXJ2w Parkwood Entertainment, in association with Disney+, announced and debuted the teaser video (https://www.beyonce.com/) for the visual album “Black Is King” written, directed and executive produced by 24-time Grammy® Award-winner Beyoncé. “Black is King” will premiere globally on Disney+ on July 31, 2020 and will arrive on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the release of Disney’s global phenomenon “The Lion King.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzdDPznMs4 Don Lewis said over a year ago that the law firm hired by Rudy Giuliani for the Ukraine fiasco was a “house of cards” that would “collapse.” The law firm is Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP. Lewis was spot on. The whistleblower and former partner alleged in a complaint dated May 15, 2019 that firm founder: “[John Mark] Pierce is a fraud and a con man, lying to his partners, lying to the press, lying to his clients and lying to investors; [the opening of PB’ books] would also very likely crater a firm built on smoke and mirrors.” Since then Pierce Bainbridge has undergone a catastrophic implosion. Around 60 of 70 lawyers have exited, reports indicate a $70 million debt, and the firm is a defendant in at least seven legal actions. Just last week, a new court filing says the firm welched on a payment obligation of approximately $150,000 to vendor Transperfect Legal Solutions. Director Liesl Tommy makes her feature film debut with Respect starring Jennifer Hudson. Tommy is the first Black woman ever nominated for a Tony award for Best Direction of a Play in 2016 for Eclipsed, and is an Associate Artist at the Berkeley Rep and an Artist Trustee with the Sundance Institute’s Board of Trustees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzurCMTvDcc McDonald’s USA has launched a $500,000 Black & Positively Golden Scholarship Fund to help students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Facilitated by Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), scholarships will be distributed for the 2020-2021 academic year. The announcement comes in conjunction with the launch of the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture: Unstoppable Virtual Experience, in which McDonald’s officially kicks off its partnership with the ESSENCE Girls United HBCU initiative, via press release. Citing the rapid pace of coronavirus spread in some parts of the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom Sunday ordered seven counties including Los Angeles to immediately close any bars and nightspots that are open and recommended another eight counties take action on their own to close those businesses. The decision, a sign of growing concern about new COVID-19 cases, was announced in a statement issued by the governor’s state public health director, Dr. Sonia Angell. Bars in seven counties are immediately impacted by the state order: Los Angeles, Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Tulare, Kings and Imperial. The filmmakers from Disney & Pixar’s “Soul,” director Pete Docter, co-director and screenwriter Kemp Powers and producer Dana Murray, partnered with American anthropologist/educator Dr. Johnnetta Cole and globally-renowned jazz pianist Jon Batiste to offer an exclusive sneak peek at the film as a part of the Essence Festival of Culture during a virtual panel titled Finding “Soul.” The sneak peek features the song “Parting Ways” written, produced and performed by Cody ChesnuTT. Both Dr. Cole and Jon Batiste, who lent his expertise to the jazz arrangements and compositions in “Soul,” serve as cultural consultants on the film. https://youtu.be/qNYcwbEL-pg The Walls Group sing “And Don’t You Stop”, “Love Lifted Me” and “Friend In Me” at the 2020 Essence Festival’s “Get Lifted” segment. https://youtu.be/rUyCT7CETOQ Erica Campbell sings “A Little More Jesus” & “I Luh God” at the 2020 Essence Festival’s “Get Lifted” segment. https://youtu.be/youFFmtI5PU Fred Hammond sings “Father Jesus Spirit”, “Let The Praise Begin” and “No Weapon” at the 2020 Essence Festival’s “Get Lifted” segment. https://youtu.be/FSwRZ4vjoAs Anita Wilson sings “Gooder Than Good” & “More Than Anything” at the 2020 Essence Festival’s “Get Lifted” segment. https://youtu.be/rlEhuSuLfWM A black pastor who was attacked by five racists and pulled out a gun during the incident was arrested when he called the police on his attackers. But the charges have since been dropped against him, and his white attackers have been charged with hate crimes. Leon McCray Sr. was arrested and charged with brandishing a firearm after a June 1 incident escalated in the town of Edinburg in Shenandoah County. McCray, a 61-year-old pastor at Lighthouse Church & Marketplace Ministries International, told CNN affiliate WHSV that the trouble began when he saw a couple of people dragging a refrigerator toward the dumpsters at an apartment building he owns in Edinburg. When he approached them and requested that they leave, McCray said, they “got irate” before leaving and returning with three additional people who threatened him, using “all types of racial slurs.” The makers of the Christian meditation app Soultime have announced the development and release of the world’s first-ever audio version of the Bible read in its entirety by an artificial intelligence voice amounting to 100 hours of audible Scripture. Soultime said in a statement that it “evaluated a range of text-to-speech platforms but found Google’s Wavenet the most natural sounding,” however, because “the Bible text is extremely complex” it had to “work hard to modify the basic reading to create something that both sounded natural and was truly enjoyable to listen to.” Kelly Asbury, an animator who directed Oscar-nominated films such as “Shrek 2” and “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” has died. He was 60. Asbury died Friday morning in Los Angeles following a long battle with abdominal cancer, a representative for Asbury, Nancy Newhouse Porter, told Variety. Asbury, who started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983, directed five animated feature films during his career: “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” which was released in 2002; “Shrek 2" in 2004, which he co-directed with Conrad Vernon; 2011’s “Gnomeo & Juliet”; 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village”; and his final directorial effort was 2019’s “Ugly Dolls,” which starred Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull. Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has reached an agreement on a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the New England Patriots, league sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. ??Newton now will step into the mix to try to help replace former Patriots signal-caller Tom Brady, who left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. The Patriots did not select a quarterback in April’s draft, with 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and 11-year veteran Brian Hoyer atop the depth chart. Former Washington Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel, architect of the famed Hogs in the 1980s, has died, the team announced in a statement. He was 80. No cause of death was given. Bugel spent 32 years in the NFL but was largely known for his work in Washington, where he coached the Redskins’ offensive line from 1981 to 1989. He served as offensive coordinator and was an assistant head coach from 1983 to ’89. Sunday morning Donald Trump posted, then deleted a post that he shared earlier of a video of (White) senior citizens clashing over their support and opposition of him where one pro-Trump protester could be heard yelling “white power.” Meanwhile, in one of the most credibility stretching excuses for his initial action with the tweet, the White House claimed the president didn’t hear the “white power” comment and was instead focused on the support he was witnessing from citizens of the Florida senior community. Hang out Tuesday, June 30 for the 20th Anniversary of the hit series Soul Food! The showrunner, writers, director and cast are coming together for a reunion Zoom event and the fans are invited. Party with a purpose and help raise funds for Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mom who’s running for office as Miami Dade County Commissioner. Tuesday, June 30, 2020 4:00 pm pacific / 7:00 pm eastern. Hear Sybrina Fulton share the many reasons she is running for Miami-Dade’s County Commissioner. Why candidates like her, who understand racial violence against Black people on a very personal level of loss, must have a seat at the table. She is committed to eradicating institutionalized racism and so are we. Idris Elba is planning to open a luxury resort in Sierra Leone. Speaking to The Mirror, a source claimed: “Idris saw real potential when he visited Sierra Leone. It made an impact on him and he wants to create something positive for the country and give back.” The source added: “Tourism is developing out there and he wants to help it to grow and thrive and look forward. “He thinks it could be the next Dubai and wants to turn it into a real ­holiday hotspot and put the country on the map as a must-see destination.” Meanwhile, the actor slammed reports that he is ‘critical condition’ following his coronavirus diagnosis. https://twitter.com/idriselba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1239997526268207105%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurweb.com%2F2020%2F06%2F27%2Fidris-elba-to-launch-luxury-resort-in-sierra-leone-after-the-coronavirus-issue-is-over%2F NBC’s “Council of Dads” Star J. August Richards Talks Being Black In Hollywood & Coming Out/ BHL Tha Trend With Derrial Christon and Courtney Stewart. https://youtu.be/6aoMDdQBkeU Ford Motor plans to reveal the all-new Ford Bronco July 9, same day as the birthday of O.J. Simpson. Simpson famously led LAPD on a slow-speed chase while riding in a white Ford Bronco, after he was charged with murder in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson was a passenger in the 1993 Bronco that was being driven by his former teammate Al Cowlings. Their live pursuit along I-405 was reportedly watched by 95 million people. https://www.instagram.com/buckedoffroad/?utm_source=ig_embed For 46 years (1971 – 2017) the lead vocals of the legendary Cuba Gooding Sr. were heard on The Main Ingredient hit recordings that made the group one of the top R&B-Soul-Pop groups in the world. The group, recording for RCA Victor, earned two Gold Records for Billboard-charted hits Everybody Plays The Fool and Just Don’t Want to be Lonely. The Main Ingredient was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1973 for Everybody Plays The Fool. In a tribute to the legendary Main Ingredient, featuring the late Cuba Gooding Sr., The YouCaSas Group, LLC, which manages the legacy of Cuba Sr. and The Main Ingredient, as well as the current group, has created a music project that will honor the global milestones achieved by Cuba’s Main Ingredients. Through the vision of Shirley Temple Gooding and Don W. Saint-James, co-founders of The YouCaSas Group, LLC, the two created a legacy project that will re-record The Main Ingredient’s two biggest hits: Everybody Plays The Fool and Just Don’t Want to be Lonely. Shirley Temple Gooding and Don W. Saint- James will serve as the legacy recordings’ producers. When Sherri Shepherd hit up the co-creator of “Friends” to address the show’s lack of diversity, it allegedly marked her last appearance on the NBC comedy series. “Sherri was one of the few black faces that was on ‘Friends.’ Her, Aisha Tyler and Gabrielle Union. And Sherri was on ‘Friends’ at a time that you sent out postcards to let people know, ‘Hey, I’m going to be on TV,’ ” Shepherd’s bestie, media personality Jawn Murray, recalled to ABC News, Page Six. Murray added, “Well, [Shepherd] also sent that postcard to [‘Friends’ co-creator] Marta [Kauffman], and she got the postcard and [Shepherd] was never asked back on the show.” Aisha Tyler is the only person of color to appear in more than three episodes in the series’ 10-season run. The comedian/actress appeared in nine episodes while actor Phill Lewis was featured in three. According to @buzzfeed, #TheSimpsons will no longer allow non-white characters to be voiced by white actors. “Moving forward, “The Simpsons” will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters,” the producers stated. This comes five months after Hank Azaria announced he would no longer voice Apu. This also comes amid #MikeHenry stepping away from the #FamilyGuy, voicing #ClevelandBrown. Welcome To Sweetie Pies” star Robbie Montgomery claims the mother of her grandson is refusing to let her visit with the kid. Jenae Wallick, the ex of Robbie’s son, Tim Norman, is allegedly playing hardball when it comes to allowing her son visit with his father’s family. According to thejasminebrand.com, Robbie posted a photo on Instagram June 22, wishing her grandson a happy birthday. https://youtu.be/DBP5jmPtIzk Hollywood’s hopes for salvaging its summer season have effectively ended after the releases of both Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and the Walt Disney Co.‘s live-action reboot of “Mulan” were again delayed. With reported cases of the coronavirus surging in parts of the U.S., Disney on Friday followed Warner Bros. in pushing “Mulan” to late August. The film, initially planned to open in March, had been slated for July 24. It’s now moving to Aug. 21. Late Thursday, Warner Bros. also postponed “Tenet,” starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, from July 31 to Aug. 12. The studio stressed the need for flexibility. Reach Records founder and popular emcee, Lecrae has been candid about his constant need for restoration as he battles internal struggles that resurfaced for him in this season, which he expresses in his new single, “Deep End.” The single was released on Wednesday and details how Lecrae has felt while dealing with racial trauma in the evangelical sphere. https://youtu.be/s4EToyMHq2Y Glen Campbell’s wife, Kim, has opened up about God’s faithfulness through the ups and downs of the couple’s 34-year marriage, from the legendary singer’s struggle with addiction to his heartbreaking fight against Alzheimer’s disease. “Glen has a musical legacy, but he also had a beautiful legacy of courage and overcoming adversity,” Kim recalled in an exclusive interview with The Christian Post of her late husband, who won 10 Grammy Awards, released more than 70 albums, and sold more than 45 million records throughout his storied career. National power Clemson announced Friday that 14 more football players have tested positive for the coronavirus. The school has revealed 37 positive tests for football players over the past three weeks, including 21 last week. Overall, Clemson has conducted 430 tests since June 1, and 47 have come back positive — 43 student-athletes and four staff members. According to the university, none of the positive tests had resulted in a hospitalization. Today YouTube debuted “UHC: Ultimate Home Championship” a first-of-its-kind competition special now streaming on host Stephen Curry’s YouTube channel. The competition features some of the most exciting athletes and sports talent on YouTube, including The F2, Ryan García, DeAndre Jordan, Kristopher London, Von Miller, Ronda Rousey and Lindsey Vonn, and “sideline commentators” including gaming superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, ESPN’s Katie Nolan, and Saturday Night Live’s Ego Nwodim. The competition, which is built around four, high-octane rounds of at-home events from a laundry hamper basketball to a DIY high jump, will raise funds for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund with viewers encouraged to donate directly on the “Ultimate Home Championship” watch page. https://youtu.be/fGTcaf-zm2Y Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard said he was racially profiled and kicked out of a South Carolina Chipotle. The manager of that branch has been suspended and the company has since launched an investigation into the incident. In a video shared on Instagram, Leonard said the drama began when a white customer overheard his conversion regarding Black Lives Matter with his companions. The customer complained to the manager that Leonard had been “talking trash to him.” The NFL star denies targeting the customer with his BLM rhetoric and added that the manager came to his table with a “terrible attitude” and kicked them out after threatening to call the police. https://www.instagram.com/mr_highflyer10/?utm_source=ig_embed Janelle Monáe says filming the time-bending thriller “Antebellum” was quite a “triggering” experience. In the film, the singer stars as a successful author who is stuck between present day and slavery in the 1800s. During a recent conversation for The Hollywood Reporter’s Drama Actress Roundtable, Monáe noted that she “brought all of my ancestors home with me,” during filming. “This is a project that is so of the times, and it was not going to be a yes for me because I knew the responsibility and the weight of it and I knew what this character was going to have to go through physically and emotionally,” she said. Prominent black Southern Baptist pastor Dwight McKissic and others are calling for the removal of the names of former slaveholders from buildings at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. McKissic’s initial call to rename Boyce College, the private college located at SBTS, comes amid a general cry from activists across the country for the removal of statues of slaveholders from public spaces as well as their names from buildings. In the Report on Slavery and Racism in the History of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, it was noted that the seminary’s founding faculty — Boyce, John A. Broadus, Basil Manly Jr., and William Williams — all owned slaves. Together, they owned more than 50 persons and invested capital in slaves who could earn for their owners an annual cash return. The seminary’s early faculty and trustees also defended the righteousness of slaveholding. Current SBTS President Albert Mohler previously noted in June 2015 that he had no intention to remove the names of any of the founders from the school’s buildings. Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington sat down for an Instagram Live with his pastor friend, A.R. Bernard, on Thursday and recounted the moment he was filled with the Holy Spirit and how it impacted his life and even his children’s lives. During the 30-minute discussion, Washington told the senior pastor of Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., that he gave his life to Jesus three times and on one of those occasions he had a supernatural encounter with God. “I was filled with the Holy Ghost and it scared me. I said, ‘Wait a minute, I didn’t want to go this deep, I want to party,’” Washington admitted. The moment happened at Bishop Charles E. Blake’s West Angeles Church of God in Christ in the ‘80s. https://www.instagram.com/therealarbernard/?utm_source=ig_embed The NBA restart is a go. It appears the league is as ready to play three months of basketball inside a protective bubble near Orlando, Fla., while on the outside coronavirus cases currently soar. The NBA and its players union, the National Basketball Players Association, announced Friday they've finalized a plan for 22 teams to arrive around July 7 and start playing games that count, July 30. Everyone will live and play on a "campus" at Walt Disney World Resort. Games will take place in three separate arenas without fans in attendance. Chart-topper Travis Greene releases a set of live performances and beloved studio gems on Love Playlist. Comprising seven tracks, Love Playlist is available now via digital music providers. A curated mix with Greene’s powerful music and vocal performances bringing refreshing comfort, inspiring reflection in faith and love, the Love Playlist includes songs such as acclaimed hit “Good & Loved,” “Be Still,” “Thank You For Being God,” and more. Kanye West and his Yeezy fashion line have inked a 10-year deal with GAP for a collection that will launch in 2021. The hip-hop star confirmed the news on his Twitter account by sharing an image of the Gap logo featuring the letters “YZY.” He wrote in all caps, “YEEZY AND GAP FORM PARTNERSHIP #WESTDAYEVER.” The YEEZY Gap line, which is expected to hit Gap stores and online early next year, will include a range of pieces for men, women and children, per PEOPLE. Kanye’s wife, Kim Kardashian, took to Twitter to congratulate him on the partnership. US Senate Chaplain Barry Black knows what it is like to pray about political differences in our nation’s capital. As the 62nd chaplain of the Senate, Black is the spiritual leader for some of the most powerful people in the country. He pastors 100 senators and he ministers to hundreds more in Washington, DC. As protests and riots continue following the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, Chaplain Black is also praying about the need for healing and change in America. “We have had challenges with race almost from the start because when we said all people are created equal, we were not talking about, certainly not people of African heritage,” Black told CBN News. “And so, we have had to work toward a more perfect union.”During a recent opening prayer in the Senate, Black referenced recent officer-involved shootings and the need to sympathize with those affected. He believes that is something that Christ would do. Justin Bieber is seeking legal recourse against two anonymous women who previously accused him on social media of sexual assault. In a filing of a defamation lawsuit against the two Jane Does (who remain anonymous save for their Twitter handles @danielleglvn and @ItsnotKadi and respective names they went by on social media: Danielle and Kadi, respectively), Bieber’s lawyers say the accusations against him are “factually impossible, and disproven both by indisputable spotlight.comdocumentary evidence and the individuals’ own admissions.” Most summers, Christian artists tour the country performing for packed audiences in churches, arenas and concert halls. This summer, restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 global pandemic make such crowds temporarily impossible. So three Christian music stars have found another way to reach their audience. And it’s not a new technology platform. It’s an old one. Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day’s Mac Powell will begin the Drive-In Theater Tour next month in Watertown, Tenn., just outside Nashville. They will move on to nine more cities from there. Sixteen NBA players of 302 tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), the NBA and National Basketball Players Association said in a joint news release on Friday. “Any player who tested positive will remain in self-isolation until he satisfies public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and has been cleared by a physician,” both organizations said in a statement. Teams started mandatory testing for players on Tuesday, and Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon and Sacramento’s Jabari Parker were among the players who have tested positive. The two Nigerian brothers at the center of the alleged Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax intend to testify against the disgraced actor now that their issues with the Chicago police have been resolved. Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo were reportedly unwilling to testify because police are still treating them as suspects and withholding possessions seized during a February 2019 raid of their home. The brothers announced this week that the Chicago Police Department couldn’t locate their belongings, so they were no longer willing to help investigators. In a statement released by their lawyer, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, they’ve had a change of heart now that the items have allegedly been found. Broadway star Robert Hartwell says he has “never been prouder to be a Black man” after purchasing a house built by slaves. The actor/entrepreneur intends to renovate the property in honor of his ancestors and then “fill it with love.” Sharing the news on Instagram alongside a photo of himself standing next to the home, Hartwell wrote: “3 weeks ago I found this house online. I said ‘this is my house’. I called the seller and was told it was a cash only offer and that ‘I’m sure that takes you off the table,’ ” he recalled on his social media accounts. Adding, “Don’t you ever underestimate a hard working black man,” he wrote. “I saw the house last week and when I walked in I knew I was home.” Megan Thee Stallion’s latest single has sparked a war of words between Eazy-E’s children. On Thursday, the rapper dropped her feminine take on N.W.A.’s “Boyz-n-the-Hood,” with the latest single “Girls in the Hood”. Henree Wright, aka ReeMarkable, took to Instagram to call out her father’s team for giving clearance to artists to use his work, while denying her requests to sample it for her own projects. https://www.instagram.com/iamreemarkable/?utm_source=ig_embed The recently fired Miami Gardens police officer shown in a video from January holding his knee to a pregnant Black woman’s neck while tasing her multiple times in the stomach has been arrested and charged with battery and official misconduct. Jordy Martel, who is Latino, has been fired and now faces charges after video from January 14, 2019 showed him dragging 33-year-old Safiya Satchell from her SUV, kneeling on her neck and using his Taser on her twice. Satchell, who was four months pregnant, later miscarried. The video was recorded by her friend outside of Tootsies Cabaret, an adult club in Miami Gardens. Jennifer Hudson is being sued by a New York photographer who has accused the singer of stealing his photo and posting it on her Instagram page. Photographer Fernando Ramales has taken legal action against JHud for ‘sharing a pap photo of herself without permission’. A lawyer for Ramales told Page Six: “More and more celebrities are using social media to reach out to their fans to promote their brand by using photographs. But, Ms Hudson and her company did not get the proper permissions to use the photograph and they also cropped out the photographer’s watermark identifying him as the copyright holder. You simply cannot do that.” According to reports, the rapper Huey, real name Lawrence Franks Jr, was gunned down in a double shooting in his hometown of Kinloch, Missouri just before 11pm, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. He was shot at least once outside the front yard of a home on Martin Luther King Boulevard and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, police said. A second man who was injured in the incident later showed up at the Ferguson Police Department with a gunshot wound. He was treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. https://youtu.be/WEYMaSoXQUM Maurice “Mo” Fayne of “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” fame has been indicted by a federal grand jury for scamming millions out of the government’s coronavirus loan program. As reported by PEOPLE, Fayne, 37, applied for a PPP loan for a corporation called Flame Trucking on April 15, to pay employees and other business expenses. Instead, he spent much of the $2,045,800 on himself. Fayne allegedly used over $1.5 million of the loan to buy $85,000 worth of jewelry, including a Rolex Presidential watch, a diamond bracelet and a 5.73 carat diamond ring. He also spent $40,000 on child support, prosecutors said. Disney has been taking many steps to be more diverse amidst protests for Black Lives following the murder of George Floyd, and now they’re transforming Splash Mountain, one of the longest standing rides at Disneyland. The ride was originally themed around Uncle Remus Br’er Rabbit’s story from Disney’s controversial 1946 movie “Song of the South.” It will now be turned into “The Princess and the Frog,” which is one of Disney’s black princesses. Multimillion-selling R&B/pop pioneer and seven-time GRAMMY Award-winner, Toni Braxton is joined by the legendary Missy Elliott for a remix of “Do It.” On the track, Braxton pulls inspiration from her own experiences and shares advice for anyone struggling with the decision to end an unhealthy relationship. https://youtu.be/6bL6brCLeys BET announced today Black Thought, Jay Rock, Karen Clark Sheard, Kierra Sheard, Mister Jahi, Nas, Public Enemy, Rapsody, Questlove, and YG will join the lineup of performers at the “BET Awards” 2020. In addition, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Billy Porter, Courtney B. Vance, Debbie Allen, Deon Cole, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, La La Anthony, Lena Waithe, Lizzo, Michael B. Jordan, Misty Copeland, Naomi Campbell, Omari Hardwick, Quavo, Quincy Jones, Rapsody, Regina Hall, Samuel L. Jackson, Saweetie, Sterling K. Brown, Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg and more will make appearances. As previously announced, “BET Awards” 2020 will feature performances by Alicia Keys, Chloe X Halle, DaBaby, D Smoke, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Jonathan McReynolds, Kane Brown, Lil Wayne, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, SiR, Summer Walker, Usher and Wayne Brady. Hosted by Amanda Seales, the “BET Awards” 2020 will be simulcast LIVE at 8 PM ET across ViacomCBS networks including BET, BET HER, and will make its national broadcast premiere on CBS on Sunday, June 28 (8:00 - 11:00 PM, ET/PT, 7:00 - 10:00 PM CT). As part of the Black Music Month Celebration, a special all-Gospel Jam Sessions goes down today 3pm EST. Today will feature performances by Jonathan McReynolds. Pastor Bruce Farr and Generations of Praise Choir drop a new single "You Are" that represents the multi-cultural kingdom sound and high octane level of praise that exudes from their music ministry and congregation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pYNXnEjmrQ&feature=youtu.be Video of a Confederate Flag-draped white woman praising the KKK and pledging to teach her grandkids to hate supporters of racial equality has gone viral. Kathy Jenkins, also sporting a camouflage Make America Great Again cap, made her comments from the tailgate of a truck (with a confederate flag attached) outside the parking lot of Dixie Outfitters Sunday night in Branson, Mo. Black Lives Matter supporters were there protesting the store’s “dixie” name. “Dixie” was the title of a minstrel song that became the de facto national anthem for the Confederacy during the Civil War. https://youtu.be/IvD55ppDJSw Two white actress who voice biracial animated characters took to Instagram separately Wednesday to announce that they are exiting the respective roles, citing an acknowledgement of “pervasive privilege” and being “part of the problem.” Jenny Slate announced that she will no longer play the biracial character Missy on Netflix’s “Big Mouth,” because “Black characters should be played by Black people.” Slate said she came to the decision as part of her “life-long process of uncovering the racism in my own actions.” Kristen Bell announced she would no longer provide the voice for Molly, a Black character on the animated comedy series on Apple TV +'s Central Park. https://youtu.be/Tu1ZpF0bzMg The 2020 Essence Festival and Culture was canceled this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic,now you can still get your virtual fix of the event over the next two weeks. Essence has put together a digital benefit series that will feature performances, entertainment and empowerment series. The theme for this year’s festival is UPLIFTED: Healing Now. Empowered Future. Starting June 25 and streaming on EssenceStudios.com. Artist scheduled to perform include John Legend, D-Nice, Bruno Mars, BBD, Nas, Patti LaBelle, Common, Big Freedia and more. Below is a schedule of activities. The ‘Spirit of the Confederacy’ statue sat in the Sam Houston Park for more than a century. Last week, the monument was moved to prevent vandalism amid the ongoing civil unrest sweeping the country over race relations and police brutality. The statue will now be housed permanently in the Houston Museum of African American Culture. NASA announced Wednesday that it will rename its main headquarters in Washington, D.C. after Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA and one of its black women mathematicians highlighted in the film “Hidden Figures.”Jackson “was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space. Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology,” said administrator Jim Bridenstine. “Today, we proudly announce the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building. It appropriately sits on ‘Hidden Figures Way,’ a reminder that Mary is one of many incredible and talented professionals in NASA’s history who contributed to this agency’s success. Hidden no more, we will continue to recognize the contributions of women, African Americans, and people of all backgrounds who have made NASA’s successful history of exploration possible.” Joy Reid is expected to replace Chris Matthews as the host of a primetime news program on MSNBC. Insiders tell The Wall Street Journal that the network is negotiating with Reid to fill the 7 p.m. slot, preceding shows hosted by Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes. Earlier this year, Matthew exited the “Hardball” news and opinion program that he hosted for 20 years. The retirement announcement came amid sexual misconduct accusations against him. Since then, fans have been hoping Reid would be tapped to takeover his time slot. She currently hosts MSNBC’s weekend morning show “AM Joy” and often substitutes for Maddow and Hayes. Last summer, Elijah McClain died after an encounter with suspected race soldiers of the Colorado police department. Officers were called after reports of a “suspicious person” in a ski mask, McClain wore to keep his face warm due to his anemia. The 23-year-old had been walking from a local convenience store when he was confronted by three white officers with Aurora Police on August 24. He reportedly explained to the officers that he was on his way home, but they accused him of acting strange, placed him in a chokehold and pinned him to the ground. McClain started vomiting and told the officers he was having difficulty breathing. He lost consciousness for 15 minutes and the officers called for assistance. Firefighters and an ambulance responded to the scene and pumped McClain with 500 milligrams of the drug ketamine in an attempt to sedate him, claiming he was in an agitated state. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared brain dead three days later. He was removed from life support August 30, 2019. Bubba Wallace‘s organization has released a photo that shows it’s definitely a NOOSE. NASCAR is still sticking to its story that the rope had been fashioned into a noose by an unknown person back in October 2019. It’s been determined by investigators that it was NOT made as a specific threat to Wallace, a Black driver on the circuit. In addition to NASCAR, the FBI says it has determined Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime. Interestingly, NASCAR’s president Steve Phelps said Thursday his organization thoroughly searched all 29 NASCAR tracks — which includes 1,684 garage stalls — and only ONE of the ropes was fashioned into a noose. Teyana Taylor has revealed that Erykah Badu is going to be delivering her next child. The singer announced last week that she is expecting her second child with husband Iman Shumpert. Taylor, 29, revealed the exciting news in the music video for her new song, “Wake Up Love,” in which she shows off her baby bump for the first time. “I’m considering home birth, and I’m actually going to be doing it with Erykah,” Taylor told Nick Cannon recently on his radio show. Gone With The Wind has returned to the streaming service HBO Max after it was removed earlier this month because of its benign portrayal of American slavery. The film now features a new introduction by film scholar and Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart. In the introduction, Stewart addresses the film’s problematic depiction of the Antebellum South. Stewart adds that the film depicts a “world of grace and beauty, without acknowledging the brutalities of the system of chattel slavery upon which this world is based.” The streaming service also added two companion videos along with the return of the film. One video features a panel discussion on the film’s controversial legacy and another provides more information about Hattie McDaniel, who in 1940 became the first African American to win an Oscar for her portrayal of the enslaved “Mammy.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced the selection of the Morehouse School of Medicine as the awardee for a new $40 million initiative to fight COVID-19 in racial and ethnic minority, rural and socially vulnerable communities. The Morehouse School of Medicine will enter into a cooperative agreement with OMH to lead the initiative to coordinate a strategic network of national, state, territorial, tribal and local organizations to deliver COVID-19-related information to communities hardest hit by the pandemic. Three police officers in Wilmington, North Carolina were fired Wednesday after being caught on their own dashcam video fantasizing about killing black people. Apparently, they forgot that their dashcam videos are routinely audited. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger admitted over the Father’s Day weekend that he has struggled in the past with alcohol and pornography addictions and explained that he got baptized for a second time to show his commitment to Christ, his wife and children. The 38-year-old Ohio native was a speaker Saturday at a virtual conference called ManUp Pittsburgh, an annual gathering for 1,500 men in the tri-state area hosted by the Christian organization Urban Impact in conjunction with Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. World Premiere! Donnell Isaac "I Didn't Know" is our song in the Gospel Spotlight this week.....https://www.soultracks.com/first-listen-donnell-isaac-didnt-know Todd Dulaney is back with a game changing new single that he hopes will inspire listeners to go "Back To The Book". The new single "Psalms 18" is the lead song from his 3 song EP that features songs sung straight from the scriptures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R-h_UNmgDE&feature=youtu.be National recording artist Marcus Carr just released nationally his new single titled "The Gospel" written by Ahmad Goins. The Atlanta artist recently landed a distribution deal with eOne's IndieBlu Music for the highly anticipated single. Marcus Carr also has inked a major management deal with "The Platform Agency". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPLMpQao6V4&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Gospel+Central+Media&utm_campaign=aaf6badd6d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_17_12_02_COPY_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e930d0cd50-aaf6badd6d-241881717 Five Town Gospel Choir's presentation of One Purpose consists of a group of young radical, vibrant, and energetic believers who share their gift of music to spread the message of Jesus Christ. This group is based from Long Island, New York and they are a group of young people who are firm believers in Romans 8:28. "You Are" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKHPKnp-AvQ The three suspected white supremacist accused of hunting and killing Ahmaud Arbery earlier this year were indicted by a grand jury Wednesday. According to CNN, Glynn County’s Grand Jury has indicted Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William R. Bryan felony murder charges. It was reported… Arbery was called a ““F–king n—-r” by his killer as he lay dying on the pavement after being fatally shot while allegedly jogging through his Georgia neighborhood on February 23. HBO has tapped an all-star cast for its upcoming scripted comedy set during the coronavirus pandemic. “Coastal Elites” is a comic satire from playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick and Jay Roach. The projects boasts “an all-star cast playing characters from New York to Los Angeles coping with politics and the pandemic” and “tells stories of breaking down and breaking through in the summer of 2020 that are funny, searing, poignant and now.” The cast includes Issa Rae, Bette Midler, Sarah Paulson, Kaitlyn Dever and Dan Levy. On the heels of the release of the “Little Voice” original series theme song by Sara Bareilles, Apple today revealed the official trailer for the highly-anticipated new drama series from J.J. Abrams and the award-winning team behind the global hit musical “Waitress,” Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson. “Little Voice” is a half-hour coming-of-age drama series that features new, original music from Grammy-winner and Emmy and Tony Award-nominee Sara Bareilles and marks her first foray into television. A love letter to the diverse musicality of New York, “Little Voice” is a story about finding your authentic voice—and the courage to use it. The series follows Bess King (played by Brittany O’Grady), a uniquely talented performer struggling to fulfill her dreams while navigating rejection, love, and complicated family issues. Steel Springs Pictures announced today that Common (The Hate U Give, Suicide Squad, Selma) and Jonny Lee Miller (Hackers, Trainspotting, “Elementary”) will join Keke Palmer in the feature film Alice. The compelling, character-driven thriller will be produced by award-winning Producer Peter Lawson (Spotlight, John Wick) alongside Executive Producers Jose Agustin Valdes and Luisa Fernanda Espinosa of Steel Springs Pictures and Keke Palmer. Alice is inspired by the true events of a woman of servitude in 1800s Georgia, who escapes the 55-acre confines of her captor to discover the shocking reality that exists beyond the tree line… it’s 1973. Dr. Colleen Hawthorne M. D. talks with Kelly Wright about how to give yourself and others the “grace & space” to change. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gj6eTZcZ8M&feature=youtu.be&t=1636 The new H.E.R. single, “I Can’t Breathe,” brings a smooth beat, but speaks forcefully to white America in the spoken-word bridge: “We are fed up eating your s— / Because you think your so-called ‘Black friend’ / Validates your wokeness and erases your racism.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRZWiqBHYaY&feature=youtu.be&utm_term=OZY&utm_source=Campaigner&utm_campaign=Wednesday_June_24_2020&cmp=1&utm_medium=email He believes the U.S. Senate could benefit from having a pastor in its midst right now and Rev. Raphael Warnock, who is vying to become Georgia’s first black member in the upper chamber of Congress, believes he should be the one. Monday evening, Warnock, a longtime civil rights activist and progressive preacher who leads the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastors, ministered to hurting people at the funeral service for Rayshard Brooks Tuesday. Warnock believes that now is the perfect moment for people of faith to unite across differences and lead the nation to a better place as protesters continue raging in the streets. Liz Hurley has paid tribute to her multimillionaire ex Steve Bing – the father of her son Damian – after he jumped to his death from the 27th floor of his Los Angeles apartment block amid a battle with depression. The British actress, 55, said she was ‘saddened beyond belief’ at the news of his suicide, at the luxurious Ten Thousand Building at 1pm on Monday, calling it a ‘terrible end’. The real estate heir, also 55 and thought to be worth $590million at the time of his death, took his own life having become depressed amid a lack of human contact during lockdown, sources told TMZ. Three football players formerly enrolled at Liberty University announced Monday that they will leave the prominent Virginia-based evangelical Christian institution, with two of them citing “racial insensitivity” or “cultural” incompetence of the school’s leadership. Sophomore cornerbacks Kei’Trel Clark and Tayvion Land, as well as senior linebacker Waylen Cozad, took to Twitter to announce their decisions to enter the college football transfer portal. Clark and Land, who are African American, cited cultural and racial issues. Following an investigation, the FBI concluded that the noose found in Bubba Wallace’s No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday was not a federal crime, the U.S. attorney and FBI announced Tuesday afternoon. “Monday, fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway,” the joint statement from U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr. “After a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event, we have concluded that no federal crime was committed. “The FBI learned that garage number 4, where the noose was found, was assigned to Bubba Wallace last week. The investigation also revealed evidence, including authentic video confirmed by NASCAR, that the noose found in garage number 4 was in that garage as early as October 2019. Variety Streaming Room hosted a roundtable with the cast, directors and executive producers of HBO’s “Watchmen,” including Regina King, Louis Gossett Jr. and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The talk not only covered the creative choices of executive producer Damon Lindelof in adapting the graphic novel, participants also discussed how “prescient” the series turned out to be, in terms of its depiction of police brutality, the use of masks and the 1921 Tulsa massacre. Today Hulu released a first look at the upcoming fourth season of its timely series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” to premiere in 2021 with Samira Wiley returning alongside star Elisabeth Moss and regulars Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, Max Minghella, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, Amanda Brugel, Bradley Whitford, and Sam Jaeger who has been upped to a series regular. https://youtu.be/1WLqBUi4r6o Continuing conversations surrounding issues impacting Black lives, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today (June 24) an all-new “OWN Spotlight: Oprah and 100 Black Fathers” to air Tuesday, June 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN (immediately following an all-new “Greenleaf”) and streaming for free on the Watch OWN app beginning at 11p.m. ET/PT. The special features Oprah Winfrey as she speaks with 100 Black fathers about how they are emotionally managing this moment, the urgency of having “the talk” with their children and the dreams they have for their future. This in-depth special includes conversations with Tyler Perry, Courtney B. Vance, Michael Render aka Killer Mike and Shaka Senghor. The FBI is not filing any federal charges after completing its investigation into a noose found inside the garage of NASCAR’s only full-time Black driver, Bubba Wallace. Wallace’s girlfriend, Amanda Carter, took to Instagram and shared her thoughts on the noose controversy. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBvfX1lh6VH/?utm_source=ig_embed Will Smith is set to play the father of tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams in Warner Bros.’ upcoming film drama “King Richard.” The project has hit a snag, however, as TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia have reportedly filed a lawsuit against the studio and Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment production company, claiming breach of contract, among other things. Richard Williams himself, his son Chavoita Lesane, and production company Star Thrower Entertainment have also been named in the lawsuit. It’s been just almost a year since James Fortune released the studio album, Dream Again. The albums lead single, “I AM” peaked at #1. On June 26th, Fortune will release a live version of this chart-toping album, Dream Again: Live from Rock City. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9SD6-a_GY&feature=youtu.be Boots Riley, director of “Sorry to Bother You,” has announced his next project will center on a 13-feet-tall man who lives in Oakland and starring Jharrel Jerome. Riley teased on Twitter that he has teamed with Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res to develop the series “I’m A Virgo,” which he describes as “dark, absurd, hilarious, and important,” Variety reports. Jerome’s credit include Ava DuVernay‘s “When They See Us,” “Moonlight” and “Selah and the Spades.” “The single is ‘Stand on His Promises, the album is to be released this fall. “It’s a churchy, gritty, victorious anthem…that tells you God is in control. He promised to be our source, our healer…we win all the way around.” Patton, also an actress who has starred as Mahalia Jackson for five years in the “Hallelujah Mahalia” musical, is noted for having a Jazzy vocal sound. The single “Stand on His Promises” features Korey Mickie. The Philadelphia native released her debut Gospel album in 1999 titled “Born Again." NBA star LeBron James and reigning Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes have partnered together as part of James’ More Than A Vote organization, which seeks to encourage and register African-Americans to vote and to battle voter suppression. James announced Mahomes’ addition to the group on Monday night. Returning to BET for season 10 is America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best.” Kicking off in Sunday Best fashion, the series returned with a live audience and band from Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. 2020 marks both the 10th anniversary of the show and BET’s 40th anniversary. Season 10 welcomes back GRAMMY®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host; returning as judges are GRAMMY® winning songstress & host of "Get Up Mornings," Erica Campbell, GRAMMY® nominated artist & star of BET’s “American Soul” Kelly Price and GRAMMY® nominated & multiple Stellar award-winning artist Jonathan McReynolds. Season 10 will feature exclusive performances from Yolanda Adams, Marvin Sapp, Mali Music, season 9’s winner, Melvin Crispell, III. “Sunday Best” season 10 will premiere Sunday, July 5th at 8PM ET/PT on BET. Three time Grammy Award-winning legendary gospel group, The Clark Sisters, has made history with their current single, “Victory”, reaching number one on Billboard BDS and mediabase gospel charts. This is the second number one in the groups history (“Blessed and Highly Favored” in 2007). With the Raiders now in Las Vegas, a group of Bay Area entrepreneurs and business people are looking to bring professional football back to Oakland and make history at the same time. The “African American Sports and Entertainment Committee” sent the NFL a letter of intent that outlines the proposed franchise’s intention to use the Oakland Coliseum complex as well as a path to finding a principal owner. Committee member Ray Bobbitt, an Oakland business owner and lifelong Raiders fan, says the proposal goes beyond filling the football void; it would create jobs and economic opportunities, working to improve the community. The man arrested in connection with the death of Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau has confessed to sexually assaulting her multiple times before killing her. The suspect, Aaron Glee Jr., 49, claims he held Salau captive for several days, and raped her “numerous times” before killing her, PEOPLE reports. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has accepted Bill Cosby’s appeal of his 2018 sex assault conviction. Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, said the disgraced TV star is “extremely thankful.” The decision could pave the way for the conviction to be possibly overturned in the future. Cosby, 82, is currently serving a three-to-10 year sentence in a state prison for allegedelly drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand. Back in April 2018, he was found guilty on three counts of sexual assault. 30 Rock” series star and creator Tina Fey has called for streaming platforms that carry the comedy series to remove four episodes that feature characters in blackface. Jimmy Kimmel has apologize for the 'blackface sketches.' NBCUniversal will vault the episodes at the request of Fey and executive producer Robert Carlock. William Becton Releases 25th Anniversary Lyric Video Tribute and Visual Tapestry For "Be Encouraged 2020 Remix" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tPnNfWt8wY&feature=youtu.be The Lewis Prize for Music — a creative arts philanthropy — announced today the recipients of its COVID-19 Community Response Fund. A total of $1.25 million will be awarded to 32 Creative Youth Development (CYD) organizations across the U.S. that have adapted and responded to the pressing needs of the young people they serve amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The White Hall Arts Academy received funding of $25,000 for its youth music education programs. R&B Icon Charlie Wilson Announces His New Single “One I Got” With Accompanying Music Video To Release Friday, June 26, 2020 https://charliewilson.lnk.to/OneIGotPR Gospel singer, Bryan Andrew Wilson, married motivational speaker and evangelist, Tiffany Morriar, a former background vocalist/dancer for Jamie Foxx and Nelly, this past Saturday at a private ceremony at Knotting Hill Place in Elm Hill, TX. The couple met last summer and were scheduled to be married in New York this past April 18th. However, that ceremony was postponed because of New York’s COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Wilson’s current gospel single is “With Every Beat of My Heart.” Earlier this week, Phil Vischer — creator of “VeggieTales” and voice of Bob the Tomato in the popular Christian animated series — posted a now viral video called “Race in America” that attempts to answer the question: “Why are people so angry?” https://youtu.be/AGUwcs9qJXY Gospel Jam session with Vashawn Mitchell Wednesday June 24, 2020 at 3pm.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic9yR4UHmXc&feature=youtu.be The Clark Sisters, were nominated to receive the “Dr Bobby Jones Gospel/Inspirational Award” at the 2020 BET Awards set to air Sunday, June 28, 2020 at 8pm EST. This is the first BET Award nomination for the group and the second major nomination for the song, “Victory”. The Clark Sisters are a legendary gospel music group, comprised of sisters Jacky Clark Chisholm, Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, Dorinda Clark Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard. Born and raised in Detroit, MI., they are the daughters of renowned gospel musician and choral director, the late Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, and have been singing together since 1966. The Clark Sisters have received numerous notable awards and honors collectively, including 3 Grammy Awards, 15 Stellar Awards, and one NAACP Image Award nomination. Deitrick Haddon presents a poignant and timely song titled "I Can't Breathe". The powerful video was featured on ABC's The View this past Friday. It's a powerful song with a message that echoes the sentiments of so many hearts across the nation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSXzkYq5Qnk&feature=youtu.be Worship leader Bri Babineaux demonstrates her eclectic musical taste with this thrilling song of faith. With a subtle acoustic guitar, bluesy piano chords and a rhythm section supporting her, Babineaux belts out this comforting reminder that God is the rock on which we should stand. BRI BABINEAUX RELEASES HER NEW SINGLE "HE'S MY ROCK" TO RADIO. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/N3ZDivBV5a/files/fi-862696a5-61f7-4994-b07b-9e35f0fd3268/fv-eb242d90-4dbd-4904-b480-530b7cfa7fee/Hes%20My%20Rock%20-%20Single%20Radio%20320mp3.mp3 Authorities across the Southern United States are warning of worrying signs of young people becoming more susceptible to coronavirus, amid suggestions that lax social distancing and the reopening of bars is to blame. Health officials and lawmakers in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Mississippi are all reporting spikes in the number of people in their 20s and 30s getting infected. From the beginning of the pandemic up through May 30, the median age of positive coronavirus cases was 48, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. In several Southern states that average age is dropping. JUSTIN Bieber has broken his silence to deny an allegation of sexual assault made against him. The singer, 26, took to Twitter to post a lengthy thread, vehemently refuting claims by an anonymous woman named only as “Danielle.” Bieber came forward to address the accusations Sunday, after discussion with his wife Hailey and his team. He wrote: “Rumors are rumors but sexual abuse is something I don’t take lightly. “I wanted to speak out right away but out of respect to so many victims who deal with these issues daily I wanted to make sure I gathered the facts before I made any statement. “In the past 24 hours a new Twitter appeared that told a story of myself involved with sexual abuse on March 9, 2014 in Austin Texas at the Four seasons hotel. He claimed: “There is no truth to this story. In fact as I will soon show I was never present at that location. A noose was found in the garage stall of Black driver Bubba Wallace at the NASCAR race in Alabama on Sunday – less than two weeks after he successfully pushed the auto racing series to ban the Confederate flag at its tracks and facilities. NASCAR announced the discovery late Sunday and said it had launched an immediate investigation. It said it will do everything possible to find who was responsible and ‘eliminate them from the sport.’ All of NASCAR literally stood united behind its lone Black driver Bubba Wallace this afternoon at the beginning of the Geico 500 race at Talladega. The show of unity, support and brotherhood from fellow drivers and their crew members followed an ugly display of racism with the discovery of a noose in Wallace’s garage at Talladega Sunday night. The act is now under investigation by NASCAR, the FBI and the Justice Department. https://youtu.be/lSxZ8qBJGHU A public viewing was held today, Monday (06-22-20) from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. for Rayshard Brooks at Atlanta’s Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Monday’s viewing is open to the public, the funeral planned for Tuesday is private and will be by invitation only. The 1 p.m. service will be streamed live on the church’s website, www.ebenezeratl.org. Beyond that, a private interment is planned for Brooks. https://youtu.be/vzh19JLEIdw In the wake of the loss of the Bryant family patriarch, Kobe, Vanessa and the girls marked their first Father’s day since Kobe’s death. Via Instagram Vanessa shared that she and her daughters had welcomed a four-legged buddy into their household: Bobby the dog. “Love seeing my girls smile. Meet Bobby. Aka Bobby ganoush, bobbyrooni, bobbooshka,” Vanessa captioned a snap of eldest daughter Natalia, 17, holding Bobby. “J/k he’s named after iceman from x-men (blue eyes)??.” Civil rights activist Dr. Harry Edwards believes that Colin Kaepernick not only deserves another opportunity in the NFL, he should also be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, “given what he has incited not only in this country, but around the world in terms of social justice and so forth.” https://youtu.be/q4Svr9tBP3Q The mother of the 5-year-old boy who drowned in Carl Crawford’s pool last month is now suing the former Dodgers star, claiming he is responsible for her son’s death. Crawford’s Texas home was the site of a double drowning when a woman and a boy she was watching ended up in his pool. The incident happened May 16. While Crawford was inside, the boy wandered off outside and fell into his swimming pool. The woman went in after him, but neither were able to exit the pool safely. Starz, a Lionsgate company, today released the official trailer and key art for its new original series “P-Valley.” The series will premiere on Sunday, July 12th at 9:00 PM ET/PT, following the season finale of “Hightown,” then move to its regular timeslot at 8:00 PM ET/PT starting Sunday, July 19th on STARZ in the U.S. and Canada and on STARZPLAY across Europe, Latin America and Japan. https://awsstarzweb-prod-cf.starz.com/videos/embed/677a5a52-d331-4742-8efe-cabecd913484 More than a year in the making, the contract talks between Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys continue on as the NFL deadline rapidly approaches. The two sides will be forced to wait until 2021 to revisit talks if a deal can not be struck by July 15, but the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback on Monday officially signed the exclusive franchise tag that pays him $31.4 million in 2020. Prescott had a change of heart, agreeing to sign the tender over the weekend, a source confirmed to CBS Sports. Jim Kiick, one of a trio of running backs who formed the guts of the Miami Dolphins’ team that made three consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1970s, died on Saturday in Wilton Manors, Fla. He was 73. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Allie Kiick. Kiick had Alzheimer’s disease and had been in an assisted living center. Because of the coronavirus, his daughter had been unable to enter his room. Running behind a fearsome offensive line, Kiick, fullback Larry Csonka and halfback Mercury Morris propelled the Dolphins to three Super Bowls and back-to-back titles in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. As part of our Black Music Month Celebration, we have a special set of all-Gospel Jam Sessions planned! This week will feature performances by Gospel greats John P Kee (today at 3pm), Vashawn Mitchell (6/24) and Jonathan McReynolds (6/26). Tune in to BMI’s YouTube channel every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3pm EST for a musical interlude to brighten the workday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9fzYWpcOcA&feature=youtu.be A diversity director who builds trust with minority students through campus events. A scholar researching racial disparities in higher education. A divinity school PhD student with a heart for urban apologetics. A national recruiter focusing on applicants of color. A communications professor with a background in African American rhetoric. A rising basketball star who marches for black lives. These represent a handful of the black members of the Liberty University community who have cut ties with the school over the past three weeks, as majority white institutions across the country are turning new attention to race and diversity. The departing staff and students say frustration over Falwell’s leadership has been swelling for years, particularly among minorities. They said while Falwell doesn’t represent the things they loved about their school, his remarks influence outside perceptions of the Christian university as well as the environment for black students on campus. In an effort to create a symbol of equality and unity, and in tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement ignited in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd by a police officer in May, a Private Impact Organization comprised of civic leaders, veterans, engineers, and producers is today launching a fundraising campaign for the construction of the George Floyd Monument . Set to be built using black marble, the George Floyd Monument will mirror the design of the George Washington Monument and is also planned to stand alongside it, showcasing the pair of black and white Twin George Monuments standing forever equal, even though their shades may be different. "The 2020 Black Lives Matter protests need a constant, powerful reminder," said K. Wilson, Project Director of the George Floyd Monument. "As the George Washington Monument stands for the revolution of our country, the George Floyd Monument will stand for the revolution of our equality. Never has a message of equality, at this scale, been seen by Black people in America." NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from being displayed at its events, but supporters of the symbol still managed to be seen Sunday before the race was postponed to Monday because of inclement weather. Vehicles lined the boulevard outside Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, waving the flag and a plane flew above the track towing a banner of the Confederate flag that said “Defund NASCAR.” A pickup truck with Confederate flags flying from the back tooled around Speedway Boulevard. Ed Sugg’s merchandise tent flew them prominently in a display alongside Trump 2020 banners and an American flag. It's an amazing conversation dealing with Gospel Music, Promotions and Technology streaming live Tuesday, June 30th @ 4pm ET / 3pm CT / 1pm PT. The discussion features prominent voices in the gospel music industry. LL Cool J is expanding the universe of his SiriusXM Rock the Bells channel by making several hip-hop icons stakeholders in the brand. “I really believe in this culture, I’ve lived it my entire life and it’s time that hip-hop actually benefits from hip-hop,” LL tells Billboard about the alliance he has formed with rap pioneers including Big Daddy Kane, Run-D.M,C., Eric B, Roxanne Shante, Salt N Pepa, Fab 5 Freddy, and others. LL has brought on a team of investors to help turn the Rock the Bells homepage into the premiere destination for old school rap fans. Joe Jackson’s 25-year-old granddaughter, Yasmine Jackson, was the victim of a racially charged attack in Las Vegas. “This woman chased me down and started stabbing me. She said it’s because I was a n—-r and that’s all I could hear while I was being stabbed. I can’t move my neck at all. I’m scared to be alone,”said Yasmine. Her assailant, 22-year-old Angela Bonnell, was initially charged with felony battery with a deadly weapon. The charges were later elevated to attempted murder. Now, according to KSNV, Bonnell’s has also been slapped with a hate crime charge. Bowlegged Lou‘s organization Hope With A Vizion in collaboration with Honor Thy Father INC., C.L. = Caring and Loving Organization, Just4Us Atlanta INC., Potter’s House Transitional Center and Global Humanitarian Efforts fed the homeless (Atlanta Mission: The Shepard Inn Men’s Shelter and several other shelters in metro Atlanta). They delivered meals and snack bags. They Personally fed over 100 homeless men and several of them were fathers. HBO has removed a billboard that was covering up a mural in Los Angeles dedicated to Laker superstar Kobe Bryant. The billboard was first shared on Twitter by Patrick Muldowney, who wrote “Where there used to be a Kobe mural, there’s now an HBO billboard. It doesn’t even fully cover the Kobe painting.” After WarnerMedia was made aware of the imposing ad, the company contacted a vendor called Great Outdoor to take down the billboard. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the advertising company owns that space and was not aware that the mural would be obscured, per TMZ. Comedian D. L. Hughley collapsed on-stage during a comedy show in Nashville. Now, he says he’s tested positive for COVID-19. Saturday night Hughley, 57, posted a video on Instagram, saying he received the diagnosis after a series of tests at Nashville’s Saint Thomas Hospital. “I was what they call asymptomatic,” Hughley said in the video. “I didn’t have flu-like symptoms, I didn’t have shortness of breath, I didn’t have difficulty breathing, I didn’t have a cough, I didn’t have a low-grade fever. I still don’t have a fever. I didn’t have a loss of smell or taste, apparently I just lost consciousness.” Singer Pink, a longtime critic of President Donald Trump, mocked him for the smaller-than-expected crowd at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma Saturday night. The singer joked that she “sold that same place out in five minutes” and called the event a “donkey show.” The crowd was so unexpectedly small that Trump’s campaign canceled a speech to the “overflow” crowd outside the center because the crowd was not big enough. In celebration of Juneteenth and her support for small black-owned businesses, #Beyonce´ dropped a new record called #BlackParade ?????? The proceeds will benefit small shops and companies. It was inspired by the brutal murder of George Floyd and is all about resilience and empowerment. “Happy Juneteenth Weekend! I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle,” Beyonce says. “Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power.” https://www.instagram.com/beyonce/?utm_source=ig_embed Fans of Wendy Williams will be thrilled to know that her daytime talk show has been renewed through the 2021-2022 season. According to a rep for “The Wendy Williams Show,” Season 12 will kick off Fall 2020, Page Six reports. “I want to go back to do our show” Williams, 55, shared with her followers on Instagram. “Nothing makes me happier than being Wendy on ‘The Wendy Show,’ you know what I mean?” Michael Strahan recently spoke out about tense situations he experienced as co-host on “Live with Kelly.” During a town hall on racism in front of ABC and Disney employees on June 4, the “Good Morning America” host said he couldn’t “speak up and raise his voice” behind the scenes out of fear of retaliation, per Page Six. A source tells the outlet, “Michael said that there were some very tense situations with executives who got argumentative and loud on the show, and he was very aware he couldn’t speak up or raise his voice as he was worried he would be seen as threatening.”Strahan famously fell out with co-host Kelly Ripa when he quit ‘Live’ for a full time gig on “GMA” in 2016. He didn’t refer to the show by name during the town hall, but sources claim “he was referring to the show with his comments,” Page Six writes. Terry Ellis, most recognizable as one of the members of En Vogue, one of the top 5 highest selling American female music groups in history, recently released a new song called “Angry Black Woman” in response to police brutality and social injustice. She called the song a passion project that she wrote along with its producer four years ago, but set it aside. https://youtu.be/rusYoQijKqw Funnyman D.L. Hughley was doing this thing on stage Friday night on stage in Nashville when all of a sudden it was lights out for him. He was entertaining a sold-out crowd at Zanies Comedy Club when all of a sudden, at approximately 11 PM, it appeared something wasn’t right. His speech became labored. A security guard handed D.L. a bottle of water, and a minute later he was out cold while he was leaning against a stool. https://youtu.be/yMe-2h-tr-E The African Development Bank Group suspended the China-based Sinotec company for three years for fraud — a move that will likely delay the second phase of a $150 million electricity project, which was targeted for completion in 2021. “An investigation conducted by the Bank’s Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption established that Sinotec Company Limited misrepresented its experience, the value and dates of its reference contracts and its relationship with other bidders while participating in three Bank-financed tenders under the Regional Rukumo Hydropower Project in Rwanda, the Uganda Rural Electricity Access Project and the Last Mile Connectivity project in Kenya. The Black Business Association (BBA), the oldest ethnic business organization in the State of California, will host its Annual “Virtual Salute to Black Music Awards” on Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 7 PM on Facebook Live. The event is held in recognition of Black Music Appreciation Month. Special confirmed honorees are: Gail Mitchell, Executive Director for Billboard R&B & Hip Hop receiving the Outstanding Excellence in Journalism Award, KJLH Radio Station, Owner Stevie Wonder, will receive the Historical Black-Owned Radio Station of Excellence Award and Dick Griffey, Founder, Solar Records, (Posthumously) receiving the Lifetime Legacy Award. Special Guest Performances by Howard Hewett and Klymaxx, along with The Whispers, LA Reid, Leon Sylvers III, Reggie & Vincent Calloways, Midnight Starr, Carrie Lucas-Griffey, Carolyn Griffey, Senator Holly J. Mitchell, L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Virgil Roberts Esq, Dina Andrews, and Council Members Herb J. Wesson, Jr. and Curren D. Price, Jr. Public Enemy have returned with a new song taking aim at Trump called, “State of the Union.” “Our collective voices keep getting louder. The rest of the planet is on our side. But it’s not enough to talk about change. You have to show up and demand change,” frontman Chuck D said in a statement, Complex reports. “Folks gotta vote like their lives depend on it, ‘cause it does.” “Public Enemy tells it like it is,” Flava Flav adds. “It’s time for him to GO.” https://youtu.be/OQvDRe79F8k Earlier today, the Louisville Courier Journal reported that Mayor Greg Fischer has announced the Louisville Metro Police will initiate the termination of Officer Brett Hankison, one of three LMPD officers responsible for fatally shooting Breonna Taylor in her apartment in March. In response, Chanelle Helm, core lead organizer BLM Louisville, released the following statement: “This is an unbelievable feeling. We have been fighting in the streets. This is not only justice for Breonna’s family, this is justice for the protestors who are also victims of police terrorism. While we are still perplexed why the other officers haven’t been fired we know that is still coming. We want to thank the community for coming together in support of the Louisville protestors in spite of the violence we have experienced from the police while fighting for justice.” Sen. Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson are reportedly taking their relationship to the next level. Dawson is said to be moving in with Booker in Newark, New Jersey. “I’m actually in the process of moving, by the way. I’m going to New Jersey. I’m moving to Newark,” she reportedly said. “It’s time. We were thinking about moving in together anyway, but especially during all of this, it’s been really intense. “I’m excited,” she added. Three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist, composer, and producer Mali Music has released a new live performance video for his single “Let Go.” It’s available today as part of Vevo’s Ctrl series and premiered on Mali’s YouTube channel. “Let Go” is the first single from his forthcoming album entitled Book of Mali, which will be released in a partnership between his imprint K Approved Enterprises and RCA Inspiration in the summer of 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwF5tZ3F2Uw&feature=youtu.be&src=Linkfire&lId=b36e9ae4-db34-4e6f-be84-4a07910b0515&cId=accc081b-0d6a-4d21-ba95-815f08650fcb Ethan Kent debut album WORK IN PROGRESS boasted the hit single "My Hope Is In Glory" and opened the doorway for the singer to voice his heart and share a soulful, groovy, worship style of music that has been a much-needed breath of fresh air for Christian and Gospel music. Now, Ethan has released a series of successful singles since then and has a new timely single called "God Is Good" that was birthed from his own life experiences and from a desire to offer the world a sound of hope in uncertain times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezf8WLchU3o Dray Tate reconnects with his childhood friend, Mr. Talkbox for the single “A Change Is Gonna Come (The REMIX)”. Mr. Talkbox is most famously known from the talkbox intro to the GRAMMY Award hit song “24 Karat Magic” by Bruno Mars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTIsLyqzyJg&feature=youtu.be Destined for greatness, Dy’Jah Doucett is a young rising-star from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Talented, Beautiful, Gifted, and Smart, the faith based singer currently attends Prairie View A&M University. Dy’Jah released several singles before releasing her latest EP “Save Me”, that has now been nominated for a 2020 Stellar Awards in the Youth Project of the Year category. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyyXVRn4ic0&feature=youtu.be Amanda Kloots says “it could be months” before her husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, is discharged from the hospital due to complications from COVID-19. But she was finally able to see him. The fitness instructor hasn’t been able to visit Cordero in the hospital for 79 days due to coronavirus safety guidelines and visitor restrictions, but that changed Friday when the couple reunited at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Cordero regained consciousness in May and has since tested negative for COVID-19, but remains in the ICU in a precarious state. AMC To Reopen Theaters In Mid-July, All Guests Must Wear Masks....https://youtu.be/xyLB6Gr7bp0 A Beverly Hills corporation that controls the trademarks of Pablo Escobar is suing rapper 2 Chainz and his business partner for using the late Colombian cocaine kingpin’s brand. https://youtu.be/yXgleJ96VFI Archivists in Washington, D.C., made a timely discovery this week: the original handwritten Union Army record of an order that brought emancipation to enslaved people in Texas at the end of the Civil War. General Order No. 3 was read aloud by a Union officer, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to inform Texans that all enslaved people in the state were free. That date, which became known as Juneteenth, has been celebrated ever since. In Effort To Expose Ongoing Racism, Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss Shares Despicable Racist Letter She Received This Week From Fan. https://youtu.be/P1YumqgBF2g Shining it's light on new music, the Gospel Spotlight song of the week belongs to Lionsgate's hit megachurch drama Greenleaf will premiere its fifth and final season on Tuesday, June 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Legendary Gospel singer Lady Tramaine Hawkins has re-recorded her classic hit "Goin' Up Yonder" for the GREENLEAF SEASON FIVE SOUNDTRACK. "Goin' Up Yonder" is written by Gospel icon the late Walter Hawkins and was first released with Lady Tramaine's vocals in 1975 on the LOVE ALIVE album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOdp7OcNdTI&feature=youtu.be GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Q Parker releases his new single "I Need You" from his forthcoming album, The Bridge Project: Brothers United. The Bridge Project: Brothers United’s power-packed mega second single, “I Need You,” features a host of Parker’s brothers: Tank, Jacques, Ginuwine, MAJOR., PJ Morton, Montell Jordan, John P. Kee, Todd Dulaney, Jonathan McReynolds, Travis Greene and Byron Cage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHaA0XUPJws&feature=youtu.be GRAMMY® Award-winning Hillsong Worship, along with GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard, announce the release of a special collaborative edition of “Awake My Soul.” Featuring lead vocals from Hillsong worship leader/songwriter Brooke Ligertwood and Cobbs Leonard, the single is available now on all streaming platforms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82bfVQ7XbAM Twitter has put another warning label on a Trump tweet, this time alerting users that a video he shared – a viral 2019 clip of two bestie toddlers, one black, one white, running toward each other and embracing – had been doctored to make it appear that CNN manipulated the video to amplify a story about racism. “What Actually Happened” appears over a black screen before footage of the original video showing the boys excitedly running to each other and hugging. Real video.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0IPAgi5PwI Jonathan Traylor returns with a second round of new music today, adding four new songs to his major label debut project, The Unknown. The Unknown is an innovative playlist-styled album that will continuously be updated with new songs and video content over the course of the year. Newly released songs include “For The Wild Ones,” a banger for the unashamed believers, as well as “Faithful One”featuring Mack Brock, whose songs helped to establish the global Elevation Worship ministry in Charlotte, NC. The passionate worship ballad “Keep on Coming Through” and Traylor’s live performance of the rising hit, “You Get The Glory - Live from Worship Together 20/20” rounds out the new material. Inspired by a personal season of blindfolded trust, The Unknown celebrates the constant faithfulness of God in the midst of uncertainty. New music from Aretha Franklin "Never Gonna Break My Faith" featuring the Harlem Boys Choir. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nihcir0f78b9yez/AACGyutgky3SrYg-jd7CalIea?dl=0 In celebration of Juneteenth, Apple, the National Civil Rights Museum and 92nd Street Y today unveiled that they have teamed up to host a roundtable conversation around “The Banker,” and the film’s empowering themes of positive social change. “The Banker” executive producer and star Anthony Mackie, star Nia Long and Dr. Noelle Trent, Director of Interpretation, Collections and Education, National Civil Rights Museum will all take part in the virtual conversation, which will be available to stream for free beginning at 9am PT / 12pm ET on Friday, June 19, at 92y.org and civilrightsmuseum.org. Leah Remini has called Danny Masterson’s arrest on suspicion of raping three women ‘just the beginning’ for the Church of Scientology. Masteron was charged Wednesday with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood home. Masterson, 44, stands accused of raping a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001, according to the complaint. Keedron Bryant, the 12-year-old who turned heads on social media with his passionate performance about being a young black man in today’s world, has signed a deal with Warner Records and his poignant song will officially be released Friday. His powerful video, posted on May 26, features the lyrics ‘I’m a young black man doing all that I can’ from the song ‘I Just Wanna Live,’ written by his mother. Friday’s release of the track coincides with Juneteenth, the holiday to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the US. Kim Kardashian has Signed an Exclusive Deal with Spotify for a Prison Reform Podcast she will Co-host and Produce. Mary Elizabeth Taylor, a senior official at the State Department, has resigned in protest at President Donald Trump’s handling of the protests that sprung up after George Floyd was killed by a white cop. Taylor, the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, submitted her resignation Thursday. The 30-year-old, who was the youngest assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in history and the first black woman to serve in that post, said that the president’s actions ‘cut sharply against my core values and convictions.’ Taylor, a registered Republican who formerly worked for Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said she felt she had no choice but to resign. ‘Moments of upheaval can change you, shift the trajectory of your life, and mold your character,’ she wrote in her resignation letter. ‘The President’s comments and actions surrounding racial injustice and Black Americans cut sharply against my core values and convictions. I must follow the dictates of my conscience and resign as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.’ Taylor served as the White House’s deputy director for nominations before joining the State Department. In her White House role, she helped secure more than 400 presidential appointments through the Senate, including those of conservative judge Neil Gorsuch, now a Supreme Court Justice (top left); CIA director Gina Haspel; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and her former boss, Mike Pompeo. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray didn’t hesitate when asked whether he’ll kneel during the national anthem this season. “Yeah, I’ll be kneeling,” said Murray, echoing similar sentiments shared by fellow players Adrian Peterson, Baker Mayfield and Texans coach Bill O’Brien, among others, in recent weeks. “I stand for what’s right and that’s the bottom line. I call it like I see it, and what’s been going on is completely wrong, so I’ll definitely be taking a knee.” Murray, the typically soft-spoken second-year star, didn’t shy away from questions about racial injustice, racism and the future of racial equality in the country while speaking to reporters on a video call Wednesday. Murray, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, has embraced his platform as a star black quarterback in the NFL and understands his voice is one that will be listened to. Murray said he doesn’t feel any pressure with that. After just four days of voluntary practices the University of Texas football team has 13 players who have tested positive for COVID-19 as another 10 Longhorns have been placed in self-quarantine as a preventative measure. Two of 13 positive tests came last week, when 58 players returned to campus to begin their off-season training program. The players have not been identified, publicly. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, are donating $120 million to historically Black colleges and universities. The couple have announced plans to give $40 million each to: the United Negro College Fund, Spelman College and Morehouse College, per Hollywood Reporter. https://youtu.be/u2NobguPdCk “WLM/White Lives Matter” proponents vandalized the statue of an African American sports hero, Arthur Ashe. The base of the Richmond, VA monument was tagged with white spray paint and the words “White Lives Matter” in addition to the initials “WLM.” https://youtu.be/nT2astLRtTU Tyler Perry has penned a moving essay about racism, police brutality and racial injustice in America for PEOPLE magazine. https://twitter.com/tylerperry A February interview with Rayshard Brooks, in which he discusses the challenges of life after incarceration and expresses a desire for redemption and a better life, surfaced Wednesday, four days after he was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer. The interview was given to a company called Reconnect, which focuses on fighting incarceration. https://youtu.be/6ClaO2duasY Gabrielle Union is speaking out yet again about her experience on “America’s Got Talent” and NBC’s investigation into her claims of racism on the set. During a recent appearance on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” the actress touched on the killing of George Floyd, civil rights and her decision to call out racism in Hollywood. https://youtu.be/M4rv1kPKNUs The House of Representatives held a virtual markup of the proposed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a heated argument broke out between Rep. Cedric Richmond and Rep. Matt Gaetz . The fight started afterGaetz interrupted Richmond, an African American Democrat who was in the middle of explaining how his white colleagues can’t fathom what it’s like to be a black man in America. https://youtu.be/w8WrKIenfLE TBN's "Praise The Lord" will be rockin' toight with Jekalyn Carr, Deitrick Haddon, Martha Munizzi and Myron Butler 8/7C hosted by Javen. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com "It is my deepest gratitude in addressing the magnificent class of Cass Tech 2020," Emmy & 2x NAACP Image Award winning talk show host Loni Love said during her live virtual commencement speech today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1anZCg2Z18&feature=youtu.be James L. Patterson has a new single at Gospel radio, “Serve God ''Til I Die”, which reflects a new traditional choir sound mixed with the Gullah and Geechee culture, history, and traditional sounds. Deeply rooted in music traditions brought to the Americas by enslaved Africans, Gullah Geechee music evolved out of the conditions of slavery that characterized their lives. https://soundcloud.com/the-bellamy-group/serve-god-til-i-die-james-patterson In a season where brotherly love seems to be waxing cold, where racial tensions are high, and no end to a pandemic seems to be in sight, God continues to send us gentle reminders that His love for us is neverending.. The New single from Darius Paulk affirms to us that God is yet still taking care of His people and His love goes ON & ON. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nfji6krb5qs97b7/DARIUS%20PAULK%20On%20and%20On%20RADIO%20EDIT.wav?dl=0 REIMAGINED NEW MUSIC FROM ERICA CAMPBELL PRAYING AND BELIEVING (The Remix)....https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ztnt6obWDE4 Join Maurice Griffin for an unforgettable virtual concert that will uplift your spirit during this challenging period in life. Coming off the success of his latest single, Prove Me (I’m Yours), Griffin says, “The Glory Experience is a 90 minute concert that will also include a personal back story about my life and how God has positioned me on my current career track.” Catch Griffin Tuesday, June 30th at 7p.m on his Facebook @ mauricegriffinmusic and listen to him sing and share his personal story. Hear Maurice Griffin IN His Own Words as the Gospel Spotlight's him....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/mauricegriffin_intvw.htm Grammy Award-winning Christian pop star Rebecca St. James has reemerged after a long hiatus. She said God radically called her out to release new music and a podcast during tumultuous times. James said that God’s call to upend her life in California and move back to Nashville with her family was for such as time as this. Her new podcast on AccessMore, “Rebecca St. James Friends and Family,” is a space where the singer and her friends and family authentically tackle subjects such as faith, parenting, and relationships. Her upcoming album will also be purposefully filed with power-packed songs for churches to connect with the presence of God. Grammy Award-winning rapper Lecrae found himself in the hot seat Tuesday after participating in a public discussion about racism with megachurch pastor Louie Giglio, who said slavery was a “white blessing.” The 70-minute conversation between Giglio, Lecrae and Chick-fil-A’s CEO Dan Cathy at Giglio’s Passion City Church in Atlanta was supposed to bring an awareness to racial inequity in America to Giglio’s majority white evangelical congregation and followers. Cathy, who is an evangelical Christian, walked over to Lecrae and shined the rapper’s white sneakers as a sign of humility, then offered him a hug. In response, Lecrae asked him for Chick-fil-A stock options while laughing. T.I. has addressed the recent comments made by an Atlanta megachurch pastor, who described slavery as a “blessing” during a recent interview with Lecrae and Chick-fil-a CEO Dan Cathy. In an Instagram Live session this week that kicked off with T.I. remarking there was “a lot of s*** going on,” he first spoke briefly about Lecrae’s appearance in the clip, noting that he has respect for the Christian artist. “I saw the little devil on his shoulder like ‘N****, you ain’t gonna say nothing?’ … But, you know, he exercised extreme caution and I can respect that because that’s better than me.” T.I. added that, were it him in the clip, he would have “tested [megachurch pastor Louie Giglio’s] jaw.” WARNING! VIDEO CONTAINS CURSING.....https://youtu.be/icBAlNtHGCY Goal-based savings and financial literacy app Goalsetter, has teamed up with Robert F. Smith, chairman of Vista Equity Partners, Black TikTok Influencers, and Sean Ali-Waddell, Jr., activist and cousin of Muhammad Ali, in a Juneteenth movement to sign one million Black youth up for Goalsetter savings accounts. The #SavingOurSelves initiative, designed to help break the cycle of generational poverty in the African American community by teaching financial literacy and championing family savings, is the brainchild of Goalsetter’s Founder and CEO, Tanya Van Court. Juneteenth (June 19th), is the day that marks the end of slavery in America in 1865. Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to Untitled Voting Rights documentary from production company Story Syndicate. The documentary, which prominently features insights from politician, lawyer and author Stacey Abrams, is directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lisa Cortés. Currently in post-production, the documentary is slated for release on Amazon Prime Video this year with a theatrical run prior. The documentary examines the often overlooked, yet insidious issue of voter suppression in the United States in anticipation of the 2020 presidential election. Wayne Brady is opening up about his own personal experiences with racism. The award-winning actor sat down with Access Hollywood’s Scott Evans and revealed that he was once confronted by armed guards after accidentally locking himself out of his own home. https://youtu.be/RNZD9g_w3Fc Teyana Taylor has announced her highly anticipated third LP, THE ALBUM, will be released on Juneteenth aka June 19th. THE ALBUM features special guests Rick Ross, Erykah Badu, Quavo, Missy Elliott, Future, Big Sean & more. The announcement of the album release date comes on the heels of another very special reveal: Teyana’s pregnancy with her second child. Amid their on-going legal issues, Future has offered one of his children’s mother, Eliza Reign, $1,000 a month in child support, in addition to a gag order; both of which she’s turned down. The publication says Reign’s lawyer, Brandon Rotbart, fired off an email to Future’s, Ramona Liberty, rejecting their “lowball temporary support” offer for their one-year-old daughter, Reign Wilburn. In the proposal, the “Life Is Good” rapper “voluntarily” offers to pay $1,000 a month and cover the baby’s health insurance in exchange for Reign’s silence on their case and private dealings. On June 19, V Tree restaurant business partners Chef Velvet Jacobs (aka “Chef Velvet”) and Nick Cannon will host an “Ode to Black Lives” celebration in honor of Juneteenth aka Freedom Day. Juneteenth marks the emancipation of remaining slaves in the United States at the end of the Civil War. The celebration will live stream on @thevtreehollywood Instagram with musical artists who will lift their voices in solidarity for justice and equality in the Black community. The event will feature Chika, Mumu Fresh, April Sampe, and Ayanna Gregory, the daughter of the late comedian, civil rights activist, and vegan icon Dick Gregory. Prosecutors brought murder charges Wednesday against the white Atlanta police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks in the back, saying that the black man posed no deadly threat and that the officer kicked him and offered no medical treatment for over 2 minutes as he lay dying on the ground. Brooks was holding a stun gun he had snatched from officers but was running away and was 18 feet, 3 inches from Officer Garrett Rolfe when Rolfe opened fire, District Attorney Paul Howard said in announcing the charges. “I got him!” the district attorney quoted Rolfe as saying. The felony murder charge against Rolfe carries life in prison or the death penalty, if prosecutors choose to seek it. He was also charged with 10 other offenses. Rayshard Brooks was on probation for four crimes – including cruelty to children – at the time of his fatal shooting by an Atlanta police officer on Friday. Quaker Oats announced Wednesday that it will get rid of its “Aunt Jemima” brand name and replace it with a new name and image, saying they recognize that “Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.” Following decisions by Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s to overhaul their imaging in the wake of renewed calls for racial equality, Conagra Brands also announced Wednesday it has “begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth's.” “We stand in solidarity with our Black and Brown communities and we can see that our packaging may be interpreted in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values.” Gospel singer, Worship Pastor and International Recording Artist Earnest Pugh fulfills his civic responsibilities serving as Grand Marshall for the Black Ride celebrating the freedom of African American slaves commonly referred to as Juneteenth on Saturday, June 20th. The event will consist of a peaceful ride from Brookshire to Galveston, Texas for a duration of 155 miles in honor of the 155th year the slaves were freed. “2020 has been a year to remember” states Pugh, who recently released his critically acclaimed 12th CD, The Outpour Experience. “It is true that to know where we are going, we have to know from whence we have come. The leading pastor of a popular Atlanta megachurch has apologized for his ‘horrible choice of words’ after he said white people don’t recognize the ‘blessing’ of slavery and suggested using the phrase ‘white blessing’ instead of ‘white privilege.’ https://youtu.be/xEuI-03Jcc4 Grammy Award-winning mainstream artist Chance the Rapper took to Twitter with a question for the Christian church about confronting racism in America as he studies the scriptures. “I’m sure I’m gonna get replies from nonbelievers but I’d like to ask my Christian followers out there: Why don’t we as a church explicitly address White Supremacy and racism on Sundays?” he inquired. “Why don’t we engage the truths of America and how it’s values are antithetical to the Gospel?” The famous emcee from Chicago has been actively posting scriptures during the unrest in America following the death of George Floyd. Popular Christian singer and YouTube star Jamie Grace has been very vocal about her various encounters with racism while Americans across the nation protest racial injustice. Most recently, she shared her experiences of racism in the church. “If I had known Jamie Grace was black, I definitely would not have brought her here…” she wrote on social media, revealing that a “white pastor” said this to someone from her team while they were setting up Grace’s photo banner in the lobby of the church. Grace is one of the few black singers who has had success in Christian contemporary music, whose audiences are predominantly white. The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee elected its first African American chair in a special called meeting Tuesday (June 16). Rolland Slade, pastor of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, Calif., was unopposed as EC chair and was unanimously elected by ballot vote. Outgoing chair Mike Stone called for a ballot vote, he said, to mark the historic moment. “I think we all realize by what is going on in this country as well as in our convention, this timing is in many ways the providence of our Lord,” said Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Ga. China raised its emergency warning to its second-highest level and canceled more than 60% of the flights to Beijing on Wednesday amid a new coronavirus outbreak in the capital. It was a sharp pullback for the nation that declared victory over COVID-19 in March and a message to the rest of the world about how tenacious the virus really is. New infections spiked in India, Iran and U.S. states including Florida, Texas and Arizona as authorities struggled to balance restarting economic activity without accelerating the pandemic. The Brand Is You: “5 Easy Steps to Building a Successful Brand" was released to the public June 5, 2020. The book hit the #1 Best Sellers list on Amazon in 30 minutes after being published. This book will help you understand what is needed to build your brand through strategic marketing tools that will create a more comprehensive plan to hit your goals! "No Matter your entrepreneurial goals, there are five critical steps to building a successful brand - whether you’re a savvy veteran or just getting started, you must live by it, be about it, and stand by it,” shares author Isaac Hamm, III. The family of a black man who was shot dead by cops during a foot chase in Indianapolis have filed a federal lawsuit against the city, its police department and four officers involved. The suit, obtained by DailyMail.com, alleges the officers involved in the slaying of Dreasjon ‘Sean’ Reed, 21, weren’t properly trained on the use of deadly force. It also charges that Reed’s constitutional rights to due process were violated during the May 6 chase and seeks unspecified damages. Named among the defendants is Dejoure Mercer, the officer who shot and killed Reed. Also named is Tony Scott, a cop who was caught on live-streamed video footage taken by the victim saying ‘looks like it’s going to be a closed casket, homie’. Both cops are black. The deceased man’s mother Demetree Wynn announced the suit during an emotional press conference on what would have been Reed’s 22nd birthday Tuesday. National Collegiate Athletic Association officials will weigh a decision to move the 2021 men’s basketball tournament games scheduled to be played in Idaho because the state recently passed a bill banning trans-identified males from competing in women’s sports. The 2021 NCAA Tournament is slated to feature first and second-round games scheduled to be played at the Taco Bell Center in Boise between March 18 and 20, 2021. This month, ASCAP will combine two of its signature events into one virtual celebration of music creators. ASCAP Experience: Home Edition programming will support ASCAP's Virtual Pop Music Awards and Virtual Screen Music Awards, multi-day social media events recognizing ASCAP's top songwriters, publishers and composers of the past year. ASCAP Experience: Home Edition sessions on June 18 and 25 will feature previous ASCAP award winners in pop and film and TV music talking about their work, careers, creative processes and more. Additionally, "Lift Every Voice: The Transformative Power of Inspirational Music," will feature Jason Nelson, Erica Campbell (Mary Mary) and Tye Tribbett with Motown Gospel Co-Executive Director EJ Gaines discussing how the gospel community has responded to the social and spiritual challenges we are facing now as a society. Sunny Hostin has responded to the racist comments that were allegedly made about her by longtime ABC exec Barbara Fedida. https://youtu.be/hf3iE81xa2M Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram to explain why she and her eldest daughter Natalia decided to block all fan pages dedicated to Kobe and Gigi. “Thx so much of all the ?,” Vanessa wrote. “@nataliabryant and I have unfortunately had to block fan pages because it’s been really hard to go online and constantly see pics of our beloved Gigi and Kobe under every single square of our explore pages. Blocking the fan pages has helped change the algorithm.” “We ? you all but please understand that we had to do this for our own healing not because we don’t appreciate your ?,” she added. “Xo.” Sunday night (06-14-20) was the season four finale of HBO’s hit series “Insecure,” which was written and directed by its showrunner Prentice Penny. With the show already renewed for another season, the audience didn’t know what to expect. With Issa and Lawrence starting to get back together, since episode 8, it was a question of whether this happiness was too good to be true. Then there’s the rocky relationship between Issa and Molly and Molly and Andrew. Molly has had a lot to deal with and audiences have been divided as to whether or not to be on her side of things. https://youtu.be/VOpDS5k43xA The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), founded by Bryan Stevenson, released a new groundbreaking Report on the Era of Reconstruction and the violence that defined that period of time – an era from which our nation has yet to recover. https://youtu.be/HRj35PtXnLs Saturday, August 22, starting at 10 a.m. PDT, Warner Bros. will welcome fans everywhere into the DC FanDome—a free virtual fan experience where no badge is required. Super Heroes and Super-Villains finally coming together in one place to celebrate DC’s past, present and future. Accessible for 24 hours at DCFanDome.com, the global event will immerse fans into the DC Multiverse, with new announcements from WB Games, Film and TV, and comics, as well as an unprecedented opportunity to hear from the casts and creators behind your favorite feature films and TV series, including: Aquaman, The Batman, Batwoman, Black Adam, Black Lightning, DC Super Hero Girls, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, DC’s Stargirl, Doom Patrol, The Flash, Harley Quinn, the SnyderCut of Justice League, Lucifer, Pennyworth, SHAZAM!, The Suicide Squad, Supergirl, Superman & Lois, Teen Titans GO!, Titans, Watchmen, Young Justice: Outsiders and, coming this fall to theaters worldwide, Wonder Woman 1984. David Lyn, the younger brother of Grammy award-winning producer IzyBeats (Koffee, Jorja Smith, Lila Iké) has just released his debut single “Can’t Breathe,” produced by Neri Beats, off his upcoming EP set to drop this Summer. https://youtu.be/n9EQFnEUyy4 Today, public relations veteran and media strategist Gwendolyn Quinn announced the relaunch of Global Communicator, a monthly e-publication for people of color that features in-depth profiles of publicists, public relations and communications professionals, journalists, marketing and advertising executives, and content creators. A new coalition has been launched with the goal of combating systemic racism within the theater industry. Black Theatre United (BTU) is centered on the shared experience, heritage and culture of the Black diaspora and is founded to influence widespread reform. BTU’s founding members include Black actors, directors, musicians, writers, technicians, producers and stage managers: Lisa Dawn Cave, Darius de Haas, Brandon Victor Dixon, Carin Ford, Capathia Jenkins, LaChanze, Adriane Lenox, Kenny Leon, Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, Michael McElroy, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Wendell Pierce, Billy Porter, Phylicia Rashad, Allyson Tucker, Tamara Tunie, Lillias White, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Schele Williams and Vanessa Williams. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday he would propose legislation to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday. “Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the United States,” Mr. Northam said at the press conference. “Virginia has acknowledged this with a written proclamation, which is nice, but we need to do much more.” The Democratic governor said the commemoration will start this Friday with a paid day off for executive branch employees. RCA Inspiration celebrates the upcoming 2020 BET Awards, with an award nomination in the category for the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award. Garnering his second consecutive nomination for another #1 hit, Kirk Franklin is nominated for “Just For Me.” Penned by Franklin, “Just For Me” marks his second nomination from his chart-topping album LONG LIVE LOVE, following his 2019 BET Awards nomination for the hit song “Love Theory.” Franklin’s latest single off his album is “Strong God.” RCA Inspiration’s Le’Andria Johnson has also garnered recognition in the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award category, for her featured appearance on PJ Morton’s song “All In His Plan” (feat. Le’Andria Johnson and Mary Mary). The 2020 BET Awards marks a momentous 20th anniversary, which will premiere on CBS Sunday June 28th, and simulcast live across ViacomCBS networks BET and BET Her at 8 pm ET. Pentecostal pastor Todd Tilghman, 2020 winner of TV’s The Voice, recently announced via Facebook Live that tickets are now on sale for a series of live shows at The Theater of the Stars (formerly known as the Memories Theater) in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night “at least for the month of July,” he says. Tyler Perry will cover the funeral expenses of Rayshard Brooks, the Black man who was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer on Friday night. The media mogul has also offered to pay for the college expenses for Brooks’ children. A source tells PEOPLE, Perry “spoke to Rayshard’s family and wanted to do something to help.” “His heart goes out to the family during this tragic time,” adds the source. https://youtu.be/jnHecVdUysQ An interesting story is emerging regarding a 911 dispatcher in Minneapolis who witnessed the live feed of George Floyd’s arrest on May 25. She was so concerned about what she was seeing that she called a superior to express her concerns. https://www.fox5dc.com/news/you-can-call-me-a-snitch-if-you-want-911-dispatcher-concerned-about-george-floyd-arrest-called-mpd-sergeant It looks like Eva Marcille’s time on “The Real Housewives Of Atlanta” has come to an end. According to an exclusive report by The Jasmine Brand, the model shared that she will not be returning to the reality show. Eva, who joined the show in 2018, during Season 10 said in a statement: “I appreciate the bond of friendship that I have made with several of my castmates and the strong personal relationships I have with numerous executives and producers at the Bravo and Truly Entertainment companies.” While speaking with the outlet she reportedly added, “I am thankful for the opportunity I was provided.” The family of Rayshard Brooks is speaking out for the first time since his death by the hands of an Atlanta police officer on Friday. https://youtu.be/sSnmCsN43Oo Will Smith will star in director Antoine Fuqua’s thriller “Emancipation,” based on the true story of Peter, a runaway slave forced to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the punishing Louisiana swamp on a tortuous journey to the Union Army and his only chance at freedom. Production is expected to start early in 2021. At the camp, Peter (also known as “Gordon”) was given a medical examination by doctors. When he removed his rags, they saw the raised welts and strafe marks that crisscrossed his back, extending from his buttocks to his shoulders. https://youtu.be/62FXvUflkLc The body of missing Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau was found Saturday night, over a week after she vanished on June 6 in Tallahassee, Florida. Salau, 19, went missing hours after writing on Twitter that she had been sexually assaulted by an older man. Police confirmed she was found dead in southeast Tallahassee. Along with her body, investigators also recovered the body of Victoria Sims, 75, who had been reported missing earlier in the day. Sims was an advocate for the elderly and AARP volunteer. A suspect, Aaron Glee Jr., 49, has been arrested in connection with the slayings. TV One follows the success of its popular film COINS FOR CHRISTMAS with the premiere of the sequel, COINS FOR LOVE. The film's stars Essence Atkins ("Ambitions," "Marlon"), Stephen Bishop ("Imposters," "Being Mary Jane"), TC Carson ("Living Single"), Kendrick Cross ("Ambitions") and Karon Joseph Riley ("35 and Ticking," "A Christmas Blessing") return to continue this blossoming love story. It will air on Sunday, July 19, at 9 P.M. ET/8C, followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vIHYoALUvc&feature=youtu.be GMA Dove Award Nominated group, Nashville Life Music, will release their first full-length studio album, Here For Jesus, on July 17th. The pre-order for the new project begins today. This follows their hit live EP, Taylor House Sessions, which produced a Top 5 single and GMA Dove Award nominated song, "My God (feat. Mr. Talkbox).” Nashville Life Music is the soundtrack to Nashville Life Church, a local movement that started out of CeCe Winans' living room nine years ago. Mietta Stancil Farrar and TEHILLAH Releases New Single "Heal The Brokenness" Shining it's Light!!! This is our song in the Gospel Spotlight!!!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb8tiy-soqM&feature=youtu.be Dominique Johnson is a very gifted and anointed musician and songwriter, who is admired nationwide for her amazing organ/keyboard skills... Dominique has competed her first single entitled, "Waiting On You" and the song gives us a glimpse of her personal life. "As I embark on 30 years of life, I've finally began to grasp the blessing in Waiting... I have suffered a lot of heartache and pain because I consistently moved in my own timing and not Gods. This song is a personal declaration and a testament to the journey. https://soundcloud.com/1goodknight/waiting-on-you The latest version of Otis Music Camp, OMC 2.0 The Virtual experience, held June 8-12, allowed for a plethora of familiar industry faces to stop by and continue the mission of enhancing and motivating young minds in music and the arts. Just when campers thought the week couldn’t get any better, legendary DJ, Derrick “D-Nice” Jones, treated them to a surprise guest appearance. D-Nice’s virtual “Club Quarantine” parties have been bringing millions of music-lovers, including Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna, Ellen DeGeneres, Lionel Richie, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, together. In a 34-second video clip, that’s now gone viral, a white man is seen tearing down “Black Lives Matter” signs hanging on the fence line of a South Philadelphia park at 12th and Reed streets. Seconds later, a woman passing by in a car yells “Black Lives Matter,” and he replies, “Not to me they don’t.” https://6abc.com/6249352/ Spike Lee is walking back his support for friend and fellow director Woody Allen. On Friday, Lee had said ‘Woody Allen is a great, great filmmaker’ slamming cancel culture but apologized Saturday. For the fourth time in its history, the Oscars are being postponed. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network said Monday that the 93rd Academy Awards will now be held April 25, 2021, eight weeks later than originally planned because of the pandemic’s effects on the movie industry. The Academy’s Board of Governors also decided to extend the eligibility window beyond the calendar year to Feb. 28, 2021, for feature films, and delay the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures from December until April 30, 2021. Oluwatoyin Salau, a 19-year-old protester who begged for justice in the wake of Black lives lost, has died. Police and her family confirmed the death Monday morning. Salau was found dead Saturday night after she went missing more than a week ago, on June 6, family members told the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network. Salau was one of two homicide victims discovered Saturday night in southeast Tallahassee, a couple miles from where she was last seen at a library. World-renowned contemporary Christian artist Amy Grant underwent heart surgery recently and shared of the miraculous encounter she had during the process. “I know there is so much going on in the world right now. This is a crazy, broken, yet beautiful time,” Grant wrote on Facebook this week. The iconic Christian pop singer continued, “In the midst of all of that – in the midst of all of our awareness and becoming and learning to love and see each other – I’ve had this really unique experience of having an unanticipated open heart surgery.” For the first time in a public court filing, Simone Biles, America’s most decorated gymnast and Team USA’s best hope for gold at next summer’s Tokyo Olympics, has identified herself as a plaintiff in the ongoing civil case involving USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. On Monday, attorneys for former Olympians including Biles, Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross, Jordyn Wieber and Jamie Dantzscher, along with some 140 other sexual assault victims of disgraced Team USA doctor Larry Nassar, filed a motion seeking the testimony of current and former Olympic officials. Chuba Hubbard, the nation’s leading rusher last season, tweeted Monday that he “will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things CHANGE,” in response to a photo of coach Mike Gundy wearing an OAN T-shirt. “I will not stand for this,” Hubbard posted on the day in which Cowboys players were scheduled to begin voluntary workouts on campus. “This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society, and it’s unacceptable.” Now, Mike Gundy is trying to walk it back. Teyana Taylor has confirmed that she is expecting her second child with husband Iman Shumpert. The actress-model-singer, 29, revealed the exciting news in the music video for her new song, “Wake Up Love,” in which she reveals her baby bump for the first time. The couple are also parents to 4-year-old daughter Iman Tayla (a.k.a. Junie). https://youtu.be/efC1Z7aB_Jk Prolific filmmaker Spike Lee joined the Monday, June 15 edition of “Tamron Hall” to discuss his new Netflix film, Da 5 Bloods alongside cast members Delroy Lindo and Jonathan Majors. Lee also weighed in on the current Black Lives Matter movement and shared his thoughts on Roger Goodell’s recent apology regarding peaceful protests. https://youtu.be/_r9O7SMU9vY Yesterday Stacey Abrams pre-recorded an interview on SiriusXM’s Signal Boost with co-hosts Zerlina Maxwell and Jess McIntosh, where she addressed the topics of voter suppression, identity politics, her own story of being scared by the presence of police officers, that the upcoming elections are a redo of both 2010 and 2016, and also today’s Supreme Court ruling. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/assets/images/live/clip/0d84eeb3-57dc-497c-af08-c31f16f8f19b_300x300.png JONATHAN NELSON reunites PURPOSE with this new single "Manifest." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WbkHC6js8k&feature=youtu.be TV ONE announced today the presentation of a virtual town hall to discuss the history, impact and legacy of Go-go music. An esteemed panel will examine how the music serves as a platform for African Americans to address issues such as class struggles, gentrification and the music's impact on black culture. THE BEAT DON'T STOP: Don't Mute My City Virtual Town Hall will debut on TV One's Facebook page and WKYS and MAJIC's digital and social media platforms Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at 7 p.m. ET/6C. Radio One Syndicated Personality DJ QuickSilva to Moderate with Featured Panelists Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, White House Correspondent April Ryan, Don't Mute DC Co-Organizer Ron Moten, Backyard Band's Anwan "Big G" Glover, Howard University Assistant Professor Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, Radio One Personality Vig Jagger, Media Correspondent Jawn Murray, Music Executive Bo Sampson and Radio Personality Big Brother Konan. Today, BET announces The “BET Awards” 2020 nominees with Drake leading the pack with six nominations. This year’s nominees reflect an abundance of creative expression and black excellence across music, television, film, sports, and philanthropy. The “BET AWARDS” 2020 will simulcast LIVE at 8 pm ET across ViacomCBS networks including BET, BET HER, and will make its national broadcast premiere on CBS Sunday, June 28 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT, 7:00-10:00 PM, CT). The announcement comes as protests across the country continue in light of the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Newcomers Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch garnered the second most nods with five nominations each. Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Lizzo and DaBaby are the third-highest with four nominations each. ABC News was rocked over the weekend by a HuffPost report that its senior vice president of talent and business affairs, Barbara Fedida, has a history of saying racist remarks about the network’s black journalists, including “Good Morning America” co-host Robin Roberts and “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin. In 2018, during a contentious meeting about renewing Roberts’s contract, Fedida reportedly “asked what more Roberts could want and said it wasn’t as if the network was asking Roberts to ‘pick cotton.'” Fedida also reportedly referred to Sunny Hostin as “low rent.” Another source said Fedida's comment about then-ABC News journalist Kendis Gibson, a black anchor, that ABC “spends more on toilet paper than we ever would on him.” George Floyd’s six-year-old daughter is officially a Disney shareholder, thanks to music icon/actress Barbra Streisand. Gianna Floyd revealed the generous gift in an Instagram post on Saturday. The message features a photo of her smiling with the certificate she received in the mail. Streisand also sent the child two of her studio albums, “My Name Is Barbra” and “Color Me Barbra.” “Thank You @barbrastreisand for my package, I am now a Disney Stockholder thanks to you,” Gianna’s post read. It is unclear how many shares Gianna received from Streisand. Candace Owens is defending an Atlanta police officer who shot a Black man (Rayshard Brooks) in the back, killing him. Brooks, 27, died from 3 gunshot wounds to the back, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. His death was ruled a homicide.Owens, who fancies herself as a pro-Trump (and anti-black), conservative activist posted to her Twitter account that she is raising funds to support the white officer who gunned down Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot in Atlanta on Friday night. “Black Lives Matter supports criminals. #BLEXIT supports Police Officers. We are working on building out a fund that will go live tomorrow for officers that are unjustly terminated,” Owens posted. ”Black Lives Matter Plaza was transformed into a church Sunday morning, with thousands of mostly African American worshipers praying, protesting, kneeling, and dancing near the White House after marching from the National Museum of African American History and Culture,” The Washington Post reported. Sunday’s faith-based events in Washington, D.C., were planned by both black clergy and the NAACP. https://youtu.be/FSsqX2LEdoQ Beyoncé has penned an open letter to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron demanding justice for Breonna Taylor. Tiffany Haddish became emotional during a Black Lives Matter protest event outside of the Laugh Factory comedy club, as she spoke about being “tired of all this violence. “I can’t even drive to Beverly Hills without getting pulled over — and I got a Tesla,” she said at the protest on Friday, PEOPLE reports. “I shouldn’t be afraid when I see those lights come on behind me, right? I shouldn’t feel like, is this gonna be the last day that I’m on earth? I shouldn’t feel like it’s dangerous to be born the way I was born.” She continued, “There’s certain people in my family, if they walk out the door, they might not come back. I try to laugh and figure out a way to make it funny … It’s really hard. Since Father’s Day is coming up June 21st, Money Making Conversations creator Rushion McDonald announces a new round of SWAG Award honorees on Miles Ahead Broadcasting’s nationally-syndicated Café Mocha Radio Show, featuring Black men who are an inspiration and vital contributors to their industries, empowering their communities and future generations. This latest round of honorees on Café Mocha Radio begins airing June 12th. Rushion McDonald Spotlights Van Jones, Attorney Ben Crump, Reginald Hudlin, Bubba Wallace and more. Video footage has been released of the moment a gunman fired into a Bronx park were teenagers were celebrating their graduation, killing a 19-year-old girl who was celebrating her college degree. Tyana Johnson, 19, was identified as a victim of the shooting in the Bronx, New York. Over the weekend, the NYPD released surveillance footage from a nearby street camera that shows the BMW driven by the alleged gunman and his accomplices. Johnson was struck several times in the head, torso, hip and buttocks and died later at Jacobi Medical Center. Running back Zeke Elliott took to social media after reports that several Dallas Cowboys players tested positive for COVID-19. After an NFL Network analyst reported that a number of players on the team — including Elliott — had tested positive for the novel coronavirus Zeke took to Twitter. Ezekiel then tweeted: “My agent only confirmed. The story was already written. Reporters had been called my agent all morning.” This tweet was a reference to a report by NFL analyst Ian Rapoport that said Elliott’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux confirmed that the running back had tested positive, but was “feeling good.” After months of being shut down, several states around the country are beginning to slowly reopen following the COVID-19 pandemic. While the curve has somewhat been flattened, it remains to be seen whether a second wave is imminent. Some states are opening more quickly than others, such as Texas — which has seen a rise in cases recently. Unfortunately, members of the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans may have been affected by this recent spike. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, several Cowboys players and Texans players have tested positive for the coronavirus. None of the players are believed to have been in their team facilities, and the teams have been following the proper health protocols. Rapoport says that one of the players who tested positive is Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Faith For Black Lives, in partnership with The Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York, will host a virtual social justice conference—JusticeCon: a path towards freedom. The virtual conference aims to empower attendees for social change through the power of community, conversation, and courageous action. JusticeCon will be held on June 19, also known as Juneteenth, a holiday to commemorate the liberation of black people from slavery in America. "The double pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism permeate the soul of America," said Rev. Dr. Floyd and Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake, pastors of Greater Allen Cathedral Of New York. "We can't breathe." Keys to Black Wealth Virtual Summit invites you to join in as they kick off their first-ever virtual summit to celebrate Juneteenth also known as FREEDOM DAY to commemorate the emancipation of slavery which took place June 19, 1865. This three-day virtual summit taking place June 19-21, 2020 created by Keys to Black Wealth Co-Founders David DeBerry II, Brandy N. Avery, Lemar Pughsley, and Frank Cage will feature ?some of the most dynamic culturally and socially impactful entrepreneurs of our generation. The keynote speakers are Artist, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and Actor Master P, Romeo Miller, Shaun Ross, Ray J, Willie Norwood, Lisa Raye McCoy, Omarosa, DJ Dimepiece, and 30+ additional world-renowned individuals from various industries. The speakers will be providing the keys to closing the racial wealth gap and creating generational wealth. See video of Rayshard Brooks talking politely to officers seconds before he was killed. This man should not have been killed. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2020/06/14/319854649134238039/640x360_MP4_319854649134238039.mp4 Monday morning, four days after meeting and voting to enact a number of major diversity measures, the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will again convene via Zoom to tackle another pressing issue: the date of Hollywood's biggest night of 2021. The 93rd Oscars ceremony has long been scheduled for Feb. 28, but the coronavirus pandemic has thrown 2020 into disarray for Hollywood, shuttering theaters across America; preventing production and post-production work on films that were slated to be ready for release by year's end; and disrupting elite film festivals like those in Cannes and Venice that often serve as launching pads for contenders. The daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr., Katherine Williams-Dunning, has died at age 27 after a rollover car crash. The fatal accident occurred Saturday night in Henry County, Tennessee, where Katherine lost control of her Chevy Tahoe, according to TMZ. The SUV crossed the center median and rolled over, before it ultimately came to a stop at the shoulder, reports WSMTV of Nashville. The NBA’s plan to restart the season is one of the most ambitious experiments in sports. But as players get ready to move into Disney World hotels for months of games in empty arenas, they have begun to ask themselves: Do we really want to do this? Their dissent burst into the open last week when some players said they would be willing to take a stand and sit out the season. Their concerns, which include hesitance about spending months in a restricted environment and reluctance about distracting from the Black Lives Matter movement, come less than a month before NBA teams were scheduled to arrive in Orlando, Fla. The pushback means that three crises that have shaken the country—the pandemic, the shattered economy and the civil unrest over racial inequality—have now collided in the NBA. Nike announced in a memo to staff this week that, Juneteenth, which takes place on June 19 and marks the day a group of Texas slaves learned they were free in the U.S., will become a paid holiday. Next Friday, June 19, is Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. Starting this year and going forward, Nike will recognize Juneteenth as an annual paid holiday in the U.S,” CEO John Donahue stated in the email obtained by Yahoo. Nancy Flake Johnson, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta issued the following statement today in response to the shooting death of a black man who was fleeing police in a Wendy’s parking lot on June 12, and the subsequent resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields: Today’s resignation of Police Chief Erika Shields reflects a change that is sweeping the nation with people in positions of power accepting accountability and opening up possibilities for change in policing and public safety practices in the nation. However, leadership change alone is not enough. https://youtu.be/DOiKgmCJwls A sheriff in Virginia has apologized to a Black pastor who was mistakenly arrested after he called authorities for help during an alleged attack by a white family earlier this month. Pastor Leon McCray was at his home on June 1 when he saw two people trying to dump a refrigerator on his property, he recounted during a church service Sunday. When McCray told them to stop, one person proceeded to verbally attack him and the other one went to get three other people. McCray said that all five people started attacking him verbally and physically. They were “threatening to kill me… telling me that my Black life didn’t matter,” he said. Christianity Today is calling on churches to “lead the way in biblical restitution” for racial sin, claiming that “repentance is not enough.” In a new editorial published Wednesday, Christianity Today’s President and CEO Timothy Dalrymple labeled slavery one of America’s “original sins,” adding that the Christian church was “silent in the face of slavery or even complicit in it.” “Many of the same ministers who defended slavery in the antebellum South likewise defended the racist systems that followed after the Civil War,” Dalrymple wrote. “He set up what we might call a “Zacchaeus fund” in order to restore what belonged to his neighbors. Are we willing to do the same? Black lives matter. They matter so much that Jesus sacrificed everything for them. Are we willing to sacrifice as well?” Although Dalrymple believes “the country is not ready to make reparations,” he asserts that racial injustice “demands a response” from the church — both personally and corporately. “Selfie Dad” starring comedian Michael Jr. is a timely film that shows the important role godly fathers play in a self-centered world. The theatrical release of the film switched to premium Video on Demand and comes out June 19, just in time for Father’s Day. https://youtu.be/-e2e6-PVMBA Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jay Pharoah has said that he feared for his life during a recent interaction with police, comparing it to the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.Pharoah said the incident occurred in April, while he was exercising in Los Angeles, and four police officers surrounded him with guns drawn, saying he matched a criminal suspect description. ‘I see an officer to the left of me, I’m not thinking about it because I’m a law abiding citizen,’ Pharoah recalled in an Instagram video posted Friday. ‘I see him coming with guns blazing, I see him say “get on the ground, put your hands up like an airplane,”‘ he continued, saying the incident occurred near Ventura Boulevard and Corbin Avenue. Pharoah said in an interview that he was doing interval training and was walking after a sprint, and was wearing noise-cancelling headphones at the time that left him initially confused at what was going on. Howard Stern Under Fire After Clip Resurfaces of him Using Blackface, Saying N-word in Skit. A comedy skit resurfaced last week featuring longtime radio host Howard Stern wearing blackface and using racist language. The video clip, which appears to be taken from a New Year’s Eve pay-per-view special in 1993, is painful to watch, but it offers an important lesson as America comes to terms with its own painful history of racism. In the video, Stern is joined by his longtime sidekick Robin Quivers. They parody Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg’s controversial 1993 performance, in which Danson also wore blackface. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of3UEVz7ja4 Authorities in the Southern California city of Palmdale are investigating the death of a 24-year-old Black man found hanging from a tree near City Hall, which they originally described as an apparent suicide, prompting outrage in the community. A passerby reported seeing Robert Fuller’s body around 3 a.m. Wednesday. Emergency personnel responded and found that he appeared to have died by suicide, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials said. Fuller’s death has generated intense scrutiny, especially after nationwide protests rebuking the police killing of George Floyd. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the high desert city of 150,000, marching from the park where Fuller’s body was found to the sheriff’s station. Many carried signs that said “Justice for Robert Fuller.” The sister of Tyra Womack, a 57-year-old Baltimore gospel radio host who was shot dead outside her home during a dispute with a neighbor earlier this week, said God intervened and allowed Womack to shield her son, who was the main target, and save his life. The victim’s sister, Courtney Scott, told news station WBAL that the suspect came out of nowhere and began firing at Womack’s 25-year-old son, who was waiting for his mother on the front porch Wednesday night. Womack was an announcer on WEAA-FM’s weekly “Gospel Grace” radio program for three decades. The American church’s quarantine anthem made its way to the States from Nigeria, where songwriter and Pentecostal worship leader Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu, known as Sinach, first popularized “Way Maker.” Her hit has since topped the US charts for both Christian airplay and church worship during the first months of the pandemic. https://youtu.be/n4XWfwLHeLM She was raised in the Episcopalian faith and regularly attends church. And in an interview with the LA Times published Thursday, Reese Witherspoon, 44, revealed that she believes in heaven and in life after death. ‘I don’t have a lot of fear, that’s true,’ the Hollywood star and mother-of-three said. ‘There’s a time and a purpose and a place, and I don’t fear death, because I know there’s heaven. I know it.’ Witherspoon went on: ‘I believe deeply that there’s a higher power — and I don’t know what that is — but I just don’t fear dying.’ Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he regrets not signing Colin Kaepernick in 2017, and denied that a second meeting with the quarterback was scuttled in 2018 because of the team’s uncertainty about whether he planned to continue kneeling during the national anthem. Speaking with reporters via video conference Thursday, Carroll also revealed that he received a phone call earlier in the day from another team asking about Kaepernick, saying that hadn’t happened until now. Carroll wouldn’t disclose whom the call was from, but it left him with the impression that at least one team is currently interested in the quarterback. TolumiDE "Together We must Live in Love" series is themed - Different races Beautiful faces Strong voices. Tune in LIVE daily at 5pm. Sharing music that celebrates diversity. For this series TolumiDE will be singing and sharing original songs + some of music influences "I hope this music will bring some fun and healing and togetherness" - Saturday - TolumiDE “My Love” album music and Sunday - Don Moen & Ron Kenoly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8INeRFsYtZA Multiple award-winning Gospel superstar Marvin Sapp releases an impassioned new song and video with “Thank You For It All.” Available now at digital music providers and launched to Gospel radio, Sapp’s soaring voice is a reassuring balm on the track, thanking God for His ever-present guidance and providing strength to survive through difficulties and pain. Shining it's light! “Thank You For It All” is the Gospel Spotlight song of the week....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYormAJoEk8&src=Linkfire&lId=86f82d48-fdac-4534-821f-074e13111ebe&cId=1d681ba4-6479-4561-967c-533a58a7ab54 Legendary artist and Gospel music icon Richard Smallwood took to social media this week and demanded justice for Blacks after learning about alleged discrimination at a historic theatre in Philadelphia. “I’m tired of racism and I must speak out,” said Smallwood, who has won countless Grammys, Stellars and numerous awards for his music. Just last week, millions heard the classic “Total Praise” written and performed by Smallwood at the funeral memorial for George Floyd. “This is not funny at all,” Chappelle said in response to George Floyd’s death and the resurgence of #BlackLivesMatter protests in a surprise Netflix special, “8:46,” that the streaming service dropped on YouTube Friday. https://youtu.be/3tR6mKcBbT4 Many African Americans are aware of the significance of the 19th day of June, better known as Juneteenth. Known also as “Emancipation Day,” on June 19, 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was read to enslaved people in Texas, informing them that they were indeed free. For Gospel Jazz recording artist Richard D’Abreu, Jr., June 19, 2020, is a day of freedom as well. The talented saxophonist, keyboardist and mentee of improvisational master Max Roach chose this special day to debut his new Gospel Jazz record, Jazz in the Spirit. Embattled Buffalo (New York) Police Department’s past is coming back to haunt them during George Floyd protests. Carol Horne, has been interviewed heavily while protesting George Floyd’s police brutality death, was not a usual suspect. She (a black woman) was a police officer coming up for retirement after 19 years on the BPD when she came across a fellow white officer (Officer Gregory Kwiatkowski) beating and choking a detained black man (Neal Mack) in a reported domestic disturbance call. https://youtu.be/O4OOcGfVWns The son of legendary NBA and Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been arrested. Adam Abdul-Jabbar was taken into custody for allegedly stabbing a neighbor in San Clemente, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Friday. Adam Abdul-Jabbar, 28, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was released after posting bail, according to Carrie Braun with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Gucci Mane has called on fellow artists to take a stand with him against “racist” music labels. Thursday, Atlanta rapper put his label Atlantic Records on blast in a series of since-deleted tweets, claiming the company is “polite racist,” PEOPLE reports. Gucci also said he plans to quit the label next month. “Leaving #AtlanticRecords July 3rd,” he wrote, “these crackers polite racist.” In follow up posted he added: “All artists let’s go on strike f— these racist ass labels burn them down too #BlackLivesMatter #BlackExecMatter f— these crackers????” Atlantic Records is also home to Cardi B, Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars. Michael Paran, Founder and CEO of P Music Group, today announced the release of a new tribute song and video from triple Grammy nominee, K-Ci Hailey, “Tears In Heaven.” K-Ci’s version of the song, originally written and performed by Eric Clapton, is dedicated to his longtime friend and mentor, Andre Harrell, Founder of Uptown Records. The “Tears In Heaven” video is out now on K-Ci’s YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFenlLANQJw&feature=youtu.be Houston-area officials are “getting close” to reimposing stay-at-home orders and are prepared to reopen a Covid-19 hospital established but never used at a football stadium as virus cases expand in the fourth-largest U.S. city. The announcement by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday came a day after the Lone Star state recorded its highest one-day tally of new cases since the pandemic emerged. Tulsa was home to one of the most prosperous African American communities in the country. Businesses flourished along Greenwood Avenue — dubbed Black Wall Street, according to tradition, by the great educator Booker T. Washington. Residential neighborhoods spread out in a bustling community of several thousand souls. In a little more than 12 hours, it was gone. In the Drexel Building elevator on the rainy morning of May 30, 1921. A young black man known as Dick Rowland got on the elevator on the third floor of the building and before the doors opened on the ground floor the white operator, Sarah Page, was screaming. Rowland was arrested. White mobs invaded Greenwood intent on burning, looting and killing. This is a part of what happened in the 1921. The league announced Thursday that it will commit $250 million over a 10-year period to different programs that combat systematic racism and fight against social inequality. ?”The NFL is growing our social justice efforts through a 10-year, total $250 million fund to combat systemic racism and support the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African-Americans,” the league said in a statement. “The NFL and our clubs will continue to work collaboratively with NFL players to support programs to address criminal justice reform, police reforms, and economic and educational advancement. LeBron James announced Wednesday that he and several other professional athletes plan to found a charitable organization to protect black voting rights. https://youtu.be/oxX0_WQki2Y Thursday Grammy Award-winning gospel singers Karen Clark Sheard and Dorinda Clark Cole of the legendary group, The Clark Sisters, performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Marcus Jordan Delivers aa Message of Empowerment Through his music video and single "I CAN." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTn88M2r-nU&feature=youtu.be Loni Love found fame, going from a little girl in the projects to a successful engineer and, finally, a star?" - People Magazine feature available on shelves Friday, June 12. Loni Love the 2-time author answers several important questions about her in the highly anticipated, "I Tried to Change So You Don't Have To" book. An inspiring, hilarious memoir about learning to resist the pressures of conformity, love yourself for who you are, embrace your flaws, and unlock your true potential is set to release June 23, 2020 (pre-order today). The head of the Presbyterian Church (USA) cautioned congregations against reopening for in-person services amid renewed concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. PCUSA General Assembly Stated Clerk, Rev. Herbert J. Nelson, explained that while worship is important and restrictions are being loosened, churches should “take our time” and “not rush” into reopening for in-person services. “Allow us to take this slowly and to recognize in all things that we are to be the persons who help to build the abundant life that individuals seek on this side of Heaven.” “So I am asking that we slowly move through this process of reentering, even when laws allow us to do so. I would ask us to take an opportunity to think through what it means to do the very basics that government officials and also healthcare officials have asked us to adhere to.” HBO Max has reversed its decision to remove “Gone With the Wind” from the platform following criticism over the film’s depiction of slavery. At first, the streaming service said the original film will be brought back but “with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement” of racist scenes and the depictions of slavery. HBO Max added, “‘Gone With The Wind’ is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society.” When the movie returns, it’ll be “presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.” HBO Max previously announced it would temporarily pull the iconic drama after “12 Years a Slave” screenwriter John Ridley published an op-ed calling for the removal of the film because it depicts slavery in a positive light. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour has apologized for not doing enough to “elevate” Black voices and staffers. Wintour acknowledged in an internal email to her team on Thursday that she has made many “mistakes” in her 32-year tenure, including publishing images and stories that have been “hurtful or intolerant.” “I take full responsibility for those mistakes,” she wrote, Page Six reports. “I want to say plainly that I know Vogue has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators,” she wrote. “We have made mistakes too, publishing images or stories that have been hurtful or intolerant. I take full responsibility for those mistakes.” Wintour then vowed to do better going forward. Jas Waters, a TV writer who worked on the NBC series “This Is Us,” is dead. She was 39. Waters has writing credits on 18 episodes of the show, according to IMDb. She also worked on Comedy Central’s “Hood Adjacent With James Davis,” VH1’s “The Breaks” and Showtime’s “Kidding.” Additionally, she worked on “Hardball,” “Save The Last Dance,” MTV’s “Real World,” “Barbershop,” “Barbershop 2: Back in Business,” NBC’s “ER” and Taraji P. Henson’s “What Men Want.” She had her own column in VIBE magazine in 2012 before she began working as a screenwriter. Louisville Police have finally released the incident report regarding the death of Breonna Taylor, and it offers few details of the disturbing tragedy that sparked days of protests in the city. The four-page incident report almost three months after Taylor’s killing and a significant amount of the information about what went down that night has been redacted. The Louisville Metro Police department said errors in the report are due to a programming/technical issue. “Inaccuracies in the report are unacceptable to us, and we are taking immediate steps to correct the report and to ensure the accuracy of incident reports going forward,” the department said in a statement. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer called the report “unacceptable” in a statement issued Wednesday. The three officers involved in the shooting, Sgt. Jon Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison, named in the report. Each has been placed on administrative reassignment. Authorities in Oklahoma are investigating the violent arrest of two black teens who were accused by white police officers of jaywalking in a Tulsa neighborhood. Tulsa police Tuesday released two body cam videos of the officers after video of their arrest went viral. In one video, two officers approach the pair from behind after spotting them walking in the middle of what appears to be a residential street. Seconds later, an officer begins trying to restrain one of the teens who becomes visibly frustrated. The other video shows both officers forcing that teen to the ground and putting on handcuffs. The other teen is seen asking the officers why the teen was getting arrested. “All he was doing was jaywalking,” one officer responds to the teen. “We just want to talk with him. Then he had to act a fool like that.” Later, an officer ends up on top of the teenager while he’s restrained on his stomach after he was handcuffed. “Get off me! I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” the teen shouted. “You can breathe just fine,” the officer replied. “You’re fine.” In a letter to the African Parks, the Duke of Sussex shared his concerns for his 1-year-old son Archie’s future amid the coronavirus crisis. “Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn’t been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity,” Prince Harry said, per PEOPLE. “I want us all to be able to tell our children that yes, we saw this coming, and with the determination and help from an extraordinary group of committed individuals, we did what was needed to restore these essential ecosystems.” Harry also noted that the coronavirus is a “global pandemic that has shaken us to our core and brought the world to a standstill.” The U.S. has reached another dire landmark in its fight against COVID-19, surpassing 2 million confirmed cases on Wednesday. New coronavirus infections are rising in at least 20 states, even as restrictions on daily life continue to ease across the country. More than 112,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. — the most fatalities reported by any nation, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University. And most experts believe those numbers underestimate the true toll. Colin Kaepernick brought awareness to police brutality four years ago. With the cell phone video of the police brutality and the murder of George Floyd, now it is a global light on these horrendous assaults on Black-men (people) and now protesters at large in America. After several high-profile NFL players last Friday released a video on social media demanding an apology from the NFL to “condemn racism, help end the systematic oppression of Black people, admit wrong on silencing NFL players for peaceful protest and state, the NFL believes Black Lives Matter”; Roger Goodell/NFL immediately posted a video stating the aforementioned. However, Roger Goodell/NFL did not apologize to Colin Kaepernick. On behalf of Kaepernick, we the people believe and demand an apology from Roger Goodell/NFL and his job back is OVERDUE. There will be a march in support of Kaepernick,to bring awareness to this social injustice still being displayed by the league, demanding an apology from Roger Goodell/NFL or we the people will boycott watching NFL games and purchases of any NFL branded merchandise. This peaceful protest march is being done to bring awareness of a petition at change.org: http://chng.it/GSqTDV24Qq. Terrell “T.O.” Owens and LisaRaye McCoy will lead the protest march with some members of Kaepernick’s fraternity, the men of Kappa Alpha Psi. The march will be held in Inglewood. Just two days after Bubba Wallace made a statement saying he felt NASCAR should ban fans from flying the Confederate flag at tracks, a ban has been permanently put into effect at all events and properties of the auto-racing giant. Sunday, Bubba Wallace, the only African American driver racing full-time in any of NASCAR’s top three series wore a shirt that said “I can’t breathe” in honor of George Floyd’s. After Wallace wore the shirt for pre-race ceremonies and the national anthem, NASCAR held a moment of silence before the green flag as president Steve Phelps spoke to drivers and teams over the radio about racial injustice and the move for social change. Spike Lee says President Donald Trump “will go down in history as the worst president of the United States of America,” over his response to the nationwide protests over George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. In a June 7 interview with GQ U.K., Lee said “If this guy wins, the world is in peril. Not just the United States of America. The world.” He also noted that Trump has Klansman “tendencies.” Recalling the deadly 2017 white supremacist rally in Virginia, Lee added: “He sided with the Klan in Charlottesville. He’s sympathetic to their cause.” Soledad O’Brien over the past few years, she has become one of establishment media’s most fiery critics. On Twitter, where she has more than a million followers, O’Brien regularly blasts outlets for coverage that minimizes the threats posed by Trump’s administration. In 2003, she joined CNN, where she helmed the Black in America series and won an Emmy for her coverage of the 2012 presidential election. In 2013, however, while she was hosting the morning show Starting Point, her CNN career ended abruptly when she was pushed out by then-incoming president Jeff Zucker. https://youtu.be/KDxhrYkJrtU Before the first pick was made, Major League Baseball delivered a message: The sport stands fully behind the Black Lives Matter movement. At the outset of the amateur draft broadcast Wednesday night, Commissioner Rob Manfred said “this moment is a call to action” and baseball “can do more as an institution” to combat systemic racism and inequality. Executives from all 30 teams working remotely held up signs that read: “Black Lives Matter. United For Change.” A New Jersey corrections officer has been suspended and #FedEx has terminated a man’s employment after a viral video showed them mocking George Floyd’s death in front of Black Lives Matter protesters. Social media users found out their identities and went to work with reaching out to their employers. The officer is Joe DeMarco and Jim DeMarco an employee for FedEx. On Tuesday the company announced that the man had been fired. Philonise Floyd, the younger brother of George Floyd, told a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday that people of all races want to see more accountability and respect from police. “I’m tired of pain … I’m here to ask you to make it stop,” he said. The House Judiciary Committee is meeting to discuss police reform proposals following the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis officers that triggered national outrage. Also testifying are the Floyd family’s lawyer, Benjamin Crump, a former Secret Service agent and the sister of a federal law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty. On Wednesday, the Minneapolis Police Chief said that bodycam footage of George Floyd‘s death won’t be released. Chief, Medaria Arradondo‘s explanation was that since it is being investigated by the FBI it’s up to them to make the footage public after one of the officers’ lawyers said it will “prove” there was a struggle. https://youtu.be/JGw8D0EXUNQ NAACP, in partnership with Ed Gordon Media, will host a Virtual Town Hall featuring Former Vice President Joe Biden, and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH) on Wednesday, June 10 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. They will discuss the global public health crisis and incidents of hate crimes which have laid bare for many the disparities and systemic racism present throughout our nation. The conversation will be moderated by Journalist Ed Gordon and will provide an opportunity for audience questions. Steve Harvey has allegedly purchased Tyler Perry’s former Buckhead mansion for $15 million. A source connected to Tyler tells TMZ … “Tyler has a lot of great memories from the house and is happy his friends Steve and Marjorie will be calling it home.” Harvey, meanwhile, has owned homes in Chicago, Texas and Los Angeles, as well as metro Atlanta. Iggy Azalea has announced that she she and rapper Playboy Carti have welcomed their first child together. The Australian artist shared the exciting news on Instagram Wednesday, writing: “I have a son. I kept waiting for the right time to say something, but it feels like the more time passes, the more I realize I’m always going to feel anxious to share news that giant with the world.” Iggy went on to say that she wants to “keep his life private but wanted to make it clear he is not a secret.” “I love him beyond words,” Azalea added. The “Fancy” rapper did not reveal her son’s name or when he was born. Bravo has curbed four cast members of the hit series “Vanderpump Rules” following accusations of racism. “Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules,” a Bravo spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. Schroeder and Doute’s firings comes a week after former cast member Faith Stowers revealed that the two women had reported her to the police for crimes she didn’t commit. Russell Simmons appeared on the Breakfast Club recently to slam the sexual assault claims leveled against him in HBO Max’s “On the Record” documentary. https://youtu.be/uxzhsMkCCcM San Franklin is stepping out front and into her season to flourish musically with a highly anticipated debut album called THE FREE PROJECT. Recorded live in front of a standing-room-only, high-energy crowd in Nashville, San's album represents her vocal agility and significant anointing that will now be experienced via a global platform. THE FREE PROJECT has dropped the first single "Set My Feet." In wake of the tragic deaths of a score of unarmed black people at the hands of overly aggressive law enforcement officers and the protests that have broken out in response to them across the United States, Tyscot Records reminds the world of the hopeful message in Shirley Murdock’s 2011 collaboration “Someday” which features Kelly Price, Regina Belle and Beverly Crawford. The song hails from Murdock’s 2011 album, Live: The Journey. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/05oWqCWaxS/files/fi-58e0c0a4-3120-408c-babc-c07798a7fcad/fv-ff2f2bb7-c583-42af-8555-75d66b670d18/Shirley%20Murdock%20Live%20-%20Someday%20Featuring%20Regina%20Bell,%20Beverly%20Crawford%20&%20Kelly%20Price%20Radio%20Edit%20320mp3.mp3 Deitrick Haddon, “Open Door Season.” The up-tempo anthem tops the Airplay Chart, the second on that chart for Haddon. Haddon’s latest album, T.I.M.E (Truth Is My Energy), is hailed as his “best work yet. Deitrick Haddon, shares, “I am very excited about Open Door Season being #1. People need to know that “doors are still open for them”, even though we have been sheltering inside. It’s not over and God is still working! It’s been 20 + years and this is my 2nd #1! Hear Deitrick Haddon In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/deitrick_haddon.htm 4-time GRAMMY® nominated songwriter and producer Jekalyn Carr, 23, unveiled the encouraging video for her song "Changing Your Story". The "Changing Your Story" live music video premiered on Carr's YouTube/Vevo channel Monday, June 8, and the digital track along with the bonus track "Power of Love" released Friday, June 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAD3ucBLI-U&feature=youtu.be In a speech offered in lieu of his address at the denomination’s canceled annual meeting, Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear called for members of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination to declare that “black lives matter.” “We realize that, especially in a moment like this one, we need our brothers and sisters of color,” Greear said Tuesday about how the leadership of the denomination lacks diversity. “We know that many in our country, particularly our brothers and sisters of color right now, are hurting. “Southern Baptists, we need to say it clearly: As a gospel issue, black lives matter. Of course, black lives matter. Our black brothers and sisters are made in the image of God.” Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” his first feature since the Oscar-winning “BlacKkKlansman,” is an angry, incendiary and extraordinarily timely film that surveys decades of racism in the United States with a sharp, unflinching eye. And “Da 5 Bloods” is also an adventure story about a quartet of Vietnam vets who return to the country where they once fought to find the remains of their squad leader, and also dig up some buried treasure that they left behind in 1968. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5RDTPfsLAI Ghana, considered a gateway of the brutal slave trade to the United States that began more than 400 years ago, is urging “unwanted” Americans of African heritage to resettle within its borders in the wake of the police killing of Minnesota resident George Floyd. During a memorial and wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Floyd last Friday, Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Barbara Oteng-Gyasi invited African Americans to “re-settle in Ghana if they feel unwanted” in the United States. Oteng-Gyasi reportedly declared: Racism in America continues to be a deadly pandemic, for which for more than 400 years now, our brothers and sisters in the United States of America have yearned for a cure. Bubba Wallace, the only black driver on the top-flight Cup Series, wants NASCAR to ban all uses of the Confederate flag at its events. Meanwhile, he and his team, Richard Petty Motorsports, are preparing to race a car Wednesday emblazoned with “#BlackLivesMatter.” The paint scheme for Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet is set to be black, unlike its look in recent races, with an image on the hood of a black hand clasping a white one in solidarity. The front and rear of the car will feature the words “Compassion, Love, Understanding.” In a video his team posted Tuesday, Wallace said, “I’m excited for this opportunity to run #BlackLivesMatter on the car for Martinsville,” referring to the track in southern Virginia hosting the next evening’s 263-mile Cup Series race. Hundreds of mourners, family members and friends, poured into the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, Texas Tuesday to say good-bye to George Floyd. His home going service was moving as Gospel singers Kathy Taylor, Kim Burrell and Zacarti Cortez serenaded the congregation and The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a heartfelt eulogy. “If four black cops had done to one white man what was done to George, they wouldn’t have to teach new lessons,” says Sharpton. “They would send them to jail.” Rev. Sharpton also told the family, “When the last TV truck is gone we will still be here.” Among those in attendance were Floyd Mayweather, who paid for the entire service, Jamie Foxx, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Al Green, Leela James, relatives of Armaud Arbery, Botham Jean, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner were recognized. Vice President Joe Biden recorded a video message that was played at the service. Christian filmmaker and preacher DeVon Franklin was invited to talk about race with radio/television host and producer Ryan Seacrest on his popular radio show, where he confronted Seacrest about his personal silence on the matter. “Now OK, now you’re my brother, Ryan. So we’re having an honest conversation. I love how you have used ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest’ that page, your Twitter to be vocal about these issues. But Ryan Seacrest, the individual, on your social media pages has been silent around this,” Franklin told the radio personality. “That silence is the silence that we need to break because when white men, especially in power, are silent when they have influence, it by definition allows these issues to persist,” Franklin told Seacrest. ‘Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn’, created for HBO by Ivy Meeropol, will be released on June 19. It explores the life of notorious political fixer Roy Cohn and his friendship with President Donald Trump. The first trailer for the movie was released on Tuesday and reveals how Trump ‘fell in love’ with Cohn’s belief that you should ‘never admit that you’re wrong’. It also delves into Cohn’s prosecution of Soviet spies with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the ‘Red Scare’ and his life as a closeted gay man who was a ‘rabid anti-homosexuality activist’. https://youtu.be/FMnV1QuMm9E Cops‘ six-year run on Paramount Network and its predecessor has come to an end. Pulled last week in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, the series will not be coming back. “Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a Paramount Network spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. The long-running Cops premiered on Fox in 1989 and aired for 25 seasons. A Virginia judge has ordered a 10-day halt to Governor Ralph Northam’s plan to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee statue on Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue. Northam announced on June 4 that the monument would come down, after days of heated protests rocked the city. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and is often at the epicenter of heated national debates about the war’s losing side. “That statue has been there for a long time. It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now. So we’re taking it down,” Northam said during a press conference. Judge Bradley B. Cavedo issued the 10-day injunction after a lawsuit argued that the state government committed to protecting the Lee monument when it took control of the land where it sits. Veteran Washington running back Adrian Peterson and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees once shared a huddle and a locker room. But the former teammates’ views on kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games couldn’t be more different. Especially after the video of the dying moments of Houston native George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, with those since-fired officers now facing murder charges. Peterson emphasized that he respects Brees as a person, couldn’t disagree more sharply on the quarterback’s controversial stance regarding on-field protests intended to raise awareness about police brutality and social injustice. Instead of using his platform to decry racial inequality, Brees came off as insensitive when he shifted the conversation to criticize players who protest by taking a knee during the national anthem, as since-exiled quarterback Colin Kaepernick did in 2016, and labeled that action as antipatriotic. Brees has twice apologized publicly and privately to try to resolve an issue that could potentially divide the Saints’ locker room and has prompted protesters to curse his name in New Orleans. Provident Music Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, announced today that it has re-branded as Provident Entertainment to showcase the company's wide spectrum of industry-leading faith based entertainment. Provident Entertainment, which operates under the umbrella of Sony Music Nashville, includes Provident Label Group, RCA Inspiration, Essential Worship, Essential Music Publishing, Provident Films, and Essential Artist Services. As a faith-based entertainment industry leader, Provident Entertainment and each of its entities strives to produce products that engage faith-minded audiences with positive messages.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohK0gelA1uk&feature=youtu.be Kerry Washington directed the June 7 episode of Insecure, and it was pretty much a dream come true. The Scandal and Little Fires Everywhere actor took to Instagram to celebrate the occasion. "Have been a huge fan of Insecure since the jump," Washington wrote in the caption of a photo featuring herself and the show's stars, Yvonne Orji and Issa Rae (who also created the series). "This is a show that showcases our full humanity. Our beautiful joys and struggles. Our culture, our neighborhoods. Our rich alive blackness." Dariuis Paulk "Strong" is our song in the Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/z0domj81a0077k2/AAD8Fj-sg09m8mP6L9aRqtKHa?dl=0&preview=DARIUS+PAULK+%22Strong+Name%22+.mp3 Kelontae Gavion "Hold Me Close" to hit radio now!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xwILRWTVWg Coming off the heels of their hit “Praise Belongs To You,” Jason Clayborn & the Atmosphere Changers deliver an inspiring new gospel ballad, “God Made It Beautiful.” https://spaces.hightail.com/space/gX6If9ydWH/files/fi-f3cf340a-78fe-48e9-bbf7-b3d99232cec9/fv-4c801084-62d0-473a-bc74-8c09fd2d024e/05.God%20Made%20It%20Beautiful%20feat%20Daria%20Raymore_HiRes_48.24%203202mp3.mp3 If you follow Gospel legend BeBe Winans on Instagram (@BeBeWinans) then you have gotten a glimpse into how he is faring during his time during quarantine in Nashville, TN home after recovering from COVID-19. But now, in his new video for his new single “Free, Free,” shot with key social distancing precautions in place, he pulls back the curtain to show how despite being on lockdown, he is finding a way to live free through running, music and faith as well as connecting with family and friends with special appearances by Debra Joy Winans (Greenleaf) and Willie Moore Jr. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDJZ4HpSt7o&feature=youtu.be Ava DuVernay’s Array media company has launched the Law Enforcement Accountability Project, or LEAP, designed to hold police officers accountable. During an appearance on Monday’s “Ellen,” the filmmaker described it as a fund focused on storytelling around police violence and abuse that’ll commission projects across multiple media formats, including film, literature, theater, dance, fine art and music. LEAP is designed to empower activists to pursue narrative change and is envisioned as a two-year project to launch at least 25 works of art. https://youtu.be/vrYaj-Wi0o8 Disease experts are raising an eyebrow at a statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that transmission of COVID-19 by people with no symptoms is “very rare.” https://youtu.be/NQTBlbx1Xjs According to the New York Post, the Assembly and Senate passed five bills Monday evening, including one that criminalizes the use of police chokeholds that result in injury or death. The use of chokeholds by the NYPD had already been banned in 1993. As CBS News notes, that bill is named for Eric Garner; the Staten Island man who died back in 2014 while in police custody after Officer Daniel Pantaleo body-slammed him, and put him in a chokehold as he shouted out, “I can’t breathe” several times. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed in an Instagram post that he’s been receiving “sickening but not surprising” emails since his company took a stance in support of Black Lives Matter amid the protests over racism and police brutality. The trolls and haters are giving him heat after he responded to a customer complaint about the “Black Lives Matter” banner that greets shoppers on Amazon’s site. Bezos clapped back at the customer’s “All Lives Matter” message by noting in an Instagram post that Black Lives Matter “doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter.”He added, “Black lives matter speaks to the racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system.” Phil Vischer, creator of the popular Christian animation “VeggieTales,” said he decided to use his platform to address issues of racial injustice by penning a blog where he said that being white gave him access to opportunities that others did not have. “I’m watching America burn, and watching fingers point in all directions. Of course, I’m not a racist. I’ve never kneeled on anyone’s neck or denied housing to anyone. So I’m clean. Right?” He recently wrote in a blog posted to his podcast website Holy Post. “This situation has me examining how I tell my story, and I am more convinced than ever that how we tell our stories matters. I have benefited from racial injustice,” Vischer said. Tony Dungy, an outspoken Christian, a sports commentator, and the first African-American NFL coach to win a Super Bowl, is coming to Drew Brees’ defense. Dungy, has voiced some concerns about taking a knee during the national anthem, spoke up for Brees’ right to have an opinion. “I don’t downgrade Drew for that,” he said. “That’s what he said. He may not totally understand. It may have been not exactly how he wanted to express it. But he can’t be afraid to say that.” “And we can’t be afraid to say, ‘OK, Drew, I don’t agree with you, but let’s talk about this,’” Dungy continued. “We can’t just say anytime something happens that we don’t agree with, ‘I’m done with that, and I’m done with this person.’ That doesn’t make sense. We have to be better than that.” Black Panther actress Letitia Wright released her 3-day YouVersion Bible reading plan called “Overcoming.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CA9_0AjBTQN/?utm_source=ig_embed Michelle Obama has always used her platform to support young people in the United States. From her healthy eating initiatives during her time in the White House to reading books to kids during the coronavirus pandemic, the former first lady always seems to show up when the youth of our country need her most. https://youtu.be/VXDTmAYsFxQ Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) appears to be the first Republican senator to join protestors at a Black Lives Matter rally. Marches and protests have been taking place around the world in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25. The former presidential candidate also shared a simple message of support on both his Twitter and Instagram accounts, writing simply, “Black Lives Matter.” Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday announced the state will begin working toward correcting inequalities in health care coverage across the state. During his daily updates in Frankfort the last three months, Beshear has given a breakdown of the racial makeup of the state’s COVID-19 cases. Throughout the crisis, cases involving black patients have outpaced the state’s black population. “We are gonna begin an effort to cover 100 percent of our individuals in our black and African-American communities,” the governor said. “We’re gonna be putting dollars behind it.” Stephen Curry (left) marched alongside protestors in Oakland, Mike Tyson took a knee (inset), San Jose Sharks star Evander Kane launched a diversity initiative, and NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace stood for the national anthem in a shirt reading ‘I Can’t Breathe’ (right) as African-American athletes continue to find ways to fight racism in the wake of George Floyd’s killing this week. Tyson posted a picture of himself kneeling on social media Monday after President Donald Trump reiterated his disapproval of athletes protesting racism by refusing to stand for the national anthem. Tyson and Trump have known each other since the 1980s, when the former boxed at the latter’s Atlantic City casinos. Join Pastor Bryant Scott Tyscot Film & Music Ent., Apostle Curnal Fahie Author and marriage counselor, Phil Thornton Film/TV Producer and General Manager of RCA Inspiration, Pastor Moses Blue owner of WBND TV & Radio, Bishop Arvetra Jones founder of ALJ Agency and President of NC/SC Announcer's Guild, Pastor Lonnie aka Bubba Stewart rapper and missionary and Pastor Edwrin Sutton who's new single is "I Hear Rainfor "When Godly Men Speak." These men will have it on June 12th @ 8:00PM EST for Part One. On June 26th @ 8:00PM EST activist and real estate mogul Pastor Chris Walker, Author of "My Pain Your Gain" Pastor Emile Stanton, Minister Titus Showers with hit single "It's Gonna Be Alright", Bishop Eric Loyd the founder of RTN TV Network, Promoter Min. Jacob Hernandez, Radio Announcer/Motivational Speaker Pastor Happy Akasie and Pastor Guy Reeves real estate mogul of Momentum Circle will have their ZOOM forum. Do miss these on fire anointed men of God. Bonnie Pointer, one of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters is dead. Pointer, who was originally part of the popular quartet group of sisters in the ’70s and 80s, passed away this morning, according to her sister Anita. “It is with great sadness that I have to announce to the fans of The Pointer Sisters that my sister, Bonnie died this morning,” Anita told TMZ. Our family is devastated, on behalf of my siblings and I and the entire Pointer family, we ask for your prayers at this time.” Anita added: “Bonnie was my best friend and we talked every day, we never had a fight in our life, I already miss her and I will see her again one day.” The saints and the sinners will be going at it again this summer. Bounce encore its mega-hit drama series Saints & Sinners with two episodes back-to-back every Sunday night at 9:00 pm (ET). Saints & Sinners centers around the pursuit of power, intertwined with greed, deception, corruption, compromising sexual affairs and murder – all set against the back drop of a large southern church. Keith Robinson is one of the stars in the series. Hear Keith Robinson In His Own Words....www.gospel-spotlight.com/keithrobinson_intvw.htm Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. apologized Monday for a tweet that was racist. “After listening to African American LU leaders and alumni over the past week and hearing their concerns, I understand that by tweeting an image to remind all of the racist past I actually refreshed the trauma that image had caused and offended some by using the image to make a political point.” Falwell, a stalwart backer of President Donald Trump, apology comes after nearly three dozen black alumni denounced him last week, writing in a letter that his rhetoric has “repeatedly violated and misrepresented” Christian principles. They said they would stop urging students to attend Liberty, would no longer donate to the university and would urge fellow people of faith to avoid speaking at the school unless Falwell changes his behavior or steps aside. An online instructor for Liberty, a black pastor who also teaches at Ithaca College, also announced his resignation online in response to the tweet. Reebok and hundreds of athletes have cut ties with CrossFit after founder Greg Glassman tweeted ‘it’s FLOYD-19’ on Sunday in response to an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation tweet. Hear Us Now,” a special “Tamron Hall” show airing Friday, June 12, will showcase the voices of young Americans who are marching, protesting, and demanding change in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Viewers will see exclusive video diaries from the frontlines of the protests. These young people are the first generation to bear witness to countless killings of unarmed black ?men and women that have resulted in a lack of justice time and again. “Hear Us Now” will also look at how different generations have experienced police brutality and systemic racism through the eyes of one family. CNN Political Analyst Bakari Sellers, his dad Cleveland Sellers, Jr. – who was shot in the arm during a 1968 campus protest and spent seven months in prison, convicted for inciting a riot – and his 15-year-old step-daughter Kai Carter will join the conversation. When it comes to sports, the nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality for the past couple weeks has brought renewed focus on the NFL’s handling of protests during the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest during the anthem resulted in the former 49ers quarterback essentially getting blackballed from the league. And in response to the protests in 2018, the NFL went as far as requiring players to either stand for the anthem or remain in the locker rooms. But nearly four years after Kaepernick’s kneeling, Roger Goodell posted an apology video in response to NFL stars demanding change in a Black Lives Matter video. Monday, Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury went on the record to say that he would support his players should they protest during the anthem. In the wake of the recent killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Bishop T.D. Jakes is calling for a national conversation on policing and race to be immediately followed by an action plan for police reform. In a pointed opinion piece published on FoxNews.com, Jakes says now is the time to put in place a response with buy-in from community leaders, clergy, police unions, the U.S. Justice Department and elected officials. The plan must address longstanding issues like the implementation of de-escalation training and the lack of standardized hiring practices for the nation's 18,000 police departments. It must also include tough measures such as cutting or eliminating funding for recalcitrant police departments. "The ongoing demonstrations around the nation offer a glimpse into what the future looks like if nothing is done," Jakes writes. TV One celebrates Black Music Month with the debut of its original documentary, THE BEAT DON’T STOP, airing on Sunday, June 21 at 8 P.M. ET/7C, followed by an encore presentation at 10 P.M. ET/9C. https://theomnifirmla.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0ad182ed9e9cbce12a71ec62d&id=39ca91ecca&e=3e678a09d7 White police officers and community members gathered to wash the feet of black faith leaders in North Carolina, echoing the Biblical story of how Jesus washed his disciples feet. Members of the Legacy Church Center, led by co-pastors Faith Wokoma and her husband Soboma, helped organize the unity prayer walk, where people gathered, observed eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence to mark how long a white cop had his knee on Floyd’s neck and prayed for the country. As a part of the event there was a ‘Washing of the Feet’ ceremony where at least three white law enforcement officers and three other white attendees washed the feet of pastors Faith and Soboma Wokoma. Sony Music Group has launched a $100 million fund “to support social justice and anti-racist initiatives around the world,” the company announced Friday (June 5), noting it will immediately begin donating to “organizations that foster equal rights." “Racial injustice is a global issue that affects our artists, songwriters, our people and of course society at large,” said Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer in a statement. “We stand against discrimination everywhere and we will take action accordingly with our community fully involved in effectively using these funds.” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott called on churchgoers and police officers nationwide to take a stand against “bad apples” in their communities while chatting with Dr. James Dobson to discuss the unrest in the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Touching on the issue, Scott told Dobson that it’s impossible to begin the conversation without first acknowledging that the trigger for the protests has been another “senseless death of an African American man at the hands of the police.” A Philadelphia couple celebrated their wedding alongside Black Lives Matter protesters after their original nuptial plans were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Kerry Anne Perkins and Michael Gordon were taking photos outside the Logan Hotel on Saturday when hundreds of people participating in a march honoring George Floyd passed by on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The newlyweds decided to merge their celebration with the demonstration as protesters erupted with congratulatory cheers. The newlyweds decided to merge their celebration with the demonstration as protesters erupted with congratulatory cheers. Former NFL wide receiver Reche Caldwell was shot and killed during a ‘targeted’ attack in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday night.Former NFL wide receiver Reche Caldwell was shot and killed during a ‘targeted’ attack in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday night. The 41-year-old’s mother, Deborah Caldwell, confirmed his death to TMZ on Sunday. The outlet reported Caldwell – a star football player at the University of Florida who went on to play for three NFL teams – was leaving for a date with his girlfriend when he went back into his home to grab a jacket. The girlfriend said Caldwell was ‘ambushed’ by a ‘couple of people’ who jumped out of the bushes in an attempted robbery. John Elway says he’s no longer staying on the sidelines and is “joining with the players, coaches and our organization in speaking up against racism, police brutality and any injustice against the black community.” The comments from the Denver Broncos’ general manager came in a lengthy Twitter post at the end of a tempestuous week in which his head coach, Vic Fangio, drew widespread condemnation for suggesting he didn’t see racism or discrimination in the NFL. Longtime ESPN NFL insider Josina Anderson is officially out after nearly nine years with the network. The veteran reporter is set to depart after the expiration of her contract this summer. As ESPN’s first female NFL reporter, Anderson served up a league topics and notable interviews, and she was a regular on “Sunday NFL Countdown,” “NFL Live,” and “SportsCenter.” She previously worked as a reporter with Fox 31 in Denver for six years. Lecrae Shares his Thoughts on the Murder of George Floyd: https://youtu.be/Mobm_J4tFHQ Thousands of mourners arrived at George Floyd’s memorial in North Carolina, celebrating the life of the black father who’s police-involved death has sparked nearly two weeks of mass protests across the country. Local authorities anticipate somewhere between 30,000 to 40,000 people to come to the Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters in Raeford, North Carolina. Drew Brees the now seemingly enlightened New Orleans Saints quarterback went at the President of the United States just days after they both appeared to be on the same side about protests during the national anthem at NFL games. After getting slammed by critics, including several of his own teammates, Brees later apologized. But Trump, of course, who NEVER apologizes, responded to Brees’ comments Friday afternoon. As a so-called “big fan” of Brees, 45 said the QB “should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American flag.” Brees new response: ‘It has never been’ about the flag. Not only that, he went the extra step and posted an Instagram message directly to Trump on Friday night, calling him out for turning the protests about racial and social justice into an issue about disrespecting the flag. In the wake of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo calling for the arrest of those two Buffalo, NY policemen who injured an elderly protestor, they have been charged. The officers, unofficially identified as Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, were charged with assault Saturday, according to prosecutors, reports the AP. The action was taken not only at the behest of Gov. Cuomo, but also after a viral video showed them shoving a 75-year-old protester in recent demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Both Torgalski and McCabe pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault. They were released without bail. Bill Cosby has weighed in on the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, via a written statement posted on Instagram by his publicist Andrew Wyatt. “When I think about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other Black people murdered by racial hatred, I could not help but think about my son, Ennis, who was also brutally murdered,” said Cosby. In his message, Cosby recalled the death of his son Ennis Cosby, who was fatally shot in 1997 during a robbery attempt while he was changing a tire on the side of the road in LA. “Before racial hatred shot our beloved Ennis in the head and abruptly ended his life, this raging inferno of racial hatred stated, ‘die ni–er’ before he pulled the trigger. I understand the pain; I understand the helplessness; and I, too, understand that NO parent has willingly filled out an application to become a member of the ‘My Child Was Murdered by Racial Hatred’ club,” Cosby said in his statement. L.A.’s Finest” season two premieres Monday (06-08-20) exclusively on Spectrum. The one-hour crime drama follows LAPD detectives Syd Burnett (Gabrielle Union) and Nancy McKenna (Jessica Alba) who take on the most dangerous criminals while skirting the rules and speed limits. Oprah Winfrey has revealed that her partner Stedman Graham has been racially profiled, just like (most, if not) every other Black man in America. During a Facebook conversation with her bestie Gayle King, Winfrey said, “A lot of white people don’t understand what they’re seeing … but when you feel invisible and unheard, it sends the message that you don’t matter. I do not know a Black man period who has not been profiled, including Stedman Graham.” https://twitter.com/Oprah Governor Gavin Newsom (left) says film studios can resume working on June 12, but final approval must be given by Dr. Barbara Ferrer (right), the head of LA County’s Department of Public Health. On what would have been Breonna Taylor‘s 27th birthday, John Legend is fighting for justice. In a new op-ed written for Entertainment Weekly, he decided to shine a light and spread awareness on an essential worker who died in Louisville, Kentucky. “Today I use my platform to demand justice for this essential person, this woman, daughter, sister, and friend,” John wrote in his op-ed. “While her loved ones need to be indeed in our prayers on this hard day, we also must commit to never stop fighting for justice in her name.” He continued, “As we continue to work towards systemic change, I join Breonna’s community in the immediate demand for justice.” Kanye West is showing his support by joining protesters from his hometown marching in the wake of George Floyd‘s death. The rapper was photographed joining demonstrators in Chicago Thursday. Donning a black face mask, West, in a video shared by a reporter for NBC Chicago. West stands as a fellow marcher yells: “We need everybody to stand where they are because we are going to march.” West’s marching comes amid continued, nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism after Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee on his neck as Floyd said repeatedly he couldn’t breathe and pleaded for the officer to stop. THE SEASON FINALE OF JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ FEATURES RADIO HOST KAY FOXX AND SINGER MELKY JEAN SATURDAY, JUNE 6 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYFTeUT-jxE&feature=youtu.be JORDIN SPARKS PREPARES INTERNATIONAL FAVORITES ON HEART OF THE BATTER THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 6 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZOK0ZC_EGU&feature=youtu.be June 5 would have been Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday, but her life was cut short when she was killed on March 13 by police who had broken into her house with a “no knock warrant” in search of illegal drugs at Taylor’s home in an apparent case of mistaken identity. Taylor, an EMT, was shot eight times by three narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door while attempting to enforce a search warrant that named another suspect, Jamarcus Glover, who did not live at Taylor’s residence. No drugs were found in the home. Police defended their use of force by saying they were returning fire after one officer was shot in the apartment and wounded. “Race Matters: America in Crisis, A PBS NewsHour Special” will premiere on PBS stations nationwide Friday, June 5, 2020, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET. The primetime special will be anchored by managing editor Judy Woodruff and include contributions from PBS NewsHour senior national correspondent Amna Nawaz, White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, and special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault. https://youtu.be/AKpIr9dk2j0 In response to the continuing civil unrest in America following the tragic murder of George Floyd, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today a two-night special “OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here?” that will simulcast on OWN and across all of Discovery’s 18 other U.S. networks on Tuesday, June 9 (Part 1) and Wednesday, June 10 (Part 2) at 9 p.m. ET/PT both nights. It will also stream for free on the Watch OWN and Discovery Family TVE apps, as well as OWN’s Youtube, Facebook and Instagram channels and be available on Discovery’s global platforms in more than 200 countries and territories. The D.C. Department of Public Works painted the words Black Lives Matter on a street downtown ahead of what’s expected to be one of the largest rallies in the nation’s capital on Saturday in response to the killing of George Floyd. The, Mayor Muriel Bowser renamed the stretch “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” The sign was raised during a ceremony Friday morning in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, where that man in the White House did his bible-toting photo-op this week after clearing out peaceful protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets. Martin Gugino, a longtime peace activist from Elmhurst, NY. Because of the actions of 2 of Buffalo’s finest, Gugino is in serious, but stable condition and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling for criminal charges to be made against the officers. Gugino, 75, is in a serious but stable condition at Erie County Medical Center following the altercation with cops which left him lying in a pool of his own blood on the sidewalk in front of City Hall Thursday night. https://youtu.be/1ww-Xq0yZfw Trina addressed calling protestors “animal”. “I would never say that, or call black people animals or any names. I am a black person, I must be an animal, I must be this same person. I mean, that’s not who I am.” Meanwhile, some Twitter users aren’t buying her apology. https://youtu.be/R9VZksFxmK4 Snoop Dogg chopped it up with Big Boy on the Real 92.3 on Thursday, where he confessed that this November will mark the first time he’s ever voted. The rapper explained that he previously avoided the voting polls due to his criminal record. “I ain’t never voted a day in my life, but this year I think Imma get out and vote because I can’t stand to see this punk in office one more year,” Snoop said . “For many years they had me brainwashed thinking that you couldn’t vote cause you had a criminal record. I didn’t know that. My record’s been expunged, so now I can vote.” Gospel Superfest 20th Anniversary – Saturday June 20th Has Been Postponed Due to the recent developments pertaining to the Corona Virus Outbreak (COVID 19). In commemoration of this twenty-year milestone, executive producer and show founder Bobby Cartwright, Jr. promises to take viewers back and revisit some of the most memorable moments in the show's amazing history with a two-hour special with its release date to be announce. The show will also release "The Best of Gospel Superfest" series as part of its syndicated offerings for 2021. We have numerous back-stage moments, interviews, dress rehearsals and all of the twenty-years of performances well preserved in our library. In the interim and prior to the 2021 season, the show will begin releasing highlights online covering all twenty-years this coming Tuesday, June 9th which will commemorate its first day of production. The 57 members of a special squad on the Buffalo Police department – the Emergency Response Team – have resigned from their posts. The information is according to the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association. The announcement comes one day after two members were suspended without pay when a video surfaced, showing them pushing Martin Gugino, a 75-year-old protester, causing injury. “Fifty-seven resigned in disgust because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,” said John Evans, PBA president. Acclaimed worship leader, Nia Allen’s drops "Every Nation" (EP), the six-track EP, "Every Nation," is available now at all major digital retailers. Every Nation features six uplifting songs, including the lead-single, "Every Nation," recorded live at Hopes House in Los Angeles, based off Revelation 7:9-11, describing what worship will look like in Heaven. Every Nation was created to capture a sound that all believers are able to sing - regardless of their race, culture or background. EP track, “Wait,” is a simple song of worship reminding all to wait on God during the current political time of social unrest and know that God will implement change. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mbCzfFbOQY&feature=youtu.be Dr. Mark Williams is a surgeon, singer, songwriter, educator, and lecturer, but most importantly, he is the headship of his family who leads with a life of worship. Dr. Mark has written a powerful book to introduce and engage men to embrace and actively pursue a life of worship. WHEN A MAN WORSHIPS is his new book that issues a decree to men to be rightly empowered as leaders in their homes and in their communities. William Becton releases the "Be Encouraged 2020 Remix" and he will be offering the third installment of his BROKEN series of albums. To complete the trilogy, Becton will release BROKEN 3 later in June. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2r2cnTPk3E&feature=youtu.be World-renowned contemporary Christian artist Amy Grant underwent heart surgery this week, according to the singer’s representative who asked her followers to pray. “With all that is going on in our world that needs our collective prayer, please also join us in praying for Amy this week as she has heart surgery to correct her PAPVR condition,” reads a message from ‘Team Amy’ on her Facebook page Wednesday. The surgery reportedly went well according to her publicist, Velvet Kelm. Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return is a birth defect of the heart according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Award-winning Christian singer Natalie Grant and her husband, composer Bernie Herms, revealed they’ve lost thousands of fans after speaking up against racism following the death of George Floyd. In response, Grant hosted an Instagram Live conversation Wednesday with a few of her black friends on racial issues in America to help educate herself and her followers. https://www.instagram.com/nataliegrant/?utm_source=ig_embed Kanye West donated $2 million on Thursday to the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, as well as set up a college fund for Floyd’s daughter Gianna. TMZ reports West made a separate donation to help cover the legal costs for Arbery and Taylor’s families as well. He established a 529 education plan to fully cover college tuition for Gianna Floyd. West’s donation comes following several other notable artists including The Weeknd, Drake, and other entertainers donating large sums of money towards non-profit organizations and other groups that can help the families of the victims. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex delivered a speech on racism, George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, describing the current civil unrest in the United States as “absolutely devastating.” In a six-minute video addressed to the students at her former high school, Meghan admitted she was “really nervous” about speaking on the issue, but realized that “the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.” “George Floyd’s life mattered and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered and Philando Castile’s life mattered, and Tamir Rice’s life mattered,” she told the students of Immaculate Heart High in Los Angels. https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1268439724492050434/img/YSil4adJcoa451sv?format=jpg&name=small Rumors swirled that Wendy’s was contributing to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Back in May, it was reported that James Bodenstedt — the CEO of Muy Cos., a franchisee of Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut — had donated some $440,000 thousand to Trump’s campaign. But in all fairness, franchisees operate independently yet #WendysIsOverParty is still trending on Twitter. Wendy’s however, denied giving and funds to Trump’s campaign. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com NBA star LeBron James has fired back at New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for saying the #TakeAKnee movement is “disrespecting the flag.” His remarks came during an interview with Yahoo Sports Wednesday, when Brees was asked about NFL players continuing the movement that Colin Kaepernick started in 2016 by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem to protest police brutality. James was quick to add his voice to the chorus of Brees’ critics. “WOW MAN!!” James wrote on Twitter. “Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of [the flag] and our soldiers (men and women) who keep our land free.” Celebrities and Black content creators have praised actor John Boyega for his emotional speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in London on Wednesday. https://youtu.be/GGXEB25WdyQ New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is in hot water after he made controversial remarks about kneeling and now fellow athletes and commentators are coming for him. https://i0.wp.com/eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shannon-sharpe.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 Today Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump who is representing the family of George Floyd was a guest on SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show” and told Joe he believes a first-degree murder charge is still possible based on newly discovered evidence. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/83d16b9d-d53f-45bc-9690-82d4983295c6 It’s not over as far as Gabrielle Union is concerned. The actress and now former “America’s Got Talent” judge has filed a discrimination complaint against NBCUniversal and the show’s producers, one of which is Simon Cowell. https://youtu.be/z_IOYhM8AnU New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was forced to apologize after making clear that he would not support NFL players kneeling in protests of police brutality during the playing of the national anthem before games. His remarks came during an interview with Yahoo Sports on Wednesday, during which Brees was asked about the possibility of NFL players continuing the movement that Colin Kaepernick started in 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. After catching heat from sports fans and athletes alike, including LeBron James, Brees took to his Instagram to issue an apology. Mosaic MSC released their latest album HUMAN with a message of hope and unity amid the global coronavirus pandemic, which has been followed by nationwide protests in the wake of the death of Gorge Floyd. The group, which is comprised of worship leaders from Mosaic church in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Pastor Erwin McManus. Mosaic MSC includes individuals from different backgrounds and aims to bring all people together in a musical think-tank that “promotes creativity and individuality.” Their lead single, “Fountain (I Am Good),” has received over half a million streams and is looking to follow the success of their breakout anthem “Tremble.” Pastor John Gray from South Carolina was a guest on SiriusXM’s “Joel Osteen Radio” and he discussed how faith, hope and communication is the key to bridge this divide. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0db6975d-a06b-7dea-a489-606207d9f537/04226463-27ed-4de0-a0d0-6334db44ce14 A Houston teen has gotten nearly 10 million views and counting with a TikTok video that lists the unwritten rules his mom taught him to think about every time he leaves the house. Cameron Welch an 18-year-old looked at his camera and reciting his mother’s rules. “Don’t be out too late. Don’t touch anything you’re not buying. Always have a receipt when you leave the store,” Welch says in his viral video. “Never make it look like there’s an altercation between you and someone else.” https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/houston-teens-viral-video-lays-out-the-unwritten-rules-many-african-americans-teach-their-kids/285-edb42a2d-c127-47f7-a108-2f2d3dfe436b Without ever mentioning Donald Trump by name, Dwayne Johnson has called out the president in an emotional video supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. https://youtu.be/5Xu4nL1tsXI The full autopsy report on George Floyd reveals that he was positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 but died from “cardiopulmonary arrest.” https://youtu.be/Jb5Mucoh938 A decision has been made by Minnesota’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, regarding whether or not to charge the three other cops involved in George Floyd’s death. Ellison says the evidence now supports not only a stronger charge, for now, ex-officer Derek Chauvin, but the arrests and charges of the other 3 officers, too. https://youtu.be/hIvOAzKKSNc Earlier today, former President Barack Obama gave props to young people for leading the fight against racism in America. Obama spoke Wednesday during a virtual town hall sponsored by My Brother’s Keeper Alliance — an org that partners with his Obama Foundation. https://youtu.be/oqYcVWtitqc Amanda Seales feels like the odd man out and has revealed that she declined to renew her contract on the hit show, The Real. Seales has been criticized for how she reacts to topics and her sometimes animated facial reactions when at the table tackling hot issues with her co-hosts, Jeannie Mai, Loni Love, Adrienne Houghton, and Tamera Mowry-Housley. She told her friend, Brandon Victor Dixon, that she just didn’t feel right moving forward. https://i0.wp.com/eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Amanda-Seales.jpg?resize=768%2C657&ssl=1 Jay-Z addressed Floyd’s murder in a statement released Sunday night, in which he urged Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to “do the right thing and prosecute all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd to fullest extent of the law.” Now Jigga and his Roc Nation family have taken out multiple full-page ads in newspapers across the country in honor of Floyd, who was murdered by Minneapolis police during an arrest over suspected forgery on Memorial Day. Floyd’s death has sparked protests around the world; from LA to Chicago and New York, Paris and London. PBS announced that it will broadcast a series of films and new specials focused on race in America following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the ensuing protests that erupted across the country. In addition to re-broadcasting films focused on African American history by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Stanley Nelson, PBS will also show programs like FRONTLINE, POV, INDEPENDENT LENS and other iconic series that explore the impact of racism on black Americans and the larger country. PBS will rebroadcast THE TALK – RACE IN AMERICA on Thursday, June 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET. https://youtu.be/TTxs40r393U URBAN ONE, INC. announced today the presentation of a virtual town hall to discuss the current political and racial climate plaguing the African American community titled, We Are One: More Than A Hashtag, Thursday, June 4 at 8 p.m. ET. The one-hour virtual town hall will stream live on the digital platforms across the Urban One brands Radio One, Reach Media, TV One and iOne Digital. Veteran Media Personality Sybil Wilkes to Moderate with Featured Panelists NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, National Urban League President Marc Morial, Political Commentator Bakari Sellers, CURLS Founder and CEO Mahisha Dellinger, Reach Media Syndicated Radio Hosts Russ Parr, Erica Campbell, Angie Ange, Rickey Smiley, Willie Moore, Jr., and Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart. When You've tried everything else and you've put your business out on social media. Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson has a suggestion for you. "Try Jesus!" Shinig it's light on the world, It's our song of the week in The Gospel Spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-ohf4-_LFo&feature=youtu.be North Central University, a private Christian university in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, is set to host a funeral service for George Floyd Thursday amid escalating protests over his controversial death while in the custody of local police officers. Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is founder and president of the National Action Network, is expected to deliver his eulogy at the memorial service set for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Attendance at the memorial service, which will be held inside the Lindquist Sanctuary, Trask Word & Worship Center, will be restricted to verified persons only. The university noted that it was also working with planners of the event and the governor’s office “to ensure appropriate measures will be in place for health and safety related to COVID-19.” Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family, also announced that a funeral service for Floyd will be held June 9 in Houston where Floyd grew up. Pastors and Christian entertainers took part in Blackout Tuesday, a movement to spread awareness, mourn and call for policy change in America following the death of George Floyd. The movement was meant to encourage individuals, organizations and brands to only post messages on social media speaking out against racism toward black and brown people, and using a simple black background. Joining the movement in solidarity Tuesday was Paula White, Pastor Joel Osteen, Pastor Tony Evans, Pastor John Hagee, Pastor Brian Houston and Andy Stanley. Award-winning Christian singer Lauren Daigle broke her silence about the death of George Floyd with a 53-minute response after being questioned about it by some of her friends. “I received a lot of text messages yesterday about my silence regarding the George Floyd issue,” Daigle said at the top of an Instagram video filmed Monday morning. https://www.instagram.com/lauren_daigle/?utm_source=ig_embed George Floyd’s son knelt in prayer Wednesday during a visit to the site where his dad died in a racially charged police killing in Minneapolis. Quincy Mason also spoke briefly to a large crowd that gathered for his visit. https://youtu.be/OjJGQORF_kM Sacramento Kings play-by-play TV announcer Grant Napear lost his job with the team and radio station KHTK on Tuesday over his “all lives matter” social media comment directed at former Kings player DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings in a statement said Napear resigned from his TV role. Sunday as protests took place across the country in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, Cousins tweeted at Napear: “What’s your take on BLM?” Napear responded: “Hey!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven’t heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER…EVERY SINGLE ONE.” Not only are we dealing with a global pandemic, but we are also in the midst of racial tension and civil unrest that has swept through the country. With news of the senseless murder of George Floyd, people throughout our nation and all over the world are standing together in protest and are crying out for justice and equality. Sunday we will be launching our new sermon series entitled ReChurch. In response to the civil unrest and in the spirit of unity, I have decided to connect with my good friend Pastor Drew Froese from Real Life Christian Church for an open and honest dialogue and display of solidarity beyond skin color. I want to encourage you to join us online this Sunday at 9 AM or 11 AM at https://fullness.online.church and let’s worship together. Get ready to move your feet, clap your hands and leap for Joy!!! It's Artist Durmond Glanton and his NEW single "Rejoice"! Guaranteed to put a praise in your spirit, this single will encourage you to know that it doesn't matter what you're going through, or what your situations may look like, Psalms 34:1 declares that "I will Bless the Lord at ALL times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8ED5NZGAzY&feature=youtu.be Johnny Majors, a legendary coach for the Tennessee football team and member of the College Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 85. In 16 seasons as Tennessee’s coach from 1977-92, Majors compiled a 116-62-8 record. He began his playing career with the Vols in 1953, joining the team as a single-wing tailback. He was named the SEC Player of the Year in 1955 and 1956. Clemson special teams coordinator Danny Pearman released a statement Tuesday night after former Tigers football player Kanyon Tuttle took head coach Dabo Swinney to task earlier in the day on Twitter contending that an assistant coach called a player “the N-word during practice with no repercussions.” Tuttle didn’t identify the coach or player in the incident, but former Clemson tight end D.J. Greenlee told The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, that the incident occurred between himself and Pearman during a practice. Central South Distribution (CSD) mourns the death of President and Co-Founder Charles Henry Adams known by the Gospel Music Industry as Chuck Adams. Chuck passed away on May 27th at his home in Franklin, TN. In the 60’s Chuck moved to Nashville and worked for Southern Records. He and two of his colleagues decided to venture out on their own and founded Central South Music Sales, Inc. in 1970. They went on to open over 50 retail music stores called Sound Shop and Music 4 Less, soon after Central South Distribution was founded. Houston rappers Bun B and Trae Tha Truth organized a march on Tuesday and told the crowd it would be peaceful. After asking the crowd of several thousand to look for anybody who could cause trouble, Bun B then led them on a chant. He said “What’s his name?” and the crowd replied, “George Floyd.” The crowd later got down on one knee and was silent for 30 seconds. Among those participating was a group of about 60 people on horseback from a riding club in Houston. TikTok laid out a series of actions it plans to take to address criticisms that its recommendation algorithm suppresses black creators. These steps include launching what it calls a “creator diversity council” aimed at “recognizing and uplifting the voices driving culture, creativity, and important conversations on the platform.” TikTok says it will also reassess its moderation strategies, build out a new “user-friendly” appeals process, and develop a new creator portal for expanding communications and “opportunities for our broader creator community.”TikTok stood in solidarity with the Black community” Tuesday by participating in “Black Out Tuesday.” The platform pledged a $3 million donation to non-profits that help the black community and a separate $1 million donation to address “racial injustice and inequality.” However, TikTok did not name any specific organizations in its blog. The mother of George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna, said Tuesday that she wanted the world to know that her little girl lost a good father who would never get to see his daughter grow up. https://youtu.be/9uGiuZIDBNI The head of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington has denounced President Donald Trump’s decision to pose in front of the historic St. John’s Church, located near the White House, that recently suffered fire damage during protests against the killing of George Floyd. On Monday, U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops cleared the pathway from the White House to the church, using tear gas and pushing peaceful protesters aside, before Trump walked to the church holding a Bible. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde responded on Facebook, expressing outrage over the president’s decision to use the church as a backdrop. “The President just used a Bible and one of the churches of my diocese as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for,” stated Budde. “To do so, he sanctioned the use of tear gas by police officers in riot gear to clear the church yard. I am outraged.” Instead of X’s and O’s, the Denver Broncos spent Tuesday talking about racial injustice, police brutality and healing a nation rocked by demonstrations over George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on top of the coronavirus outbreak and its economic devastation. Team president Joe Ellis addressed the offense and defense in separate Zoom calls that replaced the team’s regular video conference sessions. Coach Vic Fangio and general manager John Elway also participated in the calls, in which Ellis emphasized society’s need to eradicate racism and told the players that the organization shares in the outrage over Floyd’s death last week. Floyd Mayweather has offered to pay for the funeral costs of George Floyd, as plans are made for four services across the United States, including Houston, Minnesota, Charlotte and another location, which is yet to be determined. Mayweather Promotions confirmed that the former five-division world champion had reached out to Mr Floyd’s family with an offer to cover all costs relating to the funeral services and TMZSports.com confirmed they have accepted an $88,500 check. The check was made out to Robert Swearington at the Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center in Houston. History was made in Ferguson, Missouri Tuesday as 65-year-old Ella Jones became the first African-American and first woman to be elected mayor. Her election comes nearly six years after the city erupted in protests after a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown. https://youtu.be/VWsyybxb6TI Six Atlanta police officers have been charged after pulling two Atlanta University Center students out of a car, smashing its windows and using a stun gun during an arrest amid protests over the death of George Floyd. CBS 46 cameras captured the officer’s use of excessive force on 22-year-old Morehouse graduate Messiah Young and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Spellman student Teniyah Pilgrim. Young was charged with fleeing the scene and driving on an expired license, but Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ordered those charges to be dropped. The Congressional Black Caucus — with the blessing of Speaker Nancy Pelosi — is taking the lead on an aggressive response to the nationwide upheaval over racial injustice and police brutality, intent on seizing the moment as the United States is engulfed by one of the largest mass protests in 50 years. The House Judiciary Committee is planning to hold a hearing on police brutality next week, and the panel is also sifting through more than 40 proposals to mark up for floor consideration by the end of June, according to four Democratic aides. https://youtu.be/RkULWGw0UM0 George Floyd’s family has slammed the Hennepin County medical examiner’s finding that he was on fentanyl at the time of his death and had recently used methamphetamine. In a one-page summary, the ME noted that the 46-year-old ’s cause of death was “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” adding that there are “no physical findings” to “support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation,” and that Floyd was high on fentanyl when a former officer with the Minneapolis police department killed him during an arrest. The report comes after private autopsy by doctors hired by George Floyd’s family determined he died from “mechanical asphyxia” caused by “severe pressure” on his neck and back from officers pinning him to the ground. "The cause of death was that he was starving for air. It was lack of oxygen. And so everything else is a red herring to try to throw us off,” said the family’s attorney Benjamin Crump. “It is an attempt to assassinate his character, after they assassinated him right then on the video,” he added. Iowa state senator Randy Feenstra beat GOP Leader Steve King, a Republican congressman with a history of being racist, Tuesday night. King has openly supported white supremacy on live television, and referred to other ethnicities as “subgroups.” The Iowa representative once released a video that showed a Confederate flag on his desk — even though Iowa wasn’t even in the confederacy! He also led the movement to keep Harriet Tubman off the $20 bill, arguing that putting a black woman on American currency was both sexist and racist. Nearly three dozen black alumni of Liberty University denounced school President Jerry Falwell Jr. on Monday, suggesting he step down after he mocked Virginia’s mask-wearing requirement by invoking the blackface scandal that engulfed the state’s governor last year. In a letter to Falwell, shared with The Associated Press, 35 faith leaders and former student-athletes told Falwell that his past comments “have repeatedly violated and misrepresented” Christian principles. They said they would stop urging students to attend Liberty, would no longer donate to the university, and would urge fellow people of faith to avoid speaking at the school unless Falwell changes his behavior or steps aside. Ben Tankard is setting out to find the best musician and singer in the country with BEN TANKARD'S SUNDAY'S BEST MUSICIAN CONTEST starting today. "SUNDAY'S BEST MUSICIAN" is a song Tankard wrote several years ago for an episode of his hit reality show "Thicker Than Water - The Tankards". The song will be featured on his next album SHINE and he wants to find the Sunday's Best Musicians to feature on the recording with him and bring some "shine" to the next generation of talent. BEN TANKARD'S SUNDAY'S BEST MUSICIAN CONTEST is not affiliated with BET's ground-breaking hit TV show "Sunday Best." Tiger Woods is speaking out for the first time since George Floyd’s death, saying his heart goes out to Floyd, his family and everyone who is hurting right now. The 44-year-old golfer broke his silence with a statement on his Twitter account Monday night. “I have always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement,” Woods said. “They train so diligently to understand how, when and where to use force. This shocking tragedy clearly crossed that line.” College Football Hall of Famer Pat Dye, who took over a downtrodden Auburn football program in 1981 and turned it into a Southeastern Conference power, died Monday. He was 80. Dye died at a hospice care facility in Auburn from complications of kidney and liver failure. Dye tested positive for COVID-19 after being admitted to the hospital for renal problems, but was asymptomatic. When Dye came to Auburn, he inherited a program that was deeply divided after only three winning seasons in the previous six years. In 12 years, he had a 99-39-4 record, Auburn won or shared four conference titles and the Tigers were ranked in The Associated Press’ Top 10 five times. Joe Jackson’s 25-year-old granddaughter, Yasmine Jackson, is the victim of a racially charged attack in Las Vegas. Yasmine detailed the harrowing experience in an Instagram post on Sunday, noting that the woman stabbed her seven times and she also included gruesome injury photos, Page Six reports. “This woman chased me down and started stabbing me. She said it’s because I was a n—-r and that’s all I could hear while I was being stabbed. I can’t move my neck at all. I’m scared to be alone,” Yasmine captioned the images of her face and neck. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have threatened to take legal action against ex-bodyguard Steve Stanulis. According to TMZ, the couple sent a cease and desist letter to Stanulis, after he made “false and defamatory” comments about them. Kimmy and Yeezy are preparing to slap him with a $10 million lawsuit if he does it again. As previously reported, Stanulis reignited his feud with the rapper last month, speaking out about Ye’s ‘ridiculous rules’ during a recent appearance on the “Hollywood Raw” podcast. Stanulis claims one of the most memorable of West’s demands was that he needed to “stay 10 paces” behind the artist while walking outside. ViacomCBS networks including BET, VH1, MTV and Comedy Central went dark for nearly nine seconds Monday night (June 1) with the only things onscreen being the words “I Can’t Breathe,” info on how to join @colorofchange and a timer that counted down from 8:46 – the amount of time white police officer Derick Chauvin had his knee pressed into the neck of black Minnesota resident George Floyd, whose death in police custody has set off a week of demonstrations across the country. Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center is releasing the official statement on behalf of the family of George Floyd regarding the memorial and official celebration of his life. Floyd, a 46-year-old man was raised in Houston’s Third Ward. Information on the official services below: Monday, June 8, a public memorial at The Fountain of Praise Church, Houston, TX. from 12 p.m – 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9 11 a.m. a private service held at an undisclosed location. Due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing is a major focus and those that attend either service are requested to wear masks and gloves for the safety of all. Floyd Mayweather has confirmed that he will pay for all expenses for the funeral services. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president is expected to attend. Amid worldwide protests of George Floyd’s death, the 2019 film “Just Mercy,” about the work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, has been made available for free rental on digital platforms during the month of June by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Destin Daniel Cretton-directed real-life legal drama stars Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson, who defends Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx) in order to fight a wrongful murder conviction. https://youtu.be/y3uCATkz0Dc Meghan Markle spoke about her experiences with racism and her mother being called the N-word, in a 2012 campaign that has resurfaced in the wake of George Floyd’s death. When Meghan participated in the “I Won’t Stand For…” campaign for the charity Erase the Hate, she opened up about being a bi-racial woman raised by a Black woman. “I’m biracial. Most people can’t tell what I’m mixed with, and so much of my life has felt like being a fly on the wall,” Meghan said. “And so some of the slurs I’ve heard or the really offensive jokes, or the names, it’s just hit me in a really strong way.” “You know, a couple of years ago I heard someone call my mom the N-word. Basketball Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, who played 13 seasons in the NBA, has died after battling pneumonia, his family announced Tuesday. He was 74. The Baltimore Bullets selected Unseld with the No. 2 pick of the 1968 NBA Draft out of Louisville. He played for the same organization for the entirety of his 13 seasons in the league. The Bullets moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Capital Bullets for the 1973-74 season; then they became the Washington Bullets for the 1974-75 season and later the Washington Wizards.He won an NBA championship in 1978 and was MVP and rookie of the year in 1969. 16-time GRAMMY® winning artist, songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin unveiled the powerful video for his song “Strong God”. The song is the latest single from Franklin’s GRAMMY®-winning, critically acclaimed album LONG LIVE LOVE, which was released in 2019. Franklin is using this song as an opportunity to raise funds for the charity’s Covid-19 Disaster Relief. The “Strong God” video premiered on Franklin’s YouTube / Vevo channel and BET Soul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnl9ZvrM_yQ&src=Linkfire&lId=fab41ef9-56bf-4e6d-ba7f-984bb025cc86&cId=b6c13840-0448-4158-bad0-075e083a2419 In the wake of the death of George Floyd, Today’s Hoda Kotb spoke with the mothers of two black men who died in police custody: Eric Garner and Stephon Clark. https://i1.wp.com/eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2A640C86-9069-45D8-A848-02B4695F0947.png?resize=768%2C480&ssl=1 Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, told CNBC on Monday the U.S. government should provide $14 trillion of reparations for slavery to help reduce racial inequality. The wealth divide and police brutality against blacks are at the heart of protests that have erupted across the nation following last week’s killing of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis. “Now is the time to go big” to keep America from dividing into two separate and unequal societies, Johnson said on “Squawk Box. Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden blasted President Donald Trump and denounced “systemic racism” Monday as he sought to reignite his White House campaign after weeks of coronavirus sequestration. In a meeting with African-American religious and political leaders in which the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minnesota police officer figured prominently, and speaking later in a virtual town hall, Biden accused Republican Trump of fomenting racist hate and letting minorities suffer most in the novel coronavirus pandemic. There’s a new crop of superheroes coming to our TV this summer but they may need a little seasoning. After all, they’re only in elementary school. The PBS Kids’ animated series “ Hero Elementary ” is set inside a grade school where a diverse group of four superhero students are learning to master their special powers. There’s a kid who can fly but is afraid of heights. There’s a girl with the power to teleport and a boy who creates forcefields of bubbles. Plus there’s a boy with an array of cool gadgets who is on the autism spectrum. A day after Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University in Virginia, tweeted an image of a face mask depicting figures in blackface and dressed as a Klansman, Christopher House, an online instructor for the university, announced his resignation on Facebook. House, a Pentecostal pastor and an associate professor of communication studies at Ithaca College, responded to Falwell’s tweet, “As an African American man and Christian pastor, I am horrified and appalled that the president of the largest Christian university in the world would knowingly and intentionally use images that evoke a deep history of racial terror for people of color in the U.S., specifically individuals who look like me, for the purpose of a political statement to the Governor of Virginia.” Amidst the troubling times that we are facing in America, T.D. Jakes and Singer, Faith Leader, Social Engineer, and Entrepreneur, Charles Jenkins discuss how we can navigate the racial tension that has plagued America for hundreds of years. https://youtu.be/lLqWg8SSrqA The Hungarian soccer federation has issued a written reprimand to a player of African origin who showed his undershirt with the words “Justice for George Floyd” after scoring a goal. Tokmac Nguen was born in a refugee camp in Kenya to parents from South Sudan and grew up in Norway. He scored for Ferencvaros in its 1-1 draw with Puskas Akademia on Sunday. The federation’s disciplinary committee said in a ruling issued Monday that any similar actions by Nguen in the future would result in “actual penalties” on each occasion. Social justice leader Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II called out the hypocrisy of President Trump, who ordered the removal of peaceful protesters so he could stand in front of a church holding a Bible, saying his policies violate the theology of both God and the Bible. Trump’s policies and actions are both “religious hypocrisy and political insanity,” Rev. Barber said Monday night. “Trump claims he’s using the Insurrection Act,” Rev. Barber tweeted Monday. “He (just) ordered the military to move protesters exercising their constitutional rights so he can go to church. But his policies violate the theology of the church to care for the sick, the poor, immigrants. Utter hypocrisy and insanity.” They are teammates not only in work, but in life. Chip Gaines celebrated his 17th wedding anniversary to wife Joanna, 42, with a heartmelting tribute on Sunday. The HGTV star, 45, posted a throwback from the day he married the ‘girl of my dreams.’ ‘Juuuust married! Everything about you has made everything about me better. And 17 years later I’m still learning from and loving on the most incredible woman in the world. After all these years Joanna Lea Stevens, you really are the girl of my dreams.. Happy 17th sweet girl. I love you,’ Chip wrote on Instagram. The results of the private/independent autopsy ordered by the family of George Floyd has been released. Floyd’s death has been ruled as a “homicide caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain.” The Floyd family findings come in the wake of those from the Hennepin County medical examiner whose conclusion was “underlying health conditions” could have contributed to Floyd’s death and that there were “no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”“What we found is consistent with what people saw. There is no other health issue that could cause or contribute to the death,” Dr. Michael Baden, one of the medical examiners who conducted the independent autopsy, said in a statement. Terrence Floyd, the brother of George Floyd in an interview with ABC News, said the violent protests against police brutality is “overshadowing what is going on.”“I do feel like it’s overshadowing what’s going on because, like I said, he was about peace he was about unity,” he replied. “The things that’s transpiring now, they may call it unity but it’s destructive unity. It’s not what he was about. That’s not what my brother was about. … It’s OK to be angry, but channel your anger to do something positive or make a change another way because we’ve been down this road already. The anger … damaging your hometown is not the way he’d want.” Addressing a crowed gathered in Minneapolis on Monday afternoon, he urged them to “Keep my brother‘s name ringing!” Spike Lee released a short film showcasing police brutality with clips of the deaths of George Floyd and Eric Garner along with footage from his 1989, Oscar-nominated film “Do the Right Thing.” Titled “Will History Stop Repeating Itself?,” Lee shared the video on Twitter, saying, “3 Brothers-Radio Raheem, Eric Garner And George Floyd.” https://twitter.com/SpikeLeeJoint/status/1267269978320826368 When I wrote the lyrics "I Can't Breathe/can't bare to see no more" in my new song, L.O.V.E. it was a poetic reminder of the racist murder of #ericgarner at the hands of police officers years ago. NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS did I think the lyrics in the song, #ICantBreathe would be connected to George Floyd in the same way," shares artist, songwriter, vocalist, and Love + Unity Diversity Fest producer, Carl Brister. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB35pC37vLU&feature=youtu.be "God Will Make It Better" comes from the heart of Arthur Jae with the faith, confidence and trust in God. That he is ever present to help in the time of trouble. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5amcNZFUpSQ&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=+Arthur+Jae+June%2C+2020&utm_campaign=New+Music&utm_medium=email Leaders from two of the largest faith groups in the United States issued statements lamenting the death of George Floyd and calling for an end to racial inequality. “We are broken-hearted, sickened, and outraged to watch another video of an African American man being killed before our very eyes,” wrote a group of U.S. Catholic bishops who head committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “What’s more astounding is that this is happening within mere weeks of several other such occurrences. This is the latest wake-up call that needs to be answered by each of us in a spirit of determined conversion.” Bishops drafting the letter include Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, and Bishop Joseph N. Perry, auxiliary bishop of Chicago, and numerous others. Charlotte Hornets owner and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan joined the chorus of athletes, coaches and executives expressing their grief and outrage over the death of George Floyd. “I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” Jordan said in a statement Sunday. “… I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.” The Grammy ® Award nominated act, Anthony Brown & group therAPy, has created an inspiring unplugged video of songs they are calling, “Worship in the Woods.” The crew set camp in some dense Maryland parkland to create this comforting 22-minute set of songs. “Every new year brings out feelings of hope, vision and optimism that this year will be better than the last,” Brown says. “Little did I know that the world as we knew it, would change when the pandemic known as COVID-19 rocked our world. Not just one person, but every human on the planet has been affected. The wife of Derek Chauvin, the white (former) cop charged with killing George Floyd is NOT related to Tou Thao, the Asian (ex) officer on the scene the now-infamous arrest of Floyd. There had been rampant online speculation that Kellie Chauvin was the sister of Thao, but according to an Associated Press report, that’s simply not the case. Helen Williams made history in the 1950s when she became the first dark-skinned Black fashion model to cross over into mainstream. But it wasn’t America that embraced the New Jersey native, as the dominant society considered her “too dark.” Williams would rise to fame while working in Paris, paving the way for other dark-skinned models. According to face2faceafrica.com, during her studies as a dancer, Williams caught the attention of Lena Horne and Sammy Davis Jr,, who encouraged her to take up fashion modeling. Pastor Mike McClure, Jr. of Rock City Church using the proceeds from his Billboard chart topping debut album, LIVE FREE, partnered with a medical debt collection agency, RIP Medical Debt, to pay off close to $1 million worth of medical debt for local Birmingham residents. A Black Lives Matter demonstrator has been shot dead outside a bar in Omaha, Nebraska following a night of protests on Saturday. Footage circulating on social media shows James Scurlock, 22 – who is black – being gunned down by a man – who is white – outside the Hive Bar. The person recording the video is heard yelling that he has a gun and says ‘it’s not worth it’. Seconds later two loud gunshots are heard and the videographer quickly ducks for cover. Scurlock was shot twice in the neck. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/05/31/1040213937299868340/636x382_MP4_1040213937299868340.mp4 This Sunday 5pm Eastern get ready to tune into a Gospel edition of ‘Verzuz‘ battle featuring Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond. This “Healing Verzuz” as it has been coined, should be epic with two gospel powerhouses and their extensive catalogs of hits. Bishop T.D. Jakes on Justice For George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Others. https://youtu.be/ynfCnXOhxXU Social justice leader Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II will deliver a letter to the nation in the midst of a police killing and protests. The delivery of the letter will be live-streamed across the nation after Rev. Barber was asked by many to share a moral perspective on this moment. “The lethal violence of racist officers is only one manifestation of the systemic racism that is choking the life out of American democracy,” Barber said. “This moment demands that all who care about the American experiment in democracy listen closely and deeply to the uprising that is itself a collective gasp for life.” A remote and in-person news conference will be held from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Eastern Sunday from Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where Rev. Barber is the pastor NBA champion Stephen Jackson on Friday said he would not allow the police to assail the character of George Floyd, a friend he called his “twin” who was killed this week by a police officer in Minneapolis, sparking widespread outrage and days of protest. “I’m here because they are not going to demean the character of George Floyd — my twin,” Jackson, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, said at a rally at the Government Center Plaza in Minneapolis.The 42-year-old Jackson, who won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, grew up in Houston with Floyd. The $68.5 million College Football Hall of Fame was one of many buildings in Atlanta vandalized and looted during Friday night riots across the country. The Atlanta riots were part of violent demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, who died while he was in police custody in Minneapolis earlier in the week. Protesters smashed the windows at the Hall of Fame and looted its gift shop. The riots continued through the night despite a news conference by Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms condemning the violence. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp deployed the national guard after declaring a state of emergency. After telling the world how much of a real “softie” her husband, now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is, Kellie Chauvin is suddenly divorcing him. She’s the once said …“He’s such a gentleman. He still opens the door for me, still puts my coat on for me. After my divorce, I had a list of must-haves if I were ever to be in a relationship, and he fit all of them.” In a statement, she also sent condolences to George Floyd’s family, saying she’s “devastated” by his death. What could be an interesting twist, if true, is that Tou Thao, the Asian police officer who was also on the scene with Chauvin, is Kellie Chauvin’s BROTHER. https://twitter.com/esmemurphy Frank Baker, founder and managing partner of the billion-dollar private equity firm Siris, has pledged $1 million toward the establishment of a scholarship for Spelman College graduates. Baker’s generosity comes a year after his longtime friend, Robert Smith, the wealthiest Black man in America, surprised the 2019 class of Morehouse College by pledging to pay off their student loans to the tune of $35 million. Baker responded to the challenge by announcing this week that he intends to cover the tuition balances of 50 graduating seniors at Spelman College in Atlanta. Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter after killing George Floyd. Chauvin’s bail has been set at $500,000, according to the criminal complaint filed in the 4th Judicial District Court of Minnesota. The rest of the country knows George Floyd from several minutes of cell phone footage captured during his final hours. But in Houston’s Third Ward, they know Floyd for how he lived for decades—a mentor to a generation of young men and a “person of peace” ushering ministries into the area. Before moving to Minneapolis for a job opportunity through a Christian work program, the 46-year-old spent almost his entire life in the historically black Third Ward, where he was called “Big Floyd” and regarded as an “OG,” a de-facto community leader and elder statesmen, his ministry partners say. Floyd spoke of breaking the cycle of violence he saw among young people and used his influence to bring outside ministries to the area to do discipleship and outreach, particularly in the Cuney Homes housing project, locally known as “the Bricks.” Christian artists are finding new ways to get back on the road after they were forced to cancel tour dates amid global lockdowns in response to the new coronavirus. Two of the biggest names in contemporary Christian music, Newsboys United and TobyMac, recently announced that they’re planning summer tours with a twist — the musicians will be performing at drive-in theaters. The live concerts will be performed on stage at select venues and simulcast at drive-in theaters across the nation. Lauren Daigle also shared her new tour plans after she had to postpone her first world tour due to state lockdowns in response to the new coronavirus. Her tour schedule, which is available on her website, shows that she'll start touring major venues in the U.S. starting February 2021. Among the arena’s listed are Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Harvey Weinstein who is serving a prison sentence in a New York state penitentiary for rape, is being accused by another four women of sexually assaulting them on separate occasions decades ago. In 1994, Weinstein, who has been accused by scores of women of a range of sexual crimes including harassment, rape, and assault, is alleged to have lured one of the women to a hotel room when she was just 17 years old. He has denied the allegations, saying any sex was consensual. A lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday also names Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein’s brother, longtime business partner, and co-founder of Miramax Films and the Weinstein Company; Miramax; and The Walt Disney Company. William & Mary says it has named the first African American dean to run its law school. The university in Williamsburg, Virginia, said in a statement on Monday that the new dean will be A. Benjamin Spencer. The school says that Spencer is a nationally renowned expert on civil procedure and federal courts. He is currently a law professor at the University of Virginia. William & Mary says that Spencer is the first African-American dean of any school at the university. Its roots stretch back to the 1600s. Amid the chaos in downtown Atlanta Friday night, two of the city’s most visible advocates, Killer Mike and T.I., joined Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to speak directly to their native city. https://youtu.be/vOvB29-1FK4 As the United States sees protests continue from coast to coast in the wake of the death of George Floyd, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell added his voice to those who have already spoken out about the incident and the systemic issues underlying the anger of many in the African-American community. The NFL family is greatly saddened by the tragic events across our country. The protesters’ reactions to these incidents reflect the pain, anger and frustration that so many of us feel. Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Mr. George Floyd and to those who have lost loved ones, including the families of Ms. Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, the cousin of Tracy Walker of the Detroit Lions. Verity Records has released a hit collection of top songs featuring the biggest artists and rising stars on Verity Presents Celebrate! 2020. The 10-track compilation mixes contemporary anthems, ballads and more from Gospel icons and hit makers with songs from Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Kurt Carr, Koryn Hawthorne feat. Lecrae, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers feat. Le’Andria Johnson, Travis Greene, Kierra Sheard, and “Sunday Best” winner Melvin Crispell, III. Singer Tamika Patton holds rank as one of Gospel music’s most dominant singers. Her passion, poise, and presentation have put her in a class of the most EXQUISITE and ANOINTED singers of our time. The Philadelphia native is celebrating the release of her latest single “Stand On His Promises“ featuring Pastor Korey Mickie. Her blazing, churchy, anthem of faith reminds everyone to trust in God at all costs because “A promise is a promise, and God’s word is true”! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6DkAq2AJHQ&feature=youtu.be Singer and songwriter Damar Johnson, a native of Cape Girardeau, MO currently residing in St. Louis, MO, is an upcoming Christian artist. His voice and heart will soon be shared with the world as he releases his debut single "He Lives". "He Lives" is a beautiful worship ballad arranged and produced by Damar and Marquis Blake. The single also includes an arrangement of the precious and well-known sacred hymn "Because He Lives" (Bill and Gloria Gaither). https://soundcloud.com/the-bellamy-group/he-lives-damar-johnson Multiple Grammy and Stellar Award winner, Myron Butler, honors trailblazer, and music icon Andrae Crouch with the release of an extraordinary new compilation album June 26, 2020. Named after Crouch’s famed single, “My Tribute,” brings together talents from all genres affirming Crouch’s immense influence in music. The album will precede a global online tribute event July 1, 2020 on what would have been Crouch’s 78th Birthday. A nice girl smiles and waves and says thank you. A nice girl doesn’t make people feel uncomfortable with her views." That's Taylor Swift, talking about how she worked to maintain her fame in the 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana. That's also the old Taylor Swift—America's blondest, ever-smiling sweetheart, the woman who was once accused of tacitly accepting Nazi fans and just wanted to be excluded from complicated narratives. Taylor Swift Friday morning, May 29 on twitter:After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump The police officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday and charged with murder in a case that sparked protests across the United States and violence in Minneapolis. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ WELCOMES DR. SUMMER WAYANS AND BIOCHEMIST THURIA ZAKI ON SATURDAY, MAY 30 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_svW3b0AlX8&feature=youtu.be JORDIN SPARKS SHOWS OFF HER "MOMMY AND ME" WORKOUT ROUTINE ON HEART OF THE BATTER THIS SATURDAY, MAY 30 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p6SHxYGMOg&feature=youtu.be Evvie McKinney is making her debut with “Bring The Whole Hood” out NOW everywhere you get your music! This song serves as Evvie’s auto-biography and it’s sure to get you dancing at the same time. It's Our Gospel Spotlight song of the week. Let' the light Shine!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlsRDBZmwjY&utm_campaign=48557_MOTG%205.29_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email A black CNN reporter was arrested live on air on Friday morning by Minnesota State Patrol while reporting on the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes. CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez was put in handcuffs and led away from his team of producers this morning at 5.11am CT after the team was moved down the street by police in riot gear. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/29/12/28969518-8369373-image-a-1_1590751846203.jpg Cheering protesters broke into a Minneapolis police precinct station on Thursday after the department abandoned it, setting it ablaze and igniting fireworks as three days of violent protests spread to cities across the U.S over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man. A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” shortly after 10 p.m. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set. Country star Carrie Underwood and her husband, retired NHL player Mike Fisher, have launched a new digital short series by the creators of “I Am Second,” where the couple gets candid about their marriage, faith and family. “We wanted to do this to share some of our personal journey in hopes that viewers will be inspired by it, and maybe even take one more step in pursuing a relationship with God,” Underwood said about the four-part series, “Mike and Carrie: God & Country.” https://youtu.be/uUsSQcxJCXo Archie Williams told millions watching “America’s Got Talent” this week that prayer and singing got him through 37 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Williams was featured on the talent competition for his singing gift and performed Elton John’s song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” The wrongfully accused man was convicted for rape 37 years ago despite the lack of forensic evidence. Now 59 years old, Williams recalled that he was arrested at age 22 for this crime, sentenced to life in prison and served a lot of his time in Angola state penitentiary, one of the deadliest prisons in America. Ex-NBA star Stephen Jackson is calling for the death penalty in the case of the four Minnesota cops he says killed his longtime friend, George Floyd, as seen in a violent arrest video that went viral. https://youtu.be/wCyE2aFfXtQ Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. is being skewered online for encouraging members of the public to pray for the Minneapolis police officers involved in the brutal death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died Monday while in their custody. “As much as you pray for George family, gotta also pray for the police officer(s) who were involved in this evil. As hard as it is, pray for them instead of hate them…Pray that God changes their hearts,” Porter, a Christian, wrote in a now viral tweet Wednesday.The reactions to the tweet came fast and furious. Some Christian critics said they had prayed enough about racial injustice already and dismissed his comments as tone deaf. According to Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Attorney General, he expects charges will be filed against the four police officers involved in the death of George Floyd. Meanwhile, those now-ex-cops say they don’t plan to cooperate with the investigation. https://youtu.be/pw2ZRtevl3A Is Kylie Jenner the youngest self-made billionaire? If you haven’t heard, the 22-year-old is accused in a scathing new Forbes report of lying about her wealth and forging tax returns in order to inflate her net worth. It’s an interesting turn of events because just last year the business magazine named Jenner the youngest-ever self-made billionaire after she sold her makeup line, Kylie Cosmetics. In its report out Friday, the magazine says …“Forbes now thinks that Kylie Jenner, even after pocketing an estimated $340 million after-tax from the sale, is not a billionaire.” Former US president, Barack Obama has had his say regarding the officer-involved killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. He went on to insist that racially-targeted killings in the United States “cannot be ‘normal’ in 2020.” He also called on Americans to work for a better future. Obama’s Twitter statement urged Minnesota authorities to “ensure that the circumstances surrounding George Floyd’s death are investigated thoroughly.” He also asked, “that justice is ultimately done.” In response to the abhorrent handling of the Minneapolis police lynching of George Floyd, rapper T.I. has called for Black people to take a day to boycott the bulls*it, urging people of color (and white allies) to show solidarity on July 7 for #BLACKOUTDAY2020. “And She Could Be Next.” an engrossing two-part documentary series executive produced by Ava DuVernay and directed by Peabody Award-winner Grace Lee and Iranian documentary filmmaker Marjan Safinia tells the story of a defiant movement of women of color who are transforming American politics from the ground up. https://youtu.be/YC3xiv1CbYM The 35th Anniversary of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards has been delayed due to the pandemic of COVID-19. Central City Productions today announced plans to produce the “Greatest Night in Gospel Music" as a two-hour virtual awards telecast. Replacing the live taping previously rescheduled for August in Las Vegas. The virtual production will acknowledge all award winners from the Stellar Awards pre-show and main show, with select categories being presented in the broadcast. The broadcast will also feature inspirational performances from Gospel music's most celebrated artists, and special tributes to first responders on the front lines of the battle against the Coronavirus pandemic. Joining first time co-hosts Jonathan McReynolds and Koryn Hawthorne is Kirk Franklin. The superstar trio will keep the virtual television praise party lifted and flowing. Performers include Donnie McClurkin, James Fortune, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, Travis Greene, Pastor Mike Jr., Kierra Sheard, and Doe, with more to be announced. Donald Lawrence leads the field with nine nominations, Kirk Franklin and Tasha Cobbs Leonard eight each; JJ Hairston (7), Bishop Paul S. Morton (6), John P. Kee (5), Kurt Carr (4), William Murphy (4), Pastor Mike, Jr. (4), Maranda Curtis (3), and Fresh Start Worship (3) round out the field. The Grammys is putting together an event featuring Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, Herbie Hancock and Harry Connick, Jr. to honor essential workers across America. The Grammy Awards announced Thursday the two-hour special, “United We Sing: A Grammy Salute to the Unsung Heroes,” will air June 21 on CBS. “United We Sing” will follow Connick Jr. hosting and his filmmaker-daughter Georgia Connick on a road trip celebrating and thanking essential workers. Winfrey, Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Queen Latifah, Renée Zellweger and Drew Brees will deliver special messages. Feature performances by Hancock, John Fogerty, Jamie Foxx, Cyndi Lauper, Dave Matthews, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Tim McGraw, Little Big Town, Andra Day, Irma Thomas, Trombone Shorty, Rockin Dopsie, Jon Batiste and Connick Jr. Apple TV app – Movies US charts: 1. SCOOB! 2. Bad Boys for Life 3. Emma 4. Jumanji: The Next Level 5. Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn 6. Sonic The Hedgehog 7. The Gentlemen 8. Bloodshot 9. Capone 10. Midway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf1aW1z437I The Madden franchise will continue to be a part of the gaming universe for at least the next six years. NFL owners on Thursday approved an extension of their deal with Electronic Arts, continuing a relationship that has existed for 30 years. It was also recently approved by the NFL Players Association. The current contract was set to expire after the 2021 season. The extension means that EA Sports will continue to be the league’s exclusive publisher of football simulation games through 2026. Organizers canceled the Boston Marathon on Thursday for the first time in its history, bowing to the social distancing requirements of the coronavirus outbreak and ending a 124-year run that had persisted through two World Wars, a volcanic eruption and even another pandemic. The race, which draws a field of 30,000 and already had been postponed from April 20 to Sept. 14, will be replaced by a virtual event in which participants who verify that they ran 26.2 miles (42.2 km) on their own will receive their finisher’s medal. Retired NBA player Stephen Jackson is speaking out about the death of his friend George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who was murdered in broad daylight by an officer who pinned him to the ground and crushed the life out of him with a knee on his neck. Jackson, 42, and Floyd are longtime friends from Houston, Texas, and the pair were so close that they called each other “twin,” per PEOPLE. In a series of emotional Instagram posts on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jackson spoke of the tragedy. https://www.instagram.com/_stak5_/?utm_source=ig_embed The owner of a pawn shop in Minneapolis shot and killed a man he claims was a looter, but police say they are investigating the shooter’s side of events. The report comes as demonstrators continue to rock the streets of Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd, who was murdered by a member of the police force on Memorial Day during his arrest for suspicion of forgery. A woman on the scene filmed the incident, showing Floyd handcuffed and on the ground with Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the back of his neck, and pleading: “Please, I can’t breathe.” https://youtu.be/3oWTki2NNtI As rioting follows the brutal police killing of George Floyd, his fiancee is speaking out against what she refers to as an expression of “hate” in reaction to his death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLIgCBBiGM0 Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will not be released on home confinement amid the COVID-19 outbreak, contrary to what supporters claimed last week. Kilpatrick has been incarcerated since 2013 after being sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for multiple public corruption crimes, including racketeering conspiracy. He has long argued that he was wrongfully convicted and reportedly requested a pardon from Trump’s White House after losing all appeals. Supporters of Kilpatrick claimed he was granted early release from prison due to a coronavirus outbreak at his prison in Louisiana. Ice Cube was NOT in the mood to do ABC’s “Good Morning America” this morning to discuss the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman so he canceled. The rapper/actor then went to Twitter to inform his 4.9 million followers of his last-minute decision. I apologize to everyone expecting to see me on Good Morning America today, but after the events in Minnesota with George Floyd I’m in no mood to tell America, good morning. Ever since his days with NWA, Ice Cube, O’Shea Jackson, has been speaking out on the mistreatment of African Americans and black men in particular who have as targets of police violence. “How long will we go for Blue on Black Crime before we strike back???” he tweeted. Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has weighed in on the NFL’s proposed minority hiring incentives, calling them “offensive.” As noted by TMZ, NFL owners reportedly planned to vote on a proposal that would reward teams if they had hired a minority GM or coach. According to Sports Illustrated, “the plan would allow teams to jump six spots in the third round for hiring a minority head coach. A team would jump 10 spots by hiring a person of color as its general manager,” the outlet writes. “It was offensive, definitely offensive,” Lewis told The Baltimore Sun on the NFL’s proposal. “It was like having Jim Crow laws.” There are currently three Black head coaches in the NFL and just two Black general managers. Jekalyn Carr will release two singles digitally from her upcoming album, which was recorded live at Atlanta's Praise 102.5 FM 15th Annual Praise In The Park. A multi-faceted performer with roots in the church, the Memphis born singer is readying music with a broad appeal to tell her powerful and inspiring story. On June 5, 2020 the bubbly 22-year-old will release for digital download and streaming her current radio single "Changing Your Story," a prophetic declaration and prophetic message of hope and the heartfelt "Power of Love." Hear Jekalyn Carr In Her Own Words........http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jekalyncarr_intvw.htm Check, check, check it out!!! We are Messengers and Mali Music (Love Remix) ....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpBRbPc_eb4 TBT.... We are Shinning Our Light On Mali Music, he is in the Gospel Spotlight.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/mali_music_intvw.htm Gabrielle Union, 47, opened up about how she was axed from America’s Got Talent in November 2019 after she spoke up about racist incidents and a toxic workspace in a new interview with Variety. She said on day one on set she was met with an unhealthy environment where Simon Cowell smoked on set and it made her sick. She was outraged when guest judge Jay Leno cracked a racist joke that Asian people eat dog meat and producers simply said they’d cut it out. AGT creators released a statement saying they took Union’s concerns seriously and launched an outside investigation that found ‘an overall culture of diversity’. Police officers and protesters started gathering Wednesday outside the police precinct over the death of George Floyd, after white cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes before he died in custody (right). Flowers and photos were laid outside the Cups Food deli where the incident unfolded Monday to pay homage to the man who family members have said was ‘everyone’s favorite person’. Tuesday’s protest descended into chaos when cops hurled tear gas canisters into the crowds and demonstrators were seen desperately fleeing the hail of rubber bullets raining down on them. An incident report from the Minneapolis Fire Department Wednesday reveals medics arrived at the scene of Floyd’s arrest to find him ‘unresponsive, pulseless’. Surveillance video does not appear to show George Floyd, who died after being pinned down by Minneapolis cops, resisting arrest — which police had claimed — in the moments before the deadly encounter. Floyd, who was black, can be seen on footage from a nearby restaurant Monday complying with cops as he’s led from a vehicle. https://youtu.be/EKV7Mi9YUAQ Grammy Nominated & Stellar Award Winning Gospel Hit-Maker REV. LUTHER BARNES ?Delivers The Inspiration We All Need & Have Been Waiting For On Look To The Hills. Available Everywhere This Friday 5/29! LOOK TO THE HILLS is a wide-ranging work that encompasses a variety of styles ranging from quintessential choir work to “quartet”-rooted stylings to R&B-flavored balladry, all held together by the Reverend Barnes’ soulful, expressive vocalizing. Hear Rev. Luther Barnes IN His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Luther_Barnes_intvw.htm Hitmaker James Fortune returns with his new single! It's a traditional ballad featuring powerhouse singer Lisa Knowles Smith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqsCzgFujUY&feature=youtu.be Gospel Spotlight Shines it's light on new music from Brenda Davenport Taylor "Take No Thought." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1HZQqJbr84&feature=youtu.be The U.S. surpassed a jarring milestone Wednesday in the coronavirus pandemic: 100,000 deaths. That number is the best estimate and most assuredly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korea wars combined. “It is a grim milestone,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. “It’s a striking reminder of how dangerous this virus can be.” The state of California filed a lawsuit Tuesday against CBS, Disney and producers of the long-running series “Criminal Minds,” alleging that the show’s cinematographer engaged in rampant sexual misconduct against crew members for years. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing says the show’s production team knew of and condoned the behavior of cinematographer Gregory St. Johns throughout the 14 years he spent on “Criminal Minds,” and fired more than a dozen men who resisted his unwanted groping and sexual harassment. “On the Record,“ the story in which women accuse the powerful hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, their former boss, of rape, by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, provides a searingly intimate portrayal of the agonizing process of calculating whether to go public. Beyond that, it shines an overdue light on the music industry, where sexual harassment is ”just baked into the culture,” in the words of Sil Lai Abrams, a Simmons accuser featured in the film. Most importantly, it puts a spotlight on women of color, and the unique and painful burden they often face in coming forward. The project also has been associated with controversy due to Oprah Winfrey’s withdrawal as executive producer just before the Sundance Film Festiva. Winfrey later acknowledged Simmons had called her and waged a pressure campaign, but said that wasn’t why she bailed. But the film has moved on. It opened at Sundance anyway to cheers and two emotional standing ovations, and was soon picked up by HBO Max, where it premieres Wednesday. CBS This Morning” anchor Gayle King became emotional on air Tuesday morning while discussing two racially charged incidents involving black men that transpired on Monday. Visibly shaken, King told viewers: “I am speechless. I am really, really speechless about what we’re seeing on television this morning. It feels to me like open season … and that sometimes it’s not a safe place to be in this country for black men.” https://youtu.be/Wxso3LqRWmQ Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, has seen enough, heard enough and knows enough about the George Floyd situation and wants and arrest and prosecution. Specifically, the mayor is demanding that prosecutors arrest and charge Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who was filmed pressing his knee on the neck of the black man George Floyd moments before his death. Wednesday, Minneapolis officials formally identified and fired the four fired police officers involved in Monday’s incident as Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng. https://youtu.be/-dINNcIyWO0 Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy will formally kick off her bid for Virginia governor today, becoming the first Democrat to launch a bid. According to The Washington Post, Carroll Foy plans a purely digital launch due to the coronavirus pandemic. The sister of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground and put his knee on his neck for about eight minutes, said the officers involved should be charged with murder. Bridgett Floyd spoke to Hoda Kotb on “Today” on Wednesday. https://youtu.be/_quu_thkRGs As states ramp up their reopenings, some are coming under criticism for making public misleading statistics or concealing information related to the coronavirus outbreak. While the U.S. has reported more cases and deaths than any other country, the method for counting COVID-19 deaths varies by state. In testimony before the Senate earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said the actual number of people who’ve died as a result of the pandemic is “almost certainly” higher than what’s been counted. Georgia officials have apologized and corrected what was described as a “processing error” that wrongly showed a downward trend in the number of new daily infections in the state, making it appear as if new infections had dropped every day for two weeks. In the neighboring state of Florida, which has also moved expeditiously in reopening swathes of its economy, several data-related controversies also have brewed. According to internal emails obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, state officials directed a top Florida Department of Health data manager earlier this month to remove data from public view that showed Florida residents had reported coronavirus-associated symptoms before cases were officially announced. Shocking video has emerged showing a white Minneapolis police officer pinning a black man to the ground with his knees moments before he loses consciousness and dies. The disturbing footage was taken by a bystander in south Minneapolis on Monday, and has now sparked an FBI investigation into the man’s death. The Minneapolis Police Department confirmed the man George Floyd died in a statement later that night, saying officers had responded to a ‘forgery in progress.’ ‘Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress.’ ‘Please. Please, I can’t breathe,’ the man, who is shirtless, is heard begging cops. ‘My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts.’ The arresting officer continues to kneel on the man’s neck for several minutes while he moans in pain. A white woman called the cops and told them an African-American man was threatening her life after he simply asked her to put her dog on a leash in Central Park on Monday. Amy Cooper, 41, has since apologized and has been placed on administrative leave from her job as head of insurance investment solutions at Franklin Templeton after the confrontation with bird watcher Christian Cooper, 57, in the wooded area known as The Ramble. She also returned her dog Henry to a rescue shelter after viewers said she looked like she was choking him by dragging him by his collar. Late on Monday, Cooper apologized and said she understands why people may think less of her after viewing the clip. Georgetown basketball coach and former NBA great Patrick Ewing has been released from the hospital and is recovering from COVID-19 at home, his son said Monday. The 57-year-old Hall of Famer, who played for the Hoyas in college and the New York Knicks in the NBA, announced Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was being treated at a hospital. Patrick Ewing Jr. said three days later on Twitter that his father was getting better after receiving treatment and thanked the doctors and nurses who looked after him during his hospital stay. He also thanked fans for their thoughts and prayers after his father’s announcement. Jimmy Fallon finds himself on “clean up duty” after a clip of him in blackface started trending on Twitter. He has offered an apology. The “SNL ” skit from 2000, which shows him doing an impression of Chris Rock, reappeared online on Tuesday triggering the hashtag #jimmyfallonisoverparty to trend. Fallon, 45, took to social media to apologize. “In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface. There is no excuse for this.” Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired following the lynching of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck while he was handcuffed on the ground, and pleading: “Please, I can’t breathe.”Police say they were reporting to a “forgery in progress.” Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced the termination of the four officers during a news conference Tuesday. He did not publicly name them but two of the cops seen in the video were identified on social media as officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao. Doja Cat has once again addressed the accusations that she’s a racist after her association with alt-right internet users was exposed. The biracial singer, 24, is catching some serious heat over her alleged self-hate and anti-Black remarks in racist chat rooms. She also recorded a song that features the derogatory term “Dindu Nuffin,”which is used to mock Blacks who are victims of police brutality. Internet sleuths also claim to have uncovered receipts of Doja stating online how she hates her “African” hair and denouncing her blackness by claiming “at least I’m light skinned and thick.” Sunday, Doja issued a statement on Instagram denying ever uttering a word of hate speech, while claiming to be a proud Black woman with South African roots. Last week, a mother captured a video of her newborn baby lifting her hands in praise and the mom began singing the JJ Hairston hit, "You Deserve It." The video has since gone viral with upwards of 8 million views, and although the baby, Ariah Danae is still in ICU, her early praise is indication that she will be out soon- happy and healthy. “The doctor said it was miraculous what my baby did and for the doctor to use that word, says something,” says Ariah’s mom, Cristin. JJ Hairston and wife Trina saw the video, invited parents, Cristin and Cory Ware, to be interviewed on FB Live. The couple got a star studded surprise Zoom baby shower, JJ and Trina invited some friends, who wanted to be a blessing to the Ware’s. Kirk Franklin, John P. Kee, Todd Galberth, Travis and Jackie Greene, Donnie McClurkin, Warryn and Erica Campbell, Teddy and Tina Campbell, Kierra Sheard, Kenneth Leonard and Tasha Cobbs- Leonard, Jekalyn Carr, Willie Moore Jr. and William Murphy all gave words of encouragement and motivation to The Ware’s. Hear JJ Hairston In his Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/J_J_Hairston_intvw.htm Brothers James and Carl and twin sisters Angela and Andrea were reared in a tight-knit community in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. The Davis' pursued their love of music formally through the Mattie Moss Clark Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Clark who embraced and encouraged their unique 4-part harmony stylings. The Davis' released their 2017 debut single “Amazing” featuring Twinkie Clark, and their "Pressing On" single in 2018. The family returns in 2020 with a new single “Heaven” featuring their late brother and group patriarch Carl Davis. "Heaven" marks the first musical offering since his untimely death. "Heaven" is a tribute and celebration of his life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQnxG1jTT4c&feature=youtu.be JOJO MARTIN drops "EVEN IF IT TAKES FOREVER" Feat. Kierra Sheard it's our song in The Gospel Spotlight.!!! https://spaces.hightail.com/space/dfhV6D33Si/files/fi-9b1ae2eb-8f23-4452-950c-4311ec3f7cf2/fv-4d64f306-cf9f-4c5d-9de7-1d9fdfd9ee40/JOJO%20MARTIN-Even%20If%20It%20Takes%20Forever%20-%20feat%20Kierra%20Sheard%20(mastered)%20192.mp3 Yesterday was an Africa Day Celebration of TolumiDe's "My Love" album.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m35xpPj9UvY Former ESPN host Jemele Hill regarding Joe Biden‘s “you ain’t black” if you’re down with Trump comment. As you know by now, the quip by Biden instantly became a GOP weapon to use against the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States. He also made a lot of black folk in general upset with his “cavalier” retort.” Biden later walked back his comments, but hours before, Hill offered a defense of the former vice president. “The issue wasn’t what Joe Biden said, because it was accurate. The issue was that it came from Biden,” she tweeted. “It also was clearly a joke that didn’t land. But I’m wondering where all this outrage was yesterday when y’all president declared his public devotion to a Nazi sympathizer,” she added, referring to Trump who praised the “good bloodlines” of Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford while visiting an automotive plant in Michigan Thursday. During World War II, Ford produced vehicles for the Nazi regime. He also published anti-Semitic writings. Retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas credits the generosity of a homeless man for his recent come up in the lottery game. As noted by the LA Times, the three-time all-star bagged more than $160 million in his 11-year NBA career, and Sunday he added $300k more to his fortune. According to Arena’s Instagram post: Arenas had eight minutes to get to a gas station in Calabasas, Calif. to play the same lottery numbers he always plays. He only had $10 cash and no gas in his tank, so when he stopped to quickly fill up at the gas station, a homeless man asked for some spare change. Arenas explained his situation to the man, and offered to give him $5 and keep the other $5 to pay for gas. The man said that wouldn’t be enough to get Arenas to the spot the usually plays the lotto, so he told Arenas to “Keep the $10 and after you win, hook me up with $20. I know you’re going to win.” The next morning, Arenas woke up to a text telling him he won $300,000. When he hit up the gas station, the owner explained that he was the one who texted Arenas with the good news. True to his word, Arenas said he found the homeless man from the gas station and “gave him his cut.” It looks like Megan Thee Stallion has linked up with Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie collection as the newest brand ambassador. With the ‘Hot Girl’s’ ‘Savage’ song going viral, topping the charts and gaining even more heat when Beyonce dropped some verses, Rihanna’s collaboration in this way makes the most sense, it IS the SAVAGE collection. Soul singer Betty Wright was buried on Saturday (05-23-20) in Miami following a homegoing service attended by her friends, family, and fellow singers/songwriters who wore face masks because of the coronavirus. Many guests gave their own eulogies to the late R&B legend, showcasing the close relationships she had with everyone from family to musical mentors and mentees. “God, our Father, we thank you. We thank you for the life of this great woman,” Rev. Mark Cooper said from the lectern. 2 Live Crew’s Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell said: “Me and her always, we were friends until the end.” Oscar winner Denzel Washington proved he is even more impressive off camera after he recently helped a stranger who was in harms way get to safety in Los Angeles. The 65-year-old had been driving around West Hollywood Thursday afternoon when he spotted what appeared to be a homeless man in the middle of a busy street, according to TMZ. Deciding to be a good Samaritan, Denzel pulled his Range Rover to the shoulder of the road and got out to see if he could assist the man. Denzel Washington helped the stranger who was in harms way get to safety. Washington had been driving around West Hollywood when he spotted what appeared to be a homeless man in the middle of a busy street and deciding to be a good Samaritan. Washington ‘continued to comfort’ the man while he dealt with cops. The homeless man was briefly detained and placed in handcuffs for an unknown reason but later released – Denzel was by his side through the whole ordeal. The coronavirus pandemic has altered the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, but it will still go on, giving students the chance to show their talents virtually. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the program. High school bands from around the country traditionally head to Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City for a multi-day competition. Given the COVID-19 crisis that has led to shutdowns across the nation, there will be no travel; instead, the event will take place from June 8-12 on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s website, social media accounts and also through Zoom. Nowadays, Memorial Day honors veterans of all wars, but its roots are in America’s deadliest conflict, the Civil War. The work of honoring the dead began right away all over the country, and several American towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Researchers have traced the earliest annual commemoration to women who laid flowers on soldiers’ graves in the Civil War hospital town of Columbus, Miss., in April 1866. But historians like the Pulitzer Prize winner David Blight have tried to raise awareness of freed slaves who decorated soldiers’ graves a year earlier, to make sure their story gets told too. According to Blight’s 2001 book Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, a commemoration organized by freed slaves and some white missionaries took place on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C., at a former planters’ racetrack where Confederates held captured Union soldiers during the last year of the war. At least 257 prisoners died, many of disease, and were buried in unmarked graves. Seven holes was all it took Sunday night for Tiger Woods to demonstrate in free-swinging style that he is one golfer who’s had a good lockdown. The occasion was a charity match with Phil Mickelson staged at Woods’s home course. The pair had playing partners arguably as famous as themselves in two superstar NFL quarterbacks. Alongside Woods was Peyton Manning, while Tom Brady partnered with Mickelson. Woods and Manning went on to win and all for a good cause. The group raised 20 Million dollars was raised. Former New York Kicks great and current Georgetown University coach Patrick Ewing announced Friday night that he is hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus. “I have tested positive for COVID-19,” said Ewing in a statement. “This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly. I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones.” Coach Ewing has been isolated at a local hospital, according to the school. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has reportedly been granted early release from prison due to a COVID-19 outbreak at his prison in Louisiana. Kilpatrick has been incarcerated since 2013 and was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for multiple public corruption crimes. He has long argued that he was wrongfully convicted and reportedly requested a pardon from Trump’s White House after losing all appeals. “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin has agreed to serve two months behind bars and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, has agreed to serve five months as part of a deal to plead guilty to cheating the college admissions process, according to court papers filed Thursday. Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 56, are scheduled to plead guilty via video conference before a federal judge in Boston, who must approve the deal. Jerry Sloan walked up the steps to the stage at the Basketball Hall of Fame to give his enshrinement speech in 2009, almost as if he were dreading what the next few minutes would bring. He never wanted the spotlight. “This is pretty tough for me,” Sloan said that night. Talking about himself, that wasn’t easy. But basketball, he always made that seem simple. Sloan, who spent 23 years as coach of the Utah Jazz and took the team to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, died Friday at 78. The team said that for four years he had Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Vanderbilt has removed the interim title, making Candice Storey Lee the first woman to become an athletic director in the Southeastern Conference. With Vanderbilt’s announcement Wednesday, Lee now is among only five women and the second black woman in charge of a Power Five program. Daniel Diermeier, who takes over as Vanderbilt’s chancellor on July 1, said Lee is the “living embodiment” of the university’s values and aspirations. First, it was Joe Biden walking back his “you ain’t black” if people can’t decide to vote for him or President Trump Friday, a few hours after he initially said those words. The NAACP is pushing back on the former Vice President’s claim that the civil rights organization endorsed him “every time I’ve run.” That’s simply not the case, says NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, who dealt with Biden’s comments in a press release that states the organization doesn’t endorse political candidates. “We want to clarify that the NAACP is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse candidates for political office at any level,” wrote Johnson. “Persons affiliated with the NAACP at the national, state, and local levels are free to make candidate endorsements in a personal capacity, but they do not reflect support by the NAACP as an organization.” Milwaukee twin sisters Ariana and Arielle Williams are making headlines after being accepted into 38 schools and awarded more than $1,000,000 in scholarships. The sisters are seniors at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, and both intend to pursue a career in nursing. “This is not really a completion for me, I’m just getting started,” said Arianna. “Yeah, I feel partially relieved,” Arielle added. Arianna is graduating first in her class, with her twin right behind her. The sisters are waiting word from their school about being considered valedictorian and salutatorian. Robert Person releases "Make A Wish" and it is more than just a new song for Robert. He has submerged himself into a full campaign to inspire dreams and dreamers. Each Wednesday, Robert offers an encouraging word through his new "Make A Wish Wednesdays" Video Blog on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVe_mGDp28WrqR4N1HE5uw6EL5zD0oHVc ABC is bringing back the lion’s share of its series for next season, including “black-ish,” “A Million Little Things” and “The Rookie.” They are among the 19 shows that will return in the 2020-21 season, the network said Thursday, adding to a list of previously announced renewals. New series debuting next season include “Big Sky,” a thriller from writer-producer David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies,” “Boston Legal”), the comedy “Call Your Mother” and game show revival “Supermarket Sweep” with host Leslie Jones (“Saturday Night Live”). The new Netflix film "THE OLD GUARD" directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Secret Life of Bee) stars Charlize Theron and "If Beale Street Could Talk" star KiKi Layne in her first major action flick role. https://youtu.be/aK-X2d0lJ_s Tyson (50-6) hasn’t fought professionally since 2005, a loss to Kevin McBride at age 38. “It may not be over yet. Anything’s possible. I feel unstoppable now,” Tyson said last week. “The gods of war have reawakened me, ignited my ego and want me to go to war again. I feel like I’m (young) again.” blob:https://www.facebook.com/94762609-3309-4584-8e1e-721aa25a5287 Iyanla Vanzant has a new show called “Fear Not With Iyanla Vanzant.” It airs Saturday nights between 9 and 10pm E/P on OWN. As with every episode of the show, this week’s episode, “The Cost of Fear and the Price We Pay,” tackles how we have brought different types of fears “into the virus.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oIRDWgIxZk President Donald Trump has called for the reopening of houses of worship, declaring them “essential” services. “If they don’t do it, I will override the governors,” Trump says. “In America, we need more prayer, not less.” Trump says the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention also was issuing guidance for communities of faith to hold safe gatherings. Trump’s comment came one day after he prodded the agency to issue guidelines, so congregations can restart gatherings for worshipers. The CDC previously sent the Trump administration documents outlining steps for religious facilities to reopen, but the White House disagreed with them. Barack and Michelle Obama took part in the Chicago Public Library’s “Live from the Library” series and read the children’s book, “The Word Collector,” by Peter H. Reynolds. “Public libraries are essential institutions and that's why we’re bring a new branch of the Chicago Public Library to the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side,” Barack adds. The Obamas also announced that they’ll be bringing a new branch of the Chicago Public Library to the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side. https://youtu.be/U-hTKWCX7hc R&B singer Monica is catching heat after fans accused her of posing for a photoshoot while attending a funeral in Atlanta. Many followers of the songstress on social media are calling the pictures “tasteless,” according to MTO. https://www.instagram.com/monicadenise/?utm_source=ig_embed Future has been hit with a lawsuit by one of his eight baby mamas. According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, the hip-hop star is being sued by Eliza Seraphin, the mother of his 1-year-old daughter, Reign. In her complaint, Seraphin accuses Future of damaging her reputation with false allegations that she’s a clout-chasing hoe with mental health issues. She also claims Future—legal name Nayvadius Wilburn—sent her texts accusing her of stealing his last name. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ FEATURES SINGER RAHEEM DAVAUGHN AND COMEDIAN JASMINE BROWN ON SATURDAY, MAY 9 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y7MsJfyfrE&feature=youtu.be HEART OF THE BATTER WITH JORDIN SPARKS COOKS UP MOUTH WATERING TREATS ON SATURDAY, MAY 16 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiFH3mBlmgM&feature=youtu.be Stephen Anderson returns with a Feel Good Summer Jam Message..."Back To Love" that was birthed out of The E.A.R Movement, "Empowerment Application Reconciliation" where Stephen Anderson Pastors. After Facing Simultaneous Life Changing & Life Altering Experiences, he found that "Getting Back to a Place Called LOVE" was not only the Command, But the way back to inner peace. https://www.dropbox.com/s/lawol87iv0hivnd/Back%20To%20Love%20Stephen%20Anderson.mp3?dl=0&utm_source=Stephen+Anderson+Back+To+Love&utm_campaign=2018+Stellar+Award+Nominee+-+Gods+Posse+-++Releases+New+Single+%22Anchored%22&utm_medium=email Gayle King has shared her joy that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are continuing their ‘fairy tale’ with their son Archie — while denying reports that her best friend Oprah Winfrey helped orchestrate their stay at Tyler Perry’s mansion in Los Angeles.In celebration of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s two-year anniversary, the CBS This Morning host reflected on their historic wedding as well as their relocation from England to Los Angeles after they stepped back from their royal duties.‘They’ve got a little baby, Archie, they’re living in the United States, and I think the fairy tale continues for them and it just makes me happy,’ Gayle, 65, told Entertainment Tonight. The man who filmed the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery has been arrested on felony murder charges, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., 50, was arrested Thursday. GBI Director Vic Reynolds said earlier in the month the department was investigating Bryan, while Kevin Gough, the man’s attorney, had previously called on the GBI to clear his client’s name. Bryan was also charged with criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment, the GBI announced in a statement. Bryan’s arrest is the latest in connection to the February shooting of Arbery, a 25-year-old black man. Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad announced Thursday that he is resigning after eight years as the FBI said it will investigate the killing of Breonna Taylor. Juanita Jordan did not appear in "The Last Dance" and Jasmine Jordan told ESSENCE that unlike fans, her mother wasn’t concerned about being absent from the docuseries. “At the end of the day, if you’d ask my mom, she lived it. There’s no need to go down memory lane and bring up everything that has already happened when the proof is in the pudding,” she said Monday during a Facebook Live chat. “She was at the championship. She was at the retirement ceremony,” Jasmine continued. “We saw her in her glory…so no, I don’t think there’s a need to rehash and go through it all. She already lived it.” Juanita and Jordan met in 1985, famously at a Bennigans in Chicago after a Chicago Bulls game. By the time the two tied the knot in 1989 in Las Vegas, they were already parents to their son, Jeffrey. Juanita and Michael would later split in 2006 after 17 years of marriage. Anthony Faulkner drops "You Are Amazing," a song that is certain to minister to the heart, causing you to replay this tune over and over! Anthony is an award-winning, International Urban Inspirational Artist from Houston Texas and has been the musical guest of several television networks such as TBN, CBN The Word Network, and many others! Hear Anthony Faulkner In His Own Words.......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonyfaulkner_intvw.htm Brent Jones drops “Fear and Faith Can't Live Together," it's our song in the Gospel Spotlight....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBkGiQkgBmE&feature=youtu.be Coronavirus infections could reach as high as 5.4 million in the US in the next two months and more than 290,000 Americans could die if social distancing isn’t adhered to, according to a COVID-19 forecast model. The ominous forecast from the University Of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School model accounts for all states fully reopening without any social distancing measures. In comparison, the model predicts nearly 4.3 million cases and 230,000 deaths by July 24 if states reopen but individuals maintain their social distancing efforts. If states only partially reopen by lifting stay-at-home orders but social distancing measures are still adhered to, the model forecasts 3.1 million infections and 172,000 deaths. Todd Tilghman, a pastor from Mississippi, was crowned winner of “The Voice” Tuesday night. He included in his finale performance MercyMe’s crossover hit “I Can Only Imagine.” He tweeted after his win, “I wish I knew how to say thank you. And I wish y’all knew how much I respect and admire my new friends and fellow artists/contestants on @NBCTheVoice. I don’t know how long it’ll take me to process, but I sure am #grateful for every moment.” https://youtu.be/plxZLgWKMNo ‘Architect of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ Little Richard was laid to rest at his alma mater Oakwood University, a historically black college in Huntsville, Alabama, Wednesday after passing away from bone cancer earlier this month. Little Richard was remembered not just as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer but a man of generosity and faith at a memorial service at his alma mater where he was laid to rest Wednesday. Mourners gathered at Oakwood University to pay their respects, many wearing face masks and standing a few feet apart at the outdoor service at the school’s cemetery. Hollywood actor Hagen Mills is dead following an ‘attempted murder-suicide’ in his native Kentucky. The 29-year-old actor, who appeared in the hit FX series Baskets, reportedly tried to kill his former partner Erica Price, 34, at a residence in Mayfield on Tuesday evening. Price was allegedly shot by Mills in both the arm and chest but managed to survive and call police. Mills subsequently turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. According to The West Kentucky Star, Price is the mother of Mill’s four-year-old daughter, Mila. “Love Actually” filmmaker Richard Curtis found the pandemic only boosted the fundraising telecast’s celebrity quotient. Actors, musicians and comedians idled by social distancing proved eager to take part in NBC’s sixth annual “Red Nose Day Special,” which airs 9-11 p.m. EDT Thursday with songs, sketches and short films about the children and charities that will be aided by donations. The NBC telecast’s guest includes Julia Roberts, John Legend, OneRepublic, Paul Rudd, Sarah Silverman, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, 5 Seconds of Summer, Jim Gaffigan, Meghan Trainor, Sam Smith and James Taylor. The telecast is co-hosted by “This Is Us” stars Mandy Moore and Justin Hartley. Aldon Smith will be able to take part in team activities with the Dallas Cowboys after the NFL on Wednesday conditionally reinstated the pass rusher from an indefinite suspension for off-field issues. Smith, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2015, will be able to participate in the Cowboys’ virtual offseason program starting next week. He can also meet with teammates and coaches. The Washington Nationals will unveil their World Series championship rings during a “virtual” ceremony shown on television and online Sunday — an unprecedented approach brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. With the start of the Major League Baseball season on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Nationals owner Mark Lerner said Tuesday night he hopes the plan to show off the team’s hardware would provide “a moment of joy in these uncertain times.” Teams typically unveil their title rings at a home stadium packed with fans. Evvie McKinney rose to prominence as the winner of the inaugural season of the TV singing competition The Four: Battle for Stardom on FOX. The young singer with Southern charm wowed judges Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, DJ Khaled, and Meghan Trainor with her powerful voice and fearless stage presentation, packing a punch as she effortlessly covered iconic soul songs, like Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You” and Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” Evvie McKinney just announced that new music is coming NEXT FRIDAY (5/29). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4KO_NnDr_M&feature=youtu.be&utm_campaign=48033_MOTG+5.20_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email It's New from Canton Jones "Jesus Is Real" featuring John P. Kee. The song is the Gospel Spotlight song of the week.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwea7F88Oak Former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard was found dead Wednesday morning after going missing while swimming over the weekend. Gaspard and his 10-year-old son got caught in a rip current while swimming in Venice Beach, California on May 17. His body was discovered by a beach goer along the shoreline around 1:25 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the report. Actor Gregory Tyree Boyce and his girlfriend Natalie Adepoju, 27, were found dead inside their Las Vegas home by their roommate, and police say they had been “deceased for some time” before their bodies were discovered on May 13. According to a police report, next to their bodies, officers found an unknown white powder substance on a nightstand, in addition to a straw and a plastic card. Family members said the couple were both “known to do harder drugs” such as cocaine and meth. “ The Lovebirds ” stars Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are two of the most exciting voices working in film and television today, as actors, writers and creators. Rae’s “Insecure” and Nanjiani’s “The Big Sick” are both vibrant, stimulating and fresh and rooted deeply in the diversity of their own experiences. So it’s at least notable that this film, a dark, night-goes-wrong comedy that seems very much in each of their wheelhouses, was not created or written by either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzPq8uVgLe8 The Daytime Emmy Awards are skipping a theater ceremony because of the coronavirus but the honors will be presented on a TV broadcast. CBS’ decision to air the awards on June 26 is a bright spot for the daytime honors, which had been consigned to an online presentation in recent years as viewer interest dwindled. Nominations for the 47th annual Daytime Emmys are to be announced Thursday on CBS’ “The Talk,” with categories including best drama series, talk show and game show. Washington Redskins rookie receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden said Wednesday he tested positive for the new coronavirus in March and has fully recovered. Gandy-Golden said in a statement that he tested positive during NFL draft training on March 24, had mild symptoms and was cleared on April 7. “I self-quarantined for two weeks and followed all guidelines from health experts,” he said. “I feel 100% now and can’t wait to get on the field with the Redskins.” During an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Tuesday, Issa Rae talked about working in a writers room remotely for “Insecure,” fan reaction to her character’s fight with Molly and experimenting with time in Season 4 of the HBO series. https://youtu.be/kZt6c4Pz3Kw The newest member to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds is a Howard University graduate and the first Black, female officer, Captain Reemashay Nelson. “I know a small percentage of African-American officers, specifically female officers in the Air Force. So to be in a position that is visible, to show little girls that this is attainable, to let them know they can do anything they put their mind to, is an absolute honor,” Nelson said. She has spent eight years in the Air Force. Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds previously announced plans to host an Instagram Live virtual show dedicated to the iconic “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack album to celebrate Mother’s Day. But legendary music executive Andre Harrell passed away and Babyface decided to push back the special till Sunday, May 24th at 8pm EST/5 pm PST. The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer appeared on “The View” last month to dish about his next virtual music session. Babyface was the mastermind behind the 1995 compilation album for “Waiting to Exhale.” UrbanFlix TV is delivering a fresh slate of scripted and unscripted original programming, as well as a wide array of high caliber multicultural content, according to Deadline. It debuts its launch with Ray J and his new TV show “Pump” with leading lady and former “My Wife and Kids” actress, Jennifer Freeman. https://www.urbanflixtv.com/pump-series/videos/pump-trailer The Last Dance” wrapped up its 10-episode run on Sunday, but the fallout reportedly continues among many of the featured Chicago Bulls players who weren’t expecting the documentary about the team’s final championship run to be told primarily from Michael Jordan’s perspective. Horace Grant is among the disgruntled. In a radio interview Tuesday, Grant said it “is a downright, outright, completely lie” that he leaked much of the information in Sam Smith’s famous “The Jordan Rules” book, as Jordan alleged during the documentary. He also called Jordan a snitch. https://youtu.be/9PmUdZAMPzc A Florida man who described the coronavirus as “a fake crisis” that was “blown out of proportion” and “wasn’t that serious,” is singing a different tune now that he and his wife have contracted the deadly contagion. In March and April, Brian Hitchens, a rideshare driver, posted multiple messages on Facebook minimizing the threat of the coronavirus, believing it to be nothing but hysteria and a government distraction. But after both he and his wife ended up hospitalized with COVID-19, he’s speaking out about their experience. “I’m honoring what our government says to do during this epidemic but I do not fear this virus because I know that my God is bigger than this Virus will ever be,” he wrote on April 2. “Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” A new report circulating by Sportcasting, contends that Former Utah Jazz Karl Malone got a 13-year-old girl pregnant when he was in college. And he evaded statutory rape charges or any legal penalties at all. The girl gave birth to Malone’s son named Demetress Bell. Bell went on to play football in the NFL. A person who later learned they were positive for Covid-19 attended a California religious service on Mother’s Day, exposing 180 other people to the novel coronavirus, according to local health officials. The individual got a positive diagnosis for Covid-19 the day after the service and is now in isolation at home. People who attended the service have been notified about their exposure and received instructions from health officials to self-quarantine, the statement said. Officials are working to get testing for everyone who was in attendance. Supermodel Hailey Bieber opened up about her years-long battle with guilt because of the pressure she felt to be a good girl from her Christian upbringing. Superstars Justin and Hailey Bieber recently launched a Facebook video series giving fans a glimpse into their lives while in quarantine. Over the weekend, the model also appeared in an interview with her church on the Hillsong YouTube channel, as part of a four-part series, in which she candidly spoke of her new marriage to Justin. https://youtu.be/XnEixkGSQ5Q A New York City physician known for his dedication to patient care continued working on the frontlines of the pandemic in an intensive care unit and died from COVID-19. As the coronavirus pandemic took hold in New York, Dr. James A. Mahoney, 62, worked nonstop at University Hospital of Brooklyn, an under-funded institution that serves a predominantly poor, black community, The New York Times reported Monday. any physicians near his age stopped seeing patients out of concern that age or health issues would put them at a greater risk. But Mahoney, who was on the frontlines during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the AIDS epidemic, refused, according to his boss, Dr. Robert F. Foronjy. Arizona Diamondbacks’ star Starling Marte has revealed his wife Noelia has died of a heart attack. The outfielder, 31, posted a heartbreaking tribute on social media and said he was living in ‘indescribable pain’. The couple have sons Starling Jr and Smerling, and daughter Tiana together. Their mother’s tragic death comes just days after Tiana celebrated her fourth birthday. ‘Today I go through the great pain of making public the unfortunate death of my wife, Noelia, due to a heart attack,’ Marte wrote. ‘It is a moment of indescribable pain. ‘On behalf of my family, I am grateful for the expressions of esteem and solidarity in this difficult time.’ Latice Crawford's newest radio single “Something Something” is impacting radio airwaves now! It has a funky feel and is a nod to the James Cleveland classic “Something’s Got A Hold Of Me”. Crawford's sultry yet powerful vocals lace the track effortlessly. Crawford puts her heart and soul into every ministry moment with her sassy style, an unapologetic apostolic fervor. Hear Latice Crawford In Her Own Words.... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/latricecrawford_intvw.htm Samantha Diaz, known by her stage name Just Sam, was crowned “American Idol” season 18 winner Sunday night after singing the Christian single “You Say” in a duet with Lauren Daigle. Just Sam, who showcased her faith throughout the competition, declared on the final episode, “Thank you Jesus!” Before the duet, the contestant told Daigle about the impact the hit crossover song had on her. “‘You Say’ seriously speaks to my heart and I feel like that’s what brought me to tears at my audition,” she said. TobyMac wrote a song in 2018 titled “See the Light” about persevering through hard times. His official music video for the song was recorded as a social distancing version, in which his band members video chatted him. https://youtu.be/Lu-Wgp2GzLQ Keyondra Lockett & PNA drops hot new single "LOOK TO THE HILLS." Twilight actor Gregory Tyree Boyce has died, PEOPLE confirms. He was 30. The actor’s girlfriend Natalie Adepoju, 27, was also found dead in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 13, Clark County Medical Examiner spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE. Boyce, who was best known for his role as Tyler Crowley in the first Twilight movie, and his girlfriend’s cause of death is still pending, the spokesperson added. The actor leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter Alaya while Adepoju, who is originally from Los Angeles, California, is survived by her young son Egypt. Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is gearing up for a run as Blade, the vampire-slaying character formerly played by Wesley Snipes that became a cult classic movie. Ali post some concept art on his Instagram that give us a glimpse of the actor transformed into Blade for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Janelle Monae co-stars this season "Homecoming" and her character has to figure out how she ended up in a boat floating in a lake. Not only is Monae’s character trying to put together the missing pieces, so is the audience, as they are introduced to this new character. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgW4IhG_xLg President Trump will not be unveiling Barack Obama’s official White House portrait, a tradition that will likely be skipped for the first time in decades. The decision comes as the petty occupier of the White House accuses Obama of unsubstantiated and unspecified crimes. “Presidential portrait unveilings are one of the three events that bring former presidents together. This level of animosity between a sitting president and his predecessors is unprecedented in modern history,” Kate Andersen Brower, author of “Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump,” told CNN. Flex Alexander explain that he was dead broke and didn’t have a dime to take his wife, singer Shanice out on an anniversary date years ago. The two have previously shared their financial woes on the Black Love documentary, but this time they sat down with Flex’s good friend Chris Spencer and his wife Vanessa and revealed something Shanice had no knowledge about. https://www.instagram.com/blacklove/?utm_source=ig_embed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that President Trump shouldn’t be taking the drug hydroxychloroquine because he’s “morbidly obese” and at risk for negative health effects. Pelosi made the comment Monday during an interveiw with Anderson Cooper on CNN. Trump said he’s been taking daily doses of the drug for a week and a half despite warnings from the FDA. Pelosi expressed concern. https://youtu.be/zXsCWm6CW5A Marc Maron’s voice quivered from the first words he uttered. Just days after the sudden death of his partner Lynn Shelton, Maron spoke candidly Monday to his vast podcast audience about his grief. “I don’t even know if I should be out in public talking,” Maron said. “But this is what I do and this is where I’m at and there’s no right or wrong with grief.” Shelton, the beloved director of humane and poignant independent films like “Laggies” and “Your Sister’s Sister,” died early Saturday morning at age 54. “She was my partner. She was my girlfriend. She was my friend and I loved her. I loved her a lot. And she loved me and I knew that,” Maron said. “We were happy.” In a statement via Twitter, The Wendy Williams Show tweeted: ‘In consultation with her doctor and as a precautionary measure, she will be taking some time off as she continues to receive treatment.’ Geoff Johns, the former president and chief creative officer of DC Entertainment, considered his sister akin to a superhero, but instead of otherworldly strength or special powers, her special gift involved her generous heart and sense of adventure. “She always wanted to help people. She was very positive. She walked in a room and she just had energy,” Johns said of 18-year-old Courtney, who was killed in 1996 in the TWA Flight 800 plane explosion off the coast of Long Island, New York. He’s keeping the spirit of his sister alive with the new series “DC’s Stargirl,” which debuts Tuesday on the CW network. It features Brec Bassinger as Courtney, a heroic teen with a strong moral compass. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com LeBron James reiterated Monday that he is hopeful the NBA season can resume, with the caveat that the health and well-being of players won’t be jeopardized by a return to play. The Los Angeles Lakers star, speaking on the Uninterrupted platform’s “WRTS: After Party” show that was released Monday, said it remains his wish that the season comes back “sooner than later.” The NBA suspended the season on March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and two unidentified members of the Lakers were among the league’s players who subsequently tested positive for the virus. BISHOP OLIVER CLYDE ALLEN, III SET TO APPEAR ON ABC'S "PANDEMIC" THIS FRIDAY, MAY 22ND AT 1PM/12C Bishop O.C. Allen to Discuss Conquering COVID-19 & His Faith Journey. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com WE tv announced yesterday that Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award winner Loni Love is the new voice of its signature series “Bridezillas,” which returns this fall to a new night on WE tv. Loni Love is currently a co-host of “The Real.” “Bridezillas” returned in 2018 after a multi-year hiatus to ratings success and glowing fan reception for the new reboot. The fan favorite phenomenon will return this fall for season 13. NOTABLE ANTHEM HIT WRITER TODD DULANEY SET TO PERFORM A VIRTUAL CONCERT BROADCASTED ON AFRICA'S DStv ON FRIDAY MAY 22.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWBaZvYeDo&feature=youtu.be Guitarist Jorge Santana, the younger brother of Carlos Santana and whose guitar riffs on the band Malo’s 1972 hit “Suavecito” transformed the song into a Chicano anthem, has died. Carlos Santana announced his brother’s death on his Facebook page Friday. He was 68. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Monday, May 18, on The Real From Home, each co-host brings Girl Chat from her home, during the current pandemic. The hosts discuss how they feel about exchanging lists of sexual partners with their respective significant others. Co-host Adrienne Houghton admits that she and her husband Israel have complete transparency in their relationship about this topic while co-host Tamera Mowry-Housley thinks what’s in the past should remain in the past. Co-host Jeannie Mai adds that she really doesn’t want to know the details of her fiancé Jeezy’s previous partners, just about whether they are within their circle of friends. https://youtu.be/Yti4WT8QJSo Netflix has revealed the official trailer for “Da 5 Bloods,” the latest film from Oscar-winning director Spike Lee. The movie, due June 12, follows Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), four veterans who go back to Vietnam in search for buried treasure and the remains of their squad leader (Chadwick Boseman). Accompanied by Paul’s son (Jonathan Majors), the four vets embark on an adventure that helps them confront their trauma. https://youtu.be/D5RDTPfsLAI Former WWE star Shad Gaspard reportedly went missing over the weekend after swimming with his 10-year-old son in Venice Beach, California. Los Angeles County lifeguards and the U.S. Coast Guard are continuing the underwater search for Gaspard, as the boy was eventually located by rescuers and did not require medical treatment, per PEOPLE. TMZ first reported that Gaspard went missing after he and his son were caught under a strong ocean current. https://youtu.be/_7JIckHl5Wc Former Pittsburgh Steeler James Harrison hit up Instagram to silence talk about another possible #bountygate scandal. During a recent conversation with the hosts of the Going Deep with Chad and JT podcast, Harrison was asked about the biggest fine he had ever received during his playing days, His answer? The helmet hit he delivered on Cleveland Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in 2010 that resulted in a $75,000 fine. In 2014, songmaster Dr. Luke logged his 16th No. 1 with Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.” But the hits came to a halt as Dr. Luke became entangled in a bitter lawsuit with Kesha, who accused him of sexual assault during their yearslong partnership, which began when he became her mentor when she was 17. Dr. Luke has vigorously denied the allegations. His career waned as the case took center stage even before the growing #MeToo movement; female acts stood in solidarity with Kesha, including Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Adele and Lady Gaga. A New York court dismissed Kesha’s sexual abuse-related claims in 2016 because of legal issues, without ruling on whether the allegations were true. Doja Cat signed with RCA and Kemosabe in 2014, releasing her debut EP “Purrr!” in August 2014, two months before Kesha filed her lawsuit against Dr. Luke. Now, press materials for Doja Cat do not mention that Dr. Luke is the mastermind behind “Say So” or four other songs on her album, including the Tyga-assisted bop “Juicy.” Shut down by the coronavirus crisis, Europe’s annual musical spectacular that pits countries against one another instead sought to unite them Saturday. The Eurovision Song Contest whose final was scheduled for Saturday night was canceled amid restrictions aimed at reining in the global pandemic. So rather than judging songs from 41 artists from Albania to the United Kingdom and having countries allocate points to elect a winner, organizers created a two-hour show called “Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light” that was broadcast in more than 40 countries. Walt Harris pointed to the sky and proudly showed off a “Fighting for Aniah” T-shirt as he entered the arena. He left a few minutes later with tears in his eyes, hardly the result he wanted in his first UFC fight since the death of his stepdaughter. Alistair Overeem stopped Harris in the second round of UFC’s Fight Night main event Saturday, ending what was an emotional return for the heavyweight fighter known as The Big Ticket. Harris was a slight favorite and the sentimental choice as he stepped into the octagon for the first time since his 19-year-old daughter, Aniah Blanchard, was killed in Alabama. Michael McCaskey, who led the Chicago Bears for nearly three decades following the death of his grandfather George Halas, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer, the team said. He was 76. A Yale graduate and the oldest of Ed and team matriarch Virginia McCaskey’s 11 children, Michael joined the family business in 1983 as president and CEO following the death of Halas, a founding father of the NFL and the franchise. He succeeded Ed McCaskey as chairman in 1999 and remained in that role until brother George McCaskey took over in 2011. The Bears made 12 playoff appearances and captured their lone Super Bowl title during Michael McCaskey’s tenure leading the franchise. He was chosen NFL Executive of the Year by his peers following the 1985 championship season. Checkout an exclusive clip of the premiere episode of Iyanla Vanzant’s new OWN series, “Fear Not With Iyanla.” It premieres TONIGHT (05-16-20) and features her 1:1 with BeBe Winans, as he opens up to her about contracting COVID. https://youtu.be/B4mtTg-Xz18 Fred Willard, the comedic actor whose improv style kept him relevant for more than 50 years in films like “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Best In Show” and “Anchorman,” has died. He was 86. Willard’s daughter, Hope Mulbarger, said in a statement Saturday that her father died peacefully Friday night. The cause of his death has not been released. “He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end,” Mulbarger said. “We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever.” Packers star Aaron Rodgers acknowledges Green Bay drafting a quarterback in the first round surprised him and complicated his hopes of playing his entire career with the same team. The Packers traded up four spots in the first round last month to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick. The move has raised speculation about Rodgers’ long-term future in Green Bay, no matter how much team officials emphasized afterward that the two-time MVP remains the clear-cut starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Rory McIlroy says he wouldn’t play golf again with President Donald Trump and doubts he would even be invited after questioning his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. McIlroy did an hour-plus interview for the McKellar Journal podcast in which he was asked whether he regretted the February 2017 round with Trump because of criticism on social media. “I haven’t done it since … out of choice,” McIlroy said. McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world, said three years ago he played with Trump out of respect for the office. Young Buck, a former G-Unit member filed for bankruptcy after serving some jail time. Young Buck took to Instagram Live with Three 6 Mafia founder and member DJ Paul to explain that he’s filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy and he doesn’t intend to pay any debt due to 50 Cent or G-Unit because of contractual obligations. Republic Records and Focus Features announce the release of The High Note Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on May 29, 2020. The soundtrack will arrive the same day as the film, which will be available on at home on demand. Preceding the arrival of the album, the film’s first single “Love Myself” is performed by Emmy Nominated and Golden Globe® Award-winning actress Tracee Ellis Ross, who stars in the film as recording artist “Grace Davis.” “Love Myself” is available via all digital service providers today. https://youtu.be/D2EMCwF-mR8 Deandre Baker, the NY Giants cornerback, has turned himself in to officials in Florida in his armed robbery case, according to his attorney Bradford Cohen. Cohen said he had a ‘trove’ of evidence that exonerates him in an Instagram post early Saturday. Deandre Baker is facing multiple charges including armed robbery and aggravated assault for his alleged role in a May 13 incident at a cookout. Baker along with Seattle Seahawks corner Quinton Dunbar and a 3rd masked man, reportedly robbed several partygoers during a cookout, taking cash and jewelry before escaping in exotic getaway cars. Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar are accused of armed robbery. Now, we’re learning of the situation Washington Redskins Cody Latimer‘s got himself in. He was put in lockup this weekend after cops say he was involved in assaulting someone and illegally using a firearm. Latimer, a Redskins wide receiver, was taken into custody just after midnight Saturday morning in Englewood, Colorado, where cops were summoned to an apartment complex where he was. Karew Records in partnership with Motown Gospel have released their third music video from The Clark Sisters’ hit record, The Return: “Give It To Him”. “Give it To Him” is a catchy tune with a simple chorus allowing The Clark Sisters free range to ad their signature ad libs to create a unique sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1P0_0-bBxU St. Louis based singer and songwriter Rodney Douglas, Jr. with the 2020 year bringing uncertainty across the globe, Rodney remains assured of his gift and of his God. With this confidence, he has penned an awesome anthem of worship. "I'll Worship" is Rodney's new single released independently by Rodney and his management team C-Note Entertainment founded by husband and wife team Craig and Toni Towns of St. Louis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN38tjBVR9s&feature=youtu.be Brandon Camphor & OneWay, are gearing up to release their sophomore album “Hope Is Alive” in 2020 that aims to expand the boundaries of gospel music while also demonstrating that OneWay is on to a new way to introduce faith music and principles to a new generation of listening ears. Their new single is "God Of Mercy." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rlju7etd50ri1dy/AABP9SUztOGLrVbpSgmcnGqDa?dl=0 Rudy Currence the Grammy and Dove award-winning singer, songwriter, and music producer is set to drop his forthcoming album, Stained Glass Windows. The lead single, “I Belong Here” is now available for pre-order and will be released on May 22nd. The album is slated for a Summer 2020 release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7yPyOgoh_Y&feature=youtu.be JORDIN SPARKS SHARES CAREER MILESTONES AND FAMILY LIFE ON CLEO TV'S HEART OF THE BATTER ON SATURDAY, MAY 16 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv5bY1vIMLQ&feature=youtu.be JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ FIRES UP A BURGER BATTLE WITH YANDY SMITH AND COACH GESSIE ON SATURDAY, MAY 9 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRGhCLiKx0g&feature=youtu.be Robert Horry hit some of the biggest shots in NBA history on the way to a 7-time NBA championship career. Likewise, Harlem Rapper and Diamond-selling Songwriter Saint Cassius, has never been revered as the star but has multiple championship wins from his impact in the Drumline, to his first writing placement becoming Bruno Mars' chart-topping, RIAA-certified Diamond record “Just the Way You Are” to publishing J. Cole’s most streamed single “No Role Modelz”. Similar to Robert, Cassius has hit some of the biggest shots for multiple teams, while never being considered the star player. Saint Cassius....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1YdWE6p7sc When our hands are too full, even to address our needs, how do we summon enough faith to plan for the future? To overcome that feeling of spiritual despair, we cannot focus on our losses; instead, remember that God will always utilize whatever we have left to perform a miracle. It might not seem like we possess enough stuff to make something of significance, and it may very well be our last, but give it all to God anyway! When we provide it to God first, He’ll open up a channel of blessings. A message from Bishop T.D. Jakes....https://youtu.be/6ewyuaQgpNE Two-time Grammy award winner and multi-platinum-selling artist Lauren Daigle will be a guest performer on the historic social distancing season finale of “American Idol” this Sunday. Daigle will be performing her hit single “You Say” as the top five finalists compete for the title. The ABC singing competition finale will air 8-10 p.m. ET. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGpajVghcu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé made history this week when their respective collabo tracks took the top two spots on the Hot 100 singles chart. Doja Cat’s “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé are Nos 1 and 2, respectively. It marks the first time ever that four black female solo artists occupy the chart’s top two rungs. Megan Thee Stallion tweeted about the Hot 100 feat, writing, “I’m happy to be apart of the history that was made today.” https://youtu.be/ngyHIHVrOrU While the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the nation in varying degrees, it is having a major impact on the daily lives of Black women. ESSENCE today released research findings from its Impact of COVID-19 on Black Women study. This first comprehensive study of Black women during the coronavirus pandemic reveals key insights into what Black women are experiencing and how it is affecting their lives – from jobs and financial stability to family and health, to trusted sources and post-pandemic outlooks. “Black women comprise just over half of the Black population, are one of the most influential and active voting blocs in the U.S., and are heads of household in almost 30% of all Black households, which is more than twice the rate for all women,” said Richelieu Dennis, founder and chair of Essence Ventures, parent company of ESSENCE. From a health perspective, Black women have a major concern about contracting the virus themselves (67%), but are even more concerned that loved ones could get infected (80%). One in four (24%) personally knows someone who has died from COVID-19, and 44% personally know someone who has contracted it. Black women say the pandemic has most negatively impacted their emotional well-being (64%) and mental health (63%), with 43% saying it has also negatively impacted their physical health. While just over one-third (34%) of Black women say the pandemic has had a negative impact on family relationships, 83% plan to spend more quality family time post-pandemic. Earnest Pugh’s 12th CD “The Outpour Experience” was recorded live and produced by Marque Walker, Michael Bereal, and Keith Williams. The effort features guest performances from Sunday Best Winner Amber Bullock and legendary lead singer from Reverend James Cleveland’s Southern California Community Choir, Dr. Betty Griffin Keller. Pugh and Kerry Douglas have a special treat for fans on release day. Amber Bullock will team up with Pugh to perform the power ballad that was recorded on the “Outpour Experience CD” entitled “The Sound” Friday, May 22n at 12pm CST and 1pm EST on Kerry Douglas' YouTube page. Pastor Jamal Bryant’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church facilitated free coronavirus testing for nearly 2,000 people in Atlanta, Georgia, at a Mother’s Day event Sunday as churches increasingly become a lifeline for access to testing in minority communities. The testing event was a partnership between RoweDocs and MAJL Laboratories. Bryant’s announcement comes as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a partnership last weekend with the state’s largest healthcare provider, Northwell Health, to establish 24 temporary coronavirus testing sites at churches in predominantly minority communities. At the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, which is home to one of the 24 temporary testing sites, the church’s leader, the Rev. Calvin Butts, took the first test as an example to the community. BET has announced plans to move forward with a miniseries that will highlight the late Andre Harrell’s groundbreaking career and time at Uptown Records. Harrell passed away from heart failure at his West Hollywood, Calif. home on May 7. BET president Scott Mills spoke on the miniseries following Harrell’s passing in an official statement, saying: “We are mourning the loss of a cultural icon, Andre Harrell, a chief architect of the modern hip-hop and R&B sound. Andre was tremendously excited about sharing the origin story of Uptown Records, and its pivotal role in the urban music landscape. With his tragic passing, BET is committed to ensuring that the Uptown limited series event tells both the Uptown story and Andre’s story — that of the incredible music innovator, man and friend to so many.” This Friday, fans will hear the untold story of their favorite Great Dane and gang in “Scoob.” The animated action-adventure film stars Kiersey Clemons as Dee Dee Skyes and Amanda Seyfried as Daphne Blake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqbb0p2mGIE Barack Obama admits that not having sports to watch during the COVID-19 pandemic is driving him nuts. The former president made the statement during a recent call with some of his ex administration staffers. Audio of the call was obtained by Yahoo News, and in it, Obama also gushes about his daughters Malia and Sasha, who he says “are stuck having dinner with me,” he said. Obama and wife Michelle Obama have been staying at home in Washington, D.C., with their girls for weeks. Michelle previously dished with Ellen DeGeneres about life on lockdown amid the national crisis, with FLOTUS sharing, “Everybody’s home. The girls are back… they’re off in their respective rooms doing their online classes. I think Barack is… I don’t know where he is. He was on the phone… We’re just trying to keep a routine going, but we also got a little Netflix and chill happening.” The governor of Kentucky has called on state and federal investigators to probe the fatal police shooting case of Breonna Taylor, who was killed March 13, by Louisville police after they stormed her home during a botched raid– firing more than 20 rounds into her apartment. In a statement posted to Twitter, Gov. Andy Beshear called the circumstances “troubling” and said Taylor’s family deserved the “full facts.” Police were looking for a suspect already in custody who did not live at the victim’s apartment. Officers went to the wrong complex, wrong unit and shot Breonna 8 times. The District of Columbia Public Schools termination of Dr. Carolyn Jackson-King, Principal, Boone Elementary School, and several additional principals in Southeast DC has sparked protest, controversy, social media buzz, and reopened old racial wounds by oppressed communities hard hit by COVID19, ravaged by disparities, and forever fighting for resources by local elected officials, community leaders, parents, students, and staff. Parents and the community believe their principals were terminated due to retaliation from DCPS for questioning the school district’s mandated racist and militaristic practices that perpetuates the “school to prison pipeline,” through its program, only enforced upon Southeast DC schools. Supporters of a beloved elementary school principle in Washington DC have launched a petition calling for her reinstatement after she was terminated for questioning the school district’s racist COVID-19 mandate. Keyshia Kaoir has held Gucci Mane down! The now wife of the rapper took to Instagram to brag about their 10-year relationship and how they weathered the storm and ultimately got married in 2017. Keyshia is really a ride or die-type chick, holding down Gucci and all his business affairs while he was incarcerated for a while. She gushes about Gucci in a post, saying: “WOW!!! Today is a very Special day for my husband & I! We met 5/14/10!!! Got married 5/14/17!!! Today 5/14/20 we’ve been together TEN YEARS!!! it wasn’t always a smooth ride but I would do it all over again! There is a new Sesame Workshop family friendly talk show on HBO Max called “ The Not Too Late Show with Elmo.” It begins streaming May 27. Guests during the initial 13-week episode run include Kacey Musgraves, the Jonas Brothers, John Mulaney, Lil Nas X, Miles Brown, Blake Lively, Dan + Shay, Andy Cohen, Hoda Kotb, Josh Groban, Olivia Wilde, Sara Bareilles, Jason Sudeikis, Sofia Carson and Ciara. Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Maurice Fayne, aka Arkansas Mo, on Wednesday was charged with federal bank fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The 37-year-old Fayne of Dacula, Georgia, appeared on nine episodes of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta in season eight, obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan in the name of a trucking company, but allegedly spent the funds on himself. Fayne made his initial court appearance Wednesday. The charge stems from Fayne obtaining the PPP loan for a Georgia corporation he called Flame Trucking. He was able to secure a loan for more than $2 million, saying it was for his payroll. However, he allegedly used more than $1.5 million on jewelry, including a Rolex Presidential watch, a diamond bracelet and a 5.73 carat diamond ring for himself. Fayne also is accused of using the federal funds to play $40,000 in child support, according to authorities. All the contracts, emails, personal info of stars like Madonna, Elton John, and Lady Gaga have been hacked from the famous law firm of Grubman, Shire, Meiselas, and Sacks in New York. Cointelegraph.com and Info-security Magazine were first to report the massive looting of files, 756 GIGABYTES of information. According to Info-security.com: “Cyber-thieves claim to have used REvil ransomware (also known as Sodinokobi) to steal 756GB of data that includes contracts, telephone numbers, email addresses, personal correspondence, and non-disclosure agreements. The attackers are threatening to publish the data in nine staggered releases unless they are paid an undisclosed sum in bitcoin.” Right now, the law firm’s website is down, with just a holding place card up with their logo. Marvin L. Winans on "PANDEMIC" on behalf of DARE Records & Juan & Lisa Winans' single "It Belongs To Me." Friday, May 15, 2020 "PANDEMIC" on ABC at 1PM/12C http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Revival The Movie, the story of Jesus with an all-stat cast, Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2020 all day!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS2wGnz0eF4&feature=youtu.be Joe Douglass & Spirit of Praise (SOP) returns in 2020 with an all-new live album JOURNEY TO GLORY. JOURNEY TO GLORY is produced by Michael Bereal (Earnest Pugh, Dave Hollister, Marvin Sapp, Mary Mary, Norman Hutchins) and features songs written by Douglass, Todd Galbreth, Deon Kipping, and the late Edwin Hawkins. Featured guests on the album include Lisa Page Brooks, Y'Anna Crawley, and KJ Scriven. Douglass & SOP remake the classic hit "Praise Him" which was written by Edwin Hawkins over 50 years ago. "Praise Him" features Shelene Huey-Booker on lead vocals and is the first single from JOURNEY TO GLORY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKqTYNeGdm0&feature=youtu.be Gregory D and his Michigan-based gospel record label Gregory D Productions have inked an exclusive digital distribution deal with IndieBlu. This celebrated songwriter, producer, and group leader of his award-nominated gospel recording group Gregory D and Company are slated to release new music within the coming weeks ahead of their forthcoming EP project. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Edwrin Sutton & Kingdom releases "I Hear The rain." It's our song in the Gospel Spotlight today!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfylJzo54d4&feature=youtu.be A Houston choir director and gospel singer was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop on Friday, prompting fury from the man’s family who has demanded that the department release footage of the killing. Adrian Medearis, 48, who was black, was shot during an alleged scuffle with a police officer who stopped him on suspicion of drunken driving early Friday. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Monday afternoon that he would not release the video until he could meet with the family and personally show it to them. A stage musical about Michael Jackson has pushed its Broadway debut until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Preview performances of “MJ” are now set to begin in March 2021 at the Neil Simon Theatre. The musical — previously called “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” — was to start performances in New York City on July 6. The musical is inspired by Jackson’s life and music. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage is writing the book, using Jackson’s vast catalog of songs. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph and Ephraim Sykes will star as Jackson. The new Amazon series about everyday people who are making an impact in the fight against the coronavirus is getting an assist of its own — from Kevin Hart and Nick Jonas. The comedian and musician will both make special guest appearances on the eight-episode docuseries “Regular Heroes,” offering encouragement and donations. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video May 8 and new episodes will be available every Friday through June 26. Alicia Keys was part of the premiere episode. Stevie Wonder turned the big 7-0 today, from us to you Stevie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inS9gAgSENE Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was gunned down by Louisville police after they stormed her home during a botched raid– firing more than 20 rounds into her apartment. Police were looking for a suspect already in custody who did not live at the victim’s apartment, according to a lawsuit filed by Taylor’s family. Officers went to the wrong complex, wrong unit and shot Breonna 8 times, MSN reports. Taylor was a certified EMT working at two local hospitals, working on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic. Today Senator Chuck Schumer was a guest on SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show,” where he talked about how President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are handling the current crisis, as well as the one joy in all of this – staying at home with his young grandson. https://www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/0469a9b1-fd7d-4257-ab28-f76acc8fa2aa/f69a3c73-999c-4465-905c-8bfc2609e458 Rival morning programs “Good Morning America” and “Today” had something in common Wednesday morning: Al Roker. “GMA” correspondent Deborah Roberts was broadcasting live in a segment with anchor Robin Roberts when suddenly was video-bombed by her husband, “Today’s” Al Roker, broadcasting for “Today” from another part of the house. blob:https://www.facebook.com/83a70b47-7e8c-4669-9cdf-774d48ba04f5 Diddy’s sexuality is back in the spotlight after fans questioned the gender identify of his female companion in a recent Instagram clip. Chatter about Sean “P. Diddy” Combs‘ alleged new girlfriend began after he posted a video of himself Thursday “sending love” to his fans during this “crazy time” amid the COVID-19 crisis. The woman is not seen in the clip but fans spotted her silhouette reflected on his sunglasses and quickly had questions about the “womanesque” figure with Diddy. As reported, many asked the music mogul if the “woman” in the video is male, female or transgender. The NFL has extended its virtual offseason workouts through the end of May, a person familiar with the move tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision to bar in-person sessions beyond the previous deadline of May 15 has not been announced publicly. NFL teams normally would be holding Organized Team Activities (OTAs) during May, followed by June minicamps. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, such activities have been done remotely. Coaching and training staffs have worked with the players by conducting classroom instruction and on-field activities through digital applications instead of at team facilities. Those virtual meetings can occur for four hours per day, four days per week. A 2019 clip of Blue Ivy Carter catching the spirit of Sasha Fierce has suddenly gone viral. She is seen dancing to her mom’s track “Mood 4 Eva,” from the 2019 soundtrack, The Lion King: The Gift. The video was originally shown in Bey’s 2019 documentary, “Making the Gift.” On Tuesday, it was shared by Blue Ivy’s personal stylist Manuel Mendez. https://www.instagram.com/itsamanuworld/?utm_source=ig_embed The COVID-19 outbreak has upended our lives and Black communities are being hit the hardest. Especially healthcare workers on the front lines and the thousands of families who have lost loved ones. That’s why Taraji P. Henson, through her Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, is doing something to make sure people who need mental health services the most can get them ASAP. Henson recently announced the COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Campaign, which aims to connect individuals and families most affected by coronavirus to mental health services they would otherwise be unable to afford. The fundraising initiative was set up to help cover the cost of teletherapy services by licensed and culturally competent providers. If you would like to seek therapy sessions through the Free Virtual Therapy Campaign, register today on The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’s website. Princeton University has named its first Black American valedictorian in the school’s history. Nicholas Johnson, a operations research and financial engineering major, is making headlines for earning top honors at the Ivy League school. “My favorite memories of my time at Princeton are memories of time spent with close friends and classmates engaging in stimulating discussions—often late at night—about our beliefs, the cultures and environments in which we were raised, the state of the world, and how we plan on contributing positively to it in our own unique way,” Johnson wrote in a statement. The school plans to hold a in-person ceremony for the Class of 2020 next spring, in May 2021. Oprah Winfrey who reportedly reached out to Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, to share her condolences and wish Ahmaud a happy birthday on Friday, May 8. Cooper-Jones told TMZ that she couldn’t believe it when she answered the phone to hear Winfrey on the other end. The media mogul, according to the celebrity site, told Wanda that she is hoping that the Arbery family gets justice and was happy to hear that the murder suspects, Gregory and Travis McMichael had been arrested and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. Along with Winfrey’s surprise call came a hint that a special gift was on the way. And, to honor Ahmaud Arbery, Oprah and her family joined thousands to walk or jog 2.26 miles on Friday (May 8), the day of his 26th birthday. Award-winning screenwriter Nakia Stephens, CEO and Founder of Damn Write Originals, has teamed with Aspire TV to produce short films and provide a new platform, Urban Indie Film Block, for content creators of color. The network’s Urban Indie Film Block, previously known as ABFF Independent, features short films by the next generation of great Black filmmakers. The programing block debuted on Aspire TV April 7th, and will feature original content every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET until July 28th. The world has experienced a reset and I think it’s an opportunity for us as individuals to do that, too,” writes Oprah Winfrey in a Facebook post about her upcoming WW event. WW (formerly Weight Watchers) has created Oprah’s Your Life In Focus: A Vision Forward, a live virtual experience that will help all of us move forward through mind, body, and spirit. blob:https://www.facebook.com/2a6370a6-4000-43f5-ac74-0a49130271f2 Betty Wright has died from cancer, according to reports from multiple media outlets. Wright's family confirmed the death to Essence. She was 66 and died from cancer at her home in Miami. Wright had been diagnosed with endometrial cancer in the fall, Steve Greenberg, president of S-Curve Records, told The New York Times. On May 2, singer Chaka Kahn tweeted that her friend Wright needed prayers. "My beloved sister, Betty Wright, is now in need of all your prays," the tweet said. "In Jesus Name We Pray for Sister Betty." The Mamba Sports Academy has officially retired “Mamba” from its name out of respect for the late-great Kobe Bryant and his “unparalleled legacy.” In a statement posted to its website Tuesday, the basketball training facility, which was co-founded by the NBA icon, announced it’s old name, “The Sports Academy,” is its new name, which was changed when the company partnered with Bryant in 2018. With billions of people in isolation and quarantine globally, art is flourishing and songs like “We Are Champions,” are being written to unify and uplift spirits during the Covid-19 pandemic. Stricken with an onslaught of emotions brought on by the pandemic, two award-winning singer-songwriters, B. Howard and Van Ness Wu, decided to record “We Are Champions,” to speak to the resilience of humanity and honor the personal sacrifices of those on the frontline! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn93bQpW-jo&feature=youtu.be Marshalee's most treasured credential is that she is a child of the Most High God, Jesus Christ, seeking daily to live in His image and to be one of His representatives. Her gifting as a singer has allowed her to take gospel music to both religious and secular audiences across the country and the Island of Jamaica, where she was born and raised. Her new single is "Follow." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XauLn5vcI7M&feature=youtu.be Lorna M. Johnson, the founder of the Lorna M. Johnson Global Institute and a Los Angeles-based nurse midwife, nurse practitioner and healthcare executive, is spearheading a Change.Org petition drive to establish U.S. Healthcare workers with the Priority of Service designation during times of crisis. The petition is a result of the challenges and conditions nurses and healthcare workers are facing while fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX_G5xXTpLw&feature=youtu.be Days after 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was shot dead in Georgia, Christians and activists held a vigil at a church in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday to draw attention to gun violence against black people. Meanwhile, a new video was released and appears to show the moments leading up to the victim’s death. Around 30 cars participated in “The Peace Vigil Support & Caravan” held at Sidney Park CME Church, following social distancing rules to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to The State. The cars honked their horn three times as they passed the church, symbolizing the three times Arbery was shot while jogging unarmed on Feb. 23 in Brunswick, Georgia. States’ stay-at-home orders may ease up in the coming months, but Oprah Winfrey is playing it safe. Speaking on Oprah magazine‘s Instagram Live on Sunday, the 66-year-old media mogul said that she has canceled all of her plans through the end of 2020. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2020/05/11/9104931888771348686/1024x576_MP4_9104931888771348686.mp4?_=1 PJ Morton connected with fellow singer/songwriter, Ro James. The two share a unique connection as they both grew up in the church. “We’re both preacher’s kids,” said Morton. “And we’re both not preachers. We’re R&B singers.” The son of Bishop Paul and Pastor Debra Morton, Morton got his start in gospel music, before embarking on his current secular musical journey. It’s definitely a spiritual aspect to the music,” he shared. “I don’t think people who aren’t preacher’s kids can truly understand what that process feels like growing up and what that means.” For James, growing up as a “PK” had its own unique challenges. “My dad was a pastor, a preacher and a drill sergeant in the military,” he revealed. “He was super duper with it. He was super strict. And he was the oldest of his brothers and sisters so he was like their father basically. So I had that.” “But then when he really really got into church, he went all the way in and everything was over. Music was different — he threw away records, he threw away CDs — you couldn’t listen to anything but Gospel music,” the singer added. Everyone is finding ways to cope in their respective quarantines and it has nothing to do with launching a business, running a marathon in the living room or whipping up plant-based recipes. Some folks are eating chips and binge-watching The Wire as a way to pass the time and relieve the stress. Tamar Braxton said she’s no different. The reality TV darling recently shared that she’s been relying on food, TV and social media during self-isolation—and she recently admitted that this practice has taken a toll on her mental health. https://youtu.be/8TB85byaOow Todd Tilghman, a pastor from Mississippi, is now one of the nine finalists in NBC’s singing competition show, “The Voice.” The lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Meridian, Mississippi, made his way to the top nine after advancing from 17 singers. Tilghman, who is on Team Blake, meaning he’s coached by country star Blake Shelton, performed Peter Cetera’s 1986 song, “Glory of Love.” His performance granted him the slot among the finalists in the award-winning TV competition. https://youtu.be/XJAYYxOKIjk Although the song was released in 2018, Hillsong United released the official music video of “Another in the Fire” on May 6, featuring Taya. But due to COVID-19, it became a social distancing version of the song. The video shows empty streets and the band members recording with their instruments and equipment from home. https://youtu.be/NDokmDZKRxc Sadly, it appears Princess Love and Ray J are ending their four-year marriage. According to TMZ, the Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood couple is headed for divorce four months after welcoming their second child, Epik. Love is reportedly the one who filed, citing irreconcilable differences. Back in March, Ray J and Love gave a vulnerable look inside their troubled marriage with a TV special called The Conversation: Ray J And Princess Love. During their heated on-air discussion, they hash out an incident in which Love says she was abandoned by her husband in Las Vegas while pregnant. Love also confronted Ray about allegations that he’d been unfaithful during their marriage. These are very uncertain times, but even in this time of global panic we must remember that God said, He would never leave us nor forsake us! Through all the worry, fear, economic crisis, & the growing pandemic, let's put Him in remembrance of His word and declare this: It's Gonna Be Alright!" Ernest J. Lee ft J.Elise & Jimmie Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ4CC2wLKiA&feature=youtu.be With the current state of our world, this song is so fitting for the believer or anyone who God has made a way for in past times. Watching the news these days, can cause any one to question their faith or belief in any "higher power". But regardless of what we see, our faith pushes us to continue to trust God! I won't be moved by what I see, but will continue to stand on what God has said! Therefore, "You Can't Make Me Doubt Him". David Walker & High Praise ft: Bishop Jeronn C. Williams and LeJuene Thompson https://www.dropbox.com/s/7w28nupqgo26k7i/You%20Can%27t%20Make%20Me%20Doubt%20Him%20%20James%20Walker%20and%20High%20Praise.mp3?dl=0 "While Traveling Through" is the title cut from Shonda's upcoming album Travelin'. This churchy tune features two of Chicago greats, guest vocalist Lemmie Battles and renowned organist Richard Gibbs. David Walker and High Praise of Atlanta, GA render their voices in the background. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGmQvsptquo&feature=youtu.be Comedy veteran Jerry Stiller, who launched his career opposite wife Anne Meara in the 1950s and reemerged four decades later as the hysterically high-strung Frank Costanza on the smash television show “Seinfeld,” died at 92, his son Ben Stiller announced Monday. He died of natural causes, his son — a comedy star himself — said in a tweet. Jerry Stiller was a multi-talented performer who appeared in an assortment of movies, playing Walter Matthau’s police sidekick in the thriller “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and Divine’s husband Wilbur Turnblad in John Waters’ twisted comedy “Hairspray.” He also wrote an autobiography, “Married to Laughter,” about his 50-plus year marriage to soul mate and comedic cohort Meara, who died in 2015. Arnold Schwarzenegger flexing for onlookers on the beach. Alfred Hitchcock riding his bike on the docks. John Lennon and Yoko Ono strolling along the Croisette. A beaming Sidney Poitier arriving at the Cannes premiere of “A Raisin in the Sun” in 1961. These are some of the indelible moment created at the Cannes Film Festival over the years. New ones won’t be added to the festival’s storied history this month; the festival’s 73rd edition won’t kick off as planned on Tuesday, the festival has been postponed indefinitely, part of the worldwide shutdowns meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Injuries forced Carson Wentz to watch another quarterback lead the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl title and put him on the sideline for playoff games in each of the next two seasons. Now the franchise player with the big contract saw his team use a second-round pick on a quarterback who was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy last year. The Eagles didn’t draft Jalen Hurts to compete with Wentz, only to provide insurance. Wentz won’t allow disappointment, frustration or setbacks to bring him down. “It’s God’s perfect plan. It’s His sovereignty interwoven with every one of our lives. And so for me to just fully trust, fully surrender (and say): ‘All right, God, I’m just here for surrender to You. And I want to give everything I can in my life to ultimately glorify you as best I can.’ It just gives me a different perspective with everything that comes my way, the good, the bad, the ugly. It’s not always the easiest to kind of have that train of thought. But the Bible talks about having a renewed mind. And so for me, that’s a daily thing to have my mind renewed by the Word and just fully surrender to the Lord.” DJ and record producer, Diplo, 41, confirmed on social media on Mother’s Day that he and model Jevon King, a former Miss Universe contestant, have welcomed their first child together. As noted by MSN, King, 30, revealed back in October that she was expecting a baby, though kept the identity of the father private, even after announcing the birth of her son, on March 20. She named her baby boy Pace, and he is Diplo’s third child. He also shares two sons with ex Kathryn Lockhart. HIGHTOWN is the STARZ network’s new drama set in Cape Cod. Executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the show centers around Jackie Quiñones (Monica Raymund) a hard-partying lesbian National Marine Fisheries Service agent that is wrestling with sobriety. Jackie has no problem flashing her gun and badge to pick up women in “P-Town,” the gay mecca of Provincetown, MA. Her hard-partying lifestyle is thrown into disarray when she discovers a body on the beach – a casualty of Cape Cod’s opioid epidemic. Raymund was a fan favorite for seven years on the NBC drama “Chicago Fire” where she starred as Gabriela Dawson. https://youtu.be/naIEfaBJTLk Jae Hardwick, the white wife of actor Omari Hardwick, took to Instagram to call on her fellow caucazoids to show solidarity in support of bringing the killers of Ahmaud Arbery to justice. https://www.instagram.com/mrsjaeh/?utm_source=ig_embed Sight & Sound Theatres stage production of’ “Jesus” is once again returning to the big screen after nearly 3 million people tuned in Easter weekend for its worldwide debut. On May 13, “Jesus” — which focuses on the people the Son of God came in contact with when He walked the Earth and how He rescued them, from the Apostle Peter to Mary Magdalene — will air on TBN and on the TBN website/app leading up to its release on DVD and digital download on May 15. Oprah Winfrey has walked a symbolic 2.26 miles to mark Ahmaud Arbery’s 26th birthday in a heartfelt video posted to Instagram. Arbery, a 25-year-old unarmed black jogger who was shot and killed allegedly by a white father and son ‘vigilante’ team. Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested on Thursday and charged with murder and aggravated assault for the shooting death of Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia. The killing happened in February but the pair were only charged after footage of the attack was leaked online on Tuesday sparking outrage across America. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com A man in Petersburg, Virginia, saw a need for those who have lost loved ones and cannot have a traditional funeral due to social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. https://youtu.be/AOsizkZtA7s Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin warned senators that the outbreak of Covid-19 and the massive recession that likely will take place might cause the unemployment rate to balloon to 20 percent. (He later walked back that dire prediction.) The same day, the president’s spiritual adviser, Paula White asked her followers for private donations to bankroll her private church, which she described as a “hospital to the sick”—the metaphysically sick, that is. Since October, White has served as the special adviser to the Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives in the Trump Administration. During a coronavirus-themed “prayer session” that she delivered to her online congregation at that time, she conflated the coronavirus outbreak—a quickly-spreading pandemic which has infected more than 6,000 Americans and by Wednesday had killed 146—with the fundraising needs of the City of Destiny, an Apokpa, Florida, church in which she holds a prominent position. Trump’s “spiritual adviser” (and head of the White House’s “Faith and Opportunity Initiative” program) Paula White asked for cash during a coronavirus-related prayer session this afternoon. “A Senate report found that White’s personal ministry and the church she ran with her now ex-husband used tax-exempt ministry funds to pay nearly $900,000 one year for the Whites’ waterfront mansion. It paid over a million dollars in salaries to family members and kept the Whites in the air with a private jet. White and her church refused to cooperate with the investigation and in 2011, by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Former President Barack Obama has made his feeling known about the pandemic and he totally didn’t mince his words, either. Obama was speaking with members of the Obama Alumni Assn, and during the 30-minute call, he was explaining to the group why there needed to be strong leadership to manage the crisis. He was doing so while trying to get the former staffers to get active in Joe Biden’s bid to replace President Trump. “What we’re fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy — that has become a stronger impulse in American life,” Obama said in his assessment of the way Trump has handled things. Entertainment mogul Andre Harrell passed away Friday at the age of 59, earlier it was first reported that he had a heart attack and died, but it still hasn’t been officially confirmed. However, via HipHollywood.com, we’ve learned that Harrell’s ex-wife, Wendy Credle, said that the cause was heart failure and that he been dealing with heart issues for some time. Quoting a well-placed source, the site says Harrell was on a phone call yesterday, when “the call just dropped.” “The person didn’t think anything of it,” added the source. After that, attempts to reach Harrell all day by phone were unsuccessful. “His cousin went by this morning and used a spare key and found him dead.” Again, other than his wife saying it was heart failure, we still don’t have an official cause of death, but Hip Hollywood’s source added that they also believe Harrell’s heart issues played a part in his passing. Little Richard born in Macon, Georgia has passed. The rock and roll legend whose real name was Richard Wayne Penniman. He was 87. According to a report by RollingStone, the musician’s son, Danny Penniman, confirmed the death, but told the magazine that the cause of death was unknown, although it was not completely unexpected due to his ongoing deteriorating health condition over the past year or so. Known for his charismatic showmanship and dynamic music, first, as a rhythm and blues artist, Little Richard literally laid the foundation for rock and roll. Will Smith is being accused of carrying on a wild affair with 24-year-old actress Liza Koshy. Despite the actor and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith having an open marriage, Black Twitter is feeling some way about rumors that Will has been a “sugar daddy” to Liza for a while now. Liza is a 24-year-old actress, television host, comedian and YouTuber. Starting her career in Vine in 2013, the former girlfriend of YouTube personality David Dobrik appeared in Will’s YouTube video in 2018, in which he challenged her to a hydrofoil surfing competition. 50 Cent is speaking his mind! Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson chatted with Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez about his new self-help book, “Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter,” which is available now. The rapper shared his candid thoughts about his longstanding feud with Wendy Williams. He also shared a hilarious story about the time he went to lunch with Mark Wahlberg. https://youtu.be/gS4KyPV8Ymk Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy, the duo whose extraordinary magic tricks astonished millions until Horn was critically injured in 2003 by one of the act’s famed white tigers, has died. He was 75. Horn died of complications from the coronavirus on Friday in a Las Vegas hospital, according to a statement released by publicist Dave Kirvin. Jim Bakker is taking a sabbatical from his television show as he recovers from a recent stroke, his wife, Lori Graham Bakker, announced on Facebook. “I wanted to share with you, our loving and caring partners, that Jim recently experienced a stroke,” she wrote. “We are thankful that Jim is okay, and that he is now at home with our family. Under the guidance of medical professionals and our Board of Directors, Jim will be taking a sabbatical from the show. Jim will be back! He is still dreaming and hearing from the Lord, and he already has a powerful word to deliver when he returns to the air. Shanta Atkins has released her highly anticipated single “Made Up My Mind.” Most may know her as the younger sister to the Grammy Award winning Gospel duo “Mary Mary”. Shanta’s experience as recording artist has her prepped to now blaze a trail all her own. “Made Up My Mind” displays Shanta Atkins powerful vocal ability and anointing. The single is just what fans and the gospel music industry have been waiting for from Shanta. Hear Shanta Atkins In her Own Voice.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/shantaatkins_intvw.htm A God Like You,” from Kirk Franklin, is featured in the new “Becoming” documentary, just released globally on Netflix. The strains of Franklin’s energetic track is featured in the documentary’s opening moments, which follows the former First Lady Michelle Obama on her book tour. “A God Like You” is from Franklin’s GRAMMY®-winning hit album Hello Fear. https://www.dropbox.com/s/onchclq8liua42o/Film_Becoming_Kirk%20Franklin_A%20God%20Like%20You.mp4?dl=0 The song "A God Like You,” appearance in the film “Becoming” was a complete surprise experience for Franklin himself, whose shocked reaction was captured on video in a sweet family moment with his wife Tammy and posted by their daughter Kennedy, as he watched the documentary for the first time. https://twitter.com/i/status/1258149175272882181 The SRT Entertainment family regrets to announce the passing of Stellar nominated Derrick Lamont Adams, co-writer of hits “God’s Grace” and “Look To The Hills” by Rev. Luther Barnes & The Restoration Worship Center Choir and musician. Jonathan Traylor’s newest project, "The Unknown" features the first three songs off his innovative playlist-styled album, with new songs and video content being released continuously over the course of 2020. “You Get The Glory”, “I Trust You” and “Purpose Over Pleasure (Live)” are all inspired by Jonathan’s journey of blindfolded faith and ultimate acceptance of Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rWIiB3o3ac&list=PLdgZfq5HPeyhzoaMGDMQdMGLHIoVtRZ59&src=Linkfire&lId=64600e1e-79a3-4c21-97f9-9c17e4b37ae4&cId=d3d58fd7-4c47-11e6-9fd0-066c3e7a8751 Dare Records celebrates the release of gospel music’s premiere millennial GRAMMY-nominated couple, Juan and Lisa Winans’, official debut single, “It Belongs To Me,” featuring 6X GRAMMY-Award winner Marvin L. Winans. "It Belongs To Me" is available now all major digital retail and streaming outlets. This Spring, Juan and Lisa Winans will appear on the second season of the NBC hit show “SONGLAND” in an episode featuring Boyz II Men. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZuuB5338xg&feature=youtu.be Jabari Johnson just released the brand new visual for his new single, "Fixed Fight" exclusively on BET Gospel. Jabari called on songstress Krystal Broussard to assist in delivering a powerful message to listeners and followers of Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hA_nqOBw5Q&feature=youtu.be The impact of the coronavirus-induced economic shutdown tore through the U.S. labor market in April at historic levels, slashing 20.5 million workers from nonfarm payrolls and sending the unemployment rate skyrocketing to 14.7%, the Labor Department reported Friday. Both numbers easily smashed post-World War II era records and help reflect the profound damage done through efforts used to combat the virus. Ty has died at the age of 47 after contracting coronavirus. The rapper’s death was confirmed by his team on Thursday after he was hospitalised and placed in a medically-induced coma following ‘complications’ surrounding the virus. Ty – real name born Ben Chijioke – was previously nominated for the Mercury Prize for his acclaimed album Upwards. A fundraising page explained Ty was admitted to hospital with medical complications related to the coronavirus. The star was then placed into a medically-induced coma, and later put on a ventilator, but was moved out of intensive care after his condition improved. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been living in an ultra-luxury Beverly Hills hideout that belongs to Hollywood tycoon Tyler Perry. The couple have never been seen in public with Perry, but are believed to have met him through their mutual close friend Oprah Winfrey. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their one-year-old son Archie have called the $18 million mansion home since moving to LA at the end of March, sources said. D.K. Metcalf says the best advice he received as a rookie was to sit down last at team meetings. Metcalf shared his experience as a first-year wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks with 547 players in the NFL’s first rookie webinar after the draft last month. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair also were panelists on the discussion moderated by Mo Kelly, a former Seahawks defensive back and the team’s current director of player engagement. Mike Storen, a former ABA commissioner and multisport marketing whiz and the father of ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, died Thursday. He was 84. Storm said her father died at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta of complications from cancer. Known for his hearty laugh and creative mind, Storen rose to executive spots in basketball, football, baseball and tennis during a four-decade career in sports. Storen was general manager of the Indiana Pacers and Kentucky Colonels and president of the Atlanta Hawks. He owned the ABA’s Memphis Sounds with musician Isaac Hayes, worked for the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA and the Houston Astros, and was commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association. CATCH THE SERIES PREMIERE OF CLEO TV'S HEART OF THE BATTER WITH JORDIN SPARKS ON SATURDAY, MAY 9 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As4TuzCw24o&feature=youtu.be JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ WELCOMES CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST SHAUN KING AND WIFE, RAI, FOR A SOUL FOOD FEAST SATURDAY, MAY 9 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgRE2JWsxPY&feature=youtu.be Prominent pastors and evangelical leaders are calling for justice in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was gunned down by a white former police officer and his son in a south Georgia neighborhood. Lecrae, Russell Moore, J.D. Greear, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore are among the Christian leaders who’ve publicly condemned the killing of 25-year-old Arbery, who was gunned down in February while jogging along the outskirts of Brunswick, Georgia, after being chased by two armed men. The men, identified as Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, told police Arbery looked like a suspect in a spate of recent break-ins. News of Arbery’s killing made headlines Tuesday after Lee Merritt, the family’s attorney, shared a graphic video of the shooting. Tribeca is taking audiences back to the drive-in this summer. Tribeca Enterprises, IMAX and AT&T said Wednesday that they are partnering to launch “Tribeca Drive-In,” a summer programming series of new and classic films, music and sporting events. It’ll take place in drive-in theaters and “other exclusive venues” nationwide starting on Thursday, June 25. The lineup will be announced in the coming weeks. Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro said they were excited to give people “something to look forward to this summer and reinvent a classic movie-going experience for communities to enjoy together safely.” Florian Schneider-Esleben, who helped pioneer electronic music as the co-founder of Kraftwerk and influenced genres ranging from disco to synth pop, has died at age 73. Citing fellow group founder Ralf Huetter, Sony announced that Schneider-Esleben had been suffering from cancer, German news agency dpa reported. Schneider-Esleben and Huetter met while both were students at the Academy of Arts in Remscheid. They started working together in 1968, and two years later founded the Kling-Klang-Studio in Duesseldorf and launched Kraftwerk. The NFL has set protocols for reopening team facilities and has told the 32 teams to have them in place by May 15. In a memo sent by Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained Wednesday night by The Associated Press, several phases of the protocols were laid out. The first phase to deal with the coronavirus pandemic would involve a limited number of non-player personnel, initially 50% of the non-player employees (up to a total of 75) on any single day, being approved to be at the facility. But state or local regulations could require a lower number. Mike Tyson hasn’t announced any plans to return to fight again, though he did suggest on an Instagram post he might make himself available for 3 or 4-round exhibitions if the price was right. Already, some people in Australia are talking about offering him $1 million to fight an exhibition against a rugby star or two. If the internet is any guide, there’s certainly interest. Tyson’s video showing him hitting mitts in a gym not only generated more than 9 million views in just a few days but also some buzz about just what the aging former champion might have left. Tyson is 53. The NBA says some players can voluntarily return to their team practice facilities starting Friday, with some very specific conditions and only in places where local and state governments have signed off on such openings. It’s unclear how many players will be back on the floor Friday when the league ban gets lifted. Miami is allowed to open its doors for the first time in six weeks but won’t until at least Monday while it works out certain logistical details. Orlando isn’t going to welcome players back immediately either. Same goes for Utah, the first NBA team to deal with the coronavirus after Rudy Gobert tested positive March 11 and the league shut down almost immediately. And most teams aren’t allowed to open yet to because of local rules. Mother's Day is a special day and there are those special songs that many associate with the holiday such as The Intruder's "I'll Always Love My Mama" or Bill Withers' "Grandma's Hands." The Rance Allen Group has a wonderful song of their own to add to the catalogue of classic Mother's Day tracks. It's named after the three Allen brothers' (Rance, Steve and Tom) mother, Emma Pearl. It is backed with an old school soul ambiance reminiscent to Teddy Pendergrass' "Love TKO." https://spaces.hightail.com/space/L21zNqG3cd/files/fi-d44ad3da-2cd7-4455-bce5-0fa5d95f1f92/fv-e2a483a1-0c57-4c1b-b380-1de2a0c6c059/Emma%20Pearl%20by%20Rance%20Allen%20Group%20192.mp3 Motown Gospel recording artist Tye Tribbett’s new song, “We Gon’ Be Alright”, released April 24, now holds the #1 Gospel Digital Song Sales chart position in its first week of release. Tribbett has previously scored five #1 albums and four #1 songs. “We Gon’ Be Alright” is Tribbett’s third straight Billboard #1 digital track Digital Song Chart. Hear Tye Tribbett In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/tye_tribbett_intvw.htm Just over a month after offering coronavirus tests to minorities for $150 each at an event he was forced to cancel, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Jamal Bryant is now offering the tests for free to anyone who needs it if they show up at his church on Mother’s Day. blob:https://www.facebook.com/3445a2e5-0d9d-4acc-8acf-d18343f8c525 Georgia prosecutor has called for a grand jury investigation into the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man who was killed after being chased by two white men in February while out running in a residential neighborhood outside Brunswick. “After careful review of the evidence presented,” Tom Durden, District Attorney of Georgia’s Atlantic Judicial Court, said in a statement, “I am confident the case should be presented to the grand jury of Glynn County for consideration of criminal charges.” https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB13FkeQ.img?h=70&w=94&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=t&l=f&f=jpg&x=508&y=251 Bryan Popin offers a live home worship quarantine experience with the music video release of his latest single “Beautiful Savior” featuring BET Sunday Best Winner and multiple Stellar Award winner TASHA. https://youtu.be/OJLd8IqQ4Z0 The Gospel Spotlight's Quianna Crute and "Anthem" featuring Canton Jones. The Gospel Spotlight's Chris Mitchell and "I found Forever." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeeVc9Fe0rE DeMarcus Kelly releases new single “Forever.” DeMarcus Kelly has been making an impact over the past year with his latest single. Kelly has amassed close to 300,000 audio/visual streams. DeMarcus Kelly’s debut album entitled “DeMarcus Kelly Presents: The Sound” debuted at #12 on the Christian/Gospel Chart on iTunes. Kelly endeavors to expand his reach with his newest single “Forever”, a tempo driven praise & worship cut. The lyrics, musical composition, and vocals easily places, “Forever”, among the hot new songs for praise & worship teams. https://www.dropbox.com/s/p0lii9nqrbc78d4/Demarcus%20Kelly%20-%20Forever%20%5BMST%5D%28Final%29.mp3?dl=0 Popeyes is giving out-of-work musicians the chance of a gig, saying it will hire some of them to record its “Love That Chicken From Popeyes” jingle for use in commercials. The chosen musicians’ work will be used in TV and radio spots. Popeyes says it will pay a one-time fee to the musicians for the use of their recordings, but declined to divulge the payment terms. Popeyes is asking musicians to submit their recordings through social media with the hashtag #LoveThat Jingle. Rudy Currence, singer-songwriter, producer, Grammy and Dover Award winner, is excited to present his brand new single “I Belong Here”. “I Belong Here”, the lead single from his forthcoming effort “Stained Glass Windows”, is an anthem for all believers. It reminds us that there is a special place and purpose for each of us within the body of Christ. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ciznd5tzoy02bfe/AACPkPLFQqCKB1lkF9vZevaYa?dl=0 Funeral Advocates of America LLC (FAA) and #GetMePPE have joined forces to launch the ‘Last Responders Awareness Initiative,’ Co-Founded by Ashley Jackson and Dr. Hari P. Close. The initiatives’ goal is to draw attention to combat the issue of the severe lack of protective equipment and the growing crisis of COVID-19 casualties amongst death care professionals. Facing the possibility of mass fatalities due to the Novel Corona virus pandemic, FAA is taking matters into their own hands by launching the initiative to raise funding to buy PPE to donate to funeral homes nationally through the Supportful.com platform. In partnership with GetUsPPE.org, protective equipment will be acquired and distributed to funeral homes across the country – especially those in high casualty areas. https://youtu.be/EI6o7Xmc450 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" - Matthew 11:28. It's time for another #WorshipandWellnessWednesday and you guessed it...the topic this week is REST! I thank God for this time of rest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmgMz6Tm5e8&feature=youtu.be As her COVID-19 patient lay dying, intensive care nurse Idara Inokon began singing a version of “Alpha and Omega” with the patient’s wife, who joined by FaceTime. “Despite she was looking at her husband incubated, sedated … his heart holding on, we were able to just kind of worship God in that moment, and I was with him when he passed. It was heartbreaking, because he was only 45,” Inokon said. “I can see that we really did everything possibly imaginable to try to save his life, and we couldn’t. And in the end, we just had to give it into the hands of God.” Idara Inokon has seen numerous patients die of the coronavirus while working in the intensive care unit of New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in the nation’s COVID-19 epicenter. Inokon, who holds the title of 2017 Miss Nigeria USA, has relied on faith and grace to survive serving on the front line during the pandemic that has driven some health care workers to suicide. Inokon works two jobs; fulltime as an intensive care nurse and part time as a nurse practitioner. She’s also working to grow the nonprofit organization she founded in 2018, Be Well Foundation, helping less fortunate communities in the U.S. and Nigeria, her father’s homeland. Pop star Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Bieber have launched a 12-episode series on Facebook Watch where the couple openly discusses the highs and lows of their marriage. blob:https://www.facebook.com/05111092-5f76-4e56-96b5-76dd1e8335cb Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre is repaying $1.1 million in welfare money that he received for multiple speeches where he did not show up, the Mississippi state auditor said Wednesday. Auditor Shad White said his office received $500,000 from Favre on Wednesday, plus a commitment that Favre will repay the other $600,000 in installments over the next few months. Favre’s effort to repay the money came two days after White released an audit of spending by the Mississippi Department of Human Services that showed Favre had been paid by Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit group whose former leader has been indicted in a welfare embezzlement scheme. OWN has confirmed that its church drama Greenleaf will end with its Season 5, set for a June debut. The show has been the No. 1 scripted show on cable among black viewers and averaged 1.1 million viewers in Season 4. In its final season, the Greenleaf family will be trying to save their Memphis megachurch from being taken over by Bob Whitmore and Harmony and Hope Ministry. But secrets past and present threaten to tear the family apart even as they try to unite. https://youtu.be/UkoPfpQfQ2k DANTON WHITLEY drops “STAND AS ONE” feat. Jason Nelson, Anthony Faulkner, Ntokozo Mbambo, M.K. Ngenge, Tiya Askia, Young Fletcher and Eryka Edmond. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/ttWvVSmL7ISRvE4FIagVf GRAMMY-nominated, multi-Stellar Award winner, author and philanthropist Jonathan McReynolds’ latest effort, PEOPLE, debuts at #1 on the Top Christian/Gospel chart and #1 on the Current Gospel chart. PEOPLE doubles as a full-length visual album - the first for the genre of gospel music, and also make an impressive debut at #2 on theTop Gospel Albums chart. PEOPLE boast incredible collaborations with Mali Music, The Walls Group and Pastor Mike Todd and is available now wherever music is sold and streamed at all major digital outlets. Hear Jonathan McReynolds In His Own Words....http://gospel-spotlight.com/jonathanmcreynolds.htm Gospel’s leading man Earnest Pugh took to Instagram yesterday to express heartfelt gratitude and appreciation upon finding out that his song was used in an episode of the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood starring Cedric The Entertainer and Tichina Arnold. Pugh’s Shondoe praise break was used in the church scene where Tichina Arnold’s character visits her church and praises God in an exuberant shout. Hear earnest Pugh In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_intvw.htm The Gospel Spotlight's Quianna Crute and "Anthem" featuring Canton Jones. T.D. Jakes Tells People That Just Because Politicians and Businesses Are Reopening They Don’t Have to Go With Them – Think for Yourself and Stay Alive. https://youtu.be/ZI-lnoXiop4 I’ll be your light when the road ahead seems dim,” gospel star Ruth La’Ontra sings on her rendition of the Grammy® Award winning Thompson Community Singers’ 1992 classic, “In My Name.” Those lyrics are especially poignant in the age of the coronavirus where millions have been affected and thousands have died. The song is definitely connecting with gospel consumers around the globe as her streaming numbers have skyrocketed. In addition, the track rises to No. 24 on Mediabase Gospel Airplay chart and makes a No. 30 debut on the Gospel Airplay chart. Hear Ruth La' Ontra In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ruthlaontra_intvw.htm Zach Williams and Dolly Parton wrote a new song titled “There Was Jesus” and released the music video just a few days ago. A reflective song about remembering all the times Jesus was there for them in the past, its lyrics are brimming with peace and hope, especially in a time like this when many feel alone. https://youtu.be/37wV6D49iEY NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT airs on PBS Sunday, May 24, 2020, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. E.T. America's national night of remembrance will feature: new appearances and performances by statesman General Colin L. Powell, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy winner and two-time Oscar nominee, Cynthia Erivo, world-renowned four-time Grammy Award-winning soprano superstar Renée Fleming, country music star Trace Adkins, Grammy Award-winning gospel legend CeCe Winans, Tony Award-winning Broadway star Kelli O' Hara, Tony Award-nominated actress Mary McCormack, members of the National Symphony Orchestra and a special message from General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The broadcast will also feature performances from previous concerts by Sam Elliott, Laurence Fishburne and Esai Morales. Hear CeCe Winans In Her Own Word....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/cece_winans.htm Amid the need to continue the practice of social distancing, Tuskegee University is turning to a virtual alternative to its typical Spring Commencement Ceremony to honor the achievements of its Class of 2020 graduates. Instead of an on-campus commencement ceremony, the university is planning a video-based “virtual graduation observance,” and President Lily D. McNair emphasizes the distinction between this observance and a “commencement ceremony” is intentional. “We have committed to honoring our Class of 2020 graduates in person, on campus and at a time when it’s safe and responsible to do so,” McNair said. “So, this May’s event is not a replacement, but a placeholder, for the true commencement celebration to come.” B.J. Armstrong also learned to move quickly — off the court, that is. Whether it was during his rookie season when his stall in the Bulls locker room was adjacent to Jordan’s locker, or at a dinner with the six-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant about a quarter-century later, Armstrong often found himself with a front-row seat to witness the true cost of fame for arguably the world’s most recognizable athlete. Jordan was in Los Angeles and dinner with Armstrong was arranged. Armstrong got to the restaurant and found a third seat at the table, asked Jordan if a guest was coming and was told that Bryant would be joining them for the meal. Bryant arrived and before long, he and Jordan were dissecting every nuance of each other’s game. In the end, they decided that Jordan would have a slight edge because his hands were bigger than Bryant’s. The seventh and eighth episodes of the documentary will air May 10, with the final two episodes on May 17. A woman, her adult son and husband have been charged in the fatal shooting of a security guard who refused to let her daughter enter a Family Dollar in Michigan because she wasn’t wearing a face mask to protect against transmission of the coronavirus. Calvin Munerlyn was shot Friday at the store just north of downtown Flint a short time after telling Sharmel Teague’s daughter she had to leave because she lacked a mask. Teague, 45, argued with Munerlyn, 43, before leaving. Two men later came to the store. Teague; her husband, Larry Teague, 44; and Ramonyea Bishop, 23; are charged with first-degree premeditated murder and gun charges. Witnesses identified Bishop as the man who shot Munerlyn in the back of the head. Larry Teague also is charged with violating Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order mandating that all customers and employees must wear face coverings inside grocery stores. Tasha Page-Lockhart received a heartwarming email was from Nurse Green who is a healthcare provider. Green’s touching note expressed that she lost a family member to the COVID 19 pandemic and while she was experiencing sadness, listening to “Why Not Me” provided her with the strength to continue moving forward with her calling, purpose, and passion in healthcare service. Nurse Green also shared a touching video collage that included her colleagues and Tasha’s uplifting ballad. Tasha is deeply moved by these shared moments of healing and has launched her #WHYNOTME challenge which allows anyone who is inspired by her single to sing and post with the hopes of keeping an uplifting momentum going through these difficult times. Video of Tasha sharing Nurse Greens message: https://vimeo.com/413863405 Nurse Green’s collage: https://bit.ly/2YmoBFa Last Friday, people were on edge to see who would compete on the second episode of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. Cameras panned the stage and a voiceover read, "I'm a comedian, author and talk show host. I have no experience with drag...at all." As curious viewers wondered, in walks the one and only Loni Love! Joined by celebrity competitors actress and former Miss America Vanessa Williams and reality star Tami Roman, Love knew for a fact the competition was about to get real. The series challenge RuPaul's Drag Race fan favorites to give all their A-listers drag makeovers for a chance to win $30,000 for a charity of their choice. Immediately, Love was tasked, along with Williams and Roman, to create a mocha man look on her own. Before you knew it, the ladies were snatching wigs! https://twitter.com/i/status/1256398501791088640 Award-winning Media Personality, Lonnie Hunter, Launches New Show on The Rhema Television Network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JQ4445qoMY&feature=youtu.be The legal drama “All Rise” has become the first U.S. scripted television series to adapt the the pandemic by producing an episode remotely, enlisting its stars to work from home on their own makeup, set design and lighting. The season finale, airing Monday night on CBS, finds Simone Missick’s Judge Lola Carmichael presiding over a Los Angeles Superior Court bench trial via video conference. “Everything is BC. It’s ‘before coronavirus.’ You’re watching people — they’re in restaurants, they’re hugging each other. You’re like, ‘God, I remember what that was like.’ Now, I think every show that comes after is going to have to deal with what this pandemic is.” On this day 60 years ago, a black man driving a white woman was pulled over in a traffic stop that would change the course of American history. The incident was unknown to most at the time and has been largely forgotten. The man was Martin Luther King Jr., and his citation on May 4, 1960, led to him being sentenced, illegally, to a chain gang. Georgia’s segregationist politicians sought to silence King before he could mobilize great masses of people. But it backfired as the mistreatment rocked the 1960 presidential race, prompting blacks to vote Democrat and help end Jim Crow laws in the Deep South. The day after the National Day of Prayer, War Room producers and cast members are coming together for a time of live prayer and intercession. On Friday, May 8, at 8 p.m. EST, the creators of War Room are hosting a livestream movie-watching event on Facebook and YouTube. Alex and Stephen Kendrick, who wrote the film, and key cast members will share behind-the-scenes commentary during the movie and then take some time to pray. Saying “God put it on my heart to speak,” award-winning rapper DMX held a Bible study on Instagram over the weekend and even urged his fans to accept Jesus. “Get into the Word,” he encouraged the 14,000-plus who were watching. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, rose to musical fame in the late 1990s and 2000s on the strength of albums that carried parental advisories for explicit lyrics, winning two American Music Awards and getting three Grammy nominations. Over the weekend, though, his focus was on Scripture. DMX, now 49, read from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 and parts of Ecclesiastes 4. Hall of Fame Dolphins coach Don Shula died Monday morning at his home at age 90. "Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years. He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene. No additional details on Shula's death have been provided. Shula is the winningest coach in NFL history. He led Miami to two Super Bowl championships and coached the only perfect season in league history. The 1972 Dolphins became the first and only team to have an undefeated season while going 17–0. The historic season ended in a 14–7 victory over Washington in Super Bowl VII. Shula played in the NFL for seven years with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts and Washington before moving on to coaching. The United States just had its deadliest day on record due to the coronavirus as states across the country begin to ease restrictions meant to curb the spread of the virus, according to data published by the World Health Organization. The U.S. saw 2,909 people die of Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the data, which was collected as of 4 a.m. ET Friday. That’s the highest daily Covid-19 death toll in the U.S. yet, based on a CNBC analysis of the WHO’s daily Covid-19 situation reports. Before May 1, the next highest U.S. daily death toll was 2,471 reported on April 23, according to the WHO. Netflix has landed the faith-based movie musical A Week Away. The project, which was shot in Nashville, follows troubled teen Will Hawkins (Kevin Quinn), who has a run-in with the law that puts him at an important crossroads: Go to juvenile detention or attend a Christian summer camp. At first a fish-out-of-water, Will opens his heart, discovers love with a camp regular (Bailee Madison) and a sense of belonging in the last place he expected to find it. Sherri Shepherd and David Koechner also star, with newcomers Jahbril Cook, Kat Conner Sterling and Iain Tucker. Logan Marshall-Green (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Upgrade), Abigail Cowen (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I Still Believe), Nina Dobrev (xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Vampire Diaries), Famke Janssen (X-Men, Taken), Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack) and Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy, The Last Ship) are part of the ensemble cast for Redeeming Love, a contemporary retelling of the biblical book of Hosea based on the popular novel by Francine Rivers. Redeeming Love, which is slated to hit theaters spring 2021. Grammy award-winning Australian duo for King & Country premiered their uplifting new song “Together” with Kirk Franklin and Tori Kelly on “Good Morning America” Friday. The Christian group, comprised of brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, premiered the tune remotely from Nashville with their band members all playing from their respective home studios, Kelly singing from her living room, Franklin in his home, and all the choir members in their own spaces as well. https://youtu.be/s21sT5m9S9E Six-time GRAMMY nominated artist, singer / songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entrepreneur Tauren Wells revealed that his powerful single “Hills & Valleys” has been certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A. The two-time GRAMMY nominated “Hills and Valleys” has racked up a total of 147 million audio & video streams and a combined total of over 54 million views on YouTube. Five-time Grammy winner Steven Curtis Chapman has recruited friends from the country and contemporary Christian music communities for an inspirational new song that aims to encourage and assist those struggling during the COVD-19 global pandemic. Brad Paisley and Lauren Alaina, along with gospel music artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard, join Chapman for the uplifting “Together We’ll Get Through This.” Proceeds from the collaboration benefit the Opry Trust Fund and the Gospel Music Association’s Disaster Assistance Fund. https://youtu.be/N-U7X2DR2C4 "IF I DIDN'T HAVE YOU" the debut single from "Cling The Series" Season 2 Soundtrack is the new single from “Kim Cash Tate.” The song was first featured in Episode 4 of Kim's popular web series "Cling." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqzJjTAIQjI Oprah Winfrey said Friday evening that she wants people to digest daily information wisely during the Call to Unite 24-hour livestream global relief event. She was among 200 star-studded participants including President Bill Clinton and Julia Roberts to take part in the event. The event was initiated to help inspire people to endure and overcome the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. The event kicked off with a performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Instead of performing collectively, each member clapped and danced individually in various places from inside their apartment, rooftop or park to the tune of Ailey’s “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.” Quincy Jones, Jennifer Garner, Common, Maria Shriver, Questlove, Yo-Yo Ma, Eva Longoria, Naomi Campbell and Alanis Morissette participated in the event. It’s being livestreamed at unite.us and on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, LinkedIn and SiriusXM Stars. The coronavirus has led to the cancellation of yet another industry staple this year: a summer gathering that brings together TV critics and the makers of upcoming programs. The Television Critics Association said Friday that the event won’t be held, citing the “current state” of TV production. Widespread measures aimed at limiting the virus’s spread have shut down tapings and brought much of Hollywood to a standstill. The organization’s board and TV networks that planned to take part in the critics’ event are exploring “virtual alternatives” to the Q&A panels that make up the summer and winter meetings held annually in Southern California. The NBA is delaying the draft lottery and draft combine, events scheduled for Chicago later this month. The league made the decision Friday, though it has been expected for some time. The lottery cannot occur until the regular season is completed or is declared over, because team records determine the odds that the 14 non-playoff teams will have of securing the right to pick No. 1 overall in the draft. For now, the draft remains scheduled for June 25 — though that, too, will likely have to change in the coming weeks as the league continues reacting to the coronavirus pandemic. The lottery was to have taken place May 19. The draft combine was to have run from May 21-24. The debuted of a new video for the Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents The Good News star-studded benefit single, “Come Together,” is now available on YouTube. Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents The Good News “Come Together” – the recently released single from the multi-GRAMMY® winning producer/songwriter to benefit pandemic relief efforts – now features the mega-watt voices of The Good News group together on the new video. The Good News supergroup include Karen Clark Sheard, Kirk Franklin, Lecrae, Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, Mary Mary’s Erica Campbell and Tina Campbell, Le’Andria Johnson, Kierra Sheard, Joy Enriquez, Heavenly Joy, Shelby 5, Tim Bowman Jr., Kelontae Gavin and Jac Ross. https://rodneyjerkins.lnk.to/ComeTogetherVideoCT In today’s atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, Grammy-nominated Elevation Worship is encouraging Christians to find hope, rest, and freedom in God’s power with their new album, Graves into Gardens. Released Friday, the album features the breakout single “The Blessing: Live” featuring Cody Carnes and Kari Jobe, “My Testimony,” and “Rattle,” a powerful anthem responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting period of quarantine and social distancing. Mari Winsor, a celebrity trainer for Hollywood’s elite who became known as a Pilates guru, has died. She was 70. The famed trainer died peacefully while surrounded by family and close friends at her home Tuesday in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sherman Oaks. Winsor died from complications of Lou Gehrig’s disease. The petite and energetic Winsor was a featured dancer in music videos including Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and films such as “Roadhouse” and “Moonwalker.” She released multiple fitness DVDs and ran several Pilates studios in the Los Angeles area catering to the biggest stars. A small sample of her starry client list included Madonna, Steven Spielberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharon Stone and Miley Cyrus. Queen and singer Adam Lambert have a message for workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 fight: “You Are the Champions.” Brian May, Roger Taylor and Lambert recently gathered virtually to record a new version of the Queen classic, “We Are the Champions.” “You Are the Champions” was released early Friday on all streaming and download services, with proceeds going to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Democrat Kweisi Mfume easily won a mostly mail-in election to finish the term of the late Elijah Cummings, retaking a Maryland congressional seat he held for five terms before leaving to lead the NAACP. Mfume defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik in the heavily Democratic 7th Congressional District, capping a race dramatically reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. Taking off his mask for a brief victory speech Tuesday night, he acknowledged the many people “struggling at this hour to fight off the terrible disease of the coronavirus.” A school built nearly 100 years ago to educate African Americans in South Carolina is getting $400,000 to pay to restore it. Dorchester County Council approved the money for repairs on the St. George Rosenwald School as part of a larger package for parks and tourism projects. The school was one of about 5,000 across the nation and 500 schools across the state built in the 1920s with help from well-known educator Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, the philanthropic president of Sears & Roebuck. The pair would secure half the money for the schools if communities put up the other half. The school in St. George was built in 1925 and is one of 36 Rosenwald schools in the state that still stand. NASCAR plans to restart its engines with a flurry of races at two historic tracks. NASCAR said Thursday it is set to return May 17 with an elite Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, the first of seven events in an 11-day stretch across the top three series. There will be no practice, no qualifying and drivers will jump into their cars for the first time since March 8 and attempt to tackle “The Track Too Tough To Tame.” The man consoling mourners and directing his staff at Paradise Memorial Funeral Home might look familiar if he wasn’t wearing a mask. It’s baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. Owning a Paradise Memorial Funeral Home took some getting used to, Dawson said Thursday, and now he’s adjusting to life as a mortician during a global pandemic. Thus the mask. He wears gloves, too, and explains to customers that services in the chapel must be a lot shorter than normal and limited to 10 people. Denver Broncos star linebacker Von Miller tweeted Thursday night that he tested negative for the coronavirus two weeks after announcing he had been diagnosed with COVID-19. “Got my results back. Im ‘negative’ for Covid-19,” Miller tweeted. Miller went public with his diagnosis on April 16, saying he wanted to show that the virus could affect anybody, even a young, world-class athlete in tip-top shape. Miller, who has asthma, was under the care of Broncos team doctors and quarantined at his Denver area home over the last two weeks. Reach Records’ first female hip-hop artist and rapper Wande officially made her label debut with the release of her highly-anticipated album, Exit, and says the timing of her release aligning with a national lockdown is God’s timing. Wande, who’s of Nigerian descent, was born to a Christian mother and Muslim father. She grew up in Austin, Texas, and has been working behind the scenes for Lecrae’s Atlanta-based Christian label for some time. https://youtu.be/ZgsiDZrn2CE Cheryl Thomas Fortune drops "Don't Apologize." It's our song in the Gospel Spotlight this week. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/IB70ZLMc1D/files/fi-5ef4372a-d53f-4ab6-8e60-f79e2026dd67/fv-bfeb04c7-d45e-4b9f-a5f1-a7728816ecd5/04%20Don't%20Apologize%20%20mp3%20192.mp3 CLEO TV'S JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ FEATURES GROWING UP HIP HOP STAR VINA LOVE AND DJ STORMY ON SATURDAY, MAY 2 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J2VwWBA-pE&feature=youtu.be HEART OF THE BATTER WITH JORDIN SPARKS PREMIERES ON SATURDAY, MAY 9 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ork0eVCma30&feature=youtu.be The latest single release from K!m Pratt is entitled, "Hills" and the song points to The Solution to every situation. Featuring Hip-Hop icon, Mahogany Jones, "Hills" is currently on TikTok, iTunes, Spotify and all digital platforms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKsMC6mFELw&feature=youtu.be The Gospel Spotlight's AJ COLLIER & The Band of Believers (B.O.B) with "Lift the Savior." https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/AJ-Collier-and-the-Band-Of-Believers-Lift-The-Savior-RADIO-3DygYmG7asp8Vl52wIkEs Season 14 of TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG delivered a combined reach of 5.7MM unique viewers P2+ during its premiere run. Additionally, UNSUNG was the #1 series on Cable, 2020-to-date, in the 10 p.m. timeslot among African American Households: P25-54 and P2+. This season highlighted the memorable stories of MC Roxanne Shante; Christopher Williams; Skyy; Shannon; Billy Paul; Betty Wright; Al Jarreau and the Goodie Mob. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU6uqHMbphM&feature=youtu.be Dr. Bobby Jones will televise a special tribute to one of his favorite Gospel Artist, Troy Sneed, on the Impact Television Network, Saturday May 2, 2010, 10:30 PM EST and Sunday May 3, 2020, 2:00 PM. Troy Sneed was featured on Bobby Jones Presents February 9, 2020. The show will also highlight musical presentations by Gloria Gaynor, Stellar and Grammy Award winner Donald Lawrence, Darryl Bowers and Legacy, Grammy Award winners, The Nashville Super Choir. Josh Gad had a notion about what might the kid in him during a scary time and maybe do the same for others. The actor got to work organizing an online reunion of the cast and creators of the 1985 movie “The Goonies,” which quickly tallied a million-plus views. Gad’s YouTube effort isn’t alone in providing a screen version of comfort food for the housebound. With an uncertain future defined by coronavirus and its fallout, old movies, TV reruns and favorite characters offer a way to briefly swap current woes for familiar happy endings. One year after the Cathedral of Notre Dame was nearly destroyed by a fire, its future remains uncertain. Prominent voices in France continue to argue about what should happen to the medieval gothic structure once its complex reconstruction is completed. In the aftermath of the blaze, French President Emanuel Macron promised his people that “The Old Dame” of Paris would be rebuilt in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics hosted by the French capital. The COVID-19 pandemic necessarily put a halt on the efforts in mid-March, but reconstruction was scheduled to resume Monday (April 27). This year’s Little League World Series and the championship tournaments in six other Little League divisions have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Little League President Stephen Keener announced the cancellations in a Facebook Live broadcast Thursday afternoon from league headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, saying it would be “impossible” to hold the events amid ongoing restrictions on large gatherings and travel. The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox announced ticket refund policies on Wednesday for games not played through May because of the virus outbreak, with some Major League Baseball teams offering plans for cash returns and bonus credit. A day after MLB told clubs they could decide their own ticket refund policies, several did. For more than 60 years, NCAA leaders have insisted college athletes had to be amateurs and to be amateurs they could not be paid for being athletes — by anybody. That will no longer be the case. The NCAA announced Wednesday it is moving forward with a plan to allow college athletes to earn money for endorsements and a host of other activities involving personal appearances and social media content. Derek Jeter, Larry Walker and the rest of this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame class will have to wait another year for their big moment at Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that it has canceled the July 26 induction ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the class will be included at next year’s induction festivities — along with any additional new choices — on July 25, 2021. Commissioner Roger Goodell has reduced his salary to $0 and other NFL employees will be taking pay cuts or furloughs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Goodell, who makes upward of $30 million a year from salaries and bonuses, voluntarily had his salary reduced this month, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced the move publicly. "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." - Proverbs 25:28 Check out this week's #WorshipandWellnessWednesday on Self-Control! #BlessYourBones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRdWLMjrGNU&feature=youtu.be JABARI JOHNSON LIVE VIRTUAL CONCERT Friday, May 1 at 2:00PM EST/1:00PM C on Instagram Live. Top officials of seven black Christian denominations have joined civil rights leaders in calling for people to stay home until it is safe in states whose governors are lifting shelter-in-place orders. “We regard this pandemic as a grave threat to the health and life of our people, and as a threat to the integrity and vitality of the communities we are privileged to serve,” they wrote in a statement released Friday (April 24). “For these reasons, we encourage all Black churches and businesses to remain closed during this critical period.” The signatories include leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; Church of God in Christ; National Baptist Convention of America, International, Inc.; National Baptist Convention, U.S.A. Inc.; and Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc. Oprah will be the commencement speaker and Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X and Simone Biles will offer words of wisdom to the Class of 2020 in a multi-hour graduation streaming event on Facebook and Instagram on May 15. The #Graduation2020 event will be broadcast on Facebook Watch, with some segments posted to the @instagram account on Instagram, along with the social media accounts of the contributors, according to the announcement Tuesday. Miley Cyrus will sing her hit, “The Climb.” More special guests are expected. The platforms will soon roll out graduation-themed stickers, filters and effects, along with ways families and friends can host private virtual celebrations using the new Facebook Rooms feature. Hillsong’s Young & Free band recorded a social distancing version of the songs “Touch of Heaven” and “What a Beautiful Name.” Watch as the drummer, keyboardist, vocalists and guitarist share their screens over video chat and come together to make beautiful worship music! https://youtu.be/FYWDyP5q2xU Prince Harry has recorded a special message to celebrate the 75th anniversary of children’s favorite Thomas the Tank Engine. The Duke of Sussex introduces a new program called “Thomas and Friends: The Royal Engine,” which has a storyline that includes Harry’s father and grandmother, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II, as animated characters. Set when the Prince of Wales was a boy, the story sees the friendly engine taking Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway, to Buckingham Palace to receive an honor. Movies that debuted on a streaming service without a theatrical run will be eligible for the Oscars, but only for this year. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced the change for the 93rd Academy Awards as a response to how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the film industry. The film academy also said it will condense the two sound categories into one and prohibit DVD screeners for 2022's 94th Oscars in an effort to become more carbon neutral. In response to a sudden and steep decline in revenue and amid uncertainty over the near future, LifeWay Christian Resources announced plans for budget cuts of $25-30 million — approximately 10 percent of its budget — including spending freezes and staff layoffs. LifeWay CEO Ben Mandrell said the cuts were necessary because of the onset of an economic crisis prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with unrestricted free agent quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, will serve as the backup to Drew Brees. Blair Whitlow musical roots are grounded in gospel music, but her exposure to the genres of Jazz, R&B, and Pop have also helped to shape her musical expression. Blair is a Praise and Worship leader who has led worship all over the city of Nashville, TN and across the United States. She served as worship leader for 10 years at Cathedral of Praise Church of God In Christ Church in Nashville. Blair has released her single "Jesus Is Lord (JIL)", which is part of a series of worship songs called THE WONDER series. This musical series is meant to provoke thought behind the wonder of Christ, his love for us and the Father that carried him to the cross, and his predominant Lordship over all things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Ldq-rdKCA&feature=youtu.be Catch The Virtual Love Tour Friday at 8 PM with Carl Brister : Facebook.com/GrownFolkMusic1 Kelontae Gavindrops new song "Hold Me Close" https://www.dropbox.com/s/vgpjtmyc1q4bza1/HOLD%20ME%20CLOSE%20%28radio%20edit%29%203.wav?dl=0 Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae encouraged Christians to “draw near to God” in the midst of the distress and anxiety of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering the reminder that believers have an “answer for the hopelessness and the worthlessness” the world is currently experiencing. “I think a lot of times distress causes us to draw near to God,” the Grammy Award-winning rapper recently told host Gabe Lyons during the Q 2020 Virtual Summit, an annual event that equips Christian leaders to thoughtfully engage culture from a Christian worldview. The gospel Spotlight mourns the passing of Troy Sneed, the Grammy® Award nominated music entrepreneur known for Top gospel radio hits such as “My Heart Says Yes” and “Worked It Out,” passed away Monday, April 27th at 12:24 AM EST of complications of COVID-19 at a Jacksonville, FL hospital. He was 52 years old. Troy Sneed has been a friend of The Gospel Spotlight for years. We have interviewed Brother Troy at least three (3) times. Hear Troy Sneed In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/troy_sneed.htm When Cade Thompson stepped into the studio to record the song "Provider" – his debut Red Street Records single release – he had no clue just how powerful and timely the song would prove to be. Times were most definitely different then – no one had even heard of COVID-19/ Coronavirus, much less knew the impact it would have on our daily lives. As the pandemic closed the economy and people were told to stay home, immediately and drastically changing everyday life, Cade's song had just been released and started to climb the radio charts. Almost immediately, listeners grasped hold of the lyrics to the song, reminding people to look to God, the ultimate provider for our lives. https://www.dropbox.com/s/i5832eft4n9kb3c/providerCover.jpg?dl=0 (GSN) Today, GRAMMY® and Stellar Award-winning artist, actress and entrepreneur, Kierra Sheard’s latest album KIERRA debuted at #1 on the Top Gospel Album’s chart, #1 on the Top Christian/Gospel albums chart, and #2 on the Top 200 Christian & Gospel Consumption chart. Released on April 17th, KIERRA has knocked the longstanding #1 Jesus Is King out of the top position, and has garnered more than 3 million streams in its first week. Hear Kierra Sheard In Her Own Words....https://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kierra_kiki_sheard_intvw.htm. iOne Digital is excited to announce the launch of #TheBlackBallot, a new online space that features topical and hot button election-related issues. Readers will experience op-eds from both favorite and new political voices, critical analysis of our community's needs and inter-generational news coverage. #TheBlackBallot will serve as a resource for consumers looking for political content from varied Black perspectives. NewsOne.com. "What's clear to me is that Morehouse would endanger its students, faculty and staff by resuming in-person instruction while the pandemic still poses a serious threat. We will not take that risk. Our decision is one that prioritizes the health and welfare of our campus community -- and not one that will not be influenced by politics." David A. Thomas, Ph.D., President, Morehouse College. Featured in the new DreamWorks blockbuster movie “Trolls World Tour” (starring Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick & The Rock), features on rap superstar Childish Gambino's new critically-acclaimed album "3.15.20", and a recent song collaboration with pop star Ariana Grande, 2020 is turning into quite the year for Brent Jones! A singer/songwriter extraordinaire who's pioneering work with his urban group Brent Jones & T.P. Mobb set the stage for Kirk Franklin and urban contemporary gospel, JDI artist Brent Jones' new CD "Nothing Else Matters" is the highly anticipated follow-up to "Open Your Mouth and Say Something", which earned widespread critical acclaim and multiple award nominations including the 2019 Dove Award and 2019 Stellar Award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyTg7RIn-X8 Last October, industrious filmmaker Tyler Perry opened his sprawling and state-of-the-art enhanced production studios in Atlanta, Georgia. But now, after almost two months of a complete standstill in production due to the coronavirus pandemic, Perry, 50, is getting creative in his approach to eventually reopen the 330-acre studio complex. Perry is currently investigating and seeking approval for a novel and unique strategy to begin shooting his own TV shows again, which would see the cast and crew of each production check in on the first day to get tested for the virus, and those found to be negative would then be invited to live on-site for the entire duration of the shoot, reports TMZ. Hamilton Bohannon, one of the great musicians of the disco era, died Friday. He was 78. Bohannon played the drums for Stevie Wonder in 1964, and that gig led him to getting hired as a bandleader by Motown Records. His group Bohannon & The Motown Sound toured with several stars, including Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations and the Four Tops. Eventually, he began a solo career and released his debut album “Stop & Go” in 1973. “Foot Stompin Music,”was his biggest hit. During this time of panic and confusion, some are turning to religion to help them understand the world’s woes. DMX is no exception. The rapper took to Instagram Live, where he hosted a virtual Bible study. During Friday’s session, X decided to help people come to terms with the coronavirus pandemic by reading several scriptures from the Bible. Fans and followers were moved by X’s enthusiastic reading of Ecclesiastes, leading them to show their appreciation on the timeline. https://twitter.com/i/status/1253837874799226882 Deborah Gatewood had two years to go before she could retire from a Detroit hospital. But Gatewood, a phlebotomist for three decades, will never celebrate that milestone. She died April 17 from symptoms related to the coronavirus. Her daughter said that prior to her mother’s death, she was denied a coronavirus test four times by her employer, Beaumont Hospital, Farmington Hills. NBC News reached out to Beaumont multiple times for comment, but did not hear back. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Last week, the Wilsons accepted the #ALLINCHALLENGE, a challenge to come together and feed the hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Russell Wilson and Ciara offered a private jet and dinner at their favorite restaurant with 100% of the money raised through this Game/Auction going directly to Feeding America, Meals On Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry. https://twitter.com/i/status/1250477095811080192 Global coronavirus deaths surpassed 200,000 on Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers. There are now at least 201,502 COVID-related deaths reported in the world. There are currently more than 2.8 million confirmed COVID cases around the globe, with the United States nearing the 1 million mark as of Saturday, with more than 924,000 confirmed instances of the novel virus. The U.S. also makes up around one-quarter of the global deaths with at least 53,275 as of Saturday. Gospel music pioneer Kirk Franklin and a few of his celebrity friends kicked off BET’s “Saving Our Selves” relief concert this week by performing a new rendition of his gospel hit, “I Smile.” Franklin recruited singers Kelly Price, Fantasia, and Tyrese, along with gospel singers Jonathan McReynolds, Melvin Crispell III, and Le’Andria Johnson to kick off the BET special. https://youtu.be/dedqPQYhskM There’s only one number that West cares about. A billion, as in dollars. And he cares a lot. (“I showed them a $890 million receipt, and they still didn’t say ‘billionaire,’” he told an industry panel). The Forbes annual billionaires list appeared earlier this month, again with West absent—still no documentation, and now a pandemic to boot—West again reacted with hurt and venom. “You know what you’re doing,” he texted. “You’re toying with me and I’m not finna lye [sic] down and take it anymore in Jesus name.” At one point, he texted that Forbes was “purposely a part of a group of media” that was trying to suppress his self-made narrative because of his race. That sister-in-law Kylie Jenner did make the list also clearly stuck in his craw. Yesterday, a breakthrough: West directed his team to provide what we feel is an authentic numeric look into Kanye, Inc. and it does confirm, based on our estimates, that his stake in Yeezy indeed makes him a billionaire. A bit over $1 billion, actually. Yeezy is a complicated asset. West owns 100% of it. But it’s functionally tied, at least for five-plus years based on the documents we saw, to Adidas, which produces, markets and distributes the shoes. Last year, sources projected the shoes would finish 2019 with revenue north of $1.5 billion (Adidas would not comment then, or now)—per recent conversations and internal documents, it is believed the final revenue number ended up closer to $1.3 billion. In a surprise move, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday. Meanwhile, the Eagles are locked into quarterback Carson Wentz, having just handed him a four-year, $128 million extension in June. CeeDee Lamb said he did not know where he would fall in the first round of the NFL draft, but the Dallas Cowboys certainly never expected him to be available with the 17th overall pick. With an opportunity too good to pass up, the Cowboys selected the Oklahoma wide receiver in Thursday’s first round, marking the first time they took a receiver in the top round since Dez Bryant in 2010. Tye Tribbett has just dropped his brand new single, “We Gon’ Be Alright,” and it is our song in The Gospel Spotlight!!! With a nod to Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” the new song is an on-time follow-up to Tye’s last hit, “Work It Out.” Blast your speakers, then get ready to dance and shout it loud—we gon’ be alright!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0TaADfUxPw&utm_campaign=45691_MOTG%204.24_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email "Everything Will Be Alright" written by Pastor David Wright, from the CD release "Just As I Am" by Geneatha Wright. Wife, Mother, First Lady, Mentor and Gospel Artist. Geneatha better know as Gee proves she can do just about anything she puts her mind to. She transcends from Victim to Victorious and it is evident in her music. She says "I did not write any of the songs on my first project; however my husband wrote this song for me during the time that I lost my Dad and it inspires me to the depth of my soul. https://www.dropbox.com/s/xy6a4ozx1eoy06u/Everything%20Will%20Be%20Alright%20by%20Geneatha%20Wright...USHM213655554%20Written%20by%20John%20David%20Wright.%20Pub.DW3Music.ASCAP..mp3?dl=0 Andrea Rene' Williams' "Count It As Done" is our Song in The Gospel Spotlight!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_DQqkhX01g&feature=youtu.be Jace Prescott, the older brother of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, died Thursday, the team said. He was 31. The Cowboys confirmed the older Prescott’s death in a brief statement. There was no information on how or where Jace Prescott died. The older Prescott was an offensive lineman a decade ago at Northwestern State in Louisiana, where the Prescott brothers Tad, Jace and Dak grew up. Jace Prescott played three seasons at Northwestern State, starting all 11 games in his final season in 2010. Dak Prescott appeared in a Campbell’s Chunky Soup commercial with his two brothers that aired last season. Their mother, Peggy Prescott, died of colon cancer in 2013. Retired Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully has been hospitalized after falling at his Los Angeles-area home. The team says the 92-year-old fell Tuesday and was taken to the hospital for observation. Scully is resting comfortably and is expected to be released soon. “I won’t be doing anymore head-first sliding,” he said in a quote posted on the team’s Twitter account. “I never liked it.” Scully retired after the 2016 season, ending a career in which he called Dodgers games for 67 years. GRAMMY-nominated, multi-Stellar Award winner, author and philanthropist Jonathan McReynolds’ releases his latest effort, PEOPLE. PEOPLE doubles as a full-length visual album - the first for the genre of gospel music. PEOPLE boast incredible collaborations with Mali Music, The Walls Group and Pastor Mike Todd and is available now wherever music is sold and streamed at all major digital outlets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5w0QlSp7oc&feature=youtu.be Televangelist Jim Bakker said he’s been cut off by credit card companies after he was accused of selling a fake coronavirus cure and asked viewers to send cash or checks or he may have to file for bankruptcy. “You can’t use credit cards if you do give to our ministry at this time because there’s a situation,” Bakker said on his show. He told viewers that the government said, “’You sold products that we didn’t approve of,’ but that’s not what we did.” Bakker was criticized for selling his “Silver Solution” as a cure for COVID-19 in February and the state of Missouri sued the televangelist last month, accusing him of lying to consumers. New York’s attorney general also sent a cease and desist letter to Bakker demanding he stop marketing the fake cure. Now, Bakker and his wife and co-host Lori Bakker say their ministry could face bankruptcy. “SOS, save our station, save our ship, help us stay on the air,” he said this week. “We’re asking people to give an offering, and we need a miracle.” Joe Burrow became the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft Thursday night. Burrow is projected to sign a four-year $36.2 million contract with the Bengals, raking in just around $6.6 million in his rookie year. If projections are correct, Burrow will be earning about $2 million more than last year’s first pick, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. The Washington Redskins had the No. 2 overall pick. The Redskins selected Ohio State defensive end Chase Young. The Miami Dolphins selected Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick and the Los Angeles Chargers selected Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. CLEO TV'S JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ WELCOMES GOSPEL STARS TRAVIS GREENE AND KIERRA SHEARD FOR A SEAFOOD FEAST ON SATURDAY, APRIL 25 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lmZcC2ZzUc&feature=youtu.be ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON SHARES TOP FASHION LIFESAVERS ON SATURDAY, APRIL 25 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRng0D3IiOI&feature=youtu.be HEART OF THE BATTER WITH JORDIN SPARKS PREMIERES ON SATURDAY, MAY 9 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ork0eVCma30&feature=youtu.be GoDigiPath, LLC, a global digital aggregator and physical distributor, is celebrating the success of its distribution client Relevé Entertainment’s successful launch of The First Ladies Of Gospel: The Clark Sisters Biopic Soundtrack? – the audio companion to the recent Lifetime TV original movie, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel. The thirteen-track album earned over 521,000 first week streams and debuted at No. 8 on the Top Gospel Albums Chart. Grammy® winner Donald Lawrence produced the soundtrack for Quiet Water Entertainment. Music producer Clive Davis is working with the estate of late singer Whitney Houston for the biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Anthony McCarten, the writer behind the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will pen the screenplay, while Stella Meghie, who was behind the Issa Rae romance The Photograph, will direct. Pat Houston will produce the movie on behalf of the Houston Estate, along with Davis, Primary Wave Music’s Larry Mestel, Denis O’Sullivan and McCarten. With the backing of the estate, I Wanna Dance With Somebody will be able to utilize Houston’s music catalog. The movie does not yet have distribution. Two-time Grammy award winner and multi-platinum selling artist Lauren Daigle has joined the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda and for KING & COUNTRY to release Zoom performances of her music. Her latest dedication encourages healthcare professionals who are risking their lives treating patients with COVID-19. Daigle took to Instagram with a social distancing dedication of her song “Your Wings,” off of her hit album, Look Up Child. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_Qd5ROgnLJ/?utm_source=ig_embed Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are ready for a made-for-TV rematch at a time when fans are craving live action. Turner Sports says quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will join them for a two-on-two match sometime in May. Missing from the announcement were such details as when and where the match would be played, except that tournament organizers would work with government and health officials to meet safety and health standards.Turner said all donations and fundraising from “The Match: Champions for Charity” would benefit relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic. Artist and songwriter Shanta Atkins has released her highly anticipated single "Made Up My Mind". Most may know her as the younger sister to the Grammy Award winning Gospel duo "Mary Mary". Shanta's experience as recording artist has her prepped to now blaze a trail all her own. "Made Up My Mind" displays Shanta Atkins powerful vocal ability and anointing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohxdv32IIPY&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Gospel+Central+Media&utm_campaign=d9ec835f5e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_17_12_02_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e930d0cd50-d9ec835f5e-241881717 Mega-hit maker Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents The Good News – a host of superstar artists – with the new song and video “Come Together.” The prolific multi-GRAMMY® winning producer/songwriter has banded together with GRAMMY® winning trailblazers and rising stars to inspire hope, comfort, and raise funds supporting pandemic relief efforts globally. Major proceeds from “Come Together” will benefit two organizations delivering relief, the MusiCares® COVID-19 Relief Fund and Compassion International. Jerkins’ upbeat new track features Kirk Franklin, Lecrae, Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, Le’Andria Johnson, Mary Mary, Karen Clark Sheard, Kierra Sheard, Joy Enriquez, Heavenly Joy, Shelby 5, Tim Bowman Jr., Kelontae Gavin, and Jac Ross. Produced by Rodney Jerkins, “Come Together” was written by Jerkins in collaboration with (the late) LaShawn “Big Shiz” Daniels, Jazz Nixon, and Lecrae. https://smarturl.it/RJCT By popular demand, Grammy & Stellar winner Brent Jones' hit song "Fear & Faith Can't Live Together" is truly resonating during these uncertain times as JDI Entertainment releases Brent’s new exclusive video to YouTube & media outlets everywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBkGiQkgBmE&feature=youtu.be Outspoken megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church slammed the Georgia governor’s decision to begin reopening the local economy by Friday as akin to an “assault on the minority community” and “contrary to God’s will” amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Gov. [Brian] Kemp, if you have a decibel of moral integrity, before Friday comes, I am pleading on your conscience, even when the evangelicals remain silent in this hour, I stand and cry loud and spare not, that what it is you are calling for is contrary to the will of God who declared openly ‘I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly,’” Bryant said in a Facebook Live broadcast Tuesday night. Kanye West has teamed up with Chick-Fil-A to provide 300,000 meals to vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic. The 42-year-old rapper and the fast-food franchise have joined forces with the Los Angeles’ Dream Centre, a nonprofit Christian organization, to provide around 11,000 meals a day to those in need in Los Angeles. Earlier Kim announced on Instagram that her shapewear line would be giving $1 million to ‘families affected by COVID-19.’ Jabari Johnson is currently the lead guitarist at The Potter’s House under the leadership of Bishop T.D. Jakes in Dallas, In 2019, Jabari Johnson won a Stellar Award for Best New Artist. Jabari Johnson’s new single is, “Fixed Fight” https://www.dropbox.com/s/ty5kv6ebcla4tdb/JJ_FixedFight_JB02_Master.mp3?dl=0 Keyla Richardson's video that has gone viral to over 1 million views in a very short time singing about the Coronavirus. She had no idea the Impact it would have on people but the comments of Inspiration and Hope starting flooding her timeline. People were inboxing her from all over the country saying how the video had impacted them and their families. With so much positive feedback it has been recorded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6pg4KHAAjE&feature=youtu.be Every Wednesday Bishop Leonard scott will post a video with ways to nourish your soul in the midst of everything going on in our world today. The one thing we do not want to do is lose sight of God and our own well being. Get off the couch or out of the bed and do something that brings joy to your life today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzSUvthMkFs&feature=youtu.be The Figgers Foundation, the charitable arm of African American owned telecommunications firm Figgers Communications, aims to bring awareness and provide solutions to real life issues. Committed to making the world a better place by donating a percentage of the company's profits to pro-social efforts, philanthropist and CEO Freddie Figgers has spearheaded a campaign to provide critical assistance to thousands of healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. The Florida-based non-profit is donating and distributing approximately 700,000 units of personal protection equipment (“PPE”) to Coronavirus outbreak hotspots around the country. These hotspots include hospitals and healthcare workers in New York, Washington State, California, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, and Michigan. The donations include some of the most crucial PPE equipment such as surgical masks, N95 masks, face shields and hazardous material protective coveralls. Patrick Mahomes has dethroned Tom Brady as the king of NFL merchandise sales, the NFL Players Association revealed Tuesday. Six-time Super Bowl champion Brady had ruled as the top seller of player-identified merchandise for the past two seasons. However the former New England Patriots star who last month joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has now been passed by Kansas City Chiefs ace Mahomes. Brady now sits at number two on the list, which is compiled after analysis of sales of items including jerseys, t-shirts, collectible figures and pennants. The NFLPA said total retail sales for the past year had topped $1.9 billion. Jimmy Hicks celebrates the spirit of perseverance with the release of his brand new song, KEEP RUNNING. He has endeared himself to audiences around the country with his previous hit singles Born Blessed, Blessed Like That and God’s Got It. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-weVdS5LTkg&feature=youtu.be Celebrity designer Claude Kameni, better known as her brand name LAVIE has recently created creative & trendy face masks for everyday people to help combat COVID-19. With each purchase of a mask, LAVIE donates a mask to a hospital. When Claude noticed the need for doctors to have masks in hospitals, she maximized her efforts and even went viral with these trendy forms of protection. She is using her talent to impact the world. Her goal is to make the work-place fashionable. This past weekend, Love went back to her roots and garnered over 20,000 viewers who tuned in for the first-ever Loni Love Quarantine Talent Show. #QuarantineWithLoni is a 1 hour Instagram Live series presented by Loni Love. Many fans check in from around the world and play a round of 'Shoutragous!' as seen on "The Real" that requires blurting out things related to a specific topic before time runs out! For the last few weeks, Love has welcomed special celebrity friends and experts to join her live including DJ D-Nice, Kierra Sheard, Killa Mike, Angela Rye, Tamera Mowry Housley, Terry Ellis of En Vogue, David Allen Grier, Tiffany The Budgetnista, Yo-Yo, Jeannie Mai, Yvette Nicole Brown, Adrienne Houghton and Ta’Rhonda Jones. Originally known as STL3, Stephen, Sierra and Shante Leslie are Washington, D.C.-born singing powerhouses whose first album received a Stellar Award nomination for Youth Project of the Year. The siblings took some time off to pursue higher education, learn more about the music business and further hone their craft. Now, they emerge with a new name – TRILOGY – and a reverent sound reflective of their flawless harmonies and deep roots in Gospel music. Trilogy’s luminous new single “Jesus Loves Me” will be available for download from all digital outlets May 15th . Hear Trilogy in Their Own Words.... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/trilogy_intvw.htm The musical genres of Gospel and Jazz thrive beautifully within the African American experience. Shining light on both styles and flaunting his musical prowess within them, Saxophonist Richard D'Abreu, Jr. skillfully knows how to weave his talents with improvisation and passion, delivering moving performances in the process. He is currently putting the finishing touches on his brand new release, Jazz in the Spirit. Scheduled to drop in summer of 2020, its lead single. "https://music.apple.com/us/album/look-and-live-single/293162417 Kanye West recently commented on the view that Christians are seen as “judgmental” and noted that Christians should be held accountable by other believers. “I feel that we all have sin, and when certain sins are worn more on our sleeves, it’s easier for Christians who are not Christ, but are human beings, to be able to channel judgment at what they see in front of them,” he told GQ magazine. “The other thing is, if anyone claims to be Christian, they’re accepting accountability to other Christians. “But people don’t realize that Christians are loud. That we have a right to righteous anger. That Jesus flipped tables. They think that all of a sudden you believe in Christ, so we’re not even supposed to speak up. And if we speak up, people will say, ‘Oh, you’re being judgmental.’ And it’s like, ‘Oh, now, because I’m Christian, I don’t even have an opinion anymore?’ I’m Christian and I still have an opinion. But my opinion is based on the Word.” Although he believes in biblical accountability, the hip-hop artist said he is happy that his popular Sunday Service events are a “no judgment” zone. The star-studded virtual event “One World: Together at Home” concluded over the weekend with a moving rendition of “The Prayer,” put together by Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga, John Legend and the original singers of “The Prayer,” Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli, delivered a four-part harmony accompanied by renowned pianist Lang Lang. The song, which became a hit 21 years ago, ended Saturday’s concert special with a message of faith and hope. The event, which was broadcast on numerous networks and streaming platforms, was held to raise funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. Rob Gronkowski will be back to catching passes from Tom Brady in 2020. The soon-to-be unretired tight end has been traded by the Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In return, the Patriots will receive a fourth-round pick from Tampa Bay. New England is also sending a seventh-round selection to the Buccaneers as part of the deal. Today BET announces comedian and actor Anthony Anderson as the fourth host of “SAVING OUR SELVES: A BET COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORT,” special. Anderson joins Kelly Rowland, Terrence J and Regina Hall. “SAVING OUR SELVES: A BET COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORT,” is set to air Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 8 PM EST. Performances include Alicia Keys with a special tribute to New York City, and a Gospel moment with Kirk Franklin featuring Fantasia, Jonathan McReynolds, Kelly Price, Tasha Cobbs, Le’Andria Johnson, and Melvin Crispell III. Exclusive performances by John Legend, Usher, Jhene Aiko, Chloe X Halle, CeeLo Green, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Swae Lee, Anthony Hamilton, Tyrese Gibson, Buju Banton, DJ D-Nice, SiR, D Smoke and Charlie Wilson. Award-winning songstress Tasha (formally known as Tasha Page-Lockhart) reemerges on the music scene as the first lady of Legacy Music Group, and as a woman who is focused on healing and helping by sharing her powerful new single “Why Not Me” and the significance behind it. In preparation for the recording process, Tasha was determined to find the courage to face her tormented past consisting of sexual assault and substance abuse. Following extensive soul searching, she put pen to paper and what followed was a heartfelt moment of healing, resulting in her current single “Why Not Me.” https://music.apple.com/us/album/why-not-me/1506102612?i=1506102615 The Church of God in Christ, the country’s biggest African American Pentecostal denomination, has taken a deep and painful leadership hit with reports of at least a dozen to up to 30 bishops and prominent clergy dying of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The denomination show the deaths of leaders in states including Michigan, New York and Mississippi. Those are regions where the Church of God in Christ is prominent and the coronavirus has hit hard. Among those who died after reportedly contracting the virus were: First Assistant Presiding Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, Bishop Timothy Scott in Mississippi and two Michigan bishops, Robert E. Smith Sr. and Robert L. Harris, whose deaths were reported by the Los Angeles Sentinel. Three years ago, gospel star Kim Burrell received backlash after going on a “homophobic” rant at the Love & Liberty Fellowship Church in Houston, Texas, during which she referred to LGBTQ people as having “the perverted homosexual spirit.” The comments caused Burrell to be dropped from a scheduled performance with Pharrell on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, for a song from the film Hidden Figures. Her appearance was canceled. The comments would cause Pharrell to speak out, condemning “hate speech of any kind.” Now, singer-actress Kierra Sheard is reflecting on the gospel star’s fall from grace and hopes people can forgive her. While promoting her latest album KIERRA and her Lifetime Clark Sisters biopic, Sheard explained why Burrell deserves forgiveness. “The gay community is also looking for a way of equality and equality has to do with love and forgiveness. For us to move forward, it’s us having to learn a new way of communication,” Sheard told Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee. “I do think [the LGBT community] should forgive her. Look around her; [they] support her with hair, makeup, wardrobe…so there must be some kind of love she has for them. ”https://youtu.be/fT5gpBaFpaw TV talk show “Sister Circle” has been cancelled after three seasons, the production company, Tegna, announced in a press release. According to the AJC.com’s Radio & TV Talk, the Atlanta-based talker will air its final episode on April 24. The company explained that “while there are many loyal fans of the show, the show has not grown its audience enough to continue.” The popular talk show debuted in 2017 and is hosted by TV and radio personality Rashan Ali, Syleena Johnson, ‘Married to Medicine’star Quad Webb and comedienne Kiana Dancie who was replaced by reality star Trina Braxton (‘Braxton Family Values’) in the 2nd season. Lifetime has dropped the trailer true story of Salt-N-Pepa, which chronicles the formation of the groundbreaking hip-hop group. As previously reported by TheWrap, the 3-hour miniseries follows the story of nursing students Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton as they fall into the world of rap and hip hop, after recording for a friend’s school project. Salt-N-Pepa became the first female rap act to go platinum and bags multiple Grammy wins while paving the way for all female rappers. https://youtu.be/WfNQ25ih8EY The “Saving Our Selves: A BET COVID-19 Relief Effort” broadcast special, will air on Wednesday, April 22nd at 8 pm EST. The special, co-hosted by Grammy Award-Winning singer and actress Kelly Rowland, TV personality Terrence J, and actress Regina Hall; will feature virtual appearances and musical performances from some of the biggest names in music and entertainment as they share tips on how to manage, cope and help during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Celebrity guest appearances and performances will include DJ Khaled, Charlie Wilson, Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Fantasia, Melvin Crispell III, and many more. The special will give up-to-date information and drive viewers to needed resources during this unprecedented time. In partnership with United Way, proceeds are being donated to African American communities severely impacted by COVID-19. The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 37 denominations and 26.7 million African Americans with an additional 116,000 sister churches, is demanding that the unidentified police who handcuffed Dr. Armen Henderson be fired and NBCI will be sending a letter to Attorney General William Barr asking for an investigation into Dr. Henerson Civil Rights. Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative says “ we are demanding that that Policeman be fired and if not then the city of Miami can expect the largest protest in the history of this country shortly after this pandemic. The only reason for the cop action is race. The cop is a God-hating racist.” Miami Police Department is under fire after a video surfaced of an officer handcuffing and detaining an African-American doctor outside his home on Friday. The man, Armen Henderson, was wearing a mask and preparing for a volunteer shift helping protect homeless people from the spread of COVID-19, when a patrol car pulled up to his home. Surveillance video from Dr. Henderson’s house shows him loading a van with supplies before the encounter. Dr. Henderson says the police officer handcuffed him after accusing him of littering and then asking for identification, which Henderson did not have on him. The officer was not wearing a mask; Dr. Henderson was. He had to yell to his wife inside their home to present identification before the officer finally released him. On Saturday, Miami police chief has ordered an internal investigation into the incident. The officer involved has not been identified. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Platinum-selling artists the Newsboys were forced to cancel their spring tour dates due to the national lockdown and frontman Michael Tait said the unplanned “sabbatical” has been good for him. Since reuniting two years ago, the history-making, six-member band has played more than 250 concerts and are now bringing their concert to fans with their new EP, United: Live. The music release arrived in tandem with the premiere of the Christian group’s “Friday Spring Concert Series” on YouTube. The concert series kicked off with their timely single, “Love One Another.” Tait said the single release and video for it coming out during the COVID-19 pandemic is a perfect reminder that love is the way to go right now while in quarantine. WATCH JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS ON ?"VIBE V-SESSIONS" THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 19TH AT 2:30PM/1:30C ON FACEBOOK LIVE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_8d-W_lorY&feature=youtu.be “The Last Full Measure” is being released in the midst of the new coronavirus pandemic and the film’s director says he’s honored to see the actions of first responders who are serving their communities because their selfless sacrifice reminds him of the film’s Vietnam War hero. “The Last Full Measure,” which is now available on Amazon and will be released on Blu-ray/DVD on April 21, tells the true story of William “Pits” Pitsenbarger, a U.S. Air Force pararescuemen who saved over 60 men in more than 250 combat missions during the Vietnam War. https://youtu.be/Go8zI2sytEc GRAMMY® and Stellar Award-winning artist, actress and entrepreneur, Kierra Sheard, released her highly anticipated album KIERRA. Marking her sixth studio album and first project with RCA Inspiration. KIERRA includes the songstress’ latest single “It Keeps Happening,” and “Don’t Judge Me,” featuring Missy Elliott. With a mission to deliver uplifting music, KIERRA provides a fitting sanctuary amid these difficult times, “Faith and inspiration have been the driving force of my career. We’re going to get past this. We have to. The Lord has so many things for so many of us to do,” Kierra shares. The album includes 15-tracks with sounds ranging from Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel, and features some live recorded songs which Kierra performed in her hometown of Detroit, MI. Kierra either wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks on the album including the beautiful ballad “Grateful,” “Human” and “Better.” In addition to Missy Elliott and Tasha Cobbs Leonard, the album features vocals from Todd Dulaney, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Le’Andria Johnson and Kierra’s nephew Jacob Sheard. Share our journey and Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!!! Hear Kierra Sheard IN Her Own Words...https://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kierra_sheard_intvw.htm The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation has launched a $1 million emergency fund to support freelance New York City-area jazz musicians during the coronavirus pandemic. The organization’s board of directors Thursday announced The Louis Armstrong Emergency Fund for Jazz Musicians. It is aimed at providing financial support to jazz vocalists and instrumentalists who have lost income because of the coronavirus, which has forced performers to cancel concerts, tours and performances. The fund will give one-time grants of $1,000 to jazz musicians that live in the New York City region and work regularly in the five boroughs of New York City. “The entire jazz ecosystem has been shut down, and the jazz community is devastated. To mitigate some of the loss, this fund will award an unprecedented $1 million to assist qualifying musicians in need,” aid Wynton Marsalis, the Grammy-winning jazz icon who is president of The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation as well as managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Chart topping, award winning hip-hop artist and creative KB(born Kevin Burgess) celebrates the launch of a new joint partnership with Sony Music with the release of a new single. “Armies,” the hard-hitting first single under the new deal, is available today across all digital music service providers. The accompanying lyric video, which includes visuals of KB sparring in the gym, gives an up-close and personal glimpse into KB and the army he so passionately fights for. https://vimeo.com/407711233/40b7776f22 The Chosen Few was formed by Courtney Jackson in 2001 under the group name Second Chance. The group members are Jackson, Marcus Myers, Eric Smith, Timothy Corbitt, Anthony Wright, Malcolm Ramsey, Larry Evans, Richard Adams, and Anthony Taylor. Now, The Chosen Few has been developing and progressing their sound and style, and lighting up stages with every performance. The Chosen Few have taken some time to prepare their new single called "Get Right" that is available now on all digital outlets. The single is written by and produced by Jackson and is the precursor to their forthcoming album TRIUMPHANT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoPuM-mDftU&feature=youtu.be Jason Clayborn (known for writing or co-writing hit songs for the likes of Hezekiah Walker, Wess Morgan, etc.) convenes his Louisville-based pool of talented vocalists; "The Atmosphere Changers", for a heart-felt, spirited upbeat song celebrating God's marvelous creation. In addition Clayborn and his group have given us an exciting and vibrant new music video to accompany this dynamic choir jam. https://youtu.be/9IPsdGcv2RQ Carmen Williamson, who in the 1940s and ’50s was a top U.S. amateur boxer and then in 1984 became the first black boxing referee and judge at the Olympic games, has died. He was 94. Williamson died of COVID-19 complications on April 8 at a hospital in Toledo, one of his daughters said Thursday. He was just three weeks away from receiving his college degree from the University of Toledo — a pursuit he began nearly 20 years ago, she said. “He loved education, the process, the classes,” said Celia Williamson, the youngest of his four surviving daughters. “He sat in the front row and would always arrive early.” In addition to refereeing, he traveled the world in the 1980s, teaching the sport to young people, using a training program he had developed, she said. The number of reported deaths in the U.S. from the new coronavirus spiked to nearly double the prior record Thursday, as governors extended their lockdown orders, and the Trump administration released new federal guidelines to reopen the economy. In the 24 hours ending at 8 p.m. Eastern time Thursday, 4,591 people were reported to have died from COVID-19, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. The prior record was 2,569 on Wednesday. The number of new reported U.S. cases, meanwhile, was roughly equal with that on Wednesday at 31,451. Actor Kirk Cameron has teamed up with Bishop T.D. Jakes, Franklin Graham, Gloria Gaynor and his sister, Candace Cameron Bure, for a benefit concert event to help Samaritan’s Purse. Cameron and Bure will co-host Hope Rising livestream on Facebook at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday and 100% of the proceeds will go to Samaritan’s Purse which set up field hospitals in both New York City and Cremona, Italy, to provide medical support to hospitals caring for patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. A decision on whether to postpone or cancel the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic is expected by June, the U.S. Tennis Association’s new CEO said Thursday, calling the prospect of holding the Grand Slam tournament without spectators “highly unlikely.” He said the USTA is being advised by a medical advisory group that includes at least five doctors. “Time is on our side, at this point,” Dowse said, because the U.S. Open is not scheduled to begin until late August. The tournament in New York City would be the next major championship on the tennis calendar; the French Open’s start was postponed from May until September, and Wimbledon was canceled altogether. The men’s and women’s tennis tours are on hold entirely until at least mid-July, and one tournament in August already has been scrapped. The Gospel Spotlight's James Fortune featuring Lisa Knowles Smith and "Nobody Like Jesus." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqsCzgFujUY The Gospel Spotlight's JJ Hairston & Mercy Chinwo : " EXCESS LOVE REMIX." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC5ROke_WMc David Walker & High Praise drops "You Can't Make Me Doubt Him"- ft: Bishop Jeronn C. Wlliams and LeJuene Thompson https://www.dropbox.com/s/7w28nupqgo26k7i/You%20Can%27t%20Make%20Me%20Doubt%20Him%20%20James%20Walker%20and%20High%20Praise.mp3?dl=0 Urban One, Inc. recently unveiled a new WE ARE ONE PSA campaign designed to provide hope and encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign features a host of celebrities, Reach Media Syndicated Radio Personalities, talent from TV One and Radio One, Urban One executives and staff sharing uplifting expressions of unity and strength as the nation grapples with the unprecedented impact of the global health pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14zwm_1ohQ4&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV SERVES UP A PLANT-BASED FEAST ON JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ FEATURING DJ INFLUENCERS ANGEL AND DREN THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 18 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZQ87wlpILM&feature=youtu.be ADRIENNE HOUGHTON REACTS TO HER INSTAGRAM COMMENTS AND DMs ON ALL THINGS ADRIENNE ON SATURDAY, APRIL 18 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XntVqotTs2k&feature=youtu.be HEART OF THE BATTER WITH JORDIN SPARKS SET TO PREMIERE ON SATURDAY, MAY 9 AT 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ork0eVCma30&feature=youtu.be A group of black pastors and researchers called on the Trump administration Wednesday to address the disproportionate impact of the new coronavirus on minority communities. blob:https://www.facebook.com/ca62b589-9485-408a-9dd6-d0b4110698d5 The latest movie from Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media releases on home video platforms this week and spotlights a slice of basketball history unknown to most hoops fans. The documentary Jump Shot, available for rental April 16-18, tells the inspiring story of Kenny Sailors, an All-American at the University of Wyoming in the 1940s and the inventor of the modern jump shot. Prior to Sailors, two-handed set shots dominated the game. It includes interviews with Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bob Knight, Nancy Lieberman, Lou Carnesecca and others. Curry is an executive producer. It is the second film from Unanimous Media, which he co-founded. Aspiration Entertainment is the distributor. Brian Dennehy, the burly actor who started in films as a macho heavy and later in his career won plaudits for his stage work in plays by William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller, has died. He was 81. Dennehy died Wednesday night of natural causes in New Haven, Connecticut. Willie Davis attended a historically black college in the 1950s, far off the NFL’s radar. Drafted in the 15th round by the Cleveland Browns and then drafted into the U.S. Army at the onset of the Vietnam War. Then traded two seasons into his career. Davis, whose NFL career was surpassed only by his post-playing career, died Wednesday at age 85. He left behind a legacy of unquestioned success, a Packers legend who retired to become a millionaire business owner. The defensive end teammate and roommate Jerry Kramer nicknamed “Dr. Feelgood” became a stalwart for all five Packers world championships in the Glory Years of the 1960s. Sam Clayton Jr., one of the members of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team, died last month from the coronavirus, the New York Times reported. Clayton Jr. was 58. Clayton Jr. became famous for his contributions to the music world as a producer, sound engineer and manager in Jamaica’s reggae scene, earning international recognition, through the label “Harry J. Studio.” But his first brush with fame came during the the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where he was a member of the iconic Jamaican squad. The team’s efforts inspired the Disney movie “Cool Runnings.” Award-winning songwriter and producer Kenneth Leonard, Jr. has entered into an exclusive songwriting agreement with Capitol CMG Publishing, the world’s market-leading Christian music publisher. His writing and production credits include popular songs recorded by William Murphy, Anthony Hamilton and most famously, his wife, GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard. In 2000, Marc and Joy Cooper put on a music conference similar to the then-popular Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminars where they brought industry leaders together to share insight and information on the music business with Miami, Florida's bustling gospel community of aspiring singers, songwriters and musicians. The closing event of the conference was a big concert recording which featured trained and untrained singers uniting to make a joyful noise. One of the joyful highlights of that evening was this instantly-memorable track "Real Thing" which features the crackling vocals of Kervy Brown backed by a funky rhythm section and a passionate group of vocalists. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/bus4fm7Hbg/files/fi-bce57e5b-dd5c-4900-aff6-607ab1f98b31/fv-3e39c05b-4b1a-48a0-9873-ffd778820b47/02%20Real%20Thing%20192.mp3 TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG wraps the season with legendary rap group Goodie Mob on Sunday, April 19 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2LCMynas8g&feature=youtu.be Are you ready for another Worship & Wellness Wednesday? This week's topic is the Importance of Joy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzSUvthMkFs&feature=youtu.be Oprah Winfrey has warned African Americans to take the coronavirus outbreak seriously because it is ‘ravaging our community’ and ‘taking us out’. The TV mogul said the coronavirus outbreak continued to have a devastating impact on black communities across the United States but that people weren’t getting the message about the risk of asymptomatic carriers. Speaking to CBS This Morning Tuesday, Winfrey said it was important for black people to understand that pre-existing conditions including diabetes and asthma put them at greater risk if they contracted the virus. https://youtu.be/WV4_RBdJo7c Houston manager Dusty Baker celebrated Jackie Robinson’s legacy on the 73rd anniversary of the fall of the major league color barrier and lamented the lack of African Americans in today’s game. “It’s frustrating because we’ve talked about it forever … but it seems like the numbers are dwindling instead of increasing,” Baker said Wednesday. Only 7.7% of big league players on opening day rosters last year were African American, down from 17% in 1990. Baker and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts are the only two African American managers in the majors. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com T.D. Jakes Goes Off on When God Gets Tired of Us Being Defiant He Will Do Some Things to Get Our Attention. https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1250167046660382720/pu/img/LACSYZ77PSS1AvXi?format=jpg&name=small Known for her jazzy, raspy and vocally unique sound, singer/songwriter and peace activist Queen Theresa King releases her long anticipated single “This Too Shall Pass”. The uplifting and powerful single is the first release from her forthcoming debut EP titled “It’s Your Life”. The single is available now on all digital platforms. The EP set to release in April will feature 5 equally soulful and heartfelt tracks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6shu3rXoR6c Hallelujah! The Lifetime Original Movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel hit a high note on Saturday night, delivering 2.7 million Total Viewers in L+SD, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it Lifetime's highest-rated movie since 2016 and the strongest original movie on all of television for 2020 across key demos, including both broadcast and cable. Additionally, The Clark Sisters was the best ad-supported cable original movie since 2018 in key demos, with 1.1 million Adults 25-54, 905,000 Adults 18-49 and 813,000 Women 25-54. On social media, #TheClarkSisters ranked #1 across all TV on April 11 with over 700,000 interactions, according to Nielsen Social. #TheClarkSisters was the top social Lifetime movie over the last year. Rapper Chynna Rogers, who passed away earlier this week at 25 years old, died of an accidental drug overdose, Page Six has learned. A rep for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health confirmed Rogers’ cause of death early Friday. As Page Six previously reported, the “Selfie” singer was found dead at her Philadelphia home on Wednesday. “Chynna was deeply loved and will be sorely missed,” her family said in a statement. John Boyega could only have a long term relationship with a woman if she were a Christian. The Star Wars actor confessed he has yet to experience true love and is keen to find his life-long ‘companion’ like his parents have. But when he does, the 27-year-old star says any future partner will have to share his faith. ‘My mum and dad have been together for 25 years, so that’s the system to follow.’ McDonald’s is in damage control mode after a restaurant in China displayed a sign banning black people from the premises. The sign, which recently circulated on social media, said the McDonald’s location in Guangzhou has “been informed that from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant.” The sign is “not representative of our inclusive values,” McDonald’s said in a statement. The sign was removed and the location was temporarily closed down. CNN has not yet been able to authenticate the video. https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1249011661119381505/pu/img/bN2xaTS8Zzr82Fdv?format=jpg&name=small The Carolina Panthers have rewarded Christian McCaffrey for his production and versatility, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. The team agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension with McCaffrey Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Panthers have not announced the extension. Details on how much of the contract is fully guaranteed were unavailable. The $16-million-a-year deal eclipses Ezekiel Elliott’s contract with the Dallas Cowboys that is worth $15 million per season. Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney says he believes God will be “glorified” during the COVID-19 pandemic and that football will be played this fall. Swinney, who often discusses his Christian faith during public interviews, made the remarks last week on ESPN’s First Take. “Faith and hope,” he said, make him optimistic the pandemic will end soon enough to allow for a football season. “I just have always lived my life with optimism,” he said. “… I think that God is bigger than this [pandemic]. I think He’s gonna be glorified and shine through this in a mighty way. … He has the ability to stamp this thing out as quick as it rose up. The Praise Party Returns!!! HJ Ellison the originator of the Praise Party is bringing it back. While sitting home through this pandemic God moved HJ's heart to be a blessing and bring the Praise Party back. Listen and Njoy HJ's Praise Party!!!! Here is just a sample:http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/praisepartyb.mp3 ........For more Njoy: http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/hjgospelpraisejoints_intvw.htm Andrea René Williams is uplifting believers with a song she wrote entitled “Count It As Done”. A track touting the power of faith, “Count It As Done” has a brand new lyric video that just debuted on YouTube. “‘Count It As Done’ was a song that came to me in two separate dreams,” says the song’s composer, arranger, producer and engineer. “The message and the music are so powerful to me. I don’t believe we realize what power we’ve been given as believers. Even in the climate of this current COVID-19 pandemic, we can use the word of God to speak healing and restoration over this nation and this world. We need to use the authority that the Lord gave us in Matthew 11:23 and speak to the mountains in our lives. We need to exercise our faith.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_DQqkhX01g&feature=youtu.be Melvin Crispell III - "Without You" is our song in the Gospel Spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrGIBOvtZFQ&feature=youtu.be GRAMMY-nominated couple, Juan and Lisa Winans’, official debut single, “It Belongs To Me,” features 6X GRAMMY-Award winner Marvin Winans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAjYAyoWQ0&feature=youtu.be Justin Bieber shared a message about the true meaning of Easter and the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us. In an Instagram post Sunday, he reminded everyone that God loves us even though we are sinners. Bieber wrote, “God who created the sun, trees, grass, birds, mountains, lakes, oceans, LOVES YOU! He loves you so much that he came to earth in human form, lived a perfect sinless life, To make the ultimate sacrifice! He would die on the cross to take the punishment for the wrongs that you and I have committed! Then he rose from the dead to defeat death!” He emphasized that Easter is about Christ’s triumph over death and that His resurrection grants eternal life to everyone who believes in Him. Dolly Parton showed that there can still be unbridled joy on Easter Sunday during the coronavirus pandemic, strumming a stirring, solo performance of “He’s Alive” for her Instagram page. Parton, 74, who has been a prominent voice amid this public health emergency, started the video discussing social distancing on the holiday in which Christians observe the resurrection of Jesus. “We don’t have to go a building or church to worship God. The kingdom of God is within,” said Parton. “This year, we’re gonna kinda stay around the house a little bit, right? But that doesn’t mean we can’t worship in the same way that we should.” A Tennessee State spokesperson confirmed Tarvaris Jackson’s death to ESPN. Jackson was the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 after spending a year as a quality control and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Alabama State. According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Jackson was involved in a single-vehicle crash at 8:50 p.m. Sunday; the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro he was driving left the roadway, struck a tree and then overturned. Jackson was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The crash occurred about 7 miles south of Jackson’s hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. Jackson is survived by his wife, Lakitta, and three children, Tarvaris, Takayla and Tyson. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has reacted to the tragic death of his former backup quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson, who played in the NFL from 2006-15, died in a car accident in Alabama on Sunday night, according to multiple reports. He was 36 years old. The former NFL QB was Wilson’s backup from 2013-15. He played in the fourth quarter of the blowout win over Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII. Wilson shared his reaction to the news on Twitter. “TJack… you will be missed. Praying for your family…Love you man,” he wrote. Timothy Brown, a former NFL running back who later appeared in both the film and TV versions of “M*A*SH,” died April 4 from complications with dementia, according to reports. He was 82. Brown, who became a correctional officer in Los Angeles after retiring from acting, had been living in Palm Springs, Calif. Brown played college football at Ball State University, then went on to play for the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Colts in a 10-year NFL career. “Timmy Brown was an all-time great Eagle and one of the most dynamic multipurpose players of his era. A heartbreaking image of an Atlanta elderly couple shows them holding hands while in the hospital, just days before they died after catching coronavirus at their long-term care facility. Eddie Johnson Jr. passed away April 5 and his wife, Blanche Johnson, died on April 8. The Johnson's caught coronavirus while living at Arbor Terrace at Cascade in Atlanta, Georgia. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott working out with Dez Bryant while the country is supposed to be observing social distancing was bad enough. But hosting a dinner party with reportedly up to 30 guests? Prescott threw a birthday party for one of his friends at his house in Texas on Friday night, according to TMZ, and as many as 30 people, including Elliott, attended at a time when the state is under stay-at-home orders because of the coronavirus pandemic. Prescott may have stayed home, but the number of guests the Cowboys quarterback, 26, hosted was well beyond the latest CDC advisory of no social gatherings of more than 10 people. Later in the night at Prescott’s house, there was a sit-down dinner for a smaller group, TMZ reported. The US has recorded the deadliest day from the coronavirus pandemic any country has so far seen, as it becomes the first country to mark more than 2,000 deaths in 24 hours and its number of infections topped half a million. Stark figures show that 2,028 Americans died from coronavirus in a single day on Friday, taking the death toll to almost 19,000. As the nation mourns its darkest day on record during the pandemic, the total number of Americans infected skyrocketed past half a million. Babyface is feeling more grateful than ever on his birthday after an “incredibly scary” battle with the coronavirus. The Grammy award-winning music producer, whose real name is Kenneth Edmonds, reflected on his COVID-19 diagnosis on his 62nd birthday Friday. “I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate another birthday,” he wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “I tested positive for the Covid19 virus, as did my family. It’s an incredibly scary thing to go through my friends.” Although Babyface didn’t provide a timeline on his diagnosis, the singer-songwriter added that he and his family are no longer positive for the contagious virus. Sight & Sound Theatres had planned to release “Jesus” on the big screen this Easter weekend but with movie theaters around the country closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the entertainment company will instead be offering it for free. Over a million people have watched the live performance of “Jesus” at Sight & Sound’s theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The musical stage adventure is being shown on TBN on Saturday (April 11) at 1 p.m. ET. It is also being made available on the TBN app and website for viewing anytime beginning Friday and through Easter Sunday. Rihanna is teaming up with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to donate $4.2million to help domestic violence victims in LA amid the coronavirus lockdown. According to TMZ, the 32-year-old singer’s Clara Lionel Foundation and the Twitter CEO, 43, are sending a $4.2m grant to the Mayor’s Fund to help abuse victims. The donation comes amid reports that more than 90 people are being turned away from domestic violence shelters in LA every week. The site reports that the money will be able to cover housing, meals and counselling for 90 victims per week for 10 weeks. Then money will be given to an additional 90 victims per week for 10 weeks after that. Coronavirus isolation measures have already resulted in a spike in domestic violence attacks around the world. Los Angeles prosecutors on Friday filed a new charge against Harvey Weinstein, stemming from an alleged assault at a Beverly Hills hotel room in 2010. Weinstein is already awaiting extradition to Los Angeles to face four other charges, stemming from two incidents in hotels in February 2013. The former producer is serving a 23-year sentence in a prison near Buffalo, N.Y., for rape and sexual assault. In the new case, Weinstein is accused of “sexual battery by restraint” against a woman at a hotel room on May 11, 2010. The woman was first interviewed by detectives in October 2019, and was later able to provide evidence that showed the incident happened within the statute of limitations. BET announces the “BET Presents: The Light, An Easter Production,” a special broadcast of Easter Service in partnership with the world-renowned worship center, The Potter's House. Premiering Sunday, April 12, at 10 AM ET/PT commercial-free on BET, the two-hour special will bring families an uplifting Easter celebration. The Potter's House Arts and Music Ministry along with a special guest appearance by Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran Quentin Darrington will tell the story of Jesus Christ from the book of John's perspective centered around how the light of Christ came into the world to dispel darkness. From hip-hop to presentations by children's dance companies, to poetry and sometimes comical recitations, the Easter production, aims to bring hope and strength to a world navigating challenging times. Songwriter Lindsey DeBerry has penned a beautiful song to express appreciation for someone dear. "You Have Inspired Me" is an inspirational song that was written in mind for listeners to reflect on and share with a special person deserving of appreciation. DeBerry's mother was his motivation for writing the song. "You Have Inspired Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae_HLMSE_Ec&feature=youtu.be "THE CLARK SISTERS: FIRST LADIES OF GOSPEL" SET TO PREMIERE SATURDAY, APRIL 11TH AT 8/7C ON LIFETIME. OFFICIAL ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE MONDAY, APRIL 13TH ON ALL MAJOR DIGITAL STREAMING & RETAIL OUTLETS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dHt_QUfnac&feature=youtu.be THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE HOST A DYNAMIC GUEST LINEUP INCLUDING GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING GOSPEL ARTIST DONNIE MCCLURKIN, COMEDIAN/ACTRESS SHERYL UNDERWOOD, FAMED REALITY JUDGE LYNN TOLER, CYNTOIA BROWN AND MORE! Veteran Gospel singer-songwriter, Kathy Taylor, to partner with Autism Speaks in commemoration of World Autism Month in a “town-hall” style conversation on Facebook, Thursday, April 14. World Autism Month kicked off with the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. The month-long celebration includes autism-friendly events and educational activities to increase understanding and acceptance and foster worldwide support. Taylor and Janet Williams, Director Community Outreach, Autism Speaks (Mid-Atlantic and South-Atlantic), will host an awareness-building event to discuss the importance of autism awareness in the black community; as well as bridging the gap for faith-based communities. "God Is with Us" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyysIfNvq3o&feature=youtu.be The Gospel Spotlight's new music from Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music titled “Movin’ On.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWwlzDk4OYM&feature=youtu.be Bishop T.D. Jakes, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Minister Ricky Dillard and others will join RADIO ONE's COVID-19 National Day of Prayer, #OneinPrayer. Other participants include: Warryn Campbell, producer and husband of Erica Campbell; Rev./Drs. Grainger and JoAnn Browning, pastors of Ebenezer AME Church; Pastor Joel Peebles of City of Praise Family Ministries; Dr. Bridget Hillard, pastor of New Light Church World Outreach and Worship Center; Bishop Dale Bronner of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral; and Pastor John Hannah of New Life Covenant Church Southeast. Erica Campbell To Conduct an Essence IG Takeover Today at 1 P.M. ET. In tandem with the 10th anniversary of the nationally syndicated Café Mocha Radio Show, Miles Ahead Broadcasting announces a new collaboration with Rushion McDonald to host the show’s new ‘SWAG Award’ feature honoring Black men who exemplify Strength, Wisdom, Assertiveness and Genuineness of spirit (SWAG) for their service; from civic leaders, businessman, activists, celebrities and everyday dad. Café Mocha’s SWAG Award series launches this week with Cedric The Entertainer; upcoming feature interviews include entertainers/entrepreneurs Nick Cannon, Hill Harper; broadcasters/HBCU Grads Stephen A. Smith, Rickey Smiley; men of faith/entrepreneurs Bishop T.D. Jakes, Kirk Franklin; Oscar Winner Matthew A Cherry; entertainment leaders James Lopez, Jeff Clanagan; and athlete/entrepreneur Chris Paul. KIERRA SHEARD ON "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" Friday, April 10th at 8AM EST on ABC. Kierra Sheard discusses the original Lifetime film, "The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel" and her upcoming album Kierra. CLEO TV brings back the island flavor on the Easter weekend edition of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ this Saturday, April 11 at 12 P.M. ET/11C. Love & Hip Hop star, Tahiry Jose, and multi-platinum music producer, Jahlil Beats, join Chef JJ to cook up Citrus Jerk Red Snapper and Sautéed Cabbage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3z7grJB6wA&feature=youtu.be We get an intimate look at Adrienne's experience growing up as a Latina on the next episode of ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON airing at 1 P.M. ET/12C; with an encore episode at 11 P.M. ET/10C. She reflects on how her Latin heritage has influenced her life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51TQPPfmksc&feature=youtu.be It's the launch of Tasha Page Lockhart's new project! Her single hits home at a time when people need inspiration. "Why Not Me" speaks to us all as Tasha Page Lockhart delivers wonderful her message on this track. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/30krn3k75sdlftx/AAAYozQ_HAp6efxeMofUVxW6a?dl=0 Jimmy Hicks realize that people are living in a Critical time right now and need to know that We need to know that God is Worthy and That "We can Still "FEEL THE SPIRIT." Jimmy Hicks single "I Feel the Spirit" which is on the "I Feel the Spirit" Project by Jimmy Hicks is in The Gospel Spotlight. "Keep Running" https://youtu.be/-weVdS5LTkg Pastor David Wright & The N.Y. Fellowship Choir's New Single Release "Mighty Long Way" feat Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m9jz7yTSbk&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Pastor+David+Wright+%26+N.+Y.+F.+Mass+Choir+Mighty+Long+Way+BDS+%23+72&utm_campaign=Mighty+Long+Way&utm_medium=email BeBe Winans is on the road to recovery after contracting COVID-19. By touching on how contagious the novel coronavirus is, the Gospel singer also revealed that his brother was hospitalized due to the virus, and his mother also was infected. Winans opened up about his recent diagnosis on SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show, detailing that he likely caught the coronavirus while traveling to attend a funeral. “I just started coughing out of nowhere,” he said, “…and then the fatigue came on, and the chills, and [my] appetite went away.” As the coronavirus pandemic intensified, Leilani Jordan insisted on going to her job as a clerk at a Maryland grocery so she could help seniors, her mother said. She had challenges of her own, as a worker with cerebral palsy. But as shoppers around the country raided shelves for necessities in early to mid-March, Jordan wanted to make sure the elderly got theirs. https://youtu.be/--y0gXQN_S8 Despite being locked down due to the coronavirus pandemic, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has married longtime girlfriend Breion Allen. The couple, who have been together since high school, wed in a private ceremony at their home in Odessa, Florida, on March 27. The ceremony was Winston’s idea and he set it up, according to a source close to the couple. The source said they still have plans to have a larger wedding with family and friends when it is safe to do so. LSU football coach Ed Orgeron and his wife of 23 years, Kelly Orgeron, are divorcing. Orgeron filed for divorce on Feb. 26 in East Baton Rouge Parish court, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate. Orgeron stated he and his wife had separated two days before he filed. Court documents stated that Ed Orgeron wants exclusive use and occupancy of the couple’s new home in Baton Rouge, while he has no objection to Kelly having exclusive occupancy of their home in Mandeville until community property is settled by agreement or by a judge. RADIO ONE today announced a national day of prayer campaign to be held on Good Friday, April 10, 2020. The Radio One COVID-19 National Day of Prayer, #OneinPrayer, will feature syndicated radio personalities, Erica Campbell, Willie Moore, Jr. and Darlene McCoy joined by gospel music artists, pastors and special guests to pray for the country and world as it confronts the effects of the global pandemic. Among the participants in the prayer campaign are: Lecrae, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Pastor John Gray, Devon Franklin, Cora Jakes Coleman, Dr. Cindy Trimm, Pastor Donnie McClurkin, Pastor Smokie Norful, Pastor Charles Jenkins, Byron Cage, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Canton Jones and Pastor Mike, Jr. They will join the on-air personalities live on the Radio One Praise stations each hour from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and live on Instagram, at the bottom of each hour. Enon Music Group (EMG) is one of the fastest-growing record labels in Gospel music. Founded by Dr. Alyn E. Waller is pleased to announce that San Franklin is now the label's newest signee. The marriage of EMG and Franklin has formed an electrifying partnership that is going to give heat to the Gospel music genre and will give fans a musically masterful soundtrack for worship and praise. San recorded her first album live in Nashville last year. Franklin, EMG, and distribution partner Sony Music / The Orchard are making plans to release her debut solo album THE FREE PROJECT this year. Tyler Perry footed the bill for every elderly person shopping for groceries at 44 Atlanta-based Kroger stores during the supermarket’s senior hour Wednesday morning. He did the same for 29 locations in his hometown of New Orleans. BET announces an array of high impact initiatives to support communities of color impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Americans are being disproportionately harmed by the health and financial devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. BET, in partnership with the NAACP, United Way Worldwide, leaders in the African American creative, civil rights and business communities will provide critical financial, educational and community support directly to African Americans hardest hit by this crisis. Wednesday, April 8, at 8 PM ET/ 5 PM PT, “Unmasked: A COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall Series Powered by NAACP & BET” will stream on NAACP.org. The “Saving Our Selves: A BET COVID-19 Relief Effort” will air Wednesday, April 22nd 8 pm EST. Co-hosted by Kelly Rowland, Terrence J and Regina Hall; will feature virtual appearances and musical performances include DJ Khaled, Charlie Wilson, Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Fantasia, Melvin Crispell III, and many more. "NO GREATER LOVE" embodies the very sentiments of the greatest love ever known to mankind through the life and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we CELEBRATE THE SACRIFICE this entire week, this song speaks to the very fabric of our faith and will focus our attention on the one who is more than able to see us through this world wide pandemic. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/hcTDtTzKsjB2syCB0T6Eo James Fortune doesnt disappoint with his new single "Nobody LIke Jesus". It's a traditional ballad featuring powerhouse singerLisa Knowles Smith. The power, energy, and message in the lyrics are sure to resonate during this critical time. It points to who Jesus is and why people should look to Him now more than ever. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9rcyh5ffshekyt1/AACcvRZA4HeKmsGwqGqFOZIia?dl=0 Introducing Worship & Wellness Wednesdays! Every Wednesday Bishop Leonard Scott will post a video with ways to nourish your soul in the midst of everything going on in our world today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udS850dfyIk&feature=youtu.be TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG shines a spotlight on revolutionary jazz singer Al Jarreau, this Sunday, April 12 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40uurkkJ78&feature=youtu.be Actress Essence Atkins recently spoke publicly about an encounter she had with God that solidified her faith.The account of her experience can be seen in the all-new Urban Movie Channel original docuseries “Behind Her Faith” which highlights four women at the top of their careers and takes a deep look at their personal journeys of faith as their driving force. https://youtu.be/69BIFfFzL1U Tracy Morgan made an appearance on “TODAY” this week and urged people to unite and stop blaming President Donald Trump as he leads America in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Morgan was on the show to promote his new show “The Last O.G.,” and before concluding his interview, he called for Americans to come together. “People wanna criticize the president, but imagine being the president of a country and half your country got sick,” Morgan said. “So it’s difficult for him. We all gotta pull together as people. Now’s not the time for blame and all of these other things and anger. It’s here now. We gotta just be together. Jekalyn Carr’s ministry is earmarked by timeless music and timely messages. The message in “Greater is Coming” and “Something Big” encourages listeners to believe God and to expect greater. She followed up those early prophetic notes with a pointed worship song “You’re Bigger,” that turned our attention toward God and away from the challenges (health, financial, spiritual) facing each individual. The song, “You Will Win” birthed a book by the same name and challenged people’s faith to believe God and to declare they will overcome. The newly recorded live album, “Changing Your Story” is historic in Carr’s catalog. Recorded live in Atlanta, Ga, at The Cellairis Amphitheater, the event marked Carr's first outdoor live recorded event. The new single, “Changing Your Story” is a declaration and prophetic message of hope for people to know that regardless of their struggles, crises, and past, God has destined them to win and their story is forever altered by God's grace! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nbzhr3sp3a6a1kv/AAAZy0fwN6xopfz60FLBTmXpa?dl=0&preview=Jekalyn+Carr+5+secs+Faithful.mp3 Motown Gospel/Capitol CMG proudly announces the re-signing of GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard. The platinum-selling artist, recently named the Top Female Gospel Artist by Billboard, extends her long-standing relationships with the label and with its best-in-class publishing company, Capitol CMG Publishing. Tasha Cobbs Leonard also celebrates the launch of her own label imprint, TeeLee Records, a worship collective focused on cultivating and advancing the next generation of worship artists. “Tasha began her career mentoring other worship leaders,” explains Monica Coates, Co-Executive Director, Motown Gospel. “It is truly a joy to see her ministry passion reflected in this new business venture.” With the launch of her imprint, Tasha Cobbs Leonard announces her first signee—singer/songwriter Anna Golden. Already a celebrated independent worship artist, Golden has been a mentee of Cobbs Leonard’s since appearing on her historic 2017 album, Heart. Passion. Pursuit. Jeannie Mai and Jeezy are engaged! PEOPLE exclusively reveal that the rapper/philanthropist popped the question to The Real co-host on March 27. Jeezy (born Jay Wayne Jenkins), 42, was originally planning to propose to Mai, 41, sometime in April during a previously planned trip to Vietnam. But due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which has restricted travel around the globe, he decided to surprise her with a proposal during a special date night at his home in Los Angeles. Oprah Winfrey is helping to fight the coronavirus in a big way. The media mogul announced on Thursday that she is donating $10 million to COVID-19 relief efforts — $1 million of which will help those facing food insecurity during the pandemic. In a new IGTV post, Winfrey spoke with chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, and Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, to reveal her donation. The $1 million will benefit America’s Food Fund and the remaining $9 million will be divided among charities close to Winfrey’s heart Minnie’s Food Pantry Plano, Texas and the Boys and Girls Club Kosciusko, Mississippi. Anna Golden’s debut single on the label, “Peace,” will be available this Friday, April 10, 2020, on all digital platforms. A private heartcry from Anna’s own experiences, “Peace” quickly turned to a musical balm that she knew would speak to the waves of anxiety and depression so commonly crashing against people today. Enveloped in warm pads and ethereal strings, Golden’s voice washes over listeners like healing water. “God showed me that my voice is a gift for me, first,” shares Golden. “Then, it’s to help others.” TV One announced today that the third season of its original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED will now return in fall. The series was originally slated to premiere on Sunday, April 26. The edgy docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities and Season 3 is set to include actor Larenz Tate, singer/actor Tyrese, rapper/TV personality Eve, producer/TV personality Yandy Smith-Harris, actor Omari Hardwick and many more. https://www.youtube.com/user/TVOneOnline "These are very uncertain times, but even in this time of global panic we must remember that God said, He would never leave us nor forsake us! Through all the worry, fear, economic crisis, & the growing pandemic, let's put Him in remembrance of His word and declare this: It's Gonna Be Alright!" Earnest J. Lee's new song is in the Gospel Spotlight "It's Gonna Be Alright!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ4CC2wLKiA&feature=youtu.be TV One continues to comfort and entertain viewers during this unprecedented time with a special Easter lineup of faith-based programming on Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12. The jubilant weekend slate includes original films SINNERS WANTED, HEAR NO EVIL, FOR THE LOVE OF RUTH, and re-airing of UNSUNG episodes featuring some of the brightest stars in gospel music including Shirley Caesar, Marvin Sapp, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, and the group that launched the UNSUNG series - The Clark Sisters. This Easter, Lifetime presents Kim Fields in the emotional film, A Question of Faith. When a teenage girl hits a twelve-year-old boy with her car while texting, the tragedy inevitably links three families together. In the wake of the tragedy, their destiny forces them on a converging path to discover God’s love, grace and mercy as the challenges of their fate could also resurrect their beliefs. Kim Fields, Richard T. Jones and C. Thomas Howell star in the film written by Ty Manns and directed by Kevan Otto. “A Question of Faith” starring Kim Fields and Jaci Velasquez – premiering Sunday, April 12th at 8/7c on Lifetime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StNvFjirQks&feature=youtu.be In these uncertain times we know that words of encouragement and faith can be the one thing to help some people get through their day. Titus Showers shares a personal message for you and that he hope will be a glimmer of hope and inspiration to you and your listeners. His current single "It's Gonna Be Alright" feat Jermaine Dolly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwEeGNOtncQ The spirit of the song "Fighting For" is to encourage and inspire people not to give up on the plan that God has for each and every one of us. Whether it's that healing you need, that breakthrough that you've been waiting on, that job, that house, that financial blessing, no matter what it is keep on fighting and trusting and believing in God and you're going to get your reward. "Fighting For" by Spiritually Anointed is a new song in the Gospel Spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ5lPgWC3Gk&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Spiritually+Anointed++April++2020&utm_campaign=Vote+For+Spiritually+Anointed+New+Music+%22Fighting+For%22&utm_medium=email On Location: MEMPHIS (OL:M) announces its new vision which includes a new logo and a new website. OLM International Film and Music Festival has evolved into two distinct economic drivers, the OL:M Film Market and the Memphis Music Banq (MMB). Both were developed to help filmmakers and music creators monetize their creative content. One of the most recent success stories includes MMB producer, Kirk Smith, who was contracted to score the film “Coming to Africa” by Memphis filmmaker Anwar Jamison. After creating the star-studded #HesGotTheWholeWorldChallenge to raise COVID-19 awareness, Tyler Perry decided to use some of his $600M fortune to help the staff at one of his favorite restaurants in Atlanta. Sunday, the 50-year-old movie/TV mogul left a $500 tip for each of the 42 out-of-work servers employed at the West Paces location of Houston’s while picking up a to-go order, according to TMZ. Perry’s $21K tip serves as a bit of a cushion for the struggling workers, who might have to wait up to 20 weeks for a $1,200 (and $500 for each child) stimulus check from the federal government. Singer Selena Gomez revealed she’s leaning on Scripture during the coronavirus quarantine in America. Gomez joined her former Disney Channel peer Miley Cyrus for her new show on social media called “Bright Minded.” Cyrus has been hosting interviews during the quarantine on Instagram Live. In her latest episode, she said she’s “learning things every day” amid the virus outbreak, to which Gomez responded by sharing some of the things she does to keep her mental health strong. “I read Scripture and poetry and everything and there’s just one line that says, ‘I choose to see the goodness in the land of the Lord,’ for me speaking personally and it’s because we weren’t really prepared for this specifically,” Gomez shared. “But I know that there are moments where this is where we test each other, like how are we going to treat each other?” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com In the midst of quarantine parenting, things got scary for P!nk, who tested positive for COVID-19 alongside her 3-year-old son, Jameson. The singer, who revealed her diagnosis earlier this week, had a long discussion about her family’s experience with the coronavirus with friend and author Jen Pastiloff on Instagram on Sunday (April 5). The live chat was part of a “Chat and Feed” series to raise money to feed people in need. “I haven’t dressed up in three weeks. I really needed it. Thank you for the opportunity,” P!nk said as she began to talk about this “crazy time.” “We have been really, really sick,” she noted, though they are doing better now. “My 3-year-old, Jameson, has had the worst of it. I’ve had many nights where I’ve cried and I’ve never prayed more in my life.” YNW Melly is stuck behind bars after testing positive for COVID-19, but his lawyer is trying hard to secure his release. Attorney Bradford Cohen announced he filed another motion to get Melly out of jail on Monday (April 6), detailing why his client is facing a dire situation. “Just an update we are waiting to hear from the judge regarding the release of Mr Demons to receive medical care and treatment,” Cohen wrote on Instagram. “Supplemental motion was filed today detailing the jail having Mr. Demons share a cell with another COVID19 positive inmate. This is not recommended by any medical physician.” Cohen is asking the court to allow Melly to go on house arrest because the Broward County Jail is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. The incarcerated rapper would also pay for his own medical treatment. Pastor Rick Warren is set to host a Global Easter Pastor Prayer Gathering online simulcast in 12 languages. An unprecedented digital Global Easter Pastor Prayer Gathering of clergy worldwide, hosted by Pastor Rick and Kay Warren and led by church leaders representing each continent. During the 90-minute event, faith leaders will lead fellow pastors of all Christian denominations—including Evangelicals, Catholics, Pentecostals and Charismatics around the world—in guided prayer for families, churches, communities and their nations at the beginning of Holy Week in preparation for Easter. COVID-19 has significantly changed how churches will experience Easter this year, as for the first time in more than 2,000 years congregations all around the world will be unable to gather in-person to celebrate. Regardless of these unprecedented circumstances, the message of Easter remains the same: Jesus is the hope of the world. Monday, April 6, 2020 streaming live at 8:00 a.m. PDT/10:00 a.m. CDT/11:00 a.m. EDT. Reid Temple AME partnered with Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and community leaders to feed 500 needy families, helping to end food insecurity in the community and showing how to reimagine service during the COVID-19, coronavirus pandemic. Saturday April 4th Reid Temple AME Church a “grab n' go grocery giveaway” took place primarily to benefit Reid Temple’s adopted PGCPS school families impacted by school closures. Reid Temple AME Pastor, Rev. Dr. Mark E. Whitlock Jr. says “no child should ever go hungry, and it is our responsibility to meet the needs of the marginalized as well as our seniors who are the most vulnerable.” Previously, on Saturday March 21, 2020, Reid Temple mobilized its ministries to feed over 100 seniors in the community and regularly makes wellness check-in calls, takes medicine and other essential items to seniors. Colts owner Jim Irsay has obtained more than 10,000 N95 masks that he plans to have distributed to medical people, he announced on Twitter on Sunday. Irsay is donating the masks to the Indiana State Department of Health so that they can be distributed to hospitals most in need. The N95s are respiratory masks used to help protect doctors and nurses working with COVID-19 patients. The masks have been in short supply for health care workers and first responders across the country as they continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Former New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who famously made a 63-yard field goal in 1970 despite being born without toes on his right kicking foot, has died due to complications of the coronavirus, his daughter said. He was 73. Ashley Dempsey said Sunday that her father tested positive for the coronavirus a little more than a week ago. Dempsey had been battling Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. He was a resident at the Lambeth House senior living center in New Orleans, which has been hit hard by the virus. More than 50 residents have been affected, according to NOLA.com. Award-winning contemporary Christian singer Jeremy Camp and his wife, Adrienne, are encouraging Christians to stay focused of Jesus amid the coronavirus pandemic because He is “in it all, right here with us.” In an interview with The Christian Post, Camp said he’s “learned a lot” about himself and the faithfulness of God as COVID-19 continues to sweep across the United States. “In these times, I’ve loved John 16:33, where Jesus says we shouldn’t be surprised when we go through trials and says, ‘I tell you these things so you will have peace,’” Camp told CP. “He’s essentially telling us, ‘Guys, you’ll have trials in this life, whatever they may be. That’s a guarantee. But take heart: I’ve overcome the world." Logan Williams, a 16-year-old actor who appeared on the CW superhero series “The Flash” as a young Barry Allen, has died, according to his family. The actor’s mother, Marlyse Williams, confirmed the news of her son’s death to the Tri-City News. No cause of death was provided, though Williams was said to have died suddenly Thursday. Williams appeared in eight episodes of “The Flash” during its first two seasons — including the series pilot — as a younger version of Grant Gustin’s titular DC Comics hero. Other acting credits include the Hallmark series “When Calls the Heart,” as well as guest spots on “The Whispers” and “Supernatural.” Kobe Bryant will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday. Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett will also be inducted as well. A five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star. Bryant starred at Lower Merion High School, winning the PIAA Class 4A state championship in 1996 and declaring for the NBA draft. “The Big Fundamental” (Duncan) and “The Big Ticket” (Garnett) are two of the all-time great power forwards. Duncan won five championships and two MVP awards with the Spurs, while Garnett took home MVP honors in 2004 and won the NBA title in 2008 after being traded from the Timberwolves to the Celtics. Both players were selected to 15 All-Star games. Like Bryant, Garnett entered the NBA directly from high school. Bill Withers, who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “Lean on Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” has died from heart complications. He was 81. The three-time Grammy Award winner, who withdrew from making music in the mid-1980s, died on Monday in Los Angeles, the statement said. His death comes as the public has drawn inspiration from his music during the coronavirus pandemic, with health care workers, choirs, artists and more posting their own renditions of “Lean on Me” to help get through the difficult times. CLEO TV puts an island twist on breakfast in bed on the next episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ this Saturday, April 4 at 12 P.M. ET/11C. Vinnie of the multi-platinum hip-hop trio Naughty By Nature, shares fun facts about the group's Harlem influence and reflects on their legacy as he prepares for the 25th anniversary of the Grammy Award-winning album Poverty's Paradise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxUbGkLeEZ8&feature=youtu.be ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON TANTALIZES THE TASTE BUDS WITH A MYSTERY SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE AT 1 P.M. ET/12C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pJBXUNFM5E&feature=youtu.be THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE ARE JOINED BY SPECIAL GUEST SINGERS Q PARKER, MICHEL'LE AND COUPLE MONTELL & KRISTIN JORDAN PLUS MORE! JOIN THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE FOR THE NEWLY LAUNCHED BEYOND THE CIRCLE PRE-SHOW WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LETOYA LUCKETT, JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS AND MORE DAILY AT 11:30 A.M. ET ON @SISTERCIRCLETV INSTAGRAM LIVE In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, Bishop Leonard Scott and Lady Scott want to spread words of encouragement through the singing of hymns and other great Gospel music. Join them on Facebook and Instagram live at 5pm EST on any given weekday! For perhaps the first time in history the Patriots logo is a welcome site in New York on Friday as 300,000 N95 medical masks have been shipped to the city’s healthcare workers on a team truck after owner Robert Kraft flew 1.2 million masks in from China to address shortages in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The 300,000 masks were delivered to Manhattan’s Javits Center, which has been converted into a hospital for people infected with COVID-19. The masks have been in short supply amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as states along with the federal government have been trying to outbid each other for the sorely needed medical supplies. The GRAMMY®-nominated and electrifying choir director Ricky Dillard brings choir music back to the choir stands with his Motown Gospel album debut, Choirmaster, available for preorder across all digital platforms today. Joined by his choir, New G, Dillard shines on his new project, which includes the already-popular radio single “Release” featuring Tiff Joy, the mid-tempo choir groove “Since He Came,” and the remake of a New G classic on “More Abundantly Medley.” As a prayer for the uncertain times the world is facing, Ricky Dillard also releases the fourth song and live performance video from the new album today—the passionate “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm Thirty years ago, on April 3rd, En Vogue started its reign as one of the most successful female vocal groups of all time with the release of Born to Sing. Today, Rhino revisits their 1990 debut album on BORN TO SING: 30th ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION, a 21-track collection that includes a newly remastered version of the original album, plus a selection of rare mixes, most of which are available digitally for the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOxRMNfi-fo Some churches are insisting on having services, despite several states demanding people practice social distancing as one way to stop the rampant spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Reverend Al Sharpton is now speaking directly to Black churches who have not heeded the warning and asking pastors and parishioners alike to stay away from public services. Sharpton wrote on Twitter, “I convened a call with the heads of the nation’s largest historically Black religious denominations & other faith leaders to call on clergy to refrain from having church services as we head into Palm Sunday and Easter Holy Week.” Taraji P. Henson is putting wedding planning on the backburner as the coronavirus continues to take its toll. The actress recently revealed that she’s mourning the death of her uncle whom she suspects suffered from coronavirus complications. It’s been an overwhelming time for the Coffee & Kareem star who is engaged to Kelvin Hayden. Their June nuptial date has now been pushed back another month to July. https://youtu.be/C8iQ41o1Zn0 The GRAMMY®-nominated and electrifying choir director Ricky Dillard brings choir music back to the choir stands with his Motown Gospel album debut, Choirmaster, available for preorder across all digital platforms today. Joined by his choir, New G, Dillard shines on his new project, which includes the already-popular radio single “Release” featuring Tiff Joy, the mid-tempo choir groove “Since He Came,” and the remake of a New G classic on “More Abundantly Medley.” As a prayer for the uncertain times the world is facing, Ricky Dillard also releases the fourth song and live performance video from the new album today—the passionate “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, led by pastor Jamal Bryant, announced Thursday that it canceled a two-day drive-thru event at the church where up to 1,000 people would have been tested for COVID-19 for a fee of $150 each. In a statement posted on the church’s Facebook page and shared with local media, the church said it decided to postpone the event that was scheduled for April 4-5 to comply with an executive order expected to be signed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday. Sierra Ward-Pope is a powerful, anointed psalmist who delivers a soulful yet traditional style of Gospel music and exudes an irrefutable essence that connects with every listener. Sierra is recognized for her incredible commanding presence as a singer in the 2X Stellar Award-winning group Lisa Knowles & The Brown Singers, in which she has been a member since 2004. In 2015, Sierra accepted her calling in the ministry as an evangelist. Sierra currently serves weekly as a Praise and Worship leader at Riverside Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. In addition to singing with The Brown Singers, Sierra now makes her debut as a solo artist. Her first single “But God” is showcasing her prowess as a principal singer and maturity as a Gospel artist. New Angelo & Veronica Single Coming Easter Sunday, April 12th! "No Fear." https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/veronicapetrucci/no-fear-acoustic-re-mastered “Blessed Assurance” is one of the quintessential sacred hymns sang throughout churches of various denominations and cultures. Hymns like "Blessed Assurance" have been passed down through generations and have been interpreted creatively and respectfully re-arranged. The Fresh Anointing young adult choir of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church has put their contemporary dynamism on the hymn and released it as their new single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlx2A9xFHJQ&feature=youtu.be TV One's newest night of true-crime programming, True Crime Thursdays, launches with the return of an all new season of FOR MY MAN premiering Thursday, April 23 at 9 p.m. ET. The Thursday night expansion joins the network's signature True-Crime Mondays programming slate currently airing all-new episodes of FATAL ATTRACTION on Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktueA9nrw4c&feature=youtu.be The cast of Frasier have reunited for an hour-long YouTube video for the Stars in the House channel to raise money for The Actors Fund during the coronavirus pandemic. Kelsey Grammer, who played the elitist psychiatrist Frasier Crane in the beloved sitcom, attended the reunion via video link, along with co-stars David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin, Dan Butler and Bebe Neuwirth. https://youtu.be/GBM_mpTjbaM A former recruiter at Facebook hired to diversify its workforce has filed a $100m lawsuit against the social media giant, alleging she was discriminated against based on her race and disability, as well as harassed. Anastasia Boone Talton and her legal representatives filed the complaint against Facebook with California’s Superior Court of San Mateo on 17 March. According to court documents filed by Boone Talton, the complaint for damages accuses Facebook of eight offences including discrimination and harassment, failure to accommodate her disability, retaliation, wrongful termination and breach of contract. She has requested a trial by jury. Ellis Marsalis Jr., a jazz pianist from New Orleans, died Wednesday night from complications due to coronavirus, his son, Branford Marsalis, confirmed in a statement to Variety. He was 85. In addition to having his own prominent music career, Marsalis helped pave the way for four of his sons, Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason, to enter the music industry. Wynton is a trumpeter and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s managing and artistic director; Branford plays the saxophone; Delfeayo is a trombonist; and Jason plays the drums. Earnest Pugh set to drop "The Outpour Experience," a highly anticipated Live disc. He also released a lead single, "God Wants To Heal You," with a concept video on his YouTube channel. "The Outpour Experience" will be available for pre-order Friday, April 10th with early purchasers receiving two grat tracks "God Wants To Heal You" and the new Easter anthem "Grateful." Pugh has used his down time to connect with his loyal fan base, hosting at home worship as well as his affinity for southern comfort food via vignettes on YouTube. Pugh will host a virtual listening party Friday, April 10th via social media Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. He will perform two songs from the album in addition to a 15-minute question and answer session from fans and friends. "The Outpour Experience" is Earnest Pugh’s 12th CD and features guest performances from Amber Bullock and Dr. Betty Griffin Keller. "The Outpour Experience" will be available on all digital outlets on May 22nd. The “TODAY” show’s Craig Melvin, who has returned from a voluntary quarantine after being potentially exposed to the new coronavirus, asked Texas megachurch pastor and televangelist, Bishop T.D. Jakes, to pray on “MSNBC Live,” saying he’s “never done this on the air” but many are not being able to attend church. blob:https://www.msnbc.com/a60256a6-4d5d-4741-8d29-2c19016c868b Dolly Parton announced Monday that she will be launching a video series during which she will read bedtime stories to children in order to provide them with a “welcome distraction during a time of unrest.” https://youtu.be/3ia-ozHDaLs Dolly Parton is stepping up to help fight the coronavirus. Wednesday, the entertainment icon said she has donated $1 million to Vanderbilt Hospital as it fights to find a treatment for COVID-19. “My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure,” wrote Parton. “I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research.” The Wimbledon Championships have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the All England Club announced Wednesday. It is the first time Wimbledon has been canceled since World War II in 1945. It is also the first time since the tournament began in 1877 that the event will not be played during peacetime. Wimbledon had been scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was heavily criticized for sharing a racist video against Albanians. As it turns out, the Mavs youngster did not completely comprehend the clip he had shared and quickly took down the video as soon as he realized his mistake. The 6-foot-7 guard also made a public apology and made it clear that he did not have any intention of promoting racism. Longtime NFL agent Buddy Baker has lost his not one but both of his parents to COVID-19, he announced Tuesday afternoon. Baker posted a video to Twitter sharing the news and imploring viewers: Take CDC and social-distancing measures seriously. “As many of you know my parents recently contracted COVID-19 and unfortunately passed away this past Sunday due to complications,” Baker said in the video. “My parents were amazing people. They were married 51-plus years and they passed away six minutes apart. “Just a few weeks ago, they were in perfect health.” Entertainment One (eOne) and JamesTown Music announce the release of JJ Hairston’s new single, “Excess Love Remix (feat. Mercy Chinwo)” lifted from the Stellar Award-nominated album, Miracle Worker. JJ Hairston who now serves with his wife, Trina Hairston as co-pastors of All Nations Worship Assembly Live District of Columbia, is a GRAMMY nominated, Billboard Music Award winner, and a seven-time Stellar Award winner. Hairston’s latest offering “Excess Love Remix” features lead vocals by Nigeria native powerhouse vocalist Mercy Chinwo. The single was recorded live in Abuja, Nigeria at COZA Church for Hairston’s tenth Billboard chart-topping album, “Miracle Worker. The Gospel Spotlight's Bryan Andrew Wilson and "With every Beat Of My Heart." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fv5dm6g860qxo0y/AAAFNi1yj9VPpugZGr2f3V5Ia?dl=0 TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG shines a spotlight on the story of 70s R&B music queen, Betty Wright, this Sunday, April 5 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzPAv7LZa0c&feature=youtu.be Chart-Topping Stellar, Dove & BMI Awarding-Winning Producer & Recording Artist Isaac Carree Returns With First CD In 7 Years No Risk No Reward ! Guests Include Kirk Franklin, Zacardi Cortez, Lisa Knowles, Jazze Pha, ?Mr. Talkbox & Others! No Risk No Reward debuted at #1 on the Gospel Albums Chart and #4 on Gospel/Christian Albums Chart. JOIN Isaac CARREE FRIDAY FOR INTIMATE ALBUM RELEASE CELEBRATION. (Facebook.com/isaaccarree) This Friday 7pmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZMWXgjffyc The Gospel Spotlight's Gregory D & Company "MY TIME" https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4n5foxpsvhk6ndp/AADzBXNqGWszXr7koL6gLbkua?dl=0 Members of Britain's gospel music community and singers from a gospel background have joined forces to record a song of hope to encourage the nation during this pandemic and period of self-isolation and lockdown. The project is the brainchild of MOBO award winning gospel singer Lurine Cato. Lurine enlisted the support of producer/musician Kenton Reid and they got in contact with artists from across the UK, the Caribbean and Europe who all agreed to take part. The roll call included Royal wedding lead singer Paul Lee, Kingdom choir member Wayne Ellington, X Factor runner Up Jaheme Douglas, X Factor finalist Shan Ako, former Voice contestants Roger Samuels, Janine Dyer, Jason Nicholas Porter and 2020 Voice participant Shezar, recording artist Tony Momrell, Brit award nominee Rachel McFarlane, Shezar, worship singers Yolanda Antonia, Noel Robinson and many more. Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram Tuesday (March 31) to celebrate the release of her late husband’s “Wizenard” book series, a fantastical tale set in the world of basketball. Prior to his untimely passing, Kobe Bryant worked on the “The Wizenard Series: Season One” with his creative partner, author Wesley King. “He was much more involved than people might imagine,” says King, who was also Bryant’s collaborator on the 2019 bestselling young-adult novel “Training Camp.”“There were many weeks where it was two, three, four phone calls a day, and 5,000 text messages. Kobe texted more than anyone in history of existence,” King tells PEOPLE. Through his book projects, Bryant hoped to inspire generations to come. “It almost sounds cliché, but he’d say, ‘If one kid picks this book up and finds the faith in himself to persevere, we did our job … We’re doing this for that one kid’,” he says. “Kobe really believed that.” A new docu-series titled, “Behind Her Faith,” created by writer/director Paula Bryant-Ellis, has found a home at the Urban Movie Channel (UMC), the first and leading streaming service for Black film and television from AMC Networks’ RLJ Entertainment. The docuseries will look at the power of faith and its driving force on successful women in entertainment, sports, music, business, politics and ministry. “Behind Her Faith” will spotlight women who are not afraid to wear their faith on their sleeve, so to speak, and speak openly and candidly about it. Although the women featured in the series come from different walks of life, they all have one thing in common: that is, the conscious decision to put their faith first without fear or regret. “Behind Her Faith” is set to premiere on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Kicking off with a four-episode order, the first installment of “Behind Her Faith” will feature familiar faces from the big and small screens – that is Essence Atkins (“Ambitions,” “Marlon”); Aisha Hinds (“9-1-1,” “Underground,” “The Hate U Give”); Niecy Nash (“Claws,” “When They See Us” and “Reno 911”); and media mogul Angelica Nwandu, founder of The Shade Room. Each episode will spotlight the #BlackGirlMagic of each woman as they open up to viewers about their greatest achievements and biggest successes as well as their toughest disappointments and most heartbreaking moments, sharing their life lessons and triumphs along the way. Members of Britain's gospel music community and singers from a gospel background have joined forces to record a song of hope to encourage the nation during this pandemic and period of self-isolation and lockdown. The project is the brainchild of MOBO award winning gospel singer Lurine Cato. Lurine enlisted the support of producer/musician Kenton Reid and they got in contact with artists from across the UK, the Caribbean and Europe who all agreed to take part. The roll call included Royal wedding lead singer Paul Lee, Kingdom choir member Wayne Ellington, X Factor runner Up Jaheme Douglas, X Factor finalist Shan Ako, former Voice contestants Roger Samuels, Janine Dyer, Jason Nicholas Porter and 2020 Voice participant Shezar, recording artist Tony Momrell, Brit award nominee Rachel McFarlane, Shezar, worship singers Yolanda Antonia, Noel Robinson and many more. Check out Keyla Richardson "Corona Can't Hold Me down." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6pg4KHAAjE&feature=youtu.be This was supposed to be a very different story. When Alex Morgan, World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist, announced she was pregnant following the epic victory tour of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) last summer, she followed it up with a goal so audacious you’d have to be a little crazy to believe it: Be physically and mentally ready—Olympian ready—to play for the United States and win a gold medal in Tokyo mere weeks after giving birth. No pressure. https://media.glamour.com/clips/5e7d15f9a929010008a7cd83/1080p/pass/GL-AM-LEDE-0326.mp4 New York state now has 75,795 cases of coronavirus – an increase of 9,298 since Monday – and 1550 have died, Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed on Tuesday as he admitted ‘no one knows’ when the pandemic will end and said the entire country ‘underestimated it’. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo told of how he was unifying the state’s private and public healthcare systems to operate as one before the pandemic ‘apex’ in the state hits. James Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, has tested positive for the coronavirus, his NBA team said in a statement Saturday night. The Knicks said that Dolan, 64, is experiencing “little to no symptoms” and is self-isolating. He is the first U.S. major pro sports owner known to have tested positive for the virus. Widely hailed as the right thing to do for student-athlete welfare, the NCAA has decided to extend spring sports athletes’ eligibility a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Central City Productions, Inc. the producers of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards brings you an uplifting and encouraging two-hour musical special, The Stellar Awards: Music of Hope. Hosted by multiple Stellar and Grammy-award winning artist, Kirk Franklin, the Stellar Awards: Music of Hope special features songs of from previous Stellar Awards classic performances by: Tamela Mann, Donnie McClurkin, Michelle Williams featuring Beyonce’ and Kelly Rowland, Marvin Sapp, Lecrae, Canton Jones, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., Yolanda Adams, Bebe and Cece Winans, Hezekiah Walker, Mary Mary, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Jonathan McReynolds, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Brian Courtney Wilson, Patti LaBelle, Ricky Dillard, Karen Clark Sheard, VaShawn Mitchell, Sarah Reeves, Jonathan Butler, Tramaine Hawkins, Travis Greene, Dottie Peoples and Israel Houghton.The Stellar Awards: Music of Hope Special will air around the country in broadcast syndication from April 11 through May 24 in more than 216 markets and on Bounce TV May 24th at 12PM EST (noon). www.stellarawards.com. Michigan’s Genesee County is in mourning as a bishop, a pastor and an elder are among the four people who have died of the new coronavirus. Bishop Robert Earl Smith Sr., pastor Kevelin Jones of Bountiful Love Ministries, and elder Freddie Brown, all from Flint, have died over the past few days. https://cdn.christianpost.com/files/cache/image/13/85/138511_w_760_392.png The CARES Act was signed into law, which provides financial assistance to both 501(c)(3) organizations and small businesses employing under 500 employees. Within the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, $350 billion is targeted for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding 2 ½ months of an organization’s average monthly payroll costs (including benefits) as a loan. This loan can be forgiven if the size of the organization’s workforce remains the same in 2020 as it was in 2019. Prepping for the release of his new CD "Nothing Else Matters", gospel star Brent Jones is featured on rap superstar Childish Gambino's new critically-acclaimed album "3.15.20", the highly anticipated follow-up to Donald Glover's 4-time Grammy Award-winning "This Is America", which became the first rap album in history to win Song of the Year as well as Album of the Year (2019 Grammys). https://youtu.be/gezFLhUznSk Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have just about waved farewell to every aspect of their senior royal duties. They've wrapped up their final engagements and moved across the pond. Now they're saying goodbye: from their Sussex Royal Instagram account. March 30, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted their final message on to IG. “Yet we are confident that every human being has the potential and opportunity to make a difference—as seen now across the globe, in our families, our communities and those on the front line—together we can lift each other up to realize the fullness of that promise. What’s most important right now is the health and well-being of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic.” "As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute," they continued. "While you may not see us here, the work continues." "Thank you to this community—for the support, the inspiration, and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You’ve been great. Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another." The couple signed the post simply, "Harry and Meghan." TV One celebrates Holy Week with the cable-television premiere of SINNERS WANTED on Palm Sunday, April 5 at 4 P.M. ET/3C with encore airings on Saturday, April 11 at 12 P.M. EST/11C and Easter Sunday, April 12 at 4 P.M. EST/3C. The award-winning film features an all-star cast ensemble including Lamman Rucker, Traci Braxton, Clifton Powell, Roland Martin, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Joseph Curtis Calendar, Hope Blackstock, Tiana Melvina Woods, and Nasir Rhamim. The movie tells the story of Leo Shepherd (Kenneth Wayne), an unconventional pastor ridiculed by his hypocritical congregation after rescuing and falling in love with Gigi (Ashley Rios), a woman with a troubled past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-AMdva7-Jw&feature=youtu.be Award-winning, international Gospel Artist Chevelle Franklyn is set to release her latest worship single and music video, “Go In Your Strength,” this week Friday, April 3 and the track is available now for pre-order. To encourage listeners coping with the global COVID-19 pandemic, Franklyn also released a bonus track, “I Prevail” March 25 on all major digital platforms. The moving worship songs offer fans a preview of her highly-anticipated full-length album, South Wind Vol. 1, expected for release later in 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPiY2IbQEWo&feature=youtu.be The feelings that we express are given to us by God, and to repress those emotions is to suppress Him. When we put all of our trials on God’s shoulders, it doesn’t mean that they will be done by our time, but by His. So, don’t mistake God’s timing for lack of investment in you; instead, it is Him knowing what you need and what time you need it. Bishop T.D. Jakes preachers "Strange Tears." https://youtu.be/tVeKk3OEEek Today’s message encourages us to trade our worries for faith. You are not alone. We are in this together. Tony Evans preaches on "Don't Worry." https://youtu.be/0qmEfqo1xPE Alan Merrill, who penned the anthem “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” that became an era-defining hit for fellow rocker Joan Jett, has died of complications from coronavirus at age 69. Daughter Laura Merrill announced her father’s death on Facebook Sunday, hours after leaving his New York City hospital room. Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Dave Grohl opened their doors — literally — as the musicians performed from their homes for an hour-long benefit concert to raise money for those affected by the coronavirus crisis. Keys kicked off the Sunday event — which also honored health professionals and first responders — singing her song “Underdog” from a piano in her home. She thanked those “risking their lives to keep us safe.” Carey, one of the last performers, sang “Always Be My Baby” from her home studio in New York, then told the audience she was going to put on gloves. Elton John sang and also hosted the special that aired on Fox and iHeartMedia radio stations; he said he hoped “this entertainment will feed and fuel your soul.” Elmo, Rooster and Cookie Monster are doing their part to help keep kids safe as the coronavirus pandemic grinds on. The beloved Sesame Street Muppets are featured in some of four new animated public service spots reminding young fans to take care while doing such things as washing hands and sneezing. One of Elmo’s signature songs, the toothbrush classic “Brushy Brush,” has been updated to “Washy Wash.”Rooster pops up in another of the 30-second spots to remind kids to “wash hands now” before eating, playing sports or using the bathroom. The new content on SesameStreet.org/caring builds on last week’s launch of Sesame Workshop’s Caring for Each Other initiative to help families stay physically and mentally healthy during the health crisis. The overall project ranges from messages of comfort to learning activities in reading, math and science. Dr. Fauci Predicts That America’s Coronavirus Plague Death Toll Will Be Over 100,000 to Possibly 200,000. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/03/29/15/26551500-8165019-image-m-5_1585493361199.jpg When singer and actress Alicia Keys found out she was pregnant with her second son, she initially felt there was no way she could see the pregnancy through. As Keys wrestled with what to do, the words of a song she and her husband had written together encouraged her that she had the strength to handle having a baby, despite the timing. “While I was struggling over my choice,” she said, “I went into the studio one evening and began listening to ‘More Than We Know’…The lyrics are about how we’re capable of so much more than we can ever imagine.” Listening to the song moved the singer to tears. She said, “For me, the song was a powerful message that I should go on with the pregnancy.” Kourtney Kardashian appeared to suggest the coronavirus was God punishing people for ‘evil’ behavior. The reality star, 40, took to her Instagram Stories and shared a highlighted passage from the Bible which had ‘Pay attention children’ written above it. The passage reads: ‘Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people, if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again.’ Kourtney seems to have a lot of theories about the virus as she also shared a passage from a 2008 book called End of Days in which psychic Sylvia Browne predicted the rise of a global pandemic. Selena Gomez performed a make-up free, sweats-clad cover of Elevation Worship’s The Blessing, featuring Christian-crooning couple Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes, while at home in quarantine from the coronavirus on Saturday. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/03/29/2075950195217446606/636x382_MP4_2075950195217446606.mp4 Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood will be taking viewer requests during a live prime-time show this week filmed at their home. CBS will air the special, “Garth and Trisha: Live!” on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern. In an announcement Sunday, CBS says the country stars will perform “an intimate concert for viewers looking for the comfort and shared joy of music during this difficult time.” The inspiration came from a live show that Brooks performed from his studio last week that attracted millions of viewers and caused Facebook Live to crash multiple times. Myron Rolle has gone from Tennessee Titans safety to doctor on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The former Florida State football player and Rhodes scholar is now a third-year resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. Rolle, a neurosurgery resident, is now in the position to help during the pandemic since operating rooms are being turned into ICUs because of the increasing number of coronavirus patients. After graduating from college in 2 1/2 years, Rolle spent his senior year at Oxford University after receiving one of the 32 Rhodes Scholarships awarded each year. Rolle earned a Masters of Science Degree in Medical Anthropology. He was then drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round in 2010, but never played a regular season game. In 2013, Rolle decided to retire and pursue a medical degree. Pastor Gerald Allen Releases New Single: "The Lord Is My Help" https://www.dropbox.com/s/19bqwhzufxh9e8v/Gerald%20Allen%20The%20Lord%20Is%20My%20Help.mp3?dl=0 After Bishop T. D. Jakes was interviewed on CNN, he thought he was set up to share a word to those affected by the coronavirus plague. https://youtu.be/T_OyjxUwfX4 The nation’s top doctor urged faith leaders to follow federal guidelines and partner with local health officials as they learn new ways to lead congregants coping with the coronavirus pandemic. Evangelical and humanitarian assistance leaders offered pointers and encouragement to church leaders in the first day of a two-day summit by releasing videos on topics ranging from advocacy for the vulnerable to crisis communications. Earlier this month, LeToya Luckett and hubby Tommicus Walker revealed that they are expecting their second child. Now, the couple has shared the baby’s gender. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the couple was unable to host an in-person gender reveal party, so Luckett took to Instagram Live to share the news with family, friends, and fans. So, is the couple expecting a boy or a girl? Drumroll, please…it’s a boy! While both parents were over the moon with the news, Walker just couldn’t contain his excitement as he jumped for joy around the house. “This is so exciting. We are having a boy,” Luckett said. New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, are committing a donation of $5 million to the state of Louisiana to fight COVID-19. According to Faithwire, along with his generous donation, Brees will also be working with multiple partnering companies “to prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana for as long as it takes to children on meal programs, seniors, and families in need.” The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a veteran civil rights leader who helped the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and fought against racial discrimination, died Friday, a family statement said. He was 98. A charismatic and fiery preacher, Lowery led the SCLC for two decades — restoring the organization’s financial stability and pressuring businesses not to trade with South Africa’s apartheid-era regime — before retiring in 1997. Lowery, considered the dean of civil rights veterans, lived to celebrate a November 2008 milestone that few of his movement colleagues thought they would ever witness — the election of an African American president. After an incredible debut in 2019, Nashville Life Music will release their first full-length album, Here For Jesus, May 15. This follows their hit EP, Taylor House Sessions, which produced a Top 5 single and GMA Dove Award nominated song, "My God (feat. Mr. Talkbox).” In anticipation of their project, today the group is releasing a new single, "Shepherd (feat. Leeland)," a tender ballad about Jesus' relentless, sacrificial love for us. https://nashvillelife.lnk.to/Shepherd SISTER CIRCLE IS JOINED BY BEN AFFLECK, MUSIC GROUP THE HAMILTONES AND MORE! NBA Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns says the coronavirus “should not be taken lightly” and revealed his mother is in a coma due to COVID-19. Towns told his 2 million followers that his mother was “deteriorating daily” and every time there seemed to be progress her health would switch and take a turn for the worse. She’s is currently on a ventilator while in a medically induced coma. Before making the announcement on his mother’s health, Towns donated $100,000 to support Mayo Clinic, which has begun rolling out a test to detect the virus that causes COVID-19. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first leader of a major nation to contract COVID-19, but he insisted Friday that he remains in charge of the U.K.’s response to the outbreak. Two of Johnson’s top aides in the fight against the virus — his health secretary and top medical adviser — also said they had the disease. Johnson, 55, said he was tested Thursday after showing “mild symptoms”: a temperature and a persistent cough. Fred “Curly” Neal, the dribbling wizard who entertained millions with the Harlem Globetrotters for parts of three decades, has died. He was 77. The Globetrotters said Neal died in his home outside of Houston on Thursday morning. Neal played for the Globetrotters from 1963-85, appearing in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries for the exhibition team known for its combination of comedy and athleticism. He became one of five Globetrotters to have his jersey retired when his No. 22 was lifted to the rafters during a special ceremony at Madison Square Garden in 2008. Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook is enjoying spending time with his family during the NBA’s coronavirus hiatus, while his foundation is working to provide relief from the pandemic in LA. Madam C.J. Walker may be one of America’s most successful “pull yourself up by your own bootstrap” stories, but many have never heard of her. However, that’s changing, thanks to the recent release of a Netflix limited series starring Octavia Spencer. “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,” which also stars Blair Underwood, Tiffany Haddish, Bill Bellamy and Carmen Ejogo, tells the story of America’s first female millionaire, who was also black, at the turn of the 20th century. Her path to riches would be noteworthy in any era, but it’s particularly impressive given the discrimination and roadblocks women and blacks had to endure at the time. Walker, whose real name was Sarah Breedlove, created and marketed hair products for African American women at the turn of the 20th century. The four-part drama is based on the book “On Her Own Ground” by author and journalist A’Lelia Bundles, Walker’s great-great granddaughter. Kathy Griffin says she hasn’t been able to get tested for the coronavirus despite her “unbearably painful symptoms.” The 59-year-old comedian revealed on Twitter Wednesday that she’s been sent to a “COVID-19 isolation ward in a major hospital ER” after visiting an urgent care facility. She shared a picture of herself laying in a hospital bed wearing a mask, although it’s unclear when the photo was taken. Despite experiencing symptoms consistent with the coronavirus, Griffin said her attempts to get tested have been unsuccessful. Ben Tankard's current album RISE! earned him18th Stellar Gospel Music Award nomination and his first #1 single on the Smooth Jazz Radio chart. His new fresh single "Passionfruit" is also rapidly being added to playlists and is climbing up the radio chart. "Passionfruit" is Tankards savvy cover of the 2017 hit by Drake. "Passionfruit" is the #1 most added Smooth Jazz radio song this week. The single is the second hit from RISE! and has helped Tankard receive two 2020 Steeple Award Nominations for CD of the Year and Best Collaboration Performance (w/Kurt Whalum, "It’s Working"). The 5th Annual Steeple Awards will be handed out August 1st in Atlanta, GA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57YRWrExMa0&feature=youtu.be CLEO TV'S JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ WHIPS UP FOOD FOR THE SOUL WITH GRAMMY-NOMINATED BROADWAY STAR JAWAN JACKSON, FOOD & SPICE INFLUENCER KANCHAN KOYA, AND TV PERSONALITY SHARON CARPENTER ON SATURDAY, MARCH 28 AT 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFonWEC7z6w&feature=youtu.be ALL THINGS ADRAIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON Gets Personal When Adrienne Houghton Answers Fans Burning Questions at 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpSdSykYDkY&feature=youtu.be T.D. Jakes Comforts a Shaken Nation on CNN’s ‘New Day’ https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1243147431786807296 Duchess Meghan is returning to the entertainment world. Days after she and Prince Harry are scheduled to officially step back as senior members of the royal family, the former actress’ voice will appear as the narrator on the Disneynature film “Elephant,” marking her return to Hollywood. The feature-length film will premiere April 3 on Disney+ along with “Dolphin Reef,” a previously announced Disneynature film narrated by Natalie Portman. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is pleading with Liberty University’s president to reconsider a move reopening the campus during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it’s risking lives and sending students the wrong message. Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. said this week the campus would reopen for students and employees, although classes would continue to be given online. As of Thursday, 460 people statewide had tested positive for the coronavirus and 13 had died. Suddenly, in the space of a week, parents have become the long-term replacement teachers who needs to ramp up quickly on EVERYTHING! In addition to transforming your home into a classroom, the new Common Core Math must be taught by who? YOU!!! “If the new-school Common Core Math seems tougher than the old school math, it's because ...well...it is. But no worries, I got you!” laughs CARL BRISTER, a New Jersey educator and rising R&B artist who has created a “Parents Guide To Home School Success” to help out students and parents turned homeschool teachers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGd2vDsupc0&feature=youtu.be Arizona Cardinals All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones is donating 150,000 meals to food banks in Arizona and his hometown of Endicott, New York, to help families dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Jones said in a statement that “these are really tough times and it is important for me to do my part and help out both here in Arizona and back at home in New York. There are a lot of people in need and everything we can do as a community makes a difference.” Jones set a Cardinals franchise record with 19 sacks last season. Todd Dulaney Presents A Live Performance Event Friday 3.27! This SUNDAY Deitrick Haddon Presents his CORONA RELIEF Concert! https://vimeo.com/400768930 Gospel Music Icon FRED HAMMOND surprised fans on Tuesday Night, March 24th with a Social Distancing Mini Concert Live in Dallas, TX (At The Warehouse). https://www.facebook.com/therealfredhammondfanpage/videos/551356188818812/ Gospel Spotlight's Bri Babineaux - "Baptize Us Again" - Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0lEDyZcagY&feature=youtu.be The Powerhouse Fellowship Soul Choir, founded by and under the leadership of Shawn Cotterell, is one of Canada's most sought after choirs. They are the winners of the GMA Canada Covenant Award for Gospel Album of the year and have entered a distribution partnership with eOne Nashville Indie Blu Music. Also, The Powerhouse Fellowship Soul Choir made appearances In the Netflix Series "Self Made" Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker and "THE CLARK SISTERS" Biopic on Lifetime Television. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ly18L_73ok3cKpQe0VN7DulYwSkpvupGU BRYAN ANDREW WILSON follows his recent Billboard/Mediabase Top 30 radio single "This Time" with this rocking declaration of love for God entitled, "With Every Beat of My Heart." https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/ca8bdvPBuEa6nYsFRXHwJ Got a moment to smile, watch the video of Tom Hanks’ wife Rita Wilson rapping Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray”. You won’t be disappointed. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-BqChYnY6F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The three-time Gospel Image Award winner and nominee for Rhythm of Gospel Awards, Prayze Factor People’s Choice Awards and Queen City Music Awards have released a brand new inspirational song dealing with real-life issues! https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Steve-Dalton-The-Leviticus-Singers-of-Charlotte-God-Is-Love-RADIO-pn1xraYvqASrrROyVQIsa WATCH TV ONE'S ACCLAIMED SERIES UNSUNG FOR A DANCE BREAK WITH SOUL MUSIC LEGEND BILLY PAUL THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 29 AT 10 P.M. ET/9C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jNDWggWcys&feature=youtu.be Vernon Little Drops "Words To Live By" https://bentleyrecords.lnk.to/VernonLittle-WordsToLiveBy Oprah Winfrey has revealed she is sleeping in separate houses to her long-time partner Stedman Graham amid concerns over coronavirus. The TV legend, 66, who contracted pneumonia late last year, announced in an Instagram Live video that the businessman, 69, is currently in quarantine in their guesthouse after he became higher risk from taking a number of flights. https://youtu.be/XePcm225pkQ Monday March 23rd, six-time GRAMMY® nominated inspirational artist Tauren Wells teamed up with champion football star Russell Wilson to share hope and encouragement in conversation on Instagram Live. Even champion basketball player Steph Curry dropped in. https://youtu.be/nt-gbfkl044 Bishop T.D. Jakes Preaches ‘He Bled Out’ With Just a Handful of People in the Audience of His Massive Church and He Preached Just the Same as He Always Does. https://youtu.be/7Pd8M6sgHOU Among the slew of challenges circulating the Web during the global pandemic due to the coronavirus is one by filmmaker and comedian Tyler Perry called “He’s Got the Whole World,” aimed at spreading hope. The challenge from Perry currently has over 1 million views on Instagram and hundreds of thousands of people have participated. He said he wanted to start something to make everyone “feel better,” then began to sing the traditional African-American song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and challenged others to add to it. Travis Frederick the Cowboys center selected to his fifth Pro Bowl in 2019, returning from the effects of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. He knew it would take nearly two years to fully recover from the autoimmune disorder and play at an elite level. He was just grateful to play center for the Cowboys in 2019. Frederick came to grips with this late Monday afternoon when he announced his retirement from football at 29. TV One's original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED resumes for its third season with premiere episodes debuting on Sunday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. The edgy docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities including actor Larenz Tate, singer/actor Tyrese, rapper/TV personality Eve, producer/TV personality Yandy Smith-Harris and actor Omari Hardwick. Dr. Alyn E. Waller presents Fresh Anointing "BLESSED ASSURANCE." FRESH ANOINTING was created 2011 after a few young Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church members gathered for an evening of fellowship over dinner that eventually erupted into songs of praise. These few united in friendly fellowship became Fresh Anointing and made their debut as the church’s young adult choir during a Sunday morning worship experience. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/PkeBrtZItcx9kvVqwV0iu Minister James A. Willis & NuPraze Release NEW Single "Free To worship" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efxFmbeKz1Y&feature=youtu.be Arts and crafts giant Hobby Lobby is slowly shutting down stores across the country amid intense criticism about a letter claiming the company boss’s wife had a vision from God telling the chain to stay open. Calls to stores around the country show some are open, some are closing while others just don’t know what is going on. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The confusion follows a letter sent to stores last week by chief executive David Green, who said his wife Barbara had a heavenly vision about the coronavirus. Many store employees took that as a message that the store should stay open because God would protect them from illness. Manu Dibango, who fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music, died Tuesday with the coronavirus, according to his music publisher. He was 86. The Cameroon-born saxophonist, who gained international fame with his 1972 song “Soul Makossa,” died in a hospital in the Paris region. Dibango was hospitalized with an illness “linked to COVID-19,” his official Facebook page said last week. Funeral services were to be “held in strict privacy” followed by a tribute “when possible,” Tuesday’s announcement said. Funerals in France have been limited to 20 people in the closest circle of the deceased because of a lockdown to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. Dibango is survived by four children. A congregation in Ohio decided to host “Drive In Church” services as a way of gathering people together for worship while being wary of concerns over spreading the coronavirus. Genoa Church of Westerville held two “Drive In Church” worship services on Sunday morning, one at 9:15 a.m. and another at 11:00 a.m., with around 600 people in 300 cars attending. The church had a raised platform for speakers, with attendees remaining in their parked cars to listen to the music and preaching through an FM transmitter. As the coronavirus crisis impacts our nation, SiriusXM's Joel Osteen Radio will feature special live programming featuring Joel and Victoria Osteen, co-pastors of Lakewood Church. Created as a platform to offer listeners hope, inspiration, and encouragement, Joel Osteen Radio is heard on SiriusXM channel 128 on SiriusXM radios, on the SiriusXM app, and at home on a variety of connected devices and speakers. Today, March 23, at 5:00 pm ET Joel Osteen will host a special edition of his weekly program Joel Osteen Live featuring his brother, Dr. Paul Osteen, who is a vascular surgeon and medical missionary. Joel will also be taking calls from listeners across the nation discussing ways to stay in faith and how to help others during this time of national emergency. Donald Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers return with "Jehovah Sabaoth (God Of Angel Armies)", the new single lifted from their critically acclaimed album, Goshen. The lyrics proclaim, "the God who governs angel armies has set encampments around me, whom shall I fear." The song reinforces the belief that God's protection is guaranteed and because of this, there's no need to be alarmed. In times like these, a song of this magnitude is sure to be a beautiful reminder of God's love. Monday March 23rd! Six-time GRAMMY® nominated inspirational artist Tauren Wells, teams up with champion football star Russell Wilson to share hope and encouragement in conversation on Instagram Live, Monday March 23rd at 7 pm CST/5 pm PST. Join in at: https://www.instagram.com/taurenwells/ After countless live events, concerts, and television productions have been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, the fate of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has finally been revealed. Sunday, March 22, IOC president Thomas Bach said he was going to take the next four weeks to decide the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin July 24, but had ruled out canceling the games. However, according to USA Today, the worldwide competition will be postponed, likely to 2021, with more information to come within the next four weeks. Monday morning, March 23, the German, Brazil, and Norway Olympic committees had all publicly urged the IOC to postpone the Olympics. Ruthie Ann Miles is going to be a mom again. The Broadway star and All Rise actress, 36, revealed on social media that she and husband Jonathan Blumenstein are expecting a child, due this spring. “We’d like to announce our very happy news: We are expecting another child this spring!” Miles wrote in an emotional post shared to Instagram and Twitter on Saturday. Their baby on the way comes two years after an unspeakable tragedy. In March 2018, Miles’ 5-year-old daughter Abigail Joy was struck and killed by a driver in Brooklyn, New York. h Like most people in America, Justin Bieber is practicing social distancing and decided to use his social media platform on Sunday to host a church service for his pastor, Judah Smith. The pop star has been spending his time in isolation recording music, dancing on TikTok with his wife and going to church remotely. https://youtu.be/ef2QuzCzs6Q The Seattle Seahawks continue to stockpile offensive linemen in free agency, agreeing to terms with former first-rounder Chance Warmack Sunday. Warmack has not played since 2018 when he appeared in nine games for Philadelphia. He sat out last season to reportedly get healthy after a series of injuries. Warmack, 28, was part of the 2013 draft class and was considered the best interior offensive lineman that year coming out of Alabama. the Seahawks also trade with Washington for cornerback Quinton Dunbar, giving up a 5th round draft pick. Chart Topping Artist, Psalmist, Worship Leader and Minister Earnest Pugh is once again positioned to minister healing to the global masses with the release of a concept video for his latest single, God Wants To Heal You. https://youtu.be/uXLqDjV4eMU Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo said on Sunday he had tested positive for coronavirus and had gone into self isolation with his family. “We are currently all in good health but I developed a cough and a fever and decided to get tested, and the result came back positive,” Domingo wrote on Facebook. Spain is struggling to contain Europe’s second worst outbreak of the coronavirus after Italy, with over 28,000 cases and more than 1,700 deaths, according to the Health Ministry. Oscar-winning movie producer Harvey Weinstein, now one of New York’s most notorious prison inmates after being sentenced for sexual assault, has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, according to officials connected to the state prison system. Weinstein, who turned 68 last Thursday is being isolated at Wende Correctional Facility in Western New York, officials told CNHI Sunday. He is one of two Wende inmates who have tested positive, the officials said. Weinstein is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in a prosecution that attracted world-wide attention amid the #MeToo movement. The Tokyo Olympics are going to happen — but almost surely in 2021 rather than in four months as planned. This became clear after the IOC on Sunday announced it was considering a postponement and would make a final decision within four weeks. Major Olympic nations like Canada and Australia have added pressure by saying they will not send teams if the games are staged this year. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach sent a letter to athletes explaining the decision, while also acknowledging the extended timeline might not be popular. Blues and Gospel artist Reverend John Lee Hooker, Jr. is releasing a life-inspiring singles from his forthcoming Gospel album release TESTIFY. Rev. Hooker, Jr. allows art to imitate life as he shares the path of his turbulent former days to his now triumphant life in ministry. His life is transparently chronicled through his new lyric video and title track "Testify". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSilVXTIZbE&feature=youtu.be Taylor Swift may have ended her feud with Katy Perry but the one with Kanye West seems simply not to want to die. New leaked video clip of the entire four-year-old phone call between the rapper and pop superstar about his controversial song “Famous” have been posted online and further complicate the picture of what happened. In “Famous,” West raps: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex, Why? I made that bitch famous.” Upon its release in 2016, West was condemned by many for the line. He insisted Swift had given her blessing to the lyric. But she denied ever hearing the lyric “I made that bitch famous.” The new clips seem to corroborate Swift’s claims that West didn’t tell her the full lyrics of the song. But they also show West repeatedly asking Taylor for her approval of the sex lyric and she does tell him she thinks it’s funny, just as the rapper said when it the song first was released. This new footage was posted online from an unknown source late Friday night and rapidly spread across social media. Representative for either artists did not immediately reply to a request for comment Saturday With millions of American families being cooped up in their homes in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the streaming video service VidAngel made its platform free for two weeks to ensure access to family-friendly entertainment. The California-based company announced this week that all of its content can be accessed for free without a credit card until March 30, including the platform’s popular original series “The Chosen.” The $12 million Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest purse in horse racing, will be postponed until next year. That’s according to an announcement from the Dubai Media Office, a governmental agency. Officials had planned to run the race March 28 without spectators over concerns about the new coronavirus and the COVID-19 illness it causes. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday that he had tested positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, becoming the first member of the Senate to report a case of COVID-19. He said in a tweet that he was feeling fine and was in quarantine. Paul, an eye surgeon, said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He said he was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person. Three million Americans will file unemployment claims next week, marking the highest level of unemployment ever seen in US history, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to shutters businesses and see workers turfed out of their jobs overnight. Bars, restaurants, stores and casinos lie boarded up across the US as the nation’s once heaving cities have turned into ghost towns after state-wide mandates have ordered one in five Americans to stay at home. Bars, restaurants, stores and casinos lie boarded up across the US as the nation’s once heaving cities have turned into ghost towns after state-wide mandates have ordered one in five Americans to stay at home. Kenny Rogers, the smooth, Grammy-winning balladeer who spanned jazz, folk, country and pop with such hits as “Lucille,” “Lady” and “Islands in the Stream” and embraced his persona as “The Gambler” on records and on TV, died Friday night. He was 81. He died at home in Sandy Springs, Georgia, representative Keith Hagan told The Associated Press. He was under hospice care and died of natural causes, Hagan said. THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE CELEBRATE HBCU PRIDE WITH THE ATLANTA HAWKS CHEERLEADERS, ERICA CAMPBELL, YO-YO, AFFION CROCKET AND MANY MORE! Grammy-Award winning artist, best-selling author, entrepreneur and social activist LECRAE released his new single “Set Me Free” today. “Set Me Free” featuring Def Jam recording artist, singer, and rapper, YK Osiris (“Worth It,” “Valentine”), produced by GAWVI is the first song to drop from Lecrae’s upcoming album to be released Spring 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3sk71ffTpo&feature=youtu.be Tasha Cobbs Leonard joined We The Kingdom on their hit song, “Holy Water,” backed by members of Maverick City Music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfY7CGU8sck&utm_campaign=42591_MOTG+3.20_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email A new look for the NFL: Tom Brady in Tampa Bay pewter and red rather than Patriots red, white and blue. The six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback signed a two-year contract in free agency on Friday, embarking on a “new football journey” with the Buccaneers. The deal guarantees $50 million and includes a $10 million signing bonus and $15 million salary for 2020. The Metropolitan Opera is canceling the rest of its season and stopping the pay of the orchestra, chorus and other unionized employees at the end of March due to the new coronavirus. The Met last week called off performances through March 31. Met general manager Peter Gelb said he is giving up his $1.45 million salary until normal operations resume and higher-paid members of his administrative staff are having their pay reduced — by 10% for everyone earning more than $125,000 and by 25%-50% at the top of the pay scale. The Met is launching an emergency fundraising drive of $50 million to $60 million and has obtained pledges from its board for $11 million of that. It started out as a tickle in his throat before bed, but by the next morning, it felt like the worst flu ever. And by the time Kevin Harris was admitted to a hospital in Ohio five days later, he thought he was suffocating.The doctors at St. Joseph Hospital in Warren were certain Harris, 55, had pneumonia — but three days later, they had the real diagnosis: coronavirus. One of the doctors had tears in his eyes when Harris asked if he would live. Another doctor just shrugged and mumbled, “I don’t know.” “They told me they didn’t have a cure,” Harris said from his hospital room, where he was still hooked up to oxygen Tuesday night. “I just wanted them to tell me if I’m going to live or die.” Still in complete isolation, he has received no visitors in the hospital. Every six hours, his temperature is taken by medical staff wearing gloves, a yellow paper suit and an inverted face shield with an N95 mask underneath and a surgical mask over the top. They give him cough and pain medications. A little-known Christian rapper who was awarded $2.8 million after claiming that pop star Katy Perry copied his song will not receive any compensation, a judge has ruled. Rapper “Flame” won a high-profile plagiarism dispute last July after claiming that Perry had stolen an eight-note musical phrase from his 2008 song “Joyful Noise” for her hit single, “Dark Horse.” However, in a new decision, U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder ruled that none of the individual elements that comprise the section in Flame’s track are “independently protectable” and thus the case must be dismissed. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton tested positive for the coronavirus, he told ESPN on Thursday. Payton, 56, is the first person in the NFL world known to test positive for the virus. Payton said he didn’t feel well this past Sunday, took the test Monday, and received the results Thursday afternoon. Payton is resting at home, fatigued, but said he is part of the 20 percent of the cases that have no fever and no cough. But he will self-quarantine in his home through the weekend, and he said he is upbeat and optimistic about a full recovery. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com CLEO SPEAKS HIGHLIGHTS FINANCIAL LITERACY WITH WALKER'S LEGACY FOUNDER NATALIE COFIELD AT 9 A.M. ET/8C AND SHARES THE INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY OF JASMINE SANDERS OF THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW AT 9:15 A.M. ET/8:15C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEbepUhgBeM&feature=youtu.be JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ Throws Down a Hearty Feast for Actor TJ Atoms, Broadway Star Jeannette Bayardelle and "Spice Queen" Angel Gregorio at 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjLA1CcayGQ&feature=youtu.be ADRIENNE HOUGHTON Challenges Grammy Award-Winning Husband Israel Houghton to the "Not-So Newlywed" Game on the Next Episode of ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON at 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TWTlfCDXls&feature=youtu.be A fit-and-healthy mother who filmed herself struggling to breathe as she warned of the dangers of coronavirus has said it felt like having ‘glass in her lungs’. Tara Jane Langston, 39, told of how every breath is a ‘battle’ but she is now out of intensive care and recovering well. The mother-of-two was rushed to hospital by ambulance last Friday and eventually diagnosed with Covid-19 on Sunday. Ms Langston had filmed herself with her phone in the intensive care unit at Hillingdon Hospital in west London pleading with others to take the deadly COVID-19 seriously. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/03/19/16/26171520-8131269-image-a-75_1584634408759.jpg Sports are on hold, theaters are closed and so are amusement parks, a disaster-movie scenario that has Hollywood reeling. But Americans held captive at home by the coronavirus can turn to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other streaming services, outliers in an entertainment industry brought to an unprecedented standstill. With self-imposed or required isolation the abrupt reality, emerging and niche streamers could draw new subscribers — gains that may even outlast the coronavirus crisis. The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to trade quarterback Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears just one year after giving Foles the most guaranteed money in franchise history. The Bears are giving up their fourth-round pick which means the Jaguars now have 12 picks in the upcoming NFL draft. Foles has already restructured his contract with the Bears. He still has three years and $21 million guaranteed left on the deal, but Foles now has the ability to void the deal after either of the first two years, depending on the upside of his performance. Chris Mitchell Jazz on Pay-Per-View! This Saturday, March 21st 2:00 P.M. CST. He and his ensemble are performing live and you can watch from the comfort of your home and...you get to create the playlist! Chris Mitchell want to give you the opportunity to customize your productivity. By building your own Chris Mitchell Jazz Live Stream play-list! Simply respond with the songs you want us to perform and you'll hear it THIS Saturday on our live stream and.... we're also accepting birthday shoutout inquiries! The spreading coronavirus canceled several touring performances from A-list musical artists, but those acts have found a new venue to sing: their living rooms. John Legend, Bono, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Pink, John Mayer, Keith Urban and more have held virtual concerts from their homes as the world continues to practice social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. The piano-playing superstar took requests from fans as he crooned from his living room like he does at one of his typical live concerts. Legend’s performance was in support of the World Health Organization’s newly-launched online concert series “Together at Home,” created in efforts to fight the coronavirus. The Olympic flame from Greece is set to arrive in Japan even as the opening of the Tokyo Games in four months is in doubt with more voices suggesting the event should be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The flame touches down Friday aboard a white aircraft painted with the inscription “Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay” along its side, and “Hope Lights Our Way” stenciled near the tail section. Everything about the arrival ceremony at the Matsushima air base in northern Japan will be subdued. The flame is to be greeted by a few dignitaries, saluted by a flyover from an aerial acrobatic team — if weather permits — and then used to ignite a cauldron. Multi Grammy Award-winning platinum selling artist, Lecrae has partnered with Love Beyond Walls to plant portable hand washing stations around the Atlanta Metro Area for homeless and displaced people to clean their hands in response to Coronavirus (Covid19). The initiative kicks off 10am on Thursday March 19th at Love Beyond Wall’s Center located at 3270 East Main Street, College Park, GA 30337. Lecrae will join the Love Beyond Walls team at 10am to begin assembling the sinks after which they will be filled with water, loaded on trucks, and distributed to key locations frequented by the homeless in the Atlanta Metro Area. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42q32wyLISk&feature=youtu.be Paul S. Morton, founding bishop of The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has been fielding withering criticism online for insisting churches should remain open, like hospitals and police stations across the country, amid the coronavirus pandemic. As of Tuesday morning, more than 7,000 cases of the new coronavirus have been diagnosed in the U.S., according to the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering tracker. At least 105 people have died and 17 have recovered from the virus. He is a platinum-selling hip hop recording artist from Virginia Beach, Virginia widely known by his stage name No Malice (formerly Malicious and later Malice). He is best known for being one half of Southern hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed in 1992 alongside his brother and fellow rapper Pusha T. No Malice has also released two studio albums as a solo artist: Hear Ye Him, in August 2013, and Let the Dead Bury the Dead, in August 2017. Deep down, No Malice, then known as Malice, always knew that staying in his platinum-selling worldly music group would lead to his demise. But Malice found a new reason to live in 2010—Jesus Christ. He changed his stage name to No Malice and gave up millions of dollars by going solo. His name is Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., formerly known as Malicious and Malice, now known as No Malice. Christian singer Sandi Patty announced Tuesday night, March 17, that she tested positive for COVID-19. The 63-year-old singer shared a video on Facebook, saying that she was impressed with how the Oklahoma Health Department handled her case. “So yesterday, I was tested for COVID-19,” she says in the video. “And today, I got a call from the Oklahoma Health Department and I have confirmed, yes, I have COVID-19. … I hadn’t felt well for a couple of weeks. So I’ve been traveling, so when I got off the road March 7 and 8, I came back to Oklahoma City and really have been home since then.” Titus Showers Feat Jermaine Dolly The Perfect Song During These Trying Times "It's Gonna Be Alright" https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nJlIGAKzMYG_Qn2givnAdPU_JnhOlpGN/view TV ONE'S ACCLAIMED SERIES UNSUNG FEATURES “THE MOTHER OF FREESTYLE” SHANNON THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 22 AT 10 P.M. ET/9C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD4IhEIDtD0&feature=youtu.be Many Christian artists are temporarily halting their tours and advising fans to look to Jesus as countries implement different measures to stave off the spread of the new coronavirus. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 184,900 people worldwide have tested positive for COVID-19 and 7,529 people have died, according to the World Health Organization. The average age of those who’ve died is 80. The daughter of famed hip-hop pioneer Eric B. was hospitalized after a serious car crash in Connecticut on Sunday. Word of the accident first emerged on social media, when the Instagram feed “The Real Sister2Sister 2.0” posted: “Erica Supreme Barrier, the daughter of music legend Eric Barrier (Eric B) is in extreme critical condition this morning after a horrific car crash in Connecticut.” The post added that, “Barrier is suffering from severe neck and spine fractures, among her many life threatening injuries, confirmed Eric B’s long time publicist,” and that, “The family is at her bedside and asking for your prayers.” Former world champion and well-known boxing trainer Roger Mayweather, the uncle of Floyd Mayweather, has died at the age of 58, TMZ Sports reported Tuesday. Mayweather was a two-weight world champion. He held the WBA and lineal super-featherweight titles from 1983 to 1984 and the WBC light welterweight title from 1987 to 1989. He debuted in 1981 and won 59 of his 72 bouts. Kevin Durant was among four members of the Brooklyn Nets who tested positive for the coronavirus. The team announced Tuesday that multiple players were diagnosed with the deadly virus, without disclosing names. “Of the four, one player is exhibiting symptoms while three are asymptomatic,” the team added in a statement. “All four players are presently isolated and under the care of team physicians.” The 2020 Stellar Awards 35th Anniversary Show, in partnership with the Orleans Hotel and Arena, thanks everyone for their patience and understanding as we continue to do our best to bring you the greatest week of events in Gospel Music. In light of recent news and the declaration of the COVID-19 crisis as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), The 35th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards will now take place August 14-16, 2020. A new video has debuted, with hit maker Travis Greene in a VEVO live performance of “Good and Loved” ft. DOE. The four-time GRAMMY® nominated chart-topper has paired up with the GRAMMY® nominated songstress, formerly of foreverJONES, to create an intimate acoustic duet extolling God’s ever-present love and covering, recorded at VEVO’s NYC studios. Written by Greene, he says of his song: “God dearly loves you and is always protecting you. He’s ALWAYS by your side ready to catch you at any moment because He indeed is GOOD and YOU are LOVED!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaIvqmFaE9c Award-winning gospel music superstar Deitrick Haddon’s new album T.I.M.E (Truth Is My Energy) is available now wherever music is sold and streamed digitally. Haddon’s new album is hailed as his “best work yet,” and features the Billboard Gospel Radio smash single, “Open Door Season.” Additionally, it boasts a new verse of the worshippers favorite track “He’s Able,” the viral “Gorilla Faith” produced by Zaytoven and “Come Through” lifted from TV One’s original film, “Sins of the Father.” “Gorilla Faith” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mK7v_VjOnY&feature=youtu.be Due to the COVID-19 Breakout, SISTER CIRCLE LIVE will Air Repeat Episodes Beginning Wednesday, March 18 Until Further Notice. Thank You for Your Continued Support. Tyler Perry Studios costume designer Crystal Renee knows the pressure of having to lead a team. Starting out as a production assistant, Renee worked her way up in the industry to become an actress and, eventually, a TV and film costume designer. Her fearless faith, says Dr. Joseph Walker III, is what makes her a fearless leader. And sometimes that means telling the harsh truths to someone on your team. The future of the most famous free agent in NFL history appears to be nearing its climax as six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady officially told the New England Patriots Tuesday morning that he will not be returning for his 21st season in Foxboro. Colin Cowherd says he has a source close with Brady who told Colin that Brady has made a decision and will be signing with the Tampa Bay Bucs tomorrow (Wednesday, March 18th) when free agency officially begins at 4pm ET. Although Tampa Bay has one of the better rosters in the league on paper when you consider their elite wide receiving corps, coupled with a budding front-seven that could be one of the best in football. TB 12 a Buccaneer!!! Lamman Rucker, Clifton Powell, Kenneth Wayne, Ashley Rios, Traci Braxton and Tasha Cobbs Leonard Light up the Screen in TV One Upcoming Film 'Sinners Wanted.' An unconventional pastor is ridiculed by his hypocritical congregation after he rescues an unforgiven prostitute. https://vimeo.com/283593294 Because the Metropolitan Museum of Art is closing due to coronavirus concerns, this year's Met Gala, themed "About Time," has been postponed. "Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala, will not take place on the date scheduled," Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour wrote in a statement, published Monday, March 16. T.D. Jakes Addresses the Coronavirus Plague and Says We Have Got to Get Our Hearts Back to the Gospel and Stop Embracing Christianity and Embracing Our Faith Because We Want Prosperity, a Job, Are Looking for a Companion, or Want God to Help Us Out. https://youtu.be/ctYRanZ1T-Q Despite low theater attendance due to the nationwide precautions to avoid the coronavirus, moviegoers were out to support the faith-based film “I Still Believe,” which opened Friday at No. 1. The Lionsgate film, made with a budget of $12 million, brought in over $9 million in ticket sales over the weekend, causing it to rank at No. 1 on Friday, beating out Sony’s “Bloodshot” and Disney’s “Onward.” Weekend totals show the film at No. 2 overall. Actor Idris Elba announced in a video on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The actor said he has no symptoms and quarantined himself on Friday after learning he had been in contact with someone who had the virus. He was tested immediately and the results came back Monday. https://twitter.com/i/status/1239617034901524481 The Dallas Cowboys have placed the exclusive franchise tag on Dak Prescott, the team announced Monday, although the ultimate goal remains to have the quarterback signed to a long-term contract. With the move, the Cowboys have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract. If no deal is reached, Prescott will have to play the 2020 season on the tag, and the sides can do the same dance next offseason. With the exclusive tag, Prescott is not permitted to talk to other teams. The fate of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics remains shrouded in uncertainty, amid rising fears over coronavirus and mixed messages from organizers. The games are scheduled to be held in Tokyo between July 24 and August 9 but their fate appears increasingly in doubt as the world battles to contain COVID-19. On Tuesday, a member of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee’s executive board suggested the Games could be postponed. Friday March 20,2020 Lecrae's new single, "Set Me Free" drops. In the midst of the Coronavirus, Lecrae makes a bold decision. Do I drop new music or not? If you have new music that can uplift, empower, do you 'set it free' or wait for a more appropriate date. After prayer and deliberation, he decides to "Set It Free.". https://www.instagram.com/lecrae/ The 35th Annual Stellar Awards was originally scheduled to take place Friday, March 27th, 2020 hosted by Koryn Hawthorne andJonathan McReynolds. Due to the Worldwide COVID-19 (Coronavirus) breakout, Central City Productions decided to postpone the awards show until This summer. While Central City Productions has not officially announced the new date of the taping, there is information circulating via Ticketmaster that the New Date for the Taping will be Sunday, August 16, 2020 at 6:30PM at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas! The show won’t go on for the Academy of Country Music, after all.The academy said Sunday that it was postponing its annual awards show, which was to be held April 5 at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas and televised on CBS, because of the coronavirus pandemic.The plan now is to hold the show in September, at a date and venue to be determined. Ticket sales plunged to their lowest levels in at least 20 years at North American movie theaters as the coronavirus pandemic led to one of Hollywood’s worst weekends at the box office. Receipts totaled about $55.3 million in U.S. and Canada theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. Not since 2000 has weekend box office revenue been so low, according to data firm Comscore, when $54.5 million in tickets were sold on a quiet September weekend. More people went to the movies the weekend after Sept. 11, 2001. Disney’s latest release from Pixar, “Onward,” remained the top film, earning $10.5 million in its second weekend. The Christian romance “I Still Believe” from Lionsgate brought in $9.5 million. Sony’s comic-book adaptation “Bloodshot,” with Vin Diesel, grossed an estimated $9.3 million in its debut. The Blumhouse horror satire “The Hunt” opened with $5.3 million. Welcome to the Black Ink Crew: Chicago family, baby Nola Glenda Bey! Charmaine Walker and husband Nick Bey have welcomed their first child together, a daughter, on Saturday. Walker, 31, welcomed her baby girl at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital with Bey by her side. “SAFE DELIVERY! Head full of hair!” Bey proudly announced on Instagram. The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) is one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy. The UAW has never had an African American president. Until now. “The local NAACP chapter president called, and others,” noted Gamble, who in December was named the 13th president of the 85-year-old union. Gamble accepted the job after his predecessor, Gary Jones, resigned amid a corruption scandal. Despite the cloud of suspicion left behind, Gamble observed that the union must continue to move forward. Activist and educator Mary McLeod Bethune was instrumental in advancing education at historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country. The South Carolina native—who was one of the co-founders of Bethune-Cookman University—will be posthumously memorialized with a statue at the U.S. Capitol. The effort to have a sculpture of Bethune featured on Capitol Hill was led by Florida Congresswoman Val Demings who is a vice presidential hopeful. The addition of the statue is historic as it marks the first time a sculpture of a Black woman will be featured in National Statuary Hall. By a close vote, with some 500 union members not participating, NFL players approved a new labor agreement with the league. It features a 17-game regular season, higher salaries, increased roster sizes and larger pensions for current and former players. The deal, which runs through the 2030 season, was accepted by the 32 team owners last month. Many stars, including Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt and Todd Gurley, spoke out against it. The total vote, among the nearly 2,500 union members who participated, was 1,019-959. Ratification required a simple majority — results were announced Sunday. The “Mayor of Sacksonville” is on the move. And the Baltimore Ravens made quite the deal to land veteran Calais Campbell, essentially giving up a backup kicker who spent time on five NFL rosters over the last eight months for a five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman who’s also the reigning Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The Ravens agreed Sunday to trade a fifth-round draft pick in the upcoming draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Campbell, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade can’t become official until the new league begins Wednesday. Philanthropist, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur Karlos Cobham, announced today the official launching of his new creative and visual arts company, KWEST International, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization serving faith-based and corporate lifestyle networks and brands. As founder, president, and chief creative officer, KWEST International collaborates with affiliates and organizations specifically working for and with youth, musical and creative artists to ensure they have access and the necessary tools, they need to succeed. Former American Express CEO Kenneth I. Chenault announced Friday that he was “stepping down” from the board of Facebook Inc. On the same day, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed the nomination of the world-renowned corporate leader to its board, making him the first African American ever to serve as a director of the conglomerate. Chenault will replace departing Berkshire Hathaway board member Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp. and billionaire philanthropist. According to The Wall Street Journal, Chenault, a member of the Black Enterprise Registry of Corporate Directors who became the first African American to sit on the social media giant’s board, decided not to seek re-election to the body due to differences with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg related to “governance and political policies.” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has appointed Paris Dennard as the organization’s new senior communications advisor of black media affairs. Dennard, a longtime GOP political commentator, writer, consultant, and strategist, will work to ensure that African Americans and other minorities are aware of President Trump’s efforts to support their communities. In an exclusive interview with NNPA Newswire, Dennard said Trump has been “pained” by unflattering and unfair characterizations that do not reflect his work as president. He said the president also understands the importance of the Black vote, and the GOP is committed to demonstrating its value to all communities. Former Los Angeles Sparks general manager Penny Toler is suing the WNBA team saying she was fired for raising complaints about inappropriate sexual relationships involving the team president and a managing partner, not for using a racial slur. The Sparks say Toler was fired on Oct. 4 following a profanity-laced postgame tirade that included using a racial slur a few days earlier following a playoff game. In the suit filed Tuesday for gender discrimination, Toler said if she were a man, she would still be employed by the team. Andrew Gillum, who in 2018 came within 34,000 votes of becoming Florida’s governor, was discovered by police at a South Beach hotel early Friday morning in a room with bags of possible crystal meth and in the company of a man who appeared to have overdosed on drugs, according to a Miami Beach police report. Police say they were called to the Mondrian South Beach early Friday morning and found paramedics treating Travis Dyson, a 30-year-old Miami man, for an apparent heart attack. They say two other men were in the room: Aldo Mejias and Gillum. Police say Gillum, who was not arrested, was too intoxicated to answer questions. An offense incident report says that officers found three clear plastic baggies of suspected crystal meth on the bed and floor. Gillum, a former Tallahassee mayor and a Democrat, issued a statement Friday afternoon in which he denied using drugs. Upon communicating with local health officials and heeding advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many churches and Christian concerts have made the difficult decision of canceling events until further notice. See below for a roundup. The Potter’s House is postponing absolutely all church activities. Services will be livestreamed on various mediums such as YouTube, to be watched at home. Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, is also canceling services Sunday, March 15. Services will still be available on Facebook Live, YouTube, Roku, AppleTV, Osteen’s and Lakewood Church’s websites. Hillsong’s Colour Conference 2020 is postponing its 2020 events in Los Angeles, California, and New York until 2021. Country star Carrie Underwood thanked God during a surprise presentation as her 2018 album Cry Pretty was certified Platinum by the RIAA. “This means a lot, because I feel like this is the project that I’ve done, and the album that I’ve done, that is the most ‘me.’ I’m honored and I’m humbled, and God is good,” said Underwood. Underwood is open about her faith and doesn’t shy away from talking about God. In a new interview with Women’s Health, Underwood opened up about the pain of suffering miscarriages. Despite being in his first NBA season, Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is already making a huge difference in New Orleans. With the NBA season now suspended indefinitely amid the coronavirus pandemic, Williamson is pledging to pay the salaries of the Smoothie King Center employees for the next 30 days. “This is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me and my teammates and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis,” Williamson said in an Instagram post announcing the pledge. Serena Williams is not taking any chances. The tennis player and mother to two-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia took to Instagram on Friday morning with a sublime selfie video of herself getting made up to look very glam. ‘Spending the next 6 weeks in solitude,’ Serena, 38, wrote. ‘Being a wife. Being a mom. Cooking. Cleaning. Spring cleaning. Face mask. Makeup tutorials. The Stellar Awards 35th Anniversary Show 2020 in partnership with the Orleans Hotel and Arena wishes to ensure that the safety of all show guests and participants is the highest priority. In light of recent news and the declaration of the COVID-19 crisis as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), we have decided to postpone the production of the 35th Annual Stellars Gospel Music Awards. Effective immediately, the Stellar Gospel Music Awards 35th Anniversary Show and events are postponed until Summer of 2020. These past few days with the Corona Virus have been quite alarming. Some of us are overly anxious and others overly unfazed? Our lives have been certainly impacted personally and professionally. As you make the necessary adjustments Lecrae wanted to send good thoughts that you and your families are safe and remain in good health. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9rfDqfJIDR/ Deitrick Haddon is set to release is new album T.I.M.E (Truth Is My Energy) on March 13th. Haddon's current single, "Open Door Season" is (#6) on THE Gospel Airplay Chart and the accompanying music video can be viewed here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtXWFGhQZSE&feature=youtu.be No Fear, Just Faith! New Angelo & Veronica Single Coming Soon...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLXCixClTpQ&feature=youtu.be THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOME THE CAST OF LOVE IS BLIND, TALK FACTS WITH DR. DAVE ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS, AND PUT A SPIN ON FITNESS WITH TWERKFIT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dERGSP8ap4s Ja’net Dubois’ death certificate claims that her biological father was Cab Calloway, rather than Gordon Dubois. The singer passed away unexpectedly in her sleep last month, and the document, which was obtained by TMZ earlier this week, had Cab listed as the Good Times star’s secret parent. It also said in the document, that she was known as ‘Jeannette T. Calloway-DuBois’, though this is disputed online. Ja’Net’s father is listed as Gordon in her online biographies, while Lillian Goudey is named as her mother both in the document and on the internet. TMZ went on to claim that Ja’Net’s daughter Rani said that Gordon was Lillian’s husband and said he was ‘instrumental’ in raising the singer. The Masters has been postponed, its organisers have confirmed, with the world of sport rocked by the ongoing spread of coronavirus. In a statement released online, Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, emphasised that the decision makers hope to hold the prestigious tournament ‘at some later date’. The first men’s major championship of the year was due to begin on April 9 in Georgia, but has been suspended due to the escalating pandemic. Tiger Woods remains the defending Masters champion, having memorably won his fifth tournament at Augusta National last April. Charles Barkley revealed that he has put himself into self-quarantine while awaiting the results of his Coronavirus test. The 57-year-old NBA legend called into the NBA on TNT broadcast on Thursday, where he revealed he is in a self-imposed 48-hour quarantine. The news comes just a day after the NBA suspended its regular season after one player, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, tested positive for the virus, and just hours after one of his teammates, Donovan Mitchell, also tested positive as well. Earlier this evening, Jason Crabb encouraged his followers during a Facebook Live. The two-time GRAMMY® winner went live with his family – wife Shellye and daughters Ashleigh and Emma – from his home just outside Nashville, TN to encourage viewers with scripture, inspiring words and share a song in response to the fears surrounding the Coronavirus outbreak. With scripture, Jason reminded all of us that 'God's got you' and that He has never failed us. Then, with just the guitar and his voice trembling with emotion, Crabb sang "Through The Fire," a song that has become a staple of Crabb's and that has encouraged so many people through the years. CLEO TV dives into candid conversations on healthy eating starting with black female founder, Aisha "Pinky" Cole, of the trend-setting restaurant Slutty Vegan, this Saturday, March 14 at 9 A.M. ET/8C followed by Author & Wellness Coach Gessie Thompson of Hope Beyond Fibroids, at 9:15 A.M ET/8:15C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRdOUIcQZdA&feature=youtu.be The quality food vibes continue on JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ with fast, homemade restaurant alternatives and cocktails shared by R&B Singer Mumu Fresh and Social Activist, David Dennis at 12 P.M. ET/ 11C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ooHBsvqF0&feature=youtu.be Tune-in to ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON for helpful hints on throwing a memorable house party beginning at 1 P.M. ET/ 12C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBlhtXdh7Gc&feature=youtu.be The NCAA canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments on Thursday because of the spread of coronavirus, putting an abrupt end to the season less than a month before champions were to be crowned. The decision comes a day after the NCAA announced the games that were scheduled to start next week would go on, but played in mostly empty arenas. That plan was scrapped as every major American sports league from the NBA to MLB put the brakes on its season due to concerns about the pandemic. The NCAA canceled all of its spring championships in every sport, which include hockey, baseball and lacrosse. Major League Baseball will suspend operations for the next four weeks, including spring training and the first two weeks of the regular season in response to the spread of coronavirus, the league announced Thursday. The MLB season was originally set to start March 26, but Opening Day will now occur no earlier than April 9. MLB is the fourth major American pro sports league to suspend its season due to the outbreak of COVID-19, joining the NBA, NHL and MLS. The entertainment industry prepared Thursday for an unprecedented shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, canceling upcoming movies, suspending all Broadway performances and scuttling concert tours until it’s safe to welcome crowds back. To accommodate calls for social distancing, Hollywood moved to pause the normal hum of TV productions and the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres. After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people, Broadway theaters announced that they would close immediately and remain dark through April 12. Mention the name Evander Holyfield and the first few things that may come to most people’s minds are: boxing champion, the ear-biting incident with Mike Tyson or maybe even headlines from tabloids that pick apart the four-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world. However, there is far more than what meets the eye when it comes to Evander Holyfield; he is nothing short of “The Real Deal.” When Christian Headlines asked him why he’s decided to be so outspoken about his faith, Holyfield didn’t have to think twice. He responded, “Because, without Jesus, I wouldn’t be who I am.” https://youtu.be/ris76LLkQHY Tom Hanks says he and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have both tested positive for the coronavirus. The celebrity couple was in Australia for a film project when they fell ill, according to Hanks. The “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” actor tweeted this to 16 million followers Wednesday. The National Basketball Association has reportedly suspended its 2020 season amid concerns over novel coronavirus after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested preliminarily positive for the virus. “The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of last night’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The major NCAA conferences have cancelled their postseason basketball tournaments amid continued fears over outbreaks of the coronavirus. The ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, American, MAC, Atlantic-10, Colonial, Conference USA and WAC all decided to end tournaments Thursday morning before games began in their respective arenas. The Big East tournament quarterfinal between Creighton and St. John's started at noon ET, but the league then cancelled the entire event at halftime. The ex-president of Jackson State University has pleaded not guilty to prostitution charges after he was allegedly caught in an undercover sting at a motel. William Bynum Jr. was absent in court Wednesday as his lawyer pleaded not guilty on charges of procuring a prostitute, false statement of identity and simple possession of marijuana, according to news reports. The attorney also entered pleas of not guilty on charges of procuring services of a prostitute and possession of marijuana while operating a motor vehicle for Shonda McCarthy, 46, the schools former arts galleries director. A trial for Bynum is scheduled for July 8, and a trial for McCarthy was is for June 24. RCA Inspiration debuted new music from GRAMMY® winning artist/songwriter Kierra Sheard and GRAMMY® nominated artist/songwriter Mali Music on March 10th in New York at an exclusive pop-up event. The two acclaimed musical powerhouses delivered an intimate sneak preview of new music from their highly-anticipated new albums to the packed crowd, as they spoke on their creative influences and inspirational message for their new records. Kierra Sheard will release her new album KIERRA April 17th. More news will be forthcoming from Mali Music’s new album. Mali Music: “Let Go” https://MaliMusic.lnk.to/LetGoAE, Kierra Sheard: “It Keeps Happening” https://KierraSheard.lnk.to/ItKeepsHappeningPR Darius Twyman & Destiny returns with a new sound and a global message “We are Family, We are Friends.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5QB_TXo5Q&feature=youtu.be Coming off of an exhilarating 2019 breakout year, Titus Showers introduces “It’s Gonna Be Alright” remix version featuring Jermaine Dolly to Gospel radio formats this week. The song is produced by GRAMMY®-nominated producer and songwriter Lucius B. Hoskins (Shirley Ceaser, Zacardi Cortez, Joshua Rogers). The Golden State Warriors announced Wednesday that the team will play its next home game without fans after San Francisco placed a ban on large events. The Golden State Warriors will play Thursday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets without spectators due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, the team announced. The decision comes after San Francisco Mayor London Breed banned public gatherings of 1,000 or more people as coronavirus continues to affect U.S. cities and sporting events around the world. WE tv hosted a premiere party in Atlanta at Republic Night Club in celebration of their brand-new series, “Waka & Tammy: What The Flocka” starring rapper Waka Flocka Flame and his wife R&B songstress/fashion designer Tammy Rivera. Joining Waka Flocka and Tammy Rivera for the premiere were Atlanta’s VIPs and influencers including “Braxton Family Values Star” Trina Braxton, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars Kenya Moore, Kandi Burruss and Eva Marcille Sterling; actors Taja V. Simpson (“Tyler Perry’s The Oval), Dawn Halfkenny (“Saints & Sinners”), Anthony Dalton (“Sistas”); “Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta” cast members Drea Kelly, Ayana Fite, DJ Hurricane, Buku Abi, ReeMarkable; “Love & Hip Hop” stars Karlie Redd, Melissa Scott and Nikki Natural. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfkDfZDklCw&feature=youtu.be The Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards is back at the Orleans Arena in celebration of its 35th Anniversary. The show will be taped in front of a live audience and will be hosted by Jonathan McReynolds & Koryn Hawthorne. Jackson will bestow special honors upon Gospel greats who have elevated the genre. This year’s James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award will honor the iconic Clark Sisters - Karen Clark Sheard, Dorinda Clark Cole, Twinkie Clark and Jacky Clark Chisholm -- who hold a collective fifteen Stellar Awards, in addition to the Thomas Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award (2007). Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers leads the field of nominees this year with nine nominations, with eight nominations, Kirk Franklin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, seven nominations JJ Hairston, Bishop Paul S. Morton & The Full Gospel Ministry of Worship and John P. Kee receive six and five nominations respectively. Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers, William Murphy and Pastor Mike Jr. are blessed with four nominations each. Other artists earning multiple nominations: The Walls Group, Todd Dulaney, Maranda Curtis, Fresh Start Worship, Le’Andria Johnson, Jekalyn Carr and Jerard & Jovaun. TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG features funk and disco sisters Skyy this Sunday, March 15 at 10 p.m. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Skyy was formed in 1973 by songwriter/guitarist Solomon Roberts, Jr. and producer/songwriter Randy Muller. The fabulous Dunning sisters—Denise, Delores and Bonne— joined the group and solidified the band’s place as one of the premiere dance and funk outfits of their day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU6uqHMbphM&feature=youtu.be Gospel singer Kirk Franklin, in a discussion to be broadcast this week on Trinity Broadcasting Network, called on white Christian leaders to move beyond “kumbaya moments” and to speak from the pulpit when black people are the subjects of “social injustice happening in the streets.” Franklin made his remarks on TBN’s “Praise” show in a conversation with the network’s president, Matt Crouch, and Dallas pastors Tony Evans and Robert Morris. Their talk is scheduled to air at 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central on Thursday (March 12) on the Christian network. The conversation stemmed from Franklin’s announcement in the fall that he would boycott the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards after comments he made about race and police shootings during the GMA’s Oct. 15 awards show were edited from the show’s broadcast on TBN. Jazz pianist and bandleader, Daniel Weatherspoon, releases his follow up jazz album, Journey on March 10. A Grammy, Stellar and Dove award winning producer and musical director, Weatherspoon’s colorful resume includes production on such gospel staples as "Encourage Yourself" by Donald Lawrence, "Praise is What I Do" by Shekinah Glory and "More Than Anything" by Lamar Campbell. He was also featured playing keys for Beyonce’s Live at Wembley and as musical director for The Clark Sister’s reunion album among many other credits. Journey features such talents as singer/songwriter Leon Timbo, Snarky Puppy’s Mark Lettieri and percussionist Javier Solis and lures you in with a spirited and warm revival of Eric Clapton’s "Change the World" featuring the incomparable PJ Morton with Xavier Lynn and Timbo. Dream Label Group/Capital Christian Records Gospel has signed recording artist Pastor Michael Portley & Students of David. The Kansas City native is a kingdom enthusiast and unapologetic gospeltarian. Pastor Portley is a musician by gifting, author of song by inheritance, and a carrier of the word by divine ordinationand impartation. His musical talents have been presented and sung as far as Japan. Pastor Michael Portley & Students of David's official label debut album is set to drop July 2020. The reported postponement of the music festival comes as authorities in the Coachella Valley region confirmed three new cases of the coronavirus on Monday. The cases were confirmed by the Riverside County Department of Public Health. There were growing calls for the festival to be shut down, particularly after the coronavirus outbreak led to the cancellation of SXSW in Texas and Ultra electronic music festival in Miami. Pearl Jam is postponing the North American leg of its Gigaton world tour because of concerns over the new coronavirus, the band announced Monday. Seventeen U.S. and Canadian performances, beginning on March 18 in Toronto through April 19 in Oakland, California, were indefinitely postponed, according to the band’s website. Pearl Jam said it was announcing the postponements “with deep frustration and regret.” Hollywood continued to shuffle its upcoming releases due to the coronavirus, as Sony Pictures on Tuesday announced that it’s moving “Peter Rabbit 2” to August. “Peter Rabbit 2” had been set to hit U.K. and European theaters on March 27, and open in the U.S. on April 3. Instead, Sony said the sequel to 2018's “Peter Rabbit” will launch on Aug. 7. Cinemas have been closed in China for several weeks. On Monday, Italy shuttered all of its theaters. In many countries, health experts are advocating social distancing to help prevent the spread of the virus. The GMA (Gospel Music Association) has announced the 7th Annual GMA Honors and Hall of Fame Induction will take place on Wednesday, May 6th in Nashville, Tennessee. The 2020 Hall of Fame inductees include 4Him (CCM), Bill Hearn (non-performing), Commissioned (Gospel) and The Isaacs (Southern Gospel). The 2020 honorees are Chris Tomlin for Angel Armies, Steve Moore for The Shalom Foundation, Wes Campbell and Dave Wagner for Thriving Children's Foundation (TCA), and Willie Moore Jr. for Bethany Christian Services. Presenters and performers will be announced in the coming weeks. Celebrating its Sapphire Anniversary, the Steeple Awards, the largest awards show with a national presence is set for Saturday, April 25, 2020. All roads lead to New Life Church 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur GA 30034. Now in its fifth year, The Steeple Awards brings together Gospel’s brightest stars, legendary icons and prolific pastors who are on the frontline in their communities. The Steeple Awards, mantra, is America’s Church Homecoming and the goal is to transform lives. This year’s Steeple Awards will be hosted by Cocoa Brown. The show will also feature live performances from Ricky Dillard & New G, Isaac Carree, a tribute to late great Rev. Dr. Clay Evans by Bishop JD Means, a tribute to Kim Burrell and a performance by Pastor Mike Jr. Saturday, March 28, 2020, family, friends, constituents and the beloved community will honor Congressman John Lewis at the historic Tabernacle in Atlanta to celebrate his milestone 80th birthday. The evenings confirmed guests including Kerry Kennedy, Bebe Winans, CeCe Winans, Tip "T.I." Harris, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, Cassi Davis Patton, Terrence C. Carson, Jamey Johnson, Bryan Stevenson, historian Douglas Brinkley and special video from President Obama, with more guests to be announced in the coming weeks. Last Call know for the hit song "Victory" has now debuted #1 across all genres of music on I Tunes with new single. "No Greater Love". What a birthday blessing for Tricray Astwood who is one of the group members. Last Call who was discovered by Apostle Veryl Howard on the beautiful island of Bermuda is signed to Dark Child Records under the musical genius Fred Jerkins. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lastcall_intvw.htm Kobe Bryant‘s eldest daughter Natalia stopped to pose with a mural honoring her late dad and little sister Gianna as she headed to her winter formal. On Sunday, Vanessa Bryant shared a photo of her 17-year-old all dressed up and ready to attend her high school dance. Ahead of the formal, Natalia posed for photos in front of a tribute mural painted to honor Kobe, 41, and 13-year-old sister Gigi, both who died in the tragic Jan. 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fQ8bWjxyA/?utm_source=ig_embed On International Women’s Day to commemorate the occasion, TIME magazine has released a special double issue featuring 100 covers of women who defined a century, choosing one woman per year from 1920 through 2019. The founders of the Black Lives Matter movement are on the list, which include political heavyweights, celebrity notables, dignitaries and trailblazers such as Michelle Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Aretha Franklin, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chien-Shiung Wu, Beyoncé, Serena Williams, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Marsha P. Johnson, Toni Morrison, and Billie Holliday. Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi represent the year 2013, for when the hasthtag #BlackLivesMatter went viral following the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the heinous killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. John Merchant, the first black person to be elected to the USGA’s executive committee and a former unpaid counsel to Tiger Woods, died Thursday at age 87 after a long illness, his daughter, Susan, announced on Facebook. In the aftermath of the Shoal Creek controversy at the 1990 PGA Championship, former USGA president Sandy Tatum made it “a personal mission” to diversify the association’s Executive Committee. In 1992, he recruited Merchant, a lawyer and consumer counsel for the state of Connecticut, making him the first black person to be elected to the USGA’s most powerful committee. Merchant had been a pioneer before. He was the first black graduate of the University of Virginia law school, arriving on campus in 1955, one year after Brown vs. Board of Education. For the first time ever, on March 26th, singer/songwriter Tarralyn Ramsey will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the release of her classic debut self-titled album by performing the entire project live in Las Vegas, during Stellar Awards week. Tarralyn Ramsey, in 2000, wowed the gospel world with her self-titled breakthrough album “Tarralyn Ramsey." http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/tarralyn_ramsey_intvw.htm Howard University alumna Lesli Foster served as mistress of ceremonies for the 153rd Charter Day Dinner Saturday, March 7, 2020. Foster is an award-winning journalist and mainstay of Washington news as a weeknight anchor for WUSA9. The entertainment for the evening was Grammy Award-winning Vocalist Yolanda Adams. Anyone who attended one church in Northwest Washington, D.C., on certain dates in February and March is being told to self-quarantine for 14 days because of possible exposure to the coronavirus, D.C.’s mayor said Monday morning. Additionally, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she is considering declaring a state of emergency and will decide later Monday. The city secured a lease for a potential quarantine facility in the event that it is needed, she said. A rector at Christ Church Georgetown tested positive for coronavirus. The church confirmed later Monday that 550 parishioners who went to a service on March 1 were “in voluntary self-quarantine” through March 9. It wasn’t immediately clear how many others were observing a quarantine. Civil rights icon and former Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders at a rally in Michigan on Sunday — two days before voters go to the polls in a critical primary contest in the Midwest state. Jackson recalled how Sanders backed his presidential bid in 1988 in Vermont against Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. In a statement, Jackson referred to former Vice President Joe Biden a “fine and decent man” who could also defeat President Trump in November. The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott have been working on a new deal for quite some time, and a potentially tempting offer reportedly just landed on Prescott’s desk. According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys are prepared to make their quarterback one of the highest-paid players in NFL history. Watkins reports that the Cowboys met with Prescott’s representation twice since the the NFL combine — which ended March 2. They reportedly offered Prescott a contract which includes an average salary of $33 million with $105 million guaranteed. This contract would exceed Aaron Rodgers‘ deal in both total money and guaranteed money. Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks reset the market with his four-year, $140 million contract which included $107 million guaranteed — $70 million that was guaranteed when pen hit paper. New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor Jamal Bryant warned his congregation in Stonecrest, Georgia, that the popular brand of disinfectant and antiseptic known as Lysol will not protect them from Covid-19 caused by the new coronavirus, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it can. “They are calling it in clinical terms the novel coronavirus. It’s clinical name is SARS-CoV-2. … The World Health Organization said two weeks ago in their press release, ‘we could not heal it until we named it. … As long as it didn’t have a name we couldn’t identify it. We had to identify it that this is different than any other strand of virus that has been dispatched because coronavirus is not new,” Bryant told his congregants in a teaching session centered around the coronavirus on Tuesday. McCoy Tyner, a pianist whose deep resonance, hammering attack and sublime harmonic invention made him a game-changing catalyst in jazz and beyond, died Friday, March 6, at his home in New Jersey. His death was confirmed by his manager. No cause of death was given. He was 81. Tyner was the last surviving member of the John Coltrane Quartet. Legendary movie director and Knicks superfan Spike Lee has been attending games at Madison Square Garden for 28 years. However, after a bizarre dispute before the Knicks’ game against the Houston Rockets Monday night, Lee says he won’t be attending another game this season. In fact, the Knicks superfan said that he’s already given away the rest of his tickets for the last 20 games this season. The Oscar-winning director also said that the Brooklyn Nets reached out to him, but that he isn’t thinking about changing his fandom. When Lee asked Dolan at halftime why he wasn’t told about the new policy, the Knicks owner said rudely, “now, you know.” “The Way Back” with construction worker Jack Cunningham is unlike any character Ben Affleck has ever played before — he’s not trying to impress anyone. There’s no twinkle in his eye, no swagger in his step, no “smartest guy in the room” energy to the way he carries himself. He murmurs when he talks, drinks a beer in the shower every morning, and sparks to the salesman at his neighborhood liquor store as if that’s the only stable relationship he still has left in his life. https://youtu.be/GhtTc7R8yBk ; The forthcoming film “The Banker” should motivate the church to address the issues of financial literacy, caring for the “least of these,” and perseverance in the face of adversity, according to stars Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, and Nia Long. https://youtu.be/J_-nk9-sMus Millions have watched YouTube videos of Benita Jones leading worship and singing popular gospel songs such as “You Deserve It” and “Good Good Father.” Friday, March 6, the veteran worship and praise leader will release a soon-to-be anthem of her own, “Good God” (Tyscot/Integrity). This high-energy live performance is infectiously singable and catchy. It blends the fervor of a rock song with the passionately relentless drive of a Pentecostal vamp – with Jones’ colorful, explosive vocals at the center. Jamel Kimbrough, known for his work with Todd Dulaney and Bri Babineaux, gives the production the extra sophisticated polish to elevate it above the average praise and worship offerings. LECRAE "I'LL FIND YOU" FT TORI KELLY GOES PLATINUM!!! 62 MILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv8IqJm6q7w&feature=youtu.be "Lately the world’s been goin crazy. Hate divides, but love’s the one thing that unifies," expresses singer/songwriter, Carl Brister, on his socially conscious new single “L.O.V.E. (What The World Needs).” Layered against his signature mix of lush harmonies, warm tones, and high falsetto, L.O.V.E. is a retro soul throwback song with a message that penetrates the soul, touches the heart, and brings people together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsWHDKgPB2s&feature=youtu.be NEXT WEEK'S LINE-UP ON SISTER CIRCLE INCLUDES ACTORS ESSENCE ATKINS, JASMINE GUY, GOSPEL SINGER DEITRICK HADDON, NBA PLAYER VINCE CARTER AND MORE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Nee8Slq1E Bryan Popin retuens with "Beautiful Savior" featuring Tasha. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/BRYAN-POPIN-BEAUTIFUL-SAVIOR-FEAT.-TASHA-7CQOcesetI6Am8nR5LXKV For the first time in the 175-year history of the Southern Baptist Convention, one of its historic boards will have an African American woman trustee chair. Renée A. Trewick was elected March 2 by GuideStone trustees. She is a vice president at Marsh USA in New York and is active in Southern Baptist life. She served as vice chair of the GuideStone board in 2019. Her other Southern Baptist service includes serving on the executive board and finance committee of her local association. Trustees met in scheduled session March 2–3 in Dallas. Calling sage burning “witchcraft” and “satanic aromatherapy,” Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, warned his members on Monday to stay away from the practice. In a teaching session with the women of his church streamed on YouTube, Bryant explained that he had to dive into some research on the practice after two members of his church gifted him sage for his new home in Atlanta. After researching the practice, however, Bryant has concluded that it is a demonic New Age practice that Christians shouldn’t be involved with. BE INSPIRED BY BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER DEVI BROWN ON CLEO SPEAKS THIS SATURDAY, MARCH 7 AT 9 A.M. ET/8C, FOLLOWED BY GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST ESTELLE AT 9:15 A.M. ET/8:15C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahPav7fkAlE&feature=youtu.be JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ Infuses a Touch of Soul Into an Italian Favorite with Media Personalities Selena Hill and Rae Holliday at 12 P.M. ET/11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXxcOGdEzQ&feature=youtu.be ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON Creates a Selena-Themed Fiesta on a New Episode at 1 P.M. ET/12C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBlhtXdh7Gc&feature=youtu.be Husband and wife Contemporary Gospel duo and Worship leaders, Jerard & Jovaun made their debut in 2019 with WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME EP. Jerard and Jovaun Woods became well-known together through their YouTube video performances. They are seasoned background vocalists with dozens of live and studio sessions recorded with BeBe & CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Natalie Grant, Andrae Crouch, Kim Burrell, Michael McDonald, Wynona Judd, Jonny Lang, among many others. Jerard & Jovaun now serve as worship leaders at Bethesda Community Church in Fort Worth, TX. With two hit singles under their belt, "What A Beautiful Name" (Hillsong) and "The Potter's House" (Tramaine & Walter Hawkins), Jerard & Jovaun are adding two 2020 Stellar Gospel Music Award Nominations to their credit. They will head to Las Vegas, NV March 27-28 with nominations for New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year and to perform on the Stellar Awards Pre-Show. In addition, they have just garnered new management with industry veteran Roderick Jemison of Jemison & Associates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lus2TR_Qy6E&feature=youtu.be ATL-based emerging independent artist, Daphney Hilton, proudly presents her mid-tempo, contemporary single, “All of Me.” Connect with Daphney socially via FB: DaphneyHilton Instagram: DaphneyHilton. The four-time Olympic gold medalist and 25-time World Championships medalist Simone Biles has more than her fair share of things to be confident about. But as a young black girl competing in a sport historically dominated by white and Asian athletes, Biles didn’t always boast the self-assurance she now exudes as the greatest gymnast in the history of the sport. While promoting her partnership with the skincare brand SK-II, Biles spoke at length about her struggles with social-media trolls, the public fixation on her appearance, and the effect race had on both. Biles and several other Olympic athletes joined the company’s Beauty is #NoCompetition campaign, which draws attention to the toxic role physical appearance often plays in women’s sports. PBS has prevailed on its claim that Tavis Smiley breached a morals clause. On Wednesday, a Washington, D.C., jury returned a verdict in favor of the public broadcaster and decided that the former late night talk show host should pay $1.486 million. In 2017, PBS suspended Smiley upon allegations of sexual misconduct. As the #MeToo movement gained steam, PBS wished to disassociate itself with a television personality accused of behaving inappropriately toward subordinates. The case then became a rare test of morals clauses. At trial, PBS presented more than half a dozen women who spoke how they were pressured into relationships or had become the victim of unwanted advances. Smiley insisted the relationships were consensual, and the jury had to consider whether the morals clauses covered the conduct alleged. Hollywood director Spike Lee compared black Trump supporters praying for the president to house slaves. “Massa, We Love You Massa. We Gonna Pray Fo’ You Massa, Singing- “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” the BlacKkKlansman director posted to Instagram earlier this week in response to a photo taken in the White House. The Cabinet Room meeting, which took place last week as part of a Black History Month celebration, was attended by actor Isaiah Washington, boxing champion Andre Berto, former NFL player Jack Brewer, author Candace Owens, conservative personalities Diamond & Silk and others. Trump and Lee have clashed in the past, most notably following the director’s speech while accepting the best adapted screenplay Oscar for BlacKkKlansman. The frustrations began early for Ahmed King as he wandered Houston trying to cast his ballot in Texas’ Democratic primary. The 46-year-old radiology technician went to four usual polling places Tuesday in his predominantly African American neighborhood. Three were closed and the fourth had little parking and an hour-plus wait, he said. King finally learned about another polling place in a white and Hispanic neighborhood with little wait. A new system allows voters to cast their ballot anywhere in Harris County, so he drove 15 miles to vote there. King had plenty of company. Long lines snaked out of Houston polling places, with many waiting more than an hour and some for several hours in mostly minority, Democratic neighborhoods. Lines in mostly white, Republican neighborhoods were shorter. Grammy & Stellar nominee Renee Spearman has been added to the Gospel Superfest special 20th anniversary live TV spectacular! Featuring some of the biggest names in gospel including Hezekiah Walker, Donald Lawrence, Shirley Caesar & more, the Gospel Superfest returns to Dayton, OH on Sat, June 20th. Described as the biggest show in gospel music television, the Gospel Superfest is truly an one-of-a-kind production. The Gospel Superfest is a best-in-class production hosted by Hollywood “A” listers such as this year’s host Vivica A. Fox. After more than 20 years in development, the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is ready to open its doors to music lovers of all ages. The 56,000 square foot facility located in the heart of downtown Nashville will officially open to guests on Thursday, September 3, 2020 kicking off a Labor Day weekend packed with grand opening events that will help introduce NMAAM to Nashville and the world. YOU ARE THE ONE produced by Stellar Award Winning producer Sean Keys. The sound behind Isabel Davis and Keyla Richardson, Keys matches his anointing with the beautiful voice of KARA NICHOLE! TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG features R&B singer and actor Christopher Williams this Sunday, March 8 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U66UTH2tUEM&feature=youtu.be Oklahoma Christian University’s president apologized and promised change after an admissions counselor representing the university at an area public school asked students to arrange themselves by skin tone and hair texture. The since-fired counselor, Cedric Sunray, “led a racist activity that was offensive, harmful and inappropriate,” President John deSteiguer told about 60 students, faculty and community members Sunday afternoon (March 1). The 2,200-student university, which is associated with Churches of Christ, convened the special weekend meeting to address Sunray’s actions. PENNY! Get ready to hear Oscar Proud’s voice ringing in your ears again soon, because the Proud family is coming back in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, which will be streaming on Disney+! In an August 2019 interview with Where Is the Buzz, Tommy Davidson — aka the voice of Oscar Proud — mentioned that the show would be returning with new episodes on Disney’s streaming app, though he did say, “They told me not to tell nobody.” Oops! Disney confirmed on Feb. 27 that the new series is in officially in production. The Bank of America has given a $250,000 grant toward the construction of a memorial to honor the nine African American parishioners at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church who were murdered by a white supremacist. The Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation announced the grant Monday, with the memorial construction project expected to cost around $10 million. The foundation has already raised, as of Monday, around $7 million. This includes an earlier grant of $500,000 from Wells Fargo and a pledge of $1 million from the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation. The memorial will feature two large benches meant to resemble “sheltering wings” and a marble fountain that includes the names of those killed. Tornadoes struck central Tennessee early Tuesday morning leaving at least 22 people dead, more than 150 hospitalized and thousands without power. One of the massive ‘supercells’ swept through downtown Nashville, knocking out power and tearing through at least 50 buildings. More than 47,800 were without power, according to Nashville Electric Service who said four of its substations were damaged. Half of those are customers are located in the Hermitage area. BET+ announced the new original drama from Tyler Perry, “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless,” will premiere Thursday, March 19, 2020, exclusively across all platforms the service is available. Three episodes, of the 24-episode one-hour drama, will be available to stream with new episodes launching every Thursday. “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” is the first new original series from Tyler Perry to stream on BET+, a joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios. “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless,” a spin-off of the hit television series “Tyler Perry’s The Oval,” tells the riveting story of a woman named Ruth who kidnaps her young daughter to join her in the dark underworld of a fanatical religious cult.“Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” stars Melissa L. Williams, Matt Cedeño, Lenny D. Thomas, Yvonne Senat Jones, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica, Nirine S. Brown, Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles, Hervé Clermont, Anthony Bless, and Bobbi Baker. In a stunning move that marks the end of an era for one of the entertainment industry’s great corporate success stories, Bob Iger on Tuesday stepped down as chief executive of Walt Disney Co. after 15 years in the job. Bob Chapek, a 27-year Disney veteran who most recently led the company’s massively important parks and consumer products business, was named Iger’s successor, effective immediately. Iger, 69, has assumed the role of executive chairman, the company said. In that role, he will direct the Burbank entertainment giant’s creative endeavors and help guide the company’s board through the leadership transition until the end of his contract on Dec. 31, 2021, Disney said in a statement. The United States Air Force is set to have its first black service chief, Defense Department officials said on Monday. General Charles Q. Brown Jr., known widely as C.Q., has been nominated as the next Air Force chief of staff, officials said. If he is confirmed by the Senate, General Brown will become the rare African-American officer to sit on the elite Joint Chiefs of Staff. Previously, Colin L. Powell served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff while an Army general. WATCH BRANDY & RAY J CO-HOST "THE TALK" ON CBS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2020. The NBA has told players to avoid high-fiving fans and strangers and avoid taking any item for autographs, the league’s latest response in its ongoing monitoring of the coronavirus crisis. The league, in a memo sent to teams Sunday and obtained Monday by The Associated Press, offered 10 recommendations to players with hopes of decreasing risks of getting the virus — among them, not taking items such as pens, markers, balls and jerseys from autograph seekers. The NBA also told teams that it is consulting “with infectious disease experts, including the Centers for Disease Control” and infectious disease researchers at Columbia University in New York. A new streaming service of the same caliber as Tidal or Apple Music has finally arrived for Christians and its name is GODIFY! GODIFY, Christian music and entertainment's newest streaming service is now available to download on Android and iPhone devices. GODIFY offers a family-friendly streaming experience that boasts an impressive catalog of Christian music, videos, movies, shows and original content including Godify exclusive music, live theatrical productions, movies, webisodes, and reality-tv programs. GODIFY originated as a vision in the heart of Hip Hop recording artist and former writer for Sean P.Diddy Combs, Nucci Reyo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnKMT5KVI-0&feature=youtu.be Actress Kerry Washington has a new look.The change would be her new hairstyle. It's a bit radical and a shocker because, after years of going big and bold, she suddenly goes small or “simplistic.” In the new issue of Porter magazine, the former “Scandal” star goes minimal with a fresh, sleek do just in time for spring. Washington has her own production company, Simpson Street, it is currently co-producing “Little Fires Everywhere,” her upcoming Hulu miniseries with Reese Witherspoon. Ramona Hood has become the first Black woman appointed to president and chief executive officer at what is now FedEx Custom Critical in Green, Ohio. Hood was a 19-year-old single mother when she started as a receptionist at the company. Nearly three decades later, she is making headlines after being tapped to head the subsidiary. Judge Judy Sheindlin announced on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” Monday that after 25 years, the “Judge Judy” show is coming to an end. But it’s not totally over for the former Manhattan family court judge. She already has her a new series “Judy Justice” in the works. There will be a full year of new episodes of “Judge Judy” in 2021 before the 25th season wraps. Sunday, Chuck D revealed to Rolling Stone that the group would be moving forward without Flavor Flav. "Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav," the group said in a statement. "We thank him for his years of service and wish him well." This comes after Flav sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Bernie Sanders campaign following Chuck D announcing that the group would be performing at a livestreamed Bernie Sanders rally Sunday. Prior to formally excommunicating Flavor Flav, Chuck took to Twitter where he pointed to multiple times that Flav refused to support the group. "Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav," the group said in a statement. "We thank him for his years of service and wish him well." Chuck and his lawyers also warned Flav that he could be kicked out of the group if he continues to pursue his dispute with Bernie Sanders. The Game Changer Gala and its Co-Chairs, Gayle Benson and Drew Brees, are excited to announce the lineup for the 2020 event in New Orleans on March 21. The Game Changer Gala helps raise critical funds for ALS research and patient empowerment, supporting both Team Gleason and Answer ALS. Team Gleason strives to provide solutions for those living with ALS now and Answer ALS is the single largest coordinated and collaborative effort to end ALS in the history of the disease. Team Gleason and Answer ALS' Game Changer Gala 2020 Lineup includes Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer, actor, and producer Keegan-Michael Key the Emcee with Grammy award-winning artists Weezer, Leon Bridges and Cynthia Erivo. Illusionist and finalist on America's Got Talent Jon Dorenbos will perform, as well as the incredible St. Paul and the Broken Bones. GRAMMY® Award-winning gospel singer/songwriter TASHA COBBS LEONARD has announced plans to record her next album live at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. The concert event, Royalty: Live at The Ryman, is set to take place on Monday, May 4, 2020 at 7:30pm, the powerhouse vocalist shared on social media earlier today. Choir director extraordinaire, Jason McGee & The Choir releases their new single “It’s Not Over,” today on all digital platforms. The LA-based choir has been making waves over the last few years with innovative and fresh choir music. Working with longtime collaborators Warryn Campbell and Gerald Haddon, “It’s Not Over,” is a perfectly timed ballad. The message is necessary encouragement for today’s uncertain and troubled time. A UCLA gymnast has gone viral for her incredible floor routine set to a mashup of Beyoncé’s hits — and she even got a few celebrity shout outs following the jaw-dropping performance. Nia Dennis wowed the judges with her Queen Bey-inspired routine when the UCLA Bruins faced off against the Utah Red Rocks on Sunday, which also happened to be her milestone 21st birthday. https://youtu.be/7Uw2feLb00c Tony Romo is staying at CBS, signing a long-term deal to remain as the network’s lead NFL analyst. The deal is worth $17 million a year. Since 2017, Romo has worked alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. Romo received praise for his knack for predicting the plays that teams would run. In January ESPN was prepared to pursue Romo and make him the highest-paid sports broadcaster in history. Tyler Perry has asked for a second autopsy on his nephew who reportedly committed suicide in prison this week. According to TMZ, Gavin Porter, 26, hanged himself inside his cell at a Louisiana prison. Officials said he used a bedsheet after he was placed in solitary confinement, but Porter’s family has doubts about that. Prison officials insist there was no foul play. A rep from the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office tells TMZ, “There is an active investigation at the prison’s request. We are currently awaiting the results of an autopsy. The initial investigation did not suspect foul play. We are also conducting an investigation into the fight which occurred earlier and Porter’s involvement in that incident.” Just like Madonna, who took a spill from a chair while performing on stage Friday night, Oprah found herself horizontal Saturday after taking a tumble during a speaking tour stop. Oh wow, how embarrassing. But O’s OK, though. That’s the bottom line. The scene was the Forum, just outside LA in Inglewood, CA. She was there, as we said up top, on her speaking tour. Ironically, the topic of discussion on the monitor behind her was “Wellness: All things in balance.” https://youtu.be/scBYH_5nMJU The Gospel Spotlight's Kierra Sheard and "It Keeps Happening." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO5RPuLqAcc The Gospel Spotlight's "You Deserve" new from Angela Moss Poole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2bsCIk4TAw&feature=youtu.be Myron Lamarr makes his debut with "Work It." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uib8EkwE2_A The Gospel Spotlight's "It's Gonna Be Alright" the new single from Jermaine Dolly. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nJlIGAKzMYG_Qn2givnAdPU_JnhOlpGN/view The Stellar Gospel Music Awards will honor Blacksmoke Music Worldwide Founder and CEO Kerry Douglas with induction into the 2020 Stellar Honors Hall of Fame. Kerry Douglas has a genuine love for music and penchant for promotion that has produced a continuous slate of top Gospel radio hits while introducing a new roster of Gospel luminaries including quartet favorites Keith Wonderboy Johnson, Damon Little and Evelyn Turrentine Agee, power balladeer Earnest Pugh, Grammy and Stellar nominated songwriters James Fortune and Greg O Quinn and the incomparable in- a- class- all- by- himself supernova known as Zacardi Cortez. He is a musical mastermind who has maintained relevance and consistency for more than 20 years. CLEO TV features a lineup of all-new episodes sure to empower and entertain this Saturday, February 29. First, CLEO SPEAKS spotlights two advocates working to impact the technology industry starting with Valeisha Butterfield-Jones, Google's Global Head of Community and Inclusion, at 9 A.M. ET/8c followed by Janaye Ingram, Director of National Partnerships for Airbnb, at 9:15 A.M ET/8:15C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUR79Dd6BiQ&feature=youtu.be JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ features a dinner party for guests including Singer Leela James, Supermodel Afiya Bennett and Fitness Trainer LLoyd Dickenson at 12 P.M. ET/ 11C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m32PZarFFSg&feature=youtu.be ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON has a fun game of who knows Adrienne best between husband, Israel Houghton and mother Nilida Felix beginning at 1 P.M. ET/ 12C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FboR8AcH2-0&feature=youtu.be MALI MUSIC PERFORMS LIVE TONIGHT ON THE TAMMI MAC LATE SHOW ON FOX SOUL AT 9 P.M. PST Actor Nicholas Pinnock doesn’t just believe his new network TV show can save lives. He believes it can save network TV, too. Pinnock stars in “For Life,” ABC’s mid-season drama about a prison inmate unjustly incarcerated who becomes a lawyer. Social justice issues are baked into every episode, not to mention exploring racial inequality and prison reform. Pinnock was initially skeptical if ABC was the right home for his edgy and inventive show, but he’s been impressed by the network’s backing. “For Life” airs on Tuesday nights opposite less demanding shows like “New Amsterdam” or “FBI: Most Wanted.” Kerwin Danley became the first African American umpire crew chief in Major League Baseball when a series of promotions, additions and retirements were announced Thursday. The moves included Alfonso Marquez being elevated to the first Hispanic crew chief in MLB history born outside the United States and second overall. Crew chiefs Jeff Kellogg, Dana DeMuth, Gary Cederstrom and Mike Everitt have retired. Kellogg and Everitt will move into jobs as MLB umpire supervisors. Two-time GRAMMY award- winning hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, speaker, thought leader, philanthropist, and New York Times bestselling author Lecrae Moore has signed a contract with Zondervan for his new book, I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith, which releases October 13, 2020. In his first book, the New York Times bestseller Unashamed, Lecrae was transparent about adversities experienced in his life—childhood abuse, drugs, alcoholism, a stint in rehab, abortion, growing up fatherless, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. In I Am Restored, Lecrae shares how growing stronger in his faith has helped him create transformation in the lives of others. Lecrae bares his soul, sharing deep wounds, past trauma, and conflicts with family, church, and personal challenges in hopes that his process of restoration will help others. In honor of Women’s History Month starting next week, which focuses on the exemplary contributions women have made in America, T.D. Jakes’ International Leadership Summit is announcing female leaders who will be joining him at the annual gathering this spring. Paula Williams Madison, Lisa Opoku and Lady Gifty Tetteh—who will all be on the courage to influence panel—as well as speakers Ivy McGregor and Hattie Hill, are all women who are leading the charge in their respective fields. The International Leadership Conference is a conference for visionaries, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, pastors and leaders from all over the world, looking to expand their personal sphere of influence and sharpen their skills. On February 22, the Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) announced a scholarship to honor Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney, former State Senator and senior pastor at Mother Emanuel AME Church who was killed with eight others in a racially motivated massacre in 2015. The CBCI seeks to continue his legacy of excitement and enthusiasm for political activism and empowerment by funding a scholarship to our political boot camp training for future leaders in his honor. The official announcement was made at a press conference at Mother Emanuel AME Church where the CBCI is also conducting an Advocacy and Campaign Training (ACT) workshop. TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG features legendary rapper Roxanne Shante this Sunday, March 1 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9f4gqWMEqA&feature=youtu.be Ashley Graham is an American model who has taken the fashion industry by storm, becoming one of the most popular faces in the modeling world and a positive role model particularly for women who are classified as “curvy” or “plus-sized”. Known for her accessibility and body confidence, she has been described as an ambassador of the “real beauty” movement, which celebrates how women actually look rather than the impossible standards set by the fashion industry. With her increasing popularity, she has graced the covers of the world’s biggest fashion magazines, including Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar and has walked the runway for major fashion brands and designers. Her rise in the modeling world and fashion industry as a whole has defied traditional expectations and her presence has created a space in the industry for many other women like her. Along with being a top model and body positivity activist, she is also a television presenter, speaker, designer, podcast host and entrepreneur. As proud as she is of her accomplishments, she is equally proud of her Christian faith and isn’t afraid to use her platform to share her testimony with fans and followers. The 32-year-old spoke to Harper’s Bazaar UK in 2019 where she candidly discussed how her Christian beliefs have helped her make sense of her fame as one of the most sought-after models in the fashion industry. Latice Crawford is a woman of many talents. Sunday Best starlet, Model, Actress, Mom, & she has a passion for cooking! The Gospel Spotlight's "Amazing." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X9NzEH-nVo&feature=youtu.be The Brown Missionary Baptist Choir (BMBC) will embark on recording original music and Gospel favorites for national release this year. The 125-voice choir has demonstrated their skill and covered some of Gospel's greatest classic hymns and Worship songs including Gospel artist Demetrius West and Jesus Promoters hit song "ChoirOlogy". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOquzqDhEL8&feature=youtu.be Jada Pinkett Smith confronted Snoop Dogg over how he publicly berated Gayle King after she dredged up Kobe Bryant’s rape allegations in the wake of the basketball star’s death. https://www.facebook.com/redtabletalk/videos/671677336908503/ RCA Inspiration celebrates Kirk Franklin, who garnered his latest NAACP Image Award win at this year’s 51st NAACP Image Awards. Franklin won in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song (Traditional or Contemporary) for his #1 smash hit “Love Theory.” Featured off his thirteenth studio album LONG LIVE LOVE, the Image Award continues a winning streak for the revered Gospel superstar, songwriter, and producer, who won two GRAMMY® Awards last month for “Love Theory” and LONG LIVE LOVE. Overcoming Church recorded and released their debut Gospel EP in 2019. Pastor Bruce Farr presented his Overcoming Church Generations of Praise Choir to a national audience with their MAKING ROOM FOR US live EP. The project allows listeners to experience the vibrant and unrestricted Praise and Worship that occurs each week at Overcoming Church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC2oJISWVQM&feature=youtu.be Coming off the success of their #2 Billboard Radio hit, “Open the Floodgates”, Stellar Award Nominees Demetrius West and Jesus Promoters (JP) return with a new single entitled, “I’m Next”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KXyLponAZ8&feature=youtu.be Award-winning entertainment executive Jovan Dawkins is proud to announce the launch of his newly created inspirational record label, Legacy Music Group which is deeply rooted from Dawkins’ ministerial background. Being raised in the church, Dawkins’ inspirational label launch is a natural progression as part of his life of service. In keeping with family legacy, Dawkins has tapped multitalented GRAMMY® nominated singer, songwriter and cousin Eric Dawkins as President of A&R of Legacy Music Group. As a former member of hit-making production team Underdogs, Dawkins has experienced a string of success penning, producing and collaborating with top tier talent including Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Toni Braxton, Mary Mary, BeBe Winans, Fred Hammond, Babyface, Tyrese and many more. The NAACP recently celebrated the stellar achievements of the 51st NAACP Image Awards winners during a special ceremony which was broadcasted live on BET Saturday, February 22, 2020 from the Pasadena Civic Center Auditorium. Winners of the night included Lizzo (Entertainer of the Year), Angela Bassett (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - “9-1-1”), Jamie Foxx (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – “Just Mercy”), Lupita Nyong’o (Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture – “Us”), Marsai Martin (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – “Little”), Tracee Ellis Ross (Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – “black-ish”) , Michael B. Jordan (Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture--“Just Mercy” and “Just Mercy”(Outstanding Motion Picture). A fan of Baker Mayfield claimed in a new interview that the Cleveland Browns quarterback cheated on his wife, Emily Mayfield, with her in August 2019. Ohio native Kacie Dingess said on the syndicated radio show that she came into contact with Baker, 24, after messaging him on Twitter. She sent him a video of herself shotgunning a beer at a 2019 preseason Browns game, mimicking a viral clip of him doing the same that August. She alleged that he added her on Snapchat soon after. After Dingess, 20, confirmed that she was alone, the NFL star allegedly sent her a selfie to prove that it was actually his account. “He kept texting me, saying like, ‘Send me pictures’ and blah, blah, blah,” she claimed. “We were texting for a while, and then he was like, ‘OK, come see me.’ So I got in my car and I drove all the way to Westlake, and it was like behind Cheesecake Factory in some weird development parking lot. And so he texted me when I was on my way there and he was like, ‘You have to leave your phone in the car.’” On the day of his memorial service, Kobe Bryant‘s widow, Vanessa, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that owned the helicopter that crashed on January 26 killing the former Lakers star, his daughter Gianna and 7 others. Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit alleges Island Express was only allowed to fly under visual flight rules, and the conditions the day of the crash were not conducive for such flying. The fog was extremely low and the pilot was in blinding conditions before the mishap. “Defendant Island Express Helicopters’ breach of its duty and negligence caused the injuries and damages complained of herein and Plaintiffs’ deceased, Kobe Bryant, was killed as a direct result of the negligent conduct of Zobayan for which Defendant Island Express Helicopters is vicariously liable in all respects,” the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also says the pilot was going 180 miles per hour in the heavy fog in a steep decline. The lawsuit claims the pilot failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff, failed to obtain proper weather data prior to the flight, failed to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy condition, failed to maintain control of the helicopter and failed to avoid “natural obstacles” in the flight path. God knew they couldn’t be on this earth without each other. He had to bring them home to heaven together,” Vanessa Bryant said of Kobe and their daughter Gianna during her 20-minute eulogy at the emotional memorial in Los Angeles on Monday. The grieving widow and mother added, “They were so easy to love. Everyone naturally gravitated towards them. They were so full of joy and adventure.” The emotional tribute followed Beyoncé’s performance her songs “XO” and “Halo.” https://youtu.be/H5yqwfbWn6E On Monday, after His six-week trial, entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty and convicted by a New York jury on two of five counts, bringing to an end a high-profile sexual assault trial. Weinstein, who suddenly lost his ability to walk on his own leading up to the trial, arrived every day to the 15th-floor courtroom with the aid of a walker. He appeared stoic as six accusers testified; they faced hours of cross-examination, and some broke into tears as they recounted their alleged encounters with the once formidable movie producer. In 1959, Ronald Erwin McNair walked into a South Carolina library. The 9-year-old aspiring astronaut wanted to check out a calculus book, but a librarian threatened to call the police if he didn’t leave. McNair was black. Years later, McNair was selected to become only the second African American to travel to space, overcoming segregation, poverty, and stereotypes in an intellectual act of resistance that inspired a generation. Tragically, McNair died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy. McNair’s story and those of other black astronauts are shared in a new documentary that looks at the final frontier of civil rights: getting black astronauts into space amid Jim Crow, danger, discrimination and the Cold War. Within four generations, they went from slavery to space. “Black in Space: Breaking the Color Barrier,” scheduled to air Monday on the Smithsonian Channel, examines the race to get black astronauts into the heavens while fighting for human rights onEarth.It shows how the astronauts surmounted racial barriers and hostile commanders to get close to the stars. Tyson Fury pulled off the greatest victory for any English boxer abroad as he stopped America’s KO king Deontay Wilder with an utterly dominant, devastating performance. The Gypsy King arrived in the ring carried on a golden throne and ascended into the pantheon of all-time heavyweight greats on the wings of genius. Fury has now completed a full set of the world heavyweight belts by adding Wilder’s WBC title and the Ring Magazine accolade to the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO prizes he held previously after defeating Wladimir Klitschko. Thousands of mourners will gather in Staples Center on Monday to say farewell to Kobe and Gianna Bryant. The basketball superstar and his 13-year-old daughter will be honored in a public memorial at the arena where Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers.Kobe and Gianna Bryant died along with seven others on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash. The Celebration of Life will feature speakers reflecting on Kobe Bryant’s impact on his sport and the world, along with music and retrospectives on Bryant’s on-court achievements. Bryant became active in film, television and writing after he retired from basketball in 2016. Bryant’s family, dozens of sports greats and many major figures in Bryant’s public life are expected to attend. https://youtu.be/KCwXMUM3wog Without the precision of "human computer" Katherine Johnson, NASA's storied history might've looked a lot different. Her calculations were responsible for safely rocketing men into space and securing the American lead in the space race against the Soviet Union. For almost her entire life, her seminal work in American space travel went unnoticed. Only recently has Johnson's genius received national recognition. Johnson, a pioneering mathematician who, along with a group of other brilliant black women, made US space travel possible, died this week. She was 101. NASA announced Johnson's death Monday. Johnson was part of NASA's "Computer Pool," a group of mathematicians whose data powered NASA's first successful space missions. The group's success largely hinged on the accomplishments of its black women members. Barbara Smith, a fashion model who created a business empire by catering to the tastes of aspiring black professionals with her restaurants, television shows, bedding and furniture collections and books on entertaining, died on Saturday at her home on Long Island. She was 70. The cause was early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, her family said. Ms. Smith had waged a long and public battle with the disease, which was diagnosed when she was in her 50s. Ms. Smith was best known for her popular Manhattan restaurant, B. Smith. Located at the edge of the theater district, it opened in 1986 and almost immediately attracted a following among affluent black New Yorkers, who welcomed it as a stylish gathering spot. Essence magazine, in 1995, described it as the place “where the who’s who of black Manhattan meet, greet and eat regularly.” Justin Bieber was among hundreds devoted to celebrating Christ at Kanye West’s Sunday Service. While attending the religious gathering, the 25-year-old singer made a surprise performance of Marvin Sapp’s gospel hit Never Would Have Made It to a roaring crowd. ‘Never could have made it, without you,’ Bieber sang, while wearing a red hoodie after a moving performance of Every Hour by West and his chorus in a video shared on Kim Kardashian’s Instagram Story. https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/01/16/5181983458122055551/636x382_MP4_5181983458122055551.mp4 Gospel icon Kurt Carr releases the official music video for his star-studded hit single “Bless Somebody Else,” available now. Following its premiere on BET Gospel, the video from the legendary maestro continues to showcase his musical influence and share the message of encouragement and showing love in blessing others. Blessing his song with their own vocal harmonies, the multi-generational powerful talents of Erica Campbell, Faith Evans, Fred Hammond, Jekalyn Carr, John P. Kee, Keke Wyatt, Miles Caton, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Roosevelt Griffin, Smokie Norful, Wess Morgan, and Yolanda Adams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiUlTOqa8kQ Authorities found the body of a 6-month-old boy in a North Carolina cemetery hours after his mother was arrested and an Amber Alert was issued on his disappearance, the Matthews Police Department said on Saturday. The discovery of the infant’s body began Friday night with a police search for his mother, Tamara Brown, “who is possibly suffering from a mental health disability” and who was reported missing in Matthews, a town about 12 miles southeast of Charlotte. The mother was then found and arrested in connection to “a separate incident.” She faces charges for assaulting government officials and common law robbery. Simone Biles has teased a complicated vault that no female gymnast has ever performed in a competition before — and fans think she is perfecting it for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The 22-year-old gold medalist gave her fans a behind-the-scenes look at her training on Thursday by tweeting a video of herself performing a vault that many have deemed too risky to pull off: a Yurchenko double pike. In the five-second clip, Simone is like a flash of lightning as she runs and does a round-off onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vault, and two flips in pike position (hips bent and knees straight) before landing on a mat in a foam pit. A Yurchenko — named after Natalia Yurchenko, a Russian gymnast who first performed the skill in the early 1980s — begins with a single flip. CLEO TV serves a Saturday slate sure to fill your spirit and stomach starting with the Season 2 return of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ on Saturday, February 22 beginning at 9 A.M. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8ng0iAHHys&feature=youtu.be From social media beef to changing your love filter, this week's episode of ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON shares the best advice she's ever received in an all-new episode this Saturday, February 22 at 1 P.M. ET/12C Encore at 11 P.M. ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=246pBs7pqDY&feature=youtu.be All-new episodes of CLEO SPEAKS airing this Saturday, February 22 feature entrepreneur and culinary visionary Monique Rose at 9 A.M. ET/8c followed by Emmy-nominated actress Christina Cooper at 9:15 A.M ET/8:15C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2N1fqoWFwA&feature=youtu.be TaMyya J releases a powerful faith-inspiring worship single "WORSHIP WHILE I WAIT” along with the exclusive live video. This single written and produced by Michael M. Smith is from her “Love For Your Name" project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdACLZZOHQo&feature=youtu.be Taraji P. Henson and her fiancé Kelvin Hayden enjoyed fun in the sun on their recent vacation to Mexico and they shared some sexy pics of the tip on Instagram. Henson and Hayden jetted off to Los Cabos for a prenuptial getaway, staying at the Nbu Hotel Los Cabos in a private ocean view suite. Erykah Badu’s incense, “Badu Pu*sy,” made its debut on her new digital store Badu World Market Thursday (Feb. 20). Fortunately and unfortunately, fans showed up in droves to buy the scandalously named incense, that sold out within hours. Badu creatively reacted to the news via Twitter with this note: “Fasses selling pu$$c in the south ???!” Tune-in to Facebook Watch on Wednesday, February 26 for a special “Red Table Talk” with Snoop Dogg as he joins the Red Table to address the controversy over his verbal rant to Gayle King, what led to his apology and what he’s learned since. “Red Table Talk“ has emerged as the go-to place for unpacking the most compelling social issues of today in real-time as Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow Smith, and Jada’s mother Adrienne aka “Gammy,” have created a safe space for people from all walks of life to have open, honest and vulnerable conversations. THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOME STORM REID, RUSSELL HORNSBY, SINGER SAMMIE AND CONTINUE BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH ANOTHER "BRIDGING THE GAP" SIT DOWN. The Princess of Praise and Worship, Bri Babineaux drops “Build My Life.” https://youtu.be/GIGzo1sXZ5M NEW MUSIC "PEOPLE" BY JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThmAObtoCog&feature=youtu.be TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG begins its new season highlighting the journey of one of R&B's most dynamic quartets with supergroup Dru Hill on Sunday, February 23 at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Dru Hill will perform their classic hits on UNSUNG LIVE immediately following their UNSUNG episode at 11 p.m./10C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3OfqR9_LnY&feature=youtu.be Celebrating its milestone 35th Anniversary of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Central City Productions announces an awe-inspiring line-up of performers for the “Greatest Night in Gospel Music." Returning to the Las Vegas Orleans Arena Friday, March 27, 2020. Performers include Donnie McClurkin, James Fortune, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, Travis Greene, Maranda Curtis, William Murphy, Zacardi Cortez, Pastor Mike Jr., Kierra Sheard, The Walls Group, and Doe, with more to be announced. The show will premiere on BET Networks (simulcast on BET HER) on April 5 at 8 p.m. ET with an encore at 10 p.m. ET, and air in broadcast syndication in more than 216 markets around the country from April 11 - May 17, 2020. Taking the reigns for the first time as co-hosts two of Gospel’s breakthrough artists, the ‘new guard,’ Koryn Hawthorne and Jonathan McReynolds. The Holy Land Experience last week filed notice with the city of Orlando and state officials announcing it would be eliminating 118 positions. That represents most of the jobs at the theme park in Orlando’s tourist corridor. Holy Land Experience officials said in a letter that they were shifting focus from entertainment and theatrical productions to the park’s Biblical museum. The decision will allow them to continue to receive tax breaks signed into law by former Governor Jeb Bush. The theme park was launched in 2001 as the ministry of a Messianic Jewish church. Trinity Broadcasting Network took ownership in 2007. IRS records show a sharp decline in revenue, from $42 million in 2010 to $8 million in 2017, the most recent year available. The layoffs would take place by mid-April. Employees will get a severance package based on their length of employment. Pop Smoke, a rising New York rapper, was fatally shot in a home in the Hollywood Hills early Wednesday, law enforcement sources confirmed. Officers responded after someone calling from the East Coast reported that several people, at least one of whom wore a black mask and was armed with a handgun, had entered their friend’s home in Los Angeles shortly before 5 a.m., said LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie. When officers arrived at the $2.5-million home they found the 20-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, with gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers detained several people inside the house, but they were later released. Two to six suspects fled the scene and had not been found, Lurie said. The rapper’s death came days after his second mixtape, “Meet the Woo 2,” landed at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 list. His breakthrough mixtape, “Meet the Woo,” released last year, has 280 million streams globally. Award-winning filmmaker and actor Alex Kendrick attended the 28th annual Movieguide Awards where he revealed the plans for the next Kendrick Brothers film. “We are shooting a movie this summer,” Kendrick told The Christian Post in an interview last month at the popular award show that honors faith and family content. “We’re very excited about that and it’s a true story and it’s going to grab your heart. We love it!” he exclaimed. The popular Christian actor said he and his brother, Stephen, who’s also his producing partner, “love the subject matter and what’s going to happen” as a result of it. “We think it’s a very timely movie,” he assured. Kendrick said he expects the film to be released in 2021. The brothers are used to making original content such as their No. 1 box-office hit “War Room,” but their next film was actually brought to them by a friend. Pastor Mike, Jr. is a jewel in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, but now he is shining around the country as his rousing single “Big” hits #1 at Gospel radio this week. “Big,” the lead single from his debut album Live Free, also earned Pastor Mike, Jr. five Stellar Gospel Music Award nominations. Live Free hit #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart when it was released in September. “Big” is a powerful anthem that reassures listeners that God has something big planned for their life. With soaring harmonies punctuated by Pastor Mike’s Jr’s commanding vocals, the song draws you into a worship experience that forces you to erase any worry and doubt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7BvJ7Tmr7E&feature=youtu.be For the last two decades, Benita Jones has teased with fame, popping up now and again with classics such as 2005’s “Thank You” and 2015’s “My Grace” with the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship Mass Choir. However, “Good God” should finally deliver a big platform for the charismatic Atlanta-based worship leader. This high-energy live performance is infectiously singable and catchy. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/5nnMRAfT6N Top-selling Gospel artist, multiple award winner, 3x Grammy nominee, and President of the Gospel Heritage Foundation VaShawn Mitchell brings the International Worship & Arts Summit LEAP 2020 to Columbia’s Brookland Baptist Church & Convention Center February 26-29, 2020. Several popular artists will be making appearances throughout the week, including Donald Lawrence, Erica Campbell, Jekalyn Carr, Todd Dulaney, Bishop Noel Jones, and many more. Gospel Spotlight's Tim Johnson "Your Grace" One to keep your eyes on!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsoJv-YMi3M The Atlanta Chapter of the GMWA Mass Choir drops the up-tempo, churchy tune titled “Never Forget” and features legendary singer, songwriter, and preacher, Bishop Richard “Mr. Clean” White. Drew Brees plans to return to the New Orleans Saints for his 20th NFL season.The 13-time Pro Bowl quarterback announced Tuesday on Instagram he will play again in the upcoming year. “My feelings about the 2020 season! I look forward to the grind and the journey, for the reward at the end will be worth it!!!” Brees said. “Love you #WhoDatNation. Let’s make another run at it!” Ja’Net Dubois, one of the stars of “Good Times,” was found dead on Tuesday, TMZ reports. Her family says she died in her sleep unexpectedly at her Glendale, California home. Dubois played Willona Woods, the Evans family’s neighbor on the classic 70s sitcom. She is most well known for her role on “Good Times,” but she also composed and sang the song “Movin’ On Up,” which was the theme for “The Jeffersons.” Pastor Mike, Jr. is a jewel in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, but now he is shining around the country as his rousing single “Big” hits #1 at Gospel radio this week. “Big,” the lead single from his debut album Live Free, also earned Pastor Mike, Jr. five Stellar Gospel Music Award nominations. Live Free hit #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart when it was released in September. “Big” is a powerful anthem that reassures listeners that God has something big planned for their life. With soaring harmonies punctuated by Pastor Mike’s Jr’s commanding vocals, the song draws you into a worship experience that forces you to erase any worry and doubt. Esther Scott, the veteran character actress who appeared in films and TV shows including Boyz N the Hood, Dreamgirls, Transformers, and Beverly Hills 90210, died Feb. 14 in Santa Monica, Calif., after suffering a heart attack. She was 66. Scott got her start in Hollywood as a voice actress on the 1985 animated series Star Wars: Ewoks, where she brought to life the character of Shodu Warrick. She went on to appear on such popular shows as Full House; Ellen; Sister, Sister; The Geena Davis Show; and Hart of Dixie.On the big screen, Scott’s credits covered a wide range including The Craft, Encino Man, Don Juan DeMarco, Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Pursuit of Happyness, Gangster Squad, and The Birth of a Nation. An Atlanta prosecutor is considering whether to launch a full-scale investigation into the 2006 death of music legend James Brown, after meeting on Wednesday with a woman who claims to have evidence Brown was murdered. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. will examine the evidence presented at the meeting to determine whether an investigation is warranted. A spokesperson for the DA’s office said it would be “inappropriate to discuss” next steps in the process at this time, and stressed that no investigation is currently underway, but simply a “review of evidence.” The woman, a circus singer named Jacque Hollander, turned over a plastic bin she said was filled with evidence, as well as a list of possible witnesses and printed text messages, to prosecutors. Hollander also alleges that Brown’s third wife, Adrienne, who died in 1996, was murdered. Brown died on Christmas Day in 2006 at age 73, with the cause of death attributed to heart failure and pneumonia. In 2019, however, CNN published an extensive investigative series in which Hollander and a dozen others who knew Brown — including his manager, his son Daryl, Brown’s widow Tomi Rae Hynie, and the doctor who signed Brown’s death certificate — raised suspicions about the musician’s death and called for an autopsy, a criminal investigation, or both. (No autopsy was performed at the time of Brown’s death.) The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum (NAPRPPM) will host the 2020 A. Philip Randolph Gentle Warrior Awards Gala Celebration. The 25-year-old museum is located in the Pullman National Park site designated by President Barack Obama on February 19, 2015. It is the only African American site at the monument. The Pullman Porter Museum is hosting the GALA fundraiser to raise operating funds to continue to keep the only Black labor union museum, the only one of its kind, alive. Celebrating twenty-five years as the premier guardian of the history of blacks in America's labor union movement and keeper of A. Philip Randolph's legacy. The year 2020 marks a milestone in the life of the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum. The museum will celebrate three important milestones this year. "Our 25th anniversary, the announcement of the addition of the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. Civil Rights Wing and the 83rd anniversary of the signing of the first collective bargaining agreement between an African American labor union (the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters) and a major U. S. Corporation, the Pullman Company and is worth honoring and remembering," said Dr. Lyn Hughes, Museum founder. At just 30-years-old, inventor, telecom company founder, software engineer and philanthropist Freddie Figgers, CEO of Figgers Communications, runs the only African American owned telecommunications company in the United States and has distinguished himself as a modern day historical figure worthy of recognition. The self-taught software engineer and cloud computing whiz is the youngest person in America to own and operate a U.S. based wireless telecommunications company. Now worth more than $62 million, Figgers Communications includes Figgers Wireless, an FCC-regulated telecom and electronics company offering cellular, mobile broadband, home phone, international calling solutions, and smart TVs; Figgers holds nine U.S. patents and has received national attention for his inventions, which include the first smart phone to feature an automatic safety mechanism disabling data and text while driving over 10 mph. Other groundbreaking inventions include his first patent, a GPS patient monitoring device embedded in his father's shoe (who suffered from dementia) and a smart blood glucose monitor that communicates critical data directly to family and doctors in real time, helping patients better manage their health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhlQ5LICLak&feature=youtu.be A man is suing Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after his wife died during childbirth. Charles Johnson, the son of Judge Hatchett, says doctors told them now 3-year-old Langston’s birth would be a routine cesarean section. “I just held her by her hand and said, ‘please look, my wife isn’t doing well.’ This woman looked me directly in my eye and said, ‘Sir, your wife is not a priority right now.’ It wasn’t until 12.30 a.m. the next morning that they finally took the decision to take Kira back to surgery,” Johnson said. As critical minutes turned into hours, Johnson says he was continually ignored by staff as Kira’s health continued to suffer. He is suing the hospital for the loss of his wife, and with the case pending, the hospital said in a statement that they could not respond directly because of privacy laws but that “Cedars-Sinai thoroughly investigates any situation where there are concerns about a patient’s medical care.” Kira was a successful entrepreneur who spoke five languages. Gayle King accepted Snoop Dogg’s apology over an Instagram video the rapper posted lashing out at her for asking WNBA star Lisa Leslie about Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case. “I accept the apology and understand the raw emotions caused by this tragic loss,” King said in a statement to NBC News, adding that it was never her intention to cause pain as people grieve Bryant’s Jan. 26 death in a helicopter crash. https://youtu.be/I5lpkMAMjqw Jennifer Hudson delivered an emotional tribute to late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, three weeks after they were killed in a helicopter accident. Taking center court at Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, the Oscar-winning singer belted out a stunning rendition of Donny Hathaway’s classic “For All We Know (We May Meet Again)” in front of a picture montage of Bryant and Gianna. https://youtu.be/9UiHersOp_g M*A*S*H star Kellye Nakahara passed away at the age of 72 following a short cancer battle. The veteran actress was surrounded by family when she died ‘peacefully’ at her home in Pasadena on Sunday, as reported by TMZ. Nakahara portrayed the role of Lieutenant Nurse Kellye on the hit CBS comedy, starring in a total of 165 episodes. Bible teacher and author Priscilla Shirer announced that the surgery she recently underwent to remove a node from her left lung was “curative” and praised the Lord for His faithfulness. “I am recovering well from the surgery,” Shirer announced in an Instagram post over the weekend. “My breathing is still pretty labored so I am working on my lung capacity and getting a little breath back here. But doing really good and recovering well.” “The surgery was curative, praise the Lord, so I don’t have anything else to do in that regard other than recover.” New Single "Change My Heart" by Bill Moss, Jr. From The Songbook of Praise & Worship with Third New Hope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jsc7RNS6O0&feature=youtu.be Former president Barack Obama reflected on the deaths of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna during a speech at the NBA All-Star Weekend Newsmaker Brunch in Chicago Saturday. “That loss is something that I know many are still grappling with,” Obama told attendees, “particularly Kobe because he was with his daughter and those families, and those children.” Kobe and Gianna were killed when the helicopter they were riding in slammed into a hillside in Calabasas, California on the morning Jan. 26. The crash also claimed the lives of pilot Ara Zobayan; Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli; his wife Keri Altobelli; their 14-year-old daughter Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser, a basketball coach at Harbor Day School in Newport Beach; 13-year-old Payton Chester, a basketball teammate of Gianna’s; and her mother, Sarah Chester, per Deadline. The helicopter was transporting the group to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a girls’ basketball game. Bryant and Mauser coached Gianna’s team. Even though OneUnitedBank has come under fire for daring to portray Harriet Tubman using the Wakanda salute on its credit/debit card design, the bank says the hotness is coming from customers who are clamoring for it! OneUnited Bank, which is credited s the largest black-owned bank in the US, is seeing a whole lot more business since they debuted the Harriet Tubman card. The bank is said to be seeing 10x their normal volume in terms of bank account sign-ups, account holders requesting to switch to the new debit card design and banking inquiries. Even though it’s been less than a week since the card became available, OneUnited knows they’ve got a huge winner. That’s because they saw similar numbers back in 2016 after partnering with Killer Mike’s #BankBlack movement. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Chaka Khan’s rendition of the national anthem prior to the NBA All-Star Game is being roasted by viewers online. The legendary singer is being brutally mocked on social media, as many claim she failed to hit the right notes. Twitter is flooded with memes expressing a myriad of reactions to her performance. One user wrote: “More like Chaka Khan’t.” https://youtu.be/_SLO8wxtK-I Ne-Yo has confirmed that he and wife Crystal Renay are calling it quits, and the news comes a week after fans first speculated about their break-up. “It’s slowly but surely becoming public knowledge that myself and my wife have decided to go ahead and get a divorce,” the singer said on the “Private Talk With Alexis Texas” podcast. “It’s not a sad thing, it’s more of us realizing that — long story short, I’m never gonna talk bad about her. I’m not that person. There’s nothing bad to say about her. She’s a fantastic woman. She’s the mother of my children and she’s always gonna be that and I will always respect her.” Dwyane Wade has opened up about the time he and Gabrielle Union had to put their relationship on pause because he got another woman pregnant. The couple began dating in 2008 and married in 2014. But they split in 2013, which is when he fathered son Xavier. Wade said the ‘hardest thing I’ve ever had to do’ was tell Union that he got another woman pregnant while they were separated. Wade talks about this and dishes further about his personal life in the upcoming ESPN documentary, “D. Wade: Life Unexpected,” which airs this weekend (Feb. 23). Nikita Pearl Waligwa, an actor who appeared in Disney’s biographical drama “Queen of Katwe,” has died, according to BBC and the Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor. She was 15. Waligwa had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 and seemed to recover a year later. However, in 2019, another tumor was found. “Queen of Katwe” director Mira Nair helped organize efforts to fund Waligwa’s treatment during filming, according to BBC. The young actor played a girl named Gloria in “Queen of Katwe.” She was a close friend of main character Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), and taught her how to play chess. The film told the real-life story of Mutesi who is one of Uganda’s most successful chess players. She won three Ugandan Women’s Junior Championships and has represented the country at four international chess olympiads. The National Basketball Association All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, league Commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday. Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four All-Star Game MVP awards, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26. He was 41. The Kobe Bryant MVP Award will be presented on Sunday to the most valuable player at the end of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. Grammy® Award and NAACP Image® Award Winners David and Tamela Mann are back on screen. In addition to starring in the BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios new sitcom set to premiere on BET in summer 2020, “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living,” where they reprise their roles as “Mr. Brown” and “Cora,” David and Tamela are debuting their first-ever joint music video, “Ups & Downs,” on YouTube today. The romantic music video for the Urban AC track from their album Us Against The World is produced by the Manns’ daughters, Laporcia Mann-Morrison and Tia Mann, and directed by Mann-Morrison. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PPbsko98jI The arrest and subsequent resignation of the president of a major Historically Black College and University (HBCU) has rallied Jackson State University’s defenders, but also has sparked criticism of the school. William Bynum, 57, was arrested over the weekend along with several other people, according to the Clinton, Mississippi, Police Department. Bynum is charged with procuring services of a prostitute, false statement of identity and simple possession of marijuana. He resigned Monday. Bynum arrived at Jackson State after serving four years as vice president for enrollment management and student services at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Thomas Hudson has been named acting Jackson State president. His appointment went into effect Monday, the same day as Bynum’s resignation. Kanye West is coming home again. Yeezy announced Wednesday (Feb. 12) that he will be holding Sunday Service at the Credit 1 Arena in Chicago this weekend. “Sunday Service Experience Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago Sunday February 16th 2pm,” he tweeted. The Chi is the place to be this weekend, as the NBA All-Star Game comes to town. Yeezy previously brought Sunday Service to Miami at the top of February with the Super Bowl taking place just north of South Beach at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Lecrae Devaughn Moore is a Grammy award-winning hip-hop artist, best-selling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and co-owner and president of Reach Records. His 2014 album, Anomaly, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first album to top both the Billboard 200 and the Gospel Charts simultaneously. He has sold more than 3 million copies and been nominated for five Grammy Awards, including a win for Best Gospel Album. He also received 15 Dove Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award, and a BET Hip-Hop Nomination. Lacrae says,"With conversation rising about the number of teens committing suicide and the heightened conversations around mental health awareness and suicide prevention, this is the perfect time for my ninth album, Restoration. I’m also writing another book, I Am Restored, due out later this year. A follow-up to my first book, Unashamed, I Am Restored'." BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONTINUES TO THRIVE ON SISTER CIRCLE WITH THEIR "BRIDGING THE GAP" SERIES, RICHARD SMALLWOOD AND MORE SPECIAL GUESTS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GC4C-Wuj2g It's here! The wait is over as one of Christian music’s most successful and celebrated groups, Avalon, release Called, their first album in ten years, today, Friday, February 14, 2020. The project – the inaugural full release on Red Street Records – is produced by Don Koch and Jay DeMarcus. The exquisite harmonies of Avalon – Greg & Janna Long, Jody McBrayer, and Dani Rocca – soar over lyrics full of faith and encouragement, complemented by exemplary musicianship and skilled production.Longtime Avalon aficionados and new fans alike are sure to enjoy and be empowered by the songs featured in this collection including the title track, "Called," the upbeat first single, "Keeper of my Heart," "If Not For Jesus," "Sacred Ground," "Closer," and "Glitter and Glory," just to name a few. CLEO SPEAKS returns with a Season 2 double feature premiere event chronicling the stories of two dynamic and influential women on Saturday, February 15 beginning at 9 A.M. ET/8C. Emmy Award-winning actress Vanessa Baden Kelly and famed Poet and Entrepreneur Ernestine Johnson Morrison take a reflective look at their inspirational journey from childhood to womanhood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcQCQuKRNtU Meghan Markle surprised British Vogue’s Edward Enninful with an impromptu celebration to mark their collaboration on the September edition in an unseen video. The Duchess of Sussex, 38, handed the fashion designer a sparkly party hat and horns as a thank you for agreeing to let her be the first ever guest editor of the magazine. In the two-and-a-half minute clip shared to the Sussex Royal Instagram page this evening, the duo call up the women Meghan selected to be on her front cover. Enninful also praises the duchess for her ‘editor’s eye’, claiming: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. You were so thorough from beginning to end.’ On Jan. 26, Ava DuVernay introduced a tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle at the 2020 Grammy Awards that included performances by Meek Mill, DJ Khaled and John Legend — but the Emmy-winning director has much more planned. Sources say DuVernay is working on a Hussle documentary for which Netflix has won the rights. The late Grammy-winning rapper, whose real name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was fatally shot in March 2019 in Los Angeles at the age of 33. In addition to his critically acclaimed music, which included the Interscope album Victory Lap, Hussle had become a community activist in his native South Los Angeles and, at the time of his death, had shifted his focus to preventing gang violence. “D–n, you know we only have 30 minutes for this panel, right?” Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson joked as he strutted out onto the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall stage on Wednesday (Feb. 5), following moderator Van Jones’ lengthy introduction of the guest of honor, 50 himself. The crowd, who had just experienced the advance screening of his upcoming legal drama television series For Life, erupted with laughter. For Life is an American legal television series created by Hank Steinberg and executive produced by the Queens rapper. The series is based on the true story of Isaac Wright Jr., who was imprisoned for a crime that he did not commit, then studied to become a lawyer while incarcerated and fought to overturn his life sentence. The new series debuted Feb. 11 on ABC. 50 Cent may have said goodbye to Power, now he’s just getting started with an important new show. The rapper is the executive producer of For Life, a new legal drama created by Hank Steinberg that premieres Tuesday on ABC. The show stars Nicholas Pinnock as Aaron Wallace, a prisoner who becomes a lawyer litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. The fictionalized series is inspired by the true story of Isaac Wright Jr., a former New Jersey inmate who got his wrongful conviction overturned and became a licensed attorney. https://youtu.be/5omBCI8rGig Oscar-winning actress and comedienne Mo’Nique made headlines last year for suing Netflix, citing gender and racial discrimination. She felt she was offered a low-ball offer for a Netflix special compared to comics such as Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer and Dave Chappelle. Instead, she found a new home for her latest comedy special on Showtime which debuted Friday, February 7 and brought along a few comedic pals, too. Shot at the Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points, it’s simply called “Mo’Nique & Friends: Live from Atlanta.” Avoiding any specifics about their team’s sign-stealing during its 2017 World Series championship season, Houston Astros players Alex Bregman and José Altuve apologized Thursday for the scheme that was investigated and punished by Major League Baseball. Astros owner Jim Crane and new manager Dusty Baker — who replaced the fired AJ Hinch — also spoke at a news conference at the team’s spring training facility. TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG returns for a brand new season spotlighting the popular 90s R&B group Dru Hill on Sunday, February 23 at 10 P.M. ET/9C. The season continues with memorable stories of MC Roxanne Shante, Christopher Williams; Skyy; Shannon, Billy Paul; vocal powerhouse Betty Wright, best known for the 70s hit single "Clean Up Woman;" multi-Grammy Award-winning musician Al Jarreau; and Atlanta hip hop quartet Goodie Mob. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do-eEEYtNQ8&feature=youtu.be Dwyane Wade has discussed his child’s gender journey after his son Zion, 12, made the decision to identify as female and now goes by the name Zaya. The basketball pro, 38, spoke candidly in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, which is set to air Tuesday, in which he further discussed parenting Zaya as well as revealing he sought help in the cast of Pose for help with addressing the situation.Dwyane, who shares Zaya with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches, detailed how he and his current wife Gabrielle Union had to educate themselves about the LGBTQ community and said they are ‘proud parents and allies’ of the child. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2020/02/11/7884564603759117594/640x360_MP4_7884564603759117594.mp4 The NFL reinstated Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett from the indefinite suspension he served at the end of the last season for his role in an ugly brawl with the Pittsburgh Steelers, during which Garrett removed the helmet of quarterback Mason Rudolph and used it to strike Rudolph in the head. Wednesday’s reinstatement announcement came two days after Garrett met in New York with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league representatives. The league then reviewed whether Garrett complied fully with the terms of his reinstatement, including the requirement that he undergo counseling. Mel Tucker has agreed to lead Michigan State’s football program, according to two people familiar with the decision. The people spoke Wednesday morning to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the hiring had not been announced. One person said the school’s governing board scheduled a meeting later in the day to approve the hire. Colorado athletic director Rick George said Tucker resigned from his position at the school before Michigan State announced it was hiring him. Kobe Bean Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna have been laid to rest in a private family service two weeks after their deaths in a helicopter crash. The funeral service was held quietly on Friday at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, California with no photographers present. Information about the ceremony was revealed in death certificates issued by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, which listed burial as the type of deposition for both Bryant and Gianna. The certificates listed the causes of death as blunt trauma and indicated that they died in a ‘rapid’ manner in the January 26 crash in the hills of Calabasas. Nashville Life drops "Sing A Song." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/z0domj81a0077k2/AAD8Fj-sg09m8mP6L9aRqtKHa?dl=0&preview=NASHVILLE+LIFE+%22Sing+A+Song%22+(No+Rap).mp3 Donald Lawrence drops new single from "Goshen," "Rewritten" featuring Lejuene Thompson https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0719hkb9xaynq1r/AADBjlGKYZ7cLbhitdX-KYsha?dl=0 Memphis-based Church of God in Christ is named in a lawsuit which details decades-old allegations of sex crimes. The suit also names two New York churches, and an assistant pastor. Warren Curtis alleges he was sexually abused in a New York church when he was a child. The suit says the now 57-year-old man was an organist at a young age and joined the church. It alleges the preacher would take Curtis to and from practice – and over time, began “fondling” him.The fondling would become rape that continued from 1974 through 1978, according to the lawsuit. Curtis allegedly reported the abuse and the clergy’s response was that they would help Curtis by praying to “remove the demons from within him.” The lawsuit claims negligent supervision, assault and battery, and conspiracy to commit fraud, saying those named in the lawsuit engaged in a coordinated effort to conceal the allegations of sexual assault and abuse. The victim also claimed he is suffering from permanent physical and emotional injuries including ongoing humiliation, irritability, personality changes, a loss of faith, and a loss of earnings. At a time when states are debating the removal of Confederate monuments, Maryland unveiled bronze statues of famed abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass during a ceremony Monday night in the Maryland State House. The life-sized statues were dedicated during a special joint session of the Maryland General Assembly in the Old House Chamber, the room where slavery was abolished in the state in 1864. The statues, dedicated during Black History Month, were made to show Tubman and Douglass as they would have appeared in age and dress in 1864. Several celebrities have expressed disappointment in CBS correspondent Gayle King, who recently questioned WNBA star Lisa Leslie about late basketball player — and Leslie’s close friend — Kobe Bryant and his 2003 sexual assault charge.Rapper Snoop Dogg has been the most vocal against King, and has now been joined by incarcerated comedian Bill Cosby, who tweeted from behind bars that he believes black women are being used to target successful black men. “It’s so sad and disappointing that successful Black Women are being used to tarnish the image and legacy of successful Black Men, even in death,” Cosby, 82, wrote. “Are these people that are in need of fame, ratings and/or money? On behalf of myself, Camille and my family, thank you, thank you and thank you. My heartfelt prayers are with Kobe and his family, as well as with Michael Jackson and his family. May their legacies live on forever.” As Richmond continues to grow so does it’s tourism, which is why a new tourism campaign hopes to highlight the region’s Black culture in art, entertainment, food and history. BLK RVA is the latest campaign created by Richmond Region Tourism and is a collaborative effort with Black community leaders to increase tourism and showcase businesses in the community that people see every day but know little about. Throughout history, Richmond has played a major role in African American history with it being the center for domestic slaves, home to the Harlem of the South and the gateway to new modern-day Black culture. Dwayne Johnson’s 18-year-old daughter Simone Johnson is on her way to making wrestling history by starting her training with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Johnson, the daughter of Johnson and his first wife and current business partner Dany Garcia, started training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. While she still has a long way to go before becoming a full-fledged WWE Superstar, she will become the WWE’s first fourth-generation Superstar. Johnson’s great grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia and grandfather, Rocky Johnson, are both WWE Hall of Famers and her father Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is still one of the most iconic modern-day wrestlers. Miss Janet Jackson kicks off her Black Diamond World Tour this summer to arenas across North America. The outing will feature an all-new production featuring new music from her highly anticipated, forthcoming album “Black Diamond,” set for release this year. Performing songs from her 12 multi-platinum albums including a special performance of Rhythm Nation 1814, which recently marked its 30th Anniversary. Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off June 24th in Miami and will visit major cities across the U.S. and Canada including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Toronto, Dallas, and many more. It’s now two weeks since Kobe and Gianna Bryant‘s violent death due to a helicopter crash and Vanessa Bryant is now opening up about her tragic loss and it’s very emotional. “My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone,” wrote Vanessa on her Instagram page. “I can’t process both at the same time,” she also said. “It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me.” “It feels wrong,” Vanessa added. “Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity?! I’m so mad. She had so much life to live.” Tamayya J releases "Love For Your Name" the 4th single from the album "Worship While You Wait." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdACLZZOHQo&feature=youtu.be Two-time GRAMMY® Award winner Jacky Clark-Chisholm of the legendary Clark Sisters releases new digital single “Feel Good” featuring GRAMMY® and Golden Globe winning, Oscar nominated singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist and honorary Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige to digital and streaming outlets now. The 92nd Academy Awards took place Sunday night in Hollywood, California, and featured a set of historic moments along with powerful performances from the stars of the faith-filled films, “Breakthrough” and “Harriet.” “This is Us” actress Chrissy Metz made her Oscars debut by performing her song, “I’m Standing With You,” which was nominated for best original song from the 2019 Christian film “Breakthrough.” https://youtu.be/xE2s1pQcADM The country’s sole African American-led news network has arrived. Black News Channel debuted this week, the second week of Black History Month, to fill what its founders called a void in representation in national news. The network began broadcasting in select markets Monday. The 24-7 cable channel features black anchors “dedicated to the unique perspective of African American communities,” according to a statement from its co-founders J.C. Watts and Bob Brillante, and will debut in “majority African American markets” first, according to its website, including Atlanta and Los Angeles. It’s available to select Spectrum and Xfinity X-1 customers and will premiere on Sling and Roku at a later, unspecified date. Starbucks has started a new advertising campaign, #whatsyourname, in the United Kingdom in partnership with Mermaids, a nonprofit group that supports young trans-identifying people and their families, the coffee chain has announced. Starbucks’ #whatsyourname campaign “celebrates” the company’s signature practice of taking a customer’s name, writing it on a cup and calling it out, by extending it to “transgender and gender diverse people,” the American coffee chain says in a statement. Netflix’s Dear White People is one of pop culture’s most provocative shows. Based on a breakout 2014 indie movie, the Netflix series follows a group of young, black college students navigating the world of activism, “wokeness,” appropriation, political correctness and social issues on a mostly white campus. The premise might sound heavy, but the show is really, really funny. At the center of the story is Samantha White, a passionate racial justice advocate, who hosts a campus radio show that seeks to wake her fellow classmates up to the issues dividing the student body. “What I hear from [college students] is they feel comforted watching Sam going through the same things they’re doing,” says Logan Browning, who plays Samantha on the show. “Because there aren’t a lot of shows where you’re seeing a character go through the ups and downs of trying to be a part of a movement that’s bigger than them.” For Browning, her work on the show isn’t just rooted in her passion for racial equality and justice; it’s an important part of her faith. Raised in a Baptist church, Browning says that her own approach to activism mirrors Samantha’s passion but is informed by her Christian roots. Subtitle this: “Parasite” is the first non-English language film to win best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards. Bong Joon Ho’s masterfully devious class satire took Hollywood’s top prize at the Oscars on Sunday night, along with awards for best director, best international film and best screenplay. In a year dominated by period epics — “1917,” “Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood,” “The Irishman” — the film academy instead went overseas, to South Korea, to reward a contemporary and unsettling portrait of social inequality in “Parasite.” Meghan Markle and Prince Harry dined with Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez in Miami on Thursday night, according to The New York Post. The dinner date reportedly occurred just hours after the formal royals delivered their keynote speech at the JP Morgan ‘billionaire’s summit’ in the same city. Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, are said to have instantly ‘bonded’ with J-Lo, 50, and A.Rod, 44, during the dinner date, which took place at Habitat – a ritzy restaurant located inside the 1 Hotel South Beach. Supermodel Ashley Graham and husband Justin Ervin explained the meaning behind their newborn son’s name, Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin. On Graham’s “Pretty Big Deal” podcast on Tuesday, Ervin explained that he came up with the name Isaac back when he was in middle school. “I brainstormed my own [baby names] for my future son and I knew it was going to be Isaac just even from then till now,” he said of the Biblical moniker. https://youtu.be/P6jWJTIEXTw Snoop Dogg isn’t looking for a fight with Gayle King. The rapper, 48, took to Instagram Saturday to make that clear after calling out the CBS correspondent for mentioning late basketball star Kobe Bryant’s 2003 rape case. “I’m a non-violent person,” Snoop says in the video. “When I said what I said, I spoke for the people who felt like Gayle was very disrespectful towards Kobe Bryant and his family.” “Now with that being said,“ he continued, “what I look like wanting some harm to come to a 70-year-old woman? I was raised way better than that. I don’t want no harm to come to her and I didn’t threaten her, all I did was said, ‘check it out, you outta pocket for what you doing and we watching you. Have a little more respect for Vanessa, her babies and Kobe Bryant’s legacy.’”He went on to stress that he’s “non-violent” while insisting he can only “speak from the heart.” “Some of you who don’t have a heart wouldn’t understand that,” he quipped, ending the video. The Rev. William Barber II brought his message about supporting the needy to the Capitol, urging an “emergency convening” hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus to mobilize poor voters in the upcoming election. “There’s no way we can inspire people to move with the normal politics that doesn’t fully address poverty,” said Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign and the keynoter on Tuesday (Feb. 4) at the caucus’s National Black Leadership Summit.“When you can work a full-time job at minimum wage and still not be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in this country, that’s poor. And if we can’t see that and if we don’t acknowledge that poverty then we are refusing to call upon these witnesses among us.” Hundreds of politicians, faith leaders, union representatives and others gathered in the Congressional Auditorium of the Capitol Visitor Center to discuss ways of ensuring more people of color are included in the upcoming once-a-decade census and the national elections this year. Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, has posted a sweet video of her seven-month-old baby girl just two weeks after a helicopter crash killed her husband along with her 13-year-old daughter Gianna.The 37-year-old took to Instagram on Saturday morning to share her and Kobe’s youngest daughter, attempting to stand on her own for the first time. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2020/02/08/3644611861798893597/1024x576_MP4_3644611861798893597.mp4?_=1 Award-winning Christian artist Tauren Wells says his new music is uniquely a representation of who God made him to be and maintains that, unlike secular music, his songs offer people the hope of Jesus while talking about the difficulties of life. Wells released his latest album, Citizen Of Heaven, last week, while he’s out on tour with TobyMac for the Hits Deep Tour. Along with the release of his new music, the multitalented musician has a new role as a preacher at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, under pastor Joel Osteen. He also has the honor of being a supporting act for TobyMac on the road. Manhattan’s district attorney office is reviewing the details surrounding the 1965 shooting death of civil rights icon Malcolm X in Washington Heights, including looking over the convictions made for his alleged murderers. The news of the review from Cy Vance’s office comes as the Netflix documentary ‘Who Killed Malcolm X?’ airs on the streaming platform starting on Friday. Peter Casolaro is one of the assistant DAs assigned to the case. Casolaro famously worked on the investigation that led to the exoneration of the Central Park Five, DA spokesman Danny Frost explained to the New York Daily News. Frost also said that integrity bureau deputy chief Charles King would also be looking into the case. The Innocence Project has been in talks with Vance over the case as well. Washington is the latest NFL team to hire a female assistant coach. Jennifer King will join Ron Rivera’s staff as a full-time assistant. It is unclear at this point what position she will be coaching, but she has a familiarity with Rivera, having previously worked for him as a coaching intern in Carolina. King will be the first African-American woman to have a full-time coaching job in the NFL. Bob Knight’s short stroll from the practice gym to Assembly Hall ended a 20-year journey home. When the former Indiana Hoosiers coach walked through the tunnel Saturday and onto his old court for the first time since his firing in September 2000, the crowd went wild — chanting his name, roaring with approval, thanking him for all the success and banners he brought to Bloomington. The sellout crowd and dozens of former players lauded Knight after watching a video detailing Knight’s contributions. He walked in with his son, Pat. He hugged Isiah Thomas. He was assisted into the arena by Quinn Buckner. And the 79-year-old Knight reveled in the moment, pumping his fist, pretending to direct Scott May in a practice drill and even leading fans in a chorus of “de-fense, de-fense.” The debut of the new XFL had a punt blocked for a touchdown, a juiced-up crowd roaring for big plays and a player swearing during an in-game television interview. College national championship-winning former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones was the biggest star on the field and took the microphone to address fans before the start of a brand-new football league. “This is for the love of football,” Jones said. “Enjoy.” Jones’ D.C. Defenders beat the Seattle Dragons 31-19 Saturday afternoon in the opener of the new XFL that provided plenty of entertainment in person and on TV. The first weekend is a chance for football fans to catch a glimpse of some of the few players they might recognize. There’s former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones with Dallas, former NFL QB Josh Johnson with San Diego and ex-Navy standout Keenan Reynolds playing for Seattle. Before the Super Bowl LIV kickoff last Sunday, Yolanda Adams and the Children’s Chorus of Miami took the stage to sing the annual rendition of America the Beautiful at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Adams stood atop a giant white football, in a black and white floral pantsuit, with the Children’s Chorus behind her on the field in all white, harmonizing with the gospel legend. Cameras caught the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs players watching the traditional performance. https://twitter.com/i/status/1224112707554676737 Lionsgate has greenlit a movie about NFL legend Kurt Warner from Kingdom Story Company, producers of the box office hit I Can Only Imagine. American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story will be directed by brothers Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin and produced by partner Kevin Downes. Kingdom Story has a first-look deal to develop, produce and helm faith-based film and TV projects for Lionsgate. Warner and his wife Brenda will co-produce the drama, which recalls his unlikely journey from stocking shelves at a supermarket in Iowa to becoming a two-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl MVP and a Hall of Fame quarterback. Kingdom Story acquired Warner’s life rights, and the screenplay is based on interviews with Warner and his memoir, All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the First Miracle Season. Through laughs, tears and speeches that turned into sermons and affirmations, the overarching theme of this year’s star-studded Essence luncheon was that in an unforgiving industry that often overlooks, black women need no validation from Hollywood — or elsewhere — to appreciate their self-worth. “No one in this room derived from luck. We are a powerful force field that derived from greatness,” said “Captain Marvel” actress Lashana Lynch at Thursday afternoon’s Essence Black Women in Hollywood event. “We work hard on our craft and our self love, and have to remind ourselves daily that we deserve a seat at the table.” “Queen & Slim” director Melina Matsoukas, another honoree, echoed Lynch’s sentiments when she received her award from “Insecure” actress and creator Issa Rae, who tapped Matsoukas to direct the hit HBO comedy series. After losing distribution only two weeks before its Sundance premiere, the Russell Simmons accuser documentary On the Record has found a new home. In its first-ever festival acquisition, HBO Max has picked up the film from Oscar-nominated directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. On the Record tells the stories of Simmons’ accusers, including former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon, as they decide to go public with their claims of sexual harassment and assault at the hands of the Def Jam music mogul. The stories of Sil Lai Abrams, Sheri Hines, Jenny Lumet and Alexia Norton Jones also appear in the doc. A plaque marking the site of slave auctions was reported missing and vandalism was found nearby in a Virginia city where a deadly white nationalist rally was held in 2017. An employee with WVIR-TV told police Thursday that one of the two markers in Charlottesville’s Court Square had been removed, the television station reported, and the city confirmed the disappearance in a news release from city spokesman Brian Wheeler. The marker was built into a sidewalk and had recently been criticized for being illegible, The Daily Progress reported. A light pole nearby was marked with a “1619,” which was written with what appears to be dirt from beneath the location of the marker, the news release said. The number signifies the first year Africans were brought to Virginia as slaves. Following what is believed to have been a long period of competitive negotiations, the studio has won worldwide distribution rights to the film of the original staged performance of the Tony-winning musical. The pic is set to be released in North America on Oct. 15, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkAoJKGsIVE After an amazing run with the #1 smash, “Deliver Me,” Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers return with the new single, “Rewritten”. The song serves at the third single from their latest LP, Goshen. The encouraging ballad is a melodic reminder that God specializes in redemption, despite one’s transgressions. The song features Jason Nelson and Lejeune Thompson on lead vocals. https://pec.smcdp-aws.net/welcome?key=60A2A94F-070A-3FC1-751A-6FBEE3120C84 Gospel Spotlight on New Music "PATIENTLY PRAISING" by FRED JERKINS feat. LOWELL PYE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po_44oy_TSs&feature=youtu.be CELEBRATE A WEEK OF LOVE WITH THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE AS THEY WELCOME SPECIAL GUEST SINGERS Q PARKER, MICHEL'LE, TV PERSONALITY TOYA WRIGHT AND COUPLE MONTELL & KRISTEN JORDAN PLUS MORE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn5H5owVJy8 Snoop Dogg hit up the Rickey Smiley radio show Friday morning and explained why he was compelled to put Gayle King on blast over her asking about the Kobe Bryant rape case in an interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie. https://youtu.be/5P5sR5udoXM An emotional and tearful Oprah Winfrey was seen on NBC’s “Today” Friday after she was asked about the recent controversy involving her friend/sister Gaye King. As you know, King is catching pure hell on several fronts after asking former WNBA player Lisa Leslie about Kobe Bryant’s rape allegation during an interview. “We did a show yesterday on best friends and how meaningful they are to us and I think the last 24 hours for your best friend has been pretty difficult after that interview with Lisa Leslie about Kobe and I just wondered how she is doing,” Hoda Kotb asked Winfrey. After an amazing run with the #1 smash, “Deliver Me,” Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers return with the new single, “Rewritten”. The song serves at the third single from their latest LP, Goshen. The encouraging ballad is a melodic reminder that God specializes in redemption, despite one’s transgressions. The song features Jason Nelson and Lejeune Thompson on lead vocals. https://pec.smcdp-aws.net/welcome?key=60A2A94F-070A-3FC1-751A-6FBEE3120C84 It has been reported that the health of Serena and Venus Williams’ father, Richard Williams is suffering from irreparable “brain damage” and “dementia.” Court papers revealed tennis ace and her sister Venus could become embroiled in a court battle with their stepmother. The Williams sisters’ 77-year-old father is “totally incapacitated to conduct any business,” the documents, which include testimony from his own doctor. The former tennis coach has barely been seen in public over the last few years, as he’s been fighting a messy divorce battle with Lakeisha Williams, 40. Issues with his much younger wife are what some believe led to Williams suffering two strokes which ultimately left him barely able to speak. Richard Williams claims in court documents that Lakeisha forged his signature to change the mortgage deed on his house in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, into her name. He then claims an associate of Lakeisha’s pretended to be him so that she could borrow nearly $300,000 of equity on the house from a lender named David Simon to start up a trucking business. CLEO TV kicks off the month of February with fresh episodes of the popular digital series ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON on Saturday, February 8 at 1 p.m. ET/11C. The network's signature series CLEO SPEAKS resumes with powerful new stories of influential women beginning February 15 at 9 a.m. ET/8C, and brand new episodes of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ debuts February 22 at 12 p.m. ET./11C with signature culinary treats. Gospel Spotlight on new single from JEKALYN CARR "CHANGING YOUR STORY! https://www.dropbox.com/s/wphdufecmites2l/Jekalyn%20Carr%20-%20Changing%20Your%20Story%20wav.wav?dl=0 Returning to BET Network’s for season 10 is America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best.” The well-established gospel show welcomes back Grammy Award®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host. Returning for the second consecutive year as judges are gospel songstress and host of "Get Up Mornings," Erica Campbell, and Grammy-Award® nominated artists Kelly Price and Jonathan McReynolds. Season 10 open call auditions will be held Saturday, February 15th in Atlanta, GA at The House of Hope (4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur, GA 30034; registration 6am-11am). Atlanta auditions will be filmed for television. Uptown Ventures Group, the parent company of Uptown Magazine, kicked off Oscar week with their annual event, Lexus Uptown Honors Hollywood, at NeueHouse Hollywood last night. Celebrity guests gathered to honor Power Player Women within the film industry. The evening honorees included writer, producer and creator of “Power (Starz),” Courtney A. Kemp, Executive Vice President of Film Production at Warner Bros. Pictures Niija Kuykendall, writer, performer, producer and show runner Robin Thede, along with creative, young power player, award-winning actress and executive producer Marsai Martin. The night of excellence was hosted by Tai Beauchamp and Chris Spencer. Jay DeMarcus has announced the addition of two-time GRAMMY® winner Jason Crabb to Red Streets Records, the Christian music label he founded in 2018. Crabb and DeMarcus share a long history of friendship and collaboration, first working together on 2013's Love Is Stronger, then reuniting for the GRAMMY award-winning record, Unexpected, that was released in 2018. Through the years, the two have remained close friends and the pair could not be more excited about this moment. Just a few months after his 15-year-old daughter died from a seizure, international worship leader Micah Stampley publicly broke down in front of an audience at a Texas-based mega church. At Bishop T.D. Jakes’ The Potter’s House of Dallas, following the 48-year-old guest songstress’s worship set, Jakes prayed for Stampley, leaving the grieving father sobbing on his knees. “We love you. We love your family. We’ve been praying for you,” Jakes directed his comments to Stampley over the microphone immediately after he had completed a powerful medley of songs. A visibly emotional Stampley made his way over to the 62-year-old longtime mentor who offered the soloist his first recording contract in 2004, blasting Stampley onto the music scene in a big way. Tom Hanks, Chris Rock and Taika Waititi are some of the presenters who will take the Oscars stage at the Dolby Theatre during Sunday’s ceremony. Producers Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain announced Wednesday the final slate of actors who signed up to present awards on the ABC broadcast along with Jane Fonda, Oscar Isaac and Natalie Portman. Other names in the overall lineup include Mahershala Ali, Will Ferrell, Keanu Reeves, Regina King, Salma Hayek, Gal Gadot, Spike Lee and Sigourney Weaver. The producers said in a statement that they are grateful to have a dynamic group of presenters for an exciting show. The 92nd Academy Awards will be televised live on ABC Sunday starting at 8 p.m. ET. Controversial director Spike Lee told Rev. Al Sharpton this week that the senators who vote to acquit Trump in his impeachment will “burn in hell.” In an interview with Lee on MSNBC, the BlacKkKlansman director asked Sharpton if senators had to put their hands on the Bible when they took an oath during the impeachment trial. Sharpton responded that he believes there was a Bible on a podium, though he wasn’t sure if they physically had to put their hand on it. “They’re going to burn in hell if they put their hand on that Bible,” Lee said with laughter. Sharpton joined in the laughing. CNN contributor Van Jones warned fellow panelists, and Democrats in general, on Tuesday evening that President Donald Trump was helping African-Americans “in real life” and reaching out to them for their vote in 2020. Jones was reacting to the president’s State of the Union address, in which the president mentioned several efforts to help African-Americans specifically: What he was saying to African-Americans can be effective. You may not like it, but he mentioned HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities] — our black colleges have been struggling for a long time, a bunch of them have gone under — he threw a lifeline to them, in real life, in his budget. He talked about that. He talked about the criminal justice reform. He talked about opportunity zones. He talked about school choice. Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes slammed cans of beer thrown to him by spectators, and even stepped out for a quick bathroom break along Wednesday’s parade route in Kansas City, where eager fans braved freezing temperatures and a potential snow storm to celebrate Sunday’s 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers and the team’s first championship in 50 years. https://youtu.be/XWaRtr-x4o4 There were several controversial calls in Super Bowl LIV that went against the San Francisco 49ers, and former 49ers Jerry Rice is criticizing the officiating in that game. Rice starts by ripping into the offensive pass interference call against tight end George Kittle at the end of the first half. He also bemoaned a couple calls in the fourth quarter, specifically the pass interference call that went against 49ers safety Tarvarius Moore while he was guarding Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, as well as the call that Damien Williams broke the plane of the end zone before stepping out of bounds on the Chiefs’ go-ahead touchdown. “You can’t make excuses or anything like that. We had a chance. We lost the game probably in the last five minutes. We were right in the ball game." In a swap of high scorers, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired D’Angelo Russell on Thursday from the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, according to a person with knowledge of the trade. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to be finalized by the NBA with a few hours remaining before the deadline. ESPN first reported the trade, which also includes additional players and draft picks. Russell had been on Minnesota’s radar for months, a dynamic point guard in his fifth season in the league after going as the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. Robert Covington is going to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela is headed to the Atlanta Hawks as the headline moves in a complicated four-team trade that was approved by the NBA late Wednesday night. All told, it included 12 players and three draft picks. The Rockets got Covington and Jordan Bell from Minnesota, plus Golden State’s 2024 second-round pick from the Hawks. Atlanta got two centers, Capela and Nenê from Houston. Denver got Gerald Green from Houston along with the Rockets’ 2020 first-round pick. The Nuggets also landed Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier and Noah Vonleh from Minnesota. Minnesota got Brooklyn’s 2020 first-round pick and Evan Turner from Atlanta, plus Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Juancho Hernangomez from Denver. NFL free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown is continuing his apology tour. In a radio interview Thursday with 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Brown said he was sorry for “distractions” that he caused when he was a member of the Steelers for nine seasons. “I apologize to those guys for the distractions, the unwanted attention that I probably caused those guys, to the organization,” Brown told 93.7 The Fan. “Obviously you want to clear out any baggage or any disrespect or unintended attention that was brought on to the organization. These guys gave me an opportunity when I was 21 years old. I’m forever grateful to those guys, to have the opportunity to not only play with those guys but to be in so many amazing moments. Some of the tensions stemmed from Roethlisberger, the Steelers quarterback, publicly criticizing Brown in a radio interview. With 1:07 left in the game, Roethlisberger threw an interception in the end zone on a pass that was intended for Brown, and the quarterback subsequently blamed the receiver by saying he should have adjusted on the route. Featuring multiple Grammy winner Hezekiah Walker & Hollywood Mogul Dr. Holly Carter(Clark Sister movie, Preacher's of LA), JDI Records artist Renee Spearman hits #1 on Billboard! Celebrating 36 weeks in a row atop the Billboard chart, Renee Spearman is nominated for this year's Stellar Award Traditional Duo/Group of the Year! Riding high on her hit single "I LOVE HIM"(Billboard's #1 Most Added Song at Radio), Renee Spearman's hit single is one of the breakout songs of the year! In 2013, Kanye West released the album “Yeezus,” the title of which combined Kanye’s nickname — Yeezy — and Jesus. Among the tracks on the album was a song titled “I Am a God.” Six years later, Kanye released “Jesus Is King.” Radically diverging from his previous works, the album is replete with biblical references, gospel choirs and songs such as “Jesus Is Lord” and “Follow God.” According to Kanye, the album is a hip-hop account of his religious conversion to Christianity. Kanye’s religious conversion sparked a variety of reactions. Some celebrated. Some cringed. But all were curious. Last week, the Christian rapper Flame released a new album, “Extra Nos,” chronicling his theological conversion from Calvinism to Lutheranism. (Flame made headlines in July after winning a copyright infringement lawsuit alleging that Katy Perry had wrongfully copied elements from his song “Joyful Noise.”) Stellar Award nominated choral aggregation Demetrius West and Jesus Promoters prepare for the release of their next single, a song of celebratory affirmation, "I’m Next." Released to radio in January. "I’m Nex" is the follow up single to the choir’s previous radio favorite "Open the Floodgates" from the album "Choirology." Singer Maurice “Reggie” Smith has built his repertoire of musical experience by singing with mainstream music giants Estelle, Sinead O'Connor, Robin Gibb from the Bee Gee's, Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, and for some of Gospel’s greatest - James Hall, Hezekiah Walker, Yolanda Adams, Johnathan Nelson and Dorinda Clark-Cole. His notable appearances include BET’S “Bobby Jones Gospel”, BET’s “106 & Park”, NBC’s "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and the De Laatste Show in Brussels, Belgium. Smith has been a lead vocalist for Gospel groups Trevone Perry and Devine Purpose and Anthony Ponder and Ministry's Desire. He stepoed forward from the background into a solo career releasing his first single “You’re All I Want” in 2014, and a sophomore single “You Are Great” in 2017. Smith starts the new decade with his third single “I Still Believe” which is a precursor to his forthcoming 2020 EP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f74lFUSg4Js&feature=youtu.be Shannen Doherty is battling a recurrence of breast cancer that has progressed to stage four, telling fans “it’s a bitter pill to swallow.” “I definitely have days where I say, ‘Why me?’ And then I go, ‘Well, why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this?’ None of us do,” Doherty told “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. “I don’t think I’ve processed it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways.” The actress from “Charmed” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” first revealed she had breast cancer in 2015 and charted her battle with the disease and its remission on social media. A woman who repeatedly told the national NAACP that her supervisor in the North Carolina conference had sexually harassed her is suing the national group and her former boss. Jazmyne Childs is seeking at least $15 million for her emotional and mental distress that she says civil rights organization condoned through its inaction.In the lawsuit filed Monday in Durham County court, attorneys for Childs said she was sexually harassed by the Rev. Curtis Gatewood when she was youth and college field secretary for the state conference in 2017. She suffers from depression, anxiety, nervousness and insomnia, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit seeks more than $5 million in compensatory damages and more than $25,000 in punitive damages on each of three claims: battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.NAACP officials and Gatewood did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rihanna will receive the President’s Award during the 51st NAACP Image Awards this month. The NAACP announced Tuesday that it had selected the 31-year-old pop star and fashion icon for her “groundbreaking career as an artist and musician, but (someone who) has also distinguished herself as a stellar public servant.” Rihanna will be given the award during the Feb. 22 ceremony that will be televised for the first time on BET. The show will air live from Pasadena, California. Previous recipients include Jay-Z, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson and Condoleezza Rice. 16-time GRAMMY winning artist, songwriter and producer, Kirk Franklin, joined Nick Cannon and the cast of "Wild N Out" for a hilarious new episode premiering, February 4th, on VH1! Todd Dulaney is back with a game changing new single that he hopes will inspire listeners to go "Back To The Book". The new single "Psalms 18" is the lead song from his 3 song EP that features songs sung straight from the scriptures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R-h_UNmgDE&feature=youtu.be Chart-Topping Stellar, Dove & BMI Awarding-Winning Producer & Recording Artist Isaac Carree Returns With First New CD In Six Years No Risk No Reward Set For Release March 20, 2020 Guests Include Kirk Franklin, Zacardi Cortez, Lisa Knowles, Jazze Pha, ?Mr. Talkbox & Others!New song "Legend!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5ZAKf2Vl7Y&feature=youtu.be Mainstream celebrities Master P, born Percy Robert Miller, and his son, Romeo Miller, attended the 28th annual Movieguide Awards where they told The Christian Post that they’ve veered away from their past hip-hop messages to create content that reflects their Christian faith. While on the red carpet, Master P acknowledged the importance of being at an awards show that celebrates faith and family films. “Romeo has started a brand, Romeo Land, and it’s all about having great content,” he told CP. Along with his roster of businesses, the hip-hop and sports mogul said his movie company, Genius Minds Pictures, and his son’s new company, Romeo Land, are gearing up to release a Christian film. Singer, songwriter, worship leader and musician Darius Twyman is strategically poised to pick up where he left off reintroducing scores of Gospel music lovers to the distinct sounds of his ensemble, Destiny, with the release of their new single, "We are Family, We are Friends. " The Jacksonville Jaguars have long-term plans in place to generate more revenue. They expect to break ground on an entertainment district adjacent to their aging stadium this spring and eventually hope to develop the shipyards along the St. Johns River. Both are years from completion. In the meantime, the Jaguars have found a short-term solution: another home game in London. Jacksonville announced Tuesday it has reached an agreement with the NFL to play consecutive home games at Wembley Stadium next season, doubling the franchise’s overseas income and potentially strengthening its foothold in a market the NFL wants to expand. Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for the upcoming Ben Affleck sports drama “The Way Back,” highlighting the themes of hope, second chances and redemption. From “The Accountant” director Gavin O’Connor, the movie tells the story of a troubled high school basketball coach (Affleck), who battles addiction and grief while also attempting to inspire and motivate his struggling team. https://youtu.be/GhtTc7R8yBk Tyscot recording artist Ruth La’Ontra has signed a Major Movie Contract Deal! Manager Bishop Arvetra Jones says, “The movie will be in theaters this year world wide!” In the featured film, Ruth will be performing a duet with Gospel recording artist Joshua Rogers! “They will be doing the main soundtrack in the Movie”, says Bishop Jones. TV One announced today that production is underway in Atlanta, GA for its new original film COINS FOR LOVE, slated to premiere in August. The film's stars include Essence Atkins ("Ambitions," "Marlon"), Stephen Bishop ("Imposters," "Being Mary Jane"), TC Carson ("Living Single"), Kendrick Cross ("Ambitions") and Karon Joseph Riley ("35 and Ticking," "A Christmas Blessing"). In this sequel to TV One's popular COINS FOR CHRISTMAS, audiences are reunited with single mother Madison Morris (Atkins) who has landed her dream job at a publishing company. To Madison's dismay, she learns she's been hired on a probationary period and will not receive her full salary until the process is over, again leaving her in a financial struggle to support her two teenage children. Judah Band is gearing up to release an all-new EP titled, "Hush - The EP". The EP is now available for pre-order and will deliver to all digital platforms on Friday, February 14. Judah Band possesses an energy and presence that can’t be contested. Their sound is a melting pot of musical genres that includes: Gospel, Rock, Pop and Classical. "Hush - The EP" is the perfect blend of these 4 musical genres. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTv8s7_wdzA&feature=emb_logo White supremacist Dylann Roof on Tuesday appealed his federal convictions and death sentence in the 2015 massacre of nine black church members in South Carolina, arguing that he was mentally ill when he represented himself at his capital trial. In a 321-page legal brief filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Roof’s lawyers ask the court to review 20 issues, including errors they say were made by the judge and prosecutors that “tainted” his sentencing. One of their main arguments is that U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel should not have allowed Roof to represent himself during the penalty phase of his trial because he was a 22-year-old ninth-grade dropout “who believed his sentence didn’t matter because white nationalists would free him from prison after an impending race war.” Sesame Street said Thursday that Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Porter will appear in an upcoming episode of the popular series while – apparently – wearing a dress. Sesame Street posted photos of Porter on social media. The appearance by Porter, who is gay, likely would have gone unnoticed by most if not for the pictures accompanying the social media messages. Sesame Street’s Twitter and Facebook accounts each showed Porter wearing his famous tuxedo dress, or gown, on set with the characters. Porter – an actor and Broadway performer – is known for wearing women’s clothes. Sesame Street did not disclose whether his choice of clothes is discussed on the show. GOSHEN, The GRAMMY nominated disc from multiple award winner Donald Lawrence, will make its world premiere debut at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse for a limited engagement from May 22 – 31, 2020. GOSHEN, The Story of the Exodus, brings together GRAMMY Award-winning producer, songwriter, and gospel artist Donald Lawrence and members of The Tri-City Singers, rapper Sir The Baptist, poet J. Ivy and choir master Zeke Locke with Chicago’s Deeply Rooted Dance Theater for a collaboration of gospel music, song, dramatic narrative, and dance-theater rooted in African-American traditions. The work addresses contemporary matters of race and equity while exploring historic themes of power, wealth, fear, and oppression depicted in ancient biblical narrative. BRING IN BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE LIVE AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST ANDREW YOUNG, RAPPER DA BRAT, ACTRESS KEISHA KNIGHT PULLIAM AND MORE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGmAS1ze_zo Terry Crews apologized for his comments about Gabrielle Union’s claims of mistreatment on “America’s Got Talent,” saying he didn’t mean to “invalidate” her experience and regrets letting down other black women. On the “Today” show last week, Crews said that Union’s allegations of racism on the production didn’t reflect his experience as the NBC talent show’s host. Union was dropped as a judge on the series after one season.In a series of posts Friday on his Twitter account, Crews recounted telling Kevin Hart that he had to “acknowledge the pain of other people.” Baby No. 3 is on the way to the home of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and pop star Ciara. The couple announced the news on social media early Thursday with photos of Ciara pregnant and striking a pose. Wilson’s tweet features his bearded visage in the foreground. Ciara seemed to be hinting at the pregnancy on her Instagram account for several weeks, posting photos of herself in Wilson’s No. 3 jersey, using “#3” as a caption and filming a video clip set to rapper DaBaby’s song “BOP,” in which he says, “You know everybody been waitin’ on that baby.” This will be the power couple’s second biological child but the third they are raising together, as Ciara has a son from a previous relationship with rapper Future. He grew his hair so long, it flowed out of his helmet and obscured the name on the back of his jersey. Didn’t matter. Everyone knew where to find Troy Polamalu on Sundays. The Steelers great earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with another hard-hitting safety, Steve Atwater of Denver. Also voted in Saturday were receiver Isaac Bruce, running back Edgerrin James and guard Steve Hutchinson. Polamalu said he went six or seven years, maybe longer, without cutting his hair during the prime of his career, which lasted from 2003-14. But as much as for the hair, he earned the nickname “Tasmanian Devil” for how he changed the way people thought about the safety position — bolting around the field, making plays from practically anywhere. No quarterback, runner or receiver was safe. Kobe Bryant’s widow posted a heartbreaking photo on Instagram remembering her late husband and their 13-year-old daughter who perished in Sunday’s helicopter crash in Calabasas on the same night the Lakers paid tribute to their memory during an emotional game at Staples Center in Los Angeles. ‘There is no #24 without #2,’ Vanessa Bryant wrote in the caption of the Instagram post showing two empty chairs along courtside at the Staples Center. The Lakers placed Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s basketball jerseys over the backrests while bouquets of red roses were rested on the seats. RCA Inspiration has partnered with acclaimed three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist, songwriter, and producer Mali Music and will be releasing new music in 2020 starting with the single “Let Go.” In partnership with RCA Inspiration and Mali’s imprint, K Approved Enterprises, “Let Go” is available today on all digital music providers. Mali Music also released a new lyric visual for “Let Go” via his YouTube channel. Written by Mali Music and produced by David “D1” Grant, Jr., “Let Go” showcases the distinctive blend of contemporary soulful R&B, hip-hop and inspirational conscious lyricism that have garnered Mali critical and widespread acclaim as one of the music industry’s most compelling creators, with Mali speaking on common temptations we face in life and being strong in spirit facing God. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzlGcIp1qsc UNCF Los Angeles to host 2020 UNCF Homecoming: An HBCU Experience - a Kickoff Reception to the Mayor’s Masked Ball. Honoring HBCU Alum, Emmy Award® and Golden Globe® Nominated “black-ish” Actor, and Producer Anthony Anderson. February 11, 2020. Los Angeles, Ca. The impact of Jordan Matthews on the San Francisco 49ers isn’t something that can be measured by his football performance. The wide receiver has spent most of the season on the inactive list, playing in only three games and catching four passes. Matthews knows that the eternal impact he’s having on the team is far more valuable than any contribution he can make on the field. Matthews is widely regarded as one of the team’s spiritual pillars. He’s the leader of the team Bible study and is one of the go-to guys for spiritual counsel. Matthews’ ministry was especially meaningful in late December when 49ers backup quarterback C.J. Beathard’s brother Clayton was stabbed to death. Matthews regularly texted Scriptures and encouragement to Beathard and was faithful in praying for him. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star Kim Kardashian West shared a video of her 2-year-old daughter, Chicago, singing her “favorite” worship song. “Jesus, I love you! Jesus, I love you! Jesus!,” Chicago is seen singing loudly in the first Instagram clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVy92KMpTvw Globally recognized entrepreneur and faith leader T.D. Jakes announced the launch of his new nonprofit organization, the T.D. Jakes Foundation, which focuses on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education, workforce preparedness and job training. The foundation's goal is to increase diversity and inclusion, and gender equity, and connect corporations to new, highly skilled pools of talent amid increasing global competition. With the launch of his eponymous foundation, Jakes is building on his many decades of work serving the Dallas community through programs like the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (T.O.R.I.), which has received federal, state, city and community awards for its success in preparing former inmates convicted of non-violent crimes for the workforce, and a leadership conference focused on female empowerment. He plans to tap into his many connections in the business world to help level the playing field for women and people of color who have traditionally been underrepresented in high-paying, in-demand STEAM fields. The multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, Darius Paulk, spent an inspiring weekend in Memphis for the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital’s annual Celebration of Hope event which educates members of the music and radio industry on the plight of children fighting cancer and other diseases. While there, Paulk met and played with children who are valiantly fighting for their lives. “My weekend with St Jude’s was nothing short of phenomenal, “ Paulk says. “Having the opportunity to visit the hospital, learn how important St Jude’s is to so many people in our country and abroad, and to interact with those beautiful, resilient children has inspired me in ways that I’m still wrestling to articulate. I’ve come home with an overwhelming desire to help to be a solution, just like Danny Thomas [who founded St Jude’s in 1962].” While visiting the hospital, Paulk sang his current radio single “Strong Name” for a room full of radio announcers and programmers who help spread the word about the good work that St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital does. Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, made her first public statement Wednesday, posting a long message on Instagram.“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them.“We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.” Pastor Noel Jones joins FOX SOUL host, Dr. Sean, for a conversation surrounding life, religion, and today’s society. Noel Jones is the senior pastor of the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California, which has about 17,000 members, and was formerly the Greater Bethany Community Church. https://youtu.be/Ir0ZjCBFDXE Kobe Bryant’s remains have been recovered from the site where his helicopter crashed on Sunday, killing his teen daughter Gianna and seven others, including the pilot. Funeral plans have not been publicly announced, as fans and Bryant’s friends and colleagues continue to grieve over his sudden passing. Many are expressing their heartfelt condolences to Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, who is honoring her late husband and daughter with a new profile pic on her Instagram. It’s the first public move she’s made since their deaths. Bishop T.D. Jakes talks on the death of Kobe Bryant. https://youtu.be/ju2Lowqknv8 TIME LIFE has released, "Jubilee Showcase," 36 raw, live performances from the Emmy® Award winning 1960s TV concert series "Jubilee Showcase" as a streaming-only album for the first time. Fans of traditional gospel music can listen globally on over 300 digital service providers such as Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora. The tracks feature some of the biggest Gospel acts of the era like The Staple Singers and the group that first brought R&B star Sam Cooke fame, The Soul Stirrers. The songs echo with the hope and the hopelessness many felt at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. There’s The Staple Singers’ bluesy “Why Am I Treated So Bad?” which they recorded after seeing news reels of how black students were spat on and harassed for integrating Little Rock’s Central High School in 1957. Mavis Staples said that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. always requested the group sing it when he saw they were on the same church program. There are other stunning tracks by Andraé Crouch & The Disciples, The Salem Travelers, The Norfleet Brothers, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Otis Clay, The Barrett Sisters, The Jessy Dixon Singers, The Caravans, Albertina Walker, The Soul Stirrers Shirley Caesar, Rev. James Cleveland and Inez Andrews. Central City Productions announced the Stellar Award nominees and 5-time Stellar Award-winning quartet maven Keith Wonderboy Johnson along with newcomer Josh Myles earned a nomination in the category of Quartet of the Year. The male duo released the radio single “Believe In Yourself.” Detroit native Reverend John Lee Hooker Jr., is the son of one of the greatest Blues and Legendary music icons in the world, the late John Lee Hooker . He is a musical artist who has received multiple awards throughout his career - 2 Grammy® Nominations, The California Music Award for Best Traditional Artist (2004), The W.C. Handy Award (2004), the Bay Area Music Chapter Come Back Artist of the Year Award, and the 2018 Bobby Blue Bland Lifetime Achievement Award. "My God Is Holy" is Rev. Hooker, Jr.'s first single from his forthcoming TESTIFY album. The single is impacting Gospel and Urban AC Radio stations across the country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG-WJuFNR_w&feature=youtu.be Edwrin Sutton’s life has been a whirlwind, and he is reaping blessings at every turn.Newly signed to BlackSmoke Music Worldwide, Sutton’s new single “I Hear Rain” is quickly rising at radio and just made a huge 30-position jump in only one week. The song was also recently featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist. Additionally, Edwrin Sutton was recently appointed Pastor at Caldwell Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in the Bronx. While “I Hear Rain” continues to grow, Sutton’s full album - titled The Sound of Revival LIVE - is being prepared for release later this year. DJ Nichols drops new music video titled “This World” this Friday January 31. DJ Nichols drops new music video titled “This World” this Friday January 31. https://www.youtube.com/djnicholas A historical marker in Mississippi will commemorate the legacy of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. Research for the project was led by a Mississippi Valley State University student and a professor who taught him, the Greenwood Commonwealth reported. C. Sade Turnipseed is an associate professor of history, and 17-year-old Nigerian native Brian Diyaolu took her public history course during the fall semester. They recently received approval from the Sunflower County Board of Supervisors to place the Hamer sign in front of the county courthouse. It will be unveiled during a ceremony March 27. DJ Nichols drops new music video titled “This World” this Friday January 31. https://www.youtube.com/djnicholas The bodies of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others who died in a helicopter crash have been recovered from a Calabasas hillside, coroner officials said Tuesday. Authorities on Sunday recovered the bodies of at least three victims from the helicopter wreckage. The next day, the search continued for the six remaining victims. Their bodies were eventually located and taken to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s forensic science center, where officials will work to identify them. Authorities investigating the devastating incident said the impact of the crash was intense, shattering the chopper and sending debris over a wide area. Kobe Bryant’s grieving wife, Vanessa, is trying her very best to be strong for her three daughters after the deaths of her husband and their 13-year-old, Gianna. The NBA legend and Vanessa married in April 2001 when he was 22 and she was 18. Together they have four children: Gianna, 13, who was killed alongside her father, Natalia, 17, three-year-old Bianka, and seven-month-old Capri. ‘It’s an extremely difficult and devastating time for Vanessa and the whole family,’ a source told People. Another insider said Vanessa is completely ‘devastated’ and can ‘hardly keep it together’. ‘She can’t finish a sentence without crying. But she is working very hard to pull it together for the other girls. She now has to be the strong one.’ Deion Sanders was linked to the Florida State head coaching job a couple of months ago via an unconfirmed rumor, but there was never any indication that he was an actual candidate for the job. However, the Hall of Famer says it is “definite” that he will be a head coach at the college level roughly a year from now. In an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” Tuesday morning, Sanders said it is a certainty that he will be a college head coach in 2021. He also claimed he had an interview with Florida State and another school, though he would not specify which. In a time when life feels fragile and love can seem fleeting, there are signposts reminding us that life holds immeasurable meaning and love can last a lifetime if we have vision and faith and accrue the tools to sustain what we hold dear. Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons is a living example of iconic musical accomplishment and steady business acumen, but more importantly, as he sees it, he is a living example of how to live one’s life in faith and love. Rev Run and his wife Justine Simmons has a new book, "Old School Love: And Why It Works." On a rainy Friday morning in Lynchburg, Va., Grammy Award-winning gospel music artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard brought sunshine and joy to Liberty University’s Vines Center with her inspirational songs of encouragement and peace. Tasha began her solo music career 10 years ago and has reached many with her passion for praising the Lord through worship. In 2014, she won her first Grammy for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance. In 2015, she won Gospel Artist of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards. During Convocation, Tasha was vulnerable about her battle against depression. The gifted vocalist discussed how she has fought anxiety and depression for years. Cobbs encouraged Liberty students to immerse themselves in Scripture while understanding that reading the Gospel will bring one closer to Jesus. “Burden,” a powerful new film about a former KKK member whose life was transformed after forming a friendship with a black preacher he once planned to assassinate, will soon hit the big screen. Releasing in select theaters Feb. 28, “Burden” follows the true story of Michael Eugene Burden Jr., who in 1996 opened the Redneck Shop and Klan Museum in Laurens, South Carolina, displaying KKK paraphernalia, including white-hooded Klan uniforms and photographs of lynchings. However, after meeting a woman who persuades him to leave the KKK, Burden renounces his Klan membership and sells his store to the Rev. David E. Kennedy, a black pastor whose own uncle was lynched by the KKK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxW_rCchmD8 Kirk Franklin gave praise to “Jesus the King, because it is all about Him” after bagging the award for Best Gospel Performance for his song “Love Theory” at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles. At the awards ceremony, Franklin sent his prayers to the family of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died along with his daughter and seven others on Sunday in a helicopter accident in California. Kobe Bryant‘s impact on LA and beyond is huge. Organizers of his memorial are contemplating holding it at the iconic LA Coliseum because Staples Center just isn’t big enough! Staples holds between 18 and 20, 000, while the Coliseum holds around 80,000 people. Plus, there’s surrounding parks in the area that can accommodate many, many more. Returning to BET Networks for the seventh consecutive year on Saturday, February 1, 2020, the 21st Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will be hosted by Rickey Smiley. The annual NFL-Sanctioned event will go down during Super Bowl LIV week, filming in front of a live audience Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the James L. Knight Center. The one-hour special will feature performances by the NFL Players Choir, an exclusive reunion of the legendary group Commissioned, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Anthony Brown & Group Therapy, Travis Greene and BET Sunday Best Winners Le’Andria Johnson and Melvin Crispell III. This year’s Super Bowl Gospel Honorees are NFL Players/brothers and American Cancer Society ambassadors Quinnen Williams (New York Jets) and Quincy Williams (Jacksonville Jaguars). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZh4a7vaT8I&feature=youtu.be Dr. Collen Hawthorne will be speaking on this year's theme, “Fierce and Focused” at the Selah Leadership Encounter for Women 2020, in Atlanta, March 27-28, 2020!! Selah, named by Essence Magazine as one of the top 11 conferences for women to level up in 2019, is a holistic and transformative opportunity for women to encounter and learn from thought leaders and idea curators, which in turn helps them to build their legacies from the community, to the C-suite, to the congregation. Highlights from Selah 2019: https://vimeo.com/376488108 The Better Man Event™ now in its 16th year announced today Mariano Rivera, Lecrae, Rev. Sammy Rodriguez and Jonnie W. all will take the BME 2020 stage at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla. Saturday May 16th. Thousands of men were equipped, encouraged and engaged in what it means to be better in every area of their lives - 2019 speakers included Evander Holyfield, Journey's Jonathan Cain, Hobby Lobby Founder David Green, KORN's Brian "Head" Welch, UCF Quarterback McKenzie Milton and Rev. Anthony Thompson. The men packed out Addition Financial Arena at the University of Central Florida at the 15th annual Better Man Event April 13, 2019. The Russell Simmons #MeToo documentary featuring women who claimed the music mogul sexually assaulted them received a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. Titled “On The Record,” the project features testimony from Drew Dixon, Sil Lai Abrams and Alexia Norton Jones about their experiences with Simmons. It was previously reported, Abrams said she dated Simmons on and off in the early ’90s but she called it off after he raped her in 1994. Jones claims Simmons raped her on their first date in 1991. It may be too soon to call, but from what can be surmise, at this juncture, we’re talking pilot error as being a prime, if not the key factor, in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash. The pilot of the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 6 other passengers got in big trouble with fog which was heavy Sunday morning. Seemingly, they were aborting the trip and were returning home. They barely cleared one mountain range, but never slowed down … this according to the flight tracker and several experienced helicopter pilots in the L.A. area. https://youtu.be/EJtp9ah-f98 Kobe Bryant was in the process of setting up trademarking and branding plans for his daughter Gianna (GiGi) to follow in his footsteps with her very own nickname. Kobe filed paperwork for “Mambacita” on Dec. 30, 2019. The name is obviously both a tip of the hat to GiGi’s father — the Black Mamba — and also to her own growing prowess on the hardcourt. Nicki Minaj‘s brother has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison following the guilty verdict in his child rape trial. Monday, several months after a guilty verdict had been reached, Judge Robert McDonald sentenced Jelani Maraj in a New York court. Maraj was found guilty of predatory sexual assault against a child and endangering the welfare of a child in a trial that lasted less than 3 weeks. At the time of the verdict, the Nassau County D.A. said, “We hope that today’s verdict will help the family in the healing process.” Kirk Franklin celebrated a double win at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards. Winning Best Gospel Performance/Song for his #1 hit “Love Theory” and Best Gospel Album for his #1 album LONG LIVE LOVE, this marks his fifteenth and sixteenth GRAMMY® Awards. Franklin also performed on the GRAMMY® Awards’ tribute to Nipsey Hussle, which aired live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, collaborating with DJ Khaled, John Legend, YG, Meek Mill, and Roddy Ricch, in honoring the memory of the late rapper and activist. Grammy Winner Yolanda Adams announced that she will perform at this year’s Super Bowl. Adams will be performing America the Beautiful at Super Bowl LIV in Miami. The Super Bowl will be on Fox. Leading worship leader, recording artist and pastor, William McDowell releases new single "Only You Can Satisfy," to digital outlets. The song, recorded last May at McDowell's incomparable live recording "THE CRY,” was initially released on a limited-edition physical album released at McDowell’s 2019 Habitation Conference. Now available to all digitally “Only You Can Satisfy,” is an extension of the compelling, and potent worship experience heard on “THE CRY.” McDowell is also preparing for his Deeper Worship Intensive, a comprehensive 4-Day conference for praise and worship leaders, singers, musicians and creatives. Unlike any conference, DWI specifically aims to equip, educate and support creators and carriers of the ‘sound’ of worship. https://williammcdowell.lnk.to/OnlyYouCanSatisfy Entertainment One (“eOne”) has earned a combined total of 17 nominations for the 34th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Leading eOne’s nominations are JJ Hairston (9) and Pastor John P. Kee (5). Rounding out eOne’s nominations is powerhouse Praise and Worship leader Todd Dulaney with 3 nominations. The Stellar Awards will go down in Las Vegas at The Orleans Arena Friday, March 27, 2020 and will be hosted by Jonathan McReynolds, with Koryn Hawthorne. Kobe Bryant was tragically killed Sunday when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed and burst into flames in Calabasas, California. His daughter Gianna, aka “Gigi,” 13, was also on board and died along with seven others. Following the news of the accident, Christian celebrities, pastors and other leaders in the faith community took to social media to express their shock and sorrow. From Lecrae to TobyMac. Hip-hop artist Lecrae said he was “physically shaken” over the tragedy. He shared a video of Bryant explaining a basketball game to Gianna while sitting courtside last month. “Lord We pray for the Bryant family. We pray for all those affected. We pray for the other families of those in the helicopter. We ask that your Spirit would be a comforter. In Jesus name,” he wrote. Producer DeVon Franklin shared a video of himself praying for Bryant’s family and all affected by the tragic accident. “Praying for the families and everyone grieving,” he captioned the video. After over 4 billion listens to Pentatonix on YouTube alone, the newest member to the band, Matt Sallee, is seeing God do something new and different in his industry. Pentatonix is an a cappella band made up of five members who are literally performing everywhere. Taking their unique style of music and covering everything, they have been featured in rock, pop, classic, and hip-hop spaces all over the world. Their genre-bending takes on classics have been some of the most viewed and listened to online over the past few years. Matt is also a worship leader at his local church, which just came out with a new worship album, "Make Way" from E58 Worship. Kobe’s daughter Gianna Maria Onore — aka GiGi — was also on board the helicopter and died in the crash … reps for Kobe tell TMZ Sports. She was 13. Reports say they were on their way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The Academy is in nearby Thousand Oaks. Officials say they believe 9 people were on board — 1 pilot and 8 passengers — and there were no survivors. Still unclear why the chopper crashed but an investigation is underway. Former President Barack Obama says, “Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act.” “To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.” “You know how old I am,” Cicely Tyson, 95, told a TV critics during TCA Thursday. “Who in the world lives this long?” The acclaimed actress was part of a panel discussion for “Cherish the Day,” an eight-episode OWN anthology series created and produced by Ava DuVernay. During the session, Tyson made time to describe her annual birthday eve ritual. “I sit at a table with a clock … and when it gets to one minute after 12, that’s when I say, ‘Thank you,’ and ‘Happy birthday, Cicely,” said Tyson, who was born Dec. 19, 1924. For “Cherish the Day,” DuVernay said she wanted to “do something lovely and light,” adding that she is a “sucker for love stories.” Rev. Luther Barnes drops a new single "Look To the Hills." A inspirational ballad that's a hit out of the box. https://soundcloud.com/shanachie-1/rev-luther-barnes-and-the-restoration-worship-center-choir-look-to-the-hills/s-5mgGQ In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian tore through The Bahamas devastating the islands. Like most Bahamians, singer/songwriter, REXY,* was faced with the reality that life can change instantly. Determined to make every second of life impactful, she committed to making her childhood dream a reality. Her journey towards that dream is not the typical one for a pop starlet! A millennial savvy businesswoman, Rexy currently serves as Vice President of Operations and General Counsel at Western Air, the largest privately-owned airline in The Bahamas. After growing up in the aviation industry with her parents and building a successful career of her own with cover stories and features in Essence, BET.com, XONecole, Conde Nast Traveler, TVOne, Bauce Magazine and more, Rexy* is kicking off 2020 releasing “All Our Lives,” a song she says is about “embracing the love and life you’ve always wanted!” “I’m finally living the dreams of that little girl holding a hairbrush singing & dancing in the mirror,” shares Rexy. Meghan Markle has told her inner circle of friends she is planning to give her first interview to Ellen DeGeneres after the two have become close. ‘Ellen and Meghan have already discussed a sit-down interview. That has been in the works for quite some time now,’ a source at the Ellen Show confirmed. The two met by chance years ago at a dog shelter in Los Angeles where Ellen encouraged Meghan to adopt her first dog Bogart, and the women have stayed in touch. Serena Williams says she wanted to punch a wall after her “unprofessional” exit from the Australian Open on Friday. The American was beaten 6-4, 6-7, (2-7), 7-5 by Wang Qiang, bringing to an end her quest for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title. She currently has 23, while Margaret Court is one ahead. GRAMMY® and Billboard Award-nominated, and DOVE Award-winning, triple-threat artist Tauren Wells releases his sophomore album Citizen of Heaven today at select retailers and across all major digital retail outlets. Citizen of Heaven the follow up to Wells’ solo debut Hills and Valleys features the lead single “Like You Love Me." The new project boasts several outstanding collaborations, including Kirk Franklin on “Millionaire (Good Like That)”; Rascal Flatts on “Until Grace”; spoken word intro from Steven Furtick of Elevation Worship on “Close”; and Jenn Johnson on “Famous For (I Believe). Chuck Butler and Jordan Sapp co-produced 10 of the album’s 12 tracks, with additional production on the remaining songs by Rascal Flatts, Kirk Franklin, Max Stark, and Colby Wedgeworth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwirdlbkUD8&feature=youtu.be Jokia drops new music, "Yahweh." Her latest EP, "NEVER FORGOTTEN" is a collective of powerfully affirming tunes, and is available everywhere digital music is sold. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/JOKIA-YAHWEH-RADIO-O2zg6L99qF18D8t0isWDG GRAMMY®-nominated iconic choirmaster Ricky Dillard makes his Motown Gospel debut with the multi-track single “Release,” featuring Tiff Joy, and “More Abundantly Medley,” available today for streaming and download across all digital platforms. Dillard will also join fans today at 12pm ET for a live chat as he premieres the compelling performance video of his new anthem “Release” on his YouTube channel. TV One puts a fresh spin on romantic dramas with the premiere of the original film, STEPPIN' BACK TO LOVE which will air on Saturday, February 8 at 8 P.M. ET/7C. The film follows a once-loving couple connected by dance, who after facing marital struggles, use their passion for Chicago-style step-dancing to reignite the spark in their marriage. STEPPIN' BACK TO LOVE stars Darrin Henson, Monique Coleman, Dorien Wilson, Brely Evans, Erica Pinkett, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Blue Kimble, with a special appearance by Porsha Williams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C60L2fWs0dg&feature=youtu.be THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE PREPARE FOR A WEEK OF EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT WITH RAPPER/TV AND RADIO PERSONALITY YUNG JOC, AUTHORS, GILLY SEGAL, KIMBERLY JONES, TENESHIA JACKSON WARNER AND MANY MORE! Residents of the Chinese city at the centre of the country’s coronavirus crisis fear they are ‘trapped’ and will all be infected because of the government lockdown which has stopped anyone from leaving. Authorities today scrambled to shut tourist attractions and public transport systems in 14 cities in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that has killed at least 26 people. In a drastic turn of events, part of the Great Wall of China and Disneyland in Shanghai were closed today as authorities desperately try to stop people spreading the Wuhan coronavirus. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes came under fire on social media over his old tweets about the George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case and his apparent support for law enforcement. The 2011 tweets surfaced prior to the AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans and appeared to show Mahomes and his former high school football teammate talking back-and-forth about the case and the trial. The quarterback was initially being hit on Twitter for his alleged support of Zimmerman, who was cleared of all charges in the 2013 shooting of the unarmed black teenager. Country singer Carrie Underwood thanked God for her miracle child on his first birthday. “Happy birthday, Jacob!” the Grammy winner wrote on Instagram along with a slideshow of her 1-year-old eating an entire cake on his own. “How are you already 1 year old? You are smiley, crazy, smart, soooo fast and into everything! And, apparently, you love cake! I can’t wait to see your personality continue to shine! I have a good feeling you’re going to keep us all on our toes for years to come!” “I thank God for you each and every day. You are truly our miracle baby!!! Mommy loves you!” Jeremy Camp was driving down California’s Big Bear Mountain, fasting and praying for a breakthrough from pain and grief. Melissa had died only three months after their wedding. Camp sought solace in the mountains. It was his song “Walk by Faith,” still on a demo that day in 2001, that helped him heal.The Grammy-nominated, chart-topping Christian singer and songwriter’s love and loss of Melissa is the focus of the upcoming biopic “I Still Believe.” With the same title as the first song Camp wrote after Melissa’s February 2001, death, “I Still Believe” is a love story that offers healing to all mankind, says Camp.https://youtu.be/2yn_zPs4SKQ It’s widely expected that the Cowboys will find some way to bring back QB Dak Prescott on a new deal in 2020. But what about Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper? Having spent one-and-a-half successful years in Dallas, the impending free agent wideout has made it clear what he wants to do next season. Cooper states that he loves Dallas and feels like it’s home. He declared that he wants to live in Dallas “for a long time.” JDI Recording artist Renee Spearman receives a 2020 Stellar Award nomination! Renee Spearman is nominated for this year's Stellar Award Traditional Duo/Group of the Year! Riding high on her hit single "I LOVE HIM" Renee Spearman's hit is one of the breakout songs of the year! Dr. Alyn E. Waller Presents Zak Williams and 1/Akord has been nominated for a Stellar Gospel Music Award in the category of Traditional Gospel Choir of the Year. His new single is "He Reigns."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3g69lrg9Lo&feature=youtu.be “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra confronted Harvey Weinstein from the witness stand Thursday, telling a jury in a quivering voice that the Hollywood studio boss barged into her apartment in the mid-1990s, overpowered her and raped her as she tried to fight him off by kicking and punching him. She said that a month later, she ran into him and confronted him about what happened, and he replied: “That’s what all the nice Catholic girls say.” Then, she told the jury, the burly Weinstein leaned toward her and added menacingly: “This remains between you and I.” “I thought he was going to hit me right there,” Sciorra testified. Florida authorities say that embattled NFL free agent Antonio Brown has ‘locked himself in’ his Hollywood, Florida, home following reports he would be charged with battery – as the athlete’s ex girlfriend shares her concerns over his mental health. Christian Lata, the public information officer for the Hollywood Police Department, explained to USA Today that police have made many unsuccessful attempts to reach Brown. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star did take to his Twitter to offer his own thoughts on the reports that he and his trainer were wanted for battery and burglary. ‘They want my name slandered,’ Brown said in a Wednesday morning tweet. But the mother of Brown’s children, Chelsie Kyriss, felt that the latest incident were signs of his ‘desperate’ need of ‘mental health treatment’. Returning to BET Networks for the seventh consecutive year on Saturday, February 1, 2020, the 21st Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will be hosted by Rickey Smiley. The annual NFL-Sanctioned event will film in front of a live audience during Super Bowl LIV week on Thursday, January 30, 2020 at the James L. Knight Center and premiere exclusively on BET Networks on Saturday, February 1, 2020, at 8:00 PM ET/PT. The special will feature performances by the NFL Players Choir, a reunion of the legendary group Commissioned, Donnie McClurkin, Travis Greene and BET's Sunday Best winners Le'Andria Johnson and Melvin Crispell III. During the program, NFL brothers and American Cancer Society ambassadors Quinnen Williams (New York Jets) and Quincy Williams (Jacksonville Jaguars) will be honored with the "Faith In Action" Award. The Williams brothers lost their mother to breast cancer in 2010 and have turned their tragedy into triumph by donating their time and resources to ensuring that African Americans receive proper testing for cancer in urban communities. Motown Gospel is honored to celebrate 11 Stellar Gospel Music Awards nominations. Multi-Stellar Gospel Music Award winner Tasha Cobbs Leonard earns eight nominations, while dynamic husband and wife duo Jerard & Jovaun earns two nominations. A Motown Gospel Christmas album earns one nomination in the Special Event CD of the Year category. The Stellar Gospel Music Awards announced 2020 nominees Tuesday, January 21, 2020. Central City Productions today announced the Stellar Award nominees in 28 categories for the milestone 35th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards taping on Friday, March 27 at the Las Vegas Orleans Arena. The celebration is co-hosted by Koryn Hawthorne and Jonathan McReynolds. This year’s James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award will honor the iconic Clark Sisters - Karen Clark Sheard, Dorinda Clark Cole, Twinkie Clark and Jacky Clark Chisholm. Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers leads the field of nominees with (9), Kirk Franklin (8), Tasha Cobbs Leonard with (8), JJ Hairston (7), Bishop Paul S. Morton (6), John P. Kee (5), Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers (4), William Murphy (4) and Pastor Mike Jr. (4). Other artists earning multiple Stellar nominations include: The Walls Group, Todd Dulaney, Maranda Curtis, Fresh Start Worship, Le’Andria Johnson, Jekalyn Carr and Jerard & Jovaun. Tyscot Records – the oldest operating African American recording label in the world have garnered a dozen Stellar Gospel Music Award nominations. Bishop Paul S. Morton & the Full Gospel Ministry of Worship’s live recording, "A Month of Sundays"received six nominations. Anthony Brown & group therAPy earned a nomination for their Gospel Go Go track. “Blessings on Blessings.” Casey J’s sophomore album, "The Gathering"garnered a nomination and the legendary Thompson Community Singers aka The Tommies earned two nominations for The Tommies Reunion. Tyscot earned a nomination as Youth Project of the Year for the album, "Gospel Kids Present Christian Soldiers." Rihanna has teamed up with i-D to release Rihannazine, a collection of celebrity interviews and editorials the singer co-curated. The publication includes interviews with musicians such as rappers Rico Nasty and Young M.A., as well as models Bella and Gigi Hadid. Rihannazine was released as part of i-D‘s 40th anniversary, and is available online and as a limited print edition, per UPROXX. Award-winning music producer Timothy Zachary Mosley, known professionally as Timbaland, has had a successful career since the ’90s, but is now shedding light on the toll his professional career has had on his life and how God has been reconstructing him. In the January issue of Men’s Health, the 47 year old revealed that in 2011 he was introduced to prescription painkillers after a root canal. (OxyContin and Percocet) He would soon become addicted and then use them to cope with the chaos of his life. Simultaneously, Mosley and his wife divorced, he was $4 million behind on his taxes, and he admitted to popping pills “way over the limit.” It was the fear of dying that eventually grabbed his attention. He was finally able to kick the addiction after taking some time away, “just me and God,” he said. “This was the path chosen for me. God was rebuilding my character,” Mosley said, explaining that going through his withdrawal was “one of the toughest things” he had ever been through. The nation’s first memorial to lynching victims is expanding. The Equal Justice Initiative on Saturday opened a new welcome center and exhibition space that will add to the existing lynching memorial and museum that documents the history of racial inequality in America. The pavilion, located in downtown Montgomery, will serve as a hub for visitors to the two previously opened sites, EJI’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which documents the era of racial terror lynchings between 1877 and 1950 and the Legacy Museum. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden continued to run up his advantage among black political leaders Tuesday, with four Congressional Black Caucus members announcing their support, including three who previously backed Sens. Kamala Harris or Cory Booker. Georgia Rep. Sanford Bishop was making his first public declaration of support in the Democratic primary. New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne previously backed Booker. Florida Reps. Alcee Hastings and Frederica Wilson previously backed Harris. Payne, Hastings and Wilson are the first Black Caucus members to pick new candidates after Booker and Harris ended their campaigns. The Biden campaign confirmed the endorsements Tuesday, bringing the 77-year-old candidate’s roster of Black Caucus supporters to 15. That far outpaces any of his Democratic rivals and underscores his advantage with and dependence on a key Democratic constituency. Harris had peaked at 11 Black Caucus endorsements. Rutgers University named a high-ranking Northwestern University official as its new leader on Tuesday, making him the school’s first black president. Jonathan Holloway, 52, will start his new job on July 1 after receiving approval from the Rutgers Board of Governors. He will be the 21st president of New Jersey’s flagship university, succeeding Robert Barchi, who has led Rutgers since September 2012. Holloway, a married father of two, has served as Northwestern’s provost since 2017. Before that, he was the dean of Yale College and Edmund S. Morgan Professor of African American Studies, History, and American Studies at the Ivy League school. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is retiring after 16 seasons and two Super Bowl MVPs. Manning, 39, steps away holding almost every passing record in team history and a pair of Super Bowl rings. His victories over the New England Patriots after the 2007 and ’11 seasons are the most iconic moments from a legendary career. They will put him in the conversation for the Hall of Fame in five years, when he’s eligible. Manning is one of just five players in NFL history with at least two Super Bowl MVPs. He’s in an elite club with Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Tom Brady and Terry Bradshaw. The Giants will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. ET Friday, when Manning will address the media. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has purchased a minority stake in the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Fitzgerald just finished his 16th season with the Cardinals and is among the most productive receivers in NFL history. He recently signed a one-year deal to return for 2020. The 36-year-old Fitzgerald is often at Suns games, sitting courtside with managing partner Robert Sarver. Sarver said in a statement Wednesday that Fitzgerald “has been a great ambassador for our organization for years” and “brings a unique perspective from outside basketball but still grounded in sport, and we welcome him as a valued partner and investor.” Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa has been suspended indefinitely for his role in the Jayhawks’ brawl with Kansas State on Tuesday night. Kansas announced the suspension Wednesday in a statement from coach Bill Self. The school did not reveal a specific length of De Sousa’s suspension or additional punishment for any other player, citing its joint review with the Big 12. The melee began when De Sousa blocked DaJuan Gordon‘s shot in the final seconds of an 81-60 victory and then stood over Gordon. At one point during the brawl, De Sousa, who had thrown multiple punches, held a stool above his head before assistant coach Jerrance Howard grabbed it from him. When a black student from St. Louis created a book club because didn’t find books at his majority-white school’s library that told stories of people who look like him, he had no idea his initiative would land him on Disney’s screen as a hero. Sidney Keys III founded Books n Bros, a book club for black boys and others ages 7 to 13 years old. Now the 13-year-old is the focus of Disney’s “The Spectacular Sidney,” a 30-minute documentary released Friday as part of Marvel’s Hero Project. Streaming on Disney Plus, the short film series, which began its first season in November 2019, recognizes how young people are making a difference. “I do it to promote African American literacy,” Sidney said. “Kids, especially kids of color, like to read books that they can relate to. Adults force books on them, which they might not like.” For Sidney, it has always been about reading books. SYLEENA JOHNSON CELEBRATES HER 10TH STUDIO ALBUM RELEASE, WOMAN, IN ATLANTA ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 28. Senior Pastor Brandon Clack has appointed Vincent Tharpe worship pastor of All Nations Worship Assembly, Memphis. Tharpe is well known as the impassioned front man of the three-time Stellar Award nominated praise and worship ensemble Vincent Tharpe & Kenosis, who recorded new live music this past fall and will have a new single serviced to radio in February. Nominations for the 35th Annual Stellar Awards were announced and RCA Inspiration, one of the top record labels in gospel and inspirational music, received 34 nominations. RCAI artists Kirk Franklin, Donald Lawrence, Kurt Carr, Le’Andria Johnson, William Murphy and Kierra Sheard are recognized in 20 different categories including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Contemporary Album of the Year and Traditional Album of the Year. Also, RCAI’s Senior Vice President and General Manager Phil Thornton and Vice President of Artist Development, Ron Hill received Producer of the Year nods. And the Stellars will be co-hosted by RCA Inspiration artist, Koryn Hawthorne, and Jonathan McReynolds. UNSUNG continues its stellar run with an all-new season premiering Sunday, February 23 at 10 P.M. ET/9C. The season kicks off with the popular 90s R&B group Dru Hill. The season continues with memorable stories of influential artists including rap's first female star MC Roxanne Shante; singer/actor Christopher Williams; funk and disco band Skyy; the "Mother of Freestyle" Shannon; Grammy Award-winning crooner behind the 1972 number one single "Me and Mrs. Jones," Billy Paul; vocal powerhouse Betty Wright, best known for the 70s hit single "Clean Up Woman;" multi-Grammy Award-winning musician Al Jarreau; and Atlanta hip hop quartet Goodie Mob. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3OfqR9_LnY&feature=youtu.be Facebook and The Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) and its Foundation are partners for the third consecutive year; supporting the 18th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Festival (Festival). The 2020 Festival will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2020, at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Once again, this event will enable African American youth to connect with over 70 representatives of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), while providing information on college admission, financial aid, academic disciplines and other areas of college life. Most schools in attendance will offer instant admission, conduct on-site interviews and may even waive application fees. Tim Tebow has married pageant queen Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters in an ‘intimate sunset ceremony’ in her home country of South Africa. The couple held their half-hour nuptials at the La Paris Estate in Cape Town, according to People magazine. It following a weekend of glamorous pre-wedding celebrations which he documented on social media. Tim, 32, a devout Christian who vowed to stay abstinent until marriage, mixed tradition with a personal touch for his vows, wanting them to be ‘perfect.’ Demi-Leigh, 24, who’s a spokes model for David’s Bridal, wore a custom gown by the wedding dress giant, and accessorized with Marion Rehwinkel Jewelery. Meanwhile, Tim suited up in Antar Levar. Patrick Mahomes has supplanted Tom Brady as the quarterback of the AFC representative in the Super Bowl and he’s also taken Brady’s spot as the player generating the most merchandise sales. The NFL Players Association announced Monday that officially licensed NFL player-identified merchandise featuring Mahomes outsold that of any other player between March 1 and November 30. The NFLPA release also said that the union anticipates Mahomes will remain in first place when the entire year’s figures are in. Brady was No. 1 the last two years and the Patriots quarterback is now No. 2 behind Mahomes. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham, Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster round out the Top 10. Anthony Brown & group therAPy new single "THIS WEEK." Anthony Brown testifies in his gruff tenor on the intro of this affirmative provocation of the miraculous. Atop a mid-tempo bed of muted horns, and 21st century urban instrumentation, the group heartily speaks good things and greater miracles into existence by the sheer testimony of their faith in the Almighty. It won’t happen next month or next week. No, it’s coming this week. It’s a warm, welcome and infectious follow-up to Anthony Brown & group therAPy’s No. 1 smash, “Blessings on Blessings.” https://spaces.hightail.com/space/5kHV9RqFmJ/files/fi-eb039717-daca-4b52-a9d9-6f275be577e8/fv-922ccaa7-d6c4-4439-a966-e2ef8e11b094/This%20Week%20(Radio%20Edit)%20192.mp3 The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel will air Easter on Saturday, April 11th at 8pm eastern and pacific, only on Lifetime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXAEIwSMulU&feature=youtu.be Tennis’ rising star is continuing her path of dominance. Coco Gauff, 15, faced off against Venus Williams in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday, defeating the tennis veteran, 39, 7-6, 6-3. The match marked Gauff’s first time competing in the main draw in Melbourne. Monday’s match came just over six months after Gauff made her impressive debut at Wimbledon last summer, defeating her idol and five-time Wimbledon champion Williams. Besides beating Williams, Gauff also became the youngest player since 1991 to win in the first round of the ladies’ singles at Wimbledon. Enon Music Group continues to deliver on its promise of great gospel music for the whole world with the national release of music from Rhythm of Gospel Award winners Minister Derrick McDuffey and Kingdom Sound. Their radio single, Heaven hits digital outlets on January 21st. Monday, the MLK Jr. national holiday, the U.S. Navy is expected to announce that a new aircraft carrier will be named after Mess Attendant 2nd Class Doris Miller. If you by chance the name Doris Miller doesn’t ring a bell in your head, he was the first African American to receive the Navy Cross for valor for his actions on Dec. 7, 1941, when he manned a machine gun on the USS West Virginia to fire back at attacking Japanese planes. On top of that, he was not a trained gunman, he was a cook! “I think that Doris Miller is an American hero simply because of what he represents as a young man going beyond the call of what’s expected,” said Doreen Ravenscroft, president of Cultural Arts of Waco (Texas), and team leader for the Doris Miller Memorial. Back in 1941, an African American was not allowed to man a gun in the Navy, and as far as rank was concerned, “he could not really get above a messman level,” Ravenscroft said. https://youtu.be/oeDJV-kCQP8 The Rev. Maceo L. Woods, a longtime pastor on Chicago’s South Side and an influential gospel musician, has died at age 87. A musical celebration, viewing, and funeral are being held this weekend for Woods, the recipient of a Legends awards from gospel music’s Stellar Awards and a Lifetime Achievement award from the Chicago Gospel Music Awards. Upon hearing news of Woods’ death, colleagues, congregants, and listeners have been reflecting on the spiritual and cultural impact of the pastor-musician’s lengthy, multifaceted career. Richard Valitutto offered an impressive Piano Spheres program at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall this week. The recital Tuesday, however, began surprisingly with George Walker’s Piano Sonata No. 5. It also was around six minutes, but it was in a declamatory style that might have seemed to have nothing to do with anything else on the program. Walker, who died in 2018 at age 96, was one of America’s most distinguished composers. He won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1996. He was a superb pianist and an esteemed academic. His shelves and walls were overloaded with the awards and honorary degrees that go with a legendary career. He wrote around 100 pieces, and many of them have been recorded. Walker’s music is uncompromising. Like Bach, Stravinsky and Webern, he made music with a jeweler’s precision, and he didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. Like their music, his work demands — and magnificently rewards — deep listening. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told the Guardian Sunday, January 19, that the streaming giant is open to working with the royal couple in the future. “Who wouldn’t be interested? Yes, sure,” the television executive said when asked if Netflix would consider a possible deal with Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38. The couple’s potential Netflix opportunity follows their successful bid for voiceover work with Disney. The duchess landed a voiceover contract with the media conglomerate for an unspecified project after her husband vouched for her at the premiere of The Lion King in July 2019. Actor, director and producer Tyler Perry says his latest film, Netflix’s “A Fall from Grace,” was birthed out of his own experience clinging to his faith and prayer in times of pain and uncertainty. “I just want people to know that no matter how dark, no matter how bad, no matter how dismal the scene or situation you’re in, there’s still hope,” Perry told The Christian Post in sit-down interview in New York City. “I say that even from my own life, realizing that I was in some of the darkest times in my life and didn’t even know if I was going to make it. But as long as it held my faith and held on to hope and prayer and God and believing, it all came together.” https://youtu.be/9k_3wJJtFyY Gospel pioneer Kirk Franklin shared some advice he received for the new year while battling depression and anxiety amid a string of deaths among his friends. “[In] 2019, I experienced a high amount of loss in my life. I went to more funerals in 2019 than I’ve ever been to in my life. I went to the funerals of friends, the funerals of people’s parents and the funeral of people’s kids and it was a lot,” the performer shared on Instagram Friday. Franklin was a support to his pastor, Tony Evans, in the recent loss of his wife, Christian artist TobyMac, who buried his 21-year-old son, and others. The magnitude of loss surrounding Franklin took a toll on him and brought on anxiety. The gospel music trailblazer decided to jump on a call with his “godly” therapist while in the Dominican Republic, where he currently went to decompress. “I was just talking to him about being very anxious and very consumed with fear and worry and just the struggle with it all. He said, ‘When I begin to live a life of gratitude, more gratitude then I will begin to be more selfless because fear is rooted in self,” Franklin said. The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl after winning the AFC Championship Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, 35-24. At the trophy presentation, Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said, “I want to thank the Lord for blessing us, the Glory belongs to Him.” The star at the helm of the team is quarterback Patrick Mahomes who showed amazing poise last week to lead the Chiefs in an incredible comeback January 12 to defeat the Houston Texans, 51-31 and advance to the AFC Championship. Mahomes has been described as a man of humble faith in God, and his faith comes out from time to time in his tweets. A year after falling short with an overtime home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, the Chiefs treated the Arrowhead Stadium faithful to a 35-24 victory Sunday over the Tennessee Titans. In so doing, Kansas City punched its ticket to the Super Bowl for the first time in the last 50 years. The stretch is the longest between two Super Bowl appearances for a single team in NFL history. A misdemeanor simple battery warrant for Cleveland Browns wide receiver and former LSU star Odell Beckham Jr. has been rescinded, the New Orleans Police Department confirmed Saturday. The warrant was issued Thursday as video posted on social media appeared to show Beckham swatting a security officer’s buttocks during LSU’s locker room victory celebration after Monday night’s college national championship game in the Superdome. “The security officer in the incident involving Odell Beckham Jr. has decided to drop the charge,” the department’s public information office said in an email. Beckham has also come under scrutiny over his apparent cash payments to Tigers players on the field after the game. Antonio Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus is cutting ties with him until the free-agent wide receiver seeks counseling. Additionally, attorney Darren Heitner has removed himself as counsel for Brown in a 2018 landlord/tenant lawsuit involving the athlete throwing furniture off a balcony in a Florida luxury apartment complex. In recent days, the Hollywood Police have also ‘severed ties’ with Brown following an explicit outburst toward police. Brown recently posted a live feed of an obscene rant toward the mother of his children and the officers who responded to a domestic disturbance at his home. Shortly after the clip was posted, the Police Athletic League cut ties with Brown and announced plans to return his donation. The first trailer for Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani’s murder mystery romcom “The Lovebirds” has dropped, offering a glimpse of the onscreen couple’s wild journey after a date gone horribly wrong. https://youtu.be/YzPq8uVgLe8 Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wants his now ex-baby mama/girlfriend, Kia Proctor, to take a DNA test to prove “their” 4 kids are his? Newton, sued Proctor for paternity, joint custody and visitation of their four children, Chosen 5, Sovereign-Dior, 3, Camida, 2, and Cashmere Saint, 3 months. It’s also interesting that Newton, 30, is the father of a child with La Reina Shaw, 33. That apparently went down while he was still with Proctor. According to court papers obtained ., Newton demanded a DNA test from Proctor, 31, for their youngest child, who was born in September and has never lived with the Carolina Panthers quarterback. Naughty By Nature’s Treach stopped by Power 105’s “The Breakfast Club” with his daughter Egypt to promote “Growing Up Hip Hop,” and he dropped some tea about his divorce from rapper Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa fame. They were together for 10 years, but their marriage only lasted a year. Treach claims they were in an open relationship that went horribly wrong. Apparently, he and Pepa made the mistake of having a girlfriend. “The real story about us – Treach & Pepa? First of all, what’s the number one cause for divorce?,” Treach asked. “Cheating,” DJ Envy and Charlamagne responded. “For the record, I never had to cheat on her,” Treach explained. “We had broads. I had a beautiful marriage,” he explained. ”When the girlfriend goes with the wife and then have their own*******,” he said. Apparently, Pepa and their girlfriend had threesomes with other people and Treach wasn’t down with that. I’m a man with two women,” Treach said. Meanwhile, his daughter is taking it all in with shock as this is the first time she’s hearing about this. It was previously reported… Pepa claims in her memoir that Treach abused her during the marriage, but the rapper claims this is simply not true, and Egypt defends him. NEXT WEEK, THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOME FAMED COMEDIANS KYM WHITLEY, DAVID ARNOLD AND MANY MORE! Yael Hilton is a powerful vocalist whose voice has caused videos of her singing to go viral and has aided her in amassing close to 50K followers on Instagram. A recent signee to eOne, Hilton is on track to become a recognized voice in the Gospel community. Her new single "He Loves Me" showcases her passion and powerful vocals that pierce through the ears and hearts of listeners. It's a feel good uptempo song with a retro vibe. As America gets ready to commemorate the 91st birthday of the late great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his daughter, Dr. Bernice King, is positioned to answer the call of her late father while simultaneously making it clear that our country could learn a lot from the highly revered leader. https://youtu.be/c4kxh0rj8-I TV One commemorates the 45th Anniversary of the trailblazing sitcom THE JEFFERSONS with a milestone marathon. Starting on Saturday, January 18 at 6 a.m. ET and running through Monday, January 20, ending at 6 a.m. ET, The Jeffersons marathon will showcase 96 fan-favorite episodes from the series debut to the finale. Rising singer and songwriter Darnell Moore is making his imprint on Gospel music. He is a young astute musician who has an easy-going spirit and worships with an authentic heart. Over the years, Darnell has toured internationally in a supporting role to other artists as a musician, music director, or vocal director. He recently returned from his first solo international tour of Italy in December to pre-promote his HOSANNA EP. HOSANNA is now available on all digital music and streaming outlets and marks the singer's first album/EP release. https://soundcloud.com/darnell-moore-1/hosanna Adrienne Houghton takes girl time to the next level when she sits down with her best friend Julissa Bermudez to chat about their fabulous friendship on ALL THINGS ADRIENNE WITH ADRIENNE HOUGHTON on Saturday, January 18 at 1 P.M. ET/ Encore at 11 P.M ET. The pair, who became fast friends while shooting a film early in their career, discuss their common background as New York natives, managing their on-screen careers, championing their Latin culture, and even their cellulite woes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOzeH4s5nI&feature=youtu.be Fifty years after Woody Woodriffe’s family suffered great tragedy, there is now a lasting tribute in New York City. The corner of Jefferson Avenue and Claver Place in Brooklyn is now known as FBI Special Agent Edwin R. Woodriffe Way. This high honor was bestowed upon Woody’s father, who was the first black FBI agent to be killed in the line of duty. Edwin and his partner Anthony Palmisano were gunned down in pursuit of a robbery suspect in 1969. At the time of his death, he was just 27 years old. Woody was six and his sister, Lee, was five. Two-time Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington will lend his talents and expertise to T.D. Jakes' International Leadership Summit this spring, a conference for visionaries, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, pastors and leaders from all over the world, looking to expand their personal sphere of influence and sharpen their skills. Washington is expected to deliver a keynote address focused on Hollywood, faith and handling the spotlight. As an actor, producer and director, Washington is considered one of the greatest actors of this generation, receiving critical acclaim for films including Glory, Training Day, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Remember the Titans and American Gangster. He received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, which is bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment." Most recently, Washington was honored with the AFI Life Achievement award, one of the highest honors for a career in film. Washington made his directorial debut in 2002 with the film Antwone Fisher, and directed The Great Debaters and Fences, which he starred in and received a nomination for Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards. TV ONE COMMEMORATES MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY BY HONORING AFRICAN AMERICAN LUMINARIES IN STAR-STUDDED ANNUAL URBAN ONE HONORS EVENT, CO-HOSTED BY CATHY HUGHES AND CHRIS TUCKER ON MONDAY, JANUARY 20 AT 8 P.M./7C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdQ5lH3-zXo&feature=youtu.be Live from Tallahassee, Florida, it’s the “Black News Channel.” After more than a decade of planning, securing investors and several false starts, the launch of the 24-hour national cable news channel targeting black viewers now is set for Feb. 10. The network was hyped last year by a bevy of promotional appearances from California to New York. Black News Channel is the brainchild of former Republican U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, who serves as chairman, and veteran television manager Bob Brillante as chief executive officer. Watts and Brillante announced the launch in November 2018 and spent the better part of last year shoring up a management team, leasing space, hiring studio designers and on-air talent, and pouring millions of dollars into renovating and outfitting a location. Grammy® Award nominated singer-songwriter and producer, VaShawn Mitchell, has assembled a dynamic new generation of worship leaders under the banner of the Gospel Heritage Conference. "Jehovah God (I Will Trust You)" is a powerful worship song led by the writer of the song, Madelyn Berry, who passionately takes the listener higher and higher in worship. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/eE916DTRee Just days before the nation commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., officials in Jefferson County announced plans to preserve and share a little known, yet significant piece of civil rights history sitting silently at the courthouse in downtown Birmingham.Jefferson County President Pro-Tem Lashunda Scales recently presented a unanimously approved resolution to memorialize and preserve the former county jail and its surviving cells located on the seventh floor inside the County Courthouse. It was on the seventh floor in late 1967 that King was confined following his arrest after getting off an airplane in Birmingham. This would become the last of his numerous arrests for civil disobedience, as the civil rights martyr was assassinated just months later on April 4, 1968. Before 1,000 people at the National Baptist Convention’s winter board meeting in Arlington, Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of fanning the flames of hate. “I hear voices of intolerance singing the chorus of hate, exclusion and denial,” Biden said. The National Baptist Convention is the nation’s largest black Baptist Convention and dates to the 1880s. Biden said as President, he would work to bring the nation together. “Donald Trump’s poisonous and divisive politics we now have a tremendous opportunity because Americans have been awakened to how bad things are.” https://youtu.be/8RZID3p_mGI In November 2019, Liberation Station’s Black Lit Library finally settled into its new host location at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Located in the Doris Duke Center Classroom inside the Gardens visitor center, this library intends to provide a safe reading space for children of color. Liberation Station is a mobile children’s pop-up bookstore, offering over 500 thoughtfully curated titles centered on the representation of African American children with access to over 10,000 titles for distribution. Inspired by co-founder Victoria Scott-Miller’s difficult experience finding books that her own children of color could relate to, Liberation Station was created to glorify the black narrative and increase black representation in literature so that all children of color can find stories that accurately and positively reflect their own experiences. Lauren Daigle delighted a stadium full of fans when she sang the national anthem at the 2020 National Championship game between Clemson and Louisiana State University (LSU)https://www.facebook.com/wayfmradio/videos/576765596510087/ The Rock Hall Class of 2020 was unveiled Wednesday (Jan. 15) morning, with six artists and one behind-the-scenes player joining the storied ranks of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And for many, the list – which includes four first-time nominees – will be fairly surprising. Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and T. Rex will join the Rock Hall at the 35th annual induction ceremony, with Jon Landau (longtime industry manager who guided Bruce Springsteen’s career) and Irving Azoff (personal manager of the Eagles since 1974) earning the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Jonathan McReynolds enjoys his second #1 radio single from his groundbreaking album "Make Room". McReynolds is set to embark on a 3 show event in Los Angeles at The legendary Troubadour on 2.9, 3.15. If you're in LA you can still catch him on the last two dates! Sunday Best Starlet Latice Crawford's new single "Amazing"!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X9NzEH-nVo&feature=youtu.be The future Hall of Fame wide receiver signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals to play a 17th season, all with the only NFL team he has played for. The team announced the signing on Wednesday morning and did not disclose terms of Fitzgerald’s one-year deal, but he has earned $11 million in each of the past four seasons. Fitzgerald, 36, currently sits second on the NFL’s all-time receiving yards list (17,083) and receptions list (1,378), behind Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. Fitzgerald is sixth on the NFL’s all-time touchdown receptions list with 120, eight behind fifth-place Marvin Harrison, another Hall of Famer. Fitzgerald was the only active receiver named to the NFL’s all-time team in December. Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, fighting back tears in a video posted on social media, announced on Tuesday night his plans to retire from the NFL at age 28. “There’s only one way to play this game since I was a little kid — play fast, play physical and play strong,” Kuechly said. “And at this point I don’t know if I am able to do that anymore. That’s the part that is the most difficult.” “There’s only one way to play this game since I was a little kid — play fast, play physical and play strong,” Kuechly said. “And at this point I don’t know if I am able to do that anymore. That’s the part that is the most difficult.” Kuechly paused to gather his emotions. Kuechly didn’t explain exactly why he can’t play fast, physical and strong at this point in his career. What is known is that from 2015 to 2017, the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year missed seven games due to concussions. Award-winning actor Harold Perrineau will receive The Bring To Life Award at The Jonathan Foundation’s 7th Annual Spring Fundraiser held on Saturday, May 16, 2020 at Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Los Angeles, CA.Screen Actors Guild Award Winner Harold Perrineau currently stars as “Dean Simms” on the hit TNT series Claws. Perrineau plays the Autistic brother to lead actress Niecy Nash, thus the reason for this award. He recently also starred opposite Queen Latifah in FOX series Star. On the feature roles include; Netflix hit Dumplin’ with Jennifer Aniston and Danielle MacDonald, Kathryn Bigelow's Academy Award-nominated Zero Dark Thirty; Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet; The Matrix Reloaded And The Matrix Revolutions and The Best Man Holiday, for which he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. His earlier tv credits include starring roles in the iconic ABC series Lost, for which he shared the SAG Award for Best Ensemble in 2004, and the groundbreaking HBO series OZ. Award-winning singer, author, Erica Campbell to offer a companion Bible reading plan to her critically and consumer acclaimed book, "More Than Pretty: Doing The Soul Work To Uncover Your True Beauty." Launching today, Campbell's devotional 5-Day Bible reading plan, “More Than Pretty,” is now available on all YouVersion BIBLE apps, and online. Inspired by topics from the book, Campbell offers soul-searching insights to help engage readers deeper into what the Word of God says about you. Universal Music Group Nashville said Monday that it has signed Chrissy Metz, a star on NBC’s ensemble smash TV series This Is Us. The news comes the same day that the Diane Warren-penned song “I’m Standing With You” sung by Metz in the film Breakthrough earned an Oscar nomination. Matthew A. Cherry was a wide receiver in the NFL who shuttled between practice squads and active roster for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens after he had a great college career with Akron. Since he left the league, he became a filmmaker who has directed music videos for some big names and some television shows. He also was an executive producer for Spike Lee’s BlackKklansman. Most recently, he created an animated short, Hair Love, that was a hit both on screen and on the New York Times Bestseller list thanks to a book adaptation. Monday, Hair Love was nominated for an Oscar, with the announcement coming from actress Issa Rae, who voiced the film. Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang gets a big endorsement from Dave Chappelle. The legendary comedian will stump for Yang with performances in South Carolina. Kanye West’s Sunday Service was a surprise sensation in 2019, and it appears will be picking right up where it left off as 2020 gets underway. Awaken 2020 is a large, free, stadium-sized event for Christians in Arizona that takes place annually at Sun Devil Stadium that promises the beginning of a spiritual awakening. It’s already a big event featuring big names in the Christian sphere, but when Kanye West announced he’d be bringing his Sunday Service choir in for a performance, interest went through the roof and the free event sold out to capacity in mere minutes. The sharp spike even crashed the website for a time. https://youtu.be/Cma6SBNv6-Q American director Spike Lee will lead the jury of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the first black person to hold the post in the event’s 73-year history. Festival organizers hope Lee will “shake things up” among the world’s cinema elite at the festival which runs May 12-23. And anti-racism campaigners hope Lee’s appointment wakes up the French cultural world to persistent discrimination and the damaging stereotypes it perpetuates. Lee said he was “honored to be the first person of the African diaspora” chosen for the prestigious position. Festival organizer Thierry Fremaux said Lee is the first black president of any major film festival, calling the decision a “message of universality.” Damien Sneed’s 41+-City North American tour, “We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” kicks off at Joe’s Pub, New York, NY Tuesday, January 14, 2020. In honor of Dr. King, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient will bring his brand of classical, jazz, and sanctified soul to venues across the country during MLK holiday, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month. “We Shall Overcome” is a joyous celebration reflecting on the triumphant and victorious moments during our history. On Friday, January 17, 2020, Sneed will also release the deluxe edition of the 2019 CD, Damien Sneed: We Shall Overcome on his label, LeChateau Earl Records, which was established in 2009 to reflect his varied musical interests. Over the years, Kristie Anyabwile has found herself returning to Psalm 119 during her daily devotions. “The psalm itself is full of reminders of the beauty and the benefits of God’s Word,” she says. “It has always drawn me in. It not only encourages me, but it helps to whet my appetite more for God’s Word.” It was during one of these times of personal study that she birthed the idea for His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. The multiauthor book—which received an Award of Merit in this year’s Christianity Today Book Awards—explores the 22 stanzas of Psalm 119 through exposition, essays, and poetry. The faith-based film Breakthrough and two other faith-centric films received Oscar nominations Monday – a rare feat for a genre that rarely achieves mainstream attention. Breakthrough (PG) was nominated for Best Original Song for I’m Standing With You, which was written by Diane Warren and sung by Chrissy Metz, who also starred in the film. Two other faith-centric movies – Harriet (PG-13) and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (PG) – also got Oscar nominations. Harriet received two nominations: Best Original Song (Stand Up, by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo) and Best Actress (Erivo). Erivo played the lead role of Harriet Tubman. Tom Hanks was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Although A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Harriet aren’t categorized as Christian films on some movie websites, both were marketed to Christian audiences. The smooth and encouraging power ballad is a remembrance of God’s faithfulness, protection and provision. Jenkins will perform his Top 5 hit, “Can’t Turn Back” on the “Urban One Honors” Monday, January 20, on the TV One. LSU won its fourth national title Monday over Clemson, 42-25, in front of a hometown crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Heisman winner Joe Burrow asserted himself as the best college football player in recent memory with another legendary performance (31-of-49, 463 passing yards, 58 rushing yards and six total touchdowns). The LSU defense stepped up in the second half, and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence never found a groove as he lost his first game in college – and Clemson fell for the first time in two seasons and saw it’s 29-game winning streak snapped. LSU won the College Football National Championship last night beating Clemson. Joe Burrow has been incredible all season long. One former Ohio State Buckeye and current New Orleans Saints WR is a believer in the 2019 Heisman winner. Michael Thomas sent a message to Burrow ahead of last nights title game. Louisiana needs a championship. And I’m excited to witness my boy @Joe_Burrow10 bring them one. One of the greatest motivational stories in sports for young athletes you have to respect it! It’s awesome to see in-state athletes supporting each other. Burrow certainly has the respect and support of Thomas – a former Buckeye. Tyler Perry believes that no matter what you think of him, performers like Crystal Fox and stars of his OWN network TV series “The Haves and Haves Nots, Tika Sumpter and Angela Robinson have been snubbed by the NAACP Image awards for years. Dwayne Johnson is slated to appear in every episode of an upcoming NBC series based on his life titled “Young Rock.” The series will track the former WWE star’s formative years. Johnson recently starred in HBO comedy “Ballers” and last month’s “Jumanji: The Next Level.” His upcoming film projects include “Jungle Cruise” and DC Comics villain “Black Adam.” Houston Hogg, one of four African-American football players at Kentucky who helped break the Southeastern Conference color line in the late 1960s, has died. He was 71. The school announced Friday that Hogg died in Owensboro, Kentucky. The former Wildcats running back and defensive back entered Kentucky with Wilbur Hackett in 1967, a year after Nate Northington and Greg Page arrived in Lexington to become the first black players to enroll at an SEC school. Hogg played freshman football that season, when Northington made his historic varsity debut for the Wildcats on Sept. 23, 1967, and played his first SEC game a week later against Mississippi. Northington’s SEC debut came a day after Page died from a neck injury sustained in practice that summer. Hogg rushed 92 times for 245 yards two touchdowns in his career and lettered in 1969 and 1970. He and his three teammates were honored for their groundbreaking courage and achievements in September 2016 with a statue outside the Wildcats’ training facility. In 1886, an African American domestic worker was accused of poisoning her white employer in Jackson, Tennessee. A mob broke into the city’s jail, dragged Eliza Woods to the courthouse lawn, ripped her clothes off, and hanged her from a tree. Her body was riddled with bullets, historians say. Five years later, John Brown was accused of severely injuring a switchman on an Illinois Central Railroad train. Brown, a black man, was removed from the train in Jackson and jailed. An angry mob of 500 masked men armed with rifles forcibly took him from the jail – and he, too, was lynched on the courthouse lawn. Both stories had gone mostly ignored in Jackson until last year, when a college professor and a coalition of church leaders, educators and private citizens led a movement to memorialize both lynchings with a historical marker on the Madison County courthouse lawn. The 21st Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is bringing Inspiration to the BIGGEST Game on Earth. Catch the Spirit of Super Bowl LIV with star-studded musical jubilation at the LIVE BET TV show taping Thursday, January. 30 at the James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida. TRAVIS GREEN, LE'ANDRIA JOHNSON, COMMISSIONED REUNION, THE NFL PLAYERS CHOIR and more. JASON CHAMPION in 2009 first solo album "Reflections" received industry recognition by the Recording Academy, earning him his first Grammy Nomination for Best Gospel Album of the Year. Champion’s single "Always" went on to reach #1 on the Gospel Single Charts. Jason Champion prepares for this next chapter in his life, signing with My Block Records and preparing for the initial offering on this label entitled "Until Forever". https://www.dropbox.com/sh/f43byky7qplsgo7/AADHzGwn79AGj6wt_GbUmrxva?dl=0 Rainbow PUSH founder and legendary civil rights leader, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., will host MLK national holiday at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 20, 2020 at historic Fox Theater in Detroit. The prestigious Let Freedom Ring Awards will be bestowed on four remarkable individuals whose work has promoted and protected freedom, opportunity, fairness and dignity, thus furthering the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The recipients include UAW President Rory Gamble, first African American to lead the labor union, and Maureen Taylor, chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization. The Detroit News editor and publisher, Jonathan Wolman, who will be posthumously honored as well as Congressman John Conyers, Jr. will receive posthumously the inaugural Legacy Award. Tim Johnson "Your Grace" A Powerful Song With A Powerful and Emotional Performance...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsoJv-YMi3M Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated will mark its 100th year of service with Centennial Week activities Jan. 12-18, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Valerie Hollingsworth Baker, Zeta’s International Centennial President, will kick off the week by unveiling an exclusive line of Zeta-inspired St. John apparel, followed by activities featuring Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, attorney and Zeta member Anita Hill, former Congresswoman and Zeta member Donna Edwards, award-winning journalist April Ryan, Vivica A. Fox, actor Lamman Rucker; R&B artist Raheem DeVaughn, R&B artist and Zeta member Syleena Johnson, plus performances by The Chuck Brown Band, Zeta member DJ Poizon Ivy & DJ Heat and the Zeta International Choir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnugkOQZn1U&feature=youtu.be Internationally celebrated, multiple award-winning Gospel recording artist Marvin Sapp has a new music project slated for later this year that he will record live at his new church, The Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas. The recording is set for Friday, February 21st and will reunite Sapp with his musical masterminds – producer Aaron Lindsey and vocal director Myron Butler. Tentatively titled The Chosen Vessel, this album will be the follow up to Sapp’s 2017 release, Close. This will be Sapp’s first live recording since I Win, which was recorded live in 2011. Grammy Award-winning artist TobyMac released a song Friday dedicated to his late son, Truett Foster McKeehan, titled “21 Years.” The song is an “honest” letter from the artist to his 21-year-old first-born who died unexpectedly at his home on Oct. 23, 2019. https://youtu.be/eSV-pRGbg4k Pastor John P. Kee continues to tour the country sharing his chart topping single “I Made It Out”. “I Made It Out” has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song (Traditional or Contemporary)”! URBAN ONE FOUNDER AND CHAIRWOMAN CATHY HUGHES JOINS THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE NEXT WEEK ALONG WITH TV HOST EGYPT SHERROD, COMEDIAN MARK CURRY AND MORE! Multiple award-winner, singer, songwriter, and author Erica Campbell recognized with two NAACP Image Award nominations announced yesterday. Campbell’s debut book, “More Than Pretty: Doing The Soul Work To Uncover Your True Beauty," was nominated in two literature categories: Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional and Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author. Campbell also earned a third nomination as part of the newly revamped “Sunday Best” on BET, which was recognized in the Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series/Game Show category. Award winning Law Enforcement Officer, Pastor and national recording artist Marcus Jordan releases highly anticipated single titled "I Can". "I Can" has been dubbed by many to be the new inspirational anthem of the year. An empowering song, with smooth melodies, lyrics and gripping message, the new single catches the listeners ear in the first few seconds. https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgallery.mailchimp.com%2Fvideo_thumbnails_new%2F72ecff4a81125490c5912558db4bce6a.png&t=1578751751&ymreqid=578bcfd1-325e-b178-2f07-440016010000&sig=OcQBkJGYBwyvIvHZixZ4jw--~C Oprah Winfrey will no longer executive produce an upcoming documentary about a woman who accused music mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct, and the film will no longer appear on Apple TV+, Winfrey told TheWrap in a statement. The untitled film from Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering follows music executive Drew Dixon and how her life changed after she accused Simmons of rape and entered the #MeToo movement. The Def Jam Records co-founder has denied the accusations. The film is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month, but Winfrey felt the film was not ready to be screened at the festival and left the project. Oprah Winfrey has denied claims she advised the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their bombshell decision to step back as senior royals. The TV star, who is a friend of Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland, was reported yesterday to have been the ‘first person’ to discuss ‘breaking free’ from the Royal Family with the couple. An insider added that Oprah, 65, had encouraged the pair to ‘do their own thing’ and ‘build their own brand’ in North America. Royal sources claimed yesterday that Prince Harry had ignored crystal-clear orders from the Queen on the subject, after she instructed him not to make an announcement about his future plans at this time. RCA Inspiration celebrates two nominations for the 51st NAACP Image Awards®, with hit-making Gospel icons Kirk Franklin and Donnie McClurkin garnering nods. Kirk Franklin’s single “Love Theory” and Donnie McClurkin’s single “Not Yet” are nominated in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song (Traditional or Contemporary), for the 2020 awards show. The multiple award-winning Gospel superstars also penned the hit songs, which are featured off of their latest 2019 releases, Franklin’s acclaimed thirteenth studio album LONG LIVE LOVE, and McClurkin’s acclaimed eighth solo album A DIFFERENT SONG. The 51STNAACP Image Awards® will air live from Los Angeles Saturday, February 22, 2020 on BET at 8 PM/7C. Today, the NFL announced two-time Grammy award-winning emcee LECRAE as the third artist to be featured in its “Songs of the Season” series. Lecrae’s “Get Back Right,” which is off his album, Let the Trap Say Amen, will be heard throughout the NFL playoffs across several telecasts. Lecrae Shares His Reaction To His Song Being Named As One Of NFL's Songs Of The Season. LIVE interview on NFL Networks’ “Good Morning Football.” https://youtu.be/NfivK7eoRrQ The 28th Annual Bounce Trumpet Awards premieres Sunday, January 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET on Bounce. Hosted by EMMY® Award-winning comedian, actress and writer Wanda Sykes, the gala black-tie event, taking place for the first time in Hollywood. 28th Annual Bounce Trumpet Award honorees are Martin Lawrence, Cedric the Entertainer, Marsai Martin, Ambassador Andrew Young, Hydeia Broadbent and Phylicia Fant. Restaurateur, Shema Fulton & R&B/Country Music songstress K. Michelle are hosting a weekly restaurant pop up dining experience at Garden Parc on Cascade Avenue each Saturday of the month beginning, January 18. This dynamic duo will be a merger of Fulton’s, Pearl Restaurant and Lounge and Puff & Petals, in which she co-owns with K. Michelle. The menu features delectable tapas and specialty cocktails in a high energy entertainment-based environment. The annual URBAN ONE HONORS event will premiere on Monday, January 20 - the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday - at 8 P.M./7C on TV One. Co-hosted by Urban One Founder and Chairwoman Cathy Hughes and actor Chris Tucker, the star-studded event celebrates the 40-year legacy of Radio One and honors some of the biggest names in film, television and music. In addition to the telecast, TV One will air REPRESENT: 40 YEARS OF NURTURING CHANGE WITH CATHY HUGHES, sponsored by Lexus, immediately preceding the show at 7 P.M. ET/6C. Hosted by Hughes, the TV One special features in-depth one-on-one conversations with actor Billy Porter and activist Rev. Al Sharpton, highlighting their lasting impact on black culture. https://vimeo.com/383639626 Demetrius West & Jesus Promoters!! Coming off the success of their #2 Radio hit, “Open the Floodgates”, Stellar Award Nominees Demetrius West and Jesus Promoters (JP) return with a new single entitled, “I’m Next.” https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/35eOzoTcgZVl8lNtfRpDK Kanye West plans to bring his Sunday Service gospel shows to the rest of the world, according to reports. The rapper, 42, has hosted weekly gospel performances across the United States and beyond since January 2019. With successes in Coachella and even Jamaica, the star reportedly wants to expand his horizons for 2020. The star’s expansion efforts will focus on Europe and Africa this year, sources close to Kanye told TMZ. The gossip site also says he is going to create another gospel album, after releasing Jesus is Born Christmas last year. Kanye also released his Christian-inspired solo album, Jesus is King, in September. His Sunday Service shows are attended by masses of A-Listers, with the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Brad Pitt and Robert Cooper all visiting at one point. The Dallas Cowboys officially introduced Mike McCarthy as their new head coach at a press conference here at the The Star in Frisco – the media turnout being so large that the team shifted the session from the usual press area to the lobby of the larger Ford Center – and McCarthy and team owner Jerry Jones opened by exchanging pleasantries. https://youtu.be/lXk1bP4HE8c Gospel artist Michele Sweeting has been leaving believers burning with a heart for God for years now. The gifted psalmist and worship leader, known as “The New York City Song Bird”, delivers unforgettable performances with a passion rarely seen in Gospel music. Uplifting souls from the church house to the jailhouse, she sees music as a vehicle to share the good news of the Savior. Fans of the artist became acquainted with the powerhouse vocalist years ago with her debut single, “Center of My Joy”, a rendition of the Richard Smallwood classic. Since that time, she’s provided the Gospel music community with one memorable song after another. Now, she is prepared to set souls ablaze again with her brand new single, “Flame”, an inspiring praise song about the fire of God. “Flame” is currently available on Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play and other digital music outlets. There’s light at the end of the tunnel for Morris Brown College after settling a $4 million debt with the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Monday night. The vote by the executive committee of the general board of the AME Church in favor of forgiving the debt, along with any interest owed, improves the HBCU’s chances of earning back their accreditation, which was revoked in the the early 2000s after financial mismanagement. The relief comes as part of a deal that will have Morris Brown College create a $1.5 million scholarship program for AME church members. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Seattle Seahawks scored a super-sized shot in Philadelphia. Throughout the year, several players have showed a higher priority over tackles and scorecards: a love for God and for people. CBN reported that during the recent contentious game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was injured after a helmet-to-helmet hit and taken out of the game. After the Seahawks’ win over Wentz’s team, Seahawk quarterback Russell Wilson sought out the opposing team’s coach to give him a hug and inquire after Wentz. Wilson has always been open about his Christian faith. He chose the number three on his jersey to “honor the Holy Trinity” and visits the Seattle Children’s Hospital every week on his day off. James Fortune helps the Rickey Smiley Morning Show kick off it's first show at the Reach Media Headquarters in Dallas, TX on 1.6.20 in their new studio, formerly the home of the Tom Joyner Morning Show. https://t.e2ma.net/click/2uw1xe/6xxz05b/qxmejz Award-winning inspirational hip-hop artist Lecrae announced his upcoming appearance at The Atlanta Hawks annual MLK Day Game. “I’m excited to take the court with Atlanta’s finest. I want the city to come celebrate MLK Day with me and the Hawks,” said Lecrae. “I’m honored to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on a historic day.” The Grammy® Award recipient will be performing at both halftime and postgame when The Hawks take on the Toronto Raptors on Monday, Jan. 20. Tyler Perry fans are urging him to hire Black writers after he revealed on Twitter that he doesn’t utilize the common industry practice of writers rooms, instead, he writes all of his scripts on his own. “So, I don’t know if you know this, but all shows on television have a writers room,” Perry said in a post shared on Instagram and Twitter-showing a stack of scripts. “And, most of the time, there are 10 people or 12 or whatever that write on these television shows. Well, I have no writers room. Nobody writes any of my work. I write it all. Why am I telling you this? I wrote all of these scripts by myself in 2019. Work ethic!”Many TP fans have been critical of his approach, noting that instead of bragging about his often lackluster and stereotypical narratives, he should flex his power by hiring Black writers who will add fresh perspectives to his characters. Last night (01-06-20), Kobe Bryant hosted a special community screening for “Just Mercy” at the Cinemark in the Baldwin Hills section of Los Angeles. Stars of the film, Jamie Foxx, Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Karan Kendrick and author and executive producer Bryan Stevenson attended, along with Terrence J. The inspiring drama brings one of the most important stories of our time to the big screen. Award-winning filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote, based on the award-winning nonfiction bestseller by Stevenson. Through prayers, praise and unabashed declarations Sunday, Pastor John Gray and his team of ministry leaders at Relentless Church in South Carolina displayed a united front just days after Redemption Church founders Ron and Hope Carpenter asked a local court to evict them from their church building. John Gray was given until the end of 2019 to vacate the property by the Carpenters amid allegations that he had been “shady” and “dishonest” in executing a transfer agreement after they passed the reins of their Redemption Church to him in 2018. The church was rebranded as Relentless Church. Janette…ikz, known for her spoken word performances, released a new album in December titled Not My Own, and one song is called “All of Me.” A raw, vulnerable piece about turning from sin that leads to death, the song begs the question: Once we meet Jesus, will we surrender everything? https://youtu.be/EiUxy9nDVsE A Celebration of Life for Loris Evans..........https://youtu.be/EUVN7sv9OXY There is a new generation of anointed Gospel artists on the rise and Edwrin Sutton is believed to be one of the next leading young voices in this new emergence. The powerful message of his single, “I HEAR RAIN” which was produced by chart-topping and Stellar Award nominated Demetrius West. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfylJzo54d4&feature=youtu.be The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel coming to Lifetime this spring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXAEIwSMulU&feature=youtu.be Jacky Clark drops new single featuring Mary J. Blige "Feel Good." Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins earned his first-ever playoff victory Sunday afternoon, which for now silences his critics who have long claimed he can’t win a big game. Shortly after throwing the game-winning touchdown in overtime to defeat the New Orleans Saints in their own stadium, Cousins was interviewed on the field by Fox Sports’ Chris Myers about the thrilling upset victory. https://youtu.be/8gWxqqKashQ Tua Tagovailoa formally declared for the NFL Draft, forgoing his senior season at Alabama. Except the decision clearly wasn’t that easy after watching Alabama’s forever quarterback at the podium. “These kind of things don’t take the doctors, don’t really take myself [in account],” Tagovailoa said. “It really boils down to one thing: faith. Coming from a family that has a lot of it, I’m willing to take that challenge.” Earnest Pugh drops new single "God Wants To Heal You" for 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdw-JR1jBqM&feature=youtu.be She kicked off her 2020 Vision: Your Life In Focus Tour on Saturday in Florida. And gracing Oprah’s, 65, national tour as the first guest, was none other than ‘the incomparable’ Lady Gaga. The 33-year-old took to the stage where she candidly opened up to the 15,000 person crowd about her PTSD after being raped, bringing the talk-show queen to tears. Gaga, who suffers from fibromyalgia, revealed that even during the hour-long chat she was in ‘head-to-toe pain,’ according to Rolling Stone. ‘What’s interesting about it is that I’ve found through neuropsych research and my relationship with my doctors that fibromyalgia can be treated through mental health therapy,’ she shared. Bri Babineaux drops single "Baptize Us Again." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0lEDyZcagY&feature=youtu.be Beyonce and Jay Z were at the Golden Globes Sunday night, but they were an HOUR late. After skipping the red carpet, Beyonce tried to sneak into the ceremony with Jay-Z unnoticed, but of course, the iconic couple turned every head in the room as they turned up an hour into proceedings. They were accompanied by their bodyguard, who appeared to carry their own bottles of Ace of Spades champagne. A new decade brings new voices with a message of healing. Meet Staci Brown and her new single "Healer." Reach Media Inc.’s nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show debuts as an Urban AC morning show at the start of the new year, airing weekdays from 6a-10a ET. The Rickey Smiley Morning Show is quick-paced and anchored by one of the nation’s most popular comedians. Easily entertaining a wide variety of listeners, the “can’t miss a minute” morning show perfectly blends music, exclusive comedy and spiritual entertainment with today’s hottest topics in news, entertainment and sports. Rickey Smiley was recognized by the National Association of Broadcasters in 2017 as recipient of the Marconi award for “Top National/Syndicated Talent.” The Cowboys, after a long week of uncertainty, announced Sunday evening that Jason Garrett will not be extended. No, the official statement from Jerry Jones did not say the Cowboys were firing—or even terminating—their head coach of the last decade. But for the first time in more than 12 years, Jason Garrett is no longer an employee of the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys set to name former Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy as new head coach. For years gospel artists like Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary and rapper Lecrae have led the way creating inspirational music that both moves our feet and lifts our spirits. Now out of Brooklyn N.Y. comes lead singer Michael Moore feat. Shamyra Smith, The GSS Chorallettes & rapper Dre Rumble who are a new generation of gospel singers, with a powerful urban anthem of faith in God that asks the question "Do You Believe?" Checkout "I Believe." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2J0JJTdCtA&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=I+Believe+by+Michael+Moore+GSS+Chorallettes+Jan+3%2C+2020&utm_campaign=New+Music&utm_medium=email In a videotaped message to his congregation Sunday, The Relentless Church Pastor John Gray vowed to “maintain the moral high ground” in an eviction dispute with Redemption Church. Gray’s comments were part of a 2 1/2-minute video that was played during Sunday’s early service at the Greenville-based megachurch. The Greenville News watched an online broadcast of the service. blob:https://uw-media.greenvilleonline.com/b0709872-b957-4fa0-9741-26842b7565bc Iran has placed an $80million bounty on Donald Trump’s head and threatened to attack the White House in response to the president’s warning that any strike on American interests in the region will bring massive retaliation. An organizer for a funeral procession for General Qassem Soleimani called on all Iranians to donate $1 each ‘in order to gather an $80million bounty on President Trump’s head’. The organizer made the remarks during the procession in Mashad. Redemption Church filed for eviction against The Relentless Church in Greenville on Thursday, just over a month after Redemption terminated its lease agreement with the megachurch run by Pastor John Gray and told the church to vacate the property owned by Redemption by the end of the year. The court filing asks for an application of ejectment and says Relentless breached its lease agreement because it failed to make all payments to cover the costs of the sanctuary and The Imagine Center, the sports and fitness facility operated on the church campus. In a written statement emailed Thursday night, Gray said Relentless would address the matter through appropriate legal channels. The daughter of a church deacon who was gunned down at the weekend has chosen to forgive her father’s killer. Anton “Tony” Wallace, a 64-year-old registered nurse, was shot dead at West Freeway Church of Christ Sunday after an armed man entered the church and opened fire on parishioners. Wallace’s life was cruelly taken as he served communion to his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. His daughter Tiffany Wallace told NBC News that the church would have looked to welcome the disturbed gunman with open arms if he was in need. “Food, shelter, we would give it to him — whatever he needed,” she said. blob:https://www.nbcdfw.com/94a47d47-a35a-46e3-b163-0006a36e90b4 Jason Garrett’s time with the Dallas Cowboys is coming to an end. A source told ESPN’s Ed Werder that after showing an “abundance of care and respect” for Garrett, team owner/general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones have decided the coach will not be part of the organization moving forward. According to multiple sources, the Joneses and Garrett did not have their scheduled meeting at The Star on Thursday after meeting on Monday and Tuesday without any resolution on the coach’s status. Garrett’s contract is set to expire on Jan. 14 and his status with the team has been uncertain since last February, when the Cowboys opted not to offer him an extension. THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH ACTORS ROTIMI, BRIAN JORDAN, JR., RELATIONSHIP EXPERT TRACY MCMILLAN, ED GORDON AND MORE AS PART OF 2020 TRANSFORMATION WEEK. Leon Spinks, the one-time heavyweight champion boxer, is suffering from prostate cancer that has spread to his bladder, his wife told USA TODAY Sports Thursday by text message. Spinks, 66, was diagnosed in May and on Christmas Eve discharged from a Las Vegas hospital, according to Brenda Spinks, who said the boxer has returned to the couple’s home in Henderson, Nevada. He will resume cancer treatment on an outpatient basis, Brenda Spinks said. When Jake Fromm, Georgia Bulldogs Quarterback, revealed his New Year’s resolution for 2020, the touching moment took ESPN reporter Holly Rowe by surprise. The Christian young man is dedicating his efforts to leading more people to Jesus! As a junior at the University of Georgia, Jake Fromm is hailed as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. And his talents on the field are gaining him a lot of attention. But there’s something else that truly makes Jake special — his love for Jesus! Pastor David Wright & NY Fellowship Mass Choir has released a new single entitled, "Mighty Long Way" featuring Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson. This collaboration gives you an awesome choir song with a quartet feel. https://www.dropbox.com/s/w0hocxjeuswg0nm/Pastor%20David%20Wright%20%26%20NY%20Fellowship%20Choir%20Mighty%20Long%20Way%20feat%20Keith%20Wonderboy%20Johnson%20.mp3?dl=0 The Gospel music industry is filled with family groups singing songs for praises to the Lord including The Clark Sisters, The Hawkins Family and The Pace Sisters. Another family group has just hit the sacred music scene with a mission to inspire through song. R.E.I.G.N., consisting of a variety of family members including father and son, niece and uncle and a few cousins, is recognized for their tight harmonies, moving songs and spirited performances. Previously known as Remnant, they are remembered for opening up for popular acts such as Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC’s, The Williams Brothers, Harvey Watkins & The Canton Spirituals and Jason Nelson. Now Remnant is R.E.I.G.N., with a new name and a new mission. Flowing in their season of “new”, they also have a new, just-released single called “Leanin’” featuring Tia Singleton. The track is currently available on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. Minnesota rapper Lexii Alijai died on New Year’s Day, distraught loved ones confirmed on social media. Alijai, 21, whose full name is Alexis Alijai Lynch, was the granddaughter of singer-songwriter Roger Troutman. She carved out a name for herself in the industry — building a large following on Soundcloud, Instagram and YouTube before releasing her debut full-length album, “Growing Pains,” in September 2017. Alijai collaborated with California singer-songwriter Kehlani on her singles “Jealous” and “You Should Be Here,” which was nominated for a Grammy. The USA TODAY Sports college football staff picked the 10 best players of the 2010s. From quarterbacks to defensive tackles, here are the stars we'll remember: 1. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson (2014-16), 2. Auburn quarterback Cam Newton (2010), 3. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley (2015-17), 4. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (2013-17), 5. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o (2009-12), 6. Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (2017-19), 7. Ohio State defensive lineman Joey Bosa (2013-15), 8. Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston (2013-14), 9. Pittsburgh defensive lineman Aaron Donald (2010-13), 10. Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon (2009-11). David Stern, the basketball-loving lawyer who took the NBA around the world during 30 years as its longest-serving commissioner and oversaw its growth into a global powerhouse, died Wednesday. He was 77. Stern suffered a brain hemorrhage on Dec. 12 and underwent emergency surgery. The league said he died with his wife, Dianne, and their family at his bedside. "The entire basketball community is heartbroken," the National Basketball Players Association said. "David Stern earned and deserved inclusion in our land of giants." Sources said Nick Gordon, 30, had a series of heart attacks after he was rushed into intensive care during New Year’s Eve celebrations. His loved ones were informed of his death earlier today after doctors were unable to revive the prolific drug abuser. Gordon is notorious for the 2015 death of Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina, who spent six months in a coma after she was found unconscious in a bathtub with a slew of drugs in her system. Funeral for Lois Evans will be Monday, January 6 11:00 a.m. at the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Dallas, TX. Ways you can help the Evans family during this time:~ Pray for Dr. Evans and the entire Evans family.~ Send cards of encouragement to Dr. Tony Evans or any member of the Evans family to: c/o Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, 1808 W. Camp Wisdom, Dallas, TX 75232. After just a day-and-a-half of tracking after its Christmas Day release, Kanye West‘s second spiritually-based project, Jesus Is Born, credited to the Sunday Service Choir, enters the Top Gospel Albums chart (dated Jan. 4, 2020) at No. 2. The set starts with 6,000 equivalent album units earned (3,000 in album sales) in the week ending Dec. 26, according to Nielsen Music. As West had teased, the album was released Dec. 25, arriving on DSPs at 3 p.m. ET that day. West’s first faith-based album, Jesus Is King, debuted at No. 1 on Top Gospel Albums, as well as Top Christian Albums, the all-genre Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums on the charts dated Nov. 9 (with 264,000 units). It became the first set ever to lead all five of those rankings. With 10 of the album’s tracks, West also made history by becoming the first artist to rank at Nos. 1 through 10 on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs and Hot Gospel Songs charts that week. This week, Jesus Is King rules Top Gospel Albums for a ninth week, with 11,000 units. The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday they have signed running back Elijah Holyfield, son of legendary boxer Evander Holyfield. Elijah Holyfield played for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2016-2018 and went undrafted before joining the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad this past summer. The 22-year-old is 5-foot-10 and rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior in Athens in 2018.The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday they have signed running back Elijah Holyfield, son of legendary boxer Evander Holyfield. Elijah Holyfield played for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2016-2018 and went undrafted before joining the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad this past summer. The 22-year-old is 5-foot-10 and rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior in Athens in 2018. Dr. Tony Evans, senior pastor and founder of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, announced via social media that his wife Lois, 70, went home to Heaven on the morning of Dec. 30. This was her second round of biliary cancer, according to Evans.' In a moving tribute, Evans wrote that Lois was surrounded by family, including the couple’s four children, when she passed away. The Legacy of a Kingdom Woman by Sister Lois Evans Who Just Went Home to be With the Lord, December 30, 2019 –She Being Dead Yet Speaketh. https://youtu.be/NJtyO79Dy80 A Washington D.C. elementary school has come under fire for asking black fifth grade students to portray slaves during a lesson about the Civil War and Reconstruction era. The incident took place at Lafayette Elementary School in the Chevy Chase neighborhood where a class was asked to wrap up a series of lessons on the Civil War by creating a dramatic reading or podcast. Students broke off into groups for the assignment, which asked students to portray an enslaved person and a person of color drinking from a segregated water fountain. Principal Carrie Broquard sent a letter to parents apologizing for the offensive incident saying the learning exercise won’t be used in the future, according to the Washington Post. Jameis Winston — throughout his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’s been remarkably consistent. The first overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Florida State, Winston made his NFL debut against the Titans. Winston’s first throw of the day was an attempt to receiver Adam Humphries that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Winston’s final throw of the 2019 season, the one that put the game away for the Falcons in a 28-22 overtime win, was a pass intended for tight end Cameron Brate that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. The closest any quarterback has come to the 30/30 mark before is Lynn Dickey of the 1983 Packers, who threw 32 touchdowns and 29 picks. The gunman in Sunday’s church shooting in Texas has been identified as 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen. It remains unclear what his motive was, but he opened fire at the West Freeway Church in Fort Worth on Sunday. He was first named by NBC Dallas Fort Worth. Kinnunen had a criminal past which involved arrests for theft and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He killed two people – a security guard and a grandfather who had just handed out communion – before being brought down by former FBI agent Jack Wilson, 70. The Hanukkah stabbing suspect accused of attacking five people with a machete at a rabbi’s home has been charged with federal hate crimes after handwritten journals containing references to Jews and anti-Semitism were found in his house. Grafton E. Thomas, 37, was expected to appear in federal court in White Plains on Monday to face the hate crime charges as new footage emerged of him calmly strolling through a New York City bodega just moments before his arrest. Thomas, who is accused of carrying out the bloodied attack on Sunday night on the seventh night of Hanukkah, is charged with five counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by attempting to kill with a dangerous weapon and causing injuries. He had already been charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Clemson’s star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, outspoken on his Christian faith, is an experienced champion who found himself facing an uphill battle on Saturday night. In the second quarter of Saturday night’s playoff game, down 16-0 to an Ohio State team that showed no signs of slowing down, a potential loss is what he and his teammates were facing. While viewers may have counted them out, Lawrence was fired up and ready to lead his team to victory. Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Tigers continued on their path toward victory, leading 29-23, the Tigers sealed the deal with an interception in the Ohio State end zone. Set to face LSU, the Clemson Tigers will, for a second year in a row, be going to the National Championship game. When asked about his team’s incredible win and his performance, Lawrence first and foremost pointed to scripture and his teammates: “I have Ephesians 3:20, and it says, ‘God can do immeasurably more than any of us can because of Him within us.’ And that’s just so true. I mean, all of us, me, what we did tonight, it ain’t us. It’s about this program and who we are.” Civil rights icon and US Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, his office announced Sunday. Lewis, 79, said he was diagnosed following a routine medical visit with subsequent tests that reconfirmed the diagnosis. The long-time Georgia congressman will undergo treatment for the cancer. Lewis, who is in his 17th term as a member of Congress, is vowing to continue his work, stating that he’ll return to Washington in the coming days to begin his treatment plan, which will last several weeks. Joining the ranks of Kanye West with Christmas announcements for their fans, Justin Bieber shared exciting news with fans on Christmas Eve. In a video he shared on social media with the hashtag BIEBER2020, Bieber teased a new song, “Yummy,” that will be released on January 3rd as part of a full studio album. He also revealed upcoming tour dates and a docuseries. On the video, Justin said, “As humans, we are imperfect. My past, my mistakes, all the things that I’ve been through, I believe that I’m right where I’m supposed to be and God has me right where he wants me. I feel like this is different than the previous albums just because of where I’m at in my life. I’m excited to perform it and to tour it. We all have different stories. I’m just excited to share mine.” Hollywood actor Tom Selleck is known for his iconic role as Magnum P.I. but many don’t know that he attributes his accomplishments to Jesus Christ. The 74-year-old admits that his journey as a Christian has been shaky over the years, according to Belief Net. Selleck was a business major and planned to work for United Airlines after college. He starred in several commercials and was offered an acting contract with Twentieth Century Fox, but God called him to serve in the US Army. After serving in the military, Selleck headed to Hollywood and relaunched his acting career. He landed the well-known role of Magnum P.I. but continued to let God be his guide. He left Cleveland for Miami, finally became a champion, went back to his beloved northeast Ohio, delivered on another title promise, then left for the Los Angeles Lakers and the next challenge. He played in eight straight finals. No NBA player won more games or more MVP awards over the last 10 years than he did. LeBron James is The Associated Press male athlete of the decade, adding his name to a list that includes Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky and Arnold Palmer. He was a runaway winner in a vote of AP member sports editors and AP beat writers, easily outpacing runner-up Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. James was revealed as the winner Sunday, one day after Serena Williams was announced as the AP’s female athlete of the decade. The six-month-old son of Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones has died. The youngest of his five children – Marlo Jones – died Friday. The cause of his death has not yet been revealed. Marvin Jones shared an emotional Instagram post writing: ‘Yesterday the Lord called home a piece of my family’s heart, Marlo. It is hard to believe that our little angel, our fighter from day one, our son “Marlito” has unfortunately passed away and is no longer here with us. Breakthrough singer-rapper Lizzo has been named Entertainer of the Year by The Associated Press. Voted by entertainment staffers of the news cooperative, Lizzo dominated the pop, R&B and rap charts in 2019 with songs like “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell.” Lizzo dropped her major-label debut, “Cuz I Love You,” this year and the success has made her the leading nominee at the 2020 Grammy Awards, where she is up for eight honors. Outside of music, Lizzo has won over fans for promoting body positivity and denouncing fat shaming. She performed with Prince on his 2014 “Plectrumelectrum” album, released two years before his death. Lizzo also had a role in the film “Hustlers,” opposite Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu and Cardi B, and she voiced a character in the animated picture “UglyDolls.” Lee Mendelson, the prolific producer who guided “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to television, where it became an instant holiday classic in 1965 and has since delighted tens of millions of viewers, has died. He was 86. Mendelson died Wednesday at his Bay Area home in Hillsborough, Calif., of lung cancer and congestive heart failure, according to his son Jason Mendelson. The family had gathered at his home to celebrate Christmas. Employees at a record store in North Carolina say a mural of pop star Tina Turner has been defaced with a red swastika. The Citizen Times reported Thursday that the mural is outside Static Age Records in downtown Asheville. Store owner Jesse McSwain said someone unconnected to the store apparently covered the mural in a black sheet before he could address the situation. Static Age called police and the Southern Poverty Law Center. McSwain said that his store is “a widely inclusive, safe space” and that “hate speech will get you out the door.” “The Last Full Measure” will hit theaters at the top of 2020 and tells the true story of William “Pits” Pitsenbarger, a U.S. Air Force pararescueman who saved over 60 men in more than 250 combat missions during the Vietnam War and why it took 30 years for him to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. https://youtu.be/Go8zI2sytEc Nike has released a new ‘True to 7’ shoe with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick – and it’s already sold out. According to Nike’s website, the shoes sold out in all kids and adult sizes. Kaerpernick has remained a controversial figure since taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial inequality in the U.S. On Monday, he tweeted ahead of the release of the new Colin Kaepernick x Nike Air Force 1. A small passenger plane en route to Atlanta for a College Football Playoff game crashed Saturday in an open field in Lafayette, Louisiana, killing five people. One person on board survived with life-threatening burns. Among the victims: the daughter-in-law of Louisiana State University’s offensive coordinator, Steve Ensminger. LSU whipped Oklahoma University Saturday evening in the Peach Bowl. The Seahawks surprised everyone around the NFL this week when they made the stunning decision to bring back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch’s new contract will be paying him for his one regular season game of action. According to NFL.com, Beast Mode will be getting a paycheck for $60,588 from the Seahawks this week. Basically, what this means is that Lynch agreed to a one-year deal that was pro-rated for the league minimum. For any player with more than 10 years of experience, the minimum is $1,030,000 for the entire season, which breaks down to $60,588 per week over 17 weeks. Former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett hit up Flint, Michigan to bring some holiday love to the children. According to TMZ, Smollett linked with youth and environmental activist Mari Copeny to surprise students at a local school with backpacks and toys. The actor also donated $10,000 to the Flint KIDS program. On his Instagram, Smollett revealed that he helped host “the biggest party ever for Flint KIds,” by giving away toys, winter coats, books and school supplies. Last year, Smollett reportedly donated $125,000 to various charities ahead of the holidays, including Flint KIDS and the Black AIDS Institute. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 30% of African American adults with mental illness are treated yearly compared to the overall U.S. average of 43%. Prompted by his own personal experiences with mental illness, Calvin G. Seino, better known as DJ Tryfe, decided to turn his 30th birthday celebration into ‘the VIRIBUS ball’ to raise money and awareness. Textures: Sequins, Velvet, Feathers, and Fur is the theme of the MET Gala-inspired experience taking place at Highland Theatre in the Hillcrest community of Washington, D.C., Sunday, January 19. Hosted by Candiace Dillard from The Real Housewives of Potomoc. The goal is to make a sizeable donation to the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, founded by fellow Howard University alum, actress Taraji P. Henson who started it to help those like her late father who struggled with mental illness. Her latest EP, "NEVER FORGOTTEN" is a collective of powerfully affirming tunes, and is available everywhere digital music is sold. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/JOKIA-YAHWEH-RADIO-O2zg6L99qF18D8t0isWDG Grammy-nominated rapper DaBaby was detained and cited for drugs late Monday evening after performing in Charlotte. The artist, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, was initially arrested after his performance at Bojangles Coliseum, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said. Those charges were later dropped in lieu of two citations. Kirk’s social media account posted a video of officers using flash lights to search his car. Police records indicated officers recovered less than one half ounce of marijuana from the car. The estimated value of the drugs is $45, according to the police report. Officers also found a concealed firearm, empty Glock 23 magazine, and loose .45 caliber rounds. Kirk, who was detained and transported by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s office, was given two citations and released. He was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana; along with a citation for resist, obstruct and delay. Christmas came early for Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard. The couple welcomed another baby girl, Cassie Snow Shepard, on Tuesday, Dec. 17th, and she already has an Instagram. Cassie joins sister Cali Clay, whom the Shepards welcomed in August 2018, and she already has an Instagram account too. Trina Braxton and Von Scales tied the knot on Sunday in St. Louis, Missouri in front of family and friends. The newlyweds’ ceremony was officiated by Judge Mablean Ephriam. It was held at Windows on Washington, a lavish venue in the historic downtown neighborhood of St. Louis. Toni, Towanda, Traci and Tamar were all in attendance, as well as their mother Evelyn. Somali-American model Halima Aden is the first black woman to appear on the cover of Essence magazine wearing a hijab. The model will be featured on the cover’s January/February issue, which is “just a taste of how Essence is celebrating every black woman in 2020,” according to the magazine. Essence said in a statement on its website that Aden, who is also an activist, “was the first Muslim homecoming queen at her high school; the first Somali student senator at her college; and the first hijab-wearing woman to be the face of numerous fashion magazine covers, including Allure and British Vogue.” Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson says the Lord keeps him humble despite all of his recent success. Jackson was responding to questions during a press conference, Wednesday and while receiving praise for being one of 2019’s breakout NFL stars he was asked what keeps him humble. He responded directly, “The Lord.” Jennifer Hudson is one busy actress/singer. She’s got a role in “Cats” which is opening this weekend and she’s starring as the late Aretha Franklin in an upcoming biopic. That biopic is called “Respect” and the first trailer has been released Basically, “Respect” follows the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom. https://youtu.be/25U11a2HgcI A day after the House impeached President Trump, charging that he pressured Ukraine to investigate a political rival, one of the most prominent institutions in evangelical Christianity also determined that he was unfit for his office. Mark Galli, editor of Christianity Today magazine, wrote Thursday: “The facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.” Not long after the editorial was published, Christianity Today’s website crashed. By Friday afternoon, #ChristiansAgainstTrump was trending on Twitter. The documentary about Russell Simmons hasn’t even seen the light of day, but it’s already causing quite a stir. Oprah Winfrey has produced a film that will reportedly follow former music executive Drew Dixon as she details what she claims were multiple instances of sexual harassment and misconduct by Simmons. She alleges that he raped her in the mid-1990s, an allegation that Simmons fiercely denies. The Simmons family hasn’t commented on the allegations stacked against Russell. Growing Up Hip Hop‘s Angela Simmons has shared her thoughts on the accusations. “I’m not ever gonna get in between what’s going on with people,” Angela reportedly said. “I’m going to stand by my family. I’m not going to get in between all of that, it’s not my place. No one wants to see their family getting hurt. He has daughters.” She added: “My uncle knows what he’s done…but I don’t necessarily want to shine a light on that.” A former Fort Worth police officer accused of fatally shooting a woman inside her home in October has been indicted for murder. A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Aaron Dean Friday morning. A trial date has not yet been announced. At a press conference Friday, Jefferson’s family called news of the indictment a “relief.” Colin Kaepernick and Nike have announced the release of his own line of apparel and shoes. According to Yahoo Sports, one featured item within Kaepernick’s line of clothing is the plain black jersey, which has no NFL logos, only Kaepernick’s number, 7, along with his name on it. Pittsburgh Steelers safety Kameron Kelly was punched in the face by police several times and arrested after he allegedly refused to leave a local bar in the early hours of Friday morning. The 23-year-old is now facing two misdemeanor counts of making terroristic threats and one count of resisting arrest, according to court records obtained by KDKA, Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate. The Steelers have since announced that they have released Kelly following his arrest. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Lifetime shares the first trailer for the film the Clark Sisters. Outside of hearing the release of Lifetime’s Clark Sisters biopic will be sometime in early 2020, few details have been shared, this is a great glimpse! The biopic stars Aunjanue Ellis as Mattie Moss Clark, Christina Bell as Twinkie, Kierra Sheard as Karen, Sheléa Frazier as Dorinda, Raven Goodwin as Denise, and Angela Birchett as Jacky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df1Yc7V-E7Q Herman Boone, the legendary high school football coach portrayed by Denzel Washington in the iconic movie “Remember the Titans,” has died. He was 84. Boone took over as head coach of T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971 — the first year the city’s high schools were integrated and consolidated. Led by Boone, who was black, and assistant coach Bill Yoast, who was white, the Titans football team overcame racial tension to go undefeated and win the state championship. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry Christmas Message 2019: In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, sometimes referred to as the prologue to the Gospel, sometimes spoken of as the whole Gospel in miniature the Gospel writer says this. As he reflects on the coming of God into the world in the person of Jesus. As he reflects on Christmas. He says, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome. Tom Brady is the odd man out in the AFC for the first time in 11 years. The Patriots quarterback was not selected for this season’s Pro Bowl, a first for Brady since 2008 when he was sidelined for the season due to injury. MVP candidate and Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson was selected as the starter, with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Texans’ Deshaun Watson picked as reserves. TV One was recently named one of the Top Companies of 2019 for People of Color by the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), the premiere organization focusing on cultural diversity, equity and inclusions in the communications industry. As announced by NAMIC, TV One was among the top five programmers and is recognized as a leader in fostering diversity and inclusion in the cable and communications industry. The findings were gleaned from the 2019 NAMIC AIM Report which ranked the top five operators and top five programmers. 2019 was a roller coaster — especially for the most searched person of the year. The past 12 months were dominated by major sports stories: the United States winning the Women's World Cup. Andrew Luck's sudden retirement. Tanking for Zion. The Washington Nationals and St. Louis Blues winning their first-ever championships. But out of all of that, no buzz quite reached the height of the scandals surrounding former Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown. When Google released its top trending searches of 2019, Brown wasn't just named the most searched athlete of the year — he was also the most searched person overall. It’s an early Christmas gift for fans of syndicated daytime talk show Tamron Hall, as news breaks that it has been picked up for a second season after the chat fest performed solidly for three months. Produced and distributed by Disney, 49-year-old host and executive producer Tamron Hall said she is “thrilled” that it has been cleared in 80 percent of the country for next season. The wife and new mom entered into an already crowded talk space in syndication earlier this year and has managed to break through the noise, ranking second behind The Kelly Clarkson Show, which has also been renewed for another season. As he closes the year with some new Christmas music, count Journey‘s Jonathan Cain among those welcoming Kanye West to the ranks of Christian music. “For me it looked like a move of God, and I’m thrilled he’s doing it,” Cain — who began his own Christian music career with 2016’s What God Wants to Hear, the following year’s Unsung Noel and this year’s More Like Jesus. “He’s moving people. People are being ministered to. People are getting saved. They’re coming to Jesus. He’s using his influence, and I applaud that. Autopsy reports released this week by the Cobb County medical examiner’s office in Georgia found that the mother of Erin Edwards, a rising junior at Boston University, fatally shot her daughter three times in a murder-suicide in August, before turning the gun on herself. The two died in the same room. Dr. Marsha Edwards also shot her son, Christopher Edwards II, at least five times as he lay in bed, the report said. Marsha Edwards then killed herself with a single shot to the chest. The gruesome deaths of Erin, 20, her brother, Christopher, 24, and their mother, 58, shocked the prominent family’s community in Atlanta and left BU students reeling. In October, more than 200 people gathered at the university’s Marsh Chapel to grieve, describing Erin Edwards as a passionate student journalist and devoted friend. During this Decade The Gospel Spotlight has made many friends and during the next few weeks we want you to meet them. Share our journey and Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!!! Hear Vickie Winans IN Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Vickie_Winans.htm During this Decade The Gospel Spotlight has made many friends and during the next few weeks we want you to meet them. Share our journey and Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!!! Hear Cheryl "CoKo" Clements IN Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/coko_intvw.htm December 16th, GRAMMY® nominee, Billboard Music Award and NAACP Image Award winning, Koryn Hawthorne, was presented with a gold plaque for her #1 smash hit “Won’t He Do It” being RIAA-Certified Gold® by her record label, RCA Inspiration. The chart-dominating single placed #2 on Billboard’s Decade-End Hot Gospel Songs chart. Additionally, Hawthorne set a new record with “Won’t He Do It” earlier in 2019 becoming the female Gospel artist with the longest rein at #1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart upon the song’s 26th week in the top spot. RCAI presented Hawthorne with the gold plaque at their office in Franklin, TN. Hawthorne first burst onto the world stage as a top-four finalist on NBC’s The Voice. She went on to release her debut album, Unstoppable in 2018. The album debuted at #1 on the Top Gospel Albums chart and garnered over 1.2 million streams in its first week of release. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Koryn Hawthorne IN Her Own Words....https://gospel-spotlight.com/korynhawthorne_intvw.htm RCA Inspiration celebrates Donald Lawrence and Le’Andria Johnson for their #1 hit “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus),” making surprise plaque presentations to the two performers in Houston, TX on Friday December 13th, at the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour concert at Lakewood Church. A soaring track richly-textured with declarations of faith to break free of past woes, the two GRAMMY®-winning powerhouses first recorded “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” featuring Le’Andria Johnson, for Lawrence’s acclaimed album Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, Goshen, with Lawrence producing and co-writing the track. Catch the Beats 1 interview with four-time GRAMMY® nominated recording artist, songwriter and producer Travis Greene on Apple Music. Greene sits down to discuss his new album Broken Record, and more. Marking his fourth album, Greene’s eleven-track project features the singles “Won’t Let Go,” “Good & Loved” (feat. Steffany Gretzinger), “The Breaker,” among others, showcasing his distinct creative blend of high-energy live performances, reflective worship, and more. Broken Record is available on all music providers now. The King of parties, Sean Diddy Combs, celebrated his 50th birthday this weekend with an opulent bash at his Beverly Hills mansion. Acclaimed gospel artist Marvin Sapp performed two songs that have been very special to Diddy and have helped him through a tough year since losing the mother of his children, Kim Porter. Upon arrival, guests like Beyoncé and Jay Z, Pharrell, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gayle King, Kate Beckinsale, Chadwick Boseman. Lizzo and Post Malone entered the manor along an illuminated walkway, where all the windows were decorated with a bright light installation. Hosted by Swizz Beatz and Kenny Burn party goers danced the night away. Diddy's first surprise of the night was a special performance by the Queen of Hip Hop Soul and longtime friend, Mary J. Blige. Mary performed a 40 minute set while guests danced to some of her biggest hits. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith revealed they had an intervention for son Jaden after his very restrictive vegetarian diet back in September. And now the 21-year-old rapper has finally addressed those health concerns. Jaden appeared alongside his entire family on the most recent episode of Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk which began streaming on Monday. The Smith clan got together with some professionals to discuss their results for an in-depth health test. Jaden joked that his parents vocalizing their concerns in such a public way made him hesitant to participate. Scientists in Oklahoma are one step closer to finding possible evidence of mass graves linked to the deadly race massacre of 1921. Researchers in Tulsa used ground penetrating radar to survey two sites and found irregularities that could be consistent with large-scale burials. The neighborhood of Greenwood was known as black Wall Street. Restaurants, grocery stores and tailors were all black-owned businesses. In 1921 a white mob burned much of the Tulsa neighborhood to the ground, and some say as many as 300 black residents were killed. Almost forgotten by history, the city is trying to uncover the past and heal the wounds. The white mob clashed with several armed black men who had gathered to protect a black shoe shiner who was unjustly accused of assaulting a white woman. After a shot was fired, violence broke out and hundreds of black people were massacred. Christian singer Lauren Daigle recently visited Angola State Prison and raised $17,000 for the inmates to help them make phone calls and have new clothes for the holidays. Daigle posted of her visit to Angola, the largest maximum-security prison in the U.S., on social media over the weekend to celebrate the generosity of her supporters on Giving Tuesday. The Grammy-winning singer visited the prison on December 11 and in the video clip she shared, Daigle is seen delivering the good news to the inmates during an intimate lunch. The Lafayette, Louisiana, native explained to everyone that the campaign raised $17,000 to help fund clothing and phone calls evenly distributed to the 6,300 prisoners of the Louisiana penitentiary this Christmas. The troubles that have followed Josh Gordon throughout his career continued Monday as the Seahawks wide receiver was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the league’s drug policy again. Gordon, the former star at Lamar High School, tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and “substances of abuse,” the league said in a statement. Drew Brees made NFL history again Monday night. Brees broke Peyton Manning’s career touchdown record with a 5-yard pass to tight end Josh Hill midway through the third quarter against the Indianapolis Colts, giving him 540 for his career. It was the highlight of a monster night from Brees, who also made NFL history by registering a 96.7 completion percentage as the Saints trounced the Colts, 34-7. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson essentially ended the NFL Most Valuable Player debate last week, when he put up another five touchdown passes and broke Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback. The more intriguing question involving Jackson is whether the football world is witnessing something historically greater. Running the ball like Barry Sanders and tossing touchdown passes like Tom Brady, Jackson has brought shock and awe with how he has run up the score on some of the best teams by breaking ankles on open-field scrambles and breaking defenses with those sidearm throws. He is playing the quarterback position unlike anyone before him, leading the NFL with 33 touchdown passes while becoming the second quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards. Relentless Church plans to move to a new Greenville location in 2020, Pastor John Gray announced to about 4,200 attendees at Sunday service. In an exclusive interview with The Greenville News, Gray said Relentless has chosen a location, but he didn’t disclose where it was or whether Relentless planned to build or lease the space. More details should be announced at the church’s service on New Years Eve, Gray said. When asked if paperwork has been signed yet, Gray said, “We are right where we need to be.” Relentless Church is currently leasing the campus of the former Redemption Church in Greenville, where Gray took over as pastor after former pastors Ron and Hope Carpenter left to take over a church in San Jose, California. Redemption Church still owns the property, and after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, attorneys for Redemption wrote a letter to Relentless ending their lease agreement and asking the church to vacate the property by the end of the year. Gray has said Relentless is current on all of its lease payments. In a response to Redemption’s letter, attorneys for Relentless said the Carpenters “could not follow through with all the terms of the original transition agreement related to property when Relentless moved in.” http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Delegates to the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial meeting in Chicago on Friday (Dec. 13) voted overwhelmingly to advocate for the creation of a federal commission to study and develop proposals for reparations to African Americans for slavery. The resolution is the first such effort on the part of an American Jewish organization but has precedent among some Protestant groups. Grammy® Award Winner and Global Recording Artist Kirk Whalum 8th Annual Gospel According To Jazz Christmas tour is in selected markets like Atlanta, Houston, New York, Nashville and more. Whalum will perform his biggest hits, holiday favorites, and songs from his latest album, Humanite’ The dates will feature John Stoddart and Kevin Whalum, along with this year's special guests, vocalist Maysa and guitarist Adam Hawley. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Kirk Whalum In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kirk_whalum.htm Kanye West and televangelist Joel Osteen are looking to take their spiritual connection on the road. Following West’s Sunday Service at Osteen’s Lakewood Church, the two reportedly talked about embarking on a national tour. According to TMZ, West and Osteen will conduct a service at Yankee Stadium on May 2. West will be in charge of the music while Osteen will handle the message. Sources claim that the two will take on Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field in September. If these two shows go well, West and Osteen will possibly expand the experience. Those close to the situation tell TMZ that the two are talking about putting together services in Miami, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The details are still unknown, but these shows might take place in 2021. Niecy Nash and Jay Tucker are one big step closer to ending their marriage. Nash, 49, filed for divorce in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to TMZ. In October, the “Claws” star and the electrical engineer announced their separation, but said they were still on good terms. The duo was reportedly spending a lot of time apart while Nash worked on “Claws,” and Tucker was also reportedly displeased with her sex scenes. “Niecy got a brand-new body right before she went to film ‘Claws’ down in New Orleans and that’s when their troubles began,” a source told The Daily Mail. “Jay was really uncomfortable with her graphic sex scenes on the show and that made their problems worse. They were living in two different cities and Jay expressed he didn’t like his wife being in New Orleans while he was in LA.” Lauren London is paying tribute to the man she loved. In her new “Forever Stronger” campaign video for Puma released Tuesday, the 35-year-old actress honors her late boyfriend Nipsey Hussle, who was killed on March 31 outside his Marathon clothing store in LA. The pair had dated from 2013 until his tragic death, and share son Kross, 3. Rapper 50 Cent targeted Oprah Winfrey in an Instagram post, accusing the beloved TV host and super-producer of singling out black men, such as Michael Jackson and Russell Simmons, in her #MeToo activism. Thursday night, the “Candy Shop” hit-maker shared an old photo of Winfrey and disgraced music mogul Simmons smiling together, paired with a caption alleging that Winfrey has omitted white men accused of sexual assault, such as Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, while “going after” black men in her advocacy for survivors. The post also cites Winfrey’s forthcoming Sundance documentary, which features one of Simmons’ rape accusers. An all too common storyline in hip-hop has become the untimely passing of its brightest stars. On December 8th, a freshly 21-one-year-old Juice WRLD overdosed on Percocet pills at an airport. In 2018 XXXtentacion was killed in a car shooting and Mac Miller overdosed. The year before that, Lil Peep died of an overdose. “We have got to change Hip-Hop it wasn’t made to glorify drugs, objectify women and promote violence. It was meant to give a voice to the oppressed. Yet the music we make today oppresses our own people and paints the image that all of this is okay. We have to stop it’s killing us,” singer/rapper Byron Juane pleaded through a Tweet. Cory Booker announced on Thursday that he will not qualify for the next Democratic debate on Dec. 19. “Today is the deadline for the DNC’s December debate qualifying threshold—and while I may not be on the debate stage next Thursday, thanks to the outpouring of support over the past few weeks, we know there’s a path to victory, and we no longer need the debate stage to get there,” the New Jersey senator tweeted. A Tuesday poll by Quinnipiac University showed that Booker’s favorability is dropping, with just one percent of voters saying they would choose him over other candidates. The debate requires candidates to meet the four percent threshold in at least four national or early-state polls to qualify. Angela “Missy” Billups and Ernest Billups & Tribe of Levi will take the stage with Mariah Carey for her Christmas show at Madison Square Garden Sunday, December 15. Hallmark Channel Presents Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas , celebrates the 25th anniversary of the award-winning singer’s holiday album, Merry Christmas, which introduced the enduring and record-breaking holiday hit that gives the tour its subtitle. Gospel singer Missy Billups, her son Ernest Billups, and Ernest’s 20-voice gospel group Tribe of Levi—all residents of New York—will provide background vocals for Carey on “All I Want for Christmas.” They will also support Carey on Christmas classics “Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child,” “Silent Night,” and “Joy to the World.” Missy and Ernest are not the only Billups family members scheduled to appear on the holiday special. Tribe of Levi includes Missy’s daughter, Angela E. Billups and her son, Marcus Billups, who does backup work for Bishop Hezekiah Walker. Sharing the love of the Christmas season came through individual gifts to every inmate in South Carolina this year, provided by churches and associations in the South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC). The prisoner packet ministry has been going on for the past 40 years. Jon Jamison, serve team leader of South Carolina Baptist Convention, said the point of the ministry is to tangibly serve the inmates and provide opportunities for them to hear the Gospel. The gifts are collected throughout the year and packaged and delivered during the Christmas season. Authorities are investigating potential connections between the Jersey City attackers and the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, a black nationalist theology, a law enforcement official familiar with the inquiry said Wednesday. Investigators also are scouring social media postings of at least one of the attackers in search of a motive, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation remains ongoing. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the Hebrew Israelites a black supremacist group. Some sects within the movement are known for their fierce condemnations of white and Jewish people. NFL star Khalil Mack delivered some holiday cheer for customers at a Walmart in his Florida hometown over the weekend. The Chicago Bears linebacker reportedly paid off $80,000 worth of layaway accounts, leaving many families with less to worry about. The four-time Pro-Bowler took care of the debts at a Walmart in Fort Pierce through the Khalil Mack Foundation, which focuses on impacting lives of “intercity and under-privileged youth and families.” The store announced the donation in a Facebook post and thanked him for the act of kindness. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts, and Ohio State teammates quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young are headed to New York this weekend as finalists for the Heisman Trophy. The 85th edition of the award for the most outstanding college football player will be announced Saturday in a ceremony televised on ESPN beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Burrow, who spent the first three years of his career at Ohio State, is the heavy favorite to win after throwing for an SEC-record 48 touchdown passes and 4,715 yards, while leading the Tigers to the conference title. Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, owners of the Black Opal line of skin-care and beauty products, are now majority owners of Fashion Fair Cosmetics. Fashion Fair, created by the late Eunice W. Johnson for Johnson Publishing Co. — and once the largest black-owned cosmetics company in the world — has been sold to investors that include Rogers and McKissack, who were Johnson Publishing executives. Hedge fund operator Alec Litowicz will hold a minority stake as a personal investment, Chicago Sun-Times reports. Issa Rae has opened up a coffee shop in the same neighborhood that her popular HBO series “Insecure” is set. On Instagram, the Emmy Award-nominated star revealed that she’s now the “proud” co-owner of Hilltop Coffee and Kitchen in Inglewood, CA. “Elated and proud to be a partner and co-owner of @findyourhilltop!,” she wrote. “Our Inglewood location officially opens TODAY!” she continued. “Come through and check us out!” A 160-year-old church believed to be the oldest black church in the United States and built by enslaved Africans has been restored to a version of its former glory. A fresh coat of paint covers the freshly carpeted First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, which also had its bell tower fixed, water damaged ceilings repaired and stucco replaced, the Savannah Morning News reported Saturday. It cost nearly $600,000 to repair numerous issues, the Rev. Thrumond Tillman said. The church, a National Historic Landmark, was organized in 1773, according to the website, which says the church gained a pastor in 1775 and a congregation two years later. The sanctuary was completed in 1859. The film tells the story of the real life security guard who was wrongfully treated as a suspect after finding a bag of explosives at the 1996 Olympics and saving thousands of people’s lives. Among the characters is Kathy Scruggs, a journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution who died in 2001. Scruggs was the reporter who was the first to publish that the FBI was treating Jewell as a suspect and not a hero. In the movie, she is played by Olivia Wilde and is portrayed as trying to sleep with an FBI agent played by Jon Hamm in exchange for information about the bombing. The AJC has taken offense to the characterization of her and say it suggests she slept with agents to get information from them. Police and federal agents had been waiting inside the Atlantic Aviation hangar for 21-year-old rapper Juice Wrld’s flight to arrive from Los Angeles at 1:30am Sunday morning, following suspicions the musician was in possession of contraband. Two arrests were made after officers began sifting through his and his entourage’s suitcases. It was at this moment that the up and coming star – real name Jarad Higgins – began ‘convulsing [and] going into a seizure’, law enforcement sources said. An agent is then said to have administered Higgins two doses of Narcan, an emergency treatment used when an opioid overdose is suspected. Higgins was understood to have been conscious when he was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn but was pronounced dead just an hour later. This year was the year of diversity within the world’s biggest beauty pageants, with 2019 marking the first time ever that Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe were all won by black women. Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was crowned the winner of the 2019 Miss Universe pageant on Sunday evening, however her win did not just represent a phenomenal personal triumph – it also rocketed her into the history books alongside her fellow black beauty queens. Newly-crowned Tunzi, 26, joins Miss America Nia Franklin, Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, and Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris in the history-making foursome – which has already come under high praise online from a slew of people, including former first lady Michelle Obama. ’Tis the season for giving and San Francisco 49ers’ cornerback Richard Sherman has risen to the occasion. Earlier this week, the NFL star cleared over $27,000 worth of student lunch debt for California children, according to ABC. “It’s the most generous thing to happen for these kids,” said Cabrillo Middle School principal Stan Garber. Cabrillo received a personal check for over $7,000 from the NFL star while the Tacoma Public Schools District received $20,000. The donation came a day after the cornerback was awarded the National Football League Players Association’s Week 11 Community MVP. Sherman has gained a solid reputation for his generosity. He started two nonprofits—the Richard Sherman Family Foundation and Blanket Coverage Foundation—which have collectively raised $1.5 million since 2013 and helped more than 70,000 people in need. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Tuesday denied any involvement with the videographer who was caught taping the Cincinnati Bengals‘ sideline during their game against Cleveland on Sunday. It has raised suspicions around the league and drawn some comparisons to “Spygate,” the 2007 incident that led to penalties for Belichick and the Patriots. Belichick said the franchise has altered its approach since then. DIVAS Simply Singing!, the longest consecutive running musical AIDS benefit in the United States, hosted its 29th annual fundraiser for The D.I.V.A. Foundation at the Taglyan Cultural Center in Hollywood, California on World AIDS Day, Sunday, December 1. Created and produced by Tony Award-Winning Sheryl Lee Ralph and benefitting Project Angel Food, the evening of song and entertainment spotlights the talents of D.I.V.A. (acronym for Divinely Inspired, Victoriously Aware) individuals from all walks of show business. DIVAS 2019 honored Grammy, Golden Globe, Emmy winning, and 10-time Oscar nominee, legendary songwriter Diane Warren with the DIVAS Legacy Award. The Strength to Stand Student Bible Conference recently announced that Kanye West will be next month’s conference’s new headliner. Christian Comedian John Crist was initially set to headline the January conference, but in November he was “removed due to moral failure.” As a result of the allegations, not only did Crist cancel the remainder of his comedy tour, but his Netflix special “I Ain’t Prayin’ for That” and his upcoming book “Untag Me: The Subtle Art of Appearing Better Than You Really Are” were put on hold. Replacing Crist as the youth conferences headliner is, musician and outspoken Christian, Kanye West. Strength to Stand Student Bible Conference leader Scott Dawson released a statement in a YouTube video announcing the change. According to the conference’s website, West will be performing at the January 18-20 conference in Pigeon Forge, Tennesse. Also performing on those dates is popular worship band, Hillsong Young & Free. Reportedly, since announcing West’s involvement in January’s event, the conference has sold out. Reid Temple A.M.E. and the Worship & Fine Arts Department hosts Grammy & Stellar winner Brent Jones at Reid Temple's New Year's Eve Celebration Tuesday, December 31st at 7 pm and 10 pm. Led by Senior Pastor Rev. Mark E. Whitlock, Jr., Reid Temple A.M.E. is a vibrant congregation of over 15,000 members which has been serving the Greater DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area for over 55 years! Miss South Africa has snagged the crown this year for Miss Universe. Zozibini Tunzi won the 2019 Miss Universe pageant on Sunday night, beating out nearly 90 other women from various countries and territories in the annual competition. Tunzi, 26, is a public relations professional and activist whose platform is largely based on her fight against gender-based violence, according to her contestant biography. Tunzi edged out her runner-up, Miss Puerto Rico Madison Anderson, as well as Miss Mexico Sofía Aragón, who came in third place. “I’m so ecstatic,” Tunzi told reporters after her victory. Jordan Peele’s “Us” was named the year’s Best Film today by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the world’s largest group of black film critics comprised of leading film critics from across the country and world. “Us” (which earned over $255 million globally) received three total wins including Peele for Best Director and Lupita Nyong’o for Best Actress. https://youtu.be/hNCmb-4oXJA It seems that some people just won’t let former NFL quarterback Michael Vick escape his past as an animal abuser, as thousands have signed several online petitions demanding the NFL remove him from the list of captains at the 2020 Pro Bowl. Back in 2007, Vick served 19 months in a federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas for bankrolling a dogfighting operation and killing dogs that underperformed. Christmas came early for 23 families in Atlanta Monday after a church paid off $10,000 worth of merchandise they had on layaway at a local Walmart. The Rev. Kevin Murriel, senior pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church, told the gathering of families at the Walmart on Research Center Drive that his congregation was feeling “blessed to be a blessing” and he believes “everyone deserves a good Christmas.” Jacky Clark-Chisholm of two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning gospel group, The Clark Sisters mourns the loss of her husband of 46 years, Glynn T. Chisholm (70) who passed away on Thanksgiving Day. A homegoing service for Deacon Glynn T. Chisholm were held Monday, Dec. 9 at the Greater Emmanual Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit, Michigan. Actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt and funk band Earth Wind and Fire shared the spotlight Sunday night as part of the latest group of recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the arts. Also in this year’s class were conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and long-running children’s TV show “Sesame Street.” Carroll Spinney the original Big Bird puppeteer died earlier Sunday at age 85. For the first time since 2015, four Power 5 conference champions have been selected for the College Football Playoff. No. 1 LSU will face No. 4 Oklahoma in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, and No. 2 Ohio State will play No. 3 Clemson in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, as decided by the CFP selection committee Sunday. Both semifinal games will take place Dec. 28. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be held Jan. 13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. In anticipation of the release of the true story “I Have A Warrant For Your Arrest: Hell On The Border,” we’re sharing this exclusive clip from the project about the real LONE RANGER, a Black man named Bass Reeves. Reeves was the first Black US Marshal in the Wild West, but revisionists flipped the script on history, making the real life legend a white male for mass consumption. https://youtu.be/4l5qLNXOhts Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, III, Senior Pastor, Vision Cathedral of Atlanta and Presiding Prelate of the United Progressive Pentecostal Church Fellowship recently announced on World Aids Day in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, December 1, 2019 the expansion of the VISION brand in three new markets: Nashville (Tennessee), Raleigh (North Carolina) and Los Angeles (California). Pastor Sammie Haynes founder/CEO of Love Freedom Movement and former Editor In Chief of SHEEN Magazine has been named the lead servant for the Los Angeles, California VISION Campus. Pastor Sammie says, it is my desire simply to create a bold space for ALL people to know at Vision LA you have a seat at the table. Some of the biggest names in film, television, and music gathered for a star-studded affair at the annual Urban One Honors at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Thursday, December 5. Hosted by Urban One Founder Cathy Hughes and Chris Tucker, the event celebrated the 40-year legacy of Radio One and will premiere on January 20, 2020, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, at 8P.M./7C on TV One. This year's honorees included: Sylvia Rhone (Lifetime Achievement Honor); Missy Elliott (Music Innovation Honor); Jamie Foxx (Entertainment Icon Honor); Chance the Rapper (Represent Change Honor); and Ryan Jamaal Swain (Represent Pride Honor). Pastor John Gray spent the first three and a half minutes of his Sunday sermon addressing the rumors and headlines surrounding an eviction letter that Relentless Church received this week from an attorney for Redemption World Outreach. Pastor Gray told the congregation that the leases and bills are paid. “We’re not being evicted because we’ve paid the bills,” he said. Pastor Gray told church members that the process of transitioning the two churches has been legally complicated. He said it is his hope that both sides will come to an amicable resolution. He also expressed disappointment that information in the letter was leaked to the media because he does not want the process to play out publicly. He told the congregation he will not engage in mudslinging and does not want the congregation to do so either. Juice Wrld is dead after suffering a seizure at Chicago’s Midway airport, according to TMZ. The rapper, who is best known for his songs “Lucid Dreams” and “Wasted,” just turned 21 on December 2. According to the TMZ report, Juice Wrld, whose real name is Jarad Anthony Higgins, had recently landed at the airport following a flight from California. He suffered a seizure while walking through the airport. When emergency personnel approached him, he was “bleeding from the mouth.” Although he was still conscious when transported to the hospital, he died a short time later. Are they miracles or a madman’s plot to throw the world into chaos? As CIA agent Eva Geller, gets to the bottom of the case in the first trailer for Netflix’s upcoming Mark Burnett-produced series Messiah. https://youtu.be/mjLWuzGVyew Federal prosecutors are accusing singer R. Kelly of scheming with others to pay for a fake ID for an unnamed female a day before he married R&B singer Aaliyah, then 15 years old, in a secret ceremony in 1994. The revised indictment, filed Thursday in New York, accuses Kelly of paying a bribe in exchange for a “fraudulent identification document” for someone identified only as “Jane Doe” on Aug. 30, 1994. A day later, Kelly, then 27, married Aaliyah in a secret ceremony he arranged at a hotel in Chicago. The marriage was annulled months later because of her age. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22. The 52-year-old singer, who is being held without bond, is scheduled to stand trial in federal court in Chicago in April on child pornography and obstruction of justice charges before facing trial in Brooklyn. Christian movie producer DeVon Franklin is excited to co-produce NBC’s new faith-based drama Kingdom Business. Kingdom Business will offer a behind-the-scenes peek at the gospel music industry—without the sugar coating. The TV drama portrays the “conflict and secrets that come with money, fame and success,” according to Deadline. Franklin shared his excitement with his Instagram followers , saying, “Can’t wait for y’all to see this!!!” Jai Reed Is Set To Make His NFL National Anthem Debut New Orleans Saints vs San Francisco 49ers Sunday, December 8th at 12 PM CST/1 PM EST https://soundcloud.com/user-538325838/sets/jai-reed-greatest-hits?utm_source=Pastor+Jai+Reed+Sings+New+Orleans+Saints+Football+Game+Dec+2019&utm_campaign=Day+Out+Against+Crime&utm_medium=email TV One's DEAR SANTA, I NEED A DATE airing tomorrow Sunday, December 8 at 7 p.m. ET/6C. The romantic comedy stars Ray J, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Anne-Marie Johnson, Reginae Carter and more. Gospel Spotlight Exclusive!!! Hear Ann Marie Johnson In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/annmariejohnson_intvw.htm On the stirring season finale of LENS OF CULTURE - airing Saturday, December 7, at 12p.m. ET/11C. - co-hosts Tai Beauchamp and Elton Anderson journey to Jamestown to experience the beautiful drumming sounds of the African homeland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUrzldxfJtg&feature=youtu.be A heart-wrenching new inspiring film hits theaters today. Written and directed by Tarek Tohme, HOLD ON is a music-driven drama that is inspired by the true events of a young woman fighting to keep her dreams alive. Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, worship leader, actress, and model Micayala De Ette stars as overlooked singing prodigy Sidney Rhodes. The movie is inspired by Micayla’s real-life experiences with family tragedy, career setbacks, and all-encompassing grief and the fight to save her brother from a life of addiction on Los Angeles’ Skid Row. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liXm6hyID1w&feature=youtu.be Continuing to deliver top-tier talent and chart-topping new music, RCA Inspiration remains a dominating force earning major honors across all of Billboard’s 2019 Year-End Charts for Gospel and Gospel Songwriting. RCA Inspiration and its parent division Provident Label Group top the rankings across Gospel label charts. Provident Label Group has been named #2 on Billboard’s 2019 Year-End Charts for Top Gospel Album Labels and Hot Gospel Songs Labels. RCA Inspiration has been named #2 on Billboard’s 2019 Year-End Charts for Top Gospel Album Imprints and Hot Gospel Songs Imprints, with Verity also named #4 again on Top Gospel Album Imprints. RCA Inspiration’s honors on Billboard’s 2019 Year-End Charts include the latest projects and heartfelt classics from Kirk Franklin, Koryn Hawthorne, Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, Marvin Sapp, Travis Greene, and more on the Top Gospel Artists, Top Gospel Albums, Hot Gospel Songs, and Gospel Streaming Songs charts. Raizel & Chè Sarai drops new song-Made New https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1483915015079961&id=100003844309020 New Angelo & Veronica Christmas Single "He's Not a Baby Anymore" now at Digital Stores! https://youtu.be/NI31aXAutfY Kanye West and Joel Osteen will reportedly reunite at New York's Yankee Stadium May 2 as part of the megachurch pastor’s “America’s Night of Hope” series. According to TMZ, Osteen will serve up his usual praise and worship sermon while West and his Sunday Service cult will provide the music. The event will mark Osteen’s third time bringing the “America’s Night of Hope” series to the venue, but his first doing so with Yeezy. Details are currently being finalized. Tickets for previous Osteen events at Yankee Stadium have cost around the $15, per the report. West joined Osteen at the Lakewood megachurch in Houston last month, and at one point he told attendees that he is “the greatest artist that God has ever created.” Today is the day! Gene Moore’s visual album for, Nashville Sessions is live on Apple Music. This is a collection of your favorite songs from Tunnel Vision with a raw, unplugged feel. Listen now by clicking the link. https://genemoore.lnk.to/NashvilleSessions?utm_campaign=35481_MOTG%2012.6_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&dm_i=4YUT,RDL,4SQSQ,31OZ,1 Chart-Topping Stellar, Dove & BMI Awarding-Winning Producer & Recording Artist Isaac Carree Gives Us "The Gift" Chart-Topping Stellar, Dove & BMI Awarding-Winning Producer & Recording Artist Isaac Carree Gives Us "The Gift" Just in Time for the Holidays https://soundcloud.com/shanachie-1/isaac-carree-thegift/s-IERVi It is barely almost two years to the exact day that John Gray publicly announced he was leaving his role as associate pastor of Lakewood Church to take over as pastor of the popular Redemption Church in Greenville, South Carolina, at the request of its founding pastor Ron Carpenter Jr, in December 2017, and it already appears the church’s future is uncertain with him at the helm. According to a new report by Larry Reid of Larry Reid Live, John Gray and Redemption Church, which Gray renamed Relentless Church upon becoming senior pastor, have been issued a notice of eviction from their place of worship for non-payment of a lease agreement. A pastoral succession situation that started out with much promise and blessing is slowly turning out to be what some perceive to be a disaster. Pray for the pastors and congregation involved. The former Florida neighborhood watchman who was acquitted of killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin seven years ago is suing the dead teenager’s family and others who were involved in the racially charged case that divided the nation for $100 million. George Zimmerman claims in a lawsuit filed by his lawyer, conservative nonprofit Judicial Watch founder Larry Klayman, that the case against him rested on false evidence and is alleging abuse of civil process and conspiracy. Specifically, the suit contends that the prosecution’s key witness against Zimmerman at his 2013 murder trial, Rachel Jeantel, was an “imposter and fake witness.” Benjamin Crump, who is also named in the suit, is the lawyer for Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. He released a statement that dismissed the lawsuit as “another failed attempt to defend the indefensible and a shameless attempt to profit off the lives and grief of others.” Media mogul and entrepreneur Bob Johnson, the founder of BET, says the 2020 US presidential election is President Donald Trump’s to lose. Although some current polls show Trump struggling against certain challengers, Johnson told CNBC the president’s “disruptive force” would ultimately turn the tide. “I think the president has always been in a position where it’s his to lose based on his bringing a sort of disruptive force into what would be called political norms,” said Johnson. Johnson said the president’s “style” and his ability to “dominate the news cycle” on crucial issues like immigration boost him with his supporters. That will help him rise above any challengers, as Democrats tend to lose focus on substance and wind up attacking Trump’s delivery. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey on Tuesday proposed investing $100 billion in historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions, a broad proposal in a Democratic field that has offered varying plans to prop up this longstanding yet struggling arm of the educational system. Many H.B.C.U.s, as historically black colleges and universities are commonly known, have faced widespread financial woes recently, with some schools losing accreditation and facing plummeting enrollment. Mr. Booker’s proposal comes at a precarious time for his presidential campaign: Despite crossing the 200,000 individual-donor threshold last month, he is still short four qualifying polls for the December debate and is in real danger of being left off the stage. As part of V Week, ESPN is honoring the life and legacy of anchor Stuart Scott on the fifth anniversary of his death from cancer in 2015. Scott’s family aren’t the only ones celebrating his legacy. Prior to tip off against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Wednesday night, the North Carolina Tar Heels players honored the famous broadcaster by rocking pregame shirts that had a cartoon version of Scott on the front, 247sports.com reports. The front also included a phrase that the former ESPN anchor regularly used when he hosted “Late Night with Roy Williams.” “This is what it’s all about. It’s on the floor. It’s on your shirt. And it’s in your heart,” Scott used to say, while pointing to the UNC logo on the court, per the report. Spiritual leader Bishop T.D. Jakes is embarking on a seven-day journey at sea with the first-ever Faith & Family Cruise, Nov. 9-16, that includes carving out time to be offline. Passengers will be encouraged to embrace solitude as a means of allowing God to steer their own ships of life. In addition to the beauty and serenity of the Caribbean islands, passengers will enjoy programming favorites from Jakes’ bi-annual international MegaFest event, such as panels featuring the Jakes family—Serita Jakes, Cora Jakes Coleman and Sarah Jakes Roberts—and other special guests; performances by recently engaged Kenny Lattimore, Jonathan Butler, Pretty Ricki and more; themed parties; and a variety of family games and entertainment. Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for “Just Mercy,” the powerful Michael B. Jordan film highlighting the themes of redemption, mercy and hope. Jordan stars as lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson. A Harvard Law School graduate, Stevenson takes his talents to Alabama to fight for those who were condemned for crimes they didn’t commit. The film is based on Stevenson’s 2014 book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rob Morgan and Tim Blake Nelson also star in the forthcoming legal drama. https://youtu.be/dVJxMUqCUxs A woman accused of stabbing NFL wide receiver Terrelle Pryor was seen smirking in her booking photo. Shalaya Briston, 24, was arrested Saturday after she allegedly stabbed Pryor at his Pittsburgh apartment, police said. She was charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault. A witness told police Pryor was the aggressor in the incident and was waiting for Briston as she returned from a night out with friends, TMZ Sports reported, citing court docs. The witness said Pryor and Briston fought and it went into the kitchen, where she allegedly took a knife and stabbed Pryor. Briston is being held at the Allegheny County Jail and her bail was denied. She has a hearing scheduled for later this month. Millions of people voted in an online poll in 2015 to have the face of Harriet Tubman on the US$20 bill. But many might not have known the story of her life as chronicled in a recent film, “Harriet.” Harriet Tubman worked as a slave, spy and eventually as an abolitionist. What is most fascinating is how belief in God helped Tubman remain fearless, even when she came face to face with many challenges. Over the holiday weekend, rapper Kanye West released his latest music video for “Closed on Sunday,” his pro-family song from his recent album Jesus is King. The video opens with Kanye and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, holding their four children—6-year-old North, 3-year-old Saint, 1-year-old Chicago, and 6-month-old Psalm—nestled into a rock crevice. https://youtu.be/MKM90u7pf3U Justin Bieber is owning his past mistakes. In an emotionally honest Instagram posted on Tuesday night, the “Sorry” singer owned the fact that he made racist comments when he was younger. And now, he’s trying to make up for those actions by using his platform for good. Sharing a photo that reads “STAND AGAINST RACISM” in bold grey lettering, the star wrote in his caption, “When I was young I was uneducated and found myself saying really hurtful things not knowing the power of my words. Racism Is still very prevalent and I want to use my voice to remind we are all human being and all of EQUAL VALUE BEFORE GOD!” TV ONE'S ORIGINAL FILM DEAR SANTA, I NEED A DATE STARRING RAY J AND REAGAN GOMEZ-PRESTON PREMIERES DECEMBER 8 AT 7 PM ET/6C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTmvtqnDNUc&feature=youtu.be Multiple Award-winning recording artist, songwriter, and author,Richard Smallwood, released his memoir TOTAL PRAISE: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY, with the Foreword written by Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad on November 11, 2019, two weeks before his 71 birthday. In TOTAL PRAISE, Smallwood chronicles his life as a musician and composer and the highs and lows of his music career. He also shares his journey of love, loss, grief, and his bouts of depression, mental illness and his obsession with suicide. Dolly Parton is still achieving new dreams. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the country legend Dolly Parton, 73, has been nominated at the upcoming 2020 Grammy Awards for her recent work in the Christian music genre. Parton is up for best contemporary Christian music performance/song for her collaboration with for King & Country on the single, “God Only Knows,” as well as best song written for visual media for her track “Girl in the Movies” from the Dumplin’ soundtrack. In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, the star opens up about her decision to start making Christian music. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper on Tuesday fired head coach Ron Rivera, two days after an embarrassing 29-21 home loss to the two-win Washington Redskins. It was the Panthers’ third home loss this season to a team with a losing record. Secondary coach Perry Fewell has been named interim head coach. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner will transition to special assistant to the head coach, and quarterbacks coach Scott Turner will serve as offensive coordinator. Former Notre Dame running back and NFL player George Atkinson III has died at 27 nearly one year after his twin brother and former Fighting Irish teammate Josh committed suicide. Multiple reports have confirmed Atkinson’s passing, but no cause of death has yet been given. George III had ‘been dealing with depression since the death of his twin brother Josh roughly one year ago.’ George Atkinson III is survived by his two-year-old daughter. The twins are the sons of famed Oakland Raiders defensive back George Atkinson II. Josh also played defensive back in college, whereas George III was a running back and punt returner, who went on to have brief stints with the Cleveland Browns and the Raiders. A week long series of events will go down beginning Monday at Fellowship for Rev. Clay Evans with visitation and funeral services Friday and Saturday. A new statue of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks was dedicated in Alabama’s capital city on Sunday, the 64th anniversary of her historic refusal to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey pulled back a cloth to unveil the statue before a crowd of about 400 spectators. The ceremony coincided with the anniversary of Parks’ Dec. 1, 1955 arrest that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal part of the civil rights movement. Hester Ford is at least 114 years old. She was born in 1905, or maybe 1904 — no one’s quite sure, according to the Charlotte Observer’s news partner. She’s also the oldest living American as of Nov. 23. Ford succeeds Alelia Murphy, who died last weekend as the oldest living American at 114 years and 140 days old, CNN reported. Murphy was born in North Carolina but moved to New York City during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago has fired Chicago police chief Eddie Johnson. As of now, Eddie Johnson is no longer the police chief or Police Superintendent as he was formerly known because Mayor Lightfoot fired him Monday. Lightfoot canned Johnson with less than a month before he was due to retire … for allegedly lying about falling asleep in his car after ‘a few drinks’ in October. At a press conference, a furious Mayor Lightfoot accused Johnson of deliberately “misleading” her, the city and the police department about his claims in October. As was reported then, Johnson was found asleep behind the wheel of his car on October 17 at 12:30am after a member of the public called 911. When an officer approached him, he blamed his drowsiness on a mix-up with medication he was taking and said he had had a “few” drinks at dinner. He then gave the mayor the same story and said he had pulled over because it was the responsible thing to do. Johnson subsequently announced he would be retiring in December. RAY J SET TO APPEAR ON "THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW" ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3RD TO DISCUSS UPCOMING NEW TV ONE HOLIDAY FILM, DEAR SANTA, I NEED A DATE Tyler Perry will be a headline speaker at T.D. Jakes' International Leadership Summit next spring, a conference for visionaries, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and leaders to discover how to sharpen their intellectual curiosity to become intentional, game-changing leaders. Perry will lead a global think tank session on the power of ownership and creating your own brand. A world-renowned producer, director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author, songwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Perry is one of the most established artists in Hollywood, known for building his personal brand from the bottom up, attracting millions through his 22 feature films, 20 stage plays, 10 TV shows and New York Times best-selling book. Perry also owns one of the largest studios in the world, the former Fort McPherson army base situated on 330 acres. According to Jakes, Perry is "shifting the nation and Hollywood. You can beg people for an opportunity, or you can build your own. Perry has seized his opportunity and built his own empire. He is a stellar example that with the right mindset, anyone can overcome daunting obstacles to find success." Reach Records artist Lecrae, Andy Mineo and the 116 crew are celebrating the holidays in hip-hop style with the release of an ultimate Christmas bundle of their new album The Gift featuring three new tracks performed by the label’s artists. The re-release is now available and features new songs from some of Reach Records new artists like Wande, who is the first female now on their expanding roster. The 2018 release charted at No. 13 on iTunes Christian Albums Chart but the hip-hop label is looking to expand their reach with several new features as well as Hollyn, Andy Mineo and GAWVI. The bundle offer comes with a limited vinyl edition of the record. The 12-track album showcases re-imagined versions of the Christmas classics “Silent Night,” “Noel,” and “We Three Kings.” The Christ-centered album celebrates family and the birth of the Savior Jesus. The unmistakable acclaimed voice and songwriting gifts of multiple GRAMMY® winner Donnie McClurkin have made a hit impact on the charts again, as the Gospel icon’s latest album A Different Song, debuted at #1 on the Soundscan Current Gospel Albums chart. The new album also debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. The eighth solo album from the prolific hitmaker, McClurkin delivers an invigorating performance on A Different Song, lifting listeners in keeping faith, hope, and strength in our lives. Celebrating the glory and ever-present love of God on our journey, A Different Song features eleven tracks including McClurkin’s powerful declarations on the lead singles “Not Yet” and “There Is God.” Jonathan Nelson returns with a fresh new single that is guaranteed to resonate with listeners everywhere! In “Jesus, I Love You” Nelson emphasizes that because of Jesus’ abundant love for His people, in return they should echo that same love back to Him. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/W7D2RWK3FHlfQ04lrXILL Chance the Rapper is praising fellow entertainer Kanye West for his Gospel-infused music as well as his Sunday Service events, calling West’s work “more important” because of its spiritual nature. “It’s slightly more important because it’s doing what we’re supposed to do, shouting praise,” said Chance during a recent interview. “Seeing Kanye get all these people together reveal these songs of worship that have been around forever to people who may not know them. It’s an important thing that’s supposed to be happening right now and it’s dope that Ye is doing it.” There’s no doubt Kim Kardashian is an American sex symbol. Her brand is synonymous with the consumerism that has dominated the millennial era, but the famed socialite is going through what she has called an “awakening.” As her husband, entertainment mogul Kanye West, has openly and boldly converted to Christianity, the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star has slowly and quietly shifted some of her own behaviors. Most significantly, the often-scantily-clad TV personality said this week she plans to show less skin next year. Those who watch the Kardashians on TV remember when West confronted his wife over the sensual dress she wore to the Met Gala earlier this year. For award-winning artist Danny Gokey, the purpose and goal of his career is crystal clear. “My music is part of the Great Commission: ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation,’” he told The Christian Post. “It’s a goal I continually work toward. With each new record, I’ve tried to reach out to the churched and unchurched. I really try to do that with my music and get the Gospel message out in a way that’s fresh.” As the third-place finalist on the eighth season of “American Idol” in 2009, Gokey has seen tremendous success: He has several chart-topping albums, has been nominated for a Grammy, won a Dove Award, and this year took home “Male Artist of the Year” at the seventh annual K-LOVE Fan Awards. In June, his album Haven’t Seen It Yet hit No. 1 on the Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart. After appearing on “American Idol,” he signed to 19 Recordings and RCA Nashville for country music, releasing the single “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me.” Just two years later, he was dropped from the record label. The father-of-four said his rocky path to success showed him that ultimately, “God is in control of my career.” Lauren Daigle, who last month broke a Billboard record for her song “You Say,” has scored another musical milestone by garnering her fourth straight American Music Award in the “Favorite Artist—Contemporary Inspirational” category. Daigle was not at the Sunday award show but reached out to fans via Twitter. “Thanks to everyone who voted for the @amas! This year continues to be incredibly special and it is all because of YOU!!” she tweeted. ADRIANN LEWIS-FREEMAN releases her next single "YOU BEEN SO GOOD!" This up-beat, churchy, feel-good song reflects on how the Lord has been SO GOOD to her in her life, career, family and ministry! https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Adriann-Lewis-Freeman-You-Been-So-Good-RADIO-DKpit9ZngLBfWm52ZJVFf The breakout hand-clapping churchy single by Larry D. Reid called “BETTER THAN EVER” HAS BEEN REMIXED! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHN0vQYABLA&feature=youtu.be The Rev. Clay Evans, a civil rights leader, influential evangelical broadcaster and gospel music icon, died Wednesday at 94. His death was announced by Rev. Charles Jenkins, pastor of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, the house of worship Rev. Evans founded after being ordained a minister in 1950. He served the church for half a century. Funnywoman Tiffany Haddish has a new stand-up comedy special coming from Netflix called “Black Mitzvah” and here is the first look preview. https://youtu.be/NnjJmpzW5Aw TAI BEAUCHAMP AND ELTON ANDERSON HEAD TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - THE CITY OF DREAMS - ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LENS OF CULTURE AIRING SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30 AT 12 P.M./11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3pvCa13rzI&feature=youtu.be Berry Gordy Jr., was accorded another place in history when the City of Los Angeles created and dedicated Berry Gordy Square in his honor. The square is located in Hollywood at the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Argyle street which is the former location of Motown Records’ West Coast office. It’s where he relocated the company after moving operations in Los Angeles to expand his vision into television and film. Micayla De Ette is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, worship leader, actress, model, and vocal coach. She has a 5-octave, classically trained voice that easily transitions into Gospel, R&B, and Blues. Micayla spent the early part of her career touring with acclaimed Gospel artist Eddie James and opening for many well-known artists including Kirk Franklin, Sandy Patti, Nicole C. Mullen, Salvador, Rebecca St. James and more. Fusing her vocal prowess with a love of theater, Micayla finds herself today releasing a new album and staring in the forthcoming feature film Hold On. https://vimeo.com/368055951/4d9b3a8144 Multiple award-winning singer, songwriter VaShawn Mitchell was honored yesterday in his hometown Chicago. In a special appearance on WGN Morning News, Founder and Chairman of the National Museum of Gospel Music, and Founder of the Stellar Awards, Don Jackson and WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards, presented Mitchell with a Gold plaque commemorating 500,000 plus streams and sales of his timeless hit song “Nobody Greater.” Presented on behalf of the museum, and the Chicago gospel music community, Mitchell celebrated the milestone with a rousing performance of the hit song. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear VaShawn Mitchell In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/vashawn_mitchell_intvw.htm Tyscot Records has signed a partnership agreement to release music by the Nashville-based DAF Entertainment Group’s DAF Gospel label. The first release is the radio single “You Been So Good” by Adriann Lewis-Freeman who rose to fame as the lead vocalist of gospel girl group, RiZen, which is known for hits such as “View the City” and “We’ve Come to Magnify the Lord.” Kim Cash Tate's debut music videos racking up over 500,000 views alone, best-selling author, lawyer, speaker, bible teacher, Kim Cash Tate is taking her next assignment as an artist by storm! "If I didn't Have You" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqzJjTAIQjI According to TODAY, Christian rapper TobyMac is remembering his late son, Truett Foster McKeehan, as his family prepares for their first Thanksgiving since McKeehan’s death last month. TobyMac posted a series of emotional photos on Twitter and Instagram from the funeral for his son, an aspiring rapper who was found dead at age 21 on Oct. 23 at a home in Nashville, Tennessee. Café Mocha Radio’s Salute Her Awards presented by Toyota Tour Final Stop Spreads the ‘Gift of Love’ At the Riverside EpiCenter on December 6. Actress/Filmmaker Terri J. Vaughn and Café Mocha’s YoYo Co-Host an evening of Atlanta’s Black Hollywood Finest to pay tribute to NAACP Theater Award Actress Vanessa Bell Calloway, Atlanta Media Legend Karyn Greer, Motivational Guru Sheri Riley, NCNW Atlanta Founder/Leader Diane Larche and More The nation’s No. 1 team lost for the second time in three weeks as Duke fell to Stephen F. Austin, 85-83, in overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. Tuesday. The Lumberjacks stole a pass from Duke in the final seconds of overtime, and redshirt senior Nathan Bain rushed to the tin for a buzzer-beating layup as time expired. SHERYL LEE RALPH VISITS "THE REAL" on behalf of the 29th DIVAS Simply Singing! Wednesday, November 27th, 2019 Urban One, Inc. announced today that Ford Motor Company will serve as Presenting Sponsor of the annual Urban One Honors. The tribute event will take place on December 5, 2019, at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD. This is Ford's inaugural year as an Urban One Honors sponsor. The automaker will present a backstage pass segment hosted by celebrity influencer Tai Beauchamp, as part of its participation. Ford will also sponsor the Entertainment Icon Award, which will be presented to Oscar award-winning actor Jamie Foxx. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBhJe-n2LEk&feature=youtu.be “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” starring Tom Hanks is now showing in theaters nationwide and gives viewers an inside look into how Fred Rogers helped others embrace their humanity and keep hope alive. Rogers attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1963 and worked in television for more than 30 years. Bill Isler, a longtime friend of Rogers and former president of the Fred Rogers Company, said “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” was a mission field for the Pennsylvania native. Tina Turner took to Twitter on Tuesday to wish herself a happy 80th birthday. The Private Dancer singer was feeling very grateful to be in such great health on her milestone birthday after weathering a stroke, intestinal cancer and kidney disease in recent years. ‘Yes, I’m 80,’ Turner began. ‘How did I think I would be at 80? Not like this. How is this? Well, I look great, I feel good, I’ve gone through some very serious sicknesses that I’m overcoming. So it’s like having a second chance at life. I’m happy to be an 80-year-old woman.’ Bohemian Rhapsody came under fire for various reasons – the behind-the-scenes controversy with director Bryan Singer, its less-than-subtle treatment of Freddie Mercury’s story – but it ended up earning more than $900 million worldwide and bagged star Rami Malek an Oscar. Producer Graham King’s GK Films is now hoping to replicate the success with a Michael Jackson biopic. While Jackson’s life is ideally suited to the drama of a biopic, the team will have to tread carefully when dealing with a variety of issues, including his traumatic road to child stardom, his eccentricities as an adult and the latter-life accusations of child sexual abuse, which have been the subject of a controversial HBO documentary. “Frozen 2” the Disney franchisee scored a stunning $127 million in its debut weekend, making it the third biggest opening for an animated movie. It took the first movie 13 days to make $100 million in 2013, over Thanksgiving weekend. The total domestic take was $400 million. The sequel already has a quarter of that in the bank. “Frozen 3” is being defrosted even as we speak. But the real box office story is “Harriet,” directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Cynthia Erivo. The Focus Features film has raked in $36 million over 4 weeks. This weekend brought in another $2.3 million. The little movie has a following, great word of mouth, and Erivo in what should be an Oscar nominated performance. Human remains believed to be those of UFC heavyweight fighter’s missing stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard, 19, were discovered this morning in Alabama. The body was found on Monday in Macon County, more than a month after Blanchard was last seen alive at a convenience store in Auburn. Antwain Shamar Fisher, 35, of Montgomery, Alabama, who has a murder conviction stemming from an unrelated case, was taken into custody Friday on first-degree kidnapping charges in Blanchard’s disappearance last month. Earlier this month, police charged Fisher’s alleged accomplice, 29-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed, with kidnapping. In an arrest warrant filed with the court Monday, police said Fisher helped Yazeed by disposing of unspecified evidence and chauffeuring him around. Lamar Jackson is the quarterback nobody knew the NFL desperately needed. He’s the personification of a paradigm shift. For so long, the same old adage applied to quarterback play: “You must win from the pocket.” Why limit a quarterback when he can do it all? Enter Jackson. Monday night, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback became the first player in NFL history with at least four touchdown passes and 50-plus rushing yards in consecutive games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He also became the youngest quarterback in NFL history with multiple five-passing-touchdown games in a single season. RCA Inspiration has garnered multiple hit rankings on Billboard’s Decade-End Gospel Charts for the 2010s, as history-making artists, albums, compilations, and singles have all continued to make an enduring impact over the past decade. Hezekiah Walker’s “Every Praise” garnered top honors on Hot Gospel Songs chart as the decade’s #1 Gospel song. Delivering ministry with live and studio releases, the Top Gospel Albums and Hot Gospel Songs of the decade include nine releases in the top ten spots honoring Kirk Franklin, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne and the WOW Gospel series. In addition to their works, among other perennial favorite artists include Donnie McClurkin, Donald Lawrence, Israel Houghton, Jason Nelson, Le’Andria Johnson and William Murphy. THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE INVITE THEIR MOMS TO SHOW OFF THEIR CULINARY SKILLS WITH GUESTS ACTOR STERLING K. BROWN, COMEDIAN/ACTRESS B. SIMONE, MONTEL JORDAN, NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON AND MANY MORE! Bill Cosby breaks his silence, granting his first exclusive interview since beginning his sentence at a maximum-security Pennsylvania penitentiary near Philadelphia. Today, in a special phone call with the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s BlackPressUSA.com, Cosby said he’s spending his time helping to teach and encourage a large population of African American inmates – men he calls residents — via Mann Up, a prison reform program. The 82-year-old educator and award-winning TV producer/director/comedian was sentenced to serve 3-to-10-years in Pennsylvania’s prison system following his September 2018 conviction on charges of aggravated indecent assault. Unless he receives relief from the state’s appellate courts, Cosby said he fully anticipates serving his entire sentence, saying he’s not guilty and will never admit to something he didn’t do. Displayed remorse is generally a required prerequisite to obtaining parole or a shortened sentence. During the exclusive interview with NNPA, Cosby was candid, vivid and outspoken. Kanye West only physically appeared onstage the Hollywood Bowl once Sunday during his so-called opera Nebuchadnezzar – for the climactic curtain call. West kept the LA audience waiting more than two hours for the one-night only show – technically classified as an oratorio – to begin. But the Sunday Service founder did narrate all of the action from highlighted pages of the Book of Daniel throughout the Biblical performance, which was streamed live on Tidal. Sister-in-law Kendall Jenner, Chance the Rapper and Brad Pitt were also all in the audience to lend their support to the rapper. Normally elusive on social media, Kanye tweeted all 12 pages of the sacred text for the viewing pleasure of his 29.4M following. Thousands of members of a local church mourned the loss of their pastor on Friday. Dr. Dimitri Bradley of City Church was killed in a car crash Wednesday night while coming home from service. People who knew Bradley have told 8News that he was a determined pastor whose message resonated with nearly everyone who heard it. The love for Dr. Bradley was felt on Friday as many came out to pray and support one another through the difficult time at City Church. https://www.facebook.com/rvacitychurch/videos/2517754738469000/ TV One gears up for the holiday season with a programming slate full of original movies, specials and marathons. In December, viewers can catch the premiere of TV One's original holiday film, DEAR SANTA, I NEED A DATE airing Sunday, December 8 at 7 p.m. ET/6C, immediately followed by an encore presentation at 9 p.m. ET. The romantic comedy stars Ray J, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Anne-Marie Johnson, Reginae Carter and many more. Gospel Spotlight Exclusive!!! Hear Ann Marie Johnson In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/annmariejohnson_intvw.htm Four Syracuse University students have been suspended for allegedly yelling the N-word at a black woman, as the campus continued to be convulsed by a string of shocking racial incidents. Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the suspensions Wednesday night in an address to the university senate, saying the disciplinary measure stemmed from a verbal altercation outside a fraternity on Saturday. It follows a rash of racist graffiti, a swastika found drawn in a snow bank, and an email telling a Jewish professor to ‘get in the oven.’ Damon Dash was arrested in connection with $404,000 in unpaid child support to ex-wife Rachel Roy and ex-girlfriend Cindy Morales on Wednesday in his native New York City. Dash, 48, was handcuffed and taken to Bronx Family Court amid a pair of felony warrants, the New York City Sheriff’s Office reported. Authorities had been ‘looking to arrest [Dash] since 2015,’ as a warrant was issued in April of that year over $62,000 he owed Morales. Earlier this year, another warrant was issued over a contempt of court conviction, with the court ordering him to pay an additional $342,000. Jay-Z seemed to take issue with the way Colin Kaepernick’s workout for the NFL unfolded Saturday. The rapper and mogul believed Kaepernick turned his “legitimate workout” into a publicity stunt. Jay-Z pressured the NFL into hastily putting the workout together in order to repair his own public image, according to Dan Patrick — Jay-Z said he “took a reputational bullet” after signing a deal with the NFL to help with social justice efforts, per Patrick’s reporting. Kaepernick was originally supposed to workout at the Atlanta Falcons’ training facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia. The 32-year-old instead opted to workout in front of teams at a high school in Atlanta after the NFL would not allow media into his session at the Falcons’ facility. Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker is recovering from “concussion-like symptoms” after a scary head-on collision with a teammate left him being carried off on a stretcher halfway through Friday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Walker was trying to control a pass he deflected with just over three minutes left in the second quarter when he appeared to lose balance and run, with his head down, straight in the abdomen of Semi Ojeleye. Onlookers feared that Walker might have sustained a significant neck injury based on the way he collided with Ojeleye but the Celtics tweeted out shortly after that he has been diagnosed with “concussion-like symptoms.” Princess Love is “done” in her marriage to Ray J after claiming the rapper “abandoned” her and their 17-month-old daughter Melody in Las Vegas after attending the Soul Train Awards over the weekend, despite her being about to give birth to their second child. The pregnant Princess Love took to her Instagram Live Thursday to declare, “I don’t want to be married anymore. Period. I don’t have time for this. This is not love. And I’m done.” The Love & Hip Hop star explained that she and Ray J had been fighting for weeks after she discovered he had a second phone, which she claims had been used for “entertaining some women.” Trying to work through the discovery for the good of their family, the pair headed to Las Vegas for the weekend to attend the award show, which is where another major fight broke out. SMILE! An early Christmas present from Tasha Cobbs Leonard, her debut album "Smile." Go give it some love everywhere you get your music, and don't forget to SMILE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqatpc1mQyo&list=PLlg2WY8jJNAcq0nDjTaHmOvNG12QldpBZ&index=3&t=0s&utm_campaign=33974_MOTG+11.22_231797_US&utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email After topping all three gospel radio charts with their feature on "VICTORY" by Fred Jerkins feat. Last Call, these two gentlemen from Bermuda step out with their own single "NO GREATER LOVE" https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/LAST-CALL-NO-GREATER-LOVE-RADIO-hcTDtTzKsjB2syCB0T6Eo TAI BEAUCHAMP AND ELTON ANDERSON REDEFINE HIP HOP DURING THEIR TRIP TO HARLEM, NEW YORK ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LENS OF CULTURE AIRING SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 AT 12 P.M./11C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLCBfAlQjY&feature=youtu.be An AMC theater in Louisiana has fired three staff members after an women’s group accused them of racial profiling during a screening of “Harriet.” According to the Daily Mail, members of volunteer group, 504 Queens (all Black women), claim three staff members separately approached them during the two-hour film and repeatedly made them verify their ticket purchases. The women were also harassed by a kitchen worker, who paused the film and turned up all the theater lights to check their tickets during an evening screening of the film on Sunday, November 3. https://youtu.be/7PmB4yyAQCc This is Regina King’s season. The Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning star’s string of wins—including as an actress, producer and director—exemplifies what is possible when you master your craft and stay the course. Her body of work not only spans decades but also defies genres, including her latest turn as Angela Abar (aka “Sister Night”) in the HBO series, Watchmen. In ESSENCE’s December issue cover story, The King of QueensThe King of Queens, King talks to ESSENCE’s West Coast editor Regina R. Robertson about why this year belongs to her, her longevity and how she plays her “queen” position in Hollywood flawlessly. GRAMMY®-nominated worship leader and hitmaker William Murphy releases his live performance video for “Same Grace,” available now. The moving single is a reminder that the same grace that God extended in our past is still available to us in present times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdRHNILc4H0 CLEO TV gears up for the holiday season with two new shows HEART OF THE BATTER with Jordin Sparks premiering on Saturday, November 23 at 1 PM ET/12C and ALL THINGS ADRIENNE with Adrienne Houghton premiering on Saturday, November 30 at 1:30 PM ET/12:30C. During 112th annual Holy Convocation of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a historic step was taken to consecrate the office of the “Bishop of Israel”. The General Assembly of COGIC earlier this year voted unanimously and enthusiastically, accompanied by a standing ovation, to ratify the decision of Presiding Bishop Blake and the General Board to appoint Dr. Glenn R. Plummer as their first Bishop of Israel. Bishop Plummer was publicly consecrated on November 10, 2019 by Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake to the sacred office of Bishop of Israel. A trio of contemporary Christian artists lead nominations for the genre at the 2020 Grammy Awards. Australian duo for KING & COUNTRY, gospel mainstay Kirk Franklin and Christian pop singer Danny Gokey score two nominations each to the upcoming ceremony. Oprah Winfrey is hitting the road and coming to major cities around the United States. The mogul will embark on her 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus tour beginning in Florida, January 4. The shows will feature a different famous guest for each stop as the tour aims to ‘make 2020 the year of renewal and celebrate all we are meant to be,’ for audience members. Shows will be held every Saturday from January until the beginning of March, with nine total. Guests will include Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and of course Oprah’s best friend and “CBS This Morning” anchor, Gayle King. It was set to be a flagship release from Apple and was scheduled to be the closing-night film of the AFI Fest in LA Thursday night. But on Wednesday, Apple decided to cancel the screening of the drama starring Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson and Nicholas Hoult due to ‘concerns’ about the movie which is based on a true story. Today, RCA Inspiration has Grammy Nominations in the Best Gospel Performance / Song category Kirk Franklin (“Love Theory”), Travis Greene featuring Jekalyn Carr (“See the Light”) and Koryn Hawthorne featuring Natalie Grant (“Speak The Name”). In the Best Gospel Album category, Franklin, Donald Lawrence and William Murphy received nominations for their albums LONG LIVE LOVE, GOSHEN – Donald Lawrence Presents the Tri-City Singers and Settle Here respectively. The 62nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 26, 2020 on CBS. Hezekiah Walker's anthem "Every Praise" is named Billboard's Gospel Song of the Decade! https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8543756/decade-in-charts-2010s-gospel Motown Gospel joins the music community in celebrating nominations for two of its artists—Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Gene Moore—in the 62nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards. GRAMMY® winner Tasha Cobbs Leonard earns her fourth nomination for her worship anthem, “This Is A Move (Live),” in the Best Gospel Performance/Song Category. Gene Moore also earns his first GRAMMY® nod for his sophomore album, Tunnel Vision. The project’s lead single, “Won’t Be Moved,” (co-written by BJ the Chicago Kid and Cedric “Ced” Smith) continues to climb the radio charts, with Moore recently wrapping his participation on two legs of India.Arie’s Worthy Tour and labelmate Brian Courtney Wilson’s Just B(e) Tour. The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, January 26, 2020 from Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Authorities have closed an investigation into allegations that Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church mishandled millions of dollars in donations given to them after nine of their members were killed in a mass shooting, clearing the church of wrongdoing. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division recently opened an investigation into claims by a former employee that Emanuel AME was mishandling donations given to the church following the 2015 mass shooting by white supremacist Dylann Roof. Tommy Crosby, spokesman for the state Law Enforcement Division, told CNN that investigators “completed their review” and found “no evidence” of financial misconduct. Emanuel AME Pastor Eric Manning stated that his church “has always handled donations in a way that they were intended” and thanked “SLED for their attention to this issue.” Michelle Obama — former first lady, best-selling author and “world’s most admired woman” — can now add a new accolade to her resume: Grammy nominee. The Grammy nominations were announced on “CBS This Morning” Wednesday, and Mrs. Obama is nominated for best spoken word album for the audio version of her memoir “Becoming.” Fellow nominees in the category include members of the Beastie Boys and actor-director John Waters. “Becoming” is on track to be the best-selling memoir ever. Kanye West just weeks after the release of his gospel album “Jesus is King,” the megastar rapper has announced he will release a second part to the record, “Jesus is King Part II.” Issuing the news via Twitter, West revealed that the second installment would feature renowned rapper and producer, Dr. Dre. While the pair have worked with several of the same artists over the years, this will be the first time they have teamed up together for a project. The Colorado Baptist General Convention held its annual meeting with the theme “Forward Together.” The meeting focused on churches uniting as a network in an increasingly divided world. A major highlight from the meeting was the election of new president John Moreland the convention’s first African American president. Moreland is pastor of Denver Christian Bible Church. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Jussie Smollett wants the City of Chicago to know he’s not going away quietly because he’s taking legal action. The actor who found fame on Fox’s “Empire” says his lawsuit will show how Chi-town officials created a narrative that he was the mastermind of a hoax attack, and that has cost him dearly. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Smollett notes the Osundairo brothers were held for 47 hours and they adamantly denied any involvement in the assault. He says it was only after they were assured they’d get immunity that they started spinning the tale of a fake attack on the streets of Chicago. Smollett still insists the primary attacker was a white male. He says to this day he doesn’t know what involvement, if any, the Osundairo brothers had in the attack. He thinks the brothers were lured into the smear campaign by cops. Jussie is suing the City, the Osundairo brothers and several officials, including Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. Wide receiver Antonio Brown posted an apology to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Instagram on Tuesday. Brown wrote: “Mr. Kraft I apologize sincerely to you and your organization! All I wanted to be was an asset to the organization; sorry for the bad media and the drama ! Thank you sincerely AB.” A 16-year-old girl has been arrested after authorities discovered her plan to kill people at a predominantly black church in Hall County. The teen, who is white, planned to attack the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, according to Gainesville police. Students at Gainesville High School told school administrators that the girl had a notebook with “detailed plans to commit murder” at the church. Administrators notified school resource officers of the plan Friday and opened an investigation. They verified the threat and turned the investigation over to Gainesville police, who took the girl into custody. Her name has not been released. The teen was charged with criminal attempt to commit murder and taken to the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center. The 759 registered messengers to the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s 199th Annual Meeting made history Nov. 12 by electing a Simpsonville pastor as the first African American to serve as president. Meeting at the Church at the Mill in Moore, under the theme “Engage,” South Carolina Baptists were challenged by keynote speakers — Brentwood, Tenn., pastor Mike Glenn; Chattanooga, Tenn., pastor Micah Fries; Jacksonville, Fla., pastor H.B. Charles Jr.; and Edgar Aponte of Lutz, Fla., — to actively engage the culture, the lost, the nations and the future. Josh Powell, pastor of Lake Murray Baptist Church in Lexington, will lead the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 2020. Powell has served the past 12 months as president-elect. He officially assumed the office of president at the conclusion of this year’s meeting. Halle Berry made explosive claims about her ex Gabriel Aubry, accusing him of incest, racism and emotional abuse during their fight over custody of daughter Nahla, back at the turn of the decade. New details have come to light about the case through documents obtained by Radar.com which were originally sealed by courts. In the explosive legal documents from the 2011 case, the actress made several shocking claims about her ex. Berry, 53, and Aubry engaged in a bitter public custody battle after their split in 2010. The couple began dating in 2005 and welcomed daughter Nahla in March 2008. Among Berry’s claims about Aubry: She reported he used racial epithets during their relationship, in addition to displaying bias by refusing to recognize their daughter as biracial. She also discussed Gabriel’s past sexual relationship with a member of his family, contending that the emotional damage from that situation ruined her and Aubry’s sex life. Suspended running back Mark Walton was released by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday after being arrested for allegedly punching his pregnant girlfriend in the head – his fourth booking of 2019. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that the 22-year-old was arrested after allegedly hitting the expectant mother of his child. The woman, who is five weeks pregnant, was left with a swollen left eye, according to the report. The Dolphins released him within seven hours of his arrest. Walton needs to appear before a judge before he can be released because he is facing a domestic violence charge. Walton was in the midst of a four-game suspension for violating the league’s conduct and substance abuse policies. He would have been eligible to return December 8 against the New York Jets. The Cincinnati Bengals waived Walton in April after his third arrest of 2019. 6 Time Gospel Music Stellar Award Nominated Artist, Producer and Songwriter, James Johnson drops "Through It All." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP5WUwTbRLA&feature=youtu.be Appearances by music icon Kirk Franklin and gospel music superstar Le’Andria Johnson were highlights of BET Presents: 2019 Soul Train Awards, which aired live on BET and BET HER on Sunday, November 17th. The fourteen-time GRAMMY® winning Franklin took home the Best Gospel / Inspirational Award. Franklin stirred up the crowd with his moving acceptance speech imploring the audience to not give up on their gifts. He said, “…what’s inside of you is like grandma’s greens. So don’t give up, your time is coming.” Franklin also presented Yolanda Adams with the fifth annual Lady of Soul Award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xO-ypr-RE8. Le'Andria Johnson, a perennial fan favorite and never one to disappoint, delivered a show-stopping mash-up performance of Aaliyah’s “One in a Million,” Erykah Badu’s “Tyrone,” and her own hit, “Better Days,” during the show’s popular “Soul Cypher” segment, which also featured Badu, Keyshia Cole, Robert Glasper, Anthony Hamilton and Carl Thomas. Watch the “Soul Cypher” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BErH87RCwns. New Music "Amazing" 4G, Feat. Canton Jones and Terrance Raby https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/4G-Feat.-Canton-Jones-and-Terrance-Raby-AMAZING-Radio-v17tGmxHCPp7sE3WHMkcE During the culmination of Pastor Donnie McClurkin’s 60th Birthday all Star Tribute Concert, and Celebration; Pastor McClurkin began singing “Changed”, in homage to the legendary Tramaine Hawkins. This lead to a mic toss of epic proportion, featuring Lady Tramaine Hawkins, Pastor Marvin L Winans, Erica Campbell, and Kierra Sheard! On September 15, 2019, Bishop Marvin L. Sapp became the Senior Pastor of The Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Forth Worth, Texas. He has accepted the personal request of Bishop Richard E. Young to assume this role. The installation of Bishop Marvin L. Sapp as the Senior Pastor of The Chosen Vessel Cathedral took place Sunday, November 17, 2019. https://youtu.be/2k3XL0VqA-Q Critically acclaimed choir Chico Robinson and God’s Chosen (GC) deliver hope via the medium of music for the people in Glory Day, their inaugural nationally distributed offering through Enon Music Group. Renowned songwriter, singer and beloved gospel artist Kathy Taylor returns with an all-new song “God Is With Us.” This new single featuring her vocal ensemble Favor, is their first in 10 years and advances their forthcoming album CONFIDENCE. “God Is With Us, serves as an essential reminder of God’s constant faithfulness, and love. This on-time song is exactly what is needed for today’s culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMB3Fj9Iuvk Christian actress Tamera Mowry-Housley, Hallmark Channel’s new star. The 41-year-old confirmed that she is producing and starring in A Christmas Miracle—her first ever Christmas movie for the family-friendly network. The Emmy Award-winning entertainer's movie debuted Thursday, November 14, 2019 with co-stars Brooks Darnell and Barry Bostwick. “A Christmas Miracle is filled with so much heart, warmth, strength and love,” said the co-host of the daytime talker “The Real.” Additionally, Holly Robinson Peete will star in Hallmark Channel’s Christmas In Evergreen: Tidings of Joy Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8 pm and Patti Labelle will be featured in A Family Christmas Gift airing Friday, Dec. 20 at 9 pm. Kanye West has announced his first-ever opera, Nebuchadnezzar. West took to Twitter earlier today to post artwork of a golden program featuring an engraving of the titular Babylonian king. The opera is directed by Italian performance artist Vanessa Beecroft and will take place at the Hollywood Bowl on November 24. The event will also feature music by Kanye’s Sunday Service performers, as well as Peter Colins & Infinities Song. Gospel legend Fred Hammond asserts he has no problem working with Kanye West despite the Chicago rapper’s enthusiastic support of Donald Trump. “I have no concern who he voted for, or who he supports,” Hammond told TMZ. “Because to be honest with you, I have Christian friends—pastors and leaders—who truly support Trump. And I have those that are not supporters of Trump. He went on to say he felt Kanye was sincere about his faith and was confident that he could praise God with the artist. https://youtu.be/vq2f-Bxo928 The season finale of TV One’s original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED highlights actress Paula Patton on Sunday, November 17 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJP68svGrjg&feature=youtu.be Asking herself some introspective questions birthed the idea for gospel singer Erica Campbell’s new book, “More Than Pretty.” She also discusses her new single, “Praying and Believing,” and says being a Christian does not mean you’re a conservative. https://youtu.be/vAOd9nQ9jIA Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg admitted he was wrong to support the “stop and frisk” police practice that ensnared disproportionate numbers of blacks and Latinos, apologizing to a largely African-American church Sunday as he weighs a presidential bid. “I was wrong. And I am sorry,” Bloomberg told the Christian Cultural Center describing the center as a black megachurch. His reversal comes as he considers whether to compete for the Democratic nomination for president, a contest in which African-American voters are highly influential. Bloomberg told the congregation the policy eroded trust with the public and he aimed to earn back that trust, the Times reported. The Nov. 12-14 national poll found that 3% of Democrats and independents said they would vote for Bloomberg. Kanye West told parishioners at Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch on Sunday that his recent spiritual awakening has made him realize he’s no longer in the service to fame and money but “in service to God.” West spoke to a packed crowd of about 16,000 people at Lakewood Church’s 11 a.m. service during an interview with Osteen from the stage. West told the parishioners about his recent conversion to Christianity and how God has been guiding him. https://youtu.be/xQA4PJ-c-Yw Harrison Dillard won gold in the 110-meter hurdles, becoming the only man to win Olympic gold as a sprinter and hurdler, a triumph that led him to match Owens for wins. Mr. Dillard, 96, one of the most dominant runners of his generation who was a four-time Olympic gold medalist and the oldest living US Olympic champion, died Nov. 15 in a Cleveland hospital. The cause was stomach cancer. The SBC of Virginia made history when messengers elected by acclamation Allen McFarland to serve as their next president. McFarland, senior pastor of Calvary Evangelical Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Va., will be the convention’s first African American president. “I was encouraged to see that God is calling us to be a good testimony through biblically addressing unrighteousness, abusiveness, racial, economic, and social unfairness,” said McFarland. Kanye West has followed the Johnny Cash route and performed for inmates at a Houston jail. In secret from the public, the star rapper-turned-gospel singer performed songs Friday from his new gospel album “Jesus is King.” He and his choir performed for more than 200 male inmates at one jail facility before crossing the street to another jail facility and performing for a smaller crowd of female inmates. The Friday concerts were performed two days before West is to speak at Joel Osteen’s vast Lakewood Church in Houston. The events were reminiscent of prison concerts given by country singer Johnny Cash in California. https://youtu.be/fQIUPjQx16s Award-winning Christian singer Danny Gokey suffered second and third degree burns to his feet last weekend ahead of a performance for his Hope Encounter Tour. ?The “American Idol” alum was injured when a wardrobe steamer hot water reservoir tipped over and scalded his feet. Concert promoter Mike Alley posted a message on Instagram praising the singer for caring more about the fans than his injuries. IT'S UNITED WE BARGAIN, DIVIDED WE BEG" AS TAI BEAUCHAMP AND ELTON ANDERSON HEAD TO ONE OF THE BIGGEST SHOPPING CAPITALS OF THE WORLD IN ACCRA, GHANA ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LENS OF CULTURE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLCBfAlQjY&feature=youtu.be IT'S A DYNAMIC LINEUP ON NEXT WEEK'S SISTER CIRCLE WITH RADIO HOST WILLIE MOORE, JR., TV/FILM STARS KIM FIELDS AND KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM PLUS MANY MORE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCj48sjQzrI Patrick Dopson has become one of Gospel music's most eminent and anointed voices. The Stellar Award winner and Dove Award-nominated artist hasn't released new music since the radio single "God Is" in 2014. Patrick returns from a 5-year hiatus of recording with a more fervent zeal for life and ministry, and a new single and personal declaration "God Is Able". "God Is Able" is more than a new song for Patrick. After a few years of a series of tumultuous circumstances, he believed God was, once again, calling him to release music from his place of brokenness to declare with conviction that GOD IS ABLE. https://sc.lnk.to/PDgia-s2 Ben Tankard is the best-selling Gospel/Jazz Artist of all-time, a 15-time Stellar Award winner and a Stellar Music Hall of Fame inductee. He has sold 15 Gold and 6 Platinum records and has earned numerous Dove, Grammy, Soul Train Award nominations and a 2019 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Recording. This year marked his first #1 on the Smooth Jazz Airplay Chart and Mediabase Smooth Jazz Radio Chart with his single "Rise". As a licensed pilot who owns his own airplanes, Tankard took to the sky for his "RISE" Spring Summer Small Church Tour. He is now preparing for the 2020 portion of his 200-city “Rise” Small Church tour. His tour is sponsored by Shell Aviation and Walmart, which enables Tankard, who is also an honorary Tuskegee Airman, to fly himself to appearances at smaller venues and areas that normally would not be able to afford to book an A-list artist. Charles Rogers, the celebrated Michigan State wide receiver and Detroit Lions, has died, according to the teams. He was 38. “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Charles Rogers. From Saginaw, to East Lansing, to Detroit, Charles’ connection to the state of Michigan and its football community was felt by many during the course of his life,” a statement from the Lions said. “We extend our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to his friends and family during this difficult time.” Rogers played only 15 games over three seasons with the Lions, who drafted him with the second overall pick in 2003. He was released in 2006 after injuries and suspensions for substance abuse. But he was regarded as one of the best receivers during his time at Michigan State, where he was a 2002 All-American and during the same year earned a Biletnikoff Award, which is given to college football’s top receiver. Former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles said he has grown spiritually while recovering from an injury and rejects the prosperity gospel. Foles has been sitting out for nearly two months after suffering a clavicle injury in his first game as the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. An outspoken Christian who hopes to one day become a pastor after he hangs up his cleats, he spoke to reporters on Wednesday as he is anticipated to make his return to game action this Sunday for the first time since he broke his collarbone in the first week of season. Myles Garrett will not play again this season, and maybe longer. The NFL announced Friday that the Cleveland Browns defensive end has been suspended for the rest of this season, including the playoffs should the Browns make it, and will have to meet with the commissioner’s office before being reinstated in 2020. Garrett ripped the helmet off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and clubbed him in the head with it in the final seconds of Thursday night’s game. “Last night, I made a terrible mistake,” Garrett said in a statement issued Friday. “I lost my cool and what I did was selfish and unacceptable. I know that we are all responsible for our actions, and I can only prove my true character through my actions moving forward. Michael White releases his first Christmas album THE SAVIOR IS HERE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYLyOTw_xOk&feature=youtu.be Christian hip-hop pioneer KJ-52, whose real name is Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino, took to Instagram this month to share a list of reasons why he’s hanging up his rap hat. To date, Sorrentino has listed six reasons on the social media platform explaining why it makes sense for him to end his KJ-52 brand. He shared a different reason every few days. The Tampa, Florida, resident will be producing one final KJ-52 album/tour and book but assured his fans there will still be music. He said his end goal is to transition from road life to full-time church ministry after 20 years as a performer. Pop singer Ellie Goulding said she will now perform at the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day halftime show after threatening to pull out unless the Salvation Army, a faith-based nonprofit organization, made a “solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community.” The British singer threatened to pull out of the halftime show after her fans wrongly claimed that the Salvation Army discriminates against the LGBT community. The annual Thanksgiving Day game promotes the Cowboys’ “Red Kettle Kickoff,” which raises money and brings awareness to the Salvation Army’s annual holiday initiative, the red kettle campaign. The campaign seeks to provide shelter and meals for the homeless as well as gifts for children during the holiday season. Losing something important – car keys, cell phone, computer, wallet – can do more than ruin your day if not found quickly or at all. So, now there is Gotcha, a new GPS tracking device, that will help keep your life in order and your mind at ease. Officially launched in October 2019, the device which, you can buy now, is the first product released from Taylor Baloney’s tech startup, Find My Everything, Inc. It’s actually a physical device and it works with an app,” Baloney said. “So, you would hook it on to whatever you want to trace – yourself, purse, or backpack. Then you would sync it to the app (that uses) GPS technology to find whatever you want. It uses real time tracking, meaning you can see where (an item) is going.” She continued, “Another feature for safety is the SOS button. So, if somebody is in distress, they can press the button and it will send a direct single to the number that is programmed with the device. Mo’Nique is still mad at Netflix for doing business with her the way she wants them to do it. And she’s gonna do something about it. The comedian/actress has lawyered up and is taking her accusations against Netflix for discrimination to court. In the suit, she’s accusing the entertainment conglomerate of race-based discrimination because of how it negotiated a comedy special with her. She says Netflix offered Amy Schumer $11 million for an hour-long stand-up special (she eventually got $13 mil), but only offered Mo’Nique $500,000 for her stand-up special. Cathy Hughes, Urban One Founder and Chairwoman, today announced the honorees, performers and presenters for the prestigious annual URBAN ONE HONORS event Thursday, December 5, 2019, at MGM National Harbor Oxon Hill, Maryland. The two-hour telecast will air on TV One January 20, 2020, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. This year's honorees music executive Sylvia Rhone (Lifetime Achievement Award); Missy Elliott (Music Innovation Award); Jamie Foxx (Entertainment Icon Award); and Ryan Jamaal Swain (Represent Pride Award). Performers include: Ne-Yo, Wale, Brandy, Eric Benét; Pastor Charles Jenkins, Jac Ross and Egypt Sherrod. Billy Porter and Clarence Avant are among the show's presenters. “I’m so excited and proud to introduce my family to the world. My Block Inc. is a collective of amazing creatives from all walks of life coming together to share a message of Faith, Hope and Love. You’re all invited to press play and ride with us.” Warryn Campbell drops new compilation on My Block. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Warryn Campbell In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/warryn_campbell_intvw.htm Friday 11.15.19 Latice Crawford premieres the video for her new single "Amazing" The NFL has arranged a private workout for free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick in Atlanta this weekend, and all teams are invited to attend. The league sent a memo to all 32 teams Tuesday inviting them to the workout Saturday that will include a series of drills on the field as well as an interview. Videos of the workout and interview also will be made available to teams, the report states. Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Spike Lee and more hit the red carpet for the opening of The Tina Turner Musical at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in New York. https://youtu.be/i2UtyqorJO4 LeBron James' life gets comic book treatment. In what is expected to be his biggest “Sunday Service” audience yet, rapper Kanye West will be joining megachurch pastor Joel Osteen at his Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Sunday for a conversation that promises to be epic. Sources with knowledge of the planned appearance told TMZ that West is expected to chat with Osteen for about 20 to 30 minutes during the church’s 11 a.m. service. Sources say Joel wants his congregation — 45,000 strong — and his TV audience — 10 million in the U.S. alone — to hear how Kanye has overcome significant adversity in his life.” TMZ noted. “As one source put it, ‘Kanye used to be about nothing greater than himself. Now it’s all about a higher power.’” The outlet further noted that both West and Osteen have been talking quite often recently, particularly since West has continued to profess his devotion to God. “Why are we here in 2019 — when it’s not exactly the coolest thing in the world to be a Christian … when it seems like there’s a generation growing up that in no way really wants to follow the purposes of God?” asked Bible teacher Christine Caine to the 1,600 women gathered for the opening session of the 2019 LifeWay Women’s Leadership Forum. Teaching the leaders gathered Nov. 7-9 from 30 states and Canada, Caine spoke from Deuteronomy 6. She underscored that God took those people into Canaan, a place where they could flourish and live victorious lives, and His plan is to do the same for this generation of believers. The theme for the 2019 LifeWay Women’s Leadership Forum was “Flourish” with Acts 12:24, “But the word of God flourished and multiplied,” as the focus Scripture passage. Walt Disney Co’s long-awaited debut in the streaming media wars on Tuesday was hit with technical glitches that the company said were caused by higher-than-expected demand as it takes on rival Netflix Inc. It was unclear how many people successfully signed up and how many had difficulty accessing the $7-a-month Disney+, which features roughly 500 movies and 7,500 TV episodes from the company’s deep family entertainment catalog as well as new programming. But investors appeared to welcome the comment that interest had topped Disney’s forecasts. Disney shares rose about 1.2% to $138.48, while Netflix dropped 1.2% to $290.58 in afternoon trading. Placing his left hand on a Bible and his right hand in the air, Steven Reed made history Tuesday morning, reciting the oath of office to become Montgomery’s 57th mayor and its first of African-American descent. https://youtu.be/ONMYP_fHwR4 Café Mocha Radio & Majic 94.5 Salute Her Awards Presented by Toyota rolls into Dallas on the heels of successful celebrations in D.C., New York City and Charlotte. Joining the prestigious ‘class’ of 2019 honorees is honoree Erica Campbell, whose new “Praying and Believing,” is an apt theme song for this year’s honorees that represent an exceptional class of women of faith. In addition to the five-time Grammy winner other honorees include Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Retired Sergeant First Class Adrienne Evans-Quickley, American Airlines Co-Brand Partnerships and Engagement Executive Stacey Dickson, Yoga N Da Hood Founder Ebony Smith, Tiger House Hat Shop owner and domestic abuse survivor Virginia Montgomery and Cheryl Polote Williamson whose Soul Reborn movement focuses on transforming the lives of disadvantaged, disenfranchised and previously incarcerated women. Former first lady Michelle Obama is politically minded. Mrs. Obama is revealing her new celeb-packed “voting squad” whose purpose is encouraging Americans to head to the polls in 2020. “Last year, we went big. Millions of new voters made their voices heard for the first time. Now the stakes are even higher,” Obama says in a video that’s part of her When We All Vote campaign. Tom Hanks, “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as TV producer Shonda Rhimes, soccer pro Megan Rapinoe and singers Faith Hill, Selena Gomez and Janelle Monáe are all on board. After a four year hiatus, Keyshia Cole makes a highly anticipated return to BET, to share her new life. BET’s produced four highly watched docu-series following Cole’s life over the years, including “Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is,” “Keyshia & Daniel: Family First,” “Keyshia Cole: All In,” and most recently the spin-off show following the lives of her mother and sister “ Frankie & Neffe.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk-k7we0Qg4&feature=youtu.be Erica Campbell, gospel star and one-half of the duo Mary Mary, believes Kanye West is sincere about his gospel album ‘Jesus is King.’ She also says he may be encouraging younger gospel artists to be more confident about their music. https://youtu.be/47CezZ-LoSI ; O.J. Simpson is suing a Las Vegas hotel-casino that banned him in November 2017, alleging that unnamed employees defamed him by telling a celebrity news site he had been drunk, disruptive and unruly. Simpson, on parole in Nevada for a 2008 conviction for armed robbery and assault with a weapon, filed the lawsuit Thursday against Nevada Property 1 LLC, corporate owner of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The complaint acknowledges that Simpson, after several hours with two friends at a steakhouse and a lounge in November 2017, received a notice from a security guard as they left. It prohibited him from returning to the Las Vegas Strip property. He says he was never given a reason. Kanye West was in NYC for several events and made news by saying he’ll run for office in 2024 and wants Black athletes to not play for a week to free a death row inmate. He also urged black Americans to not vote Democratic. Disney-Pixar has debuted the first trailer for their upcoming animated film “Soul” starring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey. The film centers on “a musician who has lost his passion for music and gets transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.” https://youtu.be/4TojlZYqPUo Fresh off the heels of the release of the celebrated MY BLOCK INC. Compilation album, JoiStaRR follows with a new single “Wait For It” available everywhere today on all digital platforms. JoiStaRR is an absolute multi-hyphenate creative force. One of My Block Inc.’s flagship artists, she is a singer, actress, and songwriter who effortlessly explores all sounds and styles in her music. Her distinct vocals equal part soul, rock and gospel allows her to transcend genre constraints. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k8wn8L0x3Y&feature=youtu.be Ray J in response to the rumor regarding he is allegedly in talks with the Trump administration to pardon Suge Knight. blob:https://www.dropbox.com/95df5680-38ef-4b27-82b9-c1ba183b9358 Seven time Stellar Award winner, Byron Cage's newest album release is in stores and available for download now! The album's leading single, "Oh How Good It Is" (written by Chris Byrd) is a catchy song of praise and worship expressing the joy one feels in the presence of The Lord. "Isolation" is the title track on the project written by Cage, and was written in a period where he was required to spend an extended period of one on one time with God. Special guest appearances from Rudy Currence and Sherri Jones-Moffet on the effort. See Gospel Spotlight review page.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm New Birth Missionary Baptist Church hopes to redefine Black Friday shopping with a Kwanzaa event that highlights minority-owned small businesses. From Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, the DeKalb megachurch is hosting the inaugural “Kwanzaa Plaza” event, featuring 100 vendors. The event is “geared at highlighting local entrepreneurs and fostering commerce within the African-American community.” Kwanzaa is a week-long annual celebration that honors African heritage in African-American culture. Though it is observed Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, New Birth decided to hold the expo event the weekend after Thanksgiving to take a new approach to the Black Friday shopping holiday. The plaza will feature fashion designers, art, cultural products, skincare/personal care products, food vendors and more. “The time for assembly is God’s time,” said Superintendent John Smith during the welcome service for The Church of God in Christ’s (COGIC) 112th annual Holy Convocation. “It is not time to go to a beauty salon. It is not time to go play golf. It is not time to watch a basketball game. This is God’s time.” In its tenth consecutive year in St. Louis, COGIC’s annual spiritual gathering is bringing thousands of people to downtown St. Louis for praise and worship at America’s Center. More than 30,000 faithful are assembling for biblical instruction, training, and spiritual inspiration. As the week-long devotional gathering proceeds, COGIC is hosting several urban project initiatives called COGIC Cares. Whitney Houston’s alleged former lover Robyn Crawford has spoken on camera for the first time about her romance with the late singer. Crawford, 58, shared some of their intimate details in a new interview with Dateline NBC. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/backup/2019/11/07/6531598723926345131/640x360_MP4_6531598723926345131.mp4 DIVAS Simply Singing!, the longest consecutive running musical AIDS benefit in the United States, hosts its 29th annual fundraiser for The D.I.V.A. Foundation at the Taglyan Cultural Center in Hollywood, California on World AIDS Day, Sunday, December 1st. Created and produced by Tony Award Winning Sheryl Lee Ralph and benefitting Project Angel Food, this evening of song and entertainment spotlights the talents of D.I.V.A. (Divinely Inspired, Victoriously Aware) individuals from all walks of show business. DIVAS 2019 will honor Grammy, Golden Globe, Emmy winning, and 10-time Oscar nominee, legendary songwriter Diane Warren with the DIVAS Legacy Award. A tribute of her hits will be included in an evening filled with performances by the star of NBC’s This is Us, Chrissy Metz; , Brandon Victor Dixon, Deborah Cox and Rhonda Ross, Shanice, Kathy Sledge, Terrell Carter and many more! Girls are faced with challenges to their self-esteem on a daily basis that can hold them back from reaching their full potential, but surprisingly some of these issues stem from biased school policies. For Black girls, archaic school policies perpetuate negative narratives about natural hair that can impact girls' confidence – and violating these policies can result in their dismissal from school. To underscore the importance of helping girls overcome the barriers they face in achieving an education, ahead of International Day of the Girl, the Dove Self-Esteem Project and award-winning television producer Shonda Rhimes hosted an impactful town hall discussion and Dove Self-Esteem Workshop in LA with policymakers, school administrators, and students to raise awareness around the issue of hair discrimination in schools and its impact on students' self-esteem. ESSENCE Communications Inc. announced an extended five-year partnership agreement with the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana to host its signature ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ through 2024. A platform to advance global Black culture, economic ownership and inclusion, and community development, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture has contributed more than $4 billion to the local economy since its inception. To celebrate ESSENCE’s 50th Anniversary, the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola will be extended to five days for the first time ever and will run from July 1-5. Novelist Ernest J. Gaines, whose poor childhood on a small Louisiana plantation germinated stories of black struggles that grew into universal tales of grace and beauty, has died. He was 86. The book “A Lesson Before Dying,” published in 1993, was an acclaimed classic. Gaines was awarded a “genius grant” that year by the MacArthur Foundation, receiving $335,000. Both “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” (1971) and “A Gathering of Old Men” (1984) became honored television movies. Among his numerous awards, Gaines received prestigious grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Foundations. He held honorary doctorates from five colleges and universities. The Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence will continue as his legacy. It will be presented Jan. 30 to a rising African American author. Over the past two years, as technology companies continued to struggle with diversifying their work forces, Los Angeles-based venture capitalist Kobie Fuller wrestled with how to solve the problem. He also dealt with being the go-to person for any startup company looking to hire from a diverse pool of candidates.“People would come to me and say ‘I want to hire more black talent’…. And I just didn’t have that magical database in my head. But I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if I did have that magic database of talent,” says Fuller. That’s how Valence was born. The company, which launches today with $2.5 million from Upfront Ventures, alongside Sinai Ventures, Human Ventures, High Alpha and angel investors like Paul Judge, Peggy Alford and Willie Alford, is the fruit of two years of labor from Fuller and his co-founders La Mer Walker and Emily Slade. Valence’s founders hope to help change that narrative in two ways. The first is simply through the creation of the network, which can serve as a single source for companies looking to hire black candidates into positions at their firms. In a way, it’s similar to how GirlBoss is creating a network for professional women that companies can access for recruiting. A historic 10-mile road in Kansas City, Mo., will no longer be known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., after having nearly 100 signs erected with his name stand for only nine months. The proposal to remove the celebrated civil rights leader’s name received overwhelming support from voters, with 70 percent casting ballots Tuesday in favor of restoring the boulevard back to its original name, The Paseo, according to unofficial results reported in the Kansas City Star. Renaming the roadway sparked a tense battle among residents, local leaders and national politicians in a major city that will go back to having no streets named after the civil rights icon. A majority of city council members voted in January to rename the boulevard, which runs through Kansas City’s predominantly black East Side, to honor King. Lauren Daigle says “Love Like This” and “How Can It Be” are two of her favorite songs to perform live in concert. During video taken at an October 31 concert in Brussels, Belgium, Daigle discusses her favorite songs to perform live during a transition between songs. “I love this song so much,” Daigle says. “People ask me, ‘What’s your favorite song to sing every night?’ One of them is ‘How Can It Be,’ the one we just did. And then the next one is one of my favorites as well. So this song is ‘Love Like This.'” Sharon Stone is suing Chelsea Dudley, known as Chanel West Coast for using her moniker dozens of times in a song called “Sharon Stoned.” The actress says the aspiring rapper is trying to capitalize on her “extraordinary level of popularity and fame.” In addition to listing her credits from Basic Instinct to The Disaster Artist and award nominations and wins, Stone’s complaint also references honors she has received for her philanthropic work. Because of the reputation she has built, Stone says she “maintains strict control” over how her name and likeness are used. Stone says the “mantra-like repetition” of her name is an example of Dudley’s “penchant for glomming onto celebrity icons.” Sheryl Crow and Bruce Springsteen hit the stage together to help raise over $5.7 million at this year’s Stand Up for Heroes fundraiser, which benefits injured veterans and their families. The two musicians were joined at the Monday night event at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden by Ronny Chieng, Hasan Minhaj, John Oliver and Jon Stewart. Crow and Springsteen made a duet of “Redemption Day.” The Panthers have placed quarterback Cam Newton on injured reserve, meaning he can’t play for the rest of the regular season. Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement Tuesday that Newton is still experiencing pain in his foot and needs to continue to rehab from the injury. Newton could possibly return this season — if the Panthers reach the playoffs. According to NFL rules, Newton could hypothetically be designated to return from IR after eight weeks if the Panthers (5-3) were to qualify for the postseason. Lecrae said he supports Kirk Franklin’s boycott of the Dove Awards after the Gospel Music Association edited his speech following the ceremony. Franklin’s acceptance speech included a comment on racial injustice, which was removed during the award’s ceremony on Oct. 15. His call to prayer referenced the death of Atatiana Jefferson, a black woman who was shot and killed in her home Texas, on Oct. 12 by a white police officer. “It was a shock to the system. It demonstrated that there are certain voices and issues that I believe God cares about and for some reason are muted. That’s something we can’t stand for,” Lecrae said. “We have freedom of speech in this country and freedom to address things. What better platform than a Christian platform to bring up a call to prayer for issues in our society that need prayer. That’s what made me say I’m out as well.” Kanye West is taking being a ‘born again’ Christian very seriously. Kim Kardashian appeared with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe on The Real on Tuesday as she revealed that she and her 42-year-old husband have had ‘fights’ over his religious journey. Things have even gotten to the point that the couple have removed the televisions from their children’s rooms and even took away daughter North’s, six, make-up. The 39-year-old reality star was asked if she supports her the rapper’s new spiritual life journey as she replied: ‘I do think that, you know, he is my husband. ‘So, I obviously want to honor him and what he’s feeling. And he’s been going through this life change, and it’s mostly about the kids.’ Kanye West celebrated his new Gospel album reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts and American Bible Society says they are committed to giving Bibles to any of his fans inquiring to read the Word. With nine studio albums to his credit, West’s Jesus is King, released October 25, is his ninth consecutive album to debut at the top slot of the Billboard 200. The chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in America. West’s ranking will reflect on the chart set to be released on Tuesday. The rapper and fashion guru is now tied with Eminem for the “most consecutive No. 1’s on the Billboard 200 charts. Viola Davis was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Rome Film Festival Saturday evening at a special closeout event, and deservedly so. The 54-year-old actress chatted with festival head Antonio Monda during the Close Encounter talk, discussing a broad range of topics, including how art is divine. “Art lives in that world of imagination. It’s a playground there. It’s God’s playground,” she said. “It’s not up to anyone to say what deserves to be there and what doesn’t deserve to be there. It’s anything that you want to be in that place can live there. And that is why we have some of the greatest painters, some of the greatest actors, some of the greatest writers, and that’s why we live.” From her role as Annalise Keating on “How to Get Away With Murder” to her Oscar-winning performance in the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Fences opposite Denzel Washington, there is no denying that Davis has earned her placed on God’s playground. When actress LisaRaye McCoy first began opening up publicly about her faith, she said she struggled to understand the Bible. But the 52-year-old, who says she is a proud Christian, told Wendy Williams that Bishop Noel Jones “helped me tremendously with the Bible.” During a Wednesday, Oct. 30 guest appearance Wendy Williams asked the newly crowned Queen Mother of the Central Region in Ghana if she was dating Bishop Noel Jones. The slightly agitated fashion designer whose new collection of stretchy jeans for curvaceous women hits retailers in February 2020. McCoy is adamant that there is no chance of romance with the 69-year-old, she still shared kind words about the brother of iconic Jamaican-American model Grace Jones. “He’s very handsome. He is a great preacher,” she said, adding that Jones’ ministry was impactful in her life “before I found my church home.” A former leader of the NAACP, Kweisi Mfume, launched a bid to return to Congress Monday, entering the race for the Maryland congressional seat that became vacant with the death of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings last month. Mfume, a close friend of Cummings, held that seat from 1987 to 1996 before stepping down to lead the civil rights organization. Maryland’s 7th Congressional District includes parts of Baltimore and Howard and Baltimore counties. Two high schoolers are testing their fledgling relationship with a day on the town, a classic start to a screen romance. But on Tuesday’s “This Is Us,” the carefree date in Philadelphia belongs to a boy who’s a teenage dad from a blue-collar household and a girl who’s been adopted from foster care into relative affluence. The scenes and the episode (9 p.m. EST, NBC) circumvent typical network TV brushstrokes, offering a nuanced take on the African American teenagers’ lives and on the cross-currents within and between black and multiracial families. Sterling K. Brown, the Emmy-winning actor who plays the girl’s dad, Randall Pearson, and the show’s makers are proud to share the results. “I just love there’s a sort of diaspora of African American representation,” said Brown. ”‘This Is Us’ is all about family and all about connection, and the world of the show continues to expand over the years. But it really does my heart good when, every once in a while, the show becomes very focused on the African American experience through Randall’s family, through these other families that we’ve added to the fold, and they’re not the same.” Kanye West has officially stepped away from his persona as the brash, profane performer who vacillated between flaunting his opulence and battling his demons. With the long-awaited “Jesus Is King,” West is now a gospel artist, pivoting from the devil’s domain to the glorious light. Proclaiming attachment to gospel music is a tricky proposition for an artist who is so famously self-absorbed. Black gospel music, which goes back to the 17th century with its roots in the black oral tradition and strong Christian lyrics and dominant choral vocals. By identifying himself with this tradition, he connects to a larger responsibility of soul, inspiration, healing and service. In “Jesus is King,” West attempts to combine a theology rooted in contemporary white evangelicalism with black gospel music, perhaps unaware that white evangelicalism has a tendency to celebrate black conversion while “editing out” black resistance. Jesus Is King, the first spiritual album from hip-hop superstar Kanye West, sparks his first appearance on Billboard‘s religious charts, as it opens at No. 1 on both the Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums tallies dated Nov. 9. As previously reported, the set launches atop the all-genre Billboard 200 chart with 264,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week (ending Oct. 31), according to Nielsen Music. The set marks the biggest unit week on Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums since both charts adopted a multi-metric methodology in February 2017. Follow God....https://youtu.be/PH3KD2bb_yc Ta-Nehisi Coates’ first novel, “The Water Dancer,” is among the nominees for an Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. Coates’ narrative of an enslaved person’s journey to freedom is a fiction finalist, along with Valeria Luiselli’s “Lost Children Archive” and Myla Goldberg’s “Feast Your Eyes.” The nonfiction nominees are Maria Popova’s “Figuring,” David Treuer’s “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present” and Adam Higginbotham’s “Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster.”The finalists were announced Monday by the American Library Association, which presents the awards. Winners in each category receive $5,000, made possible in part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The winners will be announced Jan. 26. Angela Moss Poole brings a fresh sound to contemporary Christian/Gospel music with "You Derserve." Gospel Spotlight pick to Shine....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2bsCIk4TAw&feature=youtu.be South Carolina authorities confirmed this week they’re looking into the finances of Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church, also known as Mother Emanuel, site of a 2015 mass shooting. After a white supremacist killed nine black Bible study participants, Mother Emanuel received an outpouring of monetary gifts. But suspicions have lingered about how those donations were handled and distributed. Now the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has opened an investigation into the church’s books, including gifts received following the massacre. Less than two months after the shooting, Emanuel didn’t renew the contract of church secretary Althea Latham. She claims that’s because she raised concerns about how monetary gifts were being processed. Latham reported seeing church members opening envelopes addressed to families of victims and survivors. Those families, in turn, say the church passed along mail that was addressed to them but had been opened. Some envelopes were labeled “empty.” Arthur Hurd, whose wife was killed, sued Emanuel for an accounting of donations. He also claimed he’d seen church members open envelopes and remove money without recording it. Liz Alston, the congregation’s historian and a former trustee, welcomes the SLED investigation. Emanuel’s current pastor, the Rev. Eric Manning, said the state hadn’t yet informed him about its investigation. The Rev. Norvel Goff, Emanuel’s interim pastor for seven months after the massacre, hasn’t yet commented. Previously, congregational leaders have denied any wrongdoing, and Goff even called a local newspaper “satanic” when it reported on concerns. American Son, a new film on Netflix, unfolds at a Miami police station, during the middle of the night, where a worried mother frets about her missing son, who is black. She’s frustrated at the lack of information she gets from a police officer, who tells her he understands — he has kids, too. But Kendra Ellis-Connor, played by Scandal star Kerry Washington, dismisses his grasp at empathy. She’s certain that Officer Paul Larkin, a father to two young daughters, played by Jeremy Jordan, can’t relate. Washington said she signed on to reprise her onstage role in the new film, an adaptation of Christopher Demos-Brown’s Broadway play of the same name in which she starred, in part to help break down audience barriers of entry — not everyone can afford to travel to New York to see a play or shell out money for a Broadway ticket. Motown Gospel recording artist Gene Moore releases Nashville Sessions – a collection of live performances of songs from Gene’s sophomore album, Tunnel Vision, recently captured before an intimate audience in Nashville, TN. With it, Moore also releases the live performance video for the passionate gospel track, “Ask for Rain.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCWZ0E0R6qg MAJOR is back with new music featuring Brandy titled, "Even More." Released in honor of Cancer Survivorship & the village of love that fuels the fight, MAJOR. wants his fans to know, "You are not a burden, you are loved...Even More." Portion of proceeds to go to Cancer Research Orgs including Susan G. Komen (LA County). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-HY-6CuMzw&feature=youtu.be Get inspired with the refreshing sound on Broken Record, the new album from three-time GRAMMY® nominee, acclaimed award-winner Travis Greene, available now. Providing spiritual fuel on the eleven-song project, the chart-topping singer, songwriter and producer delivers high-energy live performances and engaging acoustic moments of reflection, love and hope on his latest album. Always creating the unexpected with his songwriting and sound, Broken Record features the singles “Good and Loved,” “Won’t Let Go,” “Respond” and more. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm New Angelo & Veronica Single, "He's Not a Baby Anymore" available at all Digital Outlets! https://open.spotify.com/album/1CzC9cWsWcpU31VqH4KVNo NEXT WEEK THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOME SINGER WILL DOWNING, ACTOR STERLING K. BROWN, RAPPER STALLEY, RADIO PERSONALITY ANGELA YEE, COMEDIAN J. ANTHONY BROWN AND MANY MORE! TAI BEAUCHAMP AND ELTON ANDERSON HEAD TO GHANA TO CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF RETURN AND CONNECT WITH THEIR AFRICAN ROOTS ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LENS OF CULTURE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzjTipHJ8WM&feature=youtu.be SYLEENA JOHNSON'S 10TH ALBUM WOMAN AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frROGOqk85A&feature=youtu.be With the arrival of Kanye's new album, Jesus Is King, Lecrae's socials were lit with fans, supporters, and media outlets requesting his reaction to Kanye's latest release. He decided to set aside time from recording his 9th album offer his reactions to the album and also respond to questions about his support of Kirk Franklin's boycott of The GMA Dove Awards. First Lecrae talked exclusively with Billboard offering his reaction to the album: "It [Kanye] sounds like a person who is excited about his new relationship with Jesus. I’m in support of that." He also expressed hope that Kanye being explicit about faith in his music will allow other religious rappers to appreciate the spotlight on Jesus in places where they may not have previously had an audience. Earlier this week, Kirk Franklin called for a boycott of the GMA (Gospel Music Association’s) Dove Awards after part of his acceptance speech — where he requested prayers for Atatiana Jefferson and her grieving family — was cut out. Artists and fans have come out in droves to support him and condemn the network’s censorship.This past Sunday, the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards took place and Franklin took home the “Artist of the Year” and gave a compelling speech on stage. But on Monday, Franklin took to social media to call out the GMA, the Dove Awards and the Trinity Broadcasting Network who aired it for cutting his acceptance speech short during the official broadcast. Yesterday, the GMA president Jackie Patillo released a statement issuing an apology to both Franklin and his supporters saying that they had to edit the show down to fit their two-hour broadcast window. She says they “accept the responsibility” of their error. “Although completely unintentional, we understand it caused great harm and deeply wounded many in the African American and Gospel community. As well, it left a general perception that we are not concerned with key social issues that affect people of color. It is not our intent to disregard or silence any of our artists, and we are deeply saddened by this perception and are committed to change this.” Members of the GMA board and executives are in talks with Franklin and reps on a solution that they will be “working to implement moving forward.” Grammy Award-winning artist TobyMac has asked that in lieu of flowers for the funeral of his 21-year-old son, that people give to a charity he started in Truett’s name. “Truett Foster Mckeehan had an untamable grand personality and dreams to match. Since the age of 12, he knew he wanted to make music. Dreams are so important to kids growing up. Too many kids do not have the financial ability to pursue their dreams. We want to use this fund to help kids do just that. Get an education, to pursue music, to get the chance to live their dream. Truett would have loved that.” According to the foundation’s website, donations made in Truett’s name will help send “vulnerable youth to college, that they may realize their God-given potential to change the lives of others.” Letitia Wright, is a massive movie star and was the highest box office earning actor of 2018! She’s also incredibly vocal about her Christian faith. However, in a recent Tweet, Wright said that journalists have been editing her quotes so they don’t include discussions about God. “It’s super cute when journalists/interviewers for magazines leave out the massive part where I give God the glory for the success/ achievements in my life,” she wrote. “Haha, I still love you and God will still be praised.” Last year, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said that God helps guide her in making career decisions, explaining, “I pride myself on not just changing the lane and taking everything. If something feels off in my spirit [in regards to a part], I know that’s God’s way of saying, "You shouldn’t do that." Stephen Strasburg paraded the MVP trophy for delirious fans packed behind the dugout. Max Scherzer tearfully hugged his teammates. Gerardo Parra did the Baby Shark chop, Sean Doolittle flapped snow angels next to the mound. Almost out of contention in May, champs in October. Howie Kendrick, Anthony Rendon and the Washington Nationals completed their amazing comeback journey — fittingly with one last late rally on the road. In Game 7 of the World Series, no less. Kendrick and Rendon homered in the seventh inning as the Nationals overcame a two-run deficit, rocking the Houston Astros 6-2 Wednesday night to win the first title in franchise history. The Golden State Warriors’ rough start to the season got the worst possible news Wednesday night. Star guard Steph Curry suffered a broken left hand against the Phoenix Suns, the team announced. With about 8½ minutes left in the third quarter, Curry drove and collided with Suns center Aron Baynes. Curry fell to the floor, and Baynes landed on his left arm. Curry drew a foul on the play but did not shoot the free throws. He headed to the locker room, where he had X-rays that confirmed the break. The team did not have any additional details on the injury but said Curry will undergo an MRI and CT scan Thursday to determine if surgery is necessary. Only then will the team set a time table for Curry’s recovery. TV One's UNCENSORED highlights actress Niecy Nash on Sunday, November 3 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQSSikMkWf8&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration is celebrating two nominations for the 2019 Soul Train Awards, with gospel icons Kirk Franklin and Donald Lawrence receiving nominations for Best Gospel/Inspirational Award. The acclaimed GRAMMY®-winning hit makers have each celebrated milestones of over 25 years as musical trailblazers. The BET Presents: 2019 Soul Train Awards will be live from Las Vegas Sunday, November 17, 2019, airing on BET and BET HER at 8 pm ET. Rapper Lecrae, Marvin Sapp, contemporary Christian artist Natalie Grant and an avalanche of gospel and secular artists are voicing their support for Kirk Franklin’s boycott of TBN, the Gospel Music Association, and the Dove Awards until they address the musicians’ diversity concerns. The support comes after Franklin charged in a Monday video statement on Instagram that TBN removed parts of his acceptance speeches from his 2016 and 2019 appearances at Dove Awards shows which advocated for racial justice and reconciliation. He charged that when he approached representatives from all the organizations about the situation, he was not provided a satisfactory response. The GMA said in a statement that it’s now working toward addressing Franklin’s concerns. For Harriet star Cynthia Erivo, playing the iconic historical abolitionist and Christian believer carried special spiritual significance. The actress said that, as a woman of faith herself, she was inspired by Tubman’s boldness in prayer and actions. “What was wonderful about playing Harriet and diving into that part of her is that it gave me access to my own faith,” she said. “It made me braver in my prayers. It made me want to pray, and not be afraid to do it out loud if I needed to. That’s the thing that was really wonderful.” Because of her courage and divine calling, Tubman was able to change the course of history. Erivo hopes that Harriet will inspire audiences to realize they also hold the power to make a difference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbsPNu8vczg Comedian Kevin Hart has released a video showing his grueling recovery after a horrific car crash that left him with a severe back injury. The video released on Tuesday shows Hart’s physical therapy following the crash in Calabasas, California on September 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V930ttO0fo4 Michelle and Barack Obama both were speakers at the Illinois Institute of Technology where their three-day summit featured talks by activists, including Ava DuVernay and singer Mavis Staples. The summit is being held in the city as the couple outline their vision for the Obama Presidential Center. The center is planned along the lakefront of Chicago’s South Side. It’s near where Obama started his political career and lived with his family. The $500 million center is expected to house a public library branch, house multimedia collections and have community programs, among other things. John Witherspoon, an actor and comedian died Tuesday at his home in Sherman Oaks, California. He was 77. Witherspoon starred in "Friday," "Boomerang" and "Vampire in Brooklyn. He made numerous appearances on television shows such as "The Tracy Morgan Show," "The Boondocks" and "Black Jesus." Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family—led by a well-intentioned but domineering father—as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5z3cr8AB5g The NCAA, pressured by individual states have taken a major step toward allowing athletes to make money off their fame. Deciding to reverse the prohibition on earning money was the easy part; determining how much athletes can make, under what circumstances and in a way that doesn’t permit abuses are bigger challenges that won’t be as simple to resolve. The board of governors for the nation’s largest governing body met Tuesday and set a January 2021 deadline to have rules and regulations finalized across three divisions covering more than 1,100 schools and 460,000 athletes. Singer and actress Deborah Joy Winans performs the classic choir rendition of “When I Rose,” on this week’s new episode of “Greenleaf.” The enduring choir song is a gospel favorite, and Winans brings it to life in tonight’s episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfTvCBJcVpE Gold-selling gospel act, ANTHONY BROWN & group therAPy, debut at No. 1* on this week’s Top Gospel Albums chart with their fourth album, 2econd Wind. In addition, the album also debuted at No. 1* on the Gospel Album Sales chart and generated over 1 million on demand streams in its first week. The effort also boasts an appearance from Mary Mary’s Erica Campbell and Hip-Hop artist <1K Phew on the cut, “He Always Wins”, as well as, Kelontae Gavin on the title track 2econd Wind. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm Pastor Tony Evans is revealing some tragic news about his wife Lois Evans as she battles a “fiery trial” with cancer. Evans, the senior pastor at the Oak Cliff Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, posted an image of a note to Instagram on Friday without a photo of him or his wife. “Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wanted to update our ministry friends and partners regarding my wife’s medical condition,” Evans wrote. “Lois spent all of last week in the hospital due to severe pain related to her biliary cancer. The doctors were able to manage the pain, and they released her from the hospital for home care.” Yet, even though chemotherapy and radiation are no longer options, we still have total confidence in God’s ability to supernaturally intervene and do what man is unable to do,” Evans explained. “Our prayers are full of faith, hope, and expectancy. We would appreciate you praying with that same spirit. While we wait on our miracle, Lois is continuing with natural therapies, supplemental treatments and is surrounded 24/7 with the love of her nuclear and extended family as well as the support of our church and national ministry.” Rapper Kanye West continues to make waves with his recent profession of faith in Jesus, sharing with comedian James Corden how he encountered God. In Monday night’s segment of Carpool Karaoke, aptly renamed Airpool Karaoke for this interview on CBS’ “The Late Late Show,” Corden boarded a flight to Los Angeles, California, with West and the Sunday Service singers. During the flight, West spoke of the joys and challenges of marriage, and explained how being married has changed his sense of time. https://youtu.be/vgLOv36an3s In a wide-ranging interview with Zane Lowe, Kanye West opened up about his faith journey, and the radical life-changing transformation he has experienced over the last year. For the interview with Apple Music’s Beats 1, Lowe visited Kanye at his family’s home in Wyoming. https://youtu.be/QuOCvKvrwI8 Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said he and his family were forced to evacuate their home in Los Angeles due to the wildfires that have engulfed Southern California. James tweeted early Monday morning that his family was driving around attempting to find a hotel after being evacuated. It was unclear how long James and his family were looking for shelter. “Man these LA (fires) aren’t no joke,” James wrote. “Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms. No luck so far!” Less than 10 minutes later James tweeted,” finally found a place to accommodate us! Crazy night man!” For Tiger Woods, it all comes down to consistency. Surgeries on his knee and back and a crisis in his personal life have cost him opportunities to play his best golf over the past decade. But when he’s been healthy and free from off-course distractions, he’s always found ways to win. And now, he’s won as much as anybody on the PGA Tour. Woods completed a wire-to-wire victory at the Zozo Championship on Monday, equaling Sam Snead’s PGA Tour record of 82 victories. After a celebratory response from his latest album Settle Here, GRAMMY®- nominated hitmaker William Murphy, is releasing his latest “Same Grace” to Gospel Radio. “Same Grace” marks the second single released from the #1 album. Composed by Murphy and produced by Kenneth Leonard and Tasha Cobbs Leonard, “Same Grace” is a reminder that the same grace that God extended to those in the bible, and in our past is still available to us in present times. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear William Murphy In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/William_Murphy_III.htm BET Networks today announces the hosts and nominees for the 2019 Soul Train Awards across 12 different categories. The annual celebration recognizes the best in Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop from both established industry legends and the next generation of promising artists. Going down November 17, 2019 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, BET Presents:2019 Soul Train Awards air LIVE on BET and BET HER 8PM EST with a one-hour pre-show beginning at 7PM EST, and a post show directly after . Tisha Campbell will once again join Tichina Arnold as host and co-producers of this year’s awards. The fifth annual Lady of Soul Award will be presented to five-time Grammy Award winning artist and Billboard Magazine’s Gospel Artist of the last decade Yolanda Adams. Grammy-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin says he’s boycotting the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards after they edited out part of his acceptance speech earlier this month in which he called for prayers after a police shooting in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Franklin posted a Facebook video on Monday that said he would no longer attend events associated with the Dove Awards, GMA or Trinity Broadcasting Network “until tangible plans are put into place to protect and champion diversity.” The 50th annual awards show was held in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 15 and aired on Oct. 20 on TBN. https://www.facebook.com/talbertswan/videos/962168314182151/ Dan Piepenbring felt panic, joy and shock when Prince picked him to collaborate on his first memoir, followed by more shock and profound sadness at news of the superstar’s death while the book was in its early stages. Though the project was thrown into chaos when Prince died on April 21, 2016, of an accidental drug overdose, his estate ultimately decided to press on, allowing Piepenbring and his publishing team free access to the pieces of his life left behind at his beloved Paisley Park, including the contents of his vault. Now, the highly anticipated collaboration, “The Beautiful Ones,” is ready for Prince fans to read as many continue to mourn. The book out Tuesday includes no bombshells, though Prince very much wanted to provide some, and a mere 28 memoir pages written in his elegant script and quirky style, replacing the word “I" with a drawing of a human orb, for instance. All told, Piepenbring spent 12 to 15 hours face-to-face with Prince in Minneapolis, New York and on tour in Melbourne. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES LEGENDARY GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER DIONNE WARWICK, T.K. KIRKLAND, ANANDA LEWIS AND AMANDA SEALES AT 11 P.M ET/10C! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DilP6IbZLac&feature=youtu.be Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, one of the longest-serving members of Congress whose resolutely liberal stance on civil rights made him a political institution in Washington and back home in Detroit despite several scandals, has died. He was 90. Conyers, among the high-profile politicians toppled by sex harassment allegations in 2017, died at his home on Sunday. Known as the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, which he helped found, Conyers became one of only six black House members when he won his first election by just 108 votes in 1964. The race was the beginning of more than 50 years of election dominance: He released his Christian album Jesus Is King on Friday. And Kanye West is taking his faith so seriously that he will no longer perform the original profane versions of his old songs live, TMZ insiders say. In a Beats 1 interview this week, the 42-year-old rapper said he would record bowdlerized ‘George Lucas versions’ of his old tracks. Apparently, these cleaned-up versions of the old songs will still be fair game for Kanye to perform live on his upcoming tour. While strolling around New York with his wife Kim Kardashian on Friday, Kanye also revealed he will be going on tour in support of the new album. After dropping his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King, Yeezy already has his sights set on his next studio effort. West has revealed that his Sunday Service album Jesus Is Born will be dropping on Christmas. Since the start of the year, West has provided a multitude of Sunday Service events, featuring his esteemed choir. The Chicago lyricist even brought his Gospel-laden attraction to Coachella for an Easter special last April. It’s unclear if West’s Sunday Service project will be a live album or a studio version of the tracks he’s recently performed. Renowned for his mega hits "Open Your Mouth and Say Something", "He Rose", "Don't Wait Till Midnight" (featuring Coko from SWV), "Cry Holy" & the urban AC smash "Goodtime" JDI Records artist Brent Jones is prepping for a 1st Quarter 2020 release! Brent Jones is preparing for a Live recording Saturday November 16, 2019 at Greater Bethel Cathedral Los Angeles, CA. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com RCA Inspiration and Essential Worship, both divisions of Provident Label Group and Sony Music Entertainment, have announced a strategic music partnership with the global ministry, All Nations Worship Assembly, which is headquartered in Chicago, IL, and has campuses across the U.S. in Atlanta, GA, Huntsville, AL, Memphis, TN, Baltimore, MD, San Bernardino, CA, and Louisville, KY, as well as in Toronto, Ontario in Canada. Under this collaboration RCA Inspiration and Essential Worship, Essential Music Publishing’s church and worship leader resourcing platform, will release new music from All Nations’ various campuses and worship leaders. TobyMac’s 21-year-old son, Truett Foster Mckeehan, died suddenly at his home Wednesday and the Grammy Award-winning artist shared a tribute to his eldest child and a declaration of faith despite the tragedy. “Truett Foster Mckeehan had joy that took the room when he entered. He was a magnetic son and brother and friend. If you met him, you knew him, you remembered him. His smile, his laugh, the encouragement he offered with words or even without. He had an untamable grand personality and dreams to match. And he hated being put in a box,” the grieving father wrote on Instagram. TobyMac said his son was “a true artist.” During the past few years, McKeehan released songs and videos online under various stage names, such as Shiloh, truDog and TRU. McKeehan was not a Christian artist but he did collaborate with his father on several tracks throughout the years. Kanye West has unveiled his “Jesus Is King” IMAX film, featuring a gospel choir performing at artist James Turrell’s dramatic Roden Crater in the Arizona desert. It’ll be in theaters nationwide for one week to coincide with Friday’s release of an album with the same name. West premiered the 35-minute film off to fans at an event Wednesday at The Forum in Inglewood, California, where he also led a listening session for his long-delayed ninth studio album. The film is divided into sections by six Bible verse citations. It showcases the light-filled interior of Turrell’s creation as West and his choir perform gospel standards and modified versions of his songs. COMING TO THE SISTER CIRCLE COUCH NEXT WEEK IS AWARD-WINNING SINGER TANK, ACTRESS/DIRECTOR TERRI J. VAUGHN, ASTROPHYSICIST NEIL DEGRASS TYSON, FORMER NBA PLAYER STEPHEN JACKSON AND MANY MORE! On the next episode of CLEO TV's new travel series, LENS OF CULTURE, co-hosts Tai Beauchamp and Elton Anderson celebrate 20 years of purpose on the Tom Joyner's Fantastic Voyage cruise. The pair will sail across the sea to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvqheSstWBI&feature=youtu.be Thursday night the pews quickly filled at Mother Emanuel A.M.E church with people looking forward to celebrating the groundbreaking of the International African American Museum. Organizers with the museum say the worship service was necessary to bless the grounds of the future site of the museum and to celebrate the decades-long process it took to get to the point of groundbreaking. The groundbreaking for the International African-American Museum took place at 10 AM October 25, at the future site of the museum, across from the former Gadsden’s Wharf at 10 Wharfside Street, Charleston, SC. Musical visionary, multiple award winner, and leading music producer Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell delivers his first My Block Inc. compilation album, Friday, October 25 to all digital outlets. Bringing together his full complement of talent, "WARRYN CAMPBELL PRESENTS MY BLOCK INC." is the anticipated compilation to include all-new music from his entire roster of artists including the long-awaited new song from Mary Mary. Campbell adeptly showcases My Block Inc.'s range and diversity with this collection. Featured artists include Erica Campbell with her lead single “Praying and Believing,” JoiStaRR “Solution” and Mary Mary on their first new song since 2013, "Feels So Good To Be Loved.” Donnie McClurkin recently returned to London for back-to back anniversary concerts at New Wine Church located at Gateway House. The people showed up in full force with great anticipation, every seat in the house was filled. The lively energetic sound from the audience singing almost drowned out McClurkin when he performed the all-time favorite Caribbean Medley. The two hour set included “Great Is Thy Mercy”, “We Fall Down”, “Stand” and several other popular tunes by the artist. The two-night celebration was hosted by Pastor Kola Taiwo, Sr. Pastor of New Wine Church and Premier Gospel Radio’s Muyiwa Olarewaju, including a Face Book Live chat about McClurkin’s new album, "A Different Song" set for release November 15th. "Open Door Season" the new sigle from Deitrick Haddon is on the move. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Deitrick Haddon In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/deitrick_haddon.htm You may not know Steven Hickerson by name, but you’ve certainly heard his voice. Hickerson was handpicked by Maranda Curtis to provide backup vocals on her local and international dates, and he is a lead vocalist for Ricky Dillard’s New Generation Chorale. That’s Hickerson leading “He Shall Reign (King of Glory LIVE)” from Dillard’s last album, 10, and you will hear him on Dillard’s upcoming release on Motown Gospel. Hickerson also has a previously released single, “Reset,” which earned him a headlining spot on the Rhythm of Gospel Awards. “Belongs to You” is Hickerson’s new work of art. It is the lead single off of his upcoming debut EP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=IXLnHvF3eSE Kenya Moore Opens Up About Motherhood, Returning to Reality TV & More. (Baby) Brooklyn’s presence, she shares, has changed her in incredible ways. “I am definitely more compassionate. I’m 100 percent more patient. I feel more kind, but I’m also less tolerant of fake news and people who are disingenuous or not kind,” she explains. “I strive to be the best mother I can be. I’m very attentive and believe it’s important to make her feel like she is the most important person in my life,” Moore adds. One of her favorite things to do with Brooklyn is to laugh, she reveals. “She’s the happiest baby, and I love to laugh with her. Her laughter is contagious.” UMC (Urban Movie Channel) – the first streaming service for Black TV and film from AMC Networks – announced today that it has commissioned a new docu-series that will provide viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the power of faith and its driving force on successful women in entertainment, sports, music, business, politics, and ministry. Created by writer/director Paula Bryant-Ellis, "Behind Her Faith" will feature several accomplished women who tread different walks of life, but all have one thing in common: the conscious decision to put their faith first without fear or regret. Each episode will center on one subject as they open up to viewers about their greatest achievements and biggest successes as well as their toughest disappointments and most heartbreaking moments; sharing their life lessons and triumphs along the way. Kicking off with a four-episode order, the first installment of "Behind Her Faith" will feature Essence Atkins, Aisha Hinds, Niecy Nash and Angelica Nwandu. The funeral is set Thursday for Atatiana Jefferson, the woman shot and killed in her home by a Fort Worth police officer. The public ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at Concord Church in Dallas. Her family is also inviting Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price and interim police chief Ed Kraus to attend the funeral service this morning. A temporary restraining orderdelayed the first service less than 24 hours before it was set to take place at the Potters House of Dallas. It is with a heavy heart that the Stampley family would like to announce the passing of their 15 year old daughter, Mary Stampley, from complications with a seizure. Please keep the family in your prayers as you respect their privacy dealing with this traumatic event. Mourners, constituents and other well-wishers paid respects to U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings on Wednesday as his body lay in repose at a historically black college in Baltimore ahead of the first in a series of services. A tan hearse with a U.S. House of Representatives seal carrying Cummings’ body arrived Wednesday morning at Morgan State University’s Murphy Fine Arts Center. A group of mourners led by Cummings’ widow, Maya Rockeymoore, followed pallbearers who wheeled the black casket with silver trimmings into the building. The auditorium opened to the public Wednesday morning and a large group of people waiting in line began to file through. TV One brings the holiday spirit with the premiere of the original film, DEAR SANTA, I NEED A DATE, which will air on Sunday, December 8 at 7 P.M. ET/6C. The film's stars Ray J , Reagan Gomez-Preston, Anne-Marie Johnson, Jay DeVon Johnson, MAJOR, Reginae Carter and B. Simone. The movie is directed by Terri J. Vaughn. Los Angeles will be the top vacation destination for Christian Hip Hop, Latin Christian Hip Hop and Gospel Hip Hop fans next summer as 75 of the genres’ favorite artists will convene for the first ever 20/20 Summer Fest scheduled for Fri., July 17 and Sat., July 18 at the Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, CA. Multi-Platinum Christian Hip Hop artist Aulsondro “Novelist” Hamilton aka Emcee N.I.C.E. and Chantal “Chanie G” Grayson, co-owners of the Stellar Award-Winning God’s House of Hip Hop (GH3 Radio) station have finalized the deal with the Banc of California Stadium. Festival lineup announcements will begin in January 2020. Marcus Jordan drops new single "Give God the Glory." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9UMqiJIdX0&feature=youtu.be TV One's UNCENSORED features athlete Lamar Odom Sunday, October 27 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. The edgy docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3dnZc2ET0U&feature=youtu.be Karew Entertainment in partnership with Motown Gospel, released to radio “Victory”, the newest single from the legendary Clark Sisters. It will be available for streaming on all major digital platforms Friday, November 15, 2019 ( the birthdays of Karen Clark Sheard and Twinkie Clark). “Victory” gives listeners a word of encouragement reminding people to declare victory over your life! It finishes with the repetitive final declaration that we shall prosper and be in good health,” with ad libs that are signature to The Clark Sister sound. The Clark Sisters are the highest-selling female Gospel group in history with millions of record sales to their credit. Their biopic, executive produced by Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, and Queen Latifah will premiere nationally on Lifetime Networks in early 2020. Damien Sneed’s 40 city North American tour “We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” 2020 tour kicks off Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at Joe’s Pub in New York, NY and will make stops at concert halls and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The tour will conclude Friday, March 13, 2020 at Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center Kent, WA. The Congressional Black Caucus is condemning President Donald Trump’s comparison of impeachment to lynching. Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California, the group’s chairwoman, called lynching “a horrific stain on our country’s history” and said Trump’s tweet Tuesday inaccurately compared a constitutional process of investigation to “the systematic brutal torture and murder of thousands of African Americans in this country. It’s unacceptable.” Bass said Trump’s comment was part of a pattern for him at moments of political peril: “He throws out the red meat of racial rhetoric and attacks communities of color, but the American people aren’t taking the bait.” She urged Trump to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala., also known as the “Lynching Museum,” to learn more about the history of lynching. Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) 32nd Anniversary Awards Gala, and TMCF Board Chairman, Charles Merinoff announced that more than $5.8M was raised over the weekend as part of the 32nd Anniversary Awards Gala, presented by Ally Financial Inc. This tremendous fundraising success allows TMCF to invest in even more scholarships and programs to help identify talented students for excellent internships and full-time jobs from our nation’s publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). Hosted last Saturday at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, the gala was the culminating affair of the award-winning 19th Annual TMCF Leadership Institute. Ms. Minaj is now officially Mrs. Petty. Minaj — who has dated Kenneth Petty for about a year — seems to confirm her marriage with a video on Instagram on Monday that shows off Mr. and Mrs. coffee mugs and bride and groom hats. The rapper also changed her Twitter name to Mrs. Petty. Her caption read: “Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty 10-21-19.” Minaj’s real name is Onika Maraj. No other additional information was offered. The couple first dated as teenagers and reunited last year. She announced plans over the summer to wed. R. Kelly’s former divorce lawyer has asked an Illinois judge to order the R&B singer to pay her more than $12,000 in fees. Lisa Damico worked for Kelly when he faced jail time in March for failing to pay more than $160,000 in child support and education expenses for his daughter. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Damico filed her request with Cook County Judge Lori Rosen this month. The filing says Kelly paid Damico a $2,500 retainer in March and a $10,000 payment. Court records show she billed Kelly for more than $25,000. Kelly faces sexual misconduct charges in Illinois, Minnesota and New York and is jailed in Chicago. Damico declined to comment on the filing. A hearing is set on Nov. 4. The final trailer for the “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” debuted Monday night, offering montages of epic cosmic combat and a fleeting glimpse of the late Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia embracing Daisy Ridley’s Rey. The spot generally struck an elegiac note of finality. “The Rise of Skywalker,” which opens Dec. 20, is the last chapter in the now nine-part Skywalker saga. Even C-3PO appears wistful, saying he’s taking “one last look at my friends” presumably before the film’s climactic showdown. The trailer debuted on what would have been Fisher’s 63rd birthday. Fisher, who died in 2016 at the age of 60, appears in the film in a performance pieced together through unused footage from “The Force Awakens.” In the trailer, a tear streams down Rey’s face as they hug. New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in this past June’s NBA draft, will miss six to eight weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on a torn right lateral meniscus, the team announced Monday afternoon. New Orleans opens its much anticipated 2019-20 schedule Tuesday against the defending champion Toronto Raptors in Canada. The earliest side of his recovery timeline would keep him out until the first week of December, and an eight-week window would push his return closer to Christmas, when the Pelicans are scheduled to visit the Denver Nuggets. Either way, Williamson will miss somewhere between a quarter and a third of a season in which he was a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Celebrating fifty years of acclaimed pastoral ministry, Dr. Tony Evans releases The CSB Tony Evans Study Bible on November 1, 2019. As one of the country’s most respected leaders in evangelical circles, Pastor Evans is known for his unique ability to communicate complex theological truths through simple, yet profound, illustrations. Tony Evans’ name is synonymous with strong Biblical teaching and a high view of Scripture. Dr. Evans is Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX and founder of The Urban Alternative, a media ministry which promotes a kingdom agenda designed to enable people to live all of life underneath the comprehensive rule of God. The reach of Tony’s preaching now spans the world with broadcasts airing on over 1,400 radio outlets and in over 130 countries, reaching millions each week. In a trailer for Kanye West’s Jesus Is King that dropped Saturday, the rapper states, “We’re here to spread the gospel. I’m not here for your entertainment.”Following a passage from the Bible (Mark 1:15), West states in a voice over, “I’m an evangelist, so my music, my films, every conversation, every room I go in, we’re here to save souls, save you from eternal damnation.” Imax is collaborating with Kanye West on the concert film, which will be released exclusively in Imax theaters around the world on Oct. 25. https://youtu.be/eCI5D5hHWt0 RCA Inspiration has appointed Justin Tomlinson as Associate Director of Digital Marketing. Tomlinson will lead strategic implementation of digital marketing campaigns for all RCAI artists, and ensure marketing campaigns support all promotion and consumption efforts. Tomlinson’s trailblazing career began with his first internship at Motown Records/Cash Money, as a Digital Marketing Intern. Through the internship, he managed new artists’ social platforms as new acts began their careers with the label. Following his internship, Tomlinson became Talent Production Assistant at BET Networks, working with Will Smith, Justin Bieber, P. Diddy, French Montana, Bow Wow, Fantasia, Faith Evans, Drake and worked on hit shows such as BET 106 & Park, the BET Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Soul Train Awards & many special projects. Following his tenure at BET, Tomlinson began his career at RCA Inspiration/Sony Music as Marketing & Digital Marketing Assistant. Tomlinson managed all social media platforms for the RCAI label. Tomlinson’s debut campaigns with the label, were with Travis Greene (The Hill) & GRAMMY®-winning artist and producer Kirk Franklin (Losing My Religion). Tomlinson has worked with Koryn Hawthorne, Snoop Dogg, Le’Andria, Jason Nelson, The Walls Group, Marvin Sapp and Dee-1. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES BOBBY BROWN, ACTORS KYLA PRATT, ERICA ASH AND JOHN WITHERSPOON AT 11 P.M ET/10C! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v4-jpDR5W4 THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE SIT WITH GOSPEL ARTISTS PASTOR MARVIN WINANS AND MICAH STAMPLEY,BREAST CANCER AWARENESS ADVOCATES, PLUS MORE SPECIAL GUESTS! From a process of 2 years in the making, comes G12 Worship’s newest single “We Invite You.” The contemporary worship music band has been working tirelessly to bring songs that stem from the heart of God and what He is doing in the lives of its members. The Dove Award-winning band, formerly known as Soulfire Revolution, delivers another hit with simple yet deeply heartfelt lyrics. Lorena Castellanos (lead vocalist) teamed up with Luke Pew and Lupe Page to write a poignant song about our hunger for the presence of God. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxQLt41Fpqo&feature=youtu.be On a scraggly rock outpost in eastern Virginia 400 years ago, a ship came to Fort Monroe with colonial America’s first Africans, forced against their will to land in the New World. That moment inaugurated the racist slavery that set the course of the black experience in this country. But travel to modern-day Fort Monroe and you’d hardly know it — there’s more Confederate and military history than black history. There was an arch spelled “Jefferson Davis Memorial Park” in large letters, until their recent removal. A museum preserves the Confederate president’s prison cell following the Civil War. You can see where future Confederate General Robert E. Lee was stationed as a U.S. lieutenant. Ally Financial announced a $1 million donation to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on Wednesday, Oct. 16, with a check presentation by Ally Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey J. Brown to interim director of the museum, Spencer Crew. The museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s largest museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history and culture, and its impact on the world today. This donation supports Ally’s commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion through education, understanding and action. When Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros belted a walk-off homer Saturday to send his team to the World Series, he high-fived coaches, hugged teammates, and pointed to the crowd. But before all that, he thanked God. “Running around the bases, the only thing I was thinking was just thanking God and just thinking that we’re going to the World Series once again,” he told FS1 during a postgame interview. Three-time GRAMMY® nominee, Billboard Music Award, Dove and 11-time Stellar Award winner Travis Greene has launched a new track “Respond” (feat. Trinity Anderson, D’Nar Young, and Taylor Poole), available now with pre-order of his album Broken Record. “Respond” brings worship to new heights in the acoustic-driven live performance, the latest single off his upcoming eleven-track album Broken Record, which is available everywhere on Friday, November 1st. Greene also premieres the new music video for “Respond” on his YouTube channel and announces the first winner of his new Baggage Claim Giveaway with the video premiere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWOShp2EPOE Amanda Lynn makes her debut to the national platform, with her highly anticipated single, “Better”; with her first album, “Soul Food”, releasing in January 2020. October 18, 2019 with the official release October 25, 2019 on all major outlets. https://www.dropbox.com/s/tohqz01o0u3280k/Better.mp3?dl=0 Jerard & Jovaun are back with a new single and it’s a must-hear rendition of “The Potter’s House”! It's the cover of the Tramaine Hawkins classic. https://youtu.be/lus2TR_Qy6E The 4th Annual 2019 Black Music Honors will air nationally on Bounce TV on Sunday, October 20th at 12 p.m.The show was hosted by Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett-Walker. Honoree Xscape, received the Urban Music Icon Award presented by AT&T, Freddie Jackson received the Legend Award, presented by State Farm. Yolanda Adams received the Gospel Music Icon Award, Arrested Development received the Hip Hop Icon Award, Tamia, received the Soul Music Icon Award. Leon Timbo and Major. performed a special tribute in honor of Rock and Roll Hame of Famer, Bill Withers. Breakthrough, the 20th Century Fox film about the true life story of the resurrection of John Smith, has won Inspirational Film of the Year at the 50th GMA Dove Awards. Executive produced by Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the first Hispanic evangelical leader to serve as executive producer of a major theatrical release, the film marks an inflection point in the world of entertainment for the Spanish-speaking faith community. Breakthrough is based on the incredible true and gripping story of 14-year-old John Smith, who, after falling into an ice-covered lake, was pronounced dead. The movie stars This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz as John’s mother, Joyce Smith, who walked into her son’s hospital room praying loudly, calling out to God to save her son’s life. Immediately, John’s heart started beating. Defying every expert and all case history, John Smith miraculously walked out of the hospital on his own strength, only 16 days later. The movie, produced by filmmaker DeVon Franklin and directed by Roxann Dawson. Gold-selling gospel act, ANTHONY BROWN & group therAPy, have released their highly anticipated fourth album, 2econd Wind: Ready. The 13-track set includes the go-go flavored track, “Blessings on Blessings,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 and the mid-tempo “Real” which features the Grammy® Award nominated artist, Jonathan McReynolds. See Review of the album on http://gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, his wife and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson have offered to pay for the funeral of a Fort Worth, Texas, woman who was killed in her home by a police officer last week. Barnes has ties to the community, as he played two seasons for the Dallas Mavericks. “It’s about the family,” Barnes told reporters. “It’s about everything they’re going through. Our prayers obviously are with them. It was a gesture my wife and I wanted to do for them. “Anytime you come into a community, you always have a piece of that community with you and you want to give back.” On the next episode of CLEO TV's new travel series, LENS OF CULTURE, co-hosts Tai Beauchamp and Elton Anderson venture to the "City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection" - Philadelphia. Airing Saturday, October 19, at 12p.m. ET/11C, audiences will get to experience "the big city" with a small taste of country life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOlGzohgwKw&feature=youtu.be Multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning Gospel legend Donnie McClurkin continues to deliver heartfelt soul-stirring songs with the release of his new song “Pour My Praise On You." The new single is available now instantly with pre-order of McClurkin’s forthcoming album A Different Song. “Pour My Praise On You” marks the third single released from the album which is set for release on November 15th. https://donniemcclurkin.lnk.to/ADifferentSongAlbumVa Two-Time BMI Award-Winning composer, producer and music director Derrick Starks has a steady and consistent record of creating timeless musical masterpieces. He continues the tradition with a salute to the iconic Thomas Whitfield with the Legacy recording of his beloved ensemble The Whitfield Company on his newly minted label Starks Music Group distributed by UAMG/The Orchard/Sony Music. The live recording event takes place October 21st at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit. Maryland Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a sharecropper’s son who rose to become the powerful chairman of a U.S. House committee that investigated President Donald Trump, died early Thursday of complications from longstanding health issues, his office said. He was 68. Cummings was a formidable orator who passionately advocated for the poor in his black-majority district , which encompasses a large portion of Baltimore as well as more well-to-do suburbs. As chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cummings led multiple investigations of the president’s governmental dealings, including probes in 2019 relating to the president’s family members serving in the White House. Congreessman Elijah E. Cummings will truly be missed. Late Fall 2019 Shanachie Entertainment will release Isaac Carree’s anticipated label debut, No Risk No Reward. iteration of the gospel message." No Risk…No Reward features the album’s first single “HER.” This stunning ballad is a powerful anthem from men to their woman. It is Isaac Carree’s tribute to his wife Dietra. “I love my wife,” says Carree. “She deserves NOTHING but the best! We’ve grown together, we’ve had our ups and our downs but she stuck with me by my side. She’s loyal, she’s a prayer warrior, she’s the mother of our child, so this song embodies how GRATEFUL to God I am for HER!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZMWXgjffyc&feature=youtu.be Lecrae, CEO and co-founder of Reach, made history in 2015 when he became the first hip-hop artist to win the coveted Artist Of the Year honor at the 46th Annual Dove Awards. At the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards Reach Records won two Dove Awards: Rap/Hip-Hop Album Of The Year for Lecrae’s Let The Trap Say Amen collaborative studio album with Atlanta producer, Zaytoven, and Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song Of The Year for GAWVI’s “Fight For Me” single featuring Lecrae. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF5kEWD9q-U&feature=youtu.be Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia is applying part of a donation to the church made by rapper Kanye West to establish scholarships at a historically black Christian college in Atlanta. Pastor Jamal Bryant announced during New Birth’s 9:30 a.m. service Sunday that the Stonecrest-based megachurch donated funds given by West to create two new scholarships at Morris Brown College. The scholarships are to be named after West’s mother, Donda, and New Birth first lady, Vanessa Long, the wife of the church’s late senior pastor Bishop Eddie Long. TV One's original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED features actress LisaRaye McCoy on Sunday, October 20 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. The edgy docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IGgLP_QL1I&feature=youtu.be Boxer Patrick Day has died after suffering serious brain injuries in his defeat against Charles Conwell in Chicago on Saturday. The American, 27, had been in a coma after being knocked out in the 10th round of his super welterweight clash on an Eddie Hearn card. He passed away on Wednesday evening. Tiger Woods to write new book. After four back surgeries, including a last-ditch fusion procedure, Woods returned to action in December of 2017. He won the 2018 Tour Championship, his first PGA Tour title in more than five years, before winning the 2019 Masters, his first major in more than a decade and his first green jacket since 2005. Back is described by HarperCollins as “a candid and intimate narrative of an outsize American life: from growing up a celebrated golfing prodigy to shattering centuries-old racial barriers as a young pro; from rising to unprecedented fame and global icon status to battling devastating injuries and personal issues; from enduring years of physical anguish to mounting an astonishing comeback at 43 years old, culminating with the 2019 Masters, where his thrillingly impossible victory captured the imagination and hearts of people around the world.” RCA Inspiration celebrates five wins at the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards, with Kirk Franklin, Donald Lawrence, Le’Andria Johnson, and Koryn Hawthorne taking home Dove Awards in five categories this year. Garnering double wins, Gospel icons Kirk Franklin and Donald Lawrence each won two Dove Awards, with Johnson and Hawthorne winning one Dove Award apiece. Kirk Franklin won one of the night’s top honors, Gospel Artist of the Year, as well as Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for his #1 smash hit “Love Theory.” Donald Lawrence’s album "Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, Goshen" won Traditional Gospel Album of the Year, while he and Le’Andria Johnson took home the award for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus),” the single from "Goshen." Koryn Hawthorne won Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for her "Unstoppable." Kirk Franklin created a signature blowout performance of his songs “Strong God” and “F.A.V.O.R” from his latest album, closing with his classic hit “Hosanna.” Donald Lawrence, Travis Greene, and Koryn Hawthorne also presented awards on the show. For Super Bowl-winning NFL coach and former NFL player Tony Dungy, the successes that he’s enjoyed in life are all because of Jesus. “I’ve had a lot of roles as a student, a son, [an] athlete, coach, father, all of those, but Christ comes first and that directs everything. I think that’s how I keep my balance,” Dungy told Christian Headlines in a sit-down interview. When reflecting on his life, the former NFL coach and father of ten said that sometimes he finds himself in awe of where his life has taken him. “I remember being on the sidelines, we’re winning the Super Bowl and there’s like a minute left and I know we’re gonna win, and thinking how did I get here? How am I, from little Jackson, Michigan, how am I coaching the Indianapolis Colts and we’re in the Super Bowl?” Dungy recalled. “It really is just God’s plan and his blessings and so many people kind of pouring into my life and shaping that,” he asserted. Not only did Dungy’s faith guide the trajectory of his career, but it also played a major role in his and his wife’s decision to adopt seven of their children. Kanye West no longer likes seeing his wife wear outfits that are too sexy, especially out in public, after declaring that he’s a born again Christian. A debate between West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, over a revealing custom designer dress that ensued the night before the Met Gala in May was featured during Sunday night’s episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” In that episode, West expressed how his wife’s decision to wear sexy clothes in public negatively affects him. To which she replied that she’s not on the same path as him, referring to his newfound faith in Christ. West started hosting Sunday Service events at the top of the year that feature gospel music and, more recently, sermons. West became born again and found healing after he was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who five months ago attributed prayer for bringing him close to remission from stage 4 pancreatic cancer, has told a Canadian news program he is “nearing the end” of his life. “I’ve lived a full life, a good life, and I’m nearing the end of that life. I know that,” Trebek told CTV News anchor Lisa La Flamme. “I’m not gonna delude myself. If it happens, it happens. Why should I be afraid of that?” Trebek, the winner of multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, has spent more than 50 years in the entertainment industry, 35 of which as host of the popular “Jeopardy” game show. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its new class of 16 nominees for induction in 2020 Tuesday, which includes The Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, the Dave Matthews Band, Chaka Khan, Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, and Judas Priest. The ceremony will go down in Cleveland, Ohio May 2. Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, T-Rex, Thin Lizzy, the Doobie Brothers, and MC5 also made the list. John Sykes, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation’s incoming chairman, said earlier this month that the organization “could become irrelevant” if it doesn’t step up amid criticisms about diversity of previous inductees. “We have to evolve, and we have to change, because music is changing,” Sykes has said. Drake’s father claims the rapper has lied about him being an absentee father to sell records, to which his musician son responded, “The truth is hard for some people to accept.” The father, Dennis Graham, made the claim during a recent appearance on Nick Cannon’s “Close Conversations” show on Los Angeles’ Power 106. During the interview, Cannon told Graham that his father was not always present while he was growing up. Graham told Cannon that he had a “deep conversation” with Drake about this. “I have always been with Drake,” Graham said. “I talk to him, if not every day, every other day. And we really got into a deep conversation about that. I said, ‘Drake, why are you saying all this stuff about me, man? Like, this is not cool.'” Graham claims the rapper told him: “Dad, it sells records,” and that he responded, “OK, cool. Talk about me.” Simone Biles gushed over her ‘awesome’ boyfriend Stacey Ervin Jr. Wednesday after becoming the most decorated gymnast ever with 25 world championship medals. The 22-year-old solidified her place in history on Sunday in Germany when she won her 25th world championship medal. Now, she is setting her sights on the 2020 Olympics. Wednesday morning, she appeared on Today to celebrate her most recent win and gush over the support she receives from her parents and her boyfriend, Stacey Ervin Jr. ‘Every time it’s different, he basically just screams into the phone and tells me how proud he is of me. He’s an awesome times two,’ Biles said when asked how her boyfriend, who is also a gymnast, reacted to her historic win. Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac didn’t enjoy missing most of his rookie season two years ago with an ankle injury, but in hindsight – he says – it was for the best. Isaac worked out during that time and put on much-needed muscle on his 6-foot-10 frame to improve his defense. He became a better all-around player. But he also grew spiritually. “I take that injury as God sitting me down, and getting my attention to set me up for the life and the career that He has for me,” Isaac, who is 22, told the Sports Spectrum Podcast. He is expected to play a big role this year, his third season. Off the court, he is known as one of the league’s most outspoken Christians. He talked about his faith to the crowd during the Magic’s Faith and Family Night. He frequently writes about his faith on Twitter and Instagram, too. The Rams have acquired Ramsey from the Jaguars for two first-round picks in 2020 and 2021 and a fourth-round pick in 2021, according to ESPN. Ramsey asked the Jaguars to trade him after a Week 2 spat with head coach Doug Marrone. He is either completely on board with the move or it’s done because he tweeted out a photo of him in Rams gear. Owner Shad Khan said he wanted to keep him but the Jaguars appear to have caved. The Rams also traded Marcus Peters to the Ravens earlier in the day Tuesday, so this move makes a lot more sense. The annual URBAN ONE HONORS Awards show is set for Thursday, December 5, 2019 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The two-hour telecast will air on TV One, a division of Urban One, January 20, 2020, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The televised event will herald the accomplishments of individuals who have made extraordinary contributions in entertainment, media, music, fashion, sports, education, and the community. It will also pay tribute to the 40-year history of Radio One, the radio division of the company, and its extraordinary founder, Cathy Hughes. The program will feature a star-studded line-up of presenters and honorees as well as special musical performances. It will serve as an annual commemoration of the achievements of black and brown people and broadcast their contributions to our culture and global society. Two-Time GRAMMY® Award, NAACP Image Award, Stellar and Dove Award-winning recording artist Jacky Clark-Chisholm, known as a member and eldest sister of three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning legendary group, The Clark Sisters has inked a distribution deal with Nashville-based record label United Alliance Music Group (UAMG) announced today. Under the terms of the new strategic distribution deal, UAMG will provide label services utilizing a “conception to completion” model, world-class A&R, marketing, radio promotions, publicity, consulting and function as a digital distributor through its Sony Music/The Orchard partnership for all master recordings and visuals. The National Black MBA Association® has announced Washington, DC as the home for their 42nd Annual Conference and Exposition, going down September 22-26, 2020. The organization will also celebrate a major milestone as it commemorates its 50th anniversary year. The NBMBAA® just concluded another a conference in Houston, Texas where the organization helped 9,000 attendees explore career opportunities and interview for valuable internships with companies including FedEx Corporation, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Johnson and Johnson, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Marriott International, Microsoft, Nationwide and a number of other leading Fortune 500 companies. Attendees were exposed to an array of informative sessions and workshops around professional growth, leadership development and entrepreneurship. The NBMBAA ® provided undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to compete for academic scholarships with the execution of its annual business case competitions. A white former Fort Worth police officer charged with murder after shooting a black woman through a window of her home has been released on bond, and the department told a grieving community that investigators would ensure “no stone is left unturned” in the search for answers. Jail records show Aaron Dean, 34, was out of custody after posting bond Monday night, less than four hours after his arrest in a shooting that began with a call about an open front door. He had been held on $200,000 bond. Earlier in the day he resigned from the force, and the police chief said he would have been fired if he hadn’t. LeBron James was accused of turning a blind eye to Chinese repression on Tuesday after he criticized a Houston Rockets executive for angering China with a “misinformed” tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong. James told reporters that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey “wasn’t educated” on Hong Kong and should have kept his mouth shut, as the outspoken Lakers forward waded into a charged debate that other high-profile NBA figures have shied away from. “So many people could have been harmed not only financially but physically, emotionally and spiritually. So just be careful with what we tweet, and we say, and we do,” James told reporters. His remarks drew praise from Chinese social media users, who have savaged Morey for butting into the country’s affairs, but the US reaction on Twitter was swift and harsh. BET Networks continues its annual tradition of “going pink” in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month and announces special programming including the network’s third annual “BET Her Fights: Breast Cancer” concert special, and original limited series “The Waiting Room.” Hosted by actress, Wendy Raquel Robinson the one-hour special, “BET Her Fights: Breast Cancer,” highlights touching stories and looks to build awareness amongst of African American women. The concert special will feature Nicole Bus, Jekalyn Carr, Samm Henshaw and Johnny Gill. Presenters will include Keisha Knight Pulliam, Syleena Johnson and the cast of BET + “Bigger;” Tanisha Long, Rasheda Crockett and Angell Conwell. Sunday, October 13th, Lighthouse Full Life Center celebrated its 16th Church Anniversary. It was marked with two momentous announcements. Bishop Marvin L. Sapp has appointed Rory Marshall as the new Senior Pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center. Additionally, Bishop Sapp was in Grand Rapids to lead the church in the burning of its mortgage, leaving Marshall with a debt free ministry that will allow him to focus on preaching, teaching and outreach in true Lighthouse tradition. Marvin Sapp was Senior Pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center until September of 2019, when he became Senior Pastor of Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas. While Sapp remains as Chairman of the Board at Lighthouse, Rory Marshall, Jr. is the incoming Senior Pastor. Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Senior pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ recently reinvigorated his ongoing 30-year commitment to community outreach and spreading the word of Christ. Bishop Sheard hosted the COGIC World Mission Awakening community event at his church to gift and help distribute back-to-school supplies to over 500 at-need children at GEI. GEI is an ever-growing megachurch that provides solace and succor to spiritual seekers, while instituting a wide range of community outreach programs for the greater Detroit area. DMX has canceled his upcoming slate of concerts in order to return to rehab, the rapper announced Saturday. “In his ongoing commitment to putting family and sobriety first, DMX has checked himself into a rehab facility,” DMX’s Instagram told fans. “He apologizes for his cancelled shows and thanks his fans for their continued support.” DMX was booked to perform Sunday at New York’s Rolling Loud festival, but when the festival unveiled today’s schedule this morning, he was not listed on the itinerary. DMX also no-showed on his appearance Thursday at Def Jam’s 35th anniversary party in Brooklyn.The rapper, who was released from prison on January 25th after serving a year behind bars on tax evasion charges and then embarked on a 20th anniversary tour celebrating his It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, has been candid about his struggles with drug addiction; in 2017, DMX canceled a series of gigs in order to reenter a rehabilitation facility. Actor Robert Forster died Friday after a short battle with brain cancer. The 78-year-old appeared in the TV show “Breaking Bad” and its film spinoff “El Camino,” which was released on Netflix on Friday. He was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, and Robert De Niro as bail bondsman Max Cherry in “Jackie Brown.” Jackson tweeted a tribute to his former co-star, calling him a “class act.” Fort Worth police announced at a news conference Monday that the officer who shot and killed a woman in her home has resigned. Chief Ed Kraus identified the officer as Aaron Dean. He said he was going to fire the officer if he had not resigned. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson by a Fort Worth police officer is not justified. Coco Gauff put her hands on her face in disbelief, then pumped her arms in triumph on Sunday, celebrating the one thing her breakout season had been missing: a singles title. Gauff, 15, won the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, an indoor WTA tournament, in the penultimate week of the tour’s regular season, beating the 2017 French Open champion, Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. The title made Gauff the youngest WTA singles champion in 15 years, since Nicole Vaidisova won two WTA titles in 2004, also as a 15-year-old. “I’ll definitely remember this moment for the rest of my life,” Gauff said on the court as she held her trophy. Patrick Day was in a coma after suffering a serious head injury Saturday night following a vicious knockout by unbeaten Charles Conwell during a boxing card in Chicago, US media reported. The 27-year-old Day was unconscious when he was taken from the ring in a stretcher and loaded onto a waiting ambulance. A fight broadcaster said Day suffered a seizure in the ambulance and needed a breathing tube once he arrived at the hospital. ESPN reported that Day had emergency brain surgery and went into a coma, but did not say whether he fell into the coma or it was induced by the doctors. Kanye West made a surprise appearance at Howard University’s homecoming Saturday morning. The megastar rapper brought his Sunday Service show to D.C. for a crowd that gathered at 8 a.m. on the Howard quad. Kanye performed new verses and raising his hands to the sky for the worship-style show. Grammy-award winning R&B singer Tony Williams presided over the service, conducting a mass of artists including choir singers, drummers and a brass band. Sunday Service wasn’t all music. Momolu Stewart and Halim Flowers, two D.C. men who were convicted in murder cases when they were teens, took the stage to tell their stories. Kim Kardashian West wrote a letter on behalf of Stewart’s petition to be released from prison after more than 20 years. Howard University kept their homecoming Yardfest lineup quiet this year, promising artists would be announced as they took the stage. Friday, huge crowds showed up to see DaBaby, Terrance J and Mack Wilds. Kanye has been bringing a worship-style concert to cities around the country in anticipation of “Jesus Is King: A Kanye West Experience,” a documentary-album hybrid. Simone Biles will finish what she is 99 percent sure is her final world championships with the most medals in history. Biles earned a record-breaking 24th and 25th medals, winning the balance beam and floor exercise on the last day of the meet on Sunday. She earned five gold medals alone at these worlds, believed to be the most by one gymnast since Soviets Larisa Latynina and Boris Shakhlin in 1958 (when Latynina was pregnant). THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES VAN LATHAN, ACTORS LAMMAN RUCKER, HENRY SIMMONS AND MORE AT 11 P.M ET/10C! International lifestyle TV Personality and Producer, Tai Beauchamp and celebrity photographer Elton Anderson take viewers to the sunny- side of Palm Springs, California on the next episode of CLEO TV's new travel series, LENS OF CULTURE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac-1M8b1bGo&feature=youtu.be Grisanthia Franklin, “San” as she is affectionately called, hails from the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area by way of Chicago, Illinois. Now making Nashville her home, San Franklin is in a focused season in her life, poised for greater works with incredible outcomes. Being noted as one of Gospel and Christian music's most commanding vocalists and professional session singers, San Franklin is strategically stretching her artistry and ministry beyond any boarders that man can establish. Earlier this year, San hosted her first live recording in Nashville, TN. The outcome of a dynamic, worshipful night has yielded her new single "Blessing Me". With guest vocalist Chrystal Rucker, San dishes out a churchy, robust song, capturing the essence of her talent and depth of her anointing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmQRfp-y8Eg&feature=youtu.be CELEBRATE SISTER CIRCLE'S HOMECOMING WEEK WITH THE ATLANTA HAWKS CHEERLEADERS, R&B SINGER TANK, ERICA CAMPBELL AND MANY MORE! GRAMMY®, Billboard Award-nominated, and DOVE Award-winning triple-threat artist Tauren Wells announces the release date for his highly anticipated sophomore album, Citizen of Heaven, the follow-up to his award-winning debut solo album, Hills and Valleys, which launched in 2017 just as Wells was joining Lionel Richie’s All The Hits Tour with special guest Mariah Carey. Citizen of Heaven is available now for pre-order now and will release everywhere January 24, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbDdqAgsqPA&feature=youtu.be Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 in recognition of his efforts to end his country’s two-decade border conflict with Eritrea. The Norwegian Nobel Institute on Friday also praised the “important reforms” that Abiy, Ethiopia’s leader since April 2018, has launched at home. The prize comes as Abiy faces pressure to uphold the sweeping freedoms he introduced, and critics warn that his ability to deal with rising domestic unrest may be slipping. The Nobel committee said some people may consider it too early to give him the prize, but “it is now that Abiy Ahmed’s efforts need recognition and deserve encouragement.” The award, the 100th Nobel Peace Prize, reflects the committee’s taste for trying to encourage works in progress. The hometown of renowned opera star Jessye Norman is continuing four days of honoring her life. Augusta, Georgia, officials plan on Friday to name the street outside the arts school Norman opened in 2003 after her. The Jessye Norman School of the Arts provides free fine arts education to disadvantaged children. The ceremony was planned before Norman died Sept. 30 at 74 . One of the few black singers to gain worldwide stardom in the opera world, Norman had hoped to attend the celebration. Her studio is a block from another street honoring an Augusta music giant — James Brown. Two decades ago, gospel singer Donnie McClurkin stepped on a London stage to record his second album. Now, he’s returning to the United Kingdom for 20th anniversary concerts on Oct. 18 and 19 to reprise the music of his “Live in London and More” CD that featured songs like “That’s What I Believe” and “We Fall Down.” The Grammy-winning pastor of Perfecting Faith Church, Freeport, N.Y., says he latched onto the popularity of black gospel music that existed overseas long before his 1999 concert. “People like Andrae Crouch and Edwin Hawkins and the like, they made the music global so it was all a byproduct of the global impact that American gospel had,” he said. Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. learned on Thursday that he’s facing a new undisclosed charge in his sexual misconduct case, a development that came as jury selection was set to begin for his trial in New York City. At a court hearing in Manhattan, Assistant District Attorney Jenna Long revealed the charge is contained in a sealed indictment. She told a judge that the indictment covers previous allegations as well as a “previously uncharged incident,” which will remain sealed until Gooding is due back in court on Tuesday, October 15. https://youtu.be/lfyHAu9ay38 Security footage has emerged showing the horrifying moment world champion boxer Errol Spence Jr. flipped his Ferrari and was ejected onto the pavement before other cars slowly drove by the wreckage and his injured body without stopping. The 29-year-old unified welterweight champion was rushed to a Dallas-area hospital early Thursday morning and is expected to recover. The Washington Mystics, with the best record in the league, and the Connecticut Sun, with the second-best record, locked in a two-possession, back-and-forth contest with four minutes left in a winner-take-all Game 5. Relying on scoring from WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, stellar two-way play from Emma Meesseman off the bench and fourth-quarter scoring burst from Natasha Cloud, the Mystics defeated the Sun 89-78 on Thursday. It was the Mystics’ first championship, the first title for Delle Donne and the first WNBA championship for Mystics coach and basketball lifer Mike Thibault, who was an NBA assistant before deciding to switch leagues 16 years ago. Faith Star Radio, the new, first-of-its-kind multi-genre faith-based internet radio station, announces that it has joined the elite ranks of Nielsen BDS monitored stations – a rarity for internet-based platforms. Faith Star Radio plays the best in Gospel and Christian music, including Praise & Worship, CCM, Christian Hip Hop and more, while creating programming and events that uplift the community through arts and entertainment. Programming highlights include Faith Star Hits, Coffee House (live acoustic sets), Worship Unlimited, Decade Hits (#1 hits of the 70's 80's and 90's), Top 20 Countdown and much more. Vanessa Howard is an evangelist, an entrepreneur, a vocal Coach, a Gospel recording artist, and a profound Public Speaker.Today, she has intersected Gospel with Classical music to form a mellifluous flow of musical artistry that is as rich as honey and smooth as silk. Vanessa returns in 2019 with a fresh 4-song EP INSTANTLY. Her anticipated debut Gospel album boasts the high praise radio single “Alright”, which is impacting Gospel radio now. INSTANTLY will be released worldwide on October 18. Stellar nominee Renee Spearman debuts #2 on Billboard's Top Albums Sales Chart this week! “I LOVE HIM”, the 12-track album featuring gospel icon Hezekiah Walker and Hollywood mogul Dr. Holly Carter is also burning up the radio charts as well. The highly-anticipated follow-up to “whoa to WOW!” , Renee's hit CD debuted #4 on the charts and featured the choir classic “Great God”, Renee’s new hit CD “I LOVE HIM” features an all-star cast including not only the incomparable Hezekiah Walker but also gospel trailblazer Dorinda Clark-Cole. Oprah Winfrey has been with her partner Stedman Graham for 32 years, but she doesn’t regret at all that they never tied the knot or had children. The 65-year-old covers the new issue of People this week, and told the magazine that the longtime couple’s ‘untraditional’ relationship has stayed strong all these years precisely because she and Stedman, 68, never got married. The media mogul met her longtime love in 1986, and they even got engaged in 1992 — but they never went through with a wedding. Of course, not getting married doesn’t mean a couple can’t have kids, but Oprah ultimately decided that wasn’t a path she should go down. Getting married and starting a family weren’t always off the table. In fact, at one point while living in Chicago, Oprah even bought an additional apartment to make room for her family to grow. But over time, her thoughts on the subject changed, even while best friend Gayle King — who has two kids — told her she’d regret it. Still, Oprah said: ‘I have not had one regret about that.’ TV One's original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED features supermodel Tyra Banks on Sunday, October 13 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=797ZWIFEa8I&feature=youtu.be During the live telecast of The REAL Daytime Talk Show, co-host Loni Love broke into tears as she revealed the release of her new "I Tried to Change So You Don't Have To" memoir. An inspiring, hilarious memoir about learning to resist the pressures of conformity, love yourself for who you are, embrace your flaws, and unlock your true potential is set to release May 5, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf6fxXFxIQw After coming out of retirement and joining the New England Patriots this past spring, NFL tight end Benjamin Watson was released by the team Monday. Watson, 38, announced the news in a statement on Twitter: “I gave my all, but it was not enough to earn a spot on the Patriots’ roster.” “I’m beyond disappointed but even more upset for my family who has supported me with all the love a husband and father could ask for,” the father of five added. “They are my heroes.” “The God of victory is also a God in failure,” he added, ending his statement with a reference to Romans 8:28, which reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Lecrae fresh off of speaking at Stanford University presenting a workshop "Controlling The Narrative" for the d.School at Stanford University, Lecrae continues to make investments for next generation of content creators. Sharing the news about MXD, an innovative software that changes the game for indie artist, A&R, producers, podcasters, editors, film creators, etc. Anyone can use MXD to create incredible professional high-quality mixes for songs, podcasts, or commercials. Just upload your tracks, choose your sound profile and for less than a hundred dollars, you can get a fully mixed professional audio delivered to your inbox in 48 hours or less. The Stellar Awards date for next year has been set for Friday, March 27, 2020 and will be returning to the Orleans Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. Stellar Awards submissions accepted online from October 15 – 31, 2019 at www.thestellarawards.com . The Gathering is Casey J’s call to praise the Lord. It’s a tender reminder of God’s admonition to Believers to forsake not the assembling of themselves together.The Stellar Award winning Worship Leader sings of the Lord’s agenda to solicit our attention and praise on this enchanting and inspirational new gospel anthem. Javon Inman drops his newest offering "Today Is My Day." It is a contemporary and soulful track from with an infectious 'wanna make you sing along" hook, Javon's powerful vocals and honest lyrics. He shares his trials and triumphs in becoming a recording artist where the "no's" from music industry executives fueled his faith and dream to never give up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzco7qy31T0&feature=youtu.be Alabama’s capital Montgomery, a city once considered a cradle to the Confederacy and later revered as the birthplace of the civil rights movement, has elected the first African American mayor in its 200-year history. Probate Judge Steven Reed, 45, clasped the history-making victory after defeating local television station owner David Woods by a decisive margin, winning by around 67% of the vote in Tuesday’s mayoral runoff, according to unofficial returns. ‘This election has never been about me,’ Reed told a cheering crowd, after his triumph was announced. ‘This election has never been about just my ideas. It’s been about all of the hopes and dreams that we have as individuals and collectively in the city.’ Grammy award-winning singer Lauren Daigle appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” where she performed a Christian song. Daigle gave a soulful performance of her song “Still Rolling Stones” before the New York studio audience on Monday. In the tune, Daigle talks about the power of resurrection. https://youtu.be/5KMgS-X-hkI After days of speculation surrounding the shooting of Joshua Brown, a witness in the Amber Guyger trial, Dallas police identified three suspects Tuesday in connection with Brown’s death. The second of the three, Michael Diaz Mitchell, had been taken into custody in Louisiana. Earlier that day, Assistant Chief Avery Moore said that one of the suspects, Jacquerious Mitchell, 20, was in custody at Parkland Hospital. During that news conference, held at Dallas police headquarters, officials said Brown was fatally shot Friday in a drug deal gone bad at an apartment complex. The third suspect, Thaddeous Charles Green, 22, remains at large. The timing of Brown’s death raised public speculation about whether the shooting was somehow tied to his testimony. Stephen A. Smith brought up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in response to the Hong Kong-China controversy on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday. Smith was speaking about the ongoing NBA controversy surrounding Rockets general manger Daryl Morey after his pro-Hong Kong tweet. Smith was then immediately cut off by co-host Molly Qerim as she said ‘Let’s take a commercial break’. ESPN is known for urging its employees to stay away from politics, and instead only report about sports. Morey’s support for the protests in the Chinese-ruled city angered Beijing, Chinese fans and the team’s business partners in a key NBA market. The “handshake-gate” no one really asked for looks to be reaching its denouement. It all started when San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman blasted Cleveland Browns quarterback for allegedly not shaking his hand during the pregame captain’s meeting before the 49ers throttled the Browns on Monday night. But a video showing Sherman and Mayfield shaking hands circulated around social media Tuesday. “It’s definitely my bad,” Sherman said. “I never want anybody to have to deal with some (expletive), I mean, some stuff that they didn’t do. And so, you know, the questions that he’s gonna get and the annoying, nonsense questions about some stuff that happened in a game that’s already been done, sure he’ll get an apology for that. I’ll probably reach out to him via text or social media to actually get a hold of him and talk to him in the person, I mean, on the phone. The youngest son of former Sacramento Kings star Mitch Richmond has died unexpectedly at the age of 20, his family has confirmed.The retired professional basketball player, 54, confirmed the devastating news that his son Shane had passed away in a statement released on Tuesday. He said: ‘It is with great sadness and pain that we inform you that our youngest son, Shane, unexpectedly passed away last night. ‘We are heartbroken and devastated with this tragic news and will use the strength of our family and the thoughts and prayers of our friends to get through this incredibly difficult time. A cause of death for Shane was not immediately clear. Richmond is best remembered for his time with the Warriors, where he teamed with Mullin and point guard Tim Hardaway to form the famed ‘Run TMC’ offense. On Saturday, October 5, 2019 history was made in Atlanta, GA. The first ever fully Black Owned Studio opened its doors to the public and for business. Getting a preview of what the studio has to offer was just about all of Black Hollywood’s elite as they descended upon the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, which also incidentally stands on a former Confederate Army base. Some of Perry’s impressive and notable guests at the grand opening gala included Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Cicely Tyson, Whoopi Goldberg, David and Tamela Mann, Kirk and Tammy Franklin, Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland, Samuel L. Jackson, Stacey Abrams, Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish, Yolanda Adams as well as the Clark Sisters who performed, Gale King, Anthony Hamilton, Bishop T D Jakes and even a surprise appearance by Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Perry also delivered a moving tribute to the late Diahann Carroll during the weekend gathering. “Her level of grace, class and inspiration was just beyond anything I could ever imagine. The very fact that we were able to have her on the planet at the same time as we are, we should all be very, very blessed,” Perry stated. What’s even more impressive about Tyler Perry Studios is “The studio lots of Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, Fox and Sony could all fit inside Tyler Perry’s studio lot at the same time - and there would still be 60 acres to spare,” DuVernay stated in a Tweet. Before Perry’s guests left their amazing weekend, Perry reminded everyone ”If you can Dream it, you can surely achieve it!” Inspirational Soul Artist Travis Malloy is the music industry’s “Best Kept Secret.” The ASCAP award-winning, Grammy nominated singer/songwriter & producer has worked with music industry legends Fred Hammond, Coko (SWV), Stevie J, Kirk Franklin, Faith Evans, Corey Rooney, Kool and the Gang and many more. This genre blending artist releases his most recent project FAITH JOURNEY to all digital music platforms. FAITH JOURNEY is comprised of 13 tracks that span from the 90’s inspired trackWORLD GO ROUND, paying homage to artists of that era like Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Teddy Riley and After 7 to the trap gospel track GOTCHU. Hafsat Abiolais one of three honorees selected for the National Civil Rights Museum’s 28th Annual Freedom Award to held October 30. Honorees are selected for their many achievements and contributions on a national and global scale in the name of equality, social justice and freedom for all. Other 2019 honorees include musician and social activist, John Legend and author and feminist organizer, Gloria Steinem. Hafsat Abiola, president and CEO of Women in Africa, is a noted Nigerian human and civil rights activist. Since age 19, she has been working to ensure democracy and economic fairness in Nigeria in the name of her deceased mother and father. An evolving changemaker in both Nigeria and the United States, Abiola uses her global platforms to empower women through training and leadership development and strengthen civil society in Nigeria and other African countries through her founding organization, KIND. Artist Shanequa Gay’s immersive, site-specific exhibition LIT WITHOUT SHERMAN celebrates Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood. Integrating a mix of mediums, the exhibit includes murals painted onto the museum walls, specially designed toile schema wallpaper, and interactive video vignettes which tell West End stories. The exhibit has been so popular, with many patrons visiting several times, that it has been extended. LIT WITHOUT SHERMAN: A Love Letter To The West End will be on view through December 22, 2019 at Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA. Every vote counts and Elections have consequences! The 2020 presidential elections will definitely have consequences and it will be important that every vote is counted and accounted for. Everyone and everything in this country is impacted by someone in a position of political leadership who shapes public policy and who makes decisions regarding the very legislation that we must all adhere to, in one way or another. This includes city councilmembers, mayors, governors, judges, county, state and federal representatives, and even our President. One group that has made a major impact in this country and that has done a great job of engaging and energizing people of color relative to getting involved in social issues and politics has been the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Global Network. The U.S. women aren’t perfect, after all. Their streak is, however. The Americans won their fifth consecutive title at the world championships Tuesday despite having to count a fall for the first time in almost a decade. The five titles in a row ties a record set by Romania from 1994 to 2001. The win also gives Simone Biles her 21st medal at worlds, most for a female gymnast. Only Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus has more, and his record of 23 is all but certain to fall before this meet is over. Biles is all but assured of winning the all-around title Thursday, and she qualified for all four event finals. When LeBron James gets off a plane in China Tuesday, he better be ready. Reporters will be waiting. For the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers. But especially LeBron. And if he wants to preserve his sterling and well-deserved reputation as an athlete willing to risk backlash while speaking out against social injustice, he must convey: ?He supports the right to free speech ?He believes in a free and open society. He and members of the Lakers and Nets walk into controversy sparked by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who on Friday night tweeted support for Hong Kong independence. Morey’s tweet was a nod to the Hong Kong protesters fighting a plan that would allow extraditions to mainland China, where democratic rights cease to exist for those accused of crimes. Pastor Jamal H. Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church will host the Inaugural Imaginariums Film and Music Festival October 18th & 19th on their campus in Lithonia. "Imaginariums is a film festival of radical approach that endeavors to illuminate the arts to inspire the spirit," says Dr. Bryant. The intent of the festival is to provide opportunities and a platform for emerging artists that otherwise might not be heard. In fact, the mission of the festival and newly appointed Pastor Bryant is two-fold: to continue to promote Atlanta as the new film mecca for people of all races; and to showcase films and provide networking opportunities that will develop the next generation of filmmakers, musicians, and actors. Louis Gossett Jr, Bill Duke, Robert Townsend, James Fortune, Terry Vaughn, Timon Kyle Durrett, Lisa Wu, Isaac Carree, Todd Bridges, Carl Payne and Travis Malloy are planning to attend. Former first lady Michelle Obama is releasing a second book to accompany her extremely popular memoir Becoming. The new book, Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice, is intended to help readers capture their life journeys, as Obama did in writing her memoir. The book will feature “more than 150 inspiring questions and quotes that resonate with key themes in Mrs. Obama’s memoir and that are designed to help readers reflect on their personal and family history, their goals, challenges, and dreams, what moves them and brings them hope, and what future they imagine for themselves and their community.” The book will also feature an introduction by Obama. In an excerpt from the introduction, the former first lady writes about how she rediscovered the value of journaling in writing her memoir. The guided journal is set to be released Nov. 19. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund called for an independent investigation of the shooting death of Joshua Brown, who was a witness in the case of former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, as his slaying Friday touched off an outcry around the country. Brown’s death came days after Guyger, a white officer who was off duty, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years for murder in the death of Botham Jean, a black man whom Guyger shot in his own apartment last year. After Brown was fatally shot at an apartment complex on Cedar Springs Road, some raised questions about whether the shooting was tied to his testimony. During the weekend, Phil Thornton, Senior Vice President and General Manager of RCA Inspiration, was honored by The Living Legends Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner and Gala, where he received the Gospel Music Executive Award. Thornton was recognized among The Living Legends Foundation’s ten honorees at their yearly awards dinner and gala, which supports the Foundation’s mission honoring top professionals and pioneers in the music and entertainment industries. Kelly Rowland presented Thornton with his award. In addition to Rowland, other celebrities in attendance included Bobby Brown, Israel Houghton, and Adrienne Houghton. Nationally renowned religious and human rights trailblazer Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, III, Presiding Bishop, Senior Pastor of the Vision Cathedral of Atlanta and Executive Director of Vision Community Foundation Inc. has been selected to be an officer of the DNC LGBTQ Caucus Advisory Board. Allen will serve as Southern Regional Vice-Chair of the DNC LGBTQ Caucus Advisory Board and will continue his commitment to empowering LGBTQ people in the Democratic ecosystem and continue his focus to benefit the Democratic Party’s efforts to win in 2020. Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, III previously served as a member of the prestigious Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) appointed by President Barack Obama. He currently serves on a number of boards including Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms LGBT Advisory Board in Atlanta, Georgia. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES VANESSA BELL CALLOWAY, OMAR MILLER, KURUPT AND JOE TORRY AT 11 P.M ET/10C! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZudDQzg969k&feature=youtu.be Vickie Winans Apologizes to Her Husband Marvin Winans for Not Being the Wife She Should Have Been, Apologizes to Her Children for Not Being the Mother She Should Have Been, and Apologizes to the Whole Church. https://youtu.be/wFg8u23873Y Thirty years ago, Pastor Marvin Winans was singing with three of his brothers in the gospel group The Winans and touring with his musical play, “Don’t Get God Started,” after its Broadway run. He also started a church. Beginning with just eight members meeting in the basement of his house in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Winans became the pastor of Perfecting Church, a Pentecostal congregation. For Perfecting Church’s Oct. 11 anniversary gala, Winans, 61, has invited social justice activist Bryan Stevenson to speak. BeBe and CeCe Winans, his singing siblings, also are slated to perform. Fast forward three decades and Winans is marking the anniversary of his church, now with 1,800 members in the Motor City, while remaining committed to helping his community through the schools and ministries he has started to help train youth and give women a safe place to live. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan disclosed Wednesday that he will be the majority investor in the nation’s only 24-hour news network aimed at African American viewers, giving the network a deep pocket as it launches next month. The network has been in the works for years and an announcement about its launch was made earlier this year. But Khan’s backing gives it a substantial boost. He declined to say how much he would invest initially but said it would be enough to keep the network running for a long time. Khan is worth an estimated $8 billion and made his fortune in the auto equipment industry. As well as the Jaguars, he owns Fulham Football Club of the English Football League, Four Seasons Hotel Toronto and All Elite Wrestling. Former Republican U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, who was a star quarterback at the University of Oklahoma in the 1980s, will be chairman of the new network. It will be available via cable and satellite viewers in 33 million households. New Orleans Saints Linebacker Demario Davis was fined thousands of dollars for wearing a headband during last Sunday’s game that reads “Man of God.” The 30-year-old Saints captain, a third-round pick by the New York Jets in the 2012 draft, took to Instagram to tell his followers that he was fined $7,017 by the league for a uniform infraction. The infraction occurred in the Saints’ 33-27 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 22. Davis wore a gold headband with the phrase “Man of God” in black lettering across the front underneath his helmet. The headband was visible during moments in which Davis had his helmet off. Simone Biles doesn’t shy away from calling out injustices. Her aim this time around is the International Gymnastics Federation. (FIG) The FIG women’s technical committee announced Tuesday the point values for 10 new elements submitted for evaluation at the world championships in Germany. Three belong to Biles and one tweet said everything about her reaction to the news. “hahahaHAHAHAHAHhahaHahaAhahAhahahaAhahahHAHAahaaaaaaaHa bull—” she wrote. Biles told NBC Sports’ Nick Zaccardi she’s “pissed off” and it’s unfair the organization doesn’t credit harder artistry and skills when they ask athletes for more. Diahann Carroll, the captivating singer and actress who came from the Bronx to win a Tony Award, receive an Oscar nomination and make television history with her turns on Julia and Dynasty, died Friday. She was 84. Carroll died at her home in Los Angeles after a long bout with cancer, her daughter, producer-journalist Suzanne Kay, told The Hollywood Reporter. Carroll was known as a Las Vegas and nightclub performer and for her performances on Broadway and in the Hollywood musicals Carmen Jones and Porgy & Bess when she was approached by an NBC executive to star as Julia Baker, a widowed nurse raising a young son, on the comedy Julia. CATCH T.I., LIL YACHTY, NIVEA, BJ The CHICAGO KID, BERN NADETTE STANIS, DAY 26 AND MANY MORE NEXT WEEK ON SISTER CIRCLE LIVE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW4hRWxFsMk&feature=youtu.be Lupita Nyong’o has released a new children’s book that she hopes will serve as a ‘mirror’ for dark-skinned children who don’t often see images of themselves in mainstream media. In a lengthy post on social media, Nyong’o shared her own experiences with colorism discrimination is why she wrote, “Sulwe,” which means ‘star.’ The Academy Award-winning actress said Sulwe is designed to hold a “mirror for dark-skinned children especially, to see themselves reflected, immediately.” She added, “Colorism, society’s preference for lighter skin, is alive and well. It’s not just a prejudice reserved for places with a largely white population. Throughout the world, even in Kenya, even today, there is a popular sentiment that lighter is brighter”, Nyong’o wrote. Gospel music powerhouse ANTHONY BROWN & group therAPy releases lyric video for song “Real” featuring GMA Dove Award Winner Jonathan McReynolds from the upcoming album, 2econd Wind: Ready, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBexSmg2xFU The highly anticipated 4th Annual 2019 Black Music Honors airs in major cities including; New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Detroit starting this weekend until October 20th. The show was hosted by Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett-Walker is currently airing in national broadcast syndication. Honoree Xscape, received the Urban Music Icon Award, Freddie Jackson received the Legend Award, Yolanda Adams received the Gospel Music Icon Award, Arrested Development received the Hip Hop Icon Award Tamia, received the Soul Music Icon Award. Leon Timbo and Major. performed a special tribute in honor of Rock and Roll Hame of Famer, Bill Withers. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4qki6egk0jkwg35/AADZEtgCACEYFRmw4aMIdAVDa?dl=0&preview=Le%27Andria+Johnson+x+Kelly+Price+x+Jekalyn+Carr.mp4 Alvin Darling Releases New Single "Leave It Alone" https://www.dropbox.com/s/ckxwco9gms35z9y/Alvin%20Darling%20-%20Leave%20It%20Alone.mp3?dl=0 The popularity of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has soared into the stratosphere in just over one season as the starter, each no-look or left-handed passes drawing a fresh chorus of acclaim. It’s not just the fans that are the fans, either. “It’s kind of cool to see some of the stuff he does,” said Colts counterpart Jacoby Brissett, who will get to see Mahomes first-hand when his team heads to Arrowhead Stadium Sunday night. “Hopefully he doesn’t do it this week, but the things he can do with the ball, it’s very impressive.” So impressive that Brissett even said, rather sheepishly: “You just watch and you’re like, ‘Yeah, I can’t do that.’ But it’s fun to see somebody else.” Brissett isn’t alone, either. It seems just about every coach tasked with slowing down the league MVP, or defensive guy forced to make a play against him, is simultaneously challenged and in awe by what Mahomes can do. World premiere of new music video from singer, actress Deborah Joy Winans. “When I Rose” premiered Thursday, October 3 on BET Gospel.https://www.bet.com/video/bet-gospel/2019/deborah-joy-winans-when-i-rose.html After racking up 38.2 million followers on Instagram, Will Smith is the latest celebrity content creator to begin posting on TikTok. In his first post on Wednesday night, special effects wizard and video content creator, Caleb Natale is seen scrolling through photos of Smith in his phone while Andy Mineo and Lecrae's “Coming In Hot,” plays in the background. Suddenly Smith is plucked from the screen and into reality. Dazed and confused, he glances around stating, "I guess I'm on TikTok now. https://tiktokfeed.com/lecrae-andy-mineo-coming-in-hot/tiktok-music/dGlrdG9rZmVlZHw1MDAwMDAwMDAxNDEzMzczMTg1 Lauren Daigle‘s “You Say” posts its 62nd week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart, breaking the record for the longest reign since the survey launched in 2003. The track passes Hillsong United’s “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” which began its 61-frame rule in December 2013. https://youtu.be/sIaT8Jl2zpI Demi Lovato took to Instagram yesterday to open up about her trip to Israel and baptism in the Jordan River. She posted several pictures of her trip and baptism, saying she had never felt such a spiritual connection to God before.“I am an American singer,” she wrote. “I was raised Christian and have Jewish ancestors. When I was offered an amazing opportunity to visit the places I’d read about in the Bible growing up, I said yes. There is something absolutely magical about Israel. I’ve never felt such a sense of spirituality or connection to God.” Lovato says this sense of spiritual connection is something she’s been missing for years now. Clueless’ actress Stacey Dash was arrested in Florida on a domestic battery charge for pushing and slapping a man across the face following a “verbal argument,” police said. Dash, 52, was taken into custody Sunday by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office in Land O’ Lakes, about 25 miles north of Tampa. Dash hit the man after they started arguing, according to the sheriff’s office. He had scratches on his upper left arm from being pushed, deputies said. She was taken to a jail in Land O’ Lakes without further incident. A white Dallas police officer who said she mistook a neighbor’s apartment for her own and fatally shot him in his living room was sentenced Wednesday to a decade in prison in a stunning courtroom scene that included the dead man’s brother and the black judge embracing the sobbing officer. People outside of the courtroom reacted angrily to the sentence given to Amber Guyger in the death of Botham Jean, believing it was too lenient. But Jean’s brother addressed her directly from the witness stand.Brandt Jean told Guyger that his brother would have wanted her to turn her life over to Christ, and that if she can ask God for forgiveness, she will get it. https://youtu.be/Nh8xrFxkQhw The initial line-up for Pastor Donnie McClurkin's 60th Birthday All-Star Tribute Concert was announced today. It will go down Saturday, November 16 at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York, Jamaica NY. Gospel music lovers can expect a powerful evening of worship, and inspiration from CeCe Winans, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell, Kierra Sheard, and Jonathan McReynolds. The concert will be hosted by Kirk Franklin. TV One's original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED returns for its second season with the premiere episode spotlighting singer/actress Tisha Campbell on Sunday, October 6 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG3HRKYnyxs&feature=youtu.be Their raised fists were as legendary as they were controversial. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, known for their Black Power salute during the 1968 Olympics medal ceremonies, have earned induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. The induction is scheduled for Nov. 1. Smith’s and Carlos’ gestures of declaration, performed at the height of the civil rights movement in the U.S., were among the most powerful statements made during that era in American history. The two athletes courageously used the world’s biggest stage to take a stand against racism, injustice, and inequality. Their selection to the Hall of Fame, an honor based on character, conduct, and off-field contributions, comes 51 years after the U.S. Olympic Committee — and much of White America — vilified the heroes. Today, Larry Irving becomes the first African American to be part of the elite ranks of notable individuals inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. He joins internet luminaries, such as Vint Cerf, Marc Andreessen and Tim Berners-Lee, honored for their significant contributions to the advancement of the global internet. The Internet Hall of Fame is inducting Irving, who is widely credited for coining the term “digital divide”, for his impact on increasing internet access among unserved and underserved populations. Irving served for almost seven years as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), where he was a principal advisor to President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues. Kansas City-born gospel soprano, Chrystal Rucker has dropped an inspiring new song of hope entitled "Take Your Burdens," written and produced by gospel hitmaker, Asaph A. Ward. Opera legend Jessye Norman died Monday at age 74. The soprano died from septic shock and multi-organ failure secondary to complications of a spinal cord injury she had sustained in 2015. Norman was born in Georgia to a musical family. As a child, she sang in the church gospel choir and listened to the Metropolitan Opera via radio. At 16, she entered a singing competition named after her idol — Marian Anderson. Norman did not win, but was offered a full scholarship to Howard University. A Dallas County jury convicted fired officer Amber Guyger of murder for fatally shooting Botham Jean in his apartment last year. Cheers broke out in the hallway outside the courtroom after the verdict was announced. Jurors will now resume deliberating to decide Guyger’s punishment. Guyger, 31, fatally shot 26-year-old Jean in his apartment last year. She had said she mistook his apartment for her own and thought Jean was a burglar. Kanye West has paraded his Sunday Service through a number of venues and churches across the country over the past few months in an effort to promote his upcoming album Jesus Is King. But in New York, West’s latest service missed the spiritual mark and, instead, gave the congregation a deeper look into how the music artist truly views himself. Service was fairly typical at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral on Sunday in Jamaica, Queens. Then, after the preacher closed his sermon, the podium was moved from the pulpit to the house floor. The crowd suddenly swelled, as dozens of first-time guests were spread throughout the audience, waiting for the tardy Kanye West performance to begin. But the spectacle didn’t start until Kim Kardashian West sauntered in through the side door. Other celebrity guests slipped in through the back of the church. For the non-VIPs it remained a standing-room only affair, as droves of people stood in rows behind the pews with no seats left for a clear view. The experience was moving, but not for the expected reasons (and possibly why several regular members walked out in the middle of the performance). The choir’s harmonies were awe-inspiring—despite the pre-recorded songs playing alongside their singing. They were enthusiastic, dancing and clapping in rhythm—even if West only accompanied them on a few songs by playing the keyboard, occasionally rapping lyrics from his secular songs that he’s retooled to make religious, or by crooning an off-key solo. Del Lawrence (aka Mr. Del) is a Grammy, Dove, and Stellar nominated music artist, author, and Love & Life Coach from Memphis, TN. His dynamic, raw, and empowering seminars are captivating audiences and changing lives across the country. Lawrence authored a popular book series called SOUL TIES which includes: Soul Ties: How To Detox From Toxic Relationships and Soul Ties 2: Love, Lust, & Lies. Lawrence has been impacting lives each month with messages from the Soul Ties series in various cities and now announces new dates for his Fall 2019 SOUL TIES TOUR. California cleared the way on Monday for college athletes to profit from brand sponsorships and endorsement deals, as Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation making it the first U.S. state to give them that potentially lucrative opportunity. The legislation states that college athletes may profit from their “name, image or likeness.” It could set up a showdown between the most populous U.S. state and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the influential governing body for intercollegiate athletics, over the NCAA’s longstanding rule that college athletes cannot be provided compensation. The measure is due to take effect in 2023. One of the “Dancing With the Stars” duos has been sidelined. As Monday’s show kicked off, host Tom Bergeron noted contestant Ray Lewis’ absence, saying “an old injury flared up that’s taken him out of the competition.” Later in the episode, the show cut to rehearsals between Lewis and his pro partner, Cheryl Burke. The two were practicing their cha-cha-cha tribute to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” when Lewis cried out in pain. https://youtu.be/FllX6mTbT3s Selena Gomez is speaking out about her hiatus from the public spotlight and her mental health journey. Nearly one year ago, the singer went off the grid as she announced she would be taking a break from social media. A source later said she had checked herself into a facility for help with her mental health. “She realized she needed to seek additional help for her ongoing emotional issues,” the source said last October. Gomez has now opened up about what she called the “scariest” time of her life — and her decision to finally seek help — while receiving the 2019 McLean Award at the McLean Hospital’s annual dinner where she stated that she was glad for the platform that God Had given her. Motown Gospel and Capitol CMG have announced the signing of powerhouse vocalist Evvie McKinney to an exclusive recording agreement. The emerging performer and songwriter has also entered into an exclusive publishing agreement with Capitol CMG Publishing. Evvie McKinney rose to prominence as the winner of the inaugural season of the TV singing competition The Four: Battle for Stardom on FOX. The young singer with Southern charm wowed judges Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, DJ Khaled, and Meghan Trainor with her powerful voice and fearless stage presentation, packing a punch as she effortlessly covered iconic soul songs, like Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You” and Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” RCA Inspiration has appointed GRAMMY® Award-winning music and entertainment veteran Ron Hill as Vice President of Artist Development, reporting to Senior Vice President and General Manager Phil Thornton. Hill will oversee all A&R/Creative matters and the newly-launched Brand Partnership division for RCA Inspiration, Essential Sound, and Verity, encompassing the label’s breadth of new inspirational releases from Gospel to hip-hop, nurturing its diverse roster of new and veteran talent, and its award-winning catalog. Among new releases from RCA Inspiration are songs and albums from acclaimed hit makers Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA), Travis Greene, Donnie McClurkin, Kierra Sheard, Koryn Hawthorne, and more. Two-time Grammy® Nominee and International Recording Artist Jonathan Butler has been appointed the first Global Celebrity Entertainment Ambassador for international arts education nonprofit, Lalela. In his new role, Jonathan’s work will help raise awareness, funds and additional support for the organization. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Jonathan Butler In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jonathan_butler_intvw.htm The U.S. Air Force has named its new trainer jet in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen, a squadron of America’s first Black pilots who flew combat missions during World War II. Announcement of the jet known as the Red Hawk and which was previously known previously as the T-X, was made this week by acting Air Force Secretary Matt Donovan, alongside retired Col. Charles McGee, who was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. “The name, Red Hawk, honors the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, and pays homage to their signature red-tailed aircraft from World War II,” Donovan said Monday during the annual Air, Space and Cyber conference. “The name is also a tribute to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, an American fighter aircraft that first flew in 1938 and was flown by the 99th Fighter Squadron — the U.S. Army Air Forces’ first African-American fighter squadron.” She Married the Ring and Forgot the Man” is a live stage play, a concert and an interactive talk show rolled-up into one exciting rollercoaster of emotions presentation. Five influential men with five distinctive personalities and viewpoints discuss and debate their personal truths about sex, faith, love, commitment and money. The thought-provoking production features R&B recording artists Keke Wyatt, Q Parker from 112, and Angie Stone. Beloved actors Brad James , Jevon Dewan and Stevie Baggs Jr. also star in the show. It also features some of the biggest names in gospel music, ranging from Zacardi Cortez and Pastor Mike, Jr. to Damon Little and Pastor Mark Couch. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES THIS WEEK: LARENZ TATE, RODNEY JERKINS, RALPH TRESVANT AND MORRIS DAY. He revealed a sneak peak of his movie and his entire album, both called Jesus Is King, at Detroit’s Fox Theater on Friday Night. And on Sunday, the director of Kanye West‘s new film, Nick Knight, took to Instagram to share the poster and the release date. He captioned it: ‘Poster announcing the release of Jesus is King, a Kanye West film of his joyous Sunday Service, that I directed and filmed with @brittlloyd. ‘The film will be released exclusively in IMAX cinemas worldwide on October 25th.’ The simple image, on a blue background, shows what appears to be a stylized arched hallway leading to a gold path and a round bright light. Friday’s theater crowd were treated to a scene from the movie of the Sunday Service choir performing Oh Lord, How Excellent, before Kanye played his album. Oprah Winfrey isn’t eyeing the oval office but does have a recommendation for someone who should: Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger. In a preview for Super Soul Sunday, which will air on OWN and on Facebook Sunday, the mogul spoke with Iger about his new memoir Ride of a Lifetime as well as any thoughts he’s had for getting political. “The other day someone called me and asked me for a comment about you, because I’ve known Bob since we both were pups. I think it was the Wall Street Journal, and I said to the guy: ‘Look, I know you’re gonna ask me all these questions, but I only want to say one thing to you,'” Winfrey says to Iger in the preview clip. “If Bob Iger had decided to run for president, I would be canvassing in Iowa right now. I would be going door to door… I said I always pictured myself standing on somebody’s step in Brooklyn and them saying Oprah, what are you doing here? And I’d say Let me tell you about my friend Bob.” After jokingly telling Winfrey her comments make him anxious, the CEO was pressed to explain why he has not run yet. Wedding bells are ringing for actress Taraji P. Henson who confirmed she and her beau are tying the knot in the springtime! The 49-year-old fiancée revealed that she and Kelvin Hayden will say their vows before God and man on April 4, 2020 in California’s northern Bay Area, known as wine country. “We both went to the wine country and it was our first time together at the same time. He had never been. I had never been, and I did feel him fall in love.” The Christian star, best known as Cookie Lyon on Fox’s Empire, said she knew Hayden, who popped the big question in May 2018, was hers after their trip. “I was like, ‘Got him,’” she said, adding, “Ladies, if you want him to pop the question, take him to the wine country.” Tyler Perry said he cannot “just up and leave” filming in Georgia despite Hollywood’s backlash against the state’s “heartbeat” abortion law. The actor-director-writer made the remarks to The Associated Press on Friday while discussing the upcoming opening of his massive Atlanta-based studio. Some celebs have urged TV and film companies to abandon the state after Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed the restrictive abortion bill in May. But Perry, whose hits include the “Madea” franchise and “Why Did I Get Married” films, said he is committed to staying put. “Atlanta has been the dream. It has been the promised land,” he said. “So when I got here, this whole state and city has been amazing to me and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Also, I put $250 million in the ground here and in the studio. So when you have a quarter of a billion dollars sat down in the ground, you can’t just up and leave.” Perry is planning a star-studded unveiling of his new studio complex next weekend. Voice Your Inspiration contest winner Joseff McKenneth – “Trust” (Divine Mix) and “Trust” (Heavenly Mix) – available now on digital music providers. Joseff McKenneth was first declared the winner of the Voice Your Inspiration contest last year, which was presented in association with Chew Entertainment (helmed by renowned music industry powerhouses, music director/composer/producer Ray Chew and music producer/executive Vivian Scott Chew), and RCA Inspiration. "Trust" (Divine Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViXox0_2C1I Reach Records presents a new music video for “California Dreamin” - 116 ft John Givez - produced by Zaytoven. An anthem for the west side, "California Dreamin'" is one of 14 tracks included on Reach Records’ Summer Nineteen, playlist featuring a collective of 37 artist and producers, many who have worked with or signed to Reach Records. The video directed by The Ajayis brings to life pages from Lecrae’s book, Unashamed, with visuals that depict memories of Cali summers in the 90’s. Reach Records presents a new music video for “California Dreamin” - 116 ft John Givez - produced by Zaytoven. An anthem for the west side, "California Dreamin'" is one of 14 tracks included on Reach Records’ Summer Nineteen, playlist featuring a collective of 37 artist and producers, many who have worked with or signed to Reach Records. The video directed by The Ajayis brings to life pages from Lecrae’s book, Unashamed, with visuals that depict memories of Cali summers in the 90’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBpjffxRHnM&feature=youtu.be Phil Thornton, Senior Vice President and General Manager of RCA Inspiration, has been named one of Billboard’s “40 Under 40” honorees for 2019. The prestigious list, which is included in Billboard magazine’s issue dated September 28th, is comprised of top music executives under the age of 40 who are demonstrating exemplary leadership in their respective fields and helping to redefine the industry. At RCA Inspiration, Thornton drives the day-to-day initiatives, manages business operations and establishes partnerships for the Nashville, TN based label. RCAI, the premiere label in gospel and urban inspirational music, is home to renowned superstar artists including Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Israel Houghton, Le’Andria Johnson, Donald Lawrence, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, and Kierra Sheard and will be releasing new albums from Greene and McClurkin later in 2019. International lifestyle TV Personality and Producer, Tai Beauchamp and celebrity photographer Elton Anderson take viewers to the world's biggest melting pot - Brooklyn, New York - on the next episode of CLEO TV's new travel series, LENS OF CULTURE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLCBfAlQjY&feature=youtu.be A biographical film on the historic mission of Harriet Tubman will hit theaters this fall and lead actress Cynthia Erivo says prayer helped her get through one of her most difficult scenes. Following a screening of the movie at the Urbanworld Film Festival held Sept. 18-22 in New York City, a Q&A was held with cast members including Erivo, director Kasi Lemmons, and producer Debra Martin Chase who lauded the Tony Award-winning actress’ performance. https://youtu.be/GqoEs4cG6Uw SISTER CIRCLE LIVE WELCOMES ACTOR CLIFTON POWELL, GOSPEL SINGERS PASTOR MARVIN WINANS, MICHAEL STAMPLEY AND MANY MORE SPECIAL GUESTS NEXT WEEK! Rapper Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris rang in his 39th birthday with a big bash in his hometown. T.I. and his wife Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris packed on the PDA at his birthday soiree thrown at The Brasserie Atlanta on Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia. The star’s party came days after he spoke out about feeling ‘exploited.’ The entrepreneur was intimating that he felt like the pastor was trying to take advantage of his deep pockets. ‘As soon as I sat down—mind you, I’m telling you they had already raised the offering,’ he continued. ‘[The pastor] had already raised the offering—when we sat down there was a whole new agenda… It’s like they rung the red bell at the Player’s Club… You ain’t [about to] run no game on me.’ Adding: ‘I will not be extorted.’ Kylie Jenner has been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness and will have to skip a planned cosmetics rollout at Paris Fashion Week. The 22-year-old social media star and makeup mogul said on Twitter Wednesday that she’s “really sick and unable to travel.”A representative for Jenner says she’s in the hospital but doing well. Neither gave details on what illness sent her to the hospital. On Tuesday, she had announced that a new collaboration between her makeup line, Kylie Cosmetics, and designer Olivier Rousteing of Balmain would be unveiled in Paris Friday. Jenner says she’s heartbroken but is excited to watch the event. Stellar and Dove Award Nominated artist G.I.is back! The lead single “SO GOOD Live” was released on September 20th. “SO GOOD Live” is laced with beautiful smooth harmonies that G.I. fans have grown to love over the years, intricate arranged live music and a power-packed message proclaiming that through it all, God has been “SO GOOD!” Group member Lamonte Harris says, “We believe this song resonates with people so much because regardless of what every believer has gone through, at the end of the day, we all can say that God has been SO GOOD to us!” Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear G.I. In Their Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/GI.htm In an effort to help those students and families affected by Hurricane Dorian, Hampton University is entering into an agreement with the University of the Bahamas-North to allow students who have been displaced by the hurricane to continue their education on HU’s campus. “I think this agreement is something that can be helpful to a great number of students and families, and is part of something I’ve tried to do my entire career – helping people to achieve and meet their goals,” said Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey. Students from the University of the Bahamas-North will be able to attend classes at Hampton for the fall 2019 semester, receive room and board for one semester, and will have the option to stay at Hampton once the semester is over at regular rates for tuition and fees. The creators of CBS’ new psychological drama “EVIL” say their aim is to give viewers a glimpse into the supernatural and explore unexplained occurrences through science and religion. “The series focuses on a skeptical female psychologist who joins a priest-in-training and a carpenter as they investigate the Catholic Church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings. Their job is to assess if there’s a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work,” the synopsis reads. https://youtu.be/WFvo3fS4Zwc It was the promise of blessings for donations that rapper T.I. said triggered his now viral smirk, as guest preacher Bishop I.V. Hilliard pressed congregants to give sacrificially two Sundays ago at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Speaking on his Apple Podcast “Expeditiously” with fellow rapper Killer Mike last Thursday, T.I. explained his facial expression, noting that Hilliard, pastor emeritus of New Light Christian Center Church in Houston, Texas, “had the nerve to say ‘c’mon y’all. Get your blessings heard.’” “Are you telling me, I have to give $1,000 for the good Lord almighty to hear my blessings? … that’s probably when I made the face, as he says ‘get your blessings heard,’” said T.I., whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. “This is extortion. At this point you’re telling these people they will not be blessed unless they give their money to you. And this is the problem I have with black churches. That was why I had that face.” The problem is “with all church,” Killer Mike interjected. From Grammy-winning gospel singer, television star, and radio host Erica Campbell comes MORE THAN PRETTY: Doing the Soul Work that Uncovers Your True Beauty An inspiring and candid book demonstrating that true beauty is found not in external appearances, but in celebrating the person God made you to be. Flash Back Erica Campbell!!! Hear Erica Campbell In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/marymary_intvw.htm Multi Grammy Award-Winning Singer/Songwriter Q Parker launches a new production company, Q Parker Productions, which will focus on creating a series of faith-based content that bridges the gap between mainstream and gospel. As part of the launch, Q Parker Productions has signed an exclusive production deal with Manns-Mackie Studios to develop and produce film titles for global release. Parker attained mega success with his group 112 and now is shifting gears to focus on creating faith-based stories that are committed to attaching diverse and underrepresented talents to star and bring these titles to life. The first feature film titled “Rescue Me” a story of success, tragedy and redemption is currently in pre-production with an anticipated theatrical release in summer 2020. Sad Unfortunate Breaking News: the Owner of the Word Network, Kevin Adell, Who Happens to Be White, Retweeted this Picture. George Bloomer Says He Told Him Several Times That This Isn’t Good and Not to Do It Again but He Did It Again. George Bloomer Says He Quit, Others Say He Was Fired or Pushed Out. George Bloomer Says he was not fired or pushed out nor did he steal any money. George Bloomer says he quit. Two of the people in the picture are Creflo Dollar and Kirk Franklin. At the time of this writing, the other man has not been identified. Bloomer also said that Adell referred to him as “Tattoo”, the little man assistant from Fantasy Island. Alarmed by violence depicted in a trailer for the upcoming movie “Joker,” some relatives of victims of the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting asked distributor Warner Bros. on Tuesday to commit to gun control causes. Sandy Phillips’ daughter, Jessica Ghawi, was one of 12 people killed in the suburban Denver theater during a midnight showing of the Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises,” also distributed by Warner Bros. Phillips said she and four other people who lost loved ones in Aurora sent a letter to Warner on Tuesday, asking the studio to lobby Congress for gun control, support survivor programs and end any contributions to politicians backed by the National Rifle Association. Warner issued a statement later Tuesday saying it has always supported victims of gun violence and calling on policymakers to enact bipartisan legislation to address what it called an epidemic. Antonio Brown, one day after tweeting that he “will not be playing in the NFL anymore,” has announced on social media that he has re-enrolled at Central Michigan University. Brown on Monday posted on his Instagram account a picture of a list of four classes with the message: “Back to school @cmuathletics.” The post shows a list of four classes that are offered online, including: Introduction to Management, Technical Writing, Death and Dying (a religion course) and Racism and Equality (a sociology course). ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has confirmed that Brown enrolled in the four classes on Sept. 16, four days before he was released by the New England Patriots. Andre Emmett, a star at Texas Tech under Bob Knight in the early 2000s and a standout in Ice Cube’s Big3 this season, died on Sunday at age 37. Dallas police issued a statement saying that Emmett was confronted by two men while sitting in his car in front of his house in Dallas. One of the men displayed a handgun, an altercation ensued and Emmett fled, but he was shot. According to police, a passerby found Emmett near his house and called 911. Emmett died at the hospital. Witnesses saw two men get into a white Chrysler and flee the scene. The New York Giants will be without star running back Saquon Barkley for the next several games. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Barkley is expected to be out four to six weeks because of a high ankle sprain, per a source informed of the situation. Giants coach Pat Shurmur later confirmed the injury but did not offer a timeline for a return. The news isn’t a surprise in the least after Barkley was in a walking boot and crutches following the Giants‘ dramatic 32-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Brooklyn Nets expect to wait a year before Kevin Durant plays for them. General manager Sean Marks said Tuesday the Nets are planning this season without the injured All-Star. He added Durant will have a say in determining when he’s ready. “With Kevin, I think what we’re going to say is the expectations are that he’ll be out for the year,” Marks said. Durant is recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. He was injured while playing for Golden State in the NBA Finals, then left the Warriors to sign with the Nets in July. Durant is expected to speak Friday when the Nets hold their media day. GRAMMY-nominated gospel music pioneer and living legend John P. Kee’s latest full-length release, I Made It Out. Kee’s new album I Made It Out debuts at #1 on the Top Gospel Chart and #1 on the Current Gospel Albums Chart. Winning many accolades including a Billboard Music Award, a Soul Train Award and numerous Stellar Awards, Kee’s songwriting and vocals have been hailed by critics throughout his career – often by mainstream artists across various genres of music. He is currently enjoying the success of his current single and album title track, “I Made It Out (feat. Zacardi Cortez).” In 2005, Kee was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Currently, the Charlotte, NC native serves as the Senior Pastor of New Life Fellowship Center. The searing TV series on the plight of the Central Park Five created a memorable Emmy moment Sunday when the five exonerated men stood and were honored at the awards show. The four-part Netflix series explores the true story of five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were coerced into confessing to a rape they didn’t commit in 1989 and follows them over the course of 25 years to their eventual exoneration. Show creator Ava DuVernay lost in the directing and writing categories but Jharrel Jerome won for best lead actor in a limited series. “I feel like I should just be in the Bronx right now, just chilling, waiting for my mom’s cooking. But I am here in front of my inspirations,” said Jerome, a New Yorker whose mother told him about this ugly chapter in city history. He then acknowledged the Central Park Five — Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — who had been invited. Meet Irene Ubom, she is one of the hottest contemporary praise leaders in the UK. On October 18, 2019 Irene Ubom releases "Glorify." She's inside of the Gospel Spotlight. Hear Irene Ubom In Her Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ireneubom_intvw.htm THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES TITO JACKSON, COMEDIAN DEON COLE, RAPPER JEEZY AND MORE AT 11 P.M ET/10C! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC0_JoKio-g&feature=youtu.be An estimate of more than 10,000 people filled the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the nation’s capital during the just completed five-day Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). This year’s ALC theme, “400 Years: Our Legacy, Our Possibilities …” observed 400 years of the first enslaved African to land in Jamestown, Virginia. “Our Annual Legislative Conference is a gathering to develop solutions to the challenges facing black communities around the world through issues forums, brain trusts, a town hall meeting, networking sessions, and more,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.). This year’s conference included town halls on black men and boys and a Sojourner Truth Town Hall titled, “Bridging Pathways for Black Women in Leadership and Politics.” “The contributions of Black women in shaping and changing the world for the better are often minimized. At every moment in history, black women have worked alongside their more famous male counterparts to advance political movements,” Bass said. Fantasia Barrino is a R&B singer, but she has not forgotten about her gospel roots and is vocal about her serious relationship with Jesus Christ—something that influences her career and marriage. The GRAMMY® Award-winning vocalist stopped by Power 105.1 in New York City for a candid chat about how she learned to submit to her husband and why prayer is so important to her. The prayer conversation began with the 35-year-old North Carolina native asking “The Breakfast Club” co-host DJ Envy if he ever prayed with his wife. When the popular syndicated radio personality said he did each morning before leaving home, Barrino stood up and saluted. Barrino, who wed her spouse Kendall Taylor in 2015, just 3 weeks after meeting him in Charlotte, NC, said, “My husband’s a felon, but he turned it all around and he owns his own business. And so, I wasn’t used to that. I was a pop-off—quick with the mouth, smart. But it took a man like him to sit me down, look me in my eyes and talk to me like I was supposed to be talked to, and say, ‘I’m here now. You don’t have to do all of that. Pass it over to me and let me take care of it.’” The happy wife, who tied the knot at a North Carolina courthouse away from public view, said Taylor asked for a pre-nuptial agreement so she would know he was not after her money, but just wanted her. She said the two also waited until marriage for sex. Antonio Brown says he is finished with the NFL. In a Twitter rant on the morning his most recent team was getting ready to play without him, the former New England Patriots receiver says, “Will not be playing in the NFL anymore.” He went on to take shots at other people in football who have been accused of sexual misconduct. Included among them: Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was arrested in connection with a prostitution and sexual trafficking sting in a Florida massage parlor. He has not been punished. “Different strokes different folks clearly,” Brown wrote. Another target was longtime Steelers teammate Ben Roethlisberger, who was suspended for four games after he was twice accused of sexual assault. “4 games for Big Ben crazy world I’m done with it,” Brown tweeted over a screenshot of a news article about the investigation. Several of the tweets had been deleted by the time the Patriots kicked off against the New York Jets a couple of hours later. “Just For Me,” the latest single from fourteen-time GRAMMY®-winning artist/songwriter/producer Kirk Franklin, is hitting the airwaves at Gospel radio. Marking his second radio single – following his smash #1 single “Love Theory” – “Just For Me” is already another hit favorite among fans from his chart-topping thirteenth studio album LONG LIVE LOVE. Upon the release of his new music video and the song’s pre-album digital release, “Just For Me” quickly racked up multiple honors on the charts, where it simultaneously hit within the Top 10 on Gospel Digital Song Sales, Hot Gospel Songs, and Gospel Streaming Songs charts. The music video for “Just For Me,” capturing Franklin’s live performance in the studio with his band and vocalists, continues to rise with 1.8 million views and counting. Catch Franklin’s next live appearance on the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards, where he’s nominated in five categories and will perform, airing on TBN on Sunday, October 20th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD3zS_GxS3M Urban One Founder and Chairperson Cathy Hughes was honored with the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award at the 2019 National Association of Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) Awards Luncheon on September 18 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Hughes received the esteemed award for her outstanding contributions as a media pioneer and champion of diversity. Held as part of the cable communications industry's Diversity Week, the 33rd Annual NAMIC Conference - in conjunction with the Women in Cable Television Leadership (WICT) Conference - was held on September 16-18 and immersed attendees in sessions, workshops on content and professional development. The Impact Network, the only African American owned and operated Christian television network in the United States, is now available on Verizon Fios, channel 787 in High Definition (HD) and channel 287 in Standard Definition (SD). The network features programming on urban ministries and gospel lifestyle entertainment. The Impact Network’s mission is to provide exceptional Christian, educational programming and gospel lifestyle entertainment. It empowers the spiritual, physical, financial and emotional needs of the community and viewers. The network line-up includes television ministries by Impact CEO & President Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, Bishop TD Jakes, Dr. Creflo Dollar, Pastor Rod Parsley, Bishop IV Hilliard, Bishop Charles Blake, Bishop Paul Morton, and Dr. Juanita Bynum just to name a few. The Impact Network also offers original programming like, The National Action Network “Live” with the Rev. Al Sharpton, The Rainbow Push Coalition “Live” with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Beverly Jackson’s “Living Free,” “The Jewel Tankard Show,” legendary gospel icon Dr. Bobby Jones, Higher Impact with Dr. Teresa Hairston, Gospel concerts featuring some of today hottest gospel artists, and even, clean Christian comedy specials, something the whole family can watch and enjoy together. NBA legend Charles Barkley took another shot at Democrats on Friday, arguing the party that enjoys overwhelming support from African Americans largely takes their votes for granted. The 56-year-old Alabama native and ‘Inside the NBA’ analyst recalled campaigning on behalf of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones in 2017 during a Friday interview with CNN host Michael Smerconish. Jones went on to become the conservative state’s first Democrat to be elected to the Senate in 25 years. Three-time GRAMMY® nominated chart topper Travis Greene continues to bring listeners together and create an elevating experience of love and blessing with the release of his new song “Great Jehovah.” Available now instantly with pre-order of his upcoming album Broken Record, Greene has also released a new video for “Great Jehovah.” The newest song from his upcoming eleven-track album, the buoyant, high-energy track follows on the heels of the single “Good & Loved” (feat. Steffany Gretzinger) and lead single “Won’t Let Go.” His two latest songs have quickly garnered acclaim among fans and peers everywhere, showcasing the gifts of performance, engaging culture, and song craft that have made him one of the most refreshing hit artists, songwriters and producers of this generation. Celebrating the fastest rise for his new video in a week with over 1 million views of “Good & Loved,” his live performance with Gretzinger and the official video for “Won’t Let Go” collectively have over 2.3 million views and counting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9rItpPx534 SISTER CIRCLE LIVE WELCOMES ACTOR JOSEPH SIKORA, JAMAL WOOLARD, JOE TORRY AND "THE PRINCE OF PRAISE" BYRON CAGE, PLUS MANY MORE SPECIAL GUESTS NEXT WEEK! RCA Inspiration launches the first new collection of music from Melvin Crispell, III – who won Season 9 of BET’s “Sunday Best” this year – with the release of the EP album Prologue III. Following his win and receiving a recording contract with RCA Inspiration, Melvin Crispell, III’s Prologue III is now available, featuring the lead single “Not the End of Your Story,” as well as three newly-recorded songs “Without You,” “My Favorite Gift” featuring his fellow “Sunday Best” finalist Joshua Copeland, and “He Can.” “Without You” is also being released to Gospel radio as his latest single. https://pec.smcdp-aws.net/welcome?key=01C84E1D-53EF-7446-9948-92E3A5D03A0C Gospel Heritage Foundation announces the LEAP Summit February 26th - 29th in Columbia, SC. This year's lineup includes Bishop Noel Jones, Evangelist Latrice Ryan, Jekalyn Carr, Tonya Baker, Myron Butler, and more.... GRAMMY-nominated and Dove Award winning worship leader, pastor and author, William McDowell, has released his new live album, The Cry (Integrity Music). The album was recorded at Redemption to the Nations Church in Chattanooga, TN and features special guest artists Nathaniel Bassey, Travis Greene, Yolanda Adams, David & Nicole Binion, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Trinity Anderson. For 20 years, McDowell has been writing songs crying out for God to bring revival. However, his latest release is not a collection of songs crying out for God to come; rather it's a collection of songs written as a response to a God who already has. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d3XdmarOUM&feature=youtu.be Andrea Rene Williams will sing the National Anthem October 9, 2019 at the Washington Wizards Vs Guangzhou Long-Lions at the Capital One Area, in Washington, DC. Today, emerging rapper and producer, J. Monty releases his highly anticipated new single “100 Bars Pt. 4” accompanied by a music video. Written by Monty and produced by Vikaden for NARCOTICS Music Group, “100 Bars Pt. 4” hails four years since the rapper’s 6-minute viral track “100 Bars, Pt. 3”, which was a career highlight for Monty showcasing his powerful songwriting skills and versatility of his flow, giving him the motivation to continue making faith-based music. “100 Bars Pt. 4” marks the fifth single released by the Atlanta based artist and highlights Monty’s master storytelling and heartfelt authenticity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RC2aOiA9bQ PJ MORTON presents "ALL IN HIS PLAN" featuring Le'Andria Johnson and Mary Mary. ?“All In His Plan” is a powerful ballad that pairs the creative musical mind of Grammy® Award winning recording artist and producer, PJ Morton with the soulful vocals of Le’Andria Johnson and platinum selling sister act Mary Mary. It's the first release from PJ's forthcoming and highly-anticipated inspirational songbook, "The Gospel According To PJ." EXPERIENCE TODD DULANEY LIVE IN CHICAGO ?ON SEPTEMBER 27 AT ALL NATIONS WORSHIP ASSEMBLY. The Night of Worship Will Feature Todd Dulaney, Pastor David Wilford, Pastor Smokie Norful & Kierra Sheard. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Just because relationships fall apart doesn’t mean they can’t come back together when the time is right. Real Housewives Of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant and her ex-husband Jamal H. Bryant are now dating again, and Gizelle is opening up about what it took to forgive him for cheating during their marriage. The former couple were husband and wife from 2002 to 2009 and divorced once Gizelle discovered Jamal was having an affair. The couple remained amicable while co-parenting their three daughters. During the season 4 reunion of RHOP, Bryant revealed that she and Jamal are in fact dating again. “I am enjoying the pursuit and I am open,” she told host Andy Cohen. “There’s nobody who knows me like that man.” The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) award-winning e-magazine, The Whole Truth (TWT) reveals the names of its 40 Under 40 Award recipients. The Whole Truth magazine is excited to award and recognize 40 young, dynamic leaders who are praying, praising, learning, volunteering, texting and tweeting their way to success in business, church and community. The winners of the 2019 TWT 40 Under 40 Award are: The winners of the 2019 TWT 40 Under 40 Award are: 1. Sarah Anthony Lansing, Michigan 2. Krystal Bracy Durham, North Carolina 3. Karen Burks Metairie, Louisiana 4. Korie Christian-Moreland Rochester, Pennsylvania 5. Kalynn Clinton St. Louis, Missouri 6. Keren Clinton St. Louis, Missouri 7. Tequila Dorris Joliet, Illinois 8. Otis Dupree Bowie, Maryland 9. Jason Erby Richardson, Texas 10. Timothy Fair Auburn, Alabama 11. Steven Fluker Hill Lithonia, Georgia 12. Sidney Frye II Rochester, Minnesota 13. Katrina Garrett Alexandria, Virginia 14. Noah Gordon Arlington, Tennessee 15. Christian Green Claremont, California Dove and Grammy award-winning Christian artist Lauren Daigle has released details on her first-ever headline arena world tour. Daigle will perform for 44 days from Australia to LA, starting on January 18. The 28-year-old star hopes the tour brings hope and healing. “I love putting out a vibe where people are free to respond however they feel and where people feel like a warm welcome, where they can have a good laugh and let go of some of the things they have been holding on to through the stress of family or work or whatever,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s going to be lively and fun and cheerful as well as emotionally connected.” The tour will include some of her newest songs off of her award-winning album “Look Up, Child.” Singer, songwriter, arranger and master composer Adrian Dunn makes magic happen all over again on October 4th as he presents the critically acclaimed Adrian Dunn Singers in a Live Recording on Friday, October 4th in Chicago, Illinois. The Adrian Dunn Singers will be joined by the Rise Orchestra as well as the inimitable and unapologetically Gospel song stylings of Pastor DeAndre Patterson and the Destiny Worship Center Chorale, Nathaniel Gumbs and Patrick Dailey. On September 13th, GRAMMY® nominated and Stellar Award-winning artist, Kierra Sheard, hosted a live recording for her forthcoming self-titled album, Kierra. The recording took place in Kierra’s hometown of Detroit, MI., at her father Bishop J. Drew Sheard's church, Greater Emmanuel Institutional COGIC. The star-studded event featured performances by Le’Andria Johnson, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and Todd Dulaney. Kierra is slated for release in 2020 and will feature the songstress’ new single “Don’t Judge Me” with hip-hop icon, Missy Elliot. In addition to the live recording and her new single, Kierra performed with Chance The Rapper on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17th. They performed Chance’s single, “I Got You (Always and Forever),” which Kierra co-wrote and is featured on, from his latest album, The Big Day. On top of music, Kierra will portray her mother, the legendary gospel singer, Karen Clark Sheard, in the upcoming Lifetime biopic, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (January 2020), and she continues to head up her successful fashion line for curvy women, Eleven60. https://youtu.be/Hs_e65NSCmo DARIUS PAULK DROPS "STRONG NAME" https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9zmi7njv3j0lcmn/AAD6vUQisFgPgNCDN2kfDW1ya? Billing New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, as the “largest land-owning church in America,” pastor Jamal Bryant announced plans Sunday to build affordable housing for seniors as well as a medical facility on the church’s campus that will serve the uninsured and underinsured. Citing the rapid growth of the older adult population in the U.S., Bryant explained that he believes God has called his church to invest in the welfare of seniors and other vulnerable populations. https://www.facebook.com/jamalbryant/videos/513242392824741/ International lifestyle TV Personality and Producer, Tai Beauchamp and celebrity photographer Elton Anderson are teaming up to give viewers a sexy, cultural travel guide packed with adventure on CLEO TV's new series, LENS OF CULTURE. Premiering Saturday, September 21, at 12p.m. ET/11C, audiences will follow the hosts around the world as they tackle new destinations and make new discoveries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrHnz0QXEP4 An unlikely kicker for the Chicago Bears is making headlines and thanking God for his success. Sunday night, 24-year-old Eddy Piñeiro kicked a 53-yard field goal to give the Bears a win. The Chicago team suffered a rough blow last season after being knocked out of the playoffs with a missed field goal. The ball ricocheted off of the left upright and bounced off the crossbar, earning the nickname ‘double doink.’ In his first post-game interview with Fox Sports, Piñeiro said, “For everybody listening, man, if you don’t believe in Jesus Christ, you better start, because he’s real. I promise you that.” Inactive for the first two games, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Taco Charlton took to social media Monday with a plea to the team: Free me. After tweeting that message, the post was deleted, but he did follow up with this Tweet "Trust me the last thing I want to do is to have to go to social media to get what I want so I can play football again." The Cowboys have had trade discussions for Charlton, a first-round pick in 2017, but nothing that has gotten close to fruition, according to a source. Charlton is guaranteed his $1.376 million base salary this season and $458,000 of his base salary next season. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, asked Monday about Charlton’s current role on the team, said the linebacker is “just competing for a spot to get a jersey each week, like a lot of guys on our team. Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy have reached number one on the Gospel Airplay Chart with viral single, “Blessings on Blessings,” on the anniversary week of Anthony’s single, “Worth,” reaching number one on the same chart on September 19, 2015. Blessings on Blessings is nominated for a GMA Dove Award for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year and the viral official music video has already attracted over 1.4 million views. Anthony Brown and Group TherAPy will kick of their 2econd Wind Live tour at the Bronze Peacock at the Houston House of Blues in Texas Sunday, October 6, 2019. Flack Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm TV One, in partnership with Alabama Power, hosted two events during the 2019 Congressional Black Caucus Week, which was held in Washington, D.C., on September 12-13, 2019. Thursday, September 12, TV One and Alabama Power kicked off the CBC Conference with an evening of entertainment and networking. The event was held at the historic Andrew Mellon Auditorium. Highlights of the evening included a welcome by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-Alabama) to Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia) and performances from Big Boi and Doug E. Fresh. Friday, September, 13, a private CBC Power Brunch held at RPM Italian. The Power Brunch honored Iva B. Williams Jr., with the 2019 Breaking Barriers Legacy Award and The Trailblazer Award presented to Mr. Williams by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Vice President of Alabama Power's Eastern Division Tony Smoke. John Legend has teamed with Plus Products, the company behind the best-selling THC edibles in California, for the brand’s nationwide launch of its 100% hemp CBD product line. As an investor, Legend has been tapped to advocate on behalf of the company’s new edible gummies, which comes in three distinct flavors: BALANCE in Blueberry flavor, UPLIFT in Grapefruit flavor, and SLEEP in Blackberry Tea flavor. “I have been a believer in the benefits of CBD for some time,” stated Legend. “I was drawn to the PLUS team because they’re an innovative, family-run company, and they use science to deliver a consistent, high-quality product. I appreciate that they’re committed to setting a high standard within an industry that has to date been fairly unregulated.” Montia Sabbag, the woman who was videotaped with Kevin Hart in a sexually suggestive video in 2017, is suing the comedian for $60 million in damages. Sabbag believes Hart conspired with his friend Jonathan Todd “JT” Jackson (who was later charged with extortion) to secretly film the encounter. The sexual liaison went down in a Las Vegas hotel room in September 2017. Sabbag believes Hart and Jackson hid a camera because the “Jumanji” star wanted to film the encounter and then leak it to increase his public persona and “promote [Hart’s] Irresponsible Tour.” She is suing for negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. Sabbag is also demanding a trial by jury. He preached in living rooms, in the woods and in a cotton gin. When he returned from the Azusa Street Revival speaking in unknown tongues, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason was followed by just 10 churches out of more than 100 in the split over the theological disagreement. Today, the denomination founded by Mason, the son of former slaves, is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States, with more than 6.5 million members. On Monday, the Church of God in Christ, which is headquartered in Memphis, celebrated its founder, looking back on the life of a man born in West Tennessee in 1864, not far from Memphis, baptized as a teenager into the Missionary Baptist Church and who decided to pursue ministry after surviving a childhood illness. Ex-NFL player Terrell Roberts, a Berkeley native who once played two seasons as a defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals, was visiting his grandmother’s East Bay home this past week when a suspect barged into the home, and shot Roberts in the chest, leaving him fatally wounded. RPD (Richmond Police Department) officers responded to the scene where they promptly found Roberts listless in the backyard of his grandmother’s home…”with a gunshot wound to the chest.” The 38-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene. New York Yankees pitching legend Mariano Rivera said Monday at the White House that learning to speak English was the most important step he took as a young baseball player toward becoming an American. Rivera, newly inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump, who cited the aggressive but well-loved relief hurler for his bat-shredding cut fastball and his legendary humanitarian streak. Trump praised him as the only Major League player ever elected to the Hall of Fame with unanimous support. Fresh off the heels of their top 30 radio hit, “Win,” Miami’s own, SENSERE, is back with one of their most infectious, feel good, singles of their career, called “Dance.” Produced by SENSERE’S founder and lead Drummer, James Wright III, “Dance,” is an undeniable bop that combines SENSERE’S signature live sound with a fresh, cool vibe, that continues to set them apart from the ever-growing crop of new artists. Pastor Marvin L. Winans and the Perfecting Church Choir shined brightly as musical guests at the recent Democratic Presidential Debates held at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. Winans created special arrangements of, “America the Beautiful” and the “National Anthem” that was performed and aired live on CNN’s domestic and international platforms. White House correspondent April Ryan tweeted, “What an incredible rendition of “America the Beautiful,” it mixed both the classical choral styles with the soul of the Black church experience. Bravo!” Pastor Winans has now turned his attention to the Perfecting Church 30 Year Celebration and Gala on Friday, October 11. The black-tie affair is being held at the historic Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The gathering is open to the public and Winans welcomes the residents of Detroit to join the celebration. A new faith-based studio known as Kingdom is launching its own television division that will be run by Mona Garcea, a former producer of the series “The Big Bang Theory.” Garcea, who was also a producer on the shows “Two and a Half Men” and “Mike & Molly,” was hired by Kingdom as head of television, Deadline reports. The studio, which was launched last year by brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin, Kevin Downes and Tony Young, specializes in faith-based and inspirational entertainment. The filmmakers are the team behind the blockbuster hit movie, “I Can Only Imagine.” Sony Michel of the New England Patriots as a rookie, after suffering a knee injury in training camp which caused him to miss the entire preseason and season opener, he made his debut in Week 2 and eventually helped the Patriots win the AFC East and earn the No. 2 seed for the AFC Playoffs. During the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had 29 carries for 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 37–31 overtime victory. He broke the record for most playoff rushing touchdowns for a rookie. During Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, he scored the lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter that gave the Patriots a 13-3 victory. Before Super Bowl LIII, he spoke about his strong faith in God, which was passed down to him from his parents who emigrated from Haiti. He said: “Without Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, there is none of this. We get all this glory, but the glory is not for us, it’s for Him. We do this for Him. That’s kind of my purpose. So really, none of this matters to me.” Just a day before the bustling streets of downtown D.C. becomes a hub and homecoming for Black politicians, businessmen and go-getters, The Delegate rooftop restaurant was filled with African American professionals excited to party with a purpose, prior to the official kickoff of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference 2019. One of the Black politicians who made his way to The Delegate was civil rights hero, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA). Blu Tuesday, an event that happens every other month at posh spots in the D.C. area, is a networking opportunity for Black professionals to mingle after five, while building their brands and expanding their contacts. September’s Blu Tuesday was the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) edition, Rep. Lewis served as the evening’s honored guest and speaker. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES FORMER TONIGHT SHOW HOST JAY LENO, AMERICA COURT'S JUDGE KEVIN ROSS AND MORE AT 11 P.M ET/10C! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X86eMvkOYM President Donald Trump never turns down his level of petty, so he was back on the attack over the weekend — firing shots at “AM Joy” host Joy-Ann Reid Saturday morning ahead of her MSNBC show, asking, “Who the hell is Joy-Ann Reid?” An hour before Reid’s show began, Trump tweeted, “Who the hell is Joy-Ann Reid? Never met her, she knows ZERO about me, has NO talent, and truly doesn’t have the ‘it’ factor needed for success in showbiz. Had a bad reputation, and now works for the Comcast/NBC losers making up phony stories about me. Low Ratings. Fake News!” Reid is a long-standing critic of Trump, and the author of the New York Times best seller “The Man Who Sold America: Trump and the Unraveling of the American Story.” Joy-Ann Reid’ Responds To Trump's Attacks By Listing All The Impeachable Offenses He Has Committed. Houston native and new artist Marcus Jordan makes his career first appearance on the Nielsen BDS Internet Panel Charts top ten. Leaping from #196 to #4 with his amazing radio single “Give God the Glory”. To date, “Give God the Glory” has climbed not only the Nielsen BDS Internet Panel Charts, but also the Nielsen BDS Gospel Airplay charts at #64 with his highest being #61. Jordan recently won three VOGMA Awards for Traditional Single of the Year, Traditional Album of the Year, and Record Label of the Year. This win was very big for Marcus who is a Recording Artist, Law Enforcement Officer, and Pastor. Reality star Kim Kardashian West was a guest on “The View” Thursday where she spoke about her husband’s religious beliefs and revealed that he sometimes hosts pop-up churches around the country through his music ministry, Sunday Service. https://youtu.be/2orVaJWto0M Grammy Award-winning artist Chance the Rapper, whose real name is Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, was a guest on NBC’s “Ellen DeGeneres Show” where he declared that Jesus has inspired him to be a more generous person. The famous emcee from Chicago has been on the promotional circuit giving radio and TV interviews and during Wednesday’s episode of “Ellen,” DeGeneres asked why it’s important for him to give back to the community. “My understanding of a lot of stuff is based on Jesus,” he said. Aside from his music, Chance is known for his philanthropy in the Chicago Public Schools system. In 2015, the rapper and some of his peers helped raise $100,000 for Chicago schools through the Get Schooled Program. Last summer, he wrote a $1 million check to his city’s Public School Foundation to help support the arts in the school system. SISTER CIRCLE LIVE CELEBRATES THE SHOW'S THREE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ALL NEXT WEEK WITH SPECIAL GUESTS TITO JACKSON, KIERRA SHEARD, BEBE WINANS, RICKY SMILEY, KIRK WHALUM AND MORE! https://www.instagram.com/p/B2M8JEmBwJS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Gifted artist, JASON MCGEE & THE CHOIR release new song “Never Let Me Go” available digitally today. The fashionable and always creative JASON MCGEE & THE CHOIR continue to release innovative and dynamic songs that are perfectly suited for Sunday mornings, while furthering the modern Choir sound. https://music.apple.com/us/album/never-let-me-go-single/1478592074?ls=1&app=itunes As culture is changing and technology advancing, ministry is no longer confined by the doors of the church. For those interested in learning more about how faith relates to everyday life to those who sense a call to innovative ministries—from community leaders to entrepreneurs— Jakes Divinity School is providing theological training for anyone desiring to live out a Christian worldview through all facets of society. The Jakes Divinity School is kicking off its inaugural semester and those interested are encouraged to apply quickly to join the next cohort. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WwgN4S-hoQ&feature=youtu.be Justin Francis and Sun Wise Media’s Ri-Karlo Handy have re-teamed to present the 4th annual Gospel Radio Awards television taping going down Monday, March 9, 2020 at Heartland, in Rockford, IL. This year’s program will honor platinum-selling sister act and television personalities, Mary Mary; and the pioneering producer and recording artist, Tye Tribbett. Mary Mary will take home the Icon Award. Tye Tribbett will receive the Industry Impact Award. This evening will also boast dynamic performances or appearances by Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kierra Sheard, Karen Clark Sheard, Travis Greene, Kelontae Gavin, The Walls Group, Virtue, Koryn Hawthorne, Latice Crawford and other surprise guests. Singer-Actress, Michelle Williams and Todd Dulaney, will host the show. Gospels hottest recording act, Anthony Brown and group therAPy's upcoming album, "2econd Wind: Ready," is available for presale today. The album presale purchase instantly provide "He Always Wins" featuring Multi-Grammy award winning gospel star Erica Campbell and inspirational hip-hop artist Ik Phew. Anthony Brown and group therAPy makes a strong return with "2econd Wind: Ready," a collaboration with long time production partner award winning producer-songwriter Justin Savage and powered by the viral success of the album's debut single, ";Blessings on Blessings" which earned a 2019 GMA Dove Awards nomination for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year. "2econd Wind" is not just a body of music to me. It's a declaration. It is the hope and belief that God can and will breathe new life into something you once thought was over, said Anthony Brown. This is the soundtrack to your revival. https://smarturl.it/2econdWindReady Months before the annual observance of the bombing that rocked a congregation, a community and the nation, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church has been getting ready. Renovations were taking place in June: fresh paint and new technology for the classroom spaces in the basement. Just as at worship services, Sunday school attendance ebbs and flows each week, depending on the number of longtime members and curious tourists. This Sunday (Sept. 15), which marks the 56th anniversary of the attack that killed four young girls, the church hopes to unveil the refurbished space where visitors can watch videos about kindness, caring for all humans no matter their race, and the civil rights history of the church and its community. Just before the church bells are set to toll at 10:22 a.m. — the moment on Sept. 15, 1963, that the dynamite set by members of the Ku Klux Klan went off — former Vice President Joe Biden “will give a reflection about the day,” the pastor said. After a wreath laying, the Sunday service will start, with the Rev. Eric S.C. Manning, pastor of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, South Carolina, serving as the guest preacher. The chairman of the Atlanta Housing Authority board on Tuesday thanked members of the public who reached out to him following the killing of his son and daughter last month. It was the first time Christopher Edwards has publicly commented on the events of Aug. 21, when investigators say his ex-wife shot their two children, 24-year-old-year-old Christopher Jr. and 20-year-old Erin, before turning the gun on herself. A longtime fixture in the Atlanta medical community, Edwards serves on the board of trustees of the Morehouse School of Medicine and was formerly on the board of Grady Memorial Hospital. He told those gathered for the meeting that not only does he need to heal, but so does the city. Duke Divinity School will launch a five-year multidisciplinary collaboration that will bring scholars and pastoral leaders together to identify and develop models for strengthening leadership in the black church and beyond, school officials announced Tuesday. The Duke Divinity: Black Pastoral Leadership Collaboration will draw on original research in black church traditions and historical examples of effective black church leadership to train and build networks of effective leaders for the black church of today and the future. The collaboration will be led by the Rev. David Emmanuel Goatley, research professor of theology and black church studies and director of the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School. The initial research phase will bring together teams of scholars in theology, history, sociology and the practice of ministry to study black pastoral leadership during the Reconstruction era, 1865-1877; the civil rights era, 1945-1967; and the megachurch era, 1984-2008; ultimately resulting in the publication of a book on black pastoral leadership. BET and Tyler Perry Studios have set a launch date and price for their new streaming service, BET+. Starting Sept. 19, the subscription video on demand service will be available for $9.99 a month, featuring exclusive new programming and existing movies, series and specials from leading African American creators including Tyler Perry, Will Packer, “Girl’s Trip” screenwriter Tracy Oliver and others. New series to premiere exclusively at the platform’s launch include Oliver’s nine-episode scripted drama “First Wives Club” and Will Packer’s ten-episode series “Bigger.” Watch a teaser video for “First Wives Club” now....https://youtu.be/9V6JuOwIElU The girlfriend of Cleveland Browns defensive end Chris Smith was killed Wednesday morning in a car accident, the NFL team said in a statement.Petara Cordero was in Smith’s 2019 Lamborghini when the couple pulled over to the side of I-90 West in Cleveland around 2 a.m. after a tire blew. The car veered left and hit the median. Without significant injuries, Cordero got out of the car. Shortly after, a woman in a 2017 Mazda 3 hit the passenger’s side of Smith’s car and Cordero, who was standing on the shoulder, Cleveland police said in a statement to CNN. The driver of the second car was also taken to the hospital, where she was to be released after receiving care. The woman admitted she had been drinking, police said. A toxicology report is pending. EXPERIENCE A NIGHT OF PRAYER & PRAISE WITH JAMES FORTUNE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH IN PHILADELPHIA at Kingdom Life Church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL_M9ib28fw&feature=youtu.be Hard as it may be to believe, “Harriet” is the first feature film about Harriet Tubman. Kasi Lemmons’ movie about the Underground Railroad leader premiered Tuesday night at the Toronto International Film Festival where festival director Cameron Bailey, introducing the film, noted the cinematic injustice of Tubman only now making it to the big screen. “Harriet,” starring 32-year-old British actress Cynthia Erivo, presents a younger, more vibrant picture of Tubman, whose accomplishments have often been entombed in middle-school history books. And the best-known appearance of Tubman, who was in her late 20s when she escaped from slavery and began going back South to help others to freedom, has largely been of her as an older woman. Tubman, whose original name was Araminta Ross, was born into slavery in 1820 or 1821 on the eastern shore of Maryland. In 1849, she fled to Philadelphia, after which a reward for her recapture was posted. But Tubman returned to the South to lead other slaves to freedom, conducting more than 70 people through the Underground Railroad network of abolitionists. She worked as a scout, spy and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1863, she helped lead 150 black soldiers on a gunboat raid in South Carolina. With Col. James Montgomery, she rescued more than 700 slaves. Tubman also became a noted suffragette before dying in 1913. “Harriet,” which will be released in theaters on Nov. 1. There’s good news for Tamron Hall and Kelly Clarkson‘s respective new talk shows. They both debuted on Monday and out of the box they are scoring big ratings. The “Kelly Clarkson Show” kicked things off with a 1.9 household rating/6 share in the metered markets, according to Nielsen’s overnight data. Meanwhile, “Tamron Hall” started off with a 1.4/5. “Tamron Hall,” from Disney-ABC, is hosted by the former “Today” and MSNBC personality. Her return to daytime TV also topped last year’s time periods, jumping 44% to a 2.3/9 in New York and rising 71% in Los Angeles. The bottom line: Hall’s debut was the second-highest for any daytime talk show in five years, just behind Clarkson’s. https://youtu.be/zj8mMBWowpI Dwyane Wade admits that his heart still resides in the sporting world, as the recently retired NBA star has revealed he’s open to owning a team in the NFL. In a conversation with Rick Ross for GQ, the two celebs chop it up about buying a team from an ownership group looking to cash out.“Let’s say the opportunity presented itself and we had the opportunity to buy ourselves an NFL team,” Ross said, “Is that something we move forward on, or don’t?” “I move forward on it,” Wade replied. “I move forward on it. 100 percent.” Adding, “I go in with, ‘Hey, if I’m gonna do this, I need this opened up for others.’ I don’t want to be the only one at the table,” he said. “I never want to be the only one eating well. I want other people at the table, so I can have a great conversation with everybody and everybody doing well.” Ladies! You are invited to Rock Your Heels!!! Rock Your Heels, Inc. will present Bounce Back, Girl, an inspiring and motivational event on October 5, 2019. Rock Your Heels, Inc. (RYH) is a new movement in Nashville, TN designed to inspire and support women and young girls through arts, education and community outreach. RYH was founded by Madelyn Howze in Orlando, Florida in 2014 and is now a 501(c)(3) organization relaunching in Nashville, Tennessee. Bounce Back, Girl will be held at Payne Chapel AME Church. Historically black colleges and universities with a religious affiliation will no longer be restricted from accessing federal funding for capital projects, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday. Trump said federal law had restricted more than 40 faith-based HBCUs and seminaries from fully tapping a program that provides federal loan guarantees for their construction projects. Trump announced that a recent Justice Department legal opinion declared such “discriminatory restrictions” to be unconstitutional. Under a capital financing program for historically black colleges and universities, the Education Department guarantees loans for capital improvements, but funding was restricted for those HBCUs in which a “substantial portion of its function is subsumed in a religious mission.” The Justice Department opinion essentially levels the field for the more than 100 historically black schools nationwide. Erykah Badu, Common & William Murphy Come Through With A Fire Freestyle At Black Girls Rock 2019! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wz-fZJvncc&feature=youtu.be Angela Bassett accepted the Icon Award at the annual Black Girls Rock! Awards, which aired Sunday night on BET, and Twitter is still raving about her powerful acceptance speech. During her speech, Bassett recalled her experiences as a Black actress and her “purpose” as a woman of color. https://youtu.be/QZ4im5xES5o A lost Martin Luther King speech from 1967 has been discovered in an old recording that also included Ku Klux Klan members calling for the civil rights leader to be shot. The speech was found by the children of a photographer and journalist who hid a tape recorder under a Klan robe to infiltrate a white supremacist rally. Eugene B. Sloane captured a Klan leader calling for King to be killed – less than a year before he was shot dead on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. Sloane was a civil rights journalist from The State newspaper in South Carolina when he documented the KKK meeting on July 30, 1967. King was due to speak in Charleston the following day, when Sloane recorded a Klan leader warning of black men raping little white girls, Confederate monuments, crowd sizes and the liberal news media causing ‘n***** riots’. His 45-minute speech on a basic universal income, housing, education reform and jobs was discovered in Sloane’s closet by his daughters. The Virginia governor who narrowly survived a blackface scandal earlier this year appointed a new top aide Monday whose job will be to make government more inclusive. Gov. Ralph Northam announced at a Capitol news conference that he had hired Janice Underwood as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Her duties will include formulating a strategic plan to address unequal treatment in state government. The governor said Underwood would have broad authority to identify and help eliminate workplace politics that “historically and systematically affect the individual of color and other under-represented groups.”The announcement was the latest in a long string of actions Northam has taken to improve race relations in recent months as he works to repair his image. New England Patriots executives were blindsided by the rape allegations against newly acquired Antonio Brown, and claim they had no knowledge of the accusations until after they signed the wayward wide receiver to a one-year, $15 million deal on Saturday. In a lawsuit, Brown is being accused of rape by his his ex-fitness instructor Britney Taylor, who claims he sexually assaulted her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018. The Patriots only learned about the accusation on Tuesday night, when the lawsuit was made public, according to ESPN. In fact, the team was still celebrating the recent acquisition of Brown, an All-Pro, on Tuesday in the hours before the lawsuit came to light. The personal trainer accusing Antonio Brown of sexual assault and rape identified herself late on Tuesday night after filing a lawsuit against him. Britney Taylor, 28, spoke out via her attorney to say she had decided to come forward to take a stand against Brown. She claims that he raped her in 2017 and 2018, when she worked for him and trained him. In her lawsuit, she says he ‘preyed’ on her ‘kindness’ and ‘religious devotion’ by pretending to share her faith.They met when they were paired as bible study partners while studying at Central Michigan University in 2010 and, Taylor claims, got back in touch in 2017 when he needed help with his flexibility and ankle strength. Taylor, who is from Tennessee and would travel to Florida and Pittsburgh to train Brown, says he sexually assaulted her by forcibly trying to kiss her and then ejaculating on her back in 2017 at one of his homes. She also claims he raped her in May 2018 in Miami after a night out with another, unnamed football player. Neiron Ball, a former Raiders linebacker who has been in a coma since December of 2018 as the result of a rare congenital brain condition, has died, the family announced. We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Neiron Ball on September 10, 2019 at 4:15 am. The Ball family is forever grateful for the prayers, donations, and immense support of Neiron and his recovery. Neiron was a very special and loving father, brother, and teammate. Neiron has transitioned to a place of peace,” wrote Ball’s sister Natalie Myricks in a Facebook post. Ball’s passing was noted in a series of tweets by Raiders tackle Trent Brown, a teammate and close friend. The two played together in college at Florida and became even closer when Ball was a Raiders rookie in 2015 and Brown played across the Bay for the 49ers. An Episcopal seminary in Virginia has announced that its setting aside $1.7 million for an endowment fund aimed at paying reparations for slavery. Virginia Theological Seminary, founded in 1823 and based in Alexandria, announced last Thursday that it was creating the fund largely in response to the institution having direct ties to slavery. from the fund is expected to go to projects such as helping emerging congregations linked to the seminary, aiding African-American clergy, and helping to support work by historically African-American congregations. The Rev. Joseph Thompson, director of the seminary’s Office of Multicultural Ministries, which will oversee the fund, said the fund “has the potential to be transformative.” The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced another round of all-star performances for the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards including nominated artists MercyMe, Lecrae and a collaborative worship moment with Phil Wickham, Brian Johnson and the Bethel Music Band. Christian and Gospel legends Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Cece Winans and Steven Curtis Chapman will join together for a special icon performance. The awards show will be held live on October 15 in Nashville, Tennessee and will air exclusively on TBN October 20 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. Previously announced performers include TobyMac, Hillsong Worship and Kirk Franklin. More talent announcements are forthcoming. Lauren Daigle leads artist nominations with six, followed by for KING & COUNTRY and Kirk Franklin with five nods each. Top nominated writer/producer Wayne Haun scored 10 nominations. TV One announced today that production is underway in Atlanta, GA for its new holiday film, DEAR SANTA, I NEED A DATE. The film stars Ray J (Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, Moesha), Reagan Gomez-Preston (The Parent 'Hood, The Cleveland Show) and Anne-Marie Johnson (In Living Color, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka) and is slated to premiere on TV One in December 2019. The movie will be directed by Terri J. Vaughn (The Steve Harvey Show, Daddy's Little Girls), who also directed TV One's 2018 original holiday film MERRY WISHMAS. The mega-hit Bounce original drama "Saints & Sinners" just wrapped its most-watched season ever and the complete series is now available for streaming on Brown Sugar. All-new episodes of the Bounce sitcom "In the Cut" are also available to watch the morning after their Monday night premiere on Bounce, in addition to the full series. Notable classics returning to Brown Sugar this month include "Cry, The Beloved Country" (James Earl Jones), "Sarafina!" (Whoopi Goldberg), "Akeelah and the Bee" (Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer) and"Gang Related" (Tupac Shakur). September's curated collection is "Fall into Faith" featuring feel-good titles such as"Reggie's Prayer" (MC Hammer), "Steps of Faith" (Charles Malik Whitfield) and "Hallelujah Gospel" (Ray Charles). Sharing the Gospel and staying relevant in today’s culture isn’t necessarily the aim of Christian Hip Hop Artist Jerusalemm. The South Carolina native believes that he has a calling to uplift, inspire and educate God’s people with love through music. “If love is our motivating factor, everything that we do will show the love that we have, it then will be the best we have to offer.” This self taught music maker and lyrical poet pulls inspiration from his strong family ties to music and faith to deliver God centered messages encapsulated by hypnotic melodies and mesmerizing rhythms. With his new single, "Dream Reality," the influences of Hip Hop are strong, but the message is even stronger. Dream Reality is available now on all digital platforms and streaming outlets. Many evangelical children of the 1990s, raised on the catchy songs of Larry the Cucumber and the thoughtful lessons of Bob the Tomato, are now raising children of their own. In October, that new generation will have a fresh slew of VeggieTales adventures as the animated series returns through a partnership between Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Big Ideas Content Group, and NBCUniversal. But the show’s original fans aren’t the only ones who have grown up—so has Phil Vischer, VeggieTales creator and creative lead on the new series. Vischer says he is leaning on spiritual maturity and lessons learned from the past to take the 18-episode series deeper. Like any deeply rooted system, the racial system of the United States is resilient in the face of attempts to mitigate its power. In the late 19th century, the white southern powers in the US began developing a two-pronged ap­proach to retain power and in effect reestablish slavery in another form. They used a combination of violence and legislation to intimidate and restrict black rights and movement without ever mentioning the word race. In several decisions in the 1890s, the Supreme Court upheld neo-slavery because no intent to reestablish slavery or to develop systems based on race was explicitly expressed in the laws under review. A similar dynamic is at work today. In October 2018, the US Supreme Court voted 5–4 to uphold a North Dakota law that required all voters to have a street address. Native Americans live on reservations without street addresses were the ones primarily affected. No intent to discriminate based on race was expressed in the law, but its purpose was clear—to take the vote away from as many Native Americans as possible. The idea of Reparations is a biblical one. Reparations literally means doing repair work. The community of Israel recognized the need to have a periodic time of repairing the social fabric. One form of reparations was the Jubilee Year (Lev. 25:1–10), when prisoners were freed and debts forgiven. Another was the order to compensate Hebrew slaves when they were released (Deut. 15:12–18)—they were not to be sent way “empty handed.” The people of Israel recognized that reparations is a spiritual issue. Bobby Brown was reportedly removed from a JetBlue flight at the Los Angeles International Airport for ‘being drunk’ despite passengers claiming he wasn’t causing any problems. According to TMZ, Brown was on a JetBlue plane that was getting ready to takeoff for Boston on Monday morning when he was allegedly involved in an altercation. Unnamed sources claimed that Brown was sitting in first class when the incident took place.The plane was still sitting at the gate when everyone was ordered to deboard. Brown was held at the entrance of the plane until police (left) arrived to speak with him. Brown was not allowed back on the flight that was delayed for nearly an hour. The highly-touted Cleveland Browns may have taken a brutal beating at the hands of the underdog Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon, Odell Beckham Jr., was wearing a very expensive watch while they did it. Photographers, luxury brand lovers and NFL fans couldn’t help noticing the flashy Richard Mille brand timepiece on OBJ’s wrist. The estimated price tag on the lavish watch, modeled after the metallic guts of a Formula 1 race car, is anywhere from $191,500 to $350,000, according to multiple sources. But Richard Mille watches can cost well over $1 million. Beckham has been seen sporting his ‘drippy’ arm candy for months – during practice, in warm-ups and on the August cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Congrats to Todd Dulaney #1 at Gospel Radio! #38 on The Mediabase ADULT R&B Chart this week!! Flash Back Todd Dulaney !!! Hear Him In His Own Words.... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/todddulaney_intvw.htm Singer, actress Deborah Joy Winans unveils new single, “When I Rose”, from the soundtrack of OWN and Lionsgate’s gospel series Greenleaf, available for streaming and download tomorrow on all digital platforms. Winans will perform the classic version of the enduring choir tune in Season 4 of Greenleaf, while her new mid-tempo remix out tomorrow will showcase her contemporary vocals while keeping the same joyful spirit of gratitude. “It was so much fun remaking a classic gospel song with a modern twist,” said Winans. “It really speaks to who I am and I hope that it makes people feel good.” https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/676824003%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-FD2qZ&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true Pastor Jamal Bryant Honestly Tackles His Own Sin of Adultery in Sermon Titled “Black Men Don’t Cheat,” Says ‘We Are Living in an Hour with a 21st Century Church That Really Doesn’t Want to be Changed or Delivered; We Just Don’t Want to be Exposed.’ https://youtu.be/CRFxU1h9WCE Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says his friend and co-star Kevin Hart is doing well, following his recent car accident. “Everything is good,” the former wrestler shared on the premiere episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” Monday. Johnson, who has acted with Hart in “Central Intelligence,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and its sequel “The Next Level” due in December, left his honeymoon prematurely to fill in for the comedian on the talk show. According to the report, Hart, 40, was a passenger in his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda when it drove off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment. The car lost control as it turned from a canyon road onto the highway. Two of the car’s three occupants were trapped in the vehicle. Jacqueline Stewart has been named host of Turner Classic Movies’ silent movie program “Silent Sunday Nights,” making her the network’s first African American host in its 25 year history. TCM on Monday announced the hiring of Stewart, a professor of cinema and media studies at the University of Chicago who has specialized in the racial politics of film preservation. She will make her TCM debut on Sunday. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES THE LEGENDARY GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER SMOKEY ROBINSON, COMEDIANS DONNELL RAWLINGS, FLAME MONROE AND MORE AT 11 P.M ET/10C! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFzXgd1brLA CLEO TV will debut LENS OF CULTURE, a groundbreaking travel series for millennial and Gen X viewers of color, on Saturday, September 21 at 12p.m. ET/11C. This sexy, cultural travel guide is packed with adventure and features international lifestyle influencer Tai Beauchamp and celebrity photographer Elton Anderson.Whether it's a weekend trip to Miami, a traipse through the Caribbean or a West African escapade, Beauchamp and Anderson are offering audiences a first class travel experience through their unique lenses. The duo are known for their down to earth vibes and great personalities, as well as their mutual love for travel, people, food and culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLCBfAlQjY&feature=youtu.be TV One's original auto-biographical series UNCENSORED resumes for its second season with premiere episodes debuting on Sunday, October 6 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. The edgy docu-series explores the private lives of some of today's most notable personalities including singer/actress Tisha Campbell, supermodel Tyra Banks, actress LisaRaye McCoy, comedian/actress Niecy Nash, former NBA star Lamar Odom and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzofkxcRMBA&feature=youtu.be Kanye West drew thousands of fans to Northerly Island Sunday morning for a gospel-friendly concert alongside his protege Chance the Rapper before performing to a raucous congregation at a service at a South Side Baptist church.West, a hometown hero raised on the South Side, returned to Chicago to host his latest Sunday Service concert at the Huntington Bank Pavilion — bringing out an ecstatic crowd of hip-hop heads and others hoping to catch a glimpse of the iconoclastic artist and his famous friends and family. Sunday’s show – free and open to the public, though tickets were required and went fast – was announced Saturday morning. Hall of Fame NFL coach Tony Dungy had some stern words for Raiders-turned-Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown on Saturday. Among them: Brown “thinks he’s the victim” and Brown will “be the big loser in the end.” Dungy, who won the Super Bowl while coaching the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008, revealed his feelings about the drama involving 31-year-old Brown on Twitter. He said the former Central Michigan University and Steelers player was “blessed with amazing talent” but has “lost track of the fact football is a team game.” He went on to say that he “feels sorry for” Brown, who is “missing out on the real joy that comes from being part of a team.” Carson Wentz the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles played college football at North Dakota State University and was selected by the Eagles with the second overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. During his time at NDSU, the team won five NCAA FCS national championships. In his first year with the Eagles, he accumulated multiple NFL and Eagles rookie records, including most pass attempts by a rookie quarterback and most pass completions by a rookie. In the 2017 season, he was crucial to the strong and powerful start which had the Eagles at an 11–2 record at the time he went down with an injury. He was 2nd in the NFL in touchdown passes with 33, as well as a media and fan favorite to win MVP but unfortunately missed the last three games of the season due to a season-ending ACL injury in his left knee. However, the Eagles would go on to win Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots 41–33, the first in franchise history, earning him a championship ring. In 2017, he launched the AO1 Foundation, with AO1 standing for “Audience of One,” referring to playing for God. He also started a project in 2018 in conjunction with Mission of Hope Haiti to build a sports complex in the country using funds from his NFL contract. He has remained outspoken about his faith in Christ, once telling reporters: “If you love your wife, job or what you do, you’re going to talk about it. Well, I love Jesus. That’s who I love, so I’m going to talk about it.” He believes that he has an obligation to use his platform as an NFL quarterback to be a witness for Christ and spread the Gospel, often preaching at churches and sharing his testimony at colleges. During a sermon shared in 2017 at First Assembly Church in Fargo, North Dakota, he spoke to the congregation about salvation and quoted from Ephesians 2:8-10, which reads: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” GRAMMY-nominated James Fortune's 10th album, "Dream Again" reaching #1 on the Top Gospel Album Sales and Gospel Album Sales chart. In receipt of the news, James Fortune, took to social media saying, “[This is] Proof you can Dream Again.” "Dream Again" features Fortune’s innovative style of preaching, urban gospel hip-hop soul, complete with Fortune's spoken, sung, and shouted encouragement. "Dream Again" boasts the hit, “I Am (featuring Deborah Carolina)” and incredible collaborations “It’s Gonna Happen (featuring Zacardi Cortez),” “It Will All Work Out (featuring Keith “Wonderbody” Johnson),” “Nobody Like Jesus (featuring Lisa Knowles Smith)” and more. Multiple GRAMMY®, Stellar, and Dove Award-winning Gospel icon Donnie McClurkin releases a new single “There Is God”. The new single, accompanied by a performance video, is available now at all digital music providers and serves as the second single released from the Gospel legend’s forthcoming album. Donnie McClurkin: “There is God” Performance Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9JRtMDO6qI Tiffany "Miz Tiffany" Coleman-McGee has been coined a "triple threat in entertainment." She is Mississippi's first multi-award-winning Christian Hip Hop Artist. Her trendsetting work has broken traditions within the four walls of the church as well as introduced a unique multi-cultural and ethnic style of music and ministry to the gospel, urban and hip hop communities. Her artistry and debut album entitled, "I Ain’t Preaching to the Choir” were Grammy-considered in four categories. Miz Tiffany has made history as the first-ever female solo rap artist to ever receive an official Stellar Gospel Music Award nomination for Rap / Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year. Her acting career began in 2010. She has since landed featured roles on both cable and network television. She played a farmer on Season 2 of Queen Sugar, and earned a core featured role on Season 4 of Fox's Empire as Shine’s children's mother. Additionally, she is a 2X published author. Miz Tiffany drops new single "Go Hard." Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Miz Tiffany In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/miztiffany_intvw.htm Recording artist Micah Lee's newest single "Dont Break" is currently making some major noise in the industry. "Don't Break" released in May 2019 is Micah's 4th straight Billboard's top 20 single. Don't Break has held the #1 spot on Nielsen BDS Internet Gospel Radio Panel for 13 consecutive weeks. Micah Lee who is also one of Fred Jerkins newest clients at Darkchild Gospel has reached over 500,000 total streams for popular single. https://youtu.be/oedpTWPDnmI Thrice-married gospel singer and comedian, Vickie Winans, who brings joy and laughter to audiences through her songs and comedy, is now sharing her personal grief and sadness with the world. The 65-year-old GRAMMY® Award-nominated recording artist announced on social media that her “latest husband,” Joe McLemore, passed away on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 24 while golfing.“I spent 10 years of my life with the sweetest man I have ever met,” said Winans, captioning the pair’s wedding photograph. “We were still the best of friends and we loved each other beyond what the word divorce means. Joe, I will always love you and my soul is gripping in grief! You were so happy for me and the wind beneath my wings! You were never egotistical, narcissistic, nor mean, just a pure sweetheart!” Though Winans did not specifically share McLemore’s cause of death, she hinted that he had serious health problems, writing, “No more amputations baby, no more pain, no more false hope or anything else.” A career that crosses generations: Tom Brady‘s remarkable longevity will be highlighted in a unique way Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers — for the first time in his 20-year career, he can now say he has played a regular-season game against a father and his son. In 2001, Brady’s first year as a starter, the Patriots beat the Browns 27-16 in a December game that Devin Bush Sr. started at safety for Cleveland. Now, Brady is preparing to face the Steelers and their impressive first-round pick, linebacker Devin Bush Jr. Bush, who won a Super Bowl with the Rams in the 1999 season. “That he’s freakin’ amazing,” he said. “When I faced him, I didn’t know as much about him. I’m from the era of Drew Bledsoe. I knew he was his replacement, so we were like, ‘Let’s go get this guy.’ But now, I get a chance to say I played against one of the best quarterbacks ever. And my son can also say that, and it’s the same guy.” Four times in the past 14 months, Serena Williams, the greatest tennis player of all time and the most famous working mom in sports, has entered a Grand Slam final with the chance to tie history. All four times she could not close the deal when it mattered most. Saturday evening, it was another straight-set loss, this time 6-3, 7-5 to Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu. Serena is trying to tie Margaret Court who has 24 Grand Slam titles. Chicago based television production company Central City Productions held the 2019 Black Music Honors television taping last night at The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, GA. During this star-studded two-hour television special, Central City Productions honored Xscape who received the Urban Music Icon Award; Yolanda Adams who received the Gospel Music Icon Award; Arrested Development, Tamia, and Freddie Jackson also received awards. Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett returned as the show’s co-hosts. 2019’s show featured tribute performances by Avery Wilson, Dee-1, Jade Novah, Jagged Edge, Jekalyn Carr, Naughty By Nature, June's Diary, Keke Wyatt, Kelly Price, Le'Andria Johnson, Melanie Fiona, 702, MAJOR. and more. The show will air Sunday, October 20th at noon EST on Bounce TV, and in national broadcast syndication, September 14 – October 20. Three-time GRAMMY® nominee, multiple award-winning artist, songwriter, and producer Travis Greene, has launched his upcoming new album Broken Record, available for pre-order now. Unveiling the album cover and track list, the new album features the lead single “Won’t Let Go,” which was recently released to radio along with the official video for the song. Greene has released the new song “Good & Loved” ft. Steffany Gretzinger, which is now available as an instant grat track together with “Won’t Let Go.” Greene will also perform in an album pre-release event in Washington DC on Saturday October 5th, at the 12th Annual Spirit of Praise Celebration sponsored by Radio One, Inc., Praise 104.1, DC’s Inspiration station. The Spirit of Praise Celebration also featuring Kurt Carr, William McDowell, Koryn Hawthorne, Jonathan Nelson & Purpose, and BET’s “Sunday Best” winner Melvin Crispell, III and finalists Joshua Copeland and Tiffany Andrews. The show will take place at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC. Travis Greene: “Good & Loved” ft. Steffany Gretzinger (Official Music Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DefL-oJpjo8 THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES A TALENTED AND HANDSOME LINE UP WITH ACTORS DORIEN WILSON, BRIAN WHITE, COLUMBUS SHORT, MAJOR, TRAVIS GREENE AND MORE SPECIAL GUESTS! Tyler Perry, once again, is stepping up to the plate – BIG TIME – to help folks in need. And these days, in the wake of the damage that Hurricane Dorian did to The Bahamas. He is providing aid to those in need in the island nation. Specifically, Perry is using his personal seaplane based in Nassau to fly relief supplies to the Abaco Islands (part of the Bahamas), which were hardest hit by the hurricane this week, reports TMZ. The site says his plane already made 2 trips Thursday, and Perry hopes to send several more shipments. Chance the Rapper and Kirsten Bennett have welcomed their second child. Kirsten confirmed the news Friday afternoon in an Instagram post that partially showed the newborn. “Our sweet baby girl, Marli, is here,” the caption read. The couple, who tied the knot back in March, had their first child together, Kensli, in 2015. Former Oakland Raiders’ wide receiver Antonio Brown has reportedly cut a deal with the New England Patriots, hours after he was released from the Raiders, capping off months of bizarre drama. The NFL reports that the one-year deal with the Patriots is for $15 million, with a $9 million signing bonus. The Oakland Raiders announced Saturday morning that they released Antonio Brown hours after the star wide receiver posted a plea to be “released” on his Instagram feed. Trouble started between Brown and the team almost immediately after he signed a contract worth $50 million before the start of the season. He battled the Raiders management over his refusal to wear an NFL-approved helmet, and then missed most of training camp because of a cryotherapy machine mishap that left his feet frostbitten. He was fined more than $50,000 for the missed practices, over which he threatened to punch general manager Mike Mayock in the face during a swearing match. Deitrick Haddon is back at radio with an up-tempo feel good single "Open Door Season". Haddon has delivered hit singles like "Be Like Jesus", "A Billion People", and "Glory". "Open Door Season" doesn't disappoint. Haddon is a master at infusing biblical truth with beautiful harmonies, funk, soul, and memorable lyrics. “Open Door Season” https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3w6prk55fyirjuy/AADQkkOib16kUqH_nVU4XHvya?dl=0 Check out this recap from #Engage Culture event in Columbia, SC this past weekend with Travis Greene. https://www.dropbox.com/s/73az31ysdox9ri8/Saturday%20Recap.mp4?dl=0 Dr. Jonathan Greer, II, Stellar Award Winner, Grammy Nominated musician, writer, Pastor and Bishop, transitioned on August 31st, 2019, surround by his family and loved ones. The Gospel Spotlight ask you to keep the family in prayer. Essence magazine has announced that it will switch to a bimonthly publishing schedule starting in 2020. The independently owned lifestyle magazine for Black women will move to an “enhanced double issue,” featuring an additional 80 pages per issue, New York Daily News reports. “As we approach our 50th anniversary as a brand, we are grateful that Essence continues to thrive in a class of its own — by tenure, by focus and by impact,” said Michelle Ebanks, CEO of Essence Communications. “Essence stands the test of time because we have always responded to the diverse and evolving needs of the community of Black women we serve with the urgency, quality and understanding they deserve, and that remains our focus in everything we do — to test, learn and grow with the community that grows with us.” TV One and CLEO TV General Manager Michelle Rice will be honored for her work in media by Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communications. As previously announced by Temple University, Rice will be honored with the Lew Klein Alumni in Media Award on October 4 in Philadelphia during a luncheon ceremony for her accomplishments in the media industry. Named in honor of the late broadcasting pioneer Lew Klein, the Alumni in Media Awards pay tribute to both Klein's influential career and to his 67 years of teaching at Temple. Warner Bros. Pictures dropped the official new “Just Mercy” film trailer today. Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther, Creed, Fantastic 4) and Oscar® winners Jamie Foxx (Ray, Django Unchained), and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel, Room, The Glass Castle) star in “Just Mercy,” an inspiring drama that brings one of the most important stories of our time to the big screen. The film is based on Bryan Stevenson’s bestselling book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. “Just Mercy,” produced by Gil Netter (Life of Pi,The Shack, The Blind Side), Asher Goldstein and Michael B. Jordan, and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will be in theaters this December. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQbeG5yW78&feature=youtu.be TolumiDE express heartfelt characteristics of genuine 'Beautiful' friendship and love with English lyrics and the phrase "Ore Mi" which means 'My friend" in Yoruba language. New music from TolumiDE https://smarturl.it/TolumiDE-Beautiful The founder of Papa John’s has donated $1 million to a historically black college in Kentucky after more than a year of backlash for his use of a racial slur. News outlets report John Schnatter announced the donation Wednesday at Simmons College of Kentucky. The college’s president, the Rev. Kevin Cosby, and its board of trustees chairman, Mark Lynn, emphasized that people should focus on Schnatter’s actions and not his words. Schnatter stepped down as CEO of the Louisville-based pizza chain in 2017 and later resigned as its chair after blaming disappointing sales on the NFL player protests and using the N-word during a company conference call . WLKY-TV reports Simmons is Kentucky’s only private historically black college. The Courier Journal reports Schnatter left the announcement event without speaking with reporters. Former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove has received a $100,000 prize for lifetime achievement. Dove, whose previous honors include the Pulitzer Prize, is this year’s winner of the Wallace Stevens Award for “proven mastery” in poetry. The prize was among several announced Thursday by the Academy of American Poets. Kyle Dargan’s “Anagnorisis” received the $25,000 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize for the past year’s outstanding poetry book. Aditi Machado’s “Emporium” won the James Laughlin Award, a $5,000 prize for a second book of poetry. The Academy of American Poets Fellowship, which includes a $25,000 stipend, was given to Ilya Kaminsky. Will Schutt’s translations of the Italian poet Fabio Pusterla brought him a $25,000 award. Seth Frank was named the most promising young poet for his poem “Black Mythology.” The Oakland Raiders probably regret their investment into Antonio Brown already, given that the team is planning to suspend the star wide receiver before the season even begins after he got into some kind of incident/altercation/heated argument with GM Mike Mayock, according to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN. Brown had to be “held back by a couple of teammates” when confronting Mayock. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the incident did not get physical, however Brown did say he would punch Mayock — his boss! — in the face and then punted a ball and told Mayock to fine him for that. Brown was recently fined by the Raiders for missing practice and the team included in the letter to Brown that he was running up against a situation where he could behave in a manner that would qualify as “conduct detrimental to the team.” Survivors of a 2015 mass shooting at a South Carolina church can sue the U.S. government over its alleged negligence in allowing Dylann Roof to buy the gun he used to kill nine African-Americans, a federal appeals court said on Friday. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the government was not immune from liability under either the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) or the Brady Act to prevent handgun violence. Friday’s decision by a three-judge panel revived 16 lawsuits that challenged lapses in how the government vetted prospective gun purchasers, including the FBI’s management of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Roof, a white supremacist, had been admitted to a Bible study session at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015, where he then used his .45-caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol in the shooting. Victims said a proper background check would have shown that Roof had recently admitted to drug possession, which would have disqualified him from buying the gun from a federally licensed dealer two months earlier. Roof, now 25, was sentenced to death in January 2017 after being convicted on 33 federal counts related to the shooting, including hate crimes. He pleaded guilty three months later to state murder charges, and was sentenced to nine consecutive life terms without parole. Ezekiel Elliott has a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys just in time for the regular season. The star running back and the club agreed Wednesday on a $90 million, six-year contract extension that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid player at his position and end a holdout that lasted the entire preseason. The breakthrough was finalized before dawn on the morning of the team’s first full workout before Sunday’s opener at home against the New York Giants. Elliott will get $50 million guaranteed. The $15 million-per-year average on the extension surpasses the $14.4 million Todd Gurley got from the Los Angeles Rams last summer. Gurley’s guarantee was $45 million. R&B singer Tamia will receive the Soul Music Icon Award during the 4th Annual Black Music Honors award show in Atlanta, GA. on Thursday, September 5th at The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Artists slated to perform are Naughty by Nature, Keke Wyatt, Jagged Edge, Kelly Price, 702, Le’Andria Johnson, Avery Wilson, Dee-1, Jade Novah, Leon Timbo, MAJOR., Mali Music, Tony Terry, Jekalyn Carr, Jessie Woo, Melanie Fiona, June’s Diary, Travis Greene, Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh, and Tevin Campbell. Tamia joins fellow honorees Xscape, Yolanda Adams, Arrested Development, and Freddie Jackson. Hosted by Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett. Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles says she’s struggling with the arrest of her brother who was charged in a shooting that left three dead. She said in a tweet Monday that her heart aches for everyone involved, especially the victims and their families. Authorities in Ohio say 24-year-old Tevin Biles-Thomas was arrested in Georgia last week after being indicted on murder, manslaughter and other charges in a New Year’s Eve party shooting. Tevin Biles-Thomas is scheduled for arraignment in Cleveland on Sept. 13. No attorney is listed for him in court records. You are not in the company of Shanti Chapman long before you’re acquainted with what drives him. His musical artistry and his heart for people are his evident tools for encouraging people to live full, live well and be all they can become in Christ. He is a singer, songwriter and musician who is offering encouragement through his single "Joy Comes In The Morning". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ-LYGNR9BQ&feature=youtu.be Two-time GRAMMY® nominee, guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Butler, will release his highly-anticipated new album of holiday collaborations, Christmas Together, October 4, 2019. Butler’s all-star friends, Sheléa, Dave Koz, Keiko Matsui, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun and Gerald Albright join Jonathan to re-imagine nine classic Christmas favorites, such as “Joy To The World,” We Three Kings,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and a new original tune, “Love Is,” written by Butler and Sheléa. Jonathan produced Christmas Together in the intimate setting of his home studio in Southern California. Flash Back Gospel spotlight! Hear Jonathan Butler In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jonathan_butler_intvw.htm News of the signing of Jonathan Traylor came Friday night, during a celebration concert at the Grenada Theater in the singer’s hometown of Dallas, TX. Motown Gospel Co-Executive Directors Monica Coates and EJ Gaines were on-hand to make the announcement. This year, Traylor’s local artistry was catapulted to the national stage with incredible momentum, spurred on by his opening for Jonathan McReynolds’ Make More Room tour and being featured on the pre-show stage of Kirk Franklin’s second annual Exodus Music & Arts Festival. In celebration of the signing, Motown Gospel has re-released Jonathan Traylor’s career-propelling independent project, Stones & Giants. The 12-track album, written almost entirely by Traylor and co-produced with his UK-born and bred music partner Mr. Damention, includes fan favorites like the hard-hitting “Purpose Over Pleasure,” the lyrical “Brand New,” and the upbeat anthem “Won’t Let Me Down,” as well as the worshipful ballads “Masterpiece” and “Breathe Life.” Jonathan Traylor is currently working on new music. Café Mocha Radio hosts Loni Love, also of The Real, and female rap legend YoYo kicked off Café Mocha Radio’s 9th Annual Salute Her Awards, at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in D.C.. Guided by this year’s theme “Step Into Your Power,” the first stop of the five-city Salute Her Awards Tour presented by Toyota, Sisters from AARP, LusterPINK and American Airlines. Salute Her D.C. honorees included: The Washington Informer publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, FOX 5 Morning personality and WHUR afternoon host Allison Seymour, Stacie Lee Banks and Kristie Lee of their family’s Lee’s Flower & Card Shop, Madelynn’s Bake Sale CEO Madelynn Martin and her mother Tosha Terry, community activist and MSNBC contributor Karine Jean-Pierre, retired Marines Gunnery Sergeant Tee Marie Hanible, former Congressional Black Caucus Executive Director Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner and Washington Post first black woman reporter Dorothy Butler Gilliam. On the mend. Kevin Hart’s wife, Eniko Hart, gave a promising update on the stand-up comedian’s condition after a scary car accident left him hospitalized. “He’s great,” Eniko, 35, told TMZ Monday, September 2, on her way to visit Kevin, 40, at the hospital. “He’s going to be just fine.” Eniko (née Parrish) continued, “He’s good. Everybody’s good, thank God. … He’s fine. He’s awake.” When asked whether the actor is back to laughing and joking yet, Eniko responded, “Nah.” Kevin sustained major back injuries after his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda veered off Mulholland Highway and landed in a ditch in the Calabasas neighborhood of Los Angeles Sunday, September 1. Kevin successfully underwent back surgery on Sunday night, according to multiple reports. He is expected to make a full recovery.The Harts, who tied the knot in August 2016, share son Kenzo, 21 months. Kevin is also the father of daughter Heaven, 14, and son Hendrix, 11, with his ex-wife, Torrei Hart. Kim Kardashian teased a new Christian music album from her husband Kanye West on Instagram on Friday. In a photo uploaded to Instagram that has already been liked over half a million times, a Bible opened in the Psalms can be seen next to what appears to be a tracklist for West’s new album on a notebook. The list is headed ‘Jesus is King’ and then appears to list 12 songs with names like “Selah”, “God Is”, “Baptized” and “Sweet Jesus”. At the bottom of the page is written the date “September 27th”. Also seen in the picture is a notepad of what appears to be ideas for lyrics, with “He will defend” scrawled above the words “kingdom”, “lion” and “fire”. Kim captioned the picture with the same date and prayer hands, causing much excitement among Kanye fans that the rapper is about to drop a Christian album. Rapper Kanye West is slated to release his new album, Jesus is King, next month. West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, posted a photo on Twitter of what appeared to be a track list and a release date of Sept. 27. According to Pitchfork, the track list included “Water,” a song that West performed at his Coachella “Sunday Service” performance earlier this year. The rapper released his most recent album, ye, last year. He announced that he would release another album, Yandhi, in September 2018, but the project was postponed indefinitely. At his “Sunday Service” performances, West—along with a choir—has performed covers of West’s old songs and other church tunes. Misty Copeland had the world of ballet standing still, when she made history as the first Black female principal dancer to the prestigious American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in 2015, just months after becoming the first Black woman to perform the lead role of “Odette” in ABT’s coveted “Black Swan” in the winter of 2014. Determined to shatter the glass ceiling of the ballet world, on Sep. 11, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) will honor Misty Copeland with their esteemed Trailblazer Award during the CBC’s annual “Celebration of the Arts” event—an award that Copeland deemed as not only an honor but also a necessity. “It’s so important for other Black dancers to see a possibility, a future for themselves, in a world that still doesn’t include many other Black ballerinas,” Copeland said. On Sunday, September 15, the National Congress of Black Women will celebrate its 35th annual brunch in the Thurgood Marshall Room of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. The non-profit dedicated to the educational, political, economic and cultural development of Black women, will also honor the 50th anniversary of Shirley Chisholm’s election to Congress. In 1968, Chisholm became the first Black woman to serve in Congress. In 1972, Chisholm became the first Black woman to seek the nomination for President of the United States from a major political party. Mention the phrase “royal wedding” and most people’s thoughts go directly to the global event that was Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nuptials. Nearly 50 million people in America in the U.K. tuned in to watch the event on television, and global estimates put the viewership closer to two billion. The wedding blended different cultures, and notably featured an American preacher and The Kingdom Choir, the talented gospel singers who sang a stirring rendition of “Stand By Me.” Since their performance at the royal ceremony, the choir has been experiencing a whirlwind of opportunities and success. Led by director Karen Gibson, the group still feels humbled and honored to have sung for the couple on their special day. CBS News reported that within that first week following the wedding, The Kingdom Choir’s “Stand By Me” reached number one on the Billboard Hot Gospel Chart. By July, Sony offered them a record deal. According to NPR, the London-based group has performed for Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II, and Nelson Mandela in the past, but the wedding was a high point because it was a celebration of love. The Kingdom Choir released their debut album, Stand By Me, in October 2018. Seven-time Billboard #1 chart-topper, three-time GRAMMY®, two-time Billboard Music Award and NAACP Image Award® nominated, GMA Dove Award and four-time Stellar Award-winning singer-songwriter Jekalyn Carr announces the title to her fifth live album, entitled CHANGING YOUR STORY. Slated for a 2020 release. The 22-year-old published author, profound speaker, entrepreneur, and television and film actress will record her next live album (5th overall) at Atlanta’s Praise 102.5 FM 15th Annual Praise In The Park Saturday, October 5, 2019, at the Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta, GA. An arrest warrant has reportedly been issued in Alabama for Los Angeles Lakers star DeMarcus Cousins after he allegedly threatened his ex-girlfriend, ESPN reported. The Mobile municipal court website reportedly said Cousins has been charged with “third-degree harassing communications,” but no other details were made available. A police spokesperson confirmed the arrest warrant to USA Today Sports. Cousins’ ex-girlfriend Christy West is reportedly seeking a restraining order against the NBA player after he allegedly called her and said he would “put a bullet in [her] f****** head” when she declined to let their son to go to his wedding. The NBA previously said it was investigating the matter, and the Lakers said they were “gathering information” about the incident. In January of 2016, The Birth of a Nation was the talk of the Sundance Film Festival. The lyrical film, chronicling Nat Turner’s slave rebellion, had landed at just the right time—in the midst of #OscarsSoWhite, a controversy stemming from the fact that all 20 acting nominees at the Academy Awards that year were white. After a heated bidding war, it was acquired by Fox Searchlight for $17.5 million, making it the priciest acquisition in Sundance history, and looked poised for an awards run. Then, in the months prior to its release, writer/director/producer/star Nate Parker’s past rape allegation resurfaced. In 1999, while a student on a wrestling scholarship at Penn State University, Parker and his best friend, Jean Celestin—a co-writer on The Birth of a Nation—were accused of raping a young white woman on campus, as well as subsequently launching a harassment campaign against her that ultimately forced her to switch schools. A jury acquitted Parker, but Celestin was found guilty and sentenced to six months to a year in jail. When the judge deemed that sentence “too lenient,” Celestin was sentenced to an additional two to four years behind bars—upon being granted a second trial, however, prosecutors declined to retry the case, and he was set free. Three years later, Parker is back with his sophomore feature American Skin, which debuts Sept. 1 at the Venice Film Festival. The film, written, directed by, and starring Parker, centers on Lincoln Jefferson (Parker), a Marine veteran who, after his 14-year-old son is executed by a white police officer during a traffic stop, and after no charges are filed against the cop, holds the entire precinct hostage in his quest for justice. On August 23rd, three-time GRAMMY® nominated, multiple award-winning artist, songwriter, and producer, Travis Greene, was presented with a Gold Plaque from RCA Inspiration for his #1 smash hit single “Intentional”, which has been RIAA-Certified Gold® for a half-million in sales. The chart-topper was presented with this award during his annual Engage Culture Weekend, hosted from his home base of Columbia, SC. The weekend featured empowering live events with special guests including Kirk Franklin, DeVon Franklin, Heather Lindsey, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Matt Kemp, and more. Sasha Obama will reportedly kick off college life at the University of Michigan next week. Barack Obama’s younger daughter was seen by students attending summer freshman orientation and again this week accompanied by men believed to be Secret Service agents, per The Detroit News. Sasha is reportedly enrolled for classes that start Tuesday. Her sister, Malia, took a gap year in 2016 before enrolling at Harvard University, where Barack and Michelle attended law school. Malia begins her third year at Harvard this fall. “I was walking by pushing a vacuum and she walked out right in front of me,” said Zach Lassen, a third-year film student from Redford. “I said, ‘Excuse me.’ It was a crowded hallway with her and some Secret Service dudes.” Another student who saw Obama during student orientation said they have mutual friends and noted that Sasha is just “a normal student to me.” Sasha is reportedly enrolled for classes that start Tuesday. Her sister, Malia, took a gap year in 2016 before enrolling at Harvard University, where Barack and Michelle attended law school. Malia begins her third year at Harvard this fall. Check out new artist Dr. James Mable Jr. and his New Single "I'm Free" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQh1frVuqnw&feature=youtu.be Aretha Franklin’s family is reportedly busy brawling over her $80 million fortune, so her sons and relatives couldn’t be bothered visiting her burial site on the one-year anniversary of her death. According to RadarOnline, only a handful of visitors were spotted at Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery to pay respect to Franklin, who passed away on Aug. 16, 2018, at the age of 76 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. “I’m just surprised no one from her family showed up on the one-year anniversary of her death,” said one observer at the cemetery’s mausoleum where Franklin’s remains are interred. “I only saw a few loyal fans who loved her music and felt the need to pay their respects.” There is a bitter court battle that has Aretha’s sons Kecalf Cunningham and Edward Franklin against their brothers Teddy Richards and Clarence Franklin, and the singer’s niece, Sabrina Owens. The marquee matches scheduled for the day at the 2019 US Open included Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Madison Keys. The three high profile American ladies were all competing for a spot in the third round. Venus Williams, the sentimental favorite, was first up to bat for her chance to advance. She was up against 5th ranked Elina Svitolina of the Ukrane. They played a grueling 16-minute game at 5-3, with Venus on serve and finally holding, but it depleted the American’s tank. The Russian was just too steady and spry to fold. It was hard-fought, but the Ukrainian relied on those attributes and prevailed, 6-4, 6-4. Stellar and Dove Award Nominated artist G.I.is back! And for the first time ever, they are emerging with a live album. On December 15th, 2018, the group celebrated their 20 year anniversary with a live recording/concert. The special event was held at Speaking Spirit Ministries Richmond VA. That night, fans were treated to a stellar performance of G.I.’s current and past hits over their 20 year career. The lead single “SO GOOD Live” will proceed the full project. “SO GOOD Live” is laced with beautiful smooth harmonies that G.I. fans have grown to love over the years, intricate arranged live music, and a power-packed message proclaiming that through it all, God has been “SO GOOD!” “SO GOOD Live” hits all digital outlets this Friday August 30th, and impacts radio September 9th. More than 1,000 people were on hand to bid farewell to the Rev. Dr. Edward V. Hill II on Aug. 24, at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. Hill, the pastor of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and Spirit of Zion Fellowship Church, passed away suddenly on August 12, at the age of 52. The ecumenical crowd contained a wide range of clergy and lay people, who wept, shouted, danced and rejoiced throughout the spirit-filled service, which included music by the combined choirs of Mount Zion and Spirit of Zion. The Rev. Dr. Melvin V. Wade Sr., pastor emeritus of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, and the Rev. Dr. Robert A. Williams, pastor of McCoy Memorial Baptist Church, officiated the service. Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, pastor of Faithful Central Bible Church, described Hill as “a man full of Holy Ghost. The Lord gives and takes away. He takes us from pain, heartache, and troubles. God brings us to a place prepared for us. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” The home of Detroit’s annual auto show and other major events has officially changed its name to the TCF Center and moved on from its original name, which honored a former mayor known for racist and segregationist policies, officials announced Tuesday. Officials said the Cobo Center name is no more, making good on the February announcement of a $33 million naming rights deal with Chemical Bank, which is now a division of TCF Bank. The name change will save taxpayers millions of dollars. It had been owned and operated by the city until 2009, when the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority was created. The move also purges a negative aspect of Detroit’s history: Albert Cobo, who served as mayor from 1950 to 1957, sought to keep blacks out of predominantly white neighborhoods. The convention center opened on the Detroit River waterfront in 1960, three years after Cobo died. Angela Curry has joined the Presbyterian Foundation as Vice President and General Counsel. She has advised public and private institutions for nearly 20 years, 15 of those serving as General Counsel. Previously Angela served as General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer for the Hussian College corporate hub in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to that, she was the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Kentucky State University and Fisk University, where she advised both institutions on regulatory, human resource, and corporate governance matters. Curry is glad to serve in a position that allows her to practice and explore her faith as part of her work. “I am excited about the opportunity to serve with such a talented team on initiatives that positively impact communities throughout the United States and around the world,” Curry says. “It is an opportunity to serve God in a new way.” A prime-time gala came to America’s Grand Slam on opening night, and all that was missing was the red carpet. You had two of the biggest, bold-face names in the sport, Serena and Maria. And so it was again on the blue hardcourt of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Serena Williams put on a display of punishing power and unrelenting pressure, her old indomitable self, as if she had turned the calendar back a decade or so, as if she wanted to administer this 6-1, 6-1 pummeling of Maria Sharapova to impress the smartly dressed bearded fellow in the President’s box, Mike Tyson, who knows a few things about quick knockouts. https://youtu.be/mbQtqH3QLqg ; Mourners occupied every seat and much of the available standing room in Cascade Methodist Church on Wednesday to remember an accomplished Atlanta family who died in an apparent murder suicide. Police believe Dr. Marsha Edwards shot her two adult children, 24-year-old Chris Jr. and 20-year old Erin, and then turned the gun on herself. The tragedy left friends and family struggling for answers. But on Wednesday all three were eulogized together. Atlanta Mayor and family friend Keisha Lance Bottoms, Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop were among those paying their respects. The bodies of the family were discovered after prominent Atlanta surgeon Christopher Edwards, father to Chris and Erin, requested Cobb police conduct a welfare check at his ex-wife’s Vinings townhome. Chris and Erin were eulogized as high achievers known for their extraordinary kindness. Judge Mathis is reportedly the subject of a criminal investigation for assault after he allegedly spit in a valet’s face. The incident happened in Detroit at Flood’s Bar and Grille where Mathis reportedly went off on a valet in a “profanity-laced schooling,” as TMZ put it, all because he was left waiting for his Rolls Royce for at least 10-15 minutes. According to sources Mathis had no sympathy for the valet’s excuse which was that he had to travel a long way to get another car and apologized for accidentally taking the judge’s keys with him. After cussing the crap out of the poor guy, Mathis allegedly spit on him and left the scene. The valet filed a police report accusing Mathis of criminal assault, and police are said to be investigating the incident, which was reportedly seen by multiple witnesses. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Parkers, TV One will host a "Parkers-Palooza" marathon of the hit series on Friday, August 30. This Labor Day weekend binge watch your favorite episodes from 8 P.M. to 3 A.M. ET/7C! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkRZSy2TSWo&feature=youtu.be Naomi Osaka, WTA world no. 1, kicked off her campaign to defend her US Open title inside Ashe Stadium on Day two of the event. Her last time inside the stadium was both triumphant and heartbreaking. She won her maiden Grand Slam title against her idol, Serena Williams, there, but she was reduced to tears by boos and jeers emanating from the crowd over the controversy between Williams and line judge. Based on her scratchy play during the match, she did appear to be haunted by the past. Who really knows what was going on in her head, but she struggled to maintain her focus the entire match. She took the first set 6-4, but it wasn’t at all pretty. She wasn’t so fortunate to escape her erratic play in the second, however. Her feisty opponent, Anna Blinkova, was finally able to capitalize on one of the many chances she received to break Osaka and winning the second set tiebreaker, 7(7)-6(5). She eked over the finish line with what she called “razzle dazzle:” The final score was 6-4, 6(5)-7(7), 6-2. https://youtu.be/fOk4vV31oT0 People from all over the world will attend the highly anticipated International Faith Conference (IFC) hosted for 25 years by Bill Winston Ministries. The annual event begins Sunday, September 8 through Friday, September 13 at Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park. This year's theme is "Faith that Dominates." For five days and six nights, dynamic faith leaders will impart biblical wisdom and teach how to use faith in God to dominate circumstances and fulfill their God-given purpose and destiny. Faith is the key to turning dreams into reality, and for more than two decades, this International Faith Conference has been helping people. This year's speakers include Bishop Tudor Bismark, Dr. Paul Enenche, Dr. Jesse Duplantis, Dr. Creflo Dollar, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and Rev. Cynthia Brazelton. Pastor Tamara Bennett and Michelle McKinney Hammond will minister at the 7th Annual Prayer, Praise and Pampering Women's Luncheon. Musical Artists will be Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago, Donald Lawrence, Micah Stampley, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, David and Nicole Binion, Todd Dulaney and Alleece Baker. GRAMMY-nominated and Dove Award winning worship leader, pastor and author, William McDowell, will release his new live album, "The Cry," September 20th. The album was recorded at Redemption to the Nations Church in Chattanooga, TN and features special guest artists Nathaniel Bassey, Travis Greene, Yolanda Adams, David and Nicole Binion, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Trinity Anderson (worship leader of McDowell’s Deeper Fellowship church). For 20 years, McDowell has been writing songs crying out for God to bring revival. However, his latest release is not a collection of songs crying out for God to come; rather it’s a collection of songs written as a response to a God who already has. Two decades ago, McDowell began praying for revival to break out in his community, and on May 22, 2016, the presence of God entered his church of Deeper Fellowship in Orlando and has yet to leave. Speaking to thousands gathered for the 30th annual Southern California Harvest Sunday, baseball great Darryl Strawberry said he is thankful to have been imprisoned during the early 2000s because he may never have found God otherwise. The eight-time all-star and four-time World Series champion was interviewed by evangelist Greg Laurie on the final night of the 2019 SoCal Harvest Crusade, a three-night evangelistic event at Angel Stadium in Anaheim featuring top Christian music performers and messages from the famed evangelist. Due to his drug and alcohol addiction, Strawberry suffered two failed marriages, a string of arrests, imprisonment and several failed attempts at rehab. On top of that, he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1998 and had to have part of his colon removed. Despite his troubles, Strawberry has transformed spiritually with the help of his wife, Tracy. Today, he serves as an ordained minister who travels the country preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sharing his story of spiritual transformation. Today, Darryl and Tracy Strawberry co-lead Strawberry Ministries, which exists to “restore lives and relationships through the power of God and the process of change by leading the lost to Jesus Christ.” RCA Inspiration celebrates the newly-crowned winner of BET’s “Sunday Best” – Melvin Crispell, III – with the release of his new single “Not the End of Your Story” to Gospel radio. Also available via all major digital retailers, the new radio single marks just the beginning of a new journey for the season nine winner of BET’s inspirational singing competition, who received a recording contract with RCA Inspiration. Crispell, who previously delivered a breathtaking debut performance of “Not the End of Your Story” on the show, will release a forthcoming EP in September. The EP album will feature the single and all new music, which will be released by RCA Inspiration in partnership with BET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq5OAcy0yMA Latice Crawford is known for her powerful yet sultry voice and vibrant spirit. Since her groundbreaking win on Sunday Best she has continued to create, minster, and bring her unique style to the Gospel music scene. Crawford is back with a new heart grabbing single titled “Amazing”. It’s a beautiful ballad that speaks of how amazing God is, and coming to a place of understanding the goodness of God in hard times. Listen to this beautiful heart song today! “Amazing” is available today. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t1icax4wvvd0we9/AAAujz3lnltGEEBcOMupUtrMa?dl=0 JAY-Z’s recent alignment with the National Football League has created division among fans and peers alike. But apparently, Diddy doesn’t see any reason why everyone can’t support both Colin Kaepernick and the Roc Nation mogul. During a recent Twitter spree, Diddy praised Jay and vowed to back the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback at the same time. “Hov is one of the greatest to ever do it, he has been there more than anybody from the hip hop culture, including me,” Diddy wrote. “He’s always been so selfless and fights for other people. We as a people can not be divided and conquered at this time!! “I’m so proud of @Kaepernick7 and the attention he was able to bring and the efforts he continues to make. I’ll continue to support him in every way possible.” Eddie Murphy is coming back to Saturday Night Live. The SNL alum has been booked to host the December 21 edition of the show’s 45th season. The legendary comedian’s return to SNL will be his first time hosting the iconic sketch series in 35 years. Murphy made a brief appearance at the show’s 40th anniversary special in 2015 but has otherwise boycotted it for decades. The comic’s problems with SNL were sparked by a David Spade joke that aired on the show in the ’90s. Murphy, who became one of SNL’s biggest stars ever in the ’80s, took issue with Spade mocking his career in a segment called Hollywood Minute. “They were s****y to me on Saturday Night Live a couple of times after I’d left the show,” Murphy told Rolling Stone in 2011. “They said some s****y things. There was that David Spade sketch [when Spade showed a picture of Murphy around the time of Vampire in Brooklyn and said, ‘Look, children, a falling star’]. I made a stink about it, it became part of the folklore. What really irritated me about it at the time was that it was a career shot. Missy Elliott made history at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. The first female Hip-Hop artist inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame will also become the first female rapper to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. On August 12, MTV revealed Missy would be honored with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2019 VMAs. The announcement comes a year after some reports mistakenly said she would be getting the 2018 edition of the prize, which ended up going to Jennifer Lopez. Missy will only be the fourth Hip Hop act to obtain MTV’s Video Vanguard Award. LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys and Kanye West have previously received the accolade, which was first presented at the inaugural VMAs in 1984. The president of the Virginia State Conference NAACP was abruptly dismissed and the civil rights group’s statewide “Listening Tour” has been halted in changes announced last weekend by the state administrator. Robert N. Barnette Jr. of Hanover County is to immediately take the helm of the state NAACP, replacing the Rev. Kevin L. Chandler of South Boston. Mr. Barnette was serving as the state vice president, as well as president of the Hanover County Branch NAACP. Rev. Chandler was not planning to run for re-election. The change is the work of Gloria Sweet-Love, the Tennessee State NAACP president whom the national NAACP appointed earlier this year to administer the Virginia affiliate. She announced the change Saturday during a meeting of the state NAACP executive committee and then sent a notice to the branches around Virginia on Tuesday. In her news release to the media, Ms. Sweet-Love did not mention her dismissal of two other executive committee members — Jesse Frierson of Richmond, who was removed as chairman of the state NAACP Political Action Committee, and state Treasurer James P. Boyd of Portsmouth. BET crowned Melvin Crispell, III winner of its ninth season of Sunday Best – BET’s inspirational singing competition. The season nine winner will receive a recording contract with RCA Inspiration, a cash prize of $50,000 and the title “Sunday Best.” In partnership with BET, Crispell’s debut single, “Not The End of Your Story” is available now via RCA Inspiration at all major digital outlets. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iosy90qk0keziei/AADvI1GF4oA5lRsgG0Y3HroAa?dl=0 Erica Campbell has released two solo albums as well as seven albums with her sister as part of the dynamic duo “Mary Mary.” Campbell has received numerous awards and accolades. Her debut solo album “Help” won a 2015 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album as well as eight Stellar Awards. Campbell is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell.” Erica Campbell is the author of the book “More Than Pretty: Doing the Soul Work that Uncovers Your True Beauty”. It is available for pre-order now, and releases September 24th. In the book, Campbell speaks to women of all shapes and sizes, demonstrating that true beauty is found not in external appearances, but in celebrating the person God made you to be. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8u9m61uloqp34in/AADkw0lrFjlvNHHDix2_jI2Pa?dl=0 “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler announced the release date of the much-anticipated follow-up film at D23 in Anaheim, Calif. Saturday. “Black Panther 2” will hit theaters May 6, 2022. “We’re not taking our time, we’re really trying to get it right,” Coogler said of the production schedule. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige said Coogler has delivered a treatment, complete with a villain and new title, though neither would give up those details. The date will place “Black Panther 2” as the furthest out announced Marvel film, between “Thor: Love and Thunder” (Nov. 5, 2021) and an unannounced film slated for July 29, 2022 — although whether Marvel will keep that date, just two months after “Black Panther 2,” is up in the air. After making a triumphant return from its four-year hiatus earlier this summer, BET’s inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best,” crowns a new gospel superstar, the winner of Season 9 is Melvin Crispell, III!!! Jermaine Dolly burst on the scene with the #1 hit "You, a hot follow-up song "Come and Knock on My Door" and a top selling debut album "The Dolly Express." He drops a new single "Pull Us Through" featuring Maranda Curtis. Jermaine Dolly is in The Gospel Spotlight! Hear Jermaine Dolly In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jermainedolly_intvw.htm THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday at 11 P.M. ET/10C only on TV One. Joining DL in the studio this week Bebe Winans, Monday, August 26, Marlon Wayans, Tuesday, August 27 and actor/singer Algee Smith, Thursday, August 28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN454shgecQ&feature=youtu.be Priscilla Shirer is best known as a New York Times best-selling author and Bible teacher, she is simply down to earth. Shirer – the daughter of influential pastor Tony Evans – is starring in the Kendrick Brothers’ new movie Overcomer. This is Shirer’s second movie with the Kendrick brothers, the first being the 2015 film War Room. In the movie, Shirer plays high school principal Olivia Brooks. Shirer shared that she particularly loved this film because it tackles the issue of personal identity, an issue that Shirer knows a lot of people – including herself – struggle with at times. The faith-based film “Overcomer” earned an A+ CinemaScore grade from moviegoers and opened in the Top 5 over the weekend, marking the fourth straight time a movie from filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick has debuted that high. “Overcomer” grossed $8.14 million, landing it in third place behind “Angel Has Fallen” ($21.3 million) and “Good Boys” ($11.6 million) but ahead of “Hobbs and Shaw” ($8.068 million) and “The Lion King” ($8.065 million). The popular film website BoxOfficeMojo.com said “Overcomer” had “outperformed all expectations.” The site had predicted “Overcomer” would gross $5 million. R. Kelly’s legal team has allegedly been contacting both fans and colleagues to raise enough money so that the embattled singer can retain famed defense attorney Tom Mesereau. Sources with direct knowledge claim Kelly’s industry contacts have expressed a desire to help with his legal fees. His attorney noted how Kelly “has a stage persona who is used to having people around him all the time. His life in solitary is now minus TV. No radio. No music. And no books. “He’s also a spiritual guy, has a Bible with him in his cell, but he can’t read it. It’s basically there for comfort,” he added. Black Twitter was rocked over the weekend when Hasbro toy company announced plans to purchase Entertainment One, a multimedia company that owns Death Row Records. Hasbro gave us Mr. Potato Head, Monopoly, G.I. Joe, Transformers, My Little Pony, Power Rangers, and much, much more. Death Row was established in 1991 by Dr. Dre, The D.O.C. and Suge Knight. Back in 2013, eOne spent around $280 million to buy the catalog of Death Row, which declared bankruptcy in 2006. Since being acquired by Hasbro, the massive toy company now owns Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic,” Tupac’s “All Eyez Me”, Snoop Dogg’s “Doggystyle,” and many more iconic hip-hop records from West Coast rappers of the early 90s. Grammy® Award Winner and Global Recording Artist Kirk Whalum is set to release his new album Humanité October 11, 2019. Humanité is unlike any album Kirk has ever made – the sonic synergistic result of encounters made and relationships formed onstage and off with top emerging artists and Top 5 recording artists from around the world. Over a period of three months in 2018,he recorded the soul-drenched, emotional and highly melodic tracks in locations ranging from studios in Jakarta, Tokyo, Paris, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Hastings, to hotel rooms, office buildings and even Kirk's living room in his hometown, Memphis, Tenn. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Kirk Whalum In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kirk_whalum.htm The 49th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference (CBCF-ALC) September 11 -15. The theme, "400 Years, Our Legacy Our Possibilities" will go down at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, DC. The Word Network will serve as a sponsor and will air the CBCF-ALC Annual Gospel Extravaganza Concert Thursday night, September 12th at the United House of Prayer for All People. Saturday, September 15th the Word Network will air the ALC prayer breakfast in convention hall D with a performance by gospel artist Yolanda Adams and speaker Rev. Dr. Howard John Wesley. The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced the first round of all-star performers for the historic 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards, set for October 15 at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena in Nashville. The landmark event will feature performances by CCM standouts TobyMac, Hillsong Worship and gospel artist, Kirk Franklin. The Obama summer playlist has everyone from Drake and Beyonce to Steely Dan and Frank Sinatra. The former president calls it “some new, some old, some fast, some slow.” Barack Obama tweeted 44 songs Saturday that he and his wife, Michelle, have been listening to. They include Drake’s “Too Good,” Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years” and the Sinatra standard “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Other choices are “MOOD 4 EVA,” the “Lion King” song with Beyonce and Jay-Z among other artists; and such oldies as Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away.” Last week, Barack Obama offered book recommendations, among them Colson Whitehead’s “The Nickel Boys,” Hilary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” and the “collected works” of Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, who died Aug. 12. The New York Times recently published an initiative called “The 1619 Project,” a collection of essays, short fiction and poems that attempts to “reframe” the history of the U.S. by demonstrating that slavery is central to the country’s development and still impacts American lives today. While many have welcomed the project, it has also received pushback from some who feel it is either misguided or promoting a false narrative. “In August of 1619, a ship appeared on [the] horizon, near Point Comfort, a coastal port in the British colony of Virginia,” reads the project’s opening statement. “It carried more than 20 enslaved Africans, who were sold to the colonists. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is finally time to tell our story truthfully.” Vanderbilt University’s Sandra L. Barnes is the 2019 recipient of the Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award from the American Sociological Association. The ASA presented the award to Barnes at its annual meeting in New York City Aug. 11. Barnes is a professor of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, with a joint appointment at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is an affiliate faculty member with the Department of Sociology as well as the African American and Diaspora Studies and Callie House Research Center. She also served as Vanderbilt’s assistant vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion from 2016 to 2018. In a shocking development, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck announced his retirement from the NFL on Saturday night. Luck, who turns 30 on Sept. 12, had met with Colts owner Jim Irsay earlier to tell him of the decision. The Colts played their third preseason game Saturday night in Indianapolis against the Chicago Bears. Luck already had been ruled out of the game due to an ankle injury, but he was seen on the sideline, laughing and conversing with teammates. After the game, Luck announced the decision during a news conference, saying constant injuries he’s dealt with since 2015 — including the ankle injury this summer — have taken his joy out of the game. He threw for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year and lead the Colts back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, showing he remained one of the top QBs in the league. With the competition officially over, this will be an unforgettable night of fun with the final 2 contestants, Kirk, the judges and an array of special guests as BET concludes the series with an all-star Gospel celebration. And of course, at the end of the show, BET will announce the winner of Sunday Best season 9! The season 9 winner will receive a recording contract with RCA Inspiration, a cash prize of $50,000 and the title “Sunday Best.” BET will crown the season 9 Sunday Best winner on Sunday, August 25th at 8:00PM ET/PT. The finale episode will feature special performances from GRAMMY Award®-winner Tasha Cobbs Leonard, multiple Stellar Award-winner VaShawn Mitchell. Fans will also see soul stirring performances from judges Jonathan McReynolds, Kelly Price and Erica Campbell debuting her new single “Praying & Believing.” Chart-topper Travis Greene has released a new single“Won’t Let Go,” available now at digital music providers and serviced to radio. Greene has also simultaneously released the song’s official video on VEVO. Building anticipation for more new music from the three-time GRAMMY® nominated, Billboard Music Award, Dove and 11-time Stellar Award-winning artist, songwriter, and producer, “Won’t Let Go” marks the first single off his upcoming album Broken Record. Delivering a gripping tune that have been hallmarks of his hits, Greene continues to be a powerful connector, building bridges to share the universal love of Christ, giving strength and comfort that God’s love is always present in our lives, carrying us through our journeys and struggles, from day into night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09INLWk9OnY Chart-topper Koryn Hawthorne delivers new music with her latest song “Enough” – featured in the new Affirm Films and Provident Films major motion picture release Overcomer, out nationwide in theatres now. Hawthorne packs a punch with her voice on “Enough,” creating a dynamic anthem providing motivation and strength to believe in yourself and keep going, knowing God’s love is there. Fresh off a national summer tour performing on Kirk Franklin’s LONG LIVE LOVE Tour, and garnering multiple 2019 Dove Awards nominations for her chart-topping album Unstoppableand songs, the GRAMMY®-nominated, Billboard Music Award, NAACP Image Award, Stellar and Dove Award-winning songstress continues to push the envelope as an artist and songwriter with “Enough.” “Enough” is part of the original motion picture soundtrack for Overcomer, available now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqavwKIvtk4 It’s New Music Friday and we’ve got the much-awaited new album from Gene Moore—Tunnel Vision! This album features tracks to keep you uplifted and encouraged, including the hit single “Won’t Be Moved” (watch the official music video below), the passionate “Ask For Rain” and the upbeat “Take Care.” https://us.umusic-online.com/4YUT-KFX-4SQSQ-C1KD-1/c.aspx Damita drop new single, entitled "RECOVERY"!!! Damita is best known, not only for her vast sound that explores both contemporary, urban, soul and rock, but her roots stem deeply in worship. As an ordained minister of the gospel she recognizes that no matter how relevant or mainstream her music may go, her message and the spirit in which her ministry of music is delivered will always be led by Christ and Him alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agk8xWkMW1w&feature=youtu.be Acclaimed producer, songwriter, arranger and musician Dana Soréy celebrates three Dove Award nominations this year, with nods for the upcoming 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards in the categories of Producer of the Year,Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year as a producer on Jason Nelson’s The Answer, and Traditional Gospel Song of the Year as a songwriter on Maranda Curtis ’hit “I’m All In.” Dana Soréy’s three nominations are an added blessing on top of an ongoing busy slate and string of successes for the GRAMMY®-nominee and Dove Award winner. He has remained an integral collaborator and leader, crafting the sound for new recording artists and renowned gospel stars as well as curating hit collections, with his production and songwriting work including multiple #1 Gospel Albums for Maranda Curtis, Jason Nelson, Anthony Brown and group therAPy, GRAMMY®-nominated albums from Marvin Sapp, and Tye Tribbett and GA, the collections WOW Gospel 2015 and WOW Gospel 2013, and a Top 4 Gospel debut for Gene Moore’s 2017 debut album The Future. THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES A TALENTED LINEUP OF ACTORS INCLUDING BILL DUKE, KIM COLES, KRIS D. LOFTON, THE CAST OF GREENLEAF and MANY MORE! Stellar Award-winning, two-time GRAMMY® and Dove Award-nominated hitmaker, songwriter and worship leader William Murphy, releases the live performance video for “Settle Here,” showcasing the experience of Murphy and his singers sharing in worship with the packed crowd at his album’s live recording. The chart-topping hit single from his #1 Gospel album, Settle Here, Murphy’s song and album just recently garnered two Dove Award nominations for the 2019 show this fall, with the single “Settle Here” (Pt. 1) nominated for Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year, and the album nominated for Gospel Worship Album of the Year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBsUrBQVUjQ On Thursday, August 15th fourteen-time GRAMMY®-winning artist/songwriter/producer, Kirk Franklin, was honored with a Billionaire plaque from Pandora. The music streaming company surprised Franklin by presenting him with the prestigious award on-stage at the Los Angeles stop of his LONG LIVE LOVE TOUR. Franklin was moved by the honor. He says, “It is truly humbling that the music God let me borrow has touched so many people, and that they still choose to listen with so many incredible gospel artists out there.” This honor, which has only been bestowed upon a small group of artists, commemorates Franklin having received over 1.6 billion streams on the platform. With this achievement, he also became the first gospel music artist to reach this milestone. Franklin being inducted into Pandora’s “Billionaires club,” comes on the heels of the release of his thirteenth studio album, LONG LIVE LOVE May 31st. The album has been atop the Top Gospel Albums chart for ten consecutive weeks and spawned the smash hit, “Love Theory,” which has been #1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart for 28 straight weeks. Additionally, he made history with LONG LIVE LOVE, becoming the first artist to top all five of Billboard’s gospel charts simultaneously. Franklin, who has his own gospel music channel on SiriusXM, Kirk Franklin’s Praise, wrapped up the successful LONG LIVE LOVE TOUR with the concert in LA. And the finale of Sunday Best on BET, which he hosts, will air on August 25th. Don't miss THE AFRICAN PRIDE GOSPEL SUPERFEST airing on TV One this Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 7 p.m. ET/6C. Hosted by Wendy Raquel Robinson, the one-hour telecast will feature a musical celebration honoring Pastor Donnie McClurkin with guest performances by Deitrick Haddon, Sensere, J. Moss, Tye Tribbett, The Shelby 5, Isabel Davis, Micah Stampley, Byron Cage, Demetrius West & JP and many more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhJZ4aMHA6g&feature=youtu.be New artist and Gospel Powerhouse singer Josh Copeland makes his Gospel music solo debut with the release of his new single and EP - A Winans classic, "Uphold Me" which is available for purchase now via iTunes http://smarturl.it/JCUpholdMe . Seems Barack and Michelle Obama are enjoying their Summer on Martha’s Vineyard so much they’ve decided to put in a bid to buy the estate owned by Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, it is on the market for $14.85 million and features seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms inside the 7000 sq ft main residence. Not only would they get the main house, but it also comes with 29 beachfront acres, a pool, chef’s kitchen, outdoor fireplace, and two guest wings. Also the beachfront is private and comes with a boathouse. According to TMZ, the estate is currently in escrow and it’s not a done deal just yet. Supposedly, there are contingencies so it’s possible it could fall apart, but so far it’s looking good. Grousbeck had the property on the market for four years, first listing it in 2015 for $22.5 million. The street in front of Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium is being renamed “Perry Wallace Way” to honor the first black basketball player on scholarship in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt announced Wednesday that the portion of 25th Avenue South will be renamed ceremonially to honor Wallace, who died Dec. 1, 2017. Interim Chancellor Susan R. Wente says Vanderbilt is deeply thankful for the help celebrating Wallace’s legacy as a trailblazer. Wallace became the first black to play in a varsity game Dec. 2, 1967, in a game at Southern Methodist, and he made his SEC debut two days later at Memorial Gym against Auburn. He was captain of the team when he graduated in 1970. Dr. James Mable Jr. drop a beautiful new song "I'm Free." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQh1frVuqnw 5X GRAMMY winner, Erica Campbell, returns with “Praying And Believing.” Campbell will debut the song with a show-stopping performance on the season finale of BET’s Sunday Best this Sunday, August 25, 8/7c and the single will then be available on all digital platforms. This powerful song is exactly what is needed for today’s current climate. With tragedy, injustice, hurt and hate, “Praying And Believing” is the perfect salve for the country’s collective wounds. The poignant tune, written and produced by Erica and Warryn Campbell along with Dontae Winslow, uplifts the listener in every way. “Praying And Believing” is the introduction single to the forthcoming new compilation album WARRYN CAMPBELL PRESENTS MY BLOCK INC. The compilation album will feature all new music from Jason McGee & The Choir, MC Lyte, Lena Byrd Miles, JoiStaRR, The Walls Group and more, and will be released on all digital outlets on September 27, 2019. Viral single, “Blessings on Blessings” by Anthony Brown & group therAPy is nominated for GMA Dove Awards Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year, and currently ranks #3 on the Gospel Airplay chart and Hot Gospel Songs chart. “Blessings on Blessings” was named among the nominees for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the year during the official announcement for the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards via Facebook ‘Live.’ ELEMENTS is the top Gospel album of the week hitting the top slots on two charts this week. VaShawn Mitchell’s exceptional 9th album entered in the Number 1 on the Top Gospel Albums Sales chart; and Number 2 on Top Gospel Albums chart (Gospel consumption). The chart-topper continues to be led by the popular single “God Can Do Anything” which was one of the most-added songs at radio this week, and the official video has over 1 million views on YouTube. Fans in the Atlanta-area can also connect with VaShawn this Saturday, August 24, for a live performance, and album signing at DBS Sounds, Riverdale, GA. Mitchell will also perform on the anticipated season finale of BET’s Sunday Best this Sunday, August 25 at 8/7c. The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced the nominees for the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards, which was exclusively announced via Facebook ‘Live’ and co-hosted by 22-year-old Dove Award-winning singer and songwriter Jekalyn Carr along with award-winning legendary Christian artists Natalie Grant and Karen Peck. Additionally, the three-time GRAMMY and two-time Billboard Music Award nominee received two nominations in the categories of Gospel Artist of the Year and Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for her chart climbing radio single “I See Miracles.” The 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards will go down Tuesday, October 15, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) will exclusively air the show on Sunday, October 20, 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST. Voting for the final winners will run August 21 through August 28. When the late Bishop Eddie Long’s named successor, Bishop Stephen A. Davis, announced his resignation from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, after 16 months on the job, he cited the need to attend to his family and church in Alabama. Last Wednesday during an altar call at New Birth Birmingham — a church planted under the spiritual guidance of Long — Davis revealed he left his spiritual father’s congregation because of the politics of corrupt leaders he described as “fools.” “They didn’t say anything over there in Georgia when I gave $180,000. I worked the entire 16 months for free. Didn’t take a dime. Paid for my own condo for six months. Kept the debt off the Long family, $3,500 a month that they didn’t have to pay on Bishop Long’s condo. I paid it. I took the car back that I had given him as a gift, taking the pressure off the Long family. I gave $85,000 personally. They allowed wicked men to lead them. They lost their God sent. Now they have to settle for hirelings,” Davis said.After Davis left the church, controversial Pastor Jamal Bryant was selected to lead New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Four college students were wounded when a gunman opened fire into a crowd of 200 people outside a library near Clark Atlanta University and then escaped in the chaos, authorities said. All four injured women were in stable condition after the gunfire, which happened shortly after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. None of their injuries were life-threatening, Atlanta police said. The shooter had not yet been apprehended Wednesday morning. The block party was celebrating the end of orientation for new students. On Wednesday, the first day of classes, there was a heavy security presence on campus and in front of the library. A couple of Atlanta police officers stood on a corner across the street. On Tuesday night, an argument broke out between two parties and someone opened fire, investigators said. Video aired by WXIA-TV shows dozens of students running frantically after the gunshots were heard. The Kendrick brothers’ film making tandem may have another successful movie on their hands. Their newest film Overcomer (PG) – which releases in theaters this weekend – is exceeding Breakthrough in advance ticket sales on Fandango’s platforms, according to Harry Medved, Fandango’s senior director of public relations. Both are faith-based films. Alex and Stephen Kendrick’s last film, War Room (2015), climbed to No. 1 on its second weekend. It grossed $11.3 million on its first weekend and $9.4 million the following week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGyieGVn4P4 When Michael B. Jordan first met with “Moonlight” writer Tarell Alvin McCraney, the two surprisingly discovered through an emotional conversation that both had more in common than they realized. McCraney might jokingly attest, but Jordan said during a recent interview that their lengthy talk years ago about creating a new television project “ended in tears.” That’s when the “Creed” and “Black Panther” star knew he wanted to work with McCraney to develop their drama series “David Makes Man,” which airs Wednesdays on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN. “David Makes Man” is partially based on McCraney’s upbringing. The series follows 14-year-old David, played by Akili McDowell, who tries to juggle relationships between his magnet school friends and drug dealers in his South Florida impoverished neighborhood. The story explores David’s childhood trauma after the death of his close friend and mentor, Sky, who was a drug dealer. His former drug-addict mother also relies on him to find a way out of poverty through higher education. It's a Farewell Celebration Banquet to honor Bishop Marvin Sapp Monday September 9, 2019 at the JW Marriott International Ballroom Grand Rapids. Mi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDZuKnIfNSc&feature=youtu.be Gospel music star James Fortune joins Rock City Church as Creative Pastor. He joins the team as the church has joined forces with his former label Blacksmoke Music for Pastor Mike Jr’s new track BIG, which recently hit the top 10 Gospel Sales Chart. Fortune has a long history of charting as well. In 2005, Fortune and his group F.I.Y.A.’s debut album "You Survived" and lead single, of the same name, peaked at #2 on the R&B Gospel singles chart. He was also nominated for two GRAMMY awards for Identity and held the #1 spot on the gospel chart for 29 weeks for the powerful single "I Trust You." R. Kelly has been accused by multiple women of knowingly infecting them with an incurable STD, and now the Feds seem to be supporting these accusations. According to Bossip, investigators have come through with receipts: In an Aug. 15 letter to Kelly’s lawyers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes said her office had Kelly’s health and medical records from Walgreens, University Health Systems and Urgent Care, adding weight to the claim that Kelly had knowingly infected at least one woman with the herpes virus. Kelly’s lawyers have denied that he gave the alleged victim the incurable illness, and contended that the government has “zero evidence” that he did. Besides Kelly’s medical information, Geddes said the government had receipts for hotel stays, Ubers, bank records for both Kelly and his employees and airline receipts for Kelly and his alleged victims that prove he transported them from state to state. National Recording Artist, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host, Actress, Author, Songwriter, Comedian, Mentor, Entrepreneur, Speaker and Artist Darlene McCoy drops new song "Walk.".It is evident that we have not witnessed all that God has placed behind this bright shining star of a woman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIZBtkHMpB0&feature=youtu.be Oft-suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon returned to the New England Patriots’ practice field on Monday without pads and without saying when he might be able to play again. Gordon was seen stretching on the field during the portion of the team’s workout that was open to the media. In the locker room before practice, he declined a request for an interview. The Patriots placed Gordon on the non-football injury list Sunday, two days after the NFL reinstated him from an indefinite suspension that cost him the final three games of the 2018 regular season and the team’s Super Bowl run. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Gordon could participate in team meetings, conditioning and individual workouts while working himself back into shape. Gordon did not play in Saturday’s exhibition game against the Tennessee Titans and will not be allowed to play in Thursday night’s game against the Carolina Panthers because he hasn’t had enough time to practice with the team, the league said. Patriots coach Bill Belichick declined to comment on Gordon’s status on Monday. Teammates said they were glad to have him back. After making a triumphant return from its four-year hiatus earlier this summer, BET's inspirational singing competition, "Sunday Best,"moves closer to crowning a new gospel superstar. Last night, the Grammy Award-winning songstress, Fantasia heated up the stage with a debut performance of "Looking For You," from her forthcoming album "Sketchbook." She later joined the judge's panel, kicking off an emotional night full of surprises which ended with Joshua Copeland and Melvin Crispell, III moving forward to the finale episode airing August 25, 2019 at 8PM ET/PT. Fans are now encouraged to vote for their favorite contestant at: BET.com/VoteSundayBest. Challenged with connecting with their inner selves this week, each contestant had to perform twice. For the first performance, the contestants chose a personal song and Kirk surprised them with a close family member for motivation. Joshua selected Tasha Cobbs "I'm Getting Ready," while Melvin, performed Hezekiah Walker's "Wonderful Is Your Name" written by his late father Melvin Crispell II. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHQc3CCPL5I The Rev. Dr. Timothy Stewart, PNBC 58th president, kicked off the 58th Annual Session at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor, in the same church where King had been the pastor when the Progressive National Baptist Convention was founded. The service was filled with PNBC delegates and church members and Stewart started his sermon with explaining his theme, “In Pursuit Of Wholeness, Recovery of the Sacred,” (John 5:1-150. He then preached his first sermon at the Annual Session. The Business of PNBC started on Monday with Executive Committee and Board Meeting, with the Evening Mission Night Theme focusing the convention major comment to Mission, the message was given by Dr. Ngwedla Paul Msisa, President, Baptist World Alliance. BET Networks and Beverly Bond, CEO, Executive Producer and Creator of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® are excited to announce Emmy-nominated actress, Niecy Nash as host of The 2019 BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Awards on BET. This year’s celebration will tape Sunday, August 25, 2019 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ. The broadcast will premiere Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 8:00 P.M. ET/PT on BET. The 2019 star-studded line up of celebrants include Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominated actress, director, and producer Angela Bassett (Icon Award), Oscar, Golden Globe, and Emmy-winning actress and director Regina King (Star Power Award), GRAMMY-Award  winning singer/songwriter Ciara (Rock Star Award), Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated producer and industry trailblazer Debra Martin Chase(Shot Caller Award) two-time GRAMMY Award-winning musician H.E.R. (Young Gifted and Black Award), and activists The Mothers of The Movement Sybrina Fulton, Geneva Reed Veal, Gwen Carr, Lucy McBath, Maria Hamilton and Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley (Community Change Agent Award). Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” earned four wins from the African American Film Critics Association, who today, announced the winners of its upcoming AAFCA TV Honors. The highly popular Netflix limited series about the infamous Central Park rape case that resulted in the arrest and false imprisonment of five Black youths, received the following group awards: Best Limited Series, Best Ensemble, Best Writing and Breakthrough Performance for Jharrel Jerome who plays Korey Wise in the series. Other big wins went to the popular Starz drama “Power,” which begins its sixth and final season August 25th, and the CBS comedy, “The Neighborhood” starring Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold now entering its second season. Angela Bassett and Sterling K. Brown earned Best Performance Female and Male awards for their respective portrayals in the series “9-1-1” on Fox and “This Is Us” on NBC. Former University of Texas football star Cedric Benson has died at the age of 36, his brother confirmed on Facebook. The running back died in Austin Sunday morning, according to his family and multiple online reports. Former Texas coach Mack Brown commented on an Instagram post dedicated to Benson saying, “We lost a great one way too soon. #RIP” Benson made a name for himself during his college career with the Longhorns. He finished at UT with 5,540 rushing yards, which is second in Longhorns program history. With a simple “We do,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced his wedding to his longtime girlfriend on Instagram. A photo of the movie star and Lauren Hashian was posted on the social media site. Both were wearing white, and they were standing overlooking the ocean. The post said the date of their apparent nuptials was Sunday, in Hawaii. The couple have been dating for several years and have two young daughters. Johnson also has a teenage daughter from a previous marriage. Johnson has a lot to celebrate this month. His movie “Hobbs and Shaw” has been a box office success since being released earlier in August. Americas Got Talent alumni, Alex Boyé, has gained over 1 billion views on YouTube, and is now taking things to a whole new level of stardom with the release of Coming To Amerika! The album produced by Grammy Award winning producers 'Blac Elvis' and Neff-U and executive produced by Randy Jackson will be released by BFD via The Orchard. The inspiration for the album title is inspired by his own life and journey from England to America. He received a standing ovation when he performed on the 10th season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. His unique electric performance of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” sung with an African twist, brought the audience to their feet, leaving judge Howie Mandel to state, “in my 6 years of judging this show, this is the best musical act I’ve seen!” THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW airs Monday through Thursday at 11 P.M. ET/10C only on TV One. Joining DL this week is comedian/actor Larry Wilmore, Monday, August 19, comedian/actor Alonzo Bodden, Tuesday, August 20, comedian Aida Rodriguez, Wednesday, August 21 and former professional basketball player Jayson Williams, Thursday, August 22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc8nHoZpkQc&feature=youtu.be Motown Gospel honors 60 years of Motown with the release of the digital compilation Hitsville: A Motown Gospel Celebration, available with lyric videos for each classic song available on Motown Gospel’s YouTube Channel. Motown Gospel joins this year’s worldwide celebration of Motown by paying homage to the rich legacy and enduring impact of its sister label. The compilation project is a prelude to Motown’s journey and musical legacy that will be reflected in the upcoming documentary, Hitsville: The Making of Motown, premiering on Showtime on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT. The five-track project features classic songs covered by some of Motown Gospel’s top artists, including Brian Courtney Wilson’s soulful cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” Gene Moore’s soul-soothing rendition of the Jackson 5’s “Never Can Say Goodbye,” Jerard & Jovaun’s groovy soul version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “You’re All I Need To Get By,” and Lexi’s uplifting execution of Michael Jackson’s “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” As a special bonus, Evvie McKinney, winner of FOX’s hit TV singing competition The Four, graces the project as a special guest artist with her powerful and rousing delivery of Stevie Wonder’s “Sign, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).” Celebrating the eternal influence of Gospel on R&B/Soul music, the compelling Hitsville: A Motown Gospel Celebration marries the two genres with updated, gospel-soul renditions of Motown classics. Robin Thede knew plenty of talented African-American female comedians, but only a few were getting hired on popular TV comedy shows such as “Saturday Night Live” and “Mad TV.” So, Thede decided to create her own show featuring some of the industry’s funniest black women. The comic-writer-producer-actress is breaking new ground with her HBO comedy series “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” which airs Friday nights. The six-episode series offers sketches written and performed by an all-black female cast. It stars Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis and Quinta Brunson. Guests, mostly black women, include Angela Bassett, Kelly Rowland, Marsai Martin, Lena Waithe, Patti LaBelle and Natasha Rothwell. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Multiple Stellar Award nominated group Judah Band returns with a new single, “I Believe” available at all major digital retailers now. Judah Band made waves at Gospel radio and on the Gospel music scene in 2018 with its debut single, “For My Good,” and is widely known now as “one to watch.” The energetic, spirit-filled and fashion forward group follows up with “I Believe.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-yaN2wl440&feature=youtu.be The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced nominees for the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards. Entertainment One (“eOne”) received five nominations across various categories. Nominees: “Make Room”– Jonathan McReynolds, “I Made It Out”– John P. Kee, “You’re Doing It All Again”– Todd Dulaney, Declarations– Jonathan Nelson and To Africa With Love – Todd Dulaney. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com JAKE AND JAZZ BRING SOUTH AFRICAN VIBES TO LIFE ON THE SEASON FINALE OF LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p6Og_v1FeM&feature=youtu.be This week, THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES SOCIAL MEDIA SENSATION KWAY, ACTRESS SHERYL LEE RALPH, Sunday's Best Finalists, THE ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT, David Oyelowo, Champ Bailey and James Fortune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW4hRWxFsMk&feature=youtu.be JAY-Z and Will Smith are expanding their already impressive business portfolios by investing in the Airbnb-like camping app Hipcamp. The company announced on Thursday that it has taken $25 million in its latest round of fundraising, and among those investors is JAY-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners and Will Smith’s Dreamers VC fund. “Hipcamp is on the forefront of culture, creating meaningful and joyful experiences with the outdoors,” said Marcy Venture Partners co-founder Larry Marcus. “While mobile devices and technology enables their marketplace of unique camping sites, Hipcamp experiences provide a welcome respite from those very devices. Their ethos of creating an inclusive community that values the environment, preservation, and the great outdoors makes them an ideal partner to our firm. We are thrilled to be partnered with Alyssa and the team to help grow their business.” Beyonce and Nipsey Hussle’s longtime partner Lauren London were among the celebs who posted tributes to the slain rapper and philanthropist on what would have been his 34th birthday Thursday. On Thursday, Beyonce, shared a black-and-white portrait of Nipsey on Instagram along with the quote: “The marathon will be televised for N.I.P. ’cause true kings don’t die, we multiply, peace. Happy Birthday in paradise.” Hussle died on March 31 after being gunned down outside of his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles. Eric Holder, accused of killing Nipsey, has pleaded not guilty to murder. The top 3 singers must connect with their inner selves and perform twice. A close family member surprises each contestant and assists in choosing a personal song. Then the competitors hit the studio with Makeba Riddick-Woods to pen an original song. At the end, one is eliminated and viewer voting commenced to determine which of the final 2 will be crowned next week the winner of Season 9 (S9) Sunday Best. GRAMMY Award Winner & American Idol Winner Fantasia will performs new song "Looking For You" + Joins the Judges Panel. "Exciting plans are underway for multiple award- winning artist Donnie McClurkin to return to London for a special celebration. Twenty years ago the trailblazer made a gutsy decision to do an international live recording on the heels of his gold-selling, self-titled solo debut album, "Donnie McClurkin." Despite the naysayers, he went on to record Live in London and More… at the historic Fairfield Hall in Croydon, England in 1999. Now years later, UK's #1 radio station Premier Gospel and The New Wine Church located at Gateway House, in East London will host anniversary concerts on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19. Pastor Marvin L. Winans and the Perfecting Church Choir shined brightly as musical guests at the recent Democratic Presidential Debates held at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. Winans created special arrangements of, "America the Beautiful" and the "National Anthem" that was performed and aired live on CNN. White House correspondent April Ryan tweeted, "What an incredible rendition of "America the Beautiful," it mixed both the classical choral styles with the soul of the Black church experience. Bravo!" Pastor Winans has now turned his attention to the Perfecting Church 30 Year Celebration and Gala on Friday, October 11. The black tie affair is going down at the historic Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Pastor Marvin Winans In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/marvin_winans_intvw.htm TV One and CLEO TV, in partnership with Philo, presented a special REPRESENT cocktail reception during the 2019 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention Saturday, August 10 at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa. Hosted by TV One/CLEO TV General Manager Michelle Rice the event honored Sarah Glover - the first two-term president in the history of the NABJ - with a Legacy of Service Award for her exemplary leadership, support and excellence in journalism. Rice was also a featured panelist on the NABJ's W.E.B. DUBOIS PLENARY PANEL "Intersection of Race, Culture and Entertainment." Moderated by Kelley Carter of ESPN's The Undefeated, the panel also featured Actor/Activist, Hill Harper; General Manager, Aspire TV Melissa Ingram; Movie Producer, Hadeel Reda; and 2019 Miss America, Nia Franklin. The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced today the nominees for the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards, revealed exclusively on Facebook 'Live' with the help of Natalie Grant, Jekalyn Carr and Karen Peck. Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) will exclusively air the show Sunday, October 20, 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST. Voting for the final winners will run August 21 through August 28. Lauren Daigle leads artist nominations with six, followed by for KING & COUNTRY and Kirk Franklin with five. Crowder, Phil Wickham, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and TobyMac each honored with four nods. Top nominated writer/producer Wayne Haun scored 10 nominations. Tyscot Records have earned a collective five Dove Award nominations in the forthcoming 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards going down October 15, 2019 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena in Nashville, TN. Kelontae Gavin snagged a nod as New Artist of the Year. Anthony Brown & group therAPy, Casey J, Bishop Leonard Scott and Earl Bynum garnered nominations. Colin Kaepernick’s girlfriend is speaking out following the controversy surrounding the NFL signing an entertainment and social justice partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. The rapper and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference yesterday at Roc Nation’s offices to discuss the partnership. Jay-Z and Goodell claimed they had conversations with Kaepernick prior to forming the partnership. Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa, has called out Jay-Z for lying about having spoke to her man. Nessa twitted, THIS is a lie. COLIN never spoke to Jay-Z and NFL ahead of that deal being done. They NEVER included him in any discussion ???? https://twitter.com/tmz/status/1161702038389968896?s=21 …Kaepernick’s former teammate Eric Reid, also blasted Jay on Twitter about the NFL deal because Colin is not part of it. For years, producer Kenya Barris and his wife, Dr. Rania “Rainbow” Barris’ relationship helped inspire plotlines on Black-ish, Barris’ acclaimed and widely-watched ABC sitcom. Now, the two are parting ways. The Associated Press reports Barris filed for divorce last Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, on what was his 45th birthday. The couple, married since 1999, have six kids together, and their relationship served as inspiration for Andre “Dre” Johnson (Anthony Anderson) and Rainbow “Bow” Johnson’s (Tracee Ellis Ross) marriage on Black-ish. As one might expect in any long marriage, the Barrises have also weathered their share of trials: Dr. Barris, an anesthesiologist, previously filed for divorce in 2014, but the couple was able to reconcile and she withdrew her request the following year. RCA Inspiration celebrates fifteen Dove Award nominations this year, with the full list of nominees just unveiled for the upcoming 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards, going down in October. Nine artists are nominated, with hit makers Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Israel Houghton, Le’Andria Johnson, Donald Lawrence, William Murphy, Jason Nelson, and Marvin Sapp hailed in nine categories for their acclaimed releases over the preceding year. Garnering four nods in the top categories of Song of the Year and Gospel Artist of the Year, the remaining eleven Dove Award nominations span all the Gospel categories: Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year (with a separate writer’s nod for Franklin), Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year, Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year, Traditional Gospel Album of the Year, Gospel Worship Album of the Year, as well as Short Form Video of the Year. Additionally, Franklin received a nod in the category of Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year, as a producer on Tori Kelly’s album, Hiding Place. Each year the Gospel Music Association’s (GMA) Dove Awards are the biggest night, marking a milestone 50th anniversary this year celebrating the excellent artistry and successes across all varieties of Christian and Gospel music in the world, including Pop/Contemporary, Rap/Hip Hop, Traditional and Contemporary Gospel, Spanish Language, Worship, Bluegrass/Country/Roots, and more. The full list of RCA Inspiration’s GMA Dove Awards nominations is below. The 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards will be held Tuesday, October 15th, 2019 in Nashville, TN, and air on Sunday, October 20th, 2019 on TBN. RCA Inspiration 2019 GMA Dove Awards nominations: SONG OF THE YEAR Koryn Hawthorne, “Won’t He Do It” GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) Koryn Hawthorne Travis Greene CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR Kirk Franklin, “Love Theory” (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) Koryn Hawthorne, “Unstoppable” TRADITIONAL GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” feat. Le’Andria Johnson Marvin Sapp, “Kind God” (writer: Kirk Franklin) GOSPEL WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR William Murphy, “Settle Here” CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR Israel Houghton, Road to DeMaskUs Jason Nelson, The Answer Koryn Hawthorne, Unstoppable TRADITIONAL GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, Goshen GOSPEL WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR William Murphy, Settle Here Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by rapper and businessman Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, is entering into a multiyear partnership with the NFL to enhance the NFL’s live game experiences and to amplify the league’s social justice efforts. As part of the agreement, Roc Nation will advise on the selection of artists for major NFL performances like the Super Bowl. A major component of the partnership will be to nurture and strengthen community through football and music, including through the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative. The NFL formally launched the Inspire Change initiative in early 2019, after more than two years of work with NFL players, with the goal of creating positive change in communities across the country. Through this initiative, NFL teams and the league office work with the Players Coalition and other NFL players to support programs and initiatives that reduce barriers to opportunity, with a focus on three priority areas: education and economic advancement; police and community relations; and criminal justice reform. Roc Nation also will work with the NFL to create and distribute content across multiple music streaming services for a variety of initiatives. Chicago's Grammy® Award winning Thompson Community Singers, or the Tommies, dominated the gospel music airwaves from 1982 through 2000 when they had reigned as America's No. 1 choir with massive radio hits like"For the Good of Them" and"Safe in His Arms" which still pulls 50,000 streams a week – 30 years after its initial release. After the death of its founder, Rev. Milton Brunson, the choir disbanded in 2000. Now, they are back with a soul-stirring concert film, The Tommies Reunion , which is now available on DVD. The sold-out program took place at New Faith Baptist Church in Matteson, IL on a hot, rainy Monday night in August of 2016. With over 40 singers and musicians – ranging in age from 32 to 79, the majority of them from the choir's heyday alongside a handful of newcomers, they charmed the audience with their powerful voices. TV One will air THE AFRICAN PRIDE GOSPEL SUPERFEST Sunday, August 25, 2019 7 p.m. ET/6C. Held at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in Dayton, Ohio, the 19th annual celebration will bring together gospel recording artists and celebrities for one of America's most anticipated television events in urban gospel. Hosted by film and television star Wendy Raquel Robinson, the one-hour telecast will feature a musical celebration honoring Pastor Donnie McClurkin with guest performances by Deitrick Haddon, Sensere, J. Moss, Tye Tribbett, The Shelby 5, Isabel Davis, Micah Stampley, Byron Cage, Demetrius West & JP and many more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckboJuLMwTQ&feature=youtu.be Popular Christian rapper Lecrae revealed who his great grandmother’s slave owner was. “Just found the slave Master that bought my 3rd Great grandmother at 9 years old from Africa,” the Reach Records founder tweeted Monday. “Sobering,” he ended the post. The information was pulled from an 1860 federal census in Arkansas. Thousands of people liked and commented on the tweet, including Christian rapper THI’SL who revealed that he too recently discovered that he was born on a plantation. The public records are “Painful, Yet gives us some sort of identity and answers from our past,” NFL star Benjamin Watson tweeted Lecrae. “We are a strong people. To survive what this country has done to us and still be standing. Grace and truth.” Lecrae is known as a trailblazer in Christian hip-hop and paved a path for himself into the mainstream market. But with success came a lot of public criticism, disenchantment and a bout with depression. Dr. Joel McLeod, Chancellor of the Next Dimension University, an accredited Bible College, is pleased to announce the 2019 Commencement and Awards Ceremony Weekend. Celebrating 12 years of Academic Excellence at N.D.U. The Commencement goes down Saturday August 17th at 2:00 p.m. West Angeles Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA. This year’s theme: Doing it Big in God. This year Next Dimension University will honor Dr. Frederick K.C. Price with the Living Legend Award. Dr. Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, of Faithful Central Church, will give the commencement address. The class of 2019 will graduate 200 students and will honor Kurt Carr, Bill Duke, Marla Gibbs, Dina Andrews, Paul Jackson, Jr., Vickie Mack Latillade, Sheilah Belle, Dawnn Lewis, Lynette Hawkins Stephens, Tim Bishop Brown, Edna Sims and many others. NDU Alumni and Past Honorees have included; Fred Hammond, Donald Lawrence, Yolanda Adams, Randall Cunningham, Judge Mablean, Janet’ Dubois, Judy Jacobs, Bishop Noel Jones, Cecil Murry, Jack Hayford and many more. Some teenage phenoms, such as LeBron James, live up to the insane hype assigned to them, while others end up like Freddy Adu. The world will be watching to see how 15-year-old hoopster Emoni Bates handles the pressure — because he’s already being compared to one of the best ever. “In the best freshman conversation, he’s 1,” a veteran of the grassroots basketball scene told ESPN.com. “He’s better than LeBron as a freshman. Bron was good, real good. Emoni is dominant.” Bates, a native of Ypsilanti, Mich., is a 6-foot-8 forward ranked as the top prospect in the class of 2022. As another youth basketball observer explained to ESPN, Bates has “size, skill, killer mentality, shooting ability,” a combination the person has never seen out of a player Bates’ age. The rising sophomore led Lincoln High School in Michigan to its first state title last season and dazzled at the Nike Peach Jam amateur showcase last month, averaging 32.3 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game. Motown Gospel is honored to announce the official signing of iconic choirmaster Ricky Dillard today. Known for his skillful directing and inimitable presentation marked by high energy, acrobatics and charisma, the 3-time GRAMMY® nominee will record his Motown Gospel debut album, along with New G, live in Chicago Saturday, September 28, 2019 at Haven of Rest Missionary Baptist Church. “The Choirmaster,” as Ricky is famously known, brings a new flavor to Motown Gospel with his fiery directing skills and his ability to captivate and touch souls through his music. It is no mystery why his hit single “Amazing” spent a record-setting 30 weeks at number 1, or his most recent albums, 10 and Amazing, both debuted at number one on the Top Gospel Album Chart. Alex and Stephen Kendrick have enjoyed box-office success that few filmmakers ever will experience. Their movies “Fireproof” (2008) and “Courageous” (2011) both opened in the Top 4. Their 2015 movie “War Room” climbed to No. 1 in America on its second weekend. They’ve been interviewed by big-city newspapers and broadcast networks. But they don’t judge the success of their movies solely on box-office numbers or public relations victories. They judge success, Stephen Kendrick said, by a movie’s spiritual impact. “One person coming to Christ is better than 10 Academy Awards,” he told Baptist Press. The Kendricks are applying the same standard to their upcoming movie “Overcomer” (PG), which will release in theaters Aug. 23 and asks moviegoers to consider the question: What do you allow to define you? Yes, they want “Overcomer” to do well at the box office. But that’s because it will increase the number of moviegoers impacted. Hillsong worship leader Marty Sampson announced on Instagram Friday that he’s “genuinely losing his faith”—and he’s not upset about it. Sampson was one of Hillsong’s original worship leaders and wrote and co-wrote hundreds of praise songs including hits like “Now that You’re Near,” “King of Majesty,” “O Praise the Name,” “For Who You Are” and “Open Heaven.” In his post—which has since been deleted, along with the rest of the artist’s Instagram posts—he included a picture of what appears to be Samson bringing down the pillars of the Philistine temple in Judges 16. He writes that the more he thinks about it, the more Christianity seems just like every other religion, and he doesn’t want any part of it anymore: “Christians can be some of the most [judgmental] people on the planet—they can also be some of the most beautiful and loving people … but it’s not for me. I am not in any more. I want genuine truth. Not the ‘I just believe it’ kind of truth. Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion. Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of God.” Sampson also points to apparent contradictions in the Bible and the church as a reason he’s leaving the faith. Simone Biles continues to alter gymnastics and make history, and at U.S. Gymnastics Championships this weekend, she’s soaring toward her sixth national title. Literally. With a 1.75-point lead after Friday, the first of two days of competition, she’s in place to win another championship. Even when she struggled with routines featuring unprecedented difficulty, she continued proving she’s the best gymnast in the world. That was best exemplified in her performance on the balance beam. When she landed her dismount, she made history becoming the first gymnast to land a double-twisting double somersault. https://youtu.be/IyzdDu7ZHz8 During a hearing at Oakland County Probate Court on Tuesday, a Michigan judge agreed to allow a handwriting expert examine wills discovered in couch cushions after Aretha Franklin‘s death. Judge Jennifer Callaghan also placed administration of the Queen of Soul’s estate under court supervision. “That means the court will have a role in major decisions about her estate, including the sale of property,” per Page Six. Franklin’s niece Sabrina Owens remains the personal representative for the estate. Tuesday’s hearing exposed the deepening divide among Franklin’s surviving family members. A handwritten 2014 document shows the singer apparently wanted her son, Kecalf Franklin, to serve as the representative of her estate. Kecalf is petitioning the court to name him the estate’s personal representative, replacing Owens, and he is being supported by his brother Edward, according to the Detroit Free Press. Ted White, Franklin’s third son, has backed Owens while asking to be named co-representative, the report states. Owens is also favored to serve as guardian of Franklin’s eldest son, Clarence, who has special needs. In petitions filed last week, Jon Munger asked the court to deny Kecalf and Teddy’s requests to represent the estate. Pull Us Through is a song written, arranged, produced and performed by Jermaine Dolly featuring Maranda Curtis. This song serves as a reminder as well as encouraging the listener and all believers to call on God to pull us through in these difficult times. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW only on TV One, highlights "Best Of" fan favorite episodes featuring Steve Harvey, Morris Chestnut, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Tony Rock, Luenell, Sherri Shepherd and more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_CF8-bMTQs&feature=youtu.be The Gospel Music Association (GMA) celebrates its golden anniversary on Christian and Gospel music's biggest night. The 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards will goes down in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, October 15 honoring outstanding achievements and excellence in Christian music since 1969. Look for big names like Natalie Grant, Jekalyn Carr, Karen Peck to be there. The 50th celebration will be a powerful evening of high-energy and unforgettable vocal events paying tribute to 50 years of special appearances and sensational stage highlights over the decades. Performances representing modern Rock, Rap/Hip Hop, Pop/Contemporary, Inspirational, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, Country, Worship and more will make up an evening praising the rich musical diversity from the past, present and future of Gospel and Christian music. In an exclusive partnership with RCA Inspiration, GRAMMY® nominated and Stellar Award- winning artist Kierra Sheard has released two new singles, “Don’t Judge Me” featuring Hip-Hop icon Missy Elliott and a solo recording of “Don’t Judge Me” accompanied by a new music video. “Don’t Judge Me” debuts five years since her last studio album, 'Graceland" which earned her multiple nominations at the 2015 Stellar Awards and debuted at #1 on Billboard’s and iTunes’ Gospel Albums charts. “Don’t Judge Me” acknowledges that all of us make mistakes and are imperfect. Throughout the video, Kierra highlights her most vulnerable moments which have happened in the public eye. In addition to the release of her new singles, Kierra recently co-wrote and is featured on Chance The Rapper’s single “I Got You (Always and Forever)” along with En Vogue and Ari Lennox. Kierra will roll out more music in the coming months in partnership with RCA Inspiration, and will be recording a live-version of her upcoming album Kierra, in Detroit on September 13th, at her father Bishop J. Drew Sheard’s church, Greater Emmanuel Institutional COGIC. Kierra is slated for release in 2020. Outside of music, Kierra continues to pursue her acting career as she portrays the role of her mother, Karen Clark Sheard, in the upcoming Lifetime Biopic, “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel”, slated for January 2020. In the aftermath of two mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton that totaled more than 31 fatalities, a group of NFL teams are chipping in to help the victims. The Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys all announced Wednesday that they, alongside the NFL Foundation, are donating to the funds set up to help victims of the El Paso and Dayton shootings. The donations total $225,000. Gospel music’s favorite artist, VaShawn Mitchell returns with ELEMENTS, available everywhere today. The multiple Stellar and Dove Award winner, and GRAMMY nominee, offers an exceptional 13-track album in commemoration of his successful 20-year career in music. ELEMENTS has already generated two impactful singles “Wind of God,” and “God Can Do Anything,” which continues to climb the gospel radio charts. Todd Dulaney is best known as a dynamic worship leader, husband, father, and prolific songwriter - penning some of today's most beloved worship songs. His talent was on display when Dulaney performed a medley of his hit songs at TBN's Holy Land Experience, and introduced the worldwide audience to a new worship anthem, "Miracles, Signs and Wonders." Captivated by the presence of God felt through Dulaney's penmanship, the audience didn't even miss the exclusion of Dulaney's biggest songs as he led worship with his current chart-topping songs, "You're Doing It All Again,"and "Your Great Name." A certain former president and first lady have made their mark in Hollywood. “The Obamas settling into new role as Netflix producers,” said The Hollywood Reporter — referring of course to former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, who signed an exclusive production deal with Netflix some 15 months ago, then formed a Los Angeles-based production company called Higher Ground. More significantly, the couple is now readying their first release, a documentary titled “American Factory,” which chronicles the culture clash between Chinese and American workers in a U.S. auto glass factory. It is set to debut on Netflix before 139 million subscribers in 190 countries on Aug. 21 and will also be screened in select theaters around the nation. The film was already cited at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The couple’s next project will be “Bloom,” a dramatic series set in New York City shortly after World War II. The former White House residents, meanwhile, appear to be settling in at Netflix. Grammy nominated Gospel sensation Anthony Brown and Group therAPy announces the 2econd Wind Live tour, today. The 2econd Wind Live tour will kick-off at the Bronze Peacock at the Houston House of Blues in Texas Sunday, October 6, 2019. With the highly anticipated upcoming album 2econd Wind: Ready, the Stellar Award winner Anthony Brown and Group therAPy will deliver all the fan favorites, including his latest trending single “Blessings on Blessings.” 2econd Wind is not just another CD. It’s the song of the conqueror. It’s what happens when you push past the place where you said “I can’t”. This tour will be a defining moment for all who come. When God adds His “super” to your “natural”, 2econd Wind is the result. Meet me in a city near you so we can experience it together!, said Anthony Brown. Lamont Sanders drops hot song 'All That I Have (One God)" https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Lamont-Sanders-All-That-I-Have-One-God-85zRrF9Z0fNDKpKDlkRZ0 IT'S ALL ABOUT HOLLYWOOD GLAM ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0iYzwf2O_w&feature=youtu.be THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER WARYN CAMPBELL, EXONERATED FIVE YUSEF SALAAM, Brian Courtney Wilson AND MORE NEXT WEEK! There is no glamor to Sharon Shalom’s memories of his evacuation from the Sudanese desert to Israel 35 years ago. “I had to leave my parents behind in Sudan,” said Shalom, now a rabbi in Tel Aviv, in a phone interview. “The Mossad came in the middle of the night to take us on the trucks. In one small truck, we had 150 people; the mission was very dangerous.” Now the daredevil operation by Israel’s secret service to rescue more than 8,000 Ethiopian Jews from Sudanese refugee camps in the early 1980s has become “The Red Sea Diving Resort,” a fast-paced Netflix drama that turns Chris Evans, best known for playing Captain America, into a dashing Israeli hero. The resort of the film’s title refers to the dilapidated holiday retreat that the Mossad purchased as a cover for what they dubbed Operation Brothers. For those who are encapsulated in the finality of summer as August hits its zenith, Enon Music Group brings a “burst of April”in the summer time with the unveiling of cover art and pre order availability for The H.O.P.E. Experience, the highly anticipated CD release of singer, worship leader and dynamic vocal stylist and East Coast representative April Hall. April Hall shares her joy with the messages of strength and encouragement found in The H.O.P.E. Experience. “HOPE is an acronym for hold on, pain ends. A Christian rapper who has recorded songs with Toby Mac and Flame has the top-selling album in the United States according to Billboard. NF’s new album The Search grabbed the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s chart for the week of Aug. 10, edging Of Monsters and Men, Chance the Rapper, the Grateful Dead and Justin Moore. His 2017 album Perception also hit No. 1 on the chart. “I put my life into this and to see this much support means a lot,” he wrote on Twitter. “… The fans made this album #1, and I am forever grateful.” NF’s songs are free from the coarse language that litters much rap music, although he mostly rejects the “Christian rapper” label. Two of his first three albums were released by a Christian label, Capitol Christian Music Group (CMG). “I’m a Christian, but I’m just an artist." “To me, it’s like if you’re a Christian and you’re a plumber, are you a Christian plumber? That’s the easiest way for me to explain it. I just make music. I talk about my life, I talk about my faith. I talk about positive things that I’ve dealt with that have taught me things and I talk about negative things that I’m dealing with. I wouldn’t describe myself as that, but I am a Christian.” Lauren Daigle lands her first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart, as “You Say” ascends 2-1 on the Aug. 10-dated ranking. The ballad dethrones the longest-leading hit in the chart’s history: Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You,” after 33 weeks in charge. With “You Say” having topped the Christian Airplay chart for 17 weeks beginning last September, the song is the first to have led both that list and the AC survey. Madame Tussauds will honor late singer Aaliyah with a wax figure tribute set to debut in Las Vegas on August 21st. To celebrate the event, Aaliyah’s family and estate have set up a contest for loyal fans to get a chance to attend the exclusive VIP party where the wax figure will be unveiled. The Aaliyah App, helps to keep fans in the loop and allows users “to post videos up to three minutes long. The Aaliyah App was released after the long-awaited Aaliyah for M.A.C makeup collection that launched in June. Oprah Winfrey praised her late friend and idol, Toni Morrison, hailing the best-selling author’s “confidence and self-assuredness and nobility.” Winfrey and Morrison knew each other for more than 20 years, dating back to when Winfrey was so determined to learn the author’s unlisted phone number that she called the local fire department. Winfrey said that when she started her book club in 1996, she was thinking of Morrison. Winfrey recalled that when Morrison made her first appearance on “The Oprah Show,” she talked about raising her boys as a single mother and left many in the audience moved. Winfrey said Morrison recalled that her boys used to complain that she would fuss at them when they entered her room, asking them to button their shirts or comb their hair. “What I realize is that what every child really wants to know is do your eyes light up when I enter the room?” Morrison said then. Winfrey said Morrison’s lesson that day was larger than about children. It was about husbands, wives, lovers and anybody we care about. Today, breast cancer survivor, actress and producer, Vanessa Bell Calloway announced a production deal with Susan G. Komen to amplify the "Know Your Girls" campaign, through the re-launch of her digital series, In the Company of Friends on Instagram TV and the web. Bridging generational and technological divides by ranging from short to mid-form digital content on social media and across all digital formats, In the Company of Friends - All Things Healthy tackles issues such as wellness, self-image, food, fitness and more. In the Company of Friends return August 19th and features guests who range in age from Gen Z to Millennials to Baby Boomers, appealing to those who stream video content to a computer, mobile device, directly to a TV or across social media platforms. "With our incredible lineup of celebrities, industry-leading experts, and breast cancer survivors, the mission of In The Company of Friends - All Things Healthy will inspire, educate and entertain viewers," says Bell Calloway. We empower our audience to embrace a healthy lifestyle, by providing inspiration to make healthy choices." Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t want Meghan Markle to feel like an outsider, much like Princess Diana felt when she joined the family, which is why the reigning monarch has reportedly made “a particular effort” to make the former actress feel incredibly welcomed. Award-winning British journalist and author Duncan Larcombe told Fabulous that the queen is extending an invite to the Duchess of Sussex for several royal engagements. The move is said to be an effort to make certain Markle feels like she’s part of the family. “Meghan seems to have forged a particularly close relationship with the queen if you compare that to when other people have married into the royal family,” said according to Larcombe. “The queen, last year in the first few months of Meghan’s entry into the royal family, made a particular and slightly unusual effort to welcome her in,” Larcombe told the outlet. “Unusual in the context of the trip on the royal train to do a royal engagement. I am 99 percent sure she’s never afforded that offer to Kate.” Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur, will be the focus of a five-part FX documentary, the network announced Tuesday at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. Directed by Allen Hughes, “Outlaw: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur,” will be a re-telling of his relationship with his mother, who was a noted civil rights activist and Black Panther member. Afeni died on May 2, 2016. Colin Kaepernick is not ready to give up on his pro sports career even though he was last active in the NFL during the 2016 season with the San Francisco 49ers. In a Twitter post on Wednesday, the 31-year-old wrote: “5am. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready.” He then noted in a corresponding video that he’s been “denied” work for 889 days. Kap was blacklisted after he ignited a protest movement against police brutality by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem at games. The league responded by shutting him out; and he has not played since the 2016 season. Kaepernick fired back by filing a grievance in October 2017. The series will feature interviews from folks who personally knew them as well as never-before-heard or seen music, writings and poetry from the late artist. New artist and Gospel Powerhouse singer Josh Copeland makes his Gospel music solo debut with the release of his new single and EP - A Winans classic, "Uphold Me." Josh Copeland launched onto the scene a few years ago as a member of DMV's city-wide choir and 4-Time Stellar Award nominees Charles Butler & Trinity. As a member of Trinity, Josh gained attention throughout various churches and television platforms for his rousing performance of the electicifying song "The Blood," which he is featured on as a lead vocalist on Charles Butler & Trinity's album "The Blood Experience." SHIRLEY CAESAR GUEST STARS ON BET NETWORK'S “SUNDAY BEST” THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 11TH AT 8PM ET/PT. The Top 4 Contestants Take Viewers to Church! "SUNDAY GRAMMY nominated, Billboard Music Award Winner, and seven-time Stellar Award Winner JJ Hairston’s 10th album Miracle Worker debuts at #2 on the Top Gospel Albums Chart. The album Miracle Worker is accompanied by the release of a relationship book with his wife, Trina Hairston, titled, A Miracle Marriage. Fans can currently catch JJ and Trina Hairston on the multi-city “Love & Miracles Tour.” Tour stops can be found at JJHairston.com. Hip hop artist Chance the Rapper has revealed that his life was completely transformed for the better following his wife’s faith-filled decision to abstain from sex and to get baptized. The popular Chicago-based rapper opened up about his marriage on an Apple Music podcast, hosted by rapper, Nicki Minaj. Speaking candidly about his wife Kristen’s decision to abstain from sex, Chance explained how her bold choice actually helped set him free from spiritual bondage. Chance told the host about a track. “I need you to hear one song on my album that has my best verse that I written in my life,” he said. “It’s called ‘we go high.’” “I explain that my wife literally saved my life by becoming celibate and going and getting baptized,” Chance added. It was this radical decision that caused Chance, whose real name is Chancellor Jonathan Bennett, to start taking his faith more seriously. “It changed her life, obviously. But we [are] talking about me right now. It changed my life, for real. Now I know exactly where my strength comes from,” he explained. PMJ (Pastor Mike Jr.)is blazing a new trail. Not only does he Pastor one of the fastest growing ministries in the south, he’s also an up and coming artist whose soulful voice and vibe connects with practically every genre! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W6wqsg9MaI&feature=youtu.be The historic Prince of Peace Church, under the pastoral leadership of Willie E. Kilpatrick has a 50-voice mass that recorded and released their first Gospel album DO YOU KNOW. Pastor Willie E. Kilpatrick Presents Joseph Price and the Prince of Peace Choir releases DO YOU KNOW a 13-track album full of poignant and spirited hits. On Sunday, September 1st, Atlanta's Piedmont Park will welcome the 8th Pure Heat Community Festival; also known as a free “day of unity.” The free cultural event is equipped with market and food vendors, live celebrity and local performers, entertainment, educational forums, prizes & giveaways - all designed to bring together the spirit of community, pride, and vision. In partnership with The Vision Community Foundation, a portion of proceeds from the weekend’s festivities are used to benefit homeless LGBT youth and those infected/affected with HIV/AIDS. An exciting line-up of indie-artist performances, honorees and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. Hosted by Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III, Rashad Burgess, Avian Watson and Melissa “DJ M” Scott, the Pure Heat Community Festival is a front seat into a spectacular gathering of minority LGBTQ people and their allies in the heart of Atlanta. “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” (featuring Le’Andria Johnson) from GRAMMY® Award-winning icon and producer Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, hits #1 on the latest Billboard Gospel Airplay Chart. Just off the helm of a powerful performance on BET’s Sunday Best, Johnson joined Donald Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers on the stage, delivering her unforgettable vocal gifts that made her the Sunday Best season 3 winner, with Lawrence’s arrangement and poignant lyrics showcasing why he continues to remain one of Gospel music’s most prolific artists, music directors, songwriters, and producers. Watch Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” (feat. Le’Andria Johnson) BET’s Sunday Best Performance: https://www.bet.com/video/sundaybest/season-9/highlights/episode-907-s1-leandria-johnson-deliver-me.html Jay Z and Will Smith are behind an upcoming Emmett Till miniseries; the 14 your-old Black American teen who was murdered and mutilated in 1955 in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white girl. Till’s killers were acquitted, despite admitting to the murder later. But because of double jeopardy, they could not be tried a second time. Will and Jay’s project has finally found a home at ABC and will focus on the story of Till’s mother Mamie Till-Mobley, who dedicated her life to fighting for civil rights after her son’s death. Till-Mobley famously asked that her son’s casket be left open during his funeral in Chicago, which was attended by more than 50,000 people and covered by Jet magazine. Photos of his lynching rocked the nation. CNN is reportedly planning to roll out an all-black panel show featuring regular contributors April Ryan, Andrew Gillum, Angela Rye and Bakari Sellers. According to Page Six, the group were a hit with viewers when they appeared on the network’s morning show, “New Day With Alisyn Camerota and John Berman” during the Democratic debates last week. “It was the most excitement on that morning show since Chris Cuomo left as co-anchor,” a source told the outlet. “CNN is fast-tracking talks … to develop it into a stand-alone show. The early chatter is that it could start as a weekend show that would rival MSNBC’s programming with Joy Reid, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Kendis Gibson.” Stellar Award winning and Dove Award nominated singer-songwriter, Maurette Brown Clark, has dropped a music video for her radio single, “I Want God." The video made its debut on BET.com https://www.bet.com/video/bet-gospel/2019/maurette-brown-clark-i-want-god.html Toni Morrison, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author who illuminated the joys and agonies of black American life through breathtakingly vital works like Beloved, Song of Solomon and A Mercy, died on Monday night her publisher Knopf confirmed. She was 88 years old. Over her six-decade career, she wrote 11 novels, five children’s books, two plays, a song cycle and an opera. She served as an editor and professor, mentoring generations of young writers of color. After being largely ignored as a writer for a decade in the ‘70s, Morrison went on to win accolade after accolade, from the Nobel Prize in Literature to the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction. Khalid took to Twitter on Monday (Aug. 5) to announce that he’s planning to hold a benefit concert for the families of victims of the El Paso, Texas, mass shooting later this month. “Over the past few days, I’ve been thinking of ways to help out and support the city,” the pop/R&B artist who lived in El Paso during his senior year of high school wrote. “I’m planning for a benefit concert later this month, all of the proceeds will go to the families affected by the shooting. Sending everyone my love and will keep you guys updated.” He added: “Over the past few days, my mind and heart have been heavy. Hearing/seeing an act of terrorism happen so close to home, my family, and my friends has been unbelievable and shocking. Singing ‘915’ and ‘city of El Paso’ on tour every night feels indescribable.” It’s been 13 years since its inception, and Skillet isn’t slowing down any time soon. The wildly popular Christian rock band delivered its 10th studio album, Victorious, just after midnight on Friday (Aug. 2), and as the title suggests, it’s a tribute to overcoming obstacles. Produced by frontman John Cooper and his wife, guitarist Korey Cooper, the 12-track album follows the dynamic, pounding rhythms their fans adore. The lead single, “Legendary,” sets the tone for the rest of the track list with fiery lyrics like, “Fly high or will I fall?/Legends made when faith is strong/Say my name, No time to plead/Say my name, I’m conquering.” Victorious is a follow-up to 2016’s gold-certified Unleashed. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday at 11 P.M. ET/10C only on TV One. Joining DL in the studio this week is actress/model Karrueche Tran, Monday, August 5, former football star Brian Banks, Tuesday, August 6, actress Gabrielle Dennis, Wednesday, August 7 and comedian Ralph Harris, Thursday, August 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4t_O8HdG0c&feature=youtu.be After taking a six-year pause from his solo recording career, Isaac Carree is back with his highly anticipated recording, No Risk… No Reward, set for release this Fall on Shanachie Entertainment. Taking risks is something the Atlanta based Renaissance man is well acquainted with. His motto is “Why not?!” He explains, “I’m intentional about everything I do. Sometimes I do things even if I am afraid, but I do it! WHY NOT?!” The new single is HER....https://soundcloud.com/shanachie-1/isaac-carree-her/s-acPxR With two mass shootings making national news over the weekend, responses from evangelical leaders shifted from mourning the tragic events to naming the evil blamed for recent attacks. Several pastors spoke up to decry the racism and white supremacy that, according to an online manifesto, motivated a gunman to attack a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, Texas, killing 20 people and injuring 26 more on Saturday. That night, another mass shooting took place at a bar in Dayton, Ohio, though authorities have not determined a motive. “As president of @SWBTS, I want to be clear that we condemn in the strongest possible form any and all ideologies of racial/ethnic superiority/inferiority that fuel the kind of hate evidently motivating the #ElPaso shooter to commit such a horrific act of violence in our state,” tweeted Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Multiple Southern Baptist leaders echoed Greenway’s remarks, and others—including leaders like Denny Burk and Andrew Walker—shared a National Review editorial that targeted white supremacy as the root cause of America’s mass shooting problem: The El Paso tragedy marks the second US attack this year involving a young white man who named the New Zealand mosque gunman as inspiration the first was California synagogue shooting suspect back in April. Since 2017, white extremists have targeted victims in eight US attacks, but the El Paso shooting was the most deadly, The New York Times reported. The ideology has been linked to at least four of the ten worst “active shooter incidents” in the country. Rihanna slammed Donald Trump over his response to the mass shooting that took place in the early hours of August 4 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The gunman, 21-year-old white supremacist Patrick Crusius, killed 20 people and left 26 injured. Trump offered his “heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the great people of Texas” after tweeting that “there are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people.”Posting a screenshot of Trump’s tweet, Rihanna wrote: “Um… Donald, you spelt ‘terrorism’ wrong! Your country had 2 terrorist attacks back to back hours apart leaving almost 30 innocent people dead.” Adding: “Imagine a world where it’s easier to get an AK-47 than a VISA! Imagine a world where they build a wall to keep terrorists IN AMERICA!!! My prayers and deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims from Texas, California, and Ohio! I’m so sorry for your loss! Nobody deserves to die like this! NOBODY!” Afton Williamson, star of the ABC crime series “The Rookie,” says she is quitting the show because of sexual harassment and racial discrimination she experienced during the making of the show’s first season. In an Instagram post Sunday, Williamson outlined a series of claims against the show. She said she was sexually assaulted by the show’s hair department head, sexually harassed by a recurring guest star and suffered bullying from executive producers. Williamson also was highly critical of how her claims were handled by showrunner Alexi Hawley. Williamson says her claims weren’t seriously investigated by the network and weren’t shared by Hawley with other producers. Representatives for ABC did not immediately respond to messages Sunday. After four weeks in a Swedish prison, a judge allowed A$AP Rockyto go back to the United States while the courts determine the verdict in his assault case. The multiplatinum-selling rapper quickly hopped on Twitter to express his gratitude for all the support he received during the ordeal. “THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART TO ALL OF MY FANS, FRIENDS AND ANYONE ACROSS THE GLOBE WHO SUPPORTED ME DURING THESE LAST FEW WEEKS,” he wrote in all caps. “I CANT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR ALL OF YOU. “THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT AND HUMBLING EXPERIENCE I WANT TO THANK THE COURT FOR ALLOWING ME BLADI AND THOTO TO RETURN TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF THE LOVE AND SUPPORT.” Hank Aaron’s arrived at an Atlanta restaurant Friday to talk with 44 high school players, mostly African-Americans. The visit was part of Aaron’s ongoing efforts for more diversity in baseball. Brian Hunter, who has been coaching some of the players, said that the 85-year-old Hall of Famer has that effect on baseball players of all ages. The high school players in attendance had a similar impact on Aaron. The players were selected to participate in the inaugural Hank Aaron Invitational exhibition game at SunTrust Park on Saturday. The event, formerly called the Elite Development Invitational, was renamed for Aaron last year. Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, are celebrating 8 years of marriage! Thursday, the six-time NBA All-Star and TV personality and best-selling cookbook author, celebrated their marriage milestone — marking the occasion with sweet tributes to one another on their Instagram accounts. In each post, the couple noted how both the challenging and happy times have worked together to make their relationship stronger. “My baby, my love, my life. What can I say. This is us 8 years married in, loving each other for 11 and we somehow still find reasons and things that we love about each other every day,” Ayesha, 30, captioned a selfie of the pair. “Each day with you is the ultimate blessing. Getting to do life with you is an infinite sea of bliss.” The Family Food Fight host added, “Through our ups and downs we only become stronger and that is the ultimate key. When the trauma becomes the triumph you win! I love you for ever and always constantly giving the ultimate glory to God. Here’s to 8!” Vera Brown is a chosen vessel of God, an anointed voice and a woman who encourages through her voice and through her incredible life. Vera's professional singing career had her she joining The Ritchie Family (sister group of The Village People), replacing Ednah Holt and became their official lead singer. Vera left R&B music seeking a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord and decided to accept the calling on her life to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ though song in Praise and Worship music. Vera's new single, "Yes We Can Can", is a remake of the Pointer Sisters classic hit in which Vera delivers with passion and with an authentic throughback funky vibe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_kZvKqrqyI&feature=youtu.be Phil thiompson drops a hot praise song, "Your Love/Found Me." Check it out!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSVL3Nipma4 Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC), the oldest, largest and most prominent African American church in Northern Virginia, presents an extraordinary FREE Men's One-Day Conference, featuring Hollywood producer and New York Times Best-Selling author, DeVon Franklin, as keynote speaker, and will be led by ASBC Pastor Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley. "Beyond Childish Things" is the theme of the conference, which will address how men can grow/mature in their faith, finances, and relationships. In addition, it will discuss how men can move beyond childish behavior to become the men God has called and destined them to be. International and celebrated Choir Director Chantel R. Wright's Pneumatica joins the annual Thomas Dorsey National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses from Sunday, August 3 through Sunday, August 11 at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. The nine-member inspired youth-ensemble will perform selections from the group's debut CD, Chantel R. Wright Presents Pneumatica: All We Need. Sensational singer, songwriter, and producer Thomas Batts is currently impacting the airwaves with his new single "Heal Me" featuring Michael Green and TaMyya J. "Heal Me" is an epic song that deals with real life everyday issues. Hear, the amazing singers deliver the lines as if they're dictating what's happening as it occurs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7k-wlepW_4&list=PLZExzmTVPFATmJ5103vdCRKysEXrEbwip Global United Fellowship (GUF) recently convened its 6th annual gathering at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. It was the first time that the organization hosted the annual event on the island that is the home of its Presiding Prelate, Bishop Neil C. Ellis. The Gathering 2019 was focused on The Healthy Church, and provided numerous immersive sessions that took a bold and practical look at issues faced by contemporary Christians, church leaders and congregations. One such session was "Man Talk," presented by movie producer and author Devon Franklin and veteran actor Dondre Whitfield. Another powerful session was the panel discussion “Should We Rethink the Way We Do Church” hosted by Jawn Murray. SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES EPISODES OF GRAMMY-NOMINATED GOSPEL ARTIST DEITRICK HADDON, NEW SOUL KITCHEN CO-HOST CHEF JERNARD, AWARD-WINNING FILM/TV PRODUCER DEVON FRANKLIN AND MORE SPECIAL GUESTS NEXT WEEK! Aretha Franklin’s newly renovated estate in Bloomfield Township, Michigan has been relisted for a cool $1.2 million. The Queen of Soul, who passed away last year at the age of 76, had not lived in on the property for 15 years. But the real estate company bills it as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to live in the home once owned by the icon singer. Shortly after Franklin died from pancreatic cancer, her suburban mansion hit the market for $800,000. The 4,100 square feet house, built in 1990, features: Five bedrooms, Six bathrooms' Overlooks a common pool and two ponds' Courtyard entrance with circular drive, Two-story marble foyer with crystal chandelier, opens to two-story great room with granite fireplace, Wet bar and Gourmet kitchen. JAKE AND JAZZ TRANSFORM A HOME INTO AN ENVIABLE FAMILY PLAY LAND ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llB9qxv5XAc&feature=youtu.be Check out Sunday's Best this Sunday 8/4 on BET to see Donald Lawrence & Le'Andria Johnson perform "Deliver Me" https://youtu.be/KwYJv455Zmk William & Mary has received a $1 million grant to help fund research into the legacy of slavery and racism at the school in Virginia as well as at the estate of fifth U.S. President James Monroe. The university in Williamsburg said in a statement Wednesday that the grant comes from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. William & Mary said the five-year grant will fund several initiatives. They include genealogy work as well as an oral history project documenting stories of descendants of enslaved men and women. The project will be executed in part by the school’s Lemon Project, which aims to rectify past wrongs by the school against African Americans. Also involved is Highland, Monroe’s former estate in Charlottesville, which is part of William & Mary. Kanye West, who has been hosting invite-only, church-style services on Sundays recently, is apparently now a “born-again Christian.” News of West’s alleged faith came from fellow rapper Nicki Minaj, who, while hosting “Queen Radio” on Apple Music, revealed West told her that he turned to God in 2016, when he was hospitalized and ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “Sometimes in the music business, we think that other artists don’t believe in God or aren’t spiritual as we are,” she explained. “Then when you find people because I was just with Kanye, and he told me he’s a born-again Christian now.” Minaj went on to say she noticed a change in West’s demeanor the last time she saw the fashion designer. “Like, my first instinct was, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ because I could see there’s a peace that he has now that just surpasses everything,” she said. “And that’s what I find God gives you. And I love when I see men that are man enough to embrace God.” A fundraiser has been launched on social media to help replace several portraits of African American musicians torn down in a North Carolina city. WITN in Greenville reports the portraits were posted in the city of Kinston as part of the North Carolina Arts Council’s efforts to bring recognition to local African American artists that have made an impact in music. The portraits also were part of the city’s beautification effort. The Facebook fundraiser has been established to help raise $3,500 to go toward replacing the portraits. There have been no arrests in the case. Twenty-two-year-old Caeleb Dressel broke retired Olympic champion Michael Phelps’ world record in the 100-meter butterfly last week. The 8-time world champion gold medalist beat his competition at the world swimming championship in Gwangju, South Korea with 49.50 seconds, narrowly beating Phelps by 0.32 seconds, according to Faithwire. Phelps set the previous record at the 2009 world meet in Rome. The Florida native is no stranger to strong victories. He first won an Olympic gold medal alongside Phelps in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay in Rio de Janeiro. Last year, he tied Phelps with seven gold medals in the world championships. This year, he broke all records with eight medals. Bless Somebody Else, the newly-released album from Gospel legend Kurt Carr, makes its debut at #2 on the Gospel albums consumption charts, debuting at #2 on the Top Gospel Albums chart and Soundscan’s Current Gospel Albums chart. Featuring an upbeat rhythmic mix, a dash of good humor, and an optimistic outlook to encourage us to be a blessing to others, among the album’s standout songs include “With Thanksgiving,” “Grace Brought Me Back/Love Lifted Me” feat. Le’Andria Johnson, “I Got Back Up” feat. B. Slade, “Blessing After Blessing,” “Something Big, Something Marvelous” along with the title track “Bless Somebody Else (Dorothy’s Song).” Checkout the review of the album on the Gospel Spotlight....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm Derrick Starks drops new music "Sanctified Church Medley"....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11tZeO3AvO4 Jekalyn Carr internationally acclaimed and award-winning artist/author/actress/speaker/entrepreneur is excited to announce a LIVE ALBUM RECORDING! The event will go down during the 15th Anniversary of Praise 102.5's Praise In The Park ATL, October 5, 2019 at the CELLAIRIS Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta, GA. Jekalyn has enjoyed incredible success – with "I See Miracles." She's had multiple #1 hits, including "You're Bigger," "You Will Win," and "It's Yours." Additionally, she is a 3-time GRAMMY Award nominee, two-time Billboard Music Award nominee, NAACP Image Award nominee and four-time Stellar Award and GMA Dove Award winner. William “Duce” Branch rapped about eschatology at the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference, incorporating rhyme, rhythm and bounce. “Today feels beautiful. I wanted you to know, about a rescuer who can stop the funeral. He’s beautiful…. Controls this life, and the next. He can take a life falling apart, tighten it up like a hex key.” Branch, an assistant professor of preaching and Bible at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, calls himself “the ambassador” and admits to being a preacher using rap as a disguise. He ministered to adults of all ages during the Tuesday evening worship at the conference held July 22-26 at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest, N.C. “In other words,” Branch said, “eschatology … is to motivate present faithfulness and hope when we think about the end. Eschatologically we say this is just a preview, but I’m glad there’s more to come.” As the city of Baltimore is caught in the crossfire of political and social media banter this week, Somebody Cares Baltimore, a chapter of Somebody Cares America, continues to bring hope and connect people to much needed resources on a daily basis, as it has done for the past 10 years through a collaboration of the church, business and law enforcement communities. On July 27, SCB hosted an annual Day of Hope event in Bocek Park, the first of two this summer. The second Day of Hope will be on Aug. 10 at Frederick Douglass High School. “Day of Hope is a one-day special community event that is designed to meet both human and spiritual needs of our residents,” says SC Baltimore Director Matt Stevens. “It is an all-out lavishing and saturating of schools and communities with prayer and acts of kindness.” Going to the most violent and impoverished areas, Day Of Hope has mobilized thousands throughout the years to serve more than 20,000 residents in 14 different Baltimore city neighborhoods. In a festival atmosphere with music, food, and prize give-aways, kids play games and jump on moon-bounces while their parents receive free groceries and visit with service providers, from doctors to bankers to community resource representatives. Get blood pressure checked, learn how to avoid foreclosure and more. At the prayer tent people receive prayer and learn about Jesus. The Atlantic has obtained audio of an October 1971 conversation between Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon where the former described African delegates at the United Nations as “monkeys.” Reagan was governor of California at the time the conversation took place, and Complex writes that he was angry because African delegates started dancing after the U.N. voted to oust Taiwan and recognize the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations.” Reagan, a supporter of Taiwan, called Nixon the following day to express his disappointment, saying:”To see those… monkeys from those African countries – damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes!”Nixon can then be heard laughing. Duchess Meghan Markle has confirmed that she will release her own clothing line later this year, as part of a partnership with Misha Nonoo, fashion brand Jigsaw, and British retail stores Marks & Spencer and John Lewis. The collection is for a good cause too — for every item of clothing purchased, another will be donated to charity. Markle announced the news in British Vogue’s upcoming September issue, which she guest-edited. Proceeds of the collection will go to Smart Works, Markle’s charity that helps unemployed women get back into the workplace, Business Insider reports. Free agent point guard Jeremy Lin tearfully told a Christian television audience in Taiwan that he believes the ‘NBA has given up’ on him following his ninth season in the league. After winning an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in June, the 30-year-old Harvard alum has remained unsigned this summer. The first American NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, Lin played only one minute of the Raptors’ recent NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors. Lin earned the nickname ‘Linsanity’ while leading the injury-ravaged Knicks – losers of 11 of their previous 13 games – on a seven-game winning streak. Red Sox legend David Ortiz said he is spending “priceless” time with his family in his first Instagram post since he was shot and seriously injured in the Dominican Republic. “Being at home and look at my family celebrating that I’m here safe is priceless… Thanks for all the prayers,” Ortiz wrote on Instagram on Monday. “Too bad I can’t crush food yet!!!!” The photos in the post showed a steak on a grill, pasta, and fish. Ortiz was shot in the lower back while sitting at a Santo Domingo night club in early June and was subsequently flown to Boston for further treatment. He was released from the hospital over the weekend. The Dallas Cowboys are being sued for $20 million after allegedly conspiring with local Texas police to cover up a 2017 car crash involving star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott allegedly ran a red light on January 11, 2017 and rammed his GMC truck into a BMW sedan belonging to Ronnie Hill, according to a lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail. TMZ was the first to report the lawsuit. The Cowboys were days away from playing the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs at the time. According to Hill, the Cowboys ‘conspired with the Frisco [Texas] Police Department to cover up the severity of the accident to assure that Elliott’s health would not be placed in question before their playoff game.’ A jury on Monday found that Katy Perry’s 2013 hit “Dark Horse” improperly copied a 2009 Christian rap song in a unanimous decision that represented a rare takedown of a pop superstar and her elite producer by a relatively unknown artist. The verdict by a nine-member federal jury in a Los Angeles courtroom came five years after Marcus Gray and two co-authors, first sued in 2014 alleging “Dark Horse” stole from “Joyful Noise,” a song Gray released under the stage name Flame. The case now goes to a penalty phase, where the jury will decide how much Perry and other defendants owe for copyright infringement. Rapper Lecrae who is known for making music about being unashamed of his relationship with Jesus Christ took to social media over the weekend to lift up his fans who feel discouraged and are falling away from their faith. The Reach Records founder posted of photo of himself and mainstream artist, Chance the Rapper on Saturday to grab people’s attention. In times past, Lecrae has been criticized by some in the faith community for mingling with secular rappers but his new post went on to explain why he does it. “I didn’t grow up in church, I don’t know all the cultural rules and norms. I’m a lil unorthodox, I don’t call myself religious. Religion to me is following rules hoping to be right with God,” he said. The Gospel Music Association (GMA) has announced its new board of directors for both GMA and the GMA Foundation. Effective immediately, Scott Brickell, President of BrickHouse Entertainment becomes GMA Chairman while former congressman Zach Wamp, Zach Wamp Consulting becomes GMA Foundation Chairman. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday at 11 P.M. ET/10C only on TV One. Joining DL this week is actor Miguel A. Nunez, Monday, July 29, actor/comedian Guy Torry, Tuesday, July 30, actress Loretta Devine, Wednesday, July 31 and actor Aldis Hodge, Thursday, August 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKhF9J_1n4M&feature=youtu.be A Texas woman who celebrated her 110th birthday Saturday isn’t crediting diet or genes for her long life, instead, she is giving all of the credit to God. “Blessing of the Lord. He’s the one keeping me. That’s why I’m living,”, Elizabeth Francis told ABC 13 in Houston. Francis was born in Louisiana in 1909. That year, William Howard Taft was president. Wilbur and Orville Wright had flown their famous plane just six years earlier. World War I had not yet started. Civil War veterans were still alive. In 1909, the life expectancy of a woman in America was only 54 years old. Francis defied those odds for yet another year, as she celebrated her 110th birthday this Saturday. For the fifth year, WHUR and Café Mocha Radio hosts the Salute HerTM Awards presented by Toyota Motor North America which will take place on Thursday, August 22, 2019, at the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre. Two-time Gracie Award-winning Café Mocha Radio, affectionately known as ‘Radio from a Woman’s Perspective,’ airs Saturday mornings from 7-9 am on WHUR-FM 96.3. This year an array of diverse women who make a critical difference in their respective communities will be honored. Led by women who have dared to “Step Into Your Power” such as Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Wimbledon sensation Cori “Coco” Gauff, and Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia Marshall. Central City Productions announces the 2019 Black Music Honors television taping going down Thursday, September 5th at The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, GA. During this star-studded two-hour television special, Central City Productions (CCP) honorees for this year’s Black Music Honors include Xscape who will receive the Urban Music Icon Award, Yolanda Adams will receive the Gospel Music Icon Award, Arrested Development and Freddie Jackson will also be honored. Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett return as co-hosts, which is set to air in broadcast syndication Sept. 14 – October 20, 2019. State Farm returns as the show’s title sponsor. The new single "Great Faith" by The Tommies Reunion is a powerful and inspirational song that encourages and reminds us to have faith in God. Musically, this is an upbeat horn-blaring, catchy song, that is crafted as a simple, choir friendly, Sunday morning selection. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/VQdBiI9ecm/files/fi-bb0cd2b5-46f4-4e53-922b-2e3cf40bc8e8/fv-03bbb150-6161-4f9c-b027-5908beb7ab7e/GREAT%20FAITH%20RAD%20EDIT%20192.mp3 Following news that three white University of Mississippi students were suspended from their fraternity after a picture of them posing with guns in front of an Emmett Till memorial surfaced on the internet, plans are underway to replace the current sign with a new bulletproof one. The sign, located where Till’s body was pulled out of the Tallahatchie River in 1955, has been habitually defaced by racist vandals and riddled with bullets since it was erected in 2007. The executive director of the Emmett Till Memorial Commission, Patrick Weems, told CNN that the organization has teamed with Brooklyn’s Lite Brite Neon Studio to design a 600-pound sign made of reinforced steel that will go up in October. MTV is reportedly deciding whether to remove Michael Jackson’s name from their Video Vanguard Award for this year’s Video Music Awards, or get rid of the award completely. The MTV Video Music Awards are less than a month away, and organizers are considering renaming the award in light of the controversy stemming from HBO’s documentary “Leaving Neverland.” According to Page Six, “There’s a lot of heated discussion at the network about how to handle the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award this year, and it’s getting ugly,” said the insider. There’s also talk about who would present it and who would accept it. Leaving Neverland” centers around two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claim Jackson molested them as young boys. Many fans doubt the allegations, while Jackson haters have decided to boycott his music all together. Singer-songwriter-guitarist, C West, has jumped the broom with his longtime girlfriend, Katie Soriano. The couple were married earlier this month on a private estate outside of Atlanta and they honeymooned in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The couple met in and have been dating since 2016. The Buffalo-New York native recently released a haunting new acoustic Pop-Folk ballad, "West," about the life he dreams of having with his new bride. In the poetic pun on his surname, West plays his guitar and sings of empty gas tanks, waterfalls and the sun setting in…the west. Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is out of the hospital following three surgeries after being shot in the back at a bar in the Dominican Republic. The Red Sox said Saturday that they’ve been told Ortiz has been released from Massachusetts General Hospital. The team said there will be an update on his condition next week. ESPN reported the 43-year-old Ortiz has been home since Friday and will continue his recovery there. A 10-time All-Star, Big Papi led the Red Sox to three World Series championships before retiring after the 2016 season. GRAMMY nominated, Billboard Music Award Winner, and seven-time Stellar Award winner JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise's 10th album Miracle Worker, is available now. Hairston's 10th album is accompanied by the release of a relationship book with his wife, Trina Hairston, titled, A Miracle Marriage. Fans can currently catch JJ and Trina Hairston on the multi-city "Love & Miracles Tour." , J.J. Hairston is a friend of the Gospel Spotlight, so Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear J. J. Hairston In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/J_J_Hairston_intvw.htm The biggest names in Christian ministry and gospel music will convene in Atlanta, Georgia, August 15-17 for the “Young Leaders Conference.” Pastor Jamal Bryant, Bishop Noel Jones, Rev. Michael McBride and many other Black Faith Leaders will attend. During the event, members of the Black Church PAC will convene a candidate’s forum and allow young leaders to interview presidential candidates. Several 2020 presidential candidates, including former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro and Mayor Pete Buttigieg are expected to attend and be interviewed by young leaders of faith. Invitations have also been extended to Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders. Senator Kamala Harris sent regrets for being unable to attend. The event is co-sponsored by the LIVE FREE campaign and The Black Church PAC. Entertainment One Nashville welcomes its newest signee: GRAMMY-nominated recording artist and daytime television host, Syleena Johnson. Known as the “Queen of Chicago,” and one of the most underrated singers of the new millennium – Johnson returns to music with the release of her 10th album, “WOMAN” in Fall 2019. Syleena empowers and calls all women to stand up for themselves and to be bold, brave and fearless, declaring 2019 as the “Year of the Woman.” Her current viral single, “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frROGOqk85A&feature=youtu.be JAKE AND JAZZ CREATE AN ACTOR'S DREAM ENTERTAINMENT SPACE ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZbfLJFLIp8&feature=youtu.be THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES this week - Gospel Singer JJ Hairston and wife Trina Hairston, COMEDIAN/ACTRESS SHERRI SHEPHERD, SINGER/SONGWRITER ANGIE STONE AND MORE! The mainstream pop and Christian hip-hop (CHH) worlds collided again this month, as a five-year-old lawsuit claiming Katy Perry stole beats from a CHH song made it to court. Last week, Perry took the stand before a civil jury in downtown Los Angeles and maintained that she was not familiar with Flame’s “Joyful Noise” (featuring Lecrae) when she created her 2013 magic-themed, pop-meets-trap hit “Dark Horse.” Despite her origins as a Christian musician—then performing as Katy Hudson—Perry said that she was “mostly always listening to…secular music.” A US District Court judge rejected a summary judgment bid by Perry and several other songwriters last summer, and the trial will continue on Friday, when Flame (Marcus Gray) is expected to testify again. Flame originally claimed in a 2015 lawsuit that his song had been “irreparably tarnished by its association with the witchcraft, paganism, black magic, and Illuminati imagery evoked by the same music in ‘Dark Horse.’” Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Flame In His Own Words (IHOW)....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Flame_12APR2008_intvw.wav Lauren Daigle released the official music video for her new single, “Rescue,” on Saturday. The song’s lyrics are written from God’s perspective and highlight His faithfulness to rescue us from any broken situation. The music video—which features Daigle singing the song in a variety of breathtaking vistas—was filmed in Alaska, according to Daigle’s Instagram account. https://youtu.be/gYR0xP1j4PY Multi-Stellar and Dove Award nominated James Hall and Worship and Praise are preparing to record their 10thalbum Monday, July 29th live in Washington, DC at the historic Lincoln Theatre. Known for their distinctive New York sound using a welding of classical, avant-garde and broadway, unusual chord changes and unexpected resolutions, creative use of choir vocal effects and techniques along with distinctive and dramatic narrative introductions their music has taken them all over the world and inspired audiences with a message of hope, love, and promise. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear James Hall In His Own Words (IHOW)....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jameshall_intvw.htm Entertainment One Nashville welcomes its newest signee, multi-award winning R&B singer and songwriter Q Parker. Parker is best known as one-fourth of the GRAMMY Award winning group 112, which was founded by P. Diddy. Due in Fall 2019 on Entertainment One, Q Parker’s first effort, “The Bridge Project,” will be an urban-inspirational compilation album featuring collaborations between himself and notable mainstream and gospel music artists. A person who is defined as being eclectic is one who does not follow any one system, but instead, selects and uses what are considered the best elements of all systems. With her creative emcee stylings and new single, DJ Ms. Eclectic is bringing back the feeling you get when listening to an old school jam, while infusing new school aesthetics which ultimately generates an Eclectic Musical Experience. She has now released her new Christian Hip Hop single, “Love It (An Old School Ode)”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dRN5iQrHlU&feature=youtu.be Do you want to be hungry like Beyoncé? “The Lion King” star and pop icon is making her post-twins, pre-Coachella cleanse available for her fans to purchase for $99 a year. The “22 Days Nutrition Meal Planner,” a plant-based diet with no alcohol, carbs or sugar, was what got Beyoncé from 218 pounds to flawless, in perhaps a record amount of time. But it wasn’t easy. “I’m hungry,” Bey famously said of the rigid regimen in the behind-the-scenes documentary of her 2018 Coachella performance, “Homecoming.” In a video unveiled this week, Beyoncé shares what it took to get her body ready for the historic performance. In the days leading up to the event, she had just given birth via emergency c-section to her and Jay-Z’s twins, Sir and Rumi, and weighed 218 pounds. “I was a woman that felt like my body was not mine,” she says. Less than 50 days out from the April 2018 performance, she reveals that she weighed 175 pounds. “Every woman’s nightmare… this is my weight, 175. Long way to go,” she says after stepping on the scale. Beyonce’s longtime friend and trainer, exercise physiologist Marco Borges, helped devise the plan: 44 days of no meat, dairy, carbs, sugar or alcohol. Kanye West wants to slap “Sunday Service” on clothing and apparel so he has reportedly filed an application to trademark the phrase. West filed to register “Sunday Service” on July 19 for use in the apparel space, including on shoes, tops, dresses, pants, jackets, scarves, loungewear and socks. The filing was made by Mascotte Holdings, the company he teamed with to file trademarks for “Yeezus,” “Yeezy,” “Red October,” “Yandhi,” “Calabasas Clothing,” “Donda,” “Half Beast” and “Kanye West” (among others), per THR. Ye’s Sunday Service is a weekly gathering of artists and celebrities for praise while a choir serves up arrangements of popular songs. In April, West brought the service to Coachella, where he sold religious-themed apparel. A biopic on the historical mission of Harriet Tubman will hit theaters this fall, giving viewers a glimpse into the faith-led mission of the iconic abolitionist. “Harriet” will take viewers on a ride through history showcasing how Tubman legendarily led slaves to freedom in America via the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s. Playing the lead is actress Cynthia Erivo, who powerfully showcases the bravery of Tubman and her journey north to find freedom. She would ultimately return to the South to help free her friends and family who were still enslaved. “As the ‘Moses’ of her time and first woman to lead an armed expedition in war, ‘Harriet’ proves to be the perfect example of a fearless, faithful leader that all people of faith can relate to and admire.” https://youtu.be/GqoEs4cG6Uw Grammy-award winning singer Tori Kelly recently sat down for an exclusive interview with YouVersion and opened up about her faith, and the role God’s Word plays in her life. YouVersion is a popular Christian app that exists to help people regularly read, hear, and explore the Word of God. In Kelly’s interview for the app’s social media page posted over the weekend, she shared her testimony and how she keeps her faith strong. https://youtu.be/vi2JkR4vejY Darrell Johnson, a member of jailed singer R. Kelly‘s inner circle, told Gayle King on Monday’s CBS This Morning that Kelly is not doing well in custody. Kelly has been held without bond at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, after being arrested July 11 on separate indictments by the Northern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of New York, which is based in Brooklyn. Johnson, who was billed as Kelly’s “crisis manager” in a “CBS This Morning” appearance Monday, has emerged as a contentious figure of Kelly’s team, previously getting into a verbal argument with the father of one of the R&B singer’s girlfriends during a previous press conference in Atlanta. “I am concerned about Mr. Kelly,” he told King on Monday, saying that he would “assume at this point” that Kelly is under suicide watch, before stating Kelly can’t busy himself by reading books in his cell because he can’t read or write. https://youtu.be/qE8tbn9KyfA Sony is taking us to church with an upcoming biopic about multi-platinum gospel singer Kirk Franklin. The film, currently untitled, is being produced by former Sony exec DeVon Franklin via his Franklin Entertainment banner, while Franklin will serve as an executive producer through his label Fo Yo Soul Entertainment. Brian Ivie (The Drop Box) has been tapped to write the film which will follow 14-time Grammy-winning artist from his humble beginning through his meteoric rise to fame as he changes the face of gospel music and battles his demons in the process. Franklin, often dubbed as the king of gospel music, released his first album in 1993 called Kirk Franklin & The Family, which went platinum with over 1 million copies sold, the first gospel album to do so, and charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for 42 weeks. With his latest album release, Long Live Love, Franklin became the first artist in history to top all five Billboard gospel charts at one time. Prophetess Juanita Bynum broke down in tears explaining Sunday night how she had to cancel a preaching assignment in Chesapeake, Virginia, because the pastor who was hosting her at a conference entered her hotel room uninvited and saw her underwear. “The fact that I’m getting ready to go and stand in somebody’s pulpit who’s seen my underwear, I’m sorry people, I just felt naked and I still do and just felt so violated. And what he said was he came in my room to put something in my room. But then his assistant produces drinks at the front desk for [my assistant] to take to my room,” Bynum explained in a Facebook Live broadcast shortly after midnight. “As a male, why would you come into my room? Why didn’t you send your wife into my room? And his wife has profusely apologized to me but people of God this, some things are just distasteful. Some things you just don’t cross the lines for,” she said. Roger Federer previously called for the Women’s Tennis Association to loosen the rules surrounding its age-eligibility after 15-year-old Cori Gauff’s sensational Wimbledon run. WTA implemented a rule in 1994 that 15-year-olds can only play 10 tournaments per year. This was established to protect young players from burnout. Gauff became the darling of Wimbledon when she defeated Venus Williams and made it to the fourth round — making her the youngest woman to win a Wimbledon match since 1991. Now, US Open officials are planning to “bend the rules” in order to get Gauff a spot in the final grand slam of the year. According to the New York Post, officials may give a wildcard to Gauff, but the budding tennis star has already accepted the three wildcards allotted for the year, using them at the Miami Open, French Open qualifiers and Wimbledon qualifiers. Gauff is only allowed to play 10 pro events until her 16th birthday, but WTA has allowed her to play up to 12 due to her stellar performances at the junior level. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday at 10 PM/9C on TV One. Joining DL in the studio this week is actor Boris Kodjoe, Monday, July 22, actor Joseph Sikora, Tuesday, July 23, actress Tamala Jones, Wednesday, July 24 and actress Kellita Smith, Thursday, July 25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2p3SCmHjuQ BET founder and longtime Democrat Robert Johnson said in a recent interview that the Democratic Party “has moved too far to the left” to defeat Donald Trump in 2020. “The party in my opinion, for me personally, has moved too far to the left,” Johnson told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble. “And for that reason, I don’t have a particular candidate (I’m supporting) in the party at this time,” he said. “I think at the end of the day, if a Democrat is going to beat Trump, then that person, he or she, will have to move to the center and you can’t wait too long to do that.” “The message of some of the programs that Democrats are pushing are not resonating with the majority of the American people,” he added. Johnson also praised the president for improving the economy. “I think the economy is doing great, and it’s particularly reaching populations that heretofore had very bad problems in terms of jobs and employments and the opportunities that come with employment,” Johnson said. “Although he supported Hillary Clinton in 2016, Johnson — the country’s first Black billionaire — isn’t sure who he will support out of the group of Democrats running for the 2020 presidency. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfNbfyuy1cs NFL tight end Ben Watson shared a lesson on fatherhood that every father needs to hear over the weekend on Facebook. “The perfect dad is not the man who never makes mistakes,” Watson wrote. “It is, however, the man who does not take lightly the influence he has on his children and their future and strives to live and love them accordingly.” Being a father brings a certain level of influence, one that men should not take likely, Watson expressed—and one that can be a challenge. “This challenge, responsibility, and calling is not trivial or something to be dismissed,” he wrote. “It is a privilege, joy and great responsibility.” Watson, a father of seven, pointed out that fatherhood is not an easy job. In fact, it’s often quite difficult, but it is a spectacular journey. “It is not for the faint of heart nor the pompous and proud,” he added. “And though the road presents its own unique obstacles and situations it is a journey worth pursuing.”“Through imperfection may we continue to strive to set the standard for the men we want our sons to become and the benchmark for the man we want our daughters to love,” he concluded. Biles won the U.S. Classic on Saturday night to maintain her six-year winning streak. The four-time Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion had an all-around score of 60.000, 2.100 points ahead of runner-up Riley McCusker. Grace McCallum was third at 57.700. Biles won her 19th consecutive all-around title beginning with the 2013 U.S. Championships. She surged from fifth following the first rotation on the uneven bars into first on the next. She had the highest score in the vault (15.650), though Jade Carey won the event with a two-vault average score of 14.800. Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Tamela Mann recently underwent surgery and is thanking supporters on her recovery journey through social media. “Hey everybody … surgery was successful,” Mann is heard saying in a video posted on Instagram Wednesday. “Thank you for your prayers. I haven’t gotten up and walked yet but that’s coming…” The “Meet the Browns” actress and singer had to undergo a double knee replacement and she says she was only able to get through it because of the support she’s received. “I just love everybody I just thank my family and all you guys prayers out there and all the calls I got, I really appreciated and I couldn’t [have] made it without everybody, so thank you so much,” Mann continued. Her family joined her in the hospital and waited until she was out of surgery. The group was seen sporting T-shirts with the hashtag #TeamMann on it, something she called very “special.” Mahershala Ali made the first move with Marvel Studios and “Blade.” Comic-Con audiences learned on Saturday night that Ali would be playing the Marvel Comics character in a reboot. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige says right after winning his second Academy Award for “Green Book” earlier this year, Ali set up a meeting with the superhero studio. Within 10 minutes, Ali asked what was happening with “Blade” and said he wanted to play him. Wesley Snipes played the half-vampire in three films for New Line Cinema and in a recent cameo in “What We Do in the Shadows.” Although there were rumors that Snipes would return over the years, nothing had officially progressed with the property on the big screen since the rights reverted to Marvel Studios in 2012. A federal judge has decided R. Kelly will remain in custody for sex-crime charges, shooting down the singer’s petition for bond at a Chicago courthouse Tuesday. Kelly pleaded not guilty on a 13-count indictment containing charges relating to child pornography, enticement of a minor, and obstruction of justice. “This risk of obstruction is real. This risk is ongoing. This risk is heightened by the defendant’s fame and power,” an assistant U.S. attorney said at the hearing, Variety reports. Kelly’s attorney Steven Greenberg said Kelly does not have the funds to flee, adding: “There’s no evidence that he’s a risk to minors at all at this point. The man’s entitled to be held in a humane situation.” Kelly, who was arrested last week while walking his dog, is also facing charges in the Eastern District of New York for alleged racketeering and Mann Act violations. Singer Lauren Daigle’s latest album, Look Up Child, has become the longest-reigning album on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart. The compilation spent 39 weeks on top of the chart, making it the longest reign in the Nielsen Music era. Look Up Child surpassed Switchfoot’s The Beautiful Letdown which spent 38 weeks on top of the Christian charts in 2004-05. Daigle’s LP debuted at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums Chart in September 2018. It also reached No. 3 on the overall Billboard 200 chart following its release, beating out popular secular musicians such as Drake, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B that week. The lead single from the album was, “You Say.” The songstress became the first female to have a song both on the Christian Airplay and Adult Pop Songs. At the time, “You Say” also entered its 18th week at No. 1 on the Christian charts which made it the longest reign for a female artist. Introducing:"Gospel Kids Present..." A New Animated YouTube Playlist for Your Little Ones! This animated music video showcases Sgt. Bernard as he leads group of kids through a series of fun, quasi militaristic excerises that they perform against the backdrop of a ferociously funky Hip-Hop styled spiritual track that would even make Kirk Franklin proud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ytIH0gbCJA&feature=youtu.be Dale Anthony & Faith Out Loud’s newest single release, “Light In You,” is now available on all digital outlets. The inspiration gospel track, marks the first endeavor for the Bay Area native under his new distribution deal with IndieBlu Music/Entertainment One. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQDK6tcY8TE Award-winning famed Gospel icon Kurt Carr returns with a vibrant vocal musical extravaganza on his new album Bless Somebody Else available now. The pioneering two-time GRAMMY® nominated, Dove Award and multiple Stellar Award-winning Gospel Hall of Famer has created another soon-to-be classic album, delivering sixteen tracks filled with rousing vocal runs and cutting-edge melodic flourishes that have made him one of the most illustrious and enduring recording artists, songwriters and producers for the past three decades. Featuring The Kurt Carr Singers and special guests Miles Caton, Wess Morgan, Fred Hammond, Faith Evans, Yolanda Adams, Smokie Norful, Erica Campbell, Roosevelt Griffin, John P. Kee, Jekalyn Carr, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Keke Wyatt, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Denise Tichenor, and Zacardi Cortez on "Bless Somebody Else." For the past 20 years, Andrea René Williams has been known as a music industry professional (including a GRAMMY Awards Manager), an award-nominated Gospel music publicist and a faith-based marketer. As much as she has been honored to help others fulfill their goals of music ministry, she is now following her own dreams, stepping out as a Gospel Artist and presenting music that has been in her heart for years. Her first vocal single is entitled “Count It As Done”. The soaring power ballad encourages listeners to “speak and believe” over an orchestral bed of spirited and uplifting music. Pulling from sounds in Gospel, CCM, pop, and classical music, the track was produced by Williams’ own, Gotta Praise Productions, and was penned, arranged, performed, engineered and mixed by the artist herself. The single, from the forthcoming project, The Believe Album, is currently available on iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon and all other digital music outlets. THE LADIES OF SISTER CIRCLE This week, WELCOME SONGBIRDS LeTOYA LUCKETT AND MIKI HOWARD, GOSPEL ARTIST KURT CARR, Miki Howard AND MANY MORE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfdPgED2Vnc LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ returns on Saturday, July 20 at 12 p.m. ET/11C with Jake and Jazz Smollett upgrading a comedy couple's home into a chic space. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLJJ0WSzDEc&feature=youtu.be Don't miss the full and final third season of the popular comedic series THE UNWRITTEN RULES Sunday, July 21 at 9 a.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ffHH8ycLxg&feature=youtu.be NEW MUSIC From Jabari Johnson, “Jesus” puts a spin on the classic “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less.”. Take a listen to Jabari’s rendition. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2jhzuow7bcbljxw/AADq5CdG2QJQH6ggkv_1UOAka?dl=0 Leah Oduro=Kwarten drops "He Worked It Out." https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Leah-Oduro-Kwarten-He-Worked-It-Out-RADIO-ck7mUoXYEfsF65V496QQN Memphis Grizzlies center Dwight Howard has addressed rumors about his sexuality in an interview FS1’s Kristine Leahy. Howard is caught up in a sexual harassment lawsuit by a man who claims they had a romantic relationship. “I’m not gay,” Howard said on Fair Game with Kristine Leahy. “It’s a lot of people who are and they have to hide, and there’s people who have mental issues and they have to hide. There’s people who have different problems in life and they have to hide. They have to put on the mask every day, and it’s like, I don’t wanna wear no mask, I just wanna be.” As we previously reported, an openly gay man named Masin Elije filed a suit against Howard back in March, alleging the two dated before Elije eventually called it quits because Howard was allegedelly creeping with other men and trans women. Elije says Howard and his pastor, Calvin Simmons, tried to silence him with a non-disclosure agreement and “hush money,” per Newsweek. The four Democratic congresswomen — known as “The Squad” — who are at the center of President Trump’s racist tweets, sat down for an exclusive interview with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan called the president’s rhetoric “a distraction.” https://youtu.be/OmrfiDbQvbk Ayesha Curry who's married to N BA superstar Steph Curry and a restauranteur, having recently opened the fourth location of International Smoke in Del Mar, California. Drops dance moves, the Milly Rock. People on social media are writing about it. They are sayin’ all kinds of stuff about her moves or lack thereof. Steph had enough of the insults. He took to social media to respond to the criticism by reminding the haters that even though she may not be able to dance the Milly Rock without looking crazy, she’s still Ayesha Curry and they aren’t. ?? “Slow news day today I see huh? Just make sure y’all send me the video of you dancing at your own restaurant opening,” he said. “‘Cause we gonna keep Milly Rockin’ until that happens, you know what um saying?” Steph and Ayesha are gettin’ love from folks. Vocal powerhouse, Michele Sweeting, has been dubbed “The New York City Songbird” because of her unique ability to deliver stunning performances. Whether it’s on stage in Detroit or Atlanta, or overseas in Russia or Egypt or at her home church in Manhattan, she is known for her soul-stirring musical presentations. A lover of God and worshipper at heart, Michele has been inspiring believers for decades with her unapologetic praise. The preacher of the Gospel, psalmist and recording artist has just added to her repertoire with a brand new track called “Only by Grace.” The song, a contagious melody of adoration, is currently available on iTunes, Amazon and all other digital music outlets. Beyonce's latest single, “Spirit,” from the movie’s soundtrack features Christian lyrics in honor of God and the African culture. “This soundtrack is a love letter to Africa. I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa and not just use some of the sounds and did my interpretation of it,” she told ABC’s Robin Roberts during a primetime special Tuesday called “The Lion King: Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” “I wanted it to be authentic about what is beautiful about the music in Africa.” Beyonce unveiled the new video for her song, “Spirit,” during the ABC appearance. https://youtu.be/civgUOommC8 ; Former Boston Red Sox infielder Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, the first black player on the last major league team to field one, has died. He was 85. The Red Sox said Green, who lived in California most of his life, died Wednesday at in a hospital in San Leandro, near Oakland; no cause of death was immediately available. The team observed a moment of silence before its game against the Toronto Blue Jays. This past weekend, the legendary Patti LaBelle invited GRAMMY winning gospel star Le'Andria Johnson onstage at her concert in Philadelphia to join her and her band for their version of the Hezekiah Walker hit "Every Praise," which Patti features in her show. And Le'Andria, who is known for her powerful, soul stirring vocals, brought the house down! Patti also proclaimed that Le'Andria was the best singer she knows! https://www.dropbox.com/s/ezbc4k4rc3lm801/20190712_212720.mp4?dl=0 Meek Mill sat down with CBS This Morning’s Gayle King for an in-depth interview about his experiences with the broken criminal justice system, and how it has motivated him to push for reform. “If you take a drone right now in Philadelphia and you put it on the main line of the suburbs and you put it on the main line of the ghetto, you would see there’s two Americas,” he said of the sociopolitical layout of Philadelphia. “You would see chaos on one side and you would see people going to their mailboxes and kids coming from school on one side.” Meek also discussed how strict probation requirements affected his responsibilities as a father. https://youtu.be/mNLGxKS-cxw Is Beyonce’s song “Spirit” from “The Lion King” film and soundtrack bombing on the charts? Well, you could certainly make a strong argument that that’s the case. And if so, it will be a rare, rare miss for her. According to Roger Friedman’s Showbiz 411, at one point the song topped out at number 3 on the iTunes chart, but it’s a lot lower now. Friedman also points out that elsewhere, “Spirit” is invisible. It’s not on any Spotify streaming charts. On AppleMusic, “Spirit” isn’t on the USA top 50. It appears at number 92 on the Global Streaming chart for Apple Music. TV One's month of LOVE, LIES & MURDER movies continues with LOVED TO DEATH, debuting on Sunday, July 21 at 8 P.M./7C with an encore presentation at 10 P.M. The film stars Malinda Williams (Girlfriends' Getaway), MC Lyte (Girls Trip), McKinley Freeman (Hit the Floor), Tobias Truvillion (Empire) and Chrystee Pharris (Media). TV One's LOVE, LIES & MURDER films feature a series of stories that explore the dark side of love including deceit, betrayal, obsession and jealousy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXtH_d6BiGg&feature=youtu.be She has made an iconic stamp in the gospel industry through her unique approach to gospel music and candid perspective in ministry. From the launch of her career in music, she keeps us eager for her next move. She is the Host and Vocal Coach on the new T.D. Jakes Talent Search, "The Gospel." Darlene McCoy drops "Walk." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIZBtkHMpB0&feature=youtu.be The newly revamped “Sunday Best” premiered on BET and over the past several weeks viewers have been treated to the sweet sounds of the gospel singing competition for a new crop of talent after a four-year hiatus. One of the new judges is Kelly Price. She decides on hopeful gospel superstars alongside fellow new judge gospel musician Jonathan McReynolds and returning judge gospel singer Erica Campbell. Gospel star Kirk Franklin has also resumed his long-standing hosting duties. But while it makes sense for McReynolds, Campbell and Franklin to be part of the series, it might not be quite as obvious why Price would want to join it. “When I was offered this job, I was glad to take it because as a preacher’s kid, as a bishop’s granddaughter, I grew up in my grandfather’s church,” she tells Atlanta Black Star. “My mother was a choir director, y’all have ministers of music. … My mother was that in her father — my grandfather’s — church. FRESH START WORSHIP RETURNS WITH NEW SINGLE "HAVE IT ALL." Fresh Start Worship is comprised of Atlanta based group members: Chanda Mukula, Patrique Fortson, Ashley Hunter, Lauren William, Sarah Barnhill and Kevin McGee. All six group members, lead worship at Fresh Start Church in Duluth, GA under the leadership of Pastor Marquis Boone.? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y46s6IZPrxA&feature=youtu.be Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, and her husband, Prince Harry, walked the yellow carpet at the “The Lion King” premiere in London on Sunday evening. Among the many stars in attendance wereBeyoncé, who voices Nala in the film, and her husband, JAY-Z — and they shared a magical moment with the British royals that has the internet abuzz. “My princess,” Beyoncé was recorded saying as she embraced Meghan. “We love you guys,” the singer reportedly told the royal couple. According to Entertainment Tonight, Bey was also overheard telling the former actress “the baby, so beautiful,” referring to Meghan and Prince Harry’s 2-month-old son, Archie. We are saddened by the news that Norfolk, VA native Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, 55, died Sunday evening after being hit by a vehicle in Virginia Beach. Whitaker’s death was confirmed to WTKR-TV by a family member who said the Olympic gold medal winner and four-weight world champion was killed in the accident that happened around 10pm local time. Police said the driver of the vehicle that allegedly struck Whitaker stayed at the scene and is cooperating with officers. Whittaker graduated from Booker T. Washington high school before excelling globally as an amateur and professional boxer. Whitaker won an Olympic gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games and winning gold at the 1983 Pan American Games. Professionally he become a champion in four different WBC weight classes including, Lightweight, Light welterweight, Welterweight and Light middleweight. Whitaker fought the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Greg Haugen, Jose Luis Ramirez and Julio Casar Chavez. Prolific, singer-songwriter Brian Courtney Wilson announced his JUST B(E) Tour today following an exclusive announcement on Instagram. JUST B(E) will kick off on Friday, August 23 in Atlanta, GA at Center Stage with dates across the country including Charleston, Charlotte, New Orleans, St . Louis, Orlando, Philadelphia and others. This is Wilson’s first North American tour, and will play such venues as Knitting Factory in Brooklyn (September 4), as well as the House of Blues in New Orleans (September 8), and Houston (September 10) THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW 10 PM/9C on TV One. Featured guest this week is TV Personality star Tami Roman Monday, July 15, actress Malinda Williams Tuesday, July 16, hip-hop mogul Master P and son Romeo Miller Wednesday, July 17 and comedian Luenell on Thursday, July 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW--Nf9MW-4&feature=youtu.be Dr. Earnest Pugh is getting ready for his OUTPOUR Live Recording set for August 2 at United Nations Church International in Richmond, VA. OUTPOUR is not only a live recording, but will also be an epic night of Praise and Worship delivered by one of Gospel music's most dynamic voices, Dr. Pugh. The event red carpet festivities will be hosted by SiriusXM personality Meta Washington. Meta will also serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the main event joined by co-host Tiger Foote of WQCN "The Choice" 105.3FM Radio. Legendary singer and one of the original James Cleveland Singers Betty Griffin Keller and BET Sunday Best season four winner Amber Bullock will be featured as performers. For the first time in 10 years, celebrated vocal group Avalon's has released brand new music. The single,"Keeper of My Heart," is available NOW - via all digital outlets and on the radio. This is the first release from the award-winning band's highly-anticipated Red Street Records project, Called. R. Kelly has been arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges. The singer, 52, was arrested on sex trafficking charges by NYPD detectives and Homeland Security Investigation agents. The R&B star plead not guilty to 11 new sex assault charges last month. He hid his eyes behind dark sunglasses and made several strained expressions as he entered Chicago’s Leighton Criminal Court Building flanked by a large entourage for a status hearing in relation to a sexual assault case. Inside the court room, prosecutors handed over a DVD allegedly showing Kelly having sex with an underage female. The footage – thought to have been filmed in the 1990s – was obtained by lawyer Michael Avenatti back in February, and reportedly shows the singer sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. In total, Kelly has now pleaded not guilty to 21 sexual abuse charges since February for his alleged abuse against four different women, three of whom were underage when the alleged crimes took place. Among the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com GROWNISH ACTOR TREVOR JACKSON, BASKETBALL STAR SHANNON BROWN, GOSPEL SINGER ANTHONY BROWN, Singer Anne Nesby, Gospel Singer Vashawn Mitchell AND MORE JOIN THE LADIES ON SISTER CIRCLE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxX2SJI2S0M The ESPY Awards, ESPN’s annual celebration of the best of the best in all things sports, were held Wednesday in Los Angeles. As we reported earlier, comedian Tracy Morgan was the host for the 27th edition of the event, which featured several big winners including Giannis Antetokounmpo for “Best Male Athlete,” Alex Morgan for “Best Female Athlete” and the U.S. Women’s National Team for “Best Team.” The Arthur Ashe Courage Award was presented to 85-year-old NBA legend Bill Russell, who was accompanied by his young wife Jeannine. The Hall of Famer won 11 championships in 13 seasons during his career and was also an activist for social justice in the ’50s and ’60s. Entrepreneur Miko Branch is highlighted on the season finale of the groundbreaking profile series CLEO SPEAKS, airing on Saturday, July 13 at 9 a.m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9U_9MRjjqA&feature=youtu.be LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ returns on Saturday, July 13 at 12 p.m. ET/11C with home design stars Jake and Jazz Smollett revamping a growing family's new home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOwnsIJdyzo&feature=youtu.be Catch the full second season of the comedic series THE UNWRITTEN RULES premiering on Sunday, July 14 at 9 a.m. ET/8C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG_5eUUgiNc&feature=youtu.be Bishop Paul S. Morton and The Full Gospel Ministry of Worship's soul-stirring, 14-track live album, "A Month of Sundays," has debuted at No. 2 on the Top Gospel Albums chart and the music trade's Gospel Album Sales chart. It has also hit No. 20 on the multi-genre Independent Albums sales chart as well. The effort boasts performances from Bishop William Murphy III (The dReam Center) to Bishop Joseph W. Walker III (Mt. Zion Nashville), Sheri Jones Moffet and Kierre Bjorn. Dr. DeForest Soaries, Jr. utilizes John 9 to show readers saying yes is possible, even when life is constantly saying no. "Say Yes When Life Says No" is a book that continues his witness to the power of God impacting the human condition. Everyone knows what it feels like when life continually throws challenges in the way, including pastor and community leader, Dr. DeForest Soaries, Jr., who received a life changing “no” when he was diagnosed with cancer. Drawing on his life experiences and the faith of the blind man in John Chapter 9, "Say Yes When Life Says No " shares with readers how to see every obstacle as an opportunity, every burden as a blessing, and how to say yes when life is constantly telling them no. Dr. Soaries outlines practical principles to help guide readers through life’s most difficult moments: loneliness, judgement, negativity, sickness, death, and more. When faced with generational inequality and a wealth gap that just gets bigger and bigger, the most important way to combat all of it is to just get started. “It’s not just about money. It’s about the economy,” said Bishop T.D. Jakes, the pastor, author and filmmaker who led a panel discussion for Essence Festival’s first-ever Global Black Economic Forum. Jakes was joined by Chase Consumer Banking CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett and Ram Palaniappan, the founder of Earnin, an app that allows workers to access the money they make as soon as they clock out of work every day. It’s not easy to back up against a system with an unequal foundation, the CEOs said, so it’s important to surround yourself with the people and experiences to help you do that. They also cheered the entrepreneurs in the room on to success. “The only difference between being buried and being planted is expectation,” Jakes said in closing. “You have to have this attitude: I have not been buried. I have been planted. I’m gonna come back.” Hip-hop and fashion trailblazer Kanye West revealed his submission to Christ has been instrumental in his mental health journey. The “Jesus Walks” rapper graces the cover of the August 2019 issue of Forbes and in an in-depth profile, titled “Kanye’s Second Coming: Inside The Billion-Dollar Yeezy Empire,” he opened up about his diagnosis with bipolar disorder and his successful Yeezy sneaker. When asked how he came back from that difficult season, West told Forbes it was “being in service to Christ, the radical obedience” that got him through. The 42-year-old also mentioned his faith when talking about his Athletic Shoe empire, Yeezy sneakers, which, according to Forbes, is expected to generate $1.5 billion in annual sales this year. West turned his life around. The Chicago native has also taken a step back from his regular outspoken rants on stage and social media to focus his energy on what he calls Sunday Services. William J. Barber II, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, called Republican and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott a “shame & a disgrace” for not opposing the inclusion of a controversial citizenship question on the 2020 census. Scott was standing next to Attorney General William P. Barr during a press conference Monday when Barr explained that his office was exploring all available options, including an executive order, to get the citizenship question on the census form despite the Supreme Court blocking its inclusion last month. A shame & a disgrace,” Barber, a liberal political activist and MacArthur “genius” fellowship recipient, said Tuesday morning in a tweet that has since gone viral with some 30,000 likes and more than 9,000 shares. GRAMMY nominated, Billboard Music Award Winner, and seven-time Stellar Award winner JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise are set to release their 10th album “Miracle Worker,” on July 26 via Hairston’s JamesTown Music, which is distributed exclusively by Entertainment One. Hairston’s 10th album will be accompanied by the release of a relationship book with his wife, Trina Hairston, titled, “A Miracle Marriage.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-DaM6033O8&feature=youtu.be Beyoncé has dropped a new original song from Disney’s live-action “The Lion King” titled “Spirit.” The track is part of an album called “The Lion King: The Gift” that Bey curated and performs on along with other artists. It’s set for digital release on July 11, with the physical album dropping July 19, the same night the film hits U.S. theaters. “This is sonic cinema,” Beyoncé said about the project. “This is a new experience of storytelling. I wanted to do more than find a collection of songs that were inspired by the film. It is a mixture of genres and collaboration that isn’t one sound. It is influenced by everything from R&B, pop, hip-hop, and Afro Beat.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXblqtzy_tE Michigan’s governor has signed legislation honoring the late Queen of Soul with a highway designation. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Monday approved the bill to designate a portion of M-10 in Detroit as the “Aretha L. Franklin Memorial Highway.” Franklin died in Detroit last year after battling pancreatic cancer. The Democratic governor notes in a statement that Franklin’s “creativity and voice contributed to our musical and cultural history in Michigan.” Supporters of the designation say dedicating a portion of the highway is a way to honor the musical and cultural icon, who grew up in Detroit and learned the gospel fundamentals at New Bethel Baptist Church. A Disney-owned cable network has taken aim at critics who disagreed with the decision to cast Halle Bailey as Ariel in the upcoming adaption of “The Little Mermaid.” Freeform posted an open letter Sunday in support of Bailey after some on social media used the hashtag #NotMyAriel to object to a black woman portraying the red-headed mermaid princess of the animated film. But the network says “Danish mermaids can be black because Danish *people* can be black.” Bailey is half of the sister duo Chloe x Halle. She will star in the live-action version that will include songs from the 1989 animated Disney hit as well as new tunes from original composer Alan Menken and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Bailey will join Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina in the film. R&B icon Anita Baker once opened up about the pain she endured for years after learning her birth mother gave her up for adoption when she was a baby. During a 2009 interview with Essence, the songbird confessed that it took years for her to find peace about her mother’s decision. “Not because she was a bad person or because she was some monster or something. She was just a child and could not care for me. It has taken me a long time to find peace within my own heart. Baker was 13-years-old when she learned the woman she thought was her mother was actually her foster parent. Anita’s aunt, Lois Landry, who she grew up thinking was her older sister, was the one who dropped the bombshell about her birth after her foster mother Mary passed. Jay-Z is expanding his business portfolio by joining the California-based cannabis company Caliva as Chief Brand Strategist as part of a new multi-year partnership. The rapper detailed his role in a statement Tuesday, noting that he will help the company with creative decisions, outreach efforts and strategy — focusing on the social justice issues surrounding legalization, Rolling Stone reports. Per a statement, Jay’s efforts will include “advocacy, job training and overall employee and workforce development.” Anything I do, I want to do correctly and at the highest level,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “With all the potential in the cannabis industry, Caliva’s expertise and ethos make them the best partners for this endeavor. We want to create something amazing, have fun in the process, do good and bring people along the way.” Gospel music circles are abuzz with International and acclaimed Choir Director Chantel R. Wright releasing a new CD on LeChateau Earl Records. The six-song EP, Chantel R. Wright Presents Pneumatica: All We Need was released Friday, June 28th. Produced by Wright and group member Orson Benjamin, who co-wrote all the songs on the project, the EP features music by the new nine-piece vocal ensemble Pneumatica – an inspired youth-group off-shoot of her 60-member choir Songs of Solomon, also founded by Wright. All We Need is available on iTunes and Amazon, and other digital music platforms worldwide. The Philadelphia street sign recently presented to honor Patti LaBelle will be replaced this week after the city misspelled the singer’s name. A stretch of Broad Street in LaBelle’s Pennsylvania hometown, between Locust and Spruce streets, was renamed “Patti LaBelle Way” during a ceremony Tuesday. But the city’s Streets Department spelled the singer’s name incorrectly — with a lowercase “b” in her last name. Deana Gamble, a city spokeswoman, told The Philadelphia Inquirer the city was aware of the error and had plans to fix the street sign this week. A sign that LaBelle autographed during the ceremony had the correct spelling. LaBelle, 75, thanked fans who came out to the event, and reminisced about her parents walking down that very stretch of Broad Street. A New Orleans-based church owned by Solange has been ordered by the city to turn down the noise inside the Garden District place of praise and worship. According to NOLA.com, The First Christian Church was purchased for an undisclosed price by the Noble Jones Trust, and the paperwork was signed by one of its trustees: Vernell Jackson Keys. Keys is a close friend of the Knowles family, and in a 2015 Instagram post, Solange’s mother, Tina, described him as her “best friend since sixth grade.” The Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office also has on record the other property Noble Jones Trust owns at 927 St. Ann Str., which belongs to Solange. For Tracy Morgan, hosting The ESPYs is personal. It’s not just another gig to the comedian. The star of TBS’ “The Last O.G.” will preside over Wednesday night’s show honoring the past year’s top athletes, performances and achievements. It airs live on ABC from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. “The main reason I really wanted to do it is the fight against cancer,” Morgan said in a recent phone interview, explaining that his grandparents and former wife, Sabina, died of the disease. “I have an opportunity to fight their cause and I’m all in.” Besides the laughs, The ESPYS raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Last month marked five years since Morgan’s life-changing accident on the New Jersey Turnpike when the minibus he was riding in was rear-ended by a Walmart truck. The crash killed friend and fellow comedian James McNair. Bobby Brown broke down in tears over daughter Bobbi Kristina during his performance with RBRM at the Essence Festival on Saturday night. The R&B icon took a moment to honor his loved ones and shared some touching words for his late daughter. “I keep one of my kids right here with me,” Brown said revealing a pendant worn around his neck in her honor, per essence.com. “Her name is Bobbi Kristina.” “I keep all of [my kids] close to my heart, but this one right here,” he added, “she stays around my neck and right there near my heart.” The premiere of TV One's original biopic THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY on Saturday, June 29 debuted at #1 on television (broadcast and cable) among African Americans: P25-54, W25-54, P18-49, and W18-49. The four airings of THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY during premiere weekend had a combined reach of 1.8 Million Unique Viewers 2+. The film ranks as TV One's #4 Original Movie premiere in the network's history among P25-54, W25-54 and viewers 2+. The network's top original films, also biopics, include WHEN LOVE KILLS: THE FALICIA BLAKELY STORY(#1), LOVE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: THE MIKI HOWARD STORY(#2) and BOBBI KRISTINA(#3). https://youtu.be/y3-Ho6GSzZ8 Multiple Stellar and Dove Award winner, and GRAMMY nominee, VaShawn Mitchell returns with prolific new album ELEMENTS. In commemoration of his storied, and successful 20-year career Mitchell offers ELEMENTS as the culmination of the full breadth of his music journey. With a fusion of pop, rock, gospel and that signature Chicago Gospel sound that has defined him,ELEMENTS is a beautiful representation of Mitchell’s continued evolution in music. ELEMENTS is Mitchell’s first album in three years. Thomas Andrew Dorsey, the celebrated African-American musician who is known famously as “the father of Black gospel music” was born on this day in 1899. Dorsey, a composer, pianist, conductor and conductor of choirs, was a man believed to have used music as the language of his soul. Dorsey is known for composing songs such as “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and “Peace in the Valley”. He was so influential in the black gospel music field and due to his impact and unique style, many new compositions of songs were categorized as “dorseys” in his honor. Thomas Dorsey’s leadership in Gospel music is believed to be responsible for the rise of the gospel sound and the legacy carried on by present-day Gospel artists. The OWN series shared a trailer and premiere date, Sept. 3, for the fourth season of the drama series on Wednesday. The preview shows Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) and her daughter Grace (Merle Dandridge) fight to reclaim their church from Harmony & Hope Ministries and Bob Whitmore (Beau Bridges). Bishop James, meanwhile, attempts to mend his relationship with Mae. Desiree Ross co-stars as Sophia Greenleaf, with Lamman Rucker as Jacob Greenleaf, Kim Hawthorne as Kerissa Greenleaf and Deborah Joy Winans as Charity Greenleaf. Deadline reports Greenleaf averaged more than 2 million viewers in each of its first three seasons. The show moves from Wednesday to Tuesday nights for Season 4. https://youtu.be/M1frc6I16HI “Spider-Man: Far From Home” swooped in to dominate the July Fourth holiday weekend, raking in an estimated $185.1 million since opening in North America on Tuesday and earning $93.6 million from Friday to Sunday. The opening gave Sony Pictures one of its best weeks ever. “Far From Home” has grossed $580 million worldwide in 10 days of release. It also came with an assist from Disney’s Marvel Studios, which has partnered with Sony on this and its previous “Spider-Man” release. Stevie Wonder surprised concertgoers in London Saturday night by announcing that he will take a break from performing so that he can receive a kidney transplant this fall. The 69-year-old music legend made the announcement after performing “Superstition” at the end of a packed British Summer Time concert in London’s sprawling Hyde Park. He said he was speaking out to quell rumors and sought to reassure fans that he would be okay. “I’m going to be doing three shows then taking a break,” he said. “I’m having surgery. going to have a kidney transplant at the end of September this year.” Before “Crowns: A Gospel Musical” got underway, Vintage Theatre had already asserted its transformation from theater to church, delivering a winking pre-curtain recording. “Turn off your cellphones. Turn off your cellphones” — sung to the tune of “Wade in the Water” – “God’s gonna trouble your cellphone.” It was Sunday and the women onstage dressed the part and sang with fearsome beauty. Many of the songs that Velma (Mary Louis Lee), Mabel (Jasmine Jackson), Mother Shaw (Rajdulari), Wanda (Sonsharae Tull) and Jeanette (Adrienne Martin-Fullwood) sang struck familiar chords. Their gestures captured the choreography of generations of black churchgoing folks and even more deeply rooted processions. The ensemble makes clear that a great deal of life unfolds beneath those brims. Life uplifted by love and faith, but also pricked with loss. What’s that line? “I’ll cling to that old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown.” Zoe Kravitz has tied the knot with actor Karl Glusman (both pictured center) at her father Lenny’s home in Paris. The couple exchanged their vows in front of a star-studded guest list, a month after legally marrying in secret, reports People. It comes as many of the stars were seen arriving for the intimate ceremony in Paris on Saturday, with other guests including Big Little Lies co-stars Nicole Kidman (left) and Reese Witherspoon (second left). Actor Denzel Washington (right) and supermodel Cara Delevinge (second right) also attended along with Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe. Zoe and Karl tied the knot in Lenny’s 18th Century Parisian mansion, which boasts a staggering eight bedrooms and three stories. It was previously reported that Zoe and Karl have already tied the knot in secret, but were hosting the ceremony in France to remarry in front of their family and friends. Zoe and Karl were introduced via her friend at a bar, and the actress admitted she was originally just looking for a fling. Reach Records artist GAWVI shared the best advice he ever got on balancing success and family life while on the road. GAWVI, 30, and his Reach Records family: Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Tedashii, Trip Lee, KB, 1K Phew, and WHATUPRG just wrapped up their Unashamed Tour where he showcased his talents as an artist. After almost a decade of making chart-topping hits as a hip-hop producer, in 2017 GAWVI released his debut album “We Belong,” and followed up the album with his singing debut “Panorama,” which he called a “big transition.” Part of his transition now includes two small children and being intentional about spending more time with his family, which he described as “amazing.” “Family is definitely a blessing. My daughter, now she’s 3 years old, little Giana, she’s my heart. Then, my son, he’s 1 year old now, Camilo, he’s my buddy. Then me and my wife. We just completed five years. So it’s been amazing,” GAWVI gushed. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday at 10 PM/9C on TV One. Featured guest joining D.L. in the studio this week is comedian Ian Edwards on Monday, July 8, actor Michael Jai White on Tuesday, July 9, actress A.J. Johnson on Wednesday, July 10 and comedian/writer Buddy Lewis on Thursday, July 11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T8ttkFGk3k&feature=youtu.be Michelle Obama dished with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King at the Essence Festival in New Orleans Saturday night. During their candid conversation, the former first lady opened up about her marriage, the advice she gives her daughters as well has her historic time in the White House. https://youtu.be/g3y3YFaaloQ Well, it was nice while it lasted, but it’s all over now. Teen tennis sensation Cori “Coco” Gauff‘s stunning streak at Wimbledon came to an end on Monday when she was eliminated by Romanian Simona Halep. Her loss in the fourth-round match ended 6-3, 6-3, which means 15-year-old Gauff has been eliminated from a spot in the quarterfinals. It could be said that Miss Gauff was way over her head going into the match on Monday, seeing as Halep, who won last year’s French Open, was the world’s No. 7-ranked women’s singles player. Remember, going into the tournament, Gauff was only ranked at No. 139. “I tried my best today but it wasn’t meant to be … thank you London,” Gauff posted to her Instagram stories less than an hour after losing, accompanied by a picture of her grinning and waving as she left the court. SINS OF THE FATHER features Deitrick Haddon, A.J. Johnson, Clifton Powell, Terayle Hill and Angela Davis. The movie follows Clarence Burnett (Haddon) a pastor in Atlanta who's happily married to Karen (Davis). The couple's world is torn apart when Karen is brutally murdered outside their Atlanta home, sending shock waves through their close-knit community. Deitrick has dropped a new radio single, "Open Door Season." FlashBack Deitrick Haddon!!! Hear Deitrick Haddon In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/deitrick_haddon.htm JAKE AND JAZZ TRANSFORM A HOME INTO A TRANQUIL RETREAT ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10y5Pn8WpM&feature=youtu.be The popular digital series THE UNWRITTEN RULES makes its highly anticipated debut on CLEO TV. Based on the book authored by series creator Kim Williams, "40 Hours and an Unwritten Rule: The Diary of a Nigger, Negro, Colored, Black, African-American Woman," THE UNWRITTEN RULES examines the comedic realities of being an African-American at a predominantly white company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG_5eUUgiNc&feature=youtu.be Damon Little's "Be Alright" is moving up the charts. Check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jFWCwXaA-c Recording artist Ladonna Lynn has taken a splash in the gospel music scene with her new single "He's Able". This gospel ballad finds Lynn singing her belief in a God that is able to meet her needs and allow her to overcome any challenge. “He’s Able” fuses R&Barrangements, a touch of Jazz improvisation & some gospel infused keyboards with vocal work from an artist whose life lines up with the words she sings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGi43QKASLY&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Gospel+Central+Media&utm_campaign=124598d94e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_07_04_04_21&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e930d0cd50-124598d94e-241881717 SISTER CIRCLE SPECIAL GUESTS this week: RAPPER/ACTOR COMMON, ACTRESS YARA SHAHIDI, Iyanla Vanzant, Actors Roshon Fegan and Adrian Marcel, Karrueche Tran and many more! SINS OF THE FATHER features Deitrick Haddon, A.J. Johnson, Clifton Powell, Terayle Hill and Angela Davis. TUNE-IN: TV One’s Original Film SINS OF THE FATHER premieres Sunday, July 7th at 8 P.M. ET/7 C. You have seen her in "House Party," "Baby Boy" and several toher movies as well as TV shows. Sunday night A. J. Johnson will appear in "Sins Of The Father." Hear A. J. Johnson In Her Own words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ajjohnson_intvw.htm Brian Sledge, better known as singer and songwriter BJ the Chicago Kid, wrote the song from a track produced by Cedric “Ced” Smith. BJ and I have known each other for years. As soon as he shared the lyrics with me, I knew it was special.” A wordplay on the classic protest anthem “I Shall Not be Moved,” “Won’t Be Moved” is about not letting the tribulations of life get the better of you. “I want ‘Won’t Be Moved’ to become the next catch phrase,” Gene Moore said. Meet Gene Moore Inside The Gospel Spotlight. Hear Him In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/genemoore_intvw.htm The Northern Delaware Chapter GMWA Recording Choir drops "All Of My Help." https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qlc4mn9hdy3bpag/AAD9DrAozbiM1wmjk8JGPqtUa?dl=0&preview=Northern+Delaware+-+GMWA+-+All+of+My+Help.mp3 "Are You Ready For Your Blessing" is new from Mack Holland....https://www.amazon.com/Are-You-Ready-Your-Blessing/dp/B07H3FMF4P/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=mack+holland&qid=1561426746&s=gateway&sr=8-2 “The Real” co-hosts shared their views on whether it’s OK to watch church services online or best to attend services in-person during a recent episode of the daytime talk show. https://youtu.be/44sAGfbm9gM Heiress Gloria Vanderbilt reportedly left almost all of her estate to her youngest son, CNN’s Anderson Cooper. According to Page Six, Vanderbilt—who died at the age of 94 last month after being diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer—gave nothing to her estranged middle son, Chris Stokowski, and only left her eldest son, Leopold “Stan” Stokowski, her property in Midtown Manhattan. It is not clear how much Cooper will receive, but her fortune is reportedly estimated to be worth $200 million. Chris Stokowski cut ties from the family about four decades ago, reportedly over a dispute with Vanderbilt’s psychiatrist. The annual Gospel Celebration on Sunday is a true highlight of the ESSENCE Fest weekend. This year, as part of our range of citywide experiences celebrating 25 years of ESSENCE Fest moving the culture forward, it be celebrating 25 years of Black women in Gospel music with Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Mary Mary! Part of the beauty of the genre is the consistent presence of immensely talented Black women whose powerhouse vocals are second to none. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Grammy® Award nominated gospel troupe, ANTHONY BROWN & group therAPy – best-known for their No. 1 hits "Worth" and "Trust in You" - have leapt into the Top Ten of Gospel Airplay and Hot Gospel Songs charts with their Go-go-flavored urban inspirational single, "Blessings on Blessings." It's the group's eighth Top Ten entry, climbing from No. 12 to No. 10 this week while also muscling its way from No. 8 to No. 4 on the Hot Gospel Songs hybrid chart for the week ending July 6th. The up-tempo track anchors the group's forthcoming album,'Second Wind," which is tentatively scheduled for an October 2019 release. Concurrently, a deep-club remix and music video of the song entitled, "Blessings on Blessings (The B.O.B. Bounce)," has introduced a fun, festive new Christian line dance – The B.O.B. Bounce - that has sparked"numerous online challenge videos. The concept music video premiered on the group’s YouTube channel on June 21st and accumulated over 500,000 views in its first week. The feel-good jam and video are available on all major digital music service platforms. The concept music video premiered on the group’s YouTube channel on June 21st and accumulated over 500,000 views in its first week. http://smarturl.it/BlessingsOnBlessings The 19th Annual African Pride Gospel SuperFest TV spectacular presented by The Cartwright Family Foundation wrapped production in Dayton, Ohio at the Schuster Performing Arts Center. Hosted by NAACP Image® Award-Winning Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson, the star-studded, sold-out celebration of Gospel music is set to air on TV One in August 2019. During the event, Pastor Donnie McClurkin and The Rance Allen Group received the Founder's Award for Lifetime Achievement for their trailblazing and transformative music and ministries. The evening’s lineup included Deitrick Haddon, LeAndria Johnson, Tye Tribbett, Ricky Dillard & New G, J. Moss, Bri, Tonya Baker, Byron Cage, Isabel Davis, Jonathan Nelson, Demetrius West, 21:03, Ted Winn, Sensere, Zacardi Cortez, Doe Jones and many other "surprise" special guests. TUNE IN to TV One Sunday, August 25 @ 7:00 PM/ET to see the spectacular show. TV One & Entertainment One Nashville hosted an exclusive screening of the highly anticipated original film "SINS OF THE FATHER" at the Cinevision in Atlanta on Monday night. SINS OF THE FATHER features Deitrick Haddon (The Gospel), A.J. Johnson (Baby Boy), Clifton Powell (Ray), Terayle Hill (Merry Wishmas) and Angela Davis (I Feel Pretty). The movie follows Clarence Burnett (Haddon) a pastor in Atlanta who's happily married to Karen (Davis). The couple's world is torn apart when Karen is brutally murdered outside their Atlanta home, sending shock waves through their close-knit community. VIP's in attendance included film cast members Deitick Haddon, Angel Love, Terayle Hill,Clifton Powell, film director James Hill and Swirl Films' Keith Neal. Deitrick also gave guests a first listen at his new radio single, "Open Door Season." Larry Crider is passionate about worship. His love for God and gifting for music merge into a dynamic music ministry known as Larry Crider & 4 H.I.S. Glory. Larry and his singers are noted for blending smooth harmonies, superior songwriting, riveting vocal performances, and great musicianship. Larry and 4 H.I.S Glory (Honor In Song) is a ministry dedicated to uplifting the spirit of God and pointing listeners in the direction of salvation through Jesus Christ via their music. They have a new musical offering, "The King Is In The Room", that is a sweet and soul-stirring ballad sure to ignite worship and usher in the presence of the Lord. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGHW318K9Dk&feature=youtu.be Pharrell Williams surprised over 100 high school graduates in Harlem when he granted them each internships during the summer after their first year of college. The Grammy-winning producer was a keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony for the 2019 class of the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy. During his speech, he promised the 114 graduates internships opportunities. https://youtu.be/KPCseRKxr2g “American Factory” will be the first project released globally under the Obamas production deal with Netflix. The original documentary is set to debut on the streaming giant on August 21, presented by Barack and Michelle’s Higher Ground Productions and Participant Media. Under the terms of their Netflix deal, the Obamas will produce “scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries and features” that highlight diverse voices in the entertainment industry. “American Factory” won the Directing Award: U.S. Documentary at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Academy Award nominees Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert with Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert and Julie Parker Benello producing, the doc takes place in post-industrial Ohio, where “a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.” Comedian/TV/Radio/game show host Steve Harvey made a commitment to pay the tuition for eight incoming freshmen at Kent State University. Kent State in Ohio and the university, via a release, said that The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation has worked with Kent State University to provide scholarships of about $23,000 per student. The students must maintain a 2.5 grade point average for the scholarships to be renewed each semester. The scholarships are in memory of Devin Moore, a Kent State student from Cleveland who died in 2017 while playing basketball at a university center. The university says the foundation also committed $10,000 to Kent State’s Men Empowerment Network. Kirk Franklin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and More Deliver Enlightening Insights for July on the Hit Show "Money Making Conversations," Hosted by Rushion McDonald Get the real-life stories and insights that have been a driving force to creating success this month from the July lineup of celebrities, CEOs, business innovators, and more joining Rushion McDonald on "Money Making Conversations." A two-time EMMY®-winning producer, social media influencer, entrepreneur, and branding guru, Rushion McDonald sparks illuminating conversations with power players who impact the world on his hit show "Money Making Conversations." "Money Making Conversations" can be heard every Monday live on Atlanta's biz1190-AM from 10AM-Noon ET and Sundays at 4PM ET. Tauren Wells recently led a crowd of young adults in a live worship performance of “Great Are You Lord.” Wells performed last week at the 2019 Hope & Life Conference at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJtvIj0hdVA In the first episode of the two-part season finale of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” which aired Sunday on E!, Kanye West admitted that he always hoped to open a church and is now on course to do so. West began Sunday Service meetings that his wife, Kim Kardashian West, described as a “spiritual Christian experience” this year. As of now, the events happen every Sunday and include gospel music but omit preaching. Stephen Curry may be a sharpshooting three-time NBA champion, but he is quickly building a career away from the court to inspire the masses through his burgeoning production company. The Golden State Warriors superstar is strategically producing content that focuses on sports, family and faith through Unanimous Media, which he co-founded with Jeron Smith and Erick Peyton. The newly formed production company already has several projects under its belt including a major studio film, network television show and a couple documentaries in just a year. The 31-year-old player said he wants to “uplift people who need to be uplifted.” Even though Idris Elba isn’t trying to become the next James Bond, he’s disheartened that some people don’t think he should be considered for the spy role because he’s black. The British actor says in the August issue of Vanity Fair that it’s frustrating that there are people who say ”‘It can’t be.’ And it really turns out to be the color of my skin.” Some have speculated that the “Luther” star would make the perfect Bond. Elba says although Bond is a coveted, beloved character that he would be fascinated to play, he doesn’t need to put himself in the position of questioning whether a stint as Bond did or didn’t work “because of the color of my skin.” Elba stars in “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” due in theaters in August. Dance to a new-ish Whitney Houston song this weekend. Houston originally released a cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” as a Japan-only bonus track on her 1990 album “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” but the song has been given an upbeat, dance remix by Norwegian DJ-producer Kygo. The new version of “Higher Love” was released digitally on Friday. Winwood’s original version was released in 1986 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. https://youtu.be/dTYOkcRH220 Tyra Banks wants you to smile with your eyes-cream. The supermodel, 45, coined the phrase “Smize” (or, “smile with your eyes”) back in her days as host of the popular reality competition series America’s Next Top Model. And now, she wants to apply the term to what appears to be a new line of ice cream. According to a listing United States Patent and Trademark Office, Banks’ company applied on June 21 for the ownership of the term “Smize Cream.” Back in May, while covering the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover for the first time, Banks spoke out about how the dessert helped her embrace her changing figure. The Lion King doesn’t open in theatres for another three weeks but Disney’s remake is already setting records. Movie ticket service Fandango is reporting that, based on the first 24 hours of pre-release ticket sales, the film is outpacing any other Disney reboot of its animated classics. The website tweeted, ‘#TheLionKing is already taking its throne,’ along with a graphic showing The Lion King beating out the live action adaptations of Beauty And The Beast and Aladdin. If projections hold true, The Lion King is set to be another billion dollar hit for Disney when it opens in theaters on July 19. TV One's original film SINS OF THE FATHER premieres Sunday, July 7 at 8 P.M./7C. The film stars Deitrick Haddon (The Gospel), A.J. Johnson (Baby Boy), Clifton Powell (Ray), Terayle Hill (Merry Wishmas), Angela Davis (I Feel Pretty) and Danny Pardo (SEAL Team). SINS OF THE FATHER is the first movie to kick off TV One's month of LOVE, LIES & MURDER films which features a series of stories that explore the dark side of love including deceit, betrayal, obsession and jealousy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTYNfx-metQ&feature=youtu.be Returning from its four-year hiatus, America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best,” makes its triumphant return to BET on Sunday, June 30th at 8/7c with two brand-new back-to-back episodes. The gospel show welcomes back Grammy Award®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host, gospel songstress and host of "Get Up Mornings," Erica Campbell as a judge; and added two Grammy-Award® nominated artists Kelly Price and Jonathan McReynolds as new additions to the judges panel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWrb5nyKltU&feature=youtu.be Today on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, Tom introduced listener favorite Rickey Smiley as the successor to the morning anchor position established by Tom over the course of 25 years. Joyner, who is retiring at the end of the year, acknowledged that Smiley has established himself as a trusted leader on-air and in the community with his current show, captivating audiences with his authentic humor but also his unique perspective on topics important to his audience. Smiley also announced that Eva Marcille and Gary Wit Da Tea would be among the on-air cast members joining him to broadcast out of the Dallas studios beginning January 2020. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday at 10 PM/9C only on TV One. Featured guest joining DL in the studio this week is comedian/writer David Arnold on Monday, July 1, comedian/actor Bob Saget on Tuesday, July 2 and actor/director Bill Duke on Wednesday, July 3. The series will not air on Thursday, July 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=639MLwFFP84&feature=youtu.be Larry D. Reid drops "Smile" video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKV8o1LswwU&feature=youtu.be The still-unidentified woman who drove the getaway car of Nipsey Hussle‘s alleged killer, Eric Holder, is scared she’s could be the victim of a retaliation hit. The woman, only identified as “Witness 1” in court documents expressed serious concern for her safety on multiple occasions. An LAPD detective associated with the case says he investigated her claims and discovered numerous legitimate threats made against the woman. It seems the woman has a legitimate fear because according to the detective, during his grand jury testimony, told the grand jury her license plate was making the rounds on social media shortly after the shooting. Descriptions of her physical appearance and her vehicle were also on the Internet — all of which essentially gave vigilantes a road map to find her. When the McKellan family moves from Seattle to Georgia to be closer to extended family, the transition is like being a catfish out of water. From 3 hour church services and huge humidity hair to M'Dear's home cooking and family bonding, the everyday ups and downs of Family Reunion are real, memorable, toe tapping, heart stopping, laugh out loud authentic moments. https://youtu.be/dQMinvdSMrM As friends, family and well-wishers from across the globe sent birthday greetings via social media to the iconic pastor, revered preacher, noted Stellar Award-winning Gospel singer and recording artist, civil rights leader and humanitarian Reverend Clay Evans on his 94th birthday this past weekend, Dr. Zach Mills shared in the joy of celebration as his book, The Last Blues Preacher took top honors in the Biography category at this year’s International Book Awards. "The Last Blues Preacher: Rev. Clay Evans, Black Lives, and the Faith that Woke the Nation" details Reverend Evans’ early days growing up in the south and experiencing racism first hand, his family’s migration to Chicago and his early days in ministry. The book pulls on candid and sentimental interviews from many of Reverend Evans siblings and close associates including historical figures like Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, Fr. Michael Pfleger, former presidential candidate, founder and president of the Rainbow Push Coalition Rev. Jesse Jackson, former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, Congressman Bobby Rush, and former Illinois governor Pat Quinn. Chicago is considered one of the most dangerous, crime-ridden cities in the United States. Here is an amazing story of transformation and new beginnings in that city. Pastor Wilfredo “Choco” de Jesus and his New Life Covenant Church are making a difference in the heart of Chicago—to the point that crime has dropped as much as 42% in one area as a result of their influence! His church bought a grocery store/liquor store in a high-crime area. As a result, today there is a medical clinic in that location. And because the church has taken dominance, the crime rate has plummeted! Pastor Choco’s upcoming book, "Love Them Anyway," will come out next year. Tyler Perry received the “Ultimate Icon Award” at the BET Awards last weekend and delivered a moving acceptance speech that ended with the filmmaker giving glory to God. Introduced by actress Taraji P. Henson, also a professing Christian, Perry honored his mother and all black women, saying that his first 10 movies were meant to tell them, “you’re worthy, you’re special, you’re powerful.” The visionary shared a story about helping a man cross the street as a child that remarkably impacted the rest of his life. Perry began hiring people such as Henson, Viola Davis, and Idris Elba as a way to help them cross over in their careers. https://youtu.be/DVjjSxpqbOo The 2019 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards was an authentic celebration of the biggest ASCAP hip-hop, R&B and Gospel music of the past year. Koryn Hawthorne’s inspirational anthem “Won’t He Do It” was named Top Gospel Song and the evening was highlighted with a rousing performance from Jekalyn Carr. After four years as Associate Professor of the Practice of Organizational Studies at Duke, popular Christian author and speaker Dr. Christena Cleveland resigned via an open letter posted to her Patreon in which she accuses Duke of “anti-Black racism.” The essay recounts her experience of watching Duke’s basketball team defeat a smaller, less well-funded historically black school called Livingstone College and feeling like it was a metaphor for her time at Duke, during which she observed what she calls “overwhelming institutional racism.” Cleveland says she tried to bring up her concerns with the dean and explain that it was “negatively impacting my transition as a new Black faculty member as well as the transitions of the new Black students”, but says she was told “some people just aren’t cut out to be faculty at Duke Divinity School. It sounds like you’re one of them. I want to give you permission to leave.” It was previously announced that the upcoming sixth season of the Courtney Kemp created and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson executive produced crime drama “Power” will be the last for the hit Starz series. But on Tuesday, 50 took to social media to announce a seventh season. “I Changed my mind POWER is not going to be over after season 6.” This news surely surprised fans, and possibly Kemp and the folks over at Starz, who in May, officially announced that the series would end after the upcoming sixth season. KEYONDRA is one of the original members of gospel group Z'iel and shares the accomplishment of two-time Stellar Award Nominee. Lockett drops new single,“I Got Jesus.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyN046X253g JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS VISITS "HOME & FAMILY" on behalf of Season 9 of BET Sunday Best & his album "Make Room" Tuesday, June 25th 10am/9c on Hallmark Channel. Motown's ongoing 60th anniversary celebration will culminate in September with a full weekend of festivities celebrating the Detroit born musical legacy billed as Motown Weekend. Topping the Motown Weekend agenda is a Sept. 22 event at Orchestra Hall dubbed Hitsville Honors, where seasoned Motown performers including theTemptations, Four Tops, Mary Wilson and Martha Reeves will be joined by later-generation artists such as Big Sean, Kem and Ne-Yo, paying tribute to label founder Berry Gordy Jr. Hitsville Honors will also bestow awards on other dignitaries and musical figures. The R&B Hall of Fame will honor Aretha, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Kendricks and Berry Gordy. Also planned will be a free Sept. 21 gospel concert featuring Regina Belle, Tye Tribbett, Tasha Page-Lockhart and Kierra (Kiki) Sheard, The performance will be held at Detroit World Outreach in Redford Township. Grammy-winning duo For King & Country recently teamed up with a couple of unlikely collaborators—indie-pop band Echosmith and producer Timbaland—for a remix of their hit single “God Only Knows.” Timbaland is a secular producer, rapper and DJ who has worked with Jay-Z, Ludacris, Rihanna, Drake, Justin Timberlake and many more. Check out the official lyric video for the new remix. https://youtu.be/HlvnYkBbZXc Seasoned gospel recording artist and producer, Jason Clayborn, and his group, The Atmosphere Changers, have dropped their debut Tyscot Records radio single, “Praise Belongs to You.” The soul-stirring praise and worship declaration came to Clayborn in a dream. “I always write what God puts on my heart,” he explains. “Like when I wrote `Better’ for Hezekiah Walker or `I Survived It’ for Ricky Dillard, it’s always where I am or where I feel people are in life and in their relationship to God. Kirk Franklin performed his #1 hit “Love Theory” with special guests Jonathan McReynolds, Erica Campbell and Kelly Price live at the 2019 BET Awards. https://youtu.be/sWrb5nyKltU RCA Inspiration hails a win at the 2019 BET Awards, with Snoop Dogg’s hit (feat. Rance Allen) “Blessing Me Again,” taking home the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award. The 19th Annual BET Awards were simulcast live from Los Angeles, Sunday June 23rd across BET, BET HER, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Classic, VH1, and Logo networks. FlashBack Gospel Spotlight! Hear Rance Allen In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rance_intvw.htm Tasha Cobbs Leonard continues to break barriers as she takes over NPR’s renowned Tiny Desk Concert today. The GRAMMY winner makes her debut on Tiny Desk with standout performances of her hit songs “Break Every Chain,” “You Know My Name,” and “River of the Lord.” Cobbs Leonard was honored last night at ASCAP’S Rhythm & Soul Awards for her hit “I’m Getting Ready” and her single “You Know My Name.” https://www.npr.org/2019/06/24/734566352/tasha-cobbs-leonard-tiny-desk-concert Today, RCA Inspiration introduced a new digital series, Verity Presents V.H.S. (Video Heritage Series). RCAI created the Video Heritage Series, which is available on the RCA Inspiration YouTube channel, to highlight gospel as a corner stone of all popular music and the multi-talented artists who create it. Verity Presents V.H.S. commenced with the full-length concert from 14-time GRAMMY® winner and music icon Kirk Franklin’s groundbreaking debut album, Kirk Franklin & The Family. And playlists featuring vintage concert and performance footage of various Verity artists will be uploaded regularly. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW WELCOMES COMEDIAN/ACTRESS SHERRI SHEPHERD, COMEDIAN MELANIE COMARCHO PLUS ACTOR ROSHON FEGAN AND GOSPEL SINGER DEITRICK HADDON OF TV ONE'S ORIGINAL FILMS THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY AND SINS OF THE FATHER. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzX-CqO7SDw&feature=youtu.be Her gift has opened many doors, and she is privileged to sing with the legendary Edwin Hawkins as part of the New Edwin Hawkins Singers. Lena also has shared the stage with such luminaries as Tye Tribbett, Lalah Hathaway, Deitrick Haddon, Dorinda Clark-Cole, John P. Kee, Doobie Powell, the late Thomas TC Clay and more. Lena Byrd Miles drops new single "This Is The Day." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTSLYlc1qWQ Sunday, June 23rd at 3 PM EST / 2 PM CST, 14-time GRAMMY® winning artist Kirk Franklin will debut his first-ever VEVO live performance for the song “F.A.V.O.R.”. He is the first Gospel or Christian music artist to tape a Vevo Original, which are artists’ unique, live renditions of their songs. The “F.A.V.O.R.” live performance will premiere and be featured on the Kirk Franklin YouTube channel. “F.A.V.O.R.” is one of ten tracks from Franklin’s new album, LONG LIVE LOVE. Anthony Brown "Blessings On Blessings (The B.O.B. Bounce) is the feel good 'line dance' song of the summer. It brings together a positive message and infectious 'gogo' sound that is sure to breathe life into any party or gathering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p58HS6h3l10 Motown Gospel rising star, Gene Moore releases his newest single, “Won’t be Moved” co-written by BJ the Chicago Kid and the official music video directed by famed photographer/director Derek Blanks. A wordplay on the classic protest anthem “I Shall Not be Moved,” “Won’t Be Moved” is about not letting the tribulations of life get the better of you. “I want ‘Won’t Be Moved’ to become the next catch phrase,” Gene said. “‘I had a bad day, but I won’t be moved.’ ‘My coworker is trying my patience, but I won’t be moved.’ ‘I’m having money issues, but I won’t be moved.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFd6Krk3l04 Gospel's Leading Man, Dr. Earnest Pugh invites the public to his next epic Gospel music event. His OUTPOUR Live Recording is set for August 2 atUnited Nations Church International in Richmond, VA where Bishop Orrin K. Pullings, Sr, and Dr. Medina S. Pullings are Pastors. OUTPOUR promises to be a night of freely flowing worship and spirit-filled Gospel music at its best. Returning from its four-year hiatus, America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best,” makes its triumphant return to BETon Sunday, June 30that 8/7c with two brand-new back-to-back episodes. The well-established gospel show welcomes back Grammy Award®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host, gospel songstress and host of "Get Up Mornings," Erica Campbell as a judge; and added two Grammy-Award® nominated artists Kelly Price and Jonathan McReynolds as new additions to the panel. With a brand-new stage and exciting themed challenges, this season has narrowed down the competition to 20 finalists. The new season kicks off for the first time ever with in-person auditions in front of the judges, with no audience. The contestants have to show their true talent, with no smoke and mirrors, by performing acapella with no band support, as they narrow the field from 20 to the top 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L54XOao-Zo8&feature=youtu.be TV One returned to Miami as a sponsor of the 23rd Annual American Black Film Festival with a slate of exclusive events. The action-packed weekend kicked off with an advanced screening of the highly anticipated biopic THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY. TV One's events continued with the festival highlight Celebrity Scene Stealers which featured a table read of scenes from a TV One project in development - "Don't Waste Your Pretty" - based on Demetria L. Lucas' popular dating manifesto. Hosted by TV Personality Tanika Ray, the table read featured Fegan, Chyna Layne and Malinda Williams. Layne and Williams play leading women in two upcoming original films IN BROAD DAYLIGHT and LOVED TO DEATH, premiering on TV One on Sunday, July 14 at 8:00 P.M. ET/7C and Sunday, July 21 at 8:00 P.M. ET/7C. Six-time Grammy Award winner BeBe Winans’ “Born For This: A New Musical,” received five NAACP Theatre Awards on Monday in Los Angeles. The musical garnered 13 nominations for the Los Angeles production and won 5 in categories. Best Playwright, Larger Theatre: BeBe Winans & Charles Randolph-Wright Best Musical Director, Larger Theatre: Charles Randolph-Wright Best Lead Male, Larger Theater: Juan Winans Best Supporting Female, Larger Theatre: Nita Whitaker Best Music Director, Larger Theatre: Jared Landon See you in New Orleans at Feed the Multitudes Festival Thurs, July 4th & Victory Fellowship Sun, July 7th! Join Angelo & Veronica in New Orleans! Feed the Multitudes Festival Thurs, July 4th at 12pm Noon. This is a free event w/ free food, free new shoes, free manicures, free haircuts, free sno-balls, free bag of groceries going down at Victory Fellowship, Metarie, La. ATL-based singer/songwriter, Daya Lorin drops new single ’I’m So Free.’ A throwback tribute to the Washington, DC-birthed "Go-Go” music style, ’I’m So Free’ reminds us of our freedom in Christ. She desires that her music will minister to the body of Christ and strengthen it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUF1kc2kDrY Beloved St. John Evangelistic Church drops a joint to encourage the world with whatever you're going through, Jesus is the one that can heal all that hurts you. Just keep sending the praises to Him, and his presence comes down and fights for us, because the battle is not ours but the VICTORY is!! You can make it with Jesus!! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wb4tvhp12to93l5/AAAU0sAAfyZXnFAIhuwJDIAEa?dl=0&preview=Beloved+St.+John+Evangelistic+Church+-+I+Can%27t+Make+It+Without+You.mp3 JOANNA HALE-MCGILLis a Praise & Worship leader of His Will Worship Center. Joanna has always served in music ministry throughout her life and she currently serves as Assistant to the Pastors and Church Administrator at His Will Worship Center in Slidell, Louisiana. Check her new joint out......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0j1aRq671c Jussie Smollett is in the crosshair’s of a Chicago judge who on Friday appointed a special prosecutor to look into the actor’s case which could mean new charges against him. In other words, Smollett has a whole new reason to be concerned because he could actually be prosecuted for allegedly faking the now infamous attack on the streets of Chicago. Smollett was never acquitted or found guilty of a crime, so he could still be tried in the case. The judge (Michael Toomin) also ruled that State’s Attorney Kim Foxx did not have the legal authority to “colloquially recuse” herself and appoint her top deputy — Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Magats — in her stead, the Tribune’s report stated. Steve Harvey’s third-annual Sand and Soul Festival was set to go down this fall at a Dominican Republic resort where at least 2 U.S. tourists have died in the last year. But according to INSIDER, the event is being relocated amid concerns over the safety of tourists in the country. The event was set to be held October 10 to October 14 at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana. As reported by Business Insider, David Harrison, 45, of Maryland died at after falling ill while he was vacationing at resort last July. In April, Robert Bell Wallace, 67, of California, died at the same resort after he became ill from consuming a drink from his hotel room minibar. DJ Nicholas drops new song "Mercy." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa_7bB3Ioe4&feature=youtu.be&mc_cid=08ace4b085&mc_eid=408626ee0f JAKE AND JAZZ TRANSFORM AN APARTMENT INTO AN ARIZONA DESERT COTTAGE ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Fv-xPZH3Y&feature=youtu.be SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES "LOVE AND HIP HOP: ATLANTA'S" FAVORITE COUPLE BAMBI AND LIL SCRAPPY, R&B ARTISTS RAHEEM DEVAUGHN, MONIFAH,RUSSEL TAYLOR PLUS MORE SPECIAL GUESTS! Thirty-five A-listers will be added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year, as the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Walk of Fame Selection Committee announced on Thursday the list of actors, entertainers and musicians who are set to receive the honor. Dave Chappelle, Julia Roberts, Chris Hemsworth, Spike Lee, Octavia Spencer, Mahershala Ali, Ruth E. Carter, Wendy Williams, Andy Cohen, Christina Applegate, Dr. Phil McGraw, Laurence Fishburne, Terry Crews, Cindy Crawford, Kathie Lee Gifford, in addition to late comedian Andy Kaufman and the superhero character, Batman. Alicia Keys, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Elvis Costello, Bobby Rydell, and the late Muddy Waters, are among the recording artists who will be honored for their contributions in music. Only two stars are being added for the theater and live performance category, comedian Dave Chappelle and Pose star Billy Porter. Global United Fellowship (GUF) Presiding Bishop Neil C. Ellis says that the mandate of Global United Fellowship is to “be different” in its approach to uniting the Body of Christ and equipping church leaders with the tools necessary to build and maintain healthy churches. Therefore, GUF distinguishes itself as not another church denomination but a fellowship of church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixpVQ3t-e8 “MAKING ROOM FOR US” is an uplifting declaration that reassures, empowers and motivate listeners with the energetic testimony of inspired hope. The lyrics on “MAKING ROOM FOR US” serve to strengthen the listeners’ faith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnPLVfqJq6U A group of enthusiastic worshippers from Tennessee and Western Kentucky frequently gather together to sing Gospel music. Their love for music and ministry led to the group becoming a nationally recognized choir with an album release (THE GOSPEL OF TENNESSEE, 2015) and hit radio singles. With founder and front man Jeff Wilford, The Volunteer State Mass Choir (VSMC) continues to create and release a dynamic sound of Zion. The latest single from VSMC is "Waiting On You". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWsE0H6nn9U&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration (RCAI) joins forces with the 13th annual McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour and Dr Pepper® this year to spotlight undiscovered talent and empower local communities with celebratory Golden Voice Talent Showcases and in-depth Master Classes in select cities. Local talent in each city will audition for a chance to perform at Golden Voice Talent Showcases in Atlanta and Tallahassee, where they will have the opportunity to win the night’s top prize. The Master Classes will be two-hour sessions delivering an inside look of the music industry from McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour talent, with classes being held in Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Tallahassee. Deitrick Haddon is back at radio with an up-tempo feel good single "Open Door Season". Haddon has delivered hit singles like "Be Like Jesus", "A Billion People",and "Glory". "Open Door Season" doesn't disappoint. Haddon is a master at infusing biblical truth with beautiful harmonies, funk, soul, and memorable lyrics. “Open Door Season” will be available for pre-order and pre-add Friday 6.21. Vocalist TAMIKA PATTON has power, range, passion, poise, and presentation! She has incredible talent and anointing from God alone! She now offers a new Gospel summer jam! Her new single "I Love To Praise" is a soulful, urban praise track that is becoming popular within the Gospel industry and with fans. https://soundcloud.com/the-bellamy-group/tamika-patton-i-love-to-praise SISTER CIRCLE WELCOMES A STAR-STUDDED LINE UP THIS WEEK WITH GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST KIRK FRANKLIN, ACTRESSES ESSENCE ATKINS AND BRELY EVANS, PLUS MORE SPECIAL GUESTS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW4hRWxFsMk&feature=youtu.be Some high-profile names are taking part this week in efforts highlighting criminal justice reform. Yusef Salaam and Raymond Santana, two of the five men exonerated in the 1989 brutal assault of a jogger in New York’s Central Park, and author and activist Michelle Alexander will be among speakers during a series of events on the criminal justice system at Ebenezer Baptist Church. They will join the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock and others as part of several days of events addressing the issue of ending mass incarceration. Alexander is the author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” Rapper, actor and activist T.I. joined Warnock for a press conference Sunday, June 16. Both are participating in a massive Freedom Day Bailout and expungement campaign during the End Mass Incarceration Conference that will be held Monday through Wednesday. They were cleared years later after another man, Matias Reyes, confessed to the crime and his DNA matched evidence found at the scene. Season 6 Sunday Best winner Tasha Page Lockhart married Pastor T. Vernon House on Saturday in Westland, Michigan. The couple were married at Burning Bush International Ministries, which is gospel group Shelby 5’s father’s church. The siblings also performed during the ceremony, along with Yolanda Adams, Travis Malloy, McKenzie Thomas, and Alysa Morgan. During their reception, the newlyweds danced to Chrisette Michele’s “A Couple Of Forevers.” FlashBack Gospel Spotlight. Hear Tasha Page Lockhart In Her OWN Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/tashapagelockhart_intvw.htm It’s a girl for Christian singer Jamie Grace and husband Aaron Collins! The couple welcomed their first child together, Isabella Brave Harper Collins, on June 7th. Jamie Grace shared the exciting news on her social media account. “Exactly 7 pounds, 20.5 inches and every bit of lovely. With two middle names like her Southern mama and deep brown eyes like her charming dad, she is oh so loved more than she will ever know,” Jamie wrote on Instagram. Baby Isabella already has an Instagram account with over 13k followers! Hosted by CLEO TV and Spectrum, the CLEO SPEAKS: SHE SPEAKS. WE LISTEN tour made its first stop in New York City at the Helen Mills Event Space and Theater. The event included a panel discussion moderated by Tracy Garraud, Co-Host of Sway in the Morning and Founder of She's Beauty and the Beast with featured panelists Natasha Alford, Deputy Editor of the Griot; Necole Kane, Founder of xoNecole.com; and Charreah K. Jackson, author and CEO. A special screening of Garraud'sCLEO SPEAKS episode was also highlighted. Speaking on the evening's topic "Finding Yourself After Failure," the women touched on a myriad of issues including insecurities, the power of writing affirmations, fear, overcoming cancer, rebounding from financial hardships, chasing dreams, setting expectations, enduring unsatisfying relationships and much more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTIKQnDPKRI&feature=youtu.be Jay Z has hired a lawyer for the family who were nearly killed by Phoenix Police Officers over a $4 doll their toddler took from a store. The family has filed a $10 Million lawsuit against the city, and Jigga is doing his part to help dismantle the KKK culture with the department. According to AZCentral, the rapper’s philanthropic organization within his entertainment company ROC Nation has secured high-profile attorney Alex Spiro, who is demanding the termination of the race soldiers who threatened to kill the family. Spiro has also announced plans to file a lawsuit against one of the officers for child neglect, NewsOne reports. Viral video of the May 29 incident shows Phoenix police officer Christopher Meyer screaming threats and profanity toward a family in a van; Dravon Ames, 22, his pregnant fiancé Aisha Harper, 24, and their two young daughters. “You’re gonna fucking get shot!” the cop yells at one point. “I’m gonna put a fucking cap in your fucking head.” New details have emerged in the shooting of three-time World Series champ David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz. The Daily Mail previously reported Ortiz was shot over an affair with the wife of a jealous drug lord, and model Maria Yeribell Martinez Garcia is believed to be at the center of the love triangle. She was reportedly filmed fighting another woman at Dr. Abel Gonzalez Medical Center, the Dominican hospital where Ortiz was taken for surgery. Garcia has denied any romantic involvement with Ortiz but he reportedly bought her a $85K Lexus RX a day before he was shot. The nine suspects allegedly involved in the shooting have been indicted. They are being sent to four different prisons “in order to protect the integrity of the investigation” and could be held for up to a year, the Boston Globe reports. BET will honor slain rapper and visionary Nipsey Hussle with a posthumous Humanitarian Award this weekend. Regarding his award, Connie Orlando, head of programming at BET, said in a statement: “As a prolific artist and leader, Nipsey Hussle was zealous about driving change for the betterment of his community, empowering and employing those in need and being an influential and highly respected leader.” She added that Hussle’s death was a “tremendous loss” to the entertainment industry and black culture, and added, “We will continue to remember his advocacy and be inspired by the groundwork he set forth and his dire commitment to social change.” Sought for three days for questioning on a sexual-misconduct allegation, Cuba Gooding Jr. voluntarily surrendered Thursday to New York police, was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of "forcible touching" involving an accusation he groped a woman's breast in a New York bar Sunday. Gooding was charged by the Special Victims unit after he turned himself in and was questioned at a police precinct. Gooding pleaded not guilty and was arraigned Thursday. He was released without bail; his next court date is June 26. News video posted on Twitter earlier Thursday showed police walking a cuffed, smiling Gooding out what appeared to be a back door of the precinct. Raven-Symone‘s alter ego, Raven Baxter, has been a staple on The Disney Channel since the child actor turned Hollywood renaissance woman debuted her famous character on the hit show, That’s So Raven, in 2003. Back then, Symone’s alter-ego played a teenager who could see into the future, and that extra-sensory ability often landed her in some comical hot water. It’s anyone’s guess if a three-year-old Raven-Symone, who came to national attention as precocious Olivia on The Cosby Show, could have predicted this kind of career longevity? The character of Raven Baxter was given new life with Symone’s second Disney show, Raven’s Home, in which her character Raven Baxter is a woman with two kids, navigating all that comes with single motherhood and forging her own path as a fledgling fashion designer. Now, going into its third season, Raven’s Home will be tackling some interesting twists and turns as the kids start their own music group, Raven Baxter continues with the launch of her fashion line and roommate and co-parenting partner, Chelsea, finds her niche as a life coach. Aside from plenty of interesting guest stars in the third season of the show, Raven-Symoné makes her Raven’s Home directorial debut this season. 25 years after the grisly murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, O.J. Simpson says he is now living a drama free life, one he has dubbed “no negative zone.” Simpson tells The Associated Press he nor his children want to recall that tragic June 12, 1994 night – when Nicole and Ronald were killed and the beloved Pro Football Hall of Fame hero became a murder suspect. “We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” Simpson said. “The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.” July 4th, A CAPITOL FOURTH continues its 39-year tradition of celebrating the nation's independence on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol building. Two-time Emmy Award-nominated actor and producer John Stamos returns to host the country's longest-running live national July 4th TV tradition. A CAPITOL FOURTH's family-friendly Independence Day celebration will commemorate the country's 243rd birthday with all-star musical performances. The 39th annual edition of A CAPITOL FOURTH will feature: Carole King with the Broadway cast of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning musical BEAUTIFUL starring Vanessa Carlton, Lindsey Stirling, Keala Settle, Vanessa Williams, Lee Brice, Colbie Caillat, Yolanda Adams, 2019 AMERICAN IDOL winner Laine Hardy, Angelica Hale (AMERICA'S GOT TALENT) and this year's winner of THE VOICE (Season 16), Maelyn Jarmon. The concert will also feature a special treat for the entire family, with Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, Rosita, Elmo, Grover, Bert & Ernie from SESAME STREET. Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, III thought-leader and best-selling author of Master Your Emotions, is assembling both national and global leaders and entrepreneurs for the 2019 iElevate Conference held June 18th-23rd at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel and The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta, where he serves as Senior Pastor. Hundreds are expected to hear from prominent leaders and influencers on topics of social relevance. This year’s conference theme is “Image It. Risk It. Do It. It’s Worth It.” Conference Special Guests Include Rev. Al Sharpton, Loni Love, Bevy Smith, Amiyah Scott, Princess Banton-Lofters, Venny Etienne, Antonio Brown & More. Special Musical Guests Include: Sheri Jones-Moffett, Michelle Prather, James Hall and The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta Choir. Pope Francis decreed the “heroic virtues” of the first African-American Catholic priest, thereby bringing a man who was born into slavery in the 19th century a step closer to becoming the first African-American saint. The Rev. Augustus Tolton, who was born a slave in Missouri in 1854, will henceforth be known as “venerable” due to the papal decree, which the Vatican announced on Wednesday. Father Tolton studied at a seminary in Rome after being rejected by every American one to which he applied—was ordained in the Italian capital in 1886 and served in Chicago, where he oversaw the construction of a church for black parishioners on the city’s South Side and where he died of heat stroke in 1897. The “Men in Black” franchise has a new recruit who isn’t a man and actress Tessa Thompson is fine with keeping the masculine-centered film title — for now. Joined by co-star Chris Hemsworth on a black carpet, Thompson shrugged off the gender issue at the world premiere of “Men in Black: International” in New York. Thompson cited her co-star Emma Thompson, who reprises her role in the series, as a voice of reason when it comes to gender equality and representation. Thompson and Hemsworth step into the roles Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made famous. In the sequel, the duo continues to deal with attacks around the world while searching for a mole in the organization. “Men in Black: International” lands in theaters on Friday. Dave Chappelle will make his Broadway debut this summer. Chappelle will perform five shows at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, from July 9 through July 13. The theater this spring has become home for music acts like Morrissey, Yanni and Regina Spektor making their Broadway debuts. Chappelle received Grammy Awards for best comedy album in 2018 and 2019. He won his second Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special with “Equanimity” in 2018. Lee Daniels, the co-creator and executive producer of Empire, has said he’s “beyond embarrassed” for backing actor Jussie Smollett after he claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in January. “I’m beyond embarrassed,” the Oscar-nominated director said. “I think that when it happened, I had a flash of me running from bullies. I had a flash of my whole life, of my childhood, my youth, getting beaten.” Daniels says he still has “some doubt” that Smollett would stage the incident. “Of course, there’s some doubt,” he said. “I’m telling you that because I love him so much. That’s the torture that I’m in right now, because it’s literally if it were to happen to your son and your child, how would you feel? You would feel, ‘Please, God, please let there be that glimmer of hope that there is some truth in this story.’ That’s why it’s been so painful. It was a flood of pain.” The Cartoon Network is the latest company to celebrate LGBT Pride Month, and it’s using one of its most popular animated shows to do it. The Network’s Facebook and Twitter accounts posted a message June 2 alongside a picture of the Powerpuff Girls telling viewers, “We want to wish everyone a HAPPY PRIDE and encourage all of our LGBTQ+ fans to stand proud all year long!” Powerpuff Girls consistently ranks as one of the most-liked shows among viewers. The social media posts showed eight characters from the show standing underneath a rainbow with the message, “Happy Pride.” The Twitter message includes the hashtags “#pride #happypride #powerpuffyourself #pridemonth #powerpuffgirls.” TV One hosted an exclusive screening of the highly anticipated original biopic THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta Tuesday night. THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY explores the tumultuous life of the former lead singer of the 70's R&B/Funk Band Switch, also the eldest sibling of the world-famous pop group DeBarge. Cast members in attendance included the film's lead star Roshon Fegan (Bobby DeBarge), Tyra Ferrell (Etterlene DeBarge), Adrian Marcel (James DeBarge), Big Boi (Berry Gordy) and Lloyd (Gregory Williams of Switch). The film's director Russ Parr, Executive Producer Eric Tomosunas and Keith Neal. VIP's in attendance Pat 'Sleepy' Brown, Lisa Wu, Terri J. Vaughn, Clifton Powell, Vina Mills, B5, Juicy, Tray Chaney, Final Draft, Brely Evans and more. Michael B. Jordan told the men known as the Central Park Five that he cannot watch footage of the new series “When They See Us” without getting emotional and feeling like as a young black man he too could have faced a similar ordeal. “It’s dangerous in America when you’re living in a black body,” Jordan said. Jordan praised the men — Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — for their perseverance and courage during a luncheon in which the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California honored Netflix’s series about their case. The series has re-ignited outcry about how the case was handled. Linda Fairstein, the Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor who observed the teenagers’ interrogation, has faced backlash for her role in their conviction. Fairstein has already resigned from at least two nonprofit boards as backlash intensified and a #CancelLindaFairstein movement spread on social media. When the McKellan family moves from Seattle to Georgia to be closer to extended family, the transition is like being a catfish out of water. From 3 hour church services and huge humidity hair to M'Dear's home cooking and family bonding, the everyday ups and downs of Family Reunion are real, memorable, toe tapping, heart stopping, laugh out loud authentic moments. The cast includes Loretta Devine (M'Dear), Tia Mowry-Hardrict (Cocoa), Richard Roundtree (Jebediah), Anthony Alabi (Moz), Talia Jackson (Jade), Isaiah Russell-Bailey (Shaka), Cameron J. Wright (Mazzi) and Jordyn Raya James (Ami). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4eHcqKh-X8&feature=youtu.be An update on the shooting of ex-Boston Red Sox player David “Big Papi” Ortiz. Local police in the Dominican Republic say was a sophisticated hit-job. They say it involved two cars which staked him out before he was shot by a man on a motorcycle Sunday night as he had drinks at the Dial bar in Santo Domingo. Two men, Eddy Feliz Garcia (the motorcycle driver) and Oliver Moisés Mirabal Acosta (the shooter), have been arrested. Before the incident happened, Acosta was video’d as he drove around in a Hyundai and was seen speaking to other men. He then approached Ortiz on the bicycle and shot him, according to police. GRAMMY® Award winning artist, songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin’s new album LONG LIVE LOVE debuted at #1 on the Top Gospel Album’s chart, at #2 on the R&B Albums chart and #20 on the Top 200 chart. LONG LIVE LOVE also amassed more than 4.3 million streams in its first week. The singles “Love Theory” and “OK” sit at the #1 spots on the Hot Gospel Songs, Gospel Airplay, Gospel Digital Song Sales and Gospel Streaming Songs charts. And “Love Theory” is currently #4 on the Adult R&B Songs chart. Franklin is currently preparing for his 26-city LONG LIVE LOVE TOUR, that kicks off July 11th in Austin, TX. Franklin host the ninth season of Sunday Best, when it returns to BET on June 30th. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Some families pass down recipes or pocket watches but Dr. Leonard Scott – an Indianapolis-based dentist since 1973, has passed down a passion for teeth. Not only is he a leader in his field but his commitment to it has influenced two generations of his own family to follow in his footsteps. Scott’s daughter, Melanie was attending her dad’s alma mater when she met her husband Duane Bennett II who is now a dentist with two offices in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Now, the third generation of Scotts' in dentistry has begun with Dr. Leonard Scott’s granddaughter, Brook Scott, who graduated from Indiana State a few weeks ago and was hooded by both her grandfather and aunt. “I decided when I was 13 that I wanted to be a dentist,” she says. “ It started with me hanging around my grandad’s dental office. He has always been so good with his patients and they always left the office happy and satisfied… Now, I enjoy being able to remodel smiles and rebuild confidence.” She has joined the family practice which is aiming to expand nationally. Meanwhile, Dr. Scott, who has over 20 million digital streams under his belt, has a new single, “Holy Spirit.” Founded in 1967 by the Rev. James Cleveland, the Gospel Music Workshop of America is annual convention bringing together people who love Gospel music from America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean including a wide range of faiths. Its annual Board Meeting and Summer Convention are held in various cities across the United States. This year, the annual board meeting will be taking place in Los Angeles, California and the annual Summer convention will be taking place in Washington, D.C. United Alliance Music Group (UAMG) in partnership with Sony Music/The Orchard introduces UAMG’s associated client and Lunjeal Music Group’s flagship artist, 7-time Billboard #1 artist, multiple GRAMMY and Billboard Music Award nominated artist Jekalyn Carr’s “I See Miracles” concept music video. Filmed in HD and shot on location in New Orleans, Louisiana, The 22-year-old chart-topper, GMA Dove Award winner and four-time Stellar Award winning independent artist- songwriter released her first-ever concept video Monday, June 3, 2019 on her official YouTube channel and has generated upwards of 100K views in less than a week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDsY8PL_uyw BlackSmoke Music Worldwide's newest artist, Edwrin Sutton & Kingdom Culture are set for a LIVE RECORDING of their freshman project Friday, June 7th 2019 at Beulah Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie, NY. Producing this inaugural album is Stellar Award Nominated Artist Demetrius West whose "Open The Floodgates" has been riding high on the charts. Former Boston Red Sox slugger and Dominican star David Ortiz is out of surgery and doing “fine,” according to his family, after he was shot Sunday at a club in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Ortiz’s media assistant, Leo Lopez, told ESPN’s Enrique Rojas that Ortiz is stable but still in intensive care. “Doctors say he is out of danger, but he is heavily sedated and will be in intensive care for the next 24 hours,” Lopez said. The operation lasted six hours and was performed by three doctors, led by Dr. Abel Gonzalez. The team had to remove part of Ortiz’s intestines and colon, as well as his gallbladder. Ortiz suffered liver damage. Authorities say Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at nearly point-blank range around 8:50 p.m. local time Sunday at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo. The gunman was identified as Eddy Feliz Garcia, 25, according to police spokesman Col. Frank Duran Mejia. Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Garcia was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. He suffered a cranium contusion and trauma to his thorax, left knee and right leg, according to the Dominican Republic’s National Health Service. He was treated at the Dario Contreras Hospital in Santo Domingo and then released to police custody. Denzel Washington said his ‘biggest lifetime achievement’ is his wife of 35 years, Pauletta. The star was being honored on Thursday evening at the AFI Awards in Hollywood.The 64-year actor added that he is also proud of his four children. He has John David, 34, Katia, 32, and 28-year-old twins Olivia and Malcolm with his spouse. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2019/06/07/2816538229212136227/1024x576_MP4_2816538229212136227.mp4?_=1 It's the Musical Soul Food Festival (MSF Fest) Saturday, June 21-22, 2019 at Chesapeake City Park in Hampton Roads. GRAMMY® Award winner Fred Hammond headlines the show. This year’s star-studded line-up includes Kurt Carr, Dr. Juanita Bynum, James Fortune, The Brown Boyz, Earl Bynum, Lucinda Moore, Joshua Rogers, Tamyya J, Bishop Leonard Scott and many others. The fest kicks of June 21st with the MSF Comedy Jam & Family Fun Night hosted by Ace Alexander. The free event will include performances from comedian Akintunde, live DJs, The Brown Boyz and Tamayya J. along with Prizes, giveaways and family games. Jonathan Nelson returns with a fresh new single that is guaranteed to resonate with listeners everywhere! In “Jesus, I Love You” Nelson emphasizes that because of Jesus’ abundant love for His people, in return they should echo that same love back to Him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JldO0o8up5I&feature=youtu.be Keyondra Lockett drops I GOT JESUS from Keyondra's latest Chart Topping album, “The Heal" which debuted in the Top 10 on the Gospel Albums Chart ! https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Keyondra-Lockett-I-Got-Jesus-RADIO-lokeK29PlHtPsDwMHaHHx CLEO SPEAKS returns on Saturday, June 8 at 9 a.m. ET/8C with Questlove Supreme podcast co-host/producer Laiya St. Clair and media maven/entrepreneur Kela Walker. Jake and Jazz Smollett bring new beginnings to a millennial's life by transforming her living space on the next episode of LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ airing at 12 p.m. ET/11C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t3y9BP6wMg&feature=youtu.be This week the Lovely Ladies Of Sister Circle Welcome Cast Members from TV One's The Bobby DeBarge Story, Co-Host of CLEO TV's New Soul Kitchen Chef Jernard, R&B Veteran Johnny Gill, "Star's" Amiyah Scott and Many More! One of gospel music’s top singer/songwriters, Renee Spearman releases the highly-anticipated follow-up to “whoa to WOW!” Renee’s new hit CD “I LOVE HIM” features an all-star cast including Hezekiah Walker, Dorinda Clark-Cole and many others. A sophisticated blend of praise & worship, contemporary gospel and traditional gospel, “I LOVE HIM” is the new powerhouse release by Grammy & Stellar nominee Renee Spearman! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKpTEnCzASE GRAMMY nominated, Billboard Music Award Winner, and seven-time Stellar Award winner JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise are set to release their 10th album “Miracle Worker,” on July 26 via Hairston’s JamesTown Music. Hairston’s 10th album will be accompanied by the release of a relationship book with his wife, Trina Hairston, titled, “A Miracle Marriage.” JJ Hairston and his wife Trina will be releasing a relationship book titled, “A Miracle Marriage,” on the same day as his 10th album, giving fans a balanced dose of knowledge and inspiration. The book is a simple guide on how millennial couples can learn to make their marriage work in today’s society. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-DaM6033O8&feature=youtu.be Prominent choir master Zak Williams and his high-spirited ensemble of singers and musicians have not released an album since their acclaimed THE DECLARATION "LIVE FROM PHILLY" in 2006. Gospel music fans have waited patiently while Zak Williams and 1/AKORD have been preparing for their forthcoming album Dr. Alyn E. Waller Presents THE NEXT CHAPTER. Zak invites the public to witness their return to Gospel music with THE NEXT CHAPTER Concert going down Friday, June 7, 2019 at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA. Zak and 1/AKORD will be singing some of the songs from the forthcoming CD. The Bay Area kicked off Black Music Month with a gospel music tribute to Pastor Shirley Caesar and Psalmist Chrystal Rucker, celebrating their impact and influence on the industry. The Team Honors was held June 1st at the Union City Apostolic Church, hosted by gospel trailblazer Lynette Hawkins-Stephens and Evangelist Jacquelyn Melton. As a special treat, Rucker performed her latest single “Take Your Burdens,” soon to be released on digital platforms this summer. With her mother, daughter, and additional family in attendance, Rucker began to speak on her appreciation for the honor and privilege of being honored alongside Pastor Caesar. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, released a report last year about its connections to slavery, has denied a request from an interracial ministers coalition to financially support a nearby black college as a form of reparations. EmpowerWest, a coalition of black and white pastors in Louisville, Ky., where the seminary is located, recently contacted school officials with their request. The group suggested Southern Seminary could donate millions to a local Christian college whose students are predominantly African American. In a May 31 letter of response, the president and board chair of the Southern Baptist Convention’s flagship seminary said they would not transfer funds to another institution. The seminary released a 71-page report in December that said its early trustees and faculty “defended the righteousness of slaveholding” and espoused white supremacy. Founders of the seminary, which opened in 1859, owned more than 50 slaves. Spike Lee will honor Denzel Washington’s career by presenting his friend and collaborator with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. AFI said Tuesday that Lee will present the actor and director with the honor at a gala Thursday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Lee has directed Washington in four films, including “Malcolm X” and “Inside Man.” He also worked with Washington’s son, John David, on the 2019 Oscar best-picture nominee “BlacKkKlansman.” It’s a role reversal for Washington, who has helped present Lee with an honorary Oscar in 2015 and an NAACP Hall of Fame Award in 2003. Mahershala Ali will join a star-studded list of presenters including Morgan Freeman, Chadwick Boseman and Julia Roberts. The tribute will air on TNT on June 20 at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. The 64-year-old Washington joins the ranks of Mel Brooks, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Alfred Hitchcock. Last year’s AFI honoree was George Clooney. Benita Bellamy Kelley is CEO of the Nashville based Marketing and Publicity firm The Bellamy Group. She continues to define and redefine forward-thinking entertainment marketing, business with integrity and how success can be attained for women and/or minorities. With over 20 years of experience in the music business and performing arts, her small firm has continued to operate in excellence, gone head to head with and has forged ahead of some larger firms and corporations in her industry. With a stellar list of clients and a long list of accomplishments and honors, Benita adds yet another award to her credit. The 3rd Annual Independent Recording Artist and Arts Awards (IRAA) were handed in Baton Rouge, LA June 1. Benita was awarded The 2019 IRAA Promoter/Marketer of the Year. In addition to her marketing and publicity work, Benita is an author and radio personality. Her powerful 31-day devotional book BORN 2 BE was released this spring. In the book, Benita shares personal stories from working in the music industry, the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur and a minority business owner, as well as relatable stories of the struggles and victories of parenting, family and relationships. A Manhattan driver involved in a fender bender with comedian Tracy Morgan’s new Bugatti says she “got scared” when the entertainer reacted by pounding on her window and yelling. Jocelyn Madulid of Jersey City, New Jersey told the New York Post Tuesday that she initially didn’t know who the other driver was. Madulid says an officer told her it was a “famous guy.” A tour guide on a double-decker bus remarked, “Oh, that’s Tracy Morgan!” The Bugatti is reportedly worth $2 million. Morgan’s outburst was caught on video. An email requesting comment was sent Wednesday to Morgan’s representative. In 2014, the former “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live” star was seriously injured when a truck hit the limo van he was riding in. Comedian James McNair was killed. CLEO TV and Spectrum are teaming up to take the groundbreaking signature series, CLEO SPEAKS, on a five city tour. Kicking off in New York on Monday, June 10, the tour will make stops in Raleigh, Orlando, Dallas and Los Angeles. CLEO SPEAKS is a candid series that gives dynamic women a platform to share their unique experiences and perspectives on issues facing Millennial and Gen X women of color today. https://mycleo.tv/ Checkout he new single by Damita, entitled "RECOVERY"!!! Damita is best known, not only for her vast sound that explores both contemporary, urban, soul and rock, but her roots stem deeply in worship. As an ordained minister of the gospel she recognizes that no matter how relevant or mainstream her music may go, her message and the spirit in which her ministry of music is delivered will always be led by Christ and Him alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agk8xWkMW1w&feature=youtu.be Orbit Theatrical and Orbit Arts Academy are back to produce their annual concert, "Broadway Unplugged" at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 22, 2019. The annual fundraiser will take place at The Conant Performing Arts Center. Broadway artists, local talent, a silent auction, and a VIP reception are all included in this night of theatrics. Following several stellar performances, an exciting new project will be unveiled. https://vimeo.com/330634390 GRAMMY® nominee and Dove Award winner Danny Gokey took home “Male Artist of the Year” at the 7th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards, held at Nashville’s historic Grand Ole Opry House on June 2nd. This win, marks Gokey’s fourth K-LOVE Fan Award and his second time winning “Male Artist of the Year.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1eMZiOJ0a0&feature=youtu.be TV One brings chills and thrills every Sunday night this July with four original movie premieres themed LOVE, LIES & MURDER." features: SINS OF THE FATHER debuting Sunday, July 7 at 8 p.m./7C; IN BROAD DAYLIGHT premiering Sunday, July 14 at 8 p.m./7C; LOVED TO DEATH airing Sunday, July 21 at 8 p.m./7C; and DEADLY DISPATCH premiering Sunday, July 28 at 8 p.m./7C. Sparked by real events,"SINS OF THE FATHER" features Deitrick Haddon, A.J. Johnson, Clifton Powell, Terayle Hill and Angela Davis. The movie follows Clarence Burnett (Haddon) a pastor in Atlanta who's happily married to Karen (Davis). The couple's world is torn apart when Karen is brutally murdered outside their Atlanta home, sending shock waves through their close-knit community. As police delve deeper into the Burnett's inner circle, they discover secret lives filled with lust, cruelty and unearth a sinful conspiracy of biblical proportions. SINS OF THE FATHER.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9gG51eIGeg&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration (RCAI) has launched a month-long celebration with their campaign for Black Music Month, with the month of June commemorating the 40th anniversary of Black Music Month this year. During this month, RCA Inspiration’s Black Music Month campaign highlights the legacy of Gospel from RCAI and Verity Records’ current artists and catalog of releases spanning twenty-five years.The stars featured during RCAI’s Black Music Month campaign on social media, include: Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, Donald Lawrence, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Kurt Carr, Israel Houghton, Travis Greene, Snoop Dogg, Koryn Hawthorne, Le’Andria Johnson, William Murphy, Jason Nelson, Kierra Sheard, Yolanda Adams, John P. Kee, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Richard Smallwood, Daryl Coley, and more. RCAI’s Black Music Month campaign will also be introducing a series on YouTube, called Verity Records Presents: V.H.S. (Video Heritage Series). The series will showcase classic video concert footage from catalog releases, including Kirk Franklin’s debut release, Kirk Franklin & The Family. This song hit my desk over 13 years ago as I was preparing for the “Rain On Us” recording in Washington, DC. It’s writer, Apostle Kevin Davidson, a close childhood friend who grew up with me in Memphis, TN, called me and said he had a song that God gave him for the nations and that no one could deliver it but me. Kevin said I see God healing and setting His people free across the globe as it permeates the airwaves." Dr. Earnest Pugh drops "God Wants To Heal You." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdw-JR1jBqM&feature=youtu.be The Lonnie Hunter Variety Show is set to air on the Impact Television Network starting June 2019 on Saturdays from 9PM – 10PM EST. Lonnie Hunter, host of The Lonnie Hunter Variety Show, is the perfect person to bring a new and innovative viewing experience to the faith-based community. Upcoming episodes will include not only top gospel artists but actors, barber competitions, games, comedians and an array of surprises. Included in this one-hour variety show Hunter will introduce to his new television audience, his prize-winning game segments Clues & Categories as well as his Talent Show that has become a staple within his radio broadcast. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight!!! Hear Lonnie Hunter In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lonniehunter_intvw.htm The Living Legends Foundation,Inc.(LLF) today announces its 2019 Annual Awards Dinner and Gala. This year’s event will be go down Friday, October 4, 2019 at Taglyan Cultural Complex Hollywood, CA. The distinguished honorees include Dyana Williams, CEO of Influence Entertainment, who will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Frank Ski, V-103 Radio Atlanta, and Steve Hegwood, CEO and President, Core Communications, will both receive the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award; Maurice White, Vice President of Promotion, eOne Entertainment Group, will be presented with the Music Label Executive Award; Sheila Coates, founder and creator of BYOB (Be Your Own Brand), will receive the Entrepreneur Award; Dedra N. Tate, President and CEO, Unlimited Contacts, will be the second recipient of the Mike Bernardo Executive Award; Sidney Miller, founder and Publisher, BRE (Black Radio Exclusive), will be presented with the A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award; Hymen Childs, Owner, Service Broadcasting Group (SBG) and the nationally syndicated DeDe In The Morning, will receive the Broadcast Icon Award; Phil Thornton, Senior Vice President/General Manager, RCA Inspiration, will be presented with the Gospel Music Executive Award; and Karen Lee, Senior Vice President, W&W Public Relations, will receive the Media Executive Award. The Chairpersons of this year’s Awards Dinner and Gala are husband-and-wife team Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew. DeDe McGuire is returning as host. Its been more than two months since three historic black churches were destroyed by fire in St. Landry Parish, and Sunday the pastors of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and Greater Union Baptist Churches in Opelousas and the pastor of St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre were all presented with checks from a Go Fund Me campaign that had been set up in the churches honor. The churches were empty at the time of the fires, and no one was injured. Pastor Gerard Toussaint of the Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church says each church pastor was presented with a check totaling one-third of the combined $2.6 million raised by the Seventh District Baptist Association, and from the outpouring of support worldwide. According to Toussaint, more than 37,000 people from all 50 states and over 40 countries donated to the campaign. Four years ago this month, Dylann Roof opened fire on a Wednesday night Bible study class at historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine people, including an 87-year-old woman named Susie Jackson and 41-year-old Clementa Pinckney, a state senator and senior pastor at Emanuel. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jennifer Berry Hawes was preparing for bed that night in June when she opened Twitter on her laptop and started seeing tweets about the shooting from her colleagues at Charleston’s daily newspaper, The Post and Courier. But it wasn’t until autumn, when Hawes first interviewed the two adult survivors for a story about their experience, that she became more deeply involved in the coverage. The idea to write a book came from a literary agent who contacted Hawes unsolicited and suggested the survivors’ stories would make a good book. Hawes agreed, especially since other issues had bubbled up over time, making it a more complex story. The result is “Grace Will Lead Us Home,”being published June 4 by St. Martin’s Press, a gripping retelling of the shooting and everything that followed, from Roof’s bond hearing where victims’ families astonished the nation by proclaiming forgiveness, to the Bridge to Peace unity march, to President Barack Obama’s eulogy at Pinckney’s funeral, to the Confederate flag’s removal from the South Carolina state Capitol, to the controversies surrounding Emanuel’s handling of donations and beyond. Hawes, will discuss and sign copies of “Grace Will Lead Us Home” at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on June 14. A Forbes report out says that Jay-Z is the first hip-hop artist to reach the billionaire milestone. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter (or maybe Mr. Beyoncé Knowles?), debuted his first album “Reasonable Doubt” in June 1996. Since then, the 49-year-old has not only released 14 number one albums and accrued 22 Grammy awards, he’s also launched his own brands of clothing (Rocawear) and liquor (D’Ussé cognac), and started his own music streaming service (Tidal). Carter also has stakes in companies like Uber and owns multiple properties. Gospel icon Kirk Franklin is known for speaking candidly about his many imperfections, so it’s no surprise that during a recent chat with EBONY, he opened up the challenges of being a public figure struggling with personal demons. He also weighed in on folks who are in awe of prominent church leaders who have come under fire for their controversial behavior. “I think the best example I can say is everybody has had cold fries once in their lives from McDonald’s and it didn’t stop them from going back,” Kirk said. https://youtu.be/ov8nxBoqFH4 Kanye West has announced plans to launch an incubator program that aims to support emerging artists, Vogue reports. The program will provide financial assistance and mentorship to talented hopefuls in the fields of fashion and design. Chicago-native and Parsons graduate Maisie Schloss, was the first to receive the grant as part of Yeezy womenswear design team. The success of faith-based films in recent years has led to a resurgence of Christian movies being made by Hollywood filmmakers. 2019 is already echoing 2018’s blockbuster year for Christian films. The Tim Tebow-backed production “Run the Race” brought in over $6 million domestically at the Box Office, and Devon Franklin’s latest film “Breakthrough” has made nearly $40 million. “Emanuel” will be released June 17 and 19. The documentary “Emanuel” tells the emotional accounts of survivors and family members of those who were murdered during a Bible study at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. https://youtu.be/oBFSaiyl2bU TV One and CLEO TV General Manager Michelle Rice officially announced today that veteran television executive Brigitte McCray has joined the network's senior leadership team as the Senior Vice President, Original Programming and Production. In her new role, McCray provides strategic direction for all original programming and oversees all development and current production for TV One and its sister network CLEO TV. Based in the Silver Spring headquarters, she will report directly to Rice. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday 10 PM/9C only on TV One. Joining DL in the studio this week is actor Flex Alexander on Monday, June 3; TBD on Tuesday, June 4; Essence Atkins on Wednesday, June 5; and J. Anthony Brown on Thursday, June 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dma06Mh75U&feature=youtu.be SISTER CIRCLE LIVE," Monday 6/3/2019: Comedian/Actor Tyler Chronicles Festival Fashion with Stylist Shatava Lindsey, Tuesday 6/4/2019: Award-winning educator and Founder/CEO of the 'Harvard Diversity Project' Brandon Fleming, Wednesday 6/5/2019: Gospel Singer Micah Stampley, Former NFL Player/Author Trent Shelton, Healthy recipes with Dr. Lauren Powell, Thursday 6/6/2019: Judges Dana & Keith Cutler from "Couples Court", Friday 6/7/2019: Comedian Chico Bean Bishop Marvin L. Sapp today announced to his congregation that he is retiring as Senior Pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center. He has accepted the personal request of Bishop Richard E. Young to assume the role of Senior Pastor of Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas. Bishop Young is a close family friend who is like an Uncle to Marvin Sapp. Bishop Young has been the pastor of Chosen Vessel since 1985. In April he announced that he will retire to Emeritus status effective September 14th, 2019. Fourteen-time GRAMMY® Award winning artist, songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin released LONG LIVE LOVE, his much anticipated new album. LONG LIVE LOVE is Franklin’s thirteenth studio album and his first since 2015’s Losing My Religion. see review on Gospel Spotlight Album review......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm Jake and Jazz Smollett return thisSaturday, June 1 at 12 p.m. ET/11C and upgrade a young mom's home while cooking up a tasty, kid-friendly meal on the next episode of LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwVpUblwKcE&feature=youtu.be Hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper recently revealed that he’s trusting God for his aunt who is in “dire need” of a kidney transplant. The emcee took to Twitter on May 23 to reveal that his family “believes in the power of prayer” despite his aunt’s health battles. However, the family is holding on to their faith. “We give the problem to God,” he added. “A prayer really goes a long way,” he tweeted as fans expressed their support. Chance also revealed specific information about her blood type since so many people were inquiring about how else they could help. “I’m sorry it was a lil overwhelmingly [emotional] writing this, Her blood type is O positive, you can get a quick blood test and physical to find your a match,” Chance continued. He ended the series of tweets with one final proclamation of faith. “I serve a promise keeping God and His timing’s impeccable,” the Chicago native declared. Octavia Spencer is a movie star. She has been for almost a decade since audiences and Oscar voters fell in love with her as Minnie in “The Help.” Since then she’s gotten two more supporting actress Oscar nominations, one of which was for a film that became another “surprise” blockbuster (“Hidden Figures”), ramped up her production company, acted consistently in film and television and written children’s books. She even executive produced this year’s best picture winner, “Green Book.” But there was one thing she hadn’t yet done in her nearly 25 years in the business: Starred in her own film. She’d been a lead before, but she’d never been first on the call sheet. Until now. The film to righted that wrong is “Ma,” a movie in which she plays a small town woman who buys beer for some local high school students and lets them party in her basement, before things take a sinister turn. It opens nationwide this weekend, and it’s unlike anything audiences have seen Spencer do before. “There are only a couple of archetypes people are comfortable seeing me in. And for me, it’s like, you know you might only be comfortable seeing me this way, but there are so many colors in this crayon box,” Spencer, 47, said. “I want to play everything that you don’t think I can do.” Tasha Cobbs Leonard continues to expand her business ventures with the launch of CURVE Athletics. Following the successful launch of Fritz Eyewear last summer, Cobbs Leonard broadens her retail brand with CURVE Athletics. Billed as an “Athleisure” apparel line for women with CURVES, the line promises to offer stylish, comfortable and fun pieces that can are worn for workouts, a busy day running through airports, or on a hot date . This collection is designed with the plus-sized woman in mind. Each piece is structured with a breathable, and supportive high-end fabric that provides both a comfortable and shaping hold. Tasha launched the line with an incredible photo spread that features women of all sizes and ages . The collection is available online now. CURVE Athletics is the CURVY Woman’s New Addiction! In honor of June’s Black Music Month, 22-year-old chart-topper, 4-time Stellar Award, GMA Dove Award winner, singer-songwriter Jekalyn Carr exclusive YouTube Music Video premiere for her new single “I See Miracles ” will release on her Official YouTube channel on Monday, June 3rd, 2019 at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT. Filmed in HD and shot on location in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jekalyn Carr’s first-ever concept music video is directed by Kauwuane Burton. The track is produced and written with her father, manager and three-time GRAMMY® Award nominated musician Allen Carr. A budding entrepreneur Jekalyn is gearing up for her 2nd Annual You Will Win Conference on June 21-22, 2019 in Orlando, FL with special guest artists, personalities, and speakers including Rickey Smiley, Willie Moore, Jr.,Tye Tribbett and Koryn Hawthorne. She is also launching a signature makeup line and a syndicated radio show later this year.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDsY8PL_uyw Anthony Evans’ album Altared, released on his self-started independent label and production company Sherman James Productions, debuted at No. 1 on the Gospel Albums Sales Chart this week. This marks his second consecutive album to debut at No. 1. The 11-track album features the NBC The Voice alumnus re-imagining and “ Altaring ” top worship songs along with recording heartfelt originals including the debut single “Fighting For Us,” which is climbing the gospel radio charts. After a recent run of sold-out spring events with Evans’ sister, Author, Bible Teacher, and Actress Priscilla Shirer, demand was high for more FerVent 2.0 dates. Evans, via his independently owned Sherman James Productions, is sending the tour out on a fall run of shows, which kicks off in Memphis, Tenn. on September 7. Evans’ faithful expressions from his new album "Altared" are coupled with the dynamic teaching based on the message of Priscilla’s upcoming movie "Overcomer." “Fighting For Us” https://youtu.be/OoDsTBACQWM TBN presents a night of worship this Monday night, June 3rd featuring Jonathan Nelson. Doors open at 5:30PM, and taping begins at 7:00PM. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged singer R. Kelly with 11 new counts of criminal sexual abuse, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday, bringing the total number of charges against him in Illinois up to 21. The new charges resulted from an offense that allegedly took place in 2010. Few details were made available, it’s not clear whether the victim from that case is new or one of the women from the 10 counts filed against him in February. Details were not immediately available. However, four of the 11 new charges are listed as aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony that could land Kelly in prison for six to 30 years should he be convicted on any of them. Four people have been killed and eight others were wounded in a church van crash in Virginia Tuesday night. The deadly accident occurred in Dinwiddie, Virginia, and involved a van carrying 11 members of Shiloh Baptist Church, in Blackstone, Virginia, who were on their way to an event at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. On Tuesday, the Shiloh Baptist Church van was slowing down while making a right turn into the Mt. Zion Baptist Church’s parking lot in Dinwiddie, when it was rear-ended by a truck pulling a trailer of metal that failed to stop in time, according to WRIC. The van was said to have flipped over multiple times before coming to a stop on its side. The truck, meanwhile, hit a guardrail. Virginia State Police said that four of the van passengers died at the scene. Three other passengers were airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the remaining four were transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The truck driver was also taken to the hospital after suffering minor injuries. Lamar Odom is blaming his 2015 overdose on late brothel owner Dennis Hof, alleging the businessman tried to kill him by possibly poisoning him. The former Los Angeles Lakers forward made the shocking claim on The View Tuesday, claiming that he did not take any drugs the night he overdosed at Hof’s Love Ranch brothel in October 2015. “ I think Dennis Hof… I don’t know what he had against me, but I didn’t do drugs that night, to be honest with you,” said Odom, 39. “So I don’t know if he tried to poison me, or … I don’t know what he had against me. He tried to kill me.” When pressed for proof by co-host Joy Behar, Odom, 39, said he was unable to back up his allegation, but that his lawyer found workers at the brothel who said that was the case. Will Smith wants to share the whole new world of “Aladdin” with his famous family. Tuesday, the 50-year-old actor, who plays the Genie in Disney’s live-action remake of the 1992’s animated classic, hit the purple carpet outside the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, where he was joined by wife Jada Pinkett Smith, sons Trey, 26, and Jaden Smith, 20, and daughter Willow Smith, 18. Dressed in a printed suit, Will cozied up to Jada, 47, whose blue ensemble looked to be inspired by her husband’s character in the film, as they posed for photos with their children. In addition to his own family, Will received support from his former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” co-stars, Alfonso Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali, who is expecting her second child with husband Dr. Vaughn Rasberry. Black excellence and black young men joy are in full effect in Hampton, Virginia. Hundreds of young black males were celebrated for working hard to earn and maintain a 3.0 or higher. Over 700 young black males, dressed to impress, filled Hampton Roads Convention Center to celebrate their outstanding accomplishments. Some would have you believe black men can only excel in athletics and entertainment. Well this event is writing a new narrative. Black men can excel in all areas, all you need is belief and confidence. Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin spoke about his relationship with Kanye West in an interview with Beats 1 studio on Monday where he was asked to comment on the rapper’s Sunday Service events. Franklin and West collaborated on the song “Ultralight Beam” and host Ebro Darden wanted Franklin’s take on West’s Sunday Services that his wife, Kim Kardashian West, described as a “spiritual Christian experience” that includes gospel music but omits preaching. “Let that be his medicine, he ain’t making no loot doing it,” Franklin responded. https://youtu.be/oWPwm0xhfe4 Moviegoers voted with their dollars and chose the familiar over the new this Memorial Day weekend. The Walt Disney Co.’s live-action remake of “Aladdin” crushed the competition at the box office. “Aladdin” did better than expected, grossing an estimated $86.1 million to take the top spot at the North American box office, according to studio estimates on Sunday. It’ll likely pass $100 million by Monday. “Aladdin,” a musical-adventure directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott. It draws heavily on the music and story of the 1992 animated film (the top earner of that year) that it’s based on. Singer Chris Brown has been summoned to Paris for a face-to-face meeting with the student who accuses him of raping her. The dramatic meeting is set to take place at the headquarters of the French capital’s Judicial Police on Tuesday. Legal sources in Paris on Sunday confirmed a report in the Parisian newspaper that the 24-year-old alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has provided compelling evidence of an attack. There is no extradition treaty between France and the USA, so it remains to be seen whether Brown, 30, will make the journey from his home in Los Angeles. The victim claims she was raped by Brown, his bodyguard, and a third man in the early hours of January 16. "Growing Pains", is Stellar Award nominated artist ChoirBoi Cam's; most personal project to date. It's the highly anticipated conclusion to the "Against the Wall" EP. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/ChoirBoi-Cam-Growing-Pains-RADIO-5a2uhJPMOgVqtL0LTIV01 12 year old actress, anti-bully activist & recording artist JHALA ANGELIQUE releases new single titled "Kaleidoscope". Also known as a child prodigy Jhala is making her sparkling music debut with an anthem for the ages. "Kaleidoscope" positively promotes the importance of having strong self-image and recognizing the beauty within that we all have. In 2018 Jhala Angelique was the winner of the Los Angeles acclaimed and celebrated “A Taste of Soul” and “StarQuest” singing competitions. https://thegospelcentral.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fda04e8ffa120858ad12a680d&id=2d8c4662d6&e=7a12900599 Barack and Michelle Obama‘s baby girl, Sasha Obama, is finishing high school and in fact, attend her prom on Friday night (05-24-19). In pics posted on Facebook, the former first daughter and her date is seen posing for the camera before her grand time out in Washington; she will graduate from the Sidwell Friends High School next month. The gorgeous Sasha is seen with her handsome, tux-wearing boyfriend, Chris Milton. Jake and Jazz Smollett return this Saturday, May, 25 at 12 p.m. ET/11C on the only lifestyle series that offers viewers a design reveal and a meal - LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_honcF07q4Q&feature=youtu.be THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW, Memorial Day weekend, the "Best of The DL Hughley Show" will air on Monday, May 27 with highlights from Cedric the Entertainer, Anthony Anderson, Steve Harvey and Loni Love. Featured guests joining DL in studio next week include actress Niecy Nash, Tuesday, May 28; actor Jeremy Piven, Wednesday, May 29 and comedian/actor Gary Owen, Thursday, May 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kodJaMyFr0g&feature=youtu.be Sunday (5/26), global music and entertainment streaming platform, TIDAL will exclusively livestream "Exodus Music & Arts Festival" in partnership with Live Nation Urban from Irving, Texas. The livestream will feature performances from the powerhouse lineup including: Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Travis Greene, VaShawn Mitchell, Kelontae Gavin and Kirk Franklin. “This year’s festival will be even greater than last year’s and the performers will blow you away!” said Festival headliner and creator, Kirk Franklin. “We are excited to partner with TIDAL and share music from our spiritual lineup to not only the community in Texas, but the gospel audience globally.” Nothing To Hard is the fifth Album from Urban Christian Artist Lawrence Hancock. This effort comes on the heels of back-to-back Gospel Album Sales Charting projects. These 12 Singles give music enthusiasts what they have been asking for a complete album! Utilizing a pallet of urban musical themes, Hancock continues to captivate with Christ-centered lyrics that evoke the listener to praise and worship. Kurt Carr is coming to Louisiana, headlining a “Bless Somebody Else” Benefit Concert – A Night of Hope and Inspiration Saturday June 1st, at the Opelousas Civic Center in Opelousas, LA, along with hosting an open call for singers on Friday May 31. Carr’s “Bless Somebody Else” Concert is raising funds to benefit the three historic black churches that burned down in the hate crime arsons that took place earlier this spring, in the course of ten days in March and April (St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas). Named after his latest single “Bless Somebody Else (Dorothy’s Song)” to encourage bringing blessings to others, Carr will feature special guests and welcome area singers at the benefit concert, to create a night of hope and inspirational music for the greater St. Landry Parish, where the three churches had long been pillars of the community, each serving the area for more than 100 years. Marshal Ausberry Sr., senior pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fairfax Station, Va., will be nominated as first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC’s June 11-12 annual meeting, Nevada pastor Vance Pitman has announced. Ausberry, who has led the church for 24 years into numerous local and global initiatives, also is the current president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention. "SISTER CIRCLE LIVE," hosted by Quad Webb-Lunceford, Syleena Johnson ,Rashan Ali and Trina Braxton welcome: Monday 5/27/2019: RE-RUN: Rapper/Actor/Philanthropist Common and health tips with Dr. Jen Caudle. Tuesday 5/28/2019: Dr. Contessa Metcalfe from "Married to Medicine" , mystic Maudy Fowler and fitness guru Lauren Powers. Wednesday 5/29/2019: Author/Actor Remi Adeleke. Yoga demonstration and a delicious recipe from Chef Cam. Thursday 5/30/2019: Curvy, Curly, Conscious founder/actress Shelah Marie and actor/comedian Clinton Coley. Celebrity fitness trainers and life coaches David Tex and Yamisse. Friday 5/31/2019: R&B group Blaque; actress Victoria Rowell and fitness trainer KD Wilson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW4hRWxFsMk&feature=youtu.be The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington installed Wilton Gregory as its archbishop on Tuesday (May 21), ushering in a new era for a community marred by recent scandals involving sex abuse. Gregory, who most recently served as the archbishop of Atlanta, embarked on his new ministry during a Mass held Tuesday afternoon at Washington’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, next to the Catholic University of America. The largest Roman Catholic Church in North America, the basilica was chosen over the city’s cathedral, St. Matthew’s, to accommodate the thousands who packed the pews for the event. Christian comedian John Crist took a slight departure from his regular comedic skits to release a new song and video that is currently No. 2 on the iTunes Christian charts. His catchphrase “Check Your Heart” has become a movement on social media and he has now capitalized on it with his song, “Check Your Heart,” featuring 1KPhew, Nobigdyl. and DJ Mykael V. https://youtu.be/WKfOtip07B4 Enon Music Group recording artist Robert Copeland is enjoying the advent of the summer season as he prepares to hit the road as well as release new music from No Distance, his debut project to radio. The message of the title song has driven an uptick in audience response and participation with fans and followers flocking to YouTube to view the lyric video for the song, drawing scores of new admirers daily. Copeland gets in gear for the unofficial kick off of Summer this weekend, joining Gospel’s rising star Kelontae Gavin in North Carolina on Friday, before heading out to the Sanford, Florida Gospel Festival with noted worship leader and psalmist Pastor Wendi Wyatt. On the latest episode of “Red Table Talk” actress Jada Pinkett Smith and her team discussed the unhealthy effects of porn. On Monday’s episode of RTT, Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow, and her mom Adrienne explored the negative effect on pornography on relationships. “Back in the day I had a little porn addiction, but I wasn’t in a relationship when I had a porn addiction, believe it or not, thank goodness,” the actress admitted while the trio got ready before heading to the table. “I actually feel like I was using ‘addiction’ a little lightly. And maybe I’ll say now that I had an unhealthy relationship to porn at one point in my life where I was trying to practice abstinence,” Pinkett Smith, who’s been married to Will Smith for over 20 years, added. Singing phenom Bri Babineaux, who boasts over a half million Instagram followers, is headed to New Orleans to record her sophomore gospel album, The "Encounter." The live praise and worship music goes down Friday, May 31, 2019 at Living the Word International, Slidell, LA. Bri’s special performing guests will include Todd Dulaney, Psalmist Raine, Dante Bowe and Alicia Hardy-Montgomery. The newly married 24-year-old Lafayette, Louisiana resident is best-known for her signature songs such as “I’ll Be The One” (2015) and “Make Me Over” (2017) which both hit No. 1 on the Gospel Digital Song Sales chart. Her debut album, "Keys to My Heart," debuted at No. 1 and helped her win two Stellar Gospel Music Awards, including New Artist of the Year in 2017. This year ESSENCE Fest is moving the culture forward, celebrating 25 years of Black women in Gospel music. Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Tasha Cobbs & More to join 25 Years Of Black Women In Gospel Music Celebration at ESSENCE Fest. With the support of his head coach and general manager, star NFL running back Kareem Hunt got baptized on Sunday just months after a video emerged showing him pushing and kicking a female at a Cleveland hotel. The 23-year-old Hunt, an Ohio native who signed with the Cleveland Browns in February, got baptized at True Vine Baptist Church in Cleveland on Sunday. Hunt said that his baptism was the result of him getting closer to religion as he tries to turn his life around following his release from the Kansas City Chiefs last November. Having played with the Chiefs during his first two NFL seasons, the pro-bowl running back was cut by the team after a security video surfaced from a downtown Cleveland hotel showing him pushing and shoving a woman during an altercation in a hallway. Hunt will be suspended without pay for the first eight games of the 2019 NFL season due to his altercation at the hotel last June and a physical altercation that occurred at his Cleveland residence last February. Singer Montell Jordan revised his 1995 smash hit single, “This Is How We Do It,” to better suit his Christian faith for the season finale of American Idol. Jordan was invited on the mainstream show. During his Sunday performance, the classic R&B tune was altered to remove every reference of alcohol, sex and drunkenness. https://youtu.be/YiVKU8aEXMU ; Sterling K. Brown is embarking on a passion project. And, much like his NBC hit This Is Us, it shines light on difficult topics. The two-time Emmy-winning actor partnered with Bristol-Myers Squibb for a series called Survivorship Today: What It’s Like to Live with Cancer, streaming now at survivorshiptoday.com. In each episode, Brown interviews a cancer survivor about life after his or her diagnosis, exploring the physical, emotional and social effects. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 15.5 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive in 2016, and by 2026, that number will rise to 20.3 million. Oprah Winfrey surprised a group of students at West Side High School in Newark on Friday night with a pizza party and a $500,000 donation to the school’s Light’s On program. The Lights On after-school program was created by principle Akbar Cook, who aims to create a safe and creative space for his students on Friday nights during the school year. Cook previously made headlines for installing washing machines at the school to ensure students had clean clothes. With the Light’s On program, Principal Cook and his family personally prepare dinner for the program’s 300 students each week. But this past Friday, Winfrey hosted a pizza party with her line of “O, That’s Good” frozen pizzas with Kraft Heinz. The media mogul and Kraft Heinz donated $50 ShopRite gift cards to the hundreds of kids in attendance before she donated a check for $500,000 to support the program, the report states. https://youtu.be/HwFUnJdrHuQ Golfing champ Tiger Woods is receiving the scripted miniseries treatment just one month after he bagged his fifth Masters win. Woods’ life and career will be chronicled in the scripted miniseries that is currently in development and based on the New York Times best-seller “Tiger Woods,” co-authored by Jeff Benedict. The book is based on more than 250 interviews with family, friends and associates and explores the rise and fall of the golf legend. Benedict has teamed with Wheelhouse Entertainment to bring the project to life and he called the partnership a “dream.” Thirty-four African American women are expected to graduate from West Point next weekend — the highest number of black women to graduate in the same class in the history of the military academy. A photo of the historic class of 2019 circulated on social media this week as students finish up their final exams. “My hope when young Black girls see these photos is that they understand that regardless of what life presents you, you have the ability and fortitude to be a force to be reckoned with,” cadet Tiffany Welch-Baker told the website Because of Them We Can. GRAMMY®-Award winning, multi-platinum-selling musical icon, acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, musician, producer, and arranger, Fred Hammond has earned his 5th career BET Award nomination. He's nominated in the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award category for his current radio hit "Tell Me Where It Hurts." Social media phenom and chart-topping independent 20-year-old artist Kelontae Gavin has released his new radio single "There's No One Like You," to gospel radio. Co-written by Gavin along with hitmakers Marquis Boone and TedyP - both of which co-produced the track. This is the inspiring follow-up to the breakthrough radio smash, "No Ordinary Worship. Eight months after the death of Aretha Franklin, three handwritten wills have been found in her suburban Detroit home, including one discovered under cushions in the living room, an estate lawyer has confirmed. One will is reportedly dated March 2014, and appears to give Franklin’s assets to family members. At the time of her death last August of pancreatic cancer, lawyers and family members said the Queen of Soul had no will, but three handwritten versions were discovered earlier this month, according to the Detroit Free Press. Two wills drafted in 2010 were found in a locked cabinet after a key was found, the report states. Estate attorney David Bennett confirmed that the 2014 version was found inside a spiral notebook under cushions. Reginald Heber had no idea when he penned the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy that it would reverberate for well over a century and hold its own as one of the most beloved hymns of the church. Today, the Billboard Top 20 charting, Stellar Award nominated Enon Music Group recording artists Fresh Anointing Choir of the historic Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church under the pastoral leadership of Reverend Dr, Alyn E. Waller puts their own inimitable stamp on the song as the reincarnation of the hymn takes its turn in the spotlight. Holy, Holy follows hit singles Oh How I Love Jesus featuring Pastor John P. Kee and God Is featuring Shawn Bigby,and is available now on all digital outlets and streaming platforms while the single is making the rounds at radio over the coming weeks. Multiple Grammy winner Hezekiah Walker, Stellar & Grammy nominee Renee Spearman drop the smash hit single “I LOVE HIM”!! The highly-anticipated follow-up to “whoa to WOW!”, Renee's hit CD. A sophisticated blend of praise & worship, contemporary gospel and traditional gospel, “I LOVE HIM” is the new powerhouse release by Renee Spearman! Renee’s new hit CD “I LOVE HIM” features an all-star cast including Hezekiah Walker, Dorinda Clark-Cole and more. Alvin Darling, known for hits like “All Night,” “Nobody But the Lord,” and “He's All Over Me” which debuted in “The Preachers Wife” movie sung by Loretta Divine, and is featured on the Preacher’s Wife soundtrack and sung by Whitney Houston and Shirley Caesar. Now, Alvin Darling returns with his latest single entitled “Leave It Alone” is a spirit filled, foot stomping tune with a practical message, that all radio listeners have come to love from him. The estate of Whitney Houston has struck a deal aiming to revive the late superstar’s brand, potentially launching a touring hologram and album of unreleased music. New York-based company Primary Wave Music Publishing announced Monday it penned an agreement with mega-celebrity Houston’s estate, acquiring 50 percent of its assets including royalties from her music, films and merchandising. The most awarded female artist of all time, Houston died at 48 years old in 2012 after a public struggle with drugs, following a decade that saw her go from America’s sweetheart to tabloid drama queen. “With Primary Wave’s global appeal and wealth of contacts, the partnership will advance the artistry and integrity of Whitney’s legacy to a stratosphere that she herself left us all to enjoy for a lifetime,” Pat Houston, the late artist’s sister-in-law and executor of the estate, said in a statement. After a four-year hiatus, America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best,” makes its triumphant return to BET, as a new and improved Season 9 takes over Sunday nights beginning in June. The gospel show welcomes back Grammy Award®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host, gospel songstress and host of “Get Up Mornings” Erica Campbell as a judge; and adds two Grammy-Award® nominated artists Kelly Price and Jonathan McReynolds as new additions to the panel. With a brand new stage and exciting themed challenges, this season will be the toughest one yet. The 19th Annual African Pride Gospel SuperFest TV spectacular presented by The Cartwright Foundation is set for June 22, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio at the $100 million Schuster Performing Arts Center. Hosted by NAACP Image® Award-Winning Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson, this year’s star-studded celebration of Gospel music will include performances from the biggest names in Gospel. The show’s Lifetime Achievement honors are being awarded to Pastor Donnie McClurkin and The Rance Allen Group for their trailblazing and transformative music and ministries. Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin says she is running for Miami-Dade County Commissioner, CBS Miami reports. Trayvon was gunned down at age 17 by then-neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was subsequently acquitted. The case sparked nationwide protests and lead to the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Since her son’s murder, Fulton has advocated to make South Florida communities safer. She co-founded the Miami Gardens-based Trayvon Martin Foundation in the district she’ll represent should she be elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission. Fulton will face off against Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert in the election, according to the Miami Herald. If you haven’t already heard, something wonderful and very important happened on Sunday. After receiving his honorary doctorate at Morehouse College, billionaire Robert F. Smith, the technology investor and philanthropist, basically freaked out everyone by announcing that his family was providing a grant to eliminate the student debt of the entire Class of 2019. “This is my class,” he said, “and I know my class will pay this forward.” The announcement came as a humongous surprise to Smith’s staff as well as the staff at Morehouse, and you know it got the biggest response of the morning from the crowd. R. Kelly could soon be battling dual indictments in both New York and Illinois, as a grand jury is set to hear evidence related to sex trafficking claims against the disgraced singer. Officials have been interviewing witnesses, and testimony will be presented in front of the grand juries in both the Southern District of New York and the Northern District of Illinois. The federal investigation is expected to wrap within the next few weeks, and a Kelly insider predicts two indictments will be filed. The charges will mainly relate to sex trafficking and tax evasion. RCA Inspiration celebrates the 2019 BET Awards nominations, with two nods in the category of Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award. Kirk Franklin is nominated for his chart-topping hit song “Love Theory,” from his upcoming album LONG LIVE LOVE, and Snoop Dogg (feat. Rance Allen) is nominated for the hit “Blessing Me Again,” from his chart-topping Gospel release Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love. Franklin garners an additional nomination in the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award category for his featured performance with Tori Kelly on her hit song “Never Alone.” The 2019 BET Awards go down in Los Angeles, airing live on Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 8 PM/7C. The hot new lifestyle series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ, featuring brother/sister duo Jake and Jazz Smollett, returns on Saturday, May 18 at 12 p.m. ET. Jake and Jazz hit all the right notes when they redesign the bachelorette pad of Taylor, an eclectic musician from New Orleans who became a viral sensation with her popular drumming videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzacQ6_29aw&feature=youtu.be Today, 14-time GRAMMY® winning artist, songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin unveiled the video for his song “OK”. The “OK” video, which was directed by Matt DeLisi, premiered exclusively on BET Soul and BET Gospel. It can also be seen on BET.com and the Kirk Franklin YouTube channel. “OK” is a new single from Franklin’s forthcoming album, LONG LIVE LOVE, which will release on May 31st. LONG LIVE LOVE, Franklin’s thirteenth studio album, is currently available for pre-order on all digital platforms and available for pre-add on Apple Music. Those pre-ordering or pre-adding the album will instantly receive the tracks “OK,” “Just For Me” and “Love Theory,” which has been #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart for 15 weeks straight. In addition to the release of the new album, Franklin will host and headline the 2nd Annual Exodus Music & Arts Festival on May 26th in Irving, TX. Also, he’ll be back as host of the ninth season of BET’s Sunday Best, which premiers Sunday, June 30th. July 11th, Franklin will kick off his 26-city LONG LIVE LOVE Tour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzr-TsrIeNc Little did Singer/Songwriter and Actor Anthony Evans know when he was in the studio working on his highly-anticipated new album "Altared," releasing today, May 17, that the songs he was writing and recording to encourage his fans would come to so profoundly minister peace to him. . In tandem with his sister, best-selling author/actress Priscilla Shirer, Evans will set out on the “FerVent 2.0” tour. Each night, faithful expressions from his new album "Altared" will be joined with messages from Priscilla’s upcoming movie "Overcomer." The highly-anticipated tour kicked off the first of 16 shows in Tyler, Texas on May 15. Anthony Evans’ new album "Altared" is available through all digital retailers and exclusively via Lifeway Christian Resources today. Award-winning Christian rapper Lecrae is used to playing sold-out arena shows. But he took a gig in a rather unusual venue last month — Carol S. Vance Unit prison in Fort Bend County, Texas. Heading inside the facility with fellow musicians Andy Mineo and Tedashii, Lecrae met with inmates to hear stories of how many of them had come to Christ, and tried to offer some hope and wisdom of his own. The acclaimed artist visited in partnership with Prison Fellowship, a ministry organization that works with “talented people in entertainment and restorative programs to bring awareness to the 2.2 million people behind bars in America today.” https://youtu.be/F0hql9A3EFo It’s festival season, and everyone’s favorite former first lady is officially participating! ESSENCE announced Thursday that Michelle Obama will headline their 25th Anniversary Festival of Culture in New Orleans July 4-7. The 55-year-old is set to discuss her record-setting memoir, finding a new focus and her plans for the future during a sit-down interview on July 6, ESSENCE said in a statement. ESSENCE Festival is a celebration of global black culture that attracts more than 500,000 people each weekend. The View’s Loni Love will host this year’s event, making her the first female ever to do so. Becoming, which was released in November 2018, is a candid account of Mrs. Obama’s childhood in Chicago, her marriage to former president Barack Obama, becoming a mother to daughters Sasha and Malia and life in the White House. As of March 26, the memoir had sold a staggering 10 million copies worldwide. Six gospel artists had the chance of a lifetime to perform before Bishop T.D. Jakes and Pastor Marquis Boone on their competition reality show “The Gospel.” Yolanda DeBerry (stage name “Yoli”) was declared the winner of the competition Gospel show, and was rewarded a national management contract with T.D. Jakes’ Dexterity Sounds and Marquis Boone Music Group. The Gospel chronicled eight episodes as contestants competed for a national management contract with T.D. Jakes’ Dexterity Sounds and Marquis Boone Music Group. The first of its kind for Gospel music, Yoli was announced as the winner of this Christian music competition at Bishop T.D. Jakes International Pastors & Leadership Conference in Tampa Bay on April 27. The Black Business Association (BBA), the oldest ethnic business organization in the State of California, will commemorate African-American Music Appreciation Month by presenting its Annual Salute To Black Music Awards Dinner on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at the California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA. Reception begins at 6:00 PM, Awards Dinner at 7:00 PM and Dessert Reception from 9-10 PM. African-American Music Appreciation Month is a commemoration that takes place annually in the United States, throughout the month of June. Originally proclaimed “Black Music Month” by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979, U.S. presidents have issued proclamations for the celebration under that name until President Barack Obama announced the observance under a new title, African-American Music Appreciation Month. Red Alliance Media/Fairtrade and Interface Entertainment are excited to announce that Stellar-award nominated recording artist, international worship leader, songwriter, and restaurateur Micah Stampley just released his newest highly anticipated single, "Fire & Rain." Stampley, best known for his powerhouse vocals and his extensive range soars to new heights in this exhilarating tune. “Fire and Rain” is a prelude to his ninth project— an EP with songs that are made for dancing and worship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjAi2StVgD8 Pastor and Psalmist Desmond Pringle wants you to know when he says and sings, “I am praying for you”, he really means it. Fresh from his Prayer Encounter weekend held in the beginning of May, Pringle releases the heartfelt and stirring single, I Am Praying For You, produced by Grammy award winning producer Cedric Thompson . Songwriter and producer Bill Moss, Jr. heads to Detroit’s New Providence Baptist Church Friday, May 17, 2019 for a live recording featuring the Baptist, Missionary and Education (BME) Convention Choir. “Life is extraordinary and we should make the best of it thanking God for each day He gives us”, Moss stated. “My next project is entitled, “His Majesty”. I have written songs that will help believers reflect on that glorious day when we see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Ultimately, I want this project to bring you into a specific worship place that only the voice of God will be heard over all the other noise.” FlashBack Gospel Spotlight! Hear Bill Moss, Jr. In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/billmossjr_intvw.htm The word of God was sweet to my taste, yea sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Christ was revealed to my soul as the chiefest among ten thousand,” wrote an 18th-century British seaman in 1789 as he reflected on his conversion that occurred five years previously. This Christian was a previously enslaved man known as Gustavus Vassa, through writing his own life story, became the founder of a literary movement known as slave narratives. His work was published under his birth name: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano.A resident of London during the 1780s, Equiano became involved in British abolitionism and was a vocal opponent of the slave trade and slavery until his death in 1797. His Interesting Narrative served as the foremost abolitionist writing of the day because he was an African voice that described the violence and degradation of the slave trade and of slavery itself. Equiano’s narrative spurred nine English editions through 1794 and was published in Dutch, French, and Russian. Black churches across the nation are engaging in a campaign against abortion that involves not only political advocacy against groups like Planned Parenthood but also the provision of resources to vulnerable mothers who choose to give birth. The Church of God in Christ (COGIC), with over 6.5 million members across the globe, is stressing upon churches the need for them to serve as “landing pads” that assist women facing unwanted pregnancies and the need to engage the dark realities of abortion’s impact on the black community. Through its Family Life Campaign launched in 2015, COGIC is partnering with Human Coalition, a nationwide network of pro-life crisis pregnancy clinics, to reach and serve African-American women who would have otherwise “walked in the doors of Planned Parenthood” or another abortion clinic. The Family Life Campaign is believed to be the first sustained pro-life campaign launched by a major black denomination in the U.S. Sisters Dani and Dannah Lockett, who rose to fame with their viral video “Call Jesus,” are now the stars of an upcoming NBC sitcom with Kenan Thompson. The series, named “The Kenan Show,” will center around the Nickelodeon star (Thompson) whose character tries to accomplish his duties as a father to his daughters (the Locketts) while managing his career and his father-in-law, played by Andy Garcia. According to Variety, Dani, 9, will play the role of Emma, Kenan’s good-hearted and naive daughter, and Dannah, 8, will play the role of Sophie, Kenan’s “less trusting” daughter. “THIS IS WHY OUR FAITH IS UNWAVERING!! This is why our praises are to God! This is why we believe! Thank you Jesus, thank you to Kenan Thompson, Jackie Clark everyone at @nbc our entire team,” the sisters posted on Instagram with the announcement of their new show. The Locketts also thanked Christian celebrities Meagan Good, Devon Franklin and Tyrese who have been longtime supporters of the girls. Steve Harvey’s syndicated daytime talk show “Steve” will end its run in June. The writing was on the wall for the show last September when NBC cut a deal with Kelly Clarkson for a talk-variety hour to launch in the fall. “The Kelly Clarkson Show” will move into the prime daytime slots occupied on NBC O&Os by Harvey’s show for the past seven seasons. “Steve” taped its final episode on Thursday. Originals will air through June and the show will remain on the air in reruns through September. NBC announced that Melissa McCarthy will replace Steve Harvey as host of its unscripted series “Little Big Shots.” Harvey will be replaced by the Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated star after hosting the show for its first three seasons. In it, young people with outstanding talents showcase what they can do and interact with the host in a comedic way. LARRY D. REID drops NEW SINGLE!!! "SMILE" https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Smile-by-Larry-D.-Reid-RADIO-zPZ0u51ZiV726LcAOKGGU Houston siblings, Darrel, Rhea, Alic (nicknamed “Paco”), and Ahjah Walls, have earned bragging rights as electrifying singers and songwriters destined to ascend to among the most influential young artists in Urban and Contemporary Christian music. As 3-time Grammy nominated, 2-time Dove nominated, and multi-Stellar awards winners, The Walls Group drops single "Friend In Me." ABC has announced plans to renew its hit comedy “Black-ish” for a sixth season, in addition to rolling out another spinoff, “Mixed-ish,” based on a younger version of the character Rainbow Johnson, focusing on her upbringing in a mixed-race family in the ’80s. Created by award-winning writer/producer Kenya Barris, “Black-ish” stars Anthony Anderson as Andre “Dre” Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow, who is based on Barris’ wife, Dr. Rainbow Barris — with whom he shares six children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcnQjti7hlc GRAMMY winner, and top-selling worship artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard set to launch CANDID, a series of empowering and ground-breaking events for women. Taking the ‘girls bunch’ concept to a new level, Cobbs Leonard will host the first CANDID, an exciting brunch event on Saturday, June 15, 2019, in Atlanta, GA. Like every good brunch, there will be good food, great conversation and lots of laughs. Tasha invited her personal village of amazing women to join her at the inaugural CANDID brunch. The incredible line up of speakers includes legendary GRAMMY winner, Yolanda Adams; social influencer, TV Star Marlo Hampton; Gospel music icon and favorite Kierra Sheard; actress Deborah Joy Winans and social media CEO Ivy McGregor. KWBJ is back with his new project, “The Tribute Inspirational Project”. This project is a collection of inspirational songs for all and contains two Musical tribute medleys to Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC’S & The Winans. Join the “Timeless Music Movement” with Keith”Wonderboy”Johnson. Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson drops "Believe In Yourself." https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Keith-Wonderboy-Johnson-Believe-In-Yourself-RADIO-1AER1QexGCYDTPCRoIuQs Emerging right on the heels of "Rise" is Ben Tankard's new follow-up single and official music video "Afternoon Nap". "Afternoon Nap" features Kyle Schroeder on sax and is the second single from Tankard's Chart Topping Jazz Album release RISE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBmc7elD9IQ Benita Bellamy Kelley has been one of those driving forces behind new and award-winning artists in Gospel, Christian and Jazz Music. The Tennessee native has offered her genius to dozens of top artists, ministries, and entertainers over her 20-year career span in promoting music, faith-based entertainment, literary and performing arts. Benita is founder and CEO of The Bellamy Group marketing agency adds author and radio personality to her thriving career and diverse brand. Benita has authored and released her first book BORN 2 BE. BORN 2 BE is an inspiring 31-day devotional and enlightening guide to motivate you to tap into your full potential. Benita's powerful book includes many of her own good and bad life experiences while growing up in the mountains of East Tennessee, as a single mother for 20 years, and as an entrepreneur. Each chapter has original or notable personalities' quotes that Benita encourages readers to share on social media. TV One's gripping true crime series ATL HOMICIDE returns for a second season, premiering on Monday, June 17 at 9 p.m ET/8C. Veteran homicide detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez of the Atlanta Police Department are sharing some of their grittiest stories, giving audiences first-hand accounts of real-life murder investigations. Thirty-year Atlanta PD veterans, Quinn and Velazquez spent fifteen of those years working side by side in the homicide division. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sbwIms0pbg&feature=youtu.be THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW. airs Monday through Thursday at its new time 10 PM/9C only on TV One. Joining DL in the studio this week is actress Wendy Raquel Robinson, Monday, May 13; singer Tank, Tuesday, May 14; famed journalist Ed Gordon, Wednesday, May 15; and rapper/co-host of "The Talk" Eve ,Thursday, May 16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vw0iVC1hjE&feature=youtu.be Over the past four years students of Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark-Atlanta University have labored for educational and personal development in pursuit of their degrees. But this year the upcoming commencement and baccalaureate ceremonies at these Atlanta HBCUs have been targeted for a hateful protest by the religious hate group known as the Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) has been protesting the combat deaths of US military personnel, members of the LGBT community and even innocent victims of tragedies over the past decade. Now, Black parents will hear hatred directed against their children and the institutions that bestowed their degrees. A press release on the group’s website announces the dates and times for each protest and encourages all members and supporters to “Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ” at the events. Each school is targeted for a specific reason by the hate group: Spelman College is targeted because of its commitment to diversity and support of progressive feminist organizations. In response, the WBC posted “More evidence does not seem necessary to demonstrate that this college is being grandly paid to produce perverts who aggressively strive to push others toward proud sin and down the path to hell. Repent!” Beyond making history as the first African American Lamborghini and McLaren dealer in the United States, Thomas Moorehead, President and CEO of Sterling Motorcars, is also establishing a legacy of giving back to the communities he serves. Recently, the Sterling Motor Cars Community C.A.R.E program surprised four single-parent moms with cars during church services held on Sunday, April 28, at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. According to a statement, each of the unsuspecting mothers was gifted with a vehicle at the 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon, and 6:30 p.m. services, making them the first recipients of the Sterling Motorcars’ Community C.A.R.E. Program. The community-based initiative, which stands for “commitment, assurance, reliability, and excellence,” targets school, local organizations, and faith-based organizations. Pastor K. Jenkins Sr. of First Baptist Church of Glenarden said the moms were selected based on their economic hardships and faithfulness to the church. “We have identified four single parents based on their financial needs, having young children, and being active members of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden,” he said in the statement. “Our recipients are faithfully involved in our ministries and are single parents who recognize that their lives are bigger than themselves. They give generously by serving outside of themselves by helping other people.”https://www.facebook.com/firstbaptistglenarden/videos/411926622693844/ Reach Records founder and influential Grammy Award-winning emcee Lecrae says he’s entered a new season of music and growth in his faith.Lecrae and Reach Records artists Andy Mineo, Tedashii, Trip Lee, KB, GAWVI, 1K Phew, and WHATUPRG have been out on the Unashamed 2019 tour together for the first time in five years. The artists’ aim for the tour is to provide hope in Christ to attendees amid a cultural climate riddled with doubt and anxiety. Lecrae is a trailblazer in Christian hip-hop and paved a path for himself into the mainstream market. But with success came a lot of public criticism, disenchantment, and a bout with depression. Be on the lookout for a new highly anticipated album. Four singers, songwriters and music executives were inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame May 8. The induction ceremony, held on the campus of David Lipscomb University, also honored recording artists and others who support charitable work. This year’s GMA Hall of Fame inductees were:— Don Moen, a pioneer of the modern praise and worship movement whose 1984 album “Give Thanks” is among the most popular recordings ever released by Integrity Music; Janet Paschal, a vocalist and songwriter whose compositions include “God Will Make a Way”; Tramaine Hawkins, a vocalist who achieved Gospel and mainstream success; and Dottie Leonard Miller, a music executive who founded New Day Christian Distributors and Daywind Music Group. Empire” actors just found out they need to start submitting resumes and getting auditions lined up ‘case after the upcoming 6th season, it’s a wrap. FOX announced early Monday morning in its Upfront conference call that “Empire” was being given the axe after season 6 … which will air next year. And there’s this: according Charlie Collier, head of FOX Entertainment, they’re planning on the final season going out in style; the network envisions a “large TV event” in an attempt to go out with “guns blazing,” reports TMZ. Expanding a comic book’s mythology can bring slighted characters to the forefront. That’s also the case with “L.A.’s Finest,” a TV series riff on the 2003 “Bad Boys II” movie in which women, notably women of color, are driving the action. Gabrielle Union pursued the idea of reprising Syd Burnett, her character from the film who’s on a new path as a Los Angeles police detective, with Jessica Alba joining her as detective Nancy McKenna. They’re also in charge behind the camera, as executive producers on the series debuting Monday on the new Spectrum on-demand platform. Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback passes the king ring to the front door to his mother, Tammy Wilson. When she asks what it’s for, Russell tells her, “it’s the key to your house.” https://cfvod.kaltura.com/p/591531/sp/59153100/thumbnail/entry_id/0_g4uvrm84/version/100032/width/660/height/395 Luxury brand group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has announced the launch of Fenty Maison, a new fashion house from singer and make-up mogul Rihanna. The 31-year-old singer has made history for being the first woman to create an original brand at the famed luxury group. Fenty Maison is set to be a Paris-based collection of ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories, and is expected to debut in the spring of 2019, PEOPLE reports. Chris McNair, the father of one of four young girls killed in the 1963 bombing of an Alabama church, died on Wednesday. He was 93. McNair’s daughter Denise, 11, was one of four girls killed when a powerful bomb went off outside Birmingham‘s 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963, amid white opposition to the desegregation of public schools. The bomb, which was placed by Ku Klux Klan members, ripped through the church and also killed Addie Mae Collins, 14, Carole Robertson, 14, and 14-year-old Cynthia Wesley. Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr was the second of three people convicted in the bombing. Blanton is the only church bomber still living behind bars. Robert Chambliss was convicted in 1977, and Bobby Frank Cherry, convicted in 2002, They both died in prison. Contemporary Gospel Artist Lamont Sanders' new single, "All That I have (One God)" is available now via DarkChild Gospel & Bear Tag Entertainment. "All That I Have (One God)" is a high-energy track, guaranteed to make you smile at first listen. Written and produced by, Joshua Benjamin White and Lamont Sanders? this upbeat, joyful and melodic promise to God, is a musical interpretation of the scripture, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."- Psalm 34:1. DarkChild Gospel and Lamont's very own production company, Bear Tag Entertainment collaborated to produce the track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUKhJB0E-Ec&feature=youtu.be CLEO SPEAKS returns with co-host of "Sway in the Morning" Tracy Garraud, and entertainment attorney and podcast host Lisa Bonner on Saturday, May 11 at 9 a.m. ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hmkqW2r0bA&feature=youtu.be The hot new lifestyle series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ, featuring brother/sister duo Jake and Jazz Smollett, airs on Saturday, May 11 at 12 p.m. ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDOgGna1344&feature=youtu.be Jekalyn Carr's brand-new inspirational message, "I See Miracles," is available at all digital platforms today, Friday, May 10, 2019. The internationally acclaimed and award-winning artist/author/actress/speaker/entrepreneur released the brand new track on her 22nd birthday to radio, April 22, 2019. Now, the chart-climbing song is available for purchase, download and streaming. 7X GRAMMY winner TobyMac’s “I just need U.” just scored RIAA Gold Certification aligning with the wrap of his ever popular “HITS DEEP Tour” drawing hundreds of thousands. “I just need U.” is housed on TobyMac’s latest chart-topping album The Elements. The track marked the multi-platinum selling artist’s fastest song to be certified Gold, and reigned at radio for 12 weeks. “I have been fortunate to have been a part of a lot of great songs,” shares TobyMac. “For ‘I just need U.’ to be setting new benchmarks is crazy!” Fall of 2019 will mark the return of the “TobyMac The Theatre Tour.” Known for selling out arenas, last year marked the inaugural year for the trek which offers fans an unprecedented, intimate music experience. The unique offering will visit a dozen markets in November with special guest Cochren & Co. The legendary Grammy® Award nominated Rance Allen Group (Rance, Tom and Steve), best-known for signature songs such as “Something About the Name Jesus” and “You That I Trust,” is celebrating Mother’s Day by remembering their beloved grandmother, Emma Pearl, who helped raise them. They recorded the old school `70s soul-styled ballad for their 2002 album, “All the Way," as a tribute to her care and influence in their lives. Emma Pearl encouraged Allen’s early call to become a child preacher and singer at the age of five. The talents that she groomed in Allen and his siblings laid the foundation for their five-decade career as contemporary gospel and urban inspirational music pioneers. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Rance Allen In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rance_intvw.htm Ayesha Curry knows plenty of women want to shoot their shots at her NBA Champion husband. But she also wants them to know that she’s not having it. And of course, Twitter had a field day. Though Curry and Golden State Warriors star Steph have been married for almost 10 years, she has made a name for herself with a cookbook under her belt, a Food Network show called “Ayesha’s Homemade” and as a spokeswoman for “Covergirl.” She recently made an appearance on Jada Pinkett Smith‘s “Red Table Talk” to discuss family life in the NBA and had some things to say about a troublesome aspect of being married to a well-known figure: groupies. “Stephen is very nice by nature, and he’s very talkative,” Curry explained. “Everything’s very friendly and sometimes to the point where I’m like ‘Okay I’m a grown woman’ so I just insert myself and be like ‘Hello, how are you doing?'” Since the “Red Table Talk,” Curry’s name has been trending on Twitter as many people on social media were debating her words. There were some who honed in on her comments about her husband’s groupies while others argued over whether she as a married woman should be looking for attention from other men. Pastor Chris Wesley is one of the nation’s rising anointed voices. As the eldest son of Pastor Karry and Cheryl Wesley of The Antioch Church of Dallas, Chris has been groomed to be the front line leader for the next generation of the church and body of Christ. He now serves in a pastoral role alongside his father at The Antioch Church and has a dynamic ensemble of young singers called Undignified Praise (UDP), based on an episode in the life of King David found in 2 Samuel 6:22. Chris Wesley and Undignified Praise have released their second single “Psalms 34” featuring powerhouse vocalist Dana Hemphill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHO-5eIaB98&feature=youtu.be Tyra Banks has come of out modeling retirement to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2019 issue. Banks previously appeared on the SI Swimsuit cover in 1996 alongside Valeria Mazza. She made history the following year, when she became the first Black woman to receive her own cover. Banks noted in an Instagram video posted by the magazine that she “never thought it would be possible to be 45 years old and on the cover of this magazine again.” In a tweet sharing the news, the “America’s Next Top Model” host said: “This is for everybody that has been told that they are not good enough because of their body, their age, their everything.” "BE ALRIGHT!" is the follow to the hit "I Won't Be Defeated." Checkout "Be Alright" http://robynonradio.com/digitalradioservicing/damon-little-be-alright/ Meet Kim Washington, who served as a praise & worship leader under the mentor-ship of recording artists, Darwin Hobbs & Bishop William Murphy III. She drops a new Hot tune "Worth Living For." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK7Wf_J1N_c&feature=youtu.be Robert E. Person will share his pristine vocal ability and music education comprehension abroad in Suwalki, Poland May 17-19. Robert will be a special guest at the IV SOULWALKI GOSPEL WORKSHOP – THE SONGS OF ANGELS GOSPEL WORKSHOP with JOHN TILLERY & LIVING SACRIFICE. The SUWALKI GOSPEL WORKSHOP will boast three full days of joy, music, and singing and a festival concert accompanied by Holy Noiz Jazz Band and Suwalki Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Szymon Markiewicz. Invited by Tillery, Robert (accompanied by Darnell Moore of Washington, DC) will perform at the Gospel concert May 17 and as supporting vocalist to John Tillery who will be recording Sunday evening with the Workshop Choir and Orchestra. Four years after the devastating tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina that shook the nation, Arbella Studios, in association with JuVee Productions and Unanimous Media, presents an SDG and Fiction Pictures Production, “EMANUEL,” opening in movie theaters nationwide through Fathom Events on June 17 and 19 only. Documenting the events of June 17, 2015, “EMANUEL” is a powerful documentary that examines how faith, hope and forgiveness healed a devastated community after the heinous church shooting at Emanuel A.M.E., carried out by white supremacist Dylan Roof. Executive produced by Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media, Viola Davis and Julius Tennons’ JuVee Productions and directed by Brian Ivie , the documentary compellingly weaves the history of race relations in Charleston, the significance and impact of Mother Emanuel Church, and the hope that somehow emerges in the aftermath. Featuring intimate interviews with survivors and family members, it is a poignant story of justice and faith, love and hate and examines the healing power of forgiveness.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBFSaiyl2bU Meghan Markle and Prince Harry finally gave the world what we've been waiting for this morning: a first look at the adorable new royal baby. He is Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. “He’s just been a dream,” Markle told the press at a photo call on Wednesday, May 8. “It’s been a special couple of days.” She also added that the baby has a "sweet temperament" and is very "calm." "It’s been great. Parenting is amazing," Harry said. "It has only been, what, two-and-a-half, three days...We are just so thrilled to have our own bundle of joy and to be able to spend some precious time as he slowly starts to grow up. The Grammy® Award nominated, Anthony Brown & group therAPy’s “Second Wind” live recording blew through the 4,000-seat First Baptist Church of Glenarden like a whistling tornado this past weekend. The spectacular five-camera audio and video shoot opened up with the blood-pumping cut, “He Always Wins,” featuring Mary Mary’s Erica Campbell and rapper 1K Phew. Neo-Gospel singer-guitarist Jonathan McReynolds sang “Real” while 20-year-old vocal wonder, Kelontae Gavin, set the building ablaze with, “Second Wind.” The Super Fan Flash Mob and acrobatic dancers took over on group therAPy’s Go-go-scented radio smash, “Blessings on Blessings.” Christian Pop star Natalie Grant appeared on stage with her hands raised before she even sang a note. It set the tone for “You Let Nothing.” Tasha Cobbs-Leonard sang the emotionally charge “The Name of Jesus.” Brown and his co-producer Justin Savage has created a body of work with something for everyone. Lowell Pye and DarkChild have created something special! "PATIENTLY PRAISING"featuring Lowell Pye is the 4th radio single from Fred Jerkins’ “A PROJECT OF HEALING” which addresses all phases of the fight against cancer. The song, “PATIENTLY PRAISING” encourages you to patiently and continually praise God from bad news all the way to breakthrough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po_44oy_TSs&feature=youtu.be Bryan Andrew Wilson drops a Finger Snapping Spring-Summer Beat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u9_DpNOZ1E MM Music Group announces TaMyya J's release of her new single "Number-One." This single cut is from the "Love For Your Name" CD/ DVD effort. TaMyya J is gearing up to release her live DVD Concert with an Exclusive Online broadcast and TV special in June, 2019. Bishop T.D. Jakes has officially announced the launch of Jakes Divinity School . The newest extension of Jakes ministries will begin enrolling students in January 2020. Bishop Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter's House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, will serve as the chancellor of the school and Antipas Harris, a Regent professor, has been named as president. The online divinity school will grant accredited degrees through partnerships with Vanguard University of Southern California and North Central University, a Christian school in Minnesota. The Annual GMA Honors and the hall of Fame Ceremonygoes down Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Watch the 6th Annual GMA Honors program 'live' on Facebook at 7:00 p.m. CT on May 8. This year's GMA Hall of Fame inductees include legendary CCM artist Don Moen, President and CEO of New Day Christian Distributors Dottie Leonard Miller, southern gospel artist Janet Paschal and GRAMMY® award-winning gospel singer Tramaine Hawkins. Special appearances and performances by Governor Bill Lee, Dr. Bobby Jones, Gloria Gaither, Joel Smallbone, Jonathan McReynolds, Kelontae Gavin, Paul Baloche, TaRanda Greene, The Martins and many more. The GMA (Gospel Music Association) Foundation along with partners Christian Healthcare Ministries and CCLI announced its inductees and honorees for the 6th Annual GMA Honors and Hall of Fame Ceremony set for Wednesday, May 8, 2018 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. 20-year-old viral sensation and critically-acclaimed chart-topping singer-songwriter Kelontae Gavin has been selected as one of the tribute performers to salute this years 2019 Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inductee, GRAMMY® award-winning gospel singer Tramaine Hawkins. Retired National Football League player Ben Watson explained the importance of men in battling abortion, stating at a major pro-life rally in New York’s Times Square that “fatherhood begins in the womb.” The “Alive From New York” event on Saturday afternoon was organized by Focus on the Family and featured several speakers as well as a live sonogram of a third trimester baby. Watson called on the men at the gathering to not avoid conversations about abortion, but rather “to step up and to step into these conversations with boldness and with grace and with conviction.” Actress Meagan Good announced that she and husband, Christian filmmaker DeVon Franklin, are ready to start a family. Good was a guest on “STEVE,” the Steve Harvey show, with her “Intruder” co-star Michael Ealy Friday and shared the news. Ealy opened up about his song and the conversation then segued into talking about whether or not Good and Franklin would start their family. “I’ma say this, and it’s funny because I usually don’t talk about it because I was one of those people who knew I would be a mother later in life,” Good told Harvey after he asked her about it. “We talk about it a lot. Like, [Ealy] basically tried to convince me to start like last year. But now I think I’m in a place now where I’m actually ready.” The crowd erupted in praise and Harvey then proceeded to emotionally declare what he believed about his Christian friend and her future parenting. Gospel Music mogul Dr. Earnest Pugh has an extensive discography of albums, singles, and musical collaborations. With 10 chart-topping albums and Top 30 Billboard singles, Dr. Pugh's playlist of hits continues to grow each year. His 2017 albumSURVIVE produced a hit song that would again top the charts from his 2018 album THE UNSUNG HITS, Vol. 1. "God Wants To Heal You" continues to surge as a powerful favorite with a timeless and anointed message of hope and healing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdw-JR1jBqM&feature=youtu.be The Duchess of Sussex has given birth to a baby boy, Buckingham Palace has announced. Meghan went into labour in the early hours of this morning – having been more than a week overdue – and her husband Prince Harry is currently by her side, Buckingham Palace announced. Following what has been dubbed the ‘Sussex Standby’, the baby prince will be seventh in line to the throne, after his father Harry and his niece and nephews Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland had flown to Britain to be at her daughter’s side for the birth of the baby at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. The Davis’ are a family Gospel group, with a distinctive sound, strong harmony and a wide musical range. They began their musical careers in their hometown of Inkster, Michigan where they grew up singing in the church choir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmYOmswiqVc THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW airs Monday through Thursday at 11/10C PM. Beginning Monday, May 13, THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW will air at 10 P.M. ET/9C . Joining DL in the studio this week is actor Michael Ealy, Monday, May 6; actress Meagan Good, Tuesday, May 7; actress/comedian Kym Whitley, Wednesday, May 8; and "Divorce Court" Judge Lynn Toler , Thursday, May 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyNYU72i95I Fox News viewers were not impressed that Los Angeles unveiled “President Barack Obama Boulevard” over the weekend, so many lit up social media with a slew of racist slurs against the former president. As previously reported, at a ceremony by LA officials, on Saturday, a 3.5 mile stretch of Rodeo Boulevard was named “Obama Boulevard” The event also included a concert, but it was not attended by the man himself. TV One's premiere of the original film, THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY, will air Saturday, June 29 at 8 P.M. ET/7C. Debuting during Black Music Month, the film's stars include Roshon Fegan (Shake It Up, Greenleaf) in the lead role as Bobby DeBarge, Tyra Ferrell (Boyz InThe Hood, White Men Can't Jump) as Etterlene DeBarge, Blue Kimble (Media) as Tommy DeBarge and Adrian Marcel as James DeBarge. Big Boi (Outkast) portrays legendary music mogul Berry Gordy, while Lloyd appears as Switch member Gregory Williams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYrgvhsL54I&feature=youtu.be John Singleton funeral and interment details have been released. Singleton’s service will be observed this Monday at 10am at the Angelus Funeral Home on Crenshaw Blvd. in the Crenshaw District of South Los Angeles. If the Angelus Funeral Home name sounds familiar, that’s because you might recognize it as the same place that handled Nipsey Hussle’s funeral arrangements. After services for Singleton, he will be interred at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills. Speaking of his interment, a family member told TMZ that Monday’s funeral will be closed off to the public. However, a larger event will be held on May 21, but at present the details haven’t been worked out. Former President Barack Obama is now a part of the Los Angeles landscape as the city has renamed one of its streets in his honor. At a ceremony by LA officials, on Saturday, a 3.5 mile stretch of Rodeo Boulevard was named “Obama Boulevard.” The event also included a concert, but it was not attended by the man himself. Herb Wesson, the City Council president noted that the location was geographically significant as it was located near the site of one of the former president’s campaign rallies in 2007. “With this change, we are publicly documenting what Obama’s legacy as our nation’s first black President means to our city and our South Los Angeles community. “For every child who will drive down this street and see the President’s name, this will serve as a physical reminder that no goal is out of reach and that no dream is too big,”Wesson added. Today, GRAMMY®-nominated and NAACP Image Award and Stellar Award-winning songstress Koryn Hawthorne released a new remix to her hit song, “Unstoppable”. The track features rising hip-hop star Yella Beezy, well known for his 2018 hit, “That’s On Me”. Showcasing Hawthorne’s rich contralto, 16 motivating bars from Yella Beezy and an infectious R&B and hip-hop infused melody, the uplifting anthem reminds listeners that with God’s help, there’s nothing they can’t do. Hawthorne will be gearing up to perform on Kirk Franklin’s 26-city LONG LIVE LOVE Tou rkicking off in Austin, TX on July 11th. Additionally, fans can see her in performance at the JoyFest in Charlotte, NC on May 25th and at the Essence Music Festival on on July 5th in New Orleans, LA. https://korynhawthornemusic.lnk.to/UnstoppableFtYellaBeezyPR The highly anticipated lifestyle series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ featuring brother/sister duo Jake and Jazz Smollett, premieres on Saturday, May 4 at 12 p.m. ET. Jake and Jazz team up to transform the living, work, and play spaces of millennial families and create simple solutions to everyday home design dilemmas. Each episode features inspirational stories of participating guests, an exciting reveal of the new space and a shared meal with recipes curated by Jake and Jazz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqGOgkOZ51c&feature=youtu.be Grammy® Award nominated singer-songwriter and producer, VaShawn Mitchell, has assembled a dynamic new generation of worship leaders under the banner of the Gospel Heritage Conference that was founded by Gospel Today magazine founder, Dr. Teresa Hairston. This spirited new effort was recorded live at the annual conference and the initial radio single, "Higher," is led by BET Sunday Best contestant, Shane Davis. The sound of music tastes different when life intervenes with faith. After surviving a near-fatal accident in the midst of a burgeoning singing career, for rising gospel star Micah Lee, the music tastes so much sweeter! Lee - the soul stirring tenor who dropped three consecutive Top 20 hits (“Heaven,” “Forever” featuring Da T.R.U.T.H., as well this past Christmas (2018) chart-topping Christmas single “Tis The Season”), has captivated audiences with an eclectic blend of jazz, neo-soul, R&B and of course, gospel. Now, the independent sensation has teamed up with Fred “Uncle Freddie” Jerkins CEO of Darkchild Gospel and hit songwriter Alvin Garrett. DarkChild Gospel will distribute Lee’s new single set for official release Friday May 10th (Mother's Day Weekend) and Jerkins’newly formed company “We Break Records” will function to service all radio promotion needs for the new single for Micah Lee. RCA Inspiration celebrates a win at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, with Koryn Hawthorne’s hit anthem “Won’t He Do It” awarded for Top Gospel Song. Marking it the first Billboard Music Award for Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s #1 hit “Won’t He Do It” was a breakout smash that hit #1 on all of Billboard’s Gospel song charts. “Won’t He Do It” spent a record 41 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, making history as the longest run at #1 for a female artist on that chart. The song also spent 22 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart, 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, and 3 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Streaming Songs chart. “Won’t He Do It” also garnered first-time wins with a Stellar Award and Dove Award over this past year, along with a GRAMMY® Award nomination. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear Koryn Hawthorne In Her Own Words......https://gospel-spotlight.com/korynhawthorne_intvw.htm Oscar-winning actress Regina King is the latest A-lister to sign a first-look deal with Netflix. According to reports, her production company, Royal Ties, will produce both series and films for the platform, while her sister, Regina King, will serve as head of production. The details of deal have not been revealed. King previously collaborated with Netflix for the 2018 crime drama series “Seven Seconds.” Her director credits include episodes of “This is Us” and “The Good Doctor,” and she will next be seen in Damon Lindeloff’s upcoming HBO series “Watchmen.” Lauren Daigle gave a show-stopping performance of her Christian hit song, “You Say,” at the Billboard Music Awards Wednesday night and swept the awards in her genre. Daigle, who won top Christian artist, top Christian album and top Christian song, she performed a stripped-down, intimate version of her song “You Say” at the popular mainstream event. Billboard host Kelly Clarkson announced Daigle as her “favorite.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI Playwright Dennis Williams returns to the Washington, DC with one of his most creative production yet featuring Soul Singers KeKe Wyatt & Avery*Sunshine. The highly anticipated musical, I’ve Cried the Blues- The Musical Story of a Lifetime, is scheduled to play one-night only Saturday, June 8, 2019 at The Warner Theatre Washington, DC 20004. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5LVCuSGSRU&feature=youtu.be The ever popular Stellar Award winning Chicago Mass Choir heads to Sweet Holy Spirit Church May 4th for their 20th Annual Spring Concert and 17th Live Recording. The Chicago based aggregation’s last project, "We Give You Praise" helped the Chicago Mass Choir earn a 2017 Stellar Award for Traditional Choir of the Year, and generated the hits “Thank You, Thank You Jesus” and “I Give You Praise," also the rework of the hymn “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand”.” CMC was founded some 2 decades ago by James Chambers and has dominated the airwaves with unforgettable hits as “I Can Go To The Rock”, “He That Believeth”, “I’m So Grateful”, “Holy Ghost Power,” “I Pray We’ll Be Ready,” “Mighty Good God,” and “God is My Everything.” Karl Malone, the NBA legend “The Mailman,” made a delivery to the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Louisiana Tech. Aboard his multi-ton CAT Excavator, Malone lifted a stately oak tree that crashed into the BCM’s chapel in an EF3 tornado that left Ruston, La., with widespread damage April 25. Accompanying a video of Malone at work, an observer posted on Facebook April 26, “Karl Malone, former Tech basketball legend and also NBA legend, is manning the yellow CAT machine to help bring down this MONSTER tree on top of the La. Tech BCM. “He just wanted to help the BCM! Thanks, Karl ‘The Mailman’ Malone. You ‘delivered’!!!” The BCM, also on April 26, posted: “Early this afternoon, Karl Malone showed up at the BCM with his team & helped get the last big tree off our roof! Thanks to Karl, the chainsaw crew & our students for helping today with a LOT of cleanup!” The new edition of ‘Obama: The Call Of History’ by New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker lays bare Obams’ fury over the election results. The book was originally released in July 2017 but has been updated with extensive new reporting – and the run through of election day is electrifying. Obama arrogantly thought there was ‘no way Americans would turn on him’ even though Clinton was far from perfect. He likened himself to Michael Corleone in the Godfather and said he was handing power over to somebody who would destroy his legacy. Barack Obama admitted ‘this stings’ after the 2016 election result and spent the night watching the movie Dr Strange to try and distract himself, a new book claims. The former president went from being confident that Hillary Clinton would beat Donald Trump to seeing it as a ‘personal insult’ that she lost. Obama could not believe the American people had ‘turned on him’ for a man he had written off as a ‘cartoon’. More than three decades later, Winfrey is a self-made billionaire (Forbes estimates her net worth at $2.8 billion) with lavish homes tucked behind gates and, yes, her own studio. She has a TV network, too, along with an eponymous magazine and a megadeal with Apple that will include a book club, documentaries and — she teases here — a potential series that would put her back in the interviewing chair. She’s also parlayed her iconic status into opportunities to educate and inspire worldwide. “I want to leave this planet being able to say, ‘Caused no harm, did a lot of good,’ ” she says. Winfrey, 65, received The Hollywood Reporter‘s first Empowerment in Entertainment Award at an April 30 gala. She is promoting her latest book, "The Path Made Clear." “Empire” has been renewed by Fox for a sixth season, one week ahead of its Season 5 finale, though star Jussie Smollett’s fate on the series as the character Jamal Lyon is still uncertain. “By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season six, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to ‘Empire,” Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox TV said in a joint statement. After news of the renewal broke, TheWrap obtained this statement from a representative for Smollett: “We’ve been told that Jussie will not be on ‘Empire’ in the beginning of the season but he appreciates they have extended his contract to keep Jamal’s future open. Most importantly he is grateful to Fox and ‘Empire’ leadership, cast, crew and fans for their unwavering support.” After the untimely passing of groundbreaking film director, screenwriter and producer John Singleton, TV One will honor his many accomplishments with themed episodes of its signature series UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD airing tonight Wednesday, May 1 starting at 8 PM ET/7C. The themed episodes of UNSUNG HOLLYWOODfeature candid commentary from Singleton as he shares his connections to Hollywood luminaries and film projects highlighted in the series. The featured UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD episodes include Richard Roundtree, Tupac Shakur and the film "Baby Boy" - Singleton directed the remake of Roundtree's career-defining film "Shaft," directed Tupac in his film "Poetic Justice" and directed the film "Baby Boy." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7s3v5Olfiw&feature=youtu.be Singer Kenny Smith is emerging as one of the nations most prolific Worship artists. He recently released his new infectious single "All For You" on digital music outlets and to Gospel radio. Kenny has now assembled many of his friends who are worship leaders, songwriters, and musicians to unite as one in worship for a live recording called THE GATHERING PROJECT. THE GATHERING PROJECT will be recorded live Friday, May 3 at Fairfield Baptist Church, Lithonia, GA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63jOf_lX1Lo&feature=youtu.be After seven years as Harvard’s Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister of the Memorial Church, Jonathan L. Walton will step down this summer to assume the role of dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Harvard announced today. When he assumed leadership of the Memorial Church in 2012, Walton took over the role held for almost 40 years by Harvard legend Peter J. Gomes, a renowned Baptist preacher and scholar with a fierce wit who challenged intolerance and prejudice from the pulpit. “Harvard has been an incredible place for me professionally and for my family, personally. We developed incredible relationships that I am certain will stand the test of time and distance,” said Walton, an ordained Baptist minister whose research focuses on the intersections of religion, politics, and media culture. “The Memorial Church embraced me and helped me to grow intellectually and spiritually. Over the past seven years, I feel that we have extended that embrace to a wide array of people from varying walks of life. Those who gather today at Mem Church are both younger and more colorful, literally and figuratively, than when I arrived.” J. Elise Releases New Single #SuperWoman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn-48HEuRB0 JoyFest is bringing together legendary Gospel music artists for its summertime festivals. Mary Mary ft. My Block Inc Family, Marvin Sapp, Tamela & David Mann and Tasha Cobbs Leonard! Mary Mary ft. My Block Inc. Family, and Marvin Sapp will be at JoyFest – NC in Charlotte, NC on May 25th! The Mann Family and Tasha Cobbs Leonard are booked for the JoyFest – VA festival at Kings Dominion in Doswell, VA on July 13th ! Stellar Award winners Ricky Dillard and the New Generation Chorale (New G) will celebrate their anniversary headlining the 34th Annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival, going down May 31 and June 1 in Chicago’s picturesque Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center . The opening night’s final performance will feature Chicago Gospel music artist and choir director, Ricky Dillard & New G (Reunion Choir). Bishop Hezekiah Walker, the Stellar and GRAMMY® Award winning gospel music artist, founder and leader of the Love Fellowship Choir will once again return to the festival stage. Anthony Brown & group therAPy, Koryn Hawthorne, Tasha Page Lockhart and Maranda Curtis will appear. Saturday, June 1 an evening with the Stellar Awards will present a celebration honoring Black Music Month and the National Museum of Gospel Music with a lineup of Gospel Music superstars and emerging artists. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear Ricky Dillard In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ricky_dillard_intvw.htm Anthony Evans loves his father and wants to be part of everything his father, Dr. Tony Evans, touches including filmmaking. So, when his father approached him about being a part of his new Kingdom Man film (which releases in theaters this week), he didn’t hesitate to say yes. Although Evans loves working with his dad, he remains intentional about the true purpose of the film. Growing up in a great home and being protected in many ways didn’t lessen his awareness of the crisis in our country. He knows that there’s a battle for the hearts and souls of men. This is why he believes in the Kingdom Man project. When asked what a Kingdom Man is, he answers eagerly, like a kid in grade school jumping to answer a familiar question: “A Kingdom Man is someone who loves God and includes men of all shapes and colors, anyone who is willing to submit his life to God.” Evans states that he’s seen his father exemplify that definition throughout the years. Even in tough times like these, the singer-songwriter has confidence in his dad’s faith and consistency, which is what he believes men will see when they watch the movie. Evans told Christian Headlines that family was a central part of growing up in the Evans household, saying, “family was driven in our home along with the value of supporting each other.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yzCggr1Vr0 Barack and Michelle Obama on Tuesday unveiled a slate of projects they are preparing for Netflix, a year after the former president and first lady signed a deal with the streaming platform. The Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground Productions, on Tuesday announced a total of seven films and series that Barack Obama said will entertain but also “educate, connect and inspire us all.” Higher Ground is producing a feature film on Frederick Douglass, adapted from David W. Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography. Also in the works is a documentary series that adapts Michael Lewis’ “Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy,” the “Moneyball” author’s 2018 best-seller about government servants working under the political appointees of Donald Trump’s administration. The production company’s first release will be Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s Sundance Film Festival documentary “American Factory,” about a Chinese-owned factory in post-industrial Ohio. Netflix and Higher Ground also acquired Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham’s “Crip Camp,” a documentary about a summer camp for disabled teenager founded in upstate New York in the early 1970s. The Obamas are also developing an upstairs-downstairs drama set in post-WWII New York titled “Bloom,” and an adaptation of The New York Times “Overlooked” obituary column, about deaths unreported by the paper. A half-hour show for preschoolers titled “Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents” will instruct kids about food. The projects are to be released over the next several years. John Singleton, a versatile director who made a splash with “Boyz n the Hood” and went on to direct a variety of projects — including “2 Fast 2 Furious” — has died after suffering a stroke. He was 51. The director, who had been in a coma since suffering the stroke on April 17, died Monday, his family told CNN in a statement. “John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends,” Singleton’s family said. “We want to thank the amazing doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital for their expert care and kindness and we again want to thank all of John’s fans, friends and colleagues for all of the love and support they showed him during this difficult time.” In 1992, at the age of 24, Singleton became the youngest person to ever receive an Oscar nomination for best director for “Boyz n the Hood.” Singleton worked steadily in a variety of genres, directing dramas like “Rosewood” and “Baby Boy,” a remake of “Shaft” starring Samuel L. Jackson and the action vehicle “2 Fast 2 Furious,” the first sequel in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, in 2003. Most recently, Singleton had been active in television as both a producer and director, which included co-creating the FX series “Snowfall” — a drama about the early rise of the crack cocaine epidemic — and episodes of shows such as “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” “Billions” and “Empire.” The 18th Annual I Hear Music Inc. Weekend will take place May 3rd-5th in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thousands are expected from across the country for an exciting weekend to honor ministry/industry leaders, educate, and enjoy music from the top artist in the Gospel industry. I Hear Music Inc is the brain child of Gospel Industry Executive Tracey Artis. Tracey is credited for helping her clients earn over 100 Stellar Awards, 10 Grammy Awards, 5 Platinum Records and 20 Gold Certified Records. The three day weekend extravaganza kicks off with a star studded concert on Friday hosted by Issac Carree. This year's special guest include Fred Hammond, Charles Jenkins, Le’Andria Johnson, Zacardi Cortez, Titus Showers and more. Jennifer Pinckney had hoped to be in Bible study on the evening of June 17, 2015. But her six-year-old daughter had other plans. The two were in the senior pastor’s office at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., on the night that Dylann Roof opened fire during the church’s Wednesday night Bible study, killing nine people. Among the victims was Clementa Pinckney, the church’s pastor and Jennifer’s husband. She and her daughter heard the shots, barricaded the door and hid under a desk in a secretary’s office, according to her testimony during the penalty phase of Roof’s trial. Be quiet. Don’t say anything,” she told her daughter. The two survived. Roof was eventually sentenced to death. In the years since the attack at Emanuel AME, Pinckney has worked hard to pick up the pieces and to give her daughters a sense of a normal life. It has been almost 4 years. The biggest names in gospel music are converging on the nation’s capital for the ”Second Wind” live recording of the Grammy® Award nominated act, Anthony Brown & group therAPy. The spectacular five-camera audio and video shoot will feature all new compositions and performances from a pantheon of Gospel music luminaries such as Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell, Kelontae Gavin, Jonathan McReynolds, Gaye Arbuckle, Anaysha Figueroa Cooper, rapper 1K Phew, and Jamaican Reggae artist, DJ Nicholas. The big event goes down Friday, May 3, 2019 at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Upper Marlboro, MD. Friday Anthony Brown & group therAPy will also drop its new radio single “Blessings on Blessings” to Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify and all of the major digital music service platforms. The feel good, summer-groove boasts a hint of the DMV’s Go-go beat. It was written and produced by Brown with co-production by longtime collaborator, Justin Savage. Dove Award nominated, Stellar Award and multiple BMI Award-winning songwriter and producer Derrick Starks celebrates the official launch of his imprint, Starks Music Group and a partnership with the Nashville based United Alliance Music Group with distribution through The Orchard/Sony Music/New Day. UAMG CEO, Founder and veteran music industry label executive Paul Wright stated, “Well, here we grow again. The UAMG family bursts with joy at the addition of Derrick Starks and the Starks Music Group. Derrick Starks is a music wonder with multiple talents as a singer, songwriter, music director and producer. For the better part of two (2) decades, he has played a huge part in helping to contour and add definition to the American Gospel Songbook. Having worked with artists at the forefront of the Gospel music idiom, Derrick has penned songs that will be sung and played for years to come. We are elated to be a part of the next leg of what we know will be a fruitful journey and great adventure.” Queen Latifah hit up the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival over the weekend where she opened up about her career and how her latest business endeavor, The Queen Collective Shorts, is working to uplift women filmmakers. The former hip hop star appeared healthy as she attended the after party for her program amid reports about the status of her health, according to RadarOnline.com. Late last year, the outlet claimed the “Girls Trip” actress had secretly been visiting a cancer treatment center in Beverly Hills for nearly a year. “It’s a serious concern,” said an insider. “She goes every couple of weeks and spends two or three hours inside the infusion unit. She’s been going for at least eight months.” News about Latifah’s health crisis followed the deaths of her brother Lance and her mother after a decade-long heart condition, the report states. Comedian, actor and REACH Media Syndicated Radio host, DL Hughley brings an original brand of comedy and commentary to night time television with his new talk show THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW. The series airs Monday through Thursday at 11/10C PM with an encore the following day at 11/10C AM only on TV One. Joining DL in the studio this week is actor Wood Harris on Monday, April 29; former NBA Player/talk show host John Salley on Tuesday, April 30; actor/singer Tisha Campbell-Martin on Wednesday, May 1; and comedian/actor David Arnold on Thursday, May 2. https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Yo0ZuiSBy4 The legendary R&B singer Peabo Bryson who suffered what’s being described as a “mild” heart attack. The medical emergency happened over the weekend, but we’re just now learning of it. A representative for Bryson, 68, sent the following statement:“Double Grammy / Double Oscar Award-winning balladeer, Peabo Bryson, suffered a mild heart attack at his home in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 27, 2019. He is currently listed in stable condition and is awake and responsive. Both his medical team and family are optimistic for a speedy recovery. At this time, privacy is requested; however, the thoughts and prayers of friends and fans are welcomed and appreciated.” Over the last decade, Zacardi Cortez’s muscularly dynamic vocals have established him as one of soul music’s new leaders. The gruff-voiced tenor has scored No. 1 hits such as “1 on 1” and “Oh, How I Love You.” Now, he’s recorded his most heart-felt musical statement yet with “You Don’t Know.” It opens softly with Cortez singing, “you don’t know what I’ve been through, let me share my story with you.” He reminisces on some of his real-life challenges. Then, against a flurry of crashing symbols, he belts out a raspy testimonial of God’s faithfulness. “I’ve had writing credit on a couple of songs in the past but this is the first time I really focused and wrote a song,” says Cortez who collaborated with Grammy® Award nominated singer/songwriter, James Fortune, on the tune which will appear on his highly-anticipated sophomore album, “Soul of A Man” which is tentatively scheduled for a fall 2019 release. “I’ve been through a lot of things that tortured my soul, but God has brought me through it all,” Cortez says, “I’m now at a place where I’m letting my experience come through my music.” The Houston, TX native has appeared on recordings with the likes of Kirk Franklin and Lalah Hathaway, among others. In just a short time, Bria McDaniel has established herself as a gifted singer with a genuine and sincere heart for being in the presence of the Lord . The very essence of her musicality shines throughout "Receive It," her debut single available at digital retailers now. Bria was privileged to share her gifts during the special Resurrection Sunday Worship service on Easter Sunday hosted by Bishop Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church. Already making waves on the international front, "Receive It" heads to radio this week with promotional stops scheduled both locally and regionally leading into the summer. On the heels of success at radio with “God Can Do Anything”, VaShawn Mitchell is set to release a new song and video entitled “Wind of God” on all digital platforms today. “Wind Of God” is a sweeping ballad about the boundless reach of God. With words of strength and praise, Mitchell sings about God’s breakthroughs, and miracles. This follow-up single is part of Mitchell’s roll out to his epic full album, ELEMENTS, slated for release this summer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ayPhrmgis Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre got married in Morroco! The couple has been engaged for a a tad over a year and sealed the deal Friday in Morocco. They said their “I do’s” at the Ksar Char-Bagh hotel in Marrakesh. The nuptials followed a lavish rehearsal dinner Thursday night, according to British Vogue, which also released the wedding pic. For their special day, Dhowre wore two custom Vera Wang gowns, while Elba blazed a black suit by Ozwald Boateng. John Singleton‘s family has an interesting situation going down that was triggered by him supposedly being in a coma due to his stroke. By supposedly, according to John’s daughter. She says his mother is lying about his condition and he’s NOT in a coma. According to legal documents filed by Cleopatra Singleton, 19, her dad is NOT in a coma and goes on to claim that his condition is actually improving everyday. As TMZ notes, this development is most definitely in stark contrast to the legal docs filed just yesterday by Singleton’s mom, Shelia Ward, who claimed he was in a coma and had suffered a “major stroke.” Page Six notes that “a form from a doctor at Singleton’s hospital filed with the court by Ward’s lawyer Thursday says John Singleton (51) is incapacitated and can’t make his own decisions, but it doesn’t address whether he’s in a coma.” Now as far as Sheila Ward is concerned, she wants to establish a conservatorship so she can handle her son’s business dealings while he is incapacitated. New details have emerged surrounding Magic Johnson’s resignation from the Lakers as president of basketball operations earlier this month.According to a Bleacher Report, the NBA star quit after he was copied on emails between team co-owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka criticizing his performance with the Lakers. Fox Sports 1 analyst Ric Bucher shared details about the emails during his appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Wednesday. “My understanding is that there were some emails that were exchanged between Rob and Jeanie about Magic and about what Magic was and wasn’t doing,” Bucher told Cowherd. “They were critical emails. And somehow, some way, Jeanie from what I understand was CC’ing or BCC’ing Magic on everything. That was sort of protocol, standard issue. Somehow the exchange between Rob and Jeanie ended up on that string of the blind CC’s that were going to Magic,” he explained. POWER COUPLE DANA CHANEL AND PRINCE DONNELL WHIP UP SUNDAY SUPPER ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=825fEsqxqVs&feature=youtu.be John Singleton’s condition is worse than initially reported. The 51-year-old director behind films including Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justiceand 2 Fast 2 Furious was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. last week after falling ill after a trip to Costa Rica. While under medical care, he suffered a stroke, which had been described as “mild,” but it apparently wasn’t. His mother, Sheila Ward, filed legal documents in which she asks to be named his conservator and “make all medical decisions” for him. Ward stated that Singleton “suffered a major stroke” and “is currently hospitalized in a coma and is unable to provide for his personal needs.” The faith-based film, “Breakthrough” had a successful debut this Easter weekend landing at No. 3 at the box office and earning $11 million. “Breakthrough” came in third behind “Shazam!” and the horror film, “Curse of La Llorona.” The impressive opening is the highest for a Christian movie since last year’s hit, “I Can Only Imagine.” “Breakthrough” has earned $14.6M since its Wednesday opening in 2,824 theaters and $11M over the weekend. This marks DeVon Franklin’s second movie that earned almost $15M opening week. “Miracles From Heaven” earned $14.8M upon its release. With an overall $14M production cost, “Breakthrough’s” three-day take topped the Christian hits, “God’s Not Dead,” and “Fireproof.” Today, Musical Soul Food Festival (MSFFest) announced that it has received a grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) Music Festival Sponsorship Program. The VTC Music Festival Sponsorship Program is a funding source for established music festivals in Virginia to help the growth of the festival and to increase visitation to local communities, while also building Virginia’s reputation as a music destination. Chesapeake, Virginia is the perfect destination for the Musical Soul Food Festival. It’s great for families and friends traveling together on a budget. They get to enjoy the MSFFest, then explore Virginia's beaches, shopping and amusement parks. We are pleased to be a recipient for this year’s VTC Music Festival Sponsorship Program. The grant enables us to expand our youth and other weekend programming, while continuing to provide uplifting music and entertainment activities for the entire family,” said April Chandler, Event Producer, Musical Soul Food Festival. Legendary award-winning recording artists, Kurt Carr and Fred Hammond will headline this year’s music festival line-up. “Music is an important driver for tourism in Virginia, as well as a vital part of our culture and heritage,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Music festivals across the Commonwealth help to amplify vibrant communities and premier destinations that attract travelers from all over the world. We are pleased to support these festivals as they help to show travelers why Virginia is for Music Lovers.” Chesapeake, Virginia is the perfect destination for the Musical Soul Food Festival. It’s great for families and friends traveling together on a budget. They get to enjoy the MSFFest, then explore Virginia's beaches, shopping and amusement parks. We are pleased to be a recipient for this year’s VTC Music Festival Sponsorship Program. The grant enables us to expand our youth and other weekend programming, while continuing to provide uplifting music and entertainment activities for the entire family,” said April Chandler, Event Producer, Musical Soul Food Festival. Legendary award-winning recording artists, Kurt Carr and Fred Hammond will headline this year’s music festival line-up. “Music is an important driver for tourism in Virginia, as well as a vital part of our culture and heritage,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Music festivals across the Commonwealth help to amplify vibrant communities and premier destinations that attract travelers from all over the world. We are pleased to support these festivals as they help to show travelers why Virginia is for Music Lovers.” Riding high on the success of his debut single, Louisiana-based new solo artist Titus Showers, a former lead singer and member of two-time Stellar Award nominated chart-topping sibling group, The Showers is set to release his debut solo album,”WHO?” on Friday, May 10, 2019. The album’s includes the uplifting lead radio single “In His Name.” The 7-track album features the heartfelt song “Make It,” the encouraging “It’s Gonna Be Alright,” and a throwback Delta Blues meets old ragtime hymnal “Amen.” Titus revisits three previous recordings – a remix version of the radio hit, “Better” featuring Canton Jones, the praise anthem, “Immediately” – both written and produced by Deon Kipping and “Love” featuring Keyondra Lockett. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IipKI8PuQvM New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, along with notable rapper T.I. and VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop” personality Scrapp Deleon, helped to bail out 23 nonviolent, first time offenders for Easter. The Georgia-based megachurch began raising money for the bailout earlier this year when the holy season of Lent began. The goal had originally been $40,000. However, New Birth far exceeded that goal and raised around $120,000, using the money to help bail out seven women and sixteen men by Easter, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. In addition to giving out the money, New Birth’s bailout program will also include regular check-ins with the offenders who benefited from their charity. Jamal Bryant, lead pastor of New Birth, stated in comments reported by The Telegraph that he “could not be prouder of my New Birth family for answering the call and affirming that everyone deserves a second chance.” GRAMMY® nominee and Dove Award winner Danny Gokey’s fifth studio album release, Haven’t Seen It Yet, makes an impressive debut on the Top Christian & Gospel Album chart landing at #1. Gokey previously announced the second leg of the Hope Encounter Tour, featuring a 31-city line-up, kicking off on September 26th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYUroWvTQ-o&feature=youtu.be Impacted by the recurring events that seem to shape the constant news cycle of our nation and the world, acclaimed psalmist, worship leader, singer and songwriting Pastor Desmond Pringle challenges believers around the globe to answer the call to pray with the release of brand-new music. I’m Praying For You, produced by Grammy award winning producer Cedric Thompson is the inaugural single from Pringle’s highly anticipated live recording that took place this past February before a capacity audience in Statesville, North Carolina at the Christian Outreach Church of the Piedmont. As a veteran teacher at a troubled high school in Richmond, Virginia, Rodney Robinson wanted to better understand why so many students go directly from school to prison. So he took a job teaching students at a juvenile detention center. Four years later, Robinson has been chosen as the 2019 National Teacher of the Year for his dedication to helping disadvantaged students move beyond their mistakes. “I give my kids empathy, not sympathy, and that’s the key,” Robinson told The Associated Press. Robinson’s selection from among 57 award-winning teachers around the country was announced Wednesday by the Council of Chief State School Officers. As Teacher of the Year, Robinson will spend the next year traveling the country to advocate for students and teachers. He said he plans to focus on ensuring equity for all students and recruiting more black and Hispanic men as teachers. Robinson is among just about 2% of teachers in U.S. public schools who are black men. Another 2% are Hispanic men. The Nigerian brothers who say Jussie Smollett paid them to beat him up have sued the Empire star’s lawyers for defamation and revealed startling allegations they say were made against them including that Smollett might have had a sexual relationship with one. Abel and Ola Osundairo have filed a lawsuit against Smollett’s attorneys Mark Geragos and Tina Glandian who they say maliciously painted them as liars in the public after Smollett’s high profile criminal case was dropped. On April 6, Glandian also claimed in a podcast that they trafficked Nigerian steroids and that Abel, the younger brother, spent the night at Smollett’s apartment. She offered the theory that Ola, the older brother, wanted to ‘test’ Abel before they went to Nigeria by attacking Smollett who is openly gay. They say all of the claims are not only false but defamatory and unnecessary because the case had already been dropped. Founded in 1967 by the Rev. James Cleveland, the Gospel Music Workshop of America is annual convention bringing together people who love Gospel music from America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean including a wide range of faiths. This year, the annual board meeting will go down in Los Angeles, California and the annual Summer convention will be taking place in Washington, D.C. Inspired by the group’s multi-generational appeal, super producer, Warryn Campbell, produced their last album, resulting in the hit song, "My Life," which gained a Grammy nomination. The two realized that together they were a force to be reckoned with, and at a recent Stellar Award event, Campbell announced The Walls Group were the newest addition to the My Block family where such artists as Grammy Award winners Mary Mary, Erica Campbell, and newcomer Lena Byrd Miles call home.The Walls Group are dropping new single "Friend In Me." Beyonce’s father, Mathew Knowles, took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce plans to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at how Destiny’s Child was created with a musical based on the R&B hitmakers. “Survivor: The Destiny’s Child Musical” is headed to Broadway, London’s West End, and on a world tour, says Knowles, per TMZ. According to the report, the musical will be told from Knowles’ perspective, as he was the group’s co-creator and manager. “Survivor: The Destiny’s Child Musical” will explore all the good, bad and the ugly of the group’s rise to stardom and and the sacrifices Knowles had to make on the road to building his musical empire. Meanwhile, Beyonce dropped her “Homecoming” LIVE album on all streaming services on Wednesday, and her 2016 visual album “Lemonade” is also now available on Spotify and Apple Music three years after its release. The music star took to her Instagram Story on Monday to launch the #BeforeILetGo challenge by promoting the hashtag with a bee and heart emoji. As “The Young and the Restless” head writer Josh Griffith screened the episode in which Neil Winters’ family learns of his death, the tears began to flow. Viewers might brace for a similar reaction when the CBS daytime serial says farewell to Neil and to Kristoff St. John, the actor who played the character for nearly three decades. St. John, who died at age 52 in February of heart disease, helped cement the prominence of major African-American characters in the traditionally white soap opera world. During a four-episode story arc airing Tuesday through Friday, Neil’s friends and family gather in fictional Genoa City to remember the businessman whose full life included complicated relationships and a battle with alcoholism. Shemar Moore, star of CBS’ prime-time series “S.W.A.T.,” returns to what fans know as “Y&R” for two episodes as Malcolm Winters, Neil’s brother. Other returning alumni include Christel Khalil and Eileen Davidson, while Stan Shaw, St. John’s longtime friend and co-star in “Roots: The Next Generations,” appears as the reverend at Neil’s funeral. A special airing April 29 (12:30 p.m. EDT) will pay tribute to St. John and his nearly 28-year tenure on “Y&R” with clips from the show and current and former cast member sharing memories of him, including Victoria Rowell, who played Neil’s wife Drucilla for a number of years. If you are in pursuit of a career in the music or entertainment industry, Gospel music Industry veteran Tracy Williamson has a book to will step-by-step help lay the groundwork for you to successfully own your moment and take the stage. Tracy Williamson is featured inside The Gospel Spotlight. Hear Tracy Williamson In Her Own Words....http://gospel-spotlight.com/tracywilliamson_intvw.htm In Gospel music, there is a one-man machine known as Robert Hawkins who is the epitome of what the hustle for indie artists exemplifies. The Michigan native is on the road most weekends promoting his EP RESERVED, his DVD HAPPY and his all-new single and official music video "Finished Work". Robert's new Urban Inspirational single "Finished Work" takes an edgy twist from his normal exuberant contemporary Gospel and Worship style. The electronically inspired track is written and produced by Floyd "Timeless" Thomas and inspired a viral dance challenge on social media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYURlUHBf8w&feature=youtu.be The Black Business Association (BBA) will host its Annual “Salute to Black Music Awards Dinner” on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at the California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA. Reception at 6 PM and the dinner at 7 PM. The event is held in recognition of African American Music Appreciation Month, featuring a Celebration of Gospel Music legends, “The Business Behind the Music.” Special confirmed honorees are: Vicki Mack Lataillade, co-founder of GospoCentric Records receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Lisa Collins, Publisher of L.A. Focus will receive the Outstanding Gospel Publication Award and Byron J. Smith, President of National Association Negro Musicians will receive the Outstanding Artistic Vision Award. Tyscot Music & Entertainment has announced a Win-Win Massive Give-Away program that targets church conference coordinators and event planners with vintage Tyscot gospel and inspirational albums to stuff into gift bags for special occasions and conferences. For the cost of shipping and handling, Tyscot will send an assortment of inspirational and gospel CDs for event organizers to place in gift bags for conferences and special events. The packages will include a variety of vintage CDs by artists such as The Rance Allen Group, The Pace Sisters, Bishop Leonard Scott, Bishop Larry Trotter, The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, Lucinda Moore, GMWA Men’s Choir, Joshua’s Troop, Kathy Taylor Brown, The Las Vegas Mass Choir, Ron Kenoly, Sean Simmonds, VaShawn Mitchell, and many others. To inquire about quantities for your next event, email Jordan Britain at: jordan@tyscot.com T.D. Jakes made remarks at a luncheon to support the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative, a church program to help former inmates.Criminal justice reform appears to be one of the few topics on which people can find consensus in today’s increasingly polarized climate. Bringing together one of America’s leading pastors and the chief executive of one of the country’s largest companies with a shared goal of encouraging businesses to hire rehabilitated men and women coming out of prison. When Jakes met AT&T’s Randall Stephenson two years ago, he pressed the executive to find solutions to commonplace obstacles ex-offenders encounter upon release. AT&T responded with a pilot program to help qualified, formerly incarcerated prisoners find employment at one of their Dallas-area call centers.But a recent meeting hosted by a Potter’s House ministry placed church pastors right alongside corporate CEOs with a challenge to transform communities and change lives. https://youtu.be/Tq-h7cfWhYs It's her birthday! ,Jekalyn Carr is releasing a brand new track, "I See Miracles," to Gospel radio today, her 22nd birthday to celebrate. The cut was produced and written with Jekalyn's father, Allen Carr. The father / daughter duo come together again to present this inspirational and faith-activating song, "I See Miracles." As a team, they have garnered three #1 Gospel singles at radio within the last three years "You' re Bigger," "You Will Win" and "It's Yours." The release comes fresh on the heels of Carr's Stellar Awards wins. 'The Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year,' 'Traditional Female Vocalist of the Yea'r and 'Traditional CD of the Year' for the effort "One Nation Under God." She will host the "You Will Win" Conference June 21-22, 2019 in Orlando, FL. Kanye West’s Sunday Service was not a traditional Kanye West concert. It was a spiritual, had-to-be-there experience fashioned like a new-age Baptist church revival. West was not here to play his hits, or deliver anything that would have offered clear insight into the mind of one of the most polarizing figures of the last quarter-century. Instead, what he staged outside of Coachella during the early morning of the festival’s final Sunday was a nearly two-hour celebration of the gospel and soul music that’s shaped the framework of his artistry. Centered atop a sprawling, man-made summit near the festival’s campgrounds, West’s vision was church jam session meets performance art. There were hundreds of singers, dancers, a full orchestra and West collaborators Kid Cudi, Ty Dolla Sign, Teyana Taylor and Chance the Rapper. Childish Gambino, Jaden and Willow Smith, Idris Elba, Jermaine Dupri, Lizzo and the entire Kardashian clan were some of the VIPs stretched across parcels of freshly laid turf below the stage. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Monday through Thursday at 11/10C PM with an encore the following day at 11/10C AM only on TV One. Joining DL in the studio this week are actor Morris Chestnut on Tuesday, April 23; comedian Tony Rock on Wednesday, April 24; and film producer/preacher DeVon Franklin on Thursday, April 25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Gkginkz-4&feature=youtu.be Last year, Andrea René Williams celebrated 20 years as a full-time industry professional in Gospel music. With her career launch taking place at the GRAMMY Awards’ Washington, DC Chapter in 1998, she is known primarily for her public relations and marketing firm, Tehillah Enterprises, where she was blessed to represent artists such as Pastor Charles Jenkins, Martha Munizzi, Byron Cage, Earnest Pugh, Anita Wilson, Gladys Knight, the late Andraé Crouch and many other talented artists, since its launch as an agency in 2006. What few don’t know about Andrea is that she is a singer, songwriter and musician. A producer and engineer as well, she has released a brand new instrumental single entitled, “Won’t Work”. The single is currently available on iTunes, Amazon and other retail and streaming platforms. Stellar Award winning and Dove Award nominated singer-songwriter, Maurette Brown Clark, is back with a desperately passionate song of devotion. The rousing anthem, “I Want Go," is the first offering on her recording label, Nettie’s Child Music. It’s also in keeping with her timeless, chart-topping hits such as “One God” and “It Ain’t Over (Until God Says It’s Over).” Backed by the Grammy® Award nominated act, Anthony Brown & group therAPy, the soulful track is the singer’s first release in four years. It will make its debut on all major streaming and digital service providers April 26. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight ! Hear Maurette Brown Clark In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/maurette_intvw.htm Bishop Paul S. Morton and some of the leading voices of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship (FGBCF) have come together for a soul-stirring, 14-track live album, "A Month of Sundays," which will release this summer. The initial radio single, “Release the Rain” is now available for streaming or download at all major digital service providers. The lilting, mid-tempo track builds into a rousing cry for a spiritual infusion from the heavens. Kirk Franklin Stops by the Steve Harvey Show https://youtu.be/9Kul39dTbaY Director and screenwriter John Singleton is in hospital after suffering a stroke. The 51-year-old’s family issued a statement on Saturday afternoon giving a status on his condition. On Wednesday, April 17th our beloved son/father, John Singleton, suffered a stroke while at the hospital. John is currently in the ICU and under great medical care,’ their statement read. ‘We ask that privacy be given to him and our family at this time and appreciate all of the prayers that have been pouring in from his fans, friends and colleagues.’ TMZ reports that Singleton checked himself into a medical center after suffering weakness in his leg. A family member told the site he had just flown back from Costa Rica, which may have triggered the health issue. The stroke was described as ‘mild’ by sources. Singleton’s pal Snoop Dogg posted a message on social media after the news was reported on Saturday. The Chosen Directed by Dallas Jenkins — the first-ever multi-season series about the life of Christ — for free in an exclusive pre-release period now for Easter. The Gospel Spotlight caught up with Dallas Jenkins. Hear Director Dallas Jenkins In His Own Words.....https://gospel-spotlight.com/dallasjenkins_intvw.htm LONG LIVE LOVE (Fo Yo Soul / RCA), the new album from fourteen-time GRAMMY® Award winning artist, songwriter and producer, Kirk Franklin, is available for pre-order on all digital platforms and available for pre-add on Apple Music. Pre-order or pre-add LONG LIVE LOVE to receive two tracks, “Love Theory” and “Just For Me” instantly. Franklin also premiered the video for “Just For Me” on his YouTube channel today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD3zS_GxS3M Award winning, songwriter, worship singer Casey J offers a live concert airing Easter Sunday on Sirius XM Channel 64. "The Gathering at Sirius XM" will air on Saturday, April 20 at 5:00pm EST/ 2:00pm PST and again on Easter Sunday April 21 at 7:00pm EST / 4:00pm EST. PAJAM Music Group has inked an exclusive partnership with Entertainment One (eOne) for distribution on various upcoming projects. PAJAM Music Group’s premiere artist, J Moss, returns, with the release of the single, “VICTORY,” today. “VICTORY” is available now at all major digital retailers. J Moss’ upcoming 2019 album V6 will mark the first full album release under the new partnership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q7hiROF1Q0&feature=youtu.be After a four-year hiatus, America’s most inspirational singing competition, “Sunday Best,” makes its triumphant return to BET, as a new and improved. Season 9 takes over Sunday nights beginning in June. The well-established gospel show welcomes back Grammy Award®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host, gospel songstress and host of "Get Up Mornings," Erica Campbell as a judge; and adds two Grammy-Award® nominated artists Kelly Price and Jonathan McReynolds as new additions to the panel. With a brand new stage and exciting themed challenges, this season will be the toughest one yet. The new season kicks off with in-person auditions in front of the judges as they narrow the field from 20 to the top 10. For the first time the contestants were able to use an online submissions process, after which the team lead a global search for this year’s contestants, leading up to the much-anticipated live auditions in Dallas, TX, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, GA, and Detroit, MI, Lagos, Nigeria and for the first time-ever London, England and Johannesburg, South Africa, which were open to select international contestants. Praise and worship music is the lifeforce that drives singer and songwriter Kenny Smith. Smith has emerged as one of the most passionate and prolific Praise & Worship singers and has released a new single “All For You”“This single is SPECIAL!” Smith shares. “It’s one of those infectious vertical songs that you just replay all day! I love singing to God and this song is all about God!” UNCENSORED dives deep into the lives of your favorite personalities as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they’ve faced, and how they manage this new world of social media that has helped but sometimes haunted their careers. UNCENSORED resumes for its second season and explores the private lives of some of today’s most notable personalities including actress Tasha Smith, actress/singer Naturi Naughton, Grammy Award-Winning R&B artist Ne-Yo and the reigning king of urban gospel Kirk Franklin. Viewers will get a glimpse into the lives of celebrities as they personally reveal their own stories, in their own words. https://youtu.be/63jOf_lX1Lo Enon Music Group introduces the equally powerful and impactful music ministry of Michael L McCants and the ANSI Worshippers in their CD debut EP Vows. “I’ve searched for words to convey how we feel and I’m best to come up with overjoyed,” says Pastor McCants. “We are incredibly grateful to God for his constant display of love defined in the giving of Jesus to save us from our sins and redeem us so that we can have relationship. God gave us a song to sing, a story to tell, a message to deliver, a destiny to fulfill and people to encourage. We want to be sure we are doing our part. Thanks to Miche and Enon Music Group, we get a chance to tell the world that Jesus Saves.” Grammy nominated and Dove & Stellar Award winner Anthony Brown & group therAPy, have done it again! With the eminent return of their new album "Second Wind", Brown is releasing his first single to radio called "Blessings On Blessings". This song is the perfect anthem for the spring/summer season, with it's "GoGo" bounce and simple phrasing, this song can truly be a fan favorite. "Every time I turn around, blessings, blessings, blessings, blessings..." says Brown, as he leads group therAPy through this prophetic song. This song is very friendly for the church choir, praise team and is sure to live on in the church for many years to come. The NAACP Beverly Hills Hollywood Branch's Theatre Viewing Committee has spoken, and the nominations are in for the 28th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. They all will be honored for their excellence on both the small and large stages during the annual awards dinner, slated going down Monday, June 17, 2019 at the prestigious Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. A musical production depicting the rise of gospel duo siblings BeBe and CeCe Winan's, "Born For This," leads the pack of nominees with 13 nods. Rounding out the 13 nominations, both BeBe Winans and Charles Randolph Wright received nods for Best Playwright. Just as the Winans helped define a modern era of gospel music, "Disco Queen" Donna Summer helped define a distinctive era in American history. Honoring the life and music of disco icon Donna Summer, the Equity Theatre musical, "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical" earns a whopping 10 nods. The drama "Head of Passes" raking in 6 nominations. The critically acclaimed production is a gripping drama about acceptance and the power of faith. The incomparable Phylicia Rashad earned a Best Lead Female nomination for her portrayal of the ailing matriarch. Veteran actor "Joe Morton" picks up a nomination for Best One Person Show for "Turn Me Loose." "Turn Me Loose" is a one-man comedic drama about the extraordinary life of Dick Gregory. The fire at Notre-Dame cathedral on Monday prompted immediate pledges of millions of euros to help rebuild it. On Tuesday, it spurred donations to do the same for much smaller places of worship thousands of miles away that were recently destroyed by arson. crowdfunding campaign for three fire-ravaged black churches in Louisiana received more than $850,000 after it was widely shared on social media on Tuesday. Many users noted that while hundreds of millions of euros had already been pledged to rebuild the famous cathedral, the small churches in Louisiana were still struggling. VidAngel, the popular entertainment app making entertainment good for your home, is releasing the official trailer and the first episode of its original scripted series The Chosen Directed by Dallas Jenkins — the first-ever multi-season series about the life of Christ — for free in an exclusive pre-release period beginning today. https://studios.vidangel.com/the-chosen Jussie Smollett because of his alleged hate crime situation in Chicago. Is out as the lead in the upcoming revival of the Broadway play “Take Me Out.” The play’s originally run started in February, 2003 and had 355 performances. It also won a Tony Award for Best Play. Fast forward to the present where Smollett, who is biracial and openly gay was supposed be the lead as Darren Lemming, a mixed-race professional baseball player at the peak of his career who decides to come out of the closet. Smollett auditioned for the role back in January, just 12 hours before he allegedly staged the the hate crime involving two Nigerian brothers, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo. So far the Chicago Police Dept. has basically determined the 33-year-old actor was lying and that he staged the hoax to boost his celebrity profile. A source tells DailyMail that Smollett had already won the role in the play. Thirteen-time Grammy Award-winner Kirk Franklin recently sat down with EBONY to discuss his upcoming LONG LIVE LOVE album and tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5ynWFQV_HA Anthony Evans’ music has always possessed an unflinching authenticity. In the wake of the recent, sudden passings of his aunt, uncle and cousin, and the unexpected news about his mother’s health, Evans is leaning on his faith and family more than ever as he taps into the spiritual yearnings to find an inner spiritual and personal peace during this season of his life. While he recorded the new 11-track album that features the NBC The Voice alumnus re-imagining top worship songs and recording heartfelt originals prior to much of the family news, he readily admits the healing power of the lyrics on the new project are especially significant in light of recent events, particularly the debut single, “Fighting For Us.” Evans, via his own production company, Sherman James Productions, is also making his music and ministry more mobile. In tandem with his sister, best-selling author/actress Priscilla Shirer, Evans will set out on the “FerVent 2.0” outing. Each night, faithful expressions from his new album Altared will be joined with messages from Priscilla’s upcoming movie Overcomer. The tour kicks off the first of 16 soon to be sold out cities in Tyler, TX on May 15. Anthony Evans’ new album Altared will be available through all digital retailers and exclusively via Lifeway Christian Resources. Altared is available now for pre-order. "IT IS SETTLED," the new album from the First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock (FPCNLR), is a sonically diverse and a spiritually rich project that will bring Sunday morning worship directly to your listening device. The 100 voices of the First Pentecostal Church Mass Choir resplendently bring the 16 tracks to life with vocal harmonies that will please the ear and soothe the soul. "IT IS SETTLED" is an album for such a time as this, to remind listeners of the overall provenance of God - regardless of trial or test. The lead single "This Place" came to life during a worship service one night and has been making its way around the globe. “This Place” has over 100,000 streams worldwide. The lush ballad that reminds listeners that a “miracle can happen in this place” was also recorded in Spanish, and both versions are available on the album. “This Place,” along with the blues-infused, rollicking “Garment of Praise,” are available immediately if the album is pre-ordered before April 19th. R. Kelly is reportedly broke after $150,000 was seized from multiple bank accounts after his former Chicago landlord filed a lawsuit accusing him of owing back rent. The R&B singer has hit rock bottom and currently has -$13 in one of his bank accounts, according to court documents obtained by The Blast. Wintrust Bank, where Kelly holds an account, informed his former landlord that Kelly’s balance with them is in the negatives. Though that bank account has been drained, Kelly is said to have two other bank accounts with Bank of America. One of those accounts held $44,595.58 and the other had $110,056.64. However, all of that money was seized by the landlord accusing Kelly of owing back rent. Kelly has $625 left between the two Bank of America accounts, according to The Blast. According to The Blast, Kelly is not owed any money by the ASCAP, which collects money for artists. In addition to the $154, 527.22 they collected from Bank of America, the landlord is asking the judge release another $50,000 from Sony. A large fire broke out at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris on Monday evening, causing part of the historic church’s spire to collapse as the blaze spread along its roof. André Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, said in a telephone interview that the cause of the fire remained unknown, and there was no immediate indication that anyone had been hurt. The fire alarm first went off around 6:30 p.m., Mr. Finot said, adding that the cathedral had been evacuated. As the last rush of tourists were trying to get in for the day, the doors of Notre Dame were abruptly shut without explanation, witnesses said. Within moments, tiny bits of white smoke started rising from the spire. Billowing out, the smoke started turning gray, then black, making it clear that a fire was growing inside the cathedral, which is currently covered in scaffolding. Soon, orange flames began punching out of the spire, quickly increasing in intensity. Days after authorities arrested suspect Holden Matthews, who has ties to Satanism, for the burning of three historically black churches in Louisiana, state Gov. John Bel Edwards along with a local pastor called on congregants of the affected churches to forgive. Speaking at a unity service at Little Zion Baptist Church in Opelousas, which was held for the families of St. Mary, Greater Union and Mount Pleasant Baptist Churches, which were destroyed over the last three weeks, Edwards said he was moved by the push in the community to help rebuild the churches. Both Edwards and Pastor Calvin Moore of Little Zion Baptist Church agreed that it would be better for the congregants to respond to Matthews with forgiveness. Last Wednesday, the Seventh District Baptist Association, a 149-year-old nonprofit religious organization, launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise $1.8 million to evenly distribute between the three churches to help them rebuild. As of Monday morning, just over $60,000 has been raised. The campaign also got a boost from recently retired New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson, who urged his supporters on Twitter over the weekend to support it. On Monday, the White House said Trump will award the Presidential Medal of Honor to Tiger Woods. Trump is awarding The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to Woods on the heels of his sensational comeback win at this past weekend’s Masters Tournament. Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM!” Trump tweeted. The president did not say when the 43-year-old golfer would receive the award. Riding high on the success of his smash hit single “Open Your Mouth and Say Something," Grammy & Stellar Award winner Brent Jones' Year-round Easter classic "He Rose" is one of the Top Selling Easter songs of All-Time!! Perfect for anytime of the year, Ebony Magazine says...“He Rose is another YEAR-ROUND classic from JDI!” Sandra Dawn drops, RUNNIN,' a powerful mid-tempo song that is resonating with listeners and audiences everywhere. Runnin' speaks directly to the heart of the listener, and moves one to fervently and earnestly pursue Jesus Christ where His grace, peace, love, and safety abides. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/Sandra-Dawn-Runnin-qNhtWzqfQ9E6HKVghK1UW The 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards will premiere on BET Network on Easter Sunday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT. Hosted by Kirk Franklin, taped live at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV, the stand-out highlight of the evening was an emotional tribute performance by Kelly Price, Erica Campbell and Regina Belle honoring the undisputed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The undeniable breakout winner of the annual show was performer Jonathan McReynolds, who swept the awards taking home eight Stellar Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx5SAgAWfzY&feature=youtu.be The former ESPN host, best known to the non-sports world for tweets about President Donald Trump that provoked the White House to unsuccessfully seek her firing, launches a weekly podcast Monday on Spotify. On the show, “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” she’ll conduct interviews and give commentary on sports, politics and culture. Coupled with a regular gig writing for The Atlantic magazine and her engagement in December to writer Ian Wallace, the 43-year-old Hill does seems unbothered. Happy, even. Some of her recent Atlantic pieces seem to give a road map for her podcast. She’s written about how NFL players need to look out for their own interests because their teams probably won’t, a “force field” erected by the black community that protected singer R. Kelly from consequences related to his behavior and how — after watching Barack and Michelle Obama interact with Trump at the funeral for former President George H.W. Bush — she wished they wouldn’t always “go high.” Reach Records founder and Grammy-Award winning emcee Lecrae publicly welcomed their first-ever female artist to the Christian record label. Lecrae and his Reach Records team have been out on the Unashamed 2019 Tour and during their recent stop in Orlando, Florida, the rapper introduced The Christian Post to 23-year-old Wande Isola, the long-awaited first lady of the Reach Records family. “It’s a great time in the culture for all this to happen and come together. I’m excited to be here in this moment and see what the future holds,” Wande shared during an interview with The Christian Post. Donald Glover and Rihanna’s secretive new film “Guava Island” is coming to Amazon Prime Video this weekend. Glover tweeted that it’d be available to stream for free starting Saturday at 12:01 am. According to Vanity Fair, it will be available to watch for free for 18 hours. The film is described as a tropical thriller about a local musician who wants to throw a festival. It was shot on location in Cuba and “Black Panther” breakout Letitia Wright co-stars. Glover’s frequent collaborator Hiro Murai, who has directed several episodes of “Atlanta” and the acclaimed “This Is America” music video, directed “Guava Island.” The actor-singer also tweeted the film will be shown at the Coachella following his performance Friday at the music festival. Bryan Popin's joint business venture with Fred Jerkins' Darkchild Gospel, Popin and his imprint, Little Boy Wonder Music has secured a distribution deal with Nashville-based record label, United Alliance Music Group (UAMG). Under the terms of the new strategic distribution deal, UAMG will function as the label and distributor through its Sony Music/The Orchard distribution partnership for all master recordings and visuals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zeAeNcMdkQ&feature=youtu.be GRAMMY® nominee and Dove Award winner Danny Gokey’s fifth studio album, Haven’t Seen It Yet, is available now wherever music is sold and available for streaming. Additionally, the second leg of Gokey’s hit Hope Encounter tour has been announced, featuring a 31-city line-up. The 31-city tour will kick off on September 26th in Lafayette, LA and conclude just before Thanksgiving in Naperville, IL. The first wave of the Hope Encountertour wrapped earlier this March to rave reviews, leaving fans eager for more music and more tour dates. Sirius XM (Channel 63 “The Message”) will air an exclusive live performance album preview the weekend of April 12th. Recently, Gokey and his wife, Leyicet, are expecting a new baby boy, due in August. https://dannygokey.lnk.to/haventseenityet/pr CLEO TV's signature series CLEO SPEAKS continues with psychologist and former Editor-in-Chief of Heart and Soul Magazine Anita Kopacz, and dancer/choreographer to the stars Denee Baptiste. A child sexual abuse survivor, Kopacz helps victims deal with trauma and is the author of "Finding Your Way." She opens up about her path to healing and work as a psychologist. Known for her stage work with Beyoncé, Denee Baptiste shares her journey as a mother, performer, dancer, motivational speaker and passion for inspiring young dancers to follow their dreams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoJNSfv9V70&feature=youtu.be On this week's episode of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ, celebrity stylist Devon Milan and comedian Kevin Sean drop by Chef JJ's kitchen to cook up quick and delicious eats. On the menu: Seared Salmon with Sauteed Spinach and King Mushrooms doused in Yasa Sauce. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwgQhEIPvGM Comedian, actor and REACH Media Syndicated Radio host, DL Hughley brings an original brand of comedy and commentary to nighttime television with his new talk show THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW. The series airs Monday through Thursday at 11/10C PM. Joining DL in the studio next week are comedian Russell Peters on Monday, April 15; actor/comedianGeorge Lopez on Tuesday, April 16; Grammy-nominated singer Kenny Lattimore on Wednesday, April 17; and actor/comedian Chris Spencer on Thursday, April 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jZLV1u2DQs The Northern Delaware Chapter, Inc of the Gospel Music Workshop of America Recording Choir (NDC GMWA) drops new single "All Of My Help." Choirmaster and NDC GMWA leader Minister Wayne E. Carter, Sr. "The Maestro" has been fine-tuning the dynamic choir. "All Of My Help" is produced by A. Jermaine Nixon, written by A.J. Collier and features Tamba Giles as guest soloist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJJUPtxzjWs&feature=youtu.be ROBERT COPELAND releases new song "No Distance." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sTFAAlk8Zo&feature=youtu.be Tyscot Music & Entertainment has signed an agreement with Morton Records – home to Grammy® Award winning singer-songwriter and producer, PJ Morton – to release two exciting projects via Morton Records’ Inspiration division. The first will be the solo album debut by Atlanta-based singer-songwriter, Josiah “Jojo” Martin, who toured as a background vocalist for Fred Hammond and Morton for years. A radio single will release later this year with the full album to follow. In 2020, Morton Inspiration will deliver an all-star project entitled, The Gospel According to PJ, which will feature reinterpretations of hit songs Morton has written for other celebrated artists over the years. The suspect in a string of fires that destroyed three black churches in rural Louisiana is the white son of a sheriff’s deputy whose father helped arrange for his son’s arrest, authorities said Thursday. Holden Matthews, 21, faces arson charges in the connection with the blazes in and around Opelousas, a city of 16,000 where the flame-gutted remains of the buildings evoked memories of civil rights era violence. Louisiana Fire Marshall Butch Browning offered no motive for the fires. He and other officials stopped short of calling them hate crimes. Eric Rommal, the agent in charge of the New Orleans FBI office, said investigators were still looking into whether the fires were “bias motivated.” Browning said there were no indications that anyone else was involved and the danger to churches was over. McDonald's announced the return of one of its staple events, the 13th annual Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour. The longest-running, brand-owned gospel music tour is back with an award-winning talent line-up. This free concert tour begins April 27 and runs until December 13. The 2019 nationwide concert series appeals to a wide range of gospel music lovers with its lineup of award-winning, cross-over talent, including urban gospel artist and pastor Tye Tribbett, R&B powerhouse KeKe Wyatt, hip-hop contemporary artist, Sir the Baptist, gospel songstress Kierra Sheard and beats by DJ Standout. At each stop, the national tour will raise a love offering to support families served by the Ronald McDonald House. Since 2012, the love offering has raised over $800,000 to aid in helping families stay close when their children are ill. Christina Bell's rich and soaring vocals can be heard on her new single, “Going”, which has quickly landed in the Top-30 at radio, and continues to climb. “Going” is a luminous ballad that expresses reverence for God’s mercy, that – as the refrain states – “just keeps going.” Bell is also a cast member in the anticipated biopic The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel that will premiere on Lifetime Television next year. Bell plays Twinkie Clark alongside Lovecraft Country’s Aunjanue Ellis who plays Mattie Moss Clark, Kierra Sheard who plays her mother, Karen Clark, Sheléa Frazier as Dorinda, Raven Goodwin as Denise and Angela Birchett as Jacky. Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who represents Nipsey Hussle’s neighborhood in California’s 37th Congressional District, fulfilled her promise to formally enter the slain rapper’s contributions to South Los Angeles into the Congressional Record. On Wednesday, Bass, a Democrat, honored the beloved artist and entrepreneur on the House floor, calling Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, “an unabashed son of South Los Angeles,” whose legacy changed the neighborhood forever, The HuffPost reports. “Nipsey Hussle used the platform he created with his music to lift our community as he climbed,” Bass said. “His business ventures, his investments, his philanthropy, his community engagement — every step of the way, he had a sole purpose of bettering the community he came from.” TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG airs the untold story of Grammy-nominated singer Kenny Lattimore at 9 p.m. ET/8C. Kenny Lattimore came straight out of Washington, D.C. in the mid '90s with a smooth R&B sound and look to match. Raised on gospel and the soulful music of popular icons Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway, Lattimore made his mark in 1997 with the breakout single "For You." The song would eventually become an enduring wedding classic. UNCENSORED follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C, revealing the journey of multi-talented singer, songwriter and actress Naturi Naughton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D43PlYmlPrI&feature=youtu.be Award nominations will always excite artists who remain passionate and inspired about making music, and Marvin Sapp is thrilled to receive his fourth Billboard Music Award nomination. Sapp is nominated in the Top Gospel Artist category. Marvin Sapp is also an entrepreneur, author and radio show host. Sapp has partnered with Superadio to produce the nationally syndicated Marvin Sapp Radio Show, which can be heard in 30 markets around the country including New York (WBLS-FM), Atlanta (WXJO-FM), Nashville (WENO-AM) and Norfolk (WBXB-FM). His latest book, "Suitable, " offers a fresh perspective on dating, courtship and marriage from a man's perspective, with insights gleaned from his personal revelations while embarking upon dating himself. Sapp is the recipient of two BET Awards, 24 Stellar Gospel Music Awards, and numerous award nominations. The 2019 Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Urban One Founder and Chairperson Cathy Hughes made history as the first African American woman to be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Radio Hall of Fame on April 8, in Las Vegas. To date, there have only been three women inducted into the NAB's Broadcasting Radio Hall of Fame in its 42-year history. The NAB Hall of Fame event was hosted by "Entertainment Tonight's" Kevin Frazier, with an induction ceremony where media, entertainment and technology professionals gathered to honor those who have made radio and television a vital part of the American lifestyle - earning them a place in broadcasting history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5xWTZoetwI&feature=youtu.be Today, WW – the new Weight Watchers – announced that GRAMMY® Award-Winning Platinum Recording Artist Tamela Mann is joining as a new ambassador. Mann is focused on developing healthier habits and losing weight so that she can live healthier for herself and her family. As an ambassador for WW, Mann will share her weight loss journey and the motivation behind her lifestyle changes, and she is inviting her community of fans, friends and family to join her. Mann is embarking on the final leg of Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Farewell Tour” and is the recent recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for her debut book, co-authored with her husband David Mann and Shaun Saunders, “Us Against the World: Our Secret to Love, Marriage and Family.” Mann will document her experience on the WW program on her social media channels, frequently checking in with fans while on tour, in the studio and during everyday life at home. Connected to her journey on WW, follow her on Insatgram, Twitter and Facebook. Fred “Uncle Freddie” Jerkins III, President of DarkChild Gospel, announces the signing of gospel music’s current rising stars, Last Call, to its roster. Fresh from the 2019 Stellar Gospel Music Awards, where the duo presented on the annual pre-show and performed at various music showcases, the Bermuda based best friends of Last Call, Adrian Jones and Tricay Astwood, continue to celebrate the success of their smash hit radio single, “Victory,” which currently sits at #1 on the Billboard Gospel National Airplay Chart. “Last Call has the entire world declaring victory over their lives and I’m honored to sign them to the DarkChild Gospel family,” says Fred “Uncle Freddie” Jerkins III. The single “Victory” was lifted from Freddie Jerkins’ cancer awareness project, “A Project of Healing. The album, “A Project of Healing,” encompasses fourteen songs of faith, hope and victory to help those who have been impacted by the disease Cancer. Musical artists-turned-actors Lecrae and Phil Wickham, who star in the soon-to-be-released faith-based motion picture “Breakthrough,” say the film’s re-telling of a remarkable true story of faith is what is needed in what the pair call a “post-Christian North America and Europe.” “Breakthrough” tells Joyce Smith’s true inspirational story of faith. Smith is told her son is dead after he falls through a frozen lake. Her faith won’t accept it and she prays him back to life. The film, released by 20th Century Fox, is based on the 2017 book The Impossible, which tells the events that happened in St. Charles, Missouri when Smith’s son, John, fell through the ice on Lake St. Louis. Grammy winner and hip-hop artist Lecrae told The Christian Post he believes the Smith family’s testimony is something people can use and hang on to today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go1jaIRQc-o Fires that consumed three historically black Louisiana churches in 10 days are believed to have been intentionally set, a local elected official said Tuesday. The official did not provide specifics about the ongoing investigation but told CNN some pastors in the heart of south-central Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole country are sleeping in their churches as a precaution against additional fires. It is still unclear who is responsible for the fires and will likely take investigators time to sift through what evidence remains to determine if the blazes are connected.As they do, residents and worshippers in St. Landry Parish, where all three fires occurred, are withholding judgment about what may have caused them, even as officials say they contained “suspicious elements” and the episodes evoke recollections of past acts of hate against black churches. Thousands will gather at the steps of this historical landmark for one of the nation's largest Easter sunrise services 6:30 AM on Sunday, April 21, 2019. A Washington tradition featured on the cover of The Washington Post and named #5 on the Washingtonian's The Great Washington Bucket List, this unforgettable service draws Washingtonians, and people from all around the nation and the world alike, while thousands more view the livestream at www.CapitalChurch.org . It began in 1979, as a small gathering of 120 people and has become a massive tradition in Washington DC, drawing thousands of people each year for an inspiring, interdenominational Easter worship experience. The music, the people, the message, and the view make this sunrise service one of the most unique ways to celebrate Easter Sunday morning. “2019 Billboard Music Award” (BBMA) nominations were recently announced with Tauren Wells’smash hit #1 single, “Known,” receiving a nod for Top Christian Song. In addition to celebrating his BBMA, Wells also released a revamped version of his debut album’s track, “God’s Not Done with You.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBDSN_TzUL4&feature=youtu.be Chart-topper Koryn Hawthorne continues to amass a series of firsts, garnering nods for the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with triple nominations across all Gospel categories: Top Gospel Artist, Top Gospel Album (Unstoppable), and Top Gospel Song (“Won’t He Do It”). Fresh off first-time wins at the Stellar Awards and NAACP Image Awards, the inspirational vocal phenom took home a Stellar Award for “Won’t He Do It” as Music Video of the Year (director: Casey Cross), and an Image Award for Unstoppable as Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary). Hawthorne also made her second consecutive appearance performing on the Stellar Awardsmain stage this year. Catch Koryn Hawthorne performing at the 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, airing on Easter Sunday April 21st at 7 PM/6C on BET. The 2019 Billboard Music Awards airs on Wednesday May 1st at 8 PM/7C on NBC. https://KorynHawthorne.com/. This April 28, a new series that explores the transformative power of grace and redemption premieres on television. Offering a rare glimpse into the restorative justice process, each episode of “The Redemption Project with Van Jones” follows the victim, or surviving family members, of a life-altering crime as they journey to meet face-to-face with their offender in the hopes of finding answers or some sense of healing. Van Jones will serve as a guide for the viewer throughout this transformational experience. The series is a powerful testament about our capacity for healing and grace. Van Jones is the author of three New York Times best-selling books. In addition to producing, “The Redemption Project,” he has founded and led numerous social enterprises engaged in social justice including #cut 50 which bring together unlikely allies—formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, community members, crime survivors, local elected officials, and law enforcement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ntw8TnddpY Leon Timbo is known for bringing jubilant worship experiences to sanctuaries across the nation. Timbo was one of the first African American artists to travel with his guitar sharing his brand of vertical worship. He lives and breathes worship. His recent collaboration, an EP titled “Invitation To Worship”, features a group of worship leaders called Northern Lights United and the new single “Abba” was a standout cut from the project. “Abba” is an intimate love ballad that reads like a prayer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4q3LeziP5M&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration garners a total of seven nominations for the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. With nominations across all categories, RCA Inspiration dominates the category of Top Gospel Artist, with nominations for Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp and Koryn Hawthorne. RCA Inspiration garners two nominations each, in the categories of Top Gospel Album and Top Gospel Song for Snoop Dogg, Koryn Hawthorne, and Jason Nelson. Snoop Dogg (& various artists) are nominated for Top Gospel Album for his first Gospel release, Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love, Koryn Hawthorne garners two nominations, in Top Gospel Album for her full-length debut Unstoppable, and Top Gospel Song for her hit “Won’t He Do It,” Jason Nelson is nominated in Top Gospel Song for “Forever.” Additionally, Kirk Franklin receives a nomination in Top Gospel Song for his featured performance with Tori Kelly on “Never Alone.” The 2019 Billboard Music Awards will be held in Las Vegas, airing on Wednesday May 1, 2019 at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC. Grammy® Award-Winning Recording Artist Tamela Mann announces the launch of her women’s plus athleisure apparel, Tamela Mann Collection, which is available now for limited edition purchase online and hits retail stores in the Fall 2019. The limited edition launch of the sporty Tamela Mann Collection includes six super-chic styles of jackets, tops, and bottoms in shades of grey, black and black and white floral print. Many brands include plus-size offerings, but very few are devoted to making an athleisure line for women that help them express their unique style and flatter their shape,as is the Tamela Mann Collection. NOAH Sets Sail for Movie Theaters This Week! It’s Sight & Sound’s landmark production that has been experienced live by more than 5 million people. And next week, NOAH is headed to movie theaters across the country for three days only: April 9, 11, and 13. Filmed in front of a live audience, NOAH takes you on history’s best-known voyage—along with two of every kind of animal! https://noahevent.com/?vid=oweCqiE3FTA&utm_source=noah_eblast&utm_campaign=partner1&utm_medium=email Grammy & Stellar Award winner Beverly Crawford is back with yet another smash hit “Lion of Judah"! Universally regarded as one of the top vocalists in the world, with a legion of ardent fans including Patti LaBelle, President Obama, Fantasia, etc, The Essential Beverly Crawford - Vol.3 features Beverly in her element ministering praise & worship like only she can! http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The 3rd Annual Gospel Radio Awards hosted by Kim Burrell were held April 1st in Rockford, IL. The show presented by SOAR Gospel Radio and Sunwise Media, Inc. is set to air on The WORD Network, June 21st @ 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT on Channel 373 DirecTV. The Gospel Radio Awards brought together Gospel music’s superstars from across the nation. Karen Clark-Sheard of the Grammy-Award Winning Gospel group, The Clark Sisters, received the Legend Award. Multiple Stellar Award-Winning singer and actress, Tamela Mann, received the Chart Achievement Award. The Grammy-Award Winning worship leader, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, was honored with the Industry Impact Award, and Dr. Matthew Stevenson was presented with the Luminary Award. This special evening included appearances by Kierra Sheard, Todd Dulaney, Jekalyn Carr, Dorinda Clark Cole, Shana Wilson Williams, Donald Lawrence, Jessica Reedy, Kelontae Gavin, Darius Paulk and other top performers. TV One's UNSUNG airs the never-before-told story of singer Glenn Jones at 9 p.m. ET/8C. UNCENSORED follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C and gives unprecedented access to multi-talented entertainer NE-YO. UNSUNG celebrates the lives of trailblazing musicians whose full stories and journey have yet to be explored. This season promises memorable stories of influential artists including singer/songwriter vocalist Kenny Lattimore and contemporary gospel musician Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Previously featured artists on this season of UNSUNG include Lloyd, Adina Howard, The Jets, Shirley Murdock and Crystal Waters. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bu_6FjlA5pw Joining DL in the studio next week are hip-hop artist/musician Anderson .Paak, actor Ruben Santiago Hudson, and more guests to be announced next week. The series dives headfirst into the hot topics of the day and dishes on the latest news, entertainment, pop culture and what's trending in social media. Always insightful and informative, Hughley and his co-host Jasmine Sanders use humor to deliver everything from hard news to lighter fare. The nighttime show offers everything from covering the day's major headlines and roundtable discussions to celebrity guest interviews and comedy bits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqLDr3JK3M4 "2019 Billboard Music Award” nominations were announced today with Motown Gospel and Capitol Records artists receiving five nominations across various categories. Tasha Cobbs Leonard is nominated for the second year in a row for Top Gospel Artist. This nomination is her 6th BBMA nomination, and she won two Billboard Music Awards last year for Top Gospel Artist and Top Gospel Album. Brian Courtney Wilson is being recognized for the album "A GREAT WORK" and earns a nod for Top Gospel Song for his number one single “A Great Work.” It is his second BBMA nomination, following a 2016 nod in the same category for his hit song, “Worth Fighting For.” Motown Gospel, a division of Capitol CMG, also celebrates the nominations of Capitol Records artist Tori Kelly. Her 2018 effort "HIDING PLACE" received three nominations. Top Gospel Artist, Top Gospel Album and Top Gospel Song, for “Never Alone,” featuring Kirk Franklin. Martin Luther King III today announced that he and his family will commemorate his father's 90th birthday anniversary year and the 51st anniversary of his assassination through their involvement in several events. My father, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated 51 years ago on April 4th, when he was just 39 years of age, Mr. King said, in announcing his involvement in key events commemorating the anniversary. "But throughout 2019, we are also commemorating his 90th birthday year, as a time to reflect on the lessons of his life and leadership, and how his followers can use his philosophy and methods of nonviolence to address the critical social and economic problems we face today." As part of the year-long observance, Mr. King said he will present and/or take part in three events: Thursday, April 4th, King, his wife, Andrea Waters King and daughter, Yolanda Renee King will participate in a Candlelight Vigil and Wreath-Laying Ceremony in collaboration with the King Memorial Foundation at 7:00 p.m. at the National Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. Friday, April 5th, Mr. King will convene Interfaith Leaders at The Washington National Cathedral Perry Auditorium at 10:00 a.m., and he will address the gathering. The program will feature a discussion about how leaders in the field navigate the joys and challenges of interfaith collaboration, build relationships, and join in regional efforts to continue realizing Dr. King's dream. Saturday, April 6th 2:45 p.m., King will present "King Talks," a panel focused on the theme, "Where Do We Go from here?" in partnership with the Smithsonian Institute at The National African American Museum of History and Culture, Oprah Winfrey Theater. Recording artist and TV host, JAVEN, has dropped an inspiring new music video, “You Lift Me Up.” The soul-stirring song features the dynamic vocals of Christina Bell, formerly of the gospel girl group, Zie’l. The majestic track hails from Javen’s 7th solo album, Grace. https://www.bet.com/video/bet-gospel/2019/javen-featuring-christina-bell-you-lift-me-up.html The Piney Woods School is hosting its fifth annual “Give from Your Heart” Gospel Festival which goes down Saturday, May 4, 2019 @11 AM to 6 PM on the campus of the historic Piney Woods Mississippi co-ed boarding school. “This is a great way to raise money for the school while also allowing the public to get a glimpse of what we do here,” says Piney Woods School President, Dr. Will Crossley, of hosting the event on its compound. A variety of food vendors will be on hand to feed the hungry crowd and there will be recreational activities for the youth. The all-day concert will feature the Grammy® nominated artists Brian Courtney Wilson and Anthony Brown & group therAPy. Also performing will be Jor’dan Armstrong, Fred Jerkins & Last Call, Tim Bowman Jr., Jermaine Dolly, as well as, Jackson’s very own, Four Washington, the Piney Woods School choir and the Cotton Blossom Singers. Bishop Marvin Sapp & Lighthouse Full Life Center Church welcome musical guest Zacardi Cortez Resurrection Sunday Celebration April 21, 2019 in Flint, Michigan. Lena Byrd Miles, the darling of the Oakland Bay Area has been singing since the ripe ole age of 4. Coming from a musical family, she launched her singing career at her Grandfather's Church where she faithfully lent her gift until transitioning to her current home Church where she serves as Worship Leader alongside her husband Tobias Miles, the Minister of Music. Lena Bryd Miles vocal style recently caught the attention of Grammy Award- winning Producer and President of My Block Inc., Warryn Campbell where she recently inking a deal, she now joins the ranks of the My Block family where such artists as Grammy Award winners Mary Mary, Erica Campbell, JoiStaRR, rising star Jason McGee & The Choir and vocalist Jason Champion call home. her new single is "This Is The Day." Rapper Nipsey Hussle died from gunshot wounds of the head and torso, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Monday. The rapper’s autopsy was completed Monday and his death was certified a homicide. Hussle, the 33-year-old rapper, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was shot multiple times outside his South Los Angeles apparel store, The Marathon Clothing, Sunday and pronounced dead at the hospital. The LAPD announced that it has arrested Eric Holder, a 29-year-old Los Angeles man whom authorities have identified as the suspect in the Sunday killing. Meanwhile, a confab Hussle had requested with the Los Angeles Police Commission on how to stop gang violence, previously set for Monday, is being rescheduled in the rapper’s honor, Steve Soboroff, president of the commission, told NBC News and ABC News. Based on John Bunyan's epic masterpiece, The Pilgrim's Progress is one of the most important stories of our faith, and it is coming to theaters for the first time this Easter! The story of The Pilgrim’s Progress has not only strengthened believers, but it also has drawn countless people to Christ for generations. And this movie is no different! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04WXlAcOtS0&feature=youtu.be Over 100 kids showed up to John Jay High School for the MJ 93-90 Foundation's Youth Football Camp in San Antonio, Texas. During this exciting day enthusiastic young athletes took advantage of the opportunity to meet, engage and learn from 10 year NFL veteran Michael Johnson, Josh Reynolds who plays for LA Rams and is also a John Jay High School alumni as well as Super Bowl XLVIII champion Clinton McDonald, Cordaro Howard who played for the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens, Jeromy Miles and Robert Geathers formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XLVI Champion Isaiah Stanback and Cedric Dickerson, veteran of the Canadian Football League and other coaches including fitness trainer Beau Reinmiller,Cody Eiland, Physical Therapist Eric Jackson and Jamie Tellier. David and Tamela Mann with Shaun Saunders received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work Debut Author for Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage and Family during the 50th Annual NAACP Image Awards March 30, 2019 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. “We are honored and blessed by the recognition from the NAACP Image Awards for our book Us Against the World,” said David and Tamela who are currently performing before sold-out crowds on the Tyler Perry Madea Farwell Tour. “We hope readers are uplifted, spiritually encouraged, and feel inspired about love, family, and marriage when they read it.” RCA Inspiration celebrated a winning weekend at the 2019 Stellar Awards and NAACP Image Awards, with honors at both shows for Koryn Hawthorne, and five additional awards at the Stellar Awards honoring releases from Fred Hammond, Israel Houghton, Tasha Page-Lockhart, and The Walls Group. Taped in Las Vegas on March 29th, Kirk Franklin hosted the 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards for the second consecutive year and performed. Hezekiah Walker and Koryn Hawthorne also performed on the show, Donald Lawrence presented, and Phil Thornton, RCA Inspiration’s SVP and General Manager, was inducted into the Stellar Honors Hall of Fame. Kirk Franklin performs "Love Theory" at the 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards [Video Credit: Central City Productions] https://youtu.be/aONlHRJsuO0 Christian movie producer DeVon Franklin is preparing for his third film to hit theaters just before Easter weekend. But “Breakthrough,” a movie about a teen’s recovery from spending 15 minutes under broken ice in a frozen lake, has not been his sole focus in recent months. Franklin, the author of “The Truth About Men: What Men and Women Need to Know,” was called on by the Willow Creek Association as it held recent discussions on how churches and individuals can avoid and address allegations of sexual misconduct. Franklin, 40, who was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist faith, talked with Religion News Service about Christian film success, how men should respond to the #MeToo movement, and the importance of observing the Sabbath. Checkout Koryn Hawthorne's Stellar performance. Taped in Las Vegas on March 29th, Kirk Franklin hosted the 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards for the second consecutive year and performed. Koryn Hawthorne performs at the 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards [Video Credit: Central City Productions] https://youtu.be/gsNlwmaY4T8 (GSN) Over 100 kids showed up to John Jay High School for the MJ 93-90 Foundation's Youth Football Camp in San Antonio, Texas. During this exciting day enthusiastic young athletes took advantage of the opportunity to meet, engage and learn from 10 year NFL veteran Michael Johnson, Josh Reynolds who plays for LA Rams and is also a John Jay High School alumni as well as Super Bowl XLVIII champion Clinton McDonald, Cordaro Howard who played for the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens, Jeromy Miles and Robert Geathers formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XLVI Champion Isaiah Stanback and Cedric Dickerson, veteran of the Canadian Football League and other coaches including fitness trainer Beau Reinmiller,Cody Eiland, Physical Therapist Eric Jackson and Jamie Tellier. This year’s GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards, going down April 9, will honor Yolanda Adams for her advocacy and Kristin Chenoweth for her philanthropy, as well as Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for their decisive roles in last year’s Congress, getting the Music Modernization Act across the finish line and signed into law. Four-time GRAMMY-winning gospel artist Yolanda Adams will receive the Recording Academy’s Creators Leadership Award in thanks for her advocacy on behalf of artists in tandem with her philanthropic giving. Current President of the Recording Academy Texas Chapter, Adams has supported her fellow artists and songwriters through many decades of advocacy work. In addition, her support for MusiCares and other charities including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has been selfless, both through performances and by means of financial support. The awards dinner and show will take place at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., with live performances from both Adams and Chenoweth as well as additional special guests. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), along with Motown Gospel, celebrated the most prestigious names in gospel music at the 10th annual ASCAP “Morning Glory” Breakfast, honoring the 2019 Stellar Awards nominees at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Hosted by Motown Gospel artist and television personality Lexi, the exclusive invite-only reception was one of the premier events leading up to the 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Uplifting performances by Motown Gospel artists included the newly signed husband & wife duo, Jerard & Jovaun, who delivered the Hillsong Worship anthem, “What A Beautiful Name,” with a riveting gospel flair. Labelmate Gene Moore debuted “Ask for Rain,” written by Jason Nelson and produced by Terence Vaughn, from his forthcoming sophomore album. Before his performance, Moore gave a personal testimony, explaining that he faced a storm of adversities last year and simply “asked God for rain.” His performance brought the audience to their feet. Moore’s last album, The Future, earned him a 2018 Stellar nomination for New Artist of the Year. BMI honored the best and brightest in Gospel music at the BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music luncheon, held on March 28 at La Cave in Las Vegas, Nevada. Multi Stellar Award-winner and two-time GRAMMY nominee singer/songwriter Travis Greene was awarded Song of the Year for his triumphant single “You Waited,” which hit number one on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and earned him the title of Billboard’s Gospel AirPlay Artist of the Year. The intimate occasion also celebrated the remarkable accomplishments of BMI’s gospel community, recognizing the Ten Most Performed Songs of the Year (2018) from its affiliated songwriters. Those songs included “Change Me” written by first-time award-winner Thomas “TC” Clay; “Close” written by Solomon Edwards, Jr., Aaron Lindsey and Marvin Sapp; “Grace” written by Charles Jenkins; “He Promised Me” written by Bebe Winans; “Kept by His Grace” written by first-time award recipient Harry James Johnson; “My World Needs You” written by Kirk Franklin; “Pray & Don’t Worry” written by first-time award-winners Branden Anderson and Rufus Johnson, III; “Won’t He Do It” written by Makeba Riddick and first-time award recipients Raymond Reginald Murdock, Jr. and Richard Worley Shelton, Jr.; “Work It Out” written by first-time award-winners Stanley G. Green, Jr., George Allen Jordan and T.J. Simon; and “Your Great Name” written and performed by Todd Dulaney. Jussie Smollett, as we reported earlier, was up for an NAACP Image award, but we can now report that the embattled “Empire” actor came up empty. The category that Smollett was nominated for, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, was given out Friday night at the nominee’s dinner. The winner of the category was Jesse Williams of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Even though Smollett was in Los Angeles where the NAACP dinner (on Friday night) and the awards (on Saturday) were held and broadcast on TV One, he didn’t make an appearance. “Everyone has a reason to be disappointed with Jussie Smollett right now, and these accumulated reasons justify the NAACP taking swift and appropriate action to remove him from consideration for its Image Award,” said Project 21 Co-Chairman Council Nedd II. In an op-ed published on Saturday, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx maintained that the actor has neither been “found innocent” nor “exonerated” despite her office’s decision not to pursue the charges. Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin has taken to social media to ask fans for their love and support after undergoing a biopsy to see if he has throat cancer, which took his father’s life at 51. Irvin reportedly spent Sunday and Monday at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles undergoing tests on his throat. “This [demon] has chased and vexed me deep in my spirit all my life,” the former Cowboys receiver wrote Tuesday of his father’s death. “So saying I am afraid this time is a big big understatement. I AM TERRIFIED!!” Lifetime has greenlit a miniseries about iconic female rap duo Salt-N-Pepa. The miniseries follows the story of nursing students Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton as they fall into the world of rap and hip hop, after recording for a friend’s school project. Salt-N-Pepa became the first female rap act to go platinum and experienced ground-breaking success with multiple Grammy wins, paving the way for all female rappers to follow. The miniseries will also feature some of their greatest hits and will be executive produced by Cheryl James, Sandra Denton and Jesse Collins. Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere will also executive produce from Flavor Unit, the report states. Bravo TV star, singer and motivational speaker Brooklyn Tankard is no stranger to violence, depression and the realities of suicide. The daughter of famed gospel jazz musician Ben Tankard and vivacious “Thicker than Water” cast member, has revealed many of her hardships on screen. However, upon witnessing the recent rash of rapes, sexual assaults and suicides affecting people nationwide, she decided to do something, launching a powerful national tour – the I AM Free Concert & Convo, beginning on April 8th. The I Am Free Concert & Convo will travel to over 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in 2019 to empower students, alumni, faculty and the community with knowledge to eliminate physical, sexual and psychological violence. Deion Sanders has opened up once again about the lowest point of his life, which also happened to be at the height of his success. On Paula Faris’ Journeys of Faith podcast, Sanders confessed that some of his darkest days where when he was riding high with his lavish lifestyle and regularly having threesomes. “Rock bottom for me was having hundreds of suits and not covering the pain. Rock bottom for me was having hundreds of pairs of shoes but couldn’t take a step in the right direction,” he said. “Rock bottom for me was having 10 cars and wasn’t going nowhere. Rock bottom for me was having a 14,000-square-foot house but never feeling at home.” Sanders noted that there were times he was unable to connect with those around him. “Rock bottom for me was laying between two and three women at a time, but you get up unsatisfied…Laying right beside the person who said they love you, but she didn’t even know you was in pain. That was rock bottom for me,” he said. He then explained how his NFL super star public persona prevented people from knowing the real him. His personal demons eventually led Sanders to attempt suicide in 1997 by driving his car off of a cliff and plunging 40 feet. Obviously he survived the near fatal moment, which forced him to re-evaluate his life. He gave his life to Christ following the attempt and that helped him evolve out of the darkness. Popular R&B singer Charlene Keys, known by her stage name Tweet, is calling it quits with organized religion after suffering “culture shock” from what she describes as an abusive business driven culture in many churches that exploits Christians for monetary gain instead of caring for souls. “I’m sick of it. Enough is enough. I’m tired. It’s coming out in the music, it’s coming out in interviews, it’s coming out. I’m saying what I wanna say,” Tweet said in a recent Instagram Live conversation with her daughter, Shenice, that was shared on YouTube. The Grammy nominated singer best known for her classic 2002 record, “Oops (Oh My)” explained that she sought solace in the church after going through a period of depression and alcoholism. She had gone through some bad spells in her career that caused her to recline from the spotlight, the Los Angeles Times reported. “I took myself on a spiritual journey. My spiritual life is on point now. I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t made that choice to go back and rededicate myself. That’s when my blessings started coming — hit or miss, with different labels. It was all done to build me for this time. I didn’t take it personal. I knew to keep the faith. I couldn’t hit anymore rock bottom than I already did,” she explained. That same year, months after Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, broke his silence on allegations that he had fathered a child out of wedlock, he introduced Tweet, now 48, as his “last lady” on the now defunct “The Preachers” talk show. That relationship reportedly ended last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7qhlbZXv3s Queen Latifah is working with Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott for feature movie The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel. The movie will detail their humble beginnings, struggles to find their place, to later becoming the best-selling Gospel group in the music world. It will tell the story of the five Clark sisters and their mother Mattie Moss Clark. Lovecraft Country’s Aunjanue Ellis plays Moss Clark, while Christina Bell stars as Twinkie, Kierra Sheard as Karen, Sheléa Frazier as Dorinda, Raven Goodwin as Denise and Angela Birchett as Jacky. Thirteen-time GRAMMY® winning artist, songwriter and producer, Kirk Franklin, will release his highly anticipated new album, LONG LIVE LOVE, on May 31, 2019. The album, which is Franklin’s thirteenth studio offering, features the hit single, “Love Theory.” Following the release of the LONG LIVE LOVE album in May, Franklin will embark on the LONG LIVE LOVE Tour beginning on July 11, 2019. The tour will kick off in Austin, TX and make stops in 25 other major cities including, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit and Houston. Tickets go on sale on March 29th at 10 am in their respective time zones. Every ticket for this show includes a CD copy of Kirk Franklin’s new album, LONG LIVE LOVE (available May 31st). In addition to the LONG LIVE LOVE Tour, Franklin will be headlining the 2nd Annual Exodus Music & Arts Festival on May 26th in Irving, TX. This year the festival will feature Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Travis Greene, VaShawn Mitchell and Kelontae Gavin. Timiney Figueroa known for singing "Calling My Name" and "Come Home" with Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship. Then went on to sing with the Kurt Carr Singers. Timiney Figueroa comes full circle to reinterpret the songs that made us love her and her gift. "Timiney’s Journey" is available on digital outlets. BMI Award Winning songwriter, producer music director and international workshop clinician Derrick Starks goes into the uttermost parts of the earth with the Gospel. Starks celebrates the beginning of Spring with news of his composition, Hang On (recorded by the GEI Mass Choir with Kierra Sheard and on the WOW Gospel 2018 CD) has received more than 10 million streams to date via YouTube and other streaming platforms. Starks is elated as he joins Denmark’s Hans Christian Jochimsen, and Germany’s Carmen and Friedemann Wutzer for Gospel Holy Days Workshop and Festival 2019. It's a 3-day workshop and concert pulling together some 1,000 voices from all over Eastern Europe as they celebrate the joy of raising their voices in song. Gospel Holy Days takes place March 29th through the 31st in Zwickau, Germany. Instruction will be offered via masterclasses for singers and musicians with a grand finale concert on Sunday. Starks returns to the US to put the finishing touches on his long awaited highly anticipated Derrick Starks Family and Friends Choir disc as the single is headed to radio within the coming weeks. TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG highlights the journey of songwriter and dance music icon Crystal Waters at 9 p.m. ET/8C. UNCENSORED follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C and dives into the life of famed actress and director Tasha Smith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkurizuBlog&feature=youtu.be EPM Music Group, the label imprint helmed by vocal virtuoso Dr. Earnest Pugh, celebrates its eighth year of partnership with eOne Entertainment. To commemorate the occasion, EPM is releasing a ‘Best Of’ album that features Sunday morning classics from such artist favorites as Michelle Prather, Zacardi Cortez, Charles Butler & Trinity, Chrystal Rucker and Earnest Pugh himself. Titled the EPM Music Group 8th Anniversary Celebration, the album will be available on digital formats on Good Friday, April 19th. Pre-orders on iTunes begin on Gospel music’s favorite Friday: March 29th - Stellar Gospel Music Awards Weekend. The lead radio single is “I Came to Bless The Lord” featuring the incredible Brittney Wright. In a darkened North Carolina parking lot, an angry black woman waves her Bible in the face of an equally angry, shotgun-wielding white man who has just told her his weapon speaks for him. “This here does the talking for me,” she shouts in the new film, “Best of Enemies.” “Same God made you, made me!” Not the most promising start for a buddy movie. And definitely not what Hollywood screenwriters mean when they say their protagonists “meet cute.” Set in Durham in 1971, before the textile and tobacco factory town became overshadowed by Duke University, the movie spotlights a dramatically unlikely — but nonetheless true — pairing: a local Ku Klux Klan leader named C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater, a black community activist and single mother. Through their friendship and shared Christian faith, the two demonstrated the possibility of reconciliation in the midst of a traumatic school integration controversy. Based on Osha Gray Davidson’s 2007 book, “The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South,” the film opens nationwide April 5 and stars Academy Award nominee and “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson as Atwater and Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell as Ellis. Hitmaker William Murphy has done it again, with his new #1 hit album "Settle Here" The Stellar Award-winning, two-time GRAMMY and Dove Award-nominated recording artist, songwriter and worship leader celebrates the chart-topping debut which is #1 on the Top Gospel Albums chart. "Settle Here" marks the second consecutive #1 debut for Murphy on the Top Gospel Albums chart, following the #1 debut of his 2016 album, "Demonstrate," on that chart. Murphy creates a compassionate bond in live worship on "Settle Here," taking his esteemed vocals and distinct arrangements to call on God’s wonders on songs such as the chart-topping hit single “Settle Here” (Pt. 1), “Praise Break,” “The Greatness of You,” the Zach Williams song “Chain Breaker,” “Shout” and more. The Full - Review of the album is on The Gospel Spotlight Album Review page....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir - "Psalm 34" drops a great choir song.....https://youtu.be/DfW2mkkMTAg Attorneys for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett say charges alleging he lied to police about being attacked by two white men wearing MAGA caps have been dropped. The actor appeared in court in Chicago today for an emergency hearing. In a statement, Smollett’s lawyers said he was a “vilified” victim. He was facing up 48 years in prison on 16 felony counts of filing a false police report. Jussie will surrender his $10,000 bond. But, that’s it. The case is over. The State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, told Chicago police she was dropping the case because Jussie would have only gotten community service if convicted and she said he has already performed community service so there is no point in prosecuting him. There is no record of Smollett doing community service. We’re told Chicago police are “furious” and feel something untoward is going on with Kim Foxx. TV One will air the 50TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS: TRIBUTE SPECIAL on Saturday, March 30 at 8pm ET/7C, immediately preceding the live telecast of the 50TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS at 9pm/8C. The tribute special, sponsored by Toyota, will honor this year's nominees, past winners and significant moments. Hosted and Executive Produced by Urban One Founder and Chairperson Cathy Hughes, the special features in-depth one-on-one conversations with director/actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield, singer/actor John Legend, actor Stephan James, actress Loretta Devine, music industry legend Clarence Avant, soul singer Kenny Lattimore, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. As previously announced, Anthony Anderson is set to return as host. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g4ajJ9V4Og&feature=youtu.be The New York Fellowship Children's Choir is the latest Project from Pastor David Wright. This song was birthed from a popular hashtag that tells the world that our God Is The Greatest. The choir consists of children from all over the tri-state New York area from ages 3 to 13 years old. These kids love to sing and they love the God that they're singing about. The song is led by Josiah Battle age 13 and Trinity Miller age 8. https://www.dropbox.com/s/8lojg2m5e8kbhdy/New%20York%20Fellowship%20%20Childrens%20Choir%20%20%20God%20Is%20The%20Greatest.mp3?dl=0 The BET Networks broadcast premiere date of The 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards presented by AT&T has been updated to Easter Sunday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT. The biggest night in gospel music returns to BET after a 15-year hiatus with gospel legend Shirley Caesar, Sonya Blakey, VaShawn Mitchell, Jelani Winston, Katlyn Nichol and Sandra "Pepa" Denton just added to the list of presenters scheduled to appear. Presenters previously announced include Anthony Brown, Yolanda Adams, Dr. Bobby Jones, DeVon Franklin, Janice Gaines and JJ Hairston. Hezekiah Walker and Phil Thompson have now joined the thrilling list of performers set to hit the stage including Brian Courtney Wilson, Charles Jenkins, Jekalyn Carr, Jonathan McReynolds, Kelontae Gavin, Koryn Hawthorne, Maranda Curtis and Todd Dulaney. As previously announced, the show will feature a moving posthumous tribute to the undisputed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin by Kelly Price, Regina Belle and Erica Campbell. The performance will be followed by a presentation of the Aretha Franklin ICON Award to the family of the late legend. Kirk Franklin, returns to host the live show taping at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena on Friday, March 29, 2019. The Dubai government issued a statement Sunday denying reports that embattled singer R. Kelly had booked concerts in the United Arab Emirates city, as his legal team claimed. “Authorities in Dubai have not received any request for a performance by singer R. Kelly nor are there any venues that have been booked,” the government’s Dubai Media Office said, adding that Kelly “has not been invited by the Dubai royal family for a performance.” According to Rolling Stone, the statement from the Dubai Media Office comes days after Kelly’s lawyers filed a motion seeking permission for the R&B star to travel to Dubai to perform concerts, the Associated Press reports. As part of Kelly’s $1 million bail agreement, he turned over his passport. Jekalyn Carr has announced special guests for her second annual "You Will Win" Conference. The event will be held June 21 - 22, 2019 in Orlando, FL. Carr is excited to welcome Tim Bowman, Stephen Brown, Maranda Curtis, JJ Hairston, Koryn Hawthorne, Willie Moore Jr., Paul Morton, Rickey Smiley, and Tye Tribbett to the conference as her special guests. The conference is a natural extension of Carr's ministry - existing to embolden and inspire the people of God to live their most abundant life. New this year will be a very special Honorary Gala banquet to celebrate Carr, her ministry and accolades, presented by her industry peers, friends and family. The banquet will include dinner, music, special guest appearances, and more! Hailing from the Greater Toronto, Canada area, the Powerhouse Fellowship Soul Choir is a group of young adults with a passion and goal to change lives through music. POWERHOUSE has been invited to be part of several major events in the United States including Bishop Hezekiah Walker's Choirfest in Las Vegas, NV (during Stellar Awards week) and has performed with Gospel Music greats CeCe Winans, Pastor Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters, and with multiple Grammy-winning legend Stevie Wonder. They have also performed with world-renowned Juno Award-winning Opera soprano Measha Brueggergosman on her "Songs of Freedom" tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfkzvAp__ok&feature=youtu.be Gospel music powerhouse Ruth La'Ontra, has released a magnificent follow-up single to her smash hit, "Kingdom". The new single called "SAFE" is written and produced by the dynamic duo Anthony Brown and Justin Savage. This song features Ruth's skillful vocal range, going from her soft and sultry approach in the verses, to her squalling soprano to close out the song. Ruth's message in the song is timely and simple; that we are all "SAFE" in the arms of the Lord. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/FzA6rKYVKJ The 2019 Michael Johnson Youth Camp San Antonio will rally NFL elite and a number of dedicated sports professionals to instill integrity, promote wellness and build self-esteem within teens. The event is hosted in affiliation with the Northside Independent School District and the United States Army and will be co-instructed by a number of Johnson’s football friends, professional coaches, and league mates. Attendees will not only enjoy the athletically fueled experience but have the chance to win generously donated Spurs, Rampage, Mission, and Commanders tickets throughout the day. A perfect culmination of football and fortitude, the camp is designed to inspire each participant to leave fired up for the future! Kelontae Gavin continues to reach new levels of success and fame. This week, his song “No Ordinary Worship” debuts on the mainstream top 40 radio-based Adult R&B Songs Airplay chart rising from No.41 to No. 39. The song reaches 14.1 million on-demand U.S. audio and video streams combined while sporting 91.3 million in all-format airplay audience to-date. In addition to his Adult R&B Songs Airplay debut, “No Ordinary Worship” reached Top 5 on three genre-based charts: Gospel Songs, Gospel Airplay and Gospel Digital Song Sales charts. Gods Posse is purposed and determined to be used by God to round up souls for the Kingdom. Their only wish is that God will get all of the glory out of their ministry. Their new single "Anchored" is an up-tempo groove that drives home the importance of being "Anchored" in God. Gods Posse's sound stays true the Quartet sound with tight harmonies, the powerful sounds of the electric guitar, and a hard hitting drive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfv0SFueDfs&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=2018+Stellar+Award+Nominee+++Gods+Posse+Anchored+3%2F22%2F19&utm_campaign=2018+Stellar+Award+Nominee+-+Gods+Posse+-++Releases+New+Single+%22Anchored%22&utm_medium=email TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG dives into the untold story of 80s soulful songbird Shirley Murdock at 9 p.m. ET/8C. UNCENSORED follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C. Hear Shirley Murdock In Her OwnWords as she talks about life , music, ministry and being featured on TV One's Unsung......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/queenshirleymurdock_intvw.htm The legendary maestro Kurt Carr is back with new music, with the release of his new single “Bless Somebody Else (Dorothy’s Song)”! The two-time GRAMMY® nominated Gospel icon has crafted a masterful blend to excite the senses and replenish the soul on this new single, available now at digital platforms and newly-released to radio. Carr leads “Bless Somebody Else (Dorothy’s Song)” to new heights, bringing together his friends in an all-star performance of celebrated voices with The Kurt Carr Singers, Miles Caton, Wess Morgan, Fred Hammond, Faith Evans, Yolanda Adams, Smokie Norful, Erica Campbell, Roosevelt Griffin, John P. Kee, Jekalyn Carr, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Keke Wyatt, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Denise Tichenor, and Zacardi Cortez. https://open.spotify.com/album/3IOvhtSm3YUWNlDjm2gFmx Friday, March 22nd Indianapolis Gospel music lovers will gather at Overcoming Church for Pastor Bruce Farr presents Overcoming Church Generations of Praise Choir release concert for their new EP “Making Room for Us”. “Making Room for Us” shares uplifting declarations that reassure, empower and motivate listeners with the energetic testimony of inspired hope. The lyrics from the songs shared on “Making Room for Us” serve to strengthen the listeners’ faith and exemplifies the uplifting mission of Overcoming Church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnPLVfqJq6U Newcomer Antonio Tucker, an 11-year old preacher and singer from Richmond Virginia, is sitting on top of the Gospel Album Sales Chart this week with his initial BGA Music Group offering “Overcome.” The album features a collection of songs that are sure to uplift your spirit, minister to your soul, and ignite your praise. “Free,” one of the featured cuts from the effort, reminds listeners that Jesus Christ has removed every chain setting them free. “Overcome” reminds listeners that they will overcome every obstacle in life smply because the greater One lives on the inside. “Hold On” has become a favorite. The “Overcome” effort was penned by singer, songwriter, artist manager, and label executive Branden Anderson (known for hits such as “Pray and Don’t Worry,” “I’m Ready,” “Speak It” and “Forever We will Worship”). OneUnited Bank, the largest Black owned bank in America, introduces its new Queen Visa Debit Card as part of its Royalty Campaign. The Bank is celebrating a new generation of Queens in America who are claiming their thrones. From scientists to activists, from educators to entertainers, Black women are changing the world. The impact of #BlackGirlMagic cannot be denied. Some of the most important political and civil rights leaders have been Black women such as Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisolm, Angela Davis. Some of the most important artists and entertainers have also been Black women, such as the late Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Queen Bey Beyoncé, Queen Latifah, Q.U.E.E.N. Janelle Monae, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison and of course Oprah Winfrey. And from 2007 to 2018, the number of businesses owned by black women grew by a stunning 164%. According to Forbes, in 2018 there were 2.4 million Black women-owned businesses. Grammy® nominee and Dove Award winner Danny Gokey, announced that his fifth studio album “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” is available for pre-order now; and available for purchase at all major retail stores and digital retailers on Friday, April 12th, 2019. The second digital single “New Day” has been released as part of the album launch campaign, and the accompanying high-energy lyric video is also available. Two additional album tracks will release prior to the album’s release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TrKXehB0pg&feature=youtu.be Shirley Murdock is that rare singer-songwriter who is revered by fans of pop, R&B, dance music and gospel. A queen of the quiet storm sound, she burst onto the ‘80s music scene with Zapp & Roger, starting with her breakout performance with Roger Troutman on ‘Computer Love,’ and went on to become a key part of their touring group. While enjoying a successful solo career that’s lasted four decades, with hits like ‘As We Lay,’ and ‘Go On without You,’ she has also endured a string of ups and downs, including the tragedy of the Troutman brothers murder-suicide in 1999, which nearly spelled the end of Zapp. On this episode of Unsung, Shirley recounts her remarkable journey through music and life, and the faith that’s kept her grounded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B99JJ5sIB-g KELONTAE GAVIN is releasing his new single "There's No One Like You"; the follow up to his mega hit "No Ordinary Worship". Gavin's new single "There's No One Like You", is a passionate praise and worship ballad that speaks to the "Greatness" of God. Kelontae Gavin is the ultimate worship leader, who is touted to perform on this year's Stellar Awards in Las Vegas where he is nominated for multiple awards. The show will air on Friday, April 19th @ 8pm EST on BET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCMdE2dAXZc&feature=youtu.be Over the last decade, Zacardi Cortez’s muscularly dynamic vocals have established him as one of soul music’s new leaders. On his own, the gruff-voiced tenor has scored No. 1 hits such as “1 on 1” and “Oh, How I Love You.” Now, he’s recorded his most poignant, heart-felt musical statement yet with “YOU DON'T KNOW.” https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/ZACARDI-CORTEZ-YOU-DONT-KNOW-1yVt8n1H7MXz4COd9BXb4 The Jones Sisters drops,"You Are God." A song that will touch the lives of listeners, old and young! "You Are God," demonstrates a seasoned message with a youthful vibe! It is considered a testament of the many wonders of God and His splendor! Meet The Jones Sisters, Young Ladies on fire for the Lord. Hear Them In Their Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jonessisters_intvw.htm The stars of the gridiron will meet the stars of Music City when the NFL Draft comes to Nashville, Tennessee, in April. The NFL announced that Grammy-winning country star Tim McGraw will perform a free outdoor concert on April 26 and Grammy-winning gospel singer CeCe Winans will sing the National Anthem on April 25 to open the three days of draft events. The league added that more than 20 Nashville-based acts will perform with additional names announced soon. The draft will take place on an outdoor stage in downtown Nashville with additional events for fans at the NFL Draft Experience to be held outside Nissan Stadium, home of the Titans. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear CeCe Winans In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/cece_winans.htm Tyler Perry made an unexpected call to a grieving family of four after the murder of their mother, 45-year-old Tynesha Evans. “It was a call I wasn’t even going to answer. I said, ‘Well, let me answer it to see who it is.’ I answered and the person on the other end said, ‘This is Tyler.’ I said, ‘Who?’ …[H]e said, ‘Tyler Perry.’ At that point, I just broke down crying,” said Evans’ daughter Audrey Turner to WSB-TV. The four children, two of whom are minors, feared eviction following their mother’s death. But, the actor and filmmaker, best known for his role as Madea, covered their rent. He also paid for two funerals — one in Atlanta and another in Evans’ home state of Wisconsin — as well as tuition for freshman Sharadiant Turner, who attends Spelman College in Atlanta. “I’m going to do what she wanted me to do. She started me on math and now I’m going to get to graduate with a mathematics degree from Spelman College without debt. It means everything,” Sharadiant said, as reported by CNN. On March 16, Evans was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo bank in Alpharetta, Georgia. The alleged shooter was her 58-year-old boyfriend. The Alpharetta Police Department reported that an armed civilian heard the attack and responded to the shooter, demanding that he put down his gun, and waited until the police arrived. Tynesha was taken to the hospital, where she died. Harvard University has “shamelessly” turned a profit from photos of two 19th-century slaves while ignoring requests to turn the photos over to the slaves’ descendants, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. Tamara Lanier, of Norwich, Connecticut, is suing the Ivy League school for “wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation” of images she says depict two of her ancestors. Her suit, filed in Massachusetts state court, demands that Harvard immediately turn over the photos, acknowledge her ancestry and pay an unspecified sum in damages. At the center of the case is a series of 1850 daguerreotypes, an early type of photo, taken of two South Carolina slaves identified as Renty and his daughter, Delia. Both were posed shirtless and photographed from several angles. The images are believed to be the earliest known photos of American slaves. They were commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz, whose theories on racial difference were used to support slavery in the U.S. The lawsuit says Agassiz came across Renty and Delia while touring plantations in search of racially “pure” slaves born in Africa. Jekalyn Carr's hit single, "It's Yours," has spent an ASTONISHING 7 WEEKS at NUMBER 1 on both the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart and MEDIABASE Gospel chart! Clearly, this song has impacted listeners with it's encouraging message! The song is the second number one single from Jekalyn's One Nation Under God project. The song "You Will Win" spent 5 weeks at No. 1 on the Gospel Airplay chart and Carr garnered a GMA Dove Award for Traditional Album of the Year for One Nation Under God. She is nominated for five Stellar Awards - Female Vocalist of the Year, Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year, Recorded Music Package of the Year and Artist of the Year and was nominated for two GRAMMY® Awards for Gospel Album of the Year and Gospel Performance/Song of the Year. In addition, she is celebrating her first-ever NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Gospel Album for the project One Nation Under God. She will perform during the star-studded Stellar Awards, the biggest night in Gospel music, on Friday, March 29, 2019 in Las Vegas, NV at the Orleans Showroom. Coming off her first Grammy Award's nomination just last month. Recording artist Doe has released new single titled "Reach". Doe is formerly known as member of GRAMMY, Stellar and Dove Award nominated group “foreverJones". Doe is recognized globally for her infectious and powerful energy on an off stage. Her signature voice, eclectic creativity and sound has been heard on songs like “Cycles” by Jonathan Mcreynolds also leading on "He Wants It All" by foreverJONES and Doe wrote that song which is included on Motown Gospel's 20 year compilation album in 2018. Nona Jones was ordained into the ministry at the age of 17. She has expanded her coast as a highly sought after author, mentor, and conference speaker. As a minister and pastor’s wife, she’s reaching an even greater audience in the digital world as head of Facebook’s Faith-based Partnership Outreach. “I work with pastors and churches, denominations, literally all over the world to help them maximize their use of Facebook to connect to their congregations,” Jones says. “The way that I like to think about it in a ministry context is digital discipleship.” Aretha Franklin’s estate has fired back at Wendy Williams for the “irresponsible” and “mocking” remarks the talk-show host made on her show last week about the upcoming “Amazing Grace” documentary. “Amazing Grace” is a 90-minute documentary featuring footage captured in January 1972 at New Temple Missionary Baptist in Los Angeles, where Franklin was joined by Rev. James Cleveland and his choir for two days of gospel sessions. Warner Bros. reportedly wanted a documentary to chronicle her best-selling gospel album. Spike Lee has described it as “One of the greatest concerts ever put to film.” But Wendy has questioned the doc’s visual quality, Franklin’s natural hair and the true motives behind the film’s release. The family fired back in a statement saying, “1972 was the era of Black Power and Black Is Beautiful. In her short natural hair and simple makeup, Ms. Franklin was in step with the times and appropriate to the occasion. There was no ‘showgirl glamor,’ no ‘pressed hair’ and no ‘eyelashes’ – the lack of which Williams ridiculed on her program. The simplicity of the presentation gives ‘Amazing Grace’ its power.” John Legend is the latest celebrity to weigh in on the recent college admission scandal that’s implicated actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Both women are among the 50 people who participated in a college bribery scheme to get their privileged kids admitted to elite colleges like Georgetown, Yale, and USC. The news shed light on the rigged admissions system and how rich white folks for decades have bought their way into ivy league colleges. During a recent red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight, Legend said he wasn’t the least bit shocked by the scandal. “I think it’s a longer conversation because I think a lot of people look at this rightly as fraudulent and dishonest,” he explained. “But the bottom line is, the system has been rigged for wealthy people for a long time. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW, premiering tonight at 11/10C PM. The show will air four nights a week, Monday through Thursday. Joining DL for premiere night is Philip Smith, president of the National African American Gun Association who'll speak on the New Zealand mosque tragedy and gun rights. Other guests this week include: actor Michael Rapaport and Valencia Love, who posted bail for R. Kelly, both joining on Tuesday, March 19; actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, both appearing on Wednesday, March 20; and actor/comedian George Lopez visiting on Thursday, March 21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qghvBK9FWg0 Doug Williams is officially retiring as President and CEO of Blackberry Records as of April 1, 2019. Williams was instrumental in signing artists to the label like Bishop Paul Morton, The Canton Spirituals, The Williams Brothers and many others. Williams says “We’ve had an incredible 28 years and made some history along the way. However, God is leading me in other directions at this time in my life.” Doug Williams will continue his involvement in the music industry. When asked about the future of Blackberry Records now that he’s retiring, Williams stated, “As of now, the future of the company is to be determined, however, we’ll make an official announcement once that decision has been made.” Gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson has been a constant source of conversation for her fans and critics. The winner of the hit gospel show “Sunday Best” is known for being a tad bit too transparent. She previously opened up about a longtime struggle with substance abuse, and as noted by MadameNoire, Johnson frequently appears on social media, drinking, cursing and railing against the church, the Grammy winning artist has even complained about her management, Mathew Knowles — Beyonce’s father. There was also controversy over her pregnancy out of wedlock as she continued to minister. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0SAp0eS_Es James Fortune Delivers Another Sunday Morning Hit With His New Single “I Am.” “I Am”, is the highly anticipated single from James Fortunes’ forthcoming album. James drew his inspiration for this single from 2 Peter 1:3, which states “God has given us everything we need for a Godly life though our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness”. This worship ballad encourages listeners that we are fully equipped to lead the life God calls us to. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear James Fortune In His Own ords....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/james_fortune_intvw.htm Motown Gospel's newest family members, Jerard & Jovaun released their debut EP today. The on-the-rise duo, made famous by their performance videos on social media, embody the growing sound of Gospel music that leans into classic worship songs while presenting it with a modern gospel flair. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME is a 5-track digital EP showcasing the couple’s beautiful harmony. Jerard & Jovaun offer renditions of hymns and beloved worship songs. Among the gems found on the project are the title track “What A Beautiful Name,” the prolific worship song “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” and the popular anthem “Great Are You, Lord.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meTJjwk5X_U&feature=youtu.be TV One's award-winning documentary series UNSUNG airs the untold story of 80s family band The Jets at 9 p.m. ET/8C. UNCENSORED follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C and gives unprecedented access to comedian, author and REACH Media syndicated host DL Hughley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNeWwUf1DHU&feature=youtu.be Real Housewives of Atlanta” starlet, Marlo Hampton, is known for keeping it all the way real on the hit reality series. We have seen her slay with bold and daring style choices, and read some of her co-stars for filth. But what a lot of folks may not know is that when she’s not filming the show, Hampton keeps busy with exciting new business ventures in both beauty, fashion, and philanthropy. She is currently working on a new wig line, “HER,” which stands for Haute, Elegance, Rebel, and an affordable, high fashion accessories line called “Arrie and Emma,” launching this Spring. Marlo is also participating in a charity event on March 16th that is very dear to her heart– Foundation For Fortitude, whose core mission is to expose young women to individual development training and seminars. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear Marlo Hampton In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/marlohampton_intvw.htm There is a hot group in Detroit that's worth keeping your eyes on,Ellison. They are on the move and making noise. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear Randy R. Ellison In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/randyrellison_intvw.htm Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Rowland revealed the moment during her time with Destiny’s Child that she knew God made her for a much bigger purpose than accolades. Her testimony was recently featured on Hillsong channel’s new TV show “Now With Natalie,” a six-part series in which wardrobe stylist Natalie Manuel Lee sits down with Christian celebrities who share about their faith, what they wrestle with and their purpose in life. While pop culture icons are often “immortalized through accolades, awards and the devoted attention of fans” but Rowland explains that life is much more than that. The singer said it was at Israel Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where she first knew singing was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Rowland joined the choir and sang her first solo at age five. “As a kid, I just wanted to sing and I wanted to make my dream come true,” Rowland told Lee during a sit-down interview for the Christian channel. After being contacted by a former senior Obama administration official, the Chicago-area’s top prosecutor last month requested that the city police turn over their investigation of an alleged attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett to the FBI, according to texts and emails released by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Tina Tchen, who worked as former first lady Michelle Obama’s chief of staff during her time in the White House, first contacted Kim Foxx by text on Feb. 1 and said the actor’s family had “concerns” about the investigation, according to the communications. Tchen, a Chicago-based attorney, is also the co-founder of the Times Up Legal Defense Fund. At the time of the correspondence, Smollett was still considered by police to be the victim of an assault. The actor was later charged with disorderly conduct for filing a false report for allegedly staging an attack to make him look like the victim of a brutal hate crime. “Spoke to the Superintendent Johnson,” Foxx emailed Tchen on Feb. 1, referring to the city’s top cop, Eddie Johnson. “I convinced him to Reach out to FBI to ask that they take over the investigation.” Foxx also texted with one of Smollett’s relatives, whose name was redacted in copies of the communication released by her office. Foxx recused herself from the investigation before Smollett was charged. Her first deputy, Joe Magats, is overseeing the case. Foxx said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that Smollett’s family was concerned that aspects of the police investigation were being leaked to media. Smollett entered a not guilty plea today Meet new artist, Amanda Lynn, as she make waves in the gospel industry with her fresh sound blending gospel music with the smooth rhythmic sounds of R&B. Signed to 3HP records and recently nominated in three categories, for VOGMA awards. She will showcased her hit single, Better, releasing during the Stellar Awards week in Las Vegas in March 2019. Hear Amanda Lynn In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/amandalynn_intvw.htm The Lonnie Hunter Variety Show will begin airing Saturdays from 9-10 p.m. EST in June of 2019 on the Impact Television Network. Lonnie Hunter is expected to bring a new and innovative viewing experience to the faith-based community. Upcoming episodes will include not only top gospel artists but actors, barber competitions, games, comedians and an array of surprises. Hear Lonnie Hunter In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lonniehunter_intvw.htm Anthony Nelson & The Overcomers are exceptionally consistent with Yahweh Worship. Penned by multi-talented songwriter, producer and worship leader Anthony Nelson, “Jealous” is the newly released single taking the #5 spot on the Billboard Gospel Charts (Digital Song Sales). This marks the award-winning collectives’ fourth Top Ten hit "Deeper, Undeserved, Everything, and Jealous" on the Digital Song Sales chart. Flashback Gospelspotlight. Hear Anthony Nelson In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonynelson_intvw.htm Announced by Central City Productions 19-year-old singer, songwriter, social media phenom, and four-time Stellar Award nominee Kelontae Gavin is set to perform on the 34th Annual Stellar Awards presented by AT&T and hosted by Kirk Franklin. The live show will be taped in front of an audience at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena on Friday, March 29, 2019. It will air Friday, April 19 at 8 PM ET/7 PM CT and 10 PM ET/9 PM CT on BET Networks after a 15-year hiatus. He will perform his smash hit "No Ordinary Worship." The hit song has accumulated over 13 million streams to-date. A teacher at a private Christian school has been placed on leave after reportedly orchestrating a mock slave auction in her Bronxville classroom. Teacher Rebecca Antinozzi is facing criticism after Vernex Harding, the mother of one of her students at the Chapel School, told media outlets that the white teacher recently allowed white students to bid on and “buy” black students, including Harding’s son, as they pretended to be slaves. The state Attorney General’s Office is looking into the situation. “The reports of racist ‘lessons’ by a teacher at the Chapel School are deeply troubling,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “My office is monitoring this matter closely.” In a statement, Chapel School Principal Michael Schultz apologized for the incident. “The reported racial insensitivity is unacceptable and we do not condone any action that demeans anyone,” he said. Bridgette Hurt revamps Gospel classic "My Liberty" originally sang by Yolanda Adams & The Southeast Inspirational Choir. Produced by Grammy award wining super producer, Kevin Bond; Bridgette gives the classic a new updated flare. Central City Productions today announced a sensational line-up of performers and presenters for The 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awardspresented by AT&T, including a posthumous tribute to the undisputed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The exhilarating all-star tribute performance by Kelly Price, Regina Belle and Erica Campbell will be followed by a presentation of the Aretha Franklin ICON Award. Kirk Franklin, will return to host the live show taping at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena on Friday, March 29, 2019. For the first time since 2005, The Stellar Awards telecast will premiere on BET on Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and again at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. The biggest night in gospel music will also feature rousing performances by Brian Courtney Wilson, Charles Jenkins, Jekalyn Carr, Jonathan McReynolds, Kelontae Gavin, Koryn Hawthorne, Maranda Curtis and Todd Dulaney. Among this year’s presenters are Anthony Brown, Yolanda Adams, Dr. Bobby Jones, DeVon Franklin, Janice Gaines and JJ Hairston. As previously announced, The Stellar Awards nominees with multiple nominations include Jonathan McReynolds, Maranda Curtis, Todd Dulaney, Jekalyn Carr, Koryn Hawthorne, Snoop Dogg, Tori Kelly, Bishop Noel Jones & City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir, Jarell Smalls and Company, Kelontae Gavin and Tasha Page-Lockhart. The South Carolina megachurch pastor who drew criticism when he bought his wife a $200,000 Lamborghini as an anniversary present last December, denied cheating on her in a national television appearance. Seated next to his wife, Aventer, John Gray answered a question from one of the hosts of “The Real” about having an affair. “The answer is no. I didn’t,” video posted on YouTube shows Gray saying on the talk show that aired Monday. He also denied fathering a child as a result of an affair, saying “There’s no baby, none of that.” Gray, whose Relentless Church is based out of Greenville, has said in the past that he failed his wife before giving her the expensive car, The State reported. On “The Real,” Gray reiterated that the couple had been “in a very difficult place in our marriage.” Gray admitted to having an “emotional affair.” https://youtu.be/flg3DgHEQ90 Longtime patrons of Black Ensemble Theater are probably familiar with the post-curtain speech sometimes heard there. “Going to Black Ensemble is just like going to church — because there’s a donation basket in the lobby.” But their latest show is a spiritual experience. The Black ensemble Theater in Chicago showcases the Queen of Gospel. In “Mahalia Jackson: Moving Through the Light,” writer/director/BET founder Jackie Taylor imagines an afterlife for Jackson that’s not exactly heaven (or so we’re told), but where the music is heavenly. It’s lighter on the biographical details than some past shows, but it does a gorgeous job of capturing the emotional resonances of Jackson’s performances and making it clear why she became a star, despite her steadfast refusal to perform secular music. The Williams Singers are back. Brothers Darnell, Dezmien and Dezrale follow up their hugely successful 2017 CD "In Real Time" with a single that bespeaks the blessings that surround a believer who walks in the favor of God. BU is written by Darnell Williams and serves as the inaugural single from the group’s new album, Quartagious that hits digital and retail outlets in July. Freeda Foreman, the 42-year-old daughter of famed ex-heavyweight champion George Foreman reportedly has died of suicide. Freeda Foreman, whose middle name is also George, was found unresponsive in her home by a family member. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that officers were called to her Atascocita, Texas residence around 6:13 p.m. local time Friday night. Atascocita EMS were at the home and determined the woman, Freeda George Foreman, was deceased,” police said. “Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide investigators also responded to the scene. Preliminary indications are that the cause of death is an apparent suicide. A final determination on the cause of death will be made by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.” As of this posting, the former world heavyweight champion has not spoken publicly on his daughter’s death, however he tweeted Sunday morning about how " how heaven sends so many wonder." Please keep the family in your prayers. Stellar Gospel Awards has announced Miz Tiffany as the first ever solo female rapper to be nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year and the accolade is certainly well-deserved. Not only could Miz Tiffany potentially be recognized as the first for her self-written hit, “I Ain’t Preachin to the Choir” but for also performing alongside Emcee N.I.C.E. and Jor’Dan Armstrong in the Hip Hop Cypher LIVE at the 34 Stellar Awards Gospel Radio Awards Showcase, March 29 at 10:00 AM in Las Vegas, NV during Stellar Weekend. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear Miz Tiffany in Her Own Words....https://www.gospel-spotlight.com/miztiffany_intvw.htm Koryn Hawthorne and Jason Avant were featured with Chef JJ Johnson on JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ on weekend On Cleo TV. The trio kick off the episode preparing mocktails made with pineapple juice, orange juice and sparkling water. A former finalist on “The Voice” and protégé of Pharrell Williams, Hawthorne’s debut album topped the Gospel Album charts before she was 21 years old. Koryn brings the spice and gifts JJ with “Slap Your Mama” seasoning, the perfect addition to the spicy menu. Jason Avant successfully transitioned from a NFL player to entrepreneur with four trampoline parks, a venture that combines his love for fitness and youth. He inspires individuals to follow their heart and passion to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. Tune into the next episode to see the group talk comfort foods, date nights, and all things inspirational. JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ is a hot new cooking show where CLEO TV viewers get to hang out with Chef JJ Johnson. Noted comedian, actor and REACH Media Syndicated Radio host, DL Hughley is bringing his own brand of comedy and commentary to TV One with his new nighttime talk show THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW, premiering Monday, March 18 at 11/10C PM. The show will air four nights a week, Monday through Thursday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qghvBK9FWg0 Artist, Amanda Lynn, Is making waves in the gospel industry with her fresh sound blending gospel music with the smooth rhythmic sounds of R&B. Signed to 3HP records, Amanda has been busy working with the likes of Fred Hammond, Michael Braxton (Toni's Brother) , Talein (former lead vocalist of Atlantic Starr), as well as many others. And Recently nominated in three categories, for VOGMA awards, she continues to spread her love for music and the lord to audiences around the globe. Currently, Amanda Lynn is working on her debut album, Journey- set to be released this spring, exhibiting the self exploration of overcoming obstacles, growing in the lord and the transformation into your purpose. This is best showcased in her hit single, Better, releasing during the Stellar Awards week in Las Vegas in March 2019. One of the things fans of “The Real” like about the hosts is that they really are “real.” One example of that happened the other day when Adrienne Houghton admitted that she’s eavesdropped on folks’ conversations. Well, not only did she admit doing it, but ID’d one very special person she did it to: her husband, musician Israel Houghton. Wayminute! She wasn’t through. She also gave up the deets on HOW she did it. And it was via one of those secrets that right in plain view for all of us. Adrienne: So, there’s something called ‘voice memo’ on your phone. And you literally can put it on voice memo, lock the phone, put it down, walk out the room, let you all talk about me, walk back in, play it back outside the room, listen to what you all said, walk in and be like, ‘so Tam, would you say that like sometimes I can talk a lot? Like, would you ever say that?’ And then you might be like, ‘of course I would say that! You do talk a lot’. Tamera: Yeah. In this short-form cooking show with a twist, NEW SOUL KITCHEN features hosts Chef Jernard Wells and Porsche Thomas serving up healthy and alternative takes on comfort food. Chef Jernard is known for his down home dishes with a healthy spin and Porsche is one of today's most sought after vegan cooks. On every episode, the culinary gurus reveal their unique, health conscious approaches to favorite comfort foods, offering something for everyone! From Vegan Lasagna and Mac and Cheese to holiday sides, you name it, and they serve it up. Tune into CLEO TV Saturday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3b677sy2UA&feature=youtu.be ; TV One's original, documentary series UNSUNG and UNCENSORED will air new episodes on Sunday, March 10. Kicking off with untold stories from R&B singer Adina Howard at 9 p.m. ET/8C. UNCENSORED follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C and gives unprecedented access to reality star Tami Roman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c9doyJMJ28&feature=youtu.be ; KEYONDRA LOCKETT PERFORM ON DR. JAMAL BRYANT'S ALL-NEW WORD NETWORK SHOW, "POWER TO THE PEOPLE....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLdywh1ltBI&feature=youtu.be ; Entertainment One Nashville announced the addition of Grammy-nominated gospel music pioneer and living legend John P. Kee to its burgeoning roster in February 2019. Winning many accolades including a Billboard Music Award, a Soul Train Award and numerous Stellar Awards, Kee’s songwriting and vocals has been hailed by critics throughout his career. He now once again showcases those skills with his new single, “I Made It Out (feat. Zacardi Cortez),” available now. “I Made It Out” precedes a full-length album due later in 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iP6gnDs8VY&feature=youtu.be Six gospel artists will have the chance to become a gospel music star on a new reality program called “The Gospel.” The Gospel chronicles 10 days with eight episodes as contestants compete for a national management contract with T.D. Jakes’ Dexterity Sounds and Marquis Boone Music Group. The first of its kind for Gospel music, the winner of this Christian music competition will be announced with the opportunity to perform at the International Pastors & Leadership Conference in Tampa Bay on April 25. The show is Executive produced by T.D. Jakes and Marquis Boone and hosted by Darlene McCoy. The program will air beginning March 10 exclusively on the Bishop’s Village, T.D. Jakes’ online streaming platform with behind the scene videos, messages and content. Entertainment One Nashville, will have an advance screening of the new live visual album, “To Africa With Love,” by Todd Dulaney on Tuesday, March 12th. Join Todd Dulaney and Entertainment One Nashville for an exclusive viewing and listening session of Todd Dulaney’s new album, “To Africa With Love.” Todd Dulaney’s new single, “You’re Doing It All Again,” now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EqKoEHDalg&feature=youtu.be DL Hughley will appears on "The Wendy Williams Show" to talk about TV One's "UNCENSORED" & "The DL Hughley Show" Friday, March 8, 2019. While many have dubbed R. Kelly’s interview with Gayle King all things kray-kray, his camp is reportedly pleased with their conversation that aired on Wednesday’s “CBS This Morning.” Jeff Glor began Wednesday’s “CBS Evening News” with word that King spoke to Kelly insiders after the interview aired “to check in to see how they were going.” “They said they were pleased with the interview,” she revealed. Yup,” King assured. “They thought it gave Robert a chance to tell his story and Robert is prepared to answer any question.”Kelly’s camp said they appreciated Gayle noting on “CBS This Morning” that she did not think herself in any danger when the singer became unhinged, though she was concerned he was going to walk out of the interview. CBS News will broadcast a one-hour primetime special showing even more of interview at 8 p.m. Friday. Seasoned recording artist, tunesmith and producer, Jason Clayborn, has returned home to Tyscot Records where he began his career over a dozen years ago as vocalist with the ground-breaking Gospel Hip Hop group, The Righteous Riders. Under the new agreement, Clayborn will bring a number of different solo and group projects to the label. Clayborn’s composition “Better” gave Hezekiah Walker an 18-week run at No. 1 in 2016, earned a Dove Award and was one of the Ten most played gospel songs of the year according to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Clayborn has also composed songs for VaShawn Mitchell, Wes Morgan’s “Get Me Through,” Ricky Dillard’s “I Survived It” and Lisa Knowles-Smith’s current radio single, “Great Big God.” A Christian university in Oklahoma is renaming its main auditorium — known for a half-century as Hardeman Auditorium — amid concerns over a racist statement attributed to the late namesake, N.B. Hardeman. The president of Oklahoma Christian University, which is associated with Churches of Christ, recently revealed to students that the assembly hall’s new name will honor donors Benton and Paula Baugh. The Baughs are members of the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston and active proponents of racial unity efforts in Texas’ largest city. They recently gave Oklahoma Christian $1 million — just their latest donation after previous seven-figure support of the university’s Bible and engineering programs. Students greeted President John deSteiguer’s announcement of the newly renamed Baugh Auditorium — already dubbed the “Baughditorium” — with a standing ovation. Often called the gospel version of Earth, Wind and Fire, SENSERE is currently celebrating the release of their third independent full-length project, “God, Family, The Band." SENSERE presents the brand new visual for their inspirational soul anthem. SENSERE’s boxing gym themed visual serves as the perfect backdrop for the James Brown inspired song. Shot in the band’s hometown of Miami, FL, the video follows a young boxer training for the fight of his life. And despite adversity and hardships during the grueling training process, the young athlete wins the proverbial knockout in the final round! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOy2kseWzBY Multiple Stellar Award Winner, multiple Dove Award winner and GRAMMY nominee Anthony Brown and group therAPy announced details for ‘Second Wind,’ an upcoming live event Friday, May 3, 2019. More than just a concert, the anticipated dramatic live experience and show will serve as the backdrop for a new album, that will take place at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Upper Marlboro, MD. Preferred seating tickets and general admission tickets go on sale Friday at AJBLIVE.com. Brown will also offer the AJBLIVE Super Fan Experience where fans will receive exclusive access to rehearsals, talent meet and greets, VIP seating at the live event, parking passes and more. Details can be found online at AJBLIVE.com and quantities are limited. Brown is expected to bring his unique dynamism and phenomenal live presentation to the stage for what is anticipated to be his most exciting recording to date. Unlike anything seen in previous recordings, Anthony Brown will present ‘Cirque du Soleil’ quality artistic entertainment with spectacular visuals, sets and surprises. Joining Anthony and group therAPy will be a host of special guests including Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell and Kelontae Galvin, with more to be announced. Brown and group therAPy will be recording their fourth album and it will be part of his continuing Key Of A Music partnership with Fair Trade Services, and Tyscot Music. Today, the NAACP announced that Anthony Anderson is set to return as host for the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Anderson is a two-time NAACP Image Awards Winner for his role on blackish, and will be hosting the show for the 6th consecutive year. Winners for the 50th NAACP Image Awards will be revealed during the two-hour LIVE TV special airing on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 9pm/8c from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Along with s currently the star and Executive Producer of ABC's multi-award winning sitcom, blackish, he's a four-time NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Comedy Series, Anderson is also set to star in the upcoming Netflix film Beats. The Impact Network, the only African American owned and operated Christian television network in the United States, will soon be available on Verizon Fios. The network features programming on urban ministries and gospel lifestyle entertainment. Verizon's dedication to diversity is evident, and we're proud of their ongoing commitment to the African-American community, underscored by the addition of The Impact Network to the Fios platform," said Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, CEO and President of the Impact Network." With programming that empowers the community and with additional career opportunities for minorities in the cable television industry." The small community of Beauregard is facing the grief of at least 23 deaths, including children, after a tornado struck the southeastern Alabama community Sunday afternoon (March 3). Search efforts for about a dozen people who had not been accounted for are continuing amid the debris. Providence Baptist Church in Beauregard is serving as a Red Cross shelter and reunification point for families in the community. Three Alabama DR teams are on site, with others on standby. One DR team is assisting in search and rescue, another is tarping roofs and the third is working with chainsaws to clear debris. Vonnie Lopez already has a commanding presence in Gospel music circles, and now she has a global spotlight as she appears on the James Corden hosted CBS show The World’s Best. Appearing on a live talent competition show was the farthest thing from Lopez’s mind, but when a video of her singing “Oh How I Love Jesus” went viral on social media – producers of The World’s Best contacted her and asked her to join the show. Lopez sang "My Tribute" by Andraé Crouch for her first appearance, wowing judges including mega-star Faith Hill, who - visibly moved - said “this is what it feels like to have the Holy Spirit in the place! This is the voice we need in the world right now.” The World’s Best will air a second appearance from Vonnie Lopez in its “Battle Round” segment this Wednesday, March 6th, at 9 p.m. EST. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0x0nzZhEYM&app=desktop Looking for a great way to start your day? Take a listen to the new single by The Jones Sisters, entitled,"You Are God." This song will touch the lives of listeners, old and young! "You Are God." demonstrates a seasoned message with a youthful vibe! It is considered a testament of the many wonders of God and His splendor! https://soundcloud.com/1goodknight/you-are-god?utm_source=The+Jones+Sisters&utm_campaign=Day+Out+Against+Crime&utm_medium=email One of the most compelling personal histories of missionaries is that of Waynesboro native William Henry Sheppard Jr., the son of a Staunton barber who was the first black American missionary to the African Congo. Born in March, 1865 in a rented home near the Waynesboro train station, Sheppard was a free black because his mother, Sarah Frances Martin Sheppard, had also been born free in Nelson County. “All children shall be bond or free,” stated Virginia’s code of 1705, “according to the condition of their mother.” The Sheppards were devout Presbyterians, and his father, William Sr., was sexton at the original all-white Presbyterian Church in Waynesboro under Rev. William T. Richardson. After graduating from Hampton Institute in 1883, Sheppard enrolled in the Presbyterian Tuscaloosa Theological Institute (now Stillman College) in Alabama. Completing his studies in 1886, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister and met schoolteacher Lucy Gantt, whom he married a few years later. Sheppard assumed Pastoral duties at Zion Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, but his true dream was to go to Africa as a missionary. While possessed of endless energy and raw physical courage, his requests were still denied simply due to his race. Later, however, some within the white Presbyterian foreign missions hierarchy argued that blacks were uniquely suited to be African missionaries, so in a compromise, they ruled that Sheppard – or any other black person – could go to Africa as a missionary but only with white supervision. Finally, in 1890, a white minister named Samuel Lapsley volunteered to take Sheppard to create Presbyterian missions in the Congo. Multiple GRAMMY®, Stellar, and Dove Award-winning international Gospel icon Donnie McClurkinreleases a new single “Not Yet.” Available now at all digital music providers and newly released to Gospel radio, the new single is being released by McClurkin’s label CamDon Music, in partnership with RCA Inspiration. “Not Yet” serves as the first single from the Gospel legend’s forthcoming eighth solo album. In addition to releasing a full-length album this year, McClurkin continues his ministry over the airwaves and in the pulpit. As the syndicated radio host of The Donnie McClurkin Show and senior pastor of his church, Perfecting Faith Church in New York, McClurkin remains a voice of influence in global ministry. The prolific chart-topper is one of the best-selling Gospel recording artists worldwide with over 10 million albums sold and is at the helm of moving hits such as “I Need You,” “Stand”, “We Fall Down” and “I Call You Faithful.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=ZcJOvcC40Ac Entertainment One Nashville welcomes its newest signee: BET & Sunday Best alum, the critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and model, Latice Crawford. The New York native and Stellar Award nominated singer, stole the hearts of believers on BET’s singing competition Sunday Best, using her three-octave, contralto vocal range, finishing third on the second season. Her self-titled debut album reached two on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Her second album, “Diary of a Church Girl,” also was a success on the Top Gospel Albums chart as well. Many may already know the fabulous, runway and editorial model, but Crawford also is a contributor to Essence and Huffington Post, writing on a range of topics to include mental wellness, parenting, race relations, and self-care. Crawford states, “Joining the Entertainment One roster feels like you just went to the family reunion and saw all of your long-lost relatives. There’s a warmth there that gives an artist comfort in their own creativity and security in their vision. I am excited that it's my new home. Premiere music label Motown Gospel announces its newest artist signee—husband and wife duo Jerard & Jovaun. The powerhouse singers bring their online popularity to a new digital EP. Currently worship leaders at the multi-cultural Bethesda Church (Ft. Worth, TX), Jerard & Jovaun first made names for themselves as go-to background and session singers for over two decades, working with industry heavyweights like BeBe and CeCe Winans, Natalie Grant, Donnie McClurkin, Michael W. Smith and Yolanda Adams. Most recently, Jerard & Jovaun have steadily built an online following with their stand-out performance videos of worship songs and hymns. Their cover of “What A Beautiful Name,” has become a viral sensation garnering over 1.66 million views. Jerard & Jovaun’s debut EP WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME offers renditions of songs from their video series including the EP’s title track, Hillsong’s hit worship song “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” and popular anthem “Great Are You Lord.” The 5-track WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME EP will be available on all digital platforms on Friday, March 15. After singing and traveling with John P. Kee and New Life for four years, Lowell was ready to embark on new beginnings and co-founded the contemporary gospel group, Men of Standard, in 1996. With a string of hits from Men of Standard, the group was able to capture Stellar Awards and several gospel nominations. Lowell Pye and DarkChild have created something special! "PATIENTLY PRAISING"featuring Lowell Pye is the 4th radio single from Fred Jerkins’ “A PROJECT OF HEALING.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po_44oy_TSs&feature=youtu.be TV One’s upcoming episode of “UNCENSORED” featuring Fantasia Fantasia Remembers The Time She Walked Away From The Church.......https://youtu.be/oFsh4eY072E Tyese Gibson has been tapped to portray Teddy Pendergrass in an upcoming biopic, Warner Bros. acquired the life rights of the late singer, who rose to fame in the early 1970s as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes before he went on to achieve success as a solo artist. A near-fatal car crash in 1982 left him paralyzed from the chest down but that didn’t stop the singer from continuing to perform for two decades until announcing his retirement in 2007. He also established the ?Teddy Pendergrass? Alliance to help those with spinal cord injuries prior to his death in 2010. FRESH START WORSHIP PERFORMED ON DR. JAMAL BRYANT'S ALL-NEW WORD NETWORK SHOW, "POWER TO THE PEOPLE" SATURDAY MARCH 2, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX-O1GbBQO0&feature=youtu.be Kirk Franklin is set to push out the 2nd Annual Exodus Music & Arts Festival. The festival is slated to go down May 26, will special guests Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kelontae Gavin, VaShawn Mitchell, and Travis Greene. In Partnership with Live Nation Urban, the gospel music festival happens at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas. Playwright Dennis Williams returns to the DMV with one of his most creative productions yet featuring R&B Singer Keke Wyatt. The highly anticipated I’ve Cried the Blues, The Musical Story of a Lifetime, is scheduled to play one-night only Saturday, June 8, 2019 at The Warner Theatre, Washington, DC. Produced by Williams’ company Legendary Studio Shows (LSS) Universal, the musical comes a year following the success of his 4-time sold out hit stage play, Love & Therapy Gone Wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5LVCuSGSRU&feature=youtu.be A Christian anti-hunger group has released a devotional guide to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Va. “Lament and Hope: A Pan-African Devotional Guide” was produced by Bread for the World and was dedicated at a prayer service at a Washington church Thursday (Feb. 28), the last day of Black History Month. The free guide addresses past and current issues of unequal access to land, housing and education. It begins with verses from the Bible’s Book of Lamentations that speak of homelessness and affliction and conclude with a proclamation of the “steadfast love of the Lord.” TV One will air the inaugural URBAN ONE HONORS on Thursday, February 28 8 p.m. ET/7C, immediately followed by an encore presentation at 10 p.m. ET/9C. The stellar show, hosted by comedian DL Hughley, will honor Jermaine Dupri, April Ryan, Brandy, Tom Joyner, Marvin Sapp, DJ Khaled, June Ambrose, Doc Walker, Shaun King, Benny Pough, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jade Novah, Dr. Nadia Lopez, Tracy Martin, Sybrina Fulton and Rotimi. The awards show was taped live at The Anthem Theater in Washington, DC on December 9, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKSSJi3sPyw&feature=youtu.be Jekalyn Carr, internationally acclaimed and award-winning artist/author/actress/speaker/entrepreneur has announced plans for her second annual "You Will Win Conference." The event will go down June 21 - 22, 2019 in Orlando, FL. The announcement comes upon the heels of an extremely successful season for Carr – winning a GMA Dove Award, nominated for 2 GRAMMY Awards and 5 Stellar Awards. The conference is a natural extension of Carr's ministry, existing to embolden and inspire the people of God to live their most abundant life. After many years of setting the standard for church worship music, Bishop Paul S. Morton & The Full Gospel Ministry Of Worship have once again gifted us with a smashing new song, that is sure to be a mainstay in the life of the church. The new single "RELEASE THE RAIN" is a prophetic petition for more of God's Glory, Power and Presence. It is written and performed by Christopher House, and also joined vocally by Eugene Brown accompanied by an amazing and powerful Full Gospel praise team, choir and band. This powerful song has been touched by some of Gospel music's best, namely JJ Hairston and Vaughn Phoenix (Producers) and also Executive Produced by VaShawn Mitchell. https://spaces.hightail.com/space/JmBLYagZqb/files/fi-0b1cb7a6-9de7-4bc0-85d8-6f9bec80514c/fv-220446d1-5870-4d21-b119-514b466ec984/Release%20The%20Rain%20-%20RADIO%20EDIT%20320.mp3 Isabel Davis dropped a new single "Wide As The Sky" and in 4 short weeks has Climbed on Billboard's "New & Active" Charts!! Checkout friend of the Gospel Spotlight Isabel Davis......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i4QL9ZpFJI Veteran Gospel Artist Dr. Earnest Pugh can now add the title of Radio Host to his biography. Dr. Pugh recently launched his new radio show and podcast “On The Couch with Dr. Pugh at The Worship Leaders Lounge". His informative and impactful show can be heard each week on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play andTune In. Dr. Pugh has served in the capacity as Worship Pastor and Leader for over three decades. With a Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from the Howard University School of Divinity, and an honorary Ph.D. in Theology from The Institute of Teaching God’s Word (Rockdale, Texas), Pugh brings a wealth of knowledge to his listeners and a strong desire to build up Worship leaders. With the help of the dedicated MJ 93-90 Foundation team, NFL star and philanthropist, Michael D Johnson executed a very successful and inspiring Youth Empowerment Summit, in Selma, AL the 1st week of February 2019. The exciting event featured panels focused on social justice, self-esteem, money management and college preparatory. To top it off, ambitious high school students participated in a Shark Tank-style competition with prizes totaling $10,000! The 2-day event impacted the lives of more than 400 Selma area high school seniors. Black Writer’s Weekend started in 2008 as an award show called the AAMBC Awards and has morphed into three-days of panels, workshops, author signings, a celebratory book bash, movie screenings and a formal awards gala positioned as the highlight of the weekend. With approximately 1500 attendees and growing, it has become the nation’s only and largest gathering for African American literary creatives and filmmakers. Hosting popular-demand events such as Cre8tiveCon, Lit Crawl, the Urban Book Bash and much more, this year’s Black Writer’s Weekend is set for June 7 to June 9, 2019, in Atlanta, GA. U.S. Rep. James Clyburn may be one of the most influential voices in Washington, but his first career was as a school teacher and he delivered a little-known lesson in history Sunday during his latest visit to Burlington County. Speaking at the Tabernacle Baptist Church for a Black History celebration organized by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, Clyburn, the House Majority Whip and renown Civil Rights activist, recounted the tale of Lewis Latimer, the black engineer from Massachusetts who invented the carbon filament that allowed Thomas Edison’s light bulb to remain lit for longer than just a few days. “Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but he couldn’t get it to stay on,” Clyburn said, noting that the New Jersey inventor needed to partner with Latimer and use the latter’s filament to make the bulb efficient and usable. The Broadway bound production of six-times Grammy winner BeBe Winans autobiography "Born For This," releases video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZRuTW_8pww Spike Lee won his first ever Oscar Sunday night for in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for his work on “BlacKkKlannsman” and took the stage in a Prince-inspired outfit with gold Jordans. But what went down when he lost the best picture category has folks talking across social media. AP reporter Andrew Dalton noted on Twitter that Lee “was visibly angry when “Green Book” was announced as the winner of best picture at the Oscars, waving his arms in disgust and appearing to try to storm out of the Dolby Theatre before he was stopped at the doors. He returned to his seat when the speeches were over.” The 2019 Oscars are in the books and special congrats to Spike Lee who finally got his first Oscar win – after 33 years in the business – for Best Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman.” For the second year in a row Mahershala Ali took home the Best Supporting Actor award. Last year he won it for “Moonlight.” This year it was for his role in “Green Book.” Also, Regina King was named Best Supporting Actress” for playing Sharon Rivers in “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Lastly, we need to give props to “Black Panther” which won 3 awards: Best Original Score, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Looks like 45 got his feeling hurt because of comments made by Spike Lee who he claimed made a “racist hit” against him in the director’s Oscar award speech Sunday night. “Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!,” Trump tweeted on Monday morning. Jonathan Nelson returns with a fresh new single “Jesus, I Love You.” Nelson emphasizes that because of Jesus’ abundant love for His people, in return they should echo that same love back to Him. This new offering definitely emphasizes vertical worship and focus on giving Jesus the love and praise He deserves. It’s a bonafide church standard that will be picked up by churches across the nation. https://www.dropbox.com/s/4ug9lw3h7bt1c26/Jesus%20I%20Love%20You%20RADIO%20EDIT.wav?dl=0 TV One hosted an exclusive screening of its new original true crime film, LOVED TO DEATH at the 2019 Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) for journalists, influencers and fans. Held at the Cinemark 15 Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Theater in Los Angeles, audiences were also treated to a Q & A with film director Lee Davis and cast members MC Lyte, McKinley Freeman, Tobias Truvillion and Chrystee Pharris, moderated by Pat Prescott from 94.7 The Wave. LOVED TO DEATH premieres Summer 2019 on TV One. Integrity Music welcomes worship leader, pastor, author and recording artist William McDowell and announces the forthcoming release of a new, live album from the GRAMMY Award nominee. McDowell, who serves as pastor of Orlando, Florida’s Deeper Fellowship Church, previously released five critically-acclaimed albums – "As We Worship," "Arise," "Withholding Nothing," "Sounds Of Revival" and "Sounds Of Revival: Part 2" – winning Dove and Stellar Awards and earning a GRAMMY nomination for his work. McDowell also has made numerous guest appearances on albums from artists representing a variety of music styles. His ability to cross generational, denominational, cultural and genre differences is a reflection of his heart for people and his foundational ministry training. McDowell will record his new album on May 10 at Redemption To The Nations Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear William McDowell In His Own Words.....https://www.gospel-spotlight.com/william_mcdowell_intvw.htm The original Party with a Purpose® is setting sail on an epic 20th Voyage! The 2019 Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage® presented by Denny’s will sail from Miami April 7-14 on the Carnival Magic and make stops in the Caribbean’s Amber Cove, San Juan and St. Thomas. Created as a fundraiser to support students in school at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, this year’s cruise will feature entertainment favorites, informative seminars, morning inspiration, fitness classes, notable celebrities and popular theme nights. Music performers including Janet Jackson, Maxwell, Charlie Wilson, Fantasia, KEM, WAR, Sheila E., Chrisette Michele, Biz Markie, MC Lyte, Smokie Norful, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Brian Courtney Wilson, Midnight Star, S.O.S. Band, Oaktown 357, Mase, Black Sheep, Lady of Rage and more. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund is hosting its 22nd Annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit, February 20 - 22, 2019 at The Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Ave., 3rd Floor in New York City. This year's theme is "400 Years Later: Closing the Wealth Gap, Expanding Opportunity." The Summit feature sessions on closing the racial wealth gap, advancing consumer protection, the state of telecom and evolution of digital currencies, the tech industry's expanding wealth opportunities, supplier diversity opportunities, diversity and inclusion on corporate boards and in C-suites, investing in Africa and globally, the State of Black America, fireside chats with Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health and Toni Townes Whitley, Corporate VP of Industry, Microsoft. The Summit brings entrepreneurs, corporate executives and the nation's leading policymakers together to increase business and employment opportunities for African Americans, women, and all people of color. Jussie Smollett was eviscerated after being arrested on Thursday by furious Chicago police bosses who alleged that he mailed himself a threatening letter then staged a hoax attack because he was unhappy with his Empire salary. At an extraordinary press conference, Chicago Police Department Chief Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson abhorred him as a ‘troubled young man’ who has ‘taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism to further his career’ by allegedly lying that he was attacked by racist and homophobic assailants on January 29. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1867868.html# Chicago Cubs prospect Chris Singleton (22) exchanged vows with his High School Sweetheart, Mariana De Andrade (21) in a beautiful ceremony in Charleston, SC during the broadcast of Lifetime’s My Great Big Live Wedding hosted by David Tutera. After learning of the couple’s heart-wrenching experiences Tutera was on a mission to make their special day a memorable one. Chris’ mother (Sharonda Coleman-Singleton) was one of the nine lives taken at the Emmanuel AME Church massacre during Bible Study in 2016 and two years later unexpectedly his father passed away. The groom and his late mother were big fans of gospel singer, CeCe Winans. Winans sang “Blessed Assurance” before the exchanging of vows as well as the up-tempo, “Dancing in the Spirit” to kick off the reception. The bride’s exquisite dress was designed by David Tutera and named “Mariana” after the bride. While family and friends looked on it was hard to find a dry eye anywhere. The Singletons received a special toast by another special guest, Carl Edward Jr., from Chicago Cubs World Series Champions. It's no secret that Le'Andria Johnson (Season 3 Winner of BET's Sunday Best) has had her share of ups and downs. She is transparent about everything and uses what she's been through to encourage others to help get them on Track! While in Philadelphia PA on Sunday February 17th, Le'Andria took part in a Family and Friends Day at Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center at the Met where Apostle Mark Hatcher, Sr. is the Pastor. The church had invited a Women's Rehabilitation Center to the church where Numerous women were in attendance that are in the process of overcoming substance abuse and alcoholism. Johnson confessed to the audience that she was wearing the device used to monitor many first-time and nonviolent offenders as she discussed her struggle with alcohol. During her set, she shared with the congregation about the struggle she had with Alcohol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biT8isHU-8A The Godfather of Gospel Jazz continues to climb up the charts with his newest album RISE. The album remains steady on the Billboard Top Gospel Album Sales chart and his single "Rise" takes the #1 spot this week on the Billboard Smooth Jazz National Airplay Chart. "Rise", featuring Marion Meadows on saxophone, is Tankard's remake of the Herb Alpert classic hit that, after 40 years, still remains a favorite among Jazz musicians and fans. Herb Alpert received a GrammyAward for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1979 for "Rise". Billboard #1 independent recording artist, 2018 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award winner and 2019 two-time Stellar Award nominee Bryan Popin and his imprint Little Boy Wonder Music has secured a joint business venture with Fred Jerkins’ DarkChild Gospel. Under the terms of the JV deal, DarkChild Gospel will help to oversee Artist Development and Relations. Jerkin’s newly formed We Break Records Promotion and Consulting will function to serve all radio promotion needs for Bryan Popin and Little Boy Wonder Music. Hammond, Louisiana celebrated singer-songwriter and new solo artist Titus Showers, the former lead singer of two-time Stellar Award nominated sibling group, Showers, has impacted Gospel radio with his debut radio single and worship anthem “In His Name.” The digital single track set to release on all digital and streaming platforms along with a live music video premiere, Friday, March 15, 2019. “In His Name” is poised to reach people from all walks of life including the un-churched and compelling those who are not deemed “believers” to want to know more about the Christian faith. Noted Singer, Songwriter, Worship Leader and Pastor Desmond Pringle sets the stage for a live recording taking place on Saturday, Febraury 23rd. For his 7th solo project, Pringle heads to Christian Outreach of the Piedmont in Statesville, NC. Backed by a 100 voice choir, Pringle enlists the services of the always capable Grammy Award winning producer Cedric Thompson for production expertise. Pringle is marking a milestone of 20 years as a recording artist and 40 years in music ministry. Billboard Music Award winning and GRAMMY® Award nominated choir, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, will drop their soulful, new radio and digital single, "Miracle Worker," February 22nd. It will release in both audio and video configurations on all digital outlets. "Miracle Worker," is the first radio single off of the forthcoming JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise album set to release in the summer of 2019. This marks the first release through Hairston's Jamestown recording label and their new distribution deal with The Orchard, a Sony Music company. The album was recorded in two sessions, one in Abuja, Nigeria at COZA Church and the second half was recorded at Hairston's home church City of Praise in Landover, MD. A stage play inspired by the project is being written and directed by award winning Actress and Director Kim Fields. “A Project of Healing’s,” first single titled " We Won" featuring Jonathan Nelson was released in 2017 and became an instant fan favorite. “Victory” featuring Last Call is #1 this week on the Billboard Gospel Indicator Chart for the 12th consecutive week, , #4 on the Billboard National Gospel Airplay Chartand #5 on the Mediabase Gospel Chart. The song racked up an 55.1K new streams last week with over837, 000 streams to date! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ92QblEqOU BMI Award Winning Songwriter and Producer Derrick Starks realizes one of his dreams as he joins the Atlanta Hawks on the basketball court for Faith and Family night on Friday, February 22nd as they play the Detroit Pistons. Starks will lead the music ministry of the Berean Christian Church Choir, pastored by Reverend Kerwin Lee in a mini-concert following the game. TV One has announced that production is underway in Atlanta for its new original film THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY, slated to premiere in June, 2019. The film's stars include Roshon Fegan (Shake It Up, Greenleaf) in the lead role as Bobby DeBarge, Tyra Ferrell (Boyz InThe Hood, White Men Can't Jump) as Etterlene DeBarge and Adrian Marcel as James DeBarge. Big Boi (Outkast) portrays legendary music mogul Berry Gordy, while Lloyd appears as Switch member Gregory Williams. The movie explores the tumultuous life of the former lead singer of the 70's R&B/Funk Band Switch, also the eldest sibling of the world-famous pop group DeBarge. Despite his success in music, the iconic falsetto found his life in peril as he struggled with fame and fortune while coping with the memories of his dysfunctional childhood. Double XXposure Media Relations is proud to introduce the Liberian born vocalist, FATi, to the American music industry and general public. Known for her distinctive vocal styling, the exotic beauty recently released her debut album, “L.O.V.E.,” produced by Ghanaian-based Many Music Records, in December 2018. The album’s title single, “Love,” immediately soared to the top of music charts in Ghana, where she currently resides, and became popular in night clubs across Ghana’s capital, Accra. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl1uPTH3hAM Get ready for a big shake up on “America’s Got Talent” next season as Mel B and Heidi Klum have both dropped from the judging panel. The Spice Girl has been a judge on the show for the last six seasons but there have long been whispers that she wouldn’t be invited back for the 14th season because her headline-making personal problems and marital issues pose as huge distractions. Reports have it that their chairs will be filled by dancer Julianne Hough and actress Gabrielle Union who will join regulars Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel. TV One has announced Actor and REACH Media syndicated radio personality D.L. Hughley will have a new primetime talk show, THE D.L. HUGHLEY SHOW, set to premiere in March, featuring stories relevant to a rapidly evolving African American community. World-renowned singer and songwriter Regina Belle makes a welcome return to recording with a timely new single titled "Freedom" featuring Iyanla Vanzant. The tune offers inspirational commentary on the political and moral climate found currently at home and abroad. Recorded with a live band, a full choir, and live spoken-word segments by lifestyle guru Vanzant, and Bishop Kenneth W. Paramore of Christ Centered Church in Akron, Ohio. Belle premiered "Freedom" on TV One's "Sister Circle," the single is available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play and other digital retailers everywhere. Grammy® Award-Winning Recording Artist Tamela Mann dropped the music video for “Mason Jar” from her latest album Us Against the World: The Love Project with husband, NAACP Image Award-Winning Actor and Comedian David Mann. “Mason Jar” showcases Tamela’s tender vocals paying tribute to her grandmother, mother and love of her life, David. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMi7n1O5gZ8&list=PLp1A86lu8IJMTvdo33Bx1Otpt90vpRnNz&index=2&t=0s New from John Legend "PREACH" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0r1AJMK79g Prolific singer-songwriter and producer VaShawn Mitchell offers new song “God Can Do Anything,” available now on all digital platforms including the official music video on Vevo. Mitchell penned the first single, “God Can Do Anything” which leads the way to the release of his upcoming full project ELEMENTS. The new ballad intensifies with a driving chorus that reminds listeners of the basic tenets of our faith — hope and belief. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGdh73NFCnY Chart-topper Jason Nelson releases the new single “In The Room,” going out to Gospel radio. The Stellar Award-winning vocalist, songwriter and producer also debuts a new video for “In The Room” on his VEVO channel, delivering an intimate live performance. Filmed at the church where he pastors, The Tabernacle at Greater Bethlehem Temple in Maryland, the video creates a warm worship atmosphere led by Nelson’s dynamic voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJGTl-vCM3M Entertainment One Nashville adds Grammy-nominated gospel music pioneer and living legend John P. Kee to its roster. Winning many accolades including a Billboard Music Award, a Soul Train Award and numerous Stellar Awards, Kee’s songwriting and vocals has been hailed by critics throughout his career. He now once again showcases those skills with his new single, “I Made It Out (feat. Zacardi Cortez),” available for pre-order now. “I Made It Out” precedes a full-length album due later in 2019. Multiple award-winner, singer-songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard earns her 2nd NAACP Image Award nomination for her 2018 album“Heart.Passion.Pursuit.: Live At Passion City.” The phenomenal live album, which offered outstanding live performances of Cobbs Leonard’s popular songs, debuted at number 1 and continues to maintain a top position. On the third installment of the new CBS talent competition The Worlds Best produced by Mark Burnett, Vonnie Lopez shared her powerful testimony of how God gave her a gift of song and then took to the stage to sing the Andraé Crouch classic, My Tribute (To God Be The Glory). Vonnie’s rendition brought show host James Corden and judge Faith Hill to tears as fellow judge RuPaul acknowledged the anointing that is heard and felt when Vonnie sings. Vonnie moves into head to head competition next week on The World’s Best. Ben Tankard is a multiple Grammy®, Dove and Soul Train Award nominee with Gold and Platinum selling Gospel and Jazz albums. He has earned 15 Stellar Gospel Awards and inducted into the Stellar Awards Honors Hall of Fame in 2018. His single “Rise” hit #2 this week on the Smooth Jazz National Airplay Chart. Ben’s remake of Herb Alpert’s iconic jazz hit features Marion Meadows on sax and is the first single from his RISE album which peaked at #13 on the Top Gospel Albums Chart. RISE, released on his Ben-Jamin Universal Musicrecord label, features collaborations with Paul Jackson, Jr. on "More Rain", and with Kirk Whalumon "It's Working". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJWf77HN1cY&feature=youtu.be Entertainment One Nashville celebrates a 50th NAACP Image Award nomination for Jonathan McReynolds, whose Billboard #1 album “Make Room” received a nomination for “Outstanding Gospel Album.” The winners will be revealed during the Two-Hour LIVE TV special airing on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019. Dove Award-winning, GRAMMY® and Stellar award-nominated gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds’ current album “Make Room” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Current Gospel Albums Chart and #2 on Top Christian/Gospel Albums. It broke into the mainstream charts at #27 on Top Current Albums and #97 on the Hot 200. The live LP is his third full album and the fourth overall release for the 28-year-old musician. RCA Inspiration celebrates two nominations for the 2019 50TH NAACP Image Awards®, with Koryn Hawthorne garnering recording nods for Outstanding New Artist, and Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary) for her #1 debut Unstoppable. Additionally, multiple NAACP Image Award-winning Kirk Franklin garners a nod for his featured performance with Tori Kelly on her hit song “Never Alone,” which is nominated for Outstanding Song-Traditional, fresh off a GRAMMY® win this week. Kirk Franklin and Koryn Hawthorne are also continuing to heat up the charts with Franklin’s newest single “Love Theory” and Hawthorne’s newest single “Unstoppable” (feat. Lecrae). The 50TH NAACP Image Awards® will air live from Los Angeles on Saturday, March 30, 2019 on TV ONE at 9 pm/8c. Check out the animated visual for “He Heard My Cry” (feat. Sir the Baptist and Arnetta Murrill-Crooms), from GRAMMY®-winning Gospel Icon Donald Lawrence. Filled with a rich color palette and striking artwork, the lyric video brings alive the stylistic flourishes that Lawrence is known for in his music. Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers: “He Heard My Cry,” marks the second single released from the forthcoming celebratory album, Goshen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc7ayHxaxRA Happy Birthday to Lamar Campbell. His song "More Than Anything," a great song, it's a fan favorite and sung in Sunday service all the time. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Lamar Campbell In His Own Words.....https://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lamar_campbell.htm It's on it's way, the New John Legend "Preach" Coming this Friday 2/15/19! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moVGyub7-wA Yolanda Adams and Titus O’Neil are the subjects of romantic speculation. Folks are all up in the world renown gospel superstar and WWE wrestling star’s personal “bidniss.” ?? Adams and O’Neil (real name: Thaddeus Michael Bullard, Sr.) have been looking downright chummy as of late. The situation between them has apparently been growing since last Summer, with sporadic public appearances and a few scattered social media snaps. In fact, this past weekend, both Adams and O’Neil were all coupled up at this year’s Grammy Awards in LA, along with Adams’ daughter Taylor. O’Neil was also on hand backstage to congratulate Yolanda after she, Fantasia and Andra Day paid tribute to Aretha Franklin. Responding not so favorably to Tori’ Kelly's win was Gospel Singer Smokie Norful. On his Instagram page he wrote, “No…no disrespect to Tori or Kirk (who is my friend and brutha and created an excellent cd) but THESE are the true winners in the GOSPEL category for the Grammys. (referencing Jekalyn Carr, The Walls Group, Todd Dulaney, Koryn Hawthorne, Jonathan McReynolds and Brian Courtney Wilson.) Heavy on GOSPEL. Congratulations to each of you. All of your music has blessed and carried me personally. I pray your ministry is never reduced to the size of a statue –your anointing is HUGE. I want to publicly acknowledge the sacrifices, work, prayer, scriptural preparation, and true ministry you offer the world. You stand on the legacy of many who have remained faithful and labored in the gospel. You are worth of double honor. ALL the GOSPEL artists. I love you. I appreciate you. God is pleased. And who knows, maybe next year they’ll give ME a Grammy for POP music.” Zak Williams & 1Akord a Philadelphia based choir of individuals from various areas and denominations united together to uplift the word of God through song. Founder and front-man Zak Williams created the group in 2003. He also led the group to win two Rhythm Of Gospel Awards for Contemporary Choir of The Year and Community Choir Of The Year. As an independent artist, Zak & 1Akord have two albums under their belt – THE DECLARATION: LIVE FROM PHILLY, (2006), THINGS ARE GONNA GET BETTER (2010), and 3 singles – “Go Tell It” (2015), “Wonderful Jesus” (2015), and “He’s All I Need” featuring Bishop Bruce V. Parham(2017). Zak and his singers have now found a record label home and are preparing for a new single release. Garland “Miche” Waller, Vice President of Enon Music Group (EMG) announces the signing of Zak Williams and 1Akord to their rapidly growing record label in Philadelphia. Universally hailed as the Queen of Soul, the late Aretha Franklin is one of music’s most beloved icons. In celebration of Franklin’s timeless, brilliant legacy, Geffen/UMe has restored her earliest recordings, collectively known as the album Songs Of Faith: Aretha Gospel, for worldwide black vinyl LP, limited edition white vinyl LP, and digital reissue on March 22, just ahead of her 77th birthday on March 25. Recorded live in 1956 at Detroit’s New Bethel Baptist Church when Franklin was just 14 years old, the album showcases her prodigiously powerful, other-worldly renditions of gospel standards. This newly restored and remastered edition of Songs Of Faith: Aretha Gospel returns the album to vinyl for the first time in decades, with striking new cover art, a new essay by Aretha Franklin biographer David Ritz, and a detailed history of the tracks’ various releases. In 1956, when the album’s tracks were recorded at New Bethel Baptist Church, Aretha Franklin was a 14-year-old gospel singing sensation. She performed, accompanying herself on piano, as the opening act for her celebrated father, Rev. C. L. Franklin, whose recorded sermons were million-sellers. Aretha’s performances were first issued as singles in the 1950s, followed by LP releases by Chess/Checker. Congratulations PJ Morton on winning a GRAMMY!!! His latest song is "Do You Believe" featuring Yolanda Adams. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear P>J> Morton IN His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/pj_morton_intvw.htm Lifetime previously released “Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance” starring Murray Fraser as Prince Harry and Parisa Fitz-Henley as Meghan Markle. The film followed their romance from the moment they met through the eventual engagement. See the first movie’s actors in character via the picture below.mPrince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex wed on May 19, 2018. Meanwhile, Kensington Palace recently announced that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be visiting Morocco for two days at the end of February, “at the request of Her Majesty’s Government.” According to reports, this will be the first major international visit since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji. Congrats to the SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR For Scoring Third Grammy Win Last Night at the 61st Grammy Awards! Soweto Gospel Choir's FREEDOM won Best World Music Album. CD Honors Nelson Mandela's Centennial Motown Gospel's Tori Kelly garnered two Grammy wins for Best Gospel Album “Hiding Place” and Best Gospel Performance “Never Alone." “Kind God,” the latest single from award-winning Gospel superstar Marvin Sapp. Sapp’s much-beloved voice delivers an impeccable performance on “Kind God,” a soaring ballad reflecting on God’s plans and love over our lives, praising His sacrifice and enduring patience. Written by Kirk Franklin, “Kind God” is featured on Marvin Sapp’s chart-topping album Close. Sapp has also launched a recording contest, with the chance to record a duet together. Hosting a three-day event in Grand Rapids in March, registration is open now, and ending on February 22. Further details at:https://www.marvinsapp-popupshop.com/record. CURLS Beauty Brands CEO & Founder Mahisha Dellinger and Sprinkle of Jesus Founder Dana Chanel share their personal stories in the premiere episode of the groundbreaking profile series CLEO SPEAKS that aired Saturday, February 9 at 9 a.m. ET. Rapper/Activist David Banner and comedian Glory Mora joined culinary star Chef JJ on the next episode of CLEO TV's sizzling new series JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ this Saturday, February 9 at 12 p.m. ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtK3Cqljd3I&feature=youtu.be Check out Suya Soul Music by TolumiDE 8pm Friday Feb 22nd with Intersections Festival 2019! Washington, DC. Also, Starting Sunday February 10th, Tune in to facebook.com/TolumiDEonline or youtube.com/TolumiDE for TolumiDE LIVE Streaming Listening Sessions on Social Media on Sundays at 3pm EST :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8jWTXIh9Vo TV One and CLEO TV on Wednesday, February 13 will have a private presentation of the Television Critics Association's Press Tour hosted at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena, CA. The TCA Press Tour takes place twice a year and provides an unparalleled opportunity to gain access to network executives, producers, talent and creative staff. At this year's Winter TCA, TV One executives will be joined by NAACP President Derrick Johnson and actors Logan Browning (Dear White People) and Winston Duke (Black Panther) to announce nominees for the 2019 50th Anniversary NAACP IMAGE AWARDS. TV One executives will also introduce new sister network, CLEO TV's programming slate, as well as host panels with key talent and production/creative staff. One of Baseball’s all-time greats: Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has died at age 83. He had been suffering from bone cancer. A fixture in baseball for over 60 years, Robinson was the 1956 Rookie of the Year and won the MVP Award in both the National and American Leagues, in 1961 with the Reds and in 1966 with the Orioles. He was also the 1966 Triple Crown winner. For his career he he smacked 586 career homers, placing him 10th on the all-time list. He appeared in 14 All-Star Games and was the 1966 World Series MVP. A part of his game that often goes unnoticed: he led the league in getting hit by pitches seven times in his career. That alone justified his induction into the Hall of Fame, which occurred in his first year of eligibility in 1982. But he was also a trailblazer, becoming the game’s first African-American manager when the Indians hired him as their player-manager for the 1975 season. He would go on to manage for the Giants, the Orioles, the Expos and, upon that franchise’s move to Washington, he became the Nationals first manager. He rarely had teams which underachieved their talent level, and his managerial abilities were on perhaps their best display in Baltimore in 1989 when he turned around a dreadful Orioles club and was named the 1989 AL Manager of the Year. Entrepreneurship and forward thinking is the heartbeat of the city, known globally as a pioneer in both the music and automobile industries, making it the perfect location for The 2nd Annual Millionairess Conference going down at Silver Garden Events Center in Southfield Saturday, April 6, 2019. Detroit is making a serious comeback and Jewel Tankard, Detroit native and global economist is doing her part to amplify the recovery by providing women with the tools and resources to make smart and quality investments. This year's conference theme is Building Wealth Through Innovation, and the one-day power-packed event will focus on building the financial portfolios of ordinary women to help them lead extraordinary lives. Attendees will gain the knowledge, inspiration, and strength needed to dominate in their fields of specialty. TBT...Flash Back Gospel Spotlight! Hear Dr. Jewel Tankard In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Jewell_Tankard_intvw.htm Kelontae Gavin the 19-year-old social media sensation-turned-recording-artist has been named the new worship pastor of the House of Hope Atlanta megachurch on Sunday. On his social media page, Senior Pastor E. Dewey Smith of the Decatur, Georgia, wrote “FAMILY---So proud to announce that my God-son is the NEW @hohatl ‘Worship Pastor’!!!! What God did TODAY at #HOHATL through him was beyond comprehension!!!! FAMILY, help me welcome @kelontae_gavin to ATLANTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Responding in a social media post to the new appointment into the 12-member House of Hope, Gavin wrote “I’m beyond grateful to call HOHATL my new family ? Thank you pastor @edeweysmith for your sensitivity to the spirit and the voice of God.” Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) in Alexandria, Va. presented Howard University with a $100,000 gift to cover the outstanding tuition and fee balances of 34 graduating seniors. Wesley announced the contribution during a special service at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. Ministers and staff of ASBC joined the Office of Financial Aid to surprise and present unexpecting seniors with the good news earlier in the week. The NAACP announced today that Congresswoman Maxine Waters will be honored with the prestigious NAACP Chairman's Award which is bestowed in recognition of individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change. Leon W. Russell, Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, will present Congresswoman Maxine Waters with the award at the 50th NAACP Image Awards on March 30, 2019 live at 9pm/8c on TV One. “Black Panther” is the first superhero movie to earn a best picture Oscar nomination. The Disney/Marvel film shares the category with BlacKkKlansman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Favourite,” “Green Book,” “Roma,” “A Star Is Born” and “Vice.” The Marvel Studios film also earned nods for best costume design, production design, sound editing, sound mixing, original score and original song. As noted by cnbc.com, while “Black Panther” garnered critical acclaim as well as box office success, that won’t mean it will easily nab the best picture win next month during the ceremony. But making history as the “only superhero film in the bunch isn’t the only thing that sets “Black Panther” apart from the pack,” the outlet writes. “It’s also the highest-grossing film of the eight nominees,” and has earned more money at the domestic box office “than all seven fellow nominees combined.” “Black Panther” bagged more than $700 million domestically and $646.8 million internationally. It is now the third-highest-grossing movie in the U.S. and the ninth globally. Recording artist Doe celebrates her first GRAMMY® Award nomination as a solo artist. The songbird received the nomination for her feature on “Cycles” with Jonathan Mcreynolds in the Best Gospel Song/Performance category. The gripping lyrics of "Cycles" speaks to listener about ending negative patterns and thought processes in their life. Doe also has recently been added on two stops of the upcoming Jonathan Mcreynolds"Make Room" tour (Dallas, TX April 11th & Chicago, Illinois April 15th)." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS9ovMdhVoA TV One's UNSUNG continues its stellar run with eight new episodes debuting on Sunday, March 3 at 9 p.m. ET/8C. The second season of the network's edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which gives unprecedented access to pop culture figures, follows with premiere episodes at 10 p.m. ET/9C. UNSUNG celebrates the lives of trailblazing musicians like Adina Howard, The Jets, Shirley Murdock, Crystal Waters, Glenn Jones, Kenny Lattimore and Tasha Cobbs Leonard. UNCENSORED resumes for its second season with DL Hughley, Fantasia, Jermaine Dupri, Tasha Smith, Tami Roman, Naturi Naughton, Kirk Franklin and Ne-Yo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwEXpZPdT8w&feature=youtu.be Get Ready, Get Ready, Get Ready!!!! New Marvin Sapp "Kind God" coming this Friday 2/8/19! Written and Produced by Kirk Franklin Alfred Haber, President of Alfred Haber, Inc., announced that the company has secured the exclusive international distribution television rights to "Aretha! A GRAMMY® Celebration For The Queen Of Soul", the 2-hour CBS Television Network special scheduled for broadcast later in 2019. Performing songs from Aretha Franklin's legendary career are GRAMMY winners Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Alessia Cara, Kelly Clarkson, Common, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Patti LaBelle, and BeBe Winans as well as current GRAMMY nominees Brandi Carlile, Chloe X Halle, H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, and SZA. Tyler Perry, actor and filmmaker, will host this musical extravaganza honoring Aretha, an 18-time GRAMMY winner and 2008 MusiCares® Person of the Year honoree. The show will also highlight her dedication to philanthropic work which ranged from children's and artists' issues to civil rights activism. Chicago's own Meesha drops New video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC-DTUPtu1s&feature=youtu.be Charles Jenkins, Senior Pastor of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, has announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2019. Jenkins joined the pastoral staff of his mentor, Rev. Dr. Clay Evans, founder of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, nearly 21 years ago in 1998. Then in 2000, Jenkins officially succeeded Dr. Evans as Senior Pastor and has since then led the congregation to exponential growth in all areas. Jenkins is also a widely-acclaimed singer, songwriter, and producer having topped the charts consistently since his musical debut in 2012. His recording projects have earned him three Billboard #1 Albums (The Best of Both Worlds, Any Given Sunday and Think About These Things); three Billboard #1 Singles (“Awesome,” “War” and “Grace”); one Billboard #1 Most Radio AirPlay and one Billboard #1 Most Streamed Gospel Artist awards; in addition to nine Stellar Awards. Jenkins has also been nominated for a Soul Train Music Award and multiple Dove Music Awards, while also receiving GRAMMY credit for his songwriting contribution to Israel Houghton’s GRAMMY award-winning, gold certified, Traditional Gospel Album of The Year, “Alive In South Africa.” Jekalyn Carr multi-award winning Gospel artist, speaker, author, and entrepreneur is celebrating a rare feat. The talented individual has garnered the No. 1 spot on two national airplay charts simultaneously with the song, "It's Yours." She is nominated for five Stellar Awards, Female Vocalist of the Year, Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year, Recorded Music Package of the Year and Artist of the Year – along with two nominations at this weekend's GRAMMY® Awards for Gospel Album of the Year and Gospel Performance/Song of the Year. Grammy® nominee and Dove Award winner Danny Gokey unveils the visual for his brand new single, “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” lifted from his upcoming fifth studio album. Fresh off the critically-acclaimed “Hope Encounter Tour,” the new single and accompanying visual continues to solidify Gokey as a staple in Christian Contemporary Music. The visual for “Haven’t Seen It Yet” tells the story of a young woman who has lost her way, burdened by a troubled past and abusive relationship. After an altercation with her boyfriend, she runs off to find peace of mind. Appearing to be distraught, Gokey approaches her and shares a simple act of kindness and the gospel. These acts inspire the woman to return home and reunite with her family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1eMZiOJ0a0&feature=youtu.be The highly anticipated second album from award-winning worship singer and songwriter, Casey J,THE GATHERING, enters both the Billboard Gospel Consumption and Gospel Albums Sales charts at number 2*. THE GATHERING has been met with both critical and consumer acclaim, spurred on by a series of appearances and performances. The album also entered at number 11* on the Billboard Top Christian & Gospel Albums Sales chart. Led by the first single, “If God,” the song also continues to gain momentum and is Top 25 on both Billboard Gospel Airplay and Mediabase Gospel Songs charts. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear Casey J In Her Own Words.......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/caseyj_intvw.htm Malaco Music Group has amassed the the largest Black Gospel catalog in the world. Their new collection The Gospel According to Malaco: Celebrating 75 Years of Gospel Music (out February 28, 2019) is an unparalleled book and eight CD set which tells the story of gospel music over a seventy-five year period from the post-war years to the present. This is the first time this story has been told in size and scope, providing the history behind one of the most important genres in music. The compilation offers a number of hit recordings along with numerous musical treasures just waiting to be discovered. The collection includes Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Rev. James Cleveland, along with other notable artists such as The Gospel Keynotes, Solomon Burke, The Caravans and The Mississippi Mass Choir. This set is also one of the first, if not the first, to explore in depth the mass choir phenomenon that not only dominated gospel radio from the mid 1970s to the early 1990s but also produced many of today’s top-selling songwriters, soloists and musicians. Renowned author and researcher Robert Marovich tells the stories of the 100 recordings contained in the eight CD anthology. Racism has been pretty easy to spot for most people. It felt like the sting of a lash on an enslaved person’s back and smelled like the charred flesh of a public lynching. Since those forms of racial oppression have become frowned upon, so the thinking goes, then we must have moved past racism. Unfortunately, some Christians seem to believe racism is merely a relic of a bygone era. In an admirable effort to reckon with its racial past, leaders at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary formed a commission to examine the school’s racist founding and present their findings. The history, dating back to the mid-19th century, was as honest as it was tragic. For instance, all four original founders of the seminary held slaves, and one donor who saved the seminary from financial ruin earned his wealth through convict leasing. Yet the report stopped too soon. It ended in the mid-1960s, giving the impression that racism had, for the most part, ended with the civil rights movement. Christians who see racism as mainly a problem of the past often fail to see that they or other people of faith still hold negative views about people of certain races and ethnicities. TV One celebrates celebrates Black History Month with a tribute to inspirational black women and a full schedule of programs that exemplifies this year's theme, "REPRESENT CHANGE." The network is set to premiere a short form video campaign featuring influential black women who are impacting change in our nation, and their communities and families. Featured campaign participants include Kimberly Bryant, Founder & CEO, Black Girls Code; Monique Nelson, Chair & CEO, UniWorld Group; Mahisha Dellinger, CEO & Founder, CURLS Beauty Brands;Tamika Mallory, Co-President, Women's March; Luvvie Ajayi, Author/Cultural Critic; Elaine Welteroth, Beauty/Fashion Expert; Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter; Bilphena Yahwon, Author/Activist; Monique Brown, Baltimore Police Commander; Adrienne Lofton, Sportswear Marketing Expert; Yo-Yo, Hip Hop Artist/Activist; Cleve Mesidor, Activist/Technology Innovator; Michelle Rice, TV One General Manager; and Arielle Johnson, Founder, Fierce Empowerment. The campaign will feature 30-second on-air interstitials that highlight the women speaking on the impact of action and change. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VITCqmKJlFg GRAMMY®-nominated chart topper Koryn Hawthorne, has released a fiery power anthem with her single “Unstoppable” (feat. Lecrae). Newly-released to radio and available now at digital music providers, the official music video for “Unstoppable” (feat. Lecrae) will also premiere on the Koryn Hawthorne YouTube channel on February 2 at 7:00 pm ET. Additionally, Hawthorne teams up with the two-time GRAMMY®-winning rapper on February 2, in their live television debut of “Unstoppable” at the 20th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, which airs on BET at 8 pm ET/PT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us7hvF6lsoc After 4 years Sunday best returns with Kirk Franklin as host. Sunday Best is taking Audition Submissions now. Sunday Best is a reality television Gospel music singing competition series which airs on BET. Each season, the show and its judges set out to find the best undiscovered gospel talent in America. Finalists competed each week until a winner is crowned. Judges in the past has been Yolanda Adams, Kierra Sheard, Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Bebe Winans and Cece Winans. Past on screen mentors have been Donald Lawreance and Kim Burrell. The Sunday Best winners in past years have received a national recording contracts, a new automobile and an undisclosed cash prize benefiting their community as well as the title of "Sunday Best." TITUS SHOWERS, the former lead singer of two-time Stellar Nominated sibling "THE SHOWERS" drops his debut single "In His Name." The perfect mix of a radio hit and a church anthem in one! Rappers Jay-Z and Meek Mill have joined with sports and business leaders to try and reform the criminal justice system. The pair were on hand Wednesday at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York to announce the formation of the REFORM Alliance, an organization that aims to reduce the number of people serving unjust parole and probation sentences...The group has pledged $50 million to launch the organization and hired CNN political commentator Van Jones as CEO. Wendy Raquel Robinson and Tank will host the 2019 Bounce Trumpet Awards. The gala black-tie ceremonythat was held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia Sat. Jan. 19, 2019 and will world premiere nationwide on Bounce Sun. Feb. 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Ashanti, India.Arie, Da Brat, Lil' Mama and YoYo, Keyshia Cole and more are scheduled to perform. Parishioners wiped away tears and gave thanks to God as the first Roman Catholic church built since the 1959 Cuban revolution opened its doors on Saturday. "To see this finished is like coming out of the night into the day," said Rev. Cirilo Castro, the Cuban priest who oversaw construction of the church. "We knew it would happen one day." That the communist-run government allowed a new church to be built, with two more on the way, represents another milestone in the state's evolving relationship with organized religion. Immediately after Fidel Castro took power in 1959, his revolutionary government cracked down on religion. Castro viewed the Catholic Church as a particularly dangerous threat to the atheist state he envisioned for Cuba. The revolution soon closed down all parochial schools, sent priests to reeducation camps and drove organized religion underground. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Fidel Castro tried to break the isolation enveloping Cuba by inviting Pope John Paul II to the island. Christmas was restored as a holiday in Cuba and slowly people of faith said they no longer feared worshiping openly. Fred "Uncle Freddie" Jerkins III, President of DarkChild Gospel, new cancer awareness project, “A Project of Healing ,” continues to make waves at Gospel radio. The album, “A Project of Healing,” encompasses fourteen songs of Faith, Hope and Victory to help those who have been impacted by the disease Cancer. The projects' second single, “Victory” featuring duo, Last Call, remains at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Indicator Chart for the 9th week and jumps 3 positions to take the #3 spot on Billboard National Gospel Airplay Chart. Watch the NEW Official Music Video for the hit single "VICTORY" here! Last Call consists of Bermuda based best friends Adrian Jones and Tricray . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ345OwOLpc&feature=youtu.be Many conservative Christian denominations have spent the past several years reckoning with their legacy of white supremacy. The darkest parts of American history are full of Christian characters, including scores of pastors and theologians. A number of still-existing denominations, among them the Southern Baptist Convention, were first formed to defend slavery*. Some well-respected Christian scholars dedicated their lives to rationalizing racial hierarchies with the Bible. And terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan claimed an explicitly Protestant identity, with some pastors openly supporting their cause.To reconcile this past, contemporary pastors have gathered at annual conventions to pass numerous resolutions opposing racism with occasional stumbles. A flagship Southern Baptist seminary published a report in late 2018 detailing its own long history of support for slavery and Jim Crow policies. “We knew, and we could not fail to know, that slavery and deep racism were in the story,” wrote R. Albert Mohler Jr., the seminary’s president. “We comforted ourselves that we could know this, but since these events were so far behind us, we could move on without awkward and embarrassing investigations and conversations.” The denomination’s first apology for its slavery-promoting past came in 1995. In The Color of Compromise, the writer Jemar Tisby challenges the notion that white supremacy is merely a legacy, and not a present reality, in the church. “Christian complicity with racism in the 21st century looks different than complicity with racism in the past,” he argues. “It looks like Christians responding to black lives matter with the phrase all lives matter. It looks like Christians consistently supporting a president whose racism has been on display for decades.” Perhaps, he writes, “Christian complicity in racism has not changed much after all.” While Tisby is nominally writing for the church at large, he is specifically focused on its conservatives—“Bible-believing” Christians who come out of traditional theological backgrounds similar to his own. R&B legend Donny Hathaway will be honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of his death. The 2019 list of recipients was announced by the Recording Academy on Dec. 19 and features Dionne Warwick, George Clinton & Parliament, Black Sabbath, Julio Iglesias, Billy Eckstine and Sam & Dave. Hathaway, whose classics include “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” “A Song For You,” and “This Christmas,” is one of three posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, including Dave Prater of Sam & Dave. According to a press release, the Lifetime Achievement Award “celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording.” In addition, Lou Adler, Ashford & Simpson, and Johnny Mandel are honorees of the Trustees Award. Jonathan Butler a recording artist from South Africa is in The Gospel Spotlight. He talks about his huge hit song "Falling In Love With Jesus" and more. Flash Back to Jonathan Butler..... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jonathan_butler_intvw.htm R&B singer James Ingram, who collected two Grammy Awards and a pair of No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits over his decades-long career, has died at age 66. The news was shared via Twitter by Ingram's friend and creative partner Debbie Allen on Tuesday (Jan. 29). There are no details yet about when or how Ingram died. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear James Ingram one last time, he was interviewed Inside of The Gospel Spotlight. R.I. P. http://gospel-spotlight.com/james_ingram_intvw.htm Marvel’s “Black Panther” will be back in theaters next month following the film’s Best Picture Oscar nomination. The screenings will be free in honor of Black History Month and will be held Feb. 1-7 at 250 AMC Theatres around the country. According to THR, it’s common for best picture nominees to return to theaters for limited runs ahead of the final round of Oscar voting, which begins Feb. 12 through Feb. 19. Directed by Ryan Coogler, “Black Panther” made history again when it became the first comic book movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. On Sunday, the actioner became the first superhero flick to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture. Check out the animated visual for the song “He Heard My Cry” (feat. Sir the Baptist and Arnetta Murrill-Crooms), from GRAMMY®-winning Gospel Icon Donald Lawrence. Filled with a rich color palette and striking artwork, the lyric video brings alive the stylistic flourishes that Lawrence is known for in his music. Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers: “He Heard My Cry,” marks the second single released from the forthcoming celebratory album, Goshen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc7ayHxaxRA Taraji P. Henson broke down in tears while receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday. The “Empire” star discussed her grandmother, who was in attendance, and how her prayers and support inspired the actress throughout her career. “You put me on the spot! But, what I love about my grandmother is her unconditional love,” she explained to ET’s Courtney Tezeno spoke after the ceremony. “She taught the family how to love, and she keeps us very close. All my cousins and I are really, really close. But of course, she prayed. She did a lot of praying and she continues to pray for me, and like I said in my speech, her prayers definitely brought me here. So, my grandmother’s my everything. Celebrated Bible Teacher, Author, Musician, Billboard chart-topping Songwriter and multi-site Pastor Hart Ramsey welcomes multiple Stellar Award winning Grammy and Dove award nominated Christian Rap Urban Missionary and Philadelphia native Emanuel Lee Lambert, Jr. a/k/a Da' T.R.U.T.H. as he steps into his new assignment as Youth Pastor of the Northview Christian Church (NCC) Dothan Campus. "Teenagers are more endangered today than any other generation in history," Pastor Ramsey noted."With access to modern society by the touch of an app, exposure to any and everything the world has to offer, role models with no sense of responsibility for what they"re promoting and a church that has all but lost touch. Our Montgomery campus (Safe Harbor) has Adrian Mask—a brilliant, innovative young leader spearheading our Metamorphosis (m2) Youth Circle. But DOTHAN (the main NCC Campus) had no youth leader. That's until Emanuel Lambert (Da' T.R.U.T.H.) came to minister for us last year. It took one conversation for us to know that “GOD was up to something good”. So, we took some time, committed the whole thing to prayer, and decided to make it happen.” A preeminent leader in the Christian Rap Movement, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. is a graduate of the Philadelphia Biblical University and The Institute of Jewish Studies. One of the Bible’s best-known stories comes to life on movie screens for a special nationwide event April 9, 11 and 13. Filmed in front of a live audience, Sight & Sound’s NOAH is the dramatic, musical version of the man who trusted God in the toughest circumstances. More than 5 million people have experienced the live performance of NOAH at Sight & Sound’s theaters in Lancaster, PA, and Branson, MO, – making it Sight & Sound’s most-attended show in their 42-year history. GH3 Radio Station garners a nomination . GH3 Radio - God's House of Hip Hop on Dash is the Nominee for "Internet Radio Station of the Year" for the 34th Annual Stellar Awards. It is the first time in the history of the Stellar's that CHH & Gospel Hip Hop station has been recognized. Congratulations GH3 Radio - God's House of Hip Hop! 2018 Stellar Gospel Music Award Nominee Gods Posse Releases New Single "Anchored." The song "Anchored" encourages you to make sure to be rooted and grounded in God and his word! The song speaks to the believer to have your faith anchored in the Lord! The members are Ray Burnett, Tim Henderson, Anthony Watkins, John Atkins, Deonadre Sanders, Randy Berry Sr, Keith Hoskins Jr, and Maurice Harmon. Gods Posse's purpose for their ministry is to be used by God to round up souls for the Kingdom, so that God can get the glory through it all. The official music video for Kirk Franklin's new song "Love Theory" is now available! You can also catch the 12-time GRAMMY winner performing at the upcoming 20th Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, airing on February 2nd. Franklin also has a nomination (his 23rd GRAMMY nomination) at the upcoming GRAMMY Awards, for his work on Tori Kelly's Hiding Place album. Kirk Franklin - Love Theory (Official Music Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aD8OK07iIY Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame later this month. The “Empire” star will be joined at the ceremony by director John Singleton and singer Mary J. Blige. “Taraji P Henson is a powerful woman and a powerful actress. She is an entertainer that fans cannot take their eyes off of due to her great acting ability,” said Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk Of Fame. “We welcome her bright star on our Walk Of Fame.” “This Is A Move” is here! Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s powerful new song is sure to become your favorite new worship anthem. It’s a reminder of who God is and what God does. Take a listen and get ready for God to move! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrP63AbapVo Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s family home in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood will now become part of the city’s federal park, which includes the church where he preached and the birth home of the civil rights icon. The new worship ballad from the incomparable hit singer/songwriter and worship leader, VaShawn Mitchell, declares that God can blow your mind. "God Can Do Anything" is a simple song in it's structure, but delivers a powerful, climactic spirit-filled experience. Rounded-out with passionate praise team background vocals, this song is sure to live in the life of the church. In a time when we need hope and faith VaShawn's new hit single "God Can Do Anything" is a gift for the healing of our land. Let this song bless you. FlashBack Gospel Spotlight. Hear VaShawn Mitchell In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/vashawn_mitchell_intvw.htm The Broadway-bound production of BeBe Winans' new autobiographical musical BORN FOR THIS, releases its first-ever music video of the title song, starring Donald Webber, Jr., who is set to depict Winans when BORN FOR THIS comes to Broadway (theatre and dates TBA). Mr. Winans makes a cameo appearance in the music video, as well. A young veteran of Broadway (HAMILTON, MOTOWN), Donald Webber, Jr. is currently starring as Aaron Burr opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton in an historic, 3-week engagement of HAMILTON in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the musical has already raised $15 million for the recovery effort on the island, still reeling from the after-effects of Hurricane Maria in 2017. BORN FOR THIS -- which chronicles BeBe Winans' struggles between family, faith and fame and is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, produced by Ron Gillyard and MyDestiny Productions -- has previously been staged at major theatres in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington DC and Boston, prior to its Broadway opening later this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlTjaiE7mDU&feature=youtu.be Marquis Boone’s gospel music group, Fresh Start Worship, continues to reach new heights as gospel music’s top new gospel group. Currently, Fresh Start Worship is sitting at #5 on the Gospel Airplay Chart with the single, “Mention.” Fresh Start Worship’s self-titled debut album is available now at all major digital retailers. Available now is the accompanying music video for the single, “Mention.” https://youtu.be/MX-O1GbBQO0 The 20th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will be hosted by Rickey Smiley. The annual NFL-Sanctioned event will will go down during Super Bowl LIII week, filming in front of a live audience on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at Atlanta Symphony Hall. The one-hour special will feature performances by Kirk Franklin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, The Winans, Lecrae, Hezekiah Walker, Tamia, Koryn Hawthorne and the Super Bowl Gospel NFL Players Choir. Additionally, the celebration will honor Denver Bronco’s linebacker Von Miller with the annual “Faith in Action” award for his work with his charity Von’s Vision. Returning to BET Networks for the sixth consecutive year on February 2, 2019, The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration special will premiere exclusively on BET Networks on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 8:00PM ET/PT. Damien Sneed released a new full-length recording "Damien Sneed: We Shall Overcome." The inspiring new project is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and all other digital retail outlets everywhere. A celebration of R&B classics, civil rights anthems, beloved spirituals, jazz compositions and more. Included among the album’s 18 tracks are Sneed’s unique arrangements of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child,” pianist Billy Taylor’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free,” Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” (popularized by Ike & Tina Turner), Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Bobby Timmons’ jazz standard “Moanin’” and the traditional title tune “We Shall Overcome.” Sneed also contributes an original tune called “I Dream A World,” inspired by the Langston Hughes poem. TV One recently hosted an exclusive preview event at The Henry by Chef JJ in New York City with culinary artist Chef JJ Johnson to celebrate the launch of new entertainment network CLEO TV and the series premiere of JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ. Invited journalists mingled with the charismatic chef and sampled curated selections from his critically-acclaimed Manhattan eatery, including Fig French Toast, Biscuit Sammys, Egg Rice, Brown Paper Bag Fried Chicken and Collard Green Salad. In addition, the press received an exclusive glimpse of the series that kicked off CLEO TV's debut on Saturday. Emcee N.I.C.E., 2019 Stellar Awards Nominee, drops new single "Lift Me Up" featuring Grammy Nominee, Billboard and Stellar Awards 2018 Gospel Song of the Year WINNER, Bishop Cortez Vaughn. "Lift Me Up" is a song that focuses on N.I.C.E.'s relationship with God as he is openly sharing his trials and tribulations and tells how his faith brought him through the fire, sharing his testimony of freedom with a blend of scripture, mixed with classic hip hop and an infusion of throw back soul. Flash Back Gospel Spotlight. Hear Emcee N.IC.E. In His Own Words...https://gospel-spotlight.com/emceenice_intvw.htm BGA Music Group, the record label who launched the career of Stellar and Dove Award Nominated Artist G.I., has now launched the national ministry of 11-year old singer and preacher Antonio Tucker with his single release “ Overcome .” The words are powerful, the melody is memorable, and the message is universal. Antonio has been termed “Little Bishop TD Jakes” for his preaching and “Little Michael Jackson” for his amazing vocal presentation, stage presence and energy. He started singing at the age of 3, and preaching at the age of 7. Antonio is already in demand preaching and singing almost every weekend of each month. He’s a straight “A” student (who’s never made a B his entire academic career). He is also a vocal and piano student at BGA School of Music, the Performing Arts School in Richmond VA. http://hyperurl.co/phixj9 On The View, Yolanda Adams and Miles Caton performed in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day Celebration. After King's death, U.S. Representative John Conyers (D) Michigan and U.S. Senator Edward Brooke (R) Massachusetts introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4O1rb06Omg Members of the Grammy® Award winning Thompson Community Singers, or the Tommies, as their fans call them; have come together as The Tommies Reunion. From 1982 through 2001, The Tommies dominated the radio airwaves with hits like "For the Good of Them" and "Safe in His Arms." Now, they are back with the rousing new radio smash, "He'll Work it Out." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogQ5IAlUxXU Earl Bynum has a nationally syndicated radio show on the Rejoice Musical Soulfood Network and he is adding Lucinda Moore as co-host on his On Stage With Earl Bynumradio show. She is an entrepreneur and a powerhouse vocalist who has undeniable wit and charm. These two Stellar Gospel Music Award-winning artists and trendsetters have joined forces to bring more Gospel music to fans all over the globe. SRT Entertainment and its media partners congratulates Keith Wonderboy Johnson and Jarell Smalls & Co. on 7 combined Stellar Awards Nominations for the upcoming 34th Annual Stellar Awards Showthat goes down Friday, March 29, 2019 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Keith Wonderboy Johnson celebrating his 20th Anniversary chart topping Gospel album Keep Pushin, garners 3 Stellar Awards nominations. His debut single “Keep Pushin” reached the top 20 and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard & Mediabase Gospel Airplay charts. Keith Wonderboy Johnson has struck gold again climbing onto the Mediabase Gospel Airplay charts Top 30 with the release of his new soulful single, “The Man.” LEXI, releases a new rendition of the famous Quincy Jones’ song “Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me).” In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and poised to inspire us through Black History Month, the uplifting single is available today on all digital platforms. The singer will debut the song at an exclusive performance at the NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) Miami Conference 2019 , during the first ever “Living the Dream: A Career in Content” event in partnership with the NAACP, (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the NHFA (National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts). Her performance will follow Tyler Perry’s keynote address at the landmark event, which will also boast power-panels comprised of top industry talent, such as actor/singer Jussie Smollett (FOX’s Empire) and Nischelle Turner (Host, Entertainment Tonight). Held on MLK Day, Monday, January 21, 2019, the event is designed to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion in front and behind the camera as well as in all creative content organizations. Lexi will also go live on Instagram on January 21, to host an exclusive interaction with fans live from the NATPE Miami Conference. Lexi continues to promote her album, "Just Listen." The project’s second single, “Wherever I Go,” continues to do well on the charts. Flashback Gospel Spotlight. Hear Lexi In Her Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lexi_intvw.htm Marie Jean Pierre, a devout Christian who refused to work on Sundays, was fired from her job as a hotel dishwasher in 2016 for not showing up for six Sunday shifts. So she sued her employer and recently scored a legal victory when a jury awarded her $21 million. “I love God,” she told NBC 6 Miami. “No work on Sunday, because Sunday I honor God.” Pierre argued that her firing was a violation of her civil rights and religious beliefs, so she took legal action against the Conrad Miami hotel, the Miami Herald reports, filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing the Hilton-owned hotel of “creating a hostile work environment.”https://youtu.be/ZuyzFXEJpYs Singer and songwriter Glenn Gray continues to offer his unique brand of music with a message with inspiring lyrics and melodies. Following suit, the Flint, Michigan resident delivers his new single, In It All the Way, available today on all digital music platforms. “It is my hope that we will continue to make room for the group of talented singers and musicians coming behind us, “says Gray. “Music has a universal appeal and I always pray that we are able to make the type of music that speaks to audiences of every generation.” Gladys Knight said, "I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3 to give the Anthem back its voice, to stand for that historic choice of words, the way it unites us when we hear it and to free it from the same prejudices and struggles I have fought long and hard for all my life, from walking back hallways, from marching with our social leaders, from using my voice for good — I have been in the forefront of this battle longer than most of those voicing their opinions to win the right to sing our country’s Anthem on a stage as large as the Super Bowl LIII.” “No matter who chooses to deflect with this narrative and continue to mix these two in the same message, it is not so and cannot be made so by anyone speaking it. I pray that this National Anthem will bring us all together in a way never before witnessed and we can move forward and untangle these truths which mean so much to all of us. On Sunday, the Rev. Wilbur Purvis asked how many members of his congregation were affected by the partial government shutdown. Several raised their hands. The pastor of Destiny World Church in Austell prayed for them, but something in his heart told him to do more. A few days later, he handed out $500 checks to five people. “I want to make sure we are taking care of our own,” said Purvis, who tapped the church’s benevolent fund. “I think this is shameful that we live in a country where our leader can hold people hostage like the government workers.” Around metro Atlanta, churches and faith-based organizations are stepping up to help Georgians affected by the shutdown. On Sunday, the Rev. Wilbur Purvis asked how many members of his congregation were affected by the partial government shutdown. https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/atlanta-churches-faith-groups-help-furloughed-federal-workers/8Fg1OCMlSlHRDOQBAEt0mL/ John Boyega, who’s best known for playing Finn in the “Star Wars” films “The Last Jedi” and “The Force Awakens,” is now executive producing a South African crime-thriller called “God Is Good.” The film was shot in Cape Town’s Cape Flats and follows a “reformed gangster-turned-pastor and a volatile detective who cross paths after an act of brutal violence sets them on a collision course with a heinous gang lieutenant.” Producers are said to have compared the movie to “Prisoners” and “City of God,” and are in the process of selecting cast members. A new radio documentary that explores the history of black gospel music and illustrates its significant influence on the formation of rock and soul music will be broadcast by US radio stations in February, during Black History Month. Hosted by GRAMMY award-winner CeCe Winans, Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul is produced by Philadelphia public radio station WXPN and distributed by NPR. Through in-depth interviews with artists and dozens of songs (including many archival selections), the four-hour documentary illuminates the profound impact that gospel music has made on popular music. Tyscot Records and its affiliated artists have earned ten nominations in the upcoming 34th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards ceremony which takes place Friday, March 29, 2019 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Kelontae Gavin smash, “No Ordinary Worship,” has accumulated over 10 million streams. He has earned four nods in the categories of Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year and Praise and Worship CD of the Year for his debut album, The Higher Experience. Bishop Noel Jones’ The City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir’s sophomore album, Run to the Altar also earned four nominations. Cheryl Fortune debut album, Simply Cheryl and Vashawn Mitchell, earned a nominations as well. Currently, Tyscot has several projects in the pipeline including Casey J’s second album release, The Gathering, which releases January 25th and The Tommies Reunion’s highly-anticipated self-titled album which will release February 22nd. Entertainment One (eOne), subsidiary Light Records, and Indie Blu received a total of 24 nominations for The 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Jonathan McReynolds leads the field with nine nominations. Todd Dulaney garners six nominations, Judah Band and Jabari Johnson both earned their first nominations. Also seeing their first nominations are Benita Jones and Shana Wilson Williams and Dexter Walker & Zion Movement. AWARD-WINNING AND GRAMMY®-NOMINATED ARTIST KORYN HAWTHORNE will be performing at NBA Atlanta Hawks Game Faith and Family Day (National Anthem, Half-time show, and Post Game performances) Monday, January 21st, 2019 (MLK Holiday). Game time: 3:00 PM EST. The 21 years old, Dove Award-winning and GRAMMY®-nominated artist Koryn Hawthorne has quickly broken records with her smash hit, "Won't He Do It," being crowned the first female artist to hold the #1 position on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs Chart for 40 weeks. Flashback Gospel Spotlight. Hear Koryn Hawthorne In Her Own Words.....https://gospel-spotlight.com/korynhawthorne_intvw.htm The Pan African Film & Arts Festival announced that it will celebrate its 27th Annual Opening Night with a screening of Aretha Franklin’s cherished Amazing Grace concert documentary at the Directors Guild of America. The festival, which presents an impressive slate of over 170 new Black films from the US and around the world and exhibits more than 100 fine artists and unique craftspeople, starts on Thursday, February 7 through Monday, February 18 at the Cinemark Rave 15 Theatres in Los Angeles, California. Aretha Franklin’s spine-tingling and uplifting Amazing Grace, produced by Alan Elliott, was originally directed by Sydney Pollack in 1972 at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California. The film, a rare gem in the crown of the late musical genius, has not been seen before now due to technical and rights issues. “It’s such a blessing to open the festival this year with Amazing Grace,” expressed PAFF Co-Founder and Actor Danny Glover. “Aretha Franklin is a rare treasure. To be graced with this film is an honor and a testament to the perseverance and long-standing prominence of the festival’s impact.” The Anthony Burrell Center for Dance (ABCD) announce Ascension – The Grand Opening Celebration & Fundraiser on January 20thin Atlanta, Ga. Founder Anthony Burrell is a Philadelphia born Creative Director, Choreographer, and Actor. He is seen as the creative force on E! Entertainment for Mariah’s World, Mariah Carey’s Vegas Residency 1 to Infinity, Sweet Sweet Fantasy, Un-Silent Night Christmas, and All I Want for Christmas at the Beacon Theater. Burrell is part of the artistic team behind Beyonce’s Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show, MTV Awards (2016), Country Music Awards (2016), The Formation World Tour, and countless music videos. He has won an MTV Video Music Award for ‘Best Choreography’ in Beyonce’s ‘Formation’ and was nominated for ‘Best Choreography’ in Beyonce’s ‘Sorry.’ Burrell’s recent film credits include Lemonade, Bad Grandpa, and Leave It On the Floor. Gary Hines and SOUNDS OF BLACKNESS to appear Mon Jan 21, at Martin Luther King Breakfast Sponsored by General Mills Live Broadcast 8-9a TPT-TV Don Lemon, Keynote Speaker Flashback Gospel Spotlight. Hear Gary Hines In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/garyhines_intvw.htm Central City Productions announces the nominees in 28 categories for the 34th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, hosted again this year by Kirk Franklin on Friday, March 29. Contemporary gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds leads the field of nominees with nine nominations. The powerhouse singer earned recognition for"Make Room" as well as in the key categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Producer of the Year, Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year, Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year. Maranda Curtis earned seven nominations,including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, Recorded Music package of the Year, and Praise and Worship CD of the Year for her work on “Open Heaven.” This year promises to pleasantly surprise the gospel audience with nominations for secular artists Snoop Dogg and Tori Kelly. Snoop Dogg garners three nominations for CD of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year and Special Event CD of the Year with his “Bible of Love” and Tori Kelly has landed three nominations the Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year and Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year with “Hiding Place” as well as Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year for “Never Alone” Host Kirk Franklin. Todd Dulaney is blessed with six nominations for “Your Great Name” for Artist of the Year, CD of the Year, Producer of the Year, Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year and Praise & Worship CD of the Year. Jekalyn Carr earned five nominations with Artist of the Year, Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year, Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year for “One Nation Under God.” Koryn Hawthorne, Kelontae Gavin, Bishop Noel Jones & City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir and Jarrell Smalls and Company had 4 nominations each. RCA Inspiration celebrates a total of 21 Stellar Awards nominations for the 34thAnnual Stellar Awards. From prolific superstars to rising contemporaries, the list of nominees includes Donald Lawrence, Fred Hammond, Israel Houghton, Jason Nelson, Koryn Hawthorne, Tasha Page-Lockhart, The Walls Group, WOW Gospel 2018 and hip hop icon Snoop Dogg. RCA Inspiration’s nominations for the 2019 show span twelve categories including top categories Song of the Year, Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year, Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, CD of the Year, and Producer of the Year. Kirk Franklin also returns as host of the show for the second consecutive year. Additionally, RCA Inspiration SVP and General Manager Phil Thornton will be inducted into the Stellar Honors Hall of Fame. On Thursday, TV One hosted a private event at CiRCO in Dallas, TX to celebrate and preview new entertainment network CLEO TV on Thursday, January 10. Derived from the name Cleopatra, CLEO TV is an aspirational lifestyle and entertainment network targeting Millennial and Gen X women of color. With a bold, fearless and fresh take, CLEO TV gives multicultural young women a destination for content centered around travel, home design, relationships, finances, cooking, talk shows, movies, docu-series, sitcoms and much more. CLEO TV will be broadly distributed on Comcast Xfinity beginning January 19, 2019, with additional affiliate distribution agreements to be announced in the coming months. A number of celebrities gathered for a tribute concert in celebration of the Queen Of Soul on Sunday, Jan. 13, and The AP reports that every rendition of Aretha’s Franklin’s songs brought audience members to their feet at the “Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration For The Queen Of Soul” in Los Angeles. According to Page Six, a montage of the late singer was shown throughout the show including one with onscreen quotes from former President Barack Obama, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson and Tony Bennett. “Aretha set the bar,” a quote from Quincy Jones read. The 34th Annual Stellar Award nominations were announced today. Motown Gospel and Capitol Records talent received 7 nominations in various categories. Brian Courtney Wilson’s first Stellar Award solo nominations for the album A GREAT WORK. Wilson earned nods for Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video Of the Year for his number one single “A Great Work.” Multiple award winner Tye Tribbett also earned two additional Stellar Award nominations in both Male Vocalist of the Year and Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year. While Tasha Cobbs Leonard received a nod for her “You Know My Name (Live) from HEART. PASSION. PURSUIT.: Live At Passion City. Motown Gospel also celebrates the nominations of Capitol Records artist Tori Kelly, whose album HIDING PLACE received three nominations. The Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year and Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year and the lead single, “Never Alone,” featuring Kirk Franklin was nominated for Urban/Inspirational Song of the Year. Jennifer Hudson, who will star in Franklin’s biopic “Respect,” kicked off the tribute with a performance of “Think” and Keys and SZA took the stage for a duet of “Day Dreaming.” Celion Dion performed Franklin’s version of “A Change is Gonna Come,” and Patti Labelle served up a soaring rendition of “Call Me.” Fantasia, Andra Day, Brandi Carlile and Alessia Cara sang “Natural Woman” together, and Common joined Yolanda Adams for a performance of “Young, Gifted and Black.” The woman known for fixing folk’s lives apparently wants no parts of R. Kelly’s. Iyanla Vanzant says she gave a big NO to the troubled singer when he asked her to be on her OWN show Iyanla: Fix My Life.” According to Vanzant, Kelly – who’s dealing with allegations of predatory and sexually abusive behavior with women and underage girls – wasn’t ready for her help. Vanzant spoke to ABC News about dealing with him ahead of this past weekend’s season six premiere of her show. The noted motivational speaker said R. Kelly reached out to her well before the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly.” “He didn’t meet one of the criteria that we had for guests,” she said. “Are they willing? Are they ready? Do they have the capacity to do the work? He didn’t have it, the emotional capacity. He just didn’t have it, and I knew, based on what I was looking at — the paces I would have had to take him though — it would have been brutal. He didn’t have the capacity because he hasn’t done the work.” Vanzant, who said she’s experienced sexual violence herself, said that Kelly would need to own up to what he’s done for any healing to happen, but she said that prison isn’t the answer, either. “I would never, ever condone or justify anything that he’s been accused of doing,” she said. “But locking him up in jail is not the answer … he’s sick … Just like the people he allegedly committed these acts with — they’re sick. This needs to be massive healing — them, him all of them. A Florida lawmaker wants students to study the Bible in public schools. State Rep. Kimberly Daniels, a Democrat from District 14 which represents Jacksonville, filed House Bill 195 earlier this week. The bill, Study of the Bible and Religion, would require school districts to offer religion classes to high school students as an elective. The bill would allow: An objective study of religion. An objective study of the Bible, including, but not limited to, a course on the Hebrew Scriptures and Old Testament of the Bible. A course on the New Testament of the Bible. A course on the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament of the Bible, and the New Testament of the Bible. According to the bill, the courses would be offered to students in grades 9 through 12, and would also include a brief meditation period during classes. If passed, it would go into effect on July 1. Legendary rapper/reality TV star Rev. Run, Joseph Simmons, reflects on his career with iconic hip-hop group, Run-DMC. “I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished,” Run told TheWrap. “I’m not the EGOT guy like John Legend, but once you’ve got a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame trophy and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, you’re pretty much killing it…or killed it.” He not only cites Drake and Bruno Mars among his favorite newer artists, Run says, he’s “not the old-school angry rapper. I actually look for new hit records and enjoy them.” “I still love rap,” he continued. “I love seeing Beyonce and Jay-Z tour the world. I love what Meek Mill just put out. I’m not one of those old-school guys who says, ‘Back when I was younger…’ I’m not the old-school angry rapper. I actually look for new hit records and enjoy them, like Nicki Minaj, Flipp Deniro and other stuff. I’m into rap, I’m not only up on it, I love it.” Bishop Leonard Scott drops new lyric video for "Working in My Favor" featuring Fred Hammond, Shirley Murdock, Jeral V. Gray and New Direction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Eo9Tq6264&list=PLTrE4YHZWqclJeUomKIQRzF6yEKo9cT5z&index=12 Isabel Davis drops new single "Wide As The Sky" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i4QL9ZpFJI&feature=youtu.be Following his number one single, “A Great Work,” Brian Courtney Wilson offers a new track “Increase My Faith.” The upbeat single sets an atmosphere for increased faith and greatness in the new year. Wilson is enjoying a great start to the year, hot off the heels of his two Grammy® Award nominations. As a long-time resident of Houston, he will serve as the “Entertainment Grand Marshal” for Houston’s Original MLK Jr. Day Parade organized by the Black Heritage Society. He also joins the parade’s additional Grand Marshals, Georgia congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, and Houston Astros outfielder George Springer. Also announced recently, Brian and legendary singer Fred Hammond will hit the road on “The Vintage Tour.” The nationwide tour will launch this spring and is being billed as a musical retrospective of their greatest hits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY3sMFBDqb8&feature=youtu.be Grammy® Award-Winning Recording Artist Tamela Mann and her husband, NAACP Image Award-Winning Actor and Comedian David Mann, are set to talk about their new book Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family and joint album Us Against the World: The Love Project on ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA). Tune-in to GMA on ABC Monday morning, January 14 when David and Tamela join the GMA team to discuss love, marriage, family and all the latest happening with the Manns. Bishop Emeritus Joseph Lawson Howze, the first black bishop to lead a diocese in the United States in the 20th Century, and founding bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, died Wednesday at the age of 95. Howze became known as the top-ranking American black clergyman. He led and integrated an all-white parish in Raleigh, N.C., in the 1960s and was appointed president of the National Black Catholic Clergy in 1974, and introduced Pope John Paul II in a historic church gathering in New Orleans in 1987. He emphasized unity in God regardless of color. Black Enterprise President and CEO Earl "Butch" Graves Jr. and TDJ Enterprises CEO T.D. Jakes announced a partnership between the two prominent black-owned media and event companies, to present its inaugural SOAR! Empowerment Series of events which will kick off in Los Angeles, on Feb. 9, 2019 and was inspired by The New York Times best-selling book SOAR! Build Your Vision From The Ground Up by T. D. Jakes, SOAR, a one-day liftoff event series, is the perfect opportunity for those focused on maximizing their earning power, gaining optimal health, and spiritual well-being while creating multi-generational wealth. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms officially welcomed the 20th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (SBGC) to Atlanta during a press conference today at City Hall with officials from the NFL, the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee, Boys & Girls Club of America and Radio One in attendance. Returning to Atlanta for its 20th anniversary, the concert will be taped in front of a live audience on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at Atlanta Symphony Hall during Super Bowl LIII week. National radio and tv personality Rickey Smiley is set to co-host the show, which will feature performances by Kirk Franklin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, The Winans and the Super Bowl Gospel NFL Players Choir. More talent will be announced. The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration special will premiere exclusively on BET Networks on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 8:00PM ET Black Twitter came for Marvin Sapp’s head this week and put him on blast for his continued support for controversial singer R. Kelly. According to Rolling Out, Sapp has a new song coming out with Kelly and many online users are not here for it — most especially after watching the disturbing Lifetime documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly.” Sapp claims he prayed about whether to release the song and decided to go forward with it. www.gospel-spotlight.com. GRAMMY®-winning R&B artist Thelma Houston will perform at the GRAMMY Museum®'s Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance, moderated by Scott Goldman. An Evening With Thelma Houston will be held on Thursday, January 17, 2019 Los Angeles, CA. Perhaps best known for her number one international hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” Thelma Houston will share her inspirational journey that chronicles her illustrious career, by sharing intimate musical stories and behind-the-scenes adventures along with a very special acoustic performance, leading up to her iconic GRAMMY® Award–winning number one pop song "Don't Leave Me This Way." On this magical occasion, Thelma will also receive a replacement Grammy GRAMMY Award since her original GRAMMY was broken in the Northridge, California earthquake in 1994. Antioch Baptist Church North was packed on Monday, the day set aside to celebrate the life of the Rev. Cameron Madison Alexander. People came from all over this city and nation to honor him and see him off to his final resting place. The Rev. Joseph Lowery was there, seated near former Ambassador Andrew Young, civil rights icon C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis attended. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Atlanta City Councilmen Michael Bond and Andre Dickens, both members of Antioch and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms were among those who spoke. “I stand here because of Cameron Madison Alexander,” the mayor told the crowd of thousands. Mayor Bottoms presented Alexander with the Phoenix Award, her first as mayor. “Generations will remember his legacy, and our city will forever hold him in our hearts,” she said. He is one of Gospel music’s most notable male vocalist with a five-octave range and has established himself as a prominent music industry mogul. He is a military veteran and has a philanthropic heart of gold. His acclaimed music artistry, dynamic ministry and humanitarian efforts has earned Dr. Earnest Pugh the title of Gospel’s Leading Man. Dr. Pugh is now commissioned to minister on a regular basis in his home town of Memphis, TN. Beginning March 3rd, Dr. Pugh will present WORD, WORSHIP and COMMUNION every first Sunday from 5-7PM at The Holiday Inn Suites, 5090 Copper Creed Rd, Millington, TN. Flashback Gospel Spotlight. Hear Earnest Pugh In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_16DEC2015_intvw.mp3 The spiritual history of Pittsburgh’s black community will be on full display Jan. 19, when nonprofit Doors Open and local African Methodist Episcopal church officials partner to host a “ Ride with the King ” black history tour the Saturday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Bonnie Baxter of Pittsburgh got the idea for Doors Open after attending a similar event while living in Chicago. In October 2018, more than 50 buildings throughout Downtown were part of a Doors Open event. It offered the public an opportunity to take guided tours, attend lectures and view exhibits about the architecture of the buildings as well as what takes place inside. For the second consecutive year the African Pride Gospel Superfest will be recorded at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in Dayton. This year, the show is proud to welcome African Pride as “Title Sponsor” for the upcoming Dayton, Ohio session and 19 TV season. "Our African Pride family is excited to partner with the Gospel SuperFest as their 2019 title sponsor," said Kendria Strong, African Pride Director of Marketing. Gospel music is a staple in many homes and communities that we serve, and we look forward to joining the Gospel SuperFest team for what will surely be an empowering celebration.” “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome African Pride as our title sponsor for 2019 and we have been blessed and very fortunate to remain relevant to our viewers, the gospel music fan-base and to corporate America,” says Bobby Cartwright, Jr. who is the show’s executive producer and founder. The Show will be hosted by Film and TV star Wendy Raquel Robinson. The African Pride Gospel Superfest live TV recording will go down, Saturday, June 22, 2019. On Jan. 21, 2019, the University of Redlands, a private liberal arts and professional university in Southern California, will welcome the "Beyoncé Mass" to its main campus. The worship service uses the music and life of Beyoncé as a tool to cultivate an empowering conversation about Black women — their lives, bodies, and voices — while creating an event with story, scripture, and song that calls for the liberation of all people. The event will make up a part of the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the University of Redlands, which will also include a series of community service gatherings and musical offerings. Created, led by, and based on the scholarship of, Reverend Yolanda Norton, the H. Eugene Farlough Chair of Black Church Studies and assistant professor of Old Testament at San Francisco Theological Seminary, the Beyoncé Mass drew about 1,000 people at its inaugural event at San Francisco's historic Grace Cathedral in April 2018. The initial public Beyoncé Mass included in its liturgy the use of Destiny Child's Survivor as an introduction to speak to the enduring spirit of Black women and the capacity for all people to overcome oppression and discrimination. Additionally, the service included readings and a sermon by Rev. Norton. Bishop T.D. Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, rebuked a spirit of suicide from fellow megachurch Pastor John Gray on Saturday, just days after Gray revealed he had been contemplating suicide. “I literally thought about how I could end my life and still get to Heaven and somehow my kids would not be scarred but there was no way I could figure out how to do it. And I’m not the only person that thought about that. I’m not the only person the devil attacked in that area,” Gray said in a recording of his sermon to his church on New Year’s Eve posted to YouTube. Gray, who recently became pastor of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, after serving at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Texas, has faced much public scrutiny in recent months for lavishing his wife with a $200,000 Lamborghini. He also admitted last summer to listening to voices that lured him away from his wife and his family and to being on the brink of getting a divorce. Dressed in all black attire, which he called “my funeral outfit,” he quipped that “2018 tried to kill me so I thought I’d try to dress for the occasion.” The Byron Cage 30 Years of Music Celebration Concert was a spirited success on Friday, December 21st. Some of gospel music's biggest names paid homage to the 7x Stellar Award winner and Grammy nominee. Performers to help celebrate included Bishop William Murphy, Ricky Dillard, Jonathan Nelson, Earnest Pugh, Dottie Peoples, Isaac Caree and Clifton Ross III. Guests also enjoyed surprise performances from Grammy winner Le'Andria Johnson and Stellar Award winner Micah Stampley. Installation Services was Sunday, January 6, 2019 in Jackson, Mississippi for the Rev. Jerry Mannery. He served as Executive Director of the Gospel Division Malaco/Savoy Music Group for over a decade, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Division, including promotion, production, artist relations, marketing and administration. He is also an accomplished songwriter," with over thirty (30) recorded songs to his credit. He is the founder of the Mississippi Children’s Choir, and a founding member of the Mississippi Mass Choir, where he has served as Executive Director since 1993 and one of its composers and producers. He has served on several music industries Board of Directors, including the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the American Gospel Quartet Convention, and the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. He is a voting member of The Grammy organization NARAS and served as Second Vice-President of the Memphis Chapter, as well as a 12-year stint on the Grammy’s National Screening Committee for Gospel Music. GRAMMY® Award-nominated and Stellar Award-Winning Pastor, William Murphy, returns with his new single, “Settle Here,” the first single lifted from his upcoming album. The vertical worship number is a yearning for God’s presence in the hearts of those who believe and serve him. "Settle Here" is the follow-up to William's "Everlasting God," which was a top Gospel Airplay single in January 2018. The new album, Settle Here, will be available early 2019. https://pec.smcdp-aws.net/welcome?key=0D66E464-43D3-451E-B2B1-649552354C5F GRAMMY® Award-winning maestro Donald Lawrence creates a powerful decree of freedom on his newly-released single withThe Tri-City Singers, “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” (feat. Le’Andria Johnson). https://pec.smcdp-aws.net/welcome?key=C857AD57-CA78-69F5-B888-7C483942B09A Couples from Hip Hop’s elite will take a break from their lavish lifestyles of champagne, fancy cars and adoring fans to put the spotlight back on their relationships on an all-new “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition.” Premiering Thursday, January 10 at 10:00pm ET/PT on WE tv. Soulja Boy and Nia Riley, Waka Flocka and his wife Tammy Rivera, Lil’ Mo and her husband, boxer Karl Dargan, Jessica Dime and her fiancé, professional basketball player Shawne Williams and Lil’ Fizz of B2K Tiffany Campbell make a last-ditch effort to reignite the spark. Dr. Ish and Dr. V are back and upping their therapy game by pulling these couples straight outta hip hop and straight into the toughest two weeks they will endure to salvage their toxic relationships. Former President Barack Obama has debuted on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart at number 22 with his gospel-inspired remix of a song by Lin-Manuel Miranda that originally appeared in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton.” Obama’s “One Last Time (44 Remix)” dropped before Christmas as part of Miranda’s “Hamildrops” remixes and features cast member Christopher Jackson and gospel singer BeBe Winans. Last month Pastor John Gray came under fire for gifting his wife a Lamborghini SUV for their anniversary. Critics accused him of using church funds for the purchase, but Gray denied this, insisting he used cash earned from his reality TV show on OWN Network. Now rumors are swirling that he gave his wife, Aventer, the pricey vehicle to buy her silence after he cheated and fathered a child with his mistress. As noted by Sandra Rose, when Gray recently appeared on Atlanta’s “Sister Circle” daytime talk show, he claimed his wife “birthed” him so he could be the man he is today. “The wife that I chose is better than the man that I am,” Pastor Gray told Sister Circle hosts Rashan Ali and Syleena Johnson. GRAMMY® Award-winning maestro Donald Lawrence creates a powerful decree of freedom on his newly-released single with The Tri-City Singers,“Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” (feat. Le’Andria Johnson). Released to Gospel radio and available now at digital music providers, “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” is the latest release from Lawrence’s upcoming new album Goshen, which also hails his reunion with the original Tri-City Singers. Marking over 25 years since the release of their beloved debut album "A Songwriter’s Point of View," Lawrence continues to blaze new trails in the sounds of Gospel as a prolific artist, music director, songwriter, and producer. Kierra Sheard kicks off the new year with brand new music video (for the first 2019 #TBT) for her fan favorite song, “Repin’ My God” (featuring Canton Jones). Produced by J. Drew Beats, “Repin' My God” is a fan favorite from Kierra's GRACELAND (2014) album. https://youtu.be/6So5O9-jKmU - The 50th NAACP Image Awards will air LIVE on TV One on March 30, 2019. For the first time ever, the telecast will take place from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. The announcement was made today. The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishment of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature, and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. The upcoming telecast, the 50th Anniversary of the NAACP Image Awards, will also spotlight the significant contributions of the NAACP and the impact the organization has had on our community and country. Nominations for the "50th NAACP Image Awards" will be announced February. AWARD WINNING KEKE PALMER VISITS "STEVE" ON MONDAY, JANUARY 7. She talks about new film "Pimp." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4HNINqnsbM&feature=youtu.be At the swearing-in of the 116th United States Congress today, nearly 100 new legislators will take the oath of office, pledging to “well and faithfully discharge” their new duties, “so help me God.” After last year’s campaign and midterm elections, the ceremony represents answered prayers for dozens of incoming evangelical politicians. Though the overall number of Christians in Congress fell slightly from 91 percent from 2017 to 88 percent in 2019, a vast majority of freshmen—78­ of the 96 newly elected lawmakers—identify as Christian and around half—47—are Protestants, according to Pew Research Center’s Faith on the Hill report. With the largest freshman class since 2011, these representatives bring historic levels of diversity to Washington, a range of backgrounds outside politics, and deep convictions about faith in governance. The group includes Sunday school teachers, deacons, Christian college graduates, missions trip participants, prayer advocates, a former aspiring pastor, and plenty of churchgoers. Actress and outspoken Christian Letitia Wright was the highest box-office earning star of the year. Known for her supporting role in the 2018 record-breaking blockbuster hit “Black Panther,” Wright out-earned her action-hero cast members, according to Fandango new report. Being named the “highest box-office earning star” of the 2018 means that all of Wright’s film’s this year, drew a lot of people to the theater. The Guyanese-born British actress plays Princess Shuri, the little sister of King T’Challa — the main character of “Black Panther” in her breakout role. She then reprised the role in the film “Avengers: Infinity War,” and also appeared in “Ready Player One” and “The Commuter.” Wright managed to beat out her Marvel co-stars Chadwick Boseman, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba and Sebastian Stan. The 25-year-old also surpassed Hollywood heavyweights, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Pratt and Josh Brolin. Fandango’s “highest box office earning” list is calculated by how much money the actors’ movies made, not how much they were paid. Wright joked about that distinction on Twitter. “Dope dope,” she wrote, adding. “Just deposit that amount into my bank account.” Black Enterprise will present its highest honor in recognition of the achievements of black women when it presents the Women of Power Legacy Awards at the 2019 Women of Power Summit on Feb. 28, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Women of Power Summit is the nation's No. 1 executive development and leadership conference for women of color, annually attracting more than 1,000 corporate executives, professionals, and businesswomen from across the country. The Women of Power Summit, hosted by ADP, will take place Feb. 28–March 3, 2019, at The Mirage Hotel and Casino. Honorees to be recognized at the 2019 Women of Power Summit Legacy Awards Gala, hosted by PepsiCo, include Chaka Khan, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Alice Walker and Cynthia Marshall. It's a NEW YEAR and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 is ?delivering NEW MUSIC! The super talented Trin-I-Tee 5:7 is back together again after 7 years to deliver an awesome new song entitled “GO”. Angel & Chanelle deliver an incredible anointed vocal performance on this cut. Gospel singer Vicki Yohe claims she engaged in premarital sex during a 16-month relationship with controversial Missouri Pastor David E. Taylor of Joshua Media Ministries International, whom she accuses of being a cult leader. Taylor responded by saying that Yohe’s claims are untrue, and that he has a “face to face” relationship with God and is under attack by demons. In a Facebook live video, Yohe said she began her relationship with the minister after he took her under his wing following the backlash she received for posting an Instagram meme of Jesus heading back to the White House after President Donald Trump was sworn in. Because of her predominantly black church following, Yohe was attacked and branded a “racist” by some. Many churches subsequently canceled ministry events with her, which led to her dependence on medication (a low dose of Adderall) to cope, she revealed in the video. She refrained from naming Taylor in the 25-minute video but followed the live clip by posting pictures of the two cozy together along with screenshots of seemingly late-night video chats. “He’s big with gifts, that’s what he does. He lavishes women with gifts,” Yohe said in the live video. “I got this Jaguar. I got $945 red bottoms two days ago, those ain’t going back.” Adrian Dove, President and CEO, Kingdom Day Parade, has as one of its mission, the nurture and preservation of Dr. King’s Dream by helping to sustain his mission of fighting ferociously for equality, love, and peace for Black and White and all other people as well. This fight’s primary weapons are aggressive non-violent action and love. The 34th Annual Kingdom Day Parade will be held on Monday, January 21, 2019 @ 10 AM in Los Angeles, CA. The Kingdom Day Parade passionately honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin King and has grown from humble beginnings into the largest and longest running Annual King Birthday Celebration in the nation! That’s why this years’ theme is “Healthy bodies, Healthy Minds, Healthy Democracy”. As multi-platinum selling and GRAMMY® winning group Casting Crowns prepares for this week’s release of a brand new studio album, Only Jesus, the group announces the Only Jesus Tour, a 37-city spring arena tour run featuring fellow Grammy winner Zach Williams and Austin French. The tour kicks off Feb. 21, in Richmond, Va., and travels to major markets in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Florida and more before wrapping up on May 4, in College Station, Texas. Join Billboard Music Award Winner and GRAMMY Nominated JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise for their LIVE Recording Monday, December 31st at 7:30 PM at City of Praise Family Ministries in Landover, MD. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Deion Sanders was at the prime of his life in the mid-late 90’s. He had won two Super Bowls and appeared in a World Series. He was rich, had become a father and even released an album. But as reported by The Undefeated in 1997, he drove his car off a cliff in an suicide attempt. “I was going through the trials and tribulations of life. I was pretty much running on fumes,” he said. “I was empty, no peace, no joy. Losing hope with the progression of everything.” Sanders recounted the suicide attempt in his autobiography “Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life.” He survived a 30- to 40-foot drop without any serious injuries. He then decided his life was worth living. “I finally just got on my knees and gave it all to the Lord,” he said. “Slowly, but surely, I had to deal with my faith, deal with my strength,” Sanders said. “I had to get a lot of Word in so that I could fight off the enemy. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my faith. People argue about what faith is, and who Jesus is, but it works for me. I’m not going to sit here and argue about who is what, and what is what, I’m just going to say it works for me.” Sherri Shepherd has opened up about how the Jehovah’s Witness religion broke up her family and caused her parents to divorce. She even recounts the time she was forced to stop speaking to her father because he dared to question some of the religion’s policies after she was punished by the church for committing a sin. “I was told as a young girl we had to stop talking to my dad even though he lived in our house,” Shepherd said in an interview with ABC News correspondent Paula Farish on the “Journeys of Faith” podcast. “He worked three jobs to take care of us and I remember my two sisters telling him, ‘We can’t talk to you anymore.’ I saw him breaking down and crying,” Shepherd said. According to the report, her father had been “disfellowshipped” from the religion because he was too inquisitive and not a true believer. Iconic Music Mogul Clive Davis announces a tribute concert honoring the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin taking place in January. The all-star tribute concert to the Queen of Soul, produced by Davis in conjunction with the Recording Academy is scheduled to be held in Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium on January 13. Hosted by Tyler Perry, the concert line up includes performances from Céline Dion, Patti LaBelle, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Janelle Monáe, SZA, Common, Alessia Cara, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, BeBe Winans, Brandi Carlile, Chloe X Halle and H.E.R. Americans’ view of the honesty and ethics of clergy has fallen to an all-time low in a ranking of different professions released by Gallup. The Gallup poll, conducted between Dec. 3-12 of 1,025 U.S. adults, found that only 37 percent of respondents had a “very high” or “high” opinion of the honesty and ethical standards of clergy. Forty-three percent of people gave them an average rating, while 15 percent said they had a “low” or “very low” opinion, according to the poll that was released on Dec. 21. Gallup noted that the 37 percent “very high” or “high” score for clergy is the lowest since it began asking the question in 1977. The historical high of 67 percent occurred back in 1985, and the score has been dropping below the overall average positive rating of 54 percent since 2009. Hip Hop Artist, Author, Pastor and Music Mogul Del Lawrence, aka "Mr. Del" has established himself as the 'Hope Dealer' and an innovator in the Christian/Gospel Rap genre. He is the pastor of the thriving City of Refuge Church in Memphis and as an artist has garnered Dove, Grammy and Stellar Award nominations. He started his own label, Dedicated Music Group (DMG), that develops new talent and pushes out multiple hard-hitting albums each year. DMG has released albums, singles and videos over the past 10 years from Mr. Del himself, Mali Music, Murk, D. McGhee, Fro and has orchestrated dynamic collaborations with Canton Jones, Pettidee, Uncle Reece, Kirk Whalum, Salt (of Salt-N-Pepa), Gangsta Boo, Hee-Sun Lee, Gospel Gangstaz and more. Mr. Del is now releasing his 10th career album called BLACK. The album theme underscores the continued racial division in music, specifically in Gospel and Contemporary Christian genres. TV One's latest original film, THREE'S COMPLICATED will premiere on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 7 p.m. ET/6C, followed by encores at 9 p.m. ET/8C and 11 p.m. ET/10C. The project is executive produced by Shanola Hampton, who stars as the film's central character Deja, a 42-year-old divorcee who ends up in a precarious dating scenario with a younger man who may also be hooking up with her college-aged daughter. Also starring Tyler Lepley, Kyanna Simone Simpson and Charles Malik Whitfield, the film chronicles Deja's complicated love story and takes a humorous look at a so-called dating taboo: romantic liaisons between older women and younger men. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfVM9xTU1bE&feature=youtu.be The mother of Trayvon Martin, Sybrina Fulton, was the 2018 commencement speaker at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina this past weekend, where she was also presented with an honorary doctorate degree and a key to the city by Mayor Steve Benjamin. She took to Instagram moments after the ceremony to share her new title: “I present to you……Dr. Sybrina Fulton,” the caption read. “I went from the 2018 Commencement Convocation speaker at Benedict College to Doctor & I also received the key to the city from the Mayor of Columbia, SC.” Reports indicate that a church in Cape May, N.J., is being transformed into a museum honoring abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman. The Macedonia Baptist Church is converting the next-door home of its late pastor, the Rev. Robert Davis, into a museum scheduled to open in 2020. Local developers and business owners Robert Mullock and his son Zack are planning the project that is hoped to be a tourist attraction. Nearly $700,000 is reportedly needed to flood proof the building, which fell into disrepair 35 years ago. “It would be a permanent exhibit there so that people would understand and appreciate that this was part of Cape May at that time,” Mullock said in a televised interview. “At one time, the population of Cape May was 30 percent African-American, that’s what the records show.” See, this is what folks miss about Barack Obama being in the White House. The little, but important things he does. Such was the case on Wednesday when the former president visited a Washington, D.C. children’s hospital, wearing a Santa hat and carrying a bag of gifts. “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas,” Obama said as he walked in, while turning on the charm along with the corny banter: “My reindeer were stuck in some snow and I just wanted to make sure I made the trip and had the chance to see all of you guys,” Mr. Obama said as he entered a playroom at Washington Children’s National Health System. “That’s the most important thing there is.” https://youtu.be/9g4eASYxJ6c Provident/Sony celebrates a GRAMMY® nomination for Tauren Wells, whose chart-topping single, “Known,” was nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. The 61st Annual GRAMMY® Awards will air live on the CBS on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. Tauren Wells’ current single, “Known,” finishes 2018 at #1 on the Christian Airplay Chart. “Known,” has reached #1 status on the HOT AC/CHR charts, AC Monitored chart and the overall Audience Chart. The powerful song has deeply connected with audiences around the world. Michael White has released his first holiday worship single "The Savior Is Here". The single is produced by Kevin Kelley (VaShawn Mitchell, Bishop Paul Morton, Donnie McClurkin, Prince of Peace Church), and arranged by Kelley and award winning musician Trent Phillips (Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Full Gospel BC Choir, Donnie McClurkin, Kevin Lemons). "The Savior Is Here" not only showcases Michael's songwriting, but also demonstrates his versatile and exceptional abilities as a soloist and worship leader. Michael is a Washington, DC native and has released two highly acclaimed albums CONQUEROR and SING OVER ME. He recently won the 2018 Rhythm of Gospel Award for Producer of The Year for SING OVER ME. Michael leads worship weekly as the Minister of Music at Reid Temple Church North Campus in Silver Spring, MD and at the Washington, DC Campus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYLyOTw_xOk&feature=youtu.be The NCGAG Convention will go down June 12-14 in Charlotte NC! It will be the biggest planning meeting in NCGAG history! William Becton will be joining the NCGAG for the January 5th Planning Meeting in Charlotte! Charlotte NC is the place to be for a special Meet, Greet and Planning meeting for NCGAG National Convention June 12-14 in the Queen City at the University Place Hotel 10AM- 2PM. Jenifer Lewis penned a poetic tribute to Rihanna and Cardi B for refusing to perform during halftime at the Super Bowl in Atlanta in 2019. “The NFL and CBS really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer in Atlanta,” an insider told Us Weekly. “They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance.” “The offer and exposure would have been great for Rihanna as she’s planning a new album and tour but she stuck to what’s right in her eyes,” the Rihanna insider told Entertainment Tonight. In a video uploaded to Instagram, Lewis congratulated the singer and the rapper for declining an invitation to headline the halftime show at Super Bowl LIII. “My sincere congratulations to Rihanna and Cardi B for refusing to perform at halftime,” Lewis began. Then she recited her original composition, entitled “That’s Enough”. ZAYTOVEN & DEITRICK HADDON RELEASE HOLIDAY EP “GREATEST GIFT” New EP Available At All Major Digital Retailers. “Christmas Prayer” - https://youtu.be/ALktKFmYe6E During this season of the year when the world is focus on giving, Meet Apostle Veryl Howard who has made giving to others her mission. Hear Apostle Veryl Howrd In Her Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/apostleverylhoward_intvw.htm Rapper and fashion guru Kanye West is crediting Chance the Rapper for helping reconnect him to his Christian faith, which is greatly impacting his family. “You have to see and feel how happy I am and how strong my family is,” West tweeted. “We are even stronger because of this through the love and grace of God.” “I need to speak about how Chance demanding that we record in Chicago reconnected me with my roots and also my faith in Jesus Christ,” he said. Over the summer, the two performers came together to create a joint album in a Chicago studio. Chance and West did not complete the album but apparently, their time together was an opportunity for Chance to share some of his faith with the controversial trailblazer enough to stir his faith back up. The Wallis Theater in Beverly Hills had record-breaking sales this week, primarily due to sales for “Love Actually Live,” currently being performed through December 31, that stars among others, Rumer Willis. One of the other stars of the show is B. Slade, who is showing what hard work, belief and determination can get you. In 2010, Tonex rebranded himself as B.Slade after being blacklisted by the gospel community because of an interview in which he admitted to being what can be called “sexually fluid” (an attraction to both sexes…minus the bisexual label). After his disclosure, all endorsements, contracts and scheduled appearances were cancelled and B. Slade was like a man without an island. His parents and both sets of grandparents had passed away and he was all alone and at rock bottom. There was nowhere to go … but up. That is when he decided to rebrand himself and begin his climb back up the ladder. Slade is enjoying being part of the “Love Actually Live” cast and shared he, “likes being a part of something that is so innovative and groundbreaking” and acknowledged the work involved to, “pull off bringing literally a movie to life.” Black Enterprise will present its highest honor in recognition of the achievements of black women when it presents the Women of Power Legacy Awards at the 2019 Women of Power Summit on will take place Feb. 28–March 3, 2019, at The Mirage Hotel and Casino. in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Women of Power Summit is the nation's No. 1 executive development and leadership conference for women of color, annually attracting more than 1,000 corporate executives, professionals, and businesswomen from across the country. Honorees to be recognized at the 2019 Women of Power Summit Legacy Awards Gala, hosted by PepsiCo, include the following outstanding achievers: Chaka Khan, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Alice Walker. Lunjeal Music Group celebrates GRAMMY® Award nominations for 21-year-old Jekalyn Carr whose album "One Nation Under God" received two nominations for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Song/Performance. These are Carr's second and third GRAMMY® nominations."One Nation Under God" recently won a GMA Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year. The 61st Annual GRAMMY ® Awards will air live on the CBS Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. Rickey Smiley reunites with Martin Lawrence and other comedy legends for the critically acclaimed "Lit AF Tour" on the final episode of TV One's RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, premiering Tuesday, December 18 at 8 p.m./7C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGVY7iBb0fg&feature=youtu.be Atlanta-based producer and songwriter Jeshua "TedyP" Williams - known for his production work within the R&B, Hip Hop and Gospel genres working with the likes of Pharrell, Jazzy Pha, Jermaine Dupri, Tank, Micah Stampley, Kierra Sheard, Rotimi, Casey J, Detrick Haddon and Bow Wow is celebrating two final round Stellar Gospel Music Award nominations for Producer of the Year alongside Marquis Boone for his work on Kelontae Gavin's "The Higher Experience live" album and praise and worship ensemble, Fresh Start Worship. Zaytoven & Deitrick Haddon have released their collaborative holiday EP, Greatest Gift. GRAMMY® Award-winning multi-platinum super producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Zaytoven and iconic gospel singer Deitrick Haddon unwrap seven smooth original Christmas anthems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVOwJQ8YFOs&feature=youtu.be Myyah Lockhart is a musician, songwriter, actor and minister who spent his childhood singing in church and becoming a savant on the alto saxophone. His musical journey is highlighted with a role as Drum Major in 20th Century Fox’s hit film Drumline, an appearance on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and touring internationally to Italy and Switzerland. Myyah currently serves as a military pilot in the United States Air Force and from his growing passion for ministry is an ordained elder and the International Missions Director at his home church Judah Temple of Praise Church in Nashville, TN. Myyah Lockhart drops new single awesome Jesus.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNzxAqq0pys&feature=youtu.be Pastor John Gray of Relentless Church in South Carolina gifted his wife with a $200,000 Lamborghini after making what he described as a “faith deposit” for their wedding anniversary — and he’s been getting slammed on social media for it ever since. In an Instagram video “celebrating 8 years of marriage,” Gray presented wife Aventer with the keys to the vehicle while saying “Lamborghini Urus.” Criticism of the lavish purchase prompted the removal of the clip and the pastor responded to the backlash. “[Eight] years. New Beginnings. New hope. New life. And for her, a new whip. I put a faith deposit down in February and God helped me to make my wife’s dream come true. Why not? She’s made mine come true!” he wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday night. Donnie McClurkin is singing praises to “God and two angels” for saving his life after he passed out while driving Wednesday and was involved in a serious crash. “Was in a serious accident at 12:50am this morning…passed out while driving on the highway. Totaled the car…hospitalized, going through a myriad of tests…..,” McClurkin, who is the pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, New York, announced in a statement on Facebook. “Lost consciousness driving…but two human angels followed my swerving car with their emergency blinkers onto stop traffic ….drove behind me until my car crashed into the middle concrete island. I remember none of it except those two angels pulling me out of the passenger’s side of the crumbled TOTALED car…airbags deployed…crushed metal and Fiberglas!! [Sic]” he continued. Sunday evening, Urban One hosted the inaugural URBAN ONE HONORS Awards show at The Anthem in Washington, DC. The star-studded show, hosted by D.L. Hughley, honored Jermaine Dupri, April Ryan, Brandy, Tom Joyner, Marvin Sapp, DJ Khaled, June Ambrose, Doc Walker, Shaun King, Benny Pough, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jade Novah, Dr. Nadia Lopez, Tracy Martin, Sybrina Fultonand Rotimi. Presented by MGM National Harbor and Radio One's Washington D.C. radio stations Majic 102.3 & 92.7, 93.9 WKYS, Praise 104.1, WOL 1450 & 95.9, Spirit 1340and The Team 980, the event was developed to acknowledge and honor individuals or organizations that have made an extraordinary impact on society and culture. The Chris Paul Family Foundation will celebrate the holidays this year taking 100 children, previously selected, from Boys & Girls Clubs, ElementarynSchools in the Triad, Forsyth County Parks and Recreation, the Agape Faith Church and Wonder Kids. (Due to his schedule, Chris Paul will not be attending.) The holiday shopping spree is an annual event for the Foundation. The goal is two-fold. Each child receives a $100 gift card which gives them a lesson on how to budget their money and they must purchase at least one gift for someone else. JUAN & LISA WINANS SPREAD HOLIDAY CHEER IN ATLANTA WITH NEW ALBUM "A LITTLE SOUL FOR CHRISTMAS" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4vuZ6vFVy0&feature=youtu.be TAUREN WELLS VISITS "HOME & FAMILY" on behalf of his GRAMMY nominated single "Known" Wednesday, December 12, 2018 10am/9c on Hallmark Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbQ6Lfh5L14&feature=youtu.be The Christmas season is in the air and multiple award-winning singer, CeCe Winans, is riding on the heels of her double Grammy Award wins earlier this year for Let Them Fall in Love. Winans teamed up with her son, Alvin Love III, once again to deliver a beautiful contemporary collection of holiday songs on Something’s Happening! A Christmas Album that’s available at all music retail and digital outlets. The single “It’s Christmas” written by Alvin is and on the path to becoming a holiday favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHz42pN3Xbk On Sunday, CNN honored its Top 10 "Heroes" during a gala that was broadcast live from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Dr. Robert J. Gore -- an emergency physician at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and founder of KAVI ("Kings Against Violence Initiative") -- was among the Heroes recognized for their work to improve the quality of life for people in their communities. Although he did not win "CNN Hero of the Year" (that honor went to Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong), Dr. Gore was celebrated with a video tribute, presented by actor Omari Hardwick, that highlighted the efforts of KAVI to heal the violence among inner-city youth. https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/musicvideos/cnn-hero-dr-rob-gore/vi-AAwov6b Two weeks after drawing praise for allowing congregants in need to take cash directly from his offering baskets, Pastor John Gray of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, is drawing flak for gifting his wife a Lamborghini Urus for their eighth wedding anniversary celebration that left her screaming on Saturday. The Urus, with prices starting at about $200,000 in 2017, according to Fortune, has a 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo engine that produces 650 horsepower. It also boasts an automatic eight-speed transmission, can travel 0 to 62 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 189 mph. California megachurch pastor Bishop Noel Jones has taken a dig at the black church for not fulfilling its role in the community. In an interview with The Philadelphia Tribune last Thursday at the Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center at the Met in Philadelphia, Jones, who leads the 20,000-member City of Refuge Church in Los Angeles, said the black church is waiting for the government to do ministry it should be doing. “We still have self-doubt, we still are killing each other at an alarming rate and it’s happening right in our communities. The prostitution, the drugs — all of the things that are negative are happening right around the church. It’s right down the street from us,” he said. “How do we address it? We stop looking to the government and we stop looking to everybody else to take care of us as if we are still slaves and we take the opportunity that is in front of us.” Chance the Rapper has announced he’s leaving the country to “learn the Word of God,” admitting that while he was raised in a Christian home, he’s mostly “unfamiliar” with the Bible. “I’m on a plane headed out the country on my first sabbatical,” the artist wrote in a recent Instagram post. “I’m going away to learn the Word of God which I am admittedly very unfamiliar with. I’ve been brought up by my family to know Christ, but I haven’t taken it upon myself to really just take a couple of days and read my Bible. We all quote scripture and tell each other what God likes and doesn’t like, but how much time do we spend as followers of Jesus to really just read and KNOW His Word. I’m definitely guilty of not devoting time to it.” Rickey Smiley returns to his alma mater Alabama State University with the "Rickey Smiley Morning Show" radio crew for homecoming on the next episode of TV One's RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, premiering Tuesday, December 11 at 8 p.m./7C. Rickey's a natural crowd-pleaser, commanding the stage with jam-packed jokes and high energy that is matched only by the hype crowd and marching band. Rickey interviews legendary group Bell Biv DeVoe and discusses the initial moment the R&B crooners hit super-stardom after branching off from New Edition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C-A5go6Lb0&feature=youtu.be The year of 2018 was another banner year for Tyscot Records nurturing established artists and propelling rising stars to higher platforms. Anthony Brown & group therAPy enjoyed another big year as the dynamic Washington, D.C. area group maintained its spot as the sixth most popular act of the year on Billboard Magazine’s Top Gospel Artists Charts. Footage Films Studio latest original film, "FALL GIRLS" will premiere on Saturday, January 12, 2019. The film stars Erica Peeples, Amara la Negra, Tami Roman, Erica Hubbard, Paris Phillips and Joely Fisher. FALL GIRLS is about Paige Davis who has just gotten promoted to president of sales at her job. Paige and her co-workers travel with their boss, Simone, to give her farewell speech. After an extravagant night of partying, Paige and her girlfriends hilariously wake up to a dead boss. The girls decide to dress up their boss and pretend she's still alive in an effort to close a major company deal, and save themselves from sure imprisonment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5unyhQL8hkw RCA Inspiration has remained a dominating force in delivering new music and highlighting beloved favorites, with its releases garnering major honors across all of Billboard’s 2018 Year-End Charts for Gospel and Gospel Songwriting. Compiled from sales, airplay, streams, and other data measurements of performance on Billboard’s charts this past year, RCA Inspiration and its parent division Provident Label Group top the rankings on all Gospel label charts. Provident Label Group has been named #1 again on Billboard’s 2018 Year-End Charts for Top Gospel Labels, Top Gospel Album Labels and Hot Gospel Songs Labels. RCA Inspiration has been named #1 again on Billboard’s 2018 Year-End Charts for Top Gospel Album Imprints and Hot Gospel Songs Imprints, with Verity also named #4 on Top Gospel Album Imprints. Introducing new voices to Gospel as well as recognizing continued chart successes, for the albums and songs that have impacted fans the most – RCA Inspiration’s honors on Billboard’s 2018 Year-End Charts include – the debut Gospel albums from Koryn Hawthorne and Snoop Dogg, the latest projects and long-running treasured hits from Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Travis Greene, Jason Nelson, William Murphy and more on the Top Gospel Artists, Top Gospel Albums, Hot Gospel Songs, and Gospel Streaming Songs charts. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Nigerian Soul Singer-Songwriter TolumiDE announces the release of her highly anticipated acoustic album "Mama Sunshine" is out! The rising star, TolumiDE, is set to open for R&B Grammy-nominated duo - Les Nubians at Howard Theatre in Washington, DC on Saturday December 15th, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eftgu__DVGc New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, formerly led by the late Bishop Eddie Long, new leader Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, pastor of Empowerment Temple in Baltimore preached his first sermon Sunday. The activist and sometimes controversial pastor will reportedly move to Lithonia, GA to take on his new duties. With the move he will be shifting from an African Methodist Episcopal congregation to a Baptist congregation. The release also stated that, “Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant embodies the rare balance of spiritual gifts and practical educational experiences that connects pastoral leadership and discipleship teaching with prophetic preaching and courageous social action. TV One's original film COINS FOR CHRISTMAS premieres Sunday, December 16 at 7 PM/6C. The film stars Stephen Bishop (Being Mary Jane), Essence Atkins (Marlon), TC Carson (Living Single), Kelly Price (Saints and Sinners) and Karlie Redd (Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNfuWSY2ITA&feature=youtu.be Tyler Perry served as commencement speaker for The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) 7th graduating class last Saturday. Mr. Perry addressed the girls and their families, speaking to the importance of being chosen to have the opportunity to attend OWLAG: “Before the ceremony this morning, I spoke to Ms. Winfrey and asked her how she chose the girls. She said she looks for something special, something that sparkles and is unique. Today that is all I saw. I saw all the hope, brilliance and intelligence. Being the chosen one is special and wonderful. It gives you the opportunity to strive and go higher and do things that you would have not had the chance to do.” Two GRAMMY Nominations with Incredible & Ground-Breaking World Music Sensations. Singer/Songwriter, Guitarist & Visionary FATOUMATA DIAWARA & Two Time GRAMMY Winners SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR . Fatoumata Diawara's FENFO and Soweto Gospel Choir's FREEDOM are both nominated in the Best World Music Album Category. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gmGL5SqhaY Fred "Uncle Freddie" Jerkins III, President of DarkChild Gospel, new cancer awareness project, “A Project of Healing ,” continues to make waves at Gospel radio. The album, “A Project of Healing,” encompasses fourteen songs of Faith, Hope and Victory to help those who have been impacted by the disease Cancer. The projects second single, “Victory” featuring duo, Last Call, enters at #1 on the Billboard Gospel. Hear Last Call In Their Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/lastcall_intvw.htm Nominations for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards were announced with the following artists receiving nominations in the Gospel and Contemporary Christian Music categories: Best Gospel Performance/Song YOU WILL WIN -Jekalyn Carr; Allen Carr & Jekalyn Carr, songwriters WON’T HE DO IT-Koryn Hawthorne NEVER ALONE-Tori Kelly Featuring Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin & Victoria Kelly, songwriters CYCLES-Jonathan McReynolds Featuring DOE; Jonathan McReynolds, songwriter A GREAT WORK-Brian Courtney Wilson; Aaron W. Lindsey, Alvin Richardson & Brian Courtney Wilson, songwriters Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song RECKLESS LOVE-Cory Asbury; Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver & Ran Jackson, songwriters YOU SAY-Lauren Daigle; Lauren Daigle, Jason Ingram & Paul Mabury, songwriters JOY-for KING & COUNTRY; Ben Glover, Matt Hales, Stephen Blake Kanicka, Seth Moslely, Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone & Tedd Tjornhom, songwriters GRACE GOT YOU-MercyMe Featuring John Reuben; David Garcia, Ben Glover, MercyMe, Solomon Olds & John Reuben, songwriters KNOWN-Tauren Wells; Ethan Hulse, Jordan Sapp & Tauren Wells, songwriters Best Gospel Album ONE NATION UNDER GOD-Jekalyn Carr HIDING PLACE-Tori Kelly MAKE ROOM-Jonathan McReynolds THE OTHER SIDE-The Walls Group A GREAT WORK-Brian Courtney Wilson Best Contemporary Christian Music Album LOOK UP CHILD-Lauren Daigle HALLELUJAH HERE BELOW-Elevation Worship LIVING WITH A FIRE-Jesus Culture SURROUNDED-Michael W. Smith SURVIVOR: LIVE FROM HARDING PRISON-Zach Williams The Grammy Awards take place on February 10th Entertainment One Nashville celebrates it’s Vice President & General Manager of Urban Inspirational Music, Gina Miller, as she receives recognition from Billboard as one of the most powerful executives in the music industry. Billboard’s annual celebration of more than 120 female industry leaders, veterans and next-gen talents was announced this week via Billboard.com. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Entertainment One celebrates GRAMMY® Award nominations for Jonathan McReynolds, whose “Make Room” received two nominations for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Song/Performance. The 2018 GRAMMY ® Award nominations were announced today. The 61st Annual GRAMMY ® Awards will air live on the CBS on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. TV One's original LIVING BY DESIGN HOLIDAY SPECIAL premieres Sunday, December 9 at 7 PM/6C. For the first time ever, brother/sister duo Jake and Jazz Smollett are inviting cameras to follow them for this exclusive LIVING BY DESIGN HOLIDAY SPECIAL. The pair will recreate down home recipes and make kicked up cocktails with celebrity guest, Grammy-nominated singer Ledisi. To really top things off, Jazz will share amazing concepts for setting a table, as well as create DIY serving trays and other entertaining ideas from scratch. Whether you're looking for new dishes, or suggestions for adding some pop to your holiday party, Jake and Jazz have you covered! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALobtEh_1EU&feature=youtu.be RCA Inspiration celebrates two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the categories of Best Gospel Performance/Song and Best Gospel Album for the 61st GRAMMY® Awards, with nods from Koryn Hawthorne and The Walls Group. Koryn Hawthorne garners her first-ever GRAMMY® Award nomination, with “Won’t He Do It” nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song. The Walls Group are nominated for Best Gospel Album for their The Other Side marking their third career GRAMMY® nomination. Additionally, multiple GRAMMY®winning Kirk Franklin receives his 23rd career GRAMMY® nomination for his featured performance with Tori Kelly on “Never Alone,” which is nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song. The headline says it all. Seriously, nobody, if they’ve been paying attention, can say they didn’t see this coming. In fact, we dare say, some folks (Michelle’s fans) have been praying for this moment. Yes, Michelle Williams and pastor Chad Johnson are dunzo. Michelle made the announcement in an Instagram Story post on Friday morning — the same day she dropped her new single, “Fearless.” “I still remain fearless,” she wrote in simple white text on a black background. “I guess I still remain single! Things didn’t work out. The healing that needs to take place is a must! I don’t wanna destroy another relationship. Blessings to him, his family and ministry. #FEARLESS” Tyler Perry is feeling festive and generous ahead of Christmas so he has spread the holiday cheer at two Atlanta-area Walmart stores where the movie mogul paid off more than $430,000 in layaway items. “Trying to do this anonymously but, um, due to some circumstances y’all know how nothing stays secret these days,” he explained in a video. “So, I just wanted to go ahead and tell you.” Perry explained, “If you have a layaway at the Walmart at 844 Cleveland Avenue in East Point, Georgia — in Atlanta — or if you have a layaway at the Walmart at 7001 Concourse Parkway in Douglasville, Georgia — if you have a layaway at either place and it was in there as of 9:30 this morning, — I have paid for all of your layaways for Christmas.” Motown Gospel celebrates GRAMMY® Award nominations for Brian Courtney Wilson, whose critically acclaimed album A GREAT WORK received two nominations for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Song/Performance. The 2018 GRAMMY ® Award nominations were announced today. Multiple GRAMMY®, Stellar, and Dove Award-winning Gospel icon Donnie McClurkin releases a two-song gift bringing holiday tidings, with “My Favorite Things” and “Some Children See Him.” Newly recorded by McClurkin, the two holiday singles are available now at all digital music providers. BET Networks is set to premiere “A THOUSAND WORDS WITH MICHELLE OBAMA” on Wednesday, December 5 at 9PM ET. “A THOUSAND WORDS WITH MICHELLE OBAMA” is an empowering new one-hour special featuring former First Lady Michelle Obama in candid conversation with former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett at the Leading Women Defined symposium at the St. Regis hotel in Miami, FL. The women discuss a range of topics as Michelle Obama shares words of uplift, stories of sisterhood, the importance of self-care and her marked growth through her husband’s eight years in office. Former “Today” show host Tamron Hall has inked a new licensing deal with Disney and Hearst Television that will see her upcoming syndicated daytime talk show reach 50 percent of U.S. television households. Set to debut next fall, the show will reportedly appear in 24 different markets, including WCVB-TV Boston, WMOR-TV Tampa, WESH-TV Orlando, KCRA-TV Sacramento, WTAE-TV Pittsburgh, WBAL-TV Baltimore, KMBC-TV Kansas City, WLWT-TV Cincinnati, WISN-TV Milwaukee and WPBF-TV West Palm Beach, among others. Comedian Kevin Hart announced that he’s officially set to host the 91st Academy Awards ceremony. The actor is emceeing for the first time and succeeds Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted the last two Academy Awards. “I will be sure to make this years Oscars a special one,” the comedian wrote Tuesday in an Instagram post, adding, “now it’s time to rise to the occasion.” “For years I have been asked if I would ever host the Oscars and my answer was always the same…I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it’s suppose to,” he wrote. “I am so happy to say that the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars. I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time….To be able to join the legendary list of hosts that have graced that stage is unbelievable.” G.I. have worked for years to become one of the biggest male urban gospel groups on the scene today. It’s hard to believe that in 1998, 20 years ago in Richmond VA, 3 brothers/high school friends formed this group that would minister, inspire, and bless lives all over the world. It is rare that any group, in any genre, would last 20 months, let alone 20 years. When asked what is the secret to their longevity, group member Branden Anderson says… “Love, patience, prayer and teamwork. You have to sacrifice, and be considerate of your other group members. We’ve seen them come and go, and I believe that’s why we are still here.” Not only are they still existing, but they are thriving! Their new hit single “I’m Ready” is doing well on the Gospel Airplay Charts, The trio is preparing for their big 20 Year Celebration Concert scheduled to go down Saturday December 15 at Speaking Spirit Ministries in Richmond. Flashback Gospel Spotlight....Hear G.I. In Their Own Words....https://www.gospel-spotlight.com/GI.htm In the nearly two years since the death of Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, the late megachurch preacher’s eldest child, Edward Long, has quietly dealt with the pain of being repeatedly overlooked as his father’s successor. In a parabolic sermon on Sunday, a day Long described as the “toughest Sunday of my life,” the minister and elder at New Birth came clean with his congregation. “I thought that I was dealing with depression for the past two years because I kept getting looked over and looked over and looked over. Why is it that I get more love from the outside than the inside? But then I read what Jesus said,” Long revealed on Facebook. It was a week before the church is expected to welcome controversial Baltimore megachurch Pastor Jamal Bryant as their newest senior pastor on Dec. 9. Bryant’s appointment begins months after Bishop Stephen A. Davis, who took over leadership of New Birth shortly after Bishop Long’s death, resigned from the church in June. Tyscot Records and its affiliated artists and label partners have earned a combined 27 Stellar Gospel Music Award nominations on the final Stellar Awards ballot for the 34th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards which take place Friday, March 29, 2019 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Leading Tyscot’s nominations – with 9 – is 19-year-old South Carolina native, Kelontae Gavin, who has been the talk of the gospel music industry over the last year with his dynamic radio smash, “No Ordinary Worship,” which has amassed millions of streams and currently sits in the Top Ten on the Gospel Airplay chart. Cheryl Fortune, who has spent years in the background of the music industry as a songwriter of No. 1 hits and a vocal arranger, stepped forward as a soloist this year. Her debut album, “Simply Cheryl,” brings 7 nods, including the coveted New Artist of the Year. Other Tyscot-affiliated artists receiving nods are Tyscot Records founder, Bishop Leonard Scott, Vashawn Mitchell, Bishop Noel Jones, Javen and C West. BET's Sunday Best Season 6 Top 3 finalist Tyler Little has signed a multi-album deal with Dream Label Group in partnership with Atlanta-based Platform Agency. Tyler Little's, debut single "We Come To Praise Him" is available now for purchase and streaming on all digital outlets. Produced by Mod-G, Chris Adams and Elvin McCollum, and written by ASCAP Award Winning and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Travis Malloy, "We Come To Praise Him" is a powerful gospel track filled with celebration, hope and affirmation of the promise of God's glory. Tyler Little is set to make an appearance on The WORD Network next month and is slated for an upcoming tour and full-length debut album release Summer 2019. Revival, an imaginative retelling of the gospel according to John the Apostle featuring original and contemporary gospel music will hold it’s world premier Dec. 4th at The Museum of The Bible, 400 4th Street SW, Washington, DC. The evening will begin with a VIP cocktail reception and red carpet, followed by performances featuring the film’s stars in advance of the evening’s screening. Revival! opens Dec. 7 in theaters in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Houston, Detroit, Dallas and Los Angeles. In January, it will expand to screens in Memphis, Baltimore, New Orleans, Norfolk, St. Louis, San Francisco, Cleveland, Orlando, Boston, Tampa, Indianapolis and Milwaukee. The all-star cast includes 10-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Siedah Garrett, Mali Music, T’Keyah Crystal Keymah, Dawnn Lewis, Niki J. Crawford, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Paula Newsome, Victoria Tilford and Chester Gregory. Karen Clark Sheard appeared on her daughters Vlog "Katching Kierra" where she is showing Kierra how to make her Baked Mac and Cheese. A different side of Karen Clark Sheard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FB_91eJ9HM Urban One has announced the honorees for the inaugural URBAN ONE HONORS Awards show, set for December 9, 2018 at The Anthem in Washington, DC. The show will be hosted by DL Hughley. Urban One Honors is presented by MGM National Harbor and Radio One’s Washington D.C. radio stations Majic 102.3 & 92.7, 93.9 WKYS, Praise 104.1, WOL 1450 & 95.9, Spirit 1340 and The Team 980, and was developed to acknowledge and honor individuals or organizations that have made an extraordinary impact on society and culture. This year’s honorees include: Rapper/Producer, Jermaine Dupri, Living Legend Award; Singer/Actress, Brandy, Cathy Hughes Excellence Award; Fashion Stylist, June Ambrose, Fashion Icon Award; Singer, Teyana Taylor, R&B Impact Award; Media Mogul, Tom Joyner, Lifetime Achievement Award; Gospel Artist, Marvin Sapp, Inspirational Impact Award; Former NFL Player, Doc Walker, Sports Legend Award; Activist/Columnist Shaun King, Social Change Agent Award; Music Executive, Benny Pough, Record Executive of the Year Award; Congresswoman, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Public Servant Award; Singer, Jade Novah, Viral Sensation; Principal, Dr. Nadia Lopez, Education Maven; and Actor, Rotimi, Generation Next Award. Marvin Sapp and K-Ci of Jodeci are set to perform, with LA Reid, Da Brat, Bryan Michael Cox, Ray J, Roland Martin and Q Parker among the presenters. Bible Archaeology, Search & Exploration Institute (BASE) claim there is strong evidence that the Old Testament’s ark’s resting place is in Ethiopia.The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most sought after relics from the Bible, being the trunk said to contain the Ten Commandments handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai. It is said the chest is made of wood and covered in gold, containing the two stone tablets along with other paraphernalia from the Bible. Ethiopia has long had a connection to the Ark, with Christians in the country outright claiming to be the current holders of the relic with it under guard at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. BASE archaeologists have claimed there is “compelling evidence” that the Ark was in fact taken to Africa by ancient Jews as it was sailed down the Nile. Biblical scholars mounted an expedition to Ethiopia as they believe the Ark was taken there after being shipped out of Israel to Egypt.BASE do not 100% claim to have uncovered the Ark, but said the research has “strong potential”.It said: “Although the subject is controversial and clouded with confusion, one emerging theory indicates that the Ark of the Covenant was transported out of ancient Israel and may be in Ethiopia today. Major life transitions are abound for the RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL crew as Rickey celebrates his 50th birthday, DJ starts college and Juicy settles into her new home on the next episode of TV One's RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, premiering Tuesday, December 4 at 8 p.m./7C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbAtk1kGV20&feature=youtu.be Meet a blessed R&B Artist on fire for the Lord. His biggest hit is "Why I Love You." Other hits are "Honest" and "Better With You In It." Hear Major In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/major_intvw.htm A Stone Cold Christmas, Bounce's first originally-produced movie, reached more than 1.4 Million Viewers in its premiere night airings on Sunday, Nov. 25. The 9:00 p.m. (ET) premiere of A Stone Cold Christmas delivered 468K Total Viewers posting whopping increases of +60%I n Household delivery, +92% in the delivery of Persons 18-49 and +70% in P25-54. The audience grew throughout the program with viewing peaking at 565K Total Viewers. A Stone Cold Christmas encored later in the evening (1:00 a.m. ET/10:00 p.m. PT) averaging 264K Total Viewers and growing HHs by +13%with similar strong increases among P18-49 (+31%) and P25-54 (+27%). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1YUu3z3fmM&feature=youtu.be TV One's original film MERRY WISHMAS premieres Sunday, December 2 at 7 PM/6C, encore at 9 P.M. ET/8C. Directed by veteran actress Terri J. Vaughn, the filmstars Tamela Mann (The Manns), David Mann (The Manns), Kim Fields (Living Single), Towanda Braxton (Braxton Family Values), Chrystale Wilson (The Players Club) and Elizabeth Omilami (Madea's Family Reunion). Todd Dulaney has had an amazing year! He presented a new album to the world, and a #1 single at radio for 8 weeks thanks to you all! But he hasn’t stopped there. He is back with new music that he recorded in South Africa earlier this year. A new anthem for the body of Christ that reminds believers that God will do it all again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD9_exmnpj0&feature=youtu.be TV One's latest original film, THREE'S COMPLICATED will premiere on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 7 P.M. ET/6C. The project stars Shanola Hampton (Shameless), Tyler Lepley (The Haves and The Have Nots), Kyanna Simone Simpson (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) and Charles Malik Whitfield (The Temptations). THREE'S COMPLICATED, executive produced by Shanola Hampton, chronicles the complicated love story of Deja (Hampton), a 42-year-old divorcee who has just been passed over for a promotion. After a night out at the bar, Deja ends up having a weekend fling with Sonny (Lepley) - a young, attractive man ten years her junior. She later discovers her fling is also dating her daughter Eleni (Simpson). Deja struggles to control her attraction to him and protect her daughter's heart, who is head over heels for her new beau. Meanwhile, Deja's ex-husband Craig (Whitfield) re-enters the picture seeking a reconciliation. Conflicted and uncertain, Deja finds herself in a complex love triangle that brings her to the brink of heartbreak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbcaYANtM8Q&feature=youtu.be On November 12 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, more than 15,000 people came together under the banner of peace. This diverse and multi-religious gathering came together as one unified body calling for peace and unity for America and the world. Praise and worship icon Israel Houghton roused the audience into a praise and worship frenzy. Not to be outdone, Grammy-award winning Bishop Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir, from Brooklyn, lifted the spirit even higher with ";Souled Out" and his international anthem "Every Praise." This was followed by an inspirational message by Bishop Noel Jones of the City of Refuge Church in Los Angeles, who challenged the audience to find the peace within. The evening was closed out by Grammy-award winning superstar Yolanda Adams who left the crowd in awe and excited about spreading the mission of peace. Tune in to the Empowerment Encounter on The Word Network with host Jamal Bryant Tonight 11/28 at 8:30P ET to hear H.B Charles Jr. perform "I'll Fly Away" live! Erica Campbell interviewed former First Lady Michelle Obama on “Get Up Mornings With Erica Campbell.” This interview will be the second time Mrs. Obama appears on the radio show, and the two will chat about the First Lady’s new book, “Becoming.” The in-depth interview will air tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM EST/ 7:00 AM CST. Fans can also stream the show live via the Get Up Mornings With Erica Campbell mobile app and on the official website https://getuperica.com/ Anthony Faulkner is an award-winning International Urban Inspirational Artist who writes, arranges and produces Gospel and Inspirational music. Anthony recently added another international music honor to his credits: The PraiseTek Gospel Music Award - International Legacy Award. PraiseTek Awards where handed out in London this October with Anthony in attendance to receive his award. After taking this year to tour across the globe, Anthony closes out 2018 with a new holiday single. Anthony has written and released his first Christmas single "This Time of Year". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaOcw6Ekr7M&feature=youtu.be BET Networks is set to premiere “Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones,” a star-studded evening that celebrates the life and legacy of the icon. The special was taped in September at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, and will premiere on BET Networks on Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 8:00PM ET. The evening will explore Quincy the hit maker, contributions to film & television, work as a humanitarian, his contributions to jazz, and success as a producer, highlighting his relationship with Michael Jackson. Performers such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, John Legend, Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan, Fantasia, Charlie Wilson, Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo, Meghan Trainor, Patti Austin, Yolanda Adams, Ledisi, Cynthia Erivo, and Gregory Porterall hit the stage to pay tribute to Mr. Jones performing his classic works. Additionally, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Danny Glover, Usher Raymond, Dave Chappelle, LL Cool J, Rashida Jones, Ludacris, and Aloe Blacc shared their personal stories of how Quincy has impacted them throughout the years. Will Downing is a walking, singing testimony of the power of faith and prayer. And he delivers on his promise with his new CD, THE PROMISE, an inspirational album-actually his first gospel album — to be released November 30, 2018 by Shanachie Entertainment. Though THE PROMISE will likely be categorized as a gospel album or a “praise-and-worship” album and while those elements are there, such categorization misses the larger intent. The album is Downing’s heartfelt 10-song thank you letter to God for bringing him back from the edge of darkness into His marvelous light. Weeks after Alaina Housley died in the Nov. 7 mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, which left at least 12 people dead, Tamera Mowry-Housley returned to The Real on Monday, where she reflected on her niece’s life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmls32BXyvE Featuring the #1 hit single “Emmanuel” (one of the top selling Christmas CDs of all-time), Stellar & Dove nominee Norman Hutchins is featured on the nationally-televised holiday special "A Gospel Christmas". With guest appearances by Lala Hathaway, Martha Wash, Jaime Grace, South Africa's Just 6, Norman Hutchins and more, "A Gospel Christmas" is celebrating its 20th year on the air. Flashback Gospel Spotlight....Hear Norman Hutchins In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/hutchins02.htm RonReaco Lee visits "THE REAL" Wednesday, November 28, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcxl_VTIg08&feature=youtu.be Chicago native Jeff Robinson is a IT Professional, Ministry Leader, Certified John Maxwell Coach, Teacher andSpeaker, Content Creator and Event Producer, Jeff has over 25 years of service to youth, small businesses, churches and communities sharing his expertise and inspiring people to live a life of purpose. He is noted for his popular I.M.A.C. Conferences - (The Institute for Ministry, Arts & Cultivation Conference). With a vision to create more servant leaders, ambitious youth, visionaries and dreamers, Jeff has now unified his companies into one conglomeration called The JRob United Group. His new parent company will house all of his existing organizations including:I.M.A.C. Conferences International, Jet Foundation Incorporated and the newest addition The Cultivation Hub Podcast. The Cultivation Hub Podcast officially launches today (November 26) and can be listened to and downloaded via iTunes, Google Play,Spotify and Stitcher. The Cultivation Hub Podcast is a 24/7 access digital media platform designed to be a channel for Inspiration and Education. Marvin Sapp recently celebrated a milestone anniversary, as he marked 30 years since accepting his call to preach. He also celebrated 15 years as pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center. These milestones are reached as the second single off of his latest, Dove and Stellar Award winning release “Close”, advances to the top of Gospel Radio Airplay Charts. The dazzling ballad, “Listen”, is the #3 reframes the adage that God is trying to tell you something with modern day lingo as the singer imparts: “Hold up "Shhhhh…Listen" I know you’ve got your own plan / But He’s got a better one.” 2018 has been an exceptional year for Sapp, whose ministry has taken him around the world while accolades and acknowledgements continue to pour in. Over the last two months alone, Sapp has been to Africa and Europe two times each for preaching and singing engagements. He was also won the Traditional Gospel Album of the Year category at the recent Dove Awards, was honored at the 2018 Gospel Music Honors, and is set to receive the Inspirational Impact Award at the inaugural Urban One Honors being held in Washington, D.C. this December. John P. Kee really knows how to throw a party. Recently, the legendary artist threw a concert celebrating the 70th birthday of his mentor and icon, Bishop Rance Allen. Kee hosted Jason Nelson, Yolanda DeBerry, Isaiah Templeton, Shawn Bigby and Zeeksong for a spirited and packed-out concert at his New Life Fellowship Church in Charlotte, NC. For those artists who couldn't appear in person, they sent greetings via Instagram. Korean Seoul, serenaded Bishop Allen with an a cappella rendition of the signature tune, "Something About the Name Jesus." Multiple re-postings of the video have amassed over 150,000 views: Kirk Franklin, who wrote the song, wrote on his IG wall, "the greatest opportunity of my life was to work with you sir. Forever grateful for what you made this song become."The original and various re-recordings of the song by The Rance Allen Group have earned over 50 million streams. Gospel Spotlight Flash Back. Hear Rance Allen In His Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/rance_intvw.htm ; Ernest Pugh, who is best-known for hits such as “Rain on Us” and “I Need Your Glory,” celebrated his 52nd birthday on Black Friday, November 23rd. He’s launching an exciting new radio program on the weekends. The new show, “On the Couch with Dr. Pugh at the Worship Leader’s Lounge” launched with a special broadcast this Sunday, November 25th on Richmond, VA’s 105.3 FM The Choice (WQCN) radio station. The show will air each Saturday at 1PM ET with a 5 PM ET rebroadcast on Sundays. Oprah Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, died on Thanksgiving Day. She was 83. In a statement to People, a spokesperson for Winfrey, says her mother has already been laid to rest at a private funeral. Vernita Lee worked as a housekeeper for a good portion of her life. She is survived by Winfrey and daughter Patricia Amanda Faye Lee, who she gave up for adoption at birth and reconnected with later in life. Lee also had two other children — son Jeffrey Lee, who died in 1989 and daughter Patricia Lee Lloyd, who died in 2003. Grammy® award-winning producer, Zaytoven and Grammy® nominated artist, Deitrick Haddon and are spreading holiday cheer this season as they announce their collaboration on a new EP titled “Zaytoven & Deitrick Haddon Greatest Gift,” available December 7, 2018 on all major digital music retailers. The eight track EP is lead by the critically acclaimed single, "Christmas Prayer," and the viral hit, "Make Love." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTS2EqYmg00&feature=youtu.be New Haven Records announced that celebrated television and Broadway personality Kathie Lee Gifford recently taped an episode of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning Dr. Oz Show that is scheduled to air on November 26, 2018. The interview spotlighted her new children’s book, “The Gift That I Can Give” and her recent New Haven Kids’ project, the Gospel Music Association Dove Award-nominated musical The Little Giant, which is based on the biblical story of David and Goliath. Kathie Lee, the three time Emmy-winning co-host of the fourth hour of TODAY with Hoda Kotb, taped two segments for Dr. Oz. In her interview, she shares that God had already given the young shepherd boy everything he needed to defeat Goliath. David had a relationship with a living God, not a religion. Kathie Lee then compares the story of David with her new children’s book. “The Gift That I Can Give” illustrates that we're all made with special gifts from God that are unique to each of us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO_dNnfnapc&t=19s Rickey Smiley hits the stage to emcee the "Black Music Honors" special on the next episode of TV One's RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, premiering Tuesday, November 27 at 8 p.m./7C. It's lights, camera, action at the "Black Music Honors," a Nashville-based event highlighting influential artists and musicians. Before the show, Rickey gives pointers to aspiring talent D'Essence, before she conducts red carpet interviews. Her first round of interviews prove challenging as she stumbles through her questions with honoree Bobby Brown, leading to an awkward red carpet moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdOVo4oHYt4&feature=youtu.be KAREW Entertainment, home of the Grammy Award winning Clark Sisters and multiple award winners Karen Clark Sheard and Kierra Sheard, are excited to announce the release of their brand-new Christmas album, “J. Drew Presents…A Karew Family Christmas,” this Thanksgiving holiday. The album features six brand-new original songs produced by the label CEO, J. Drew Sheard. The urban inspirational project is an instant must-have for any holiday music collection. “J. Drew Presents…A Karew Family Christmas” will be available at all major digital music retailers this Thanksgiving. Baltimore pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant Monday was named the new senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. One hundred thirty-eight candidates were considered for the high-profile position, eventually, the list was whittled down to only two. The announcement, made from the pulpit of the DeKalb County church, was met with applause and a few gasps. Bryant a Morehouse graduate is currently pastor of Empowerment Temple in Baltimore. Bryant will deliver his first official sermon as New Birth's pastor on Dec. 9. The search for a new senior pastor was launched shortly after Bishop Stephen A. Davis, who also pastors a church in Birmingham, Ala., resigned in June. Davis assumed the helm of the megachurch after the death of Bishop Eddie L. Long in 2017. Bishop Neil C. Ellis, of Bahamas-based Global United Fellowship and a close friend of Long, has been a frequent guest in the pulpit since Davis left."New Birth is going forward after the appointment of Bryant was announced, said Ellis." Friday November 16th, Entertainment Icon Snoop Dogg released an Amazon Original “Grateful” featuring Tyrese and E-40. Only available to stream or purchase on Amazon Music, the song follows the release of Snoop Dogg’s #1 debut gospel album Bible of Love. This year marks a monumental time in the legend’s career. Monday, November 19, 2018, Snoop was honored, receiving his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. In addition to commemorating the legacy of the Icon with his Star dedication ceremony, Snoop is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of his debut and classic album, "Doggystyle," which was originally released November 1993. Snoop Dogg’s first cookbook, Crook to Cook, also just hit shelves everywhere and shares personal favorite recipes. Emerging rapper and producer, J. Monty releases new single “My God. The new track marks the fourth single released by the Atlanta-based artist this year. Written by Monty and produced by Vikaden for NARCOTICS Music Group, “My God” highlights how God has been good to him despite his dark past. Meet J. Monty as the Gospel Spotlight is on him. In His Own Words.....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/jmonty_intvw.htm Singer Syleena Johnson and actress Quad Webb-Lunceford, co-hosts of TV One's daily talk show SISTER CIRCLE LIVE, appear on the next episode of RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, premiering this Tuesday, November 20 at 8 p.m./7C. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXrsodN25J8&feature=youtu.be LOX Entertainment Agency, a curator of today’s top Inspirational talent, is proud to celebrate the signing of its 1st artist JJ Hairston to the famed agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME). LOX Entertainment Agency currently represents Gospel music pioneers Hezekiah Walker, Richard Smallwood and Tye Tribbett. In Everything Give Thanks” is the appropriate mantra for this week’s episode of The Blend, featuring power couple Alvin Chea of famed a capella group Take 6 and his wife Adria airing Wednesday, November 21 at 7 pm EST/4 p.m. PST at www.facebook.com/theblendtalkshow. Maranda Curtis is one of the most stunning and successful breakout artists in Gospel music this year. Her album Open Heaven debuted at #1 on the Gospel charts, and has amassed more than 13 million streams overall. Curtis has released a Christmas project to celebrate the joy and magnificence of the season. "Maranda Presents a Holy Christmas" is extraordinary in its musical arrangements as well as the expected goosebump-raising vocals delivered by Curtis and featured guests that include Benita Jones, Amante Lacey, Dr. Kevin Bond and more. "Maranda Presents a Holy Christmas" is available now. Maranda Curtis is the former worship leader at T.D. Jakes' The Potter House. Renowned leader, author, and songwriter Pastor William McDowell to launch the Deeper Worship Intensive (DWI). The inaugural Deeper Worship Intensive, slated for January 30, 2019 - February 2, 2019, in Orlando, Florida will be four days of general sessions, workshops, learning experiences, discussions, and mentorship aimed at impacting the worship community. Unlike any conference or initiative, Deeper Worship Intensive offers a comprehensive four-day gathering to instruct and educate worship leaders, ministers, songwriters, and singers to help to develop skills and knowledge vital to the progress and development of worship music for the next generation. Chart topper Koryn Hawthorne releases a newly-recorded single “This Christmas (Live),” available now at all digital music providers. Delivering a soaring festive live performance of the cherished modern Christmas classic, Hawthorne recorded “This Christmas (Live)” at Skyville Live in Nashville, TN. Her performance is from The Soul & Spirit of Christmas taping, airing on getTV on Friday, November 23rd at 8 pm ET. Koryn Hawthorne: “This Christmas (Live)” is available now. https://lnk.to/ThisChristmasLivePR Just a few weeks ago, Tyler Perry announced that his character 'Madea' was coming to an end. She was going to be coming to an end with the forth coming Movie A Madea's Family Funeral along with the final stage play "Madea's Farewell". The tour kicks off in Oakland, CA on January 18th and will tour for approximately 4 months. Reuniting with Perry is David and Tamela Mann! Mr. Brown and Cora! They have not been in a Tyler Perry stage play since 2008. Tickets for the Oakland, Phoenix, LA and Las Vegas are on Sale TODAY. Michelle Obama sports her natural curls for the cover of Essence magazine’s upcoming issue and other outlets have noted that this appears to be the first time the former first lady went all natural for a major publication. “Only @Essence would have our forever First Lady @MichelleObama on the cover, in her full natural hair glory, snapping her fingers, talking about real love,” Joi-Marie McKenzie, a senior entertainment editor at the magazine, said on Twitter. Essence’s December/January issue features Mrs. Obama reflecting on her days in the White House and balancing family life and a career. Meanwhile, she has kicked off a 10-city tour in her hometown of Chicago to promote her new memoir, “Becoming.” Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon and Tracee Ellis Ross, are scheduled to join Michelle Obama on stage at locations along the way. After Chicago, the tour will move to Los Angeles, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Denver, San Franciscoand Dallas. Ten percent of tickets at each event are being donated to local charities, schools and community groups. Four-time Grammy winner BeBe Winans is preparing for a coming musical “Born for This.” "I lived in New York 10 years and saw every musical ever made. I was Harpo in ‘The Color Purple,’ and a Broadway school taught me to write,” he explained. “I’ve written what’s important. I added new songs. I talk about my family. And Roberta Flack said I had to put this on Broadway. Mine's is a story of rejection. Of faith. Survival. God’s love. Of becoming involved with Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker.” Jim and Tammy Faye were a husband-and-wife televangelist team in the 1970s and ’80s before their ministry was brought down by scandal and bankruptcy. BeBe was part of that ministry. “To audition for them in Charlotte, NC, my mother took me and my sister south on a Greyhound bus. They wanted my sister, not me. I ended up working in a grocery. But then Bakker heard me sing — and that was my beginning. Santa la Noche" (O Holy Night in Spanish) New Music Video from Higher Place Church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rLCkzS5mfI&feature=youtu.be This Thanksgiving, CREED II is a movie that speaks to Strength, Determination, Overcoming and Faith. CREED II is truly a Must see for the entire family! Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family's past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what's worth fighting for, and discover that nothing's more important than family. Billboard Music Award and Stellar Award-Winning artist, JJ Hairston has expanded his organization for his next project. The prolific recording artist, officially signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME), to be represented by the powerhouse entertainment agency on all future bookings. In addition to WME handling official performance/tour bookings, Hairston forms a strategic partnership with The Icho Group, working with Norman Gyamfi. LaTrisha Perkins will also join The Icho Group, serving as day-to-day manager. The acclaimed contemporary sound and trendsetting impact of JJ Hairston has continued to explode, with the monumental success over the past year from the 2017 release of JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise's #1 album You Deserve It, and its #1 smash hit song "You Deserve It." On TBT....Hear JJ Hairston In His Own Words Inside The Gospel Spotlight....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/J_J_Hairston_intvw.htm Comcast Corporation today announced it has selected two new African American majority owned independent networks to be broadly distributed on Comcast Cable systems beginning in January 2019. After a thorough evaluation of dozens of proposals, Comcast selected AFRO and CLEO TV, both of which will provide quality entertainment that highlights and features TV and movie content about African American and black communities. AFRO, a channel from Afrotainment, is a 24-hour polycultural black network mainly broadcasting top-rated Nollywood and black movies, dramas, sitcoms, music, talk, and late night comedy shows. CLEO is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln_7bquSOY0&feature=youtu.be Category Killer may be Pastor John Gray’s new nickname. It’s because of Gray’s work in bridging divides, work that includes going to places where people haven’t seen a lot of diversity, said Pastor Steven Furtick, who gave his friend the new nickname during a racial healing event at Gray’s Relentless Church in Greenville on Wednesday. “God has used you to break barriers,” said Furtick, lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The conversation was recorded and will be released as a movie in theaters across the country, possibly early next year. Gray said he always looks to make himself personally uncomfortable, because it leads to growth. One way to grow, and to be uncomfortable, is to charge head-on into differences like when he signed on to work with the Rev. Joel Osteen or when he seeks out the whitest churches possible, such as Pastor Levi Lusko’s Montana church. “I know I’ve been places where I’m the first black man they’ve hugged,” Gray said. Lusko, one of the panelists, said his church recently uncovered WWII era advertisements while renovating, one of the ads promoted a KKK gathering at the former theater where he now leads worship services. Bringing Gray to speak on a stage where hatred once reigned is one of those small steps, he said. Gospel award-winning singer and pastor, CeCe Winans, recently spent time in Atlanta, GA promoting her new holiday release, Something's Happening! A Christmas Album. The day was kicked off with a visit to TV One's national day-time talk show, Sister Circle. The hosts welcomed CeCe with open arms and discussed everything from music to the importance of loving yourself and being confident in your calling. The next promotion stop will continue in Winans' hometown of Detroit on Friday, November 16th at the annual locally televised Christmas Tree Lighting for the Motor City. Winans will perform a few Christmas songs from her holiday treasure trove that was released in October. The single,"It&'s Christmas" is already in position at radio and fans will start to hear it everywhere as we draw closer to the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Atlanta-based Multi-Platinum, chart-topping songwriter/producer and Jamaican Inspirational recording artist MARANTO, known as Mark Bradford ("Cheerleader"), to release "Faith Through the Fire"EP on November 16, 2018. The 5-track EP is led by the title track "Faith Through the Fire" Inspired, MARANTO wrote "Faith Through the Fire" to encourage everyone to keep their faith during periods of hardship. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Hearst Magazines announced today that Oprah Winfrey's in-depth conversation with Michelle Obama about her new memoir Becoming will air as a primetime special "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Becoming Michelle Obama" on Thursday, November 15 at 8:00 PT/ET on OWN, with an extended unedited version available on "Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations" podcast starting the same day, with part two available on November 19. In addition, the full interview will be streamed on Oprah's Facebook on Sunday, November 18 at 11:00 am ET/PT. The interview will also be featured in O, The Oprah Magazine on newsstands November 20, with behind-the-scenes content available on Oprahmag.com as well as globally across multiple Hearst Magazines' titles, including the December cover of ELLE. O, The Oprah Magazine and OWN also announced today that it has chosen Obama's book as its newest Oprah's Book Club selection. Chick-fil-A announces partnership with DoorDash. Chick-fil-A® customers no longer need to leave their homes to enjoy the Original Chicken Sandwich and other favorite menu items. Starting today, the restaurant company is officially offering delivery from more than 1,100 of its restaurants nationwide as part of a partnership with DoorDash, the on-demand destination connecting customers to their favorite national and local businesses. In celebration of the partnership, Chick-fil-A and DoorDash will give away up to 200,000 free Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches (one per customer in participating cities) from now until Tuesday, November 20, 2018, when placing an order through DoorDash. The giveaway is exclusively available through the DoorDash app and website with a $5 minimum order when using the promo code "CFADELIVERY." The giveaway will be available daily after 10:30 am local time TV One brings the holiday spirit with premieres of two new original movies and other special holiday programming: A SPECIAL NIGHT OF RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, airing Tuesday, November 20 at 8 p.m./7C; MERRY WISHMAS, debuting Sunday, December 2 at 7 p.m./6C; LIVING BY DESIGN HOLIDAY SPECIAL, Sunday, December 9 at 7p.m./6C; and COINS FOR CHRISTMAS, premiering Sunday, December 16 at 7 p.m./6C. A SPECIAL NIGHT WITH RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL kicks off back-to-back episodes as Rickey share some good cheer along with his favorite holiday-approved recipes during his hilarious “Cooking with Comedy” digital series. TV One brings the holiday spirit with the premiere of MERRY WISHMAS, starring Tamela Mann (The Manns), David Mann (The Manns), Kim Fields (Living Single), Towanda Braxton (Braxton Family Values), Chrystale Wilson (The Players Club) and Elizabeth Omilami (Madea’s Family Reunion), revolves around successful businesswoman Kenni (Tamela Mann) who hasn’t returned home to the quaint town of Columbia, South Carolina in years. She’s hoping for a peaceful visit when she finally returns home, but unresolved family issues threaten to make the Christmas holiday not so bright. MERRY WISHMAS will be featured programming during TV One’s Holiday Movie Marathon on December 24-25. TV One brings the holiday spirit with the premiere of COINS FOR CHRISTMAS stars Stephen Bishop (Being Mary Jane), Essence Atkins (Marlon), TC Carson (Living Single), Kelly Price (Saints and Sinners) and Karlie Redd (Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta). The film chronicles single mom Madison (Atkins) who’s saved all year to make sure her teenage kids have the best Christmas ever. That is until she gets fired from the bookstore she manages and comes home to find that the IRS has frozen her bank account due to delinquent taxes her ex-husband failed to pay. COINS FOR CHRISTMAS will be featured programming during TV One’s Holiday Movie Marathon on December 24-25. Bounce, will premiere its first Bounce Original Movie, “A Stone Cold Christmas,” on Sunday, November 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT. Bounce also announced a new original series Last Call, a half-hour situation comedy from Bobbcat Films and Roger Bobb, producer of Tyler Perry's ;House of Payne, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns and Mann & Wife. Last Call will premiere on Bounce on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. A twist on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, “A Stone Cold Christmas” stars Demetria McKinney (Saints & Sinners, Tyler Perry's House of Payne) as Mia Stone, a shrewd businesswoman and a dreadful boss, who is more concerned about money than family and friends. When Mia finds herself face-to-face with the love of her life, she is forced to deal with past decisions if she has any chance of a future. Rounding out the cast are Andra Fuller (True to the Game, Black Jesus), Fred Williamson (Being Mary Jane, Hell Up in Harlem), Brittany Perry Russell (Sparkle, The Preacher's Son) and Lochlyn Munro (Riverdale, Scream, White Chicks). “A Stone Cold Christmas” will also air throughout the holiday season. GRAMMY® Award winner and top-selling artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard earns her 4th (and her third consecutive) number one album with Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City Church. This phenomenal all-live album captures Cobbs Leonard’s dynamic and signature worship experience. Spurred on by Cobbs Leonard’s sold-out REVIVAL tour, Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City Church offers fans the chance to relive the tour experience, offering over an hour of live versions of her hit songs. The power and praise of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church magnifies the glory of God in a mighty way. It is in their church DNA to present bold expressions of worship. H.B. Charles, Jr. has been the pastor of Shiloh for 10 years. The thriving church is a gem in northeast Florida, with music being central to its culture, because music is close to their pastor’s heart. Shiloh Baptist Church, releases Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs from H.B. Charles, Jr. Produced by Joe Pace, Worship Pastor at Shiloh and Grammy nominated choirmaster, Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs expresses the musical passion that flows from Pastor Charles every week, as well as the traditional sound of Gospel music that he grew up listening to. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Ralph Johnson was playing drums one night when Maurice and Verdine White dropped by to check him out. By late 1971, Ralph received a phone call to audition for Earth, Wind and Fire. He joined them and in 1972, Ralph was drummer-percussionist-vocalist with the group. Along with Philip Bailey and Verdine White, Ralph is one of the three remaining founding members of Earth, Wind and Fire, a band that has reigned supreme for 45 years. They still tour to sold out audiences worldwide. In this collaboration with Siedah Garrett who penned “Man In The Mirror” they have written and recorded “Have A Very Merry Christmas”, a song that is destined to become a Christmas Classic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLpH0oysSyw Riding high on the success of his new hit single “Open Your Mouth and Say Something!” Brent Jones will appear at the 2018 Billboard Live Music Summit & Awards on Nov 14th!? The 15th annual event celebrates the best in live music entertainment & gathers some of music's biggest st ars & industry power players to discuss emerging trends in business. In particular, the Billboard Summit will look at diversity in the touring business including an effort to create the industry's first inclusivity rider - a subject of great importance to Brent Jones, one of gospel's busiest touring artists. Unfortunately, we have sad news to report concerning Stan Lee, the man responsible for much of the Marvel Universe, has died. He was 95. Lee was rushed from his Hollywood Hills home early Monday morning by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he died. Stan started Marvel with Jack Kirby in 1961 with The Fantastic Four. He went on to create Spider-Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man and The Avengers. Stan made cameo appearances in all of the Marvel movies. Two-time NAACP Image Award-Winning Actor and Comedian David Mann and his wife, Grammy® Award-Winning, NAACP Image-Award Winning Actress Tamela Mann, are celebrating their 30-year love story with the release of their first joint album, Us Against The World: The Love Project November 9, 2018. Inspired by David and Tamela’s new memoir, Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family(November 13), this soulful 10-song musical collaboration about resilient and enduring love is brimming with the couple’s vocal chemistry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS8VRmmxJYo A bill was introduced to the House that would designate a portion of a freeway in Detroit as the “Aretha Franklin Memorial Highway.” As reported by the Detroit Free Press, State Rep. Fred Durhal III, D-Detroit, introduced the bill this week that calls on the Michigan Department of Transportation to designate a portion of M-10 — from 8 Mile to I-94 — as a memorial to Franklin. “The Lodge Freeway was close to her stomping grounds,” he said. “Her father’s church is in my district and so she was a staple in the community. We just wanted to make sure we paid the proper tribute to her.” Comedian, actor and producer Kevin Hart and "Girls Trip" co-producer Will Packer join the "Rickey Smiley Morning Show" crew to promote their latest film "Night School" on the next episode of TV One's RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, premiering Tuesday, November 13 at 8 p.m./7C. Hart is in rare form when he visits Rickey's morning show and delivers a laugh-out-loud interview where everyone in the room is a target for some good-natured roasting. From a risqué male bathing suit line, to the relevance of black fraternities, no topic is off limits in the studio as verbal digs are freely thrown and countered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFm9AMsHol4&feature=youtu.be Juan and Lisa Winans (formerly Lisa Kimmey) announce the release of their Christmas EP, "A Little Soul for Christmas," on Friday, November 16. The 5-track EP offers a timeless collection of holiday classics and original songs. “A Little Soul for Christmas” is a must-have for any holiday music collection. The EP's lead singles, "Rest" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are available for listening now. Juan and Lisa Winans married in 2007. After leading believers in worship for over a decade together, the Grammy nominated couple are returning to their first love as gospel music recording artists. Tamera Mowry Housley’s niece Alaina was one of the victims in the Wednesday night’s attack inSoCal. “Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks.” She added: “Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner.” Now, unfortunately, reality has struck close to home for the actress/TV talk show host due to the mass shooting tragedy in Southern California Wednesday evening. Mowry and her husband, Adam Housley, niece was at the bar where a gunman opened fire and brutally killed 12 people. Rodney Douglas is a bright, young, anointed singer and songwriter who started singing and serving in ministry at his home church Greater New Covenant Church of God In Christ where his father Superintendent Rodney Douglas, Sr. is Pastor. Rodney’s HOW I MADE IT EP is available now on all digital music outlets and is produced by Michael “Rill” Whitfield, Jr. Rodney penned all songs on the EP and duets with St. Louis based vocalist Christina C. Bell on the song "One In A Million". His "Glory" single, produced by Josh Mayfield, is a beautiful worship ballad that showcases his heart and passion for music and ministry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08exYgjYIVs&feature=youtu.be Black Smoke Music Worldwide CEO, Kerry Douglas, has struck No. 1 on the Gospel Albums Sales chart with his new compilation album,” Kerry Douglas Presents Gospel Mix X”. It’s the 10th installment in Douglas’ best-selling series of gospel mix tape compilation projects that feature both established and up-and-coming gospel artists. The 19-track set also debuted at No. 2 on the Top Gospel Albums consumption chart, No. 6 on the Compilation Albums sales chart, No. 23 on the Independent Albums sales chart and No. 97 on the Top Current Albums sales chart. Here is the review on the Gospel Spotlight: http://gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm Hot on the heels of their 2017 Stellar Award for “Youth Project of the Year” for It’s My Time, Look for the November 23rd street date of Another Chance, Joshua Troop’s first full-length album since 2010’s Troop Nation. Originally founded as a youth choir to provide urban Chicago teens a positive alternative to gang and street life, Joshua’s Troop is comprised of teenagers and young adults who praise God through song and energetic live performance. Infusing contemporary hip-hop and spoken word elements with familiar gospel sensibilities, Another Chance brings Joshua’s Troop’s message of redemption to today’s generation of youth while expanding their reach into more mainstream gospel marketplace. Produced and co-written by Percy Gray, Jr. (New Direction, Chicago Mass Choir), Another Chance is electrifyingly eclectic--featuring songs of encouragement, evangelism, repentance, testimony, worship and even a rousing a cappella piece. Chart topper Travis Greene continues to spread a promising message of love to encourage listeners everywhere, with the release of the official music video for his song “Love Will Always Win” and embarking on a new tour, his See The Light Tour launching on Valentine’s Day, Thursday February 14th, 2019 in Chattanooga, TN,. The multiple GRAMMY®nominee, Billboard Music Award winner and eleven-time Stellar Award winner recently won a Dove Award for his chart topping hit “You Waited,” from his #1 album Crossover: Live from Music City. Greene recently released the new single “See The Light” ft. Jekalyn Carr, out at radio now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzIL7rfHtPg Anita Wilson does it again with another Smash Hit"He Will." A Fresh sound and epic lyrics that is sure to be loved by everyone! Anita Wilson in a brief span of time has proven to be more than enough to become an established, admirable and consistent contributor to the music industry. A classic presence, unique vocal stylings and approachable humility are just a few of her attributes. After years of background singing with Donald Lawrence & Company, Anita Wilson emerged as a solo recording artist in 2011 with the soulful heartfelt ballad "Speechless." Ms. Anita has allowed her passion for God, music and creative freedom to mark out a custom and relevant lane. Her Debut Album "Worship Soul" (2013), Sophomore Album "Vintage Worship" (2015) and 3rd Album "Sunday Song" have made their mark on the industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn7oLjBPp7w "Changed" is the classic hit written by the late Walter Hawkins. This soul-stirring remake is performed by a dynamic duo that consist of Soul music legend Patti LaBelle and Greenleaf star Deborah Joy Winans. These two powerful voices will be performing their rendition of "Changed" in the November 7 episode airing at 10PM EST on the OWN Network. "It was an honor to sing such a classic song with one of the most transcendent artists of our time," says Deborah Joy Winans. "Patti LaBelle is truly a legend and this is an opportunity I will never forget" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhSi05NPeQ Javen drops a 60 sec. performance video: Jehovah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYcHMc9jNXE&feature=youtu.be Bringing Christmas to Detroit and the World! Detroit's own CeCe will headline the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, Friday, November 16, at Campus Martius; and with the recent release of SOMETHING’S HAPPENING! A CHRISTMAS ALBUM, she will be spreading good news and cheer to not only Detroit, but the entire world. Integrity Music and Tyscot Records announce the January 25 release of the much-anticipated album The Gathering from Stellar Award winning, Dove Award nominated worship artist Casey J along with the immediate release of the album's title track. The new song follows The Gathering's debut single and Casey J's current "If God." An Atlanta, Georgia-based worship leader and former elementary school teacher, Casey J (Hobbs) grew up in a house filled with God's Word, watching as her grandmother hosted Bible studies and home church groups. That mantle for sharing the Gospel outside of traditional church settings now rests on Casey who began holding 'pop up worship' events in public places.' There is a song "Faith Through The Fire", the new inspirational single release from Maranto a Jamaican native and recording artist. It is now available at all digital music outlets and starting to heat up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiKfIFCZiNo Even in a country where mass shootings have become a fact of life, it was nearly impossible for most Americans to make sense of a gunman walking into Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and murdering 11 worshipers in cold blood. But for the congregants at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston, where a lone gunman murdered nine people in 2015, the synagogue shooting wasn’t inconceivable. It was a bad memory repeating itself. When Eric Manning, pastor of the historic South Carolina church, heard about the synagogue shooting, he prepared himself for what he knew would happen next. Manning says he gets calls from reporters and concerned congregants looking to him for answers that he doesn’t always have. When Manning took over the ministry of Mother Emanuel AME, it was only six months after the attack on one of the oldest black churches in America. A historic African-American Baptist church in Alexandria, Virginia, received a bomb threat during a Saturday evening worship service, one week after 11 Jewish worshippers were gunned down at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The service, one of four services held each weekend at the 7,000-member Alfred Street Baptist Church in suburban Washington, D.C., was wrapping up when word came that police were outside and requesting all members to remain inside. Pastor Howard-John Wesley, pastor of the church for 10 years, said police first quarantined the church, blocking off nearby streets for a bomb search. Wesley said suspicious packages were found, but he had not been informed whether or not any contained explosives. Amazing Grace, a long-awaited documentary featuring Aretha Franklin’s signature performances at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, will make its world debut at the 2018 DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary film festival. The live performances, ranked among Ms. Franklin’s finest, were originally recorded and filmed during a church service in Watts on January 13 and 14, 1972. Warner Bros. Pictures captured the footage for a companion documentary to the double live album “Amazing Grace.” “Amazing Grace” would go on to be the biggest selling album of Aretha Franklin’s career, and the best-selling gospel album of all time. Mired in technical issues, the film was never released to the publicThe documentary is a labor of love and a timely tribute to the music icon who passed away in August 2018. Bebe Winans’ new video for his new single Laughter marks the worldwide introduction of Korean Soul. It was Donald Lawrence who brought the group of friends to Winans attention. Donald Lawrence forwarded a clip of the group singing from one of the members’ Instagram pages, “I was blown away,” recalls Winans. “Initially Boyz II Men were going to be on the song [“Laughter”], but our schedules just wouldn’t allow it. Then one day it hit me: ‘What about the guys from Korea?’ We connected and agreed to partner in a production deal.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv0EeJVKCkc D'Essence has a heartfelt conversation with her brother Brandon, who discloses private details of his journey to recovery from alcoholism on the next episode of TV One's RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, airing Tuesday, November 6 at 8 p.m./7C. After being arrested for two DUI's, D'Essence reaches out to Brandon for emotional support as she starts on a new path to focus on her health and safety. While appreciative of his advice, she expresses her frustration with his lack of communication during the low points in her life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADhaH9-Gcac&feature=youtu.be Two-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated, two-time Dove Award-nominated and Stellar Award-winning artist, William Murphy, releases his new single “Settle Here”, which is available now on digital platforms and impacting radio. “Settle Here” is the lead single off Murphy’s forthcoming sixth album Settle Here, which is scheduled to release March 2019. Delivering yet again another heart-rending single, “Settle Here” is an atmosphere shifting worship anthem, capturing Murphy’s live performance in Atlanta. Written by Murphy and co-produced by Kenneth and Tasha Cobbs Leonard, the single is a collective plea for God’s presence. Singer Robert Hawkins is an independent artist on the rise. Robert is a one-man machine. He books his own performance dates, and promotes and sells his 2017 EP release RESERVED. His hard work keeps RESERVED on the Top Gospel Albums sales chart each week. His infectious personality and energetic stage presence keeps his audiences growing in number. Robert's popular "Happy" single from the RESERVED album has garnered successful radio airplay and is in music video format on YouTube. He recently released a companion DVD for "Happy" that debuted at #10 on the Top Music Videos chart and has remained on the charts each week to current date. Robert Hawkins is preparing for a new album in 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCxxmulhOGI&feature=youtu.be Producer DeVon Franklin (Miracles from Heaven, The Star) and 20th Century Fox are getting ready for the upcoming new movie BREAKTHROUGH, which will be in theaters next April. BREAKTHROUGH is based on the incredible true story of one mother who prays her son back to life. When Joyce Smith’s son John falls through an icy Missouri lake, all hope seems lost. But as John lies lifeless, Joyce refuses to give up. Her steadfast belief produces a miracle that flies in the face of every medical case history and scientific prediction. Starring Chrissy Metz (This Is Us), Topher Grace, Josh Lucas, Dennis Haysbert, Mike Colter, and Marcel Ruiz. Darius Brooks former Music Director for Rev. Milton Brunson's Legendary Thompson Community Singers Has Reunited Key Choir Alumni for a Dynamic New Live Project called "The Tommies Reunion". The 14-track set of powerful original songs reunites this choir's. Leading out this long awaited reunion project is the hot single "He Worked It Out" written & produced by the legendary Tommies alumni Percy Bady. This powerful jam instantly showcases the classic sound of "The Tommies", with the blazing horn section arranged by Lloyd Barry and the vocal attention solely on the animated choir lines with no lead vocalist. GRAMMY® Award winner and top-selling artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard, releases new all-live album Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City Church. Available today on all platforms, this one-of-a-kind project is the worthy follow-up to the highest-selling new gospel album of the past two years, and is the essential collection for Tasha Cobbs Leonard fans. Recorded at Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA, Cobbs Leonard covers songs from her vast catalogue of music. Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City Church brims with favorites including“Break Every Chain,” “I’m Getting Ready,” “For Your Glory,” “Fill Me Up,”“Gracefully Broken,” and much more. Live performance videos of each song will also premiere on Tasha’s YouTube/VEVO channels today. Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City serves as the perfect companion piece to Tasha’s upcoming Revival Tour. Opening yesterday, the 11-show Revival Tour will play eight more cities as Tasha continues to sell out shows in Charlotte, New York and Baltimore. TaMyya J is ready to release to the world what she’s been working on. After singing background around the globe for Gospel Artist such as; Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, John Gray and countless others she is ready to release her sophomore project “Love For Your Name”.TaMyya J loves the Lord and serves on the praise team at her home church Calvary Revival Church of Norfolk, Virginia where Bishop B. Courtney McBath is the Pastor. A celebration takes place as Women On The Move presents TaMyya J in an Listening Party and appearance on Friday, November 16th at Calvary Revival Church Norfolk, Virginia. This Free Event is a open-to-the-public, CD signing allowing guests to meet TaMyya J in-person, and receive an autographed copy of the “LOVE FOR YOUR NAME” CD. SOAR Radio and Sun Wise Media to premiere the second annual Gospel Radio Awards Friday, November 23 @ 9 PM ET/ 8 PM CT on The Word Network. The big show is hosted by legendary producer/recording artist, Donald Lawrence, and acclaimed singer/actress, Michelle Williams. The awards were held at The Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford, IL earlier this year. The hour-long highlights presentation features riveting performances and appearances by Le’Andria Johnson, Jonathan McReynolds, Jekalyn Carr, JJ Hairston, Sensere, Todd Dulaney, Myron Butler, Ted Winn, Latice Crawford, Tim Bowman Jr. and Motown Gospel newcomer, Gene Moore, among others. This special evening also honors an eclectic group of gospel music pioneers. The dynamic Beverly Crawford received the Legend Award. Sister act, Virtue, earned the Milestone Award. Singer/Producer, J. Moss, took the Pioneer Award. The multi-talented, Vashawn Mitchell, strolled away with the Trailblazer Award and Bishop Hezekiah Walker took home the Gospel Icon Award. The Unification Church, properly known as Family Federation for World Peace and Unification USA, is hosting a major event this month titled, “Peace Starts with Me” and has invited high profile Christian artists, such as Israel Houghton, Yolanda Adams and others to help spread the mission of self-described “mother, the only begotten daughter of God,” Hak Ja Han Moon. A new video promotion for the Nov. 12 event held in New York City’s Nassau Coliseum, announced that Grammy award winner Houghton will join Bishop Noel Jones, along with gospel singers Yolanda Adams, and Hezekiah Walker for the Unificationism gathering. It’s unclear why these popular Christians would link arms with this un-Christian faith. Houghton, Adams, Walker or Jones have not responded to media inquiries regarding their involvement at the non-Christian event. Moon, who is the keynote speaker for “Peace Starts With Me” believes “Jesus failed in his mission” for world peace by being crucified. Candi Staton has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Staton, 78, received the news on the first day of rehearsals for her summer tour in support of her 30th studio album, Unstoppable, reports The Guardian. “I decided to keep it to myself and do some soul-searching. I went through all of the emotions: denial, ‘poor me’ and anger. It really helped me to be on the road, doing something I love to do, and was born to do,” Staton said. Staton’s 12 weeks of chemotherapy started today (10-30-18). She’s encouraging women, “including elderly women — to get a regular mammogram.” Speaking with Rolling Stone, Staton said she noticed a lump on her left breast earlier this year. The powerful and purposeful Kimberly Jones-Pothier aka REAL TALK KIM has kicked off a 12-city book tour, with Saginaw Michigan as the next stop on Sunday, November 4th as a special guest of the “Fire in the City Conference”. The feisty author who has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, Preachers of Atlanta, CNN and Nightline, will be presenting, selling and signing copies of her new book, When Your Bad Meets His Good: Find Purpose in Your Pain during the conference. In the book, Kim exhorts readers to shut down negative self-talk and seek the peace of God. She gives step by step instructions on how to break free from soul ties that are holding you back spiritually, emotionally and physically to live a life of freedom. Alongside her husband, Mark Pothier, Kim is a senior pastor of Church of the Harvest in Fayetteville, GA. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) announced over $5.6M was raised (at the time of print) at Monday night's 31st Anniversary Awards Gala. The audience consisted of over 400 students that attended TMCF's Leadership Institute, and over 1,000 civic, corporate, government and education leaders from around the country at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Congressman Mark Walker (R, NC) and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax (D, VA) presented Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover, president of Tennessee State University, and international president, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, with TMCF's Educational Leadership Award; Dennis A. Muilenburg, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company, was the TMCF CEO of the Year Award honoree; and Leslie T. Thornton, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of WGL Holdings Inc. and Washington Gas, received the TMCF Thurgood Marshall Legacy Award. Tyler Perry made the official announcement during a Sirius XM interview, explaining, “I just don’t want to be her age [still] playing her.” Madea, who was 68 when she was first introduced onstage 20 years ago, has been the hardest-working character The filmmaker revealed that he and his cast wrapped production on Madea Family Funeral two years ago—the plot involving a family reunion, a homecoming to backwoods Georgia, and an unexpected funeral. The poster shows Perry’s grand-dame title character in full mourning garb, head tilted down. The filmmaker, who debuted the character onstage in "I Can Do Bad All by Myself," did not disclose whether the funeral was for Madea herself. The stage show and film finale, a neat 20 years after Madea’s debut, seem like a symmetrical bookend. Perry joked that Madea did not know she was being written off, deadpanning, “Don’t tell her. It’s time for Pittsburghers to shed their reputation for avoiding crossing rivers and bridges, several religious and community leaders said Monday night in the city’s Hill District. “We need to and must cross more bridges,” said Brian Magee, CEO of Pump, a Downtown-based nonprofit that runs the Pittsburgh Sports League and works with more than 30,000 people under the age of 40 in civic and community programs. “To the Jewish community: We love you, we love you, we stand with you. You are our neighbors. We will work tirelessly alongside you to build bridges and eradicate hate from our communities.” More than two dozen people representing a variety of faiths and groups — Jews, Christians, Muslims and community advocates — gathered in the historically black Pittsburgh neighborhood to pray and promote unity and social justice following Saturday’s deadly attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Vet is a series of EP’s that highlights Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s evolution as a creative and experience young veteran leader. It is a collection of insights from Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s journey that he feels compelled to share with the world. Da’ T.R.U.T.H. is owning his space as a wily veteran. On the album opener, “The Prologue” and “Long Time”, he reminds us of his experience in the game and gives a level of insight into where he’s been, what he’s been doing the past few years and where his focus lies at the moment. His wisdom and experience shine through on songs like “Everything” and “Brand New”, while his creativity as an artist is showcased on songs like “Would You Love Me?” featuring Greg Cox. His collaboration with Greg Cox and KJ Scriven (Tye Tribbett, Travis Greene…) seemed to have pulled out the best in him. If you are a fan of Da’ T.R.U.T.H., prepare for something fresh and if you have not listened to him in a while, then this is the album to return to. Pre-order Vet and get “Brand New (feat. Samoht)” instantly. Full EP hits outlets November 9th. Bishop Paul S. Morton, founding presiding bishop of The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International which encompasses some 5,000 churches and 1 million members, confirmed on Saturday that his “spiritual son,” who leads a megachurch, engaged in “multiple” sexual relationships. Morton apologized to the women involved. “I was recently made aware of a situation involving one of my spiritual sons, Bishop Victor Couzens, being involved in multiple relationships that caused me concern. I spoke with Bishop Couzens about his actions as they were not in alignment with the level of character I expect of pastors, especially one that is my spiritual son. He has repented and tendered his resignation as the Bishop of College of Elders of Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship,” Morton said in a statement. “Though I understand the relationships were consensual, I want to also offer an apology to the young ladies involved as well as the body of Christ for this situation. People of God, we must maintain high standards. I’m not perfect but I’m determined to present myself to God as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is my reasonable service,” said the Full Gospel founder who previously admitted to having a daughter out of wedlock. Couzens led the 5,000-member Inspirational Bible Church – City of Destiny in Ohio. As of Monday morning, Couzens was still listed as senior pastor of the church. Actresses Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell-Martin are set to host the 2018 Soul Train Music Awards, which will air on BET in late November. Campbell and Arnold are real-life besties who also played best friends on the hit comedy series “Martin.” Erykah Badu, a previous Soul Train Awards host, will be honored with the “Legend Award” for her career that spans over two decades in the music business and Faith Evans is slated to receive the “Lady of Soul Award.” TV One's original, documentary series UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD and UNCENSORED will air new episodes on Sunday, October 28. Kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/8C with untold stories from comedian/actor/radio host Rickey Smiley, UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD profiles influential black celebrities in Hollywood. UNCENSORED, which gives unprecedented access to your favorite personalities, follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C with actor Lil Rel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDBfKVpvgUE ; Today, In the Softest Way, the debut solo album from multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning recording artist and songwriter, Carvin Winans, is available for pre-order via all major digital providers. Scheduled for release in early 2019, In the Softest Way is an eleven-track collection that boasts a well-balanced mix of ballads and mid-tempo songs ranging from R&B to inspirational. In addition, the album features guest appearances by Stevie Wonder, Kenny G, Tony Maiden and Winans’ brother,Marvin Winans. RCA Inspiration celebrates two nominations for the 2018 Soul Train Awards, with gospel icon Kirk Franklin and hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg getting nominated in the category of Best Gospel/Inspirational Award. Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg are both previous Soul Train Award winners, while this marks the first nomination in the Gospel/Inspirational category for Snoop Dogg, who released his first gospel project, Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love, earlier this year. The 2018 Soul Train Awards will be taped on Saturday, November 17th, 2018 in Las Vegas, and air on Sunday, November 25th, 2018 on BET and BET HER at 8 pm ET. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKEWAbKqBsQ Today, Atlanta based rapper and producer, J. Montyreleases his new single “Mercy” featuring Sitovea. “Mercy” marks the third single released from the emerging artist this fall. Similar to previously released singles, “Mercy” has an inspiring message emphasizing the need for God’s mercy daily. The new single references “Gold St.”, a metaphor used in Monty’s second single “21 Gold St.” which was co-written by and features vocals from Koryn Hawthorne. Recently, J. Monty released the official music video for his debut single “Seven Nights.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ2gBCiQPms&feature=youtu.be Brent Jones headlines "Church at the Park" this Sun, Oct 28th! Music super-producer Shep Crawford (Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Boys II Men, etc.)has enlisted Grammy & Stellar winner Brent Jones to headline this big annual outdoor event geared toward uniting the South LA community. The pastor of Experience Christian Ministries,Pastor Shep Crawford has been leading the way in improving the South LA community by taking his congregation beyond the 4-walls. Nestled in between 2 gang territories, in an area mostly populated by African Americans & Latinos, "Church at the Park" was created to help to bring peace and offer a meeting place where voices can be heard & needs addressed. After spending 21 weeks at #1 with the smash single, “Won’t He Do It,” Koryn Hawthorne returns with “Unstoppable,” the follow-up single from her debut album. Continuing in the tradition of “Won’t He Do It,” Koryn is once again championing God’s power by proclaiming that she’s “Unstoppable” in any of her pursuits, as long as God is her source. David & Tamela Mann’s interview on the “purple couch” at “The Wendy Williams Show.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q44r53R153I&feature=youtu.be Gospel recording artist and member of Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams calendar got a little busier with the announcement of her return to Broadway and the debut of her new reality show. “Chad Loves Michelle” will feature an honest inside look at the path to marriage between the Grammy award-winning singer Michelle Williams, and Chad Johnson, a sports chaplain. Williams returns to Broadway as Erzulie in the Tony Award winning Best Revival of Once On This Island beginning Friday, November 30. Michelle T. Williams will play the role through Sunday, June 2, 2019. Williams made her Broadway debut in 2003 in the title role of the hit musical, Aida. She went on to appear in The Color Purple where she portrayed blues singer Shug Avery, starring as ‘Roxie Hart’ in the Broadway and West End productions of Chicago, the stage play of What My Husband Doesn’t Know, a national tour of the musical Fela! in 2013 and a 2016 St. Louis residency performance of Aida at The Muny. Bryan Andrew Wilson is writing a new career chapter with an urban music-inspired EP, This Time, which recently reached No. 2 on Top Singles sales chart. The spiritual soul singer put aside the ballads he's known for such as "Turning Away" and brought a hard-hitting urban rhythm to the title track. "So many people are leaving church because of the hypocrisy of church leaders," Wilson adds."People are quick to pass judgement and gossip when they don't know your story or how you came to be in the condition, they find you in. The church is supposed to be the hospital for the sick but too often we're telling the sick that they have no insurance, so go away. This song is about shaking off the naysayers and giving yourself your God-granted second chance. I sing that `This time, I'm gonna love harder, I'm gonna be smarter." That's a message that anyone can embrace whether they go to church or not." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u9_DpNOZ1E At Cleveland, Tennessee’s Lee University, Mykah Smith stands inside a silent, candlelit circle of peers, professors and administrators. A Bahamian graduate student, she relays her own pain to the group: “I was not black until I came to America.” Smith is one of three students of color speaking at Lee’s Vigil for Racial Solidarity. Several months after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a small group of Lee professors planned the vigil as way of inviting members of the university community to stand together in solidarity against racism with their brothers and sisters of color. Over 700 attendees sang along with a gospel choir and listened to administrators advocate for inclusion. Grammy, American Music Award, Stellar and Dove Award winning duo, Paul “pda” Allen and J Moss (aka “PAJAM”), announced label changes and upcoming projects to PAJAM Records today. A new addition to PAJAM include, Award Winning Songwriter/Singer Travis Malloy and viral pop music rising star Marcy. In addition to new label signings, PAJAM, is gearing up for the return of its staple artist J Moss in 2019. Moss will drop a new single, “VICTORY” from his forthcoming 2019 album titled, “V6.” Malloy’s debut single on PAJAM, “We Serve A Mighty God” will be available November 16, 2018 everywhere music is sold and streamed digitally. Travis is no stranger to the music industry, he’s been behind the scenes as a songwriter and producer; and now the world will know him as an artist with an amazing distinctive voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrLfXoKtwbk&feature=youtu.be PAJAM founders, J Moss and Paul Allen are both featured in the new film, “Never Heard” starring Romeo Miller, Robin Givens, Dorien Wilson, David Banner and Karrueche Tran. “Never Heard” chronicles the life of an incarcerated man’s son growing up in Los Angeles without a father and the tough decisions that he’s faced to make, that ultimately may land his son in prison as well. “Never Heard” will have a limited one-day release on November 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYaJZSCY_lA&feature=youtu.be Devon Golder has co-written or produced songs that have been recorded by Missy Elliott, Shakira, Lil Kim, Cassidy, Lyfe Jennings, Danity Kane and even Pop music legend, Paul Simon. The biggest so far is the 2007 Top Ten smash, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)," by Wyclef Jean, Akon, Lil Wayne and Nia. Golder teams up with Jean on his new music video,"I Talk to God." Hammond, Louisiana based independent gospel record label A&P Records has inked a partnership deal with Nashville-based company United Alliance Music Group (UAMG), it was announced today by A&P Records Founder and CEO Regina Showers-Gordon. Under the terms of this new strategic partnership effective October 23, 2018, UAMG will provide, utilizing a "conception to completion" model, world-class A&R, consulting, marketing, mastering, publishing assistance and radio promotion. The Prince of Peace Church of St. Louis will host their first live CD recording of their dynamic 50-voice Mass Choir. The recording will showcase Prince of Peace Mass Choir's anointed and eclectic collection of worship anthems, traditional and contemporary gospel songs they currently sing in their weekly worship services. The choir will also perform all new songs from some of the nation's most poignant Christian music songwriters. The Mass Choir debut album is being produced by St. Louis native Kevin Kelley (Bishop Paul Morton, Donnie McClurkin, VaShawn Mitchell, Kurt Carr), and is under the directorial leadership of Prince of Peace Minister of Music Joseph Price. The Prince of Peace Church want it blesses everyone that hears it on October 28 and beyond. The Gathering is North Charleston’s newest combined, contemporary-style worship service. The two groups, Aldersgate and Enoch Chapel United Methodist churches started the monthly initiative last spring and are now hosting weekly worship services. They hope the services will continue attracting people from all walks of life and demonstrate true racial reconciliation. So far, it’s been successful. Over the summer, the monthly effort saw nearly 100 worshippers regularly — several of whom didn’t belong to either Aldersgate or Enoch. Although an expected drop in attendance occurred when the effort went weekly in September, The Gathering still drew a steady flow of 60-plus guests. The Gathering started, in part, as a response to the killing of Walter Scott, a black man who was shot by white North Charleston police officer Michael Slager. — the latest incident at the time for a nation struggling with conversations on race relations. Pastor Victoria Richardson, a black woman who had been leading the historically black Enoch Chapel and Pastor Erik Grayson,who leads the predominantly-white Aldersgate knew that something had to be done to offer healing and destroy barriers separating the two groups. The Impact Network has teamed up with J. Alexander Martin, Co-Founder of the billion dollar international fashion brand FUBU. J. Alexander Martin, entrepreneur, author and now television host has come full circle; inking a promising and lucrative television venture titled,"Behind the Money," which will air exclusively on The Impact Network. J. Alexander Martin will enlighten viewers on not just how to find success, but also find significance. "Behind the Money" provides expert insight on wealth, demonstrating how to get it, keep it and control it without letting it control you. TV One received the esteemed 2018 Diversity Champion Award at the Walter Kaitz Foundation Dinner, and co-sponsored both the National Association of Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and the Women in Cable Television Leadership (WICT) Conferences held during Diversity Week in New York City Oct. 15-17 at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel. TV One General Manager and NAMIC's Board of Directors Immediate Past Chair Michelle Rice also served as the Honorary Co-Chair for the NAMIC Conference. TV One was recognized as an industry leader for its efforts in supporting diversity and inclusion. Urban One Founder Cathy Hughes, Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins, III, Michelle Rice and TV One executives joined notable leaders from the media and cable industry to celebrate the milestone achievement. David & Tamela Mann visit "The Wendy Williams Show" on behalf of their debut memoir "Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family" & TV One's "Merry Wishmas" Thursday, October 25, 2018. After having huge success with the title track from his latest album, “Your Great Name”, Todd Dulaney is back and ready to do it all again with his new record, “You’re Doing It All Again”. Pre-Sales are now available, Dulaney’s new anthem will be available everywhere November 1, 2018. The Grammy Noimnated worship artist has been traveling to Africa a lot over the past couple of years, and decided to record his latest single Live from Cape Town in South Africa. He actually recorded it at the same venue as the iconic “Alive in South Africa” record by Israel Houghton, and is the first worship artist since Houghton to record there. Dove Award winning, Grammy nominated artist Anthony Brown & group therAPy releases his new “I Got That” (remix) featuring up-and-coming rapper, 1K Phew, available NOW on all streaming and digital platforms. Brown & group therAPy debuted the remix to the chart-topping song in an outstanding performance on last night’s GMA Dove Awards (broadcast on TBN).In honor of Brown’s dedication in supporting the efforts of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, his company, Key of A Music along with Tyscot Records and Fair Trade Services will donate a portion of proceeds of sales. In addition to his stellar performance, Brown also won the Dove Award for Contemporary Urban Gospel Album of the Year for his 2017 top-selling projectA LONG WAY FROM SUNDAY. Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words......http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/anthonybrown_intvw.htm Several black churches in Nashville are making it easier for their church members to vote this midterm election by providing rides to the polls. The Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship announced Wednesday — the first day of early voting — that its members’ churches would be holding souls to the polls initiatives in order to get every registered voter in their congregations and surrounding communities into the voting booth. The Rev. James Turner II, president of IMF, shared those plans during a news conference at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church. He spoke about how critical the Nov. 6 election is at all levels of government, including the need to support the controversial referendum to create a civilian oversight board of Nashville police. Christon Gray has released his latest album Clear The Heir, available now. The acclaimed rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer has filled his fourth solo album with the ferocity of sparkling wordplay, potent anthems, and personal tales he’s known for, strengthening the bond he’s forged with a wide range of listeners over his past three albums on hit songs such as “Stop Me,” “Open Door,” “Ft. Knox” and “Connor McDees.” Featuring the singles “Together Forever,” “Time Out,” and “Grow Up,” Gray bridges hip-hop, soul, R&B, and inspiration on Clear The Heir, taking fans on a journey baring reflections on family, relationships, and trials, discovering deeper meanings to inspire the spirit. Christon Gray says: “With this album, Clear The Heir, I wanted to give permission for people to feel comfortable in their uncomfortable skin, and I wanted Christians to feel permission to be human again.” The top-selling Gospel artist of the past year, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, offers her new live album Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City Church, available for pre-order today. This one-of-a-kind project is the essential collection for Tasha Cobbs Leonard fans. Capturing the dynamic energy and spontaneous worship of Tasha's live performances, Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City Church boasts over an hour of music and testimonies. Recorded this summer at Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA, Cobbs Leonard covers songs from her vast catalogue of music. Heart. Passion. Pursuit.: Live At Passion City Church is full of favorites including ";Break Every Chain," "I'm Getting Ready,""For Your Glory,' "Fill Me Up," "Gracefully Broken" and much more. The Grammy Award winner also shares riveting stories about her life, her music and her ministry.If you pre-order the album today can instantly download two songs—"You Know My Name (Live)" and"Put A Praise On It (Live)." dfree®, the global Financial Freedom Movement that has helped individuals and organizations pay down more than $1 million in debt, hosts its Homecoming Conference October 25th – 28th at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens. TV One’s RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, will return for season five on Tuesday, October 30 at 8 p.m. ET/7C. The doc-u-series captures Smiley as he continues to navigate the ups and downs of professional demands, single fatherhood and intimate relationships. Shooting in Atlanta, where he resides during the week, and in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where he raises his family, Smiley’s struggle to find work-life balance while trying to maintain a love life has become a central focus and source of laughter for fans of the show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxrjW0qFCPs&feature=youtu.be Friday, October 26th a dynamic Gospel concert featuring Grammy winner Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Gospel music darling Kierra Sheard.will go down. Anthony Brow & group Therapy wins Dove Award for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album Of the Year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdZWMKxJpDc After recording her first album independently in 2010, Anita Wilson later signed the “Worship Soul” album to a temporary license deal with a major record label. In 2017, the license term expired and Anita Wilson’s company, Reflection Media, Inc. began working tirelessly to reclaim ownership of this momentous, classic album. “Worship Soul” garnered Anita her first Grammy Nomination in 2013 for Best Gospel Album. This album brought us timeless tunes like the debut single “Speechless” and the smash “Jesus Will”. “I’m super grateful that the music continues to live and I have just one request: Please keep the music in your rotation!”, says the ever-evolving Music and Media Executive. Tauren Wells dominated the 49th annual Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards winning four of his eight nominations. Wells picked up four awards for Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Rap / Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year and Pop / Contemporary Album of the Year. Wells, who was the former lead singer for Christian rock group Royal Tailor, performed his number-one single "Known" from his solo debut album,"Hills and Valleys," and performed "War Cry" with show winners Social Club Misfits. RCA Inspiration garners three wins at the 49thAnnual GMA Dove Awards, as Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne and Marvin Sapp were honored for their hit songs. Travis Greene won his first Dove Award "Urban Worship Recorded Song of the Year" for “You Waited.” Koryn Hawthorne won her first Dove Award "Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year" “Won’t He Do It” (ft. Roshon Fegan). Marvin Sapp took home his second Dove Award, winning "Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year" for “Close.” Additionally, Koryn Hawthorne took the main stage at the Dove Awards in a duet performance with Natalie Grant, marking their television debut together on “Speak the Name.” Marvin Sapp and Israel Houghton also presented awards on the show. Kirk Franklin joined Tori Kelly on the main stage in a first-time Dove Awards performance together of their song “Never Alone. J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, has just announced their upcoming 2-part live recording session in Nigeria and Landover, MD. The first recording will take place in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday, November 6th. It will be held at the COZA Auditorium and will feature Nigerian gospel artists, Mercy Chinwo and Tim Godfrey and The Gratitude. Godfrey is known for his song, "Nara," which features Travis Green and is currently the #1 gospel song in Africa. This recording will feature 7 songs and will be taped for video and audio. The second recording will take place December 31st at Hairston's home church, City of Praise in Landover, MD. It will feature Canton Jones. This recording will also feature 7 songs and will be taped for video and audio. The 49th Annual GMA Dove Award winners were announced last night during the awards ceremony at Allen Arena on the campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville. Jekalyn Carr earned her first Dove Award win for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year for her #1 album "One Nation Under God." In addition to her win, Jekalyn performed her chart-topping hit"You Will Win." The show was taped and will air on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on Sunday, October 21 at 8 p.m. CT. Chew Entertainment, lead by husband and wife producer team Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew are proud to announce the official launch of"Voice Your Inspiration"- a national competition in conjunction with RCA Inspiration. Due to an overwhelming response, the submission deadline for "Voice Your Inspiration" has been extended until October 22nd. In the continued effort and quest to discover and nurture new talent, Chew Entertainment, will partner with RCA Inspiration in looking for the next inspirational artist/duo/group. Thousands of businesswomen of faith determined to break through the glass ceiling are attending a three-day gathering to hone their skills across multiple fields including business, entrepreneurship, entertainment, healthcare, technology, finance and ministry. Bishop T.D. Jakes, entrepreneur and senior pastor of The Potter's House, tapped top female executives such as Cynthia Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and Nona Jones, manager of global faith-based partnerships for Facebook, to equip women to overcome obstacles and elevate their influence. In addition, Michelle Williams, Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and former member of Destiny's Child, will speak Friday evening and share her experience as a female entrepreneur, motivational speaker and mental health advocate. Williams will also discuss her new unscripted series, "Chad Loves Michelle," which premieres Saturday, Nov. 3, at 9 p.m. ET on OWN. The Lilly Endowment has donated a combined $70 million to dozens of Christian colleges and ministries across the nation to help them establish pastor support networks and programs in 29 states. The Indianapolis-based philanthropic organization is awarding 78 institutions nationwide grants ranging from $31,000 to $1 million through its Thriving in Ministry initiative to help develop or further programs to assist pastors in building relationships and help them deal with the wide range of issues they could face in urban, rural or suburban ministry life. Grantees include various theological schools, faith-based colleges and universities, church congregations, denominational agencies, independent religious organizations and religious communities that span mainline, evangelical, Catholic and orthodox Christian traditions. Tennessee author Dr. Zach Mills' biography of Chicago Gospel Music legend , preacher, and civil rights icon Rev. Clay Evans offers hope for connecting in a national climate plagued with racial tensions. The Last Blues Preacher: Rev. Clay Evans, Black Lives, and the Faith that Woke the Nation, released May 1st through Fortress Press includes interviews with historic figures like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Fr. Michael Pfleger, former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, Congressman Bobby Rush, and former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. We just finished the first leg of the Chicago tour and the book was so well received," said Mills, who serves as an adjuct public speaking instructor at Belmont University in Nashville." The book's message of unity is so relevant given our present political climate" Mills will extend his book tour to China during mid October, where he"ll facilitate communication and public speaking workshops in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is proud to announce its 2018 award recipients, being honored for their commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their bold leadership in the higher education, corporate and legal communities. This will take place at TCMF's 31st Anniversary Awards Gala, October 29th in Washington, DC at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. TMCF's Anniversary Awards Gala is one of Washington's largest nonpolitical fundraising events, raising over $50 million since its inception in 1987. Queen Latifah says personal reasons are why she’s “unable to accept” an award named after a pioneering opera singer, The Marian Anderson Award made the announcement on its website that the 20th Anniversary gala and concert have been postponed. Anderson was the first black singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. The award is given in Philadelphia to critically acclaimed artists for their humanitarian work. Past winners have included Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, and Quincy Jones. Queen Latifah won a Grammy for her 1994 album “Black Reign” and earned an Oscar nomination for her role in 2002’s “Chicago.” Chart-topper Travis Greene continues to be a dominating force, hailed for his unforgettable live performances and creating an anointing blend of musical influence and worship in his music that ignites audiences worldwide. Engaging hearts and minds together in ministry, the three-time GRAMMY® nominee, Billboard Music Award winner, and eleven-time Stellar Award-winning artist, songwriter and producer announces the See The Light Tour – playing over 20 dates in February and March 2019 across the United States, with Mosaic MSC joining him on the tour. Greene has also recorded the new single “See The Light” ft. Jekalyn Carr, which will be released on Friday October 19th. Tickets and VIP packages for select dates go on sale beginning Tuesday October 16th with the tour’s first show kicking off in Chattanooga, TN on February 14th, 2019. Former NFL quarterback turned activist Colin Kaepernick was awarded the prestigious W.E.B Dubois Medal by Harvard University, along with Dave Chappelle and several other activists and academics of color, for their contributions to black history and culture. All eight recipients were honored Thursday afternoon by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard. GRAMMY®-nominated singer/songwriter Brian Courtney Wilson’s popular single, “A Great Work,” tops the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart today. This is truly ‘a great work’ as the single represents Wilson’s first Billboard number 1 song, and is his fastest rising single of his career. In today’s cultural and political climate, the powerfully encouraging song has deeply connected with audiences.Traveling around the country, Brian has been offering strong performances of “A Great Work," sparking a movement of inspiration and optimism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlDVJ9RHW-Q&feature=youtu.be UPCOMING GUESTS Monday 10/15/2018: On SISTER CIRCLE: LeToya Luckett and Ashley Darby from Real Housewives of Potomac. Tuesday 10/16/2018: On SISTER CIRCLE: Actor Jocko Sims from NBC's New Amsterdam Wednesday 10/17/2018: SISTER CIRCLE: Raheem DeVaughn, LaLa Milan, known as entertainer LaLaSizaHands, and Lenny Williams. Thursday 10/18/2018: SISTER CIRCLE:Grammy-winning music producer/philanthropist/actor David Banner, Friday 10/19/2018: SISTER CIRCLE: Warryn and Erica Campbell from TV One's We're The Campbells and R&B singer/songwriter Meli'sa Morgan. Following Jonathan McReynolds’ first #1 single at radio comes the release of “Make Room”, the title track and stand out song on his newest album! “Make Room” is a personal testimony of how Jonathan creates space in his own life for the word of God. The song leads with “I find space for what I treasure, and I make time for what I want, I choose my priorities and Jesus, you’re my number one.” Hear Jonathan McReynolds In His Own Words.....http://gospel-spotlight.com/jonathanmcreynolds.htm Hitmaking artist, songwriter, producer Christon Gray has released his newest song "Grow Up"! The hitmaker behind the widespread hit song "Stop Me," (featured on Madden NFL 19, and was featured on spots for Dwayne Johnson's blockbuster movie "Rampage," HBO's "Ballers," FOX's "Lethal Weapon" etc.) - has released this new track "Grow Up," a nostalgic throwback ruminating on childhood and young love - the latest song from his upcoming fourth album Clear The Heir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JZVuXxROkY JOIN JUDAH BAND FOR THEIR LIVE NYC POP UP SHOWCASE ON OCTOBER 15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6akexyyNFg&feature=youtu.be With over 20 years in the music industry, Terrell Hunt has sustained and continually refined his skills as a singer, songwriter and Worship leader. Since his 2009 Stellar Gospel Music Award nomination for New Artist of The Year, Terrell has continued to step outside the box to take creative liberties without compromising biblical messages and the Word of God. Terrell’s most recent release is his EP YOU DID IT. “You Did It (Worship Moment)” is a sweet and emotional worship ballad that features a powerhouse trio of female vocalists: Avery Sunshine, Nickie Conley, Jasmyne Hinson. Hear Terrell Hunt In His Own words....http://gospel-spotlight.com/terrellhunt_intvw.htm.......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf0TfM-oxGY&feature=youtu.be New episodes of TV One's UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD and UNCENSORED air on Sunday, October 14. Kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/8C with untold stories from singer/actor/reality TV star Ray J, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfiecS7GqYk&feature=youtu.be TV One's UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD profiles influential black celebrities in Hollywood. UNCENSORED, which gives unprecedented access to your favorite personalities, at 10 p.m ET/9C showcasing singer K. Michelle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlb8_fuCCHo&feature=youtu.be Titus Showers , lead singer of two-time Stellar Award nominated sibling group, The Showers’ has signed a solo record deal with his family owned record label A&P Records. The announcement was made today by the label’s Founder and CEO Regina Showers-Gordon. A&P Records plans to release a single 1st QTR 2019 with a full-length album expected in summer 2019. GRAMMY®-nominated hit-making producer and BMI’s 2016 Songwriter of the Year honoree Lucius B. Hoskins, who’s worked with the likes of Shirley Ceaser, Zacardi Cortez, Joshua Rogers and Marvin Sapp has been tapped as the album’s producer. Titus will make his first appearance as a solo artist next week as a Presenter at the GMA Dove Awards Pre-Telecast in Nashville, TN on Tuesday, October 16. A Gospel Spotlight News Exclusive: Meet Krystal A Livingston. Krystal has a new album out and we will talk about that along with her about music, life and how she stays motivated. Hear Krystal A Livingston In Her Own Words.....http://gospel-spotlight.com/krystalalivingston_intvw.htm Kanye West went on an extended rant in the Oval Office on Wednesday at the beginning of a working lunch with President Trump, where he dropped the F bomb, talked about his Bipolar Disorder diagnosis, pounded on the Resolute Desk and gave the president a hug. West said that he has come to understand that ‘bravery helps you beat this game called life’ and that he misdiagnosed with a mental health disease when he was really just sleep deprived in a 10-minute speech, followed by nearly 10 minutes of questions, in which he labeled himself a ‘crazy motherf***er,’ called the amendment that ended slavery a ‘trap door’ and said it should be abolished and joked about running for president in 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdvgxdcfV4g&feature=youtu.be Gospel artist Charles Butler, a veteran from Washington, D.C. announced his major weight loss of over 200lbs this past weekend at The Spirit of Praise Concert sponsored by Radio One's Praise 104.1. This campaign and life style change all began last year as a partnership with Radio One DC along with Decalo Weight Loss, Wellness, and Pain Management Clinic in an effort to not only lose the weight, but encourage others to make it. After the success of his album, Make It, which debuted in 2016 and received two Stellar Award Nominations with its self-titled single, "Make It," Butler decided he could no longer encourage people to make it and not make it himself. Gospel Spotlight on Major. He give you hits like "Why I Love You" and Honest." Now he is rockin' Better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpb-S2KxeEQ Mary Mary on the Red Carpet of the American Music Awards. Talking about honoring Aretha Franklin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMD7vLzYITo Fred "Uncle Freddie" Jerkins III, President and founder of DarkChild Gospel’s new cancer awareness project, “A Project of Healing,” is available at all digital music selling outlets now. The first of a series of gospel and mainstream compilation albums that will benefit cancer awareness, empowerment and education. The album features collaborations with Bishop Paul S. Morton, Lowell Pye, Darlene McCoy, Alexis Spight, Jonathan Nelson, Juanita Francis, Darwin Hobbs, Y’anna Crawley, Joann Rosario-Condrey, Preashea Hilliard, Trin-I-Tee 5:7 and more. In alliance with Jerkins’ heart for new artists, the album also showcases new artists; Last Call, Joel Andrus and Rozina. Hear Fred Jerkins In His Own Words....http://gospel-spotlight.com/fredjerkins_intvw.htm The Impact Network, the only African American owned and operated Christian television network in the United States, which is available in more than 82 Million cable and satellite homes in the USA and features programming on urban ministries and gospel lifestyle entertainment, has teamed up with Paul Crouch Jr., the son of founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, (TBN) the largest Christian Television Network in the World. The Impact Network's mission is to provide exceptional Christian and educational programming. It empowers the spiritual, physical, financial and emotional needs of the community and viewers. The network line-up includes television ministries by Impact CEO & President Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, Creflo Dollar, Bishop TD Jakes, Bishop IV Hilliard, and Bishop Charles Blakes, just to name a few. Impact also offers original programming like, The National Action Network "Live" with the Rev. Al Sharpton, The Rainbow Push Coalition "Live" with Rev. Jesse Jackson, At Three with Dr. Juanita Bynum, The Jewel Tankard Show, legendary gospel icon Dr. Bobby Jones, featuring some of today hottest gospel artists, Impact Better Health/Diet Free Life with Dr. Robert Ferguson, and even clean Christian comedy specials entitled, Laugh with Me. The Impact Network has programming the whole family can watch and enjoy together. Chance the Rapper says he’s donating $1 million to help improve mental health services in Chicago. The Chicago native announced the news during his second annual summit for his nonprofit SocialWorks, which he streamed live via Twitter. Six different mental wellness providers will receive $100,000 grants in Cook County, Illinois. Chance called the new initiative My State of Mind, which will serve as a mental health resource for Chicagoans. THE “2018 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS®” TO HONOR ARETHA FRANKLIN WITH SPECIAL TRIBUTE: Soul and Gospel Legends Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans to Headline Performance Honoring the Queen of Soul The Live Broadcast Will Air Tonite, Tuesday, October 9th at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC Kerry Douglas has created another masterpiece with the 10th installment of his best-selling Gospel Mix CD series and Gospel Music’s Ultimate Mix Tape, Kerry Douglas Gospel Mix X (BlackSmoke Music Worldwide/eOne). The 19 track-set hits Walmart and online digital retailers Friday, October 26, 2018. Seth and Nirva- "In The River" is an awesome and inspiring new song from this incredible duo. We have seen time and time again how the broken cisterns of this world leave us dry and empty. It is only the river of God bubbling and springing up in our hearts that frees us to become what we were meant to be now and forever (John 4:13-14) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H24h4wzzUgk&feature=youtu.be PJ Morton - "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (Live) (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid & The HamilTones) Checkout the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qekzp_oI8dE&feature=youtu.be Riding high on the success of his new #1 hit single “Open Your Mouth and Say Something!", Brent Jones headlines the Triumphant Servants Awards on Sun, Oct 14th! Honoring and recognizing prolific Pastors and outstanding local organizations that enhance an contribute to our community - Bishops Ron Gibson & Roger Thomas, Pastors Michael Hart & Joshua Beckley, 100 Black Men (Inland Empire) and the NAACP Riverside Chapter. Adrienne Bailon and Israel Houghton shared their love story with MadameNoire and their tale of unconditional love is certainly one fans who have been supporting the couple through rumors and intrusion will appreciate. Israel never wanted to marry again after divorcing his first wife, Meleasa Houghton, in 2016 after more than 20 years of marriage, but as noted by madamenoire.com…Adrienne’s acceptance of him made all the difference. “She was the first person that made me feel like you don’t have to hide in order to be accepted,” he told the site. “She was the first person that said I’ll accept everything because I like you, I love you, all of that. It’s the first relationship I’ve ever been in where I felt celebrated and not tolerated. I’ll walk into the house and there’s just this sense of truly, ‘welcome home,’ and I tell you what, a guy will break his neck to experience that kind of love, that kind of like, that kind of celebration.” The world-renowned music and entertainment experience AFRICA UMOJA – which has garnered critical acclaim and standing ovations – will present a special celebration during its third USA Tour this Fall. Hailing from South Africa, the Africa Umoja USA Tour 2018 kicks off its new tour starting September 22nd in Washington DC. Running September 22ndto November 9th, the tour marks a centennial celebration of beloved late South African leader Nelson Mandela’s birthday, who would have turned 100 years old on July 18th earlier this year. Chart-topping recording artist Jason Nelson celebrates his latest single atop the charts as his live hit song “Forever,” tops the Gospel Airplay chart at #1. The lead single from his chart-topping fifth solo album The Answer, the Stellar Award-winning acclaimed singer, songwriter, and producer also releases a new live performance video of “Forever.” Jason Nelson says: “I’m humbled that the world has embraced this message of the love that The Lord has for us. It’s even being expressed in weddings around the country. Love never fails.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p9ccAGJCgc The multiple award- winning singer CeCe Winans has emerged from the studio with a glorious arrangement of tracks just in time for the holiday season. Once again, Winans team up with son Alvin Love III to present, Something’s Happening! A Christmas Album. The mother-son team walked away with two Grammy awards for their collaboration on, Let Them Fall in Love earlier this year. The duo snagged Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song in top categories. Love penned five new songs for this spirit-filled Christmas album, incorporating five classic tunes with a distinctive musical twist. He went the extra mile and invited the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tim Akers to make a guest appearance on the album recorded at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, Croatia. Hear CeCe Winans In Her Own Words....http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/cece_winans.htm In keeping with the rich Motown tradition, Motown Gospel to release an all-new Christmas album “A MOTOWN GOSPEL CHRISTMAS” this month. Available for pre-order today on all digital platforms,“A MOTOWN GOSPEL CHRISTMAS” offers a timeless collection of holiday classics, never-before heard tracks all performed by the legendary label’s acclaimed roster of artists. The soulful and soul-stirring project is an instant must-have for any holiday music collection. Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Lexi, Brian Courtney Wilson, Kenny Lattimore, Danny Gokey and more are featured. The award-winning Mississippi Mass Choir to appear on Discovery Channel's #1 series "Expedition Unknown." The episode entitled "Search For The Afterlife – Heaven and Hell," explores religions and cultures from around the world. It will air on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, October 7, 2018, 9:00PM CT / 10:00PM ET. Mississippi Mass Choir for thirty years, has touched gospel fans. Some faces have changed, but the choir's mission remains the same; evangelizing the world in song. Reaching down to the root of this gospel powerhouse, one finds a very humble beginning. Frank Williams, founder of the group, began singing gospel music in churches as a child, spending his evenings immersed in the sounds and ways of the gospel under the guiding hand of his father, Leon. Frank performed with his siblings, the acclaimed Williams Brothers. IMG Artists, today’s leading global performing arts management agency, announces a 36-city North American tour with multi-genre recording artist Damien Sneed. The Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient will bring his brand of classical, jazz, and gospel music to “We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring Damien Sneed.” The tour will kick off on Friday, January 11, 2019, at the Empire Center at The Egg in Albany, NY, and will make stops at concert halls and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The tour will conclude on March 3 at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced that Kelontae Gavin will perform and present at this years 2018 Dove Awards Pre – Telecast. Kelontae will perform “No Ordinary Worship.” The song is from his debut album *The Higher Experience. On October 18-20, Kelontae Gavin will make his first appearance at T.D. Jakes’ ministries three-day Woman, Thou Art Loose Master Class conference as a guest artist, going down at The P.L.A.C.E., the new event center developed by the Potter’s House in Dallas, TX. The gathering will hosts thousands of women to help them strengthen their skill sets, cast vision for success and advance in their spheres of influence. Power couple David and Tamela Mann are embarking on the second installment of their critically-acclaimed, "Us Against The World: Mann Family Tour.” The Mann's family national concert tour kicks off on Oct. 11 and will make stops in 20 cities, ending in Cincinnati, OH Nov. 11. Immediately following the tour, David and Tamela will release their new memoir, Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family available November 13, 2018. In their new memoir, the couple candidly shares an inspiring, funny, and up-close look at their lives while offering hope and practical advice for building a strong relationship, marriage and family. Hear Tamela Mann In her Own Words....http://gospel-spotlight.com/tamelamann_intvw.htm Joshua Rogers has reason to celebrate his return to music after a five year recording hiatus. Rogers current radio single "Pour Your Oil," has cracked Top 15 on the Gospel Airplay chart this week. This marks Joshua's highest radio charting position in his career. "Pour Your Oil," written by Lucius B. Hoskins, Marcus McFarlin, Tyrone Belle and Gary Crockett is the lead single from Rogers' recently released third album RETURNING. The song is a personal testimony for Rogers who has openly talked about depression due to his career, finances and health. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com Your favorite Renaissance Man is Back! Gold and Platinum selling Gospel/Jazz Pianist, bestselling author, reality TV star, private pilot and pastor, Ben Tankard has been thrilling us with Gospel/Jazz for nearly three decades. His new album RISE! promises to be some of his best work yet! “I am super excited about this record because I was able to instrumentally remake three time-honored classics that have been true to my heart for years,” says Tankard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJWf77HN1cY&feature=youtu.be The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced all-star presenters for the 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards, including Bart Millard, Bill Gaither, Dr. Bobby Jones, Chris Tomlin, Deborah Joy Winans, Devon Franklin, Jasmine Murray, Mark Lowry, Marvin Sapp, Matt Maher, Matthew West, Pat Barrett, Ricky Dillard, Russ Taff and Tasha Cobbs Leonard. The awards show will be held live on October 16 in Nashville, Tennessee and will air exclusively on TBN October 21 at 8 p.m. CT. Previously announced performers include Big Daddy Weave, Cory Asbury, Jekalyn Carr, for KING & COUNTRY, Kirk Franklin, Koryn Hawthorne, Lauren Daigle, Natalie Grant, Newsboys, Social Club Misfits, Tauren Wells, Tori Kelly, Zach Williams and Jason Crabb with Rascal Flatts. www.doveawards.com. Groundbreaking social media marketing platform Intercept Music has signed Larry Blackwell as a Brand Ambassador in the Gospel genre. The former VP/GM of EMI/Motown Gospel, Blackwell has been a force in the music industry for more than 40 years, with his artists amassing 15 Grammy® awards and sales of millions of albums. As Brand Ambassador for Intercept Music, Blackwell will drive adoption of the marketing platform, and share his decades of expertise, with artists eager to build their audiences, their skills and their careers. Ralph Tashjian, chairman of Intercept Music, made the announcement. Doe Jones (Dominique Jones) formerly known member of GRAMMY, Stellar and Dove Award nominated “foreverJones" has announced her new music t"Deepest Part" is set to release digitally October 23rd. This week the recording artist also revealed the cover art for the upcoming single. Doe’s highly anticipated announcement hit social media and have fans, supporters including many in the industry excited for the upcoming release. Her signature voice, eclectic creativity and sound has been heard on songs like “Cycles” by Jonathan McReynolds and leading "He Wants It All" by foreverJONES. Earlier this month "He Wants It All" was included on Motown Gospel's 20 year compilation album. Culminating 30 years of service through educating, mobilizing and empowering Black leaders to address and proactively fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other health disparities facing African Americans, the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, Inc. (NBLCA) will host a Gospel Extravaganza concert at Harlem's historic Aaron Davis Hallat the City College Center for the Arts on Thursday, October 25. The event will feature a stellar line-up of leading voices in Gospel music and recognize dedicated community and corporate leaders with NBLCA's "Choose Life" Awards. NBLCA's Gospel Extravaganza will benefit the organization's extensive programs and services for communities of color living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS and other health disparities. Performing live at the event will be Richard Smallwood and joining Richard Smallwood will be JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise. TV One is set to debut new episodes of its original, documentary series UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD and UNCENSORED on Sunday, October 7. Kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/8C with never before told stories of the film classic "The Best Man," tUNSUNG HOLLYWOOD profiles influential black celebrities in Hollywood. UNCENSORED, which gives unprecedented access to your favorite personalities, follows at 10 p.m ET/9C featuring actor/host/entrepreneur Nick Cannon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTnv5xf0Qrg&feature=youtu.be The world is mourning the passing of super producer, singer, songwriter and musician extraordinaire James “Big Jim” Wright. Wright passed away at his home in Rockford, Illinois on September 30th. Big Jim is beloved for his work as a singer and producer with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and his longtime association with Gary Hines and the Sounds of Blackness. Wright is heard singing on such classics as Soul Holiday and The Lord Will Make A Way. Wright has worked with Patti Labelle, Janet Jackson, Sting, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Yolanda Adams and the Isley Brothers. He served as an executive producer, and writer for the feature film, Fighting Temptation, starring Beyonce and Cuba Gooding, Jr. The winner of 3 Grammy awards, 1 NAACP award, 1 Dove award and 7 ASCAP awards, Big Jim won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song for Yolanda Adams’ “Be Blessed” and was nominated for Album Of The Year for his work on Mariah Carey’s 6x platinum album The Emancipation of Mimi which contains 3 tracks produced by Wright including the inspirational hit “Fly Like A Bird,” which he co-wrote in 2006. He served as bandleader for BET’s The Mo’nique Show, music supervisor/composer for BET’s Let’s Stay Together on BET, and music director/show producer for BET’s Sunday Best. UPCOMING GUESTS ON THIS WEEK'S SISTER CIRCLE Monday 10/1/2018: On today's episode Rickey Smiley and Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Anthony David. Tuesday 10/2/2018: Today on SISTER CIRCLE: Film and TV producer Datari Turner, domestic violence advocate Christy Sims. Wednesday 10/3/2018: SISTER CIRCLE sits down with Lil Mama. Thursday 10/4/2018: On today's SISTER CIRCLE, chef Melvin "Boots" Johnson from Chopped. Friday 10/5/2018: On SISTER CIRCLE Dr. Jackie Walters from Married to Medicine, Momma Dee and Ernest Bryant from Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta and Christian artist Tauren Wells. The rich vocals of Gospel artist and worship leader Michele Sweeting have been catching the attention of fans in her hometown of New York City since her rendition of Richard Smallwood’s “Center of My Joy” soared to #1 on Gospel charts in the Big Apple. Since that time, she’s been treating sacred music lovers to songs like “Lamb of God,” “Thank You” and “Mirror”. Now the evangelist and Motor City Praise Recording Artist returns with a brand new single entitled, “New Thing” and it’s just the type of inspiration that Gospel music fans enjoy. Penned by Stellar Award Winner Curtis Turrentine, Jr. and based on Isaiah 43:19, the ballad’s lyrics encourage believers to allow the Lord to do a new thing in their lives. Verity Records has released a collection of renowned Gospel classics, featuring the formidable influence of a who’s-who among Gospel icons and chart-topping hit makers on the 10-song album Verity Presents The Classics. Available now exclusively at Walmart, the collection highlights some of the biggest Gospel hits in recent history, and the inspiring resilience of Gospel spanning over 20 years since Verity’s founding in 1994, with songs from Yolanda Adams, Byron Cage, Kurt Carr, Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, J. Moss, Jason Nelson, Marvin Sapp, Hezekiah Walker, and The New Life Community Choir feat. John P. Kee. Dick Clark productions and ABC announced an all-star lineup of soul and gospel legends who will come together to pay homage to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, at the “2018 American Music Awards.” Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans, friends of the late, luminary singer/songwriter, will take the AMAs stage for a moving tribute honoring Franklin’s gospel roots and iconic gospel album, Amazing Grace. Consulting Producer for the tribute is the Emmy Award® winning music director, composer and producer, Rickey Minor. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, the “2018 American Music Awards,” the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Six-time GRAMMY® winner and world-renowned artist, songwriter and producer, Israel Houghton, released his latest album, Road To DeMaskUs. The title of the eleven-track album is a reference to the Biblical story of the Apostle Paul’s transformation and reflects the masks that people wear to hide their pain and insecurities. Road To DeMaskUs includes “Reckless Love,” “Free Indeed (You Said I Am)” and “Promise Keeper” with Travis Greene as well as the duets, “Secrets” and “I’m With You / Be Still,” with Houghton’s wife, artist and EMMY winning co-host of The Real, Adrienne Houghton. The album features guest appearances from The Walls Group and Chevelle Franklyn, Today, Houghton also premiered the video for “Secrets,” which was directed by actress Meagan Good, on BET Gospel and BET.com. And the Houghtons performed the song for the first time on television today on The Real. They will also perform together on the Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family on October 8th. LUCINDA MOORE returns with a new song she wrote after being told by a surgeon that her heart stopped on the table having spinal surgery in 2015. "STILL ALIVE (I SURVIVED)" is a testimony that will touch the souls of everybody who hears it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP3ybkZ8Y2I&feature=youtu.be OWN announced new unscripted series that will join the network’s successful Saturday night lineup: “Chad Loves Michelle,” “Family or Fiancé” and “Rocket City Revival.” (working title) . “Chad Loves Michelle” featuring Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child and Pastor Chad Johnson navigating the road from engagement to marriage will premiere Saturday, November 3 (9-10 p.m. ET/PT). Additionally, box office hitmaker Will Packer’s previously announced new dating series “Ready to Love” hosted by Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles (“The Steve Harvey Morning Show”) is set for a two-night premiere on OWN Tuesday, October 23 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) and Saturday, October 27 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) and will air Saturdays at 10 p.m. for the remainder of its series run. “OWN viewers are looking for real and honest stories that are relatable to their own lives,” said Erik Logan, president of OWN. “These new shows all feature passionate relationships and the desire to keep love alive and will captivate viewers from the very beginning. Sometimes life gets in the way. For Will Downing, The Prince of Sophisticated Soul, more than two decades of critical and commercial success as a singer was suddenly at risk-along with his life. There's a long, rich tradition in the Black church of testifying, sharing "testimony" about a point of great adversity in life, when the power of God and prayer turn everything around against all odds-that "low point" marking a test, God's test of faith. In late 2007, in the very prime of his life, Will Downing faced an almost unimaginable test. A sudden onset of the auto-immune disease polymyositis threatened everything he held dear: his health, his ability to provide for his family, his musical gifts, and life itself. Weak, frail and nearly paralyzed, he did not curse God, but instead said a prayer: "Lord you see me through this and I promise I will give you all the honor, all the praise...wherever I go." He didn't turn away from God and God didn't turn away from him. Twelve years later, Will Downing is a walking, singing testimony of the power of faith and prayer. And he delivers on his promise with his new CD, THE PROMISE, an inspirational album-actually his first gospel album -- to be released November 9, 2018 by Shanachie Entertainment. https://soundcloud.com/shanachie-1/will-downing-look-at-yourself-in-the-mirror Multiple Emmy Award winner Candice Bergen returns in the revival of the groundbreaking comedy series “Murphy Brown,” which premieres Thursday, Sept. 27 on the CBS Television Network. And the premiere will reportedly include a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin. “We did do something in the first episode” to acknowledge Franklin’s passing, creator Diane English confirms for TVLine. The “Queen of Soul” died last month at the age of 76. As noted by TV Line, “Franklin’s music was a huge part of the original Murphy Brown, with her iconic song “Respect” being featured in the pilot episode and Candice Bergen’s title character (a big fan of Franklin’s) singing “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to her infant son in the Season 4 finale. Franklin herself even guest-starred in a 1991 episode, singing a duet alongside Bergen.” Respect and admiration was the theme at the Microsoft Theater at LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night as dozens of celebrities participated in an all-star 85th birthday salute to music legend Quincy Jones. Although his actual birthday was March 14th, this special tribute was recorded and will air in December on BET. Oprah Winfrey, who first gained national fame as Sophia in the Jones-produced movie, “The Color Purple,” headlined the event. She made two on-screen appearances: one on stage and another from the audience standing next to the musical genius, as she paid homage to her longtime friend. Jones, who could be considered a modern-day Mozart or the Black Beethoven with his incredible body of work that spans over six decades, enjoyed the evening immensely. The two sat side-by-side during the entire show. Oprah was seen having a great time moving to the beats of Jones’ music performed by various artists including Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Ledisi, Gregory Porter and Meghan Trainor. Actor Geoffrey Owens went viral when a photo of him working at Trader Joe’s surfaced. Amid the backlash and job-shaming, there was some good that came out of it — Owens was offered scripts from Tyler Perry and “NCIS: New Orleans,” and the 57-year-old received a donation from Nicki Minaj. The rapper gave him $25,000 to show her support, adding, “Some people are on the Internet and seeking attention, and he’s just the antithesis of that. Owens decided to give the money to charity, "I would like to give this donation of 25k to the Actor’s Fund in memory of the late, great Earle Hyman — who played Cosby’s father, ‘Russell’, on “The Cosby Show” — who lived his last many years and died at the Actors’ Home, (funded and run by the Actor’s Fund). I am extremely grateful to Nicki Minaj for enabling struggling actors to continue pursuing their dreams.” Owens is on a roll after Hollywood came to his defense he has landed yet another role, this time opposite Hilary Swank, Michael Ealy, and Mike Colter in the noir thriller “Fatale,” which is being directed by Deon Taylor. If there’s one thing we know about Tyler Perry it’s that he’s a renown giver. He just did it again when he gifted a house to the mother of a woman he worked with nearly 20 years ago!!! Perry paid $350,000 for a Georgia house and gave it to the ailing mother of LaShun Pace, who worked alongside Tyler on a play all the way back in 1999, according to TMZ: Perry stays in touch with a lot of his actors … but this heartwarming story takes the cake. Tyler and LaShun stayed in touch ever since they worked on a play Perry wrote and co-produced two decades ago … and his connection to the Pace family runs deep. LaShun’s family makes up a Gospel group called The Pace Sister and Tyler put one of their songs in “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion.” The bottom line is that when Tyler Perry learned Bettie Pace had fallen ill and her dying wish was to own a home big enough for her large family, he stepped up and bought a property close to where the Paces were born and raised in Atlanta. Riding high on the success of his new #1 hit single “Open Your Mouth and Say Something!” (Billboard's #1 Most Added Song at Radio), Brent Jones’ new #1 CD & Songbook hits a stunning 13 Billboard charts - including Billboard's prestigious Top 200 pop chart!. "The response to Open Your Mouth and Say Something has been simply overwhelming! To God be the glory for awesome things He has done" says Brent Jones. "We've been touring non-stop all year and I still marvel at all the churches embracing my music, what an honor - good choir music is still alive & thriving! Remember, no matter what you're going through, you still have to 'Open Your Mouth' and give God all the praise for He alone is worthy!" http://gospel-spotlight.com/album_rvw.htm Hiding Place – GRAMMY®-nominated artist Tori Kelly’s new passion project – has set the record for the most first-week streams ever for a gospel album. The collection, which was produced by 12-time GRAMMY Award winner Kirk Franklin, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and had the highest-selling week of any 2018 gospel album. Hiding Place also topped Billboard’s Gospel Streaming Songs and Gospel Digital Song Sales charts plus the Apple Music Christian genre chart. Tori was joined by Kirk Franklin and a choir last night when she performed the lead single, “Never Alone,” on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iCoJfz0-wc&app=desktop Bill Cosby will do prison time for his sexual assault conviction. Specifically he will serve 3 to 10 Years in a Pennsylvania state prison and the the judge has denied Cosby bail. It appears he’s headed straight to lockdown. In fact, he has been remanded and will be locked up immediately. Courthouse witnesses say Cosby emptied his pockets and removed his tie before being taken into custody. If he serves the full term, he’ll be 91 when he’s released. Be sure to tune in to the 3rd Annual 2018 Black Music Honors television special hosted by Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett airing nationally on Saturday, September 29 at 1:00am ET, and Sunday, September 30 at 12:00pm ET on BOUNCE. The must-see show celebrated the unparalleled legacies of several esteemed music icons including Grammy ®Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Stephanie Mills (Legends Award); celebrated singer/actor Bobby Brown (R&B Soul Music Icon Award); acclaimed gospel artists BeBe and CeCe Winans (Gospel Music Icon Award); multi-platinum, Grammy® Award-winning recording artist Faith Evans (Urban Music Icon Award); renowned rap duo Whodini (Hip Hop Icon Award); and chart-topping music producer and label executive Dallas Austin (Music Innovator Icon Award). https://vimeo.com/288645789 Earlier this month Lexi underwent a successful surgery to remove a large, benign polyp, which her doctors discovered during a routine screening. She disclosed news of the surgery on social media, the evening before entering the hospital, as an urgent reminder to her followers of the importance of early screenings and regular check-ups. “My surgeon said that most people put these types of check-ups off until later,” shares Lexi. “Based on the pathology report, had I not come in when I did, he shared that I would have had full-blown cancer in one to two years.” According to the American Journal of Pathology, African Americans have the highest incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) of any ethnic group in the United States. Dr. Beverly “Bam” Crawford highly respected and beloved Pastor will host the “23rd Annual L.A.M.P.S. (Leaders, Apostolic, Maturing, & Mentoring Prophetic Servants/Seminars) Conference.” This four-day conference will be held on Sunday, October 21-Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church, Inglewood, CA. The Leadership Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, October 24th This year’s theme is “Legacy – Apostolic & Prophetic Synergy”. This popular annual conference is a leadership and mentoring ministry birthed to provide enriched teaching, fellowship, counseling, mentoring and training for leaders (armed with the necessary knowledge) to stand in the forefront and steer this next generation. The Stellar Awards Set for Friday, March 29, 2019 It Returns to the Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV details forthcoming. Pastor John Gray and his family hosted a private advanced screening of Warner Bros. upcoming animated feature film Smallfoot at The Grove’s Pacific Theater, September 20th. The screening was for a small selection of the Gray’s closest family and friends, which include Meagan Good, Devon Franklin, Royalty Brown, Nia Guzman, GooGoo Atkins, among others. Smallfoot starring Lebron James, Common, Yara Shahidi, Zendaya, Channing Tatum, James Corden, Danny DeVito, and Gina Rodriguez, premieres in theaters on September 28th. On Wednesday September 26, 2018 - Friday September 28, 2018 Bishop J. Drew Sheard Sr., of Detroit Michigan, will host the annual Pentecostal Explosion 2018, “Fueling The Fire” conference. Bishop Sheard is the senior pastor of Greater Emmanuel Institutional COGIC in Detroit which is also the location of the conference. On Wednesday September 26, 2018, conference host Bishop J. Drew Sheard will be the speaker. Psalmist Jason Nelson will be ministering in song on Friday. Back by popular demand is Dr. Todd Hall Sr., of Orlando, FL in the 10 p.m. late night service on Friday night to close the conference. The 2019 National Convention for the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) will be held in Washington, D.C., July 27 – August 3, 2019. The 2019 Board meeting details will be forthcoming, Today, multi-GRAMMY® Award winning recording artist and songwriter, Carvin Winans, released a new single entitled “Once in a Lifetime”. The song, which is available via all major digital providers, is the first track from Winans’ debut solo album, In The Softest Way, which will release at the top of 2019. Carvin Winans, who began singing at age four, launched his career over 30 years ago with his brothers as part of the iconic group, The Winans. Together the Winans brothers went on to release several GRAMMY® Award-winning and gold-selling records. Carvin Winans also established himself as a sought-after songwriter, penning hits for other artists including, Whitney Houston, Regina Belle, Peabo Bryson, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Winans Phase II. After releasing one of the most successful songs in Christian music history, Christon Gray’s back with his brand new song, ‘Time Out’. After seeing ‘Stop Me’ dominate the industry over the last two years*, Gray learned you don’t have to sugar coat the message of Jesus to reach new fans. Staying true to that theme, ‘Time Out’ is an anthem ready made for stadiums, radios and smart phones. With thunderous drums and triumphant horns acting as the sound bed, Gray faces all challenges in his life head on as the chorus states, ‘I ain’t never callin’ Time Out’. But it’s the music video that has everyone talking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOJghSgc5ZQ Six-time GRAMMY® winning artist, songwriter, and producer Israel Houghton releases the new song “Secrets” featuring his wife Adrienne Houghton. Opening his new album Road To DeMaskUs, “Secrets” (feat. Adrienne Houghton) is available as an instant grat track upon album pre-order. Out on September 28th, the album also features the instant grat songs “Reckless Love,” “Promise Keeper” (feat. Travis Greene), and “Free Indeed (You Said I Am),” as well as “I’m With You / Be Still” (feat. Adrienne Houghton), “Love Never Fails” and more. Sharing a powerful message on God’s enduring love and transforming power, Israel and Adrienne Houghton will perform “Secrets” on her syndicated daytime show “The Real.” Airing on September 28th, “The Real” episode marks the live television debut of their duet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plGtNDz3FY4 GOD FRIENDED ME is a humorous, uplifting drama about an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he receives a friend request on social media from "God" and unwittingly becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him. Miles Finer is intelligent, hopeful and optimistic, but he doesn't believe in God. This puts him at odds with his father, Reverend Arthur Finer, a beloved preacher at Harlem's Trinity Church for 25 years who is stunned by his son's strong rejection of his faith. Miles feels he's found his purpose in life hosting a podcast where he's free to speak his mind, but that changes when he receives the ultimate friend request. After repeated pokes by "God,"Miles' curiosity takes over, and he accepts the request and follows the signs to Cara Bloom, an online journalist suffering from writer's block. Brought together by the"God" account, the two find themselves investigating "God's" friend suggestions and inadvertently helping others in need. During the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's (CBCF) 48th Annual Phoenix Award Dinner at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Aretha Franklin was named the first recipient of the John R. Lewis Award of Courage by the CBCF and the organization's chairperson, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). The award was presented by Lewis, Jackson Lee and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence of (D-Michigan). Hosted by actors Lamman Rucker and Vivica A. Fox, the Phoenix Awards also honored Lee Porter, Executive Director of The Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey; Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative; Tommy Smith and John Carlos, 1968 Olympians and activists; the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., and Mrs. Jacqueline Brown Jackson, among other presentations, tributes, and performances. The event also included a keynote address by the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C. Dove and Stellar Gospel Music Award nominated music veteran, Bryan Andrew Wilson, ?has created a smooth, breezy soundtrack to close the incredibly hot summer of 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u9_DpNOZ1E The National Museum of Gospel Music Concert is set to once again take center state during Gospel Music Heritage Month. Former President Barack Obama designated September as Gospel Music Heritage Month. This year the concertwill go down Thursday, September 27 at the Apostolic Faith Church in Chicago, IL. The FREE concert will start at 6p.m. and doors will open at 5p.m., you must have a ticket which can be obtained from Billbusters stores throughout Chicago. Artists currently confirmed to perform include Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Tamela Mann, Pastor Charles Jenkins, Ricky Dillard, Janice Gaines, JJ Hairston, Sir the Baptist, Jonathan McReynolds and Israel Houghton. The 2018 performance will be hosted by Dr. Bobby Jones and Inspiration 1390 & V103 On Air Host, Sonya Blakey. Scheduled to open in late 2020, the National Museum of Gospel Music will be known for its commitment to understanding the richness of gospel music as reflected in our past, present and future. Fred Jerkins Presents "Victory" featuring Last Call is a song to watch as it moves up the charts. This week it's #12 on The Gospel Indicators chart. Here Last Call In There Own Words....http://gospel-spotlight.com/lastcall_intvw.htm “CHANGED” is a featured single from the Soundtrack of Season 3 of OWN TV's "Greenleaf." “CHANGED” is sung by Patti LaBelle, who joins forces with Deborah Joy Winans to create beautiful harmony. This is the iconic gospel hit by lead by Tramaine Hawkins from the pen of the late Walker Hawkins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhSi05NPeQ Evangelist Shree Isabell is a woman powerfully rooted in singing and ministering. In 2011, Shree released her debut indie album LIFE OF A WORSHIPPER. A few years later, Shree received a personal invitation from Dr. Bobby Jones asking her to join the Nashville Super Choir. “Dr. Jones thought I would be an asset to the choir to bring a ‘Pentecostal’ flavor similar to that of Beverly Crawford,” Shree states. Shree's and her husband Quentin Isabell's indie label Kamasia Music is preparing for a new single release “The Great I Am”. Produced by AyRon Lewis, “The Great I Am” lends true to Shree’s traditional gospel preference, but is laced with the contemporary savvy musicianship Lewis adds as producer. https://soundcloud.com/user-747680924/the-great-i-am First teased during this summer’s break out hit, TV One’s “We’re The Campbells”, Warryn and Erica Campbell are ready to unveil their new single, “All Of My Life,” on Friday, September 21, 2018. "All Of My Life,” the next new smash from Erica Campbell, featuring powerhouse husband-producer Warryn 'Baby Dubb' Campbell, is set for a worldwide takeover to premiere on Friday 9/21 at 6:00 AM EST to kick off Erica’s top-rated nationally syndicated morning show “Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell” as they broadcast LIVE from the Circle City Classic. RiZen's Former Lead Singer & 2x Stellar Award Winner Adriann ?Lewis-Freeman is back. After finishing her Bachelors and Masters, currently teaching English in High School, getting married, and becoming a First Lady, Adriann is back on THE CHARTS with "JoyBells." Kirk Franklin has opened up about how forgiveness improved his relationship with his biological father, who put him up for adoption, Essence reports. In a lengthy Instagram post, the 48-year-old gospel singer also revealed his dad has only three to six months to live. “I’ve lived my entire life hating this man,” Franklin wrote in the caption of a photo of him embracing his father and kissing the top of his head. “He and my biological mother gave me up for adoption, and it left me never feeling good enough … to this very day,” he revealed. “I took my hate for him and used it as fuel to be the best father I could be for my own.” Tauren Wells continues to celebrate the success of his breakout debut solo single, “Hills and Valleys.” The single, which peaked at #3 on Billboard, has recently been certified Gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America®). This marks an incredible year for Wells, who is also an eight-time nominee and performer at the upcoming 49th Dove Awards. Wells’ current single, “Known,” is currently #1 on Billboard Christian Airplay Chart. Wells’ debut solo single, “Hills and Valleys” lifted from the album of the same name, has received over 100 million digital streams and its accompanying acoustic style music video has been viewed over 24 million times. Hills and Valleys’ third single “When We Pray” peaked at number two Billboard National Airplay chart. Tauren also achieved number one status being featured on Crowder’s hit song “All My Hope.” The power couple are celebrating their 30-year marriage with the release of their new memoir, Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family available November 13, 2018. In their new memoir, the couple candidly shares an inspiring, funny, and up-close look at their lives while offering hope and practical advice for building a strong relationship, marriage and family.Ever since the NAACP Image Award winners David and Grammy® Award winner Tamela Mann were key members of Kirk Franklin’s Platinum selling group, 'The Family,' fans have been clamoring for the duo to release a joint album. That time has finally come. David and Tamela plan to release, Us Against The World: The Love Project, a soulful 10-song musical collaboration on November 9. The album is being released in conjunction with the release of their new book. The Mann’s have embarked on a second installment of their, “The Mann’s Family Tour.” The Mann's family concert tour kicked off on Oct. 11 and will make stops in 20 cities, ending in Cincinnati, OH Nov. 11. Multiple GRAMMY®, Stellar, and Dove Award-winning Gospel icon Donnie McClurkin will unveil a selection of new songs in a live concert special, airing Tuesday, September 18th 2018, on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) at 8 PM/9C. In McClurkin’s live album concert special, the prolific singer/songwriter is giving audiences a sneak peek at brand new music from his new album, which he performed before a live audience for the first time at his album recording this past June. One of the best-selling Gospel recording artists worldwide with over 10 million albums sold, Donnie McClurkin’s forthcoming new album will be released in 2019. Jonathan McReynolds, Not Lucky, I'm Loved" hit #1 on the Gospel Airplay Chart this week and his digital deluxe record "Make More Room" hit #1 on the Nielsen Current Gospel Albums chart! Jonathan wraps his sold out "Make Room" tour this week in Memphis and St. Louis! Hear Jonathan McReynolds IN His Own Words (#IHOW)....http://gospel-spotlight.com/jonathanmcreynolds.htm UPCOMING GUESTS ON THIS WEEK'S SISTER CIRCLE, hosted by Quad Webb-Lunceford, Syleena Johnson, Rashan Ali and Trina Braxton: Monday-Queen Latifah, Tuesday-Pastor Jamal Bryant, Wednesday-Michael Vick (NFL) and Kevin Willis (NBA), Thursday-The Walls Group and Kyla Jade, runner-up on The Voice, Friday- Mikki Taylor, editor-at-large, Essence magazine; comedian Damon Williams and actress Cree Davis, The Bobby Brown Story. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com It’s finally here! Tori Kelly’s new album, Hiding Place, is available now, honoring her deepest musical passion and delivering an R&B-infused, infectiously melodic take on classic gospel. The follow-up to her full-length debut Unbreakable Smile, Hiding Place finds the co-star of the 2016 feature film Sing teaming up with 12-time Grammy Award-winning gospel legend Kirk Franklin. With a lush yet simply adorned sound beautifully suited to Kelly’s incomparable voice, the Franklin-produced album includes such standouts as the slow-burning, harmony-infused lead single “Help Us to Love” and the powerfully radiant, full-choir-driven “Soul’s Anthem.” The highly anticipated sixth album, “DECLARATIONS,” from Stellar Award Winner Jonathan Nelson, is available today, in stores and online everywhere. This 12-track brand-new album with Nelson’s signature vocals, lyrics and sound, “DECLARATIONS” affirms Nelson’s place in gospel music as a trailblazing praise and worship leader. From beginning to end, “DECLARATIONS” is authentic worship, straight from his heart. Chart topping rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer Christon Gray, has released the new single“Time Out,” out on digital music platforms and at Christian CHR and Gospel radio. “Time Out” is the second song available from his upcoming album Clear The Heir . The hitmaker behind the song “Stop Me,” which has been a crossover hit featured across multiple television, movie, and entertainment avenues (including the theme to Madden ‘19, the Dwayne Johnson blockbuster movie Rampage, on HBO, the ESPY Awards and more),Christon Gray’s “Time Out” builds upon the personal journey of reaffirming faith found in his most recently-released song “Together Forever.” His new anthem makes a declarative statement of staying strong with a fighting spirit and the faith to power through adversity. Urban One/TV One partnered with Mayor Muriel Bowser and kicked off the 48th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Week with D.C.'s Inaugural Mayoral Maternal and Infant Health Summit, which is held in Washington, D.C., from September 12-16. TV One General Manager Michelle Rice also was a featured panelist on Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence's Black Women and Workforce Diversity panel. On Thursday, September 12, Urban One Founder Cathy Hughes moderated a special panel with Mayor Bowser and Valerie Jarrett, former senior advisor for the Obama Administration, for the first Maternal and Infant Health Summit held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Celebrity Chef Kim Stratton has cooked up a really fine meal of music with her first recording in six years, "Unto The Lamb." The anthem-styled praise and worship ballad showcases Stratton’s powerhouse voice and signature vocal technique. The Gospel Spotlight calls it a hit!!! UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD, which profiles some of the most talented, versatile, and influential black celebrities in Hollywood, will debut new episodes on Sunday, October 7 at 9 p.m. ET/8C, kicking off with the story of the iconic African American film The Best Man (Malcolm D. Lee). The remainder of the season features equally unforgettable stories from influential entertainers including comedian/actor Wayne Brady, actor and R&B singer Ray J and comedian/TV/radio personality Rickey Smiley.. UNCENSORED, which follows at 10 p.m. ET/9C, explores the lives of your favorite personalities as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they've faced, and how they manage this new world of social media that has helped, but sometimes haunted their careers. Entertainment mogul Nick Cannon, actress Tichina Arnold, R&B singer K. Michelle and comedian/TV/radio personality D.L. Hughley will appear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL_mb8jtirM Veteran praise and worship recording artist, Bishop Leonard Scott, has scored the highest chart debut of his four decades-long career in music with his 14th album, "Jesus Love Legacy." The uplifting collection of songs comes in at No. 8 on the Top Gospel Albums sales chart with a bullet. It eclipses Bishop Scott's personal best chart peak of No. 18 for "Be Lifted." The twelve-track collection of songs is one of Scot's most cohesive and intentional efforts. He collaborated closely with producer, Phillip Feaster, and singer/songwriter, TIFF JOY. The trio co-wrote seven of the set's twelve tracks, including the upbeat radio single, "Working in My Favor" which features gospel legend Fred Hammond, Shirley Murdock as well as, Jeral V. Gray of New Direction. Rance Allen and Kevin Vasser join Scott on the old school funk number, "Power in the Name" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPT0rJY5EFc In this new season, Earl Bynum releases a new solo studio album "This Song Is For You". This new album is a collection of 10-tracks infused with soulful rhythms, R&B styled vocals, Gospel (Good News) lyrics, accompanied by amazing instrumentation and background vocals. The current single, "Bless The Lord Oh My Soul (Remix)"is a bridge to connect Bynum's gospel roots with his urban music influences. The album title track,"This Song Is For You" and "Call Him", showcase Bynum's Urban Inspirational style, while "Rain" and "You Are Great" deliver a sound that appeals to multicultural audiences. The Lionsgate hit drama series GREENLEAF has returned for season three on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. This shocking series depicts the never-ending secrets of the Greenleaf family and their Memphis, TN based megachurch. Each season of the enthralling show has been accompanied by a dynamic music soundtrack. Lionsgate Music announces the next volume, the highly anticipated GREENLEAF SEASON 3 SOUNDTRACK and featured single “Changed”. The GREENLEAF SEASON 3 SOUNDTRACK will be available for digital download on Friday, September 28th. The soundtrack features songs performed by Deborah Joy Winans, Patti LaBelle, Chimere Scott, Keith David, Josiah Bell and Voice of Atlanta. Deborah Joy Winans and Patti LaBelle join for an inspiring collaboration on the soundtrack lead audio and video single “Changed”. The world premiere of the "Changed" music video is in The Gospel Spotlight...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhSi05NPeQ&feature=youtu.be Koryn Hawthorne continues to shatter records as a new artist, making history as the first female artist to hold the #1 position on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart for 26 weeks with, “Won’t He Do It,” remaining #1 on the latest chart (for the week of September 15, 2018). Hawthorne’s chart-topping success surpasses the previous record of 25 weeks set in 2013 by Tamela Mann with “Take Me to the King.” In addition to the new chart milestone, the 20-year-old’s official “Won’t He Do It” music video has garnered over 1.4 million views and counting since its debut exactly one month ago. “Won’t He Do It” – the lead single off her chart-topping debut full-length album Unstoppable – is also currently #1 on the BDS Gospel chart (for 18 weeks) and #1 on the MediaBase Gospel chart (for 17 weeks). Hawthorne is maintaining a busy schedule this fall, including a recent return appearance on the hit television series Greenleaf in last week’s episode. The 2018 Dove Awards double nominee, who is up for New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year, will be performing at the award show on October 16th. She is touring in September and November with Jonathan McReynolds on the Make Room Tour. The tour includes sold-out stops in Brooklyn, Washington DC, Richmond, Philadelphia and Atlanta, and also makes stops in Memphis and St. Louis. Koryn Hawthorne, “Won’t He Do It” official music video: https://youtu.be/OwrE0YjfNGg Contemporary Gospel artist, Lamont Sanders has a new radio single. It has a simple, yet powerful message for the masses! Lamont Sanders gives “All the Glory" and praises God. Be on the look out for this song. Brent Jones “Open Your Mouth and Say Something!” (Billboard's #1 Most Added Song at Radio), the Grammy and Stellar Award winner is in concert at Urban Network's Business of Music Conference on Sept 14th! Urban Network’s Business of Music Conference has been serving the urban music community since 1990. One of the largest gatherings of urban music professionals in the world, the 2-½ day conference features speakers & experts in the fields of Music Streaming, Social Media Strategies, Publishing, Artist Management, Entertainment Law, Funding, Songwriting/Production, Entrepreneurship, Digital & Terrestrial Radio, Music in Film/TV/Video Games, etc. This year's Conference includes major label executives from Sony Music Group, Universal, Warner Music, iHeart Media, Sirius XM, The Recording Academy, Digiwaxx, Tune Registry and dozens more. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Gospel Spotlight is on JONATHAN NELSON'S 'DECLARATIONS' ALBUM RELEASE CELEBRATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 at All Nations Worship Assembly, Atlanta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmeHhjZOTPo The 3rd Annual 2018 Black Music Honors hosted by Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett is currently airing in national broadcast syndication. The star-studded show was taped live at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tenn. The show celebrated the unparalleled legacies of several esteemed music icons including Stephanie Mills (Legends Award); Bobby Brown (R&B Soul Music Icon Award); BeBe and CeCe Winans (Gospel Music Icon Award); Faith Evans (Urban Music Icon Award); Whodini (Hip Hop Icon Award); and Dallas Austin (Music Innovator Icon Award). The Gospel Spotlights Tina Campbell. Checkout "We Livin' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGnsUe7ZpFc Grammy® Award-Winning Recording Artist Tamela Mann and her husband, NAACP Image Award-Winning Actor and Comedian David Mann, will drop a soulful 10-song musical collaboration about resilient and enduring love, entitled Us Against the World: The Love, available November 13, 2018. Produced by David, Tamela and their son David Mann, Jr., Us Against the World is a candidly honest album chronicling defining moments in David and Tamela’s relationship. The two recreate an epic revelation from early on in their marriage that could have undone them on the heart-wrenching yet resolutely hopeful track “I Love You O.” On “Mason Jar” Tamela’s tender vocals pay tribute to her grandmother, mother and love of her life, David. The first single, going to Urban AC is “Good Love,” a timeless romantic duet in the vein of one of the Motown classics featuring David and Tamela’s soulfully smooth harmonies. The title track “Us Against the World” features the duo’s fine vocal blend layered on top of funky, soulful grooves. The album reconstructs other ‘big reveals’ in the couple’s relationship, leading to “Signs,” the ultimate love letter to each other. Isabel Davis charts with new single "Jesus We Love You" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edgBh3XFYJU&feature=youtu.be Tyler Perry started shooting the next season of his hit show, The Haves and the Haves Nots this week. After hearing that Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens was in between jobs and making ends meet by working at his local Trader Joe's, Perry quickly tweeted out that he'd be more than happy to snatch him up for a role on the Oprah Winfrey Network series. "I have tremendous respect for a man who has no pride about working. He's going to do what he has to do to support his family," Perry said. "I know a lot of people … that refuse to go to work when they're between acting gigs. When I saw that, I was moved by him. That's the true measure of a man. The true measure of an artist. I have so much respect for him. ?"Sister Circle," the live, daily talk show hosted by Quad Webb-Lunceford (Married To Medicine), Syleena Johnson (R&B Divas), TV host, sports reporter and radio show host Rashan Ali and Trina Braxton (Braxton Family Values)guest today includes Tuesday 9.11 on SISTER CIRCLE: Don't miss the deals on "Sister Circle Savings" with Summer Jackson; get health tips with Dr. Dave; and today's "Get to Know Our Sister" focuses on Rashan Ali.. http://www.gospel-spotlight.com The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced another round of all-star performances for the 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards, including award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle, a Newsboys reunion celebrating the band's 25th anniversary, a duet by chart-topping recording artist Natalie Grant and rising star Koryn Hawthorne, and a first-time Dove Awards performance by GRAMMY® nominated artist Tori Kelly featuring gospel legend Kirk Franklin. The awards show will be held live on October 16 in Nashville, Tennessee and will air exclusively on TBN October 21 at 8 p.m. CT. Previously announced performers include Big Daddy Weave, Cory Asbury, Tauren Wells and Jason Crabb with Rascal Flatts. A native of Bakersfield, CA, Jason McGee moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to go to the L.A.C.C. Theater Academy. He then went on to perform in television shows and films, acting and singing. Jason has shared the stage with Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin just to name a few. In 2006 Jason formed the award winning P.S.A.L.M.S at the City of Refuge Church whereBishop Noel Jones is the pastor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjxxt6-WSKs&feature=youtu.be Motown Gospel, to release compilation album marking the label’s twenty years of iconic and genre-defining music. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Motown Gospel, this album journeys through the birth of EMI Gospel as a seedling artist development label to its rise and transition into Motown Gospel, one of the most successful music labels. All your favorites are featured on Motown Gospel: 20 Years | 20 Hits with songs from Award-winning artists Tye Tribbett, VaShawn Mitchell, Charles Jenkins, Micah Stampley, Lamar Campbell, Forever Jones and more. Among the classic gems include “I Need You Now,” from Smokie Norful; Tri City Singers’ “Never Seen The Righteous,” Kierra Sheard’s debut single “You Don’t Know” and digging deep into the vault, their are songs like “Blessed and Highly Favored,”(The Clark Sisters), “Set Me Free,” (Myron Butler & Levi) “Worth Fighting For,” (Brian Courtney Wilson) and the career-defining “Break Every Chain,” from Tasha Cobbs Leonard. When news of Tyler Perry offering Geoffrey Owens – the former “The Cosby Show” actor a job on one of OWN’s drama shows in the wake of Owens’ bagging groceries at a New jersey Trader Joe’s – a lot of folks gave the gesture a big ol’ thumbs up! Of course most thought Owens would jump at the opportunity to work with Perry. Well, hold on. Not so fast. Perhaps Owens is not sold yet that the offer is real. Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on “The Cosby Show” from 1985 to 1992, responded to Tyler’s offer, telling news show Entertainment Tonight, that Perry’s offer was “kind of cool.” He’s a bit skeptical because Perry had never offered to audition him before his photos went viral on social media. “I mean, that kind of sounded like he was saying, ‘Come work with me.’ I’m so, like, skeptical. Like, really? Are you actually saying come work with me? Because we’ve never worked together before. So, that’s a very, very generous thing for him to say. And we’ll see what happens with that.” On TBT...Hear Geoffry Owens IN His Own Words... http://gospel-spotlight.com/geoffry_owens_intvw.htm Gospel Artist and Songwriter Krystal A. Livingston has experienced many disappointments, but she believes, as her favorite scripture states, that it all works for her good. The Connecticut-based recording artist and former choir director is known for her exceptional vocal skills, talents which have placed her on stages singing background vocals for mainstream pop artists Josh Groban and Kenny Loggins and opening up for Gospel legend, Donnie McClurkin. Checkout her video for “Great Things”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkAMclAwlVc BMI® (Broadcast Music, Inc)® celebrated the songwriters, producers and publishers of the year’s most-performed R&B/hip-hop songs during the 2018 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards held at The Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall in Atlanta. Multiple award-winning superstar Janet Jackson took home the night’s highest honor of BMI Icon in recognition of her groundbreaking career. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Creative, Atlanta Catherine Brewton, with Lifestyle Specialist Kenny Burns as co-host, the evening included stellar performances by some of the hottest artists. The night began with a special tribute to the late Aretha Franklin, who was part of the BMI family for 50 years, with Tamela Mann singing a rendition of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” followed by “You’ve Got a Friend.” Keri Hilson and BMI’s Wardell Malloy introduced Atlanta rapper Derez De’shon as 2018 BMI Social Star, presented by PrettyLittleThing.com, before he took to the stage with a performance of his hit “Hardaway.” Chart-topping young star and two-time 2018 Dove Awards nominee Koryn Hawthorne makes a return appearance in Lionsgate’s hit drama series, Greenleaf tonight, September 5that 10 pm/9c on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Her song “Speak the Name”will be featured in the episode. Hawthorne’s role in Episode 303 (“Chain of Command”) marks her second appearance on the show, following her appearance during Season 2, where she gave a debut performance of her chart-topping hit “Won’t He Do It.” Koryn Hawthorne’s “Speak the Name” is now available on the Official Greenleaf Playliston Spotify and Apple Music. “Speak the Name” was written by Hawthorne with GRAMMY®-winning songwriters Aaron Lindsey and Bernie Herms. The Greenleaf: Season 3 Soundtrack will be available from Lionsgate Music on September 28th. Watch the Colin Kaepernick Nike Ad That Will Run During the NFL Season Opener courtesy of Time http://time.com/5387672/colin-kaepernick-nike-ad-nfl/ Inspirational Jazz Vocalist Robert E. Person released his fifth indie album this summer to a #12 position on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums Chart. CLASSIC COVERS is Robert’s most ingenious and versatile work to date. CLASSIC COVERS includes remakes of timeless soul, show tune and gospel songs including “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, and the heartfelt ballad from hit Broadway musical Civil War “Sarah”. CLASSIC COVERS also includes a remake of Stevie Wonder’s hit “Love’s In Need Of Love Today”. “Loves In Need Of Love Today” is Robert’s new Jazz Radio single already being added by Jazz radio stations across the country: Along with the radio single, Robert has released the official music video for “Love’s In Need Of Love Today”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPlTkq264go&feature=youtu.be Two-time NAACP Image Award-Winning Actor and Comedian David Mann and his wife, Grammy® Award-Winning Recording Artist Tamela Mann, are celebrating their 30-year love story with the release of their new memoir, 'Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage and Family' available November 13, 2018. With a relationship spanning more than 30 years, David and Tamela are just as, if not more than, happily in love as they were in the early days of life together. In their new book, 'Us Against the World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage and Family, ' the superstar couple who has delighted and inspired audiences through music, plays, movies, and the television series " Meet the Browns," " The Manns" and "Mann and Wife " candidly share a wonderfully inspiring, funny and up-close look at their lives while offering hope and practical advice for building a strong relationship, marriage and family. Joshua Rogers has announced the album release date and has unmasked the LP's official cover for his long-awaited new project Returning (Mixed Bag Music/eOne) available in stores and online Friday, September 28. Fans can pre-order now on iTunes and receive three grat tracks instantly. The 14-track project from the 24 year-old Greeleyville, South Carolina native features songs such as "Don't Leave Me," "The Daryl Coley Medley," and the lead single "Pour Your Oil." Joshua begins his promotional tour in support of his forthcoming album in Los Angeles (Sept 13-15) at the Urban Network Digital Music Business Conference and will continue with stops in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., South Carolina, Nashville, and Dallas. JONATHAN NELSON'S 'DECLARATIONS' ALBUM RELEASE CELEBRATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 going down at the All Nations Worship Assembly, Atlanta. Award-winning journalist, author, TV host and multimedia entrepreneur Roland S. Martin will launch #RolandMartinUnfiltered, a daily digital show, on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at 6:00pm ET. The show will report on news and current events that are important to people of color, covering a wide range of topics including politics, social justice, sports, education, business, finance, entertainment and pop culture. #RolandMartinUnfiltered will stream live daily on Facebook, YouTube, Periscope and Instagram TV, and will be available on-demand on a multitude of digital platforms. Gospel Music Industry Executive and Founder of Tre7 Entertainment, Tracy Y. Williamson has added ;Author to her name with the upcoming release of her book on October 23rd:"Own Your Moment and Take the Stage: Laying the Foundation for a Successful Music Career." Tracy has worked in the music industry for nearly 20 years as a record label executive, artist consultant, publicist, artist manager, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and radio host. Through her new book, "Own Your Moment and Take the Stage: Laying the Foundation for a Successful Music Career," Tracy shares her journey along with viable tips and information to help guide those who desire to be connected to the music industry. The book will step-by-step help lay the groundwork for you to successfully own your moment and take the stage. Gain insight, motivation and information to properly develop your vision before writing a song, recording and more. Two-Time Stellar Award winning online radio station, SOAR Radio, and the founder of Sun Wise Media, Ri-Karlo Handy, are thrilled to announce the 3rd Annual 2019 Gospel Radio Awards. The show will be taped for television and Live Streamed. Karen Clark-Sheard will receive the Legend Award, Tamela Mann will receive the Chart Achievement Award, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard will be honored with the Industry Impact Award, and Dr. Matthew Stevenson will be presented with the Luminary Award. This special evening will include performances and appearances by Kierra Sheard, Todd Dulaney, Jekalyn Carr, Dorinda Clark Cole, Michelle Williams, Shana Wilson Williams, Donald Lawrence, Jessica Reedy, Kelontae Gavin, Darius Paulk and other top Gospel artists. The late Aretha Franklin’s family said Monday (Sept. 3) that it found an Atlanta pastor’s eulogy delivered at the Queen of Soul’s funeral last week to be offensive and distasteful. The eulogist, the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., was criticized for a political address that described children being in a home without a father as “abortion after birth” and said black lives do not matter unless blacks stop killing each other. “He spoke for 50 minutes and at no time did he properly eulogize her,” said Vaughn Franklin, the late singer’s nephew, who said he was delivering a statement for the family. Franklin said his aunt never asked Williams to eulogize her, since she didn’t talk about plans for her own funeral. The family selected Williams because he has spoken at other family memorials in the past, most prominently at the funeral for Franklin’s father, minister and civil rights activist C.L. Franklin, 34 years ago. He also said “there are not fathers in the home no more” and said that a black woman cannot raise a black boy to be a man. Some people suggested that was disrespectful of Aretha Franklin, a single mother of four boys. Coming fresh off his first #1 solo record BEBE WINANS is back with his follow single, "Laughter ?(Just Like A Medicine)" featuring K.S. It's a Hit! Hear BeBe Winans In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/be_be_winans_intvw.htm Barack Obama will soon have a street named after him in the city he called home for just two years. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to rename Rodeo Road, a street running along the northern edge of the Baldwin Hills neighborhood, as Obama Boulevard. City Council President Herb Wesson first proposed renaming the street in 2017, noting that Rancho Cienega Park off Rodeo Road was the site of a major Obama campaign rally during his 2008 presidential campaign. The 3.5-mile street is also located in a predominantly African American community, and is near streets named after Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the vote on Twitter shortly after it passed. Lowell Pye is back with a soul-stirring single that is perfect for this season. The Stellar Award Winning artist introduces "We Need You". A song that proclaims to the world that we need "Jesus" and that with HIM we are able to accomplish, conquer and make it through whatever confronts us. Lowell's soultry sound and lyrics of the song are definitely captivating. Although Aretha Franklin sang at his inauguration, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama won’t attend her funeral on Friday, their spokeswoman Katie Hill confirmed. "Unfortunately, President and Mrs. Obama will not be able to attend Aretha Franklin’s services on Friday, but they have sent a letter, which the Rev. Al Sharpton will be reading during the service,” Hill said. According to USA Today, Obama is to give a eulogy along with former President George W. Bush Saturday morning at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, who died Aug. 25. Bush, the Free Press previously reported, also sent a letter to be read at Franklin’s funeral service. SiriusXM announced Wednesday (Aug. 29) that Soul Town (channel 49) will broadcast Aretha Franklin’s funeral in its entirety on the new Aretha Franklin Tribute Channel. The service on Friday at 10 a.m. ET will feature performances by Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande and more. Faith Hill, Chaka Khan, Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson are also set to perform, along with Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, the Clark Sisters and Jennifer Holliday. Following the service, the Aretha Franklin Tribute Channel will answer calls from fans across the country who’d like to share memories and pay their respects to the late Queen of Soul. The new tribute channel launched on Aug. 16. From “I Say A Little Prayer” to “Think” to her signature classic “RESPECT,” Aretha Franklin was a musical phenomenon and a transcendent figure in American culture. As the nation mourns the passing of the ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin, BET Networks will commemorate her life and legacy by broadcasting Aretha Franklin’s funeral service in its entirety beginning Friday, August 31 at 10 AM ET on BET, BET Her and BET.com The Bounce television network and the Brown Sugar streaming service are teaming up to carry Aretha Franklin's farewell memorial service live this Friday, Aug. 31. The funeral will take place at the Greater Grace Temple in Franklin's beloved hometown of Detroit. Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Ronald Isley, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters and Marvin Sapp are among the 19 artists scheduled to perform at the family-and-friends-only service. Smokey Robinson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Former President Bill Clinton will be among the high-profile speakers. "Celebrating the Queen of Soul" will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET and the memorial service will be begin at 10:00 am ET. At least 1000 members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority held a separate memorial ceremony for soror Aretha Franklin during her public viewing Tuesday at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Per sorority tradition, the ladies took part in an Omega Omega ceremony, which lasted nearly an hour and is traditionally performed for any member before her funeral. Standing in a semicircle surrounding Franklin’s family, the women filed in for nearly 10 minutes wearing black dresses, pearl necklaces, and corsages of African violets, the sorority’s official flower. The Word Network, the largest African American religious network in the world, will air the celebration of life service for Aretha Franklin in its entirety. "We are very appreciative to receive the support of The Word Network in ensuring that the ENTIRE Celebration Of Life Service for Ms. Aretha Franklin will be aired uninterrupted. The Word Network will graciously provide a live feed to all other Networks and Broadcast carriers authorized by the Franklin family," stated Bishop Charles Ellis III of Greater Grace Temple. The Service will begin at 10:00am EST. on Friday, August 31st. J. Moss VictoryDanceChallenge Record Urself Dancing To the new #hotness & Who knows,He may fly u in to be in the video with him !! Let’s Goooo ppl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwSAs_mXUGY&feature=youtu.be God Bless the Broken Road in Theaters September 7, 2018 http://www.godblessthebrokenroad.com/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=outreachemail1 Top women powerhouse executives Cynthia Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and Nona Jones, manager of global faith-based partnerships for Facebook, are leading the way at Bishop T. D. Jakes' new Master Class format for the Woman, Thou Art Loosed! conference (Oct. 18 – 20)—a movement that has been training, teaching and inspiring more than half a million women for more than 25 years. Never before have the breakout sessions at the event focused more on enhancing women's entrepreneurial skills and helping them maximize their impact across multiple areas. Marshall is leading a breakout session on how women leaders can succeed in a male-dominated work environment. Led by top international, spiritual-minded businesswomen, the breakout sessions will also address topics such as: The challenges of being a Christian woman in corporate America, How to achieve work/life balance in a culture that pushes busyness and productivity, Practical steps to excel in financial freedom and more. Bishop John C White is celebrated around the globe as a world-class musician and songwriter. His composition Stretch Out (When Trouble Comes) recorded by the Institutional Church of God in Christ Radio Choir of Brooklyn, New York appeared on Pastor Shirley Caesar's debut solo album and became an instant hit. White would take the Institutional Radio Choir and later his very own JC White Singers to higher heights with a string of choir favorites including Talk It Over With Jesus, Stay in the Race, Please Touch Somebody, I Don't Want To Be Lost, You Can Make It and Keys To The Kingdom. With some four-plus decades dedicated to the service of the Lord in music ministry and with his music covered by the likes of Ricky Dillard and New G, Dr. Charles G. Hayes and the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir, Chicago Mass Choir and more, White details his experiences in a new book, "Messages Behind the Melodies." ?? The renowned Debbie Allen, actress, dancer, choreographer, television director and producer will receive the Icon Award at LA Focus' 21st Annual First Ladies High Tea on Saturday, September 8, 2018 @ 11 AM, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Other honorees include; Jennifer S. Newsom; wife of Lt. Governor Gavin Newson, Xernona Clayton; Founder/CEO, Trumpet Awards Foundation, and Gwen Troy, Community Bible Study. Gospel Legend Dr. Bobby Jones and Apostle Beverly “BAM” Crawford, Pastor, Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church will return as Co-Hosts. LA Focus honors First ladies who have served their communities well, through activism and charitable contributions this year’s honorees are: Dr. Shalonda K. Crawford; The Experience Christian Ministries, Osie L. Hill; Love & Unity Christian Fellowship and Hyepin C. IM; President/CEO, Faith & Community Empowerment. Gospel legend Dorinda Clark Cole will be the Special guest performer for the event. The First Ladies High Tea awards scholarships to participants, this year’s essay theme is, “On Becoming: Finding My Strength”. Four teenage girls will be awarded a $ 1,000 scholarship and (1) winner $1500. "Sister Circle," the live daily talks show from TEGNA Inc. and TV One, is hosted by a panel of four female hosts - Quad Webb-Lunceford (Married To Medicine), Syleena Johnson (R&B Divas), TV host, sports reporter and radio show host Rashan Ali and new co-host Trina Braxton (Braxton Family Values)- airs weekdays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET on TV One. Tuesdays guest are Greenleaf's Keith David, Lynn Whitfield and Merle Dandridge. Wednesdays guest includes Greenleaf's Lamman Rucker and Deborah Joy Winan. Thursdays guest is Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta star Melissa Scott and Gospel Singer Donald Lawrence. Celeste Betton from Team Pharrell on Season 9 of The Voice is releasing her debut album, "Honestly"! The new album, which comes just 3 years after her time on The Voice, features her debut single, a cover of Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons, and a new single penned by the songstress herself, "Trust". "Trust" includes a sample of Kim McFarland's "In My Name", with the famous lyrics "Just put your trust in me" ringing all throughout the chorus. Honestly is currently available on all digital retailers. Anthony Ponder & Ministry's Desire (APMD) are a collective of singers in the New Jersey area who focus on authentic music ministry. Anthony has launched a series of videos called The Tribute Sessions in which APMD performs classic hits by Gospel's biggest artist. The first Tribute Session pays tribute to Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award winning legends Donald Lawrence and Hezekiah Walker. APMD invites fans to watch as they rehearse and record Anthony's tribute arrangement of "Oh I Feel Jesus", which was written by Donald Lawrence for the FAMILY AFFAIR album by Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir in 1999. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupwHSKZoRM&feature=youtu.be New Music from Charlie Wilson & Snoop - "One More Day" - Uptempo smash! https://youtu.be/BPmAxzEJpWA Capitol Records will release Tori Kelly's new project, Hiding Place, on September 14. Today, as the pre-order launched, the GRAMMY®-nominated artist shared the first single,"Never Alone" featuring Kirk Franklin. It's a soulful, transcendent track that finds hope in the midst of personal struggles. View Toriperforming the song live with Kirk Franklin. http://mysound.co/video/1433289970/never-alone-feat-kirk-franklin-tori-kelly Faith is evident in God Can Do Anything (But Fail), it's the radio single from Audrey DuBois Harris’ latest EP, God Bless America. The five-song EP with longtime collaborator and music maestro, Damien Sneed. features the title track and radio single along with classics and contemporary compositions: “Amazing Grace,” “Give Me Jesus,” and “Precious Lord Take My Hand,” recorded with Jerroll Lehman. The critically-acclaimed artist has graced world stages with her extraordinary vocal abilities in opera, classical, jazz, sacred, gospel and inspirational music. This Spring, the Reverend Jesse Jackson invited Harris to perform in a series of MLK50 events commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Harris also participated in “A Day of Remembrance” event at the National Civil Rights Museum. A personal favorite singer of Aretha Franklin, Harris will join other performers paying tribute to the Queen of Soul at services held in Detroit on August 31st. Christon Gray releases the new song “Together Forever,” the lead single from his upcoming fourth solo album Clear The Heir “Together Forever” kicks off a new chapter for the chart topping rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, following a period of personal trials after the release of his acclaimed second album The Glory Album. In the song, Gray shares his experience dealing with being a Christian and facing divorce along with the life changes that follow. Reaffirming a strong declaration of faith in Jesus to inspire listeners, “Together Forever” will be followed by the release of additional singles in the coming weeks. Clear The Heir will be released on Friday October 19th, 2018. BISHOP NOEL JONES & THE CITY OF REFUGE SANCTUARY CHOIR present THE NEW SINGLE "HOLY GHOST" Featuring Jason McGee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVvz0Ckxh3M An all-star lineup that includes Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Shirley Caesar and many more will perform at Aretha Franklin’s funeral next week. The Queen of Soul’s service will be held in Detroit on Aug. 31. Also slated to perform are Ron Isley, Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Holliday and Franklin’s son, Edward Franklin. The list was provided by Franklin’s longtime publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn. The service will reflect Franklin’s strong gospel roots. Among the gospel stars performing will be Marvin Sapp, the Clark Sisters and Vanessa Bell Armstrong. The Aretha Franklin Orchestra and the Aretha Franklin Celebration Choir are also on the program, as are singers Audrey DuBois Harris and Alice McAllister Tillman. The service will be held at Greater Grace Temple. Franklin died of pancreatic cancer last Thursday at age 76 in Detroit. Sharing his life in the new book, “Unexpected Places: Thoughts On God, Faith and Finding Your Voice,” singer, songwriter Anthony Evans Jr. gives an honest, riveting narrative that chronicles his life from Dallas to Hollywood. In addition to Anthony’s book “Unexpected Places,” he simultaneously released a new single. A cover of the popular worship song “Reckless Love" done in a soulful, compelling style Anthony is known for. "I want the reader to understand that God does not necessarily take us directly from point A to point B. In today’s culture we often want immediate gratification, and if we are not getting somewhere in a straight line, it can be very frustrating. I want to encourage the reader to enjoy the zigzags of the journey … Each zig and each zag represents growth, progression and learning trust … God is in every corner, and in every unexpected place,” said Evans. Another jewel has been added to the crown of Queen Latifah. Philadelphia’s Mayor Jim Kenney announced Tuesday that the rapper, singer and actress would be the latest recipient of its Marian Anderson Award, named after the pioneering opera singer and Philly native who became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955. The award salutes “critically acclaimed artists who have impacted society in a positive way.” Latifah, born Dana Owens in Newark, New Jersey, was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Matron “Mama” Morton in 2002's “Chicago” and Grammy for her song “U.N.I.T.Y.” Kenney says she’s “an excellent role model and clearly well-deserving of this prestigious honor.” Previous winners include Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle and music producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Latifah will be awarded at a Nov. 20 gala. Zebrina Anderson, Nikeisha Whittier, and Sarah Benibo make up a beautiful trio of vivacious voices and virtuous spirits. These ladies have been singing together for over 15 years and have cross-pollinated Gospel, Contemporary Christian and Modern Worship with their poignant songwriting and ardent approach to ministry. Zebrina, Nikeisha and Sarah are God’s Chosen (GC3). The trio recently released their self-titled album which landed at #11 on the Billboard Gospel Albums Chart. God’s Chosen is now releasing the live performance of their single “Even In The Valley” in lyric video format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZASWfZ624z4&feature=youtu.be The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) announced today, for the first time in the foundation’s history, two senators — Senator Cory Booker (New Jersey) and Senator Kamala D. Harris (California) — will serve as honorary co-chairs for the 48th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), scheduled for September 12-16, 2018. Historically, co-chairs have been members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Word of an Aretha Franklin biopic to star Jennifer Hudson was first revealed last January, when Clive Davis broke the news at his annual pre-Grammy party before introducing J-Hud onstage to sing a medley of Franklin’s hits. “The artist anointed by Aretha Franklin herself,” Davis said in bringing Hudson to the stage, adding “Aretha personally told me that last week,” that the Oscar winner would play her on the big screen. According to one of its producers, the Hudson film is still going ahead, despite the life rights issues that Franklin’s passing may (or may not) dredge up. Aretha biopic projects have been floating around for years. USA Network was reportedly negotiating a TV movie at one point, “but before Davis’ announcement, the closest it came to casting was in 2011, when Franklin caused a stir by mentioning on “The Wendy Williams Show” that Halle Berry would be her first choice. Berry later brushed off the notion, saying she couldn’t “carry a tune.” BET Networks and Beverly Bond, CEO, founder and creator of “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™”are excited to announce this year’s BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ Awards taping on Sunday, August 26, 2018 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Prudential Hall in Newark, NJ. The broadcast will premiere on Sunday, September 9, 2018 at 8:00 P.M. ET/PT on BET. The 2018 BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ celebrants are Mary J. Blige, Judith Jamison, Naomi Campbell, Lena Waithe and Tarana Burke The dynamic, three-time NAACP Award winning “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™” on BET celebrates women throughout the diaspora by shining a light on the many accomplishments and contributions of influential Black women and girls. The 49th Annual GMA Dove Award nominations were recently announced, and Entertainment One (eOne) celebrates six nominations in multiple categories. Entertainment One’s Dove Award nominees are: Jonathan McReynolds Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year “Not Lucky, I’m Loved” Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of The Year Make Room Ricky Dillard & New G Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year “I Survived It” Traditional Gospel Album of the Year 10 Todd Dulaney Urban Worship Recorded Song of the Year “Your Great Name” Urban Worship Album of the Year Your Great Name The Dove Awards will take place on Tuesday, October 16, at Lipscomb University. Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) will exclusively air the show on Sunday, October 21. Voting for the final winners will run August 20 through August 27. The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church’s first elected female bishop, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, and Stellar award-winning artist, Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr singers will headline the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.’s (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) Prayer Breakfast on September 15, 2018. The event, presented by The Coca-Cola Company, while be held from 7:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. From the rough streets of Cleveland to the U.S. military to the top of Amazon's Best Selling Christian Rap Music chart, Tyrone Crawford's story reads like a novel, full of passionate struggle, steadfast faith and spiritual transformation. The Christian rapper who captivates audiences with his one-of-a-kind sound, driving beats and powerful words has signed with Colorado Springs, Colo. – based new management and label WieRok Entertainment. Tyrone's debut single, "HOPE" will be available September 14 for purchase and streaming across all DSPs via WieRok. The track's lyric video will release simultaneously with the single. Reflecting on the meaning of the song, Tyrone explains, "With so much negativity, pain and hardship going on in the world I wanted to lead people to have hope in Christ through it all." The single is part of a series of tracks comprising the rapper's first body of work with WieRok. Starting in September and scheduled to release every few months. Tasha Cobbs Leonard, best-selling gospel artist of the past year, announced the launch of The Revival Tour today. The highly anticipated tour begins November 1, in Atlanta, GA with nine additional dates across the country including Charlotte, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington DC, Baltimore, New York City. An exclusive fan pre-sale will starts Tuesday, August 21. Subscribers to Tasha's email list will receive a pre-sale access code to purchase tickets early. Fans can sign up for the email list today at TashaCobbs.org. Tickets will go on sale everywhere starting Friday, August 24 at 10am ET. Cobbs Leonard has continued to elevate her music ministry since her debut in 2013, which earned her a GRAMMY Award. In 2017, she released the critical and consumer-acclaimed album HEART. PASSION. PURSUIT. It was the top-selling new album of the year and was propelled by exceptional performances on Good Morning America, Black Girls Rock, The Stellar Awards and Dove With the April 2018 release of his freshman album The Higher Experience and landing at No. 4 on chart, social media phenom Kelontae Gavin is set to digitally release, The Higher Experience long-form concert video. The 40 minute digital concert is available for immediate pre-order now and available for download or streaming August 24. The Higher Experience video concert not only showcases Gavin's passionate faith and vast vocal range, but also his preacher-like oratorical skills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhOXYl_D1dg Koryn Hawthorne is still # 1 with "Won't He Do It." Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwrE0YjfNGg&feature=youtu.be “The Unsung Hits,” is a ten-track collection of songs not only highlight Earnest Pugh’s remarkable voice but also the sincere and heartfelt lyrics that have been inspiring his audiences. The set also features duets with some of gospel music’s leading and legendary voices, such as Bishop Rance Allen, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, D’Atra Hicks and Michelle Prather. The tracks were crafted by esteemed producers such as Grammy® Award winner Cedric Thompson, Michael Bereal and Keith Williams. TEGNA Inc.’s (NYSE: TGNA) “Sister Circle” announced today that Trina Braxton is joining first-year hosts Rashan Ali, Syleena Johnson and Quad Webb-Lunceford on the lively, daily talk show. Braxton is an entrepreneur, R&B singer and star of the reality TV show, “Braxton Family Values.” “Sister Circle” is a live, one-hour daily talk show that is inspiring, informative, empowering and always entertaining. This Monday, August 20th @8PM ET/7 PM CT, Trinity Broadcasting network (TBN),will premiere the second episode of “Gospel Worship Experience (GWE).” The program is hosted by JAVEN, and Tye Tribbett. The second episode features Travis Greene and Kierra Sheard. TBN live stream: https://www.tbn.org/watch/live As expected, there is reportedly a massive effort underway to send Aretha Franklin home in grand style. According to TMZ, her memorial will be a four-day event, where her body will lie in state for two days at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and her funeral for close friends and family to be held at Greater Grace Temple. Family sources tell the site that the viewing will be an open casket. And, of course, there will be lots of singing. Sources close to the family say the Charles H. Wright museum was chosen to accommodate the mass of humanity expected to show up. Franklin was also a frequent visitor. The museum was also the site of Rosa Parks’ viewing in 2005. Franklin died Thursday at her home in Detroit surrounded by friends and family after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 76. Erica and Warryn plan to celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary with a live performance of their duet song, "All of My Life" in front of thousands of fans at Kirk Franklin's Exodus Festival. But technical difficulties could derail the whole thing. Meanwhile, Joi returns home from touring with PJ Morton and shows the family her Atlanta concert, but will Warryn like what he sees? And Goo shares some big news about her potential clothing line. Tune in to season finale of WE'RE THE CAMPBELLS on Tuesday, August 21 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on TV One. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVL16y-g11E&feature=youtu.be The 2018 Black Music Honors recognized the legacy of Aretha Franklin during the award show taping on Thursday, August 16. . Hosted by Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett, the annual two-hour television special honors artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music. This year’s honorees were Bobby Brown, Faith Evans, Bebe & Cece Winans, Whodini, Stephanie Mills and Dallas Austin. The night included performances by Bell Biv Devoe, Next, Jade Novah, Kierra Sheard, Tasha Page-Lockhart, V. Bozeman, Demetria McKinney, DJ Mell Starr, Sammie, Donnie McClurkin, Sammie, Yo-Yo, Koryn Hawthorne, Rhyon Brown, Raheem DeVaughn, Regina Belle, Paris Bennett, Syleena Johnson, Angela Winbush, Jonathan McReynolds, Monie Love, Ruben Studdard and Doug E. Fresh. Additional VIP’s in attendance included Shiggy, Kyla Jade, Stevie J and more. GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Donald Lawrence commands attention on his latest song with The Tri-City Singers, “He Heard My Cry” (feat. Sir the Baptist and Arnetta Murrill-Crooms). Creating an urgent call of deliverance driven by Lawrence and the featured voices of hip hop lyricist Sir the Baptist, the chorus of The Tri-City Singers and soloist Arnetta Murrill-Crooms, “He Heard My Cry” is the second single in the upcoming reunion album from Lawrence with the original Tri-City Singers, celebrating their 25th anniversary. Oprah Winfrey will honor the Queen of Soul with a re-airing of her 1999 interview from “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” tomorrow (Sat, 8/18) at 8 pm ET/PT. Remembering Aretha Franklin: The Oprah Interview will feature the talk show host chatting with Aretha about her life and career, including her autobiography, “Aretha: From These Roots.” Also, Franklin performs “Think,” “Respect,” and “Miss Clawdy Medley,” a medley of songs in honor of her father, and shares her favorite recipe. Franklin also sings “We Need Power” to honor her roots in gospel music. The Queen of Soul Ms. Aretha Louise Franklin passes in her home at age 76. Our prayers and thoughts are with her family. friends and fans. Please keep them in your prayers. NAACP mourns the passing of superstar Aretha Franklin. “We remember Aretha for the joy and love she brought into our lives and society via her powerful voice,” said NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell. “No one can discuss the civil rights movement nor music without paying respect to the Queen of Soul. We’ll miss her dearly.” Aretha Franklin not only revolutionized the sound of music during her career, she contributed to the changing of our society from a segregated one to one where all people, men and women were equal. Her chart-topping hit “Respect” became the De facto anthem for a nation struggling to break free from the chains of racism, segregation and a staunch patriarchy. Not only did she lend her voice to the struggle, but at times and in substantial ways, donated money to the Civil Rights Movement, supporting the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the NAACP and others. Los Angeles community leaders laid flowers and had prayer in memory of Aretha Franklin today at her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Tyscot Records and Integrity Music, two of Christian and Gospel music's largest independent labels, are collaborating for the global release of select worship projects beginning with a new album from critically-acclaimed, Atlanta-based worship leader, Casey J. The collaboration leverages the rich heritage and unique strengths of the two organizations, recognized as industry leaders in the Gospel and Worship music. Tyscot Records roster includes Casey J, Kelontae Gavin, Javen, The Rance Allen Group, Bishop Leonard Scott and Anthony Brown and group therAPy. Chew Entertainment, lead by husband and wife producer team Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew are proud to announce the official launch of "Voice Your Inspiration" a national competition in conjunction with RCA Inspiration. In their continued effort and quest to discover and nurture new talent, Chew Entertainment, will partner with RCA Inspiration in looking for the next inspirational artist/duo/group. They will engage the gospel, inspirational and mainstream communities seeking some of the best talent nationally by launching "Voice Your Inspiration" as an on-line contest. The voice can come in the form of a soloist, duo or small ensemble, whose body of work should encompass the spirit of what keeps them inspired on their daily journey to greatness. The winner will be offered a singles deal from RCA Inspiration and the opportunity to perform on the world famous Carnegie Hall stage alongside Maestro Ray Chew for a 'one night only',performance during The Chews, "A Night of Inspiration" December 15, 2018. Inspirational Gospel artist Charles Anderson is the perfect example of turning something negative into a positive. The Florida native uses his turbulent past to connect with today’s generation who are currently faced with similar situations. Charles rebelled from his Christian upbringing at an early age and became involved in gangs, drugs, and lived a reckless lifestyle. He became so unhappy with his life, he attempted suicide. Charles remains an open book about his mistakes as a young man and is determined to use what was once meant for evil, now is being used for good to help guide and strengthen this new generation. Charles is now an inspirational Gospel artist, Worship Leader, songwriter and speaker. Show Me Your Face https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFO9j-ALg8I&feature=youtu.be Keyondra Lockett is stepping boldly into her new normal as a solo artist, as she makes major moves in support of her independent career and her debut album. She recently inked a partnership deal with IndieBlu/Entertainment One Entertainment, and is making appearances around the country in support of her upcoming album, "The Heal," which is set for release late September. The lead single, 'Try' was recently the #3 most added song at Gospel radio. Lockett made appearances at the Essence Music Festival last month, and is traveling around the country taking her gift to radio stations and churches. The youngest of nine children and, no stranger to the world of the music and younger sister to the Grammy Award winning Gospel duo "Mary Mary". Shanta has performed on the Soul Train Awards, BET Awards, Jay Leno Show, Arsenio Hall Show and for Oprah Winfrey. She can be heard on recorded projects with Kanye West, Mary Mary, Jason Champion, Al Green and Dorinda Clark-Cole. She has sung for some of the greatest like Natalie Cole, U2, Yolanda Adams and BeBe Winans. Shanta Atkins has stepped out from behind the shadows & penned & produced her second newly released single “God Sees You” which speaks to the hearts of those battling suicide & depression. This song is a fresh sound and completely acapella. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypsjqWDpZuo&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Gospel+Central+Media&utm_campaign=0de6804808-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_05_21_COPY_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e930d0cd50-0de6804808-241881717 Big Film Factory has pegged a release date for its film Beautifully Broken which will be released theatrically on Aug. 24 via ArtAffects. The film is about a refugee's escape, a prisoner's promise and a daughter's painful secret that converge in what is a true story of hope. As three fathers fight to save their families, their lives become intertwined in an unlikely journey across the globe, where they learn the healing power of forgiveness and reconciliation. It will be released into 600 theaters. The Beautifully Broken cast includes Scott William Winters, Benjamin Onyango, Emily Hahn, Eric Roberts, Jessica Obilom, Caitlin Nicol-Thomas, Alan Powell, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Tammi Arender and Thomasina "Goo Goo" Atkins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBj3GvFS8JI Shana Wilson-Williams debuted "Everlasting." at #3 on the charts. Wilson-Williams, best known for her singles “Press In Your Presence”, “Give Me You”, and “Never Be the Same” featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard, drops a debut single “It’s In the Room” and it is doing well. "Everlasting" is a mixture of praise and worship, highlighting spiritual power, the artist’s love for God, and the expression of that love through music. Riding high on the success of his new #1 hit single "Open Your Mouth and Say Something!",rap superstar Childish Gambino has tapped Grammy and Stellar Award winner Brent Jones to record vocals on his new album! One of the biggest stars in the world, Childish Gambino is the musical alter ego of multi-talented actor, rapper, comedian, writer and director Donald Glover, who has taken the world by storm with his brilliant "This Is America" video - which has garnered over 500+ million views and sparked vital discussions about gun violence, mass shootings and racial discrimination in America. "It is an absolute honor working with the brilliant Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino! Not only is he at the very top of his craft but equally important, he is a great human being with a heart for the people. I'm truly humbled that he chose me to be a part" says Brent Jones. Beyonce and Jay-Z began the Detroit stop of their On The Run II Tour at Ford Field by dedicating the show to hometown legend Aretha Franklin, whose is gravely ill and reportedly in hospice care. “We love you and thank you for all the beautiful music,” Beyonce said about the Queen of Soul. The pair have a bumpy history dating back to the 2008 Grammy Awards, when Bey referred to Tina Turner as ‘the Queen.” Franklin released a statement taking exception, calling it “a cheap shot for controversy,” but concluding by giving “love to Beyonce anyway.” Less than a year later, however, Franklin defended Beyonce’s decision to lip-sync the National Anthem at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration. The 2018 Ubiquitous Women’s Expo, formerly known as The Ubiquitous Beauty | Hair | Health Expo, returns to Washington, D.C. to celebrate 5 Years of Excellence. “The Power of Us!” initiative is curated to bring women of color together in a space that revitalizes the mind, body, and soul through empowerment, collaboration and encouragement. This year, the Ubiquitous Women’s Expo will present Jasmin Foster, Sr Beauty Buyer for Target Corporation, with the Industry Game Changer Award for her commitment to multicultural inclusion at Target stores. Richelieu Dennis, Co-Founder and CEO of New Voices Fund and Founder of Shea Moisture will receive the first ever Ubiquitous Man of the Year Award! This two-day event will take place on August 25 & 26, 2018 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Look for entertainment by Anita Wilson, Doug E. Fresh and NBC’s The “Voice” Semi-finalists Davon Fleming and Joe Maye. Grammy® Award-Winning Platinum Recording Artist Tamela Mann and NAACP Image® Award-Winning Comedian David Mann announce their Us Against the World Mann Family Tour fall dates featuring David, Tamela, son David Mann Jr, and daughter Tia Mann, sharing an evening of music, comedy and family entertainment. The tour includes David and Tamela performing new tracks from their upcoming, first-ever joint album, Us Against the World: The Love Project. The Mann Family Tour kicks off October 11 in Fresno, Calif. with 20 dates planned for 2018. "We're excited to get back out on tour with our kids this fall," said David, executive producer of the tour. Added Tamela, "It's a family experience with something for everyone." A source very close to Aretha and a longtime dear friend tells TMZ he was told a week ago, "Prepare yourself, she's dying." The source adds Aretha was down to 86 pounds and her health was failing. The source says 2 weeks ago everyone in Aretha's circle was told "she could go any time." Another source -- someone who has been close to Aretha for decades -- tells TMZ she has been battling cancer since 2010. Franklin, who is 76, has been in poor health over the last few years. She has performed, but only on a limited basis ... most recently last November at an Elton John AIDS Foundation event. The news that her health is failing first came from Roger Friedman of Showbiz411, and WDIV TV in Detroit says Aretha's family confirmed she is gravely ill. The Queen of Soul could go at any time. Erica's plans for a hair music festival to promote her nascent wig line, "Erica by Erica Campbell" are put into jeopardy when she and Warryn decide to shoot a music video for their first ever duet, "All of My Life." Warryn tries to lose weight quickly so he's camera ready but what happens when he gets to set and none of the clothes fit and they're running out of light? Also, Warryn struggles with letting his little girl grow up, when he discovers Krista has been wearing makeup to school without their permission. Tune in to WE'RE THE CAMPBELLS every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on TV One. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iqweOU3fcM&feature=youtu.be TV One announced today that production is currently underway on season five of hit franchise RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, a one-hour docu-series featuring award-winning syndicated radio personality, host and stand-up comedian Rickey Smiley, as he tries to juggle his career and home life. This season premieres on Tuesday, October 30 at 8 p.m. ET/7C and captures Smiley as he continues to navigate the ups and downs of professional demands, single fatherhood and intimate relationships. Shooting in Atlanta, where he resides during the week, and in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where he raises his family, Smiley’s struggle to find work-life balance while trying to maintain a love life has become a central focus and source of laughter for fans of the show. Golden State Warrior Steph Curry has helped raise more than $21,000 for the family of Nia Wilson, the teen who was fatally stabbed on an Oakland train platform last month by an alleged white supremacist. The attack on the 18-year-old has rocked the nation and on Tuesday, the NBA star spoke out about Wilson before a showcase game for young Bay Area athletes at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5y4f7gUQNE six-time GRAMMY® winning artist, ISRAEL HOUGHTON, unveiled the cover art for his highly anticipated album, Road To DeMaskUs. In addition to sharing the cover with his fans, Houghton launched the album’s second single,“Promise Keeper,” featuring Travis Greene. Road To DeMaskUs will release in September and is available for pre-order on September 7th. Road To DeMaskUs is a nod to the popular Biblical tale of the Apostle Paul’s journey of transformation. The title displays an intentionally creative spelling as it encourages the removal of all the “masks” we find ourselves wearing in life. Whether we are masking our emotions, or masking our authentic selves, Houghton is passionate about reminding people that God’s love is not based upon who we are pretending to be. Rather, it is present & available for us exactly as we are. Houghton’s prayer is that this album becomes a tool to help de-mask us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3esU86m3zU IGOT YOU", is the hot new single by the incomparable, anointed, vocal powerhouse, RUTH LA'ONTRA. Many of you loved her 1st single "Kingdom", that was a huge success and like the 1st this 2nd single, does not disappoint. Written & produced by Gospel Superstar Anthony Brown, this follow-up, summer hit, is a Gospel radio gem. Musically this song is a whimiscal, fun, throwback to the "GoGo Surf" sound of the '60's. There is a bounce in this song that will have you bobbing your head continuously and put a smile on your face and in your heart. Hear Ruth La'Ontra In Her Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/ruthlaontra_intvw.htm Fresh on the heels of his new #1 hit single “Open Your Mouth and Say Something!” (Billboard's #1 Most Added Song at Radio), Grammy and Stellar Award winner Brent Jones is also set to release a new Christmas CD "Brent Jones & JDI Christmas - The Soul of Christmas" (on Oct 1st) and his Sermon album "Open Your Mouth and Say Something" (on Nov 1st). Motown Gospel celebrates multiple nominations across different categories for the 49th Annual Dove Awards.. Among the top nomination-getters is Grammy Award winner, Tasha Cobbs Leonard who received 5 nominations for her prolific current album";HEART. PASSION. PURSUIT." Cobbs Leonard is nominated for Artist of the Year, Gospel Artist of the Year, Urban Worship Album of the Year. She also picked up additional nominations for Urban Worship Recorded Song of the Year and for Producer of the Year with her husband Kenneth Leonard. Also receiving multiple nominations is Brian Courtney Wilson who received two nominations for his current project ";A GREAT WORK.." Wilson is nominated for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of the Year and Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year. Hear Brian Courtney Wilson In His Own Words... Tauren Wells celebrates multiple nominations across different categories for the 49th Annual Dove Awards. Tauren Wells leads the pack of artist nominees with seven nominations, including Song of the Year and New Artist of the Year. The Dove Awards will take place on October 16, 2018 in Nashville, TN at Lipscomb University and broadcast on TBN on Sunday, October 21, 2018. The GMA Dove Awards celebrate the contributions of artists from every style of Christian/Gospel music. Entertainment Icon, Snoop Dogg continues to push new boundaries in the Entertainment, Arts and Culture worlds. Today, the legendary artist announced his theatrical debut in a new stage musical "Redemption Of A Dogg", co-starring Tamar Braxton. Snoop Dogg has partnered with Award-winning writer, director, producer Je’Caryous Johnson, who brings the biggest and best to urban theatre audiences across the country. "Redemption Of A Dogg makes its debut on the heels of the 25th Anniversary of Snoop Dogg’s debut album,"Doggystyle." "Redemption Of A Dogg" will kick off in Houston, TX on October 5 and make multiple stops across the US. "Redemption Of A Dogg" chronicles a character built around the persona of Snoop Dogg, a multi-faceted character who is a gangsta rapper, family man and man of God. "Redemption Of A Dogg" examines the internal battle one man has between preserving his life-long legacy and losing the love of his life when he is faced with choosing fame and fortune over faith and family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g92IuvEGAdQ Anthony Brown & group therAPy collect two more Dove Award nominations for their 2017 project "A Long Way From Sunday." Brown & group therAPy earned nods in both Contemporary Gospel/Urban Categories. "I Got That," was nominated for Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year and "A Long Way From Sunday" was nominated for Gospel/ Urban Recorded Album of the Year. This is the third consecutive year for Brown & group therAPy to receive recognition from the GMA Dove Awards. Brown is a two-time previous Dove Award winner. Brown is a multiple Award winner, who continues to expand his music ministry. He is currently in production for his holiday play "The Uncut Coming of Christ," which he co-wrote, and co-produced with Joshua Jenkins. This 'Broadway-style' production will feature all original music and and is slated to open in December at First Baptist Church of Glenarden. Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words... "Grammy ®Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Stephanie Mills and renowned hip hop group Whodini have been added to the dynamic list of honorees for the 2018 Black Music Honors. The highly anticipated evening, hosted by television and radio personality Rickey Smiley and Grammy® Award-winner and actress LeToya Luckett, will celebrate the artistry of the music industry's most revered icons. Mills will receive the Legends Award, honoring her illustrious music and acting career spanning more than four decades. Brooklyn-based rap group, Whodini, will be presented the Hip Hop Icon Award for their musical contributions. The celebratory night will also feature exciting performances by Keyshia Cole, Raheem DeVaughn, Next, Young Buck, Yo-Yo, Ruben Studdard, Jade Novah, Demetria McKinney, V. Bozeman, Tasha Page-Lockhart, Monie Love, Kierra Sheard, and Jonathan McReynolds. RCA Inspiration artists received eleven nominations for the 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards. Releases from gospel and inspirational superstars Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Marvin Sapp, and The Walls Group and hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg garnered nominations in eight categories: Gospel Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Urban Worship Album of the Year, Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of the Year, Urban Worship Recorded Song of the Year, Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year, Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year. Additionally, RCAI artist Israel Houghton received a nomination for Spanish Language Album of the Year as a producer. Each year the GMA Dove Awards highlight the best in Christian and Gospel music, including Pop/Contemporary, Traditional Gospel, Contemporary Gospel, and other categories. RCA Inspiration 2018 GMA Dove Award nominations: Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration) GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR Travis Greene GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR URBAN WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Crossover: Live from Music City URBAN WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “You Waited” Koryn Hawthorne NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL/URBAN RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “Won’t He Do It” (ft. Roshon Fegan) Israel Houghton SPANISH LANGUAGE ALBUM OF THE YEAR (as producer) – Revive (Lucía Parker) (with Co-Producer Jake Salomon) Marvin Sapp TRADITIONAL GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “Close” Snoop Dogg (All The Time Entertainment/RCA Inspiration) CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL/URBAN ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL/URBAN RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “You” (ft. Tye Tribbett) The Walls Group (Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration) TRADITIONAL GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “And You Don’t Stop” RECORDED MUSIC PACKAGING OF THE YEAR – The Other Side (Art director: Tim Parker, Graphic designer: David Navejas, Photographer: Blair Campbell) Although Adrienne Hougton has never really considered herself overweight, some fans have stated otherwise in her Instagram comments. “If I’m honest, my weight gain in the last few years has been like a struggle for me where I’m like, I never looked at myself as being overweight. And it was weird to hear so many comments at one point that I was fat, and ‘Oh my God, she let herself go!’ I was like, ‘Whoa.’ So that was a little bit weird.” According to Adrienne, her desire to get serious about her physical health was inspired by her own her own standards of beauty, not what the trolls in her comment section wrote about her. “I just did what I had to do to be comfortable in my own skin. And I think that’s the most important thing. It wasn’t necessarily to please other people.” Patrice Gopo offers "All The Colors We Will See" as a way for readers to understand our differences and extends ways to connect. Through personal stories, shared memories and honest experiences Gopo provides a deep look into the search for identity and belonging. A poignant, poetic and often-time courageous collection of personal essays, "All The Colors We Will See" delves into the current state of our culture that is grappling with the realities of racial injustices, an explosion of immigration issues and invites readers to join her as she searches for her identity and encourages others to find what truly unites us. New Music from Israel Houghton and Travis Greene drops today. "Promise Keeper." This is a SMASH!!!!!!!! We caught up with Israel back in the day. Hear Israel Houghton In His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/israel_intvw.htm IMA Entertainment CEO David Brown continues his quest to build a roster of artists that represent Gospel music at its best. In addition to breakout artist Alaina Rose, Brown recently announced the additions of Simone Brown and Anthony Smith and Fully Committed. CJ Entertainment LLC announces the release of the NEW SINGLE “Moving Forward” written and produced by new comer Aaron Freeman featuring Gospel Industry veteran Pastor Courtney Franklin of Memphis, TN. This new up tempo track encourages the listener to move past your mistakes, wrong doings, and failures and to focus on your future! Aaron recently inked a deal with Indie Blu Music which is distributed through Entertainment One for the single Moving Forward which will be distributed through all digital media outlets! "We're The Campbells" After years of producing music for Erica, Warryn finally steps up to the mic for more than background vocals and records a full-fledged duet with his wife. Warryn always demands the best out of his artists but how will he take Erica's direction when the tables are turned? Warryn's reaction is priceless when the First Lady Erica puts on her producer hat and Warryn takes his turn in the booth! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt0CqzuX8tk&feature=youtu.be God has blessed Jimmy Hicks in the music industry and he decided a long time ago that he wanted to copyright songs and start recording, God has Blessed him in his recording of songs such as "Turn It Around" in 2001, "Blessed Like That", "Babylon, and "Crossroads" in 2003 "Born Blessed" in 2006, "God's Got It" in 2009 and "Back Up", "Move, "It Will Come To Pass." "I Owe God A Praise" is from his latest Project WATERWAY by Jimmy Hicks & ACOJ. He realizes that people are living in critical times and you need to have and feel the spirit for divine direction and clarity of thought in order to make it through. Dove and Stellar Award nominated, Bryan Andrew Wilson, has created a smooth, breezy soundtrack to close this incredibly hot summer of 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u9_DpNOZ1E Trump meet with John Gray, Harry Jackson, Van Moody, Alveda King and other Inner City pastors....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HQh0AD7Ros Apostle Veryl Howard founder of “God’s Women in Music, Ministry, Business & Entertainment” is no stranger to the entertainment world. She established Faith Management & Talent Casting and is known to many as one of the most sought after managers and promoters in the world of Gospel music. She is also the author of two books where her most recent book is “God is My Ticket out the Ghetto”. Her writing has allowed her to write for several magazines including “Devine Glory”, “The Piece Magazine” and “Change Magazine” to name a few. She is also a radio host at I Am Gospel Radio as well as other stations with a global show called “Beyond Borders”. But most importantly she views herself as a servant of God. It's Apostle Veryl Howard In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/apostleverylhoward_intvw.htm After a year-long hiatus, Casey J returns with an incredible worship project 'The Gathering' which will release early 2019. In advance of the album, Casey shares the recording's first radio single, "If God", which beautifully answers life's most difficult questions with the resounding affirmation found in Romans 8:31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? "If God" is available for download on all digital platforms on Friday, August 3. Hear Casey J In Her Own Words... http://gospel-spotlight.com/caseyj_intvw.htm This Thursday, August 2nd @8PM ET/7 PM CT, Trinity Broadcasting network (TBN), will premiere a new musical series, "Gospel Worship Experience" (GWE). The program is hosted by celebrated singer/actor, JAVEN, and Grammy® Award winning singer/producer, Tye Tribbett. The first episode of GWE was taped at TBN's The Holy Land Experience complex in Orlando, Florida. Each episode showcases today's top recording artists leading the audience in the studio into a gospel worship experience. The first episode features dynamic musical ministry from Grammy® Award winner, Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Multiple Stellar Gospel Music Award winner, Anthony Brown & group Therapy also appeared. Chart-topping recording artist Jekalyn Carr has released the second radio single "It's Yours" from her No.1 album "One Nation Under God" to Gospel radio. This week the song is the No.1 Most Added Song, No.2 Most Increased Song at Gospel Radio. Carr continues to spread the message of Jesus through song and encouraging others that they can win. Churches and praise dancers across the country have been responding to this uplifting declaration in a big way.'It's Yours"is the 2nd most streamed song from Carr';s project." Stellar Award Nominated Contemporary Gospel ensemble Vincent Tharpe and Kenosis (VTK) are traveling around the United States singing about how super excited they are about Christ. The Memphis based group is even more pumped as their album SUPER EXCITED has topped the Billboard Gospel Charts this week. SUPER EXCITEDdebuted at #2 on the Billboard Current Gospel Album Sales Chart and #10 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx6AH7YrqjI&feature=youtu.be Minister Kirk Franklin joined Dr. Bobby Jones and theNashville Super Choir and guests: The Voices of Hope from (Washington, D.C.), Tanetta Winters (Las Vegas, Nevada), Daryl Bowers and Legacy (Nashville, Tennessee) for a dynamic, powerful television special, to be aired on The Impact Television Network, Saturday and Sunday, August 4th and 5th, 2018, at 2:00 PM. The musical presentations arranged by Kirk Franklin and Derrick Lee, were remarkable. You don’t want to miss this tantalizing dialogue between two giants of the gospel music industry, Dr Jones and Minister Kirk Franklin. Riding high on the success of his new #1 hit single "Open Your Mouth and Say Something!" Grammy and Stellar Award winner Brent Jones headlines a star-studded lineup performing at the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses - affectionately known as the Dorsey Convention - Aug 4th thru 10th in Dallas, TX. Founded by gospel trailblazer Thomas Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music, the Dorsey Convention is the oldest singing organization in the world dedicated to the continuation and advancement of gospel music around the globe. Donnie McClurkin and Brent Jones are just a few of the many gospel stars who will be on hand to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Dorsey Convention. Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller, pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA has a group of millennial choir singers that are dynamic in presentation and passionate in praise. Those singers are his Fresh Anointing choir who released their album TOTALLY this spring. TOTALLY has garnered the choir two Gospel radio hits "Holy, Holy" and "Oh, How I Love Jesus" featuring Gospel icon John P. Kee. Their third single, "God Is", has cracked the Top 40 Gospel Radio Singles Chart and is now being released in lyric video format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqqQzb2-InU&feature=youtu.be Grammy Award Winning songwriter Makeba Riddick-Woods marks her debut into the gospel music industry with the #1 song “Wont He Do It” as recorded by Koryn Hawthorne. Woods is no stranger to songwriting, having written multiple #1 songs for Beyonce (“déjà vu”), Jennifer Lopez (“All I Have”), Rihanna (“Rude Boy”) and more. Rising star Koryn Hawthorne’s debut album “Unstoppable” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Charts. With Makeba’s songwriting assistance, Koryn has become the first woman to top four gospel charts simultaneously in five years. “Unstoppable’s” hit anthem “Won’t He Do It” continues its stronghold on the charts and on radio, sitting in the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song sales chart, Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, and the MediaBase Gospel chart. The song has been on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart at #1 for 19 weeks overall. In addition, it’s been #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart for twelve weeks overall, #1 for eleven weeks overall on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart and the MediaBase Gospelchart, and has over 17.7 million streams to date. As Lewis prepares to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 4, it’s natural to celebrate his playing career and what he meant to Baltimore. But those who know him well say it’s a mistake to overlook his impact on players from other teams and on people outside of football entirely. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti actually found it mildly frustrating when Lewis would counsel stars on rival teams. “It was like, ‘Don’t give it to them,’ ” Bisciotti said, laughing. “But he did, because he was genuine. He wanted the best for players, and he never felt the end result wasn’t worth the effort, even if it made his competition better. Which is admirable.” Because of Lewis’ hunger for engagement, his reach extended beyond football, to police and religious leaders in Baltimore, to Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank, and yes, to the most decorated Olympian in history Michael Phelps. Each of these people talk openly about how Lewis has offered a strong shoulder during troubled times and how he leaves them feeling uplifted after each encounter. It has just dropped "The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul." The three-disc CD features 39 tracks with more than two hours of music. "The Three Sides of Damien Sneed" is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and all other digital retail outlets everywhere. This magnum opus showcases the broad musicality of Sneed, whose musical skills and performance credits encompass everything from jazz and show tunes to opera and R&B. The set includes original tunes composed by Sneed as well as his unique arrangements of known works. Wynter Evans Pitts, niece of Dr. Tony Evans and mother of actress Alena Pitts died suddenly Tuesday night. Alena, who played the role of Danielle Jordan in the hit faith-based film "War Room" alongside her aunt, Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer, posted the shocking news on Instagram. The funeral for Wynter Evans Pitts, a Christian author, speaker, and ministry leader was held Saturday, July 28, at Oaks Church in Red Oak, TX. The homegoing service can be viewed online at http://oaks.churchonline.org/. Grammy winner Brent Jones, fresh on the heels of his new hit single "Open Your Mouth And Say Something" is returning to Waco, TX Sun, July 29th to record his first ever live preaching CD! Recording live at the Victorious Life Church. "Good preaching is truly an art form" says JDI founder Professor James Roberson, "... so we are super excited to be introducing Brent Jones' anointed preaching ministry to the world - be prepared to be blessed!" Also on October 1st it's the release of Brent's new Christmas CD entitled "Brent Jones & JDI Christmas" featuring the hit single "The Soul of Christmas." Earnest Pugh, will release, The UnSung Hits Vol. 1 September 7th. It’s an album of previously un-promoted recordings that were created over the course of his two decades long career. “The Unsung Hits,” is a ten-track collection of songs that features duets with some of gospel music’s leading and legendary voices, such as Bishop Rance Allen, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, D’Atra Hicks and Michelle Prather. Cedric Thompson, Michael Bereal and Keith Williams are the producers. Hear Earnest Pugh In His Own Words... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_intvw.htm 3-time GRAMMY®-nominated, 11-time Stellar Award-winning Travis Greene presents a power-packed weekend of entertainment, worship, and community festivities with this year’s Engage Culture Weekend. Travis Greene will welcome a range of special guests during Engage Culture Weekend from Friday August 17th to Sunday August 19th in Columbia, SC – reaching out beyond the church to engage and take the inspiring power and message of worship out to the masses – in serving the greater community and those in need. The Engage Culture Weekend will feature events including a city-wide service project, a celebrity basketball game, inspiring worship, music and entertainment, with Travis Greene, Elevation Worship, Pastor John Gray and Relentless Worship, Israel and Adrienne Bailon Houghton, JJ Hairston, Pastor Tavner Smith, Michelle Williams, and more. The World famous Kingdom Choir, under the direction of Karen Gibson celebrated with news of their signing to Sony Music UK. This distinctive choral aggregation delighted audiences with a rousing rendition of “Stand By Me” at the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May. Seen by well over 2 billion people, The Kingdom Choir’s performance of “Stand By Me” made an impressive-debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and selling some 9,000 downloads of their new cover, originally recorded by Ben E. King. Lavelle Lacy has passed. An outstanding musician and songwriter, Lavelle was a huge part of the Chicago Gospel Sound in the 70s, 80s and 90s, riting the hits for choirs and accompanying groups and soloists for more than 4 decades, Lavelle wrote for some of Gospel music’s best and brightest. I Won’t Forget, Jesus Is Mine, So Glad I’m Saved – Dr. Charles G. Hayes and the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir. I Found Jesus (and I’m Glad) – Chicago Mass Choir/Reverend Maceo Woods and the Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir. He Keeps on Blessing Me – Ricky Dillard and New G. Call Him Up – Chicago Mass Choir. A larger than life fellow with personality to match, Lavelle was known for his comedic banter, his generosity and hospitality. His “brother’s keeper mentality” would lead to the organization of the Chicago Musician’s Coalition, a monthly fellowship for musicians and Gospel music personel. Rising star Koryn Hawthorne celebrates with her fans around the world as her debut album Unstoppable, released on July 13th, sparks a slate of #1s on the latest Gospel charts. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, and garnered over 1.2 million streams in its first week of release. Unstoppable’s hit anthem “Won’t He Do It” continues its stronghold on the charts and at radio, sitting in the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart, Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, and the MediaBase Gospel chart. The song has been on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart at #1 for 19 weeks overall. In addition, it’s been #1 onBillboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart for twelve weeks overall, #1 for eleven weeks overall on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart and the MediaBase Gospel chart, and has over 17.7 million streams to date. Fresh off the road from the popular Summer Lights Tour, the 20-year-old artist is busy promotingUnstoppable and will continue touring in the fall. She’ll also make a guest appearance on the third season of OWN’s hit series, Greenleaf, in September. Gospel recording artist James Fortune has remarried. The two time Grammy Nominated, Multiple Stellar Award Winner artist shared the news on his official @MrJamesfortune Instagram page. The heart felt news was shared on the “Dear Future Me” page. around Under the graphic that read Mr. & Mrs. Fortune, he wrote, “Who would have thought that when I received a call that you had been nearly killed by a drunk driver that my visit to see you would turn into this. Your near death experience would be the start of my new life. You helped me dream again, trust again, and most importantly you showed me that I was worth being loved again. You are strong, selfless, patient, hardworking, intelligent, and the best mom a child could ever dream of. I have enjoyed your love, dedication and compassion privately but with a heart that is overflowing I had to share the one who has truly helped me progress in life & love. I don't know how long I am going to live but I know that every single second will be worth a lifetime because it will be spent with you. @misskellz_ Fortune Forever I Love You!” Hear Janes Fortune In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/james_fortune_intvw.htm Ed Rivadavia, Vice President, Digital Strategy, Sony Music Nashville has appointed Justin Tomlinson as Manager, Digital Strategy, Sony Music Nashville. Reporting directly to Rivadavia and currently in his new capacity, Tomlinson manages day-to-day strategy for his designated artist roster, while acting as webmaster for SonyMusicNashville.com and overseeing development and content for the label group's social media channels. Vincent Tharpe and Kenosis (VTK) have now released their second album SUPER EXCITED. SUPER EXCITED is a follow-up to the groups 2014 Stellar Award nominated album VINCENT THARPE AND KENOSIS: LIVE IN MEMPHIS. The new album continues to showcase VTK’s signature electrifying performances and also allows the groups front man Vincent Tharpe to shine as a songwriter. SUPER EXCITED is available on iTunes and Amazon and features special appearances by Gospel music icon John P. Kee on "Victory" and BET's Sunday Best Season 6 runner-up Kefia Rollersonon "Reign". VTK's title track and new single "Super Excited" is impacting Gospel radio now. https://soundcloud.com/the-bellamy-group/vincent-tharpe-and-kenosis-super-excited Fred ” Uncle Freddie” Jerkins III, President of Dark Child Gospel, has announced, A Project of Healing , the first of a series of gospel and mainstream compilation albums that will benefit cancer awareness, empowerment and education. Hear Fred Jerkins In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/fredjerkins_intvw.htm Meet an exciting new group Last Call, they are featured on "A Project For Healing" album. Hear Last Call In Their Own Words... http://gospel-spotlight.com/lastcall_intvw.htm Central City Productions (CCP) announced today the 2018 Black Music Honors - the annual two-hour television special that honors artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music. The television special is set to take place on Thursday, August 16th in Nashville, TN. This year's honorees include Bobby Brown, who will receive the R&B Soul Music Icon Award for his 40 years in entertainment and 32 years as a solo artist, Bebe and Cece Winans, who will be co-honorees of the Gospel Music Icon Award, and chart-topping music producer and label executive Dallas Austin, who will be presented with the Music Innovator Icon Award, and multi-platinum, Grammy® Award-winning recording artist, songwriter and producer Faith Evans, who is set to receive the Urban Music Icon Award. Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett return as co-hosts which is set to air in syndication Sept. 8-30, 2018. BLACK ENTERPRISE will present its highest honor in recognition of the achievements of black men when it presents the XCEL Awards at the 2018 Black Men XCEL Summit on Aug. 29, 2018, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The Black Men XCEL Summit celebrates the achievements of today's black men. The Summit, which offers executive development and leadership for men. The Summit, hosted by FedEx, will take place Aug. 29–Sept. 2, 2018, at the PGA National Resort & Spa. The XCEL Awards recognize outstanding impact, achievement, and leadership by men in business, the arts, education, government and other influential areas. Past XCEL Award recipients include luminaries such as U.S. Rep. John Lewis, award-winning actor Robert Townsend, historian, author, curator and Founding Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie G." Hear Bishop Jakes In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/TD_Jakes_01JAN2010_intvw.wav Now that the season is behind him, Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry has his eyes set on a new venture: producing faith-based and family-focused films. Curry announced in April that he was getting into the entertainment business by way of a wide-ranging deal between his production company, Unanimous Media, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The All-Star guard sat down with Variety to talk about the details of his new venture, including several films already in development. As noted in the report, the partnership aims to extend as far as video games, virtual reality and consumer products. But films and TV are the focus of the deal, with concentrations in three core areas: faith, family and sports. Erica and Wozy celebrate their birthdays together with a joint party, but when Wozy doesn't have any friends to invite, Erica tries to help him come out of his shell. Warryn misfires with a string of lame birthday presents to Erica including a salt and pepper shaker, but perhaps Warryn has something bigger in store for her. Joi records a music video for her new single, Coco Butter, but her message of self-acceptance is put to the test when the concept of the video requires her to dress like a naked doll. Following his surgery, Warryn attempts to get back in shape and improve his health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNeXONUfw1E&feature=youtu.be. While Will McMillan may not (yet) be a household name, his creativity and musical genius are more familiar than one might know. McMillan, Minister of Music at i5 City Church in Baltimore, Maryland, has collaborated with such Gospel music luminaries as Tasha Cobbs, Jason Nelson, Jonathan Nelson and William McDowell. McDowell, along with Travis Greene, has also entrusted McMillan with music director duties along the way. A self-taught artist and musician, McMillan’s creative sensibilities bridge tradition with a contemporary and fresh approach that appeals to Gospel music fans of all ages. McMillan’s debut album, My Story, is available from eOne. The lead single, “Best Thing,” is a remake of the James Cleveland classic, “Jesus is the Best Thing. youtube.com/watch?v=oNeXONUfw1E&feature=youtu.be. Bishop Leonard Scott drops 'Jesus Love Legacy', his latest offering and is arguably his best work! Scott teamed up with some notable names to put together this 12 song release. Most of the songs were penned by Bishop Scott; however, the first single"Working In My Favor" which features Fred Hammond & Shirley Murdock was penned by Phillip Feaster & hit song writer Tiffany "TIFF JOY" McGhee who wrote "Amazing" which was the 2016 BMI Gospel Song of the Year. Other noteworthy tracks include the bouncy, soulful energy laced groove "Power In The Name" which features Rance Allen and Kevin Vassar and "Hymns"a beautiful medley of (Draw Me Nearer & I Surrender All). Most notable for penning timeless songs for Ashmont Hill and JJ Hairston’s “Love Lifted Me”, Phil Thompson has successfully stepped forward from behind the pen to release his own solo project My Worship – capturing the hearts of worshippers across the globe. With the full album itself debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Chart Thompson’s viral single is quickly becoming a Sunday morning staple at churches worldwide! After garnering more than 1 million views on YouTube in just two short months, “My Worship” has crossed country borders and has already been covered on social media by people in various languages including Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Thus far in 2018, Phil has already performed the viral hit “My Worship” in Ghana, Canada, and London with confirmed dates that include Trinidad, Barbados, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria before year’s end. Demetrius West & Jesus Promoters label debut and sophomore project ChoirOlogy: The Study of Choir Music will be released on Friday, August 10th in-stores and on all digital outlets. Fans can pre-order beginning Friday, July 27th and will receive an instant new grat track every week. Indianapolis, Indiana based Demetrius West. Off the heels of making an major appearance at ESSENCE Fest in New Orleans last week, Two-Time Stellar Award nominated sibling group The Showers was featured on The 700 Club Tuesday, July 17th at 10a EST/9a CST and a re-run at 11pm EST/10pm CST airing on Disney–ABC Television Group's cable network Freeform (formerly ABC Family). A vocal group comprised of seven of ten siblings, The Showers grew up in Hammond, LA - a Christan household, and use their music to express their faith and spread the Lord's message to others. The family of late music legend Whitney Houston has been rocked by the latest allegation made by Whitney’s brother Gary Houston following the release of the new “Whitney” documentary. According to a family source, after claiming that both he and his sister were molested by their cousin, Dee Dee Warwick, matriarch Cissy Houston has exiled Gary from the clan’s fold, “Cissy called him and told him ‘I’m cutting you out of my will,’ and hung up the phone,” said the source. Gary made the shocking allegation in the new documentary in which 60 of Whitney’s closest friends and family members opened up about her life and theorized about what may have led to her downward spiral into drug addiction. New music from Smokie Norful's background singer "LeNasia Tyson" !? ? Praise Party is an upbeat, catchy song. LeNasia welcomes you to her "Praise Party" Fred "Uncle Freddie" Jerkins III, President of DarkChild Gospel, has announced, A Project of Healing, the first of a series of gospel and mainstream compilation albums that will benefit cancer awareness, empowerment and education. This album will feature guest artist such as Bishop Paul S. Morton, Lowell Pye, Darlene McCoy, Alexis Spight, Jonathan Nelson, Trin-I-Tee 5:7 and more. The first single titled "We Won" featuring Jonathan Nelson is currently at radio and available on all digital media outlets. A stage play inspired by the project is currently being written and directed by Kim Fields. This project will be available this October 2017. After 9 weeks of having the #1 single, Worship Artist, Todd Dulaney's "Your Great Name" is still catching fire. The title track from his third album is yet, another great anthem penned by Dulaney. Todd Dulaney releases the Maxi Single of "Your Great Name," which include 5 new versions of the song. On the Maxi Single, there is a Live in Orlando version featuring Todd's long-time singer, Nicole Harris, a Spanish version, a Children's version, led by Todd's Children Todd Jr. and Taylor, a Ballad version, a CCM version, and of course, the original version. Soweto Gospel Choir's universal message of love, unity and hope, along with its captivating melodic and harmonic wonder, mesmerizing showmanship and awe-inspiring performances, has made believers of millions of fans around the world. Since the Choir emerged on the global music scene in 2002, it has received the kind of accolades most groups only dream of. The acclaimed South African World Music sensations has earned two Grammy Awards, scored two #1 Billboard World Music Chart albums and has earned the distinction as the only South African music act to ever perform at the Oscars. They have had the opportunity to either record or perform with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Pharrell Williams, Aretha Franklin and Kirk Franklin, among many others. Not many artists can count as their supporters the likes of the late Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (the official patron of the Choir) and the current President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. On September 14, 2018 Soweto Gospel Choir will release its highly anticipated sixth Shanachie Entertainment recording, Freedom, a riveting collection of freedom songs from South Africa and beyond, marking the Centennial of Nelson Mandela's birth. Chart-topper and former “The Voice” finalist Koryn Hawthorne, sets off a musical explosion of inspiration with her new album, Unstoppable, available everywhere now. Giving fans a powerful dose of fresh beats and encouragement in being victorious and fearless, to be unstoppable through faith and purpose, the 20-year-old young star blazes a new melodic trail on her full length debut album of 10 tracks, incorporating her artistic influences of pop, gospel, soul, contemporary rock-inspired sounds and more. Koryn Hawthorne has set a record as the highest streaming new gospel artist, with over 21 million streams to date. Her #1 hit single “Won’t He Do It” remains a chart-topping smash with fans. Koryn Hawthorne In Her Own Words... http://gospel-spotlight.com/korynhawthorne_intvw.htm Jonathan McReynolds is sharing dates for his upcoming fall "Make Room" tour, including dates in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Memphis. The tour comes on the heels of a high-profile streaming premiere for his live concert video "Jonathan McReynolds: Make Room" exclusively on global music and entertainment platform TIDAL. As part of the partnership, all ticket sales for the tour will include a free three month membership to TIDAL. The live concert recording was previously broadcast as a network TV special in March exclusively to TVOne, and it's available freely online for the first time now, exclusively at TIDAL.com/JonathanMcReynolds. Jonathan will be on tour from September 6th-21st with special guests to be announced.September 6th – Detroit, MI at El Club September 9th – Cleveland, OH at House of Blues September 10th – Brooklyn, NY at Knitting Factory September 13th – Vienna, VA at Jammin Java September 15th – Richmond, VA at Capital Ale House September 16th – Philadelphia, PA at The Foundry September 18th – Decatur, GA at Eddie’s Attic September 20th – Memphis, TN at 1884 Lounge September 21st – St. Louis, MO at The Firebird. Xernona Clayton, who broke race and gender barriers in national broadcast TV and worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to end racial inequality in America, will talk about her life and experiences at the 2018 Women's Leadership Conference (WLC). The conference, in its 12th year, is sponsored by The MGM Resorts Foundation. It will be held Aug. 27-28 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV. Le'Andria Johnson apologizes to Marvin Winans and Fans. https://www.facebook.com/leandriajohnson/videos/1764241713625561/ Sacondrea Holden is a new Gospel artist that has a distinct charge to worship God and fulfill that mandate of Worship and Ministry placed on her life. The Louisiana native is currently the Praise and Worship Leader at Dominion and Power Family Life International. Confirmation of her appointment to minister in music came after a tragic accident in 2010 that spared her life. Surviving that experience with a now clear understanding of her destiny, Sacondrea began using her voice for ministry and has released a single “Here Is My Worship” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg22BGM8-sM&feature=youtu.be TV One and the National Urban League (NUL) discussed the present and future conditions facing black America on Tuesday evening at a Town Hall held at The Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Moderated by Host and Senior Analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show Roland Martin, the discussion was framed around findings in the National Urban Leagues' seminal annual report, "The State of Black America." The 2-hour special will premiere on TV One Sunday, July 29 at 8 PM ET. Le'Andria Johnson with Love made an public apology for her actions that happened last week. She says, "I offended many people with my previous video post. That is undeniable, and I accept full responsibility for what I communicated out of frustration. After serious personal reflection, I recognized that through my being offended, I have caused offense. The fire that consumed so much emotion, time and energy, has illuminated a light that can no longer be hid; one of personal transparency and self reflection. Even a burned bridge illuminates light. Jason McGee + The Choir featuring Lena Byrd-Miles releases "Promises." A native of Bakersfield, CA, Jason McGee moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to go to the L.A.C.C. Theater Academy. He then went on to perform in television shows and films, acting and singing. Jason has shared the stage with Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin just to name a few. In 2006 Jason formed the award winning P.S.A.L.M.S at the City of Refuge Church whereBishop Noel Jones is the pastor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjxxt6-WSKs&feature=youtu.be Gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson recently dropped a couple of pearl-clutching videos explaining why her performance at the Essence Music Festival was canceled over the weekend. The singer was part of the tribute honoring the legendary Dottie Peoples but she was dropped like a bad habit after calling out Marvin Winans and calling out the church in live video rant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyi9MKlWXyw Erica discovers that her eldest child Krista struggles with self-esteem because of her dark skin tone. Erica introduces Krista to Kheris, a social media star who has her own fashion line dedicated to embracing her dark hued complexion. After Erica shares Krista's concerns with Warryn, he reveals a secret he's kept from Joi that certain record executives refused to work with her because they thought her skin was too dark. When Warryn shares the truth, she questions remaining in the music industry altogether. Meanwhile, Warryn asks Erica to co-preach with him at church but Erica doesn't have time to prepare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRYD81TH0uk&feature=youtu.be "Whether you sing it, whether you preach it, whether you live it, the gospel must be spread," say pastor, Bishop Noel Jones, on the opening track of The City Of Refuge Sanctuary Choir's 1st album In years, "Run To The Altar" their sophomore live recording. The first song is the pulsating, 1960s R&B styled shimmy, "Praise is Power," which features the solo lead of Jason McGee. The album is mostly a mix of original Pentecostal-flavored songs such as "Flow," ";No Way" and "Holy Ghost; along with contemporary praise and worship proclamations "Wait on Him," ";Rain" and "Give You Praise." Praise and worship recording artist, JAVEN, has scored his first Top Ten song with his 7th solo album," Grace," which debuted at No. 8 on the Gospel Album Sales chart last week. The project also rolled in at No. 13 on the Top Gospel Albums multi-metric consumption chart which combines traditional album sales, track equivalent albums and streaming equivalent albums. The album combines harmonic, instrumental, and rhythmic aspects of Christian pop and classic gospel, as well as, new production techniques and rhythms from music of the African diaspora such as dancehall and hip hop. JAVEN hosts"NOW Living" on the TBN Salsa cable TV Network and ";Gospel Worship Experience" (Co-hosted with Tye Tribbett) which will premiere on TBN in the fall. http://gospel-spotlight.com/javen_intvw.htm Lexi dropped her new EP, Just Listen: The Remixes!!!! Check it out and don't forget to tag Lexi on socials so she can see what you are loving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_cPI4NZJQo&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_content=https%3A%2F%2FLexi.lnk.to%2FIllTakeLyricEm&utm_campaign=22194351&utm_umg_et=333601788 Keyondra Lockett is stepping boldly into her new normal as a solo artist, as she makes major moves in support of her independent career and her debut album. She recently inked a partnership deal with IndieBlu/Entertainment One Entertainment, and is making appearances around the country in support of her upcoming album, "The Heal," which is set for release late September. The lead single, 'Try' was recently the #3 most added song at Gospel radio. Lockett made appearances at the Essence Music Festival last month, and is traveling around the country taking her gift to radio stations and churches. The youngest of nine children and, no stranger to the world of the music and younger sister to the Grammy Award winning Gospel duo "Mary Mary". Shanta has performed on the Soul Train Awards, BET Awards, Jay Leno Show, Arsenio Hall Show and for Oprah Winfrey. She can be heard on recorded projects with Kanye West, Mary Mary, Jason Champion, Al Green and Dorinda Clark-Cole. She has sung for some of the greatest like Natalie Cole, U2, Yolanda Adams and BeBe Winans. Shanta Atkins has stepped out from behind the shadows & penned & produced her second newly released single “God Sees You” which speaks to the hearts of those battling suicide & depression. This song is a fresh sound and completely acapella. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypsjqWDpZuo&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Gospel+Central+Media&utm_campaign=0de6804808-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_05_21_COPY_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e930d0cd50-0de6804808-241881717 Big Film Factory has pegged a release date for its film Beautifully Broken which will be released theatrically on Aug. 24 via ArtAffects. The film is about a refugee's escape, a prisoner's promise and a daughter's painful secret that converge in what is a true story of hope. As three fathers fight to save their families, their lives become intertwined in an unlikely journey across the globe, where they learn the healing power of forgiveness and reconciliation. It will be released into 600 theaters. The Beautifully Broken cast includes Scott William Winters, Benjamin Onyango, Emily Hahn, Eric Roberts, Jessica Obilom, Caitlin Nicol-Thomas, Alan Powell, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Tammi Arender and Thomasina "Goo Goo" Atkins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBj3GvFS8JI Shana Wilson-Williams debuted "Everlasting." at #3 on the charts. Wilson-Williams, best known for her singles “Press In Your Presence”, “Give Me You”, and “Never Be the Same” featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard, drops a debut single “It’s In the Room” and it is doing well. "Everlasting" is a mixture of praise and worship, highlighting spiritual power, the artist’s love for God, and the expression of that love through music. Riding high on the success of his new #1 hit single "Open Your Mouth and Say Something!",rap superstar Childish Gambino has tapped Grammy and Stellar Award winner Brent Jones to record vocals on his new album! One of the biggest stars in the world, Childish Gambino is the musical alter ego of multi-talented actor, rapper, comedian, writer and director Donald Glover, who has taken the world by storm with his brilliant "This Is America" video - which has garnered over 500+ million views and sparked vital discussions about gun violence, mass shootings and racial discrimination in America. "It is an absolute honor working with the brilliant Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino! Not only is he at the very top of his craft but equally important, he is a great human being with a heart for the people. I'm truly humbled that he chose me to be a part" says Brent Jones. Beyonce and Jay-Z began the Detroit stop of their On The Run II Tour at Ford Field by dedicating the show to hometown legend Aretha Franklin, whose is gravely ill and reportedly in hospice care. “We love you and thank you for all the beautiful music,” Beyonce said about the Queen of Soul. The pair have a bumpy history dating back to the 2008 Grammy Awards, when Bey referred to Tina Turner as ‘the Queen.” Franklin released a statement taking exception, calling it “a cheap shot for controversy,” but concluding by giving “love to Beyonce anyway.” Less than a year later, however, Franklin defended Beyonce’s decision to lip-sync the National Anthem at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration. The 2018 Ubiquitous Women’s Expo, formerly known as The Ubiquitous Beauty | Hair | Health Expo, returns to Washington, D.C. to celebrate 5 Years of Excellence. “The Power of Us!” initiative is curated to bring women of color together in a space that revitalizes the mind, body, and soul through empowerment, collaboration and encouragement. This year, the Ubiquitous Women’s Expo will present Jasmin Foster, Sr Beauty Buyer for Target Corporation, with the Industry Game Changer Award for her commitment to multicultural inclusion at Target stores. Richelieu Dennis, Co-Founder and CEO of New Voices Fund and Founder of Shea Moisture will receive the first ever Ubiquitous Man of the Year Award! This two-day event will take place on August 25 & 26, 2018 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Look for entertainment by Anita Wilson, Doug E. Fresh and NBC’s The “Voice” Semi-finalists Davon Fleming and Joe Maye. Grammy® Award-Winning Platinum Recording Artist Tamela Mann and NAACP Image® Award-Winning Comedian David Mann announce their Us Against the World Mann Family Tour fall dates featuring David, Tamela, son David Mann Jr, and daughter Tia Mann, sharing an evening of music, comedy and family entertainment. The tour includes David and Tamela performing new tracks from their upcoming, first-ever joint album, Us Against the World: The Love Project. The Mann Family Tour kicks off October 11 in Fresno, Calif. with 20 dates planned for 2018. "We're excited to get back out on tour with our kids this fall," said David, executive producer of the tour. Added Tamela, "It's a family experience with something for everyone." A source very close to Aretha and a longtime dear friend tells TMZ he was told a week ago, "Prepare yourself, she's dying." The source adds Aretha was down to 86 pounds and her health was failing. The source says 2 weeks ago everyone in Aretha's circle was told "she could go any time." Another source -- someone who has been close to Aretha for decades -- tells TMZ she has been battling cancer since 2010. Franklin, who is 76, has been in poor health over the last few years. She has performed, but only on a limited basis ... most recently last November at an Elton John AIDS Foundation event. The news that her health is failing first came from Roger Friedman of Showbiz411, and WDIV TV in Detroit says Aretha's family confirmed she is gravely ill. The Queen of Soul could go at any time. Erica's plans for a hair music festival to promote her nascent wig line, "Erica by Erica Campbell" are put into jeopardy when she and Warryn decide to shoot a music video for their first ever duet, "All of My Life." Warryn tries to lose weight quickly so he's camera ready but what happens when he gets to set and none of the clothes fit and they're running out of light? Also, Warryn struggles with letting his little girl grow up, when he discovers Krista has been wearing makeup to school without their permission. Tune in to WE'RE THE CAMPBELLS every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on TV One. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iqweOU3fcM&feature=youtu.be TV One announced today that production is currently underway on season five of hit franchise RICKEY SMILEY FOR REAL, a one-hour docu-series featuring award-winning syndicated radio personality, host and stand-up comedian Rickey Smiley, as he tries to juggle his career and home life. This season premieres on Tuesday, October 30 at 8 p.m. ET/7C and captures Smiley as he continues to navigate the ups and downs of professional demands, single fatherhood and intimate relationships. Shooting in Atlanta, where he resides during the week, and in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where he raises his family, Smiley’s struggle to find work-life balance while trying to maintain a love life has become a central focus and source of laughter for fans of the show. Golden State Warrior Steph Curry has helped raise more than $21,000 for the family of Nia Wilson, the teen who was fatally stabbed on an Oakland train platform last month by an alleged white supremacist. The attack on the 18-year-old has rocked the nation and on Tuesday, the NBA star spoke out about Wilson before a showcase game for young Bay Area athletes at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5y4f7gUQNE six-time GRAMMY® winning artist, ISRAEL HOUGHTON, unveiled the cover art for his highly anticipated album, Road To DeMaskUs. In addition to sharing the cover with his fans, Houghton launched the album’s second single,“Promise Keeper,” featuring Travis Greene. Road To DeMaskUs will release in September and is available for pre-order on September 7th. Road To DeMaskUs is a nod to the popular Biblical tale of the Apostle Paul’s journey of transformation. The title displays an intentionally creative spelling as it encourages the removal of all the “masks” we find ourselves wearing in life. Whether we are masking our emotions, or masking our authentic selves, Houghton is passionate about reminding people that God’s love is not based upon who we are pretending to be. Rather, it is present & available for us exactly as we are. Houghton’s prayer is that this album becomes a tool to help de-mask us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3esU86m3zU IGOT YOU", is the hot new single by the incomparable, anointed, vocal powerhouse, RUTH LA'ONTRA. Many of you loved her 1st single "Kingdom", that was a huge success and like the 1st this 2nd single, does not disappoint. Written & produced by Gospel Superstar Anthony Brown, this follow-up, summer hit, is a Gospel radio gem. Musically this song is a whimiscal, fun, throwback to the "GoGo Surf" sound of the '60's. There is a bounce in this song that will have you bobbing your head continuously and put a smile on your face and in your heart. Hear Ruth La'Ontra In Her Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/ruthlaontra_intvw.htm Fresh on the heels of his new #1 hit single “Open Your Mouth and Say Something!” (Billboard's #1 Most Added Song at Radio), Grammy and Stellar Award winner Brent Jones is also set to release a new Christmas CD "Brent Jones & JDI Christmas - The Soul of Christmas" (on Oct 1st) and his Sermon album "Open Your Mouth and Say Something" (on Nov 1st). Motown Gospel celebrates multiple nominations across different categories for the 49th Annual Dove Awards.. Among the top nomination-getters is Grammy Award winner, Tasha Cobbs Leonard who received 5 nominations for her prolific current album";HEART. PASSION. PURSUIT." Cobbs Leonard is nominated for Artist of the Year, Gospel Artist of the Year, Urban Worship Album of the Year. She also picked up additional nominations for Urban Worship Recorded Song of the Year and for Producer of the Year with her husband Kenneth Leonard. Also receiving multiple nominations is Brian Courtney Wilson who received two nominations for his current project ";A GREAT WORK.." Wilson is nominated for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of the Year and Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year. Hear Brian Courtney Wilson In His Own Words... Tauren Wells celebrates multiple nominations across different categories for the 49th Annual Dove Awards. Tauren Wells leads the pack of artist nominees with seven nominations, including Song of the Year and New Artist of the Year. The Dove Awards will take place on October 16, 2018 in Nashville, TN at Lipscomb University and broadcast on TBN on Sunday, October 21, 2018. The GMA Dove Awards celebrate the contributions of artists from every style of Christian/Gospel music. Entertainment Icon, Snoop Dogg continues to push new boundaries in the Entertainment, Arts and Culture worlds. Today, the legendary artist announced his theatrical debut in a new stage musical "Redemption Of A Dogg", co-starring Tamar Braxton. Snoop Dogg has partnered with Award-winning writer, director, producer Je’Caryous Johnson, who brings the biggest and best to urban theatre audiences across the country. "Redemption Of A Dogg makes its debut on the heels of the 25th Anniversary of Snoop Dogg’s debut album,"Doggystyle." "Redemption Of A Dogg" will kick off in Houston, TX on October 5 and make multiple stops across the US. "Redemption Of A Dogg" chronicles a character built around the persona of Snoop Dogg, a multi-faceted character who is a gangsta rapper, family man and man of God. "Redemption Of A Dogg" examines the internal battle one man has between preserving his life-long legacy and losing the love of his life when he is faced with choosing fame and fortune over faith and family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g92IuvEGAdQ Anthony Brown & group therAPy collect two more Dove Award nominations for their 2017 project "A Long Way From Sunday." Brown & group therAPy earned nods in both Contemporary Gospel/Urban Categories. "I Got That," was nominated for Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year and "A Long Way From Sunday" was nominated for Gospel/ Urban Recorded Album of the Year. This is the third consecutive year for Brown & group therAPy to receive recognition from the GMA Dove Awards. Brown is a two-time previous Dove Award winner. Brown is a multiple Award winner, who continues to expand his music ministry. He is currently in production for his holiday play "The Uncut Coming of Christ," which he co-wrote, and co-produced with Joshua Jenkins. This 'Broadway-style' production will feature all original music and and is slated to open in December at First Baptist Church of Glenarden. Hear Anthony Brown In His Own Words... "Grammy ®Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Stephanie Mills and renowned hip hop group Whodini have been added to the dynamic list of honorees for the 2018 Black Music Honors. The highly anticipated evening, hosted by television and radio personality Rickey Smiley and Grammy® Award-winner and actress LeToya Luckett, will celebrate the artistry of the music industry's most revered icons. Mills will receive the Legends Award, honoring her illustrious music and acting career spanning more than four decades. Brooklyn-based rap group, Whodini, will be presented the Hip Hop Icon Award for their musical contributions. The celebratory night will also feature exciting performances by Keyshia Cole, Raheem DeVaughn, Next, Young Buck, Yo-Yo, Ruben Studdard, Jade Novah, Demetria McKinney, V. Bozeman, Tasha Page-Lockhart, Monie Love, Kierra Sheard, and Jonathan McReynolds. RCA Inspiration artists received eleven nominations for the 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards. Releases from gospel and inspirational superstars Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Marvin Sapp, and The Walls Group and hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg garnered nominations in eight categories: Gospel Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Urban Worship Album of the Year, Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of the Year, Urban Worship Recorded Song of the Year, Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year, Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year. Additionally, RCAI artist Israel Houghton received a nomination for Spanish Language Album of the Year as a producer. Each year the GMA Dove Awards highlight the best in Christian and Gospel music, including Pop/Contemporary, Traditional Gospel, Contemporary Gospel, and other categories. RCA Inspiration 2018 GMA Dove Award nominations: Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration) GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR Travis Greene GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR URBAN WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Crossover: Live from Music City URBAN WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “You Waited” Koryn Hawthorne NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL/URBAN RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “Won’t He Do It” (ft. Roshon Fegan) Israel Houghton SPANISH LANGUAGE ALBUM OF THE YEAR (as producer) – Revive (Lucía Parker) (with Co-Producer Jake Salomon) Marvin Sapp TRADITIONAL GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “Close” Snoop Dogg (All The Time Entertainment/RCA Inspiration) CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL/URBAN ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL/URBAN RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “You” (ft. Tye Tribbett) The Walls Group (Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration) TRADITIONAL GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR – “And You Don’t Stop” RECORDED MUSIC PACKAGING OF THE YEAR – The Other Side (Art director: Tim Parker, Graphic designer: David Navejas, Photographer: Blair Campbell) Although Adrienne Hougton has never really considered herself overweight, some fans have stated otherwise in her Instagram comments. “If I’m honest, my weight gain in the last few years has been like a struggle for me where I’m like, I never looked at myself as being overweight. And it was weird to hear so many comments at one point that I was fat, and ‘Oh my God, she let herself go!’ I was like, ‘Whoa.’ So that was a little bit weird.” According to Adrienne, her desire to get serious about her physical health was inspired by her own her own standards of beauty, not what the trolls in her comment section wrote about her. “I just did what I had to do to be comfortable in my own skin. And I think that’s the most important thing. It wasn’t necessarily to please other people.” Patrice Gopo offers "All The Colors We Will See" as a way for readers to understand our differences and extends ways to connect. Through personal stories, shared memories and honest experiences Gopo provides a deep look into the search for identity and belonging. A poignant, poetic and often-time courageous collection of personal essays, "All The Colors We Will See" delves into the current state of our culture that is grappling with the realities of racial injustices, an explosion of immigration issues and invites readers to join her as she searches for her identity and encourages others to find what truly unites us. New Music from Israel Houghton and Travis Greene drops today. "Promise Keeper." This is a SMASH!!!!!!!! We caught up with Israel back in the day. Hear Israel Houghton In His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/israel_intvw.htm IMA Entertainment CEO David Brown continues his quest to build a roster of artists that represent Gospel music at its best. In addition to breakout artist Alaina Rose, Brown recently announced the additions of Simone Brown and Anthony Smith and Fully Committed. CJ Entertainment LLC announces the release of the NEW SINGLE “Moving Forward” written and produced by new comer Aaron Freeman featuring Gospel Industry veteran Pastor Courtney Franklin of Memphis, TN. This new up tempo track encourages the listener to move past your mistakes, wrong doings, and failures and to focus on your future! Aaron recently inked a deal with Indie Blu Music which is distributed through Entertainment One for the single Moving Forward which will be distributed through all digital media outlets! "We're The Campbells" After years of producing music for Erica, Warryn finally steps up to the mic for more than background vocals and records a full-fledged duet with his wife. Warryn always demands the best out of his artists but how will he take Erica's direction when the tables are turned? Warryn's reaction is priceless when the First Lady Erica puts on her producer hat and Warryn takes his turn in the booth! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt0CqzuX8tk&feature=youtu.be God has blessed Jimmy Hicks in the music industry and he decided a long time ago that he wanted to copyright songs and start recording, God has Blessed him in his recording of songs such as "Turn It Around" in 2001, "Blessed Like That", "Babylon, and "Crossroads" in 2003 "Born Blessed" in 2006, "God's Got It" in 2009 and "Back Up", "Move, "It Will Come To Pass." "I Owe God A Praise" is from his latest Project WATERWAY by Jimmy Hicks & ACOJ. He realizes that people are living in critical times and you need to have and feel the spirit for divine direction and clarity of thought in order to make it through. Dove and Stellar Award nominated, Bryan Andrew Wilson, has created a smooth, breezy soundtrack to close this incredibly hot summer of 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u9_DpNOZ1E Trump meet with John Gray, Harry Jackson, Van Moody, Alveda King and other Inner City pastors....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HQh0AD7Ros Apostle Veryl Howard founder of “God’s Women in Music, Ministry, Business & Entertainment” is no stranger to the entertainment world. She established Faith Management & Talent Casting and is known to many as one of the most sought after managers and promoters in the world of Gospel music. She is also the author of two books where her most recent book is “God is My Ticket out the Ghetto”. Her writing has allowed her to write for several magazines including “Devine Glory”, “The Piece Magazine” and “Change Magazine” to name a few. She is also a radio host at I Am Gospel Radio as well as other stations with a global show called “Beyond Borders”. But most importantly she views herself as a servant of God. It's Apostle Veryl Howard In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/apostleverylhoward_intvw.htm After a year-long hiatus, Casey J returns with an incredible worship project 'The Gathering' which will release early 2019. In advance of the album, Casey shares the recording's first radio single, "If God", which beautifully answers life's most difficult questions with the resounding affirmation found in Romans 8:31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? "If God" is available for download on all digital platforms on Friday, August 3. Hear Casey J In Her Own Words... http://gospel-spotlight.com/caseyj_intvw.htm This Thursday, August 2nd @8PM ET/7 PM CT, Trinity Broadcasting network (TBN), will premiere a new musical series, "Gospel Worship Experience" (GWE). The program is hosted by celebrated singer/actor, JAVEN, and Grammy® Award winning singer/producer, Tye Tribbett. The first episode of GWE was taped at TBN's The Holy Land Experience complex in Orlando, Florida. Each episode showcases today's top recording artists leading the audience in the studio into a gospel worship experience. The first episode features dynamic musical ministry from Grammy® Award winner, Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Multiple Stellar Gospel Music Award winner, Anthony Brown & group Therapy also appeared. Chart-topping recording artist Jekalyn Carr has released the second radio single "It's Yours" from her No.1 album "One Nation Under God" to Gospel radio. This week the song is the No.1 Most Added Song, No.2 Most Increased Song at Gospel Radio. Carr continues to spread the message of Jesus through song and encouraging others that they can win. Churches and praise dancers across the country have been responding to this uplifting declaration in a big way.'It's Yours"is the 2nd most streamed song from Carr';s project." Stellar Award Nominated Contemporary Gospel ensemble Vincent Tharpe and Kenosis (VTK) are traveling around the United States singing about how super excited they are about Christ. The Memphis based group is even more pumped as their album SUPER EXCITED has topped the Billboard Gospel Charts this week. SUPER EXCITEDdebuted at #2 on the Billboard Current Gospel Album Sales Chart and #10 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx6AH7YrqjI&feature=youtu.be Minister Kirk Franklin joined Dr. Bobby Jones and theNashville Super Choir and guests: The Voices of Hope from (Washington, D.C.), Tanetta Winters (Las Vegas, Nevada), Daryl Bowers and Legacy (Nashville, Tennessee) for a dynamic, powerful television special, to be aired on The Impact Television Network, Saturday and Sunday, August 4th and 5th, 2018, at 2:00 PM. The musical presentations arranged by Kirk Franklin and Derrick Lee, were remarkable. You don’t want to miss this tantalizing dialogue between two giants of the gospel music industry, Dr Jones and Minister Kirk Franklin. Riding high on the success of his new #1 hit single "Open Your Mouth and Say Something!" Grammy and Stellar Award winner Brent Jones headlines a star-studded lineup performing at the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses - affectionately known as the Dorsey Convention - Aug 4th thru 10th in Dallas, TX. Founded by gospel trailblazer Thomas Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music, the Dorsey Convention is the oldest singing organization in the world dedicated to the continuation and advancement of gospel music around the globe. Donnie McClurkin and Brent Jones are just a few of the many gospel stars who will be on hand to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Dorsey Convention. Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller, pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA has a group of millennial choir singers that are dynamic in presentation and passionate in praise. Those singers are his Fresh Anointing choir who released their album TOTALLY this spring. TOTALLY has garnered the choir two Gospel radio hits "Holy, Holy" and "Oh, How I Love Jesus" featuring Gospel icon John P. Kee. Their third single, "God Is", has cracked the Top 40 Gospel Radio Singles Chart and is now being released in lyric video format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqqQzb2-InU&feature=youtu.be Grammy Award Winning songwriter Makeba Riddick-Woods marks her debut into the gospel music industry with the #1 song “Wont He Do It” as recorded by Koryn Hawthorne. Woods is no stranger to songwriting, having written multiple #1 songs for Beyonce (“déjà vu”), Jennifer Lopez (“All I Have”), Rihanna (“Rude Boy”) and more. Rising star Koryn Hawthorne’s debut album “Unstoppable” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Charts. With Makeba’s songwriting assistance, Koryn has become the first woman to top four gospel charts simultaneously in five years. “Unstoppable’s” hit anthem “Won’t He Do It” continues its stronghold on the charts and on radio, sitting in the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song sales chart, Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, and the MediaBase Gospel chart. The song has been on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart at #1 for 19 weeks overall. In addition, it’s been #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart for twelve weeks overall, #1 for eleven weeks overall on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart and the MediaBase Gospelchart, and has over 17.7 million streams to date. As Lewis prepares to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 4, it’s natural to celebrate his playing career and what he meant to Baltimore. But those who know him well say it’s a mistake to overlook his impact on players from other teams and on people outside of football entirely. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti actually found it mildly frustrating when Lewis would counsel stars on rival teams. “It was like, ‘Don’t give it to them,’ ” Bisciotti said, laughing. “But he did, because he was genuine. He wanted the best for players, and he never felt the end result wasn’t worth the effort, even if it made his competition better. Which is admirable.” Because of Lewis’ hunger for engagement, his reach extended beyond football, to police and religious leaders in Baltimore, to Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank, and yes, to the most decorated Olympian in history Michael Phelps. Each of these people talk openly about how Lewis has offered a strong shoulder during troubled times and how he leaves them feeling uplifted after each encounter. It has just dropped "The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul." The three-disc CD features 39 tracks with more than two hours of music. "The Three Sides of Damien Sneed" is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and all other digital retail outlets everywhere. This magnum opus showcases the broad musicality of Sneed, whose musical skills and performance credits encompass everything from jazz and show tunes to opera and R&B. The set includes original tunes composed by Sneed as well as his unique arrangements of known works. Wynter Evans Pitts, niece of Dr. Tony Evans and mother of actress Alena Pitts died suddenly Tuesday night. Alena, who played the role of Danielle Jordan in the hit faith-based film "War Room" alongside her aunt, Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer, posted the shocking news on Instagram. The funeral for Wynter Evans Pitts, a Christian author, speaker, and ministry leader was held Saturday, July 28, at Oaks Church in Red Oak, TX. The homegoing service can be viewed online at http://oaks.churchonline.org/. Grammy winner Brent Jones, fresh on the heels of his new hit single "Open Your Mouth And Say Something" is returning to Waco, TX Sun, July 29th to record his first ever live preaching CD! Recording live at the Victorious Life Church. "Good preaching is truly an art form" says JDI founder Professor James Roberson, "... so we are super excited to be introducing Brent Jones' anointed preaching ministry to the world - be prepared to be blessed!" Also on October 1st it's the release of Brent's new Christmas CD entitled "Brent Jones & JDI Christmas" featuring the hit single "The Soul of Christmas." Earnest Pugh, will release, The UnSung Hits Vol. 1 September 7th. It’s an album of previously un-promoted recordings that were created over the course of his two decades long career. “The Unsung Hits,” is a ten-track collection of songs that features duets with some of gospel music’s leading and legendary voices, such as Bishop Rance Allen, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, D’Atra Hicks and Michelle Prather. Cedric Thompson, Michael Bereal and Keith Williams are the producers. Hear Earnest Pugh In His Own Words... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/earnestpugh_intvw.htm 3-time GRAMMY®-nominated, 11-time Stellar Award-winning Travis Greene presents a power-packed weekend of entertainment, worship, and community festivities with this year’s Engage Culture Weekend. Travis Greene will welcome a range of special guests during Engage Culture Weekend from Friday August 17th to Sunday August 19th in Columbia, SC – reaching out beyond the church to engage and take the inspiring power and message of worship out to the masses – in serving the greater community and those in need. The Engage Culture Weekend will feature events including a city-wide service project, a celebrity basketball game, inspiring worship, music and entertainment, with Travis Greene, Elevation Worship, Pastor John Gray and Relentless Worship, Israel and Adrienne Bailon Houghton, JJ Hairston, Pastor Tavner Smith, Michelle Williams, and more. The World famous Kingdom Choir, under the direction of Karen Gibson celebrated with news of their signing to Sony Music UK. This distinctive choral aggregation delighted audiences with a rousing rendition of “Stand By Me” at the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May. Seen by well over 2 billion people, The Kingdom Choir’s performance of “Stand By Me” made an impressive-debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and selling some 9,000 downloads of their new cover, originally recorded by Ben E. King. Lavelle Lacy has passed. An outstanding musician and songwriter, Lavelle was a huge part of the Chicago Gospel Sound in the 70s, 80s and 90s, riting the hits for choirs and accompanying groups and soloists for more than 4 decades, Lavelle wrote for some of Gospel music’s best and brightest. I Won’t Forget, Jesus Is Mine, So Glad I’m Saved – Dr. Charles G. Hayes and the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir. I Found Jesus (and I’m Glad) – Chicago Mass Choir/Reverend Maceo Woods and the Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir. He Keeps on Blessing Me – Ricky Dillard and New G. Call Him Up – Chicago Mass Choir. A larger than life fellow with personality to match, Lavelle was known for his comedic banter, his generosity and hospitality. His “brother’s keeper mentality” would lead to the organization of the Chicago Musician’s Coalition, a monthly fellowship for musicians and Gospel music personel. Rising star Koryn Hawthorne celebrates with her fans around the world as her debut album Unstoppable, released on July 13th, sparks a slate of #1s on the latest Gospel charts. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, and garnered over 1.2 million streams in its first week of release. Unstoppable’s hit anthem “Won’t He Do It” continues its stronghold on the charts and at radio, sitting in the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart, Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, and the MediaBase Gospel chart. The song has been on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart at #1 for 19 weeks overall. In addition, it’s been #1 onBillboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart for twelve weeks overall, #1 for eleven weeks overall on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart and the MediaBase Gospel chart, and has over 17.7 million streams to date. Fresh off the road from the popular Summer Lights Tour, the 20-year-old artist is busy promotingUnstoppable and will continue touring in the fall. She’ll also make a guest appearance on the third season of OWN’s hit series, Greenleaf, in September. Gospel recording artist James Fortune has remarried. The two time Grammy Nominated, Multiple Stellar Award Winner artist shared the news on his official @MrJamesfortune Instagram page. The heart felt news was shared on the “Dear Future Me” page. around Under the graphic that read Mr. & Mrs. Fortune, he wrote, “Who would have thought that when I received a call that you had been nearly killed by a drunk driver that my visit to see you would turn into this. Your near death experience would be the start of my new life. You helped me dream again, trust again, and most importantly you showed me that I was worth being loved again. You are strong, selfless, patient, hardworking, intelligent, and the best mom a child could ever dream of. I have enjoyed your love, dedication and compassion privately but with a heart that is overflowing I had to share the one who has truly helped me progress in life & love. I don't know how long I am going to live but I know that every single second will be worth a lifetime because it will be spent with you. @misskellz_ Fortune Forever I Love You!” Hear Janes Fortune In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/james_fortune_intvw.htm Ed Rivadavia, Vice President, Digital Strategy, Sony Music Nashville has appointed Justin Tomlinson as Manager, Digital Strategy, Sony Music Nashville. Reporting directly to Rivadavia and currently in his new capacity, Tomlinson manages day-to-day strategy for his designated artist roster, while acting as webmaster for SonyMusicNashville.com and overseeing development and content for the label group's social media channels. Vincent Tharpe and Kenosis (VTK) have now released their second album SUPER EXCITED. SUPER EXCITED is a follow-up to the groups 2014 Stellar Award nominated album VINCENT THARPE AND KENOSIS: LIVE IN MEMPHIS. The new album continues to showcase VTK’s signature electrifying performances and also allows the groups front man Vincent Tharpe to shine as a songwriter. SUPER EXCITED is available on iTunes and Amazon and features special appearances by Gospel music icon John P. Kee on "Victory" and BET's Sunday Best Season 6 runner-up Kefia Rollersonon "Reign". VTK's title track and new single "Super Excited" is impacting Gospel radio now. https://soundcloud.com/the-bellamy-group/vincent-tharpe-and-kenosis-super-excited Fred ” Uncle Freddie” Jerkins III, President of Dark Child Gospel, has announced, A Project of Healing , the first of a series of gospel and mainstream compilation albums that will benefit cancer awareness, empowerment and education. Hear Fred Jerkins In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/fredjerkins_intvw.htm Meet an exciting new group Last Call, they are featured on "A Project For Healing" album. Hear Last Call In Their Own Words... http://gospel-spotlight.com/lastcall_intvw.htm Central City Productions (CCP) announced today the 2018 Black Music Honors - the annual two-hour television special that honors artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music. The television special is set to take place on Thursday, August 16th in Nashville, TN. This year's honorees include Bobby Brown, who will receive the R&B Soul Music Icon Award for his 40 years in entertainment and 32 years as a solo artist, Bebe and Cece Winans, who will be co-honorees of the Gospel Music Icon Award, and chart-topping music producer and label executive Dallas Austin, who will be presented with the Music Innovator Icon Award, and multi-platinum, Grammy® Award-winning recording artist, songwriter and producer Faith Evans, who is set to receive the Urban Music Icon Award. Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett return as co-hosts which is set to air in syndication Sept. 8-30, 2018. BLACK ENTERPRISE will present its highest honor in recognition of the achievements of black men when it presents the XCEL Awards at the 2018 Black Men XCEL Summit on Aug. 29, 2018, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The Black Men XCEL Summit celebrates the achievements of today's black men. The Summit, which offers executive development and leadership for men. The Summit, hosted by FedEx, will take place Aug. 29–Sept. 2, 2018, at the PGA National Resort & Spa. The XCEL Awards recognize outstanding impact, achievement, and leadership by men in business, the arts, education, government and other influential areas. Past XCEL Award recipients include luminaries such as U.S. Rep. John Lewis, award-winning actor Robert Townsend, historian, author, curator and Founding Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie G." Hear Bishop Jakes In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/TD_Jakes_01JAN2010_intvw.wav Now that the season is behind him, Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry has his eyes set on a new venture: producing faith-based and family-focused films. Curry announced in April that he was getting into the entertainment business by way of a wide-ranging deal between his production company, Unanimous Media, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The All-Star guard sat down with Variety to talk about the details of his new venture, including several films already in development. As noted in the report, the partnership aims to extend as far as video games, virtual reality and consumer products. But films and TV are the focus of the deal, with concentrations in three core areas: faith, family and sports. Erica and Wozy celebrate their birthdays together with a joint party, but when Wozy doesn't have any friends to invite, Erica tries to help him come out of his shell. Warryn misfires with a string of lame birthday presents to Erica including a salt and pepper shaker, but perhaps Warryn has something bigger in store for her. Joi records a music video for her new single, Coco Butter, but her message of self-acceptance is put to the test when the concept of the video requires her to dress like a naked doll. Following his surgery, Warryn attempts to get back in shape and improve his health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNeXONUfw1E&feature=youtu.be. While Will McMillan may not (yet) be a household name, his creativity and musical genius are more familiar than one might know. McMillan, Minister of Music at i5 City Church in Baltimore, Maryland, has collaborated with such Gospel music luminaries as Tasha Cobbs, Jason Nelson, Jonathan Nelson and William McDowell. McDowell, along with Travis Greene, has also entrusted McMillan with music director duties along the way. A self-taught artist and musician, McMillan’s creative sensibilities bridge tradition with a contemporary and fresh approach that appeals to Gospel music fans of all ages. McMillan’s debut album, My Story, is available from eOne. The lead single, “Best Thing,” is a remake of the James Cleveland classic, “Jesus is the Best Thing. youtube.com/watch?v=oNeXONUfw1E&feature=youtu.be. Bishop Leonard Scott drops 'Jesus Love Legacy', his latest offering and is arguably his best work! Scott teamed up with some notable names to put together this 12 song release. Most of the songs were penned by Bishop Scott; however, the first single"Working In My Favor" which features Fred Hammond & Shirley Murdock was penned by Phillip Feaster & hit song writer Tiffany "TIFF JOY" McGhee who wrote "Amazing" which was the 2016 BMI Gospel Song of the Year. Other noteworthy tracks include the bouncy, soulful energy laced groove "Power In The Name" which features Rance Allen and Kevin Vassar and "Hymns"a beautiful medley of (Draw Me Nearer & I Surrender All). Most notable for penning timeless songs for Ashmont Hill and JJ Hairston’s “Love Lifted Me”, Phil Thompson has successfully stepped forward from behind the pen to release his own solo project My Worship – capturing the hearts of worshippers across the globe. With the full album itself debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Chart Thompson’s viral single is quickly becoming a Sunday morning staple at churches worldwide! After garnering more than 1 million views on YouTube in just two short months, “My Worship” has crossed country borders and has already been covered on social media by people in various languages including Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Thus far in 2018, Phil has already performed the viral hit “My Worship” in Ghana, Canada, and London with confirmed dates that include Trinidad, Barbados, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria before year’s end. Demetrius West & Jesus Promoters label debut and sophomore project ChoirOlogy: The Study of Choir Music will be released on Friday, August 10th in-stores and on all digital outlets. Fans can pre-order beginning Friday, July 27th and will receive an instant new grat track every week. Indianapolis, Indiana based Demetrius West. Off the heels of making an major appearance at ESSENCE Fest in New Orleans last week, Two-Time Stellar Award nominated sibling group The Showers was featured on The 700 Club Tuesday, July 17th at 10a EST/9a CST and a re-run at 11pm EST/10pm CST airing on Disney–ABC Television Group's cable network Freeform (formerly ABC Family). A vocal group comprised of seven of ten siblings, The Showers grew up in Hammond, LA - a Christan household, and use their music to express their faith and spread the Lord's message to others. The family of late music legend Whitney Houston has been rocked by the latest allegation made by Whitney’s brother Gary Houston following the release of the new “Whitney” documentary. According to a family source, after claiming that both he and his sister were molested by their cousin, Dee Dee Warwick, matriarch Cissy Houston has exiled Gary from the clan’s fold, “Cissy called him and told him ‘I’m cutting you out of my will,’ and hung up the phone,” said the source. Gary made the shocking allegation in the new documentary in which 60 of Whitney’s closest friends and family members opened up about her life and theorized about what may have led to her downward spiral into drug addiction. New music from Smokie Norful's background singer "LeNasia Tyson" !? ? Praise Party is an upbeat, catchy song. LeNasia welcomes you to her "Praise Party" Fred "Uncle Freddie" Jerkins III, President of DarkChild Gospel, has announced, A Project of Healing, the first of a series of gospel and mainstream compilation albums that will benefit cancer awareness, empowerment and education. This album will feature guest artist such as Bishop Paul S. Morton, Lowell Pye, Darlene McCoy, Alexis Spight, Jonathan Nelson, Trin-I-Tee 5:7 and more. The first single titled "We Won" featuring Jonathan Nelson is currently at radio and available on all digital media outlets. A stage play inspired by the project is currently being written and directed by Kim Fields. This project will be available this October 2017. After 9 weeks of having the #1 single, Worship Artist, Todd Dulaney's "Your Great Name" is still catching fire. The title track from his third album is yet, another great anthem penned by Dulaney. Todd Dulaney releases the Maxi Single of "Your Great Name," which include 5 new versions of the song. On the Maxi Single, there is a Live in Orlando version featuring Todd's long-time singer, Nicole Harris, a Spanish version, a Children's version, led by Todd's Children Todd Jr. and Taylor, a Ballad version, a CCM version, and of course, the original version. Soweto Gospel Choir's universal message of love, unity and hope, along with its captivating melodic and harmonic wonder, mesmerizing showmanship and awe-inspiring performances, has made believers of millions of fans around the world. Since the Choir emerged on the global music scene in 2002, it has received the kind of accolades most groups only dream of. The acclaimed South African World Music sensations has earned two Grammy Awards, scored two #1 Billboard World Music Chart albums and has earned the distinction as the only South African music act to ever perform at the Oscars. They have had the opportunity to either record or perform with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Pharrell Williams, Aretha Franklin and Kirk Franklin, among many others. Not many artists can count as their supporters the likes of the late Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (the official patron of the Choir) and the current President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. On September 14, 2018 Soweto Gospel Choir will release its highly anticipated sixth Shanachie Entertainment recording, Freedom, a riveting collection of freedom songs from South Africa and beyond, marking the Centennial of Nelson Mandela's birth. Chart-topper and former “The Voice” finalist Koryn Hawthorne, sets off a musical explosion of inspiration with her new album, Unstoppable, available everywhere now. Giving fans a powerful dose of fresh beats and encouragement in being victorious and fearless, to be unstoppable through faith and purpose, the 20-year-old young star blazes a new melodic trail on her full length debut album of 10 tracks, incorporating her artistic influences of pop, gospel, soul, contemporary rock-inspired sounds and more. Koryn Hawthorne has set a record as the highest streaming new gospel artist, with over 21 million streams to date. Her #1 hit single “Won’t He Do It” remains a chart-topping smash with fans. Koryn Hawthorne In Her Own Words... http://gospel-spotlight.com/korynhawthorne_intvw.htm Jonathan McReynolds is sharing dates for his upcoming fall "Make Room" tour, including dates in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Memphis. The tour comes on the heels of a high-profile streaming premiere for his live concert video "Jonathan McReynolds: Make Room" exclusively on global music and entertainment platform TIDAL. As part of the partnership, all ticket sales for the tour will include a free three month membership to TIDAL. The live concert recording was previously broadcast as a network TV special in March exclusively to TVOne, and it's available freely online for the first time now, exclusively at TIDAL.com/JonathanMcReynolds. Jonathan will be on tour from September 6th-21st with special guests to be announced.September 6th – Detroit, MI at El Club September 9th – Cleveland, OH at House of Blues September 10th – Brooklyn, NY at Knitting Factory September 13th – Vienna, VA at Jammin Java September 15th – Richmond, VA at Capital Ale House September 16th – Philadelphia, PA at The Foundry September 18th – Decatur, GA at Eddie’s Attic September 20th – Memphis, TN at 1884 Lounge September 21st – St. Louis, MO at The Firebird. Xernona Clayton, who broke race and gender barriers in national broadcast TV and worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to end racial inequality in America, will talk about her life and experiences at the 2018 Women's Leadership Conference (WLC). The conference, in its 12th year, is sponsored by The MGM Resorts Foundation. It will be held Aug. 27-28 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV. Le'Andria Johnson apologizes to Marvin Winans and Fans. https://www.facebook.com/leandriajohnson/videos/1764241713625561/ Sacondrea Holden is a new Gospel artist that has a distinct charge to worship God and fulfill that mandate of Worship and Ministry placed on her life. The Louisiana native is currently the Praise and Worship Leader at Dominion and Power Family Life International. Confirmation of her appointment to minister in music came after a tragic accident in 2010 that spared her life. Surviving that experience with a now clear understanding of her destiny, Sacondrea began using her voice for ministry and has released a single “Here Is My Worship” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg22BGM8-sM&feature=youtu.be TV One and the National Urban League (NUL) discussed the present and future conditions facing black America on Tuesday evening at a Town Hall held at The Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Moderated by Host and Senior Analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show Roland Martin, the discussion was framed around findings in the National Urban Leagues' seminal annual report, "The State of Black America." The 2-hour special will premiere on TV One Sunday, July 29 at 8 PM ET. Le'Andria Johnson with Love made an public apology for her actions that happened last week. She says, "I offended many people with my previous video post. That is undeniable, and I accept full responsibility for what I communicated out of frustration. After serious personal reflection, I recognized that through my being offended, I have caused offense. The fire that consumed so much emotion, time and energy, has illuminated a light that can no longer be hid; one of personal transparency and self reflection. Even a burned bridge illuminates light. Jason McGee + The Choir featuring Lena Byrd-Miles releases "Promises." A native of Bakersfield, CA, Jason McGee moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to go to the L.A.C.C. Theater Academy. He then went on to perform in television shows and films, acting and singing. Jason has shared the stage with Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin just to name a few. In 2006 Jason formed the award winning P.S.A.L.M.S at the City of Refuge Church whereBishop Noel Jones is the pastor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjxxt6-WSKs&feature=youtu.be Gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson recently dropped a couple of pearl-clutching videos explaining why her performance at the Essence Music Festival was canceled over the weekend. The singer was part of the tribute honoring the legendary Dottie Peoples but she was dropped like a bad habit after calling out Marvin Winans and calling out the church in live video rant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyi9MKlWXyw Erica discovers that her eldest child Krista struggles with self-esteem because of her dark skin tone. Erica introduces Krista to Kheris, a social media star who has her own fashion line dedicated to embracing her dark hued complexion. After Erica shares Krista's concerns with Warryn, he reveals a secret he's kept from Joi that certain record executives refused to work with her because they thought her skin was too dark. When Warryn shares the truth, she questions remaining in the music industry altogether. Meanwhile, Warryn asks Erica to co-preach with him at church but Erica doesn't have time to prepare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRYD81TH0uk&feature=youtu.be "Whether you sing it, whether you preach it, whether you live it, the gospel must be spread," say pastor, Bishop Noel Jones, on the opening track of The City Of Refuge Sanctuary Choir's 1st album In years, "Run To The Altar" their sophomore live recording. The first song is the pulsating, 1960s R&B styled shimmy, "Praise is Power," which features the solo lead of Jason McGee. The album is mostly a mix of original Pentecostal-flavored songs such as "Flow," ";No Way" and "Holy Ghost; along with contemporary praise and worship proclamations "Wait on Him," ";Rain" and "Give You Praise." Praise and worship recording artist, JAVEN, has scored his first Top Ten song with his 7th solo album," Grace," which debuted at No. 8 on the Gospel Album Sales chart last week. The project also rolled in at No. 13 on the Top Gospel Albums multi-metric consumption chart which combines traditional album sales, track equivalent albums and streaming equivalent albums. The album combines harmonic, instrumental, and rhythmic aspects of Christian pop and classic gospel, as well as, new production techniques and rhythms from music of the African diaspora such as dancehall and hip hop. JAVEN hosts"NOW Living" on the TBN Salsa cable TV Network and ";Gospel Worship Experience" (Co-hosted with Tye Tribbett) which will premiere on TBN in the fall. http://gospel-spotlight.com/javen_intvw.htm Lexi dropped her new EP, Just Listen: The Remixes!!!! Check it out and don't forget to tag Lexi on socials so she can see what you are loving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_cPI4NZJQo&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_content=https%3A%2F%2FLexi.lnk.to%2FIllTakeLyricEm&utm_campaign=22194351&utm_umg_et=333601788 Keyondra Lockett continues to forge her path of independence, fueled by creativity and entrepreneurship. The gifted vocalist/songwriter and savvy businesswoman just inked a partnership between IndieBlue/Entertainment One Entertainment and her Bella Dawn Music record label. Through the partnership, her debut solo album will be released in September. Lockett has a new single at radio now. “Try.” As her album release date approaches, Lockett will make appearances in Atlanta, Dallas, Shreveport and New York this summer. She will also make appearances at the Essence Music Festival this weekend, including the SiriusXM live broadcast and the McDonald’s 365Black Awards. It appears that things are going very well for singer Michelle Williams. She and sports chaplain Chad Johnson got engaged and now she’s announcing that they have a reality TV show in the works. The show, a non-scripted series on OWN, will follow the pair’s relationship. Lucy's House Entertainment presents an All-Star celebrity line-up cast in The Unfaithful Stage-Play Tour. Unfaithful stage Tour features the legendary powerhouse vocalist Shirley Murdock, and in the leading male role, from Tyler Perry's "If Loving You is Wrong," Denzel Wells, also starring R&B singer and TV Reality Star (Love & Hip Hop) Teairra Mari and the legendary lead singer of the R&B group Silk, Gary "Lil G" Jenkins. Unfaithful is an emotional, twist-turning, stage play written and directed by playwright Kimberlyn M. Engram that reveals the truth about the seemingly perfect marriage of Kenny and Rochelle Jones. The couple appears to live an idyllic life. While Rochelle owns a thriving production company, Kenny is a First Sergeant in the United States Army. Within a year of being married, Kenny leaves for deployment leaving his wife to take full responsibility of his teenage daughter. While Kenny is deployed, Rochelle becomes suspicious of his behavior. Erica feels disconnected to Warryn following the Stellar Awards trip....can the two lovebirds get back to happy? Later she flies to Dallas to do her radio show, Get Up, Mornings! with Erica Campbell," where she goes a little too far when she teases co-star Griff about his love life on-air. Erica also finds herself questioning the higher-ups at the radio station about how they book their guests. After getting advice from MC Lyte, Joi decides to leave Warryn's label, My Block, regardless of the consequences. Warryn discovers his newest band to add to his label... his three kids! Erica isn't so sure, but Warryn is convinced that after they practice some more she'll come around. Goo finds out that there is a major clothing distributor looking to back her own personal clothing line. We're The Campbells...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsUty7w3oNM&feature=youtu.be Darius Brooks, the former music director of the late Rev. Milton Brunson's Grammy® Award winning Thompson Community Singers (also known as The Tommies), has just signed a deal with Tyscot Records to release, The Tommies Reunion (Tyscot), a live recording, on October 26th. "In the early years of my career I was a Tommies fan," says Tyscot CEO, Bryant Scott. "Our church choir literally sang a Tommies song every Sunday. It is exciting that Tyscot has been able to sign one of the premiere choirs from the `choir era." Tommies fans from back in the day, as well as new listeners, are sure to be delighted with the offering on The Tommies Reunion album." Brooks is equally excited to be affiliated with Tyscot." I love the label and its rich history," he says. "They understand the legacy of the Tommies because they have a similar one as a label and I know they will do great things with this project. In the pantheon of all the new voices being introduced in Gospel music, DENITA GIBBS will stand out as truly unique. A native of Birmingham, AL, Denita earned national recognition as a finalist in the Vickie Winans Rising Star Talent Search, sponsored by Chrysler and was a was a Top 5 Finalist for the ?2018 IMMERSE Conference Talent Search! Gospel Recording Artist Denita Gibbs' unique style and high definition of praise and worship ushers audiences directly into the presence of God. "Keep Holding On" is her new single. In celebration of the 15th annual McDonald’s® 365Black® Awards, the company will honor celebrities and everyday heroes who make positive contributions to the community. To date, this year’s roster of remarkable honorees includes popular Political Commentator Symone Sanders, renown actress/activist Sheryl Lee Ralph, Black Girls CODE CEO Kimberly Bryant and next generation McDonald’s Owner/Operator Monique Vann-Brown. Additionally, college junior Tishauna Wilson will be recognized alongside this lineup to receive the McDonald’s HBCU Forward $10,000 Scholarship, for her exceptional efforts to impact the community. Hosted for a second year by actress Essence Atkins, the awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, July 8, 2018, during the 24th annual ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca Cola® in New Orleans. Beloved songstress, Pastor Lisa Page Brooks is back with an up-tempo, contemporary Gospel single that is guaranteed to get listeners up and on their feet! “My Life” is Lisa’s personal testimony on how God has truly done a work in her life! Page Brooks drives home the importance of having a strong faith through the lyric “…how did I know that breakthrough was near, my faith encouraged me to remove all of my fear". “My Life”encourages listeners to trust their journey and believe that through faith, God will turn your situation around and do a great work in your life! Loretta Morman understands that men and women weren't designed the same by God, so she set out to educate women on how they can work toward understanding those human differences in order to have a healthy relationship. "Five Ways Men Want Women to Bloom" is Morman's story of her own personal flourishing based on 30 years of marriage. The book contains insight gleaned from interviews with men and women that helps readers understand their partners' desires and values, helping them pursue the loving relationship they want. Featuring the five 'blooms' of a rose; respect and love, communication style, romantic skills, inspiration and transformation, Morman explains how those traits are essential for women to contribute to a loving, healthy relationship. The book also features a personal blooming plan at the end of the book so that women can write down a vision for their marriage and put it into action. "Throughout my three decades of marriage, I've discovered what makes a marriage happy and healthy." The Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. is celebrating its 51st Anniversary. The Annual Convention is being held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta, GA, July 16-20, 2018. It was announced today by the GMWA. GMWA is the largest gospel music convention across the United States and has a proven track record for producing major artists. GMWA has academic courses that teach the art of music including song writing techniques and more. Each year Bishop Albert Jamison and the Gospel Music Workshop of America strive to make the convention better than the year before. This year will be no different. Bishop Jamison and the GMWA Board Members are welcoming a great line up of notable speakers for the 51st Daily Bread Sessions including Karen Clark Sheard, Bishop William Murphy, Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Dr. Todd M. Hall, Bishop Paul Morton, Pastor Todd Hall, Sr., Dr. John Adolph and Dr. Jasper Williams, Jr. There will be musicals nightly. Jor'Dan Armstrong is back with new music. His last EP "Vibes" did well and the single "So much luv" garnered a lot of play on gospel radio. This go around instead of releasing a full album, Armstrong broke up the effort into three EP's so listeners can fully consume the project. The effort is entitled "BLSD" short for Blessed. The 3 part EP gives listeners a nostalgic look back at Armstrong's up bringing and the sounds and feelings he had growing up in Baton Rouge, LA aka Ghost town. Armstrong tags Bizzle, 1kPhew, Yanna Crawley, Lowell Pye and many more. The 3 EP's are produced by Jor'Dan Armstrong and a team of talented producers Jeshua "TedyP" Williams, Darius Scott, Tracksion and Juice Bangers for COBRA. "I named this effprt "BLSD" (Blessed) because if someone were to ask me to describe my life in one word it would be Blessed. Good times and bad times my answer still remains Blessed. BLSD is 3 parts, each one telling a story." dfree®, the global Financial Freedom Movement that has helped individuals and organizations pay down more than $1 million in debt, hosts its Homecoming Conference October 25th – 28th at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens. On Friday, October 26th, the tone will be set with a dynamic Gospel concert featuring Grammy winner Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Gospel music darling Kierra Sheard. Reverend DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. says of the concert "we don't believe we can accomplish anything without worship. Worship is a spiritual requirement and it is the foundation of everything that we do." One of the most iconic Bible adventures is coming to life in movie theaters nationwide following its debut on the Sight & Sound stage. "Sight & Sound Theatres® Presents: MOSES" to entertain cinema audiences of all ages this fall, including a behind-the-scenes look at the amazing history of "Sight & Sound Theatres®." Fathom Events and "Sight & Sound Theatres® Presents: MOSES" in more than 800 select movie theaters on Thursday, September 13 and Saturday, September 15. Six-time GRAMMY® winning chart topper ISRAEL HOUGHTON kicks off “The Road to DeMaskUs Tour,” launching the twelve-city tour in Chicago, IL beginning Thursday September 27th, with tickets for select cities on sale now. Inviting fans along to explore a new journey on “The Road to DeMaskUs Tour,” in support of his upcoming solo album Road to DeMaskUs out September 21st, Houghton’s fall tour continues to eleven additional cities until October 13th, hitting Detroit, MI; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Washington DC; Richmond, VA; Atlanta, GA; Orlando, FL; and more. Joe Jackson, the father and longtime manager of pop icons The Jackson 5, has died at 89. He passed away Wednesday in Los Angeles at around 3:30 a.m., TMZ reported. He was hospitalized earlier this month with terminal cancer. Today at 4pm Pacific, civil rights leader Najee Ali, CEO of Project Islamic Hope and a personal friend of Joseph Jackson and the Jackson family will lay a wreath of flowers in memory of Mr Jackson on the Jacksons’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and give comments on the life of Joseph Jackson. Without Mr.Jackson. There would be no Jackson 5. This July 4th, Independence Day celebration kicks off our country's 242nd birthday, as A CAPITOL FOURTH on PBS welcomes back Emmy Award-nominated actor and producer John Stamos to host the festivities. Broadcast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, this time-honored 38 year-tradition puts viewers front and center for America's biggest birthday party with the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation lighting up the iconic D.C. skyline. The country's longest-running live national July 4 TV tradition will feature all-star musical performances by: Jimmy Buffett with the Broadway cast of the new musical ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE, The Beach Boys, Pentatonix, Andy Grammer, The Temptations, Luke Combs, Chita Rivera, Lauren Alaina, CeCe Winans and Joshua Bell. THE VOICESeason 14 finalist Kyla Jade will open the show with a special performance of the "National Anthem." This past weekend, Billboard No.1 independent recording artist, songwriter and producer Bryan Popin was honored for his chart-topping hit gospel song " I Got Out" at ASCAP's signature urban music event, the 31st Annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards in Los Angeles at the The Beverly Wilshire. "I Got Out""was the second single from Popin's 2017 released No.1 sophomore project. The A-list audience of celebrities included Jermaine Dupri, Migos, XSCAPE, 2 Chainz, Jason'Poo Bea' Boyd, Jeremih, Meek Mill, Mark 'Sounwave' Spears, Yo Gotti, Priscilla Renea, DeJ Loaf, Supa Dups, Amber 'Sevyn' Streeter, Christian 'Hitmaka' Ward, Brandy, Tamar Braxton, Serayah, Rotimi and Kevin Gates, among others. The public is invited to join Pastor Orr LIVE on Facebook, Thursday, June 28th at 7 p.m. CST, for a moment of Virtual Enrichment. https://www.facebook.com/brownbaptist1 This is an online biblical teaching experience that will enhance viewers knowledge of The Word and will give an ample dose of spiritual empowerment to fuel viewers through the rest of the week. Pastor Orr also invites the public to The Family of Faith Conference July 27-28. The Family and Faith Conference is a two-day event that offers everything from a Christian comedy show to a kids movie night and a wide-range of workshop options for each person in your family. Whether you’re married or single, a child or an adult, there will be something for everyone at this conference. The family conference will feature Donald Lawrence and guest speaker E. Dewey Smith from The Hope House of Atlanta. The Vision Community Foundation held it’s 7th Annual Black-Tie Galaat Atlanta City Hall, hosted by Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III, Rashad Burgess, Lakara Foster. The exclusive gala honored individuals and organizations that have made outstanding achievements in the arts, media, ministry, community service and government arenas throughout their lifetime. The honorees recognized were: Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, singer/actress Tisha Campbell-Martin (“Martin”), director/actress/philanthropist Terri J. Vaughn (“Steve Harvey Show”), actor TC Carson (“Greenleaf”), Lifetime's "Project Runway Allstars" winner, Anthony Williams, founder of The Black AIDS Institute, Phil Wilson, Radio Personality, Miss Sophia (“V103 Atlanta”) and chief executive of the LGBT and HIV/AIDS group TruEvolution, Gabriel Maldonado. VIP’s in attendance included Melissa “DJ M” Scott (“Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta”), Miss Lawrence (“STAR”), Gee Smalls (“The Gentlemen’s Foundation”), Erika Alexander (In Living Color"), Derek Jae ("Celebrity Hair Stylist"), Ricky Dillard ("Gospel Singer"), Dawn Halfkenny ("Saints & Sinners") and more. Erica performs at the Stellar Awards and heads home only to discover Warryn needs surgery. She is set to perform in North Carolina but after learning of Warryn's impending procedure she ponders canceling. At Warryn's request, Erica leaves him in the care of their three kids as he recovers so she can keep her commitment. But before she leaves, Misty informs Erica that Warryn has asked her to split her time as Erica's assistant to support his business too. This causes tempers to flair and Erica suggests an emergency "Love Check In" to get things back on track. Joi's frustration with Warryn grows as everything seems to stand in the way of her getting back into the studio to complete her latest project. And Goo begins fielding more job opportunities hot off the success of her Stellar Awards Glam Suite. About "We're The Campbells" The nine-episode docu-series gives viewers an intimate glimpse into the lives of The Campbell family. Her Superpower is Authenticity! The Fabulous Tammy Franklin, wife of gospel great Kirk Franklin, gets direct with Host & Superpower Life Coach Deya about the REAL work behind the FLY life! Get into this three-part series about life, love and marriage before and beyond the red carpets, awards and social media. Tammy and Kirk have been married for 22 years and when you see them together they always look fly, fabulous and full of love; but it hasn't always been that way, like anything successful, it takes work. In Episode 1 of "The Cost and Power of Love" with Tammy Franklin, she shares her personal journey to self-acceptance and why authenticity is her superpower. In Episode 2, Tammy discusses the ups and downs of marriage, why Christians need to embrace counseling and the real work that it takes to have a healthy and happy relationship; plus, bonus advice for boss chicks who want to get married. Episode 3 comes out next week, and we're tackling Transparency in Marriage. Brooklyn Tankard, affectionately known s “Queen Brooklyn,” last ppeared as the larger-than-life redhead on Bravo’s record-breaking reality Broshow, “Thicker than Water” in 2016. She has toured the world as an empowerment speaker and event host, and spent time raising her teenage daughter. However, during that span she also faced bouts with depression, before ultimately finding peace and letting it all out in the studio. The result is amazing new music and her latest single, “Controlla,” released on June 20th,; her 30th birthday. “Controlla,” a provocative song about being in bondage, is the first installment of a three-song series that walks listeners through Tankard’s 30-year journey to self-discovery and self-love. It is also intended to empower struggling women to break free from the mental, emotional and physical shackles that often hinder them from achieving their goals and life’s purpose. Over the past 10 years an assembly of young, vibrant voices from Memphis, TN have been making their imprint in Gospel music. With dynamic showmanship, ardent praise and dazzling vocal abilities, Vincent Tharpe and Kenosis (VTK) has marked their position as a group with mass appeal and permanency in music ministry and music entertainment. With hard work to continue polishing their talent and maturing growth in their faith and servitude to Christ, VTK is making big announcements - they are releasing a sophomore album, gearing up for a summer tour which has generated tremendous excitement for their ministry and global impact, and have a new management partnership. VTK announces their forthcoming sophomore release SUPER EXCITED. Holding true to VTK’s signature energetic performances and outrageous vocal skills,SUPER EXCITED will showcase even more of the group’s electrifying delivery and a matured level of songwriting. William McMillan drops debut single "Best Thing." This is a remake of James Cleveland's classic song. “Jesus Is The Best Thing”. His album drops 7.20, He has served as music director for Travis Greene, William McDowell and has written and played for Jason Nelson, Jonathan Nelson,William McDowell. It’s been said, “once a singer, always a singer”. That expression could easily fit Kenny Vines. Years ago in the Washington, DC area, he was one of the most popular Gospel vocalists in the area. After a multi-year hiatus, Vines returns to the Gospel music industry showcasing two blessed tracks for those in DC and beyond. A singer, songwriter and musician, Vines is known for providing spirited performances, superior musicianship and exceptional arrangements. His new cut, “Hallelujah”, is an uplifting praise song and is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and other digital music outlets. Verity Records has crafted a new collection to treasure, with The Best of Fred Hammond, a 12-song release celebrating the prolific catalog of the GRAMMY®-winning gospel icon. Featuring three new songs as well as beloved classics, savor the pioneering music of Hammond on this compilation, who has remained a trailblazing force inspiring audiences worldwide and influencing countless artists with his live performances, exceptional voice, instrumental arrangements, songwriting, and producing talents for over three decades. The Best of Fred Hammond spotlights his biggest hits and enduring legacy driving the sounds of contemporary gospel and worship, filled with timeless favorites like “No Weapon,” “”We’re Blessed,” “Jesus Be a Fence Around Me,” You Are the Living Word,” “Glory To Glory To Glory,” and the brand-new tracks “I’m Grateful,” “Saturate Us,” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Hear Fred Hammond In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/fred_hammond. Leon Timbo presents Northern Lights United. A group of Dynamic praise & worships leaders have come together to create a powerhouse group. Their debut EP “Invitation to Worship” drops tomorrow! “Get The Glory” is the lead single form the project. The single was co-written with revered producer/writer/arranger Percy Bady. "You Should Have Been There", is the hot new single by the quartet powerhouse, The Virginia Aires. This traditional song has the familiar Quartet gospel bounce. The songwriter tells the story of how God first came into his life, reminding us all, of the powerful experience of coming into relationship with Christ. The Virginia Aires are trailblazing the industry keeping the classic sound of quartet music alive. Prepping for the release of his brand new CD" Open Your Mouth And Say Something" next week, Grammy and Stellar Award nominee Brent Jones headlines a star-studded lineup at Ebenezer AME Church Sat, June 24th for the 35th Pastoral Anniversary of Rev. Dr. Grainger and Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Browning. Ricky Dillard, Brent Jones, Tye Tribbett. Byron Cage, Earnest Pugh and more are just a few of the many gospel stars who will be on hand. "Open Your Mouth And Say Something", the highly anticipated follow-up to his smash hits "He Rose," "Don't Wait Till Midnight" and "Goodtime."Brent Jones is a singer/songwriter extraordinaire who';s groundbreaking work with his urban group TP Mobb set the stage for Kirk Franklin and urban contemporary gospel. Rising star, Christina Bell (formerly of group, Ziel) has signed with legendary record label Malaco Records for her debut solo album, it was announced today. Christina Bell, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, is a standout talent, whose powerful vocals have captured the attention of heavyweights in the industry. Recently signed to Malaco Records (home of artists like Mississippi Mass Choir, Tina Campbell, Bebe Winans, Dorinda Clark-Cole and more), Bell is already hard at work on her first project. Her debut album will be produced by D. Jamel Kimbrough (Todd Dulaney, Tasha Page-Lockhart) and is slated for release later this year. News from out of nowhere that’s making a lot of folks do a double take. Gospel star Kirk Franklin has let the world know that his sister just got sentenced to 30 years in prison in Texas. If you’re wondering just what it was that landed the Grammy winner’s sister behind bars, he isn’t saying. However, he has been open about his sister’s drug addiction in the past via his Patheos blog “My sister was just sentenced to 30 years in prison,” he wrote on Instagram. “I now feel the weight of wondering if I could have done more.” Urban One announces their new'REPRESENT.' campaign, a company-wide quarterly initiative that offers opportunities for Urban One's Divisions and radio markets to work collectively in support of various causes in the markets and communities they serve. The first campaign is 'REPRESENT. Men's Health' and will launch on Sunday, June 17 through July 24. "We're the Campbells" TV One's new docu-series, premiering on Tuesday, June 19, will provide further support for the campaign. The fourth episode, designated as the 'REPRESENT' episode airs on Tuesday, July 10, and highlights this initiative as Erica Campbell discusses the campaign on-air during her daily radio show. Additionally, on Tuesday, July 24, the "Repping for Men's Health" episode will feature Warryn Campbell's workout session and hear him speak about the various tenants of the 'REPRESENT. Men's Health' campaign and why he is so passionate about it on a personal level. Accomplished international speaker, prolific author and Billboard #1 independent recording artist Jekalyn Carr continues to inspire people as she travel across the world sharing the message of Christ through song with her #1 single"You Will Win" and preaching or providing inspiration into the lives of people through her first published book "You Will Win!: Inspirational Strategies to Help You Overcome." Returning from the British Virgin Islands, inspiring and ministering to the people that was affected by the Hurricane. Carr is preparing to minister in South Africa this week at the PRETORIA Showgrounds. ECG Ministries will be hosting the major event for their youth from all over the country. She is scheduled to be in Montreal Canada, Freeport Bahamas, Toronto Canada and Alberta Canada in the coming weeks as well. Tasha Cobbs Leonard's career began with an unplanned opportunity. Cobbs who was part of a youth choir in her hometown Jesup, Georgia was suddenly thrust into the spotlight when the lead vocalist was unable to make a performance. The group decided Cobbs who was just 15 at the time, would fill in. "I got up that night and I sang "Now Behold the Lamb" and when I opened my eyes people were crying", she said. Everyone in the room knew Cobbs had a special gift and from that moment on she would realize it too. She would take on a position as worship leader of Jesup New Life Ministries, a church founded by her father Bishop Fritz Cobbs, who passed away three years ago. During her time of grief, Cobbs said she grew spiritually. "My heart was broken and a lot times we withdraw. We just want to be alone. The Lord said to me, the peace that you need it's in my presence." Now as a gospel recording artist whose album "Grace," has top the charts the sky is the limit. Chart-topper and former “The Voice” finalist Koryn Hawthorne, rolls out a vital force of musical energy to lift up and fuel fans on her upcoming debut album Unstoppable, out July 13th. Available for pre-order today, Hawthorne reveals the track list for her 10-song album, with the #1 hit single “Won’t He Do It” (Remix), “Warriors,” and“Reasons” (feat. J. Monty), available instantly upon pre-order. Koryn Hawthorne’s powerful voice and dynamic message on “Won’t He Do It” remains a captivating anthem among listeners – as the hit single continues to set the charts ablaze with four #1’s on the latest Gospel charts this week. Watch Ricky Smiley Sunday June 17.2018, Fathers Day on. Rickey Smiley chats with Lynn Smith on HLN Weekend Express on behalf of his Watch Ricky Smiley Sunday June 17.2018, Fathers Day on. Rickey Smiley chats with Lynn Smith on HLN Weekend Express on behalf of his debut memoir "Stand By Your Truth: And Then Run For Your Life." New Haven Records recently announced the release of the Chicago Mass Choir’s latest single and artist video, “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand,” from, "We Give You Praise."The album, which helped the Chicago Mass Choir earn a 2017 Stellar Award. Gospel Rapper Da Gospel Way is a Christian Hip Hop artist that is on his way to becoming one of today’s most provocative rappers. Spitting rhymes chock full of scripture, D.G.W. is on a mission to transform the world one soul at a time. “A Reason To Cry”: https://youtu.be/tcRau4iBbGs *In 2012, inspirational singer Anthony Evans hit the mainstream when he appeared on the second season of the “The Voice” on Team Aguilera. As the son of a pastor and a recording artist, the show solidified his commitment to his faith, craft, and opened new doors for his career. However, as his star shined brighter over the years with his music successfully hitting both Gospel and Christian music charts, darkness started to take control and he had to find his way back. Personally, Evans went through self-doubt and depression and with the help of his faith, along with counseling and medication, he was able to see his way through. He shares his experience in his upcoming book, “Unexpected Places.” TV One hosted a red-carpet premiere for their brand new docu-series “We’re The Campbells,” starring gospel music superstarErica Campbell and mega producer Warryn Campbell. The premiere event was held at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Cast members in attendance included Erica and Warryn’s children Krista, Wozy and Zaya, GooGoo Atkins, JoiStarr (Warryn’s sister), Sandra Campbell (Warry’s mother), Ms. Honey Atkins (Erica’s mother), Alana Jamison (Erica’s sister), Shanta Atkins (Erica’s sister) and Desmond Jamison (brother-in law). VIP’s in attendance at the premiere included: Shanice Wilson, Tiffany Black (“When Love Kills”), Kelly Perine (“One On One”), Jason McGee (My Block recording artist), J-Boog (“B2K”), AD Dolphin (Dherbs.com), B. Slade, Dorion Renaud (“In The Cut”), Dorien Wilson (“In The Cut”) and more. JoyFest at Carowinds has been delivering a Gospel celebration every spring for 25 years with some of the best names in the industry. More than 9,500 people attended the 25th anniversary event. Celebrating its silver anniversary on May 26, 2018, JoyFest-NC hosted award-winning Gospel greats - Fred Hammond, Tye Tribbett, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Anthony Brown & Group Therapy and break-out sibling group -The Walls Group. Gospel sensation VaShawn Mitchell and 6-year-old worship leader Caleb Seranno made guest appearances as well, while comedianBone Hampton carried on his tradition by serving as emcee for the day. JoyFest – NC is one of two gospel music celebrations in the Southeast that Premier Festivals promotes. The sister festival - JoyFest – VA is coming to Kings Dominion on July 14 in Doswell, VA with the same headliners! Lead Singer and Songwriter Algeron Wright, who’s known for successful songs “Ready to Serve and High and Lifted Up”, and a very prominent vocalist with The Gospel Music Workshop Of America is BACK! New band. New look. New singers. New sound. Get ready for "From Our Hearts," the first title released from the forthcoming EP from Algeron Wright & Triumphant Praise, produced by Roosevelt Mclamore, III, Featuring the TPII band, singers and other special guests. Triumphant Praise hails from South Carolina. With a captivating voice, a minister's heart and an ability to translate a single lyric into a powerful, worship-inducing refrain, David McClure is a singer poised to become a household name in Gospel music. The New Haven, Connecticut native is best known for his work with JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise; it is his voice that buoys the hit song "Incredible God" and turns the vamp into a churchy reprise. He also sings the lead on the group's "Powerful God" and "Now." Recently following the release of his first single "It's Yours," McClure released his Official Music Video! https://www.youtube.com/embed/aMnyogjpuPA?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent Over the last six years, Charles Jenkins and Fellowship Chicago have become one of the most exciting and dependable hitmakers on the gospel music scene with a string of No. 1 gospel radio smashes such as "Awesome,", "War" and"Grace."Now, they are back with the second single, "Can't Turn Back," from their forthcoming third album, "Keep the Faith." The song is a tribute to the foundation of gospel and soul music,"Jenkins says. "You've gotta feel gospel, and I hope people feel this one like I feel it although it's up-tempo. It's a gritty, gutsy anthem with a dose of Cab Calloway, a dose of Ray Charles, and a whole lot of Sunday morning church music. GRAMMY® and Stellar Award-winning artist Le’Andriareleases a new visual for her GRAMMY®-nominated hit song “Better Days,” providing fans a potent reminder of finding comfort and strength in faith. No matter what tough times, or hurt that we all may experience in the world, the Derek Blanks-directed visual highlights Le’Andria’s luminous fierce vocals on “Better Days,” shining a path on the message that we’re never facing these challenges alone, better days are coming. Check out Le’Andria’s “Better Days”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYcD7QPlPo4 Fred Jerkins is at it again, Fred Jerkins featuring Last Call drops new single Victory. Terrence Richburg the Gospel jazz musician, producer. and Gospel jazz artist, has performed R&R with saxophonist Howard E. Riley, Jr.) and The Terrence Richburg Experience. As a multi-instrumentalist, musical director and producer, he’s worked with Richard Smallwood & Vision, Maurette Brown Clark, Vanessa R. Williams, Tramaine Hawkins, Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, Ben Tankard, Gerald Albright, Jennifer Holliday, The Winans, and late gospel icons Walter Hawkins and Rev. James Cleveland. A background vocalist, engineer, arranger, songwriter, minister of music and record label owner as well. Now Richburg is stepping out from behind the scenes to center stage with an incredible set of new releases: three albums RichSpirit One, Beyond Measure, Portrait of Adoration and his sophomore writing, Soul of A Poet’s Heart. All four will release on June 29, 2018 Rejoice! Musical Soul Food Network (MSF), North America’s premier syndicated radio network, kicks off the 3rd annual Musical Soul Food Festival (MSF Fest) on Saturday, June 23, 2018 in Hampton Roads. This year’s MSF Fest welcomes 12-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Cece Winans, the 2018 GRAMMY® Award nominated group, The Billboard Music Award and Stellar Gospel Music Award winning ensemble JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise and Todd Dulaney with the #1 song“Your Great Name. The line-up also features Melvin Williams, Doc McKenzie & the Hi-Lites, Koryn Hawthorn, Jermaine Dolly, Virginia Aires, Isabel Davis, Kelontae Gavin, Earl Bynum, GI, Uncle Reece and others. JUST LISTEN! Lexi’s first album in 6 years is streaming on all digital platforms, and available for purchase in stores and online today. The highly anticipated project from multi-hyphenate singer-star has been gaining momentum since the release of her new single, “In The Room,” in March. I AM Music Company releases a new romantic marriage track. “Thank God 4 U” is the latest single from Derrick ‘Doc’ Pearson’s critically acclaimed marriage music project ‘I Still Do: Songs For A Biblical Marriage’. This romantic love song is an expression of the feelings a husband has for his wife, making it known how thankful he is for the woman God has blessed him with. The family and friends of Tyscot Records President, Bryant Scott, are throwing a “Favor at 50” birthday celebration concert in his honor Friday, June 22, 2018 at the Total Praise & Worship Center, Indianapolis, IN. Some of Tyscot’s longtime recording alumni such as Deitrick Haddon and Vashawn Mitchell will headline the event. Tyscot’s co-founder, Bishop Leonard Scott, will perform, as well as Ruth La'Ontra. Clarence Fountain, one of the original members of the iconic 5 time Grammy winning Gospel group the Five Blind Boys Of Alabama made his transition Sunday, June 3. Fountain was 88. The Blind Boys were permanent fixtures on stages and in concert halls across the country during the Golden age of Gospel music when quartets such as the Swan Silvertones, Dixie Hummingbirds and others dominated the genre. The group experienced a resurgence in the 80s when they joined the touring company of the Gospel at Colonus. The group was nominated for 10 Grammy Awards, winning their first in 2001 for the album Spirit of the Century. Fred Hammond featured Fountain on his 1991 solo album debut "I Am Persuaded." With over 50 albums under her belt Evangelist Dorothy Norwood continues to deliver music to inspire, uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. The “World’s Greatest Storyteller” releases new music entitled, “Breathe on Me” featuring Bishop Rance Allen, Evangelist Beverly Crawford, Bishop James H. Morton and Kareem Jackson. Weather the Storm, dedicated to those affected by Hurricane Harvey is the second single being released. Produced by Dorothy Norwood and Cedric Thompson on her Dorothy Norwood Music Group imprint, the new disc was recorded “LIVE” at Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, MD. The stage was set for an awesome move of God! Norwood is currently in the studio finishing up with post production on her 53rd solo album entitled “The Journey Continues” soon to be released. Hear Dorothy Norwood In Her Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/dorothy_norwood_intvw.htm GRAMMY® Award nominated recording artist Kurt Carr (best known for hit songs such as "In the Sanctuary", "I Almost Let Go", and "For Every Mountain"), is set to record his 9th album, "Bless Somebody Else," live on Sunday, June 17th at Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, TX. The recording will be in tribute to Father's Day, celebrating Fathers and giving back to the community. June is Black Music Month and Grammy nominee, multiple Award winner, VaShawn Mitchell to offer an exclusive opportunity for fans to meet him, and purchase a signed copy of his current EP Cross Music, at Walmart stores throughout June. Mitchell will appear at Walmart: Burlington, NJ (Philadelphia) - Saturday, June 16 - 2:00pm Clinton, MD (Washington DC) - Sunday, June 17 at 2:00pm Hammond, IN (Chicago) - Saturday, June 23 at 2:00pm Hear VaShawn Mitchell In His Own Words...http://gospel-spotlight.com/vashawn_mitchell_intvw.htm Regina Belle was a college kid out of New Jersey when she burst on the R&B scene as a vocalist with the Manhattans on the hit "Where Did We Go Wrong." She was eventually signed by Columbia Records and skyrocketed to fame with number one singles, including "Make It Like It Was" and "Baby Come to Me." She crossed over to a mainstream audience with the Grammy Award-winning mega-hit, "A Whole New World," a duet with Peabo Bryson for the Disney film "Aladdin." Blessed with a soulful, pitch-perfect voice, she lived near the top of the charts for ten years until she was abruptly dropped by her label. Misfortune continued when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. How she bounced back with a renewed faith to record her first gospel album, is the inspiring story of a strong woman who overcame professional disappointment and personal tragedy to spread a message of love, family and faith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZqw-KDCzRM&feature=youtu.be TV One is set to premiere its latest original docu-series, WE'RE THE CAMPBELLS on Tuesday, June 19 at 8 p.m. ET/7C. The nine episode docu-series will give viewers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Gospel entertainment power couple Warryn and Erica Campbell, as they tackle the everyday struggles that come with balancing family and work, nurturing their marriage, building their individual careers, and fostering their faith; all while raising their three children Warryn, Zaya and teenager Krista. https://youtu.be/P-9EeOAazXM Verity Records launched a new campaign,"WeAreVerity." The initiative, which coincides with Black Music Month (June), was created to celebrate Verity Records’ rich legacy and diverse catalog, as well as highlight gospel’s place as a cornerstone of Rock & Roll and pop music. Founded in 1994, Verity Records is home to one of the most robust catalogs in gospel, including releases from iconic artists such as Yolanda Adams, Helen Baylor, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Twinkie Clark, Daryl Coley, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, Richard Smallwood and Hezekiah Walker. Throughout the month of June,"WeAreVerity" will highlight these artists and showcase a different Verity artist (past or present) each day by sharing their songs, videos and fun facts about them via social media.. GRAMMY® Award-winning legendary recording artist, songwriter, and producer Donald Lawrence continues to be a pioneering force in Gospel, as the chart-topping choirmaster reunites with The Tri-City Singers to launch the new single, “Goshen 432 hz.” Accompanied by a Lyric Video available now on all digital music platforms, and freshly delivered to Gospel radio nationwide, “Goshen 432 hz” kicks off a landmark anniversary reunion of Lawrence with the original Tri-City Singers, commemorating the 25 years since the 1993 release of the seminal debut album, A Songwriter’s Point of View. The first single from Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers’ upcoming 25th anniversary project, “Goshen 432 hz” is a powerful call of protection, love, peace, and safety all over the world – with the voices of Lawrence and the Carolina-based singers, and featured soloist Sheri Jones-Moffett on the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-2UJNTkBhY TaMyya J, the Willingboro, NJ native was singing before she could speak and singing in church truly allowed her to showcase her voice. At the age of 14 she joined the group Praise who won 1st place in McDonald’s Gospelfest’s Youth Division and performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City. She drops a new single "Laying Them Down." Chart-topper Koryn Hawthorne unveiled the cover for Unstoppable on her social platforms, giving fans an early peek of her upcoming debut album in the cover reveal montage. Featuring the exuberant #1 hit anthem “Won’t He Do It” as the lead single – which has topped multiple gospel digital and airplay charts – Koryn was on Instagram (@korynhawthorne), and shared insights about her Unstoppable album on Instagram Live, Friday June 1st at 7 pm EST. After a year-long hiatus, Casey J returns with an incredible worship project entitled 'The Gathering' which will release in the fall of 2018. In advance of the project, Casey is releasing the album's initial radio single, "If God", which speaks to the often times overwhelming circumstances of violence and sickness that we face in today's world and it beautifully answers the question with Romans 8:31 (What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?). WORLD PREMIERE OF A GREAT WORK ON BET GOSPEL & BET HER TOMORROW FRIDAY JUNE 1. BET Gospel Every Hour from 6:00am - 10:00am BET Her Starting at 6:00am Good, Good Father the latest from Tim Bowman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBrs9xvvn04&feature=youtu.be The reviews are in and Anthony Evans performance as 'the Beast' in the star-studded production of "Beauty and the Beast" at the Hollywood Bowl was a hit. Starring along side Hollywood luminaries Kelsey Grammer, Jane Krakowski, Taye Diggs, Rebel Wilson and Zooey Deschanel, Evans performance was emerged as the best of the night. Evans' performance was widely praised by fans, and critics alike. Clifton Ross III for first time will be performing with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and it will be his first time taking the stage with seven time Grammy Award winning, will.i.am, best known for being a member of the Black Eyed Peas. Mother Peggy Moales has passes away. Over the past few days, Moales son, Elder Kenneth Moales Jr. and his sister Kenya Moales Byrd, were admonishing the body of Christ to keep their mother in prayer, even conducting prayer calls and vigils. In the end, Lady Moales . Jason Nelson’s new album The Answer debuting at #1 on the Nielsen Gospel Total Consumption Chart and #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums Chart – as well as Koryn Hawthorne’s hit single “Won’t He Do It” at #1 on the MediaBase Gospel Chart, and #1 on the Nielsen BDS Gospel National Airplay Chart for 6 weeks overall. Released May 18th, The Answer marks Stellar Award-winning artist, songwriter and producer Jason Nelson’s fifth solo album, and his second consecutive #1 debut on the Top Gospel Albums Chart. With her spirited charm and prodigious vocals, Koryn Hawthorne has captured attention with her catchy single “Won’t He Do It” which is the lead single on her forthcoming debut album UNSTOPPABLE, releasing everywhere on July 13th. A talented singer and songwriter, Christopher Simms has a passion for worship. His voice has been heard backing fellow Gospel artist B. Renee, Elder Matthew Greave, Praise Xpress and as a soloist around his hometown of the Bronx, NY. A worship leader at Morning Star Church located in Harlem, NY, he’s been lifting his voice and sharing his songs inspiring believers for years. Now, the award-winning psalmist has released a brand new recording “Back To You”. The single, from the forthcoming effort, Find, Follow, Fulfill, is available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and other digital retail music outlets. The youngest of nine children and, no stranger to the world of the music, Shanta is the younger sister to the Grammy Award winning Gospel duo "Mary Mary". Shanta has performed on the Soul Train Awards, BET Awards, Jay Leno Show, Arsenio Hall Show and for Oprah Winfrey. She can be heard on projects with Kanye West, Mary Mary, Jason Champion, Al Green and Dorinda Clark-Cole. She has sung for some of the greatest like Natalie Cole, U2, Yolanda Adams and BeBe Winans. Shanta Atkins has stepped out from behind the shadows to pen and produce the single “God Sees You” which speaks to the hearts of those battling suicide & depression. This song is a fresh sound and completely acapella Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award Winning Songwriter David Frazier ( I Need You To Survive, Second Chance, Power Belongs to God, How Much We Can Bear , Favor) has partnered with Pastor Carlos Kelly & The Beulahland Bible Church in Macon, Georgia to drop fresh and new music for Sunday morning. Pastor Carlos Kelly presents BBC Worship 2018 produced and written by David Frazier releases the first single that is a hand clapping , foot stomping Sunday morning classic that church choirs and community choirs will be singing all over the world. The New CD drops June 3rd at Beulahland and June 8th digitally. Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, III thought-leader and Amazon.com best-selling author of Master Your Emotions, is assembling national, global leaders and entrepreneurs for the 2018 iElevate Conference held June 19th-24th at The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta, where he serves as senior pastor. ESSENCE Festival celebrates the 10th anniversary of the All-Star Gospel Tribute with a star-studded afternoon of music and inspiration honoring Gospel music legend, Dottie Peoples. The All-Star Gospel Tribute will close out the 3-day Conference & Expos festivities on Sunday, July 8. Smokie Norful, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Marvin Sapp, Johnny Gill and more.will perform. Bishop Lester Love will open the day with our inspirational “Power Hour,” Zach Mills began the first leg of a multi-city book tour during Memorial Day weekend promoting a biography he has penned on international Gospel recording artist, pastor, preacher and Chicago based civil rights icon Rev. Clay Evans. The biography is entitled, The Last Blues Preacher: Rev. Clay Evans, Black Lives, and the Faith that Woke the Nation. The book details Reverend Evans’ ..early days growing up in the south and experiencing racism first hand, his family's migration to Chicago and his early days in the ministry. Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award Winning Songwriter David Frazier ( I Need You To Survive, Second Chance, Power Belongs to God, How Much We Can Bear , Favor) has partnered with Pastor Carlos Kelly & The Beulahland Bible Church in Macon, Georgia to bring to the Gospel community fresh and new music for Sunday morning with: Pastor Carlos Kelly presents BBC Worship 2018 (Recorded Live at Beulahland, Macon Georgia) produced and written by David Frazier. This 1st Single is a hand clapping , foot stomping Sunday morning classic that church choirs and community choirs will be singing all over the world. The New CD drops June 3rd at Beulahland and June 8th digitally in the USA around the world. Award-winning pianist, producer and composer, Jamar Jones delivers a conceptual work of art with his debut album, Fatherless Child. The album is available for pre-order today and will be released on July 13th by GPE Records, music legend Patti LaBelle’s imprint. The 16-track collection offers a multifaceted account of Jones’ personal relationship with his piano, which was forged at the early age of four following the passing of his father. The album features other standout tracks such as “Blackbird” with Vivian Green and “Promise” featuring Patti LaBelle. Gospel Music legend Melvin Williams, a member of the award-winning Williams Brothers, has received a 2018 Southeast EMMY Award nomination for Special Event Coverage of his new documentary, “Melvin Williams: Down Home Gospel.” The film, which examines Williams’ journey from his roots in Smithdale, Mississippi, to a stellar, five-decade career in music and entertainment, will premiere nationally on PBS during Gospel Heritage Month in September. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7jkm7eErZc Cypress tragedies come full circle as Lady Ella embraces Rex and the dark side. Lady Byrd gets a taste of her own medicine. Saints & Sinners” on Bounce (directed by Radio Personality Russ Parr) https://youtu.be/-kzvqgHC9Us Sister duo Genessis & Nikki combine Latin, gospel and soul musical influences as a bridge to connect different genres in their new single "Love Somebody Today". "Love Somebody Today" is from their debut self titled album GENESSIS & NIKKI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDbf9kyEuYg&feature=youtu.be JAVEN WILL RELEASE FIRST ALBUM IN 5 YEARS, “GRACE,” ON 6/22. The Twelve-Track Set Features Grammy® winner Tye Tribbett, Tim Bowman Jr., The Voice’s Johnny Rez and More! Hear Javen IN His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/javen_intvw.htm The wins keep coming for gospel superstar J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise. Hairston and his group received their first Billboard Music Awardon Sunday for Top Gospel Song, "You Deserve It." The song and the similarly titled album is the first project on Hairston's new imprint, JamesTown Music. This week Hairston was also named a winner of the 2018 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award for "You Deserve It." The award ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 21st at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Topping off all of this, Hairston has just been elected as Governor to the Washington, D.C. Chapter Board of the Recording Academy. As the Governor of the chapter, his primary responsibilities include serving as an advisor to help chart the course for his Chapter's music community along with other Governors. G.I. is coming off the success of their breakout hit single “Pray and Don’t Worry.” The award-winning trio is back with another summer smash hit single, “I’m Ready!” Hear G.I In Their Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/GI.htm Casey J returns with sophomore effort. This album will be one to watch for, "The Gathering." Hear Casey J In Her Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/caseyj_intvw.htm Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have set a deal to create new programming with Netflix, the streaming service announced Monday. Through the multi-year agreement, the Obamas will produce a diverse mix of content, including the potential for scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries and features, under their newly-established Higher Ground Productions banner. “One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience,” said President Obama. “That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix – we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.” Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Tamela Mann will headline the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the California Conference of the Western Episcopal District. The sesquicentennial anniversary marks 150 years of AME Zion’s spiritual leadership and ministry in the greater California region. The grand celebrationgoes down Saturday, June 9 at Beebe Memorial Cathedral Oakland, CA. Vocalist Robert E. Person has become one of Jazz and Gospel music's most quintessential singers. His extraordinary vocal control, his definitive and polished stage presence and his gorgeous tenor tone has given the Washington, DC native an undeniable reputable artistic presence in music and performing arts. After releasing an impressive and award winning catalog of indie Gospel albums, Robert is set to deliver his first Jazz album. Robert artistically selected to record a live studio Jazz album of classics and favorites and is set to release his CLASSIC COVERS EP June 1. Multi-award winner Tasha Cobbs Leonard added two more honors to her already-impressive list last night at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. The acclaimed Motown Gospel powerhouse nabbed the title of Top Gospel Artist and Top Gospel Album (for Heart. Passion. Pursuit.) at the star-studded awards show in Las Vegas, NV. Last week, Tasha Cobbs Leonard also earned her fifth BET Award nomination in the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational category. The winners will be announced at the 2018 BET Awards in Los Angeles, CA on June 24, 2018. The Instagram accounts of Stellar Gospel Music Award winning recording artists Bri (Briana Babineaux) and Ahjah Walls of The Walls Group have been hacked by someone behind a scam promising to get those accounts verified with the blue checkmark. Bri’s simply_bebe- account had over 545,000 followers and she received what appeared to be a legitimate Instagram email suggesting that she was eligible to have her page verified. Bri signed in with her username and password. “It wasn’t even a full minute and then, he took over my account and locked me out of it,” she says. I Ahjah Walls' account, she received a blue check mark error email and was asked to sign-in to her account to re-confirm it. When she did, her account was immediately taken over. Kim Stratton the Chicago-based celebrity chef and owner of Kim Stratton’s Kitchen catering service and restaurant has returned to an early love, gospel music, her first recording in six years. The heart and soulful new offering, “Unto the Lamb," is an anthem-styled praise and worship ballad that showcases Stratton’s thunderous vocal prowess and technique. RCA Inspiration is celebrating three nominations received for BET Awards 18. BET announced this year’s nominees in a live ceremony in New York City on May 15th and Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp and Snoop Dogg received nods in the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel / Inspirational Award category. TV One is set to premiere its latest original docu-series, WE’RE THE CAMPBELLS on Tuesday, June 19 at 8 p.m. ET/7C. The nine episode docu-series will give viewers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Gospel entertainment power couple Warryn and Erica Campbell, as they tackle the everyday struggles that come with balancing family and work, nurturing their marriage, building their individual careers, and fostering their faith: all while raising three children Warryn, Zaya and Krista. McDonald’s USA returns with the 12th annual Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour. Back with an award-winning line-up featuring Deitrick Haddon, Ricky Dillard, J.J. Hairston, Le'Andria Johnson, Todd Delaney and Canton Jones.The free concert tour kicks-off May 17 and runs until October 22. New artist Phil Thompson’s solo album "My Worship," debuts at #1 on Billboard Top Gospel Albums Sales Chart and #2 on Billboard Top Gospel Albums Consumption Chart. (which includes digital and streaming) Two entrepreneurs, Roderick Jemison and Sherri Y. Johnson, from two different parts of the region are joining forces to help independent music artists and musicians reach higher heights professionally. Effective immediately, Jemison & Associates based in Nashville, Tennessee and Supreme Gospel Entertainment based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will work cohesively together to empower and equip artists with the necessary tools needed to begin and sustain their journey of sharing the Good News through song to a broader demographic. "I GOT YOU", is the hot new single by the incomparable, anointed, vocal powerhouse, RUTH LA'ONTRA. H er 1st single "Kingdom"was a hit and the second single, does not disappoint. Written & produced by Gospel Superstar Anthony Brown, this follow-up, summer hit, is a Gospel radio gem. Musically this song is a whimsical, fun, throwback to the "GoGo Surf" sound of the '60's. There is a bounce in this song that will have you bobbing your head continuously and put a smile on your face and in your heart. Hear Ruth La'Ontra In Her Own Words... http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/ruthlaontra_intvw.htm Personal letters from Zora Hurston is a new play going down at The Waco Theater Center North Hollywood May 11- 20, 2018. LETTERS FROM ZORA explores Hurston’s controversial views on integration, segregation and social justice showcasing a life that was filled with artistic triumphs as well as abject poverty and self-doubt. Veteran actress Vanessa Bell Calloway plays the role of Zora in this provocative multimedia production directed by Anita Dashiell-Sparks and written by novelist Gabrielle Pina. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJqMAqnJnoU&feature=youtu.be Although Bishop Noel Jones is renowned as a Pastor, prolific orator and astute intellectual, his church, City of Refuge, boasts one of the most dynamic music ministries in the nation, as Minister of Music Gerald Haddon (brother of Deitrick Haddon) has done a praiseworthy job gathering a fantastic array of talented singers and musicians. RUN TO THE ALTAR’ is their new release. The title track is also the lead radio single; a riveting plea for the troubled to seek the love of Jesus Christ in their quest for deliverance and mercy. Other standouts include “Holy Ghost,”and“Rain” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azfEYQVwpeo&feature=youtu.be LEXI offers her anticipated new album JUST LISTEN for digital pre-order today. Fans pre-purchasing JUST LISTEN before its release date on June 8 will receive two songs instantly— the radio hit “In The Room,” and Lexi’s rendition of the classic Winans favorite “Wherever I Go.” Lexi’s first new album in over six years, JJUST LISTEN moves seamlessly between urban grooves and up-tempo dance numbers, to beautiful pop ballads and smooth soul tracks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr2_6c1FZWw. Here is an opportunity to be discovered. All aspiring and professional singers and dancers who desire to share the stage with gospel singer, Donnie McClurkin, must submit their performance video before midnight (PST) on Friday, May 25th. Contestants in groups comprising, three to six members, must upload their videos featuring one of the award-winning singer’s songs that’s provided at DonnieTV.com or Donnie’s Facebook page. The winners will be announced on Friday, June 1 social media and the Donnie McClurkin Radio Show. The live TBN concert taping at the Holyland Experience theme park in Orlando, Florida on June 25 will mark Donnie McClurkin’s fifth solo live recording. There’s no official date for the release, but fans planning to attend the recording will be the first to hear McClurkin’s new music. According to the RIAA stats, Live from London and More… and Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs surpassed the platinum plus position and remain two of the singer’s best sellers. While We Are One (Live in Detroit) and The Journey (Live) continued to showcase the vocalist in the setting audiences have come to love. His classic studio releases include the self-titled Donnie McClurkin and Again, both landing in the RIAA gold gallery; and Duets featuring collaborations with some of gospel music’s top voices. Brian Courtney Wilson continues his success with his fourth studio album A GREAT WORK. The title track, “A Great Work,” hit the Top 10 on the BDS gospel radio chart this week, marking it the fastest-rising single of Wilson’s career. This week, Brian shares exclusive videos of a live performance at Sirius XM in New York City. Wilson offers two renditions from the album “A Great Work,” and “Increase My Faith.” These exclusive videos are available on Wilson’s YouTube/Vevo page: https://www.youtube.com/user/BrianCourtWilsonVEVO. Wilson is also slated to appear at the Gospel Music Association’s 5th Annual Gospel Hall of Fame ceremony, where he will perform as part of a tribute to the legendary Staples Singers. The gala takes place tonight in Nashville, TN and will stream via FB Live on the GMA Dove Awards Facebook Page tonight, beginning at 7pm CST. Hear Brian Courtney Wilson IN His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/brian_courtney_wilson.htm Kelontae Gavin soars on the Billboard Gospel Charts with the single "No Ordinary Worship" (most Added) and "The Higher Experience" effort #2. Kelontae Gavin says, "Thank You" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUZPEY2gEs&feature=youtu.be Worship group Fresh Start Worship soars into Top 5 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, with their debut self-titled album FRESH START WORSHIP(Marquis Boone Enterprises). The groups refreshing and organic sounds, have permeated the hearts of many across nation. With their lead single “Mention,” building momentum at gospel radio, the group celebrates their debut success. Fresh Start Worship is a group of 5 singers and songwriters who make up the praise team at Fresh Start Church located in Duluth, GA. Worshipping together as a group for over 6 years, Marquis Boone developed the ministry as they began traveling with him to sing. Self-proclaimed song writers, Fresh Start Worship writes all of their own music and minister them every Sunday to a room full of worshippers. Millennial Traditional Gospel sensation Jarell Smalls reaches the top 20 this week on the Billboard Top Gospel Album chart with his “A New Season” album release. “A New Season” from Jarell Smalls & Co. features the groundbreaking single “Prayer Room” (Come On In The Room) which has amassed over 400,000 streaming YouTube views as well as being played on terrestrial radio stations across the country appearing on the Billboard Gospel Indicator chart and impending the Billboard National Gospel Airplay chart. Gospel Music Icon, Yolanda Adams receives her first Tony Award Nomination for the Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre of SpongeBob SquarePants The Broadway Musical along with Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, T.I., Domani & Lil'C. The Piney Woods School is hosting its second annual Family Funday Gospel Festival Saturday, May 6, 2017 on the campus of the historic boarding school. This is a great way to raise money for the school while also allowing the public to get a glimpse of what we do here, says Piney Woods School President, Dr. Will Crossley. The Family Fun Day portion of the event includes games and recreational activities (swimming, horse back riding, etc.) for the whole family. A variety of food vendors will be on hand to feed the hungry crowd. The gospel festival will feature The Canton Spirituals, JJ Hairston, Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, Paul Porter, Damon Little, Jimmy Hicks, Jekalyn Carr, Sir the Baptist and Uncle Reece. Check out hot, new music from Kenny Lewis & One Voice entitled "Thank You". Thank You, is the follow up single to Kenny's chart topping single "Love Song" and the 2nd single from the hit album "Refocus". Hear Kenny Lewis In His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/kennylewis_intvw.htm Liberty University announced that former President Jimmy Carter will deliver the keynote address at Commencement on Saturday, May 19, 2018. It will be Liberty’s 45th Commencement and will include the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s inaugural graduating class. The GMA (Gospel Music Association) Foundation is set to host its 5th Annual GMA Honors and Hall of Fame Ceremony set for Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena. This year's GMA Hall of Fame inductees include CCM artist Carman, award-winning Southern Gospel artist Karen Peck Gooch, legendary Gospel family group The Staples Singers and acclaimed producer Greg Nelson. The event also honors individuals and organizations that are impacting our culture both past and present. This year's honorees include Chonda Pierce for Branches Counseling Center, Bishop Marvin Sapp, Ryan Lampa for People Loving Nashville and Lipscomb University. Performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. www.gospelmusichalloffame.org. The sold-out Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage® presented by Denny's is embarking on its 19th cruise this week from Galveston, TX. Generally known as the original Party with a Purpose®. Setting sail April 29-May 6, the 2018 Voyage's promise of nonstop entertainment includes An Evening with Anita Baker and performances from Tamar Braxton, The Isley Brothers, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, 112, SWV, En Vogue, and The O'Jays. This year's event will take place on the luxurious Carnival Breeze. Additional performances by Pastor Shirley Caesar, Eric Roberson, Raheem DeVaughn, Marvin Sapp, Force MDs, Heatwave, Taste of Honey, and and more. Jason Nelson has curated a musical e-card for fans to share with their loved ones in honor of Mother’s Day. From now through May 13th, fans worldwide can generate and share a personalized e-card with a photo of their choice and a personal message. The e-card will also include an encouraging scripture from Isaiah 66:13, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” (NIV) and the poignant lyrics, “Forever Is A Long Time. That’s How Long I’ll Love You. That’s How Long I’ll Love You…Forever,” from Jason’s new hit single “Forever.” “Forever” is the lead single from Jason’s latest and fifth solo album, The Answer, which is available for pre-order now and will be released everywhere on May 18th. The Mother’s Day e-card can be shared via email, text message, and social media. Create your own Mother’s Day e-card now: www.tweematic.com/forever/ Dorinda Clark Cole will hold the Rose Connections Conference August 31 - September 2. NEW YORK.... STAND UP! Tye Tribbett is comin back to NEW YORK!!! May 16th he rocks Sony Hall. The powerful pen and voice of Maranda Curtis is making its mark in the world of worship with the release of the new album, Open Heaven. Recorded live in Delaware, Open Heaven offers a unique blend of gospel, jazz, soul and pure inspiration which captures the listener. The video for “Open Heaven,” has already amassed over 200,000+ Youtube views and continues to connect with people around the world. Open Heaven is available today on all digital outlets and everywhere music is sold and streamed. It is currently Number 1 for the Top Christian / Gospel albums on iTunes and Amazon. GRAMMY® Award-winning legendary recording artist, songwriter, and producer Donald Lawrence continues to be a pioneering force in Gospel, as the chart-topping choirmaster reunites with The Tri-City Singers to launch the new single, “Goshen 432 hz.” Available now on all digital music platforms, and freshly delivered to Gospel radio nationwide, “Goshen 432 hz” kicks off a landmark anniversary reunion of Lawrence with the original Tri-City Singers, commemorating the 25 years since the debut album, A Songwriter’s Point of View. The first single“Goshen 432 hz” is a powerful call of protection, love, peace, and safety all over the world that featured soloist Sheri Jones-Moffett . Donald Lawrence also will be traveling the country, on the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour, which kicks off in May. VINCENT COUNTRY, a faith-driven family lifestyle brand committed to positive social impact, has officially launched nationwide. Developed by Troy and Tommi Vincent, the brand was founded on the premise of enriching the culture and communities through intentional service and legacy-inspired cooking. “At the core of our family is faith and food. We are looking forward to sharing both through VINCENT COUNTRY," says Tommi Vincent. Iz-Real, rapper, producer, preacher, and former member of the group Everyday Process has maintained a successful streak of interest with latest single “Ball Out” after a four-year sabbatical. Iz delivers a fresh connotation of the popular phrase. “Ball Out” has a captivating beat with a powerful message that inspires listeners to redefine the analogy of ballin’ out for Christ! His new (EP) is called "No Hard Feelings." The Wardlaw Brothers (TWB) and their signature tight harmonies, smooth choreography and southern charm have captivated audiences world wide. Tony, Martin Luther, Jamie, Carl and Rodney are brothers with talent, showmanship and an undying love for God and God's people. TWB is ready to release their long awaited new album STAND THERE. Their new singles from the forthcoming 2018 album. "Come Through" and "Highest Praise" are the new hits from STAND THERE and their current single “God Has Kept Me” is hot on the charts. Their soulful song has also garnered over 100,000 streams across all streaming platforms. Keith "Wonderboy Johnson's Keep On Pushin' delivers a wide-ranging, soul-satisfying set of songs that showcase his special ability to inject the timeless values of traditional gospel into contemporary settings. The album drops April 27, 2018. Hear Keith "Wonder Boy" Johnson In His Own Words...http://www.gospel-spotlight.com/Keith_Wonderboy_Johnson.htm TV One's EVIDENCE OFINNOCENCE spotlights the unbelievable true stories of four people who endured this life-altering nightmare-innocent of crimes for which they were arrested and ultimately imprisoned. Premiering Monday, June 4 at 10/9c PM on TV One and hosted by acclaimed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, each one-hour episode of Evidence of Innocence focuses on one wrongfully convicted man or woman - Lisa Roberts, Richard Miles, Melonie Ware and Mark Schand - each faced with the enormous challenge of maintaining faith while awaiting the opportunity to prove their innocence. Jonathan Nelson is known for his hit songs and hit songs that he has penned for other artists. Some of those songs include “Manifest”, “My Name Is Victory”, “Healed”, and “The Struggle Is Over”. Nelson has written for Donald Lawrence, JJ Hairston, Maurette Brown Clark, TD Jakes, Stephen Hurd, and Troy Sneed. His new single, "I Agree”, is Caribbean inspired with great tempo and powerful declaratory lyrics. Jonathan has seen his ministry expand exponentially over the past few years because of his international hit “I Believe”. He’s continuing in that vein with this new single. “I Agree”has the same musical flavor but provides poignant declarations of faith. A standout lyric says “I concur, I agree, I believe… what God says about me, all things are possible, all things.” His new album is set to release in the summer of 2018. TV One has announced the 2018 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) TV One Screenplay Competition finalists - Fedna Jacquet (New York, NY), writer of "Isaiah"; Rashim Cannad (Los Angeles, CA), writer of "Connected"; and Sylvester K. Folks (Deatsville, AL), writer of "The Patrolman." The three finalists of the TV One competition will receive an all-expense paid trip to this year's ABFF in Miami (June 13-17). During ABFF's TV One "Celebrity Scene Stealers" event on Friday, June 15, each finalist will direct a table read of a scene from their script, performed by professional actors participating in this year's festival in front of a live audience. TV One today announced that production is underway in Atlanta, Georgia for the new film, Dinner For Two, starring Tristan 'Mack' Wilds ("HBO: The Wire", "90210", "The Secret Life of Bees", and "Shots Fired"), Chaley Rose ("Nashville"), Prince Hammond ("Claws") and Shaun Baker ("House Party"). The film is slated to premiere at the end of Summer 2018. In a complicated love story about life and sacrifice, Dinner For Two, details a solution to healing a broken heart. In preparation for his "last supper", Chris sets the mood by recreating a favorite dish he shared with his once beloved Angela. As Chris reflects on great memories over multiple glasses of wine and whiskey, he also mourns the loss of their relationship. To permanently numb the pain, Chris contemplates taking his own life, as Angela refuses to love him back and forgive his downward alcoholic spiral. Called and uniquely anointed to reach generations for the cause of Christ, singer, composer, preacher and worship leader Geoffrey Golden ushers in the spirit of revival with the release of See Revival, the first single from his live disc recorded last year in June. The new single hit digital outlets and streaming platforms on Friday, April 20th. The Season 7 Winner of Sunday Best embarks upon a new endeavor collaborating with his brothers Reggie and Kevin to form Golden Brothers Music Group and recently announced a partnership with Red Alliance Media and Fair Trade Services For distribution. Central Park’s SummerStage Presents: The 3 Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz & Sanctified Soul on June 30. The annual main stage concert event will feature Metropolitan Opera rising star Brandie Sutton and Grammy-nominated artists Stefon Harris and Keke Wyatt. Acclaimed vocalist Jazzmeia Horn will open the show. Marquis Boone introduces Fresh Start Worship. This pure and refreshing group of singers debut self-titled project FRESH START WORSHIP is available on all digital outlets now. The 11-track effort is produced by Tedy P. By now most people in America knows about comment made by Day Time TV Host Wendy Williams about The Clark Sisters! During her Hot Topics segment this past Tuesday, Williams went to congratulate Snoop Dogg for having the #1 Album of the Year. Not true, the year is not up yet. However, Snoop Dogg's album is #1 and has been for three weeks (3) weeks since it's debut. The Clark Sisters have "You Bring The Sunshine" on the album. Wendy said The Clark Sisters needs to step up their game and now she wants to invite them on her show. Man! Gold and Platinum selling Gospel/Jazz Pianist, NBC/Bravo reality TV star, private pilot and pastor Ben Tankard is living a Full Tank Life. The godfather of Gospel Jazz was recently inducted into the Stellar Awards Honors Hall of Fame at the 2018 Stellar Awards in March. Tankard's honor by The Stellar Awards exemplifies his lifetime of achievements in the Gospel Music industry as an artist, musician and producer. The 15-time Stellar Award winner has earned numerous awards and accolades on his recent 3-Volume FULL TANK gospel/jazz CD and his best-selling, hardback, self-help book The Full Tank Life: Fuel Your Dreams-Ignite Your Destiny. Tankard is now taking flight across the country this spring and summer on a whirlwind book and cd tour to empower everyone to live a Full Tank Life! His The Full Tank Life: Fuel Your Dreams, Ignite Your Destiny book was named an Essence Magazine Inspirational Book of the Year and is available now in hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook versions. J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise continue to reach higher heights as they are nominated for three (3) Billboard Music Awards. The nominations include Top Gospel Artist, Top Gospel Album, and Top Gospel Song for their #1 hit, "You Deserve It." They were also nominated for a GRAMMY® Award earlier this year. "You Deserve It" and the group's current Top Ten single, "No Reason To Fear," hail from their latest album, You Deserve It. Bishop Leonard Scott is back with another smash hit "Working In My Favor", boasting an A-list supporting cast, featuring Fred Hammond, Shirley Murdock, and Jeral Gray & New Direction. This summer jam is one of the featured up-tempo hits on Bishop Leonard Scott's upcoming new release entitled "Jesus Love Legacy". Atlanta’s DeVon Baker, CEO of BakersWay Entertainment presents Zuri Craig’s hit musical stage-play, ‘The House That Misery Built”. The spine tingling production comes to Raleigh, North Carolina Sunday, June 3. Doors open at 5pm and showtime is 6pm. After starring in several Tyler Perry plays and a Top 5 finalist on America’s Got Talent, Zuri Craig, stepped into the directors role. The play stars LaShaun Pace, KeKe Wyatt, Le'Andria Johnson and Q Parker. Chadwick Boseman to deliver Commencement address at Howard University. “I’m excited to return to the Mecca in celebration of the achievements of our illustrious students,” said Chadwick Boseman. Boseman will deliver the address for Howard University’s 150th Commencement on May 12, 2018. For updated information about Commencement, please visit: commencement.howard.edu Vanessa Bell Calloway visits The Wendy Show. Vanessa Bell Calloway Stars in the Bounce TV #1 drama "Saints & Sinners" on Friday, April 20. 2018. ********************************************************************************************************* We Spotlight Black Scientists: Fire Extinguisher - Thomas J. Martin - Pat. No. 125,063 Rotary Engine - Andrew J. Bread - Pat. No. 478,271 Pencil Sharper - John L. Love - Pat. No.594, 114 Bridle Bit- Lincoln F. Brown - Pat. No. 484, 994 Golf Tee - George F. Grant -Pat No. 638, 920 Air Conditioning Unit - Fredrick M. Jones - Pat. No. 2,475, 841 Automatic Fishing Device - George Cook - Pat. No. 625, 829 Lawn Sprinkler-Joseph H. Smith- Pat. No. 581, 785 Guitar - Robert F. Flemmings, Jr. - Pat. No. 338,727 Elevator - Alexander Miles - Pat. No. 371,207 ______________________________________________________ Gospel-Spotlight.com is an E-Magazine with it's focus on Contemporary & Traditional Gospel music. Gospel-Spotlight.com provides vital information to the Gospel Music Industry. We are Your Source for single and album charts, album reviews, audio interviews, artists spotlights and trends that occur in Gospel Music. We are your #1 "Inside Source." This E-Magazine is a tool for Record Companies, Artists, Retail stores, Gospel Music Lover's, Public Relations Firms, Management Companies, Advertisers Artists, Church Choirs and more." We depend on your donations. Make your donation at paypal hjrealj@aol.com Thank You. ___________________________________

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